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LIBRARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


,  \ 


V. 


STX 


ORIGINAL  SANSKRI" 

OX    THE 

OEIGIN    AND    HIST( 

OF 

THE    PEOPLE    OF    I 

THEIR  RELIGION.  AND  INSTITUTION 
COLLECTED,    TRANSLATED,   AND   1LLUSTRAT  s 

BY 

J.    MUIK,    D.C.L.,    LL.D. 


VOLUME   FIRST. 

MYTHICAL  AND  LEGENDARY  ACCOUNTS    OF    THE    ORIGIN    OF    CASTE,    WITH    AN 
ENQUIRY    INTO    ITS    EXISTENCE    IN    THE    VEDIC    AGE. 

SECOND     EDITION, 

REWRITTEN  AX!)  GREATLY  ENLARGED. 


LONDON: 
TRtJBNER    &   CO.,    60,   PATERNOSTER    ROW. 

1868. 
(All  rights  reserved.) 


Na  vi&sho  'sti  varnanam  sarvatn  brdhmam  idetm  jagat  \ 
Urahmand  pruva-srishtam  hi  Icarmabhir  varnatam  gatam 

Hahabharata. 

"  There  is  no  distinction  of  castes.  This  world,  which, 
as  created  by  Brahma,  was  at  first  entirely  Brahmanic, 
has  become  divided  into  classes  in  consequence  of  men's 
works." — See  pages  138  and  140. 


HERTFORD: 
STEPHEN  AUSTIN,   PRINTER. 


Al 


*  PREFACE. 


THE  main  object  which  I  have  proposed  to  myself  in 
'this  volume  is  to  collect,  translate,  and  illustrate  the 
principal  passages  in  the  different  Indian  books  of  the 
greatest  antiquity,  as  well  as  in  others  of  comparatively, 
modern  composition,  which  describe  the  creation  of  man- 
kind and  the  origin  of  classes,  or  which  tend  to  throw 
light  upon  the  manner  in  which  the  caste  system  may 
have  arisen. 

I  have  not,  however,  hesitated  to  admit,  when  they 
fell  in  my  way,  such  passages  explanatory  of  the  cosmo- 
gonic  or  mythological  conceptions  of  the  Indians  as 
possess  a  general  interest,  although  not  immediately  con- 
nected with  the  chief  subject  of  the  book. 

Since  the  first  edition  appeared  my  materials  have  so 

much  increased  that  the  volume  has  now  swelled   to 

. 
more    than  twice  its  original  bulk.      The  second  and 

third  chapters  are  almost  entirely  new.1  The  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  sections  of  the  fourth  chapter  are  entirely 
so.  Even  those  parts  of  the  book  of  which  the  sub- 

1  The  contents  of  these  chapters  are  not,  however,  absolutely  new,  but 
drawn  from  articles  which  I  have  contributed  to  the  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Asiatic  Society  since  the  first  edition  of  the  volume  appeared. 


VI  PREFACE. 

stance  remains  the  same  have  been  so  generally  expanded 
that  comparatively  little  continues  without  some  altera- 
tion of  greater  or  less  importance. 

In  order  that  the  reader  may  learn  at  once  what  he 
may  expect  to  find  in  the  following  pages,  I  shall  supply 
here  a  fuller  and  more  connected  summary  of  their  con- 
tents than  is  furnished  by  the  table  which  follows  thir> 
preface.  c 

The  Introduction  (pp.  1-6)  contains  a  very  rapid  sur- 
vey of  the  sources  from  which  our  information  on  the 
subject  of  caste  is  to  be  derived,  viz.  the  Yedic  hymns, 
the  Brahmanas,  the  Epic  poems,  and  the  Puranas,  in 
which  the  chronological  order  and  the  general  charac- 
teristics of  these  works  are  stated. 

The  first  chapter  (pp.  1-160)  comprehends  the  myth- 
ical accounts  of  the  creation  of  man  and  of  the  origin 
of  castes  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  Yedic  hymns,  in 
the  Brahmanas  and  their  appendages,  in  the  Kamayana, 
the  Mahabharata,  and  the  Puranas.  The  first  section 
(pp.  7-15)  contains  a  translation  of  the  celebrated  hymn 
called  Purusha  Sukta,  which  appears  to  be  the  oldest 
extant  authority  for  attributing  a  separate  origin  to  the 
four  castes,  and  a  discussion  of  the  question  whether  the 
creation  there  described  was  intended  by  its  author  to 
convey  a  literal  or  an  allegorical  sense.  The  second, 
third,  and  fourth  sections  (pp.  15-34)  adduce  a  series  of 
passages  from  the  works  standing  next  in  chronological 
order  to  the  hymns  of  the  Rig -veda,r  which  differ  more 
or  less  widely  from  the  account  of  the  creation  given  in 
the  Purusha  Sukta,  and  therefore  justify  the  conclusion 


PREFACE.  Vll 

that  in  the  Yedic  age  no  uniform  orthodox  and  authori- 
tative doctrine  existed  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  castes. 
In  the  fifth  section  (pp.  35-42)  the  different  passages  in 
Manu's  Institutes  which  bear  upon  the  subject  are 
quoted,  and  shewn  to  be  not  altogether  in  harmony  with 
each  other.  The  -sixth  section  (pp.  43-49)  describes  the 
system  of  great  mundane  periods  called  Yugas,  Man- 
vantaras,  and  Kalpas ,  as  explained  in  the  Puranas,  and 
shews  that  no  traces  of  these  periods  are  to  be  found  in 
the  hymns  of  the  Kig-veda,  and  but  few  in  the  Brah- 
manas  (compare  p.  215  f.).  Sections  seventh  and  eighth 
(pp.  49-107)  contain  the  accounts  of  the  different  crea- 
tions, including  that  of  the  castes,  and  of  the  primeval 
state  of  mankind,  which  are  given  in  the  Vishnu,  Vayu, 
and  Markandeya  Puranas,  together  with  references  (see 
pp.  52  ff.,  68  ff.)  to  passages  in  the  Brahmanas,  which  ap- 
pear to  have  furnished  some  of  the  germs  of  the  various 
Puranic  representations,  and  a  comparison  of  the  details 
of  the  latter  with  each  other  which  proves  that  in  some 
respects  they  are  mutually  irreconcileable  (see  pp.  65  ff., 
102  ff.).  The  ninth  section  (pp.  107-114)  adduces  the 
accounts  of  Brahma's  passion  for  his  daughter,  which 
are  given  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana  and  the  Matsya 
Purana.  In  the  tenth  section  (pp.  114-122)  are  embraced 
such  notices  connected  with  the  subject  of  this  volume  as 
I  have  observed  in  the  Eamayana.  In  one  of  the  passages 
men  of  all  the  four  castes  are  said  to  be  the  offspring  of 
Manu,  a  female,  the ,  daughter  of  Daksha,  and  wife  of 
Kasyapa.  The  eleventh  section  contains  a  collection  of 
texts  from  the  Mahabharata  and  its  appendage  the  Hari- 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

vamsa,  in  which  various  and  discrepant  explanations  are 
given  of  the  existing  diversity  of  castes,  one  of  them 
representing  all  the  four  classes  as  descendants  of  Manu 
Vaivasvata  (p.  126),  others  attributing  the  distinction  of 
classes  to  an  original  and  separate  creation  of  each,  which, 
however,  is  not  always  described  as  occurring  in  the  same 
manner  (pp.  128  ff.  and  153);  whilst  others,  ag'ain,  more 
reasonably,  declare  the  distinction  ete  have  arisen  out  of 
differences  of  character  and  action.  This  section,  as 
well  as  the  one  which  precedes  it,  also  embraces  accounts 
of  the  perfection  which  prevailed  in  the  first  yugas,  and 
of  the  gradually  increasing  degeneracy  which  ensued  in 
those  that  followed.  The  twelfth  section  (pp.  155-158) 
contains  extracts  from  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  which 
coincide  for  the  most  part  with  those  drawn  from  the 
other  authorities.  One  text,  however,  describes  mankind 
as  the  offspring  of  Aryaman  and  Matrika ;  and  another 
distinctly  declares  that  there  was  originally  but  one  caste. 
The  thirteenth  section  (pp.  159  f.)  sums  up  the  results  of 
the  entire  chapter,  and  asserts  the  conclusion  that  the 
sacred  books  of  the  Hindus  contain  no  uniform  or  con- 
sistent theory  of  the  origin  of  caste;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, offer  a  great  variety  of  explanations,  mythical, 
mystical,  and  rationalistic,  to  account  for  this  social  phe- 
nomenon. • 

The  second  chapter  (pp.  160-238)  treats  of  the  tra- 
dition of  the  descent  of  the  Indian  nation  from  Manu. 
The  first  section  (pp.  162-181)  contains  a  series  of  texts 
from  the  Eig-veda,  which  speak  of  Manu  as  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  race  to  which  the  authors  of  the  hymns 


PREFACE.  IX 


belonged,  and  as  the  first  institutor  of  religious  rites ; 
and  adverts  to  certain  terms  employed  in  the  hymns, 
either  to  denote  mankind  in  general  or  to  signify  certain 
tribal  divisions.  The  second  section  (pp.  181-196)  ad- 
duces a  number  of  legends  and  notices  regarding  Manu 
from  the  Brahma^ias  and  other  works  next  in  order  of 
antiquity  to  the  hymns  of  the  Eig-veda.  The  most  in- 
teresting and  important  of  these  legends  is  that  of  the 
deluge,  as  given  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  which  is 
afterwards  (pp.  216ff.)  compared  with  the  later  versions 
of  the  same  story  found  in  the  Mahabharata  #nd  the 
Matsya,  Bhagavata  and  Agni  Puranas,  which  are  ex- 
tracted in  the  third  section  (pp.  196-220).  Some  re- 
marks of  M.  Bumouf  and  Professor  Weber,  on  the 
question  whether  the  legend  of  a  deluge  was  indigenous 
in  India,  or  derived  from  a  Semitic  source,  are  noticed 
in  pp.  215  f.  The  fourth  section  adduces  the  legendary 
accounts  of  the  rise  of  castes  among  the  descendants  of 
Manu  and  Atri,  which  are  found  in  the  Puranas ;  and 
quotes  a  story  given  in  the  Mahabharata  about  king 
Yitahavya,  a  Kshattriya,  being  transformed  into  a  Brah- 
man by  the  mere  word  of  the  sage  Bhrigu. 

In  the  third  chapter  (pp.  239-295)  I  have  endeavoured 
to  shew  what  light  is  thrown  by  a  study  of  the  hymns  of 
the  Eig-  and  Atharva-vedas  upon  the  mutual  relations  of 
the  different  classes  of  Indian  society  at  the  time  when 
those  hymns  were  composed.  In  the  first  section  (pp; 
240-265)  the  various  texts  of  the  Eig-veda  in  which  the 
words  brahman  and  brahmana  occur  are  cited,  and  an 
attempt  is  made  to  determine  the  senses  in  which  those 


X  PREFACE. 

words  are  there  employed.  The  result  of  this  examina- 
tion is  that  in  none  of  the  hymns  of  the  Eig-veda,  except 
the  Purusha  Sukta,  is  there  any  distinct  reference  to  a 
recognized  system1  of  four  castes,  although  the  occasional 
use  of  the  word  Brahmana,  which  is  apparently  equi- 
valent to  Brahma-putra,  or  "the  son  aof  a  priest,"  and 
other  indications  seem  to  justify  the  conclusion1  that  the 
priesthood  had  already  become  a  profession,  although  it 
did  not  yet  form  an  exclusive  caste  (see  pp.  258  f.,  263  ff.). 
The  second  section  (pp.  265-280)  is  made  up  of  quota- 
tions from  the  hymns  of  the  Eig-veda  and  various  other 
later  works,  adduced  to  shew  that  persons  who  according 
to  ancient  Indian  tradition  were  not  of  priestly  families 
were  in  many  instances  reputed  to  be  authors  of  Vedic 
hymns,  and  in  two  cases,  at  least,  are  even  said  to  have 
exercised  priestly  functions.  These  two  cases  are  those 
(1)  of  Devapi  (pp.  269ff.),  and  (2)  of  Yisvamitra,  which  is 
afterwards  treated  at  great  length  in  the  fourth  chapter. 
This  section  concludes  with  a  passage  from  the  Matsya 
Purana,  which  not  only  speaks  of  the  Kshattriyas  Manu, 
Ida,  and  Pururavas,  as  "  utterers  of  Vedic  hymns " 
(mantra-vddinah) ;  but  also  names  three  Yaisyas,  Bha- 
landa,  Vandya,  and  Sankirtti,  as  "  composers  of  hymns  " 
(mantra-kritaJi).  The  third  section  (pp.  280-289)  shews 
by  quotations  from  the  Atharva-veda  that  at  the  period 
when  those  portions  of  that  collection  which  are  later 
than  the  greater  part  of  the  Eig-veda  were  composed, 
the  pretensions  of  the  Brahmans  had  been  considerably 
developed.  The  fourth  section  (pp.  289-295)  gives 
an  account  of  the  opinions  expressed  by  Professor 


PBEFACE.  XI 

E.    Roth   and    Dr.   M.  Haug  regarding  the   origin   of 
castes. 

The  fourth  chapter  (pp.  296-479)  contains  a  series  of 
legendary  illustrations  derived  from  the  Ramayana,  the 
Mahabharata,  and  the  Puranas,  of  the  struggle  which 
appears  to  have  occurred  in  the  early  ages  of  Indian 
history  between  the  Brahmans  and  the  Kshattriyas,  after 
the  former  had  begt\Q  to  constitute  an  exclusive  sacerdotal 
class,  but  before  their  rights  had  become  accurately  denned 
by  long  prescription,  and  when  the  members  of  the  ruling 
caste  Vere  still  indisposed  to  admit  their  pretensions. 
I  need  not  here  state  in  detail  the  contents  of  the  first 
five  sections  (pp.  296-317)  which  record  various  legends 
descriptive  of  the  ruin  which  is  said  to  have  overtaken 
different  princes  by  whom  the  Brahmans  were  slighted 
and  their  claims  resisted.  The  sixth  and  following 
sections  down  to  the  thirteenth  (pp.  317-426)  contain, 
first,  such  references  to  the  two  renowned  rivals,  Va- 
sishtha  and  Visvamitra  as  are  found  in  the  hymns  of 
the  Rig-veda,  and  which  represent  them  both  as  Yedic 
rishis ;  secondly,  such  notices  of  them  as  occur  in  the 
Brahmanas,  and  shew  that  Visvamitra,  as  well  as  Va- 
sishtha,  had  officiated  as  a  priest;  and,  thirdly,  a  series 
of  legends  from  the  Ramayana  and  Mahabharata  which 
describe  the  repeated  struggles  for  superiority  in  which 
they  were  engaged,  and  attempt,  by  a  variety  of 
fictions,  involving  miraculous  elements,  to  explain  the 
manner  in  which  ^isvamitra  became  a  Brahman,  and 
to  account  for  the  fact  which  was  so  distinctly  cer- 
tified by  tradition  (see  pp.  361  ff.),  but  appeared  so  un- 


Xll  PREFACE. 

accountable  in  later  ages  (see  pp.  265  f.,  364ff.),  that  that 
famous  personage,  although  notoriously  a  Kshattriya  by 
birth,  had  nevertheless  exercised  sacerdotal  functions.2 
The  fourteenth  section  (pp.  426-430)  contains  a  story 
from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  about  king  Janaka,  a  Ea- 
janya,  renowned  for  his  stoical  temperament  and  religious 
knowledge,  who  communicated  theological  instruction  to 

,  < 

2  As  I  have  omitted  in  the  body  of  the  work  to  say  anything  of  the  views 
of  Signor  Angelo  de  Gubernatis  about  the  purport  of  the  Vedic  texts 
relating  to  Vasishtha  and  Vis'vamitra,  I  may  state  here  that  this  young 
Italian  Sanskritist,  in  his  Essay,  entitled  "  Fonti  Vediche  dell'  jCpopea  " 
(see  the  Rivista  Orientale,  vol.  i.  pp.  409  ff.,  478  f£),  combats  the  opinion 
of  Professor  Roth  that  these  passages  refer  to  two  historical  personages, 
and  to  real  events  in  which  they  played  a  part ;  and  objects  that  Roth 
"  took  no  account  of  the  possibility  that  a  legend  of  the  heavens  may  have 
been  based  upon  a  human  foundation  "  (p.  409).  Signor  de  Gubernatis 
further  observes  that  the  33rd  and  53rd  hymns  of  the  third  Mandala  of  the 
Rig-veda  "  may  perhaps  have  been  recited  at  a  later  period  in  connection 
with  some  battle  which  really  occured,  but  that  the  fact  which  they  cele- 
brate seems  to  be  much  more  ancient,  and  to  be  lost  in  a  very  remote 
myth"  (p.  410).  Vis'vamitra,  he  considers,  is  one  of  the  appellations  of 
the  sun,  and  as  both  the  person  who  bears  this  name,  and  Indra  are  the 
sons  of  Kusika,  they  must  be  brothers  (p.  412.  See,  however,  the  remarks 
in  p.  347  f.  of  this  volume  on  the  epithet  Kausika  as  applied  to  Indra). 
Sudas,  according  to  Signor  de  Gubernatis  (p.  413),  denotes  the  horse  of  the 
sun,  or  the  sun  himself,  while  Vasishtha  is  the  greatest  of  the  Vasus,  and 
denotes  Agni,  the  solar  fire,  and  means,  like  Vis'vamitra,  the  sun  (p.  483). 
Signor  de  Gubernatis  is  further  of  opinion  (pp.  414,  478,  479,  and  483)  that 
both  the  33rd  and  53rd  hymns  of  the  third,  and  the  18th  hymn  of  the 
seventh  Mandala  are  comparatively  modern ;  that  the  names  of  Kus'ikas 
and  Vis'vamitras  claimed  by  the  authors  of  the  two  former,  are  fraudu- 
lently assumed  ;  while  the  last  (the  18th  hymn  of  the  seventh  Mandala)  was 
composed  by  a  sacerdotal  family  who  claimed  Vasishtha  as  its  founder. 
I  will  only  remark  tliat  the  theory  of  Signor  de  Gubernatis  appears  to  me 
to  be  an  improbable  one.  But  the  only  point  of  much  importance  for  my 
own  special  purpose  is  that  ancient  Indian  tradition  represents  both 
Vasishtha  and  Vis'vamitra  as  real  personages,  the  one  of  either  directly 
divine,  or  of  sacerdotal  descent,  and  the  other  of  royal  lineage.  They 
may,  however,  have  been  nothing  more  than  legendary  creations,  the 
fictitious  eponymi  of  the  families  which  bore  the  same  name. 


PREFACE.  Xlll 

some  eminent  Brahmans,  and  became  a  member  of  their 
class.  In  the  fifteenth  section  (pp.  431-436)  two  other 
instances  are  adduced  from  the  same  Brahmana  and  from 
two  of  the  Upanishads,  of  Kshattriyas  who  were  in  pos- 
session of  truths  unknown  to  the  Brahmans,  and  who, 
contrary  to  the  usual  rule,  became  the  teachers  of  the 
latter.  The  sixteenth  section  (pp.  436-440)  contains  an 
extract  from  the  4dtareya  Brahmana  regarding  king 
Visvantara  who,  after  at  first  attempting  to  prevent 
the  S'yaparna  Brahmans  from  officiating  at  his  sacrifice, 
became  at  length  convinced  by  one  of  their  number  of 
their  superior  knowledge,  and  accepted  their  services. 
In  the  seventeenth  section  (pp.  440-442)  a  story  is  told 
of  Matanga,  the  spurious  offspring  of  a  Brahman  woman 
by  a  man  of  inferior  caste,  who  failed,  in  spite  of  his 
severe  and  protracted  austerities,  to  elevate  himself  (as 
Visvamitra  had  done)  to  the  rank  of  a  Brahman.  The 
eighteenth  section  (pp.  442-479)  contains  a  series  of 
legends,  chiefly  from  the  Mahabharata,  regarding  the 
repeated  exterminations  of  the  Kshattriyas  by  the  war- 
like Brahman  Parasurama  of  the  race  of  Bhrigu,  and 
the  ultimate  restoration  of  the  warrior  tribe,  and  a 
variety  of  extravagant  illustrations  of  the  supernatural 
power  of  the  Brahmans,  related  by  the  god  Vayu  to 
king  Arjuna,  who  began  by  denying  the  superiority  of 
the  priests,  but  was  at  length  compelled  to  succumb 
to  the  overwhelming  evidence  adduced  by  his  aerial 
monitor.  %^ 

In  the  fifth  chapter  (pp.  480-488)  I  have  given  some 
account  of  the  opinions  entertained  by  Manu,  and  the 


XIV  PREFACE. 

authors  of  the  Mahabharata  and  the  Puranas,  regarding 
the  origin  of  the  tribes  dwelling  within,  or  adjacent  to, 
the  boundaries  of  Hindustan,  but  not  comprehended  in 
the  Indian  caste-system. 

The  sixth  and  concluding  chapter  (pp.  489-504)  con- 
tains the  Puranic  accounts  of  the  parts  of  the  earth  ex- 
terior to  Bharatavarsha,  or  India,  embracing  first,  the 
other  eight  Yarshas  or  divisions  of  Jambudvipa,  the  cen- 
tral continent ;  secondly,  the  circular  seas  and  continents 
(dvipas)  by  which  Jambudvipa  is  surrounded ;  and, 
thirdly,  the  remoter  portions  of  the  mundane  system. 

The  Appendix  (pp.  505-515)  contains  some  supple- 
mentary notes. 

As  in  the  previous  edition,  I  have  been  careful  to 
acknowledge  in  the  text  and  notes  of  this  volume  the 
assistance  which  I  have  derived  from  the  writings  of  the 
different  Sanskrit  Scholars  who  have  treated  of  the  same 
subjects.  It  will,  however,  be  well  to  specify  here  the 
various  publications  to  which  I  have  been  indebted  for 
materials.  In  1858,  I  wrote  thus  :  "  It  will  be  seen  at 
once  that  my  greatest  obligations  are  due  to  Professor 
H.  H.  Wilson,  whose  translation  of  the  Vishnu  Purana, 
with  abundant  and  valuable  notes,  derived  chiefly  from 
the  other  Puranas,  was  almost  indispensable  to  the  suc- 
cessful completion  of  such  an  attempt  as  the  present." 
In  this  second  edition  also  I  have  had  constant  occasion 
to  recur  to  Wilson's  important  work^aow  improved  and 
enriched  by  the  additional  notes  of  the  editor  Dr.  Fitz- 
edward  Hall.  It  is  to  his  edition,  so  far  as  it  has  yet  ap- 


PREFACE.  XV 

peared,  that  my  references  have  been  made.  I  acknow- 
ledged at  the  same  time  the  aid  which  I  had  received 
from  M.  Langlois'  French  translation  of  the  Harivamsa, 
and  from  M.  Burnouf's  French  translation  of  the  first 
nine  books  of  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  which  opened  up 
an  easy  access  to  the  contents  of  the  original  works.  A 
large  amoftnt  of  materials  has  also  been  supplied  to  me, 
either  formerly  or  for  the  preparation  of  the  present 
edition,  by  Mr.  Colebrooke's  Miscellaneous  Essays ;  by 
Professor  C.  Lassen's  Indian  Antiquities ;  Professor 
Eudolph  Eoth's  Dissertations  on  the  Literature  and 
History  of  the  Yedas,  and  contributions  to  the  Journal  of 
the  German  Oriental  Society,  and  to  Weber's  Indische 
Studien,  etc. ;  Professor  Weber's  numerous  articles  in 
the  same  Journals,  and  his  History  of  Indian  Literature ; 
Professor  Max  Miiller's  History  of  Ancient  Sanskrit 
Literature,  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,  article  on 
the  Funeral  rites  of  the  Brahmans,  etc.  ;  Professor 
Benfey's  Glossary  of  the  Sama  Yeda,  and  translations 
of  Yedic  hymns ;  Dr.  Haug's  text  and  translation  of 
the  Aitareya  Brahmana :  while  much  valuable  aid  has 
been  derived  from  the  written  communications  with 
which  I  have  been  favoured  by  Professor  Aufrecht, 
as  well  as  from  his  Catalogue  of  the  Bodleian  Sanskrit 
MSS.  I  am  also  indebted  to  Professor  Miiller  for  point- 
ing out  two  texts  which  will  be  found  in  the  Appendix, 
and  to  Professor  Goldstucker  for  copying  for  me  two 
passages  of  KumarHa  Bhatta's  Mimansa-varttika,  wMch 
are  printed  in  the  same  place,  and  for  making  some 
corrections  in  my  translations  of  them. 


XVI  PREFACE. 

I  formerly  observed  that  at  the  same  time  my  own 
Researches  had  u  enabled  me  to  collect  a  good  many 
texts  which  I  had  not  found  elsewhere  adduced ;  "  and 
the  same  remark  applies  to  a  considerable  portion  of 
the  new  matter  which  has  been  adduced  in  the  present 
edition. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGES. 

v.— xvi.     PREFACE. 
1 — 6.       INTRODUCTION,  CONTAINING  A  PBELIMINABY  SUB  YET  OF 

THE    SOtTECES   OF   INFOEMATION. 

7 — 160.  CHAPTER  I. — MYTHICAL   ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CEEATION  OF 

MAN,    AND    OF   THE    ORIGIN    OF   THE   FOTTE   CASTES. 

7 —  15.  SECT.  I.     Ninetieth  hymn  of  the  tenth  Book  of  the  Rig- 

veda  Sanhita,    called   Purusha-Sukta,    or  the   hymn  to 

Purusha. 
15 —  \6.  SECT.  II.     Quotation  from  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita,  vii.  1, 

1,  4ff. 
17—  22.  SECT.  III.     Citations  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  the 

Taittiriya  Brahmana,  the  Vayasaneyi  Sanhita,   and  the 

Atharva-veda. 

22 —  34.  SECT.  IV.  Further  quotations   from   the  Taittinya  Brah- 
mana, Sanhita,  and  Aranyaka,  and  from  the  S'atapatha 

Brahmana. 

35 —  42.  SECT.  Y.     Manu's  account  of  the  origin  of  castes. 
43 —  49.  SECT.  VI.     Account  of  the  system  of  yugas,  manvantaras, 

and  kalpas,  according  to  the  Vishnu  Purana  and  other 

authorities. 
49 —  73.  SECT.  VII.     Account  of  the  different  creations,  including 

that  of  the  castes,  according  to  the  Vishnu  Purana,  with 

some  passages  from  the  Brahmanas,  containing  the  gexms 

of  the  Purfcr'c  statements. 
74 — 107.  SECT.  VIII.  Account  of  the  different  creations,  including 

that  of  the  castes,  according  to  the  Vayu  and  Markandeya 

Puranas. 


xvm  CONTENTS. 

PAGES. 

107 — 114.  SECT.  IX.     Legend  of  Brahma  and  his  daughter,  according 

to  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  and  of  S'atarupa,  according  to 

the  Matsya  Purana. 
114 — 122.  SECT.  X.     Quotations  from  the  Ramayana  on  the  creation, 

and  on  the  origin  of  castes. 
122 — 155.  SECT.  XI.     Quotations  from  the  Mahabharata  and  Hari- 

vamsa  on  the  same  subjects,  and  on  the  four  yugas. 
155 — 158.  SECT.  XII.     Citations  from  the  Bhagavata  Purana  on  the 

creation  and  on  the  origin  of  castes.  * 

159—160.  SECT.  XIII.     Results  of  this  chapter. 

161—238.  CHAPTER,  II.  —  TRADITION  "or*  THE  DESCENT  OP  THE 
INDIAN  EACE  FEOM  MANTJ. 

162 — 181.  SECT.  I.  On  Manu  as  the  progenitor  of  the  Aryan  Indians 
and  the  institutor  of  religious  rites,  according  to  the 
hymns  of  the  Rig-veda. 

181 — 196.  SECT.  II.  Legend  of  Manu  and  the  deluge  from  the  S'ata- 
patha  Brahmana,  and  other  notices  regarding  Manu  from 
the  S'atapatha,  Aitareya,  and  Taittiriya  Brahmanas,  the 
Taittirlya  Sanhita,  and  the  Chandogya  Upanishad. 

196 — 220.  SECT.  III.  Extracts  from  the  Mahabharata  and  the  Matsya, 
Bhagavata,  and  Agni  Puranas  regarding  Manu,  and  the 
deluge ;  and  comparison  of  the  versions  of  this,  legend 
adduced  in  this  and  the  preceding  section. 

220 — 238.  SECT.  IV.  Legendary  accounts  of  the  origin  of  castes 
among  the  descendants  of  Manu  and  Atri,  according  to 
the  Puranas. 

239—295.  CHAPTER    III.  — ON   THE   JUUTTJAI,   EELATIONS    OP   THE 

DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF  INDIAN    SOCIETY,  ACCORDING   TO    THE 
HYMNS   OF   THE    RlG-   AND   AlHAEVA-VEDAS. 

240 — 265.  SECT.  I.  On  the  signification  of  the  words  brahman  and 
brahmana,  etc.,  in  the  Rig-veda. 

265 — 280.  SECT.  II.     Quotations  from  the  Rig-veda,  the  Nirukta,  the 

Mahabharata  and  other  works,  to  show  that  according  to 

ancient  Indian  tradition  persons  not  of  priestly  families 

were    authors  of  Yedic  hymns,    and  exercised    priestly 

e  functions. 

280—289.  SECT.  III.  Texts  from  the  Ath:.rva-veda,  illustrating  the 
progress  of  Brahmanical  pretensions. 

289 — 295.  SECT.  IV.  Opinions  of  Professor  R.  Roth  and  Dr.  M.  Haug 
regarding  the  origin  of  caste  among  the  Hindus. 


CONTENTS.  xix 

PAGES. 

296  —  400.  CHAPTER    IV.  —  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN    THE  BRAH- 


AND   THE   KsHATTRIYAS. 

296  —  298.  SECT.  I.     Manu's  summary  of  refractory  and  submissive 

monarchs. 

298  —  306.  SECT.  II.     Legend  of  Vena. 
306  —  307.  SECT.  III.     Legend  of  Pururavas. 
307—315.  SECT.  IV.     Story  of  Nahusha. 
316—317.  SECT.  V.     Story  of  Nimi. 
317  —  337.  SECT.  VI.     Vasishtha,  according  to  the  Rig-veda  and  later 

works.        * 

337  —  371.  SECT.  VII.     Visvamitra,  according  to  the  Rig-veda,  Aita- 
reya  Brahmana  and  later  authorities  ;    earlier  and  later 

relations  of  priestly  families  and  the  other  classes. 
371  —  375.  SECT.  Vila.     Do  the  details  in  the  last  two  sections  enable 

us  to  decide  in  what  relation  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra 

stood  to  each  other  as  priests  of  Sudas  ? 
375—378.  SECT.  VIII.    Story  of  Trisanku. 
379  —  388.  SECT.  IX.     Legend  of  Harischandra. 
388  —  397.  SECT.  X.     Contest  of  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra,  and  en- 

trance of  the  latter  into  the  Brahman  caste,  according  to 

the  Mahabharata. 
397  —  411.  SECT.  XI.     The  same  legend,  and  those  of  Trisanku,  and 

Ambarisha,  according  to  the  Ramayana,  with  a  further 

story  about  Visvamitra  from  the  Mahabharata. 
411  —  414.  SECT.  XII.     Other  accounts  from  the  Mahabharata  of  the 

way  in  which  Visvamitra  became  a  Brahman. 
414  —  426.  SECT.  XIII.     Legend  of  Saudasa,  and  further  story  of  the 

rivalry  of  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra,   according  to  the 

Mahabharata,  with  an  extract  from  the  Raja  Tarangim. 
426  —  430.  SECT.  XIV.     Story  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  about 

king  Janaka  becoming  a  Brahman,  with  extracts  from  the 

Mahabharata  about  the  same  prince. 
431  —  436.  SECT.  XV.     Other  instances  in  which  Brahmans  are  said 

to  have  been  instructed  in  divine  knowledge  by  Kshat- 

triyas. 
436  —  440.  SECT.  XVlfr    Story  of  king  Visvantara  and  the  S'yaparna 

Brahmans. 
440  —  442.  SECT.  XVII.     Story  of  Matanga,  who  tried  in  vain  to  raise 

himself  to  the  position  of  a  Brahman. 


xx  CONTENTS. 

PAGES. 

442—479.  SECT.  XVIII.  'Legend  of  the  Brahman  Parasurama,  the 
exterminator  of  the  Kshattriyas,  according  to  the  Haha- 
bharata  and  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  with  a  series  of  nar- 
ratives from  the  former  work  illustrating  the  superhuman 
power  of  the  Brahmans. 

480—488.  CHAPTER  V.  RELATION  OF  THE  BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS 
TO  THE  NEIGHBOURING  TltlBES,  ACCORDING  TO  MANTT,  THE 
MAHABHARATA,  AND  THE  PUKANAS. 

489 — 504.  CHAPTER  VI.  PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  P^RTS  OF  THE 
EARTH  EXTERIOR  TO  BflARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA. 

505 — 516.  APPENDIX,  CONTAINING  SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTES. 

517—532.  INDEX. 


ERRATA    ET    CORRIGENDA. 


Page  23,  line  19,  for  "beingy  ellow  "  read  "being  yellow." 

„     38,  „  ITS.,  for  "59-64"  read11 58-63." 

„     42,  „      4  from  foot,  for  "p.  36  "  read  "p.  37." 

„     46,  „  26,  for  "  p.  42  "  read  "  p.  43." 

„     47,  „      8,  for  "  12,826  "  read  «iii.  826." 

„     51,  „  17,  for  "  Purushottasna  "  read  "  Purushottama." 

,,123,  „  19,  for  "  to  "  read  "  tu." 

,,  127,  „  18  f.,  for  "the  two  by  wbicb  these  three  are  followed,"  read  "two  of 

those  which  follow,  viz.  in  pp.  134  and  139." 

„  136,  „  18,  for  "  116"  read  "  11  and  12." 

„  169,  „  26,  for  "  Vivaswat "  read  "  Vivasvat." 

,,  170,  ,,  28  and  33,  for  "  Mataris'wan  "  read  Mataris'van." 

,,  171,  ,,  26,  for  "  As'wins  "  read  "  As'vins." 

„  180,  „  28,  before  "  Prajapatir  "  insert  "ii.  33." 

„  194,  „       5,  for  "  ma  bhaja  "  read  "  ma  abhaja." 

„  221,  „  20,  before  "  Prishadhras"  insert  "iv.  1,  12." 

„  222,  „      7,  for  "  ix.  2  "  read  "  ix.  2,  16." 

i, ,)  13,  before  " Nabhago"  insert  " iv.  1,  14." 

„  235,  „  19,  for  "iv.  "  ^«^"ix." 

„  251,  „  27,  for  "3"  read  "  2." 

„  258,  „      3  from  the  foot,  for  "viii."  read  "vii." 

„  274,  „  8,  for  "  D'llipat "  read  "  Dillpat." 

„  280,  ,,  14,  for  "  was"  read  "  were." 

„  307,  „  10,  for  "virat"  read  " viraj." 

,,308,  „  24,  before  "  Nahusho"  insert  "12460. "  ^^ 

„  318,  „  4,  for  "  139  f."  read  "  161  f." 

„  371,  „  12,  for  "  vii."  read  "  viia." 

,,399,  „  18,  for  "58,  18"  read"  56,  18."  0 

„  487,  ,,  2,  for  "  thei  rdesertion  "  read  "  their  desertion." 


ORIGINAL   SANSKRIT  TEXTS. 


IP.AJRT    FIRST. 


INTRODUCTION 

CONTAINING  A  PRELIMINARY  SURVEY  OF  THE  SOURCES  OF 
INFORMATION. 

I  PBOPOSE  in  the  present  volume  to  give  some  account  of  the  tra- 
ditions, legends,  and  mythical  narratives  which  the  different  classes 
of  ancient  Indian  writings  contain  regarding  the  origin  of  mankind, 
and  the  classes  or  castes  into  which  the  Hindus  have  long  been  dis- 
tributed. In  order  to  ascertain  whether  the  opinions  which  have 
prevailed  in  India  on  these  subjects  have  continued  fixed  and  uniform 
from  the  earliest  period,  or  whether  they  have  varied  from  age  to  age, 
and  if  so,  what  modifications  they  have  undergone,  it  is  necessary 
that  we  should  first  of  all  determine  the  chronological  order  of  the 
various  works  from  which  our  information  is  to  be  drawn.  This  task 
of  classification  can,  as  far  as  regards  its  great  outlines,  be  easily  ac- 
complished. Although  we  cannot  discover  sufficient  grounds  for  fixing 
with  any  precision  the  dates  of  these  different  books,  we  are  perfectly 
able  to  settle  the  order  in  which  the  most  important  of  those  which 
are  to  form  the  basis  of  this  investigation  were  composed.  From  a 
comparison  of  these  several  literary  records,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
Hindus,  like  all  other  civilized  nations,  have  passed  through  various 
stages  of  development, — social,  moral,  religious,  and  intellectual.  The 
ideas  and  beliefs  which  are  exhibited  in  their  oldest  documents,  are 
not  the  same  as  those  which  we  encounter  in  their  later  writings. 

1 


2  INTRODUCTION. 

The  principal  books  to  which  we  must  look  for  information  on  the 
subjects  of  our  enquiry  are  the  Yedas,  including  the  Brahmanas  and 
"Upanishads,  the  Sutras,  the  Institutes  of  Manu,  and  the  Itiaajas  and 
Puranas.  Of  these  different  classes  of  works,  the  Vedas  are  allowed 
by  all  competent  enquirers  to  be  by  far  the  most  ancient. 

There  are,  as  every  student  of  Indian  literature  is  awaro,  foar 
Vedas, — the  Rig-veda,  the  Sama-veda,  the  Yajur-veda,  and  the  A1  ha"  i- 
veda.  Each  of  the  collections  of  works  known  as  a  Voda  c  ra^'s4  of 
two  parts,  which  are  called  its  mantra  and  its  brahmana.1  T  he  ii  i- 
tras  are  either  metrical  hymns,  or  prose  farms  of  prayer.  Th°.  P;<5- 
veda  and  the  Samaveda  consist  only  of  mantras  of  the  forme:  daoalp- 
tion.  The  Brahmanas  contain  regulations  regarding  the  ennlcyrr'.it 
of  the  mantras,  and  the  celebration  of  the  various  rites  of  sacrifice, 
and  also  embrace  certain  treatises  called  Aranyakas,  and  others  called 
Upanishads  or  Vedantas  (so  called  from  their  being  the  concluding 
portions  of  each  Veda),  which  expound  the  mystical  sense  ol  some  of 
the  ceremonies,  and  discuss  the  nature  of  the  godhead,  and  the  aieens 
of  acquiring  religious  knowledge  with  a  view  to  final  liberation. 

The  part  of  each  Veda  which  contains  the  mantras,  or  hymns,  is 
called  its  Sanhita.2  Thus  the  Rig-veda  Sanhita  means  the  collect 'c.j  of 
hymns  belonging  to  the  Rig-veda.  Of  the  four  collections  of  h^mns, 
that  belonging  to  the  last-mentioned  Veda,  which  contains  no  1  is&  than 
1,017  of  these  compositions,  is  by  far  the  most  important  for  historical 
purposes.  Next  in  value  must  be  reckoned  those  hymns  of  the  Atharva- 
veda,  which  are  peculiar  to  that  collection,  another  portion  of  which, 
however,  is  borrowed,  in  most  cases,  verbatim,  from  the  Rig-veda." 

1  Sayana  says  in  his  commentary  on  the  Rigveda  (vol.  p.  i.  p.  4) :  Ma-,itrc.-brah 
manatmakam  tavad  adushtam  lakshanam  \  ata  eva  Apastambo  yajna-paribhaskayam 
evaha  '  mantra-brahmanayor  veda-namadheyairi  \  "The  definition  (of  the  \sdai  as  a 
book  composed  of  mantra  and  brahmana,  is  unobjectionable.     He.nce  Apastambr1  says 
in  the  Yajnaparibhasha,  '  Mantra  an<'  Brahmana  have  the  name  of  Veda.' " 

2  This  definition  applies  to  all  the  Sanhitas,  except  that  of  the  Taittirlya,  or  Black 
Yajur,  Veda,  in  which  Mantra  and  Brahmana  are  combined.     But  even  this  Sauhita 
had  a  separate  Brahmana  connected  with  it.     See  Miiller's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  350, 
and  "Weber's  Indische  Literaturgeschichte,  p.  83.  The  general  character  of  the  Vajas- 
aneyi  and  Atharva  Sanhitas  is  not  affected  by  the  fg^t  that  the  last  section  of  the 
former  is  an  Upanishad,  and  that  the  fifteenth  book  of  the  latter  has  something  of  the 
nature  of  a  Brahmana. 

3  For  further  information  on  the  Vedas,  reference  may   be    made   to   Professor 
Max  Miiller's  Ancient  Sanskrit  Literature,  passim,  and  also  to  vols.  ii.  iii.  and  iv.  of 
the  present  work. 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

From  this  succinct  account  of  the  contents  of  the  Vedas,  it  is  clear 
that  the  Mantras  must  constitute  their  most  ancient  portions,  since  the 
Brahmanas,  which  regulate  the  employment  of  the  hymns,  of  necessity 
pre-suppose  the  earlier  existence  of  the  latter.  On  this  subject  the 
commentator  on  the  Taittiriya,  or  Black  Yajur-veda,  Sanhita  thus 
expresses  himself  (p.  9  of  the  Calcutta  edition) : — 

Yadyapi  mantrabrahmanatmako  vedas  tathapi  brdhmanasya  mantra- 
vydlchana-rupaitvad  mantra  evadau  samdmndtdh  \  "  Although  the  Veda 
is  formed  both  of  Mantra  and  Brahmana,  yet  as  the  Brahmana  consists 
of  an  explanation  of  the  Iffantras,  it  is  the  latter  which  were  at  first 
recorded."4 

The  priority  of  the  hymns  to  the  Brahmanas  is  accordingly  attested  by 
the  constant  quotations  from  the  former  which  are  found  in  the  latter.5 
Another  proof  that  the  hymns  are  far  older  than  any  other  portion 
of  Indian  literature  is  to  be  found  in  the  character  of  their  language. 
They  are  composed  in  an  ancient  dialect  of  the  Sanskrit,  containing 
many  words  of  which  the  sense  was  no  longer  known  with  certainty  in 
the  age  of  Yaska,  the  author  of  the  Nirukta,6  and  many  grammatical 
forms  which  had  become  obsolete  in  the  time  of  the  great  grammarian 
Panini,  who  refers  to  them  as  peculiar  to  the  hymns  (chhandas}.1  A 
third  argument  in  favour  of  the  greater  antiquity  of  the  mantras  is 
supplied  by  the  fact  that  the  gods  whom  they  represent  as  the  most 
prominent  objects  of  adoration,  such  as  Indra  and  Varuna,  occupy 
but  a  subordinate  position  in  the  Itihasas  and  Puranas,  whilst  others, 
viz.,  Vishnu  and  Rudra,  though  by  no  means  the  most  important 
deities  of  the  hymns,  are  exalted  to  the  first  rank,  and  assume  a 
different  character,  in  the  Puranic  pantheon.8 

*  See  also  the  passage  quoted  from  the  Nirukta  in  p.  174  of  the  2nd  vol.  of 
this  work,  and  that  cited  from  Sayana  in  p.  195  of  the  same  vol.  Compare  the 
the  following  passage  of  the  Mundaka  Upanishad,  i.  2,  1  :  Tad  etat  satyam  mantreshu 
karmani  kavayo  yany  apasyams  tani  tretayam  bahudha  santatani  \  "  This  is  true  : 
the  rites  which  the  rishis  saw  (i.e.  discovered  by  revelation)  in  the  hymns — these 
rites  were  in  great  variety  celebrated  in  the  Treta  (age)." 

5  See  vol.  ii.  of  this  work,  p.  195,  and  the  article  on  the  "Interpretation  of  the 
Veda"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Jixoyal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  ii.  new  series,  pp.  316  ff. 

6  See  vol.  ii.  of  this  work,  pp.  178  ff,  and  my  article  on  the  "Interpretation  of  the 
Veda"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  ii.  new  series,  pp.  323  ff. 

7  See  vol.  ii.  of  this  work,  pp.  216  ff. 

6  See  vol.  ii.  of  this  work,  212  ff,  and  vol.  iv.  1,  2,  and  passim. 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

On  all  these  grounds  it  may  be  confidently  concluded  that  the 
mantras,  or  hymns,  of  the  Rig-veda  are  by  far  the  most  ancient 
remains  of  Indian  literature.  The  hymns  themselves  are  of  different 
periods,  some  being  older,  and  some  more  recent.  This  is  shown  not 
only  by  the  nature  of  the  case, — as  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  the 
whole  of  the  contents  of  such  a  large  national  collection  as  the  Big- 
veda  Sanhita  should  have  been  composed  by  the  men  of  one,  or 
even  two,  generations, — but  also  by  the  frequent  references  which 
occur  in  the  mantras  themselves  to  older  rishis,  or  poets,  and  to  older 
hymns. 9  It  is,  therefore,  quite  possible  that  a  period  of  several  centuries 
may  have  intervened  between  the  composition  of  the  oldest  and  that  of 
the  most  recent  of  these  poems.  But  if  so,  it  is  also  quite  conceivable 
that  in  this  interval  considerable  changes  may  have  taken  place  in 
the  religious  ideas  and  ceremonies,  and  in  the  social  and  ecclesiastical 
institutions  of  the  people  among  whom  these  hymns  were  produced, 
and  that  some  traces  of  these  changes  may  be  visible  on  comparing  the 
different  hymns  with  each  other. 

No  sufficient  data  exist  for  determining  with  exactness  the  period 
at  which  the  hymns  were  composed.  Professor  Miiller  divides  them 
into  two  classes,  the  Mantras  or  more  recent  hymns,  which  he  supposes 
may  have  been  produced  between  1000  and  800  years, — and  the 
older  hymns,  to  which  he  applies  the  name  of  Chhandas,  and  which 
he  conceives  may  have  been  composed  between  1200  and  1000  years,  - 
before  the  Christian  era.  Other  scholars  are  of  opinion  that  they  may 
be  even  older  (see  Muller's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.,  p.  572,  and  the  Preface  to 
the  4th  Vol  of  the  same  author's  edition  of  the  Rig-veda,  pp.  iv.-xiii). 
This  view  is  shared  by  Dr.  Haug,  who  thus  writes  in  his  introduction 
to  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  p.  47 :  "  We  do  not  hesitate,  therefore,  to 
assign  the  composition  of  the  bulk  of  the  Brahmanas  to  the  years 
1400-1200  B.C.  ;  for  the  Samhita  we  require  a  period  of  at  least  500- 
600  years,  with  an  interval  of  about  two  hundred  years  between  the 
end  of  the  proper  Brahmana  period.  Thus  we  obtain  for  the  bulk  of 
Samhita  the  space  from  14.0-2000;  the  oldest  hymns  and  sacrificial 
formulas  may  be  a  few  hundred  years  more  ancient  still,  so  that  we 
would  fix  the  very  commencement  of  Vedic  literature  between  2000- 
2400  B.C." 

9  See  vol.  ii.  of  this  work,  pp.  206  ff.,  and  vol.  iii.  pp.  116  ff.,  121  ff. 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

Next  in  order  of  time  to  the  most  recent  of  the  hymns  come,  of 
course,  the  Brahmanas.  Of  these  (1)  the  Aitareya  and  S'ankhayana 
are  connected  with  the  Big-veda ;  (2)  the  Tandya,  the  Panchavimsa  and 
the  Chhandogya  with  the  Sama-veda ;  (3)  the  Taittiriya  with  the  Tait- 
tiriya or  Black  Yajur-veda ;  (4)  the  Sktapatha  with  the  Vajasaneyi  San- 
hita  or  White  Yajur-veda ;  and  (5)  the  Gopatha  with  the  Atharva-veda.10 
These  works,  written  in  prose,  prescribe,  as  I  have  already  intimated,  the 
manner  in  which  the  Mantras  are  to  be  used  and  the  various  rites  of  sacri- 
fice to  be  celebrated.  They  also  expound  the  mystical  signification  of 
some  of  the  ceremonies,  and.  adduce  a  variety  of  legends  to  illustrate  the 
origin  and  efficacy  of  some  of  the  ritual  prescriptions.  That  in  order  of 
age  the  Brahmanas  stand  next  to  the  Mantras  is  proved  by  their  simple, 
antiquated,  and  tautological  style,  as  well  as  by  the  character  of  their 
language,  which,  though  approaching  more  nearly  than  that  of  the 
hymns,  to  classical  or  Paninean  Sanskrit,  is  yet  distinguished  by  certain 
archaisms  both  of  vocabulary  and  of  grammatical  form  which  are  un- 
known to  the  Itihasas  and  Puranas.11  The  most  recent  portions  of  the 
Brahmanas  are  the  Aranyakas  and  Upanishads,  of  which  the  character 
and  contents  have  been  already  summarily  indicated.  The  remaining 
works  which  form  the  basis  of  our  investigations  come  under  the  de- 
signation of  Smriti,  as  distinguished  from  that  of  S'ruti,  which  is  ap- 
plied to  the  Mantras,  Brahmanas,  Aranyakas,  and  Upanishads. 

The  term  Smriti  includes  (1)  the  Vedangas,  such  as  the  Nirukta  of 
Yaska,  (2)  the  Sutras  or  aphorisms,  srauta  and  grihya,  or  sacrificial  and 
domestic,  etc.,  (3)  the  Institutes  of  Manu,  (4)  the  Itihasas  and  Puranas. 
To  the  class  of  Itihasas  belong  (1)  the  Ramayana  (said  to  be  the  work 
of  Valmiki),  which  contains  an  account  in  great  part,  at  least,  fabulous, 
of  the  adventures  of  Rama,  and  the  Mahabharata,  which  describes  the 
wars  and  adventures  of  the  Kurus  and  Pandus,  and  embraces  also  a 
great  variety  of  episodes  and  numerous  mythological  narratives,  as  well 
as  religious,  philosophical,  and  political  discussions,  which  are  inter- 
woven with,  or  interpolated  in,  the  framework  of  the  poem.  This 


10  For  further  details  on  these  Brahmanas,  the  reader  may  consult  Professor  Max 
Mailer's   Anc.  Sansk.    Lit.  pp.  345  ff. ;      Professor  Weber's   Indische  Literatur- 
geschichte,  and  Indische  Studien ;  and  Dr.  Haug's  Aitareya  Brahmana. 

11  See,  for  example,  the  S'.  P.  Br.  xi.  5,  1,  15  ;  and  the  Taitt.  Sanhita,  ii.  2,  10,  2, 
and  ii.  6,  7,  1. 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

work  is  said  to  be  the  production  of  Vyasa,  but  its  great  bulk,  its 
almost  encyclopaedic  character,  and  the  discrepancies  in  doctrine  which 
are  observable  between  its  different  parts,  lead  inevitably  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  is  not  the  composition  of  a  single  author,  but  has  received 
large  additions  from  a  succession  of  writers,  who  wished  to  obtain  cur- 
rency and  authority  for  their  several  opinions  by  introducing  them  into 
this  great  and  venerated  repository  of  national  tradition.12 

The  Puranas  are  commonly  said  to  be  eighteen  in  number,  in  addition 
to  certain  inferior  works  of  the  same  description  called  Upapuranas. 
For  an  account  of  these  books  and  a  summary  of  their  contents,  I  must 
refer  to  the  late  Professor  H.  H.  "Wilson's  introduction  to  his  translation 
of  the  Vishnu  Purana.13 

In  treating  the  several  topics  which  are  to  be  handled  in  this  volume, 
I  propose  in  each  case  to  adduce,  first,  any  texts  bearing  upon  it  which 
may  be  found  in  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda ;  next,  those  in  the  Brah- 
manas  and  their  appendages  ;  and,  lastly,  those  occurring  in  any  of  the 
different  classes  of  works  coming  under  the  designation  of  Smriti.  By 
this  means  we  shall  learn  what  conceptions  or  opinions  were  entertained 
on  each  subject  by  the  oldest  Indian  authors,  and  what  were  the  various 
modifications  to  which  these  ideas  were  subjected  by  their  successors. 

12  On  the  Ramayana  and  Mahabharata,  see  Professor  Monier  Williams's  "  Indian 
Epic  Poetry,"  which  contains  a  careful  analysis  of  the  leading  narrative  of  each  of  the 
poems. 

*3  See  also  the  same  author's  analyses  of  the  contents  of  the  Vishnu,  "Vrayu,  Agni, 
and  Brahma-vaivartta  Purauas  in  the  "  Gleanings  of  Science,"  published  in  Calcutta, 
and  those  of  the  Brahma  and  Padma  Puranas  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic 
Society,  No.  ix  (1838)  and  No.  x.  (1839). 


CHAPTER  I. 

• 

MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF   MAN,  AND  OF   THE 
ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES. 

IT  will  be  seen  from  the  different  texts  to  be  adduced  in  this  chapter, 
that  from  a  very  early  period  the  Indian  writers  have  propounded  a 
great  variety  of  speculations  regarding  .the  origin  of  mankind,  and  of 
the  classes  or  castes  into  which  they  found  their  own  community 
divided.  The  most  commonly  received  of  these  explanations  is  the 
fable  which  represents  the  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and 
S'udras,  to  have  been  separately  created  from  the  head,  the  breast 
or  arms,  the  thighs,  and  the  feet  of  the  Creator.  Of  this  mythical 
account  no  trace  is  to  be  found  in  any  of  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda, 
except  one,  the  Purusha  Sukta. 

Although  for  reasons  which  will  be  presently  stated,  I  esteem  it 
probable  that  this  hymn  belongs  to  the  most  recent  portion  of  the  Kig- 
veda,  it  will  be  convenient  to  adduce  and  to  discuss  it  first,  along  with 
certain  other  texts  from  the  Brahmanas,  Itihasas,  and  Puranas,  which 
professedly  treat  of  the  origin  of  mankind  and  of  caste,  before  we 
proceed  to  examine  the  older  parts  of  the  hymn-collection,  with  the 
view  of  ascertaining  what  opinion  the  authors  of  them  appear  to  have 
entertained  in  regard  to  the  earliest  history  of  their  race,  and  to  the 
grounds  of  those  relations  which  they  found  subsisting  between  the 
different  classes  of  society  contemporary  with  themselves, 

SECT.  I. — 90th  Hymn  of  the  10th  Book  of  the  Rig-veda  Sanhita,  called 
Purusha  Sukta,  or  the  hymn  to  Purusha. 

This  celebrated  hymn  contains,  as  far  as  we  know,  the  oldest  extant 
passage  which  makes  mention  of  the  fourfold  origin  of  the  Hindu  race. 


8  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  character  of  this  passage,  we  must  con- 
sider it  in  connection  with  its  context.  I  therefore  quote  the  whole  of 
the  hymn  :14 

R.  V.  x.  90.  1.  Sahasra-slrshd  Purushah  sahasrdkshah  sahasra- 
pdt  |  sa  bhumim  visvato  vrttvd  atyatishthad  dasdngulam  \  2.  Purushah 
evedam  sarvam  yad  bhutam  yachcha  bhdvyam  \  utdmritatvasyesdno  yad 
annendtirohati  \  3.  Etdvdn  asya  mahimd  ato  jydydmscha  Purushah 
|  pddo  'sya  visvd  bhutdni  tripdd  asydmritam  divi  \  4.  Tripdd  urdhva 
ud  ait  Purushah  pddo  'syehdbhavat  punah  \  tato  vishvan  vyakrdmat 
sdsandna'sane  abhi  \  5.  tasmdd  Viral  ajdyata  Virdjo  adhi  Purushah 
|  sa  j'dto  aty  arichyata  paschdd  bhumim  atho  purah  \  6.  Yat  Purushena 
havishd  devdh  yajnam  atanvata  \  vasanto  asydsld  djyam  grlshmah  idh- 
mah  iarad  havih  \  7.  Tarn  yajnam  barhishi  prauTcshan  Purusham 
jdtam  agratah  \  tena  devdh  ayajanta  sddhydh  rishayas  cha  ye  \  8. 
Tasmdd  yajndt  sarvahutah  sambhritam  prishaddjyam  \  pasun  turns  chakre 
rdyavydn  dranydn  grdmydi  cha  ye  \  9.  Tasmdd  yajndt  sarvahutah 
richah  sdmdni  jajnire  \  chhanddmsi  jajnire  tasmdd  yajus  tasmdd  ajd- 
yata  \  10.  Tasmdd  asvd  ajdyanta  ye  ke  cha  ubhayddatah  \  gdvo  ha 
jajnire  tasmdt  tasmdj  jdtdh  ajdvayah  \  11.  Yat  Purusham  vi  ada- 
dhuh  katidhd  vi  akalpayan  \  mukham  kirn  asya  kau  bdhu  kd  uru 
pddd  uchyete  \  12.  Brdhmano  'sya  mukham  dsld  bdhu  rdjanyah 
kritah  \  uru  tad  asya  yad  vaisyah  padbhydm  sudro  ajdyata  \  13. 
chandramdh  manaso  jdtas  chakshoh  suryo  ajdyata  \  mukhdd  Indras 
cha  Agnis  cha  pru,ndd  Vdyur  ajdyata  \  14.  Ndbhydh  dsld  antari- 
ksham  slrshno  dyauh  samavarttata  \  padbhydm  bhumir  disah  srotrdt 
tathd  lokdn  akalpayan  \  15.  Saptdsydsan  paridhayas  trih  sapta 
samidhah  kritdh  \  devdh  yad  yajnam  tanvdndh  abadhnan  Purusham 
pasum  |  16.  Yajnena  yajnam  ayajanta  devds  tdni  dharmdni  pratha- 


14  The  Purusha  Sukta  is  also  found  in  the  Vajasaneyi  Sanhita  of  the  White 
Yajar-veda  (31.  1-16)  and  in  the  Atharva-veda  (19.  6.  1  if.)  See  Colebrooke's  Miscel- 
laneous Essays,  i.  167  f.»  and  note  in  p.  309  (or  pp.  104,  and  197,  of  Messrs.  Williams 
and  Norgate's  edition) ;  Burnouf  s  Bhagavata  Purana,  vol.  i.  Preface,  pp.  cxxiii.  ff. ; 
Wilson's  Preface  to  his  translation  of  the  Rigveda,  vol.  i.  p.  xliv. ;  Professor  Roth's 
remarks  in  the  Journal  of  the  German  Oriental  Society,  i.  pp.  78  f. ;  Miiller  in 
Bunsen's  Philosophy  of  Univ.  History,  vol.  i.  p.  344  ;  M tiller's  Anc.  Sank.  Lit.,  pp- 
570  f. ;  Professor  Weber's  translation  in  Indische  Studien  ix.  p.  5;  and  my  own 
translation,  notes  and  remarks  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1865, 
pp.  353  ff.,  and  for  1866,  pp.  282  f. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  9 

mdni  usan    \     te  ha  nukam   mahimdnah  sachanta  yatra  purve  sudh- 
yah  santi  devah  \ 

"1.  Purusha  has  a  thousand  heads,18  a  thousand  eyes,  a  thousand 
feet.  On  every  side  enveloping18  the  earth,  he  overpassed17  (it)  by  a 
space  of  ten  fingers.  2:  Purusha  himself  is  this  whole  (universe),  what- 
ever has  been  and  whatever  shall  be.  He  is  also  the  lord  of  immort- 
ality, since  (or,  when)  by  food  he  expands.18  3.  Such  is  his  greatness, 
and  Purusha  is  superior  to  this.  All  existences  are  a  quarter  of  him  ; 
and  three-fourths  of  him  are  that  which  is  immortal  in  the  sky.18  4. 
With  three  quarters  Purtisha  mounted  upwards.  A  quarter  of  him 
was  again  produced  here.  He  was  then  diffused  everywhere  over 
things  which  eat  and  things  which  do  not  eat.  5.  From  him  was 
was  born  Viraj,  and  from  Viraj,  Purusha.20  When  born,  he  extended 
beyond  the  earth,  both  behind  and  before.  6.  When  the  gods  per- 
formed a  sacrifice  with  Purusha  as  the  oblation,  the  spring  was  its 
butter,  the  summer  its  fuel,  and  the  autumn  its  (accompanying)  offering. 
7.  This  victim,  Purusha,  born  in  the  beginning,  they  immolated  on 


14  The  Atharva-veda  (xix.  6,  1)  reads  sahasra-bahuh,  "  having  a  thousand  arms," 
the  transcriber,  perhaps,  taking  the  verse  literally,  and  considering  that  a  being  in 
human  form,  if  he  had  a  thousand  eyes  and  a  thousand  feet,  ought  only  to  have  five 
hundred  heads,  and  not  a  thousand  as  in  the  text  of  the  Rig-veda. 

16  For  vritva  in  the  R.  V.  the  Vajasaneyi  Sanhita,  31.  1,  reads  spritva,  which 
seems  to  mean  nearly  the  same. 

17  The  word  is  atyatishthat.   Compare  the  S'atapatha  Bramana,  xiii.  6,  1,  1,  and 
atishthavanah  in  S'.  P.  B.  iv.   5,  4,  1,  2.      Professor  Weber  renders  atyatishthat 
"occupies"  (Indische  Studien,  ix.  5). 

18  The  sense  of  this  is  obscure.     Instead  of  yud  annenatirohati,  the  A.  V.  reads  yud 
anyenabhavat  saha,  ("  that  which,"  or,  "  since  he)  was  with  another." 

19  Compare  A.  V.  x.  8,  7  :  ardhena  visvam  bhwvanam  jajana  yad  asya  ardham  kva 
tad  babhuva :  "  with  the  half  he  produced  the  whole  world ;   what  became  of  the 
(other)  half  of  him  ?"     See  also  ibid.  v.  13. 

20  This  sentence  is  illustrated  by  R.  V.  x.  72,  5,  where  it  is  said,  Aditer  Daksho 
ajayata  Lakshad  u  dditih  pari  \  "  Aditi  was  born  from  Daksha  and  Daksha  from 
Acliti" — a  text  on  which  Yaska  remarks  (Nirukta,  xi.  23) :  tat  katham  upapadyeta  \ 
sanutna-janmanau  syatam  iti  \  api  va  deva-dharmena  Itaretara-janmanay,  syatam  it- 
aretatara-prakriti  \  "  how  can  this  be  possible  ?    They  may  have  had  a  common  birth ; 
or,  conformably  with  their  nature    as  deities,  they  may  have  been  produced  from 
one  another,  and  possess  the  properties  of  one  another."      Compare  A.  V.  13.  4. 
29  ff.,  where  Indra  is  said  to  have  been  produced  from  a  great  many  other  gods,  or 
entities,  and  they  reciprocally  from  him.     In  regard  to  Viraj,  compare  the  notes  on 
the  verse  before  us  in  my  article  on  the  "  Progress  of  the  Vedic  religion,"  etc.,  in  the 
Journal  of  the  RoyaL  Asiatic  Society  for  1865,  p.  354. 


10  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

the  sacrificial  grass.  With  him  the  gods,  the  Sadhyas,21  and  the  rishis 
sacrificed.  8.  Prom  that  universal  sacrifice  were  provided  curds  and 
butter.  It  formed  those  aerial 22  (creatures)  and  animals  both  wild  and 
tame.  9.  From  that  universal  sacrifice  sprang  the  rich  and  saman 
verses,  the  metres,  and  the  yajush.  10.  From  it  sprang  horses,  and  all 
animals  with  two  rows  of  teeth ;  kine  sprang  from  it ;  from  it  goats 
and  sheep.  11.  When  (the  gods)  divided  Purusha,  into  how  many 
parts  did  they  cut  him  up  ?  what  was  his  mouth  ?  what  arms  (had 
he)  ?  what  (two  objects)  are  said  (to  have  been)  his  thighs  and  feet  ? 
12.  The  Brahman  was  his  mouth;28  the  Raj  any  a  was  made  his  arms  ; 
the  being  (called)  the  Vaisya,  he  was  his  thighs  ;24  the  S'iidra  sprang 
from  his  feet.  13.  The  moon  sprang  from  his  soul  (manas\  the  sun 
from  his  eye,  Indra  and  Agni  from  his  mouth,  and  Vayu  from  his 
breath.25  14.  Prom  his  navel  arose  the  air,  from  his  head  the  sky,  from 
his  feet  the  earth,  from  his  ear  the  (four)  quarters  :  in  this  manner  (the 
gods)  formed  the  worlds.  15.  When  the  gods,  performing  sacrifice, 
bound  Purusha  as  9,  victim,  there  were  seven  sticks  (stuck  up)  for  .it 


21  See  on  the  Sadhyas,  Professor  Weber's  note,  Ind.  St.  ix.  6  f.,  and  the  Journal  of 
the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866,  p.  395,  note. 

22  See,  however,  Vaj.  Sanh.  xiv.  30,  to  be  quoted  below. 

23  Compare   the   Kaushltaki  Brahmana  TJpanishad,  ii.  9 :    atha  paurnamasyam 
purastach  chandramasam  drisyamanam  upatishtheta  etaya  eva  avrita  "somo  rajasi 
vichakshano  pancha  mukho' si  prajapatih  \  brahmanas  te  ekam  mukham  \  tena  mukhena 
rajno  'tsi  \  tena  mukhena  mam  annadam  kuru  \  raja  te  ekam  mukham  \  tena  mukhena 
viso'tsi  |  tena  mukhena  mam  annadam  kuru  \  syenas  te  ekam  mukham  "ityadi  \  which 
is  thus  translated  by  Mr.  Cowell :  "  Next  on  the  day  of  the  full  moon  let  him  in  this 
same  way  adore  the  moon  when  it  is  seen  in  front  of  him  (saying),  '  thou  art  Soma, 
the  brilliant,  the  wise,  the  five-mouthed,  the  lord  of  creatures.     The  Brahman  is  one 
mouth  of  thine,  with  that  mouth  thou  eatest  kings,  with  that  mouth  make  me  to  eat 
food.     The  king  is  one  mouth  of  thine,  with  that  mouth  thou  eatest  common  men, 
with  that  mouth  make  me  to  eat  food.    The  hawk  is  one  mouth  of  thine,"  etc.     The 
fourth  mouth  is  fire,  and  the  fifth  is  in  the  moon  itself.   I  should  prefer  to  render  the 
words  somo  raja' si,  "thou  art  king  Soma" — "king"  being  a  frequent  designation 
of  this  god  in  the  Brahmanas.    See  also  M.  Bh.  iii.  12,962,  where  Vishnu  is  intro- 
duced as  saying  in  the  same  mystical  way  :  Brahma  vaktram  bhujau  kshattram  uru 
me  samsthitah  vis  ah  \  padau  s'udrah  bhavantime  vikramena  kramena  cha  \  "  The 
Brahman  is  my  mouth  ;  the  Kshattra  is  my  arms ;  the  Visas  are  my  thighs ;  these 
S'udras  with  their  vigour  and  rapidity  are  my  feet." 

24  Instead  of  uru,  "  thighs,"  the  Atharva-veda,  xix.  6,  6,  reads  madhyam,  "middle.'1 

25  The  Vaj.  S.  xxxi.  13,  has  a  different  and  singular  reading  of  the  last  half  verse  : 
srotrad  vayus'cha  pranas'  cha  mukhad  agnir  ajayata  \  "  From  his  ear  came  Vayu  and 
Prana  (breath)  and  from  his  mouth  Agni." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  11 

(around  the  fire),  and  thrice  seven  pieces  of  fuel  were  made.  16.  With 
sacrifice  the  gods  performed  the  sacrifice.  These  were  the  earliest 
rites.  These  great  powers  have  sought  the  sky,  where  are  the  former 
Sadhyas,  gods."26 

I  have  above  (p.  7)  intimated  an  opinion  that  this  hymn  does  not 
belong  to  the  most  ancient  portion  of  the  Big-veda.  This  view  is, 
however,  controverted  by  Dr.  Haug,  who,  in  his  tract  on  "  the  origin 
of  Brahmaniom  "  (published  at  Poona  in  1863),  p.  5,  writes  as  follows  : 
"  The  few  scholars  who  have  been  engaged  in  the  study  of  the  Vedas 
unanimously  regard  this*  hymn  as  a  very  late  production  of  Vedic 
poetry ;  but  there  is  no  sufiicient  evidence  to  prove  that.  On  the  con- 
trary, reasons  might  be  adduced  to  shew  that  it  is  even  old.  The 
mystical  character  of  the  hymn  is  no  proof  at  all  of  its  late  origin. 
Such  allegorical  hymns  are  to  be  met  with  in  every  book  of  the  col- 
lection of  the  mantras,  which  goes  by  the  name  of  Big-veda  samhita. 
The  Bishis,  who  were  the  authors  of  these  hymns,  delighted  in  such 
speculations.  They  chiefly  were  suggested  to  them  by  the  sacrificial 
rites,  which  they  daily  were  performing.  According  to  the  position 
which  is  assigned  to  it  in  the  Yajur-veda  (where  it  is  found  among 
the  formulas  referring  to,  the  human  sacrifice),  the  hymn  appears  to 
have  been  used  at  the  human  sacrifices.  That,  at  the  earliest  period 
of  the  Vedic  time,  human  sacrifices  were  quite  common  with  the 
Brahmans,  can  be  proved  beyond  any  doubt.  But  the  more  eminent 
and  distinguished  among  their  leaders  soon  abandoned  the  practice 
as  revolting  to  human  feelings.  The  form  of  the  sacrifice,  however, 
seems  to  have  been  kept  for  a  long  time ;  for  the  ritual  required  at 
that  occasion  is  actually  in  the  Yajur-veda  ;  but  they  only  tied  men  of 
different  castes  and  classes  to  the  sacrificial  posts,  and  released  them 
afterwards,  sacrificing  animals  instead  of  them." 

If  it  could  be  satisfactorily  shewn  that  this  hymn,  in  the  same  form 
as  we  now  possess  it,  existed  contemporaneously  with  the  barbarous 
practice  of  human  sacrifices  which  Dr.  Haug  believes  to  have  at  one 
time  prevailed  in  India,  we  should,  no  doubt,  have  in  this  circumstance 
a  strong  proof  of  its  antiquity.  But  if  it  was  merely  adopted  as  a 
part  of  the  ceremonial  at  a  later  period,  when  the  immolation  of  human 

28  This  verse  occurs  also  in  R.  V.  i.  164.  50,  and  is  quoted  in  Nirukta,  xii.  14.  See 
the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866,  p.  395,  note,  already  referred  to. 


12  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

beings  had  ceased  to  be  otherwise  than  formal  and  nominal,  and  animals 
were  substituted  as  the  actual  victims,  the  evidence  of  its  remote  an- 
tiquity is  greatly  weakened. 

If  we  now  compare  the  Purusha  Sukta  with  the  two  hymns  (162  and 
163)  of  the  first  Mandala  of  the  Rig-veda,  it  will,  I  think,  be  apparent 
that  the  first  is  not  adapted  to  be  used  at  a  literal  human  sacrifice  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  last  two  are  to  be  employed  at  the  immolation 
of  a  horse.  There  are,  no  doubt,  some  mystical  passages  in  "the  second  of 
these  two  hymns,  as  in  verse  3,  where  the  horse  is  identified  with  Yama, 
Aditya,  and  Trita;  and  "in  the  last  section  of  the  Taittiriya  Yajur- 
veda  the  various  parts  of  the  horse's  body  are  described  as  divisions  of 
time  and  portions  of  the  universe :  '  morning  is  his  head ;  the  sun  his 
eye ;  the  air  his  breath;  the  moon  his  ear/  "  etc.  (Colebrooke's  Essays, 
i.  62).27  But  the  persons  who  officiate  at  the  sacrifice,  as  referred  to  in 
these  hymns,  are  ordinary  priests  of  the  ancient  Indian  ritual, — the 
hotri,  adhvaryu,  avayaj,  etc.  (i.  162,  5);  and  details  are  given  of  the 
actual  slaughter  of  the  animal  (i.  162,  11).  The  Purusha  Sukta,  how- 
ever does  not  contain  the  same  indications  of  the  literal  immolation  of  a 
human  victim.  In  it  the  sacrifice  is  not  offered  to  the  gods,  but  by  the 
gods  (verses  6,  7,  15,  16);  no  human  priests  are  mentioned;  the  di- 
vision of  the  victim  (v.  11)  must  be  regarded,  like  its  slaughter  (v.  7), 
as  the  work  of  the  deities  only.  And  the  Purusha  mentioned  in  the 
hymn  could  not  well  have  been  regarded  as  an  ordinary  man,  as  he 
is  identified  with  the  universe  (v.  2),  and  he  himself,  or  his  immo- 
lation, is  represented  as  the  source  of  the  creation  (vv.  8,  10,  13,  14), 
and  of  the  Vedas  (v.  9). 

As  compared  with  by  far  the  largest  part  of  the  hymns  of  the  Rig- 
veda,  the  Purusha  Sukta  has  every  character  of  modernness  both  in  its 
diction  and  ideas.  I  have  already  observed  that  the  hymns  which  we 
find  in  this  collection  are  of  very  different  periods.  This,  I  believe,  is  not 
disputed.28  The  authors  themselves,  as  we  have  seen,  speak  of  newer  and 
older  hymns.  So  many  as  a  thousand  compositions  of  this  description  could 
scarcely  have  been  produced  within  a  very  short  space  of  time,  and  there 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  literary  activity  of  the  ancient  Hindus 

27  Compare  the  commencement  of  the  Brihadaranyaka  Upanishad. 

28  See  Dr.  Haug's  own  remarks  (quoted  above,  p.  4)  on  the  period  when  the  hymns 
were  composed. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  13 

was  confined  to  the  period  immediately  preceding  the  collection  of  the 
hymns.  But  if  we  are  to  recognize  any  difference  of  age,  what  hymns 
can  we  more  reasonably  suppose  to  be  the  oldest  than  those  which  are 
at  once  archaic  in  language  and  style,  and  naive  and  simple  in  the 
character  of  their  conceptions  ?  and,  on  the  other  hand,  what  composi- 
tions can  more  properly  be  set  down  as  the  most  recent  than  those 
which  manifest  an  advance  in  speculative  ideas,  while  their  language 
approaches  to  the  modern  Sanskrit?  These  latter  conditions  seem  to 
be  fulfilled  in  the  Purusha  Sukta,  as  well  as  in  hymns  x.  71  and  72,  x. 
81  and  82,  x.  121,  and  xT  129. 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Colebrooke  states  his  opinion  as  follows 
(Miscellaneous  Essays  i.  309,  note) :  "  That  remarkable  hymn  (the 
Purusha  Sukta)  is 'in  language,  metre,  and  style,  very  different  from 
the  rest  of  the  prayers  with  which  it  is  associated.  It  has  a  de- 
cidedly more  modern  tone ;  and  must  have  been  composed  after  the 
Sanscrit  language  had  been  refined,  and  its  grammar  and  rhythm  per- 
fected. The  internal  evidence  which  it  furnishes  serves  to  demonstrate 
the  important  fact  that  the  compilation  of  the  Vedas,  in  their  present 
arrangement,  took  place  after  the  Sanscrit  tongue  had  advanced  from 
the  rustic  and  irregular  dialect  in  which  the  multitude  of  hymns  and 
prayers  of  the  Veda  was  composed,  to  the  polished  and  sonorous 
language  in  which  the  mythological  poems,  sacred  and  prophane 
(purdnas  and  cavyas},  have  been  written." 

Professor  Max  Miiller  expresses  himself  in  a  similar  sense  (Anc. 
Sansk.  Lit.,  p.  570  f.) :  "There  can  be  little  doubt,  for  instance,  that 
the  90th  hymn  of  the  10th  book  ....  is  modern  both  in  its 
character  and  in  its  diction.  It  is  full  of  allusions  to  the  sacrificial 
ceremonials,  it  uses  technical  philosophical  terms,  it  mentions  the  three 
seasons  in  the  order  of  Vasanta,  spring ;  Grishma,  summer ;  and  S'arad, 
autumn ;  it  contains  the  only  passage  in  the  Rig-veda  where  the  four 
castes  are  enumerated.  The  evidence  of  language  for  the  modern  date 
of  this  composition  is  equally  strong.  Grishma,  for  instance,  the  name 
for  the  hot  season,  does  not  occur  in  any  other  hymn  of  the  Rig-veda ; 
and  Vasanta  also,  the  name  of  spring,  does  not  belong  to  the  earlies^. 
vocabulary  of  the  Vedic  poets.  It  occurs  but  once  more  in  the  Rig- 
veda  (x.  161.  4),  in  a  passage  where  the  three  seasons  are  mentioned  in 
the  order  of  S'arad,  autumn  ;  Hemanta,  winter  ;  and  Vasanta,  spring." 


14  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Professor  Weber  (Indische  Studien,  ix.  3)  concurs  in  this  view.  He 
observes:  "That  the  Purusha  Sukta,  considered  as  a  hymn  of  the 
Eig-veda,  is  among  the  latest  portions  of  that  collection,  is  clearly 
perceptible  from  its  contents.  The  fact  lhat  the  Sama-sanhita  has 
not  adopted  any  verse  from  it,  is  not  without  importance  (compare 
what  I  have  remarked  in  my  Academical  Prelections,  p.  63).  The 
Naigeya  school,  indeed,  appears  (although  it  is  not  quite  certain),29  to 
have  extracted  the  first  five  verses  in  the  seventh  prapafchaka  of  the 
first  Archika,  which  is  peculiar  to  it." 

We  shall  see  in  the  following  chapter  that  the  word  brdhmana  occurs 
but  rarely  in  the  Rig-veda  Sanhita,  while  brahman,  "a  priest,"  from 
which  the  former  is  derived^  is  of  constant  occurrence.  From  this 
circumstance  also,  it  may  be  reasonably  concluded  that  the  hymns  in 
which  the  derivative  occurs  are  among  the  latest.  The  same  remark 
may  be  made  of  the  word  vaisya,  as  compared  with  vis.30 

Mr.  Colebrooke's  opinion  of  the  character  of  the  Purusha  Sukta  is 
given  in  the  following  passage  of  his  "  Miscellaneous  Essays"  (vol.  i. 
p.  161,  note ;  or  p.  105  of  Williams  &  Norgate's  ed.  of  1858) ;  "  I  think 
it  unnecessary  to  quote  from  the  commentary  the  explanation  of  this 
curious  passage  of  the  Vedas  as  it  is  there  given,  because  it  does  not 
really  elucidate  the  sense ;  the  allegory  is  for  the  most  part  sufficiently 
obvious. 

In  his  tract  on  "  on  the  origin  of  Brahmanism,"  p.  4$  Dr.  Haug 
thus  remarks  on  verses  11  and  12:  "Now,  according  to  this  passage, 
which  is  the  most  ancient  and  authoritative  we  have  on  the  origin  of 
Brahmanism,  and  caste  in  general,  the  Brahman  has  not  come  from  the 
mouth  of  this  primary  being,  the  Purusha,  but  the  mouth  of  the  latter  be- 
came the  Brahmanical  caste,  that  is  to  say,  was  transformed  into  it.  The 
passage  has,  no  doubt,  an  allegorical  sense.  Mouth  is  the  seat  of  speech. 
The  allegory  thus  points  out  that  the  Brahmans  are  teachers  and  in- 
structors of  mankind.  The  arms  are  the  seat  of  strength.  If  the  two 

29  See  on  this  subject  Weber's  foot-note,  p.  3. 

30  Professor  Aufrecbt  informs  me  that  the  word  vaisya  does  not  occur  in  any  other 
hymn  of  the  Eig-veda  but  the  Purusha  Sukta ;  only  once  in  the  Atharva-veda,  v.  17,  9  ; 
and  not  at  all  in  the  Vaj.  Sanh.,  except  in  the  Purusha  Sukta.     The  same  scholar 
remarks,  as  another  proof  of  the  comparatively  late  date  of  the  Purusha  Sukta,  that 
it  is  the  only  hymn  which  refers  to  the  four  different  kinds  of  Vedic  compositions 
rich,  saman,  chhandas,  and  yajush. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  15 

arms  of  the  Purusha  are  said  to  have  been  made  a  Kshattriya  (warrior), 
that  means,  then,  that  the  Kshattriyas  have  to  carry  arms  to  defend 
the  empire.  That  the  thighs  of  the  Purusha  were  transformed  into 
the  Vaisya  means  that,  as  the  lower  parts  of  the  hody  are  the  principal 
repository  of  food  taken,  the  Vaisya  caste  is  destined  to  provide  food 
for  the  others.  The  creation  of  the  Shudra  from  the  feet  of  the 
Purusha,  indicates  that  he  is  destined  to  be  a  servant  to  the  others, 
just  as  the  foqt  serves  the  other  parts  of  the  body  as  a  firm  support." 

But  whether  the  writer  of  the  hymn  intended  it  to  be  understood 
allegorically  or  not>  it  conf  eys  no  distinct  idea  of  the  manner  in  which 
he  supposed  the  four  castes  to  have  originated.  It  is,  indeed,  said 
that  the  S'udra  sprang  from  Purusha's  feet ;  but  as  regards  the  three 
superior  castes  and  the  members  with  which  they  are  respectively  con- 
nected, it  is  not  quite  clear  which  (i.e.)  the  castes  or  the  members)  are 
to  be  taken  as  the  subjects  and  which  as  the  predicates,  and  con- 
sequently, whether  we  are  to  suppose  verse  12  to  declare  that  the  three 
castes  were  the  three  members,  or,  conversely,  that  the  three  members 
were,  or  became,  the  three  castes. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  sense  of  the  passage,  it  is  impossible  to 
receive  it  as  enunciating  any  fixed  doctrine  of  the  writers  of  what  is 
called  the  Vedic  age  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  four  castes ;  since 
we  find,  if  not  in  the  mantras  or  hymns,  at  least  in  the  Brahmanas 
(which,  as  we  have  seen  in  page  2,  are  esteemed  by  orthodox  Indian 
writers  as  being  equally  with  the  hymns  a  part  of  the  Veda),  not  only 
(1)  texts  which  agree  with  the  Purusha  Sukta,  but  also  (2)  various 
other  and  discrepant  accounts  of  the  manner  in  which  these  classes 
were  separately  formed,  as  well  as  (3)  third  a  class  of  narratives  of 
the  creation,  in  which  the  production  of  the  human  race  is  described 
without  allusion  to  any  primordial  distinction  of  castes. 

To  the  first  of  these  classes  (viz.,  that  of  texts  which  coincide  more 
or  less  exactly  with  the  Purusha  Sukta)  belongs  the  following  passage 
from  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita. 

SECT.  II. —  Quotation  from  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita,  vii.  1.  1.  4  ff. 

Prajdpatir  akdmayata  "prajdyeya"  iti  \  sa  mukhatas  trivritam  nir- 
amimlta  \  tarn  Agnir  devatd  'nvasuyata  gdyatri  chhandro  rathantaram 


16  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

sdma  brdhmano  manushydndm  ajah  pasundm  \  tasmdt  te  mukhydh  mukhato 
hy  asrijyanta  \  uraso  bdhubhydm  panchadasam  niramimlta  \  tarn  Indro 
devatd  'nvasrijyata  trishtup  chhando  brihat  sdma  rdjanyo  manushydndm 
avih  pasundm  \  tasmdt  te  vlrydvanto  vlrydd  hy  asrijyanta  \  madhy- 
atah  saptadasam  niramimlta  \  tarn  Visvedevdh  devatdh  anv asrijyanta 
jagatl  chhando  vairupam  sdma  vaisyo  manushydndm  gdvah  pasundm 
|  tasmdt  te  ddyd  annadhdndd  hy  asrijyanta  \  tasmdd  bhuydmso  'nye- 
bhyah  \  bhuyishthdh  hi  devatdh  anvasrijyanta  \  pattqh  ekavimsam 
niramimlta  \  tarn  anushtup  chhando  'nvasrijyata  vairdjam  sdma  sudro 
manushydndm  a&vah  pasundm  \  tasmdt  tat*  Ihuta-sankrdmindv  asvas 
cha  sudras  cha  \  tasmdt  sudro  yajne  ' navaJtlripto  na  hi  devatdh  an- 
vasrijyanta |  tasmdt  pdddv  upajlvatah  \  patto  hy  asrijyetdm  \ 
"  Prajapati  desired,  '  may  I  propagate.'  He  formed  the  Trivrit 
(stoma]  from  his  mouth.  After  it  were  produced  the  deity  Agni, 
the  metre  Gayatri,  the  Saman  (called)  Rathantara,  of  men  the  Brah- 
man, of  heasts  the  goats.  Hence  they  are  the  chief  (mukhydh), 
because  they  were  created  from  the  mouth  (muJchataK).  From  (his) 
breast,  from  (his)  arms,  he  formed  the  Panchadasa  (stoma).  After 
it  were  created  the  god  Indra,  the  Trishtubh  metre,  the  Saman 
(called)  Brihat,  of  men  the  Rajanya,  of  beasts  the  sheep.  Hence 
they  are  vigorous,  because  they  were  created  from  vigour.  From 
(his)  middle  he  formed  the  Saptadasa  (stoma).  After  it  were  created 
the  gods  (called)  the  Visvedevas,  the  Jagati  metre,  the  Saman  called 
the  Vairupa,  of  men  the  Vaisya,  of  beasts  kine.  Hence  they  are  to 
be  eaten,  because  they  were  created  from  the  receptacle  of  food. 
Wherefore  they  are  more  numerous  than  others,  for  the  most  numerous 
deities  were  created  after  (the  Saptadasa).  From  his  foot  he  formed 
the  Ekavimsa  (stoma}.  After  it  were  created  the  Anushtubh  metre,  the 
Saman  called  Vairaja,  of  men  the  Sudra,  of  beasts  the  horse.  Hence 
these  two,  both  the  horse  and  the  S'udra,  are  transporters  of  (other) 
creatures.  Hence  (too)  the  S'udra  is  incapacitated  for  sacrifice,  because 
no  deities  were  created  after  (the  Ekavimsa).  Hence  (too)  these  two 
subsist  by  their  feet,  for  they  were  created  from  the  foot." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  17 


SECT.  III. —  Citations  from  the  S'atapatha  Brdhmana,   the  Taittirlya 
Brdhmana,  the  Vdjasaneyi  Sanhitd,  and  the  Atharva-veda. 

The  following  texts  belong  to  the  second  class — i.e.,  that  of  those 
which  recognize  a  distinct  origination  of  the  castes,  but  describe  their 
creation  differently  from  the  Purusha  Sukta : 

S'.  P.  Br.  ii.  1,  4,  11  ff. — "  Bhur"  iti  vai  Prajdpatir  imam  ajanayata 
"  bhuvah  "  ity  antariksham*  "  svar"  iti  divam  \  etdvad  vai  idam  sarvam 
ydvad  ime  lokdh  \  sarvena  eva  ddhlyate  \  "bhur"  iti  vai  Prajdpatir 
brahma  ajanayata  "  bhuvah  "  iti  Itshattram  "  svar  "  iti  visam  \  etdvad 
vai  idam  sarvam  ydvad  brahma  kshattram  vit  \  sarvena  eva  ddhlyate  \ 
"bhur"  iti  vai  Prajdpatir  dtmdnam  ajanayata  "Ihuvah"  iti  prajdm 
"  svar  "  iti  pasun  \  etdvad  vai  idam  sarvam  ydvad  dtmd  prajdh  pasavah  \ 
sarvena  eva  ddhlyate  \ 

"  (Uttering)  '  bhuh,'  Prajapati  generated  this  earth.  (Uttering) 
'  bhuvah,'  he  generated  the  air,  and  (uttering)  '  svah,'  he  generated 
the  sky.  This  universe  is  co-extensive  with  these  worlds.  (The  fire) 
is  placed  with  the  whole.  Saying  '  bhuh,'  Prajapati  generated  the 
Brahman;  (saying) '  bhuvah,"  he  generated  the  Kshattra ;  (and  saying) 
'  svah,'  he  generated  the  Vis.  All  this  world  is  so  much  as  the  Brah- 
man, Kshattra,  and  Vis.  The  fire  is  placed  with  the  whole.  (Saying) 
'bhuh,'  Prajapati  generated  himself;  (saying)  'bhuvah'  he  generated 
offspring ;  (saying)  '  svah,'  he  generated  animals.  This  world  is  so 
much  as  self,  offspring,  and  animals.  (The  fire)  is  placed  with  the 
whole." 

Taitt.  Br.  iii.  12,  9,  2 — Sarvam  hedam  Irahmand  haiva  srishtam  \ 
rigbhyo  jdtam  vaisyam  varnam  dhuh  \  yajurvedam  kshattriyasydhur 
yonim  \  sdmavedo  Irdhmandndm  prasutih  \  purve  purvebhyo  .vacha 
etad  uchuh  \ 

"  This  entire  (universe)  has  been  created  by  Brahma.  Men  say  that 
the  Vaisya  class  was  produced  from  rich-verses.  They  say  that  the 
Yajur-veda  is  the  womb  from  which  the  Kshattriya  was  born.  The 
Sama-veda  is  the  source  from  which  the  Brahmans  sprang.  This  word 
the  ancients  declared  to  the  ancients." 

To  complete  his  account  of  the  derivation  of  the  castes  from  the 

2 


18  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Vedas,  the  author  had  only  to  add  that  the  S'udras  had  sprung  from 
the  Atharvangirases  (the  Atharva-veda) ;  hut  he  perhaps  considered 
that  to  assign  such  an  origin  to  the  servile  order  would  have  been  to  do 
it  too  great  an  honour. 

Yajasaneya  Sanhita,  xiv.  28  ff.  (=  Taittiriya  Sanhita,  iv.  3, 10, 1). — 
elcayd  astuvata  prajdh  adhlyanta  Prajdpatir  adhipatir  dslt  \  tisribhir 
astuvata  brahma  asrijyata  Brahmanaspatir  adhipatir  dtlt  \  panchabhir 
astuvata  bhutdny  asrijyanta  Bhutandmpatir  adhipatir  dslt  \  saptabhir 
astuvata  sapta  rishayo  Asrijyanta  Dhdtd  adhipatir  uslt  \  navdbhir  astu- 
vata pitaro  'srijyanta  Aditir  adhipatny  dslt  \*elcddasabhir  astuvata  ritavo 
'srijyanta  drtavdfy  adhipatayah  dsan  \  trayodasabhir  astuvata  mdsd  asrij- 
yanta samvatsaro  'dhipatir  dslt  \  panchadasabfiir  astuvata  kshattram  as- 
rijyata  Indro  'adhipatir  dslt  \  saptadasabhir  astuvata  pasavo  'srijyanta 
Brihaspatir  adhipatir  dslt  \  navadasabhir  astuvata  sudrdrydv  asrijyetdm 
ahordtre  adhipatnl  dstdm  \  ekammsatyd  astuvata  ekaiaphdh  pasavo  'srij- 
yanta Varuno  'dhipatir  dslt  \  trayovimsatyd  astuvata  Icshudrdh  pasavo 
'srijyanta  Pushd  adhipatir  dslt  \  panchavimsatyd  astuvata  aranydh 
pasavo  'srijyanta  Vdyur  adhipatir  dslt  \  saptavimsatyd  astuvata  dydvd- 
prithivl  vyaitdm  \  Vasavo  Rudrd  Aditydh  anuvydyan  \  te  eva  adhipa- 
tayah dsan  |  navavimsatyd  astuvata  vanaspatayo  'srijyanta  Somo  'dhipatir 
dslt  |  ekatrimsatd  astuvata  prajd  asrijyanta  yavds  cha  ayavds  cha  adhi- 
patayah dsan  |  trayastrimsatd  astuvata  bhutdny  asdmyan  Prajupatih 
Parameshthl  adhipatir  dslt  \ 

"  He  lauded  with  one.  Living  heings  were  formed :  Prajapati  was 
the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  three:  the  Brahman  (Brahman)  was  created  : 
Brahmanaspati  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  five :  existing  things 
were  created :  Bhutanampati  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  seven  : 
the  seven  rishis  were  created :  Dhatri  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with 
nine  :  the  Fathers  were  created :  Aditi  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with 
eleven :  the  seasons  were  created :  the  Artavas  were  the  rulers.  He 
lauded  with  thirteen :  the  months  were  created :  the  year  was  the  ruler. 
He  lauded  with  fifteen :  the  Kshattra  (the  Kshattriya)  was  created  : 
Indra  was  the  ruler.  He  laude'd  with  seventeen :  animals  were 
created :  Brihaspati  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  nineteen  :  the 
S'udra  and  the  Arya  (Yaisya)  were  created :  day  and  night  were  the 
rulers.  He  lauded  with  twenty-one :  animals  with  undivided  hoofs 
were  created :  Varuna  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  twenty-three  : 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  19 

small  animals  were  created :  Pushan  was  the  ruler.  He  lauded  with 
twenty-five :  wild  animals  were  created  :  Vayu  was  the  ruler  (compare 
R.V.  x.  90,  8).  He  lauded  with  twenty-seven :  heaven  and  earth  sepa- 
rated :  Vasus,  Rudras,  and  Adityas  separated  after  them :  they  were  the 
rulers.  He  lauded  with  twenty-nine :  trees  were  created  :  Soma  was 
the  ruler.  He  lauded  with  thirty-one :  living  beings  were  created : 
The  first  and  second  halves  of  the  month 51  were  the  rulers.  He  lauded 
with  thirty-one :  existing  things  were  tranquillized :  Prajapati  Pa- 
rameshthin  was  the  ruler."  This  passage  is  explained  in  the  S'atapatha 
Brahmana  viii.  4,  3,  1  if. 

The  following  text  is  of  a  somewhat  mystical  description ;  but 
appears  to  intimate  a  distinction  in  nature  between  the  different  castes 
corresponding  to  that  of  the  gods  with  whom  they  are  associated : 

S'.P.Br.  xiv.  4,  2,  23  (=BrihadaranyakaUpanishad,  i.  4,  llff.  (p. 
235). — Brahma  vai  idam  agre  dsld  ekam  eva]\  tad  ekam  san  na  vyabliavat  \ 
|  tat  sreyo  rupam  aty  asrijata  lishattram  ydny  etdni  devatrd  kshattrdni 
Indro  Varunah  Somo  Rudrah  Parjanyo  Yamo  Mrityur  Isdnah  iti  \  tasmdt 
Icshattrdt  param  ndsti  \  tasmad  Irdhmanah  kshattriydd  adhastdd  updste 
rdjasuye  Tcshattre  eva  tad  yaso  dadhdti  \  sd  eshd  Icshattrasya  yonir  yad 
brahma  \  tasmad  yadyapi  raja  paramatdm  gachhati  brahma  eva  antatah 
upanisrayati  svdm  yonim  \  yah  u  ha  enam  hinasti  svdm  sa  yonim  richhati 
|  sapdplyun  lhavati  yathd  sreydnsam  himsitvd  \  24.  Sa  na  eva  vyabharat 
|  sa  visam  asrijata  ydny  etdni  deva-jdtdni  ganasah  dkhydyante  vasaro 
rudrdh  dditydh  visvedevdh  marutah  iti  \  25.  Sa  na  eva  vyalhavat  \ 
sa  saudram  varnam  asrijata  pushanam  \  iyam  vai  pushd  iyam  hi  idam 
sarvam pushy ati  yad  idam  Icincha  \  26.  Sana  eva  vyalhavat  \  tat  sreyo 
rupam  aty  asrijata  dharmam  \  tad  etat  kshattrasya  Tcshattram  yad  dhar- 
mah  |  tasmad  dharmdt  param  ndsti  \  atho  dbaliydn  laliydmsam  dsam- 
sate  dharmena  yathd  rdjnd  evam  \  yo  vai  sa  dharmah  satyam  vai  tat 
|  tasmdt  satyam  vadantam  dhur  "dharmam  vadati"  iti  \  dharmam  vd 

31  The  Taittiriya  Sanhita  reads  yavah  and  ayavah  (instead  of  yavah  and  ayavrih  as 
in  the  Vajasaneyi  Sanhita)  and  in  another  passage,  v.  3,  4,  5  (as  I  learn  from  Prof. 
Aufrecht),  explains  these  terms  to  mean  respectively  months  and  half  months  (masa 
vai  yavah  ardhamasah  ayavah),  •whilst  the  commentator  on  the  V.  S.  understands 
them  to  mean  the  first  and  second  halves  of  the  month,  in  accordance  •with  the  S'.P.  B. 
viii.  4,  3,  18,  and  viii.  4,  2,  11  (purvapaksha  vai  yavah  aparapaksha  ayavah  \  te  hi 
idam  sarvam  yuvate  chayuvate  cha)  \  Prof.  Aufrecht  also  points  out  that  yava  is  ex- 
plained in  Katyayana's  S'rauta  Sutras,  iv.  11,  8,  as  equivalent  to  yavamayam  apupatn, 
"  a  cake  of  barley." 


20  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

vadantam  "  satyam  vadati"  iti  \  etad  hy  eva  etad  ubhayam  bhavati  \ 
27.  Tad  etad  brahma  kshattram  vit  sudrah  \  tad  Agnina  eva  deveshu 
brahmdbhavad  brdhmano  manushyeshu  kshattriyena  ksJiattriyo  vaisyena 
vaisyah  sudrena  sudrah  \  tasmdd  Agnav  eva  deveshu  lokam  ichhante 
brdhmane  manushyeshu  \  etdbhydm  hi  rupabhydm  brahma  abhavat  \ 

23.  "  Brahma  (here,  according  to  the  commentator,  existing  in  the 
form  of  Agni,  and  representing  the  Brahman  caste 32)  was  formerly  this 
(universe),  one  only.  Being  one,  it  did  not  develope.  It-  energetically 
created  an  excellent  form,  the  Kshattra,  viz.,  those  among  the  gods 
who  are  powers  (kshattrdni*),  Indra,  Varuna,  Soma,  Rudra,  Parjanya, 
Tama,  Mrityu,  Isana.  Hence  nothing  is  superior  to  the  Kshattra. 
Therefore  the  Brahman  sits  below  the  Kshattriya  at  the  rajasuya-sacri- 
fice ;  he  confers  that  glory  on  the  Kshattra  (the  royal  power).33  This, 
the  Brahma,  is  the  source  of  the  Kshattra.  Hence,  although  the  king 
attains  supremacy,  he  at  the  end  resorts  to  the  Brahma  as  his  source. 
Whoever  destroys  him  (the  Brahman)  destroys  his  own  source.  He 
becomes  most  miserable,  as  one  who  has  injured  a  superior.  24.  He 
did  not  develope.  He  created  the  Vis — viz.,  those  classes  of  gods  who 
are  designated  by  troops,  Vasus,  Rudras,  Adityas,  Yisvedevas,  Maruts. 
25.  He  did  not  develope.  He  created  the  Sudra  class,  Pushan.  This 
earth  is  Pushan :  for  she  nourishes  all  that  exists.  26.  He  did  not 
develope.  He  energetically  created  an  excellent  form,  Justice  (Dharma}. 
This  is  the  ruler  (kshattra)  of  the  ruler  (kshattra},  namely,  Justice. 
Hence  nothing  is  superior  to  justice.  Therefore  the  weaker  seeks  (to 
overcome)  the  stronger  by  justice,  as  by  a  king.  This  justice  is 
truth.  In  consequence  they  say  of  a  man  who  speaks  truth,  '  he  speaks 


3S  Atra  yad  atma-iabdenoktam  srashtri  Brahma  tad  Agnim  srishtva  agre  Agni-ru- 
papannam  Brahmana-jaty-abhimanavad  asmin  vaJcye  Brahma-sabdenabhidhlyate  \ 

33  This  rendering  of  the  last  few  words  is  suggested  by  Professor  Aufrecht.  The 
commentators  understand  them  to  mean  that  the  Brahmans  give  the  king  their  own 
glory  (that  of  being  a  Brahman) :  and  they  refer  to  a  formula  by  which  at  the  rajasuya- 
sacriflce  the  king,  after  addressing  the  priest  as  Brahman,  is  addressed  in  return  with 
the  word  "  Thou,  king,  art  a  Brahman"  (tvam  rajan  brafimasi),  etc.  See  the  Taittiriya 
Sanhita  i.  8,  16,  1,  where  the  commentator  remarks  .  "As  in  common  life  domestic 
priests  and  others,  sitting  below  a  king  seated  on  his  throne  after  his  return  from  con- 
quering a  foreign  territory,  address  him  with  many  benedictions  and  eulogies,  so 
here  too  service  is  presented.  By  this  benedictory  service  the  power  of  cursing  and 
showing  kindness  existing  in  the  Brahmans  is  transferred  to  the  king."  Reference  is 
then  made  to  the  passage  before  us,  as  noticing  this  custom. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  21 

justice ;'  or  of  a  man  who  is  uttering  justice,  'he  speaks  truth.'  For 
this  is  both  of  these.  27.  This  is  the  Brahma,  Kshattra,  Vis,  and 
S'udra.  Through  Agni  it  became  Brahma  among  the  gods,  the  Brah- 
man among  men,  through  the  (divine)  Kshattriya  a  (human)  Kshat- 
triya,  through  the  (divine)  Vaisya  a  (human)  Vaisya,  through  the 
(divine)  Sudra  a  (human)  S'udra.  Wherefore  it  is  in  Agni  among 
the  gods  and  in  a  Brahman  among  men,  that  they  seek  after  an  abode." 

Taittiriya  Brahmana,  i.  2,  6,  7. — Daivyo  vai  varno  brdhmanah  \ 
asuryyo  sudrah.  "  The  Brahman  caste  is  sprung  from  the  gods ;  the 
S'udra  from  the  Asuras." 

Taittirlya  Brahmana,  iii.  2,  3,  9. — Kdmam  eva  ddru-pdtrena  duhydt  \ 
sudrah  eva  na  duhydt  \  asato  vai  esha  sambhuto  yat  sudrah  \  ahavir  eva 
tad  ity  dhur  yat  sudro  dogdhi  iti  \  agnihotram  eva  na  duhydt  sudrah  \ 
tad  hi  na  utpunanti  \  yadd  Tthalu  vai  pavitram  atyeti  atha  tad  havir  iti  \ 
"  Let  him  at  his  will  milk  out  with  a  wooden  dish.  But  let  not  a 
Sudra  milk  it  out.  For  this  S'udra  has  sprung  from  non-existence. 
They  say  that  that  which  a  S'udra  milks  out  is  no  oblation.  Let  not  a 
S'udra  milk  out  the  Agnihotra.  For  they  do  not  purify  that.  When 
that  passes  beyond  the  filter,  then  it  is  an  oblation." 

Atharva-veda,  iv.  6,  1. — Brdhmano  jajne  prathamo  dasaslrsho  dasda- 
yah  |  sa  somam  prathamah  papau  sa  chakdrdrasam  visham  \  "The 
Brahman  was  born  the  first,  with  ten  heads  and  ten  faces.  He  first 
drank  the  soma ;  he  made  poison  powerless." 

As  the  description  (which  is,  perhaps,  a  fragment  of  a  longer 
account),  stops  short  here,  we  are  left  in  the  dark  as  to  the  author's 
ideas  about  the  creation  of  the  other  castes.  '  It  would  have  interested 
us  to  know  how  many  heads  and  faces  he  would  have  assigned  to  the 
other  three  castes.  The  student  of  Indian  poetry  is  aware  that  the 
giant  Ravana  is  represented  in  the  Ramayana  both  as  a  Brahman  and 
as  having  ten  heads. 

As  implying  a  separate  origination  of  the  Raj  any  a  caste,  the  fol- 
lowing text  also  may  find  a  place  here : 

Taittirlya  Sanhita,  ii.  4,  13,  1. — Devd  vai  rdjanydj  jdyamdndd  abi- 
bhayuh  |  tarn  antar  eva  santam  ddmnd  Jpaumbhan  \  sa  vai  esho  'jpobdho 
jay  ate  yad  rdjanyo  \  yad  vai  esho  'napobdhojdyetavrittrdn  ghams  charet  \ 
yam  kdmayeta  rdjanyam  "  anapobdho  jdyeta  vrittrdn  ghams  chared"  iti 
tasmai  etam  aindrd-bdrhaspatyam  charum  nirvapet  \  aindro  vai  rdjanyo 


22  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

brahma  Brihaspatih  \  brahmand  eva  enaih  damno  'pombhandd  munchati  \ 
hiranmayam  ddma  dakshind  sdkshdd  eva  enam  damno  'pombhandd  mun- 
chati |  "The  gods  were  afraid  of  the  Kajanya  when  he  was  in  the 
womb.  They  bound  him  with  bonds  when  he  was  in  the  womb.  Con- 
sequently this  Kajanya  is  born  bound.  If  he  were  born  unbound  he 
would  go  on  slaying  his  enemies.  In  regard  to  whatever  Kajanya  any 
one  desires  that  he  should  be  born  unbound,  and  should  go  on  slaying 
his  enemies,  let  him  offer  for  him  this  Aindra-Barhaspatya  oblation. 
A  Kajanya  has  the  character  of  Indra,  and  a  Brahman  is  Brihaspati. 
It  is  through  the  Brahman  that  anyone  releases  the  Rajanya  from  his 
bond.  The  golden  bond,  a  gift,  manifestly  releases  from  the  bond  that 
fetters  him." 

In  the  following  text  of  the  Atharva-veda,  xv.  8,  1,  a  new  account 
is  given  of  the  origin  of  the  Rajanyas  : 

So  'rajyata  tato  rdjanyo  'jdyata  \ 

"He  (the  Vratya)  became  filled  with  passion:  thence  sprang  the 
Kajanya." 

And  in  the  following  paragraph  (A.  V.  xv.  9, 1  ff)  we  have  the  same 
origin  ascribed  to  the  Brahman  also  : 

Tadyasya  evam  vidvdn  vrdtyo  rdjno  '  tithir  grihdn  daachhet  sreyamsam 
enam  dtmano  mdnayet  \  tathd  kshattrdya  ndvrischate  tathd  rdshtrdya 
ndvrischate  \  ato  vai  brahma  cha  kshattram  cha  udatishthatdm  \  te  abru- 
tam  "  kam  pravisdva  "  iti  \ 

"  Let  the  king  to  whose  house  the  Vratya  who  knows  this,  comes 
as  a  guest,  cause  him  to  be  respected  as  superior  to  himself.  So  doing 
he  does  no  injury  to  his  royal  rank,  or  to  his  realm.  From  him  arose 
the  Brahman  (Brahman)  and  the  Kshattra  (Kshattriya).  They  said, 
'  Into  whom  shall  we  enter,'  etc." 


SECT.  IV. — Further  Quotations  from  the  Taittirlya  £rdhmana,  Sanhitd, 
and  Aranyaka,  and  from  the  S'atapatha  Srdhmana. 

The  following  passages  belong  to  the  third  of  the  classes  above  ad- 
verted to,  as  in  the  descriptions  they  give  of  the  creation,  while  they 
refer  to  the  formation  of  men,  they  are  silent  on  the  subject  of  any 
separate  origination  of  castes  : 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  23 

Taittiriya  Brahmana,  ii.  3,  8,  1. — Prajdpatir  akdmayata  "prajdyeya  " 
iti  |  »a  tapo  'tapyata  \  so  'ntarvdn  abhavat  \  sa  haritah  sydvo  'bhavat  \ 
tasmdt  strl  antarvatnl  harinl  satl  sydvd  bhavati  \  sa  vijdyamdno  garbhena 
atdmyat  \  sa  tdntah  krishna-sydvo  'bhavat  \  tasmdt  tdntah  krishnah 
syavo  bhavati  \  tasya  asur  eva  ajlvat  \  2.  Tena  asund  asurdn  asrijata  \  tad 
asurdnam  asuratvam  \  ya  evam  asurdndm  asuratvam  veda  asumdn  eva 
bhavati  \  na  enam  asur  jahdti  \  so  'surdn  srishtvd  pita  iva  amanyata  \ 
tad  anu  pitrln  asrijata  \  tat  pitrmdm  pitritvam  \  ya  evam  pitrlndm 
pitritvam,  veda  pita  iva  eva  svdnam  bhavati  (3)  yanty  asya  pitaro  havam  \ 
sa  pitrln  srishtvd  'manasyat  \  tad  anu  manushydn  asrijata  \  tad  manu- 
shydndm  manushyatvam  \  yah  evam  mamtshydndm  manushyatvam  veda 
manasvi  eva  bhavati  na  enam  manur  jahdti  \  tasmai  manushydn  sasri- 
jdnaya  diva  devatrd  abhavat  \  tad  anu  devdn  asrijata  \  tad  devdndm 
devatvam  \  ya  evam  devdndih  devatvam  veda  diva  ha  eva  asya  devatrd 
bhavati  \  tdni  vai  etdni  chatvdri  ambhdmsi  devdh  manushydh  pitaro 
'surdh  \  teshu  sarveshu  ambho  nabhah  iva  bhavati  \ 

"Prajapati  desired,  'may I  propagate.'  He  practised  austerity.  He 
became  pregnant.  He  became  yellow-brown.34  Hence  a  woman  when 
pregnant,  beingy  ellow,  becomes  brown.  Being  pregnant  with  a  foetus, 
he  became  exhausted.  Being  exhausted,  he  became  blackish-brown. 
Hence  an  exhausted  person  becomes  blackish-brown.  His  breath  be- 
came alive.  2.  "With  that  breath  (asu)  he  created  Asuras.  Therein  con- 
sists the  Asura-nature  of  Asuras.  He  who  thus  knows  this  Asura- 
nature  of  Asuras  becomes  a  man  possessing  breath.  Breath  does  not 
forsake  him.  Having  created  the  Asuras,  he  regarded  himself  as  a 
father.  After  that  he  created  the  Fathers  (Pitris).  That  constitutes 
the  fatherhood  of  the  Fathers.  He  who  thus  knows  the  fatherhood  of 
the  Fathers,  becomes  as  a  father  of  his  own :  (3)  the  Fathers  resort  to 
his  oblation.  Having  created  the  Fathers,  he  reflected.  After  that  he 
created  men.  That  constitutes  the  manhood  of  men.  He  who  knows 
the  manhood  of  men,  becomes  intelligent.  Mind35  does  not  forsake  him. 
To  him,  when  he  was  creating  men,  day  appeared  in  the  heavens. 
After  that  he  created  the  gods.  This  constitutes  the  godhead  of  the 
gods.  To  him  who  thus  knows  the  godhead  of  the  gods,  day  appears  in 

34  N'da-sveta-misra-varnah,   "  of   a   mixed   blue    and    white  colour,"  says  the 
Commentator. 

35  Manuh  =  manana-saktih,  "  the  power  of  thinking."    Comm. 


24  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

the  heavens.    .These  are  the  four  streams,38  viz.,  gods,  men,  Fathers, 
and  Asuras.     In  all  of  these  water  is  like  the  air." 

S'atapatha  Brahmana,  vii.  5,  2,  6. — Prajdpatir  vai  idam  agre  dsld 
ekah  eva  \  so  'kdmayata  "  annam  srijeya  prajdyeya  "  iti  \  saprdnebhyah 
eva  adhi  pasun  niramimlta  manasah  purusham  chakshusho  'svam  prdndd 
gam  srotrddavim  vdcho  'jam  \  tad  yad  endn  prdnebhyo  'dhi  niramimlta 
tasmdd  dhuh  "prdndh  paSavah  "  iti  \  mano  vai  prdndndm  prathamam  \ 
tad  yad  manasah  purusham  niramimlta  tasmdd  dhuh  <lpurushah  pratha- 
mah  pasundm  vlryyavattamah  "  iti  \  mano  qai  sarve  prdndh  \  manasi 
hi  sarve  prdndh  pratishfhitdh  \  tad  yad  manasah  purusham  niramimlta 
tasmdd  dhuh  "purushah  sarve  pasavah"  iti  \  purushasya  hy  ete  sarve 
bhavanti  \ 

"Prajapati  was  formerly  this  (universe),  one  only.  He  desired,  •' let 
me  create  food,  and  he  propagated.'  He  formed  animals  from  his 
hreaths,  a  MAN  from  his  soul,  a  horse  from  his  eye,  a  bull  from  his 
breath,  a  sheep  from  his  ear,  a  goat  from  his  voice.  Since  he  formed 
animals  from  his  breaths,  therefore  men  say,  '  the  breaths  are  animals.' 
The  soul  is  the  first  of  the  breaths.  Since  he  formed  a  man  from  his 
soul,  therefore  they  say,  '  man  is  the  first  of  the  animals,  and  the 
strongest.'  The  soul  is  all  the  breaths;  for  all  the  breaths  depend 
upon  the  soul.  Since  he  formed  man  from  his  soul,  therefore  they 
say,  '  man  is  all  the  animals ;'  for  all  these  are  man's." 

S'.  P.  Br.  xiv.  4,  2,  1  (=  Brihadaranyaka  TJpanishad,  p.  125). — Atmd 
eva  idam  agre  dslt purusha-vidhah  \  so  'nuvlkshya  na  anyad  dtmano  'pasyat  \ 
"so  'ham  asmi"  ity  agre  vydharat  \  tato  'ham-ndmd  abhavat  \  tasmdd 
apy  etarhy  dmantrito  "  'ham  ayam"  ity  eva  agre  uktvd  atha  anyad  ndma 
prabrute  yad  asya  bhai-ati  \  2.  Sa  yat  purvo  'smdt  sarvasmdt  sarvdn 
pdpmanah  aushat  tasmdt  purushah  \  oshati  ha  vai  sa  tarn  yo  'smdt  pur- 
vam  bubhushati  yah  evam  veda  \  3.  So  'bibhet  \  tasmdd  ekdkl  bibheti  \ 

36  The  Commentary  not  very  satisfactorily  explains  this  as  meaning,  "  All  these 
four  abodes  of  the  gods,  etc.,  are  like  waters — »'.*.,  suited  to  yield  enjoyment,  as 
ponds,  rivers,  etc.,  are  fit  for  bathing,  drinking,"  etc.  The  phrase  is  repeated  in  the 
Vishnu  PuraQa,  i.  5  (vol.  i.,  p.  79,  of  Dr.  Hall's  edition) ;  and  in  his  note  Professor 
"Wilson  says  ambhamti  "  is  also  a  peculiar  and  probably  a  mystic  term."  It  is  ex- 
plained in  the  Vayu  Purana,  as  will  be  seen  further  on.  The  last  words  of  the  quo- 
tation from  the  Brahmana  are  obscure.  In  another  passage  of  the  same  work  (iii.  8, 
18,  1,  2)  the  terms  ambhas,  nabhas,  and  mahas,  are  declared  to  denote  respectively 
"earth,"  "air,"  and  "sky"  (  .  .  .  ayam  vat  loko  'mbhanisi  .  .  .  antariksham  vai 
nabhamsi  .  ,  .  asau  vai  loko  mahamsi). 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  25 

sa  ha  ay  am  ikshdnchaJcre  yad  "mad  any  ad  ndsti  kasmdd  nu  bibhemi" 
iti  |  tatah  eva  asya  bhayam  vlydya  \  kasmdd  hy  abheshyat  \  dvitlydd  vai 
bhayam  bhavati  \  4.  Sa  vai  naiva  reme  \  tasmdd  ekdkt  na  ramate  \  sa 
dvitlyam  aichhat  \  sa  ha  etdvdn  dsa  yathd  strl-pumdmsau  samparishvak- 
tau  |  5.  Sa  imam  eva  dtmdnam  dvedhd  'pdtayat  \  tatah  patih  patnl  cha 
abhavatdm  \  tasmdd  " idam  ardhavrigalam  iva  svah"  iti  ha  sma  aha  Taj- 
navalkyah  \  tasmdd  dkdsah  striyd  puryate  eva  \  tarn  samabhavat  \  tato 
manushydh  afdyanta  \  6.  Sd  u  ha  iyam  ikshdnchakre  "  katJiam  nu  ma 
dtmanah  eva  janayitvd  sambhavati  hanta  tiro  'sdni "  iti  \  7.  Sd  gaur 
abhavat  vrishabhah  itaras  tdm  sam  eva  abhavat  \  tato  gdvah  ajdyanta  \ 
8.  Vadava  Hard  abhavad  asvavrishah  itarah  aardabhl  itard  gardabhah 
itaras  tdm  sam  eva  abhavat  \  tatah  ekasapham  ajdyata  \  9.  Ajd  itard 
abhavad  vastah  itarah  avir  itard  meshah  itarah  \  tdm  sam  eva  abhavat 
tato  'jdvayo  'jdyanta  \  evam  eva  yad  idam  kincha  mithunam  d  pippllikd- 
bhyas  tat  sarvam  asrij'ata  |ST 

"This  universe  was  formerly  soul  only,  in  the  form  of  Purusha. 
Looking  closely,  he  saw  nothing  but  himself  (or  soul).  He  first  said, 
'  This  is  I.'  Then  he  became  one  having  the  name  of  I.  Hence  even  now 
a  man,  when  called,  first  says,  'this  is  I,'  and  then  declares  the  other 
name  which  he  has.  2.  Inasmuch  as  he,  before  (purvah)  all  this,  burnt 
up  (aushat]  all  sins,  he  (is  called)  purusha.  The  man  who  knows  this 
burns  up  the  person  who  wishes  to  be  before  him.  3.  He  was  afraid. 
Hence  a  man  when  alone  is  afraid.  This  (being)  considered  that  '  there 
is  no  other  thing  but  myself :  of  what  am  I  afraid  ?'  Then  his  fear  de- 
parted. For  why  should  he  have  feared  ?  It  is  of  a  second  person  that 
people  are  afraid.  4.  He  did  not  enjoy  happiness.  Hence  a  person 
when  alone  does  not  enjoy  happiness.  He  desired  a  second.  He  was 
so  much  as  a  man  and  a  woman  when  locked  in  embrace.  5.  He 
caused  this  same  self  to  fall  asunder  into  two  parts.  Thence  arose  a 
husband  and  a  wife.38  Hence  Yajvanalkya  has  said  that  '  this  one's 
self  is  like  the  half*9  of  a  split  pea.'  Hence  the  void  is  filled  up  by 

37  This  passage  has  been  already  translated  by  Mr.  Colebrooke,  Essays  i.  64,  as 
well  as  by  Dr.  Roer,  in  the  Bibliotheca  Indica. 

33  Manu  and  S'atarupa,  according  to  the  Commentator. 

39  Compare  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  3,  3,  o.  Atho  arddho  vai  esha  atmano  y  at  patnl  \  "Now 
a  wife  is  the  half  of  one's  self;"  and  ibid.  iii.  3,  3,  1  :  Ayajno  vai  esha  yo  'patnlkah  \ 
na  prajah  prajayeran  \  "  The  man  who  has  no  wife  is  unfit  to  sacrifice.  No  children 
will  be  born  to  him."  We  must  not,  however,  suppose  from  these  passages  tnat  the 


26  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

woman.40  He  cohabited  with  her.  From  them  MEN  were  born.  6.  She 
reflected,  '  how  does  he,  after  having  produced  me  from  himself,  cohabit 
with  me  ?  Ah  !  let  me  disappear.'  7.  She  became  a  cow,  and  the  other 
a  bull ;  and  he  cohabited  with  her.  From  them  kine  were  produced. 
8.  The  one  became  a  mare,  the  other  a  stallion,  the  one  a  she-ass,  the 
other  a  male-ass.  He  cohabited  with  her.  From  them  the  class  of 
animals  with  undivided  hoofs  was  produced.  The  one  became  a  she-goat, 
the  other  a  he-goat,  the  one  a  ewe,  the  other  a  ram.  He  cohabited 
with  her.  From  them  goats  and  sheep  were  produced.  In  this  manner 
pairs  of  all  creatures  whatsoever,  down  to  ants,  were  created." 

The  next  passage  describes  men  as  descendants  of  Vivasvat,  or  the 
Sun,  without  specifying  any  distinction  of  classes : 

Taittiriya  Sanhita  vi.  5,  6,  1  f. — Aditik  putraJtdmd  sddhyebhyo  deve- 
bhyo  Irahmaudanam  apaehat  \  tasyai  uchchheshanam  adaduh  \  tat  praindt 
sd  reto  'dhatta  \  tasyai  chatvdrah  Aditydh  ajdyanta  \  sd  dvittyam  apa- 
ehat |  sd  'manyata  "  uchchheshandd  me  ime  'jnata  \  yad  agre  prdsishydmi 
ito  me  vaslydmso  janishyante  "  iti  \  sd  'gre  prdindt  sd  reto  'dhatta  tasyai 
vyriddham  dndam  ajdyata  \  sd  Adityebhyah  eva  tritiyam  apaehat  "bhogdya 
me  idam  srdntam  astv"  iti  \  te  'bruvan  "  varam  vrindmahai  yo  'tojdyu- 
tai  asmdlcam  sa  eko  'sat  \  yo  'sya  prajdydm  ridhydtai  asmdkam  Ihogdya 
bhavdd"  iti  \  tato  Fivasvdn  Adityo  'jdyata  \  tasya  vai  iyam  prajd  yad 
mamishydh  \  tdsv  ekah  eva  riddho  yo  yajate  sa  devdndm  lihogdya  bhavati  \ 

"  Aditi,  desirous  of  sons,  cooked  a  Brahmaudana  oblation  for  the  gods 
the  Sadhyas.  They  gave  her  the  remnant  of  it.  This  she  ate.  She 
conceived  seed.  Four  Adityas  were  born  to  her.  She  cooked  a  second 
(oblation).  She  reflected,  '  from  the  remains  of  the  oblation  these  sons 
have  been  born  to  me.  If  I  shall  eat  (the  oblation)  first,  more  brilliant 

estimation  in  which  women  were  held  by  the  authors  of  the  Brahmanas  was  very  high, 
as  there  are  other  texts  in  which  they  are  spoken  of  disparagingly;  such  as  the 
following :  Taitt.  Sanh.  vi.  5,  8,  2. — Sa  somo  natishthata  strlbhyo  grihyamanah  \ 
tarn  ghritam  vajram  kritva  'ghnan  tarn  nirindriyam  bhutam  agrihnan  \  tasniat  striyo 
nirindriya  adayadir  api  papal  pumsa  upastitaram  vadanti  \  "  Soma  did  not  ahide, 
when  being  poured  out  to  women.  Making  that  butter  a  thunderbolt  they  smote  it. 
They  poured  it  out  when  it  had  become  powerless.  Hence  women,  powerless,  and 
portionless,  speak  more  humbly  than  even  a  poor  man."  (Compare  the  quotation  in 
the  Commentary  on  the  Taitt.  Sanhita,  Vol.  i.  p.  996.)  Taitt.  Sanh.  vi.  5,  10,  3. 
Tasmat  striyam  jatam  parasyanti  ut  pumamsam  haranii  \  "  Hence  they  reject  a 
female  (child)  when  born,  and  take  up  a  male."  (Compare  Nirukta,  iii.  4.) 

40  Compare  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  3,  10,  4.  Projaya  hi  manushyah  purnah,  "  For  by  off- 
spring a  man  is  completed." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  27 

(sons)  will  be  born  to  me.  She  ate  it  first ;  she  conceived  seed ;  an  im- 
perfect egg  was  produced  from  her.  She  cooked  a  third  (oblation)  for 
the  Adityas,  (repeating  the  formula)  '  may  this  religious  toil  have  been 
undergone  for  my  enjoyment.'  The  Adityas  said,  '  Let  us  choose  a  boon : 
let  any  one  who  is  produced  from  this  be  ours  only ;  let  anyone  of  his 
progeny  who  is  prosperous  be  for  us  a  source  of  enjoyment.'  In  con- 
sequence the  Aditya  Vivasvat  was  born.  This  is  his  progeny,  namely 
MEN.41  Among  them  he  alone  who  sacrifices  is  prosperous,  and  be- 
comes a  cause  of  enjoyment  to  the  gods."48 

The  passages  next  following  do  not  specify  separately  the  creation  of 
men  (who  must,  however,  be  understood  as  included  along  with  other 
beings  under  the  designation  prajdh,  "  offspring,"  or  "  creatures,")  and 
therefore  afford  less  distinct  evidence  that  their  authors  did  not  hold 
the  fourfold  origin  of  mankind. 

The  first  of  these  extracts  is  especially  interesting,  both  on  account 
of  its  own  tenor,  and  because  (along  with  Taitt.  Br.  ii.  3,  8, 1  ff.  quoted 
in  p.  23)  it  contains  the  germ  of  one  of  the  Puranic  accounts  of  the 
creation  which  will  be  adduced  in  a  subsequent  section. 

Taitt.  Br.  ii.  2,  9,  1  ff. — Idam  vai  agre  naiva  Icinchana  dsit  \  na  dyaur 
dsld  na  prithivl  na  antariksham  \  tad  asad  evasad  mano  'kuruta  "  sydm" 
iti  |  tad  atapyata  \  tasmdt  tapandd  dhumo  Ajdyata  \  tad  Ihuyo  'tapyata 
tasmdt  tapandd  Agnir  ajdyata  \  tad  Ihuyo  'tapyata  \  2.  Tasmdt  tapandj 
j'yotir  ajdyata  \  tad  Ihuyo  'tapyata  \  tasmdt  tapandd  archir  ajdyata  \  tad 
Ihuyo1  tapyata  \  tasmdt  tapandd  manchayo 'jdyanta  \  tad  Ihuyo  '  tapyata  \ 
tasmdt  tapandd  uddrdh  ajdyanta  \  tad  bhuyo  'tapyata  \  tad  aohram  iva 

41  Compare  Taitt.  Br. i.  8,  8,  1.   Adityah  vai  prajah,  "Creatures  are*  descended 
from  Aditi." 

42  This  story  is  told  also,  but  with  more  detail  of  names  and  somewhat  differently,  in 
Taitt.  Br.  i.   1,  9,  10  ff.  .    Aditih  putrakama  sadhyebhyo  devebhyo  brahmaudanam 
apachat  \  tasyai  uchchheshanam  adaduh  \  tat  prasnat  \  sa  reto  'dhatta  \  tasyai  Dhata 
cha  Aryama  eha  ajayetam  \  sa  dvittyam  apachat  tasyai  uchchheshanam  adaduh  \  tat 
prasnat  \  sa  reto  'dhatta  \  tasyai  Mitras  eha    Varunas  cha  ajayetam  \  sa  tritlyam 
apachat  \  tatyai  uchchheshanam  adaduh  \  tat  prasnat  \  sa  reto  'dhatta  \  tasyai  Am- 
s'ascha  Bhagas  cha  ajayetam  \  sa  chaturtham  apachat  \  taysai  uchchheshanam   ada- 
duh |    tat  prasnat  \    sa  reto  'dhatta  tasyai  Indras'  cha   Vivasvami!  cha  ajayetam  \ 
"  Aditi,  desirous  of  sons,  cooked  a  Brahmaudana  oblation  to  the  gods  the  Sadhyas. 
They  gave  her  the  remnant  of  it.     She  ate  it.     She  conceived  seed.    Dhatri  and 
Aryaman  were  born  to  her."     She  does  the  same  thing  a  second  time,  when  she 
bears  Mitra  and  Varuna, — a  third  time,  when  she  bears  Amsa  and  Bhaga, — and  a 
fourth  time,  when  she  bears  Indra  and  Vivasvat. 


28  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

samahanyata  \  tad  vastim  abhinat  \  3.  Sa  samudro'bhavat  \  tasmdt  samu- 
drasyanapibanti  \  prajananam  iva  hi  many  ante  \  tasmdt  pasor  jdyamdndd 
dpah  purastdd  yanti  \  tad  dasahotd  anvasrijyata  \  Prajdpatir  vai  dasa- 
hotd  |  yah  evam  tapaso  vlryyam  vidvdms  tapyate  lhavaty  eva  \  tad  vai 
idam  apah  salilam  dslt  \  so  'rodlt  Prajdpatih  (4)  "  sa  Icasmai  ajni  yady 
asydpratishthdydh "  iti  \  yad  apsv  avdpadyata  sd  prithivy  abhavat  \ 
yad  vyamrishta  tad  antariksham  abhavat  \  yad  urdhvam  udamrishta  sd 
dyaur  abhavat  \  yadarodlt  tadanayoh  rodastvam  \  5.  Yah  evam  veda  na  asya 
grihe  rudanti  \  etad  vai  eshdm  lokdndm  janma  \  ya  evam  eshdm  lokdndm 
janma  veda  na  eshu  lokesho  drttim  drchhati  \  sa  imam  pratishthdm  avin- 
data  |  sa  imam  pratishthdm  vittvd  akdmayata  "  prajdyeya  "  iti  \  satapo 
'tapyata  \  so  'ntarvdn  abhavat  \  sa  jaghandd  asurdn  asrijata  \  6.  Tebhyo 
mrinmaye  pdtre  'nnam  aduhat  \  yd  asya  sd  tanur  dslt  tdm  apdhata  \  sd 
tamisrd  'bhavat  \  so  'kdmayata  " prajdyeya  "  iti  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  \  so 
'ntarvdn  abhavat  \  sa  prajanandd  eva  prajdh  asrijata  \  tasmdd  imdh 
bhuyishthdh  \  prajanandd  hy  endh  asrijata  \  7.  Tdbhyo  ddrumaye  pdtre 
payo  'duhat  \  yd  asya  sd  tanur  dslt  tdm  apdhata  \  sa  jyotsnd  'bhavat  \ 
so  'kdmayata  "prajdyeya"  iti  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  so  'ntarvdn  abhavat  \  sa 
upapakshdbhydm  eva  ritun  asrijata  \  tebhyo  rajate  pdtre  ghritam  aduhat  \ 
yd  asya  sd  tanur  dslt  (8)  tdm  apdhata  \  so  'ho-rdtrayoh  sandhir  abhavat  \ 
so  'kdmayata  "prajdyeya "  iti  \  sa  tapoi'tapyata  \  so  'ntarvdn  abhavat  \ 
sa  mukhdd  devdn  asrijata  \  tebhyo  harite  pdtre  somam  aduhat  \  yd  asya  sd 
tanur  dslt  tdm  apdhata  \  tad  ahar  abhavat  \  9,  Ete  vai  Prajdpater  dohdh  \ 
ya  evam  veda  duhe  eva  prajdh  \  "diva  vai  no  'bhud"  iti  tad  devdndm 
devatvam  \  ya  evam  devdndm  devatvam  veda  devavdn  eva  bhavati  \  etad  vai 
aho-rdtrdndm  janma  \  ya  evam  aho-rdtrdndm  janma  veda  na  aho-rdtreshu 
drttim  drchhati  \  10.  Asato  'dhi  mano  'srijyata  \  manah  Prajdpatim  asri- 
jata |  Prajdpatih  prajdh  asrijata  \  tad  vai  idam  manasy  eva  paramam 
pratishthitam  yadidam  kincha  \  tad  etat  ivovasyasam  ndma  Brahma  \ 
vyuchhantl  vyuchhantl  asmai  vasyasl  vasyasl  vyuchhati  prajdyate  prajayd 
pasubhih  pra  parameshthino  mdtrdm  dpnoti  ya  evam  veda  \ 

"  At  first  this  (universe)  was  not  anything.  There  was  neither  sky, 
nor  earth,  nor  air.  Being  non-existent,  it  resolved  '  let  me  be.'  It 
became  fervent. 43  From  that  fervour  smoke  was  produced.  It  again 

*3  The  word  thus  rendered  is  atapyata,  which  has  the  sense  of  "  being  heated"  as 
well  as  "  practising  austere  abstraction."  I  have  purposely  given  an  equivocal 
rendering,  which  may  bear  either  sense. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  29 

became  fervent.  From  that  fervour  fire  was  produced.  It  again  became 
fervent.  From  that  fervour  light  was  produced.  It  again  became  fer- 
vent. From  that  fervour  flame  was  produced.  It  again  became  fervent. 
From  that  fervour  rays  were  produced.  It  again  became  fervent. 
From  that  fervour  blazes44  were  produced.  It  again  became  fervent.  It 
became  condensed  like  a  cloud.  It  clove  its  bladder.  That  became 
the  sea.  Hence  men  do  not  drink  of  the  sea.  For  they  regard  it  as 
like  the  plaoe  of  generation.  Hence  water  issues  forth  before  an 
animal  when  it  is  being  born.  After  that  the  Dasahotri  (a  particular 
formula)  was  created.  Frajapati  is  the  Dasahotri.  That  man  suc- 
ceeds, who  thus  knowing  the  power  of  austere  abstraction  (or  fervour), 
practises  it.  This  was  then  water,  fluid.  Prajapati  wept,  (exclaiming), 
(4)  *  For  what  purpose  have  I  been  born,  if  (I  have  been  born)  from 
this  which  forms  no  support  ?'45  That  which  fell 46  into  the  waters 
became  the  earth.  That  which  he  wiped  away,  became  the  air. 
That  which  he  wiped  away,  upwards,  became  the  sky.  From  the 
circumstance  that  he  wept  (arodlt],  these  two  regions  have  the  name 
of  rodasl,  (worlds).  5.  They  do  not  weep  in  the  house  of  the  man 
who  knows  this.  This  was  the  birth  of  these  worlds.  He  who  thus 
knows  the  birth  of  these  worlds,  incurs  no  suffering  in  these  worlds. 
He  obtained  this  (earth  as  a)  basis.  Having  obtained  (this  earth  as  a) 
basis,  he  desired,  '  May  I  be  propagated.'  He  practised  austere  fervour. 
He  became  pregnant.  He  created  Asuras  from  his  abdomen.  6.  To  them 
he  milked  out  food  in  an  earthen  dish.  He  cast  off  that  body  of  his. 
It  became  darkness.47  He  desired,  '  May  I  be  propagated.'  He  practised 

41  Such  is  the  sense  the  commentator  gives  to  the  word  itdarah,  which  he  makes 
=  ulvana-jvalah.  Professor  Roth  (s.  v.)  explains  the  word  as  meaning  "  fogs." 

46  This  is  the  mode  of  rendering  suggested  to  me  by  Professor  Aufrecht.  After  "if" 
the  Commentator  supplies  the  words — "from  this  non-existing  earth  I  can  create  no 
living  creature." 

46  "  Prajapati' s  tears,"  etc.,  according  to  the  commentator. 

47  Compare  S'.  P.  Br.  xi.  1,  6,  8 :  Atho  yo  'yam  avan  prances  tena  asuran  asrijata  \  te 
imam  eva  prithivlm  abhipadya  asrijyanta  \  tasmai  sasrijanaya  tamah  iva  asa  \   9.  So 
'vet  " papmanaTn  vai  asriktthi yasmai  me  sasrijanaya  tamah  iva  abhud"  iti  \  tarns  tatah 
eva  papmana  'vidhyat  \  tatah  eva  te  parabhavann   ityadi  \  "  Then   he  created  the 
Asuras  from  this  lower  breath  of  his.    It  was  only  after  reaching  this  earth  that  they 
were  created.     On  him,  as  he  continued  to  create,  darkness  fell.      9.  He  understood, 
'  I  have  created  misery,  since  darkness  has  fallen  upon  me  as  I  was  creating.*     Then 
he  pierced  them  with  misery,  and  they  in  consequence  succumbed,"  etc.     The  word 
rendered  in  the  text  by  "cast  off"  is  applied  in  Taitt.  Sanh.  i.  5,  4,  1,  to  serpents 


30  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

austere  fervour.  He  became  pregnant.  He  created  living  beings 
(prajah}  from  his  organ  of  generation.  Hence  they  are  the  most  nu- 
merous because  he  created  them  from  his  generative  organ.  8.  To  them 
he  milked  out  milk  in  a  wooden  dish.  He  cast  off  that  body  of  his. 
It  became  moon-light.  He  desired, '  May  I  be  propagated.  He  practised 
austere  fervour.  He  became  pregnant.  He  created  the  seasons  from 
his  armpits.  To  them  he  milked  out  butter  in  a  silver  dish.  He 
cast  off  that  body  of  his.  It  became  the  period  whichti  connects  day 
and  night.  He  desired,  '  May  I  be  propagated/  He  practised  austere 
fervour.  He  became  pregnant.  He  created  the  gods  from  his  mouth.49 
To  them  he  milked  out  Soma  in  a  golden  dish.  He  -cast  off  that 
body  of  his.  It  became  day.  9.  These  are  Prajapati' s  milkings. 
He  who  thus  knows  milks  out  offspring.  'Day  (diva)  has  come 
to  us:'  this  (exclamation  expresses)  the  godhead  of  the  gods.  He 
who  thus  knows  the  godhead  of  the  gods,  obtains  the  gods.  This 
is  the  birth  of  days  and  nights.  He  who  thus  knows  the  birth  of  days 
and  nights,  incurs  no  suffering  in  the  days  and  nights.  10.  Mind 
(or  soul,  manas,)  was  created  from  the  non-existent.  Mind  created 
Prajapati.  Prajapati  created  offspring.  All  this,  whatever  exists,  rests 
absolutely  on  mind. .  This  is  that  Brahma  called  SVovasyasa.49  For  the 
man  who  thus  knows,  (TJshas),  dawning,  dawning,  dawns  more  and 
more  bright ;  he  becomes  prolific  in  offspring,  and  (rich)  in  cattle ;  he 
obtains  the  rank  of  Parameshthin." 

S'.  P.  Br.  vi.  1,  2,  11. — AtJio  dhuh  \  "  Prajdpatir  eva  imdn  lokdn 
srishfvd  prithivydm  pratyatishthat  \  tasmai  imdh  oshadhayo  'nnam  apa- 
chyanta  \  tad  dsndt  \  sa  garlhl  alhavat  \  sa  urdhvebhyah  eva  prdnelhyo 
devdn  asrijata  \  ye  'vanchah  prdnds  tebliyo  martydh  prajdh  "  iti  \  yata- 
mathd  'srijata  tathd  'srijata  \  Prajdpatis  tv  eva  idam  sarvam  asrijata 
yad  idam  kincha  \ 

"Wherefore  they  say,  'Prajapati,  having  created  these  worlds,  was 

shedding  their  old  skins  (sarpah  vaijlryanto.  'manyanta  .  .  .  tato  vai  tejlrnas  tanur 
apaffhnata). 

*8  Compare  S'.  P.  Br.  xi.  1,  6,  7,  quoted  in  the  4th  Vol.  of  this  work,  p.  22  f. 

49  The  Commentator  explains  this  word  to  mean  "  that  which  each  succeeding  day 
becomes  transcendently  excellent  (uttarottara-dine  vaslyo  'tUayena  sreshtham).  Here, 
he  says,  the  highest  and  absolute  Brahma  is  not  meant,  but  mind,  which  has  the  form 
of  Brahma,  and,  by  means  of  the  series  of  its  volitions,  is  every  successive  moment 
more  and  more  world-creating"  (scmJcalpa-paramparaya  pratilcshanam  uttarottara- 
dhilca-jagat-srashtritvad  Idrig-Brahma-rupatvad  manah  prasastam  \ 


AND  OF  THE  OEIGIN  OF  THE  FOTJB  CASTES.  31 

supported  upon  the  earth.  For  him  these  herbs  were  cooked  as  food. 
That  (food)  he  ate.  He  became  pregnant.  He  created  the  gods  from 
his  upper  vital  airs,  and  mortal  offspring  from  his  lower  vital  airs.  In 
whatever  way  he  created,  so  he  created.  But  Prajapati  created  all  this, 
whatever  exists.' " 

S'.  P.  Br.  x.  1,  3,  1. — Prajdpatih  prajdh  asrijata  \  sa  urdhvebhyah 
eva  prdnebhyo  devdn  asrijata  \  ye  'vdnchah  prdnds  telihyo  martydh 
prajdfy  \  utha^urdhvam  eva  mrityum  prajdbhyo  'ttdram  asrijata  \ 

"Prajapati  created  living  beings.  From  his  upper  vital  airs  he 
created  the  gods ;  from  his  lower  vital  airs  mortal  creatures.  After- 
wards he  created  death  a  devourer  of  creatures." 

Taitt.  Ar.  i.  23,  1. — Apo  vai  idam  dsan  salilam  eva  \  sa  Prajdpatir 
ekah  pushkara-parne  samabhavat  \  tasya  antar  manasi  kdmah  samavart- 
tata  "  idam  srijeyam  "  Hi  \  tasmdd  yad  purusho  manasd  'bhigachhati  tad 
vdchd  vadati  tat  karmand  karoti  \  tad  eshd  'bhyanuktd  "  kdmas  tad'  ogre 
samavarttatddhi  \  manaso  retah praihamam  yad  dsit  \  2.  Sato  bandhum  asati 
niravindan  hridi  pratlshyd  kavayo  manlshd  "  iti  \  upa  evam  tad  ttpanam- 
ati  yat-kdmo  bhavati  yah  evam  veda  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  \  sa  tapas  taptvd 
bariram  adhunuta  \  tasya  yad  mtimsam  dslt  tato  'rundh  Ketavo  Vdtara- 
£andh  rishayah  udatishfhan  \  3.  Ye  nakhds  te  Vaikhdnasdh  \  ye  balds  te 
Bdlakhilydh  \  yo  rasah  so  'pdm  antar atah  kurmam  bhutam  sarpantam 
tarn  abravit  "mama  vai  tvan-mdmsd  samabhut"  \  4.  "na"  ity  abravlt 
"purvam  eva  aham  iha  dsam  "  iti  \  tat  purushasya  purushatvam  iti  \  sa 
"  sahasra-Slrshd  purushah  sahasrdkshah  sahasra-pdd"  bhutvd  udatishfhat  \ 
tarn  abravlt  "  tvam  ve  (sic.  me  or  vai  ?}  purvaih  samabhut  tvam  idam 
purvahkurushva "  iti  \  sa  itah dddya  apo  (5)  'njalind purastdd  upddadhdt 
"  eva  hy  eva "  iti  \  tatah  Adityah  udatishpfiat  \  sd  prdchl  dik  \  atha 
Arunah  Ketur  daksJiinatah  upddadhdd  "  eva,  liy  Agne "  iti  \  tato  vai 
Agnir  udatishthat  \  sd  dakshind  dik  \  atha  Arunah  Ketuh  paschdd  upd- 
dadhdd "  eva  hi  Vdyo  "  iti  \  6.  Tato  Vdyur  udatishthat  \  sd  pratlchl  dik  \ 
atha  Arunah  Ketur  uttaratah  upddadhdd  "  eva  hi  Indra  "  iti  \  tato  vai 
Indrah  udatishthat  \  sd  udlchl  dik  \  atha  Arunah  Ketur  madhye  updd- 
adhdd " evd  hi  Pushann"  iti  \  tato  vai  Pushd  udatishthat  \  sd  iyam 
dik  |  7.  Atha  Arunah  Ketur  uparisfydd  upddadhdd  "  evd  hidevdh  "  iti  \ 
tato  deva-manushydh  pitaro  gandharvdpsarasas  cha  udatishthan  \  sd  ur- 
dhvd  dik  \  ydh  viprusho  vi  pardpatan  tdbhyo  'surah  rakshdmsi pisachds- 
cha  udatishthan  \  tasmdt  te  pardbhavan  viprudbhyo  'hi  samabhavan  \  taa 


32  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

eshd  bhyanuHd  (8)  "  dpo  ha  yad  Irihatlr garlham  dyan  daksham  dadhdndh 
janayantlh  svayambhum  \  tatah  ime  'dhyasrijyanta  sargdh  \  adlhyo  vai 
idam  samalhut  \  tasmdd  idam  tarvam  Brahma  svayambhv  "  iti  \  tasmdd 
idam  sarvam  Sithilam  iva  adhruvam  iva  abhavat  \  Prajdpatir  vdva  tat  \ 
dtmand  dtmdnam  vidhdya  tad  eva  anuprdvisat  \  tad  eshd  'Ihyanuktd 
(9)  "  vidhdya  lolcdn  vidhdya  bhutdni  vidhdya  sarvdh  pradiso  disascha  \ 
Prajdpatih  prathamajdh  ritasya  dtmand  "tmdnam  alhisamviveia"  iti  \ 

"  This  was  water,  fluid.  Prajapati  alone  was  produced  on  a  lotus- 
leaf.  Within,  in  his  mind,  desire  arose,  '  Let  me  create  this.'  Hence 
whatever  a  man  aims  at  in  his  mind,  he  declares  by  speech,  and  performs 
by  act.60  Hence  this  verse  has  been  uttered,  '  Desire  formerly  arose  in 
it,  which  was  the  primal  germ  of  mind,  (2)  (and  which)  sages,  searching 
with  their  intellect,  have  discovered  in  the  heart  as  the  bond  between 
the  existent  and  the  non-existent'  (R.  V.  x.  129,  4).  That  of  which 
he  is  desirous  comes  to  the  man  who  thus  knows.  He  practised  austere 
fervour.  Having  practised  austere  fervour,  he  shook  his  body.  From 
its  flesh  the  rishis  (called)  Arunas,  Ketus,  and  Vatarasanas51  arose.  3. 
His  nails  became  the  Vaikhanasas,  his  hairs  the  Balakhilyas.  The  fluid 
(of  his  body  became)  a  tortoise  moving  amid  the  waters.52  He  said  to 
him,  '  Thou  hast  sprung  from  my  skin  and  flesh.'53  4.  '  No,'  replied  the 
tortoise,  '  I  was  here  before.'  In  that  (in  his  having  been  '  before  ' 
purvam)  consists  the  manhood  of  a  man  (purusha).  Becoming  '  a  man 
(purusha)  with  a  thousand  heads,  a  thousand  eyes,  a  thousand  feet ' 

80  Compare  Taitt.  S.  vi.  3,  10,  4,  (quoted  by  Roth.  s.  v.  abhigam)  yad  vai  hridayena 
abhigachhati  taj  jihvaya  vadati  \ 

61  They  are  mentioned  again  in  Taitt.  Ar.  i.  24,  4.  See  Bohtlingk  and  Roth's 
Lexicon  s.v.  Ketu  (where  the  Aruna  Ketus  are  stated  to  be  a  sort  of  superior  beings 
or  demons)  ;  Artharva-reda,  xi.  10,  2  ;  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  ii.  177  ;  and  the 
verse  of  the  M.  Bh.  xii.  774  :  Arundh  Ketavas  chaiva  svadhayenadivaihgatah  \  "  By 
sacred  study  the  Arunas  and  Ketus  have  ascended  to  heaven." 

52  The  Sanskrit  scholar  will  observe  that  the  text  here  is  rather  obscure.  It  is  either 
corrupt,  elliptical,  or  grammatically  irregular. 

53  Here  the  Sanskrit,  if  it  be  not  corrupt,  must  be  irregular  and  incorrect.    On  the 
style  of  the  Aranyakas,  see  Mr.  E.  B.  Cowell's  Preface  to  the  Kaushitakl  Upanishad, 
p.  viii.,  where  it  is  remarked:  "The  Aranyakas  appear  to  belong  to  a  class  of  San- 
skrit writings,  whose  history  has  not  yet  been  thorougly  investigated.     Their  style,  if 
we  may  judge  from  that  of  the  Taittiriya  and  Kaushitakl,  is  full  of  strange  solecisms 
which  sometimes  half  remind  us  of  the  gathas  of  the  Lalita  Vistara.    The  present 
Upanishad  has  many  peculiar  forms,  some  of  which  are  common  to  both  recensions, 
while  others  appear  only  in  one.     Such  are  :  nishincha,  in  p.  10 ;  praiti  for  prayanti, 
in  p.  51 ;  samvesyan,  in  p.  56  ;  veti  for  vyeti,  in  p.  78 ;  adudham,  in  p.  89,  etc." 


AXD  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  33 

(R.V.  x.  90,  1),  he  arose.  Prajapati  said  to  him,  '  Thou  wert  produced 
before  me :  do  thou  first  make  this.'  He  took  water  from  this  (5)  in  the 
cavity  of  his  two  hands,  and  placed  it  on  the  east,  repeating  the  text,  '  so 
be  it,  o  Sun.'54  From  thence  the  sun  arose.  That  was  the  eastern  quarter. 
Then  Aruna  Ketu  placed  (the  water)  to  the  south,  saying,  '  so  be  it,' 
o  Agni.'  Thence  Agni  arose.  That  was  the  southern  quarter.  Then 
Aruna  Ketu  placed  (the  water)  to  the  west,  saying  '  so  be  it,  o  Vayu.' 
6.  Thence  ar<0se  Yayu.  That  was  the  western  quarter.  Then  Aruna 
Ketu  placed  (the  water)  to  the  north,  saying  'so  be  it,  o  Indra.' 
Thence  arose  Indra.  Tllat  is  the  northern  quarter.  Then  Aruna 
Ketu  placed  (the  water)  in  the  centre,  saying  '  so  be  it,  o  Pushan.' 
Thence  arose  Pushan.  That  is  this  quarter.  7.  Then  Aruna  Ketu 
placed  (the  water)  above,  saying  'so  be  it,  ogods.'  Thence  arose  gods, 
MEN,  fathers,  Grandharvas  and  Apsarases.  That  is  the  upper  quarter. 
From  the  drops  which  fell  apart  arose  the  Asuras,  Rakshases,  and 
Pisachas.  Therefore  they  perished,  because  they  were  produced  from 
drops.  Hence  this  text  has  been  uttered ;  (8)  '  when  the  great  waters 
became  pregnant,  containing  wisdom,  and  generating  Svayambhu, 
from  them  were  created  these  creations.  All  this  was  produced  from 
the  waters.  Therefore  all  this  is  Brahma  Svayambhu.'  Hence  all 
this  was  as  it  were  loose,  as  it  were  unsteady.  Prajapati  was  that. 
Having  made  himself  through  himself,  he  entered  into  that.  "Where- 
fore this  verse  has  been  uttered ;  (9) '  Having  formed  the  world,  having 
formed  existing  things  and  all  intermediate  quarters  and  quarters, 
Prajapati,  the  firstborn  of  the  ceremonial,  entered  into  himself  with 
himself.'  " 

From  an  examination  of  the  legends  contained  in  the  Brahmanas,  of 
which  some  specimens  have  just  been  given,  it  appears  (1)  that  they 
are  generally,  if  not  always,  adduced,  or  invented,  with  the  view  of 
showing  the  origin,  or  illustrating  the  efficacy,  of  some  particular 
ceremony  which  the  writer  wished  to  explain  or  recommend ;  (2)  that 
the  accounts  which  they  supply  of  Prajapati' s  creative  operations  are 

54  The  formula  is  in  the  original  eva  Jiy  eva.  The  Commentator  says  that  the  first 
word  means  "  objects  of  desire  to  be  obtained,"  and  that  the  second  ev a  signifies  "  the 
moving  (Sun)  ;"  the  sense  of  the  entire  formula  being,  "Thou,  o  Sun,  art  thyself  all 
objects  of  desire."  The  six  formulas  here  introduced  had  previously  occurred  at  the 
close  of  a  preceding  section,  i.  20,  1 . 

3 


34  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OP  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

various  and  even  inconsistent ;  and  (3)  that  they  are  the  sources  of 
many  of  the  details  which  are  found  in  a  modified  form  in  the  cos- 
mogonies of  the  Puranas. 

When  we  discover  in  the  most  ancient  Indian  writings  such  dif- 
ferent and  even  discrepant  accounts  of  the  origin  of  man,  all  put 
forth  with  equal  positiveness,  it  is  impossible  to  imagine  that  any 
uniform  explanation  of  the  diversity  of  castes  could  have  been 
received  at  the  period  when  they  were  composed,  or  to  regard  any  of 
the  texts  which  have  been  cited  as  more  orthodox  and  authoritative 
than  the  rest.  Even,  therefore,  if  we  should  suppose  that  the  author 
of  the  Purusha  Sukta  meant  to  represent  the  four  castes  as  having 
literally  sprung  from  separate  parts  of  Purusha' s  body,  it  is  evident 
that  the  same  idea  was  not  always  or  even  generally  adopted  by  those 
who  followed  him,  as  a  revealed  truth  in  which  they  were  bound  to 
acquiesce.  In  fact,  nothing  is  clearer  than  that  in  all  these  cos- 
mogonies, the  writers,  while  generally  assuming  certain  prevalent 
ideas  as  the  basis  of  their  descriptions,  gave  the  freest  scope  to  their 
individual  fancy  in  the  invention  of  details.  In  such  circumstances, 
perfect  coincidence  cannot  be  expected  in  the  narratives. 

We  shall  hereafter  see  that  the  Puranic  writers  reproduce  some  of 
these  discrepancies  in  the  traditions  which  descended  to  them  from 
earlier  generations,  and  add  many  new  inconsistencies  of  their  own, 
which  they  themselves,  or  their  commentators,  endeavour  to  explain 
away  by  the  assumption  that  the  accounts  so  differing  relate  to  the 
occurrences  of  different  Kalpas  or  Manvantaras  (great  mundane  periods). 
But  of  a  belief  in  any  such  Kalpas  or  Manvantaras  no  trace  is  to  be  found 
in  the  hymns  or  Brahmanas :  and,  as  we  shall  hereafter  see,  they  must 
be  held  to  be  the  inventions  of  a  later  age.  The  real  explanation 
of  these  differences  in  the  Brahmanas  is  that  the  writers  did  not  con- 
sider themselves  (as  their  successors  held  them)  to  be  infallibly  in- 
spired, and  consequently  were  not  at  all  studious  to  avoid  in  their 
narratives  the  appearance  of  inconsistency  with  the  accounts  of  their 
predecessors. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  35 

SECT.  V.— Miami' s  Account  of  the  Origin  of  Castes. 

I  shall  first  quote  a  few  verses  from  the  beginning  of  Manu's  account 
of  the  creation : 

i.  8.  So  'bhidhydya  ia/rlrdt  svdt  sisrikshur  vividhdh  prajdh  \  apa  eva 
sasarjddau  tdsu  vyam  avdsrijat  \  9.  Tad  andam  abhavad  haimam  sahas- 
rdmsu-sama-prabham  \  tasmin  jajne  svayam  Brahma  sarva-lolca-pitd- 
mahah  \  10*  Apo  ndrd  iti  proktdh  dpo  vai  narasu-.iavah  \  tdh  yad 
asydyanam  purvam  tena  Ndrdyanah  smritah  \  11.  Yat  tat  kdranam 
avyaktam  nityam  sad-asa'ddtmakam  \  tad-visrishfah  sa  purusho  lok- 
Brahmeti  kirttyate  \  12.  Tasminn  ande  sa  bhagavdn  ushitvd  parivatt 
saram  \  svayam  evdtmano  dhydndt  tad  andam  aTcarod  dvidhd  \ 55 

"  8.  He  (the  self-existent)  having  felt  desire,56  and  willing  to  create 
various  living  beings  from  his  own  body,  first  created  the  waters,  and 
threw  into  them  a  seed.  9.  That  seed  became  a  golden  egg,  of  lustre- 
equal  to  the  sun ;  in  it  he  himself  was  born  as  Brahma,  the  parent  of 
all  the  worlds.  10.  The  waters  are  called  ndrdh,  for  they  are  sprung 
from  Nara  ;  and  as  they  were  his  first  sphere  of  motion  («y<m0=path), 
he  is  therefore  called  Ndrdyana.bl  11.  Produced  from  the  impercep- 
tible, eternal,  existent  and  non-existent,  cause,  that  male  (purusha}  i* 
celebrated  in  the  world  as  Brahma.  12.  After  dwelling  for  a  year  in 
the  egg,  the  glorious  being,  himself,  by  his  own  contemplation,  split  it 
in  twain." 

