Hariyappa - Rgvedic Legends Through The Ages

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Deccan College Dissertation Series
RGVEDIC LEGENDS
*
THROUGH THE AGES
BY
H.
L.
HARIYAPPA
DECCAN COLLEGE
Postgraduate & Research Institute
POONA
RGVEDIC LEGENDS
THROUGH THE AGES
By
H. L. HARIYAPPA, M.A., Ph.D. (Bombay)
Assistant Professor of Sanskrit, Mysore University, Mysore;
Editor,
Poona
Orientalist.
POONA
1953
First Edition:
500 Copies
March 1953
All Rights Reserved
PRICE Rs, 15/-
Printed by Shri V. G.
Published by Dr.
S.
MOGHE
M. KATRE
for
at the
Bombay
University Press, Fort,
Bombay
and
the Decean College Postgraduate and Research
Yeravda, Poona 6.
Institute,
DEDICATED
TO
THE REVERED TEACHERS

AS AN
HUMBLE TOKEN
OF GRATITUDE
OM
TAT SAVITT5R VARENYAM
BHARGO DEVASYA DHlMAHI

DHlYO YO NAH PRACODAYAT
RV
III 62.10.
Vvasfulibhih kavwarair avasiidito'pi
ûnyatvam apa kalayapi na vakprapaflcah

Aiiiiiulaiiivbliaracakorasuliasrapltain
CMnriiam mahah ksayam
u|>aili
na matrayapi
Sfiktim uklavali
XI
CONTENTS
PAGE
Foreword
xiii
Preface
xv
Bibliography and Abbreviations
...
...
...
...
...
...
xvii
123-147
Introduction
The subject and its scope 123. (2) Purvasuryafr 123. (3) Sources
of study 124.
(5) Itihasa-tradition
(4) Lines of Investigation 129.
131.
(6) The place of Legend in National Life 133.
(7) The Age
(1)
of the
Rgveda
137.
Rgvedic Legends 139.
(8)
(9)
Lessons from
the Legends 145.
I.
The Legend of Saramd

(1)
(3)
Rgveda Samhita
Brahmanas 161.
148-183
150.
(4)
Sarvanukrarnam 169.
(9)
Ramayana
178.
II.
(12)
(2)
175.
Saihhitas other than the
Nirukta 164.
Sfiyana
(7)
(10)
(5)
170.
Mahabharata
Recent opinions 179.
(13)
(8)
175.
160.
(6)
175.
Nitimanjari
Varaha Purana
(11)
181.
Summary
The Legend of SunaMepa

(1)
(3)
Rgveda 184.
Brahmanas
(2)
184-240
Saihhitas
191.
(4)'
Vedic
than
the
RV.
Auxiliaries
196.
(5)
other
Exponents of the Veda 200. (6) Ramayana 203.

208. (8) Puranas 212. (9) Modern opinions 225.
Sunassepa 230.
III.
Rgveda
Brhaddevata 165.
(11)
Summary
(7)
(10)
190.
Later
Mahabharata
On
the
name
239.
Vasistha and Vtivamitra
241.
Later Samhitas 257.
(1)
Rgveda
(4)
Vedic Ancillaries 276.
296.
827.
(7)
(2)
241-380
Puranas 314.
(5)
(8)
Ramayana
(3)
290.
Brahmanas
(6)
Recent opinions 322.
262.
Mahabharatp
(9)
Xlll
FOREWORD
The present volume constitutes the ninth
of the Institute's series entitled
Deccan College Dissertation Series, inaugurated in 1946 with the Historical

Grammar of Old Kannada by Dr. G. S. GAI. Since then the Institute has brought
out during the past seven years seven volumes in the Series embodying the
results of the researches carried on by its students during the last few years in
the
branches of Indology, particularly Linguistics and History, and I

a great privilege to present to the world of scholars the Institute's
different
consider
it
publication entitled Rgvedic Legends through the Ages* by Dr. H. L.

HARIYAPPA, now an Assistant Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Mysore
and a former student of this Institute for his Ph.D. Course.
latest
The subject of Dr. HARIYAPPA'S thesis which is styled Rgvedic Legends through
the Ages was originally undertaken by him with a view to collecting all the legends
which were referred to in the Rgveda and have been transmitted to us through
subsequent Vedic and post-Vedic literature including the Epics and the Puranas
and studying the transformation which the legends underwent from age to age.
Actual experience, however, proved that such a study of all the legends recorded
Rgveda was too vast to be undertaken by a single individual. The author
in the
had, therefore, to confine himself to the investigations with regard to only three
legends
viz.
(1)
Sarama,
(2)
Sunassepa and
(3)
am happy
Vasistha-Visvamitra, and I
now available to the
to see that the results of his investigations are

scholars and students of Sanskrit.
It is
hoped that the publication
of the present
volume as
also of the several
others in the Institute's Dissertation Series will inspire our younger generation
to undertake the study of numerous problems of Indian literature which forms
the cultural heritage of India.
Poona, 15th June, 1953.
*First published in the Bulletin D.C.R.I. 11.123-330.
S.
M. KATRE.
XV
PREFACE
MYTHOLOGY, FOLKLORE AND LEGEND are terms more are less applied to
same
the
type of popular tradition handed down through centuries from antiquity to posterity. In Bharatavarsa (India), such a tradition has endured inthe shape of itihdsa and purdna, which once upon a time lived in the mouths
and which, in later times, found embodiment

and the eighteen puranas.
of the paurdnikas (story-tellers)

in the
two great
epics
Narration of legends before the assembly (sadas) provided an agreeable

diversion in the daily routine of the famous Sacrifices from immemorial times.
The reason is that, whatever name it goes by myth, legend or folk-tale the
story attracts and holds the imagination of the listener. The very mould in
which it is presented, iti ha dsa ('thus it was') is sufficient to arrest the faculty
of belief, the love of the wonderful and the sensus numinis,
Thus we
which are innate
myths and legends thrive on the fertile soil

of popular credulity.
Both the narrator and the listener together build up the
vast legendary love of the nations and races.
in
man.
find
that
the
Indeed, the myth or legend cannot come into being without a kernel of
truth which is sometimes a natural phenomenon or a hero with superhuman
strength and achievement. But passing through the mouth of generations,
what proportion it assumes, what texture, colour and pattern it presents, and
what authority and influence it wields on the belief and conduct of the common
folk, is all
a marvel to meditate.
The legends of India are rooted in the Rgveda which happens to be the first
Their analogues are of the course found
literary document of the human race.
mythology of other nations. In India itself, the legends developed and
ramified through the ages and found themselves reflected in the continuous
streem of literature. This book, RGVEDIC LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES, is an
attempt to study this historical evolution of the legends with a view to unravel-
in the
it.
The legends are numerous and should be
In the short compass of this
an
scholar
to study.
many
eager
book, however, three legends have been presented Sarama, Sunassepa and
Vasistha-Visvamitra. It is revealed that Sarama is not the dog of heaven
she is verily a goddess and ally of Indra the progenitor perhaps of the canine
ling the complexities incidental to
the life-work of
Sunassepa ('source of joy' not 'dog-tailed' as commonly understood:

see p. 230 et seq) was saved from the thousand-edged stakes, hence a symbol of
divine grace and man's emancipation. That he was the middle one (madhyama)
of a fraternity with canine attributes is fiction out-and-out. Vasistha-Vis'vamitra feud is equally a myth it has no vedic authority possibly the two sages
species.
PREFACE
XVI
In fact, they stand out as two magnificent personalities reprewere friends

senting ancient society, Vasistha (the Excellent) and Visvamitra (the Friend of
!
All).
One point of supreme importance may be noted here. Legends everywhere

are narrated in order to please and to edify.
In promoting these two objects,
it is noticeable that both story-teller and his listener go to extremes.
There is
endless and unbridled concoction which renders the story
much low taste witness the Sunassepa legend in the
:
ridiculous betraying
Devi-Bhagavata for
instance (p. 216) witness also, in our own day, the daring harikathd-peY former
whose discourses are, more often than not, such travesty of the scriptures. It
therefore not surprising that, in this Age of Reason, the Puranas do not
appeal to the intelligent public. The writer however feals that in attempting
to know our antiquity it is worthy to address ourselves to the study of original
is
sources and help a better
and more
sensible understanding of the Past.
most pleasant duty to record my sincere acknowledgment of the

help received by me in the preparation and publication of this thesis. The
University of Mysore granted me a Research Fellowship for three years and also
permission to work in the Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute
(DCPRI). They were also pleased to permit me to submit the thesis for the
It is
my
degree of Ph.D. of the University of

Alma-Mater, the Mysore University.
him
Bombay.
am
deeply grateful to
my
Professor C. R. Narasimhasastri, M.A., directed my work first. I owe it to

to have suggested the topic of my research.
He was my teacher throughout
It is no exaggeration to say that his profound scholarship

College career.
enlivened by an inimitable sense of with and humour brought me lasting enlightenment. After his retirement, I studied entirely under the auspices of the
my
first under Dr. V. M. APTE, M.A., Ph.D. (Cantab.) and then under Dr. S.
M. Katre, M.A., Ph.D. (London). It was by the fostering care bestowed on me
by Dr. KATRTC that I was able to complete my work successfully. He has
showered on me unbounded grace by publishing this Volume in the Dissertation
Series of the DCPRI.
No word can sufficiently express my gratitude to him.
He hates nothing but praise loves everything but self.
DCPRI,
cannot conclude this without gratefully remembering the ungrudging help

I received from the DCPRI Library and the Staff, during
sojourn at the Deccan College, Poona.
I
and courtesy that
my
Mysore, ^
19-5-1953.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
XVII
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...
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...
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Raghu
...
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Siddhanta KaumudT (NS Press 1942)
Subha.Bh.
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"
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...
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Prof.
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XXI
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INTRODUCTION
THE SUBJECT AND
THE
ITS
SCOPE
"
ROVED re LEGENDS THROUGH THE

The purpose is to gather all the legends which are clearly referred to in
the Rgveda and which have come down to us through subsequent Vedic and postVedic literature, including the Epics and the Puranas, to record the transformation
which they have undergone from age to age and then to determine the rationale
subject of this
study
is
entitled
AGES/'
of such transformation.
Incidentally, the chronology of the several ancient texts
apart from the very Age of the Rgveda comes into inquiry. The orignial home of
the Rgvedic seers and the provenance of the sacred hymns require discussion.
Whether there was an Indo-Iranian period at all in the great trek of the ancients,
whether the Indian branch was quite independent of the Iranian, or whether the
latter subsequently branched off from India Iran-wards
these are problems still
awaiting solution.
In the meantime, the great discovery of the prehistoric cultures
Harappa and Mohenjodaro and kindred types in Asia Minor has challenged all
the more the tenacious efforts of Research to unravel ancient chronology. It has
even baffled attempts to determine the relative sequence of the Rgvedic and the
Indus- Valley civilizations. While the student owes a great debt to the researches
of pioneers like Max Miiller and Darmestcter, followed by a galaxy of accomplished
scholars in India and outside and while, again, he is as much beholden to the finds
of great explorers like Marshall, Majumdar and Aurel Stein, a more intensive study
of protohistoric documents and a more extensive excavation of prehistoric sites, 1
and, above all, a consistent and comprehensive appreciation of the results of the
twofold inquiry (literary and archaeological), yet appear to be desirable pursuits.
of
It
originally intended to study all if not most of the legends but the mategrew into great proportion and the range of study extending from the
to the Puranas through the intermediate stages represented by the later
was
rial collected
Rgveda
Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Epics etc., a study of all the legends proved impossible within the allotted time.
Hence, three legends only were taken up for detailed
investigation!^.
(1)
SARAMA
(2)
SUNASSEPA
and
(3)
VASISTHA AND
VISVlMITRA.
II
PCRVASCRAYAH
The subject of Vedic Legends
The light of Vedic
dealt with it 3
.
is vast, but comparatively few scholars have

tradition was however kept burning in works
"
1.
Domain of prehistory ends with the appearance of written documents Indus Civilisa"
Rev. H. Heras, Pre-history and
tion belongs to proto-history (up to Alexander's invasion)
Proto-history (JBROS 28, June 1942).
On the orthography of this word vide section (end) of ch. Ill infra.
2.
3.
Cf. Dr. C. K. Raja's Presidential address, para 5 (Vedic Section ) XII AIOC (Benares
;
1944).
Bull
DCRI
xi-9
HARIYAPPA
H. L.
Nirukta, Brhaddevata and Sarvanukramani and by commentators like

4
and
Dya Dviveda's Nitimanjari is perhaps the last known
adguruisya.
Sayana
and
to
record
interpret the legends of the Rgveda.
attempt
like the
"
discovery of Sanskrit," however, pioneers in the West

have among their writings recorded their impressions of Various legends. An
"
"
elaborate historical study was made by J. Muir in his
Original Sanskrit Texts
"
Die agenstoffe des Rgveda
Latterly, Dr. Sieg wrote a monograph on
(5 vols.).
"
und die indische Itihasatradition setting forth general principles of investigation
and dealing with four legends. 6 Jarl Charpentier wrote a dissertation on "Die
"7
wherein he not only analyses the several motifs of the Suparna
Suparnasage
also
makes a learned contribution to the study of Indian legends in
but
legend
"
"
Vedic Index of Names and Subjects 8 is an
and Keith's
Macdonell
general.'
invaluable contribution in the field, apart from being a veritable source-book of
Since the time of the
'
Vedic lore in general. F. E. Pargiter has attempted to correlate the Puranic legends
"
with those of the Veda and brought out his Ancient Indian Historical Tradition." 9
Studies of single legends have been published from time to time by Bloomfield,
Macdonell and others. In India too, considerable interest has been evinced by
several scholars. 10
Ill
SOURCES OF STUDY
An
attempt
is
made
Mainly, the sources are

(a)
to go into the original sources for a study of the legends.

:
The Samhitas and other Vedic
texts including the
Brahmanas (1500
B.C.-600 B.C.) 11
4.
Yaska's Nirukta 12 (500 B.C.)
(c)
Saunaka's Brhaddevata 13 (400 B.C.).
This
The
23.
(b)
is
so far as the legends are concerned.

Nirukta relates 36 stories,
by Sayana are innumerable.
BD 40
and Si?ya
stories related
5.
Max Miiller (History of Ancient
e.g. Roth (Zur Litteratur und Geschichte des Weda)
in 6 vols.).
Sanskrit Literature), H. H. Wilson (Translation of
Wilson has noted all the
legends in his notes and sometimes given a historical estimate.
6.
Viz. Die Sarrigas, Syavasva Atreya, Vrsa Jana and Vamadeva Gautama.
Some of the
author's views were open to criticism. Cf. BD ed. Macdonell, p. xxix and n. 4 on the same
;
HV
page.
7.
8.
9.
Uppsala and Leipzig, 1920.

Indian Texts Series, John Murray, London, 1912
Oxford University Press, 1922.
(in
2 vols.).
10.
For a survey of recent researches, see A. D. Pusalkar's article in PIS, pp. 101-152, also
Dandekar, Ibid., pp. 52 f.
The dates given against the works are approximate and generally the most accepted
11.
ones. They are, however, tentative, as many " pins set up only to be bowled down "
I
(Whitney).
12.
kamkar
18.
The
edition here used
is
that of the
Bombay
Sanskrit Series ed. H. M. and R. G. Bhad-
(2 vols.).
Ed. and Trans. A. A. Macdonell (HOS
vols. 5
and
6, 1904).
RGVEDIC LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES

(d)
(e)
125
Katyayana's Sarvanukramam (350 B.C.) with the Vedarthadipika of

14
Sadgurusisya
(1187 A.D.).
Say ana's Vedarthaprakasa,
15
being
the
commentary on the
RV
(1350 A.D.).
(/)
(g)
(h)
Nitimanjari
The Epics
Puranas
19
16
of
Dya Dviveda
Ramayana
like
It
(1594 A.D.).
and Mahabharata. 18
Brahma, Visnu, Vayu, Bhagavata
said to date from 400
but
17
etc. all
of which are
A.D.
be remembered that the RgVeda-Samhita does not narrate any legend

These have been
replete with allusions to numerous stories and episodes.
may
it is
recounted and amplified in later Vedio and post-Vedie literature.
We
see the first
20
the Sunassepa legend, for instance, is
attempts at narration in the Bhahrnanas
is
said
to be the oldest of its class.
narrated
in
the
which
Its
fully
Aitareya
;
Rgvedic basis is a mere reference to Sunassepa's deliverance from the stakes.

Vasistha and Visvamitra both had enemies against whom they poured curses, but
it is not known to the RV whether they hated each other.
Similarly, the story of
Sararna is hinted in outlines only in the Family-mandalas. The dialogue between
21
her and the Panis in the tenth mandala (RV
108) provides however an artistic
setting for the story.
During the post-Vedic period, tradition has been .recorded in some cases, but
by Yaska. Perhaps a younger contemporary of the authors of the Sutras,
his style has naturally been aphoristic.
It could not be otherwise in the case of
the Sarvanukramani (350 B.C.) also, which is in the nature of a comprehensive
index to the Rgveda. It had had to comprise in the small compass of a sentence
briefly,
which should
14.
easily lend itself to be
Ed. with notes.
memorised, things
like the pratika, rsi, devata,
A. A. Mac4onell (Anccdota Oxoniensia) Oxford, 1886.
Max
The Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala (Poona) ediMiiller, 2nd edn. Oxford 1892.
tion was recently completed and published (4 vols.).
[As we go to the Press the 5th (Indices)
volume has also been published 1951].
15.
Ed. S. J. Joshi (Benares) 1933 Hari Har Maiidal, Kalabhairava, Benares City.
"
"
Tilaka
Nirnayasagar Edition with com.
(1922) and that of Gorresio (Italy).
18.
BORI and Citrasala editions, Poona. The former is the famous Critical Edition inaugurated by H. G. Bhandarkar in 1917, published to the end of Bhisma-parva.
[Of late,
Karna and Santi have appeared in parts]. The latter is a complete publication in 7 vols.
(including Harivamsa) with the commentary of Nilakantha.
16.
17.
19.
complete
Mostly Anandasrama editions, some Nirnayasagar

Bhagavata by E. Burnouf (Inup to end of 9 Skandhas only). Good critical editions of all the Puranas are a dire
;
necessity.
The Brahmanas, besides amplifying some of the stories alluded to in the Samhitas,
20.
themselves originated a number of them to illustrate or support the various aspects of the Sacrifice.
Any new technique meant the weaving of an old story to speak of its efficacy.
21.
RV 108 is itself a Brahmana-like amplification of the episode which was hinted by
earlier Seers, Visvamitra, Gautama, Atreya and others.
Note that Panis and Sarama are themselves the Rsi and the Devata for the hymn
(Panyuktau Sarama devi taduktau Panayas tat ha).
The real author or Seer is anonymous.
H. L.
126
HARIYAPPA
chandas, and finally an episode or legend
if
any
hence
its
brevity.
22
of Saunaka (400 B.C.) happens to be a very useful sourceto an enumeration of the deities of the RV in categoridevoted
mainly
But it comprises other matter also. The introduction which occupies
cal order.
the first chapter and three-quarters of the second, provides an interesting grammatical discussion closely related to the Nirukta and dealing with particles, propositions,
nouns, pronouns, compounds and the analysis of words together with a criticism of
Yaska's errors in dividing words. In the main body of the work is interspersed a
considerable amount of other matter, notably about forty legends 23 meant to explain
the circumstances in which the hymns they were connected with, were composed.
About 300 slokas, or approximately one- fourth of the whole work, are devoted to
these legends.
Narrated in epic style, they form the oldest systematic collection
The Brhaddevata
book.
It is
of legends which
we
possess in Sanskrit.
Sayana's commentary, Vedarthaprakasa,
is
a mine of legendary information.
of this versatile scholar, 24 a band of profound scholars joined and

wrote commentaries on all the sacred works, samhitas, brahmanas, Srauta Sutras
Under the
and
etc.
fegis
also
the revival of
works of a secular nature. 25
Just as the
Hindu power,
rise
so also Sayana's literary efforts

of ancient Sanskrit Literature.
"
of Vijayanagara marked
marked the resuscitation
This work is a
Lastly, we have the Nitimanjarl of Dya Dviveda (1494 A.D.).
"
collection of some 166 ethical maxims
illustrated as a rule by events and stories
of the Vedic period.
Relevant mantras and hymns from the
RV
are quoted
and
Sadgurusisya (1187 A.D.), commentator of Sarva. has related 23 legends in the course
as Vedarthadlpika (Sec p. 210 for a list).
The name of this scholiast
is impressive.
According to Macdonell, his real name is not known, he was truly a disciple of
six teachers whom he mentions at the end of com. (p. 1(38).
They taught him seven books of
knowledge
Vinayakas Sulapanir Mukundah Siiryo Vyasah ivayogl ca ad vai / Namami
tan sarvada pantu mam te yair vai sadbhis sapta vidyas tu dattah // Adya Sarvanukramaru
22.
of his
commentary known
dvitiya mahavratam copanisaddvayam ca / Mahavratam sutram asam trtlya catvarimsadbrahm(Aitareya Brahmana) vai caturthl // Sutram pancamyatra sasthi tu grhyam $akalyasya
samhita saptamlti / Ima datta vidyas tu sadbhir yair vai sadbhyo gurubhyo hi namo'stu tebhyah // One wonders whether these were real names Vinayaka, Sulapani, Mukunda, Surya,
Vyasa and Sivayogl. This Pupil of Six Teachers lived in an age of intense literary activity (1187
A.D.) and himself rose to fame by his erudition and writings. It looks somewhat fictitious that
not one of this group has otherwise been known in literary tradition. The names mentioned
might represent presiding deities to whom the author was devoted. The first four had become
the foremost gods in the religious conception and daily life by the 12th century. The fifth Vyasa
is the mythical compiler of all ancient books.
The Sixth, perhaps, was a real person or the Spiritual Entity that he had conceived as a result of his profound learning.
23.
Vide BD p. 132 for a list of them. Macdonell's edition of BD. is a model in the art and
science of editing.
Editing ancient oriental texts is considered to be a highly complicated task.
Distinguished scholars, specially in the West, have put forth their best efforts in the field for over
a century and a half. The principles and methods evolved out of such a long period of practical
work have been illuminatingly set forth in the *' Introduction to Indian Textual Criticism " by
Dr. S. M. Katre (DCPRI, Poona) 1941.
24.
Asutosh Mookerjee Silver
its composition.
Cf. P. D. Gune, Sayana's commentary
Jubilee Volumes
Vol. Ill Orientaila Part 3 (1927), pp. 467-77.
The idea is that the com. is
not the work of one hand, but many co-operated to bring out the great work, under the general
" The
editorship of Sayana. The
present writer has adduced further proof in his article
" contributed
to the Prof. M. Hiriyanna Commemoration Volume (in the
Rgvedic word Parvata
anam
Press), Mysore.
[Since published].
Works like Madhavlya-dhatu-vrtti,
25.
Kalamadhavlya, Bindu-madhavlya
etc.
127
commented upon,
Once Keith
largely borrowing from Sayana's commentary.
demurred 26 at the idea of editing Nitimanjari on the ground that there was little
originality and less of contribution to knowledge in it.
Though this is not wholly
untrue, one feels that his decision against its publication was somewhat harsh.
The importance of the work would have been evident if only its precursors like BD
and Sarva. had still to be unearthed. For the preservation of knowledge and
continuity of tradition, it is indisputable that works, even of the nature of digests
or compilations, need to be prepared and published from time to time.
The one
feature of the Nitimanjari is that the illustrations are taken from the Veda only.
For our purpose, we
shall take
account of
it
for additional corroboration of
Vedic
references.
"
Vedic Index of Names and Subjects " is an indispensMacdoncll and Keith's
The authors' claim 27 is quite justified
able guide to the student of Vedic antiquity.
"
it would include all information that can be extracted from Vedic literature
that
on such topics as agriculture, astronomy, burial, caste, clothing, crime, diseases,
economic conditions, food and drink, gambling, kingship, law and justice, marriage,
morality, occupations, polyandry and polygamy, the position of women, usury,
village communities, war, wedding ceremonies, widow-burning, witchcraft and
The proper names would embrace not only persons, tribes and
but
also
mountains, rivers and countries. The geographical distribution of
peoples,
the Vedic population would thus also be presented." The special merit of the
work is that the authors being themselves profound scholars of Sanskrit have not
only culled out references from all available texts in an exhaustive manner, but
many
others.
have recorded up-to-date results of comparative and critical investigations on

various subjects and aspects bearing on the Veda.
In estimating the value of the Epics and the Puranas for a historical study, 28
also
the view
is
generally held that sound conclusions are possible
when only
critical
JRAS 1900, pp: 127-30. Keith has made a thorough examination of the
obliged to, even after perusing the publication of it in Benares, agree entirely
with his findings. Uya wrote the Nitimanjari in 1444 A.I). Writing just a century after the
Vedic revival in Vijayanagara under the leadership of Madhava and Sayana, may it he that Dya
was echoing the Sayana tradition ? It has heen said above that the Sayana-Madhava output
could not have been single-handed. A number of scholars should have worked under them as in
an Academy. If Mukunda Dviveda, great-grandfather of Dya was a repository of Vedic lore, he
might have well-nigh directly contributed to the great revival, at least as a junior contemporary
If it is a place-name,
of Sayana. Dviveda's abode was Ananda, according to a verse in the work.
It may be somewhere in the south
it need not be in Gujarat only or in the heights of Kashmir.
as well. There is an Anandapuram in Mysore State near the Bombay border, not very far from
and there are Vajasaneyins and Rk-sakhins in good number. The
old Vijayanagar (Hampi)
Uvata association was dismissed by Keith as untenable. The point is whether the family could
be related to the Sayana School directly, in which case the portion of the Vedabhasya contained
But we must have further corroboration.
in the Niti may have been Dya's family inheritance.
See p. vii VI Vol. I. It is a surprise, however, that the learned authors do not include
27.
Sarama in the Index. Macdonell has omitted to mention her name even in his HSL. (1900). She
"
"
or a mythical entity.
should find a place at least as a
heavenly animal
Suparna has been
It seems to me to be an unaccountable omission.
included (vol. II p. 455)
For a thoroughly dependable account, reference may be made to Winternitz HIL
28.
The findings of pioneer scholars like
vol. I (1927) : section on Epics and Puranas, pp. 311-606.
Wilson and later of Holtzmann, Dahlmann, Jacobi, Hopkins and others have been well digested
and, may we add, fair Conclusions arrived at by Winternitz. His enthusiastic efforts before the
International Congress of Orientalists to set afoot a critical edition of the Mahabharatu culminated in the present BORI undertaking,
26.
Vide Keith
work and one
is
H. L.
128
editions of the texts are
made
HARIYAPPA
available.
No
definite period of composition
can be
fixed for these works, because, through centuries they have been subjected to additions and alterations with the result that they have grown in bulk.
As it has
proved in the case of the Mahabharata,
it is an arduous task to
bring out critical
same the necessity for them is beyond question, if a systematic
At
insight into the currents and cross currents of our culture is to be gained.
present, however, all observations based on the versions found in the Epics and the
Puranas will have to be made with due caution.
All the
editions.
The importance and popularity of these works, indeed, can, in no way, be lost
sight of. They are the bed-rock of Hindu civilization. The Mahabharata, specially,
is riot only an
epic, not only a work of poetic art (kavya), but also, as Winternitz
"
a manual (Sastra) of morality, law and philosophy, supported by the
puts it,
oldest tradition (smrti) and hence furnished with incontestiblc
authority and
since more than 1,500 years it has served the Indians as much for entertainment
;
and
as for instruction
edification." 29
The Ramayana was exposed
in a far less degree to
tampering by later hands.

and seventh books, which are considered to be
compact work, when compared with the Mbh.
Whereas the latter assumed grand proportions as it had to record the destinies of a
whole race i.e. of the Kauravas bestirring the three worlds, 30 the former described
It could therefore, in spite of the first
later additions, be still viewed as a
Rama, who has been described as an embodiment

Ramayana, though less voluminous than the sister epic,
the life-story of one hero, Sri
human
still
perfection.
human
we may
a valuable book of
aesthetic
If
appeal.
Mahabharata
of
is
experience, less unwieldy but none-the-lcss full of

so describe, Ramayana is for the Individual,
More than before, the need is now great that the

country should look back at these storehouses of culture and bring to bear a proper
reorientation on the future outlook.
"
The Puranas belong to the religious literature and are, for the later Indian
religion which is generally called Hinduism and which culminates in the worship of
Siva and Visnu, approximately what the Veda is for the oldest
or Brahmafor the Nation.
is
religion
nism." 31
are closely connected with the epic

compositions and further
elaborate the legends contained therein to suit their own
purpose. There has been
They
no rule or restraint for such accretions, for even in later times, books are fabricated
which assume the proud title "purana," or claim to be
parts of ancient Puranas.
As Winternitz puts it, they are " new wine in old bottles."
"
The Puranas
descriptions of
29.
HIL
80.
Cf.
are confessedly partly legendary and

The
partly historical.
superhuman beings and of other worlds than this, are glorified
821.
I, p.
Bana
Kim
kaves tasya kavyena sarvavrttantagamina

Katheva bharati yasya na vyaprioti jagattrayam
//
Harsacarita (Introd. glokas),

81.
Winternitz,
KUL,
p. 517.
129
accounts of the unknown founded on the analogy of the known. They are the
products of an imaginative and uncritical age in which men were not careful to
It is the task of modern criticism to disentangle
distinguish fact from legend.
Its first object should be to remove from the existing Puranas all
and then form a comparison of their oldest portions to determine
in which they stand to one another and thus, as far as possible, to
the two elements.

later additions,
the relations
restore their
common
tradition to
its
32
original form."
IV
LINES OF INVESTIGATION
One need not aspire for any novel finds in the study of the legends. They
are repeated again and again in successive generations
perhaps, repetition is
and
reconstruction
their strong point.
Repetition
being their regular features
So
and
has
a
ever
anon.
much
written
in the past by eminent
bear
been
study
they
;
The present study

Hence the writer submits
scholars.
is
know them
a humble attempt to
as far as possible.
Kati kavayafr kati krtayab kati luptafr kati caranti kati sithilafr
Tad api pravartayati mam nigarnoktakhyanasamvidliancha// 33
The study of ancient
lore has to
be approached with
faith, free
from modern
materialistic prejudices which have hampered true appreciation and rendered

Those who indulge in the destruccriticism more destructive than constructive.
tive type
Vidya
is
student
had better keep away; it is in this

repeated by several Vedic schools
that the parable of Goddess

the edification of the earnest
spirit
for
Vidya ha vai brahmanam ajagama
Gopaya ma sevadhiste'ham asmi
Asuyakayartrjave'yataya
Na ma bruya viryavati tatha syam
//
Ya atrnattyavitathcna karnaVaduhkham kurvannamrtam samprayacchan

Tain manyeta pitaram mataram ca
Tasmai na druhyet katamaccanaha
//
Adhyapita ye gurum nadriyante

Vipra vaca manasa karmana va /
Yathaiva te na guror bhojaniyas
tathaiva tan na bhunakti srutam tat
Yam
82.
Rapson, CHI, Vol. p. 299.

Adapted from Nllakaij^ha-vijaya, the
paramyasarikatlmlobhah,
//
eva vidyafr sucim apramattam
Medhavinam brahmacaryopapannam
33.
last
quarter of the original being
Sankara-
130
HARIYAPPA
Yas te na druhyet katamaccanaha

Tasmai ma bruya nidhipaya brahman
34
//
Protect me, I am
Goddess Vidya once approached the Brahmana and said
not
to
who
is
not
me
one
treasure.
envious,
any
straightforward and
thy
Impart
who has no self-control, so will I remain a source of strength. (A student) should
regard him, as father and as mother, who fills the ears with TRUTH without causing
pain but pouring nectar. By no means should a student prove treacherous to him.
Those vipras (learned pupils) who, though instructed, will not respect the Teacher
in thought, word and deed shall deserve no favour from the Teacher; similarly, too,
the knowledge (so obtained) shall not favour them. Therefore, O Brahman, thou
shalt impart me only to him who will keep the trust, whom thou thinkest to be
pure and not heedless, intelligent and devoted to his duties as a student and who
would by no means prove treacherous to thee.'
'
Mythology, in general, may be described as a historical and scientific study of

myths and legends the whole body of divine, heroic and cosmogonic legends
come under its purview. Myths and legends are classified as meteorological,
;
physical, historical, ritualistic, artistic, ethical, mystical, or allegorical and so on.

Myths are traditional, having had their source often in individual imagination.
is to strengthen tradition and endow it with
a greater value and prestige by tracing it back to a higher, better and more super"
natural reality of ancient events.
From myth spring the epic romance and
tragedy. Myth, therefore, touches the deepest desires of man --his fears, his hopes,
Psychologically, the function of myth,
his passions, his sentiments as it validates the social order, justifies the existing
social scheme and ranges from expressions of sheer artistry to legalism."
Myth in common parlance savours of what is untrue, unreal, all the same it has
a hold on man's imagination. There is a certain amount of rational element in it,
as, for instance, in the myths relating to the Dawn and the Sun.
Sometimes, the
irrational element, as in the story of the Creator himself
myth repugnant.
his ideal State
committing
incest, renders
Plato would reject such untrustworthy stories of gods from
The study of mythology is obscure and
difficult but when rightly and cautiously

abounds with evidence as to the primitive aspirations and beliefs of
mankind and as to the various stages of moral and intellectual development. 35
pursued
it
In the present study, by legend is meant a story which describes an ancient

event in which the characters are from, or are akin to, mankind and in which, the
emotions and experiences, such as those of human beings are described. In this way,
it differs
from a myth which

4
is
more often than not a
fanciful representation of a
'
84.
at the end of his IntroQuoted by Say ana
Sakhantaragataih caturbhir mantraih
duction to the RV commentary. The verses are found in VDhS (BSS XXIII 3rd edn. 1930
II
8-11.
BORI)
fs.
The above is based on the views expressed in the Encyc, Britannica

85.
said of tlê myth equally applies to legend,
and ERE.
What
131
and lunar myths were brought home by Max

Sometimes, indeed, a concrete legend, like that
of Sarama or Pururavas, was harnessed into a myth.
Sarama, Indra's messenger
(Indrasya dutiU) not the watch-dog of the gods (devasuni) as she somehow came
to be designated later went to the Panis and demanded the release of Indra's
Thus the
natural phenomenon.
Miiller in his
numerous
solar
writings.
with Sarama as guide, Indra found the Panis, destroyed them and recovered the cattle. These concrete lines are rendered into evanescent myth stating
cattle
Sarama the Dawn,
signalling the dispelling of darkness, heralds the advent

the Sun's rays. The immortal lovers, Pururavas and Urvasi,
The birth of the sage Vasistha from
are, mythically, the Sun and the Dawn.
Urvasi is, again, the birth of the Sun from the Dawn. Which to choose and cherish,
that
of Indra's cattle
viz.
legend or myth, mankind decided the myth gradually receded to the background
but the legend held on. It caught the imagination of men and began to thrive
;
being harnessed at will for their own ends and purposes. For when man
began to narrate a story, he put his own mind into it, so much so the original outlines were entirely missed or misrepresented.
But then the history of the legends
on
it,
proves that they are almost beside the truth why should they be studied ? It
is precisely to know the real basis of the legends, the transformation that time
;
wrought upon them, the consistency and the logical necessity of such transformaand finally the reaction of the people who stored them as a rich heritage.
tion
ITIHASA-TRADITION
Our legends have a hoary past; their roots extend to the Vedas themselves.
Known by the comprehensive name, Itihasa (iti ha asa = thus, indeed, it was), they
constituted a necessary adjunct to the four Vedas, because, Itihasa is described as
the fifth Veda. 36 According to Kautilya's Arthasastra, 37 Itihasa comprises purana
(old legends), itivrtta (history), akhyayika (fables), udaharana (illustrative stories),
dharmasastra (codes of law) and arthasastra (political science). The king is
expected to spend the afternoon in listening to these sources of knowledge. Thus
Itihasa gives us the impression that it is not a single work but a species of literary
productions. But this range was acquired by the time of Kautilya (4th cent.
we
find numerous references to Itihasa, Purana and

were
they
actually composed, they do not exist today.
Itihasa-purana
Max Miiller 38 thought that the Rarnayana and the Mbh. have taken their place and
B.C.
?)
In the early literature,

etc.
36.
nitz.
But
if
Chandogya-Up. VII
p. 313 and n2, 3.
1 f
and
7,
HIL
87.
"
"
Buddhist Suttanipata III
Samargyajurvedas trayas trayl
7,
both referred to by Winter-
Atharvavedetihasavedau ca vedah
" K.
Artha.
Purvam aharbhagam hastyasvarathapraharanavidyasu vinayam gacchet / Pacimam

Puranam itivrttam akhyayikodaharanam Dharmasastram ArthaSastram cetiitihasasravane
"
As species of literature which go by the name of Veda,
Ibid. I 5 cf. HIL p. 313 n.4.
tihasah /
may be mentioned Ayurveda, Dhanurveda and Gandharvaveda. Cf. also Amara (I vi. 4) itiI
3.
'
'
hasah puravrttam
what happened before, an event of the past. By the time of this definition,
all the words were taken as synonymous
itihasa, itivrtta, purana, akhyana etc. Cf. again HIL
p. 811 note.
88.
Hibbert Lectures,
p.
154 note.
Also
"
India,
what can
it
teach us
? ", pp. 88-89.
H- L
132
that the later Puranas even
was
may
HARIYAPPA
contain materials, though
called in Vedic literature, the Puranas.
much
altered, of
what
one view that the old itihasas of

the Vedic period were handed by oral tradition only they had no fixed text. On the
other hand, Sieg thinks that its vestiges are found scattered over the different
branches of Vedic literature, the Brahmanas, the Sutras etc. 39 If we reflect
upon the whole problem, the existence of an Itihasa-tradition even at the time of
the Rgvedic compilation, nay, even before when the hymns were being seen or
It
is
It did not require a Suta Lomaharsana to narrate

the legends in assemblies, for in the life of the Vedic community and the extent of
its holdings which were limited, the stories were well-known and did not require
composed, cannot be doubted.
any discourse thereupon. But later on there came the Age of the Brahmanas
which was dominated by ritual. Looking at the laborious exegetical attempts
and far-fetched grammatical fancies of this ritual literature, one is driven to suspect
a long break in Vedic tradition, 40 with the result that fact was substituted by fancy
in the reconstruction of old tradition (purana).
Purana assumed a definite status
and came to be considered a regular part of any sacrificial programme. 41 As time
rolled on, the Itihasa grew in proportion and finally was set down to record through
the Epics and Puranas.
By
the time of Yaska, a regular class of thinkers is recognised called the

They interpreted the Veda from the legendary point of view. For
Aitihasikas. 42
other points of view, there were the Niruktas 43 (etymologists), Yajnikas 44 and
45
46
(Sacrificial school, old and new), and the Vaiyakaranas
Purve-yajfiikas
(Grammarians). To this we should add an Astronomical school ( Jyautisakas) who attempt
to locate a star in the firmament for every hero of the Veda. We have heard of the
most popular story of Orion being no other than the famous Iksvaku king Trisanku.
In the same manner other constellations also, it must be possible to identify; hence
the origin and growth of a series of legends always harping upon the starry heavens.
It is not a very popular school, though as is seen in individual cases, it became a
Remarkable are Dr. R. Shama Sastry's books and
regular hobby of a few scholars.
With the
articles in this direction, contributed to various journals in India. 47
in
the
a
new
of
studies
school
was
initiated
of
Vedic
West,
spread
interpretation
by Rudolph Roth, which may be designated
89.
ERE
Sieg's article
M. Hiriyanna
on
as the
Philological or Linguistic
Itihasa.
Outlines of Indian Philosophy, p. 29 also ASL, pp. 432-34. Witness

'
the extent of amplification that the Sunassepa Legend received at the hands of tradition from
to AB.
40.
Cf.
'
RV
41.
ASL p. 40. At the Asvamedha, on the eighth day, the itihasas are recited and on the
The word aitihya is used in TA (I 1.2) to signify tradition in a very wide
ninth, the puranas.
sense
Say ana explains itihasa-purana-mahabharata-brahmanadikam
:
42.
Nir. II 1C, III 1, 10.
43.
Referred to twenty times.
44.
Nir.
45.
VII
23.
46.
I 12,
47.
Vide Dandekar's Vedic Bibliography.
11,
IX
VII
4,
XI
29, 31, 42, 43.
5.
Index of Authors,
p. 383,

School. 48
According to
183
Vcdic Language should be understood
this School, the
own
authority, bringing to bear the kinship of other Indo-Aryan languages

"
"
the blind man's stick
in the path of
should not trust to Sayana only who is
on
its
Vedic Exegesis.
reflected in the
49
Wilson, Colebrooke and others recognised a Traditional School,
Commentary of Sayana whom the former considered as the safest
guide through the intricacies and obscurities of the text. This classification is
not complete if a reference is not made to some scholars who perceive nothing but
philosophy in the Vedic mantras. They form the Adhyatmika or Philosophic
School. 50
Of the
to above, viz.
eight Schools of Vedic
Thought and Interpretation adverted
Nairuktas (Etymologists)
Yajnikas (Ritualists)
Vaiyakaranas (Grammarians)
Jyautisakas (Astronomers)
Bhasavids (Linguists of the West)
Sampradayavids (Traditionists)
Adhyatmavids (Philosophers), and
Aitihasikas
('
Lcgcndarians
')
the first' seven became the province of the student and the specialist, while the
Thus developed the vast literature
last came to
edify the common man.
of the Epics
and the Puranas
to entertain
and instruct the commonalty.
Regard-
It takes into
ing Vedic interpretation, the present outlook is one of via media.
account all the aspects above recapitulated before deciding upon the meaning of
"
a passage. With the researches of Maurice Bloomfield on the subject of Rgevda
Repetitions,"
5011
a study of
the contexts in which a pada or a verse occurred,
all
Thus a critical and comparative

satisfactory results.
outlook, which docs not lose sight of the tradition or sampradaya, characterises
became necessary, with very
the
modern method of interpreting the Veda. 51
VI
THE PLACE OF LEGEND
IN
must be noted that no story is actually

dents and circumstances are definitely alluded
It
48.
et seq.
49.
Cf. Interpretation of the
NATIONAL LIFE
told in the
to.
Rgveda, but many
Sarama and the
inci-
Panis, Urvasi
Rgveda, Dr. Manilal Patel. Bharatiya Vidya Vol. I, p. 17

scholars, schools and commentaries have been discussed.
The contribution of various

Wilson in
his preface to the
RV
Translation.
Colebrooke, Asiatic Researches (1805)
VIII, p. 476.
50.
Cf. The Veda and its Interpretation, Principal A. B. Dhruva. Malavlya Commemoration
Volume (BHU, 1932), pp. 447-58.
"
are of interest not only for the direct explanation of many a given
50a. The Repetitions
passage, but also for a critical comparison and estimate of the repeated matter in a given hymn
as confronted witli that of all the other hymns which are concerned in these repetitions. These
are considerably more important than the variants in other Vedic texts, interesting as these
are for the history of schools, the development of the language, and the later growth of Brahmanical ideas."
Rigveda Repetitions (HOS Vol. 20, p. xix, vol. 24 forms the 2nd part of the work).
51.
Cf. Macdonell, The Principles to be followed in translating the Rgveda (Commemorative
Essays presented to R. G. Bhandarkar, BOfll, 1917), pp. 3-18.
H L HARIYAPPA
134
and Pururavas legends are nearer being actual events than perhaps Sunas*sepa
being yoked for sacrifice or Visvamitra having developed a hatred for Vasistha.
Vasistha and Visvamitra each had enemies but it is not certain whether they were
enemies of each other. While for the truthful happenings we turn our eyes to the
most original document the Rgveda, the gradual transformation which sometimes
changed the complexion in toto is not without significance inasmuch as it reflects
the cultural phases in the fortunes of the Aryans in India and their thorough assimilation with the native populace.
The original purity of concept and character had
had to be mixed up with the complicated and undeveloped notions that prevailed
The same stories had to be retold and
in the atmosphere of their new possessions.
and
Gods
men
sat
at
the sacrifices in the Vedic Age, but
together
reinterpreted.
Man expanded, propagatlater the distance between god and man began to widen.
ed and became a problem for himself. Far removed from divinity lie was naturalFresh impetus had to be put into Vedic lore -thus grew the several
ly to doubt it.
strata of literature and legend which were evolved from time to time, spontaneously, to hold together the peoples and their beliefs.
in the beginning, gods came to the earth often times; it was their sporting
when the land became crowded with mortals, the visits of the imBut
ground.
mortals became few and far between. They had to be summoned with great
Thus
ceremony and sacrifice or after severe self-mortification by a process called penance.

It was the privilege of some, however, to visit the Immortals in heaven off and on
a few celebrated kings were even honoured
for negotiations on behalf of mankind
;
with invitations to help the gods in their fights against the demons. Later on
this choice for divine favour also became a thing of the past.
Gods became invisible and would of course favour their devotee as such, provided he faithfully
all his duties by them as required by the sastras.
When Gods disfrom
mortal approach, sastras about them became more and more elabappeared
orate thus worship of the God at home and in common with the others at temples
became an art by itself substituting for the no longer tenable Sacrifice. As the
community expanded, their wants became many and varied their functions
Their outlook now was more mundane. Now and then,
also differed accordingly.
discharged
of course, the hunger of the soul asserted itself

transitoriness of
birth
the
monotony
of existence, the
and death, above
life,
all, the futility of appeal to an inGod
these
ideas
to
over
the
mind of the commonalty. At such
visible
began
sway
a time, the service rendered by the epics and the Puranas for enlivening the souls
of the people can hardly be exaggerated.

Here did Lomaharsana 52 earn the gratitude of all, by presenting the ancient legends to the people in a manner that pleased
their
minds and whetted
vision, of the
their hearts' yearning for a tangible knowledge, if not
52.
The continuity
by the dictum
Ultimate or the Absolute.
sacred Vedas was also established
of the teachings of the
The Vayu Purana justifies his name (I 16)

Lomani harsayaficakre rotlnam yat subhasitaih /
Karmana prathitas tena loke'smin Lomaharsanah //
:
Itihasapuranabhyam Vedam samupabrmhayet /

Bibhetyalpas>utad vedo mam ayam prahared
The Veda should be

fears a
man
well amplified by means of Itihasa and

of little knowledge as he might maim it thereby.
185
iti
53
//
Purana
the
Veda
Thus the popular mind was satisfied with the sanetity of the Epics and the
Puranas as they were, logically, exhaustive commentaries of the Veda and its
tradition.
Even otherwise, the medium of legend to communicate religious and
even philosophical ideas has been found fruitful through Ages. Nothing can exert
greater credence on the human mind than when it is described as having happened.
"
"
Thus, indeed, it was
(Iti-ha-asa) combines with narration, a stamp of authority.
And when, now and then, an appeal is made to former authorities by means
of statements like,
firmly rooted.
Atrapyudaharantimam itihasam puratanam etc., the belief is

who claim to think of God from a higher plane on
Philosophers,
the strength of having imbibed the quintessence of worldly experience separating

the grain from the chaff, are prone to set less value to the legends, as,
they say, for instance, Plato would allow no foothold for the fanciful
about gods and angels in his ideal State.

But, for the average
with his preoccupations and his class forms the teeming millions a
of prepared ideas about the Supreme Power is necessary, ideas which
myths
man
set
emanate from thinkers or prophets who have had communion with the Holy
The average man, again, would feel gratified to find some concrete
God.
story on which his Faith can lay anchor, or even some concrete object on which he
can superimpose all his conception of God, the Gracious and the All-powerful.
"
This deep yearning of the soul is represented by what Prof. Otto calls the numino"
in man, which feels or realises and is fascinated by the adbhuta and the acintya
us
and which ultimately leads him to rapturous
in God (Mysterium tremendum)
emotions of love and surrender (bhakti) to the great God. 54 The temple and the
church on the one hand and the Sagas and the Epics on the other have proved to
"
be substantial contributions to foster the
numinous," and have, therefore, very
;
If a nation is to be united
rightly deserved the popularity they enjoy.
TRADITION it inherits and cherishes. And India's unshakable belief
for tradition has
upheld by
been writ large
in the
Great Epics and in
it is
by the
and regard
the Puranas and has been
the sky-scraping towers of temples.
One
India
is
great point about Itihasa is that it appeals to all classes. Unfortunately,

torn by an abuse of the Caste System. Whether the Caste System (catur-
varnya) was responsible for the degradation of Indian Society, or an abuse thereof,
a matter of opinion. All the same, the distinction of varna (caste) by the
accident of birth and not by the actuality of profession has been the bane of our
social structure.
Tjfue, there is the doctrine of Karrna to support the distinction
is agelong and has been a potent factor of our Religion.
It
But our
birth.
by
is
Mbh. I 267.
"
"
M. Yamunacharya, Prof. Rudolf Otto's concept of the Numinous and its relation to Indian Thought. (Read before the XIX Session of the Indian Philosophical Congress
and published by Mysore U. J. Vol. VII, No. 2, March 1947).
53.
54.
Cf.
136
HARIYAPPA
New Order of things

Religion and our Country are in a transitional stage.
And God's original order eonveyed in the following statement
inevitable.
Na viSeso'sti varnanam sarvam brahmam idam jagat /

Brahmana purvasrstam hi karmabhir varnatam gatam
"
There
was at
is
is
no distinction of castes;
//
This world, which, as created by Brahma,
Brahmanic, has become divided into classes in consequence

of men's deeds."
deserves to be reharnessed for the good of humanity.
Such
upheavels have come upon us often times and the Smrtis and the Sastras have
been alive for the changes and have conformed to them e.g. Parasara-smrti is to
be followed in Kali-yuga, and not Mann, the first law-giver (Kalau Paras' arah
first
entirely
A fresh structure has to be built upon old traditions the great literature of the ancients, of which of course we can always be proud, has to be read in
a new light which has just radiated through the horizon.
smrtafr).
The sociological aspect of the legends is as important as their religious aspect.

In them are reflected the successive stages of culture and civilisation. The Itihasapuraria as revealed in the Vcdic texts gives us a picture of ancient Society, at least
The next stages are marked by the appearnce of the Epics, of the
in its outlines.
Puranas and of belles-lettres, these categories being for the most part contemporaneous in the few centuries that preceded and succeeded the Christian era.
third aspect of the legend is didactic.

Through the stories of the lives of
of
and
the
seers retold in simple mould and
teachings
sages
great
Itihasa
ethical
instruction
to society, together with
the
provided
easy language,
men and through
philosophical doctrines.
Incidental to these aspects, much miscellaneous matter also found its way
into the Puranas like the genealogies of kings, their rule over various kingdoms of
the historic and prehistoric past, the rivers and mountains, more than all the holy
spots situated on them (tirthas) etc. so much so that the Puranas developed a
technique of their own, which expressed
itself in
the five characteristics
Sargas ca pratisaragas ca vamso manvantarani ca
Varnsanucaritam
ceti
Puranam pancalaksanam
//
Creation re-creation i.e. periodical annihilation and renewal of the worlds

genealogy (of gods and rsis) the millennia i.e. the great periods each of which has
a Manu or primal ancestor of the human race and the history of the dynasties viz.
early and later dynasties whose origin is traced back to the sun (solar dynasty)
;
and the moon (lunar dynasty). 56
Thus we see that the legendary tradition, exitself into the life
pressed through the medium of the Epics and the Puranas, knit
*
of Society, being a source at once of pleasure and instruction.
55.
title
Mbh. XII
188.10.
Quoted by Muir
as a
motto
for his first
volume OST.
see
back of
page (3rd edn. 1890).
56.
Cf. Winternitz HIL I p. 502 and note.
Puranas, in Arnarakosa and other lexicons.
The sloka
is
found in the more important
RGVED1C LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES
VII
THE AGE OF THE RGVEDA
A definite age for the RV in terms of years or even centuries before our time
not possible to fix, as is revealed by the most laborious enquiry up to now. The
nevertheless, every scholar permits himself to enter
subject is hackneyed enough
into the subject, for, at one time or other in the course of his study, he is sure to
wonder within his mind, what might be the age of the RV, which happens to be
is
oldest literary
monument
wise, perhaps, to say
Human Race
of the
RV
is
the oldest in age
In answer to this question,
among
literary productions,
it is
and be
content.
What
with the doctrine of Revelation (apauruseyatva) which recognised

beginning for the Veda, and with the data provided by the theory
nothing
of yuga and mahayuga, pralaya and mahapralaya, the earthly year and the
what with, on the other hand, the linguistic, historical,
celestial year and so on
and
astronomical
evidences ransacked and wrested from their
archaeological
marvellous
with
genius, industry and tact by the great scholars of the ninehidings
like a
teenth and twentieth

The world of scholars
centuries
the
Age of the
RV is still a mirage to grapple
with.
bestirred itself once again after the discovery of the cuneiform

tablets at Tel-el-Amarna in Upper Egypt and the discovery of the Inscriptions at
57
Boghaz-Koi (North Mesopotamia) dating from 1600 to 1400 B.C.
They speak
"
"
Arta
which is reminiscent of Vedic
of names of Mitaiii kings with the prefix
Rta; and reference is found to the Vcdic gods, Mitra, Varuna, Indra and Nasatyau.
This raised problems not only concerning the age of the RV, but also regarding the
In the opinion of
original home of the Aryans and the theory of their migration.
58 "
in
Parsi
confidence
the
tradition
which
dates
Zoroaster three
Keith,
misplaced
hundred years before Alexander, 69 has resulted in endless confusion and difficulty."
On
the evidence of the language of the Avesta which bears close resemblance
RV, the common belief is that the Aryans came down to Iran from
to that of the
home, Central Asia, and then a branch of theirs moved on to India.

Indian branch, the chief one being the compilation of RV
Samhita, began after their separation from the Iranian Settlements. The acceptance of this view has put an unjustly severe restraint on Vedic chronology. To
squeeze in so much of literature and history from Zarathushtra's date the
their original
The
activities of the
Rgvedic compilation, the growth of the Brahmanas, the Sutras and the Upanisads,
Yaska, Panini, Mahavira, the Buddha, our Epics, and all before Alexander invaded
India 326 B.C. is impossible
Consider, on the other hand, the possibility of
!
Keith RPV, pp. 5, 83, 017, Wintrenitz

57.
Cf. Bloomfleld, Rel. Veda, pp. 11-12.
pp. 304-6, Dhalla, HZ pp. 9, 47, 269, 270.
Bhand. Comm. Vol. Keith, Early History of the Indo-Iranians, pp. 81-92.
58.
59.
tra's
HIL
660-583 B.C. Dhalla states that ZarathushDate of Zoroaster according to tradition

is placed anywhere between 600 B.C. and 6000 B.C.
HZ p. 18.
date of birth
H. L.
HARIYAPPA
the migration of a branch of the Aryans westward into Iran from India. 60 The
original home of the Aryans might have been in India itself or they might have
come
That is a major
to India through some route, not necessarily Khyber.
At any rate having had a sufficiently long and comfortable life in the
of the Five or Seven Rivers (Punjab and N.W.F.), one branch, evidently the
problem.
Land
dissenters,
went westwards, whereas another spread eastward
to
Madhya-desa and
further to Bengal and down to the South.

After the western branch migrated to
the Gathas were sung in the language known
Iran, soon or late, rose Zoroaster
;
as Avesta.
Even then
between the Vedic and
there should be no objection to the close resemblances

Avestic languages. Just as the eastern branch came in
contact with the original inhabitants and underwent transformation in thought

and doing, so also the Iranian section mingled with the native populace and became
subject to
new
Differences
influences.
grew
the outlook changed
they became
Conflict and conquest followed as a natural result.

Remembering
poles apart.
their old hatred, as it were, there were in historic times a scries of invasions and
depredations back on their old home, India.
Now
comes the discovery of the Indus Valley civilization 61 envisaged by the

No definite decision has yet been reached
finds at Harappa and Mohenjodaro.
regarding its age in general or its age in relation to RV in particular. The most
generally accepted view up to now is that it is pre-Rgvedic some hold that it is
based on the Rgvedic civilization only and that the unearthed cities and the seals
betray contemporaneity with features and events of Rgvedic life. There is a
;
third postulate that the I-V Culture
is
entirely Dravidian in character.
It
is
beside
the present purpose to go into a discussion of the various problems and controversies,
when the entire study thereof is still in a nebulous condition. The position is
clearly set forth in the following passage
"
The
finds unearthed at the prehistoric sites provide many interesting,

an
intriguing points such as the date of the civilization its authorship
important
whether it is Aryan, pre-Aryan, Dravidian or Sumerian etc. its relationship with
;
"
we are, therefore, still left without any

60.
Keith is not unfavourable. Cf. RPV. 5-7,
definite evidence to aid us in dating the distinction of Aryan into Iranian and Indian, and we
should probably revise our conception of this division." Ibid. p. 617. Winternitz is quite
"
shall have to assume that, just as there were Aryan immigrations into India from
favourable
the west, there must have been isolated migrations back to the west." HIL, p. 305. On the
We
Of the various sections of the Aryan family, the ancestors of those

other hand, Dhalla claims
that later became known in history as the Indians and the Iranians lived longest and closest
together in Eastern Iran. They sacrificed to the same gods and entertained the same view
of life on earth. They separated at a later period and a group turned to the south, crossed the
Hindukush and entered the Punjab by about 2000 B.C.
Of the various groups that separated from the* main stock at different times, the Iranian
group preserved most faithfully the original name of the primeval home of the Aryans. The
place of residence had changed, surroundings had altered beyond recognition and the communities
that lived and shared life with them had gone. But the deeply cherished name AIRYANAVAYEJAH (The Stem-Land of the Aryans) had been indelibly impressed on their minds."
HZ p. 10. On p. xxxi he says " The time when Zoroaster flourished is a moot question. The
approximate date at which he lived is 1000 B.C."
:
One is greatly
61.
Vide his
civilization.
156-162 or pp. 281-303.
indebted to Dr. R. N. Dandekar for a very useful bibliography on the I-V

" Vedic
"
(NIA publication, Bombay, 1946) Sections
Bibliography

other cultures
its
Script, etc."
And
obtained when
we
139
extent the religion and culture disclosed by it ; the Indus

"
a somewhat satisfactory solution of these problems can be
;
discover strata bearing on Vedic settlements and showing their
Excavation along the

relative chronological position to the Indus civilization.
banks of Sarasvati and Drsadvati in the homeland of the Vedic Aryans will go a
long way in providing ample valuable material. The satisfactory decipherment
of the Indus Script which has hitherto baffled all attempts will give an unimpeachable and incontrovertible piece of evidence.
Scholars have so long approached the
problem with preconceived notions and consequently have read their own theories
into the so-called Indus Seal writings.
The discovery of a bi-lingual inscription
will undoubtedly supply us with a clue to solve the mystery which is shrouding the
problems."
62
63
Reverting to the Age of the Rgveda, we can only register the dates assigned
by various scholars from 1000 B.C. to 25000 B.C. Max Muller assigned 1500-1200,
Weber 16th cent., Haug 2400-1400, Whitney 2000-1400, Kaegi 2000-1500,
Winternitz, 2500 or 2000-750 or 500, Jacobi 4500-2500, Tilak 6000, Vehkatesvara
11,000 and A.C. Das 25,000 etc. -all before Christ. It is well to recall a statement
made by Max Muller himself long ago. "It is far better to show the different
layers of thought that produced the Vedic Religion, and thus to give an approximate idea of its long growth, than to attempt to measure it by years or centuries,
which can never be more than guess work." 64
What
applies^ to Vedic
Thought
applies to Vedic Literature as well.
VIII
RGVEDIC LEGENDS
These are numerous indeed. Saunaka's Brhaddevata is a land-mark in the
study of the legends as it is the most ancient text to narrate, briefly of course, as
many as forty legends, which are amplifications of the Rgvedic nucleus. The
Sarvanukramam
of
Katyayana
offers
similar material
Sadgurusisya expands
many of the legends. Finally, Sayana's prefatory notes to the

to past stories arc very helpful.
With a survey
hymns
referring
of Sayana's commentary, the vast legendary matter could be
gathered. Over seventy-five adventures of Indra are mentioned. Apart from

the display of his strength against his adversaries, Indra, as is well-known, freely
and bounteously bestows wealth upon the sacrificer. He also helps people in
In this respect, the record of the AsVins is as bright if not brighter.
distress.
They are the
divine physicians and surgeons
who have made themselves
responsible
for the well-being of all in their province.

They supply artificial legs to those who
are wounded in battle, they save people from shipwreck and remove blindness and
A. D. Pusalkar, Indus Valley Civilization, Bharatiya Vidya, Vol. Ill, Part I, pp. 21-22.
full discussion, vide Winternitz HIL I pp. 290-310.
Cf. also Radhakrishnan
Eastern Religion and Western Thought, pp. 119-20 fn.
62.
Bull
63.
For a
64.
Max
DCRI
Muller, Hibbert Lectures, p. 156.
xi-10
H. L.
140
HARIYAPPA
They cure leprosy and rescue those caught in the fire but, what is
more wonderful, they transplant the head of a horse on the human body and again
These achievements are remarkable and striking in
replace the original head.
their amazing similarity to the achievements of the latest researches in medicine and
barrenness.
surgery.
Besides the expolits of individual deities as above illustrated, 29 legends of a
more general character could be noted. They

Sarama I 6.5.
1.
are as follows
Sunas's'epa I 24*1.
5.
Kaksivat and Svanaya I 125.

Dirghatamas I 147.
Agastya and Lopamudra I 179.
Grtsamada II 12.
Vasistha and VisVamitra III 53, VII 88
The Descent of Soma III 43.
Vamadeva IV
10.
15.
20.
18.
Tryaruna and Vrsa Jana

Birth of Agni V 11.
Syavasva V 52.
Saptavadhri
2.
78.
Brbu and Bharadvaja VI 45.

RjisVan and Atiyaja VI 52.
Sarasvati and VadhryasVa VI
Visnu's three strides VI 69.
Birth of Brhaspati VI 71.
King Sudas VII 18 etc.
Nahusa VII
etc.
61.
95.
Asanga VIII 1, 33.

Apala VIII 91.
Kutsa X 38 (I 33, 51, 97 etc.)
King Asamati and the four priests^ X 57-60.
25.
Nabhanedistha
X 61,
62.
Vrsakapi X 86.
and Pururavas X 95.

Devapi and Santanu X 98.
Urvas*!
Naciketas
135.
"
The " danastutis
praising Pakasthaman, Kuruhga, Kasu, Tirindira, Trasadasyu,

Varu, PrthuSravas, Rksa and Asvamedha, Indrota and Atithigva etc.
(VIII Mandala) should naturally refer to events which led to the gifts and their
praise, but they are not counted in the above list as they afford, historically, little
matter for study. Similarly, the various adventures of Indra and the AsVins,
Citra,
somehow, were not followed up in later literature. It may however be of interest

to recall some of them here
they make a short biography of the gods concerned.
:

Indra
Maruts are
his allies (1 6.7,
33
4),
65
Indra born as Kusika's son
(1
10 11)
destorys demon cities (I 11-4), slays vala and releases cattle (11.5), kills Susna
(11-7), Indra- Vrtra fight narrated in some detail (I 32), clove the cloud, cast the
water down, killed Vrtra, recovered the kine from the Panis, won the Soma all
Vrtra's followers fled, Indra was encouraged by the Navaallied with the Maruts
gvas (1-33), Maruts stood fast by Indra when all others fled (51-2) once Indra
almost collapsed but recovered with a draught of Soma (52-10). Indra protected
Kutsa, defended Dasadyu, redeemed Svaitya (33-14-15), helped Angiras, Atri
and Vimala (51 -3), destroyed the cities of Pipru and well defended Rjisvan, defended Kutsa against Susna, destroyed Sambara in defence of Atithigva, trod upon
;
the demon Arbuda (51-6), helped the sage Vimada (51-9), delights at the sacrifice
of Saryata, gave Vrsaya to Kakslvat (51-12-13), broke through the defences of
Bala (52-5), slew Namuci (53-7), Karafija and Parnaya in the cause of Atithigva,
demolished the cities of Vangrda (53-8), overthrew 20 kings and their 60079 followers (53 9), helped Turvayana and others (53 10) etc., etc.
To mention a few more
noted recipients of Indra's favour Turvasa, Turviti, Nodhas, Etasa, Purukutsa,
Vrsagir's five sons Rjrasva, Ambaiisa, Sahadeva, Bhayamana and Suradhas,
Trasadasyu, Divodasa and Dabhiti etc., etc. Indra fixed the wandering mountains,
Sun
up the caves of the Panis, pierced thrice seven table-lands

heaped together, sought Visnu's help to kill Vrtra, employed Trita to fashion his
weapons, permitted himself to be born as son of the demoness Vikuntha these
are some of Indra's deeds chosen for their variety and peculiar interest.
set the
to light
and Sambara arc his powerful enemies. A few others may be

demon Krsna and his 10000, Visvarupa son of Tvastr, Urana of 99
Vrtra, Bala
noted
the
arms, Asna and Rudhikra, Dhuni and Cumuri, struck Krivi and sent him to eternal
slumber, hurled the bolt against the godless Piyu, overthrew 90 enemy cities with
one effort, subjugated the turbulent Bheda etc.
The Asvins repair men's faults thrice a day, Surya elected them for her
husbands, they brought wealth to Sudas, made a barren cow give milk, rendered
help to Rebha, Vandana, Kanva, Bhujyu (saved from shipwreck), Karkandhu
66
Vayya, Sucanti, Atri (saved from fire), Prsnigu, Paravrj, Vasistha, Kutsa, Vispala,
Vasa, Dirghasravas, Kaksivat, Mandhatr, Bharadvaja, Turviti, Dabhiti, Dhvasanti,

Purusanti, Vadhrimati, Jahnu, Jahusa etc. etc., cured Ghosa of leprosy and she
could marry, gave protection to Dirghatamas, removed his blindness and saved
him from the persecution
of his servants,
won
the 1000 Rk-praise of Daksa. etc.
In the interpretation of the legends, Bloomfield set forth some salient principles 67
The first requistite is to deal with the materials which the Vedic texts offer us as a
65.
figures.
The references are to RV Mandala, sukta, stanza. Mandala is always shown in Roman
The stories are either suggested in the stanzas referred to or are stated by authorities
in connection with the stanzas.

60.
Bloomfield remarked "
they perform a cure calculated to
Even animals are helped or cured by them. In one instance,

make green with envy even the most skilled of modern vet-
When the racing mare Vispala breaks

with that she handily wins the race
Rel. Ved. p. 113.
67.
JAOS Vol.
(1891) pp. 143 et seq. Contributions to the interpretation of the Veda
third series. Earlier contributions, JAOS Vol. XIII, Am. JPh. Vols. VII and IX.
erinary surgeons,
leg,
if
by any chance, they should hear of it.
they put an iron one
XV
in its place;
H. L.
142
HARIYAPPA
an itihasa or akhyana, which is their face value. There is, frankly speaking,
nothing which justifies the interpreter in looking for anthropomorphic or theriomorphic motives at the bottom of it. If these ever existed, they have vanished
from record. Why should they, indeed, have existed ? Indra, the demiurge
of the Vedic texts, encounters demons, for instance, and deals with them
according to the fancy of the story-teller. Indra, to be sure, is very largely
a storm-God who attacks the clouds and other natural phenomena personified as
story,
but, he is also the heroic person INDRA and, in his latter capacity the
to
one
become embroiled with all sorts of uncanny beings such as inhabited
very
the fancy of the Vedic people. There is much truth in this dictum. Let us take
an instance the Hounds of Yama, Syama and Sabala. The mythologists would
not permit them to be fancied as hounds at all. Bloom field himself identifies
them as the Sun and the Moon. Others see the west wind and the south wind in
them. Similarly, Sarama is the Storm-Goddess, her sons, Sarameyau, gods of wind.
Vasistha is no other than the Sun, being the son of Urvasi who is no other than the
Dawn. In the opinion of another scholar, the Eclipse Code of the Rgvedic Aryans
68
The author says, " The fundamental cycle
is revealed in the SunasSepa hymns.
of the Sunassepa hymns is one of 2760 days of eight nodal years.
The basis of this
inference is the number of letters in the seven hymns taken together which is 2768."
"
Further,
According to the legend of Sunassepa, lloliita wandered in the wild for
seven years, this period amounts to 7X354-4 or 2480-4 clays. Rohita paid 300
cows to Ajigarta for complete liberation. In Vedic phraseology a cow means a day
Therefore 300 cows mean 300 days.
(vide Gavam-ayana by Dr. Shama Sastry).
Hence the total Rohita period amounts to 2480-4 days... All these several values
deduced from independent sets of data agree closely among themselves and support
the inference that the basic period of the Rgvedic eclipse cycle was 188 Parvas.'
demons
The erudition and imagination behind these views of the specialists cannot and
need not be denied. If the hymns originally meant it all is a question which scholars
have patiently to reflect upon. The rational view is that RV is a human document,
the gods are man-made, they have human characteristics, in other words they are
conceived in a human mould. 69 Therefore it is fair that they and their lives have
primarily to be looked at from the stand-point of human values. If the hymns
contemplated any mythical motive that the Hounds of Heaven are the Sun and the
Moon, or that Sarama is the Storm- Goddess or Vasistha is the Sun, one wonders
why the Veda would not state it what harm ? On the other hand, what harm is
there to believe that there were two real hounds in the service of Yama
they,
;
M. Raja Rao, The Eclipse Code of the Rgvedic Aryans as revealed in Sunassepa hymns
68.
and Brahmanas. PO. Vol. VI (1942) pp. 1-26. Rohita wandered for 6 years according to AB
and for 7 according to Sankh. Sr. S. Printer's devil in multiplication, it should be 2480.8. It
is wonderful coincidence.
I am reminded of another.
The RV Samhita counts syllables 432,000
which is the extent of Kali-yuga in years, curiously (A Govindacarya-swaniin). In the Brahmanas, many numerical coincidences between several sacrificial aspects and the seasons, years and
months etc. are found or forced. In the chapter on Suna&sepa following, it is pointed out that
there is no correspondence at all between the hymns and the
Sunaêpa legend. The hymns are
ascribed, by tradition, to his seership and not with reference to the circumstances of the Seer's life.
69.
Cf. M. Hiriyanna, Outlines of Indian Philosophy, p. 31.
'

like so
many
143
other supernatural or superhuman things, are justified in their existby the Vedic folk. One, perhaps, need not and should not
ence, as conceived
strain so
heaven.
much regarding identities. Vedic Faith has painted a certain picture of

Some of its lines may point to Nature or Allegory or Sky. Still there
would remain a large part of it to understand which we have to invoke Faith. Why
not assign everything to Faith and be pleased with a state of things, reported as
having existed once upon a time (iti-ha-asa)? No purpose is served by strained
What special achievement of fancy of the Vedic poet it was to
view the SUN and MOON, who are the very Light of our existence, as the hounds
identifications.
of
Yama, and why
exert to reconcile the canine attributes with those worldIt is hard to understand how Bloomabove-mentioned.
The case is strong,
principle,
sustaining qualities of the Heavenly Ones ?

field
departed from
however, to set
his
human
own
values in the
first
place.
In the second place, Bloomfield recommends giving up the belief that the
allusions to the story which may be gathered from the scattered mantras are the
only true material for its reconstruction. He would like to view the entire evidence
evidence provided by the legends of the Brahmanas and the Sutras
because they would be based on the same conception as the mantras.
as one whole
as' well,
Ad hoc touches, which are inevitable while handing the story from person to
inspired
by
what may
person,
practical matters like sacrifice and witchcraft, have to be dealt with
"
The proper attitude is," Bloomfield declares, " on
be called tact.
the one hand, neither implicit faith in every detail of the connected legends and
in every symbolic employment of the legend in ritualistic practice on the other
;
hand, a growing faith in the synchronism of mantra, brahmana and sutra. As far
as the first two are concerned, the writer is more and more inclined to the belief
that mantra and
brahmana
are for the least part chronological distinctions, that
they represent two modes of literary activity and two modes of literary speech,
which are largely contemporaneous, the mantras being the earliest lyric and the
brahamnas, the earliest epic-didactic manifestation of the same cycle of thought.
Both forms existed together, for aught we know, from the earliest times, only the
redaction of the mantra-collections in their present arrangement seems on the whole
At any rate, I, for my part, am
to have preceded the redaction of the brahmanas.
a
that
Vedic
of
even
single
believing
hymn was ever composed without
incapable
reference to ritual application, and without that environment of legendary report
which we find in a no doubt exaggerated and distended form in the Brahmanas
and Sutras." The postulates herein embodied are difficult of acceptance. Firstly
mantra and brahmana are largely contemporaneous and they are for the least part
chronological distinctions. The mantras and brahmanas may have co-existed but
we have to consider the texts that have been handed down to us. The mantra did
not admit the play of a later hand, while the Brahamna did not escape it. The
Sunassepa legend is an example. The oldest Brahmana and a text that is nearest
the original hymns is the Aitareya. While the RV makes the barest mention of
the legend, there is a full and finished narrative thereof in the AB. From the point
of view of historical development, the elaboration is remarkable and must
H. L.
144
HARIYAPPA
presuppose certain intermediate stages to justify the inclusion of Hariscandra's

episode in the beginning and VisVamitra's at the end. Macdonell and Winternitz
are of opinion that there is a wide gap of time between the mantra age and brah-
mana
70
That no hymn of the Veda was ever composed without reference
age.
to ritual application is only an argument advanced by its author for the occasion
are poetry first and
for, it is universally acknowledged that the hymns of the
;
RV
In them we find "the first outpourings of the human mind,

else.
the glow of poetry, the rapture at nature's loveliness and mystery." 71 Bloomfield's
reference to tact in handling the evidence supplied by the various texts of different
then everything
ages is instructive. It stands to reason that in the historical study of the evolution
The material
of a legend there ought to be no place for preconceived notions.
should be assessed just as it is presented, the changes noted from the earlier stage
to a later stage
and a
logical conclusion established.
For example, to develop a
thought that all along the literature of ancient India, the brahmanic tradition has held sway, the priestly class saw to its supremacy everywhere, in literature
line of
as well as in Society 72
these are impressions formed in the 19th and 20th centuries

about things that transpired in ancient times they are, in Bloomfield's own exThe authors
Verily so.
pression, "judgments based upon schematic principles."
of such interpretations forget to assess the conditions of the times which resulted in
this or that happening.
One thing stands out for all time and against all dissection
and scrutiny of the ancient past. In the fourfold classification of society
whether on the basis of birth or profession the precedence was, by unanimous
:
approval, established as Brahmana, Ksatriya, Vaisya and Siidra.
Each
class
was
expected to discharge its specific duties. The system was welcome and so long as
every one adhered to his dharma, there could be no room for unhappiness or unrest.
With the convulsions of time, however dharma deteriorated everywhere. Society,

under extraneous circumstances, was subject to authoritarian influences of alien
The whole outlook changed. Looking
cultures, alien customs, alien thought.
back from the threshold of a New World, to pass judgment on the ancient past
"
tact."
betrays a serious want of
two observations: (1) the Rgyedic Legends, if
be
viewed from the stand-point of human values.
may
They inculcate ideas and describe deeds which are nearest to the immediate wellbeing of mankind. Other connotations are either secondary or accidental. (2) The
This section
may
close with
whole Samhita,
not the
whole of Ancient Culture, as well as Rgvedic, may be viewed in proper perspective,

having regard to conditions of the Age under study. A view through the telescope,
70.
The subject
is
fully discussed in a
subsequent chapter.
Nehru, Discovery of India (Signet Press), Calcutta, 1946, p. 78. An authority selected
at random only. Older scholars like Max Miiller, Macdonell and others have appreciated the
poetical merit of RV hymns.
71.
72.
Western scholarship, probably without exception, has succumbed to this sort of impression, in spite of the fact that they profess a dispassionate outlook.
They are all praise for
so many meritorious features in Ancient Indian Culture, which enjoyed a social solidarity and which
had a Dharma to recommend for all time.
single out one class to account for the ills of the
Why
present age
fojr
which the whole world, native and
alien, is responsible ?
on the threshold of a
fixed
New
145
World, and across a gulf of Time extending to
tens of centuries, becomes perforce defective
and dangerous.
IX
LESSONS PROM THE LEGENDS
The Legends of the RV provide a great variety. The fight between the gods
and demons and the wars of kings signify a state of immense action in which the
In time of peace the whole community sacrificed
entire man power was engaged.
to the agents of their victory, glory and happiness, whom they called gods.
And
the gods freely mixed with mortals. They exchanged favours 73 men sacrificed
to please the gods with the soma and the purodasa
in return, they gave them
reward in kind, comfort and progeny. The Rgvedie seer appeals for gods' favour
in a variety of ways, with such persuasive wit as will move the most unwilling god
shower his best favours on him. And the gods were full of solicitude for mankind
:
evident from the innumerable instances of succour given by Indra and the
Asvins, recorded in the previous section. The mission of Sarama is an example
of how on such occasions uprightness and sagacity will pay.
Sunassepa illustrates
as
is
the faith of
lence
that
that
Man
man and the grace of God.

