The enmity and implacable hatred of the two families of Vasishthas and Viswámitras for generations, form subjects prominent throughout the Vedic antiquity, and preserved in the tradition of ages (Müll. Id. p. 486, Web. Id. p. 37). Another cause of it was that, Harischandra, King of Ayodhyá, was cursed by Vasishtha, whereupon he made Viswámitra his priest to the annoyance of Vasishtha, although the office of Bráhmana was held by him (Müller Id. page 408 Web. pp. 31-37). In the Bráhmana period we find Vasishtha forming a family title for the whole Vasishtha race still continuing as a _Gotra_ name, and that these Vasishthas continued as hereditary _Gurus_ and _purohitas_ to the kings of the solar race from generation to generation under the same title. The Vasishthas were always the Brahmanas or High priests in every ceremony, which could not be held by other Bráhmanas according to the Sáta patha Bráhmana (Müll. Id. page 92); and particularly the Indra ceremony had always to be performed by a Vasishtha, because it was revealed to their ancestor the sage Vasishtha only (Web. Ind. Lit. p. 123); and as the _Sátapatha Bráhmana-Taittiriya Sanhitá_ mentions it. ऋषयो वा इन्द्रं प्रत्यक्षं नापश्यन् । तं वशिष्ठः प्रत्यक्षमपश्यत् । सोऽब्रवीत् ब्रह्माणं ते वक्ष्यामि । यथात्वत् पुरोहिताः प्रजाः प्रजनिष्यन्ते । “The Rishis do not see Indra clearly, but Vasishtha saw him. Indra said, I will tell you, O Bráhman, so that all men who are born, will have a Vasishtha for his Purohita” (Max Müll. Anc. Sans. Lit. p. 92. Web. Id. p. 123). This will show that the Sloka works, which are attributed to Vasishtha, Yájnavalkya or any other Vedic Rishi, could not be the composition of the old Rishis, but of some one of their posterity; though they might have been propounded by the eldest sages, and then put to writing by oral communication or successive tradition by a distant descendant or disciple of the primitive Rishis. Thus we see the _Dráhyáyana Sutras_ of the Sama Veda is also called the Vasishtha Sutras, from the author’s family name of Vasishtha (Web. Id. p. 79). The _ásvaláyana Grihya Sutra_ assigns some other works to Vasishtha, viz., the Vasishtha _pragáthá_, probably Vashishtha Hymni of Bopp; the _Pavamánya_, _Kshudra sukta_, _Mahásukta_ &c. written in the vedic style. There are two other works attributed to Vasishtha, the Vasishtha Sanhitá on Astronomy (Web. Id. p. 258) and the Vasishtha Smriti on Law (Web. Id. p. 320), which from their compositions in Sanscrit slokas, could not be the language or work of the Vedic Rishi, but of some one late member of that family. Thus our work of Yoga Vasishtha has no claim or pretension to its being the composition of the Vedic sage; but as one propounded by the sage, and written by Válmiki in his modern Sanskrit. Here the question is whether Vasishtha the preceptor of Ráma, was the Vedic Vasishtha or one of his descendants, I must leave for others to determine.