After  a  description  of  various  other  preparatory  creative  acts  (vv. 
13-30)  the  author  proceeds  in  vv.  31  ff.  to  inform  us  how  the  four 
castes  were  produced  • 

i.  31.  Lolcdndm  tu  vivriddhyartham  mukhabdhuru-pddatah  \  brdhma- 
nam  kshattriyam  vaisyam  sudram  cJia  niravarttayat  \  32.  Dvidhd  krit- 
vdtmano  deftam  ardhena  purusho  'bhavat  |  ardhena  ndrl  tasydm  sa  Vird- 
jam  asrijat  prabhuh  \  33.  Tapas  taptvd  'srijad  yam  tu  sa  svayam  purusho 

55  The  ideas  in  this  passage  are  derived  (with  modifications  expressive  of  the  theories 
current  in  the  author's  own  age)  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xi.  1,  6,  1  ff.  (set 
vol.  iv.  of  this  work,  p.  21  f.) ;  or  from  some  other  similar  account  in  another  Brah- 
mana. 

K  See  S'.  P.  Br.  i.  7,  4,  1 :  Prajapatir  ha  vai  svam  duhitaram  abhidadhyau. 

57  In  the  M.  Bh.  iii.  12952,  Krishna  says:  apatn  ncirah  iti  purci  sanjnn-ltarma 
kritam  maya  \  tena  Narciyano  py  ukto  mama  tat  tv  uynnatii  sada  \  "  The  name  of 
riarah  was  formerly  assigned  by  me  to  the  waters:  hence  I  am  also  called  Nirayana, 
for  there  has  always  been  my  sphere  of  motion." 


36  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Virut  |  tarn  mam  vittdsya  sarvasya  srashtdram  dvija-sattamdh  \  34. 
Aham  prajdh  sisrikshus  tu  tapas  taptvd  suduscharam  \  patln  prajdndm 
asrijam  maharshln  ddito  da&a  \  35.  Marlchim  Atryangirasau  Pulastyam 
Pulaham  Kratum  \  Prachetasam  Vasishtham  cha  Bhrigum  Ndradam 
eva  cha  \  36.  Ete  Manums  tu  saptdnydn  asrijan  Ihuritejasah  \  devdn 
devanikdydms  cha  maharshlms  chdmitaujasah  \  37.  Yaksha-rakshah-pisd- 
chdms  cha  gandharvdpsaraso  'surdn  \  ndgdn  sarpdn  suparndms  cha  pi- 
trlndm  cha  prithaggandn  \  38.  Vidyuto  '  sani-meghdms  ch&  rohitendra- 
dhanuihsi  cha  \  ulkd  nirghdta-ketums  cha  jyotlmshy  uchchdvachani  cha  \ 
SS.Kinnardnvdnardnmatsydnvwidhdms  chavihangamdn  \  pasunmfigdn 
manushyums  cha  vydldms  chobhayatodatah  \  40.  Krimikita-patangdms  cha 
yulca-makshika-matkunam  \  sarvam  cha  damsa-masakam  sthdvaram  cha 
prithagvidham  \  41.  Evam  etair  idam  sarvam  man-niyogdd  mahdtma- 
Ihih  |  yathdkarma  tapo-yogdt  srishtam  sthdvara-jangamam  \ 

31.  "That  the  worlds  might  be  peopled,  he  caused  the  Brahman, 
the  Kshattriya,  the  Vaisya,  and  the  S'iidra  to  issue  from  his  mouth,  his 
arms,  his  thighs,  and  his  feet.58  32.  Having  divided  his  own  body 
into  two  parts,  the  lord  (Brahma)  became,  with  the  half  a  male 
(purusha),  and  with  the  half,  a  female  ;  and  in  her  he  created  Viraj.59 

33.  Know,  0  most  excellent  twice-born  men,  that  I,  whom  that  male, 
(purusha)80  Viraj,  himself  created,  am  the  creator  of  all  this  world. 

34.  Desiring  to  produce  living  creatures,  I  performed  very  arduous 
devotion,  and  first  created  ten  Maharshis  (great  rishis),  lords  of  living 
beings,    (35)  viz.,  Marichi,   Atri,  Angiras,  Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Eratu, 
Prachetas,  Vasishtha,  Bhrigu,  and  Narada.61     36.  They,  endowed  with 

6<i  On  this  Kulluka  the  Commentator  remarks :  Daivya  cha  saktya  mukhadibhyo 
brahmanadi-nirmanam  Erahmano  na  visankcmlyam  sruti-siddhatvat  \  "  It  is  not  to  be 
doubted  that,  by  his  divine  power,  Brahma  formed  the  Brahman  and  the  other  castes 
from  his  mouth  and  other  members,  since  it  is  proved  by  the  Veda.  He  then  quotes 
the  1 2th  verse  of  the  Purusha  Sukta. 

59  See  the  Purusha  Sukta,  verse  5. 

60  It  will  be  observed  that  Manu  applies  this  term  purusha  to  three  beings,  first 
to  Brahma  (v.  11),  second  to  the  male  formed  by  Brahma  from  the  half  of  his  own 
body  (v.  32),  and  third  to  Viraj,  the  offspring  of  the  male  and  female  halves  of  Brah- 
ma's body  (v.  33).     It  will  be  noticed  that  this  story  of  Brahma  dividing  his  body  is 
borrowed  from  the  passage  of  the  S'.  P.  Br.  xiv.  4,  2,  1,  quoted  above. 

61  In  the  BSmayaua,  ii.  110,  2  fF.,  a  different  account  is  given  of  the  origin  of  the 
world,  in  which  no  reference  is  made  to  Manu  Svayambnuva.     The  order  of  the 
creation  there  described  is  as  follows  :  First  everything  was  water.     Then  Brahma 
Svayambhu,  with  the  deities,  came  into  existence — Brahma  being  said  to  have  sprung 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  37 

great  energy,  created62  other  seven  Manus,  gods,  and  abodes  of  gods, 
and  Maharshis  of  boundless  might ;  (37)  Yakshas,  Rakshases,  Pisachas, 
Gandharvas,  Apsarases,  Asuras,  Nagas,  Serpents,  great  Birds,  and  the 
different  classes  of  Pitris ;  (38)  lightnings,  thunderbolts,  clouds,  Indra's 
bows  unbent  and  bent,  meteors,  portentous  atmospheric  sounds,  comets, 
and  various  luminaries ;  (39)  Kinnaras,  apes,  fishes,  different  sorts  of 
birds,  cattle,  deer,  MEN,  beasts  with  two  rows  of  teeth ;  (40)  small 
and  large  reptiles,  moths,  lice,  flies,  fleas,  all  gadflies  and  gnats,  and 
motionless  things  of  different  sorts.  41.  Thus  by  my  appointment, 
and  by  the  force  of  devotion,  was  ALL  THIS  WORLD  BOTH  MOTIONLESS 
AND  MOVING,  created  by  those  great  beings,  according  to  the  (previous) 
actions  of  each  creature." 

The  different  portions  of  the  preceding  narrative  of  the  creation  of 
the  human  species  are  not  easily  reconcileable  with  each  other.  For 
it  is  first  stated  in  verse  31,  that  men  of  the  four  castes  proceeded 
separately  from  different  parts  of  Brahma's  body, — prior  (as  it  would 
appear)  (1)  to  the  division  of  that  body  into  two  parts  and  to  the  suc- 
cessive production  (2)  of  Yiraj,  (3)  Manu,  and  (4)  the  Maharshis,  who 
formed  all  existing  creatures.  And  yet  we  are  told  in  verse  39, 
that  MEN  were  among  the  beings  called  into  existence  by  those  Maharshis, 
and  in  verse  41,  that  the  entire  MOVING  as  well  as  motionless  WOELD 
was  their  work.  It  is  not  said  that  the  men  created  by  the  Maharshis 
were  distinct  from  those  composing  the  four  castes,  and  we  must,  there- 
fore, assume  that  the  latter  also  are  included  under  the  general  appel- 
lation of  men.  But  if  men  of  the  four  castes  had  been  already  produced 
before  the  formation  of  all  living  creatures  by  the  Maharshis,  what 
necessity  existed  for  the  men  of  these  castes  being  a  second  time  called 
into  being  as  a  part  of  that  later  creation?  It  is  possible  that  this 


from  the  aether  (akasa).  Brahma,  with  his  sons,  created  the  world.  From  Brahma 
sprang  Marichi ;  from  Marichi,  Kas'yapa  ;  from  Kas'yapa,  Vivasvat ;  and  from  Vivas- 
vat,  Manu  Vaivasvata.  The  original  of  this  passage  is  quoted  in  the  4th  vol.  of  this 
work,  p.  29  ff. 

6-  These  great  rishis  seem  to  be  the  heings  denoted  by  the  word  visvasrijah,  '•  crea- 
tors of  the  universe,"  in  the  verse  of  Manu  (xii.  50),  which  will  be  quoted  below. 
Reference  to  rishis,  or  to  seven  rishis,  as  "formers  of  existing  things"  (bhuta-kritah), 
is  also  found  in  the  Atharvaveda,  vi.  108,  4  ;  vi.  133,  4,  5  ;  xi.  1,'  1,  3,  24;  xii.  1,  39  ; 
and  the  word  bhutakritah,  without  the  addition  of  rishis,  is  found  in  the  same  work 
iii.  28,  1 ;  iv.  35,  2,  and  xix.  16,  2. 


38  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

allegation  of  the  separate  creation  of  castes  may  have  been  engrafted 
as  an  after-thought  on  the  other  account.63 

After  other  details,  regarding  the  propagation,  nature,  etc,  of  created 
things  (w.  42-50),  the  re-ahsorption  of  Brahma  into  the  Supreme 
Spirit,  and  his  alternations  of  sleep  and  repose,  etc.  (vv.  50-57),  Manu 
proceeds : 

58.  Idam  £dstram  tu  Icritvd  'sau  mum  eva  svayam  dditah  \  vidhivad 
grdhaydmdsa  Marlchyddlms  tv  aham  munln  \   59.  JStad  vo  'yam  Bhriguh 
sdstram  srdvayishyaty  aseshatah  \    etad  hi  matto  'dhijage   sarvam  esho 
'khilam  munih  \   60.  Tatas  tathd  sa  tenokto  maharshir  Manund  Bhriguh  \ 
tun  abravld  rishln  sarvdn  prltdtmd  "  sruyatdm"  iti  \  61.  Svdyambhu- 
vasydsya  Manoh  shad-vamiyd  Mancwo  'pare  \  srishtavantah  prajdh  svdh 
svdh  mahdtmdno  mahaujasah  \   62.  Svdrochishas  chauttamis  cha  Tdmaso 
Raivatas  tathd  \    Chdkshushas  cha  mahdtejd  Vivasvat-suta  eva  cha  \   63. 
Svdyamlhuvddydh  saptaite  Manavo  Ihuritejasah   \   sve  sve  'ntare  sarvam 
idam  utpddydpus  chardcharam  \ 

59.  "  Having  formed  this  Scripture,  he   (Brahma)   himself  in  the 
beginning  caused  me  to  comprehend  it  according  to  rule ;  as  I  did  to 
Marichi  and  the  other  munis.     60.  This  Bhrigu  will  give  you  to  hear 
this  scripture  in  its  entirety ;  for  this  muni  learned  the  whole  from  me. 
61.    Then  that  Maharshi  (great  rishi),  Bhrigu  being  so  addressed  by 
Manu,   with   pleasure  addressed  all  those  rishis,  saying,    '  Let  it  be 
heard.'     62.   '  From  this  Manu  Svayambhuva  sprang  other  Manus  in 
six  successive  generations,  great  and  glorious,  who  respectively  created 
living  beings  of  their  own, — (63)  viz.,  Svarochisha,  Auttami,  Tamasa, 
llaivata,   Chakshusha,  and  the   mighty  son  of  Yivasvat.      64.  These 
seven 64  Manus  of  great  power,  of  whom  Svayambhuva  was  the  first, 
have  each  in  his  own   period  (antara)  produced  and  possessed  the 
world.'  " 

6J  In  the  same  way  it  may  be  observed  that  in  v.  22  Brahma  is  said  to  have  formed 
the  subtile  class  of  living  gods  whose  essence  is  to  act,  and  of  the  S'adhyas  (Tcarmat- 
manam  chadevanam  so  ' srijat  praninam  prabhuh  \  sadhyancilh  cha  gana/m  sukshmam), 
and  in  v.  25,  to  have  "  called  into  existence  this  creation,  desiring  to  form  these  living 
beings"  (srishtiiii,  sasarja  chaivemam  srashtum  ichchann  imah  prajah}.  But  if  the 
gods  and  all  other  creatures  already  existed,  any  such  further  account  of  their  pro- 
duction by  the  Maharshis,  as  is  given  in  verse  36,  seems  to  be  not  only  superfluous 
but  contradictory. 

64  It  will  be  observed  that  here  Svuyambhuva  is  included  in  the  seven  Manus,  al- 
though in  verse  36  (see  above)  it  is  said  that  the  ten  Maharshis,  who  had  themselves 
been  created  by  Svayambhuva  (vv.  34  f.),  produced  seven  other  Manus. 


OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  39 

After  some  preliminary  explanations  regarding  the  divisions  of  time 
as  reckoned  by  men  and  gods,  etc.  (vv.  64-78),  the  author  proceeds  to 
tell  us  how  long  each  of  these  Manus  reigns  : 

79.  Tat  prdlc  dvdda£a-sdhasram  uditam  daivikam  yugam  \  tad  eka- 
taptati-gunam  mapvantaram  ihochyate  \  80.  Manvantardny  asankhydni 
sargah  samhdra  eva  cha  \  kridann  ivaitat  kurute  Parameshthl  punah 
punah  | 

"The  age  \yuga)  of  the  gods  mentioned  before,  consisting  of  twelve 
thousand  (years),  when  multiplied  by  seventy-one,  is  here  called  a 
manvantara.  80.  There  are  innumerable  manvantaras,  creations  and 
destructions.  The  Supreme  Being  performs  this  again  and  again,  as  if 
in  sport." 

A  more  detailed  account  of  these  great  mundane  periods  will  be 
given  in  the  next  section,  when  I  come  to  take  up  the  Vishnu  Purana. 
Meanwhile  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  present  manvantara  is  that  of 
the  last  of  the  Manus  above  enumerated,  or  Manu  Vaivasvata,  who, 
according  to  verse  63,  must  have  created  the  existing  world.  But  if 
such  be  the  case,  it  does  not  appear  why  the  creation  of  Manu  Svayam- 
bhuva,  with  which  the  present  race  of  mortals  can  have  little  to  do, 
should  have  been  by  preference  related  to  the  rishis  in  vv.  33  ff.  It 
must,  however,  be  observed  that  in  v.  33  Manu  Svayambhuva  described 
himself  as  the  former  of  "this"  (i.e.,  the  existing) universe,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  the  whole  code  of  laws  prescribed  in  the  sequel  of  the 
work  is  intended  by  the  author  to  be  observed  by  the  existing  race 
of  Indians  (see  verses  102  ff.  of  the  first  book).  We  must,  therefore, 
suppose  that  the  creations  of  the  later  Manus  are  substantially  identical 
with  that  of  the  first ;  or  that  there  is  some  confusion  or  inconsistency 
in  the  accounts  which  I  have  cited.  Perhaps  both  suppositions  may 
be  correct. 

In  vv.  81-86,  the  four  Yugas  (or  great  ages  of  the  world)  the  Krita, 
Treta,  Dvapara,  aud  Kali,  their  gradual  deterioration,  and  the  special 
duties  peculiar  to  each,  are  described.65 


65  In  v.  86  these  predominant  duties  are  said  to  be  austere  fervour  in  the  Krita  age, 
knowledge  in  the  Treta,  sacrifice  in  the  Dvapara,  and  liberality  alone  in  the  Kali 
(tapah  parnm  Krita-yuge  trettiyam  jnanam  uchyate  \  dvapare  yajnam  eva/tur  danam 
ekam  kalau  yuge).  This,  as  remarked  in  Weber's  ludische  Studien,  282  f.,  note,  is  not 
quite  in  conformity  with  the  view  of  the  Mundaka  Upanishad,  i.  2,  1,  which  states  : 


40  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

At  verse  87,  Bhrigu  recurs  to  the  four  castes: 

87.  Sarvasydsya  tu  sargasya  gupty-artham  sa  mahddyutih  \  mukha- 
bdhuru-paj-jdndm  prithak  karmdny  akalpayat  \ 

"  For  the  preservation  of  this  whole  creation,  that  glorious  being 
(Brahma)  ordained  separate  functions  for  those  who  sprang  from  his 
mouth,  his  arms,  his  thighs,  and  his  feet." 

These  functions  are  then  detailed  (vv.  88-92).  In  verse  93,  the 
grounds  of  the  Brahmans'  pre-eminence  are  stated  : 

93.  TTttamdngobhavdj  jyaishthydd  brahmanas  chaiva  dhdrandt  \  sar- 
vasyaivdsya  sargasya  dharmato  brdhmanah  pralhuh  \  94.  Tarn  hi  sva- 
yambhuh  svdd  dsydt  tapas  taptvd  "dito  'srijat  \ 

Since  the  Brahman  sprang  from  the  most  excellent  organ,  since  he  is 
the  first-born  and  possesses  the  Veda,  he  is  by  nature  the  lord  of  this 
whole  creation.  Him,  the  self-existent  (Brahma)  after  exercising 
fervid  abstraction,  formed  at  the  first  from  his  own  mouth." 

But  as  there  are  grades  of  excellence  among  created  things,  and 
among  men  themselves  (96),  so  are  there  also  among  Brahmans : 

97.  Brdhmaneshu  cha  vidvdmso  vidvatsu  krita-buddhayah  \  krita- 
buddhishu  karttdrah  karttrishu  brahma-vedinah  \ 

"  Among  Brahmans  the  learned  are  the  most  excellent,  among  the 
learned  the  resolute,  among  the  resolute  those  who  act,  and  among 
them  who  act  they  who  possess  divine  knowledge." 

In  a  subsequent  part  of  the  work  (xii.  40  ff.)  we  find  men  in 
general,  the  castes,  and  indeed  all  existing  things,  from  Brahma  down- 
wards, classified  according  to  their  participation  in  different  degrees  in 
the  three  gunas,  or  qualities  (sattva,  "goodness,"  rajas,  "  passion,"  and 
tamas,  "darkness"). 

39.  Yena  yams  tu  gunenaishdm  saihsdrdn  pratipadyate  \  fan  samdsena 
vakshydmi  sarvasydsya  yathdkramam  \  40.  Devatvam  sdttmkd  ydnti 
manusliyatvam  cha  rdjasdh  \  tiryaktvam  tdmasd  nityam  ity  eshd  tri- 

tat  etat  satyam  mantreshu  karmani  kavayo  yany  apasyams  tani  tretayam  bahudha 
santatani  \  "  This  is  true  :  the  rites  which  sages  beheld  in  the  hymns,  are  in  great 
variety  celebrated  in  the  Treta."  In  the  same  way  the  M.  Bh.  iii.  v.  11,248,  says  that 
sacrifices  and  rites  prevail  in  the  Treta  (tato  yajnah  pravarttante  dharmas  cha 
vividhah  kriyah  \  tretayam  ityadi).  See  alsoM.  Bh.  xii.  13,090.  The  word  Icrita,  as 
the  name  of  the  first  yuga  is  thus  explained  in  a  previous  verse  of  the  former  of  these 
two  passages  (11,235) :  kritam  eva  na  karttavyam  tasmin  kale  yugottame  \  "  In  the 
time  of  that  most  excellent  Yuga  (everything)  has  been  done,  (and  does)  not  (remain) 
to  be  done." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  41 

vidha  gatih  |  .  .  .  43.  Hastinas  cha  turangds  cha  sudrd  mlechhas 
cha  garhitdh  \  simhd  vydghrd  vardhds  cha  madhyamd  tdmasl  gatih  \ 
.  .  .  46.  Rdjdnah  Icshattriyds  chaiva  rdjnas  chaiva  purohitdh  \  vdda- 
yuddha-pradhdnds  cha  madhyamd  rdjasl  gatih  |  ...  48.  Tdpasd  ya- 
tayo  viprd  ye  cha  vaimdnikd  gandh  \  nakshatrdni  cha  daityds  cha 
prathamd  sdttvill  gatih  \  49.  Yajvdna  rishayo  devd  vedd  jyotlmshi 
vatsardh  \  pitaras  chaiva  sddhyds  cha  dvitlyd  sdttvikl  gatih  \  50.  Brah- 
md  visvasrijo  dharmo  mahdn  avyahtam  eva  cha  \  uttamdm  sdttvihlm  etdm 
gatim  dhur  manuhinah  \ 

"39.  I  shall  now  declare  succinctly  in  order  the  states  which  the 
soul  reaches  by  means  of  each  of  these  qualities.  40.  Souls  endowed 
with  the  sattva  quality  attain  to  godhead;  those  having  the  rajas 
quality  become  men ;  whilst  those  characterized  by  tamas  always  be- 
come beasts — such  is  the  threefold  destination  ...  43.  Elephants, 
horses,  S'udras  and  contemptible  Mlechhas,  lions,  tigers,  and  boars 
form  the  middle  dark  condition  .  .  .  46.  Kings,  Kshattriyas,  a 
king's  priests  (purohitdh],  and  men  whose  chief  occupation  is  the  war 
of  words,  compose  the  middle  condition  of  passion  .  .  .  48.  Devotees, 
ascetics,  Brahmans,  the  deities  borne  on  aerial  cars,  constellations,  and 
Daityas,  constitute  the  lowest  condition  of  goodness.  49.  Sacrificing 
priests,  rishis,  gods,  the  vedas,  the  celestial  luminaries,  years,  the 
fathers,  the  Sadhyas,  form  the  second  condition  of  goodness.  50.  Brah- 
ma, the  creators, ™  righteousness,  the  Great  One  (mahat\  the  Unap* 
parent  One  (avyakta),  compose  the  highest  condition  of  goodness." 

66  These  "creators"  (visvasrijah)  are  thus  mentioned  in  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  12,  9,  2. 
Adarsam  Agnim  chinvanah  purve  visvasrijo  'mritah  \  satam  varsha-sahasrani  dikshi- 
tah  satram  asata  \  3.  tapah  asid  grihapatir  Brahma  brahma  'bhavat  svayam  \  satyaih 
ha  hotaii>ham  asid  yad  visvatrija  asata  \  amritam  ebhya  udagayat  sahasram  parivat- 
saran  \  bhutam  ha  prastolaisham  asid  bhavithgat  prati  chaharat  \  prano  adhvaryur 
abhavad  *dam  sarvaih  sishasatam  |  .  .  .  7.  Visvasrijah  prathamah  satram  asata  \ 
....  |  tato  ha  jajne  bhuvanasya  gopah  hiramnayah  sakunir  Brahma  nama  \  yena 
suryas  tapati  tejaseddhah  |  ....  8.  Etena  vai  visvasrijah  idam  visvam  asrijanta  \ 
yad  visvam  asrijanta  tasmad  vis'vasrijah  \  visvam  erian  ami  prajayate  \  "  2.  The 
ancient  and  immortal  creators  of  the  universe,  keeping  fire  kindled  till  they  saw  the 
new  moon,  and  consecrated,  were  engaged  in  a  sacrifice  for  100,000  years.  3.  Austere 
fervour  was  the  householder ;  Prayer  itself  (brahma)  was  the  brahma  priest ;  Truth 
was  their  hotri,  when  the  creators  were  so  occupied.  Immortality  was  their  udgatri 
for  a  thousand  years.  The  Past  was  their  prastotri,  the  Future  their  pratihartri ; 
Breath  was  the  adhvaryu,  whilst  they  were  seeking  to  obtain  all  this."  After 
a  good  deal  more  of  this  allegory,  the  author  proceeds  in  para.:  7.  "These  first 


42  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  different  parts  of  this  account  of  the 
mode  in  which  the  three  qualities  are  distributed,  are  not  quite  in  har- 
mony. From  v.  40  it  would  appear  that  all  souls  having  the  quality 
of  passion  become  men ;  and  yet  we  find  from  w.  43,  48,  and  49,  that 
Sudras  belong  to  the  tdmasa  class,  and  Brahmans,  of  different  descrip- 
tions, to  two  of  the  Sattvilca  grades.  According  to  the  rule  enunciated 
in  v.  40,  the  latter  ought  to  have  been  born  as  gods. 

It  is,  further,  remarkable  that  in  this  enumeration  S'u'dras  are  found 
in  the  same  category  with  Mlechhas  (v.  43),  that  the  Vaisyas  are  not  ac- 
commodated with  a  position  in  any  of  the  classes,  that  Kshattriyas  and 
kings'  domestic  priests,  who  are  of  course  Brahmans,  and  others  (who 
must  be  Brahmans)  fond  of  disputation  on  learned  questions67  (though 
not  stated  to  be  heretical)  are  ranked  together  as  "  passionate  "  (v.  46), 
while  other  Brahmans  of  different  characters  are  placed  in  two  of  the 
higher  grades,  Brahmans  simply  so  called  (yiprah)  being  regarded  as 
"  good"  in  the  lowest  degree  (v.  48),  and  sacrificing  priests  (yajvanaK] 
sharing  with  rishis,  gods,  the  vedas,  etc.,  the  honour  of  the  middle  con- 
dition of  goodness.  It  is  not  clear  whether  the  devotees,  and  ascetics, 
mentioned  in  v.  48,  belong  to  the  same  caste  as  the  Brahmans  with  whom 
they  are  associated,  or  may  also  be  men  of  the  inferior  classes.  Nor  is  it 
evident  for  what  reason  the  sacrificing  priests  (yajvanaK),  specified  in 
v.  49,  are  so  much  more  highly  estimated  than  the  king's  priests  (rajnah 
purohita.il)  in  v.  46,  since  the  latter  also  officiate  at  sacrifices.  The 
honourable  position  assigned  to  Daityas  in  the  lowest  class  of  "  good" 
beings  (v.  48)  is  also  deserving  of  notice.  We  shall  see  in  the  follow- 
ing chapter  that  the  Puranas  variously  describe  mankind  as  belonging 
entirely  to  the  "  passionate  "  class  (see  v.  40,  above)  and  as  charac- 
terized by  the  three  other  "  qualities,"  according  to  their  caste. 


creators  were  engaged  in  sacrifice  .  .  .    Thence  was  born  the  preserver  of  the  world, 
the  golden  bird  called  Brahma,  by  whom  the  sxm  glows,  kindled  with  light.  .  .  . 
8.  ...  Through  this  the  creators  created  this  universe.    As  they  created  the  uni- 
verse, they  are  called  vis'vasrijah.  .    Everything  is  created  after  them."     See  above 
the  reference  made  to  rishayo  bhuta-kritah  in  p.  36.     The  allegory  in  this  extract 
from  the  Taitt.  Br.  resembles  in  its  character  that  in  the  sixth  verse  of  the  Purusha 
Sukta. 
67  S'arstarthakalaha-  priyas  cha  \  Comm. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  43 

SECT.  VI. — Account  of  the  System  of  Yugas,  Manvantaras',  and  Kalpas, 
according  to  the  Vishnu  Puruna,  and  other  authorities. 

I  shall  in  the  next  section  adduce  the  description  given  in  the  Vishnu 
Purana  of  the  creation  of  living  creatures,  and  the  origin  of  the  four 
castes,  after  first  supplying  in  the  present  some  explanation  of  the  great 
mundane  periods,  the  Yugas,  Manvantaras,  Kalpas,  etc. 

The  computations  of  these  great  periods  are  stated  in  the  third 
chapter  of  the  first  hook,  and  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  sixth  book, 
and  are  clearly  explained  by  Professor  "Wilson  in  his  notes  to  page  50 
of  his  translation. 

One  year  of  mortals  is  equal  to  one  day  of  the  gods.68 
12,000  divine  years  are  equal  to  a  period  of  four  Yugas,  which  is 
thus  made  up,  viz. : 

Krita  Tuga  with  its  mornings  and  evenings 4,800  divine  years 

TretaYuga        „  „  „  „       3,600       „ 

DvaparaYuga,,  ,,  „  ,,       2,400       „         ,, 

KaliYuga          „  „  „  , 1,200       „ 


making...  12,000  divine  years.69 

As  a  day  of  the  gods  is  =  to  one  year  of  mortals,  the  12,000 
divine  years  must  be  multiplied  by  360,  the  assumed  number  of  days 
in  a  year,  to  give  the  number  of  the  years  of  mortals  in  this  great 
period  of  four  yugas,  thus:  12,000  divine  years  x  360  =  4,320,000 
years  of  mortals.  1000  of  these  periods  of  12,000  divine,  or  4,320,000 
human,  years — i.e.,  4,320,000,000  human  years  are  =  1  day  of  Brah- 
ma,70 and  his  night  is  of  the  same  duration.  Within  that  period  of  a 
day  of  Brahma,  14  Manus  reign,71  and  a  Manvantara,  or  period  of  Manu, 

68  Vishnu  P.  vi.  1,  4  ahoratram  pitrlnum  tu  maso  'Idas  tridivaukasam  \  See  also 
Manu  i.  66  and  67.     The  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  9,  22,  1,  too,  states :  ekam  vai  etad  devanam 
ahar  yat  samvatsarah  \  "  This  period  of  a  year  is  one  day  of  the  gods." 

69  i.   3,    10.  Divyair  varsha  -  sahasraistu  krita  -  tretadi  -  sanjnitam  \  chaturyugam 
dvadasabhis  tad-vibhagam  nibodha  me  \  11.    chatvari  trlni  dve  chaikam  kritadishn 
yathakramam  \  divyabdanam  sahasrani  yugeshv  uhur  puravidah  \  12.  Tat-pramanaih 
s'ataih  sandhya  puna  tatrabhidKiyate  \  sandhyamsakas  cha  tat-tulyo  yugasyanantaro 
hi  sah  }  13.  Sandhya-sandhyaihsayor  antar  yah  kalo  mimi-sattama  \  yugukhyah  sa  t» 
vijneyah  krita-tretadi-saHJnitah  \ 

70  V.  P.  i.  3,  14.     Kritani  treta   dvaparas  cha  kalis  chaira  chatnryngnm  \  proch- 
yate  tat-sahasram  cha  Brahmano  divasam  mune  \     See  also  Manu  i.  72. 

71  \ .  P.  i.  3,  15.  .Brahmano  divn so  brahman  Mnnatas  cha  chalurdaia  \  bha.va.nti  \ 


44  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

is  consequently  =  the  14th  part  of  a  day  of  Brahma.  In  the  present 
Kalpa  (=  a  day  of  Brahma)  six  Manus,  of  whom  Svayambhuva  was  the 
first,  have  already  passed  away,  the  present  Manu  being  Vaivasvata.72 
In  each  Manvantara  seven  rishis,  certain  deities,,  an  Indra,  a  Manu, 
and  the  kings,  his  sons,  are  created  and  perish.73  A  thousand  of  the 
systems  of  4  Yugas,  as  has  been  before  explained,  occur  coincidently 
with  these  14  Manvantaras;  and  consequently  about  71  systems  of  4 
Yugas  elapse  during  each  Manvantara,  and  measure  the  lives  of  the 
Manu  and  the  deities  of  the  period.7*  At  the  close  of  this  day  of 
Brahma  a  collapse  (pratisancharah]  of  the  universe  takes  place,  which 
lasts  through  a  night  of  Brahma,  equal  in  duration  to  his  day,  during 
which  period  the  three  worlds  are  converted  into  one  great  ocean,  when 
the  lotus-born  god,75  expanded  by  his  deglutition  of  the  universe,  and 
contemplated  by  the  yogis  and  gods  in  Janaloka,  sleeps  on  the  serpent 
S'esha.  At  the  end  of  that  night  he  awakes  and  creates  anew  ,76 

A  year  of  Brahma  is  composed  of  the  proper  number  of  such  days 
and  nights;  and  100  such  years  constitute  his  whole  life.  The  period 
of  his  life  is  called  Para,  and  the  half  of  it  Pardrddka,  or  the  half  of  a 
Para.  One  Pararddha,  or  half  of  Brahma's  existence,  has  now  expired, 
terminating  with  the  great  Kalpa,  called  the  Padma  Kalpa.  The  now 
existing  Kalpa,  or  day  of  Brahma,  called  Varaha  (or  that  of  the  boar), 
is  the  first  of  the  second  Pararddha  of  Brahma's  existence.77  The 

72  This  is  stated  by  Manu  i.  62  ff.  (see  above),  as  well  as  in  the  third  book  of  the 
V.  P.  i.  3,  which  gives  the  names  in  the  same  order :  Svayambhuvo  Manuh  purvo 
Manuh  Svarochishas  tatha  \  Auttamis  Tamasas  chaiva  Raivatas  Chakshushas  tat  ha  \ 
shad  etc  Manavo  'titah  sampratam  tu  Raveh  sutah  \  Vaivasvato  'yarn  yasyaitat  sapta- 
mam  varttate  'ntaram  \ 

73  V.  P.  i.  3, 16.  Saptarshayah  surah  S'akro  Manus  tat-sunavo  nripah  \  ekakale  hi 
srijyante  samhriyante  cha  purvavat  \ 

74  Ibid  ver.  17.  Chaturyugariam  sankhyata  sadhika  hy  eka  saptatih  \  manvantaram 
Manoh  kalah  suradJnam  cha  sattama  \   See  also  Manu  i.  79. 

75  The  birth  of  Prajapati  on  a  lotus-leaf  is  mentioned  in  the  Taitt.  Arany.  i.  23,  1, 
quoted  above,  p.  32. 

7«  Ibid  20.  Chaturdasa-guno  hy  esha  kalo  brahmatn  ahah  smritam  \  brahmo  naimit- 
tiko  nama  tasyante  pratisancharah  \  .  .  .  22.  Ekarnave  tu  trailokye  Brahma  Nara- 
yanatmakah  \  bhogi-sayyagatah  sete  trailokya-grasa-vrimhitah  \  23.  Janasthair  yogi- 
bhir  devaid  chintyamano  'bja-sambhavah  \  tat^pramandm  hi  tarn  ratrim  tadante  srijatc 
punah  |  See  also  V.  P.  i.  2,  69-62,  as  translated  by  "Wilson,  vol.  i.  p.  41. 

77  Ibid  ver.  24.  Evam  tu  Brahmano  varsham  evamvarsha-satatn  cha  tat  \  satam  hi 
tasya  varshanam  param  ayur  mahatmanah  \  25.  Ekam  asya  vyatlta?n  tu pararddham 
Brahmano  'nagha  \  tasyante  'bhud  mahakalpah  Padmah  ity  abhivisrutah  \  dvitlyasya 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  45 

dissolution,  which  occurs  at  the  end  of  each  Kalpa,  or  day  of  Brahma, 
is  called  naimittiTca,  incidental,  occasional,  or  contingent.  (See  Wilson's 
Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  i.  of  Dr.  Hall's  edition,  p.  52,  with  the  editor's 
note  ;  and  vol.  ii.  p.  269.  For  an  account  of  the  other  dissolutions  of 
the  universe  I  refer  to  the  same  work,  vol.  i.  p.  113,  and  to  pp.  630-633 
of  the  original  4to.  edition.) 

Of  this  elaborate  system  of  Yugas,  Manvantaras,  and  Kalpas,  of 
enormous  duration,  no  traces  are  found  in  the  hymns  of  the  Big-veda. 
Their  authors  were,  indeed,  familiar  with  the  word  Yuga,1*  which  fre- 
quently occurs  in  the  sense"  of  age,  generation,  or  tribe.  Thus  in  i.  139, 
8;  iii.  26,  3;  vi.  8,  5;  vi.  15,  8;  vi.  36,  5;  x.  94,  12,  the  phrase 
yuge  yuge"9  means  "in  every  age."  In  iii.  33,  8 ;  x.  10,  10,  we  have 
tittard  yugani,  "future  ages,"  and  in  x.  72,  1,  uttare  yuge,  "in  a  later 
age;"  in  vii.  70,  4,  purvdni  yugani,  "former  ages,"80  and  in  i.  184,  3, 
yugajurna,  "past  ages."  In  i.  92,  11 ;  i.  103,  4  ;  i.  115,  2 ;  i.  124,  2  ; 
i.  144,  4;81  ii.  2,  2;  v.  52,  4;  vi.  16,  23;  vii.  9,  4;  viii.  46,  12; 
viii.  51,  9;  ix.  12,  7  j82  x.  27,  19;  x.  140,  683  (in  all  of  which  places, 
except  i.  115,  2,  the  word  is  combined  with  manushyd,  mdnushd,  manu- 
shah,  or  jandntitri),  yuga  seems  to  denote  "  generations "  of  men,  or 

pararddhasya  varttamanasya  vai  dvija  \  Varahah  iti  kalpo  'yam  prathamah  pari- 
kalpitah  \ 

78  In  Professor  Willson's   Dictionary  three  senses  are  assigned  to  yuga  (neuter) 

(1)  a  pair;  (2)  an  age  as  the  Krita,  Treta,  etc. ;  (3)  a  lustre,  or  period  of  five  years. 
When  used  as  masculine  the  word  means,  according  to  the  same  authority,  (1)  a  yoke  ; 

(2)  a  measure  of  four  cubits,  etc. ;  (3)  a  particular  drug. 

79  Sayana,  on  iii.  36,  3,  explains  it  hy  pratidinam,  "  every  day ;"  on  vi.  8,  5 ; 
vi.  15,  8  ;  vi.  36,  5,  by  kale  kale,  "  at  every  time." 

80  Sayana  takes  the  phrase  for  former  "  couples  of  husbands  and  wives,"  mithunani 
jayap  atir  upani. 

31  In  i.  92,  11  and  i.  124,  2,  Ushas  (the  Dawn)  is  spoken  of  as,  praminaft  manmhya 
yugani,  "  wearing  away  human  terms  of  existence,  or  generations."  In  commenting 
on  the  former  text  Sayana  explains  yugani  as  equivalent  to  krita-treladlni,  "the  Krita, 
Treta,  and  other  ages,"  whilst  in  explaining  the  second,  he  takes  the  same  word  as 
signifying  yugopalakshitan  nimeshadi-kalavayavan,  "  the  seconds  and  other  component 
parts  of  time  indicated  by  the  word,"  or  as  equivalent  to  yugmani,  "  the  conjunctions 
of  men," — since  the  dawn  scatters  abroad  to  their  several  occupations  men  who  had 
been  previously  congregated  together!"  la  his  note  on  i.  144,  4,  he  gives  an  option 
of  two  different  senses  :  manoh  sambhandhmi  yugani  j ay  apati-r  upani  hotradhvaryu- 
r upani  va  \  "  couples  consisting  of  husband  and  wife,  or  of  the  hotri  and  adhvaryu 
priests." 

82  This  verse,  ix.  12,  7,  is  also  found  in  Sama  V.  ii.  552,  where,  however,  yuja  is 
substituted  for  yuga. 

bs  This  verse  occurs  also  in  Sama  V.  ii.  1171,  and  Vaj.  S.  xii.  111. 


46  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

rather,  in  some  places,  "tribes"  of  men.  Tn  v.  73,  3,  the  phrase 
ndhuska  yuga  must  have  a  similar  meaning.  In  i.  158,  6,  it  is  said 
that  the  rishi  Dirghatamas  became  worn  out  in  the  tenth  yuga ;  on 
which  Professor  Wilson  remarks  (R.  V.  vol.  ii.  104,  note) :  "  The  scho- 
liast understands  yuga  in  its  ordinary  interpretation ;  but  the  yuga  of 
five  years  is  perhaps  intended,  a  lustrum,  which  would  be  nothing  mar- 
vellous." Professor  Aufrecht  proposes  to  render,  "in  the  tenth  stage 
of  life."  The  first  passage  of  the  Rig-veda,  in  which  the're  is  any  indi- 
cation of  a  considerable  mundane  period  being  denoted,  is  x.  72,  2f., 
where  "  a  first,"  or,  "an  earlier  age  (ytiga'}  of  the  gods"  is  mentioned 
(devdndm  purvye  yuge ;  devanam  praihame  yuge]  when  "  the  existent 
sprang  from  the  non-existent"  (asatah  sad  ajuyata] ;  but  no  allusion  is 
made  to  its  length.  In  the  same  indefinite  way  reference  is  made  in 
x.  97,  1,  to  certain  "plants  which  were  produced  before  the  gods, — 
three  ages  (yugas)  earlier  "  (yah  oshadklh  purvah  jutah  develhyas  tri- 
yugam  purd}.  In  one  verse  of  the  Atharva-veda,  however,  the  word  yuga 
is  so  employed  as  to  lead  to  the  supposition  that  a  period  of  very  long 
duration  is  intended.  It  is  there  said,  viii.  2,  21  :  satam  te  ayutam 
hayanun  dm  yuge  trini  chatrari  Icrinmah  |  "  we  allot  to  thee  a  hundred, 
ten  thousand,  years,  two,  three,  four  ages  (yugas)."**'  As  we  may  with 
probability  assume  that  the  periods  here  mentioned  proceed  in  the 
ascending  scale  of  duration,  two  yugas,  and  perhaps  even  one  yuga, 
must  be  supposed  to  exceed  10,000  years. 

The  earliest  comparison  between  divine  and  human  periods  of  dura- 
tion of  which  I  am  aware  is  found  in  the  text  of  the  Taitt.  Br.  quoted 
above  in  a  note  to  p.  42  :  "A  year  is  one  day  of  the  gods.86  But  so 
far  as  that  passage  itself  shows,  there  is  no  reason  to  imagine  that  the 
statement  it  contains  was  anything  more  than  an  isolated  idea,  or  that 
the  conception  had,  at  the  time  when  the  Brahmanas  were  compiled, 
been  developed,  and  a  system  of  immense  mundane  periods,  whether 

84  For  the  context  of  this  line  see  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866, 
page  42. 

h5  An  analogous  idea  is  found  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  xiv.  7,  1,  33  if.  (  =  Bri- 
hadaranyaka  TJpanishad  pp.  817  ff.  of  Cal.  ed.)  atha  ye  satam  manushyanam  ananduh 
sa  ekah  pitrJnamjitalokanam  anandah  \  "  now  a  hundred  pleasures  of  men  are  one 
pleasure  of  the  Pitris  who  have  conquered  the  worlds."  And  so  on  in  the  same  way ; 
a  hundred  pleasures  of  the  Pitris  equalling  one  pleasure  of  the  Karmadevas  (or  gods 
who  have  become  so  by  works) ;  a  hundred  pleasures  of  the  latter  equalling  one 
pleasure  of  the  gods  who  were  born  such,  etc. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  47 

human  or  divine,  had  heen  elaborated.  That,  however,  the  authors  of 
the  Brahmanas  were  becoming  familiar  with  the  idea  of  extravagantly 
large  numbers  is  clear  from  the  passage  in  the  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  12,  9,  2, 
quoted  above,  p.  41,  in  the  note  on  Manu  xii.  50,  where  it  is  said  that 
the  creators  were  engaged  in  a  sacrifice  for  100,000  years. 

Professor  Roth  is  of  opinion  (see  his  remarks  under  the  word  Krita 
in  his  Lexicon)  that  according  to  the  earlier  conception  stated  in  Manu 
i.  69,  and  the  Mahabharata  (12,826  ff.),  the  four  Yugas— Krita,  Treta, 
Dvapara,  and  Kali,  with  their  mornings  and  evenings,  consisted  respec- 
tively of  no  more  than  4,800  ;  3,600;  2,400  ;  and  1,200  ordinary  years 
of  mortals ;  and  that  it  was  the  commentators  on  Manu,  and  the  com- 
pilers of  the  Puranas,  who  first  converted  the  years  of  which  they 
were  made  up  into  divine  years.  The  verse  of  Manu  to  which  Pro- 
fessor Roth  refers  (i.  69),  and  the  one  which  follows,  are  certainly 
quite  silent  about  the  years  composing  the  Krita  age  being  divine 
years : 

Chatvdry  dhuh  sahasrani  varshdnam  tu  kritaih  yugam  \  tasya  tdvach- 
chhatl  sandhyd  sandhydmschascha  tathdvidhah  \  70.  Itareshu  sasandhyeshu 
sasandhdmseshu  cha  trishu  \  ekdpdyena  varttante  sahasrdni  satdni  cha  \ 
"  They  say  that  four  thousand  years  compose  the  krita  yuga,  with 
as  many  hundred  years  for  its  morning  and  the  same  for  its  evening. 
70.  In  the  other  three  yugas,  with  their  mornings  and  evenings,  the 
thousands  and  hundreds  are  diminished  successively  by  one." 

Yerse  71  is  as  follows:  Yad  etat  parisanlchydtam  dddv  eva  chatur- 
yugam  \  etad  dvddasa-sdhasram  devdndm  yugam  ucJiyate  \  which,  as  ex- 
plained by  Medhatithi,  may  be  thus  rendered :  "  Twelve  thousand  of 
these  periods  of  four  yugas,  as  above  reckoned,  are  called  a  Yuga  of 
the  gods."  Medhatithi' s  words,  as  quoted  by  Kulluka,  are  these : 
Chaturyugair  eva  dvddasa-saJiasra-sanJchyair  divyam  yugam  \  "  A  divine 
Yuga  is  formed  by  four  yugas  to  the  number  of  twelve  thousand." 
Kulluka,  however,  says  that  his  predecessor's  explanation  is  mis- 
taken, and  must  not  be  adopted  (Medhdtither  Ihramo  nddarttavyah}. 
His  own  opinion  is  that  the  system  of  yugas  mentioned  in  vv.  69  and 
71  are  identical,  both  being  made  up  of  divine  years.  According  to 
this  view,  we  must  translate  v.  71  as  follows  :  "  The  period  of  four 
yugas,  consisting  of  twelve  thousand  years,  which  has  been  reckoned 
above,  is  called  a  Yuga  of  the  gods."  This  certainly  appears  to  be  the 


48  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

preferable  translation,  and  it  is  confirmed  by  the  tenor  of  verse  79. 
Verse  71,  however,  may  represent  a  later  stage  of  opinion,  as  it  is 
not  found  in  the  following  passage  of  the  Mahabharata,  where  the 
previous  verse  (69)  is  repeated,  and  verse  70  is  expanded  into  three 
verses,  though  without  any  alteration  of  the  sense : 

M.  Bh.  iii.  12826  ff.  - —  Adito  manuja-vydghra  Icritsnasya  jagatah 
lishaye  \  cJiatvdry  ahuh  sahasrdni  varshtindm  tat  Tcritam  yugam  \  tasya 
tdvacTwhhatl  sandhyd  sandhydihscha  tathdvidhah  \ 

"  In  the  beginning,  after  the  destruction  of  the  entire  universe,  they 
say  that  there  are  four  thousand  years  :  that  is  the  Krita  Yuga,  which 
has  a  morning  of  as  many  hundred  years,  and  an  evening  of  the  same 
duration."  And  then,  after  enumerating  in  like  manner  the  other  three 
Yugas  with  their  respective  thousands  and  hundreds  successively 
diminished  by  one,  the  speaker  (the  sage  Markandeya)  proceeds  in 
verse  12831 :  Eshd  dvddasahasrl  yugdkTiyd  pariklrttitd  \  etat  sahasra- 
paryantam  oho  brdhmam  uddTiritam  \  "  This  period  of  twelve  thousand 
years  is  known  by  the  appellation  of  the  Yugas.  A  period  extending 
to  a  thousand  of  these  is  called  a  day  of  Brahma." 

Nowhere,  certainly,  in  this  passage  is  any  mention  made  of  the  years 
being  divine  years. 

The  earliest  known  text  in  which  the  names  of  the  four  Yugas  are 
found  is  a  verse  occurring  in  the  story  of  S'unahsepha  in  the  Aitareya 
Brahmana  vii.  15  :  Kalih  say  am  bhavati  sanjihdnas  tu  di'dparah  \  uttisJi- 
thams  tretd  ITiavati  Tcritam  sampadyate  charan  \  "A  man  while  lying  is 
the  Kali ;  moving  himself,  he  is  the  Dvapara ;  rising,  he  is  the  Treta ; 
walking,  he  becomes  the  Krita."86  But  this  brief  allusion  leaves  us 

86  This  verse  has  been  already  translated  no  less  than  six  times  ;  twice  into  German 
by  "Weber  and  Roth  (Ind.  Stud.  i.  286  and  460),  once  into  Latin  by  Streiter  (see  Ind. 
Stud.  ix.  315),  and  thrice  into  English,  by  "Wilson  (Journ.  R.  A.  S.  for  1851,  p.  99), 
Miiller  (Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  412),  and  Haug  (Ait.  Br.  ii.  464).  All  these  authors, 
except  the  last,  concur  in  considering  the  verse  as  referring  to  the  four  Yugas. 
Dr.  Haug,  however,  has  the  following  note  :  "  Sayana  does  not  give  any  explanation 
of  this  important  passage,  where  the  names  of  the  Yugas  are  mentioned  for  the  first 
time.  These  four  names  are,  as  is  well  known  from  other  sources,  .  .  .  names  of  dice, 
used  at  gambling.  The  meaning  of  this  Oaths  is,  There  is  every  success  to  be  hoped ; 
for  the  unluckiest  die,  the  Kali  is  lying,  two  others  are  slowly  moving  and  half  fallen, 
but  the  luckiest,  the  Krita,  is  in  full  motion.  The  position  of  dice  here  given  is  indi- 
catory of  a  fair  chance  of  winning  the  game."  Both  Dr.  Haug's  translation  and  note 
are  criticised  by  Professor  Weber  (Ind.  Stud.  ix.  319),  Of  the  following  verses,  which 
occur  in  Manu  ix.  301  f.,  the  second  is  a  paraphrase  of  that  in  the  Aitareya  Brah- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  49 

quite  in  the  dark  as  to  the  duration  which  was  assigned  to  these  yugas 
in  the  age  when  the  Brahmana  was  compiled. 


SECT.  'VII.-~Aecount  of  the  different   creations,   including  that  of  the 
castes,  according  to  the  Vishnu  Purana. 

I  commence  t with  the  following  general  account  of  the  cosmogony  of 
the  Vishnu  Purana,  extracted  from  Professor  Wilson's  Preface  to  his 
translation  of  that  work,  vtfl.  i.  p.  xciii.  : 

"The  first  book  of  the  six,  into  which  the  work  is  divided,  is 
occupied  chiefly  with  the  details  of  creation,  primary  (sarga),  and 
secondary  (pratisarga}',  the  first  explains  how  the  universe  proceeds 
from  Prakriti,  or  eternal  crude  matter ; 87  the  second,  in  what  manner 
the  forms  of  things  are  developed  from  the  elementary  substances 
previously  evolved,  or  how  they  re-appear  after  their  temporary  de- 
struction.88 Both  these  creations  are  periodical;  but  the  termination 
of  the  first  occurs  only  at  the  end  of  the  life  of  Brahma,  when  not 
only  all  the  gods  and  all  other  forms  are  annihilated,  but  the  elements 
are  again  merged  into  primary  substance,  besides  which  only  one 
spiritual  being  exists.  The  latter  takes  place  at  the  end  of  every 
Kalpa  or  day  of  Brahma,  and  affects  only  the  forms  of  inferior 
creatures  and  lower  worlds,  leaving  the  substances  of  the  universe 
entire,  and  sages  and  gods  unharmed."  89 

mana  :  Eritam  treta-yugam  ehaiva  dvaparam  kalir  eva  cha  \  raj'no  vrittani  sarvani 
raja  hi  yugam  uchyate  \  302.  Kalih  prasupto  bhavati  sa  jagrat  dvaparam  yugam  \ 
karmasv  abhyudyatas  treta  vicharams  tu  kritam  yugam  \  "301.  The  Krita,  Tretu, 
Dvapara,  and  Kali  yugas  are  all  modes  of  a  king's  action ;  for  a  king  is  called  a  yuga. 
302.  While  asleep  he  is  the  Kali ;  waking  he  is  the  Dvapara  age  ;  intent  upon  action 
he  is  the  Treta,  moving  about  he  is  the  Krita."  The  former  of  these  two  verses  of 
Manu  is  reproduced  nearly  verbatim  in  the  M.  Bh.  xii.  3408 ;  and  the  same  idea  is  ex- 
panded in  the  same  book  of  the  same  poem,  vv.  2674  ff.,  2682,  2684,  2686,  2693  ff. 
The  words  krita,  treta,  dvapara,  and  kali,  are  found  in  the  Vaj.-Sanhita,  xxx.  18,  and 
in  the  Taitt.  Brahmana,  iii.  4,  1, 16  ;  but  in  both  places  they  denote  dice,  as  does  also 
the  word  krita  in  the  Chhandogya  Upan.  iv.  1,  4  (where  see  the  commentary).  On 
the  Yugas  the  reader  of  German  may  also  consult  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  i.  pp.  39, 
87  f.,  282  ff. 

87  [See  Book  i.  chapter  ii.] 

88  [See  the  fourth  and  following  chapters  of  Book  i.] 

89  See  Book  i.  at  the  close  of  chapter  vii.  p.  113  of  vol.  i.  of  Professor  Wilson's 
translation,  2nd  edition,  and  also  p.  621  and  630  of  the  original  4to.  edition.  As  regards, 


50  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

I  proceed  with  the  details  of  the  creation  which  took  place  in  the 
Varaha  Kalpa,  as  described  in  book  i.  chapter  4,  vv.  2,  ff:  : 

Atita-kalpdvasdne  nisd-suptotthitah  pralhuh  \  sattvodriktas  tato 
Brahma  sunyaih  lokam  avaikshata  \  3.  Ndrdyanah  paro  'chintyah 
paresTidm  api  sa  pralhuh  \  Brahma- svarupl  lhavagdn  anddih  sarva- 
sambhavah  |  .  .  .  6.  Toydntah  sa  mahlm  jndtvd  jagaty  ekdrnave  pra- 
lhuh |  anumdndd  tad-uddhdram  karttu-kdmah  prajdpatih  \  7.  A.karot  so, 
tanum  anydm  kalpddishu  yathd  purd  \  matsya-kurmtidikdm  tadvad 
vdrdham  vapur  dsthitah  \  8.  Veda-yajnamayam  rupam  asesha-jagatah 
sthitau  |  sthitah  sthirdtmd  sarvdtmd  paramdtmd  prajdpatih  \  9.  Jana- 
loka-gataih  siddhair  Sanalcddyair  abhishthutah  \  pravivesa  tadd  toyam 
dtmddhdro  dhard-dharah  |  .  .  .  .  45.  Evam  saihstuyamdnastu  para- 
mdtmd mahldharah  \  ujjahdra  mahlm  Tcshipram  nyastavdihs  cha  mahdm- 
Ihasi  \  46.  Tasyopari  jalaughasya,  mahatl  naur  iva  sthitd  \  vitatatatvdt 
tu  dehasya  na  mahl  ydti  samplavam  \  tatah  Tcshitim  samdih  kritvd  prithi- 
vydm  so  'chinod  girln  \  yathd-vilhdgam  Ihagavdn  anddih  purmhottamah 
|  47.  Prdlc-sarga-dagdhdn  akhildn  parvatdn  prithimtale  \  amoghcna 
prabhdvena  sasarjdmogha-vdmchhitah  \  48.  Bhuvi  Ihdgam  tatah  Icritvd 
sapta-dvipdn  yathdtathd  \  Ihur-ddydms  chaturo  lokun  purvavat  sama- 
Jealpayat  \  49.  Brahma-rupadharo  devas  tato  'sau  rajasu  "vritah  \ 
chakdra  srishtim  lhagavdms  chatur-valctra-dharo  JTarih  \  50.  nimitta- 
mdtram  evdsau  srijydndm  sarga-lcarmandm  \  pradhdna-Tcdranlbhutd 
yato  vai  srijya-salctayah  \  51.  Nimitta-mdtram  muktvaikam  ndnyat 
kinchid  apekshyate  \  nlyate  tapatdm  sreshtha  sva-saktya  vastu  vastutdm  \ 

"2.  At  the  end  of  the  past  (or  Padma)  Kalpa,  arising  from  his 
night  slumber,  Brahma,  the  lord,  endowed  predominantly  with  the 
quality  of  goodness,  beheld  the  universe  void.  3.  He  (was)  the 
supreme  lord  iNarayana,  who  cannot  even  be  conceived  by  other 
beings,  the  deity  without  beginning,  the  source  of  all  things,  existing 
in  the  form  of  Brahma."  [The  verse  given  in  Manu  i.  10,  regarding 
the  derivation  of  the  word  Narayana  (see  above  p.  35)  is  here  quoted]. 
"  6.  This  lord  of  creatures,  discovering  by  inference, — when  the  world 
had  become  one  ocean, — that  the  earth  lay  within  the  waters,  and 
being  desirous  to  raise  it  up,  (7)  assumed  another  body.  As  formerly, 
at  the  beginnings  of  the  Kalpas,  he  had  taken  the  form  of  a  fish, 

however,  the  statement  with  which  the  paragraph  concludes,  compare  vol.  i.  p.  50,  as 
well  as  vol.  ii.  p.  269,  of  the  same  work. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  51 

a  tortoise,  and  so  forth,90  (so  now)  entering  the  body  of  a  boar  (8), — 
a  form  composed  of  the  vedas  and  of  sacrifice, — the  lord  of  creatures, 
who,  throughout  the  entire  continuance  of  the  world,  remains  fixed, 
the  universal  soul,  the  supreme  soul,  self- sustained,  the  supporter  of 
the  earth  (9), — being  hymned  by  Sanaka  and  the  other  saints,  who 
had  (at  the  dissolution  of  the  lower  worlds)  proceeded  to  Janaloka, — 
entered  the  water."  [He  is  then  addressed  by  the  goddess  Earth  in  a 
hymn  of  praise,  as  Vishnu,  and  as  the  supreme  Brahma,  vv.  10-24. 
The  boar  then  rises  from  jjhe  lower  regions,  tossing  up  the  earth  with 
his  tusk,  and  is  again  lauded  by  Sanandana  and  other  saints  in  a 
second  hymn,  in  the  course  of  which  he  himself  is  identified  with 
sacrifice,  and  his  various  members  with  its  different  instruments  and 
accompaniments,  vv.  25-44].  "45.  Being  thus  lauded,  the  supreme 
soul,  the  upholder  of  the  earth,  lifted  her  up  quickly  and  placed  her 
upon  the  great  waters.  46.  Resting  upon  this  mass  of  water,  like 
a  vast  ship,  she  does  not  sink,  owing  to  her  expansion.  Then,  having 
levelled  the  earth,  the  divine  eternal  Purushottasna  heaped  together 
mountains  according  to  their  divisions.  47.  He  whose  will  cannot  be 
frustrated,  by  his  unfailing  power,  created  on  the  surface  of  the  earth 
all  those  mountains  which  had  been  burnt  up  in  the  former  creation. 
48.  Having  then  divided  the  earth,  just  as  it  had  been,  into  seven 
dvipas,  he  formed  the  four  worlds  Bhurloka  and  others  as  before.  49. 
Becoming  next  pervaded  with  the  quality  of  passion,  that  divine  being 
Hari,  assuming  the  form  of  Brahma,  with  four  faces,  effected  the 
creation.  50.  But  he  is  merely  the  instrumental  cause  of  the  things 
to  be  created  and  of  the  creative  operations,  since  the  properties  of  the 
things  to  be  created  arise  from  Pradhana  as  their  (material)  cause.  51. 
Excepting  an  instrumental  cause  alone,  nothing  else  is  required. 
Every  substance  (vastu}  is  brought  into  the  state  of  substance  (vastuta) 
by  its  own  inherent  power." 91 

90  No  mention  is  made  in  the  Brahmanas  (as  I  have  already  observed)  of  any  such 
periods  as  the  Kalpas.     But  here  an  attempt  is  made  to  systematize  the  different 
stories  scattered  through  those  older  works  which  variously  describe  the  manner  in 
which  the  creation  was  effected — with  the  view,  perhaps,  of  reconciling  the  discre- 
pancies in  those  free  and  artless  speculations  which  offended  the  critical  sense  of  a 
later  age. 

91  See  Professor  Wilson's  translation  of  these  verses,  and  the  new  version  proposed 
by  the  editor  of  the  second  edition,  Dr.  Hall,  p.  66,  note.     I  do  not  think  the  phrase 

UNIVERSITY  Of 

II  I  IMAIC    1  IDDADV 


52  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

[Before  proceeding  further  with  the  narrative  of  the  Yishnu  Purana, 
I  wish  to  quote  or  refer  to  some  passages  from  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita 
and  Brahmana  and  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  which  appear  to 
furnish  the  original  germs  of  the  legends  of  the  boar,  fish,  tortoise, 
and  dwarf  incarnations. 

The  first  of  these  texts  is  from  the  Taittirlya  Sanhita,  vii.  1,  5,  1  ff : 

Apo  vai  idam  agre  salilam  dslt  \  tasmm  Prajdpatir  vdyur  bhutvd  ach- 
arat  \  sa  imam  apasyat'  \  tarn  vardho  Ihutvd  dharat  \  tarn  Visvakarma 
bhutva  vyamdrt  \  sa  aprathata  \  sa  prithivy  abhavat  \  tat  prithivyai 
prithivitvam  \  tasydm  a£rdmyat  Prajdpatih  \  sa  devdn  asrtjata  Vasun 
Rudrdn  Aditydn  \  te  devdh  Prajdpatim  abruvan  "prafdydmahai"  iti\ 
so  'bravld  "  yathd  aham  yushmdms  tapasd  asrikshi  evam  tcvpasi  pra- 
jananam  ichchhadhvam  "  Hi  \  tebhyo  'gnim  dyatanam  prdyachhad  "  etena 
dyatanena  srdmyata  "  iti  \  te  'gnind  dyatanena  asrdmyan  \  te  samvatsare 
ekdm  gam  asrijanta  \ 

"This  universe  was  formerly  waters,  fluid.  On  it  Prajapati,  be- 
coming wind,  moved.92  He  saw  this  (earth).  Becoming  a  boar,  he 
took  her  up.  Becoming  VisVakarman,  he  wiped  (the  moisture  from) 
her.  She  extended.  She  became  the  extended  one  (prithivl}.  From 
this  the  earth  derives  her  designation  as  the  extended  one.  In  her 
Prajapati  performed  arduous  devotion.  He  created  gods,  Yasus,  Eudras, 
and  Adityas.  The  gods  said  to  Prajapati,  '  let  us  be  propagated.'  He 
answered,  '  As  I  have  created  you  through  austere  fervour,  so  do  ye 
seek  after  propagation  in  austere  fervour.'  He  gave  them  Agni  as  a 
resting-place  (saying),  '  With  this  as  a  resting-place  perform  your 
devotion.'  They  (accordingly)  performed  devotion  with  Agni  as  a 
resting-place.  In  a  year  they  created  one  cow,  etc."93 


sva-salctya  can  be  properly  rendered,  as  Dr.  Hall  does,  "  by  its  potency."  The 
reading  of  the  MSS.  in  v.  50,  pradhana-karambhutah  seems  to  me  doubtful,  as  it 
would  most  naturally  mean  "  hare  become  the  Pradhana-cause."  I  conjecture  pra- 
dhana-karanodbhutah,  which  gives  the  sense  which  seems  to  be  required. 

92  It  is  possible  that  the  idea  assigned  to  the  word  Narayana  (see  Manu  L  10, 
above),  "  he  whose  place  of  movement  is  the  waters,"  may  be  connected  with  this 
passage.  See  also  Genesis  i.  2,  "  And  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the 
waters." 

»3  After  having  noticed  this  passage  in  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita,  I  became  aware  that 
it  had  been  previously  translated  by  Mr.  Colebrooke  (Essays  i.  75,  or  p.  44  of  Williams 
&  Norgate's  edition).  Mr.  Colebrooke  prefaces  his  version  by  remarking,  "  The  pre- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  53 

The  second  passage  is  from  the  Taittiriya  Brahmana,  i.  1,  3,  5  ff. 
Apo  vai  idam  agre  salilam  uslt  \  tena  Prajapatir  asramyat  "Icatham  idam 
syad"  iti  \  so  'pasyat  pmhkara-parnam  tishthat  \  so  'manyata  "  asti  rai 
tad  yasminn  idam  adhitishthati  "  iti  \  sa  varaho  rupam  Icritva  upa- 
nyamajjat  \  sa  prithivlm  adhah  archhat  \  tasyu  upahatya  udamajjat  \  tat 
pushlcara-parne'prathayat  \  yad  "  aprathata  "  tat  prithivyai  prithivit- 
vam  |  "abhudtvai  idam"  iti  tad  Ihumyai  bhumitvam  \  turn  diso  'nu  vdtah 
samavahat  \  tarn  sarkar&bhir  adriihhat  \ 

"  This  (universe)  was  formerly  water,  fluid.94  With  that  (water) 
Prajapati  practised  arduous  devotion  (saying),  '  how  shall  this  (uni- 
verse be  (developed)  ?'  He  beheld  a  lotus-leaf  standing.95  He  thought, 
'  there  is  somewhat  on  which  this  (lotus-leaf)  rests.'  He  as  a  boar — 
having  assumed  that  form — plunged  beneath  towards  it.  He  found 
the  earth  down  below.  Breaking  off  (a  portion  of)  her,  he  rose  to  the 
surface.  He  then  extended  it  on  the  lotus-leaf.  Inasmuch  as  he  ex- 
tended it,  that  is  the  extension  of  the  extended  one  (the  earth).  This 
became  (alhut).  Prom  this  the  earth  derives  its  name  of  Ihuml.  The 
wind  carried  her,  to  the  four  quarters.  He  strengthened  her  with 
gravel,  etc.,  etc. 

The  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xiv.  1,  2,  11,  has  the  following  reference 
to  the  same  idea,  although  here  Prajapati  himself  is  not  the  boar : 

lyatl  ha  vai  iyam  agre  prithivy  dsa  prudesa-matrl  \  tarn  JSmushah  iti 
varuhah  njjaghana  \  so  'syah  patih  Prajdpatis  tena  eva  enam  etan-mithu- 
nena  priyena  dhdmnd  samardhayati  Jcritmam  Icaroti  \ 

"Formerly  this  earth  was  only  so  large,  of  the  size  of  a  span.  A 
boar  called  Emusha  raised  her  up.  Her  lord  Prajapati,  therefore, 
prospers  him  with  (the  gift  of)  this  pair,  the  object  of  his  desire,  and 
makes  him  complete." 

Another  of  the  incarnations  referred  to  in  the  preceding  passage  of 


sent  extract  was  recommended  for  selection  by  its  allusion  to  a  mythological  notion, 
which  apparently  gave  origin  to  the  story  of  the  Varaha-avatara,  and  from  which  an 
astronomical  period,  entitled  Calpa,  has  perhaps  heen  taken." 

94  The  Commentator  gives  an  alternative  explanation,  viz.,  that  the  word  salila  is 
the  same  as  sarira,  according  to  the  text  of  the  Veda, "  these  worlds  are  sarira  "  ("  ime 
vai  lokah  sariram  "  iti  sruteh} . 

98  "  Supported  upon  the  end  of  a  long  stalk  "  (dlrgliariulagre'vasthitam},  according 
to  the  Commentator.  In  a  passage  from  the  Taitt.  Aranyaka,  already  quoted  (p.  32, 
above),  it  is  said  that  Prajiipati  himself  was  born  on  a  lotus-leaf. 


54  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OP  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

the  Vishnu  Purana  is  foreshadowed  in  the  following  text  from  the  S'a- 
tapatha  Brahmana,  vii.  5,  1,  5  : 

Sa  yat  kurmo  ndma  \  etad  vai  rupam  kritvd  Prajdpatih  prajuJi  asri- 
jata  |  yad  asrijata  akarot  tat  \  yad  akarot  tasmdt  kurmah  \  kasyapo  vai 
kurmah  \  tasmdd  dhuh  "sarvdh  prajdh  lidsyapyah"  iti  \  sa  yah  sa  kurmo 
sau  sa  Adityah  \ 

"  As  to  its  being  called  kurma  (a  tortoise) ;  Prajapatj  having  taken 
this  form,  created  ofispring.  That  which  he  created,  he  made  (akarof) ; 
since  he  made,  he  is  (called)  kurmah.  The  wftrd  kasyapa  means  tortoise  ; 
hence  men  say  all  creatures  are  descendants  of  Kasyapa.  This  tortoise 
is  the  same  as  Aditya."96 

The  oldest  version  of  the  story  of  the  fish  incarnation,  which  is  to  be 
found  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  i.  8,  1,  1  ff.,  will  be  quoted  in  the 
next  chapter. 

For  the  passages  which  appear  to  supply  the  germ  of  the  dwarf  in- 
carnation, the  reader  may  consult  the  fourth  volume  of  this  work, 
pp.  54-58  and  107  f. 

It  will  have  been  noticed  that  in  the  passage  above  adduced  from  the 
Vishnu  Purana,  the  word  Narayana  is  applied  to  Vishnu,  and  that  it 
is  the  last  named  deity  who  (though  in  the  form  of  Brahma)  is  said  to 
have  taken  the  form  of  a  boar.  In  the  verses  formerly  cited  from 
Manu  (i.  9,  10),  however,  Narayana  is  an  epithet,  not  of  Vishnu,  but 
of  Brahma;  and  in  the  following  text,  from  the  Kamayana,  xi.  110,  3, 
it  is  Brahma  who  is  said  to  have  become  a  boar  : 

Sarvam  salilam  evdstt  prithivl  tatra  nirmitd  \  tatah  samabhavad  Brah- 
ma svayambhur  daivataih  saha "  |  sa  vardhas  tato  Ihutvd  projjahdra  va- 
sundhardm  ityddi  \ 

"  All  was  water  only,  and  in  it  the  earth  was  fashioned.     Then  arose 

98  With  this  compare  the  mention  made  of  a  tortoise  in  the  passage  cited  above, 
p.  32,  from  the  Taitt.  Aranyaka. 

97  Such  is  the  reading  of  SchlegePs  edition,  and  of  that  which  was  recently  printed 
at  Bombay,  both  of  which,  no  doubt,  present  the  most  ancient  text  of  the  Ramayana. 
The  Gauda  recension,  however,  which  deviates  widely  from  the  other,  and  appears  to 
have  modified  it  in  conformity  with  more  modern  taste  and  ideas,  has  here  also  intro- 
duced a  various  reading  in  the  second  of  the  lines  quoted  in  the  text,  and  identifies 
Brahma  with  Vishnu  in  the  following  manner  :  tatah  samabhavad  Brafana  svayam- 
bhur Vishnur  avyayah  \  l(  Then  arose  Brahma  the  self-existent  and  imperishable 
Vishnu.'' 


AND  OP  THE  ORIGIN  OP  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  55 

Brahma,  the  self  existent,  with  the  deities.    He  then,  becoming  a  boar, 
raised  up  the  earth,"  etc. 

I  now  return  to  the  narrative  of  the  Vishnu  Parana.] 
The  further  process  of  cosmogony  is  thus  described  in  chapter  v. : 
Maitreya  uvdcha  \  1.  Yathd  sasarjja  devo'sau  devarshi-pitri-ddnavdn  \ 
manushya-tiryag-'vrikshddin  bhu-vyoma-salilaukasah  \  2.  Yad-gunam 
yat-svabMvam  cha  yad-rupam  cha  jagad  dvija  \  sargddau  srishtavdn 
JBrahmd  tad  mamdchahhva  vistardt  \  Pardsara  uvdcha  \  3.  Maitreya 
kathaydmy  esha  srinushva  stfsamdhitah  \  yathd  sasarjja  devo  'sau  devddln 
akhildn  vibhuh  \  srishtim  chintayatas  tasya  kalpddishu  yathd  purd  \ 
abuddhi-purvakah  sargah  prddurbhutas  tamomayah  \  4.  Tamo  moJio  ma- 
hdmohas  tdmisro  hy  andha-samjnitah  \  avidyd  pancha-parvaisJid  prd- 
durbhutd  mahdtmanah  \  5.  Panchadhd  'vasthitah  sargo  dhydyato  'prati- 
lodhavdn  \  vahir-anto- prakdsas  cha  samvritt'dtmd  nagdtmakah  \  6. 
Mukhyd  nagd  yatas  choktd  mukhya-sargas  tatas  tv  ay  am  \  7.  Tarn  drish- 
fvd  'sddhakaih  sargam  amanyad  aparam  punah  \  tasydlhidhydyatah  sargas 
tiryak-srotd 98  'bhyavarttata  \  8.  Yasmdt  tiryak  pravrittah  sa  tiryak- 
srotas  tatah  smritah  \  9.  Pasvddayas  te  mkhydtds  tamah-praydh  Tiy  ave- 
dinah  \  utpatha-grdhinas  chaiva  te 'jndne  jndna-mdninah  \  10.  Ahamkritd 
ahammdnd  ashtdvimsad-vadhdnvitdh  \  antah-prakdsds  te  sarve  dvritds  cha 
parasparam  \  11.  Tarn  apy  asddhakam  matvd  dhydyato  'nyas  tato  'bhavat  \ 
urdhvasrotas  tritiyas  tu  sdttvikorddhvam  avarttata"  \  12.  Te  sukha-prlti- 
lahuld  bahir  dntas  cha  ndvritdh  10°  |  prakdsd  lahir  antas  cha  urdhva- 
sroto-bhavdh  smritdh  |,  13.  Tushty-dtmakas  tritiyas  tu  deva-sargas  in 
yah  smritah  \  tasmin  sarge  'lhavat  prltir  nishpanne  Brahmanas  tadd  \ 
14.  Tato  'nyaih  sa  tadd  dadhyau  sddhakam  sargam  uttamam  \  asddhakdms 
tu  tun  jndtvd  mukhya-sargddi-sambhavdn  \  15.  Tathd  'bhidhydyatas 
tasya  satydbhidydyinas  tatah  \  prddurbhutas  tadd  Jvyaktdd  arvdk-srotas 
tu  sddhakah  \  16.  Yasmdd  arvdg  vyavarttanta  tato  'rvdk-srotasas  tu  te  \ 
te  cha  prakdsa-lahuld  tamodriktdm  rajo'dhikdh  \  tasmdt  te  duhkha- 
lahuld  bhuyo  bhuyas  cha  kdrinah  \  prakdsd  bahir  antas  cha  manushyd 
sddhakds  tu  te  \  ,  .  .  .  23.  Ity  etc  tu  samdkhydtd  nava  sargdh  Prajd- 

93  Hi  sandhir  arshah. — Comra. 

99  The  reading  of  the  Vayu  P.,  in  the  parallel  passage,  is  tasyabhidhyayato  nityani 
sattvikah   samavarttata  \    urdhvasrotas   tritiyas  tu  sa  chaivordhvam  vyavasthitah  \ 
The  combination  sattvikordhvam  in  the  text  of  the  Vishnu  P.  must  he  arsha. 

100  ]7or  navritah  the  Vayu  P.  reads  samvritah. 

101  Iti  sandhirarshah  \  Comm.   But  there  is  a  form  tatna.  The  Vayu  P.  has  tamah- 
saktah. 


50  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CEEATION  OF  MAN, 

pateh  |  prdkritd  vaikritds  chaiva  jagato  mula-hetavah  \  srijato  jagadlia1- 
sya  Icim  anyach  chhrotum  ichhasi  \  Maitreya  uvacha  \  24.  Samkshepdt 
kathitah  sargo  devddmdm  tvayd  mum  \  vista.rdch  chhrotum  ichhdmi 
tvatto  munivarottama  \  Pardsara  uvacha  \  karmabhir  bhdvitdh  purvaih 
kusaldkusalais  tu  tdh  \  khydtyd  tayd  hy  anirmuktdh  samhdre  hy  upa- 
samhritdh  \  25.  Sthdvardntah  surddydscha  prajd  brahmaihs  chaturvi- 
dhdh  |  Brahmanah  kurvatah  srishtim  jajnire  mdnasls  tu  tdh  \  26.  Tato 
devdsurapitrin  mdnushdms  cha  chatushtayam  \  sisrikshur  ambhdmsy 
etdni  svam  dtmdnam  ayuyujat  \  27.  Yuktdimanas  tamomdtrd  udrildd 
'bhut  Prajdpateh  \  sisrikshor  jagJiandt  purvam  asurdh  jajnire  tatah  \ 
28.  Utsasarja  tatas  tdm  tu  tamo-mdtrdtmikdm  tanum  \  sd  tu  tyaktd 
tanus  tena  Maitreydlhud  vilhdvarl  \  29.  Sisrikshur  anya-deha-sthah 
prltim  dpa  tatah  surah  \  sattvodriktdh  samudbhutdh  mukhato  JBrah- 
mano  dvija  \  30.  Tyaktd  sd  'pi  tanus  tena  sattva-prdyam  abhud  dinam  \ 
tato  hi  lalino  rdtrdv  asurd  devatd  diva  \  31.  Sattvamdtrdtmikdm  era 
tato  'nydrh  jagrihe  tanum  \  pitrivad  manyamdnasya  pitaras  tasya 
jajnire  \  32.  Utsasarja  pitrm  srishtvd  tatas  tdm  api  sa  prabhuh  \  sd 
chotsrishtd  'bhavat  sandhyd  dina-naktdntara-sthitih  \  33.  Rajo-mdtrdt- 
mikdm  anydmjagrihe  Ka  tanum  tatah  \  rajo-mdtrotkatd  jdtd  manushyd 
dvija-sattama  \  tdm  apy  dsu  sa  tatydja  tanum  ddyah  Prajdpatih  \ 
jyotsnd  samalhavat  sd  'pi  prdk-sandhyd  yd  'Ihidhlyate  \  34.  Jyotsno- 
dgame  tu  lalino  manushydh  pitaras  tathd  \  Maitreya  sandhyd-samaye 
tasmdd  ete  bhavanti  vai  \  35.  Jyotsnd-rdtry-ahanl  sandhyd  chatvdry 
etdni  vai  vibhoh  \  Brahmanas  tu  sarlrdni  trigunupdsraydni  cha  \ 
36.  Rajo-mdtrdtmikdm  eva  tato  'nydm  jagrihe  tanum  \  tatah  kshud 
Brahmano  jdtd  jajne  kopas  tayd  tatah  \  37.  Kshut-khdmdn  andhakdre 
'tha  so  'srijad  bhagavdms  tatah  \  Virupdh  smasruld  jdtds  te  'bhyadhd- 
vams  tatah  prabhum  \  38.  "  Maivam  bho  rakshyatdm  esha  "  yair  uktam 
rdkshasds  tu  te  \  uchuh  "khdddma"  ity  anye  ye  te  yakshds  tu  yakshandt  \ 
"Maitreya  said:  1.  Tell  me  in  detail  how  at  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  that  deity  Brahma  formed  the  gods,  rishis,  fathers,  danava?, 
men,  beasts,  trees,  etc.,  dwelling  respectively  on  the  earth,  in  the  sky, 
and  in  the  water;  2.  and  with  what  qualities,  with  what  nature,  and 
of  what  form  he  made  the  world.  Parasara  replied :  3.  I  declare  to 
thee,  Maitreya,  how  that  deity  created  the  gods  and  all  other  beings ; 
listen  with  attention.  While  he  was  meditating  on  creation,  as  at  the 
beginnings  of  the  (previous)  Kalpas,  there  appeared  an  insentient  crea- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  57 

tion,  composed  of  gloom  (tamas).  4.  Gloom,  illusion,  great  illusion, 
darkness,  and  what  is  called  utter  darkness — such  was  the  five-fold 
ignorance,  which  was  manifested  from  that  great  Being,  5.  as  he  was 
meditating — an  insensible  creation,102  under  five  conditions,  devoid  of 
feeling  either  without  or  within,108  closed  up,  motionless.  6.  And  since 
motionless  objects  are  called  the  primary  objects,  this  is  called  the  pri- 
mary (mukhya)  creation.104  7.  Beholding  this  creation  to  be  ineffective, 
he  again  contemplated  another.  As  he  was  desiring  it  the  brute 
(tiryaksrotas)  creation  came  forth.  8.  Since  (in  its  natural  functions) 
it  acts  horizontally  it  is  called  Tiryaksrotas.  9.  The  (creatures  com- 
posing it)  are  known  as  cattle,  etc.,  distinguished  mainly  by  darkness 
(tamas]  ignorant,  following  irregular  courses,105  while  in  u  state  of  ignor- 
ance having  a  conceit  of  knowledge,  (10)  self-regarding,  self-esteeming, 
affected  by  the  twenty-eight  kinds  of  defects,  endowed  with  inward 
feeling,  and  mutually  closed.  1 1 .  As  Brahma,  regarding  this  creation 
also  as  ineffective,  was  again  meditating,  another  creation,  the  third,  or 
urdhvasrotas,  which  was  good,  rose  upward.  12.  They  (the  creatures 
belonging  to  this  creation)  abounding  in  happiness  and  satisfaction, 
being  unclosed  both  without  and  within,  and  possessed  both  of  external 
and  internal  feeling,  are  called  the  offspring  of  the  TJrdhvasrotas  crea- 
tion. 13.  This  third  creation,  known  as  that  of  the  gods,  was  one  full 
of  enjoyment.  When  it  was  completed,  Brahma  was  pleased.  14.  He 
then  contemplated  another  creation,  effective  and  most  excellent,  since 
he  regarded  as  ineffective  the  beings  sprung  from  the  primary  and 
other  creations.  1 5.  While  he,  whose  will  is  efficacious,  was  so  desir- 
ing, the  Arvaksrotas,  an  effective  creation,  was  manifested.108  16.  They 

102  The  Vayu  P.  here  inserts  an  additional  line,  sarvatas  tamasa  chaiva  dTpah 
kumbha-vad  avritah  \  "  and  covered  on  all  sides  with  darkness,  as  a  lamp  by  a  jar." 

103  Vahir-anto  'prakasascha  appears  to  be  the  true  reading,  as  the  Commentator 
renders  the  last  word  by  prakrishta-jnana-sunyah,  "  devoid  of  knowledge."     But  if 
this  be  the  correct  reading,  it  is  ungrammatical,  asantah  and  aprakasa  would  properly 
make  antar-aprakasa,  not  onto  'prakasa.     But  the  Puranas  have  many  forms  which 
are  irregular  (arsha,  "  peculiar  to  the  rishis,"  "  vedic,"  or  "  antiquated  "  as  the  Com- 
mentators style  them).     The  Taylor  MS.  of  the  Vayu  Purana  reads  in  the  parallel 
passage  bahir-antah-prakasascha. 

101  See  Dr.  Hall's  note  p.  70  on  Professor  "Wilson's  translation  ;  and  also  the  pas- 
sage quoted  above  p.  16  from  the  Taitt.  Sanh.  vii.  1,  1,  4,  where  the  word  mukhya  is 
otherwise  applied  and  explained. 

105  JBhakshyadi-vivekak-h7imh  \  "  Making  no  distinction  in  food,  etc.,  etc."  Comm. 

106  Compare  M.  Bh.  xiv.  1038. 


58  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OP  THE  CREATION  OP  MAN, 

(the  creatures  belonging  to  it)  are  called  Arvaksrotas,  because  (in  their 
natural  functions)  they  acted  downwardly.  And  they  abound  in  sen- 
sation (pralcasa)  and  are  full  of  darkness  (tamas]  with  a  preponderance 
of  passion  (rajas).  Hence  they  endure  much  suffering,  and  are  con- 
stantly active,  with  both  outward  and  inward  feeling.  These  beings 
were  men,  and  effective."107 

In  the  next  following  verses,  17-22,  the  names  of  the  different  crea- 
tions, described  in  the  first  part  of  this  section,  and  in  the  second  chapter 
of  the  first  book  of  the  Vishnu  Purana,  are  recapitulated,  and  two  others, 
the  Anugraha  and  the  Kaumara,  are  noticed,  but  not  explained.108 

The  speaker  Parasara  then  adds :  "  23.  Thus  have  the  nine  creations 
of  Prajapati,  both  Prakrita  and  Vaikrita,  the  radical  causes  of  the  world, 
been  recounted.  "WTiat  else  dost  thou  desire  to  hear  regarding  the  crea- 
tive lord  of  the  world  ?  Maitreya  replies :  24.  By  thee,  most  excellent 
Muni,  the  creation  of  the  gods  and  other  beings  has  been  summarily 
narrated :  I  desire  to  hear  it  from  thee  in  detail.  Parasara  rejoins : 
Called  into  (renewed)  existence  in  consequence  of  former  actions,  good 
or  bad,  and  unliberated  from  that  destination  when  they  were  absorbed 
at  the  (former)  dissolution  of  the  world,  (25)  the  four  descriptions  of 
creatures,  beginning  with  things  immovable  and  ending  with  gods,  were 
produced,  o  Brahman,  from  Brahma  when  he  was  creating,  and  they 
sprang  from  his  mind.  26.  Being  then  desirous  to  create  these  streams 
(anibhdmsi}m — the  four  classes  of  Gods,  Asuras,  Fathers,  and  Men,  he 
concentrated  himself.  27.  Prajapati,  thus  concentrated,  received  a  body, 
which  was  formed  of  the  quality  of  gloom  (tamds] ;  and  as  he  desired 
to  create,  Asuras  were  first  produced  from  his  groin.  28.  He  then 
abandoned  that  body  formed  entirely  of  gloom ;  which  when  abandoned 
by  him  became  night.  29.  Desiring  to  create,  when  he  had  occupied 
another  body,  Brahma  experienced  pleasure ;  and  then  gods,  full  of 
the  quality  of  goodness,  sprang  from  his  mouth.  30.  That  body 

107  The  Vayu  P.  adds  here  :  LaJcshanais  taraJcadyaischa  ashtadha  cha  vyavasthitah  \ 
siddhatmano  manushyas  te  gandharva-saha-dharminah  \  ity  esha  taijasah  sargo  hy 
arvaksrotah  praKtrttitah  \  "  Constituted  with  preservative(?)  characteristics,  and  in  an 
eightfold  manner.  These  were  men  perfect  in  their  essence,  and  in  nature  equal  to 
Gandharvas.  This  was  the  lustrous  creation  known  as  Arvuksrotas." 

"»  See  Dr.  Hall's  edition  of  Wilson's  V.  P.  pp.  32  ff. ;  and  pp.  74  ff. 

109  This  word  is  borrowed  from  the  passage  of  the  Taittiriya  Brahmana,  ii.  3,  8,  3, 
quoted  above,  p.  23.  Most  of  the  particulars  in  the  rest  of  the  narrative  ai^e  imitated 
from  another  passage  of  the  same  Brahmana,  ii.  2,  9,  o  ff.,  also  quoted  above,  p.  28. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  59 

also,  being  abandoned  by  him,  became  day,  which  is  almost  entirely 
good.  Hence  the  Asuras  are  powerful  by  night110  and  the  gods  by  day 
31.  He  then  assumed  another  body  formed  of  pure  goodness ;  and  the 
Fathers  were  born  from  him,  when  he  was  regarding  himself  as  a 
father.111  32.  The  Lord,  after  creating  the  Fathers,  abandoned  that 
body  also ;  which,  when  so  abandoned,  became  twilight,  existing 
between  day  and  night.  33.  He  next  took  another  body  entirely 
formed  of  passion ;  and  men,  in  whom  passion  is  violent,  were  pro- 
duced. The  primeval  Prajapati  speedily  discarded  this  body  also, 
which  became  faint  light  (jyotsna),  which  is  called  early  twilight. 
34.  Hence,  at  the  appearance  of  this  faint  light,  men  are  strong,  while 
the  fathers  are  strong  at  evening-twilight.  35.  Morning-twilight, 
night,  day,  and  evening-twilight,  these  are  the  four  bodies  of  Brahma, 
and  the  receptacles  of  the  three  qualities.  36.  Brahma  next  took 
another  body  entirely  formed  of  passion,  from  which  sprang  hunger, 
and  through  it  anger  was  produced.  37.  The  Divine  Being  then  in 
darkness  created  beings  emaciated  with  hunger,  which,  hideous  of 
aspect,  and  with  long  beards,  rushed  against  the  lord.  38.  Those  who 
said,  '  Let  him  not  be  preserved '  (rakshyatdm]  were  called  Rakshasas, 
whilst  those  others  who  cried,  '  Let  us  eat  (him)'  were  called  Yakshas 
from  '  eating '  (yakshanuf).112 

It  is  not  necessary  for  my  purpose  that  I  should  quote  at  length  the 
conclusion  of  the  section.  It  may  suffice  to  say  that  verses  39  to  51 
describe  the  creation  of  serpents  from  Brahma's  hair ;  of  Bhutas ;  of 
Gandharvas  ;  of  birds  (vaydmsi)  from  the  creator's  life  (vayas),  of  sheep 
from  his  breast,  of  goats  from  his  mouth,  of  kine  from  his  belly  and 
sides,  and  of  horses,113  elephants,  and  other  animals  from  his  feet ;  of 
plants  from  his  hairs;  of  the  different  metres  and  vedas  from  his 
eastern,  southern,  western,  and  northern  mouths.  Verses  52  ff.  contain 
a  recapitulation  of  the  creative  operations,  with  some  statement  of  the 

110  In  the  Ramayana,  Sundara  Kanda  82,  13  f.  (Gorresio's  edit.)  we  read:  Rak- 
shasam  rajani-Tcalah  samyugeshu  prasasyate  \    14.   Tasmad  raj  an  nisa-yuddhe  jayo 
'sjnakam  na  samsayah  \  "Night  is  the  approved  time  for  the  Rakshases  to  fight.     We 
should  therefore  undoubtedly  conquer  in  a  nocturnal  conflict." 

111  This  idea  also  is  borrowed  from  Taitt.  Br.  ii.  3,  8,  2. 

112  See  Wilson's  V.  P.  vol.  i.  p.  83,  and  Dr.  Hall's  note. 

113  See  the  passage  from  the  Taitt.  Sauh.  vii.  1,  1,  4ff.  quoted  above,  p.  16,  where 
the  same  origin  is  ascribed  to  horses. 


60 

principles  according  to  which  they  were  conducted.  Of  these  verses 
I  quote  only  the  following :  55.  Teshdm  ye  ydni  karmdni prak-sristhydm 
pratipedire  \  tuny  evtt  pratipadyante  srijyamdndh  punah  punah  |  .  .  . 
60.  Yathartdv  ritu-lingdni  ndndrupdni  paryaye  \  drisyante  tdni  tdnyeva 
tathd  bhdvd  yugddishu  \  61.  Karoty  evamvidhdm  srishfim  Icalpddau  sa 
punah  punah  \  sisr'ikshdsakU-yukto'8au8rijya-saJiti-prachoditah\  "These 
creatures,  as  they  are  reproduced  time  after  time,  discharge  the  same 
functions  as  they  had  fulfilled  in  the  previous  creation  .  .  .  60.  Just 
as,  in  each  season  of  the  year,  all  the  various  characteristics  of  that 
season  are  perceived,  on  its  recurrence,  to  be  the  very  same  as  they  had 
been  before ;  so  too  are  the  beings  produced  at  the  beginnings  of  the 
ages.114  61.  Possessing  both  the  will  and  the  ability  to  create,  and  im- 
pelled by  the  powers  inherent  in  the  things  to  be  created,  the  deity 
produces  again  and  again  a  creation  of  the  very  same  description  at  the 
beginning  of  every  Kalpa." 

The  sixth  section  of  the  same  book  of  the  Y.  P.,  of  which  I  shall  cite 
the  larger  portion,  professes  to  give  a  more  detailed  account  of  the 
creation  of  mankind. 

Y.  P.  i.  6,  1.  Maitreya  uvdcha  \  Arvdlcsrotas  tu  kathilo  bhavatd  yas  tu 
mdnushah  \  brahman  vistarato  bruhi  BraJimd  tarn  asrijad  yathd  \  2. 
Yathd  cha  varndn  asrijad  yad-gunams  cJia  mahdmune  \  yachcha  teshdm 
smritam  Icarma  mprddlnam,  tad  uchyatdm  \  Pardiara  uvdcha  |  3.  Sat- 
ydlJiidJiydyinas  tasya  sisriJcsJior  BraJimano  jagat  \  ajdyanta  dvijasreshtha 
sattvodrilctd  mufchdt  prajdh  \  4.  Vaksha&o  rajasodriktds  tathd  ynyd  SraJi- 
mano  'bhavan  \  rajasd  tamasd  chaiva  samudriktds  tathorutah  \  5.  Pad- 
Ihydm  anydh  prajd  BraJimd  sasarjja  dvij'a-sattama  \  tamah-pradhdnds 
tdh  sarvdi  chdturvarnyam  idam  tatah  \  brdhmandh  TcsJiattriyd  vaisydh 
iudrdscha  dvija-sattama  \  pddoru-vaJcshah-sthalato  mukhoias  cha  samud- 
gatdh  \  6.  Yajna-nishpattaye  sarvam  etad  BraJimd  chaJcdra  vai  \  chd- 
turvarnyam  mahdbhdga  yajna-sddhanam  uttamam  \  1 .  Yajnair  dpyd- 
yitd  devd  vrishty-utsargena  vai  prajdh  \  dpydyayante  dharma-jna 
ydjndh  halydna-hetavah  \  8.  Nishpadyante  narais  tais  tu  sva-lcarmd- 
Ihirataih  sadd  \  viruddhdcharandpetaih  sadbhih  sanmarga-gdmibkih  \ 
9.  Stargdpavargau  mdnushydt  prtipnuvanti  nard  mune  \  yach  chdbhiru- 
chitam  sthdnam  tad  ydnti  manujd  dvija  \  10.  Prajds  tdh  JSrahmand 
srishtds  chdturvarnya-vyavasthitau  \  samyalc  sraddhd-samdchdra-pra- 

1U  Verses  similar  to  this  occur  in  Manu  i.  30  ;  and  in  the  Mahabharata  xii.  8550  f. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  61 

vand  muni-sattama  \  11.  Yathechhd-vdsa-niratdhsarvdbddha-vwarjitdh  \ 
suddhdntah-karandh  suddhdh  sarvdnushthdna-mrmaldh  \  14.115  S'ud- 
dhe  cha  tdsdm  manasi  suddhe  'ntah-samsthite  Harau  \  suddha-jndnam 
prapasyanti  Vishnv-dkhyam  yena  tatpadam  \  15.  Tatah,  kdldtmako  yo 
'sau  sa  chdmsah  kathito  Hareh  \  sa  pdtayaty  agho  ghoram  alpam  alpdlpa- 
sdravat  \  16.  Adharma-vlja-bhutam  tu  tamo-lobha-samudbhavam  \  pra- 
Jdsu  tdsu  Maitreya  rdgddikam  asddhakam  \  17.  Tatah  sd  sahajd  siddhis 
tdsdm  ndtlvajdyate  \  rasolldsddayas  chdnydh  siddhayo  'shtau  bhavanti 
yah  |  18.  Tdsu  kshtndsv  aseshdsu  varddhamdne  cha  pdtake  \  dvandvadi- 
bhava-duhkhdrttds  td  lhavanti  tatah  prajdh  \  19.  Tato  durgdni  ids  cha- 
krur  vdrkshyam  pdrvatam  audakam  \  kritimam  cha  tathd  durgam  pura- 
karvatakddi  yat  \  20.  Grihani  cha  yathanydyam  teshu  chakruh  purd- 
dishu  |  sltdtapddi-bddhdndm  prasamdya  mahdmate  \  21.  Pratikdram 
imam  kritvd  Sitddes  tdh  prajdh  punah  \  vdrttopayam  tatas  chakrur 
hasta-siddham  cha  karma-jam  \  .  .  .  26.  Grdmydranydh  smritd  hy  eta 
oshadhya£  cha  chaturdasa  \  yajna-nishpattaye  yajnas  tathd  "sdm  hetur 
uttamah  \  27.  Etas  cha  saha  yajnena  prajdndm  kardnam  param  \ 
pardpara-vidah  prdjnds  tato  yajndn  vitanvate  \  28.  Aliany  ahany 
anushthdnam  yajndndm  munisattama  \  upakdra-karam  pumsdm  kriya- 
mdndch  cha  sdnti-dam  \  29.  Teshdm  tu  kdla-srishto  'sau  pdpa-vindur 
mahdmate  \  chetassu  vavridhe  chakrus  te  na  yajneshu  mdnasam  \  30. 
Feda-vuddms  tathd  devdn  yajnakarmddikam  cha  yat  \  tat  sarvam  nin- 
damdnds  te  yajna-vydsedha-kdrinah  \  31.  Pravritti-marga-vyuchchitti- 
kdrino  veda-nindakdh  \  durdtmdno  durdchdrd  babhuvuh  kutildsaydh  \ 
32.  Samsiddhdydm  tu  vdrttdydm  prajdh  srishtvd  Prajdpatih  \  maryd- 
ddm  sthdpaydmdsa  yathd-sthanam  yathd-gunam  \  34.  Varndndm  dsra- 
mdndm  cha  dharmdn  dharma-bhritdm  vara  \  lokdihi  sarva-,varndndm 
samyag  dharmdnupalindm  \  35.  Prdjdpatyam  brdhmandndm  smritam 
sthdnam  kriydvatdm  \  sthdnam  aindram  kshattriydndm  sangrdmeshv 
anivarttindm  \  36.  Vaisyanam  mdrutam  sthdnam  sva-dharmam  anu- 
varttindm  \  gdndharvam  sudra-jdtlndm  paricharyam  varttindm  \ 

"  Maitreya  says:  1.  You  have  described  to  me  the  Arvaksrotas,  or 
human,  creation :  declare  to  me,  o  Brahman,  in  detail  the  manner  in 
which  Brahma  formed  it.  2.  Tell  me  how,  and  with  what  qualities, 
he  created  the  castes,  and  what  are  traditionally  reputed  to  he  the 

115  There  are  no  verses  numbered  12  and  13,  the  MSS.  passing  from  the  llth  to 
the  14th. 


62  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

functions  of  the  Brahmans  and  others.  Paras  ara  replies :  3.  When, 
true  to  his  design,  Brahma  became  desirous  to  create  the  world,  crea- 
tures in  whom  goodness  (sattva]  prevailed  sprang  from  his  mouth ;  (4) 
others  in  whom  passion  (rajas]  predominated  came  from  his  hreast; 
others  in  whom  both  passion  and  darkness  (tamas)  were  strong,  pro- 
ceded  from  his  thighs  ;  (5)  others  he  created  from  his  feet,  whose  chief 
characteristic  was  darkness.  Of  these  was  composed  the  system  of  four 
castes,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  Sudras,  who  had  respec- 
tively issued  from  his  mouth,  breast,  thighs,  and  feet.  6.  Brahma 
formed  this118  entire  fourfold  institution  of  classes  for  the  performance 
of  sacrifice,  of  which  it  is  an  excellent  instrument.  7.  Nourished  by 
sacrifices,  the  gods  nourish  mankind  by  discharging  rain.  Sacrifices, 
the  causes  of  prosperity,  (8)  are  constantly  celebrated  by  virtuous  men, 
devoted  to  their  duties,  who  avoid  wrong  observances,  and  walk  in  the 
right  path.  9.  Men,  in  consequence  of  their  humanity,  obtain  heaven 
and  final  liberation  ;  and  they  proceed  to  the  world  which  they  desire. 
10.  These  creatures  formed  by  Brahma  in  the  condition  of  the  four 
castes,  (were)  perfectly  inclined  to  conduct  springing  from  religious 
faith,  (11)  loving  to  dwell  wherever  they  pleased,  free  from  all  suffer- 
ings, pure  in  heart,  pure,  spotless  in  all  observances.  14.  And  in  their 
pure  minds, — the  pure  Hari  dwelling  within  them, — (there  existed) 
pure  knowledge  whereby  they  beheld  his  highest  station,  called  (that 
of)  Vishnu.117  15.  Afterwards  that  which  is  described  as  the  portion 
of  Hari  consisting  of  Time 118  infused  into  those  beings  direful  sin,  in 
the  form  of  desire  and  the  like,  ineffective  (of  man's  end),  small  in 
amount,  but  gradually  increasing  in  force,  (16)  the  seed  of  unrighteous- 
ness, and  sprung  from  darkness  and  cupidity.  17.  Thenceforward  their 
innate  perfectness  was  but  slightly  evolved :  and  as  all  the  other  eight 
perfections  called  rasolldsa  and  the  rest  (18)  declined,  and  sin  in- 
creased, these  creatures  (mankind)  were  afflicted  with  suffering  arising 

116  How  does  this  agree  with  the  statements  made  in  the  Taitt.  Sanh.  vii.  1,  1,  4  ff. 
as  quoted  ahove,  p.  16,  and  in  the  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  2,  3,  9,  p.  21,  that  the  S'iidra  is 
incapacitated  for  sacrifice,  and  that  anything  he  milks  out  is  no  oblation? 

117  This  alludes  to  an  expression  in  the  Rig-veda,  i.  22,  20.   See  the  4th  vol.  of  this 
work,  p.  54. 

118  In  regard  to  Kala,  "  Time,"  see  Wilson's  V.  P.  vol.  i.  p.  18f.,  and  the  passages 
from  the  Atharva-veda,  extracted  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1865? 
pp.  380  ff. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OP  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  63 

out  of  the  pairs  (of  susceptibilities  to  pleasure  and  pain,  etc.,  etc.) 
19.  They  then  constructed  fastnesses  among  trees,  on  hills,  or  amid 
waters,  as  well  as  artificial  fortresses,  towns,  villages,  etc.  20.  And  in 
these  towns,  etc.,  they  built  houses  on  the  proper  plan,  in  order  to 
counteract  cold,  heat,  and  other  discomforts.  21.  Having  thus  provided 
against  cold,  etc.,  they  devised  methods  of  livelihood  depending  upon 
labour,  and  executed  by  their  hands."  The  kinds  of  grain  which 
they  cultivated  are  next  described  in  the  following  verses  22  to  25. 
The  text  then  proceeds,  verse  26:  "These  are  declared  to  be  the 
fourteen  kinds  of  grain,  cultivated  and  wild,  fitted  for  sacrifice ;  and 
sacrifice  is  an  eminent  cause  of  their  existence.  27.  These,  too, 
along  with  sacrifice,  are  the  most  efficacious  sources  of  progeny. 
Hence  those  who  understand  cause  and  eifect  celebrate  sacrifices. 
28.  Their  daily  performance  is  beneficial  to  men,  and  delivers  from 
sins  committed.  29.  But  that  drop  of  sin  which  had  been  created  by 
time  increased  in  men's  hearts,  and  they  disregarded  sacrifice.  30. 
Reviling  the  Yedas,  and  the  prescriptions  of  the  Vedas,  the  gods,  and 
all  sacrificial  rites,  etc.,  obstructing  oblations,  (31)  and  cutting  off"  the 
path  of  activity,119  they  became  malignant,  vicious,  and  perverse  in  their 
designs.  32.  The  means  of  subsistence  being  provided,  Prajapati,  having 
created  living  beings,  established  a  distinction  according  to  their  position 
and  qualities  (see  verses  3  to  5  above),  (and  fixed)  the  duties  of  the  castes 
and  orders,  and  the  worlds  (to  be  attained  after  death)  by  all  the  castes 
which  perfectly  fulfilled  their  duties.  33.  The  world  of  Prajapati  is 
declared  to  be  the  (future)  abode  of  those  Brahmans  who  are  assiduous 
in  religious  rites ;  the  realm  of  Indra  the  abode  of  those  Kshattriyas 
who  turn  not  back  in  battle ;  (34)  that  of  the  Maruts  the  abode  of  those 
Vaisyas  who  fulfil  their  duties ;  and  that  of  the  Gandharvas  the  abode 
of  the  men  of  S'udra  race  who  abide  in  their  vocation  of  service."  In 
the  remaining  verses  of  the  chapter  (35  to  39)  the  realms  of  blessedness 
destined  for  the  reception  of  more  eminent  saints  are  briefly  noticed,  as 
well  as  the  infernal  regions,  to  which  the  wicked  are  doomed. 


119  Pravritti-marga-vyuchchhitti-karinah.  The  Commentator  ascribes  this  to  the 
human  race  being  no  longer  sufficiently  propagated,  for  he  adds  the  explanation : 
yajnananushthane  devair  avarshanud  annabhavena praja-vriddhcr  asiddheh  \  "because 
population  did  not  increase  from  the  want  of  food  caused  by  the  gods  ceasing  to  send 
rain  in  consequence  of  the  non-celebration  of  sacrifice." 


64  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

At  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  section,  without  any  further  enquiry 
on  the  part  of  Maitreya,  Parasara  proceeds  as  follows : 

Y.  P.  i.  7,  1.  Tato  'Ihidhydyatas  tasyajajnire  mdnaslh  prajdh  \  tach- 
chhanra-samutpannaih  kdryais  taih  kdranaih  saha  \  2.  Kshettrajndh 
samavarttanta  gdtrebhyas  tasya  dhlmatah  \  te  sarve  samavarttanta  ye 
mayd  prdg  uddhritdh  \  3.  Devddydh  sthdvardntds  cha  traigunya- 
vishaye  sthitdh  \  evam  bhutdni  ^  srishtdni  chardni  sthdvardni  cha  \  4. 
Yadd  'sya  tdh  prajdh  sarvd  va  vyavarddhanta  dhlmatah^  \  athdnydn 
mdnasdn  putrdn  sadrisdn  dtmano  'srijat  \  5.  Bhrigum  Pulastyam  Pu- 
laham  Kratum  Angirasam  tathd  \  MarlcMm  Daksham  Atrim  cha  Vasish- 
tham  cJtaiva  mdnasdn  \  nava  IraJimdna  ity  ete  purdne  nischayam  gatdh  \ 
6.  Sanandanddayo  ye  cha  purvam  srislitds  tu  Vedhasd  \  na  te  loke&hv , 
asajjanta  nirapelcsJidh  prajdsu  te  \  sarve  te  chdgata-jndnd  vlta-rdgd 
vimatsardh  \  7.  Teshv  evam  nirapeksheshu  loka-srishtau  mahdtmanah  \ 
Brahmano  'thud  mahdlcrodhas  trailokya-dahana-kshamah  \  8.  Tasya 
Jcrodhdt  samudbhuta-jvdld-mdld-vidlpitam  \  Strahmano  'Ihut  tadd  sarvam 
trailokyam  aTcMlam  mune  \  9.  BJirukutl-kutildt  tasya  laldtdt  krodha- 
dlpitdt  |  samutpannas  tadd  Rudro  madhydhndrka-sama-pralhah  \  ardha- 
ndri-nara-vapuh  prachando  'tisarlravdn  \  mbhaj'dtmdnam  ity  uktvd  tarn 
Brahma  ' ntardadhe  punah  \  10.  Tathokto  'sau  dvidhti  strltvam  purmhat- 
vam  tathd  'karot  \  lilheda  purushtvam  cha  dasadhd  chaikadhd  cha  sah  \ 
11.  Saumydsaumyais  tathd  sdntdsdntaih  strltvam  cha  sa  prabhuh  \  bi- 
Iheda  lahudhd  devah  svarupair  asitaih  sitaih  \  12.  Tato  Brahma  ntma- 
sambhutam  purvam  svdyambhuvam  prabhum  \  dtmdnam  eva  kritavdn  pra- 
jdpdlam  Manum  dvija  \  13.  S'atarupdm  cha  tdm  ndrlm  tapo^nirdhuta- 
kalmashdm  \  svdyambhuvo  Manur  devah  patnyartharn  jagrihe  vilhuh  \ 
14.  Tasmdch  cha  purushdd  devl  S'atarupd  vyajdyata  \  Priyavratottdna- 
pddau  Prasutydkuti-sanjnitam  \  kanyd-dvayam  cha  dharma-jna  rupau- 
ddrya-gundnvitam  \  15.  Dadau  Prasutiih  Dakshdydthdkutim  Ruchaye 
purd  ityddi  \ 

"1.  Then  from  him,  as  he  was  desiring,  there  were  born  mental 
sons  with  effects  and  causes120  derived  from  his  body.  2.  Embodied 
spirits  sprang  from  the  limbs  of  that  wise  Being.  All  those  creatures 
sprang  forth  which  have  been  already  described  by  me,  (3)  beginning 


120  The  Commentator  explains  these  words  karyais  taih  karanaih  saha  to  mean 
"  bodies  and  senses." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  Go 

with  gods  and  ending  with  motionless  objects,  and  existing  in  the  con- 
dition of  the  three  qualities.  Thus  were  created  beings  moving  and 
stationary.  4.  When  none  of  these  creatures  of  the  Wise  Being  multi- 
plied, he  next  formed  other,  mental,  sons  like  to  himself,  (5)  Bhrigu, 
Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Kratu,  Angiras,  Marlchi,  Daksha,  Atri,  and  Vasish- 
tha,  all  born  from  his  mind.  These  are  the  nine  Brahmas  who  have 
been  determined  in  the  Puranas.  6.  But  Sanandana  and  the  others  who 
had  been  previously  created  by  Yedhas  (Brahma)  had  no  regard  for  the 
worlds,  and  were  indifferent  to  offspring.  They  had  all  attained  to 
knowledge,  were  freed  from  desire,  and  devoid  of  envy.  7.  As  they 
were  thus  indifferent  about  the  creation  of  the  world,  great  wrath, 
sufficient  to  burn  up  the  three  worlds,  arose  in  the  mighty  Brahma. 
8.  The  three  worlds  became  entirely  illuminated  by  the  wreath  of  flame 
which  sprang  from  his  anger.  9.  Then  from  his  forehead,  wrinkled  by 
frowns  and  inflamed  by  fury,  arose  Rudra,  luminous  as  the  midday  sun, 
with  a  body  half  male  and  half  female,  fiery,  and  huge  in  bulk.  After 
saying  to  him,  '  Divide  thyself,'  Brahma  vanished.  10.  Being  so  ad- 
dressed, Rudra  severed  himself  into  two,  into  a  male  and  a  female  form. 
The  god  next  divided  his  male  body  into  eleven  parts,  (11)  beautiful 
and  hideous,  gentle  and  ungentle ;  and  his  female  figure  into  numerous 
portions  with  appearances  black  and  white.  12.  Brahma  then  made 
the  lord  Svayambhuva,  who  had  formerly  sprung  from  himself,  and 
was  none  other  than  himself,  to  be  Manu  the  protector  of  creatures. 
13.  The  god  Manu  Svayambhuva  took  for  his  wife  the  female  S'atarupa, 
who  by  austere  fervour  had  become  freed  from  all  defilement.  14.  To 
that  Male  the  goddess  S'atarupa  bore  Priyavrata  and  Uttanapada,  and 
two  daughters  called  Prasuti  and  Akuti,  distinguished  by  the  qualities 
of  beauty  and  magnanimity.  15.  He  of  old  gave  Prasuti  in  marriage 
to  Daksha,  and  Akuti  to  Ruchi." 

From  a  comparison  of  the  preceding  narratives  of  the  creation  of 
mankind,  extracted  from  the  fifth  and  sixth  chapters  of  the  First  Book 
of  the  Vishnu  Purana,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  details  given  in  the 
different  accounts  are  not  consistent  with  each  other.  It  is  first  of  all 
stated  in  the  fifth  chapter  (verse  16)  that  the  arvaksrotas,  or  human 
creation  was  characterized  by  the  qualities  of  darkness  and  passion.  In 
the  second  account  (verse  33)  we  are  told  that  Brahma  assumed  a  body 
composed  of  passion,  from  which  men,  in  whom  that  quality  is  power- 


66  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OP  MAN, 

ful,  were  produced.121  In  neither  of  these  narratives  is  the  slightest  al- 
lusion made  to  there  having  been  any  primeval  and  congenital  distinc- 
tion of  classes.  In  the  third  statement  given  in  the  sixth  chapter 
(verses  3  to  5)  the  human  race  is  said  to  have  been  the  result  of  a  four- 
fold creation ;  and  the  four  castes,  produced  from  different  parts  of  the 
creator's  body,  are  declared  to  have  been  each  especially  characterized 
by  different  qualities  (gunas),  viz.,  those  who  issued  from  his  mouth  by 
goodness  (sattva),  those  who  proceeded  from  his  breast  by  passion  (rajas'), 
those  who  were  produced  from  his  thighs  br  both  passion  and  darkness 
(tamas),  and  those  who  sprang  from  his  feet  by  darkness.  In  the  sequel 
of  this  account,  however,  no  mention  is  made  of  any  differences  of  con- 
duct arising  from  innate  diversities  of  disposition  having  been  mani- 
fested in  the  earliest  age  by  the  members  of  the  different  classes.  On 
the  contrary,  they  are  described  (verses  10  ff.)  in  language  applicable  to 
a  state  of  perfection  which  was  universal  and  uniform,  as  full  of  faith, 
pure-hearted  and  devout.  In  like  manner  the  declension  in  purity  and 
goodness  which  ensued  is  not  represented  as  peculiar  to  any  of  the 
classes,  but  as  common  to  all.  So  far,  therefore,  the  different  castes 
seem,  according  to  this  account,  to  have  been  undistinguished  by  any 
variety  of  mental  or  moral  constitution.  And  it  is  not  until  after  the 
deterioration  of  the  entire  race  has  been  related,  that  we  are  told  (in 
verses  32  f.)  that  the  separate  duties  of  the  several  castes  were  fixed  in 
accordance  with  their  position  and  qualities.  This  sketch  of  the  moral 
and  religious  history  of  mankind,  in  the  earliest  period,  is  thus  deficient 
in  failing  to  explain  how  beings,  who  were  originally  formed  with  veiy 
different  ethical  characters,  should  have  been  all  equally  excellent  dur- 
ing their  period  of  perfection,  and  have  also  experienced  an  uniform 
process  of  decline. 

In  regard  to  the  variation  between  the  two  narratives  of  the  creation 
found  in  the  fifth  chapterof  the  Yishnu  Purana,  Professor  "Wilson  remarks 
as  follows  in  a  note  to  vol.  i.  p.  80  :  "  These  reiterated,  and  not  always 
very  congruous,  accounts  of  the  creation  are  explained  by  the  Puranas 
as  referring  to  different  Kalpas  or  renovations  of  the  world,  and  there- 
fore involving  no  incompatibility.  A  better  reason  for  their  appearance 


121  Compare  the  passage  given  above  at  the  close  of  Sect.  V.  pp.  41  ff.,  from  Mann 
xii.  39  if.  and  the  remarks  thereon. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  67 

is  the  probability  that  they  have  been  borrowed  from  different  original 
authorities."122 

As  regards  the  first  of  these  explanations  of  the  discrepancies  in 
question,  it  must  be  observed  that  it  is  inapplicable  to  the  case  before 
us,  as  the  text  of  the  Vishnu  Purana  itself  says  nothing  of  the  dif- 
ferent accounts  of  the  creation  having  reference  to  different  Kalpas  : 
and  in  absence  of  any  intimation  to  the  contrary  we  must  naturally 
assume  that  t!he  various  portions  of  the  consecutive  narration  in  the 
fourth,  fifth,  sixth,  and  seventh  chapters,  which  are  connected  with 
each  other  by  a  series  of  questions  and  answers,  must  all  have  reference 
to  the  creation  which  took  place  at  the  commencement  of  the  existing 
or  Varaha  Kalpa,  as  stated  in  the  opening  verse  of  the  fourth  chapter. 
Professor  "Wilson's  supposition  that  the  various  and  discrepant  accounts 
"  have  been  borrowed  from  different  original  authorities  "  appears  to 
have  probability  in  its  favour.  I  am  unable  to  point  out  the  source 
from  which  the  first  description  of  the  creation,  in  the  early  part  of  the 
fifth  chapter,  verses  1  to  23,  has  been  derived.  But  the  second  account, 
given  in  verses  26  to  35,  has  evidently  drawn  many  of  its  details  from 
the  passages  of  the  Taittiriya  Brahmana  ii.  2,  9,  5-9,  and  ii.  3,  8,  2f., 
and  S'atapatha  Brahmana  xi.  1,  6,  6  ff.  which  1  have  quoted  above.  And 
it  is  possible  that  the  references  which  are  found  in  the  former  of  these 
descriptions  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  to  different  portions  of  the  creation 

122  The  discrepancies  between  current  legends  on  different  subjects  are  occasionally 
noticed  in  the  text  of  the  Vishnu  Purana.  Thus  in  the  eighth  chapter  of  the  first  book, 
v.  12,  Maitreya,  who  had  been  told  by  Parits'ara  that  S'ri  was  the  daughter  of  Bhrigu 
and  Khyati,  enquires :  KsJitrabdhau  S'rih  purotpanna  sruyate' mrita-manthane  \  Shri- 
ffoh  Khyatyam  samutpannety  etad  aha  Jcatham  bhavan  \  "  It  is  reported  that  S'ri  was 
produced  in  the  ocean  of  milk  when  ambrosia  was  churned.  How  do  you  say  that 
she  was  born  to  Bhrigu  by  Khyati  ?"  He  receives  for  answer :  13.  Nityaiva  sajagan- 
mata  Vishnoh  S'rlr  anapayim  (another  MS.  reads  anuyayim)  yatha  sarvagato  VisJmus 
lathaiveyum  dvijottama  \  "  S'ri,  the  mother  of  the  world,  and  wife  of  Vishnu,  is  eternal 
and  undecaying"  (or,  according  to  the  other  reading,  "is  the  eternal  follower  of 
Vishnu").  "  As  he  is  omnipresent,  so  is  she,"  and  so  on.  The  case  of  Daksha  will 
be  noticed  further  on  in  the  text.  On  the  method  resorted  to  by  the  Commentators  in 
cases  of  this  description  Professor  Wilson  observes  in  a  note  to  p.  203  (4to.  edition), 
"  other  calculations  occur,  the  incompatibility  of  which  is  said,  by  the  Commentators 
on  our  text  and  on  that  of  the  Bhagavata,  to  arise  from  reference  being  made  to  dif- 
ferent Kalpas ;  and  they  quote  the  same  stanza  to  this  effect :  Kvachit  kvachit  pu- 
raneshu  virodho  yadi  lakshyate  \  kalpa-bhedadibhis  tatra  virodhah  sadbhir  ishyate  \ 
1  Whenever  any  contradictions  in  different  Puranas  are  observed,  they  are  ascribed  by 
the  pious  to  differences  of  Kalpas  and  the  like.'  " 


68  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OP  THE  CREATION  OP  MAX, 

being  ineffective  may  have  been  suggested  by  some  of  the  other  details 
in  the  Brahmanas,  which  I  shall  now  proceed  to  cite.  At  all  events 
some  of  the  latter  appear  to  have  given  rise  to  the  statement  in  the 
fourth  verse  of  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  Yishnu  P.  that  the  creatures 
formed  by  Brahma  did  not  multiply,  as  well  as  to  various  particulars  in 
the  narratives  which  will  be  quoted  below  from  the  Vayu  and  Markan- 
deya  Puranas.  The  Brahmanas  describe  the  creative  operations  of  Pra- 
japati as  having  been  attended  with  intense  effort,  and  often  followed 
by  great  exhaustion ;  and  not  only  so,  but  tljey  represent  many  of  these 
attempts  to  bring  living  creatures  of  various  kinds  into  existence,  to 
sustain  them  after  they  were  produced,  and  to  ensure  their  propagation, 
as  having  been  either  altogether  abortive,  or  only  partially  successful. 
The  following  quotations  will  afford  illustrations  of  these  different 
points : 

Taitt.  Br.  i.  1,  10,  1.  Prajdpatih  prajdh  asrijata  \  saririchdno'man- 
yata  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  \  sa  dtman  mryam  apatyat  tad  avarddhata  \ 

"  Prajapati  created  living  beings.  He  felt  himself  emptied.  He 
performed  austere  abstraction.  He  perceived  vigour  in  himself.  It 
increased,  etc." 

Taitt.  Br.  i.  2,  6,  1.  Prajdpatih  prajah  srishtvd  vritto™  '£ayat  \  tarn 
devdh  Ihutdndm  rasam  tejah  sambhritya  tena  enam  abhishajyan  "  mahdn 
avavartti"  iti  \ 

11  Prajapati  after  creating  living  beings  lay  exhausted.  The  gods, 
collecting  the  essence  and  vigour  of  existing  things,  cured  him  there- 
with, saying  he  has  become  great,  etc." 

Taitt.  Br.  ii.  3,  6,  1.  Prajupatih  prajah  srishfv d  vyasramsata  \  sa  hri- 
dayam  Ihiito  'sayat  \ 

"  Prajapati,  after  creating  living  beings,  was  paralysed.  Becoming  a 
heart,  he  slept." 

S'.  P.  Br.  iii.  9,  1,  1.  Prajdpatir  vai  prajah  sasrijdno  ririchdnah  wa 
amanyata  \  tasmdt  pardchyah  prajdh  dsuh  \  na  asya  prajdh  Sriye  'nndd- 
yayajajnire  \  2.  Sa  aikshata  "  arikshy  aham  asmai  (?  yasmai]  u  Icdmdya 
asrikshi  na  me  sa  kdmah  samdrdhi  pardchyo  mat-prajdh  abhuvan  na  me 
prajdh  sriye  'nnddydya  asthishata "  iti  \  3.  Sa  aikshata  Prajdpatih 
11  katham  nu  punar  dtmdnam  dpydyayeya  upa  md  prajdh  samdvartterams 
tishtheran  me  prajdh  sriye  annddydya"  iti  I  so  'rchhan  srdmyams  chn- 
123  Srantah — Comm, 


AXD  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  69 

chdra  prajd-kdmah  \  sa  etdm  elcddasinlm  apasyat  \  sa  ekddasinyd  ishtvd 
Prajdpatih  punar  dtmdnam  dpydyayata  upa  enam  prajdh  samdvarttanta 
atishthanta  asy a  prajdh  sriye  'nnddydya  sa  vaslydn  eva  ishfvd  'bhavat  \ 

"  Prajapati  when  creating  living  beings  felt  himself  as  it  were  emp- 
tied. The  living  creatures  went  away  from  him.  They  were  not  pro- 
duced so  as  to  prosper  and  to  eat  food.  2.  He  considered :  'I  have 
become  emptied :  the  object  for  which  I  created  them  has  not  been 
fulfilled :  the*y  have  gone  away,  and  have  not  gained  prosperity  and 
food.'  3.  He  considered:  'how  can  I  again  replenish,  myself;  and 
how  shall  my  creatures  return  to  me,  and  acquire  prosperity  and  food?' 
Desirous  of  progeny,  he  went  on  worshipping  and  performing  religious 
rites.  He  beheld  this  Ekadasini  (Eleven) ;  and  sacrificing  with  it,  lie 
again  replenished  himself;  his  creatures  returned  to  him,  and  gained 
prosperity  and  food.  Having  sacrificed,  he  became  more  brilliant." 

S'.  P.  Br.  x.  4,  2,  2.  So  'yam  sanwatsarah  Prajdpatih  sarvdni  bhutdni 
sasrije  yach  cha  prdni  yach  cha  aprdnam  ubhaydn  deva-manushydn  \  sa 
sarvdni  bhutdni srishtcd  ririchdna  ivamene  \  sa  mrityor  bibhiydnchakdra  \ 
2.  Sa  ha  Ikshdnchakre  "  katham  nv  aham  imtini  sarvdni  bhutdni  punar 
dtmann  dvapeya  punar  dtman  dadhlya  katham  nv  aham  eva  eshdm  sar- 
veshdm  bhutdndm  punar  dtmd  sydm  "  iti  \ 

"  This  Year,  (who  is)  Prajapati,  created  all  beings,  both  those  which 
breathe  and  those  that  are  without  breath,  both  gods  and  men.  Having 
created  all  beings  he  felt  himself  as  it  were  emptied.  He  was  afraid  of 
death.  2.  He  reflected,  '  How  can  I  again  unite  all  these  beings  with 
myself,  again  place  them  in  myself?  How  can  I  alone  be  again  the 
soul  of  all  these  beings  ? ' ' 

S'.  P.  Br.  x.  4,  4,  1.  Prajapatim  vai  prajdh  srijamdnam  pdpmd  mrit- 
yur  abhiparijaghdna  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  sahasram  samvatsardn  pdpmdnaiJi 
vijihdsan  \ 

"  Misery,  death,  smote  Prajapati,  as  he  was  creating  living  beings. 
He  performed  austere  abstraction  for  a  thousand  years,  with  the  view 
of  shaking  off  misery." 

S'.  P.  Br.  ii.  5,  1,  1.  Prajdpatir  ha  vai  idam  agre  ekah  eva  dsa  \  sa 
aikshata  "katham  nu  prajdyeya"  iti  \  so  'srdmyat  sa  tapo  'tapyata  \  sa 
prajdh  asrijata  \  tdh  asya  prajdh  srishtdh  pardlalhiivuh  \  tdni  imdni 
vaydmsi  \  purusho  vai  Prajdpater  nedishfham  \  dvipdd  vai  ayam  puru- 
shah  |  tasmdd  dvipddo  vaydmsi  \  2.  Sa  aikshata  Prajdpatih  \  "  yathd 


70  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

nv  eva  pur d  eko  'Ihuvam  evam  u  nv  eva  apy  etarhy  eka  eva  asmi  "  Hi  \  sa 
dvitlydh  sasrije  \  tdh  asya  para  eva  labhuvuh  \  tad  idam  kshudram  sarl- 
sripam  yad  anyat  sarpebhyah  \  tritlydh  sasrije  ity  dhus  tuh  asya  para  eva 
labhuvuh  \  te  ime  sarpdh  .  .  .  .  |  3  So  'rchhan  srdmyan  Prajdpatir 
ikshdnchakre  "  kathaih  nu  me  prajdh  srishtdh  pardbhavanti"  iti  \  sa  ha 
etad  eva  dadarsa  "  anasanatayd  vai  me  prajdh  pardlhavanti"  iti  \  sa 
dtmanah  eva  agre  stanayoh  paya  dpydyaydnchakre  \  sa  prajdh  asrijata  \ 
tdh  asya  prajdh  srishtdh  standv  eva  abhipadya  tds  tatah  sambahhuvuh  \ 
tdh  imdh  apardlhutdh  \  ^ 

"  1.  Prajapati  alone  was  formerly  this  universe.  He  reflected,  '  How 
can  I  be  propagated  ? '  He  toiled  in  religious  rites,  and  practised  austere 
fervour.  He  created  living  beings.  After  being  created  by  him  they 
perished.  They  were  these  birds.  Man  is  the  thing  nearest  to  Praja- 
pati. This  being,  man,  is  two-footed.  Hence  birds  are  two-footed 
creatures.  Prajapati  reflected,  '  As  I  was  formerly  but  one,  so  am  I 
now  also  only  one.'  He  created  a  second  set  of  living  beings.  They 
also  perished.  This  was  the  class  of  small  reptiles  other  than  serpents. 
They  say  he  created  a  third  set  of  beings,  which  also  perished.  They 
were  these  serpents  ...  3.  Worshipping  and  toiling  in  religious  rites, 
Prajapati  reflected,  '  How  is  it  that  my  creatures  perish  after  they  have 
been  formed?'  He  perceived  this,  'they  perish  from  want  of  food.' 
In  his  own  presence  he  caused  milk  to  be  supplied  to  breasts.  He 
created  living  beings,  which  resorting  to  the  breasts  were  then  pre- 
served. These  are  the  creatures  which  did  not  perish." 

Taitt.  Br.  i.  6,  2,  1.  Vaisvadevena  vai  Prajdpatih  prajdh  asrijata  \  tdh 
srishtdh  na prdjdyanta  \  so'gnir  alcdmayata  "  aham  imdh  prajanayeyam" 
iti  |  sa  Prajdpataye  sucham  adadhdt  \  so  'sochat  prajdm  ichhamdnah  \ 
tasmdd  yam  cha  prajd  llmnakti  yam  cha  na  tdv  ulhau  sochatah  prajdm 
ichhamdnau  \  tdsv  Agnim  apy  asrijat  \  td  Agnir  adhyait  (2)  Somo 
reto  'dadhdt  Savitd  prdjanayat  \  Sarasvatl  vdcham  adadlidt  \  Pushd 
'poshayat  \  te  vai  ete  trih  samvatsarasya  prayujyante  ye  devdh  pushti- 
patayah  \  samvatsaro  vai  Prajdpatih  \  samvatsarena  eva  asmai  prajdh 
prdjanayat  \  tdh  prdjdh  jdtdh  Maruto  'ghnan  "  asmdn  api  na  prdyuk- 
shata"  iti  \  3.  Sa  etam  Prajdpatir  mdrutam  saptalcapdlam  apasyat  \ 
tarn  niravapat  \  tato  vai  prajdlhyo  'Ical/pata  \  .  .  .  sa  Prajdpatir  asochat 
"yah  purvdh  prajdh  asrilcshi  Marutas  tdh  avadhishuh  Itatham  apardh 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  71 

srijeya"  iti\  tasya  sushma  dndam  Ihutam  niravarttata  \  tad  vyudaharat  \ 
tad  aposhayat  \  tat  prdjdyata  \ 

"  Prajapati  formed  living  creatures  by  the  vaisvadeva  (offering  to  the 
Visvedevas).  Being  created  they  did  not  propagate.  Agni  desired' 
'let  me  beget  these  creatures.'  He  imparted  grief  to  Prajapati.  He 
grieved,  desiring  offspring.  Hence  he  whom  offspring  blesses,  and  he 
whom  it  does  not  bless,  both  of  them  grieve,  desiring  progeny.  Among 
them  he  created  Agni  also.  Agni  desired  (?)  them.  Soma  infused  seed. 
Savitri  begot  them.  Sarasvatl  infused  into  them  speech.  Pushan  nour- 
ished them.  These  (gods)«who  are  lords  of  nourishment  are  employed 
thrice  in  the  year.  Prajapati  is  the  Tear.  It  was  through  the  year 
that  he  generated  offspring  for  him.  The  Maruts  killed  those  creatures 
when  they  had  been  born,  saying  '  they  have  not  employed  us  also. 
3.  Prajapati  saw  this  Maruta  oblation  in  seven  platters.  He  offered  it. 
In  consequence  of  it  he  became  capable  of  producing  offspring  .... 
Prajapati  lamented,  (saying)  '  the  Maruts  have  slain  the  former  living 
beings  whom  I  created.  How  can  I  create  others?'  His  vigour  sprang 
forth  in  the  shape  of  an  egg.  He  took  it  up.  He  cherished  it.  It 
became  productive." 

Taitt.  Br.  iii.  10,  9,  1.  Prajdpatir  devdn  asrijata  \  te  pdpmand  sandi- 
tdh  ajdyanta  \  tan  vyadyat  \ 

"Prajapati  created  gods.  They  were  born  bound  by  misery.  He 
released  them." 

Taitt.  Br.  ii.  7,  9,  1.  Prajdpatih  prajdh  asrijata  \  tdh  asmdt  srishtdh 
pardchlr  dyan  \  sa  etam  Prajdpatir  odanam  apasyat  \  so  'nnam  Ihuto 
'tishthat  |  tdh  anyatra  annddyam  avitvd  Prajdpatim  prajdh  updvart- 
tanta  \ 

"  Prajapati  created  living  beings.  They  went  away  from  him.  He 
beheld  this  odana.  He  was  turned  into  food.  Having  found  food  no- 
where else,  they  returned  to  him." 

Taitt.  Br.  i.  6,  4,  1.  Prajdpatih  Savitd  Ihutvd  prajdh  asrijata  \  td 
enam  atyamanyanta  \  ta  asmdd  apdkrdman  \  td  Varuno  Ihutvd  prajdh 
Varunena  agrdhayat  \  tdh  prajdh  Varuna-grihltdh  Prajdpatim  punar 
upddhdvan  ndtham  ichhamdndh  \ 

"  Prajapati,  becoming  Savitri,  created  living  beings.  They  disre- 
garded him,  and  went  away  from  him.  Becoming  Yaruna  he  caused 
Varuna  to  seize  them.  Being  seized  by  Varuna,  they  again  ran  to 
Prajapati,  desiring  help." 


72  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Taitt.  Br.  ii.  2,  1,  1.  Tato  vai  sa  (Prajdpatih}  prajdh  asrijata  \  tdh 
asmat  srishtd  apdkrdman  \ 

11  Prajapati  then  created  living  beings.   They  went  away  from  him." 

I  have  perhaps  quoted  too  many  of  these  stories,  which  are  all  similar 
in  character.  But  I  was  desirous  to  afford  some  idea  of  their  number 
as  well  as  of  their  tenor. 

As  regards  the  legend  of  S'atarupa,  referred  to  in  the  seventh  chapter 
of  the  first  book  of  the  Vishnu  Purana,  I  shall  make  some  further 
remarks  in  a  future  section,  quoting  a  more  detailed  account  given 
in  the  Matsya  Purana. 

Of  the  two  sons  of  Manu  Svayambhuva  and  Satarupa,  the  name  of 
the  second,  Uttanapada,  seems  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  appear- 
ance of  the  word  Uttanapad  in  Rig-veda  x.  72,  3,  4,  as  the  designation 
(nowhere  else  traceable,  I  believe)  of  one  of  the  intermediate  agents  in 
the  creation.124  A  Priyavrata  is  mentioned  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana 
vii.  34,  and  also  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  x.  3,  5,  14,  (where  he  has 
the  patronymic  of  Rauhinayana)  but  in  both  these  texts  he  appears 
rather  in  the  light  of  a  religious  teacher,  who  had  lived  not  very  long 
before  the  age  of  the  author,  than  as  a  personage  belonging  to  a  very 
remote  antiquity.  Daksha  also,  who  appears  in  this  seventh  chapter 
as  one  of  the  mindborn  sons  of  Brahma,  is  named  in  R.  V.  ii.  27,  1,  as 
one  of  the  Adityas,  and  in  the  other  hymn  of  the  R.V.  just  alluded  to, 
x.  72,  w.  4  and  5,  he  is  noticed  as  being  both  the  son  and  the  father 
of  the  goddess  Aditi.  In  the  S'.  P.  ii.  4,  4,  he  is  identified  with  Praja- 
pati.125 In  regard  to  his  origin  various  legends  are  discoverable  in  the 
Puranas.  Besides  the  passage  before  us,  there  are  others  in  the  V.  P. 
in  which  he  is  mentioned.  In  iv.  1,  5,  it  is  said  that  he  sprang  from 
the  right  thumb  of  Brahma,  and  that  Aditi  was  his  daughter  (Brah- 
manascha  dakshindngushtha-janmd  DaJcsfiah  \  Prajdpater  Dakshasyapy 
AditiK).  In  another  place,  V.  P.  i.  15,  52,  it  is  said  that  Daksha,  al- 
though formerly  the  son  of  Brahma,  was  born  to  the  ten  Prachetases 
by  Marisha  (Dasalhyas  tu  Prachetolhyo  Mdrishdydm  Prajdpatih  \  jajne 
Daksho  mahdlhdgo  yah  purvam  Brahmano  'lhavat  \ ).  This  double  pa- 

124  See  the  4th  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  10  f. 

1;»  See  the  4th  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  10  ff.  24,  101 ;  Journal  of  the  Eoyal  Asiatic 
Society,  for  1865,  pp.  72  ff. ;  Roth  in  the  Journal  of  the  German  Oriental  Society, 
vi.  75. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  73 

rentage  of  Daksha  appears  to  Maitreya,  one  of  the  interlocutors  in  the 
Purana,  to  require  explanation,  and  he  accordingly  enquires  of  his  in- 
formant, vv.  60  ff. :  Angustyhdd  dakshinad  Dakshah  purvam  j'dtah 
srutam  mayd  \  katham  Prdchetaso  bhuyah  sa  sambhuto  mahdmune  \  esha 
me  sam&ayo  brahman  sumahdn  Jiridi  varttate  \  yad  dauhitras  cha  somasya 
punah  svasuratdm  gatah  \  Parasara  utacJia  \  utpattis  cha  mrodha&  cha 
nityau  bhuteshu  vai  mune  \  rishayo  'tra  na  muhyanti  ye  chanye  divya- 
chakshushah  |J  61.  Yuge  yuge  bhavanty  ete  Dakshddyd  muni-sattama  \ 
punas  chaiva  nirudhyante  vidvams  tatra  na  muhyati  \  62.  Kanishthyam 
jyaisJitJiyam  apy  eshdm  purvam  ndbhiid  dvijottama  \  tapa  eva  garlyo 
'bhut  prabhavas  chaiva  Jcdranam  \ 

"  60.  I  have  heard  that  Daksha  was  formerly  horn  from  the  right 
thumb  of  Brahma.  How  was  he  again  produced  as  the  son  of  the 
Prachetases  ?  This  great  doubt  arises  in  my  mind ;  and  also  (the 
question)  how  he,  who  was  the  daughter's  son  of  Soma,128  afterwards 
became  his  father-in-law.  Parasara  answered :  Both  birth  and  de- 
struction are  perpetual  among  all  creatures.  Bishis,  and  others  who 
have  celestial  insight,  are  not  bewildered  by  this.  In  every  age  Daksha 
and  the  rest  are  born  and  are  again  destroyed :  a  wise  man  is  not  be- 
wildered by  this.  Formerly,  too,  there  was  neither  juniority  nor 
seniority :  austere  fervour  was  the  chief  thing,  and  power  was  the 
cause  (of  distinction)." 

The  reader  who  desires  further  information  regarding  the  part  played 
by  Daksha,  whether  as  a  progenitor  of  allegorical  beings,  or  as  a  creator, 
may  compare  the  accounts  given  in  the  sequel  of  the  seventh  and  in  the 
eleventh  chapters  of  Book  I.  of  the  Y.  P.  (pp.  108  ff.  and  152  ff.)  with 
that  to  be  found  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  (vol.  ii.  pp.  10  ff.). 

I  will  merely  add,  in  reference  to  Akuti,  the  second  daughter  of  Manu 
Svayambhuva  and  Satarupa,  that  the  word  is  found  in  the  Big-veda 
with  the  signification  of  "  will"  or  "design;"  but  appears  to  be  per- 
sonified in  a  passage  of  the  Taittirlya  Brahmana,  iii.  12,  9,  5  (the  con- 
text of  which  has  been  cited  above,  p.  41),  where  it  is  said:  Ira 
patnl  visvasrijdm  dkutir  apinad  havih  \  "  Ira  (Ida)  was  the  wife  of  the 
creators.  Akuti  kneaded  the  oblation." 

128  See  "Wilson's  Y.  P.  vol.  ii.  p.  2,  at  the  top. 


74  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 


SECT.  VIII. — Account  of  the  different  creations,  including  that  of  the 
castes,  according  to  the  Vayu  and  Mdrkandeya  Purdnas. 

I  now  proceed  to  extract  from  the  Vayu  and  Markandeya  Puranas 
the  accounts  which  they  supply  of  the  creation,  and  which  are  to  the 
same  effect  as  those  which  have  been  quoted  from  the  Vishnu  Purana, 
although  with  many  varieties  of  detail. 

I  shall  first  adduce  a  passage  from,  the  ilfth  chapter  of  the  Vayu 
(which  to  some  extent  runs  parallel  with  the  second  chapter  of  the 
Vishnu  Purana127),  on  account  of  its  containing  a  different  account 
from  that  generally  given  of  the  triad  of  gods  who  correspond  to  the 
triad  of  qualities  (gunas}. 

Vayu  Purana,  chapter  v.  verse  11.  Ahar-mukhe  pravritte  cha  par  ah 
prakriti-sambhavah  \  ksholhaydmdsa  yogena  parena  paramesvarah  \  12. 
Pradhdnam  purmham  chaiva  pravisydndam  Mahesvarah  \  13.  Pradhdndt 
ksholhyamdndt  tu  rajo  vai  samavarttata  \  rajah  pravarttakam  tatra 
vljeshv  api  yathd  jalam  \  14.  Guna-vaishamyam  dsddya  prasuyante  hy 
adhishthitdh  \  gunelhyah  ksholhyamdnebhyas  trayo  devd  vijajnire  \  15. 
Asritdh™  paramd  guhydh  sarvdtmdnah  sarlrinah  \  rajo  Brahma  tamo  hy 
Agnih  sattvam  Vishnur  ajdyata  \  16.  Rajah-prakdsako  Brahma  srash- 
tritvena  vyavasthitah  \  tamah-prakdsalta  'gnis  tu  Jcdlatvena  vyavasthitah  \ 
17.  Sattva-praktisako  Vishnur  auddslnye  vyavasthitah  \  ete  eva  trayo  lokd 
ete  eva  trayo  gundh  \  18.  Ete  eva  trayo  vedd  ete  eva  trayo  'gnayah  \ 
paraspardsritdh  hy  ete  parasparam  anuvratdh  \  19.  Parasparena  vart- 
tante  dhdrayanti  parasparam  \  anyonya-mithund  hy  ete  hy  anyonyam 
upajlvinah  \  20.  ITshanam  viyogo  na  hy  eshdm  na  tyajanti  parasparam  \ 
Isvaro  hi  paro  devo  Vishnm  tu  mahatah  par  ah  \  21.  Brahma  tu  rajosa- 
driktah  sargdyeha  pravarttate  \  parascha  purusho  jneyah  prakritischa 
pard  smritd  \ 

"11,  12.  At  the  beginning  of  the  day,  the  supreme  Lord  Mahes- 
vara,  sprung  from  Prakriti,  entering  the  egg,  agitated  with  ex- 
treme intentness  both  Pradhana  (=  Prakriti)  and  Purusha.  13.  From 

I2?  See  pp.  27  and  41  f.  of  Wilson's  V.  P.  vol.  i. 

128  The  Gaikowar  MS.  of  the  India  office,  No.  2102,  reads  asthitah,  instead  of 
asritah,  the  reading  of  the  Taylor  MS. 


OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  75 

Pradhana,  when  agitated,  the  quality  of  passion  (rajas)  arose,  which 
was  there  a  stimulating  cause,  as  water  is  in  seeds.  14.  When  an  in- 
equality in  the  Gunas  arises,  then  (the  deities)  who  preside  over  them 
are  generated.  From  the  Gunas  thus  agitated  there  sprang  three  gods 
(15),  indwelling,  supreme,  mysterious,  animating  all  things,  embodied. 
The  rajas  quality  was  born  as  Brahma,  the  tamas  as  Agni,1M  the  sattva 
as  Vishnu.  16.  Brahma,  the  manifester  of  rajas,  acts  in  the  character 
of  creator ;  ^gni,  the  manifester  of  tamas,  acts  in  the  capacity  of  time  ; 
17.  Yishnu,  the  manifester  of  sattva,  abides  in  a  condition  of  in- 
difference. These  deities  are  the  three  worlds,  the  three  qualities, 
(18)  the  three  Vedas,  the  three  fires ;  they  are  mutually  dependent,  mu- 
tually devoted.  19.  They  exist  through  each  other,  and  uphold  each 
other ;  they  are  twin-parts  of  one  another,  they  subsist  through  one 
another.  20.  They  are  not  for  a  moment  separated ;  they  never  aban- 
don one  another.  Isvara  (Mahadeva)  is  the  supreme  god ;  and  Vishnu 
is  superior  to  Mahat  (the  principle  of  intelligence) ;  while  Brahma, 
filled  with  rajas,  engages  in  creation.  Purusha  is  to  be  regarded  as 
supreme,  as  Prakriti  is  also  declared  to  be." 

The  sixth  section  of  the  Vayu  P.,  from  which  the  next  quotation  will 
be  made,  corresponds  to  the  fourth  of  the  Yishnu  P.  quoted  above. 

1.  Apo  Jiy  agre  samalhavan  nashte  'gnau  prithivl-tale  \  sdntardlaika- 
llne  'smin  nashte  sthdvara-jangame  \  2.  Ekdrnave  tadd  tasmin  na  prdjnd- 
yata  kinchana  \  tadd  sa  bhagavdn  Brahma  sahasrdkshah  sahasra-pdt  \ 
3.  Sahasra-sirshd  Purusho  rukma-varno  liy  atlndriyah  \  Brahma  Ndrd- 
y andkhy ah  sa  sushvdpa  salile  tadd  \  4.  Sattvodrekdt  prabuddhas  tu  sun- 
yam  lokam  udlkshya  sah  \  imam  choddharanty  atra  slokam  Ndrdyanam 
prati  |  5.  Apo  ndrd  vai  tanavah  18°  ity  apdm  ndma  susruma  \  apsu  sete 
cha  yat  tasmdt  tena  Ndrdyanah  smritah  \  6.  Tulyam  yuga-sahasrasya 
naisam  kdlam  updsya  sah  \  sarvary-ante  prakurute  Irahmatvam  sarga- 
kdrandt  \  7.  Brahma  tu  salile  tasmin  vdyur  bhutvd  tadd  'charat  \  nisdydm 
iva  khadyotih  prdvrit-kdle  tatas  tatah  \  8.  Tatas  tu  salile  tasmin  vijnd- 
ydntargatdm  mahlm  \  anumdndd  asammudho  Ihumer  uddharanam  prati  \ 

129  The  Mark.  P.  chap.  46,  verse  18,  has  the  same  line,  hut  substitutes  Rudra  for 
Agni,  thus :  Rajo  Brahma  tamo  Eudro  Vishnuh  sattvam  jagat-patih  \  The  two  are 
often  identified.    See  Vol.  IV.  of  this  work,  282  ff. 

130  See  "Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  p.  57,  with  the  translator's  and  editor's  notes. 
Verses  1  to  6  are  repeated  towards  the  close  of  the  7th  section  of  the  Vayu  P.  with 
variations. 


76  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAJsT, 

9.  Akarot  sa  tanum  hy  any  am  kalpadishu  yathd  purd  \  tato  mahdtmd 
manasd  divyam  rupam  achintayat  \  10.  Salilendplutdm  Ihumtm  drishtvd 
sa  tu  samantatah  \  "  kim  nu  rupam  mahat  Jcritvd  uddhareyam  aham  ma- 
7«m"  |  11.  Jala-krlda-suruchiram  vdrdham  rupam  asmarat  \  adhrishyam 
sarva-bhutdndm  vdnmayam  dharma-sanjnitam  \ 

"1.  When  fire  had  perished  from  the  earth,  and  this  entire  world 
motionless  and  moving,  together  with  all  intermediate  things,  had  been 
dissolved  into  one  mass,  and  had  been  destroyed — waters  first  were 
produced.  As  the  world  formed  at  that  time  but  one  ocean,  nothing 
could  be  distinguished.  Then  the  divine  Brahma,  Purusha,  with  a 
thousand  eyes,  a  thousand  feet,  (3)  a  thousand  heads,  of  golden  hue, 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  senses — Brahma,  called  Narayana,  slept  on  the 
water.  4.  But  awaking  in  consequence  of  the  predominance  (in  him)  of 
the  sattva  quality,  and  beholding  the  world  a  void —  :  Here  they  quote 
a  verse  regarding  Narayana :  5.  '  The  waters  are  the  bodies  of  Nara  : 
such  is  the  name  we  have  heard  given  to  them  ;  and  because  he  sleeps 
upon  them,  he  is  called  Narayana.'  6.  Having  so  continued  for  a  noc- 
turnal period  equal  to  a  thousand  Yugas,  at  the  end  of  the  night  he 
takes  the  character  of  Brahma  in  order  to  create.  7.  Brahma  then 
becoming  Yayu  (wind)  moved  upon  that  water,131  hither  and  thither, 
like  a  firefly  at  night  in  the  rainy  season.  8.  Discovering  then  by  in- 
ference that  the  earth  lay  within  the  waters,  but  unbewildered,  (9)  he 
took,  for  the  purpose  of  raising  it  up,  another  body,  as  he  had  done  at 
the  beginnings  of  the  (previous)  Kalpas.  Then  that  Great  Being  de- 
vised a  celestial  form.  10.  Perceiving  the  earth  to  be  entirely  covered 
with  water,  (and  asking  himself)  '  what  great  shape  shall  I  assume  in 
order  that  I  may  raise  it  up?' — he  thought  upon  the  form  of  a  boar, 
brillant  from  aquatic  play,  invincible  by  all  creatures,  formed  of  speech, 
and  bearing  the  name  of  righteousness." 

The  body  of  the  boar  is  then  described  in  detail,  and  afterwards  the 
elevation  of  the  earth  from  beneath  the  waters,  and  the  restoration  of 
its  former  shape,  divisions,  etc.1*2 — the  substance  of  the  account  being 

131  This  statement,  which  is  not  in  the  corresponding  passage  of  the  Vishnu  P.,  is 
evidently  horrowed,  along  with  other  particulars,  from  the  text  of  the  Taittiriya  San- 
hita,  vii.  1,  5,  1,  quoted  above  p.  52. 

132  Following  the  passage  of  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita,  quoted  above,  the  writer  in  one 
verse  ascribes  to  Brahma  as  Vis'vakarman  the  arrangement  of  the  earth,  tatas  teshu 
tis'rneshti  lokodadhi-giriihv  atha  \  Visvakarma,  vibhajate  kalpadishu  punah  punah  \ 


•  AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  77 

much  the  same,  but  the  particulars  different  from  those  of  the  parallel 
passage  in  the  Vishnu  Purana. 

Then  follows  a  description  of  the  creation  coinciding  in  all  essential 
points 13S  with  that  quoted  above,  p.  55,  from  the  beginning  of  the  fifth 
chapter  of  the  Vishnu  Purana. 

The  further  account  of  the  creation,  however,  corresponding  to  that 
which  I  have  quoted  from  the  next  part  of  the  same  chapter  of  that 
Purana,  is  ndt  found  in  the  same  position  in  the  Vayu  Purana,134  but  is 
placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  ninth  chapter,  two  others,  entitled  Prati- 
sandhi  -  klrttana  and  Chaturdsrama  -  vibhdga,  being  interposed  as  the 
seventh  and  eighth.  With  the  view,  however,  of  facilitating  com- 
parison between  the  various  cosmogonies  described  in  the  two  works, 
I  shall  preserve  the  order  of  the  accounts  as  found  in  the  Vishnu 
Purana,  and  place  the  details  given  in  the  ninth  chapter  of  the  Vayu 
Purana  before  those  supplied  in  the  eighth. 

The  ninth  chapter  of  the  Vayu  Purana,  which  is  fuller  in  its  details 
than  the  parallel  passage  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  begins  thus,  without 
any  specific  reference  to  the  contents  of  the  preceding  chapter : 

Suta  uvdcha  \  1.  Tato  'bhidhydyatas  tasya  jajnire  mdnaslh  prajdh  \ 
tach  -  chharlra  -  samutpannaih  kdryais  taih  kdranaih  sdha  \  2.  Kshe- 
trajndh  samavarttanta  gdtrelhyas  tasya  dhlmatah  \  tato  devdsura-pitrm 
mdnavam  cha  chatushtayam  \  3.  SisriksJiur  ambhdmsy  etdni  svdtmand 
samayuyujat  \  yuktdtmanas  tatas  tasya  tamomdtrd  svayambhuvah  \ 
4.  Tarn  alhidhydyatah  sargam  prayatno  'bhut  Prajdpateh  \  tato  'sya 
jaghandt  purvam  asurd  jajnire  sutdh  \  5.  Asuh  prdnah  smrito  viprais 
taj-janmdnas  tato  'surdh  \  yayd  srishtdsurds  tanvd  tarn,  tanum  sa 
vyapohata™  \  6.  Sd  'paviddhd  tanus  tena  sadyo  rdtrir  ajdyata  \  8d 
tamo-bahuld  yasmdt  tato  rdtris  triydmikd  \  7.  Avritds  tamasd  rdtrau 
prajds  tasmdt  svapanty  uta  \  drishtvd  'surdms  tu  devesas  tanum  anydm 
apadyata  \  8.  Avyaktdm  sattva-bahuldfii  tatas  tdm  so  'bhyayuyu/at  \ 
tatas  tdm  yunjatas  tasya  priyam  dslt  prabhoh  kila  \  9.  Tato  muklie 
samutpannd  dlvyatas  tasya  devatdh  \  yato  'sya  dlvyato  jdtds  tena  devdh 

133  This  is  also  the  case  with  the  details  given  in  the  Mark.  P.  xlvii.  15-27  and  if. 
131  The  Mark.  P.  however  observes  the  same  order  as  the  Vishnu  P. 

134  The  reading  in  the  passage  of  the  Taitt.  Br.  ii.  2,  9,  6,  from  which  this  narra- 
tive is  borrowed  (see  above,  p.  28),  is  apahata,  — which,  however,  does  not  prove  that 
that  verb  with  vi  prefixed  should  necessarily  be  the  true  reading  here  ;  as  the  Taylor 
and  Gaikowar  MSS.  have  vyapohata  throughout,  and  in  one  place  vyapohat. 