Man could reach and in
could achieve
by
his
own
In Vasistha, one sees the height of excel"Visvamitra the glory of perfection

endeavour (purusa-kara). Their hatred
towards each other, if at all, was transitory it is possible to deny it, but nothing
unnatural if they have momentarily given in to human passions. All stories
that developed in later times must be ascribed to fancy. What more lessons need
we look for in the legends, than an exhortation to be strong and brave warriors,
to protect the distressed, to be generous and solicitous to one another, to give
;
and to take gifts, to be truthful and be

and to love Man ?
free
from jealousy,
in short, to respect
God
There are other legends indicated in RV which pertain to the lives of individual
personages. They savour of an unethical element which might have pervaded
One hears the story of Vasistha's birth with a sense
in the society of those days.
of disappointment at the nakedness of a lustful act. The birth of other eminent
is shrouded in mystery.
Prajapati, desirous of progeny, conducted
a 3-year sacrifice in the presence of all gods. 74 There came the goddess of Speech
(Vac) in bodily form. Seeing her, semen effused from both Ka (Prajapati) and
Varuna. Vayu by chance blew it into the Fire from the flames was Bhrgu born
and from the cinders, Angiras. But Vac, on seeing the two sons, said to Prajapati,
44
44
So
May a third seer also, in addition to these two, be born to me as a son."
sages as well,
be
it," said
and
Fire.
73,
Then the seer Atri was born, equal in splendour to Sun

more human affairs, there is the following story of the birth
the Creator.
Coming
to
Raghuvamga
Dudoha gam
;
sa yajftaya sasyaya Maghava divam /

Sampadvinimayenobhau dadhatur bhuvanadvayam
74,
BD V 07-101 (HOS
Vol. 5),
//
HARIYAPPA
Once there were two sages called Ucathya and Brhaspati. The
She was enceinte. But Brhaspati got fascinated and enjoyed with her. At the time of the effusion of semen, the one already
"
O Sage, do not discharge. I am here first and may
inside the womb cried out,
you not cause an admixture of seed." Controlling himself with great difficulty,
of Dirghatamas. 75
former had a wife
named Mamata.
Brhaspati cursed the seed in the womb that, because it caused frustration to his
Thus cursed, Dirghatamas
it should be born blind and be so for long.
was born of Mamata. After birth he praised Agni and he was pleased to remove
impulse,
The sage became a celebrated Seer of hymns. Visvamitra's birth

not free from complicity. He was born of Gadhi's wife through the grace of
the son-in-law, Rclka, who, on request, prepared the holy earn for his mother-inlaw as well as for his wife. 76 The Indra-Ahalya episode is well-known. 77 Several
more instances of " ethical aberrations," as Hopkins calls them 78 may be added,
but no need. It must undoubtedly be confessed that so long as humanity is subject
the blindness.
also
is
to the call of the lower passions, which is so in God's dispensation ever since Creation,
It is perhaps a
this ethical aspect remains the same in all ages and at all climes.
God has thrown out
before Man.
The merit lies in accepting it and
sastras have recognised these
the
The
above
ancient
ordinary.
transcending high
"
aberrations as examples to be avoided only, and never to be followed.
Though
man ought to imitate the seers and gods, yet man may not imitate their misdemeanors, because those divine beings had more lustre than men today and being
so glorious they might do what ordinary men may not do." 79
Says an epic sage
"Cease to cite these famous transgressions... do thyself what is suitable and
"
80
Let us hear Colebrooke
The aberrations of the human mind are a
proper."
is
It
of
its
neither
history.
uninteresting nor useless, to ascertain what it
part
is that ingenious men have done, and contemplative minds have thought, in former
times, even where they have erred, especially where their error had been graced
by elegance, or redeemed by tasteful fancy. Mythology then, however futile,
challenge that
must, for those reasons, be noticed. It influences the manners, it pervades the
which have admitted it." 81 It will be fitting to conclude with
literature of nations
the views on Mythology, so well and frankly expressed by the first gentleman of
India 82 today, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
"
Mythology affected me in much the same way. If people believed in
the factual contents of these stroies, the whole thing was absurd and
:
75.
76.
77.
Sayana's prefatory note to

See infra ch. IV, the story
RV
I 147.3.
related in Mbh. and Hari.

Ahalya is first mentioned in the Brahmanas (Ahalyayaijarah). SB III 3.4.18, JB ii. 79,
SadB I 1. Evolution of the Myth. See Jha Com. Vol., pp. 427-33. Article by Dhirendra Varma.
78.
Hopkins, Ethics of India, title of ch. VIII.
79. Ibid. p. 13, cf. Kaus. Up. 3.1., ApDhS II 13.8 seq., GDhS I 1.3-4.
(Indra is regarded
as sinless, nevertheless,
I 129.5 (anenas) ).
80.
Ibid., p. 55. cf. Mbh. XII 291-17, 822.20.
Krtani yani karmani daivatair munibhis tatha /
Na caret tani dharmatma s>utva capi na kutsayet //
is
RV
Alam anyair upalabdhaih
k!rtitai ca vyatikramaih /
PeSalam canurupam ca kartavyam hitam atmanah //
81.
82.
H. T. Colebrooke, Miscellaneous Essays, Vol.

Mahatrna Gandhi is above rank, indeed,
I, p, 4,
147
But as soon as one ceased believing in them, they appeared in a

new light, a new beauty, a wonderful flowering of a richly endowed imagination,
No one believes now in the stories of Greek gods and
full of human lessons.
without
and
so,
any difficulty, we can admire them and they become
goddesses
But if we had to believe in them what a burden
of
our
mental
heritage.
part
it would be, and how, oppressed by this weight of belief, we would often miss
ridiculous.
Indian mythology is richer, vaster, very beautiful and full of

have
often wondered what manner of men and women they were
meaning.
who gave shape to these bright dreams and lovely fancies, and out of what
83
gold mine of thought and imagination they dug them out."
their beauty.
I
83.
Discovery of India,
p. 77.
148
HARIYAPPA
CHAPTER
THE LEGEND OF SARAMA

Sarama
in the
is
Rgveda
generally regarded as the dog of heaven, Deva-uni.

she referred to belong to the canine species. 1 She
is
But nowhere
is
only Indra's
messenger (Indrasya dutiti-RV 10 108 2). That she is the mother of dogs appears
to be a later belief originating in the word Sarameyau (Yama's hounds) which
"
Sarama's offspring." Yaska refers to
sounds like a matronymic from Sarama,
2
her as devasuni ( the divine bitch '). The later Vedic commentators indeed follow
him. 3 The Brhaddevata 4 spins a long story, according to which, Indra deputes
Sarama to find out his cattle lifted and hidden by a demon tribe called the Panis.
Sarama crosses the big river Rasa and succeeds in finding out Indra's cattle, but
falls a victim to the temptations of the Panis, drinks milk offered by them, returns
and on enquiry denies all knowledge of the kine or the Panis. Indra gives her a
kick, she runs vomiting the milk, Indra follows the track and vanquishes the
The BD account thus casts a reflection on the
offenders, the cattle are recovered.
4
character of Sarama.
1.
p. 192.
But the version
in the Jaiminiya
Brahmana 5
is
different,
This fact has been noticed by many scholars. Max Miiller, ASL 2. p. 467. Keith
Macdonell VM p. 151, E. D. Perry, JAOS, 11. p. 141. E. I. Thomas, VII, p. 51.
2.
Nir. 11.25.
3.
Perhaps by chance,
BD
alone does not call her
same work counts her among the Brahmavadinls (female

4.
BD
7.24-36.
5.
JB
2.438-440.
sum anywhere.
seers),
BD
On
RPV,
the other hand, the
2.82-84.
Here is the text as given by Hanns Oertel in JAOS 19 2nd half, pp. 99-TXK) J.B.2.438-1
atha ha vai panayo nama'sura devanam go-raksa asuh. tabhir atha'patasthuh. ta ha rasayam
nirudhya valena'pi dadhiih. 2. Deva atiknpya lapus suparne'ma no ga anvicche'ti. tathe'ti.
Sa ha'nuprapapata. 3. ta ha'nvajagama rasayam antarvalena'pihitah. tasmai ha'nvagataya
sarpih ksirarn amiksam dadhi'tyetad upanidadhnh. tasya ha suhita asa. tarn ho"cus suparnai'sa eva te balir bhavisyaty etad annam ma nah pravoca iti.
4.
sa ha punar apapata. tarn
ho"cus suparna'vido ga iti. Ka kirtis cit gavam iti ho'vaca. 5. esaiva klrtir gavam iti tasya
he'ndro galam pllayann uvaca gosv eva'ham kila tavo'suso mukham iti. sa ha dadhidrapsam
va"miksam vo'dasa. so'yam balihuva yo'yam vasanta bhutikah prajayate. 6. tarn ha tac
chaSapa'slIlajanma te jlvanam bhuyad yo no ga anuvidya ta na pravoca iti. tasya hai'tad
gramasya jaghanardhe yat papistham taj jlvanam.
439.1 te saramam abruvan sarama ima nas tvam ga anvicche'ti. tathe'ti sa ha'nuprasa ha rasam ajagama. 2. tarn ho'vaca plosye tva gadha me bhavisyasi'ti plavasva
sasara.
me'ti ho'vaca na te gadha bhavisyami'ti. 3 sa haVacya karnau plosyamana sasara. sa he'
ksam cakre katham nu ma suni plaveta hanta'syai gadha'sani'ti. tarn ho'vaca ma ma plos|:ha
gadha te bhavisyami'ti. tathe'ti. tasyai ha gadha asa. sa ha gadhena'tisasara. 4 ta ha'
nvajagama rasayam antarvalena'pihitah. tasyai ha'nvagatayai tathaiva sarpih ksiram amiksam
dadhlty etad upanidadhuh. 5 sa ho'vaca na'ham etavad apriya devanam. avidam yad vo'
6nlyam ta u vai devanam steyam krtva carathai'tasam va aham gavam padavlr as mi. na ma
lapayisyadhve ne'ndrasya ga upaharisyadhva iti. 6 sa ha'nacisy upasasaha. jarayv apam
tad viveda. tad ha cakhada. tarn hai'ka upajagau tyam iva vai ghnatl Sarama jaru khadati'ti.
tad idam apy etarhi rivacanam tyam iva vai ghnati Sarama jaru Khadati'ti jarayu ha sa tac
cakhada. 7 sa ha punar asasara. tam ho"cus sarame'vido ga iti.
avidam
iti ho'vacema rasayam antarvalena'pihitah.

ta yatha'manyadhvam evam
2 tam he'ndra uvaca'nnarfmtm are te sararne prajdm karomi yd no gd anvavida iti.
te hai'te vidarbhesu macalas sarameya api ha ârdulan marayanti.
3 te dev, etam abhiplavam
samabharan. tena'bhyaDlavanta. tad abhiplavasya'bhiplavatvam.
440.1
ajihirsate'ti.

the Satyayanaka, as suggested by Sayana,
149
supports the Jaimimya. According

deputes Suparna for the purpose. He proves disloyal.
Then Indra sends Sarama who imposes a condition that he should give the cows'
milk as food for her offspring. This was promised and she successfully scouted the
to these
two
texts,
Indra
first
enemy.
there is no express corroboration from other texts for Suparna's
in a mess in the search for the kine, the important fact that Sarama
involved
being
secured food for her offspring shall we say for mankind itself has been borne
out.
According to RV 1 72 8, it may be said that this pact of Sarama secured the
Though
'
'
Translation
Now the Asuras called Panis were the cowherds of the gods. They made away with
At the Rasa they penned them up and hid them in a cave. 2 The gods, exceedingly
" O
" Yes." He flew
after them.
3 He
wroth, said
Eagle, search after these our cows."
came upon them hidden in a cave at the Rasa. Before him, when he had come, they placed this,
viz. liquid butter, milk, clotted curds, sour curds.
He was well sated with this. They said to
" O
him
Eagle, this shall be thy tribute, this food, do not betray us." 4 He flew away again.
"
O Eagle, hast thou found our cows ? " " What news is there
They (the gods) said to him
438.1
them.
about the cows ? " he said. 5 " This news," said Indra, compressing the eagle's crop. " I
for one am the mouth (to declare that) thou hast stayed among the cows."
He (the eagle) threw
the camphor-plant which
up a drop of sour curds or some clotted curds. That same became
"
grows here in spring. 6 Indra thus cursed him (the eagle)
May thy sustenance be of bad
Thus his sustenance is the worst
origin, who, having found our cows, has not informed us."
that is (found) in the rear of a village.
" O
" Yes."
439.1
Sarama, do thou search after" these our cows."
They said to Sarama
I shall swim theee (unless)
She set out for them. She came to the Rasa. 2 She said to her
thou wilt become fordable for rne." " Swim me," she (the Rasa) said, " I shall not become fordable for thee." 3 She (Sarama) laying back her ears came forward in order to swim her. She
"
How indeed should a bitch swim me ? Come, I will be fordable for her."
(Rasa) considered
" Do not swim
" Yes."
She (Rasa) said to her (Sarama)
me, I will be fordable for thee."
There was a ford for her. By means of the ford, she crossed over. 4 She came upon them
Before her when she had come, they placed, just
(the cows) hidden within a cave at the Rasa.
5 She said
as (they had done) before, this, viz., liquid butter, milk, clotted curds, sour curds.
44
I have found what I may obtain of you.
1 am not so unfriendly to the gods.
You, verily, have
stolen from the gods.
Truly of these cows I am the guide. You shall not make me prate, you
shall not keep Indra's cows."
(The text is a bit unintelligible here, however, the translator pro:
membrane
The outer
She... prevailed.
One cried out against her
of the waters that she found. That she

" As if she
were to kill that one, Sarama splits open the
" As
if she were to kill that one, Sarama
outer-membrane." Even now there is this reproach
For she did split open that outer-membrane. 7 She came
splits open the outer-membrane."
"
" O
back again. They (the gods) asked her
Sarama, hast thou found the cows ?
" I
"
have found them," she said, hidden within a cave at the Rasa. Be pleased to
440.1
"
take them just as you thought." 2 Indra said to her
Food-eating, wench, I make thy offAnd indeed among the Vidarbhans the macalas,
spring, O Sarama, who hast found our cows."
descendants of Sarama, kill even tigers. 3 These gods prepared this Abhiplava-ceremony. By
means of it they sailed over. That is the etymology of the term Abhiplava."
ceeds
split
).
open.
Commenting on RV 1.62.3, Sayana says

atredamakhyanam. Sarama nama devasunl. Panibhir gosvapahrtasu tadgavesanaya
tarn Saramam Indrah prahaislt. Yatha loke vyadho vanantargatamrganvesanaya 6vanam
Sa ca Sararna evamavocat " He, Indra, asmadlyaya sisave tadgosambandhi
visrjati tadvat.
kslradyannam yadi prayacchasi tarhi gamisyami. Sa tathetyabravlt. Tatha ca Sa^yayanakam
annadinlm te Sarame prajam karomi ya no ga anvavindah iti. Tato gatva gavam sthanam
sa
Jftatva casmai nyavedayat. Tatha niveditasu gosu tamasuram hatva ta gah
ajftaslt.
6.
44
Ayam artho'syam pratipadyate."

10.108,
Oertel finds fault with Sayana for not giving the full story while introudcing
where, it is clear that Sayana only expands the sentence quoted from the Sarvanukramanl.
contexts
where
a
dozen
Sarama
about
half
that
It may, however, be noted in passing
among
and her adventure are stated in the RV, Sayana, almost without design, has given short or long
Indro' labhateti.
RV
H. L.
HARIYAPPA
milk-food to the whole of mankind (manusi vit bhojate),

thereon adds support for this view. 7
Now
it will
be of interest to study the legend in
RV
4-16-8- and Sayana
detail.
RGVEDA SAMHITA
Following are the passages in the Rgveda which mention Sarama an attempt
be made to construct a story of her exploits without departing from the original
;
will
text.
1.
fndrasya'ngirasam cestaii
vidat Sarama tanayaya dhasirn
Bfhaspatir bhinad adrim vidad gab

samusriyabhir vavasanta narati
//
Translation
"
By command
for posterity.
(RV
'62-3)
and the Angirasas, Sarama found sustenance

The Lord of the Gods ( Brhaspati ) split the rock 8 and found
of Indra
the cattle; the heroes shouted merrily in
Sayana introduces the verse
company with
the cows."
as follows
the following story (akhyana). There was the heavenConcerning

Sarama.
When
the cows had been driven off by the Panis, Indra
called
ly dog
of
these cows, even as in this world a hunter would send
sent Sarama in search
Sarama said, " O Indra, I will go on one condition,
forth his dog in search of game.
that you will give to our offspring the food belonging to these cows, viz. milk
He said " Yes." And so the Satyayanaka says " Food-eating I make
etc."
thine offspring, O Sarama, who hast found our cows."
Then going she learnt
this there
is
And having learnt it, she told him. And having

been informed about the cows, Indra, slaying the demon, regained these cows. 9
about the abode of the cows.
2.
Svadhyo diva a sapta yahvifr

ray 6 duro vyrtajnd ajanan /
vidad gavyam Sarama drlham urvam
ye*na
mi kam mdnusi 10 bhojate
vit
//
(RV
1-72-8)
introductions with slight inconsistencies. He could not have missed the difference in the outline
of the legend really. One wonders if this adds support to the theory that Sayana alone did not
write the Bhasya but caused many scholars to do so by parts, under his general editorship. Cf.
Gune, Sayana's Commentary its Composition. AS. Mookerjee 3.3.

Also my paper on the IJgvedic word Parvata, contributed to Prof. M. Hiriyanna Commermoration Volume (Pub. Kavyalaya, Mysore), wherein I have argued in favour of the same conclusion.
7.
sa no neta vajam adarsi bhurim. Sayana no'sman bhurim prabhutam vajam annam
neta prapayita sa tvam & darsi. adaram krtavan asi.
adrim attaram asuram (Sayana) meaning the demon Pani or Vala as he
8.
thought.
9.
The text
is
quoted above, footnote
6.
is
sometimes
151
Translation
Seven rivers, mighty and beneficent, from heaven (flow on earth), and
(thereby) the knowers of Truth perceived the doors of wealth. Sarama
found the kine and also plenty of food, by which, indeed, mankind enjoys
(sustenance for ever).
must be noted that
this mantra is addressed to Agni.

Though he is not
of
connected
with
the
the
the
cows,
directly
heavenly
poet means to
recovery
that
all
has
whatever
that
has
there
been,
express
good
happened by Agni's favour.
The seven mighty rivers flow from heaven. They are flooded with water, which is
showered on Earth by the Sun-god. And how is the Sun-god pleased ? Through
It
Agni, of course, who carries him the oblations with which the god is pleased. Even
so, the release of the cattle.
Having been pleased with the sacrifice, which is
his
favour, Indra sent Sarama in search of the cows, and in
possible only through
return she secured abundant food wherewith mankind is able to sustain.
Secondly, the stanza records two different ideas viz. the Vcdic people as they
progressed in their inarch finding seven huge rivers, and Sarama discovering the
stolen cows.
The one opened the very door of prosperity, by providing

namely cows' milk.
for agri-
culture etc., the other provided eternal food,
Vidad yadi Sarama rugnam adrefr

mahi pthab purvyarn sadhryak kah
Agram nayat supady aksaranam
3.
accha ravam prathamd janatf gat
//
(RV
3* 31* 6)
Translation
When Sarama
discovered the fated (entrance) to the mountain, then

(for her young), as previously promised.
the sure-footed one, already familiar with their lowing, led (them Indra
Indra made great and ample provision
Then
and Angi rasas)
to the presence 11 of the imperishable kine.
This verse clearly implies the various stages of the story

cattle stolen and
hidden in the mountainous stronghold, Sarama ordered to search and Indra's
promise of food for her progeny, her success and the promise realised, Indra's
:
final raid
and recovery of
4.
cattle.
Apo yad adrim puruhuta dardab

Avir bhuvat Sarama purvyam
sa no netd
gotrfi
v&jam a
darsi
te
bhurim
rujann angirobhir grnanab
//
(RV
4.16.8)
Translation
When you
rent the clouds apart, for the sake of water,
appeared Sarama before you (bringing news of the
Indra, there
Then, as the
Yena nu yena tu gavyena manusi vif; manos sambandhini praja

(Tad gavyam api paramparaya'gnir eva karoti).
Consttue agram as accusative denoting place. Prof. H. D. Velankar.
10.
Say ana
Idanim bhuhkte.
11.
cattle).
bhojate.
H. L.
15 2
HARIYAPPA
Angirasas extolled you, you, our leader, pierced through the mountains and,
by providing us plenty of food, evinced great interest in us.
apo yad adrim puruhuta dardafr
Note.
this
must
refer to a different
incident, namely, the usual concern of Indra to send showers of rain to the
Earth. Soon after this was performed, Sarama appeared with glad tidings
of the discovery of the stolen cattle.
So another adventure was ready for
Indra, who, being greatly interested in the well-being of his followers, readily
took up the task. The Angirasas praised him all the while. Encouraged
by their flattery, he vanquished the Panis, recovered the cattle and provided
plenty of food for mankind, as promised to Sarama earlier.
Anunod
5.
atra hastayato adriti
arc an y6na dasa maso navagvafr

rtam yatl Sarama ga avindat
visvani satya 'ngiras eakara
//
(RV
5.45.7)
Translation
At this sacrifice the stone (set in motion) by the hands of the priests began
make noise, whereby the iiava-gvas celebrated the ten-month worship,
when Sarama, traversing the path of truth, discovered the cattle, and Angiras
to
rendered
all
(the rite) effective.
Sayana, for the first time, introduces an alternative explanation of

She is the heavenly dog or Speech herself, uttering praise, and rtam
sacrifice or truth.
(Rtam satyam yajfiam va yatl prapnuvati Sarama
Note.
Sarama.
is
saranasila stutirupa vak, ahgirasam
va ga avindat panibhir
apahrtati).
gavartham indrena prahita devauui
Rtam means 12 among
other things the
heavenly path, the established path as well.
The hymn is addressed to the Visve-devas, the palm, having been given to the
Angirasas (who are seven in number), in the liberation of the heavenly cows.
6.
Visve asyd vyusi mdhinayab.

utsa
sam yad gobhir angiraso navanta

asam parame sadhasthe
rtasya pathd sarama vidad gb.
//
(RV
5.45.8).
Translation
When
the Angirasas, on the advent of this adorable Dawn, came in

contact with the (discovered) cattle, then milk and the rest were offered in the
all
august assembly, for Sarama had found the cows by the path of truth.
12.
Grassmann in his Worterbuch zum Rig- Veda has given as many as 23 meanings in
which the word Rta has been used in R V. Articles and monographs have appeared in plenty on
A comprehensive study of Rta has been made by Dr. H. Lefever
this subject in recent times.
" Vedic Idea of Sin"
in his
(Ph.D. thesis, Tubingen) London Mission Press, Nagarcoil,Travancore
(1935).
158
Note. Here, again, Sayana takes Sarama as Speech or the heavenly dog,
and rta as truth or water. (Rtasya satyasya patha margena Sarama vak
devas'uni va ga nigudha vidat alabhata.
Yadva asam gavam parame sadhasthe sahasthane vrajasya niguhanapradeê utsa udakasya prasravano vartate,
bilam ityarthab.
Tena rtasyodakasya patha margena Sarama ga
vidat).
Again, the Visve-devas are the devata here. There was general jubilation
recovered, Angirasas led the celebration, all drank milk etc.
when the cattle were

and made merry.
The
rsi is
Sadaprna of the Atri family,
in this as well as in the previous quota-
tion.
7.
RV
1
Kim
10.108
Sarama pre'darn anat

adhva
hy
jagurib paracaib
icchanti
dure*
kd paritakmyasit
katham Rasdya atarab payariisi
klUme'hitib.
2.
Indrasya dutlr
maha
ivSita
//
carami
icchanti
Panayo nidhlnvabatiskado bhiyasa tan na avat

tatha Ras^ya ataram payamsi //
3.
Kldrnn Indras Sarame ka drsika
yasyedam dutlr asarab parak^t

a ca gacchan mitram ena dadhama
atha gavam gopatir no bhavati
4.
Naham
//
veda dabhyam dabhat sab

yasyedam dutlr asaram parakat /
tarn
na tain guhanti sravato gabhirab

hatd indrena Panayab sayadhve
5.
7.
//
Ima g^vab Sarame ya
aicchab
antan
divo
subhage patanti
pari
ava srjad ayudhvi

utSsmakam Syudha santi tigmd
//
Aseny vab Panayo vacarhsi

anisavyas tanvab santu papl'b /
adhrsto va ^tava astu panthab
Bfhaspatir va ubhaya na mrlat
//
kas ta
6.
e*na
Ay am
nidhib Sarame adribudhnab

gobhir a^vebhir vasubhir nyrstab
raksanti tarn
Panayo ye sugopab
r^ku padam alakam S jagantha
//
H. L. HARIYAPPA
154
8.
fiha
ta
gamann
fsayafc
s6maitak
ayasyo aftgiraso navagvafr /

vi bhajanta g6nam
etam urvam
athaitdd vacafr Pandyo vamannft

9.
Eva
ca tvam Sarama ajagantha

prabadhita sahasa daivyena /
svasaram tva krnavai ma punar gab
apa
10.
//
te
gavam subhage bhajama
//
Naham veda
-
bhratrtvam no svasrtvam
Indro vidur angirasas ca ghordb /
gokama me acchadayan yaddyam

ap&ta ita Panayo variyab //
11.
Duram
ita Panayo variyafr

ud gdvo yantu minatir rtna
Bfhaspatir y avindan nigulhab
Somo gravana
fsayaS ca vfprati
//"
Translation
With what intention has Sarama come to this place? Verily the
way
long and losing itself in the distance.' What is the motive of thy
coming to us ? What sort of wandering was thine ? And how didst thou
cross the waters of the Rasa ?
1.
is
I come as the appointed messenger of Indra, desiring O Panis, your

hidden
treasures through fear of being crossed, the (water) helped us
great
thus I passed over the waters of the Rasa.
2.
3.
What is Indra like, O Sarama ? How is the look of him as whose
messenger you have come to this place from afar ? Oh, let him come by all
means, we will make friends with him, let him look after our cattle
!
is a person to be subdued, he is one to subdue

whose messenger, I have come here from afar. The deep
streams conceal him not. Slain by Indra, O Panis, you will lie prostrate.
4.
(others)
cannot think he
he, as
5.
These are the cows, O auspicious Sarama, which thou desirest, having
traversed round and round the ends of heaven. Who will give them up to
thee, without fight ? And our weapons are sharp, indeed.
Your words, O Panis, are no substitute for armies, your sinful bodies
not
be pierced by arrows, your track may yet be unassailable for an
may
invasion, but, mind you, the Lord of the Gods (Brhaspati) will spare neither.
6.
This treasure, O Sarama, with its cows, horses and riches, is quite
7.
Good sentinels are the Panis who guard
secure in the mountain stronghold.
it.
Alas, in vain didst thou come to this far-off land !
155
8.
Roused by the Soma, the Rsis, Ayasya, Angirasas and the Navagvas
march against you here and this treasure of kine they will snatch and
share then, O Panis, you will eat these words of yours.
will
After
9.
pressure.
all,
Return
Sarama, thou hast come hither constrained by divine

we shall make thee our sister and we shall set apart a
not,
share of cattle for thee,
good one.
I know not; Indra knows and the fierce

will
of
cattle
Desirous
besiege you as I get back to them
Angirasas.
they
a
O
to
distant
run
hence,
Panis,
spot.
away
Brotherhood or sisterhood,
10.
11.
order
Make haste, O Panis, to a far-off place, let the kine step forth in due
the kine which had been hidden and which Brhaspati (Indra), Soma,
the Rsis and the grinding stones have well earned.
From
can be seen that the recovery of the stolen cows

Vedic peoples. Being referred to by name
in no less than five mandalas and by five seers of different families, Sarama has
shown herself to be an important character. The Angirasas, a company of seven
Indra is of course the hero. Brhaspati
brothers, have staged the whole drama.
is once mentioned, but he is Indra only, being the chief of Gods (brhatam patifr).
hence the hymns to Agni the priest
But it is indeed the concern of all the gods
the above abstracts
was a great event
it
in the annals of the
of the Sacrifice and to the Visve-Devas.
the gods would put forth a united effort.
The author
(or the seer) of the
This suggests that for the common weal,

Victory was theirs, as it ever came to be.
hymn
of the tenth
mandala
is
anonymous,
in
Technically, the Panis and Sarama are seers (rsi) of their own
14
and
deities
speeches
(devata) of the speeches of the other party.
(Panyuktau
the ordinary sense.
taduktau Panayas tatha). 15 The dialogue (Samvada) is excellently

conceived, and composed in a masterful manner. The Panis are described as
niggards, misers, traders or, demons, henchmen of the Dasyu chief etc., etc. by the
This hymn belies such contemptible references. They are
civilization-experts.
enemies of course, but they have behaved nobly, diplomatically and with the utmost
courtesy for the messenger. Their utterances are marked by firmness and resolve;
they won't surrender the treasure without a fight and their arms are strong enough.
They have had the sense of humour to indulge in a light-hearted joke at their
Sarama
devi,
adversary, Indra. Especially that a female messenger led the mission, the ques*
How is Indra, how does he look like etc.' provide amusement; they render
the atmosphere more lively and perhaps easily convert the ambassador to thier
tions
own
Lastly they tried to lure her with a share and argue speciously in
mission by pressure of the gods,
support
to
bother
return
and
it
is
such
distance,
why
stay with us as sister and enjoy
long
a share of the cattle.' Thus three of the well-known expedients sama, dana and
thinking.
'
We know you have after all come on this
bheda were called in to play. The Panis behaved indeed magnanimously, for,
were they demons and barbarians, what harm if they had resorted to the final
expedient; danda, also ? For the occasion at least, the enemy could have been put
Bull
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H. L.
158
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H. L.
HAR1YAPPA
II
SAMHITAS OTHER THAN THE RGVEDA

The Vajasaneyi Samhita
1.
(VS
repeats
33.59), the repetition does not bear
RV
HI.31.6 Vidadyadi Sarama
any relevancy
to the context.
etc.
16
The Kathaka 17 repeats the same mantra i.e. RV 3.31.6 with a background
2.
which is of doubtful cogency. Gods and demons vied with each other in sacrifice.
Whatever gods did demons also did and became more prosperous. The gods
became inferior and much degraded. Then they saw the Agrayana rite and
overtook their rivals. In this rite they first employed the mantra Vidadyadi
'
'
Sarama (RV 3.31.6) as 'puro-ruc.' In the redemption of the heavenly cows,

Sarama went forth iirst and the task was accomplished, perhaps this going ahead
was sufficient to justify the employment of the Rgvedic verse in the Go-ahead
And to boot there is the word agram in the mantra
rite (agrayana).
'
'
'
'
The MaitrayanI Samhita also repeats 18 the same mantra i.e. RV 3.31.6
"
Agrayana," the mantra
(Vidadyadi Sarama etc.). Here also the setting is the
the
is again employed as
Agrayana, the gods went
Having performed
puro-ruc.
The
to
ousted
demons.
and
the
heaven
explanation of puro-ruc is rather
up
Iti puro rucam kuryat,
RV
3.31.6.
text
after
the
quoting
interesting.
Says
3.
'
'
rujati haiva, atho
The Atharva-veda Samhita has two verses

Of these the latter reference is a
4.
and
vag vai Sarama, vacam evaisam vrnkte.
20.77,8).
former
is
as
follows
referring to Sarama (AV 9.4.16

The
repetition of 11 V 4.16.8.
Te kusthikafr Saramayai
kurnidbhyo adadhuh saphan
ubadhyamasya kltebhyafr
sva (sa) varte'bhyo adharayan
//
Translation
'
Those dew-claws (were) Sarama's, they assigned the hoofs to the tortoises,
the content of his bowels they maintained for the worms, the Savartas '.
Whitney
(HOS).
This
hymn
of the
AV
is
to
accompany the
gift of
a bull and
is
counted among
the paustika mantras. It does not contribute anything for our understanding of
the Sarama problem. She must however have been looked upon as the deity of
the dogs.
Mahidhara comments upon this, giving botli interpretations i.e. Sarama as heavenly
an4 Sarama as Speech.
Devas ca va asuras ca samavadeva yajfta'kurvata yadeva deva akurvata tad asura
17,
akurvata te'sura bhuyariisa sreyarhsa asan kanlyamsah paplyamsa anujavaratara iva devas te
etam
deva
agrayanam apasyams tarn agrhnata tenagram paryayan yad agram paryayams tad
&grayanasyagrayanatvam ya anujavaras syat // Vidad yadl...gat // ityetaya purorucagrayanam
grhltam bhratpvyam eva vrktvagram paryeti // (KS Sthanaka 27. anuvaka 9).
18,
With one difference vidadyadi for vidadyadi (MS 4,0.4).
10,
(dog
The
RV
verse 4.16.8
AV
161
RV
In fact the first eight verses of the

the
former has 21 stanzas in all. Indra
though
is the deity praised throughout, the
viniyoga being in connection with the prsthya
and other sacrifices. The reference to Sarama, therefore, has the same value as
hymn
its
arc repeated as
original
is
AV
counterpart.
20.77.8.
20.77,
19
It may be said that the other Samhita texts contain no reference to Sarama.
That she was an entity to reckon with in the Vedic fold seems more than established,
though already speculation was afoot whether she was Indra's dog or whether she
represented that most eovetable attribute of a human being, viz. Speech.
Ill
1.
(A)
Taittiriya
Vidad
21
BRAIIMANAS
Brahmana (2.5.8.]<).) 2
<>
yati
Sarama rugnain
purvyam sadhriyakkah
Aecha ravam prathama
adrali
Malii pathaft
Agram nayat supadyaksaranam
janatl gat
22
/
Vidad 23 gavyam Sarama drdham urvam / Yena

nukam manusi bhojate vit / <4 ye* visva svapatyani
cakrub / krnvanaso amrtatvaya gatum / 24
Sarama, goddess in the guise of a dog, being deputed by Indra, once, to find
food on earth, was proceeding to the mortal world from the Meru mountain. There
she saw the people starving for want of food.
Then she created plenty of water,
which
is
the preliminary aid for food and which flowed through all fields.
Sure
and then in front she knowing the lowing sound of the
footed, she led forth water
imperishable ones (cows) proceeded towards them.

In the words of Whitney (Atharvavcda HOS 7.cxli) Book 20 is a pure mass of excerpts
19.
from the RV, it stands in no conceivable relation to the rest of the AV, and when and why it was
added thereto is a matter for conjecture.
20.
A word-index to
krama-kosa
II, p. 1047.
(in
two
[VVRI
all
the extant Brahmanas has been provided by the Vaidika-padfmuLahore. See for the present reference Vol. II Brahmanas, part
HOSIARPUR East Punjab],
vols.) VVHI,
in now in
Madhavlya-bhasya Sarama kficit sun! svamiirtidharini devata bhuniavannasampadanartham ayatl Indrena presita adrer yati meroh sakasad bhumim gacchanti rugnam annabhavena ksudha grastam janam vidad alabhata/Tato mahi pat hah mahajjalam kah akarot/ Kidrsam ?
Purvyam purvam utpannam annasya karanam sahancatiti sadhriyak sarvaksetrasaficarityarthah
susthu padyate gacchatlti supadl sa sunl agram nayat tajjalam purato nltavati / Tatra purodesa
aksaranam ksaro vinaso himsa tadayogyanam gavarn ravam sabdam janatl accha tadabhimukhyena prathama mukhya sati gat jagama jalotpadanenannam sampadya gorasam sampadayitum
21.
gatavatltyarthah
//
Reads differently from RV. RV 3.31.0 dl for tl, dhryak for dhriyak.
23.
Sarama sun! gavyam goyiitham vidad alabhata / kldrsam ? drdham kadacidapyanapayinarn urvam atiprabhutam / manusi vit visvamanusyarupa praja yena goyuthena bhojate ksiradikam bhunkte/ Nukam ityetadavyayam sarvathetyasminnarthc vartate/ Amrtatvaya svargarupaya
karmaphalaya gatum margam krnvanasah kurvana ye yajamana visva sarvaiii svapatyani
karmanya cakruh sarvatah krtavantah / Tathavidhayajamanarupa praja yena gavyena
bhunkte tarn goyutham alabhateti purvatranvayah //
24.
Reads differently from RV 1.72. 8 drjham, 1 .72.8^ ,1 .72.9 tasthuh, 1.72.9k,
22.
H. L.
162
HARIYAPPA
Sarama found the herd of kine which was strong and huge, by the help of
which the whole mankind is provided with milk etc. And all (the sacrificers)
performed their duty and prepared the way for attaining heaven.
These Brahmana portions are concerned with mantras for what are described
25
The commentary is by Sayana as stated. But the interpretation

from that given in the RV for the same passage. This strengthens
the view that commentaries attributed to the great name of Sayana do not appear
Under his able sponsorship a number of scholars must
to be by a single hand.
have independently i.e. without co-ordination worked out different sections at one
as
upahomas.
is
so different
time.
No
is thrown on the original Sarama story except the fact that

Sarama by her timely service to Indra was able to secure food
That she found the (stolen) cows is also
for mankind has been corroborated.
The relevancy of the contents of these mantras to the occasion
established.
further light
the tradition that
prescribed
is
altogether a different problem.
The Apastarnba 5rauta Sutra
2.
TB, only the
first
(12.15.6) simply repeats the reading of the

half corresponding to
3.31.6 and has nothing to add.
RV
The version of the Jaiminiya Brahmana and the Satyayanaka, which
3.
is
available only in quotations 26 in other works, has been recorded above.

(Supra
fn. 5).
There are a few minor variations from the accepted version of the
story e.g. the Panis are introduced as the cowherds of the gods they made away
;
with the cattle in their charge.

4.
Taittiriya
Aranyaka
27
Sahasravrd iyam bhumib. / param vyoma sahasravrt / Asvina Bhujyu

Nasatya / visvasya jagataspati / jaya bhumih patir vyoma / mithunam ta
aturyathab. / putro brhaspati rudrab / Sarama iti stri pumarn / sukram
vamantad rajatam vamanyat / visurupe ahani dyauriva sthab //
Commentary -Sarama vedifr, sarab saranam anusthanapravrttib sa

ca miyate paricchidyate atreti Sarama sa ca tayor duhita / Iti evam stripumam
'
eka
stri
dvau pumamsau
iti
apatyatrayam sampannam.
Here we have a third equation of Sarama. 28

and,
if
her holy origin were to be stated, she
(Dyavaprthivi).
sons and hence
Brhaspati and Rudra
Sarama
is
'
their sister.
is
She
the sacred altar (vedi)

the daughter of Heaven and Earth
is
a peculiar combination are also their

It is a well-known hypothesis that the
25.
Caturtha upahomartha mantra bahava iritah /
Prapa^hake paftcamesmims tacchesa upavarnyate // p. 225, Mysore Edition.
26.
Dr. T. R. Cintamani reports discovery of a Satyayanaka Ms. which is only fragmen(JORM 5.pp.296-298. 1981). He, however, has not stated whether the name Satyayana
tary.
has anywhere been indicated in the Ms.
27.
Rajendra Lai Mitra's Edition, with Sayana's Commentary, Bibliotheca Indica, Calcutta,
I prapathaka, 10th anuvaka.
J871, Baptist Mission Press (pp. 73-74).
28.
1st, the heavenly dog (RV), 2nd the human speech (YV).

Taittiriya
marks a stage when Vedic
life
was dominated by the
sacrificial cult
and
we should note
as such the several allegorical or mythical equations of the live

the
of
Rgveda. One thing can be marked that the canine nature of
personalities
Sarama has come to recede from the thought of the people.
(B)
Later Vedic references
Sarama does not seem to have contributed to Upanisadic thought. Her

mundane appeal however has kept up in rather an amusing way, as reflected in
the Paraskara Grhya sutra. 29 After the medhajanana ceremony certain spells are
pronounced to guard the confinement chamber
:
Yadi kumara upadravej jalena pracchadyottariyena va pitafika adhaya

kurkurafr sukurkurah kurkuro balabandhanah / Ceccecchunaka srja
japati
namaste astu Sisaro lapetapahvara / Tat satyam yat te deva varam adaduU
sa tvam kumaram eva vavrnithab. / Ceccecchunaka srja namaste astu Sisaro
lapetapahvara / Tat satyam yat te Sarama mata Sisarafr pita Syamasabalau
bhratarau / Ceccecchunaka srja namaste astu Sisaro lapetapahvareti.
If,
it
after birth, the child takes
ill,
the father takes the child on his lap, wraps
up warmly and
It is an invocation
recites the Dog-spell if it may be so termed.
For when the gods offered him a boon, it seems
to bother the child.
to the dog not

he chose the children for himself, that
is, he will possess them, causing illness and

perhaps death. The idea corresponds to what is generally described as balagraha
(balabandhana), which is referred to in the Mahabharata.
4
Thus in the spell the father pleads with the creature to leave the child
Verily
your mother is (the celebrated) Sarama, your father Slsara and, yama and Sabala
Therefore, doggie, let go, saluta(the famous hounds of Yama) are your brothers.
This is a sentiment and an appeal to the
tion to thee, Slsara may speak, depart'.
unknown spirit to get away from the child etc. an appeal which we unconsciously
:
say while appeasing the crying child.
similar reference
is
found in the Ekagni-kanda
(2.16)
which
is
also in the
the Dog-Spirit (sva-graha) i.e. to ward off whooping

cough etc. which generally attack the children. Here the pedigree is differently
given, fresh names are introduced, Alaba, Rji, Adhorama, Ulumbala, Sublrna,
etc.
Syama and Cabala are there of course, Sarama the mother but Lohita the
form of a
spell to drive
away
But there
is an interesting allusion to Sarama's spying the cattle while

True it is, Indra told thee to
granted to the dog to pester children.
and
Hast
Thou
them
came
He asked thee
back.
the
cows.
and
spied
bring
spy
thou spied?" Thou saidst 'Spied." (Indra then said) "Ask for a boon."
"
"
etc. 30
I select kumara
father.
the boon
'
is
'
(Thou
saidst,
PGS 1,16.24. cf. Mbh. Aranyaka-parva (manuysyagrahas), cf. Keith, RPV p.241. Also
29.
Hopkins. CHI, p.231. Hopkins thinks that the dog in the RV is the companion and ally of man,
the protector and probably the inmate of his house. He also takes a strong exception to Brunnhofer's theory that in the eyes of the Vedic Aryans, the dog was a despicable beast.
Amj Ph. V
pp.154-55.
80.
Narayana Aiyangar Essays on Indo- Aryan Mythology, Part
author identifies Sarama with the star Rohinl or Aldebaran.
:
I, p. 180 f.
(1898).
This
H.
164,
L.
HARIYAPPA
IV
NIRUKTA
Yaska explains (Nir. 11.24-25). 81
Sarama Saranat / Tasya esa bhavati / 24.
Kim icchanti Sarama etc. RV 10.108.1. is quoted
Kim
icchanti Saramedani pranat / dure hyadhva / jagurir jariganiyateh /

ka te'smasv arthahitir asit / kim paritakauam / pari/
parancanair acitab
takmya
ratrib, parita enarn
Katham Rasaya
takma
atarab payamsiti
kathain rasani t&nyudakaniti va
/
/
takmctyusnanama, takata iti satab

Rasa nadi, rasateh sabdakarrnanah
/
/
Dcvasunindrena prahita Panibhir asuraib samuda ityakhyanam
//
The heavenly dog, Sarama, being deputed on an errand by Indra, had this
conversation witli the demons called Panis. Sarama got the name by her quick
Thus Yaska is prepared to credit the story of Sarama as
(saranat).
the event did take place the demons stole the divine cows, Indra ordered Sarama
to search, she found them with the Panis and had conversation with them, Indra
movement
if
recovered the cattle. The sacrificial equation of Sarama with Vak or Vedi was
perhaps not recognised by him, though, as an etymologist, such explanations should
usually catch his fancy.
But Durgacarya, his commentator, would not leave it at

knowing the other aspect of things as well.
in the student
ksena
style
that,
lie
is
interested
lie writes
Sarama dcvasimityaitihasikapaksena / Madhyamika vak NairuktapaSa kasniat / Saranat gamanat / Durgacarya writes in the most felicitous
and that will be sufficient excuse to quote him in extenso -/
devagavir apajahruh / tatah kilendrastadanvesanaya

tadalayam Saramam prahinot / Te ca devapanayastam drstva papracehnr anayarca
kim icchantiti / Idani asmannivasasthanam Sarama kim icchanti kim asmattah
prarthayanti pranat praptavati kadacid apyanagatapurveti / api cadure hyadhva /
mahadetad aclhvanam na yadrechaya sakyam agantum / Ya eva jagurih syat
bhrsam ganta sa eva sakta agantum / Paracaib parancanairacitah paranmukhair
Devapanayab
kila
gamanair acito gatah viprakrsto devanivasat / yato brumab / He

Sarame kasmehitib ka tava asmasvarthahitib arthasyadhanam / ko'smattoVthas
tava praptavyo'bhipreta asit yenayam atimahanadhva vyavasita agantum /
api ca ka paritakmyasit / kim paritakanam / api nama sukha riitrir anantara
aficanair
paritakmya ratrib / takmetyusnanama takater gatyarthasya / sarvato hi

tadgatam bhavati / tadenam ubhayatab parigrhya vartata iti paritakmya ratrib /
api ca / katham Rasaya atarab payamsi / Rasa nama nadi adhyardhayojanavistara /
tasyab payamsyatidustarani katham atarab katham tirnavatyasi / athava /
tavasit
81.
Bombay
Nirukta Ed. R. G. Bhadkamkar with Durga's commentary, Vol.

Sanskrit Series, No. LXXXV.
2,
pp. 1067-1070 (1942).
katham
rasani tanyudakani
kesvasanniti
api
nama svaduni
165
api Srantayastavantara vasab
Devasunlndrena prahita iti nidanaprakhyapanam mantrarthabhivyaktayc

samude samvadam krtavatityarthab / Ityakhyanavidab evam manyante /
Vakpakse tu cirakalma vrstivyuparame kadacid abhinavameghasamplave

sahasaiva stauayitnum upaSrutya kuta iyam madyamika vak cirenagateti vismitas
Idarn asmacchrotram cirarn
tarn asuyanniva bravlti kimicchanti Sarama iti /
anagamya Sarama madhyamika vak kim icchanti pranat praptavati / api ca /

dure hi adhva / cirakalasruteyam asmabhib / jagurih bhrsam yo ganta syat sa
ciravicchinnam etad varsavartma punar agaeehet santanuyat paracaib paranmukhaih etad acintyam / Ciranastam ityarthah / api ca / kasmehitili / kim asmasva-
rthabhidhanam aslt purvam tava he Sarame yenagamab / kim va na jatam yenapunaragamab / api ea / eiraprositayas tava kim paritakanam aslt / Antariksanadya
api mahatya Rasayah katham atarab payamsi / katham atibahunyudakani
samksobhyatmanam pratilabdhavatyasi iti va /
"Vag vai Sarama"
(MS 4.6.4)
iti
hi vijnayate
//
evident that the commentator is at pains to explain the so-called NairuktaThe

samanvaya is hard to understand. Writing in an age when Vedie
paksa.
handed down by tradition, both in text and content, Durgacarya
was
knowledge
It
is
has indeed presented a traditional interpretation. For, much of the Vedic cult
intellect rather than of common practice.
Singnificant also
was pursuit of the
the fact that the Vak-identity of Sarama is sponsored by the Yajus-samhitas

32
commentator of
(KS, MS, VS). This is definitely expressed by Mahidhara
is
Vajasaneyi Samhita while explaining 33.59 which is a repetition of RV 3.31.6 as

above indicated. Having commented on the mantra first as interpreted by the
sacrifice he says: "Evam adhiyajnam mantro \yakhyatab / Bahvrcanarh tu
samvadasiiktam idam." And a fresh derivation of the name Sarama is also sug"
Saha ramante deva vipra va yasyam sa Sarama vak". On the whole
gested
it should be repeated that the superimposition of the Vak-identity fails to go home.
Coming after Durga and Sayana, Mahidhara has faithfully rendered the Yajus:
tradition.
V
BRHADDEVATA
Sarama
(a)
is
included
among
the deities and deified objects belonging to
India's sphere. 33
His commentary is
32.
in three parts.
33.
known
as Veda-dipa. Ed. A.
Weber with the
Raka Vak Saramaptyas ca Bhrgavo'ghnya SarasvatI

Yamyurva6i Sinivall Pathya Svastir Usah kuhuh //
Connected
witji
...
TasyaitasyaSraye'ditih (St.124)
BD
1.128,
text of the
VS
(1852)
H. L.
(b)
said that
HARIYAPPA
Sarama is, then, one of the names of Vac in her middle

Vac has three forms terrestrial, middle and celestial:
Parthivi
Madhyama Divya Vagapi

*
sphere.
It is
trividha tu ya
Esaiva Durga bhutvarcam krtva syat suktabhaginl

Tannamani Yammdram Sarama Romasorvasi // 34
(c)
mentioned as one of the Brahmavadims (female

Ghosa, Godha, Apala, etc.
Sarama
others like
is
Ghosa Godha Visvavara Apalopanisannisat /

Brahmajaya Juhur nania Agastyasya svasaclitib
Indrani cendramata ca Sarama Romasorvasi /
seers)
among
ca nadyaS ca Yarn! nari ca SasVati /

Laksa Sarparajni Vak Sraddha Medha ca Daksina
Lopamudra
Srir
Ratri Surya ca Savitrl Brahmavadinya iritaU

It
is difficult
to believe that
if
35
//
Sarama, the Brahnmvadim and Sarama the
messenger of Indra, were the same, the latter could have brought upon herself the
ill
repute stated in the following passage of the same Brhaddcvata.
(d)
BD
24.
Asurafr
25.
Brhaspatis tathapasyat drstvcndraya sasarnsa ca

Prahinot tatra dutye'tha Saramam Pakasasanah
26.
Kimityatrayujabhis tarn papracchulj Panayo'sural^
8.24-36.
Panayo narna Rasaparanivasinah

Gaste'pajahrur Indrasya nyaguhams ca prayatnatafr
kutab kasyasi kalyani kim va karyam
ihasti te
27.
Athabravit tan Sarama dutyaindri vîcaramyaham

yusman vrajam canvisyanti gas caivendrasya prcehatab.
28.
Viditvendrasya dutim tarn asurah papacetasab.

tJcur ma Sarame gas tvam ihasmakam svasa bhava
29.
Vibhajamo gavam bhagam mahita ha tatab. punafe

Suktasyasyantyaya carca yugmabhis tvcva sarvasab.
30.
Sabravmnaham
Pibeyam tu pay as tasam gavam yas
31.
icchami svasrtvam va dhanani va

ta niguhatha
Asuras tarn tathetyuktv tadajahrub payas tatab

Sa svabhavacca laulyacca pitva tat paya asuram /
BD
The above enumeration is supported by the Nighantu (ch. V) with slight

2.77.
34.
Macdonell draws attention to the fact that Durga, not being a Vedic
differences here and there.
goddess, is not to be found in the Naighantuka and therefore holds that the line is an interpolation.
The line, in his opinion, interrupts the sense of the passage, besides giving half a sloka too much
"
It must however have been an early interpolation as it occurs in Mss, of both
for the varga.
See
(Tr. and notes), p.53 under St. 77.
groups."
BD
35.
BD
2.82-84.

32.
33.
Param samvananam hrdyam balapustikaram tatafr

Satayojanavistaram atarat tarn Rasam punab /
Yasyab pare pare
tesani
asit
puram
sudurjayam
Papracehendras ca Saramam kaccid ga drstavatyasi

34.
35.
Sa ueti pratyuvacendram prabhavadasurasya tu

Tarn jaghana pada kruddhah udgiranii pay as tatafr
Jagama
Gatva jaghana ca Panin gas ea
Translation
"
24.
sa bhayodvigna punar eva Panin prati
Padanusaripaddhatya rathcna harivahanafr

30.
167
tali
punar aharat
36
/
There were demons called Panis who dwelt on the farther bank of the
These carried off the (rows of Indra and hid them away carefully.
Rasa.
25.
Brhaspati saw
Then the
(it
was) thus, and having seen
Chastiser of
it
he reported
Paka (Indra) dispatched Sarama
it
to Indra.
thither on a
message.
"
"
20.
In the (hymn)
what?
(Kirn 10.108) the Pani demons interrogated
"
her with the uneven stanzas, (saying)
Whence (do you come) ? To
whom do you belong, fair one ? Or what is your business here ? "
27.
Then Sarama addressed them

Indra, seeking you and (your)
28.
"I wander about
as the messenger of
and the kine of Indra who
is
for
them.
On
learning that she was the messenger of Indra, the wicked

"
Do not depart, Sarama, be our sister here.
said
29.
stall
asking
demons
Let us divide our share of the cows, be not unfriendly (ahita) henceforth
again."
And
vvith
the last stanza of this
hymn
(10.108.11), as well as the
even
ones throughout,
30.
She
but
"
I do not desire either sisterhood (with you) or (your) wealth,

should like to drink the milk of those cows which you are hiding
said,
I
there."
31.
32.
The demons saying " Yes " to her, then brought her the milk.
having from natural taste and greed, drunk the demons' milk
excellent, charming, delightful, stimulating strength
She
then again crossed
the Rasa which extended a hundred leagues,
Some of the lines irresistibly remind one of the Ramayana style. It may be phantasy
36.
jump on identities or postulate the lend-and-borrow theory but pray, the phrase Satayojanavistaram by its sense and setting suggests Hanuman's flight over the 100-league-ocean.
(Ramayana: Sundarakanda Canto 1). Oertel draws attention (JAOS 19, 2nd half, p. 99 fn.)
to the fact that H. Jacobi compares the finding of Sita by Hanumat to Sarama's search for the
cows (Das Ramayana, 1893, p.133).
*
to
'
In the notes Macdonell draws attention to Oldenberg's remarks in ZDMG 1898, p. 414 f.
to be from the pen of Bohtlingk. Just a slip of the pen, repeated in the
on stanza 30.
37.
The remarks happen

note
H. L.
168
-
33.
On
HARIYAPPA
the farther bank of which was their impregnable stronghold.

"
You have seen the cows, I hope ? "
And
Indra asked Sarama,

34.
But she under the
influence of the
enraged, struck her with his foot.

35.
36.
went trembling with

steeds (Indra) on his
fear,
car,
demons
"
replied
no
"
to Indra.
He,
She then, vomiting the milk,
back again to the Panis. The Lord of bay

by the track which followed her steps,
went and smote the Panis and brought back the cows.
must be conceded at the outset that this narrative, short and sweet, is
complete in itself. It leaves no doubt in the mind of the listener as the threads
The Panis stole Indra's cows. Brhaspati made the first informaare quite clear.
She
tion report to Indra whereupon the latter set Sarama on the investigation.
It
'
'
was quite successful, but, alas, poor thing, she allowed herself to be enticed by the
enemy. But let us sec In stanza 30, she clearly rejects the offer of a bribe from
the demons and refuses to recognise any sisterhood with them. On second thoughts
:
The
demons thought that she had come round or, at least, that she became vulnerable.
They said yes and brought the milk. But it was asuram payab, apparently
cultured with witchcraft, had its effect surely upon the victim and mark we, there-
however, she asked for the milk of those cows which they were hiding there.
'
'
fore, the description of the
milk
in
the next stanza (32. param,
samvananam,
hrdyam, balapustikaram
delightful, stimulating strength)
which attributes warrant us to think that the milk was enchanted and certainly
was not the milk of Indra's cows. But how did Sarama, who handled the case so
excellent, charming,
with such deftness, suddenly grow so stupid as to spread a trap for herself?
She perhaps thought that, by claiming the milk of those cows i.e. Indra's cows and
by getting it, she would, in a way, get assured of the surrender of the cows a
far
kind of earnest-money as it were. But she miserably failed and was outwitted. 38
So it is just possible to exonerate her from the charge of accepting a bribe, for, only
in the elation of her success, she tripped
any
rate, discreet to observe that the
and got caught
Rgvedic
hymn
in her
own
net.
It
is,
at
10.108 closes with the final
speech of Sarama which administers a warning to the enemies. The sequel is

The fact of Sarama's treachery is not borne out by corroborative
left to fancy.
evidence, as her faithful service has been, for instance,
RV
3.31.6
must
by
the
JB and
the &atya-
set all suspicion against her at
yanaka.
agram nayat supadi
rest.
She led forth, fleet-footed that she was, which is a high compliment
for her r61e in the whole episode, pronounced by no less a Vedic Authority than
Visvamitra.
The situation reminds one of Hanuman's reflections on the duties and responsibilities
88.
of a messenger, e.g. Ghatayanti hi karyani diitah pandita-maninah. Ramayana, (Sundara
2.38).
Karye karmaiji nirvrtte yo bahunyapi sadhayet / purvakaryavirodhena sa karyam
kartum arhati // (Ibid. 41.5).
169
VI
SARVANUKARAMANl
The Sarvanukramani of Katyayana says
KimicehantI Panibhir asurair nirulha ga anvestum Saramam devasunim
Inclrena prahitam ayugbhih
aniechanti pratyacastc
Panayo mitriyantah procub sa tanyugmantyabhir
39
/
Sadgurusisya's commentary thereon

Atharsi-devata-jiianaya
katham kathayati
katha caivam
Pura khalu
/
Paninamakair
gavo Balasurabhrukutitataib
Balapnram prapya suguptasthane sthapita asan / Atha Brhaspatinastanvcsaiiam krtva Sarama nama devasuni prahita
preritenendreua
babhuva / Sil ca Bala])iirasamipe Rasakhyam mahanadini uttirya Balapuram
prapya sarvam vic.intya gupte sthane tti gii dadarseti / Tatra Paninamabhir asurair brhaspatigrhadahrtya nirullia Balapure gupta/b. sthapita
gil anvestnm indreiui j>raliitam Saramam devasunim svajatiyarn devatam
nirgayadisvindrasya sadhannbhutam asya suktzisyayugbhir rgbhib- pancabhir
adyatrtiyadibJiib. Panayo mitriyantah Devasunya saha rnitratvam atmana
Brhaspater Indrapurohitasya
asurair hrta
ieehantah (mitrat kyaei Itvam satari jasi ea rupam) pranayapurvakam uktavantah/ Saea devasuni tan yngmantyabhir yugmabhir dvitiyaeaturthyadibhir
ckadasya
eeti
sadbhib- pratyaeaste
Panyuktau Sarama dcvi taduktan Panayastatha
40
//
The biiei' rel'erenee to Hie story in the Sarvannkramani text has nothing to
add to our information. But one word is significant that Sarama, unwilling
This stresses
(anicchanti) to accept their oiler of friendship, repudiated them.
the fact that the reflection brought on her character according to the Brhaddevata
is to be discounted.
By the time that Sadgurusisya writes, it can be noticed that
even the broad outlines have been tampered with. The Angirasas are completely
out of the picture. The cows belong to Brhaspati specifically and he is designated
as Indra's priest (ludra-purohita).
Panis are slaves who are at the beck and call
demon Bala, hence the stolen cows were hidden in Bala's city. Sarama is
of the
the dog of heaven but goddess belonging to the canine species, helpful to Indra in
the sport of hunting etc. (svajatlyam devatam, mrgayadisv Indrasya sadhana-
bhutam).
It seems incongruous however that, if the demon Bala was the overlord, if
the cows were stolen by the Panis evidently at the behest of their chieftain, and,
further, if the booty was hidden in Bala's capital, Indra's messenger Sarama should
have talks with the servants, the Panis, and, that the Panis could speak so authorr
Bala's superior strength and frequent
itatively and ev en offer terms on the spot.
42 Macdonell's edition.
89.
p.
40.
Vedartha-dipika of SadguruSisya accompanying the Sarvanukramani, Macdonell's
edition, p.160.
170
HARIYAPPA
with Indra as suggested in other parts of the Rgveda are perhaps responsible
advent into the format of this story. The clear lines of the original, owing
to addition and expansion, have already become hazy in the imagination of posterity and inconsistency in detail here and there should not matter for a credulous
conflict
for his
folk
VII
SAYANA
Sayana
in his
Vedartha-prakasa (commentary on RV-Samhita)
(A) Following are the contexts where Sarama's

as the incident of the recovery of the stolen cows.
1.62.3
(1)
argument
1.72.8
(2)
The text of
as well,
is
name
Sayaria's prefatory remarks
quoted above (see supra
fn.
on
is
41
:
mentioned as well
this
mantra. with
its
9).
In the course of the comment, Sayana sa>s
Tvatsadhyena yagena prita Indro gavam anvesanaya Saramam nama devasunim presitavan / Sa ca Sarama gavam sthanam avagatyendrasya nyavedayat /
Indras ca tan angiraso gah prapayat / Ata etat sarvam tvam eva krtavan'/
4
The Rk
is
in praise of Agni.
The story background of this verse is supplied by Sayana while

the
previous verse which also alludes to the event It runs as follows
explaining
3.31.6
(3)
Pura kilahgirasam gavafr Paninamakair asurair apahrtya nigudhe kasmimscit parvatc sthapitab / Te cangirasas tatpraptyartham Indram tustuvub /
Stutas ca sa Indro gavanvesanaya Devasunim prahinot / Saca gavam gavesanapara
sati tat
sthanam alabhata
bhyab pradad
The
affair of the
ityaitihasiki
heavenly cows
ing and succeeding verses
viz.
perusal of these three verses
Velankar translates
them
Taya
katha
is
3.31.5
it is
vijnapita Indras ta gab anlya'iigiro-
directly or indirectly suggested in the precedand 7. As certain problems arise out of a
better to consider
as follows
them
together.
Prof.
H. D.
42
:
The wise (Angirasas) dug out (a path reach ing) upto (the cows) dwelling
3.31.5.
in the strong (fortress of Vala), the seven priests urged themselves forward with a
bold (praca) spirit. They discovered all the paths of Rta,
Knowing these, Indra
entered (the cave of Vala) with respect (for the Angirasas).
41.
Max
Mttller's 2nd Edn. 1892 Oxford, and the edition of the Vaidika
last volume of which was published last year (1946). [Vol.
Mandala (Poona) the
SamSodhana
Indices
since published].
Journal of the University of Bombay, Vol. 3 (1934-35) Part VI, p. 8 f. Prof. Velankar
42.
has translated and annotated the Hymns to Indra by the Visvamitras (1935), Vamadevas (1938),
Atris (1939), Grtsamadas (1940), Bharadvajas (1942), VasisJJias (1944), of the VIII Mandala
He has made " full use of all the existing material on Rgvedic studies. Special mention
(19A5).
however, must be made of the two great German scholars, Oldenberg and Geldner."
171
When Sarama found out the fissure in the rocky cave (of Vala), she
same time found out (sadhryak kah) the great and ancient food (or protection
The light-footed Sarama led (herself or Indra and Angirasas)
i.e. the cows) thereby.
As she well recognised
into the presence (agram) of the never-perishing (cows).
it, she was the first to go in the direction of their bellowing.
3.31.6.
at the
The great poet (i.e. the leader of the Angirasas) went (to the mountain)
seeking
friendship, and the mountain did sweeten its contents for the j.'ious man
the
cows ready for delivery). The brave god, fighting along with his
(i.e. kept
friends
youthful
(Maruts) did win (the cows), and then immediately did Angiras
3.31
.7.
its
43
begin to sing.
It is clear that the fifth
stanza above refers to the recovery of the cows after

This feat was chiefly the work of the Seven
attacking the enemy's stronghold.
who
Indra acknowledges
are generally identified with the Angirasas.
The next verse
with respect. Sarama is nowhere in the picture
But Sarama
(6) also relates the adventure of redeeming the heavenly cows.
44
to
Indra
and
the
the presence
She
led herself or,
Angirasas,
figures prominently.
Priests
their. service
of the imperishable kine. The seventh stanza contemplates quite another picture
the leader of the Angirasas went to the mountain seeking friendship, the mountain
did sweeten its contents (asudayat 44 * garbluim) for the pious man (i.e. kept the cows
:
ready for delivery). If so, no fight at all, the object is gained. But the text
continues to say the brave god, fighting along with his youthful friends (the Maruts)
did win (the cows), and thcu immediately did Angiras begin to sing. This confuses
a bit if the mountain, in deference to the pious man was willing to surrender the
In all the exploits
cows, there should be no work for the brave god ami the friends.
of Iiidra', clearing a cloud or rending a rock asunder is a feature without this feat,
:
did the fight take place at

It
logical
the question.
all, is
seems to me that the seventh stanza
Sarama
followed.
43.
And
The
a sequel to the 6th, the sequence
Indra, always desiring (or working for) friends,

perhaps Sarama's threat to the Panis (RV 10.108) had effect
text of the above verses
is
as follows
abhi dhi'ra atrndan

pracahinvan manasa sapta viprah
Vijau
sati'r
Visvam avindan pathyam ,rtsya

prajanann it ta namasa vivesa
6.
7.
is
led the way,
lo,
5.
is
//
Vidad yddi ,Sarama rugnam adreh

mahi pathah purvyam sadhryak kah
Agram nayat supady aksarjinam
accha ravam prathama janati gat //
Agacchad u vipratamas sakhlyan
asudayat sukfte garbham ddrih /
Sasana maryo yiivabhir makhasydn
dthabhavad angirah sady6 arcan //
44.
Sarama."
"
It
is
evident that the poet
is
anxious to give the credit of the discovery of the cows to
H. D. Velankar, Notes on p. 9 JUB. 1935, Part VI.

from syad = sweeten ? cf. VG 556, but see also VG 554
44a.
causative sud-aya.
Bull DCRI xi-12
a.
sud = make pleasant:
H L HARIYAPPA
-
the mountain had kept its contents (the cows) ready to be handed over. Meanwhile
the Maruts (the leader with his young group) joined the chief, and Angiras immeThe translation may be restated as
diately offered compliments to their Lord.
follows
45
:
And verily, the Most Wise went after, he who always desires friends for himself,
surrendered its contents to him of great deeds. The chief of the
mountain
the
Maruts (maryab) with his youthful group joined in order to felicitate him. And
Angiras promptly set himself to praise.
be granted, then, that the sixth and the seventh stanzas are composite,
reconsider the explanation of the 5th stanza ?
As already stated, the
is stressed there, that, in fact,
rasas
the
Angi
by
they did the whole
part played
to
an
the
mountain
cave
etc.
and
that Indra had
path
(underground)
thing, dug
If
could
it
we
only to go and bring the cows. Sarama is not wanted at all. Let us now consider
"
the other references in RV itself. RV I 62.3 definitely says
Indrasyangirasam
"
Sarama obtained food for progeny on
cestau vidat Sarama tanayaya dhasim
the occasion of her deputation by the desire of Indra and Angirasas. 46 11 V 5.45.7
"
Rtam yati Sarama ga avindacl visvani satyemphasises the same when, it says
angiras cakara
"Sarama
and Angiras made good
by adopting the path
of Truth discovered the cows,
the promise to the entire world.
Roth Sarama and the
Angirasas are extolled here. And finally RV 10.108 must convince all about
Sarama's mission to the Panis as Indra \s Messenger (Indrasya dutHi). Thus
Sarama's role in the whole affair is remarkable. Having regard to this background
we
shall
read 3.31.5 again
Vilau satir abhi dhl'ra atrndan

prac'&hhivan manasa sapta viprab
Visvani avindan pathyam rtasya
prajanann
45.
With
it
la naniasA, vivcsa
//
the following notes
Vipratamah atisayena medhavl -Sfiyana.

Sakhlyan (angirobhis saha) sakhitvamatmana icehan. Taken to qualify vipratamah,
(b)
not adrih. Because Indra always worked for the good of the gods, desirous to endear himself to
them. Every account of this story says that either Angiras or Brhaspati urges upon Indra to
take action. He took, only to oblige them. Thus sakhlyan more appropriately refers to Indra's
desire for friendship at home with Angiras and others rather than with the mountain.
It is not an unreasonable happening if, as a result of Sarama's warning, the Panis
(c)
evasive as they were, prone to harass rather than fight a pitched battle, left the cows in the mounThe impression is that the Panis and other tribesmen were a constant
tain cave and ran away.
menace to the gods' smooth living. So why should they run the risk of being once for all destroyed
by facing Indra on the battlefield ?
(a)
(d)
cf.
Monier- Williams
Sanskrit-English Dictionary under marya.
mukhasyan = makhitum
icchan.
According to Dhatupa^ha, (132-159) makha makhi
nakha nakhi etc. are all gatyarthas i.e. meaning to go. cf. Monier- Williams under makha, the root
"
means to worship, makha adj. Ved. active, lively, sprightly, cheerful, free (said of the Maruts
etc.)."
makhasyan may therefore mean desiring to worship, hence, felicitate.
46.
Sayana. Indrasya Angirasam rslnam ca isau prerane sati.
(e)

It
be translated thus
may
Priests troubled themselves (atrndan) 47 much with

regard to (abhi) (the cows) pent up (satih) in the stronghold (vilau) they propitiated with devout (praea) praise for Indra, and they found the eternal (visvam)
The strong-minded Seven
(Sarama) who was following the Path of Truth.
came
in
Knowing
all
these (acts), (Indra)
deference (to the priests).
full
To conclude, one
is
impressed, that
RV 3.31.5, G and 7 may be said to constitute
a connected narrative of Indra's recovery of the stolen cows. The Seven Priests,
noticing the fact that the cattle had been lifted, set themselves busy regarding
They praised and propitiated Indra. Then they secured the

of
Sarama.
Indra heard their prayer and came upon the scene.
co-operation
Indra and the Seven Priests deputed Sarama to reconnoitre. She succeeded and
their recovery.
led Indra
and the Angirasas
to the presence of the cows.
The Maruts
also rushed to
the spot, evidently to support their chief.

It was a pleasant surprise however to
see that the cows were ready to be led back to heaven, for, apparently, the Panis
had fled. The Maruts offered their respectful

showered compliments on the glorious Indra.
felicitations
and the Angirasas
RV 4.10.8 seems to allude to more than one event as already remarked,

(1)
hence Sayana's allusion to the Sarama episode is but casual. Commenting on
the 2nd line of the verse, he says
(avir bhuvat Sarama piirvyam te)
:
Sarama devasiuu piirvyam pura

avir bhuvat prakasayamasa
godhanam
We
must
also
mark
that the Angirasas,
te
tubhyam
Panibhir
apahrtam
the while, praised Indra (arigirobhir
all
grnanab).
(5-6)
RV
5.45.7, 8
to the story very briefly here and there in the whole hymn.
has said specifically under verses seven and eight has been quoted and
Sayana has alluded
What he
himsanadarayoh says the Dhatupatha (1539) trd VII P.^to trouble, kill,
Sayana says upeksam akurvan<= neglected, which interpretation
is to do discredit to the Seven Priests who are described as dhlrah.
After the cattle were lifted,
the Seven Priests took great trouble with regard to their search and recovery, is the simple idea.
What did they do ? First, as anybody would do in distress, they poured forth prayer to God i.e.
Indra --praca manasa ahinvan Sayana prakarsena Indram aftcatiti prak / tenendravisayena
manasa / manyata iti manah stotram / Tcna stotrcnahinvan avardhayan Indram tustam akurvan
(hivi, divi, dhivi, jivi prlnanarthah
Dhatupatha 630 ff). Secondly, visvam rtasya pathyam
avindaii (i.e. visvasambandhinim visviisfim prajanam indranugrahena annam sampadayitrim
ata eva matrnirvisesam Rtasya satyasya pathyam pathi bhavam Saramam dcvlrn avindan
alabhanta ityartho'iiasuyaya vicaryatam sahrdayaih tatrabhavadbhih. Saramaya devya
matrnirviscsata niganicnaivabhipreta iti me manisa/ tad atravadharyatarn RV 5.45.6 apa
ya mata rnuta vrajam goh / ) tliey found the goddess (Sarama), the eternal or universal, she
having found support or sustenance for the whole universe. She being one of the deities of
heaven indeed followed the path of Rta, established order. All the gods belonged to a hegemony which had certain Laws which would be adhered to by the members in the interests of the
general weal. Here was the good Sarama, light-footed, whose services, the Angirasas proposed
to be utilised.
Prajanan it ta / ta tanyangirasam karmani prajanaii it prakarsena janan
Indrah Sayana. Indra having recognised all these preliminary efforts on the part of the
Seven Priests, came forward (entered upon the scene a vivesa) to do his part of the duty.
47.
destroy
utrdir
etc., also to disregard.
>
H. L.
174
HARIYAPPA
"
atra
Commenting on the first stanza of the hymn he says
Indrena
vimokab
adhab
sthapitanam gavam
angirasam panibhir apahrtya girer
pratipadyate." The cows are here represented as belonging to Angirasas themselves.
Secondly, as already stated, the complex of construing Sarama as some-
considered above.
thing other than Sarama, a heavenly being, has been introduced for the
Here she is either herself or the embodiment of Speech.
(7)
RV
first
time.
10.108
fine hymn, which records a talk (samvada) between Sarama

on
one part and the Panis on the other, Sayana says
(Indra's messenger)
Introducing this
Aindrapurohitasya Brhaspater gosu Valanamno'surasya bhataib Paninamakair
apahrtya guhayam nihitasu satisu Brhaspatipreritcnendrena gavarn

anvesanaya Sarama nam i devasuni presita / Sa ca mahatim tiadlni uttirya Valapuram prap)/a guptasthane nitas ta ga dadarsa. Atha tasniinn antare Panaya
idarn vrttantam avagacchanta enam mitrlkartum samvadam akurvan.
asurair
belonged to Brhaspati. As the text itself

the
cows
is
definitely
belonged, to Indra, to Angirasas or to
to
or
as
a
the gods
community, it will not be unreasonable to assume
Brhaspati
as
a
that the gods
community possessed one stall and that Angirasas and Brhaspati,
According to
silent as to
this the stolen cattle
whom
the Maruts and other followers of Indra were concerned
vvith its safety.
Most
references, however, point to the Angirasas
context
allies.
(B)
owning it. Brhaspati in the Bgvedic

The Maruts arc always stated as Indra's
is yet Indra (Brhatam patib).