78  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

praklrttitdh  \  10.  Dhdtur  divtti  yah  proktah  krlddydm  sa  vilhdvyate  \ 
tasmdt  Q  yasmdf)  tanvdm  tu  divydydm  jajnire  tena  devatdh  \  11.  Devdn 
srishtvd  'tha  devesas  tanum  anydm  apadyata  \  sattva  -  mdtrdtmikdm 
devas  tato  'nydm  so  'Ihy  apadyata™  \  12.  Pitrivad  manyamdnas  tan 
putrdn  prddhydyata  pralhuh  \  pitaro  hy  upapakshdlhydm 137  rdtry-ahnor 
antard  'srijat  \  13.  Tasmdt  te  pitaro  devdh  putratvam  tena  teshu  tat  \ 
yayd  srishtds  tu  pitaras  turn  tanum  sa  vyapohata  \  14.  Sd  'paviddhd 
tanus  tena  sadyah  sandhyd  prajdyata  \  tasmdd  ahas  tu  devdndm  rdtrir 
yd  sd  "sun  smritd  I  15.  Tayor  madhye  tu  vai  paitrl  yd  tanuh  sd  gari- 
yasl  |  tasmdd  devdsurdh  sarve  rishayo  manavas  tathd  \  16.  Te  yuktds 
turn  updsante  rdtry-ahnor1®  madhyamdm  tanum  \  tato  'nydm  sa  punar 
Srahmd  tanum  vai  praty apadyata  \  17.  Rajo-mdtrdtmiJtdm  ydm  tu  ma- 
nasd  so  'srijat  prabhuh  \  rajah-prdydn  tatah  so  'tha  mdnasdn  asrijat 
sutdn  |  18.  Manasas  tu  tatas  tasya  mdnasd  Jajnire  prajdh  \  drishtvd 
punah  prajdi  c hdpi  svdm  tanum  tdm  apohata  \  19.  Sd'paviddhd  tanus 
tenajyotsnd  sadyas  tv  ajdyata  \  tasmdd  lhavanti  samhrishtd  jyotsndydm 
udbhave  prajdh  \  20.  Ity  etds  tanavas  tena  vyapaviddhd  mahatmand  \ 
sadyo  rdtry-ahani  chaiva  sandhyd  jyotsnd  cha  jajnire  \  21.  Jyotsnd 
sandhyd  tathd  'hascha  sattva-mdtrdtmalcam  svayam  \  tamo-mdtrdtmikd 
rdtrih  sd  vai  tasmdt  triydmilcd  \  22.  Tasmdd  devd  divya-tanvd  189  drish- 
tdh  srishfd  mukhdt  tu  vai  \  yaxmdt  teshdm  diva  janma  lalinas  tena  te 
diva  |  23.  Tanvd  yad  asurdn  rdtrau  jaghandd  asrijat  punah  \  prdnelhyo 
rdtri-janmdno  hy  asahyd  nisi  tena  te  \  24.  Etdny  evam  hhavishydndm 
devdndm  asuraih  saha  \  pitrlndm  mdnavdndm  cha  atltdndgateshu  vai  \ 
25.  Manvantareshu  sarveshu  nimittdni  lhavanti  hi  \  jyotsnd  rdtry-ahanl 
sandhyd  chatvdry  ambhdmsi  tdni  vai  \  26.  Bhdnti  yasmdt  tato  'mohdmsi 
hhd-sabdo  'yam  manlshibhih  \  vydpti-dlptydm  nigadito  pumdms  chdha 
Prajdpatih  \  27.  So  ''mbhdmsy  etdni  drishtvd  tu  deva-ddnava-mdnavdn  \ 
pitrlms  chaivdsrijat  so  'nydn  dtmano  vividhdn  punah  \  28.  Tdm  utsrijya 
tanum  kritsndm  tato  'nydm  asrijat  prabhuh  \  murttim  rajas-tama-prdydm 
punar  evdohyayuyujat  \  29.  Andhakdre  Icshudhdvishtas  tato  'nydm  srijate 
punah  \  tena  srishtdh  kshudhdtmunas  te  'mbhdmsy  dddtum  udyatdh  \ 
30.  "  Ambhdmsy  etdni  ralcshdma"  uktavantascha  teshu  ye  \  rdlcshasds  te 
smritdh  loke  krodhdtmdno  nisdchardh  \ 

116  This  line  is  omitted  in  the  Gaikowar  MS. 

137  The  Gaikowar  MS.  seems  to  read  upaparsvabhyam. 

138  The  Gaikowar  MS.  reads  Brahmano  madhyamam  tanum. 

139  The  Guikowar  MS.  reads  diva  tanva. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  79 

"Sutasays:  1.  Then,  as  he  was  desiring,  there  sprang  from  him 
mind-born  sons,  with  those  effects  and  causes  derived  from  his  body. 

2.  Embodied  spirits  were  produced  from  the  bodies  of  that  wise  Being. 

3.  Then  willing  to  create  these  four  streams  (amlkdmsi}  gods,  Asuras, 
Fathers,  and  men,  he  fixed  his  spirit  in  abstraction.     As  Svayambhu 
was  thus  fixed  in  abstraction,  a  body  consisting  of  nothing  but  dark- 
ness (invested  him).     4.  While  desiring  this  creation,  Prajapati  put 
forth  an  effort.     Then  Asuras  were  first  produced  as  sons  from  his 
groin.    5.  Asu  is  declared,  by  Brahmans  to  mean  breath.    From  it  these 
beings  were  produced ;  hence  they  are  Asuras.140  He  cast  aside  the  body 
with  which  the  Asuras  were  created.     6.  Being  cast  away  by  him,  that 
body  immediately  became  night.     Inasmuch  as  darkness  predominated 
in  it,  night  consists  of  three  watches.      7.  Hence,  being  enveloped 
in  darkness,  all  creatures  sleep  at  night.     Beholding  the  Asuras,  how- 
ever, the  Lord  of  gods  took  another  body,  (8)  imperceptible,  and  having 
a  predominance  of  goodness,  which  he  then  fixed  in  abstraction.    While 
he  continued  thus  to  fix  it,  he  experienced  pleasure.     9.  Then  as  he 
was  sporting,  gods  were  produced  in  his  mouth.     As  they  were  born 
from  him,  while  he  was  sporting  (dlvyatah),  they  are  known  as  Devas 
(gods).    10.  The  root  dw  is  understood  in  the  sense  of  sporting.     As 
they  were  born  in  a  sportive  (divya)in  body,  they  are  called  Devatas. 
11.  Having  created  the  deities,   the  Lord  of  gods  then  took  another 
body,  consisting  entirely  of  goodness  (sattva).     12.  Regarding  himself 
as  a  father,  he  thought  upon  these  sons :  he  created  Fathers  (Pitris) 
from  his  armpits  in  the  interval  between  night  and  day.     13.  Hence 
these  Fathers  are  gods  :  therefore  that  sonship  belongs  to  them.     He 
cast  aside  the  body  with  which  the  Fathers  were  created.     14.  Being 
cast  away  by  him,  it  straightway  became  twilight.    Hence  day  belongs 
to  the  gods,  and  night  is  said  to  belong  to  the  Asuras.     15.  The  body 
intermediate  between  them,  which  is  that  of  the  Fathers,  is  the  most 
important.     Hence  gods,  Asuras,  Fathers,  and  men  (16)  worship  in- 
tently this  intermediate  body  of  Brahma.     He  then  took  again  another 
body.     But  from  that  body,  composed  altogether  of  passion  (rajas'), 

140  This  statement,  which  is  not  found  in  the  parallel  passage  of  the  Vishnu  Purana, 
is  borrowed  from  Taitt.  Br.  ii.  3,  8,  2,  quoted  above. 

141  Divya  properly  means  "  celestial."    But  from  the  play  of  words  in  the  passage, 
the  writer  may  intend  it  to  have  here  the  sense  of  "  sportive." 


80          MYTHJCAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

which  he  created  by  his  mind,  he  formed  mind-born142  sons  who  had 
almost  entirely  a  passionate  character.  18.  Then  from  his  mind  sprang 
mind-born  sons.  Beholding  again  his  creatures,  he  cast  away  that  body 
of  his.  19.  Being  thrown  off  by  him  it  straightway  became  morning  twi- 
light. Hence  living  beings  are  gladdened  by  the  rise  of  early  twilight.  20. 
Such  were  the  bodies  which,  when  cast  aside  by  the  Great  Being,  became 
immediately  night  and  day,  twilight  and  early  twilight.  21.  Early  twi- 
light, twilight,  and  day  have  all  the  character  of  pure  gooMness.  Night 
has  entirely  the  character  of  darkness  (tamas^ ;  and  hence  it  consists  of 
three  watches.  22.  Hence  the  gods  are  beheld  with  a  celestial  body, 
and  they  were  created  from  the  mouth.  As  they  were  created  during 
the  day,  they  are  strong  during  that  period.  23.  Inasmuch  as  he 
created  the  Asuras  from  his  groin  at  night,  they,  having  been  born 
from  his  breath,  during  the  night,  are  unconquerable  during  that 
season.  24,  25.  Thus  these  four  streams,  early  twilight,  night,  day,  and 
twilight,  are  the  causes  of  gods,  Asuras,  Fathers,  and  men,  in  all  the 
Manvantaras  that  are  past,  as  well  as  in  those  that  are  to  come.  26.  As 
these  (streams)  shine,  they  are  called  ambhdmsi.  This  root  bhd  is  used 
by  the  intelligent  in  the  senses  of  pervading  and  shining,  and  the  Male, 
Prajapati,  declares  (the  fact).  27.  Having  beheld  these  streams  (am- 
bhamsi), gods,  Danavas,  men,  and  fathers,  he  again  created  various 
others  from  himself.  28.  Abandoning  that  entire  body,  the  lord  created 
another,  a  form  consisting  almost  entirely  of  passion  and  darkness,  and 
again  fixed  it  in  abstraction.  29.  Being  possessed  with  hunger  in  the 
darkness,  he  then  created  another.  The  hungry  beings  formed  by  him 
were  bent  on  seizing  the  streams  (ambhamsi).  30.  Those  of  them,  who 
said  'let  us  preserve  (rakshdma)  these  streams,'  are  known  in  the  world 
as  Kakshasas,  wrathful,  and  prowling  about  at  night." 

This  description  is  followed  by  an  account  of  the  further  creation 
corresponding  with  that  given  in  the  same  sequence  in  the  Vishnu 
Purana ;  and  the  rest  of  the  chapter  is  occupied  with  other  details 
which  it  is  not  necessary  that  I  should  notice.  I  therefore  proceed  to 
make  some  quotations  from  the  eighth  chapter,  entitled  Chaturd&rama- 

vibhtiga,  or  "  the  distribution  into  four  orders,"  which  corresponds,  in 

• 

!*2  Manasan.  "We  might  expect  here  however,  manavan  or  manushan,  "  human," 
in  conformity  with  the  parallel  passages  hoth  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  (see  ahove,  p.  56), 
and  the  Markandeya  Purana,  xlviii.  11. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  81 

its  general  contents,  with  the  sixth  chapter  of  the  Vishnu  Parana, 
book  i.,  but  is  of  far  greater  length,  and,  in  fact,  extremely  prolix,  as 
well  as  confused,  full  of  repetitions,  and  not  always  very  intelligible. 

The  chapter  immediately  preceding  (i.e.  the  seventh),  entitled  Pra- 
tisandhi-klrttanam,  ends  with  the  words  :  "I  shall  now  declare  to  you 
the  present  Kalpa ;  understand."  Suta  accordingly  proceeds  at  the 
opening  of  the  eighth  chapter  to  repeat  some  verses,  which  have  been 
already  quoted*  from  the  beginning  of  the  sixth  chapter,  descriptive  of 
Brahma's  sleep  during  the  night  after  the  universe  had  been  dissolved, 
and  to  recapitulate  briefly  the  elevation  of  the  earth  from  beneath  the 
waters,  its  reconstruction,  and  the  institution  of  Yugas.  At  verse  22 
the  narrative  proceeds : 

Kalpasyddau  kritayuge  prathame  so  '  srijat  prajdh  \  23.  Prdg  uktd  yd 
mayd  tubhyam  purva-kdle  prajds  tu  tdh  \  tasmin  samvarttamdne  tu  Jcalpe 
dagdhds  tadd  'gnind  \  24.  Aprdptd  yds  tapo-lokam  jana-lokam  samdsri- 
tdh  |  pravarttati  punah  surge  vijartham  tu  bhavanti  hi  \  25.  Vijdrthena 
sthitds  tatra  punah  sargasya  kdrandt  \  tatas  tdh  srjjyamdnds  tu  san- 
tdndrtham  bhavanti  hi  \  26.  Dharmdrtha-kdtna-mokshdndm  iha  tdh  sd- 
dhikdh  smritdh  \  devds  cha  pitaraschaiva  rishayo  manavas  tatha  \  27. 
Tatas  te  tapasd  yuktdh  sthdndny  dpurayanti  hi  \  Erahmano  mdnasds  te 
vai  siddhdtmdno  Wiavanti  hi  \  28.  Ye  sangddvesha-yiiktena  karmand  te 
diuam  gatdh  \  dvarttamdnd  iha  te  sambhavanti  yuge  yuge  \  29.  Sva- 
Tcarma-phala-seshena  khydtyd  chaiva  tathdtmikd  (?  tathdtmakdh)  \  sam- 
Ihaianti  jandl  lokdt  karma-samsaya-bandhandt  \  30.  Asayah  kdranant 
tatra  boddhavyam  karmand  tu  sah  \  taih  karmabhis  tu  jay  ante  jandl  lokdt 
subhdsubhaih  \  31.  Grihnanti  te  sarlrdni  ndnd-rupdni  yonishu  \  devtid- 
ydh  sthdvardntds  cha  utpadyante  parasparam  (?  paramparam)  \  32. 
Teshdfii  ye  ydni  karmdni  prdk-srishtau  pratipedire  \  tdny  eva  pratipad- 
y ante  srijyamdndh  punah  punah  \  33.  Hiiiiisrdhimsre  mridu-krure  dhar- 
mddharme  ritdnrite  \  tadbhdvitdh  prapcdyante  tasmdt  tat  tasya  rochate  \ 
34.  Kalpeshv  dsan  vyatlteshu  rupa-ndmdni  ydni  cha  \  tdny  evdndgate  kale 
prdyasah  pratipedire  \  35.  Tasmdt  tu  ndma-rupdni  tdny  eva  pratipe- 
dire |  punah  punas  te  kafyeshuj 'dyante  ndma-rupatah  \  36.  Tatah  sarge 
hy  avashtabdhe  sisrilshor  Brahmanas  tu  vai  \  37.143  Prajds  td  dhydyatas 

143  The  narrative  in  the  49th  chapter  of  the  Markandeya  Purana'  (verses  3-13) 
begins  at  this  verse,  the  37th  of  the  Yayu  Purana,  and  coincides,  though  with  verbal 
differences,  with  what  follows  down  to  verse  47.  After  that  there  is  more  variation. 

6 


82  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

tasya  satydbhidhydyinas  tadd  \  mithundnum  sahasram  tu  so  'srij'ad  vai 
muklidt  tadd  \  38.  Janus  te  hy  upapadyante  sattvodriktdh  suchetasahu*  \ 
sahasram  anyad  vakshasto  mithundndm  sasarja  Jia  \  39.  Te  sarve  rajaso- 
driktdh  sushminas  chdpy  asushminahl'a  \  srishtvd  sahasram  anyat  tu 
dvandvdndm  urutah  punah  \  40.  Rajas-tamolhydm  udriktd  ihdsilds  tu 
te  smritdh  \  padbhydm  sahasram  anyat  tu  mithundndm  sasarja  ha  \  41. 
Udriktds  tamasd  sarve  nihsrlkd  hy  alpa-tejasdh  \  tato  vai  harshamdnds 
te  dvandvotpannds  tu  prdninah  \  42.  Anyonya-hrichhay&vishtd  maithu- 
ndyopachakramuh  \  tatahprabhriti  kalpe  'smin  maithunotpattir  uchyate  \ 
43.  Musi  mdsy  drttavam  yat  tu  na  tadd  ''sit  \u  yoshitdm146  \  tasmdt  tadd 
na  sushuvuh  sevitair  api  maithunaih  \  44.  AyusJio  'nte  prasuyante  mi- 
thundny  eva  tdh  sakrit  \  kunthakdh  kunthikas  chaiva  utpadyante  mumur- 
shatdm1*7  |  45.  Tatah  prabhriti  kalpe  'smin  mithundndm  hi  sambhavah  \ 
dhydne  tu  manasd  tdsdm  prajdndm  Jdyate  sakrit  \  46.  S'abdtidi-vishayah 
suddhah  pratyekam  pancha-lakshanah  \  ity  evam  mdnasl 14S  purvam  prdk- 
srishtir  yd  Prajdpateh  \  47.  Tasydnvavdye  sambhutd  yair  idam  puritam 
jagat  \  sarit-sarah-samudrdms  cha  sevante  parvatdn  api  \  48.  Tadd 
ndtyanta-sltoshnd  yuge  tasmin  charanti  vai  \  prithvl-rasodbhavam  ndma 
dhdram  hy  dharanti  vaili9  \  49.  Tdh  prajdh  kdma-chdrinyo  mdnaslm 
siddhtm  dsthitdh  \  dharmddharmau  na  tdsv  dstdm  nirviseshah  prajds  tu 
tdh  |  50.  Tulyam  dyuh  sukham  rupam  tdsdm  tasmin  krite  yuge  \  dhar- 
mddharmau na  tdsv  dstdm  kalpddau  tu  krite  yuge  \  51.  Svena  svenddhi- 
kdrena  jajnire  te  krite  yuge  \  chatvuri  tu  sahasrdni  varshdndm  divya- 
sankhyayd  \  52.  Adyam  krita-yugam  prdhuh  sandhydndm  tu  cJiatuh- 
satam  \  tatah  sahasrasas  tdsa  prajdsu  prathitdsv  api  \  53.150  Na  tdsdm 
pratighdto  'sti  na  dvandvam  ndpi  cha  klamah,  \  parvatodadhi-sevinyo  hy 
aniketdsrayds  tu  tdh  \  54.  Visokdh  sattva-baJmldh  hy  ekdnta-sukJiitdh 
prajdh  |  tdh  vai  nishkdma-chdrinyo  nityam  mudita-mdnasdh  \  55.  Pasa- 

ul  For  suchetasah  the  Mark.  P.  reads  sutejasah. 

115  For  asushminah  the  Mark.  P.  reads  amarshinah,  "irascible." 

146  I  have  corrected  this  line  from  the  Markandeya  Purana,  49,  9  b.     The  reading 
of  the  M  SS.  of  the  Vayu  Purana  cannot  be  correct.     It  appears  to  be :  incise  mase 
'ritavam  yad  yat  tat  tadasld  hi  yoshitam  \  The  negative  particle  seems  to  be  indis- 
pensable here. 

147  This  half  verse  is  not  found  in  the  Mark.  P. 

148  The  Mark.  P.  has  manushl,  "human,"  instead  of  manas7,  "mental." 

149  This  verse  is  not  in  the  Mark.  P. ;  and  after  this  point  the  verses  which  are 
common  to  both  Puranas  do  not  occur  in  the  same  places. 

150  Verses  53-56  coincide  generally  with  verses  14-18  of  the  Mark.  P. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  83 

rah  pakshinas  chaiva  na  taddsan  sarlsripdh  \  nodbhijjd  ntirakai™  chaiva 
te  hy  adharma-prasutayah  \  56.  Na  mula-phala-pushpam  cha  ndrttavam 
ritavo  na  cha  \  sarva-kdma-sukhah  kdlo  ndtyartham  hy  ushna-sltatd 18S  I 
57.  Manobhilashitdh  kdmds  tdsdm  sarvatra  sarvadd  \  uttishthanti  prithiv- 
ydm  vai  tdbhir  dhydtd  rasolvandh  \  58.  Balavarna-karl  tdsdm  siddhih 
sd  roga-ndsinl  \  asafhskdryyaih  sarlrais  cha  pro/jus  tdh  stMrayaiivandh  \ 
59.  Tdsdm  visuddhdt  sankalpdj  jdyante  mithtmdh  prajdh  \  samamjanma 
cha  rupam  chd  mriyante  chaiva  tdh  samam  \  60.  Tadd  satyam  alobhab 
cha  Jishamd  tushtih  sulcham^damah  \  nirviseshds  tu  tdh  sarvd  rupdyuh- 
slla-cheshtitaih  \  61.  AluddhipurvaJcam  vrittam  prajdndm  jdyate  svayam  \ 
apravrittih  krita-yuge  Jcarmanoh  sulhapdpayoh  \  62.  Yarndsrama-vya- 
vasthds  cha  na  tadd  "s«w  na  sanJcarah  \  anichhddvesha-yuktds  te  vartta- 
yanti  parasparam  \  63.  Tulya-rupdyushah  sarvdh  adhamottama-varj- 
litdh™  \  sukha-prdyd  hy  asokds  cha  udpadyante  Icrite  yuge  \  64.  Nitya- 
prahrishta-manaso  mahdsattvd  mahdhaldh  \  Idlhdldbhau  na  tdsv  dstdm 
mitrdmitre  priydpriye  \  65.  Manasd  vishayas  tdsdm  nirihdndm  pravart- 
tate  |  na  lipsanti  hi  ta'nyoyam  ndnugrihnanti  chaiva  hi  \  66.  J)hydnam 
par  am  krita-yuge  tretdydm  jndnam  uchyate  \  pravrittam  dvdpare  yajnam 
ddnam  kali-yuge  varam  \  67.  Sattvaih  kritam  rajas  tretd  dvdparam  tu 
rajas-tamau  \  kalau  tamas  tu  vijneyam  yuga-vritta-vasena  tu  \  68.  Kdlah 
krite  yuge  tv  esha  tasya  sankhydm  nihodhata  \  chatvdri  tu  sahasrdni  var- 
shdndm  tat  kritam  yugam  \  69.  Sandhydmsau  tasya  divydni  satdny 
ashtau  cha  sankhyayd  \  tadd  tdsdm  babhiivdyur  na  cha  klesa-vipat- 
tayah 134  |  70.  Tatah  kritayuge  tasmin  sandhydmse  hi  gate  tu  vai  \  pddd- 
vasishto  lhavati  yuga-dharmas  tu  sarvasah  \  71.  Saiidhydydm  apy  atltd- 
ydm  anta-kdle  yugasya  vai  \  pdda&as  chdvasishte  tu  sandhyd-dharme 
yugasya  tu  \  72.  Evam  krite  tu  nihseshe  siddhis  tv  antardadhe  tadd  \ 
tasydm  cha  siddhau  Ihrashtdydm  mdnasydm  alhavat  tatah  \  73.  Siddhir 

151  The  Mark.  P.  has  nakrah,  "  crocodiles,"  in  its  enumeration. 

152  The  Mark.  P.  here  inserts  some  other  lines,  186-21 «,  instead  of  57  and  5Sa  of 
the  Vayu  P. 

153  The  Mark.  P.  inserts  here  the  following  verses :    24.  Chaivari  tu  sahasrani 
rarshanam  manushani  tu  \  ayuh-pramanam  jlvanti  na  cha  klesad  vipattayah  \  25 . 
Kvachit  kvachit  punah  sa  bhut  Tcshitir  bhagyena  sarvasah  \  kalena  gachhata  riasam. 
upayanti  yatha  prajcih  \  26.  Tatha  tuh  kramnsah  nasaihjagmuh  sarvatra  siddhayali  \ 
tasu  sarvasu  nashtasu  nabhasah  prachyuta  narah  (latahin  one  MS.)  \prayasah  kalpa- 
rrikshas  te  sambhuta  griha-samsthitah  \ 

154  Instead  of  babhuvciyuh,  etc.,  the  Gaikowar  MS.  has  prayuktani  na  cha  Icleso 
babhuva  ha  I 


84  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

anyd  yuge  tasmims  tretdydm  antare  kritd  \  sargddau  yd  mayd  'shtau  tu 
mdnasyo  vai  praklrttitdh  \  74.  Ashtau  tdh  krama-yogena  siddhayo  ydnti 
sankshayam  \  kalpddau  mdnasl  hy  ekd  siddhir  bhavati  sd  krite  \  75. 
Manvantareshu  sarveshu  chatur-yuga-vibhdgasah  \  varndsramdchdra-kritah 
karma-siddhodbhavah  (karma-siddhyudbhavaht}  smritah  \  76.  Sandhyd 
kritasya  pddena  sandhyd  pddena  chdmsatah  \  krita-sandhydmsakd  Jiy  ete 
trims  trln  pdddn  parasparam  \  77.  Urasanti  yuga-dharmais  te  tapah- 
sruta-baldyushaih  \  tatah  kritdmse  kshme  tu  babhuva  tud-anantaram  \ 
78.  Tretd-yugam  amanyanta  kritdmsam  rishi-sattamdh  \  tasmin  kshme 
kritdmse  tu  tach-c hhishtdsu  pra/jdsv  iha  \  79.  Kalpddau  sampravrittdyds 
tretdydh  pramukhe  tadd  \  pranasyati  tadd  siddhih  Icdla-yogenandnyathd  \ 
80.  Tasydm  siddhau  pranashtdytim  anyd  siddhir  avarttata  \  apdm  sauk- 
shmye  pratigate  tadd  megJidtmand  tu  vai  \  81.  Meghebhyah  slanayitnu- 
bhyah  pravrittam  vrishti-sarjjanam  \  sakrid  eva  tayd  vrislityd  samyukte 
prithivl-tale  \  82.  Prddurdsams  tadd  tdsdm  vrikshds  tu  griha-samsthi- 
tdh155  |  sarva-pratyupabhogas  tu  tdsdm  tebhyah  prajdyate  \  83.  Vart- 
tayanti  hi  tebhyas  tds  tretd-yuga-muhhe  prajdh  \  tatah  Icdlena  mahatd 
tdsdm  eva  viparyaydt  \  84.  Rdgalobhdtmako  bhdvas  tadd  hy  dkasmiko 
'bhavat  |  yat  tad  bhavati  ndrlndm  jivittinte  tad  drtavam  \  85.  Tadd  tad 
vai  na  bhavati  punar  yuga-balena  tu  \  tdsdm  punah  pravritte  tumdse  muse 
tad  drttavam  (-vet}  \  86.  Tatas  tenaiva  yogena  varttatdm  maithune  tadd  \ 
tdsdm  tdt-kdla-bhdvitvdd  mdsi  mdsy  upayachhatdm  \  87.  Akdle  hy  drttavot- 
pattir  garbhotpattir  ajdyata  \  viparyyayena  tdsdih  tu  tena  kdlena  bhdvind\ 
88.  Pranasyanti  tatah  sarve  vrikshds  te  grihasamsthitdh  \  tatas  teshu 
pranashteshu  vibhrdntd  vydkulendriydh  \  89.  Abhidhydyanti  turn  siddhim 
satydbhidhydyinas  tadd  \  prddurbabhuvus  tdsdm  tu  vrikshds  te  griha- 
samsthitdh |  90. 156  Vastrdni  cha  prasuyante  phaleshv  dbharandni  cha  \ 
teshv  eva  jay  ate  tdsdm  gandha-varna-rasdnvitam  \  91.  Amdkshikam  ma- 
hdvlryam  putake  putake  madhu  \  tena  td  varttayanti  sma  mukhe  tretd- 
yugasya  vai  \  92.  Hrishta-tushtds  tayd  siddhyd  prajd  vai  vigata-jvardh  \ 
punah  kdldntarenaiva  punar  lobhdvritds  tu  tdh  \  93.  Vrikshdms  tun 
paryagrihnanta  madhu  chdmdkshikam  baldt  \  tdsdm  tendpachdrena  punar 
lobha-kritena  vai  \  94.  Pranashtd  madhtmd  sdrdham  kalpa-vrikshdh  kva- 

155  Verses  27-35  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  more  or  less  to  this  and  the  following 
verses  down  to  98. 

158  This  and  the  following  verses  correspond  more  or  less  closely  to  the  Mark.  P. 
30  ff. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  85 

chit  kvachit  \  tasydm  evdlpa-sishtdydm  sandhyd-kdla-vasdt  tadd  \  95. 
varttatdm  tu  tadd  tdsdm  dvandvdny  abhyutthitdni  tu  \  sltavdtdtapais 
tlvrais  tatas  tdh  duhkhitd  bhrisam  \  96.  Dvandvais  tdh  pldyamdnds  tu 
chakrur  dvarandni  cha  \  kritvd  dvandva-pratlkdram  niketdni  hi  bhejire  \ 
97.  Purvam  nikdma-chdrds  te  aniketd&rayd  bhrisam  \  yathd-yogyam 
yathd-prlti  niketeshv  avasan  punah  \  98.  Maru-dhanvasu  nimneshu  par- 
rateshu  darlshu  cha l57  |  samsrayanti  cha  durgdni  dhanvdnam  sdsvatoda- 
kam  |  99.  Yathd-yogam  yathd-kdmam  sameshu  vishameshu  cha  \  drabdhds 
te  niketd  vai  karttum  £lto$hna-pdranam  \  100.  Tatas  td  mdpaydmdsuh 
khetdni  cha  purtini  cha,  \  grdmdmi  chaiva  yathd-bhdgam  tathaivdntah- 
purdni  cha  |  .  .  .  •  123. 158  Eriteshu  teshu  sthdneshu  punas  chakrur  gri- 
hdni  cha  \  yathd  cha  purvam  dsan  vai  vrikshds  tu  griha-samsthitdh  \ 
124.  Tathd  karttum  samdrabdhds  chintayitvd  punah  punah  \  vridahtis 
chaiva  gatdh  sdkhd  natds  chaitdpard  gatdh  \  125.  Ata  urdhvam  gatds 
chdnyd  enam  tiryaggatdh  pardh  \  luddhyd  'nvishya  tathd  'nyd  yd  vrik- 
sha-sdJchd  yathd  gatdh  \  126.  Tathd  kritds  tu  taih  sdkhds  tdsmdch 
chhdlds  tu  tdh  smritdh  \  evam  prasiddhdh  sdkhdbhyah  sdlds  chaiva 
grihdni  cha  \  127.  Tasmdt  td  vai  smritdh  idldh  sdldtvam  chaiva 
tdsu  tat  |  prasldati  manas  tdsu  manah  prdsddayams  cha  tdh  \  128. 
Tasmdd  grihdni  sdlds  cha  prdsddus  chaiva  sanjnitdh  I  kritvd  dvan- 
dvopaghdtdms  tun  vdrttopdyam  achintayan  \  129.159  Nashteshu  ma- 
dhund  sdrddham  kalpa-vriksheshu  vai  tadd  \  vishdda-vydkulds  td  vai 
prajds  trishnd-kshudhdnvitdh  \  130.  Tatah  prddurbabhau  tdsdm  sid- 
dhis  tretd-yuge  punah  \  vdrttdrtha-sddhikd  hy  anyd  vrishtis  tdsdm  hi 
kdmatah  \  131.  Tdsdih  vrishty-udakdmha  ydni  nimnair  gatdni  tu  \ 
vrishfyfi  nimndQ}  nirabhavan  srotah-khdtdni  nimnagdh  \  132.  Evam 
nadyah  pratrittds  tu  dvitlye  vrishti-sarjane  \  ye  purastdd  apdm  stokd 
dpanndh  prithivltale  \  133.  Apdm  bhumes  cha  samyogdd  oshadhyas  tdsu 
chdbhavan  \  pushpa-mulaphalinyas  tv  oshadhyas  tdh  prajajnire  \  134. 
Aphdla-krishfds  chdnuptd  grdmydranyas  chaturdasa  \  ritu-pushpa-pha- 
Idschaiva  vrikshdh  gulmds  cha  jajnire  \  135.  Prddurbhavas  cha  tretdydm 
ddyo  'yam  aushadhasya  tu  \  tenausJtadliena  varttante  prajds  tretdyuge 
tadd  |  136.  Tatah punar  abhut  tdsdm  rdgo  lobhas  chasarvasah  \  avasyam- 


157  I  have  corrected  this  line  from  Mark.  P.  xlix.  35. 

158  Verses  52-54  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  in  subst* 
ayu  P. 

159  Verses  55-62  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  to  verses  129-137  of  the  Vayu  P. 


158  Verses  52-54  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  in  substance  to  verses  123-128  of  the 
Vavu  P. 


86  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

bhdvind  'rthena  tretd-yuga-vasena  tu  \  137.  Tatas  tdh  paryagrihnanta 
nadih  kshetrdni  parvatdn  \  vrikshdn  gulmaushadhis  chaiva  prasahya  tu 
yathd-balam  \  138.  Siddhdtmdnas  tu  ye  purvam  vydkhydtah  prdk  krite 
may  a  \  Brahmano  mdnasds  te  vai  utpannd  ye  jandd  iha  \  139.  S'dntds 
cha  iushminas  chaiva  karmino  duhkhinas  tadd  \  tatah  pravarttamdnds  te 
tretdydm  jajnire  punah  \  140.  Brdhmandh  kshattriyd  vaisy&h  sudrii 
drohijands  tathd  \  bhdvitdh  purva-jdtlshu  karmabhis  cha  subhdsubhaih  \ 
141.  Jtas  tebhyo  'bald  ye  tu  satyaslld  hy  ahimsakdh  \  vlta-lobhd  jitdt- 
mdno  nivasanti  sma  teshu  vai  \  142.  Pratigrihnanti  kurvanti  tebhyas 
chdnye  'Ipa-tejasah  \  evam  vipratipanneshu  prapanneshu  parasparam  \ 
143.  Tena  doshena  teshdtJi  td  oshadhyo  mishatdm  tadd169  \  pranashtd  hriya- 
mdnd  vai  musJitibhydm  sikatd  yathd  \  144.161  Agrasad  bhur  yuga-baldd 
grdmydranyds  chaturdasa  \  phalam  grihnanti  pushpaischa  phalaih  patraih 
punah  punah  \  145.162  Tatas  tdsu  pranashtu.su  vibhrdntds  tdh  prajds 
tadd  |  Svayamlhuvam  pralhum  jagmuh  kshudhdvishtdh  prajdpatim  \  146. 
critty-artham  abhilipsantah  ddau  tretd-yugasya  tu  \  Brahma  Svayambhur 
bhagavdn  jndtvd  tdsdm  manlshitam  \  147.  Yitktam  pratyaksha-drishtena 
darsanena  mchdryya  cha  \  grastdh  prithivyd  oshadhyo  jndtvd  pratyaduhat 
punah  |  148.  Kritvd  vatsam  sumerum  tu  dudoha  prithivlm  imam  \  dugdhe- 
yam  gaus  tadd  tena  vljdni  prithivl-tale  \  149.  Jajnire  tdni  v ydni  grdmyd- 
ranyds tu  tdh  punah  \  oshadhyah  phala-pdkdntdh  sana-saptadasds  tu  tdh  \ 
....  155.  Utpanndh  prathamam  hy  etd  ddau  tretd-yugasya  tu  \  156. 
-Aphdla-krishtd  oshadhyo  grdmydranyds  tu  sarvasah  \  vrikshd  gulma- 
latd-vallyo  virudhas  trina-jdtayah  \  157.  Mulaih  phalais  cha  rohinyo 
'grihnan  pushpais  cha  yah  phalam  \  prithvl  dugdhd  tu  vljdni  ydni  pur  • 
vam  Svayambhuvd  \  158.  Ritu-pushpa-phalds  td  vai  oshadhyo  jajnire  tv 
iha  |  18S  yadd  prasrishtd  oshadyo  na  prarohanti  tdh  punah  \  159.  Tatah 
sa  tdsdm  vritty-artham  vdrttopdyam  chakdra  ha  \  Brahmd  Svayambhur 
bhagavdn  hasta-siddham  tu  karma-jam  \  160.  Tatah-prabhrity  athau- 
shadhyah  krishta-pachyds  tu  jajnire  \  samsiddhdydm  tu  vdrttdydm  tatas 
tdsdm  Svayambhuvah  \  161.  Marydddh  sthdpaydmdsa  yathdrabdhdh 
parasparam  \mye  vai  parigrihltdras  tdsdm  dsan  badhdtmakdh  \  162. 
Itareshdm  knta-trdndn  sthdpaydmdsa  kshattriydn  \  upatishthanti  ye  tun 

160  Mark.  P.  verse  63«.  i«  Mark.  P.  verse  686. 

162  Verses  64-67  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  to  verses  145-149  of  the  Vayu  P. 

163  Verses  73-75  of  the  Mark.  P.  correspond  to  verses  158J-160a  of  the  Vayu  P. 

161  This  with  all  what  follows  down  to  verse  171  is  omitted  in  the  Mark.  P. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  87 

vat  ydvanto  nirbhayds  tathd  \  163.  Satyam  brahma  yathd  bhutam  bru- 
vanto  brdhmands  tu  te  \  ye  chilnye  'py  abalds  teshdm  vaisasam  karma 
samsthitdh  \  164.  Klndsd  ndsayanti  sma  prithivydm  prdg  atandritdh  \ 
vaisydn  eva  tu  tun  dhuh  klndsdn  vritti-sddhakdn  \  165.  S'ochantas  cha 
dravantas  cha  paricharyydm  ye  ratdh  \  nistejaso  'Ipa-vlryyds  cha  sudrdn 
tan  abravlt  tu  sah  \  166.  Teshdm  karmdni  dharmdms  cha  Brahma' 'nu- 
vyadadhdt  prabhuh  \  samsthitau  prakritdydih  tu  chdturvarnyasya  sar- 
vasah  \  167.  'Funah  prajds  tu  td  mohdt  tan  dharmdn  ndnvapdlayan  \ 
varna-dharmair  ajlvantyo  vyarudhyanta  parasparam  \  168.  Brahma  tarn 
artham  buddhvd  tu  ydtliutathyena  tai  prabhuh  \  kshattriydndm  balam 
dandam  yuddham  djwam  ddisat  \  169.  Ydjanddhyayanam  chaiva  tritl- 
yam  cha  parigraham  \  brdhmandndm  vilhus  teshdm  karmdny  etdny  athd- 
disat  \  170.  Pdsupdlyam  vanijyaiii  cha  krishim  chaiva  visdm  dadau  \ 
silpdjlvam  bhritim  chaiva  sudrdndm  vyadadhdt  prabhuh  \  171.  Sdmdn- 
ydni  tu  karmdni  brahma- fahattra-visdm  punah  \  ydjanddhyayanam  ddnam 
sdmdnydni  tu  teshu  vai  \  172.  Karmdjlvam  tato  datvd  tebhyas  chaiva 
parasparam  \  lokdntareshu  sthdndni  teshdm  siddhydym  addt  prabhuh  \ 
17 3.m  Prdjdpatyam  brdhmandndm  smritam  sthdnaih  kriydvatdm  \  sthd- 
nam  aindram  kshattriydndm  sangrdmeshv  apaldyindm  \  174.  Vaisyanant 
mdrutam  sthdnam  sva-dharmam  upajlvindm  \  gdndharvam  sudra-jdtlndm 
pratichdrena  (parichdrena:}  tishthatdm  \  175.  Sthdndny  etdni  varndndm 
vyasydchdravatdm  svayatn  \  tatah  sthiteshu  varneshu  sthdpaydmdsa  chdsra- 
mdn  |  176.  Grihastham  brahmachdritvam  vanaprastham  sabhikshukam  \ 
dsramdms  chaturo  hy  etdn  purvam  asthdpayat  prabhuh  \  177.  Varna-kar- 
mdni  yekechit  teshdm  iha  na  kurvate  \  krita-karmakshitihfi}  prdhurdsra- 
ma-sthdna-vdsinah  \  178.  Brahma  tan  sthdpdydmdsa  dsramdn  ndmand- 
matah  \  nirdesdrtham  tatas  teshdm  Brahma  dharmdn  prabhdshata  \  179. 
Prasthdndni  cha  teshdm  vaiyamdmscha  niyamdms  cha  ha  \  chdturvarnydt- 
makah  purvam  grihasthas  tv  dsramah  smritah  \  180.  Trdydndm  tisram- 
dndm  cha  pratisJithd  yonir  eva  cha  \  yathdkramam  pravakshydmi  yamais 
cha  niyamais  cha  taih  |  .  .  .  .  190.  Teddh  sdnads  cha  yajnds  cha  vra- 
tdni  niyamds  cha  ye  \  191.  Na  siddhyanti prddushtasya  bhdvadoshe  upd- 
gate  \  bahih-karmdni  sarvdni  prasiddhyanti  (na  siddhyanti  t}  kaddchana  \ 

165  I  conjecture  siddhyay  adat  to  be  the  proper  reading.     The  MSS.  have  siddhya- 
dadat,  or  siddhyadadat,  etc. 

166  Verses  173  f.  are  found  in  the  Mark.  P.  verses  77  f. ;  but  all  that  follows  down 
to  verse  193  is  omitted  there. 


192.  Antar-bhdva-pradmhtasya  kurvato'hi pardkramdt  \  sarvasvam  api 
yo  dadydt  kalushendntardtmand  \  193.  Na  tena  dharma-bhdk  sa  sydd 
bhdva  eva  hi  kdranam  |  .  .  .  .  199.  Evam  varndsramdnam  vai  prati- 
bhdge  krite  tacld  \  200.  Yadd  'sya  na  vyavardhanta  prajd  varndsramat- 
mikdh  \  tato  'nyti  mdnaslhso  'tha  tretd-madhye  'snjat  prajdh  \  201.  At- 
manas  tuh  sarlrdchcha  tulyds  chaivdtmand  tu  vai  \  tasmin  tretd-yuge 
prdpte  madhyam  prdpte  kramena  tu  \  202.  Tato  'nyd  manasls  tatra  pra- 
jdh srashtum  prachakrame  \  tatah  satva-rajodriktdh  praju.h  so  'thdsrijat 
prabhuh  \  203.  Dharmdrtha-Mma-mokshdnam  vdrttdyds  chaiva  sadhi- 
kdh  \  devds  cha  pitaras  chaiva  rishayo  manavas  tathd  \  204.  Yugtinu- 
rupd  dharmena  yair  ima  vichitdh  prajdh  \  upasthite  tadd  tasmin  prajti- 
dharme  (-sarge  ?)  Svayambhuvah  \  205  Abhidadhyau  prajdh  sarvd  ndnd- 
rupds  tu  mdnaslh  \  purvoktd  yd  mayd  tubhyam  jana-lokam  samdsritdh  \ 
206.  Ealpe'tlte  tu  td  hy  dsan  devddyds  tu  prajd  iha  \  dhydyatas  tasya  tuh 
sarvdh  sambhuty -artham  upasthitdh  \  207.  Manvantara-krameneha  ka- 
nishthe  prathame  matdh  \  khydtyd  'nubandhais  tais  tais  tu  sarvdrthair 
iha  bhdvitdh  \  208.  Kusaldkusala-prdyaih  karmabhis  taih  sadd  prajdh  \ 
tat-karma-phala-seshena  upashtabdhdh  prajajnire  \  209.  Devdsura-pitri- 
tvais  tu  pasu-pakshi-sarisripaih  \  vriksha-ndraka-kltatvais  tais  tair  bhd- 
vair  upasthitdh  \  ddhindrtham  prajdndih  cha  dtmand  vai  mnirmame  \ 

"22.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Kalpa,  in  the  first  Krita  age,  he 
created  those  living  heings  (23)  which  I  have  formerly  described  to 
thee ;  but  in  the  olden  time,  at  the  close  of  the  Kalpa,  those  crea- 
tures were  burnt  up  by  fire.  24.  Those  of  them  who  did  not  reach 
the  Tapoloka  took  refuge  in  the  Janaloka;  and  when  the  creation 
again  commences,  they  form  its  seed.  25.  Existing  there  as  a  seed 
for  the  sake  of  another  creation,  they  then,  as  they  are  created,  are 
produced  with  a  view  to  progeny.  26.  These  are  declared  to  accom- 
plish, in  the  present  state  (the  four  ends  of  human  life,  viz.),  duty, 
the  acquisition  of  wealth,  the  gratification  of  love,  and  the  attain- 
ment of  final  liberation,  —  both  gods,  Fathers,  Eishis,  and  Manus. 
27.  They,  then,  filled  with  austere  fervour,  replenish  (all)  places. 
These  are  the  mental  sons  of  Brahma,  perfect  in  their  nature.  28. 
Those  who  ascended  to  the  sky  by  works  characterized  by  devotion  to 
external  objects,  but  not  by  hatred,  return  to  this  world  and  are  born 
in  every  age.  29.  As  the  result  of  their  works,  and  of  their  destination, 
(returning)  from  the  Janaloka,  they  are  born  of  the  same  character  (as 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  89 

before),  in  consequence  of  the  (previous)  deeds  by  which  they  are 
bound.167  30.  It  is  to  be  understood  that  the  cause  of  this  is  their 
tendency  (or  fate),  which  itself  is  the  result  of  works.  In  consequence 
of  these  works,  good  or  bad,  they  return  from  Janaloka  and  are  born, 
(31)  and  receive  various  bodies  in  (different)  wombs.  They  are  pro- 
duced again  and  again  in  all  states,  from  that  of  gods  to  that  of 
motionless  substances.  32.  These  creatures,  as  they  are  born  time 
after  time,  receive  the  same  functions  as  they  had  obtained  in  each 
previous  creation.  33.  .Destructiveness  and  undestructiveness,  mild- 
ness and  cruelty,  righteousness  and  unrighteousness,  truth  and  false- 
hood— actuated  by  such  dispositions  as  these,  they  obtain  (their  several 
conditions) ;  and  hence  particular  actions  are  agreeable  to  particu- 
lar creatures.  34.  And  in  succeeding  periods  they  for  the  most  part 
obtain  the  forms  and  the  names  which  they  had  in  the  past  Kalpas. 
35.  Hence  they  obtain  the  same  names  and  forms.  In  the  different 
Kalpas  they  are  born  with  the  same  name  and  form.  36.  Afterwards, 
when  the  creation  had  been  suspended,  as  Brahma  was  desirous  to 
create,  (37)  and,  fixed  in  his  design,  was  meditating  upon  offspring, — 
he  created  from  his  mouth  a  thousand  couples  of  living  beings,  (38)  who 
were  born  with  an  abundance  of  goodness  (sattva)  and  full  of  intel- 
ligence.188 He  then  created  another  thousand  couples  from  his  breast : 
(39)  they  all  abounded  in  passion  (rajas)  and  were  both  vigorous  and 
destitute  of  vigour.189  After  creating  from  his  thighs  another  thousand 
pairs,  (40)  in  whom  both  passion  and  darkness  (tamas)  prevailed,  and 
who  are  described  as  active, — he  formed  from  his  feet  yet  another 
thousand  couples  (41)  who  were  all  full  of  darkness,  inglorious,  and 
of  little  vigour.  Then  the  creatures  sprung  from  the  couples  (or  thus 
produced  in  couples)  rejoicing,  (42)  and  filled  with  mutual  love,  began 
to  cohabit.  From  that  period  sexual  intercourse  is  said  to  have 
arisen  in  this  Kalpa.  43.  But  at  that  time  women  had  no  monthly 
discharge :  and  they  consequently  bore  no  children,  although  cohabit- 

167  Karma-samsaya-bandhanat.  I  am  unable  to  state  the  sense  of  samsaya  in  this 
compound. 

16Sl  Suchetasah.  The  reading  of  the  Mark.  P.  mtejasah,  "  full  of  vigour,"  is  recom- 
mended, as  an  epithet  of  the  Brahmans,  by  its  being  in  opposition  to  alpa-tejasah, 
"  of  little  vigour,"  which  is  applied  to  the  S'udras  a  few  lines  below. 

169  The  reading  of  the  Mark.  P.  amarshinah,  "irascible,"  gives  a  better  sense  than 
asushminah,  "devoid  of  vigour,"  which  the  Yayu  P.  has. 


0  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

ation  was  practised.  44.  At  the  end  of  their  lives  they  once  bore 
twins.  Weak-minded  boys  and  girls  were  produced  when  (their  parents) 
were  on  the  point  of  death.  45.  Prom  that  period  commenced,  in 
this  Kalpa,  the  birth  of  twins;  and  such  offspring  was  once  only 
born  to  these  creatures  by  a  mental  effort,  in  meditation  (46), — (offspring 
which  was)  receptive  (?)  of  sound  and  the  other  objects  of  sense,  pure, 
and  in  every  case  distinguished  by  five  marks.  Such  was  formerly  the 
early  mental  creation  of  Prajapati.  47.  Those  creatures  by  whom  the 
world  was  replenished,  born  as  the  descendant^  of  this  stock,  frequented 
rivers,  lakes,  seas,  and  mountains.  48.  In  that  age  (yuga)  they  lived 
unaffected  by  excessive  cold  or  heat,  and  appropriated  the  food  which 
was  produced  from  the  essences  of  the  earth.  49.  They  acted  according 
to  their  pleasure,  existing  in  a  state  of  mental  perfection.  They  were 
characterized  neither  by  righteousness  nor  unrighteousness;  were  marked 
by  no  distinctions.  50.  In  that  Krita  yuga,  in  the  beginning  of  the 
Kalpa,  their  age,  happiness,  and  form  were  alike :  they  were  neither 
righteous  nor  unrighteous.  51.  In  the  Krita  age  they  were  produced 
each  with  authority  over  himself.  Four  thousand  years,  according  to 
the  calculation  of  the  gods,  (52)  and  four  hundred  years  for  each  of  the 
morning  and  evening  twilights,  are  said  to  form  the  first,  or  Krita, 
age.170  Then,  although  these  creatures  were  multiplied  by  thousands, 
(53)  they  suffered  no  impediment,  no  susceptibility  to  the  pairs  of  oppo- 
sites  (pleasure  and  pain,  cold  and  heat,  etc.)  and  no  fatigue.  They  fre- 
quented mountains  and  seas,  and  did  not  dwell  in  houses.  54.  They 
never  sorrowed,  were  full  of  goodness  (sattva),  and  supremely  happy ; 
acted  from  no  impulse  of  desire,171  and  lived  in  continual  delight.  55. 
There  were  at  that  time  no  beasts,  birds,  reptiles,  or  plants,172  (for 
these  things  are  produced  by  unrighteousness),173  (56)  no  roots,  fruits, 

170  The  first  of  the  verses,  which  will  be  quoted  below,  in  a  note  on  verse  63,  from 
the  Mark.  P.,  seems  to  be  more  in  place  than  the  description  of  the  Krita  age  given 
here,  of  which  the  substance  is  repeated  in  verses  68  and  69. 

171  Perhaps  we  should  read  here  nikama-charinyo  instead  of  nishkama- :  if  so,  the 
sense  will  be,  "  they  moved  about  at  will." 

173  The  text  adds  here  riarakah  or  narakah,  which  may  mean  "hellish  creatures." 
173  This,  although  agreeing  with  what  is  said  further  on  in  verses  82,  133,  and 
155,  does  not  seem  in  consonance  with  what  is  stated  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  verse  45, 
where  it  is  declared  :  oshadhyah  phala-mulinyo  romabhyas  tasyajajnire  \  treta-yuga- 
mukhe  Brahma  kalpasyadau  dvijottama  \  srishtva  pasv-oshadhlh  samyag  yuyoja  sa 
tada  'dhvare  \  "  Plants  bearing  roots  and  fruits  sprang  from  his  hairs.  At  the  com- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  91 

flowers,  productions  of  the  seasons,  nor  seasons.  The  time  brought 
with  it  every  object  of  desire  and  every  enjoyment.  There  was  no 
excess  of  heat  or  cold.  57.  The  things  which  these  people  desired 
sprang  up  from  the  earth  everywhere  and  always,  when  thought  of, 
and  had  a  powerful  relish.  58.  That  perfection  of  theirs  both  produced 
strength  and  beauty,  and  annihilated  disease.  "With  bodies,  which 
needed  no  decoration,  they  enjoyed  perpetual  youth.  59.  Prom  their 
pure  will  alone  twin  children  were  produced.  Their  form  was  the 
same.  They  were  born  an4  died  together.  60.  Then  truth,  contentment, 
patience,  satisfaction,  happiness,  and  self-command  prevailed.  They 
were  all  without  distinction  in  respect  of  form,  term  of  life,  disposition 
and  actions.  6 1 .  The  means  of  subsistence  were  produced  spontaneously 
without  forethought  on  their  parts.  In  the  Krita  age  they  engaged  in 
no  works  which  were  either  virtuous  or  sinful.  62.  And  there  were 
then  no  distinctions  of  castes  or  orders,  and  no  mixture  of  castes.  Men 
acted  towards  each  other  without  any  feeling  of  love  or  hatred.  63.  In 
the  Krita  age  they  were  born  alike  in  form  and  duration  of  life,  with- 
out any  distinction  of  lower  and  higher,17*  with  abundant  happiness, 
free  from  grief,  (64)  with  hearts  continually  exulting,  great  in  dignity 

mencement  of  the  Treta  age  Brahma — having  at  the  beginning  of  the  Kalpa  created 
animals  and  plants— employed  them  in  sacrifice."  Although  the  order  of  the  words 
renders  the  sense  in  some  degree  uncertain,  it  appears  to  be  that  which  Prof.  "Wilson 
assigns  in  his  translation  (i.  84),  "  Brahma,  having  created,  in  the  commencement  of 
the  .Kalpa,  various  [animals  and]  plants,  employed  them  in  sacrifices  in  the  beginning 
of  the  Treta  age."  This  interpretation  is  supported  by  the  Commentator,  who  remarks : 
Tad  evaih  kalpasyadav  eva  pasun  oshadhis  cha  srishtva  'nantaram  treta-yuga-mukhe 
prapte  sati  sumyag  gramyaranya-vyasthaya  tada  'dhvare  sanataya  (samyaktaya  ?) 
yuyoja  krita-yuge  yajnasyapravritteh  \  "  Having  then  thus  at  the  very  beginning  of 
the  Kalpa  created  animals  and  plants,  he  afterwards,  when  the  commencement  of  the 
Treta  age  arrived,  employed  them  properly,  according  to  the  distinction  of  domestic 
and  wild,  in  sacrifice, —since  sacrifice  did  not  prevail  in  the  Krita  age."  This  agrees 
with  the  course  of  the  preceding  narrative  which  makes  no  allusion  to  plants  and 
animals  having  been  produced  in  a  different  Yuga  from  the  other  beings  whose 
creation  had  been  previously  described.  (See  Wilson  i.  82-84.)  The  parallel  passage 
in  the  Vayu  P.  x.  44-46,  is  confused. 

171  The  Mark.  P.  xlix.  24  inserts  here  the  following  lines  :  "  They  lived  for  four 
thousand  years  of  mortals,  as  the  measure  of  their  existence,  and  suffered  no  calamities 
from  distress.  25.  In  some  places  the  earth  again  enjoyed  prosperity  in  every  respect. 
As  through  lapse  of  time  the  creatures  were  destroyed,  so  too  those  perfections  every- 
where gradually  perished.  26.  When  they  had  all  been  destroyed,  creeping-plants 
fell  from  the  sky,  which  had  nearly  the  character  of  Kalpa-trees  (i.e.  trees  which  yield 
all  that  is  desired),  and  resembled  houses." 


92  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

and  in  force.  There  existed  among  them  no  such  things  as  gain  or  loss, 
friendship  or  enmity,  liking  or  dislike.  65.  It  was  through  the  mind 
(alone,  i.e.  without  passion?)  that  these  disinterested  heings  acted  to- 
wards each  other.  They  neither  desired  anything  from  one  another ; 
nor  shewed  any  kindness  to  each  other.178  Contemplation  is  declared  to 
be  supreme  in  the  Krita  age,  knowledge  in  the  Treta ;  sacrifice  began 
in  the  Dvapara;  liberality  is  the  highest  merit  in  the  Kali.  67.  The 
Krita  age  is  goodness  (sattva),  the  Treta  is  passion  (rajas),  the  Dvapara 
is  passion  and  darkness  (tamas\  in  the  Kali  ij  is  to  be  understood  that 
darkness  (prevails),  according  to  the  necessary  course  of  these  ages. 
68.  The  following  is  the  time  in  the  Krita  age :  understand  its  amount. 
Four  thousand  years  constitute  the  Krita  ;  (69)  and  its  twilights  endure 
for  eight  hundred  divine  years.  Then  their  life  was  (so  long  ?)178  and  no 
distresses  or  calamities  befel  them.  70.  Afterwards,  when  the  twilight 
in  the  Krita  was  gone,  the  righteousness  peculiar  to  that  age  was  in  all 
respects  reduced  to  a  quarter  (of  its  original  sum).  71.  When  further 
the  twilight  had  passed^  at  the  close  of  the  Yuga,  and  the  righteousness 
peculiar  to  the  twilight  had  been  reduced  to  a  quarter,  (72)  and  when 
the  Krita  had  thus  come  altogether  to  an  end,  —  then  perfection 
vanished.  "When  this  mental  perfection  had  been  destroyed,  there 
arose  (73)  another  perfection  formed  in  the  period  of  the  Treta  age. 
The  eight  mental  perfections,  which  I  declared  (to  have  existed) 
at  the  creation,  (74)  were  gradually  extinguished.  At  the  beginning  < 
of  the  Kalpa  mental  perfection  alone  (existed),  viz.,  that  which  existed 
in  the  Krita  age.  75.  In  all  the  Manvantaras  there  is  declared  to 
arise  a  perfection  proceeding  from  works,  produced  by  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  belonging  to  castes  and  orders,  according  to  the  fourfold 
division  of  Yugas.  76.  The  (morning)  twilight  (deteriorates)  by  a 
quarter  of  the  (entire)  Krita, — and  the  evening  twilight  by  (another) 
quarter ; — (thus)  the  Krita,  the  morning  twilight,  and  the  evening 

175  This  representation  of  the  condition  of  mankind  during  the  Krita  age,  the  period 
of  ideal  goodness,  was  no  doubt  sketched  in  conformity  with  the  opinions  which  pre- 
vailed at  the  period  when  the  Puruna  was  compiled ;  when  dispassiou  was  regarded 
as  the  highest  state  of  perfection. 

176  It  would  seem  as  if  the  writer  here  meant  to  state  that  the  period  of  life  was 
that  which  in  the  verse  of  the  Murk.  P.  (xlix.  24),  quoted  in  the  note  on  verse  63,  it 
is  declared  to  have  been.     But  the  expression  here  ifc,  from  some  cause  or  other,  im- 
perfect. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  93 

twilight  (together)  deteriorate  successively  to  the  extent  of  three 
quarters,  in  the  duties  peculiar  to  the  Tuga,  and  in  austere  fervour, 
sacred  knowledge,  strength,  and  length  of  life.177  Then  after  the 
evening  of  the  Krita  had  died  out,  (78)  the  Treta  age  succeeded, — 
(which)  the  most  excellent  rishis  regarded  as  the  evening  of  the  Krita. 
But  when  the  evening  of  the  Krita  had  died  out,  (79)  from  the  in- 
fluence of  time,  and  for  no  other  reason,  perfection  disappeared  from 
among  the  creatures  who  survived  at  the  commencement  of  the  Treta 
age  which  ensue.d  at  the  beginning  of  the  Kalpa.  80.  "When  that  per- 
fection had  perished,  another  perfection  arose.  The  subtile  form  of 
water  having  returned  in  the  form  of  cloud  (to  the  sky),178  (81)  rain 
began  to  be  discharged  from  the  thundering  clouds.  The  earth  having 
once  received  that  rain,  (82)  trees  resembling  houses179  were  provided 
for  these  creatures.  From  them  all  means  of  enjoyment  were  pro- 
duced. 83.  Men  derived  their  subsistence  from  them  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Treta.  Subsequently,  after  a  great  length  of  time,  owing  to 
their  ill  fortune,  (84)  the  passions  of  desire  and  covetousness  arose  in 
their  hearts  uncaused.  The  monthly  discharge,  which  occurred  at  the 
end  of  women's  lives,  (85)  did  not  then  take  place  :  but  as  it  com- 
menced again,  owing  to  the  force  of  the  age  (yuga),  (86)  and  as  the 
couples,  in  consequence  of  it,  began  to  cohabit,  and  approached  each 
other  monthly,  from  necessity  occasioned  by  the  time, — (87)  an  un- 
seasonable179* production  of  the  monthly  discharge,  and  of  pregnancy 
ensued.  Then  through  their  misfortune,  and  owing  to  that  fated  time, 
(88)  all  those  house-like  trees  perished.  When  these  had  been  de- 
stroyed, men  disturbed  and  agitated,  (89)  but  genuine  in  their  desire, 
longed  after  that  perfection  (which  they  had  lost).  Then  those  house- 
like  trees  appeared  to  them  ;  (90)  and  among  their  fruits  yielded 
clothes  and  jewels.  On  these  trees  too,  in  the  hollow  of  every  leaf, 
there  was  produced,  (91)  without  the  aid  of  bees,  honey  of  great  po- 
tency, having  scent,  colour,  and  flavour.  By  this  means  they  sub- 
sisted at  the  beginning  of  the  Treta,  (92)  delighted  with  this  per- 

177  Such  is  the  only  sense  I  can  extract  from  these  rather  obscure  lines. 

178  Such  is  the  only  sense  of  the  words  here  rendered  which  occurs  to  me. 

179  Griha-samsthitah.  Professor  Wilson,  in  his  Dictionary,'  gives  "  like,  resembling," 
among  the  meanings  of  saiiisthita. 

i79«  Instead  of  akiile,  "out  of  season,"  Professor  Aufrecht  suggests  akale,  "in 
season,"  as  the  proper  reading. 


94  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

fection  and  free  from  trouble.  Again,  through  the  lapse  of  time, 
becoming  greedy,  (93)  they  seized  by  force  those  trees,  and  that  honey 
produced  without  bees.  And  then,  owing  to  that  misconduct  of  theirs, 
occasioned  by  cupidity,  (94)  the  Kalpa  trees,  together  with  their  honey, 
were  in  some  places  destroyed.  As  but  little  of  it180  remained,  owing 
to  the  effects  of  the  period  of  twilight,  (95)  the  pairs  (of  opposites,  as 
pleasure  and  pain,  etc.)  arose  in  men  when  existing  (in  this  state) ; 
and  they  became  greatly  distressed  by  sharp  cold  winds',  and  heats. 
96.  Being  thus  afflicted  by  these  opposites,  they  adopted  means  of 
shelter  :  and  to  counteract  the  opposites  they  resorted  to  houses.  97. 
Formerly  they  had  moved  about  at  their  will,  and  had  not  dwelt  at  all 
in  houses :  but  subsequently  they  abode  in  dwellings,  as  they  found 
suitable  and  pleasant,  (98)  in  barren  deserts,  in  valleys,  on  mountains, 
in  caves ;  and  took  refuge  in  fortresses, — (in  a)  desert  with  perpetual 
water.181  99.  As  a  protection  against  cold  and  heat  they  began  to  con- 
struct houses  on  even  and  uneven  places,  according  to  opportunity  and 
at  their  pleasure.  100.  They  then  measured  out  towns,  cities,  villages, 
and  private  apartments,  according  to  the  distribution  of  each."  £The 
following  verses  101-107  give  an  account  of  the  different  measures  of 
length  and  breadth,  which  is  followed,  in  verses  108-122,  by  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  various  kinds  of  fortresses,  towns,  and  villages,  their  shapes 
and  sizes,  and  of  roads.  The  author  then  proceeds  in  verse  123  :] 
"These  places  having  been  made,  they  next  constructed  houses;  and 
as  formerly  trees  existed,  formed  like  houses,182  (124)  so  did  they  (now) 
begin  to  erect  them,  after  repeated  consideration.  (Some)  boughs  are 
spread  out,  others  are  bent  down,  (125)  others  rise  upwards,  while 
others  again  stretch  horizontally.  After  examining  thus  by  reflection 
how  the  different  boughs  of  trees  branch  out,  (126)  they  constructed 
in  like  manner  the  apartments  (sakJiali)  (of  their  houses) :  hence  they 

IRQ  "Perfection"  seems  to  be  here  intended.     If  so,  it  would  seem  as  if  this  line 
had  been  separated  from  its  proper  context. 

181  Dhanvanam  saivatodakam.    Perhaps  we  should  read  here  with  the  Mark.  P. 
xlix.  35,  varkshyam  parvatam  audakam  "  (fortresses)  protected  by  trees,  built  on 
mountains,  or  surrounded  by  water." 

182  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  this  rendering  of  the  phrase,  vrilcshah  grihasam- 
sthitah,  the  Mark.  P.  (xlix.  52),  at  least,  is  quite  clear:  grihaTcara  yatha  purvafh 
tesham  asan  maliiruhah  \  tatha  samsmritya  tat  sarvam  chaknir  vesmani  tah  prajah  \ 
"As  they  had  formerly  had  trees  with  the  shape  of  houses,  so  recalling  all  that  to 
mind,  these  people  built  their  dwellings." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  95 


are  called  rooms  (safeA).188  In  this  way  rooms  and  houses  derive  their 
appellation  from  branches.  127.  Hence  rooms  are  called  idld,  and  in 
that  their  character  as  rooms  (saldtvam)  consists.  And  inasmuch  as 
the  mind  takes  pleasure  in  them,  and  as  they  have  gladdened  (prdsd- 
dayan\  the  mind,  (128)  houses,  rooms,  and  palaces  are  termed  respec- 
tively griha,  £dld,  and  prdsada.  Having  adopted  these  means  of 
defence  against  the  '  opposites,'  they  devised  methods  of  subsistence. 
129.  The  kajpa-trees  having  been  destroyed  along  with  their  honey, 
those  creatures,  afflicted  with  thirst  and  hunger,  became  disquieted  by 
dejection.  130.  Then  ag&in  another  perfection  arose  for  them  in  the 
Treta  age,  —  which  fulfilled  the  purpose  of  subsistence,  —  viz.,  rain  at 
their  pleasure.  131.  The  rain-water,  which  flowed  into  the  hollows, 
burst  out  in  the  form  of  springs,  water-  courses,  and  rivers,181  through 
the  rain.  132.  Thus  at  the  second  fall  of  rain  rivers  began  to  flow. 
"When  the  drops  of  water  first  reached  the  ground,  then  (133)  from  the 
conjunction  of  the  waters  and  the  earth  plants  sprang  up  among  them, 
which  bore  both  flowers,  roots,  and  fruits.  134.  Fourteen  kinds  of 
plants,  cultivated  and  wild,  were  produced  without  ploughing  or  sow- 
ing, as  well  as  trees  and  shrubs  which  bore  flowers  and  fruit  at  the 
proper  season.  135.  This  was  the  first  appearance  of  plants  in  the 
Treta  age,  and  by  them  men  subsisted  at  that  period.  136.  Then  there 
again  arose  among  them,  universally,  desire  and  cupidity,  through  a  ne- 
cessary process,  and  as  a  result  of  the  Treta  age.  137.  They  then 
appropriated  to  themselves,  by  force  and  violence,  rivers,  fields,  hills, 
trees,  shrubs,  and  plants.  138.  Those  perfect  beings,  who  were  de- 
scribed by  me  as  existing  formerly  in  the  Krita,  —  the  mind-born 
children  of  Brahma,  who  had  been  produced  in  this  world  when  they 
came  from  the  Janaloka,  —  (139)  who  were  (some)  tranquil,  (some)  fiery, 
(some)  active,  and  (others)  distressed,  —  were  again  born  in  the  Treta, 
(140)  as  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  Suclras,  and  injurious  men, 
governed  by  the  good  and  bad  actions  (performed)  in  former  births.  141. 
Then  those  who  were  weaker  than  they,  being  truthful  and  innocent, 
dwelt  among  them,  free  from  cupidity,  and  self-restrained;  (142)  whilst 

183  The  reasoning  here  does  not  seem  very  cogent,  as  the  two  words  sakha  and  sola 
do  not  appear  to  have  any  close  connection.     But  such  unsuccessful  attempts  at  ety- 
mology are  frequent  in  Sanskrit  works. 

184  The  text  here  does  not  seem  to  be  in  a  satisfactory  state.     The  Calc.  edition  of 
the  Mark.  P.  reads  vrishtyavaruddhalr  abhavat,  etc. 


96  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

others,  less  glorious  than  they,  took  and  did.18*  When  they  had  thus  be- 
come opposed  to  each  other, — (143)  through  their  misconduct,  while  they 
struggled  together,  the  plants  were  destroyed,  being  seized  with  their 
fists  like  gravel.  144.  Then  the  earth  swallowed  up  the  fourteen  kinds 
of  cultivated  and  wild  plants,  in  consequence  of  the  influence  exerted 
by  the  Yuga :  for  men  had  seized  again  and  again  the  fruit,  together 
with  the  flowers  and  leaves.  145.  After  the  plants  had  perished, 
the  famished  people,  becoming  bewildered,  repaired  to-  Svayambhu 
the  lord  of  creatures,  (146)  in  the  beginning  of  the  Treta  age,  seeking 
the  means  of  subsistence.186  Learning  what  they  desired,  (147)  and 
determining  by  intuition  what  was  proper  to  be  done,  the  Lord  Brah- 
ma Svayambhu,  knowing  that  the  plants  had  been  swallowed  up  by 
the  earth,  milked  them  back.  148.  Taking  Sumeru  as  a  calf,  he  milked 
this  earth.  When  this  earth  (or  cow)187  was  milked  by  him,  roots  were 

195  It  is  difficult  to  extract  any  satisfactory  sense  out  of  this  line. 

ls6  The  S'.  P.  Br.  ii.  4,  2,  1,  also  speaks  of  different  classes  of  creatures  applying  to 
the  creator  for  food  :  Prajapatim  vai  bhutany  upasldan  \  prajah  vai  bhutani  \  "  vi  no 
dhehi  yatha  jivama"  iti  \  tato  deva  yajnopavltino  bhutva  dakshinam  janv  achya  upa- 
sldan |  tan  abravld  "  yajno  vo  'nnam  amritatvam  va  urg  vah  suryo  vo  jyotir  "  iti  \ 
2.  Atha  enam  pitarah  prachlnavllinah  savyam  janv  achya  upasldan  \  tan  abravld 
"masi  niasi  vo  'sanam  svadha  vo  manojavo  vas  chandrama  vo  jyotir"  iti  \  3.  Atha 
enam  manushyah  pravritah  upastham  kritva  upasldan  \  tan  abravlt  "sat/am  pratar 
vo  'sanam  prajah  vo  mrityur  vo  'gnir  vo  jyotir  "  iti  \  4.  Atha  enam  pasavah  upasldan  \ 
tebhyah  svaisham  eva  chalcara  "  yada  eva  yuyam  kadacha  labhadhvai  yadi  kale  yady 
anakfile  atlia  eva  asnatha"  iti  \  tasmad ete  yada  Jcadacha  labhante  yadi  kale  yady 
anakale  atJia  eva  asnanti  \  5.  Atha  ha  enam  sas'vad  apy  asurah  upasedur  ity  ahuh  \ 
tebhyas  tamas  cha  may  am  cha  pradadau  \  asty  aha  eva  asura-maya  iti  iva  \  parabhuta 
ha  iv  eva  tah  prajah  \  tah  imah  prajas  tathaiva  upajlvanti  yathaiva  abhyah  Praju- 
patir  adadat  \  "All  beings  resorted  to  Prajapati, — (creatures  are  beings),— (saying) 
'  provide  for  us  that  we  may  live.'  Then  the  gods,  wearing  the  sacrificial  cord,  and 
bending  the  right  knee,  approached  him.  To  them  he  said,  '  let  sacrifice  be  your  food, 
your  immortality  your  strength,  the  sun  your  light.'  2.  Then  the  Fathers,  wearing 
the  sacrificial  cord  on  their  right  shoulders,  and  bending  the  left  knee,  approached  him. 
To  them  he  said,  '  you  shall  eat  monthly,  your  oblation  (svadha}  shall  be  your  ra- 
pidity of  thought,  the  moon  your  light.'  3.  Then  men,  clothed,  and  inclining  their 
bodies,  approached  him.  To  them  he  said,  '  ye  shall  eat  morning  and  evening,  your 
offspring  shall  be  your  death,  Agni  your  light.'  4.  Then  cattle  repaired  to  him.  To 
them  he  accorded  their  desire,  (saying),  '  "Whensoever  ye  find  anything,  whether  at 
the  proper  season  or  not,  eat  it.'  Hence  whenever  they  find  anything,  whether  at  the 
proper  season  or  not,  they  eat  it.  5.  Then  they  say  that  the  Asuras  again  and  again 
resorted  to  him.  To  them  he  gave  darkness  (tamas}  and  illusion.  There  is,  indeed, 
such  a  thing  as  the  illusion,  as  it  were,  of  the  Asuras.  But  those  creatures  succumbed. 
These  creatures  subsist  in  the  very  manner  which  Prajapati  allotted  to  them." 

187  Gauh  means  both. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  97 

produced  again  in  the  ground, — (149)  those  plants,  whereof  hemp  is 
the  seventeenth,  which  end  with  the  ripening  of  fruits."  [The  plants 
fit  for  domestic  use,  and  for  sacrifice  are  then  enumerated  in  verses 
150-155.]  "  155.  All  these  plants,  domestic  and  wild,  were  for  the 
first  time188  produced  at  the  beginning  of  the  Treta  age,  (156)  without 
cultivation,  trees,  shrubs,  and  the  various  sorts  of  creepers  and  grasses, 
both  those  which  produce  roots  as  their  fruits,  and  those  which  bear 
fruit  after  flo'wering.  The  seeds  for  which  the  earth  was  formerly 
milked  by  Svayambhu  (l^)  now  became  plants  bearing  flowers  and 
fruits  in  their  season.  When  these  plants,  though  created,  did  not 
afterwards  grow,  (159)  the  divine  Brahma  Svayambhu  devised  for  the 
people  means  of  subsistence  depending  on  labour  effected  by  their 
hands.  160.  From  that  time  forward  the  plants  were  produced  and 
ripened  through  cultivation.  The  means  of  subsistence  having  been 
provided,  Svayambhu  (161)  established  divisions  among  them  according 
to  their  tendencies.189  Those  of  them  who  were  rapacious,  and  destruc- 
tive, (162)  he  ordained  to  be  Kshattriyas,  protectors  of  the  others.190 
As  many  men  as  attended  on  these,  fearless,  (163)  speaking  truth  and 
propounding  sacred  knowledge  (Irahma)  with  exactness,  (were  made) 
Urahmans.  Those  others  of  them  who  had  previously  been  feeble,  en- 
gaged in  the  work  of  slaughter,191  who,  as  cultivators  (kinasah),  had 
been  destructive,  and  were  active  in  connection  with  the  ground,  were 
called  Vaisyas,  husbandmen  (klndsdn],  providers  of  subsistence.  165. 
And  he  designated  as  Sudras  those  who  grieved  (socJiantah],  and  ran 
(dravantah},m  who  were  addicted  to  menial  tasks,  inglorious  and  feeble. 

188  See  the  note  on  verse  55,  above. 

189  Yathararabhah.    The  Mark.  P.  has  yatha-nyayaTn  yathd-gunam,  "  according 
to  fitness  and  their  qualities." 

190  Itaresham  krita-tranan.    The  M.  Bh.  xii.  2247,  thus  explains  the  word  Kshat- 
triya :  brahmananath  kshata-tranat  tatah  kshattriya  uchyate  \  "  (a  king)  is  called 
Kshattriya  because  he  protects  Brahinans  from  injuries." 

191  Vaisasam  karma.     The  former  word  has  the  senses  of  (1)  "hindrance,  impedi- 
ment," and  (2)  "slaughter,"  assigned  to  it  in  Wilson's  Dictionary. 

192  The  reader  who  is  familiar  with  the  etymologies  given  in  Yaska's  Nirukta,  or  in 
Professor  Wilson's  Dictionary  on  Indian  authority,  will  not  be  surprised  at  the  ab- 
surdity of  the  attempts  made  here  by  the  Purana-writer  to  explain  the  origin  of  the 
words  Kshattriya,  Vais'ya  and  S'udra.     To  account  for  the  last  of  these  names  he 
combines  the  roots  such,  "  to  grieve,"  and  dru,  "  to  run,"  dropping,  however,  of  ne- 
cessity the  last  letter  (ch)  of  the  former.     The  word  kshattriya  is  really  derived  from 
kshattra,  "royal  power;"  and  vaisya  comes  from  vis,  "people,"  and  means  "a  man 
of  the  people." 

^ 


98  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

166.  Brahma  determined  the  respective  functions  and  duties  of  all  these 
persons.  But  after  the  system  of  the  four  castes  had  been  in  all  respects 
established,  (167)  those  men  from  infatuation  did  not  fulfil  their  several 
duties.  Not  living  conformably  to  those  class-duties,  they  came  into 
mutual  conflict.  168.  Having  become  aware  of  this  fact,  precisely  as 
it  stood,  the  Lord  Brahma  prescribed  force,  criminal  justice,  and  war, 
as  the  profession  of  the  Kshattriyas.  169.  He  then  appointed  these, 
viz.,  the  duty  of  officiating  at  sacrifices,  sacred  study,  arfd  the  receipt 
of  presents,  to  be  the  functions  of  Brahmans.  170.  The  care  of  cattle, 
traffic,  and  agriculture,  he  allotted  as  the  work  of  the  Vaisyas ;  and 
the  practice  of  the  mechanical  arts,  and  service,  he  assigned  as  that  of 
the  S'udras.  171.  The  duties  common  to  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  and 
Vaisyas  were  the  offering  of  sacrifice,  study,  and  liberality.  172.  Hav- 
ing distributed  to  the  classes  their  respective  functions  and  occupations, 
the  Lord  then  allotted  to  them  abodes  in  other  worlds  for  their  per- 
fection. 173.  The  world  of  Prajapati  is  declared  to  be  the  (destined) 
abode  of  Brahmans  practising  rites ;  Indra's  world  that  of  Kshattriyas 
who  do  not  flee  in  battle;  (174)  the  world  of  the  Maruts  that  of 
Vaisyas  who  fulfil  their  proper  duty ;  the  world  of  the  Gandharvas 
that  of  men  of  Sudra  birth  who  abide  in  the  work  of  service.  175. 
Having  allotted  these  as  the  future  abodes  of  (the  men  of  the  different) 
classes,  who  should  be  correct  in  their  conduct,  he  ordained  orders  (asra- 
mas]  in  the  classes  which  had  been  established.  176.  The  Lord  for- 
merly instituted  the  four  orders  of  householder,  religious  student,  dweller 
in  the  woods,  and  mendicant.  177.  To  those  of  them  who  do  not  in 
this  world  perform  the  duties  of  their  castes,  the  men  who  dwell  in 
hermitages  apply  the  appellation  of  '  destroyer  of  works.'  178.  Brahma 
established  these  orders  by  name,  and  in  explanation  of  them  he  de- 
clared their  duties,  (179)  their  methods  of  procedure,  and  their  various 
rites.  First  of  all  there  is  the  order  of  householder,  which  belongs  to 
all  the  four  classes,  (180)  and  is  the  foundation  and  source  of  the  other 
three  orders.  I  shall  declare  them  in  order  with  their  several  obser- 
servances."  [The  following  verses  181-189,  which  detail  these  duties, 
need  not  be  cited  here.  I  shall,  however,  quote  verses  190  ff.  for  their 
excellent  moral  tone.]  "190.  The  Vedas,  with  their  appendages,  sa- 
crifices, fasts,  and  ceremonies,  (191)  avail  not  to  a  depraved  man, 
when  his  disposition  has  become  corrupted.  All  external  rites  are 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CiSTES.  99 

fruitless  (192)  to  one  who  is  inwardly  debased,  however  energetically 
he  may  perform  them.  A  man  who  bestows  even  the  whole  of  his 
substance  with  a  defiled  heart  will  thereby  acquire  no  merit — of  which 
a  good  disposition  is  the  only  cause."  [After  giving  some  further  par- 
ticulars about  the  celestial  abodes  of  the  righteous,  verses  194-198,  the 
writer  proceeds:]  "199.  When — after  the  division  into  castes  and 
orders  had  thus  been  made — (200)  the  people  living  under  that  system 
did  not  multiply,  Brahma  formed  other  mind-born  creatures  in  the 
middle  of  the  Treta  (201}  from  his  own  body  and  resembling  himself. 
When  the  Treta  age  had  arrived,  and  had  gradually  reached  its  middle, 
(202)  the  Lord  then  began  to  form  other  mind-born  creatures.  He 
next  formed  creatures  in  whom  goodness  (sattvd)  and  passion  (rajas) 
predominated,  (203)  and  who  were  capable  of  attaining  (the  four  ob- 
jects of  human  pursuit)  righteousness,  wealth,  love,  and  final  liberation, 
together  with  the  means  of  subsistence.  Gods,  too,  and  Fathers,  and 
Eishis,  and  Manus  (were  formed),  (204)  by  whom  these  creatures  were 
classified  (?)  according  to  their  natures  in  conformity  with  the  Yuga. 
When  this  character(?)  of  his  offspring  had  been  attained,  Brahma  (205) 
longed  after  mental  offspring  of  all  kinds  and  of  various  forms.  Those 
creatures,  whom  I  described  to  you  as  having  taken  refuge  in  Janaloka, 
(206)  at  the  end  of  the  Kalpa,  all  these  arrived  here,  when  he  thought 
upon  them,  in  order  to  be  reproduced  in  the  form  of  gods  and  other 
beings.  207.  According  to  the  course  of  the  Manvantaras  the  least 
were  esteemed  the  first  (?),  being  swayed  by  destiny,  and  by  connec- 
tions and  circumstances  of  every  description.  208.  These  creatures 
were  always  born,  under  the  controuling  influence  of,  and  as  a  recom- 
pence  for  their  good  or  bad  deeds.  209.  He  by  himself  formed  those 
creatures  which  arrived  in  their  several  characters  of  gods,  asuras, 
fathers,  cattle,  birds,  reptiles,  trees,  and  insects,  in  order  that  they 
might  be  subjected  (anew)  to  the  condition  of  creatures."193 

The  substance  of  the  curious  speculations  on  the  origin  and  primeval 
condition  of  mankind  contained  in  the  preceding  passage  may  be  stated 
as  follows :  In  verses  22-34  we  are  told  that  the  creatures,  who  at  the 
close  of  the  preceding  Kalpa  had  been  driven  by  the  mundane  confla- 
gration to  Janaloka,  now  formed  the  seed  of  the  new  creation,  which 
took  place  in  the  Krita  Yuga,  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 

193 1  confess  that  I  have  had  great  difficulty  in  attaching  any  sense  to  the  last  words. 


100         MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Kalpa.  These  were  mind-born  sons  of  Brahma,  perfect  in  nature,  and 
they  peopled  the  world.  As  a  rule,  we  are  informed,  those  beings  who 
have  formerly  been  elevated  from  the  earth  to  higher  regions,  return 
again  and  again  to  this  world,  and,  as  a  result  of  their  previous  works, 
are  born  in  eveiy  age,  in  every  possible  variety  of  condition,  exhibiting 
the  same  dispositions  and  fulfilling  the  same  functions  as  in  their  former 
states  of  existence.  It  is  next  stated,  verses  35-40,  that  when  creation 
had,  in  some  way  not  explained,  come  to  a  stand-still,  four  classes  of 
human  beings,  consisting  each  of  a  thousand  pairs  of  males  and  females, 
characterized  respectively  by  different  qualities,  physical  and  moral, 
were  produced  from  different  members  of  the  Creator's  body.194  These 
creatures  sought  to  propagate  the  race,  but  abortively,  for  the  reason 
specified  (43).  Children  however  were  produced  by  mental  effort 
(45  and  59),  and  in  considerable  numbers  (52).  The  state  of  physical 
happiness,  absolute  and  universal  equality,  moral  perfection,  and  com- 
plete dispassion,  in  which  mankind  then  existed,  is  depicted  (48-65). 
The  means  of  subsistence  and  enjoyment,  which  they  are  said  to  have 
drawn  from  the  earth  (48  and  57),  were  not  of  the  ordinary  kind,  as 
we  are  informed  (55  f.)  that  neither  animals  nor  plants,  which  are  the 
products  of  unrighteousness,  existed  at  that  period.  No  division  into 
castes  or  orders  prevailed  during  that  age  of  perfection  (62).  A  gradual 
declension,  however,  had  been  going  on,  and  at  the  end  of  the  Krita 
Yuga,  the  perfection  peculiar  to  it  had  altogether  disappeared  (70-79). 
Another  kind  of  perfection,  peculiar  to  the  Treta,  however,  subse- 
quently arose  (73  and  80),  and  in  the  different  Tu gas  there  has  existed 
a  perfection  springing  from  the  performance  of  the  duties  belonging  to 
each  caste  and  order  (75).  The  perfection  described  as  prevailing  in 
the  Treta  was  of  a  physical  kind,  consisting  in  the  production  of  rain 
and  the  growth  of  trees,  shaped  like  houses,  which  at  the  same  time 
yielded  the  materials  of  all  sorts  of  enjoyments  (80-82).  Passion, 
however,  in  its  various  forms  began  to  take  the  place  of  the  previous 
dispassion  (84).  The  constitution  of  women,  which  had  formerly  in- 
capacitated them  for  effective  impregnation,  became  ultimately  so  modi- 
fied as  to  ensure  the  successful  propagation  of  the  species,  which 

194  This  statement  agrees  with  that  in  the  Mark.  P.  xlix.  3  ff.  but  differs  from  that 
already  given  from  the  Vishnu  P.  in  so  far  as  the  latter  does  not  specify  the  numbers 
created,  or  say  anything  about  pairs  being  formed. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  101 

accordingly  proceeded  (84-8  7 ).195  We  have  then  the  destruction,  and 
subsequent  reproduction  of  the  trees,  formed  like"  houses,  described 
(88-9 1 ).  These  trees  now  produced  clothes  and  jewels,  as  well  as  honey 
without  bees,  and  enabled  mankind  to  live  in  happiness  and  enjoyment. 
Again,  however,  the  trees  disappeared  in  consequence  of  the  cupidity 
which  led  to  their  misuse  (92-94).  The  absence  of  perfection  occa- 
sioned suffering  of  various  kinds,  from  moral  as  well  as  physical  causes, 
and  men  wero  now  driven  to  construct  houses,  which  they  had  hitherto 
found  unnecessary  (96-99  and  123),  and  to  congregate  in  towns  and 
cities  (100).  Their  houses  were  built  after  the  model  furnished  by 
trees  (123-128).  The  hunger  and  thirst  which  men  endured  from  the 
loss  of  the  trees  which  had  formerly  yielded  all  the  means  of  subsist- 
ence and  enjoyment,  were  relieved  by  means  of  a  new  perfection 
which  appeared  in  the  shape  of  rain,  and  the  streams  thereby  gene- 
rated, and  by  the  growth  of  plants,  which  now  sprang  up  for  the  first 
time  as  a  result  of  the  conjunction  of  water  and  earth  (130-135  and 
155).  Desire  and  cupidity,  however,  now  again  arose  and  led  to  acts 
of  violent  appropriation  (136  f.).  At  this  juncture  the  perfect  miiid- 
born  sons  of  Brahma,  of  different  dispositions,  who  had  formerly  existed 
in  the  Krita  age,  were  reproduced  in  the  Treta  as  Brahmans,  Kshat- 
triyas,  Vaisyas,  Sudras,  and  destructive  men,  as  a  result  of  their  actions 
in  their  former  existence  (138-140).  But  in  consequence  of  their  dis- 
sensions and  rapacity,  the  earth  swallowed  up  all  the  existing  plants 
(142-144).  Under  the  pressure  of  the  distress  thus  occasioned  the 
inhabitants  of  the  earth  resorted  to  Brahma,  who  milked  the  earth, 
through  the  medium  of  mount  Sumeru  acting  as  a  calf,  and  recovered 
the  plants  which  had  disappeared  (145-149).  As,  however,  these  plants 
did  not  propagate  themselves  spontaneously,  Brahma  introduced  agri- 
culture (158-160).  Having  thus  provided  the  means  of  subsistence, 
he  divided  the  people  into  classes  according  to  their  characteristics 
(160-165).  But  as  these  classes  did  not  perform  their  several  duties, 
and  came  into  mutual  conflict,  Brahma  prescribed  their  respective  func- 
tions with  greater  precision  (166-171) ;  and  assigned  the  future  celestial 
abodes  which  the  members  of  each  class  might  attain  by  their  fulfilment 
(172-174).  He  then  ordained  the  four  orders  of  householder,  religious 

195  It  is  not  quite  clear,  however,  what  is  intended  by  the  word  akale,  "  out  of 
season,"  in  verse  87.     See  the  emendation  proposed  above  in  the  note  on  that  verse. 


102          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

student,  etc.  (175-190).  After  a  few  verses  in  praise  of  moral  purity 
(190-193),  the  abodes  and  destinies  of  the  eminently  righteous  are  set 
forth  (194-199).  Just  when  we  had  arrived  at  a  point  in  the  narra- 
tive, from  which  we  might  have  imagined  that  it  had  only  to  be  earned 
on  further  to  afford  us  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the  state  of  things 
existing  up  to  the  present  age,  we  are  suddenly  arrested  (199-202)  by 
being  informed  that  the  people  distributed  according  to  the  system  of 
castes  and  orders  did  not  multiply,  and  are  introduced  to  a  new  mind- 
born  creation,  which  took  place  in  the  Treta  age,  to  remedy  this 
failure.  We  are  next  told  (203)  of  what  appears  to  be  another  crea- 
tion of  beings  endowed  with  goodness  and  passion.  And,  finally,  a  yet 
further  re-incorporation  of  previously  existing  souls  is  described  as  hav- 
ing taken  place  (205-209).  It  would  thus  seem  that  after  all  we  are 
left  without  any  account  of  the  origin  of  the  system  of  castes  which 
prevailed  when  the  Parana  was  compiled.  The  only  suppositions  on 
which  this  conclusion  can  be  avoided  are  either  (1)  that  the  cessation 
in  the  increase  of  the  generation  alluded  to  in  verse  200,  which  led  to 
the  new  creation,  was  not  universal,  that  the  race  than  existing  did  not 
entirely  die  out,  but  that  the  old  blood  was  re-invigorated  by  that  of  the 
newly  created  beings  ;  or  (2)  that  the  other  set  of  creatures,  mentioned 
in  verse  203,  as  characterized  by  goodness  and  passion,  were  the  pro- 
genitors of  the  present  race  of  men.  On  these  points,  however,  the 
text  throws  no  light. 

The  preceding  account  of  the  creation  of  mankind  and  of  the  vicissi- 
tudes and  deterioration  of  society,  is  in  some  places  obscure  and  con- 
fused, and  its  several  parts  do  not  appear  to  be  consistent  with  each  other. 
At  the  outset  the  writer  describes  the  creation  of  four  thousand  pairs 
of  human  beings,  of  whom  each  separate  set  of  one  thousand  is  distin- 
guished by  widely  different  innate  characters,  the  first  class  having  the 
quality  of  goodness,  the  second  that  of  passion,  the  third  those  of  passion 
and  darkness,  and  the  fourth  that  of  darkness.  Nevertheless  (as  in  the 
parallel  passage  of  the  Vishnu  Purana)  we  cannot  find  in  the  narrative 
the  least  trace  of  those  inherent  differences  of  character  having  for  a  long 
time  manifested  themselves  by  producing  dissimilarity  either  of  moral 
conduct  or  of  physical  condition ;  for  the  perfection,  which  is  described 
as  existing  in  the  Krita  age,  is  spoken  of  as  if  it  was  universal  ;  and 
not  only  is  no  distinction  alluded  to  as  prevailing  at  this  period  between 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  103 

the  component  parts  of  society,  but  we  are  expressly  told  that  no  castes 
or  orders  then  existed.  The  deterioration  also,  which  ensued  towards 
the  end  of  the  Krita  age,  is  described  as  general,  and  not  peculiar  to 
any  class.  How  is  this  complete  uniformity,  first  of  perfection,  and 
afterwards  of  declension,  which,  for  anything  that  appears  to  the  con- 
trary, is  predicated  of  the  descendants  of  the  whole  of  the  four  thousand 
pairs,  to  be  reconciled  with  the  assertion  that  each  thousand  of  those 
pairs  was  characterized  by  different  innate  qualities  ?  The  difficulty  is 
not  removed  by  saying  that  the  writer  supposed  that  these  inherent 
varieties  of  character  existed  in  a  latent  or  dormant  state  in  the 
different  classes,  and  were  afterwards  developed  in  their  descendants; 
for  he  distinctly  declares  (verse  54)  in  general  terms  that  mankind 
were  at  that  period  sattva-bahuldh,  i.e.  "  possessed  the  quality  of 
goodness  in  abundance;"  and  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  subsequent 
narrative  no  allusion  is  made  to  the  different  qualities  at  first  as- 
cribed to  the  four  sets  of  a  thousand  pairs  being  separately  deve- 
loped in  the  members  of  the  four  classes  respectively.  In  verse  74, 
indeed,  it  appears  to  be  assumed  that  the  division  into  castes  had 
existed  from  the  creation ;  for  we  there  find  an  assertion  that  in  "  all 
the  Hanvantaras,  according  to  the  division  of  the  four  yugas,"  (includ- 
ing apparently  the  Krita)  "  there  is  declared  to  have  existed  a  perfec- 
tion effected  by  the  observances  of  the  castes  and  orders,  and  arising 
from  the  fulfilment  of  works ; "  but  how  is  this  to  be  reconciled  with 
the  express  statement  of  verses  60  and  61,  that  "  in  the  Krita  age  no 
works  were  performed  which  were  either  virtuous  or  sinful,''  and  that 
"  there  then  existed  neither  distinctions  of  caste  or  order,  nor  any  mix- 
ture of  castes?  "  In  the  Treta  age  the  state  of  deterioration  continued, 
but  no  reference  is  made  of  any  separation  of  classes  till  we  come  to 
verse  138,  where  it  is  said  that  the  beings  who  in  the  Krita  age  had 
existed  as  the  perfect  mind-born  sons  of  Brahma,  were  now,  as  a  con- 
sequence of  their  former  actions,  recalled  into  human  existence,  and  in 
conformity  with  their  previous  characters  as  calm,  fiery,  laborious,  or 
depressed,  became  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  Sudras,  and  men 
of  violence.  These  creatures,  after  they  had  been  furnished  with  the 
means  of  subsistence,  were  eventually  divided  into  classes,  according  to 
their  varieties  of  disposition,  character,  and  occupation ;  and  as  at  first 
they  did  not  fulfil  their  proper  duties,  but  encroached  upon  each  others' 


104          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

provinces,  their  functions  were  afterwards  more  stringently  defined  and 
the  means  of  enforcing  obedience  were  provided.  Here  it  is  intimated 
that  different  sets  of  beings  were  born  as  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yais- 
yas,  and  Sudras,  on  account  of  the  different  qualities  which  they  had 
manifested  in  a  previous  existence,  and  that  in  conformity  with  those 
same  characteristics  they  were  afterwards  formally  distributed  into  castes. 
This  description  is  therefore  so  far  consistent  with  itself.  The  difference 
of  caste  is  made  to  depend  upon  the  dispositions  of  the  soul.  But  how  are 
we  to  reconcile  this  postulation  of  different  characters  formerly  exhibited 
with  the  description  given  in  the  previous  part  of  the  narrative,  where 
we  are  informed  that,  in  the  earlier  parts,  at  least,  of  the  Krita  age, 
all  men  were  alike  perfect,  and  that  no  actions  were  performed  which 
were  either  virtuous  or  vicious  ?  If  such  was  the  case  at  that  period,  how 
could  the  beings  who  then  existed  have  manifested  those  differences  of 
disposition  and  character  which  are  asserted  to  have  been  the  causes  of 
their  being  subsequently  reborn  as  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  STidras,  and 
Vaisyas  ?  It  may  be  admitted  that  the  differences  of  character,  which 
are  attributed  in  the  Purana  to  the  four  primeval  sets  of  a  thousand 
pairs  of  human  beings,  correspond  to  those  qualities  which  are  described 
as  having  subsequently  given  rise  to  the  division  into  castes ;  but  the 
assertion  of  such  a  state  of  uniform  and  universal  perfection,  as  is  said 
to  have  intervened  between  the  creation  of  mankind  and  the  realization 
of  caste,  seems  incompatible  with  the  existence  of  any  such  original 
distinctions  of  a  moral  character. 

As  regards  this  entire  account  when  compared  with  the  other  two 
descriptions  of  the  creation  given  in  the  previous  part  of  this  section, 
the  same  remarks  are  applicable  as  have  been  made  in  the  last  section, 
p.  65  f.,  on  the  corresponding  passages  from  the  Vishnu  Purana. 

The  chapter  which  I  have  just  translated  and  examined,  is  followed 
immediately  by  the  one  of  which  I  have  already  in  a  preceding  page 
quoted  the  commencement,  descriptive  of  the  creation  of  Asuras,  Gods, 
Fathers,  etc.,  from  the  different  bodies  assumed  and  cast  off  successively 
by  Brahma. 

I  shall  now  give  an  extract  from  the  following,  or  tenth  chapter,  in 
which  the  the  legend  of  Satarupa  is  related. 

Suta  uvdcha  \  1.  Evambhuteshu  lokeshu  Brahmana  loka-lcarttrina™  \ 

196  This  form  karttrina  (one  which,  as  is  well  known,  may  be  optionally  employed  in 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  105 

yadd  tdh  na  pravarttante  prajdh  kendpi  hetund  \  2.  Tamo-mdtrdvrito 
Brahma  tadd-prabhriti  duhkhitah  \  tatah  sa  vidadhe  buddhim  artha- 
nischaya-gdminlm  \  3.  Athdtmani  samasrdkshit  tamo-mdtrdm  ny'dt- 
mikdm  \  rajah-sattvam  pardjitya  varttamdnam  sa  dharmatah  \  4. 
Tapyate  tena  duhkhena  sokam  chakre  jagat-patih  \  tamas  tu  vyanudat 
tasmdd  rajas  tach  cha  samdvrinot  \  5.  Tat  tamah  pratinuttam  vai  mi- 
thunam  samvyajdyata  \  adharmas  charandj  jajne  himsd  sokdd  ajdyata  \ 
6.  Tatas  tasmin  samudbhute  mithune  cJiarandtmani  \  tatas  cha  bhagavdn 
dslt  prltischainam  asisriyat  \  7.  Svdm  tanum  sa  tato  Brahma  tarn 
apohad  abhdsvardm  \  dvidhd  'karot  sa  tarn  deham  ardhena  purmho 
'lhavat  |  8.  Ardhena  ndrl  sa  tasya  S'atarupd  vyajdyata  \  prdlcritdm 
Ihuta-dhdtrim  tarn  kdmdd  vai  srishtavdn  vibhuh  \  9.  Sd  divam  prithi- 
vim  chaiva  mahimnd  vydpya  dhishthitd  \  Brahmanah  sd  tanuh  puri'd 
divam  dvritya  tishthati  \  10.  Yd  tv  ardhdt  srijate  ndrl  S'atarupd  vyajd- 
yata |  sd  devl  niyatam  taptvd  tapah  parama-duscharam  \  lharttdram 
diptaya&asam  Purmham  pratyapadyata  \  11.  Sa  vai  Svdyambhuvah 
purvam  Purmho  Manur  uchyate  \  tasyaikasaptati-yugam  Manvanta- 
ram  ihochyate  \  12.  Laldhvd  tu purmhah  patriim  S'atarupdm  ayonijdm  \ 
tayd  sa  ramate  sdrddham  tasmdt  sd  Ratir  uchyate  \  13.  Prathamah 
samprayogah  sa  kalpddau  samavarttata  \  Virdjam  asrijad  Brahma  so 
'bhavat  Purusho  Virdt  \  14.  ^a  samrdt  mdsarupdt  tu  vairdjas  tuManuh 
smritah  \  sa  vairdjah  prajd-sargah  sa  sarge  purusho  Manuh  \  15.  Vai- 
rdj'dt  purushdd  vlrdch  chhatarupd  vyajdyata  \  Priyavratottdnapddau 
ptitrau  putravatdm  varau  \ 

"  1.  When  the  worlds  had  thus  been  formed  by  Brahma  their  creator, 
but  the  creatures,  for  some  reason  did  not  engage  in  action,197  (2)  Brahma, 
enveloped  in  gloom,  and  thenceforward  dejected,  formed  a  resolution 
tending  to  ascertain  the  fact.  3.  He  then  created  in  himself  (a  body) 
of  his  own,  formed  of  pure  gloom  (tamas\  having  overpowered  the 
passion  (rajas]  and  goodness  (sattva]  which  existed  (in  him)  naturally. 
4.  The  Lord  of  the  world  was  afflicted  with  that  suffering,  and  la- 


the neuter,  but  not  in  the  masculine)  is  here  used  for  metrical  reasons.  Such  irregu- 
larities are,  as  we  have  seen,  designated  by  the  Commentators  as  arsha.  It  is  unlikely 
that  Brahman  should  be  here  used  in  a  ueuter  sense. 

197  The  true  reading  here  may  be  pravarddhante,  in  which  case  the  sense  will  be 
"  did  not  multiply."  Compare  the  parallel  passage  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  i.  7,  4, 
p.  64. 


106          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

mented.193    He  then  dispelled  the  gloom,  and  covered  over  the  passion. 

5.  The  gloom,   when  scattered,  was  formed  into  a  pair.199     Unright- 
eousness arose    from  activity  (?),   and  mischief  sprang   from  sorrow. 

6.  That  active  (?)  pair  having  been  produced,  he  became  glorious  (?) 
and  pleasure  took  possession  of  him.     7.  Brahma  after  that  cast  off 
that  body  of  his,  which  was  devoid  of  lustre,  and  divided  his  person 
into  two  parts ;    with  the  half  he  became  a  male  (purmha)  (8)  and 
with  the  half  a  female  :  it  was  S'atarupa  who  was  so  produced  to  him. 
Under  the  impulse  of  lust  he  created  her   a  material   supporter  of 
beings.     9.  By  her  magnitude  she  pervaded  both  heaven  and  earth. 
That  former  body  of  Brahma  invests  the  sky.     10.  This  divine  female 
S'atarupa,  who  was  born  to  him  from  his  half,  as  he  was  creating,  by 
incessantly  practising  austere  fervour  of  a  highly  arduous  description, 
acquired  for  herself  as  a  husband  a  Male  (purusJia)  of  glorious  renown. 
He  is  called  of  old  the  Male,  Manu  Svayambhuva ;    and  his  period 
(manvantara]  is  declared  to  extend  to  seventy-one  Yugas.     12.  This 
Male,  having  obtained  for  his  wife,   S'atarupa,  not  sprung  from  any 
womb,  lived  in  dalliance  with  her  (ramate) ;  and  from  this  she  is  called 
Rati  (the  female  personification  of  sexual  love).     13.  This  was  the 
first  cohabitation  practised  in  the  beginning  of  the  Kalpa.     Brahma 
created  Viraj ;    he  was  the  Male,  Viraj.     14.    He  is  the   sovereign 
(samruj],  from  his  having  the  form  of  a  month ;  and  Manu  is  known  as 
the  son  of  Viraj.200     This  creation  of  living  beings  is  called  that  of 
Yiraj.     In  this  creation  Manu  is  the  male.     15.  S'atarupa  bore  to  the 
heroic  Purusha,  son  of  Viraj,  two  sons,  Priyavrata  and  Uttanapada,  the 
most  eminent  of  these  who  have  sons."     This  is  followed  by  a  further 
genealogy,  into  which  I  will  not  enter. 

By  comparing  this  account  with  the  one  extracted  above,  p.  64  f., 
from  the  Vishnu  Purana,  i.  7,  1  ff.,  it  will  be  seen  that  while  it  makes 
no  allusion  to  the  production  of  Rudra,  as  related  in  the  Vishnu  Purana 
(which,  as  well  as  the  birth  of  the  mental  sons  of  Brahma,  the  Vayu 
Purana  had  described  in  the  preceding  chapter,  verses  67-83),  it  is 
somewhat  fuller  in  regard  to  the  legend  of  S'atarupa ;  and  although  it 

198  "\jVith  this  account  of  Brahma's  dejection  and  grief  the  accounts  quoted  above 
pp.  68  ff.  from  the  Brahmanas  may  be  compared. 

199  Compare  the  narrative  of  the  Vishnu  Puranu  i.  7,  9  ff.  quoted  in  p.  64  f. 

200  Compare  the  account  given  in  Manu's  Institutes,  above,  p.  36. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  107 

does  not  allow  that  Brahma  cohabited  with  his  daughter,  and  assigns 
to  her  another  husband,  Manu  S'vayambhuva,  it  describes  the  creator 
as  having  been  actuated  by  carnal  desire  in  generating  her.  I  shall 
give  further  illustrations  of  this  story  in  the  next  section. 


SECT.  IX. — Legend  of  Brahma  and  his  daughter,  according  to  the  Aita- 
reya Brahmana,  and  of  Satarupd,  according  to  the  Matsya  Purdna. 
•j 

The  story  which  forms  the  subject  of  the  present  section  is  noticed 
at  some  length  in  the  fourth  volume  of  this  work,  pp.  38-46,  where 
one  of  the  oldest  passages  in  which  it  is  related,  is  quoted  from  the 
S'atapatha  Brahmana,  i.  7,  4,  1  ff.,  together  with  one  of  a  comparatively 
late  age  from  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  iii.  12,  28  ff.  As  however  the 
legend,' though  repulsive  in  its  character,  is  not  without  interest  as 
illustrating  the  opinions  which  Indian  mythologists  have  entertained 
regarding  their  deities,  I  shall  quote  two  other  texts  in  which  it  is 
narrated. 

The  first,  from  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  iii.  33,  has,  no  doubt 
(along  with  the  passage  of  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  just  referred  to, 
and  another  from  the  same  work,  xiv.  4,  2,  1  ff.,  quoted  above,  in 
p.  24  ff.),  furnished  the  ideas  which  are  expanded  in  the  later  versions 
of  the  story.  It  is  as  follows : 

Prajdpatir  vai  svdm  duhitaram  abhyadhydyat  \  Divain  ity  anye  dhiir 
Ushasam  ity  anye  \  tdm  risyo  bhutvd  rohitam  bhutdm  dbhyait  \  tarn 
dei'd  apasyan  \  "  akritam  vai  Prajdpatih  karoti"  iti  \  te  tarn  aichhan 
yah  enam  drishyati  \  etam  anyonyasmin  na  avindan  \  teshdm  yd  eva 
ghoratamds  tanvah  dsams  tdh  ekadhd  samabharan  \  tdh  sambhritdh  esha 
devo  'bhavat  \  tad  asya  etad  bhutavan-numa  \  bharati  vai  sa  yo  'sya  etad 
evam  ndma  veda  \  tain  devd  abruvann  "  ayam  vai  Prajdpatir  akritam 
akar  imam  vidhya'*  iti  \  sa  "  tatha"  ity  alravlt  \  "  sa  vai  ro  varam 
vrinai"  iti  \  "rrimshva"  iti  \  sa  etam  eva  varam  avrinlta  pasundm 
ddhipatyam  \  tad  asya  etat  pasuman-ndma  \  pasumdn  bhavati  yo  'sya 
etad  evam  ndma  veda  \  tarn  abhydyatya  avidhyat  \  sa  viddhah  urddhve 
udaprapatad  ityddi™  \ 

201  See  the  translation  of  this  passage  given  by  Dr.  Haug_in  his  Aitareya  Brahmana 


108 

"Prajapati  lusted  after  his  own  daughter.  Some  call  her  the  Sky, 
others  Ushas.  Becoming  a  buck,  he  approached  her  after  she  had  be- 
come a  doe.  The  gods  saw  him;  (and  said)  Prajapati  does  a  deed 
which  was  never  done  (before).202  They  sought  some  one  who  should 
take  vengeance  on  him.  Such  a  person  they  did  not  find  among  them- 
selves. They  then  gathered  together  their  most  dreadful  bodies.  These 
when  combined  formed  this  god  (Rudra).  Hence  (arises)  his  name  con- 
nected with  Bhuta  (Bhutapati}.  That  man  flourishes205  who  thus  knows 
this  name  of  his.  The  gods  said  to  him,  '  This  Prajapati  has  done  a 
deed  which  was  never  done  before:  pierce' him.'  He  replied,  '  so  be 
it,'  (adding),  '  let  me  ask  a  boon  of  you.'  They  rejoined,  '  ask.'  He 
asked  for  this  boon,  viz.,  lordship  over  cattle.  Hence  arises  his  name 
connected  with  Pasu  (Pasupati}.  He  who  thus  knows  his  name,  be- 
comes the  owner  of  cattle.  He  then  attacked  (Prajapati)  and  pierced 
him.  He,  when  pierced,  soared  upwards,"  etc.  etc. 

The  second  passage  I  proposed  to  cite  is  from  the  Matsya  Purana, 
chapter  iii.  verses  32  ff. :  Etad  tattvdtmalcam  kritva  jagad  dvedhd 
ajyanat  \  33.  Sdvitrlm  lolca-siddhyartham  hridi  kritva  samdsthitah  \ 
tatah  sanjapatas  tasya  Ihitvd  deham  akalmasham  \  34.  stri-rupam 
arddham  aJcarod  arddham  purusha-rupavat  \  S'atarupd  cha  sd  khydtd 
Sdvitrl  cha  nigadyate  \  35.  Sarasvaty  atha  Gdyatrl  Brahmdnl  cha 
parantapa  \  tatah  sa  Brahmadevas  tdm  dtmajdm  ity  akalpayat  \  36. 
Drishtvd  tdm  vyathitas  tdvat  kdma-vdndrdito  vibhuh  \  "  aho  rupam  aho 
rupam "  ity  uvdcha  tadd  'vyayah  \  37.  Tato  Vasishtha-pramukha 
"bhaginim"  iti  chukrusuh  \  Brahma  na  kinchid  dadrise  tun-mukhdlo- 
kandd  rite  \  38.  "  Aho  rupam  aho  rupdm"  iti  dha  punah  punah  \  tatah 
prandma-namrdm  tdm  punas  tdm  abhyalokayat  \  39.  Atha  pradakshindm 
chakre  sd  pitur  varavarnirii  \  putrehhyo  lajjitasydsya  tad-rupdloka- 
nechhayd  \  40.  Avirbhutam  tato  vaktram  dakshinam  pdndu-gandavat  \ 

voL  ii.  pp.  21 8  ff. ;  and  the  remarks  on  this  translation  by  Professor  Weber,  Indische 
Studien,  ix.  2l7ff. ;  and  also  Professor  Eoth's  explanation  of  the  word  bhutavat  in 
his  Lexicon. 

202  This  seems  to  be  imitated  in  the  line  of  the  Bhagavata  Purana  iii.  12,  30, 
quoted  in  vol.  iv.  of  this  work,  p.  40  :  naitat  purvaih  Jcritam  tvad  ye  na  karishyanti 
chapare  \  "  This  was  never  done  by  those  before  thee,  nor  will  those  after  thee  do  it." 

203  Bhavati.     In  the  BrShmanas  this  verb  has  frequently  the  sense  of  prospering, 
as  opposed  to  parab/iavati,  "  he  perishes."     See  Bothlingk  and  Roth's  Lexicon,  s.  v., 
and  the  passages  there  referred  to. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  109 

vismaya-sphurad-oshtham  cha  pdschdtyam  udagdt  tatah  \  41.  Chatur- 
thum  abhavat  paschdd  vdmam  kdma-sardturam  \  tato  'nyad  abhavat 
tasya  kdmdturatayd  tathd  \  42.  TTtpatantyds  tadd  "kdse  dlokena  kutu- 
haldt  |  srishty-artham  yat  kritam  tena  tapah  paramaddrunam  \  43.  Tat 
sarvam  ndsam  agamat  sva-sutopagamechhayd  \  tendsu**  vaklram  abhavat 
panchamarn  tasya  dhlmatah  \  44.  Avirbhavaj  jatdbhischa  tad  vaktranchd- 
vrinot  prabhuh  \  tatas  tan  abravld  Brahma  putrdn  dtma-samudlhavdn  \ 
45.  " Prajdh  snjadhvam  abhitah  sa-devdsura-mdnushdh"  \  evam  uktds 
tatah  sarve  sasrijur  vividhdh  prajdh  \  46.  Gateshu  teshu  srishtyartham 
prandmdvanatdm  imam  \  upayeme  sa  msvdtmd  S'atarupdm  aninditdm  \ 
47.  Sambabhuva  tayd  sdrddham  atikdmdturo  vilhuh  \  salajjdm  chakame 
devah  kamalodara-mandire  \  48.  Ydvad  abda-satam  diryam  yathd  'nyah 
prdkrito  janah  \  tatah  kdlena  mahatd  tasydh  putro  'bhavad  Manuh  \  49. 
Svdyambhuva  iti  khydtah  sa  Virdd  Hi  nah  srutam  \  tad-rupa-guna-sdmd- 
nydd  adhipurusha  uchyate  \  50.  Vairdjd  yatra  te  jdtdh  lahavah  samiita- 
vratdh  |  Svdyambhuvd  mahdbhdgdh  sapta  sapta  tathd  'pare  \  51.  Svd- 
rochishddydh  sarve  te  Brahma-tulya-svarupinah  \  Auttami-pramukhds 
tadvad  yeshdm  tvafh  saptamo  'dhund  \  (Adhydya.  4.)  Manur  uvdcha  \ 
1.  Aho  kashtataram  chaitad  angajdgamanam  nbhoh  \  Katham  na  dosham 
agamat  karmand  tena  Padmajah  \  2.  Parasparancha  sambandhah  sago- 
trdndm  abhut  katham  \  vaivdhikas  tat-sutdndm  chhindi  me  samsayam 
vibho  |  Matsya  uvdcha  \  3.  Divyeyam  ddi-srishtis  tu  rajo-guna-samud- 
bhavd  |  atlndriyendriyd  tadvad  atlndriya-sarlrikd  \  4.  Divya-tejomayl 
Ihupa  dtiya-jndna-samudbhavd  \  na  chdnyair  abhitah  sakyd  jndlum  vai 
mdmsa-chakshushd  \  5.  Yathd  bhujangdh  sarpdndm  dkdse  sarva-pakshi- 
ndm  |  vidanti  mdrgdm  divydndm  divyd  eva  na  mdnavdh  \  6.  Kdryd- 
kdryena  devdscha  sulhdsubha-phala-praddh  \  yasmdt  tasmdd  na  rdjendra 
tad-vichdro  nrindrn  subhah  \  7.  Anyachcha  sarva-devundm  adhishthdtd 
chaturmukhah  \  gdyatrl  Brahmanas  tadvad  anga-lhutd  nigadyate  \  8. 
Amurtta-murttimad  vdpi  mithunancha  prachakshate  I  Viranchir .  yatra 
bhagavdns  tatra  devl  Sarasvatl  \  9.  Bhdratl  yatra  yatraiva  tatra  tatra 
Prajdpatih  \  yathdtapena  rahitd  chhdyd  vai  (?  na}  drisyate  kvachit  \ 
10.  Gdyatrl  Brahmanah  pdrsvam  tathaiva  na  vimunchati  \  veda-rdsih 
smrito  Brahma  Sdvitrl  tad-adhishthitd  \  11.  Tasmdd  na  kaschid  doshah 
strut  Sdmtrl-gamane  vibhoh  \  tathdpi  lajjdvanatah  Prajdpatir  abhut  purd  \ 
12.  Sva-sutopagamdd  Brdhmd  sasdpa  Kusumdyudham  \  yasmdd  mamdpi 
204  Instead  of  tenastt  tbe  Gaikowar  MS.  reads  tenordhva. 


110          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

bhavatd  manah  samJcshobhitam  saraih  \  13.  Tasmdt  tvad-deham  achirdd 
Rudro  bhasmikarishyati  \  tatah  prasddaydmdsa  Kdmadevas  Chaturinu- 
kham  |  14.  "  Na  mam  akdranam  saptum  tvam  ihdrhasi  mdm  ava  \  aham 
evam-vidhah  srishtas  tvayaiva  chaturdnana  \  15.  Indriya-lcsholha-janahah 
sarveshdm  eva  dehinam  \  stri-pumsor  avichdrena  mayd  sarvatra  sarvadd  \ 
16.  JTshobhyam  manah  prayatnena  tvayaivoktam  purd  vtbho  \  tasmdd 
anaparddhena  tvayd  iaptas  tathd  vibho  \  17.  Kuru  prasddam  bhagavan 
sva-&arlrdptaye  punah  \  Brahma  uvdcha  \  18.  Vaivasvate  'ntare prdpte 
Yddavdnvaya-sambhavah  \  Rdmo  ndma  ya^d  martyo  mat-sattva-balam 
dsritah  \  19.  Avatlryydsura-dhvamsi  Dvdralcdm  adhivatsyati  \  tad- 
dhdtus  tat-samascha  m  tvam  tadd  putratvam  esliyasi  ityddi  \ 

"  32.  Having  thus  formed  the  universe,  consisting  of  the  principles, 
he  generated  a  twofold  creation,  (33)  having,  with  a  view  to  the 
completion  of  the  world,  placed  and  kept  Savitri  in  his  heart.  Then 
as  he  was  muttering  prayers,  he  divided  his  spotless  body  (34)  and 
gave  to  the  half  the  form  of  a  woman,  and  to  the  half  that  of  a  male. 
(This  female)  is  called  S'atarupa,  Savitri,  (35)  Sarasvati,  Gayatri,  and 
Brahmam.  Brahma  then  took  her  for  his  daughter.  36.  Beholding 
her,  the  imperishable  deity,  distressed,  tortured  with  the  arrows  of 
love,  exclaimed,  '  o  what  beauty !  o  what  beauty ! '  37.  Then  (his 
sons)  headed  by  Yasishtha,  cried  aloud,  '(our)  sister.'  Brahma  saw 
nothing  else,  looking  only  at  her  face;  (38)  and  exclaimed  again  and 
again,  '  o  what  beauty !  o  what  beauty ! '  He  then  again  gazed  upon 
her,  as  she  bend  forward  in  obeisance.  39.  The  fair  woman  then  made 
a  circuit  round  her  father.  As  on  account  of  his  sons  he  felt  ashamed ; 
from  his  desire  of  gazing  on  her  beauty  (40)  there  appeared  (on  his 
head)  a  southern  face  with  pale  cheeks ;  and  there  was  afterwards  ma- 
nifested a  western  face  with  lips  quivering  with  astonishment.  41.  A 
fourth  was  subsequently  formed,  beautiful,  disquieted  by  the  arrows  of 
love.  Then  another  was  produced  from  the  disturbing  influence  of  the 
same  passion,  (42)  and  from  eagerness  in  gazing  after  her  as  she  rose 
upwards  in  the  sky.  That  austere  fervour,  extremely  dreadful,  which 
Brahma  had  practised  with  a  view  to  creation,  (43)  was  entirely  lost 
through  his  desire  to  approach  his  daughter  (carnally) .  Through  this 
was  produced  speedily  the  fifth  face  (or,  according  to  one  MS.,  the  upper, 

205  Such  appears  to  be  the  reading  of  the  Gaikowar  MS.     The  original  reading  of 
the  Taylor  MS.  has  been  erased,  and  another  substituted,  tatas  tat-samaye  tvam  cha. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  HI 

the  fifth  face)  of  the  wise  deity,  (44)  which  appeared  with  matted  hair, 
and  which  he  covered  up.  Brahma  then  said  to  the  sons  who  had 
sprung  from  him,  (45)  '  create  living  heings  everywhere,  gods,  asuras, 
and  men.'  They,  being  thus  addressed,  created  heings  of  various  kinds. 
46.  When  they  had  gone  away  for  the  purpose  of  creating,  he,  who  is 
the  universe,  took  for  his  wife  the  unblamed  S'atarupa.  47.  Sickened 
with  love,  he  cohabited  with  her :  like  any  ordinary  being,  he  loved 
her, — though  she  was  full  of  shame — embowered  in  the  hollow  of  a 
lotus,  (48)  for  a  hundred, years  of  the  gods.  A  long  time  after,  a  son 
was  born  to  her,  Manu  (49)  called  Svayambhuva,  who,  as  we  have 
heard,  is  Viraj.  From  their  community  of  form  and  qualities  he  is 
called  Adhipurusha.208  50.  From  him  were  sprung  those  numerous 
Vairajas,  steadfast  in  religious  observances,  those  seven  glorious  sons  of 
Svayambhu,  and  those  other  seven  Manus,  (51)  beginning  with  Svaro- 
chisha  and  Auttami,  in  form  equal  to  Brahma,  of  whom  thou  w  art  now 
the  seventh.  (4th  chapter)  1.  Manu  says :  '  Ah !  this  is  most  afflicting, 
this  entrance  of  love  into  the  god.  How  was  it  that  the  lotus-born  did 
not  incur  guilt  by  that  act?  2.  And  how  did  a  matrimonial  connection 
take  place  between  persons  of  the  same  family  who  were  sprung  from 
him?  Solve  this  doubt  of  mine,  o  Lord.  The  Fish  replied:  3.  This 
primeval  creation  was  celestial,  produced  from  the  quality  of  passion 
(rajas') ;  it  had  senses  removed  beyond  the  cognizance  of  sense,  and 
bodies  of  the  same  description,  (4)  was  possessed  of  celestial  energy, 
derived  from  celestial  knowledge,  and  cannot  be  perfectly  perceived 
by  others  with  the  eye  of  flesh.  5.  Just  as  serpents  know  the  path 
of  serpents,  and  (beings  living)  in  the  sky  know  the  path  of  all  sorts 
of  birds,  so  too  the  celestials  alone,  and  not  men,  know  the  way  of 
celestials.  6.  And  since  it  is  the  gods  who  award  the  recompence, 
favourable  or  unfavourable,  according  as  good  or  bad  deeds  have  been 
done, — it  is  not  good  for  men  to  examine  this  (question).  7.  Further- 
more, the  four-faced  (Brahma)  is  the  ruler  of  all  the  gods,  and  in  like 
manner  the  Gayatri  is  delared  to  be  a  member  of  Brahma.  8.  And,  as 

200  Compare  the  Purusha  Sukta,  above  p.  8,  in  the  fifth  verse  of  which  the  words 
Virajo  adhi  purushah  occur.  If  the  last  two  words  are  combined  they  give  the  name 
in  the  text. 

20?  This  account  is  given  by  the  deity  represented  as  incarnate  in  a  Fish,  to  Manu 
Vaivasvata. 


they  say,  there  is  a  pair  consisting  of  the  formless,  and  of  that  which 
has  form.  Wherever  the  divine  Viranchi  (Brahma)  is,  there  is  also 
the  goddess  Sarasvati.  9.  Wherever  Bharati  (a  name  of  SarasvatI)  is, 
there  is  also  Prajapati.  Just  as  shadow  is  nowhere  seen,  without  sun- 
shine, (10)  so  Gayatri  never  forsakes  the  side  of  Brahma.  He  is  called 
the  collected  Veda,  and  Savitri  rests  upon  him ;  (11)  there  can  therefore 
be  no  fault  in  his  approaching  her.  Nevertheless,  Brahma,  the  lord  of 
creatures,  was  bowed  down  with  shame,  (12)  because  he  had  ap- 
proached his  own  daugther,  and  cursed  Kijsumayudha  m  (Kama),  (in 
these  words)  '  As  even  my  mind  has  been  agitated  by  thy  arrows, 
Kudra  shall  speedily  reduce  thy  body  to  ashes.'  Kamadeva  then  pro- 
pitiated the  four- faced  deity,  saying,  (14)  '  Thou  oughtest  not  to  curse 
me  without  cause :  preserve  me.  It  is  by  thee  thyself  that  I  have 
been  created  with  such  a  character,  (15)  an  agitator  of  the  organs  of 
sense  of  all  embodied  creatures.  The  minds  both  of  men  and  women 
must  always  and  everywhere  (16)  be  energetically  stirred  up  by  me  with 
out  hesitation  :  this  thou  thyself  hast  formerly  declared.  It  is  therefore 
without  any  fault  of  mine  that  I  have  been  thus  cursed  by  thee.  17. 
Be  gracious,  lord,  that  I  may  recover  my  body.'  Brahma  answered : 
18.  'When  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara  shall  have  arrived,  a  mortal, 
named  Rama,  sprung  from  the  Yadava  race,  deriving  force  from  my 
essence,  (19)  and,  becoming  incarnate  as  a  destroyer  of  Asuras,  shall 
inhabit  Dvaraka.  Thou  shalt  then  become  a  son  of  his  substance  and 
like  to  him,"  etc. 

The  narrator  of  this  legend  does  not  hesitate  to  depict  in  the  strongest 
colours  (though  without  the  least  approach  to  grossness)  the  helpless 
subjection  of  Brahma  to  the  influence  of  sexual  desire.  This  illicit  in- 
dulgence was  regarded  by  the  authors  of  the  S'atapatha  and  Aitareya 
Brahmanas  as  in  the  highest  degree  scandalous,  and  they  do  not  at- 
tempt to  palliate  its  enormity  by  any  mystical  explanation,  such  as 
that  which  we  find  in  the  Matsya  Purana.  Whether  this  apology  pro- 
ceeded from  the  original  narrator,  or  from  a  later  writer  of  a  more  sen- 
sitive disposition,  who  perceived  its  inconsistency  with  any  elevated 
idea  of  the  superior  powers,  is  difficult  to  say.  It  is  quite  possible  that 
the  same  writer  who  gave  his  fancy  scope  in  describing  the  unbecoming 
scene,  of  which  the  substance  had  been  handed  down  in  works  regarded 
203  The  word  means  "  He  whose  weapons  are  flowers." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  113 

as  authoritative,  may  also  have  thought  it  necessary  to  discover  some 
device  for  counteracting  the  scandal.  On  the  other  hand,  the  original 
writer  seems  to  cut  himself  off  from  the  privilege  of  resorting  to  any 
mystical  refinements  to  explain  away  the  offence,  by  having  in  the  first 
instance  represented  Brahma's  indulgence  as  on  a  level  with  that  of 
ordinary  beings.  And  even  after  the  apology  has  been  concluded,  we 
are  still  told  that  Brahma  could  not  help  feeling  ashamed  of  what  he 
had  done.  The  writer  of  the  explanation  ought  to  have  perceived  that 
if  his  defence  was  of  any  value,  the  deity  for  whom  he  was  apologizing 
had  no  ground  for  humiliation.  But  he  did  not  venture  to  expunge  the 
popular  features  of  the  story.  The  grounds  on  which  the  apology  pro- 
ceeds are  partly  of  the  same  character  as  those  which  the  writer  of 
the  Bhagavata  Purana  assumes  in  the  passage  (x.  33,  27  ff.)  which  is 
given  in  the  fourth  volume  of  this  work,  pp.  42  f.,  viz.,  that  the  gods 
are  not  to  be  judged  on  the  same  principles  as  men, — that  "  the  celestials 
have  laws  of  their  own"  (sunt  supcris  sua  jura}.  The  Bhagavata 
Purana  has,  however,  different  measures  for  Brahma  and  for  Krishna ; 
for  whilst  the  adultery  of  the  latter  is  defended  in  the  verses  just  re- 
ferred to,  no  desire  is  shown  to  vindicate  the  former  in  the  other  pas- 
sage, iii.  12,  28  ff.,  adduced  in  the  same  volume,  page  40. 

As  regards  the  details  of  the  story  according  to  the  different  Puranas, 
I  may  observe  that  while  the  Vishnu,  the  Vayu  (see  above,  pp.  65, 
and  106),  and  the  Markandeya  Puranas,  xl.  13  f.,  represent  S'atarupa  as 
the  wife  of  Manu  Svayambhuva,  the  Matsya  Purana,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  declares  her  to  have  been  the  spouse  of  Brahma  himself,  and  the 
mother  of  Manu  Svayambhuva.209  This  is  repeated  in  the  twenty- 
sixth  verse  of  the  fourth  chapter : 

Yd  sd  dehdrddha-sambhutd  Gdyatrl  brahma-vddml  \  janarii  yd  Manor 
devi  S'atarupd  S'atendriyd  \  27.  Raiir  Manas  Tapo  Buddhir  mahad-ddi- 
samudbhavd  21°  |  tatah  sa  S'atarupdydm  saptdpatydny  ajljanat  \  28.  Ye 
Marlchyddayah  putrdh  mdnasds  tasya  dhlmatah  \  teshdm  ayam  abhul 
lokah  sarva-jndndtmakah  purd  \  29.  Tata  'srijad  Vdmadevam  trisula- 
vara-dhdrinam  \  Sanatkumdrancha  vilhum  purveshdm  api  purvajatn  \  30. 

209  Compare  the  account  given  in  Manu's  Institutes  (above,  p.  36),  which  does  not 
coincide  in  all  particulars  with  any  of  the  Puranas  here  quoted. 

210  In  this  line  the  original  readings  are  in  several  places  erased  in  the  Taylor  MS. 
I  have  endeavoured  to  restore  it  with  the  help  of  the  Gaikowar  MS. 

8 


114         MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Vdmadevas  tu  lhagavtin  asrijad  mukhato  dvijdn  \  rdjanydn  asrijad  bdhvor 
Vit-iudrdvm  uru-pddayoh  |  .  .  .  .  35.  Svdyambhuvo  Manur  dhlmdms 
tapas  taptvd  suduscharam  \  patnlm  avdpa  rupddhydm  Anantdm  ndma 
ndmatah  \  Priyavratottdnapddau  Hanm  tasydm  ajljanat  \ 

11  She  who  was  produced  from  the  half  of  his  body,  Gayatri  the  de- 
clarer of  sacred  science,  she  who  was  the  mother  of  Manu,  the  goddess 
S'atarupa  (i.e.  having  a  hundred  forms),  S'atendriya  (i.e.  having  a 
hundred  senses),  (27)  (was  also)  Eati,  Mind,  Austere  Fervour,  Intel- 
lect, sprung  from  Mahat  and  the  other  principles.  He  then  begot  upon 
S'atarupa  seven  sons.  28.  This  world,  composed  of  all  knowledge, 
sprang  from  Marlchi,  and  the  others  who  were  the  mind-born  sons  of 
that  wise  Being.  He  next  created  Vamadeva  (Mahadeva),  the  wielder 
of  the  excellent  trident,  and  the  lord  Sanatkumara,  born  before  the 
earliest.  30.  Then  the  divine  Vamadeva  created  Brahmans  from  his 
mouth,  Rajanyas  from  his  breast,  the  Vis  and  the  Sftdra  from  his 
thighs  and  feet."  [After  describing  in  the  following  verses  some  other 
creations  of  Vamadeva,  the  writer  proceeds  in  verse  35  :]  "  The  wise 
Manu  Svayambhuva,  having  practised  austere  fervour  of  the  most 
arduous  kind,  obtained  a  beautiful  wife  named  Ananta.  On  her  he 
begot  Priyavrata  and  Uttanapada." 

Having  made  Manu  the  son  of  S'atarupa,  the  writer  was  obliged  to 
give  him  another  female  for  a  wife,  as  we  see  he  has  here  done. 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  passage  Vamadeva — and  not  Brahma, 
as  in  the  other  Puranas — is  described  as  the  creator  of  the  four  castes. 


SECT.  X. —  Quotations  from  the  Rtimdyana  on  the  Creation,  and  on  the 
Origin  of  Castes. 

The  substance  of  the  first  of  the  following  passages  has  already  been 
stated  above  in  a  note  on  page  36.  Part  of  it  is  also  quoted  in  p.  54, 
and  it  is  more  fully  cited  in  the  fourth  volume  of  this  work,  p.  29,  but 
for  facility  of  reference  I  repeat  it  here. 

Ramayana  (Bombay  edition)  ii.  110,  1.  JTruddham  djndya  Rdmam  tu 
Vasishthah  pratyuvdcha  ha  \  Jdtdlir  api  jdnlte  lolcasydsya  yatdgatim  \ 
2.  Nivarttayitu-Mmas  tu  tvdm  etad  vdkyam  alravlt  \  imam  loka-samut- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  115 

pattim  lolca-ndtha  nibodha  me  \  3.  Sarvam  salilam  evdslt  prithhi  tatra 
nirmitd  \  tatah  samabhavat  Brahma,  Svayambhur  daivataih  sttha  \  4.  Sa 
vardhas  tato  bhutvd  projjahdra  vasundhardm  \  asrijach  cha  jagat  sarvaih 
saha  putraih  Icritdtmabhih  \  5.  Akdsaprabhavo  Brahma  sdsvato  nitya 
avy ayah  \  tasmdd  Marlchih  sanjajne  Maricheh  Kasyapah  sutah  \  6.  Vivas- 
van  Kasyapdj  jajne  Manur  Vaivasvatah  svayam  \  sa  tu  prajdpatih  pur- 
vam  Ikshvdkus  tu  Manoh  sutah  \  7.  Yasyeyam  prathamam  dattd  samrid- 
dhd  Manund  mahl  \  tarn  Ikshvdkum  Ayodhydydm  rdjdnam  viddht  pur- 
vakam  \ 

"1.  Perceiving  Kama  to  be  incensed su  Yasishtlia  replied:  'Jabali 
also  knows  the  destruction  and  renovation  of  this  world.  2.  But  he 
spoke  as  he  did  from  a  desire  to  induce  you  to  return.  Learn  from 
me,  lord  of  the  earth,  this  (account  of)  the  origin  of  the  world.  3.  The 
universe  was  nothing  but  water.  In  it  the  earth  was  fashioned.  Then 
Brahma  Svayambhu  came  into  existence,  with  the  deities.  He  next,, 
becoming  a  boar,  raised  up  the  earth,  and  created  the  entire  world,  with 
the  saints  his  sons.  5.  Brahma,  the  eternal,  unchanging,  and  unde- 
caying,  was  produced  from  the  asther  (dlcdsa).  From  him  sprang 
Marichi,  of  whom  Kasyapa  was  the  son.  6.  Prom  Kasyapa  sprang 
Vivasvat :  and  from  him  was  descended  Manu,  who  was  formerly  the 
lord  of  creatures  (prajdpati],  Ikshvaku212  was  the  son  of  Manu  (7) 
and  to  him  this  prosperous  earth  was  formerly  given  by  his  father. 
Know  that  this  Ikshvaku  was  the  former  king  in  Ayodhya." 

The  account  which  I  next  quote  does  not  agree  with  the  last  in  its 
details,  as,  besides  representing  the  Prajapatis  or  sons  of  Brahma  to  be 
seventeen  in  number,  it  places  Marichi,  Kasyapa,  and  Yivasvat  in  the 
same  rank  as  contemporaries,  while  the  former  narrative  declares  them 
to  have  been  respectively  father,  son,  and  grandson. 

Eamayana  iii.  14,  5.  Rdniasya  vachanam  srutvd  kulam  dtmdnam  eva 
cha  |  dchachahshe  dvijas  tasmai  sarva-bhuta-sa/nmdlhavam  \  6.  Purva- 
kdle  mahdbdho  ye  prujdpatayo  'bhavan  \  tan  me  nigadatah  sarvdn  dditah 
srinu  Rdghava  \  7.  Kardamah  prathamas  teshtim  Vikritas  tad-anan- 
taram  \  S'eshas  cha  Samsrayas  chaiva  Bahuputras  cha  vlryavdn  \  8. 

211  On  account  of  a  materialistic  and  immoral  argument  which  had  been  addressed 
to  him  by  Jabali  to  induce  him   to  disregard  his  deceased  father's  arrangements 
regarding  the  succession  to  the  throne.    See  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  vol.  xix.  pp.  303  ff. 

212  The  name  Ikshvaku  occurs  in  R.  V.  x.  60,  4.     See  Professor  Max  Miillev's 
article  in  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866,  pp.  451  and  462. 


116  MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Sthdnur  Marlckir  Atris  cha  Kratus  chaiva  mahdlalah  \  Pulastyas  chdn- 
girds  chaiiyi  Prachetdh  Pulahas  tathd  \  9.  DaTcsho  Vivasvdn  aparo  'rish- 
(anemis  cha  Rdghava  \  Kasyapas  cha  mahatejds  teshdm  dslch  cha  paschi- 
mah  |  10.  Prajdpates  tu  Dakshasya  babhuvur  iti  visrutdh  \  shashtir 
duhitaro  Rdma  yaSasvinyo  mahdyasah  \  11.  Kasyapah  pratijagrdha 
tdsdm  ashtau  sumadhyamdh  \  Aditim  cha  Ditim  chaiva  Danum  api  cha 
Kdlakdm  \  12.  Tdmrdm  Krodhavasdih  chaiva  Mamimm  chdpy  Analdm 
api  |  ids  tu  kanyds  tatah  prltah  Kasyapah  punar  abravlt  \  13.  Putrdms 
trailokya-bhartrin  vai  janayishyatha  mat-samdn  \  Aditis  tan-tndndh 
Rdma  Ditischa  Danur  eva  cha  \  14.  Kdldkd  cha  mahdldho  seshds  tv 
amanasom 'bhavan  \  Aditydm  jajnire  devds  trayastrimsad  arindama  \ 
15.  Adityd  Vasavo  Rudra  Asvinau  cha  parantapa  |  .  .  .  .  29.  Manur 
manushydn  janayat  Kdsya/pasya  mahdtmanah  \  brdhmandn  Icshattriydn 
vaisydn  sudrdns  cha  manujarshabha  \  30.  Mukhato  Irdhmand  jdtdh  ura- 
sah  kshattriyds  tathd  \  urubhydm  jajnire  vaiiydh  padbhydm  sudrd  iti 
srutih  |  31.  Sarvdn  punya-phaldn  vrikshdn  Anald  'pi  vyajdyata  \ 

"  5.  Having  heard  the  words  of  Rama,  the  bird  (Jatdyus)  made  known 
to  him  his  own  race,  and  himself,  and  the  origin  of  all  beings.  6. 
'  Listen  while  I  declare  to  you  from  the  commencement  all  the  Praja- 
patis  (lords  of  creatures)  who  came  into  existence  in  the  earliest  time. 
7.  Kardama  was  the  first,  then  Vikrita,  S'esha,  Samsraya,  the  energetic 
Bahuputra,  (8)  Sthanu,  Marlchi,  Atri,  the  strong  Kratu,  Pulastya, 
Angiras,  Prachetas,  Pulaha,  (9)  Daksha,  then  Vivasvat,  Arishtanemi, 
and  the  glorious  Kasyapa,  who  was  the  last.  10.  The  Prajapati  Dak- 
sha is  famed  to  have  had  sixty  daughters.  11.  Of  these  Kasyapa  took 
in  marriage  eight  elegant  maidens,  Aditi,  Diti,  Danii,  Kalaka,  (12) 
Tamra,  Krodhavasa,  Manu,215  and  Anala.  Kasyapa,  pleased,  then  said 

213  Balam  Atibalam  api. — Gorr.  2U  Manoratha-Klnah. — Comm. 

215  I  should  have  doubted  whether  Manu  could  have  been  the  right  reading  here, 
but  that  it  occurs  again  in  verse  29,  where  it  is  in  like  manner  followed  in  verse  31 
by  Anala,  so  that  it  would  certainly  seem  that  the  name  Manu  is  intended  to  stand 
for  a  female,  the  daughter  of  Daksha.  The  Gauda  recension,  followed  by  Signor  Gor- 
resio  (iii.  20,  12),  adopts  an  entirely  different  reading  at  the  end  of  the  line,  viz. 
Balam  Atibalam  api,  "  Bala  and  Atibala,"  instead  of  Manu  and  Anala.  I  see  that 
Professor  Eoth  s.v.  adduces  the  authority  of  the  Amara  Kosha  and  of  the  Commen- 
tator on  Panini  for  stating  that  the  word  sometimes  means  "  the  wife  of  Manu." 
In  the  following  text  of  the  Mahabharata  i.  2553,  also,  Manu  appears  to  be  the 
name  of  a  female  :  Anavadyam  Manum  Vandam  Asuram  Marganapriyam  \  Anupam 
Subhagam  Bhaslm  iti  Pradha  vyajayata  \  "  Pradha  (daughter  of  Daksha)  bore  Ana- 
vadya,  Manu,  Vans'a,  Asura,  Marganapriya,  Anupa,  Subhaga,  and  Bhasl. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  117 

to  these  maids,  (13)  'ye  shall  bring  forth  SODS  like  to  me,  preservers 
of  the  three  worlds.'  Aditi,  Diti,  Danu,  (14)  and  Kalaka  assented; 
but  the  others  did  not  agree.  Thirty-three  gods  were  borne  by  Aditi, 
the  Adityas,  Yasus,  Rudras,  and  the  two  Asvins."  [The  following 
verses  15-28  detail  the  oifspring  of  Diti,  Danu,  Kalaka,  Tamra,  Kro- 
dhavasa,  as  well  as  of  KraunchI,  Bhasi,  Syeni,  Dhritarashtri,  and 
S'uki  the  daughters  of  Kalaka,  and  of  the  daughters  of  Krodhavas'a. 
(Compare  the  Mahabharata,  i.  2620-2635 ;  and  "Wilson's  Vishnu  Pu- 
rana,  vol.  ii.  pp.  72  f.)  After  this  we  come  upon  Manu  and  the 
creation  of  mankind.]  "$9.  Manu,  (wife)  of  Kasyapa,218  produced 
men,  Brahmans,  Eshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  Sudras.  30.  'Brahmans 
were  born  from  the  mouth,  Kshattriyas  from  the  breast,  Vaisyas  from 
the  thighs,  and  S'udras  from  the  feet,'  so  says  the  Veda.  31.  Anala 
gave  birth  to  all  trees  with  pure  fruits." 

It  is  singular  to  observe  that  in  this  passage,  after  having  repre- 
sented men  of  all  castes  as  sprung  from  Manur  the  writer  next  adds 
a  verse  to  state,  on  the  authority  of  the  Veda,  that  the  different 
castes  were  produced  from  the  different  parts  of  the  body  out  of  which 
they  issued.  Unless  Manu's  body  be  here  meant,  there  is  a  contra- 
diction between  the  two  statements.  If  Manu's  body  is  meant,  the 
assertion  conflicts  with  the  common  account.  And  if  the  Manu  here 
mentioned  is,  as  appears  from  the  context,  a  woman,  we  should  na- 
turally conclude  that  her  offspring  was  born  in  the  ordinary  way; 
especially  as  she  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  wives  of  Kas"yapa. 

The  next  passage  from  the  TJttara  Kanda  of  the  Eamayana,  74,  8  f., 
describes  the  condition  of  men  in  the  Krita  age,  and  the  subsequent 
introduction  of  the  caste  system  in  the  Treta.  The  description  pur- 
ports to  have  been  occasioned  by  an  incident  which  had  occurred  just 
before.  A  Brahman  had  come  to  the  door  of  llama's  palace  in  Ayodhya, 
carrying  the  body  of  his  dead  son,217  and  bewailing  his  loss,  the  blame 

216  The  text  reads  Kas'yapa,  "  a,  descendant  of  KSsyapa,"  who,  according  to  Ram. 
ii.  110,  6,  ought  to  he  Vivasvat.     But  as  it  is  stated  in  the  preceding  part  of  this 
passage  iii.  14,  11  f.  that  Manu  was  one  of  Kas'yapa' s  eight  wives,  we  must  here 
read  KSs'yapa.    The  Gauda  recension  reads   (iii.  20,  30)  Manur  manushyams  cha 
talha  janayamasa  Baghava,  instead  of  the  corresponding  line  in  the  Bombay  edition. 

217  The  boy  is  said,  in  73,  5,  to  have  been  aprapta-yauvanam  balam  pancha -varshu- 
sahasrakam  \  "  a  boy  of  five  thousand  years  who  had  not  attained  to  puberty  !''    The 
Commentator  says  that  varsha  here  means  not  a  year,  but  a  day  (varsha-sabdo'tra 


118          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

of  which  (as  he  was  himself  unconscious  of  any  fault)  he  attributed  to 
some  misconduct  on  the  part  of  the  king.  Rama  in  consequence  con- 
voked his  councillors,  when  the  divine  sage  Narada  spoke  as  follows  : 

8.  S'rinu  rdjan  yathd  'kale  prdpto  Mlasya,  sankshayah  \  srutvd  kart- 
tavyatdih  rdjan  kurushva  Raghunandana  \  9.  purd  hrita-yuge  rdjan 
Irdhmand  vai  tapasvinah  \  10.  Alrdhmanas  tadd  rdjan  na  tapasvl  ka- 
thanchana  \  tasmin  yuge  prajvalite  Irahmalhute  tv  andvrite  \  \\.Amri- 
tyavas  tadd  sarve  jajnire  dlrgha-darsinah  \  tatas  tretd-yugam  ndma  md- 
navdndm  vapushmatdm  \  12.  Kshattriyd  yatra  jay  ante  purvena  tapasd 
'nvitdh  |  vlryyena  tapasd  chaiva  te  '  dhikdh  purva-janmani  \  mdnavd  ye 
mahdtmdnas  tatra  tretd-yuge  yuge  \  13.  Brahma  kshattram  cha  tat  sar- 
vam  yat  purvam  ma/ram  cha  yat  \  yugayor  ulhayor  aslt  sama-vlryya- 
samanvitam  \  14.  Apasyantas  tu  te  sarve  visesham  adhikam  tatah  \  sthd- 
panam  chakrire  tatra  chaturvarnyasya  sammatam  \  15.  Tasmin  yuge 
prajvalite  dharrnabhute  hy  andvrite  \  adharmah  pddam  ekam  tu  pdtayat 
prithivltale  |  ....  19.  Pdtite  tv  anrite  tasminn  adharmena  mahltale  \ 
&ulhdny  evdcharal  lokah  satya-dliarma-pardyanah  \  20.  Tretd-yuge  cha 
varttante  Irdhmandh  kshattriydi  cha  ye  \  tapo  'tapyanta  te  sarve  susru- 
shdm  apare  jandh  \  21.  Sva-dharmah  paramas  teshdm  vaisya-sudram 
tadd  vgamat  \  pujdrfi  cha  sarva-varndndm  sudrds  chakrur  viseshatah  \ 

23.  Tatah  pddam  adharmasya  dvitlyam  avdtdrayat  \  tato 

dvdpara-sankhyd  sd  yugasya  samajdyata  \  24.  Tasmin  dvdpard-sankhye 
tu  varttamdne  yuga-kshaye  \  adharmas  chdnritam  chaiva  vavridhe  puru- 
sharshalha  \  25.  Asmin  dvdpara-sankhydte  tapo  vaisydn  samdvisat  \ 
trilhyo  yugebhyas  trln  varndn  kramdd  vai  tapa  dvisat  \  26.  Tribhyo 
yugebhyas  trln  varndn  dharmascha  parinishthitah  \  na  sudro  lalhate 
dharmam  yugatas  tu  nararshalha  \  27.  Hlna-varno  nripa-sreshtha 
tapyate  sumahat  tapah  \  Ihavishyachchhudrayonydm  hi  tapas-charyd 
kalau  yuge  \  28.  adharmah  paramo  rdjan  dvdpare  sudra-janmanah  \ 
sa  vai  vishaya-paryante  tava  rdjan  mahdtapdh  \  29.  Adya  tapyati 
durluddhis  tena  Idla-ladho  hy  ayam  \ 

Narada  speaks :  8.  "Hear,  o  king,  how  the  hoy's  untimely  death 
occurred :  and  having  heard  the  truth  regarding  what  ought  to  be 

dinaparah), — just  as  it  does  in  the  ritual  prescription  that  a  man  should  perform  a 
sacrifice  lasting  a  thousand  years  (*'  sahasra-samvatsaraih  satram  upasita"  iti  vat), — 
and  that  thus  some  interpreters  made  out  the  boy's  age  to  be  sixteen,  and  others  under 
fourteen.  But  this  would  be  a  most  unusual  mode  of  reckoning  age. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  119 

done,  do  it.  9.  Formerly,  in  the  Krita  age,  Brahmans  alone  practised 
austere  fervour  (tapas).  10.  None  who  was  not  a  Brahman  did  so  in 
that  enlightened  age,  instinct  with  divine  knowledge  (or,  with  Brahma), 
unclouded  (by  darkness).  11.  At  that  period  all  were  born  immortal, 
and  far-sighted.  Then  (came)  the  Treta  age,  the  era  of  embodied  men, 
(12)  in  which  the  Kshattriyas  were  born,  distinguished  still  by  their 
former  austere  fervour ;  although  those  men  who  were  great  in  the  Treta 
age  had  been  greater,  both  in  energy  and  austere  fervour,  in  the  former 
birth.  13.  All  the  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas,  both  the  former  and  the 
later,  were  of  equal  energy  in  both  Yugas.218  14.  But  not  perceiving 
any  more  distinction  (between  the  then  existing  men)  they  all 219  next 
established  the  approved  system  of  the  four  castes.  15.  Yet  in  that 
enlightened  age,  instinct  with  righteousness,  unclouded  (by  darkness), 
unrighteousness  planted  one  foot  upon  the  earth."  [After  some  other 
remarks  (verses  16-18),  which  are  in  parts  obscure,  the  writer  pro- 
ceeds :]  19.  "But,  although  this  falsehood  had  been  planted  upon  the 
earth  by  unrighteousness,  the  people,  devoted  to  true  righteousness, 
practised  salutary  observances.  20.  Those  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas 
who  lived  in  the  Treta  practised  austere  fervour,  and  the  rest  of  man- 
kind obedience.  21.  (The  principle  that)  their  own  duty  was  the  chief 
thing  pervaded  the  Vaisyas  and  S'udras  among  them :  and  the  S'udras 

especially  paid  honour  to  all  the  (other)  classes 23.  Next  the 

second  foot  of  unrighteousness  was  planted  on  the  earth,  and  the  number 
of  the  Dvapara  (the  third  yuga)  was  produced.  24.  When  this  deterior- 
ation of  the  age  numbered  as  the  Dvapara,  had  come  into  existence, 

218  The  Commentator  says,  this  means  that  in  the  Krita  age  the  Brahmans  were 
superior,  and  the  Kshattriyas  inferior  (as  the  latter  had  not  then  the  prerogative  of 
practising  tapas),  but  that  in  the  Treta  both  classes  were  equal  (ubhayor  yuyayor 
madhye  krita-yuge  brahma  purvam  tapo-vlryabhyam  utkrishtam  hshattram  chavaram 
cha  tabhyam  tapo-viryabhyam  nyunam  asit  \  tat  sarvam  brahma-kshattra-rupam 
ubhayam  tretayam  sama-vlrya-samanvitam  asit  \  krite  kshattriyanam  tapasy  anadhi- 
karat  tadyugiyebhyo  brahmanebhyas  tesham  nyunata  \  tretayam  tu  ubhayo  rapt  tapo- 
'dhikarad  ubhav  api  tapo-viryabhyam  samau  |  But  in  the  previous  verse  (12)  it  is  said 
that  the  Kshattriyas  were  born  in  the  Treta  distinguished  by  their  former  tapas.  But 
perhaps  they  were  formerly  Brahmans,  according  to  verses  9,  10,  and  12. 

*i»  Manu  and  other  legislators  of  that  age,  according  to  the  Commentator  (Manv- 
adayah  sarve  tatkalikah  dharma-pravarttanadhikritah).  He  adds  that  in  the  Krita 
age  all  the  castes  were  spontaneously  devoted  to  their  several  duties,  although  no  fixed 
system  had  been  prescribed  (krite  tu  vinaiva  sthapanam  svayam  eva^sarve  varnuh  sva- 
sva-dharma-ratah] . 


120          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

unrighteousness  and  falsehood  increased.  25.  In  this  age,  numbered  as 
the  Dvapara,  austere  fervour  entered  into  the  Yaisyas.  Thus  in  the 
course  of  three  ages  it  entered  into  three  castes ;  (26)  and  in  the  three 
ages  righteousness  (dharma]  was  established  in  three  castes.  But  the 
S'udra  does  not  attain  to  righteousness  through  the  (lapse  of  these 
three)  ages.  27.  A  man  of  low  caste  performs  a  great  act  of  austere 
fervour.  Such  observance  will  belong  to  the  future  race  of  S'udras  in 
the  Kali  age,  (28)  but  is  unrighteous  in  the  extreme  if  practised  by 
that  caste  in  the  Dvapara.  On  the  outskirts  of  thy  territory  such  a 
foolish  person,  of  intense  fervour,  is  practising  austerity.  Hence  this 
slaughter  of  the  boy." 

Here  then  was  a  clue  to  the  mystery  of  the  young  Brahman's  death. 
A  presumptuous  S'udra,  paying  no  regard  to  the  fact  that  in  the  age  22° 
in  which  he  lived  the  prerogative  of  practising  self-mortification  had 
not  yet  descended  to  the  humble,  class  to  which  he  belonged,  had  been 
guilty  of  seeking  to  secure  a  store  of  religious  merit  by  its  exercise. 
Rama  mounts  his  car  Pushpaka,  makes  search  in  different  regions,  and 
at  length  comes  upon  a  person  who  was  engaged  in  the  manner  alleged. 
The  S'udra,  on  being  questioned,  avows  his  caste,  and  his  desire  to 
conquer  for  himself  the  rank  of  a  god  by  the  self-mortification  he  was 
undergoing.  Rama  instantly  cuts  off  the  offender's  head.  The  gods 
applaud  the  deed,  and  a  shower  of  flowers  descends  from  the  sky 
upon  the  vindicator  of  righteousness.  Having  been  invited  to  solicit 
a  boon  from  the  gods,  he  asks  that  the  Brahman  boy  may  be  resusci- 
tated, and  is  informed  that  he  was  restored  to  life  at  the  same  moment 
when  the  S'udra  was  slain.  (Sections  75  and  76. )221 

The  following  curious  account  of  the  creation  of  mankind,  among 
whom  it  states  that  no  distinction  of  class  (or  colour)  originally  existed, 
is  given  in  the  TJttara  Kanda,  xxx.  19  ff.,  where  Brahma  says  to  Indra  : 

Amarendra  mayd  buddhyd  prajdh  srishtds  tathd  prabho  \  eka-varnuh 
sama-bhdshd  elca-rupds  cha  sarvasah  \  20.  Tdsdm  ndsti  visesho  hi  darsane 
lalcshane  'pi  vd  \  tato  'ham  ekdgramands  tali  prajdh  samacJiintayam  \ 
21.  So  'ham  tdsdm  viseshdrtham  striyam  ekdm  vinirmame  \  yad  yat 
prajanam  pratyangam  msishtam  tat  tad  uddhritam  \  22.  Tato  maya 

22°  The  Treta,  according  to  the  Commentator. 

221  See  the  Rev.  Professor  Banerjea's  Dialogues  on  the  Hindu  philosophy,  pp.  44  ff., 
where  attention  had  previously  been  drawn  to  the  story. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  121 

rupa-gunair  ahalyd  strt  vinirmitd  \  Jialam  ndmeha  vairupyam  halyaih 
tat-prabhavam  bhavet  \  23.  Yasyd  na  vidyate  Jialyam  tendhalyeti  visrutd  \ 
Ahalyety  eva  cha  mayd  tasyd  ndma  praklrttitam  \  24.  Nirmitdydm  cha 
devendra  tasydm  ndrydm  surarshabha  \  Ihavishyatlti  kasyaishd  mama 
chtntd  tato  'bhavat  \  25.  Tvam  lu  S'alcra  tadd  ndrlm  jdnishe  manasd 
prabho  \  sthdnddhikatayd  patnl  mamaisheti  purandara  \  26.  Sa  mayd 
nydsa-bhutd  tu  Gautamasya  mahdtmanah  \  nyastd  bahuni  varshdni  tena 
nirydtitd  cha  ha  \  27.  Tatas  tasya  parijndya  mahdsthairyam  maJidmu- 
neh  |  j'ndtvd  tapasi  siddhim  cha  patny-artham  spar&itd  tadd  \  28.  Sa 
tayd  saha  dharmdtmd  ramate  sma  mahdmunih  \  dsan  nirdsd  devds  hi 
Gautame  dattayd  tayd  \  29.  Tvam  kruddhas  tv  iha  kdmdtmd  gatvd 
tasydsramam  muneh  \  drishtavdms  cha  tadd  tdm  strlm  dlptdm  agni- 
Sikhdm  wa  \  30.  ^a  tvayd  dharshitd  S'akra  Icdmdrttena  samanyund  j 
drishtas  tvam  cha  tadd  tena  dsrame  paramarshind  \  31.  Tatah  kruddhena 
tendsi  saptah  paramatejasd  \  gato  'si  yena  devendra  dasd-lJidga-vipar- 
yayam  \ 

"19.  0  chief  of  the  immortals  (Indra)  all  creatures  were  formed  by 
my  will  of  one  class  (or  colour),  with  the  same  speech,  and  uniform  in 
every  respect.  20.  There  was  no  distinction  between  them  in  ap- 
pearance, or  in  characteristic  marks.  I  then  intently  reflected  on  these 
creatures.  21.  To  distinguish  between  them  I  fashioned  one  woman. 
Whatever  was  most  excellent  in  the  several  members  of  different  crea- 
tures was  taken  from  them,  (22)  and  with  this  (aggregate)  I  formed  a 
female,  faultless  in  beauty  and  in  all  her  qualities.  Sola  means  '  ugli- 
ness,' and  halya,  '  what  is  produced  from  ugliness/  23.  The  woman  in 
whom  there  is  no  halya,  is  called  Ahalyd.  And  this  was  her  name  to 
which  I  gave  currency.  .24.  "When  this  female  had  been  fashioned,  I 
anxiously  considered  to  whom  she  should  belong.  25.  Thou,  Indra, 
didst,  from  the  eminence  of  thy  rank,  determine  in  thy  mind,  '  She 
must  be  my  spouse.'  26.  I,  however,  gave  her  in  trust  to  the  great 
Gautama  ;  and  after  having  retained  her  in  charge  for  many  years,  he 
restored  her.  27.  Knowing  then  the  great  steadfastness  of  that  distin- 
guished Muni,  and  the  perfection  of  his  austere  fervour,  I,  in  due  form, 
gave  her  to  him  for  his  wife.  28.  The  holy  sage  lived  with  her  in  the 
enjoyment  of  connubial  love.  But  the  gods  were  filled  with  despair 
when  she  had  been  given  away  to  Gautama.  29.  And  thou,  Indra, 
angry,  as  well  as  inflamed  with  lust,  wentest  to  the  Muni's  hermitage, 


122          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

and  didst  behold  that  female  brilliant  as  the  flame  of  fire.  30.  She 
was  then  corrupted  by  thee  who  wert  tormented  by  lust,  as  well  as 
heated  by  anger.222  But  thou  wert  then  seen  by  the  eminent  rishi  in 
the  hermitage,  (31)  and  cursed  by  that  glorious  being  in  his  indignation. 
Thou  didst  in  consequence  fall  into  a  reverse  of  condition  and  fortune," 
etc.,  etc. 

SECT.  XI. — Extracts  from  the  Mahdbhdrata  on  the  same  subjects. 

The  first  passage  which  I  shall  adduce  is  from  the  Adi  Parvan,  or 
first  book,  verses  2517  ff. : 

Yaisampdyana  uvdcha  \  hanta  te  kathayishydmi  namaskritya  Svayam- 
bhuve  |  surddlndm  aham  samyak  lokdndm  pralhavdpyayam  \  Brahmano 
mdnasdk  putrdh  viditdh  shan-maharshayah  \  Marlchir  A.try-angirasau 
Pulastyah  Pulahah  Kratuh  \  Marlcheh  Kasyapah  putrah  JTasyapdt  tu 
prajd  imdh  \  prajajnire  mah&bhagd  Daksha-kanyds  trayodasa  \  2520. 
Aditir  Ditir  Danuh  JTdld  Dandyuh  Simhikd  tatha  \  Krodhd  Pradhd  eha 
Visva  cha  Vinatd  Kapild  Munih  \  Kadrus  cha  manujavydghra  Daksha- 
kanyaiva  Bharata  \  etdsdm  virya-sampannam  putra-pautram  anantakam  \ 

"  Yaisampayana  said:  I  shall,  after  making  obeisance  to  Svayam- 
bhu,  relate  to  thee  exactly  the  production  and  destruction  of  the  gods 
and  other  beings.  Six228  great  rishis  are  known  as  the  mind-born  sons 

222  In  regard  to  this  story  of  Indra  and  Ahalya,  as  well  as  to  that  of  Brahma  and 
his  daughter,  above  referred  to,  see  the  explanation  given  by  Kumiirila  Bhatta,  as 
quoted  by  Professor  Max  Miiller  in  his  Hist,  of  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  529  f.    The  name 
of  Ahalya  is  there  allegorically  interpreted  of  the  night,  to  which  this  name  is  said 
to  have  been  given  because  it  is  absorbed  in  the  day  (ahani  llyamanataya).    Indra  is 
the  sun. 

223  Another  passage  (S'anti-p.  7569  ff.)  raises  the  number  of  Brahma's  sons  to  seven 
by  adding  Vasishtha  :  Ekah  Svayambhur  bhagavan  adyo  Brahma  sanatanah  \  Brah- 
manah  sapta  vai  putra  mahatmanah  Svayambhuvah  \  Marlchir  Atry-Angirasau  Pu- 
lastyah Pulahah  Kratuh  \  Vasishthascha  mahabhagah  sadriso  vai  Svayambhuva  \ 
sapta  Brahmana  ity  ete  pwrane  nischayam  gatah  \  "  There  is  one  primeval  eternal  lord, 
Brahma  Svayambhu;    who  had  seven  great  sons,  Marichi,  Atri,  Angiras,  Pulastya, 
Pulaha,  Kratu,  and  Vasishtha,  who  was  like  Svayambhu.    These  are  the  seven  Brah- 
mas  who  have  been  ascertained  in  the  Puranic  records."     In  another  part  of  the  same 
S'antiparvan,  verses  12685  ff.,  however,  the  Prajapatis  are  increased  to  twenty-one : 
Brahma  Sthanur  Manur  Daksho  Bhrigur  Dharmas  tatha  Yamah  \  Marlchir  Angira 
'trischa,  Pulastyah  Pulahah  Kratuh  \  Vasishthah  Parameshtln  cha  Vivasvan  Soma 
eva  cha  \  Kardamas  chapi  yah  proktah  Kroclho  Vikrlta  eva  cha  \  ekavimsatir  utpanrias 
te  prajapatayah  smritah  \  "  There  are  reputed  to  have  been  twenty-one  Prajapatis 
produced,  viz.  Brahma,  Sthanu,  Manu,  Daksha,  Bhrigu,  Dharma,  Yarna,  Marichi, 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  123 

of  Brahma,  viz.,  Marichi,  Atri,  Angiras,  Pulastya,  Pulaha,  and  Kratu. 
Kasyapa  was  the  son  of  Marlchi ;  and  from  Kasyapa  sprang  these 
creatures.  There  were  born  to  Daksha  thirteen  daughters  of  eminent 
rank,  (2520)  Aditi,  Diti,  Danu,  Kala,  Danayu,  Simhika,  Krodha, 
Pradha,  Yisva,  Vinata,  Kapila,  and  Muni.224  Kadru  also  was  of  the 
number.  These  daughters  had  valorous  sons  and  grandsons  innu- 
merable." 

Daksha,  however,  had  other  daughters,  as  we  learn  further  on  in 

verses  2574  ff.,  where  the  manner  of  his  own  birth  also  is  related : 

» 

Dakshas  tv  ajdyatdngushthdd  dafahindd  bhagavdn  rishih  \  Brahmanah 
prithivipdla  sdntdtmd  sumahdtapdh  \  vdmdd  ajdyatdngmhthtid  bhdryd 
tasya  mahdtmanah  \  tasydm  panchdsatam  Icanydh  sa  evdjanayad  munih  \ 
....  2577.  Dadau  cha  dasa  Dharmdya  saptavimsatim  Indave  \  divyena 

vidhina  rdjan  Kasyapdya  trayodasa  \ 2581.  Paitdmahah  Manur 

devas  tdsya  putrah  prajdpatih   \   tasydshtau  Yasmah  putrds  teshdm  vak- 

shydmi  vistaram  \ 2595.  Stanam  tu  dakshinam  bhitvd  £rah- 

mano  nara-vigraJiah  \  nissrito  bhagavdn  Dharmak  sarva-loka-sukhdvahah  \ 
trayas  tasya  vardh  putrdh  sarva-bhuta-manohardh  \  8' amah  Kdmas  cha 

Harshas  cha  tejasd  lolta-dhdrinah  \ 2610.  Arushl  to  Manoh 

kanyd  tasya  patnl  mamshinah  \ 2614.  Dvau  putrau  Brahmanas 

tv  anyau  yayos  tishthati  lakshanam  \  loke  Dhdtd  Vidhdtd  cha  yau  sthitau 
Manund  saha  \  tayor  eva  svasd  devl  Lakshml  padma-grihd  subhd  \  tasyds 

tu  mdnasdh  putrds  turagdh  vyoma-chdrinah  \ 2617.  Prajdndm 

annaMmdndm  anyonya-paribhakshandt  \  Adharmas  tatra  sanjdtah  sarva- 
bhuta-vindsakah  \  tasydpi  Nirritir  bhdryd  nairritd  yena  Rdhshasdh  \ 
ghords  tasyds  trayah  putrdh  pdpa-ltarma-ratdh  sadd  \  Bhayo  Mahd- 
bhayas  chaiva  Mrityur  bhutdntakas  tathd  \  na  tasya  bhdryd  putro  vd 
Tcaschid  asty  antako  hi  sah  \ 

Angiras,  Atri,  Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Kratu,  Vas'ishtha,  Parameshthin,  Vivasvat,  Soma, 
the  person  called  Kardama,  Krodha,  and  Viki-ita."  (Here,  however,  only  twenty 
names  are  specified  including  Brahma,  himself.)  Compare  this  list  with  those  quoted 
above,  p.  116,  from  the  Ramayana,  iii.  14,  7  ff.,  from  Manu  in  p.  36,  and  from  the 
Vishnu  P.  in  p.  65. 

224  That  Muni  is  a  name,  and  not  an  epithet,  is  shown  (1)  by  the  fact  that  we  have 
otherwise  only  twelve  names  ;  and  (2)  by  her  descendants,  both  gods  and  gandharvas, 
being  afterwards  enumerated  in  verses  2550  ff.  (ity  ete  deva-gandharva  Mauneyah 
pariJclrltitah).  Kapila,  another  of  the  thirteen  daughters  of  Daksha  is  said  to  have 
been  the  mother  of  Ambrosia,  Brahmans,  kine,  Gandharvas  and  Apsarasas  (amrilam 
brahmana  gaw  gandharvapsarasas  tatha  \  apatyam  kapilayas  tu  purane  pariklrt- 
titam  |  ). 


124          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

"2574.  Daksha,  the  glorious  rishi,  tranquil  in  spirit,  and  great  in 
austere  fervour,  sprang  from  the  right  thumb  of  Brahma.225  From  the 
left  thumb  sprang  that  great  Muni's  wife,  on  whom  he  begot  fifty226 
daughters.  Of  these  he  gave  ten  to  Dharma,  twenty-seven  to  Indu 
(Soma),227  and  according  to  the  celestial  system,  thirteen  to  Kasyapa." 
I  proceed  with  some  other  details  given  in  the  verses  I  have  extracted : 
2581.  "  Pitamaha's  descendant,  Manu,  the  god  and  the  lord  of  creatures, 
was  his  (it  does  not  clearly  appear  whose)  son.  The  eight  Vasus,  whom 

I  shall  detail,  were  his  sons 2595.  Dividing  the  right  breast  of 

Brahma,  the  glorious  Dharma  (Righteousness),  issued  in  a  human  form, 
bringing  happiness  to  all  people.  He  had  three  eminent  sons,  S'ama, 
Kama,  and  Harsha  (Tranquillity,  Love,  and  Joy),  who  are  the  delight 

of  all  creatures,  and  by  their  might  support  the  world 2610. 

Arushi,  the  daughter  of  Manu,  was  the  wife  of  that  sage  (Chyavana, 

son  of  Bhrigu) 2614.  There  are  two  other  sons  of  Brahma, 

whose  mark  remains  in  the  world,  Dhatri,228  and  Vidhatri,  who  re- 
mained with  Manu.  Their  sister  was  the  beautiful  goddess  Lakshml,220 
whose  home  is  in  the  lotus.  Her  mind-born  sons  are  the  steeds  who 
move  in  the  sky 2617.  "When  the  creatures  who  were  de- 
sirous of  food,  had  devoured  one  another,  Adharma  (Unrighteousness) 
was  produced,  the  destroyer  of  all  beings.  His  wife  was  Mrriti,  and 
hence  the  Rakshasas  are  called  Nairritas,  or  the  offspring  of  Nirriti. 
She  had  three  dreadful  sons,  continually  addicted  to  evil  deeds,  Bhaya 
Mahabhaya  (Fear  and  Terror)  and  Mrityu  (Death)  the  ender  of  beings. 
He  has  neither  wife,  nor  any  son,  for  he  is  the  ender."230 

The  next  passage  gives  a  different  account  of  the  origin  of  Daksha ; 
and  describes  the  descent  of  mankind  from  Manu : 

Adip.  3128.  Tejolhir  uditah  sane  maharshi-sama-tefasah  \  dasa  Pra- 

225  See  above,  p.  72  f.  The  Matsya  P.  also  states  that  Daksha  sprang  from  Brah- 
ma's right  thumb,  Dharma  from  his  nipple,  Kama  from  his  heart,  etc. 

228  The  passage  of  the  Ramayana,  quoted  above,  p.  116,  affirms  that  they  were 
sixty  in  number.  Compare  "Wilson's  Vishnu  P.  vol.  i.  pp.  109  ff.,  and  vol.  ii.  pp.  19  ff. 

22?  The  Taitt.  Sanhita,  ii.  3,  5,  1,  says  Prajapati  had  thirty-three  daughters,  whom 
he  gave  to  King  Soma  (Prajapates  trayastrimsad  duhitara  asan  \  tah  Somaya  rajne 
'dadat). 

228  Dhatri  had  been  previously  mentioned,  in  verse  2523,  as  one  of  the  sous  of 
Aditi.  See  also  "Wilson's  Vishnu  P.  ii.  152. 

2«>  See  Wilson's  Vishnu  P.  i.  pp.  109,  118  ff.,  144  ff.  and  152. 

230  The  Vishnu  P.  (Wilson,  i.  112)  says  he  had  five  children. 


AND  OF  THE  OKIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  125 

chetasah  putrdh  santah  punya-jandh  smritdh  \  mukhajendgnind  yais  te 
purvam  dagdhd  mahaujasah  \  tebhyah  Prdchetaso  jajne  Daksho  Dakshdd 
imdh  prajdh  \  sambhutdh  purusha-vydghra  so,  hi  loka-pitdmahah  \ 
Vlrinyd  saha  sangamya  Dakshah  Prdchetaso  munih  \  dtma-tulydn  aja- 
nayat  sahasram  samsita-vratdn  \  sahasra-sankhydn  sambhutdn  Daksha- 
putrdms  cha  Ndradah  \  moksham  adhydpaydmdsa  sdnkhya-jndnam  anut- 
tamam  \  tatah  panchdsatam  kanydh  putrikdh  abhisandadhe  \Prajdpatih 
prajah  Dakshah  sisrikshur  Janamejaya  \  dadau  cha  dasa  Dharmdya 
Kasyapdya  trayodasa  I  kdlasya  nayane  yuktdh  saptavimsatim  Indave  \ 
3135.  Trayodasdndm  pdtriindm  yd  tu  Ddkshdyanl  vard  \  Mdrlchah 
Kasyapas  tasydm  Aditydn  samajyanat  \  Indrddln  vlryya-sampanndn 
Vivasvantam  athdpi  cha  \  Vivasvatah  suto  jajne  Tamo  Vaivasvatah  pra- 
bhuh  |  Mdrtandasya  Manur  dhlmdn  ajdyata,  sutah  prabhuh  \  Yamas 
chdpi  suto  jajne  khydtas  tasydnujah  prabhuh  \  dharmdtmd  so,  Manur 
dhlmdn  yatra  vamsah  pratisht hitah  \  Manor  vamso  mdnavdndm  tato  'yam 
prathito  'bhavat  \  brahma-kshatrddayas  tasmdd Manor  jdtds  tu  mdnavdh  \ 
tato  'bhavad  mahdrdja  brahma  kshattrena  sangatam  \  3140.  Brdhmand 
mdnavds  teshdm  sdngam  vedam  adhdrayan  \  Venam  Dhrishnum  Narish- 
yantam  Ndbhdgekshvdkum  eva  cha  \  Kdrusham  atha  Sdryatim  tathd 
chaifdshtamim  Ildm  \  Prishadhram  navamam  prdhuh  kshattra- dharma- 
pardyanam  \  Ndbhdgdrishta-dasamdn  Manoh  putrdn  prachakshate  \  pan- 
chdsat  tu  Manoh  putrds  tathaivdnye  'bhavan  kshitau  \  anyonya-bheddt  te 
sarve  mnesur  iti  nah  srutam  \  Pururavas  tato  vidvdn  Ildyam  samapad- 
yata  \  sd  vat  tasydbhavad  mdtd  pitd  chaiveti  nah  srutam  \ 

"  3128.  Born  all  with  splendour,  like  that  of  great  rishis,  the  ten  sons 
of  Prachetas  are  reputed  to  have  been  virtuous  and  holy ;  and  by  them 
the  glorious  beings231  were  formerly  burnt  up  by  fire  springing  from  their 
mouths.  From  them  was  born  Daksha  Prachetasa  ;232  and  from  Daksha, 
the  Parent  of  the  world  (were  produced),  these  creatures.  Cohabiting 
with  Vlrini,  the  Muni  Daksha  begot  a  thousand  sons  like  himself,  famous 

231  "  Trees  and  plants,"  according  to  the  Commentator  (mahaprabhava  vrikshau- 
shadhayah}.     Compare  "Wilson's  Vishnu  P.  ii.  p.  1. 

232  The  same  account  of'  Daksha's  birth  is  given  in  the  S'antip.  7573:  Das'anani 
tanayas  tv  eko  Daksho  nama  prajapatih  \  tasya  dve  naman!  lake  Dakshah  Ka  iti  cho- 
chyate  \  "These  ten  Prachetases  had  one  son  called  Daksha,^the  lord  of  creatures.   He 
is  commonly  called  by  two  names,  Daksha  and  Ka."     (Compare  vol.  iv.  of  this  work, 
p.  13,  note  30,  and  p.  24;  and  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  vii.  4,  1,  19,  andii.  4,  4,  1, 
there  quoted.)     The  following  verse  7574  tells  us  that  Kas'yapa  also  had  two  names, 
the  other  being  Arisbtanemi.     See  Ram.  iii.  14,  9,  quoted  above. 


126         MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

for  their  religious  observances,  to  whom  Narada  taught  the  doctrine  of 
final  liberation,  the  unequalled  knowledge  of  the  Sankhya.  Desirous  of 
creating  offspring,  the  Prajapati  Daksha  next  formed  fifty  daughters,  of 
whom  he  gave  ten  to  Dharma,  thirteen  to  Kasyapa,  and  twenty-seven, 

devoted  to  the  regulation  of  time,235  to  Indu  (Som a) 3135.  On 

Dakshayam,234  the  most  excellent  of  his  thirteen  wives,  Kasyapa,  the 
son  of  Marlchi,  begot  the  Adityas,  headed  by  Indra  and  distinguished 
by  their  energy,  and  also  Vivasvat.285  To  Yivasvat  was  born  a  son,  the 
mighty  Tama  Yaivasvata.  To  Martanda  (i.e.  Yivasvat,  the  Sun)  was 
born  the  wise  and  mighty  Manu,  and  also  the  renowned  Yama,  his 
(Manu's)  younger  brother.  Eighteous  was  this  wise  Manu,  on  whom 
a  race  was  founded.  Hence  this  (family)  of  men  became  known  as  the 
race  of  Manu.  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  and  other  men  sprang  from  this 
Manu.  From  him,  o  king,  came  the  Brahman  conjoined  with  the  Kshat- 
triya.  3140.  Among  them  the  Brahmans,  children  of  Manu,  held  the 
Yeda  with  the  Yedangas.  The  children  of  Manu  are  said  to  have  been 
Yena,  Dhrishnu,  Narishyanta,  Nabhaga,  Ikshvaku,  Karusha,  Skryati, 
Ila  the  eight,  Prishadra  the  ninth,  who  was  addicted  to  the  duties  of  a 
Kshattriya,  and  Nabhagarishta  the  tenth.  Manu  had  also  fifty  other 
sons  ;  but  they  all,  as  we  have  heard,  perished  in  consequence  of  mutual 
dissensions.  Subsequently  the  wise  Pururavas  was  born  of  Ila,  who, 
we  heard,  was  both  his  mother  and  his  father." 

The  tradition,  followed  in  this  passage,  which  assigns  to  all  the 
castes  one  common  ancestor,  removed  by  several  stages  from  the 
creator,  is,  of  course,  in  conflict  with  the  account  which  assigns  to 
them  a  fourfold  descent  from  the  body  of  Brahma  himself. 

The  S'antiparvan,  verses  2749  ff.,  contains  an  account  of  the  origin 
of  castes  which  has  evidently  proceeded  from  an  extreme  assertor  of 
the  dignity  of  the  Brahmanical  order.  The  description  given  of  the 
prerogatives  of  the  priestly  class  is  precisely  in  the  style,  and  partly  in 
almost  the  identical  words,  of  the  most  extravagant  declarations  of 

Z3S  This  phrase  kalasya  nayane  yuktah  had  previously  occurred  in  verse   2580, 
•where  it  is  followed  by  the  words  sarva  nakshatra-yoginyo  loTca-yatra-vidhanatah  \ 
"  all  identified  with  the  lunar  asterisms,  and  appointed  to  regulate  the  life  of  men." 
See  also  Vishnu  P.  i.  15,  56,  and  Professor  Wilson's  translation  ii.  p.  10,  note  1, 
and  p.  28,  note  1. 

*a  i.e.  Aditi.     See  verses  2520,  2522,  and  2600  of  this  same  hook. 

235  The  account  in  the  Eamayana,  ii.  110,  5ff.,  agrees  with  this  in  making  Ka- 
s'yapa  son  of  Marichi,  and  father  of  Vivasvat. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  127 

Manu  (i.  99  f.)  on  the  same  subject.  In  other  places,  however,  the 
Mahabharata  contains  explanations  of  a  very  different  character  re- 
garding the  origin  of  the  distinctions,  social  and  professional,  which 
prevailed  at  the  period  of  its  composition.  A  comparison  of  these 
various  passages  will  afford  an  illustration  of  the  fact  already  intimated 
in  p.  6, m  that  this  gigantic  poem  is  made  up  of  heterogeneous  elements, 
the  products  of  different  ages,  and  representing  widely  different  dog- 
matical tendencies,  the  later  portions  having  been  introduced  by  suc- 
cessive editors  of  the  work  to  support  their  own  particular  views,  with- 
out any  regard  to  their  inconsistency  with  its  earlier  contents.  In  fact,  a 
work  so  vast,  the  unaided  compilation  of  which  would  have  taxed  all  the 
powers  of  a  Didymus  Chalkenterus,  could  scarcely  have  been  created  in 
any  other  way  than  that  of  gradual  accretion.  And  some  supposition 
of  this  kind  is  certainly  necessary  in  order  to  explain  such  discrepancies 
as  will  be  found  between  the  passages  I  have  to  quote,  of  which  the 
three  first  are  the  productions  of  believers  (real  or  pretended)  in  the 
existence  of  a  natural  distinction  between  their  own  Brahmanical  order 
and  the  other  classes  of  the  community,  while  the  two  by  which  these 
three  are  followed  have  emanated  from  fair  and  moderate  writers  who 
had  rational  views  of  the  essential  unity  of  mankind,  and  of  the  supe- 
riority of  moral  and  religious  character  to  any  factitious  divisions  of  a 
social  description. 

In  the  first  passage,  BhTshma,  the  great  uncle  of  the  Pandus,  when 
describing  to  Yudhishthira  the  duties  of  kings,  introduces  one  of  those 
ancient  stories  which  are  so  frequently  appealed  to  in  the  Mahabharata. 
"Without  a  minute  study  of  the  poem  it  would  be  difficult  to  say 
whether  these  are  ever  based  on  old  traditions,  or  are  anything  more 
than  mere  vehicles  invented  to  convey  the  individual  views  of  the 
writers  who  narrate  them.  Bhishma  says,  S'antiparvan,  2749  : 

Ya  eva  tu  sato  rakshed  asatas  cha  nivarttayet  \  sa  eva  rdjnd  karttatfyo 
rdjan  rdja-purohitah  \  2750.  Atrdpy  uddharantlmam  itihusam  purd- 
tanam  \  Pururavasa  Ailasya  samvddam  Mdtarisvanah  \  Pururavd  macho,  \ 
Kutah  svid  brdhmano  jdta  varnds  chdpi  Icutas  tray  ah  \  Jtasmdchcha  lhavati 
sreshthas  tan  me  vydkhydtum  arhasi  \  Mdtarisvovdcha  \  Brahmano  mu- 
khatah  srishto  brdhmano  rdja-sattama  \  hdhubhydm  Icshattriyah  srishta 
urulhydm  vaisya  eva  cha  \  varndndm  parichdryydrtham  traydndm  Bha- 
238  See  also  the  fourth  volume  of  this  work,  pp.  141  ff.  and  152. 


128          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAX, 

ratarshalha  \  varnas  chaturthah  samlhutah  padlhydm  sudro  vinirmitah  \ 
Irdhmano  jdyamdno  hi  pfithivydm  anujayate-^  \  Isvarah  sarva-bhutdndm 
dharma-koshasya  guptaye  \  2755.  Atah  prithivyd  yantdram  kshattriyam 
danda-dhdrane  \  dvitlyam  Dandam  akarot  prajdndm  anutriptaye  \  vaisyas 
tu  dhana-dhdnyena  trln  varndn  lilhriydd  imdn  \  sudro  hy  etdn  pari- 
cJiared  iti  Brahmdnusdsanam  \  Aila  uvdcha  \  dvijasya  kshattralandhor 
vd  kasyeyam  prithivl  bhavet  \  dharmatah  saha  vittena  samyag  Vdyo  pra- 
chakshva  me  \  Vdyur  uvdcha  \  viprasya  sarvam  evaitad  yat  kinchij  jagatl- 
gatam  \  jyeshthendlhijaneneha  tad  dharma-kusald  viduh  \  svam  eva  brdh- 
mano  bhunkte  svam  vaste  svam  daddti  cha  f  gurur  hi  sarva-varndndm 
jyeshthah  sreshthas  cha  vai  dvijah  \  2760.  Paty-abhdve  yathaiva  strl 
devaram  kurute  patim  \  esha  te  prathamah  kalpah  dpady  anyo  lhaved 
atah  I 

"  2749.  The  king  should  appoint  to  be  his  royal  priest288  a  man 
who  will  protect  the  good,  and  restrain  the  wicked.  2750.  On  this 
subject  they  relate  this  following  ancient  story  of  a  conversation 
between  Pururavas  the  son  of  Ila,  and  Matarisvan  (Vayu,  the  Wind- 
god).  Pururavas  said :  You  must  explain  to  me  whence  the  Brahman, 
and  whence  the  (other)  three  castes  were  produced,  and  whence  the 
superiority  (of  the  first)  arises.  Matarisvan  answered :  The  Brahman 
was  created  from  Brahma's  mouth,  the  Kshattriya  from  his  arms,  the 
Yaisya  from  his  thighs,  while  for  the  purpose  of  serving  these  three 

M7  Manu,  i.  99,  has  adhijayate. 

238  Raja-purohitah.  The  king's  priest  (raja-purohitali}  is  here  represented  as  one  who 
should  be  a  confidential  and  virtuous  minister  of  state.  Such  is  not,  however,  the  cha- 
racter always  assigned  to  this  class  of  persons.  In  Manu  xii.  46,  quoted  above  (p.  41f.), 
the  purohita  is  placed  in  a  lower  class  than  other  Brahmans.  And  in  the  following 
verse  (4527)  of  the  Anus'asanaparvan,  taken  from  a  story  in  which  the  Eishis  utter 
maledictions  against  anyone  who  should  have  stolen  certain  lotus  roots,  part  of  the 
curse  spoken  by  Vis'vamitra  is  as  follows  :  varshacharo  'stu  bhritako  rajnas  chastupuro- 
hitah  |  ayajyasya  bhavatv  ritvig  visa-stainyam  karoti  yah  \  "  Let  the  man  who  steals 
lotus  roots  be  a  hireling  trafficker  in  rain  incantations  (?)  and  the  domestic  priest  of  a 
king,  and  the  priest  of  one  for  whom  no  Brahman  should  officiate."  Again,  in  verse 
4579,  the  same  person  says  :  karotubhritako'varsham  rajnas  chastu  purohitah  \  ritvig 
astu  hy  ayajyasya  yas  te  harati  pushkaram  \  "  Let  him  who  steals  thy  lotus  perform 
as  a  hireling  incantations  to  cause  drought,  and  be  a  king's  domestic  priest,  and  the 
priest  of  one  for  whom  no  Brahman  should  officiate."  I  have  had  partly  to  guess  at 
the  sense  of  the  words  varshacharah  and  avarsham.  The  Commentator  does  not  ex- 
plain the  former ;  and  interprets  the  latter  (for  which  the  Edinburgh  MS.  reads  avar- 
shah)  by  vrishti-nibandham,  "  causing  drought."  He  adds,  papishthah  eva  avarshah, 
"  those  who  cause  drought  are  most  wicked." 


AND  OP  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  129 

castes  was  produced  the  fourth  class,  the  S'udra,  fashioned  from  his 
feet.  The  Brahman,  as  soon  as  born,  becomes  the  lord  of  all  beings 
upon  the  earth,  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  treasure  of  righteous- 
ness. 2755.  Then  (the  creator)  constituted  the  Kshattriya  the  con- 
trouler  of  the  earth,  a  second  Yama  to  bear  the  rod,  for  the  satisfaction 
of  the  people.  And  it  was  Brahma's  ordinance  that  the  Yaisya  should 
sustain  these  three  classes  with  money  and  grain,  and  that  the  S'udra 
should  serve  them.  The  son  of  Ila  then  enquired  :  Tell  me,  Yayu,  to 
whom  the  earth,  with  its  wealth,  rightfully  belongs,  to  the  Brahman 
or  the  Kshattriya  ?  Ya^u  replied :  All  this,  whatever  exists  in  the 
world,  is  the  Brahman's  property239  by  right  of  primogeniture :  this  is 
known  to  those  who  are  skilled  in  the  laws  of  duty.  It  is  his  own 
which  the  Brahman  eats,  puts  on,  and  bestows.  He  is  the  chief  of  all 
the  castes,  the  first-born  and  the  most  excellent.  Just  as  a  woman 
when  she  has  lost  her  (first)  husband,  takes  her  brother  in  law  for  a 
second ;  so  the  Brahman  is  thy  first  resource  in  calamity ;  afterwards 
another  may  arise." 

A  great  deal  is  shortly  afterwards  added  about  the  advantages  of 
concord  between  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas.  Such  verses  as  the  fol- 
lowing (2802)  :  "  From  the  dissensions  of  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas 
the  people  incur  intolerable  suffering  "  (mitho  bheddd  Irdhmana-kshat- 
triydndm  prajd  duhkhaih  dussaham  chdvisanti]  afford  tolerably  clear 
evidence  that  the  interests  of  these  two  classes  must  frequently  have 
clashed. 

In  the  same  strain  as  the  preceding  passage  is  the  following : 
Yanaparvan,  13436.  Nddhydpandd  ydjandd  vd  anyasmdd  vd  prati- 
yrahdt  \  dosho  lhavati  viprdndm  jvalitdgni-samd  dvijdh  \  durvedd  vd  su- 
vedd  vd  prdkritdh  samskritds  tathd  \  bruhmand  ndvamantavyd  bhasma- 
channd  ivdgnayah  \  yathd  smasdne  dlptaujdh  pdvako  naiva  dushyati  \ 
evam  vidvdn  avidvdn  vd  brdhmano  daivatam  mahat  \  prdkdrais  cha  pura- 
dvdraih  prdsddais  cha  prithag-vidhaih  \  nagardni  na  sobhante  hmdni 
brdhmanottamaih  \  vedddhyd  rritta-sampannd  jndnavantas  tapasvinah  \ 
yatra  tishtlianti  vai  viprds  tan-ndma  nagaram  nripa  \  vraje  va,  py  athawd 

239  Kulluka,  the  Commentator  on  Manu  (i.  100),  is  obliged  to  admit  that  this  is 
only  spoken  in  a  panegyrical  or  hyperbolical  way,  and  that  property  is  here  used 
in  a  figurative  sense,  since  theft  is  afterwards  predicated  by  Manu  of  Bruhmans  a« 
well  as  others  ("warn"  iti  stutya  uchyute  \  svam  iva  svam  na  tu  sram  eva  \  brah- 
manasyapi  Manuna  steyasya  vakshyamunatvat). 

9 


130          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

'ranye  yatra  santi  bahu-srutdh  \  tat  tad  nagaram  ity  uhuh  pdrtha  tlr- 
tham  cha  tad  bhavet  \ 

"  No  blame  accrues  to  Brahraans  from  teaching  or  sacrificing,  or  from 
receiving  money  in  any  other  way :  Brahraans  are  like  flaming  fire. 
Whether  ill  or  well  versed  in  the  Veda,  whether  untrained  or  accom- 
plished, Brahmans  must  never  be  despised,  like  fires  covered  by  ashes. 
Just  as  fire  does  not  lose  its  pui  ity  by  blazing  even  in  a  cemetery,  so 
too,  whether  learned  or  unlearned,  a  Brahman  is  a  great  deity.  Cities 
are  not  rendered  magnificent  by  ramparts,  gates,  or  palaces  of  various 
kinds,  if  they  are  destitute  of  excellent  Brahraans.  13440.  The  place 
where  Brahmans,  rich  in  the  Yeda,  perfect  in  their  conduct,  and  aus- 
terely fervid,  reside,  is  (really)  a  city  (nagara).  Wherever  there  are 
men  abounding  in  Vedic  lore,  whether  it  be  a  cattle-pen,  or  a  forest, 
that  is  called  a  city,  and  that  will  be  a  sacred  locality." 

The  following  verses  from  the  Anusasanap.  2160  ff.  are  even  more 
extreme  in  their  character,  and  are,  in  fact,  perfectly  sublime  in  their 
insolence  : 

Brdhmandndm  paribhavdd  asurdh  salile  saydh  \  Irtihmandndm  prasd- 
ddcJi  cha  devdh  svarga-nivdsinah  \  asakyam  srashtum  dkdsam  achdlyo 
himavdn  girih  \  adhdryyd  setund  Gangd  durjayd  brdhmand  Ihuvi  \  na 
brdhmana-virodhena  salcyd  sdstum  vasundhard  \  brdhmand  hi  mahdtmdno 
devdndm  api  devatdh  \  tan  pujayasva  satatam  ddnena  paricharyyayd  \ 
yadlchhasi  mahim  bhoktum  imam  sdgara-melchaldm  \ 

"Through  the  prowess  of  the  Brahmans  the  Asuras  were  prostrated 
on  the  waters  ;  by  the  favour  of  the  Brahmans  the  gods  inhabit  heaven. 
The  ether  cannot  be  created  ;  the  mountain  Himavat  cannot  be  shaken  ; 
the  Ganga  cannot  be  stemmed  by  a  dam;  the  Brahmans  cannot  be 
conquered  by  any  one  upon  earth.  The  world  cannot  be  ruled  in  op- 
position to  the  Brahmans;  for  the  mighty  Brahmans  are  the  deities 
even  of  the  gods.  If  thou  desire  to  possess  the  sea-girt  earth,  honour 
them  continually  with  gifts  and  with  service." 

The  next  passage  seems  to  be  self- contradictory,  as  it  appears  to  set 
out  with  the  supposition  that  the  distinction  of  castes  arose  after  the 
creation ;  while  it  goes  on  to  assert  the  separate  origin  of  the  four  classes  : 
S'antiparvan,  10861.  Janaka  uvdcha  \  varno  visesha-varndndm  ma- 
harshe  kenajdyate  \  etad  ichhdmy  ahamjndtum  tad  bruhi  vadatdm  vara  \ 
yad  etaj  jdyate  'patyam  sa  evdyam  iti  srutih  \  Jcatham  brdhmanato  jdto 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  131 

viseshe  grahanam  gatah  \  Pardsara  uvdcha  \  JSvam  etad  mahdrdja  yena 
Jdtah  sa  eva  sah  \  tapasas  tv  apakarshena  jdtigrahanatdm  gatah  \  suk&het- 
trdchcha  suvljdch  cha  punyo  bhavati  sambhavah  \  ato  'nyatarato  hlndd 
avaro  ndma  jdyate  \  10865.  Vaktrdd  bhujdbhydm  urubhydm  padbhydfh 
chaivdtha  jajnire  \  srijatah  Prajdpater  lokdn  iti  dharmavido  viduh  \  mu- 
khajd  brdhmands  tufa  bdhujdh  kshattriydh  smritdh  \  urujdh  dhanino 
rdjan  pddajdh  parichdrakdh  \  chaturndm  eva  varndndm  dgamah  puru- 

sharshabha  \  ato  'nye  vyatiriktd  ye  te  vai  sankarajdh  smritdh  \ 

10870.  Janaka  uvdcha  \  Brahmanaikena  jdtdndm  nandtvam  gotratah 
katham  \  bahuriiha  hi  loke  vai  gotrdni  muni  sattama  \  yatra  tatra  kathaih 
jdtdh  svayonim  (?  suyonim}  munayo  gatah  \  suddha-yonau  samutpannd 
viyonau  cha  tatha,  'pare  \  Pardsara  uvdcha  \  rdjan  naitad  bhaved  grdhyam 
apakrishtena  janmand  \  matdtmandm  samutpattis  tapasd  bhdvitatmandm  \ 
utpddya  putrdn  munayo  nripate  yatra  tatra  ha  \  svenaiva  tapasd  teshdm 
rishitvam  pradadhuh  punah  \  ....  10876.  Ete  svdm  prakritim  prdptd 
Vaideha  tapasoiraydt  \  pratishthitd  veda-vido  damena  tapasaiva  hi  \ 

"Janaka  asks:  10861.  How,  o  great  rishi,  does  the  caste  of  the 
separate  classes  arise  ?  Tell  me,  as  I  desire  to  know.  According  to 
the  Veda,  the  offspring  which  is  born  (to  any  one)  is  the  very  man 
himself.  How  does  offspring  born  of  a  Brahman  fall  into  distinct 
classes  ?  Parasara  replied  :  It  is  just  as  you  say,  o  great  king.  A  son 
is  the  very  same  as  he  by  whom  he  was  begotten  ;  but  from  decline  of 
austere  fervour,  (men)  have  become  included  under  different  classes. 
And  from  good  soil  and  good  seed  a  pure  production  arises,  whilst 
from  those  which  are  different  and  faulty  springs  an  inferior  pro- 
duction. Those  acquainted  with  duty  know  that  men  were  born  from 
the  mouth,  arms,  thighs,  and  feet  of  Prajapati  when  he  was  creating 
the  worlds.  The  Brahmans  sprang  from  his  mouth,  the  Kshattriyas 
from  his  arms,  the  merchants  from  his  thighs,  and  the  servants  from 
his  feet.  The  scriptural  tradition  speaks  only  of  four  classes.  The 
men  not  included  in  these  are  declared  to  have  sprung  from  a  mixture 

(of  the  four) 10870.  Janaka  asked  :  How  is  there  a  difference 

in  race  between  men  sprung  from  one  and  the  same  Brahma  ?  for  there 
are  now  many  races  in  the  world.  How  have  Munis  born  anywhere 
(indiscriminately)  entered  into  a  good  family ;  some  of  them  having 
sprung  from  a  pure  source  and  others  from  an  inferior  stock  ?  Parasara 
replied:  It  would  not  be  credible  that  noble-minded  men,  whose  souls 


132          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

had  been  perfected  by  austere  fervour,  should  have  been  the  offspring  of  a 
degraded  birth.  Munis  who  had  begotten  sous  in  an  indiscriminate  way 
conferred  on  them  the  position  of  rishis  by  their  own  austere  fervour." 
The  speaker  then  names  a  number  of  sages  (10876)  "famed  for  their 
acquaintance  with  the  Yeda,  and  for  their  self-command  and  austere 
fervour,"  as  "  having  all  attained  to  their  respective  conditions  by 
practising  the  latter  observance." 

In  the  latter  verses  the  speaker  appears  to  admit,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment that  he  denies,  the  degraded  origin  of  some  of  the  renowned 
saints  of  Indian  antiquity.  What  else  is  th«  meaning  of  the  verse, 
"  Munis  who  had  begotten  sons  in  an  indiscriminate  way  conferred 
on  them  the  position  of  rishis  by  their  own  austere  fervour?"  No 
doubt  it  is  intended  to  represent  those  as  exceptional  times :  but  while 
we  refuse  to  admit  this  assumption,  we  may  find  some  reason  to  sup- 
pose that  the  irregularities,  as  they  were  afterwards  considered  to  be, 
which  this  assumption  was  intended  to  explain  away,  were  really 
samples  of  the  state  of  things  which  commonly  prevailed  in  earlier 
ages. 

The  next  extract  declares  that  there  is  a  natural  distinction  between 
the  Brahmans  and  the  other  castes ;  and  appears  to  intimate  that  the 
barrier  so  constituted  can  only  be  overpassed  when  the  soul  re-appears 
in  another  body  in  another  birth : 

Anusasana-parva,  6570.  Deva  uvdcha  \  Brdhmanyam  devi  dushprdp- 
yam  nisargdd  brdhmanah  subhe  \  kshattriyo  vaisyasudrau  vd  nisargdd 
iti  me  matih  \  karmand  dmhkriteneha  sthdndd  bhrasyati  vai  dvijah  \ 
jyeshtham  varnam  anuprdpya  tasmdd  raksheta  vai  dvijah  \  sthito  brdh- 
mana-dharmena  brdhmanyam  upajlvati  \  kshattriyo  vd  'tha  vaisyo  vd 
brahmabhuyam  sa  gachhati  \  yas  tu  brahmatvam  utsrijya  kshdttram 
dharmam  nishevate  \  Irdhmanydt  sa  paribhrashtah  kshattra-yonau  prajd- 
yate  \  vaisya-karma  cha  yo  vipro  lolha-moha-vyapdsrayah  \  brdhmanyam 
durlabham  prdpya  karoty  alpa-matih  sadd  \  sa  dvijo  vaisyatdm  eti  vaisyo 
vd  sudratdm  iyat  \  sva-dharmdt  prachyuto  vipras  tatah  sudratvam  dp- 
nute  |  ....  6590.  Ebhis  tu  karmabhir  devi  subhair  dcharitais  tathd  \ 
sudro  brdhtnanatdm  ydti  vaisyah  kshattriyatdm  vrajet  \  sudra-karmdni 
sarvdni  yathdnydyam  yathdvidhi  \  susrushdm  paricharyydm  chajyeshthe 
varne  prayatnatah  \  kurydd  ityddi  \ 

Mahadeva  says  :  6570.  "  Brahmanhood,  o  fair  goddess,  is  difficult  to 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  133 


be  attained.  A  man,  whether  he  be  a  Brahman,  Kshattriya, 
or  S'udra,  is  such  by  nature  ;  this  is  my  opinion.  By  evil  deeds  a  twice-  • 
born  man  falls  from  his  position.  Then  let  a  twice-born  man  who  has 
attained  to  the  highest  caste,  keep  it.  The  Kshattriya,  or  Vaisya,  who 
lives  in  the  condition  of  a  Brahman,  by  practising  the  duties  of  one,  at- 
tains to  Brahmanhood.  But  he  who  abandons  the  state  of  a  Brahman 
and  practises  the  duty  of  a  Kshattriya,  falls  from  Brahmanhood  and  is 
born  in  a  Kshattriya  womb.  And  the  foolish  Brahman,  who,  having 
attained  that  Brahmanhopd  which  is  s»  hard  to  get,  follows  the  pro- 
fession of  a  Vaisya,  under  the  influence  of  cupidity  and  delusion,  falls 
into  the  condition  of  a  Vaisya.  (In  like  manner)  a  Vaisya  may  sink 
into  the  state  of  a  S'udra.  A  Brahman  who  falls  away  from  his  own 
duty  becomes  afterwards  a  S'udra  .....  6590.  But  by  practising  the 
following  good  works,  o  goddess,  a  S'udra  becomes  a  Brahman,  and  a 
Vaisya  becomes  a  Kshattriya  :  Let  him  actively  perform  all  the  func- 
tions of  a  S'udra  according  to  propriety  and  rule,  i.e.  obedience  and 
service  to  the  highest  caste,"  etc. 

The  next  passage  is  the  first  of  those  which  I  have  already  noted,  as 
in  spirit  and  tenor  very  different  from  the  preceding.  The  conversation 
which  it  records  arose  as  follows  :  Yudhishthira  found  his  brother  Bhi- 
masena  caught  in  the  coils  of  a  serpent,  which,  it  turned  out,  was  no 
other  than  the  famous  king  Nahusha,  who  by  his  sacrifices,  austerities, 
etc.,  had  formerly  raised  himself  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  three  worlds  ; 
but  had  been  reduced  to  the  condition  in  which  he  was  now  seen,  as  a 
punishment  for  his  pride  and  contempt  of  the  Brahmans.  He  promises 
to  let  Bhlmaseva  go,  if  Yudhishthira  will  answer  certain  questions. 
Yudhishthira  agrees,  and  remarks  that  the  serpent  was  acquainted  with 
whatever  a  Brahman  ought  to  know.  Whereupon  the  Serpent  proceeds  : 

Vana-parva,  verses  12469ff  :  Sarpa  uvucha  \  bruhmanah  ko  bhaved 
rdjan  vedyam  kirn  cha  Yudhishthira  \  12470.  Bravlhy  atimatim  tvdm  hi 
rukyair  anumimimahe  \  Yudhishthira  uvucha  \  satyam  dunam  kshamii 
sllam  unrisamsyam  tapo  ghrind  \  drisyante  yatra  nagendra  sa  bruhmanah 
iti  smritih  \  vedyam  sarpa  param  Brahma  nirduhkham  asukham  cha  yat  \ 
yatra  aatvu  na  socJuinti  bhavatah  kim  vivakshitam  \  Sarpa  uvucha  \  chu- 
turvarnyam  pramdnam  cha  satyam  cha  brahma  chaiva  hi  \  Sudreshv  api 
cha  satyam  cha  danam  akrodha  eva  cha  \  anrisamsyam  ahimsu  cha  ghrina, 
chaiva  Yudhishthira  \  vedi/um  yach  chutra  nirduhkham  asukham  cha  na- 


134          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

rddhipa   \   tdbhyam  hlnam  padam  chdnyad  na  tad  astlti  lakshaye  \    Yu- 
dhishthira uvucha  \   12475.  S'udre  tu  yad  bhavel  lakshma  dvije  tach  cha 
na  vidyate   \  na  vai  sudro  bhavech  chhudro  brdhmano  na  cha  brdhmanah  \ 
yatraital  lakshyate  sarpa  vrittam  sa  brdhmanah  smritah  \  yatraitad  na 
bhavet   sarpa   tarn   siidram  iti  nirddiset   \   yat  punar  bhavatd  proktam 
na  vedyam  vidyatlti  cha  \   tdbhyam  hlnam  ato  'nyatra  padam   ndstlti 
ched  api  \  ewm  etad  matam  sarpa  tdbhyam  hlnam  na  vidyate  \  yathd 
s'doshnayor   madhye   bhaved  noshnam  na  sltatd    \    evam  vai  sukha-duh- 
khdbhydm  hlnam  ndsti  padam  kvachit  \  eshd  mama  matih  sarpa  yathd 
va   mandate   bhavdn  \  Sarpa   uvucha   )    12480.  Yadi  te  vrittato  rdjan 
brdhmanah  prasamlkshitah   \    vrithd  jdtis  tada  "ymhman  kritir  ydvad 
na  vidyate  \    Yudhishthira  uvdcha  \  jdtir  atra  mahdsarpa  manwhyatve 
mahdmate  \  sankardt  sarva-varndndm  dushparlkshyeti  me  matih  \  sarve 
sarwsv  apatydni  janayanti  sadd   nardh  \  van   maithunam  atho  janma 
maranam  cha  samam  nrindm   \    idam  drsham  pramdnam  cha  "  ye  ya- 
jdmahe"  ity   api   \    tasmdch   chhllam  pradhdneshtam   vidur  ye  tattva- 
darsinah    \    " prdn  ndbhi-varddhandt  pumso  jdta-karma   vidhlyate"    \ 
"tada  'syamdtd  sdvitrl  pita  tv  dchdryya  uchyate"   \    12485.  "  Tdvach 
chhudra-samo  hy  esha  ydvad  vede  najdyate"  \  tasminn  evam  mati-dvaidhe 
Manuh  Svdyambhuvo  'bravlt  \  krita-kritydh  punar  varnd  yadi  vrittam  na 
vidyate   \  sankaras  tatra  ndgendra  balavdn  prasamlkshitah  \   yatreddnlm 
mahdsarpa  samskritam  vrittam  ishyate  \    tarn  brdhmanam  aham  purvam 
uktavdn  bhujagottama  \ 

"12469.  The  Serpent  said:  Who  may  be  a  Brahman,  and  what  is 
the  thing  to  be  known,  o  Yudhishthira; — tell  me,  since  by  thy  words 
I  infer  thee  to  be  a  person  of  extreme  intelligence.  Yudhishthira 
replied :  12470.  The  Smriti  declares,  o  chief  of  Serpents,  that  he  is  a 
Brahman,  in  whom  truth,  liberality,  patience,  virtue,  innocence,  austere 
fervour,  and  compassion  are  seen.  And  the  thing  to  be  known  is  the 
supreme  Brahma,  free  from  pain,  as  well  as  from  pleasure, — to  whom, 
when  men  have  attained,  they  no  longer  sorrow.  What  is  your 
opinion  ?  The  Serpent  replied :  The  Yeda  (brahma}  is  beneficial  to 
all  the  four  castes  and  is  authoritative  and  true.240  And  so  we  find  in 

210  Such  is  the  sense  assigned  by  the  Commentator  to  this  line,  the  drift  of  which 
is  not  very  clear.    The  comment  runs  thus  :  Sarpas  tu  brahmana-padena  jati-niatram 
vivaJcshitva  iudre  tal  lakshanaih  vyabhicharayati  "  chaturvarnyam  "  iti  sarddhena  \ 
chaturndm  varnanam  hitam  \  satyam  pramdnam  cha  dharma-vyapasthapakam  brahma 
t-edah  \  sudrachara-smriter  api  veda-mulakatvat  sarvo  'py  aeharadih  sruti-mulakak 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  135 

S'udras  also  truth,  liberality,  calmness,  innocence,  harmlessness,  and 
compassion.  And  as  for  the  thing  to  be  known,  which  is  free  from 
pain  and  pleasure,  I  perceive  that  there  is  no  other  thing  free  from 
these  two  influences.  Yudhishthira  rejoined  :  12475.  The  qualities 
characteristic  of  a  S'udra  do  not  exist  in  a  Brahman  (nor  vice  versd). 
(Were  it  otherwise)  the  S'udra  would  not  be  a  S'udra,  nor  the  Brah- 
man a  Brahman.241  The  person  in  whom  this  regulated  practice  is  per- 
ceived is  declared  to  be  a  Brahman ;  and  the  man,  in  who*  it  is  absent, 
should  be  designated  as  a  S'udra.  And  as  to  what  you  say  further,  that 
there  is  nothing  other  than  this  (Brahma)  to  be  known,  which  is  free 
from  the  susceptibilities  in  question ;  this  is  also  (my  own)  opinion, 
that  there  is  nothing  free  from  them.  Just  as  between  cold  and  heat 
there  can  be  neither  heat  nor  cold,  so  there  is  nothing  free  from  the 
feeling  of  pleasure  and  pain.  Such  is  my  view  ;  or  how  do  you  con- 
sider? The  Serpent  remarked :  12480.  If  a  man  is  regarded  by  you 
as  being  a  Brahman  only  in  consequence  of  his  conduct,  then  birth  is 
vain  until  action  is  shown.  Yudhishthira  replied :  0  most  sapient 
Serpent,  birth  is  difficult  to  be  discriminated  in  the  present  condition 

ity  arthah  \  evaih  cha  satyadikam  yadi  kudre  'py  asti  tarhi  so  'pi  brahmana  eva  syad 
Hi  aha  "sudreshv  api"  iti  \  "The  serpent,  however,  understanding  by  the  terra 
Brahman  mere  birth,  shows  in  a  sloka  and  a  half  that  Yudhishthira's  definition  fails 
by  being  applicable  also  to  a  S'udra.  Chdturvarnya  means  '  beneficial  to  the  four 
castes.'  (Such  is  the  Veda),  which  is  also  '  true'  and  '  authoritative,'  as  establishing 
what  is  duty.  Inasmuch  as  the  Smriti  which  prescribes  a  S'udra's  conduct  is  itself 
founded  on  the  Veda;  all  conduct,  etc.,  is  based  on  the  Veda.  And  so  if  (the  cha- 
racters of)  truth,  etc.,  are  found  also  in  a  S'udra,  he  too  must  be  a  Brahman — such  is 
his  argument  in  the  words  '  In  S'udras  also.' "  According  to  this  explanation  the 
connection  between  the  first  line  and  the  second  and  third  may  be  as  follows  :  The 
Veda  is  beneficial  to  all  the  castes,  and  therefore  S'udras  also,  having  the  advantage 
of  its  guidance,  although  at  second  hand,  may  practise  all  the  virtues  you  enumerate  ; 
but  would  you  therefore  call  them  Brahmans? 

241  This  verse  is  not  very  lucid;  but  the  sense  may  be  that  which  I  have  as- 
signed. The  Commentator  says :  Ilaras  tu  brahmana- padena  brahma-vidaih  vivakshi- 
tva  s'udrader  api  brahmanatvam  abhyupagamya  pariharati  "  Sudre  tv  "  iti  \  S'udra- 
lakshya-kamadilcam  tia  bruhmane  'sti  na  brahmana -lakshya-saniadikam  sudre  'sti  ity 
arthah  |  sudro'pi samady-upeto  brdhmanah  \  brahmano  'pi  kamady-upetah  sudra  eva 
ity  arthah  \  "  The  other  (Yudhishthira),  however,  understanding  by  the  word  Brah- 
mana one  who  knows  the  Veda  (or,  Brahma),  and  conceding  the  fact  of  a  S'udra's  Brah- 
manhood,  obviates  by  the  words  'but  in  a  S'udra,'  etc.  (the  objection  thence  drawn). 
The  qualities,  lust,  etc.,  distinctive  of  a  S'udra,  do  not  exist  in  a  Brahman,  nor  do 
the  qualities  tranquillity,  etc.,  characteristic  of  a  Brahman  exist  in  a  S'udra.  A 
S'udra  distinguished  by  the  latter  is  a  Brahman ;  while  a  Brahman  characterized  by 
lust,  etc.,  is  a  S'udra." 


136          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAX, 

of  humanity,  on  account  of  the  confusion  of  all  castes.242    All  (sorts  of) 

-*-  In  the  tenth  vol.  of  his  Indische  Studien,  p.  83,  Professor  Weber  adduces  some 
curious  evidence  of  the  little  confidence  entertained  in  ancient  times  by  the  Indians  in 
the  chastity  of  their  women.  He  refers  to  the  following  passages :  (1)  Nidana  Sutra, 
iii.  8.  Uchchavacha-charanah  striyo  bhavanti  \  saha  deva-sakshye  cha  manushya-sak- 
shye  cha  yesham  putro  vakshye  tesham  pufro  bhavishyami  \  yam.icha  pu'ran  vakshye 
te  me  put  rah  bhavishyanti  \  "Women  are  irregular  in  their  conduct.  Of  whatsoever 
men,  I,  taking  gods  and  men  to  witness,  shall  declare  myself  to  be  the  son,  I  shall  be 
their  son  ;  and  they  whom  I  shall  name  as  my  sons  shall  be  so."  (2)  S'atapatha 
Brahmaya,  iii.  2,  1,  40.  Atlia  yad  "  brahmanah"  ilyaha  \  anaddha  iva  vai  asya  atnh 
purajanam  bhavati  \  idam  hy  ahuh  "  rakshamsi  yoshitam  anusachante  tad  uta  rak- 
shamty  eva  reta  adadhati  iti  \  atha  atra  addha  jay  ate  yo  brahmano  yo  yajnaj  jnyate  \ 
tasmad  api  rajanyaih  va  vais'yam  va  "brahmanah"  ity  eva  briryat  \  brahmano  Jii 
jay  ate  yo  yajnaj  jayate  \  tasmad  ahuh  "  na  savana-kritam  hanyad  enasvl  ha  eva 
savana-krita  "  iti  \  "  Now  as  regards  what  he  says  '  (this)  Brahman  (has  been  conse- 
crated) :'  before  this  his  birth  is  uncertain.  For  they  say  this  that  '  Rakshases  follow 
after  women,  and  therefore  that  it  is  Rakshases  who  inject  seed  into  them.'"  (Compare 
what  it  said  of  the  Gandharvas  in  Atharva  V.  iv.  37,  116,  and  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc. 
for  1865,  p.  301.)  So  then  he  is  certainly  born  who  is  born  from  sacred  science 
(brahma)  and  from  sacrifice.  Wherefore  also  let  him  address  a  Rajanya  or  a  Vais'ya 
as  '  Brahman,'  for  he  is  born  from  sacred  science  (brahma,  and  consequently  a  Brah- 
man) who  is  born  from  sacrifice.  Hence  they  say  '  let  no  one  slay  an  offerer  of  a 
libation,  for  he  incurs  (the)  sin  (of  Brahmanicide  ?)  by  so  doing."  (3)  On  the  next 
passage  of  the  S'.  P.  Br.  ii.  5,  2,  20,  Professor  Weber  remarks  that  it  is  assumed  that 
the  wife  of  the  person  offering  the  Vanma  praghasa  must  have  one  or  more  para- 
mours :  Atha  pratipras'hata  pratiparaiti  \  sa  patnJm  udaneshyan  prichhati  '  kena 
(jarena  Comm.)  charasi'  iti  \  Varunyam  vai  etat  strt  karoti  yad  anyasya  saty  anyena 
charati  \  atho  "  na  id  me  'ntah-salpa  juhuvad"  iti  tawiat  prichhati  \  niruktam  vai 
enah  fcawyo  bhavati  \  salt/am  hi  bhavati  \  tasmad  va  iva  prichhati  \  sa  yad  na  prati- 
jariita  jnatibhyo  ha  asyai  tad  nhitam  syat  \  "  The  pratiprasthatri  (one  of  the  priests) 
returns.  Being  about  to  bring  forward  the  wife,  he  asks  her,  '  with  what  (paramour) 
dost  thou  keep  company  ?'  For  it  is  an  offence  incurring  punishment  from  Varuna 
that  being  the  wife  of  one  man  she  keeps  company  with  another.  He  enquires  '  in 
order  that  she  may  not  sacrifice  with  me  while  she  feels  an  inward  pang.'  For  a  sin 
when  declared  becomes  less  :  for  it  is  not  attended  with  falsehood.  Therefore  he 
enquires.  If  she  does  not  confess,  it  will  be  ill  for  her  relations."  (This  passage  is 
explained  in  Kiityayana's  S'rauta  Sutras,  v.  5,  6-11.)  (4)  S'.  P.  Br.  i.  3,  2,  21.  Tad 
ti  ha  uvacha  Yajnavalkyo  "  yathadishtam  patnyah  astu  \  Ttas  tad  cidriyeta  yat  para- 
pumsa  va  patn'i  syat"  \  "  Yajnavalkya  said  this  (in  opposition  to  the  doctrine  of  some 
other  teachers) :  '  let  the  prescribed  rule  be  followed  regarding  a  wife.  Who  would 
mind  his  wife  consorting  with  other  men?'"  The  last  clause  has  reference  to  the 
consequence  which  the  other  teachers  said  would  follow  from  adopting  the  course  they 
disapproved,  viz.,  that  the  wife  of  the  man  who  did  so  would  become  an  adulteress. 
(5)  Taitt.  S.  v.  6,  8,  3.  Na  agniih  chitva  ramam  upeyad  "ayonau  reto  dhasyami"  iti  \ 
na  dvitJyam  chitva  'nyasya  striyam  upeyat  \  na  tritlyam  chitva  kanchana  upeyat  \  reto 
vai  etad  nidhatte  yad  agnim  ehinute  \  yad  upeyad  retasa  vi/rid/iyeta  \  "  Let  not  a  man, 
after  preparing  the  altar  for  the  sacred  fire,  approach  a  woman  (a  S'udra- woman, 
according  to  the  Commentator),  (considering)  that  in  doing  so,  he  would  be  discharging 
geed  into  an  improper  place.  Let  no  man,  after  a  second  time  preparing  the  fire- 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  137 

men  are  continually  begetting  children  on  all  (sorts  of)  women.  The 
speech,  the  mode  of  propagation,  the  birth,  the  death  of  all  mankind 
are  alike.  The  text  which  follows  is  Vedic  and  authoritative :  '  "We 
who  (are  called  upon)  we  recite  the  text.' 21S  Hence  those  men  who 
have  an  insight  into  truth  know  that  virtuous  character  is  the  thing 
chiefly  to  be  desired.  '  The  natal  rites  of  a  male  are  enjoined  to  be 
performed  before  the  section  of  the  umbilical  cord  (Manu,  ii.  29). 
Then  Savitri  (the  Gayatrl,  Manu  ii.  77)  becomes  his  mother  and  his 

altar,  approach  another  man's  wiife.  Let  no  man,  after  a  third  time  preparing  the 
fire-altar,  approach  any  woman :  for  in  preparing  the  fire-altar  he  is  discharging  seed. 
Should  he  approach  (a  woman  in  these  forbidden  cases)  he  Avill  miscarry  with  his 
seed."  This  prohibition  of  adultery  in  a  certain  case,  seems  to  prove  that  it  was  no 
uncommon  occurrence,  and  is  calculated,  as  Professor  "Weber  remarks,  to  throw  great 
doubt  on  the  purity  of  blood  in  the  old  Indian  families. 

243  To  explain  the  last  elliptical  expression  I  will  quote  part  of  the  Commentator's 
remarks  on  the  beginning  of  Yudhishthira's  reply :  Vagndlriam  iva  maithunasyapi 
sadharanyaj  jatir  durjneya  \  tatha  cha  srutih  "na  chaitad  vidmo  brahmanah  smo 
vayam  abrahmana  va  "  iti  brahmanya-samsayam  upanyasyati  \  nanu  jaty-anischaye 
katham  "  brahmano  'ham"  ityady  abhimana-purassaram  yagudau  pravartteta  ity 
asankyaha  " idam  arsham"  iti  \  atra  "ye  yajamahe"  ity  anena  cha  ye  vayam  sn:o 
brahmanah  anye  va  te  vayam  yajamahe  iti  brahmanye  '  navadharanam  darsitam  \ 
mantra-ling  am  api"ya  evasmi  m  san  yaje"  iti  |  .  .  .  .  Tasmad  achara  eva  brah- 
manya-ntichayahettir  veda-pranianyad  ity  upasaihharati  \  "  As  the  mode  of  propa- 
gation is  common  to  all  the  castes,  just  as  speech,  etc.  are,  birth  is  difficult  to  be 
determined.  And  accordingly,  by  the  words  :  '  We  know  not  this,  whether  we  are 
Brahmans  or  no  Brahmans,'  the  Veda  signifies  a  doubt  as  to  Brahmanhood.  Then, 
having  raised  the  difficulty  'how,  if  birth  is  undetermined,  can  a  man  engage  in 
sacrifice,  etc.,  with  the  previous  consciousness  that  he  is  a  Brahman,  etc.  ?'  the  author 
answers  in  the  words  '  this  text  is  Vedic,  etc.'  It  is  both  shewn  by  the  words  '  we 
who  ....  recite,'  (which  mean)  '  we,  whoever  we  are, — Brahmans  or  others, — we 
recite,'  that  the  fact  of  Brahmanhood  is  unascertained ;  and  this  is  also  a  cha- 
racteristic of  the  formula,  '  whosoever  I  am,  being  he  who  I  am,  I  recite.'  "  The 
comment  concludes  :  "  Hence  he  briefly  infers  from  the  authoritative  character  of 
the  Veda,  that  conduct  is  the  cause  of  certainty  in  regard  to  Brahmanhood."  Prof. 
Aufrecht  has  pointed  out  to  me  that  the  words  ye  yajamahe  occur  in  S'.  P.  Br.  i.  5,  2, 
16,  and  in  Taitt.  S.  i.  16,  11,  1.  The  Commentator  on  the  last-named  passage  refers 
in  explanation  of  them  to  As'valayana's  S'rauta  Sutras,  i.  5,  4  f.,  where  it  is  said  that 
these  two  words  constitute  the  formula  called  aatth,  which  comes  in  at  the  beginning 
of  all  the  yajyas  which  are  unaccompanied  by  any  anuyaja.  The  Commentator  in- 
terprets the  two  words  thus  :  sarve  "  ye  "  vayam  hotaro  'dhvaryuna  "  yaja  "  iti  pre- 
shitas  te  vayam,  "  yajamahe"  yajyam  pathamah  \  "  All  we  hotri  priests  who  are  called 
upon  by  t}ie  adhvaryu  by  the  word '  recite,'  we  recite,  i.t.  repeat  the  yajya."  (See 
Haug's  Ait.  Br.  ii.  p.  133,  and  note  11.)  Prof.  Aufrecht  thinks  the  words  in  the 
Commentator's  note  ya  evasmi  sa  san  yaje  may  be  a  free  adaptation  of  Atharva  V.  vi. 
123,  3,  4.  It  does  not  appear  from  what  source  the  words  no,  chaitad  vidmah  etc.  are 
derived. 


138          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

religious  teacher  his  father  (Manu,  ii.  170,  225).  12485.  Until  he 
is  born  in  the  Veda,  he  is  on  a  level  with  a  S'udra'  (Manu,  ii. 
172); — so,  in  this  diversity  of  opinions  did  Manu  Svayambhuva  de- 
clare. The  castes  (though  they  have  done  nothing)  will  have  done  all 
they  need  do,2M  if  no  fixed  rules  of  conduct  are  observed.  In  such  a 
case  there  is  considered  to  be  a  gross  confusion  of  castes.  I  have 
already  declared  that  he  is  a  Brahman  in  whom  purity  of  conduct  is 
recognized." 

The  next  passage  from  the  S'antiparvau,  verses  6930  ff.,  is  even  more 
explicit  than  the  last  in  denying  any  natural  distinction  between  the 
people  of  the  different  castes  : 

Bhrigur  uvdcha  \  Asrijad  brdhmandn  evam  purvam  Brahma  prajd- 
patm  |  dtma-tejo'bhinirvrittdn  bhdskardgni-sama-prabhdn  \  tatah  satyam 
cha  dharmam  clia  tapo  brahma  cha  sdsvatam  |  dchdram  chaiva  sauchaih 
cha  svargdya  vtdadhe  prabhuh  \  deva-ddnava-gandharvd  daitydsura-ma- 
horagdh  \  yaksha-rdkshasa-ndgds  cha  pisdchd  manujds  tathd  \  brdhmandh 
kshattriyd  vaisydh  sudrds  cha  dvija-sattama  \  ye  chdnye  Ihuta-sanghdndm 
varnds  tarns  chdpi  nirmame  \  brdhmandndm  sito  varnah  kshattriydnaih 
cha  lohitah  \  vaisydndm  pitako  varnah  sudrdndm  asitas  tatha  \  6935. 
Bharadvtija  uvdcha  \  Chdturvarnyasya  varnena  yadi  varno  vibhidyate  \ 
sarveshdm  hhalu  varndndfh  drityate  varna-sankarah  \  Icdmah  krodho  bha- 
yam  lobhah  sokas  chintd  kshudhd  sramah  \  sarveshdm  nah™ prabhavati 
kasmdd  varno  mlihidyate  \  sveda-mutra-purlshdni  sleshmd  pittam  sa-soni- 
tam  |  tanuh  ksharati  sarveshdm  kasmdd  varno  vibhajyate  \  jangamdndm 
asamkhyeydh  sthdvardndm  cha  jdtayah  \  teshdih  vividha-varndntim  kuto 
varna-vinischayah  \  Bhrigur  uvdcha  \  Na  visesho  'sti  varndndm  sarvam 
brdhmam  idamjayat  \  Brahmand  purva  srishtam  hi  karmabhir  varnatdm 
gatam  \  6940.  Kdma-bhoga-priyds  tlkshndh  krodha,nuh  priya-sdhasdh  \ 

244  The  Commentator  thus  explains  the  word  krita-kritya  :  Krita-krityah  sudra- 
tulyah  |  tatha  cha  smritih  "««  sudre  pa takam  kinchid  na  cha  samskaram  arhati"  iti 
tesham  samskaranarhatva-nishpapatvabhidanat  krita-krityatvam   darsayati  \  tadvat 
traivarnika  api  syur  ity  arthah  \  "  Krita  krityah  (lit.  having  done  what  was  to  be 
done)  means,  like  S'udras ;  so  the  Smriti  (when  it  says),  '  No  sin  exists  in  a  S'udra, 
nor  is  he  fit  for  purificatory  rites,'  shews,  by  declaring  the  unfitness  of  this  class  for 
such  rites,  and  its  freedom  from  sin,  that  it  has  the  character  of  krita-krityatvatva, 
i.e.  of  having  done  all  it  had  to  do.     And  such  (in  the  event  supposed)  would  be  the 
case  with  men  of  the  three  (upper)  classes  also." 

245  The  Calcutta  edition  reads  na,  "not,"  which  cannot  be  right.     The  MS.  in  the 
Library  of  the  Edinburgh  University  has  nah,  "  of  us." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUB.  CASTES.  139 

tyakta-svadharmd  raktdngds  te  dvijdh  kshattratdih  gatdh  \  gobhyo  vrittiih 
samdsthdya  pltdh  krishy-upajlcinah  \  sva-dharmdn  ndnutishthanti  te 
dvijd  vaisyatdm  gatdh  \  hiihsdnrita-priyd  lubdhdh  sarva-karmopajivinah  \ 
krishndh  saucha-paribhrashtds  te  dvijah  sudratdm  gatdh  \  ity  etaih  kar- 
mabhir  vyastd  dvijd.  varndntaram  gdtdh  \  dharmo  yajna-kriyd  teshum 
nityam  na  pratishidhyate  \  ity  ete  chaturo  varnd  yeshdm  brdhml  saras- 
vatl  |  vihitd  Brahmana  purvam  lobhdt  tv  ajndnatdm  gdtdh  \  6945. 
Brdhmand  brahma-tantra-sthds™  to/pas  teshdm  na  nasyati  \  brahma  dhd~ 
rayatdih  nityam  vratdni  niyamdms  tathd  \  brahma  chaiva  param  srishtam 
ye  na  jdnanti  te  'dmjdh  \  teshdm  bahuvidhds  tv  anyds  tatra  tatra  hi 
jdtayah  \  pisdchd  rdkshasdh  pretd  vividhd  mlechha-jdtayah  \  pranashta- 
jndna-vijndndh  svachhanddchdra-cheshtitdh  \  prajd  brdhmana-samskdrdh 
sva-karma-krita-nischaydh  \  rishibhih  svena  tapasd  srijyante  chdpare 
paraih  \  ddi-deva-samudbhutd  brahma-muld  'kshayd  'vyayd  \  sd  srishtir 
mdnasl  ndma  dharma-tantra-pardyand  \  6950.  JBharadvdja  uvacha  \ 
Brdhmanah  kena  bhavati  kshattriyo  vd  dvijottama  \  vaisyah  sudras  cha 
viprarshe  tad  bruhi  vadatdm  vara  \  Bhrigur  uvdcha  \  Jata-karmddibhir 
yas  tu  samskdraih  samskritah  suchih  \  vedadhyayana-sampannah  shatsu 
karmasv  avasthitah  \  sauchdchdra-sthitah  samyag  vighasdsl  gum-priyah  \ 
nitya-vratl  satyaparah  sa  vai  brdhmana  uchyate  \  satyam  ddnam  athd- 
droha  dnrisamsyam  trapd  ghrind  \  tapas  cha  drisyate  yatra  sa  brdhmana 
iti  smritah  \  kshattra-jam  sevate  karma  vedddhyayana-sangatah  \  ddnd- 
ddna-ratir  yas  tu  sa  vai  kshattriya  uchyate  \  6955.  Fisaty  dsu  pasubhyas 
cha  krishy-dddna-ratih  suchih  \  vedddhyayana-sampannah  sa  vaisyah  iti 
sanjnitdh  \  sarva-bhakshya-ratir  nityam  sarva-karma-karo  'suchih  \ 
tyakta-vedas  tv  andchdrah  sa  vai  sudrah  iti  smritah  \  sudre  chaitad 
bhavel  lakshyam  dvije  tach  cha  na  vidyate  \  sa  vai  sudro  bhavech  chhudro 
brdhmano  brdhmano  na  cha  \ 

"Bhrigu  replied:  6930.  ' Brahma  thus  formerly  created  the  Praja- 
patis,  Brahmanic,817  penetrated  by  his  own  energy,  and  in  splendour 
equalling  the  sun  and  fire.  The  lord  then  formed  truth,  righteousness, 
austere  fervour,  and  the  eternal  veda  (or  sacred  science),  virtuous 
practice,  and  purity  for  (the  attainment  of)  heaven.  Ha  also  formed 
the  gods,  Danavas,  Gandharvas,  Daityas,  Asuras,  Mahoragas,  Yakshas, 

246  Brahma  -tantrum  =  vedoktanushthanam  \  Comm. 

24?  Brahmandn,  "  Brahmans,"  is  the  word  employed.  It  may  mean  here  "  sons  of 
Brahma." 


140          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

Rakshasas,  Nagas,  Pisachas,  and  men,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas, 
and  S'udras,  as  well  as  all  other  classes  (varnuh)  of  beings.  The  colour 
(varna)  of  the  Brahmans  was  white  ;  that  of  the  Kshattriyas  red ;  that 
of  the  Yaisyas  yellow,  and  that  of  the  S'udras  black.' 248  6935.  Bhara- 
dvaja  here  rejoins :  '  If  the  caste  (varna)  of  the  four  classes  is  dis- 
tinguished by  their  colour  (varna},  then  a  confusion  of  all  the 
castes  is  observable.  Desire,  anger,  fear,  cupidity,  grief,  appre- 
hension, hunger,  fatigue,  prevail  over  us  all :  by  what,  then,  is  caste 
discriminated?  Sweat,  urine,  excrement,  phlegm,  bile,  and  blood  (are 
common  to  all) ;  the  bodies  of  all  decay :  by  what  then  is  caste  dis- 
criminated ?  There  are  innumerable  kinds  of  things  moving  and  sta- 
tionary :  how  is  the  class  (varna)  of  these  various  objects  to  be  deter- 
mined ? '  Bhrigu  replies :  '  There  is  no  difference  of  castes  :249  this 
world,  having  been  at  first  created  by  Brahma  entirely  Brahmanic,250 

248  It  is  somewhat  strange,  as  Professor  "Weber  remarks  in  a  note  to  p.  215  of  his 
German  translation  of  the  Vajra  SuchI,  that  in  the  passage  of  the  Kathaka  Brahmana 
xi.  6,  which  he  there  quotes,  a  white  colour  is  ascribed  to  the  Vais'ya  and  a  dark  hue 
to  the  Rajanya.     The  words  are  these  :   Yach  chhuklanam  (brihmani)  adityebhyo  nir- 
vapati  tasmach  chhukla  iva  vaisyo  jayate  \  yat  krishnanam  varunam  tasmad  dhumra 
iva  rajanyah  \  "  Since  the  Vais'ya  offers  an  oblation  of  white  (rice)  to  the  Adityas,  he 
is  born  as  it  were  white  ;  and  as  the  Varuna  oblation  is  of  black  (rice)  the  Rajanya 
is  as  it  were  dusky." 

249  Compare  with  this  the  words  attributed  in  S'antiparvan,  verses  2819  ff.,  to  King 
Muchukunda,  who  had  been  reproached  by  the  god  Kuvera  with  trusting  for  victory 
to  the  aid  of  his  domestic  priest  instead  of  to  his  own  prowess  :  Muchukundas  tatah 
krtiddhah  pratyuvacha  Dhanesvaram  \  nyaya-pitrvam   asamrabdham   asambhrantam 
idaih  vachah  \  brahma  kshattram  idam  srishtam  eka-yoni  svayambhuva  \  prithag-bala- 
vidJwnam  tanna  lokam  paripalayet  \  tapo-mantra-balam  nityam  brahmaneshu pratish- 
thitam  \  astra-bahu-balam  nityam  kshattriyeshu  pratishthitam  \  tnbhyam  sambhuya 
karttavyam  prajanam  paripalanam  \  "Muchukunda  then,  incensed,  addressed  to  the 
Lord  of  riches  these  reasonable  words,  which  did  not  partake  of  his  anger  or  excite- 
ment :  '  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas  were  created  by  Brahma  from  the  same  womb  (or 
source)  with  different  forces  appointed  to  them  :  this  cannot  (neither  of  these  separate 
forces  can  ?)  protect  the  world.     The  force  of  austere  fervour  and  of  sacred  texts 
abides  constantly  in  the  Brahmans ;  and  that  of  weapons  and  their  own  arms  in  the 
Kshattriyas.     By  these  two  forces  combined  the  people  must  be  protected." 

250  Brahmam  is  the  word  employed.     That  it  is  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  of 
"  Brahmanical "  appears  from  the  following  lines  in  which  the  word  dvijah  must  be 
taken  in  the  special  signification  of  Brahmans  and  not  of  "  twice-born  men  "  (who 
may  be  either  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  or  Vais'yas)  in  general.     The  Brahman  is  con- 
sidered to  have  been  formed  of  the  essence  of  Brahma,  and  to  represent  the  original 
tvpe  of  perfect  humanity  as  it  existed  at  the  creation.     The  Commentator  takes  the 
word  brahmam  as  =  brahmana-jatimat,  "  having  the  caste  of  Brahmans  ;  "  and  he 
explains  the  different  colours  mentioned  in  the  next  verses  as  follows :  red  (rakta) 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  14] 

became  (afterwards)  separated  into  castes  in  consequence  of  works. 
6940.  Those  Brahmans  (lit.  twice-born  men),  who  were  fond  of  sensual 
pleasure,  fiery,  irascible,  prone  to  violence,  who  had  forsaken  their 
duty,  and  were  red-limbed,  fell  into  the  condition  of  Kshattriyas. 
Those  Brahmans,  who  derived  their  livelihood  from  kine,  who  were 
yellow,  who  subsisted  by  agriculture,  and  who  neglected  to  practise 
their  duties,  entered  into  the  state  of  Yaisyas.  Those  Brahmans,  who 
were  addicted  to  mischief  and  falsehood,  who  were  covetous,  who  lived 
by  all  kinds  of  work,  who  were  black  and  had  fallen  from  purity,  sank 
into  the  condition  of  S'udrasl  Being  separated  from  each  other  by  these 
works,  the  Brahmans  became  divided  into  different  castes.  Duty  and 
the  rites  of  sacrifice  have  not  been  always  forbidden  to  (any  of)  them. 
Such  are  the  four  classes  for  whom  the  Brahmanic231  Sarasvati  was  at  first 
designed  by  Brahma,  but  who  through  their  cupidity  fell  into  ignor- 
ance. 6945.  Brahmans  live  agreeably  to  the  prescriptions  of  the 
Veda ;  while  they  continually  hold  fast  the  Veda,  and  observances,  and 
ceremonies,  their  austere  fervour  (tapas)  does  not  perish.  And  sacred 
science  was  created  the  highest  thing :  they  who  are  ignorant  of  it 
are  no  twice-born  men.  Of  these  there  are  various  other  classes  in  dif- 
ferent places,  Pisachas,  Itakshasas,  Pretas,  various  tribes  of  Mlechhas, 
who  have  lost  all  knowledge  sacred  and  profane,  and  practise  whatever 
observances  they  please.  And  different  sorts  of  creatures  with  the 
purificatory  rites  of  Brahmans,  and  discerning  their  own  duties,  are 
created  by  different  rishis  through  their  own  austere  fervour.  This 
creation,  sprung  from  the  primal  god,  having  its  root  in  Brahma,  un- 
decaying,  imperishable,  is  called  the  mind-born  creation,  and  is  devoted 
to  the  prescriptions  of  duty.'  6950.  Bharadvaya  again  enquires : 
'  What  is  that  in  virtue  of  which  a  man  is  a  Brahman,  a  Kshattriya, 

means  "  formed  of  the  quality  of  passion  "  (rajo-guna-maya) ;  yellow  (pita)  "  formed 
of  the  qualities  of  passion  and  darkness"  (rajas-(amo-maya),  and  black  (krishna 
or  asita)  "  formed  of  darkness  only  "  (kevala-tamomaya), 

231  Brahml.  This  word  is  thus  interpreted  by  the  Commentator :  vedamayl  j  chatur- 
nam  api  varnanam  Srahmana  purvam  vihita  \  lobha-doshena  tu  ajnanalafii  tamo- 
bhavam  gatah  sudrah  anadhikarino  vede  jatah  \  "  Sarasvati,  consisting  of  the  Veda, 
was  formerly  designed  by  Brahma  for  all  the  four  castes :  but  the  S'udras  having 
through  cupidity  fallen  into  '  ignorance,'  i.e.  a  condition  of  darkness,  lost  their  right 
to  the  Veda."  See  Indische  Studien,  ii.  194,  note,  where  Professor  "Weber  under- 
stands this  passage  to  import  that  in  aucient  times  the  S'udras  spoke  the  language  of 
the  Aryas. 


142          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

a  Vaisya,  or  a  S'udra;  tell  me,  o  most  eloquent  Brahman  rishi.' 
Bhrigu  replies :  '  He  who  is  pure,  consecrated  by  the  natal  and  other 
ceremonies,  who  has  completely  studied  the  Veda,  lives  in  the  practice 
of  the  six  ceremonies,  performs  perfectly  the  rites  of  purification,  who 
eats  the  remains  of  ohlations,  is  attached  to  his  religious  teacher,  is 
constant  in  religious  observances,  and  devoted  to  truth, — is  called  a 
Brahman.  6953.  He  in  whom  are  seen  truth,  liberality,  inoffensive- 
ness,  harmlessness,  modesty,  compassion,  and  austere  fervour, — is  de- 
clared to  be  a  Brahman.  He  who  practises  the  duty  arising  out  of 
the  kingly  office,  who  is  addicted  to  the  ^tudy  of  the  Veda,  and  who 
delights  in  giving  and  receiving,252 — is  called  a  Kshattriya.  6955.  He 
who  readily  occupies  himself  with  cattle,253  who  is  devoted  to  agri- 
culture and  acquisition,  who  is 'pure,  and  is  perfect  in  the  study  of  the 
Veda, — is  denominated  a  Vaisya.  6956.  He  who  is  habitually  addicted 
to  all  kinds  of  food,  performs  all  kinds  of  work,  who  is  unclean,  who 
has  abandoned  the  Veda,  and  does  not  practise  pure  observances, — is 
traditionally  called  a  S'udra.  And  this  (which  I  have  stated)  is  the 
mark  of  a  S'udra,  and  it  is  not  found  in  a  Brahman  :  (such)  a  S'udra 
will  remain  a  S'udra,  while  the  Brahman  (who  so  acts)  will  be  no 
Brahman."254 

The  passage  next  to  be  quoted  recognizes,  indeed,  the  existence  of 
castes  in  the  TCrita  age,  but  represents  the  members  of  them  all  as 
having  been  perfect  in  their  character  and  condition,  and  as  not  differ- 
ing from  one  another  in  any  essential  respects. 

It  is  related  in  the  Vanaparvan  that  Bhimasena,  one  of  the  Pandus, 

252  Danam  viprebhyah  \  adanam  prajabhyah,  "  Giving  to  Brahmans,  receiving  from 
his  subjects." — Comm. 

253  Pasun  vcinijyaya  upayoginah  upalabdhva  visati  pratishtham  labhate  \  "Who 
perceiving  cattle  to  be  useful  for  trade,  '  enters,'  obtains  a  basis  (for  his  operations)." 
— Comm.     As  we  have  seen  above  p.  97,  these  etymologies  are  frequently  far-fetched 
and  absurd. 

254  On  this  verse  the  Commentator  annotates  as  follows:    etat  satyadi-saptakam 
dvije  traivarnike  \  dharma  eva  varna-vibhage  karanaih  najTitir  ity  arthah  \  "These 
seven  virtues,  beginning  with  truth  (mentioned  in  verse  6953),  exist  in  the  twice-born 
man  of  the  first  three  classes.     The  sense  is  that  righteousness,  and  not  birth,  is  the 
cause  of  the  division  into  classes."     This  explanation  is  not  very  lucid.     But  the 
sense  seems  to  be  that  the  seven  good  qualities  referred  to  are  the  proper  characteris- 
tics of  the  three  upper  castes,  while  the  defects  specified  in  verse  6956  are  the  proper 
distinctive  marks  of  the  S'udras.     Thus  the  S'udra  who  has  the  four  defects  will 
remain  a  S'udra,  but  a  Brahman  who  has  them  will  be  no  Brahman. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  143 

in  the  course  of  a  conversation  with  his  brother 255  Hanumat  the  mon- 
key chief,  had  requested  information  on  the  subject  of  the  Yugas  and 
their  characteristics.  Hanumat's  reply  is  given  in  verses  11234  ff. : 

Kritam  ndma  yugam  tdta  yatra  dharmah  sandtanah  \  kritam  eva  na 
karttavyam  tasmin  kale  yugottame  \  na  tatra  dharmah  sldanti  kshlyante 
na  cha  vai  prajdh  \  tatah  krita-yugam  numa  kdlena  gunatdm  gatam  \ 
deva-ddnava-gandharva-yaksha-rdkshasa-pannagdh  \  ndsan  krita-yiige  tdta 
tadd  na  kraya-vikrayah 258  j  na  sdma-rig-yajur-varndh?S!  kriyd  ndslch  cha 
mdnavl  \  abhidhydya  phalam  tatra  dharmah  sannydsa  eva  cha  \  na  tasmin 
yuga-samsarge  vyddhayo  nendriya-kshayah  \  ndsuyd  ndpi  ruditam  na 
darpo  ndpi  vaikritam™  \  na  vigrahah™  kutas  tandrl  na  dvesho  na  cha  pa i- 
sunam  \  11240.  Na  lhayam  ndpi  santdpo  na  cJtershyd  na  cha  matsarah  \ 
tatah  paramakam  Brahma  sd  gatir  yogindm  para  \  dtmd  cha  sarva-bhu- 
tdndm  suklo  Ndrdyanas  tadd  \  brdhmandh  kshattriydh  vaisyah  sudrdscha 
krita-lakshandh  \  krite  yuge  samabhavan  sva-karma-niratdh  prajdh  \  sa- 
mdsrayam  samdchdrafh  sama-jndnam  cha  kevalam  \  tadd  hi  sdmakarmdno 
varnd  dharmdn  avdpnuvan  \  eka-deva-sadd-yuktdh  eka-mantra-vidhi-kri- 
ydh  |  prithagdharmds  tv  eka-vedd  dharmam  ekam  anuvratdh  \  chdturai- 
ramya-yuktena  karmand  kdla-yogind  \  11245.  Akdma-phala-samyogdt 
prdpnuvanti  pardm  gatim  \  dtma-yoga-samdyukto  dharmo  'yam  krita- 
lakshanah  \  krite  yuge  chatushpddus  chdturvarnyasya  sdsvatah  \  etat  krita- 
yugam  ndma  traigunya-parivarjjitam  \  tretdm  api  nibodha  tvam  tasmin 
sattram  pravarttate  \  pddena  hrasate  dharmo  raktatdm  ydti  chdchyutah  \ 
satya-pravrittds  cha  nardh  kriyd-dharma-pardyandh  \  tato  yajndh  pra- 
varttante  dharmdscha  vividhdh  kriydh  \  tretdydm  bJidva  -  sankalpdh 
kriyd-ddna-phalopagdh  \  pracnalanti  na  vai  dharmdt  tapo-ddna-pard- 
yandh  \  11250.  Sva-dharma-stlidh  kriydvanto  nards  tretd-yuge  'bha- 
van  |  dvdpare  tu  yuge  dharmo  dvibhdgonah  prararttate  \  Vishnur  vai 
pltatdm  ydti  chaturdhd  veda  eva  cha  \  tato  'nye  cha  chatur-vedds  tri- 
vedds  cha  tathd  pare  \  dvi-vedds  chaika-vedds  chdpy  anrichas  cha  tathd 
pare  \  evam  sdstreshu  bhinneshu  bahudhd  nlyate  kriyd  \  tapo-ddna-pra- 
rrittu  cha  rdjasl  bhavati  prajd  \  eka-vedasya  chdjndndd  vedds  te  bahavah 

556  Both  were  sons  of  Vayu.  See  verses  11134,  11169  f.  and  11176f.  of  this  same 
hook.  The  RSmiiyana  is  mentioned  in  verse  11177. 

258  The  MS.  in  the  Edinburgh  University  Library  reads  as  the  last  pada:  duna- 
dhyayaiia-visrainah. 

-W  The  Edinburgh  MS.  reads  vedah  instead  varnnh. 

253  Kapatam — Comm.  2s9   Vairam — Comm. 


144          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

kritdh  |  sattvasya  cheha  vibhramsdt  satye™  kaschid  avasthitah  \  satttdt 
prachyavamdndndm  vyddhayo  bahavo  'bhavan  \  11255.  Kdmds  chopadra- 
vdschaiva  tadd  vai  daiva-kdritdh  \  yair  ardyamdndh  subhrisam  tapas 
tapyanti  mdnavdh  \  kdma-kdmdh  svarga-kdmd  yajndms  tanvanti  chdpare  \ 
evam  dvdparam  dsddya  prajdh  kshlyanty  adharmatah  \  pddenaikena  Kaun- 
teya  dharmah  kali-yuge  sthitah  \  tdmasam  yugam  dsddya  krishno  bhavati 
Kesavah\  veddchdrdh  prasdmyanti  dharma-yajna-kriyds  tathd  \  liayovyd- 
dhayas  trandrl  doshuh  krodhddayds  tathd  \  upadravds  cha  varttante 
ddhayah  kshud  bhayam  tathd  \  yugeshv  dvarttamdneshu  dharmo  vydvart- 
ttte  punah  \  dharme  vydvarttamdne  tu  loko  vydvarttate  punah  \  loke 
kshlne  kshayam  ydnti  bhdvd  loka-pravarttakdh  \  yuga-kshaya-kritd  dhar- 
mdh  prdrthandni  vikurvate  \  etat  kaliyugam  ndma  achirdd  yat  pravart- 
tate  |  yugdnuvarttanafh  tv  etat  kurvanti  chirajlvinah  \ 

"11234.  The  Krita  is  that  age  in  which  righteousness  is  eternal. 
In  the  time  of  that  most  excellent  of  Yugas  (everything)  had  been 
done  (krita],  and  nothing  (remained)  to  be  done.  Duties  did  not 
then  languish,  nor  did  the  people  decline.  Afterwards,  through  (the 
influence  of)  time,  this  yuga  fell  into  a  state  of  inferiority.281  In 
that  age  there  were  neither  Gods,263  Danavas,  Gandharvas,  Yakshas, 
Rakshasas,  nor  Pannagas ;  no  buying  or  selling  went  on ;  the 
Yedas  were  not  classed263  as  Saman,  Rich,  and  Yajush;  no  efforts 
were  made  by  men  :261  the  fruit  (of  the  earth  was  obtained)  by  their 
mere  wish :  righteousness  and  abandonment  of  the  world  (prevailed). 

260  The  Edinburgh  MS.  reads  satlve  instead  of  satye. 

281  In  thus  rendering,  I  follow  the  Commentator,  whose  gloss  is  this :  Mukh- 
yam  apy  amukhyatum  gatam  \  "  although  the  chief,  it  fell  into  inferiority."  In 
Bohtlingk  and  Roth's  Lexicon  this  line  is  quoted  under  the  vfordgunata,  to  which  the 
sense  of  "  superiority,  excellence,"  is  assigned. 

262  Compare  with  this  the  verses  of  the  Yayu  Parana  quoted  in  p.  90,  which  state 
that  in  the  Krita  age  there  were  neither  plants  nor  animals  ;  which  are  the  products 
of  unrighteousness. 

263  I  do  not  venture  to  translate  "  there  was  then  no  [division  of  the  Yeda  into] 
Saman,  Rich,  and  Yajush,  nor  any  castes,"   (1)  because  the  Edinburgh  MS.  reads 
vedah  instead  of  varnah,  and  the  Commentator  does  not  allude  to  the  word  varnah ;  and 
(2)  castes  (varnah)  are  referred  to  below  (verses  11242  f.)  as  existing,  though  without 
much  distinction  of  character.     The  Commentator  explains  :  trayl-dharmasya  chitta- 
siiddhy-arthatvat  tasyas  cha  tadariim  svabhavatvat  na  samad'iny  asan  \  "  As  the  ob- 
jsct  of  the  triple  veda  is  purity  of  heart,  and  as  that  existed  naturally  at  that  period, 

there  were  no  (divisions  of)  Saman,  etc." 

264  I  follow  the  Commentator  whose  gloss  is  :   "  Manaal  Jcriya"  krishy-ady-aram- 
bha-bhuta  \  kinlu  "  abhidhyaya  phalam,"  sankalpad  eva  sarvam  sampadyate  \ 


.      AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  145 

No  disease  or  decline  of  the  organs  of  sense  arose  through  the  in- 
fluence of  the  age ;  there  was  no  malice,  weeping,  pride,  or  deceit ; 
no  contention,  and  how  could  there  be  any  lassitude  ?  no  hatred, 
cruelty,  (11240)  fear,  affliction,  jealousy,  or  envy.  Hence  the  supreme 
Brahma  was  the  transcendent  resort  of  those  Togins.  Then  Narayana, 
the  soul  of  all  beings,  was  white.285  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas 
and  Sudras  possessed  the  characteristics  of  the  Krita.288  In  that  age 
were  born  creatures  devoted  to  their  duties.  They  were  alike  in  the 
object  of  their  trust,  in  observances  and  in  their  knowledge.  At  that 
period  the  castes,  alike  in'  their  functions,  fulfilled  their  duties,  were 
unceasingly  devoted  to  one  deity,  and  used  one  formula  (mantra),  one 
rule,  and  one  rite.  Though  they  had  separate  duties,  they  had  but 
one  Yeda,  and  practised  one  duty.287  fiy  works  connected  with  the  four 
orders,  and  dependent  on  conjunctures  of  time,268  (11245)  but  un- 
affected by  desire,  or  (hope  of)  reward,  they  attained  to  supreme 
felicity.  This  complete  and  eternal  righteousness  of  the  four  castes 
during  the  Krita  was  marked  by  the  character  of  that  age  and  sought 
after  union  with  the  supreme  soul.  The  Krita  age  was  free  from  the 
three  qualities.289  Understand  now  the  Treta,  in  which  sacrifice  com- 
menced,270 righteousness  decreased .  by  a  fourth,  Yishnu  became  red ; 

265  In  verse  12981  of  this  same  Vanaparvan  the  god  says  of  himself :  svetah  krita- 
yuge  varnah  pitas  tretayuge  mama  \  rakto  dvaparam  asadya  krishnah  kali-yuge  tatha  \ 
"  My  colour  in  the  Krita  age  is  white,  in  the  Treta  yellow,  when  I  reach  the  Dvapara 
it  is  red,  and  in  the  Kali  hlack." 

288  The  Commentator's  gloss  is :  kritani  svatah  aiddhani  lakshanani  samo  damas 
tapa  Hy-admi  yesham  te  \  "  They  were  men  whose  characteristics,  tranquillity,  etc  , 
were  effected,  spontaneously  accomplished."  On  verse  11245  he  explains  the  same 
term  krita-lakshanah  by  krita-yuga-suchakah,  "indicative  of  the  Krita  age." 

28?  The  different  clauses  of  this  line  can  only  be  reconciled  on  the  supposition  that 
the  general  principle  of  duty,  and  the  details  of  the  duties  are  distinguished.  Dharma 
is  the  word  used  in  both  parts  of  the  verse  for  "  duty." 

288  Kala-yogina.  The  Commentator  explains :  kalo  darsadih  \  tad-yuktena  \  "  con- 
nected with  time,  i.e.  the  appearance  of  the  new  moon,  etc." 

263  And  yet  we  are  told  in  the  Vayu  P.  that  the  creation  itself  proceeded  from  the 
influence  of  the  quality  of  passion  (see  above,  p.  75),  and  that  the  four  castes  when 
originally  produced  were  characterized  in  different  ways  by  the  three  qualities,  pp.  62 
and  89. 

2?c  Compare  S'anti-parva,  13088.  Idam  krita-yugam  nama  kalah  sreshthah  pra- 
varttitah  \  ahiihsya  yajna-pas'avo  yuge  'stnin  na  tad  anyatha  \  chatushpat  sakalo  dhar- 
mo  bhavishyaty  atra  vai  surah  \  tatas  treta-yugam  nama  tray!  yatra  bhavishyati  \ 
prokshita  yatra pasavo  badham  prapsyanti  vai  makhe  \  "This  Krita  age  is  the  most 
excellent, of  periods  :  then  victims  are  not  allowed  to  be  slaughtered;  complete  and 

10 


146          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

and  men  adhered  to  truth,  and  were  devoted  to  a  righteousness  de- 
pendent on  ceremonies.  Then  sacrifices  prevailed,  with  holy  acts  and  a 
variety  of  rites.  In  the  Treta  men  acted  with  an  object  in  view,  seeking 
after  reward  for  their  rites  and  their  gifts,  and  no  longer  disposed  to 
austerities  and  to  liberality  from  (a  simple  feeling  of)  duty.  11250. 
In  this  age,  however,  they  were  devoted  to  their  own  duties,  and  to 
religious  ceremonies.  In  the  Dvapara  age  righteousness  was  diminished 
by  two  quarters,  Vishnu  became  yellow,  and  the  Veda  fourfold.  Some 
studied  four  Yedas,  others  three,  others  two,  others  one,  and  some  none 
at  all.271  The  scriptures  being  thus  divided,  'ceremonies  were  celebrated 
in  a  great  variety  of  ways ;  and  the  people  being  occupied  with  aus- 
terity and  the  bestowal  of  gifts,  became  full  of  passion  (rdjasl).  Owing 
to  ignorance  of  the  one  Veda,  Vedas  were  multiplied.  And  now  from 
the  decline  of  goodness  (sattva}  few  only  adhered  to  truth.  When  men 
had  fallen  away  from  goodness,  many  diseases,  (11255)  desires  and 
calamities,  caused  by  destiny,  assailed  them,  by  which  they  were 
severely  afflicted,  and  driven  to  practice  austerities.  Others  desiring 
enjoyments  and  heavenly  bliss,  offered  sacrifices.  Thus,  when  they 
had  reached  the  Dvapara,  men  declined  through  unrighteousness.  In 
the  Kali  righteousness  remained  to  the  extent  of  one-fourth  only.  Ar- 
rived in  that  age  of  darkness,  Vishnu  became  black  :  practices  enjoined, 
by  the  Vedas,  works  of  righteousness,  and  rites  of  sacrifice,  ceased. 
Calamities,  diseases,  fatigue,  faults,  such  as  anger,  etc.,  distresses, 
anxiety,  hunger,  fear,  prevailed.  As  the  ages  revolve,  righteousness 
again  declines.  When  this  takes  place,  the  people  also  decline.  When 
they  decay,  the  impulses  which  actuate  them  also  decay.  The  practices 
generated  by  this  declension  of  the  Yugas  frustrate  men's  aims.  Such 
is  the  Kali  Yuga  which  has  existed  for  a  short  time.  Those  who  are 
long-lived  act  in  conformity  with  the  character  of  the  age." 

The  next  passage  from  the  same  book  (the  Vana-parvan)  does  not 
make  any  allusion  to  the  Yugas,  but  depicts  the  primeval  perfection  of 
mankind  with  some  traits  peculiar  to  itself,  and  then  goes  on  to  describe 
their  decline.  Markandeya  is  the  speaker. 

perfect  righteousness  will  prevail.  Next  is  the  Treta  in  which  the  triple  veda  will 
come  into  existence ;  and  animals  will  be  slain  in  sacrifice."  See  note  65,  page  39, 
above. 

s?1  Tbe  Commentator  explains  anrichas  ("without  the  Rig-veda")  by  krita- 
Jerityah.  On  the  sense  of  the  latter  word  see  above. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  147 

12619.  Nirmaldni  sarirdni  visuddhdni  sarlrindm  \  sasarja  dharma- 
tantrdni  purvotpannah  Prajdpatih  \  amogha-phala-sankalpdh  suvratdh 
satyavddinah  \  brahma-bhutd  nardh  puny  dh  pur  dndh  kuru-sattama  \  sarv? 
devaih  samdh  ydnti  svachhandena  nabhas-talam  \  tatas  cha  punar  dydnli 
sarve  svachhanda-chdrinah  \  svachhanda-marands  chdsan  nardh  svachhan- 
da-chdrinah \  aJpa-bddhd  nirdtankdh  siddhdrthd  nirupadravdh  \  drash- 
tdro  deva-sangJidndm  rishlndm  cha  mahdtmandm  \  pratyalcshdh  sarva- 
dharmdndm  ddntd  vigata-matsardh  \  dsan  varsha-sahasrlyds  tathd  putra- 
sahasrinah  \  12625.  Tatah  kdldntare  'nyasmin  prithivl-tala- chdrinah  \ 
Mtna-krodhddhtbhutds  te  mdyd-vydjopajlvinah  \  lobha-mohdbhibhutds  te 
saktd  dehais  tato  nardh  \  asubhaih  karmabhih  papas  tiryan-niraya- 
gdminah  \ 

"  The  first-born  Prajapati  formed  the  bodies  of  corporeal  creatures 
pure,  spotless,  and  obedient  to  duty.  The  holy  men  of  old  were  not 
frustrated  in  the  results  at  which  they  aimed;  they  were  religious, 
truth- speaking,  and  partook  of  Brahma's  nature.  Being  all  like  gods 
they  ascended  to  the  sky  and  returned  at  will.  They  died  too  when 
they  desired,  suffered  few  annoyances,  were  free  from  disease,  accom- 
plished all  their  objects,  and  endured  no  oppression.  Self-subdued  and 
free  from  envy,  they  beheld  the  gods 272  and  the  mighty  rishis,  and  had 
an  intuitive  perception  of  all  duties.273  They  lived  for  a  thousand  years, 
and  had  each  a  thousand  sons.  Then  at  a  later  period  of  time,  the  in- 

*w  See  the  passage  from  S'ankara's  Commentary  on  the  Brahma  Sutras  i.  3,  32,  in 
the  3rd  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  49  f.,  and  note  49  in  p.  95  ;  and  S'atapatha  Brahmana, 
ii.  3,  4,  4,  ubhaye  ha  vai  id/im  agre  saha  astir  devas  cha  manushyas1  cha  \  tad  yad  ha 
sma  manushyanam  na  bhavati  tad  ha  devan  yachante  "  idam  vai  no  nasti  idam  no 
'stv "  iti  |  te  tasyai  eva  yachnyayai  dveshena  devas  tirobhuta  "  na  id  hinasani  na 
id  dveshyo  'sani"  iti  |  "Gods  and  men,  together,  were  both  originally  (component 
parts  of)  this  world.  Whatever  men  had  not  they  asked  from  the  gods,  saying, 
'  We  have  not  this ;  let  us  have  it.'  From  dislike  of  this  solicitation  the  gods  dis- 
appeared, (saying  each  of  them)  '  let  me  not  hurt  (them),  let  me  not  be  hateful.'  " 
Compare  also  the  passage  of  the  S'.  P.  Br.  iii.  6,  2,  26,  referred  to  by  Professor  Weber 
in  Indische  Studien,  x.  158  :  Te  ha  stna  ete  ubhaye  deva-manttshyah  pitarah  sampi- 
bante  \  sa  esha  sampa  \  te  ha  sma  drisyamana  eva  pura  sampibante  uta  etarhy  adris- 
yamanah  \  "  Both  gods,  men,  and  fathers  drink  together.  This  is  their  symposium. 
Formerly  they  drank  together  visibly  :  now  they  do  so  unseen."  Compare  also  Plato, 
Philebus,  18  :  Kal  &t  fj.tt>  iraAajoi,  Kpflrrovts  rip.S>v  KCU  tyyvrepu  OfSiv  oucovvres, 
ravrriv  (j>r)/j.r}v  irap&oaav,  "  And  the  ancients  who  were  better  than  ourselves,  and 
dwelt  nearer  to  the  gods,  have  handed  down  this  tradition." 

273  Compare  the  passage  of  the  Nirukta,  i.  2U,  beginning,  saltshat-krita-dharmitna 
rishayo  babhuvuh,  quoted  in  the  2nd  vol.  of  this  work,  p.  174. 


148         MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

habitants  of  the  earth  became  subject  to  desire  and  anger,  and  subsisted 
by  deceit  and  fraud.  Governed  by  cupidity  and  delusion,  devoted  to 
carnal  pursuits,  sinful  men  by  their  evil  deeds  walked  in  crooked  paths 
leading  to  hell,"  etc.,  etc. 

At  the  end  of  the  chapter  of  the  Bhishmaparvan,  entitled  Jambu- 

Jchanda-mrmdna,  there  is  a  paragraph  in  which  Sanjaya  gives  an  account 

of  the  four  yugas  in  Bharatavarsha  (Hindustan),  and  of  the  condition 

'  of  mankind  during  each  of  those  periods.     After  stating  the  names  and 

order  of  the  yugas,  the  speaker  proceeds : 

389.  Chatvdri  iu  sahasrdni  varshdndm  Kuru-sattama  \  dyuh-sankhyd 
krita-yuge  sankhydtd  rdja-sattama  \  tathd  trini  sahasrdni  tretdydm  ma- 
nujddhipa  \  dve  sahasre  dvdpare  cha  Ihuvi  tishthanti  sdmpratam  \  na 
pramdna-sthitir  hy  asti  tishye  'smin  Bharatarshabha  \  garbha-sthds  cha 
mriyante  cha  tathd  jdtd  mriyanti  cha  \  mahdbald  mahdsattvdh  prajnd- 
guna-samanvitdh  \  prajdyante  cha  jdtds  cha  sataso  'tha  sahasrasah  \  jdtdh 
krita-yuge  rdjan  dhaninah  priya-dar£inah  \  prajdyante  cha  jdtds  cha  mu- 
nayo  vai  tapodhandh  \  mahotsdhdh  mahdtmdno  dhdrmikdh  satya-vddinah  \ 
priyadarsand  vapmhmanto  mahdvlryd  dhanurdhardh  \  vardrhd  yudhijd- 
yante  kshattriydh  sura-sattamdh  \  tretdydm  kshattriyd  rdjan  sarve  vai 
chakra/varttinah  \  dyushmanto  mahdmrd  dhanurdhara-vard  yudhi  \  jdyante 
kshattriyd  vlrds  tretdydm  vasa-varttinah  \  sarve  varnd  mahdrdja  jdyante 
dvdpare  sati  \  mahotsdhd  vlryavantah  paraspara-jayaishinah  \  tejasd 
'Ipena  samyuktdh  krodhandh  purushd  nripa  \  lubdhd  anritakds  chaiva 
tishye  jdyanti  Shdrata  \  Irshd  mdnas  tathd  krodho  mdyd  'suyd  tathaiva 
cha  |  tishye  lhavati  bhutdndm  rdgo  lobhas  cha  Shdrata  \  sanksJiepo  vart- 
rdjan  dvdpare  'smin  narddhipa  \ 

"389.  Four  thousand  years  are  specified  as  the  duration  of  life  in 
the  Krita  age,274  three  thousand  in  the  Treta,  and  two  thousand  form 
the  period  at  present  established  on  earth  in  the  Dvapara.  There  is  no 
fixed  measure  in  the  Tishya  (Kali) :  embryos  die  in  the  womb,  as  well 
as  children  after  their  birth.  Men  of  great  strength,  goodness,  wisdom, 
and  virtue  were  born,  and  born  too  in  hundreds  and  thousands.  In  the 
Krita  age  men  were  produced  opulent  and  beautiful,  as  well  as  munis 
rich  in  austere  fervour.  Energetic,  mighty,  righteous,  veracious,  beau- 
tiful, well-formed,  valorous,  bow-carrying,  (395)  heroic  Kshattriyas, 

274  See  above,  p.  91,  note  174. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  149 

distinguished  in  battle,  were  born.275  In  the  Treta  all  sovereigns  were 
Kshattriyas.  Heroic  Kshattriyas  were  born  in  the  Treta,  long-lived, 
great  warriors,  carrying  bows  in  the  fight,  and  living  subject  to  au- 
thority. During  the  Dvapara  all  castes  are  produced,  energetic,  valor- 
ous, striving  for  victory  over  one  another.  In  the  Tishya  age  are  born 
men  of  little  vigour,  irascible,  covetous,  and  mendacious.  During  that 
period,  envy,  pride,  anger,  delusion,  ill-will,  desire,  and  cupidity  pre- 
vail among  all  beings.  During  this  Dvapara  age  there  is  some  re- 
striction." 

As  it  is  here  stated  that  men  of  all  castes  were  born  in  the  Dvapara, 
while  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas  only  are  spoken  of  as  previously 
existing,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  writer  intends  to  intimate  that 
no  Vaisyas  or  Sudras  existed  during  the  Krita  and  Treta  ages.  This 
accords  with  the  account  given  in  the  passage  quoted  above  from  the 
Uttara  Kanda  of  the  Ramayana,  chapter  74,  as  well  as  with  other  texts 
which  will  be  quoted  below. 

The  following  verses  might  be  taken  for  a  rationalistic  explanation 
of  the  traditions  regarding  the  yugas ;  but  may  be  intended  as  nothing 
more  than  a  hyperbolical  expression  of  the  good  or  bad  effects  of  a 
king's  more  or  less  active  discharge  of  his  duties : 

S'anti-parva,  2674.  Kdlo  vd  karanam  rdjno  raja  vd  kdla-kdranam  \ 
iti  te  samsayo  ma  Ihud  raja  kdlasya  karanam  \  danda-nltydm  yadd  raja 
samyak  kdrtsnyena  varttate  \  tadd  krita-yiigam  ndma  kdla-srishtam  pra- 
varttate  |  .  .  .  .  2682.  Danda-nltydm  yadd  raja  trln  amsdn  anuvarttate  \ 
chaturtftam  amsam  utsrijya  tadd  tretd  pravarttate  |  .  .  .  .  2684.  Ard- 
dham  tyaktvd  yadd  rdjd  nlty-artham  anuvarttate  \  tatas  tu  dvdparam 
ndma  sa  kdlah  sampravarttate  |  .  .  .  .  2686.  Danda-nltim  parityajya 
yadd  kdrttsnyena  Ihumipah  \  prajdh  klisndty  ayogena  pravartteta  tadd 
kalih  |  ....  2693.  Raja  krita-yuga-srashtd  tretdyd  dvdparasya  cha  \ 
yugasya  cha  chaturthasya  rdjd  bhavati  karanam  \ 

"  2674.  The  time  is  either  the  cause  of  the  king,  or  the  king  is  the 
cause  of  the  time.  Do  not  doubt  (which  of  these  alternatives  is  true)  : 
the  king  is  the  cause  of  the  time.  When  a  king  occupies  himself  fully 
in  criminal  justice,  then  the  Krita  age,  brought  into  existence  by  time, 

476  It  does  not  appear  clearly  whether  we  are  to  suppose  them  to  have  been  pro- 
duced in  the  Krita,  or  in  the  Treta,  as  in  the  passage  of  the  Ramayana,  quoted  in 
page  119. 


150          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

prevails."  [Then  follows  a  description  of  the  results  of  such  good 
government:  righteousness  alone  is  practised;  prosperity  reigns;  the 
seasons  are  pleasant  and  salubrious  ;  longevity  is  universal ;  no  widows 
are  seen ;  and  the  earth  yields  her  increase  without  cultivation.] 
"  2682.  When  the  king  practises  criminal  justice  only  to  the  extent  of 
three  parts,  abandoning  the  fourth,  then  the  Treta  prevails."  [Then 
evil  is  introduced  to  the  extent  of  a  fourth,  and  the  earth  has  to  be 
tilled.]  "  2684.  When  the  king  administers  justice  with  the  omission 
of  a  half,  then  the  period  called  the  Dvapara  prevails."  [Then  evil  is 
increased  to  a  half,  and  the  earth  even  when  tilled  yields  only  half  her 
produce.]  "  2686.  When,  relinquishing  criminal  law  altogether,  the 
king  actively  oppresses  his  subjects,  then  the  Kali  age  prevails." 
[Then  the  state  of  things,  which  existed  in  the  Krita  age,  is  nearly 
reversed.]  "  2693.  The  king  is  the  creator  of  the  Krita,  Treta,  and 
Dvapara  ages,  and  the  cause  also  of  the  fourth  yuga." 

The  next  extract  is  on  the  same  subject  of  the  duties  of  a  king,  and 
on  the  yugas  as  forms  of  his  action  (see  Manu,  ix.  301,  quoted  above, 
p.  49): 

S'anti-parvan,  3406.  Karma  sudre  krishir  vaitye  danda-mtis  cha  rdjani  \ 
Irahmacharyyam  tapo  mantrdh  satyam  chdpi  dvijdtishu  \  teshdm  yah 
Jcshattriyo  veda  vastrdndm  wa  sodhanam^6  \  frla-doshdn  mnirharttum  sa 
pita  sa  prajdpatih  \  kritam  tretd  dvdparam  cha  kalis  Bharatarshabha  \ 
rdja-vrittdni  sarvdni  rdjaiva  yugam  uchyate  \  chdturvarnyam  tathd  vedds 
chdturdsramyam  eixt  cha  \  sarvam  pramuhyate  hy  etad  yadd  rdjd  pra- 
mddyati  \ 

"  3406.  Labour  (should  be  found)  in  a  Sudra,  agriculture  in  a  Vaisya, 
criminal  justice  in  a  King,  continence,  austere  fervour,  and  the  use  of 
sacred  texts  in  a  Brahman.  The  Kshattriya,  who  knows  how  to  sepa- 
rate their  good  and  bad  qualities,  (as  (a  washerman)  understands  the 
cleansing  of  clothes),  is  a  father  and  lord  of  his  subjects.  The  Krita, 
Treta,  Dvapara,  and  Kali,  are  all  modes  of  a  King's  action.  It  is  a 
King  who  is  called  by  the  name  of  Yuga.  The  four  castes,  the  Vedas, 
and  the  four  orders,  are  all  thrown  into  disorder  when  the  king  is  re- 
gardless." 

2?8  This  .comparison  is  more  fully  eipressed  in  a  preceding  verse  (3404) :  Yo  na 
janati  nirharttum  vastranam  rajako  malam  \  raktanam  va  dodhayilurh  yatha  nasti 
tathaiva  sah  \ 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  151 

In  two  of  the  preceding  passages  different  colours  are  represented  as 
characteristic  either  of  particular  castes  (S'anti-p.  verses  6934  ff.),  or  of 
particular  yugas  (Yana-p.  verses  11241  ff.).  Colours  (though  not  ranked 
in  the  same  order  of  goodness)  are  similarly  connected  with  moral  and 
physical  conditions  in  verses  10058  ff.  of  the  S'antiparvan,  of  which  1 
shall  offer  a  few  specimens  : 

Shad  jlva-varndh  paramam  pramdnam  krishno  dhumro  riilam  athdsya 
madhyam  \  raktam  punah  sahyata/ram  sukham  tu  hdridra-varnam  smu- 
kham  cha  suklam  \  parantu  suklam  vimalam  visokam  gata-klamam  sid- 
dhyati  ddnavendra-  \  gatvd  lu  yoni-prabhavani  daitya  sahasrasah  siddhim 

upaitijlvah   \   10060 Gatih  punar  varna-kritd  prajdndih  varnas 

tathu  kdla-krito  'surendra  |   .  .  .  .    10062.  Krishnasya  varnasya  gatir 
nikrishta  sa  sajate  narake  pacJiyamanah  \ 

"  10058.  Six  colours  of  living  creatures  are  of  principal  importance, 
black,  dusky,  and  blue  which  lies  between  them;  then  red  is  more 
tolerable,  yellow  is  happiness,  and  white  is  extreme  happiness.  White 
is  perfect,  being  exempted  from  stain,  sorrow,  and  exhaustion;  (pos- 
sessed of  it)  a  being  going  through  (various)  births,  arrives  at  perfection 

in  a  thousand  forms.     10060 Thus  destination  is  caused  by 

colour,  and  colour  is  caused  by  time 10062.  The  destination 

of  the  black  colour  is  bad.     When  it  has  produced  its  results,  it  clings 
to  hell." 

The  next  passage,  from  the  Harivansa,  assigns  to  each  of  the  four 
castes  a  separate  origin,  but  at  the  same  time  gives  an  explanation  of 
their  diversity  which  differs  from  any  that  we  have  yet  encountered : 
unless,  indeed,  any  one  is  prepared  to  maintain  that  the  four  principles, 
out  of  which  the  castes  are  here  represented  to  have  arisen,  are  respec- 
tively identical  with  the  mouth,  arms,  thighs,  and  feet  of  Brahma ! 
This  passage,  however,  corresponds  with  one  of  those  already  quoted 
in  associating  different  colours  with  the  several  castes.  The  question 
with  which  the  passage  opens  refers  to  an  account  which  had  been 
given  in  the  preceding  section  (verses  Il799ff.)  of  the  creation  of 
Bhrigu  and  Angiras,  to  both  of  whom  the  epithet  "  progenitor  of  Brah- 
mans  "  (brahma-vamsa-kara]  is  applied.  No  mention  is  made  there  of 
Kshattriyas  or  any  other  castes.  M.  Langlois,  the  French  translator  of 
the  Harivansa,  remarks  that  the  distinction  between  the  age  of  the 
Brahmans  and  that  of  the  Kshattriyas  is  an  unusual  one,  and  receives 


152          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

no  explanation  in  the  context.  But  in  two  of  the  passages  which  have 
been  quoted  above  (1)  from  the  Uttara  Kanda  of  the  Ramayana, 
chapter  74  (p.  11 9),  and  (2)  from  the  Bhishma-parva  of  the  Maba- 
bharata,  verses  393  ff.  (p.  149),  I  think  we  find  indications  that  the 
Krita  Yuga  was  regarded  as  an  age  in  which  Brahmans  alone  existed, 
nd  that  Kshattriyas  only  began  to  be  born  in  the  Treta. 

Harivaihsa,  11808.  Janameya  uvdcha  \  S'rutam  brahma-yugam  brah- 
man yugdndm  prathamam  yugam  \  kshattranydpi  yugam  brahman  srotum 
ichhdmi  tattvatah  \  sasamskshepam  savistaram  niyamaih  bahubhis  chitam  \ 
updya-jnais  cha  kathitam  Jcratubhis  chopasobhitam  \  Vaisampdyana 
uvdcha  \  11810.  Etat  te  kathayishydmi  yajna-lcarmabhir  or  chitam  \ 
ddna-dharmais  cha  vividhaih  prajdbhir  upasobhitam  \  te  ' '  ngushtha-mdtrd 
munayah  ddattdh  surya-rasmilhih  \  moksha-prdptena  vidhind  nirdbd- 
dhena  karmana  \  prai-ritte  chdpravritte  cha  nityam  £rahma-pardyandh  \ 
pardyanasya  sangamya  Brahmanas  tu  mahipate  \  srl-vrittdh  pdvands 
ehaiva  brahmands  cha  maMpate  \  chdrita-lrahmacharyyds  cha  brahma- 
fndnena  bodhitdh  \  purne  yuga-sahasrdnte  prabhdve  pralaydm  gatdh  \ 
brdhmand  vritta-sampannd  jndna-siddhdh  samdhittih  \  11815.  Vyatirilc- 
tendriyo  Vishnur  yogdtmd  brahma-sambhavah  \  Dakshah  prajdpatir  bhu- 
tvd  srijate  vipuldh  prajdh  \  akshardd  brdhmandh  saumydh  Icshardt  kshat- 
triya-bdndhavdh  \  vaisyd  vikdratas  ehaiva  sudrdh  dhuma-viledratah  \ 
sveta-lohitalcair  varnaih  pltair  riilais  cha  brdhmandh  \  abhinirvarttitdh 
varndms  chintaydnena  Vishnund  \  tato  varnatvam  dpanndh  prajd  loke  cha- 
turvidhdh  \  brdhmandh  "kshattriya  vaisydh  sudrds  ehaiva  mahipate  \  eka- 
lingdh  prithag-dharmd  dvipdddh  paramddbhutdh  \  yatanayd  'bhisam- 
pannd  gati-jndh  sarva-lcarmasu  \  traydndm  varna-jdtdndm  veda-proJctdh 
Tcriydh  smritdh  \  tena  brdhmana-yogena  vaishnavena  mahipate  \  prajnayd 
tejasd  yogdt  tasmdt  Prdchetasah  prabhuh  \  Yishnur  eva  mahdyogl  Jcar- 
mandm  antaram  gatah  \  tato  nirvdna-sambhuidh  sudrdh  Icarma-vivarji- 
tdh  |  tasmdd  ndrhanti  samskdram  na  hy  atra  brahma  vidyate  \  yathd 
'gnau  dhuma-sanghdto  hy  aranyd  mathyamdnayd  \  prddurbhuto  visarpan 
vai  nopayujyati  karmani  \  evam  sudrd  visarpanto  Ihuvi  kdrtsnyena  j'an- 
mand  \  na  samslcritena 277  dharmena  veda-proktena  karmand  \ 

"  Janamejaya  says  :  11808.  I  have  heard,  o  Brahman,  the  (descrip- 
tion of  the)  Brahma  Yuga,  the  first  of  the  ages.     I  desire  also  to  be 
accurately  informed,  both  summarily  and  in  detail,  about  the  age  of  the 
OT  The  printed  text  reads  nasamskritena  ;  but  na  samskritena  seems  necessary. 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  153 

Kshattriyas,  with  its  numerous  observances,  illustrated  as  it  was  by 
sacrifices,  and  described  as  it  has  been  by  men  skilled  in  the  art  of 
narration.  Vaisarapayana  replied :  11810.  I  shall  describe  to  you  that 
age  revered  for  its  sacrifices  and  distinguished  for  its  various  works  of 
liberality,  as  well  as  for  its  people.  Those  Munis  of  the  size  of  a 
thumb  had  been  absorbed  by  the  sun's  rays.  Following  a  rule  of  life 
leading  to  final  emancipation,  practising  unobstructed  ceremonies,  both 
in  action  and  in  abstinence  from  action  constantly  intent  upon  Brahma, 
united  to  Brahma  as  the  highest  object, — Brahmans  glorious  and  sanc- 
tified in  their  conduct,  leading  a  life  of  continence,  disciplined  by  the 
knowledge  of  Brahma, — Brahmans  complete  in  their  observances,  per- 
fect in  knowledge,  and  contemplative, — when  at  the  end  of  a  thousand 
yugas,  their  majesty  was  full,  these  Munis  became  involved  in  the  dis- 
solution of  the  world.  11815.  Then  Vishnu  sprung  from  Brahma,  re- 
moved beyond  the  sphere  of  sense,  absorbed  in  contemplation,  became 
the  Prajapati  Daksha,  and  formed  numerous  creatures.  The  Brahmans, 
beautiful  (or,  dear  to  Soma),278  were  formed  from  an  imperishable 
(akskara),  the  Kshattriyas  from  a  perishable  (kshara),  element,  the 
Vaisyas  from  alteration,  'the  S'udras  from  a  modification  of  smoke. 
While  Vishnu  was  thinking  upon  the  castes  (varnan),  Brahmans  were 
formed  with  white,  red,  yellow,  and  blue  colours  (varnaih}.*79  Hence  in 
the  world  men  have  become  divided  into  castes,  being  of  four  descrip- 
tions, Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  STidras,  one  in  form,  distinct 
in  their  duties,  two-footed,  very  wonderful,  full  of  energy(?),  skilled  in 
expedients  in  all  their  occupations.  11820.  Uites  are  declared  to  be 
prescribed  by  the  Vedas  for  the  three  (highest)  castes.  By  that  con- 
templation practised  by  the  being  sprung  from  Brahma  (see  v.  11815) 
— by  that  practised  in  his  character  as  Vishnu, — the  Lord  Prachetasa 
(Daksha),  i.e.  Vishnu  the  great  contemplator  (yogiri),  passed  through 
his  wisdom  and  energy  from  that  state  of  meditation  into  the  sphere 
of  works.280  Next  the  S'udras,  produced  from  extinction,  are  destitute 

178  In  verse  11802,  we  read  abhishichya  tu  Somaih  cha  yauvarojye  Fitamahah  \ 
brahmananam  cha  rajanam  s'advataih  rajam-charam  \  "  Brahma  also  inaugurated  Soma 
as  the  heir  to  the  kingdom,  as  the  king  of  the  Brahmans  who  walks  eternally  through 
the  night." 

279  This  play  upon  the  two  senses  of  the  word  varna  will  he  noticed. 

280  I  do  not  profess  to  be  certain  that  I  have  succeeded  in  discovering  the  proper 
meaning  of  this  last  sentence. 


154          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

of  rites.  Hence  they  are  not  entitled  to  be  admitted  to  the  purifi- 
catory ceremonies,  nor  does  sacred  science  belong  to  them.  Just  as  the 
cloud  of  smoke  which  rises  from  the  fire  on  the  friction  of  the  fuel, 
and  is  dissipated,  is  of  no  service  in  the  sacrificial  rite,  so  too  the 
Sudras  wandering  over  the  earth,  are  altogether  (useless  for  purposes 
of  sacrifice)  owing  to  their  birth,  their  mode  of  life  devoid  of  purity 
and  their  want  of  the  observances  prescribed  in  the  Veda." 

The  next  extract  gives  an  account  at  variance  with  all  that  precedes, 
as  it  does  not  assign  to  all  the  Brahmans  themselves  the  same  origin, 
but  describes  the  various  kinds  of  officiating  priests  as  having  been 
formed  from  different  members  of  Yishnu's  body  : 

Harivamsa,  11355.  Evam  ekdrnave  bhute  sete  loke  mahddyutih  \  pra- 
chhddya  salilam  sarvam  Harir  Ndrdyanah  pralhuh  \  maJiato  rajaso  madhye 
mahdrnava-samasya  vai  \  virajasko  mahdldhur  aksharam  brdhmand  viduh  \ 
dtma-rupa-praMsena  tapasd  samvritah  pralhuh  \  trikam  dchhddya  kdlam 
tu  tatah  sushvdpa  sas  tadd  \  purusho  yajna  ity  evam  yat  param,  pariklrt- 
titam  |  yach  chdnyat  purushdkhyam  tu  tat  sarvam  purushottamah  \  ye 
cha  yajnapard  viprd  ritvijd  iti  sanjnitdh  \  dtma-dehdt  purd  bhutd  yajne- 
IJiyah  sruyatdm  tadd  \  11360.  Brahmdnam  paramam  vaktrdd  udgdtdram 
cha  sdma-gdm  \  hotdram  atJia  chddJivaryyum  Idhubhydm  asrijat  pralhuh  \ 
brdhmano  brdhmanatvdch  cha  prastotdram  cha  sarvasah  \  tarn  maitrd- 
varunam  srishtvd  pratishthdtdram  eva  cha  \  udardt  pratiharttdram  po- 
tdram  chaiva  Bhdrata  \  achhdvdlcam  athorubhydm  neshtdram  chaiva 
Bhdrata  \  pdnibhydm  athachdgnldhram  brahmanyam  chaiva  yajniyam  \ 
grdvdnam  atha  Idhulhydm  unnetdram  cha  ydjnikam  \  evam  evaisha  Iha- 
gavdn  shodasaitdn  jagatpatih  \  pravalctrin  sarva-yajndndm  ritvijo  'srijad 
uttamdn  \  tad  esha  vai  yajnamayah  purusho  veda-samjnitah  \  vedds  cha 
tanmaydh  sarve  sdngopanishada-kriydh  \ 

Yaisampayana  said  :  1135.  "  Thus  the  glorious  Lord  Hari  N"arayana, 
covering  the  entire  waters,  slept  on  (the  world)  which  had  become  one 
sea,  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  expanse  of  fluid281  (rajas'),  resembling  a 
mighty  ocean,  himself  free  from  passion  (virajaskah],  with  mighty 
arms : — Brahmans  know  him  as  the  undecaying.  Invested  through 
austere  fervour  with  the  light  of  his  own  form,  and  clothed  with  triple 
time  (past,  present,  and  future),  the  Lord  then  slept.  Purusho ttama 

281  Rajas  is  said  in  two  places  of  the  Nirukta,  iv.  19,  and  x.  44,  to  have  the  sense 
of  "  water." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  155 

(Vishnu)  is  whatever  is  declared  to  he  the  highest,  Purusha  the  sacri- 
fice, and  everything  else  which  is  known  by  the  name  of  Purusha. 
Hear  how  the  Brahmans  devoted  to  sacrifice,  and  called  ritvijes,  were 
formerly  produced  by  him  from  his  own  body  for  offering  sacrifices. 
11360.  The  Lord  created  from  his  mouth  the  brahman,  who  is  the  chief, 
and  the  udgatri,  who  chaunts  the  Saman ;  from  his  arms  the  hotri  and 
the  adhvaryu.  He  then  .  .  .  .  ^  created  the  prastotri,  the  maitravaruna, 
and  the  pratishthatri ;  from  his  belly  the  pratiharttri  and  the  potri, 
from  his  thighs  the  achhavaka  and  the  neshtri,  from  his  hands  the 
agnldhra  and  the  sacrificial  brahmanya,  from  his  arms  the  gravan  and 
the  sacrificial  unnetri.  Thus  did  the  divine  Lord  of  the  world  create 
these  sixteen  excellent  ritvijes,  the  utterers  of  all  sacrifices.  There- 
fore this  Purusha  is  formed  of  sacrifice  and  is  called  the  Veda ;  and  all 
the  Vedas  with  the  Vedangas,  Upanishads,  and  ceremonies,  are  formed 
of  his  essence." 

SECT.  XII. — Extracts  from  the  Bhdgavata  Pur  ana  on  the  same  subject. 

I  will  conclude  my  quotations  from  the  Puranas  on  the  subject  of 
the  origin  of  mankind  and  of  castes  with  a  few  passages  from  the  Bha- 
gavata  Purana.  The  first  extract  reproduces  some  of  the  ideas  of  the 
Purusha  Sukta288  more  closely  than  any  of  the  Puranic  accounts  yet 
given. 

ii.  5,  34.  Varsha-puga-sahasrdnte  tad  andam  udake  sayam  \  kdla- 
karma-svabhdva-stho  jlvo  'jlvam  ajlvayat  \  35.  Sa  eva  Purushas  tasmdd 
andam  nirbhedya  nirgatah  \  sahasrorv-anghri-bdhv-akshah  sahasrdnana- 
slrshavdn  \  36.  Yasyehdvayavair  lokdn  kalpayanti  manlshinah  \  katy- 

282  I  am  unable  to  make  a  proper  sense  out  of  the  words  brahmano  brahmanalvach 
cha,  which,  however,  as  I  learn  from  Dr.  FitzEdward  Hall,  are  found  (with  only  a 
difference  of  long  and  short  vowels)  in  the  best  MSS.  to  which  he  has  access,  as  well 
as  in  the  Bombay  edition.     One  of  the  sixteen  priests,  the  Brahmanachhamsin,  is  not 
found  in  the  enumeration,  and  his  name  may  therefore  have  stood  at  the  beginning  of 
the  line.     Instead  of  the  inept  reading  sarvas'ah,  at  the  end,  the  author  may  perhaps 
have  written  vakshatah,  "from  his  chest,"  as,  indeed,  one  MS.  reads  in  the  next  line. 
The  Bombay  edition  reads  prishthat,  "  from  the  back,"  instead  of  srishtva. 

283  M.  Burnouf  remarks  in  the  Preface  to  the  first  vol.  of  his  edition  of  the  Bhaga- 
vata,  pp.  cxxii.  ff.,  on  the  manner  in   which  its  author  has  gone  back  to  Vedic 
sources  for  his  materials.     The  same  thing  is  noticed  by  Professor  "Weber,  Indische 
Studien,  i.  286,  note. 


156          MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

ddibhir  adhah  sapta  saptordhvamjaghanddihhih  \  Sl.Purushasya  mukham 
brahma  kshatram  etasya  bdhavah  \  ilrvor  vaisyo  lhagavatah  padbhydm 
sudro  vyajayata  \  38.  BhurloJcah  kalpitah  padbhydm  bhuvarloJco  'sya 
ndbhitah  \  hridd  svarloka  wrasd  maharloko  mahdtmanah  \ 

"  34.  At  the  end  of  many  thousand  years  the  living  soul  which 
resides  in  time,  action,  and  natural  quality  gave  life  to  that  lifeless  egg 
floating  on  the  water.  35.  Purusha  then  having  burst  the  egg,  issued 
from  it  with  a  thousand  thighs,  feet,  arms,  eyes,  faces,  and  heads.  36. 
With  his  members  the  sages  fashion  the  worlds,  the  seven  lower  worlds 
with  his  loins,  etc.,  and  the  seven  upper  worlds  with  his  groin,  etc. 
37.  The  Brahman  (was)  the  mouth  of  Purusha,  the  Kshattriya  his 
arms,  the  Yaisya  was  born  from  the  thighs,  the  S'udra  from  the  feet  of 
the  divine  being.  The  earth  was  formed  from  his  feet,  the  air  from  his 
navel ;  the  heaven  by  the  heart,  and  the  maharloka  by  the  breast  of  the 
mighty  one." 

In  the  following  verse  the  figurative  character  of  the  representation 
is  manifest : 

ii.  1,  37.  Brahmdnanam  hhattra-bhujo  mahdtmd  vid-urur  angJvri- 
srita-krishna-varnah  \ 

"The  Brahman  is  his  mouth;  he  is  Kshattriya-armed,  that  great 
One,  Vaisya-thighed,  and  has  the  black  caste  abiding  in  his  feet." 

The  next  passage  is  more  in  accord  with  the  ordinary  representation, 
though  here,  too,  the  mystical  view  is  introduced  at  the  close : 

iii.  22,  2.  Brahma  'srijat  sva-mukhato  yushmdn  dtma-paripaayd  \ 
chhandomayas  tapo-vidya-yoga-yuktan  alampatan  \  3.  Tat-trdndyd- 
srijach  chdsmdn  doh-sahasrdt  sahasra-pat  \  hridayam  tasya  hi  brahma 
kshattram  angam  prachakshate  \ 

"Brahma,  who  is  formed  of  the  Veda  (chhandas],  with  a  view  to  the 
recognition  of  himself,  created  you  (the  Brahmans)  who  are  charac- 
terized by  austere  fervour,  science,  devotion  and  chastity,  from  his 
mouth.  For  their  protection  he,  the  thousand-footed,  created  us  (the 
Kshattriyas)  from  his  thousand  arms :  for  they  declare  the  Brahman  to 
be  his  heart,  and  the  Kshattriya  his  body." 

iii.  6,  29  ff.  contains  another  reference  to  the  production  of  the  castes  : 

29.  Mukhato  \arttata  brahma  Purushasya  ITurudvaha  \  yastun- 
mukhatvdd  varndndm  mukhyo  'bhud  brdhmano  guruh  \  30.  Buhubhyo 
'varttata  kshattram  kshattriyas  tad-amtvratah  \  yojdtas  tray  ate  varndn 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  157 

paurmhah  kantaka-kshatdt  \  31.  Viso  'varttanta  tasyorvor  loka-vritti- 
karir  vibhoh  \  vaisyas  tad-udbhavo  vdrttdm  nrindm  yah  samavarttayat  \ 
32.  Padbhydm  lhagavato  jajne  susrushd  dharma-siddhaye  \  tasydmjdtah 
purd  sudro  yad-vrittyd  tushyate  Harih  \  33.  Ete  varndh  sva-dharmena 
yajanti  sva-gurum  Harim  \  sraddhayd  "tma-visuddhyartham  yaj  jdtdh 
saha  vrittibhih  \ 

"29.  From  the  mouth  of  Purasha,  o  descendant  of  Kuru,  issued 
divine  knowledge  (brahma),  and  the  Brahman,  who  through  his  pro- 
duction from  the  mouth  became  the  chief  of  the  castes  and  the  pre- 
ceptor. 30.  From  his  arms  issued  kingly  power  (kshattra],  and  the 
Kshattriya  devoted  to  that  function,  who,  springing  from  Purusha,  as 
soon  as  born  defends  the  castes  from  the  injury  of  enemies.  31.  From 
the  thighs  of  the  Lord  issued  the  arts,234  affording  subsistence  to  the 
world ;  and  from  them  was  produced  the  Yaisya  who  provided  the 
maintenance  of  mankind.  32.  From  the  feet  of  the  divine  Being 
sprang  service  for  the  fulfilment  of  duty.  In  it  the  Sudra  was  formerly 
born,  with  whose  function  Hari  is  well  satisfied.  By  fulfilling  their 
own  duties,  with  faith,  for  the  purification  of  their  souls,  these  castes 
worship  Hari  their  parent,  from  whom  they  have  sprung  together  with 
their  functions." 

In  viii.  5,  41,  we  find  the  following: 

Vipro  mukhdd  brahma  cha  yasya  yuhyarh  rdjanya  dsld  bhujayor 
balam  cha  \  iirvor  vid  ojo  'nghrir  aveda-sudrau prasldatdm  nah  sa  mahd- 
vibhutih  \ 

"May  that  Being  of  great  glory  be  gracious  to  us,  from  whose 
mouth  sprang  the  Brahman  and  the  mysterious  Yeda,  from  whose  arms 
came  the  Raj  any  a  and  force,  from  whose  thighs  issued  the  Vis  and 
energy,  and  whose  foot  is  no-veda  (aveda)  and  the  Sudra." 

The  same  work  gives  the  following  very  brief  account  of  the  Arvdk- 
srotas  creation,  which  is  described  with  somewhat  more  detail  in  the 
passages  extracted  above  from  the  Vishnu  and  Vayu  Puranas : 

iii.  20,  25.  Arvdk-srotas  tu  navamah  kshattar  eka-vidho  nrindm  \  rajo 
'dliikdh  karma-pardh  duhkJie  cha  sukha-mtininah  \ 

284  The  word  so  rendered  is  visah,  which  in  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  has  always 
the  sense  of  "people."  Here,  however,  it  seems  to  have  the  sense  assigned  in  the 
text,  if  one  may  judge  from  the  analogy  of  the  following  verse,  in  which  the  S'udra 
is  said  to  be  produced  from  his  special  function,  susrusha,  "service."  The  Commen- 
tator explains  visah  =  krishy-adi-vyavasayah,  "  the  professions  of  agriculture,"  etc. 


158         MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN, 

"  The  Aryaksrotas  creation  was  of  one  description,285  viz.,  of  men,  in 
whom  the  quality  of  passion  abounded,  who  were  addicted  to  works, 
and  imagined  that  in  pain  they  experienced  pleasure." 

In  vi.  6,  40,  a  new  account  is  given  of  the  origin  of  mankind.  We 
are  there  told  : 

Aryamno  Mdtrika  patnl  tayo£  Charshanayah  sutdh  \  yatra  vai  md- 
nushi  jdtir  Brahmand  chopakalpitd  \ 

"  The  wife  of  Aryaman  (the  son  of  Aditi)  was  Matrika.  The  Char- 
shanis  were  the  sons  of  this  pair,  and  among  them  the  race  of  men 
was  formed  by  Brahma."  The  word  charshani  signifies  "men,"  or 
"  people  "  in  the  Veda. 

In  the  following  verse  (which  forms  part  of  the  legend  of  Pururavas, 
quoted  in  the  3rd  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  27  ff.)  it  is  declared  that  in  the 
Krita  age  there  was  only  one  caste : 

ix.  14,  48.  Eka  eva  purd  vedah  pranavah  sarva-vdnmayah  \  devo 
Ndrdyano  ndnya  elco  ' 'gnir  varna  eva  cha  \  Pururavasa  evdstt  trayl 
tretd-mukhe  nripa  \ 

"  There  was  formerly  but  one  Veda,  the  pranava  (the  monosyllable 
Om],  the  essence  of  all  speech ;  only  one  god,  Narayana,  one  Agni,  and 
(one)  caste.  From  Pururavas  came  the  triple  Veda,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  Treta." 

Some  of  the  Commentator's  remarks  on  this  text  will  be  found  in 
vol.  iii.  p.  29.  He  says  the  one  caste  was  called  "  Hansa  "  (varnas 
cha  eka  eva  hamso  ndma\  and  concludes  his  note  by  remarking  :  "The 
meaning  is  this:  In  the  Krita  age  when  the  quality  of  goodness  pre- 
dominated in  men,  they  were  almost  all  absorbed  in  meditation ;  but  in 
the  Treta,  when  passion  prevailed,  the  method  of  works  was  manifested 
by  the  division  of  the  Vedas,  etc." 

285  The  Sfmkhya  Karika,  53,  says :  ashta-vikalpo  daivas  tairyagyonyas'  cha  pan- 
chadha  bhavati  manushyas,  chaika-vidhah  samasato  bhautikah  sargah  ;  which  is  thus 
translated  by  Mr.  Colebrooke  (in  Wilson's  Sankhya  Karika,  p.  164) :  "The  divine 
kind  is  of  eight  sorts ;  the  grovelling  is  five-fold ;  mankind  is  single  -in  its  class. 
This,  briefly,  is  the  world  of  living  beings."  The  Commentator  Gaudapada  shortly 
explains  the  words  manushyas'  chaikavidhah  by  manushayonir  ekaiva,  "  the  source  of 
production  of  mankind  is  one  only."  Vijnana  Bhikshu,  the  Commentator  on  the 
Sankhya  Pravachana,  iii.  46,  paraphrases  the  same  words  thus,  manushya-sargas 
chaika-prakarah,  "the  human  creation  IB  of  one  sort." 


AND  OF  THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  FOUR  CASTES.  159 


SECT.  XIII. — Results  of  this  Chapter. 

The  details  which  I  have  supplied  in  the  course  of  this  chapter  must 
have  rendered  it  abundantly  evident  that  the  sacred  books  of  the  Hindus 
contain  no  uniform  or  consistent  account  of  the  origin  of  castes ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  present  the  greatest  varieties  of  speculation  on  this. sub- 
ject. Explanations  mystical,  mythical,  and  rationalistic,  are  all  offered 
in  turn ;  and  the  freest  scope  is  given  by  the  individual  writers  to  fan- 
ciful and  arbitrary  conjecture. 

First :  we  have  the  set  of  accounts  in  which  the  four  castes  are  said 
to  have  sprung  from  progenitors  who  were  separately  created ;  but  in 
regard  to  the  manner  of  their  creation  we  find  the  greatest  diversity  of 
statement.  The  most  common  story  is  that  the  castes  issued  from  the 
mouth,  arms,  thighs,  and  feet  of  Purusha,  or  Brahma.  The  oldest  ex- 
tant passage  in  which  this  idea  occurs,  and  from  which  all  the  later 
myths  of  a  similar  tenor  have  no  doubt  been  borrowed,  is,  as  we  have 
seen,  to  be  found  in  the  Purusha  Sukta ;  but  it  is  doubtful  whether,  in 
the  form  in  which  it  is  there  presented,  this  representation  is  any- 
thing more  than  an  allegory.  In  some  of  the  texts  which  I  have 
quoted  from  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  traces  of  the  same  allegorical  cha- 
racter may  be  perceived ;  but  in  Manu  and  the  Puranas  the  mystical 
import  of  the  Yedic  text  disappears,  and  the  figurative  narration  is 
hardened  into  a  literal  statement  of  fact.  In  other  passages,  where  a 
separate  origin  is  assigned  to  the  castes,  they  are  variously  said  to  have 
sprung  from  the  words  Bhuh,  Bhuvah,  Svah ;  from  different  Vedas ; 
from  different  sets  of  prayers ;  from  the  gods,  and  the  asuras;  from 
nonentity  (pp.  17-21),  and  from  the  imperishable,  the  perishable,  and 
other  principles  (Harivamsa,  11816).  In  the  chapters  of  the  Yishnu, 
Yayu,  and  Markandeya  Puranas,  where  castes  are  described  as  coeval 
with  the  creation,  and  as  having  been  naturally  distinguished  by 
different  gunas,  or  qualities,  involving  varieties  of  moral  character,  we 
are  nevertheless  allowed  to  infer  that  those  qualities  exerted  no  in- 
fluence on  the  classes  in  whom  they  were  inherent,  as  the  condition 
of  the  whole  race  during  the  Krita  age  is  described  as  one  of  uniform 
perfection  and  happiness ;  while  the  actual  separation  into  castes  did 


160       MYTHICAL  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  CREATION  OF  MAN,  ETC. 

not  take  place,  according  to  the  Yayu  Parana,  until  men  had  become 
deteriorated  in  the  Treta  age. 

Second :  in  various  passages  from  the  Brahmanas,  Epic  poems,  and 
Puranas,  the  creation  of  mankind  is,  as  we  have  seen,  described  with- 
out the  least  allusion  to  any  separate  production  of  the  progenitors  of 
the  four  castes  (pp.  23-27,  and  elsewhere).  And  whilst  in  the  chapters 
where  they  relate  the  distinct  formation  of  the  castes,  the  Puranas,  as 
has  been  observed,  assign  different  [natural  dispositions  to  each  class, 
they  elsewhere  represent  all  mankind  as  being  at  the  creation  uniformly 
distinguished  by  the  quality  of  passion.  In  one  of  the  texts  I  have 
quoted  (p.  26  f.)  men  are  said  to  be  the  offspring  of  Yivasvat ;  in 
another  his  son  Manu  is  said  to  be  their  progenitor ;  whilst  in  a  third 
they  are  said  to  be  descended  from  a  female  of  the  same  name.  The  pas- 
sage which  declares  Manu  to  have  been  the  father  of  the  human  race 
explicitly  affirms  that  men  of  all  the  four  castes  were  descended  from 
him.  In  another  remarkable  text  the  Mahabharata  categorically  asserts 
that  originally  there  was  no  distinction  of  classes,  the  existing  distri- 
bution having  arisen  out  of  differences  of  character  and  occupation. 
Similarly,  the  Bhagavata  Purana  in  one  place  informs  us  that  in  the 
Krita  age  there  was  but  one  caste ;  and  this  view  appears  also  to  be 
taken  in  some  passages  which  I  have  adduced  from  the  Epic  poems. 

In  these  circumstances  we  may  fairly  conclude  that  the  separate 
origination  of  the  four  castes  was  far  from  being  an  article  of  belief 
universally  received  by  Indian  antiquity. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  enquire  what  opinion  the  writers  of  the  older 
Vedic  hymns  appear  to  have  entertained  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  the 
race  to  which  they  themselves  belonged. 


161 


CHAPTEB  II. 

TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OP  THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.1 

It  appears  from  the  considerations  urged  in  the  preceding  chapter 
that  in  all  probability  the  Purusha  Sukta  belongs  to  the  most  recent 
portion  of  the  Rig-veda  Sanhita,  and  that  it  is  at  least  doubtful  whether 
the  verse  in  which  it  connects  the  four  castes  with  the  different  mem- 
bers of  the  creator's  body  is  not  allegorical.  And  we  have  seen  that 
even  if  that  representation  is  to  be  taken  as  a  literal  account  of  the 
creation  of  the  different  classes,  it  cannot,  in  the  face  of  many  other 
statements  of  a  different  tenor,  and  of  great  antiquity,  be  regarded  as 
expressing  the  fixed  belief  of  the  writers  of  the  period  immediately 
succeeding  the  collection  of  the  hymns  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  the 
social  divisions  which  prevailed  in  their  own  time.  But  the  notions 
entertained  of  the  origin  of  caste  at  the  date  of  the  Purusha  Sukta, 
whatever  they  may  have  been,  will  afford  no  criterion  of  the  state  of 
opinion  on  the  same  subject  in  an  earlier  age;  and  it  therefore  remains 
to  enquire  whether  those  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda,  which  appear  to  be 
the  most  ancient,  contain  either  ( 1 )  any  tradition  regarding  the  origin 
of  mankind,  or  of  the  Indian  tribes ;  or  (2)  any  allusion  to  the  exist- 
ence, in  the  community  contemporary  with  their  composition,  of  sepa- 
rate classes  corresponding  to  those  afterwards  known  as  Brahmans, 
Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and  S'udras ;  and  if  they  embrace  any  reference 
of  the  latter  kind,  whether  they  afford  any  explanation  of  the  manner 
in  which  these  orders  of  men  came  to  occupy  their  respective  positions 

1  On  the  subjects  treated  in  this  chapter  compare  my  article  in  the  Journal  of  the 
Royal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  xx.  for  1863,  pp.  406  ff.,  where  a  reference  is  made  to 
the  other  writers  who  had  previously  treated  of  them,  such  as  M.  Neve,  Mythe  des 
Ribhavas,  etc. 

11 


162  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

in  society.     We  shall  find  on  examination  that  the  hymns  supply  some 
information  on  both  these  branches  of  enquiry. 

Numerous  references  are  undoubtedly  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the 
hymn-collection  to  a  variety  of  ranks,  classes,  and  professions ;  of  which 
an  account  will  be  given  in  the  next  chapter ;  but  no  hint  is  anywhere 
discoverable,  except  in  the  single  text  of  the  Purusha  Sukta,  of  those 
classes  being  distinguished  from  each  other  by  any  original  difference 
of  race.  If,  however,  the  early  Vedic  Indians  had  all  along  believed  in 
the  quadruple  production  of  their  nation  from  the  different  members  of 
Purusha,  one  might  naturally  have  expected  to  find  allusions  to  such  a 
variety  of  birth  running  through  the  hymns.  But  nothing,  I  repeat, 
of  this  kind  is  to  be  traced.  On  the  contrary  it  appears  from  a  con- 
siderable number  of  passages  that  at  least  the  superior  ranks  of  the 
community  were  regarded  as  being  of  one  stock,  the  Aryan,  and  as 
having  one  common  ancestor.  This  chapter  will  therefore  embrace, 
First,  the  texts  which  are  found  in  the  hymns  regarding  the  origin  of 
the  Indian  tribes,  and  the  history  of  their  progenitor,  and  Secondly 
those  passages  which  occur  in  the  Brahmanas,  and  other  later  works  in 
which  the  statements  of  the  early  Yedic  poets  on  these  subjects  are  re- 
echoed or  developed. 


SECT.  I. — Manu  as  the  progenitor  of  the  Aryan  Indians  and  the  in- 
stitutor  of  religious  rites  according  to  the  Hymns  of  the  Rig-veda. 

In  this  section  I  shall  first  quote  the  texts  which  allude  to  Manu  as 
father  (which  must  of  course  be  understood  to  designate  him  as  the 
actual  human  progenitor  of  the  authors  of  the  hymns,  and  of  the  bulk 
of  the  people  to  whom  they  addressed  themselves) ;  and  then  adduce 
those  which  speak  of  him  as  the  institutor  of  religious  rites,  or  as  the 
object  of  divine  protection. 

(1)  The  following  texts  are  of  the  first  class  : 

i.  80,  16.  Yam  Atharva  Manush  pita  Dadhyan  dhiyam  atnata  \  tas- 
min  orahmdm '  purvathd  Indre  uktha  samagmata  \ 

"  Prayers  and  hymns  were  formerly  congregated  in  that  Indra,  in  the 
eeremony  which  Atharvan,  father  Manu,  and  Dadhyan ch  celebrated."* 

2  This  verse  is  quoted  in  the  Nirukta,  xii.  34,  where  the  words  Manush  pita, 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  163 

i.  114,  2.  Yat  sam  cha  yo&  cha  Manur  dyeje  pita  tad  asydma  tava 
Rudra  pranltishu  \ 

"  Whatever  prosperity  or  succour  father  Manu  obtained  by  sacrifice, 
may  we  gain  all  that  under  thy  guidance,  0  Rudra." 

ii.  33,  13.  Yd.  vo  IhesJiajd  Marutah  suchmi  yd  Santamd  vrishano  yd 
mayobhu  \  ydni  Manur  avrimta  pita  nah  td  sam  cha  yoi  cha  Rudrasya 
vasmi  \ 

"•  Those  pure  remedies  of  yours,  0  Maruts,  those  which  are  most 
auspicious,  ye  vigorous  gods,  those  which  are  beneficent,  those  which 
our 3  father  Manu  chose,'  those,  and  the  blessing  and  succour  of  Rudra, 
I  desire." 

viiL  52,  1  (Sama-veda,  i.  355).  Sa  purvyo  mahdndm  veno  kratubhir 
dnaje  \  yasya  dvdrd  Manush  pita  deveshu  HMyah  dnaje  \ 

"That  ancient  friend  hath  been  equipped  with  the  powers  of  the 
mighty  (gods).  Father  Manu  has  prepared  hymns  to  him,  as  portals 
of  access  to  the  gods."* 

"  father  Manu,"  are  explained  as  meaning  ManuscJia  pita  manavanam,  "  Manu  the 
father  of  men."  Sayana,  the  Commentator  on  the  Rig-veda,  interprets  them  as 
meaning  sarvasam  prajanam  pitribhuto  Manuscha,  "  Manu  the  father  of  all  crea- 
tures." In  R.V.,  x.  82,  3,  the  words  "  our  father  and  generator "  (yo  nah  pita 
yrtw»7a),.are  applied  to  Vis'vakarman,  the  creator  of  the  universe.  The  word  "father" 
in  the  R.V.  is  often  applied  to  Dyaus,  the  Sky,  and  "  mother  "  to  the  Earth,  as  in 
vi.  51  5.  (Compare  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1864,  pp.  55  ff.)  But  in  these  passages 
it  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that  the  words  are  employed  in  any  other  than  a  figu- 
rative sense ;  although  in  a  hymn  to  the  Earth  in  the  Atharva-veda,  xii.  1,  we  find 
the  following  verse  (the  15th) :  Tvaj-jatas  tvayi  charanti  martyas  tvam  bibhar&hi 
dvipadas  tvam  chatushpadah  \  taveme  prithivi  pancha-manavah  yebhyo  jyotir  amritam 
martyebhyah  udyan  suryo  rasmibhir  atanoti  \  "  Mortals  horn  of  thee  live  on  thee  : 
thou  supportest  hoth  bipeds  and  quadrupeds.  Thine,  o  Earth,  are  these  five  races  of 
men,  these  mortals  on  whom  the  sun  rising,  sheds  undying  light  with  his  rays ;" — 
where  it  might  almost  appear  as  if  the  poet  meant  to  represent  mankind  as  actually 
generated  by  the  earth.  Brihaspati  (iv.  50,  6 ;  vi.  73,  1)  and  the  other  gods,  as  Indra, 
are  called  "  father,"  or  compared  to  fathers  (vii.  52,  3)  ;  as  are  Rudra,  vi.  49,  10 ; 
and  the  Rishi,  R.V.,  x.  81,  1 ;  x.  82,  1,  3,  4.  S'.  P.  Br.,  i.  5,  3,  2,  has  Prajapatau 
pitari;  and  Taitt.  Br.  iii.  9,  22,  1,  Prajapatim  pitaram.  In  both  the  last  places 
Prajapati  is  referred  to  as  the  father  of  the  gods, 

3  It  is  to  be  observed  that  while  in  the  two  preceeding  passages  Manu  is  styled 
merely  "  father  Manu,"  he  is  here  called  "  our  father  Manu"  (Manuh pita  nah). 