So the ownership question may be solved in favour of the Angirasas.
In certain contexts where the recovery of the stolen cows

is not mentioned, Sayana says
though Sarama's name

(1)
is
the topic
RV 1.6.5 Asti kincid upakhyanam
Panibhir devalokat gavo'pahrta
audhakare niksiptab
Tas cendro marudbhib sahajayaditi / Etaccanu/

sucitam
Panibhir asurair nigQlha ga anvcstum Saramam
kramanikayam
devasunim Indrena prahitam ayugbhib Panayo mitrlyantab procul.i / rnantrantare ca drstantataya sucitam niruddha apah Panineva gavab (RV
Tadetad upakhyanam abhiprctyocyate
1.32.11) iti /
(2)
RV
1.32.11
Paninamako'suro
ga,
apahrtya
dvaram acchadya yatha niruddha vamstathctyarthab
bile
sthapayitva bila-
Here perhaps on account of the brevity of the introduction, Sayana has not
paid attention to accurate details. In the first citation above, he simply says
The demons called Panis stole the cows and imprisoned them in darkness. Indra
:
won them back with
the help of the Maruts.
Neither Sarama nor the Angirasas
are mentioned.
(3)
RV
2.24.0
Introducing this stanza, Sayana says:
Gosamuhe Panibhir apahrte sati Paninam sthanam Saramakhyaya

devaunya jfiatva Brahmanaspatiiica srsta Angirasab tat sthanam prapya
gosamuham Panibhir
nirmita
175
mayas ca drstva asuranivasasthanam svahastod-
bhutenagiiina dagdhva pratyagacchan
Tadetat dvrcenocyatc
When
Sarama
the Panis stole the cows, the Angirasas traeed them with the help of
and reduced them to ashes with fire produced by their own hands. For
once Indra is not concerned

devata of the verse and the
in
the whole adventure
hymn
All the
same Indra
is
the
(first 12).
VIII
NlTIMAKjARl
Nitirnanjari (15th cent. A.D.)
Dya Dviveda,
a few ethical
1.
author of the Nilimanjaii with his
maxims on
the basis of the
Sarama
Tattvavid api samsarc muclho bhavati
own commentary,
postulates
legend.
lobhatafr.
Tattvajfia Saramayacad Indram annum gavam grahe
Though knowing the Truth, a person out of greed in this earthly life,
loses all sense of values Sarama, who knew the Truth, begged food from Indra
on the occasion of redeeming the kine.
;
"
"
etc.
Godha, Ghosa
in
this
Even
Indra
food
for
asked
her
she,
illusion,
caught
worldly
(BD 2.82-84).
will
to
man
exert
the
but
cows,
Sarama,
protect
though
progeny. Any ignorant
There is a story relating to it. 48
full of diviue knowledge, lost all sense by avarice.
Sarama's knowledge of the Absolute
The story
as also
2.
BD
is
is
declared in
borrowed from Sayana verbatim. Then RV 1.62.3 is quoted,

which described the event connected with RV 10.1 08. 49
8.24-36
'
'
Uttame cadhamc karye dutah syad uttamo'dhamah

Devaduto babhiivagnir dutiha Sarama Pamn // 50
According as a task is big or small, the messenger also may be big or small.
Messenger to the Gods became Angi, but messenger to the Panis, Sarama.
The messeugership
of
Sarama
is
illustrated in
RV
Sayana's bhasya thereon are again repeated, and reference

ed stanzas as well viz. 5.45.7 and 8. 51
3.31.6.
is
made
The mantra and

to other connect-
3.
Vakraifr kruratarair lubdhair na kuryat pritisevanam

Asuraifr Panibhir naicchan maitrim hi
Sarama pura
52
//
"
48.
asya brahmajftatvamGodhaGhoseti pratipaditam / Sapi mayaya badhita satl Indram
gas tratum udyamam karoti / Sa tattvajftapi
svatanayartham annam yayace / anyo'jfto'pi
"
NM p. 40 (Nitimaftjarl Ed. S. J. Joshi, Benares,
lobhamudha'bhud ityuktam / Tatretihasah
1933).
49.
"
yam evam
50.
51.
52.
Kim
icchantlti sukte (RV 10.108)

" Ibid.
varnito'sti
p. 41.
NM
p. 143 f.
Ibid. p. 146.
Ibid. p. 336.
proktah Saramasambandhitihaso Brhaddevata-
176
HARIYAPPA
contract friendship with the crooked, cruel and greedy,

times of yore, Sarama did not like friendship with the demons called
One should not

for, in
Panis.
Then the story
as described
by Say ana and two verses from the hymn (RV
10.108.9-10) are repeated.

4.
Yasya sy&t
saiVjfatam sadbhir hhavet so'lpo'pi
bha^yavan
Dcvasuiilndrasaiiâtya jitvabhut subhaga Paiun///
53
Though small, a person who acquires contact with the good will rise in
The 'divine bitch' by her association with Tndra conquered the
Panis and became great.
fortune.
RV
The victory of Sarama is reflected in

of the moral
And so much from Sayana's
10.108.11, which
is
quoted in support
as usual.
commentary
IX
RAMAYANA
There is no reference to Sarama in the Ramayana. One episode is however
found in the Uttarakanda 54 of how Rama meted out justice in favour of a Sarameya
(descendant of Sarama) against a dvija, who beat the former without reason. The
two cantos that relate the story elaborately arc shown in printed editions as interAnd as the entire Uttarakanda also is not credited with authenticity
polations.
there is no need for considering the reference here.
X
MAIIABHARATA
(1)
An
Pansy aparva.
account similar to the one cited from the

It
is
as follows
Ramayana
is
given in the
Janamejayali Pariksitah. saha bhratrbhib. Kuruksetre, dlrghasatram upaste / Tasya bhrataras trayah Srutasena, Ugraseno
Bhimasena
iti
//
Tesu tat satram upasinesu tatra sva'bhyagacchat Sarameyati /

Sa Janamejayasya bhratrbhir abhihato roruyamano matussamlpam upagacchat // 2
Tarn mata roruyamanarn uvaca
iti//
kim
Sa evam ukto mataram pratyuvaca

bhir abhihato 'smiti
53.
rodisi
kenasyabhihata
//
Janamejayasya bhratr-
Ibid., p. 888,
Two
cantos after canto 59 of the Uttara.-l^nda of the Ramayana. of Va^rnlki,

gagar E4ition with the commentary Tilaka,
54.
Nirnya-
mata pratyuvaca /
yenasyabhihata iti // 5
Tarn
Sa tarn puiiar uvaca

navaliha
vyaktam tvaya
naparadhyami
kincit
tatraparaddham
navekse havimsi
iti //
Tacchrutva tasya mata Sarama putrasokarta tat satram

upagacyatra sa Janamejayas saha bhratrbhir Dipasatram
chat
upaste
//
Sa taya kruddhaya tatroktafc / ayam me putro na kincid

aparadhyati / kimartham abhihata iti /
Yasmaccayam abhihato'napakari tasmad adrstam tvam bhayam

agamisyatiti
//
Sa Janamejaya evani ukto

sambhranlo visannas casit //
Janamejaya, son of
along with his brothers.
and Bhimasena.
devasunya Saramaya
drdham
9 55
once in Kuruksetra entered upon a long sacrifice

Three were his brothers by name Srutasena, Ugrasena
Pariksit,
As they were engaged in the sacrifice, there came a dog, who was son of Sarama.
Beaten by Janamejaya's brothers, he crying aloud, ran to the mother. 2
The mother
you beaten ? 3
Thus
said,
told
him who was weeping
he replied to his mother
why do you weap
By whom
are
have been beaten by the brothers of
Janamejaya.
The mother
you arc beaten.
said to
him again
Evidently you have been at
fault, therefore
He replied her again No, I have not wronged even a

the oblations nor do I lick them. 6
bit.
do not pry into
Hearing that, his mother Sarama very much moved by grief for her son went
where Janamejaya and his brothers were performing what is called
to that sacrifice
Dipa-satra
('
Sacrifice for Light
').
The angry Sarama burst forth there This my son has wronged you in no
way. Why was he beaten ? Since he was beaten though innocent, an unknown
calamity shall befall you.
Thus told by the heavenly dog Sarama, Janamejaya was very much frightened
and was filled with remorse. 9
(2)
members
55.
Sarama is mentioned
of Brahma's Court.
Mbh. Adiparva
as
3-1-9 EJd. V. S.
one of several goddesses (devyab) who were
Sukthankar
(Critical Edition,
BORI), 192T
HARIYAPPA
H. L.
178
Kalaka Surabhir devi Sarama catha Gautami

Aditya Vasavo Rudra Marutas Casvinavapi
*
Suparnanagapasavab Pitamaham upasate

*
56
//
is represented as a manusya-graha.
Regarded as a Goddess
one of those who attacks the womb of pregnant women.
Sarama
(3)
(devi), she
is
Sarama nama ya mata sunam devi janadhipa /

Sapi garbhan samadatte manusinam sadaiva hi
57
//
Mahabharata, the incident of the Sararneya reminds us of the

Sarama, who successfully vindicated her innocent progeny, gives an
impression that by then she was regarded herself as one of the canine species. She
was, however, in sufficient authority and strength to curse the Lord of the land.
The second reference that she had a place in Brahma's Court reminds us of her
Vedic importance. According to the third, she, still a goddess though, descended
This is in striking contrast
to the level of being the cause of mankind's misery.
with the Vedic idea that she was responsible in securing eternal food for mankind.
Thus
in the
fact that
XI
VARAHA PUR ANA

The Varaha Purana
tion between Varaha
(the
Saramopakhyarm'. In the course of a conversaBoar incarnation of God Visnu) and Dharani (Mother
relates the
Earth), the former narrates the story
Once as a result of Durvasas's curse Indra was ousted from Heaven by Durjaya,
son of Supratika. With all other gods and followers, he settled on earth towards
the east of Varanasi (Benares). In the meanwhile, Vidyut and Suvidyut, two
demons, practised severe penance and took possession of the overlordship of the
world after Durjaya's death, and raised a mighty army to overcome the gods. The
gods meditated on how they could regain their suzerainty over heaven. Then
Brhaspati, their priest, advised them to perform a cow sacrifice first and then all
other sacrifices. 68 Then thd gods gathered all cattle for sacrifice, but left them for
grazing in charge of Sarama. While she was doing her duty at Dharadhara, the
demons went there, saw the cows and sought advice of their preceptor, Sukra, who
promptly ordered them to seize the cows. They did so but Sarama, who was
56.
57.
Mbh. Sabhaparva Ed. F. Edgerton. 11.29.31, (Critical Edition, BOR1), 1944.

Mbh. Aranyakaparva, Ed. V. S. Sukthankar, 219.33 (Critical Edition, BORI), 1942.
58.
Abravlt tatra devanam gurur ancjiraso munih /
Gomedhena yajadhvam vai prathamam tadanantaram // 10
Yastavyam kratubhis sarvair esa sthitir athamarah /
UpadeSo maya dattah kriyatam slghra esa vai // 11
Parana Ch, XVI, vv. 10-11. Bibliotheca Indica 1893,
.

attentively guarding the paths, saw
saw her, who knew well their ways.
179
them leading away the cows. 69 The demons also

They wanted to square up by conciliation and,
offering the milk of the cows for her to drink, requested her not to report the theft
So they left her in the woods and walked
of the cows to the Lord of the Gods.
away with the booty. Sarama returned to the gods, trembling and*paid due
homage to Indra. Meanwhile the Maruts had been secretly deputed by Indra
for protection of the heavenly dog.
Now, they also came and stood before Indra.
I know not,' she replied.
Indra asked Sarama What happened to the cows ?
Maruts were asked, arid they described all that Sarama did. Then Indra rose and
struck her with her foot. Milk began to flow from her mouth and Sarama made
way back to where the cows were. Indra followed with his army, 60 killed the
demons and recovered the cows. Then he performed many sacrifices, fought the
demon hosts again and re-established himself as Lord of Heaven.
'
'
The impression, by the time of this Purana, is certainly that Sarama was a dog
But her being enticed by a cup of milk
gifted of course with heavenly powers.
was rather earthly. The only support for this version is the Brhaddevata account,
whereas the evidence for her exemplary conduct appears to
be overwhelming.
XII
RECENT OPINIONS
'
we
are told, to analyse the meaning and character of Sarama, arriving at the conclusion that Sarama meant storm, 61 and that the
Sanskrit word was identical with the Teutonic storm and with the Greek honne.
Professor Kiihn was the
first,
Disagreeing with this theory, Max Miiller has tried to prove that Sarama is Dawn,
rather one of the many names of Dawn. The myth is a reproduction of the old
59.
GO.
Hrtasu tasu Sarama marganvesanatatpara

Apayat sa Ditch putrair nlta gavo dharadhare
Daityair apt Sun! drsta drstamarga viscsatah / 17
Drstva te tarn ea samnaiva samapurvam idam vacah
Asam gavam tu duQfdhvaivam kslram tvam Sarame subhe
Pibasvaivam iti proktva tasyai tad dadur aftjasa / 18
Datva tu ksirapanam tu tasyai te daityanayakah
Ma bhadre devarajaya gastvima vinivedavci// 19
Evam uktva tato daitya mumucus tarn sunim vane (Ibid st. 17-19).
Tasyas ca maruto deva devendrena nirupltah //
Giidham gacchata raksartham devasunya mahabalah //
*
Tarn devarajah papraccha gavah kim Sarame'bhavan

Evam ukta tu Sarama na janamiti cabravit// 2i
*
Kathayamasur avyagrah karma

*
tat
Saramakrtam
//
Tasyendrapadaghatena kslram vaktrat prasusruve /

Sravata tena payasa sa Suni yatra gabhavat /
Jagama tatra devendrah sahasainyas tada dhare / 29 (Ibid).
"
When the clouds (Panis) have withheld the water
61.
Explained by Aufrecht as follows
for
a
the sky-god (Indra) being stirred up by the
earth
the
from
time,
long
thirsty
(the cows)
(Sarama), then at last he personalprayers and sacrifices of men, sends as his fore-runner the Storm
"
ZDMG 1859, p. 497.
ly cleaves the hidden clouds with lightning and thunderbolt
:
H. L.
180
HARIYAPPA
story of the break of day. The bright cows, the rays of the sun or the rain clouds
by the same name have been stolen by the powers of darkness, by the
for both go
Night and her manifold progeny. Gods and men are anxious for their return.
are they to be found ?
They are hidden in a dark and strong stable, or
At
scattered along the ends of the sky, and the robbers will not restore them.
But where
Dawn
last in the farthest distance the first signs of the
appear, she peers about,
and runs with lightning quickness, it may be, like a hound after a scent, across the
darkness of the sky. She is looking for something, and, following the right path,
she has found it. She has heard the lowing of the cows, and she returns to her
After her return there rises Indra,
starting place with more intense splendour.
the god of light, ready to do battle in right earnest against the gloomy powers, to
break open the strong stable in which the bright cows were kept, and to bring
This is the simple myth
light, and strength, and life back to his pious worshippers.
the
of Sarama, composed originally of a few fragments of ancient speech, such as
'
Panis stole the cows',

the
Dawn
i.e.
c
is
spreading,
the light of
day
is
gone, 'Sarama looks for the cows', i.e.

62
i.e. the sun has arisen."
Indra has burst the dark stable
'
"
to the field of comparative mythology, Max Miillcr recognises
in
Helen, the sister of the Dioskuroi, the Vedic Sarama, their names being phonetically
63
identical, not only in every consonant and vowel but even in their accent."
Coming
Bloomfield identifies the
Sarama
'
'
four-eyed bitch
mentioned
in
AV
5.20.7
with
"
Thou art the eye of Kasyapa and the eye of the four-eyed bitch. Like
the sun, moving in the bright day, make thou the Pisaca evident to me." 64
Macdonell 65 and Keith 66 have preferred to stick to the evidence of the Vedic
There is nothing in the
texts scrupulously.
directly to show that Sarama was
as
a
in
Sarama's
the
there conceived
dog.
part
recovery of the cows has been duly
the
cows
of
in the Veda as confined by the
are spoken
appreciated. Sometimes
RV
demon Vala without

also, it
reference to the Panis and driven out by Indra.

Sometimes
out, the event is alluded to without reference to Sarama,
must be pointed
we obser e elsewhere, the cattle lifting was a very usual way of provoking or
Agni, Brhaspati and the Aiigirasas arc also actively interestharassing the enemy.
"
The meaning of the myth can hardly be doubtful," Keith
ed in the affair.
for, as
62.
Max
63.
Ibid. p. 471.
Miillcr,
Lectures on the Science of Language, Second Series, 1864, pp. 469-470.
"
Kasyapasya caksur asi sunyas ca caturaksyah /
Vldhrd sQryam iva sarpantam ma pisacam tiraskarah //
"
Commenting on this, BloomHeld says, the four-eyed bitch is Sarama, the mother of the
two four-eyed dogs of Yama, Syama and Cabala which I have explained as the Sun and the Moon"
Catvari akslni
p. 401, SBE XLII and also of. JASO XV, p. 103 ff. Sayana supports the identity
yasyah sa caturaksl tadrsyah sunyah devanam sambandhinyah saramakhyayah / caksur asityanusangah / Whitney has no opinion to give in the matter, though he thinks the commentator
was at pains to explain the four-eyes, as the latter says etenapradhrsyatvam uktam thus is
indicated her invincibility',
64.
65.
66.
Vedic Mythology (Encyclopaedia of Indo- Aryan Research) p. 161.

Religion and Philosophy of the Veda (Harvard Oriental Series 31 and 32) 1925, p. 192.

remarks,
maker
"
when it is noted how

dawn and the finder
of the
as sometimes in the
myth
often Indra
is
181
brought into prominence as the
The cows must be, not rain-clouds,

but the morning beams of light or perhaps the
of the Sun.
of Vrtra,
67
is little difference between the two
conceptions."
terms about the appearance of the dog, or the eagle or the one"
In all these cases there is clearly
Veda, Keith postulates
red clouds of dawn, there
Speaking in general
footed goat in the
either theriomorphism or the natural association of animals with the gods on the
model of the relation of man and the animals." 68 Oldenberg 69 treats the legend,
we are told, (10.108) as an aetiological myth to explain men's ownership of cows.
Hillebrandt 70 finds the dawn in Sarama and the sun and the
RV
Appreciation of
but a fine study of
it is
in its historical aspect,
moon
in the
Sarameyas.
poetic aspect has been made by several scholars,

recorded by Aufrecht. The whole legend is studied briefly
10.108 in
its
comparing the
The hymn is translated and annotated.
RV version
with that of the Varahapurana.
He concludes "The old poem is remarkable

:
for its poetical value apart from its mythological contents.

The insolence and
later the cowardice of the Panis in opposition to the earnestness and loyalty of
Sarama
this
are seen in such sharp and striking contrast that one dares to mention
71
poem as the most beautiful ornament of the Rgveda."
SUMMARY
Based on the RV Samhita, the Sarama story may be restated as follows
Enemies used to harass the gods now and again by stealing their cows. On one
occasion, it happened that the Panis stole them and hid them in their stronghold.
The seven priests, who are commonly known as Angirasas, first noticed the loss
and apprised Indra. They praised him, and, rallying the folk around, propitiated
him with sacrifice, so that the great god may recover the cows. Indra naturally
was pleased and, by the suggestion of the Angirasas, deputed Sarama to search
Sarama took this opportunity to claim, as
for the lost property and bring news.
:
reward, food for her progeny in the shape, perhaps, of the milk of the divine cows.
Then she went on her journey which was rather arduous but
It was granted.
was fortunate enough to discover the cows after crossing the mighty river Rasa.
Finding that the Panis had imprisoned the kine in the mountain stronghold, she
took them by surprise and charged them with theft. The Panis made sure of her
credentials, that she came as messenger from Indra.
Being in such vantage and
endowed with strength and strategem, the Panis held out against Sarama's threats.
But realising her mettle, tried to persuade her not to return at all, by offering a
share of the treasure and a treatment as if she were their sister. Sarama did not
On the other hand she warned them to flee away from the place leaving
yield.
the cows for Indra or take the consequences when the irrepressible hero would
67.
KRPV p.
68.
Ibid., p. 192, cf.
69.
KRPV,
70.
Ibid.
71.
ZDMQ
128.
Hopkins, Epic Mythology, p. 19.

128
fn.
p.
J809, Saramfi's flotschaft, Th, Aufrecht, a free rendering (p, 494),
182
HARIYAPPA
pounce upon them aided by the Angirasas, the Navagvas and others. Then she
returned to Indra and reported her discovery, whereupon, he granted the milk-food
and much more for her progeny, which, as the seer Parasara, son of Sakti, declares,
72
It is the direct result of Sararna's sagacity and
enjoying.
influence with the Lord of the Gods.
Sarama is respected by the seers and the
mankind today
is
gods as one who follows Rta the path of Truth or the established path. Hence
she was entrusted with an important mission, and truly adhering to the Right
Now with the light-footed Sarama
path, she succeeded in catching the thieves.
to lead the way, Indra, attended with the Angirasas
and the Maruts marched
against the enemy, rent apart the mountain; the Panis had apparently fled leaving
the booty behind. The Angirasas convened an assembly to celebrate this victory
:
Indra was praised and Sarama was warmly

Such is the Sarama episode construed just according to the Rgvedic
felicitated.
It may be emphasised that the Samhita has conceived and narrated the
text.
milk was poured profusely to
event in
its
all.
most human aspects and bearings.
With the lapse of time, the great exploits and experiences of the Vcdic Heroes,
which were once green in everybody's memory and which were recorded in simple
yet grand poetry, began to lose their freshness and point. The sacrifices expanded
and the very same poetical expressions were used in several sacrificial contexts.
Naturally the links became hazy, the relevancy came to be questioned. This
was probably the cause of new interpretations and concepts gathering round old
Thus the Vajasaneyi Sanihita unequivocally pronounced Sarama as Speech
texts.
(Vag vai Sarama). The Taittiriya Aranyaka construed her as the sacred altar
The Atharva-veda has a place for Sarama, she having been invoked in
(Vedi).
connection with the ceremony of the gift of a bull (Rsabhotsarga). This is quite
in consonance with the atmosphere of the Atharva-veda, which was charged with
magic and charm which pleased the spirits and brought gratification to the worshippers who were now far removed from the plane of the virile gods and the resplendent
sages of the Rgveda.
The Jairniniya Brahmana, supported by the Satyayanaka, confirms the fact

that Sarama took opportunity to secure the milk- food for her progeny, viz. mankind
So far as the story of the stolen cows is concerned, the JB says that Indra
itself.
deputed Suparna
first
but, he having proved faithless, sent
Sarama on the errand,
and succeeded.
to the main outlines of the original story but is disposed to
as Devasuni (heavenly bitch).
The cue of the betrayal
Sarama,
designate
motif was however taken up by the Brhaddevata, but the betrayal was ascribed
to Sarama herself
Suparna is not mentioned at all. The other texts more or
less agreeing with the main story, we come down to the Puranas, according to one
Indra's fortunes fluctuate
of which the Varaha, the legend is expanded on all sides
is
Now
he
no
he
often,
displaced from heaven
longer enjoys world-supremacy.
Yaska adheres
72.
RV
1.72.8
Vidad gavyam Sarama drlham urvam y6na
ni'i
kam manusi
bh6jate vit
183
and only
after years of penance and sacrifice could he regain his old glory.
Demons,
other than the Panis, take the field, they are Vidyut and Suvidyut. Sarama is
placed in charge of the cow-stall. These demons tried to lift the cows but she was
quite vigilant and caught them, but alas, for the moment she fell a victim to their
machinations and was lured by a draught of milk. Indra was clever enough to
have deputed the Maruts to rush to her rescue in case she was attacked by anybody.
they found out the ruse and reported to Indra. Sarama was unmasked.
The cows were however recovered and the demons destroyed.
Now
Taking up the Atharvan trend, we find Sarama as a Spirit to conjure with.

invoked to free the child from the barking cough, for instance. She is again
manusya-graha which attacks the womb of the females.
She
a
is
'
'
Thus following Sarama through the

impression that her story is full of
conduct honorable and her heart
vicissitudes of Ages, one
human
Her character
is left
with the
appeal.
upright, her
of affection for posterity.
Were she the
the two brindled hounds of Yama, Syama and Sabala,
is
full
mother of the Sarameyas, i.e.

it was only in this sense that she was responsible for the creation of the canine
species in the same manner as Kadru became the mother of serpents and Vinata
She was herself no dog or bitch. With the actual text of
the mother of eagles.
the
as
Rgveda
Devasuni
it is
quite unwarranted, nay, uncharitable, to describe her
divine bitch as some have fancifully translated the term.
before us,
the
'
'
Mythological explanations of the Sarama legend have been offered by eminent

Sarama is the Storm or the Dawn. The tenor of Rgvedic
poetry docs not seem to favour any interpretation other than literary. Correlation
scholars, saying that
of the live personalities of the Veda with the shining stars of heaven or the wonderful
phenomena of Nature or the varied patterns of sacrificial tapestry has become
traditional.
the
It is
common man,
a privilege of the specialist which cannot be denied. But for

it is equally natural to conceive of them as
quite human, as
real events, inspiring
and
instructive.
H L HARIYAPPA
184
CHAPTER
THE LEGEND OF
II
1
Sunassepa is a famous rsi of old. Eight entire hymns of the Rgveda, aggregating to 107 verses, are ascribed to his seership, wherein he has praised and propitiated
various gods: 2 Prajapati, Agni, Savitr, Varuna, Visvedevas, Indra, Asvins, Usas
and Soma-pavamana. Sunassepa is himself referred to by name in three mantras.
Two of them 3 represent him in bonds having appealed to Varuna for release, whereas,
the last mantra which is addressed to Agni and that by a different seer, 4 informs
"
us that Agni released Sunassepa
from a thousand stakes." Thus, Suna6sepa's
The present
deliverance from the yupastambhfl, is undoubtedly a vedic fact.
attempt
is
to trace the
growth of
this
germ
into a spreading chestnut despite the
ravages of Time.
RGVEDA
The Rgveda
(A)
references are as follows
Verses wherein Sunassepa's
name
is
mentioned.
Tad innaktam tad diva mahyamahub.

tad ayam keto hrda a vi caste /
Sunasepo yam ahvad grbhltab.
so asman raja Varuno mumoktu //
(a)
RV
1.24.12.
Translation
They say that to me by night and by day, and the same sentiment strikes
heart (mind) as well. May Varuna the king, to whom Sunassepa in bonds
addressed himself, liberate us.
my
hyahvad
&unasse'po
(b)
grbhitab
trisvadityarn drupadesu baddhafr
avainam raja VarunaU sasrjyat

vidvSm adabdho vi mumoktu pdân
RV
1.
RV
1.21 to 30 (7
hymns) 97 verses plus
//
1.24.13.
RV 9.3.10 verses,
total 107.
Mentioned in the order in which they were praised (cf. M. Sarva p. 6). Agni alone was
approached twice (AB), once with one mantra (RV 1.24.2) and the second time with a
series of 22 mantras (1.26.1-10 and 27.1-12).
Geldner (Der Rigveda I, p. 21) takes both verses
The reason, perhaps, is that " Ka " is god Prajapati accord(1.24.1. and 2) as addressed to Agni.
but an interrogative pronoun according to recent opinion. " Ko vai nama
ing to tradition,
"
(AB 3.21) iti sruteh kasya iti sabdasamanyat anaya prajapatireva upadrtah iti gamprajapatih
yate Sayana.
8.
RV 1.24.12 and 13.
2.
4.
RV
5.2.7
Kumara
son of Atri
is
the
rsi.
RGVRDIC LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES
185
Translation
To
three stakes bound, &unassepa 5 has verily addressed himself to the

son of Aditi (Varuna). May Varuna the king set this (suppliant) free, may
He, (who
is)
wise and above restrictions, entirely remove the fetters.
Sunas
(c)
cicchepam
niditam
sahasrat
yupad amunco asamista hi sail

cvasmad agnc vi mumugdhi pasan
hotas cikitva iha tu nisadya
RV
//
5.2.7.
Translation
You
did liberate the fast-fettered Sunassepa from a thousand fold stake

Even so do you, O Learned Priest of the
pacified, indeed.
and he became
gods, Agiii, sitting here (with us) loosen our bonds.
On
first
a close study of the above

two verses which arc ascribed
verses, certain impressions are irresistible.

to Sunasscpa do not seem to be his at all
The
from
"
the worshipper prays,
May Varuna the
king, to whom Sunassepa addressed himself, liberate us," that is, on the precedent
of Sunasscpa's being saved by Varuna, a later devotee is seeking similar favour.
All right, but the very next verse says
Sunassepa in fetters prays to God Varuna
a rational point of view.
In the
first,
him
and may he remove, the fetters. The situation must be

that while Sunassepa is praying to the god for succour, those by the side arc recommending him for Varuna's mercy. This is in itself reasonable, but how, at all, is
may Varuna
it
set
free
consistent with the previous verse
There,
'
it is
definitely a past event, here
5.
trisu drupadesu baddhah
bound to three stakes '. But the
literally would mean
threefold nature of the stakes is not quite intelligible, whether Sunassepa was bound to three
different posts or whether, as Sayana says, he was tied to a single post in three places (trisankhyakesu drupadesu droh kasthasya yiipasya padesu pradcsavisesesu baddhah). But, then, how to
reconcile the other statement that Sunassepa was delivered from a thousand stakes (Sunas cicchepain niditam sahasntd
yupad amuncah) ? Wilson (Tr. Vol. I, p. 013, 1<S50) understands a sort of
"
its specification is consistent with the popular legend."
This is to be corroborattripod and adds
ed.
Geldner translates an drei Bldeke gebunden (i.e. bound to three blocks), and says in the
"
note
drupadft (cigenllich wohl Fussefestcll) 1st der Block, in den der Gefangene gclegt wurde
(i.G.'J.tt das Fusseisen.'"
While describing the process of niyojana i.e.
(AV 10.1-7.9, 50.1),
post, Sayana's commentary (AB) is somewhat interesting
fastening the victim to the sacrificial
"
aham en am Sunassepam yupe niyoksyami rasanaya katyam,
Ajlgarta is supposed to say
c
'
'
AV
sirasi,
padayor baddhva rasanagrasya yupe bandhanam niyojanam tad aham karisyami."
Niyojana is defined as the act of fastening with rope the victim in three parts of his person
namely, the waist, the head and the feet, and then the end of the rope to be tied to the sacrificial
Rather an unequivocal explanation, it perhaps describes the actual practice at sacrifice as
post.
Sayana knew (cf. RV 1.21.15 and 25.21). With such dubious evidence, it was best to translate
literally.
Gv
Sahasrat anekariipat yiipat (Sayana).
Regarding the unusual separation of a proper
noun Sunas cicchepam, Sayana remarks Sunassepamiti padasya madhye padantarasya samhitayatn vyatyayenfivasthitih. The advent of a different word in the middle of one w^rd is therefore acknowledged to be an irregularity,
cf. BD 2.115.
Suna-ssepam narasamasam dyava nah prthivlti ca /
Niraskrtcti prabhrtisv arthadaslt kramo yatha //
which indicates that the regular order of words was determined according to the sense, when the
It
text read like Sunas cicchepam, nara va samsam, dyava nah prthivl, niru svasaram askrta.
is to be noted that the Padapatha restores the word e.g. Simah'Sepam/ cit etc.
H. L.
186
HARIYAPPA
a thing happening in our presence. The verbs used in the two verses do
not help us to disentangle, because they seem to have been used indiscriminately
too, e.g. ahvat (a-Aorist Indicative, 3rd sing, of hu, to call), mumoktu (perfect
imperative, 3rd sing, of muc, to release), sasrjyat (perfect optative, 3rd sing, of
it is like
to emit). 7
Hence they cannot enlighten the sequence of events. The legend
that
these
mantras were uttered by Sunassepa in order to obtain release,
depicts
whereas the two verses, just referred to regard the release as a thing of the past.
srj,
Two
inferences are possible,

(a) These are not Sunassepa hymns at all (RV 1.24
to 30), but tradition so ascribes, i.e. at the Samhita stage, these hymns were assembled and the occurrence of Sunassepa's name in the two verses was responsible for
the ascription hence we shall accept it on faith, (b) Or, the two verses in question
The
are a later insertion or interpolation, if that fearful word may be used
;
hymns seen by $unassepa, handed down by tradition, were put together

the Samhita-designers, in the course of which it is just possible that these two
various
by
verses were inserted in order to remind themselves of that great Vedic event.
However reasonable, the first inference appears rather irrational, as it carries
The second inference may be considered. 8 It

becomes plausible if we remove the two verses from their context and review the
whole collection -then, it will read like the group of praises and psalms from any
other poet of the Rgveda. The two verses, no doubt, lend colour to the whole
group of seven hymns (RV 1.24-30) and specially to RV 1.24.1 and 2, in the light
possibilities to the
very extreme.
of the
in the
"
"
Pararksata-gatha
or the Sunassepakhyaiia which
is
elaborately related
9
Aitareya Brahmana.
If scholars believe in the theory of interpolation as an important and inevitable

factor in textual criticism, then there can be no reason to demur at this conclusion,
namely, Sunassepa did not compose the two mantras (1.24.12) and 13), but a later
poet, possibly the compilers of the Satarcina mandala.
Interpolation is a natural
instinct in man and as such cannot be considered a crime.
Considering the texts
which have been transmitted for centuries by oral tradition only viz. the Veda
and Vcdic
44
literature
the aspect of interpolation need not be doubted at

were not machines, but men." 10
all,
for the organs of tradition
It is well-known that many verses and hymns have formed part of the later
Samhitas of the Yajus, Sarna and Atharva-vedas. Many a variant reading has
been noticed of the Rgvedic text. 11 Such a thing could be detected because of the
availability, of the different recensions.
In the case of the Rgveda, only the
MVG
paragraphs 508, 490 and 489 respectively.

Compare Roth's opinion, analogous to this, explained by Keith in his introduction to
the Rip:- Veda Brahmanas Translated (HOS Vol. 251920) p. 64.
7.
8.
9.
7.18-18,
more of
this in another section.
Dr. Katre, Introduction to Indian Textual Criticism (K. P. H., Bombay, 1941), p. 54.
The nature and causes of corruption in transmitted texts have been analysed and no less than 19
of them have been enumerated with illustrations (chapter V).
If the principles are applied to the
Vedic Text-transmission as well, important results may be obtained.
10.
11.
To
give an instance, please see note 22 in the previous chapter.
187
Sakala-Samhita is what we have now. Who knows what Baskala and others would
have revealed in a crucial passage like this ?
Another
fact
worth
is
notice.
Sunasscpa's deliverance
is,
to Visvamitra, a
feather in the cap.

The achievement is of no less magnitude than his crossing of
the Rivers (RV 3.33). But Sunassepa, the god-given (Deva-rata) son and heir
to Visvamitra, is nowhere, even indirectly, mentioned in the Visvamitra mandala
of two and sixty hymns either hy the Seer or byhisdescendents. Nor is this miracle
reflecetcd anywhere among the hundred and four hymns of Vasistha, who officiated
as the
Brahma
priest in that sacrifice
which witnessed Sunassepa's
'
'
sacrifice
and
in no way
Further, it was the fancy of a member of the Atri family,
to record the event in clear terms (Sunas cicche'pam
connected with the affair,
niditam sahasrat, yupad amunco asamista hi sab/ 5.2.7 ab ). Undoubtedly, Kumara
deliverence.
is describing what WHS current in his family circle.

disharmony may be discerned even here in that Agni delivered Sunassepa
from the stakes, not Varuna. Strangely enough, the Samhita appears to corrobo-
Atrcya (the Rsi of the hymn)
slight
rate this, because Sunassepa,

let us believe the traditional account for the
in the first instance (1.24.1), addresses himself
moment after approaching (rod
KA
next to Agni
ndnia//
vayam prathamasyamftanam manamahc
(Agncr
cdru devasya
1.24.2).
There
of course, an appeal to
is,
Varuna
in 1.24.12
and 13
for
freedom from
we have
1.24.15 12
preferred to consider as later insertions.
from
the
to
chains
to
Varuna
the
the
release
middle
and
top,
appeal
The pasa is a special attribute of Varuna 14 and a prayer to him should
the bonds, but these
and 1.25.21 13
the bottom.
be naturally charged with that sentiment. Sunassepa was Varuna-grhita 15 (seized

by Varuna), says the Yajurvcda. According to the graphic narration in the
Aitareya Brahmaiia, the release from the fetters was actually effected when the
So with regard to this

three mantras in praise of Usas 16 were uttered one by one.
the Rgveda, and
to
shall
the
revert
we
Deliverance,
document,
great
original
"
repeat the problem which faced Sunassepa himself

"
shall we cherish
which God's charming name
Other verses indirectly bearing on the Sunassepa legend
(B)
The opeining
they
verses of the Sunassepa series have a peculiar appeal

here
tJduttamam Varuna pasam asmad avadhamam
uditya vrate tavanagaso aditye syania

13.
hence
recorded
are
12.
tJduttamam mumu^dhi no
vi
vi
madhyamam
srathaya
atha
vayam
//
pasam madhyamam
crta
avadhamani
jlvdsc
//
Release from Varuna-pasa is the burden of the prayers addressed to that God in all the
E. g. the verse " tJduttaSarhhitas, most of which do not refer to the Sunassepa incident at all.
mam," which is a prayer to Varuna for release from his fetters is cited about 20 times in the various
Vedic texts, it is only on two occasions it is associated with Sunassepa. Cf. Bloomfleld's concordance, and VI 2.886 n4 under Sunassepa.
1 1.
15.
CJ.
16.
RV
paso
mumuce
Bull
DCRI
TS
5.2.1.3
KS
1.30.20-22 (Sa
/
AV
xi-13
7.16).
19.11.
usasam tusâva uttarena trcena
tasya ha
sma rcyreyuktayam
vi
HARIYAPPA
H. L.
Kasya nunam katamasyamftanam
manamahe cdru devasya nama //

ko no mahya aditaye punar dat
pitaram ca drseyam mataram ca //
RV
1.24.1.
Agncr vayam prathamasyamrtanam

manamahe earn devasya nama //
sa no mahya aditye punar dat
pitaram ea drsc'yam mataram ea
RV
//
1.24.2.
Translation
whom
ôd among the immortals shall we cherish the

would give us back to the great Aditi ? And would
ever see father and mother? 17
Of
or of which
charming name
I
Who
God Agni's charming name we shall cherish, for he

immortals. He would give us back to the great Aditi.
Shorn of the story-backgroutid, the

the devotee asks himself the question
the
dawn
the
first
of the
I
and mother.
see father
an enquiring
is
And then would
spirit
of
our
verse reflects the fervency with which

which god's name shall we cherish ? Such
first
quite in consonance with the spirit of the Vedic seer, at

Kasinai devaya
civilization.
Compare the other hymn
is
'
which has a similar appeal. But it is the reference to the father and the mother
that makes the allusion to some exent absolutely reasonable if not necessary.
Text pitaram ca drseyam mataram ca. This is usually understood to express the
17.
anxiety on the part of Stinussepa to get back to his parents, so he laments am I destined to see
my parents once again and so on. (cf. Nitim3,njarl. st. 11). This is not correct. As we agree
that the verses are expressed by &unasscpa, it is necessary to look into the situation in which he
simply ran, door to door, in search of a saviour. The idea is thus have I been foresaken by
Ah, they are going to cut me up as if I were an animal
parents who gave me birth in this world.
Can I find a father and a mother
Is there a god who could restore me to life on Karth (to Aditi) ?
once again ? Let me think of Agni, he is the foremost of the gods. lie will restore me to life
and I would find a father and a mother (in him, i.e. in Agni indeed). That is how Sunassepa's
lie never wished to run back to his parents,
situation is heightened with pathos,
(cf. Rama:
yana 1.04.4-Gorresio)
Na
na suhrnna ca bandhavah /
tyaktam bandhubhih saranagatam //
This is corroborated by the evidence of the Aitareya which depicts the situation graphically
atha ha Sunassepa iksiiihcakre, amanusam iva
vai ma vi&asisyanti, hantaham devata upadhfwamiti,
sa prajapatim eva prathamam devatanam anusasara,
kasya nunam katamasyamrtanam ityetayarca /
As the father Ajlgarta came forward, sharpening the knife, in order to cut him up, Sunassepa,
in utter consternation and helplessness, bursts forth with the mantra,
kasya nunam ending
with pitaram ca drseyam mataram ca'. In such a situation, that SunaSsepa was prompted by
inc'sti matii
Tratum
arhasi
na
pitfi
mam
'
filial
love to say
it,
is
truly incoherent.
Secondly,
we may observe that SuuasSepa's lament,
whether he is destined to find a father and a mother on earth when the real parents deserted him,
was heard by the gods. Visvamitra became the father gods blessed the change over, which
was in the nature of an adoption Sunass'epa was named Devarata
God-given '.
;
'
We may
at once believe that

It
predicament.
was at a
Sunassepa uttered
it
when he was
later stage of course that the
in such a
memorable verses found
place in the Sarhhita.
One word about the hundred verses, alleged by the Aitareya Brahmana to
have been uttered by Sunassepa when he was yoked for the sacrifice. A perusal
of the said verses will at once tell us, from their tenor and content, that they were
not appropriate for the occasion. 18 A man destined to die would first pray for his
nor even could he have
life, not for cattle, not for the destruction of the enemy
the peace of mind to dilate upon the merits and exploits of each god in such a
complacent manner, sometimes providing even sublime and serene poetry. Except
19
there is not much of a direct appeal for
for three or four verses in the whole series,
Dare we then discredit the account of the Aitareya
deliverance from the stakes.
Brahmana ? No, we need not discredit, but we can clearly perceive the raison
;
d'etre of
such a development.
Mr. Narahsm 20 has related the Simassepa hymns indicated in the Aitareya
Brahnmua straight to their Hgvedic source, chapter and verse, about which fact,
however, there was never a doubt implied or expressed. Keith's observation,
with which Naraliari is unable to agree, 21 was with regard not to the authenticity
but to the relevancy of the Simassepa hymns in their being worked into the Sunas-
Keith has in view the subject-matter and the general trend of the
22
After tracing the AB quotations
hymns while making the remark in question.
"
is
thus
clear that the account given
It
declares
to their Rgvedie source, Naraliari
a
to
is
ratified
in the AB about Smiassepa
very great extent by the Rgveda."
sepa legend.
18.
cf. Keith.
Dr. Koseii (Tr. Vol.
19.
II
JRAS
215 (1927)
(1011), p. 988, VVinternit/, IIIL Vol. I, p.
original edition), also Muir, GST 1. p.359.
Wilson quoting
I, p. (>0
1.21.1,2,15
25.21.
of Studies in Indology presented to Prof. P. V. Kane (Poona, 1941).

Mr. NarahanTs article entitled "The Legend of &unahs>p,i in Vedic and post-Vcdic Literature,'
20.
Kef.
'
'
A Volume
pp. 302-.-J07.
"
It is admittedly the ease that the Rsjveda verses which are put in the mouth of Sunah"
21
Keith. .JRAS (1011) p. 988.
sepa have nothing to do with the legend in the ttrahmana,"
The expression Satardna is thus explained by the Aitareya Aranyaka
22.
Tarn satam varsanyahhyiircat tasrnat satam varsani purusuyuso bhavanti, tarn yacchatam varsanyabhyarcat tiisnVat satarcinas tasnuiechatareina ityaeaksata etarn cva santam // 2.2.1.
"
For a hundred years he approached it. Therefore a hundred are the years of the life of
man. Ucoause he approached him for one hundred years, therefore, they arc the Satarcins.
Therefore they call him uho is (prana) the Satarcins." Tr. Keith (Anecdota Oxoniensia Series,
Oxford).
AdyamandaIhit SadjTiirusisya (Macdoncll, Sarva. p. 59) has a more rational explanation.
lastha rsayarTSatarema iti samjnitah/ Ream satam Satarcam/ Adyasyarseh rksatayogena chatriUktam hi
nyayena satareinah sarve/ Dv'yadhike'pi satoktirbahulyat/
/
Satarcisamifia vijneva
hyadyamandaladarsinah
''
%-.-----i
.
-----
*'
Aatam
statement of the Sarvanukrama, prepared by Max Muller, as complement

According to the tabular
1
with Snyana's commentary, there are altogether 16 seers (191 hymns and
to his first edition of
Madhucchanda Vaisvamitra
1971 verses) in the first mandala^many of the seers are centurions e.g.
RV
(102) Medhatithi
Kanva
(143),
Sunassepa
(97),
Hiranyastupa
(71),
Ghaura Kanva
(96),
Praska^va
H. L.
19 <)
No
clear evidence
is
HARIYAPPA
adduced to support
this
statement which
is
rather mis-
leading and untrue. The quotations which are in the nature of praise and
prayer to the several gods, do by no stretch of imagination, suggest any detail
of the story. The Rgvedic statement has only this much to say that Sunassepa
who had been bound by

(1.24.12) or
fetters to the sacrificial post
was liberated by Varuna
according to another seer.
It is only reasonable to
22
the
Satarcina
that
mandala
was
suppose
compiled, by putting together the
centurion seers and their hymns together among them came the Rsi Sunasepa.
by Agni
(5.2.7)
Based on the then current popular stories, the redactors introduced the name of
Sunassepa also in the collection, as above explained. And the Aitareya Brahmana
spun out a beautiful yarn and found use for the series of hymns collected in the
mandala. It cannot be explained, however, why and how the Sunassepa hymn
in the Pavamana mandala (RV 9.8) escaped the notice of the AB in this connection.
Needless to say that Soma was as much an object of praise in a sacrifice as the other
gods.
II
SAMHITAS OTHER THAN THE RGVEDA

The
(1)
Taittiriya
Samhita has the following passage referring
to
unacpa
story
una&se*pam Ajigartim Varuno'grhnat sa etam Varunim apasyat taya
atmdnam Varunapasad amuneat Varuno v<4 etam grhnati ya ukhSm

23
pratimuncata uduttamam Varuna pasam asmad ityahatm&nam evaitaya /
vai sa
"
saw this verse adressed to Varuna,

by it he freed himself from the noose of Varuna Varuna seizes him who
"
From us the highest knot, O Varuna " he says,
takes the fire-pan,
24
verily, thereby he frees himself from Varuna's noose."
Varuna
seized Sunassepa Ajigarti, he
The
Taittiriya context
can be seen how
(RV
artificial is
1.24.15) praying
The outlook
is
the
preparation of the ground for the Fire'. It

the connection of the Rgvedic mantra.
tJduttamam
is
Varuna
'
'
to loosen his pasa at the top, middle and bottom.

At any rate what is important for our study
entirely sacrificial.
the allusion to the bare fact that Sunassepa was seized by Varuna and when he
"
Uduttamam " 25 he was released from the fetters.
praised him with this mantra
is
(82), Savya Angirasa (72), Nodha Gautama (74), Parasara Saktya (56), Gotama Rahugana
Kutsa Angirasa (212), Kakslvat (151), Parucchepa (100), Dlrghatamas (212) and Agastya
Just a few verses are not accounted as they occur in the Samvada hymns. A single hymn
of 8 verses is ascribed to Jeta Madhuccandasa. The ahove details are given in order to show
that after the family-mandalas, the next step in the Rgveda-redaction was to bring together the
the works of seers, next in importance. No definite principle can yet be discerned, underlying
Kanva
(204),
(218).
these
"
23.
collected
TS
works."
5.2.1.3
(AnandeLSrama edition).
Tr. Keith.
The Veda of the Black Yajus School (FIOS Vols. 18
present reference is to Vol. 19 p. 40 1.
24.
and
19) 1914.
The
25.
This verse has been borrowed from RV by all the other Sarhhitas, which fact emphasises
the importance of God Varuna in men's conduct and outlook. Release from the chain of worldly
existence or final emancipation is yet the highest pursuit of man according to our belief even today.

(2)
191
The Kathaka Samhita
Uduttamam Varuna paam asmad

vai
taya
Varunagrhito'pasyat
evaitaya pramuncate
...
sa
iti
Sunasepo va etam
Ajigartir
Varunapasad amucyata Varunapasam
26
//
This passage provides support for the version of the TS. Sunassepa, son of
"
Uduttamam " etc. and thereby was
Ajigarta, seized by Varuna saw the mantra
freed from Varuna's noose,
and Varuna's noose
The Kapisthala-Katha 27
(3)
same words
will loosen itself
with this mantra.
alludes to the Sunassepa legend in exactly the
as the above.
The Atharva-Veda Samhita does not record the Sunassepa story but has
(4)
two hymns of which he is the Seer, viz. AV. 6.25 and 7.83. 28 The former according
to Kausika Sutra accompanies a rite against a disease of the neck and shoulders
(gandamala). The latter is a hymn to Varuna praying for relief from fetters. It
is
as
also held as a
RV
1.24.15,
remedy against dropsy. The

the famous "Uduttamam."
third verse of this
hymn
is
the
same
Ill
BRAHMANAS
immortalised in the Aitareya Brahmana. 29 It is mysterious,
(1)
Sunassepa
the famous Vedic seer nor the story of his deliverance is
that
neither
however,
ever referred to in any other Brahamna.
is
To
AB Hariscandra of the Iksvaku

Vedhas, was childless. Once the sages Parvata and Narada were his
The king asked 30 the latter with wonderment as to why all beings under
recapitulate the story as given in the
race, son of
guests.
the Sun, endowed with intelligence or no, alike long for a son, what is it exactly
they gain etc. And Narada came forth with his reply in ten gat has, expatiating
"
on the merits of begetting a son, e.g. Food is life for man, clothing his protection,
gold his beauty, cattle his strength. His wife is a friend, his daughter is a pity, but
31
Narada further, advised Hariscandra
Light in the highest world."
to approach Varuna praying for a son whom he might again surrender to him in a
sacrifice.
Accordingly the king approached Varuna who granted his request.
the son
is
his
26.
KS
27.
Kap. S. 21,1 (Kapisthala-Katha-Samhita ed. Raghu Vira, I.)

As a seer of hymns, Sunassepa appears in a few other Sarhhitas
19.11 (Kathaka-Sariihita ed. Satavalekar,
Aundh)
28.
Piirvarcika
e.g. SV.
18.45-53, 21.1,2; 35.11. These
1.2.5,7; 1.3.8; 2.6.9,10; 2.7.9. VS 10.27-34, 11.14-16, 12.12,
are but stray verses, most of which are repetitions of his Rgvedic composition. As they do not
bear on the legend of Sunassepa, no further consideration would be necessary. The list of Vedic
Rsis is conveniently compiled by C. V. Vaidya in his History of Sanskrit Literature: Vedic
Period (1930), pp. 200 and 207.
AB 7.13-18 (Anandasrama edition).
29.
30.
Yam
kim
31.
nu imam putram
svit
icchanti ye vijananti ye ca na
putrena vindate tan
Annam ha
ma
acaksva Narada
pranal> saranam ha vaso
krpanam ha duhita
jyotir
//
Ibid.7.13.
rupam hiranyam pagavo vivahah

ha putrah pararhe vyoman // Ibid.
Sakha ha jay a
192
HAR1YAPPA
The son, Rohita, was born. But on the birth of the Light of his heart as much as
of the worlds, the king was loth to give him up to the God. So he pleaded excuses
and put off the dreadful event successively, for ten days of confinement, then when
when
the teeth emerge,
when they
into a youth
persisted in his demand and Rohita,

the father of the old contract with the God, somehow did not
fit
to
being apprised by
fall,
wear armour.
emerge again, and
finally
the boy grows
Varuna
submit but went away to the forest, bow in hand. For one full year he wandered.
Meanwhile Varuna was wroth and seized Hariscandra, who, as a result began to
suffer from dropsy.
Rohita heard this and was coming back to town when Indra,
in the guise of a man, came up and exhorted him to wander more and more.
There
"
is such good in moving about, not sitting idle, for
The fortune of a man who sits,
sits also, it rises when he rises, it sleeps when he sleeps, it moves well when he moves.
Wander!" 32 Or again, "He who wanders finds honey, he who wanders finds
sweet figs (udumbaram); look at the pre-eminence of the Sun, who wandering,
never 33 tires." Thus on the sixth round, Rohita met, in the forest, the sage
34
He had three sons, unahpuccha
Ajigarta, son of Suyavasa, seized by starvation.
"
O
and
Rohita
said,
sage, I will give a hundred, I
Sunassepa
Sunolangula.
will buy myself off with one of these (sons)."
Then the father was unwilling to
part with the eldest, and the mother with the youngest. Hence the middle one
Sunassepa was sold. Rohita brought him to his father and told him his proposal.
Hariscandra approached Varuna who readily agreed.
The sacrifice began, eminent priests officiating. Visvamitra as Hotr, Jamadagnias Adhvaryu, Ayasya as Udagtr and Vasistha as Brahma. The victim was due
to be taken through various rites before the actual sacrifice, but the rites of niyojana
(binding the pasu to the stake) and viSasana (cutting it up with knife) were too
repulsive to the good Jamadagni (the Adhvaryu, on whom devolved all the manual
labour of the Sacrifice), he refused. There came this Ajigarta, again, willing to
bind him to the stake for a hundred more and further to cut him up with knife
for a third hundred cows.
Inhumanity perhaps reached its zenith, difficult even
for the gods to bear. 35
So, when the poor victim, Sunassepa, a human being after
;
all,
endowed with thinking, poured forth

32.
33.
his fervent prayers to the
Aste bhaga asmasya urdhvas tisthati tisthatah
gods in utter
Sete nipadyamanasya carati carato bhagah caraiva // Ibid. 7.15.

Caran vai madhu vindati caran svadum udumbaram /
Suryasya pasya 6remanam yo na tandrayate caran // Ibid.
Here is a genuine difficulty. The text reads " asanaya parltam "
34.
how can it mean
overcome with hunger?' It were well to have anasanaya (= anasariena, fern, being Vedic).
Keith evidently felt it and preferred the Sahkh SS reading asanayaparltarn'. (Rig- Veda
Brahmanas Translated. HOS Vol. 25, 1920. p. 303 n. 9). Asanaya (f ) == hunger (Monierin the
Williams). But, pray, look at the other ghastly attribute, putram bhaksamanam
Sarikhayana
Perhaps that renders Rohita's offer to buy up the son a logical step.
4
'
'
VI says that at this stage Visvamitra's advice inspired Sunassepa to ask the gods to
35.
release him.
So also Wilson in his resume. This is not true to the Aitareya, wherein, Sunas&epa,
4
'
'
amanusamiva vai ma visasisyanti,
having been driven by necessity, simply ran to the gods
hantaham devata upadhavamlti'. Ref. VI, II, pp. 385-6, Wilson ;
Tr. Vo Vol. I, p.' 60 n.
Visvamitra's advice to the effect is, no doubt, mentioned in later literature like the Ramayana,
which however provides justification for Sunas'&epa choosing to sit on the lap of Visvamitra
(ankam asasada, see infra 38) amidst so many great men.
RV
193
Agni, the liaison deity, between gods and mortals,

helplessness, they heard
steered Sunassepa through
the catastrophe was averted.
(Prajapati), Agni,
all these were
Savitr, Varuna, Visvedevas, Indra, Asvins and lisas
propitiated
!
with fulsome praise.
Indra presented a golden chariot to Sunassepa. As the praise

was being uttered, the bonds fell off one by one. SunasHariScandra was at the same time cured of the ailment. 38
of Usas, in three verses,
sepa was
And
free.
Then the high priests invited Sunassepa to perform the closing rite called the
abhisecaniya.
Sunassepa in this ceremony saw what is called the anjassava,' 37
a certain improved method of pressing the Soma. Naturally afterwards, he became
the idol of admiration of all concerned. But what was his station in future ?
'
Forsaken by his parents, what home to seek for shelter ? He straight away went
and sat on the lap of Visvamitra, as a son sits on the father's. 38 When " all's well
that end's well," Ajigarata asked Visvamitra to give bnck his son. The latter
refused on the ground that the gods gave Sunassepa to him. Thus he became
Devarata Vaisvamitra. Then Ajigarta addressed his invitation to Sunassepa
"
At least, you come, both of us (father and mother) invite you. Angihimself
rasa you are by birth, son of Ajigarta and reputed as poet.
O sage, do not break
away from the ancestral line. Do return to me." How courteous and compli"
mentary
Sunassepa, however, sharply retorted
They saw you, knife in hand,
a thing which they did not find even among the Siidras. And in lieu of me, you,
O Ailgiras, chose to have three hundred cows." " That is just what burns my
"
I verily committed a sin. Let me make amends,
heart, my dear," replied Ajlgrata,
"
all the three hundred cows will go to you."
Once a man
Sunassepa said again,
!
commits sin, he will surely commit another. You did not shun to behave like a
Sudra, and an inexpiable sin have you committed." Visvamitra supported this
last statement, rapprochement was impossible.
Visvamitra renewed
shall be the eldest of
my
sons.
"
You
Sunassepa to join him only
Your progeny will have priority. My divine herinvite you." Much too clever for an ancient tale
his invitation to
itage shall be yours, with that I

Sunassepa wanted his rank and status in the family to be clearly defined and accepted unequivocally by all the heirs concerned. Sunassepa in this context addressed
Visvamitra as Rajaputra,' which, according to Sayana, raised an issue as to how

"
friend
a Brahmana by birth can change over to a Ksatriya clan. But Visvamitra,
of all," was truly magnanimous. He had a hundred and one sons. He called
'
"
promptly, and said Listen to
them
all
(and
all),
39
ority ?"
36.
me Madhucchandas, Rsabha, Renu, Astaka

Are there any amoung you brothers who are not for Sunassepa's priMadhucchandas was midmost of the sons. The fifty brothers elder to
The pertinent
RV
references have been considered in the previous section.
Apart from the particular act of Soma-pressing, this expression is applied by Sayana
to the final rite itself So'yam afijassavah istipasusankaryamantarena anj as a rjumargena anusjhi37.
tatvat/ Ibid. 7.17.
atha ha $unassepo Visvamitrasyankam &sasada / Ibid.

atha ha Visvamitrah putran amantrayamasa Madhucchandah srnotana Rsabho Renur
Asâkah / Ye ke ca bhratarah stha nasmai jyaisthyaya kalpadhvam iti //Ibid. 7.17.
38.
39.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
him thought that the proposal was not
in their interest,
they were cursed by the
angry father into low and barbarous life. The other fifty with Madhucchandas
whatever father proposes, we shall abide by, and
as leader 40 humbly submitted
him
word also, saying we shall put you in front and
to
Sunasepa, gave
turning
:
'
remain behind you.' VisVamitra was much pleased, blessed them all heartily.
Devarata (Sunasêpa) inherited a double share viz. the overlordship of the Jahnus
and the divine lore. 41
shall
the Sunassepa legend which is prescribed to be narrated at a king's

coronation. Seated on a golden seat, the Ilota narrates, seated also on a golden
This
is
The
just after being anointed listens.
a
for
him
hundred
for
the
a
thousand
narrative ends with the daksina
narrator,
who responds the seats and a white mule chariot also to the Hota. The phalasruti declares one is absolved of all sin, and those who desire sons will get them by
seat, the
Adhvaryu responds
and the king

:
causing this story to be narrated.
Sahasram
akhyatre
dadyacchatam
caivasane
etc
parigaritre
svetas
casvatariratho hotuh, putrakama hapyakhyapayeran labhante ha putran

labhante ha putran // (AB 7.18).
The legend as narrated by the Aitareya Brahmana may now be briefly reviewThe Rgvedic nucleus consists merely of Sunassepa's deliverance from the piisa
(fetters) by Varuna or may be by Agni, and eight hymns having a total of 107
ed.
RV
9.3 having 10
verses (RV 1.24 to 30-97 verses, plus
107) have been ascribed
It is important that there is no allusion to the episode in the
to his seership.
mandalas of the Visvamitras or the Vasisthas, whereas an unconnected Atreya,
(RV 5.2.7) praises Agni for the great act. No wonder, the episode
finds place in the Satarcina mandala, which constitutes, so to say, the "collected
Rsi Sadaprna,
works
"
of the centurion seers.
Most,
if
not
all,
legends of the
Rgveda
are con-
So when the hymns of the Rsi Sunassepa were put

of the Samhita introduced the two verses bearing
the
redactors
together, possibly,
name.
It
is
Sunassepa's
clearly patchwork and the two verses, though occurring
centrated in the
first
Mandala.
consecutively, betray a lack of logical sequence.
Between the age of the Rgveda and that of the Brahmana, the popular element
sway evidently and quite a harmonious account has been presented in the
Aitareya Brahmana. The Sunassepa-event as the middle part we have a beginning and an end tagged on. The Age represented the glorification of the Karmakanda, performance of sacrifices was the rule of the day. Varuna as the Lord of
had
full
40.
Witness the fate of the midmost son, again
to family interests like
unasscpa himself.
'
Madhucchandas,
is
called
upon to submit
Adhlyata Devarato rikthayor ubhayor rsih / Jahnunam cadhipatye daive vede ca

And to pursue the scholastic issue, it may be realised that the grant of
// (AB 7.18).
the divine lore helped Suna&sepa to transfer himself to the Ksatriya family. But was it not a fact
same
divine
that the
lore, of which VisVamitra was already the proud possessor, had already
elevated him to the rank and status of a Brahmana ? The whole contention is thoroughly
unfounded as we shall prove in the next chapter that Visvamitra was a Rsi par excellence
and belonged to an age when there was no such distinction, when efficiency and wisdom alone
raised a man to the pedestal.
41.
Gathinam
195
Pasa (Pai) was the most powerful god, more than his grace, which was not wanting,
his wrath kept all people alert.
Therefore the Samhitas reverberate with prayers
The pact between Haricandra and Varuna to sacrifice even
to appease his anger.
the son if he should be born, the natural disinclination to sacrifice the son after
he is born, man dodging god, the grown-up youth finding the wide world more
inviting than heaven through the medium of the gallows, divine wrath, inevitable
these are
suffering and hunting for expiation, then a silver lining in the cloud
trends which are realistic and which have been logically worked into a fitting
prologue.
Even
so the epilogue.
Suna6sepa, by the grace of the gods, was reborn as
it
were, having been saved from the yupa. To whom should he belong ? What rank
should he hold? Sunassepa himself elected to join Visvamitra, who, true to his
name, was the friend of all', the champion of the distressed. Certain home touches
give perfection to the denoument. Visvamitra had a hundred and one sons. Perhaps in the exuberance of his generous heart, the great sage conferred upon the
god-given son all privileges of primogeniture. One's heart would melt with sympathy for that army of forsaken sons, a hundred and one, and specially the fifty
But the sage who made and unmade things
recalcitrant ones that were cursed.
'
knew
best.
Vajrad api kathorani mrduni kusumad api /

Lokottaranam cetamsi ko hi vijnatum arhati
Inscrutable are the minds of the superior
than flower
42
//
among men, harder than diamond,
softer
Thus the Vedic
outline of Sunassepa having been saved from
Death by the
grace of the gods has developed into an elaborate narrative which has come to
embody so much of mundane matter like the longing of a childless man contrasted
with the despair of a prolific parent with a hundred (and one) sons, half of them
recalcitrant, contrasted, again, with the helplessness of an indigent parent who is
prepared in lieu of a hundred kine to surrender a son to be sacrificed at the altar,
poverty painfully exaggerated to the extent of even the names being ugly and unSunassepa, Sunafcpuccha, Sunolangula, the age-long principle and
of changing over to a different family (adoption), withal, the joy of having
f'ocess
son, the Light of this and the other world, finally, the glorification of the sacrifice,
the bounteous daksina not excluded.
becoming
The Sankhayana Srauta Sutra repeats the legend as found in the AB,
(2)
but for a few changes which are of no consequence. There are a number of verbal
differences, such as are natural to dittography.
AB
Rohita finds Ajigarta in the sixth year of wandering,

The benefits of wandering recited every time by the disguised Indra communicating new ideas are lacking here it is almost
(a)
According to
in the Srauta Sutra, in the seventh year.
42,
Bhavabhuti, Uttara-Ramacarita, Act
I.
196
HAR1YAPPA
a repetition of the verse of the sixth peregrination
Caran vai madhu vindatyapacinvan parusakam /

Uttisthan vindate sriyam na nisat kincanavati // 43
"
Wandering he obtains honey, wandering the sweet berry, rising he obtains wealth,
Whereas, in the previous verse, the reference to the Sun's
sitting nothing at all."
a
thrilling finish to the dictum of travel
example gave
:
Caran vai madhu vindati caran svadum udumbaram /

44
Suryasya pasya sremanam yo na tandrayate caran///
44
Wandering he obtains honey, wandering the sweet

of the Sun who, wandering, never tires."
(b)
him
aranyam upeyaya
which inevitably
witness the pre-eminence
represented as eating the son when Rohita accosted

Sauyavasim rsim asanayapaiitam putram bhaksamanam
Secondly, Ajigarta
So'jlgartam
figs,
45
is
This should be regarded only as an instance of the moss
collects as the
stream of tradition flows through different mouths.
"
"
Thirdly, as soon as he was set free, Sunassepa sees the
anjassava
according to Sankhayana, whereas he docs so in the Aitareya after a magnanimous
(c)
invitation
from the high

tarn rtvija
priests
ucus tvamcva no'syahnas samstham
adhigaccfretyatha
haitam
Sunassepo'fijassavam
dadarsa
46
//
IV
VEDIC ANCILLARRIES
The Nirukta
(1)
Yaska does not deal with the Simassepa legend nor does he comment on any
There is however a reference 47 to his being
of the Sunas&epa verses of the RV.
sold for price, in illustration of the practice of selling boys and girls.
Discussing
the question of inheritance, it is said that both the son and daughter have a right
to
it.
43.
44.
Manu
also
48
supported the view.
But some do not favour the daughter
Sahkh. SS. Hillebrandt's edition (Bibliotheca Indica) 1888.

n. 33 supra.
Vol.
I,
p. 191.
Already quoted
45.
Sahkh
46.
AB
47.
Nir. 3.4.
S. p. 191.
7.18.
Avis*esna putranam day 6 bhavati dharmatah /

mithunanam visargadau manus Svayambhuvo'bravlt //'
Note the quotation is not traced to its source. The sloka is accented in Sarup's edition (1927,
text only). Bombay Venkatesvara Press edn. does not accent it, though Durga's commentary
accents the pratika thereof. BSS Edn. (Bhadkamkar) follows suit Anandasrama. The statement is, clearly, made by Manu, son of Svayambhu, at the beginning of creation (visargadau),
whereas we are in the Age of Manu Vaivasvata Hence Yaska continues
48.
'
'
na duhitara ityeke / tasmat puman dayado'dayada strl / iti vijnayate / tasmat striyam
jatam parasyanti na pumamsam / iti ca // Strlnam danavikrayatisarga vidyante na pumsah /
pumso'pltyeke / Saunaêpe darSanat / abhratrraatlvada ityaparam //
'

for she
is
cast off as soon as born, not the son.
Moreover, with regard to women,
they are given away, sold or abandoned not so with regard to men.
is pointed out that these three actions relate to men also as in the case of
Here
it
unasepa
(Saunassepe darsanat). The discussion concludes that a brotherless daughter

has a claim for inheritance. The whole crux lies in the interpretation of RV 3.31.1,
which
is
ûtside our purview.
Referring thus to the fact of Sunassepa being sold for price, Yaska adds support
to the Aitareya version to that extent.
Commenting on the
AB
(Hariscandra to Varuna), the bargain in Rohita's words to
atmanam
Skanda and Maheanena tva yaja

Hariscandra ancna
illustration provided by Sunassepa,

away (dana) in the words of the
svara explain the giving
abandonment
'
'
'
'
atisargo'pi Visvamitrena
krtak sruyate jyayamso Madhucchandasab, asamanjasas ca Sagarena/ (jyayamso
49
We may somehow make
ityasya sthane jyayaso iti patha ucitafr/ Ed. Sarup).
the
niskrina,'
who were
also
is
told
Madhucchandas were abandoned by Visvamitra.

But the celebrated commentator Durgacarya says in the same context tatha ca
50
parityago'pi drstah yatha Visvamitrena Madhucchanda admam/
Evidently,
it
out that those
elder to
is led by the version of the Ramayana, according to which the sons of

Visvamitra became as recalcitrant as the command itself was ruinous, the command
being that all of them should offer themselves as victims at Ambarisa's sacrifice
Durga
51
They were cursed and abandoned.
for the sake of Sunassepa.
Under Nirukta
II 13 relating to the
synonyms of the sun
arid the sky,
Yaska
says
'
Athapi Varunasyaikasya / atha vayam Aditya vrate tava'. This is the

"
"
Uduttarnam
third line of the famous Varuna prayer
(RV 1.24.15) already
considered
(joint
in
the
previous
full
at the sacrifice.
it
Sunasscpa pronouncing
Both
pages.
authors) and Durga explain the
commentators
Skanda-Mahesvara
text of the verse referring to the fact of
Skanda-Mahesvara, however, add an

tu), which
alternative comment on behalf of the etymologists (nairuktapakse
52
It implores Varuna to
purports to the philosophic implications of the stanza.
liberate one from the bonds of sin committed in the three stages of life, boyhood,
manhood and
oldage.
This
depending upon mere fancy,
is
is supported by tradition, without

has put the mantra into the mouth of the
significant if it
for the
AB
victim Sunassepa.
49.
fn.
Skandaswamin and MaheSvara on the Nirukta Ed. L. Sarup Vol.
II (1931), p. 128, also
16 on the same page.

50.
Press Edn. p. 180 (1912).

Sunassepo yupe baddho Varunam aha,' whereas Durga
Varunam stutavan,' which is incorrect according to AB.
Bombay Venkatesvara
Sarup's, quoted above, p. 84

tristubha upakrtaS Sunassepo
is accurate.
Keith's remarks
51.
cf.
52.
Ibid. Sarup, p. 84.
'
'
RV Br.
Tr.
(HOS. 25)
p.
64
f.
and
p. 307.
Ramayana
anaya
Skanda
1.62.10,11.
198
HARIYAPPA
The Brhaddevata
(2)
The Brhaddevata does not contribute much
to the historical study of the
legend. Thrice, in different contexts, the name of Sunassepa occurs in the text,
twice in the introductory portion and once while describing the gods of the Rgveda
(1.24-30).
Namaskaras Sunassepe namaste astu Vidyute /

(Sankalpayannidam tulyo'ham syamiti yaducyete)
(a)
The author
is
illustrating several technical
//
BD
1.54.
53 like
stuti,
expressions
prasamsa,
ninda, samsaya etc. and among them namaskara and sankalpa. These latter
Namaskara or homage is illustrated
are defined and examples given in this stanza.
in the
Sunassepa formula
i.e.
1.27.13.
Namo mahadbhyo namo arbhakebhyo

namo yuvabhyo nama asine'bhyab /
yajama dev&n yadi saknavama
ma jyayasas samsama vrksi dev^b
54
//
The second reference is in connection with the order of words, which

(b)
should be understood according to sense
:
SunasSepam narasamsam dyava nab prthiviti ca /

kramo yatha // 55
Niraskrteti prabhrtisvarthadasit
In the Samhita sometimes these words arc used differently e.g. Sunas cicchepam
(5.2.7), nara va âmsam (10.64.3), dyava nab prthiviti ca (2.41.20) should be read
as
Suna&sepam
cit,
dyava-prthivi nab, etc. The proper order of words in such

by the sense conveyed by the context.
cases should be determined

(c)
When
enumerating the
deities of the
Sunassepa hymns so-called,
BD
says
iti pritas tu manasa
dadau/
Suna^sepaya divyarn tu rathani sarvam hiranmayam
Stuyamana sasvad
"
'
//
BD
3.103.
'
Being praised with the stanza Sasvad f ndrab (RV 1 .30.16), Indra, pleased at
bestowed upon Sunassepa a celestial chariot all made of gold."
heart,
Here probably Sunasepa the Seer is meant and not the poor victim of HarisYaska does not give more details of the legend except the
candra's sacrifice.
slender thread pointing to Sunassepa's being sold for price.
aunaka, author of the Brhaddevata, follows
his
example and
refers only to
Indra's gift of the golden chariot to Sunassepa, which need not necessarily be on
53.
BD 1.33-40.
A very popular
mantra used on all occasions of addressing an assembly at domestic

SunasSepa, bound to the stakes, is believed to address the Visvedevas with this
stanza (AB).
54.
functions.
55.
BD 2.115.

the occasion of his
sacrifice, Indra,
It
who was manasa
belonged to the famous

should have ordered his release at once.
If the incident really

pritafr,
not advisable to hypothesize, but, may it be that Yaska and Saunaka, both
of the Veda, did not much regard the colourful
is
of
ordeal. 56
life's
199
them accredited exponents
tapestry of the Aitareya ? After

School ; the Nairuktas had their
The Sarvanukramani
(3)
of
all,
the legend was the outcome of the Yajfiika

opinions in the matter.
own
Katyayana
This work affords good support to the Aitareya version. Sunassepa is here
described as the son of Ajigarta and the adopted son of VisVamitra, being given by
the gods, ajlgartib Sunasscpab sa krtrimo Vaisvamitro devaratafc. 57 Hariscandra's
affair is dubious.
Katyayana, while indexing RV 1.28, says
Yatra grava nava salanustubadi yaccidhy aulukhalyau pare mausalyau ca praja58
The idea is that the last verse
pater Hariscandrasyantya carmaprasarhsa va/
is of Hariscandra i.e. he is the deity thereof.
The BD has Soma instead. 59 But
Devatanukramani states that the last verse praises Prajapati Hariscandra or the
carma
Prajapatim Hariseandram oarma vantya prasarhsati.' 60 AB however
contemplates it to be a praise of Soma. Who is this Hariscandra ? Considering
concern in the
the meaning of the verse,
Take out the remaining Soma- juice from the

and collect the same in the cow's hide. 61
tray,
pour
it
on the strainer
which Hariscandra is to be connected with it. Lacking in

little whether it is Hariscandra the sacrificing king or Prarelevancy,
The verse is in the form of instruction
japati himself with the name Hariscandra.
from one priest to another priest or an assistant and it seems perfectly natural
for Sunassepa to say it after he had pressed the Soma in a novel but quick process
difficult to see
it is
matters
it
According to the accepted principle lingoktadevata,' Soma must

be the deity. Whatever it is, it should be noted that so far as the development
of the story is concerned, the Sarvanukramani has yielded to the HariScandra
'
(anjassava).
complex and admitted him into the legend's

Vasistlia
(4)
This work
Law
Dharmasastra
62
which
is
includes Sunas&epa
56.
orbit.
This observation
is
stated to be one of the four most ancient works on
among
the various kinds of sons.
happily supported by Sadgurusisya.
They
Ref. Sarva.
Hindu
are classified
P. 85 v. 14,
please see infra n. 69.

57.
Macdonell, Sarva pp. 6-7.
58.
Ibid.
59.
BD
60.
Quotation by Sadgurusisya.
RV
3.101
and M's
notes.
Sarva p.87,
cf.
commentator's remarks.
s6mam pavitra a srja / Nidhehi gdradhi tvaci/

62.
Ed. A. A. Fiihrer, Bombay Sanskrit Series XXIII (1930) p. 50 Mm. P. V. Kane assigns
the work tentatively to a period between 300 and 100 B.C. He opines further that it is later than
Gautama, Apastaniba and Baudhayana. See History of Dharma6astra,Vol. I, BORI, 1930, p.59.
61.
.28.9.
tTcchistam eamvor bhara
HARIYAPPA
H. L.
200
into twelve, 63 six of whom are entitled to inheritance and the other six not entitled.
Among the latter category, Sunassepa is mentioned as an instance of two kinds
viz. krita and svayamupagata
a son who is bought for price and a son who
'
approaches by himself.
"
athadayadabandhunam sahodha eva prathamah
yate sahodhafr putro bhavati

kritas trtiyafr
dattako dvitlyaft
tacchunassepena vyakhyatam
tacchunaepena vyakhyatam
/
/
ya garbhini samskri-
yam matapitarau dadyatam /

svayamupagatas caturthati
Sunassepo vai yupe niyukto devatas tustava / tasyeha devatab pa6am

rtvija ucufr/ mamaivayam putro \stviti tan ha na sampatle /
te sampadayamasub / esa eva yam kamayet tasya putro'stviti / tasya ha
Visvamitro hotasit tasya putratvam iyaya //
mumucus tam
According to AB, as soon as the anjas*sava is over, Sunassepa himself goes and
sits on the lap of Visvamitra as son.
There is no reference to the discussion among
the rtviks themselves to have him as son each for himself, though Sayana amplifies
When Ajlgarta began to press his son to come
the situation with this explanation.
back, Visvamitra of course invites him to join his family only. It is not incorrect
to call Sunassepa as a svayamupagata son.
Though Vasistha's Law did not entitle
the son for any inheritance, he being ari adayadabaridhu, Visvamitra out of sweet
upon Suna6sepa his entire property, earthly and

not Vasistha, the author of this code, a friend of Visvamitra ? We
shall deal with this problem in the next chapter.
and
will
divine.
special favour conferred
Was
LATER EXPONENTS OF THE VEDA

Sadguruisya
(1)
Sadgurusisya who wrote and finished his commentary on Kcatyayana's Sarvain 1187 A.D. 64 closely follows the Aitareya version of the Legend.
nukramani
Inspired with
its
workmanship, Sadgurusisya
in the form of verse 65
and narrated the story
few minor differences are inevitable

killing
him, Sunassepa addressed him
all
at once got into a
it is
poetical vein
a small canto of 22 stanzas.
Seeing Ajigrata desirous of

I
shall
hasten to the gods (for protecwait,
in the relay.
'
'
tion)
Yupe
baddhafr. &unassepo
jighamsum pitaram
uce tisthaham evanya upadhavami devatab
In the Aitareya, Sunassepa never addresses him. He saw

knife and, in consternation that they would actually cut
tatafr
68
//
him coming with the

him up, soliloquises
Dvadaa ityeva pulrah puranadrstah / They are svayamutpadita, ksetraja, putrika

63.
paunarbhava, kamna, gudhotpanna, sahodha, dattaka, krita, svayamupagata, apaviddha, and
6udraputra. Ibid. pp. 49-50.
61.
Macdonell's preface to Sarva p. v.
65.
Ibid.
p. xx.
66.
Sarva, p. 85 verse 12.