4  I  am  indebted  to  Professor  Aufrecht  for  the  above  translation  of  this,  to  me, 
obscure  verse.     Sayana  explains  it  thus :  Sa  purvyo  mukhyo  mahanam  pujyanam 
yajaniananam  Jcratubhih  karmabhir  nimittabhutair  venah  kantas  tesham  havih  katna- 
yamanah  anaje  agachhati  \  yasyendrasya  dvara  dvarnni  praptyupayani  dhiynh  kar- 
mani  deveshv  eteshu  madhye  pita  sarvesham  palako  Manur  anaje prapa  \  anajih  prapti- 


164  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

The  sense  of  the  next  text  is  less  clear,  but  it  appears  at  least  to 
allude  to  the  common  designation  of  Manu  as  a  father : 

x.  100,  5.  Yajno  Manuh  pramatir  nah  pita  hi  kam  \ 

"  Sacrifice  is  Manu,  our  protecting  father." 

The  following  verse,  according  to  the  Commentator  at  least,  speaks 
of  the  paternal  or  ancestral  path  of  Manu.  Professor  Aufrecht  thinks 
it  need  not  mean  more  than  the  ancestral  human  path : 

viii.  30.  3.  Te  nas  trddhvam  te  avata  te  u  no  adhi  vochata  \  md  nah 
pathah  pitrydd  mdnavdd  adhi  duram  naishta  paravatah  \ 

"  Do  ye  (gods)  deliver,  protect,  and  intercede  for  us ;  do  not  lead  us 
far  away  from  the  paternal  path  of  Manu.5 

As  in  the  preceding  passages  Manu  is  spoken  of  as  the  progenitor  of 
the  worshippers,  so  in  the  following  the  same  persons  may  perhaps  be 
spoken-  of  as  his  descendants,  although  it  is  also  true  that  the  phrases 
employed  may  be  merely  equivalent  to  "  children  of  men." 

i.  68,  4.  Hotd  nishatto  Manor  apatye  sa  chit  nu  dsdm  patih  raylndm  \ 

"  He  (Agni)  who  abides  among  the  offspring  of  Manu  as  the  invoker 
(of  the  gods),  is  even  the  lord  of  these  riches."  6 

karma  \  "  This  chief  one,  in  consequence  of  the  rites  of  the  venerable  sacrificers, 
desiring  their  oblation,  comes, — he  (Indra)  as  means  of  attaining  whom  Manu  the 
preserver  of  all  has  obtained  rites  among  these  gods."  Professor  Benfey  renders  the 
verse,  where  it  occurs  in  the  Sama-veda,  thus :  "  He  is  the  chief  of  the  rich,  through 
works  the  dear  one  enlightens  him,  whose  doors  father  Manu  has,  and  illuminates 
observances  towards  the  gods."  From  Prof.  Benfey's  note  to  the  passage  (p.  230)  it 
appears  that  the  Commentator  on  the  Sama-veda  explains  anaje  by  vyaktlkaroti  at- 
manam,  "  makes  himself  distinct "  (herein  differing  from  Sayana),  Manu  by  jnata 
sarvasya  =  Indrah,  "the  knower  of  all,  Indra,"  and  anaje,  where  it  occurs  the  second 
time,  by  agamayati,  "  causes  to  come."  Such  are  the  differences  of  opinion  regarding 
the  interpretation  of  some  parts  of  the  hymns. 

6  On  this  verse  Sayana  comments  thus :  Sarvesham  Manuh  pita  latah  agatat  \ 
paravatah  \  pita  Manur  duram  margam  chakre  \  tasmat  patho  margat  no  asman  ma 
naishta  ma  nayata  \  apanayanam  ma  kuruta  ity  arthah  \  sarvada  brahmaeharyyagni- 
holradi-karmani  yma  margena  bhavanti  tarn  evn  asman  nayata  \  kintu  duram  ya 
etad-vyatirikto  viprakrishto  margo  'sti  tasmad  adhi  adhikam  ity  arthah  asman  apa- 
nayata  \  "  '  Of  Manu  '  means,  come  from  Manu  who  is  the  father  of  all.  'Distant : ' 
Father  Manu  journeyed  along  a  distant  path.  Do  not  lead  us  away  from  that  path. 
Lead  us  along  that  path  in  which  continence,  the  agnihotra  sacrifice,  and  other 
duties  have  always  been  practised.  But  lead  us  away  from  the  distant  path  which 
is  different  from  that." 

6  The  Commentator  here  explains  "  the  offspring  of  Manu  "  as  offspring  or  crea- 
tures in  the  form  of  worshippers  (yajamaiia~svarupayam  prajayani) ;  and  adds  that 
according  to  a  Brahmana  "  creatures  are  sprung  from  Manu"  ("Manavyo  hiprajah" 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANIT.  165 

iii.  3,  6.  Agnir  devebhir  manushascha  jantulhis  tanvdno  yajnam  puru- 
pesasam  dhiyd  \ 

"Agni,  together  with  the  gods,  and  the  children  (jantubhiJi)  of 
Manush,  celebrating  a  multiform  sacrifice  with  hymns,"  etc. 

In  the  following  texts  reference  is  made  to  the  people  of  Mann,  the 
word  for  "people"  being  vii,  from  which  vaisya,  "a  man  of  the 
people,"  is  derived : 

iv.  37,  1.  Upa  no  Vdjdh  adhvaram  Itibhukshdh  devdh  ydta  pathibhir 
devaydnaih  \  yathd  yajnam  manusho  vikshu  dsu  dadhidve  ranvdh  sudine- 
shu  ahndm  \ 

"Ye  gods,  Vajas,  and  Ribhukshans,  come  to  our  sacrifice  by  the 
path  travelled  by  the  gods,  that  ye,  pleasing  deities,  may  institute  a 
sacrifice  among  these  people  of  Manush  (Manusho  vikshu}  on  auspicious 
days." 

vi.  14,  2.  Agnim  hotdram  l^ate  yajneshu  manusho  visah  \ 

"  The  people  of  Manush  praise  in  the  sacrifices  Agni  the  invoker." 

viii.  23,  13.  Tad  vai  u  vispatih  iitalj,  suprlto  manusho  viii  \  vtevd  id 
Agnih  prati  rakshdmsi  sedJiati  \ 

"Whenever  Agni,  lord  of  the  people,7  kindled,  abides  gratified 
among  the  people  of  Manush,  he  repels  all  Rakshases." 

(2.)  From  the  preceding  texts  it  appears  that  the  authors  of  the 
hymns  regarded  Manu  as  the  progenitor  of  their  race.  But  (as  is  clear 
from  many  other  passages)  they  also  looked  upon  him  as  the  first 
person  by  whom  the  sacrificial  fire  had  been  kindled,  and  as  the  in- 
stitutor  of  the  ceremonial  of  worship;  though  the  tradition  is  not 
always  consistent  on  this  subject.  In  one  of  the  verses  already  quoted 
(i.  80,  1 6)  Manu  is  mentioned  in  this  way,  along  with  Atharvan  and 

iti  hi  brahtnanam).  Yaska  (Nir.  iii.  7)  gives  the  following  derivations  of  the  word 
manushya,  "man:"  Manushyah  kasmat  \  matva  karmani  sivyanti  \  manasyamdnena 
srishtah  .  .  .  .  |  Manor  apatyam  Manusho  va  \  ''From  what  are  men  (named)  ?  Be- 
cause after  reflection  they  sew  together  works  ;  (or)  because  they  were  created  by  one 
who  reflected  (or,  according  to  Durga,  "  rejoiced  ")  .  .  .  .  (or)  because  they  are  the 
offspring  of  Manu,  or  Manush." 

7  Vispati.  Compare  vi.  48,  8,  where  it  is  said :  visvasam  grihapatir  visam  asi 
tvam  Agne  manushmam  \  "  Agni,  thou  art  the  master  of  the  house  of  all  human 
people  (or,  people  sprung  from  Manush) ;"  and  x.  80,  6,  Agnim  visah  llate  inanush'r 
yah  Agnim  Manusho  Nahusho  vi  jdtah  \  "  Human  people  (or,  people  descended  from 
Manush)  praise  Agni :  (people)  sprung  from  Manush,  from  Nahush,  (praise)  Agni." 
Or  if  manushah  be  the  nom.  plur.  the  last  clause  will  run  thus  :  "  men  sprung  from 
Nahush  (praise)  Agni." 


166  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

Dadhyanch,  as  having  celebrated  religious  rites  in  ancient  times.     The 

following  further  passages  refer  to  him  as  a  kindler  of  fire,  and  offerer 

of  oblations : 

i.  36,  19.  Ni  tvdm  Agne  Manur  dadhe  jyotir  jandya  sasvate  \ 

"  Manu  has  placed  (or  ordained)  thee,  Agni,  a  light  to  all  the  people.'' 

i.  76,  5.  Yathd  viprasya  Manusho  havirlhir  devdn   ayajah  kavilhih 

kavih  san  \  eva  hotah  satyatara  tvam  adya  Agne  mandrayd  juhvd  yajasva  \ 
"  As  thou,  thyself  a  sage,  didst,  with  the  sages,  worship  the  gods 

with  the  oblations  of  the  wise  Manush,  so  to-day,  Agni,  most  true  in- 

voker,  worship  them  with  a  cheerful  flame." 

y.  45,  6.  A  ita  dhiyam  Icrinavdma  sakhdyah  ....  yayd  Manur  Visi- 


"Come,  friends,  let  us  perform  the  prayer  ....  whereby  Manu 
conquered  Visisipra  .... 

viii,  10.  2.  Yad  vd  yajnam  Manave  sammimikshathur  eva  it  Kdnvasya 
lodhatam  \ 

"Or  if  ye  (Asvins)  sprinkled  the  sacrifice  for  Manu,  think  in  like 
manner  of  the  descendant  of  Kanva." 

ix.  96,  11.  Tvayd  hi  nah  pitarah  Soma  purve  karmdni  chakruh  pava- 
mdna  dhlrdh  \  ....  12.  Yathd  apavathdh  Manave  vayodhdh  amitrahd 
varivovid  havishmdn  I  eva  pavasva  .... 

"  For  through  thee,  0  pure  Soma,  our  early  fathers,  who  were  wise, 
performed  their  rites  .  .  .  12.  As  thou  didst  flow  clear  for  Manu,  thou 
upholder  of  life,  destroyer  of  foes,  possessor  of  wealth,  rich  in  oblations, 
so  (now)  flow  clear."  .... 

x.  63,  7.  Yebhyo  hotrdm  prathamdm  dyeje  Mamih  samiddhdgnir  ma- 
nasd  sapta  hotribhih  \  td  Adityd  alhayam  sarma  yachhata  .... 

"  0  ye  Adityas,  to  whom  Manu,  when  he  had  kindled  fire,  presented 
along  with  seven  hotri  priests  the  first  oblation  with  a  prayer,  bestow 
on  us  secure  protection." 

x.  69^  3.  "  Yat  te  Manur  yad  arilkam  Sumitrah  samdhe  Agne  tad 
idam  navlyah  "  8  | 

8  The  S'atapatha  Brahmana  (i.  4,  2,  5)  thus  explains  the  words  deveddho  Manvid- 
dhah  : — Manviddhah  iti  \  Manur  hy  etam  agre  ainddha  \  tastnad  aha  "  Manviddhah" 
iti  |  "  The  gods  formerly  kindled  it  (fire)  :  hence  it  is  called  '  god-kindled.'  Manu 
formerly  kindled  it :  and  hence  it  is  called  '  kindled  by  Manu.'  "  The  Aitareya 
Brabmana  (ii.  34),  however,  explains  the  word  Manv-iddhah  from  the  fact  that  "  men 
kindle  it "  (imam  hi  manushya  indhate}. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  167 

"  That  lustre  of  thine  which  Manu,  which  Sumitra,  kindled  is  this 
same  which  is  now  renewed." 

In  conformity  with  the  preceding  texts,  the  following  may  be  under- 
stood as  declaring  that  the  sacrificial  fire  had  been  first  kindled  by 
Manu : 

i.  13,  4  (=  S.V.  ii.  700).  Ague  sukhatame  rathe  devan  llitah  a  vaha  \ 
asi  hota  Manurhitah  \ 

"  0  Agni,  lauded,  bring  the  gods  hither  in  a  most  pleasant  chariot. 
Thou  art  the  invoker  (of  the  gods)  placed  by  Manush."  9 

i.  14,  11.  Tvam  hota  Manurhito  'gne  yajneshu  sldasi  \  sah  imam  no 
adhvaram  yaja  \ 

"Thou,  Agni,  the  invoker  placed  by  Manush,  art  present  at  the 
sacrifices :  do  thou  present  this  our  oblation."  (See  also  K.Y.  iii.  2, 15.) 

vi.  16,  9.  Tvam  hota  Manurhitah  .... 

"  Thou  art  the  invoker  placed  by  Manush  .  .  .  .  " 

viii.  19,  21.  lie  giro,  Manurhitam  yam  deva  dutam  aratim  ni  erire  \ 
yajishtham  havya-vahanam  \ 

"  With  a  hymn  I  laud  that  adorable  bearer  of  oblations  placed  by 
Manush,10  whom  the  gods  have  sent  as  a  ministering  messenger." 

9  The  compound  word  which  I  have  here  rendered  "  placed  by  Manush "  is  in 
the  original  Manur-hita.     Professor  Aufrecht  would  render  it  "  given  to  man," 
and  quotes  i.  36,  10,  in  support  of  this  view.    The  sense  I  have  given  is  supported 
by  i.  36,  19,  where  the  same  root,  dha,  from  which  hita  (originally  dhita)  comes,  is 
used,  joined  with  the  particle  ni.    The  same  participle  hita  is  used  in  vi.  16,  1,  where 
it  is   said :  TV  am  Agne  yajnanam  hota  sarvesham  hitah  \  devebhir  mdnushe  jane  \ 

' '  Thou,  Agni,  hast  been  placed,  or  ordained,  among  the  race  of  Manush  by  the  gods  as 
the  invoker  at  all  sacrifices."  The  fact  that  Agni  is  here  said  to  have  been  placed  by 
the  gods  among  the  race  of  Manush  does  not  forbid  us  to  suppose  that  there  are  other 
passages  in  which,  either  inconsistently,  or  from  a  different  point  of  view,  Agni  may 
have  been  said  to  be  placed  by  Manu.  The  compound  manur-hita  occurs  also  in  the 
following  texts,  where,  however,  it  has  probably  the  sense  of  "good  for  man,"  viz.  : 
i.  106,  5.  Erihaspate  sadam  id  nah  sugam  kridhi  sam  yor  yat  te  manur-hitam  tad 
Imahe  \  "Brihaspati,  do  us  always  good :  we  desire  that  blessing  and  protection  of 
thine  which  is  good  for  man."  (Sayana  says  that  here  manur-hitam  means  either 
"placed  in  thee  by  Manu,  i.e.,  Brahma,"  or,  "favourable  to  man."  Benfey,  in  loco, 
renders  "  destined  for  man.")  vi.  70,  2.  Rajantl  asya  bhwanasya  rodasl  asme  retah 
sinchatam  yad  manur-hitam  \  "  Heaven  and  earth,  ruling  over  this  world,  drop  on  us 
that  seed  which  is  good  for  man."  x.  26,  5.  Rishih  sa  yo  manur-hitah  \  "  He  (Pushan) 
who  is  a  rishi  kind  to  man"  etc.  Professor  Roth  s.v.  gives  only  the  latter  sense. 

10  Though  the  word  manur-hita  is  here  interpreted  by  Sayana  as  meaning  "placed 
by  Manu  Prajapati  who  sacrificed,"  it  might  also  signify  "  friendly  to  men,"  as  Agni 
is  also  said  to  have  been  sent  by  the  gods. 


168  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

viii.  34,  8.  A  tva  hotd  Manurhito  devatrd  vakshad  idyah  \ 

"May  the  adorable  invoker  placed  by  Manu  bring  thee  (Indra) 
hither  among  the  gods,"  etc. 

There  is  also  a  class  of  passages  in  which  the  example  of  Manush 
may  be  referred  to  by  the  phrase  manmh-vat,  "like  Manush,"  or,  "as 
in  the  case  of  Manush."  "  Thus  in  i.  44,  11,  it  is  said : 

Ni  tvd  yafnasya  sddhanam  Agne  hotdram  ritvyam  manushvad  deva 
dhimahi  .  .  .  .  | 

"Divine  Agni,  we,  like  Manush,  place  thee,  the  accomplisher  of  the 
sacrifice,  the  inyoker,  the  priest,"  etc. 

v.  21,  1.  Manushvat  tva  ni  dhimahi  Manushvat  sam  idhlmahi  \  Agne 
Manushvad  Angiro  devdn  devayate  yaja  \ 

"  Agni,  we  place  thee  like  Manush,  we  kindle  thee  like  Manush. 
Agni,  Angiras,  worship  the  gods  like  Manush,  for  him  who  adores 
them." 

vii.  2,  3.  Manuskvad  Agnim  Manund  samiddham  sam  adhvardya  sadam 
in  mahema  \ 

"  Let  us,  like  Maiiush,  continually  invoke  to  the  sacrifice  Agni  who 
was  kindled  by  Manu." 

viii.  27,  7.  Suta-somdso  Varuna  havfimahe  Manushvad  iddhdgnayah  \ 

""We  invoke  thee,  Varuna,  having  poured  out  soma,  and  having 
kindled  fire,  like  Manush." 

viii.  43,  13.  Uta  tvd  Bhriguvat  suche  Manushvad  Agne  dhuta  \  Angi- 
rasvad  havdmahe  |  ....  27.  Yam  tvdjandsa  indhate  Manushvad  Angi- 
rastama  \  Agne  sa  lodhi  me  vachah  \ 

"Like  Bhrigu,  like  Manush,  like  Angiras,  we  invoke  thee,  bright 

Agni,  who  hast  been  invoked 27.  Agni,  most  like  to  Angiras, 

whom  men  kindle  like  Manush,  attend  to  my  words." 

The  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  i.  5,  1,  7,  explains  thus  the  word  Manush- 
vat :12 — Manur  ha  vai  agre  yajnena  Ije  \  tad  anuJcritya  imah  prajdh  ya- 

11  I  should  observe  that  Prof.  Aufrecht  thinks  the  phrase— except  perhaps  with 
the  single  exception  of  viii.  43,  13 — means  "  amongst  men."     Prof.  Eoth  gives  only 
the  sense  "  like  men,"  "as  among,  or  for,  men." 

12  The  same  wgrk  in  the  same  passage  thus  explains  the  phrase  Bharata-vat.  "He 
hears  (bharati}  the  ohlation  to  the  gods  ;  wherefore  men  say,  Bharata  (or  '  the  bearer ') 
is  Agni.     Or,  he  is  called  Bharata  (the  '  sustainer ')  because,  being  breath,  he  sustains 
these  creatures."     This  phrase  may,  however,  refer  to  the  example  of  King  Bharata. 
See  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xiii.  5,  4, 14. 


THE  INDIAN  EACE  FROM  MANU.  169 

jante  \  tasmdd  aha  "  Manush-vad"  iti  \  "Manor  yajnah"  Hi  u  vai 
ahuh  |  tasmdd  vd  iva  dhur  "  Manushvad "  iti  \  "  Manu  formerly  sacri- 
ficed with  a  sacrifice.  Imitating  this,  these  creatures  sacrifice.  He 
therefore  says,  Manushvat,  'like  Manu.'  Or,  they  say  'like  Manu,' 
because  men  speak  of  the  sacrifice  as  being  Manu's." 

It  must,  however,  be  admitted  that  Manu  is  not  always  spoken  of 
in  the  hymns  of  the  first,  or  only,  kindler  of  fire  or  celebrator  of 
religious  rites.  In  i.  80,  16,  already  quoted,  Atharvan  and  Dadhyanch 
are  specified  along  with  him  as  having  oifered  sacrifice  in  early  times. 

In  the  following  verses  Atharvan  is  mentioned  as  having  generated 
fire : 

vi.  16,  13.  Imam  tu  tyam  Atharva-vad  Agnim  mathanti  vedhasah  \ 

"  The  wise  draw  forth  this  Agni,  as  Atharvan  did." 

vi.  16,  13  (=  S.  V.  i.  9;  Vaj.  Sanh.  xi.  32).  Team  Agne  pushkardd 
adhy  Atharvd  nir  amanthata  .  .  .  .  |  14.  Tarn  u  tvd  Dadhyann  rishih 
putrah  idhe  Atharvanah  \ 

"Agni,  Atharvan  drew  thee  forth  from  the  lotus  leaf,"  etc.  14. 
"Thee  the  rishi  Dadhyanch,  son  of  Atharvan,  kindled,"  etc. 

[In  the  Vajasaneyi  Sanhita,  the  first  of  these  verses  is  immediately 
preceded  by  the  following  words  (xi.  32) :  Atharvd  tvd  prathamo  nir 
amanthad  Agne  \  "Atharvan  was  the  first  who  drew  thee  forth, 
Agni."] 

Again  it  is  said  in  the  Big-veda,  x.  21,  5.  Agnir  jdto  Atharvand 
vidad  visvdni  ltdvyd  \  Ihuvad  duto  Fivasvatak  \  "Agni,  produced  by 
Atharvan,  knows  all  wisdom,  and  has  become  the  messenger  of  Vi- 
vas wat." 

In  i.  83,  5,  Atharvan  is  mentioned  as  the  earliest  institutor  of  sacri- 
fice :  Yajnair  Atharvd  prathamah  pathas  tate  tatah  suryo  vratapah 
venah  djani  \  "Atharvan  was  the  first  who  by  sacrifices  opened  up 
paths ;  then  the  friendly  Sun,  the  upholder  of  ordinances,  was  pro- 
duced," etc.:  so  too  in  x.  92,  10.  Yajnair  Atharvd  prathamo  vi  dhdrayad 
devd  dakshair  Bhrigavah  sam  chikitrire  \  "  Atharvan,  the  first,  estab- 
lished (all  things)  with  sacrifices.  The  divine  Bhrigus  co-operated  with 
their  powers."  1S 

13  These  two  texts  might,  though  not  very  probably,  be  understood  to  mean  not 
that  Atharvan  was  the  first  to  employ  sacrifice,  but  to  use  it  for  the  purpose  referred 
to  in  the  context. 


170  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

The  next  texts  speak  of  the  Bhrigus  as  the  institutors  of  sacrifice 
by  fire : 

i.  58,  6.  Dadhus  tvd  Bhrigavo  mdnusheshv  d  rayim  na  chdrum  suhavam 
janelhyah  \  hotdram  Ague  \ 

"The  Bhrigus  have  placed  thee,  o  Agni,  among  men,  as  an  invoker, 
like  a  beautiful  treasure,  and  easily  invoked  for  men,"  etc. 

ii.  4,  2.  Imam  vidhanto  apdm  sadasthe  dvitd  adadhur  Bhrigavo  vihhu 
Ayoh  | 

"  Worshipping  him  (Agni)  in  the  receptacle  of  waters,  the  Bhrigus 
placed  him  among  the  people  of  Ayu." 

x.  46,  2.  Imam  vidhanto  apdm  sadasthe  pasum  na  nashtam  padair  ami 
gman  \  guhd  chatantam  usijo  namolhir  ichhanto  dhlrd  Bhrigavo  avindan  \ 

""Worshipping  him  in  the  receptacle  of  waters,  and  desiring  him 
with  prostrations,  the  wise  and  longing  Bhrigus  followed  him  with 
their  steps,  like  a  beast  who  had  been  lost,  and  found  him  lurking  in 
concealment"  u  (i.  65,  1). 

In  other  places,  the  gods,  as  well  as  different  sages,  are  mentioned 
as  introducing  or  practising  worship  by  fire,  or  as  bringing  down  the 
sacred  flame  from  heaven : 

i,  36,  10.  Yam  tvd  devdso  manave  dadhur  iha  yajishtham  havyavdhana  \ 
yam  Kanvo  Medhydtithir  dhanaspritam  yam  Vrishd  yam  Upastutah  \ 

"  Thou,  o  bearer  of  oblations,  whom  the  gods  placed  here  as  an 
object  of  adoration  to  man  (or  Manu),;  whom  Kanva,  whom  Medhya- 
tithi,  whom  Yrishan,  whom  Upastuta  (have  placed)  a  bringer  of 
wealth,"  etc.  Compare  vi.  16,  1,  quoted  above,  p.  167,  note  9. 

iii.  5,  10.  Yadl  Bhrigulhyah  pari  Mdtarisvd  guhd  santam  havt/avdham 
samldhe  \ 

"  When  llatariswan  kindled  for  the  Bhrigus  Agni,  the  bearer  of  ob- 
lations, who  was  in  concealment." 

x.  46,  9.  Dydvd  yam  Agnim  prithivl  janishtdm  dpas  Tvashta  Bhri- 
gavo yam  sahobhih  \  llenyam  prathamam  Mdtarisvd  devds  tatalcshur  ma- 
nave  yajatram  \ 

"Matariswan  and  the  gods  have  made,  as  the  first  adorable  object  of 
worship  to  man  (or  Manu),  that  Agni  whom  heaven  and  earth,  whom 

14  In  the  following  passages  also  the  Bhrigus  are  mentioned  as  connected  with  the 
worship  of  Agni:  i.  71,  4 ;  i.  127,  7  ;  i.  143,  4 ;  iii.  2,  4 ;  iv.  7,  1 ;  vi.  15,  2 ;  viii. 
43,  13;  viii.  91,4;  x.  122,5. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  171 

the  waters,  whom  Tvashtri,  whom  the  Bhrigus,  have  generated  by 
their  powers." 

In  the  8th  verse  the  Ayus,  and  in  the  10th  the  gods,  as  well  as  men, 
are  said  to  have  placed  Agni. 

In  i.  60,  1  ;  i.  93,  6 ;  i.  148,  1  ;  iii.  2,  13;  iii.  5,  10;  iii.  9,  5;  vi. 
8,  4,  Matarisvan  is  again  spoken  of  as  the  hringer  or  generator  of  fire. 
(Compare  note  1,  in  p.  416,  of  my  article  "  On  Manu  the  progenitor  of 
the  Aryan  Indians,"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  xx. 
for  1863.) 

But  to  return  to  Manu.  Although  the  distinction  of  having  been  the 
first  to  kindle  fire  is  thus,  in  various  passages,  ascribed  to  Atharvan 
or  the  Bhrigus,  this  does  not  disprove  the  fact  that  in  other  places,  it 
is,  somewhat  inconsistently,  assigned  to  Manu  ;  and  none  of  these  other 
personages  is  ever  brought  forward  as  disputing  with  Manu  the  honour 
of  having  been  the  progenitor  of  the  Aryan  race.  In  this  respect  the 
Vedic  tradition  exhibits  no  variation,  except  that  Yama  also  seems  in 
some  places  to  be  represented  as  the  first  man.  (See  my  article  in  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  for  1865,  pp.  287  ff.,  and  espe- 
cially the  words  of  the  Atharva-veda,  xviii.  3,  14.  Yo  mamdra  prathamo 
marttydndm  \  "Who  (Yama)  died  first  of  men.") 

(III.)  The  following  passages  describe  Manu  as  being  the  object  of 
special  favour  or  intervention  on  the  part  of  some  of  the  gods  : 

i.  112,  16.  Ydlhir  nard  S'ayave  ydlJiir  Atraye  ydbhih  purd  Manave 
gdtum  ishatliuh  \  ydhhih  sdrlr  djatam,  S'yumarasmaye  tdbJiir  u  shu  uli- 
Uiir  Asvind  gatam  \  18 Yalhir  Manum  suram  isJid  samdvatam  \ 

"  Come,  As  wins,  with  those  succours,  whereby,  o  heroes,  ye  effected 
deliverance  for  S'ayu,  for  Atri,  and  formerly  for  Manu,  whereby  ye  shot 

arrows  for  S'yumarasmi.  18 whereby  ye  preserved  the  hero 

Manu  with  food."15 

viii.  15,  5.  Yena  jyotimshi  Ay  me  Manave  cha  viveditha  \  manddno 
asya  barhisho  vi  rdjasi  \ 

"  Exulting  in  this  (exhilaration),  wherewith  thou  didst  make  known 
the  luminaries  to  Ayu,  and  to  Manu,  thou  art  lord  of  the  sacrificial 
grass." 

15  This  passage,  as  far  as  it  concerns  Manu,  is  thus  explained  by  Sayana :  "  And 
with  those  succours,  whereby  ye  made  a  path,  a  road  which  was  the  cause  of  escape 
from  poverty,  by  sowing  barley  and  other  kinds  of  grain,  etc.,  for  Manu,  the  royal 
rishi  of  that  name ;  according  to  another  text"  (i.  117,  21). 


172  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

"When  compared  with  the  preceding  verse  it  seems  not  improbable 
that  the  following  text  may  refer  to  the  same  tradition,  and  that  instead 
of  Vdyave  we  should  read  Ayave : 

vii.  91,  1.  Kuvid  anga  namasti  ye  vridhdsah  pur  a  devd  anavadydsah 
dsan  |  te  Vdyave  (Ayave  ?)  Manave  Iddhitdya  avdsayan  Ushasam 
Suryena  \ 

"  Certainly  those  gods  who  were  magnified  by  worship  were  of  old 
faultless.  They  displayed  the  dawn  with  the  sun  to  Vayu  (Ayu  ?),  to 
Manu  when  distressed. 

There  is  also  a  reference  to  the  sky  being  displayed  to  Manu  in  the 
following  verse,  unless  the  word  (manu)  is  to  be  there  taken  as  an 
epithet  of  Pururavas,  which  does  not  seem  a  probable  supposition  : 

i.  31,  4.  Tvam  Agne  Manave  dydm  avasayafy  Pururavase  sukrite  su- 
krittarah  \ 

"  Thou,  Agni,  didst  display  the  sky  to  Manu,  to  the  beneficent  Pu- 
ruravas, (thyself)  more  beneficent." 

If  Manu  be  taken  for  a  proper  name  in  vii.  91,  1,  it  may  reason- 
ably be  understood  in  the  same  way  in  vi.  49,  13,  where  the  person 
referred  is  similarly  spoken  of  as  distressed  : 

vi.  49,  13.  Yo  rqjdmsi  vimame  pdrthivani  tri£  chid  Vishnur  Manage 
IddUtdya  \ 

"  Yishnu  who  thrice  measured  the  terrestrial  regions  for  Manu  when 
distressed." 

And  in  that  case  the  word  Manu  may  perhaps  also  be  taken  to  denote 
a  person  in  vii.  1 00,  4,  Vicliakrame  prithivlm  esha  etdm  Icshetrdya  Vish- 
nur  Manave  dasasyan  \  "  This  Vishnu  strode  over  this  earth,  bestowing 
it  on  Manu  for  an  abode."  Although  here  the  general  sense  of  "man  " 
would  make  an  equally  good  sense. 

I  may  introduce  here  another  text  in  which,  from  its  conjunction 
with  other  proper  names,  it  must  be  held  that  the  word  Manu  denotes 
a  person . 

i.  139,  9.  Dadhyan  ha  me  janusham  purvo  Angirdh  Priyamedhah 
Kanvo  Atrir  Manur  vidm  te  me  purve  Manur  mduh  \ 

"  Dadhyanch,  the  ancient  Angiras,  Priyamedha,  Kanva,  Atri,  Manu, 
know  my  (Paruchhepa's?)  birth  ;  they,  my  predecessors,  Manu,  know  it.' 

There  are,  as  we  have  seen,  some  passages  in  the  hymns  in 
which  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  words  manu  and  manush  denote  an 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  173 

individual,  or  stand  for  man  in  general ;  and  there  are  also  texts  in 
which  the  latter  sense  is  clearly  the  only  one  that  can  be  assigned. 
Such  are  the  following  : 

(1.)  Manu  in  the  singular: 

i.  130,  5 Dhenur  iva  mana/ve  visvadohaso  jandya  visvadohasah  \ 

"  All- productive  as  a  cow  to  man,  all-productive  to  a  person." 

v.  2,  12.  Barhishmate  manave  sarma  yamsad  havishmate  manave  iarma 
yamsat  \ 

"  That  he  may  bestow  protection  on  the  man  who  sacrifices,  on  the 
man  who  offers  oblations." 

viii.  47,  4.  Manor  visvasya  gha  id  ime  Aditydh  rdya  isate  .  .  .  .  | 

"  These  Adityas  are  lords  of  every  man's  riches  "  .  .  .  . 

(2.)  Manu  in  the  plural : 

viii.  18,  22.  Ye  chid  hi  mrityubandhavah  Aditydh  manavah  smasi  \ 
pra  su  nah  dyur  jlvase  tiretana  \ 

"  0  ye  Adityas,  prolong  the  days  of  us  who  are  men  who  are  of  kin 
to  death,  that  we  may  live." 

x.  91,  9.  Yad  devayanto  dadJiati  praydmsi  te  havishmanto  manavo 
vrikta-larhishah  \ 

"When  these  pious  men  sacrificing,  and  spreading  the  sacrificial 
grass,  offer  thee  oblations." 

(3.)  Manush  in  the  singular : 

i.  167,  7.  Guhd  charanti  manusho  na  yoshd  \ 

"  Like  the  wife  of  a  man  moving  secre'tly." 

vii.  70,  2.  ...  atdpi  gharmo  manusho  durone  \ 

"Fire  has  been  kindled  in  the  man's  abode." 

The  same  phrase  manusho  durone  occurs  also  in  viii.  76,  2 ;  x.  40, 
13;  x.  104,  4;  x.  110,  1.  In  x.  99,  7,  we  find  the  words  druhvane 
manushe,  "  against  the  injurious  man." 

(4.)  Manush  in  the  plural : 

iv.  6,  11.  Hotdram  Agnim  manusho  nishedur  namasyanta  usijah  sam- 
sam  dyoh  \ 

"Men  offering  worship,  and  eager,  attend  upon  Agni  the  invoker, 
the  object  of  man's  (or  Ayu's)  praises." 

In  the  following  passages,  if  the  word  Manu  is  not  to  be  understood 
as  denoting  a  person,  the  progenitor  of  men,  it  seems,  at  all  events,  to 
designate  his  descendants,  the  favoured  race  to  which  the  authors  of 


174  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

the  hymns  believed  themselves  to  belong,  and  appears  to  he  in  some 
cases  at  least  nearly  synonymous  with  Arya,  the  name  by  which  they 
called  men  of  their  own  stock  and  religion,  in  contradistinction  to  the 
Dasyus,  a  term  by  which  we  are  either  to  understand  hostile  demons, 
or  the  rude  aboriginal  tribes  : 

i.  130,  8.  Indrah  samatsu  yajamdnam  dry  am  prdvad  visveshu  satamutir 
djishu  ....  |  manave  sdsad  avratdn  tvacham  krishndm  arandhayat  \ 16 

"  Indra  who  bestows  a  hundred  succours  in  all  conflicts  ....  has 
preserved  the  Arya  in  the  fights.  Chastising  the  lawless,  he  has  sub- 
jected the  black  skin  to  the  man  (manave)." 

Compare  i.  117,  21,  where  instead  of  manu,  or  manusJi,  the  word 
manusha  is  employed : 

Yavam  vrikena  Asvind  vapantd  isJiam  duhantd  manushdya  dasrd  \ 
abhi  dasyum  lakurena  dhamantd  urujyotii  chakrathur  drydya  \ 

"Sowing  barley  with  the  wolf,  ye,  o  potent  As vins,  milking  out 
food  for  man  (manusha'),  blowing  away  the  Dasyu  with  the  thunder- 
bolt (?),  have  made  a  broad  light  for  the  Arya."  " 

i.  175,  3.  Tvam  hi  surah  sanitd  chodayo  manusho  ratham  \  sahdvdn 
dasyum  avratam  oshah  pdtram  na  sochishd  \ 

"Thou,  a  hero,  a  benefactor,  hast  impelled  the  chariot  of  man  :  vic- 
torious, thou  hast  burnt  up  the  rite-less  Dasyu,  as  a  vessel  is  consumed 
by  a  blaze." 

ii.  20,  6.  Sa  ha  Sruta  Indro  ndma  deva  urddhvo  Ihuvad  manushe  das- 
matamah  \  ava  priyam  arsasdnasya  sahvtin  siro  bharad  ddsasya  svadhd- 
vdn  |  7.  Sa  vrittrahd  Indrah  krishnayonih  purandaro  ddslr  air  ay  ad  vi  \ 
ajanayad  manave  kshdm  apa£cha  satrd  samsam  yajamdnasya  tutot  \ 

"  The  god  renowned  as  Indra  hath  arisen  most  mighty  for  the  sake 
of  man.  Yiolent,  self-reliant,  he  has  smitten  down  the  dear  head  of 
the  destructive  Dasa.  7.  Indra,  the  slayer  of  Vrittra,  the  destroyer  of 
cities,  has  scattered  the  Dasyu  (hosts)  sprung  from  a  black  womb.  He 

16  A  similar  opposition  between  the  word  ayu,  "  man,"  and  dasyu  is  to  be  noted  in 
the  following  passage,  vi.  14,  3  :  nana  hi  Agne  avase  spardhante  rayo  aryah  \  tur- 
vanto  dasyum  ayavo  vrataih  sikshanto  avratam  \  "  In  various  ways,  o  Agni,  the  riches 
of  the  enemy  emulously  hasten  to  the  help  (of  thy  worshippers).  The  men  destroy  the 
Dasyu,  and  seek  by  rites  to  overcome  the  riteless." 

17  See  Prof.  Roth's  explanation  of  this  passage  as  given  in  a  note  to  the  article  on 
Manu  the  progenitor  of  the  Aryan  Indians,  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society, 
vol.  xx.  p.  418. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  175 

has  produced  for  man  the  earth 18  and  the  waters ;  he  has  perfectly  ful- 
filled the  aspiration  of  his  worshipper." 

vi.  21,  11.  Nu  me  a  vdcham  upa  ydhi  mdvdn  visvebhih  suno  sahaso 
yajatraih  \  ye  agnijihvdh  ritasdpah  dsur  ye  manum  chakrur  uparam 
dasdya  \ 

11  Do  thou,  o  wise  god,  son  of  strength,  approach  my  hymn  with  all 
the  adorable  (deities),  who  were  fire-tongued,  rite-frequenting,  and 
made  man  superior  to  the  Dasa." 

viii.  87,  5.  Abhi  Id  satya  somapdh  ulhe  labhutha  rodasi  \  Indrdsi 
sunvato  vridhah  patir  divah  \  6.  Tvam  hi  Sasvatindm  Indra  dartd  pu- 
rdm  asi  \  hantd  dasyor  manor  vridhah  patir  divah  \ 

"5.  For  thou,  o  true  soma-drinker,  hast  overcome  both  worlds. 
Indra,  thou  art  the  prosperer  of  him  who  makes  libations,  the  lord  of 
the  sky.  6.  Thou,  Indra,  art  the  destroyer  of  all  the  cities,  the  slayer 
of  the  Dasyu,  the  prosperer  of  man,  the  lord  of  the  sky." 

ix.  92,  5.  Tan  nu  satyam  pavamdnasja  astu  yatra  visve  kdravah  sam- 
nasanta  \  jyotir  yad  ahne  akrinod  u  lokam  prdvad  manum  dasyave  Jcar 
abhlJcam  \ 

"Let  this  be  the  true  (abode)  of  the  pure  god  (Soma)  where  all  the 
sages  have  assembled ;  since  he  has  made  light  and  space  for  the  day, 
has  protected  man,  and<  repelled  the  Dasyu." 

x.  49,  7.  Yad  md  sdvo  manmhah  aha  nirnije  ridhak  Jcrishe  dusam  Jcrit- 
vyam  hathaih  \ 

"  "When  the  libation  of  man  calls  me  to  splendour,  I  tear  in  pieces  (?) 
with  blows  the  vigorous  Dasa." 

x.  73,  7.  Tvam  jaghantha  Namuchim  makhasyum  ddsam  krinvdnah 
rishaye  vimdyam  \  tvam  chakartha  manave  syondn  patho  devatrd  anjasd 
iv'a  ydndn  \ 

"  Thou  hast  slain  the  lusty  Namuchi,  making  the  Dasa  bereft  of 
magic  against  the  rishi :  thou  made  for  man  beautiful  paths  leading  as 
it  were  straightway  to  the  gods." 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  in  none  of  these  passages  is  the  Brahmanical, 
or  any  other,  caste  singled  out  as  having  been  the  special  object  of  di- 
vine protection.  Men,  or  Aryas,  are  the  favourites  of  the  gods.  And 

18  In  iv.  26,  7,  Indra  says :  "  Aham  bhumim  adadam  aryaya  aham  vrishtim  da- 
sushe  martyaya  |  "  I  gave  the  earth  to  the  Arya ;  I  gave  rain  to  the  sacrificing 
mortal." 


176  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

even  in  such  hymns  as  R.V.  i.  112  ;  i.  116 ;  i.  117 ;  i.  119,  etc.,  where 
the  Asvins  are  celebrated  as  having  interposed  for  the  deliverance  of 
many  of  their  worshippers,  whose  names  are  there  specified,  we  are 
nowhere  informed  that  any  of  these  were  Brahmans,  although  reference 
is  often  made  to  their  being  rishis.19 

There  is  one  other  text  of  considerable  interest  and  importance,  R.V. 
iii.  34,  9,  which,  although  it  is  unconnected  with  Manu,  may  be  here 
cited,  as  it  connects  the  word  dry  a  with  the  term  varna,  "colour," 
which  in  later  times  came  to  signify  "caste,"  as  applied  to  the  Brah- 
mans and  other  classes.  It  is  this : 

Sasdndtydn  uta  suryam  sastina  Indrah  sasdna  purulhojasaih  gam  \ 
Mranyayam  uta  Ihogam  sasdna  hatvl  dasyun  pra  dryam  varnam  dvat  \ 

"Indra  bestowed  horses,  he  bestowed  the  sun,  he  bestowed  the 
many-nourishing  cow,  he  bestowed  golden  wealth :  having  slain  the 
Dasyu,  he  protected  the  Aryan  colour." 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  here*  the  word  varna  is  used  in  the  singular. 
Thus  all  the  persons  coming  under  the  designation  of  Arya,  are  in- 
cluded under  one  class  or  colour,  not  several.20 

We  shall  see  in  the  next  chapter  that,  irrespective  of  the  verse  of  the 
Purusha  Sukta,  there  are  in  the  Rig-veda  Sanhita  a  few  texts  in  which 
the  Brahmans  are  mentioned  alone  of  all  the  four  castes,  without  any 
distinct  reference  being  found  anywhere  to  the  second  class  as  Rajanyas, 
or  Kshattriyas,  or  to  the  third  and  fourth  as  Vaisyas  and  S'udras. 

In  the  mean  time  I  shall  advert  to  some  other  phrases  which  are 
employed  in  the  hymns,  either  to  denote  mankind  in  general,  or  to 
signify  certain  national  or  tribal  divisions.  The  most  important 
of  these  is  that  of  the  "five  tribes,"  who  are  frequently  referred  to 
under  the  appellations  of  pancha-kriskfayah,  pancha-kshitayah,  pancJia- 
kshitayo  mdnushyyah  (vii.  97,  1),  pancha-charshanayah,  pancha-jandh, 
pdnchajanyd  vis  (viii.  52,  7),  pancha  bhiima  (vii.  69,  2),  pancha  jdtd 
(vi.  61,  12).21 

19  See  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866,  pp.  7  ff. 

20  Sayana,  indeed,  interprets  the  word  ciryam  varnam  by  uttamam  varnam  traivar- 
nikam  \  "the  most  excellent  class  consisting  of  the  three  upper  castes ;"  but  he  of 
course  explains  according  to  the  ideas  of  his  own  age.     In  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana, 
Kanva  S'akha  (Adhvara  Kanda,  i.  6)  it  is  stated  that  the  upper  three  castes  only  were 
Aryas  and  fit  to  offer  sacrifice  (arya  eva  brahmano  va  kshattriyo  va  vaisyo  va  te  hi 
yajniyah)  see  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866,  p.  281. 

21  In  iii.  49,  1,  mention  is  made  not  of  the  five  tribes,  but  of  all  the  tribes  :  S'amsa 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  177 

Some  of  these  terms  are  occasionally  used  of  the  gods,  as  in  x.  53,  4  : 
urjdda  uta  yajniydsah  panchajand  mama  hotram  jushadhvam  \  "  Ye  five 
tribes  who  eat  (sacrificial)  food,  and  are  worthy  of  adoration,  receive 
my  oblation  with  favour."23 

On  this  verse  Yaska  remarks,  Nirukta,  iii.  8 :  "  Gandharvdh  pitaro 
devd  asurd  ratcshdmsi"  ity  eke  |  "  chatvdro  varnd  nishddah  panchamah  " 
ity  Aupamanyavah  \  "  Some  say  the  word  denotes  the  Gandharvas, 
fathers,  gods,  asuras,  and  rakshases.  Aupamanyava  says  it  denotes  the 
four  castes  and  the  Nishadas."28 

If  Aupamayava  was  right,  the  Nishadas  also  were  admissible  to  the 
worship  of  the  gods  in  the  Yedic  age,  as  the  "  five  classes  "  are  repre- 
sented in  various  texts  as  votaries  of  Agni.  Such  are  the  following : 

vi.  11,  4.  Ayum  na  yam  namasd  rdtahavydh  anjanti  mprayasam  pan- 
chajandh  \ 

"  Agni,  whom,  abounding  in  oblations,  the  five  tribes,  bringing  offer- 
ings, honour  with  prostrations,  as  if  he  were  a  man." 

Sayana  here  defines  the  five  tribes  as  "priests  and  offerers  of  sacri- 
fices "  (ritvig-yajamdna-lakshandlj). 

ix.  65,  22.  Ye  somdsah  .  .  sunvire  .  .  I  23.  Ye  vd  janeshu  panchasu  \ 


maham  Indram  yasmin  visva  a  krishtayah  somapah  kamam  avyan  \  "  Praise  the  great 
Indra,  in  whom  all  fhe  tribes  drinking  soma  have  obtained  their  desire." 

2-  Compare  x.  60,  4.  "  In  whose  worship  Ikshvaku  prospers,  wealthy  and  foe- 
destroying,  like  the  five  tribes  in  the  sky  (divlva  pancha  krishtayah].  Sayana,  how- 
ever, renders  "  His  five  tribes  (the  four  castes  and  the  Nishadas)  are  as  (happy  as)  if 
in  heaven."  Prof.  Miiller,  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866,  p.  462,  readers,  "as  the 
five  tribes  in  heaven." 

23  In  his  note  on  this  passage  in  his  "  Illustrations  of  the  Nirukta,"  p.  28,  Prof. 
Roth  remarks  :  "  The  conception  of  the  five  races  which  originally  comprehended  all 
mankind  ...  is  here  transferred  to  the  totality  of  the  divine  beings.  Hence  also 
arises  the  diversity  of  understanding,  when  the  number  has  to  be  indicated."  Prof. 
Roth  then  quotes  part  of  Aitareya  Brahmana,  iii.  31,  which  I  give  a  little  more  fully 
from  Dr.  Haug's  edition  :  Panchajanyam  vaietadulcthamyadvaisvadevam  \  sarvesham 
vai  etat  panchojananam  ukthafh  deva-mamishyanam  gandharvapsarasam  sarpanam 
cha  pitrinam  cha  \  etesham  vai  etat  panchajananam  uktham  \  sarve  enam  panchajana 
viduh  \  a  enam  panchinyai  janatayai  havino  gachhanti  ya  evam  veda  \  "  This  Vais'va- 
deva  uktha  belongs  to  the  five  classes  of  beings.  It  belongs  to  all  the  five  classes  of 
gods,  men,  gandharvas  and  apsarases,  serpents,  and  fathers.  To  these  five  classes 
belongs  this  uktha.  All  these  five  classes  know  him  (who  uses  it).  Those  of  this 
five-fold  set  of  beings  who  are  skilled  in  invocation  come  to  the  man  who  knows  this." 
See  Dr.  Haug's  Ait.  Br.  ii.  214,  where  it  is  said  that  Gandharvas  and  Apsarases  are 
counted  as  one  class. 

12 


178  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

"  Or  those  soma-libations  which  have  been  poured  out .  .  (23)  among 
the  five  tribes." 

x.  45,  6.  Vllum  chid  adrim  abhinat  parayan  jandh  yad  agnim  aya- 
janta  pancha  \  . 

"He  (Agni),  travelling  afar,  clove  even  the  strong  mountain,  when 
the  five  tribes  worshipped  Agni." 

vii.  15,  2.  Yah  pancha  charshanlr  abhi  nishasdda  dame  dame  \  Icavir 
grihapatir  yuvd  \ 

"The  wise  and  youthful  master  of  the  house  (Agni)  who  has  taken 
up  his  abode  among  the  five  tribes  in  every  house." 

In  vi.  61,  12,  Sarasvati  is  spoken  of  as  "augmenting  or  prospering 
the  five  tribes"  (pancha  jdtd  vardhayantl}. 

In  viii.  52,  7,  it  is  said :  Yat  pdnchajanyayd  visa  Indre  ghoshdh 
asrikshata  \  "  When  shouts  were  uttered  to  Indra  by  the  people  of  the 
five  tribes,"  etc. 

In  E.V.  i.  117,  3,  Atri  is  styled  rishim  panchajanyam,  "  a  rishi  be- 
longing to  the  five  tribes."  In  v.  32,  11,  the  epithet  satpatih  pdncha- 
janyah,  "  the  good  lord  of  the  five  tribes,"  is  applied  to  Indra.  And  in 
ix.  66,  20,  Agni  is  called  the  purified  rishi,  the  priest  of  the  five  tribes 
(pdnchajayah  purohitah}.u 

In  other  passages,  however,  it  is  far  from  clear  that  the  "  five  races  " 
are  intended  to  be  identified  with  the  Aryas,  or  people  of  honourable 
race,  to  whom  the  authors  of  the  hymns  belonged.  Such,  perhaps,  is 
the  case  in  the  following  verse:  ii.  2,  10.  Asmdkam  dyumnam  adhi 
pancha  Jcrishtishu  uchchd  svar  na  susuchlta  dushtaram  \  "May  our  glory 
shine  aloft  among  the  five  tribes,  like  the  heaven  unsurpassable."  See 
also  vi.  46,  7,  to  be  quoted  below. 

On  the  same  subject,  Professor  Eoth  remarks  as  follows  in  his  Lexicon 
under  the  word  Icrishti :  "  The  phrase  Jive  races  is  a  designation  of  all 
nations,  not  merely  of  the  Aryyan  tribes.  It  is  an  ancient  enume- 
ration, of  the  origin  of  which  we  find  no  express  explanation  in  the 
Vedic  texts.  We  may  compare  the  fact  that  the  cosmical  spaces  or 
points  of  the  compass  are  frequently  enumerated  as  Jive,  especially  in 

24  See  Mahabharata,  iii.  14160,  as  referred  to  by  Roth  under  jana,  where  the  birth 
of  a  being  of  five  colours,  apparently  a  form  of  Agni,  is  described,  who  was  generated 
by  five  ribhis,  and  who  was  known  as  the  god  of  the  five  tribes  (panchajanya)  and  the 
producer  of  five  races. 


THE  INDIAN  EACE  FEOM  MANU.  179 

the  following  text  of  the  A.V.  iii.  24,  2  :  imd  yah  pancha  pradiso  ma- 
navlh  pancha,  krishtayah  \  '  these  five  regions ;  the  five  tribes  sprung 
from  Manu ' ;  among  which  (regions)  we  should  have  here  to  reckon 
as  the  fifth  the  one  lying  in  the  middle  (dhruvd  dik,  A.V.  iv.  14,  8  ; 
xviii.  3,  34),  that  is,  to  regard  the  Aryyas  as  the  central  point,  and 

round  about  them  the  nations  of  the  four  regions  of  the  world 

According  to  the  Yedic  usage,  five  cannot  be  considered  as  designating 
an  indefinite  number." 

"We  cannot  therefore  regard  the  use  of  the  term  "five  races"  as 
affording  any  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  rigidly  defined  caste-system 
at  the  period  when  it  was  in  frequent  use.  The  frequent  reference  to 
such  a  division,  which  fell  into  disuse  in  later  times,  rather  proves  the 
contrary.  The  caste-system  was  always  a  quadruple,  not  a  quintuple, 
one  ;  and  although  the  Nishadas  are  added  by  Aupamanyava  as  a  fifth 
division  of  the  population,  this  class  was  esteemed  too  degraded  to 
allow  us  to  suppose  that  they  could  ever  have  formed  part  of  a  uni- 
versally recognized  five-fold  division,  of  which  all  the  parts  appear  to 
be  regarded  as  standing  on  an  equal,  or  nearly  equal,  footing. 

It  is  supposed  by  Dr.  Kuhn25  that  the  "  five  tribes  "  are  to  be  iden- 
tified with  the  clans  whose  names  are  mentioned  in  the  following  verse : 

i.  108,  8.  Yad  Indragni  Tadushu  Turvaseshu  yad  Druhyushv  Anushu 
Purushu  sthah  \  atah  pari  vrishandv  a  hi  ydtam  atha  somasya  pHatafn 
sutasya  \ 

"If,  o  Indra  and  Agni,  ye  are  abiding  among  the  Yadus,  Turvasas, 
Druhyus,  Anus,  Purus, — come  hither,  vigorous  heroes,  from  all  quar- 
ters, and  drink  the  Soma  which  has  been  poured  out." 

Although,  however,  these  tribes  are  often  mentioned  separately  in 
the  Big-veda,  this  is  either  the  only,  or  almost  the  only,  text  in  which 
they  are  all  connected  with  one  another.  Their  identity  with  the 
"five  classes"  is  therefore  doubtful. 

There  is  another  word  employed  in  the  Big-veda  to  designate  a  race 
well  known  to  the  authors  of  the  hymns,  viz.,  nahush.  We  have 
already  met  with  this  term  in  a  verse  (x.  80,  6)  I  have  quoted  above, 
where  it  appears  clearly  to  denote  a  tribe  distinct  from  the  descendants 
of  Manush;  and  the  adjective  derived  from  it  occurs  in  vi.  46,  7  (= 

25  See  "Weber's  Indische  Studien,  i.  202,  where  Dr.  Kuhn's  paper  in  the  Hall. 
Allg.  Lit.  Z.  for  1846,  p.  1086,  is  referred  to. 


180  TRADITION  OF 'THE  DESCENT  OF 

S.Y.  i.  262),  where  also  the  tribes  of  Nahush  appear  to  be  discriminated 
from  the  five  tribes,  whoever  these  may  be  supposed  to  be.  The  words 
are  these  :  Yad  Indra  ndhushlshv  a  oj'o  nrimnam  cha  TcrisJitishu  \  yad  vd 
pancha  kshitlndm  dyumnam  a  bhara  satrd  visvdni  paumsyd  \  "Indra, 
whatever  force  or  vigour  exists  in  the  tribes  of  Nahush,  or  whatever 
glory  belongs  to  the  five  races,  bring  it  (for  us)  j  yea  all  manly  energies 
together." 

Professor  Both  (see  his  Lexicon,  s.  v.)  regards  the  people  designated 
by  the  word  nahush  as  denoting  men  generally,  but  with  the  special 
sense  of  stranger,  or  neighbour,  in  opposition  to  members  of  the 
speaker's  own  community ;  and  he  explains  the  words  of  x.  80,  6, 
twice  referred  to  above,  as  signifying  "  the  sons  of  our  own  people, 
and  of  those  who  surround  us." 

These  descendants  of  Nahush,  whoever  they  may  have  been,  are, 
however,  distinctly  spoken  of  in  x.  80,  6  (the  passage  just  adverted  to), 
as  worshippers  of  Agni,  and  can  scarcely,  therefore,  have  been  regarded 
by  the  Aryas  as  altogether  aliens  from  their  race  and  worship. 

Setting  aside,  as  before,  the  Purusha  Sukta,  there  are  few  distinct 
references  in  the  hymns  of  the  Big-veda  to  the  creation  of  men,  and 
none  at  all  to  the  separate  creation  of  castes.  The  following  text 
ascribes  the  generation  of  mankind  to  Agni,  K.V.  i.  96,  2  :  Sa  purvayd 
nividd  kavyatd  dyor  imdh  prajdh  ajanayad  manundm  \  vivasvatd  cha- 
kshasd  dydm  apas  cha  devd  Agnim  dhdrayan  dramnoddm  \  "  By  the  first 
nivid,  by  the  wisdom  of  Ayu,  he  (Agni)  created  these  children  of  men ; 
by  his  gleaming  light  the  earth  and  the  waters :  the  gods  sustained 
Agni  the  giver  of  riches."36 

The  Aitareya  Brahmana  introduces  this  verse  by  the  following  pas- 
sage :  Prajdpatir  vai  idam  eJca  eva  agre  dsa  \  so  'kdmayata  "  prajdyeya 
bhuydn  sydm  "  iti  \  sa  tapo  'tapyata  \  sa  vdcham  ayachhat  \  sa  samvat- 
sarasya  parastdd  vydharad  dvadasa  kritvah  \  dvddasapadd  vai  eshd 
nivit  |  etdm  vdva  turn  nwidam  vydharat  \  taih  sarvdni  Ihutdny  anvas- 
rijyanta  \  tad  etad  rishih  pasyann  abhyanuvacha  "sapurvayd  "  ityddind  \ 
" Prajapati  alone  was  formerly  this  universe.  He  desired  'may  I  be 
propagated,  and  multiplied.'  He  practised  austere  fervour.  He  sup- 
pressed his  voice.  After  a  year  he  spoke  twelve  times.  This  nivid 

26  See  Dr.  Haug's  translation  in  his  Ait.  Br.  ii.  143;  and  Benfey's  German  version 
in  his  Orient  und  Occident,  ii.  512. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  181 

consists  of  twelve  words.  This  nivid  he  uttered.  After  it  all  beings 
were  created.  Beholding  this  the  rishi  uttered  this  verse,  '  hy  the  first 
nivid,' "  etc. 

The  generation  of  "  creatures"  (prajdh)  is  ascribed  in  various  texts 
to  different  gods,  in  iii.  55,  1927  to  Tvashtri  Savitri;  in  ix.  86,  28  to 
Soma;  in  viii.  85,  6  (ya  imdjajdna  visvd  jdtdni)  to  Indra.  In  x.  54,  3 
Indra  is  said  to  have  "generated  the  father  and  mother  (heaven  and 
earth)  from  his  own  body  "  (yan  mdtaram  cha  pitaram  cha  sdkam  aja- 
nayathds  tanvah  svdydh] ;  while  Yisvakarman,  who  in  x.  81,  2,  3  is 
said  to  have  generated  heaven  and  earth,  is  also  in  x.  82,  3  called 
"  our  father  and  generator  "  (yo  na h  pita  janita].  All  these  passages 
are,  however,  too  vague  to  afford  us  any  insight  into  the  ideas  of  their 
authors  regarding  the  creation  of  the  human  race. 

SECT.  II. — Legends  and  Notices  regarding  Manu  from  the  S'atapatha, 
Aitareya,  and  Taittirlya  Brdhmanas,  the  Taittirlya  Sanhitd,  and 
the  Chhdndogya  Upanishad. 

The  first  passage  which  I  adduce  contains  the  very  important  legend 
of  the  deluge,  which  has  already  been  quoted  in  the  2nd  vol.  of  this 
work,  pp.  324  ff.,  and  which  has  also  been  rendered  into  English  by 
Professor  Max  Miiller  (Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  425  ff.)  and  by  Professor 
M.  "Williams  (Ind.  Epic  Poetry,  p.  34),  as  well  as  into  German  by  its 
earliest  translator,  Professor  Weber,  in  the  year  1849  (Ind.  Studien,  i. 
163  f.). 

S'atapatha  Brahmana,  i.  8,  1,  1.  Manave  ha  vai  prdtar  avanegyam 
udakam  djahrur  yathd  idam  pdnibhydm  avanejandya  dharanti  \  evam 
tasya  avanenijdnasya  matsyah  pdnl  dpede  \  2.  Sa  ha  asmai  vdcham  uvdda 
"bibhrihi  md  pdrayishydmi  tvdn  iti  \  "kasmdd  md  pdrayishyasi"  iti  \ 
"  aughah  imdh  sarvdh  prajdh  nirvodhd  tatas  tvd  pdrayitdsmi"  iti  \ 
"  Katham  te  bhritir"  iti  \  3.  Sa  ha  uvdcha  "  ydvad  vai  kshuttakdh  bha- 
vdmo  bahvl  vai  nas  tdvad  ndshtrd  lhavaty  uta  matsya  eva  matsyam  gilati  \ 
Itumbhydm  md  agre  bibhardsi  \  sa  yadd  tdm  ativardhd  atha  karshum 
khdtvd  tasydm  md  bibhardsi  \  sa  yadd  tdm  ativardhd  atha  md  samudram 
abhyavahardsi  \  tarhi  vai  atindshtro  bhavitdsmi"  iti  \  4.  S'asvad™  ha 

27  Perhaps,  however,  we  are  to  understand  Tvashtri's  function  of  aiding  in  pro- 
creation to  be  here  referred  to. 

28  S'awat-s'abdo  'tra  samarthyat  kshipra-vachanah, — Comm. 


182  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 


dsa  sa  hijyeshtham®  vardhate  \  "  atha  itithlm  samdm  tad  aughah 
dgantd  tad  ma  ndvam  upakalpya  updsdsai  \  sa  aughe  utthite  ndvam 
dpadydsai  tatas  tvd  pdrayitdsmi"  Hi  \  5.  Tarn  evam  Ihritvd  samudram 
abhyavajahdra  \  sa  yatithlm  tat  samdm  parididesa  tatithlm  samdm  ndvam 
upakalpya  updsdnchakre  \  sa  aughe  utthite  ndvam  dpede  \  tarn  sa  matsyah 
upanydpupluve  \  tasya  sringe  ndvah  pdsam  pratimumocha  \  tena  etam  ut- 
taram  girim*1  atidudrdva®'  \  6.  Sa  ha  uvdcha  "  apiparam  vai  tvd  vrikshe 
ndvam  pratibadhnlshva  \  tarn  tu  tvd  md  girau  santam  udakam  antaschhait- 
sld  ydvad  ydvad  udakam  samavdydt  tdvat  tdvad  anvavasarpdsi"  iti  \  Sa 
ha  tdvat  tdvad  eva  anvavasasarpa  \  tad  api  etad  uttarasya  girer  "  Manor 
avasarpanam"  iti  \  augho  ha  tdh  sarvdh  prajdh  niruvdha  atha  iha  Manur 
eva  ekah  parUisishe  \  7.  Sah  archan  srdmyams  chachdra  prajdkdmah  \ 
tatra  api  pdka-yajnena  ye  \  sa  ghritam  dadhi  mastv  dmikshdm  ity  apsu 
Juhuvdnchakdra  \  tatah  samvatsare  yoshit  sambalhuva  \  sd  ha  pildamdnd^ 
wa  udeydya  \  tasyai  ha  sma  ghritam  pade  santishthate  \  tayd  Mitrd-  Va- 
runau  sanjagmdte  \  8.  Tdm  ha  uchatuh  "  kd  asi"  iti  \  "  Manor  duhitd  " 
iti  |  "  dvayor  brushva"  iti  \  "na"  iti  ha  uvdcha  "yah  eva  mum  ajya- 
nata  tasya  eva  aham  asmi  "  iti  \  tasydm  apitvam  M  Ishdte  \  tad  vd  jajnau 
tad  vd  najajndv  K  ati  tu  eva  iydya  \  sd  Manum  djagdma  I  9.  Tdm  ha 
Manur  uvdcha  "  kd  asi"  iti  \  "  tava  duhitd  "  iti  \  "  katham  hhagavati 
mama  duhitd  "  iti  \  "  ydh  amur  apsu  dhutlr  ahaushlr  ghritam  dadhi 
mastv  dmikshdm  tato  mdm  ajljanathdh  \  sd  dsir  asmi  tarn  md  yajne  ava- 
kalpaya  \  yajne  ched  vai  md  avakalpayishyasi  lahuh  prajayd  pasulhir  Iha- 
vishyasi  yam  u  mayd  kdncha  dsisham  dsdsishyase  sd  te  sarvd  samardhi- 
shyate"  iti  \  tdm  etad  madhye  yajnasya  avdkal/payat  \  madhyam  hi  etad 
yajnasya  yad  antard  praydjdnuydjdn  \  10.  Tayd  archan  srdmyams 
chachdra  prajdkdmah  \  tayd  imam  prajdtim  prajajne  yd  iyam  Manoh 
prajdtih  \  yam  u  enayd  kdncha  dsisham  dsdsta  sd  asmai  sarvd  samdr- 
dhyata  \  sd  eshd  niddnena  yad  Ida  \  sa  yo  ha  evam  vidvdn  Idayd  cha- 
rati  etam  ha  eva  prajdtim  prajdyate  yarn  Manuh  prdjdyata  \  yam  u 
enayd  kdncha  dsisham  dsdste  sd  asmai  sarvd  samridhyate  j 

"  1.  In  the  morning  they  brought  to  Hanu  water  for  washing,  as 

29  Jhasho  maha-matsyah.  —  Comm.  so  Jyeshtham  vriddhatamam.—Comm. 

31   Uttaram  girim  Himavantam.  —  Comm.        32  Some  MSS.  read  adhidudrava. 
83  Pibdamatia  .  .  .  ghrita-prabhavatvat  ghrilam  sravant'i  susnighd/ta  udaTcad  ut- 
thita.  —  Comm. 

31  Apitvam  bhdgah  \  tarn  prarthitavantau.  —  Comm. 
35  Pratynatavafi  cha  na  cha  pratijnatavafi.  —  Comm. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  183 

men  are  in  the  habit  of  bringing  it  to  wash  with  the  hands.  As  he 
was  thus  washing,  a  fish36  came  into  his  hands,  (2)  (which  spake  to  him) 
'  preserve  me ;  I  shall  save  thee.'  (Manu  enquired)  '  From  what  wilt 
thou  save  me  ? '  (The  fish  replied)  '  A  flood  shall  sweep  away  all  these 
creatures;87  from  it  I  will  rescue  thee.'  (Manu  asked)  'How  (shall) 
thy  preservation  (be  effected)  ? '  3.  The  fish  said  :  '  So  long  as  we  are 
small,  we  are  in  great  peril,  for  fish  devours  fish ;  thou  shalt  preserve 
me  first  in  a  jar.  "When  I  grow  too  large  for  the  jar,  then  thou  shalt 
dig  a  trench,  and  preserve  me  in  that.  "When  I  grow  too  large  for  the 
trench,  then  thou  shalt  cany  me  away  to  the  ocean.  I  shall  then  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  danger.'  4.  Straightway  he  became  a  large  fish  ; 
for  he  waxes  to  the  utmost.  (He  said)  '  Now  in  such  and  such  a  year, 
then  the  flood  will  come ;  thou  shalt,'  therefore,  construct  a  ship,  and 
resort  to  me ;  thou  shalt  embark  in  the  ship  when  the  flood  rises,  and  I 
shall  deliver  thee  from  it.'  5.  Having  thus  preserved  the  fish,  Manu 
carried  him  away  to  the  sea.  Then  in  the  same  year  which  the  fish 
had  enjoined,  he  constructed  a  ship  and  resorted  to  him.  When  the 
flood  rose,  Manu  embarked  in  the  ship.  The  fish  swam  towards  him. 
He  fastened  the  cable  of  the  ship  to  the  fish's  horn.  By  this  means  he 
passed  over  M  this  northern  mountain.39  6.  The  fish  said,  '  I  have  de- 
livered thee :  fasten  the  ship  to  a  tree.  But  lest  the  water  should 
cut  thee  off  whilst  thou  art  on  the  mountain,  as  much  as  the  water 
subsides,  so  much  shalt  thou  descend  after  it.'  He  accordingly  de- 
scended after  it  as  much  (as  it  subsided).  "Wherefore  also  this,  viz., 
'  Manu's  descent'  is  (the  name)  of  the  northern  mountain.  Now  the 
flood  had  swept  away  all  these  creatures ;  so  Manu  alone  was  left  here. 
7.  Desirous  of  offspring,  he  lived  worshipping  and  toiling  in  arduous 
religious  rites.  Among  these  he  also  sacrificed  with  the  paka  offering. 
He  cast  clarified  butter,  thickened  milk,  whey  and  curds,  as  an  oblation 
into  the  waters.  Thence  in  a  year  a  woman  was  produced.  She  rose 

$6  Bhavino'rthasya  siddhyartham  devata  eva  matsya-rupenaajagama  \  "To  accom- 
plish what  was  to  follow,  it  was  a  deity  which  came  in  the  form  of  a  fish." — Uomm. 

87  Aughah  udaka-sanghatah  \  sa  imah  Bharatavarsha-nivasinlh  prajah  nihsesham 
vodha  |  desantaram  prapayita  \  "  The  flood  will  entirely  carry  these  creatures  abiding 
in  Bharatavarsha ; — will  convey  them  to  another  country." — Comm. — I  do  not  see 
why  the  verh  nirvodha  should  have  the  sense  here  assigned  to  it :  at  all  events  we  are 
afterwards  told  that  Manu  alone  was  left  after  the  flood. 

38  Or,  if  adhidudrava  be  the  true  reading,  "  he  hastened  to." 

59  The  Himavat  or  Himalaya,  according  to  the  Commentator. 


184  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

up  as  it  were  unctuous.40  Clarified  butter  adheres  to  her  steps.  Mitra 
and  Varuna  met  her.  They  said  to  her,  'Who  artthou?'  '  Manu's 
daughter,'  (she  replied).  '  Say  (thou  art)  ours,'  (they  rejoined).  'No,' 
she  said,  '  I  am  his  who  begot  me.'  They  desired  a  share  in  her.  She 
promised  that,  or  she  did  not  promise  that ;  but  passed  onward.  She 
came  to  Manu.  9.  Mann  said  to  her,  'Who  art  thou?'  ',Thy 
daughter,'  she  replied.  '  How,  glorious  one,'  asked  Manu,  '  (art  thou) 
my  daughter?'  'Thou  hast  generated  me,'  she  said,  'from  those  ob- 
lations, butter,  thick  milk,  whey  and  curds,  which  thou  didst  cast  into 
the  waters.  I  am  a  benediction.  Apply  me  in  the  sacrifice.  If  thou 
wilt  employ  me  in  the  sacrifice,  thou  shalt  abound  in  offspring  and 
cattle.  Whatever  benediction  thou  wilt  ask  through  me,  shall  accrue 
to  thee.'  He  (accordingly)  introduced  her  (as)  that  (which  comes 
in)  the  middle  of  the  sacrifice ;  for  that  is  the  middle  of  the  sacrifice 
which  (comes)  between  the  introductory  and  concluding  forms.  10. 
With  her  he  lived  worshipping  and  toiling  in  arduous  religious  rites, 
desirous  of  offspring.  With  her  he  begot41  this  offspring  which  is  this 
offspring  of  Manu.42  Whatever  benediction  he  asked  with  her,  was  all 
vouchsafed  to  him.  This  is  essentially  that  which  is  Ida.  Whosoever, 
knowing  this,  lives  with  Ida,  begets  this  offspring  which  Manu  begot. 
Whatever  benediction  he  asks  with  her,  is  all  vouchsafed  to  him." 

40  Such  is  the  rendering  oipibdamana  given  by  the  Commentator,  who  is  followed 
by  Professors  "Weber  and  Miiller.  Professor  Roth  in  his  Lexicon,  *.  v.,  explains  it  by 
"  firm,"  i.e.  "  the  woman  arose  solid  out  of  the  fluid  mass." 

41  I  should  observe  that  the  same  verb  (prajajne)  by  which  the  generative  act  of 
Manu  is  here  described,  is  in  other  passages  of  the  same  Brahmana  (ii.  2,  4,  1 ;  ii.  5, 
1,  1 ;  vi.  1,  1,  8 ;  vi.  1,  3,  1 ;  vii.  5,  2,  6 ;    xi.  5,  8,  1)  applied  in  another  tense  to 
the  god  Prajapati,  of  whom  it  is  said  that  he  considered  how  he  should  beget  progeny 
(sa  aikshata  '  katham  nu  prajayeya).  (Compare  xi.  1,  6,  1.)  In  other  parts  of  the  same 
work,  however,  it  is  said  that  Prajapati  created  (asrijata)  the  waters  (vi.  1,  1,  9),  or 
creatures  (prajah  asrijata,  vii.  4,  3,  5  ;  x.  2,  2, 1) ;  and  the  fact  of  the  word  "  beget" 
being  applied  to  Prajapati,  either  in  a  figurative,  or  anthropomorphic  sense,  does  not 
authorize  us  to  suppose  that  the  author  of  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  in  the  passage 
before  us  (the  legend  of  the  deluge),  intended  to  represent  Manu  as  the  creator  of  the 
human  race,  and  not  as  their  progenitor  in  the  natural  sense.     (In  R.V.  ii.  33,  1  ; 
vi.  70,  3,  we  find  the  phrase  prajayemahi  prajabhih  \  pra  prajabhir  jayate  |  "  let  us 
beget  children,"  "  he  begets  children.") 

43  Compare  Taitt.  Sanhita,  v.  1,  5,  6.  "S'ivo  bhava  prajabhyam"  ity  ahaprajabhya 
eva  enam  samayati  \  " manushlbhyas  tvam  angirah"  ity  aha  manavyo  hi  prajah  \ 
"  He  says,  '  be  auspicious  to  the  twain  offspring ; '  for  he  pacifies  him  from  (injuring) 
the  offspring.    He  says,  '  (We  pacify)  thee  from  (injuring)  the  human  offspring,  o 
Angiras.'    For  creatures  are  descended  from  Manu." 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  185 

From  this  interesting  legend  we  learn  that,  according  to  its  Author's 
belief,  Manu  was  not  the  creator  of  mankind,  as  some  later  accounts 
considered  him  to  have  been,  but  himself  belonged  to  an  earlier  race  of 
living  beings,  which  was  entirely  destroyed  by  the  deluge  which  is 
described.  The  legend  regards  him  as  a  representative  of  his  generation, 
who,  for  some  reason,  perhaps  his  superior  wisdom,  or  sanctity,  or  po- 
sition, was  selected  out  of  the  crowd  of  ordinary  mortals  to  be  rescued 
from  the  impending  destruction.  That  he  was  regarded  as  a  mere  man, 
and  not  as  a  being  of  a  superior  order,  is  shown  by  the  fact  of  his 
requiring  the  aid  of  a  higher  power  to  preserve  him.  A  supernatural 
fish,  apparently  some  divine  person,  conceived  as  taking  the  form  of  a 
creature  which  would  be  perfectly  secure  and  at  home  in  the  midst  of 
the  raging  waters,  undertook  to  deliver  him,  and  guided  the  ship  on 
which  he  was  directed  to  embark,  through  all  dangers  to  its  destined 
haven.  "N"o  one  but  Manu  took  refuge  in  the  ship,  for  he  alone,  the 
story  expressly  records,  was  preserved,  while  all  the  other  living 
beings  were  overwhelmed.  Finding  himself  the  sole  surviver  when 
the  waters  subsided,  he  became  desirous  of  progeny ;  and  with  in- 
tense devotion  performed  certain  religious  rites  in  the  hope  of  realiz- 
ing his  wish  through  their  efficacy.  As  a  result  of  his  oblations,  a 
woman  arose  from  the  waters  into  which  they  had  been  cast.  A 
male  and  a  female  now  existed,  the  destined  parents  of  a  new  race 
of  men  who  sprang  from  their  union,  —  a  union  the  fruitfulness  of 
which  was  assured  by  their  assiduous  practice  of  sacred  ceremonies. 
From  Manu  and  Ida,  we  are  expressly  told,  the  race  known  as  that 
of  Manu,  i.e.  the  race  of  men,  was  produced.  The  legend  says  nothing 
whatever  of  this  race  being  originally  characterized  by  any  distinction 
of  castes,  or  about  four  sons,  the  ancestors  of  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas, 
Vaisyas,  and  S'udras  being  born  to  Manu  and  Ida.  We  must  there- 
fore suppose  that  the  author  of  the  legend  intends  to  represent  the 
early  race  of  mankind,  or  at  least  the  first  inhabitants  of  Bharata- 
varsha,  as  descended  from  one  common  progenitor  without  any  original 
varieties  of  caste,  however  different  the  professions  and  social  position 
of  their  descendants  afterwards  became.  We  are  consequently  entitled 
to  regard  this  legend  of  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  as  at  variance  with 
the  common  fable  regarding  the  separate  origin  of  the  Brahmans, 
Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and  S'udras. 


186  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

The  flowing  are  some  other  passages  in  which  Manu  and  Ida  are 
both  referred  to : 

Taitt.  S.  ii.  6,  7,  1.  Manuh  prithivydh  yajniyam  aichhat  \  sa  ghritam 
nishiktam  avindat  \  so  'bravlt  "  Tco  'sya  isvaro  yajne  'pi  karttor  "  iti  \  tdv 
abrutdm  Mitrd-Varunau  " gor  eva  dvdm  isvarau  karttoh  svah  "  iti  \  tau 
tato  gam  iamairayatam  \  sa  yatra  yatra  nyakrdmat  tato  ghritam  apld- 
yata  \  tasmdd  ghritapadl  uchyate  \  tad  asyai  janma  |  ....  3.  Iddm 
upahvayate  \  pasavo  vai  Ida  \  pasun  eva  upahvayate  \  chatur  upahvayate  \ 
chatushpddo  hi  pasavah  \  "Mdnavl^ity  aha  \  Manur  hy  etdm  agre 
'pasyat  \  "ghritapadl"  ity  aha  \  yad  eva  asyai paddd ghritam  apldyata 
tasmdd  evam  aha  \  "  Maitrdvamni "  ity  aha  \  Mitrdvarunau  hy  endm 
samairayatdm  \ 

"  Manu  sought  whatever  upon  earth  was  fit  for  sacrifice.  He  found 
butter  poured  out.  He  said,  '  Who  has  power  to  employ  this  in  sacri- 
fice also  ? '  Mitra  and  Yaruna  replied,  '  "We  two  have  power  to  employ 
the  cow.'  They  then  sent  forth  the  cow.  Wherever  she  went  forth, 
butter  was  pressed  out.  Hence  she  is  called  the  'butter-footed.'  This 
is  her  birth  ....  3.  He  calls  upon  Ida.  Animals  are  Ida.  He  calls 
upon  animals.  He  calls  upon  them  four  times.  For  animals  are  four- 
footed.  He  says  '  Manavi.'  For  Manu  first  saw  her.  He  says  '  Butter- 
footed.'  He  says  so,  because  butter  was  pressed  from  her  foot.  He 
says  '  Maitravaruni.'  For  Mitra  and  Varuna  sent  her  forth."  (Comp. 
Taitt.  Br.  iii.  7,  5,  6.) 

Taitt.  Br.  i.  1,  4,  4.  Ida  vai  Mdnavl  yajndnukdsiny^1  dslt  \  sd  'srinod 
"  Asurd  agnim  adadhate"  iti  ....  |  6.  Sd  'brand  Ida  Manum  "  tathd 
vai  aham  tava  agnim  ddhdsydmi  yathd  pra  prajayd  pasulhir  mithunair 
janishyase  praty  asmin  lake  sthdsyasi  alhi  suvargam  lokam  jeshyasi" 
iti  |  gdrhapatyam  agre  ddadhdt  |  .  .  .  .  gdrhapatyena  eva  asmai  prajdm 
pasun  prdjanay at  \ 

"Ida,  the  daughter  of  Manu,  was  a  revealer  of  sacrifice.  She  heard, 
'  the  Asuras  are  placing  fire.'  ....  6.  Ida  said  to  Manu,  '  I  shall  so 
place  thy  fire  that  thou  shalt  increase  in  offspring,  cattle,  and  twins ; 
thou  shall  be  firmly  established  in  this  world,  and  shalt  conquer  the 
heavenly  world.'44  She  first  placed  the  garhapatya  fire.  It  was 

43  Yaj'na-tattva-prakasana-samartha. — Comm. 

44  Compare  the  Kathaka  Br.  viii.  4,  quoted  in  "Weber's  Indische  Studien,  iii.  463, 
where  Ida  is  said  to  have  promised  to  Manu :  tatha  te  Agnim  Mhasyami  yatha  ma- 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANIJ.  187 

through  the  garhapatya  that  she  produced  for  him  offspring  and 
cattle." 

Taitt.  S.  i.  7.  1,  3.  Sarvena  vai  yajnena  devdh  suvargam  lokam  dyan  \ 
pdkayajnena  Manur  asrdmyat  \  sd  Ida  Manum  updvarttata  \  turn  devd- 
surdh  vyahvayanta  pratlchlm  devdh  pardchlm  Asurdh  \  sd  devdn  upd- 
varttata | 

"  The  gods  arrived  at  the  heavenly  world  by  the  whole  sacrifice. 
Manu  worshipped  with  the  pdltayajna.  That  Ida  came  to  Manu.  The 
gods  and  asuras  called  her  away  in  different  directions,  the  gods  in 
front,  the  asuras  behind.  She  came  to  the  gods." 

The  following  texts  refer  to  Manu  alone,  as  a  celebrator  of  religious 
ceremonies  : 

Taitt.  S.  ii.  5,  9,  1.  "  Agne  mahtin  asi"  ity  aha  \  mahdn  liy  esha 
yad  Agnih  \  "brdhmana"  ity  aha  \  brdhmano  hy  esha  \  "  bhdrata " 
ity  aha  \  esha  hi  devebhyo  havyam  bharati  \  "  deveddha"  ity  dha  \  devdh 
hy  etam  aindhata  \  "  Manviddha"  ity  dha  \  Manur  hy  etam  uttaro  deve- 
bhyah  aindha  \ 

"  He  says,  '  Agni,  thou  art  great.'  For  this  Agni  is  great.  He 
says,  '  o  Brahman.'  For  Tie  is  a  Brahmam.  He  says,  '  o  Bharata.'  For 
he  bears  the  oblation  to  the  gods.  He  says,  '  kindled  by  the  gods.'  For 
the  gods  kindled  him.  He  says,  'kindled  by  Manu.'  For  Manu 
kindled  him  after  the  gods.' 

Taitt.  S.  vi.  2,  5,  2  f.  Trivrato  vai  Manur  asld  dvivratd  asurd  eiavratd 
devdh  |  prdtar  madhyandine  sdyam  tad  Manor  vratam  dslt  pdlcayajnasya 
rupam  pushtyai  \  prdtascha  sdydncha  asurdndih  nirmadhyam  kshudho 
rupam  \  tatas  te  pardbhavan  \  madhyandine  madhyardttre  devdndm  tatas 
te  'bhavan  suvargam  lokam  dyan  \ 

"  Manu  performed  three  rites ;  the  asuras  two ;  the  gods  one. 
Manu's  rite  was  in  the  morning,  at  noon,  and  in  the  evening,  the 
form  of  a  pakayajna  for  nourishment.  That  of  the  asuras  was  in  the 
morning  and  evening,  without  any  midday  rite,  a  form  of  hunger. 
Hence  they  perished.  That  of  the  gods  was  at  midday  and  midnight. 
Hence  they  prospered,  and  arrived  at  the  heavenly  world." 

Taitt.  S.  vii.  5,  15,  3,  Etayd  (i.e.  abhijityd]  vailndram  devdh  aydjayan  | 
tasmdd  "Indrasavah"}  etayd  Manum  manushydh  \  tasmdd"Manu-savah"  \ 

nushya  devan  upaprajanishyante  |  "  I  will  so  place  Agni  for  thee,  than  men  shall  be 
born  among  the  gods." 


188  TRADITION  OF  THE 'DESCENT  OF 

yathd  Indro  devdndm  yathd  Manur  manushydndm  eva  lhavati  yah  evam 
vidvdn  etayd  ishtyd  yajate  \ 

"  With  this  (abhijiti}  the  gods  sacrificed  for  Indra.  Hence  it  is 
called  '  Indra-sava.'  Men  sacrificed  with  it  for  Manu.  Hence  it  is 
called  '  Manu-sava.'  As  Indra  is  among  gods,  and  Manu  among  men, 
so  he  becomes  who  thus  knowing  sacrifices  with  this  oblation." 

In  Taitt.  S.  ii.  2,  10,  2,  we  find  nearly  the  words  which  Kulluka 
quotes  on  Manu's  Institutes,  i.  1 :  Tad  vai  kincha  Manur  avadat  tad 
bheshajam  \  "  Whatever  Manu  said  was  a  remedy." 

In  S'atapatha  Br.  vi.  6,  1,  19,  Manu  is  called  a  Prajapati :  "  Prajd- 
pataye  Manave  sidhd  "  iti  \  Prajdpatir  vai  Manuh  \  sa  hi  idam  sarvam 
amanuta  \  Prajdpatir  vai  etad  agre  karma  akarot  \  "  Svaha  to  Manu 
the  lord  of  creatures.  Manu  is  a  lord  of  creatures  (prajd-pati}  for  he 
thought  (amanuta)  all  this.  The  lord  of  creatures  (prajd-pati]  formerly 
did  all  this  work." 

The  following  story  in  its  different  versions  also  connects  Manu  with 
religious  observances  and  represents  him  as  very  devout : 

S'.  P.  Br.  i.  1,  4,  14  ff.  Manor  ha  vai  rishabhah  dsa  \  tasminn  asura- 
ghrii  sapatna-ghnl  vdk  pravishtd  dsa  \  tasya  J'a  sma  Svasathdd  ravathdd 
asura-rakshasdni  mridyamdndni  yanti  \  te  ha  asurdh  samudire  "  pdpam 
vata  no  'yam  rishabhah  sachate  Tcatham  nv  imam  dabhnuydma "  iti  \ 
"  Eildtdlcull"  iti  ha  asura-lrahmdv  dsatuh  \  tau  ha  uchatuh  "  sraddhd- 
devo  vai  Manuh  \  dc&m  nu  veddva"  iti  \  tau  ha  dgatya  uchatur  " Mano 
ydjaydva  tvd"  iti  \  "kena"  iti  \  " anena  rishabhena "  iti  \  "tathd"  iti\ 
tasya  dlabdhasya  sd  vug  apachalcrdma  \  sd  Manor  eva  jdydm  Mandvim 
pravivesa  \  tasyai  ha  sma  yatra  vadantyai  srinvanti  tato  ha  sma  eva 
asura-rakshasdni  mridyamdndni  yanti  \  te  ha  asurdh  samudire  "  ito  vai 
nah  pdplyah  sachate  bhuyo  hi  mdnushi  vdg  vadati "  iti  \  Kildtdkuli  ha 
eva  uchatuh  "  sraddhd-devo  vai  Manur  dvam  nv  eva  veddva  "  iti  \  tau 
ha  dgatya  uchatur  "Mano  ydjaydva  tvd"  iti  \  "kena"  iti  \  "  enayd 
evajdyayd"  iti  \  "  tathd"  iti  \  tasyai  dlabdhdyai  sd  vdg  apachakrdma 
sd  yajnam  eva  yajna-pdtrdni  pravivesa  \  tato  ha  endm  na  sekatur  nirhan- 
tum  |  sd  eshd  asura-ghnl  vdg  udvadati  \  sa  yasya  ha  evam  vidushah  etdm 
atra  vdcham  pratyudvddayanti  pdplydmso  ha  eva  asya  sapatndh  bhavanti  \ 

"  Manu  had  a  bull.  Into  it  an  Asura-slaying,  enemy-slaying  voice 
had  entered.  In  consequence  of  this  (bull's)  snorting  and  bellowing, 
Asuras  and  Rakshasas  were  continually  destroyed.  Then  the  Asuras 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  189 

said  :  *  This  bull,  alas,  does  us  mischief;  how  shall  we  overcome  him  ?  ' 
Now  there  were  two  priests  of  the  Asuras  called  Kilata  and  Akuli. 
They  said :  '  Harm  is  a  devout  believer :  let  us  make  trial  of  him.' 
They  went  and  said  to  him,  '  let  us  sacrifice  for  thee.'  '  With  what 
(victim)?'  he  asked.  'With  this  bull,'  they  replied.  'Be  it  so,'  he 
answered.  "When  it  had  been  slaughtered,  the  voice  departed  out  of  it, 
and  entered  into  Manu's  wife  Manavl.  "Wherever  they  hear  her  speak- 
ing, the  Asuras  and  Rakshasas  continue  to  be  destroyed  in  consequence 
of  her  voice.  The  Asuras  said :  '  She  does  us  yet  more  mischief;  for  the 
human  voice  speaks  more.'  Kilata  and  Akuli  said,  '  Manu  is  a  devout 
believer:  let  us  make  trial  of  him.'  They  came  and  said  to  him, 
'Manu,  let  us  sacrifice  for  thee.'  '-With  what  (victim)?"  he  asked. 
'  "With  this  (thy)  wife/  they  replied.  '  Be  it  so,'  he  answered.  "When 
she  had  been  slaughtered  the  voice  departed  out  of  her  and  entered  into 
the  sacrifice  and  the  sacrificial  vessels.  Thence  they  were  unable  to 
expel  it.  This  is  the  Asura-slaying  voice  which  speaks  out  (when 
the  two  stones  are  struck  with  the  samyd,  as  a  part  of  the  ceremonial). 
"Wretched  become  the  enemies  of  that  man  for  whom,  when  he  knows 
this,  they  cause  this  voice  here  to  reverberate." 

Taitt.  Br.  iii.  2,  5,  9.  Manoh  Sraddhd-devasya  yajamdnasya  asura-ghnl 
vug  yajndyudheshu  pravishtd  dsit  \  te  'surah  ydvanto  yajnuyudJidndm 
udvadatdm  updsrinyans  te  pardbhavan  \ 

"An  asura-slaying  voice  had  entered  into  the  sacrificial  implements 
of  the  devoiit  believer  and  sacrificer  Manu.  The  Asuras,  as  many  as 
heard  the  sacrificial  implements  sounding,  were  overcome.*' 

Kathaka  Br.  ii.  30,  I.45  Manor  vai  kapdluny  dsan  \  tair  ydvato  ydvato 
'surdn  abhyupddadhdt  te  pardbhavan  \  atha  tarhi  Trishthd-varutrl  * 
dstdm  asura-brahmau  \  td  asurdh  abruvann  "  imdni  sJiat  kapdldni  ydche? 
thdm"  iti  \  tau  prataritvdnd  abhiprdpadyetdm  "  Vtiyave  Agne  Vuyave 
Indra"  iti  \  "  kimkdmau  slhah"  ity  abravU  \  "imdni  nau  kapdldni 
deJii "  iti  \  tuny  dbhydm  adaddt  \  tuny  aranydm  pardhritya  sama- 
pimshtum  \  tad  Manor  gdvo  'bhivyattshthanta  \  tdni  rishabhah  sa- 
malet  \  tasya  ruvato  yavanto  Asurdh  updsrinvams  te  pardbhavan  I 

45  Extracted  from  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  iii.  461  f.     A  translation  of  this,  as 
well  as  of  the  next  passage,  is  givert  by  Prof.  Weber  in  the  Journal  of  the  German 
Oriental  Society,  vol.  xviii.  284  ff. 

46  Roth  in  his  Lexicon  s.  v.  reads  Trishnavarutn. 


190  TRADITION  OF  THE  'DESCENT  OF 

tau  prdtaritvdnd  alJiiprdpadyetdm  "  Vayave  Agne  Vayave  Indra" 
Hi  |  "  kimkdmau  sthah"  ity  abravlt  \  "  anena  tvd  rishabhena  ydjaydva" 
iti  |  tat  patnlm  yajur  vadantim  pratyapadyata  \  tasyah  dydm  vug  dtish- 
that  |  tasyah  vadantydh  ydvanto  'surah  updsrimams  te  pardbhavan  \ 
tasmdd  naktam  strl  chandrataram  vadati  \  tau  prdtaritvdnd  abhiprd- 
padyetdm  "Vdyave  Agne  Vayave  Indra"  iti  \  " kimkdmau  sthah"  ity 
abravlt  \  "  anayd  tvd  patnyd  ydjayava"  iti  \  sd  paryagnikritd  dslt  \ 
atha  Indro  'chdyad  "  Manvam  sraddhddevam  Trishthdvarutrl  asura-brah- 
mau  jay  ay  d  vyardhayatam"  iti  \  sa  dgachhat  \  so  'bravld  "  dbhydm  tvd 
ydjaydni"  iti  \  "na"  ity  abravldtlna  vai  aham  anayor  Ise"  iti  \ 
atithipatir  vdva  atither  lie  "  ity  abravlt  \  td  asmai  prdyaschhat  \  sa  pra- 
tiveso  vedim  Icurvann  dsta  \  td  aprischhatam,  "ko  'si"  iti  \  (lbrdhmanah' 
iti  |  "  Jcatamo  brtihmanah"  iti  \  "  kim  brdhmanasya  pitaram  kirn  u  pri- 
chhasi  mdtaram  \  srutam  ched  asmin  vedyam  sa  pita  sa  pitdmahah " 
iti  \  td  avittdm  "Indro  vai"  iti  \  tau  prdpatatdm  \  tayor  yah proksJianlr 
dpah  dsams  tdbhir  anuvisrijya  slrshe  aschhinat  \  tau  vrishas  cha  yavdshas 
cha  abhavatdm  \  tasmdt  tau  varsheshu  Sushyatah  \  adbhir  hi  hatau  \  tarn 
paryagnikritdm  uddsrijat  \  tayd  "rdhnot  \  tdh  imdh  Mdnavyah  prajdh  \ 
yat  paryagni-kritam  pdtnlvatam  utsrijati  yarn  eva  Manur  riddhim 
drdhnot  tarn  ridhnoti  \ 

"  Manu  had  platters.  All  the  Asuras,  against  whom  he  laid  out  the 
sacrifice  with  these  were  destroyed.  J^ow  Trishtha  and  Yarutri  were 
at  that  time  the  priests  of  the  Asuras.  The  Asuras  said  to  them,  '  ask 
for  these  six  platters.'  These  two  arrived  as  morning  guests,  repeating 
the  formula,  'To  Yayu,  o  Agni,  to  Vayu,  o  Indra.'  'What  do  you 
desire  ? '  asked  Manu.  '  Give  us  these  platters,'  they  replied.  He  gave 
them  to  them.  Taking  them  they  smashed  them  in  the  forest.  Then 
Manu's  cattle  were  standing  round.  The  bull  licked  the  platters.  As 
many  Asuras  as  heard  him  bellowing  were  destroyed.  The  two  Asura 
priests  came  as  morning  guests,  repeating  the  formula,  'To  Vayu,  o  Agni, 
to  Vayu,  o  Indra.'  '  What  do  you  desire  ? '  enquired  Manu.  '  Let  us 
sacrifice  for  thee  with  this  bull,'  they  answered.  He  then  came  to  his 
wife  who  was  uttering  a  yajush.  Her  voice  reached  to  the  sky.  As 
many  Asuras  as  heard  her  speaking  were  destroyed.  Hence  a  woman 
speaks  more  pleasantly  by  night.  The  two  Asura  priests  arrived  as  morn- 
ing guests,  repeating  the  formula,  '  To  Vayu,  o  Agni,  to  Vayu,  o  Indra.' 
'  What  do  you  desire  ? '  asked  Manu.  '  Let  us  sacrifice  for  thee  with 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  191 

this  thy  wife  (as  the  victim),'  they  replied.  The  fire  was  carried  round 
her.  Then  Indra  perceived,  '  Trishtha  and  Varutri,  the  two  Asura 
priests  are  depriving  the  devout  believer  Manu  of  his  wife.'  He  came 
and  said  (to  Manu),  '  Let  me  sacrifice  for  thee  with  these  two  Asura 
priests  (for  victims).'  '  No,'  answered  Manu,  '  I  am  not  their  master.' 
'  The  host  is  master  of  the  guest,'  rejoined  Indra.  Manu  then  gave 
them  to  him.  (Standing)  near  them  he  was  making  an  altar.  They 
asked  '  Who  art  thou  ? '  'A  Brahman,'  he  replied.  '  "What  (class  of) 
Brahman,'  they  enquired.  He  rejoined  (with  a  verse),  '  "Why  askest 
thou  the  father  or  the  mother  of  a  Brahman  ?  If  Vedic  tradition  is  to 
be  discovered  in  him,  that  is  his  father,  that  his  grandfather.'  They 
knew,  '  this  is  Indra.'  They  fled.  He  threw  after  them  the  water 
which  was  there  for  consecration,  and'  therewith  cut  off  their  heads. 
They  became,  (the  one)  a  vrisha,  (the  other)  a  yavdsha  plant.  Hence 
these  (two  plants)  wither  in  the  rains,  because  they  were  killed  with 
water.  He  released  her  (Manu's  wife)  after  the  fire  had  been  carried 
round  her.  By  her  he  prospered.  These  are  the  creatures  sprung  from 
Manu.  Whenever  a  man  releases  the  victim  offered  to  Agni  Patmvata, 
after  fire  has  been  carried  round  it,  he  prospers  with  the  same  prosperity 
with  which  Manu  prospered." 

Compare  with  this  a  passage  of  the  Taitt.  Sanh.  vi.  6,  6,  1.  Indrah 
patniyd  Manum  aydjayat  \  tarn  paryagnikritdm  udasrijat  \  tayd  Manur 
drdhnot  \  yat  paryagniJcritam  pdtnlvatam  utsrijati  yam  era  Manur  rid- 
dhim  drdhnot  tarn  eva  yajamdna  ridhnoti  \ 

"  Indra  was  sacrificing  for  Manu  with  his  wife  (as  the  victim).  He 
released  her  after  the  fire  had  been  carried  round  her.  By  her  Manu 
prospered.  Whenever  the  worshipper  releases  the  victim  offered  to 
Agni  Patmvata  after  fire  has  been  carried  round  it,  he  prospers  with 
the  same  prosperity  with  which  Manu  prospered." 

I  quote  the  following  passages  also  from  the  interest  which  they 
possess  as  relating  to  a  personage  so  ancient  and  venerable  as  Manu  is 
reputed  to  be : 

Aitareya  Brahmana,  v.  14.  Ndbhdnedishtham  vai  Mdnavatn  brahma- 
charyyam  vasantam  bhrdtaro  nirabhajan  \  so  'bravld  etya  "  Jcim  mahyam 
abhdkta"  iti  \  " etam  eva  nishthdvam  avavaditdram"  ity  abruvan  \  tas- 
mdd  ha  apy  etarhi  pitaram  putrdh  "  nishthdvo  'vavaditd  "  ity  eva  dcha- 
kshate  \  sa  pitaram  etya  abravlt  "tvdm  ha  vdva  mahyam  tata  abhdkskur" 


192  TRADITION  OF  THE*  DESCENT  OF 

iti  \  tarn  pita  'bravld  "  md  putraka  tad  ddrithdh  \  Angiraso  vai  ime 
svaradya  lokdya  satram  dsate  \  te  shashtham  shashtham  eva  ahar  dgatya 
muhyanti  \  tan  ete  sukte  shashthe  'hani  samsaya  \  teshdm  yat  sahasram 
satra-pariveshanam  tat  te  svar  yanto  ddsyanti"  iti  \  "  tathd"  iti  \  tan 
upait  " pratigribhnlta  Mdnavam  sumedhasah  "  iti  \  tarn  abruvan  "  Icim- 
kdmo  vadasi"  iti  \  "idam  eva  vah  shashtham  ahah  prqj'ndpaydni"  ity 
abravld  "  atha  yad  vai  etat  sahasram  satra-pariveshanam  tad  me  svar 
yanto  datta"  iti  \  "  tathd  "  iti  \  tan  ete  sukte  shashthe  'hany  asamsayat  \ 
tato  vai  te  pra  yajnam  aj'dnan  pra  svaraam  lolcam  \  tad  yad  ete  sukte 
shashthe  'hani  samsati  yajnasya  prajndtyai  svargasya  lokasya  anukhydt- 
yai  |  tarn  svar  yanto  'bruvann  "  etat  te  brdhmana  sahasram"  iti  \  tad 
enam  samdkurvdnam  purushah  Jcrishnasa-vdsy  uttaratah  upotthdya  alravid 
11  mama  vai  idam  mama  vai  vdstuham"  iti  \  so  'bravld  tfmahyam  vai 
idam  adur"  iti  \  tarn  abravlt  "tadvai  nau  tava  eva  pitari pra&nah"  iti  \ 
sapitaram  ait  \  tarn  pita  'Iravld  "  nanu  te putraka  adur  "  iti  \  "adur 
eva  me"  ity  abravit  "  tat  tu  me  purushah  krishnasa-vdsy  uttaratah  upo- 
datishthat  '  mama  vai  idam  mama  vai  vdstuham '  iti  ddita  "  iti  \  tarn  pita 
'bravlt  "  tasya  eva  putraka  \  tat  tubhyam  sa  ddsyati"  iti  \  sa  punar  etya 
abravit  "  tava  ha  vdva  kila  lhagavah  idam  iti  me  pita  aha  "  iti  \  so 
'bravlt  "  tad  aham  tubhyam  eva  daddmi  yah  eva  satyam  avddlr "  iti  \ 
tasmdd  evam  vidushd  satyam  eva  vaditavyam  \  sa  esha  sahasra-sanir  man- 
tro  yad  ndbhdnedishtham  \  upa  enam  sahasram  namati  pra  shashthena 
ahnd  svar  gam  lokamjdndti  yah  evam  veda  \ 47 

"  The  brothers  of  Nabhanedishtha  disinherited  him  whilst  he  was 
living  in  the  state  of  a  Brahmacharin.  Coming  (to  them)  he  said : 
'  "What  share  have  you  given  to  me  ? '  They  replied,  '  (we  have  given 
thee)  this  judge  and  divider  (as  thy  share).'  In  consequence  sons  even 
now  speak  of  their  father  as  the  'judge  and  divider.'  He  came  to  his 
father  and  said,  '  Father,  they  have  given  thee  to  me  as  my  share.' 
His  father  answered,  '  Do  not,  my  son,  care  about  that.  These  Angirases 
are  performing  a  sacrifice  in  order  to  (secure)  the  heavenly  world ;  but 
as  often  as  they  come  to  the  sixth  day  (of  the  ceremony)  they  become 
perplexed.  Make  them  recite  these  two  hymns  (R.V.  x.  61  and  62) 
on  the  sixth  day ;  and  when  they  are  going  to  heaven,  they  will  give 

*7  This  passage  has  been  already  translated  into  German  by  Prof.  R.  Roth, 
Journal  of  the  German  Oriental  Society,  vi.  244,  and  into  English  by  Prof.  Max 
Miiller  in  his  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  423  f.,  and  by  Dr.  M.  Hang  in  his  Ait.  Br.  vol.  ii. 
p.  341  f. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  193 

thee  that  provision  of  a  thousand  tt  which  has  been  made  for  the  sacri- 
fice.' He  said,  '  So  be  it.'  *  He  approached  them,  saying,  '  Eeceive  me, 
the  son  of  Manu,  ye  sages.'  They  replied,  '  With  what  object  dost 
thou  speak  ? '  He  said,  '  Let  me  make  known  to  you  this  sixth  day ; 
and  then  you  shall  give  me  this  sacrificial  provision  of  a  thousand, 
when  ye  are  going  to  heaven.'  '  Let  it  be  so,'  they  answered.  He 
made  them  repeat  these  two  hymns  on  the  sixth  day.  They  then 
knew  the  sacrifice,  and  the  heavenly  world.  Hence  when  any  one 
repeats  these  two  hymns  on  the  sixth  day,  it  is  with  a  view  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  sacrifice,  and  to  the  revelation  of  the  heavenly  world. 
"When  they  were  going  to  the  heavenly  world,  they  said  to  him,  '  This 
thousand,  o  Brahman,49  is  thine.'  As  he  was  collecting  (the  thousand) 
a  man  in  dark  clothing  rose  up  before  him  from  the  north,  and  said, 
'  This  is  mine  ;  what  remains  on  the  spot  is  mine.'  Nabhanedishtha 
replied :  '  But  they  have  given  it  to  me.'  (The  man)  rejoined :  '  It 
belongs  to  (one  of)  us ;  let  thy  father  be  asked.'  He  went  to  his 
father,  who  enquired :  '  Have  they  not  given  thee  (the  thousand),  my 
son  ? '  '  They  did  give  it  to  me,'  he  replied,  '  but  a  man  in  dark 
clothes  rose  up  before  me  from  the  north,  and  took  it  from  me,  saying, 
'  This  is  mine ;  what  remains  on  the  spot  is  mine."  His  father  said  : 
'  It  is  his ;  but  he  will  give  it  to  thee.'  He  returned,  and  said  (to  the 
man):  'This  is  thine,  reverend  sir,  so  my  father  says.'  (The  man) 
replied :  '  I  will  give  it  to  thee,  who  hast  spoken  the  truth.'  Where- 
fore one  who  has  this  knowledge  should  speak  only  truth.  That  is  a 
hymn  which  bestows  a  thoussnd,  that  Nabhanedishtha  hymn.  A 
thousand  falls  to  his  lot,  he  knows  the  heavenly  world  on  the  sixth 
day — the  man  who  knows  this." 

Taittinya  Sanhita,  iii.  1,  9,  4.  Manuh  putrelhyo  day  am  vyabhajat  \ 
sa  Noiblianedishtham  brahmacharryam  vasantam  nirabhajat  \  sa  agachhat  \ 
so  'bravlt  "  Jcatfid  ma  nirabhdg "  iti  \  "  na  tva  mrabhtiksham "  ity 
abravld  "  Angirasah  ime  satram  dsate  te  suvargam  lokam  na  prajd- 
nanti'\  tebhyah  idam  brdhmanam  bruhi  \  te  suvargam  lokam  yanto  ye 
eshdm  pasavas  tarns  te  ddsyanti"  iti  \  tad  ebhyo  J bravlt  \  te  suvargam 

«  See  R.V.  x.  62,  7. 

49  The  application  of  this  title  to  Nahhanedishtha  is  to  be  remarked,  as  his  father 
Manu  is  recorded  in  the  Puranic  legends  as  ancestor  of  the  solar  race  of  kings.  See 
the  passage  from  the  M.  Bh.  i.  3135  ff.,  quoted  above,  p.  126. 

13 


194  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

lokam  yanto  ye  eshdm  pasavah  dsams  tan  asmai  adaduh  \  tarn  pa&ubhis 
charantam  yajna-vdstau  Rudrah  dgachhat  \'so''lravlt  "mama  vai  ime 
paSavah  "  Hi  \  "  adur  vai  mahyam  man  "  ity  abravlt  \  "  na  vai  tasya  te 
l£ate"  ity  abravlt  \  "  yad  yajnavdstau  hlyate  mama  vai  tad"  Hi  \  tas- 
mdd  ydjnavdstu  na  alhyaveiyam  \  so  'bravlt  \  "  yajm  md  lhaja  atJia  te 
paiun  na  alhimamsye  "  iti  \  tasmai  etam  manthinah  samsrdvam  ajuhot  \ 
tato  vai  tasya  Rudro  pasun  na  abhyamanyata  \  yatra  etam  eva  widvan 
manthinah  samsrdvam  juhoti  na  tatra  Rudrah  pasun  alhimanyate  \ 

"  Manu  divided  his  property  among  his  sons.  He  disinherited  his 
son  Nabhanedishtha  who  was  living  as  a  Brahmacharin.  He  came  and 
said,  '  How  hast  thou  disinherited  me?'  'I  have  not  disinherited 
thee,'  replied  (his  father) ;  '  these  Angirases  are  celebrating  a  sacrifice ; 
they  do  not  know  the  heavenly  world;  declare  to  them  this  Brah- 
mana;  and  when  they  are  going  to  heaven,  they  will  give  thee  the 
cattle  they  have.'  He  declared  the  Brahmana  to  them,  and  when  they 
were  going  to  heaven  they  gave  him  the  cattle  they  had.  Rudra  came 
to  him  as  he  was  on  the  place  of  sacrifice  employed  with  the  cattle  and 
said:  'These  are  my  cattle.'  '  But,' replied  Nabhanedishtha,  'they 
have  given  them  to  me.'  '  They  have  not  power  to  do  so  ;  that  which 
is  left  on  the  place  of  sacrifice  is  mine,'  answered  Rudra.  Hence  the 
place  of  sacrifice  must  not  be  approached.  (Rudra  further)  said  :  '  Give 
me  a  share  in  the  sacrifice,  and  I  shall  not  injure  thy  cattle.'  He 
offered  him  this  libation  of  soma  and  flour.  Then  Rudra  did  not  injure 
his  cattle.  Whenever  any  one  knows  this  libation  of  soma  and  flour 
and  offers  it  up,  Rudra  does  not  injure  his  cattle."50 

A  passage,  quoted  above,  p.  26  f.,  from  the  Taittinya  Sanhita,  vi.  5, 

50  The  reader  who  knows  German,  and  wishes  to  see  an  able  discussion  of  the 
question,  whether  the  legend  of  Nabhanedishtha,  as  given  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana, 
has  any  real  connection  with  the  two  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  (x.  61  and  62)  which 
are  referred  to  in  it,  and  whether  it  contains  any  reminiscence,  or  symbolical  repre- 
sentation, of  ancient  historical  events,  may  consult  Prof.  Roth's  paper  on  the  subject, 
in  the  6th  vol.  of  the  Journal  of  the  German  Oriental  Society,  pp.  243  if.  The  learned 
writer  settles  both  questions  in  the  negative,  maintaining  that  the  legend  is  manu- 
factured out  of  certain  misinterpreted  allusions  in  the  hymns,  with  the  view  of  assert- 
ing the  superiority  of  priestly  knowledge  to  earthly  power  and  worldly  wealth,  and 
that  there  never  existed  either  a  Nabhanedishtha  or  a  Manu.  The  object  which  I 
have  in  view  in  the  collection  of  these  texts  does  not  require  that  I  should  express 
any  opinion  on  these  points.  I  only  seek  to  ascertain  what  were  the  traditions  re- 
ceived by  the  most  ancient  Indian  writers  themselves  regarding  the  origin  of  their 
race,  and  not  what  was  the  historical  value  of  those  traditions. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  195 

6,  1  ff.,  may  perhaps  also  be  considered  as  affirming  the  descent  of  men 
from  Manu  when  it  declares  them  to  be  the  offspring  of  Vivasvat; 
since  the  latter  is  regarded  as  the  father  of  Manu. 

In  the  Chhandogya  Upanishad,  iii.  11,  4  (p.  178  of  Bibliotheca  In- 
dica,  vol.  iii.)  the  following  reference  to  Manu  occurs : 

Tad  ha  etad  Brahma  Prajdpataye  Prajdpatir  Manave  Manuh  prajd- 
bhyah  }  tad  ka  etad  Udddlakdya  Arunaye  putrdya  jyeshthdya  pita  brah- 
ma  provdcha  \ 

"  This  (doctrine)  Brahma  declared  to  Prajapati,  Prajapati  to  Manu, 
Manu  to  (his)  offspring.  This  sacred  truth  was  declared  to  his  eldest 
son  Uddalaka  Aruni  by  his  father." 

The  first  half  of  this  passage  is  repeated  in  viii.  15,  1,  of  the  same 
work  (p.  625). 

In  his  commentary  on  the  former  of  the  two  passages,  S'ankara 
Acharyya  gives  this  explanation : 

Brahma  Hiranyagarlho  Virdje  Prajdpataye  uvdcha  \  so  'pi  Manave  \ 
Manur  Ihhvdkv-ddilhyah  prajdlhyah  provdcha  \ 

"Brahma  Hiranyagarbha  declared  it  to  the  Prajapati  Viraj  ;  he  to 
Manu ;  and  Manu  declared  it  to  his  descendants  Ikshvaku  and  the  rest." 

In  his  note  on  the  second  passage,  viii.  15,  1,  he  varies  somewhat  in 
his  explanation  of  the  personages  by  whom  the  doctrine  was  trans- 
mitted : 

Brahma  Hiranyagarlhah  Paramesvaro  vd  tad-dvdrena  Prajdpataye 
Kasyapdya  iivdcha  \  asdv  api  Manave  sva-putrdya  \  Manuh  prajdlhyah  \ 

"Brahma  Hiranyagarbha,  or  the  supreme  Lord  (Paramesvara)  through 
his  instrumentality,  declared  it  to  the  Prajapati  Kasyapa ;  he  to  his  son 
Manu ;  Manu  to  his  descendants." 

In  these  two  passages  of  the  Chhandogya  Upanishad  Brahma  is  dis- 
tinguished from  Prajapati,  and  Prajapati  from  Manu,  who  again  is  said 
to  have  handed  down  the  doctrine,  not  to  any  one  person  in  particular, 
but  "to  the  offspring,"  or  "descendants"  (prajdbhyah),  apparently 
his  own  descendants.  This  Upanishad  therefore  seems  to  coincide  in 
the  doctrine  of  the  hymns,  and  of  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  that  Manu 
was  the  progenitor  of  mankind.  The  Commentator,  it  will  have  been 
noticed,  in  one  place  delares  that  Prajapati  is  identifiable  with  Viraj, 
and  again  that  Kasyapa  is  to  be  understood  under  that  appellation. 
Viraj  and  Kasyapa  are  not,  however,  generally  regarded  as  the  same. 


196  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

Nor  is  Kasyapa  commonly  considered  to  be  Manu's  father.  In  the 
passages  from  the  Ramayana,  ii.  110,  and  Mahabharata,  quoted  above, 
pp.  115  and  126,  Kasyapa  is  said  to  be  the  father  of  Vivasvat,  and  he 
again  of  Manu. 

However  this  may  be,  as  Manu  is  said  to  have  handed  down  the 
sacred  tradition  to  his  descendants,  we  must  suppose  that  those  descend- 
ants included  the  whole  of  the  progenitors  of  the  Aryan  Indians  who 
were  worthy  of  being  made  the  depositaries  of  such  a  tradition ;  and 
must  therefore  conclude  that  the  Chhandogya  TJpanishad  agrees  with 
the  passage  quoted  above,  p.  126,  from  the  Mahabharata,  in  recognizing 
Manu  as  the  progenitor  of  the  Brahmans,  as  well  as  the  other  castes. 

SECT.  III. — Extracts  from  the  Mahdlhdrata  regarding  Manu. 

I  have  already  adduced  in  the  preceding  chapter,  page  126,  an  im- 
portant passage  of  the  Mahabharata,  Adiparvan  verses  3128  ff.,  in  which 
Manu  Yaivasvata  is  expressly  declared  to  have  been  the  progenitor  of 
mankind  including  the  four  castes.  A  legend  of  the  deluge,  correspond- 
ing to  the  one  which  has  been  adduced  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana, 
in  the  last  section,  is  also  to  be  found  in  the  Yana-parvan  of  the  Maha- 
bharata, and  although  it  does  not  represent  Manu  as  the  parent  from 
whom  the  human  race  was  reproduced,  but  as  the  creator  by  whom  the 
world  was  renewed,  after  the  flood,  I  shall  extract  the  entire  text. 
Its  style  of  narration  is  tedious,  when  compared  with  the  quaint  bre- 
vity of  the  Brahmana ;  but  I  shall  condense  it  as  much  as  possible  in 
the  translation.  It  begins  thus,  verse  12747  : 

Mdrkandeya  uvdcha  \  Vivasvatah  suto  rdjan  maharshih  suprdtdpavdn  \ 
labhuva  nara-sdrdula  Prajdpati-sama-dyutih  \  ojasd  tejasd  lakshmyd 
tapasd  cha  viseshatah  \  atichakrdma  pitaram  Manuh  svaih  cha  pitdmaham  \ 
urddhva-ldhur  visdldydm  Badarydm  sa  narddhipah  \  eka-pdda-sthitas 
tivram  chachdra  sumahat  tapah,  \  12750.  Avdk-sirds  tathd  chdpi  netrair 
animishair  dridham  \  so  'tapyata  tapo  ghoraih  varshdndm  ayutam  tadd  \ 
tarn  kaddchit  tapasyantam  drdrachlram  jatd-dharam  \  Chlrini-tlram 
dgamya  matsyo  vachanam  alravit  \  "  lhagavan  kshudra-matsyo  'smi  lala- 
vadbhyo  lhayam  mama  \  matsyebliyo  hi  tato  mam  tvam  trdtum  arhasi  su- 
vrata  \  durbalam  balavanto  hi  matsyam  matsyd  viseshatah  \  dsvadanti  sadd 
vrittir  vihitd  nah  sandtarii  \  tasmdd  lhayaughdd  mahato  majjantam  mdm 
vi£eshatah  \  trdtum  arhasi  Icarttdsmi  krite  pratikritam  tava"  \  12755. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  197 

Sa  matsya-vachanam  srutvd  Icripayd  'bhipariplutah  \  Manur  Taivasvato 
'grihndt  tarn  matsyam  pdnind  svayam  \  udakdntam  updniya  matsyam 
Vaivasvato  Manuh  \  alinjire  prdkshipat  tarn  chandrdmsu  -  sadrisa  - 
prabhe  \  sa  tatra  vavridhe  rdjan  matsyah  parama  -  satkritah  \  pu- 
travat  svlkarot  tasmai  Manur  bhdvam  viseshatah  \  atha  kdlena  mahatd 
sa  matsyah  sumahdn  abhut  \  alinjire  yathd  chaiva  ndsau  samabhavat 
Icila  |  atha  matsyo  Manum  drishtvd  punar  evdbhyabhdshata  \  "  bha- 
gavan  sddhu  me  'dydnyat  sthdnam  sampratipddaya  "  |  12760.  Uddhri- 
tydlinjirat  tasmdt  tatah  sa  bhagavdn  Manuh  \  tarn  matsyam  anayad 
vdplm  maJiatlm  sa  Manus  tadd  \  tatra  tarn  prdksMpach  chdpi  Manuh 
para-puranjaya  \  athdvarddhata  matsyah  sa  punar  varsha-gandn  ba- 
hun  |  dvi-yojandyatd  vdpl  vistritd  chdpi  yojanam  \  tasydm  ndsau  sama- 
bhavat  matsyo  rdjiva-lochanah  \  vicheshtitum  cha  Kaunteya  matsyo  va- 
pyam  visdmpate  \  Manum  matsyas  tato  drishtvd  punar  evdbhyabhdshata  \ 
"nayamdm  lhagavan  sddho  samudra-mahishlm  priydm  \  Gangdm  tatra 
nivatsydmi  yathd  vd  tdta  mdnyase  \  12765.  Nide£e  hi  mayd  tubhyam 
sthdtavyam  anasuyatd  \  vriddhir  hi  paramd  prdptd  tvat-Tcrite  hi  mayd 
'nagha"  \  evam  ukto  Manur  matsyam  anayad  bhagavdn  vail  \  nadlm 
Gangdm  tatra  chainam  svayam  prdkshipad  achyutah  \  sa  tatra  vavridhe 
matsyah  kanchit  Icdlam  arindama  \  tatah  punar  Manum  drishtvd  mat- 
syo vachanam  alravlt  \  "Gangdydm  na  hi  iaknomi  brihatvdch  cheshtitum 
prabho  |  samudram  nay  a  mdm  dsu  praslda  bhagavann  "  iti  \  uddhritya 
Gangd-salildt  tato  matsyam  Manuh  svayam  \  samudram  anayat  pdrtha 
tatra  chainam  avdsrijat  \  12770.  Sumahdn  api  matsyas  tu  sa  Manor 
nayatas  tadd  \  dsld  yatheshta-hdryyaicha  spar£a-gandha-sukhascha  va^  \ 
yadd  samudre  prakshiptah  sa  matsyo  Manund  tadd  \  tata  enam  idam 
vdltyam  smayamdna  ivdbravtt  \  "  bhagavan  hi  kritd  rakshd  tvayd  sarvd 
viseshatah  \  prdpta-lcdlam  tu  yat  kdryyam  tvayd  tach  chhruyalum 
mama  \  achirdd  bhagava,n  bhaumam  idam  sthdvara-jangamam  \  sarvam 
eva  mahdbhdga  pralayam  vai  gamishyati  \  samprakshdlana-Jcdlo  'yam 
loJcdndm  samupasthitah  \  tasmdt  tvdm  bodhaydmy  adya  yat  te  hitam 
anuttamam  \  trasdndm  sthdvardndm  cha  yach  chengam  yach  cha  nen- 
gati  |  tasya  sarvasya  samprdptah  Tcdlah  parama-ddrunah  \  naus  cha 
karayitavyd  te  dridhd  yukta-vatdrakd  \  tatra  saptarshibhih  sdrddham 
druhethd  mahdmune  \  vljdni  chaiva  sarvdni  yatholctdni  dvijaih  purd  \ 
tasydm  drohayer  ndvi  susanguptdni  bhdga&ah  \  nau-sthas  cha  mdm 
pratlkshethds  tato  muni-jana-priya  \  dgamishydmy  aham  sringl  vijne- 


198  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

yas  tena  tdpasa  \  evam  etat  tvayd  kdryam  dprishto  'si  vrajdmy  aham  \ 
td  na  sakyd  mahatyo  vai  dpas  tarttum  mayo,  vind  \  12780.  Ndbhi- 
sankyam  idam  chdpi  vachanam,  me  tvayd  vibho"  \  "  evam  karishye" 
iti  tarn  sa  matsyam  pratyabhdshata  \  jagmatus  cha  yathdkdmam  anu- 
jndpya  parasparam  \  tato  Manur  mahdrdja  yathoktam  matsyakena  ha  \ 
vljdny  dddya  sarvdni  sdgaram  pupluve  tadd  \  naukayd  subhayd  vira 
mahorminam  arindama  \  chintaydmdsa  cha  Manus  tarn  matsyam  pri- 
thivipate  \  sa  cha  tach-chintitam  jndtvd  matsyah  parapuranjaya  \  sringl 
tatrdjagdmdsu  tadd  Bharata-sattama  \  tarn  drishtvd  manuja-vydghra 
Manur  matsyam  jaldrnave  \  12785.  S'ringinam  tarn  yathoktena  rupend- 
drim  ivochhritam  \  vatdrakamayam  pdsam  atha  matsyasya  murdhani  \ 
Manur  manuja-sdrdula  tasmin  sringe  nyavesayat  \  samyatas  tena  pd&ena 
matsyah  para-puranjaya  \  vegena  mahatd  ndvam  prdkarshal  lavandm- 
Ihasi  |  sa  cha  tdms  tdrayan  ndvd  samudram  manujesvara  \  nrityamdnam 
ivormllhir  garjamdnam  ivdmbhasd  \  kshobhyamdnd  mahdvdtaih  sd  naus 
tasmin  mahodadhau  \  ghurnate  chapaleva  strl  mattd  para-puranjaya  \ 
naiva  Ihumir  na  cha  disah  pradiso  vd  chakdsire  \  12790.  Sarvam  dm- 
Ihasam  evdslt  kham  dyau£  cha  narapungava  \  evambhute  tadd  loke  sankule 
Bharatarshabha  \  adrisyanta  saptarshayah  Manur  matsyas  tathaiva  cha  \ 
evam  bahun  varsha-gandn  tdm  ndvam  so  'tha  matsyakah  \  chalcarshdtandrito 
rdjan  tasmin  salila-sanchaye  \  tatoHimavatah  sringam  yatparamBharatar- 
shabha  \  tatrdlcarshat  tato  ndvam  sa  matsyah  Kurunandana  \  athdbravlt 
tadd  matsyas  tun  rishln  prahasan  sanaih  \  "  asmin  Himavatah  sringe  ndvam 
badhnlta  mdchiram"  \  sd  baddhd  tatra  tais  turnam  rishibhir  Bharatarsha- 
bha  |  12795.  Naur  matsyasya  vachah  srutvd  sringe  Himavatas  tadd  \  tach 
cha  Naubandhanam  ndma  sringam  Himavatah  param  \  khydtam  adydpi 
Kaunteya  tad  viddhi  Bharatarshabha  \  athdbravld  anismishas  tan  rishln 
sa  hitas  tadd  \  "  aham  Prajdpatir  Brahmd  yat-param  nddhigamyate  \ 
matsya-rupena  yuyam  cha  mayd  'smdd  molcshitd  lhaydt  \  Manund  cha 
prajdh  sarvdh  sa-devdsura-mdnushdh  \  srashtavydh  sarva-lokds  cha  yach 
chengam  yach  cha  nengati  \  tapasd  chdpi  tlvrena  pratibhd  'sya  bhavish- 
yati  \  mat-prasdddt  prajd-sarge  na  cha  moham  gamishyati  "  \  12800.  Ity 
uktvd  vachanam  matsyah  kshanenddarsanam  gatah  \  srashtu-kdmah  prajds 
chdpi  Manur  Vaivasvatah  svayam  \  pramudho  'bhut  prajd-sarge  tapas  tepe 
mahat  tatah  \  tapasd  mahatd  yuktah  so  ''tha  srashtum  prachakrame  \  sar- 
vdh prajd  Manuh  sdkshdd  yathdvad  Bharatarshabha  \  ity  etad  mdtsyakam 
ndma  purdnam  pariklrttitam  \ 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  199 

"  12747.  Markandeya  said:  There  was  a  great  rishi  Manu,  son  of 
Vivasvat,  majestic,  in  lustre   equal  to  Prajapati.     In   energy,  fiery 
vigour,  prosperity,  and  austere  fervour  he  surpassed  both  his  father 
and  his  grandfather.     Standing  with  uplifted  arm,  on  one  foot,  on  the 
spacious  Badari,  he  practised  intense  austere  fervour.     12750.  This 
direful  exercise  he  performed,  with  his  head  downwards,51  and  with 
unwinking  eyes,  for  10,000  years.     Once,  when,  clad  in  dripping  rags, 
with  matted  hair,  he  was  so  engaged,  a  fish  came  to  him  on  the  banks 
of  the  Chirini,  and  spake :   '  Lord,  I  am  a  small  fish  ;  I  dread  the 
stronger  ones,  and  from  them  you  must  save  me.     For  the  stronger 
fish  devour  the  weaker ;  'this  has  been  immemorially  ordained  as  our 
means  of  subsistence.     Deliver  me  from  this  flood  of  apprehension  in 
which  I  am  sinking,  and  I  will  requite  the  deed.'     12755.  Hearing 
this,  Manu,  filled  with  compassion,  took  the  fish  in  his  hand,   and 
bringing  him  to  the  water  threw  him  into  a  jar  bright  as  a  moon- 
beam.     In  it  the  fish,  being   excellently   tended,  grew ;    for  Manu 
treated  him  like  a  son.    After  a  long  time  he  became  very  large,  and 
could  not  be  contained  in  the  jar.     Then,  seeing  Manu,  he  said  again : 
'  In  order  that  I  may  thrive,  remove  me  elsewhere.'     12760.  Manu 
then  took  him  out  of  the  jar,  brought  him  to  a  large  pond,  and  threw 
him  in.     There  he  continued  to  grow  for  very  many  years.     Although 
the  pond  was  two  yojanas  long,  and  one  yojana  broad,  the  lotus-eyed 
fish  found  in  it  no  room  to  move  ;  and  again  said  to  Manu  :  '  Take  me 
to  Ganga,  the  dear  queen  of  the  ocean-monarch ;  in  her  I  shall  dwell ; 
or  do  as  thou  thinkest  best,  (12765)  for  I  must  contentedly  submit  to 
thy  authority,  as  through  thee  I  have  exceedingly  increased.'     Manu 
accordingly  took  the  fish  and  threw  him  into  the  river  Ganga.     There 
he  waxed  for  some  time,  when  he  again  said  to  Manu :    '  From  my 
great  bulk  I  cannot  move  in  the  Ganga ;  be  gracious  and  remove  me 
quickly  to  the  ocean.'    Manu  took  him  out  of  the  Ganga ;  and  cast  him 
into  the  sea.     12770.  Although  so  huge,  the  fish  was  easily  borne,  and 
pleasant  to  touch  and  smell,  as  Manu  carried  him.    When  he  had  been 
thrown  into  the  ocean  he  said  to  Manu  :  '  Great  lord,  thou  hast  in  every 
way  preserved  me :  now  hear  from  me  what  thou  must  do  when  the 

61  He  could  not  have  stood  on  one  foot  and  with  his  head  downwards  (if  this  means 
standing  on  his  head)  at  one  and  the  same  time.  The  text  may  mean  that  these  atti- 
tudes were  successively  adopted. 


200  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

time  arrives.  Soon  shall  all  these  terrestrial  objects,  both  fixed  and 
moving,  be  dissolved.  The  time  for  the  purification  of  the  worlds  has 
now  arrived.  I  therefore  inform  thee  what  is  for  thy  greatest  good. 
12775.  The  period  dreadful  for  the  universe,  moving  and  fixed,  has 
come.  Make  for  thyself  a  strong  ship,  with  a  cable  attached  ;  embark 
in  it  with  the  seven  rishis,  and  stow  in  it,  carefully  preserved  and  as- 
sorted, all  the  seeds  which  have  been  described  of  old  by  Brahmans.52 
"When  embarked  in  the  ship,  look  out  for  me  :  I  shall  come  recognizable 
by  my  horn.  So  shalt  thou  do ;  I  greet  thee  and  depart.  These  great 
waters  cannot  be  crossed  over  without  me.  12780.  Distrust  not  my 
word.'  Manu  replied,  '  I  shall  do  as  thou  hast  said.'  After  taking 
mutual  leave  they  departed  each  on  his  own  way.  Manu  then,  as  en- 
joined, taking  with  him  the  seed's,  floated  on  the  billowy  ocean  in  the 
beautiful  ship.  He  then  thought  on  the  fish,  which,  knowing  his  de- 
sire, arrived  with  all  speed,  distinguished  by  a  horn.  When  Manu  saw 
the  horned  leviathan,  lofty  as  a  mountain,  he  fastened  the  ship's  cable 
to  the  horn.  Being  thus  attached,  the  fish  dragged  the  ship  with  great 
rapidity,  transporting  it  across  the  briny  ocean  which  seemed  to  dance 
with  its  waves  and  thunder  with  its  waters.  Tossed  by  the  tempests, 
the  ship  whirled  like  a  reeling  and  intoxicated  woman.  Neither  the  earth, 
nor  the  quarters  of  the  world  appeared  ;  (12790)  there  was  nothing  but 
water,  air,  and  sky.  In  the  world  thus  confounded,  the  seven  rishis, 
Manu,  and  the  fish  were  beheld.  So,  for  very  many  years,  the  fish, 
unwearied,  drew  the  ship  over  the  waters  ;  and  brought  it  at  length  to 
the  highest  peak  of  Himavat.  He  then,  smiling  gently,  said  to  the 
rishis,  '  Bind  the  ship  without  delay  to  this  peak.'  They  did  so  accord- 
ingly. 12795.  And  that  highest  peak  of  Himavat  is  still  known  by 
the  name  of  JSTaubandhana  ('  the  Binding  of  the  Ship  ').  The  friendly 
fish  (or  god,  animisha]  then  said  to  the  rishis,  'I  am  the  Prajapati 
Brahma,  than  whom  nothing  higher  can  be  reached.  In  the  form  of  a 
fish  I  have  delivered  you  from  this  great  danger.  Manu  shall  create 
all  living  beings,  gods,  asuras,  MEN,  with  all  worlds,  and  all  things 
moving  and  fixed.  By  my  favour  and  through  severe  austere  fervour, 
he  shall  attain  perfect  insight  into  his  creative  work,  and  shall  not  be- 

62  The  S'atapatha  Brahmana  is  silent  as  to  these  seeds,  as  well  as  to  the  seven 
rishis ;  but  it  is  possible  that  the  reference  here  made  to  them  may  have  been  bor- 
rowed from  some  other  ancient  source. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FEOM  MANU.  201 

come  bewildered.'  12800.  Having  thus  spoken,  the  fish  in  an  instant 
disappeared.  Manu,  desirous  to  call  creatures  into  existence  and  be- 
wildered in  his  work,  performed  a  great  act  of  austere  fervour ;  and 
then  began  visibly  to  create  all  living  beings.  This  which  I  have 
narrated  is  known  as  the  Matsyaka  Purana  (or  '  Legend  of  the  Fish  ').' 

It  will  be  observed  that  towards  the  close  of  this  narrative  it  is  stated 
that  Manu  (not  Brahma  himself )  was  the  creator  of  Men,  as  well  of 
gods  and  asuras ;  and  that  no  reference  is  made  to  the  formation  of 
separate  castes. 

The  commentators  seem  disinclined  to  take  this  legend  in  its  literal 
sense.  We  shall  see  below  what  reason  the  scholiast  on  the  Bhagavata 
Purana  assigns  for  this  procedure.  The  following  are  some  of  the 
remarks  of  the  Commentator  Nilakantha  on  the  above  passage  of  the 
Mahabharata : 

"  Manohn  manute  ity  abhimdndtmako  'hankdro  Manuh  \  viseshena 
vaste  dchhddayati  chit-prakdsam  iti  vweka-jndnam  tad-van  vivasvdn  ma- 
yam  Isvarah  " mdyinam  tu  mahesvaram"  iti  sruteh  \  tasya  Vaivasvatasya 
charitam  sancharanam  \  "  avidy a-na.se  saty  dvidyako  'hankdrah  katham 
sancharati  \  nahi  tantu-ddhe  patas  tishthati"  ity  dkshepah  |  .  .  .  .  air  a 
para-brahmana  eva  rupdntaram  matsydkhyo  jlvah  \  so  'hankdrena  Manund 
uttarottara-sreshtheshu  alinjirddi-rupeshu  sthula-deheshu  tapo-laldd  ni- 
pdtyate  \  sa  cha  samudrdkhye  vairdje  dehe  nipatitas  cha  kalpdnte  avidyd- 
ndsa-rupe  saty  api  dddha-  (dagdha  ?)  -pata-nydyena  anuvarttamdnam 
ahankdram  saptarshi-sanjnakaih  prdnddilhih  vlja-sanjnaih  prdraldha- 
karmabhis  cha  sahitam  charama-deha-ndvy  drudham  vdsand-varatraydjiva- 
matsyena  pralaya-kdle  'py  uhyamdnam  meru-sringa  same  'chale  lhavato 
(Himavad-t}  rupe  sadvdsanayd  laldhdspadam  mllnam  anulakshya  jlva- 
matsyo  'darsanam  prdptah  \  ati-villne  hy  ahankare  jlvatvam  nasyati  \ 
sa  punar  nirasta-jtva-bhdvo  'hanJcdro  brahma-rupatdm  dpanno  yathd 
purvam  vdsanayd  jagat  srijati  \  nashte  ''py  avidydkhye  kdrane  samsdra- 
Ihdna-lakshanam  kdryam  chakra-lhramam  iva  kanchit  kdlam  anuvart- 
tate  ity  adhydya-tdtparyam  \  akshardrthas  tv  ityddi  \ 

" '  Manu,'  that  which  imagines,  denotes  the  consciousness   of  self 
(ahankdra},  consisting  in  the  idea  that  objects  refer  to  one's  self  (abhi- 
mdna}.^      ( Vivasvat '  is  he  who  possesses  the  discriminating  know- 
ledge that  (such  and  such  a  thing)  obscures  the  light  of'  the  mind,  i.e. 
53  See  Colebrooke's  Misc.  Essays,  vol.  i.  242. 


202  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OP 

he  is  the  Hinder,  Isvara,  for  the  Veda5*  speaks  of  '  Mahesvara  the 
Illuder.'  It  is  the  '  history,'  the  action,  of  this  son  of  Vivasvat,  that 
is  related.  It  is  objected,  'how  can  Ahankara,  which  arises  from 
ignorance,  operate  when  ignorance  is  destroyed  ? '  for  when  the  threads 
are  hurnt  the  cloth  no  longer  remains '  .  .  .  .  Here  the  embodied  soul, 
called  in  this  passage  a  'Fish,'  is  only  another  form  of  the  supreme 
Brahma.  This  'Fish'  is  thrown  by  'Manu,'  who  is  Ahankara,  through 
the  power  of  austere  fervour,  into  gross  bodies,  here  represented  by  '  a 
jar,'  'a  pond,'  etc.,  which  gradually  rise  in  excellence.  Being  at  last 
cast  into  the  body  of  Viraj,  called  '  the  ocean,'  although  '  the  close  of 
the  Kalpa '  means  the  destruction  of  ignorance,  still  the  embodied  soul 
denoted  by  the  'Fish,'  contemplating  Ahankara  still  remaining  like  the 
ashes  of  burnt  cloth,  then  entering,  along  with  the  breath  and  other 
vital  airs  named  '  the  seven  rishis,'  and  the  works  of  a  former  birth 
designated  as  '  seeds,'  into  the  ship  which  signifies  its  last  body,  and 
then  borne  along  even  in  the  period  of  dissolution  by  the  embodied 
soul  itself  symbolized  as  a  '  Fish,'  by  means  of  the  '  rope  '  of  the  re- 
maining consciousness  of  past  perceptions  (vtisand),  obtaining  at  length 
through  a  consciousness  of  former  perceptions,  which  were  pure  (sad- 
vdsana),  a  resting-place  on  a  mountain  like  the  peak  of  Meru,  repre- 
sented by  the  Himavat  (?),  and  finally  dissolved ; — the  embodied  soul 
under  the  figure  of  a  'Fish'  having  contemplated  all  this, — vanishes. 
For  when  Ahankara  has  become  entirely  dissolved,  the  state  of  the 
embodied  soul  ceases.  Then  Ahankara,  after  the  state  of  the  embodied 
soul  has  been  dispelled,  obtains  the  condition  of  Brahma ;  but  by  its 
consciousness  of  past  perceptions  creates  the  world  as  before.  Even 
when  the  cause  called  ignorance  has  been  destroyed,  the  effect  in  the 
shape  of  the  semblance  of  the  world  continues  for  some  time,  like  the 
revolution  of  a  wheel.  Such  is  signification  of  the  section." 

According  to  this  allegorial  interpretation  "Vivasvat,"  father  of 
Manu,  represents  Isvara,  the  Hinder.  "  Manu  "  is  Ahankara,  or  self- 
consciousness.  The  "Fish"  is  the  embodied  soul,  which  fancies  itself 
to  be,  but  is  not,  distinct  from  the  Supreme  spirit.  Ahankara,  denoted 
by  'Manu,'  places  the  embodied  soul,  symbolized  by  the  "  Fish,"  in  a 
variety  of  bodies  gradually  increasing  in  excellence,  which  are  signified 

5*  The  words  are  taken  from  one  of  the  TJpanishads,  to  which,  at  the  time  of  cor- 
recting this  sheet,  I  am  unahle  to  give  the  necessary  reference. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANTJ.  203 

by  the  "jar,"  "pond,"  "Ganga,"  and  "ocean."  Although  the  end 
of  the  Kalpa  means  the  removal  of  ignorance,  still  Ahankara  continues 
for  a  time ;  and  along  with  the  "  seven  rishis,"  who  stand  for  the  vital 
airs,  and  the  "  seeds,"  which  are  former  works,  embarks  on  the  "  ship," 
which  is  its  last  body,  and  is  drawn  over  the  ocean  by  the  embodied 
soul  by  means  of  a  "  rope,"  which  signifies  the  consciousness  of  former 
perceptions.  Ahankara  at  length  finds  a  resting-place,  denoted  by 
Mount  Himavat ;  and  when  it  has  been  destroyed,  the  embodied  soul 
vanishes.  Ahankara,  however,  passes  into  the  form  of  Brahma,  and, 
through  the  operation  of  the  cause  explained  by  the  Commentator, 
creates  the  world  anew. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  remark  that  the  narrator  of  the  legend 
himself  appears  to  have  had  no  idea  6f  making  it  the  vehicle  of  any 
Vedantic  allegory  such  as  is  here  propounded. 

The  following  is  another  version  of  the  same  legend  from  the  Matsya 
Parana : 

i.  12.65  Pur  a  raja  Manur  ndma  chlrnavdn  vipulam  tapah  \  putre  raj- 
yam  samdropya  kshamdvdn  Ravi-nandanah  \  13.  Malay  asyaika-dese  tu 
sarvdtm&guna-samyutah  \  sama-duhkha-sukho  vlrah  prdptavdn  yogam 
uttamam  \  14.  Vachanam**  varadas  chdsya  varshdyuta-sate  gate  \  "  va- 
ram  vrimshva  "  provdcha  prltdtmd  Kamaldsanah  \  15.  Evam  uJcto  'bra- 
vld  raja  pranamya  sa  Pitdmaham  \  "ekam  evdham  ichhdmi  tvatto  varam 
anuttamam  \  16.  Shuta-grdmasya  sarvasya  sthdvarasya  charasya  cha  \ 
bhaveyam  rakshanaydlam  pralaye  samupasthite  "  |  17.  "Evam  astv"  iti 
visvdtmd  tatraivdntaradhlyata  \  pustya-vrishtis  cha  mahati  Ithdt  papdta 
surdrpitd  \  18.  Kaddchid  dsrame  tasya  Jcurvatah  pitri-tarpanam  \  pa- 
pdta  panyor  upari  saphari  jala-samyutd  \  19.  Drishtvd  tach-chhapharl- 
rupaih  sa  daydlur  mahlpatih  \  rakskandydkarod  yatnam  sa  tasmin  ka. 
rakodare  \  20.  Ahordtrena  cJiailcena  shodasdngula-vistritah  \  so  'lhavad 
matsya-rupena  " pdjii pdhlti  "  chdbravzt  \  21.  Sa  tarn  dddya  manike  prd- 
kshipaj  jala-chdrinam  \  tatrdpi  chaikardtrena  hasta-trayam  avarddhata  \ 
22.  Punah  prdhdrttanddena  Sahasralcirandtmajam  \  sa  matsyah  M  pdhi 
pallia"  "  tvdm  aham  saranam  gatah"  \  23.  Tatah  sa  kupe  tarn  mat- 
syam  prdhinod  Ravi-nandanah  \  yadd  na  mdti  tatrapi  kupe  matsyah 

55  This  passage  is  extracted  in  Professor  Auftecat's  Catalogue  of  the  Bodleian 
Sanskrit  MSS.  p.  347. 
M  The  Taylor  MS.  reads  babhuva,  instead  of  vachanam. 


204  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

sarovare  \  24.  Kshiptah  sa  prithutdm  dgdt  punar  yojana-sammitdm  \ 
tatrdpy  aha  punar  dmah  "pdhi  pdhi  nripottama"  \  25.  Tatah  sa 
Manund  kshipto  Gangdydm  apy  avarddhata  \  yadd  tadd  samudre  tarn 
prdkshipad  medinipatih  \  26.  Yadd  samudram  akhilam  vydpydsau 
samavasthitah  \  tadd  prdha  Manur  bhltah  "  ko.'pi  tvam  asuretarah  \ 
27.  Athavd  Vdsudevas  tvam  anya  idrik  katham  bhavet  \  yojandyuta- 
vimiatyd  kasya  tulyam  bhaved  vapuh  \  28.  Jndtas  tvam  matsya-ru- 
pena  mdm  klwdayasi  Kesava  \  Hrishlkeia  jaganndtha  jagad-dhdma 
namo  'stu  te "  |  29.  Evam  uktah  sa  lhagavdn  matsya-rupl  Jandrdanah  \ 
" sddhu  sddhv"  Hi  chwdcha  " samyag  jndtam  tvayd  'nagha  \  30.  Achire- 
naiva  kdlena  medinl  medinipate  \  lihavishyati  jale  magnd  sd-saila-vana- 
Itdnand  |  31.  Naur  iyam  sarva-devdndm  nikdyena  vinirmitd  \  mahd-jwa- 
nikdyasya  rakshandrtham  mahipate  \  32.  Sveddndajodbhtjd  jwd  ye  cha 
jlvd  jardyujdh  \  asyam  nidhdya  sarvdms  tan  anarthdt81  pdhi  suvrata  \ 
33.  Yugdnta-vdtdlhihatd  yadd  chalati  naur  nripa  \  iringe  'smin  mama 
rdjendra  tademdm  samyamishyasi  \  34.  Tato  lay  ante  sarvasya  sthdvarasya 
charasya  cha  \  prajdpatis  tvam  bhavitd  jagatah  prithivl-pate  \  35.  Evam 
krite  mahdrdja55  sarvajno  dhritimdn  rishih  \  manvantarddhipai  chdpi 
deva-pujyo  lhavishyasi  \  36.  Adhyaya  ii.  Suta  uvdcha  \  1.  Evam  ukto 
Manus  tena  paprachhdsura-sudanam  \  varshair  kiyadbhir  lhagavan  bhavish- 
yaty  antara-kshayah  \  2.  Sattvdni  cha  katham  ndtha  rakshishye  Madhu- 
sudana  \  tvayd  saha  punar  yog  ah  katham  vd  lhavitd  mama  \  3.  S'rl-matsya 
uvdcha  |  adya-prabhrity  andvrishtir  bhavishyati  mahltale  \  ydvad  varsha- 
katam  sdgram  durbhiksham  narakdvaham  \  4.  Tato  'Ipa-sattva-kshayadd 
ra£mayah  sapta  ddrundh  \  sapta-sapter  bhavishyanti  prataptdngdra-var- 
shinah  \  5.  Aurvdnalo  ''pi  vikritim  gamishyati  yuga-kshaye  \  vishdgnis 
chdpi  pdtdldt  sankarshana-mukha-chyutah  \  6.  Bhavasydpi  laldtotthas 
tritlya-nayandnalah  \  jagad  dagdham  tathd  kshobham  gamishyati  mahd- 
mate  \  7.  Evam  dagdhd  mahl  sarvd  yadd  sydd  bhasma-sannibhd59  \  dkdsam 
ushmand  taptam  bhavishyati  parantapa  \  8.  Tatah  sa-deva-nakshatram 
jagad  ydsyati  sankshayam  \  samvartto  bhlmanddas  cha  dronas  chando60  ba- 
Idhakah  \  9.  Vidyutpatdkah  sondmbuh  saptaite  laya-vdriddh  \  agni-pra- 
sveda-sam bhutdh  pldvayishyanti  medinlm  \  10.  Samudrdh  kshobham  dgatya 

w  Instead  of  anarthat  the  Taylor  MS.  reads  anathan. 
58  The  Taylor  MS.  reads  here  evam  krita-yugasyadau. 
B»  Kurma-sannibha  \  Taylor  MS. 
60  The  Taylor  and  Gaikowar  MSS.  have  chandro. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANTJ.  205 

chaikatvena  vyavasthitdh  \  etad  ekdrnavam  sarvam  karishyanti  jagat-tra- 
yam  \  11.  Divydm  ndvam61  imam  grihya  sarva-vydni  sarvasah  \  dropya 
rajjvd  yogena  mat-prayuktena  suvrata  \  12.  Samyamya  ndvam  much- 
chhringe  mat-pralhdvdlhirakshitah  \  ekah  sthdsyasi  deveshu  dagdheshv  api 
parantapa  \  13.  Soma-surydv  aham  Brahma  chatur-loka-samanvitah  \ 
Narmadd  cha  nadl  puny  a  Mdrkandeyo  mahdn  rishih  \  14.  Jthavo  veddh 
purdnam  cha  vidydbhih  sarvato  vritam  \  tvayd  sdrddham  idam  sarvam 
sthdsyaty  antara-sankshaye  \  15.  Evam  ekdrnave  jdte  Chdkshushdntara- 
sankshaye  \  veddn  pravarttayishydmi  tvat-sargddau  mahipate  \  16.  Suta 
uvdcha  |  Evam  uktvd  sa  Ihagavdms  tatraivdntaradhlyata  \  Manur  apy 
dsthito  yogam  Vdsudeva-prasddajam  \  17.  Athdbhuch  cha  tathd-lhutah 
samplavah  puna-suchitah  \  kale  yathokte  sanjdte  Vdsudeva-mukhodyate  \ 
18.  S'ringl  prddurlabhuvdtha  matsya-fupl  Jandrdanah  \  Ananto  rajju- 
rupena  Manoh  pdrsvam  updgamat  \  19.  Bhuta-sangdn  samdkrishya  yoge- 
ndropya  dharmavit  \  Ihujanga-rajjvd  matsyasya  sringe  ndvam  ayojayat  \ 
20.  JJparyy  upasthitas  tasydh  pranipatya  Jandrdanam  \  dlhuta-samplave 
tasminn  atite  yoga-sdyind  \  21.  Prishtena  Manund  proktam  purdnam 
matsyarupind  \  tad  iddnlm  pravakshydmi  srinudhvam  rishi-sattamdh  \ 

"12.  Formerly  a  heroic  king  called  Manu,  the  patient  son  of  the 
Sun,  endowed  with  all  good  qualities,  indifferent  to  pain  and  pleasure, 
after  investing  his  son  with  the  royal  authority,  practised  intense  aus- 
tere fervour,  (13)  in  a  certain  region  of  Malaya  (Malabar),  and  attained 
to  transcendent  union  with  the  Deity  (yoga}.  14.  When  a  million 
years  had  elapsed,  Brahma  became  pleased  and  disposed  to  bestow  a 
boon,  which  he  desired  Manu  to  choose.  15.  Bowing  before  the  father 
of  the  world  the  monarch  said,  '  I  desire  of  thee  this  one  incomparable 
boon,  tbat  when  the  dissolution  of  the  universe  arrives  I  may  have  power 
to  preserve  all  existing  things,  whether  moving  or  stationary.'  17. 
'  So  be  it,'  said  the  Soul  of  all  things,  and  vanished  on  the  spot ;  when  a 
great  shower  of  flowers,  thrown  down  by  the  gods,  fell  from  the  sky. 
18.  Once  as,  in  his  hermitage,  Manu  offered  the  oblation  to  the  Manes, 
there  fell,  upon  his  hands,  along  with  some  water,  a  S'aphari  fish  (a 
carp),  (19)  which  the  kind-hearted  king  perceiving,  strove  to  preserve 
in  his  water-jar.  20.  In  one  day  and  night  the  fish  grew  to  the  size 
of  sixteen  fingers,  and  cried,  'preserve  me,  preserve  me.'  21.  Manu 
then  took  and  threw  him  into  a  large  pitcher,  where  in  one  night  be 
61  The  Taylor  MS.  reads  veda-navam,  "  the  ship  of  the  Vedas." 


206  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OP 

increased  three  cubits,  (22)  and  again  cried,  with  the  voice  of  one  dis- 
tressed, to  the  son  of  Yivasvat,  'preserve  me,  preserve  me,  I  have 
sought  refuge  with  thee.'  23.  Manu  next  put  him  into  a  well,  and 
when  he  could  not  he  contained  even  in  that,  (24)  he  was  thrown  into 
a  lake,  where  he  attained  to  the  size  of  a  yojana;  but  still  cried  in 
humble  tones, '  preserve  me,  preserve  me.'  25.  When,  after  being  flung 
into  the  Ganga  he  increased  there  also,  the  king  threw  him  into  the 
ocean.  26.  When  he  filled  the  entire  ocean,  Manu  said,  in  terror, 
'  Thou  art  some  god,  (27)  or  thou  art  Vasudeva  ;  how  can  any  one  else 
be  like  this?  Whose  body  could  equal  200,000  yojanas?  28.  Thou 
art  recognised  under  this  form  of  a  fish,  and  thou  tormentest  me,  Ke- 
sava ;  reverence  be  to  thee,  Hrishlkesa,  lord  of  the  world,  abode  of  the 
universe  !'  29.  Thus  addressed, 'the  divine  Janardana,  in  the  form  of  a 
fish,  replied:  'Thou  hast  well  spoken,  and  hast  rightly  known  me. 
30.  In  a  short  time  the  earth  with  its  mountains,  groves,  and  forests, 
shall  be  submerged  in  the  waters.  31.  This  ship  has  been  constructed 
by  the  company  of  all  the  gods 62  for  the  preservation  of  the  vast  host 
of  living  creatures.  32.  Embarking  in  it  all  living  creatures,  both 
those  engendered  from  moisture  and  from  eggs,  as  well  as  the  vivi- 
parous, and  plants,  preserve  them  from  calamity.  33.  When  driven  by 
the  blasts  at  the  end  of  the  yuga,  the  ship  is  swept  along,  thou  shalt 
bind  it  to  this  horn  of  mine.  34.  Then  at  the  close  of  the  dissolution  thou 
shalt  be  the  Prajapati  (lord  of  creatures)  of  this  world,  fixed  and  moving. 
35.  When  this  shall  have  been  done,63  thou,  the  omniscient,  patient  rishi, 
and  lord  of  the  Manvantara,  shalt  be  an  object  of  worship  to  the  gods." 
2nd  Adhyaya:  "  1.  Suta  said:  Being  thus  addressed,  Manu  asked  the 
slayer  of  the  Asura,  '  In  how  many  years  shall  the  (existing)  Manvan- 
tara come  to  an  end  ?  2.  And  how  shall  I  preserve  the  living  crea- 
tures? or  how  shall  I  meet  again  with  thee?'  The  fish  answered: 
'  From  this  day  forward  a  drought  shall  visit  the  earth  for  a  hundred 
years  and  more,  with  a  tormenting  famine.  4.  Then  the  seven  direful 
rays  of  the  son,  of  little  power,  destructive,  shall  rain  burning  char- 
coal. 5.  At  the  close  of  the  yuga  the  submarine  fire  shall  burst  forth, 

62  The  reading  of  the  Taylor  MS.  here  is  partially  erased ;  hut  it  may  have  been 
sarva-vedanam,  "of  all  the  Vedas."     Compare  the  various  reading  in  verse  11   of 
the  next  a  dhyaya. 

63  According  to  the  reading  of  the  Taylor  MS.  we  should  have  to  substitute  the 
words,  "  Thus  at  the  beginning  of  the  Krita  age,  thou"  etc. 