'
'
201
67
hantaham devata upadhiivami

alas, I shall hasten to the gods.
Ajigrata
must have looked a veritable fiend and it is not unnatural that Sunassepa must
have at once screamed
stop
Another departure, which
'!
is
an improvement on the original
his
is
that he prayed,
who had
already become
a
chariot
patron by bestowing golden
upon him, well pleased with his praise
in the course of his appeal to the gods, to Indra, as well,
Indram ca purvavyaparasampraptastutisupriyam /
88
Iliranmayarathasyapi svasmai dataram eva ca///
This makes
it
clear that the gift of the golden chariot
apparent incongruity
removed by
is
for his life the giving of a chariot
we have pointed
This
was an
earlier
event.
An
because when Sunassepa was begging

be of gold is but a travesty of his exalted
this view,
may
out in the last section. 69
Secondly, it reveals
that Sunassepa was himself a llsi and a favourite singer, a fact which lends support
to the hypothesis that all the series of 7 hymns Attributed to him were irrelevant
position.
for the occasion
into a
(2)
web
and that
was the handiwork of the Aitareya to weave them
it
own
to suit its
all
purpose.
Sayana
Though so much was written by Sayana in the shape of commentary to the

hymns of the Veda, as well as to the Aitareya Brahmana, he has not said anything
which would contribute to the historical study of the legend. In the RV, rather
contrary to his wont, he does not even narrate the story in this own words. He
adheres to the task of quoting his authorities, chief of whom is Katyayana, while
introducing every sukta and also specific verses when necessary. In this case,
he quotes from the Aitareya Brahmana also, a work on which he wrote his own
commentary.
reproduces
he quotes
44
all
all
When
of
them
the authorities differed from one another, he faithfully

70
about the devata of
1.28.9, wherein
e.g. the discussion
RV
the sources.
ucchistam ityasyab Hariscandradhisavanacarrnasomanam
anyatamo
devata."
be remembered that the Brhaddevata provided the alternative between

adhisavanacarma and soma whereas the Sarvanukramani following the DevatanuIt
may
kramani considered Hariscandra as the deity. The best thing for Sayana was
of course to record all the evidence and leave it at that which he has done.
(3)
Dya Dviveda
Dviveda's Nitimafijaii (written 1494 A.D.)
only a replica of the picture

given by the older authors, in this case, Katyayana, Sadgurusisya and Sayana.
Dya
67.
AB
68.
Sarva, p. 85 verse 14.
60.
Supra
Supra
70.
7.16.
n. 56.
p.
is
202
HARIYAPPA
the first-mentioned authority the author quotes the index ; from the second,
the poetical narrative, and from the third the explanation of the Rgvedic mantras. 71
From
The main purpose of Dya is however to illustrate certain ethical maxims from
It was elsewhere observed that our author has not performed
well in that respect. His dicta are unimpressive and his examples open to question.
the Vedic events.
Suna&Sepa provides the ground for
this observation
Pitarau vandyau ityaha
Pitarau hi sada vandyau na tyajed aparadhinau

Pitra
*
baddhab Sunasepo yayace pitrdarsanam
72
//
Parents always deserve respect they should not be forsaken though guilty.
the very father, Suna&scpa begged for a sight of the father (parents).'
;
Bound by
'
'
support is the famous kasya niinam (1.24.1)

which ends with pitaram ca drse'yam mataram ca,' which is the refrain of the
next verse also. Enough has been said above to show at once that such moralisations
do not at all appeal. In the present case, the interpretation of the last line of the
Rgvedic verse just quoted, as conceived by Dya is far from convincing. In fact,
it is wrong
Sunassepa could not and did not wish to sec once again the parents
The Rgevedic verse quoted
in
'
who gave him
birth.
He was
He
real affectionate parents.
Another
lesson.
on the other hand, to find on

found them, indeed, in VisVamitra.
longing,
Devanam
api stutib priyetyaha
AisVaryaparipurno'pi dadyat stutyapi cepsitam
Sunas&epaya sauvarnam ratham Indrab stuto dadau

'
A man
this earth,
riches, being praised, should give what

a
being praised, gave
golden chariot to Sunassepa '.
endowed with
is
73
//
desired
Indra,
The moral, unfortunately, is not couched in clear terms. The versification

reminds one of the proverbial versifiers of Bhoja's Court. 74 Suffice it to say,
that both the lesson and the example lack the pithiness or the sting', which is the
'
very soul of an epigram.
Before concluding this section, it must be observed,

also that these veteran writers have not been drawn away
with a sense of surprise

by the Epic and Puranic
Their business was however specific, that is only to explain

a given text. It is perfectly tactful and necessary for the commentator to confine
himself to his province. But how could the great epics, specially the Ramayana
(which gives a different version of the story), and the Puranas like the Bhagavata
versions of the legend.
withhold their influence on these learned savants ? They were able to visualise
a discipline which was more than fifteen centuries old in their time. The Epics
71.
He
has mentioned other authorities as well
viz.
Asvalayana SS., the Flg-vidhana
etc.
They are commonplace.

72.
73.
Nitimanjarl (Benares Edition) p. 20. v. 11.

Ibid. p. 24 V. 12.
The Rgvedic verse in support
these
is
1.30.10.
Bhojanam dehi rajendra ghrtasupasamanvitam / (Kalidasa concluded the labours

born poets ) Mahisam ca saraccandracandrikadhavalam dadhi //.
74.
of
208
and Puranas surely belonged
to later periods, perhaps the early centuries of the

seeing the other end of knowledge which was fourteen-fold
(caturdasa vidyah) was every man's goal in those times. The matter deserves
And
Christian era.
some thought.
VI
RAMAYANA
The Ramayana 75 records the Sunassepa legend in a very different form. The
story is related by the sage Satananda, son of Gautama, to Sri Rama at a sacrifice
which king Janaka was elebrating at Mithila and to which Visvamitra took Rama
and Laksmana to witness the great occasion. The guests were accorded a most
After exchanging courtesies, Janaka's principal
respectful welcome by the King.
to
of Rama's visit to the hermitage of his revered
hear
Satananda
was
priest
pleased
father Gautama and of the redemption of the mother, Ahalya who was under a
This happy event was due to the favour of Visvamitra who brought Rama
Naturally Satananda was overwhelmed with affection and regard for the
along.
young prince and a sense of gratitude to Visvamitra, the universal friend. This
curse.
prompted him
listened with
to recount all the great
wonder and admiration.
deeds of Visvamitra before the Prince, who

Sunassepa's deliverance was one of the
series.
Once upon a time Visvamitra was practising severe penance at the Puskara
western regions of our country. At the same time king AmbarLsa of Ayodhya
started a sacrifice.
The victim (pasu) was carried away by Indra, causing a serious
breach in the performance. The priest accused the king of carelessness and,
in the
atonement, proposed that either the stolen victim should be recovered or a

victim secured instead. The king made an elaborate search all over the
He was prepared to
country, towns and forests and even the holy hermitages.
buy a human being paying a huge ransom, if such should be available. At length
on the heights of the Bhrgu mountain, he met the great sage Rclka seated with his
iu
human
wife
kine.
and sons. lie applied to him for one of his sons in lieu of a hundred thousand
The father said he was unwilling to part with the eldest son and the mother
declined to let go the youngest, her darling Sunaka.

Thereupon, Sunassepa, the
middle one, himself said Father says the eldest is not for sale, and mother
'
says the youngest is not for sale ; the middle one is meant for sale, I think. So,
Ambarisa was delighted, gave away crores of gold and heaps of
Prince, take me'.
precious stones, along with a hundred thousand kine, and went
away with &unas-
76
sepa mounted on his chariot.
75.
Hamayana
of VahnTki.
Edition --Nirnayasagara Press, Hombay, with
Tilaka (1930).
70.
Here ends canto
01,
from which relevant portions are quoted hereunder
TCtasminneva kale tu Ayodhyadhipatir
mahan
Ambarisa iti khyato yastum samupacakrame / 5

Tasya vai yajamanasya pasum Indro jahara ha
Pranasfe tu pasau vipro rajanam idam abravit / 6
Bull
DCRI
xi-14
Commentary
204
HARIYAPPA
At noon, the party halted at the Puskara for rest. There Sunasepa saw his
maternal uncle Visvamitra engaged in penance, along with other sages. With
sorrowful face, thirsty and exhausted, he fell at the sage's feet and appealed for
succour in pathetic terms. Consoling him in so many words, the great sage
Visvamitra, an ocean of kindness, commanded his sons to offer themselves as
victims at king Ambarisa's sacrifice instead of Sunasscpa. Then the sons,
Madhucchandas and others retorted " How do you forsake, O Sire, your own sons
to save another man's son ?
We think it is improper like dog's flesh in the dish."
Furious at this disobedient reply, Visvamitra cursed the sons for a thousand years
of life on earth eating dog's flesh like the sons of Vasistha. Turning round to the
pitiful
"
When you arc bound to the holy yupa by means of
Sunag&epa, he instructed him
thread after being decked with red garlands and unguents, just address Agni and
You will succeed/' He taught him the gathas. Sunassing two songs (gathas).
them
with
learnt
due attention went pleased and urged Ambarisa to
sepa having
resume the journey.
So they reached the
With the consent of the
capital.
Pasur abhyahrto rajan pranastas tava durnayat

Araksitaram rajdnam ghnanti dosa mires vara / 7
Prayascittam mahaddhyctan naram va ptirusarsabha
Anayasva pasum slghram yavat karma pravartate / 8
Upadhyayavacas srutva sa raja purusarsabhah
Anviyesa mahabuddhih pasum gobhis sahasrasah / 9
Desan janapadams tarns Ian naârani vanani ca
A^ramani ca punyani niargamano maliipatih / 10
Sa putrasahitam tata sabharj am Ra^hunandann
Hhrgiitun^c samasinam Rclkam sandadarsa ha / 1 1
Tarn uvaca mahatejah pranamyabhiprasadya ca
Maharsim tapasfi dlptam rajarsir amitaprabhah / 12
r
Prs^va sarvatra kuSalain RcTkain tarn idani vaeah

GavajTi satasaliasrena vikrlnlse sutam yadi / 13
Pasor arthe mahabhaâ krtakrtyo'smi Bhargava
Sarve pariâta dcsa yajniyam na labhc pasum / 14
Datum arhasi mulycna sutam ekam ito mama

Evam ukto maliatejn Rclkas tvabravid vaoah 15
Nnham jycstharn narasrestha vikrinlyam kathaficana
/
Riclkasya vacas srutva tesam mata mahatmanam

TJvaca narasardulam Ambansam idani vacah
1 (J
Avikreyam sutam jyestham bhagavan iilia bhargavab / 17

Mamapi day i tarn viddhi kanistham Sunakam prabho
Tasmat kaniyasam putrani ua dasye tava partliiva / 1 8
Prayena lii nara.4rcstha jyesthah pitrsu vallabhah
Matrnam ca kanlyamsas tasmad raksye kaniyasam / 19
Uktavakye munau tasinin munipatnyam tathaiva ca
f5iina^4epas svayam Rama madhyamo vakyam abravlt / 20
Pita jyestham avikreyam mata calm kaniyasam
Vikreyam madliyamam manye rajaputra nayasva mam / 21
Atha raja nmhabahur vakyante brahmavadinah
Iliranyasya suvarnasya kotibhi ratnarasibhih / 22
Gavam âtasahasrena ûnassepam naresvarah
Grhitva paramaprlto jagama Raghunandana 23

Ambarisas tu rajarsl ratham aropya satvarah
SunaSSepam mahateja jagamaû mahayaâh /
/
205
members of the sacrificial Sadas, the victim was purified, adorned with red cloth
and tied to the post. Thus bound, Sunassepa praised in exquisite terms the two
gods Indra and his brother (Visnu) as already instructed. The thousand-eyed
one was pleased with this intimate appeal and granted him long life. The sacrifice
was duly concluded and king Ambarisa derived manifold benefit by the grace of
Indra. And Visvamitra continued his penance at the Puskara for ten hundred
years.
Thus we
see that the
to represent a tradition
which differs
king Hariscandra, on account
of his son liohita, tried to sacrifice in order to appease Varuna's anger, unassepa
son of Ajigarta, here in the Ramayana king Ambarisa, on account of the sacrificial
much from
the Aitareya.
Ramayana appears
Whereas
in the latter,
victim being stolen by Indra, tries to sacrifice, in general propitiation of the gods,
Sunassepa, son of Rcika. In the one, Visvamitra is not related to Sunassepa and
Canto 02
unassepam narasrcstha grhltva tu maliaya&ah

Vyasramat Puskare raja madhyahne Raghunandana /
Tasya visramamanasya Sunassepo mahayasah
Puskaram jyestliam agamya Visvamitram dadarSa ha
Tapyantam rsibhis sardhani matulam paramaturah
Visannavadano dlnas trsnaya ca gramena ca / 3
Papatankc mime
Na
inc'sti
mat a
Rama vakyam ccdam
iia
pita jnatayo
uvaca ha
bandhavah kutah
Tratum arhasi mam saumya dliarrncna munipungava

Trata tvam Iii narasrestha sarvesam tvam lii bhavariah
Raja ca krtakaryas tfy&d aham dlrghayur avyayah
Svargalokani upasnlyam tapas taptva hyanuttamam / 6
Sa me natho hyanathasya bhava bhavyena cctasa
l*itcva putrain dharmatman tratum arhasi kilbissat / 7
Tasya tadvaoanani srutva Visvamitro mahatapah
Santvayitva bahuvidham putran idam uvaca ha / 8
Yatkrte pitarah putran janayanti subharthinah
Paralokahitarthaya tasya kaloyam agatah / 9
Ayam munisuto balo mattah Saranam icchati
Asya jivitamatrena priyam kurtita putrakah / 10
Sarve sukrtakarmanah sarve dharrnaparayanah
Pasubhuta narendrasya trptim agnch prayacchata
Nathavams ca ûnassepo
11
bhavet
Devatas tarpitas ca syur mama capi krtam vacah / 12
Mimes tad vacanam srutva Madhucchandadayas sutah
Sabhiinanam narasrestlia salllam idam abruvan / 13
yajftas cavighnato
Katham atmasutan hitva trayase'nyasutam vibho

Akaryam iva pasyamah svamamsam iva bhojane / 14
Tesam tad vacanam srutva putranam munipungavah
Krbdhasamraktanayano vyahartum upacakrame / 15
Nissadhvasam idam proktam dharmadapi vigarhrtam
Atikramya tu madvakyam darunam romaharsanam / 16
^vamamsabhojinas sarve Vasistha iva jatisu
Purnam varsasahasram tu prthivyam anuvatsyatha / 17
Krtva âpasamayuktan putran munivaras tada
uvacartam krtva raksam niramayam / 18
H L HARIYAPPA
206
comes on the scene only at the sacrifice as one of the officiating priests in
the other, VisV&mitra is the maternal uncle of Sunassepa and enters the story
even before the sacrifice but does not attend it he also teaches him two gathas
:
prevent his death. The revolt and degradation of the sons also precede the sacrifice in the Ramayana, while the same occurred
Of 101 sons, 51 of whom Madhucchandas was leader, obeyed
after in the Aitareya.
whose recitation at the proper time
will
command to accept Sunassepa's primogeniture. But in the Ramayana

the sons, 77 even the good Madhucchandas were concerned in the revolt and its
consequences and what was the command which was disobeyed ? It was that
the father's
all
in order to save
one soul
i.e.
Sunassepa's,
ail
the sons should offer themselves as
Ajlgarta sold Sunas&epa, as he was driven to the pitch

Rcika
but
seems to have had enough and to spare, he must have
his
indigence,
by
to
his
mind
made up
spare a son also out of deference to the wishes of the great
victims at the sacrifice.
who
The Aitareya depicts fiunas'sepa as the godcarne to the door for help.
of
who
Visvamitra,
adopted him into his family, formally also giving
given son
him the privileges of the first born. We saw how this fitted into the Vedic tradition
king
in a
wider application of the term.
The Ramayana provides no
Sunasepa afterwards. Perhaps he went

himself when he sought Visvamitra's help (1.62.6).
happened
to
indication of
what
to penance as he expressed
This section cannot be concluded without referring to some far-reaching differand therefore, in import between the Bombay edition of the
ences in reading
Ramayana and
that brought out
by the
Italian scholar G. Gorresio in 1843-67
(Bengal Recension).
Pavitrapasair abaddho raktamalyanulepanah
Vaisnavam yupam asadya vagbhir agnim udahara
Ime ca gathe dve divye gay etna muniputraka
10
Ambarisasya yajne'smin tatas siddhim avapsyasi / 20

unas'sepo grhltva te dve gathe susamahitah
Tvaraya rajasimham tarn Ambarisam uvaca ha / 21
Rajasimha mahabuddhe sighram gacchavahe vayam
Nivartayasva rajendra diksam ca samudahara / 22
Tadvakyam rsiputrasya Srutva harsasamanvitah
Jagama nrpatte Sighram yajftavatam atandritah / 23
Sadasyanumate raja pavitrakrtalaksanam
PaSum raktambaram krtva yupe tarn samabandhayat / 24
Sa baddho vagbhir agryabhir abhitustava vai surau
Indram Indraiiujam caiva yathavan mimiputrakah / 25
Tatah pritas Sahasrakso rahasyastutitositah
Dlrgtiam ayus tada pradat Suna&epaya vasavah / 26
Sa ca raja narasrestha yajftasya ca samaptavan
Phalam bahugunam Kama s alias raksaprasadajam / 27

Vi6vamitro pi dharmatma bhuyas tepe mahatapah
Puskaresu. narasrestha dasavarsasatani ca / 28
>
77.
Compare Keith's remarks on p. 64 of his Rig- Veda Brahmanas Translated (HOS Vol.
He says if the gathas introduced by the
are taken by themselves there is no ques25, 1920).
of
division
tion
among the sons. The division into first fifty as one group and the second fifty
with the midmost Madhucchandas as leader of the other group is, in his opinion, perhaps, the
handiwork of the Aitareya. There is some sense in this, at any rate, because Madhucchandas of
AB
Rgvedic fame
is
exonerated.

It
(a)
carried
said that
is
Ambarlsa was
the victim
away
olit to
perform a
207
human
sacrifice
and Indra
"
Tasya vai yajamanasya naramedhena bhupateb

'Proksitam mantravad yupat pasurn Indro jahara tam
"
/
1.63.6 78
The Bombay edition does not
specify which pasu it was, but the priest says 'Search

or
a
human victim instead'. (See Com. Tilaka on this
pasu
bring
for the stolen
portion).
Ambarisa
(b)
poor
79
finds
Rcika with
his
many
sons, residing in a homestead, but
41
Anvesamanas so'pasyat Rcikam nama Raghava
Bahuputram
"
daridrani ca dvijam grhanivasinam
Ibid. 12.
But our Rcika is a maharsi, dazzling with penance, accompanied by wife and sons
on the heights of the Bhrgu mountain (1.61.11,12 text quoted above in a footnote).
The
(c)
revolt of the sons
"
is
expressed in different terms
Katham atmasutan
Bhagavan karyametat
hitva trata parasutan asi
"
svamamsasyeva bhaksanam
te
1.64.14
The
difference
is
that sva-mamsa
between
and
only between sva-mamsa and sva-mamsa It

is meant, not
own (sva) flesh'.
dog's flesh
is
'
'
'
in Bengali pronunciation
is
understandable.
just possible
The confusion
santvayitva for
There also Gorresio
Cf.
santvayitva. The Vasisthas were cursed to eat dog's flesh.

reads as svaniamsa. 80 The degradation was, from Vedic times, attached to eating
The great sage Vamadeva famished by hunger cooked the entrails of
dog's flesh.
a dog. 81
It
is
common parlance
to call a
In the Puranas
shabby fellow as svapaca.
we meet with
references which say that in times of famine the condition of some of

was
so straitened that the whole, family subsisted on dog's flesh 82
The
these sages
matter did not call for such discussion had not the alternative been most tragic
:
and
verily,
unthinkable
eating one's
own
flesh
and yet
living
83
!
The two cantos here are 63 and 64, whereas in the Bombay Edition, they are 61 and 62.
78.
Verbal differences in reading are numerous, but only those that indicate a factual change have
been considered. The first kanda is called Adikanda whereas we are familiar with the name
Balakanda. Gorresio spells Sunassepa with a pha.
79 Abhyahrta idanlm asmabhir anitah pasus tavadurnayattvatpapavasat tavakaraksinam
pramadat ca pranasâ ityanvayah / Tilaka com. on Ramayana 1.61.7 (Bombay).
80.
Gorresio 1.01.20, 64.16-17.
81.
RV 4.18.13.
82.
cf.
88.
eat his
Mbh. Santi. 5330 ff. quoted by Muir OST I p. 375 f.

But compare Ram 7.77-78 (Bombay, 1930) about the god
own
flesh.
(Sveta)
who was cursed
to
208
Vivamitra imparts
(d)
should mutter
"
when
HARIYAPPA
to Sunasêpa a mantra, praising Indra,
sprinkled with holy water, before the actual
Yada pasutve putra tvam
proksitab syas tada japeb
Imam mantram maya proktam
which he
sacrifice
Indrabhistavasamyutam
"
/
19.
Ibid.
Later,
Sa baddha rgbhis tustava devendram harivahanam
Bhagarthinam anupraptam svarenoccair vinadayan
Ibid. 25.
unaepa
According to our text,

spells arid then taught him
praised Indra with verses from the Rgveda.
VisVamitra provided raksa
first i.e.
by chanting some
two gathas. The instruction was, also, that he should first address himself to Agni,
which fact peculiarly corresponds with the Vedic version. First he ran to Prajapati
83A
Varuna the real god concerned is
(ka) and then to Agni, later on to Indra.
neglected
by
either version.
Some
scholars 84 attach
much
importancc*that, accord-
ing to Gorresio, VisVamitra taught Sunassepa only one mantra, whereas in the
Bombay book
It is not necessarily one stanza only, because,

two gathas.
the
is amplified as
reference
text,
rgbhis tustava i.e. praised
with several verses from the Rgveda. The same may apply to the two gathas.
later in the
it is
'
same
'
Let us remember that the AB puts 97 verses into the victim's mouth and make
him knock at the door of this, that and every god
!
VII
MAHABIIARATA
The Anusasana-parva of the Mahabharata
(1)
VisVamitra in these words
describes the exploits of

deliverance of Sunassepa was, of course, one of them
Rcikasyatmajas caiva Sunassepo nmhatapab

Vimoksito mahasatrat pasutam apyupagatab /
HariScandrakratau devams tosayitvatmatcjasa
Putratam anusamprapto Visvamitrasya dhlmatab /

Nabhivadayate jyestham Devaratam naradhipa
Putrab paficaSad evapi saptab svapacatam gatab / 85
A man of great austerities,
SunasSepa, son of Rclka, was liberated (by Visvamitra)

And he, in that sacrifice performed
by Hariscandra, pleased the gods by his own brilliance and became the son of the
wise VisVamitra. But the fifty sons all of them, would not greet Devarata (Sunas*6epa) as the eldest and, hence, were cursed to the state of cooking dog's flesh.
from the
88A.
sacrifice,
though bound as the victim.
AB
RV
VII.6,
and
1.24.1
Kane
84.
Festschrift Prof.
85.
Mbh. 18 (AnuSasana)
2.
(1941) p. 306 n. 8 (Mr.
8.6-8.
bhavadlp* of Nilakan^ha Caturdhara,
Citras*ala Press,
H. G. Narahari).
Poona 1933, with Commentary Bharata-
209
This account lands us in some confusion.
It is difficult to say which

exactly
whether the foregoing story given in the Ram. or the one
from the Mbh. just recapitulated. The relative ages of the two epics are admittedly
hard to determine. A period covering centuries, during which the epics might
is
responsible for this,
have taken their present shape only, has been postulated. Thus, according to
"
between the 4th century B.C. and the 4th century A.D. the trans-
Winternitz,
formation of the epic Mahabharata into our present compilation took place, probably gradually... Small alterations and additions still continued to be made however even in later centuries. One date of the Mahabharata does not exist at all,
but the date of every part must be determined on its own account." 86 Concluding
"
the discussion on the age of Ram., Winternitz says
The whole Ramayana,
an
the
later
old
and famous work when the Mahabhincluding
portions was already
arata had not yet attained its present form. It is probable that the Ramayana had
:
its
present extent and contents as early as towards the close of the 2nd century
The older nucleus of the Mahabharata, is probably older than the ancient
A.D.
probable that the original Ramayana was composed in the third

87
What was said of the
century B.C. by Valmiki on the basis of ancient ballads."
Mbh., that the elate of every part must be determined on its own account, well
Ramayana... It
applies to the
is
Ram.
also.
For
in the first place, the first
and the seventh books of
the Bala. and Uttara kandas respectively are accepted as later additions, and even in the Bala kanda, the story of Rsyasrnga, the exploits of Visvarnitra
the latter
viz,,
the account of the dwarf incarnation of Visnu, the descent of the Ganges, the
churning of the ocean etc. are all agglutinative in character. Special care there-
becomes necessary to fix the relative chronology of those legends which arc
common to both the epics. All theorisations are perforce tentative until critical
fore
BORI Mahabharata, 88 are made

Ignorance, wanton or otherwise, of this important factor would result
editions of both works, after the fashion of the

available.
HIL
86.
Winternitz
87.
Ibid. pp. 516-517.
475 (1927).
p.
It is well-known how this stupendous undertaking by the BORI has succeeded in pushing
88.
though about half of the Great Epic. The work is published upto the end of Bhlsma parva.
This crowning glory of critical scholarship in India was achieved by the late Dr. Visnu Sitaram
Sukthankar, who by dint of vision and dynamic activity enunciated the principles of textual
For
criticism and evolved a perfect process of manuscript collation and editorial collaboration.
full seventeen years he was so deep in the Mbh. which was to him a universe by itself, that he
had unconsciously attained sublime identification (Sarupya) with Maharsi Vyasa when, at the
end of his memorable, but, alas, portentous preface, he recalled
t}rdhvabahur viraumyesa na ca kas cicchrnoti mam
Dharmad artha6 ca kama6 ca sa kimartham na sevyate //
" Across the

reverberating corridors of Time, we, his descendants heard his clarion
Such was
his
realisation
call to Duty.'*
A critical edition of the Ramayana has been promised by Dr. Raghu Vira (p. 890 Sukthankar
Memorial Edition, Vol.1, Critical Studies in the Mahabharata, 1944). When the two critical
editions are in hand, a historical and comparative study of the legends will be placed on a secure
basis.
At present we have to be satisfied with the comparative aspect only not the historical,
as far as
it is
possible.
H. t. HARIYAPPA
210
few instances have been convincingly described

the
late
Dr.
Sukthankar
in
his
by
Epic Studies VIII which is a text-critical essay
on the Ramopakhyana, occurring in the Aranyaka-parva. Professors Jacobi and
in very fallacious conclusions.
Oldenberg have been proved to be victims of hasty generalisations based on passages

of uncertain veracity. 89
In the light of the above remarks, some observations of a purefy comparative

nature, not stressing on chronological sequence, may be recorded.
Taking shelter
under Winternitz's conclusion that the present text of the Ram. was a fact at the
close of 2nd century A.D., while Mbh. attained that state
by the 4th, apart from the
immemorial tradition of Ram. being the First Poem (adikavya) that was composed,
the section on Ram. has been placed earlier,
Now
to come back to the story of Sunassepa.

ûnassepa is the son of Rclka :
a point common to both Ram. and Mbh, The sacrifice is undertaken by
Hariscandra this is one with the Aitareya. Visvamitra's sons were fifty only
this
is
Ram also says similarly though, however,

does not exactly estimate his prolific achievements. AB credits him with a
hundred and one, of whom the first fifty were cursed.
and
all
of
them were cursed (Mbh.).
it
to be observed that the narration of Visvamitra's deeds, which were" so

was
the main purpose of the Mbh. context. Therefore the
many,
Sunassepa
incident is given in bare outline.
If the poet had entered into details, there should
have been a clearer rendering, so that we could discern a harmonious trend.
It
is
Harivamsa :This work is regarded as part of the Mahabharata, but

(2)
outside the pale of the traditional 18 parvans.
It is a kind of appendix (khila
or pari&sta) for the great epic, which was a convenient and
accommodating re-
With regard to such works it is not a useful

ceptacle for all lore of the country.
attempt to scrutinize the authenticity or genuineness of this portion or that nor
is it useful to determine the
age or date of their composition. They are intended
for the edification of the common folk on whose
the narrated events
minds,
;
only
exert an influence rather than the academic

In
aspects of date and authorship.
such a swollen stream of legendary matter, as the Mahabharata, currents and
cross currents, pools
and whirlpools pass muster, and the inquirer runs the

Here is an example
being caught and lost amidst them.
The SunaSsepa story given

so to say,
parva.
is
in the
Harivamsa, which is the nineteenth parva

Anusasana which is the thirteenth
so incoherent with that told in the
Says the Harivamsa 90
ViSvamitratmajanam tu Sunassepo'grajak smrtafr /

Bhftrgavab Kausikatvam hi praptafy sa munisattamaU
89.
SME
90.
Citrala Edn.
Vol.
1,
(1944), pp. 388
(Poona)
f,
fn.
1.27.54&
risk of
4 on
58 a
p. 389.
.
21 1
Visvamitrasya putras tu Sunassepo'bhavat kila
Haridasvasya yajne tu paûtve viniyojitati /

Devair dattab sa vai yasmat Devaratas tato'bhavat
Devaratadayas sapta Visvamitrasya vai
sutafr
Drsadvatisutas capi Visvamitrat tathastakafr
Among Visvamitra's
sons,
is
Sunassepa
considered as the first-born, and there-
who was a Bhargava, descended from Bhrgu, attained the position

by
of a Kausika. It happened this way that at the sacrifice instituted by Haridasva, 91
that sage
Sunassepa had been yoked as a pasu then he became Visvamitra's son, for, the
gods (having granted life to the victim) made him over to Visvamitra. Hence
he got the name Devarata (god-given). Devarata and others are seven sons 92
of Visvamitra, and through Drsadvati also a son called Astaka.
;
Sunassepa's pedigree is also different, it is an interesting revelation. He was

the sage Reika's son all right, and the middle one too, but placed between Jamadagni
The chapter under review
the elder and Sunafrpuccha 93 the younger brother
:
gives the whole genealogy, consistent in itself
Kusika
(fifth in line
from Jahnu)
Bhrgu
Gadhi
I
Rcika
married
Visvamitra
Satyavati
Devarata
Jamadagni
arid others.
Sunabpuccha
Sunassepa
94
Parasurama.
King Gadhi gave his daughter Satyavati in marriage to Rcika, son of Bhrgu.
Rclka was pleased with his wife and prepared the holy cam for the sake of a son
This is neither Hartecandra (AB), nor Ambarlsa (Ram.)
Book to book the number changes
Visvamitra's sons defy all attempts at enumeration
ranging from 7 to 101. In this very chapter (Hari. 1.27) the sum of seven is mentioned but the
That he was a prolific parent is acknowledged everywhere.
list comes up in all to 14 at least.
Mbh. 13.4 counts 62 sons. Nilakantha on v. 60.
91.
92.
93.
youngest.
94.
No
Suno-langula here contrary to AB, where $-puccha

See next note.
For the genealogy and the following narrative
ref.
is
the, eldest
Hari. 1.27. 12-85,
Ibid.)
Aurvasyaivam Rclkasya Satyavatyam mahayasah /

Jamadagnis tapovlryaj jajfte brahmavidam varah /
MadhyamaS ca Sunas'&epah Sunahpucchah kanis$hakah
and 3-langula the

and further (41-42
H. L. HARIYAPPA
212
and also one to his father-in-law Gadhi on request. Both parts of the
to his wife Satyavati pointing out which she should take and which
he
handed
caru,
her mother. Somehow at the time of partaking the sacred viands, the mother
to himself
As Satyavati conceived, Rcika, by divine

mistake.
In
his
discovered
the
instinct,
dispensation, the caru that was meant
for the mother-in-law was to produce a strong and valiant son, invincible and
gave away her portion to the daughter.
all Ksatriyas, and that for his wife was to produce a most eminent
wise
in
thought and serene in temperament. That was just right. But fate
sage,
turned the tables. 95 Satyavati was sad, because she at all events preferred a
conquering
such a one was fitting for her father who was

saintly son to a redoubtable warrior
she
her
Therefore
a king.
consort, the sage Rcika to change the progeny
begged
is
it
that
is
for
what
even then,
impossible for a divine sage who can make and
;
unmake
things ?
revered husband
She proposed an alternative also

'
Confer upon
be of the warrior kind'.
me
lest
she should
offend her
a saintly son only if inevitable, let his son

was
Rcika
moved by his beloved's fervent prayer and
;
Thus was born the sage Jamadagni. 96 As the result of the

at once granted it.
other protion of the sacred caru, the sage Visvarnitra was born. 97 But how to
reconcile the legend of Rcika having three sons of whom Suna&sepa was the middle
one
The author of the Harivamsa, whoever it is, simply appended that series
Bhrgu line substituting Jamadagni's name
of three brothers to this illustrious

98
for the eldest
Sunaêpa, the
We
have occasion to say elsewhere that except the name of

Suna-names are spurious. At any rate the latter do not
series of
We may at worst resort to the convenient theory of several

fit in with the context.
persons of the same name. The Rcikas are different, the father of a Jamadagni
and the brother-in-law of a Visvamitra being poles apart from the Rcika who sold
a son for price.
VIII
PURANAS
(1)
Brahma
This Parana" is always stated first in the list of eighteen maha-puranas and
hence sometimes called Adi-Purana. Looking into the contents, however, it is
The story is related in Mbh. 13.4 with slight elaboration here and there. The change
95.
of caru was due to the mischief of Satyavati's mother who did not scruple to play fraud on her
own daughter.
96.
Ibid. 35
Tatah Satyavat! putram janayamasa Bhargavam /

Tapasyabhiratam dan tarn Jamadagnim &amatmakam
42
97.
Ibid.
98.
ViSvamitram tu dayadam Gadhi h Ku&ikanandanah /

Janayamasa putram tu tapovidyasamatmakam /
Prapâ btahmarsisamatam yo'yam saptarsitam gatah /
Compare Winternitz's remarks on p. 443. HIL Vol. 1 regarding the genuineness of the work.
f.
'
In this section the Puranas are considered in the order in which they are dealt with by
Winternitz. HIL p. 581 The earlier Puranas must have, according to the Professor, come into
being before the 7th century A.D. (p. 525). This always rules out the interpolations which are
a menace to a systematic appreciation of the Puranas*
99.
213
revealed that only a very small portion of it could be called ancient. Glorification
of several holy places on the Ganges is a special feature of this Purana.
The Sunassepa legend 100 is described

which
in the
Gautaml-mahatmya
(chs. 70-175),
a glorification of the sacred places on the Ganges. Sages Narada and

Parvata once visited the Iksvaku king Hariscandra. Wondering as to why all
is
creatures under creation hanker after progeny, the king sought enlightenment at
their hands, being himself childless.
They replied suitably and advised him
"
Go to the sacred Gautami (holy place) and worship Varuna. He will grant your
wish." The king obeyed, Varuna pleased by his worship, granted his request on
;
condition that he would sacrifice to him the very son that would be born. Hariscandra agreed and returned to the capital. But after the child was actually
born, the king was so overwhelmed with paternal love that he, almost in the manner
AB, put off discharging his duty by the God. At last the young Prince,
was
sixteen and fit to be Crown Prince, when Varuna came for the last time
Rohita,
on
his due.
and insisted
The king summoned the Prince in the presence of ministers
and priests and told him all the history of his birth and the imminent sacrifice.
But the youth sharply retorted " Wait, I shall first sacrifice to Vianu, Lord of
the Worlds, with Varuna as pasu (victim), the priests shall help me in this." 101
Varuna was enraged and cursed the king with dropsy. Rohita went to the forest
five years elapsed and during the sixth, Rohita came to the same holy spot on the
Ganges where his father had worshipped Varuna. There he met Ajigarta, son of
102 followed
by wife and three sons. Getting acquainted with him in
sage Vayas,
a casual manner, he bargained for unasepa in lieu of a thousand cows, besides
Rohita then went to the father and told him to offer to
grain, gold and cloth.
Varuna the sage's son who was bought for price. Then, what is strange, Hariscanrelated in
dra refused to sacrifice the brahmana
am
not anxious to live a pitiful life.

the twice-born a sacrificial victim.
I
"
Having made them (Brahmanas) victims,

is not fair, death is preferable to
making
It
Go
therefore,
my
happily with the
son,
"
O king of kings
At this time was heard the Voice from Heaven
and
with
the
son
of
the
the Brahamna.
with
Gautami
to
the
sacred
Rohita,
priests
go
There celebrate the sacrifice without killing Sunassepa, and the sacrifice will still be
Brahmana."
complete."
Brahma-Purana. AnSS. No. 28 (1805) ch. 104 (pp. 246-295) and ch. 150 (p. 361 f.)
Rohita uvaca Aham purvam maharaja rtvigbhis sapurohitah / Visnave lokanathaya
yaksye'ham tvaritam sucih / Pasuna Varunenatha tad anujfiatum arhasi / Ibid. Ch. 104 st. 38.
The sarcasm behind pasuna is irresistible
'
Rses tu Vayasah sutam'. According to Vedic texts he is Sauyavasi i.e. son of
102.
of
or
in
tradition
could easily
text-transmission
It
error
How
the
legendary
patent
Suyavas.
be * Rses suyavasas sutam ". No. v.l. for the Purana reading. But a later chapter (150) has
*
to the name being
Suyavasya
Suyavasyatmajo loke' jigartiriti visrutah the line may point
'
in this context.
There is a v.l.
suyajftasyatmajo
taking the whole as a compound.
Illustrative of Puranic license if not vagary is that the name Ajigarta is here Ajlgarti twice after
final e and o (Sk. 86) with initial a elided, and finally (four times) as simply Jigarti, the initial a
being dropped perhaps on the analogy of Bhaguri's Law.
100.
101.
'
'
'
H. L.
214,
HARIYAPPA
Then the king repaired to the banks of the Ganges with the priest Vasistha,
the sages VisVamitra and Vamadeva. The sacrifice was performed in regular
manner. At the proper time, VisVamitra addressed the Assembly and the Gods.
"
Pray, permit all of you, the gods severally to whom he as oblation is due (to be
sacrificed),
permit this Sunassepa (to be free). Foremost of the Vipras, may he
bathe in the sacred Gautami and
offer prayer to the gods, whereby they shall be

of
With
the
the assembly, Sunassepa bathed in the sacred
pleased."
approval
"
This sacrifice is complete without
river and praised the gods who declared
:
killing
Sunasepa." (kratub purno bhavatyesab
Sunassepavadham vina).
Varuna was specially pleased. VisVamitra honoured Sunassepa before the Assembly and adopted him as his son and made him the eldest, taking precedence over
his other sons.
Those who did not accept his priority were cursed and those who
acquiesced were blessed. AH this happened on the south bank of the Gautami.
Innumerable are the holy places (8014) thereat, 103 they being named after Hariscandra, Sunasepa, VisVamitra, Rohita and so on.
This Purana in a later chapter (150) describes
was freed from a ghostly existence.
Pai6aca, a vipra
how
in
another tirtha called
That vipra
is
no other than
our Ajigarta (or Jigarti as the text transforms him), who merited that punishment
because he sold his middle son Sunassepa to a Ksatriya for being sacrificed. During
life, he suffered severe illness, after death was subjected to untold punishments in
Hell and finally was turned into a ghost. Sunassepa once, while passing that way,
heard a deep groaning sound, on tracing which he was told by the ghost, the
miserable punishment it was fated to suffer. Sunassepa was stricken with sorrow,
Gautami and offered watery oblation 104

was absolved of the sin and ascended heaven.
bathed
in the
to the father (pitr).
Ajigrata
While this account of the Brahma Purana corresponds in all significant details
with the AB, the deliverance of &unassepa is effected in a peculiar manner. This
poetical innovation is natural to an age which looked upon sacrifices, particularly
the
human
sacrifice,
with horror.
age which believed in washing off
The
sacrificial
age had been substituted by an
the holy waters of the Ganges. So

all stories naturally converge into this doctrine which appealed to the common
people whose outlook, with time and tide, had totally changed. Ajlgarta's redemption is, of course, a novelty.
(2)
all sins in
Vdyu Purana
The version of the Suna&epa story given here 105
fully accords
with that given
in Harivamâ, 106 but for the substitution of Haridasva for Hariscandra which,
ityadyastasahasrani tirthanyatha caturdasa /
For the moment, the Purana does not mind the incongruity of SunaSsepa offering
tarpana for one who was no longer father to him
BI ed. Mitra (1888) Vol. II, ch. 29 st. 89-92.
105.
106.
But Narahari that VP follows Mbh. It was more proper to say Vayu Purana and
Harivamga bear all identity except the name HaridasVa, which is but oversight on the part of
the author of Harivamsa. A look into the original texts and the accompanying conspectus will
convince.
103.
104.
215
Most of the verses are common to both. It is not easy

is an oversight.
which of the two was the borrower. Vayu Purana is assigned to an age 107
earlier than the celebrated Bana (early 7th cent.), who heard the Purana read to
him, and later than the Gupta period (4th and 5th cent.) which is described in the
Puranic text. Which then is the date of Harivamsa which is a complement to
the Mahabharata ? As already remarked quite a wide period of time has been
suggested i.e. 4th cent. B.C. to 4th cent. A.D., during which the Great Epic of
India took shape so as to comprehend the present extent, contents and character'.
Even then, allowance must be given for small alterations and additions which
continued to be made in later centuries. It will be nearer truth if we think that
both Vayu Purana and Harivamsa owe to a common source, may be in this case
Mahabharata.
clearly,
to say
'
Bhdgavata Purana
(3)
This Purana 108 which
ascribed to the 10th cent. A.D. by Winternitz 109 and

to the 9th by C. V. Vaidya and others, narrates the Suna6sepa legend in two contexts.
The first part of it up to his deliverance from the stakes is related in connection
is
with Hariscandropakhyana, 110 as the sacrifice was celebrated under the aegis of
that king. The second part viz. his adoption into the Visvamitra family is narrated
111
The story of Visvamitra comes there
Parasuramopakhyana.
naturally as the two heroes Paraurama and Visvamitra are closely related as
members of one family. For as shown in the previous section (see genealogical
table), Parasurama's grandmother SatyavatI is Visvamitra's sister.
in
what
is
called
The two narrations put together fully and accurately reproduce the version
AB, the difference being only in the vehicle of expression. The Brahmana is a
mixture of Vedic prose and the gatha while the Purana is entirely in the sloka
of
still,
there
is
so
much
author of the Purana
of verbal correspondence that it is only fair to say that the

in the form of verse, with the ancient
has rewritten the
AB
text acutally before him. 112

107.
Winternitz
HIL
1,
But one change, and that
for the better perhaps,
pp. 553-554.
Ed. Eugene Burnouf (Paris 1847). A beautiful but incomplete edition. Only nine
skandhas have been published in three volumes. Burnouf s valuable introduction to the Bhagavata Purana has been profusely quoted by scholars. He is highly praised by Max Muller as a
great teacher. It was inspiration derived from this savant that prompted M.M. to conceive, undertake and bring out the famous edition of the Rgveda with Sayana's commentary. The closing
to the second volume of the first edition reveals both the teacher and
M.M's
paragraph of
"
" When preface
I felt
I heard of his death," M.M. records,
and I believe that many engaged
the pupil.
in similar studies shared the feeling
as if our work had lost much of its charm and its purpose.
What will Burnouf say ? was my earliest thought, on completing the first volume of the Rgveda.
And now, as I am finishing the second, in its turn submitted to the judgment of so many scholars
whose friendship I value and whose learning I admire, my thoughts turn again to him who is no
longer among us, and I think, not without sadness, of what his judgment would have been."
1853, pp. xl-xli of Vol. 1, Second Edition, 1890. Gorresio, Roth, Goldstiicker, M. M. and several
others were fellow-students under Burnouf.
108.
'
HIL
(Calcutta Univ. 1927) Vol.
109.
Winternitz.
110.
Ed. Burnouf. Vol. HI, Skandha IX, ch. 7 vv. 6-25.
111.
Ibid. ch. 16
112.
Ch.
w. 28-36.
XVI w. 83-86 are
repetition of the
AB
I,
p. 556,
and
n.
3 same page.
text almost verbatim.
H. L.
216
may
Indra
be noticed.
who was
HARIYAPPA
pleased with the sacrifice gave the golden chariot

That it is a weak spot
to Sunas6epa as told in the AB.

in the Aitareya construction has already been discussed. 113
114
support to the view.
and not
to Hariscandra,
The Bhagavata adds
Devi Bhagavata
(4)
The claim of this work to be classed among the eighteen main Puranas has
not been granted, 115 perhaps reasonably, judging from the prolixity of its style ad
nauseam, not to speak of the kind of subject-matter which marks the extreme into
which a narrator's license can carry. The SunaS&epakhyana is here told in no less
than 4 chapters 116 making a total of 239 slokas. One feature is that in the bare
much strayed from the ancient source
the Aitareya. The personalthe same, the motifs are the same. But the haltings at every
step to elaborate a detail with unbridled fantasy have rendered the narrative heavy,
sometimes the serenity of the story has been rudely disturbed, so much so
outline
ities
it
has not
are almost
all
that it verges on absurdity e.g. HariScandra's bargaining with Varuna and the
behaviour of this august divinity of the Veda, Supreme Lord of Law and Order,
as depicted in this work, provide more of amusement than of high ideals like a
stern sense of duty by the God or by the ancestors. The conversations 117 between
the king and the God remind one of a bargaining in which the common folk indulge.
To give another instance, when the sacrifice was afoot 118 with Sunassepa bound to
the stakes, it is neither tragedy nor a holy sacrifice that the book describes. The
sacrifice converts itself into a rabble and a melodrama.
For a historical study of the
It illustrates the part
legend, however, the work provides valuable material.
the narrator's fancy plays in the growth or transformation of a legend. And, as
such works arc composed for the sake of readers or listeners, they easily betray the
level of culture
and the standard of
Now
which they had descended.

(a)
taste
which the people had attained or to
a few details.
Hariscandra does penance on the banks of the Ganges to appease Varuna,

That Narada did not appear in such
by the advice of Vasistha, his family priest.

a recent work is rather strange.
113.
See supra section
3.
Tatah purusamedhena HariScandro mahayasah

Muktodaro'yajad devan Varunadin mahatkathah / 20
Visvamitro'bhavat tasmin hota cadhvaryur atmavan
Jamadagnir abhud Brahma Vasistho'yasyas sarnagah / 21
Tasmai tusto dadavindrah satakumbhamayam ratham
114.
&una4sephasya
Compare
115.
Pargiter's remarks
Winternitz
HIL
mahatmyam
on
p. 63
uparisât pravaksyate
1917.
22.
JRAS.
Vol. I (Calcutta), p. 555.
DevI-Bhagavata (Poona edn. with Marathi tr.) Skandha VII chs. 14-17, whereas the
Ram. devotes 2 cantos with 48 slokas on the whole. Mbh. (3), Hari (6), Bhag (25) and VP (4).
116.
.117.
118.
The whole
of ch. 15. Ibid.
Ch. 16.23-59, 17.1-88. Ibid.
217
After the birth of the child, the king's manner of dodging the god is
(b)
somewhat different. Each time Varuna is put off, the period of advantage gained
is more
the arguments are quite ingenious but not high in taste. Thus after the
;
birth of a child the father
is
purified in ten days but the
mother
is
fit
for rites,
month so the God was put off for one month. Then the teeth should
the boy deserves to have his hair-cut (caula). The fourth round
Then
appear.
won on the pretext of upanayana (Initiation to Study) and the fifth by
is
only after a
samavartana (Return from Study). On the sixth round, Rohita escaped to

the forest even without the knowledge of the father. 119 Wrathful at this, Varuna
cursed the king to suffer from dropsy (jalodara).
Rohita learning of the father's illness wants to return to the capital.
in the form of an old vipra, advises him to stay away on a most ludicrous
Life is dear to all creatures.
On account of life
argument, unworthy of a god
In order to protect his life, the king will
only, the wife and children become dear.
(c)
But Indra,
'
you at the sacrifice and get cured of his illness. Therefore you should not go
back to the father's house. When the father is dead, then only you will go for
the sake of obtaining the kingdom. 120 Again and again, the divine lord appeared
and prevented Rohita by means of ingenious arguments, from getting back to his
kill
place.
Hariscandra goes again to Vasistha seeking advice as to what to do to cure

He advises
Perform sacrifice by means of a son bought for price,
then the curse will end '. The king sent the ministers in search of a son to buy.
Suna&Scpa was bought off for -a hundred cows from Ajigarta who was living in
(d)
the
'
illness.
penury.
When the victim was
(e)
tied to the sacrificial post there
was great commotion
Sunassepa himself was weeping. The Samitr (the killer of the

sacrificial animal) refused to do his duty which was on this occasion too cruel to
bear.
Ajigarta came forward to perform the act for double the fee. All were
in the assembly.
struck aghast
they began to curse Ajigarta
Piaco'yam mahapapi krurakarma dvijakrtifr

Yas tvayam svasutam hantum udyatafr kulapamsanah
At this stage Visvamitra intervened and pleaded before the king to release
the victim, as it was riot fair to cut up another body in order to save his own. The
king refused to honour his proposal. Then Visvamitra went up to Sunaepaand taught him the Varuna- mantra which the latter recited with
Varuna was pleased and arrived on the scene. Hariscandra begged
the whole medley and Varuna permitted him to let go the boy.
119.
became
bow
fit
all
his
devotion.
mercy
for
According to AB, Rohita was apprised of the situation in Varuna's presence after he
to wear armour, upon which, he refused to submit to sacrifice and went away to forest,
in hand.
120.
Ch. 16. 7-9. Ibid.
121.
Ch. 16. 34. Ibid.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
218
(/)
Now
another coloured thread
is
woven
The
into the texture.
released
O gentlemen of omniscient knowSunassepa addresses the sacrificial assembly

whose
son
is
am I now ? Who my father hereafter ? With your verdict,
ledge
'
him
shall resort to
for protection'.
Putro'ham kasya sarvajnah pita me ko'gratafr param

Bhavatam vacanat tasya aranam pravrajamyaham /
Of whom else would he be the son, when he is Ajigarta's

The members said
progeny?' The sage Vamadeva "No." He was sold for price and the king
'
bought him, so he belongs to the king, undoubtedly. Or, he should belong to

Varuna, as he released him from the bonds. For, five kinds are the fathers as
they say
Annadata bhayatrata tatha vidyapradas ca yah

Tatha vittaprada caiva paneaite pitarab smrtab
123
/
There was a deadlock when the god's name was brought into competition. But
"
When the father, devoid of affection, sold
Vasistha gave a reasonal judgment
:
the son, he ceased to be that for, he get wealth instead. The king acquired him
no doubt, but he forfeited his claim when he offered him to the gods by yoking him
to the post,
who
and he has derived benefit
released
him only
also.
Nor does Sunassepa belong
after being pleased with his praise ".
Kau6ikasya sutas cayam ariste ycna raksitafr.

Mantram datva mahaviryam Varunasyatisaiikate
4
He becomes
to
Varuna,
So,
who saved him from calamity by imparting a

125
Members of the assembly immediately
powerful mantra in praise of Varuna'.
approved of the decision. Sunassepa went over to Visvamitra, who held him by
the right hand and took him home at once (satvarafr).
Varuna, pleased, went to
his abode.
And all went to their own houses 126
the son of Kausika
is
122.
17.22. Ibid.
123.
What enumeration
the
fifth,
124.
17.38-34. Ibid.
125.
Note
126.
Five kinds, but only four are stated.
perhaps. 17.27 ibid.

Vasis|;ha's high regard for Visvamitra.
Visvamitras tu jagraha tarn kare daksine tada
Ehi putra grham me tvam ityuktva premapuritah

Varunas tu prasannatma jagama ca svamalayam /
RtvijaS ca tatha sabhyah svagrhan niryayustada /
17.
truly puranic finish
86-88
The
father
who
begets
amitra'
part
W>
o
o-~
is,
J*
Cfl
a
cc
C
O
II
I"*
8
-'
Bull
DCRI
xi-15
219
HARIYAPPA
H. L.
220
fl
M M
O <8
"^
o>
&
iflii
&S 2 fcPQS
con
a^
.2
rema
and
82
e
<J
3 Q ^
cJS
yfl
GO
amitra
part
>-8S.3
il&iri
sill!
13
II
1
a
to
221
21
11
i
lc|l!ltl|J
I
a
a;if
tjjjll
ip
1|w
vn
s/3
'C-
'S3
g
PQ
222
H. L.
HARIYAPPA
fltr
aa-Sg-&wg
223
REVIEW OF THE CONSPECTUS
A glance at the conspectus will at once show how the various works have
deviated from the main current of the story. The incident after all is one, it did
not happen to two or more Sunassepas, nor did it occur in two or more places.
Therefore while employing expressions like version and recension which arc almost
becoming technical with the advance of critical scholarship, some care requires
Should we, for instance, talk of the number of versions of the

Sunass"epa story, ordinarily we shall be obliged to say they are as many as there
are works which deal with the legend
because, with each narration, there will
be some innovation, wanton or otherwise. Such changes are mere embellishments
and are of little consequence regarding the framework. Secondly, the time-factor
should also be considered the distinction of different versions must naturally
apply to works which are more or less contemporaneous. With regard to works
beyond the range of history the question does not arise, for all are ancient. But
a work of the 5th cent. A.D. cannot presume to vie with the ancient Aitareya to
propound a different version of the story. Any version after all should be backed
up by an element of truth. Flagrant innovations which reflect the pulse of a people
The Brahma Purana,
or of an age cannot claim the status of versions, indeed.
to be exercised.
all the Puranas, for instance, introduces the Invisible Voice

not sacrifice Sunassepa the sacrifice is complete without the
Simassepa bathes in the Gomati-ksetra and is absolved of all respon-
the first-mentioned of
'
(asarira-vak)
immolation
'.
Do
by the sacrifice. The motive for this innovation is purely local, that is to
the
holiness of the (ranges and to signify a revolt against human sacrifice.
glorify
can
this
be designated as a different version ? It is not supported by any
But
sibility
trend of tradition which touches the hoary past. The Devi Bhagavata is full of
innovations which are introduced to explain, as it were, the different stages of the
Thus Hariscandra according to AB first asks for 10 days' time to sacrifice
story.
new born
babe, but, the Devi Bhagavata raises
it to one month, for the father

days of child-birth, but the mother
becomes eligible only after a month She should accompany the husband in all
Can this be called a version ?
religious functions, according to the Ordinances.
Harivamsa and Vayu fcurana find themselves in a medley. Having represented
the traditional descent of Jamadagni as the son of Rcika, the author is at a loss
the
is
eligible to
perform religious
rites after 1(T

!
Fortunately he did not say that Jamadagni

removed the last man, Sunolangula, in
the seriatim arrangement
Thus, the brotherhood bears this galaxy Jamadagni
Sunassepa and Sunabpuccha. Can this be called a version ? Similarly, Haridasva
When once it entered the holy writ,
is an unconscious substitute for Hariscandra.
to fix
was
up the Sunassepa
brothers.
also called Sunafrpuccha, but simply
'
'
was suffered because, perhaps, HaridasVa is a name of the Sun God, from whom
the Iksvakus were descended. Hariscandra was an Iksvaku hence, there could
it
be reconciliation by regarding the king as Haridasva alias Hariscandra.
Let us consider one other point. In most of the works, the legend is treated
en passant. The importance given or the interest which attaches to the story may
be measured, in a way, by the extent of the description in each. The Aitareya,
224
L HARIYAPPA
owing to its antiquity, may not come into the picture. All the same, it devotes
a whole chapter in six khandas (sections) comprising roughly 55 prose bits and 31
gathas. Other works allot as follows
:
48
1.
Ramayana
2.
Mahabharata
Harivamsa
Brahma Purana
Vayu Purana
3.
4.
5.
Slokas
(2 cantos)
two contexts)
,,
(total of
113
,,
(2 chapters)
25
,,
(parts of 2 chapters)
Bhagavata
Devi Bhagavta
194
,,
(4 chapters)
Of these, Nos. 4, 6 and 7 follow Aitareya Brahmana, except the narrator's amplifications here and there.
The main features are common, as shown in the conspectus.
Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 5 show some divergences. One common divergence that really
matters is that una&epa is the son of Rclka not of Ajigarta. That is, the family
While
itself is differently stated, for Rclka is a Bhargava, Ajigarta is an Angirasa.
and
the orthodox school, dating back to the time of the Sarvanukramani
prior still
6.
7.
AB
account by assigning Sunassepa to the

Aftgirasa family changed to that of Visvamitra, the Ramayana, Mahabharata,
Harivamsa and Vayu Purana declare him to be a Bhargava changed into a Vaisvamitra. Taking recourse to conjecture only for no other deduction is possible,
the
Arsanukramani, rcaflirms the
this deviation
might have been based on
stories current
among
the populace
it
may
Another point is about the King's

represent popular tradition in other words.
name, Ambarlsa in the Ramayana Hariscandra in Mbh. and VP, Haridasva in
;
Harivamsa. We have submitted that Haridasva might have been an oversight

on the part of Harivamsa. A similar plea must reconcile the divergence of Ram.,
as Ambarlsa is nowhere else mentioned as an Iksvaku prince.
The Ambarlsa of
the Mbh. is just an ancient king (Sorensen p. 30), nothing to do with the Iksvakus.
Curiously, Hariscandra is not stated among the Iksvaku princes, whose dynastic
list is given in Ram. (1.70).
Perhaps our Hariscandra is identical with Ambarlsa.
For the present purpose we submit that the difference in names is due to the
narrator's whim or ignorance.
The dynastic lists presented in the Epics and the
Puranas are truly confusing and utterly inconsistent with one another.
If,
in the light of the
can only be two
above discussion, we come to think of versions at
one, the orthodox version represented
Brahma, Bhagavata and Devi Bhagavata

in the Ram., Mbh., Hari. and VP.
Aitareya Brahmana (55+31)

Brahma Purana (113)
they
the other, the popular version reflected
The Rgvedic Nucleus
Orthodox version
Bhagavata (25)
Devf Bhagavata (194)
all,
by AB, followed by the
B
Popular version
Ramayana
(48)
Mahabharata
Harivams'a
{3)
(6)
Vayu Purana
(4)
225
Works under A, have dealt with the legend at some length and hence admit of
Under B, we can see the summary manner in which the
correct appreciation.
story
is
drawn.
disposed
of,
on the basis of which no inference of certain validity can be
The
chief criterion in so grouping

version concurrent with the orthodox one.
them
is
the likelihood of a popular
IX
MODERN OPINIONS
The Legend of Sunassepa has been a favourite study to many a scholar of
At first it drew attention as a very ancient story so full of human
interest.
But later scholars like Max Miiller and Roth dived deep into their
bearings and recorded their impressions a hundred years ago. The former translatrecent times.
ed the entire piece into English in his history of Ancient Sanskrit Literature 130 and
the latter's critique, with a German translation of the legend, came out in the
Indische Studicn. 131 An exhaustive and invaluable study has since been provided
by Keith in his Rig-veda Brahrnanas Translated. 132 In the long period of time that
divided the two scholars Roth and Keith, the legend continued to be of interest
to many, from the point of view of Human Sacrifices in Ancient India.
Hille-
brandt 133 and Eggeling 134 considered the question deeply. The one believed and
the other did not believe in the existence of human sacrifices. Wilson wrote
an essay on human
Compendium
and John Muir incoroprated
sacrifices
his impressions in his
135
Before dealing with this subject of world-wide interest, we may know how the
legend has impressed as a piece of literature. Roth has surmised a more ancient
metrical version of the story 136 this inference is evidently based on the fact that
certain verses (gathas) have been interspersed in the narrative, and sometimes the
intervening prose appears to patch up the factual detail between two verses. The
;
gathas arc,
it is
generally agreed, reminiscent of what was most current among the

in oral transmission from person to person and generation
Regarding the make up of the story, Roth arrived at the following
people, and perpetuated

to generation.
conclusions
The oldest legend about Sunassepa (alluded to in RV 1.24.11-13 and RV

knows only of his miraculous deliverance by divine help from the peril of
(i)
5.2.7)
death.
This story becomes expanded into a narrative of Sunassepa's threatened

(ii)
slaughter as a sacrificial victim and of his deliverance through Visvamitra.
180.
131.
182.
188.
ASL
pp. 408-420,
458-464, 2,112-128.
HOS Vol. 25 (1920)
Ritualliteratur, pp. 153-6
V
IS
1.
134.
135.
SBEXLIV.
OST 1 pp.
136.
Weber IL
xli- xlv.
355-360.
p. 47,
Keith
(HOS
25) p. 63.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
226
This immolation-legend becomes severed into two essentially distinct

the oldest forms of which are 'respectively represented by the stories
(Hi)
versions,
137
in the Aitareya
Brahmana and
the
Ramayana.
becomes eventually the predominant one, but its proper

no
central point
longer the deliverance from immolation but the incorporation
or
of Sunas"sepa,
(with a change of persons) of Rcika, into the family of the Kusikas.
It thus becomes in the end a family legend of the race of Visvamitra.
The
(iv)
latter
is
There
is
thus no historical, perhaps not even a genealogical, result to be gained
On
the other hand, the story obtains an important place in the circle of
those narratives in which the sacerdotal literature expressed its views regarding
here.
the character and agency of Visvamitra. 138
The
bare.
tion.
polymath and critic, has analysed the legend threadwork which should serve as an example of critical investigaThough often oppressive, and never satisfied with the accuracy of things
late Professor Keith,
It is a piece of
like the proverbial tarkika, 139
Keith as a
critic
undoubtedly exercised a powerful

Forum. It must be said,
on the hasty and

however, that his writings lacked warmth and sympathy, qualities, for instance,
that endeared Max Muller to all classes of the literati. 140
the fanciful in the Research
restraint
Keith 141 notices a threefold structure in the legend comprising (a) the episode
of Varuna, Hariscandra and Rohita, (b) the episode of Sunasscpa and Ajlgarta
(add Rohita to provide the link) and (c) the episode of Visvamitra's sons and
To restate the krarna
vSunassepa (add, again, Visvamitra also).
;
'
(a)
Hariscandra
(b)
Rohita
(c)
Sunasscpa
Varuna
Ajigarata
Rohita,
Sunasscpa
Visvamitra
'
and
Visvamitra's sons.
RV
It is pointed out, as already shown by us in the sub-section on

references,
that the RV provides no information whatever about Hariscandra or Rohita or
Ajigarta so, the whole narrative is a later invention. The utilisation of the
RV
137.
Mr. Narahari concludes his survey of the Legend of Sunassepa in Vedic and postVedic Literature as follows " We have thus three recensions of the legend of Sunassepa." Vide
A Volume of Studies in Indology presented to MM. P. V. Kane (1941) p. 307. We are obliged to
an uncritical statement from all accepted canons of textual criticism, c/.
point out that this is
the explanations of " Recension and version " in Dr. Katre's Introduction to Indian Textual
"
Criticism
Narahari perhaps meant to say that versions of the story were as many.
(1041), p. 95.
138.
Rendered by Muir. OST, 1 s p. 359 f.
:
189.
One is reminded of Ksemendra's compliment to this class of scholars in his Kavikan^habharana (Kavyamala), an excellent tract on how to become a poet
Kurvlta sahityavidas sakase srutarjanam kavyasamudbhavaya /
Na tarkikam kevala&abdikam va kuryad gurum suktivikasavighnam //
This aspect was specially stressed in numerous messges of sympathy and love that
140.
poured in after the demise of this venerable savant, from Queen to commoner. See Life and
:
Letters of
aptly puts
}41.
Max
Muller published by his wife a year after. Vol. II, pp. 419-439.
Mttller made knowledge agreeable (p. 430).
Rig-Veda Brahmanas Translated (HOS 25, 1920), pp. 61-08,
it
Max
As tine review

verses,
hundred
in
all,
Hotr
must be ascribed
'
to a time
when
227
it
was desired to
find
priest at the
Rajasuya in connection with the tale of Sunas"

the
In the
sepa'.
pre-Brahmana state of the legend, Keith says,
Regarding
into
its
the
of
content
the
Roth,
legend grew up
present
opinion
during
period
when the collection of the RV was in. process of being carried out and it was due
to it that the series of hymns in the first book to various deities was ascribed to
the authorship of Sunasepa. He lays stress on the argument that the argument
recitations for the
hymns in part depends upon the theory of authorship. On the other hand,
view of Aufrecht, the authorships ascribed by the Anukramani are complied
from the notices of the Brahmanas and, while this view is not altogether tenable,
it would be impossible to come to any definite conclusion regarding the period of
growth of the legend from the order of hymns in the Sarhhita to the attribution to
Sunassepa of the hymns in question." It must be remembered however that the
of the
in the
gathas that are incorporated in AB presuppose the existence of a constructed popular

marked out not only the saving of Sunassepa but also his transfer
Keith is satisfied that " from (AB) vii. 17.3 to the
into the family of Visvamitra.
end of the verses it runs as a perfectly simple narrative requiring only the names of
ballad which
the speakers to be supplied to
make
it clear,
just as they are supplied in the epic."
But both Roth and Keith do riot vouchsafe to the not impossible inclusion of
Hariscaudra and Rohita in the gatha version, because the Hariscandra-gathas
"
(AB 7.13 and 15) are general in the extreme, and so inappropriate is the exhortation to the king to obtain a son in ch. 13 that it
The verses are not chosen out of narrative made
is
addressed to Brahmans... 142
up apropos of Hariscandra but

mere general maxims pitted up into a story." But there must be some cause
Keith is prepared to think " that may merely
for the sacrifice of Sunassepa.
have been an ordinary tale of the performance of the human sacrifice and not a
tale of the extraordinary and almost ludicrous action of Hariscandra and Narada.
Very probably the two stories of Hariscandra and his son and Sunassepa have been
allowed to mingle, as they seem to belong to different strata of tradition, the first
falling among the many stories of the sacrifice of children among the Semetic and
other races, and the latter reprobating the practice of human sacrifice as a custom,
perhaps one specially favoured by the Aiigiras family, which was opposed by other
Vedic families." There is no trace of hostility between Vasistha and Visvamitra
who appear as Brahman and Hotr amicably at the sacrifice. There are traces of
are
the regal character attributed to Visvamitra, since the young Sunassepa is said
to succeed to the lordship of the Jahnus as well as the divine lore of the Gathinas. 143
Oldenberg thought that the Sunassepa legend as given in AB provided a good

instance of the ancient akhyanas, which are characterised as narratives in prose
and verse, the former supplying suitable introductions, to or amplifications of the
latter.
This
is
not impossible, for even today, the existence of old legends in oral
Kim nu malam kim ajinam kimu smaSruni kim tapah /

Putram brahmana icchadhvam sa vai loko'vadavadah //
142.
AB
143.
PB
xxi, 12.2
7.18.9.4.
228
HARIYAPPA
of them with all their dialectal liberty, simplicity and

would
add support to Oldenberg's theory. They are ballads in
homely appeal,
and
transmitted
with an understandable shyness and reserve among
verse,
prose
the women-folk only for the ostensible reason that men may laugh at the want of
We imagine, as we witness today, that these ballads have
literary polish in it.
had a continuous tradition from time immemorial. However, Oldenberg was
severely criticised and opposed by Keith and the theory rejected, we should dare
many
tradition only,
to confess a feeling, with the latter's tarkika instincts 144 conning into full play.
It is not that everything in the Akhyana theory is based on definite evidence and
sound judgment. Yet the deep thinker as he visualised a glimmering light in the
horizon pushed his way through, tripping here and there owing to darkness. Constructive criticism would strive to enlighten these dark spots and help the distant
Thus while reading in the ancient Samhita (RV) the dialogue
light to spread itself.
between Pururavas and UrvasI, or that between Saraina and the Panis it is natural
to think of a word of explanation here and there being necessary.
The psycholin
our
own
minds
while
statement
and
the
the reply
understanding
ogical processes
Such might
in a dialogue find expression in words, in the Akhyana so-called.
have been provided by the ancient Vcclic bards. But Oldenberg went farther
than reasonable, of course in enthusiasm, to assert that such explanatory matter
once formed regular part of the Veda, since disappeared or lost. Such unnecessary
generalisations set the weight of suspicion on the whole edifice and Keith was too
quick to let the key-stone gather cement. Taking the AB account itself as a
composite narrative, we are unable to see how a status as such cannot be granted to
145
Whether reminiscent of the hypothetical Akhyana of the Veda or not, the

narrative in itself may, with a certain amount of co-operative thinking, be
regarded as an instance of the Akhyana. Defects are pointed out that the verses
it.
AB
of the narrative are loosely linked with the prose and that gnomic verses found
elsewhere are worked into it and all that. True, how will all that disprove the
main characteristic of a more or less logically sequential mixture of prose and
we want
submit that, in the Akhyana, which, after all reflects

a popular character rather than the high-flown literary unities of action, time
and place, we do expect some paradoxes, anomalies and flagrant inconsistencies,
which in a way provided they are not absurd are their peculiar and attractive
Otherwise how can tradition subsist ? How can it survive the ravages
features. 146
verse
Besides
of time and clime,
if
to
people's fancy did not feed
it
specially at a time
when
writing
was a problem and printing unknown ? This may be another extreme, but a
consideration along the Hue is necessary while appreciating ancient literary traditions which, may it be remembered, are ever more of the people than of the scholar.
144.
Keith,
JRAS
1911, pp. 979-1009.
Vedic literary tradition actually designates it an akhyana, in the sense of a short story
complete in itself. Oldenberg only went to the length of defining it and also superimposing its
existence as part of the Samhita.
145.
146.
Witness for instance the popular version of the Sun&ssepa legend
Bhagavata or even the more polished yet impossible innovations of the Brahma.
of change is inevitable.
in
the Devi
The
process

Therefore there
still
is
needed to keep the
'
room enough
for Oldenbergs while Keiths are absolutely
balance of power
'
!
The Legend of Sunasepa has roused considerable
human
229
interest
among
scholars,
Such a view is
not unreasonable, for Sunassepa was actually bound to the stakes. He was saved,
no doubt, by divine grace but the canons do not make provision for that.
Human sacrifice under the name purusa-medha is prescribed by the Saiikhayana
Sr#uta Sutra (16.10 f.) and the Vaitana (37.10 ff.). An elaborate ceremony has
as revealing the prevalence of
sacrifice in
Ancient India.
developed in relation to it, in which, according to the Vajasaneyi Sarhhita (30)

as many as 184 persons of different denominations and professions have to be
It is incredible on the face of it that such a ritual had ever
offered 147 as sacrifice.
The consensus of opinion is that this human

practical demonstration.
sacrifice was only a theoretical provision in the Sutras, occasioned, as Keith opines,
to remove the anomaly in the omission of man from the list of victims.
The
had any
use of a
great
man and
fire altar.
four other victims
is
stated as an offering at the piling of the
This usage is not actually laid down by any Brahmana, the most
the use cf the head of a man who has been slain by lightning or
contemplated is
by an arrow shot, not a victim killed for the purpose, and normally the head of a
148
goat seems to have sufficed. But it is clearly no sacrifice at all.
is the other world-wide custom of slaying a human being to act as the
of
the foundations of a building. This is an unwritten and stealthy
guardian
if
at
all.
It is no human sacrifice in the sense put forth by the Srauta
practice,
There
Sutras.
Human
was not uncommon in Greece as we hear stories to the effect.

was widely practised in the age of the Indus Valley Civilisa150
The theory of
tion. 149
Stray incidents are also reported from the Bible.
sacrificing or giving up what is our best or what we love most, in order to please
the Almighty Creator, is not without force it has some appeal to the cultivated
mind and much more so to the credulous. The principle of surrender reaches its
zenith when we hear a story that Havana offered his head to please Siva, or that
Visnu himself, finding a lotus less than a thousand while he worshipped the same
God, without hesitation, pulled out his eye and offered at His feet. This kind of
immolation has some justification, when it is viewed in a truly philosophic way.
But that will not suit the world. The moment it is turned into a cult, it becomes
It
is
sacrifice
revealed that
it
barbarous, hence the univerasl abhorrence of it. One other point. If ever human
sacrifice was contemplated and practised in order to please the Gods, well, the same
Gods have recompensed the loss ten-fold. Even in the fables, there is no sacrifice
without such compensation which would repair the
19),
147.
Winternitz
148.
Keith
pp.
loss
completely.
For the
HIL
RPV,
p.174.
pp. 347-348.
Veda of the Black Yajus School Translated (HOS 18 and
cxxxvii-cxl.
149.
A. P. Karmartcar,
150.
Max Mttller
in
Human
ASL,
p. 419,
Sacrifice in Proto-India,
ABOEI
25 (1944), pp. 112-113.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
230
sake of argument, Ravana sacrificed the one head but got ten in return and became
master of the three worlds. Even so Visnu the eye was at once restored, and with
it he became Supreme Lord of the three worlds.
Sunassepa was sacrificed for all
Gods were pleased, Sunassepa himself was
intents and purposes, the result was
granted long life and Hariscandra was freed from illness. But when such principles
;
acts of subtlety and high thinking were canonised, the inevitable result would
be brutal executions at dead of night, in mid-forest and amidst ghastly surroundings.
Therefore quite early in the history of Man, counteraction expressed itself and to
and
the best of our belief, the Sunassepa sacrifice is an instance of an effective protest
It is colourfully represented by some
against such a system, if it ever existed.
that the native dwellers of India before the Aryan advent indulged in it and the
Aryans by various means exerted a healthy influence upon them to give up such
horrible customs.
X
ON THE NAME SUNASSEPA
'
'
Sunassepa dog-tailed
Rsi, as he is known to be.
151
for a
(suna iva scpo asya), is rather a funny name
He is one of the celebrated Centurion Seers (Satarcins)
of the first mandala of RV. He is complimented also as a reputed poet, born in

the family of the Angirasas (Angiraso janmana'syajigartis srutah kaviU) and yet
The uncomplipossessing such an unpoetic name, sets one to think about it.
mentary if not despicable nature of it has been noticed by every scholar. Some
have felt it not inappropriate with his indigent and, judging from later conduct,
barbarous parentage. 152 An opinion has been expressed also that though the
name relates to a dog and all that, in the time of the Rgveda it did riot matter, as
the dog was not considered a despicable beast at all. 153 Some kind of endearment
was felt or intended when, for instance, Rcika's wife, the mother of Sunassepa said
Avikreyam sutam jyestham Bhagavan aha Bhargavab. /

Mamapi dayitam viddhi kanistham Sunakam prabho // 154
All the same, the queerness of the name and much more, the queerness of its being
one of a synonymous series Sunabpuccha, Sunassepa and Sunolahgula are
undeniable. The names are truly artificial; they sound like nick-names.
That these names, as a series, are spurious is countenanced by the Harivamsa.
While tracing the genealogy of Jamadagni and Visvamitra, there was a problem for
151.
Amusing names are perhaps the feature of all times and all nations. Compare Bull,
Boot(e), Black, Burns, Baldwin, Butcher, Stone, Dry-den, Piggot, Swineburn etc., corresponding
in Kannada Kempa, Kariya, Gunda, Hucca, Kaja, surnames like Tenginakai or Menasinakai
etc.
Contrast the practice of gods' names only employed by some people, as a rule.
152.
censure
"
is
kind of
cf.
Eggeling SBE XLIV, p. xxxiv et seq., Winternitz HIL 1.218 n.
reflected in the retention of the genitive (aluk) in those names,
cf. Panini 6.3.21
"
Sasthya akrose
158.
Hopkins
154.
Ram.
particularly
Vartika 4 thereon, Sepapucchalarigulesu sunah samjftayam.

AmJPh. XV The Dog in the Rig- Veda pp. 154-63 (1894).
4
The suffix ka signifies affection

the diminutive Sunaka from Sunolaiigula,
1.61.17-18.
'
as in putraka, balaka etc., note
231
'
Jamadagni was the son of Rcika by Saty avail daughter of king Gadhi.
whom he loved dearly and being pleased with
She partook of it and gave
her, prepared the holy caru for the sake of progeny.
birth to Jamadagni. But there was another legend current, relating to a Rcika
who had three sons, the Suna-brothers, the middle one being SunaSSepa. So the
undaunted author of the Harivamsa reconciled the divergence by grafting two of
Vyasa '.
Rcika chose to marry the princess
Jamadagni, the status of the middle one being vouchsafed

viz., Jamadagni, Sunasepa and Sunafrpuccha
became more ludicrous than the original combination. In these circumstances,
our supposition that there should have been two Rcikas, stated in the foregoing
these, as brothers of
for Sunassepa.
This brotherhood
pages, appears plausible.
That apart, it is sufficiently reasonable to think that the names of Sunabpuccha

and Sunolangula are purely imaginary. These two are mentioned for the first
time in AB and, only Sankh &S, of so many works of Vedic Literature, repeats the
names.
Later, the Varttika-kara conceived a special vartika comprehending only

"
"
these three names, as an addendum to the sutra
Sasthya akro&e
(6.3.21, SK.
That gave these mythical personalities a stamp of reality. Nevertheless,

981).
the purpose of the puccha and langula has been no more than to provide the
madhyama status to Sunassepa. The concept of the middle one, incidentally,
itself
deserves to be questioned on two grounds at least.
Firstly
it is,
psycholog-
for, all children are the same to

ically, an unsound and unnatural phenomenon
the parents. The distinction of the eldest and the youngest is an almost mischievous
precept promulgated by the old text. Tradition fostered it, though in general,
it has never been given to mankind to practise it. Secondly, it has no basis in the
Samhita, nor corroboration in any other work of the Vedic period which could be
;
contemporaneous with
Now
it.
name Sunassepa itself. It occurs in the Samhita thrice as already

pointed out (RV 1.24.12,13 5.2.7). Other expressions in the Veda with Suna
156
156
157
Sunesita. 168 The word 6una
Sunahotra,
Sunasira,
prefixed are Sunaprstha,
itself occurs twelve times, 159 in two forms s'unah (thrice) and sunam (nine times).
The Tandya Mahabrahmana mentions a Sunaskarna. 160
to the
155.
7.80.1.
156.
2.18.6; 41.14; 17.
157.
4.57.^5,;
dvandva
8.
The Nighantu mentions the word with a double accent as a devataBut in the Samhita, the word is intitially accented
Sunaslra (Nigh. 5.3.34).
Sunasira.
158.
8.46.28.
Sunah
4.18.13 ; 8.55.3.
5
84
6.16.4; 10.102.8; 126.7; 160.5. The
3.30.22; 4.3.11; 57.4
superimposed figures denote the number of times the word occurs in the same stanza. For the
purpose of counting the number of occurrences the whole stanza is taken as one.
159.
Sunam
1.182.4
1.117.18
TB 17.12.6 Sunaskarna is the name of a king (mentioned is BSS also), son of Sibi
160.
or of Baskiha who performed a certain rite, the Sarvasara, and so died without disease. VI 2 p.
886. TaB, also called Paftcaviriis'a Brahmana is translated into English by Caland ( ASB publication
1931).
H. L.
232
Sunaprstha
HARIYAPPA
so also Sunesita (analysed as

prstha)
the
dog.'
by
;
'
'
possessed of fine backs (Sobhana*

una-isita) meaning drawn or carried along
used as an adjective meaning
is
Sunasira signifies a dual divinity namely Indra-Vayu. According to Yaska

161 it is
Vayu and Aditya. Later, the expression signifies two agri(Nir. IX.40),
cultural deities, the personifications probably of
Roth thinks. 162
Sunahotra
the
is
the second Mandala.
name
'
the share and the plough', as
of a Vedic Rsi, father of
Thrice
it
has appeared in
Grtsamada who is the Seer of

and in loc. pi. only suna-
RV
Once interpreted
hotresu.
and twice
as referring to sacrificial vessels of that designation

as referring to the Sunahotras, the members of the Sunahotra family. 163
Though he does not figure in the Vedic text, we

versatile Saunaka under which name Grtsamada is said
ed over from the Arigiras to the
as the son of Sunaka. 164 It is
are quite familiar with the

to be known after he chang-
Bhrgu family. In the Bhrgu family he was adopted

however significant that, in the hymns he saw, he
styles himself as a Sun&hotra.
Now the word sunam 165 in the Veda is one of 20 names of sukha (happiness),
sometimes used adverbially also meaning happily (Nigh 3.6.11). Thus the
expressions, Sunahotra (one who sacrifices for the sake of happiness), Sunaprstha
(the horse which possesses happy, pleasurable, therefore fine backs), Sunaka
'
'
happy man) and Saunaka (son of the happy man)

The adjective Sunesita drawn by the dog,' (una-isita) is
(the
'
of the aluk-samasa with the instrumental suffix not
the
lost.
ail
are of good import.

an instance
in that sense,
Thus we
names of persons
consistently
Why
in the Vedic range are concerned the first

conveyed good sense.
should
it
be different in
the case of Sunass^pa
see, so far as
member &una has

The pada
text
significantly enough does not analyse the word but shows the double accent, which
is explained according to
Panini 6.2.140 Ublie vanaspatyadisu yugapat (SK
166
first
member
3871 ).
The
here is sunab which is, apparently, genitive singular
161.
162.
uno Vayuh 6u etyantarikse

VI,
II,
p.
slra
adityah saranat (Nir. IX. 40).
386.
Sukhena huyate somo yair iti sunahotrah patravteesah Sayana on RV 2.18.6. Sunaasmasu (2.41.14, 17). Preface to Second Mandala Mandaladrasta
Grtsamada rsih / Sa ca purvam Arigirasakule Sunahotrasya putrah san yajftakale asurair grhita
Indrena mocitah / Pacat tadvacunenaiva Bhrgukule Sunaka-putro Grtsamadanama abhut.
Tatha canukramanika Ya Angirasa^ Saunahotro bhutva bhargava^ Saunako^bhavat sa Grtsamado divitlyam mandalam apa^yad iti / Tatha tasyaiva &aunakasya vacanam Rsyanukramane
Tvam Agna iti Grtsamadas Saunako Bhrgutam gatah /
Saunahotrah prakrtya tu ya Arigirasa ucyate //
168.
hotresu Grtsamadesu
164.
Ibid.
Dr. A. Venkatasubbiah in his word study argues that sunam " signifies originally
priya == dear, agreeable etc., and secondarily, svlya or own. The meaning sukha assigned to it
by the author of the Nighantu seems to be but an approximate equivalent of the original priya,
like all approximations, not quite accurate."
pp. 61-66 IA. LVI (1927). Dr. A. V. has published
"
his essays in book form entitled
Vedic Studies," published at Devaprasada, Myosre.
166.
Vanaspati Brhaspati $acipati Tanunapat Nara&amsah
ûnasêpah Sandamarkau Trsnavarutrl LambavisVavayasau Marmrtyuh iti vanaspatyadih. See also VG, p. 96.
165.

of 6van, 'dog'.
It
is
a case, again, like
s*una-isita, for
233
the aluk.
But
as true
Vedic application demands, we should explore whether Sunafr in this compound

cannot mean or relate to happiness. In our opinion it can.
Before proceeding to elucidate this point, it would be well to discuss the other
This word is mentioned in the Nighantu along with
difficult member, sepa.
Vaitasab among 26 duets of names. 167 The meaning is not given. 188 The Nirukta
"
Sepo Vaitasa iti pumsprajananasya / Sepa s*apateb sprsatiexplains as follows
karmano vaitaso vitastam bhavati // " Sepa and vaitasa are names of man's
:
169
sepa from sap to touch and vaitasa because it is contracted.
The etymology is not supported by proper authority. Yaska was full of fancy,
no doubt, but when he is likely to mislead, we have to look elsewhere. According
genital organ
to Unadi, sepa
is
and asun, which

in
usage as in
derived from\/
yields the
si
to lie
form sepas.
'
'
praharama sepam
down or sleep, II A with the suffixes put

But the word ending in a is also found
17
Sepa is associated with sipi in RV 7.100. 5-6 meaning rami (ray) as explained
Yaska.
Reminiscent of this, sepa must mean brightness or lustre
by
:
Pra tat
tc
adya
s*ipivista
nama
Aryafr samsami vayunani vidvan /

Tain tva grnami tavasam atavyan
Ksayantam asya
Kim
rajasab parak^
//
paricaksyam bhut
Pra yad vavakse* sipivisto asmi /
it
tc vis no
Mjt varpo
asmad apa guha
etat
Yad anyarupab samithe bnbhutha

Here
(2)
Sipivista
is
used in two senses
enveloped by rays.
172
Now
(1)
unless urged
171
//
uncovered
like the
membrum
virile
by the authority of these ancient
...6pah/ vaitasah / ...iti sadvimsatir dvisa uttarani namani / Nigh. 3.29.

Dr. S. K. Belvalkar thinks that this and the subsequent section of Ch. Ill of the
lists of words, the supposition
Nighantu are, possibly, additions by a later hand. Being mere
4
'
is that, like the words (aikapadikas) of Ch. IV, they are also anavagatasamskara words, whose
make-up, significance etc. are not known. We submit that sections 29 and 30 of Ch. Ill may
just be two lists of words which were of the nature of anavagatasamskara appended by the first
compilers themselves. Did not the original compilers of the Nighantu (say of the first three
Reference AIOC II (Calcutta) S. K.
chapters) meet with difficult words at all in the Veda ?
Belvalkar on the Literary Strata of the Rgveda.
167.
168.
Nir. 3.21.
169.
Yasyam usantah praharama 6pam (RV 10.85.37) is quoted as example.
Vaitaso vitastam upakslnam bhavati praganusmaranat striyah Durga.
Sin svapne. VrnsTnbhyam rupasvangayoh put ca / (Un 640) and Sarvadhatubhyah
170.
asun / (Un 628). Hence Sepas. Yadyapi sepassabdah sakarantah gaurlingam cihnasepasoh
ityamara-prayogat, tathapi siho nipatanad aunadike papratyaye akarantopyastyeva /
"
171.
Tr.
Resplendent Visnu, I, the master of the offering, knowing the objects that are
to be known, glorify
today thy name I, who am feeble, praise thee who art powerful, dwelling
in a remote region of this world.
What is to be proclaimed, O Visnu, of thee, when thou sayest, I am îpivista ? Conceal
not, from us, thy real form, although thou hast engaged under a different form in battle." Wilson.
"
visnur iti Visnor dve namani bhavatali / Kutsitarthiyam
172. Nir. 5.7-8.
"Sipivis|x>
bhavatityaupamanyavah /.Sepa iva nirvestiteh (kutsitarthe) / Sipibhi ramibhir avisâh iti va /
:
234
propounders of Vedic thought
HARIYAPPA
Yaska and Aupamanyava, there
like
is
nothing
by way of internal evidence in the verses just quoted to support the kutsitartha,
the low sense. It is not infrequent that some good words are abused or used in
a euphemistic way to denote some indecent things in human life the psychology
one of hearty aversion to give utterance to obscene things, e.g. the use of the word
;
is
rnarma and pradhana, the dialectal sense of which cannot even enter the lexicons.
In the same manner it is not unlikely that an excellent word like Sipi meaning
ray was abused. What harm if we restore it to its original purity and understand
by sepa (sipir eva sepafr) a sense like ray, lustre, brilliance etc. ? The point is
It can mean
that Sipi or s*epa does not directly mean man's genital organ.
other things also, specially because the older work Nighantu has abstained from
specifying
its
meaning.
There is some support that we can find from other classical languages. 173
Compare Latin cipus, cippus and its Gk. analogue SKOIPOS, which mean a pile,
post, pillar, staff, bar, etc. In the light of this, the original significance of sepa may
be taken as a pillar or a post. And, if the first member in unassepa can be understood in the sense of sukha, happiness, the whole name yields a pleasant sense,
a sense which is in perfect; keeping with the great idea
viz. a pillar of happiness
of Deliverance for which una&epa is all the time remembered.
This meaning
is
possible
if
the
compound could be construed
How
sunasya (sukhasya) sepafr (stambhab) oimassepati.

between it ought to be Sunasepab ? This
sibilant in
is
to
as a tatpurusa
account for the
:
accounted by
which the Siddh-
easily
Panini 6.1.157 (Sk. 1073) Paraskaraprabhrtmi ca samjnayam /

anta Kaumudi expands etani sasutkani iiipatyante namni / paraskaraft / kiskindha / tad brhatofr etc. / coradevatayor iti samudayopadhifr / taskarab. / Brhaspatib /
:
. . .
Vanaspatib
ityadi
akrtiganoyam
The Tattvabodhini adds, with the flavour of a double-entendre sAartig&i\Qyamiti / Tena satat parani paras'satani karyanityadi siddham /, suggesting that
hundreds of such forms can be made, the word paras&ata itself being an example
9
Thus the aphorism and its vartikas declare that the instances are not limited
and that on their analogy many others in usage can be comprehended. Moreover,
Vanaspati (and hence Vanaspatyadi) is also added as coming within the purview
of this rule.
Sunaepa
is
174
which,
definitely included in the Vaiiaspatigana
while taking the double accent which is a privilege peculiar to its own group, shares
other grammatical incidences also, the sudagama in this case. Apart from the
technical rule, it is needless to stress the phonetic rationale in the expression Sunass"epa, where the sibilant helps to step up the pronunciation from the sonant to the
surd.
The argumentation reaches a fine point indeed, which may, in a way, be
considered unnecessary because the

173.
174.
human element
K. F. Johansson's note on Sepa.

Supra Note 166.
in language
Indische Miszellen, IF 3.213.
sometimes
defies

well, in fact it originates the rules and is unscrupulous enough to force
;
exceptions also. The Tattvabodhini makes a very pertinent statement under
the Paraskara- Sutra
all rule
va
Pararn karoti paraskarab, kimapi dhatte kiskindha, kim kim dadhati

Vastutastu rudhisabda etc kathancid vyutpadyanta iti avayavarthc
nagrahab karyab
175
/
The words are there in language attempts will be made to analyse and understand
them there is no point in being fastidious. Thus the word Sunassepa can be
;
analysed as a tatpurusa-samasa sunasya sepah, being entitled to the sudagama

member of the Vanaspati group which in turn is influenced by the Paraskara
:
as a
rule.
This discussion encourages us to think that the padapatha of Sunas*s*epa
is
This
faulty and requires to be emended, from Sunak-sepafr to Suna-se'pah.
involves us in a difficulty relating to the accent of the first member. The rule,
prescribes to the two members their own accent
(ubhayapadaprakrtisvaratva). According to this, suna as noun meaning happiness
takes the pratipadika-svara 177 i.e. accent on the final and is so marked in the
Nighantu -Sunam. But the text, has sunab, the initial accent pointing to the
Ubhe vanaspatyadisu yugapat, 176
great likelihood of its being, even originally, the gen. sing, of sVan, substantive ;
for in sunab, the genitive, being a sup-pratyaya, is unaccented 178 the accent
remains on the stem.
;
Whereas we have
sufficient
ground to put up a case
for the
emendation of
the pada-text, the emendation of the accent thereof is a natural corollary : Sunase*pab
Sunassepab. Following the tendency of the scholiast, it is not difficult
:
The pratipadikato argue for the initial accent of suna even as a substantive.
svara is taken advantage of, usually, when the word defies derivation according
to Sakatayaiia (the Unadi-sutras).
Indeed this exercise is a somewhat thankless
job because in great many cases the root-meaning hardly helps the semantic understanding of the word. All the same it speaks of the profound linguistic speculations
of the ancient grammarians to have evolved a grammatical machinery which can
dissect the
go,
VI
628)
P.
we
word
There! ore derive suiiam

"
Tattvabodhini
first
etc.
sentence is an epitome of the com., the second is a quotation.

(Nirnayasagar, Bombay 1942), p. 221 (Sk. 1073).
Sk. 3871 (P. VI.2.40)

1 following Sk. 3704.
176.
fromVûn,
to
"
the suffix asun provided by
Sarvadhatubhyab asun
(Un.
180
meaning, movement,
get the form sunas which has the initial accent,
The
175.
into its very elements.
Add
179
See SK. with
"
"
Phisonta udattah
"
anudattau suppitau."
Sk. 3706 (P III 1.4)
178.
179.
Dha. 1423 3una gatau (tu. pa.se) (Sk. NS edn. p. 410). Dha 1337 ace. BORI (ChitravPathak). What a wide difference in the enumeration of the roots, almost to a hundred. Such
differences are found in the Astadhyayl and the Siddhanta KaumudI also from publication to
publication. A standard edition of all these works which are indispensable to every scholar is
a great desideratum.
Bull
177.
Phit I
180.
SK. 3683
DCRI
xi-16
(P.
VI
1.197) ftnityadir nityam.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
236
happiness. Further, Sunasab sepab

unase*pab, which
181
to
at
all
not
invoke
the
has
sudagama
Why not prefer this
got
explanation
of
accent
the
Vedic
which
with
the
Text ? It is for the
given
agrees
explanation
a
tradition
a
\\ord
like s*unam meaning
that
certain
had
Vedic
reason
already
simple
progress,
prosperity,
happiness and on the analogy of other Vedic words like Brhaspati, Sunasse'pa also
could be more authoritatively explained.
There is a further important clue in this logical procedure which led us to

venture on an emendation of the Pada-text and through that may the Gods
on a slight change of accent in the Samhita also. Here is a basis for
forgive
some conjecture which is in no way idle. That we have interfered with the authen!
ticity or exactitude of the

is
not
infallible, as
(a)
pada-patha need cause no surprise.
The pada-patha
shown long ago by Yaska himself
RV
Commenting on
Indra citram cayanlyam
5.39.1. (yadinclra citra
mamhaniyam dhanam
asti
mehanastj) Yaska says

/
Yan ma
iha nastiti
va
Yad
trini
182
Bahvrcanam mchana ityekam
Durga, in support, adds
madhyamani padani /
"
ma
iha
na " iti / The divergence
padam / Chandoganam trinyetani padani
of the Pada and Samhita pathas is thus borne out by the evidence of the Samaveda.
"
mchana " as one of the anavagatas 183 not
Durga further characterises this
:
'
understood
',
of the vibhaganavagata type
i.e.
words whose division
not definitely
is
known.
The svaranavagata, an expression which raises difficulty of accent, has

(b)
Vane na vayo nyadhayi cakan ' 184
resulted in an erroneous pada-patha e.g. in
10.29.1.
Vana iva vayo veb putras
Commenting on this, Yaska says
'
RV
ya iti ca cakara Sakalyab / Udattam

tvevam akhyatam abhavisyat asusamaptas carthab / Sakalya has analysed
185
and the
vayafr into va and yak then the finite verb would have had the accent
sense would have been incomplete.
cayanniti va
kamayamana
iti
va
veti ca
We
have now added the case of Sunas'sc'pa. It is our belief that the story
(c)
of Sunasse*pa, as given in AB, was current with its component parts developed, by
the time Sakalya formulated the pada-patha; and that Sakalya, while he pieced
together the Samhita and provided the division into words (sakala
bits), very
and exponent.
probably exercised the liberties of an editor

181.
&unas and Sunam
may both
be admissible
like sepas
This circumstance
and Sepa as adverted to above,
Words that end in -a as well as -s are not uncommon, e.g. nabham, nabhas tapam, tapas
saham, sahas maham, mahas tamam, tamas rajam, rajas. from Dvirupa-kos'a quoted by
;
the
IV
(p.
360
500 Sk.
BSS
182.
Nir.
183.
The anavagatasamskaras
4. (p.
TattvabodhinI on Un. 628
NS
Vol.
Edn. 1942).
I).
That is, the words offer difficulties hi

Padajati-abhidheya-svara-samskara-guna-vibhagaTesu \;abhidheyam apeksya nirvacanam kartavyam
are of ten kinds.
way of understanding a text in ten ways.
krama-viksepa-adhyahara-vyavadhanani /
See pp. 857-858 Nirukta-Bhadkamkar I. BSS.
VI
See pp. 690, 693,
Bhadkamkar
184.
Nir.
185.
P. VIII 1,66 (Sk. 8970) Yadvrttaimityam.

"
of the pada-pa^ha.
"
etc. etc.
p. 698.
28.
I (BSS).
Durga has
Etasmin nigame padavibhagagatah kascid
fully explained the discrepancy

vicarosti tarn aha bhasyakarat

lends support to the view that
RV
287
1.24.12-13 are a later interpolation, probably
by Sakalya, which hypothesis we submitted in the early part of this essay. RV

"
5.2.6
Suna cicche'pam " must be regarded as an anavagatasamskara of the
viksepanavagata type
i.e.
words whose separation into parts becomes unintellig-
ible. 186
J[rl)
Many a verse from the Rgveda we find repeated in the other Samhitas.
In this process, many variae lectiones will reveal themselves. In dealing with
RV 3.31.0, in the previous chapter, we recorded a number of v.l. 187 between RV,
MS
Some
and TB.
v.l. are
found in
AV
also
(cf.
RV
AV
4.57.8 with
3.17.5, for
cited just to reconcile oneself to the fact that the most

instance).
accurate
transmission
of the Vedic texts withal, a few variations or
wonderfully
This fact
is
even pitfalls here and there utterly negligible, indeed, in proportion to the huge
mass of literature may be discovered it may not be sin to know them
Even
so with the pada-patha.
!
One more point before concluding this investigation. SunasSepa is also

written with aspiration as Sunassepha.
This is a post- Vedic phonetic change only,
perhaps contributed by the Gauda country. We find the pha in Gorresio's text
of
Ram.
Wilson has adopted that spelling in
Visnu Purana
his translation of the
188 which
statement reminds
(quarto) and opines that is the usually written form,'
us of his long stay in Calcutta. The English translations of Puranic texts from
Bengal adopt the pha while the Vedic texts of the BI series stick to the original
'
form, pa. Yet, some etymological reflection may not be undue. Sepha is reminiscent of Sipha or Sipha, just as Sepa is of Sipi.
ipha, or Sipha-kanda according
Monier Williams records
to Amarasirnha, means fibre, stalk, or fibrous root. 189
both m. and
Even
f.
forms of the word, meaning fibrous root or root in general.

change helps the understanding of sepha in a good sense thus
this dialectal
'
the root of happiness '.

Sunassepha of the
sunasya sukhasya sepho mulam,
that
to
after
the
the
folk
Deliverance.
became
great
Aryan
story
The orthography of Sunassepa requires mention.

as
Sunabsepa
in
devanagari script
also,
It is
most commonly written
with a visarga after Suna.
If this practice
meant to remind ourselves of the aluk, it is indeed scholarly precision. In our

humble opinion, the phonetic delicacy is thereby disregarded try to pronounce
as it is written writing, we hope, is meant to follow pronuciation
then, we see
the rigidity of the canon or of our understanding thereof. Even granting the
aluk, what precludes the visarga from colaescing with the succeeding sibilant ?
is
Double
s is
not at
all
hard to pronounce being a breathed sound
it
only requires
"
See Durga on p. 358 already cited, e.g.
dyava nah prthivi" iti yatha cf. BD 2.115
arthad asit kramo yatha,'
of
words
order
the
recommends
which
according to their sense
giving a third example nara va samsam. Cf. RV Pr. 2.43.
Notes 18, 22 and 24.
187.
Note on R V 1 .24 in his translation of R V Vol. I, p. 59 of the original edition. Moreover,
1 88
he persists in writing the word as sakaranta, Sunahsepas, which is a fad similar -to his VisVadevas,
Such instances are not uncommon among scholars in general.
not VisVedevas
186.
189.
Karahata6 Siphakandah kiftjalkah kesaro'striyam
238
HARIYAPPA
On the other hand, imagine the convulsions in the resonance

little more breath
chamber when we pronounce the visarga followed by the first sibilant
the two
to be pronounced as distinct sounds.
It is to avoid this strain on the vocal organs
that rules like the Paraskara one are conceived.

*
'
Paraskaraprabhrtini
coalescence
(Sk.
1073) in this case
It will
;
be equally just to respect
and the famous maxim about
Samhitaikapade nitya nitya dhatupasargayoh /

nitya samase vakye tu sa vivaksam apcksate //
Rv Pratiakhya clinches the whole issue when it says that the visarga before
a breathed conjunct consonant is wrong and definitely gives the correct form
as Sunasepa [samyogader usmanali purvam ahur visarjaniyam adhikam
svaropadhat/
33
]
The current orthography of words like Samkara and alamkara urges comment,
but we must desist out of deference to the revered teachers. Liberty is nobody's
monopoly, yet
To sum up
it
is
everybody's
first
claim
The ugliness of the name Sunassepa and of the antecedents of his personal(a)
a
later
Its
are
fancy, dating, possibly, even from the time of the pada-patha.
ity
190
to
a
of
&unassepa being
pillar
original significance points
happiness.'
'
The pada-patha of the word Sunassepafr, given as Sunahsepab, reminding

(b)
us of the aluksamasa and also of the first member being the gen. sing, of Svan,
An emendation thereof as Suna-spati is not illogical. 190 *
is defective.
(c)
With a
little
shifting of the accent, the
emendation
and Suna-s^pati
in the pada.
in the samhita-patha
(d)
The pada-patha
is
\\ill
be better as
not infallible as proved by the ancient exponent of

its author Sakalya is marked by a peculiar
the Veda, Yaska, whose criticism of
candour, which warrants a supposition that the pada-kara was not far anterior of
the Nirukta-kara.
The word Sunassepa came to have an aspiration at the

(e)
as a dialectal peculiarity, found in the regions of Bengal.
(/)
The orthography of the word Sunasepa
Sunassepa
is
the correct
end (Sunassepha),
requires proper appreciation.

is wrong, unscientific and
form, whereas Sunafrsepa
pretentious.
190.
190a
Compare the
expression.
He
is
a tower of strength.
RV Prati. XIV 33 and 86. ed. and trans, by Dr. Mangal Deva Sastri in 3
vols.
Vols.
III are published (Allahabad and Lahore) 1981, 1937. Cf. Uvaâ's explanation of
sutra 33. Svaropadhat samyogader iismanah purvam adhikam visarjaniyam ahuh / sa doso
varjyah / Again on 36. Suna&sepah, Nissapi etc. ityeteVikrama bhavanti / Etesu vikramo
II
and
visarjanlyah sa doso varjyah
unas&epah
(RV
I 24.12) etc.
239
XI
SUMMARY
191
story of Sunassepa's deliverance
The
is a Vedic fact.
According to
one Seer, Sunassepa was saved from a thousand-fold stake by Agni (RV 5.51.7)
while another singer paises Varuna for having freed him from his bonds (1.24.12,18).
Sunassepa himself is one among the centurion seers (satarcins seers of hundred
1.
verses) to
whom
is
attributed the revelation of the
first
mancjala of the Rgveda.
2.
The other Samhitas know him as seized by Varuna (varuna-grhita) and
then freed on praising him with RV 1.24.15 (Uduttamam), which is a very favourite
prayer to Varuna, in almost all the Samhitas, that he might graciously release the
worshipper from his threefold pasa, at the head, in the middle and at the bottom.
This stanza in later times inspired a philosophic interpretation, that it was an
appeal for freedom from worldly
ties.
3.
It is the Aitareya Brahmana (7.13-18) that spins a complete narrative of
the legend. It is repeated, with slight difference only, by the Saiikhayana Srauta
The central theme of Sunassepa's escape from sacrificial immolation has
Sutra.
been linked at the beginning and at the end to two other episodes. The introductory link is provided by Harisoandra and his son Rohita whose entanglement
with God Varuna brings about the main event of sacrificing Sunassepa. The
concluding link
Sunassepa
is
provided by Visvamitra, the universal friend, to whose family

is adopted as the eldest son inheriting both regal authority
after release
and divine lore from the adoptive father. The narrative is a mixture of the Brahmanic prose and the popular gatha. It has been supposed that the legend perhaps
existed in the form of a ballad even before AB.
Sarvanukramm which are but ancillaries to the Veda

AB. The famous commentators, Sadgurusisya and
Say ana and their ditto Dya Dviveda scrupulously follow AB and show no
influence of the other version of the story, though it was positively current in
4.
Works
like the
repeat the story as given in
their times.
In later literature, the two epics, the Harivamsa and Vayu Purana present
a different version of the story, which is believed to reflect the popular account of
The Brahma, Bhagavata and Devi Bhagavata repeat the Aitareya, herein
it.
5.
called the orthodox version, with slight innovations here and there
the local taste and temperament in their respective ages.
6.
which
reflect
The Legend of Sunassepa provides good scope for sociological study in

The eager theorist can suspect cannibalism and human sacrifice
successive stages.
once upon a time.
Sale of children and eating dog's flesh are indications of the
It was stated above that the Legend of SunaSSepa was prescribed to be recited at the
101.
Coronation ceremony of Kings. W. H. Robinson states that this corresponds to the precise
point where a copy of the Holy *Bible is presented by Bishops to the British Sovereigns when
crowned at Westminster. (See The Golden Legend of India or the story of India's god-given
Cynosure '. by W, H. Robinson, Luzac & Co., London, 1011),
240
HARIYAPPA
extent to which poverty could drive the people.
Manu
absolves the ancient rsis
The theory of the prevalence of human

by almost all scholars. It is provided for in some sociological
texts to give the stamp of perfection to the theoretical structure of sacrifice.
The
is
a
human
sacrifice
which
the
found
Sunas's'epa Legend
protest against
Aryans
prevalent in the land, when they arrived from the north-western regions. The
of the taint of crime nevertheless. 192
sacrifice is rejected
Valley experts have unearthed evidence to think that

prevailed as a custom in the age envisaged by the finds.
Indus
human
sacrifice
A study of the name
Sunas*sepa has been presented in detail in an attempt

whether the name was, in the time of RV, of an uncomplimentary signifiIt has been possible to establish that it could have signified worthily, a
cance.
"
"
of
in consonance with the great idea of Deliverance for which
pillar
happiness
is
name
immortalised.
Sunassepa's
Simakpuecha and Sunolangula are spurioiis
and
the
of
the
middle
one,' to propound which only these names
names,
concept
were conceived, is psychologically unsound and, what is more, prone to inculcate
7.
to inquire
unethical ideas into credulous minds.
patha and
Human
Incidentlly, the infallibility of the pada-
hoary antiquity within the Vedic Age have become matters of doubt.
nature being the same always, the sacred texts seem to be no exception
its
to the falterings of transmission through the holiest agencies of old, the Rsis
the Acaryas.
192.
Ajigartas sutani hantum upasarpad bubhuksitah /

na calipyata papena ksutpratikaram acaran // (MS 10.105)
and
CHAPTER
241
III
VASISTHA AND VlSvAMITRA

VASISTHA and VISVAMITRA are among the foremost seers of the Rgveda.
They
are regarded as having seen entire Mandalas (mandaladrastarab), the seventh

(104 hymns) and the third (62 hymns) respectively. There have been innumerable
references to the two sages in Sanskrit Literature, ancient and modern.
Much
has been written also about them by Orientalists of the past and present century.
Nothing new and sensational can be unearthed now. The purpose of this study
is mainly to unravel the problem of the ancient feud between Vasistha and VisVa-
mitra and understand their mutual relationship in its true perspective. Let us
first know what our most ancient authority, the Rgveda, has to say about them,
comment and
criticism being put off to a later section of the chapter.

For the
sake of convenience, we just invert the order and deal with Visvamitra first. In
the Rgvedic compilation, VisVamitra's is the earlier mandala.
It is but accidental,
carrying absolutely no significance of relative superiority.
maxim
'
It is
not a case for the
'
abhyarhitam purvam
RGVEDA
(A)
VISVAMITKA
There are eight contexts
curiously,
all
in
RV in
which the name of Visvamitra occurs 1
grammatical cases are represented except the accusative.
yad avahat Sud&sam
III 53.9
1.
Visviimitro
2.
Visv,mitraya dadato
3.
Visv^mitrasya raksati
4.
Visvdmitra arasata
5.
Visvamitra uta ta Indra
6.
Visvjimitrebhir idhyate ajasrab
7.
Revad Agne VisVdmitresu 6am yofe

Prati Visvamitra- Jamadagni dame
8.
(1)
Maham
fsir
maghni
III 53.7
III 53.12.
III 53.13.
nunam
X 89.17.
III 1.21.
III 18.4.
167.4.
devajd devajuto'stabhnat 6indhum arnavam

nrcaksatt
VisVamitro y&d avahat Sudasam apriyayata Kuikbhir

IndraU // (III 58.9).
tiller's Indices attached to the third

Consult Max
1.
Edition, also Bloomflelcl's Vedic Concordance t
and fourth volumes of the
first
H. L.
242
HARIYAPPA
Translation
Great Rsi, heaven-born, (he) favoured of the gods, leader of men, stopped
the river in floods. When (such a) Visvamitra steered Sudas through, Indra
was pleased with the Kusikas.
(2)
Imd Bhojd Angiraso virupab

Divasputraso asurasya virab /
Visvamitraya dadato magh&ni
Sahasrasav6 pratiranta dyuh //
III 53.7.
Translation
These Bhojas, 2 these various Angirasas, and these heroic sons of mighty
heaven indeed, increase my life, by bestowing on me riches in this thousandoffer-sacrifice.
(3)
Ya ime
rodasi uhhe*
aham indram atustavam

Visvamitrasya raksati
Brahmedam Bharatam janam
III 53.12.
//
Translation
I
have made these Heaven and Earth extol Indra, and
(surely) this prayer
of Visvamitra protects the Bharata 3 race.

Visv.mitra arasata
(4)
Brahmendraya vajrine /
Karad innati suradhasafr
//
III 53.13.
Translation
The Vi^vamitras have addressed a prayer

thunderbolt.
to Indra, the wielder of the
He will indeed make us very opulent.

Ev te vayam Indra bhunjatinSin
(5)
Vidydma sunmtlndni navanam /
Vidyiima vastor avasa grnanto
Visvamitra uta ta Indra iiunam
//
89.17.
Translation
4
we, O Indra, the descendants of Visvamitra, sincerely praising you
through the day for protection, obtain thy protecting (favours), may we obtain
May
thy recent* (favours).

Janmafi janman nihoto 5 jatavedaft
(6)
Visvdmitrebhir idhyate ajasrab
Tasya vayarn sumatau yajnfyasya

Api bhadr^ saumanase syama // III
1.21.
2.
Bhojas not mentioned among the manusya-names of the Nighanû (II.3) as for instance
the Turvaâs, Druhyus, Yadus etc.
8.
According to Nighantu III 18 Bharatah (Bharatah) and Kuravah are among the eight
*
Bharatam Bharata-kulam janam raksati^ Sayana.

The Vi^vamitras who figure in this mandala are Rsabha, Kata, Utklla Katya, Gathin
Kauîka, Devasravas and Devavata (Bharatau), JPrajapati Vatevamitra. Outside this mandala,
Madhucchandas VaiSvamitra appears in the first (RV I 1-10) with his son Jeta (RV 111); Renu
appears in the tenth (RV X 89), so also Asfcaka (X 104), Purana (X 160) and Aghamarsana Madh'ucchandasa (X 90).
Janman-janman sarvesu manusyesu nihito J&tave4ah // Sayana.
Rtvic-names
4.
243
Translation
The sacred fire (Jatavedas) is indeed kept by every man, but the VisVamitras kindle him ever more. May we, who already enjoy his favour, ever
be in the good books of that adorable (deity)
(7)
LJeehocisa sahasasputra6 stutab

Brhad vayafr sas'amane'su dhehi
Revad Agne Visvamitresu sam yob

Marmrjma te tanvam bhuri krtvah
//
(Seer Kata) III 18.4.
Translation
Confer abundant food and

Arise, O son of strength, as you are praised.
wealth upon us, the Visvamitras who praise you. Grant us exemption from
We shall, O Energiser Agni, sprinkle your person
sickness and danger.
profusely (with ghee, butter, milk etc.).
(8)
Prasiito
bhaksam akaram caraVapi
Stomam cemam prathamati

Sute
surir
unmrje
vam
sate'iia
yadyagarnaii
Prati Visvamitra- Jamadagni
dame
//
X 167.4.
Translation
Inspired
by you,
have prepared the food with the caru
(also),
and
as
chief worshipper, I fashion this hymn of praise.

(Indra replies) Yes,
Visvamitra and Jamadagni, as the Soma is being pressed in your sacrificial
home,
I will
come with
gifts (then,
you
will offer
me
the hymn).
The above references arc adequate enough to give us a sketch of the sage
Visvamitra of the Rgveda. He is a great rsi, god's favourite and wonder-worker.
His connection with Sudas, the Bhojas and the Bharatas has been expressed. He
has the co-operation and regard of other priests, Jamadagni, Angirasas and the
Maruts. His was the leading part as priest at a thousand-offer-sacrifice (III 53.7).
He wielded great influence as he made heaven and earth extol Indra and was
confident that his prayer to that Deity would ensure protection to his disciples the
He is not less efficient in composing beautiful hymns, hearing which
Bharatas.
the gods, specially Indra, would shower bounty upon him and his followers. Finally, his descendants, the Visvamitras, have kept up the great tradition set up by
him. They continue to be Indra's favourites, for one of them invokes Indra as
a Kausika (I 10.11).
favours of Indra.
As the
seer
Renu
says, the Visvamitras
always enjoy the
The pada-pa^ha divides this into two words sahasah and putra, but both have last
6.
"
"
'
accent apparently on account of
sahasah
(Paniiii VIII 1.19), though
amantritasya ca
come under that rule. The sarvanudatta will apply to it only if
being in the genitive cannot
*
be
is
as
it
one
one
Could
word
?
with putra.'
like Vacaspati
it
regarded
'
H. L.
244
The wonderful achievement
HARIYAPPA
of Vivamitra, referred to above (III 53.9),
is
the subject of an entire hymn viz. III. 33. It is in the shape of a dialogue between
ViSvamitra and the Rivers, at the confluence of the Vipas and Sutudri (Beas and
The sage prays to the Rivers to become fordable for him and his royal
Sutlej).
patorn Sudas and his retinue. The Rivers feel flattered of course by his prayer,
but do not comply because they have had to obey a higher Power. But Visvamitra's repeated appeal in fulsome words moves them in the end to oblige him.
RV
an important hymn giving us the personal history of Visvamitra

in another episode viz. the conduct of the Horse-sacrifice (asvamedha) on behalf
of the Bharatas. This part of the hymn constitutes very good poetry.
Visvamitra
III 53
is
entreats Indra to stay at the sacrifice, not to go away

entreats the father by holding the skirts of his garment.
Adhvaryu
entreats
Then he
him
calls
as a son
upon the
to join in the reception, commends the soma-offer through the favourite

much gratified at his officiating at the Asvamedha; the Bhojas,
liaison Agni, feels
the Angirasas and the Maruts honour him. He then draws inspiration through
his earlier deeds of glory, viz. the crossing of the Rivers and helping Sudas's sacrifice
whereby he elevated himself in the estimation of Indra. And he further encourages

the Kusikas to praise more and drink more along with the great gods. Surely,
the wielder of the thunderbolt, Indra, to whom the Visvamitras have offered praise,
In stanza 14, the great sage switches on to a different
will make them affluent.
is not unnatural for a man in power for the time being.
It is a famous
which has drawn the attention of scholars 7 especially regarding Vedic geo-
strain, as
verse,
graphy-
Kim
Klkatesu gaVo
na tapanti gharmam
te krnvanti
Nasiram
duhre'
no bhara pramagandasya ve*do

Naicasakham maghavan randhaya nab
HI
//
53-14.
Translation
What
will the cattle
do for you
in the
Kikata country
'
draw milk
They do not
'
for preparing the soma, nor do they heat the gharma (a sacrificial
with
milk in it. Bring us the wealth of Pramaganda as well as the
vessel)
holdings
of
the
Nicasakha.
not impossible that there is some sarcasm behind this utterance of

Visvamitra directed against his enemies. It is the business of Indra to go to any
person that praises, here Indra is dissuaded from such a solicitude what will
It is
they do for you in a damned, unmentionable, (Kikata is a harsh enough name, by

the way) out of the way place, those cattle (gavafo in the sense of pa6u) i.e. barbarous
people ? They make no offering, perform no rite. They are usurers and of low
birth.
mitra
Carry away their wealth for us,

is
Indra.
Such
i$
the
venom
that
Viva-
capable of pouring against the enemy.
7 See " Kikaja in RK-Samhita " by K. C. Chattopadhyaya, Allahabad, in the Woolner Commemoration Volume, Lahore. Stating all previous conclusions on the subject Dr. Chattopadhyaya
says Kikata is Kuruksetra and not Magadha as some other scholars have said. cf. VI I p. 159,
The next two
verses of the
discomfiture on one occasion.
hymn
245
(III 53.15-16) are indicative of Visvamitra's
Visvamitra became
a,
victim of unconsciousness
then the Sasarpari (trumpet-like sound) given out

(amati)
him. Sasarpari put new life into Visvamitra.
;
by Jamadagni restored
The last four verses of the hymn are the notorious Vasistha-dvesinyati alleged
to be imprecations against Vasistha.
Durgacarya, being a Kapisthala Vasistha,
refuses to comment on them (com. Nir. IV 14.2).
In point of fact, these are expressions of hatred and raillery against an enemy in general he is not specified
as this or that person.
The learned people never care to ridicule the ignorant.
;
"
Surely people would not put forward an ass to compete with a horse.
May he
who hates us be downfallen and may his vital breath abandon him whom we hate."
Still
worse, he
'
(the
enemy)
'
heats (the enemy) like an axe and cuts him like a Simbala tree
vomits foam like a seething and overboiling cauldron.' 8
'
VASISTHA
(B)
The word Vasistha has been used

a few occasions only (II
best, excellent
9.1,
VII
1.8,
in the
Rgveda no
X 15.8, 95.17)
(vasumattama, vasayitrtama).
it is
less
than
fifty
times.
On
used as an adjective meaning
The other
references are Sufficient
to present a concrete sketch of the personality of Vasistha and the achievements

of himself and his followers. The greatest deed of Vasistha is the success which
he brought to Sudas in the famous Battle of the Ten Kings (Dasarajna) (VII 18
33), on which occasion, he also, like Visvamitra, persuaded the River Parusni to
leave way to his disciple Sudas. Vasistha .became the family priest of the Bharatas
and the people of the Trtsus prospered (VII 33,6). He was able to lure Indra
away from the Soma drink at Pasadyurnna's sacrifice, to the sacrifice which he
;
himself was conducting (VII 33.2). He was equally the favourite of other gods.
The Asvins helped him out of a fix, though the occasion is not specified (I 112.9).
Varuna gave him a lift on his ship (VII 88.3 and 4). The birth of the sage Vasistha
has been stated, but unfortunately, not in clear terms (VII 33.10-14) he was
born of the Apsaras Urvasi by Mitra and Varuna at a sacrifice. Sayana believes
in the repeated births of Vasistha (VII 33.9).
;
Professor Velankar 9 has pointed out, in an admirable article, how in each

4
"
Family-book (mandala), certain hymns can be marked out as family-hymns
i.e. hymns which describe the family history and glory of the seer of the mandala.
"
'
This invests the poetry of the Rgveda with a stamp of concreteness and realism.
A hymn of praise to a god, whom we cannot see, would otherwise, be airy nothing.
%
"
"
(1935)
Hymns to Indra by the Visvamitras Tr. with annotations by Prof.
H. D. Velankar. Arts. pp. 42-43. The notes are copious and provide a rare advantage to the
student of knowing through them the opinions expressed by the celebrated German interpreters
of the Veda like Pischel, Geldner and Oldenberg.
8.
JUB
JBBRAS
"
"
1942, pp. 1-22.

Family-hymns in the Family-mandalas
by Prof. H. D.
No family hymn is yet
III 33 and 53, IV 18, V 40, VI 47, VII 18,38.
Velankar. They are
traced in the II (Grtsamada) Mandala. According to Geldner (cited by Prof. Velankar), only
III 53, VI 47, and VII 33 were pointed out as family hymns.
9.
RV
H L HAR1YAPPA
246
Now it is possible to get a brief,
yet clear enough, sketch of some of the great Vedic

The
and
history
geography of Vedic India glimmer here and there,
personalities.
at
least
a
few
lighting up
patches of time and space. The history of the sages, for
can
be
two to three generations if not more. Thus among the
traced
to
instance,
Visvamitras we can trace three VisVamitra-Madhucchandas-Jeta, VivamitraKata-Utkila. So among the Vasisthas Vasistha-Sakti-Parasara etc. Even so the
great rivers of the Punjab and Madhyadesa. Peoples and principalities like the
Bharatas, the Trtsus, the Purus, the Paficajanas and the Kikatas etc. have a historical reality about them.
Yet we are warned not to suppose that these familyto
were
made
hymns
design.
They are but accidental and reflect what was in
:
vogue
Vedic society
in
viz.
that each family cherished the glory of
its
ancestors.
The family-hymns of the Vasisthas are pointed out to be two, i.e. VII 18 and
The main theme of the eighteenth hymn is the Battle of the Ten Kings which
is described in detail.
There does not seem to be much action or melee in the
had
after all a small army and he was almost to be routed
Battle.
King Sudas
as the enemy hosts hemmed in on three sides, with the powerful Parusni threatenThe alternative was either to fight with the enemy straight and
ing the rear.
take the consequences or to perish in the river stream. At this crucial moment
33.
Vasistha's prayer to Indra brought about Sudas's success. By his persuasive hymns
(which are not given as in the case of Visvamitra) the River Parusni rendered
and by the time the enemies

pursued, the stream swelled to its original volume and velocity so that the rank
and file of the enemy were simply washed down marking several furrows on the
surface of the stream.
The few that Succeeded in swimming across were easily
destroyed by Sudas. The description which is highly poetic, with subtle irony
herself shallow
enough
to embellish
may
it
for the armies to cross over
be illustrated, by a few verses quoted below. 10
Arnamsi
f ndro
cit
paprathanji Sud&sa
gadhanyakriiot suparfi
Sardhantam Smiyum ucathasya navyab

SSpam sindhunam akrnod asastib // VII
18.5.
"
Indra made even the vastly flowing waters of (the Parusni) shallow and easily
fordable to King Sudas. He who is fit to be honoured by our hymn made the
arrogant Simyu and his imprecations the floating dirt (on the surface) of the River."
Turvaso yaksur asit

Raye" matsyaso nisita apiva /
Srustfm cakrur Bhfgavo Druhyavas ca
Purola
it
Sakha sakhayam atarad visucob

"
Tiirvaâ, the sacrificer, himself
Matsyas,
10.
who thought
The
as
if
//
-6
became the cake-offering
they were specially
translations are generally
and so were
fitted for receiving
from Prof. Velankar's
JBBRAS
1942.
also the
wealth
The
Bhrgus and the Druhyus followed them obediently

streams of the fleeing
247
In (each of) the two adjacent

a friend did help another friend (to save his life) " n
foes,
Duradhyo Aditim srevayanto

'cetaso vi jagrbhre Parusnim /
MahnaVivyak prthivim patyamanafr
PaSuskavir asayacc&yamanati
"
Those ignorant
fools of
-8
//
impious thoughts divided the stream of the Parusnl,
make the freely moving river go astray

(And then) the poet (of the
enemy) lay down as a victim (following the cake-offering), looking steadfastly
trying to
(because dead
" 12
it
!)
and stretched himself over the earth
in full length, thus mastering
lyiir artharn na nyartham Parusnim

ASUS cane'd ubhipitvani jagama /
Sudjisa Indras sutuka amitran
Arandhayan mdnuse vadhrivacak
//
-9
"
They went to the Parusni to meet with a disaster like one who goes to meet a
Even the swift (horse) could not reach the resting-place, i.e. the camp. For
goal.
the sake of Sudas, Indra subdued the gracefully
(?)
retreating enemies of impotent
words among men."

lyur gaVo na yavasad agopafr
Yathakrtam abhi mitram citasafr
Pfsmgavati prsninipresitasah
Srustim cakrur niyuto rantayas ca
"
//
-10
cows without a keeper, (when driven out) from the pasture,

collecting themselves around a friend whom they could possibly secure
they
were sent down to the earth (by Indra) to possess cows in the form of the earth !
They went away
like
their horses
and enjoyments obediently followed them there

fikam ca yo vimsatim ca sravasyS
Vaikarnayor janan rdja nyastab /
Dasrno na sadman ni sisati barhib
Silrali sargam akrnod fndra esam //
"
!
-11
11.
The whole trend is ironical, cruelly, as Prof. Velankar puts it. Prof. Velankar's interpretation is quite original. Altho'ugh differing totally from Sayana whose com. here, to be frank,
cannot help us to get a concrete and cogent picture of the fight, the Professor has hit off a brilliant
idea by taking purolah in the sense of purolasa (purodasa), cake-offering.' (purolah purogaml
is, perhaps, to be taken as a Nairukta abbreviation of purodaâ.
purodata va Sayana !). Purolah
l
The legend, such as it is, is very obscurely told.' (RV Tr. Vol.
Helplessly does Wilson remark
4, p. 57 n2)
'
12.
The last line of the verse is, again, ironical. Prof. Velankar takes cayamana as an
adjective while Sayana considers it a patronymic. The word occurs twice in the Bharadvaja
Mandala (VI 27.5 and 8) referring to Abhyavartin, a king of that name. In that context, Prof.
"
Velankar construes the word as a patronymic,
Abhyavartin Cayamana." Vide JUB Sep.
1941 (Vol. X, part 2) pp. 97 and 109. cf. VI I p. 260.
H L HARIYAPPA
248
"
a
King (Sudas) cut up

sacrificial seat,
desire for fame.
"
In a
moment
his
enemies
like
when he overthrew
a lovely priest who cuts down the grass for

the 21 peoples of the two Vikarnas with a
Brave Indra brought about their flight/'

Vi sadyo visva drmhitanyesam
Indrab puras sahasa sapta dardab /
Vyanavasya Tf tsave gayam bhak
J&sma Purum vidathe mrdhravacam // -13
did Indra batter
down with
force all the seven forts
and other
strong places of these i.e. the enemies. He gave away the wealth of the Anu
prince to the Trtsu priest We have conquered the Puru prince who had used
insolent words in the sacrificial assembly."
;
Ni gavyavo'navo Druhyavas ca
Sastib sata susupub sat sahasra
Sastir viraso adhi sad duvoyu
Visved Indrasya viria krt&ni

"
-1 4
//
Anus and the Druhyus numbering
sixty hundred and six

loot-seeking
thousand respectively, lay down in eternal slumber. (But) the brave warriors
(on our side) were (only) sixty and six more, (who did the same) to render service
Even all these brave deeds were the performances of Indra."
(to Indra).
Ardham virasya srtapdm aniadram
Para sardhantam nunude abhi ksam /
The
indro manytim rnanyumio mimaya

16
Bheje patho vartanim patyamanab //
"
to
the
that
Sudas
drove
down
who
was
ground
enemy
King
only a half warrior,
no
who
had
faith
in
Indra and who was
who drank the sacrificial food himself,
Indra
of
him
the
an arrogant person.
destroyed
fury
/who struck with fury.
He
distributed paths (to men), being the
Lord of the Way."
Imam
naro marutab saseatilnu

Divodasam na pitaram Sud^sab
Avistana Paijavanasya k^tam
Dundsam
ksatrarn ajararn
duvoyu
//
-25
"
Oh, valiant Maruts wait upon this king as you did upon Divodasa, the ancestor
In a helpful manner, favour the heart's desire of Paijavana and also
of Sudas.
his sovereign rule which is indestructible and never grows old."
13
The other family hymn, VII 33, sings the glory of the Vasisthas in general and
also refers to the birth of the patriarch in particular The opening verse is impressive:
ma
daksinataskapardab
Dhiyamjinv&so abhi hi pramandub
Uttisthan voce pari barhiso nfn
Svityaiico
na me durad avitave Vasisthab
//
VII
33.1.
It appears quite meet to call this a family hymn, for it is borne out by the rsi and
devata thereof. Of the first nine verses, Vasis];ha is the Rsi, the sons are the devata, for the
remaining six, he is the deity and the sons are the Rsis. It is also regarded as a samvada between
13.
Indra and Vasistha. cf. Sarva. (ed. Macdonell, p. 25) Svityaftcah sajuna samstavo Vasis^hasya
saputrasya Indrena va samvadah /
249
" The white-robed

sages with the knot of their hair to the right have greatly
(When I heard their hymn) I got up from
delighted me by stirring up my heart.
"
The Vasisthas are not to be favoured
my grass-seat and said to the men around
by me from a distance."
:
Durad indram anayannd sut&ia

Tiro Vaisantam ati pan tarn ugram
Pasadyumnasya Vayatasya somat
Sutad Indro avrnita Vasisthan
-2
//
"
They brought Indra to themselves from afar by means of their pressed juice,
away from Vaisanta and in spite of the fierce Panta 14 (Similarly) Indra chose
his Vasisthas (and went to them), leaving aside even the pressed juice of Paadyumna Vayata."
Even nu kam sindhum ebhis tatara
Even nii kam Bhedam ebhir jaghana /
Even nu kam Dasarajne Sudasam
!
Pravad Indro brahmaiia vo Vasisthab
//
-3
"
Thus did he cross the river Parusni with them thus did he kill Bheda with them.
Thus indeed did Indra save Sudas in the Dasarajna war owing to your hymn,
oh Vasisthas."
;
I Id
dyamive*t tranajo nathitasab

Adidhayur Dasarajne' vrtasab /
Vasisthasya stuvata Indro asrot
Ururn Tftsubhyo akrnod u lokam
//
"
(The Trtsus) when surrounded and distressed in the Dasarajna war looked up
Indra heard
(to Indra for help), as thirsty men look up to the heaven (for rain).
while Vasistha was praising him and gave wide enough space to the Trtsus."
Dan da
ived goajanasa asan

Paricchinna Bharata arbhakasab
Abhavac ca puracta Vasistha

Ad it Tftsunam viso aprathanta
//
-6
"
The Bharatas were very few and limited like the sticks used for driving the cows.
But as soon as Vasistha became their leader immediately then the followers of
the Trtsus became vast and unlimited."
Suryasyeva vaksatho jyotir esam
Samudrasyeva mahima gabhirab /

Vdtasyeva prajavo ndny^na
Stomo Vasistha anvetave vab // -8
" Vesantah
14.
Prof. Velankar takes VaiSanta and Panta as proper names.
Sayana
somadhara^ camaso laksyate / tatstham somam pantam pibantam
palvalam / Atra vesantasabdena
" We are
pleased that Prof. Velankar, however, suggests an alternaugram udgurnam Indram
/
"
tive translation
They brought the fierce Indra from afar, away from and inspite
Perhaps,
"
of the tubful drink
Vide note on p. 20 JBBRAS (1942).
*
250
44
is
HARIYAPPA
Their light (of glory) is like the growing splendour of the sun, their greatness
vast like that of the ocean. 16 Your hymn is inimitable by others like the swift-
ness of
Wind,
Oh
Vasisthas."
Ta inninyam hMayasâ praketaifr

Sahasravalsam abhi sam caranti /
Yamuna tatam paridhfm vayantab
Apsarasa upa sedur Vasisthafc. // -9
"
They alone move about
secret of a
owing to the knowledge of their heart, in the

Intending to weave that (secret) garment, first
fearlessly
thousand branches.
woven by Yama, the Vasisthas approached the
nymph
celestial
Vidyuto jyotih pari sanjfhanam

Mitrdvaruna yad apasyatam tva
Tat te janmotafkam Vasistha
Agastyo yat tva visa ajabhara //
(for birth)."
-10
44
That was your one birth, Oh Vasistha, when Mitra and Varuna saw you leaving
your own luminous body of lightning (for being born as their son from UrvasI).
(And) when Agastya brought you to the human beings, (that was your second
birth).
Utdsi Maitravaruno Vasistho-
rvaya brahman manaso'dhi jataft /

Drapsam skannam brahmana daivyena
11
Vive dev&h puskare tvadadanta //
44
indeed you are the son of Mitravaruna, Oh Vasistha, born from Urvasi,
The Visve Devas held their dropped semen in
owing
a lotus with the help of a celestial hymn."
And
to their ardent love for her.
Sa praketa ubhayasya pravidvdntSahasradana uta va sadanab /

Yamuna tatam paridhim vayisyari
Apsarasab pari jajne Vasistha^
-12
//
44
That Vasistha, well acquainted with both (gods and men), who is an appreciative
giver of a thousand gifts or, even a continual giver of gifts, was born from the
16
nymph, intending to weave the garment first woven by Yama."
Satre* haj at,visits
Kumbha* rtas
n&mobhib
sisicatufr
samanam
Tato ha MSna udiyaya madhyat

Tato jatam fsim ahur Vasistham
13
//
Samudra iva gambhlrye, dhairyena himavan iva (Ram. II). The string of
impressive.
16.
Compare the ancient Greek idea that the three Fatal Sisters weave the web of LIFE.
*
They are Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. They lived in the deep abyss of Demogorgon with
unwearied fingers drawing out the threads of life/ One held the spindle or distaff, the second
drew out the thread and the third cut it off. Brewer : Reader's Handbook of famous names in
Allusions etc. (1934).
fiction,
15.
similes
cf.
is
251
"
Being impelled by the prayers (of the Visve Devas), they (i.e. Mitra and Varuna)
and dropped their semen together in a jar (at the sight of
Urvasl). From the middle of it arose Mana. They call the sage Vasistha who
was born from that (semen)."
visited their sacrifice
Ukthabhftam Samabhftam bibharti

Gravanam bibhrat pra vadatyagre /
Upainam adhvam sumanasyamana
vo gacehati pratrdo Vasisthab
//
-14
"
He supports the bringcrs of Uktha and the Saman. Holding the press-stone,
he always speaks with authority in front of all. Wait upon him with a delighted
mind, here comes Vasistha to you, oh descendents of Pratrd."
The Dasarajiia war
is
described again in the 83rd
hymn which
is
a prayer
to the dual divinity Indra- Varuna.

It is described as a past event when Indra
and Varuna jointly gave strength to Sudas to resist the onslaught of the enemies
and when they
directly also rendered the
enemy powerless (vv
6-8).
Dasarajne pariyattaya visvatah
Sudasa Indra-Varimavasiksatam
Svityanco yatra namasa kapardino

Dhiyd dhlvanto asapanta Trtsavab
//
VII 83 8
"
In the Battl'e of the Ten Kings, Sudas was overwhelmed by the enemy on all
The white-complexioned Trtsus supported him with rites and prayers.
such
a trying time), both of you taught Sudas (to resist the attack)."
(At
sides.
But the immediate concern as indicated by vv 1-5 seems to be to face other

The Dasarajna war marks a former victory. Sudas had had to contend
enemies.
with enemies from within and without continuously.

to be a prayer just before the day of battle
In fact the 5th verse appears
Indra- Varunav abhya tapanti
Maghdnyaryo vanusam aratayab /

Yuvam hi vasva ubhayasya rajathab
Ad ha sma noVatam
"
The
fierce
weapons of the enemy
the more malignant

(of
distress
me,
//
Oh
Indra and Varuna, as also
You
reign supreme over both fortunes

Therefore, pray, do protect us on the day of battle."
among my
Earth and Heaven).
parye divi
foes.
efficacy of the prayers and consequent popularity of the Vasisthas gave

Hence we find throughout the manâla
alongside, to bitter jealousy.
for
to
the
gods
protection from the malignant attacks of the enemy.
frequent appeals
The
rise,
and the noble folk to suffer at the hands of backhave no face nor ground to attack openly but are extremely
So the beast in them plays behind the back.
jealous of the good man's goodness.
Similar was the case with Vasistha. Apart from the foreign enemies whom his
tribe had to meet almost as daily occupation in their new settlements, there must
It is often the fate of the gentle
biters.
Bull
The
DCRI
latter
xi-17
H. L.
252
HARIYAPPA
have been a good deal of stabbing from behind so much so that Vasistha prays
Indra and Varuna to destroy the enemy, be he a Dasa or an Arya. 17
;
In this connection we are led to believe that it is not mere prayer to the gods,
or offering at a sacrifice, or even the flourish of weapons that led the chieftains
Ail these straightforward efforts were implemented if not superseded
to victory.
black
magic, charms and spells.
variety of fiends, called Raksasas or
by
Yatudhanas, enter the arena and play havoc.

even as they employ mercenaries 'nowadays
It
is
by
would be employed
by the
was brought about, the
said they
force of magical spells
contending parties to kill the enemy. Thus it is said,

death of Vasistha's son Sakti, 18 who, at the instigation (as is imagined) of Visvamitra
was thrown into a forest-fire by the fiends employed by the sons of Sudas. Though
a later account, we may cite the incident of King Kalmasapada becoming a Raksasa
himself to devour the hundred sons of Vasistha. 19 Vasistha's person proved no
exception to the attack of sorcery. Visvamitra commanded the river Saras vati
wash Vasistha down her stream to him so that he could kill him. She obeyed
to
but made the current too quick for Visvamitra to grapple the victim.
Vasistha
was at the same time saved. But Visvamitra cursed the river to run blood for
a year whence she became the Aruna (" Red River "). 20 It must be such extensive
recourse to witchcraft that prompted Vasistha to invoke the protection of the
dual gods Indra-Soma against the Yatudhanas the hymn is commonly designated
;
as
Raksoghnasukta (VII
104).
Y6 ma pakena
nianasa carantam
Abhieaste anrtebhir vacobhifr /
Apa iva kasina sangrbhitab
Asannastvdsata Indra vakti,
//
"
VII 104-8
May he who with false allegations maligns me,

a speaker of falsehood, Oh Indra, cease to be,
who
like
of a pure mind, may such

water grasped in the fist."
is
Or, again,
Ye* pakas*amsani viharanta dvaib
Ye" va bhadr&m dusayanti svadhabhih
Ahaye va tin pradadatu Somab

A va dadhatu Nirrter upasthe //
May Soma give to the serpent or consign to the lap of Nirrti, those who harass
me with false accusations and those who vilify spitefully all that is good in me.
'
It is painful to hear curses as much as to pronounce them, how much more

should the great Vasistha have been harassed that he is driven to burst forth with
17.
18.
18.47).
19.
I 176.6
20.
Dasa ca vrtra hatam aryani ca (VII 83. l c )

Vide Sarva. p. 130 Sakti was killed by the ViSvamitras according to the JB (JAOS
VI II 849.
cf.
c/.
Sayana on VII 104.12, Wilson's note on p. 207 of his Translation, Vol. 4. MBh.
f.
Ram.
8.66.8.
MBh IX
42.1
f.
See also Hopkins, Epic Mythology, p. 188.

endless curses
upon the
Here
and the enemy.

Yatus
evil-doer
to the fiendish spirits called
is
253
a sample of his reaction
tJlukayatum susulukayatum
Jahi svayatum uta kokayatum /
Suparnayatum uta gfdhrayatum
Drsadeva pra mrna raksa Indra
-22
//
"
Destroy the evil spirits whether they are in the form of owls big and small, in
the form of a dog or a wolf, or an eagle, or a vulture, pound the demon, O Indra,
as with a boulder."
Indra jahi pumamsam yatudhtoam
Uta striyam mayaya sdsadanam /
Vigrivaso mdradcva rdantu
Mfi le drsantsuryam ueearantam //
'Tut down,
mischief
off,
by
24
Indra, whether it is a man or a \voman, who as an evil spirit does

Let these bloodthirsty demons perish with their heads cut
deceit.
so that they
may
not live to sec the rising sun."
Affecting his personal history,

if not compromising
one that sends all to
sleep.
we
caught in a couple of amusing

called prasvapinyupanisat,
be summarised as follows
find Vasistha
The 55th hymn
situations.
The contents may
is
On brindled dog, when you open

The Seer addresses the attacking dog. 21
flash like shining weapons, your teeth through the
do
there
to
mouth
bark,
your
Desist and sleep soundly. Or pursue a thief or a robber why do you
jaws.
bother us who are praisers of Indra ? May you tear asunder the pig, and the pig
tear you in retaliation
why do you bother us who are praisers of Indra ?" Then
"
Let the mother sleep, let the father sleep, let
he pronounces a spell as it were
the dog sleep and the lord of the house as well let all the relations sleep and so
the men round about. Whoever sits, moves about or sees us, the eyes of all those
With the thoushall we close, so as to make them as motionless as this mansion.
does the Great Benefactor (Sun) rise from amidst yonder sea. With
sand
'
rays
his gracious help shall
we send
all
people to sleep.
Those who
lie
in the vestibule
or in the carriages or those ladies who lie on mattresses, the ladies of auspicious
Such an encounter with a
fragrance all these shall we send to sound sleep."
canine sentinel and such occasion to put the whole life of a mansion into deep
slumber must mean a peculiar situation for Vasistha
RV VII 55.2-8. Yadarjuna Sarameya datah piSariga ydcchase / Viva bhrajanta

va punassara /
upa srdkvesu bdpsato ni s u svapa // Stendm raya Sarameya tdskaram
Tvdm sukar&sya dardrhi tava
ni sii svapa //
kim
asrnan
ducchunayase
r&yasi
Indrasya
Stotfn
Stotrn fndrasya rayasi kim asman ducchunayase ni su svapa // Sastu
dardartu sukardh
mata sastu pita sastu Sva sastu vispatih / Sasdntu s&rve jftatdyah sastvayarn abhito jnah //
Yd 5ste yd ca edrati ydS ca paSydti no jdnah / Tesam sam hanmo aksani ydtheddm harmydm
tdtha // SahdsraSrngo vrsabh6 yds samudrad udacarat / Tna sahasyena vaydm ni jdnSntsvatas
Pros|:hesaya vahyesaya nJirlr yas talpaîvanh / Striyo yah piinyagandhas
payamasi //
21.
rstdy,a
sdrvas svapayamasi
//
254
But what a
revelation to
22
know
HARIYAPPA
that
it
was
all in
a dream
The Brhaddevata
"
Once during night, Vasistha in a dream entered Varuiia's

relates the story
house. Then came the watch-dog to attack him. Barking and rushing upon
Vasistha subdued him with a couple of verses
all Varuna's establishment to
him, he was trying to bite him.
and sent him
to sleep
The same
sleep too."
even so did Vasistha cause

is
described in another setting 23 which
is
more funny.
"
That these constitute a lullaby is related in stories. Once upon a time Vasistha
was thirsty and hankering for food, having had to starve for three nights. On
the fourth night, he decided to steal and came to Varuna's house. In order to
to lull the sentry
Vasistha saw and
worshipper of
i.e.
to sleep while he entered the
recited these seven rks
commissariat,
"
commencing with Yad Arjuna'
'
hymn praying to God Varuna to absolve the

The expressions are such as to make us think that
Vasistha himself had committed great sin and is therefore begging
The 86th
the seer
and the hounds
is
a sort of penitential
all sin.
Varuna's mercy.
2.
"
he accept
see
Do
my
say this to
him propitiated
3.
sages all
I ask,
tell
my own
soul ?
offering without displeasure ?
can
When
I get
shall
unto Varuna ? Will

with a quiet mind,
I,
O Varuna,
me
How
wishing to
the same.
Varuna
an old
know this my sin. I go to ask

who is angry with thee.
the wise.
The
it is
Was
Varuna, that thou wishest to destroy thy friend,

who always praises thee ? Tell me, thou unconquerable lord, and I will quickly
turn to thee with praise freed from sin.
4.
it
sin,
Absolve us from the sins of our fathers, and from those which we committ5.
ed with our own bodies. Release Vasistha, O King, like a thief who has feasted
on stolen cattle, release him like a calf from the rope.
It was not our own doing, O Varuna, it was necessity an intoxicating
6.
draught, passion, dice, thoughtlessness. The old is near to mislead the young
;
even sleep brings unrighteousness.
BD
VI 11-13. Varunasya grhan ratrau Vasisthah svapnam acaran / PraviveSatha

22.
Krandantam sarameyam tarn dhavantam dasûm
tarn tatra 6va nadann abhyavartata //
udyaâm / Yadarjuneti ca dvabhyam santvayitva pyasusupat // Evam prasvapayamasa

janam any am ca Varunam / iti. Quoted by Say ana, introducing the hymn.
23.
SadguruSisya on Sarva.
ed.
Asam prasvapinitvam
The
Macdonell, p. 133.
tu kathasu parikalpyate
Vasis^has trsito'nnarthi triratralabdhabhojanah /

Caturtha ratrau catiryartham Varunam grham etya tu
Kosthagaraprave&aya palaka^vadisuptaye /
Yadarjunadi saptarcaip dadarSa ca jajapa ca //
text of the Sarva. bears no indication (p. 26)
8.
Lord, Varuna,
in keeping
and acquiring
255
this song go well to thy heart

May we prosper
Protect us, O gods, always with your blessings." 24
may
!
Reflecting upon these verses, it is not necessary to suppose that Vasistha

himself committed all sins contemplated, for instance, in the sixth stanza above.
an " aparadha-ksamapana-stotra," praying for forgiveness

of sins which are apt to be committed by man
a repetition of the hymn every day
by the eager worshipper also ensures desisting from committing the sins specified.
The whole hymn
is like
In other words, it exerts a kind of prophylactic influence on the mind of the

worshipVasistha perhaps designed this hymn for the benefit of his numerous followper.
ers.
The last stanza signifies a typical finish for such hymns.
With a
little
stretch of imagination one thinks that Vasistha
experience of the sea
perhaps a shipwreck.
had a strange
Father Varuna should, of course,
save him.
'
Apm madhye tasthivSmsam trsnavidajjaritSram
Mrld suksatra mrlaya
25
//
"
Thirst has possessed me, thy worshipper in the midst of the waters, grant
happiness, O Lord of Wealth, grant me happiness."
me
Evidently the seer longs for peace and contentment, being caught in the
midst of worldly greed. He is at sea, as the English idiom has it. The reference
has to be viewed more philosophically than literally. But from another context,
however, Vasistha's sea-voyage seems to be a certainty. (RV VII 88.3-4). The
Seer sings
"
Boarding the ship, when Varuna and I entered the mid-ocean and floated
we indeed very much enjoyed the delightful rocking
with other vessels on water

of the ship.
44
Amivahastau vastospatyadya gayatrl sesatryuparisâd brhatyadayo'nus|ubhah prasva"
pinya upanisat
RV VII 86.
Uta sv&ya tanva 8 sam vade tat kada nvdntarvarune bhuvani / kim me
kada mrlikam sumana abhi khyarn // 2
Prcch tad eno Varuna didrksdpo emi cikitiiso vipfccham / Sam an am inme kavaya& cidahur
ay am ha tubhyam Varuno hrnite // 3
Kim aga asa Varuna jyestham yat stotaram jighamsasi sakhayam / Pra tanme voco dulabha
svadhav6Va tvanena namasa tura iyam // 5
Ava drughani pitryjl sfja n6'va ya vaydm cakrma tandbhih / Ava rajan paûtfpam na
tayiim srja vatsdm na damno Vdsis^ham // 5
Nd sa sv6 ddkso Varuna dhrutih sa sura manyur vibhidako acittih / asti jyayan kanlyasa
24.
havyam ahrnano
juseta
svapnas can^d dnrtasya prayota // 6

svi tubhyam Varuna svadhavo hrdi stoma
nah // 8
y6ge no astu yuyam pata svastibhis sada
r^
Ayam
25.
RV VII 89.4.
Sayana
lipasritas cidastu
Sam nah ks^me âmu
apam samudranam udakanam madhye tasthivamsam
mam
trsna pipasa avidat aptavatl/

api jaritaram tava stotaram
mr}a sujchava //
eamudrajalasya p&nanarhatvat / atas tadfsam
vantam
mam
sthita-
Lavanotkaâsya
H.
256
L.
HARIYAPPA
" Varuna took the Rsi Vasistha on his

6
ship and, with gracious feelings,^
made him capable of great deeds. Further, the intelligent god, by way of happy
time for the minstrel, extended many a dawn into day. (i.e. he enabled the sage
to spend
many happy days on board
the ship." 27
was initiated into the deepest secrets of Existence by Varuna,

manner can be said to have exercised a truly paternal care over his
Lastly, Vasistha
who,
in this
own
son
Uvdca me Varuno medhiraya

Trib sapta narnaghnya bibharti
Vidvan padasya guhya na vocad

28
Yugaya vipra uparaya siksan //
"
(or
Varuna told me who am intelligent the thrice seven names that the Cow
Speech) bears. The wise and skilful Varuna also imparted the secrets of the
Supreme world
(C)
VASISTHA
to rne, his favourite pupil."
VISVAMITRA RELATIONSHIP
There has been much conjecture and concoction on this point throughout
and even in recent opinions expressed. But if the Rgveda
is to be regarded as the basis of our legends and legendary study, it must be acknowledged that there is nothing stated about the mutual relationship of these famous
RV III 4 and VII 2 are both AprMiymns in the
priests of the Rgvedic Age.
How curious that verses 8-11, i.e. jus many as four consecurespective Mandalas.
"
In the words of M. Bloornfield,
tive stanzas, are identically the same
We
Sanskrit Literature
should expect diversity there if anywhere." 29 At worst, the two sages are neither
One common ground however can be marked out that both
friends nor enemies.
befriended the same king, Sudas, at different times. Vasistha helped Sudas to
win the Battle of the Ten Kings. Visvamitra also helped Sudas to cross the confluence of Vipas* and Sutudri, the circumstances of this adventure being however
It is generally believed 30 that Visvamitra was ousted from Sudas'
uncertain.
partonage by Vasistha, whereupon the former set up the confederacy of the ten
chieftains against Sudas.
But this opinion is questioned 31 and a fresh conjecture
;
The Samhita reads mahobhih, but Sayana reads avobhih in the sense of raksanaih.
20.
His authority has however not been traced. Both MM and Poona (Vaidika SamSodhana Maiidala) Editions have noticed this discrepancy between the text and the commentary.
27. RV^VII 88.8-4 A yadruhava Varunas ca navam pra yat samudram Irayava madhyam /
Adhi âd aj>am snubhii carava pra prenkha inkhayavahai Subh6 kam // Vasisjiiam ha Vanmx)
navyadhad fsim, cakara svapa mahobhih / Stotaram viprah sudinatv6 ahnam yannu dyavas
tatanan yad Usasah //
28.
RV VII 87.4 padasya utk^sâsya sthanasya Brahmalokalaksanasya Sayaâ.
(RV
29.
III
Bloomflled, Rgveda Repetitions, p. 647. Religion of the Veda p. 72.

and VII) share quite a number of other lines (14 common lines in all) \
80.
C/.
$1.
See
VI
II, p.
IHQ
The two books
275.
(June 1930)
C,
Chattopadhyaya on the Daaarajfta Battle pp. 261-64.
257
put forward that the Bharadvajas were the family priests of Sudas before either
VisVamitra or Vasistha. VisVamitra was not responsible for the Legaue of the ten
On the other hand it is possible to think that both priests were entertained
Sudas
on two different occasions. Whoever the family priest he must, and
by
would, have tolerated the advent of another for temporary service. As the Aryans
were confronted with problems of land and living, it is natural that they contracted
kings.
the enmity of local dwellers.

So we can suppose that both priests had their own
enemies to contend with. A few expressions are pointed out in RV III 53 and
RV VII 18,33 and 104 to say that they are indirect references to their mutual
But why such a
hatred.
not the Veda say
it ?
forced surmise
There
is
no harm,
enmity were true why does

could, in our time-honoured com-
If the
for
we
placency, regard that also as a chapter in our vast heritage
II
LATER SAMHITAS
1.
Taittirlya Samhita
"
the abode of Agni by means of the hymn
This is that Agni."
Ayam so'gniriti VisVamitrasya suktam bhavati, etena vai Visvamitro'gneb
32
The context
priyam dhamavarundha, Agnerevaitena priyam dhamavarundhe.
VisVamitra
is
won
the preparation of the ground for the Fire (Garhapatyacayana).
Vasistha should be chosen as

Rsis could
riot see
Indra face to face
Brahman
;
priest according to III 5.2.