THE  KS7DIAN  RACE  FROM  MANF.  207 

while  the  poisonous  flame  issuing  from  the  mouth  of  Sankarshana  (shall 
blaze)  from  Patala,  and  the  fire  from  Mahadeva's  third  eye  shall  issue 
from  his  forehead.  Thus  kindled  the  world  shall  become  confounded. 
7.  When,  consumed  in  this  manner,  the  earth  shall  become  like  ashes, 
the  aether  too  shall  be  scorched  with  heat.  8.  Then  the  world,  together 
with  the  gods  and  planets,  shall  be  destroyed.  The  seven  clouds  of 
the  period  of  dissolution,  called  Samvartta,  Bhlmanada,  Drona,  Chanda, 
Balahaka,  (9)  Vidyutpataka,  and  S'onambu,  produced  from  the  steam 
of  the  fire,  shall  inundate  the  earth.  10.  The  seas  agitated,  and  joined 
together,  shall  reduce  these  entire  three  worlds  to  one  ocean.  1 1 .  Taking 
this  celestial  ship,  embarking  on  it  all  the  seeds,  and  through  contem- 
plation fixed  on  me  fastening  it  by  a  rope  (12)  to  my  horn,  thou  alone 
shalt  remain,  protected  by  my  power,  when  even  the  gods  are  burnt  up. 
13.  The  sun  and  moon,  I  Brahma  with  the  four  worlds,  the  holy  river 
Narmada,"4  the  great  rishi  Markandeya,  (14)  Mahadeva,  the  Yedas,  the 
Purana  with  the  sciences, — these  shall  remain  with  thee  at  the  close  of 
the  Manvantara.  15.  The  world  having  thus  become  one  ocean  at  the 
end  of  the  Chakshusha  manvantara,  I  shall  give  currency  to  the  Vedas 
at  the  commencement  of  thy  creation.'  16.  Suta  continued:  Having 
thus  spoken,  the  divine  Being  vanished  on  the  spot ;  while  Manu  fell 
into  a  state  of  contemplation  (yoga)  induced  by  the  favour  of  Vasudeva. 
1 7.  When  the  time  announced  by  Vasudeva  had  arrived,  the  predicted 
deluge  took  place  in  that  very  manner.  Then  Janardana  appeared  in 
the  form  of  a  horned  fish ;  (the  serpent)  Ananta  came  to  Manu  in  the 
shape  of  a  rope.  19.  Then  he  who  was  skilled  in  duty  (i.e.  Manu) 
drew  towards  himself  all  creatures  by  contemplation  (yoga)  and  stowed 
them  in  the  ship,  which  he  then  attached  to  the  fish's  horn  by  the 
serpent-rope,  (20)  as  he  stood  upon  the  ship,  and  after  he  had  made 
obeisance  to  Janardana.  21.  I  shall  now  declare  the  Purana  which, 
in  answer  to  an  enquiry  from  Manu,  was  uttered  by  the  deity  in  the 
form  of  the  fish,  as  he  lay  in  a  sleep  of  contemplation  till  the  end  of  the 
universal  inundation  :  Listen."  The  Matsy a  Purana  gives  us  no  further 
information  here  about  the  progress  and  results  of  the  deluge ;  and  this 
narrative  does  not  appear  to  be  ever  afterwards  resumed. 

61  In  the  opinion  of  this  writer,  therefore,  the  Narmada  (Nerbudda)  must  have 
been  a  holier  stream  than  the  Ganga :  otherwise  we  should  have  expected  him  to 
select  the  latter  as  the  river  to  be  preserved  at  the  dissolution. 


208  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

The  Bhagavata  P.  viii.  24,  7,  gives  the  same  story  with  variations 
as  follows : 

Asld  atlta-kalpdnte  brdhmo  naimittiko  layah  \  samudropaplutds  tatra 
lokd  bhur-ddayo  nripa  \  8.  Kdlendgata-nidrasya  Dhdtuh  sisayishor  ball  \ 
mukhato  nissritdn  veddn  Hayagrlvo  'ntike  'harat  \  9.  Jndtvd  tad  ddna- 
vendrasya  Hayagrlvasya  cheshtitam  \  dadhdra  sapharl-rupam  bhagavdn 
Harir  isvarah  \  10.  Tatra  rdja-rishih  kaschid  ntimnd  Satyavrato  mahdn  \ 
Ndrdyana-paro  'tapyat  tapah  sa  salilasanah  \  11.  Yo  'sdv  asmin  maTia- 
kalpe  tanayah  sa  Vivasvatah  \  S'rdddhadeva  iti  Ichydto  manutve  Harina 
'rpitah  \  12.  Ekadhd  Kritamdldydm  Jcurvato  jala-tarpanam  \  tasydnjaly- 
udalce  Mchich  chhaphary  ekd  'bhyapadyata  \  13.  Satyavrato  'njali-gatdm 
saha  toyena  BJidrata  \  utsasarja  nadl-toye  sapharlm  Dravidesvarah  \  tarn 
aha  sdtikarunam  mahdkdrunikam  nripam  \  yadolhyo  jnati-ghdtilhyo 
dinam  mam  dlnavatsala  \  katham  msrijase  rdjan  bhltdm  asmin  sarij-jale  \ 

32.  Saptame  'dyatandd  urddhvam  ahany  etad  arindama  \  ni- 

mankshyaty  apyaydmbhodhau  trailokyam  bhur-bhuvddilcam  \  33.  Trilok- 
ydm  llyamandydm  samvarttdmlhasi  vai  tadd  \  upasthdsyati  nauh  kdchid 
visdld  tvdm  mayeritd  \  ^34.  Tvam  tdvad  oshadtdh  sarvd  vijdny  uchchd- 
vachani  cha  \  saptarshibhih  parivritah  sarva-sattvopavrimhitah  \  45. 
Aruhya  vrihatlm  ndvam  vicharishyasy  aviklavah  \  ekdrnave  nirdloke 
rishlndm  eva  varchasd  \  36.  Dodhuyamdndm  tdm  ndvam  samlrena  ball- 
t/asd  |  upasthitasya  me  fringe  nihadhriihi  mahdhind  \  37.  Aham  tvdm 
nshibhih  sdkam  sahandvam  udanvati  \  vikarshan  vicharishydmi  ydvad 
BrdJiml  nisd  prabho  |  .  .  .  .  41.  Tatah  samudrah  udvelah  sarvatah 
pldvayan  maTiim  \  vardhamdno  mahdmeghair  varshadbhih  samadrisyata  \ 
42.  Dhydyan  bhagavad-ddesam  dadrise  ndvam  dgatdm  \  tdm  druroha 
viprendrair  dddyaushadhi-vlrudhah  \  43.  Tarn  uchur  m^lnayah  pritd 
rdjan  dhydyasva  Kesavam  \  sa  vai  nah  sankatdd  asmdd  avitd  sam  vidhd- 
syati  |  44.  So  'nudhydtas  tato  rdjnd  prddurdsld  mahdrnave  \  eka-sringa- 
dharo  matsyo  haimo  niyuta-yojanah  \  45.  Nibadhya  ndvam.  tach-chhringe 
yathokto  Harind  purd  \  varatrendhind  tushtas  tushtdva  Madhusudanam  \ 

54.  Ity  uktavantam  nripatim  lhagavdn  Adipurushah  \  matsya- 

rupl  mahdmbhodhau  viharams  tattvam  abravlt  \  55.  Purdna-samJiitdm 
divydm  Sdnkhya-Yoga-kriydvatlm  \  Satyavratasya  rdjarsher  dtma-guh- 
yam  aseshatah  \  56.  Asraushid  rishibhih  sdkam  dtma-tattvam  asam- 
sayam  \  navy  dsino  bhagavatd  proktam  IraJima  sandtanam  \  57.  Atlta- 
pralaydpdye  utthitdya  sa  Vedhase  \  hatvdsuram  Hayagrlvam  veddn  prat- 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  209 

yakarad  Harih  \   58.  Sa  tu  Satyavrato  raja  jnana-vijnana-samyutah  \ 
Vishnoh  prasuddt  Jcalpe  'smin  asld  Vaivasvato  Manuh  \ 

"  7.  At  the  close  of  the  past  Kalpa  there  occurred  an  occasional M 
dissolution  of  the  universe  arising  from  Brahma's  nocturnal  repose  ;  in 
which  the  Bhurloka  and  other  worlds  were  submerged  in  the  ocean. 
8.  When  the  creator,  desirous  of  rest,  had  under  the  influence  of  time 
been  overcome  by  sleep,  the  strong  Hayagriva  coming  near,  carried  off 
the  Vedas  which  had  issued  from  his  mouth.  9.  Discovering  this  deed 
of  the  prince  of  the  Danavas,  the  divine  Hari,  the  Lord,  took  the  form 
of  a  S'aphari  fish.  10.  At  that  time  a  certain  great  royal  rishi,  called 
Satyavrata,  who  was  devoted  to  Narayana,  practised  austere  fervour, 
subsisting  on  water.  1 1 .  He  was  the  same  who  in  the  present  great 
Kalpa  is  the  son  of  Visvasvat,  called  'S'raddhadeva,66  and  was  appointed 
by  Hari  to  the  office  of  Manu.  12.  Once,  as  in  the  river  Kritamala  he 
was  offering  the  oblation  of  water  to  the  Pitris,  a  S'apharl  fish  came 
into  the  water  in  the  hollow  of  his  hands.  13.  The  lord  of  Dravida, 
Satyavrata,  cast  the  fish  in  his  hands  with  the  water  into  the  river. 
14.  The  fish  very  piteously  cried  to  the  merciful  king,  '  Why  dost  thou 
abandon  me  poor  and  terrified  to  the  monsters  who  destroy  their  kindred 
in  this  river  ?'  "  [Satyavrata  then  took  the  fish  from  the  river,  placed  it 
in  his  waterpot,  and  as  it  grew  larger  and  larger,  threw  it  successively 
into  a  larger  vessel,  a  pond,  various  lakes,  and  at  length  into  the  sea.  The 
fish  objects  to  be  left  there  on  the  plea  that  it  would  be  devoured  ;  but 
Manu  replies  that  it  can  be  no  real  fish,  but  Yishnu  himself ;  and  with 
various  expressions  of  devotion  enquires  why  he  had  assumed  this  dis- 
guise, verses  15-31.]  The  god  replies :  32.  "  On  the  seventh  day 
after  this  the  three  worlds  Bhurloka,  etc.,  shall  sink  beneath  the 
ocean  of  the  dissolution.  83.  When  the  universe  is  dissolved  in  that 
ocean,  a  large  ship,  sent  by  me,  shall  come  to  thee.  34.  Taking  with 
thee  the  plants  and  various  seeds,  surrounded  by  the  seven  rishis, 
and  attended  by  all  existences,  (35)  thou  ^shalt  embark  on  the  great 
ship,  and  shalt  without  alarm  move  over  the  one  dark  ocean,  by  the 
sole  light  of  the  rishis.  When  the  ship  shall  be  vehemently  shaken  by 

65  Naimittika.     See  above  p.  45. 

66  Manu  is  called  S'raddhadeva  in  the  Mahabharata  also,  S'antip.  4507.     In  the 
Brahmanas,  however,  he  receives  the  appellation,  or  epithet,  not  of  tS'raddhadeva,  but 
of  Sraddhadeva.     See  above,  p.  188  ff. 

14 


210  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

the  tempestuous  wind,  fasten  it  by  the  great  serpent  to  my  horn — for 
I  shall  come  near.  37.  So  long  as  the  night  of  Brahma  lasts,  I  shall 
draw  thee  with  the  rishis  and  the  ship  over  the  ocean."  [The  god 
then  disappears  after  promising  that  Satyavrata  shall  practically  know 
his  greatness  and  experience  his  kindness,  and  Satyavrata  awaits  the 
predicted  events,  verses  38-40.]  41.  "  Then  the  sea,  augmenting  as 
the  great  clouds  poured  down  their  waters,  was  seen  overflowing  its 
shores  and  everywhere  inundating  the  earth.  42.  Meditating  on  the 
injunctions  of  the  deity,  Satyavrata  beheld  the  arrival  of  the  ship,  on 
which  he  embarked  with  the  Brahmans,  taking  along  with  him  the 
various  kinds  of  plants.  43.  Delighted,  the  Munis. said  to  him,  'me- 
ditate on  Kesava ;  he  will  deliver  us  from  this  danger,  and  grant  us 
prosperity.'  44.  Accordingly  when  the  king  had  meditated  on  him, 
there  appeared  on  the  ocean  a  golden  fish,  with  one  horn,  a  million 
yojanas  long.  45.  Binding  the  ship  to  his  horn  with  the  serpent  for  a 
rope,  as  he  had  been  before  commanded  by  Hari,  Satyavrata  lauded 
Madhusudana."  [Verses  46-53  contain  the  hymn.]  54.  When  the 
king  had  thus  spoken,  the  divine  primeval  Male,  in  the  form  of  a  fish, 
moving  on  the  vast  ocean  declared  to  him  the  truth ;  (55)  the  celestial 
collection  of  Puranas,  with  the  Sankhya,  Toga,  the  ceremonial,  and  the 
mystery  of  the  soul.  56.  Seated  on  the  ship  with  the  rishis,  Satya- 
vrata heard  the  true  doctrine  of  the  soul,  of  the  eternal  Brahma,  de- 
clared by  the  god.  57.  "When  Brahma  arose  at  the  end  of  the  past 
dissolution,  Hari  restored  to  him  the  Vedas,  after  slaying  Hayagriva. 
58.  And  King  Satyavrata,  master  of  all  knowledge,  sacred  and  profane, 
became,  by  the  favour  of  Vishnu,  the  son  of  Vivasvat,  the  Manu  in  this 
Kalpa." 

Before  adducing  the  remarks  of  the  commentator  S'rldhara  Svamin 
on  the  passage  last  cited  from  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  I  shall  quote  one 
more  version  of  the  same  legend  from  the  Agni  Purana.67  It  is  not  of 
any  great  consequence,,  as,  though  more  condensed,  it  coincides  in  pur- 
port with  that  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana :  which  of  the  two  has  bor- 

67  This  has  been  copied  by  Professor  Aufrecht  from  a  MS.  of  the  Agni  Purana, 
belonging  to  the  Eoyal  Asiatic  Society  of  London.  I  am  informed  by  Prof.  Aufrecht 
that  the  East  India  Office  Library  has  two  MSS.  of  the  Vahni  Purana,  which  (although 
Vahni  is,  in  later  Sanskrit,  synonymous  with  Agni)  differ  entirely  in  their  contents 
from  the  Agni  Purana. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  211 

rowed  from  the  other,  or  whether  both  are  derived  from  a  common 
source,  I  am  unable  to  say. 

Pasishfha  uvdcha  \  1.  Matsyddi-rupina.m  Vishnum  bruhi  sargddi-kd- 
ranam  \  purdnam  Irahma  chdgneyam  yathd  Vishnoh  purd  srutam  \  Agnir 
uvdcha  \  2.  Matsydvatdram  vakshye  'ham  Vasishtha  srinu  vai  Hareh  \ 
avatar  a-kriy  dm  dushta-nashtyai  sat-pdlandya  hi  \  3.  Asld  atlta-Tcalpdnte 
brdhmo  naimittiko  lay  ah  \  sanudropaplutds  tatra  lokd  Ihurddikd  mune  \ 
4.  Manur  Vaivasvatas  tepe  tapo  vai  Ihukti-muktaye  \  elcadd  Kritalmdla- 
ydm  kurvato  jala-tarpanam  \  5.  Tasydnjaly-udalce  matsyah  svalpa  eko 
'bhyapadyata  \  ksheptu-kdmctm  jale  prdha  "  na  mum  kshipa  narottama  \ 
6.  Grahddilhyo  lhayam  me  'tra  "  tach  chhrutvd  Icalase  'Icshipat  \  Manum 
vriddhah  punar  matsyah  prdJia  tarn  "  dehi  me  vrihat "  |  7.  Tasya  tad 
vachanam  irutvd  rdjd  HJia  vandane  'h'hipat  \  tatra  vriddho  'travld  bhu- 
pam  " prithii  dehi padam  mama"  \  8.  Sarovare  punah  kshipto  vavridhe 
tat-pramdnavdn  \  uehe  "  dehi  vrihat  sthdnam  "  prdkshipach  chdmludhau 
tatah  |  9.  Laksha-yojana-mstlrnah  Icshana-mdtrena  so  'bhavat  \  matsyam 
tarn  adbhutam  drishtvd  vismitah  prdlravld  Manuh  \  10.  "  Ko  bhavdn 
nanu  vai  Vishnur  Ndrdyana  namo  'stu  te  \  may  ay  d  mohayasi  mdm  kimar- 
tham  cha  Jandrdana"  \  11.  Manur-ukto 68  'bravld  matsyo  Manum  vai 
pdlane  ratam  \  avatlrno  lhavdydsya jagato  dushta-nashtaye  \  12.  "Sap- 
tame  divase  tv  abdhih  pldvayishyati  vai  jagat  \  upasthitdydm  ndvi  tvam 
vijadlni  vidhdya  cha  \  13.  Saptarshilhih  parivrito  nisdm  brdhmlm  cha- 
rishyasi  \  upasthitasya  me  sringe  niladhnlhi  mahdhina  "  |  14.  Ity  ulctvd 
'ntardadhe  matsyo  Manuh  kdla-pratlkshaJcah  \  stitah  samudra  udvele 
ndvam  druruhe  tadd  \  15.  Eka-sringa-dharo  matsyo  haimo  niyuta- 
yojanah  \  ndvam  babandha  tach-chhringe  matsydlehyam  cha  purdnakam  \ 
16.  S'usrdva  matsydt  pdpa-ghnam  sa-irutam  srutilhih  Srutam  (?)  |  brah- 
ma-veda-praharttdram  Hayagrlvam  cha  ddnavam  \  17.  Avadhld  veda- 
mantrddydn  pdlaydmdsa  Kesavah  \ 

11  Yasishtha  said  :  1.  Declare  to  me  Yishnu,  the  cause  of  the  creation, 
in  the  form  of  a  Fish  and  his  other  incarnations ;  and  the  Puranic 
revelation  of  Agni,  as  it  was  originally  heard  from  Vishnu.  Agni 
replied:  2.  Hear,  o  Vasishtha,  I  shall  relate  to  thee  the  Fish -incar- 
nation of  Vishnu,  and  his  acts  when  so  incarnate  for  the  destruction  of 

68  Professor  Aufrecht's  transcript  has  this  reading  Manur-ukto  ;  which  I  have  re- 
tained, although  I  was  not  aware  that  Manus  was  commonly  used  for  Manu,  except 
iu  the  Vedic  period. 


212  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

the  wicked,  and  protection  of  the  good.  3.  At  the  close  of  the  past 
Kalpa  there  occurred  an  occasional  dissolution  of  the  universe  caused 
by  Brahma's  sleep,  when  the  Bhurloka  and  other  worlds  were  inun- 
dated by  the  ocean.  4.  Manu,  the  son  of  Vivasvat,  practised  austere 
fervour  for  the  sake  of  worldly  enjoyment  as  well  as  final  liberation. 
Once,  when  he  was  offering  the  libation  of  water  to  the  Pitris  in  the 
river  Kritamala,  (5)  a  small  fish  came  into  the  water  in  the  hollow  of 
his  hands,  and  said  to  him  when  he  sought  to  cast  it  into  the  stream, 
'Do  not  throw  me  in,  (6)  for  I  am  afraid  of  alligators  and  other 
monsters  which  are  here.'  On  hearing  this  Manu  threw  it  into  a  jar. 
Again,  when  grown,  the  Fish  said  to  him,  '  Provide  me  a  large  place.' 
7.  Manu  then  east  it  into  a  larger  vessel  (?).  When  it  increased  there, 
it  said  to  the  king,  '  Give  me  a  wide  space.'  8.  "When,  after  being 
thrown  into  a  pond,  it  became  as  large  as  its  receptacle,  and  cried  out 
for  greater  room,  he  flung  it  into  the  sea.  9.  In  a  moment  it  became 
a  hundred  thousand  yojanas  in  bulk.  Beholding  the  wonderful  Fish, 
Manu  said  in  astonishment:  (10)  'Who  art  thou?  Art  thou  Yishnu? 
Adoration  be  paid  to  thee,  o  Narayana.  Why,  o  Janardana,  dost  thou 
bewilder  me  by  thy  illusion  ? '  11.  The  Fish,  which  had  become  in- 
carnate for  the  welfare  of  this  world  and  the  destruction  of  the  wicked, 
when  so  addressed,  replied  to  Manu,  who  had  been  intent  upon  its  pre- 
servation :  (12)  '  Seven  days  after  this  the  ocean  shall  inundate  the 
world.  A  ship  shall  come  to  thee,  in  which  thou  shalt  place  the  seeds, 
(13)  and  accompanied  by  the  rishis  shalt  sail  during  the  night  of  Brah- 
ma, Bind  it  with  the  great  serpent  to  my  horn,  when  I  arrive.  14. 
Having  thus  spoken  the  Fish  vanished.  Manu  awaited  the  promised 
period,  and  embarked  on  the  ship  when  the  sea  overflowed  its  shores. 
15.  (There  appeared)  a  golden  Fish,  a  million  yojanas  long,  with  one 
horn,  to  which  Manu  attached  the  ship,  (16)  and  heard  from  the  Fish 
the  Matsya  Purana,  which  takes  away  sin,  together  with  the  Veda. 
Kesava  then  slew  the  Danava  Hayagriva  who  had  snatched  away  the 
Vedas,  and  preserved  its  mantras  and  other  portions." 

The  following  is  S'rldhara's  comment,  before  referred  to,  on  the 
legend  of  the  deluge,  as  told  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana.  These  remarks 
have  been  well  translated  and  explained  in  the  preface  to  the  3rd  volume 
of  his  edition  of  this  Purana  (pp.  xxxviii  ff.)  by  M.  Burnouf,  whose 
elaborate  discussion  of  the  legend  extends  from  p.  xxiii  to  p.  liv. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANIJ.  213 

Atra  idam  chintyafh  "  kirn  a/yam  maJidpralayo  dainandino  vd  "  iti  \ 
tatra  tdvad  "brdhmo  layah"  (v.  7)  iti  " yo  'sdv  asmin  mahd-kalpe" 
(v.  11)  iti  cha  ulcter  <l  mahdpralayah  "  iti  prdptam  "na"  iti  brumah  \ 
maMpralaye  prithivy-ddlndm  avaseshdsamlhavdd  "  ydvad  brdhml  nisd  " 
(v.  37)  ity-ddy-ukti-  virodhdch  cha  \  ato  "  dainandana  "  iti  yulctam  \  na 
cha  etad  api  sangachhate  \  samvarttakair  andvrishty-adilhir  vind  akasmdd 
eva  " saptame  'hani  trailokyafh  nimankshyati  "  (v.  32)  iti  matsyokter 
anupapatteh  \  yathoktam  prathama-skandhe  "rupam"  (i.  3,  15)  ity  ddi 
tad  api  tadd  durghafam  \  na  hi  pralaya-dvaye  'pi  "  mahlmayydm  navy" 
drohah  sambhavati  na  cha  Chdkshusha-manvantare  pralayo  'sti  \  tathd 
cha  sati  saptamo  Manur  Vaivasvatah  ity  api  durghatam  sydt  \  "  tvam 
tdvad  oshadhih  sarvah  "  (viii.  24,  34)  ity-ddi-nirdeio  'pi  na  sangachhate  \ 
na  hi  tadd  oshadhy-ddlndm  sattvdndm* cha  avaieshah  sambhavati  \  tasmdd 
anyathd  varnyate  \  naivayam  vdstavah  ko  'pi  pralayah  \  kintu  Satyavra- 
tasya  jnanopadesaya  dvirbhuto  bhagavdn  vairdgydrtham  akasmdt  prala- 
yam  iva  darsaydmdsa  yathd  'sminn  eva  Vaivasvata-manvantare  Mdrkan- 
deydya  darsitavdn  \  tad-apelcshayd  eva  cha  "  mahd-kalpe  'sminn "  iti 
vi&eshanam  sangachhate  \  tathd  cha  "  tatah  samudrah  udvelah  sarvatah 
samadrisyata"  (v.  41)  iti  tasyaiva  yathd  darsanam  uTctam  ity  eshd  dik  \ 

"  Here  we  have  to  consider  whether  this  was  a  great  dissolution  of 
the  universe,  or  one  of  those  which  occur  at  the  close  of  each  day  of 
Brahma.  If  it  be  supposed  from  the  expressions  '  a  dissolution  pro- 
ceeding from  Brahma'  (v.  7),  and  'he  is  the  same  who  in  this  Maha- 
kalpa'  (v.  11),  that  it  was  a  great  dissolution,  we  reply, — no;  because 
in  a  great  dissolution  the  earth  and  other  worlds  cannot  possibly  remain 
in  existence,  and  because  this  would  be  opposed  to  the  words  '  so  long 
as  the  night  of  Brahma  lasts'  (v.  37).  Hence  it  might  appear  that  it 
must  be  one  of  the  dissolutions  which  occur  at  the  end  of  a  day  of 
Brahma.  But  this  also  is  impossible,  because  it  would  be  at  variance 
with  the  Fish's  words  that  '  the  three  worlds  should  be  submerged  on 
the  seventh  day,'  (v.  32)  suddenly,  without  the  drought  and  other  cala- 
mities which  precede  a  dissolution.  What  is  stated  in  the  first  book 
(iii.  15),  '  at  the  deluge,  in  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara,  he  took  the 
form  of  a  Fish,  and  preserved  Manu  Vaivasvata,  whom  he  placed  in  a 
ship  formed  of  the  earth,' 69  would  also  in  that  case  be  inconceivable ;  for 

69  Bhagavata  Purana,  i.  3.  15.  Rupam  sa  jagrihe  matsyam  Chakshushodadhi-sam- 
plave  |  navy  aropya  mahlmayyam  apad  Vaivasvatam  Manum  \    Oil  this  passage  also 


214  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

(1.)  in  neither  of  the  two  dissolutions  could  any  one  be  placed  '  in  a 
ship  in  the  form  of  the  earth '  (as  the  earth  is  submerged  in  the  one 
case  and  altogether  destroyed  in  the  other) ;  (2.)  there  is  no  dissolution 
of  the  world  in  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara ;  (3.)  in  the  case  supposed 
the  existence  of  a  seventh  Manu,  the  son  of  Vivasvat  would  be  im- 
possible (for  the  fourteen  Manus  succeed  each  other  in  one  Kalpa 
without  the  intervention  of  any  dissolution).  And  in  that  case, 
the  command  to  take  'all  the  plants  into  the  ship'  (viii.  24,  34), 
would  be  inconceivable,  since  no  plants  or  other  such  substances  are 
left  at  such  a  period.  Such  being  the  fact,  the  narrative  must  be 
otherwise  explained.  It  was  in  fact  nd  real  dissolution  which  is 
here  related.  But  the  deity,  who  appeared  to  teach  Satyavrata 
knowledge,  shewed  him  suddenly  the  semblance  of  a  dissolution  to 
instil  into  him  dispassion,  just  as  in  the  Vaivasvata  Manvantara 
he  shewed  to  Markandeya.  And  if  referred  to  this,  the  words  '  in 
this  Mahakalpa'  will  be  conceivable.  And  consequently  the  words 
'  Then  the  sea  was  beheld  overflowing  its  shores  on  every  side '  are 
spoken  with  reference  to  what  Satyavrata  saw  (in  the  vision).  Such  is 
an  indication  of  the  purport  of  the  Section." 

S'ridhara  Svamin  here  reasons  only  upon  the  data  supplied  by  the 
particular  version  of  the  story  which  he  found  before  him  in  the  Bha- 
gavata,  and  does  not  seem  to  have  extended  his  researches  so  far  as  to 
ascertain  whether  the  legend  might  not  exhibit  some  variations  as  nar- 
rated in  other  Puranas.  If  he  had  turned  to  the  Matsya  Purana  he 
would  have  found  that  one  of  his  objections,  viz.,  that  drawn  from  the 
absence  of  any  reference  to  the  calamities  supposed  to  precede  a  disso- 
lution, did  not  apply  to  the  account  there  given ;  since  that  narrative 
expressly  asserts  that  these  premonitory  signs  were  manifested.  Others 
of  his  objections  apply  no  doubt  to  the  other  narratives  as  well  as  to 
that  in  the  Bhagavata.  According  to  the  ordinary  Puranic  theory  (see 
above,  pp.  43  ff.)  fourteen  Manus  exist  in  each  Kalpa,  and  one  succeeds 
another  without  the  intervention  of  any  pralaya  or  dissolution.  It  is 
obviously  inconsistent  with  this  theory  to  represent  such  a  dissolution 

S'ridhara  remarks :  Yadyapi  manvantaravasane  pralayo  nasti  tathapi  kenachit  kau- 
tukena  Satyavrataya  maya  pradarsita  \  yatha  "  akande  Markandeyaya  "  Hi  drash- 
tavyam  \  "  Although  there  is  no  dissolution  at  the  end  of  a  Manvantara,  yet,  through 
a  certain  sport  an  illusion  was  shown  to  Satyavrata,  as  in  the  other  passage  where  it 
is  said  '  Suddenly  to  Markandeya,'  etc." 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  215 

as  taking  place  either  during  the  life  of  any  of  the  Manus,  or  after  his 
disappearance.  It  is  even  doubtful,  or  more  than  doubtful  (Wilson's 
Vish.  P.  i.  p.  50  f.  and  p.  44,  above)  whether  one  Manu  can  exist  con- 
temporaneously with  another,  and  yet,  according  to  the  Matsya  and  Agni 
Puranas  (see  above,  pp.  205  ff.,  211  f.)  Manu  Vaivasvata  is  said  to  have 
lived  during  his  predecessor's  period,  although  the  Bhagavata  avoids 
this  difficulty  by  making  Satyavrata  the  hero  of  the  story  and  by  re- 
presenting him  as  being  born  again  as  Manu  Yaivasvata  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  next  Manvantara.  (M.  Burnouf's  Preface  above  referred  to 
may  be  consulted  for  further  remarks  on  this  subject.)  The  authors  of 
the  Mahabharata  and  the  Puranas  do  not,  however,  appear  to  have  been 
so  sensitively  alive  to  inconsistencies  of  this  description  as  S'ridhara. 
Perhaps  the  system  of'  Kalpas  and  Manvantaras  may  not  have  been  so 
clearly  defined,  or  so  generally  current,  when  the  older  parts,  at  least  of 
the  Mahabharata,  were  composed,  as  at  a  later  period.70  And  even  the 
Puranic  writers  may  not  have  cared  very  much  to  preserve  a  strict 
congruity  in  all  that  they  wrote.  In  fact  they  may  have  had  no  great 
faith  in  the  authority  of  speculations  so  arbitrary  and  artificial  as  those 
relating  to  the  great  mundane  periods  to  which  I  refer, — speculations 
which  were  derived  from  no  higher  source  than  previous  writers  of 
their  own  class.  The  case,  however,  was  different  with  the  Commen- 
tators, who  lived  at  a  later  period,  and  who  seem  to  have  regarded  the 
established  doctrine  regarding  Kalpas  and  Manvantaras  as  an  article 
of  faith. 

There  is,  however,  no  doubt  that,  for  the  reasons  above  assigned,  this 
legend  of  a  Flood,  such  as  is  described  in  the  Mahabharata  and  the 
Puranas,  does  not  fit  into  the  system  of  Kalpas  and  Manvantaras.  But 
what  is  the  inference  which  we  ought  to  draw  from  this  circumstance  ? 
M.  Burnouf  believes  (1.)  that  the  theory  of  great  mundane  periods  and 
periodical  dissolutions  of  the  universe  was  received  in  India  from  very 
early  times  (Bhag.  P.  iii.  Pref.  p.  xliii.)  and  (2)  that  it  was  older  than 
the  legend  of  a  deluge,  as,  although  the  latter  may  have  been  derived 
from  ancient  tradition,  the  style  in  which  it  is  related  in  the  Mahabha- 
rata and  the  Puranas  has  nothing  of  the  archaic  colouring  of  the  Iti- 
hasas  contained  in  the  Brahmanas,  and  it  had  not,  so  far  as  he  knew, 

70  The  Svayambhuva  Manvantara  is  mentioned  in  the  S'antip.  verse  12658,  but  no 
details  are  given  (krite  yuge  maharaja  pura  Svayambhuve  'ntare}. 


216  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

been  found  in  any  work  of  the  class  last  named(p.  xxvii.),  and  was  not, 
he  anticipated,  likely  to  be  discovered  there  (lii.).  The  conclusion  which 
he  deduces  from  these  premises,  and  from  the  absence  of  any  tradition 
of  any  great  local  inundation  (pp.  xlviii.  and  li.),  is  that,  although,  as 
related  in  the  Mahabharata  and  the  Puranas,  the  legend  of  the  deluge 
has  received  in  some  respects  an  Indian  character  (xxxi.  ff. ;  xlv.  ff.), 
it  is  not  in  its  origin  Indian,  (li.),  but  was  most  probably  imported 
into  Hindustan  from  a  Semitic  source,  whether  Hebrew  or  Assyrian 
(lii.-liv.).  The  first  of  M.  Burnouf's  premises,  regarding  the  great 
antiquity  of  the  system  of  Kalpas,  Manvantaras,  and  mundane  disso- 
lutions, is  not  borne  out  by  the  Yedic  hymns,  or  anything  that  has  yet 
been  found  in  the  Brahmanas  (see  above,  pp.  45  if.).  And -his  antici- 
pation that  no  reference  to  a  deluge  would  be  discovered  in  any  of  the 
older  Indian  records  has  proved  incorrect,  as  is  shewn  by  the  legend  of 
Manu  quoted  above  (p.  181  ff.)  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana. 

Professor  Weber,  by  whom  attention  was  first  drawn  (in  his  Indische 
Studien,  i.  160  ff.)  to  this  passage,  shows  how  materially  it  interferes 
with  Burnouf's  results.  If  there  is  no  proof  of  the  great  antiquity  of 
the  cosmical  theory  which  that  great  scholar  supposes  to  be  inconsistent 
with  the  early  existence  in  India  of  any  tradition  of  a  deluge,  whilst  on 
the  other  hand  there  is  distinct  evidence  that  that  tradition  was  actually 
current  there  at  a  much  earlier  period  than  he  imagined,  it  is  clear  that 
his  supposition  of  its  having  been  introduced  into  that  country  from  an 
exclusively  Semitic  source  loses  much  of  its  probability. 

The  explanation  by  which  S'ridhara  endeavours  to  maintain  the  con- 
sistency of  the  Puranic  narratives  and  theories  seems  to  be  altogether 
unfounded.  There  is  no  appearance  of  the  authors  either  of  the  Bha- 
gavata,  or  Matsya,  or  Agni  Puranas  having  intended  to  represent  the 
deluge  as  a  mere  vision.  They  evidently  meant  this  narrative  to  be 
taken  literally,  just  as  much  as  anything  else  that  they  describe. 

I  shall  now  compare  the  versions  of  the  legend  given  in  the  Maha- 
bharata and  Puranas  with  each  other,  and  with  that  quoted  above  from 
the  S'atapatha  Brahmana. 

I.  The  following  are  the  peculiarities  of  the  narrative  in  the  S'ata- 
patha Brahmana : 

(1.)  It  makes  no  reference  to  any  great  mundane  periods,  such  as 
Kalpas  or  Manvantaras. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  217 

(2.)  It  does  not  speak  of  a  dissolution  of  the  world  (pralaya),  but  of 
a  flood  (augJia)  which  swept  away  all  living  creatures  except  Manu. 

(3.)  It  does  not  fix  the  number  of  days  or  years  after  which  the  flood 
should  come. 

(4.)  It  speaks  of  Manu  simply,  without  assigning  to  him  any  patro- 
nymic, such  as  Vaivasvata.71 

(5.)  It  contains  no  allusion  to  the  locality  in  which  he  was  when  the 
fish  came  to  him. 

(6.)  It  makes  no  mention  of  the  fish  being  thrown  into  any  river. 

(7.)  It  is  silent  as  to  Manu  being  accompanied  by  any  rishis  when  he 
embarked  on  the  ship,  and  as  to  his  taking  any  seeds  along  with  him. 

(8.)  It  speaks  of  the  ship  as  having  rested  on  the  "  Northern  moun- 
tain," and  of  a  place  called  "  Manu' s  Descent." 

(9.)  It  does  not  say  anything  of  any  deity  being  incarnate  in  the 
fish. 

(10.)  It  represents  Ida  as  produced  from  Manu's  oblation,  and  as  the 
mother  of  his  offspring,  begotten  apparently  in  the  natural  way. 

It  is  manifest  from  this  abstract,  when  compared  with  what  follows, 
that  the  flood  described  in  the  Brahmana  is  distinguishable  in  various 
respects  from  the  dissolution,  or  pralaya,  of  the  later  works. 

II.  The  legend  as  told  in  the  Mahabharata  agrees  with  that  of  the 
S'.  P.  Br.  in  some,  and  differs  from  it  in  other  particulars : 

(1.)  It  does  not  specify  any  Kalpa  or  Manvantara. 

(2.)  It  speaks  of  a  dissolution  of  the  universe  (pralaya),  and  of  the 
time  of  its  purification  by  water  (samprahhdlana-kalah}  having  arrived. 

(3.)  It  makes  the  fish  declare  that  this  event  should  take  place 
speedily  (achirat\  and  alludes  to  no  antecedent  calamities. 

71  Manu  Vaivasvata  is  however  mentioned  in  S'.  P.  Br.  xiii.  4,  3,  3.  "  Manur  Vai- 
vasvaio  raja.  "  ity  aha  \  tasya  manushya  visah  \  "  He  says  '  Manu  Vaivasvata  king.' 
Men  are  his  subjects."  Further  on,  xiii.  4,  3,  6,  Yama  Vaivasvata  is  spoken  of  as 
King  of  the  Pitris.  Compare  R.V.  x.  14,  1  ;  17,  1.  In  the  Valakhilya  hymns 
attached  to  the  R.V.  iv.  1,  Indra  is  mentioned  as  drinking  Soma  in  the  house  of 
Manu  Vivasvat  (not  Vaivasvata).  In  the  Atharva-veda,  viii.  10,  24,  Manu  Vaivas- 
vata is  spoken  of  as  the  calf  of  the  cow  Viraj  (tasya  Manur  Vaivasvato  vatsah), 
Yama  is  similarly  spoken  of  in  the  preceding  verse.  In  ViUakhilya,  iii.  1,  Indra  is 
said  to  have  drunk  Soma  in  Manu  Samvarani's  house.  The  connection  of  the 
words  Savarnya  and  Savarni  with  the  word  manu,  "  man,"  in  R.V.  x.  68,  8  f.  and 
It,  no  doubt  gave  rise  to  the  idea  of  a  Manu  Savarni.  See  Wilson's  Vishnu  P. 
4to.  ed.  pp.  266  if.,  and  Roth's  remark  in  Journal  Germ.  Or.  Soc.  vi.  245  f.,  and 
E.V.  x.  17,  2. 


218  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

(4.)  It  assigns  to  Manu  the  patronymic  of  Vaivasvata,  but  mentions 
no  other  Manu. 

(5.)  It  represents  the  fish  as  coming  to  him  when  on  the  banks  of 
the  Chirini  river. 

(6.)  It  describes  the  fish  as  thrown  into  the  Ganges  before  it  was 
taken  to  the  sea. 

(7.)  It  speaks  of  Manu  as  embarking  on  the  ship  with  the  seven 
rishis,  and  as  taking  with  him  all  the  seeds  described  by  the  Brahmans. 

(8.)  It  declares  that  the  ship  rested  on  the  highest  peak  of  the  Hi- 
malaya, which  was  thence  called  Naubandhana. 

(9.)  It  makes  the  fish  reveal  himself  as  Brahma  Prajapati. 

(10.)  It  describes  Manu  not  as  begetting  offspring  but  as  creating  all 
sorts  of  living  beings  including1  MEN". 

III.  The  Matsya  Purana  agrees  in  some  points,  and  differs  in  others 
from  the  above  details. 

(1.)  It  states  that  Manu,  whom  it  styles  the  son  of  the  Sun  (Sahas- 
rakiranatmaja,  and  Ravi-nandana),  i.e.  Manu  Vaivasvata,  practised 
austerity  after  making  over  his  kingdom  to  his  son  (v.  12).  One  might 
have  supposed  that  he  could  only  have  done  this  in  his  own  Manvan- 
tara ;  but  it  is  said  further  on  (v.  34  f.)  that  he  was  informed  by  the  fish 
that  when  the  dissolution  should  come  to  an  end,  he  should  become  a 
Prajapati  and  lord  of  the  Manvantara;  and  he  receives  a  promise  that  he 
should  be  preserved  during  the  dissolution  (ii.  12),  which,  as  appears 
from  v.  15,  was  to  take  place  at  the  end  of  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara. 
After  this  he  was  to  create  the  world  anew.  We  must  therefore  sup- 
pose the  writer  to  have  regarded  Manu  Yaivasvata  as  existing  during 
the  period  of  his  predecessor,  but  as  then  occupying  the  inferior  po- 
sition of  a  king.  This  difficulty  is,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  avoided 
in  the  Bhagavata,  which  makes  King  Satyavrata  the  hero  of  the  story. 

(2  )  This  Purana  speaks  of  a  dissolution  (pralaya]  and  yet  (i.  15  ff.) 
represents  Manu  as  asking  and  receiving  from  Brahma  as  a  boon  that 
when  that  dissolution  should  arrive,  he  should  be  the  preserver  of  all 
things  stationary  and  moving. 

(3.)  It  states  that  a  hundred  years  and  more  would  elapse  before  the 
dissolution,  which  was  to  be  preceded  by  famine  and  various  terrific 
phenomena. 

(4.)  It  represents  Manu  as  the  son  of  the  Sun.    See  under  head  (1.). 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  219 

(5.)  It  mentions  Malaya  (Malabar)  as  the  scene  of  Manu's  austerity, 
and  of  the  apparition  of  the  fish. 

(6.)  It  agrees  with  the  Mahabharata  in  describing  the  fish  as  thrown 
into  the  Ganges,  though  at  so  great  a  distance  from  Malabar. 

(7.)  It  is  silent  as  to  the  seven  rishis  embarking  on  the  ship,  but 
speaks  of  Manu  taking  with  him  all  sorts  of  creatures  (living  ap- 
parently) as  well  as  seeds  (chap.  ii.  v.  11). 

(8.)  It  does  not  bring  the  narrative  to  a  conclusion  (see  above,  p.  207), 
and  thus  has  no  opportunity  of  saying  anything  of  the  place  where  the 
ship  rested. 

(9.)  It  speaks  of  Janardana  (Vishnu)  as  the  god  who  was  manifested 
in  the  Fish. 

(10.)  It  refers  to  Manu  as  about  to  effe'ct  a  creation  (ii.  15),  but  also  as 
preserving  the  existing  animals  and  plants  (ch.  i.  15  if.,  31  f. ;  ii.  2,  19). 

IV.  According  to  the  Bhagavata  Purana : 

(1.)  The  event  described  was  an  "  occasional  dissolution  "  (naimittiko 
layah,  see  above,  p.  45)  at  the  end  of  a  Kalpa  (viii.  24,  7) ;  and  yet  in 
contradiction  with  this  it  had  previously  been  alluded  to  (i.  3,  15)  as 
occurring  at  the  close  of  the  Chakshusha  Manvantara. 

(2.)  See  head  (I.). 

(3.)  The  dissolution  was  to  take  place  after  seven  days  (viii.  24,  32) ; 
and  no  premonitory  calamities  are  referred  to. 

(4.)  The  hero  of  the  story  is  Satyavrata,  king  of  Dravida,  who  was  born 
again  in  the  present  mahakalpa  as  the  son  of  Vivasvat  (vv.  10,  11,  58). 

(5.)  The  scene  of  the  incidents,  with  which  the  narrative  begins,  was 
the  river  Kritamala,  in  the  country  of  Dravida. 

(6.)  The  fish  is  not  thrown  into  any  river  after  it  had  been  once 
taken  out  of  the  Kritamala,  and  had  grown  large. 

(7.)  Satyavrata  is  commanded  to  take  with  him  into  the  ship  the 
seven  rishis,  as  well  as  plants,  seeds,  and  all  beings  (sarva-sattvopa- 
vrimhitah). 

(8.)  Nothing  is  said  of  the  place  where  the  ship  rested. 

(9.)  Vishnu  is  the  deity  who  took  the  form  of  a^  fish  with  the  view 
of  recovering  the  Vedas  carried  away  by  the  Danava  Hayagriva 
(vv.  9,  57). 

(10.)  No  mention  is  made  in  this  chapter  of  any  creation  effected  by 
Manu ;  but  in  ix.  i.  an  account  is  given  of  his  descendants. 


220  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

V.  The  narrative  in  the  Agni  Parana  agrees  with  that  in  the  Bhaga- 
vata,  except  in  its  much  greater  conciseness,  and  in  making  Manu 
Vaivasvata,  and  not  Satyavrata,  the  hero  of  the  story. 

SECT.  IV. — Legendary  Accounts  of  the  Origin  of  Castes  among  the  De- 
scendants of  Manu  and  Atri,  according  to  the  Puranas. 

"We  have  already*  seen  that  it  is  distinctly  affirmed  in  a  passage 
quoted  above  (p.  126)  from  the  Adiparvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  verses 
3138ff.,  that  men  of  all  classes,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and 
S'udras  were  descended  from  Manu,  a  statement  which  is  clearly  at 
variance  with  the  notion  of  their  having  been  separately  created  from 
different  members  of  Brahma.'  This  tallies  with  the  account  of  the 
origin  of  castes  which  is  found  in  those  parts  of  the  Puranas  which 
profess  to  record  the  history  of  the  two  royal  races,  the  solar  and  the 
lunar,  which  are  said  to  have  sprung  from  Manu  Vaivasvata  and  Atri. 

The  Vishnu  Parana  (which  is  here  written  in  prose)  makes  the  fol- 
lowing statement  regarding  Manu's  descendants  : 

iv.  1.  4.  Sakala-jagatdm  anddir  ddilhutah  rig-yajuh-sdmddimaya-lha- 
gavad-  VishnumayasyaBrahmano  murttirupam  Hiranyagarlho  brahmdnda- 
to  lhagavdn  Brahma  prdg  lalhuva  \  Brahmanas  cha  dalcshindngushtha- 
janmd  Dakshah  prajdpatih  \  DaTcshasydpy  Aditih  \  Aditer  Vivasvdn  \ 
Vivasvato  Manuh  \  Manor  ITcshvdku-Nriga-Dhrishta-S'arydti-Narish- 
yanta-Prdmsu-Ndlhaganedishta-Karusha-Prishadhrdlchydh  putrdh  ba- 
Ihuvuh  |  6.  Ishtim  cha  Mitrd-  Varunayor  Manuh  putra-kdmas  chaJcdra  \ 
7.  Tatrdpahute  hotur  apachdrad  lid  ndma  kanyd  lalhuva  \  8.  Saiva 
Mitra-  Varuna-prasdddt  Sudyumno  ndma  Manoh  putro  Maitreydsit  \ 
punas  cha  Isvara-lcopdt  strl  sail  Soma-sunor  Budhasya  dsrama-samlpe 
labhrdma  \  9.  Sdnurdgas  cha  tasydm  Budhah  Pururavasam  dtmajam  ut- 
pddaydmdsa  \  10.  Jdte  cha  tasminn  amita-tejolhih  paramarshilhir  ishti- 
mayah  rinmayo  yajurmayah  sdmamayo  'tharvamayah  sarvamayo  mano- 
mayo  jndnamayo  'kinchinmayo  bhaaavdn  yajna-purusha-svarupl  Sudyum- 
nasya  pumstvam >abhilashadlhir  yathdvad  ishtah  \  tatprasdddd  lid  punar 
api  Sudyumno  'bhavat  \ 

"  Before  the  mundane  egg  existed  the  divine  Brahma  Hiranyagarbha, 
the  eternal  originator  of  all  worlds,  who  was  the  form  and  essence  of 
Brahma,  who  consists  of  the  divine  Vishnu,  who  again  is  identical  with 


THE  INDIAN  EACE  FROM  MANU.  221 

the  Rik,  Yajush,  Saman  and  Atharva-Vedas.  From  Brahma's  right 
thumb72  was  born  the  Prajapati  Daksha;  Daksha  had  a  daughter 
Aditi;  from  her  was  born  Yivasvat;  and  from  him  sprang  Manu. 
Manu  had  sons  called  Ikshvaku,  Nriga,  Dhrishta,  S'aryati,  Narishyanta, 
Pramsu,  Nabhaganedishta,  Karusha,  and  Prishadhra.73  Desirous  of  a 
son,  Manu  sacrificed  to  Mitra  and  Varuna ;  but  in  consequence  of  a 
wrong  invocation  through  an  irregularity  of  the  hotri-priest,  a  daughter 
called  Ila  was  born.  Then  through  the  favour  of  Mitra  and  Varuna 
she  became  to  Manu  a  son  called  Sudyumna.  But  being  again  changed 
into  a  female  through  the  wrath  of  Isvara  (Mahadeva)  she  wandered 
near  the  hermitage  of  Budha  the  son  of  Soma  (the  Moon) ;  who  be- 
coming enamoured  of  her  had  by  her  a  son  called  Pururavas.  After 
his  birth,  the  god  who  is  formed  of  sacrifice,  of  the  Eik,  Yajush,  Saman, 
and  Atharva  Yedas,  of  all  things,  of  mind,  of  nothing,74  he  who  is  in 
the  form  of  the  sacrificial  Male,  was  worshipped  by  the  rishis  of  infinite 
splendour  who  desired  that  Sudyumna  should  recover  his  manhood. 
Through  the  favour  of  this  god  Ila  became  again  Sudyumna." 

Regarding  the  different  sons  of  Manu  the  Puranas  supply  the  follow- 
ing particulars : 

(1.)  Prishadhra. — The  Vishnu  Purana  says  : 
Prishadhras  tu  guru-go-ladhuch  chhudratvam  dgamat  \ 
"  Prishadhra  became  a  S'udra  in  consequence  of  his  having  killed 
his  religious  preceptor's  cow." 

On  the  same  subject  the  Harivafhsa  tells  us,  verse  659  : 
Prishadhro  hiihsayitva  tu  guror  gam  Janamejaya  \  supuch  chhudratvam 
dpannah  \ 

"  Prishadhra  having  killed  his  Guru's  cow,  became  a  S'udra  in  con- 
sequence of  his  curse." 

This  story  is  variously  amplified  in  the  Markandeya  Purana,  section 
cxii.,  and  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana  ix.  2,  3-14.    See  Professor  "Wilson's 
note,  Yishnu  Purana,  4to.  edit.  p.  351,  where  the  author  remarks  that 
«  See  above,  p.  72  f. 

73  Compare  with  this  the  list  of  Manu's  sons  given  in  the  passage  from  the  M.  Bh. 
Adip.  quoted  above,  p.  126.     Nabhanedishta  (not  Nabhaganedishta)  is  mentioned  in 
the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  and Taittiriya  Sanhita  (see  above, *p.  191),  and  S'aryatain  the 
S'.  P.  Br.  iv.  1,  5,  1.  See  Journ.  Eoy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866,  p.  11  ff.  The  Mark.  P.  cxi.  3  ff., 
and  the  Bhag.  P.  ix.  1,  11  ff.  treat  also  of  Manu's  sons  and  of  the  birth  of  Ila.    See 
Wilson's  Vishnu  P.  4to.  ed.  pp.  348-58,  and  Burnouf 's  Bhag.  P.  vol.  iii.  pref.  Ixx.  ff. 

74  Akinchinmayah,  "  not  consisting  of  anything." 


222  TRADITION  OF  THE' DESCENT  OF 

"the  obvious  purport  of  this  legend,  and  of  some  that  follow,  is  to 
account  for  the  origin  of  the  different  castes  from  one  common  ancestor." 
(2.)  Karusha. — The  Vishnu  Purana  says,  iv.  1,  13: 
Karushdt  Karusha  mahdbaldh  Kshattriya  lalhuvuh  \ 
"From  Karusha  the  Karushas,  Kshattriyas  of  great  power,  were 
descended." 

The  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  2,  says : 

Karushdd  Mdnavdd  dsan  Kdrushdh  Kshattra-jdtayah  \  uttarapatha- 
goptaro  Irahmanyd  dharma-vatsalah  \ 

11  From  Karusha,  son  of  Manu,  came  the  Karushas  of  the  Kshattriya 
caste,  protectors  of  the  northern  region,  devout,  and  lovers  of  duty." 
(3.)  Nabhaga. — The  Vishnu  Purana  says  : 
Ndbhdgo  Nedishta-putras  tu'  vaisyatam  agamat  \ 
"  Nabhaga,  the  son  of  Nedishta,  became  a  Vaisya." 
The  Markandeya  Purana  says  he  was  the  son  of  Dishta,  and  relates 
how  he  became  a  Vaisya,  by  marrying  the  daughter  of  a  man  of  that 
class  (section  cxiii.  and  Wilson,  p.  352,  note).  The  Bhagavata  Purana, 
ix.  2,  23,  says  he  became  a  Vaisya  in  consequence  of  his  works  (Na- 
lhago Dishta-putro  'nyah  karmalhir  vaisyatam  gatah}.  And  yet  a  long 
list  of  his  descendants  is  given,  and  among  them  occurs  Marutta  who 
was  a  Chakravarttin,  or  universal  monarch  (Vishnu  P.  iv.  1.  15-17 ; 
Bhag.  P.  ix.  2,  23-28  ;  Mark.  P.  cxxviii.-cxxxii.).  He  had  a  grandson 
called  Dama,  of  whom  the  Markandeya  Purana  relates  that  at  a  Sva- 
yamvara  he  was  chosen  by  the  daughter  of  the  King  of  Dasarna  for  her 
husband  (cxxxiv.  8),  and  that  when  the  bride  had  been  seized  by  three  of 
his  rejected  rivals  (verse  16)  she  was  rescued  by  him  after  he  had  slain 
one  of  them  and  vanquished  another  (verse  53) ;  that  subsequently  that 
same  vanquished  rival  in  revenge  killed  Dama's  father,  who  had  retired 
into  the  wilderness  as  an  ascetic  (cxxxv.  18).  The  Purana  in  one  of  its 
recensions  ends  with  the  following  curious  particulars : 

Tolas  chakdra  tdtasya  ralctenaivodalca-kriydm  \  dnrinyam  prdpya  sa 
pituh  punah  prdydt  sta-mandiram  \  Vapushmatai  cha  mdmsena  pinda- 
ddnam  chaJcdra  ha  \  brdhmandn  bhojdytimdsa  rakshah-kula-samudbhavdn  \ 
evamvidha  hi  rdj'dno  babhucuh  surya-vamsa-jdh  \  anye  'pi  sudhiyah  sura 
yajvdnah  sastra-kovidah  \  veddntam  pathamdndms  tdn  na  sankhydtum 
ihotsahe  \ 

"  Dama  then  (after  tearing  out  the  heart  of  Vapushmat)  performed 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  223 

with  blood  the  rites  to  the  manes  of  his  father ;  and  having  thus  dis- 
charged his  debt  to  his  parent,  he  returned  home.  "With  the  flesh  of 
Vapushmat  he  formed  the  oblation  which  he  offered,  and  fed  the  Brah- 
mans  who  were  of  Rakshasa  descent.  Of  such  character  were  the 
kings  of  the  Solar  race.  There  were  also  others  who  were  wise,  brave, 
priests,  and  skilled  in  the  scriptures.  I  am  unable  here  to  enumerate 
those  of  them  who  studied  the  Yedanta."  75 

The  Harivamsa  (section  xi.  verse  658)  tells  us  that  "  two  sons  of 
Kabhagarishta,  who  were  Vaisyas,  became  Brahmans  "  (Ndlhdgdrishta- 
putrau  dvau  vaisyau  brdhmanattim  gatau}. 

(4.)  Dhrishta. — Of  him  the  Yishnu  Purana  relates,  iv.  2,  2  : 

Dhrishtasydpi  Dhdrshtakam  Kshattram  samabhavat  \ 

"  From  Dhrishta  sprang  the  Dharshtak'a  Kshattriyas." 

The  Bhagavata  Purana  says,  ix.  2,17: 

Dhrishtud  Dhdrshtam  abhut  Kshattram  brahma-bhuyam  gatam  kshitau  \ 

"  From  Drishta  were  descended  the  Dharshta  Kshattriyas,  who  ob- 
tained Brahmanhood76  on  earth." 

(5.)  The  last-named  Purana  enumerates  in  verses  19  ff.  of  the  same 
section  the  descendants  of  Narishyanta,  among  whom  was  Agnivesya, 
verse  21 : 

Tato  'gnivesyo  lhagavdn  Agnih  svayam  abhut  sutah  \  Kdriina  iti 
vikhydto  Jdtukarnyo  mahdn  rishih  \  tato  brahma-kulam  jdtam  Agnive- 
sydyanam  nripa  \  Narishyantdnvayah  proktah  \ 

"  From  him  (Devadatta)  sprang  a  son  Agnivesya,  who  was  the  lord 
Agni  himself,  and  who  was  also  called  Kamna  and  Jatukarnya  the 
great  rishi.  From  him  was  descended  the  Agnivesyayana  race  of 

75  This  quotation,  which  will  be  partly  found  in  Prof.  "Wilson's  note  22,  p.  353,  is 
taken  from  the  section  given  separately  by  Prof.  Banerjea  at  the  end  of  his  edition  of 
this  Purana  from  a  Maithila  MS.  which  differs  from  that  followed  in  his  text  (see  his 
Preface,  p.  30).     In  verses  6  f.  of  section  cxxxvi.  however,  of  Prof.  Banerjea's  text, 
Dama  threatens  to  do  something  of  the  same  sort  as  in  the  other  recension  he  is  de- 
scribed to  have  actually  done  :  6.  Yad  aham  tasya  raktena  dehotthena  Vapushmatah  \ 
na  karomi  guros  triptiih  tat  pravekshye  hutas'anam  \  7.  Tachchhonitenodaka-karma 
tasya  tatasya  mnkhye  vinipatitasya  \  mamsena  samyag  dvija-bhojanam  cha  na  diet 
pravekshyami  hutasanam  tat  \  "  6.  If  I  do  not  satiate  my  father  with  the  blood  from 
Vapushmat's  body,  then  I  shall  enter  the  fire.     7.  If  I  do  not  celebrate  with  his 
blood  the  obsequial  rites  of  my  father  prostrated  in  the  fray,  and  feed  the  Brahmans 
with  (his)  flesh,  I  shall  enter  the  fire." 

76  The  Commentator  explains  brahma-bhuyam  by  Irahmanatvam,   "  the  state  of 
Brahmans." 


224  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

Brahmans.    The  offspring  of  Narishyanta  has  been  declared."    That  of 
Dishta  is  next  taken  up. 

Some  of  the  names  of  Manu's  sons  are  repeated  in  the  subsequent 
narrative.  Thus  we  find  a  second  Pransu  named  among  the  descendants 
of  Nabhaga  ("Wilson,  352).  And  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  2,  2,  a 
second  Nabhaga  is  mentioned  as  follows  : 

Nabhdgasydtmajo  Ndlhdgas  tasya  Ambaruhah  \  Amlarlshasydpi 
Virupo'bhavat  Virupdt  Prishadasvo  jajne  tatas  cha  Rathltarah  \  tatrdyam 
slokah  |  "  ete  kshattra-prasutd  vai  punas  chdngirasah  smritdh  \  Rathita- 
rdndm  pravardh  kshattropetd  dvydtayah"  \ 

"  The  son  of  Nabhaga  was  Nabhaga ;  his  son  was  Ambarisha.  From 
him  sprang  Viriipa ;  from  him  Prishadasva  ;  and  from  him  Rathitara ; 
regarding  whom  this  verse  is  current:  'These  persons  sprung  from 
a  Kshattriya,  and  afterwards  called  Angirases,  were  the  chief  of  the 
Rathltaras,  twice-born  men  (Brahmans)  of  Kshattriya  race."  " 

The  Bhagavata  thus  explains  the  circumstance,  ix.  6,  2 : 

Rathltarasydprajasya  bhdrydydm  tantave  'rthitah  \  Angird  janayd- 
mdsa  brahmavarchasinah  sutdn  [  ete  kshetre  prasutd  vai  punas  tv  Angi- 
rasdh  smritdh  \  Rathltardndm  pravardh  kshattropetd  dvydtayah  \ 

"Angiras  being  solicited  for  progeny,  begot  sons  possessing  Brah- 
manical  glory  on  the  wife  of  Eathltara  who  was  childless.  These  per- 
sons being  born  of  a  (Kshattriya' s)  wife,  but  afterwards  called  descend- 
ants of  Angiras,  were  the  chief  of  the  E-athitaras,  twice-born  men  (Brah- 
mans) of  Kshattriya  lineage." 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  last  verse  the  Bhagavata  reads  kshettre 
prasutdh  "born  of  the  wife  (of  a  Kshattriya),"  instead  of  kshattra-pra- 
sutdh,  "  sprung  from  a  Kshattriya,"  and  thus  brings  this  verse  into  a 
closer  conformity  with  the  one  preceding  it.  Professor  Wilson  (p.  359, 
note)  considers  that  the  form  given  to  the  legend  in  the  Bhagavata 
"is  an  afterthought,  not  warranted  by  the  memorial  verse  cited  in  our 
text."  It  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  or  not  this  may  be  the 
case  without  knowing  which  of  the  two  readings  in  that  verse  is  the 
original  one. 

(6.)  The  Vishnu  Purana  next  proceeds  to  enumerate  the  descendants  of 
Ikshvaku  son  of  Manu.     The  representative  of  his  line  in  the  twenty- 
first  generation  was  Harita,  of  whom  it  is  said,  iv.  3,  5  : 
77  See  Prof.  "Wilson's  note  in  p.  359  on  tLis  passage. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANTJ.  225 

Ambaruhasya  Mdndhdtm  tanayasya  Yuvandsvah  putro  'bhut  \  tasmdd 
Harito  yato  'ngiraso  Hdritdh  \ 

"  The  son  of  Ambansha 78  son  of  Mandhatri  was  Yuvanasva.  From 
him  sprang  Harita,  from  whom  the  Harita  Angirases  were  descended." 

These  words  are  thus  paraphrased  by  the  Commentator :  "  from  him 
sprang  the  Harita  Angirases,  Brahmans,  chief  of  the  family  of  Harita" 
(tasmad  Harita  Angiraso  dvijdh  Harita-gotra-pravardK). 

The  Linga  Parana,  quoted  by  Prof.  Wilson,  states  the  same  thing : 

Harito  Yuvandsvasya  Harita  yata  dtmajdh  \  ete  hy  Angirasah  pakshe 
kshattropetd  dvijdtayah  \ 

"  The  son  of  Yuvanasva  was  Harita,  of  whom  the  Haritas  were  sons. 
They  were  on  the  side  of  Angiras,  twice-born  men  (Brahmans)  of 
Kshattriya  lineage." 

And  the  Vayu  Purana  tells  us  with  some  variation : 

Harito  Yuvanasvasya  Harita.  Wturayah  smritdh  \  ete  hy  Angirasah 
putrdh  Jcshattropetd  dvijdtayah  \ 

"  Harita  was  the  son  of  Yuvanasva :  (after  whom)  many  persons  were 
called  Haritas.  These  were  the  sons  of  Angiras,  twice-born  men  (Brah- 
mans) of  Kshattriya  race." 

This  may  mean  that  they  were  begotten  by  Angiras,  as  is  said  by 
the  Bhagavata  (see  above)  to  have  been  the  case  with  Rathitara's  sons. 
In  that  case,  however,  as  Nabhaga  and  Ikshvaku  were  brothers  and  Ra- 
thitara  was  only  the  fifth  in  descent  from  Nabhaga,  whilst  Harita  was 
the  twenty-first  after  Ikshvaku, — Angiras  (if  we  suppose  one  and  the 
same  person  be  meant  in  both  cases)  must  have  lived  for  sixteen  gene- 
rations ! 

Such  are  the  remarkable  notices  given  in  the  Puranas  of  the  rise  of 
different  castes  among  the  descendants  of  some  of  the  sons  of  Manu 
Vaivasvata  the  legendary  head  of  the  solar  line  of  kings.  I  shall  now 
add  some  similar  particulars  connected  with  the  lunar  dynasty. 

According  to  the  Yishnu  Purana  (iv.  6,  2ff.)  Atri  was  the  son  of 
Brahma,  and  the  father  of  Soma  (the  moon),  whom  Brahma  installed 
as  the  sovereign  of  plants,  Brahmans  and  stars79  (aseshaushadhi-dvija- 
nakshtrundm  ddhipatye  'bhyasechayaf).  After  celebrating  the  rajasuya 
sacrifice,  Soma  became  intoxicated  with  pride,  and  carried  off  Tara 

78  We  have  already  had  a  person  of  this  name  the  son  of  Nabhaga.     See  above. 

79  See  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1865,  p.  135  ff. 

10 


226  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

(Star),  the  wife  of  Brihaspati  the  preceptor  of  the  gods,  whom,  although 
admonished  and  entreated  by  Brahma,  the  gods,  and  rishis,  he  refused 
to  restore.  Soma's  part  was  taken  by  TJsanas ;  and  Rudra,  who  had 
studied  under  Angiras,  aided  Brihaspati  (Angirasascha  sakasopalabdha- 
vidyo  bhagavan  Rudro  Brihaspateh  sahayyam  akarot}.60  A  fierce  con- 
flict ensued  between  the  two  sides,  supported  respectively  by  the  gods 
and  the  Daityas,  etc.  Brahma  interposed,  and  compelled  Soma  to 
restore  Tara  to  her  husband.  She  had,  however,  in  the  mean  time 
become  pregnant,  and  bore  a  son  Budha  (the  planet  Mercury),  of  whom, 
when  strongly  urged,  she  acknowledged  Soma  to  be  the  father.  Puru- 
ravas,  as  has  been  already  mentioned,  was  the  son  of  this  Budha  by 
Ila,  the  daughter  of  Manu.  The  loves  of  Pururavas  and  the  Apsaras 
TJrvasI  are  related  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xi.  5,  1,  1  ;81  in  the 
Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  6,  19  ff.j  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  14  ;82  and 
in  the  Harivamsa,  section  26.  The  Mahabharata,  Adip.  sect.  75,  alludes 
to  Pururavas  as  having  been  engaged  in  a  contest  with  the  Brahmans. 
This  passage  will  be  quoted  hereafter.  According  to  the  Vishnu 
Purana,  iv.  7,  1,  Pururavas  had  six  sons,  of  whom  the  eldest  was 
Ayus.  Ay  us  had  five  sons :  Nahusha,  Kshattravriddha,  Eambha,  Raji, 
and  Anenas.  The  narrative  proceeds  (iv.  8,  1) : 

Ksliattravriddhdt  Sunahotrah*3  putro  'bhavat  \  Kasa-Lesa-Oritsama- 
dus  trayo  'sydbhavan  \  Gritsamadasya  S'aunakas  chdturvarnya-pravartta- 
yitd  'bhut  \  Kasasya  Kusirdjas  tato  Dlrghatamah putro  'bhavat  \  Dhan- 
vantaris  DlrgJtatamaso  'bhut  \ 

"  Kshattravriddha  had  a  son  Sunahotra,  who  had  three  sons,  Kasa, 
Lesa,  and  Gritsamada.  Prom  the  last  sprang  S'aunaka,  who  originated 
the  system  of  four  castes.84  Kasa  had  a  son  Kasiraja,  of  whom  again 
Dirghatamas  was  the  son,  as  Dhanvantari  was  of  Dlrghatamas." 

8()  This  is  the  only  mention  I  have  ever  happened  to  encounter  of  the  great  Ma- 
hadeva  having  been  at  school ! 

81  This  passage  is  translated  by  Professor  Miiller  in  the  Oxford  Essays  for  185G, 
pp.  62  f. ;  and  the  legend  has  been  formed  on  the  basis  of  the  obscure  hymn  in  the 
K.V.  x.  95,  in  which  the  two  names  of  Pumravas  and  Urvas'I  occur  as  those  of  the 
interlocutors  in  a  dialogue. 

82  A  short  quotation  has  been  already  made  from  this  narrative.  See  above,  p.  158. 

83  Both  my  MSS.  read  Sunahotra.     Professor  "Wilson  has  Suhotra. 

81  The  Commentator .  explains  the  words  chatunarnya-pravarttayita  by  saying 
that  the  four  castes  were  produced  among  his  descendants  (t<id-vam$e  cliatvaro  varna 
abhavan).  This  explanation  agrees  with  the  statement  of  the  Yayu  Purana  given  in 
the  text. 


THE  INDIAN  EACE  FROM  MANU.  227 

The  Vayu  Purana,  as  quoted  by  Professor  Wilson  (V.  P.  4to.  ed.  p. 
406),  expresses  the  matter  differently,  thus  : 

Putro  Gritsamadasya  cha  S'unako  yasya  Saunakah  \  brdhmandh  kshat- 
triya£  chaiva  vaisydh  Guards  tathaiva  cha  \  etasya  vamse  samudbhutd 
vichitraih  karmabhir  dvijdh  \ 

"  The  son  of  Gritsamada  was  S'unaka,  from  whom  sprang  S'aunaka. 
In  his  family  were  born  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  S'udras, 
twice-born  men  with  various  functions."  85 

In  like  manner  the  Harivamsa  states  in  section  29,  verse  1520  : 

Putro  Gritsamadasydpi  Sunako  yasya  Saunakdh  \  brdhmandh  kshat- 
triyds  chaiva  vaisydh  sudrds  tathaiva  cha  \ 

"  The  son  of  Gritsamada  was  S'unaka,  from  whom  sprang  the  S'au- 
nakas,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisya's,  and  S'udras." 

Something  similar  is  said  of  Gritsamati  (who  was  the  son  of  a  Su- 
hotra,  although  not  the  grandson  of  Kshattravriddha)  in  a  following 
section,  the  32nd  of  the  same  work,  verse  1732  : 

Sa  chdpi  Vitathah  putrdn  janaydmdsa  pancha  vai  \  Suhotram  cha  Su- 
hotdram  Gayam  Gargam  tathaiva  cha  \  Kapilam  cha  mahdtmdnam  SuJto- 
trasya  suta-dvayam  \  Kdsakas  cha  mahdsattvas  tathd  Gritsamatir  nripah  \ 
tathd  Gritsamateh  putrd  brdhmandh  kshattriydh  visah  \ 

"  Vitatha  was  the  father  of  five  sons,  Suhotra,  Suhotri,  Gaya,  Garga, 
and  the  great  Kapila.  Suhotra  had  two  sons,  the  exalted  Kasaka,  and 
King  Gritsamati.  The  sons  of  the  latter  were  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas, 
and  Vaisyas." 

The  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  17,  2  f.,  has  the  following  notice  of 
Kshattravriddha's  descendants : 

Kshattravriddha-sutasydsan  Suhotrasydmajds  trayah  \  Kdsyah  Kuso 
Gritsamadah  Hi  Gritsamaddd  abhut  \  S'unako  S'aunako  yasya  bahvri- 
chah  pravaro  munih  \ 

"  Suhotra,  son  of  Kshattravriddha,  had  three  sons,  Kasya,  Kusa,  and 
Gritsamada.  From  the  last  sprang  S'unaka,  and  from  him  S'aunaka,  the 
eminent  Muni,  versed  in  the  Pdg-veda." 

85  On  this  Professor  Wilson  remarks,  note,  p.  406 :  "  The  existence  of  but  one 
caste  in  the  age  of  purity,  however  incompatible  with  the  legend  which  ascribes  the 
origin  of  the  four  tribes  to  Brahma,  is  everywhere  admitted.  Their  separation  is 
assigned  to  different  individuals,  whether  accurately  to  any  one  may  be  doubted  ;  but 
the  notion  indicates  that  the  distinction  was  of  a  social  or  political  character." 


228  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OP 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  this  Gritsamada,  who  is  here  described  as 
belonging  to  the  regal  lineage  of  Pururavas,  is  the  reputed  rishi  of 
many  hymns  in  the  second  Mandala  of  the  Rig-veda.  Regarding  him 
the  Commentator  Sayana  has  the  following  remarks  in  his  introduction 
to  that  Mandala : 

Mandala-drashtd  Gritsamadah  rishih  \  sa  cha  purvam  Angirasa-kule 
S'unahotrasya  putrah  san  yajna-kdle-'surair  grihltah  Indrena  mochitah  \ 
paschdt  tad-vachanenaiva  Bhrigu-kule  S' unaka-putro  Gritsamada-ndmd 
'bhut  |  tathd  chdnukramanikd  "Yah  Angirasah  S'aunahotro  bhutvd  Bhdr- 
gavah  S'aunako  'bhavat  sa  Gritsamado  dvitlyam  mandalam  apasyad  "  iti  \ 
tathd  tasyaiva  SaunaJcasya  vachanam  rishy-anukramane  "  tvam  Agne" 
iti  |  "Gritsamadah  Saunako  Bhrigutdm  gatah  \  S'aunohotro  prakritya  tu 
yah  Angirasa  uchyate "  iti  \  tasmad  mandala-drashta  S'aunako  Gritsa- 
madah rishih  \ 

"  The  seer  (i.e.  he  who  received  the  revelation)  of  this  Mandala  was 
the  rishi  Gritsamada.  He,  being  formerly  the  son  of  S'unahotra  in  the 
family  of  the  Angirasas,  was  seized  by  the  Asuras  at  the  time  of  sacri- 
fice and  rescued  by  Indra.  Afterwards,  by  the  command  of  that  god, 
he  became  the  person  named  Gritsamada,  son  of  S'unaka,  in  the  family 
of  Bhrigu.  Thus  the  Anukramanika  (Index  to  the  Big-veda)  says  of 
him :  '  That  Gritsamada,  who,  having  been  an  Angirasa,  and  son  of 
S'unahotra,  became  a  Bhargava  and  son  of  S'unaka,  saw  the  second  Man- 
dala.' So,  too,  the  same  S'aunaka  says  in  his  Eishi-anukramana  regarding 
the  Mandala  beginning  with'  Thou,  o  Agni ' : — '  Gritsamada  son  of  S'u- 
naka who  is  declared  to^have  been  naturally  an  Angirasa,  and  the  son  of 
S'unahotra,  became  a  Bhrigu.'  Hence  the  seer  of  the  Mandala  is  the 
rishi  Gritsamada  son  of  S'unaka." 

It  will  be  noticed  that  (unless  we  are  to  suppose  a  different  Gritsa- 
mada to  be  intended  in  each  case)  there  is  a  discrepancy  between  the 
Puranas  on  the  one  hand,  and  Sayana  and  the  Anukramanika  on  the 
other ;  as  the  Puranas  make  Gritsamada  the  son  of  S'unahotra  or  Su- 
hotra,  and  the  father  of  S'unaka ;  whilst  the  Anukramanika,  followed 
by  Sayana,  represents  the  same  personage  as  having  been,  indeed,  ori- 
ginally the  son  of  S'unahotra  of  the  race  of  Angiras,  but  as  having 
afterwards  become,  by  what  process  does  not  appear,  the  son  of  S'unaka 
of  the  race  of  Bhrigu. 

In  his  translation  of  the  Rig-veda  (ii.  207  f.)  Professor  Wilson  refers 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  229 

to  a  legend  about  King  VHahavya  in  the  Anusasana-parvan  of  the  Ma- 
habharata  (verses  1944-2006)  which  gives  a  different  account  of  Grit- 
samada's  parentage.  It  hegins :  S'rinu  rdjdn  yathd  raja  Tltahavyo 
mahdyasdh  \  rdjarshir  durlabham  prdpto  brdhmanyam  loka-satkritam  \ 
"Hear,  o  king,  how  the  renowned  Vltahavya,  the  royal  rishi,  attained 
the  condition  of  Brahmanhood  venerated  by  mankind,  and  so  difficult 
to  be  acquired."  It  happened  that  Divodasa,  King  of  KasI  (Benares) 
was  attacked  by  the  sons  of  Vltahavya,  and  all  his  family  slain  by  them 
in  battle.  The  afflicted  monarch  thereupon  resorted  to  the  sage  Bhara- 
dvaja,  who  performed  for  him  a  sacrifice  in  consequence  of  which  a  son , 
named  Pratardana  was  born  to  him.  Pratardana,  becoming  an  accom- 
plished warrior,  was  sent  by  his  father  to  take  vengeance  on  the  Vlta- 
havyas.  They  rained  upon  him  showers  of  arrows  and  other  missiles, 
"as  clouds  pour  down  upon  the  Himalaya" 86  (abhyavarshanta  rdjdnam 
himavantam  ivdmbudtih};  but  he  destroyed  them  all,  and  "they  lay  with 
their  bodies  besmeared  with  blood,  like  kinsuka-trees 87  cut  down5' 
(apatan  rudhirtirdrdngd  nikrittd  iva  kimsukdh}.  Vltahavya  himself 
had  now  to  fly  to  another  sage,  Bhrigu,  who  promised  him  protection. 
The  avenger  Pratardana,  however,  followed  and  demanded  that  the 
refugee  should  be  delivered  up : 

Asyeddriim  badhdd  adya  bhamshydmy  anrinah  pituh  \  tarn  uvdcha  kri- 
pdvishto  Bhrigur  dharma-lhritdih  varah  \  "  nehdsti  kshattriyah  ka&hit 
sane  hlme  dvi/dtayah"  \  etat  tu  vachanam  srutva  Bhrigos  tathyam  Pra- 
tardanah  \  pdddv  upaspritya  sanaih  prahrishto  vdkyam  abravlt  \  evam 

apy  asmi  lhagavan  kritakrityo  na  samsayah  \ tydjito  hi  mayd 

jdtim  esha  rdjd  Bhrigudvaha  \  tatas  tendbhyanujndto  yayau  rdjd  Pra- 
tardanah  \  yathd-gatam  mahdrdja  muktvd  msham  ivoragah  \  Bhrigor 
vachcma-mdtrena  sa  cha  Irahmarshitdm  gatah  \  Vltahavyo  mahdrdja  brah- 
mavdditvam  eva  cha  \  tasya  Gritsamadah  putro  rupenendra  ivdparah  \ 
"S'akras  tvam  "  iti  yo  daityair  nigrihltah  kildbhavat  \  rigvede  varttate 
chdgryd  srutir  yasya  mahdtmanah  \  yatra  Gritsamado  "brahman"  brdh- 
manaih  sa  mahiyate  \  sa  brahmachurl  viprarshih  srlmdn  Gritsamado 
'bhavat  \ 

"Pratardana  says:  'By  the  slaughter  of  this  (Vltahavya)  I  shall 

86  This  simile  seems  to  indicate  a  familiarity  with  the  manner  in  which  the  clouds 
collect,  and  discharge  their  contents  on  the  outer  range  of  the  Himalaya. 
b7  The  Kins' uka  is  a  tree  bearing  a  red  blossom  (Buteafrondosa). 


230  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

now,  to-day,  be  acquitted  of  my  debt  to  my  father.'  Bhrigu,  the  most 
eminent  of  religious  men,  filled  with  compassion,  answered :  '  There  is 
no  Kshattriya  here :  all  these  are  Brahmans.'  Hearing  this  true  as- 
sertion of  Bhrigu,  Pratardana  was  glad,  and  gently  touching  the  sage's 
feet,  rejoined:  'Even  thus,  o  glorious  saint,  I  have  gained  my  object 
....  for  I  have  compelled  this  King  (i.e.  Rajanya)  to  relinquish  his 
caste.'  King  Pratardana  then,  after  receiving  the  sage's  salutations, 
departed,  as  he  came,  like  a  serpent  which  has  discharged  its  poison  : 
while  Yitahavya  by  the  mere  word  of  Bhrigu  became  a  Brahman-rishi, 
and  an  utterer  of  the  Yeda.  Gritsamada,  in  form  like  a  second  Indra, 
was  his  son ;  he  was  seized  by  the  Daityas,  who  said  to  him,  '  Thou 
art  Sakra'  (Indra).  In  the  Rig-veda  the  texts  (srnti']  of  this  great 
rishi  stand  first.88  There  Gritsamada  is  honoured  by  the  Brahmans 
(with  the  title  of)  'Brahman.'  This  illustrious  personage  was  a  Brah- 
macharin,  and  a  Brahman-rishi." 

According  to  the  enumeration  of  Gritsamada' s  family,  which  follows 
here,  S'unaka  was  his  descendant  in  the  twelfth  generation,  and  S'aunaka 
in  the  thirteenth.  The  story  concludes  with  these  words  : 

Evam  vipratvam  agamad  Vltahavyo  narddhipah  \  Bhrigoh  prasdddd 
rdjendra  Icshattriyah  Icshattriyarshabha  \ 

"  Thus  did  King  Yitahavya,  a  Kshattriya,  enter  into  the  condition 
of  Brahmanhood  by  the  favour  of  Bhrigu." 

In  the  next  chapter  we  shall  again  notice  Yitahavya  among  the  Kshat- 
triyas  who  are  declared  by  tradition  to  have  been  the  authors  of  Yedic 
hymns. 

King  Divodasa  was  the  sixth  in  descent  from  Kasa  brother  of  Grit- 
samada. Of  him  the  Harivamsa  states,  section  32,  verse  789  f. : 

Divoddsasya  ddyddo  brahmarshir  Mitrdyur  nripah  \  Maitrdyanas 
tatah  Somo  Maitreyds  tu  tatah  smrituh  \  ete  vai  samsritdh  paksham 
kshattropetds  tu  Bhdrgavah  \ 

"The  son  of  Divodasa  was  the  King  Mitrayu  a  Brahman-rishi. 
From  him  sprang  Soma  Maitrayana,  from  whom  the  Maitreyas  received 
their  name.  They,  being  of  Kshattriya  lineage,  adhered  as  Bhargavas 
to  the  side  (of  the  latter)." 

88  Tf  I  have  correctly  interpreted  this  verse,  and  if  by  "  first "  we  are  to  under- 
stand first  in  order,  it  does  not  accurately  represent  the  state  of  the  case  :  as  the 
hymns  of  Gritsamada  only  appear  in  the  second  Mandala. 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  231 

The  twentieth  in  descent  from  the  same  Kasa,  brother  of  Gritsamada, 
was  Bhargabhumi,  of  whom  the  Vishnu  Purana  says,  iv.  8,  9  : 

Bhdrgasya  Bhdrgabhumih  \  tatas  chdturvarnya-pravrittih  \  ity  ete 
Kdiayo  bhupatayah  kathitdh  \ 

"  The  son  of  Bharga  was  Bhargabhumi,  from  whom  the  four  castes 
originated.  Thus  have  the  kings  called  Kasis  been  declared." 

In  two  passages  of  the  Harivamsa,  names  identical,  or  nearly  so,  are 
found,  but  with  a  different  progenitor  in  each  case,  in  reference  to 
which  a  similar  statement  is  made.  The  first  is  in  section  29,  verse  1596: 

Venuhotra-mtas  chdpi  Bhargo  ndma  prajesvarah  I  Vatsasya  Vatsa- 
bhumis  tu  Bhrigubhumis  tu  Bhdrgavdt  \  ete  hy  Angirasah  putrd  jdtd 
ramse  'tha  Bhdrgave  \  brdhmanah  kshattriyd  vaisyds  tray  ah  putrdh S9 
sahasraiah  \ 

"  The  son  of  Venuhotra  was  King  Bharga.  From  Yatsa  sprang 
Yatsabhumi,  and  Bhrigubhumi  from  Bhargava.  These  descendants  of 
Angiras  were  then  born  in  the  family  of  Bhrigu,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas, 
and  Yaisyas  three  (classes  of)  descendants  in  thousands." 

The  second  passage  is  in  the  32nd  section,  verse  1752  : 

Sukumdrasya  putras  tu  Satyaketur  mahdrathah  \  suto  'bhavad  maJtd- 
tejd  rdjd  parama-dhdrmikah  \  Vatsasya  Vatsalhumis  tu  Bhdrgabhumis 
tu  Bhdrgavdt  \  ete  hy  Angirasah  putrd  jdtd  vamse  'tha  Bhargave  \  brdh- 
manah kshattriyd  vaisydh  sudrds  cha  Bharatarshabha  \ 

11  The  warrior  Satyaketu  was  the  son  of  Sukumara,  and  a  prince  of 
great  lustre  and  virtue.  From  Yatsa  sprang  Yatsabhumi,  and  Bharga- 
bhumi from  Bhargava.  These  descendants  of  Angiras  were  then  born 
in  the  family  of  Bhrigu,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas  and  S'udras." 

The  parallel  passage  in  the  Yayu  Purana,  as  quoted  by  Professor 
Wilson,  p.  409,  has  names  which  are  mostly  different  • 

Venuhotra-sutai  chdpi  Gdrgyo  vai  ndma  visrutah  \  Gdrgyasya  Gar- 
gabhumis  tu  Vatso  Vatsasya  dhimatah  \  brdhmanah  kshattriyds  chaica 
tayoh  putrdh  sudhdrmikdh  \ 

tl  The  son  of  Yenuhotra  was  the  renowned  Gargya.  Gargabhumi 
was  the  son  of  Gargya  j  and  Yatsa  of  the  wise  Yatsa.  Brahmans  and 
Kshattriyas  were  the  virtuous  sons  of  these  two."  90 

89  Professor  Wilson,  p.  410,  note,  gives  tejoyuktah,  "glorious,"  instead  of  trayah 
pittrah,  as  the  reading  either  of  the  Brahma  Purana,  or  of  the  Harivaiiis'a,  or  both. 

90  In  regard  to,  these  passages  the  reader  may  consult  the  remarks  of  Professor 


232  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

Another  son  of  Ayus  (son  of  Pururavas)  was  Kambha,  of  whom  the 
Bhagavata  Purana  says,  ix.  17,  10  : 

Rambhasya  Rabhasah  putro  Gabhlras  chakriyas  tatah  \  tasya  hhettre 
brahmajajne  srinu  vamsam  Anenasah  \ 

"  The  son  of  Rambha  was  Rabhasa,  from  whom  sprang  Gabhira  and 
Akriya.  From  his  wife  Brahmans  were  born :  here  now  the  race  of 
Anenas  "  (another  son  of  Ayus). 

Of  the  same  Eambha  the  Vishnu  Purana  says  (iv.  9,  8),  Ramlhas  tv 
anapatyo  'bhavat  \  "  Rambha  was  childless." 

Another  son  of  Ayus,  as  we  have  seen,  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  8,  1,  was 
Nahusha.  He  had  six  sons  (V.  P.  iv.  10,  1),  of  whom  one  was  Yayati. 
The  sons  of  the  latter  were  Yadu,  Turvasu,  Druhyu,  Anu,  and  Puru 
(Ibid.  iv.  10,  2).91  One  of  these  five,  Anu,  had,  as  we  are  told,  in  the 
twelfth  generation  a  son  called  Bali,  of  whom  the  Vishnu  Purana,  iv. 
18,  1,  relates : 

Hemat  Sutapas  tasmdd  Balir  yasya  kshettre  Dirghatamasa  Anga- 
Banga-Kalinga-Suhma-PundraJchyam  Baleyam  hhattram  ajanyata  \ 

"  From  Hema  sprang  Sutapas  ;  and  from  him  Bali,  on  whose  wife 9'2 
Baleya  Kshattriyas  (i.e.  Kshattriyas  of  the  race  of  Bali),  called  Anga, 
Banga,  Kalinga,  Suhma,  and  Pundra  were  begotten  by  Dirghatamas." 

Professor  Wilson  (p.  445,  note  12)  quotes  from  the  Vayu  Purana  a 
statement  regarding  the  same  person  that  he  had  "  sons  who  founded 
the  four  castes"  (putrdn  chdturvarnya-kardn] ;  and  refers  to  a  passage 
in  the  Matsya  Purana,  in  which  Bali  is  said  to  have  obtained  from 

"Wilson,  p.  409,  note  16,  where  a  commentator  (on  the  Brahma  Purana,  or  the  Hari- 
vams'a)  is  quoted,  who  says  that  in  the  passage  from  these  works  "  another  son  of 
Vatsa  the  father  of  Alarka  is  specified,  viz.,  Vatsabhumi ;  while  Bhargava  is  the 
brother  of  Vatsa  ;  and  that  (the  persons  referred  to  were)  Angirases  because  Galava 
belonged  to  that  family,  and  (were  born  in  the  family)  of  Bhrigu,  because  Vis'vamitra 
belonged  to  it "  ( Vatsasya  Alarka-pituh  putrantaram  aha  "  Vatsabhumir "  iti  \ 
"  Bhargava d"  Vatsa-bhratuh  \  "  Angiraso"  Galavasya  Angirasatvat  \  " Bliargave " 
Visvamitrasya  jBliargavatvaf).  The  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  8,  6,  says  that  Vatsa  was 
one  of  the  names  of  Pratardana,  son  of  Divodasa,  a  descendant  of  Kas'a,  and  a  remote 
ancestor  of  Bhargabhumi.  See  however  Professor  "Wilson's  note  13,  p.  408.  It  is 
possible  that  the  resemblance  of  the  word  Bharga  to  Bhargava  may  have  occasioned 
the  descendants  of  the  former  to  be  connected  with  the  family  of  Bhrigu. 

91  These  five  names  occur  together  in  the  plural  in  a  verse  of  the  Eig-veda,  i.  109, 
quoted  above,  p.  179. 

92  Eshettrf.  bharyayam  jatatvad  Bcileyah  \  "  They  were  called  descendants  of  Bali 
because  they  were  born  of  his  wife." 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  233 

Brahma  the  boon  that  he  should  "  establish  the  four  fixed  castes  "  (cha- 
turo  niyatdn  varndms  tvam  sthdpayeti}. 

The  Harivamsa  gives  the  following  account  of  Bali,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  same  thing  is  stated ;  section  31,  verses  1682  ff. : 

Phendt  tu  Sutapdjajne  sutah  Sutapaso  Balih  \  jdto  mdnusha-yonau  tu 
sa  rdjd  Icdnchaneshudhih  \  mahdyogl  sa  tu  Balir  labhuva  nripatih  purd  \ 
putrdn  utpddaydmdsa  pancha  vaihsa-kardn  Ihuvi  \  Angah  pfathamato 
jajne  Vangah  Suhmas  tathaiva  cha  \  Pundrah  Kalingas  cha  tathti  Bale- 
yam  kshattram  uchyute  \  Bdleyd  Irdhmands  chaiva  tasya  vamsakard 
Ihuvi  |  Bales  tu  Brahmand  datto  varah  prltena  Bhdrata  \  mahdyogitvam 
dyus  cha  Jcalpasya  parimdnatah  \  sangrdme  chdpy  ajeyatvam  dharme 
chaiva  pradhdnatd  \  trailokya-darsanam  chdpi  prddhdnyam  prasave 
tathd  |  lale  chapratimatvam  vai  dharnta-tattvdrtha-darsanam  \  chaturo 
niyatdn  varndms  tvam  cha  sthdpayiteti  cha  \  ity  ukto  vilhund  rdjd  Balih 
sdntim  pardm  yayau  \  tasyaite  tanaydh  sarve  kshettrajd  muni-pungavdt  \ 
sambhutd  Dirghatapasah  Sudeshndydm  mahaujausah  \ 

"From  Phena  sprang  Sutapas;  and  the  son  of  Sutapas  was  Bali. 
He  was  born  of  a  human  mother,  this  prince  with  the  golden  quiver ; 
but  King  Bali  was  of  old  a  great  yogin.  He  begot  five  sons,  who  were 
the  heads  of  races  upon  the  earth.  Anga  was  first  born,  then  Yanga, 
Suhma,  Pundra  and  Kalinga ;  such  are  the  names  of  the  Kshattriyas 
descended  from  Bali  (BdleydK).  There  were  also  Baleya  Brahmans, 
founders  of  his  race  upon  the  earth.  By  Brahma,  who  was  pleased,  the 
boon  was  granted  to  Bali  that  he  should  be  a  great  yogin,  should  live 
the  entire  length  of  a  Kalpa,  should  be  invincible  in  battle,  should  have 
pre-eminence  in  virtue,  should  have  the  power  of  beholding  the  whole 
three  worlds,  should  have  a  superiority  in  begetting  progeny,  should  be 
unequalled  in  strength,  and  should  comprehend  the  essential  principles 
of  duty.  And  being  thus  addressed  by  the  Lord  in  these  words,  '  Thou 
shalt  establish  the  four  regulated  castes,'  King  Bali  attained  supreme 
tranquillity.  All  these  sons,  the  offspring  of  his  wife,  were  begotten 
on  Sudeshna  by  the  glorious  muni  Dirghatapas."  9Z 

»*  M.  Langlois  must  have  found  in  his  MS.  a  different  reading  of  the  last  line,  as 
he  renders  it  otherwise.  Professor  "Wilson  remarks  (V.P.  pp.  444,  note  12) :  "The 
Matsya  calls  Bali  the  son  of  Virochana,  and  ayu-kalpa-pramanikah,  '  existing  for  a 
whole  Kalpa ; '  identifying  him,  therefore,  only  in  a  different  period  and  form,  with 
the  Bali  of  the  Vamana  Avatara"  (Dwarf-incarnation).  (See  Wilson's  Vishnu  P. 
p.  265,  note,  and  the  Bhagavata  P.  ix.  sects.  15-23,  and  other  works  quoted  in  the 
4th  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  116  ff. 


23 1  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OF 

Apratiratha  is  recorded  as  being  a  descendant  of  Puru  (another  of 
Yayati's  sons),  in  the  thirteenth  generation  (Wilson,  p.  448).  Of  him 
it  is  related,  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  19,  2 : 

Riteyoh  Rantindrah  putro  'bhut  \  Tamsum  Apratiratham  Dhruvam  cha 
Rantindrah  putrdn  avdpa  \  Apratirathat  Kanvah  \  tasydpi  Medhdtithih  \ 
yatah  Kanvayana  dvijd  babhubhuh  \  Tamsor  Anilas  tato  Dushyantddyds 
chatvdrah  putrd  babhuvuh  \  Dushyantdch  chakravarttl  Bharato  'bhavat  \ 

"  Biteyu  had  a  son  Rantinara,  who  had  Tansu,  Apratiratha  and 
Dhruva  for  his  sons.  From  Apratiratha  sprang  Kanva.  His  son  was 
Medhatithi;  from  whom  the  Kanvayana  Brahmans  were  descended. 
From  Tansu  sprang  Anila,  who  had  four  sons,  Dushyanta,  and  others. 
From  Dushyanta  sprang  the  emperor  Bharata." 

With  some  variations  the  Bhagavata  Purana  says,  ix.  20,  1  : 

Pur  or  vamiam  pravakshyami  yatrajdto  'si  Bharata  \  yatra  rdjarsJiayo 
vamsyd  brahma-vamsyas  chajajnire  |  ....  6.  Riteyoh  Rantilhdro  'bhut 
trayas  tasydtmajd  nripa  \  Sumatir  Dhruvo  'pratirathah  Kanvo  'pratira- 
thdmajah  \  tasya  Medhdtitithis  tasmdt  Praskanvddyd  dvijatayah  \  putro 
'bhut  Sumater  Raibhyo  Dushyantas  tat-suto  matah  \ 

"  I  shall  declare  the  race  of  Puru  from  which  thou  hast  sprung,  o 
Bharata ;  and  in  which  there  have  been  born  royal  rishis,  and  men  of 
Brahmanical  family  ....  6.  From  Biteyu  sprang  Rantibhara ;  who 
had  three  sons,  Sumati,  Dhruva,  and  Apratiratha.  Kanva  was  the  son 
of  the  last ;  and  the  son  of  Kanva  was  Medhatithi,  from  whom  the 
Praskanvas  and  other  Brahmans  were  descended." 

A  little  further  on,  in  the  chapter  of  the  Yishnu  Purana  just  quoted 
(iv.  19,  10),  Kanva  and  Medhatithi  are  mentioned  as  having  had  a 
different  parentage  from  that  before  assigned,  viz.,  as  being  the  son  and 
grandson  of  Ajamidha,  who  was  a  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation 
of  Tansu,  the  brother  of  Apratiratha : 

Ajamldhat  Kanvah  \  Kanvdd  Medhdtithir  yatah  Kdmdyand  dvljdh  \ 
Ajamldhasydnyah  putro  Brihadishuh  \ 

"From  Ajamidha  sprang  Kanva:  from  Kanva  Medhatithi,  from 
whom  were  descended  the  Kanvayana  Brahmans.  Ajamidha  had 
another  son  Brihadishu."91 

»*  On  this  the  Commentator  remarks  :  Ajamldhasya  Kanvadir  eko  vainso  Briha- 
dishv-adir  aparo  vainso  Nlladir  aparah  Rikshadis  chaparah  \  "  Ajamidha  had  one 
set  of  descendants,  consisting  of  Kanva,  etc.,  a  second  consisting  of  Brihadishu,  etc., 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANU.  235 

On  this  last  passage  Professor  Wilson  observes,  p.  452,  note  :  "  The 
copies  agree  in  this  reading,  yet  it  can  scarcely  be  correct.  Kanva  has 
already  been  noticed  as  the  son  of  Apratiratha."  But  the  compiler  of 
the  Purana  may  here  be  merely  repeating  the  discordant  accounts 
which  he  found  in  the  older  authorities  which  he  had  before  him. 

Regarding  Ajamidha  the  Bhagavata  says,  ix.  21,  21  : 

Ajamldhasya  vamsydh  syuh  Priyamedhddayo  dvijdh  \  Ajamldhdd  Bri- 
hadishuh  \ 

"  Priyamedha  and  other  Brahmans  were  descendants  of  Ajamidha. 
From  Ajamidha  sprang  Brihadishu." 

The  Vishnu  Purana  (iv.  19,  16)  gives  the  following  account  of  Mud- 
gala,  a  descendant  of  Ajamidha  in  the  seventh  generation : 

Mudgaldch  cha  Maudgalydh  Icshattropetd  dvijdtayo  babhuvuh  \  Mud- 
yaldd  Bahvasw  Bahvasvdd  Divoddso  'halyd  cha  mithunam  abhut  \  S'arad- 
vato  'halydydm  S'atdnando  'bhavat  \ 

"From  Mudgala  were  descended  the  Maudgalya  Brahmans  of  Kshat- 
triya  stock.  From  Mudgala  sprang  Bahvasva ;  from  him  again  twins, 
Divodasa  and  Ahalya.  S'atananda  was  born  to  S'aradvat95  by  Ahalya." 

Similarly  the  Bhagavata  Purana  says,  iv.  21,  33  f. : 

Mudgaldd  brahma  nirvrittam  gotram  Maudgalya-sanjnitam  \  mithunam 
Mwlgaldd  Bhdrmydd  Divoddsah  pumdn  abhut  \  Ahalya  Icanyakd  yasydm 
S'atdnandas  tu  Gautamdt  \ 

11  From  Mudgala  sprang  Brahmans,  the  family  called  Maudgalyas. 
To  the  same  father,  who  was  son  of  Bharmyasva,  were  born  twins, 
Divodasa,  a  male,  and  Ahalya,  a  female  child,  who  bore  S'atananda  to 
Gautama." 

The  words  of  the  Matsya  Purana  on  the  same  subject,  as  quoted  by 
Professor  Wilson,  p.  454,  note  50,  are : 

Mudgalasydpi  Maudgalydh  kshattropetd  dvijatdyah  \  ete  hy  Angira&ah 
pakshe  samsthitdh  Kanva-Mudgaldh  \ 

11  From  Mudgajp,  sprang  the  Maudgalyas,  Brahmans  of  Kshattriya 
stock.  These  Kanva  and  Mudgalas  stood  on  the  side  of  Angiras." 

a  third  consisting  of  Nlla,  etc.,  and  a  fourth  consisting  of  Riksha,  etc."  The  last  two 
sons  of  Ajamidha  are  mentioned  further  on,  Nlla  in  v.  15,  and  Riksha  in  y.  18,  of  the 
same  chapter  of  the  V.  P. 

85  The  Commentator  says  this  is  a  name  of  Gautama.  Regarding  Ahalya  and 
Gautama  see  the  story  extracted  ahove,  p.  121,  from  the  Ramayaua. 


238  TRADITION  OF  THE  DESCENT  OP 

The  Harivamsa,  section  32,  verse  1781,  thus  notices  the  same  family  : 

Mudgalasya  tu  day  ado  Maudgalyah  sumahdyasdh  \  ete  sarve  mahdt- 
mdno  kshattropetd  dvijdtayah  \  ete  Tiy  Angirasah  paksham  samsritdh 
Ednva-Mudgaldh  \  Maudgalyasya  suto  jyeshtho  Irahmarshih  suma- 
hdyasdh | 

"  The  renowned  Haudgalya  was  the  son  of  Mudgala.  All  these 
great  personages  were  Brahmans  of  Kshattriya  descent.  These  Kanvas 
and  Mudgalas  adhered  to  the  side  of  Angiras.  Haudgalya' s  eldest  son 
was  a  celebrated  Brahman-rishi." 

Eegarding  Kshemaka,  a  future  descendant  of  Ajamldha  in  the  31st 
generation,  the  Vishnu  Purana  says,  iv.  21,  4 : 

Tato  Niramitras  tasmdch  cha  Kshemakah  \  tatrdyam  slokah  \  "  brah- 
ma-fohattrasya  yo  yonir  "  v amso  rdjarshi-satkritah  \  Kshematcam  prdpya 
rdjdnam  sa  samsthdm  prdpsyate  kalau  \ 

"  From  him  (Khandapani)  shall  spring  Niramitra ;  and  from  him 
Kshemaka ;  regarding  whom  this  verse  (is  current) :  '  The  race,  con- 
secrated by  royal  rishis,  which  gave  birth  to  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas, 
shall  terminate  in  the  Kali  age,  after  reaching  King  Kshemaka.'  " 

The  corresponding  verse  quoted  by  Professor  Wilson  (p.  462,  note  24) 
from  the  Matsya  and  Vayu  Pur  anas  substitutes  devarshi,  "divine  rishis," 
or  "  gods  and  rishis,"  for  the  rdjarshi,  "  royal  rishis,"  of  the  Vishnu  Pu- 
rana. The  verse  in  question  is  there  described  as  anuvamsa-sloJeo  'yamglto 
vipraih  purdtanaih,  "a  genealogical  verse  sung  by  ancient  Brahmans." 

According  to  the  details  given  from  the  Puranas  in  this  section 
several  persons,  Gritsamada,  Kanva,  Medhatithi,  and  Priyamedha,  to 
whom  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  are  ascribed  by  Indian  tradition  as  their 
rishis,  were  of  Kshattriya  descent. 

In  the  line  of  the  same  Tansu,  brother  of  Apratiratha,  we  find  in 
the  sixth  generation  a  person  named  Garga,  of  whom  the  Vishnu  Pu- 
rana relates,  iv.  1 9,  9  : 

Gargdt  S'inih  \  tatoGdrgyah  S'ainydh  kshattropetd  dvydtayo  balhuvuh  \ 

"From  Garga  sprang  S'ini;  from  them  were  descended  the  Gargyas 
and  S'ainyas,  Brahmans  of  Kshattriya  race."  97 

96  On  this  -words  the  Commentator  has  this  note  :  Brahmanah  brahmanasya  Eshat- 
trasya,  kshatlriyasya  cha  yonih  karanam  purvam  yatholctatvat  \   "  '  Brahma '  and 
'  Kshattra '  stand  for  Brahman  and  Kshattriya.     This  race  is  the  '  source,'  cause  (of 
these),  as  has  heen  declared  ahove." 

97  On  this  the  Commentator  only  remarks :   Tatas  tabhyain  Gargyah  S'ainyas  cha 


THE  INDIAN  RACE  FROM  MANTT.  237 

Similarly  the  Bhagavata  Parana,  ix.  21,  19,  says: 

Gargdt  S'inis  tato  Gdrgyah  Icshattrdd  brahma  hy  avarttata  \ 

"From  Garga  sprang  S'ini;  from  them  Gargya,  who  from  a  Kshat- 
triya  became  a  Brahman."  98 

The  Vishnu  Purana  records  a  similar  circumstance  regarding  the 
family  of  Mahaviryya,  the  brother  of  Garga  (iv.  19,  10) : 

Mahdvlryydd  Urukshayo  ndma  putro  'bhut  \  tasya  Trayyaruna-Push- 
karinau  Eapis  cha,  putra-trayam  abhut  \  tach  cha  tritayam  api  paschdd 
vipratdm  upajagdma  \ 

"  Mahaviryya  had  a  son  named  TJrukshaya ;  who  again  had  three  sons, 
Trayyaruna,  Puskarin,  and  Kapi ;  and  these  three  "  afterwards  entered 
into  the  state  of  Brahmans  (i.e.  became  such)." 

The  Bhagavata  states,  ix.  21,  19  f. : 

Duritakshayo  Mahdvlryytit  tasya  Trayydrunih  Kamh  \  Pushkardrunir 
ity  atra  ye  Irdhmana-gatim  gatdh  \ 

"  From  Mahaviryya  sprang  Duritakshaya.  From  him  were  descended 
Trayyaruni,  Kavi,  and  Puskararuni,  who  attained  to  the  destination  of 
Brahmans."  10° 

According  to  the  Matsya  Purana  also,  as  quoted  by  Professor  Wilson 
(451,  note  22),  "all  these  sons  of  TJruksha  (sic)  attained  the  state  of 
Brahmans  "  ( Urukshatah  sutd  hy  ete  sane  brdhmanatdm  gatdh) ;  and  in 
another  verse  of  the  same  Purana,  cited  in  the  same  note,  it  is  added  : 
Kdvytindm  tu  vard  hy  ete  trayah  proktd  maharshayah  \  Gargdh  Sankri- 
tayah  Kdvyd  kshattropetd  dvijdtayah  \  "  These  three  classes  of  great 
rishis,  viz.  the  Gargas,  Sankritis,  and  Kavyas,  Brahmans  of  Kshattriya 
race,  are  declared  to  be  the  most  eminent  of  the  Kavyas,  or  descend- 
ants of  Kavi."  The  original  Garga  was,  as  we  have  seen,  the  brother 
of  Mahaviryya,  the  father  of  Kavi,  or  Kapi ;  while,  according  to  the 

Garga-vamsyatvat  S'ini-vamsyatvach  cha  saniaTtJiyatah  \  kshatlriya  eva  kenachit 
karanena  brahmanas  cha  babhuvuh  \  "  They  were  called  GSrgyas  and  S'ainyas  because 
they  were  of  the  race  of  Garga  and  S'ini.  Being  indeed  Kshattriyas  they  became 
Brahmans  from  some  cause  or  other." 

98  The  Commentator  does  not  say  how  this  happened. 

99  Unless  Professor  "Wilson's  MSS.  had  a  diiferent  reading  from  mine,  it  must 
have  been  by  an  oversight  that  he  has  translated  here,  "  The  last  of  whom  became  a 
Brahman." 

100  On  this  the  Commentator  annotates  :   Ye  atra  Tcshattra-vamse  brahmana-gatim 
brahmana-rupatam  galas  te  \  "  Who  in  this  Kshattriya  race  attained  the  destination 
of  Brahmans, — the  form  of  Brahmans." 


238  DESCENT  OF  THE  INDIAN  EACE  FROM  MANU. 

Vishnu  Purana  (iv.  19,  9),  and  Bhagavata  Parana  (ix.  21,  1),  Sankriti 
was  the  son  of  Nara,  another  brother  of  Mahavlryya. 

The  series  of  passages  just  quoted  is  amply  sufficient  to  prove  that 
according  to  the  traditions  received  by  the  compilers  of  the  ancient 
legendary  history  of  India  (traditions  so  general  and  undisputed  as  to 
prevail  over  even  their  strong  hierarchical  prepossessions),  Brahmans, 
Kshattriyas,  and  even  Vaisyas  and  Sudras,  were,  at  least  in  many  cases, 
originally  descended  from  one  and  the  same  stock.  The  European  critic 
can  have  no  difficulty  in  receiving  these  obscure  accounts  as  true  in  their 
literal  sense ;  though  the  absence  of  precise  historical  data  may  leave 
him  without  any  other  guide  than  speculation  to  assist  him  in  determin- 
ing the  process  by  which  a  community  originally  composed  for  the  most 
part  of  one  uniform  element,  was  broken  up  into  different  classes  and 
professions,  separated  from  each  other  by  impassable  barriers.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  possibility  of  this  common  origin  of  the  different  castes, 
though  firmly  based  on  tradition,  appeared  in  later  times  so  incredible, 
or  so  unpalatable,  to  some  of  the  compilers  of  the  Puranas,  that  we  find 
them  occasionally  attempting  to  explain  away  the  facts  which  they 
record,  by  statements  such  as  we  have  encountered  in  the  case  of  the 
Kings  E-athitara  and  Bali,  that  their  progeny  was  begotten  upon  their 
wives  by  the  sages  Angiras  and  Dlrghatamas,  or  Dirghatapas ;  or  by  the 
introduction  of  a  miraculous  element  into  the  story,  as  we  have  already 
seen  in  one  of  the  legends  regarding  Gritsamada,  and  as  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  notice  in  a  future  chapter  in  the  account  of  Vis  vamitra. 


239 


CHAPTER  III. 

OX  THE  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF 
INDIAN  SOCIETY  ACCORDING  TO  THE  HYMNS  OF  THE  RIG- 
AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS. 

In  the  last  chapter  I  have  attempted  to  shew  that  in  general  the 
authors  of  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  regarded  the  whole  of  the  Aryan 
people,  embracing  not  only  the  priests  and  chiefs,  but  the  middle 
classes  also  of  the  population,  as  descended  from  one  common  father,  or 
ancestor,  whom  they  designate  by  the  name  of  Manu.  This  reference 
to  a  common  progenitor  excludes,  of  course,  the  supposition  that  the 
Avriters  by  whom  it  is  made  could  have  had  any  belief  in  the  myth 
which  became  afterwards  current  among  their  countrymen,  that  their 
nation  consisted  of  four  castes,  differing  naturally  in  dignity,  and  sepa- 
rately created  by  Brahma. 

In  that  chapter  I  proposed  to  leave  for  further  consideration  any  spe- 
cific notices  which  the  Rig-veda  might  contain  regarding  the  different 
classes  of  which  the  society  contemporary  with  its  composition  was 
made  up.  On  this  consideration  I  now  enter.  As  that  great  collection 
of  hymns  embodies  numerous  references,  both  to  the  authors  themselves 
and  to  the  other  agents  in  the  celebration  of  divine  worship,  it  may 
be  expected  to  supply,  incidentally  or  indirectly,  at  least,  some  inform- 
ation respecting  the  opinion  which  these  ministers  of  religion  enter- 
tained of  themselves,  and  of  the  ecclesiastical  and  civil  relations  in 
which  they  stood  to  the  other  sections  of  the  community.  I  shall  now 
endeavour  to  shew  how  far  this  expectation  is  justified  by  an  examin- 
ation of  the  Rig-veda. 

It  will  be  understood,  from  what  I  have  already  (pp.  7  and  11  ff.) 
written  on  the  subject  of  that  one  hymn  of  the  Rig-veda  in  which  the 


240  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

four  castes  are  distinctly  specified,  i.e.  the  Purusha  Sukta,  that  in  the 
enquiry,  which  I  am  now  about  to  undertake,  I  confine  myself  in  the 
first  instance  to  those  hymns  which  for  any  reason  (see  p.  4,  above) 
appear  to  be  the  most  ancient,  leaving  out  of  account  until  afterwards, 
all  those  compositions  which, -like  the  one  just  mentioned,  are  presum- 
ably of  a  later  age. 

It  will,  I  think,  be  found  on  investigation  that  not  only  the  older 
hymns,  but  the  great  bulk  of  the  hymns,  supply  no  distinct  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  a  well  defined  and  developed  caste-system  at  the 
time  when  they  were  composed. 


SECT.  I. —  On  the  signification  of  the  words  Ir&hman,  Irahmana,  etc., 
in  the  Rig-veda. 

As  the  Eig-veda  Sanhita  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  hymns  in 
praise  of  the  gods,  it  was  not  to  be  anticipated  that  it  should  furnish 
any  systematic  or  detailed  explanations  on  the  points  which  form  the 
object  of  our  enquiry.  But  as  was  natural  in  compositions  of  the  early 
and  simple  age  to  which  these  hymns  belong,  they  do  not  always  con- 
fine themselves  to  matters  strictly  connected  with  their  principal  sub- 
ject, but  indulge  in  occasional  references  to  the  names,  families,  personal 
merits,  qualifications,  relations,  circumstances,  and  fortunes  of  the  poets 
by  whom  they  were  produced,  or  of  their  patrons  or  other  contempo- 
raries, or  of  their  predecessors. 

I  have,  in  another  volume  of  this  work,1  enquired  into  the  views 
which  the  authors  of  the  hymns  appear  to  have  held  on  the  subject  of 
their  own  authorship.  The  conclusion  at  which  I  arrived  was,  that 
they  did  not  in  general  look  upon  their  compositions  as  divinely  in- 
spired, since  they  frequently  speak  of  them  as  the  productions  of  their 
own  minds  (vol.  iii.  pp.  128-140).  But  although  this  is  most  com- 
monly the  case  (and  especially,  as  we  may  conjecture,  in  regard  to  the 
older  hymns),  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  also  attached  a  high  value  to 
these  productions,  which  they  describe  as  being  acceptable  to  the  gods 
(R.Y.  v.  45,  4  ;  v.  85,  1 ;  vii.  26,  1,2;  x.  23,  6 ;  x.  54,  6 ;  x.  105, 

1  Original  Sanskrit  Texts,  vol.  iii.  pp.  116-16 1. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  241 

8),  whose  activity  they  stimulated  (iii.  34,  1  ;  vii.  19,  11),  and  whose 
blessing  they  drew  down.  In  some  of  the  hymns  a  supernatural  cha- 
racter or  insight  is  claimed  for  the  rishis  (i.  179,  2  ;  vii.  76,  4 ;  iii.  53, 
9;  vii.  33,  11  ff.  ;  vii.  87,  4;  vii.  88,  3  ff . ;  x.  14,  15;  x.  62,  4,  5), 
and  a  mysterious  efficacy  is  ascribed  to  their  compositions  (vol.  iii. 
pp.  173  f.)  The  rishis  called  their  hymns  by  various  names,  as  arka, 
uktha,  rich,  gir,  dhl,  riitha,  nivid,  mantra,  mati,  sukta,  stoma,  vach,  vachas, 
etc.  etc.;  and  the  also  applied. to  them  the  appellation  of  brahma  in 
numerous  passages.2  That  in  the  passages  in  question  brahma  has 
generally  the  sense  of  hymn  or  prayer  is  clear  from  the  context  of  some 
of  them  (as  in  i.  37,  4  ;  viii.  32,  27,  where  the  word  is  joined  with  the 
verb  guyata.  "  sing,"  and  in  vi.  69,  7,  where  the  gods  are  supplicated 
to  hear  the  brahma},  as  well  as  from'  the  fact  that  the  poets  are  said 
(in  i.  62,  13  ;  v.  73,  10  ;  vii.  22,  9;  vii.  31,  11 ;  x.  80,  7)  to  have 
fashioned  or  generated  the  prayer,  in  the  same  way  as  they  are  said  to 
have  fashioned  or  generated  hymns  in  other  texis  (as  i.  109,  1 ;  v.  2, 
11  ;  vii.  15,  4;  viii.  77,  4  ;  x.  23,  6;  x.  39,  14),  where  the  sense  is 
indisputable ;  while  in  other  places  (iv.  16,  21;  v.  29,  15  ;  vi.  17,  13; 
vi.  50,  6 ;  vii.  61,  6 ;  x.  89,  3)  new  productions  of  the  poets  are  spoken 
of  under  the  appellation  of  brahma. 

That  brahma  has  the  sense  of  hymn  or  prayer  is  also  shown  by  the 
two  following  passages.  In  vii.  26,  1,  it  is  said  :  Na  somah  Indram 
asuto  mamdda  na  abrahmdno  maghavdnam  sutdsah  \  tasmai  uktham  janayc 
yaj  Jujoshad  nrivad  navlyah  srinavad  yathd  nah  \  2.  Ukthe  ukthe  somah 
Indram  mamdda  nlthe  nlthe  maghavdnam  sutdsah  \  yad  Im  sabddhah 
pitaram  naputrdh  samdna-dakshdh  avase  havante  \  "  Soma  unless  poured 
out  does  not  exhilarate  Indra ;  nor  do  libations  without  hymns  (abrah- 
mdnah}.  I  generate  for  him  a  hymn  (uktha]  which  he  will  love,  so 
that  like  a  man  he  may  hear  our  new  (production).  2.  At  each  hymn 
(uktha}  the  soma  exhilarates  Indra,  at  each  psalm  (nltha}  the  libations 
(exhilarate)  Maghavat,  when  the  worshippers  united,  with  one  effort, 
invoke  him  for  help,  as  sons  do  a  father."3  Again  in  x.  105,  8,  it  is 

z  For  a  list  of  these  texts  and  other  details  which  are  here  omitted,  I  refer  to  my 
article  "  On  the  relations  of  the  priests  to  the  other  classes  of  Indian  Society  in  the 
Vedic  age,"  in  the  Journal  of  the  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866  (from  which  this  section  is 
mostly  borrowed). 

3  It  is  clear  from  the  context  of  this  passage  that  abrahmanah  means  "unattended 
hy  hymns,"  and  not  "  without  a  priest."  After  saying  that  soma-libations  without 

16 


2  42  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

said :  Ava  no  vrijind  sislhi  richd  vanema  anrichah  \  na  abrahmd  yajnah 
ridhag  joshati  tve  \  "Drive  away  our  calamities.  With  a  hymn  (richd} 
may  we  slay  the  men  who  are  hymnless  (anrichah}.  A  sacrifice  without 
prayer  (abrahmd}  does  not  please  thee  well." 

I  have  said  that  great  virtue  is  occasionally  attributed  by  the  poets  to 
their  hymns  and  prayers ;  and  this  is  true  of  those  sacred  texts  when 
called  by  the  name  of  brahma,  as  well  as  when  they  receive  other  ap- 
pellations, such  as  mantra.  Thus  it  is  said,  iii.  53,  12,  Visvdmitrasya 
raJcshati  brahma  idam  Bhdratam  j'anam  \  "  This  prayer  (brahma}  of  Visva- 
mitra  protects  the  Jribe  of  Bharata ;  "  v.  40,  6,  Gulham  suryam  tamasd 
apavratena  turlyena  brahmand  avindad  Atrih  \  "  Atri  with  the  fourth 
prayer  (brahmand}  discovered  the  sun  concealed  by  unholy  darkness  ;  " 
vi.  75,  19,  Brahma  varma  mama  antaram  \  "Prayer  (brahma}  is  my 
protecting  armour ;  "  vii.  33,  3,  Eva  id  nit  kam  ddsardjne  Suddsam  prd- 
vad  Indro  brahmand  vo  Vasishthdh  \  "  Indra  preserved  Sudas  in  the 
battle  of  the  ten  kings  through  your  prayer,  o  Vasishthas."  In  ii.  23, 
1,  Brahmanaspati  is  said  to  be  the  "  great  king  of  prayers  "  (jyeshtha- 
rdj'am  brahmandm)  (compare  vii.  97,  3),  and  in  verse  2,  to  be  the  "  gene- 
rator of  prayers"  (janitd  Irahmandm)',  whilst  in  x.  61,  7,  prayer  is 
declared  to  have  been  generated  by  the  gods  (svddhyo  ajanayan  brahma 
devdh}.  Compare  vii.  35,  7. 

Brahman  in  the  masculine  is  no  doubt  derived  from  the  same  root  as 
brahman  neuter,  and  though  differing  from  it  in  accent 4  as  well  as 
gender,  must  be  presumed  to  be  closely  connected  with  it  in  signifi- 
cation, just  as  the  English  "  prayer  "  in  the  sense  of  a  petition  would 
be  with  "prayer,"  a  petitioner,  if  the  word  were  used  in  the  latter 
sense.  As,  then,  brahman  in  the  neuter  means  a  hymn  or  prayer, 
brahman  in  the  masculine  must  naturally  be  taken  to  denote  the  person 
who  composes  or  repeats  a  hymn  or  prayer.  We  do  not,  however,  find 
that  the  composers  of  the  hymns  are  in  general  designated  by  the  word 

hymns  are  unacceptable  to  Indra,  the  poet  does  not  add  that  he  is  himself  a  priest,  or 
that  he  is  attended  hy  one,  but  that  he  generates  a  hymn ;  and  the  same  sense  is 
required  by  what  follows  in  the  second  verse.  Accordingly  we  find  that  Suyana 
explains  abrahmanah  by  stotra-Kinah,  "  destitute  of  hymns."  The  same  sense  is 
equally  appropriate  in  the  next  passage  cited,  x.  105,  8.  On  iv.  16,  9,  where  abrah- 
nia  is  an  epithet  of  dasyu,  "demon,"  Sayana  understands  it  to  mean."  without  a 
priest,"  but  it  may  mean  equally  well  or  better,  "  without  devotion,  or  prayer." 

*  In  brahman  neuter  the  accent  is  on  the  first  syllable ;  in  brahman  masculine  on 
the  last. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  243 

br&hman,  the  name  most  commonly  applied  to  them  being  rishi,  though 
they  are  also  called  vipra,  vedhas,  Icavi,  etc.  (see  vol.  iii.  of  this  work, 
pp.  116  if.).  There  are,  however,  a  few  texts,  such  as  i.  80,  1  ;  i.  164, 
35;  ii.  12,  6;  ii.  39,  1 ;  v.  31,  4 ;  v.  40,  8;  ix.  113,  6,  etc.,  in  which 
the  brdhmdn  may  or  must  be  understood  as  referred  to  in  the  capacity 
of  author  of  the  hymn  he  utters.  So,  too,  in  ii.  20,  4,  and  vi.  21,  8,  a 
new-  composer  of  hymns  seems  to  be  spoken  of  under  the  appellation  of 
nutdnasya  brahmanyatah ;  and  in  ii.  19,  8,  the  Grritsamadas  are  referred 
to  both  as  the  fabricators  of  a  new  hymn  (manma  navlyah]  and  as  (brdh- 
manydntaK)  performing  devotion.5  In  three  passages,  vii.  28,  2  ;  vii.  70, 
5,  and  x.  89,  16,  the  brdhmd  and  Ir&hmani,  "prayer"  and  "prayers," 
or  "hymn"  and  "  hymns,"  of  the  rishis  are  spoken  of;  and  in  vii.  22, 
9,  it  is  said,  "that  both  the  ancient  and 'the  recent  rishis  have  generated 
prayers"  (ye  chapurve  rishayo  ye  cha  nutndh  Tndra  Irahmdni  janayanta 
viprdh}.  In  i.  177,  5,  we  find  brahmdni  Mroh,  "the  prayers  of  the 
poet."  The  fact  that  in  various  hymns  the  authors  speak  of  themselves 
as  having  received  valuable  gifts  from  the  princes  their  patrons,  and 
that  they  do  not  there  allude  to  any  class  of  officiating  priests  as  separate 
from  themselves,  would  also  seem  to  indicate  an  identity  of  the  poet  and 
priest  at  that  early  period. 

The  term  brahman  must  therefore,  as  we  may  conclude,  have  been 
originally  applied  (1)  to  the  same  persons  who  are  spoken  of  elsewhere 
in  the  hymns  as  rishi,  kavi,  etc.,  and  have  denoted  devout  worshippers 
and  contemplative  sages  who  composed  prayers  and  hymns  which  they 
themselves  recited  in  praise  of  the  gods.  Afterwards  when  the  cere- 
monial gradually  became  more  complicated,  and  a  division  of  sacred 
functions  took  place,  the  word  was  more  ordinarily  employed  (2)  for  a 
minister  of  public  worship,  and  at  length  came  to  signify  (3)  one  par- 
ticular kind  of  priest  with  special  duties.  I  subjoin  a  translation  of 
the  different  passages  in  which  the  word  occurs  in  the  Big-veda,  and  I 
have  attempted  to  classify  them  according  as  it  seems  to  bear,  in  each 
case,  the  first,  second,  or  third  of  the  senses  just  indicated.  This,  how- 
ever, is  not  always  an  easy  task,  as  in  many  of  these  texts  there  is 
nothing  to  fix  the  meaning  of  the  term  with  precision,  and  one  signi- 

6  In  another  place  (x.  96,  5)  Indra  is  said  to  have  been  lauded  by  former  wor- 
shippers, purvebhir  yajvab/iih,  a  term  usually  confined  (as  brahman  was  frequently 
applied)  in  after  times  to  the  offerers  of  sacrifice. 


244  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

fication  easily  runs  into  another,  and  the  same  person  may  be  at  once  the 
author  and  the  reciter  of  the  hymn. 

I.  Passages  in  which  brahman  may  signify  "  contemplator,  sage,  or 
poet." 

(In  all  these  texts  I  shall  leave  the  word  untranslated.) 

i.  80,  1.  Itthd  hi  some  id  made  brahmd  chakdra  varddhanam  \ 

"  Thus  in  his  exhilaration  from  soma  juice  the  brahman  has  made 
(or  uttered)  a  magnifying6  (hymn)." 

i.  164,  34.  Prichhami  tvd  param  antam  prithivydh  prichhami  yatra 
bhuvanasya  ndbhih  \  prichhami  tvd  vrishno  asvasya  retah  prichhami 
vdchah  pdramam  vyoma  \  35.  lyam  vedih  paro  antah  prithivyah  ayaiit 
yajno  bhmanasya  ndbhih  ayam  somo  vrishno  asvasya  reto  brahmd  ayam 
vdchah  paramam  vyoma  \ 

"  I  ask  thee  (what  is)  the  remotest  end  of  the  earth ;  I  ask  where  is 
the  central  point  of  the  world :  I  ask  thee  (what  is)  the  seed  of  the 
vigorous  horse ;  I  ask  (what  is)  the  highest  heaven 7  of  speech.  35. 
This  altar  is  the  remotest  end  of  the  earth ;  this  sacrifice  is  the  central 
point  of  the  world ;  this  soma  is  the  seed  of  the  vigorous  horse ;  this 
brahman  is  the  highest  heaven  of  speech.8 

ii.  12,  6.  Yo  radhrasya  choditd  yah  krisasya  yo  brahmano  nddhamd- 
nasya  klreh  \ 

"He  (Indra)  who  is  the  quick ener  of  the  sluggish,  of  the  emaciated, 
of  the  suppliant  brahman  who  praises  him,"  etc. 

vi.  45,  7.  Brahmdnam  brahma-vdhasam  glrbhih  sakhdyam  rigmiyam  \ 
gam  na  dohase  huve  \ 

"With  hymns  I  call  Indra,  the  brahman, — the  carrier  of  prayers 
(brahmd-vdhasam),  the  friend  who  is  worthy  of  praise, — as  men  do  a 
cow  which  is  to  be  milked." 

vii.  33,  11.  Uta  asi  Maitrdvaruno  Vasishtha  Urvasydh  brahman  manaso 
'dhi  jdtah  \  drapsam  skannam  brahmand  daivyena  visve  deudh  pushkare 
tvd  'dadanta  \ 

"And  thou,  o  Yasishtha,  art  a  son  of  Mitra  and  Varuna  (or  a  Mai- 
travaruna-priest),  born,  o  brahman,  from  the  soul  of  TJrvasI.  All  the 

6  Varddhanam  =  vriddhi-karam  stotram  (Sayana). 

7  Compare  R.V.  iii.  32,  10  ;  x.  109,  4,  below,  and  the  words,  the  highest  heaven  of 
invention." 

8  Compare  R.V.  i.  71  and  x.  125. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG.  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  245 

gods  placed  in  the  vessel  thee,  the  drop  which  had  fallen  through 
divine  contemplation." 

viii.  16,  7.  Indro  brahmd  Indrah  rishir  Indrah  puru  puruhutah  \  ma- 
hdn  mahlbhih  Sachlbhih  \ 

"  Indra  is  a  brdhmdn,  Indra  is  a  rishi,9  Indra  is  much  and  often  in- 
voked, great  through  his  mighty  powers." 

x.  71,  11.  (See  the  translation  of  the  entire  hymn  below.  The  sense 
of  brahman  in  verse  11  will  depend  on  the  meaning  assigned  to  jdta- 
vidyd.') 

x.  77,  1.  (In  this  passage,  the  sense  of  which  is  not  very  clear,  the 
word  brahman  appears  to  be  an  epithet  of  the  host  of  Maruts.) 

x.  85,  3.  Somam  manyate  papivdnyat  sampimshanti  oshadhim  \  somani 
yam  brahmdno  vidur  na  tasya  asndti  kaschana  \  16.  Dve  te  chakre  Surye 
brahmdno  rituthd  viduh  \  atha  ekam  chakram  yad  guhd  tad  addhatayah 

id  viduh  \  34 Surydm  yo  brahmti  vidydt  sa  id  vddhuyam 

arhati  \ 

"  A  man  thinks  he  has  drunk  soma  when  they  crush  the  plant  (so 
called).  But  no  one  tastes  of  that  which  the  brdhmdns  know  to  be 
soma  (the  moon).  16.  The  brdhmdns  rightly  know,  Surya,  that  thou 
hast  two  wheels ;  but  it  is  sages  (addhatayah]  alone  who  know  the  one 
wheel  which  is  hidden.  34.  The  Irahmdn  who  knows  Surya  deserves 
the  bride's  garment."  10 

x.  107,  6.  Tarn  eva  rishim  tarn  u  brahmdnam  ahur  yajnanyam  sdma-gdm 
nktha-sdsam  \  sa  sukrasya  tanvo  veda  tisrah  yah  prathamo  dakshinayd 
rarddha  \ 

"They  call  him  a  rishi,  him  a  brdhmdn,  reverend,  a  chanter  of 
Sama  verses  (sdma-gdm\  and  reciter  of  ukthas, — he  knows  the  three 
forms  of  the  brilliant  (Agni) — the  man  who  first  worshipped  with  a 
largess." 

Even  in  later  times  a  man  belonging  to  the  Kshattriya  and  Vaisya 
castes  may  perform  all  the  Vedic  rites.  Any  such  person,  therefore, 
and  consequently  a  person  not  a  Brahman  might,  according  to  this 
verse,  have  been  called,  though,  no  doubt,  figuratively,  a  priest 
(brahmd}. 

9  Different  deities  are  called  rishi,  kavi,  etc.,  in  the  following  texts  :  v.  29, 1 ;  vi. 
14,  2;  viii.  6,  41 ;  ix.  96,  18 ;  ix.  107,  7  ;  x.  27,  22  ;  x.  112,  9. 

10  See  Dr.  Haug's  Ait.  Br.  vol.  i.  Introduction,  p.  20. 


246  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

x.  117,  7.  ...  Vadan  brahmd  avadato  variiydn  prinann  dpir  aprinan- 
tam  abhi  sydt  \ 

"A  brahman11  who  speaks  is  more  acceptable  than  one  who  does  not 
speak :  a  friend  who  is  liberal  excels  one  who  is  illiberal."  12 

x.  125,  5.  Yam  kdmaye  tarn  tarn  ugram  krinomi  tarn  brahmdnam  tarn 
rishim  tarn  sumedhdm  \ 

"I  (says  Vach)  make  him  whom  I  love  formidable,  him  a  brahman, 
him  a  rishi,  him  a  sage." 

This  would  seem  to  prove  that  sometimes,  at  least,  the  brahman  was 
such  not  by  birth  or  nature,  but  by  special  favour  and  inspiration  of 
the  goddess.  In  this  passage,  therefore,  the  word  cannot  denote  the 
member  of  a  caste,  who  would  not  be  dependent  on  the  good  will  of 
Vach  for  his  position. 

II.  In  the  passages  which  follow  the  word  brahman  does  not  seem  to 
signify  so  much  a  "  sage  or  poet,"  as  a  "  worshipper  or  priest." 

i.  10,  1.  Gdyanti  tvd  gdyatrino  archanti  arkam  arkinah  \  brahmdnas 
tod  S'atakrato  ud  vamsam  iva  yemire  \ 

"The  singers  sing  thee,  the  hymners  recite  a  hymn,  the  brdhmans, 
o  S'atakratu,  have  raised  thee  up  like  a  pole." ls 

i.  33,  9.  Amanyamdndn  abhi  manyamdnair  nir  brahmabhir  adhamo 
dasyum  Indra  \ 

"  Thou,  Indra,  with  the  believers,  didst  blow  against  the  unbelievers, 
with  the  brdhmans  thou  didst  blow  away  the  Dasyu."14 

i.  101,  5.  Yo  visvasya  jagatah  prdnatas  patir  yo  brahmane  prathamo 
gdh  avindat  \  Indro  yo  dasyun  adhardn  avdtirat  .  .  . 

"Indra,  who  is  lord  of  all  that  moves  and  breathes,  who  first  found 
the  cows  for  the  brahman,  who  hurled  down  the  Dasyu." 

i.  1 08,  7.  Yad  Indrdgrii  madathah  sve  durone  yad  brahmani  rdjani  vd 
yajatrd  \  atah  pari  vrishandv  d  hi  ydtam  athd  somasya  pibatam  sutasya  \ 

"  When,  o  adorable  Indra  and  Agni,  ye  are  exhilarated  in  your  own 

11  The  word  here  seems  clearly  to  indicate  an  order  or  profession,  as  the  silent 
priest  is  still  a  priest. 

13  See  Dr.  Haug's  remark  on  this  verse,  Ait.  Br.  Introd.  p.  20.  The  contexts  of 
the  two  last  passages  are  given  in  my  article  "  Miscellaneous  Hymns  from  the  E,.  and 
A.  Vedas,"  pp.  32  f. 

13  Compare  i.  5,  8 ;  i.  7,  1 ;  viii.  16,  9.  See  Dr.  Haug's  remark  on  this  verse, 
Ait.  Br.  Introd.  p  20. 

11  See  on  this  verse  the  remarks  of  M.  Breal,  Hercule  et  Cacus,  etc.  p.  152. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  247 

abode,  or  with  a  brahman  or  a  rdjan,15  come  thence,  ye  vigorous 
(deities),  and  then  drink  of  the  poured  out  soma."  I6 

i.  158,  6.  Dlrghatamdh  Mamateyo  jujurvdn  dasame  yuge  \  apdm  artham 
yatlndm  brahmd  bhavati  sdrathih  \ 

"  Dirghatamas,  son  of  Mamata,  being  decrepit  in  his  tenth  lustre, 
(though)  a  brahman,  becomes  the  charioteer  of  (or  is  borne  upon)  the 
waters  which  are  hastening  to  their  goal." 

(Professor  Aufrecht  understands  this  to  mean  that  Dirghatamas  is 
verging  towards  his  end,  and  thinks  there  is  a  play  on  the  word 
"  charioteer  "  as  an  employment  not  befitting  a  priest.) 

ii.  39,  1.  ...  Gridhrd  iva  vriksham  nidhimantam  acha  \  brahmdnd  iva 
vidathe  ukthasdsd  .  .  .  | 

"  Ye  (Asvins)  (cry)  like  two  vultures  on  a  tree  which  contains  their 
nest;  like  two  brahmans  singing  a  hymn  at  a  sacrifice." 

iv.  50,  7.  Sa  id  rdj'd  pratijanydni  visvd  sushmena  tasthdv  abhi  viryena  \ 
Brihaspatim  yah  subhritam  bibhartti  valguyati  vandate  purva-lhdjam  \ 
8.  Sa  it  fcsheti  sudhitah  okasi  sve  tasmai  ild  pinvate  visvaddriim  \  tasmai 
visah  svayam  eva  namante  yasmin  brahmd  rdjani  purvah  eti  \  9.  Aprattto 
jayati  sam  dhandni  pratijanydni  uta  yd  sajanyd  \  avasyave  yo  varivah 
krinoti  brahmane  rdjd  tarn  avanti  devdh  \ 

"  That  king  overcomes  all  hostile  powers  in  force  and  valour  who 
maintains  Brihaspati  in  abundance,  who  praises  and  magnifies  him  as 
(a  deity)  enjoying  the  first  distinction.  8.  He  dwells  prosperous  in  his 
own  palace,  to  him  the  earth  always  yields  her  increase,17  to  him  the 

15  A  distinction  of  orders  or  professions  appears  to  be  here  recognised.  But  in  v.  54, 7, 
a  ruhi  and  a  rajan  are  distinguished  much  in  the  same  way  as  a  brahman  and  rafan 
are  in  i.  108,  7  :  Sa  najlynieMaruto  na  hanyate  na  tredhati  na  vyathate  na  rishyati  \ 
na  asya  rayah  upa  dasyanti  na  utayah  rishim  va  yam  rajanam  va  sushudatha  \  "  That 
man,  whether  rishi  or  prince,  whom  ye,  o  Maruts,  support,  is  neither  conquered  nor 
killed,  he  neither  decays  nor  is  distressed,  nor  is  injured ;  his  riches  do  not  decline, 
nor  his  supports."     Compare  v.  14,  where  it  is  said :   Yugam  rayim  marutah  sparha- 
viram  yuyam  rishim  avatha  sama-vipram  |  yuyam  arvantam  Bharataya  vajath  yuyam 
dhattha  rajanam  srmhtimantam  \  "  Ye,  o  Maruts,  give  riches  with  desirable  men,  ye 
protect  a  rishi  who  is  skilled  in  hymns  ;  ye  give  a  horse  and  food  to  Bharata,  ye  make 
a  king  prosperous."    In  iii.  43,  5,  reference  is  found  to  Vis'vamitra,  or  the  author, 
being  made  by  Indra  both  a  prince  and  a  rishi  (kuvid  ma  gopaih  karase  janasya  kuvid 
rajanam  maghavann  rijishin  \  kuvid  ma  rishim  papivamsam  nutasya). 

16  See  on  this  verse  Prof.  Benfey's  note,  Orient  und  Occident,  3,  142. 

17  Compare  R.V.  v.  37,  4  f. :  Na  sa  raja  vyathate  yasminn  Indras  tlvram  somam 
pwati  go-sakhayam  \  "  That  king  suffers  no  distress  in  whose  house  Indra  drinks  the 
pungent  soma  mixed  with  milk,"  etc. 


248  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

people  bow  down  of  themselves, — that  king  in  whose  house  a  brahman 
walks  first.18  9.  Unrivalled,  he  conquers  the  riches  both  of  his  enemies 
and  his  kinsmen — the  gods  preserve  the  king  who  bestows  wealth  on 
the  brahman  who  asks  his  assistance." 19 

iv.  58,  2.  Vayam  nama  pra  bravdma  ghritasya  asmin  yajne  dhdraydma 
namobhih  \  upa  Brahma  srinavat  sasyamdnam  chatuh-sringo  avamld  gau- 
rah  etat  \ 

"  Let  us  proclaim  the  name  of  butter  ;  let  us  at  this  sacrifice  hold  it 
(in  mind)  with  prostrations.  May  the  brahman  (Agni  ?)  hear  the  praise 
which  is  chanted.  The  four-horned  bright-coloured  (god)  has  sent  this 
forth." 

v.  29,  3.  Uta  brahmdno  Ma/ruto  me  asya  Indrah  somasya  susTiutasya 
peydh  \ 

"  And,  ye  Maruts,  brahmans,  may  Indra  drink  of  this  my  soma  which 
has  been  poured  out,"  etc. 

v.  31,  4.  Anavas  te  ratham  asvdya  takshan  Tvashtd  vajram  puruhuta 
dyumantam  \  brahmdnah  Indram  mahayanto  arkair  avarddhayann  Ahaye 
hantavai  u  \ 

"  The  men20  have  fashioned  a  car  for  thy  (Indra' s)  horse,  and  Tvashtri 
a  gleaming  thunderbolt,  o  god  greatly  invoked.  The  brahmans,  magni- 
fying Indra,  have  strengthened  him  for  the  slaughter  of  Ahi." 

v.  32,  12.  Eva  hi  tvdm  rituthd  ydtayantam  maghd  viprebhyo  dadatam 
srinomi  \  kim  te  brahmdno  grihate  sakhdyo  ye  tvdydh  nidadhuh  kdmam 

Indra  \ 

"  I  hear  of  thee  thus  rightly  prospering,  and  bestowing  wealth  on, 

the  sages  (yiprebhyaK).  "What,  o  Indra,  do  the  brahmans,  thy  friends, 
who  have  reposed  their  wishes  on  thee,  obtain  ? " 

v.  40,  8.  Grdvno  brahmd  yuyujdnah  saparyan  kirind  devdn  namasu 
ttpasikshan  \  Atrili  suryasya  dim  chakshur  d  adhdt  Svarbhdnor  apa  md- 
ydh  ctffhukshat  \ 

"  Applying  the  stones  (for  pressing  soma),  performing  worship, 
honouring  the  gods  with  praise  and  obeisance,  the  brahman  Atri  placed 

18  Compare  viii.  69,  4  ;    x.  39,  11 ;    x.  107,  5;  and  the  word  purohita,  used  of  a 
ministering  priest  as  one  placed  in  front.     Prof.  Aufrecht,  however,  would  translate 
the  last  words,  "  under  whose  rule  the  priest  receives  the  first  or  principal  portion." 

19  See  on  this  passage  Roth's  article,  "  On  Brahma  and  the  Brahmans,"  Journ. 
Germ.  Or.  Soc.  i.  77  ff.     See  also  Aitareya  Brahmana,  viii.  26. 

20  Are  the  Ribhus  intended  r 


ACCOEDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  249 

the  eye  of  the  sun  in  the  sky,  and  swept  away  the  magical  arts  of 
Svarbhanu." 

vii.  7,  5.  Asddi  vrito  vahnir  djaganvdn  Agnir  brahmd  nri-shadane 
cidJiarttd  \ 

"  The  chosen  bearer  (of  oblations),  Agni,  the  brdfimdn,  having  arrived, 
has  sat  down  in  a  mortal's  abode,  the  upholder." 

vii.  42,  1.  Pro,  brahmtino  Angiraso  nakshanta  \ 

"  The  brahmdns,  the  Angirases,  have  arrived,"  etc. 

viii.  7,  20.  Kva  nunam  suddnavo  madatha  vrikta-barhishah  \  brahmd 
ko  vah  saparyati  \ 

11  Where  now,  bountiful  (Maruts),  are  ye  exhilarated,  with  the  sacri- 
ficial grass  spread  beneath  you  ?  "What  brahman  is  serving  you  ?  " 

viii.  17,  2.  A  tvd  Irahma-yujd  hari  vdhatdm  Indra  Icesind  \  upa  brah- 
mdni  nah  srinu  \  3.  Brahmdnas  tvd  vayam  yujd  somapdm  Indra  sominah  I 
sutdvanto  havdmahe  \ 

"Thy  tawny  steeds  with  flowing  manes,  yoked  hy  prayer  (brahma- 
yuja}*1  bring  thee  hither,  Indra ;  listen  to  our  prayers  (brahmdm).  3. 
We  brahmdns,  offerers  of  soma,  bringing  oblations,  continually  invoke 
the  drinker  of  soma." 

viii.  31,  1.  Yo  yajdti  yajdte  it  sunavach  cha,  pachdti  cJia  \  brahmd  id 
Indrasya  chdkanat  \ 

"  That  brahman  is  beloved  of  Indra  who  worships,  sacrifices,  pours 
out  libations,  and  cooks  offerings." 

viii.  32,  16.  Na  nunam  brahmandm  rinam  prdsundm  asti  sunvatdm  \ 
na  somo  a/pratd  pape  \ 

11  There  is  not  now  any  debt  due  by  the  active  brahmdns  who  pour 
out  libations.  Soma  has  not  been  drunk  without  an  equivalent." 

viii.  33,  19.  Adhah  pasyasva  md  upari  santaram  pddalcau  Tiara  \  md 
te  kasa-plakau  drisan  stri  hi  brahmd  babhuvitha  \ 

"  Look  downward,  not  upward ;  keep  thy  feet  close  together ;  let 
them  not  see  those  parts  which  should  be  covered ;  thou,  a  brdhmdn, 
hast  become  a  woman." 

viii.  45,  39.  A  te  etd  vacho-yujd  harl  gribJine  sumadrathd  \  yad  Im 
brahmabhyah  id  dadah  \ 


21  Compare  viii.  45,  39,  below:    brahma-yuj  occurs  also  in  i.  177,  2;   iii.  35,  4 ; 
viii.  1,  24  ;  viii.  2,  27. 


250  MUTUAL  KELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

"  I  seize  these  thy  tawny  steeds,  yoked  by  our  hymn  (vacho-yujd}™ 
to  a  splendid  chariot,  since  thou  didst  give  (wealth)  to  the  brahmans. 

viii.  53,  7.  ITva  sya  vrishabho  yuvd  tuvi-grlvo  andnatah  \  Brahma  leas 
tarn  saparyati  \ 

"  "Where  is  that  vigorous,  youthful,  large-necked,  unconquered  (In- 
dra)  ?  "What  brahman  serves  him  ? 

viii.  66,  5.  Abhi  Gandharvam  atrinad  abudhneshu  rajassu  a  \  Indro 
brahmabhyah  id  vridhe  \ 

"  Indra  clove  the  Gandharva  in  the  bottomless  mists,  for  the  pros- 
perity of  the  brahmans." 

viii.  81,  30.  Mo  su  brahmd  iva  tandrayur  bhuvo  vdjdndm  pate  \  matsva 
sutasya  gomatah  \ 

11  Be  not,  o  lord  of  riches  (Ihdra),  sluggish  like  a  brahman.™  Be  ex- 
hilarated by  the  libation  mixed  with  milk." 

viii.  85,  5.  A  yad  vajram  bdhvor  Indra  dhatse  mada~chyutam  Ahave 
hantavai  u  \  pra  parvatdh  anavanta  pra  brahmdno  abhinakshanta  Indram  \ 

""When,  Indra,  thou  seizest  in  thine  arms  the  thunderbolt  which 
brings  down  pride,  in  order  to  slay  Ahi,  the  (aerial)  hills  and  the  cows 
utter  their  voice,  and  the  brahmans  draw  near  to  thee." 

ix.  96,  6.  Brahma  devdndm  padavlh  Icavlnam  rishir  viprdndm  mahisho 
mrigdndm  \  iyeno  gridhrdndm  svadhitir  vananam  somah  pavitram  ati  eti 
rebhan  \ 

"  Soma,  resounding,  overflows  the  filter,  he  who  is  a  brahman  among 
the  gods,  a  leader  among  poets,  a  rishi  among  the  wise,  a  buffalo  among 
wild  beasts,  a  falcon  among  kites,  an  axe  among  the  woods." 

ix.  112,  1.  Ndndndm  vai  u  no  dhiyo  vi  vratdni  jandndm  \  tdkshd  rish- 
tam  rutam  Wiishag  brahma,  sunvantam  ichhati. 

"  Various  are  the  thoughts  and  endeavours  of  us  different  men.  The 
carpenter  seeks  something  broken,  the  doctor  a  patient,  the  brahman 
some  one  to  offer  libations." 24 

22  Compare  yiii.  87,  9,  yunjanti  hart  ishirasya  gathaya   urau  rathe  uruyuge  \ 
Indra-vaha  vaclioyuja ;   i.  7,  2,  vachoyuja ;   i.  14,  6,  manoyuja ;   vi.  49,  5,  ratho 
....  manasa  yujanah. 

23  Dr.  Haug  (Introd.  to  Ait.  Br.  p.  20)  refers  to  Ait.  Br.  v.  34,  as  illustrating  this 
reproach.     See  p.  376  of  his  translation.    This  verse  clearly  shows  that  the  priests 
formed  a  professional  body. 

24  This  verse  also  distinctly  proves  that  the  priesthood  already  formed  a  profession. 
Verse  3  of  the  same  hymn  is  as  follows :  "  I  am  a  poet,  my  father  a  physician,  my 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.          251 

ix.  113,  6.  Yatra  brahmd  pavamdna  chhandasydm  vdcham  vadan  \ 
grdvnd  some  mahlyate  somena  dnandam  janayann  Indrdya  Indo  pari 
srava  -\ 

"  0  pure  Soma,  in  the  place  where  the  brahman,  uttering  a  metrical 
hymn,  is  exalted  at  the  soma  sacrifice  through  (the  sound  of)  the  crush- 
ing-stone, producing  pleasure  with  soma,  o  Indu  (Soma)  flow  for  Indra." 

x.  28,  11.  Tebhyo  godhd  ayatham  karshad  etad  ye  brahmanah  pratipl- 
yanti  annaih  \  sime  ukshnah  avasrishtdn  adanti  svayam  baldni  tanvah 
srindndh  \  (The  word  brahmanah  occurs  in  this  verse,  but  I  am  unable 
to  offer  any  translation,  as  the  sense  is  not  clear.) 

x.  71,  11.  (See  translation  of  this  verse  below,  where  the  entire 
hymn  is  given.) 

x.  85,  29.  Para  dehi  sdmulyam  brahmabhyo  vi  bhaja  vasu  \   .  .  .    35. 
Surydydh  pasya  rupdni  tdni  brahmd  tu  iundhati  \ 
.     "  Put  away  that  which  requires  expiation  (?).     Distribute  money  to 
the  brdhmans.  ...    35.  Behold  the  forms  of  Surya.    But  the  brahman 
purifies  them." 

x.  141,  3.  Somam  rdjdnam  avase  Agnim  girlhir  havdmahe  \  Aditydn 
Vi&hnum  Suryam  brahmdnam  cha  Brihaspatim  \ 

11  "With  hymns  we  invoke  to  our  aid  king  Soma,  Agni,  the  Adityas, 
Yishnu,  Surya,  and  Brihaspati,  the  brahmdn. 

III.  In  the  following  passages  the  word  brahman  appears  to  designate 
the  special  class  of  priest  so  called,  in  contradistinction  to  hotri,  udgdtri, 
and  adhvaryu. 

ii.  1,  2  (=  x.  91,  10).  Tava  Agne  hotram  tava  potram  ritviyam  ta/va 
neshtraffi  tvam  id  agnid  ritdyatah  \  tava  prasdstram  tvam  adhvanyasi 
Irahmd  cha  asi  grihapatis  cha  no  dame  \  2.  Tvam  Agne  Indro  vrishalhah 
satdm  asi  tvam  Vishnur  urugdyo  namasyah  \  tvam  brahmd  rayivid  JBrah- 
manaspate  tvam  vidharttah  sachase  purandhyd  \ 

"  Thine,  Agni,  is  the  office  of  hotri,  thine  the  regulated  function  of 
potri,  thine  the  office  of  neshtri,  thou  art  the  agnidh  of  the  pious  man, 
thine  is  the  function  of  prasdstri,  thou  actest  as  adhvaryu,  thou  art  the 
brtihman,  and  the  lord  of  the  house  in  our  abode.  2.  Thou,  Agni,  art 
Indra,  the  chief  of  the  holy,  thou  art  Vishnu,  the  wide-stepping,  the 

mother  a  grinder  of  corn  "  (karur  aham  tato  bhishag  upala-prakshim  nana).  Unfor- 
tunately there  is  nothing  further  said  which  could  throw  light  on  the  relations  in 
which  the  different  professions  and  classes  of  society  stood  to  each  other. 


252  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

adorable,  thou,  o  Brahmanaspati,  art  the  brahman,  the  possessor  of 
wealth,  thou,  o  sustainer,  art  associated  with  the  ceremonial." 

iv.  9,  3.  Sa  sadma  pari  niyate  hotd  mandro  divishtishu  \  uta  potd  ni 
shldati  |  4.  Uta  gnd  Agnir  adhvare  uta  grihapatir  dame  \  uta  brahmd  ni 
shldati  | 

"  He  (Agni)  is  led  round  the  house,  a  joyous  hotri  at  the  ceremonies, 
and  sits  a  potri.  4.  And  Agni  is  a  wife  (i.e.  a  mistress  of  the  house) 
at  the  sacrifice,  and  the  master  of  the  house  in  our  abode,  and  he  sits  a 
brahman." 

x.  52,  2.  Aham  hotd  ni  asidam  yajlydn  visve  devdh  maruto  mdjunanti  \ 
ahar  ahar  Asvind  ddhvaryavam  vdm  brahmd  samid  bhavati  sd  ahutir  vdm  \ 

(Agni  says)  "I  have  sat  down  an  adorable  hotri;  all  the  gods,  the 
Maruts,  stimulate  me.  Day  by  day,  ye  Asvins,  I  have  acted  as  your 
adhvaryu  ;  the  brahman  is  he  who  kindles  the  fire :  this  is  your  invo- 
cation." 

I  shall  now  bring  forward  the  whole  of  the  texts  in  which  the  word 
brdhmana,  which,  no  doubt,  originally  meant  a  son,  or  descendant,  of 
a  brahman,  occurs  in  the  Eig-veda.25  They  are  the  following : 

i.  164,  45.  Chatvdri  vdk  parimitd  paddni  tdni  vidur  brdhmandh  ye 
manishinah  \  guhd  trini  nihitd  na  ingayanti  turlyam  vdcho  manushydh 
vadanti  \ 

"  Speech  consists  of  four  defined  grades.  These  are  known  by  those 
brdhmans  who  are  wise.  They  do  not  reveal  the  three  which  are  eso- 
teric. Men  speak  the  fourth  grade  of  speech." 

This  text  is  quoted  and  commented  upon  in  Nirukta  xiii.  9. 

vi.  75,  10.  £rdhmanasah  pitarah  somydsah  sue  no  dydvd-prithivl  ane- 
hasd  |  Pushd  nah  pdtu  duritdd  ritdvridhah  .  .  .  .  j 

''May  the  brahman  fathers,  drinkers  of  soma,  may  the  auspicious, 
the  sinless,  heaven  and  earth,  may  Pushan,  preserve  us,  who  prosper  by 
righteousness,  from  evil,  etc." 