Vasistha saw him face to face, he said
"
The
'Holy
proclaim to you so that people will be propagated with thee as Purohita

To him he proclaimed these
therefore do thou not proclaim me tcKthe other Rsis.'
lore shall I
shares in the stoma, therefore people were propagated with Vasistha as Purohita
therefore a Vasistha should be chosen as
gated/'
Brahman
priest
verily he
is
propa-
33
Vasistha and Visvamitra are together mentioned in connection with the Five
VisVakarman are
The sages Vasistha, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Jamadagni and

identified respectively as Prana, Manas, Caksus, Srotra and Vac
(of the sacrifice)
they are described as having sprung from the Rathantara, Brhat,
Layers of Bricks.
82.
TS V 2.8.3, Ayam so'gnih (RV III 22.1 ) Sarva. ascribes the hymn to GathI son
of Kusika.
va Indram pratyaksam napasyan tarn Vasisjhah pratyaksam apasyat so'bravfd

Brahmanam te vaksyami yatha tvatpurohitah p raj ah prajanisyante'tha metarebhya rsibhyo ma
pravoca iti tasma etantstomabhagan abravlt tato Vasistha purohit&h prajah prajayanta tasm&4
Vasis^ho Brahm karyah praiva jayate (TS III 5.2). Sayana Tadrsam Brahmanam 6rutva
athanantaram tvam mam itarebhyo mantranadhikaribhya rsibhyo ma pravocah. But Keith
has overlooked the prohibitive ma in his translation. The context demands the prohibitive,
Hence the above translation is given
in order to establish the special privilege for the Vasistha.
with due correction. (Keith, Veda of the Black Yajiis School, Tr. HOS. Vol. 18, p. 279),
88.
Jjjtsayo
H -' L HARIYAPPA
258
34
Vairupa, Vairaja, and, Sakvara and Raivata Samans.
were duly laid, the text says
Later after the bricks
'
Yah pracis tabhir Vasistha ardhnot, ya daksina tabhir Bharadvajo yab praticis
tabhir Visvamitro ya udfcis tabhir Jamadagni r ya urdhvas tabhir Visvakarma ya
evam
etasarn
rddhim v edardlmotyeva ya asani evam bandhutam
eda bandhuman
bhavati ya asarn evam klptim vada kalpatc asmai ya asani evam ayatanam vedayatanavan bhavati ya asani evam pratistharn veda pratyeva tisthati // 35
"
With those (bricks) put down on the East, Vasistha prospered, with those
on the south Bharadvpja, with those on the west Visvamitra, with those on the
north Jamadagni, with those above Visvakarman. He who knows thus the
he who knows thus their relationship becomes
prosperity in these (bricks) prospers
in
who
knows
thus
their ordering, (things) go orderly for him
relations
he
rich
he who knows thus their abode becomes possessed of an abode he who knows
;
thus their support becomes possessed of support."
This illustrates again the close association of the sages. The phala-sruli is
very significant. At all events, it impresses upon the common worshipper the fact
that co-operation from all quarters is necessary as exemplified by the great sages
It is possible that these sages
of old with regard to the conduct of the sacrifice.
in particular circumstances did have honest differences, but did not refuse co-opera-
tion
when
We
required.
find
Visvamitra
however but one reference
to the rivalry
between Vasistha and
Visvamitra- Jamadag iri Vasisthenaspardheta sa

ctajjamadagnir vihavyam upasyat tena vai
Vasisthasycndriyam
viryzim.
avrnta
Visvamitra and Jamadagni had a quarrel with Vasistha. Jamadagni saw the
36
Vihavya hymn and drew away all the power and strength of the adversary. 37
These identifications are symbolical. One should approach them with faith (sraddha).
issue is the importance that the Taittinya attaches equally to Vasistha and VisVamitra along with other sages. They are solid bricks on which the edifice of the Vedic sacrifice is
Whatever the personal relationships of Vasistha and Visvamitra were, their active associabuilt.
tion with the sacrifice is a testimony to their unqualified contribution to the general welfare of the
"
community. To illustrate the symbolism just referred to, one extract may be given
Ayam
puro bhuvas tasya prano bhauvayano vasantah pranayano gayatrl vasanti gayatriyai gayatram
Vasistha rsih prajapatigrhigayatrad upamSur upams*os trivrt trivrto Ratha'ntaram Rathantarad
"
This one in front the existent, his, the
taya tvaya pranam grhnami prajabhyah." etc. Keith
existent's breath ; spring born of the breath, the Gayatr! born of the spring, from the Gayatrl
the Gayatra (Saman), from the Gayatra the Uparhsu (cup) from the UpamSu the Trivrt (stOma),
from the Trivrt the Rathantara, from the Rathantara Vasistha the Rsi. With thee taken by
34.
The point at
Prajapati, I take breath for offspring".

85.
TS V
86.
RV X
57.
TS
2.10.5-6
128.1
III 1.7.
Keith's translation, p. 45
f.
Mamagne nava vihavyo VaisVadevam jagatyantam.

Keith, p. 280 f
Sarva, p. 48.
The
259
Taittiriya records a calamity that befell the great Vasistha
i.e.
the tragic
death of his sons.

Vasistho hataputro'kamaâta vindeya prajam
abhi Saudasan bhaveyam iti sa etam
ekasraanna pancasam apasyat tarn aharat

tenayajata tato vai so'avindata prajam abhi
Saudasam abhavad ya evam vidvan sa
ekasmannapancasam asate vindante prajam

abhi bhratrvyan bhavanti / 38
"
"
Vasistha his sons slain, desired
May I win offspring and defeat the Saudasas."
He saw this rite of forty-nine nights he grasped it and sacrificed with it. Then
indeed did he win ofTspring and defeated the Saudasas. Those who, knowing
;
thus, perform the rite of forty-nine nights

2.
win offspring and defeat
their enemies."
Kathaka, Maitrdyani and Vdjasaneyi Sainhitds
These Samhitas have nothing to add to the information already culled out.
They repeat the symbolic indentity of Vasistha, VasVamitra and other sages
enunciated by the Taittiriya, only with a small change. 39
make
The following
table will
it clear.
TS
The Identity
East
Prana-Rathantara
Manas-Brhat
South
Caksus-Vairupa West
Srotra-Vairaja North
Vac-Sakvara-Raivata
Above
KS, MS, VS
Vasistha
Vasistha
Bharadvaja
Bharadvaja
Visvamitra
Jamadagni
Jamadagni
Visvakarman
Visvamitra
Visvakarman
The following mantra of the Rgveda is found repeated by VS and KS. 40

Evdd fndram vrsanam vajrabahum
Vasisthaso abhyarcantyarkaili /
Sa nas stuto viravat patu gomat
pata svastibhis sad a nab
Yuyam
"
Thus do the Vasisthas worship with
//
praises Indra showerer of benefits, with
arms
May he, thus praised, make us wealthy in heroes and in

do
protect us always with blessings."
ye, gods,
like the thunderbolt.
And
kine.
As
of
and Visvamitra are both Seers of several hymns and parts

White Yajurveda (VS), 41 which do not contribute to our study,
usual, Vasistha
hymns
of the
88.
TS VII 4.7. Keith p.
89.
KS
40.
6.28.2,
41.
RV
GB
16.19
MS
606.
2.7.19
VS
VS
VII 28.6.
20.54,
2.4.2, 2.6.5. Vait. 22.14.
compare
also
VI
II, p. 275,
KB IV. 8, PB IV 7.8.
18.54, 57.
KS
8.16.
The verse
See C. V. Vaidya, HSL. Vedic Period, p. 207,
is
repeated also in
AV XX
12.6,
AB
H L HARIYAPPA
260
except to confirm the uniform importance accorded to both sages by the various
Samhitas. Their mutual rivalry, if at all, is of no interest to the general public.
Sdmaveda
8.
Similar
is
Only Vasistha's name is celebrated.

of verses and hymns which are mostly borrowSV, again, perceives no enmity between the
42
the case with the Samaveda.
But both he and Visvamitra are seers

ed from their Rgvedic revelations. 43
sages.
Atharvaveda Satnhitd
4.
VisVamitra
is
referred in
AV
in three contexts.
Yau Bharadvajam avatho
yaii
Vis\ dmitram 44 Varuna Mitra
Yau Kakslvantam avathab

Tau no niuncatam amhasafr
"
a prayer to Mitra and Varuna

Visvamitra, Kutsa, O Varuna and Mitra
free us from distress."
It
is
'
Gavisthiram
Kutsam
prota
//
Kanvam
AV.
29.5
Ye who favour Bharadvaja, Gavisthira,

who favour Kaksfvat and Kanva do ye
Kanvafr Kaksfvan Purumidho Agastyah

SyavJisvafr Sobharyarcandnab /
Vi&vtaitro'yam Jamadagnir Atrih
Avantu nab KaSyapo Vamadevah // XVIII 3.15.
*
Let Kanva, Kaksivat, Purumidha, Agastya, Syava^va, Sobhari, Arcananas, this

45
Jamadagni, Atri, Kasyapa, Vamadeva let all these protect us."
Visvamitra,
Visvamitra Jamadagne Vasistha
Bharadvaja Gotama Vamadeva /

Sardir no Atrir agrabhinnamobhib
Suâmsasab pftaro mrdata nab //
XVIII
3.16.
O VisVamitra, Jamadagni, Vasistha, Bharadvaja, Gotama, Vamadeva Atri

hath taken our abode with obeisances ye fathers of good report, be gracious to
41
us."
42.
SV
Purva.
8.5.9.
4.4.8, 6.2.5.
Uttara, 3.13.3, 444.8, 5.9.8.
C. V. Vaidya,
quoted above, p. 193 et. seq.

44.
ViSvamitram viSvam krtsnam jagat mitram yasya sah tathoktah / Mitre carsau iti
purvapadasya dlrghah /...
Vasitham / Vasumattamam / Vasumacchabdad is^hani Vinmatorluk / teh iti tîlopah /
Sarvare$iham Vasisthakhyam maharîm raksathah / at AV. IV 29.3 Sayana.
45. Ay am iti idam Sabdena purovartivastuvacina sarvajana-sannihitatvena sarvamitratvam
takes ayam with Jamadagni. AV XVIII. 8.63 records the
upap&dyate" Sayaaa. But
" Whitney
Visvamitrah which does not refer to the sage Visvamitra or his descendents. The
expression
'
'
stanza is in praise of Yama, wherein the All-Friends (Brahmans) are called upon to offer praise
and oblations to the God, so that He may grant long life. See Whitney, AV Tr. (HOS VIII),
48.
p. S66.
'
'

VisVamitra
nounced
is
the seer of a few
hymns
of the
AV.
The hymn III IT
AV V
successful agriculture (Krsib). 46

used for the healing of distempered cattle also
for
26
15-16 are
the later
is
prc
exorcisms
plants
;
hymn perhap
directed against insect pests. VI 44 is for cessation of disease, according to Kauik
Sutra (31.6), it is used in a remedial rite against slander (apavada). VI 141
;
is
pronuriced with marking of cattle's ears (gokarnayor laksyakaranam) and 142

for increase of food grain (annasamrddhi). 47
Visvamitra's name is thus connected with charms and spells but they hav
been for good purposes. Whereas, by means of these, diseases were remove,
and food became abundant, why should the sage not be called Visva-mitra frien
of the world ?
;
all
'
'
The name Vasistha occurs ten times in the AV. From a study of the context
and according to the commentary, the word is used as an adjective five times 4
;
so
shall consider the other five here, 49 referring to the sage.
we
Yavaftgirasam avatho yavagastim

Mitravaruna Jamadagnim Atrim /
1.
Yau Kasyapam avatho yau Vasistha m

Yau no muncatam amhasah //
IV 29.3.
"
Ye who protect Ahgiras, Agasti, Jamadagni and Atri, O Mitra and Varuna, y
who protect Kasyapa and Vasistha, do ye free us from distress."
2.
XVIII
Vasistha next appears

3.16), as stated above.
among
other names, including Visvamitra, (A
tJdu brahmanyairata sravasyd
3.
Indram samary^ mahaya Vasistha
A yo visVani
savasa tatana
ma
fvato vacamsi
UpaSrota
50
//
"
They have all offered their prayer to Indra for the sake of food, you also
Vasistha, do extol him at the sacrifice. And may that Indra, who extended th
universe by his might, listen to my words, as I approach him."
RV X
RV
material is repeated
46.
101, IV 57 and parts in VS, Ts, Ta, and Ms. Much of
Cf.
discover a few variant readings also. Whereas the Samhita texts have been handed down wit
meticulous care and accuracy, a comparative study of the repetitions in the different Samhita
we
must
Ed.
yield interesting text-critical results.
47.
Consult Whitney's
C. R. Lanman.
Atharva-veda
(Tr.)-
Harvard Oriental
Series, Vols,
7 and 8 (190
AV VI. 21.2, 44.2, 119.1, VII 55.2, SVIII 3.46.

AVIV 29.3, XVIII 8.16, XX 12.1, 6; 117.8. It may be recalled that Whitney considei
In his Harvard Translation, he translates XIX as supple
books XIX and XX as later additions.
48.
49.
XX
he does not notice at all. Cruel Death took him away before the volumes wer
also as supplement.
Who knows, had he lived, he would have added
50.
Same.as RV VII 28.1, SV I 830, AB 6.18.8, 20.7, KB 29.6, GB 2.4,2, 6.1.2, AA 5.2.2.C
Vait. 22.13. Designated as ud-u-brahmlya sukta,
18,19.10, 20.6.
ment,
published.
XX
262
The next verse
4.
connection with
HARIYAPPA
Ev6d fndram
'
Ydm
te Vasistho arcati prasastim
ImS Brahma sadhamade
Opulent one
offers
you
praise.
Vasistha also
spati
is
was dealt with above
in
jusasva
51
//
XX
117.3.
Give heed to this address of mine, this with which Vasistha

These prayers, be pleased to accept at the sacrifice."
is
the seer of a few
a chief's success.
for
amulet
12.6)
Bodha su me maghavan vacam emam
5.
"
XX
(AV
YV references.
also tied, it
is
hymns
AV.
in
29
is
hymn
to
Brahmana-
(Rastrabhivardhanam sapatnaksayanam
ca)
an
called abhlvartamani-sukta.
III 19-22 are to help friends against enemies (19), to Agni and other gods for
various blessings (20,21), to gods in general for splendour (varcas) (22).
IV 22
is
XX 12
and prosperity of a king (amitra-ksayanam
for the success
destruction of the enemy)
for the
for victory in battle according to Kausika-sutra.
and 117 are hymns borrowed from the Vasistha-mandala of RV.
It may be noticed from the above

He was definitely, and perhaps more
is by no means a tame
sage.
than
Visvamitra connected with
actively
that Vasistha
With
rites and incantations for a king's success in battle,

or
or for a man's prosperity
contentment, Vasistha must have been a heaven to
many kings and men in distress. We notice also that there is not the slightest
martial adventures.
suggestion of Vasistha- Visvamitra rivalry. By the enumeration alongside of

various Rsis it is fair to think that all these sages were alike holy in the eyes of the
worshipper, and a great deal of time must have separated the sages and the coman
poser of the hymn (IV 29) with the burden tau no muficatam amhasab
argument for the late age of at least portions of the Atharva-veda. Public opinion
does not seem to have taken note of the alleged fued between Vasistha and Visvamitra. On the other hand, recorded evidence points to the universal recognition
'
'
accorded fo both the sages. Whatever enmity there might have been, it must
have been of a purely personal nature one that did not affect the well-being of the
world at large.
Ill
BRAHMANAS
This branch of Vedic literature depicts the contributions made by Vasistha
Visvamitra to the sacrificial cult. They were chief among those who strove to
make the Sacrifice a perfect system. There is not a trace of discord between them
;
51,
RV VII
22.3,
SV
2.279,
MS
4.12.4,
KS
12.15.
on the other hand
their collective service has oftentimes
scrutinize in detail
shall
268
been emphasised.
We
The Aitareya Brdhmana first speaks of Vivamitra as the seer of the

52
It is said that he first saw a few hymns which Vamadeva
Sampata Hymns.
53
In the
quickly appropriated as hisôwn, whereupon VisVamitra saw fresh ones,
Vasistha
and
Nodhas
also
see several hymns. 54
same manner did Bharadvaja,
1.
Tan va etan Sampatan ViSvamitrab prathamam apasyat tan VisVamitrena

tvam Indra vajrinnatra yanna Indro jujuse yacca
drstan Vamadevo'srjataiva
vasti katha
maham
ksipram samapatat
avrdhat kasya hotur
tat
iti
tan ksipram samapatad yat
sampatanam sampatatvam
Sa haiksancakre Visvamitro yan va aham Sampatan apasyam tan Vamadevo'

srsta kani nvaham suktani Sampatamstatpratiman srjeyeti sa etani suktani
Sampatamstatpratiman asrjata sadyo ha jato vrsabhab kanlna Indrab purbhidatiraddasamarkairimamusu prabhrtim sataye dh<a icchanti tva somyasab sakhaSasad vahnir duhitur naptyafigad abhi tasteva didhaya manisam iti /
Ya eka iddhavyas carsaninam iti Bharadvajo yas tigma^rngo vrsabho na

bhima udu brahmanyairata sravasyeti Vasistho'sma idu pra tavase turayeti
*
Nodhab
/55
Later these hymns are praised as follows
Tad
etat
suktam 56 svargyam
eteria vai
suktena devab svargam lokam ajayan
etena rsayab tathaivaitadyajamana ctena suktena svargam lokam jayanti / Tadu

Vaisvamitram vivasya ha vai mitram Visvamitra asa / Vi^vam hasmai mitram
bhavati ya evam veda yesam caivam vidvan etanmaitravarunab purastat suktanam

aharahab samsati / 57
"
That hymn is heavenly. It is by Visvamitra, Visvamitra was the friend

all become friendly to him who knows thus and to those for whom a Maitravaruna, knowing thus, recites this before the hymns day by day." With this
sukta, again, the gods won the heavens, with this the rsis, and so with this will the
sacrificers also win the heavenly world.
of
all
Similarly the Vasistha
hymn
Udu brahmanyairata
58
:
Tad etat suktam savrgyam etena vai suktena devab svargam lokam
ajayan etena rsayas tathaivaitad yajamana etena rsayas tathaivaitad yajamana etean suktena svargam lokam jayanti / Tadu Vasistham etena vai Vasistha
52.
RV IV 19
RV III 49
22
34
23.
36
the Brahmana.
54.
VI. 22, VII. 19
53.
RV
5.
56.
AB VI
30
24.
21
I.
38.
Th^ hymns
61.
18.
Sadyo ha jato vrsabhah kaninah (RV III 49)
VI
57.
Ibid
58.
RV VII 24.
20.
are enumerated in the order stated in
264
HARIYAPPA
paramam lokam ajayat

paramam lokam ya evam veda
Indrasya priyam dhamopagacchat sa
priyam dhama
gacchati jayati
Upendrasya
69
"
This hymn is heavenly, with this hymn indeed did the gods win the heavens
with this the Rsis and with this will the sacrificers also win the heavenly world.
This is by Vasistha. With this indeed did Vasistha approach the abode dear to
;
Indra, and he
won
the supreme world.
He who knows
thus will go to the abode
dear to Upendra (Visnu) and will win the supreme world."

Vasistha and Visvamitra are both connected with the Sunas's'epa legend. 60
sacrifice which was contemplated by king Hariscandra they officiated as
In the
Vasistha as Brahma and Visvamitra as Hota. Visvamitra's part in the

S anas' sepa is remarkable. He befriended poor Sunassepa, adopted him
of
story
into his family as eldest son and passed on to him his earthly possessions as well as
priests
As this story has been fully treated in the foregoing chapter, it

unnecessary to dilate upon it here. Suffice it to remember that the two sages
were highly regarded by society and that, between them, no rivalry appears to have
his divine lore.
is
existed.
Besides the above, there are a few references in the

is
said to have introduced the
in connection with a
hymn
AB
to Vasistha only.
He
Rathantara-saman and Bharadvaja the Brhatsaman,
of the
Rgveda
61
:
Rathantaram ajabhara Vasisthafr /

Bharadvajo Brhad acakre agner
evainam tat karoti / 62
The term Vasistha has been pointed out
as
iti
Brhadrathantaravantam
an appellation to Agni
63
:
Adabdhavratapramatir Vasistha ityagnir vai devanam Vasisthafr
64
/
Agni is Vasistha (atiSayena nivasahetufr), the best shelter-giver or protector, anp

one whose preference is always for harmless rites. 65
In the chapter which describes the sacrifice and the part played therein by
the Brahmanas and the Ksatriyas, it is said that the famous priests of the times
pass on the tradition of the sacrifice and, specially of the participation of the Somafood (bhaksa), to their respective royal disciples. Thus, Tura son of Kavasa
narrated
it
to
Sahadeva, to
59.
60.
Janamejaya son of Pariksit, Parvata and Narada to Somaka son of

Sahadeva son of Srnjaya, to Bahbru son of Devavrdh, to Bhima of
AB VI 20.
AB VII 16-18.
61.
RV X
62.
AB
I 21. cf. also Ait.
63.
RV
II 9.1*.
64.
AB
I 28.
65.
adabdhe himsarahite vrate karmani prakr?ta matir yasyagneh so'yarn adabdhavra-
tapramatih
181.1.
Sayana. AV.
A. Ill
1.6.
AnandaSrama edn.
Vol.
I, p.
122.
265
Vidarbha and to Nagnajit of Gandhara; Agni narrated it to Sanas*ruta, the suppresser of enemies, knower of the sacrifice, and son of Janaka, (finally) Vasistha
to Sudas son of Pijavana. And all these having partaken of the Soma-food rose
to eminence, all became sovereign lords, being established in glory, all shone like
the Sun, gathering tributes from all quarters. 66 This passage warrants the belief
that Vasistha was the priest of king Sudas, at least in the early part of his reign.
That Vasistha anointed Sudas on the throne is stated in another passage.

Enumerating the names of several kings of old who were coronated in the manner
"
in which Indra himself was coronated, it is said
With this great anointing of
Indra, Vasistha anointed Sudas Paijavana. Therefore, Sudas Paijavana went
round the earth completely, conquering on every side, and offered the horse in
sacrifice." 67
Durmukha
the Paficala and Atyarati Janantapi
by the very knowledge
of
Indra's great anointing conquered the earth, their priests being Brhaduktha and
Vasistha Satyahavya respectively. A kind of conflict is however reported between
Atyarati and the priest Vasistha Satyahavya. This Vasistha, son of Satyahavya
"
Thou hast conquered entirely the earth on every side do
said to Atyarati
thou make me great." Then said Atyarati Janantapi " When I conquer, O
Brahman, the Uttara Kurus, then thou wouldst be king of the earth, and I should
"
be thy General." Vasistha Satyahavya replied
That is a place of the gods,
:
no mortal man may conquer it. Thou hast been false to me, therefore I take this
from thee." Then Amitratapana Susmina Saibya, a king, slew Atyarati Janantapi,
whose strength had been taken away and who had lost his power. Therefore one
should not play false with a Brahman who knows thus and has done thus (thinking)
"
Let me not lose my kingdom, nor let breath forsake me." 68
66.
Etamu haiva provaca Turah Kavaseyo Janamejayaya Pariksitayaitamu haiva procatuh
Parvata-naradau Somakaya Sahadevyaya Sahadevaya Sarnjayaya Babhrave Daivavrdhaya
Bhimaya Vaidarbhaya Nagnajite Gandharayaitamu haiva provacagnih Sanagrutayarindamaya
kratuvide Janakaya etamu haiva provaca Vasis^hah Sudase Paijavanaya te ha te sarva eva
mahajjagmur etam bhaksam bhaksayitva sarve haiva maharaja asur aditya iva ha sma driyam
pratis^hitas tapanti sarvabhyo digbhyo balim avahantah // AB VII 34.
67. Etena ha va Aindrena mahabhisekena Vasisthah Sud as am Paijayanam abhisiseca
-tasmad u Sudah Paijavanah samantam sarvatah prthivim jayan pariyayasvena ca medhyeneje/
AB VIII 21. Other kings anointed in the same fashion are Tura son of Kavasa anointed
J a namejay a son of Pariksit Cyavana anointed Saryata, Somasusma anointed Satanlka, Parvata
and Narada anointed Ambas|;hya and also Yudham^raus^hi KaSyapa anointed Vi^vakarman,
Samvarta son of Angiras anointed Marutta son of Aviksit, Udamaya son of Atri anointed Anga,
and Dlrghatamas son of Mamata anointed Bharata son of Dussanta. After being anointed, all
these kings conquered the earth and offered the horse in sacrifice. Ibid. (AB VIII 21).
:
68.
Sa hovaca Vasisfhah Satyahavyo'jaisir vai samantam sarvatah prthivim mahan ma
gamayeti sa hovacatyaratir Janan tapir yada brahmanottarakurun jayeyam atha tvamu haiva
prthivyai raja syah senapatir eva te'ham syam iti sa hovaca Vasisthah Satyahavyo devaksetram
vai tanna vai tanmartyo jetum arhatyadruso vai ma a ta idam dadaiti tato hatyar&tim Janantapim
attaviryam niûkram amitratapanah ûsminah âibyo raja jaghana / Tasmad evarh viduse
brahmanayaivarh cakrusenaksatriyo druhyenned rastrad avapadyeyam ned va ma pr&no jahaditi
See* also Keith's Rigveda Brahmanas Translated (Harvard Oriental
jahaditi // AB VIII 28.
Series, No. 25, 1920), p. 338 f.
266
HARIYAPPA
The Aitareya Aranyaka* 9 celebrates Vasistha and Visvamitra as follows

While their names are, as usual, connected with several hymns and rites, 70 the
Aranyaka offers useful exegetical comment on their names Thus Visvamitra is
2.
"
is
friend of the Universe
'
or
"
one to
the best or most excellent of
whom the universe is friend." 71 And Vasistha
all. 72
Visvamitra
is
further described as having
Indra reveal himself to him.

44
Indra sat down beside Visvamitra
He
who was about
to recite the
hymns
of
food/ recited the thousand brhatis. Thus he went

to Indra's dear home.
Indra said to him, Seer, thou hast come to my dear home.
Do thou, seer, repeat a second hymn.' He saying This is food', recited the
thousand brhati verses. Thus he went to Indra's dear home. Indra said to him,
Do thou, seer, repeat a third hymn'.
Seer, thou hast come to my dear home.
He saying This is food,' recited the thousand brhati verses. Thus he went to
Indra's dear home.
Indra said to him, Seer, thou hast come to my dear home.
this day.
saying 'This
is
'
'
He
I give thee a boon.'
thou, seer, art breath

this form, I
This
is
pervade
all
"
said,
all
Let
me know
thce.'
creatures are breath
the quarters.
the food of ViSvamitra.
am
This
my
Indra said,
'
am
breath
he that shines is breath. In

food is my friend, my support.
he that shines.'
said he." 73
Thus
The Aranyaka proceeds to describe the importance of the thousand brhatis.

The consonants are the body, the vowels the souls, the sibilants the breath.
Knowing this he became Vasistha most excellent '). Thence took he the name.
44
Edited with introduction, translation, notes

69.
1909 Oxford.
etc.
by A. B. Keith, Anecdota Oxoniensia,
RV
III 47 is composed by Visvamitra (Tadu Vaisvamitram).

1.2.2.
I 4.2. Vasistha's
associated with the Sudadohas verse, and again with the Viraj verses (I 5.2) Virajah
Samsatyannam vai virajo'nnadyasyavaruddhyai / Vasisthena paridadhati Vasistho'saniti /
70.
name
is
Tadu VaisVamitram visVasya ha vai mitram Visvamitra asa / Visvam hasmai mitram
71.
bhavati ya evam veda yesam caivam vidvan etaddhota samsati / I 2.2. This hymn is comopsed
by Visvamitra. Now Visvamitra was the friend of all, and all is the friend of him who knows
this and of those for whom a Hotr priest, who knows this, recites this hymn (RV III 47).
Again
in a later chapter
Tasyedam visvam mitram asld yad idam kiftca tad yad asyedam visvamitram asld yad idam kinca tasmad VisVamitras tasmad Visvamitra ityacaksata etam eva
santam / (II 2.1). " Because all whatsoever was his friend, therefore he is Visvamitra. Therefore
they call him who is (prana) Visvamitra."
:
72.
Tarn deva abruvannayam vai nah sarvesam Vasistha iti tasmad Vasisthas tasmad
*
The gods speak to him, Let him be the richest
Vasis^ha ityacaksata etam eva santam / II 2.2.
of us all.' Because the gods spake to him, Let him be the richest of us all,' therefore he is
Vasistha. Therefore they call him who is (prana) Vasistha."
4
'
VisVamitram hyetad ahah Samsisyantam Indra upanisasada / Sa hannam ityabhivya78.

hrtya brhatisahasram sasamsa tenendrasya priyam dhamopeyaya / Tarn Indra uvaca rse priyam
vai me dhamopagah sa va rse dvitlyam samseti / Sa hannam ityevabhivyahrtya brhatisahasram
Sasamsa tenendrasya priyam dhamopeyaya / Tarn Indra uvaca rse priyam vai me dhamopagah
sa va rse trtlyam Samsati / Sa hannam ityevabhivyahrtya brhatisahasram sasamsa tenendrasya
priyam dhamopeyaya / Tarn Indra uvaca rse priyam vai me dhamopaga varam dadamiti /
Sa hovaca tvam eva janlyam iti / Tarn Indra uvaca Prano va aham asmyrse pranas tvam
pranas sarvani bhutani prano hyesa ya esa tapati sa etena rupena sarva diô visto'smi tasya
me'nnam mitram daksiâm tad VaiSvamitram esa tapann evasmlti hovaca // II 2.3. (Ait.
Aranyaka).
267
Indra proclaimed this to Visvamitra, Iridra proclaimed this to Bharadvaja, so

Indra is in sacrifices invoked by him as a friend. 74
5 '
The Sankhayana Brdhmana 1 ^ presents Vasistha and VisVamitra in much

the same manner as the AB and Ait. A. Visvamitra is identified with Vac (Speech)
76 and is
associated with certain puronuvakyas, praisas
Va^ vai Visvamitrab.
77
Vasistha and Visvamitra are together associated with certain
and anupraisas.
3.
invocations. 78
Vasistha by himself too
is
mentioned
in connection with several
79
But noteworthy is what is referred to as Vasistha-yajna.
group invocations.
It is a sacrifice performed by Vasistha in order to avenge the death of his son
(Sakti) or sons, caused
by the Saudasas.
80
Vasistho'kamayuta liataputrahprajaycya prajaya pasubhir abhi Saudasan bhaveyam iti sa etam yajnakratum apasyad Vasisthayajnani tarn aharat
tenayajata tenestva prajaya ta prajaya pasubhir abhi Saudasan abhavat
tatho e vai tad yajamano yad Vasisthayajncna yajatc prajayate prajaya
pasubhir abhi dvisato bhratrvyan bhavati
//
I should propagate and should,

When liis sons were killed, Vasistha desired
with progeny and cattle, defeat the Saudasas'. Then he saw this sacrifice, conceived the Vasisthayajna, with that lie sacrificed and, having sacrificed propagated,
and then with progeny and cattle defeated the Saudasas. Thus if a sacrificer
sacrifices according to VasLsthayajfia, he will propagate and with progeny and
4
cattle will
conquer the enemies'.
4.
The Sankhayana AranydkuP- refers, principally, 82 to the incident of
Visvamitra receiving revelation from Indra a fact borne out by other texts as
:
well. 83
"
Visvamitra indeed went to the dear home of Indra by reason of recitation

and the performance of vows. To him, said Indra, 'Visvamitra, choose a boon'.
74.
Tad va iclam brhatisahasram sampannam tasya yani vyaftjanani taccharlram yo ghosah
atma ya usmaiiah sa prttnah / Etaddlia sma vai tad vidvan vasistho Vasistho babhuva tata
ctan namadheyam Icbhc / Ktad u haivendro Visvamitraya provacaitadu haivendro Bharadvajaya
provaca tasniat sa tena bandhuna yajnesu hiiyate // II 2.4.
Ed. Anandasrama Series, No. 65.
75.
sa
5, XV.l, XXIX.
XXBIII 1,2.
B XXVI. 14, XXVIII.
76.
Sarikh. B.
77.
Ibid.,
78.
Sankh.
3.
also
10 etc.
Compare e.%. Vasis^ham ajyam Vasistham prstham (XXII.7), Vasis^hah praugah

(XXV.2, XXVI.15), Vasistham aprisuktam (XXV.10) etc.
79.
80.
IV.8.
Ibid.
Text. Anandasrama Series No. 90. Translation by A. B. Keith. Oriental Translation

Fund Series, No.18, RAS, 1908.
Visvamitra and Vasistha are as usual associated with certain hymns and formulas.
82.
The name Vasistha occurs aâin in IX 2 but appears to have been used in its adjectvide II 7,16.
Yo ha vai vasis^ham veda vasistho ha svanam bhavati vag vai vasistha / " He
ival sense.
81.
who knows
indeed
83.
Bull
the most excellent becomes the most excellent
the.
is
most excellent."
Compare,
DCRI
xi-18
for instance, Ait. A. II 2.4 supra.
among
his
own
(people).
Speech
H L HARIYAPPA
-
me know
'
'
'
Thee only'.
(choose) again'.
(choose)
4
Thee only'. To him said Indra I am the great (m) and the great
a third time'.
and the goddess, the Brahman and the Brahman!'. Visvamitra was
(f), the god
To him said Indra, I am that which I have said, bu^
still feign to know more.
Vi6vamitra said
Let
thee'.
'
is more, he that performs no penance may be even such as I am'.

indeed did Indra proclaim the vyahrtis. They sufficed for him." 84
what
Then
The last section of the book gives a long line of Teachers from whom tradition
down. The list is interesting not only for many renowned names of
handed
was
ancient tradition but also for the light it throws upon the chronological relationIt is significant that Vasistha does not find
ship of those eminent personalities.
a place in this series. Perhaps he represents another school. Visvamitra receives

the knowledge directly from Indra and is removed from Brahman only by three
generations.
Says the author of the Aranyaka we have learnt it from Gunakhya SankhaGunakhya Sankhayana from Kahola Kausltaki, Kahola KaUvSitaki from
yana,
Uddalaka Aruni, Udclalaka Arum from Priyavrata Saurnapi, Priyavrata Saumapi

from Somapa, Somapa from Soma Prativesya, Soma Prativesya from PrativeSya,
PrativeSya from Brhaddiva, Brhaddiva from Sumnayu, Sunmayu from Uddalaka,
Uddalaka from Visvamanas, ViSvamanas from Vyasva, Vyasva from Sakamasva
Devarata, Devarata from Visvamitra, Visvamitra from Indra, Indra from Prajapati,
Prajapati from Brahman, Brahman (n) is self-existent. Honour to Brahman,
honour to Brahman, 85
In the Satapatha Brahmana, as elsewhere, the sages Visvamitra and
5.
Vasistha are symbolised as Ear (srotra) 80 and Breath (prana) 87 respectively.
The context is the construction of the first layer in the building of the sacred
.
Sahkh. A. 1.6. " Visvfvmitro lui va Indrasya priyuin dhamopajagama sastrena ca

vratacaryaya tarn hendra uvaca Visvamitra varam vrnlsveti sa hovaea Viivamitras tvam cva
vijanlyam iti dvitiyam iti tvam cveti tr yam iti tvam eveti tarn hendra uvaca mahamca mahati
casmi devasca devi casmi brahma ca brahman! casmlti tata u ha Vi^vamitro vijijftasam eva cakre
tam hendra uvacaitad va aham asmi yad etad avocam yad va krseto bhuyo'tapas tad eva tat
syadaham iti tad va Indro vyahrtlr fice ta upapta asannityathopanidliaya prenkhaphalakam
trirabhyam nyatrirabhyavan iti //
Ibid XV. Name Brahmanc naina Acaryebhyo Gunakhyac Chankhayanad asmabhir
85.
adhitam Gunakhya6 Sankhayanah Kaholilt Kaiisitakeh Kaholah Kausltakir Uddalakad Aruner
Uddalaka Arunih Priyavratat Somapeh Priyavratas Somajiis Somapat Somapas Somat
Prativesyat somah Prativcsyah Prativesyat Prativesyo Brhaddivad Brhaddivas Sumnayos
Sumnayur Uddalakad Uddalako Visvarnanaso Visvamana Vyasvad Vyasvas Sakamasvat
Sakamasvo Devaratad Devarato Visvamitrad Visvamitra Indrad Indrah Prajapateh Prajapatir
Brahmano Brahma Svayambhur namo Brahmane namo Bralimane //
84.
SB 8.1.2.6 Srotram vai Visvamitra rsir yad anena sarvata& Srnotyatho yad asmai
86.
sarvato mitram bhavati tasmacclirotram Visvamitra rsih. (Satapatha-lBrahmana ed. Albrecht
Weber. Berlin 1855 with extracts from the commentaries of Sayana, Harisvamin and Dviveda
Ganga etc. Text editions have been recently brought out in Benares (Kasi Sanskrit Series 127,
1987 etc.) and in Bombay (Lakshmi-Venkatesvar Steam Press, 1940). See Dandekar's Vedic
Bibliography. SB was translated by Julius Eggeling in SBE volumes 12,26,41,43 and 44, the
last protion known as the Brhadaranyaka (XIV 4-9) being left out.)
87.
SB 8.1.1.6- Prano vai Vasistha rsir yad vai nu Sres^hs tena Vasis|;ho'tho yad vastrtamo
vasati teno eva Vasis^hah.
269
the Seven Sages (saptarsis) representing

the seven vitals viz. two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and the mouth, which to88
gether constitute the pranas.
Secondly, they are
fire-altar.
among
as he knew the Viraj, even Indra

.Sage Vasistha is specially glorified inasmuch
coveted it and desired to know the same from the sage. Vasistha communicated
*
'
the same to him and in return obtained the knowledge of the expiation for the
"
the Vasisthas alone knew these
whole Soma sacrifice. For some time, indeed,
whence only one of the Vasistha family became the Brahman priest.
But since nowadays anybody may study them, anybody may now become
Brahman." 89
utterances,
Otherwise, the term Vasistha
is
several times used in an attributive sense.
for example, reference to Vasistha-yajna (excellent sacrifice) which

mankind. 90 Agni is the guardian of
Prajapati performs in order to propagate
There
is,
undisturbed
rites
and the most wealthy
excellent thing (vag vai vasistliii).
vasistha h). 91
Speech
is,
indeed, an
92
office of the Brahman priest being thrown open to

the
all who know the job proves
posteriority of the Satapatha to the Taittiriya.
a late period, the speeial importance of the
such
at
And be it noted that even
Vasistha and Visvamitra
ill-will
Vasisthas was recognised and no
expressed.
Thus, the mention of the
are alike
6.
members
of the priestly hierarchy.
The Pancavrmsa Brdhmana
of the
Samaveda,
also
known
as
Tandya-
mahabrahmana, records something of value which throws light on the personal

Visvamitra. Besides, they, being among
history of the two sages, Vasistha and
Prana va rsayah...Imaveva Vivamitra-JamadagnI...imaveva Vasistha
5.2. G
Dviveda
caksurdvayam nasikadvayam
explains the sevenfold prana as
Ganga
Kasyapau.
Srotradvayam miikham Hi sapta (pranah) p. 1126 Weber's edn.
SB XII 0.1.38-41 Ta Brahmaiva juhuyat nabralmia...Vasistho ha virajam vidam
89.
cakara lam hcndro'bliidadhyau // Sa hovaca / Use Virajam ha vai vettha trim me bruhlti sa
hovaca kim mama tatah syad iti sarvasya ca te yajfiasya praya&cittim bruyam rupam ca tva
sa syad yam tvam
darayeyeti sa hovaea yannu me sarvasya yajfiasya prayascittim bruyah kimu
iti // Tato haitam rsir Indraya Virajam
cvasmallokat
iti
preyad
jfvasvarga
rupam darsayetha
uvaca / lyam vai virad iti tasmad yo'syai bhuyistham labhate sa eva sres|;ho bhavati // Atha
haitam Indra rsaye / Prayuscittim uvacagnihotrad agra a mahata ukthat ta ha smaitah pura
Brahma bhavati yatas tvena/
vyahrtir Vasisiha cva vidus tasmaddha sma pura Vasistha cva
bhavati sa ha vai Brahma
Brahma
kasca
cva
tato
kas
cva
eadhite
ya
pyetarhi
apyetarhi ya
bhavitum arhati sa va Brahmann ityamantritah pratisrnuyad ya evameta vyahrtir veda //
^B II 4.4.2 Prajapatir va ctcnagre yajneneje / Prajakamo bahuh prajaya pasubhih
90.
Tad yad enena
syam Sriyam gaccheyam yasah syain anno-duli syam iti // Sa vai dakso nama /
eke Vasisthayajfta ityucaksate. Contrast
so'gre'yajata tasmad daksayanayajno nama, utainam
Sahkh. B. IV 8, where Vasis|:hayajna is tliat performed by sage Vasistha to avenge the death of
See Supra section (3), p.
his son or sons.
88.
SB XIV
'
91.
92.
best'S),
SB VI 4.2.7 adabdhavratapramatir Vasisthah (Agnih).

B XIV 9.2.2 Vag vai Vasistha same Khanda 7 Ko no
14
Vag uvaca yad vaham
vasisthasmi,
vasistha iti
3.4-Vasisthayai svaha.
which of us
is
93.
Text with Sayaija's commentary: Kashi Sanskrit Series, No. 105 in two parts, Benares
1935. Ed.
Chinnaswami Sastri. English Translation by Dr. W. Caiand in Bibliotheca Indica,.
No. 255, Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1931.
270
L HARIYAPPA
-
the foremost in the priestly ranks, are credited with the seership of several samans
in connection with various sacrificial rites.
Thus the
'
Kroa
'-saman
is
attributed to Visvamitra
forsooth, Indra (once upon a time) at Indra-kroa yelled
dagni, here are cows'.
"
The Krosa
Krosam bhavati
is
'
:
"
By this (saman),
Visvamitra and Jama-
94
applied for gaining cattle."
Etena va Indra Indrakrose VisVamitra-Jamadgni

ima gava ityakrosat pasunam avarudhyai Krosam kriyate."
/
Similarly, the Rohita-kullya-sama which is to win victory in battle.

legend is
related in this connection. 95 Visvamitra once upon a time went with the cart-train
He made a wager with certain fellows, the Adanti by name,

me this wealth, ye shall fill these carts for me, if these two ruddy
up the bank this cart laden with stones.' He thereupon saw these
of the Bharatas.
Ye
win
shall
for
ones shall drive
two samans
won
by means of
these,
having yoked them, he drove them forward and
the wager.
"
Rohita-kuliyam bhavatyajijityayai / Etena vai Visvamitro rohitabhyam

rohitakula ajim ajayat / Visvamitro Bharatanam manas satya ay at so'dantibhir nama janatayam sam prasyate mam mam yuyam astikam jayathemani
mahyam purayatha yadimavidam

sa ete samani apasyat
rohitavasmacitam
tabhyam yuktva
kulam udvahata
prasedhat so udajayat
"
//
iti
(PB XIV
8.11-18).
PB XIII 5.14-15.
in this connection culled from the Jaiminiya

The Bharatas once upon a time were on one
With them (i.e. the Bharatas) stayed Visvamitra and Jamadagni. Now Indra asked of Bhayada, son of King Asamati, the two bay steeds
which the gods had given him as gift. He did not give them to him. These not having been
"
Visvamitra and Jamadagni, acquire ye these
given, he (Indra) called at Indrakrosa and said
cows of the Iksvakus.*' These two being on the opposite bank heard this. They said to the
Bharatas, Indra calls unto us, acquire ye these cows of the Iksvakus, come along let us acquire
them.' They answered Then make you two this Sindhu fordable for us.'
Then yoke ye your
horses.*
They yoked and descended into the river. Then these two said, Throw away all your
a palpulanl bound
They threw them away. Now a rajanyabandhu, who possessed
palpulanis.'
Visvamitra and' Jamadagni wished, " May this (Sindhu) be
it beneath the axle of his chariot.
fordable for us." Visvamitra saw this saman and landed with it. They came into the river
addressing these verses (RV 1 1 1.4-6) and respectfully approached the water. The stream became
.These two having passed behind the cows of the Iksvakus hemmed
fordable and they crossed.
them in front and acquired tlie cattle. The legend bears a striking similarity to the famous crossing of the Rivers by Sudas, with the help of Visvamitra who made the rivers fordable at the
confluence of Vipas and Sutudri (cf. RV III 33).
Vide Caland's translation, p. 324 f.
PB XIV 3.11-18. Caland again cites the corresponding version from JB (in Auswahl,
95.
III 188) which runs VisVamitra, in the company of the waggon-train of the Bharatas, encountered
the Mahavrsas. Now there was either on the Ganga or the Yamuna, a high, steep bank at the
"
which forsooth, are now those two draught-oxen that will
oppoiste side. Said the Mahavrsas,
be able to drive up such a high, steep bank ? " Visvamitra answered, " These two ruddy ones
"
of mine." Said the Mahavrsas,
Let us make a wager, if the draught-oxen will drive up this
bank, thou shalt fill the cart with wares, but if they do not drive up we shall win thy wares." He
to this. The oxen were yoked to a cart laden with barley or rice. Visvamitra wished,
agreed
"
May I win the race," and saw these two samans and drove them on. The oxen reached the
opposite bank, so Visvamitra won the race... And because he had won at the bank ( kula) by
means of his two ruddy ones (rohita), therefore these two samans are called Rohita-kuliyas.'
94.
Caland adduces a legend
Brahmana (in Auswahl edited by himself, III 287).

bank of the Sindhu hard pressed by the Iksvakus.
'
'
'
'
Vide Caland, p. 854
f.
271
The first reference to VisVamitra's association with a kingdom as its lord is met
with in this Brahmana. He is said to have performed a four-day rite called
"The Jahnus and the Vrcivats quarrelled for the
Sanjaya,' to obtain victory.
4
possession of the kingdom. Visvamitra, the king of the Jahnus saw t.his rite and
practised it. He got the kingdom, the others were deprived of it. One who has
a rival should perform

defeated."
He who knows
it.
this succeeds himself
and
his rival
is
"
Visvamitrasya sanjayafc / Jahnu-Vrcivanto rastra ahimsanta sa

Visvamitro Jahnavo Raj ai tarn apasyat sa rastram abhavad arastram itare /
Bhratrvyavan yajeta / Bhavatyatmana para'sya bhratrvyo bhavati ya
"
evam veda
(PB
//
The sage Vasistha,
XXI
likewise,
12.1-4).
saw a number of samans.
assigned to him.
Having concentrated
and went to the world of heaven.
is
all its
The famous Rathantara
greatness, Vasistha chanted
it
"
Tasya Vasistho mahimno vinidhaya tena stutva

" 96
svargam lokam ait tan sambhrtyodgayet /
certain Vasistha, son of Vidu praised with a

in getting a glimpse of heaven.
saman seen by the sage
Vasistha,
and succeeded
44
Vasistho va etena Vaidavah

/
" 97
lokam
stutvanjasa savrgam
apasyat ...
Vasistham bhavati
Another saman dear to Vasistha or one that endeared the sage is mentioned. That
saman, in fact, enabled Vasistha to win Indra's favour. And he, who in praising
applies the Vasistha-saman, wins the favour of the deities.
44
Vasisthasya priyam bhavati / Etena vai

Vasistha Indrasya premanam agacchat premanam
devatanam gacchati Vasisthena tustuvanab...
" 98
Nihava-saman is another contribution of the sage Vasistha, who on that

account became a special favourite of Indra. It is like this Once upon a time
"
How may I see
the seers did not see Indra face to face. Vasistha desired
He saw this Nihava-saman and, thereupon, he saw Indra
Indra face to face ?
1 will tell thee a brahmana so that the
Indra said to him
face to face.
their
thee
as
Bharatas, having
chaplain, may be multiplied, but do not disclose
:
'
me
to the other seers'.
He
told
him those stomabhagas (saman-groups), and,
PB VII 7*18. Sayana tasya rathantarasya mahimno mahatmyani viprakln>ani

06.
"
having distributed its greatness.*'
vinidhaya vi6eenaikatra sthapya. Contrast Caland's tr.
Yaste gosu mahima yaste apsu
of
in
the
next
sentence
text
the
are
indicated
The mahatmyas
rathe va te stanayitnau ya u te yaste agnau mahima tena sambhava Rathantara dravinavanna
edhi // Ibid, VII 19.
:
07.
08.
PB XI 8.18-14.
PB XII 12.9-10 c/.
also
XV 3.33.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
272
thereupon, the Bharatas, having Vasistha as their chaplain, were multiplied.

This saman is associated with Indra."
Rsyao va Indram pratyaksam napasyan sa Vasistho'kamayata katham

Indram pratyaksam pasyeyam iti sa etan nihavam apasyat tato vai sa Indram
pratyaksam apasyat sa enam abravid brahmauarn te vaksyami yatha
tvatpurohita Bharatab prajanisyante'tha ma'nyebho rsibhyo ma pravoca
iti tasma etan stomabhagan abravit tato vai
Vasisthapurohita Bharatab
prajayanta senclram va etat sarna yad etat satua bhavati sendratvaya //"
;
But, apart from these distinguishing contributions to the efficacy of the sacrion the part of Vasistha, he is oftentimes represented as having been
afflicted by the death of his son Sakti or of a hundred sons as later legend puts it.
In his sad bereavement he saw samans and performed rites not only to console
ficial rites,
himself but also to avenge the son's death which was alleged to have been caused
by the sons or descendants of Sudas (Saudasns), under the instigation of Visvamitra.
"
Thus Vasistha saw the pragatha " Indra kratum na'abhara
(RV VII 32.26)
and then became rich in progeny and cattle. This pragatha is for the sake of
:
obtaining progeny.
4
Indra kratum na abhareti pragatho bhavati
Vasistho va ctam putrahato'pasyat sa prajaya

"
pasubhib prajayata yad esa pragatho bhavati prajatyai
For the same reason
and
cattle,
viz.
the death of the son and towards the same end
docs Vasistha in another context see what
The janitra
constituting two chants
the
called
Brahma-sarnan.
category
:
is
said to
is
known
come under
10
//
viz.
progeny
as Janitra-saman,
more comprehensive
"
Vasisthasya Janitram prajfikamaya Brahmasama kuryat

Vasistho va etat putrahatas samapasyat
sa prajaya pasubhib prajayata
"
101
prajatyai
yad etat sama bhavati
//
Finally Vasistha saw a four-day rite called caturatra and practised it whereby
he relieved himself of the sense of defeat and humiliation caused by his son's death.
PB XV
99.
5.24.
cf.
also
PB V
4.5.
The same legend
in
TS
Bharatas are an ancient clan. According to the Nighantu, the term

(Nigh. Ill 18.1), Supra note 3.
III 5.2.
is
and
KS XXXVII
17.
counted among rtvik names
PB IV 7.3. On the pragatha mentioned, compare Sarva. (p. 25) which says Sauda100.
agnau praksipyamanah Saktir antyam pragatliam alebhe (arebjie) so'rdharca ukte'dahyata /
tarn putroktam Vasisthah samapayateti Satyayanakam
Vasisthasya eva hataputrasyarsam iti
:
sair
tandakam // Tlie Tandaka (i.e. PB IV 7.8) in question, evidently, goes a step forward and
says that the bereaved sage saw this pragatha to make up for the loss, as at were, by obtaining
progeny. The legend is alluded to in other texts as well cf. KS XII 10. TS II 5.2.1, VII 4.7.1
:
etc.
101
PB VIII 2.3-4. Vide Caland's observation on the Brahmasaman. cf. the Corresponding
legend narrated in JB. described by H. Oertajl in JAOfc &V-IA p. 47 1, (1&97). - .

This coupled with Vasistha's two Janitra-samans will elevate the
from position to position and bring him progeny as well
278
man
in distress
"
Vasisthab. putrahato hina ivamanyata sa etam

apa&yat so 'gram paryaid yo hma iva many eta sa
etena yajeta / Yat stomat stomam abisan-
kramatyagradevagram rohati Vasisthasya Janitre

"
bhavatab prajatyai // 102
Thus, the Pancavimsa Brahmana records the high celebrity attained by
Vasistha and Visvamitra. A certain amount of personal history of these sages
provided inasmuch as in the one case the son's death had had a profound effect
father, and in the other, Visvamitra's kingship of the Jahnus has been
expressed and a not inconsistent martial and sportive spirit clearly illustrated by
the Indrakrosa and Rohitakula incidents. One may still wonder, with the backis
upon the
ground of the Samhita-evidence, whether the kingship of the Jahnus still proves
the rajanyatva of Visvamitra i.e. whether Visvamitra belonged to the KsatrSyavarna. It looks as if that the four varnas had not yet become water-tight compartments. There is again, no reference to the sages' mutual hostility.
Visvamitra
and Jamadagni arc friends, a fact borne out by RV also. 103
:
7.
In the Jaim inly a or Talavakdra Upanisad Brahmana^ Vasistha and
Visvamitra figure with equal importance. The Uktha is said to belong to Visvau
Now Visvamitra
mitra.
Verily, food is all (visva) and breath is friend (mitra).
the
of
vows went unto
exertion,
through penance, through
performance
through
And he proclaimed to him that which has come to man

he went for instruction (saying) Light is this uktha'.
Light (jyotis)
has two syllables, breath (prana) has two, food (anna) has two. That same is
the dear abode of Indra.
here.
Now
'
for instruction to him (saying)

Life (ayus) has two syllables, breath two, food two.
Then Vasistha went for instruction to
firmly established in food.
The cow (gauti) is this uktha. That same is just food. For the
Then Jamadagni went
firmly established in food.

'
Life (ayus) is this uktha.
That same
him
cow
is
'
(saying)
is food."
Tad etad Vaisvamitram uktham / Tad amiam vai visvam prano

mitram / Taddha Visvamitrah sramena tapasa vratacaryenendrasya priyam
dhamopajagama / Tasma u haitat provaca yad idam manusyan agatam /
4
PB XXI
102.
va
Vasis{;ho
vatah prajatyai
103.
cf.
with Ibid. VIII 2.3-4 and XIX 3.8 Vasisthasya Janitre bhavato
samani apasyat sa prajaya paubhih prfijayata yad etc samanl bha-
11.2-3. along
etc putrahatas
//
RV
III 53.16,
167.4.
Roman), translation (English) and notes by Hanns Oertel. American

Oriental Society (Journal Vol. XVI Part I, 1894). Text in Devanagarl ed. Pandit Rama Deva
(Lahore Dayananda Sanskrit Series 3) with an essay in Hindi on the history of Samaveda
Literature by Pandit Bhagavad Datta, 1921. The credit of first bringing into light the JB goes
to Dr. H. Oertel who subsequently wrote on the Contributions from the JB to the History of the
104.
Text
(in
'
Brahmana
Literature' (Vide
JAOS XVIII
etc.).
274
'
uktham iti / Jyotir iti dve aksare prana

anna eva pratisthitam / Atha hainam
etad
Tad
/
uktham
iti /
etad
Ayur iti dve aksare prana
Jamadagnir upanisasada ayur
anna
eva
Tad
etad
iti
dve
annam
iti dve
pratisthitam / Atha hainam
/
etad annam eva / Annam
iti
Tad
uktham
etad
Vasistha upanisasada gaur
/
Taddha
iti
sa upanisasada jyotir etad
dve annam
higaufc/"
iti
dve
105
Vivamitra went to the abode of Indra through exertion, penance and vows
(ramena tapasa vrataearyena) may not be without significance in view of the
elaboration of this process in the Ramayana, of course with much colour and
conceit added.
Again, "Indra said the uktha to Visvamitra (saying that it is Speech: Vac)
Therefore the descendants of Visvamitra worship Speech only. Manu ordained
brahman-hood to Vasistha. Therefore they say, Brahman belongs to Vasistha.
and who is equal to a
This also they say, one knowing thus is a brahman-priest
"
Vasistha knowing thus?
;
"
Vag iti hendro Visvamitrayoktham uvaca / Tad etad Visvamitra

upasate vacam eva / Manur ha Vasisthaya brahmatvarn uvaca / Tasmad
ahur vasistham eva brahmeti / Tad u va ahur evamvid eva brahma / Ka
u evamvidam Vasistham arhatiti / " 106
promote progeny by means of an after- verse (anumantra) of the
and
stomabhaga,
by reciting it he did obtain abundant progejiy and cattle.
Vasistha
is
said to
"Athaisa VaststhasyaikastomabhaganumantraU tena haitena Vasisthafc

prajatikamo'numantrayam cakre ...tato vai sa bahufr prjaya pasubhib
*'
prajayata
107
//
8.
The Sadvimsa Brdhmana 108 describes how Indra imparted the Uktha
Visvamitra
and Brahma to Vasistha Speech (Vak) is Uktha and Mind (manas)
to
;
Mind and Speech are invaluable assets to Sacrifice and its technique.
Vasistha
Even so,
and Visvamitra are central figures in propounding and perfecting the sacrificial cult. Mind and Speech are further graphically represented as
is
Brahma.
the two ruts of the wheels of the chariot namely the Sacrifice.
"
Indro ha vai Visvamitrayoktham uvaca Vasisthaya brahma, vag

ityeva ViSvamitraya mano brahma Vasisthaya / Tad va etad
uktham
Vasistham brahma
kurvlta
tarn tarn
/
Api haivamvidam va Vasistham va brahmanam
Tad yathobhayavartanina rathena yam yam disam prarthayate
abhiprapnotyevam etenobhayavartanina yajfiena yam kamayate
tarn abhyaSnute
105.
JUBr.
106.
JUBr
"
Ill 8.6-18.
III 1-8.
107.
Ibid., Ill 18.6.
108.
Ed.
109.
109
/
W. H. Julius with commentary

Sad B. 15.
entitled Vijftapanabhasya.
-RGVEDIC LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES
275
Just as a person seated on a chariot can go in a required direction, so also a person

110
performing a sacrifice will obtain the desired object.
The Gopatha Brahmana 111 of the Atharvaveda speaks of the penance

performed by various sages. Vasistha is said to have done it in two places in the
midst of the River Vipas, the places being known as Vasistha-Sila and Krsna-Sila.
Vivamitra and Jamadagni did penance in a place called Jamadagna; Agastya
9.
in Agastya-tirtha 112 etc.

Indra's special favour to Vasistha inasmuch as he revealed to him the stomabhagas has been described in term similar to those in the
Pancavimsa Brahmana. 113 Vasistha's name is further associated with the hinkara
which is sacred to the sacrifice. 114 Sacrifice itself is guarded by the different sages
Vamadeva guarded it in the South, Vasistha in the middle, Bharadvaja in the North
and Visvamitra on all sides. Hence Maitravaruna will not swerve from Vamadeva,
Bhahmanacchamsin will not swerve from Vasistha, Acchavaka will not from
Bharadvaja and all will stand by Visvamitra. Thus do the seers zealously guard
the sacrifice. 115 Finally, Vasistha and Visvamitra are mentioned as the seers of
:
Sampata hymns, while a kind

priated the sampatas
saw fresh ones 116
first
is ascribed to Vamadeva who approfor himself, whereupon the latter

ViSvamitra
by
of plagiarism
seen
It will be seen from the above that the Gopatha Brahmana does not perpetrate
the so-called tradition of an hostility between Vasistha and ViSvamitra. On the
contrary both of them are represented as quite friendly in the domain of sacrifice.
People have faith in both and look upon them with respect.
both are god's favourites.
And what
is
more,
The same idea is well desribed in JUBr. Ill 16

ay am vava yajfto yoyam pavate / Tasya vak ca mana& ca hyesa etan manasa ca vartate /
Tasya hotadhvaryur udgatetyanyataram vaca vartanim samskurvanti / Tasmat te vaca
kurvanti / Brahmaiva manasa anyataram / Tasmat sa tusnlm aste //
The sacrifice rests on Speech and Mind. These are the two ruts on which the sacrifice proceeds.
The three priests, hotr, adhvaryu and udgatr, look after one of them by means of speech (because
they recite aloud the praises and the chants), whereas the Brahman priest contemplates upon the
110.
other in
the rites
111.
silent.
He is responsible for the flawless performance of
;
therefore he silently but vigilantly supervises the work of all the others.
mind only hence he remains

;
Das Gopatha Brahmana, Herausgegeben von Dr. Dieuke Gaastra (Leiden,
GB text was printed in Calcutta by Jlvananda Vidyasagar in 1891.

112. BG I 2.8. Atha khalu Vipanmadhye Vasis^ha-îla nama
1910).
prathama asramo dvitlyah

Krsnasilas tasmin Vasisthas samatapat, Visvamitra- Jamadagni Jamadagne tapatah /...Agastyo'gastyatlrthe tapati / etc.
113.
5.24 which particularises VasisfJia's patronage to the Bharatas,
Ibid II 2.13. c/. PB
whereas here it is mankind (praja) in general, cf note 3 Supra.
XV
114.
Ibid II 3.9. Prajapatir vai yat praja asrjata ta vai tanta asrjata / Ta hinkarenAivaAtho khalvahur maharsir va etad yajnasyagre geyam apaSyat / Tad etad
bhyajighrat /
yajflasyagre geyam yaddhinkaras tarn deva ca rsyaS cabruvan Vasis^ho'yam astu yo no yajftasyagre geyam adrag iti / Tad etad yajnasyagre geyam yaddhinkaras tato vai sa devanam sres^ho'bhavat yena vai 6rest:has tena Vasis^hah /
;
Devan ha yajftam tanvanan asuraraksamsyajighmsan / Te'bruvan

yajftam daksinato gopayeti / Madhyato Vasis^ham / Uttarato
Bharadvajam / Sarvan anu Viivamitram / Tasm&n Maitravaruno Vamadevanna pracyavate
Vasis^had Brahmanacchamsl Bharadyajad Acchavakas sarve Visvamitrat / Eta ev&smai tad
rsayo'har ahar namaga apramatta yajftam raksanti ya evam veda ya evam veda /
Ibid II 6.1. which is almost a repetition of AB VI 18-20.
116.
115.
Ibid. II 3.23.
Vamadevam tvam na imam
H L HARIYAPPA
276
IV
VEDIC ANCILLARIES
1.
Nirukta
While explaining the name SarasvatI as Speech and a River, Yaska

briefly the story of Visvamitra and the Rivers.
Tatretihasam acaksate Visvamitra
babhuva
Visvamitrab sarvamitrati
sambhedam ayayav anuyayur

bhavateti
itare
relates
Sudasafr Paijavanasya purohito

vittam grhltva Vipatchutudryob.
Sa Visvamitro naclis tustava gadha
rsili
...
Sa,
In that connection they relate a story. The sage Visvamitra was priest of king
Sudas son of Pijavana. Visvamitra was a friend to all. Taking his wealth he
came to the confluence of Vipas and Sutudri others followed Visvamitra praised
the rivers (and prayed) Do ye become fordable'.
;
The circumstances of this miracle are, however, nowhere clearly expresseds

Some amplifications may be gleaned from other works. The Brhaddevata tell,
us that Visvamitra was accompanying Sudas, having been his priest at a sacrifice
Purohitas sannijyartham Sudasa saha yan rsih
Vipatchutudryos sambhedam sam itycte uvaca ha
The Sarvanukramani introduces the hymn (RV
118
//
III 33) merely as a conversation
and Visvamitra, who was desirous of crossing Samvado

nadibhir Visvainitrasyottitirsoft. 119 Still the questions remain whose wealth did
Visvamitra take ? and who are those others that followed him ? The old texts
have no answer to give. Durga however imagines that the wealth was earned by
him in his capacity as priest (paurohityoparjitam) and that those who followed
him were either his attendants or robbers (anuyayur itare tadanuyayinas taskara
va).
Sayana, from the above sources reconstructs the story
between the
rivers
"
Pura kila Visvamitrab Paijavanasya Sudaso rajnafr purohito babhuva /

Sa ca paurohityena labdhadhanati sarvam dhanam adaya Vipatehutudryoh
sambhedam ayayavanuyayur itare / Athottitirsur Visvamitro' gadha j ale
" 12
te nadyau drstvottaranartham adyabhis tisrbhis tustava
/
u
In times of yore Visvamitra became the priest of king Sudas son of Pijavana.
He, having obtained wealth from his priesthood gathered up all earnings and
came to the confluence of Vipas and Sutudri others followed him. Then desirous
of crossing the stream whose waters were deep he praised the rivers to become
;
BSS
118.
Nir. II 24, (p. 231

IV 106.
119.
Sarva. ed. Macdonell, p. 15-16.
117.
edn.).
BD
He
merely repeats the original

sukte pratipadyate (Ib. p. 106).
story.
120.
S&yana's preface to
RV
It is strange that Sadgurus'isya does not narrate the

Uttitlrsor VisVamitrasya nadibhis saha samv&do'smin
III 33,
277
This warrants a supposition that the people who followed were not
friendly; they were perhaps intent on pursuing Visvamitra and Sudas who must
also have been in the company, as vouchsafed by BD.
It is agreed on all
fordable".
accounts, at any rate, that Visvamitra was the wonder* worker before
rivers
whom
the
gave way.
Yaska does not refer to any hatred between Vasistha and Visvamitra. His
commentator, however, refuses to comment upon the Rgvedic verse in which the
word " lodham " occurs. " Lodham " is listed up in the Nighantu as one of the
121
which are known as anavagatas (not-understood). Explaining
sixty-two words
this word Yaska quotes the Rgvedic line -" lodham nayanti pasu many am Jin &b"
and says
:
lodham " lubdham rsim nayanti pasum manyamanab". Durga upon this
quotes the verse (RV III 53.23) in full and then refuses to comment upon it
"
because
the verse in which the word occurs is a Vasistha-hating one
I am a
;
122
This of course, should
Kapisthal a- Vasistha hence, I do not explain it."
as
a
Yaska
not
on
tradition
did
based
which
share.
regarded
;
Jê
refers to the birth of Vasistha 123
Yaska
and in that connection comments on

"
"
the Rgvedic verse
Utasi Maitra-Varuno Vasistha 124 Vasistha is said to be the
son of Mitra and Varuria who once fell in love with UrvaSi at her very sight (in a
Their semen dropped down and was held in a pitcher of water by the
Then Vasistha was born. The commentator Durga draws attention
to the fact that Vasistha had more than one birth 125 this is also supported by
sacrifice).
Visvedevas.
Rgvedic authority.
126
Vasistha's loyalty to Indra along with others viz. Parasara and Satayatu is
An interesting parable 128 is told of how Vasistha once praised Parjanya
stated. 127
The frogs seconded him, whereby he was pleased and

mented them in the following Rk
for rains.
heartily compli-
Samvatsaram sasayana Brahmand vratacarinab
Vdcam Parjanya jinvitam pra manduka avadisub

"
The
Brahmans
129
//
frogs pour forth aloud their praise which is pleasing to Parjanya, like
after lying the whole year in observance of a vow."
121.
Nigh. IV 1.16.
122.
Nir. IV. 14
ityavagamah
"
Lodham ityetad anavagatam

(BSS edn. pp. 380-381) Durga
yasmin nigame esa sabdah, sa Vasistha-dvesinI rk /
123.
Nir.
124.
RV VII
125.
Nir. V. 14
126.
cf.
lubdham
14.
33.11.
Com.
RV VII
127.
Nir.
VI
128.
Nir.
IX 6.
30.
p.
525
f.
BSS No.
78.
33.10-14.
cf.
RV VII
18.21.
Vasi&ho varsakamah Parjanyam tu?J&va
Sa mapdukan anumodamanan dfstva tu^tava

129.
RV VII 103.1 cf. Niti, 108, p. 239,
Tarn manduka anvamodanta
H. L. HARIYAPPA
It is said further that Vasistha, unbale to bear the sorrow of his sons' death,
He wanted
'ew himself into the river having tied the body with thread.
but the river untied the bonds and he was destined to live.
The
named
jnceforward
as Vipa
Paa asyam
Vasisthasya mumursatak
name
of the river
flowing straight)
it
is
to
was
(Vipat vipa6anad va)
e real
river
its
Arjikiya (having
was formerly known
vyapasyanta
Tasmad Vipad ucyate
13
/
source in the Rjika mountain

full of water). 181
;
as Uruiljira (urujala
Yaska
is impressed with the great qualities for which the Vasisthas

" Their
glory is like the splendour of the Sun their greatness
their swiftness is like that of the Wind and their
vast like that of the ocean
Finally,
known
re
132
lises
always inimitable."
Brhddevatd
Mitrikrtya jana vive yad imam paryupasate
Mitra ityaha tenainam Vivamitra stuvan svayam
because
[end to
One
e
all
men making
friends with
himself praising
all)
him
133
//
him resort to worship therefore Visvamitra

him Mitra (friend)."
calls
easily sees here a clue to' Visvamitra's own name if not his character,
appears to commend the sage as a universal friend. Indeed,
author of
BD
the Sun-god 134 as a friend who urges all men to action as a friend
to supports both earth and heaven as a friend who is vigilant in regard to the
Ifare of those who toil (krstib), Visvamitra undoubtedly may have had the God's
ile praising
And we know from the legends

ample for his own emulation or guidance
it he always proved to be a friend of the distressed.
!
Of the seven names of the Sun, he the God
me Bhaga because
the sage Vasistha praised
is
reupted to have acquired the
him
so
Udito bhasayamllokan imams caisa svarasmibhib /

Svayam Vasisthas tenainam rsir aha stuvan bhagam
180. Nir. IX 26. Durga expands
:artah pagair atmanam baddhva /
ikena
135
//
mamajj asyam mumuruh putramaranapasa asyam vyapasyanta vyamucyanta
Vasis|:hah kila
Tasya
Tatah prabhrti Vipa abhavat /
kila te
RV X
75.5 (Imam me Gange Yamune

181. The Nirukta context is Yaska's comment on
on the word-exegesis. BSS Vol. 85 pp. 928-931.
.) vide Durga's com.
"
182. Nir. XI 20. Athapi rsayah stuyante /
Suryasyeva vaksatho jyotir esam etc."
I 88.8.
RV
188.
BD
II 49.
" Mitr6
III 59.1.
Mitr6 dadhftra prthivi'm utA
jdnftn yatayati bruvan6 /
Mitrah krsîr animisabhi casê / Mitraya havyam ghrtavaj juhota //. Vide Yaska's
22.
Nir
>lanation
According to Sarva. the deity of the hymn is Mitra who is generally
In the Brhaddevata however it appears to be one of the
ntifted with Sun (see Sayana's com.).
names of Indra, as pointed out by Macdonell (p. 89 of his Tr.; specially note on v. 82). These
names happen to coincide almost with those enumerated in Nigh. V 4 and 5. Therefore Mitra,
its derivative sense, may apply to both Indra and the Sun.
184.
im
c/.
185.
BD
RV
II 62.
cf.
RV VII 41.2-5.
279
"
And he arose illuminating these worlds with his rays

Vasistha himself, praising him, calls him Bhaga."
The text of
BD
refers to
therefore,
the seer
VisVamitra and Vasistha in a few contexts which
are of no significance indeed for the study of their mutual relationship. Thus
the character of the VaisVadeva hymns differs from seer to seer. 136 There is
nara&amsa in Vasistha's Apr! hymns,

VisVamitra's. 137
The hymns
while there is praise of Tanunapat in

of several seers are characterised by refrains
but
;
those of Kutsa differ in this
regard
from those of Bharadvaja, Grtsamada,
Vasistha and others. 138
king and then elevated himself to the position of

clearly expressed by BD
That Visvamitra was

a Brahmarsi
is
first
Pras"asya
first
gam
yas tapasabhyagacchat
Brahmarsitam ekaatam ca putran

Sa Gathiputras tu jagada suktam
Somasya metyagneyam yat pare ca
189
//
"
The son of Gathi who, after ruling the earth, attained by penance to the position
of a Brahman-seer (Brahmarsi) and obtained a hundred and one sons, uttered the
hymn which is addressed to Agni Somasya ma and the two following." It is
4
'
well-known that Visvamitra saw the whole of the third mandala.

Visvamitra's conversation with the River Vipas and Sutudri and the successful
140
crossing of their confluence in the company of Sudas have already been considered.
We may now pass
on to other events of the sage's
life.
According to BD, Visvamitra was once involved in an incident with the sage
Visvamitra was
Sakti son of Vasistha, at a great sacrifice performed by Sudas.

he sank down unconscious.
forcibly deprived of consciousness
;
gave speech called Sasarpari, daughter of
Jamadagnis
having brought her from the dwelling of the Sun.
Kuika's loss of intelligence.
Brahma
But
to
Then that Speech
Sudasas ca mahayajfie Saktina Gathisunave /

Nigrhitam balaccetab soVasidad vicetanab. /
Tasmai brahmim tu Saurim va namna vacam sasarparim
Suryaksayad ihahrtya dadus te Jamadagnayab /
KuSkanam
tatas sa
him the
or of the Sun,
dispelled
W1
vag amatim tarn apahanat /
Sage Visvamitra goes down to history, as well as his redoubtable adversary

Vasistha, on account of what
styles as Vasistha-dvesinyab which are four
BD
186.
Ibid. II 130-181.
187.
Ibid. II 156
188.
Ibid. Ill 128.
189.
BD
140.
Ibid.
141.
BD
where Vasistha
is referred to as UrvasTs son (Aurvas'a)

Vide Macdonell's note on the stanza.
IV 95.
IV 105*106.
IV 112-114.
See supra, p. 212 of

cf.
RV HI
58.15-16.
this.
also II 157*
280
HARIYAPPA
stanzas seen by Visvamitra and which are in the nature of imprecations against
the enemy, who is presumed to be Vasistha. These mantras, though incorporated
in the Rgveda-saiiihita, the Vasisthas do not hear.
Great sin attaches to recite
Those who
or hear them.
a hundred bits
uttered.
them will have their heads split into

hence the said stanzas should not be
recite or listen to
their children will die
The teachers approve of
this course.
Paras catasro yas tvatra Vasisthadvesinyas smrtab /

Visvamitrena tab prokta abhisapa iti smrtab /
Dvisaddvesas tu tab proktab vidyas caivabhicarikab /
Vasisthas tanna srnvanti tad acaryakasammatam /
Kirtanacchravanad vapi mahadosas' ca jayate /
Satadha bhidyate inurdha kirtanena srutcna va /
Tesam balab pramiyante tasmat tas tu na kirtayet / 142
The Brhaddevata commemorates Vasistha's greatness quite systematically

commencing from his very birth. We shall recount the whole pedigree because
"
The son of Prajapati was Mariei, Marie i's son was the sage
of its interest.
had
thirteen divine wives, the daughters of Daksa
He
Aditi, Diti,
Kasyapa.
Danu, Kala, Danayu, Simhika, Muni, Krodha, Visva, Vasistha. Surabhi, Viriata
and Kadru by name these daughters Daksa gave to Kasyapa. From them, the
Gods and Asuras, the Gandharvas, the Serpents, the Raksasas, Birds, Pisacas, and
:
other classes of beings were produced. Now among these daughters, the one
goddess Aditi produced twelve sons. They were Bhaga, Aryaman, Amsa, Mitra
and Varuna, Dhatr and Vidhatr, Vivasvat, Tvastr, Pusan, and also Indra the
is called Visnu.
Thus that pair was born of her namely Mitra and Varuna.
When they saw the nymph UrvasI at a sacrificial session, the scmeu of these two
Adityas was effused. It fell into a jar containing water. Now at that same
moment, two vigorous ascetics, the seers Agatsya and Vasistha, came into being.
The semen however, having fallen in varuous ways in a jar, in water, on the
ground the sage Vasistha, the best of seers was produced on the ground while
Agastya was produced in the jar, and Matsya, of great brilliance, in the water.
Then Agastya, of great glory, arose being the length of a peg only (sarnya). Because he was meted with a measure; he is here called Manya or else (because)
the seer was born from a jar. For measurement is made with a jar also
by jar
(kumbha) the designation of a measure of capacity is indicated. Then, as the waters
were being taken up, Vasistha was found standing on a puskara (lotus ?). There
on every side the Visvedevas supported the puskara. Arising out of that water,
;
twelfth
Vasistha then performed great austerity.
"His name
>
arose with reference to his qualities. (gunatab), from the root

vas expressive of pre-eminence
for he once upon a time, by means of austerity,
saw Indra who was invisible to other seers. Indra then proclaimed that he should
:
receive shares in the

142,
BD
IV
Soma.
117-120.
cf.
This
is
RV III 53.
supported by the Brahmana passage

21-24.
"
Rsayo
RGVEDIC LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGfcS
va Indram...
Brahman
"
281
Vasistha and the Vasisthas thus became Brahmans in the Office of
most worthy of
priest,
should honour with fees
all
even today be present at a
fees in all rites
and
sacrifices.
such descendants of Vasistha
sacrificial
Therefore one
who may
at
any time
assembly, so says a sacred text of the Bhal-
lavins." 143
becomes clear from the foregoing that the sage Vasistha was of divine origin,
that he was favoured by Indra and that he and his tribe obtained universal recogniIt
tion
Brahman
as
priests.
dream is the next important event that BD would relate about

This topic has been dealt with already in the above pages. 144 That a sage
of Vasistha's eminence could break iuto another's house or that he had had to
starve for three nights and steal into another's house on the fourth for food are
Vasistha's
him.
It has been clearly said to be a

surely things that can happen only in a dream
Vasisthas svapna aearat
dream in BD
though Sadgurusisya misses the point
and adds colour somewhat thoughtlessly. What, however, is important about
I
'
It is called 'prasvapinyupanisat', a spell which

the hymn is its magical aspect.
throws the concerned folk into slumber. Its efiicacy as such was tested in the
seer's
own
case
BD.
143.
^
143-159.
Prajapatyo Marlcir hi Marlcah Kasyapo munih /

Tasya devyo'bhavan jay a Daksayanyas trayodasa /
Aditir Ditir Danuh Kala Danayus Simhika Munih /
Krodha Visva Varistha ca Surabhir Vinata tatha /
Kadrus caiveti duhitrh Kasyapaya dadau sa ca /
Tasu devasuras caiva Gandharvoragaraksasah /
Vayamsi ca Pisacas ca jajftire'nyas ca jatayah /
Tatraika tvaditir Devi dvadasajanayat sutan /
Bhagas caivaryamamsas ca Mitro Varuna eva ca /
Dhata caiva Vidhata ca Vivas vam&ca mahadyutih /
IVasta Pusa tathaivendro dvadaso Visnur ucyate /
Dvandvam tasyas tu tajjajne Mitras ca Varunas ca ha /
Tayoradityayos satre drstvapsarasam Urvasim /
Reta.4 caskanda tat kunibhe nyapatad vasativare /
Tenaiva tu muhurtena viryavantau tapasvinau /
Agastya^ ca Vasistha.4 ca tatrarsi sambablmvatuh /
Bahtidha patite sukre kalase'tha jale sthalc /
Sthale Vasisthas tu munis sambhuta rsisattamah /
Kumbhe tvagastyas aambhuto jalc Matsyo mahadyutih /
Udiyaya tato'gastya^ samyamatro mahayasah /

Manena sammito yasmat tasman Manya ihocyate /
Yad va kumbhad ysir jatah kumbhenapi hi miyate
Kumbha
ityabhidhanarn tu parimanasya laksyate /

Tato'psu grhyamanasu Vasisthah puskare sthitah /
Sarvatra puskaram tatra Visvedeva adharayan /
Utthaya salilat tasmad atha tcpe mahat tapah /
Namasya gunato jajfte vasateh sraisthyakarmanah /
Adr6yam rsibhir hiiidram so'pasyat tapasa pura /
Somabhagan atho tasmai provaca harivahanah /
Flsayo va Indram iti Brahmanat taddhi drsyate /
Vasisthas ca Vasistha^ ca Brahmana Brahmakarmaiî
Sarvakarmasu yajfkesu daksiniyatamas tatha /
Tasmad ye^dyapi Vasisthas sadasyas syus tu karhicit
Arhayed daksinabhis tan Bhallaveyl srutis tviyam //
144.
See supra footnotes 21-23.
282
A
sons.
HARIYAPPA
pathetic interest attaches to Vasistha's bereavement in the death of his

Moreover he seems to have been much sinned against fiends of all sorts
;
oppressed
BD
him.
says
Rsir dadarsa raksoghnam putrasokapariplutab /

Hate putra6ate tasmin Saudasair dufrkhitas tada
Rsis tvasisam asaste ma no raksa
#
*
iti
tvrci
Divi caiva prthivyam ca tatha palanam atmanab/

Ulukayatum jahyetan nanarupan nisacaran /
Pancadasyam tu suktasya astamyam caiva Varunib.
Dubkhaokaparitatma sapate vilapanniva /

Hate putraate tasmin Va*sistho dufekhitas tada /
Raksobhutena sapat tu Sudaseneti vai rutib // 145
"
The seer, when his hundred sons had been slain by the followers of Suclas, full of
pain and overwhelmed with grief for his sons, saw this hymn for the destruction
and protecof demons. In the stanza 'ma no raksah/ the seer invokes a blessing
tion in heaven and earth on his own behalf.
With " Ulukayatum " etc., he prays
"
Slay these night walkers of various froms." In the fifteenth and in the eighth
stanzas of the hymn, the son of Varuna (Vasistha), his soul being overwhelmed
with pain and grief, utters a curse. Vasistha was at that time pained, as his
hundred sons had been slain by Sudasa who, in consequence of a curse, had been
transformed into a demon (raksas) such is the sacred tradition." A little discrepancy confronts us here. Vasistha's hundred sons were killed, no doubt. But
;
by whom ?
in the
By the Saudasas i.e. the followers of Sudas according to stazna 28

above quotation or by Sudasa transformed as a demon, according to
;
stanza 34.
We shall see that this incident gets
further complicated in later litera-
ture, the epics and the Puranas.