25  There  are  two  more  texts  in  which  the  word  Irahmana  is  found,  viz.  i.  15,  5,  and 
ii.  36,  5,  on  which  see  the  following  note.  The  word  brahmapntra  (compare  As'v. 
S'.  S,  ii.  18,  13)  "  son  of  a  brahman,"  is  found  in  ii.  43,  2 :  Udgatd  iva  sakune  sama 
gayasi  brahma-putrah  iva  savaneshu  samsasi  \  "  Thou,  o  bird,  singest  a  sama  verse 
like  an  udgatri;  thou  singest  praises  like  the  son  of  a  brahman  at  the  libations." 
(Ind.  Stud.  ix.  342  ft0.)  Vipra,  used  in  later  Sanskrit  as  synonymous  with  Brahman,  has 
in  the  R.V.  the  sense  of  "  wise,"  "  sage  "  assigned  by  Nigh.  3,  15  (=medhavi-nama), 
and  in  Nir.  10,  19,=medhavinah.  It  is  often  applied  as  an  epithet  to  the  gods. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  253 

vii.  103,  1  (=  Nirukta  9,  6).  Samvatsaram  sasaydndh  brdhmandh 
vrata-chdrinah  \  vdcham  Parjanya-jinvitdm  pro,  mandukdh  avddishuh 
....  |  7.  Brdhmanaso  atirdtre  na  some  saro  na  purnam  abhito  vadan- 
tah  |  samvatsarasya  tad  ahah  pari  shtha  yad  mandukdh  prdvrishlnam 
babhuva  \  8.  Brdhmandsah  somino  vdcham  akrata  brahma  krinvantah 
parivatsarlnam  \  adhvaryavo  gharminah  sishviddndh  dvir  bhavanti  guhyd 
na  ke  chit  \ 

"  After  lying  quiet  for  a  year,  those  rite-fulfilling  brdhmans 28  the 
frogs  have  (now)  uttered  their  voice,  which  has  been  inspired  by  Par- 
janya  ....  7.  Like  brdhmans  at  the  Atiratra  soma  rite,  like  (those 
brdhmans}  speaking  round  about  the  full  pond  (or  soma-bowl  ^ ),  you, 
frogs,  surround  (the  pond)  on  this  day  of  the  year,  which  is  that  of  the 
autumnal  rains.  8.  These  soma-offeririg  brdhmans  (the  frogs)  have 
uttered  their  voice,  performing  their  annual  devotion  (brahma} ;  these 
adhvaryu  priests  sweating  with  their  boiled  oblations  (or  in  the  hot 
season)  come  forth  from  their  retreats  like  persons  who  have  been 
concealed." 

x.  16,  6.  Yat  te  krishnah  sakunah  dtutoda  pipllah  sarpah  uta  vd  §vd- 
padah  \  Agnis  tad  visvdd  agadam  karotu  Somas  cha  yo  brdhmandn  dvwesa  \ 

"  Whatever  part  of  thee  any  black  bird,  or  ant,  or  serpent,  or  wild 
beast  has  mutilated,  may  Agni  cure  thee  of  all  that,  and  Soma  who  has 
entered  into  the  brdhmans."  K 

26  In  the  Nighantus,  iii.  13,  these  words  brahmanah  vrata-charinah  are  referred  to 
as  conveying  the  sense  of  a  simile,  though  they  are  unaccompanied  by  a  particle  of 
similitude.     In  his  Illustrations  of  the  Nirukta,  p.  126,  Roth  thus  remarks  on  this 
passage  :  "  This  is  the  only  place  in  the  first  nine  mandalas  of  the  R.V.  in  which  the 
word  Brahmana  is  found  with  its  later  sense,  whilst  the  tenth  mandala  offers  a  number 
of  instances.   This  is  one  of  the  proofs  that  many  of  the  hymns  in  this  book  were  com- 
posed considerably  later  (than  the  rest  of  the  R.V.).   The  word  brahmana  has  another 
signification  in  i.  15,  5 ;  ii.  36,  5  ;  and  vi.  75,  10."  (In  the  first  of  these  texts,  Roth 
assigns  to  the  word  the  sense  of  the  Brahman's  soma-vessel.     See  his  Lexicon,  s.v. 
It  does  not  appear  what  meaning  he  would  give  to  the  word  in  vi.  75,  10.    He  has  in 
this  passage  overlooked  R.V.  i.  164,  45,  which,  however,  is  duly  adduced  in  his 
Lexicon).   See  "Wilson's  translation  of  the  hymn ;  as  also  Miiller's,  in  his  Anc.  Sansk. 
Lit.  p.  494  f. 

27  Saras.    See  R.V.  viii.  66,  4,  quoted  in  Nirukta,  v.  11,  where  Yaska  says,  "The 
ritualists  inform  us  that  at  the  mid-day  oblation  there  are  thirty  uJctha  platters 
destined  for  one  deity,  which  are  then  drunk  at  one  draught.     These  are  here  called 
saras."    (Compare  Roth's  Illustrations  on  the  passage.     See  also  R.V.  vi.  17,  llf  and 
viii.  7,  10,  with  Sayana's  explanations  of  all  three  passages). 

28  Compare  A.V.  vii.  115,  1  f. ;  xii.  5,  6. 


254  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

x.  71,  I.29  Brihaspate  prathamam  vdcho  agram  yat  prairata  ndmadhe- 
yam  dadhdndh  \  yad  eshdm  sreshtham  yad  aripram  aslt  prend  tad  eshdm 
nihitam  guhd  dvih  \  2.  (=  Nimkta  iv.  10)  Saktum  iva  titaund  punanto 
yatra  dhirdh  manasd  vdcham  alcrata  \  atra  sakhdyah  sakhydni  jdnate 
bhadrd  eshdm  lakshmir  nihitd  adhi  vdchi  \  3.  Yajnena  vdchah  padaviyam 
dyan  tarn  anv  avindann  rishishu  pravishtdm  \  tarn  dbhritya  vi  adadhuh 
purutrd  tdrh  sapta  rebhdh  abM  sam  navante  \  4.  (=  Nir.  i.  19)  TJta 
tvah  pasyan  na  dadarsa  vdcham  uta  tvah  srinvan  na  irinoti  endm  \ 
uto  tvasmai  tanvam  vi  sasre  jdyd  iva  patye  usatl  suvdsdh  \  5.  (=  Nir. 
i.  20)  Uta  tvam  sakhye  sthirapitam  dhur  na  enam  himanty  api  vdji- 
neshu  \  adhenvd  charati  mdyayd  esha  vdcham  sufruvdn  aphaldm  apush- 
pdm  \  6.  Yas  titydja  sachi-mdam  saJchdyam  na  tasya  vdchi  api  bhago 
asti  |  yad  Im  srinoti  alakam  irinoti  na  hi  praveda  sulcritasya  panthdm  \ 

7.  Akshanvantah  Tcarnavantah  salchdyo  manojaveshu  asamdh  babhuvuh  \ 
ddaahndsah  upahakshdsah  u  tve  hraddh  iva  sndtvdh  u   tve   dadrisre  \ 

8.  (=  Nir.  xiii.  13)  Hridd  tashteshu  manaso  javeshu  yad  brdhmandh 
samyajante  sakhdyah  \   atra  aha  tvam  vi  jahur  vedydbhir  ohabrahmdno 
vi  charanti  u  tve  \   9.  Tme  ye  na  arvdn  na  paras   charanti  na  brdh- 
mandso  na  sute-Tcardsah  \   te  ete  vdcham  abhipadya  papaya,  siris  tantram 
tanvate  aprajajnayah  \    10.  Sarve  nandanti  yasasd  dgatena  sabhd-sahena 
sakhyd  sakhdyah  \  kilbisha-sprit  pitu-shanir  hi  eshdm  aram  hito  bhavati 
vdjindya  \  11.  (=  Mr.  i.  8)  Richdm  tvah  posham  dste  pupushvdn  gdya- 
tram  tvo  adyati  sakvarlshu  \  Brahma  tvo  vadati jdta-vidydm  yajnasya  ma- 
tram  vi  mimlte  u  tvah  \ 

"When,  o  Brihaspati,  men  first  sent  forth  the  earliest  utterance  of 
speech,  giving  a  name  (to  things),  then  all  that  was  treasured  within 
them,  most  excellent  and  pure,  was  disclosed  through  love.  2.  Where- 
ever  the  wise, — as  if  cleansing  meal  with  a  sieve, — have  uttered  speech 
with  intelligence,  there  friends  recognize  acts  of  friendliness;  good 
fortune  dwells  in  their  speech.30  3.  Through  sacrifice  they  came  upon 

29  I  cannot  pretend  that  I  am  satisfied  with  some  parts  of  the  translation  I  have 
attempted  of  this  very  difficult  hymn ;  but  I  give  it  such  as  it  is,  as  the  interpretation 
of  the  Vedic  poems  is  still  to  a  certain  extent  tentative.    Verses  4  and  o  are  explained 
in  Sayaua's  Introduction  to  the  Rig-veda,  pp.  30  f.  of  Miiller's  edition.     I  am  in- 
debted here,  as  elsewhere,  to  Prof.  Aufrecht  for  his  suggestions. 

30  I  quote  here,  as  somewhat  akin  to  this  hymn,  another  from  the  A.V.  vi.  108, 
being  a  prayer  for  wisdom  or  intelligence  :  1.  Tvam  no  medhe  prathama  gobhir  as'vebhir 
a  gahi  \  tvam  suryasya  raimibhis  tvam  no  asi  yajniya  \  2.  Medham  aham  prathamam 


ACCORDING  .TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  255 

the  track  of  speech,  and  found  her  entered  into  the  sishis.  Taking, 
they  divided  her  into  many  parts  : sl  the  seven  poets  celebrate  her  in 
concert.  4.  And  one  man,  seeing,  sees  not  speech,  and  another,  hear- 
ing, hears  her  not ; S2  while  to  a  third  she  discloses  her  form,  as  a  loving 
well-dressed  wife  does  to  her  husband.  5.  They  say  that  one  man  ha.s 
a  sure  defence  in  (her  M)  friendship  ;  he  is  not  overcome  even  in  the  con- 
flicts (of  discussion).  But  that  person  consorts  with  a  barren  delusion 
who  has  listened  to  speech  without  fruit  or  flower.  6.  He  who  aban- 
dons a  friend  who  appreciates  friendship,  has  no  portion  whatever  in 
speech.  All  that  he  hears,  he  hears  in  vain,  for  he  knows  not  the 
path  of  righteousness.  7.  Friends  gifted  both  with  eyes  and  ears  have 
proved  unequal  in  mental  efforts.  Some  have  been  (as  waters)  reaching 
to  the  face  or  armpit,  while  others  have  been  seen  like  ponds  in  which 
one  might  bathe.  8.  "When  Irahmans  who  are  friends  strive  (?)  together 
in  efforts  of  the  mind  produced  by  the  heart,81  they  leave  one  man 
behind  through  their  acquirements,  whilst  others  walk  about  boasting 
to  be  Irahmans.  (This  is  the  sense  Professor  Aufrecht  suggests  for  the 
word  ohabrahmdnah.  Professor  Eoth  s.v.  thinks  it  may  mean  "real 
priests."  The  author  of  Nirukta  xiii.  13,  explains  it  as  meaning 
"reasoning  priests,"  or  "those  of  whom  reasoning  is  the  sacred 
science.")  9.  The  men  who  range  neither  near  nor  far,  who  are  neither 
(reflecting)  Irahmans  nor  yet  pious  worshippers  at  libations, — these, 
having  acquired  speech,  frame  their  web  imperfectly,  (like)  female 

brahmanvaflm  brahma-juiam  rishishtutam  \  prapltam  brahmacharibhir  devanam  avase 
huve  |  3.  Tarn  medham  Ribhavo  vidur  yam  medham  asurah  viduh  \  rishayo  bhadram 
medham  yam  vidus  tarn  mayy  a  vesayamasi  \  4.  Yam  rishayo  bhuta-krito  medham  me- 
dhavino  viduh  \  taya  mam  adya  medhaya  Agne  medhavinani  krinu  \  5,  Medham  sayam 
medham  pratar  medham  madhyandinam  pari  \  medham  suryasya  rasmibhir  vachata  "vesa- 
yamahe  1 .  ".Come  to  us,  wisdom,  the  first,  with  cows  and  horses ;  (come)  thou  with  the 
rays  of  the  sun  ;  thou  art  to  us  an  object  of  worship.  2.  To  (obtain)  the  succour  of  the 
gods,  I  invoke  wisdom  the  first,  full  of  prayer,  inspired  by  prayer,  praised  by  rishis. 
imbibed  by  Brahmacharins.  3,  "We  introduce  within  me  that  wisdom  which  Ribhus 
know,  that  wisdom  which  divine  beings  (asurah}  know,  that  excellent  wisdom  which 
rishis  know.  4.  Make  me,  o  Agni,  wise  to-day  with  that  wisdom  which  the  wise 
rishis  —  the  makers  of  things  existing  —  know.  5.  We  introduce  wisdom  in  the 
evening,  wisdom  in  the  morning,  wisdom  at  noon,  wisdom  with  the  rays  of  the  sun, 
and  with  speech  "  (vachasa}.  Regarding  the  rishayo  bhutakrilah  see  above,  p.  37,  note. 

31  Compare  x.  125,  3;  i.  164,  45 ;  (x.  90,  11);  and  A.V.  xii.  1,  45. 

32  Compare  Isaiah  vi.  9,  10;  and  St.  Matthew  xiii.  14,  15. 
53   Vak-sakhye,  Yaska. 

s*  Compare  i.  171,  2;  ii.  35,  2;  vi.  16,  47. 


256  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

weavers,55  being  destitute  of  skill.  10.  All  friends  rejoice  at  the  ar- 
rival of  a  renowned  friend  who  rules  the  assembly;  for  such  a  one, 
repelling  evil,-  and  bestowing  nourishment  upon  them,  is  thoroughly 
prepared  for  the  conflict  (of  discussion).  11.  One  man  possesses  a 
store  of  verses  (richdm) ;  a  second  sings  a  hymn  (gayatra)  during  (the 
chanting  of)  the  sakvarls;  one  who  is  a  brahman  declares  the  science 
of  being  (jdta-vidydm),  whilst  another  prescribes  the  order  of  the  cere- 
monial." * 

R.V.  x.  88,  19  (=  Nir.  vii.  31).  Ydvan-mdtram  ushaso  na  pratlkatit 
suparnyo  vasate  Mdtarisvah  \  tdvad  dadhati  upa  yajnam  dyan  brdhmano 
hotur  avaro  nishldan  \ 

"  As  long  as  the  fair- winged  Dawns  do  not  array  themselves  in  light, 
o  Matarisvan,  so  long  the  brahman  coming  to  the  sacrifice,  keeps  (the 
fire),  sitting  below  the  hotri-priest." 

(See  Professor  Eoth's  translation  of  this  verse  in  his  Illustrations  of 
the  Nirukta,  p.  113). 

x.  90,  11  (=  A.Y.  xix.  5,  6;  Vaj.  S.  xxxi.).     See  above,  pp.  8-15. 

x.  97,  22.  Oshadhayah  samvadante  Somena  saha  rdjnd  \  yasmai  krinoti 
brdhmanas  tarn  rdjan  paraydmasi  \ 

"  The  plants  converse  with  king  Soma,87  (and  say),  for  whomsoever 
a  brahman  acts  (krinoti,  officiates),  him,  o  king,  we  deliver." 

x.  109,  1.  Te  'vadan  prathamdh  brahma-killishe  akupdrah  salilo  Md- 
tarisvd  \  viluharas  tapa  ugro  mayobhur  dpo  devlr  prathamajdh  ritena  \ 
Soma  rdjd  pratliamo  Irahma-jaydm  punah  prayachhad  ahrimyamdnah  \ 
anvartitd  Varuno  Mitrah  dsld  Agnir  hotd  hastagrihya  nindya  \  3.  Has- 
tena  eva  grdhyah  ddhir  asydh  "  brahma-jdyd  iyam  "  iti  cha  id  avochan  \ 
na  dutdya  prahye  tasthe  eshd  tatJid  rdshtram  gupitam  kshattriyasya  \ 
4.  Devdh  etasydm  avadanta  piirve  sapta  rishayas  tapase  ye  nisheduh  \ 
bhlmd  jdyd  brdhmanasya  upamtd  durdhdm  dadhati  parame  vyoman  \ 


85  Such  is  the  sense  which  Prof.  Aufrecht  thinks  may,  with  probability,  be  assigned 
to  sins,  a  word  which  occurs  only  here. 

86  According  to  Yaska  (Nir.  i.  8),  these  four  persons'  are  respectively  the  hotri, 
udgatri,  brahman,  and  adhvaryu  priests.     The  brahman,  he  says,  being  possessed  of 
all  science,  ought  to  know  everything;    and  gives  utterance  to  his  knowledge  as 
occasion  arises  for  it  (j'ate  jate).     See  Dr.  Haug's  remarks  on  this  verse,  Ait.  Br. 
Introd.  p.  20. 

37  Compare  oshadhlh  Soma-rajriih,  "  the  plants  whose  king  is  Soma,"  inverses  18 
and  19  of  this  hymn. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  257 

5.  JJrahmachdrl  charati  vevishad  vishah  sa  devdndm  lhavati  ekam  angam  \ 
tena  jdyam  anv  avindad  Brihaspatih  Somena  nitam  juhvaih  na  devah  \ 

6.  Punar  vai  devdh  adaduh  punar  manushydh  uta   \  'rdjdnah  satyam 
krinvdnah  brahma-jdydm  punar  daduh  \   7.  Punarddya  brahma-jdydm 
kritvl  devair  nikilbisham  \  urjam  prithivydh  bhaktvdya  urugdyam  updsate  \ 

"  These  (deities),  the  boundless,  liquid  Matarisvan  (Air),  the  fiercely- 
flaming,  ardently-burning,  beneficent  (Fire),  and  the  divine  primeval 
Waters,  first  through  righteousness  exclaimed  against  the  outrage  on 
a  brahman.     2.  King  Soma,38  unenvious,  first  gave  back  the  brahman  s 
wife ;  Varuna  and  Mitra  were  the  inviters ;  .Agni,  the  invoker,  brought 
her,  taking  her  hand.     3.  When  restored,  she  had  to  be  received  back 
by  the  hand,  and  they  then  proclaimed  aloud,  '  This  is  the  brahman's 
wife ; '  she  was  not  committed  to  a  messenger  to  be  sent : — in  this  way 
it  is  that  the  kingdom  of  a  ruler  (or  Kshattriya)  remains  secured  to 
him.89     4.  Those  ancient  deities,  the  Bishis,  who  sat  down  to  perform 
austerities,  spoke  thus  of  her,  '  Terrible  is  the  wife  of  the  brahman ; 
when  approached,  she  plants  confusion-in  the  highest  heaven.40   5.  The 
Brahmacharin 41  (religious  student)  continues  to  perform  observances. 
He  becomes  one  member42  of  the  gods.  Through  him  Brihaspati  obtained 
his  wife,  as  the  gods  obtained  the  ladle  which  was  brought  by  Soma. 
6.  The  gods  gave  her  back,  and  men  gave  her'  back ;  kings,  performing 
righteousness,  gave  back  the  brahman's  wife.    7.  Giving  back  the  brah- 
man's wife,  delivering  themselves  from  sin  against  the  gods,   (these 
kings)  enjoy  the  abundance  of  the  earth,  and  possess  a  free  range  of 
movement." 

38  Compare  R.V.  x.  85,  39  ff.  (=A.V.  xiv.  2,  2  ff.)  Punah  patnlm  Agnir  adad 
ayushii  saha  varchasa  \  dirghayur  asyah  yah patir  jivati  saradah  satam  \  40.  S&mah 
prathamo  vivide  Gandharvo  vivide  uttarah  (the  A.V.  reads  :  Somasyajaya  prathamam 
Gandharvas  te  'parah  patih)  \  trifiyo  Agnish  te  patis  turlyas  te  manmhyajah  \  Somo 
dadad  Gandharvaya  Gandharvo  dadad  Agnaye  \  ruyi7n  cha  putrams  ehadad  Agnir 
mahyam  atho  imam  \  "  Agni  gave  back  the  wife  with  life  and  splendour  :  may  he  who 
is  her  husband  live  to  an  old  age  of  100  years!  Soma  was  thy  first,  the  Gandharva 
was  thy  second,  Agni  thy  third,  husband ;  thy  fourth  is  one  of  human  birth.  Soma 
gave  her  to  the  Gandharva,  the  Gandharva  to  Agni,  Agni  gave  me  wealth  and  sons, 
and  then  this  woman."  The  idea  contained  in  this  passage  may  possibly  be  referred 
to  in  the  verse  before  us  (x.  109,  2). 

39  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Aufrecht  for  this  explanation  of  the  verse. 

40  See  R.V.  i.  164,  34,  35,  above. 

41  See  my  paper  on  the  Progress  of  the  Vedic  Religion,  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Asiatic  Society  for  1865,  pp.  374  ff. 

«  See  A.V.  x.  7,  1  ff. ;  9,  26. 

17 


258  MUTUAL  EELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

This  hymn  is  repeated  in  the  Atharva-veda  with  the  addition  of  ten 
more  verses  which  I  shall  quote  in  the  next  section. 

I  shall  here  state  summarily  the  remarks  suggested  by  a  perusal  of 
the  texts  which  I  have  quoted,  and  the  conclusions  which  they  appear 
to  authorize  regarding  the  relation  of  the  Vedic  poets  and  priests  to  the 
other  classes  of  the  Indian  community  at  the  time  when  the  earlier 
hymns  of  the  Big-veda  were  composed. 

First:  Except  in  the  Purusha  Sukta  (translated  above  in  pp.  9ff.) 
there  is  no  distinct  reference  in  the  hymns  to  any  recognised  system 
of  four  castes. 

Second:  In  one  text  (iii.  34,  9,  see  p.  176)  where  mention  is  made 
of  the  Aryan  "  colour,"  or  "  race,"  all  the  upper  classes  of  the  Indian 
community  are  comprehended  under  one  designation,  as  the  Kshattriyas 
and  Vaisyas  as  well  as  the  Brahmans  were  always  in  after-times  re- 
garded as  Aryas  (see  above,  p.  176.) 

Third :  The  term  brdhmdna  occurs  only  in  eight  hymns  of  the  Eig- 
veda,  besides  the  Purusha  Sukta,  whilst  brahman  occurs  in  forty-six. 
The  former  of  these  words  could  not  therefore  have  been  in  common 
use  at  the  time  when  the  greater  part  of  the  hymns  were  composed. 
The  term  rdjanya  is  found  only  in  the  Purusha  Sukta ;  and  kshattriya 
in  the  sense  of  a  person  belonging  to  a  royal  family,  a  noble,  occurs 
only  in  a  few  places,  such  as  x.  109,  S.48  The  terms  Vaisya  and  Sudra 
are  only  found  in  the  Purusha  Sukta,  although  vis,  from  which  the 
former  is  derived,  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in  the  sense  of  "people" 
(see  p.  14,  above). 

Fourth :  The  word  brahman,  as  we  have  seen,  appears  to  have  had 
at  first  the  sense  of  "  sage,"  "  poet ; "  next,  that  of  "  officiating  priest; " 
and  ultimately  that  of  a  "  special  description  of  priest." 

Fifth :  In  some  of  the  texts  which  have  been  quoted  (particularly 
i.  108,  7  ;  iv.  50,  8f. ;  viii.  7,  20;  viii.  45,  39;  viii.  53,  7;  viii.  81, 
30;  ix.  112,  1;  x.  85,  29)  brahman  seems  to  designate  a  "  priest  by 
profession." 

Sixth :  In  other  places  the  word  seems  rather  to  imply  something 
peculiar  to  the  individual,  and  to  denote  a  person  distinguished  for 

«  This  text  is  quoted  above.  In  viii.  104,  13,  Kshattriya  is  perhaps  a  neuter  sub- 
stantive :  Na  vai  u  Somo  vrijinam  hinoti  na  kshattriyam  mithuya  dharayantam  \ 
"  Soma  does  not  prosper  the  sinner,  nor  the  man  who  wields  royal  power  deceitfully." 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  259 

genius  or  virtue  (x.  107,  6),  or  elected  by  special  divine  favour  to 
receive  the  gift  of  inspiration  (x.  125,  5). 

Seventh  :  BrdJimana  appears  to  be  equivalent  to  brtihma-putra,  "  the 
son  of  a  brahman  "  (which,  as  we  have  seen,  occurs  in  ii.  4.3,  2),  and 
the  employment  of  such  a  term  seems  necessarily  to  presuppose  that,  at 
the  time  when  it  began  to  become  current,  the  function  of  a  brdhman, 
the  priesthood,  had  already  become  a  profession. 

The  Big-veda  Sanhita  contains  a  considerable  number  of  texts  in 
which  the  large  gifts  of  different  kinds  bestowed  by  different  princes 
on  the  authors  of  the  hymns  are  specified,  and  these  instances  of  bounty 
are  eulogized. 

Of  these  passages  R.V.  i.  125  ;  i.  126;  v.  27  ;  v.  30,  12  ff. ;  v.  61, 
10;  vi.  27,  8 ;  vi.  45,  31  ff. ;  vi.  47|  22  ff.  may  be  consulted  in  Prof. 
"Wilson's  translation ;  and  a  version  of  R.V.  x.  107,  which  contains  a 
general  encomium  on  liberality  will  be  found  in  the  article  entitled 
"  Miscellaneous  Hymns  from  the  Rig-  and  Atharva-vedas,"  in  the 
Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866,  p.  32  f.  The  following 
further  texts,  which  describe  the  presents  given  by  different  princes 
to  the  rishis,  viz.  vii.  18,  22  ff. ;  viii.  3,  21  ff. ;  viii.  4,  19  ff. ;  viii.  5, 
37  ff.;  viii.  6,  46  ff.;  viii.  19,  36  f. ;  viii.  21,  17  f.;  viii.  24,  29  f. ; 
viii.  46,  21  ff.;  viii.  54,  10  ff.;  viii.  57,  14  ff. ;  x.  33,  4ff.;  x.  62, 
6  ff. ;  x.  93,  14  f.  are  translated  in  the  article  "  On  the  relations  of  the 
priests  to  the  other  classes  of  Indian  Society  in  the  Vedic  age  "  in  the 
same  Journal  for  1866,  pp.  272  ff.,  to  which  I  refer. 

On  the  other  hand  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  contain  numerous 
references  to  persons  who,  if  not  hostile,  were  at  least  indifferent  and 
inattentive  to  the  system  of  worship  which  the  rishis  professed  and  in- 
culcated ;  and  niggardly  in  their  offerings  to  the  gods  and  their  gifts  to 
the  priests.  The  article  to  which  I  have  just  referred  contains  (pp. 
286  ff.)  a  long  list  of  such  passages,  from  which  I  extract  the 
following : 

i.  84,  7.  Yah  ekah  id  vidayate  vasu  marttdya  ddsushe  \  Isdno  apratish- 
hitah  Indro  anga  \  8.  Kadd  martyam  arddhasam  padd  kshumpam  iva 
sphurat  \  Icadd  nah  su&ruvad  girah  Indro  anga  \ 

"  Indra,  who  alone  distributes  riches  to  the  sacrificing  mortal,  is  lord 
and  irresistible.  8.  "WTien  will  Indra  crush  the  illiberal  man  like  a 
bush  with  his  foot  ?  when  will  he  hear  our  hymns  ?  " 


260  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

i.  101,  4.  .  .  .  vilos  chid  Indro  yo  asunvato  vadhah  •  •  •  | 

"  Indra,  who  is  the  slayer  of  him,  however  strong,  who  offers  no 
libations." 

i.  122,  9.  Jano  yo  Mitrd-varundv  abhidhrug  apo  na  vdm  sunoti  akshna- 
yddhruk  \  svayam  sa  yakshmam  hridaye  ni  dliatte  dpa  yad  Im  hotrdbhir 
ritdvd  \ 

"The  hostile  man,  the  malicious  enemy,  who  pours  out  no  libations 
to  you,  o  Mitra  and  Varuna,  plants  fever  in  his  own  heart,  when  the 
pious  man  has  by  his  offerings  obtained  (your  blessing)." 

i.  125,  7.  Ma  prinanto  duritam  enah  a  aran  ma  jdrishuh  surayah 
suvratdsah  \  anyas  teshdm  paridhir  astu  has  chid  aprinantam  abhi  sam 
yantu  sokdh  \ 

"  Let  not  the  liberal  suffer  ef  il  or  calamity ;  let  not  devout  sages 
decay ;  let  them  have  some  further  term ;  let  griefs  befall  the  illiberal 
'aprinantam). 

i.  182,  3.  Kim  atra  dasrd  krinuthah  kim  dsdthejano  yah  kaschidahavir 
mahlyate  \  ati  kramishtam  juratam  paner  asum  jyotir  viprdya  krinutaih 
vachasyave  \ 

"What  do  ye  here,  o  powerful  (Asvins)?  why  do  ye  sit  (in  the 
house  of)  a  man  who  offers  no  oblation,  and  (yet)  is  honoured  ?  Assail, 
wear  away  the  breath  of  the  niggard,  and  create  light  for  the  sage  who 
desires  to  extol  you." 

ii.  23,  4.  Sunltibhir  nayasi  trdyase  janam  yas  tubhyam  ddsad  na  tarn 
amho  asnavat  \  brahma-dvishas  tapano  manyumlr  asi  Brihaspate  mahi  tat 
ie  mahitvanam  \ 

"By  thy  wise  leadings  thou  guidest  and  protectest  the  man  who 
worships  thee ;  no  calamity  can  assail  him.  Thou  art  the  vexer  of  him 
who  hates  devotion  (brahma-dvishah},  and  the  queller  of  his  wrath : 
this,  o  Brihaspati,  is  thy  great  glory." 

iv.  25,  6.  .  .  .  na  asushver  dpir  na  sakhd  na  j'dmir  dmhprtityo  aca- 
hantd  id  avtichah  \  1 .  Na  revatd  panind  sakhyam  Indro  asumatd  suta- 
j)dh  sam  grinlte  \  d  asya  vedah  khidati  hanti  naynam  vi  suslwaye  paktaye 
kevalo  'bhut  \ 

"Indra  is  not  the  relation  or  friend  or  kinsman  of  the  man  who 
offers  no  libations ;  he  is  the  destroyer  of  the  prostrate  irreligious  man. 
7.  Indra,  the  soma-drinker,  accepts  not  friendship  with  the  wealthy 
niggard  who  makes  no  soma-libations  j  but  robs  him  of  his  riches,  and 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG.  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  261 

slays  him  when  stripped  bare,  whilst  he  is  the  exclusive  patron  of  the 
man  who  pours  out  soma  and  cooks  oblations." 

vi.  44,  11.  .  .  .  jahi  asushvln  pro,  vriha  aprinatah  \ 
"  Slay  (o  Indra)  those  who  offer  no  libations  ;  root  out  the  illiberal.' 
viii.  53,  1.  Ut  tvd  mandantu  stomdh  krinushva  rddho  adrivah  \  ava 
brahma-dvisho  jahi  \  pddd  panln  arddhaso  ni  ladhasva  mahdn  asi  \  na  hi 
tva,  kaschana  prati  \ 

"  Let  our  hymns  gladden  thee ;  give  us  wealth,  o  thunderer.  Slay 
the  haters  of  devotion.  2.  Crush  with  thy  foot  the  niggards  who 
bestow  nothing.  Thou  art  great ;  no  one  is  comparable  to  thee." 

It  seems  evident,  then,  from  these  texts  (and  there  are  many  more 
of  the  same  tenor),  that  the  irreligious  man,  the  par  cm  deorum  cultor 
et  mfrequens,  was  by  no  means  a  rare  character  among  the  Aryas  of 
the  Vedic  age,  and  that  the  priests  often  found  no  little  difficulty  in 
drawing  forth  the  liberality  of  their  contemporaries  towards  themselves 
and  in  enforcing  a  due  regard  to  the  ceremonials  of  devotion.  And  if 
we  consider,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  encomiums  on  the  liberality  of 
different  princes  to  the  poets  and  priests  which  are  contained  in  the 
passages  to  which  I  before  adverted,  are  the  production  of  the  class 
whose  pretensions  they  represent,  and  whose  dignity  they  exalt,  we 
shall,  no  doubt,  see  reason  to  conclude  that"  the  value  of  the  presents 
bestowed  has  been  enormously  exaggerated,  and  make  some  deduction, 
from  the  impression  which  these  texts  are  calculated  to  convey  of  the 
estimation  in  which  the  priests  were  held  at  the  time  when  they  were 
composed.  But  after  every  allowance  has  been  made  for  such  consider- 
ations, and  for  the  state  of  feeling  indicated  by  the  complaints  of  irre- 
ligion  and  illiberality  of  which  I  have  cited  specimens,  it  will  remain 
certain  that  the  brahman,  whether  we  look  ijipon  him  as  a  sage  and  poet, 
or  as  an  officiating  priest,  or  in  both  capacities,  was  regarded  with 
respect  and  reverence,  and  even  that  his  presence  had  begun  to  be  con- 
sidered as  an  important  condition  of  the  efficacy  of  the  ceremonial. 
Thus,  as  we  have  already  seen,  in  i.  164,  35,  the  brahman  is  described 
as  the  highest  heaven  of  "speech;"  in  x.  107,  6,  a  liberal  patron  is 
called  a  rishi  and  a  brahman,  as  epithets  expressive  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished eulogy;  in  x.  125,  5,  the  goddess  Vae,h  is  said  to  malse  the  man 
who  is  the  object  of  her  special  affection  a  brahman  and  a  rishi ;  in  vi.  45 
7;  vii.  7,  5;  viii.  16,  7;  and  ix.  96,  6,  the  term  brahman  is  applied 


262  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

honorifically  to  the  gods  Indra,  Agni,  and  Soma ;  in  iv.  50,  8,  9,  great 
prosperity  is  declared  to  attend  the  prince  by  whom  a  brahman  is  em- 
ployed, honoured,  and  succoured;  and  in  iii.  53,  9,  12;  v.  2,  6;  vii. 
33,  2,  3,  5  ;  and  vii.  83,  4,  the  highest  efficacy  is  ascribed  to  the  inter- 
vention and  intercession  of  this  class  of  functionaries. 

Again,  whatever  exaggeration  we  may  suppose  in  the  texts  which 
eulogize  the  liberality  of  princely  patrons,  in  regard  to  the  value  of  the 
presents  bestowed,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  ministers  of 
public  worship,  who  possessed  the  gift  of  expression  and  of  poetry,  who 
were  the  depositaries  of  all  sacred  science,  and  who  were  regarded  as 
the  channels  of  access  to  the  gods,  would  be  largely  rewarded  and 
honoured.44 

44  It  is  to  be  observed  that,  in  these  eulogies  of  liberality,  mention  is  nowhere  made 
of  Brahmans  as  the  recipients  of  the  gifts.  In  two  places,  "mi.  4,  20,  and  x.  33,  4, 
a  rishi  is  mentioned  as  the  receiver.  In  later  works,  such  as  the  S'atapatha  Brah- 
mana,  on  the  contrary,  the  presents  are  distinctly  connected  with  Brahmans.  Thus 
it  is  said  in  that  work,  ii.  2,  2,  6  :  Dvayah  vai  devah  devah  aha  eva  devah  atha  ye 
brahmandh  sumwaniso  'nuchanas  te  manushya-devah  \  teshath  dvedha  vibhaktah  eva 
yajnah  ahutayah  eva  devanam  dakshinah  manushya-devandm  brahmananam  susruvu- 
sham  anuchananam  \  ahutibhir  eva  devan  prmati  dakshinabhir  manushya-devan  brah- 
nianan  sus'ruvmho  'nuchanan  |  te  enam  ubhaye  devah  prltah  sudhayaih  dadhati  \ 
"  Two  kinds  of  gods  are  gods,  viz.  the  gods  (proper),  whilst  those  Brahmans  who 
have  the  Vedic  tradition,  and  are  learned,  are  the  human  gods.  The  worship  (yajna) 
of  these  is  divided  into  two  kinds.  Oblations  constitute  the  worship  offered  to  the 
gods,  and  presents  (dakshina)  that  offered  to  the  human  gods,  the  Brahmans,  who 
possess  the  Vedic  tradition  add  are  learned.  It  is  with  oblations  that  a  man  gratifies 
the  gods,  and  with  presents  that  he  gratifies  the  human  gods,  the  Brahmans,  who 
possess  the  Vedic  tradition,  and  are  learned.  Both  these  two  kinds  of  gods,  when 
gratified,  place  him  in  a  state  of  happiness  "  (sudhayam) ;  (or  "  convey  him  to  the 
heavenly  world,"  as  the  expression  is  varied  in  the  parallel  passage  of  the  same 
work,  iv.  3,  4,  4).  It  is  similarly  said  in  the  Taitt.  Sanh.  i.  7,  3,  1  :  Paroksham  vai 
anye  devah  ijyante  pratyaksham  anye  \  yad  yajate  ye  eva  devah  paroksham  ijyante  tan 
eva  tad  yajati  \  yad  anvaharyam  aharaty.  ete  vai  devah  pratyaksham  yad  brahmanas 
tan  eva  tena  prlnati  \  atho  dakshina  eva  asya  esha  \  atho  yajnasya  eva  chhidram  api- 
dadhati  yad  vai  yajnasya  kruram  yad  vilishtam  tad  anvaharyena  anvaharati  \  tad 
anvaharyasya  anvaharyatvam  \  devadutah  vai  ete  yad  ritvijo  yad  anvaliaryam  aharati 
devadutan  eva  prlnati  \  '.'  Some  gods  are  worshipped  in  their  absence,  and  others  in 
their  presence.  It  is  to  those  gods  who  are  worshipped  in  their  absence  that  the 
sacrificer  offers  the  oblation  which  he  presents.  And  it  is  these  gods  who  are  visible, 
i.e.  the  Brahmans,  whom  he  gratifies  with  the  anvaharya  (present  of  cooked  rice) 
which  he  afterwards  brings.  Now  this  anvaharya  is  the  present  (dakshina)  con- 
nected with  it  (the  sacrifice).  Then  he  covers  over  the  faults  of  the  sacrifice.  What- 
ever in  it  is  excessive  or  defective,  that  he  removes  by  means  of  the  anvaharya.  In 
this  consists  the  nature  of  that  offering.  These  officiating  priests  are  the  messengers 
of  the  gods ;  and  it  is  the  messengers  of  the  gods  whom  the  sacrificer  gratifies  with 
this  anvaharya  gift  which  he  presents." 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  263 

It  is  further  clear,  from  some  of  the  texts  quoted  above  (ii.  1,2;  iv. 
9,  3;  x.  52,  2),  as  well  as  i.  162,  5,  and  from  the  contents  of  hymns  ii.  36  ; 
ii.  37 ;  ii.  43 ;  and  x.  124,  I,45  that  in  the  later  part  of  the  Vedic  era,  to 
which  these  productions  are  probably  to  be  assigned,  the  ceremonial  of 
worship  had  become  highly  developed  and  complicated,  and  that  dif- 
ferent classes  of  priests  were  required  for  its  proper  celebration.46  It  is 
manifest  that  considerable  skill  must  have  been  required  for  the  due 
performance  of  these  several  functions ;  and  as  such  skill  could  only  be 
acquired  by  early  instruction  and  by  practice,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  the  priesthood  must  at  that  period  have  become  a  regular  pro- 
.fession.47  The  distinction  of  king  or  noble  and  priest  appears  to  be 
recognized  in  i.  108,  7,  as  well  as  in  iv.  50,  8,  9;  whilst  in  v.  47, 
7,  14,  a  similar  distinction  is  made  between  king  and  rishi;  and  it  is 
noticeable  that  the  verse,  in  other  respects  nearly  identical,  with  which 
the  36th  and  37th  hymns  of  the  eight  mandala  respectively  conclude, 
ends  in  the  one  hymn  with  the  words,  "Thou  alone,  Indra,  didst 
deliver  Trasadasyu  in  the  conflict  of  men,  magnifying  prayers  "  (brah- 
mani  vardhayari)  ;  whilst  in  the  other  the  last  words  are,  "  magnifying 
(royal)  powers  "  (Miattrani  vardhayan),  as  if  the  former  contained  a 
reference  to  the  functions  of  the  priest,  and  the  latter  to  those  of  the 
prince.  (Compare  viii.  35,  16,  17.) 

"While,  however,  there  thus  appears  to  be  every  reason  for  supposing 
that  towards  the  close  of  the  Vedic  period  the  priesthood  had  become  a 
profession,  the  texts  which  have  been  quoted,  with  the  exception  of  the 
verse  in  the  Purusha  Sukta  (x.  90,  12),  do  not  contain  anything  which 
necessarily  implies  that  the  priests  formed  an  exclusive  caste,  or,  at 
least,  a  caste  separated  from  all  others  by  insurmountable  barriers,  as  in 
later  times.  There  is  a  wide  difference  between  a  profession,  or  even  a 
hereditary  order,  and  a  caste  in  the  fully  developed  Brahmanical  sense. 

45  See  also  i.  94,  6,  where  it  is  said  :  "  Thou  (Agni)  art  an  adhvaryu,  and  the 
earliest  hotri,  a  pras'astri,  a  potri,  and  by  nature  a  puro\iita.  Knowing  all  the 
priestly  functions  (artvijya)  wise,  thou  nourishest  us,"  etc.  (tvam  adhvaryur  uta 
koto,  'si  purvyah  prasasta  pota  janusha  pttrohitah  \  vis'va  vidvan  artijya  dhlra 
pushy asy  Agne  ity  adi). 

48  See  Prof.  Huller's  remarks  on  this  subject,  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  485  if. ;  and 
Dr.  Haug's  somewhat  different  view  of  the  same  matter  in  his  Introd.  to  Ait.  Br. 
pp.  11  ff. 

43  In  regard  to  the  great  importance  and  influence  of  the  priests,  see  Muller's  Anc. 
Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  485  ff. 


Even  in  countries  where  the  dignity  and  exclusive  prerogatives  of  the 
priesthood  are  most  fully  recognized  (as  'in  Eoman  Catholic  Europe), 
the  clergy  form  only  a  profession,  and  their  ranks  may  be  recruited 
from  all  sections  of  the  community.  So,  too,  is  it  in  most  countries, 
even  with  a  hereditary  nobility.  Plebeians  may  be  ennobled  at  the 
will  of  the  sovereign.  There  is,  therefore,  no  difficulty  in  supposing 
that  in  the  Yedic  era  the  Indian  priesthood — even  if  we  suppose  its 
members  to  have  been  for  the  most  part  sprung  from  priestly  families 
— may  have  often  admitted  aspirants  to  the  sacerdotal  character  from 
dther  classes  of  their  countrymen.  Even  the  employment  of  the  word 
brdhmana  in  the  Eig-veda  does  not  disprove  this.  This  term,  derived 
from  brahman,  "priest,"  need  not,  as  already  intimated,  signify  anything 
further  than  the  son  or  descendant  of  a  priest  (the  word  brahmaputra, 
"  son  of  a  priest,"  is,  as  we  have  seen,  actually  used  in  one  text), — just 
as  the  rujanya  means  nothing  more  than  the  descendant  of  a  king  or 
chief  (rdjan),  a  member  of  the  royal  family,  or  of  the  nobility. 

The  paucity  of  the  texts  (and  those,  too,  probably  of  a  date  compara- 
tively recent)  in  which  the  word  brdhmana  occurs,  when  contrasted 
with  the  large  number  of  those  in  which  brahman  is  found,  seems,  as  I 
have  already  observed,  to  prove  conclusively  that  the  former  word  was 
but  little  employed  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  Yedic  era,  and  only  came 
into  common  use  towards  its  close.  In  some  of  these  passages  (as  in  vii. 
103,  1,  7,  8 ;  x.  88,  19)  there  is  nothing  to  shew  that  the  Brahman  is 
alluded  to  as  anything  more  than  a  professional  priest,  and  in  vii.  103, 
the  comparison  of  frogs  to  Brahmans  may  seem  even  to  imply  a  want  of 
respect  for  the  latter  and  their  office.48  In  other  places  (i.  164,  45, 
and  x.  71,  8,  9)  a  distinction  appears  to  be  drawn  between  intelligent 
and  unintelligent  Brahmans,  between  such  as  were  thoughtful  and 
others  who  were  mere  mechanical  instruments  in  carrying  on  the  cere- 
monial of  worship,49  which,  certainly  points  to  the  existence  of  a  sacer- 
dotal class.  In  another  passage  (x.  97,  22)  the  importance  of  a  Brah- 
man to  the  proper  performance  of  religious  rites  appears  to  be  clearly 
expressed.  In  x.  109,  where  the  words  brahman  (passim]  and  brdk- 

48  See  M  tiller's  remarks  on  this  hymn  in  his  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  494. 

49  In  E.V.  viii.  50,  9,  it  is  said :  "  Whether  an  unwise  or  a  wise  man,  o  Indra,  has 
offered  to  thee  a  hymn,  he  has  gladdened  (thee)  through  his  devotion  to  thee  (avipro 
va  yad  avidhad  vipro  va  Indra  te  vachah  \  sa  pro  mamandat  tvciya  ity  ad$)." 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  265 

mana  (in  verse  4)  seem  to  be  used  interchangeably — the  inviolability 
of  Brahman's  wives,  the  peril  of  interfering  with  them,  and  the  blessing 
attendant  on  reparation  for  any  outrage  committed  against  them,  are 
referred  to  in  such  a  way  as  to  shew  at  once  the  loftiness  of  the  claim 
set  up  by  the  Brahmans  on  their  own  behalf,  and  to  prove  that  these 
pretensions  were  frequently  disregarded  by  the  nobles.  In  x.  16,  6, 
the  Brahmans  are  spoken  of  as  inspired  by  Soma,  and  in  vi.  75,  10,  the 
manes  of  earlier  Brahmans  are  reckoned  among  those  divine  beings  who 
have  power  to  protect  the  suppliant.  But  in  none  of  these  texts  is  any 
clear  reference  made  to  the  Brahmans  as  constituting  an  exclusive  caste 
or  race,  and  nothing  whatever  is  said  about  their  being  descended  from 
an  ancestor  distinct  from  those  of  the  other  classes  of  their  countrymen. 

« 

SECT.  II. —  Quotations  from  the  Rig-veda,  the  NiruUa,  the  Mahdohdrata, 
and  other  works,  to  shew  that  according  to  ancient  Indian  tradition, 
persons  not  of  priestly  families  were  authors  of  Vedic  hymns,  and 
exercised  priestly  functions. 

But  in  addition  to  the  negative  evidence  adduced  in  the  preceding 
section,  that  during  the  age  to  which  the  greater  part  of  the  hymns  of 
the  Big-veda  are  referable,  the  system  of  castes*  had,  to  say  the  least, 
not  yet  attained  its  full  development,  we  find  also  a  considerable  amount 
of  proof  in  the  hymns  themselves,  or  in  later  works,  or  from  a  com- 
parison of  both,  that  many  of  the  hymns  either  were,  or  from  a  remote 
antiquity  were  believed  to  be,  the  productions  of  authors  not  of  sacer- 
dotal descent ;  and  that  some  of  these  persons  also  acted  as  priests. 
The  most  signal  instance  of  this  kind  is  that  of  Yisvamitra ;  but  from 
the  abundance  of  the  materials  which  exist  for  its  illustration  I  shall 
reserve  it  for  the  next  chapter,  where  I  shall  treat  of  the  contests  be- 
tween the  Brahmans  and  the  Kshattriyas. 

In  later  times,  when  none  but  Brahman  priests  were  known,  it 
seemed  to  be  an  unaccountable,  and — as  contradicting  the  exclusive 
sacerdotal  pretensions  of  the  Brahmans — an  inconvenient  circumstance, 
that  priestly  functions  should  have  been  recorded  as  exercised  by  per- 
sons whom  tradition  represented  as  Kajanyas ;  and  it  therefore  became 
necessary  to  explain  away  the  historical  facts,  by  inventing  miraculous 
legends  to  make  it  appear  that  these  men  of  the  royal  order  had  been 


266  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

in  reality  transformed  into  Brahmans,  as  the  reward  of  their  super- 
human merits  and  austerities — an  idea  of  which  we  shall  meet  with 
various  illustrations  in  the  sequel.  The  very  existence,  however,  of  such 
a  word  as  rdjarshi,  or  "  royal  rishi,"  proves  that  Indian  tradition  re- 
cognized as  rishis  or  authors  of  Yedic  hymns  persons  who  were  con- 
sidered to  belong  to  Rajanya  families.  A  number  of  such  are  named 
(though  without  the  epithet  of  rdjarshi}  in  the  Anukramanika  or  index 
to  the  Rig-veda ;  but  Sayana,  who  quotes  that  old  document,  gives  them 
this  title.  Thus,  in  the  introduction  to  hymn  i.  100,  he  says:  Atra 
anukramyate  "sa  yo  vrishd  'ekond  Vdrshdgirdh  Ryrdsvamlaruha-Saha- 
deva-£hayamana~Surddhasah"  Hi  \  VrisMgiro  mahdrdjasya  putralhutdh 
Rijrd&vddayah  pancha  rdjarshayah  sadeham  suktam  dadrisuh  \  atas  te  a$ya 
suktasya  rishayah  \  ulttam  hy  drshdnukramanydm, "  suktam  sa  yovrishety 
etat  pancha  Vdrshdgirdh  viduh  \  niyuktdh  ndmadheyaih  svair  api '  chaitat 
tyad '  Hi  richi  "  iti  \  "  It  is  said  in  the  Anukramanika,  '  Of  this  hymn 
(the  rishis)  are  Rijrasva,  Ambarisha,  Sahadeva,  Bhayamana,  and  Sura- 
dhas,  sons  of  Vrishagir.'  Rijrasva  and  others,  sons  of  King  Vrishagir, 
in  all  five  rajarshis,  saw  this  hymn  in  a  bodily  form.  Hence  they  are 
its  rishis  (or  seers).  For  it  is  declared  in  the  Arsha  Anukraman! : 
'  The  five  sons  of  Vrishagir,  who  are  mentioned  by  name  in  the  verse 
beginning  "  this  praise  "  (the  17th),  know  this  hymn.'  "  The  17th  verse 
is  as  follows :  Etat  tyat  te  Indra  vrishne  uTdliam  VdrsTiagirdh  abhi  gri- 
nanti  rddhah  \  Rijrdsvah  prashtilMr  Ambarlshah  Sahadevo  Bhayamu- 
nah  Surddhdh  \  "  This  hymn  the  Varshagiras,  Rijrasva,  with  his  at- 
tendants, and  Ambarisha,  Sahadeva,  Bhayamana,  and  Suradhas,  utter 
to  thee,  the  vigorous,  o  Indra,  as  their  homage ; "  on  which  Sayana 
repeats  the  remark  that  these  persons  were  rajarshis  (etad  uktham  sto- 
tram  rddhah  samrddhakam  tvat  -priti  -  lietum  Vdrshdgirdh  Vrishdgiro 
rdj'nah  putrdh  Rijrdsvddayo  'Ihi  grinanti  dlhimukhyena  vadanti  |  .  .  .  . 
Rijrdsvah  etat-sanjno  rdjarshih  prashtilhih  pdrsva-sthair  any  air  rishibhih 
saha  Indram  astaut  \  ke  te  pdrsva-sthdh  \  Amlarlshddayas  chatvtiro  rd- 
jarshayah'). Ambarisha  is  also  said  to  be  the  rishi  of  ix.  98.  Again, 
"  Trasadasyu,  son  of  Purukutsa,  a  Rajarshi,"  is  said  by  Sayana  on  R.V. 
iv.  42,  to  be  the  rishi  of  that  hymn  (PuruMtsasya  putras  Trasadasyuh 
rdjarshih  |  .  •  .  .  atranukramanika  l mama  dvitd' dasa  Trasadasyuh Pauru- 
kutsyah).  In  the  8th  and  9th  verses  Trasadasyu  is  thus  mentioned : 
Asmdkam  atra  pitaras  te  dsan  sapta  rishayo  Daurgahe  ladhyamdne  \  te  d 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG.  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  267 

ayajanta  Trasadasyum  asydh  Indraih  na  vrittraturam  arddhadevam  \  9. 
Purukutsdm  hi  vdm  addsad  havyebhir  Indrd-varund  namobhih  \  atha  ra- 
jdnafii  Trasadasyum  asydh  vrittrahanam  dadathur  arddhadevam  \  8. 
"  These  seven  rishis  were  our  fathers.  "When  the  son  of  Durgaha  was 
bound  they  gained  by  sacrifice  for  her  (Purukutsani)  a  son  Trasadasyu,  a 
slayer  of  foes,  like  Indra,  a  demigod.  9.  Purukutsani  worshipped  you,  o 
Indra  and  Varuna,  with  salutations  and  obeisances ;  then  ye  gave  her  king 
Trasadasyu,  a  slayer  of  enemies,  a  demigod."  I  give  Sayana' s  note  on 
these  verses  :  " Purukutsasya  mahishl  Daurgahe  bandhana-sthite  \  patydv 
ardjakam  drishtvd  rdshtram  putrasya  lipsayd  \  yadrichhayd  samdydtdn 
saptarshln  paryapujayat  \  te  cha  prltdh  punah  prochur  ( yajendrd-varunau 
bhrisam'  \  sd  chendra-varundv  ishtvd  Trasadasyum  ajljanat  \  itihdsam 
imamjdnann  risJiir  brute  richdv  iha"  \  ath&asmdkam  atra  asminn  ardjake 
dese  asydm  prithivydm  vd  pitarah  pdlayitdrah  utpddakds  te  dsann  abha- 
van  |  ete  saptarshayah  prasiddhdh  Daurgahe  Durgahasya  putre  Purukutse 
ladhyamdne  dridham  pdsair  yasmdd  asydh  asyai  Purukutsdnyai  Trasa- 
dasyum dyajanta  prddur  Indrd-Varunayor  anugrahdt  \  "  'The  queen  of 
Purukutsa,  when  her  husband,  the  son  of  Durgaha,  was  imprisoned, 
seeing  the  kingdom  to  be  destitute  of  a  ruler,  and  desirous  of  a  son,  of 
her  own  accord  paid  honour  to  the  seven  rishis  who  had  arrived.  And 
they,  again,  being  pleased  told  her  to  sacrifice  to  Indra  and  Varuna. 
Having  done  so  she  bore  Trasadasyu.  Knowing  this  story,  the  rishi  utters 
these  two  verses; '"  which  Sayana  then  explains.  Similarly  Sayana  says 
on  v.  27  :  "  Tryaruna  son  of  Trivrishna,  Trasadasyu  son  of  Purukutsa, 
and  Asvamedha  son  of  Bharata,  these  three  kings  conjoined,  are  the 
rishis  of  this  hymn ;  or  Atri  is  the  rishi  "  (Atrdnukramanikd  \  "  Anas- 
vantd  shat  Traivrislma-paurukutsyau  dvau  Tryaruna- Trasadasyu  rdjdnau 
Bhdratas  cha  Asvamedhah  |  .  .  .  .  '  na  dtmd  dtmane  dadydd '  iti  sarvdsv 
Atrim  kechit"  .  .  .  Trivrishnasya  putras  Tryarunah  Purukutsasya  putras 
Trasadasyur  BJiaratasya  putro  Asvamedhah  ete  trayo  'pi  rdjdnah  sambhuya 
asya  suktasya  rishayah  \  yadvd  Atrir  eva  rishih").  The  Anukramanika, 
however,  adds  that  according  to  some,  as  "no  one  would  give  gifts  to 
himself,  none  of  the  princes  mentioned  as  donors  could  be  the  author;  but 
Atri  must  be  the  rishi."  As  the  hymn  is  spoken  by  a  fourth  person,  iu 
praise  of  the  liberality  of  these  kings,  it  is  clear  they  cannot  well  be  its 
authors.  And  a  similar  remark  applies  to  iv.  42,  8  f.  However,  the 
Hindu  tradition,  being  such  as  it  is,  is  good  proof  that  kings  could,  in 


268  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

conformity  with  ancient  opinion,  be  rishis.  Trasadasyu  and  Trayaruna 
are  also  mentioned  as  the  rishis  of  ix.  llO.50  The  rishis  of  iv.  43  and 
iv.  44  are  declared  by  Sayana,  and  by  the  Anukramanika,  to  be  Puru- 
milha,  and  Ajamllha,  sons  or  descendants  of  Suhotra  (iv.  43,  Atrdnulcra- 
mamka  '  leak  u  sasvat '  sapta  Purumilhdjamilhau  Sauhotrau  tv  Asvinam 
hi'\  iv.  44,  Purumilhdjamllhdv  eva  rishi}.  Though  these  persons  are 
not  said  by  either  of  these  authorities  to  be  kings,  yet  in  the  Vishnu 
and  Bhagavata  Puranas  the  latter  is  mentioned  as  being  of  royal  race, 
and  a  tribe  of  Brahmans  is  said  to  have  been  descended  from  him  (see 
above  p.  227).  In  the  sixth  verse  of  iv.  44,  the  descendants  of  Aja- 
milha  are  said  to  have  come  to  the  worship  of  the  Asvins  (naro  yad 
fdm  Asvind  stomam  dvan  sadhastutim  Ajamllhdso  agmati}.  The  follow- 
ing hymns,  also,  are  said  by  tradition  to  have  had  the  undermentioned 
kings  for  their  rishis,  viz. :  vi.  15,  Vitahavya  (or  Bharadvaja) ;  x.  9, 
Sindhudvipa,  son  of  Ambarisha  (or  Trisiras,  son  of  Tvashtri) ;  x.  75, 
Sindhukshit,  son  of  Priyamedha ;  x.  133,  Sudas,  son  of  Pijavana ; 
x.  134,  Mandhatri,  son  of  Yuvanasva  (see  above,  p.  225);  x.  179, 
S'ibi,  son  of  Usmara,  Pratardana,  son  of  Divodasa  and  king  of  Kasi 
(see  above,  p.  229),  and  Vasumanas,  son  of  Rohidasva ;  and  x.  148  is 
declared  to  have  had  Prithl  Vainya 51  as  its  rishi.  In  the  fifth  verse  of 
that  hymn  it  is  said :  Srudhi  havam  Indra  sura  Prithydh  uta  stavase 
Venyasya  arkaih  \  "  Hear,  o  heroic  Indra,  the  invocation  of  Prithi  ; 
and  thou  art  praised  by  the  hymn  of  Venya."  In  viii.  9,  10,  also, 
Prithi  Yainya  is  mentioned  at  the  same  time  with  three  rishis :  Tad 
vdm  Kakshlvdn  uta  yad  Vyasvah  rishir  yad  vdm  Dlrghatamdh  juhdva  [ 
Prithl  yad  vdm  Vainyah  sadaneshu  eva  id  ato  Asvind  chetayetham  \ 
11  Whatever  oblation  (or  invocation)  Kakshivat  has  made-  to  you,  or  the 
rishi  Yyasva,  or  Dlrghatamas,  or  Prithi,  son  of  Vena,  in  the  places  of 

50  In  the  Vishnu  Purana,  as  we  have  seen  above,  p.  237,  Trayyaruna,  Pushkarin, 
and  Kapi  are  said  to  have  been  sons  of  Urukshaya,  and  all  of  them  to  have  become 
Brahmans ;  and  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  Trayyaruni,  Pushkararuni,  and  Kapi  are 
said  to  have  all  become  Brahmans. 

si  The  S'.  P.  Br.  v.  3,  5,  4,  refers  to  Prithi  as  "  first  of  men  who  was  installed  as 
a  king  "  (Prithi  ha  vai  Vainyo  manushyanam  prathamo  'bhishishiche).  I  extract 
from  Dr.  Hall's  edition  of  Prof.  "Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  iii.  the  following  verse, 
adduced  by  the  editoi  from  the  Vayu  Purana  about  royal  rishis  :  Manave  Vainave  (?) 
vamseAidevamsecha  yenripah  \  Aida  Aikslwaka  Nabhaga  jneya  rajarshayas  tu  te  \ 
''Kings  in  the  race  of  Manu,  Vena  (?),  and  Ida,  the  descendants  of  Ida,  Ikshvaku, 
and  Nabhaga  are  to  be  known  as  having  been  rajarshis." 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  269 

sacrifice,  take  notice  of  that,  o  Asvins."  Here  Sayana  refers  to  Prithl 
as  "the  royal  rishi  of  that  name." 

From  the  details  I  have  supplied  it  is  clear  that  in  many  cases  the 
evidence  is  against  the  supposition  that  the  princes  to  whom  the  hymns 
are  ascribed  were  in  reality  their  authors.  The  only  instances  in  which 
the  authorship  seems  to  be  established  by  the  tenor  of  the  hymns  them- 
selves are  those  of  the  Yarshagiras,  or,  at  all  events,  that  of  Prithl. 
But,  as  has  been  already  remarked,  the  fact  that  ancient  Hindu  tra- 
dition recognizes  royal  rishis  as  the  authors  of  hymns  is  sufficient  to 
prove  that  such  cases  were  not  unknown.  Even  if  we  were  to  suppose 
that  flattery  had  any  share  in  the  creation  of  these  traditions,  it  no 
doubt  proceeded  upon  the  belief  of  those  who  put  them  into  cir- 
culation, that  in  earlier  times  the  distinction  between  the  priests  and 
other  classes  was  not  so  sharply  defined  as  in  their  own  day. 

I  proceed,  however,  to  the  case  of  Devapi,  -  in  which  the  ma- 
terials for  forming  a  judgment  are  more  adequate  and  satisfac- 
tory, and  prove  that  he  was  not  merely  a  rishi  but  an  officiating 
priest. 

In  the  Anukramanika,  E.V.  x.  98  is  ascribed  to  him  as  its  author ; 
and  Yaska  states  as  follows  in  the  Nirukta,  ii.  10  : 

Tatra  itihdsam  dchakshate  \  Devdpis  cha,  Arshlishenah  S'antanus  cha 
Kauravyau  Ihrdtarau  labhuvatuh  \  sa  S'antanuh  kanlydn  alhishechaydn- 
chakre  \  Devapis  tapah  pratipede  \  tatah  S'antanoh  rdjye  dvddasa  var- 
shdni  devo  na  vavarsha  \  tarn  uchur  Irdhmandh  "  adharmas  tvaya  charito 
jyeshtham  bhrdtaram  antaritya  alhishechitam  \  tasmdt  te  devo  na  var- 
shati  "  iti  \  sa  S'antanur  Devdpim  sisihslia  rdjyena  \  tarn  uvdcha  Devd- 
pih  "purohitas  te  'sdni  ydjaydni  cha  tvd"  iti  \  tasya  etad  varsha-kama- 
suTctam  |  tasya  eshd  lhavati  \ 

"  Here  they  relate  a  story.  Devapi  son  of  Rishtishena,  and  Santanu, 
belonged  to  the  race  of  Kuru  and  were  brothers.  S'antanu,  who  was 
the  younger,  caused  himself  to  be  installed  as  king,  whilst  Devapi 
betook  himself  to  austere  fervour.  Then  the  god  did  not  rain  for 
twelve  years  of  S'antanu' s  reign.  The  Brahmans  said  to  him :  '  Thou 
hast  practised  unrighteousness  in  that,  passing  by  thy  elder  brother, 
thou  hast  caused  thyself  to  be  installed  as  king.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  god  does  not  rain.'  S'antanu  then  sought  to  invest  Devapi 
with  the  sovereignty ;  but  the  latter  said  to  him :  « Let  me  be  thy 


270  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

purohita  and  perform  sacrifice  for  thee.'  This  hymn,  expressing  a 
desire  of  rain,  is  his.  The  following  verse  is  part  of  it." 

Yaska  then  quotes  a  verse  of  E.Y.  x.  98,  the  whole  of  which  is  as 
follows : 

Brihaspate  prati  me  devatdm  ihi  Mitro  vd  yad  Varuno  vd  asi  Pushd  \ 
Adityair  vd  yad  Vasubhir  Marutvdn  sa  Parjanyam  S'antanave  vrishdya  \ 
2.  A  devo  duto  ajirai  chikitvdn  tvad  Devdpe  alhi  mum  agachhat  \  pratl- 
chlnah  prati  mum  d  vavritsva  dadhdmi  te  dyumatlm  vdcham  dsan  \  3. 
Asme  dhehi  dyumatlm  vdcham  dsan  Brihaspate  anamlvdm  ishirdm  \ 
yayd  vrishtim  S'antanave  vandva  divo  drapso  madhumdn  d  vivesa  \  4.  A 
no  drapsdh  madhumanto  visantu  Indra  deM  adhiratham  sahasram  |  ni 
sJtlda  hotram52  rituthd  yajasva  devdn  Devdpe  hamshd  saparya  \  5.  ArsJi- 
tislieno  hotram  rishir  nishldan  Devdpir  deva-mmatim  chikitvdn  \  sa  utta- 
rasmdd  adharam  samudram  apo  divyah  asrijad  varshydh  alhi  \  6.  Asmin 
samudre  adhi  uttarasmin  dpo  develhir  nivritdh  atishthan  I  tdh  adravann 
Arsht ishenena  srishtdh  Devdpind  preshitdh  mrifahimshu  \  7.  Yad  Devd- 
pih  S'antanave  purohito  hotrdya  vritah  Jcripayann  adldhet  \  deva-srutam 
vrishti-vanim  rardno  Brihaspatir  vdcham  asmai  ayaclihat  \  8.  Yam  tvd 
Devdpify  susuchtino  Agne  Arshtisheno  manushyah  samidhe  \  visvebhir 
devair  anumadyamdnah  pra  Parjanyam  Iraya  vrishtimantam  \  9.  Tvdm 
purve  rishayo  glrlhir  dyan  tvdm  adhvareshu  puruhuta  visve  \  saJiasrdni 
adhirathdni  asme  d  no  yajnam  rohidaiva  wpa  ydlii  \  10.  Etdni  Agni  na- 
vatir  nava  tve  dhutdni  adhiratJid  sahasrd  \  tclJiir  vardhasva  tanvah  sura 
purvlr  divo  no  vrishtim  ishito  ririJii  \  11.  Etdni  Agne  navatim  sahasrd 
sam  pra  yachha  vrishne  Indrdya  Ihdgam  \  vidvdn  pathah  rituio  devayd- 
ndn  apy  auldnam  dim  devesJiu  dhehi  \  12.  Agne  fiddhasva  vi  mridho  vi 
duraahd  apa  amlvdm  apa  rakshdmsi  sedha  \  asmdt  samudrdd  brihato  divo 
no  apdm  Ihumdnam  upa  naji  srij'a  iha  \ 

"Approach,  Brihaspati,53  to  my  worship  of  the  gods,  whether  thou 
art  Mitra,  Varuna,  Pushan,  or  art  attended  by  the  Adityas,  Yasus,  or 
Maruts :  cause  Parjanya  to  rain  for  S'antanu.  2.  The  god,  a  rapid 
messenger,  has  become  aware,  and  has  come  from  thee,  o  Devapi,  to 
me,  (saying)  '  approach  towards  me ;  I  will  place  a  brilliant  hymn 

52  Compare  R.V.  ii.  1,  2. 

53  It  looks  as  if  Agni  were  here  to  be  understood  by  Brihaspati,  see  verses  9-12. 
In  R.V.  ii.  1,  4  ff.  Agni  is  identified  with  Yaruna,  Mitra,  Aryaman,  Ams'a,  Tvashtri, 
Rudra,  Pushan,-  Savitri,  Bhaga. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  271 

in  thy  mouth.'  3.  Place  in  our  mouth,  o  Brihaspati,  a  brilliant  hymn, 
powerful,  and  spirited,  whereby  we  two  may  solicit  rain  for  S'antanu. 
The  drop  full  of  sweetness  has  descended  on  us  from  the  sky.  4.  May 
the  drops  full  of  sweetness  come  down  upon  us :  give  us,  o  Indra,  a 
thousand  waggon-loads  (of  them  ?).  Perform  the  function  of  a  hotri, 
sacrifice  in  due  form,  worship  the  gods  with  an  oblation,  o  Devapi.  5. 
The  rishi  Devapi,  son  of  Eishtishena,  performing  the  function  of  a 
hotri,  knowing  (how  to  gain)  the  goodwill  of  the  gods,  has  discharged 
from  the  upper  to  the  lower  ocean  those  waters  of  the  sky  which  fall 
in  rain.  6.  The  waters  remained  shut  up  by  the  gods  in  this  upper 
ocean :  they  rushed  forth  when  released  by  the  son  of  Eishtishena, 
when  discharged  by  Devapi  into  the  torrents.51  7.  When  Devapi, 
placed  in  front  of  S'autanu  (as  his  purohita),  chosen  for  the  office  of 
hotri,  fulfilling  his  function,  kindled  (the  fire), — then,  granting  the 
prayer  for  rain  which  was  heard  by  the  gods,  Brihaspati  gave  him  a 
hymn.  8.  Do  thou,  o  Agni,  whom  the  man55  Devapi  the  son  of  Rish- 
tishena  has  inflamed  and  kindled, — de  thou,  delighted,  with  all  the 
the  gods,  send  hither  the  rain-bearing  Parjanya.  9.  Former  rishis  have 
approached  thee  with  their  hymns ;  and  all  (approach)  thee,  o  god, 
much-invoked,  in  their  sacrifices :  give  us  thousands  of  waggon-loads  : 
come,  thou  who  art  borne  by  red  horses,56  to  our  sacrifice.  10.  These 
ninety-nine  thousands  of  waggon-loads  (of  wood  and  butter  ?)  have  been 
thrown  into  thee,  o  Agni,  as  oblations.  Through  them  grow,  hero,  to 
(the  bulk  of)  thy  former  bodies ; 57  and  stimulated,  grant  us  rain  from 
the  sky.  11.  (Of)  these  ninety  thousands  give,  o  Agni,  a  share  to  the 
vigorous  Indra.  Knowing  the  paths  which  rightly  lead  to  the  gods, 
convey  the  oblation  (?)  to  the  deities  in  the  sky.  12.  Overcome,  o 
Agni,  our  enemies,  our  calamities ;  drive  away  sickness,  and  rakshases. 
From  this  great  ocean  of  the  sky  discharge  upon  us  an  abundance  of 
waters." 

The  fact  of  Devapi  being  reputed  as  the  author  of  this  hymn,  and  as 
the  purohita  and  hotri  of  his  brother,  seems  to  have  led  the  legendary 
writers  to  invent  the  story  of  his  becoming  a  Brahman,  which  (as  men- 

s*  So  the  \vord  mrifcshintis  explained  in  Bohtlingk  and  Roth's  Lexicon. 

45  Or,  "descendant  of  Manush"  (manushya), 

56  This  is  a  common  epithet  of  Agni. 

s?  This  means,  I  suppose,  "  burst  forth  into  vast  flames." 


272  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

tioned  by  Professor  "Weber,  Indische  Studien,  i.  p.  203)  is  recorded  in 
the  S'alya-parvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  verses  2281  if.  where  he  is  there 
said  to  have  attained  this  distinction  at  a  certain  place  of  pilgrimage 
called  Prithudaka ;  where  Sindhudvlpa  and  Visvamitra  also  were  re- 
ceived into  the  higher  caste : 

Tatrdrshtishenah  Sauravya  brdhmanyam  samsita-vratah  \  tapasd  ma. 
hatd  rdjan  prdptavdn  rishi-sattamah  \  Sindhudvipas  cha  r  ajar  shir  Devdpis 
cha  mahdtapdh  \  brdhmanyam  labdhavdn  yatra  Visvdmitras  tathd  munih  \ 
mahdtapasvl  lhagavdn  ugra-tejdh  mahdtapdh  |  .  .  .  .  2287.  Purd  Tcrita- 
yuge  rajann  Arshtisheno  dvijottamah  \  vasan  guru-Jtule  nityam  nityam 
adJiyayane  ratah  \  tasya  rdjan  guru-Tcule  vasato  nityam  eva  cha  \  samdptim 
ndgamad  vidyd  ndpi  veddh  viidmpate  \  sa  nirvinnas  tato  rdjams  tapas 
tepe  mahdtapdh  \  tato  vai  tapasd  tena  prdpya  veddn  anuttamandn  \  sa 
vidvdn  veda-yuktas  cha  siddhas  chdpy  rishi-sattamah  |  .  .  .  .  |  evam  siddhah 
sa  Wmgavdn  Arshtishenah  pratdpavdn  \  tasminn  eva  tadd  tlrthe  Sindhu- 
dvlpah  pratdpavdn  \  Devdpii  cha  mahdrdja  brdhmanyam  prdpatur 
mahat  \ 

2281.  "There  the  most  excellent  rishi  Arshtishena,  constant  in  his 
observances,  obtained  Brahmanhood  by  great  austere  fervour ;  as  did 
also  the  royal  rishi  Sindhudvlpa, 5S  and  Devapi  great  in  austere  fervour, 
and  the  glorious  muni  Visvamitra,  of  great  austere  fervour  and  fiery 
vigour."  Some  other  particulars  of  Arshtishena  are  given  further  on  : 
2287.  "  Formerly  in  the  Krita  age  the  most  excellent  Brahman  Arsh- 
tishena dwelt  constantly  in  his  preceptor's  family,  devoted  to  incessant 
study ;  but  could  not  complete  his  mastery  of  science  or  of  the  vedas.59 
Being  in  consequence  discouraged,  he  betook  himself  to  intense  austere 
fervour.  By  this  means  he  acquired  the  incomparable  Vedas,  and  be- 
came learned  and  perfect At  the  same  place  of  pilgrimage  the 

majestic  Sindhudvlpa  and  Devapi  obtained  the  great  distinction   of 
Brahmanhood." 

It  will  be  observed  that  here  Arshtishena  is,  in  opposition  to  the 
authority  of  the  Nirukta,  made  a  distinct  person  from  Devapi. 

58  This  prince  also,  as  we  have  seen  above,  is  mentioned  among  those  Rajanyas  who 
composed  Vedic  hymns. 

59  The  Vedas  are  here  spoken  of  in  the  plural,  although  Arshtishena  is  said  to  have 
lived  in  the  Krita  age.    But  the  M.  Bh.  itself  says  elsewhere  (see  above,  p.  145)  that 
there  was  then  tyit  one  Veda. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  273 

In  a  note  to  his  (French)  translation  of  the  Big-veda,  M.  Langlois 
(vol.  iv.  502)  supposes  that  the  hymn  above  translated  (x.  98),  like  the 
Purusha  Sukta,  is  very  much  posterior  in  date  to  the  other  hymns  in 
the  collection.  The  names  of  Devapi  and  S'antanu  indicate,  he  thinks, 
•as  the  date  of  its  composition,  a  period  not  far  preceding  that  of  the 
great  war  of  the  Mahabharata.  Professor  Weber,  on  the  other  hand, 
considers  (Indische  Studien,  i.  203)  that  the  S'antanu  and  Devapi  men- 
tioned in  that  work  (Adi-parvan,  3750  f.)  cannot  be  the  same  as  the 
persons  alluded  to  in  the  Eigveda,  because  their  father  was  Pratipa, 
not  Eishtishena ;  and  because  he  thinks  it  doubtful  whether  a  prince 
who  preceded  the  Pandavas  by  only  two  generations  could  have  been 
named  in  the  Eig-veda,  and  appear  there  as  an  author  of  hymns. 

The  verses  of  the  Adi-parvan  just  referred  to  are  as  follows  : 

Pratlpasya  trayah  putrdh  jajnire  Bharatarshabha  \  Devdpih  S'dntanus 
chaiva  Vdhlilcas  mahdrathah  \  Devdpis  cha  pravavrdja  teshdm  dharma- 
hitepsayd  \  S'dntanus  cha  mahlm  lebhe  Vdhllkas  cha  maharathah  \ 

"Three  sons  were  born  to  Pratipa,  viz.  Devapi,  S'antanu,  and  Yah- 
lika  the  charioteer.  Of  these  Devapi,  desiring  the  benefits  of  religious 
excellence,  became  an  ascetic ;  whilst  S'antanu  and  Yahlika  obtained 
(the  rule  of)  the  earth." 

The  Harivamsa  gives  a  different  story  about'the  same  Devapi,  verse 
1819: 

Pratlpo  Bhimasendt  tu  Pratlpasya  tu  S'dntanuh  \  Devdpir  Vdhlikas 
chaiva  trayah  eva  maharathah  |  .  .  .  .  1822.  Upddhydyas  tu  devdndw- 
Devdpir  alhavad  munih  \  Chya/vanasya  Jcritah  putrah  ishta$  chasld  ma- 
hdtmanah  \ 

"Pratipa  sprang  from  Bhimasena ;  and  S'antanu,  Devapi,  and  Yah- 
lika  were  the  three  chariot- driving  sons  of  Pratipa 1822.  De- 
vapi became  a  muni,  and  preceptor  of  the  gods,  being  the  adopted  son 
of  Chyavana,  by  whom  he  was  beloved." 

The  Yishnu  Purana  (iv.  20,  7  ff.)  concurs  with  the  preceding  au- 
thorities in  making  Devapi  and  S'antanu  to  be  sons  of  Pratipa,  and 
descendants  of  Kuru,  and  his  son  Jahnu.  It  repeats  the  legend  given 
in  the  Mrukta  of  the  country  of  S'antanu  being  visited  by  a  drought  of 
twelve  years  duration,  in  consequence  of  his  having  assumed  the  royal 
authority  while  his  elder  brother  lived.  And  although,  as  will  be  seen, 
the  sequel  of  the  story  is  widely  different  from  that  recorded  by  the 

18 


274  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

Nirukta,  the  earlier  incidents  in  the  two  narratives  are  so  similar,  that  it 
would  appear  to  have  been  the  intention  of  the  Puranic  writer  to  identify 
the  Devapi  and  S'antanu  whose  history  he  relates  with  the  persons  of  the 
same  names,  although  of  different  parentage,  mentioned  in  Yaska's 
work.  He  may,  however,  possibly  have  transferred  an  older  legend  to 
more  recent  personages.  The  passage  of  the  Yishnu  Purana  is  as 
follows : 

Rikshdd  Bhlmasenas  tatas  cha  Dillpah  \  Dilipdt  Pratipas  tasydpi  De- 
vapi S'antanu-  Vdhllka^sanjnds  trayah  putrdh  labhuvuh  \  Devdpir  Idlah 
eva  aranyani  vivesa  \  S'dntanur  avanlpatir  alhavat  \  ayam  cha  tasya 
slokah  prithivydm  glyate  "  yam  yam  kardlhydm  sprisati  jirnam  yau- 
vanam  eti  sah  \  sdntim  chdpnoti  yendgrydm  Itarmand  tena  S'dn- 
tamih "  |  tasya  S'dntanoh  rdshfre  dvddasa  varshdni  devo  na  vavarsha  \ 
tatasclia  asesha-rdshfra-vindsam  a/cekshya  asau  rdjd  firdhmandn  aprichhaA 
"Ihoh  kasmdd  asmin  rdshtre  devo  na  rarshati  \  Ico  mama  aparddhah" 
Hi  \  te  tarn  uchur  "  agrgjasya  te  'rhd  iyam  avanis  ttayd  IJiujyate  pari- 
vettti  tvam"  \  ity  uktah  sa  punas  tan  aprichhat  "kirn  may  a  vidheyam" 
Hi  |  tena  turn  uchur  "  ydrad  Devdpir  na  patanddilhir  doshair  abhilhu- 
yate  tax  at  tasya  arham  rdjyam  \  tad  alam  etena  tasmai  dlyatdm  "  |  ity 
ukte  tasya  mantri-pravarena  Aimasdrind  tatra  aranye  tapasvino  veda- 
vdda-rirodJia-vaktdrahp'fayojitdh  \  tair  ati-ryu-mater  malnpati-putrasya 
buddhir  veda-virodha-mdrgdnusdriny  aJcriyata  \  rdjd  cha  S'dntanur  dvija- 
rachanotpanna-parivedana-sokas  tdn  Irdhmandn  agranil;ritya  agraja-rdjya- 
praddndya  aranyam  jagdma  \  tad-diramam  upagatds  cha  tarn  avanlpati- 
putram  Devdpim  upatastfaih  \  te  brdhmandh  veda-vdddnurriddhdni  va- 
chdmsi  "  rdjyam  agrajena  Icarttavyam  "  ity  arthavanti  tam  ucJiuh  \  asdv 
api  veda-vuda-virodha-yukti-dmhitam  aneka-prakdram  tdn  alia  \  tatas  te 
brdhmandh  S'dntanum  uchur  "  dgachha  hho  rdjann  alam  atra  ati-nir- 
landltena  \  prasdntah  eva  asdv  andvrishti-doshah  \  patito  'yam  anddi- 
kdla-mahita-teda-vachana-duxhinochchdrandt  \  patite  cha  agraje  naiva 
pdrhettryam  bhai'ati"  \  ity  uktah  S'dntanuh  sra-puram  dgatya  rdjyam 
akarot  \  veda-vdda-virodhi-i-achanochchdrana-dushite  cha  jyeshthe  'smm 
Ihrdtari  tisJtthaty  api  DevapSv  akhila-sasya-nishpattaye  vavarsha  Ihaga- 
vdn  Parjanyah  \ 

""From  Eiksha  sprang  Bhimasena;  from  him  Dillpa;  from  him 
Pratipa,  who  again  had  three  sons  called  Devapi,  S'antanu,  and  Vahlika. 
Devapi  while  yet  a  boy  retired  to  the  forest ;  and  S'antanu  became 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.          275 

king.  Regarding  him  this  verse  is  current  in  the  world:  'Every 
decrepit  man  whom  he  touches  with  his  hands  becomes  young.  He  is 
called  S'antanu  from  that  work  whereby  he  obtains  supreme  tranquility 
(santi).'  The  god  did  not  rain  on  the  country  of  this  S'antanu  for 
twelve  years.  Beholding  then  the  ruin  of  his  entire  realm,  the  king 
enquired  of  the  Brahmans:  'Why  does  not  the  god  rain  on  this 
country ;  what  is  my  offence  ? '  The  Brahmans  replied :  '  This  earth, 
which  is  the  right  of  thy  elder  brother,  is  now  enjoyed  by  thee ;  thou 
art  a  parivettri  (one  married  before  his  elder  brother).'80  Receiving 
this  reply,  he  again  asked  them :  '  What  must  I  do  ? '  They  then 
answered :  '  So  long  as  Devapi  does  not  succumb  to  declension  from  or- 
thodoxy and  other  offences,  the  royal  authority  is  his  by  right ;  to  him 
therefore  let  it  be  given  without  further  question.'  When  they  had  so 
said,  the  king's  principal  minister  Asmasarin  employed  certain  ascetics 
propounding  doctrines  contrary  to  the  declarations  of  the  Vedas  to 
proceed  into  the  forest,  by  whom  the  understanding  of  the  very  simple- 
minded  prince  (Devapi)  was  led  to  adopt  a  system  at  variance  with 
those  sacred  books.  King  S'antanu  being  distressed  for  his  offence  in 
consequence  of  what  the  Brahmans  had  said  to  him,  went,  preceded  by 
those  Brahmans,  to  the  forest  in  order  to  deliver  over  the  kingdom  to 
his  elder  brother.  Arriving  at  the  hermitage,  they  came  to  prince 
Devapi.  The  Brahmans  addressed  to  him  statements  founded  on  the 
declarations  of  the  Veda,  to  the  effect  that  the  royal  authority  should 
be  exercised  by  the  elder  brother.  He,  on  his  part,  expressed  to  them 
many  things  that  were  vitiated  by  reasonings  contrary  to  the  tenor  of 
the  Veda.  The  Brahmans  then  said  to  S'antanu, '  Come  hither,  o  king : 
there  is  no  occasion  for  any  excessive  hesitation  in  this  affair:  the 
offence  which  led  to  the  drought  is  now  removed.  Your  brother  has 
fallen  by  uttering  a  contradiction  of  the  words  of  the  Veda  which 


60  This  is  illustrated  by  Manu  iii,  171  f . :  Daragnihotra-samyogam  Jcitrute  yo  'graje 
ithite  |  parivetta  sa  vijneyah  parivittis  tu  purvajah  \  172.  Parivittih  parivetta  yaya 
cha  parividyate  \  sarve  te  naraJcam  yanti  datri-yujaka-panchamuh  \  "  171.  He  who, 
while  his  elder  brother  is  unwedded,  marries  a  wife  with  the  nuptial  fires,  is  to  he 
known  as  a  parwetlrf,  and  his  elder  brother  as  a  parivitti,  172.  The  parivitti,  the 
parivettri,  the  female  by  whom  the  offence  is  committed,  he  who  gives  her  away,  and 
fifthly  the  officiating  priest,  all  go  to  hell."  The  Indian  writers  regard  the  relation 
of  a  king  to  his  realm  as  analogous  to  that  of  a  husband  to  his  wife.  The  earth  is 
the  king's  bride. 


276  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

have  been  revered  from  time  without  beginning;  and  when  the 
elder  brother  has  fallen,  the  younger  is  no  longer  chargeable  with 
the  offence  of  pdrivettrya  (i.e.  of  marrying  before  his  elder  brother).' 
When  he  had  been  so  addressed,  S'antanu  returned  to  his  capital,  and 
exercised  the  royal  authority.  And  although  his  eldest  brother  Devapi 
continued  to  be  degraded  by  having  uttered  words  opposed  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  Veda,  the  god  Parjanya  rained  in  order  to  produce  a 
harvest  of  all  sorts  of  grain." 

Can  the  compiler  of  the  Purana  have  deviated  from  the  conclusion 
of  this  history  as  found  in  the  Mrukta,  and  given  it  a  new  turn,  in 
order  to  escape  from  the  conclusion  that  a  Raj  any  a  could  officiate  as  a 
purohita  ? 

The  same  story  is  briefly  told  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  22, 14-17. 

In  the  TTdyogaparvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  on  the  other  hand, 
Devapi's  virtues  and  orthodoxy  are  extolled  in  the  highest  terms,  and 
his  exclusion  from  the  throne  is  ascribed  solely  to  his  being  a  leper, 
v.  5054 : 

Devdpis  tu  mahdtejds  tvag-doshl  rdja-sattamah  \  dhdrmikah  satya-vddl 
cJia  pituh  susrushane  ratah  \  paura-jdnapaddndm  cha  sammatah  sddhu- 
satkritah  \  sarveshdm  bdla-vriddhdndm  Devdpir  hridayangamah  \  vaddn- 
yah  satyasandhas  cha  sdrva-lhuta-hite  ratah  \  varttamdnah  pituh  sdstre 

Irdhmandndm  tathaiva  cha  \ |  tarn  brdhmands  cha  vriddhds  cha 

paura-jdnapadaih  saha  \  sarve  nwdraydmdsur  Devdper  abhisechanam  \  sa 
tack  chhrutvd  tu  nripatir  alhisheka-nivdranam  \  asru-Tcantho  'bhavad  rdjd 
paryasochata  chdtmajam  \  evam  vaddnyo  dharmajnah  satyasandhas  cha  so 
'bhavat  \  priyah  prajdndm  api  sa  tvag-doshena  pradushitah  \  "  hlndngam 
prithivipdlam,  ndbhinandanti  devatdh"  \  iti  kritvd  nripa-sreshtham  pra- 
tyashedhan  dvyarshabhdh  |  .  .  .  .  |  nivdritam  nripam  drishtvd  Devdpih 
samsrito  vanam  \ 

"  But  the  glorious  Devapi,  a  most  excellent  prince,  righteous,  vera- 
cious, and  obedient  to  his  father,  was  a  leper.  He  was  esteemed  by 
the  inhabitants  both  of  town  and  country,  honoured  by  the  good,  be- 
loved by  all,  both  young  and  old,  eloquent,  true  to  his  engagements, 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  all  creatures,  and  conformed  to  the  commands 
of  his  father,  and  of  the  Brahmans."  [The  king  his  father  grew  old 
and  was  making  preparations  for  the  investiture  of  his  successor ;  but 
public  opinion  was  opposed  to  the  devolution  of  the  royal  authority  on 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.          277 

a  leper,  however  virtuous].  "  The  Brahmans  and  aged  men,  together 
with  the  dwellers  both  in  town  and  country,  all  restrained  him  from 
the  investiture  of  Devapi.  The  king,  learning  their  opposition,  was 
choked  with  tears,  and  bewailed  his  son's  fate.  Thus  Devapi  was 
eloquent,  acquainted  with  duty,  true  to  his  promise,  and  beloved  by 
the  people,  but  vitiated  by  leprosy.  The  Brahmans  forbade  the  king 
(to  make  Ifevapi  his  successor),  saying,  '  the  gods  do  not  approve  .a 
king  who  labours  under  any  corporeal  defect.'  ....  Perceiving  that 
the  king  (his  father)  was  hindered  (from  carrying  out  his  wishes) 
Devapi  retired  to  the  forest." 

On  the  same  subject,  the  Matsya  Purana,  49,  v.  39  f.,  states  as 
follows : 

Dillpasya  Pratipastu  tasya,  putrds  trdyah  smritdh  \  Devdpih  S'antanus 
chaiva  Bdhllkas  chaiva  te  trayah  \  Bdhllkasya  tu  ddydddh  sapta  £dhlis- 
vardh  nripdh  \  Devdpis  tu  apadhvastah  prajalhir  abha/oad  munih  \ 
rishayah  uchhuh  \  prajdbhis  tu  kimartham  vai  apadhvasto  janesvarah  \ 
ke  doshuh  rdjaputrasya  prajdbhih  samuddhritdh  \  Suta  uvdcha  \  kildsld 
rdjaputras  tu  kushtl  tarn  ntilhyapujayan  \  ko  'rthun  vai  atra  (?  vetty 
atra)  devdndm  kshattram  prati  dvijottamdh  \ 

"  The  son  of  Dillpa  was  Pratipa,  of  whom  three  sons  are  recorded, 
Devapi,  S'antanu,  and  Bahlika.  The  sons  of 'the  last  were  the  seven 
Bahlisvara  kings.  But  the  Muni  Devapi  was  rejected  by  the  people. 
The  rishis  enquired:  'why  was  that  prince  rejected  by  the  people? 
what  faults  were  alleged  against  him?'  Suta  replied:  'the  prince 
was  leprous,  and  they  paid  him  no  respect.  Who  knows  the  designs 
of  the  gods  towards  the  Kshattriya  race  ? ' ' 

Xo  more  is  said  of  Devapi  in  this  passage.61  The  Vishnu  Purana 
has  the  following  further  curious  particulars  regarding  him,  iv.  24,  44  if. : 

Devdpih  Pauravo  rdjd  Ma/rus  cTiekshvdku-vaihsajah  \  mahdyoga-lalo- 
petau  Kaldpa-grdma-samsrayau  \  krite  yuge  iJidgatya  kshattra-prdvart- 
takau  hi  tau  \  lhavishyato  Manor  vamse  vya-lhutau  vyavasthitau  \  etena 
krama-yogena  Manu-putrair  vasundhard  \  krita-tretddi-sanjndni  yugdni 
trini  llmjyate  \  Kalau  tu  vlja-lhutds  te  kechit  tishthanti  Ihutale  \  yathaiia 
Devdpi-Maru  sdmpratam  samavasthitau  \ 

"  King  Devapi  of  the  race  of  Puru,62  and  Maru  of  the  family  of 

81  See  Prof.  Wilson's  note,  4to.  ed.  p.  458. 

62  In  the  twentieth  chapter,  as  we  have  seen,  he  is  said  to  be  of  the  race  of  Kuru. 


278  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

Ikshvaku,  filled  with  the  power  of  intense  contemplation  (mahdyoga) 
are  abiding  in  the  village  of  Kalapa,  continuing  to  exist  as  seeds  in  the 
family  of  Mann ;  they  shall  come  hither  in  the  (next)  Krita  age,  and 
re-establish  the  Kshattriya  race.  According  to  this  order  the  earth  is 
enjoyed  by  the  sons  of  Manu  throughout  the  three  ages  called  Krita, 
Treta,  and  Dvapara.  But  during  the  Kali  certain  persons  remain  upon 
earth  as  seeds  (of  a  future  race),  as  Devapi  and  Maru  now  8xist." 

According  to  the  Bhagavata  Parana,  ix.  22,  17,  it  is  the  lunar  race, 
which  had  perished  in  the  Kali  age,  that  Devapi  is  to  restore  in  the 
future  Krita  (soma-vamse  Icalau  nashte  Jcritddau  sthdpayishyati}. 

I  shall  quote  here  from  the  132nd  section  of  the  Matsya  Purana, 
entitled  Nanvantara-varnanam  (a  description  of  the  Manvantaras)  some 
of  the  particulars  about  the  rishis  with  which  it  concludes : 

98.  Bhriguh  Kdsydh  Prachetds  cha  Dadhlcho  hy  Atmavdn  a/pi  \ 
99.  Aurvo  'tha  JamadagniS  cha  Kripah  S'dradvatas  tatkd  \  Arshtisheno 
Tudhdjich  cha  Vltahavya-Suvarchasau  \  100.  Vainah  Prithur  Divoddso 
Brahmd&vo  Gritsa- S'aunakau  \  ekonavimsatir  Jiy  ete  Bhrigavo  mantra- 
krittamah  \  101.  Angirah  Vedhasas  chaiva  Bharadvajo  Bhalandanah  \ 
Ritaladhas  tato  Gargah  Sitih  Sankritir  eva  cha  \  102.  Gurudhlras  cha 
Mdndhata  Ambarlshas  iathaiva  cha  \  Yuvandsvah  Puruh  Kutsah  Pra- 
dyumnah  S'ravanasya  cha  \  103.  Ajamldho  'tha  Haryasvas  Tahhapah 
Kavir  eva  cha  \  Prishadasvo  Firupas  cha  JTanvas  chaivdtha  Mudgalah  \ 
104.  Uiathyas  cha  S'aradvdms  cha  tathd  Vajafrava  iti  \  Apasyo  'tha 
Suvittai  cha  Vamadevas  tathaiva  cha  \  105.  Ajito  BrihaduTcthas  cha 
rishir  Dlrghatama  api  \  Kalshlvanis  cha  trayastrimsat  smritd  hy  Angiraso 
uarah  \  106.  Ete  mantra  kritah  sarve  Kaiyapdms  tu  nilodhata  I  ...  I 
111.  Visvamitras  cha  Gddlwyo  Devardjas  tathd  Balah  \  tathd  vidvdn 
Madhuchhanddh  Rishalhas  chdghamarshanah  \  112.  Ashtako  Lohitas 
chaiva  Bhritakllas  cha  tdv  ulihau  \  Veddsravdh  Devardtah  Purdndsvo 
Dhananjayah  |  113.  Nithilas  cha  mahdtejdh  Sdlankdyana  eva  cha  \  tra- 
yodasaite  vijneydh  brahmishthdh  KausiJcdh  vardh  ,  ....  |  115.  Manur 
Vaivasvatas  chaiva  Ida  rdjd  Pururavdh  \  Kshattriyandm  vardh  hy  ete 
vijneydh  vnantra-vddinah  \  116.  Bhalandai  chaiva  Vandyas  cha  San- 
klrttii**  chaiva  te  tray  ah  \  ete  mantra-lcrito  jneydh  Vaisydndm  pravardh 
sadd  \  117.  Ity  elca-navatih  proktah  mantrdh  yais  cha  lahih  kritah  \ 

65  Various  readings — Bhalatidakas  cha  Vasas'cha  Sanfsalascha. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  EIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.          279 

Irahmanahfohattriyah  vaiiyah  rishiputran  nibodhata  (118.  RishlkanUm 
sutdh  hy  ete  rishi-putrah  srutarshayah  \  M 

"  98.  Bhrigu,  Kasya,  Prachetas,  Dadhlcha,  Atmavat,  (99)  Aurva, 
Jamadagni,  Kripa,  S'aradvata,  Arshtishena,  Yudhajit,  Vltahavya, 
Suvarchas,  (100)  Vaina,  Prithu,  Divodasa,  Brahmasva,  Gritsa,  S'aunaka, 
these  are  the  nineteen95  Bhrigus,  composers  of  hymns.  101.  Angiras, 
Vedhasa,  Bharadvaja,  Bhalandana,88  Ritabadha,  Garga,  Siti,  Sankriti, 
Gurudhira,87  Mandhatri,  Ambarlsha,  Yuvanasva,  Purukutsa,68  Prad- 
yumna,  S'ravanasya,69  Ajamldha,  HaryaSva,  Takshapa,  Kavi,  Prisha- 
dasva,  Virupa,  Kanva,  Mudgala,  Utathya,  S'aradvat,  Vajasravas, 
Apasya,  Suvitta,  Vamadeva,  Ajita,  Brihaduktha,  Dlrghatamas,  Kaksh!- 
vat,  are  recorded  as  the  thirty-three  eminent  Angirases.  These  were 

all  composers  of  hymns.  Now  learn  the  Kasyapas 111.  Visva- 

mitra,  son  of  Gadhi,  Devaraja,  Bala,  the  wise  Madhuchhandas,  Bishabha, 
Aghamarshana,  (112)  Ashtaka,  Lohita,  Bhritakila,  Vedasravas,  Deva- 
rata,  Puranasva,  Dhananjaya,  the  glorious  (113)  Mithila,  Salankayana, 
these  are  to  be  known  as  the  thirteen  devout  and  eminent  Kusikas.70 

115.  Manu  Vaivasvata,  Ida,  king  Pururavas,  these  are  to  be 

known  as  the  eminent  utterers  of  hymns  among  the  Kshattriyas. 
116.  Bhalanda,  Yandya,  and  Sanklrtti,71  these  are  always  to  be  known 
as  the  three  eminent  persons  among  the  Vaisyas  who  were  composers 
of  hymns.  117.  Thus  ninety-one73  persons  have  been  declai-ed,  by 
whom  hymns  have  been  given  forth,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  and 
Vaisyas.  Learn  the  sons  of  the  rishis.  118.  These  are  the  offspring 
of  the  rishikas,  sons  of  rishis,  secondary  rishis  (irutarshis)" 

The  section  ends  here. 

6*  I  am  indebted  for  an  additional  copy  of  this  section  of  the  Matsya  Parana  (of  which 
some  account  is  given  by  Prof.  Aufrecht  in  his  Catalogue,  p.  41),  to  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Griffith,  Principal  of  Queen's  College,  Benares,  who,  at  my  request,  has  caused  it  to 
be  collated  with  various  other  MSS.  existing  in  Benares.  I  have  not  thought  it 
necessary  to  exhibit  all  the  various  readings  in  the  part  I  have  quoted. 

65  The  number  of  nineteen  is  only  obtained  by  making  Vaina  and  Prithu  two 
persons. 

M  Instead  of  this  word,  one  Benares  MS.  has  Lakshmana. 

W  Two  MSS.  have  Turavlta.  «*  This  word  is  divided  into  two  in  the  MS. 

89  Two  MSS.  have,  instead,  Svas'ravas  and  Tamasyavat. 

7°  Unless  some  of  the  words  I  have  taken  as  names  are  really  epithets,  fifteen  per. 
sons  are  enumerated  here. 

71  Some  MSS.  have  Bhalandaka,  Vandha  or  Vasas,  and  Sankala  or  Sanklrna. 

7S  This  is  the  total  of  several  lists,  some  of  which  I  have  omitted. 


280  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

It  will  be  observed  from  a  comparison  of  this  extract  with  the  details 
previously  given,  that  some  of  the  rajarshis,  or  rishis  of  royal  blood, 
such  as  Arshtishena,  Vitahavya,  Prithu  (the  same  as  Prithi)  are  spoken 
of  as  belonging  to  the  family  of  Bhrigu,  while  others  of  the  same  class, 
such  as  Mandhatri,  Ambarisha,  Yuvanasva,  Purukutsa,  are  reckoned 
among  the  Angirases.  Visvamitra  and  his  descendants  are  merely 
designated  as  Kusikas  without  any  specific  allusion  to  their  Rajanya 
descent ;  but  Manu,  Ida,  and  Pururavas,  are  distinctly  recognized  as 
being  as  once  authors  of  hymns  and  Kshattriyas ;  and,  what  is  more 
remarkable,  three  Vaisyas  are  also  declared  to  have  been  sacred  poets. 
These  traditions  of  an  earlier  age,  though  scanty  in  amount,  are  yet 
sufficient  to  show  that  in  the  Vedie  times  the  capacity  for  poetical  com- 
position, and  the  prerogative  of  officiating  at  the  service  of  the  gods, 
was  not  regarded  as  entirely  confined  to  men  of  priestly  families. 

SECT.  III. — Texts  from  the  Atharva-veda  illustrating  the  progress  of 
Brahmanical  pretensions.  • 

I  have  already  quoted  (in  pp.  21  and  22)  three  short  passages  from 
the  Atharva-veda  regarding  the  origin  of  the  Brahman  and  Kshattriya 
castes.  I  shall  now  bring  forward  some  other  texts  from  the  same 
collection  which  show  a  much  greater  development  of  the  pretensions 
of  the  priests  to  a  sacred  and  inviolable  character  than  we  meet  in  any 
part  of  the  Big-veda,  if  the  109th  hymn  of  the  tenth  book  (cited  above) 
be  excepted. 

I  shall  first  adduce  the  17th  hymn  of  the  fifth  book,  to  which  I  have 
already  alluded,  as  an  expansion  of  R.V.  x.  109. 

Atharva-veda  v.  17.  (Verses  1-3  correspond  with  little  variation  to 
verses  1-3  of  R.Y.  x.  109).  4.  Tarn  dhus  "tdrakd  eshd  vikesl"  iti 
duchchhundih  grdmam  avapadyamdndm  \  sd  Irahma-jdyd  vi  dunoti  rash- 
tram  yatra  prdpddi  sasah  ulkushimdn  \  (verses  5  and  6  =  verses  5  and 
4  of  R.V.  x.  109).  7.  Ye  garlhdh  avapadyante  jagad  yach  cMpalupyate  \ 
virdh  ye  trihyante  mitho  Irahma-jdyd  hinasti  tan  \  8.  Uta  yat  patayo 
dasa  striydh  purve  abrdhmandh  \  IraJimd  cJied  hastam  agraJilt  sa  eva 
patir  ekadhd  '\  9.  Brdhmanah  eva,  patir  na  rdjanyo  na  vaisyah  \  tat 
suryah  pralruvann  eti  panchabhyo  mdnavebhyah  \  (Verses  10  and  11  = 
verses  6  and  7  of  Pt.V.  x.  109).  12.  Nasya  jdyd  satavdhl  kalytinl  talpam 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  281 

d  saye  \  yasmin  rdshtre  nirudhyate  Irahma-jdyd  acnittyd  \  1 3.  No, 
vikarnah  prithusirds  tasmin  vesmani  jdyate  \  yasminn  ityddi  \  14.  Ndsya 
kshattd  nishka-grlvah  sundndm  eti  agratah  \  yasminn  ityddi  \  15.  Nusya 
tvetah  krishna-karno  dhuri  yukto  mahlyate  \  yasminn  ityddi  \  16.  Nasya 
kehettrepushkaranlndndikamjdyatevisam  \  yasminn  ityddi  \  tf.Ndsmai 
prisnim  vi  dunanti  ye  'sydh  doham  updsate  \  yasminn  ityddi  \  18.  Ndsya 
dhenuh  kalydnl  ndnadvdn  sahate  yugam  \  vvjdnir  yatra  Irdhmano  rdtrim 
vasati  papaya  \ 

" 4.  That  calamity  which  falls  upon  the  village,  of 

which  they  say,  '  this  is  a  star  with  dishevelled  hair,'  is  in  truth  the 
Irahmtin's  wife,  who  ruins  the  kingdom ;  (and  the  same  is  the  case)  wher- 
ever (a  country)  is  visited  by  a  hare  attended  with  meteors 

7.  "Whenever  any  miscarriages  take  place,  or  any  moving  things  are 
destroyed,  whenever  men  slay  each  other,  it  is  the  braJtman's  wife  who 
kills  them.  8.  And  when  a  woman  has  had  ten  former  husbands  not 
Irdhm&ns,  if  a  brahman  take  her  hand  (i.e.  marry  her),  it  is  he  alone 
who  is  her  husband.  9.  It  is  a  Brahman  only  that  is  a  husband,  and 
not  a  Eajanya  or  a  Vaisya.  That  (truth)  the  Sun  goes  forward  pro- 
claiming to  the  five  classes  of  men  (panchabhyo  mdnavelhyah\ 

12.  His  (the  king's)  wife  does  not  repose  opulent  (satavdhi)  and  hand- 
some upon  her  bed  in  that  kingdom  where  a  firdhmdn's  wife  is  foolishly 
shut  up.  13.  A  son  with  large  ears  (viTcarnaK)  and  broad  head  is  not 
born  in  the  house  in  that  kingdom,  etc.  14.  A  charioteer  with  golden 
neckchain  does  not  march  before  the  king's  hosts 7S  in  that  kingdom, 
etc.  15.  A  white  horse  with  black  ears  does  not  make  a  show  yoked 
to  his  (the  king's)  chariot  in  that  kingdom,  etc.  16.  There  is  no  pond 
with  blossoming  lotuses 74  in  his  (the  king's)  grounds  in  that  kingdom 
where,  etc.  17.  His  (the  king's)  brindled  cow  is  not  milked  by  his 
milkmen  in  that  kingdom,  etc.  18.  His  (the  king's)  milch  cow  does 
not  thrive,  nor  does  his  ox  endure  the  yoke,  in  that  country  where  a 
Brahman  passes  the  night  wretchedly  without  his  wife." 

This  hymn  appears  to  show  that,  however  extravagant  the  preten- 
sions of  the  Brahmans  were  in  other  respects,  they  had,  even  at  the 
comparatively  late  period  when  it  was  composed,  but  little  regard  to 

78  The  word  here  in  the  original  is  sunanam,  with  which  it  is  difficult  to  make  any 
sense.    Should  we  not  read  senamm  ? 
7*  Compare  R.V.  x.  107,  10. 


282  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

the  purity  of  the  sacerdotal  blood,  as  they  not  only  intermarried  with 
women  of  their  own  order,  or  even  with  women  who  had  pre- 
viously lived  single,  but  were  in  the  habit  of  forming  unions  with  the 
widows  of  Eajanyas  or  Vaisyas,75  if  they  did  not  even  take  possession 
of  the  wives  of  such  men  while  they  were  alive.76  Even  if  we  suppose 
these  women  to  have  belonged  to  priestly  families,  this  would  only 
show  that  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for  females  of  that  class  to  be 
married  to  Eajanyas  or  Vaisyas — a  fact  which  would,  of  course,  imply 
that  the  caste  system  was  either  laxly  observed,  or  only  beginning 
to  be  introduced  among  the  Indians  of  the  earlier  Vedic  age. 
That,  agreeably  to  ancient  tradition,  Brahmans  intermarried  with 
Rajanya  women  at  the  period  in  question,  is  also  distinctly  shewn 

T5  That  the  remarriage  of  women  was  customary  among  the  Hindus  of  those  days 
is  also  shewn  by  A.V.  ix.  5,  27  f.,  quoted  in  my  paper  on  Yama,  Jour.  R.  A.  S.  for 
1865,  p.  299. 

76  This  latter  supposition  derives  a  certain  support  from  the  emphasis  with  which 
the  two  verses  in  question  (A.V.  v.  17,  8,  9)  assert  that  the  Brahman  was  the  only 
true  hushand.  Whence,  it  may  be  asked,  the  necessity  for  this  strong  and  repeated 
asseveration,  if  the  Rajanya  and  Vais'ya  husbands  were  not  still  alive,  and  prepared 
to  claim  the  restoration  of  their  wives  ?  The  verses  are,  however,  explicable  without 
this  supposition. 

It  is  to  be  observed,  however,  that  no  mention  is  here_  made  of  S'udras  as  a  class 
with  which  Brahmans  intermarried.  S'udras  were  not  Aryas,  like  the  three  upper 
classes.  This  distinction  is  recognised  in  the  following  verse  of  the  A.V.  six.  62,  1 : 
"  Make  me  dear  to  gods,  dear  to  princes,  dear  to  every  one  who  beholds  me,  both  to 
S'udra  and  to  Arya."  (Unless  we  are  to  suppose  that  both  here  and  in  six.  32,  8, 
arya=a  Vais'ya,  and  not  arya,  is  the  word).  In  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  Kanva 
Sakha  (Adhvara  Karida,  i.  6),  the  same  thing  is  clearly  stated  in  these  words  (already 
partially  quoted  above,  p.  176),  for  a  copy  of  which  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Miiller  .- 
Tan  no,  sarva  eva  prapadyeta  na  hi  devah  sarvenaiva  sangachhante  \  arya  eva  bmhmano 
va  kshattriyo  va  vais'yo  va  te  hi  yajniyah  \  no  eva  sarvenaiva  samvadeta  na  hi  devah 
sarvenaiva  samvadante  aryenaiva  brahmanena  va  kshattriyena  va  vais'yena  va  te  hi 
yajniyah  \  yady  enam  sudrena  samvado  vindet  "  ittham  enam  nichakshva"  ity  any  am 
bruyad  esha  dikshitasyopacharah.  "  Every  one  cannot  obtain  this  (for  the  gods  do 
not  associate  with  every  man),  but  only  an  Arya,  a  Brahman,  or  a  Kshattriya,  or  a 
Vais'ya,  for  these  can  sacrifice.  Nor  should  one  talk  with  everybody  (for  the  gods  do 
not  talk  with  every  body),  but  only  with  an  Arya,  a  Brahman,  or  a  Kshattriya,  or  a 
Vais'ya,  for  these  can  sacrifice.  If  any  one  have  occasion  to  speak  to  a  S'udra,  let 
him  say  to  another  person, '  Tell  this  man  so  and  so.'  This  is  the  rule  for  an  initiated 
man." 

In  the  corresponding  passage  of  the  Madhyandina  S'akha  (p.  224  of  Weber'a 
edition)  this  passage  is  differently  worded. 

From  Manu  (ix.  149-157 ;  x.  7  ff.)  it  is  clear  that  Brahmans  intermarried  with 
S'udra  women,  though  the  offspring  of  those  marriages  was  degraded. 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.          283 

by  the  story  of  the  rishi  Chyavana  and  Sukanya,  daughter  of  king 
S'aryata,  narrated  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  and  quoted  in  my  paper 
entitled  "  Contributions  to  a  Knowledge  of  Vedic  Mythology,"  No.  ii., 
in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society  for  1866,  pp.  11  ff.  See 
also  the  stories  of  the  rishi  S'yavasva,  who  married  the  daughter  of 
king  Eathavlti,  as  told  by  the  commentator  on  Eig-veda,  v.  61,  and 
given  in  Professor  Wilson's  translation,  vol.  iii.  p.  344. 

The*  next  hymn,  from  the  same  work,  sets  forth  with  great  live- 
liness and  vigour  the  advantages  accruing  to  princes  from  the  employ- 
ment of  a  domestic  priest. 

Atharva-veda,  iii.  19,  1.  Samsitam  me  idam  brahma  samsitam  vlryam 
lalam  \  samsitam  JcsJiattram  ajaram  astu  jishnur  (?  jishnti]  yeshdm 
asmi  purohitah  \  2.  Sam  aham  eshdm  msktram  sydmi  sam  oj'o  vlryam 
lalam  \  vrischdmit  satrundm  bdhun  anena  havishd  aham  \  3.  Nlcliaih 
padyantam  adhare  lhavantu  ye  nah  surim  maghavdnam  pritanydn  \ 
kshindmi  Irahmand  'mitrdn  unnaydmi  svdn  aham  \  4.  Tlkshmydmsah 
parasor  agnes  tlTcthnatardh  uta  \  Indrasya  vajrat  tlkshnlyaniso  yeshani 
asmi  purohitah  \  5.  Esham  aham  ayudha  sam  syami  eshdm  rdshtram 
suvlram  vardhayumi  \  eshdm  Jcshattram  ajaram  astujishnu  eshdm  chittam 
visve  avantu  devdh  \  6.  Uddharshantdm  Maghavan  vdjindni  ud  vzrdndm 
jayatdm  etu  ghoshah  \  prithagghoshdh  ululayah'ketumantah  udlratdm  \ 
devdh  Indra-jyeshthdh  Haruto  yantu  senayd  \  7.  Preta  jayata  narah 
itgrdh  vah  santu  Idhavah  \  tlkshneshavo  alala-dhanvano  hata  ugrdyudhah 
abaldn  ugra-bdhavah  \  8.  Avasrishtd  para  pata  saravye  brahma-samsite 
|  jaydmitrdn  pra  padyasva  jahy  eshdm  varam-varam  md  'mlshdm  mochi 
kaschana  \ 

"1.  May  this  prayer  of  mine  be  successful;  may  the  vigour  and 
strength  be  complete,  may  the  power  be  perfect,  uudecaying,  and 
victorious  of  those  of  whom  I  am  the  priest  (purohitd).  2.  I  fortify  their 
kingdom,  and  augment  their  energy,  valour,  and  force.  I  break  the 
arms  of  their  enemies  with  this  oblation.  3.  May  all  those  who  fight 
against  our  wise  and  prosperous  (prince)  sink  downward,  and  be  pros- 
trated. "With  my  prayer  I  destroy  his  enemies  and  raise  up  his  friends. 
4.  May  those  of  whom  I  am  the  priest  be  sharper  than  an  axe,  sharper 
than  fire,  sharper  than  Indra's  thunderbolt.  5.  I  strengthen  their 
weapons;  I  prosper  their  kingdom  rich  in  heroes.  May  their  power 
be  undecaying  and  victorious.  May  all  the  gods  foster  their'  designs. 


284  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

6.  May  their  valorous  deeds,  o  Maghavat,  burst  forth ;  may  the  noise 
of  the  conquering  heroes  arise ;  may  their  distinct  shouts,  their  clear 
yells,  go  up ;  may  the  gods,  the  Maruts,  with  Indra  as  their  chief, 
march  forward  with  their  host.  7.  Go,  conquer,  ye  warriors;  may 
your  arms  be  impetuous.  Ye  with  the  sharp  arrows,  smite  those  whose 
bows  are  powerless ;  ye  whose  weapons  and  arms  are  terrible  (smite) 
the  feeble.  8.  When  discharged,  fly  forth,  o  arrow,  sped  by  prayer. 
Vanquish  the  foes,  assail,  slay  all  the  choicest  of  them ;  let  not  one 
escape." 

The  two  following  hymns  from  the  same  collection  declare  the  guilt, 
the  peril,  and  disastrous  consequences  of  oppressing  Brahmans,  and 
robbing  them  of  their  property.  The  threats  and  imprecations  of 
haughty  sacerdotal  insolence  could  scarcely  be  expressed  more  ener- 
getically. 

Atharva-veda,  v.  18.  1.  Naitdm  te  devdh  adadus  tulhyam  nripate 
attave  \  ma  Irdhmanasya  rdjanya  gam  jighatso  anddydm  \  2.  Aksha- 
drugdho  rdjanyo  pdpah  dtma-pardjitah  \  sa  lrdhman_asya  gdm  adydd 
"  adya  jlvdni md  svah"  \  3.  Avishtitd  agha-vishd  priddltur  iva  charmand  \ 
md  Irdhmanasya  rdjanya  tri&hta  eshd  gaur.  anddyd  \  4.  Nir  vai  Icshattram 
nayati  lianti  varcho  agnir  drabdho  vi  dunoti  sarvam  \  yo  Irdhmanam 
many  ate  annam  eva  sa'vishasya  pilati  taimdtasya  \  5.  Yah  enam  hanti 
mridum  manyamdno  deva-plyur  dJiana-Mmo  na  chittdt  \  sam  tasya  Indro 
hridaye  agnim  indhe  ulhe  enam  dvisJito  nalhasi  charantam  \  6.  Na 
Irdhmano  himsitavyo  agnih  priyatanor  iva  \  Somo  M  asya  ddyddah  Indro 
asydlhisastipdh  \  7.  S'atdpdshtMm  ni  girati  tdni  na  saknoti  nihhhidam  \ 
annam  yo  Irahmandm  malvah  svddu  admlti  manyate  \  8.  Jihvd  jyd 
bhavati  kulmalam  van  nddilcdh  dantds  tapasd  'bMrfagdhdh  \  tebhir  Brahma 
vidhyati  deva-plyun  hrid-lalair  dhanurlhir  deva-jutaih  \  9.  Tlkshnesliavo 
Irdhmandh  hetimanto  yam  asyanti  saravyam  na  sd  mnshd  \  anuhdya 
tapasd  manyund  cha  uta  durdd  ava  Ihindanti  enam  \  10.  Ye  sahasram 
ardjann  dsan  dasa-satd  uta  \  te  Irdhmanasya  gain  jagdhvd  Vaitahavydh 
pardlnavan  \  11.  Gaur  eva  tdn  hanyamdnd  Vaitahavydn  avdtirat  \ 
ye  Kesaraprdlandhdyds  charamdjdm  apecMran  \  12.  Eka-£atam  tdh 
janatdh  ydh  Ihumir  vyadhunuta  \  prajdm  himsitvd  IrdJimanim  asam- 
Ihavyam  pardlhavan  \  13.  Deva-plyui  cnarati  marttyeshu  gara-glrno 
Ihavati  asthi-'bhuydn  \  yo  Irdhmanam  deva-landhum  ninasti  na  sa  pitri- 
ydnam  apyetiloTcam  \  14.  Agnir  vai nah padavdyah  Somo  ddydda  uchyata  \ 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  285 

Jtantdlhisastd  Indras  tathd  tad  vedhaso  viduh  \  15.  IsJiur  iva  digdhd 
nripate  priddkur  iva  gopate  \  sd  Irdhmanasya  ishur  ghord  tayd  vidhyati 
plyatah  \ 

"  1.  King,  the  gods  have  not  given  thee  (this  cow)  to  eat.  Do  not, 
o  Raj  any  a  (man  of  royal  descent),  seek  to  devour  the  Brahman's  cow, 
which  is  not  to  be  eaten.  2.  The  wretched  Rajanya,  unlucky  in  play, 
and  self-destroyed,  will  eat  the  Brahman's  cow,  saying,  '  Let  me  live 
to-day,  (if  I  can)  not  (live)  to-morrow.'  3.  This  cow,  clothed  with  a 
skin,  contains  deadly  poison,  like  a  snake.  Beware,  Eajanya,  of  this 
Brahman's  (cow) ;  she  is  ill-flavoured,  and  must  not  be  eaten.  4.  She 
takes  away  his  regal  power,  destroys  his  splendour,  consumes  him  entire 
like  a  fire  which  has  been  kindled.  The  man  who  looks  upon  the  Brah- 
man as  mere  food  to  be  eaten  up,  drinks  serpent's  poison.  5.  Indra 
kindles  a  fire  in  the  heart  of  that  contemner  of  the  gods  who  smites  the 
Brahman,  esteeming  him  to  be  inoffensive,  and  foolishly  covets  his  pro- 
perty. Heaven  and  earth  abhor  the  man  who  (so)  acts.  6.  A  Brahman  is 
not  to  be  wronged,  as  fire  (must  not  be  touched)  by  a  man  who  cherishes 
his  own  body.  Soma  is  his  (the  Brahman's)  kinsman,  and  Indra 
shields  him  from  imprecations.  7.  The  wicked  (?)  man  who  thinks 
the  priests'  food  is  sweet  while  he  is  eating  it,  swallows  (the  cow) 
bristling  with  a  hundred  sharp  points,  but  cann'ot  digest  her.  8.  The 
priest's  tongue  is  a  bow-string,  his  voice  is  a  barb,  and  his  windpipe  is 
arrow-points  smeared  with  fire.  "With  these  god-directed,  and  heart- 
subduing  bows,  the  priest  pierces  the  scorners  of  the  gods.  9.  Brahmans 
bearing  sharp  arrows,  armed  with  missiles,  never  miss  their  mark  when 
they  discharge  a  shaft.  Shooting  with  fiery  energy  and  with 
anger,  they  pierce  (the  enemy)  from  afar.  10.  The  descendants  of 
Vitahavya,  who  ruled  over  a  thousand  men,  and  were  ten  hundred  in 
number,  were  overwhelmed  after  they  had  eaten  a  Brahman's  cow."  1 1 . 
The  cow  herself,  when  she  was  slaughtered,  destroyed  them, — those 
men  who  cooked  the  last  she-goat  of  Kesaraprabandha.  12.  Those 
hundred  persons  whom  the  earth  shook  off,  after  they  had  wronged  the 
priestly  race,  were  overwhelmed  in  an  inconceivable  manner.  13.  He 
lives  among  mortals  a  hater  of  the*  gods;  infected  with  poison  he 
becomes  reduced  to  a  skeleton ;  he  who  wrongs  a  Brahman  the  kins- 

77  I  am  not  aware  whether  any  traces  of  this  story  are  discoverable  in  the  Puranas 
or  Mahabharata.    See  the  first  verse  of  the  hymn  next  to  be  quoted. 


286  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

man  of  the  deities,  fails  to  attain  to  the  heaven  of  the  Forefathers. 
14.  Agni  is  called  our  leader;  Soma  our  kinsman.  Indra  neutralizes 
imprecations  (directed  against  us) ;  this  the  wise  understand.  15.  Like 
a  poisoned  arrow,  o  king,  like  a  serpent,  o  lord  of  cows, — such  is  the 
dreadful  shaft  of  the  Brahman,  with  which  he  pierces  his  enemies." 

Atharva-veda,  v.  19, 1.  Atimdtram  avardhanta  nod  iva  divam  aspriSan  \ 
Bhrigum  himsitvd  8'rinjaydh  Vaitahavydh  pardbhavan  \  2.  Brihatsd- 
mdnam  Angirasam  drpayan  brdhmanam  jandh  \  petvas  teshdm  ubhayddam 
avis  tokdnydvayat  \  3.  Ye  brdhmanam  pratyashthlvan  ye  vd  'smin  suUam 
Ishire  \  asnas  te  madhye  kulydydh  Jcesdn  khddanta  dsate  \  4.  Brahmagavl 
pachyamdnd  ydvat  sd  'bhi  vijangahe  \  tejo  rdshtrasya  nirlianti  na  viro 
jay  ate  vrishd  \  5.  Kruram  asydh  dsasanam  trishtam  pisitam  asyate  \ 
kshlram  yad  asydh  plyate  tad  vai  pitrishu  killisham  \  6.  Ugro  rdjd 
manyamdno  Irdhmanam  yaj  jighutsati  \  pard  tat  sichyate  rdshtram 
brdhmano  yatrajlyate  \  7.  Ashjdpadl  chaturakslil  chatuh-srotrd  chatur- 
hamih  \  dvydsyd  dvijihvd  Ihutvd  sd  rdshtram  avadhunute  brahmajyasya  \ 
8.  Tad  vai  rdshtram  dsravati  ndvam  bliinndm  ivodalcam  \  Irtihmdnam 
yatra  himsanti  tad  rdshtram  hanti  duchchhund  \  9.  Tarn  vrikshdh  apa 
sedhanti  "chhdydm  no  mopa  gdh"  iti  \  yo  Irukmanasya  saddhanam  abhi 
Ndrada  many  ate  \  10.  Visham  etad  deva-kritam  rdjd  Varuno  abravlt  \ 
na  brdJimanasya,  gdmjagdhvd  rdshtrejdgdra  kaschana  \  11.  Navaiva  tdh 
navatayo  ydh  bhumir  vyadhunuta  \  prajdih  Mmsitvd  brdhmamm  asam- 
bhavyam  pardbhavan  \  12.  Yarn  mritdydnubadhnanti  Icudyam  pada- 
yopanim  \  tad  vai  brahmqfya  te  devdh  upastaranam  abruvan  \  13.  Asruni 
kripamdnasya  ydni  jltasya  vdvrituh  \  tarn  vai  brahmajya  te  devdh  apdm 
bhdgam  adJidrayan  \  14.  Yena  mritam  snapayanti  smasruni  yena  undate  \ 
tarn  vai  braJimajya  te  devdh  apdm  bhdgam  adhdrayan  \  15.  Na  varsham 
Maitrdvarunam  brahmajyam  abhi  varshati  \  ndsmai  samitih  Icalpate  na 
mitram  nayate  vasam  \ 

"1.  The  S'rinjayas,  descendants  of  Vltahavya,  waxed  exceedingly; 
they  almost  touched  the  sky;  but  after  they  had  injured  Bhrigu,  they 
were  overwhelmed.  2.  When  men  pierced  Brihatsaman,  a  Brahman 
descended  from  Angiras,  a  ram  with  two  rows  of  teeth  swallowed  their 
children.  3.  Those  who  spit,  or  throw  filth  (?)  upon  a  Brahman,  sit 
eating  hair  in  the  midst  of  a  stream  of  blood.  4.  So  long  as  this 
Brahman's  cow  is  cut  up  (?)  and  cooked,  she  destroys  the  glory 
of  the  kingdom;  no  vigorous  hero  is  born  there.  5.  It  is  cruel  to 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  287 

slaughter  her ;  her  ill-flavoured  flesh  is  thrown  away.  When  her  milk 
is  drunk,  that  is  esteemed  a  sin  among  the  Forefathers.  6.  Whenever 
a  king,  fancying  himself  mighty,  seeks  to  devour  a  Brahman,  that 
kingdom  is  broken  up,  in  which  a  Brahman  is  oppressed.  Becoming 
eight-footed,  four-eyed,  four-eared,  four-jawed,  two-faced,  two-tongued, 
she  (the  cow)  shatters  the  kingdom  of  the  oppressor  of  Brahmans.  8. 
(Ruin)  overflows  that  kingdom,  as  water  swamps  a  leaky  boat :  calamity 
smites  that  country  in  which  a  priest  is  wronged.  9.  Even  trees, 
o  Narada,  repel,  and  refuse  their  shade  to,  the  man  who  claims  a  right 
to  the  property  of  a  Brahman.  This  (property),  as  king  Varuna  hath 
said,  has  been  turned  into  a  poison  by  the  gods.  No  one  who  has  eaten 
a  Brahman's  cow  continues  to  watch  {i.e.  to  rule)  over  a  country. 
11.  Those  nine  nineties  (of  persons)  whom  the  earth  shook  off,  when 
they  had  wronged  the  priestly  race,  were  overwhelmed  in  an  incon- 
ceivable manner  (see  verse  12  of  the  preceding  hymn).  12.  The  gods 
have  declared  that  the  cloth  wherewith  a  dead  man's  feet  are  bound 
shall  be  thy  pall,  thou  oppressor  of  priests.  13.  The  tears  which  flow 
from  a  persecuted  man  as  he  laments, — such  is  the  portion  of  water 
which  the  gods  have  assigned  to  thee,  thou  oppressor  of  priests. 
14.  The  gods  have  allotted  to  thee  that  portion  of  water  wherewith 
men  wash  the  dead,  and  moisten  beards.  15.  The  rain  of  Mitra 
and  Varuna  does  not  descend  on  the  oppressor  of  priests.  For  him  the 
battle  has  never  a  successful  issue ;  nor  does  he  bring  his  friend  into 
subjection." 

The,  attention  of  the  reader  is  directed  to  the  intensity  of  contempt 
nnd  abhorrence  which  is  sought  to  be  conveyed  by  the  coarse  imagery 
contained  in  verses  3,  and  12-14,  of  this  last  hymn. 

There  is  another  section  of  the  same  Veda,  xii.  5,  in  which  curses 
similar  to  those  in  the  last  two  hymns  are  fulminated  against  the 
oppressors  of  Brahmans.  The  following  are  specimens : 

Atharva-veda,  xii.  5,  4.  Brahma  padavdyam  Irdhmano  'dhipatih  \ 

5.  Tarn  ddaddnasya  Irahma-gavlm  jinato  Irdhmandn  kshattriyasya  \ 

6.  Apa  Icrdmati  sunritd  vlryam  punyd  lakshmih  \  7.   Ojascha  tejas  cJia 
sahas  cha  lalam  cha  vak  cha  mdriyani  cha  sris  cha   dharmas  cha  \ 
8.  Brahma  cha  Jcshattram  cha  rdshtram  cha  visas  cha  tvishis  cha  yasas  cha 
varchas  cha  dravinam  cha  \  9.  Ayus  cha  rupam  cha  ndma  cha  klrttis  cha 
prCinas  cha  apdnas  cha  chakshus  cha  trotram  cha  \  10.  Payas  cha  rasa& 


288  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

cha  annam  cha  annddyam  cha  ritam  cha  satyam  cha  ishtam  cha  purttam 
cha  prajd  cha  pasavas  cha  \  11.  Tdni  sarvdni  apakrdmanti  brahma-gavlm 
ddaddnasya  jinato  brdhmanam  kshattriyasya  \  12.  Sd  eshd  bhlmd  brahma- 

gavl  agha-vishd |  13.  Sarvdny  asydm  ghordni  sarve  cha  mritya- 

vah  |  14.  Sarvdny  asydm  krurdni  sarve  purusha-vadhdh  \  15.  Sd 
brahma-jyam  deva-plyum  brahmagavl  ddlyamdnd  mrityoh  padblse  d 
dyati  \ 

"  4.  Prayer  (brahman)  is  the  chief  (thing) ;  the  Brahman  is  the 
lord  (adhipati).  5.  From  the  Kshattriya  who  seizes  the  priest's  cow, 
and  oppresses  the  Brahman,  (6)  there  depart  piety,  valour,  good  fortune, 

(7)  force,  keenness,  vigour,  strength,  speech,  energy,  prosperity,  virtue, 

(8)  prayer  (brahman),  royalty,  kingdom,  subjects,  splendour,  renown, 
lustre,  wealth,  (9)  life,  heauty,  name,  fame,  inspiration  and  expiration, 
sight,   hearing,  (10)   milk,    sap,   food,  eating,    righteousness,    truth, 
oblation,  sacrifice,  offspring,  and  cattle; — (11)  all  these  things  depart 
from  the  Kshattriya  who  seizes  the  priest's  cow.      12.  Terrible  is  the 
Brahman's  cow,  filled  with  deadly  poison.  .  .  .  13.  In  her  reside  all 
dreadful  things,  and  all  forms  of  death,  (14)  all  cruel  things,  and  all 
forms  of  homicide.     15.  When  seized,  she  binds  in  the  fetters  of  death 
the  oppressor  of  priests  and  despiser  of  the  gods."- 

A  great  deal  more  follows  to  the  same  effect,  which  it  would  be 
tiresome  to  quote. 

I  subjoin  some  further  texts,  in  which  reference  is  made  to  brdhmans. 

In  xix.  22,  21  (=  xix.  23,  30)  it  is  said: 

Brahma-jyeshthd  sambhritd  mrydni  Irahmdgrejyeshtham  divam  dttutdna  \ 
bhutdndm  Irahmd  prathamo  ha  jajne  tendrhati  brahmand  sparddhitum 
Icah  | 

"Powers  are  collected,  of  which  prayer  (or  sacred  science,  brahman} 
is  the  chief.  Prayer,  the  chief,  in  the  beginning  stretched  out  the  sky. 
The  priest  (brahman)  was  born  the  first  of  beings.  "Who,  then,  ought 
to  vie  with  the  brahman. 

A  superhuman  power  appears  to  be  ascribed  to  the  brahman  in 
the  following  passages, — unless  by  brahman  we  are  to  understand 
Brihaspati : — 

xix.  9,  12.  Brahma  Prajdpatir  Dhdtd  loltdh  veddh  sapta-rishayo 
'gnayah  \  tair  me  Jcritam  swstyayanam  Indro  me  sarma  yachhatu  brahmd 
me  sarma  yachhatu  \ 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  289 

"  May  a  prosperous  journey  be  granted  to  me  by  prayer,  Prajapati, 
Dhatri,  the  worlds,  the  Yedas,  the  seven  rishis,  the  fires ;  may  Indra 
grant  me  felicity,  may  the  brahman  grant  me  felicity." 

xix.  43,  8.  Yalra  brahma-vido  ydnti  dlkshayd  tapasd  saha  \  brahma 
ma  tatra  nayatu  brahma  brahma  dadJidtu  me  \  brahmane  svdhd. 

"  May  the  brahman  conduct  me  to  the  place  whither  the  knowers  of 
prayer  (or  of  sacred  science)  go  by  initiation  with  austerity.  May  the 
brahman  impart  to  me  sacred  science.  Svdhd  to  the  brahman." 

The  wonderful  powers  of  the  Brahmacharin,  or  student  of  sacred 
science,  are  described  in  a  hymn  (A.V.  xi.  5),  parts  of  which  are 
translated  in  my  paper  on  the  progress  of  the  Yedic  Religion,  pp.  374  ff. 

And  yet  with  all  this  sacredness  of  his  character  the  priest  must  be 
devoted  to  destruction,  if,  in  the  interest  of  an  enemy,  he  is  seeking 
by  his  ceremonies  to  effect  the  ruin  of  the  worshipper. 

v.  8,  5.  Yam  ami  puro  dadhire  brahmdnam  apabhutaye  \  Indra  sa  me 
adhaspadam  tarn  pratyasydmi  mrityave  \ 

"  May  the  brahman  whom  these  men  have  placed  in  their  front  (as  a 
purohita]  for  our  injury,  fall  under  my  feet,  o  Indra  j  I  hurl  him  away, 
to  death  (compare  A.V.  vii.  70,  1  ff.). 

SECT.  IV. —  Opinions  of  Professor  R.  Roth  and  Dr.  M.  Haug  regarding 
the  origin  of  caste  among  the  Hindus. 

I  shall  in  this  section  give  some  account  of  the  speculations  of.Prof. 
R.  Roth  and  Dr.  M.  Haug  on  the  process  by  which  they  conceive  the 
system  of  castes  to  have  grown  up  among  the  Indians. 

The  remarks  which  I  shall  quote  from  Prof.  Roth  are  partly  drawn 
from  his  third  "Dissertation  on  the  Literature  and  History  of  the 
Veda,"  p.  117,  and  partly  from  his  paper  on  "Brahma  and  the  Brah- 
mans,"  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Journal  of  the  German  Oriental 
•  Society.78  He  says  in  the  latter  essay :  "  The  religious  development  of 
India  is  attached  through  the  course  of  three  thousand  years  to  the  word 
brahma.  This  conception  might  be  taken  as  the  standard  for  estimat- 
ing the  progress  of  thought  directed  to  divine  things,  as  at  every  step 
taken  by  the  latter,  it  has  gained  a  new  form,  while  at  the  same  time 

78  The  reader  vrho  is  unacquainted  with  German  will  find  a  fuller  account  of  this 
article  in  the  Benares  Magazine  for  October  1851,  pp.  823  ff. 

19 


it  has  always  embraced  in  itself  the  highest  spiritual  acquisition  of  the 

nation The  original  signification  of  the  word  brdhmn^  as  we 

easily  discover  it  in  the  Yedic  hymns,  is  that  of  prayer ;  not  praise 
or  thanksgiving,  but  that  invocation  which,  with  the  force  of  the  will 
directed  to  God,  seeks  to  draw  him  to  itself,  and  to  receive  satisfaction 

from  him From  this  oldest  sense  and  form  of  brahma  (neuter) 

was  formed  the  masculine  noun  brahma,  which  was  the  designation  of 
those  who  pronounced  the  prayers,  or  performed  the  sacred  cere- 
monies ;  and  in  nearly  all  the  passages  of  the  Big-veda  in  which  it 
was  thought  that  this  word  must  refer  to  the  Brahmanical  caste,  this 
more  extended  sense  must  be  substituted  for  the  other  more  limited 

one From  this  sense  of  the  word  brahma,  nothing  was  more 

natural  than  to  convert  this  offerer  of  prayer  into  a  particular  description 
of  sacrificial  priest :  so  soon  as  the  ritual  began  to  be  fixed,  the  func- 
tions which  were  before  united  in  a  single  person,  who  both  prayed  to 
the  gods  and  sacrificed  to  them,  became  separated,  and  a  priesthood 
interposed  itself  between  man  and  God."  79 

Then  further  on,  after  quoting  E.V.  iv.  50,  4  ff.  (see  above,  p.  247), 
Prof.  Roth  continues :  "  In  this  manner  here  and  in  many  places  of  the 
liturgical  and  legal  books,  the  promise  of  every  blessing  is  attached  to 
the  maintenance  of  a  priest  by  the  king.  Inasmuch  as  he  supports  and 
honours  the  priest,  the  latter  ensures  to  him  the  favour  of  the  gods. 
So  it  was  that  the  caste  of  the  Brahmans  arose  and  attained  to  power 
and  consideration :  first,  they  were  only  the  single  domestic  priests  of 
the  kings;  then  the  dignity  became  hereditary  in  certain  families; 
finally  a  union,  occasioned  by  similarity  of  interests,  of  these  families 
in  one  larger  community  was  effected  ;  and  all  this  in  reciprocal  action 
with  the  progress  made  in  other  respects  by  theological  doctrine  and 
religious  worship.  Still  the  extension  of  the  power  which  fell  into  the 
hands  of  this  priestly  caste  would  not  be  perfectly  comprehensible 

79  In  his  third  Dissertation  on  the  Literature  and  History  of  the  Veda,  Prof.  Roth  " 
remarks :  "  In  the  Vedic  age,  access  to  the  gods  by  prayer  and  sacrifice  was  open  to 
all  classes  of  the  community ;  and  it  was  only  the  power  of  expressing  devotion  in  a 
manner  presumed  to  be  acceptable  to  the  deities,  or  a  readiness  in  poetical  diction, 
that  distinguished  any  individual  or  family  from  the  mass,  and  led  to  their  being 
employed  to  conduct  the  worship  of  others.  The  name  given  to  such  persons  was 
purohita,  one  '  put  forward ; '  one  through  whose  mediation  the  gods  would  receive 
the  offering  presented.  But  these  priests  had  as  yet  no  especial  sanctity  or  exclusive 
prerogative  which  would  render  their  employment  imperative." 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  291 

from  this  explanation  alone.  The  relation  of  spiritual  superiority  in 
which  the  priests  came  to  stand  to  the  kings  was  aided  hy  other 
historical  movements." 

Professor  Roth  then  proceeds:  "When — at  a  period  more  recent 
than  the  majority  of  the  hymns  of  the  Rig-veda — the  Vedic  people, 
driven  by  some  political  shock,  advanced  from  their  abodes  in  the 
Punjab  further  and  further  to  the  south,  drove  the  aborigines  into  the 
hills,  and  took  possession  of  the  broad  tract  of  country  lying  between 
the  Ganges,  the  Jumna,  and  the  Vindhya  range  ;  the  time  had  arrived 
when  the  distribution  of  power,  the  relation  of  king  and  priest,  could 
become  transformed  in  the  most  rapid  and  comprehensive  manner. 
Principalities  separated  in  such  various  ways,  such  a  division  into 
tribes  as  had  existed  in  the  Punjab,1  were  no  longer  possible  here, 
where  nature  had  created  a  wide  and  continuous  tract  with  scarcely 
any  natural  boundaries  to  dissever  one  part  from  another.  Most  of 
those  petty  princes  who  had  descended  from  the  north  with  their 
tribes  must  here  of  necessity  disappear,  their  tribes  become  dissolved, 
and  contests  arise  for  the  supreme  dominion.  This  era  is  perhaps 
portrayed  to  us  in  the  principal  subject  of  the  Mahabharata,  the  con- 
test between  the  descendants  of  Pandu  and  Kuru.  In  this  stage  of 
disturbance  and  complication,  power  naturally  fell  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  did  not  directly  possess  any  authority,  the  priestly  races 
and  their  leaders,  who  had  hitherto  stood  rather  in  the  position  of 
followers  of  the  kings,  but  now  rose  to  a  higher  rank.  It  may  easily 
be  supposed  that  they  and  their  families,  already  honoured  as  the  con- 
fidential followers  of  the  princes,  would  frequently  be  able  to  strike  a 
decisive  stroke  to  which  the  king  would  owe  his  success.  If  we  take 
further  into  account  the  intellectual  and  moral  influence  which  this 
class  possessed  in  virtue  of  the  prerogative  conceded  to,  or  usurped  by, 
them,  and  the  religious  feeling  of  the  people,  it  is  not  difficult  to  com- 
•  prehend  how  in  such  a  period  of  transition  powerful  communities 
should  arise  among  the  domestic  priests  of  petty  kings  and  their 
families,  should  attain  to  the  highest  importance  in  every  department 
of  life,  and  should  grow  into  a  caste  which,  like  the  ecclesiastical  order 
in  the  middle  ages  of  Christianity,  began  to  look  upon  secular  authority 
as  an  effluence  from  the  fulness  of  their  power,  to  be  conferred  at  their 
will ;  and  how,  on  the  other  hand,  the  numerous  royal  families  should 


292  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

sink  down  into  a  nobility  which  possessed,  indeed,  the  sole  right  to  the 
kingly  dignity,  but  at  the  same  time,  when  elected  by  the  people, 
required  inauguration  in  order  to  their  recognition  by  the  priesthood, 
and  were  enjoined  above  all  things  to  employ  only  Brahnians  as  their 
counsellors." 

In  order  to  render  the  probability  of  this  theory  still  more  apparent, 
Professor  Roth  goes  on  to  indicate  the  relations  of  the  other  castes  to 
the  Brahmans.  The  position  which  the  three  superior  classes  occupied 
in  the  developed  Brahmanical  system  was  one  of  gradation,  as  they 
differed  only  in  the  extent  of  their  religious  and  civil  prerogatives,  the 
Kshattriya  being  in  some  respects  less  favoured  than  the  Brahman,  and 
the  Vaisya  than  the  Kshattriya.  With  the  S'udras,  on  the  other  haud, 
the  case  was  quite  different.  They  were  not  admitted  to  sacrifice,  to 
the  study  of  the  Vedas,  or  to  investiture  with  the  sacred  cord.  From 
this  Professor  Eoth  concludes  that  the  three  highest  castes  stood  in  a 
closer  connection  with  each  other,  whether  of  descent,  or  of  culture, 
than  any  of  them  did  to  the  fourth.  The  Indian  body  politic,  more- 
over, was  complete  without  the  S'udras.  The  Brahman  and  Kshattriya 
were  the  rulers,  while  the  Vaisyas  formed  the  mass  of  the  people. 
The  fact  of  the  latter  not  being  originally  a  sepaiate  community  is 
confirmed  by  the  employment  assigned  to  them,  as  well  as  by  their 
name  Vaisya,  derived  from  the  word  Vis,  a  word  which  in  the  Yeda 
designates  the  general  community,  especially  considered  as  the  pos- 
sessor of  the  pure  Aryan  worship  and  culture,  in  contradistinction  to 
all  barbarian  races.  Out  of  this  community  the  priesthood  arose  in 
the  manner  above  described,  while  the  Kshattriyas  were  the  nobility, 
descended  in  the  main  from  the  kings  of  the  earlier  ages.  The  fourth 
caste,  the  S'udras,  consisted,  according  to  Prof.  Roth,  of  a  race  subdued 
by  the  Brahmanical  conquerors,  whether  that  race  may  have  been  a 
branch  of  the  Arian  stock  which  immigrated  at  an  earlier  period  into 
India,  or  an  autochthonous  Indian  tribe. 

In  his  tract  on  the  origin  of  Brahmanism,  from  which  I  have  already 
quoted  (see  above,  pp.  11  and  14),  Dr.  Haug  thus  states  his  views  on 
this  question  :  "It  has  been  of  late  asserted  that  the  original  parts  of 
the  Vedas  do  not  know  the  system  of  caste.  But  this  conclusion  was 
premaUirely  arrived  at  without  sufficiently  weighing  the  evidence.  It 
is  true  the  caste  system  is  not  to  be  found  in  such  a  developed  state  j 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  293 

• 

the  duties  enjoined  to  the  several  castes  are  not  so  clearly  defined  as 
in  the  Law  Books  and  Puranas.  But  nevertheless  the  system  is  already 
known,  in  the  earlier  parts  of  the  Vedas,  or  rather  presupposed.  The 
barriers  only  were  not  so  insurmountable  as  in  later  times."  (p.  6). 
This  view  he  supports  by  a-reference  to  the  Zend  Avesta,  in  which  he 
finds  evidence  of  a  division  of  the  followers  of  Ahura  Mazda  into  the 
three  classes  of  Atharvas,  Rathaesthas,  and  Vastrya  fshuyans,  which 
he  regards  as  corresponding  exactly  to  the  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  and 
Taisyas  of  India.  The  Atharvas,  or  priests,  in  particular  formed  a 
class  or  even  a  caste ;  they  had  secrets  which  they  were  prohibited 
from  divulging ;  they  were  the  spiritual  guides  of  their  nation,  and 
none  but  the  son  of  a  priest  could  become  a  priest — a  rule  which  the 
Parsls  still  maintain.  From  these  facts,  Dr.  Haug  deduces  the  con- 
clusion that  the  nation  of  which  both  the  Indo-Arians  and  the  Perso- 
Arians  originally  formed  a  part  had  been  divided  into  three  classes 
even  before  the  separation  of  the  Indians  from  the  Iranians ;  and  he 
adds  (p.  7):  "From  all  we  know,  the  real  origin  of  caste  appears 
to  go  back  to  a  time  anterior  to  the  composition  of  the  Vedic 
hymns,  though  its  development  into  a  regular  system  with  insur- 
mountable barriers  can  be  referred  only  to  the  latest  period  of  the 
Vedic  times." 

I  shall  furnish  a  short  analysis  of  some  other  parts  of  Dr.  Haug's 
interesting  tract.  He  derives  (p.  7)  the  word  Irdhmana  from  brahman 
(neuter),  which  originally  meant  "a  sacred  song,  prayer,"  as  an  effu- 
sion of  devotional  feeling.  Brahma  was  the  "sacred  element"  in  the 
sacrifice,  and  signified  "the  soul  of  nature,  the  productive  power." 
The  Brahmanic  sacrifices  had  production  as  their  object,  and  embraced 
some  rites  which  were  intended  to  furnish  the  sacrifice!1  with  a  new 
spiritual  body  wherewith  he  might  ascend  to  heaven,  and  others  cal- 
culated to  provide  him  with  cattle  and  offspring  (p.  8).  The  symbol 
of  this  brdhmti,  or  productive  power,  which  must  always  be  present  at 
the  sacrifice,  was  a  bunch  of  kusa  grass,  generally  called  Yeda  (a  word 
alternating  with  lrdhmd\  which,  at  the  sacrifice,  was  passed  from  one 
priest  to  another,  and  given  to  the  sacrificer  and  his  wife.  The  cor- 
responding symbol  of  twigs  used  by  the  Parsls  was  called  in  Zend 
bdresma,  which  Dr.  Haug  considers  to  have  been  originally  the  same  as 
brdhmd  (p.  9).  As  it  was  essential  to  the  success  of  these  sacrifices 


294  MUTUAL  RELATIONS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  CLASSES  OF  SOCIETY 

that  every  portion  of  the  complicated  ceremonial  should  be  accurately 
performed,  and  as  mistakes  could  not  be  avoided,  it  became  necessary 
to  obviate  by  an  atonement  (prdyaschitti)  the  mischief  which  would 
otherwise  have  ensued ;  and  the  priest  appointed  to  guard  against  or 
expiate  such  mistakes,  when  committed  by  the  other  priests — the  hotri, 
adhvaryu,  and  udgatri — was  called,  "  from  the  most  ancient  times,"  the 
brahman  (masculine),  Jwho  was  a  functionary  pre-eminently  supplied  with 
brahma  (neuter)  or  sacred  knowledge,  and  thereby  connected  "  with  the 
soul  of  nature,  the  cause  of  all  growth,  the  last  cause  of  all  sacrificial 
rites"  (p.  10).  The  office  of  brahman  was  not  one  to  which  mere  birth 
gave  a  claim,  but  had  to  be  attained  by  ability  and  study.  The  descend- 
ants of  these  brahman  priests  were  the  Brahmans,  and  the  speculations 
of  the  most  eminent  brahman  priests  on  divine  things,  and  especially  on 
sacrificial  rites,  are  contained  in  the  works  called  -Brahmanas  (p.  12). 
Dr.  Haug  considers  that  no  such  a  class  as  that  of  the  brahman  priests 
existed  at  the  early  period  when  the  ancestors  of  the  Hindus  separated 
from  those  of  the  Parsis  in  consequence  of  religious  differences.  The 
few  rites  preserved  by  the  Parsis  as  relics  of  the  remotest  antiquity 
closely  resemble  those  of  the  Brahmans.  Dr.  Haug  finds  that  in  the 
Homa  ritual  of  the  former  (corresponding  to  the  Soma  ceremony  of  the 
latter)  only  two  priests,  called  Zota  and  Raspi  or  Bathwi,  are  required, 
whom  he  recognises  as  corresponding  to  the  Hotri  and  Adhvaryu  of  the 
latter.  So  long  as  the  rites  were  simple,  no  brahman  priest  was  wanted ; 
but  when  they  became  complicated  and  multiform,  the  necessity  for 
such  a  functionary  arose.  And  it  was  only  then  that  the  sons  of  the 
brahmans,  i.e.  the  Brahmans,  could  rise  through  the  possession  of  sacred 
knowledge,  derived  from  their  fathers,  to  great  power,  and  form  them- 
selves into  a  regular  caste.  The  development  of  these  ceremonies  out 
of  their  primitive  simplicity  into  the  complexity  and  multiformity  which 
they  ultimately  assumed  must,  Dr.  Haug  thinks,  have  been  the  work 
of  many  centuries.  This  transformation  must  have  taken  place  in  the 
region  bordering  on  the  Sarasvati,  where  the  expansion  of  the  Brah- 
manical  system,  and  the  elevation  of  the  Brahmans  to  full  spiritual 
supremacy,  is  to  be  sought,  before  the  Indo-Arians  advanced  south- 
eastwards  into  Hindostan  proper  (p.  14).  The  ascendancy  of  the 
Brahmans  was  not  however  attained  without  opposition  on  the  part 
of  the  kings  (p.  18).  Dr.  Haug  concludes  by  relating  the  reception 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  RIG-  AND  ATHARVA-VEDAS.  295 

of  Visvamitra  into  the  order  of  Brahmans,  and  by  giving  some  ac- 
count of  the  rishis  and  the  several  classes  into  which  they  were 
divided. 

As  the  question  is  generally  stated  by  Dr.  Haug  in  pages  6  and  12  ff., 
the  difference  between  him  and  other  European  scholars  is  one  of 
age  and  not  of  principle,  for  neither  party  admits  any  distinction  of 
race  or  congenital  diversity  between  the  three  superior  castes  or  classes. 


296 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN  THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTR1YAS. 

I  proceed  to  give  some  legendary  illustrations  of  the  struggle  which 
no  doubt  occurred  in  the  early  ages  of  Hindu  history  between  the 
Brahmans  and  the  Kshattriyas,  after  the  former  had  begun  to  con- 
stitute a  fraternity  exercising  the  sacerdotal  profession,  but  before  the 
respective  provinces  of  the  two  classes  had  been  accurately  defined  by 
custom,  and  when  the  members  of  each  were  ready  to  encroach  on  the 
prerogatives  claimed  as  their  own  exclusive  birthright  by  the  other. 

SECT.  I. — Mands  Summary  of  refractory  and  submissive  monarchs. 

I  shall  begin  with  the  following  passage,  which  we  find  in  the 
Institutes  of  Manu,  vii.  38  ff.,  regarding  the  impious  resistance,  as  the 
lawgiver  considered  it,  of  certain  monarchs  to  the  legitimate  claims  of 
the  priests,  and  the  dutiful  behaviour  of  others. 

38.  Vriddhdms  cha  nityam  seveta  viprdn  veda-vidah  suchln  \  vriddha- 
sevl  hi  satatam  rakshobhir  api  pujyate  \  39.  Tebhyo  'dhigachhed  vina- 
yam  mnitatma,  'pi  nityasah  \  vinltdtmd  hi  nripatir  na  vinasyati  Icarchi- 
chit  |  40.  Bahavo  'vinaydd  nashtdh  rdjdnah  sa-parichhaddh  \  vanasthah 
api  rdjydni  vinayat  pratipedire  \  41.  Veno  vinqshto  'vinaydd  NahusJias 
ckaiva  parthivah  \  Suddh  Paijavanas 80  chaiva  Sumukho  Nimir  eva  cha  \ 
42.  Prithm  tu  vinayad  rdjyam  prdptavdn  Manur  eva  cha  \  Kuveras  cha 
dhanaisvaryyam  Irdhmanyam  chaiva  Oudhijah  \ 

"Let  the  king  constantly  reverence  ancient  Brahmans  skilled  in  the 
Vedas,  and  pure  in  conduct ;  for  he  who  always  respects  the  aged  is 
honoured  even  by  the  Bakshases.  39.  Let  him,  even  though  humble- 

80  In  support  of  this  reading,  see  M.  Loiseleur  Deslongchamps's  and  Sir  G.  C. 
Hauo'hton's  notes  on  the  passage. 


CONTESTS  BETWEEN  THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSIIATTRIYAS.  297 

minded,  be  continually  learning  submissiveness  from  them  :  for  a  sub- 
missive monarch  never  perishes.  40.  Through  want  of  this  character 
many  kings  have  been  destroyed  with  all  their  possessions ;  whilst  by 
humility  even  hermits  have  obtained  kingdoms.  41.  Vena  perished 
through  want  of  submissiveness,  and  king  Nahusha,  and  Sudas  the  son 
of  Pijavana,  and  Sumukha,  and  Nimi.  42.  But  through  submissive- 
ness  Prithu  and  Manu  attained  kingly  power,  Kuvera  the  lordship  of 
wealth,  and  the  son  of  Gadhi  (Visvamitra)  Erahmanhood."  8l 

Vena  is  again  referred  to  in  Manu  ix.  6'6  f.  :  Ayam  dvijair  hi  vid- 
vadbhih  pasudharmo  nigarhitah  \  manusliydndm  api  prolcto  Vene  rdjyam 
prasdsati  \  £>7 '.  Sa  mahim  aJchildm  Ihunjan  rdjarshi-pravarah  purd  \ 
varndndm  sankaram  cliakre  kdmopahata-chetanah  \ 

"  This  custom  (of  raising  up  seed  to  a  deceased  brother  or  kinsman 
by  his  widow)  fit  only  for  cattle,  was  declared  to  be  (law)  for  men  also, 
when  Vena  held  sway.  This  eminent  royal  rishi,  who  in  former  times 
ruled  over  the  whole  earth,  having  his  reason  destroyed  by  lust, 
occasioned  a  confusion  of  castes." 

The  legendary  history  of  nearly  all  the  kings  thus  stigmatized  or 
celebrated  can  be  traced  in  the  Puranas  and  other  parts  of  Indian 
literature.  I  shall  supply  such  particulars  of  the  refractory  monarchs 
as  I  can  find. 

It  will  be  observed  that  Manu  is  spoken  of  as  an  ordinary  prince ; 
and  that  even  Kuvera,  the  god  of  wealth,  is  said  to  have  attained  his 
dignity  by  the  same  species  of  merit  as  the  other  persons  whom  the 
writer  eulogizes.  I  am  not  aware  whether  any  legends  exist  to  the 
same  effect.  Something  of  a  contrary  tendency  is  found  with  regard 
to  the  deity  in  question  in  the  passage  of  the  Mahabharata,  of  which 
an  extract  is  given  above,  in  p.  140,  note  249. 