3.
Sarvdnukramanl
The pedigree
Kuikas
of VisVamitra given
by the Sarva,
is
noteworthy
Indratulyam putram icchan brahmacaryam cacara

tasyendra eva Gathi putro jajne Gathino ViSvamitrati sa trtlyam mandalam
tvaisirathir
apayat
14e
/
Kuika son of Isiratha, desirous of obtaining a son equal to Indra, did penance.
Indra himself chose to be his son as Gathi. Gathin's son was Visvamitra who
saw the third Maridala of the Rgveda.
145.
146.
BD VI 28,
31-34.
Sarva. p. 14. Sadguru$isya expands the same in verse

Isirathasutas tvasit Kusiko nama namatah /
Indratulyas suto me syad iticchannakarot tapah /
Brahmacaryam tu caratas tasmad Indro'bhyajayata /
Matsamo'nyo na caiva syad aham evasya putratam /
Gacchami samyagevam syad iti matva Satakratuh /
Sa Gathi nama KuSikad Iîrathasutad abhut /
Indrarupad G&thinas tu Vi^vamitro'pi jajftivan /
Trtiyam mandalam idam tapasa so'tha drsâvan //
RV
III 33 is just pointed out as having been seen by ViSvamitra as he was

desirous of crossing the river ; 147 the circumstances are not mentioned. So also
the two stanzas relating to Sasarpari are indicated without any reference to the
connected event. 148
But the commentator
supplies the want.
Sasarpsridvrce prahur itihasam puravidafr /

Saudasanrpayajfie vai Vasisthatmaja-Saktina /
Vivamitrasyabhibhiitam balam vak ca samantatab
Vasisthenabhibhutas sa hyavasidacca
Gathijafc.
Tasmai Brahmin tu Saurim va namna vacam Sasarparim
Suryavesmana ahrtya dadur vai Jamadagnayab /

Kusikanam tatas sa vag amatim tarn apanudat /
Upa
preteti
Kuikan
ViSvamitro'nvayojayat
Labdhva vacam ca hrstatma Jamadagnin apujayat /

Sasarparlr iti dvabhyam rgbhyam vacam stuvan svayam
The
details arc very similar to those given in
BD,
if
14fl
//
not borrowed therefrom.
Visvamitra's adoption of Simassepa as the eldest of his sons under a new

While the Brhaddevata is silent about
is of course a great event.
Sarva. refers to it briefly while introducing the SunaSsepa hymns (RV I 24-30)
name Devarata
it,
15
Kasya paiiconajigartis Sunassepas sa krtrimo Vaisvamitro Devaratafr /

The legend however is elaborately narrated by Sadgurusisya; 151 but it is unnecessary to review the same here as it has been done already in the preceding
chapter on SunaSsepa.
The birth of Agastya and Vasistha

hymns commencing with RV 1.166
is
mentioned while introducing the Agastya
Mitra
kumbhe
But the
Varunayor
diksitayor
Urvasim apsarasam drstva vasativare
reto'patat tato'gastya-Vasisthavajayetam/
incident of Vasistha's son Sakti being consigned to the
of Sudas receives a fuller treatment in the Sarva.
says
152
and
its
fire
by the followers
The Sarva.
commentary.
Saudasair
agnau praksipyamana Saktir antyam pragatham alebhe

Tarn putroktam Vasisthas samapayateti Satya/
yanakam Vasisthasaiya hataputrasyarsam iti Tandakam / 153
so'rdharca ukte'dahyata
adgurusisya weaves a graphic narrative out of this skeleton his source is not
It may not be wrong, however, to suppose that he has mainly drawn
;
traceable.
147.
Samvado nadlbhir
ViSvamitrasyottitlrsoh (Sarva. p. 16
equally laconic.
148.
149.
150.
151.
152.
158.
Bull
...PaftcadaSyadi dve vace Sasarparyai (Sarva. p. 16 1.11).

Sarva. com. p. 107.
Ibid., p. 6.
Ibid., p. 48.
Ibid., p. 12 and p. 98.
Ibid., p. 25.
DCRI
xi-19
1 line)
the commentator
if
H. L.
234
HARIYAPPA
from imagination rather than from any authentic source
The passage speaks
for itself
Vasisthasya sutafr Saktifo puspadyartham yayau vanam

Rajiias Sudaso dasas tu Vasistham dadrsus* ca tarn /
VisVamitraprayuktais tu raksobhir vestitas ca te /

Vanagnau praksipams cainam devabhakto'yam ityuta
Astiko'yam Vasisthasya putra ityeva ca krudha /

Praksipyamanas so'pasyad Indra kratum iti dvrcam
Ardharcam uktavan adyam tatoMahyata so'gnina /
Cirayamane putre tu putrasnehapariplutab /

Margaviksiptanayano Vasistho'bhyagamad vanam /
Dagdham sutam atha Srutva bhiitcbhyas Sokakarsitafr
Jnatva tu drsta&stam tu siksii nadi samapayat /
Yadyardharcatrayam sistam adraksyan mama vai

Ajivisyad ayam samyak suklri ca saradam satam /
Vasisthas tu drstavan
iti
sutafr
Ityuktva dhrtim alambya prayayavasramam punati

Evam tu Satyayanakam vadanti bralimanam kila /
Adyardharca m eva Saktir drstavan dagdlia ova sa).i
Dvrcam sarvam
Tandakam
Iti
brahmaiuivaimatyam vikalpaya pi-adarsitam /

Ata.s ca // Indrakratum dvrcc fiaktir adye'rdliarce vikalpitab
Rsir Vasisthas suktasya devata tvindra eva hi
154
//
In the above portraiture, one misses the divine grandeur or at least superhuman
The young son being
ability that usually attaches to a character like Vasistha.
killed
by the enemies lying
in wait,
when he was unguarded and
specially
when
he was engaged in gathering flowers for worship, provides a background which

Vasistha's paternal care and anxiety
is distinctly epic in style and conception.
are qualities too tame to be in conformity with the vigorous potentiality of a priest
the guiding star of an advancing civilisation. It is said that the assassins
were surrounded or supported by friends directed by YisVamitra. This entirely
lacks authority or corroboration.
Writing so late as the 12th century A.D.
had
imbibed
the
deeply
popular tradition (reflected in the epics
Sadguruisya
and the Puranas) that Vasistha and Visvamitra were inveterate enemies of each
who was
other and that they never lost any opportunity to wreak vengeance against each
Hence whatever Vasistha's misfortune, Visvamitra was the cause and
other.
vice versa.
The
fact that, as time rolls on, tradition also varies
ence between the Satyayanaka and the Tandaka. 155
the story alleges that Sakti had seen or composed the

154.
Sarva. pp. 130-31.

*
is
borne out by the diverg-
Of the two
first
rks in question,
hemestich only when
vide note 18 supra.

*
In fact fndra kr&tum na a bhara (RV VII 32.26--) is uttered by Vasistha for the
155.
sake of progeny (prajatyai). It is part of janitra-sama. Observe that according to Nitiraaftjari
of Dya Dviveda, Sakti did not die ; he praised Indra and was saved. See infra.
285
he was consumed by the fire. The father came and saw the situation. Inspite
of grief, he exerted himself to complete the clvrca.
If only we go into the content
of the two verses, we will be disappointed to find not a trace of sorrow reflected
in it.
Granting that Sakti had begun to compose an excellent hymn to Indra
a very worthy start indeed
Indra kratum na a bhara

Pita putrdbhyo yatha
"
Bring us wisdom,
166
/
Indra, as a father (imparts the same) to the sons."
bereaved father's completion of the dvrca does not

appear to have been composed with a
how Vasistha saw
It is indeed strange that the

reflect
any
grief and, therefore docs not
heavy heart at
all.
This
is
Siksa no asmin Puruhuta y&mani
Jiva jyotir asimahi
//
no ajiiata vrjana duradhio

Masivaso ava kramuh /
Tvaya vayani pravata6 sasvatir

157
Apo'ti sura taramasi //
"
Teach us at this sacrifice, O Puruhuta, so that we, living beings, shall enjoy
Let no unknown, wicked, malignant, malevolent enemy overpower us.
light.
Protected by you. may we cross over many waters." We have thus to conclude
that the two mantras in question betray no clue to Vasistha's misfortune. We
have only to respect the tradition.
The Sarva. and the commentary do not throw

dvesinyah
of the verses 168 (Satadha bhidyate

159
already been dealt with.
The
killer,'"
last
which
hymn
is
murdha
of the seventh niandala
BD
The prasvapinyupanisat has
etc.).
is
"
Raksoghna i.e. the demonfull of oaths and imprecations."
called
160
described as Sapabliisapaprayam
arc brief in their notice of this
The text and the commentary

to the loss of Vasistha's
on the Vasisthaand reproduces one
fresh light
the latter reflects the information given by
hundred sons, which the
BD
there is no reference
and the several Brahmana
;
texts point out quite frequently. 101

4.
Nllimanjari-
The strange moralisations of the Nitimafijari have already been

We may note a few more examples.
158.
RV VII 32.20ab
RV VII 32.26ed and
BD IV 120.
159.
Supra
160.
Sarva, p. 27.
BD VI 28 31-84.
156.
157.
161.
familiar to us.
27.
fn. 21-23.
RV
VII 104.
See supra and the sections on JUBr.
PB
etc.
H. L.
prolific
parent comes to
grief,
HARIYAPPA
indeed, like Viiv&mitra.
Rajaputro jaganmitro rajamSnyo bahuprajafo

Sidatyeva, Sudaso hi Vivamitro'harad dhanam
The author, Dya Dviveda, comments

(Vhrn harane) acucurad ityarthafo.
Yasmat Sudaso
rajfio
162
//
dhanam aharat
strange interpretation, indeed, to say

that Visvamitra robbed Sudas of his wealth ? And what was the grief that befell
ViSvamitra, after all ? He carried away the wealth that he had earned as priest
and he
the rivers Vipa and Sutudri enabled him to cross over their confluence
;
and Sudas were quite
Having thus
163
safe
cast a slur
on the bona
lesson that the author draws
fides of Visvamitra, witness the
next
Somapanam vina nrnam brahmanatvarn na vidyate

Yadartham Gadhijo yastum dhanam hrtvavadannadiU
/
164
//
And what does he tell the rivers ? " Aham kutumbabharanacl atiriktena dhanena
somam sampadayisyamiti !" a bargain which did not become the priestly world
of Rgvedic times.
One should
attain one's object
by
all
Nicair nicataro bhutva
means,
is
the next lesson
karyam sadhyam
vicaksanaifr
Gadhijab karutam prapya prabhur apyatarannadih
165
//
'
prabhurapi is somewhat dubious in its import. It may mean king

able.'
or, in an adjectival sense,
Though quite able, Visvamitra assumed the
r61e of a flatterer and successfully crossed the rivers.
Here
'
by the following dictumGunaprasamsaya karyam mahatam manavardhanam
Quite a problem
raised
is
186
Ksipto'gnavaribhig Saktir nendrapraâmsaya mrtab//
4
Great people should be further elevated in estimation by praising their virtues

thus that though thrown to the fire by the enemies, Sakti was not dead because
;
it is
of his praise of Indra'.
Yatha purvam Saktir Vasisthaputra rsir Agnau jvalyaexplains

Satrubhis Saudasair dahanaya ksiptas san Indra kratum ityantena
pragathardharcena Indrani praââmsa sistena Vasistha^ ca / Tatha Indra-
Dya
mane
praSamsaya Saktir na mrtab
Tasman
manavardhanam
abhyudayaya
bhavati / 1M
162.
Nitimaftjarl pp. 147-148. stanza 65. (Nitimaftjarl
Mandal, Kalabhairava, Benares City, 1933).

Sarva III 83 BD IV 105-6.
168. cf. Nir, II 24
;
164.
NXti 66, p. 150
f.
165.
Ibid 76, p. 152.
166.
Ibid. 108, p. 225
f.
and the com. thereon.
ed. S. J. Joshi, published at
^gvidhana
177.
Hari Har
Dya
thinks that Sakti did not die whereas
all
287
the ancient works which refer to
The Brhaddevata 187 does not refer to Sakti's

death but refers to the death of Vasistha's hundred sons caused by the Saud&sas.
The Sarva. states that Sakti was reduced to ashes, 168 having been thrown to the
fire by the Saudasas.
Dya's rendering of the story is unauthenticated. The
this incident declare that he did die.
moral that the author propounds

Vedic event.
is
too commonplace to require the remote author-
ity of a
Strange things are conceived by this author Dviveda.
For example,
Krtaparadhaputranam anyayo na pitur hrdi/

Pasadyumnasya yajnasya hantrms tustava Varuniti
169
//
'
Sons' wrongs do not matter to the parent is a dictum in Dya's conception

Delinwill
of
sons
not
affect
on
the
the
heart
of
the
father.
Vasistha
part
quency
praised
his sons who put an end to Pasadyumna's sacrifice'.
The story is that Indra was
present at Pasadyumna's sacrifice and was about to partake of the Soma juice
which was being pressed. Just then the sons of Vasistha, officiating at another
pronounced such fulsome praise as made Indra leave the ready cup of
170
Pasadyumna's and come away to the one conducted by the Vasisthas.
of
of
is
the
the
the
to
one
Vasisthas,
efficacy
prayers
compelled
Granting
question
the soundness of Indra \s action Indra a god who should yield to persuasion and
betray one devotee to prefer another.
sacrifice,
Soma
at
Convenient shelter for unlawful actions
Kutumbc pidyamane
is
provided by the following advice
dharman nekseta dharmavit /

Vasisthas svapayamasa yanmuse Varunam janam //
tu
Law
should not observe the laws when the family is in distress.

Varuna's people to sleep when he went there to steal
We shall
amuse ourselves further by the author's comment
The knower
of
Vasistha sent
all
'
Apyakaryaatam krtva bhartavya ityuktatvat Vasisthavad akrtyam

krtva
bhusanacchadanaib kutumbam tosayet / 172
api
/
Because it is said that (the family) shou'd be protected even by performing a

hundred unwarranted deeds. One should please the family by means of ornaments
and clothes, even committing a crime like Vasistha.' This recommendation is
opposed to the original statement which permits a man to commit a crime when
only the family is in distress. But Dya means to suggest that even luxuries
107.
BD
VI
28, 31-34.
SarvS. p. 25 on RV VII 32. In this hymn of Vasi&ha, the 10th stanza praises the
26th is to be understood as having been connected with Vasi?tha'*
gift of Paijavana Sudas, and the
son Sakti's murder by Sudas's sons or followers. Something wrong with the tradition !
168.
169.
Nlti 104, p. 228.
170.
RV VII 83.2.
171.
Nlti 105, p. 280. Ref.
172.
Sisya however concedes" that the whole incident
RV VII 55, cf. fn. 21-28.
pinltvam tu kathfiau parikalpyate
v.l.
katham upari
baaed on story
kalpaU*. Sarv& p. 188,
is
"
asam pratva-
H. L.
ogg
HARIYAPPA
may be provided by stealing. He misses on the one hand that according to

Brhaddevata, Vasistha was experiencing a dream and on the other, according to
173
he entered Varuna's house because he was afflicted with hunger.
Sadgurus*isya,
It is perhaps a third dimensional development to bring in the family also, as a
plea and excuse for crime
1
The wise man must

cleared himself
try to free himself from false allegations, just as Vasistha
by swearing and cursing
Mithyapavadabhangaya prayateta vicaksanah /

Vasisthas s*apatham krtva sapam datvamalo'bhavat
//
Vasistha happened to be once charged as yatudhana' by a demon who posed

himself as Vasistha. The situation became so embarrassing that the real sage had
to swear his identity and then curse the evil demons.
Sayana informs us as follows
'
atra kecid ahub-
175
Hatva putrasatam purvam Vasisthasya mflhatnumak /

Vasistham raksaso'si tvam Vasistham rupam asthitah //
Aham
Vasistha itycvam jighamsu raksaso'bravit
Atrottara rco 176 drsta Vasistheneti nah srutarn
Thus attacked by the Raksasa who killed

himself as the sage, Vasistha had to swear
his
Adya muriya yadi yatudhano

Yadi vayus tatapa purusasya
Adha
hundred sous and who disguised

asirsi
/
sa virair dasabhir viyuya
Y6 ma rnogham yStudhanetyaha
u
This day let me die if I am Yatudhana

and he who falsely called me yatudhana
'
'
It
is
'
'
or
if
177
//
ever injured the
life
wicked indeed arc those who
'
yatudhana
Durjananam svabhavo'yam bhrsani nindanti yat satah

178
Vasisthasya duratmano yatuclhaneti ye'bruvan //
Rgvidhana AmTvaheti suktena bhutani svapayen nisi /

Na hi prasvapanam kiflcid Idrsam vidyate kvacit //
And Manu Brahmanas sarvavarnebhya adadano na dusyati /
Jivikatyayam apanno yo'nnam atti yatas tatah /
akasam iva pankcna na sa patena lipyate // (X 104)
Hence Dya concludes Tasmad Vasisfhah Kutumbartliam taskaro babhuveti siddham
173.
man
of a
shall be bereft of ten heroes (sons)."
The same incident affords another moral the nature of bad people to revile the good
called Vasistha a
//
p. 286).
174.
Niti., 109, p. 240.
175.
RV VII
RV VII 104. 12-16.
RV VII 104.15.
Niti, U0 p. 242*
176.
177.
ItS.
Sayana, on
104-12,
(Niti,
289
Vasistha swears again
Y6 m'yatum y&tudhanety&ha
Y6 va raksas" sucir asmityaha /
Indras tarn hantu mahat
vadh&ia
Vfsvasya jantor adhamas padista
He who
calls
me
a fiendish
179
//
demon (yatudhana) when
am
not one
and he who
himself Vasistha the pure, that demon may Indra smite with his great weapon
and may he fall down beneath world's creation (i.e. to perdition).
calls
To sum up
In these ancillary works which hold aloft the Vedic teaching

and Visvamitra, as usual, enjoy high reputation for their
Vasistha
tradition,
of
and for their superhuman achievements. Regarding
the
divine
knowledge
:
and
mutual relationship viz. enmity, there is direct expression in the Brhaddevata, followed by the Sarva., the commentators Durga and Sayana, and finally
the Nitimanjari. Only Yaska docs not refer to it, though he had opportunity to
do so while commenting on the word u lodha " which occurs in the verse regarded
their
as a
curse against the Vasisthas.
It
may
therefore
be concluded that this
Vasistha-Visvamitra feud acquired wide publicity and implicit belief by the time
of the Brhaddevata (400 B.C.) 180 so much so that society was prone even to
expunge from the Vedic text the lew verses known as
Vasistha-dvesinyab."
'
For according
BD.
"
they were pronounced by Visvamitra as imprecations

them; with full approval of the teachers. Great sin
arises from reciting or listening to them.
Wilh them recited or heard, the head
their children will die.
Therefore one should not
splits into a hundred bits
to
the Vasisthas do not hear

,
recite those verses/'
Paras catasro yds tvatra Vasistha-dvesinyas smrtali

VisvJlmitrena tab proklal.i abhisapa iti smrtafr /
Vasisthas ta na sriivauti tad acaryakasammatam
Klrtanacchravanad vapi mahadosas ca jayate /

Satadha bhidyatc murdlia kirtitcna srutcna va /
Tcsam
bfiiah prarniyante
tasmat tas tu na kirtayet
181
//
in the Vasistha-mandala, no hymn

was styled Visvamitra-dvesinyab (Visvamitra-haters'), specially the
182
which is full of oaths and imprecations (sapabhisapaRaksoghna-sukta
183
Was
posterity, then, unc.haritable to Visvamitra and partial to
prayam).
In fairness to Visvamitra, one wonders why,

or verse
Vasistha
? 184
182.
RV VII 104.16.
BD ed. Macdonell
BD IV 117-120.
RV VII 104.
183.
Sarva. p. 27.
184.
See supra.
179.
180.
181.
(HOS.
5), p. xxii
f,
290
L HARIYAPPA
-
V
RAMAYANA
Popular tradition about the sage Visvamitra as well as the sage Vasistha finds
systematic expression in the Ramayana. The main events in the former's life
are collected in the first book (Balakanda 51-65). By the time of the Ramayana,
Visvamitra impresses us as a great Brahmarsi of established reputation. He is
one of the Seven Sages, who are Brahma's favourites and whose duty is to propagate
righteousness in the world, to conduct sacrifices for public weal and also to cause,
through proper agencies and timely intervention, the destruction of all evil. In
this last aspect their task was to extirpate the demons who were a man ace all over.
Through so much of roughing of life in the mundane world and so much of austerity
and penance to enjoy communion with the Absolute, these sages had become
embodiments of peace and righteousness, always striving for the best fulfilment
of God's purpose and man's emancipation.
They were God's agents on earth as
it
were.
Thus came Visvamitra, once upon a time, to pay a visit

Ayodhya (18). 185 Sage Vasistha was the latter's priest.
to
King Dasaratha
Evidently the two

sages had transcended all feelings of discard between themselves and knew and
180
So Visvamitra was received with great reverence
respected each other's merit.
and warmth. After the usual formalities, the holy sage proposed to take the
of
young prince Rama to guard his sacrifice against the attacks of Marica and Subahu
With great dismay the king begged him to leave the Prince behind in fact,
(19).
his tender affection worked itself to such an extent as to drive him to refuse to
;
comply with the wishes of the holy sage
Visvamitra got angry but, the

(20).
For, being omniscient, he realised the highminded purpose behind VisVamitra's proposal. Dasaratha had no alternative but
to yield. Both princes, Rama and Laksmana were handed over to Visvamitra (22).
;
far-sighted Vasistha intervened.
During the short period when Visvamitra had the princes under his care, it
be discerned that he gave them the best training which stood them in good
stead later in their life's ordeal. He instructed them in the most efficacious vidyas,
187
and also imparted to them the knowledge of rare and
namely Bala and Atibala,
188
Their strength and mettle were also put to the test in the
powerful weapons.
189
and then with Marica and Subahu. 190 An acquaintance in
fight with Tataka
may
185.
The figures in brackets indicate the relevant cantos in the Balakanda of the
(with com. Tilaka. N. S. Press, Bombay, 1902).
Ramayana
186.
I 18.47, 19.2, 19.14-15, 21.10-21 Dasaratha and Vasistha both refer to
cf. Ram
Visvamitra being a king before and then elevated to the rank of a Brahmarsi by means of penance
Vasistha pays handsome compliment when he says of Visvamitra
(Ibid. I 18.54-55, 21.13).
Esa vigrahavan dharma esa vlryavatam varah / Esa vidyadhiko loke tapasas ca parayanam //
(21.10)...Tenasya munimukhyasya dharmajftasya mahatmanah / Na kiftcid astyaviditam bhutam
bhavyam ca Raghava // Ibid. 19,
:
187.
Ram.
I.
188.
Ibid.
1.27-28.
28.
189.
Ibid.
1.80.
J90.
Ibid.
1.25-26,
291
The stories
their early age with the forests and the life therein was an asset.
related by Visvamitra are of absorbing interest ; they well speak of the sage's vast
knowledge and experience. Above all the far-sightedness of the sage proved
the marriage at Janaka's capital between Rama and Sita. The AhalyS
incident 191 and that of lifting the Siva-bow 192 inspired the future Saviour with
Thus we see that Visvamitra very nobly discharged his obligations
confidence.
to Dasaratha for having spared the services of
if indeed they were obligations
itself in
Rama
Prince
Visvamitra's past history is recorded as follows

Seated on the banks of the
in the company of other sages, on their way to Janaka's sacrifice, Visvamitra,
:
Sona
Rama's question regarding the country through which they were passing,
own pedigree. 193 Kusa of gerat penance was the son of Brahma,
and he got four sons through Vaidarbhi namely Kus'amba, Kusanabha, AsurtaraKusamba founded the famous ancient city of Kausambl.
jasa and Vasu.
Kusanabha built the city called Mahodaya, Asurtarajasa built Dharmaranya, and
Vasu founded Girivraja (Magadha). Now Kusanabha got one hundred daughters
through Ghrtaci, they being subsequently married to Brahmadatta of Kampilya.
Kusanabha then, performed a sacrifice for obtaining a son (putrakamesti) and got,
as reward a son. named Gadhi.
Visvamitra was the son of Gadhi, who had a
called
also,
daughter
Satyavati. Satyavati married sage Rcika and ascended
in reply to
described his
heaven bodily along with her husband. She then reappeared as a great river
called Kausiki.
Visvamitra made his permanent abode on her banks but just
now had come to Siddhas*rama to perform the ten-night sacrifice. True to this
statement we see that after Rama's marriage, Visvamitra repairs to the Northern
Mountains (jagamottaraparvatam), to his old residence. 194
;
Brahma
I
Kua
Kusamba
married Vaidarbhi
Kusanabha
Gadhi
(through Ghrtaci
100 daughters married
Brahmadatta of Kampilya
Satyavati
(married Sage Rcika)
became R. KauSikl.
Ibid. 1.48-40.
Ibid. I. 66-67.
Ibid. I. 82-34.
Ram. I. 74.1 TUaka
of the River Kauftikl.
191.
192.
193.
19*.
Vasu
Asurtarajasa
Visvamitra
adds " KauSikitatavicchinnara," not separated from the banks
H L HARIYAPPA
292
This genealogy
by Satananda's statement
Prajapatisutas tvasit Kuso nama mahipatib /
Kusasya putro balavan Kusanabhas sudharmikab
later corroborated
is
,
Kusanabhasutas tvasid Gadhir ityeva visrntab /

Gadheb putro mahateja Visvamitro mahamunib.
195
/
Satananda was the chief priest of Kin* Janaka and, he, therefore, very warmly
welcomed Visvamitra and the princes. Having learnt of his mother Ahalya's
redemption by the grace of Sri llama and in a spirit of thankfulness to Visvamitra
for having been instrumental therein, Satananda describes to the princes the great
exploits of the sage.
For many thousand years did Visvamitra of great glory rule the Earth. In
one of his victorious marches, lie, with all his army and retinue, met the sage
Vasistha in his hermitage.
After the formal reception, Vasistha invited the royal
Vi,;vfimitru and his entire following were

one
each
according to his taste, and were extremely pleased.
lavishly entertained,
All this miracle was accomplished by the one divine cow which was devoted to
Such a wonderful thing a gem indeed lit to be in royal possession 196
Vasistha.
guest to partake of his hospitality.
to have in lieu of a hundred thousand cows, horses, elephants,

and
Vasistha would not part with the sacred
chariots, gold
precious stones.
cow for all this world. But the king demanded and tried io take her IV rcibly.
Visvamitra begged
Her own
divinity supported by the sage's power of penance made it impossible

Thsvarled again and again, Visvfunitra
for the royal intruder to gain his object.
most humiliated and began to smart under defeat and disgrace when all his
It is said that during the
martial glory proved absolutely of no avail (I 51-55).
battle, a hundred of Visvamitra 's sons attacked Vasistha with a variety of weapons,
but they were all in no time reduced lo ashr> by a UKTC- l4 hunkara " from Vasistha
felt
197
Visvamitra did penance
(155.5 f.). Leaving the kingdom in charge of his sons,
at the foot of the Himalayas to propitiate God Muhadeva, who ultimately granted
him all the weapons available on earth at the command of gods and demons. Yaksas
and Gandharvus, and all. Armed fully in this manner, Visvamitra came back to
wreak vengeance against his adversary. The hermitage was all destroyed
Vasistha accepted the challenge and with the holp of his holy staff, set at naught
Visvamitra was further humiliated with
the entire stock of his deadly weapons.
;
this defeat, so
much
so he burst on
I.
Dhig balarn ksatriynbalam brain natejobalam balain

Ekena brahmadandena sarvastrani hatani me // 198
195.
ent.
Ibid. I 51. 18-19. Cf. Mbh. version the descent of Visvamitra

49, XIII 4, see supra ch. Ill fn. 95.
which
is
somewhat
differ-
Mbh. XII
Ratnam hi Bhagavannetad ratnahari ca parthivah lb.53.9

Visvamitra had innumerable sons, evidently. A hundred were killed by Vasistha.
We shall see later that while he was doing penance he got other sons Havispanda, Madhuspanda
and others. The latter name reminds us of Madhucchandas, the ^gvedic seer. See fn! 92 of
196.
'
'
197.
previous chapter.
198.
Ram. L
56.23.
298
VisVamitra then determined to perform severe penance such as would entitle

to Brahmahood.
But he did not free himself from his hatred to Vasistha.
the
Accompanied by
queen-consort, he went to the southern region and did severe
Here
were
born to him sons, namely Havispanda, Madhuspanda,
penance.
Drdhanetra and Maharatha. After a thousand years, God Brahma declared his
him
recognition of Visvamitra as a Royal Saint (Rajarsi).

himself upon further austerities. 199
Disappointed, VisVamitra
set
Meanwhile came Trisanku, King of Ayodhya, seeking his

him once that he should sacrifice in such a numner as would
help.
It occurred
him bodily
Vasistha, of course, he approached for conducting such a sacrifice.
Vasistha said such a thing is impossible. Then he approached Vasistlia's sons
who were doing penance in the south. 200 They also replied in the negative,
to
elevate
to heaven.
whereupon Trisanku announced his intention to find other means of realising his
The Vasisthas became angry and cursed him to become a candala (an
object.
outcast).
Overnight he was transformed and his counsellors and retinue ran
from
him.
Alone but determined, Trisanku came to Visvamitra and
away
for
"Fate, I think, is more
help in order to realise his object
appealed
is
of
no
avail.
Fate
man's
strength
weighs over all and is the last
powerful,
to
a
thus
reduced
miserable
condition by Fate). Please
been
resort.
have
(I
therefore redeem mo from ill Fate, by inujans of hum'ui endeavour."
:
Daivam eva p:mim manye paurusam
tu nirarthakam
Daivenakramyate sarvam daivam hi parama gatifr /
...Daivam purusakarcna nivartayitum arhasi // 201
The sage was much moved to sco the king's condition and it is not strange if his
frustration was also responsible to goad him on to espouse the cause of the
And so Visvamitra resolved to fulfil the king's wish. But
distressed.
own
Ksatriyo yajako yasya eandalasya visesataljt /

Kalhain sadasi bhoktaro havis tasya surarsayab
Brahmana va mahatmano bhuktva candalabhojanam /

Katham svarîm gamisyanti Visvamitrena palitafr / 202
-Such
doubts nn tu rally would arise and the Vasisthas did level the charge when
the invitation for the sacrifice was extended to them. An outcast is to sacrifice,
for whom a Ksatriya is the priest, how can the gods and the rsis partake of the
oblations in the assembly ? And the revered Brahmans having enjoyed the
hospitality given by an outcast, can they attain heaven under the protection of
a Visvamitra ? The insolence of this challenge was unbearable. Visvamitra
cursed them all into a life of degradation for seven hundred births etc. By dint
of his penance, the sacrifice was conducted according to rules; but the gods did not
199.
Ibid.
I.
57.9-10.
200.
Ram.
I.
5T.
201.
Ibid.
I.
58.
202.
Ibid.
I.
59.13-15.
H L HARIYAPPA
294
Filled with rage, ViSvamitra declared

the merit of penance that he had so far earned and commanded
TriSanku straightaway to fly to heaven. He did so, as all the assembly could see.
But there in heaven Indra and the gods said that there was no place for him there
and that, moreover he was condemned by the curse of his preceptor. Hence he
should fall head downwards. Falling down he cried again to Vis"vamitra for protecThen the sage grew terribly wrathful and, exerting all his supernatural
tion.
arrive to receive their share of the oblations.
the gift of
all
powers, commanded him to stop there only in mid-air and began to create a separate
heaven as if he were the Creator himself. Thus came into existence a separate
group of Seven Sages and a Separate group of stars, etc. In a fit of anger, he began
to proclaim
"
" "
I will produce
Karisyami loko va syacl anindrakak
"
In this grave situation, came
another Indra or the world shall go without him
forth all the gods, demons and sages to pacify Visvanritra.
They struck a comthat
TriSanku
and
the
new
creation
be
where
they were as
recognised
promise
divinities outside the path of Vaisvanara (Ram. I 60).
Anyam Indram
Visvamitra realised after the storm that his penance had been so obstructed
South hence he moved on to the west to pursue his austerities near Puskara.
Meanwhile an incident happened in Ayodhya. The then king Ambaiisa began to
Indra stole the victim (pasu). Either it had to be recovered and sacrificsacrifice.
ed or a human substitute found. In this situation the king wandered about and
found the sage Rcika willing to part with a son of his, named Sunassepa for the
We saw in the previous chapter how SunasScpa
price of a hundred thousand cows.
in the
was taken by Ambarisa, how, on the way at Puskara, the young ascetic secured the
help of ViSvamitra, in the shape of two gat has to be recited at proper time and
how in the end Sunassepa was released by the gods etc. 203 Visvamitra observed
penance at Puskara for a thousand years at the end of which God Brahma appeared
and pronounced him a Rsi (I 63.2).
But this
Seeing that the goal was yet far. Visvamitra resumed austerities.
time an impediment was placed by the Apsaras Menaka, of exquisite beauty, who
came to bathe in the Puskara. The sage gave in to cupid's call and invited the
in the hermitage.
What more did Menaka want than a
Ten
success in her trade
years clasped before the Rsi realised his folly. He
dismissed Menaka however with sweet words and wended his way to the Northern
Mountain. There on the banks of the Kausiki he did severe penance for thousands
of years, which arrested the attention of all.
Then, on the recommendation of
all gods and sages, God Brahma welcomed him as a Maharsi.
His bid for the title
of a Brahmarsi was not favoured because he had not yet obtained full control over
nymph
to live with
him
?
his senses (I 63).
Thus, again, Visvamitra had to return to penance, with renewed vigour and
With uplifted arms, supportless and subsisting on mere air, he entered
severity.
208.
Vide ch. Ill on SunaWepa.
fn. 76. cf.
Ram.
61 and 62.
395
upon another thousand-year austerity. In summer he observed the vow in the

midst of five fires (four on four sides and one, the Sun-god, above) in the monsoons
he stood in the open and in winter he remained in water day and night. Great
concern was expressed in heaven, seeing such austerity on the part of Vivamitra.
Indra decided to put him to the test and, this time, the onerous duty fell to the
lot of the Apsaras Rambha,
Though she knew the risk, she had to obey Indra
and succeeded in diverting the ascetic's attention by means of her charming beauty
and sweet melody. But the sage soon realised that she was another trap set by
Indra, again, and in rage, cursed her to ten thousand years of existence as a
mountain (64). Giving vent to his anger in this manner, he found that he had
;
suffered frustration once more.

Finally, we see Visvamitra embark upon the severest type of mortification and
penance. He left the Northern regions and went to the East. For a thousand
years the sage was engaged in very severe austerities and pledged to silence. He
was reduced to a mere stick at the end.
Inspite of obstructions he never gave in
At the end of the thousand years the vow of silence and starvation
ended, and the sage would have a morsel of food on that day. Just when he was
to partake of it, Indra in the guise of a divija came and aksed for it.
Without a
for anger.
moment's hesitation he gave all the food to the Brahman. When nothing remained
he did not mind nor said a word, but straightaway entered the last phase of his
penance which was neither to eat nor even to breathe. Years lapsed and the mortiIt was realised on all
fication was such as the sage's head began to emit fumes.
hands that he had stood the test. Brahma came with all the gods and felicitated
him as a BRAHMARSI. Visvamitra paid homage to the God in all humility,
but demanded that the Vedas, the sacred OM and Vasat should favour him and
that Vasistha should openly acknowledge his elevation. That of course Vasistha
did with great pleasure. For when persons perceive Divine Light, there can be
no bone of contention at all among them (65).
Those present listened to Visvamitra's past history with wrapt attention and
amazement. Next day the great Bow of Siva was shown to Rama, who with permis-
up with ease. The bow incidentally gave way. Rama's performance

was wonderful. As Janaka had avowed, arrangements were immediately set on
Fleet-footed messengers were
foot to celebrate the marriage of Slta with Rama.
sent to Ayodhya with invitations to king Dasaratha and all his train to come to
Needless to say that it was a grand celebration. Vasistha and Visvamitra
Mithila.
sion, lifted it
having met again moved only as friends. With the former's approval, Visvamitra
moved for the marriage of all the four sons of Dasaratha at the same time with the
daughters of Janaka and his brother Kusadhvaja. After the great event, ViSvamitra bidding farewell to the two kings returned to the Northern Mountains
(66.73).
Before evaluating the Vi6vamitra~stories that appear in the Ramayana, one

point requires to be carefully remembered. From the point of view of critical
scholarship, it is held that the first and the last books (i.e. Bala and Uttara Ka$<Jas)
H. L.
296
HARIYAPPA
Even
are not genuine to the original poem.
so the narrative in question
is
a later
Granting this, nevertheless, these stones have their own value

interpolation.
stand anterior to miny portions of the
do
because they
ihabliarata, ani most
204
it is probable that the Rarnayana

For, according to Winternitz,
had its present extent and contents as early as towards the close of the second
century A.D." Reserving a comparative estimate of these chapters to a subsequent
of the Puranas.
it must be said in appreciation that in no other work do we get a connected

account of the events of Visvamitra's life. In itself the account provides a
section,
consistent biography of the sage, sufficient to portary in correct outline a great

personality of Ancient Bharata.
Vasistha
is
the well-known priest of the Iksvaku race. He is naturally held

One finds that in the Ramayana, there is not much of an
in high veneration.
outstanding nature in the
life
of the sage.
His sincere devotion to the best interests

Vamadeva seems to be in close
of the royal house of Ayodhya is evident.

Sage
Other sages like Jabali,
association with him.
appear on occasions only.

are
made up.
They
Kasyapa and even Visvarnitra
the time of the epic, the personalities of the sages

are almost a type
they have had a great past with established
By
The Creative period or the period of growth in the life

and profession of the sagos and the priests appears to have ended. They enjoy
Their
universal recognition as promoters of social well-bein^ and divine grace.
ultimate goal was Emanoipation through penanco, their earthly duty was to spread
good-will and help the destruction of evil which harassed the world in the form of
fiends and demons.
holiness
and reputation.
VI
MAHABHARATA
The theory of later interpolations notwithstanding, it must be conceded that
-I
the main theme of the
may ana is allowed to run smoothly without being inter-
rupted by endless stories, discourses and disputations, as is the case with the other
Between the two epics, the growth of which was surely
epic, the Mahabharata.
simultaneous for a few centuries at: least, all efforts at elaboration seem to have
Ultimately it became a magnum opus whose
grandeur in volume and variety has never been, nor is ever likely to be, surpassed.
All that was popular in tradition as regards learning, legend, philosophy, statecraft,
and the temporal and spiritual life of the land, came to be incorporated in it. We
shall therefore look for exhaustive information in this work about Visvamitra and
concentrated on the Mahabharata.
Vasistha, their mutual relationship as well as their individual greatness.
The Age
Mahabharata envisages a state of fulfilment that crowned the

Sages and ascetics pursuing a life of renunciation and
the forest abodes is still a familiar feature of the Mahabharata life.
of the
austerities of the Rsis.
seclusion in
204.
C/. Winternitz,
HIL
Vol. I (Calcutta) p. 516.
But Vasistha and Vivamitra and others of
297
their category belonged to the
hoary
By virtue of their penance, they had achieved a kind of omniimmortal. On all occasions of great moment they would be
were
science, they
with
Indra, Brahma and other gods. Thus we find numerous references
present
in the Mbh. to the fact that Vasistha and Visvamitra were among the Seven Sages
past as
it
were.
205
The following were present,
(Saptarsis) who generally reside in the North.
caiva
for instance, at the time of Arjuna's birth
Sapta
maharsayab
:
Bharadv ajab Kasyapo Gautamas ea Visvamitro Jamadagnir Vasisthab

Yas" codito Bhaskare'bhut pranaste So'pyatratrir bhagavan ajagama //
r
(I
123.51)
when he was lying on

They were again among those who surrounded Bhisma,
Vasistha \s name is specially associated with BhLsma, who
the bed of arrows.
208
obtained from him the knowledge of the Vedas and their branches (vcdangas) 207
and who is described as (Vasistha-siksitii) Vasistha's pupil. 208 This looks somewhat
strange when we arc told that Bhlsma was one of the Vasus, named Dyaus, born
on earth on account of Vasistha's curse, the offence being that in one of their
perambulations, Dyaus caused Vasistha's sacred cow (homadhenu) to be taken
209
Vasistha cursed the Vasus saying that they
away from the sage's hermitage.
Mahabharata references in this section are to be found in the Citrasala Edition, Poona,
205.
with Nllakantha's commentary called Bharata blmvadipa. Vas. and Vis", among the seven sages
of the North will be found in Mbh. I 123.51, 233.29, III 163.15, 224.26, XII 122.31, 208.82-33,
335.29,
XIII 93.88,96 126.42-49, 150.38-39,

Mbh. XII 47.7, XIII 26.4, 5.
;
XIV
165.44,
27.18 etc., etc.
206.
207.
Ibid. I 100.35-39.
Vedan adhijagc
saiigan Vasisthad esa vfryavan

Krtustrah paramesvaso devarajasamo yudhi //
208.
Ibid,
XII
37.11.
Bhargavae Cyavanac capi Vedan angopabrmhitan
Pratipcde mahabahur Vasisthtic caritavratah //

It is interesting to note that Blusma was reputed to have seen in person Indra and other gods
(saksad dadarsa yo clevan sarviin Indrapurogaman) he saw the devarsis many times (asakrt),
obtained knowledge of things from the very propounders of isastras thus Uânas taught him
Rajadharma, as also Brhaspati, the preceptor of the gods, Veda and Vedarigas he learnt from
Vasistha and Cyavana, adhyatma from (Sanat) Kumara, yatidharma from Markandeya, weapons
from Rama (Jamadagnya) and $akra. He would meet Death by his own will (Ibid. XII 37.8-16).
;
on
In another context Krsna pays him great compliment. He urges Yudhis^hira to visit Bhisma
bed of arrow's and learn from him higher knowledge
Tasminnastamite Bhlsme Kauravanam dhurandhare /
Jnananyastam gamisyanti tasmat tvam codayarnyaham //
Caturvidyam caturhotram catura^rarnyam eva ca /
Rajadharmams ca nikhilan prcchainam prthivlpate // (XII 46.22-23).
his
209.
Mbh.
I 98.19.
Ime'stau Vasavo deva mahabhaga mahaujasah /

Vasis{hasapadosena manusatvam upagatah //
The details of the incident are given in the next canto (I 99). Apava Vasisfha, having cursed
them to a life on earth, relents indeed when the Vasus pleaded guilty. So he revised the curse :
" Anusamvatsarat sarve
sapamoksam avapsyatha /
Ay am tu yatkrte yuyam may a 6aptah sa vatsyati /
Dyaus tada manusc loke dlrghakaiam svakarmana //
(Ibid. I 99.38-89).
298
L HARIYAPPA
should be born on earth, but added that only Dyaus should dwell on for a long
time. Story goes on to say that the Vasus prevailed upon the divine river Gaftga,
that she, having borne them to king Santanu, should throw them into the water,
210
except the eighth. This eighth child was Devavrata otherwise known as Bhisma.
Vasistha and Vivamitra are mentioned
Yudhisthira to
visit
them during
the great sages

With the sage
among
his pilgrimage. 211
his guide, the exile king visited their asramas, which may
212
Situated as these were
permanent abodes for all time.
who expect
Lomasa for
be regarded as their
on river banks, they
were rendered holy by the austerities of the saints and were reputed as holy places
of pilgrimage. 213 Acarya Drona invoked the blessings of Vasistha and Visvamitra
on Duryodhana for a victory over Arjuna. 214 Later as the Great Battle progressed,
Vasistha and Visvamitra were among the Seven Sages who came to carry away
the departed Drona to Heaven. 215 The Bisastainyopanisat (the mystery of the
theft of the lotus stalk) records a peculiar experience for the Seven Sages who went
They were once confronted by a Yatudhani who intending to

them, put them to a test when they were all hungry and thirsty and wanted
to refresh themselves with the lotus stalks and water in a lake over which she kept
round on a tour.
kill
Each one of the party was
to announce his or her name, (Arimdhati

which
was
with a certain sense of humour. Incidentdone
accompanied them),
watch.
also
210.
Ibid I 96. 15-19.
Na tacchakyam nivartayitum yaduktam brahmavadina

Tvam asman manusi bhutva srja putran vasun bhuvi
Na manuslnam jatharam praviSema vayam &ubhe
PratSpasya suto raja Santanur lokavi&rutah /

B ha vit, manuse loke sa nah karta bhavisyati
*
Ibid. I
'
Jatan Kumaran svan apsu prakseptum vai tvam arhasi

yatha na cirakalam no niskrtih syat trilokage /
99.45-7 (Later) Gariga to Santanu
eka eva nrpottama /

Ayam
Dyau rajan manuse loke ciram vatsyati Bharata /
Sa tu Devavrato niima Garigeya iti cabhavat /
Dyunama Santanoh putra^ Santanor adhiko gunaih //
II 85.119-120. Etc rsivaras sarve tvatpratiksas tapodhanah.
s*apad rses tasya
211.
cf.
Ib.
The a&ramas or hermitages are mentioned in several contexts.

212.
Ib. Ill 110.20,22.
I 215.2 (Vasisthasya ca parvatam), III 82.56, 102.3 etc.
Ib. Ill 82.56 (a Vas. tirtha on Mt. Arbuda), 83.139 (ViS. tirtha, bathing where, one
218.
becomes a Brahman), 179 (Badarapacana of Vas.), 84.48 (Vas.), 131 (KauSikI), 87.13 (Utpalavana
Vi6. became Brahman), 130.17 (Ujjanaka, Vas. with Arundhati).
214.
Mbh. 94.39
Safljaya uvaca (to Dhrtaras^ra)

uktva tvaran Dronah sprs^vambho varma bhasvaram
Ababandhadbhutatamam japan mantram yathavidhi /
Rane tasmin sumahati vijayasya sutasya te /
Visismapayisur lokan vidyaya bramhavittamah /
et. seq.
Evam
Asito Devalad caiva Visvamitras tathangirah /

Vasis^hah Katyapal caiva svasti kurvantu te nrpa
215.
Ibid.
VII 190.88.
//
299
Visvamitra introduces himself as a friend of the VisVedevas and of the Kine ;

is most excellent and he lives as a great householder. 216
The Yatudhani
was, of course, killed by a wayfarer called Sunassakha 217 (accompanied by a dog)
who joined them on the way and was no other than Indra in disguise
The sages
ally,
Vasistha
"
"
funny incident which may be called

Puskarastainya
Here again
(stealing of the lotus), but designated Sapathavidhi in the books.
comes Indra to solve the mystery. The sages of earth and heaven swore by many
Indra
things sacred to say that they did not commit the theft of the puskara.
was the thief, of course, and apologised in the end that he devised this incident in
order to hear from them the acts and principles of Dharma, by which they swore,
but which, as the world could realise, constituted the basis of all righteousness. 218
figure again iu a similar
'
'
mentioned among departed kings, who lived a glorious life on

and ascended heaven, as enumerated by Sanjaya to
219
so
that
he
Dhrtarastra,
Further,
might take consolation in his sad bereavement.
Visvamitra as a king who became a Brahmarsi by his austere penance is often
times remembered in the Mahabharata. 220 He is also credited with doing a good
Visvamitra
is
earth, performed sacrifices,
216.
Ibid.
XIII 93
ViSvedevas ca
ViSvamitram
me mitram mitram
iti
asm! gavam tatha /

khyatam yatudhani nibodha mam //
Vasistho'smi varisjiio'smi vase vasagrhesvapi /

Vasis^hatvac ca vasac ca Vasistha iti viddhi mam
//
Nilakanthlya vasagrhesu vasayogyesu grhasthaSramesu / The touring party consisted

of the seven' sages with the revered ArundhatI, a maid servant named Ganda and her husband
Pasusakha.
Cf.
Ibid XIII 9,3.106
Sunassakha declares himself thus before the Yatudhani

Ebhir uktam yatha nama naham vaktum ihotsahe /
Sunassakhasakhayam mam Yatudhanyavadharaya //
Com. s"va dharmah / tatsakhayo munayah, tesam sakha Sunassakhasakhah (Indrah). Yama, the
God of Dharma, appearing as A dog is a familiar feature. The dog that followed Yudhis^hira in
his final journey was Dharma himself.
In the present context it happens that the wandering
mendicant (Sunassakha) was accompanied by a dog. In reality he was Indra in disguise, and
Indra is named Sunasira which has some Vedic basis. It is interesting to study the semantic
history of the words Sunam and svan. An attempt is made in the foregoing chapter on Simassepa.
218. Mbh. XIII 94. Here also was a party on pilgrimage, but consisted of royal saints
as well as the Brahman saints.
Indra said in the end Na maya bhagavan lobhaddhrtam puskaram adya vai / Dharamams tu srotukamena hrtam na kroddhum arhasi //
217.
219. Mbh. I 1.227 (VisVamitram amitraghnam Ambarisam mahabalam). Again (XIV

91.34) Sruyante hi pura vrtta Vivamitradayo nrpah / Vi6vamitro'sitas caiva Janakas ca
mahlpatih
71.29 (Ksatrajatas* ca yah purvam abhavad brahmano balat). This appears to be

The context is Indra deputing Menaka to obstruct Vis*vamitra's penance ;
Menaka pleads fear of a sage of such attainments. Visvamitra became a Brahmarsi only after
transcending earthly passions. Here he succumbs to Menaka's blandishments and begets
Sakuntala, the immortal heroine of Kalidasa's masterpiece. Compare, further, (a) Mbh. 1 137.14
(Visvamitra is an example of Brahmanas born of Ksatriyas
KsatriyebhyaS ca ye jata Brahamnas te ca te Srutah /
220.
I.
an anomaly, however.
ViSvamitraprabhrtayah prapta brahmatvam avyayam
//
I 175,47-48.
means of penance ViSvamitra obtained success, having paralysed the
worlds with his brilliance ; he attained Brahmanhood, what is more, partook of the soma in
Indra's company (Apibacca tatas somam Indrena saha Kauikah). (c) III 87.13, 15-17. It was
By
(b)
on the banks of the Kaus'ik! that Visvamitra, rich in penance, became a Brahman. He then
celebrated many sacrifices on the Ganges, in the pancalas at Utpalavana, and even at Kanyakubja
Bull
DCRI
xi-20
H. L.
800
HAR1YAPPA
turn to the wives of six of the Seven Sages, the exception being Arundhati. It
happened that the God of Fire fell in love with the wives of the divine sages, while
coming out of a
sacrificial rite
which the gods were performing
suitable general for the divine army. 221
Finding
it
in order to find a
make advances
and touching them
delicate to
to
in
those innocent souls, he tried to derive pleasure by seeing
222
Not
satisfied with this, however, he repairhis capacity of the Garhapatya Fire.
ed to a forest to do away with himself. But Svaha, daughter of Daksa, who had
where he quaffed soma with Indra and declared that he a ksatriya had risen high to become
a Brahmana (Kanyakubje'pibat somam Indrena saha Kausikah / tatah Ksatrad apakramat
Brahmano'smlti cabravit //). (d) V 106.18. It is said that Visvamitra in the final stages of
his austerities stood the test of Dharma who appeared in the guise of Vasistha from the state
of Ksatriya, Visvamitra attained the state of a Brahmana (Ksatrabhavad apagato brahmanatvam
upagatali / Dharmasya vacanat prito Visvamitras tatha'bhavat //). (e) IX 39.25,37. Balarama
during his tour came to the hermitage of Rusangu on the banks of SarasvatI where Arsjisena did
penance and where also Visvamitra attained brahmanhood. Sindhudvipa and Devapi also became
Brahmanas at this holy place. (/) XIII 8.2 4.48. In answer to a question by Yudhisthira,
Bhlsma explains the lineage of Visvamitra and how he became a Brahman. He means to suggest
that apart from his achievements, there was Brahman in his blood, he having been born by the
grace of the sage Rcika (XIII 4). Further, Visvamitra, Bhlsma informs, founded a race of
;
Brahmavadms
62 sons of them are
named
VisVamitram cajanayad Gadhibharya YaSasvini /

Rseh prasadad rajendra brahmarser brahmavadinam
Tato brahmanatam yato ViSvamitro mahatapah //
ViSvamitra is said to have declared to the son of Pandu that he became a
(g) XIII 18.16 f.
Brahmana by the grace of Siva. Other sages in turn relate how they were favoured by this God,
the purpose of all being to bring home to Yudhisthira the efficacy of worshipping Siva, (h) XIII
80.2. (t) XIII 55.81, 56.12 ff. Once in Gods' assembly, Brahma declared that there will be BrahmaKsatra admixture in the Kusika race. Sage Cyavana heard this, determined to destroy the
whole race before the thing could happen, and, with the privilege of his being a sage, put king
Kulika to untold hardship. He wanted to find some pretext by which he could curse him to
So Cyavana, believing
extinction. But KuSika's steadfastness and devotion were remarkable.
The third in his line would become a Brahmana (Trtlyam
in the inevitable, came to favour him.
purusam tubhyam brahmanatvam gamisyati st. 31). Further questioned by Ku&ika, Cyavana
explained that his grand-daughter would bear a Brahmana with Ksatriya instincts and that his
son Gadhi would be favoured with Visvamitra for his son, a Ksatriya with Brahmana
/
achievements.
Gadher duhitaram prapya pautrim tava mahatapah
Brahmanam Ksatradharmanam putram
utpadayisyati /
Ksatriyam viprakarmanam Brhaspatim ivaujasa /
VisVamitram tava kule Gadheh putram sudharmikam /
Tapasa mahata yuktam pradasyti mahadyute
XIII
Commending the upavasavidhi (vow

(j)
of VisV&mitra who attained Brahmanhood by sustaining
thousand
106.68.
celestial
years
//
who was
11-13).
Divyavarsasahasrani Visvamitrena dhlmata /

Ks&ntam ekena bhaktena tena vipratvam agatah
281.
(st.
of fasting) Bhlsma cites the instance

himself on a single meal (a day ?) for a
//
Represented as Brahma's daughter, Devasena, the other daughter being Daityasena

carried
away by the demon
Kedin.
222. It is well-known that in the

the wife (samanvarabdha).
Grhya
(Ill 224.1).
rites,
the householder
is
always accompanied by
Bhuyas saftcintayamasa na nyayyam ksubhito hyaham /

Sadhvyah patnyo dvijendranam akamah kamayamyaham
Naitas sakya maya drasûm sprastum vapyanimittatah /
Garhapatyam samavigya tasmat pasyamyabhlksnaâh /
Samsprânniva sarvas tah Sikhabhih kaftcanaprabhah
Pas*yamana6 ca mumude garhapatyam sama^ritah //
Mbh. Ill 224.84-86.

in vain loved him,
rsis.
Svaha
now
801
resolved upon assuming the guise of the wives of the seven

her desire in the guise of Siva the wife of Aftgiras, and
first gratified
somebody should unduly suspect the Brahmana ladies, she went out of
the forest as a bird (suparm), and on the Sveta mountain that was covered with
lumps of reeds and guarded by serpents, monsters and fiends, she threw the semen
then, lest
which she held in her hand into a golden basin. Then assuming successively the
form of five of the others, she did the same on the first lunar day (pratipat). Only
the form of Arundhati she was unable to assume because of her ascetic merit and
devotion to her husband. The semen thrown on the Sveta mountain produced a
Terrific prodigies were
child, whom the Rsis called Skanda, with six heads....
seen everywhere. Everybody accused the wives of the six sages, others accused
the female eagle as being the cause thereof, but nobody suspected Svaha. The
Rsis divorced their wives with the exception of Arundhati, though Svaha claimed
the child as hers. Visvamitra, having concluded the sacrifice of the seven rsis,
had secretly followed the god of fire and knew everything as it had happened.
He
sought the protection of Skanda and performed for him the thirteen auspicious
Though Visvamitra informed the seven rsis of the innocence
rites of childhood.
of their wives yet they
abandoned them unconditionally. 223
Visvamitra had a very devoted pupil in the person of Galava. 224 This pupil
happened to serve him loyally even in his difficult circumstances. Finally VisVamitra blessed him to go, but Galava requested the teacher to state the fee (guruThe teacher was content but the earnest pupil pressed his request.
With a little displeasure as it were, Visvamitra asked Galava to present him with
daksina).
800 white horses with one ear black. 225
was
his
feeling desperate,
Suparna came to
This was an impossibility. When he

He offered to take him on
his assistance.
back anywhere he wished, so that he might
collect the rare
type of animal from
After much wandering,

several kings and then meet the wishes of his teacher.
they came to king Yayati of Pratisthana and Suparna made the request on behalf
His recommendation was weighty, but Yayati had no horses of that
of Galava.
He offered, instead, his beautiful daughter Madhavi, setting whom

description.
as price, they could easily get the 800 horses from kings who have them.
Seeing
her beauty kings would even part with their kingdoms. 226 At this stage when some
With the maiden Madhavi
out and went to HaryasVa king of Ayodhya, who was childless.
way to success was found Suparna took leave of Galava.

then, Galava
set
223. Mbh. Ill Chs. 224 to 226, relevant portions. Vtevamitra himself being one of the seven
sages, he at least must have granted pardon for his wife ! cf. Ram. I 36-37 regarding the birth
of Skanda. The version is brief, there is no reference to the sages' wives being involved.
224 Mbh.
225.
Chs. 106 to 119

Asf;au Satani
226.
Galavacarita.
Ekatah 6yamakarnanam hyanam candravarcasam
me
dehi gaccha Galava
ma
ciram
//
Mbh. V,
lyam
surasutaprakhyft sarvadharmopacayini /
Sada devamanusyanam asuranam ca Galava /
Kanksita rupato bala suta me pratigrhyatam /
Asyas" ulkam pradasyanti nrpa raj yam api dhruvam /

kirn punag 6yamakan?anam hayanam dve catu&ate //
(V. 115.11-13).
106.27.
302
HARIYAPPA
There he offered him the maiden for the price of 800 white horses with one ear black.
The king had only two hundred and therefore proposed that he would beget only
one son by her. Madhavi revealed to Galava that she had a boon from a sage that
she would revert to virginhood after every childbrith, and that he might collect
the required number from four kings if he liked. Readily the terms were accepted.
Haryasva got a son Vasuprada by name. From Haryasva, they went to Divodasa
of Kasl and then to Ausinara 227 of Bhojanagara.
But a fourth king they could
not find. Suparna came again and advised that he should take the collection
hitherto made to VisVamitra and offer Madhavi herself in lieu of the balance due,
It was timely advice
if that would please him.
Visvamitra was pleased and in
fact asked why he did not offer her first to him
he could have got four sons to
228
It is said that Visvamitra was pleased to beget a son
propagate his race
on
Madhavi
and
(Astaka)
discharge the pupil of his obligations. The virgin was
then restored to her father Yayati, and Galava went to penance.
;
On account of Visvamitra, it is reported that Indra lost his testicles which

afterwards were substituted with those of a ram. 229
In the thirty-sixth year after the Battle, a few sages, Visvamitra, Kanva and
to visit Dvaraka, Krsna's city.
Seeing this, some young men
of the Vrsni clan, Sarana and others, tried to insult them.
They dressed one among
themselves (Samba) as a woman and asked the sages what kind of child she would
Narada happened
bear forth.
Discovering their trick, the sages cursed them to destruction that

bring forth an iron club which will cause the destruction of the
:
Samba would
Vrsnyandhakas except Balarama and Krsna Dvaraka will be overwhelmed by

the sea Death stalks the city, which has become demoralised, the people, giving
way to drink at a festival, slay one another. 230
;
The Pativratopakhyana records 231 an amusing story

the
Brahman Kau&ika
Brahmanas.
227.
228.
that a wife's chief duty
is
of
how
woman
taught
even before
the Vedas and the
to her husband,
Once a Brahman, Kausika by name, learned
in
Au&nara's son was the famous king Sibi (118.20) Divodasa's son was Pratardana.
Kim iyam purvam eveha na datta mama Galava /
rf
Putra marnaiva catvaro bhaveyuh kulabhavanah /
Partigrhnami te kanySm ekaputraphalaya vai /
A6va6 cas*ramam asadya carantu mama sarvaSah //
(110.16-17).
229.
Mbh. XII
842.28.
Ahalyadharsananimittam hi Gautatnaddhari&ma&rutam Indrah praptah Kau&ikammittam

cendro muskaviyogam mesavrsanatvam cavapa // How KauSika comes in this Indra- Ahalya
incident is not clear. Sorensen thinks that Indra was reduced to that state by the curse of
Visvamitra (KauSikanimittam). Index Vol. II, p. 729. According to the Ramayana, it was
Gautama's curse that made him 4 viphala (pctatur Vrsanau bhumau sahasraksasya tatksanat).
Then the gods under the leadership of Agni " utpatya mesavrsanau sahasrakse nyavefoyan."
(Ram. I cantos 48 and 49).
'
280.
Ibid.
XVI
chs. 1 to 3.
Brahman Kausika who figures in this

Kau&kas. The former is evidently
one belonging to the Brahman families which were founded by VisVamitra and belongs to a period
far removed from the founder-sage and nearer the age of the Mahabharata composition.
The
281.
Ibid. Ill chs. 205 to 216.
It is clear that the
upakhyana is not the famous ^si ViSvamitra though both

story
may even
be a later interpolation.
are
RGVED1C LEGENDS THROUGH THE AGES
393
Upanisads, was reciting them as he was seated under a tree. A crane from above
dirt on him.
Wrathful, he looked at the bird which at once fell down
dropped
way and came to the village for alms. There

was busy washing the utensils and therefore, asked the Brahman
to stay while she would come up and offer alms. Meanwhile the husband came
she, at once, addressed herself to attend upon him, offering the arghya, padya etc.
This took some time, and when the lady came to give alms to the Brahman, he
severely objected to her inordinate delay in honouring the Brahman, who is an
object of veneration even for Indra. And Brahmans are like fire
they would
With these words he looked at her fiercely.
reduce to ashes, the entire earth
dead.
Sad, however, he went his
in a house, the lady
But the pativarata cooly
replied
Naham
balaka viprarse tyaja krodharn tapodhana
Anaya kruddhaya drstya kruddhah kim mam karisyasi

Navajanamyaham vipran devais tulyan manasviiiab /
Aparadham imam vipra ksantum arhasi mc'naghu /
*
Patisusrusaya dharino yas sa me rocatc dvija /

Daivatesvapi sarvesu bharta me diiivatam param
"
am not the crane, O sage

me with your angry looks?
;
What
give up your anger.
Brahmans
232
//
indeed would you do
not disregard, for they are highminded and equal to the gods. Do forgive this mistake, O sinless one. ...What
dharma there is in attending upon the husband I like very much. Of all the gods,
for
the husband alone
I will
pre-eminent for me." She further adivsed Kausika to go to

Dharmavyadha (the Righteous Hunter) in Mithila and learn from him all the
dharmas. The Brahman was much ashamed at this discomfiture, but took the
The wisdom that he
lady's advice in good spirit and went to dharmavyadha.
is
preached was as follows

(a)
it is possible to live a virtuous

to sell meat,
that
is
life
even though one's profession
(b)
that sincere repentance cleanses from sin,
(c)
the marks of virtuous conduct,
(d)
that there
is
justification for the killing of animals
and eating
their
flesh,
(e)
concerning the law of Karma, the eternity of the soul, re-incarnation
and emancipation,
(/)
of
Brahma-vidya
the elements, gunas, pranas, etc. and that the

is like that of a charioteer to his
relation of the soul to the senses

horses,
(g)
of the great merit of dutifulness to parents,
more important than

232.
283.
Mbh.
Mbh.
and that character
caste. 233
Ill 206.23*24,80.
Ill Chs, 205-216.
See G. P. Rice's Index to the Mah&bh&rata
(OUP
1984.)
is
304
L HARIYAPPA
-
Describing the exploits of ParaSurama to Yudhisthira, Vasudeva (Krsna)

traces his lineage 234 to which VivamitYa also belongs. Jahnu's son was Aja
(Ajamldha ?) and his son was BalakaSva. Kusika was Balakasva's son. Kusika
performed austerities with the object of gaining a son like Indra. The latter
Thus was
preferred to take upon himself the honour of becoming Kuika's son.
the famous Gadhi born. Gadhi begot a daughter called Satyavati who was married
to Rsi Rcika.
This sage prepared the holy caru in order to obtain progeny. As
also desired the favour of a son, the sage prepared the sacred
mother
Satyavatfs
food in two parts, prescribing one to his wife and the other to his mother-in-law.
But this lady manoeuvred to exchange her caru with that of the daughter whereby
the progeny would be born with strange attributes.
The mother-in-law i.e. Gadhi's
Queen who was a Ksatriya woman would bring forth a son full of Brahmanic
splendour and Satyavati, a rsipatni, would bear a son full of martial strength and
On the latter pleading for mercy, it was granted that her grandson would
glory.
be born with these attributes, while the son would be a Brahma vadin. Thus
Visvamitra a Ksatriya with Brahmanic attainments became the son of Gadhi
Jamadagni was born to Rcika, the famous Rama Jamadagnya (Parasurama) was
Jamadagni's son who was a Brahman with Ksatriya instincts.
;
Jahnu
Aja
Balakava
Kusika
Satyavati m. Rcika
Gadhi
Visvamitra
Jamadagni
Rama Jamadagnya.
The same subject is dealt with in a later context, the narrative being ascribed to Bhfsma
The account is slightly elaborated, (a) The exchange of the carus and the trees
(asvattha and Udumbara) which they had to clasp was due to sophistry on the part of the mother
of Satyavati. There is a slight discrepancy in the genealogy
the family is said to emanate from
Bharata, the regular descent being traced from Ajamldha downwards i.e. Ajamldha Jahnu
Sindhudvlpa Balakasva Kusika Gadhi etc, Ajamldha is here the father of Jahnu, not son.
Jahnu's son is Sindhudvlpa who is not known in the other account. Compare also the Ramaynaa
version Ram. I 51.18-19. See supra. (5) A more flagrant departure is indicated in another
context viz. Mbh. Ill 115 according to which the person who grants the caru and prescribes the
trees is Bhrgu himself, the father of Rcika, this seems to be unnatural and rather unjust to the
son who was also a sage of no mean attainments, one who, by Varuna's grace, produced, as dowry
234.
(XIII
4).
for the bride
whom he
loved to marry, a thousand white horses with one of the ears black.
Tatas snusam sa bhabavan prahrsto Bhrgur abravit /
Varam vrnlsva subhage data hyasmi tavepsitam /
Sa vai prasadayarnasa tarn gurum putrakaranat /
Atmanag caiva matuS ca prasadam ca cakara sah /
(Sts. 38-34).
IJcIka's son
became son of
Vis*varnitra (Visvamitrasya putratvam Rcikatanayo'gamat Mbh.

XII 292.13). This legend refers to Sunas6epa being adopted by Visvamitra as his eldest son.
According to some Sunassepa was $cika's son ; according to others, he was the son of Ajigarta.
Sunaisepa was also said to be a middle son. The anomaly arising out of this varied account has
(c)
beep
fUlJy 4i3cus9ecl in the previous chapter.
305
Viivamitra was the progenitor of a number of Brahman families. One of his

seems to have continued his Ksatriya heritage. But his adoption of
as the eldest of all his sons is extolled as one of his glorious
Devarata
unaepa
achievements. This has been exhaustively dealt with in the previous chapter.
sons, Astaka,
Like the
Brahman Kauslka
in the
Pativratopakhyana, we find VisVamitra
was a twelve-year famine, when the people

Famished with hunger and thirst, VisVamitra
had to forsake his wife and children and wander about for his own sustenance.
At last in the outskirts of a village he found the door of a candala's hut open and
saw also a quartered dog's leg (svajaghani) hanging. So taken up with hunger,
Visvamitra decided to seize the Svajaghani and eat it. Then follows a conversation between the sage and the candala in which the latter appeals to the former to
exercise control in the interest of Dhanna, for he was not only trying to eat a
forbidden thing but also taking it from a man of the low caste. Visvamitra's
to save
conviction was only that in time of calamity there is no dharma to count
On coming back home, he
one's life one may transgress the law for the moment.
changed his plan and decided to oiler the thing first to the gods and then partake
of what remains.
As he was about to do this, as if that he had sufficiently tested
another humiliating situation.
had been reduced to nothingness.
in
It
the sage's will or as
if
he thought
it
beneath himself to eat forbidden
flesh,
Indra
the sage
sent showers of rain immediately. The scorched earth was quenched
had not got to taste the abhaksya (anasvadya ca taddhavih). So when calamity
befalls, the wise man, should extricate himself by all means at his command.
;
One should
at all events live
and, alive only one attains merit and prosperity. 235
Let us now turn to study Vasistha's greatness as revealed in the Mahabharata.

236
is Brahman's mind-born son
(Brahmano manasah putrafr) and husband
of Arundhati and also designated one of the prajapatis, having a place in the court
Vasistha
Brahma. He is also among those who have become pure souls by virtue (dhar"
Kama (desire) and Krodha (anger), who cannot be vanmenaiva sucetasati).
the
immortals, used to shampoo his feet. Though his wrath was
quished even by
of
excited by Visvamitra's offence, he did not yet exterminate the Kusikas.

285.
Afflicted
Mbh. XII 141 (Apaddharmaparva. conduct in time of calamity

Ahuya devan Indradin bhagam bhagam vidhikramat /
Etasminneva kale tu pravavarsa ca Vasavah /x x x
Sa samhrtya ca tat karma anasvadya ca taddhavih /
Tosayamasa devams" ca pitrms ca dvijasattamah /
Evam vidvan adlnatma vyasanastho jijlvisuh /
Sarvopayair upayajfto duram atmanam uddliaret /
Etam buddhim samasthaya jlvitavyam sada bhavet
Jivan punyam avapnoti puruso bhadram asnute /
(Sts. 99-101).
"
ate candala food and justified the act." This is however
E. P. Rice thinks that Visvamitra
contrary to the text. (Rice's Index, p. 54). A famine in which great sages like Visvamitra are
prostrate should indeed be terrible. The IJgveda records the instance of V&madeva (Seer of the
Sixth Manâla) who, in similar plight, cooked the entrails of a dog (Suna antrani pece). But
VisVamitra lived on mere air for a thousand years and never breathed at all for a thousand years
more ! Which of the reports could be true is a thing to wonder.
.
236,
C/.
Mbh.
1 174.5, II 11.18-19, III 31.12,
VII
6.6,
XII
166.15-16, 208.32, 834.36,340,69.
306
at the loss of his sons, he did not do
HARIYAPPA
any dreadful Seed
for the destruction of Visva-
He
did not transgress Krtanta (Death) in order to bring back his lost
It was by obtaining him that the Iksvakus
children from the abode of Yama.
mitra.
acquired this earth and with him as their purohita, they performed many great
Vasistha distinguished himself as purohita of other kings also.
sacrifices.'' 237
To king Samvarana he did a favour by prevailing upon Surya to give his daughter
As purohita to Mucukunda, who conquered the earth and

by might only, he did penance and killed all the demon hosts let loose by
Kubera. 239 At another time he was pleased with Rantideva and when there was
238
Tapati in marriage.
ruled
he sustained the people like the very lord of

With the co-operation of sage Vamadeva, he accompanied Bharata
to the forest to bring Rama back and later, anointed Rama Dasarathi on the
terrible
draught
in the country,
Creatures. 240
throne 241 and also worshipped Krsna while he was on his mission to Duryoclhaua, 212
243
Vasistha
performed a sacrifice for Kuru in Kuruksetra on the River Sarasvati.
further reputed to be the propagator of one of four original gotras. 244 He caused
the Sarayu river to flow on earth. 245 Sage Parasara was his grandson 246 and the
is
247
In heaven Vasistha did yeoman service
great Vyasa was the son of Parasara.
to Indra, fighting with the demon Vrtra Indra became unconscious once
at that
;
time did Vasistha revive him with the Rathantara-Sama. 248
Apart from his being Brahma's mind-born son, Vasistha is said to have arisen
from the seed of the gods which Krsna caused to fall into a jar so Bhisma explains
while expatiating on the greatness of Sri Krsna. 249 The birth of the sage took
;
place in the Eastern direction, there he

237.
Ibid. I 174.5-11.
288.
Ibid. I 94.42-45, 173.26.
239.
240.
XII
XII
241.
III 277.37, 291.66.
242.
V 83.27.
248.
IX
244.
XII
became famous and there did he depart
74.6-7.
XIII
234.17,
137.6.
38.27.
296.17.
MulagotrHni catvari samutpannani parthiva /

Angirah KaSyapaS caiva VaÎs^ho Bhrgur eva ca
245.
XIII
//
155.21.
246.
I 178.3
247.
XIII
Son of Sakti by Adrsyantl XII
849.6.
24.8.
248.
XII
249.
Mbh. XIII 158.19
281.21.
Tasyantariksam ppthivl divam ca
Sarvam vaSe ti$thati SSSvatasya /

Sa kumbhe retas sasj-je suraâm /
Yatrotpannam rim Shut Vasi^tham
//
Kr?ria,here,i8 to be understood, of course, in the sense of the

Ail-powerful God,
was believed to be,
whose incarnation

this
world. 260
Sresthafc),
251
so
307
Vasistha was highly regarded as the best of Brahmanas (vipran,m

much so that Indra once went in the guise of Vasis^ha to test the
252
Srutavati was doing penance with
daughter of Bharadvaja.
the object of marrying Indra only. When the guest (Indra disguised as Vasistha)
will of Srutavati
welcomed him according to the rules laid down and humbly offered any
hand which was to clasp Indra's only. 253 The revered guest
then gave five jujube fruits (badara), asking her to prepare a meal out of them and
went away. When she set herself to the task, they would not bake at all. The fuel
was exhausted, but she put her legs into the hearth as fuel, without a tremor and
without a sigh. The God was pleased and took her to heaven. That holy spot is
arrived, she
service except her
called
Badarapacana.
251
Vasistha and Arundhati are objects of adoration and example to society.

Kunti blesses Draupadi that she may be to her husbands as Arundhati to Vasistha,
as Bhadra to Vaisravana and as LaksmI to Narayana etc. 255
Santa, daughter of
Lomapada, attended upon Rsyasrfiga as devotedly as Arundhati upon Vasistha, 256
Lopamudra upon Agastya etc. When the world is beset with calamity the
dame Arundhati supersedes Vasistha 257 But Arundhati's virtue is unimpeachable as is evidenced by the story of Agni's love for the wives of the Seven
as
revered
Svaha, in winning the love of Agni, could not impersonate Arundhati,

because of her spotless character as a pativrata, while she successfully impersonated
the other six and bore the great War-god, Kumara. 258
Finally Bhlsma relates
Sages.
how Arundhati preached

gods,
259
Brahma
righteousness (dharma) to the Sages, the manes and the

concentrating upon the efficacy of gifts and of the worship of the cow.
extolled her for such salutory counsel and wished greater and greater
250.
Ibid. V 108.13.
Atra purvam Vasis^hasya pauranasya dvijarsabha / Sutis caiva
pratistha ca nidhanam ca prakas"ate // Vasis^ha's demise came about in the form of giving up
the mortal body on account of Nimi's curse see com. Context Suprana describing the importance of each of the four quarters to Galava.
:
251.
Ibid.
VII
252.
Ibid.,
IX
253.
254.
"
4 *
6.6.,
XII
122.31 etc.
48.
Sakrabhaktya ca
te
panim na dasyarni kathancana
"/
Ibid.
IX
Idam ca te tirthavaram sthiram loke bhavisyatl /

Sarvapapapaham subhru namna Badarapacanam
48.9.
//
Ibid. st. 32.
255.
56.
Cf. also
with
"
Yatha Vaisravane Bhadra Vasis^he capyarundhatl /

Yatha Narayane Laksmls tatha tvam bhava bhartrsu //
Mbh. I 199.6.
" Arundhativa
"
Ill 113.23
subhaga Vasisf;ham Lopamudra va yatha hyagastyam
117.17 Divodasa sported with Madhavl as Adj^yantl with Vasistha, and Aksamaia
!
Vasistha
"
(Vasif;ha^
caksamalaya)
Galavacarita.
Y5, caisa vi^ruta rajams trailokye sadhusammatd. / Arundhati tayapyesa Vasis^hah

prs^hatah krtah // VI 2.81. This of course refers to the stellar movements ; the one referred to
here is ah ill omen foreboding calamity, as observed by Bhlsma before Dhrtar&stra on the eve
of the Great War. Figuratively too, it is meant to suggest an upheaval in society when such a
dutiful wife should disregard a saintly husband.
257.
258.
259.
Mbh. Ill 220.

XIII 130.1-12
et seq.
H L HARIYAPPA
308
glory for her austerities. On several occasions Vasistha himself is engaged in

260 and with
Karalajanaka
philosophic discussions with Brahma on the one side
on the other ; taught higher knowledge to Narada. 261 Hiranyakslpu was cursed
by Vasistha son of Hiranyagabha because he elected a

whereby he even before the sacrifice ended, met his own end
strange being.
different
Hotr
priest,
at the hands of a very
282
Having thus surveyed the individual life story of Vasistha and VisVamitra as
depicted in the Mahabharata, we may now examine the story of their age-long
The Mbh. tradition, of course, takes the rivalry or even hatred between
hostility.
the sages as an established fact. But as they have been counted within the group
of the most eminent sages, the Saptarsis, it is also undeniable that the question
It no doubt endured in popular
of their hatred had long before been shelved.
tradition only to do credit to both sages, the one as an embodiment of saintly
excellence, the other an embodiment of the highest realisation through action
(purusakara). The one was born divine and the other, by tapas, attained divinity.
We may now recapitulate their mutual hostility as related in the Mbh.
The Gandharva
relates the story to Arjuna. 263
This old story (purana) of

In
Vasistha they
Kanyakubja, king Gadhi, son of Kusika, had a
son VisVamitra, who, with his ministers used to go a-hunting. Once he arrived at
tell in all worlds.
the hermitage of Vasistha, who offered him arghya etc. from his cow Nandini,
yielded everything desired Visvamitra asked Vasistha to give him Nandini
for an arbuda of kine or his kingdom but in vain.
Then he wanted to take the cow
264 " I am a
by force. She repaired to Vasistha, who at first did nothing saying
"
I do not abandon you
Stay if you
forgiving brahman," but at last he said,
can 285 Hearing this word, the cow attacked Visvamitra's troops. From her
who
she began to rain showers of burning coals, from her tail she brought forth
Pahlavas, from her udders Dravidas and Sakas, from her vitals Yavanas, from
her dung Sabaras, from her urine and from her sides several other Sabaras, and
tail
from the froth of her mouth Paundras, Kiratas, Yavanas, Simhalas, Barbaras,
Khasas, Cibukas, Pulindas, Cinas, Hunas, Keralas and other Mlecchas, who attacked Visvamitra's soldiers. Visvamitra's troops fled, but none was deprived of life.
Visvamitra then, disgusted with Ksatriya prowess, 266 set his mind on asceticism
and finally became a brahman and drank soma with Indra.
260.
XIII
261.
XII 802-809 chs.

Mbh. XII 842.81 (Narayanlya), the
262.
of
6.
God N&r&yana.
268.
Ibid I 175.
264.
Kgatriy&nam balam
265.
Na tvam
266.
strange Being being the Man-Lion incarnation
tejo
brahmananam ksama balam
tyajami kalyani sthlyatam yadi gakyate
St. 29.
St. 31.
"
Dhig balam Kâtriya-balam brahmatejobalam balam
St. 45.
309
is said to have manifested itself in another incident which

have some Vedic authority. 267 King Kalmasapada Saudasa of the
Iksvaku race was cursed by Vasistha's son Sakti to become a cannibal and, un288
fortunately Sakti himself became the first victim. VisVamitra was an accomplice
in this dastardly act inasrnuch as he directed a fiend called Kinkara to possess
king Kalmasapada. That gave him the required monstrosity to eat human beings.
Vasistha was filled with sorrow at this bereavement but he patiently bore his
grief and resolved rather to sacrifice his own life than exterminate the Kusikas.
He threw himself down from the summit of Merit, entered a huge fire in the
forest, and tied a heavy weight to his neck and threw himself into the sea, but ail
VisVamitra's hatred
appears to
in vain, and, in distress of heart, he returned to his hermitage.

Beholding it bereft
of his children, he left it again and tied himself strongly with cords and flung
himself into a mighty river, but the stream cut those cords and cast the rsi ashore
whence that river was called Vipasa. Once more he threw himself into a river
flowing from Himavat (Haimavati) but the river immediately fled in 100 different
directions and has since been known by the name of Satadru. 269 He now again
went towards his hermitage, 270 and was, on the way, addressed by Adryanti, the
wife of Sakti, who had for twelve years borne his child in her womb. Hearing
that child in the womb reciting the Vedas with the six angas, Vasistha refrained
from self-destruction 271 and, accompanied by Adrsyaiiti returned to his hermitage.
One day he saw Kalmasapada, who would devour him. AdrSyanti was terrified,
"
but Vasistha restrained him by uttering
hum," and, sprinkling him with water
sanctified by mantras, freed him from his curse that had lasted twelve years.
Kalmasapada promised never more to insult Brahmans and prevailed upon Vasistha
that he accompanied him to his capital Ayodhya and begot a son for him on the
queen. Then he went back to his hermitage. After twleve years the queen tore
open her womb by a stone, and then was born the Rajarsi ASmaka, who founded
the city of Paudanya. 272
Arjuna asked why did Kalmasapada command his queen to go to Vasistha?

And was this an act of sin on Vasistha s part? The Gandharva replied 273 Under
the influence of the curse, Kalmasapada, in anger, went out of his capital, accompanied by his wife. In a solitary part of the woods he saw a Brahman and his
wife embracing each other. The couple ran away, but Kalmasapada forcibly
:
The Vedic version

267.
28,84, also Sarva (p. 25) on
is
that Sakti was thrown into
RV
VII
fire
by the Saudosas.
82.
**
Visvamitras tato raksa adidea nrpam prati /

Sapat tasya tu viprarser Visvamitrasya cajftaya /
Raksasah Kihkaro nama vivega nrpatim tada // "
268.
Mbh.
269.
270.
271.
I 176.20-21.
Satadha vidruta yasmac chatadrur iti vigruta " Ib. I 177.9.

"
" Martum na
/ St.
Sakyam ityuktva punarevasramam yayau
*
Evam uktas taya h?s#> Vasis^hah s>eshabhag ?sih /
Asti santanam ityuktva mj-tyoh p&rtha nyavartata // St.
"
272.
Mbh.
273.
Ibid. I 182.
I 177.
10.
16.
Vide
BD
VI
H. L.
310
HARIYAPPA
The Brahman! asked him to liberate her husband, but he

The tears that the woman shed blazed up like fire and
consumed everything in that place. The Brahman! cursed the rajarsi saying that
he should meet with instant death when cohabiting with his wife and that his wife
should have a son from Vasistha whose children he had devoured, and that child
should be the propagator of his race. Then she entered the fire. Vasistha by his
And long after this, when the
ascetic power immediately knew all about it.
from
his
freed
he
his
became
wife Madayanti, not rememcurse,
Rajarsi
approached
seized the
Brahman.
cruelly devoured him.
bering the curse of the Brahmani. Hearing, however, the words of his wife, he
recollected the curse and therefore, he appointed Vasistha to beget a son on
his queen.
VisVamitra's
another
first
context.
encounter with Vasistha
While
is
somewhat
differently related in
in Salya-parva,
'
describing
Balarama'*>
pilgrimage
Vai&ampayana relates to Janamejaya the story of how certain kings attained

Brahmanhood, and among them VisVamitra. 274 The great Ksatriya Gadhi Kausika
became an ascetic, having resolved to give up his body, he installed his son VisVamitra on the throne, notwithstanding the solicitations of his subjects, and went
to heaven. Visvamitra however could not protect the earth even with his best
exertions. 275 He then heard of a great fear of the Raksasas, and went out with his
army. In the hermitage of Vasistha, his troops caused much mischief; when
Vasistha came to the hermitage he became angry and commanded his cow to create
many terrible Sabaras, who, encountering the army of Visvamitra caused great
carnage and the troops fled away. Visvamitra then set his heart on ascetic
276
austerities, and in the tirtha of the Sarasvati, he began to emaciate his own body,
although the gods repeatedly attempted to interrupt him. Brahma granted him
the boon that he should become a brahman. Then he wandered over the whole
earth like a celestial. 277
Visvamitra's hatred of Vasistha appears to have been of an uncompromising
and unrelenting kind as the former wished to kill the latter by any means. 278 The
hermitage of Vasistha was in Sthanutirtha on the bank of the Sarasvati on the
;
bank was the hermitage of Visvamitra. There Sthanu had practised

penances, and having performed a sacrifice and worshipped the Sarasvati, he had
Visvamitra and
established a tirtha and there the gods of yore installed Skanda.
opposite
Vasis^ha everyday challenged each other in respect of the superiority of their

penances. Visvamitra ordered the Sarasvati, notwithstanding her trembling, to
bring Vasistha into his presence, that he might slay him. Vasistha willingly let
274.
275.
276.
277.
IX
40.11-29.
"
Na
sa saknoti prthivim yatnavan api raksitum "
St. 17.
Jalaharo vayubhaksah parnaharaS ca so'bhavat /

Tatha sthandilasayl ca ye canye niyamah prthak /
Asakrt tasya devas tu vratavighnam pracakrire " / Sts. 24-5.
"
Sa labdhva tapasogrena brahmanatvam mah&yag&h /
"
Vicacara mahim krtsnam krtakamas
suropamah
278.
"
Mbh. IX 42 and 43
(chs.).
St. 29,

her do so, lest ViSvamitra should curse her. Sartasvati washed away one of her
banks and bore Vasistha away and informed ViSvamitra about his arrival but
while the latter was looking for a weapon she quickly washed Vasistha back to the
Eastern bank. Vivamitra cursed her, saying that her current should be changed
into blood which is acceptable only to the Raksasas.
For a whole year she then
flowed bearing blood mixed with water. The gods, the Gandharvas, and the
Apsarasas grieved. For this reason the tirtha came to be Vasisthapavaha.
;
Sarasvati, however, once more got back her own proper condition when some
sages on a pilgrimage to the holy river, having bathed in all her tirthas, came to
Vasisthapavaha, and saw the water mixed with blood, innumerable Raksasas
Mahadeva with penances

The Raksasas, who were Brahma-Raksasas (so
those among Vaisyas, Sudras and Ksatriyas who hate and injure the brahmans,
become Raksasas), afflicted with hunger, sought the protection of the sages who,
having ordained what should be the food of the Raksasas, solicited the Sarasvati,
who assumed a new shape called Aruna (Red River) bathing in that new river,
the Raksasas abandoned their bodies and went to heaven. Ascertaining all this,
Inclra bathed there and became purified of a grievous sin (Brahmahatya). 280
drinking
and
it.
Having
learnt the cause, they worshipped
279
purified the Sarasvati.
Before taking a retrospect of the history of the two sages and their mutual
realtionship, we may take note of a partial summary of ViSvamitra's deeds, given
Sakuntala relates her parentage to
in connection witli the Sakuntalopakhyana.
out
once
Kanva
to
as
another sage who came as a guest.
by sage
Dusyanta
given
Visvamitra deprived Vasistha of his children. Though born as a Ksatriya he

his penances, and created the river Kausiki for his
There his wife, during a famine, was maintained by the rajarsi Mataftga
ablutions.
who was living as a hunter. Therefore when the famine was over, Visvamitra
changed the name of the river into Para and performed a sacrifice for Mataftga
and Indra himself, from fear, came there to drink soma. Visvamitra in anger,
became a brahman through
created another world and a series of naksatras, beginning with Pratis>ava#a and
gave protection to Trisanku, who was cursed by his preceptor. He could burn
by his splendour, and by a kick cause the earth to shake. He

could sever Meru and hurl it away at any distance. He could round the Earth,
the three worlds
a moment and Yama, Soma, the Maharsis, the Sadhyas, the VisVas and the
281
Valakhilyas are afraid of his prowess,
in
279.
Tc sarve brahmana
rajariis tapobhir niyamais tatha

ca vividhair yamaih kastavratais tatha /
Aradhya pas'u-bhartaram mahadevam jagatpatim /
IJpavasaiS
Moksayamasus
tarn
dcvlm
saricchresjliani Sarasvatim
(IX 43.14-15).
Arising out of the slaying of Namuci. Ibid. Sts. 33-45.
Mbh. I 71.29-89. The confusion in the sequence of events in this narrative is
undoubted, Apsaras Menaka is pleading before Indra as to how, forsooth, could she tackle a sage of
such prowess and anger. Elsewhere (in the Ram. for instance) it is represented that the Menaka
episode was a stage in the sage's elevation to Brahmanhood ; possibly so, because the Bramharsi
is free from excitement, anger and passion : and Menaka provided a test.
Secondly, are MataAga
and Trisanku different or identical ? The tenor of this passage points to their being different
280.
281.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
312
From the numerous references to Vasistha and Visvamitra in the Great

Ramayana and the Mahabharata, it is reasonable to deduce as follows
Epics,
(a)
Vasistha and Visvamitra had a long life of activity before they were
among the chosen Seven i.e. the Saptarsis.
elevated to be
Vasistha was born great, all saintliness and virtue were natural to him,
(b)
he was the embodiment of patience, of the quality of Sattva. His passive resistance
when attacked by the enemy appears exemplary. His attempt at self-immolation
bereavement is somewhat strange and savours of being too commonplace.

His eminence, however, as saint and priest of kings (purohita) is undoubted.
in his
Visvamitra achieved greatness. Son of a king, he perfected himself in

(c)
an embodiment of the quality of
the qualities and attainments of a rajanya
Rajas, he was. But seeing that the quality of Sattva had more enduring features,
;
determined to acquire it. The chief thing was to conquer passion and anger
this he did achieve by penance, by patient but steadfast endeavour (purusakara).
;
The Vasistha- VisVamitra feud reveals itself as a thing of the ancient

past even in the age of the Mbh. Tradition, at any rate, believed that the two
sages were once upon a time enemies of each other. The events connected therewith were remembered not because it was a quarrel between two great personalities
but because it would serve as a becaon light of righteousness on the one hand and
(d)
effective
human endeavour on
the other.
(e)
Popular tradition betrays no partility to either of them, one, for instance,
"
of the nature suggested by the expression
Vasistha-dvesinyati," which is applied
to a few verses in the Visvamitra-mandala, said to be imprecations against the
Vasisthas ; whereas no imprecation in the Vasistha-mandala is ever regarded as
The Mbh. age conceives the sages as equally respectdespising the VisVamitras.
On the other hand,
able ; there was no question of their relative superiority.
a word should be said to the credit of the self-made saint Visvamitra, who, by dint
The world
of his achievement, had inspired the people with a reverential awe.
was amazed at his powers of making or unmaking it. It was not much wonder
that he could as well be one of the four founders of Brahman tribes as it were and
hence an inspirer of a tradition by itself; a veritable sampradaya-pravartaka.
IIARIVAMgA
One
in the
incident connected with Vasistha -and Visvamitra is pointedly dealt with

Harivamsa, that is about Satyavrata. 282 He was the son of king Trayyaruna
persons, though they are possibly identical with one another, as is stated in another context.
(Vide VP Wilson vol. Ill pp. 284 ff. as referred to in his MOST I. p. 375 f. See VP text IV
The anomalies in the
8.13, compare also Hari. 12 and 13, where Vasistha is also introduced).
narrative of VisVamitra's deeds, as shown above, may be of no serious consequence when we
remember that the narrator was Sakuntala, who in her unsophisticated innocence recalled the
events of a bygone age just as they occurred to her mind. They have no chronological value.
282.
Hari. chs. 12
and
18.
who had Vasistha
913
Once Satyavrata carried away a bride who had

King Trayyaruria abandoned the son on this account
for his priest.
been betrothed to another.
whereupon the latter lived among the low caste people in a degraded condition.
The old king went to the forest, for penance. Vasistha himself managed the
affairs of State,
A twelve year draught then set in as result of adharma for which
was
The latter, however, nourished a sense of anger
Satyavrata
responsible.
he
did
not exert his influence to dissuade the king from
Vasistsha
because
against
the drastic punishment which was inflicted on the Prince. At this time, Visvamitra
had left his family and children there and gone to the shores of the ocean for penance.
When the famine set in, the family was reduced to severe straits. VisVamitra's
wife was about to sell away her middle son (Galava) for a hundred cows in order
to sustain the rest.
Meanwhile Satyavrata intervened and liberated the boy,
until
Visvamitra
returned from penance, provided them with venison and
and,
he
which
pork
(every day) tied to a tree near their residence. To Visast;ha, howhe
never
reconciled himself and once when he could not procure food
ever,
he
anywhere,
happened to see Vasistha's all-bestowing cow which he at once
killed and fed himself and Visvamitra's family.
Vasistha got angry and denounced
the offender as Triaiiku, one who has committed three sins, viz. causing displeasure
to the father, killing the preceptor's cow and eating unsprinkled food. 283 Now
Visvamitra returned from austerities and was much pleased with Satyavrata for
the support he gave for his family in his absence. Asked to elect a favour in
;
return, the outcast Prince prayed that he might be enabled to ascend Heaven
The famine having abated, Visvamitra reinstated him on the throne
bodily.
and sacrificed
for
him so that, as all gods and even Vasistha could see, sent TriSafiku
The famous Hariscandra was the son of this King Satyavarta
bodily to Heaven.
Trisanku. 284
with
Visvamitra's lineage, the adoption of Sunaepa Devarata into his family

all rights of primogeniture, and the ever-baffling host of sons and families
that emanated from
him have been accounted
HarivamSa. 285
These have
been fully discussed in the foregoing chapters in various contexts. So far as
genealogies go, the accounts in the Hari. add to the confusion. 3una66epa is
the middle son with Jamadagni for his elder brother and Sunabpuccha for the
in the
286
Visvamitra's original name was VisVaratha, 287 not the only son of
Gadhi, he had brothers as well, Vivakrt, and Vivajit, and a sister Satyavati,
younger
288.
aproksitopayogat asamskrtamamsabhaksanat Ib. XIII 18.
284.
Hari.
XIII
18-19.
PituS caparitosena guror dogdhrivadhena ca /

Aproksitopayogac ca trividhas te vyatikramah
Evam
trinyasya Sarikuni tani df-stva mahatapah

Triankur iti hovaca Tri6ahkur iti sa smrtah //
XXVII
285.
Ibid.
286.
Ibid. Sts. 41-42.
287.
Vttvamitras tu dharmatma namna VisVarathas smrtah /

Bhrgupras&dena Kau.sikad Vamgavardhanah // St. 44.
Jajfte
H. L.
them
of
ungest
all. 288
One
HARIYAPPA
tempted to think that
is
all
the three
names
Svaratha, Vi&vakrt and Vi^vajit are only epithets 289 of Visvamitra who
ssessed all the qualities connoted by those names: the course of his chariot
tended over
c.)
all
the three worlds
he was world-maker (anyam Indram karisyami
and world-conqueror.
VII
PURANAS
Vasistha and Visvamitra are familiar personalities in the entire range of
Both sages were revered. Vasistha was regarded as one of
mind-born sons of Brahma. 290 He and Visvamitra are both counted among the
iranic literature.
e
fen holy sages (Saptarsis) of the Vaivasvata-manvantara. 291

ey have rendered so many places on the banks of the SarasvatI
Between them,
and Ganga holy
account of one or other of their great achievements. Quite new incidents have
en recorded about them, as we shall see presently. Their rivalry or hostility
a thing of the past, not endangering the reputation of cither, of course.
Never-
mark
the several incidents which
sless
their
mutual jealousy and hatred are
rrated with ever- changing colours.
While Vasistha was described as a mind-born son of the Creator, we see a

;ond birth become necessary for him on account of the curse of Nimi The story
thus told in the Visnu-Purana The son of Iksvaku, who was named Nimi,
!
Jtituted a sacrifice that
to
isistha
offer
the
was to endure
for a
Vasistha
oblations.
in
thousand years, and applied to

answer said that he had been
Visvamitras tu Gadheyo raja Visvarathas tada /

Visvakrd Visvajiccaiva tatha SatyavatI nrpa / Ib.
SatyavatI Visvamitradinam KamyasI (com.)
288.
XXXII
51-3.
Pargiter thinks that VisVaratha was his original name. That is how it looks from
But seeing that coupled with two more names in XXXII 51-52, it is better to conceive
as epithets. The name Visvamitra itself appears to be an acquired name. His real name
pears to be unknown.
289.
CVII 44.
290.
See, for instance, Brahma I 48.4, Visnu I 7.5, Brahmanda II 11, Matsya 8.0-7,
agavata III 12.22-24, Vayu 25.82, etc. The number of these manasa-putras ranges from
10.
Vasistha married Crjja (Energy), one of the 24 daughters of Patriarch Daksa, and had
en sons by her, namely, Rajas, Gatra, Clrdhvabahu, Savana, Anagha, Sutapas and Sukra.
snu I 10.13 f). The famous Sakti and other sons are from a different marriage evidently
samala or Arundhat!.
291.
third
The Seven Sages are supposed to be different in each Manvantara. For instance in
Auttami Manvantara. (Vide Visnu III 1.15) the seven sons of Vasistha were the
i.e.
en Rsis. Strange, however, that the father is one of the seven sages only in a later i.e. the
'enth Manvantara (Vaivasvata). It must be a descendant of the progenitor of the Vasisfha
Incidentally, it may be noted, that the entire cosmogony changes from Manvantara to
lily.
nvantara. Different is Indra, different are the classes of gods, the divine sages etc. This
iciful picture is ably satirised by Nllakan|;ha Dlksita in his Carnpu, the Nilakan^ha-Vijaya.
the outer chamber of Brahma's Palace, a number of Potentates are waiting for an interview
" Indra of what

Indra went up to the door, the Lord-in- Waiting asks
The accounts in the Puranas and the Upapuranas
(Katamah Purandarah)
taining to the creation are by no means consistent. They baffle all attempts at a clear delineai.
One may however benefit from a perusal of the notes provided by H. H. Wilson in his
islation of the Visnu Parana Books I to III.
,h tfye
are
one.
Highest
"
you ?
315
pre engaged by Indra for five hundred years, but if the king would wait forsome time,
he would come and officiate as superintending priest. The king made no answer,
and Vasistha went away supposing that he had assented. When the sage had
completed the performance of the ceremonies he had conducted for Indra, he
returned with all speed to Nimi, purposing to render him the like office. When he
arrived, however, and found that Nimi had retained Gautama and other priests to
minister at his sacrifice, he was much displeased and pronounced upon the king,
who was then asleep, a curse to the effect that since he had not intimated his intention, but transferred to Gautama the duty he had first entrusted to himself, Vttsistha,
Nimi should thenceforth cease to exist in corporeal form. When Nimi woke tip
and knew what had happened, he in return denounced as an imprecation upon his
unjust preceptor, that he also should lose his bodily existence as punishment for
uttering a curse upon him before communicating with him. Nimi then abandoned
his bodily condition.
The spirit of Vaistha also leaving his body was united with
the spirits of Mitra and Varuna for a season until, through their passion for the
celestial nymph Urvasi the sage was reborn.
The corpse of Nimi was preserved
from decay by being embalmed with fragrant oils and resins. When the sacrifice
was concluded, the gods who had come to receive their portions were willing to
restore him to bodily life, but Nimi declined to resume a corporeal shape.
He
To this desire, the gods assented
wished, however, to dwell in the eyes of all beings.
and Nimi was placed by them in the eyes of all living

which their eyelids are ever opening and closing. 292
creatures, in consequence of
Vasistha was responsible for the banishment of Vikuksi by his father Iksv&ku.
Upon one of the days called Astaka, Iksvaku being desirous of celebrating ancestral
obsequies, ordered Vikuksi, to bring him flesh suitable for the offering. The prince
accordingly went into the forest and killed many deer, and other wild animals for
the ceremony. Being weary with the chase and being hungry, he sat down and
ate a hare
after which, being refreshed, he carried the rest of the game to his father.
;
Vasistha the family priest of the House of Iksvaku was summoned to consecrate
the food, but he declared that it was impure, in consequence of Vikuksi having eaten
a hare from amongst
it
(making
it
thus,
as
it
were, the remnant of his meal).
Vikuksi was in consequence abandoned by his offended father and the epithet
SaSada (hare-eater) was given to him being so described by the preceptor. 298
Turning to Visvamitra, we find that his descent is traced to Jahnu, who in

turn was descended from Amavasu son of Aila. Visvamitra is the son of Gadhi
and grandson of Kusika according to Brahma-purana, of Kusamba according to

Visnu IV 1-9 (sections in prose
292.
style).
Vide also
Matsya 61.82-6, 201.1-17, Padma
V 22.34.-87, Vayu 89.4 Brahman4a III 64.4, Bhagavata IX 18.1-6, Ram. VII 55.56,57.
;
Accord-
ing to Pargiter, there were two kings of the name, one of Vidcha and another of Vidarbha ; Nimi
Nimi of the episode in question must be of Videha
is also a rsi belonging to the Atreyas.
(AIHT: consult the Index). Slight variations
bodiless) as the name itself suggests.
(Vi-deha
may be perceived in the different Puranas cited above, cf. AIHT p. 215.
298.
BullDCRI
Visnu IV
xi-21.
2.5-7, cf. also
Vayu
68.11*19,
Brahma
7.48-51,
Brahmapda
III 68.11-20.
/H. L.
816
Visou-Pur&$a.
at
all
events,
2M
HARIYAPPA
These are minor differences one thing is certain, VisVamitra,

in a line of kings but became a Brahmarsi
by resolve. His
;
was born
association with the Sunags'epa legend, as told in the Puranas, has been fully
discussed in the previous chapter.
The incident of having to eat dog's flesh for want of better food during a
twelve-year famine was the occasion for a discourse between Visvamitra and a
Cancjala from whose house, the sage was about to make away with "dog's leg"
Ultimately Indra opened
(gya-j&ghani)* on the right or wrong of such an action.
to
rain
end
the
showered
famine.
The
and
Brahma
hisses'
purana describes this
895
Once there occurred a terrible draught, there was
story more picturesquely.
nowhere food available. Visvamitra repaired to the holy river Gautami. Seeing
his wife, children and disciples emaciated with hunger, the sage ordered the pupils
to hunt up something to eat without delay. They roamed about and brought a
"
dead dog which was all they could find. Visvamitra said
Very well, cut it
we shall, according to rule, propitiate the gods, sages,
up, wash and roast it
and the manes and then partake of the remainder." The pupils obeyed. Agni
came, the gods' messenger, was astonished to see the offering and told the gods
that they have to eat dog's flesh which the sage in distress has offered. To prevent
such a base offering, Indra came as an eagle and carried away the vessel which
contained the flesh. The sage was wrath when the pupils reported this and was
about to curse when Indra transformed the contents into honey and replaced the
But Visvamitra demanded the dog's flesh itself on pain of being reduced
vessel.
"
Afraid of consequences, Indra came up and said,
to ashes.
why bother about
the
and
drink
the
in the company
rest
the inedible dog's flesh, pour
honey-oblation
what use with one such meal ? All
of your children." Visvamirra replied,
then
is the good of this honey ?
If it should become
what
are
suffering,
people
nectar for all, then only I would have it pure, otherwise, gods and manes shall
:
'
eat this flesh of the dog.
And
then I shall also eat
the danger, Indra immediately

rain
on earth.
to be sure." 296
Realising
the clouds and showered nectar-like
There was joy everywhere.- Thenceforth that place on the Gautami
became famous
204.
summoned
it,
Brahma
as ViSvamitra-tirtha.
10.11-68, Visnu
IV
7.1-16,
Vayu
91.49-108, reads Kus&sVafor KuSika, Brah-
mantfa III 66.28-69.

205.
296.
Brahma
98.4-24.
cf.
Mbh. XII
141. supra p.
Vi&vamitro'pi netyaha bhuktenaikena kim phalam /

Prajas sarv&& ca sldanti kim tena madhuna hare /
Sarvesam amrtam cetsyat bhoksye'ham amrtam 6uci /
Athava devapitaro bhoksyantidam svamamsakam /
Pa&cad aham tacca mamsam bhoksye nanrtam asti me
Tato bhitas Sahasrakso meghanahuya tatkanat /
Vavarsa camrtam vari hyamrtenarpitah prajah
//
Ibid. sts. 20-23.
There is no doubt that the outline of the story given in the Mbh. is here expanded and embellished
so as to make it attractive to those for whom the literature was meant. That these sages with
all their divine powers had to suffer earthly ills as hunger and thirst is hard to reconcile.
317
Now remain the legend of Kalmasapada and that of Satyavrata Triâfiku,

both of which remind the world of the ancient feud between Vasistha and ViSvftmitra.
The Visnu-purana narrates the first story as follows Mitrasaha, son of
Sudasa of Ayodhya once celebrated a sacrifice which was conducted by Vasistha.
At the close of the rite, Vasistha went out. At that time a Raksasa assumed the
"
semblance of Vasistha and came and said to the king
Now that the sacrifice
is ended, you must
let it be cooked and I, will presently
give me flesh to eat
:
return."
said this, he withdrew, and, transforming himself into the shape

some human flesh, which he brought to the king, who, receiving
Having
uf the cook, dressed
on a plate of gold, awaited the reappearance of Vasistha. As soon as the sage

returned, the king offered him the dish.
Vasistha, surprised at such want of
in
as
his
him
the
meat
to eat, considered what it should
king,
offering
propriety
it
was so presented and by the eflieacy of his meditations discovered that

was human flesh. He grew angry and denounced a curse upon the king saying
In/isnmcli as you have insulted all such holy men as we are, by giving me what
}e that
t
4
not to be eaten, your appetite shall henceforth be excited

"
It
was yourself," replied the king

"
by
to the indignant sage,
"
similar food.
who commanded
"
food to be prepared."
By me !" exclaimed Vasistha, how could that
lave been?" and, again, having recourse to meditation, he detected the whole
"
ruth.
The food to
Foregoing then all displeasure towards the king, he said
I
sentenced
shall
not
sustenance
for
it
riiich
have
be your
shall only be
ever,
you
his
The king who had taken up water
o for twelve years."
nd was prepared
in the
palm of
his
hand
now
considered that Vasistha was his spiritual

uhle, and being reminded by Madayanti his queen that it ill became him to denouLCC an imprecation upon a holy teacher, who was the guardian divinity of his race,
to curse the sage,
bandoned his intention. Unwilling to cast the water upon the earth, lest it
hould wither up the grain, for it was impregnated with his malediction, and equalY reluctant to throw it up into the air lest it should blast the clouds and dry up
heir contents, he
threw
it
down upon
his
own
feet.
Scalded by the heat which
he water had derived from his angry imprecation, the feet of the king became
potted black and white, and he thence obtained the name of Kalmasapada or
to
with the spotted
feet.
In consequence of the curse of Vasistha, the king became a cannibal every

ixth watch of the clay for twelve years, and in that state wandered through the
One occasion, he beheld a holy person
Drests, and devoured multitudes of men.
As soon as they saw his terrific form, they

in sport with his wife.
to
But the royal cannibal overtook
and
endeavoured
escape.
Tightened
ngaged
eized the husband.
The wife then
also desisted
"
from
flight,
were
and
and earnestly entreat-
d the savage to spare her lord exclaiming,

Thou, Mitrasaha, art the pride of the
It is not in thy nature, who knowest
not
a
fiend
malignant
oyal House of Iksvaku,
But all was in
lie characters of women, to carry off and devour my husband."
ain, and, regardless of her repeated supplications, he ate the Brahman, as a tiger
!
H. L. HARIYAPPA
818
"
Since you have barbarously disturbed the joys of a wedded pair and
husband,
your death shall be the consequence of your associating with
my
So
saying, she entered the flames.
your queen."
and
said,
killed
At the expiration
of the period of his curse, Saudasa returned home.

Being
Brahmani by his wife Madayanti, he abstained from
reminded of the curse of the
conjugal intercourse and was therefore childless. But having solicited the interThe child however was not
position of Vasistha, Madayanti became pregnant.
born for seven years, when the queen, becoming impatient, divided the womb with
a sharp stone and was thereby delivered.
The
child
was thence called Asmaka. 297
The above account is corroborated by the Bhagavata. 298 As it is, it shows

no interference on the part of Visvamitra in the affair of Vasistha and Kalmasapada.
The Mbh. supplies the link viz. that the Raksasa, who played the mischief by
299
This
impersonating Vasistha for the moment, was employed by Visvamitra.
was specially so when, according to Mbh., the king was cursed by akti son of
Vasistha.
some disagreements among the several
Nevertheless,
authorities
must
be acknowledged with regard to this story. According to the Brhaddevata, at

a great sacrifice by Sudas, Visvamitra was overcome by Sakti.
Consequently
Visvamitra sank down unconscious. But to him the Jamadagnis gave speech
called Sasarpari, having brought her from the dwelling of the Sun.
That speech
300
dispelled the Kusikas' loss of intelligence (a-matim).
VII
that
to
thrown
the
fire
82, says
Sakti,
introducing
RV
posed the
pleted
it.
last pragatha,
but before he finished,
The Sarvanukramani,
by the Saudasas, comhe was consumed Vasistha com;
301
The Brhaddevata, again, points out that Vasistha's hundred sons

by the Saudasas or by Sudasa who in consequence of a curse had been
were killed
transformed into a Raksas. 302 Now it is this story that is found elaborated in the
Mbh. The other two stories are not traced in the Puranas. 303
The Mahabharata
relates the conflict 304
between Sakti and Kalmasapada for
305
the king beat him with a whip whereupon
precedence of giving way in the road,
Sakti cursed him to become a cannibal.
At this stage it is reported that Visvamitra
297.
Visnu IV
4.19-38.,
Bhagavata IX 9.18-39. Vide also Ram. VII 65 and Brhannaradiya IX 3-151.

299. Mbh. I 176. see infra.
800. BD IV 112-114. Sasarpari is called Suryasya duhita in RV III 53.15. " Sasarparlh
sarvatra gadyapadyatmakatvena sarpanaslia vagdevata " Sayana. BD hereby suggests that
the other KuSikas, as well as Visvamitra, had been rendered unconscious by Sakti. cf. Sisva on
298.
Sarva. p. 107.
801.
Sarva. p. 25 and Sisya thereon, p. 180 f.
"
802. BD VI 28 and 33-34.
Such is the sacred tradition."
the 100 sons are meant here whereas Sakti's death is not specified.
,
808.
AIHT
804.
vai Srutih).
The two stories are Sakti overcoming Visvamitra and

by the followers of Sudas.
Vide Mbh. I 176, 177 and 182.
thrown into the

805.
(iti
p. 208, n.5.
fire
"
Mama
pantha maharaja dharma esa sanatanah

dharmesu deyah pantha dvijataye
RSjfta sarvesu
Ibid.
//
170.8.
Note that
his being
who watched
319
the incident, himself remaining invisible, directed a Raksasa to

Denounced by the curse, Kalmasapada happened to offend
306
possess the king.
guest by offering human flesh as food. He again cursed him. The

him was now roused and poor Sakti became the first victim and later
younger brothers also were devoured. Vasistha bore the grief when he
Brahman
cannibal in
on
his
learnt that Sakti's wife AdrsyantI was pregnant, so that there would be progeny
to continue the line.
It so happened that, as he returned to his abode with the
daughter-in-law, they happened to encounter the cannibal king. Adrsyanti got

but Vasistha put down the demon by a hufikara, which ended the curse
terrified,
and restored the distressed king to normal life and thinking. Coming
Kalmasapada paid due homage to, Vasistha and, later on,
him
to
beget a son on his queen Madayanti, which extraordinary procerequested
dure became necessary on account of a Brahmani's curse during his cursed life
when he deprived her of her joy with the husband by devouring him. Thus we
see that the llaksas who was set upon the depraved king was responsible for all
the misery of Vasistha and the death of his sons.
actually
back to
his old self,
Among the stories that centre round Visvamitra, that of Satyavrata Triianku
has somewhat pre-eminently caught the Puranic fancy. 307 Trayyaruna was a
king of the Iksvaku race. His son was Satyarvata who got the appellation of
Trisanku and was degraded to the condition of candala, or outcast. According
to Vayu-purana he was banished by his father for his wickedness (adharma).
The
detail his inequity at length.
He carried off the betrothed
He was therefore
wife of a citizen, as the wedding ceremony was in progress.
banished by the father and directed to live among the svapakas (dog-eaters).
Brahma and Harivamsa
Vasistha did not intercede.
Then there came a
terrible
famine in which Indra
did not shower rain for twelve years. Visvamitra had left his wife and children
In this situation,
in that country and gone to the shores of the sea for penance.
Satyavrata provided the flesh of deer for the sustenance of the family, suspending
it upon a spreading fig-tree on the borders of the Ganges, that he might not subject
them to the indignity of receiving at the hands of an outcast. Visvamitra's wife
was even prepared to sell her middle son for a hundred cows, tying a collar round
the neck, perhaps to proclaim him for sale (gale baddhva). Satyavrata interceded
the boy carne to be known as Galava. Thus did Satyavarta
and got him liberated
all the while helpful to Visvamitra's family but

hatred
bearing unrelenting
against Vasistha as the latter did not sympathise with
him. Once while he had to hunt up food, and when game failed, he killed the cow
"
of Vasistha. Whereupon, the preceptor denounced him as Trisanku,
one who
has committed three sins," viz. displeasing the father, killing a cow and eating
spend the twelve years, proving
when the offending king was about to apologise, VisVamitra directed the fiend
and by his supernatural powers incited both the parties to excesses. The prime
cause for all this was the hostility between Vasistha and Vilvamitra. The latter had asked the
king to perform a sacrifice with him as priest, whereas Vasistha was the family priest. The king
naturally preferred him. So Visvamitra was bent upon harassing both. Ibid. 176.4 and 15-22.
306. Just
to possess him,
807. Vismi IB 8.18-14, Brahma 7.97 to 8.28, Brahmanfla

BhSgavata IX 7.4-5 etc. cf. Hari, 12.11 to 18.28.
HI
68.77-114,
Vayu
88.73-116,
H. L. HAR1YAPPA
320
not previously consecrated. Returning from penance, Y i&vamitra was very

much pleased with Trisanku's friendly services and pressed him to choose a boon.
Satyavrata wished to be bodily elevated to Heaven. Visvamitra installed him
on the throne and as all, including Vasistha, could sec, celebrated a sacrifice and
flesh
him bodily to heaven. It was seen in the foregoing pages how, according to
Ramayana, Visvamitra was prepared to contend not only with one individual
sent
the
When he was out to sacrifice for

Vasistha, but with the whole host of the gods.
an outcast, the gods naturally did not heed for he was acting against Rta, established path. But he was determined to please them or have his own way by creating,
by means of his supernatural powers, a different Indra and a different firmament
with full stellar and planetary complement. The gods had but to acknowledge
the force of his determination and compromise with him, with the result that
Tri&inku was left suspended in mid-air, forming a constellation in the southern
hemisphere along with other new planets and stars created by Visvamitra. The
Bhagavata says admiringly that Trisanku is still visible in the sky (aydapi divi
The Vayu furnishes some further information. " Men acquainted
dr^yate).
with the Puranas recite these two stanzas
By the favour of Visvamitra, the
illustrious Trisanku shines in heaven along with the gods, through the kindness of
that sage. Slowly passes the lovely night in winter, embellished by the moon,
decorated with three watches and ornamented with the constellation Trisanku/' 308
Trisanku is identified with the Orion, the three bright stars of his belt being the
three sankus, (stakes or pins) which form his name.
4
The Vasistha- Visvamitra feud reaches
its
climax in the story of Ilariscandra.
son of Satyavrata Trisanku. According to the Sunassepa legend related in the

AB and other works, Vasistha and Visvamitra were high priests co-operating with
the sacrifice performed by Hariscandra.
It might then be a subsequent event in
the life of that king, if not fabricated by the fertile imagination of the story-teller.
The Markandeya-purana 309 expands the story at considerable length. One day
"
Atrapyudaharantlmau slokau pauraniku janah

Visvarnitraprasadena Trisankur divi rajate /
Dcvais sardham mahateja'nugrahat tasya dhlmatah /
Sanair yatyabala ramya hematite candramandita /
Alankrta tribhir bhavais trisankugrahabhusitii /
Vayu 88.114-116.
Wilson's emendation nisa in the place of abala is better, though he did not find ms. evidence
therefor.
But abala yields no sense and has no antecedent in the text it might be dyaus, but
the epithet abala is hardly appropriate. Wilson has yainaih for bhavaih. The Anand SS. edition
records no v.l. cf. Wilson's Translation of Visnu, p. 372 footnote.
Mark, cantos 7-9. This theme has been dramatised by Ksemlsvara in his Canda309.
Kausika (10th or llth cent. A.D.). More imaginative is the title given to vernacular plays on
the subject Satya-Haricandra. Popular impression now is that Vi6vamitra was a cruel sage
and all that. How different from the Vedic Visvamitra, " heaven-born, favourite of the gods,
III 53.9).
One is tempted to ask whether
great sage." (Mahan rsir devajd devajutah.
or to what extent, if at all, has the cause of TRUTH been served by unbridled tradition, by the
unscrupulous story-teller of Harikatha-performer, or even by the high handed poet. In fact
TRUTH Jias b< en at the mercy of these factors. Says a Subhasita
308.
RV
He Rajanas
tyajata sukavipremabandhe virodham
Suddha klrtis sphurati bhavatam nunam etatprasadat //

Tusair baddham tad alaghu Raghusvaminas saccaritram
Rusfair nltas tn^huvanajayl hasyamargam dasasyah //
321
while Hariscandra was hunting he heard female lamentations, which proceeded

44
from the Sciences who were being mastered by the austerely fervid sage ViSvamitra and were crying out in alarm at his superiority." Hariscandra,* as the
defender of the distressed, went to the rescue, but Visvamitra was so provoked by
his interference that the Sciences instantly perished and Hariscandra was reduced
to a state of abject helplessness.
Visvamitra demanded the sacrificial gift
as a Brahman and the king offered him whatever he might choose to ask,
him
own
due to
4
gold,
kingdom, good fortune,' whatever was dearest,

Visvamitra stripped him of his wealth and kingdom, leaving him nothing but a
garment of bark and his wife and son. In a state of destitution, he left his kingdom
and Visvamitra struck Saibya, the queen, with his staff to hasten her reluctant
departure. To escape from his oppressor he proceeded to the holy city of Benares,
but the relentless sage was waiting for him and demanded the completion of his
With bitter grief, wife and child were sold, and there remained only himself.
gift.
Dharma, the god of justice, appeared in the from of a hideous and offensive Candala
his
son, wife, body,
life,
offered to buy him. Notwithstanding the exile's repugnance and

Jiorror,
4t
Visvamitra insisted upon the sale, and Hariscandra was carried off bound, beaten,
confused and afflicted," to the abode of the candala. He was then employed at
In this horrid place
the grave-yard to collect clothes etc. from the dead bodies.
and degrading work he spent twelve months. His wife then came to the cemetery
and
to perform the obsequies of hcr.son, who had died of serpent bite. They recognised
each other and resolved to die upon the funeral pyre of their son. though Haris-
candra hesitated to take away his own life without the consent of the master.
After all was prepared, he gave himself up to meditation on Visnu. The gods then
Dharma entreated
arrived, headed by Dharma and accompanied by Visvamitra.
him to refrain from his intention, and Indra informed him "that he. his wife, and
Hariscandra declared that
son, had conquered heaven by their good works."
of
his master the candala.
he could not go to heaven without the permission
Dharma then revealed himself. When this difficulty was removed, Hariscandra
objected to go to heaven without his faithful subjects. This request was granted
after Visvamitra had inaugurated Rohitasva, the king's son, to be
Hariscandra, his friends and followers, all ascended in company to
heaven. There he was induced by the sage Narada to boast of his merits and this
As he was falling he repented for his fault and
led to his expulsion from heaven.
by Indra and
his successor,
was
in
in
forgiven.
any aerial
mid -air.
His downward course was arrested and he and his followers dwell
city,
which, according to popular
belief, is still visible
occasionally
The indignation of Vasistha at Visvamitra's insatiableness produced a quarrel,

which their mutual imprecations changed them to two birds, the Sarali (adi)
and the Baka. 310 In these forms they fought for a considerable term until Brahma
in
810. Adi is a kind of heron, and Baka is the crane, the former being of a portentous height
of 2,000 yojanas (
18000 miles) and the latter of 8090 yojanas. Their very movements would
shake the earth, how much more when they pull up their energy to kill each other, Ref. Mark,
See also MOST I p. 379 et seq and p. 886 f.
ch. 9.
H. L. HARIYAPPA
822
The Bhagavata 311
interposed and reconciled them.

notice of Haricandra.
alludes to this story, in
its
The Vasistha1.
This section may be concluded with two impressions
Visvamitra rivalry, though a thing of the ancient past, is a reality in the conception
In fact, it is never doubted. Similarly, it was the belief that
of the Puranas.
:
VisVamitra was born in a Ksatriya race, but elevated himself to Brahmanhood by

penance. 2. Secondly, under cover of tradition, new stories have sprung up to
illustrate the
took
its
mutual hatred of the two
origin in the
The
Puranas.
first
TRADITION
Puranas.
in the various
Brahmana,
each other, transformed

of their enmity.
The story
of Saudasa
Kalmasapada
but expanded with fanciful structure in Mbh. and the

record of TriSanku story was in the Epics (Ram. and Mbh.)
and further elaborated

ing in the Aitareya
sages.
BD 312
in
The story of Hariscandra germinat-
which the sages are not enemies
itself into
Justification for all
if
not friends of
were, to depict the very climax

this fabrication is that unshakable, mysterious
a classic as
it
VIII
RECENT OPINIONS
In the study of the life history of the sages Vasistha and Visvanritra, who arc
reputed personalities from Vedic times, we have naturally to delve deep into the
literature of the Yedas for a true understanding.
As time advanced and tradition
spread through diverse channels,
it is
natural that the original structure of their
John Muir very effectively advocated a return

He said 313 " The Vedic hymns being far more
ancient than the Epic and Puranie complications must be more trustworthy guides
to a knowledge of the remotest Indian antiquity.
While the epic poems and the
Puranas no doubt embody numerous ancient traditions, yet these have been freely
altered according to the caprice or dogmatic views of later writers, and have received
many purely fictitious additions. The Vedic hymns on the contrary have been
preserved unchanged from a very remote period and exhibit a faithful reflection
of the social, religious and ecclesiastical condition of the age in which they were
composed and of the feelings which were awakened by contemporary occurrences.
As yet there was no conscious perversion or colouring of facts for dogmatic or
It is here therefore that we may look for some light on the
sectarian purposes
real relat ons between Vasistha and Visvamitra."
story got hazy if not distorted.
to the study of the originals.
811.
TraiSankayo
Hariscandro
Visvamitra- Vasisjhayoh
Yannimittam abhud yuddham paksinor bahuvarsikam // Bha. IX 7.0.

BD VI 28 and 84. The germ of the story is however seen in the TS and the Brahmanas,
812.
which depict that Vasistha's sons were killed by the Saud&sas. The sage then saw the rite of
forty-nine nights etc. to obtain progeny as well as to take revenge against the Saudasas.
'
hataputro
PB IV
kamayata vindeya prajam abhi Saudasau bhaveyam
7.8, etc.
813.
MOST
I p. 818. c/.
Max
Mutter
ASL
p. 87,
'
iti
cf.
TS VII
4.7,
'
Vasistho
KB
IV,8,
The whole inquiry centres round the following

The identity of the two sages.
(1)
(2)
(3)
issues
328
Had
Visvamitra any claim for kingship by birth or by acquisition

Did Vasistha and VisVamitra ever hate each other ?
It is acknowledged on all hands that both Vasistha and Visvamitra were highly
esteemed as Rsis, seers of entire Mandalas of the Rgveda. That one was a Brahmrsi
and the other a Rajarsi promoted to the rank of Brahmasi is an idea quite foreign
314 "
to the Veda.
There is no trace
Regarding Visvamitra, the Vedic Index says
of his kingship in the RV, but the Nirukta (II 24) calls his father Ku&ika, a king
;
the Aitarcya Brahmana (VII 18.9) refers to Sunassepa as succe ding to the lordship
of the Jahnus as well as the divine lore of the Gathins, and the Paficavimsa Brah-
mana
(xxi.12.2) mentions Visvamitra as a king.
But there
is
no real trace of
this
kingship of Visvamitra. It may probably be dimissed as mere legend with no

more foundation at most than that Visvamitra was of a family which once had
been, royal.
But even
this is doubtful." 315
Regarding the strife between Visistha and Visvamitra, Oldenberg holds that
On the other hand, Geldner is hardly right
is not to be found in the Rgveda.
it
a
account
in finding in RV
indicating the rivalry of Sakti, Vasistha's
compressed
son, with Visvamitra, the acquisition by Visvamitra of special skill in speech and
the revenge of Visvamitra who secured the death of Sakti by Sudas's servants." 316
These pictures, we have seen, were only supplied by tradition, 317 and not by the
As we look back at the Veda, through the colourful foreground of
text of RV.
legendary matter provided by later literature, the mind is so caught up by the
One
tales and hence somewhat vitiated in its appreciation of the Vedic origin.
"
is apt to be guided away by high authorities like the Brhaddevata and the
Sarvanukramani when they introduce the Rgvedic passages in an attractive
legendary setting. These works themselves are ancient and moreover they have
the unassailable TRADITION to inspire credence. Thus in the Vasistha- Visvamitra relationship, to quote tradition or even to imagine it will not be subject to
any doubt. So eminent a seer was Vasistha, heaven-born how ever could a mortal
In a controversy, or a
like Visvamitra, himself seer though, vie with him ?
;
philosophic discussion in a sacrificial essembly (sadas), Visvamitra could not stand

the attack of Vasistha's son the learned Sakti, with the result that he was silenced.
Bearing a grudge against Sakti, VisVamitra bided his time and with the help of the
Saudasas brought about his death. Now Vasistha the aggrieved father had to
take notice of it all hence, he saw the Raksoghna-sukta or perform a rite of forty;
nine nights to avenge the death of his son or sons. 318

314.
VI, Vol. II, p. 311.
315.
Criticised
310.
VI
by Pargiter.
Vol. II, p. 275 f.
AIHT
am
is
a perfectly reasoned
pp. 12-13.
e.g. BD VI 34 (Hi vai Srutili), Sarva. p. 107 (prahur itihasam puratanam)

prasvapinltvam tu kathasu parikalpyate) etc.
817.
(as
This
318.
See
supra
note.
or, p.
183
H. L.
324
HARIYAPPA
story but the regret of the inquirer will be when in the Vedic Text, he neither finds
even a remote reference to the alleged events nor anything pointing to them in the
very mantras which are set in their framework.
The meaning of the mantras
bears no relevancy to the fancied story. 319 The Sakti-Visvamitra controversy

III 53.15-1(5
and the killing of Sakti on
VII 32.26
is superimposed on
these are sufficient to illustrate the above contention that the later stories have
RV
RV
in the original text.

Then tradition alone is their resort
mysterious and has to be regarded for the very reason, perhaps
had no foundation
tradition
is
and
Regarding the veracity of the Vasistha-Visvamitra strife, the findings of

Maurice Bloomfiel are very valuable. 320 In his Rgveda Repetitions, he has
pointed out how as many as four consecutive verses are common to the Mandalas
of Vasistha and VWvfimitra
(VII 2.8-11 -III t.8-11). Both arc Apri-hymns.
no
less than 14 lines in common.
share
Besides, the two Books
Speaking of groups
"
the
of stanzas repeated in
There comes to mind
Rgveda, Bloomfield observes
1
connection the traditional hostility of the Visvamitras, the reputed authors

of the 3rd book and the Vasisthas, the reputed authors of the 7th book.
This
centres about the so-called Vasistha-dvesinyah (RV III 53.21-14) which are supin this
posed to contain a curse of the Visvamitras against the Vasisthas. As early as

TS 3.1.7.3; 5.4.11.3, Visvamitra and Vasistha are opposing parties in a Vihava 321
Roth and Geldner regard the traditional hostility
or conflicting call upon the gods.
rsi clans as old.
But the hymns do not express it. At least, it is strange
that their two Apri-hymns III 4 and VII 2 share no less than four stanzas word
We should expect diversity there if anywhere."
for word.
of the two
Having started so well with almost a pledge that one 1ms to look back to the
Vedas 322 for the truth of the legends, one finds the versatile scholar J. Muir succumb
to the influence of the legends narrated in later literature.
Relying on the veracity
of these he brought to bear quite serious thought over the transformation which
had come upon the alleged Vasistha- Visvamitra feud in successive ages and put
forward certain generalisations like "contests between the Brahmans andKsatriyas"
323
The contests however ended in glorifying the
apparently for superiority.
or
the
principles and modes of life for which he stood.
qualities of the Brahman
F.
E.
In recent times,
Pargiter pursued the study, especially of the Puranas, on
the same lines and, postulated the theory of two traditions in ancient history and
In so doing he laid at
legnd, viz. the Brahmana tradition and Ksatriya tradition.
the former's door the blame of distorting facts to suit its own purpose of maintaining
319.
320.
also
Max
Supra and notes 38 and 155-157.

Vide Bloomfield RVR
Mullet ASL p. 465.
:
(HOS
vote.
20 and 24) pp.xviii, 492 and footnote
646-47
321.
Supra n.86. Visvamitra and Jamadagni had a contest with Vasistha, Jamadagni
saw the Vihavya hymn (RV X 126.1) and drew away all the power and strength of the adversary.
Vihavya is the seer of 'the Hymn according to the Anukramani.
822.
MOST
A
818.
whole chapter is written on this (MOST I ch. IV pp. 296-400). Expressions here
323.
and there like incidents being " coloured by the Brahmanical prepossessions of the narrator "
(p. 359) indicate the perspective which cannot be described as truly historical.
325
324
To this end,
the importance of the Brahmana in the social structure of the age.
he made capital out of the legend of Vasistha-Visvamitra relationship (chapter I).
He would have rendered signal service to aneient history and tradition if, instead
of eking out the subtle but harmful distinctions in tradition, he had concentrated
on proclaiming the slender foundation on which such an undesirable structure of
hatred was built.
It is necessary to meet the arguments and theories advanced in the book
ANCIENT INDIAN HISTORICAL TRADITION, but it may be permissible to offer some remarks
on the perspective of the dissertation as a whole. Pargitcr has made a profound
study of the Puranas. He perceives two currents of tradition, the Brahmanical
and the Ksatriya the former reflected in the Samhitas. the Brahmanas and other
Vedic books, and the latter reflected mostly in the Epics and the Puranas. One
cannot deny the existence, from time immemorial, of a twofold tradition in any
:
given age. The version of a story, for instance, among the literate based on books
and the version among the less literate common folk which is based on hearsay:
these two represent this twofold tradition.
But Pargiter has viewed this most
natural sociological aspect in a wrong perspective inasmuch as he has dubbed the
twofold stream as two distinct entities, not infrequently, motivated by considera-
In this kind
tions of mutual exolusiveness among Brahmanas and Ksatriyas.
of interpretation, he takes inspiration evidently, as pointed out above, from
Dr. John Muir who, in his ORIGINAL SANSKRIT TEXTS, has developed a doctrine,
par excellence, of Brahmana-Ksatriya hostility. Such rivalry and conflict between

but they were not part of anybody's
individuals may have existed in ancient times
;
and
Certain circumstances forced certain happenings,

any
but it will be a great mistake to suppose that a vein or an undercurrent of rivalry
and feud always subsisted these happenings from age to age. This is a precept
or
group's beliefs
duties.
which does incalculable harm to the student of history and

of cultural investigation.
The charge,
dominated and got on with

The
conditions were such.
gifts etc.
for instance,
is
Be
from kings.
to the historical
method
that the Brahmanical priest
what harm
it so,
The
codes were written by Brahmanical priests,

docs
the
true.
But
Brahmanical priest write a thing which is not for
why
(jiiitc
is not
which
the welfare of society and
acceptable thereto ? In the revolutions of
ages, changes are inevitable
social
that
is
the
Law
of the Universe.
The
astika
and
the nastika, like good and bad, have always been co -existent and thrive on each
other, really.
Every system or science has had supporters and dissenters, and we
think each
of the
is
same
If we pile up the brick

strong as such, because of friends and foes.
and symmetry one upon the other in one order only, the pile will
size
32*. Pargiter AIHT (1922). The two traditions explained pp. 6-7
a ruthless attack on
what lie calls the brahmanic tradition characterises the whole work (see pp. 10-11, chs. II and V).
The author's study of ancient Indian literature has betrayed want of appreciation. To meet his
arguments is outside the purview of this study, indeed. Suffice it to mention that Pargiter 's
"
conclusions are not, in general, commended by scholars, cf. Winternitz HIL p. 521 n.8.
I
doubt, however, whether we are justified in drawing the line between the Ksatriya tradition and
the brahmanical tradition as definitely as is assumed by Pargiter." cf. again, p. 528 n.2. In
JBAS (1914) 1021 ff,, (1915) 328 ff.
earlier years, Pargiter's views were contested by Prof, Keith
;
H L HARIYAPPA
326
topple down with one push but pile them lengthwise and breadthwise, the wall
gains in resistance. That is fundamental law. But if we try to dissect and place
the lengthwise and breadthwise bricks separately where is the wall ? It is the first
;
duty of man to visualise this unchangeable Law of Rta or Cosmic Order, with a
desire for knowledge for its own sake. There he should try to separate them.
The
story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (R. L. Stevenson) is an instance in point.
Genius will turn to perversity if its sharp edge is turned to selfish use. There
have been frantic attempts in Vedic times to grapple the Unknown. Severest
penance and will power have challenged the divine custodians of that hidden
TRUTH, who have now and then relented, but on pain of the head splitting into a
thousand pieces if the secret is divulged. There has been rivalry even among gods
for this knowledge as is borne out by the story of Dadhyanc, to whom the Sun-god
"
"
Asked by the AsVins,
(nectar of knowledge).
madhuvidya
imparted the
Dadhyanc explained the pledge and begged forgiveness. But the deft surgeons of
heaven grafted a horse's head on the sage and persuaded him to give out the secret
knowledge through the horse's mouth. The object achieved, they replaced* the
The sage, however, did not escape the Sun's warth. That apart,
original head.
with
truth, ridden to extremes, are fraught with danger to humanity.
experiments
This does not require elaboration, living as we do in this Atomic Age.
Should we then eschew knowledge and feel complacent with the maxim
'Ignorance is bliss ? No. We should gain knowledge but it should be subject
to strict discipline, with passions and emotions sublimated into that stratum of
peace and realisation of one's oneness with the Universe. Otherwise we are let
down. In a miniature form Muir and Pargiter have propounded the twin traditions
and unduly emphasised their apparent incompatibility, perhaps not realising
that such an attempt will leave deep furrows in that vulnerable body called Society,
'
which would be difficult to level up. 325 There have been upheavals in the past in
our Bharatavarsa every time, society has survived and stood on its tradition,
with a reorientation needed by the times. It has emerged with a new and bright
;
The
outlook.
pull
them
historian's duty, however,
is
to unravel the strings,
but never to
Taking into consideration so many activities on the part of the sages Vasistha
and VisVamitra, it appears marvellous for one individual to achieve so much in
one life-time. As it is common in the legends, a Rsi does penance to please Indra
Visvamitra did penance, according to the
ordinarily for a thousand years.
tlamayafla, for thousands of years, in all the four quarters put together. Vasistha
the priest of the Iksvaku race.
career, he had to give up his body
is
Though
once, perhaps at the beginning of his
on account of Nimi's curse, he was before long

reborn and filled the same office as priest of the Iksvakus with all due respect and
authority. Ever since he remained immortal down to the reign of Sri Rama, son
of Da6aratha. Moreover, he laid the whole world under a debt of gratitude,
according to the Visiju-purana (III 3.9), by being the redactor of the Veda in the
325.
Pargiter, it
may
be
recalled,
was a member ot,the Indian
Civil Service.
337
326
In the Ramayana, both the sages are connected with the
eighth Dvapara.
Ifcsvaku kings Tri6afiku, AmbarLsa, Sudas and Daaratha who are, from one another,
separated by very long intervals, being 28th, 44th, 49th and 60th descendants
The legends therefore take it for granted that the
respectively from the founder.
of
their
virtue
were men of miraculous longevity,' * possessed
austerities,
sages, by
of a vitality altogether superhuman/ 327 The common conception is that these
'
they reside in heaven or somewhere in the Himalayan

to
invisible
mortals.
Now and then they would descend upon the earth
but
region,
This tenet affords safe anchor for the popular mind
to bless the Believer.
for,
what is impossible for the gods and saints of the golden Past ?
holy sages are immortal
Or, there is, to solve this riddle, the other expedient of counting a number of
Vasisthas and Visvarnitras. Thus Pargitcr discovers more than nine Vasisthas
and three or more Visvamitras. 328 It is curious thing, however, that the old sages
have mostly been designated by their gotras as it is the case even today in some
where people are known by their surnames. In the RV also, we
are familiar with expressions VisvamitraU, Vasisthah, Jamadagnayab. etc.
They
and their descendants are seers of hymns in the various " family-books/' It is
tracts of India
reasonable to think that those that came after the great Rsis scrupulously kept
up their traditions and distinguishing characteristics. But through centuries of
life envisaged by the various incidents connected with the two sages, it would be
unsound to count the number of them involved. And so far as the people are
concerned it has been immaterial how many they were
for their exemplary
characteristics were important for posterity.
The saintliness and forbearance,
for instance, of Vasistha
the dynamic activity and universal friendliness of
Visvamitra the one an embodiment of divine grace and the other an apostle of
Human Endeavour (Purusakara).
;
IX
SUMMARY
The RV. presents Vasistha and Visvamitra as great sages who were leaders
of their respective clans and who established sound traditions.
They are seers of
mandalas favourites of the gods Varuna and Indra respectively endowed with
supernatural powers such as to render rivers fordable etc. Both befriended, and
1
were priests
of,
Sudas, evidently on different occasions.
Vasistha saved Sud&s
326 * The Vedas have already been divided 28 times in the course of the present or
Vaivasvata Manvantara ; this division has always taken place in the Dvapara age of each system
of four yugas. In the first Dvapara, Brahma Svayambhu himself divided them ; in the sixth,
or Yama) ; whilst in the eighth Dvapara, it was Vasistha who was the Vyasa or
Mrtyu (Death
1
divider.
MOST
I,
p.
880.
Ibid p. 862.
82S. AIHT Ch. XVIII. It is unconvincing but amusing to see Pargiter hunt
up the personal
names of the several Vasisthas, Devarfij, Apava, Atharvanidhi I and II, Sre^habhai, Suvarcas
A similar attempt at unmaking different Visvamitras by their names proved futile ch. XXI.
etc.
The one name suggested i.e. Vis*varatha is more likely an attribute than a name. See supra.
327.
328
HARIYAPPA
in his Battle with the Ten Kings (Dasarajna), by steering him across
the Parusni before being overpowered by the enemies. Visvamitra similarly led
and performed a
the same chieftan across the confluence of Vipas and Sutudri
thousand-offer-sacrifice before a distinguished gathering of the Angirasas, the
from a disaster
Bhojas and others. Both sages expressed themselves powerfully against enemies
and constantly invoked the protection of the gods to be saved from their malignant
attacks.
and only mention of a discord between them in the later Samhitas

was a dispute between Vasistha on the one part and Visvamitra
and Jamadagni on the other, regarding a conflicting call (vi-hava) of the gods',
as Bloomlield puts it.
The text however says that in that dispute, Jamadagni saw
"
"
the
hymn (RV X 128 -I) 329 and drew away all the strength of the
vihavya
adversary. The TS also records, for the first time about Vasisthn's bereavement
caused by the death of his son or sons (hataputrah) and about his desire to wreak
is
2.
The
in the
TS.
first
It
vengeance against the Saudasas.

sages for the Sacrifice is stressed.
the latter simply praises
rivalry
On
the other hand, the importance of both the

sign of the
The SV and AV do not bear any

them uniformly.
TheBrahmanas further emphasise the contribution to the sacrificial system

the two sages, who together officiated at Ilariscandra's sacrifice (AB).
Vasistha and Visvamitra arc the Mind and Speech or Breath and Ear of the sacrifice
3.
made by
they are, to the sacrifice, like two wheels to a chariot. At first Vaisthas alone were
to be Brahma priests but later anyone who knew the job (SB).
There is constant
reference to Vasistha's bereavement and the sacrifice which he performed or the
samans (Janitra) which he saw, to obtain progeny and to defeat the Saudasas.
PB is the only work to speak of a four-day rite of victory (saujaya) which Visvamitra, king of the Jahnus (Jahnfmam raja) performed to obtain the kingdom.
Visvamitra's martial spirit and sportsmanship are adverted to in connection with
the Krosa and Rohita-Kfillya samans.
remarkable that nowhere does any Brahmana say or suggest that Visva-
It is
mitra was responsible for Vasistha's misfortune.

Yiiska does not refer to any hatred between Vasistha and Visvamitra.
Explaining the name Vipas, he says that the river got the name because of her
loosening the bonds when Vasistha wanted to drown himself in her waters.
4.
It
is
in the
Brhaddevata that the
first
reference
is
made
to the Vasistha-
dvesiiiyab (VasLstha-haters) and an injunction that they should neither be recited

nor heard on pain of the head splitting into hundred parts etc. Poignant reference
is made to the calamity which befell Vasistha in that
King Sudasa, turning a demon,
killed his hundred % sons.
Vasistha's pedigree has been described as also his funny
experiences in a dream. There is an explicit statement that Visvamitra, having
ruled the Earth, attained the status of a Brahma rsi and also got a hundred and one
329.
According to Sarva. Vihavya
is
the Rsi of the
hymn.
RGVEDIC LhGENDS THROUGH THE AGES

VisVamitra
sons.
is
commended
Rivers (Vipas and Sutudii)
is
as a universal friend
329
his conversation
with the
stated as also his discomfiture at the hands of Sakti.
gives the pedigree of Visvamitra and briefly refers to the conversadoes not at ail mention the controversy with Sakti. There
tion with the Rivers
The Sarva.
a brief reference to Sunassepa being adopted by Visvamitra as his son and named
Devarata. Sarva. relates for the first time the incident of Sakti thrown into fire
is
by Saudasas, whereas the incident is not recognised by the Tandaka (PB). Commentator 5isya, however, elaborates the akti -controversy as well as Sakti-murder.
Commentator Durgacarya
refuses to
comment on
the Vasistha-dvesinyal.1,
There have been instances of scribes having

a Kapisthala Vasistha.
because
of
and
text
the
that
omitted
commentary as noticed by Max Muller and
portion
lie is
Roth. 330
Nitimaiijari says that Sakti survived the flames
Vasistha- Visvamitra hostility, thus, acquired wide publicity and implicit

(400 B.C.), so much so that society was prone even to
by the time of
BD
belief
expunge from the Vcdic text the few verses known as Vasistha-dvesinyafo. (So
vehement is the protest in BD TV 117-120). Justice requires to be done to Visvamitra also.
In the conception of the Epics and the Puranas, the belief in the Vasistha5.
Visvamitra hatred has been firmly established. The Ramayana describes only the
All revengeful
process of Visvfunitra's elevation to the status of a Brahmarsi.
and
in
in
the
Mbh.
the
elaborated
further
Puranas.
Such inveterate
stories are
hatred
fancied that Vasistha and Visvamitra curse each other to
is
become Adi
kind of birds of portentous height) and then fight as such for years
when only Brahma could come and pacify them with suitable admonition. General
impression would be that Vasistha patiently bore all the insults and onslaughts of
and Baka
(a
Visvamitra, whereas the latter prompted by jealousy at Vasistha's greatness always

sought an opportunity to attack him. He even tried to kill him only the River
;
Sarasvati tricked him at the risk of being cursed. Finally Vis"vamitra's cruel
treatment of Hariscandra is phenomenal. If all that did happen, it is hard to
develop any sense of reverence to the Sage.
But a perusal of the above

literature does not reflect the truth.
historical investigation will
There has been so
much
prove that later

of concoction and
There is no doubt that all that was done, by whomsoever that was
\\ithbad
taste and umvorthy motive.
Let us now look at the facts
responsible,
and realise that the two sages were not at all enemies of each other.
distortion.
0.
Recent opinion has on the one hand observed the hollowness of what
is
called the traditional hostility between Vasistha and Visvamitra, as revealed by a

study of the most ancient literature ; and on the other, postulated that the same
330.
MM
RV* VoL
II, p. 23,
SBE XXXII.
p. xlvi
note b.
H. L.
300
HARIYAPPA
a continued conflict between the Brahmanas and Ksatriyas to gain

supremacy over each other and that later literature has not done justice to facts,
reflects
Conclusion (a) Vasistha and Visvamitra, already sages of high repute,

comprehension of the 11 V, were not enemies of each other. Both of them,
being eminent priests of the foremost kings of the day, had common enemies to
contend with in the course of their expansion in India.
-
7.
in the
(b)
good.
There have been definite instances of their co-operation for

Witness the system of sacrifices which they perfected.
common
Should there have been any differences between them, they must relate
technique or to a too personal jealousy at each other's success
in their support to kings.
But it was never such as to cause rivalry and hatred
between clans and races.
(c)
to
some
sacrificial
say that Visvarnitra was a Ksatriya elevated

from
orthodox
tradition, researches point to the fact
Apart
that the caste held sway over the people during a very late period of the Rgvedic
331
As Vasistha and Visvamitra belonged to the hoary past even at the time of
Age.
Rgvedic compilation, it \\ill be short-sighted to attribute any varna to them. In
the words of Bloomfield, the RV presupposes a long antecedent activity and
332
Even if in that remote
represents the mixed final precipitate of a later time.'
did
observe
the
of
it
\vas
of profession and not.
distinction
one
varnas,
age they
only
(d)
to
It lacks vedic authority lo
Brahmanhood.
'
'
'
of birth. 838
(e)
To make Visvamitra
responsible for Vasistha's misfortune
is
unjust, in
the absence of any tangible evidence. In later fabrications they have been
allowed to wreak vengeance against each other, sufficiently. They are quits.
is best in man and god;
an embodiment of Human
Endeavour (Purusak&ra), a self-made Yogin and friend to all. It behoves us
to transcend jealousy, hatred and acrimony, and rise to heights of sympathy,
grace and good-will.
(/)
therefore
Vasistha
is
saintly,
he
is
Vasistha.
p.
66.
831.
HIL
382.
RVR
883.
Mbh. XII
p.
Na
is
an embodiment of
Visvamitra
is
all
that
brilliant,
646.
188.10.
varnanam sarvam brahmam idam jagat /

Brahmana purvasrstam hi karmabhir varnatam gatam //
viSeso'sti

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CD

OSMANIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

This book should be returned on or before the

d.ite last in.u

Deccan College Dissertation Series

THROUGH THE AGES

All Rights Reserved

PRICE Rs, 15/-

University Press, Fort,

THE REVERED TEACHERS

BHARGO DEVASYA DHlMAHI

Vvasfulibhih kavwarair avasiidito'pi

^unyatvam apa kalayapi na vakprapaflcah

CMnriiam mahah ksayam

Bibliography and Abbreviations

Rgvedic Legends 139.

the Legends 145.

The Legend of Saramd

Saihhitas other than the

Recent opinions 179.

The Legend of SunaMepa

Exponents of the Veda 200. (6) Ramayana 203.

Vasistha and Vtivamitra

Later Samhitas 257.

Vedic Ancillaries 276.

Recent opinions 322.

of the Institute's series entitled

Deccan College Dissertation Series, inaugurated in 1946 with the Historical

branches of Indology, particularly Linguistics and History, and I

publication entitled Rgvedic Legends through the Ages* by Dr. H. L.

to see that the results of his investigations are

hoped that the publication

also of the several

the cultural heritage of India.

Poona, 15th June, 1953.

*First published in the Bulletin D.C.R.I. 11.123-330.

and which, in later times, found embodiment

of the paurdnikas (story-tellers)

Narration of legends before the assembly (sadas) provided an agreeable

which are innate

myths and legends thrive on the fertile soil

ling the complexities incidental to

Sunassepa ('source of joy' not 'dog-tailed' as commonly understood:

In fact, they stand out as two magnificent personalities reprewere friends

One point of supreme importance may be noted here. Legends everywhere

sources and help a better

sensible understanding of the Past.

most pleasant duty to record my sincere acknowledgment of the

degree of Ph.D. of the University of

Professor C. R. Narasimhasastri, M.A., directed my work first. I owe it to

It is no exaggeration to say that his profound scholarship

cannot conclude this without gratefully remembering the ungrudging help

and courtesy that

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND ABBREVIATIONS

Rgveda-Samhita with Sayana's com. ed. Max MULLER 2nd edn.

of the Madhyandinas with Mahldhara ed. Albrecht

Kapisthala-Katha Samhita ed. Raghu VIRA, Vol.

H. H. WILSON (original edn.) 2nd edn. (Bangalore Press), (b)