81  Kulluka  remarks  on  this  passage :  Gadhi-putro  Vtivamitras'  cha  hshattriyah  sams 
tmahwdehenabrahmanyampraptavan\rnjya-labhavasarebrahmanya-praptiraprastufa 
'pi  vinayotkarshartham  ukta  \  Jdriso  'yam  sastranushthana-nishiddha-varjana-rupa- 
vinayodayena  Jcshattriyo  'pi  durlabham  brahmanyam  leblie  \  "  Visvamitra,  the  son  of 
Gadhi,  being  a  Kshattriya,  obtained  Brahmanhood  in  the  same  body  (i.e.  without 
being  again  born  in  another  body).  The  attainment  of  Brahmanhood  by  one  who  at  the 
time  held  kingly  authority,  although  an  unusual  occurrence,  is  mentioned  to  show  the 
excellence  of  submissiveness.  Through  that  quality,  as  exhibited  in  the  observance  of 
scriptural  injunctions,  and  in  abstinence  from  things  forbidden,  he,  being  a  Kshat- 
triya, obtained  Brahmanhood,  so  difficult  to  acquire." 


298  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

I  have  not  met  with  any  story  of  Sumukha's  contest  with  the 
Brahmans.  Some  MSS.  read  Suratha  instead  of  Sumukha. 

The  name  of  Sudas,  the  son  of  Pijavana,  occurs  in  several  parts  of 
the  Rig-veda.  I  shall  return  to  him  in  relating  the  contest  between 
Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra.  I  begin  with  the  story  of  Vena. 


SECT.  II. — Legend  of  Vena. 

According  to  the  Vishnu  Purana,  i.  1 3,  Vena  was  the  son  of  Anga, 
and  the  descendant  in  the  ninth  generation  of  the  first  Manu,  Svayam- 
bhuva;  the  line  of  ancestors  from  the  latter  downwards  being  as 
follows :  Uttanapada,  Dhruva, .  S'lishti,  Ripu,  Chakshusha,  the  sixth 
Manu  called  Chakshusha,  Uru,  Anga  (see  Wilson's  Yishnu  P.  vol.  i.). 
Yena  thus  belongs  to  a  mythical  age  preceding  by  an  enormous  interval 
that  of  the  descendants  of  Manu  Yaivasvata  mentioned  in  the  preced- 
ing chapter  of  this  volume;  five  Manvantaras,  or  periods  of  308,571 
years  each,  having  intervened  in  the  present  Kalpa  between  the  close 
of  the  Svayambhuva,  and  the  beginning  of  the  existing,  or  Yaivasvata, 
Manvantara. 

Yishnu  Purana,  i.  13J  7  :  Pardsara  uvdcha  \  Sunithd  ndma  yd  kanyd 
Mrityoh  prathama-jd  'bhavat  \  Angasya  bhdryyd  sa  dattd  tasydm  Venas 
tv  ajdyata  \  8.  Sa  mdtdmaha-doshena  tena  Mrityoh  sutdtmajah  \  nisargdd 
iva  Maitreya  dushtah  eva  vy ajdyata  \  9.  Abhishikto  yadd  rdjye  sa  Venah 
paramarshibhih  \  ghoshaydmdsa  sa  tadd  prithivydm  prithivipatih  I  "na 
yashtavyam  na  ddtavyam  hotavyam  na  kaddchana  \  Ihoktd  yajnasya  kas 
tv  anyo  hy  aham  yajna-patih  sadd  \  10.  Tatas  tarn  rishayah  sarve  sam- 
pujya  prithivipatim  \  uchuh  sdmakalam  samyan  Maitreya  samupasthitdh  \ 
rishayah  uchuh  \  11.  "  Bho  bho  rdjan  srinushva  tvarh  yad  vaddmas  tava 
prabho  \  rdjya-dehopahdre  yah  prajdndm  cha  hitam  par  am  \  12.  Dlrgha- 
sattrena  devesam  sarva-yajnesvaram  Harim  \  pujayishydmo  lhadram  te 
tatrdmsas  te  bhavishyati  \  13.  Yajnena  yajna-purusho  Vishnuh  samprlnito 
vibhuh  |  asmdbhir  bhavatah  Icdmdn  sarvdn  eva  praddsyati  \  yajnair 
yajnesvaro  yeshdm  rdshtre  sampujyate  Harih  \  teshdm  sarvepsitdvdptim 
daddti  nripa  bhubhujdm"  \  Venah  uvdcha  \  " mattah  Ico  'bhyadhiko  'nyo 
'sti  kas  chdrddhyo  mamdparah  \  Ico  'yam  Harir  iti  khydto  yo  vo  yajnes- 
varo matah  \  Brahma  Jandrdano  Rudrah  Indro  Vdyur  Tamo  Ravih  \ 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  299 

Hutalhug  Varuno  Dhdtd  Pushd  Bhumir  Nisdkarah  \  ete  chdnye  cha  ye 
devdh  sdpdnugraha-kdrinah  \  nripasya  te  sarlra-sthdh  sarva-devamayo 
nripah  \  etaj  jndtvd  may  a  "jnaptam  yad  yathd  kriyatdm  tathd  \  na 
ddtavyam  na  hotavyam  na  yashtavyam  cha  vo  dvijdh  \  14.  Bharttuh  sus- 
rushanam  dharmo  yathd  strmdm  paro  matah  \  mamdjnd-pdlanani  dharmo 
bhavatdm  cha  tathd  dvijdh"  \  rishayah  uchuh  \  "  dehy  anujndm  mahd- 
rdja  md  dharmo  ydtu  sankshayam  \  havishdm  parindmo  'yam  yad  etad 
akhilam  jagat  \  15.  Dharme  cha  sankshayam  ydte  kshlyate  chdkhilam 
jagat"  \  Pardsarah  uvdcha  \  iti  vijndpyamdno  'pi  sa  Venah  paramar- 
shibhih  \  yadd  daddti  ndnujndm  proTctah  proktah  punah  punah  \  tatas  te 
munayah  sarve  kopdmarsha-samanvitdh  \  " hanyatam  hanyatdm  pdpah" 
ity  -uchm  te  parasparam  \  16.  "Yo  yajna-purwham  devam  anddi-ni- 
dhanam prabhum  \  vmindaty  adhamdchdrd  na  sayogyo  Ihuvah  patih"  \  ity 
uJctvd  mantra-putais  te  Icusair  muni-gandh  nripam  \  nirjaghnur  nihatam 
purvam  lhagavan-nindanddind  \  tatas  cha  munayo  renum  dadrisuh  sar- 
vato  dvija  \  "him  etad"  iti  chdsannam  paprachhm  te  janam  tada  \ 
17.  Akhydtam  cha  janais  teshdm  "  chaurlbhutair  ardjake  \  rdshtre  tu 
lokair  draldham  para-svdddnam  dturaili  \  18.  Teshdm  udlrna-vegdndm 
chaurdndm  muni-sattamdh  \  sumahdn  drisyate  renuh  para-mttdpahd- 
rindm"  \  tatah  sammantrya  te  sarve  munayas  tasya  bhubhritah  \  maman- 
thur  urum  putrdrtham  anapatyasya  yatnatah  \  mathyatas  cha  samuttas- 
thau  tasyoroh  purushah  kila  \  dagdha-sthundpratlkdsah  kharvdtdsyo 
'tihrasvakah  \  19.  Kim  karomlti  tun  sarvdn  viprdn  aha  sa  chdturah  \ 
nishldeti  tarn  uchm  te  nishddas  tena  so  'bhavat  \  20.  Tatas  tat-sambhavdh 
jdtdh  Vindhya-saila-nivdsinah  \  nishdddh  muni-sdrdula  pdpa-karmo- 
palakshandh  |  21.  Tena  dvdrena  nishkrdntam  tat  pdpam  tasya  Ihupateh  \ 
nishddds  te  tathd  jdtdh  Vena-kalmasha-sambhavdh  \  22.  Tato  'sya  dak- 
shinam  hastam  mamanthus  te  tadd  dvijdh  \  mathyamdne  cha  tatrdbhut 
Prithur  Vainyah  pratdpavdn  \  dipyamdnah  sva-vapushd  sdkshdd  Agnir 
ivojjvalan  \  23.  Adyam  djagavam  ndma  khdt  papdta  tato  dhanuh  \  sards 
cha  divydh  nabhasah  kavachaih  cha  papdta  ha  \  tasmin  jdte  tu  bhutdni 
samprahrishtdni  sarvasah  \  satputrena  cha  jdtena  Veno  ''pi  tridivam 
yayau  \  pun-ndmno  narakdt  trdtah  sa  tena  sumahdtmand  \ 

"7.  The  maiden  named  Sunltha,  who  was  the  first-born  of  Mrityu 
(Death)82  was  given  as  wife  to  Anga;    and  of  her  Vena  was  born. 
8.  This  son  of  Mrityu' s  daughter,  infected  with  the  taint  of  his  ma- 
82  See  above,  p.  124,  and  note  230. 


800  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

ternal  grandfather,  was  born  corrupt,  as  if  by  nature.  9.  When  Vena 
was  inaugurated  as  king  by  the  eminent  rishis,  he  caused  this  pro- 
clamation to  be  made  on  the  earth :  '  Men  must  not  sacrifice,  or  give 
gifts,  or  present  oblations.  Who  else  but  myself  is  the  enjoyer  of 
sacrifices?  I  am  for  ever  the  lord  of  offerings.'  10.  Then  all  the 
rishis  approaching  the  king  with  respectful  salutations,  said  to  him  in 
a  gentle  and  conciliatory  tone  :  11.  'Hear,  o  king,  what  we  have  to 
say:  12.  We  shall  worship  Hari,  the  monarch  of  the  gods,  and  the 
lord  of  all  sacrifices,  with  a  Dirghasattra  (prolonged  sacrifice),  from 
which  the  highest  benefits  will  accrue  to  your  kingdom,  your  person, 
and  your  subjects.  May  blessings  rest  upon  you !  You  shall  have  a 
share  in  the  ceremony.  13.  Vishnu  the  lord,  the  sacrificial  Male,  being 
propitiated  by  us  with  this  rite,  will  grant  all  the  objects  of  your 
desire.  Hari,  the  lord  of  sacrifices,  bestows  on  those  kings  in  whose 
country  he  is  honoured  with  oblations,  everything  that  they  wish.'  Vena 
replied :  '  What  other  being  is  superior  to  me  ?  who  else  but  I  should 
be  adored  ?  who  is  this  person  called  Hari,  whom  you  regard  as  the 
lord  of  sacrifice  ?  Brahma,  Janardana,  lludra,  Indra,  Vayu,  Yama, 
Ravi  (the  Sun),  Agni,  Varuna,  Dhatri,  Pushan,  Earth,  the  Moon, — 
these  and  the  other  gods  who  curse  and  bless  are  all  present  in  a  king's 
person :  for  he  is  composed  of  all  the  gods.83  Knowing  this,  ye  must 

83  The  orthodox  doctrine,  as  stated  by  Maim,  vii.  3  ff.,  coincides  very  nearly  with 
Vena's  estimate  of  himself,  although  the  legislator  does  not  deduce  from  it  the  same 
conclusions :  3.  Rakshartham  asya  sarvasya  rajanam  asrijat  prabhuh  \  4.  Indranila- 
yamarkanam  Agnes  cha  Varunasya  cha  \  Chandra- Vittesayos  chaivamatrah  nirhritya 
sasvatlh  \  5.  Yasmad  esham  surendranam  matrabhyo  nirmito  nripah  \  tasmad  abhi- 
bhavaty  esha  sarva-bhutani  tejasa  \  6.  Tapaty  aditya-vach  chaisha  chakshumshi 
cha  manamsi  cha'  \  na  chainam  bhuvi  saknoti  kaschid  apy  abliivlkshitum  \  7.  So 
'gnir  bhavati  Vayud  cha  so  'rkah  Somah  sa  Lharmarat  \  sa  Kuverah  sa  Varunah  sa 
Mahendrah  prabhavatah  \  8.  Balo  'pi  ncivamantavyo  "  manushyah"  iti  bhumipah  \ 
mihatl  dei-atci  hy  esha  nara-rvpena  tishthati  \  "  3.  The  lord  created  the  king  for  the 
preservation  of  this  entire  world,  (4)  extracting  the  eternal  essential  particles  of  Indra, 
Vayu,  Yama,  Surya,  Agni,  Varuna,  Chandra,  and  Kuvera.  5.  Inasmuch  as  the  king 
is  formed  of  the  particles  of  all  these  gods,  he  surpasses  all  beings  in  brilliancy. 
6.  Like  the  Sun,  he  distresses  both  men's  eyes  and  minds ;  and  no  one  on  earth  can 
ever  gaze  upon  him.  7.  He  is  Agni,  Vayu,  Surya,  Soma,  Yama,  Kuvera,  Varuna, 
and  Indra,  in  majesty.  8.  Even  when  a  child  a  king  is  not  to  be  despised  under  the 
idea  that  he  is  a  mere  man ;  for  he  is  a  great  deity  in  human  form." 

In  another  passage,  ix.  303,  this  is  qualified  by  saying  that  the  king  should  imitate 
the  functions  of  the  different  gods  :  Indrasyarkasya  Vayoscha  Yamasya  Varunasya 
cha  |  Chandrasyngneh  Frithivyas  cha  tejo  vrittam  nripas'  charet  \  This  expanded  in 
the  next  verses. 


THE   BRAHMANS   AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  301 

act  in  conformity  with  my  commands.  Brahmans,  ye  must  neither 
give  gifts,  nor  present  oblations  nor  sacrifices.  14.  As  obedience  to 
their  husbands  is  esteemed  the  highest  duty  of  women,  so  is  the  obser- 
vance of  my  orders  incumbent  upon  you.'  The  rishis  answered :  '  Give 
permission,  great  king :  let  not  religion  perish :  this  whole  world  is 
but  a  modified  form  of  oblations.  15.  When  religion  perishes  the  whole 
world  is  destroyed  with  it.'  When  Vena,  although  thus  admonished 
and  repeatedly  addressed  by  the  eminent  rishis,  did  not  give  his  per- 
mission, then  all  the  munis,  filled  with  wrath  and  indignation,  cried 
out  to  one  another,  *  Slay,  slay  the  sinner.  16.  This  man  of  degraded 
life,  who  blasphemes  the  sacrificial  Male,  the  god,  the  lord  without 
beginning  or  end,  is  not  fit  to  be  lord  of  the  earth.'  So  saying  the 
munis  smote  with  blades  of  kusa  grass  consecrated  by  texts  this  king 
who  had  bee/i  already  smitten  by  his  blasphemy  of  the  divine  Being  and 
his  other  offences.  The  munis  afterwards  beheld  dust  all  round,  and 
asked  the  people  who  were  standing  near  what  that  was.  17.  They 
were  informed :  '  In  this  country  which  has  no  king,  the  people,  being 
distressed,  have  become  robbers,  and  have  begun  to  seize  the  property 
of  others.  18.  It  is  from  these  robbers  rushing  impetuously,  and 
plundering  other  men's  goods,  that  this  great  dust  is  seen?  Then  all 
the  munis,  consulting  together,  rubbed  with  "force  the  thigh  of  the 
king,  who  was  childless,  in  order  to  produce  a  son.  From  his  thigh 
when  rubbed  there  was  produced  a  man  like  a  charred  log,  with  flat 
face,  and  extremely  short.  19.  'What  shall  I  do?'  cried  the  man,  in 
distress,  to  the  Brahmans.  They  said  to  him,  '  Sit  down'  (mshlda) ; 
and  from  this  he  became  a  Nishada.  20.  From  him  sprang  the 
Nishadas  dwelling  in  the  Vindhya  mountains,  distinguished  by  their 
wicked  deeds.  21.  By  this  means  the  sin  of  the  king  departed  out  of 
him ;  and  so  were  the  Nishadas  produced,  the  offspring  of  the  wicked- 
ness of  Vena.  22.  The  Brahmans  then  rubbed  his  right  hand ;  and 
from  it,  when  rubbed,  sprang  the  majestic  Prithu,  Vena's  son,  re- 
splendent in  body,  glowing  like  the  manifested  Agni.  23.  Then  the 
primeval  bow  called  Ajagava  fell  from  the  sky,  with  celestial  arrows, 
and  a  coat  of  mail.  At  Prithu's  birth  all  creatures  rejoiced.  And 
through  the  birth  of  this  virtuous  son,  Vena,  delivered  from  the  hell 
called  Put81  by  this  eminent  person,  ascended  to  heaven." 

81  This  alludes  to  the  fanciful  derivation  ofputlra,  "son,"  horn  put  +  tra. 


302  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

The  Harivamsa  (sect.  5)  relates  the  same  story  thus,  with  little 
variation  from  the  Vishnu  Purana  : 

Vaisampdyanah  uvdcha  \  A&lA  dharmasya  aoptd  vai  purvam  Atri-samah 
prabhuh  \  Atri-vamsa-samutpannas  tv  Ango  ndma  prajdpatih  \  tasya 
putro  'bhavad  Veno  ndtyartham  dharma-Jcovidah  \  jdto  Mrityu-sutdydm 
vai  Sumthdydm  prajapatih  \  sa  mdtdmaha-doshena  tena  kdldtmajdtmajah  \ 
sva-dharmdn  prishthatah  kritvd  kdmdl  lobheshv  avarttata  \  marydddm 
sthdpaydmdsa  dharmdpetdm  sa  pdrthivah  \  veda-dharmdn  atikramya  so 
'dharma-nirato  'bhavat  \  nih-svddhydya-vashatkdrds  tasmin  rdjani  sdsati  I 
prdvarttan  na  papuh  somam  hutam  yajneshu  devatdh  \  "  na  yashtavyam 
na  hotavyam"  iti  tasya  prajdpateh,\  dslt  pratijnd  Jcrureyam  vindse 
samupasthite  \  aham  ijya&  cha  yashtd  cha  yajnai  cheti  kurudvaha  \ 
11  may i  yafndh  vidhdtavydh  mayi  hotavyam"  ity  apt  \  .tarn  atiTcrdnta- 
.maryddam  ddaddnam  asdmpratam  \  uchur  maharshayah  sarve  Marichi- 
pramukhds  tadd  \  "vayaih  dlkshdm  pravekshydmah  samvatsara-gandn 
bahun  ]  adharmam  kuru  md  Vena  naisha  dharmah  sandtanah  \  anvaye 
'treh  prasutas  tvam  prajdpatir  asamsayam  \  'prajds  cha  pdlayishye 
'ham'  iti  te  samayah  kritahn  \  tarns  tathd  bruvatah  sarvdn  maharshln 
abravit  tadd  \  Venah  prahasya  durbuddhir  imam  artham  anartha-vit  \ 
Fenah  uvdcha  \  "  srashtd  dharmasya  kas  chdnyah  srotavyam  kasya  vd 
mayd  \  fruta-vtrya-tapah-satyair  mayd  vd  kah  samo  bhuvi  \  prabhavam 
sarva-bhutdndm  dharmdndm  cha  viseshatah  \  sammudhdh  na  yidur  nunam 
bftavanto  mam  achetasah  \  ichhan  daheyam  prithivlm  pldvayeyam  jalais 
tathd  |  dydm  bhuvam  chaiva  rundheyam  ndtra  kdryd  vichdrand  "  \  yadd 
na  sakyate  mohdd  avalepdch  cha  pdrthivah  \  anunetum  tadd  Venas  tatah 
kruddhdh  maharshayah  \  niarihya  tarn  mahdtmdno  visphurantam  mahd- 
balam  \  tato  'sya  savyam  urum  te  mamanthur  jdta-manyavah  \  tasmims  tu 
mathyamdne  vai  rdjnah  urau  vijajnivdn  \  hrasvo  Himdtrah  purushah 
krishnaG  chdpi  babhuva  ha  \  sa  bhltah  prdnjalir  bhutvd  sthitaudn  Jana- 
mejaya  \  tarn  Atrir  vihvalam  drishtvd  nishldety  abravit  tadd  \  nishdda- 
vam£a-karttd  'sau  babhuva  vadatdm  vara  \  dhivardn  asrij'ach  chdpi  Vena- 
kalmasha-sambhavdn  \  ye  chdnye  Vindliya-nilayds  Tukhdrds  Tumburds 
tathd  |  adharma-ruchayas  tdta  viddhi  tan  Fena-sambhavdn  \  tatah  punar 
mahdtmdnah  pdnim  Venasya  dakshinam  \  aranlm  iva  samrabdhdh  maman- 
thur jdta-manyavah  \  Prithus  tasmdt  samuttasthau  kardj  jvalana-sanni- 
bhah  |  dlpyamanah  sva-vapushd  sdkshdd  Agnir  ivajvalan  \ 

11  There  was  formerly  a  Prajapati  (lord  of  creatures),  a  protector  of 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  303 

righteousness,  called  Anga,  of  the  race  of  Atri,  and  resembling  him  in 
power.  His  son  was  the  Prajapati  Vena,  who  was  hut  indifferently  skilled 
in  duty,  and  was  born  of  Sumtha,  the  daughter  of  Mrityu.     This  son 
of  the  daughter  of  Kala  (^Death),  owing  to  the  taint  derived  from  his 
maternal  grandfather,  threw  his  duties  behind  his  back,  and  lived  in 
covetousness  under  the  influence  of  desire.     This  king  established  an 
irreligious  system  of  conduct :  transgressing  the  ordinances  of  the  Veda, 
he  was  devoted  to  lawlessness.     In  his  reign  men  lived  without  study 
of  the  sacred  books  and  without  the  vashatkara,  and  the  gods  had  no 
Soma-libations  to  drink  at  sacrifices.     '  No  sacrifice  or  oblation  shall  be 
offered,' — such  was  the  ruthless  determination  of  that  Prajapati,  as  the 
time  of  his  destruction  approached.     'I,'  he  declared,  'am  the  object, 
and  the  performer  of  sacrifice,  and  the  sacrifice  itself :  it  is  to  me  that 
sacrifice  should  be  presented,  and  oblations  offered.'     This  transgressor 
of  the  rules  of  duty,  who  arrogated  to  himself  what  was  not  his  due, 
was  then  addressed  by  all  the  great  rishis,  headed  by  Marichi :  '  We 
are  about  to  consecrate  ourselves  for  a  ceremony  which  shall  last  for 
many  years :  practise  not  unrighteousness,  o  Vena :    this  is  not  the 
eternal  rule  of  duty.     Thou  art  in  very  deed  a  Prajapati  of  Atri's  race, 
and  thou  hast  engaged  to  protect  thy  subjects.'     The  foolish  Vena, 
ignorant  of  what  was  right,  laughingly  answered  those  great  rishis 
who  had  so  addressed  him :   '  "Who  but  myself  is  the  ordainer  of  duty  ? 
or  whom  ought  I  to  obey  ?    Who  on  earth  equals  me  in  sacred  know- 
ledge, in  prowess,  in  austere  fervour,  in  truth  ?     Ye  who  are  deluded 
and  senseless  know  not  that  I  am  the  source  of  all  beings  and  duties. 
Hesitate  not  to  believe  that  I,  if  I  willed,  could  burn  up  the  earth,  or 
deluge  it  with  water,  or  close  up  heaven  and  earth.'  When  owing  to  his 
delusion  and  arrogance  Vena  could  not  be  governed,  then  the  mighty 
rishis  becoming  incensed,  seized  the  vigorous  and  struggling  king,  and 
rubbed  his  left  thigh.     From  this  thigh,  so  rubbed,  was  produced  a 
black  man,  very  short  in  stature,  who,  being  alarmed,  stood  with  joined 
hands.     Seeing  that  he  was  agitated,  Atri  said  to  him   '  Sit  down ' 
(nishlda).    He  became  the  founder  of  the  race  of  the  Mshadas,  and  also 
progenitor  of  the  Dhlvaras  (fishermen),  who  sprang  from  the  corruption 
of  Vena.     So  too  were  produced  from  him  the  other  inhabitants  of  the 
Vindhya  range,  the  Tukharas,  and  Tumburas,  who  are  prone  to  law- 
lessness.    Then  the  mighty  sages,  excited  and  incensed,  again  rubbed 


304  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

the  right  hand  of  Vena,  as  men  do  the  arani  wood,  and  from  it  arose 
Prithu,  resplendent  in  body,  glowing  like  the  manifested  Agni." 

Although  the  Harivamsa  declares  Yena  to  he  a  descendant  of  Atri, 
yet  as  the  Prajapati  Atri  is  said  in  a  previous  section  to  have  adopted 
TTttanapada,  Yena's  ancestor,  for  his  son  (Hariv.  sect.  2,  verse  60,  Utta- 
napddam  jagrdha  putram  Atrih  prajdpatih]  there  is  no  contradiction 
hetween  the  genealogy  given  here  and  in  the  Vishnu  Pur  ana. 

The  story  of  Vena  is  told  in  the  same  way,  but  more  briefly,  in  the 
Mahabharata,  S'antip.  sect.  59.  After  narrating  the  birth  of  Prithu, 
the  writer  proceeds,  verse  2221 : 

Tatas  tu  prdnjalir  Vainyo  mahar -shims  tan  uvdcha  ha  \  "  susukshmd 
me  samutpannd  buddhir  dharmdrtha-darsirii  \  anayd  kim  mayd  kdryyant 
tad  me  tattvena  samsata  \  yad  mam  bhavanto  vakshyanti  kdryam  artha- 
samanvitam  \  tad  aham  rai  karishydmi  ndtra  kdryd  vichdrand  "  |  tarn 
uchus  tattra  devds  te  te  chaiva  paramarshayah  \  "  niyato  yattra  dharmo 
vai  tvam  asankah  samdchara  \  priydpriye  parityajya  samah  sarveshu  jan- 
tushu  |  kdma-krodhau  chu  lobham  cha  mdnam  chotsrijya  duratah  \  yas  cha 
dharmdt  parichalel  loke  kaschana  mdnavah  \  nigrdhyds  te  sva-ldhulhydm 
sasvad  dharmam  avekshatd  \  pratijndm  chddhirohasva  manasd  karmand 
gird  \  ' pdlayishydmy  aham  bhaumam  brahma'  ity  eva  chdsakrit  |  .  .  .  . 
adandydh  me  dvijds  cheti pratijdriihi  he  vibho  \  lokam  cha  sankardt  kritsnam 
trdtdsmlti  parantapa"  \  Vainyas  tatas  tan  uvdcha  devdn  rishi-purogamdn  \ 
"  Irdhmandh  me  mahdbhdgdh  namasydh  purusharshabhdh  "  \  "  evam 
astv "  iti  Vainyas  tu  tair  ukto  brahmavddibhih  \  purodhds  chdbhavat 
tasya  S'ukro  brahmarnayo  nidhih  \  mantrino  Bdlakhilyds  cha  Sdrasvatyo 
ganas  tathd  \  maharshir  bhagavdn  Garyas  tasya  sumvatsaro  'bfiatat  \ 

"  The  son  of  Vena  (Prithu)  then,  with  joined  hands,  addressed  the 
great  rishis :  '  A  very  slender  understanding  for  perceiving  the  prin- 
ciples of  duty  has  been  given  to  me  by  nature :  tell  me  truly  how  I 
must  employ  it.  Doubt  not  that  I  shall  perform  whatever  you  shall 
declare  to  me  as  my  duty,  and  its  object.'  Then  those  gods  and  great 
rishis  said  to  him:  'Whatever  duty  is  enjoined  perform  it  without 
hesitation,  disregarding  what  thou  mayest  like  or  dislike,  looking  on  all 
creatures  with  an  equal  eye,  putting  far  from  thee  lust,  anger,  cupidity, 
and  pride.  Restrain  by  the  strength  of  thine  arm  all  those  men  who 
swerve  from  righteousness,  having  a  constant  regard  to  duty.  And  in 
thought,  act,  and  word  take  upon  thyself,  and  continually  renew,  the 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  305 

engagement  to  protect  the  terrestrial  Brahman  (Veda,  or  Brahmans  ? ) 
....  And  promise  that  thou  wilt  exempt  the  Brahmans  from  punish- 
ment, and  preserve  society  from  the  confusion  of  castes.'  The  son  of 
Vena  then  replied  to  the  gods,  headed  by  the  rishis :  '  The  great  Brah- 
mans, the  chief  of  men,  shall  be  reverenced  by  me.'  '  So  be  it,'  re- 
joined those  declarers  of  the  Veda.  S'ukra,  the  depository  of  divine 
knowledge,  became  his  purohita ;  the  Balakhilyas  and  Sarasvatyas  his 
ministers ;  and  the  venerable  Grarga,  the  great  rishi,  his  astrologer." 

The  character  and  conduct  of  Prithu,  as  pourtrayed  in  the  last  pas- 
sage presents  a  strong,  and  when  regarded  from  a  Brahmanical  point  of 
view,  an  edifying,  contrast  to  the  contempt  of  priestly  authority  and 
disregard  of  Vedic  observances  which  his  predecessor  had  shewn. 

In  legends  like  that  of  Vena  we  see,  I  think,  a  reflection  of  the 
questions  which  were  agitating  the  religious  world  of  India  at  the 
period  when  the  Puranas  in  which  they  appear  were  compiled,  viz., 
those  which  were  then  at  issue  between  the  adherents  of  the  Veda,  and 
the  various  classes  of  their  opponents,  Bauddha,  Jaina,  Charvaka,  etc. 
These  stories  were  no  doubt  written  with  a  purpose.  They  were  in- 
tended to  deter  the  monarchs  contemporary  with  the  authors  from  tam- 
pering with  those  heresies  which  had  gained,  or  were  gaining,  circu- 
lation and  popularity,  by  the  example  of  the' punishment  which,  it 
was  pretended,  had  overtaken  the  princes  who  had  dared  to  deviate 
from  orthodoxy  in  earlier  times.  Compare  the  account  given  of  the  rise 
of  heretical  doctrines  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  (pp.  209  ff.  vol.  iii.  of 
Dr.  Hall's  edition  of  Professor  Wilson's  translation),  which  the  writer 
no  doubt  intended  to  have  something  more  than  a  merely  historical 
interest. 

The  legend  of  Vena  is  told  at  greater  length,  but  with  no  material 
variation  in  substance,  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  iv.  sections  13-15. 
See  also  Professor  "Wilson's  note  in  his  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  i.  in  loco. 

In  ascribing  to  Vena  an  irreligious  character  and  a  contempt  for  the 
priests,  the  Puranas  contradict  a  verse  in  the  Rig-veda  x.  93,  14,  in 
which  (unless  we  suppose  a  different  individual  to  be  there  meant) 
Vena  is  celebrated  along  with  Duhsima,  Prithavana,  and  Kama  for  his 
conspicuous  liberality  to  the  author  of  the  hymn  (pra  tad  Dutmme 
Prithavdne  Vene  pra  Rdme  vocham  asure  maghavatsu  \  ye  yuktvaya 
paneha  said  asmayu  patha  visrdvi  eshdni).  The  two  other  passages, 

20 


306  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

viii.  9,  10,  and  x.  148,  5,  in  which  he  is  alluded  to  as  the  father  of 
Prithu  have  been  quoted  above,  p.  268. 

I  observe  that  a  Vena,  called  Bhargava  (or  a  descendant  of  Bhrigu), 
is  mentioned  in  the  list  of  traditional  authors  of  hymns,  given  at  the 
end  of  Professor  Aufrecht's  Rig-veda,  vol.  ii.,  as  the  rishi  of  R.V. 
ix.  85,  and  x.  123. 

o 

SECT.  III. — Legend  of  Pururavas. 

Pururavas  has  been  already  alluded  to  (in  pp.  158,  221,  226,  268, 
and  279  f.)  as  the  son  of  Ida  (or  Ida),  and  the  grandson  of  Manu  Vaivas- 
vata ;  as  the  author  of  the  triple  division  of  the  sacred  fire ;  and  as  a 
royal  rishi.  We  have  also  sefen  (p.  172)  that  in  Ilig-veda  i.  31,  4,  he 
is  referred  to  as  sukrite,  a  "beneficent,"  or  "pious,"  prince.  Rig-veda 
x.  95  is  considered  to  contain  a  dialogue  between  him  and  the  Apsaras 
TJrvasT  (see  above,  p.  226).  In  verse  7  of  that  hymn  the  gods  are 
alluded  to  as  having  strengthened  Pururavas  for  a  great  conflict  for  the 
slaughter  of  the  Dasyus  (make  yat  tvd  PurUravo  randya  avarddhayan 
dasyu-hatydya  devdh]  •  and  in  the  1 8th  verse  he  is  thus  addressed  by 
his  patronymic  :  Iti  tvd  devdh  ime  dhur  Aila  yathd  im  etad  bhavasi 
mrityubandhuh  \  prajd  te  devdn  Jiavishd  yajdti  svarge  u  tvam  api  mdda- 
ydse  |  "  Thus  say  these  gods  to  thee,  o  son  of  Ila,  that  thou  art  indeed 
nothing  more  than  a  kinsman  of  death  :  (yet)  let  thy  offspring  worship 
the  gods  with  an  oblation,  and  thou  also  shalt  rejoice  in  heaven." 

It  thus  appears  that  in  the  Yedic  hymns  and  elsewhere  Pururavas  is 
regarded  as  a  pious  prince,  and  Manu  does  not  include  him  in  his  list 
of  those  who  resisted  the  Brahmans.  But  the  M.  Bh.,  Adiparvan  3143 
speaks  of  him  as  follows  : 

Pururavds  tato  vidvdn  Ildydm  samapadyata  \  sd  vai  tasydbhavad  mtitd 
pita  chaiveti  nah  srutam  \  trayodasa  samudrasya  dvipdn  asnan  Purura- 
vah  |  amdnushair  rritah  sarvair  mdnushah  san  mahdyasdh  \  vipraih  sa 
vigraham  chakre  viryyonmattah  Pururavdh  \  jahura  cha  sa  viprdndm 
ratndny  utkrosatdm  api  \  Sanatlcumdras  tarn  rujan  Brahma-lokdd  upetya 
Tia  \  anudarsam  tatas  chakre  pratyagrihndd  na  chdpy  asau  \  tato  maliar- 
shibhih  kruddhaih  sadyah  sapto  vyanasyata  \  lobhdnvito  lala-maddd 
nashta-sanjno  narddhipah  \  sa  hi  gandharva-loka-sthdn  Urvasyd  sahito 
viral  |  dnindya  kriydrthe  'gnln  yathdvad  vihitdms  tridhd  \ 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  307 

"  Subsequently  the  wise  Pururavas  was  born  of  Ila,  who,  as  we 
have  heard,  was  both  his  father  and  his  mother.  Euling  over  thirteen 
islands  of  the  ocean,  and  surrounded  by  beings  who  were  all  super- 
human, himself  a  man  of  great  renown,  Pururavas,  intoxicated  by  his 
prowess,  engaged  in  a  conflict  with  the  Brahmans,  and  robbed  them  of 
their  jewels,  although  they  loudly  remonstrated.  Sanatkumara  came 
from  Brahma's  heaven,  and  addressed  to  him  an  admonition,  which, 
however,  he  did  not  regard.  Being  then  straightway  cursed  by  the 
incensed  rishis,  he  perished,  this  covetous  monarch,  who,  through 
pride  of  power,  had  lost  his  understanding.  This  glorious  being  (yirat\ 
accompanied  by  UrvasT,  brought  down  for  the  performance  of  sacred 
rites  the  fires  which  existed  in  the  heaven  of  the  Gandharvas,  properly 
distributed  into  three."  (See  "Wilson's  Yishnu  Purana,  4to.  ed.  pp.  350 
and  394  if.  with  note  p.  397.) 

I  cite  from  the  Harivamsa  another  passage  regarding   Pururavas, 
although  no  distinct  mention  is  made  in  it  of  his  contest  with  the 
Brahmans : 

Harivamsa  8811.  Pita  Budhasyottama-virya-karmd  Pururavdh  yasya 
suto  nri-devah  \  prdndgnir  Idyo  'gram  ajyanad  yo  nashtam  saml-garlha- 
bhavam  bhavdtmd  \  tathaiva  paschdch  chakame  mahdtmd  purorvaslm  ap- 
sarasdm  varishthdm  \  pitah  purd  yo  'mrita-sarva-deho  muni-pravirair 
vara-gdtri-ghoraih  \  nripah  kusdgraih  punar  eva  yas  cha  dhlmdn  krito 
'gnir  did  pujyate  cha  \ 

II  He  (the  Moon)  was  the  father  of  Budha  (Mercury),  whose  son  was 
Pururavas,  a  god  among  men,  of  distinguished  heroic  deeds,  the  vital 
fire,  worthy  of  adoration,  the  generator,  who  begot  the  lost  fire  which 
sprang  from  the  heart  of  the   saml-wood,  the  great  personage,  who, 
placed  to  the  west,  loved  TJrvasi,  the  paragon  of  Apsarases,  who  was 
placed  to  the  east.  This  king  with  his  entire  immortal  body  was  formerly 
swallowed  up  with  the  points  of  Kusa  grass  by  the  munis  terrible  with 
their  resplendent  forms ;  but  was  again  made  wise,  and  is  worshipped 
in  heaven  as  fire." 

SECT.  IV. — Story  of  NahusJia. 

The  legend  of  Nahusha,85  grandson  of  Pururavas  (see  above,  p.  226), 
85  The  name  of  Nahush  occurs  in  the  Rig-veda  as  that  of  the  progenitor  of  a  race. 


308  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

the  second  prince  described  by  Manu  as  having  come  into  hostile  col- 
lision with  the  Brahmans  is  narrated  with  more  or  less  detail  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Mahabharata,  as  well  as  in  the  Puranas.  The  fol- 
lowing passage  is  from  the  former  work,  Adip.  3151  : 

Ayusho  Nahushah  putro  dhimdn  satya-pardkramah  \  rdjyam  sasdsa 
mmahad  dharmena  prithwlpate  \  pitrln  devdn  rishln  viprdn  gandharvo- 
raga-rdkshasdn  \  Nahushah  pdlaydmdsa  Irahma  kshattram  atho  visah  \ 
sa  hatvd  dasyu-sanghdtdn  rishln  karam  addpayat  \  pasuvach  cJiaiva  tdn 
prishthe  vdhaydmdsa  vlryyavdn  \  Tcdraydmdsa  chendratvam  alhibhuya 
divaukasah  \  tejasd  tapasd  chaiva  vikramenaujasd  tathd  \ 

"Nahusha  the  son  of  Ayus,  wise,  and  of  genuine  prowess,  ruled 
with  justice  a  mighty  empire.  He  protected  the  pitris,  gods,  rishis, 
wise  men,  gandharvas,  serpents  (uraga),  and  rokshasas,  as  well  as 
Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  and  Vaisyas.  This  energetic  prince,  after 
slaying  the  hosts  of  the  Dasyus,  compelled  the  rishis  to  pay  tribute, 
and  made  them  carry  him  like  beasts  upon  their  backs.  After  subduing 
the  celestials  he  conquered  for  himself  the  rank  of  Indra,  through  his 
vigour,  austere  fervour,  valour  and  fire." 

The  story  is  thus  introduced  in  another  part  of  the  same  work,  the 
Yanaparvan,  section  180.  Yudhishthira  found  his  brother  Bhimasena 
seized  by  a  serpent  in  a  forest  (see  above,  p.  133).  This  serpent,  it 
appears,  was  no  other  than  king  Nahusha,  who  on  being  questioned 
thus  relates  his  own  history : 

Nahusho  ndma  rdjd  'ham  dsam  punas  tavdnagha  \  prathitah  panchamah 
Somdd  Ayoh  putro  narddhipa  \  kratubhis  tapasd  chaiva  svddhydyena 
damena  cha  \  trailohyaisvaryam  avyagram  prdpto  'ham  vikramena  cha  \ 
tad  aisvaryyam  samdsddya  darpo  mdm  agamat  tadd  \  sahasram  hi  dvijd- 
tintim  uvdha  sivikdm  mama  \  aisvaryya-mada-matto  'ham  avamanya  tato 
dvy'dn  \  imam  Agastyena  dasdm  dnitah  prithivlpate  |  .  .  .  .  aham  hi 
divi  divyena  vimdnena  charan  purd  \  alhimdnena  mattah  san  kanchid 
ndnyam  achintayam  \  Irahmarshi-deva-gandharva-yaksha-rdkshasa-pan- 
nagdh  \  kardn  mama  prayachhanti  sarve  trailokya-vdsinah  \  chakshushd 
yam  prapasydmi  prdninam  prlthimpate  \  tasya  tejo  hardmy  diu  tad  hi 
drishter  balam  mama  \  maharshlndm  sahasram  hi  uvdha  sivikdm  mama  \ 

See  above,  p.  165,  note  7,  and  pp.  179  f.  Nahusha  Manava  is  the  traditional  rishi  of 
Eig-veda  ix.  101,  verses  7-9,  and  Yayati  Nahusha  of  verses  4-6  of  the  same  hymn. 
See  list  of  rishis  in  Professor  Aufrecht's  Eig-veda  ii.  464  ff. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  309 

sa  mum  apanayo  rtijan  bhramiaydmdsa  vai  sriyah  \  tatra  hy  Agastyah 
pddena  vahan  sprishto  mayd  munih  \  Agastyena  tato  'smy  ukto  dhvamsa 
sarpeti  vai  rttshd  \  tatas  tasmdd  vimdndgrydt  pracJiyutas  chyuta-laksha- 
nah  |  prapatan  bubudhe  "tmdnam  vydlibhutam  adhomukham  \  aydcham 
tarn  aham  vipram  "  sdpasydnto  bhaved"  iti  \  " pramdddt  sampramudha- 
sya  bhagavan  Icshantum  arhasi"  \  tatah  sa  mdm  uvdchedam  pra/patantam 
kripdnvitah  \  " Yudhishthiro  dharma-rdjah  sdpdt  tvdm  mochayishyati"  \ 
....  ity  uktvd  "jagaram  deham  muktvd  na  Nahwho  nripah  \  divyath 
vapuh  samdsthdya  gatas  tridwam  eva  cha  \ 

"  I  was  a  king  called  Nahusha,  more  ancient  than  thou,  known  as  the 
son  of  Ayus,  and  fifth  in  descent  from  Soma.  By  my  sacrifices,  austere 
fervour,  sacred  study,  self-restraint,  and  valour,  I  acquired  the  undis- 
turbed sovereignty  of  the  three  worlds.  When  I  had  attained  that 
dominion,  pride  took  possession  of  my  soul:  a  thousand  Brahmans 
bore  my  vehicle.  Becoming  intoxicated  by  the  conceit  of  my  lordly 
power,  and  contemning  the  Brahmans,  I  was  reduced  to  this  condition 
by  Agastya."  The  serpent  then  promises  to  let  Bhimasena  go,  if  Yu- 
dhishthira  will  answer  certain  questions  (above  referred  to  in  p.  133  ff.). 
Yudhishthira  afterwards  enquires  how  delusion  had  happened  to  take 
possession  of  so  wise  a  person  as  their  conversation  shewed  Nahusha  to 
be.  The  latter  replies  that  he  had  been  perverted  by  the  pride  of 
power,  and  proceeds:  "Formerly,  as  I  moved  through  the  sky  on  a 
celestial  car,  intoxicated  with  self-conceit,  I  regarded  no  one  but  my- 
self. All  the  inhabitants  of  the  three  worlds,  brahmanical  rishis,  gods, 
gandharvas,  yakshas,  rakshasas,  pannagas,  paid  me  tribute.  Such  was 
the  power  of  my  gaze  that  on  what  creature  soever  I  fixed  my  eyes,  I 
straightway  robbed  him  of  his  energy.  A  thousand  of  the  great  sages 
bore  my  vehicle.  That  misconduct  it  was,  o  king,  which  hurled  me 
from  my  high  estate.  For  I  then  touched  with  my  foot  the  muni 
Agastya  who  was  carrying  me.  Agastya  in  his  wrath  cried  out  to  me 
'Fall,  thou  serpent.'  Hurled  therefore  from  that  magnificent  car,  and 
fallen  from  my  prosperity,  as  I  descended  headlong,  I  felt  that  I  had 
become  a  serpent.  I  entreated  the  Brahman  (Agastya),  '  Let  there  be 
a  termination  of  the  curse  :  thou,  o  reverend  rishi,  shouldest  forgive 
one  who  has  been  deluded  through  his  inconsideration.'  He  then  com- 
passionately replied  to  me  as  I  fell,  '  Yudhishthira,  the  king  of  right- 
eousness, will  free  thee  from  the  curse.' "  And  at  the  close  of  the 


310  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

conversation  between  Yudhishthira  and  the  serpent,  we  are  told  that 
"  King  Nahusha,  throwing  of  his  huge  reptile  form,  became  clothed  in 
a  celestial  body,  and  ascended  to  heaven." 

The  same  story  is  related  in  greater  detail  in  the  Udyogaparvan, 
sections  10-16,  as  follows  : 

After  his  slaughter  of  the  demon  Yrittra,  Indra  became  alarmed  at 
the  idea  of  having  taken  the  life  of  a  Brahman  (for  Yrittra  was  re- 
garded as  such),  and  hid  himself  in  the  waters.  In  consequence  of  the 
disappearance  of  the  king  of  the  gods,  all  affairs,  celestial  as  well  as 
terrestrial,  fell  into  confusion.  The  rishis  and  gods  then  applied  to 
Nahusha  to  be  their  king.  After  at  first  excusing  himself  on  the  plea 
of  want  of  power,  Nahusha  at  length,  in  compliance  with  their  solici- 
tations, accepted  the  high  function.  Tip  to  the  period  of  his  elevation 
he  had  led  a  virtuous  life,  but  he  now  became  addicted  to  amusement 
and  sensual  pleasure ;  and  even  aspired  to  the  possession  of  Indrani, 
Indra's  wife,  whom  he  had  happened  to  see.  The  queen  resorted  to 
the  Angiras  Yrihaspati,  the  preceptor  of  the  gods,  who  engaged  to 
protect  her.  Nahusha  was  greatly  incensed  on  hearing  of  this  inter- 
ference ;  but  the  gods  endeavoured  to  pacify  him,  and  pointed  out  the 
immorality  of  appropriating  another  person's  wife.  Nahusha,  however, 
would  listen  to  no  renionstrance,  and  insisted  that  in  his  adulterous 
designs  he  was  no  worse  than  Indra  himself:  373.  AJialyd  dharsMtti 
purvam  rishi-patrii  yasasvini  \  jlvato  lharttur  Indrena  sa  vah  Mm  na 
nivaritah  \  374.  Bahuni  cha  nrisamsani  Icritariindrena  vai  puru  \  vai- 
dharmyuny  upadus  chaiva  sa  vah  kirn  na  nivaritah  \  "  373.  The  renowned 
Ahalya,  a  rishi's  wife,  was  formerly  corrupted  by  Indra  in  her  husband's 
lifetime  (seep.  121  f.) :  Why  was  he  not  prevented  by  you  ?  374.  And 
many  barbarous  acts,  and  unrighteous  deeds,  and  frauds,  were  perpetrated 
of  old  by  Indra :  Why  was  he  not  prevented  by  you  ?"  The  gods,  urged 
by  Nahusha,  then  went  to  bring  Indrani ;  but  Yrihaspati  would  not 
give  her  up.  At  his  recommendation,  however,  she  solicited  Nahusha 
for  some  delay,  till  she  should  ascertain  what  had  become  of  her  hus- 
band. This  request  was  granted.  The  gods  next  applied  to  Yishnu  on 
behalf  of  Indra ;  and  Yishnu  promised  that  if  Indra  would  sacrifice  to 
him,  he  should  be  purged  from  his  guilt,  and  recover  his  dominion, 
while  Nahusha  would  be  destroyed.  Indra  sacrified  accordingly ;  and 
the  result  is  thus  told  :  419.  Vilhajya  Irahma-hatydm  tu  vriksheshu 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  311 

cha  nadlshu  cha  \  parvateshu  prithivydm  cha  strlshu  chaiva  Yudhish- 
thira  |  sa  vilhajya  cha  bhuteshu  visrijya  cha  suresvarah  \  vijvaro 
dhuta-pdpmd  cha  Vdsavo  'bhavad  dtmavdn  \  "Having  divided  the  guilt 
of  brahmanicide  among  trees,  rivers,  mountains,  the  earth,  women, 
and  the  elements,  Yasava  (Indra),  lord  of  the  gods,  became  freed  from 
suffering  and  sin,  and  self-governed."  Nahusha  was  by  this  means 
shaken  from  his  place.  But  (unless  this  is  said  by  way  of  prolepsis, 
or  there  is  some  confusion  in  the  narrative)  he  must  have  speedily 
regained  his  position,  as  we  are  told  that  Indra  was  again  ruined,  and 
became  invisible.  Indram  now  went  in  search  of  her  husband ;  and  by 
the  help  of  TJpasruti  (the  goddess  of  night  and  revealer  of  secrets)  dis- 
covered him  existing  in  a  very  subtile  form  in  the  stem  of  a  lotus 
growing  in  a  lake  situated  in  a  continent  within  an  ocean  north  of  the 
Himalaya.  She  made  known  to  him  the  wicked  intentions  of  Nahusha, 
and  entreated  him  to  exert  his  power,  rescue  her  from  danger,  and 
resume  his  dominion.  Indra  declined  any  immediate  interposition  on 
the  plea  of  Nahusha's  superior  strength ;  but  suggested  to  his  wife 
a  device  by  which  the  usurper  might  be  hurled  from  his  position.  She 
was  recommended  to  say  to  Nahusha  that  "if  he  would  visit  her  on  a 
celestial  vehicle  borne  by  rishis,  she  would  with  pleasure  submit  herself 
to  him"  (449.  Rishi-ydnena  divyena  mam  upaihi  jagatpate  \  evam  tava 
vase  prltd  Ihavishydmlti  tarn  vada}.  The  queen  of  the  gods  accordingly 
went  to  JSTahusha,  by  whom  she  was  graciously  received,  and  made  this 
proposal:  457.  Ichhdmy  aham  athdpurvam  vdhanam  te  surddhipa  \  yad 
na  Vishnor  na  Rudrasya  ndsurdndm  na  rakshasdm  \  vahantu  tvdm  mahd- 
bhdffdh  rishayah  sangatdh  vibho  \  sarve  sivikayd  rtijann  etad  hi  mama 
rochate  \  "I  desire  for  thee,  king  of  the  gods,  a  vehicle  hitherto  un- 
known, such  as  neither  Yishnu,  nor  Rudra,  nor  the  asuras,  nor  the  rak- 
shases  employ.  Let  the  eminent  rishis,  all  united,  bear  thee,  lord,  in  a 
car :  this  idea  pleases  me."  Nahusha  receives  favourably  this  appeal 
to  his  vanity,  and  in  the  course  of  his  reply  thus  gives  utterance  to  his 
self-congratulation  :  463.  Na  hy  alpa-vlryo  bhavati  yo  vdhdn  kurute  mu- 
riin  |  aham  tapaui  balavdn  bhuta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuh  \  mayi  kruddhe 
jagad  na  sydd  mayi  sarvam  pratishthitam  |  .  .  .  .  tasmdt  te  vachanam 
devi  karishydmi  na  samsayah  \  saptarshayo  mum  valtshyanti  sarve  brah- 
marshayas  tathd  \  pasya  mdhdtmyam  asmdkam  riddhim  cha  varavarnini  \ 
....  468.  Vimdne  yojayitvd  sa  rishln  niyamam  dsthitdn  \  alrahmanyo 


312  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

lalopeto  matto  mada-balena  cha  \  kdma-vrittah  sa  dushtdtmd  vdhaydmdsa 
tun  rishln  \  "  He  is  a  personage  of  no  mean  prowess  who  makes  the 
munis  his  bearers.  I  am  a  fervid  devotee  of  great  might,  lord  of  the 
past,  the  future,  and  the  present.  If  I  were  angry  the  world  would 

no  longer  stand;    on  me  everything  depends Wherefore,   o 

goddess,  I  shall,  without  doubt,  carry  out  what  you  propose.  The 
seven  rishis,  and  all  the  brahman-rishis,  shall  carry  me.  Behold, 
beautiful  goddess,  my  majesty  and  my  prosperity."  The  narrative 
goes  on  :  "  Accordingly  this  wicked  being,  irreligious,  violent,  intoxi- 
cated by  the  force  of  conceit,  and  arbitrary  in  his  conduct,  attached  to 
his  car  the  rishis,  who  submitted  to  his  commands,  and  compelled  them 
to  bear  him."  Indrani  then  again  resorts  to  Vrihaspati,  who  assures 
her  that  vengeance  will  soon  overtake  Nahusha  for  his  presumption ; 
and  promises  that  he  will  himself  perform  a  sacrifice  with  a  view  to 
the  destruction  of  the  oppressor,  and  the  discovery  of  Indra's  lurking 
place.  Agni  is  then  sent  to  discover  and  bring  Indra  to  Yrihaspati  ; 
and  the  latter,  on  Indra's  arrival,  informs  him  of  all  that  had  occured 
during  his  absence.  While  Indra,  with  Kuvera,  Yama,  Soma,  and 
Varuna,  was  devising  means  for  the  destruction  of  Nahusha,  the  sage 
Agastya  came  up,  congratulated  Indra  on  the  fall  of  his  rival,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  relate  how  it  had  occurred :  527.  S'ramdrttdscha  vahantas 
tarn  Nahusham  pdpakdrinam  \  devarshayo  mahdbhdgas  tathd  brahmar- 
shayo  'maldh  \  paprachhur  Nahusham  devam  sani&ayani  jayatdm  vara  \ 
ye  ime  brdhmandh  prdktuli  mantrdh  vai  prokshane  gavdm  \  ete  pramdnam 
bhavatah  utuho  neti  Vdsava  \  Nahu&ho  neti  tun  dha  tamasd  mudha-che- 
tanah  \  risJiayah  uchuh  \  adharme  sampravrittas  tvam  dharmam  na  prati- 
padyase  \  pramdnam  etad  asmdkam  purvam  proktam  maharshibhih  \ 
Agastyah  uvticha  \  Tato  vivadamdnah  sa  munibhih  saJia  Vdsava  \  atha 
mum  aspri£ad  murdhni  pudenddharma-yojitah  \  tendlhud  hata-tejds  cha 
nihsrikas  cha  mahipatih  \  tatas  tarn  sahasd  mgnam  avocham  bhaya-pldi- 
tam  |  "  yasmdt  purvaih  kritam  Irahma  brahmarsliibhir  anushthitam  | 
adushtam  dushayasi  vai  yach  cha  murdhny  asprisah  padd  \  yach  cJidpi 
tvam,  rishln  mudJia  brahma-kalpdn  durdsaddn  \  vdhdn  Icritvd  vdhayasi 
tena  svargdd  hata-prabhah  \  dhvamsa  pupa  paribhrashtah  kshlna-punyo 
mahltalam  \  dasa-varsha-sahasrdni  sarpa-rupa-dharo  mahdn  \  vichari- 
shyasi  purneshu  punah  svargam  avdpsyasi"  \  evam  bhrashto  durdtmd  sa 
deva-rdjydd  a/rindama  \  dishtyd  varddhdmahe  sakra  hato  Irdhmana-kan- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRITAS.  313 

takah  \  tripishtapam  prapadyasva  pahi  lokan  sachlpate  \  jetendriyo  jita- 
mitrah  stuyamdno  maharshilhih  \  "Wearied  with  carrying  the  sinner 
Nahusha,  the  eminent  divine-rishis,  and  the  spotless  brahman-rishis, 
asked  that  divine  personage  Nahusha  [to  solve]  a  difficulty :  '  Dost 
thou,  o  Vasava,  most  excellent  of  conquerors,  regard  as  authoritative  or 
not  those  Brahmana  texts  which  are  recited  at  the  immolation  of  kine  ?' 
'No,'  replied  Nahusha,  whose  understanding  was  enveloped  in  darkness. 
The  rishis  rejoined  :  '  Engaged  in  unrighteousness,  thou  attainest  not 
unto  righteousness  :  these  texts,  which  were  formerly  uttered  by  great 
rishis,  are  regarded  by  us  as  authoritative.'  Then  (proceeds  Agastya) 
disputing  with  the  munis,  Nahusha,  impelled  by  unrighteousness, 
touched  me  on  the  head  with  his  foot.  In  consequence  of  this  the 
king's  glory  was  smitten  and  his  prosperity  departed.  When  he  had 
instantly  become  agitated  and  oppressed  with  fear,  I  said  to  him, 
'  Since  thou,  o  fool,  contemnest  that  sacred  text,  always  held  in  honour, 
which  has  been  composed  by  former  sages,  and  employed  by  brahman- 
rishis,  and  hast  touched  my  head  with  thy  foot,  and  employest  the 
Brahma-like  and  irresistible  rishis  as  bearers  to  carry  thee, — therefore, 
shorn  of  thy  lustre,  and  all  thy  merit  exhausted,  sink  down,  sinner, 
degraded  from  heaven  to  earth.  For  ten  thousand  years  thou  shalt 
crawl  in  the  form  of  a  huge  serpent.  When  that  period  is  completed, 
thou  shalt  again  ascend  to  heaven.'  So  fell  that  wicked  wretch  from 
the  sovereignty  of  the  gods.  Happily,  o  Indra,  we  shall  now  prosper, 
for  the  enemy  of  the  Brahmans  has  been  smitten.  Take  possession  of 
the  three  worlds,  and  protect  their  inhabitants,  o  husband  of  S'achi 
(Indram),  subduing  thy  senses,  overcoming  thine  enemies,  and  cele- 
brated by  the  great  rishis." 86 

Indra,  as  we  have  seen  above,  was  noted  for  his  dissolute  character. 
The  epithet  "  subduing  thy  senses,"  assigned  to  him  in  the  last  sen- 
tence by  Agastya,  is  at  variance  with  this  indifferent  reputation.  Is 
it  to  be  regarded  as  a  piece  of  flattery,  or  as  a  delicate  hint  that  the 
god  would  do  well  to  practise  a  purer  morality  in  future  ? 

This  legend  appears,  like  some  others,  to  have  been  a  favourite  with 
the  compilers  of  the  Mahabharata;  for  we  find  it  once  more  related, 
though  with  some  variety  of  detail,  (which  may  justify  its  repetition  in 

86  Further  on,  in  verse  556,  Nahusha  is  called  "  the  depraved,  the  hater  of  hrah- 
man,  the  sinful-minded  (duracJmras  cha  Nahusho  brahma-dvit  papachetanaK)* 


314  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

a  condensed  form),  in  the  Anusasanaparvan,  verses  4745-4810.  We 
are  there  told  that  Nahusha,  in  recompense  for  his  good  deeds,  was 
exalted  to  heaven;  where  he  continued  to  perform  all  divine  and 
human  ceremonies,  and  to  worship  the  gods  as  before.  At  length  he 
became  puffed  up  with  pride  at  the  idea  that  he  was  Indra,  and  all  his 
good  works  in  consequence  were  neutralized.  For  a  great  length  of 
time  he  compelled  the  rishis  to  carry  him  about.  At  last  it  came  to 
Agastya's  turn  to  perform  the  servile  office.  Bhrigu  then  came  and 
said  to  Agastya,  '  "Why  do  we  submit  to  the  insults  of  this  wicked  king 
of  the  gods  ? '  Agastya  answered  that  none  of  the  rishis  had  ventured 
to  curse  Nahusha,  because  he  had  obtained  the  power  of  subduing  to 
his  service  everyone  upon  whom  he  fixed  his  eyes ;  and  that  he  had 
amrita  (nectar)  for  his  beverage.  However,  Agastya  said  he  was  pre- 
pared to  do  anything  that  Bhrigu  might  suggest.  Bhrigu  said  he  had 
been  sent  by  Brahma  to  take  vengeance  on  Nahusha,  who  was  that  day 
about  to  attach  Agastya  to  his  car,  and  would  spurn  him  with  his  foot  > 
and  that  he  himself  (Bhrigu),  "  incensed  at  this  insult,  would  by  a  curse 
condemn  the  transgressor  and  hater  of  Brahmans  to  become  a  serpent " 
(yyutkrdnta-dharmam  tarn  ahaiiii  dharshandmarshito  bhrisam  \  dhir  bha- 
vasveti  rushd  sapsye  pdpam  dvifa-druham).  All  this  accordingly  hap- 
pened as  follows  :  • 

Athdgastyam  rishi-sreshtham  vdhandydjuhdva  ha  \  drutam  Sarasvatl- 
kuldt  smayann  iva  mahdbalah  \  tato  Bhrigur  mahdtejdh  Maitrdvarunim 
abramt  \  "  nimllayasva  nayanejatdm  ydvad  visdmi  te  "  \sthdnubhutasya 
tasydtha  jatdm  prdvisad  achyutah  \  Bhriguh  sa  sumahatejah  putanuya 
nripasya  cha  \  tatah  sa  deva-rut  pruptas  tarn  rishim  vdhandya  vai  \  tato 
'gastyah  surapatim  vdkyam  aha  visdmpate  \  "  yojayasveti  mum  Icshipram 
kam  cha  desaih  vahumi  te  \  yattra  vakshyasi  tattra  tvdm  nayishydmi  surd- 
dhipa  "  |  ity  ukto  Nahushas  tena  yojaydmdsa  tarn  munim  \  Shrigus  tasya 
jatdntah-stho  lalhuva  hrishito  bhrisam  \  na  chdpi  darsanam  tasya  chakdra 
sa  Bhrigus  tadd  \  vara-ddna-pralhdva-jno  Nahushasya  mahdtmanah  \  na 
chukopa  tadd  'gastyo  yukto  'pi  Nahushena  vai  \  tarn  tu  rdja  pratodena 
chodaydmdsa  Bhdrata  \  na  cliukopa  sa  dharmdtmd  tatah  pddena  deva-rdt  \ 
Agastyasya  tadd  Jcruddho  vdmendbhyahanach  chhirah  \  tasmin  sirasy  abhi- 
hate  sa  jatdntargato  Bhriguh  \  sastipa  balavat  kruddho  Nahusham  pdpa- 
chetasam  \  "  yasmdt  padd  'hanah  krodhdt  siraslmam  mahdmunim  \  tasmdd 
dsu  mahlm  gachha  sarpo  bhutvd  sudurmate"  \  ity  ulctah  sa  tadd  tena 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  315 

sarpo  Ihutva  papdta  ha  \  adrishtendtha  Bhrigund  Ihutale  BharatarsJia- 
Iha  |  Bhrigurn  hi  yadi  so  'drakshyad  Nahushah  prithivipate  \  sa  na  saJcto 
'bhavishyad  vai  pdtane  tasya  tejasd  \ 

"The  mighty  Nahusha,  as  it  were  smiling,  straightway  summoned 
the  eminent  rishi  Agastya  from  the  banks  of  the  Sarasvati  to  carry  him. 
The  glorious  Bhrigu  then  said  to  Maitravaruni  (Agastya),  '  Close  thy 
eyes  whilst  I  enter  into  the  knot  of  thy  hair.'  With  the  view  of  over- 
throwing the  king,  Bhrigu  then  entered  into  the  hair  of  Agastya  who 
stood  motionless  as  a  stock.  Nahusha  then  came  to  be  carried  by 
Agastya,  who  desired  to  be  attached  to  the  vehicle  and  agreed  to  carry 
the  king  of  the  gods  whithersoever  he  pleased.  Nahusha  in  consequence 
attached  him.  Bhrigu,  who  was  lodged  in  the  knot  of  Agastya's  hair, 
was  greatly  delighted,  but  did  not  venture  to  look  at  Nahusha,  as  he 
knew  the  potency  of  the  boon  which  had  been  accorded  to  him  (of  sub- 
duing to  his  will  everyone  on  whom  he  fixed  his  eyes).  Agastya  did  not 
lose  his  temper  when  attached  to  the  vehicle,  and  even  when  urged  by 
a  goad  the  holy  man  remained  unmoved.  The  king  of  the  gods,  incensed, 
next  struck  the  rishi' s  head  with  his  left  foot,  when  Bhrigu,  invisible 
within  the  knot  of  hair,  became  enraged,  and  violently  cursed  the 
wicked  Nahusha :  '  Since,  fool,  thou  hast  in  thine  anger  smitten  this 
great  muni  on  the  head  with  thy  foot,  therefore  become  a  serpent,  and 
fall  down  swiftly  to  the  earth.'  Being  thus  addressed,  Nahusha  be- 
came a  serpent,  and  fell  to  the  earth,  through  the  agency  of  Bhrigu, 
who  remained  invisible.  For  if  he  had  been  seen  by  Nahusha,  the 
saint  would  have  been  unable,  in  consequence  of  the  power  possessed 
by  the  oppressor,  to  hurl  him  to  the  ground." 

Bhrigu,  on  Nahusha's  solicitation,  and  the  intercession  of  Agastya, 
placed  a  period  to  the  effects  of  the  curse,  which,  as  in  the  other  version 
of  the  legend,  Yudhishthira  was  to  be  the  instrument  of  terminating. 

From  several  phrases  which  I  have  quoted  from  the  version  of  this 
legend  given  in  the  TJdyogaparvan,  as  well  as  the  tenor  of  the  whole, 
it  appears  to  be  the  intention  of  the  writers  to  hold  up  the  case  of 
Nahusha  as  an  example  of  the  nemesis  awaiting  not  merely  any  gross 
display  of  presumption,  but  all  resistance  to  the  pretensions  of  the 
priesthood,  and  contempt  of  their  persons  or  authority. 


316  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 


SECT.  V. — Story  of  Nimi. 

Nimi  (one  of  Ikshvaku's  sons)  is  another  of  the  princes  who  are  stig- 
matized by  Manu,  in  the  passage  above  quoted,  for  their  want  of  de- 
ference to  the  Brahmans.  The  Vishnu  P.  ("Wilson,  4to.  ed.  p.  388)  relates 
the  story  as  follows :  Nimi  had  requested  the  Brahman-rishi  Vasishtha 
to  officiate  at  a  sacrifice,  which  was  to  last  a  thousand  years.  Yasishtha 
in  reply  pleaded  a  pre-engagement  to  Indra  for  five  hundred  years,  hut 
promised  to  return  at  the  end  of  that  period.  The  king  made  no 
remark,  and  Yasishtha  went  away,  supposing  that  he  had  assented  to 
this  arrangement.  On  his  return,  however,  the  priest  discovered  that 
Mmi  had  retained  Gautama  (who  was,  equally  with  Yasishtha,  a 
Brahman-rishi)  and  others  to  perform  the  sacrifice ;  and  being  incensed 
at  the  neglect  to  give  him  notice  of  what  was  intended,  he  cursed  the 
king,  who  was  then  asleep,  to  lose  his  corporeal '  form.  When  Nimi 
awoke  and  learnt  that  he  had  been  cursed  without  any  previous  warn- 
ing, he  retorted,  by  uttering  a  similar  curse  on  Yasishtha,  and  then 
died.  "  In  consequence  of  this  curse  "  (proceeds  the  Vishnu  Purana, 
iv.  5,  6)  "the  vigour  of  Yasishtha  entered  into  the  vigour  of  Mitra  and 
Varuna.  Yasishtha,  however,  received  from  them  another  body  when 
their  seed  had  fallen  from  them  at  the  sight  of  TJrvasi "  (tach-chhcipdch 
cha  Mitra-varunayos  tejasi  Tasishtha-tejah  pravishtam  \  Urva&-darsanad 
udlhuta-vlryya-prapatayoh  sakdsdd  Vaiishtho  deJiam  aparam  lehhe}.61 
Nimi's  body  was  embalmed.  At  the  close  of  the  sacrifice  which  he  had 
begun,  the  gods  were  willing,  on  the  intercession  of  the  priests,  to 
restore  him  to  life,  but  he  declined  the  offer ;  and  was  placed  by  the 
deities,  according  to  his  desire,  in  the  eyes  of  all  living  creatures.  It  is 
in  consequence  of  this  that  they  are  always  opening  and  shutting 
(nimisha  means  "the  twinkling  of  the  eye"). 

The  story  is  similarly  related  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  13,  1-13. 
A  portion  of  the  passage  is  as  follows : 

3.  Nimis  cJialam  idam  vidvun  sattram  arabhatatmavan  \   ritviglhir 

aparats  tavad  nugamad  ydvatti  guruh  \  sishya-vyatilcramam  vlTcshya  nir- 

rarttya  gurur  agatah  \  a&apat  "patatad  deho  Nimeh  pandiia-mdninah  "  ] 

Nimih  pratidadau  sapam  guruve  ' ' dharma-varttine  \  "  tavapi patatad  deho 

87  This  story  will  be  further  illustrated  in  the  next  section. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  317 

• 
lobhtid  dharmam  ajdnatah  "   |   ity  utsasarjja  svam  deham  Nimir  adhydt- 

ma-kovidali  \  Mitrd-varunayor  jajne  Urvasydm  prapitdmahak  \ 

"Nimi,  who  was  self-controlled,  knowing  the  world  to  be  fleet- 
ing, commenced  the  sacrifice  with  other  priests  until  his  own  spiritual 
instructor  should  come  hack.  The  latter,  on  his  return,  discovering  the 
transgression  of  his  disciple,  cursed  him  thus :  '  Let  the  body  of  Nimi, 
who  fancies  himself  learned,  fall  from  him.'  Nimi  retorted  the  curse 
on  his  preceptor,  who  was  acting  unrighteously :  '  Let  thy  body  also 
fall  from  thee,  since  thou,  through  coveteousness,  art  ignorant  of  duty.' 
Having  so  spoken,  Nimi,  who  knew  the  supreme  spirit,  abandoned  his 
body :  and  the  patriarch  (Vasishtha)  was  born  of  TJrvasI  to  Mitra  and 
Varuna."88 

The  offence  of  Nimi,  as  declared  in  these  passages,  is  not  that  of  con- 
temning the  sacerdotal  order  in  general,  or  of  usurping  their  functions ; 
but  merely  of  presuming  to  consult  his  own  convenience  by  proceeding 
to  celebrate  a  sacrifice  with  the  assistance  of  another  Brahman  (for  Gau- 
tama also  was  a  man  of  priestly  descent)  when  his  own  spiritual  pre- 
ceptor was  otherwise  engaged,  without  giving  the  latter  any  notice  of 
his  intention.  The  Bhagavata,  as  we  have  seen,  awards  blame  impar- 
tially to  both  parties,  and  relates  (as  does  also  the  Vishnu  Purana)  that 
the  king's  curse  took  effect  on  the  Brahman,  as  well  as  the  Brahman's 
on  the  king. 

SECT.  VI. —  Vasishtha. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  and  renowned  of  the  struggles  between 
Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas  which  occur  in  the  legendary  history  of 
India  is  that  which  is  said  to  have  taken  place  between  Vasishtha  and 
Vis vamitra.  I  propose  to  furnish  full  details  of  this  conflict  with  its  fa- 
bulous accompaniments  from  the  Bamayana,  which  dwells  upon  it  at  con- 
siderable length,  as  well  as  from  the  Mahabharata,  where  it  is  repeatedly 

88  On  the  last  verse  the  commentator  S'ridhara  has  the  following  note :  Urvasi- 
darsfanat  skannam  reias  tabhytim  kumbhe  nlshiktam  \  ta-smat  prapitamaho  Vasishtho 
jajne  \  tatha  eha  srutih  "kumbhe  retah  sishichituh  samanam"  iti  \  "Seed  fell  from 
them  at  the  sight  of  Urvas'i  and  was  shed  into  a  jar :  from  it  the  patriarch,  Vasishtha, 
was  born.  And  so  says  the  s'ruti"  (R.V.  vii.  33,  13,  which  will  be  quoted  in  the 
next  section). 


318  EAELT  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

introduced ;  but  before  doing  so,  I  shall  quote  the  passages  of  the  Eig- 
veda  which,  appear  to  throw  a  faint  light  on  the  real  history  of  the  two 
rivals.  It  is  clear  from  what  has  been  said  in  the  Introduction  to  this 
volume,  pp.  1-6,  as  well  as  from  the  remarks  I  have  made  in  pp.  139  f., 
that  the  Vedic  hymns,  being  far  more  ancient  than  the  Epic  and  Puranic 
compilations,  must  be  more  trustworthy  guides  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
remotest  Indian  antiquity.  "While  the  Epic  poems  and  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  sectarian  purposes ;  and  much  of  the  information  which  we  derive 
from  these  nai've  compositions  is  the  more  trustworthy  that  it  is  deduced 
from  hints  and  allusions,  and  from  the  comparison  of  isolated  parti- 
culars, and  not  from  direct  and  connected  statements  or  descriptions.  It 
is  here  therefore,  if  anywhere,  that  we  may  look  for  some  light  on  the 
real  relations  between  Yasishtha  and  Visvamitra.  After  quoting  the 
hymns  regarding  these  two  personages,  I  shall  adduce  from  the  Brah- 
manas,  or  other  later  works,  any  particulars  regarding  their  birth  and 
history  which  I  have  discovered.  The  conflict  between  Yasishtha  and 
Visvamitra  has  been  already  discussed  at  length  in  the  third  of  Dr. 
Rudolf  Eoth's  "Dissertations  on  the  literature  and  history  of  the 
Veda,"  89  where  the  most  important  parts  of  the  hymns  bearing  upon 
the  subject  are  translated.  The  first  hymn  which  I  shall  adduce  is 
intended  for  the  glorification  of  Vasishtha  and  his  family.  The  latter 
part  relates  the  birth  of  the  sage,  while  the  earlier  verses  refer  to  his 
connection  with  king  Sudas.  Much  of  this  hymn  is  very  obscure. 

R.V.  vii.  33,  1.  S'vityancho  ma  dakshinatas-kapardah  dhiyamjinvaso 
alhi  hi  pramanduh  \  uttishthan  voce  pari  barhisho  nrln  na  me  durud 
avitave  Vasishthah  \  2.  Durud  Indram  anayann  u  sutena  tiro  vaisantam 
ati  pdntam  ugram  I  Pusadyumnasya  Vuyatasya  somut  sutud  Indro  avri- 
nlta  Vasishthun  \  3.  Eva  in  nu  Team  sindhum  ebhis  tatura  eva  in  nu  kam 
89  Zur  Litteratur  und  Geshichte  des  Weda.  Stuttgart.  1846. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  319 

Bhedam  elhir  jaghdna  \  eva  in  nu  kam  dasarajne  Suddsam  prdvad  Indro 
brahmand  vo  Vasishthah  \  4.  Jushtl  naro  brahmand  vah  pitrlndm  aksham 
avyayaih  na  kila  rishdtha  \  yat  sakvanshu  brihatd  ravena  Indre  sush- 
matn  adadhdta  Vasishthah  \  5.  Ud  dydm  iva  it  trishnajo  ndthitdso  adi- 
dhayur  dasarajne  vritdsah  \  Vasishthasya  stuvatah  Indro  asrod  urum 
Tritsulhyo  akrinod  u  lokam  \  6.  Dandd  iva  goajandsah  dsan  parichhin- 
ndh  Bharatdh  arbhakdsah  \  abhavach  cha  pura-etd  Vasishthah  dd  it 
Tritsundih  viso  aprathanta  \  7.  Trayah  krinvanti  Ihuvaneshu  retas 
tisrah  prajdh  drydh  jyotir-agrdh  \  trayo  gharmdsah  ushasaih  sachante 
sarvdn  it  tan  anu  vidur  Vasishthah  \  8.  Suryasya  iva  vahhatho  jyotir 
eshdm  samudrasya  iva  mahimd  gabhlrah  \  vdtasya  iva  prajavo  na  anyena 
stomo  Vasishthah  anu  etave  vah  \  9.  Te  in  ninyaih  hridayasya  praketaih  sa- 
hasra-valsam  abhisam  charanti  \  yamena  tatam  paridhim  vayanto  apsarasah 
upa  sedur  Vasishthah  \  10.  Vidyuto  jyotih  pari  sam  jihdnam  Mitrd-varund 
yad  apasyatdm  tvd  \  tat  tejanma  uta  eTcam  Vasishtha  Agastyo  yat  tvd  visah 
djabhdra  \  11.  Uta  asi  Maitrdvaruno  Vasishtha  Urvasyah  brahman  ma- 
naso  'dhi  jdtah  \  drapsam  skannam  brahmand  daivyena  visve  devdh  push- 
kare  tvd  'dadanta  \  12.  Sa  praketah  ulhayasya  pravidvdn  sahasra- 
ddnah  uta  vd  saddnah  \  yamena  tatam  paridhim  vayi>>hyann  apsarasah 
pari  jajne  Vasishthah  \  1 3.  Satire  ha  •jdtdv  ishitd  namobhih  kumbhe 
retah  sishichatuh  samdnam  \  tato  ha  Mdnah  'ud  iydya  madhydt  tato 
jdtam  rishim  dhur  Vasishtham  \ 

"  1.  The  white-robed  (priests)  with  hair-knots  on  the  right,  stimu- 
lating to  devotion,  have  filled  me  with  delight.  Rising  from  the  sacri- 
ficial grass,  I  call  to  the  men,  '  Let  not  the  Vasishthas  (stand  too)  far 
off  to  succour  [or  gladden]  me.90  2.  By  their  libation  they  brought 
Indra  hither  from  afar  across  the  Yaisanta  away  from  the  powerful 
draught.91  Indra  preferred  the  Yasishthas  to  the  soma  offered  by 
Pasadyumna,92  the  son  of  Yayata.  3.  So  too  with  them  he  crossed  the 
river;  so  too  with  them  he  slew  Bheda ;  so  too  in  the  battle  of  the 
ten  kings93  Indra  delivered  Sudas  through  your  prayer,  o  Yasishthas. 

90  Sayana  thinks  that  Vasishtha  is  the  speaker,  and  refers  here  to  his' own  sons. 
Professor  Both  (under  the  word  av)  regards  Indra  as  the  speaker.     May  it  not  be 
Sudas  ? 

91  This  is  the  interpretation  of  this  clause  suggested  by  Professor  Aufrecht,  vrho 
thinks  Vais'anta  is  probably  the  name  of  a  river. 

92  According  to  Sayana,  another  king  who  Avas  sacrificing  at  the  same  time  as  Sudus. 

93  See  verses  6-8  of  ll.V.  vii.  83,  to  be  next  quoted. 


320  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

4.  Through  gratification  caused  by  the  prayer  of  your  fathers,  o  men, 
ye  do  not  obstruct  the  undecaying  axle  (?),  since  at  (the  recitation  of 
the)  S'akvari  verses  M  with  a  loud  voice  ye  have  infused  energy  into 
Indra,  o  Vasishthas.  5.  Distressed,  when  surrounded  in  the  fight  of 
the  ten  kings,  they  looked  up,  like  thirsty  men,  to  the  sky.  Indra 
heard  Vasishtha  when  he  uttered  praise,  and  opened  up  a  wide  space 
for  the  Tritsus.95  6.  Like  staves  for  driving  cattle,  the  contemptible 
Bharatas  were  lopped  all  round.  Vasishtha  marched  in  front,  and 
then  the  tribes  of  the  Tritsus  were  deployed.  7.  Three  deities 
create  a  fertilizing  fluid  in  the  worlds.  Three  are  the  noble  creatures 
whom  light  precedes.  Three  fires  attend  the  dawn.96  All  these  the 
Yasishthas  know.  8.  Their  lustre  is  like  the  full  radiance  of  the 
sun ;  their  greatness  is  like  the  depth  of  the  ocean ;  like  the  swift- 
ness of  the  wind,  your  hymn,  o  Yasishthas,  can  be  followed  by  no 
one  else.  9.  By  the  intuitions  of  their  heart  they  seek  out  the  mys- 
tery with  a  thousand  branches.  "Weaving  the  envelopment  stretched 
out  by  Tama,  the  Yasishthas  sat  down  by  the  Apsaras.  10.  "When  Mitra 
and  Yaruna  saw  thee  quitting  the  flame  of  the  lightning,  that  was  thy 
birth ;  and  thou  hadst  one  (other  birth),  o  Vasishtha,  when  Agastya 
brought  thee  to  the  people.  11.  And  thou  art  also  a  son  of  Mitra  and 
Yaruna,  o  Yasishtha,  bom,  o  priest,  from  the  soul  of  TJrvasi.  All  the 
gods  placed  thee  — a  drop  which  fell  through  divine  contemplation — in 
the  vessel.  12.  He,  the  intelligent,  knowing  both  (worlds  ?),  with  a 
thousand  gifts,  or  with  gifts  —  he  who  was  to  weave  the  envelopment 
stretched  out  by  Yama — he,  Yasishtha,  was  born  of  the  Apsaras.  13. 
They,  two  (Mitra  and  Yaruna  ?),  born  at  the  sacrifice,  and  impelled  by 
adorations,  dropped  into  the  jar  the  same  amount  of  seed.  From  the 

9*  See  R.V.  x.  71,  11,  above,  p.  256. 

95  This  is  evidently  the  name  of  the  tribe  which  the  Vasishthas  favoured,  and  to 
which  they  themselves  must  have  belonged.     See  vii.  83,  4.    The  Bharatas  in  the 
next  verse  appear  to  be  the  hostile  tribe. 

96  In  explanation  of  this  Sayana  quotes  a  passage  from  the  S'atyayana  Brahmana, 
as  follows  :  "  Trayah  krinvanti  bhuvaneshu  retah"  ity  Agnih prithivyam retah  krinoti 
Vayur  antarikshe  Adityo  divi  \  "  tisrah  prajah  aryyah  jyotir-agrah  "  iti  Vasavo  Ru- 
drah  Adityas  tasaihjyotir  yad  asav  Adityah  \  "  trayo  gfiarmasah  ushasam  sachante" 
ity  Agnir  Ushasam  sachate  Vayur  Ushasam  sachate  Adityah  Ushasam  sachate   \  (1) 
"  Agni  produces  a  fertilizing  fluid  on  the  earth,  Vayu  in  the  air,  the  Sun  in  the  sky. 
(2)  The  '  three  noble  creatures '  are  the  Vasus,  Rudras,  and  Adityas.    The  Sun  is 
their  light.     (3)  Agni,  Vayu,  and  the  Sun  each  attend  the  Dawn." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  321 

midst  of  that  arose  Mana  (Agastya  ?) ;  and  from  that  they  say  that  the 
rishi  Vasishtha  sprang." 97 

There  is  another  hymn  (R.V.  vii.  18)  which  relates  to  the  connection 
between  Vasishtha  and  Sudas  (verses  4,  5,  21-25)  and  the  conflict 
between  the  latter  and  the  Tritsus  with  their  enemies  (verses  6-18); 
but  as  it  is  long  and  obscure  I  shall  content  myself  with  quoting  a  few 
verses.98 

R.V.  vii.  18,  4.  Dhenum  na  tvd  suyavase  dudhukshann  upa  brahmdni 
sasrije  Vas'ishthah  \  tvdm  id  me  gopatim  visvah  aha  a  nah  Indrah  suma- 
tim  gantu  achha  \  5.  Arndmsi  chit  paprathand  Suddse  Indro  gddhdni 

97  Whatever  may  be  the  sense  of  verses  11  and  13,  the  Nirukta  states  plainly 
enough  v.  1 3  ;  Tasyah  darsanad  Mitra-varunayoh  retas  chaskanda  \  tad-abhivadiny 
esha  rig  bhavali  \  "  On  seeing  her  (Urvas'I)  the  seed  of  Mitra  and  Varuna  fell  from 
them.  To  this  the  following  verse  (R.V.  vii.»33,  11)  refers."  And  Sayana  on  the 
same  verse  quotes  a  passage  from  the  Brihaddevata. :  Tayor  adityayoh  satire  drishtva 
'psarasam  Urvas'tm  \  retas  chaskanda  tat  kumbhe  nyapatad  vasafivare  \  tenaiva  tu 
muhurttena  vlryavantau  tapasvinau]  Agastyas  cha  Vasishthas  cha  tatrarsht  sambabhu- 
vatuh  \  bahudha  patitam  retail  kalase  chajale  sthale  \  sthale  Vasishthas  tu  munih  samba- 
bhTivarshi-sattamah  \  kumbhe  tv  Agastyah  sambhuto  jale  matsyo  mahadyutih  \  udiyaya 
tato  'gastyo  samya-matro  mahatapah  \  manena  sammito  yasmat  tasmad  Manyah 
ihochyate  \  yadva  kumbhad  rishirjatah  kumbhenapi  hi  mlyate  j  kumbhah  ity  abhidha- 
nafn  cha  parimanasya  lakshyate  \  tato  'psu  grihyamanasu  Vasishthah  pushkare  sthi- 
tah  |  sarvatah  pushkare  tarn  hi  vis've  devah  adharayan  \  "  When  these  two  Adityas 
(Mitra  and  Varuna)  heheld  the  Apsaras  Urvas'I  at  a  sacrifice  their  seed  fell  from  them 
into  the  sacrificial  jar  called  vasativara.  At  that  very  moment  the  two  energetic  and 
austere  rishis  Agastya  and  Vasishtha  were  produced  there.  The  seed  fell  on  many 
places,  into  the  jar,  into  water,  and  on  the  ground.  The  muni  Vasishtha,  most 
excellent  of  rishis,  was  produced  on  the  ground ;  while  Agastya  was  horn  in  the  jar, 
a  fish  of  great  lustre.  The  austere  Agastya  sprang  thence  of  the  size  of  a  samya 
(i.e.  the  pin  of  a  yoke ;  see  Wilson,  s.v.,  and  Professor  Roth,  s.v.  mana).  Since 
he  was  measured  by  a  certain  standard  (mana)  he  is  called  the  '  measurable ' 
(many a).  Or,  the  rishi,  having  sprung  from  a  jar  (humbha},  is  also  measured  by  a 
jar,  as  the  word  kumbha  is  also  designated  as  the  name  of  a  measure.  Then  when  the 
waters  were  taken,  Vasishtha  remained  in  the  vessel  (pushkara) ;  for  all  the  gods 
held  him  in  it  on  all  sides."  In  his  Illustrations  of  the  Nirukta,  p.  64,  Prof.  Roth 
speaks  of  the  verses  of  the  hymn  which  relate  to  Vasishtha's  origin  as  being  a  more 
modern  addition  to  an  older  composition,  and  as  describing  the  miraculous  birth  of 
the  sage  in  the  taste  and  style  of  the  Epic  mythology.  Professor  Max  Miiller 
(Oxford  Essays  for  1856,  pp.  61  f.)  says  that  Vasishtha  is  a  name  of  the  Sun;  and 
that  the  ancient  poet  is  also  "  called  the  son  of  Mitra  and  Varuna,  night  and  day,  an 
expression  which  has  a  meaning  only  in  regard  to  Vasishtha,  the  sun ;  and  as  the 
sun  is  frequently  called  the  offspring  of  the  dawn,  Vasishtha,  the  poet,  is  said  to  owe 
his  birth  to  Urvas'I"  (whom  Miiller  identifies  with  Ushas).  For  M.  Langlois's  view 
of  the  passage,  see  his  French  version  of  the  R.V.  vol.  iii.  pp.  79  f.  and  his  note, 
p.  234. 

98  See  Roth's  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  Weda,  pp.  87  ff.  where  it  is  translated  into  German. 

21 


322  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

akrinot  supdrd  \ 21.  Pro,  ye  grihdd  amamadus  tvdyd  Pardsa- 

rah  S'ataydtur  Vasishthah  \  net  te  Ihojasya  sakhyam  mrishanta  adha 
surilhyah  sudind  vi  uchhdn  \  22.  Dve  naptur  Devavatah  sate  gor  dvd 
rathd  vadhumantd  Suddsah  \  arhann  Ague  Paijavanasya  dtinam  hoteva 
sadma  pari  emi  rebhan  \  23.  Chatvdro  md  Paijavanasya  ddndh  smad- 
dishtayah  Jcrisanino  nireke  \  rijraso  md  prithivishthdh  Stiddsas  tokam 
tokaya  sravase  vahanti  \  24.  Tasya  sravo  rodasi  antar  unl  ilrshne 
slrsJine  vibabJiaja  vibhaktd  \  sapta  id  Indram  na  sravato  grinanti  ni 
Yudhydmadhim  asisdd  abJilJce  \  imam  naro  Marutah  saschatdnu  Divo- 
ddsam  na  pitaram  Suddsah  \  avishtana  Paijavanasya  ketam  dundsam 
Jcshattram  ajaram  duvoyu  \ 

"4.  Seeking  to  milk  thee  (Indra),  like  a  cow  in  a  rich  meadow, 
Vasishtha  sent  forth  his  prayers  to  thee ;  for  every  one  tells  me  that 
thou  art  a  lord  of  cows;  may  Indra  come  to  our  hymn.  5.  However 
the  waters  swelled,  Indra  made  them  shallow  and  fordahle  to  Sudas. 

21.  Parasara,"  S'atayatu,  and  Yasishtha,  devoted  to  thee,  who 

from  indifference  have  left  their  home,  have  not  forgotten  the  friendship 
of  thee  the  bountiful; — therefore  let  prosperous  days  dawn  for  these 
sages.  22.  Earning  two  hundred  cows  and  two  chariots  with  mares, 
the  gift  of  Sudas  the  son  ofoPijavana,  and  grandson  of  Devavat,100 
I  walk  round  the  house,  o  Agni,  uttering  praises,  like  a  hotri  priest. 
23.  The  four  brown  steeds,  bestowed  by  Sudas  the  son  of  Pijavana, 
vigorous,  decked  with  pearls,  standing  on  the  ground,  carry  me  on 
securely  to  renown  from  generation  to  generation.  24.  That  donor, 
whose  fame  pervades  both  worlds,  has  distributed  gifts  to  every  person. 
They  praise  him  as  the  seven  rivers 101  praise  Indra ;  he  has  slain  Yu- 
dhyamadhi  in  battle.  25.  Befriend  him  (Sudas),  ye  heroic  Maruts,  as 

99  Parusara  is  said  in  Nir.  vi.  30,  which  refers  to  this  passage,  to  have  been  a  son  of 
Vasishtha  horn  in  his  old  age  (Parasarah  paraslrnasya  Vasishthasya  sthamrasya, 
jajne) ;  or  he  was  a  son  of  S'akti  and  grandson  of  Vasishtha  (Roth  s.v.) 

100  Devavat  is  said  by  Sayana  to  be  a  proper  name.     He  may  be  the  same  as  Divo- 
dasa  in  verse  25.     Or  Divodasa  may  be  the  father,  and  Pijavana  and  Devavat  among 
the  forefathers  of  Sudas.     In  the  Vishnu  PurSna  Sarvakama  is  said  to  have  been  the 
father  and  Rituparna  the  grandfather  of  Sudasa,  Wilson's  V.P.  4to.  ed.  p.  380.     At 
p.  454  f.  a  Sudasa  is  mentioned  who  was  son  of  Chyavana,  grandson  of  Mitrayu  and 
great-grandson  of  Divodasa. 

101  Professor  Roth  (Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  Weda,  p.  100)  compares  R.V.  i.  102,  2,  asya 
s'ravo  nadyah  sapta  bibhrati,  "  the  seven  rivers  exalt  his  (Indra' s)  renown."     These 
rivers  are,  as  Roth  explains,  the  streams  freed  by  India  from  Vrittra's  power. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  323 

ye  did  Divodasa  the  (fore)father  of  Sudas ;  fulfil  the  desire  of  the  son 
of  Pijavana  (by  granting  him)  imperishable,  undecaying  power,  worthy 
of  reverence  (?)." 

Although  the  Vasishthas  are  not  named  in  the  next  hymn,  it  must 
refer  to  the  same  persons  and  circumstances  as  are  alluded  to  in  the 
first  portion  of  R.V.  vii.  33,  quoted  above. 

R.V.  vii.  83,  1.  Yuvdm  nard  pasyamdndsah  dpyam  prdchd  gavyantah 
prithu-parsavo  yayuh  \  ddsd  cha  vrittrd  hatam  drydni  cha  Suddsam 
Indrd-varund  'vasd  'vatam  \  2.  Yatra  narah  samayante  krita-dhvajo 
yasminn  dj'd  bhavati  kinchana  priyam  \  yatra  lhayante  bhuvand  svar- 
drisas  tatra  nah  Indrd-varund  'dhi  vochatam  \  3.  Sam  bhumydh  antdh 
dhvasirdh  adrikshata  Indrd-varund  divi  ghoshah  druhat  \  asthur  jandndm 
upa  mdm  ardtayo  arvdg  avasd  havana-srutd  dgatam  \  4.  Indrd-varund 
vadhandbhir  aprati  Bhedam  vanvantd  pra  Suddsam  dvatam  \  brahmdni 
eshdm  srinutam  havlmani  satyd  Tritsundm  abhavat  purohitih  \  5.  Indrd- 
varundv  abhi  d  tapanti  md  aghdni  aryo  vanushdm  ardtayah  \  yuvam  hi 
vasvah  ubhayasya  rdjatho  adha  sma  no  avatam  pdrye  divi  \  6.  Yuvdm  ha- 
vante  ulhaydsah  djishu  Indram  cha  vasvo  Varunam  cha  sdtaye  I  yatra 
rdjabhir  dasabhir  nibddhitam  pra  Suddsam  dvatam  Tritsubhih  saha  \ 
7.  Dasa  rdjdnah  samitdh  ayajyavah  Suddsam  Indrd-varund  na  yuyu- 
dhuh  |  satyd  nrindm  adma-saddm  upastutir  devdh  eshdm  abhavan  deva- 
hutishu  |  8.  Ddsardjne  pariyattdya  visvatah  Suddse  Indra-varundv 
asikshatam  \  svityancho  yatra  namasd  Icaparddino  dhiyd  dhwanto  asa- 
panta  Tritsavah  \ 

11  Looking  to  you,  o  heroes,  to  your  friendship,  the  men  with  broad 
axes  advanced  to  fight.  Slay  our  Dasa  and  our  Arya  enemies,  and 
deliver  Sudas  by  your  succour,  o  Indra  and  Varuna.  2.  In  the  battle 
where  men  clash  with  elevated  banners,  where  something  which  we  • 
desire 102  is  to  be  found,  where  all  beings  and  creatures  tremble,  there, 
o  Indra  and  Varuna,  take  our  part.  3.  The  ends  of  the  earth  were 
seen  to  be  darkened,  o  Indra  and  Varuna,  a  shout  ascended  to  the  sky ; 
the  foes  of  my  warriors  came  close  up  to  me ;  come  hither  with  your 
help,  ye  hearers  of  our  invocations.  4.  Indra  and  Varuna,  unequalled 
with  your  weapons,  ye  have  slain  Bheda,  and  delivered  Sudas;  ye 
heard  the  prayers  of  these  men  in  their  invocation ;  the  priestly  agency 

102  Sayana  divides  the  kinchana  of  the  Pada-text  into  kineha  na,  which  gives  the 
sense  "  where  nothing  is  desired,  but  everything  is  difficult." 


324  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

of  the  Tritsus103  was  efficacious.  5.  0  Indra  and  Varuna,  the  injurious 
acts  of  the  enemy,  the  hostilities  of  the  murderous,  afflict  me  on  every 
side.  Ye  are  lords  of  the  resources  of  both  worlds :  protect  us  there- 
fore (where  ye  live)  in  the  remotest  heavens.  6.  Both  parties101  invoke 
you,  both  Indra  and  Varuna,  in  the  battles,  in  order  that  ye  may 
bestow  riches.  (They  did  so  in  the  fight)  in  which  ye  delivered  Sudas 
— when  harassed  by  the  ten  kings— together  with  the  Tritsus.  7.  The 
ten  kings,  who  were  no  sacrificers,  united,  did  not  vanquish  Sudas,  o 
Indra  and  Varuna.  The  praises  of  the  men  who  officiated  at  the  sacri- 
fice were  effectual ;  the  gods  were  present  at  their  invocations.  8.  Ye, 
o  Indra  and  Varuna,  granted  succour  to  Sudas,  hemmed  in  on  every 
side  in  the  battle  of  the  ten  kings,105  where  the  white-robed  Tritsus,106 
with  hair-knots,  reverentially  praying,  adored  you  with  a  hymn." 

From  these  hymns  it  appears  that  Vasishtha,  or  a  Vasishtha  and  his 
family  were  the  priests  of  king  Sudas  (vii.  18,  4f.,  21  ff.;  vii.  33,  3f.); 
that,  in  their  own  opinion,  these  priests  were  the  objects  of  Indra' s 
preference  (vii.  33,  2),  and  had  by  the  efficacy  of  their  intercessions 
been  the  instruments  of  the  victory  gained  by  Sudas  over  his  enemies 
in  the  battle  of  the  ten  kings.  It  seems  also  to  result  from  some  of  the 
verses  (vii.  33,  6 ;  vii.  83,  4,  .6  ;  and  vii.  33,  1,  compared  with  vii.  83, 
8)  that  both  the  king 'and  the  priests  belonged  to  the  tribe  of  the 
Tritsus.10*  Professor  Roth  remarks  that  in  none  of  the  hymns  which 

163  Compare  verses  7  and  8.  Sayana,  however,  translates  the  clause  differently : 
"  The  act  of  the  Tritsus  for  whom  I  sacrificed,  and  who  put  me  forward  as  their 
priest,  was  effectual :  my  priestly  function  on  their  behalf  was  successful "  (Tritsunam 
etot-sanjnanam  mama  yajyanam  purohitir  mama  purodhanam  satya  satya-phalam 
abhavat  \  teshu  yad  mama  paurohityam  tat  saphalam  jatam  \ 

10  *  According  to  Sayana  the  two  parties  were  Sudas  and  the  Tritsus  his  allies 
(ttbhaya-vidhah  Sudah-sanjno  raja  tat-sahaya-bhutasTritsavas  cha  evaiit  dvi-prakarah 
janah).  It  might  have  been  supposed  that  one  of  the  parties  meant  was  the  hostile 
kings ;  but  they  are  said  in  the  next  verse  to  be  ayajyarah,  "  persons  who  did  not 
sacrifice  to  the  gods." 

105  Lasarajne.  This  word  is  explained  by  Sayana  in  his  note  on  vii.  33,  3,  dasa- 
VKi  rajabhih  saha  yuddhe  pravritte,  "  battle  having  been  joined  with  ten  kings."  In 
the  verse  before  us  he  says  "  the  lengthening  of  the  first  syllable  is  a  Vedic  peculiarity, 
and  that  the  case-ending  is  altered,  and  that  the  word  merely  means  '  by  the  ten 
kings ' "  (dasa-sabdasya  chhandaso  dlrghah  |  vibhakti-vyatyayah  \  dasabhl  rajabhih 
....  pariveshtitaya"). 

Ul6  Here  Sayana  says  the  Tritsus  are  "  the  priests  so  called  who  were  Vasishtha's 
disciples"  (Tritsavo  Vasishtha-sishyah  etat-sanjnah  ritvijah). 

™  See  Koth,  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  Weda,  p.  120. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  325 

he  quotes  is  any  allusion  made  to  the  Vasishthas  being  members  of  any 
particular  caste ;  but  that  their  connection  with  Sudas  is  ascribed  to 
their  knowledge  of  the  gods,  and  their  unequalled  power  of  invocation 
(vii.  33,  7  f.) 

In  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  viii.  21,  we  have  another  testimony  to 
the  connection  of  Vasishtha  with  Sudas,  as  he  is  there  stated  to  have 
"  consecrated  Sudas  son  of  Pijavana  by  a  great  inauguration  similar  to 
Indra's ; los  in  consequence  of  which  Sudas  went  round  the  earth  in 
every  direction  conquering,  and  performed  an  asvamedha  sacrifice " 
(etena  ha  vai  aindrena  mahdbhishekena  Fasishthah  Suddsam' Paijavanam 
alhishishecha  \  tasmdd  u  Suddh  Paijavanah  samantam  sarvatah  prithivlm 
jay  an  parly  ay  a  asvena  cha  medhyena  ije). 

The  following  passages  refer  to  Vasishtha  having  received  a  reve- 
lation from  the  god  Varuna,  or  to  his  being  the  object  of  that  god's 
special  favour : 

vii.  87,  4.  Uvdcha  me  Varuno  medhirdya  trih  sapta  ndma  aghnyd  bi- 
bhartti \  vidwn  padasya  guhyd  na  vochad  yugdya  viprah  updraya 
sikshan  \ 

"  Varuna  has  declared  to  me 109  who  am  intelligent,  '  The  Cow uo 
possesses  thrice  seven  names.  The  wise  god,  though  he  knows  them, 
has  not  revealed  the  mysteries  of  (her)  place,  which  he  desires  to  grant 
to  a  future  generation." 

R.V.  vii.  88,  3.  A  yad  ruhdva  Varunas  cha  ndvam  pra  yat  samudram 
iraydva  madhyam  \  adhi  yad  apdih  snulhis  chardva  pra  pra  Inkhe  inklia- 
ydvahai  iulhe  Icam  \  4.  Vasishtham  ha  Varuno  ndvi  d  adhdd  rishim  cha-. 
kdra  svapdh  maholhih  \  stotujram  viprah  sudinatve  ahndih  ydd  nu  dydvas 
tatanan  ydd  ushasah  \  5.  Kva  tydni  nau  salchyd  labhuvuh  sachdvahe  yad 

108  Colebrooke's  Misc.  Essays,  i.  40. 

109  Vasishtha  is  not  named  in  this  hymn,  but  he  is  its  traditional  author. 

lll>  Sayana  says  that  either  (1)  Vach  is  here  meant  under  the  figure  of  a  cow  having 
the  names  of  21  metres,  the  Gayatri,  etc.,  attached  to  her  breast,  throat,  and  head,  or 
(2)  that  Vach  in  the  form  of  the  Veda  holds  the  names  of  21  sacrifices;  but  that  (3) 
another  authority  says  the  earth  is  meant,  which  (in  the  Nighantu,  i.  1)  has  21 
names,  go,  gma,jma,  etc.  (Faff  atra  gaur  uchyate  \  sa  cha  urasi  kanthe  sirasi  cha 
baddhani  gayatry-adlni  sapta  chhandasam  namani  bibhartti  \  yadva  vcdatmika  vag 
eJcavimsati-samsthanam  yajnanam  namani  bibhartti  \  dharayati  \  aparah  aha  " gauh 
prithivt  |  tasyas  cha  '•gaur  gmcijma'  iti pathitany  eJcavimsati-namani"  iff).  I  have, 
in  translating  the  second  clause  of  the  verse,  followed  for  the  most  part  a  rendering 
suggested  by  Professor  Aufrecht. 


326  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

avrikam  purd  chit  \  Irihantam  mdnam  Varuna  svadhdvah  sahasra-dvdram 
jagama  grihaih  te  \  6.  Yah  dpir  nityo  Varuna  priyah  san  tvdm  dgdihsi 
krinavat  sakhd  te  \  md  te  enasvanto  yakshin  Ihujema  yandhi  sma  viprah 
stuvate  varutham  \ 

"When  Yaruna  and  I  embark  on  the  boat,  when  we  propel  it  into 
the  midst  of  the  ocean,  when  we  advance  over  the  surface  of  the 
waters,  may  we  rock  upon  the  undulating  element  till  we  become 
brilliant.  4.  Varuna  took  Vasishtha  into  the  boat ;  by  his  mighty  acts 
working  skilfully  he  (Yaruna)  has  made  him  a  rishi ;  the  wise  (god 
has  made)  him  an  utterer  of  praises  in  an  auspicious  time,  that  his 
days  and  dawns  may  be  prolonged.111  5.  Where  are  (now)  our  friend- 
ships, the  tranquil! ty  which  we  enjoyed  of  old  ?  We  have  come,  o  self- 
sustaining  Yaruna,  to  thy  vast«.  abode,  to  thy  house  with  a  thousand 
gates.  6.  Whatever  friend  of  thine,  being  a  kinsman  constant  and 
beloved,  may  commit  offences  against  thee ; — may  we  not,  though  sin- 
ful, suffer  (punishment),  o  adorable  being ;  do  thou,  o  wise  god,  grant 
us  protection." 

R.V.  vii.  86  is  a  sort  of  penitential  hymn  in  which  Vasishtha  refers 
to  the  anger  of  Varuna  against  his  old  friend  (verse  4)  and  entreats  for- 
giveness of  his  offences.  This  hymn,  which  appears  to  be  an  earnest 
and  genuine  effusion  df  natural  feeling,  is  translated  in  Professor 
Miiller's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  540. 

The  passage  which  follows  is  part  of  a  long  hymn,  consisting  chiefly 
of  imprecations  directed  against  Rakshases  and  Yatudhanas,  and  said  in 
the  Brihaddevata  (as  quoted  by  Sayana  in  his  introductory  remarks)  to 
have  "been  '  seen'  by  the  rishi  (Vasishtha)  when  he  was  overwhelmed 
with  grief  and  anger  for  the  loss  of  his  hundred  sons  who  had  been  slain 
by  the  sons  of  Sudas  "  (rishir  dadarsa  ralcsho-ghnam  puttra-solca-pariplu- 
tdh  |  hate  puttra-sate  kruddhah  Sauddsair  duhkhitas  tada).  I  shall  cite 
only  the  verses  in  which  Vasishtha  repels  the  imputation  (by  whom- 
soever it  may  have  been  made)  that  he  was  a  demon  (Rakshas  or  Yatu- 
dhana). 

R.V.  vii.  104,  12.  Suvijndnam  chilcitushe  jandya  sach  cha  asach  cha 
vachasi  paspridhdte  \  tayor  yat  satyam  yatarad  rijlyas  tad  it  Somo  avati 
hanti  asat  \  13.  Na  vai  u  Somo  vrijinam  hinoti  na  kshattriyam  mithuyd 

111  Professor  Aufrecht  renders  the  last  clause,  "  As  long  as  days  and  dawns  shall 
continue." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  327 

dhdrayantam  \  hanti  raksho  hanti  asad  vadantam  ubhdv  Indrasya  prasitau 
say  ate  \  14.  Yadi  vd  aham  anrita-devalp  dsa  mogham  vd  devdn  api  uhe 
Agne  \  kirn  asmabhyam  Jdtavedo  hrimshe  droghavdchas  te  nirritham 
sachantdm  \  15.  Adya  muriya  yadi  ydtudhdno  asmi  yadi  va  dyus  tatapa 
purushasya  \  adha  sa  vlrair  dasabhir  vi  yuydh  yo  ma  moghafii  "Ydtu- 
dhdna"  ity  aha  \  16.  To  md  aydtum  "  ydtiidhdna "  ity  aha  yo  vd 
rakshdh  " suchir  asmi"  ity  dha  \  Indras  tarn  Jiantu  mahatd  vadhena  vis- 
vasyajantor  adhamas  padlshta  \ 

"  The  intelligent  man  is  well  able  to  discriminate  (when)  true  and 
false  words  contend  together.  Soma  favours  that  one  of  them  which 
is  true  and  right,  and  annihilates  falsehood.  13.  Soma  does  not  prosper 
the  wicked,  nor  the  man  who  wields  power  unjustly.  He  slays  the 
Rakshas ;  he  slays  the  liar:  they  both  lie. (bound)  in  the  fetters  of  Indra. 
14.  If  I  were  either  a  follower  of  false  gods,  or  if  I  erroneously  con- 
ceived of  the  gods,  o  Agni: — Why,  o  Jatavedas,  art  thou  incensed 
against  us?  Let  injurious  speakers  fall  into  thy  destruction.  15.  May 
I  die  this  very  day,  if  I  be  a  Yatudhana,  or  if  I  have  destroyed  any 
man's  life.  May  he  be  severed  from  his  ten  sons  who  falsely  says  to 
me,  'o  Yatudhana.'  16.  He  who  says  to  me,  who  am  no  Yatu,  'o 
Yatudhana,'  or  who  (being  himself)  a  Eakshas,  says,  'I  am  pure,' — 
may  Indra  smite  him  with  his  great  weapon  ;j  may  he  sink  down  the 
lowest  of  all  creatures. 

In  elucidation  of  this  passage  Sayana  quotes  the  following  lines : 

Hatvd  puttra-satam  purvam  Vasishthasya  mahdtmanah  \  Vasishtham 
"  rdkshaso'si  tvaih"  Vdsishtham  rupam  dsthitah  \  "aham  Vasishthah  " 
ity  evam  jiglidmsuh  rdlcshaso  'bravit  \  atrottardh  richo  drishtdh  Vasish- 
theneti  nah  srutam  \ 

"  Having  slain  the  hundred  sons  of  the  great  Vasishtha,  a  murderous 
Eakshasa,  assuming  the  form  of  that  rishi,  formerly  said  to  him,  '  Thou 
art  a  llakshasa,  and  I  am  Yasishtha.'  In  allusion  to  this  the  latter 
verses  were  seen  by  Yasishtha,  as  we  have  heard." 

We  may,  however,  safely  dismiss  this  explanation  resting  on  fabu- 
lous grounds. 

The  verses  may,  as  Professor  Max  Miiller  supposes,112  have  arisen  out 

112  «  Vasishtha  himself,  the  very  type  of  the  Arian  Brahman,  when  in  feud  with 
Vis'vamitra,  is  called  not  only  an  enemy,  hut  a  '  Yatudhana,'  and  other  names  which 
in  common  parlance  are  only  bestowed  on  barbarian  savages  and  evil  spirits.  "NYe 


328  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

of  Yasishtha's  contest  with  Yisvamitra,  and  it  may  have  been  the 
latter  personage  who  brought  tnese  charges  of  heresy,  and  of  murderous 
and  demoniacal  character  against  his  rival.118 

Allusion  is  made  both  in  the  Taittiriya  Sanhita  and  in  the  Kaushl- 
taki  Brahmana  to  the  slaughter  of  a  son  of  Yasishtha  by  the  sons  or 
descendants  of  Sudas.  The  former  work  states,  Ashtaka  vii.  (p.  47 
of  the  India  Office  MS.  No.  1702) : 

Vasishtho  hataputro  'Icamayata  "  vindeya  prajdm  abhi  Sauddsan  bha- 
veyam  "  iti  \  sa  etam  elcasmtinnapanchdsam  apasyat  tarn  dharat  tendya- 
jata  |  tato  vai  so  'vindata  prajdm  abM  Sauddsan  abhavat  \ 

"  Yasishtha,  when  his  son  had  been  slain,  desired,  '  May  I  obtain 
offspring ;  may  I  overcome  the  Saudasas.'  He  beheld  this  ekasmanna- 
panchdsa  (?),  he  took  it,  and  satrificed  with  it.  In  consequence  he  ob- 
tained offspring,  and  overcame  the  Saudasas." 

The  passage  of  the  Kaushitaki  Brahmana,  4th  adhyaya,  as  quoted 
by  Professor  "Weber  (Ind.  St.  ii.  299)  is  very  similar  : 

Vasishtho  'kdmayata  hata-putrah  " prajdyeya  prajayd  pa^ulhir  abhi 
Sauddsan  bhaveyam "  iti  \  sa  etam  yajna-kratum  apasyad  Vasishtha- 
yajnam  ....  tena  ishtvd  ....  abJii  Sauddsan  abhavat  \ 

"  Yasishtha,  when  his  son  had  been  slain,  desired,  '  May  I  be  fruit- 
ful in  offspring  and  cattle,  and  overcome  the  Saudasas.'  He  beheld 
this  form  of  offering,  the  Yasishtha- sacrifice ;  and  having  performed  it, 
he  overcame  the  Saudasas." 

In  his  introduction  to  Rig-veda,  vii.  32,  Sayana  has  the  following 
notice  from  the  Anukramanika  : 

"  Sauddsair  agnau  prakshipyamdnah  S'alctir  antyam  pragdtham  dlelhe 
so  'rdharche  ukte  'dahyata  \  tarn  putroktam  Fasishthah  samapayata  "  iti 
Sdtyuyanakam  \ "  Vasishthasya  eva  hata-putrasya  drsham  "  iti  TdndaTcam  \ 

"The  S'atyayana  Brahmana  says  that  '  S'akti  (son  of  Yasishtha), 
when  being  thrown  into  the  fire  by  the  Saudasas,  received  (by  inspira- 
tion) the  concluding  pragatha  of  the  hymn.  He  was  burnt  after  he 
had  spoken  half  a  rich ;  and  Yasishtha  completed  what  his  son  was 

have  still  the  very  hymn  in  which  Vasishtha  deprecates  such  charges  with  powerful 
indignation."  Prof.  M  tiller  then  quotes  verses  14-16  of  the  hymn  before  us  ("  Last 
Eesults  of  the  Turanian  Researches,"  in  Bunsen's  "  Outlines  of  the  Philosophy  of 
Univ.  History,"  i.  344. 

113  See  my  article  "  On  the  relations  of  the  priests  to  the  other  classes  of  Indian 
society  in  the  Yedic  age,"  in  the  Journal  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1866,  pp.  295  ff. 


THE  BRAKMANS  AND  KSIIATTRIYAS.  329 

uttering.  The  Tandaka  says  that  'it  was  Vasishtha  himself  who  spoke 
the  whole  when  his  son  was  slain.'  "  ' 

The  words  supposed  to  have  been  spoken  by  S'akti,  viz.  "  0  Indra, 
grant  to  us  strength  as  a  father  to  his  sons  "  (Indra  Jcratum  nah  d  bhara 
pita  putrebhyo  yatha]  do  not  seem  to  be  appropriate  to  the  situation  in 
which  he  is  said  to  have  been  placed ;  and  nothing  in  the  hymn 
appears  to  allude  to  any  circumstances  of  the  kind  imagined  in  the 
two  Brahmanas. 

Manu  says  of  Vasishtha  (viii.  110):  MaharshibhiS  cha  devais  cha 
kdryydrtham  Sapathdh  kritdh  \  Vasishthas  chdpi  sapatham  sepe  Paiya- 
vane  nripe  \  "  Great  rishis  and  gods  too  have  taken  oaths  for  particular 
objects.  Vasishtha  also  swore  an  oath  to  king  Paiyavana."  The  oc- 
casion on  which  this  was  done  is  stated,  by  the  Commentator  Kulluka  • 
Vasishtho  'py  anena  puttra-satam  bhakshitam  iti  Visvdmitrena  dltrushto 
sva-parisuddhaye  Piyavandpatye  Suddmni  rdjani  sapatham  chakdra  \ 
"  Vasishtha  being  angrily  accused  by  Visvamitra  of  having  eaten  (his) 
hundred  sons,  took  an  oath  before  king  Sudaman  (Sudas,  no  doubt,  is 
meant)  the  son  of  Piyavana  in  order  to  clear  himself."  This  seems  to 
refer  to  the  same  story  which  is  alluded  to  in  the  passage  quoted  by 
the  Commentator  on  Big-veda  vii.  104,  12. 

In  the  Ramayana,  i.  55,  5  f.,  a  hundred  soils  of  Visvamitra  are  said 
to  have  been  burnt  up  by  the  blast  of  Vasishtha' s  mouth  when  they 
rushed  upon  him  armed  with  various  weapons  ( Visvdmitra-sutdndm  tu 
satam  nand-vidhayudham  \  abhyadhdvat  susankruddham  Vasishtham  japa- 
tdm  varam  \  hunkarenaiva  tan  sarvdn  nirdaddha  mahdn  rishih}. 

Vasishtha  is  also  mentioned  in  Rig-veda,  i.  112,  9,  as  having  received 
succour  from  the  Asvins  ( — Vasishtham  ydbhir  ajardv  ajinvatam}. 

Vasishtha,  or  the  Vasishthas,  are  also  referred  to  by  name  in  the 
following  verses  of  the  seventh  Mandala  of  the  Rig-veda :  7,  7 ;  9,  6  ; 
12,  3;  23,  1,  6;  26,  5;  37,  4;  39,  7;  42,  6 ;  59,  3;  70,  6;  73,  3; 
76,  6,  7 ;  77,  6  ;  80,  1 ;  90,  7  ;  95,  6  ;  96,  1,  3  ;  but  as  no  information 
is  derivable  from  these  texts,  except  that  the  persons  alluded  to  were 
the  authors  or  reciters  of  the  hymns,  it  is  needless  to  quote  them.114 

111  Another  verse  of  a  hymn  in  which  the  author  is  not  referred  to  (vii.  72,  2) 
is  as  follows :  A.  no  devebhir  upa  yatam  arvak  sajoshasha  nasatya  rathena  \  yuvor 
hi  nah  sakhya  pitryani  samano  bandhur  uta  tasya  vittam  \  "  Come  near  to  us, 
Asvins,  on  the  same  car  with  the  gods :  for  we  have  ancestral  friendships  with  you, 
a  common  relation ;  do  ye  recognize  it."  Although  this  has  probahly  no  mythological 


330  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

In  the  Atharva-veda,  iv.  29,  3  and  5,  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra  are 
mentioned  among  other  persofciges,  Angiras,  Agasti,  Jamadagni,  Atri, 
Kasyapa,  Bharadvaja,  Gavishthira,  and  Kutsa,  as  being  succoured  by 
Mitra  and  Varuna  (.  .  .  .  yav  Angirasam  avatho  ydv  Agastim Mitra-  Va- 
runa Jamadagnim  Atrim  \  yau  Katyapam  avatho  yau  Vasishtham  .... 
yau  Sharadvdjam  avatho  yau  Gavishthiram  Visvdmitram  Varuna  Mitra 
Eut&arn).  And  in  the  same  Veda,  xviii.  3,  15  f.,  they  are  invoked  as 
deliverers  :  Visvdmitro  ''yam  Jamadagnir  Atrir  avantu  nah  Kasyapo  Vd- 
madevah  \  Yisvamitra  Jamadagne  Vasishtha  Bharadvaja  Gotama  Vdma- 
deva  ...  |  "15.  May  this  Yisvamitra,  may  Jamadagni,  Atri,  Kasyapa, 
Vamadeva  preserve  us.  16.  0  Yisvamitra,  o  Jamadagni,  o  Vasishtha,  o 
Bharadvaja,  o  Gotama,  o  Vasmadeva."  The  second  passage  at  least 
must  be  a  good  deal  more  recent  than  the  most  of  the  hymns  of  the 
Big-veda. 

Sudas  is  mentioned  in  other  parts  of  the  Big-veda  without  any  refer- 
ence either  to  Vasishtha  or  to  Visvamitra.  In  some  cases  his  name  is 
coupled  with  that  of  other  kings  or  sages,  which  appears  to  shew  that 
in  some  of  these  passages  at  least  a  person,  and  not  a  mere  epithet, 
"the  liberal  man,"  is  denoted  by  the  word  Sudas. 

B.V.  i.  47,  6.  (The  traditional  rishi  is  Praskanva.)  Suddse  dasrd  vasu 
bilhratd  rathe  priksho  vtihatam  Asvind  \  rayim  samudrdd  uta  vd  divas 
pari  asme  dhattam  puru-spriham  \ 

"  0  impetuous  Asvins,  possessing  wealth  in  your  car,  bring  susten- 
ance to  Sudas.  Send  to  us  from  the  (aerial)  ocean,  or  the  sky,  the 
riches  which  are  much  coveted." 

Sayana  says  the  person  here  meant  is  "  king  Sudas,  son  of  Pijavana  " 
(Suddse  ....  rdjne  Pijavana-puttrdya'). 

i.  63,  7.  (The  rishi  is  Nodhas,  of  the  family  of  Gotama.)  Team  ha 
tyad  Indra  sapta  yudhyan  puro  vajrin  Purukutsdya  dardah  \  larhir  na 
yat  Suddse  vrithd  varg  anho  rdjan  varivah  Purave  kah  \ 

"  Thou  didst  then,  o  thundering  Indra,  war  against,  and  shatter,  the 
seven  cities  for  Purukutsa,  when  thou,  o  king,  didst  without  effort  hurl 

reference,  Sayana  explains  it  as  follows :  Vivasvan  Varunas  cha  ubhav  api  Kasyapad 
A.diter  jatau  \  Vivasvan  Asvinor  janaTco  Varuno  Vasislithasya  ity  evam  samana-ban- 
dhutvam  \  "  Vivas  vat  and  Varuna  were  both  sons  of  Kasyapa  andAditi.  Vivasvat 
was  the  father  of  the  Asvins  and  Varuna  of  Vasishtha  ;  such  is  the  affinity."  Sayana 
then  quotes  the  Brihaddevata  to  prove  the  descent  of  the  As'vins  from  Vivasvat. 
Compare  K.V.  x.  17,  1,  2,  and  Nirukta,  xii.  10,  11. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  331 

away  distress  from  Sudas  like  a  bunch  of  grass,  and  bestow  wealth,  on 
Puru.115  •' 

i.  112,  19.  (The  rishi  is  Kutsa.)  ....  ydlhir  Sudase  uhathuh  sude- 
vyam  tdbliir  u  shu  utilhir  Asvind  gatam  \ 

11  Come,  o  Asvins,  with  those  succours  whereby  ye  brought  glorious 
power  to  Sudas"  ['son  of  Pijavana' — Sayana].118 

The  further  texts  which  follow  are  all  from  the  seventh  Mandala,  of 
which  the  rishis,  with  scarcely  any  exception,  are  said  to  be  Vasishtha 
and  his  descendants  : 

vii.  19,  3.  Tvam  dhrishno  dhrishatd  vltahavyam  prdvo  visvd blrir  utilhih 
Suddsam  \  pra  Paurukutsim  Trasadasyum  dvah  kshettrasdtd  vrittrahat- 
yeshu  Purum  \ 

"  Thou,  o  fierce  Indra,  hast  impetuously  protected  Sudas,  who  offered 
oblations,  with  every  kind  of  succour.  Thou  hast  preserved  Trasadasyu 
the  son  of  Purukutsa,  and  Puru  in  his  conquest  of  land  and  in  his 
slaughter  of  enemies." 

vii.  20,  2.  Hantd  Vrittram  Indrah  susuvdnah  prdvid  nu  vlro  jari- 
tdram  utl  \  karttd  Sudase  aha  vai  u  lokafh  data  vasu  muhur  u  ddsushe  bhut  \ 

"Indra  growing  in  force  slays  Vritra;  the  hero  protects  him  who 
praises  him ;  he  makes  room  for  Sudas  [or  the  liberal  sacrificer — Ical- 
ydna-ddndya  yajamdndya.  Sayana] ;  he  gives'  riches  repeatedly  to  his 
worshipper." 

vii.  25,  3.  S'atam  te  siprinn  utayah  Sudase  sahasram  samsdh  uta 
rdtir  astu  \  jahi  vadhar  vanusho  marttyasya  asme  dyumnam  adhi  ratnam 
cha  dhehi  \ 

"  Let  a  hundred  succours  come  to  Sudas,  a  thousand  desirable  (gifts) 
and  prosperity.  Destroy  the  weapon  of  the  murderous.  Confer  renown 
and  wealth  on  us." 

(Sayana  takes  sudds  here  and  in  all  the  following  citations  to  signify 
a  "liberal  man.") 

115  Professor  Roth  renders  this  passage  differently  in  his  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  "Weda, 
p.  132  ;  as  does  also  Prof.  Benfey,  Orient  und  Occident,  i.  p.  590. 

116  In  E.V.  i.  185,  9,  vre  find  the  word  sudds  in  the  comparative  degree  sudastara, 
where  it  must  have  the  sense  of  "  very  liberal "  :  bhuri  chid  aryah  sudastaraya  \ 
"  (give  the  wealth)  of  my  enemy,  though  it  be  abundant  to  (me  who  am)  most  liberal." 
In  v.  53,  2,  the  term  sudas  appears «to  be  an  adjective  :  a  etan  ratheshu  tasthushah 
kah  s'usrava  fcatha  yayuh  \  Tcasmai  sasruh  sudase  emu  apayah  ilabhir  vrishtayah  saha\ 
"  Who  has  heard  them  (the  Maruts)  mounted  on  their  cars,  how  they  have  gone  ?  To 
what  liberal  man  have  they  resorted  as  friends,    (in    the  form  of)  showers  with 


332  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

vii.  32.  10.  NaTcih  Suddso  ratham  pari  dsa  na  rlramat  \  Indro  yasya 
avitd  yasya  Maruto  gamat  sa  gtmati  vfiaje  \ 

"  !N\>  one  can  oppose  or  stop  the  chariot  of  Sudas.  He  whom  Indra, 
whom  the  Maruts,  protect,  walks  in  a  pasture  filled  with  cattle." 

vii.  53,  3  :  Uto  hi  vain  ratnadheydni  santi  puruni  dydvd  -prithivl 
Suddse  | 

"And  ye,  o  "Heaven  and  Earth,  have  many  gifts  of  wealth  for  Sudas 
[or  the  liberal  man]." 

vii.  60,  8.  Yad  gopdvad  Aditili  £arma  lhadram  Mitro  yachhanti  Va- 
runah  Suddse  \  tasminn  d  tokam  tanayam  dadhdndh  md  karma  Aeva- 

helanam  turdsah  \  9 pari  dvesholhir  Aryamd  vnnaktu  urum 

Suddse  vrishanau  u  lokam  \ 

"Since  Aditi,  Mitra,  and  Yaruna  afford  secure  protection  to  Sudas 
(or  the  liberal  man),  bestowing  on  him  offspring ; — may  we  not,  o 

mighty  deities,  commit  any  offence  against  the  gods.  9 May 

Aryaman  rid  us  of  our  enemies.  (Grant)  ye  vigorous  gods,  a  wide 
space  to  Sudas." 

There  is  another  passage,  vii.  64,  3  (Iravad  yathd  nah  dd  arih  Su- 
ddse], to  which  I  find  it  difficult  to  assign  the  proper  sense. 

Yasishtha  is  referred  to  in  the  following  passages  of  the  Brahman  as : 

Kathaka  37,  17 717  Ri»hayo  vai  Indram  pratyaksham  na  apasyams  tarn 
Vasishthah  eva  pratyasham  apasyat  \  so  'libhed  "  itarelhyo  md  rishi- 
bhyah pravakshyati  "  iti™  \  so  'bravld  "  brdhmanam  te  vakshydmi  yathd 
tvat-purohitdh  prajdh  prajanishyante  \  atha  md  itarebhyah  rishibhyo  md 
pravochah"  iti  \  tasmai  etdn  stoma-lhdgdn  abravit  tato  Vasishtha-puro- 
hitdh  prajdh  prdjdyanta  \ 

"  The  rishis  did  not  behold  Indra  face  to  face ;  it  was  only  Yasishtha 
who  so  beheld  him.  He  (Indra)  was  afraid  lest  Yasishtha  should  reveal 
him  to  the  other  rishis ;  and  said  to  him,  'I  shall  declare  to  thee  a  Brah- 
mana  in  order  that  men  may  be  born  who  shall  take  thee  for  their  puro- 
hita.  Do  not  reveal  me  to  the  other  rishis.'  Accordingly  he  declared  to 


117  Quoted  by  Professor  "Weber,  Indische  Studien,  iii.  478. 

118  The  words  from  so  'bibhet  down  to  iti  are  omitted  in  the  Taitt.  Sanhita,  iii.  5, 
2,  2,  where  this  passage  is  also  found.    Weber  refers  in  Ind.  St.  ii.  to  another  part  of 
the  Knthaka,  ii.  9,  where  Vasishtha  is  alluded  to  as  having  "seen  "  a  text  beginning 
Avith  the  word  purovata  during  a  time  of  drought  ("  Purovata  "  iti  vrishty-apete 
bhuta-grame  Vasishtho  dadars'a). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  333 

him  these  parts  of  the  hymn.   In  consequence  men  were  born  who  took 
Vasishtha  for  their  purohita." 

Professor  Weber  refers  in  the  same  place  to  a  passage  of  the  S'ata- 
patha  Brahmana  relating  to  the  former  superiority  of  Vasishtha's 
family  in  sacred  knowledge  and  priestly  functions : 

xii.  6,  1,  38.  Vasishtho  ha  virdjam  viddnchalcdra  tarn  ha  Indro  'bhida- 
dhyau  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  "  rishe  virdjam  ha  vai  vettha  turn  me  Iruhi"  iti  \ 
sa  ha  uvdcha  "kirn  mama  tatah  sydd"  iti  \  " sarvasya  cha  te  yajnasya 
prdyaschittim  Iruydm  rupam  cha  tvd  darsayeya"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha 
"  yad  nu  me  sarvasya  yajnasya  prdyaschittim  bruydh  kirn  u  sa  sydd  yam 
tvam  rupam  darsayethdh"  iti  \  jlva-svarga  eva  asmdl  lokdt  preydd" 
iti  |  tato  ha  etdm  rishir  Indrdya  mrdjam  uvdcha  "  iyam  vai  virdd  "  iti  \ 
tasmdd  yo  'syai  bhuyishtham  labhate*sa  eva  sreshtho  bhavati  \  atha  ha 
etdm  Indrah  rishaye  prdyaschittim  uvdcha  agnihotrdd  agre  d  mahatah 
ukihdt  |  tdh  ha  sma  etdh  purd  vydhritlr  Vasishthdh  eva  viduh  \  tasmdd 
ha  sma  purd  Vdsishthah  eva  Irahmd  lhavati  \ 

"  Vasishtha  was  acquainted  with  the  Viraj  (a  particular  Vedic  metre). 
Indra  desired  it ;  and  said,  '  0  rishi,  thou  knowest  the  Viraj  :  declare 
it  to  me.'  Vasishtha  asked :  '  What  (advantage)  will  result  to  me 
from  doing  so  ? '  (Indra  replied)  '  I  shall  both  explain  to  thee  the 
forms  for  rectifying  anything  amiss  (prdyaschltti} 11Q  in  the  entire  sacri- 
fice, and  show  thee  its  form.'  Vasishtha  further  enquired,  '  If  thou 
declarest  to  me  the  remedial  rites  for  the  entire  sacrifice,  what  shall 
he  become  to  whom  thou  wilt  show  the  form  ? '  (Indra  answered) 
'  He  shall  ascend  from  this  world  to  the  heaven  of  life.'  The  rishi  then 
declared  this  Viraj  to  Indra,  saying,  'this  is  the  Viraj.'  Wherefore  it 
is  he  who  obtains  the  most  of  this  (Viraj)  that  becomes  the  most 
eminent.  Then  Indra  explained  to  the  rishi  this  remedial  formula 
from  the  agnihotra  to  the  great  uktha.  Formerly  the  Vasishthas  alone 
knew  these  sacred  syllables  (vydhriti}.  Hence  in  former  times  a 
Vasishtha  only  was  a  (priest  of  the  kind  called)  brahman." 

Professor  Weber  quotes  also  the  following  from  the  Kathaka  32,  2. 
Yam  abrdhmanah  prdsndti  sd  skannd  dhutis  tasyd  vai  Vasishthah  eva 
prdyaschittam  viddnchahdra  \  "The  oblation  of  which  a  person  not  a 
brahman  partakes  is  vitiated.  Vasishtha  alone  knew  the  remedial  rite 
for  such  a  case." 

119  See  above,  p.  294. 


334  EARLY  CONTESTS    BETWEEN 

In  the  Shadvimsa  Brahmana  of  the  Sama-veda,  quoted  by  the  same 
writer  (Ibid.  i.  39,  and  described  p.  37,  as  possessing  a  distinctly  formed 
Brahmanical  character  indicating  a  not  very  early  date),  we  have  the 
following  passage  : 

i.  5.  Indro  ha  Visvdmitrdya  uktham  uvdcha  Vasishthdya  Irahma  vdg 
uktham  ity  eva  Visvdmitrdya  mano  Irahma  Vasishthdya  \  tad  vai  etad 
Vdsishtham  Irahma  \  api  ha  evamvidham  va  Vdsishtham  vd  brahmdnam 
kurvlta  \ 

"Indra  declared  the  uktha  (hymn)  to  Yisvamitra,  and  the  brahman 
(devotion)  to  Yasishtha.  The  uktha  is  expression  (vdk]  •  that  (he  made 
known)  to  Yisvamitra;  and  the  Irahman  is  the  soul;  that  (he  made 
known)  to  Yasishtha.  Hence  this  Irahman  (devotional  power)  belongs 
to  the  Yasishthas.  Moreover,  let  either  a  person  of  this  description,  or 
a  man  of  the  family  of  Yasishtha,  be  appointed  a  Jrafowaw-priest." 

Here  the  superiority  of  Yasishtha  over  Yisvamitra  is  clearly  as- 
serted.120 

Yasishtha  is  mentioned  in  the  Mahabharata,  S'antip.  verses  11221  ff., 
as  having  communicated  divine  knowledge  to  king  Janaka,  and  as 
referring  (see  verses  11232,  11347,  11409,  11418,  11461,  etc.)  to  the 
Sankhya  and  Yoga  systems.  The  sage  is  thus  characterized  : 

11221.  Vasishtham  sreshtham  dsmam  rishindm  Ihdskara-dyutim  \  pa- 
prachha  Janako  raja  jndnam  naissreyasam  param  \  param  adhydtma- 
kusalam  adhdtma-gati-nischayam  \  Maitravarunim  dslnam  abhivddya 
kritdnjalih  \ 

"King  Janaka  with  joined  hands  saluted  Yasishtha  the  son  of  Mitra 
and  Yaruna,  the  highest  and  most  excellent  of  rishis,  resplendent  as 
the  sun,  who  was  acquainted  with  the  Supreme  Spirit,  who  had  ascer- 
tained the  means  of  attaining  to  the  Supreme  Spirit ;  and  asked  him 
after  that  highest  knowledge  which  leads  to  final  beatitude." 

The  doctrine  which  the  saint  imparts  to  the  king  he  professes  to 
have  derived  from  the  eternal  Hiranyagarbha,  i.e.  Brahma  (avdptam 
etad  hi  mayd  sandtandd  Hiranyagarlhdd  gadato  narddhipa}. 

I  have  already  in  former  parts  of  this  volume  quoted  passages  from 
Manu,  the  Yishnu  Purana,  and  the  Mahabharata,  regarding  the  creation 

120  Professor  "Weber  mentions  (Ind.  St.  i.  53)  that  in  the  commentary  of  Rama- 
krishna  on  the  Paraskara  Grihya  Sutras  allusion  is  made  to  the  "  Chhandogas  who 
follow  the  Sutras  of  the  Vasishtha  family"  Vasishtha-sutranucharinas'  chhandogaK). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  335 

of  Yasishtha.  The  first-named  work  (see  above,  p.  36)  makes  him  one 
of  ten  Maharshis  created  by  Manu  Svayambhuva  in  the  first  (or  Sva- 
yambhuva)  Manvantara.  The  Vishnu  Parana  (p.  65)  declares  him  to 
have  been  one  of  nine  mind-born  sons  or  Brahmas  created  by  Brahma 
in  the  Manvantara  just  mentioned.  The  same  Purana,  however,  iii. 
1,  14,  makes  him  also  one  of  the  seven  rishis  of  the  existing  or 
Vaivasvata  Manvantara,  of  which  the  son  of  Vivasvat,  S'raddhadeva,1" 
is  the  Manu  ( Vivasvatah  suto  vipra  S'rdddhadevo  mahddyutih  \  Manuh 
samvarttate  dhimdn  sdmpratam  saptame  'ntare  ....  Vasishthah  Kd- 
syapo  'thdtrir  Jamadagnih  sa-Gautamah  \  Visvdmitra-Bharadvdjau  sapta 
saptarshayo  'bhavan).  The  Mahabharata  (see  p.  122)  varies  in  its  ac- 
counts, as  in  one  place  it  does  not  include  Vasishtha  among  Brahma's 
six  mind-born  sons,  whilst  in  a  second  passage  it  adds  him  to  the 
number  which  is  there  raised  to  seven,122  and  in  a  third  text  describes 
him  as  one  of  twenty-one  Prajapatis. 

According  to  the  Vishnu  Purana,  i.  10,  10,  "Yasishtha  had  by  his 
wife  IJrjja  "  (one  of  the  daughters  of  Daksha,  and  an  allegorical  per- 
sonage, see  Y.  P.  i.  7,  18),  seven  sons  called  Rajas,  Gatra,  tlrddhva- 
bahu,  Savana,  Anagha,  Sutapas,  and  Sukra,  who  were  all  spotless 
rishis"  (TTrjjdydm  cha  Vasishthasya  saptdjdyanta  vai  sutdh  \  Rajo- 
Gdtrordhhvaldhuscha  Savanas  chunaghas  tathd '  \  Sutapdh  S'ukrah  ity 
ete  sarve  saptarshayo  'maldK).  This  must  be  understood  as  referring  to 
the  Svayambhuva  Manvantara.  The  Commentator  says  these  sons 
were  the  seven  rishis  in  the  third  Manvantara  (saptarshayas  tritlya- 
manvantare).  In  the  description  of  that  period  the  Y.  P.  merely  says, 
without  naming  them  (iii.  1,  9)  that  "the  seven  sons  of  Yasishtha 
were  the  seven  rishis"  (Vasishtlia-tanayas  tatra  sapta  saptarshayo 
'bhavan).m  The  Bhagavata  Purana  (iv.  1,  40  f.)  gives  the  names  of 
Yasishtha's  sons  differently ;  and  also  specifies  S'aktri  and  others  as  the 
offspring  of  a  different  marriage.  (Compare  Professor  Wilson's  notes 
on  these  passages  of  the  Yishnu  Purana.) 

121  See  above  p.  209,  note  66,  and  pp.  188  ff. 

122  In  another  verse  also  (Adip.  6638,  which  will  be  quoted  below  in  a  future 
section)  he  is  said  to  be  a  mind-born  son  of  Brahma. 

123  Urjja,  who  in  the  Vishnu  P.  iii.  1,  6,  isj  stated  to  be  one  of  the  rishis  of  the 
second  or  Svarochisha  Manvantara,  is  said  in  the  Vayu  P.  to  be  a  son  of  Vasishtha. 
See  Professor  "Wilson's  note  (vol.  iii.  p.  3)  on  Vishnu  P.  iii.  1,  6.     The  Vayu  P.  also 
declares  that  one  of  the  rishis  in  each  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  Manvantaras  was  a  son. 
of  Vasishtha.     (See  Prof.  Wilson's  notes  (vol.  iii.  pp.  8  and  11)  on  Vishnu  P.  iii.  1.) 


336  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

In  Manu,  ix.  22  f.,  it  is  said  that  "  a  wife  acquires  the  qualities  of 
the  husband  with  whom  she  is  duly  united,  as  a  river  does  when 
blended  with  the  ocean.  23.  Akshamala,  though  of  the  lowest  origin, 
became  honourable  through  her  union  with  Yasishtha,  as  did  also 
Sarangl  through  her  marriage  with  Handapala"  (Yddrig-gunenalhart- 
trd  strl  samyujyate  yathdvidhi  \  iddrig-gund  sd  bhavati  samudreneva  nim- 
naffd  |  23.  Akshamala  Vasishthena  samyuktd  ' dhama-yoni-jd  \  S'drangl 
Manddpalenajagdmdbhyarhaniyatdm). 

Yasishtha' s  wife  receives  the  same  name  (Vasishthas  chdkshamdlaya] 
in  a  verse  of  the  Hahabharata  (Udyogaparvan,  v.  3970)  ;m  but  in  two 
other  passages  of  the  same  work,  which  will  be  adduced  further  on, 
she  is  called  Arundhati.125 

According  to  the  Yishnu  Purana  (ii.  10,  8)  Yasishtha  is  one  of  the 
superintendents  who  in  -the  month  of  Ashadha  abide  in  the  Sun's 
chariot,  the  others  being  Yaruna,  Rambha,  Sahajanya,  Huhu,  Budha, 
and  Rathachitra  ( Vasishtho  Varuno  Rambha  Sahajanya  Huhur  Budhah  \ 
Rathachitras  tatha  S'uJcre  vasanty  Ashadha-sanjnite] ;  whilst  in  the 
month  of  Phalguna  (ibid.  v.  16)  the  rival  sage  Yisvamitra  exercises  the 
same  function  along  with  Yishnu,  Asvatara,  Rambha,  Suryavarchas, 
Satyajit,  and  the  Rakshasa  Yajnapeta  (sruyatdm  chdpare  surye  phdl- 
gune  nivasanti  ye  \  Vi&hnur  Asvataro  Eambhd  Suryavarchas  cha  Sat- 
yajit |  Visvdmitras  tatha  raJcsho  Yajndpeto  mahdtmanah'). 

At  the  commencement  of  the  Yayu  Purana  Yasishtha  is  charac- 
terized as  being  the  most  excellent  of  the  rishis  (rishmdm  cha  varish- 
thdya  Vasishthdya  mahdtmane}. 

It  is  stated  in  the  Yishnu  Purana,  iii.  3,  9,  that  the  Yedas  have 
been  already  divided  twenty-eight  times  in  the  course  of  the  present  or 
Yaivasvata  Manvantara ;  and  that  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  Mrityu  (Death, 
or  Tama) ;  whilst  in  the  eighth  Dvapara  it  was  Yasishtha  who  was  the 
Yyasa  or  divider  (Ashtdvimsatikritvo  vai  veddh  vyastdh  maharshibhih  \ 
Vaivasvate  'ntare  tasmin  dvtipareshu  .punah  punah  \  ....  10.  Dvdpare 
prathame  vyastdh  svayam  veddh  Svayambhuvd  |  .  .  .  .  1 1 ....  Mrityuh 
shashthe  smritah  prabhuh  \  ....  Vasishthas  chdshtame  smritah]. 

124  Two  lines  below  Haimavatlis  mentioned  as  the  wife  of  Visvamitra  (Haimavatya 
cha  KausikaK). 

125  In  the  St.  Petersburg  Lexicon  akshatnala  is  taken  for  an  epithet  of  Arundhati. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  337 

Vasishtha  was,  as  we  have  seen  above,  the  family-priest  of  Nimi, 
son  of  Ikshvaku,  who  was  the  son  of  Manu  Vaivasvata,  and  the  first 
prince  of  the  solar  race  of  kings ;  and  in  a  passage  of  the  Mahabha- 
rata,  Adip.  (6643  f.),  which  will  be  quoted  in  a  future  section,  he  is 
stated  to  have  been  the  purohita  of  all  the  kings  of  that  family.  He 
is  accordingly  mentioned  in  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  3,  18,  as  the  religious 
teacher  of  Sagara,  the  thirty-seventh  in  descent  from  Ikshvaku  (iat- 
kula-gurum  Vasishtham  saranam  jagmuK] ;  and  as  conducting  a  sacrifice 
for  Saudasa  or  Mitrasaha,  a  descendant  in  the  fiftieth  generation  of  the 
same  prince  (Vishnu  P.  iv.  4,  25,  Kulena  gaclihata  sa  Sauddso  yajnam 
ayajat  \  parinishtMta-yajne  cha  acharyye  VasishtTie  nishkrante  ityddi}. 

Vasishtha  is  also  spoken  of  in  the  Ramayana,  ii.  110,  1  (see  above, 
p.  115),  and  elsewhere  (ii.  Ill,  1,  etc.)}  as  the  priest  of  Rama,  who 
appears  from  the  Vishnu  Purana,  (iv.  4,  40,  !md  the  preceding  narra- 
tive), to  have  been  a  descendant  of  Ikshvaku  in  the  sixty-first  gene- 
ration.128 

Vasishtha,  according  to  all  these  accounts,  must  have  been  possessed 
of  a  vitality  altogether  superhuman ;  for  it  does  not  appear  that  any  of 
the  accounts  to  which  I  have  referred  intend  under  the  name  of  Vasish- 
tha to  denote  merely  a  person  belonging  to  jthe  family  so  called,  but 
to  represent  the  founder  of  the  family  himself  as  taking  part  in  the 
transactions  of  many  successive  ages. 

It  is  clear  that  Vasishtha,  although,  as  we  shall  see,  he  is  frequently 
designated  in  post-vedic  writings  as  a  Brahman,  was,  according  to  some 
other  authorities  I  have  quoted,  not  really  such  in  any  proper  sense  of 
the  word,  as  in  the  accounts  which  are  there  given  of  his  birth  he  is 
declared  to  have  been  either  a  mind-born  son  of  Brahma,  or  the  son  of 
Mitra,  Varuna,  and  the  Apsaras  UrvasI,  or  to  have  had  some  other 
supernatural  origin. 

>  SECT.  VII. —  Visvamitra. 

Visvamitra  is  stated  in  the  Anukramanika,  as  quoted  by  Sayana  at 
the  commencement  of  the  third  Mandala  of  the  Rig-veda,  to  be  the 
rishi,  or  "  seer,"  of  that  book  of  the  collection  :  Asya  mandala-drashta 

126  Rama's  genealogy  is  also  given  in  the  Ramayana,  i.  70,  and  ii.  110,  6  ff.,  where, 
however,  he  is  said  to  be  only  the  thirty-third  or  thirty-fourth  from  Ikshvaku. 

22 


338  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Visvdmitrah  rishih  \  "  The  rishi  of  this  (the  first  hymn)  was  Visva- 
mitra, the  'seer'  of  the  Mandala."  This,  however,  is  to  be  understood 
with  some  exceptions,  as  other  persons,  almost  exclusively  his  descend- 
ants, are  said  to  be  the  rishis  of  some  of  the  hymns. 

I  shall  quote  such  passages  as  refer,  or  are  traditionally  declared  to 
refer,  to  Visvamitra  or  his  family. 

In  reference  to  the  thirty-third  hymn  the  Nirukta  states  as  follows  : 

ii.  24.  Tatra  itihdsam  dchakshate  \  Visvdmitrah  rishih  Suddsah  Paija- 
vanasya  purohito  labhuvd  .  .  .  .  |  sa  vittam  grihltva  Vipdt-chhutudryoh 
sambhedam  dyayau  \  anuyayur  itare  \  sa  Visvdmitro  nadls  tushtdva  "  gd- 
dhdh  lhavata  "  Hi  \ 

"  They  there  relate  a  story.  The  rishi  Visvamitra  was  the  purohita 
of  Sudas,  the  son  of  Pijavana.  (Here  the  etymologies  of  the  names 
Visvamitra,  Sudas,  and  ?ijavana  are  given.)  Taking  his  property,  he 
came  to  the  confluence  of  the  Vipas  and  S'utudri  (Sutlej);  others 
followed.  Visvamitra  lauded  the  rivers  (praying  them  to)  become 
fordable." 

Sayana  expands  the  legend  a  little  as  follows  : 

Purd  Tcila  Visvamitrah  Paijavanasya  Suddso  rdjnah  purohito  labhuva  \ 
sa  cha  paurohityena  labdha-dhanah  sarvam  dhanam  dddya  Vipdt-chhutu- 
dryoh sambhedam  dyayau  \  anuyayur  itare  \  athottitlrshur  Visvdmitro 
'gddha-jale  te  nadyau  drishtvd  uttarandrtham  ddydbhis  tisribhis  tushtdva  \ 

"  Formerly  Visvamitra  was  the  purohita  of  king  Sudas,  the  son  of 
Pijavana.  He,  having  obtained  wealth  by  means  of  his  office  as  puro- 
hita, took  the  whole  of  it,  and  came  to  the  confluence  of  the  Vipas  and 
the  S'utudri.  Others  followed.  Being  then  desirous  to  cross,  but,per- 
ceiving  that  the  waters  of  the  rivers  were  not  fordable,  Visvamitra, 
with  the  view  of  getting  across  lauded  them  with  the  first  three  verses 
of  the  hymn." 

The  hymn  makes  no  allusion  whatever  to  Sudas,  but  mentions  the 
son  of  Kusika  (Visvamitra)  and  the  Bharatas.     It  is  not  devoid  of  ( 
poetical  beauty,  and  is  as  follows  : 

R.V.  iii.  33,  1  (=.  Nirukta,  ix.  39).  Pra  parvatdndm  usatl  upasthdd 
asve  iva  vishite  hdsamdne  \  gdveva  subhre  mdtard  rihdne  Vipdt  Chhutudrl 
payasd  javete  \  2.  Indreshite  prasavam  Ihikshamdne  achha  samudram 
rathyd  iva  ydthah  \  samdrdne  urmibhih  pintamdne  anyd  vdm  anydm  api 
eti  Subhre  \  3.  Achha  sindhum  mdtritamdm  aydsam  Vipdsam  urvlm 


THE  BRAHMAXS  AXD  KSHATTRIYAS.  339 

subhagdm  aganma  \  vatsam  iva  mdtard  samrihdne  samdnam  yonim  anu 
sancharantl  \  4.  End  vayam  payasd  pinvamdnd  anu  yonim  deva-kritam 
charantlh  \  na  varttave  prasavah  sarga-taktah  Itimyur  vipro  nadyo  johavlti  \ 
5  (=  Mrukta,  ii.  25).  Ramadhvam  me  vachase  somydya  ritdvarir  upa 
muhurttam  evaih  \  pra  sinaTium  achha  brihati  manlshd  avasyur  aJive 
Kusika&ya  sunuh  \  6  (=  Mr.  ii.  26).  Indro  asmdn  aradat  vajra-bdhur 
apdhan  Vrittram  paridhim  nadlndm  \  devo  'nayat  Savitd  supdnis  tasya 
vayam  prasave  ydmah  urvih  \  1.  Pravdchyam  &asvadhd  vlryam  tad 
Indrasya  karma  yad  Ahim  vivrischat  \  vi  vajrena  parishado  jagkdna 
dyann  dpo  ayanam  ichhamdndh  \  8.  Etad  vacho  jaritar  md  'pi  mrishtdh 
d  yat  te  ghoshdn  uttard  yugdni  \  uktheshu  Mro  prati  no  jushasva  md  no 
ni  kah  purushatra  namas  te  \  9.  0  su  svasdrah  Jcdrave  srinota  yayau  yo 
durdd  anasd  raihena  \  ni  su  namadhvtffti  bhavata  supdrd  adhoaJcsnah 
sindhavah  srotydlhih  \  10  (=Nir.  ii.  27).  A  te'hdro  srinavama  vachdmsi 
yaydtha  durdd  anasd  ratJiena  \  ni  te  namsai  pipy  and  iva  yosnd  marydya 
iva  kanyd  sasvachai  te  \  11.  Yad  anga  tvd  Bharatdh  santareyur  gavyan 
grdmah  ishitah  Indra-jutah  \  arshdd  aha  prasavah  sarga-taktah  d  vo 
vrine  sumatim  yajniydndm  \  12.  Atdrishur  Bharatdh  gavymah  sam 
abhalita  viprah  sumatim  nadlndm  \  pra  pinvadhvam  ishayantlh  surddhdh 
d  valcshandh  prinadhvam  ydta  sllham  \ 

"  1.  (Yisvamitra  speaks) :  Hastening  eagerly  from  the  heart  of  the 
mountains,  contending  like  two  mares  let  loose,  like  two  bright  mother- 
cows  licking127  (each  her  calf),  the  Yipas  and  S'utudri  rush  onward  with 
their  waters.  2.  Impelled  by  Indra,  seeking  a  rapid  course,  ye  move 
towards  the  ocean,  as  if  mounted  on  a  car.  Running  together,  as  ye 
do,  swelling  with  your  waves,  the  one  of  you  joins  the  other,  ye  bright 
streams.  3.  I  have  come  to  the  most  motherly  stream;  we  have  arrived 
at  the  broad  and  beautiful  Yipas  ;  proceeding,  both  of  them,  like  two 
mother(-cows)  licking  each  her  calf,  to  a  common  receptacle.  4.  (The 
rivers  reply)  :  Here  swelling  with  our  waters  we  move  forward  to  the  re- 
ceptacle fashioned  by  the  gods  (the  ocean)  ;  our  headlong  course  cannot 
be  arrested.  What  does  the  sage  desire  that  he  invokes  the  rivers  ?  5. 
(Yisvamitra  says) :  Stay  your  course  for  a  moment,  ye  pure  streams, 
(yielding)  to  my  pleasant  words.128  With  a  powerful  prayer,  I,  the  son 

127  Prof.  Roth  (Illustr.  of  Nirukta,  p.  133)  refers  to  vii.  2.  5  (purvi  sis'um  na  ma- 
tara  rihane)  as  a  parallel  passage. 

128  Prof.  Roth  (Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  "Weda,  p.  103)  renders:  "  Listen  joyfully  for  a 


340  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

of  Kusika,129  desiring  succour,  invoke  the  river.  6.  (The  rivers  answer) : 
Indra,  the  wielder  of  the  thunderbolt,  has  hollowed  out  our  channels ; 
he  has  smitten  Ahi  who  hemmed  in  the  streams.  Savitri  the  skilful- 
handed  has  led  us  hither ;  by  his  impulse  we  flow  on  in  our  breadth. 
7.  For  ever  to  be  celebrated  is  the  heroic  deed  of  Indra,  that  he  has  split 
Vrittra  in  sunder.  He  smote  the  obstructions  with  his  thunderbolt ; 
and  the  waters  desiring  an  outlet  went  on  their  way.  8.  Do  not,  o 
utterer  of  praises,  forget  this  word,  which  future  ages  will  re-echo  to 
thee.  In  hymns,  o  bard,  show  us  thy  devotion ;  do  not  humble  us 
before  men ;  reverence  be  paid  to  thee.  9.  (Visvamitra  says) :  Listen, 
o  sisters,  to  the  bard  who  has  come  to  you  from  afar  with  waggon  and 
chariot.  Sink  down  ;  become  fordable ;  reach  not  up  to  our  chariot-axles 
with  your  streams.  1 0.  (The  rivers  answer) :  We  shall  listen  to  thy  words, 
o  bard ;  thou  hast  come  from  far  with  waggon  and  chariot.  I  will  bow 
down  to  thee  like  a  woman  with  full  breast130  (suckling  her  child);  as  a 
maid  to  a  man  will  I  throw  myself  open  to  thee.  11.  (Visvamitra  says) : 
When  the  Bharatas,131  that  war-loving  tribe,  sent  forward,  impelled  by 
Indra,  have  crossed  thee,  then  thy  headlong  current  shall  hold  on  its 
course.  I  seek  the  favour  of  you  the  adorable.  12.  The  war-loving 
Bharatas  have  crossed ;  the  Sage  has  obtained  the  favour  of  the  rivers. 
Swell  on  impetuous,  and  fertilizing  ;  fill  your  channels;  roll  rapidly." 

The  next  quotation  is  from  the  fifty-third  hymn  of  the  same  third 
Mandala,  verses  6  ff. : 

6.   ApaTi  somam  astam  Indra  pra  yahi  kalydmr  jay  a  suranam  grihe 

moment  to  my  amiable  Speech,  ye  streams  rich  in  water ;  stay  your  progress ;  "  and 
adds  in  a  note :  "  I  do  not  connect  the  particle  upa  with  ramadhvam,  as  the  Nirukta 
and  Sayana  do ;  the  fact  that  upa  stands  in  another  Pada  (quarter  of  the  verse) 
requires  a  different  explanation.  The  most  of  those  interpretations  of  the  Commen- 
tator which  destroy  the  sense  have  their  ultimate  ground  in  the  circumstance  that  he 
combines  the  words  of  different  divisions  of  the  verse ;  and  any  one  may  easily  con- 
vince himself  that  every  Pada  has  commonly  a  separate  sense,  and  is  far  more  inde- 
pendent of  the  others  than  is  the  case  in  the  sloka  of  later  times."  In  his  Lexicon 
Roth  renders  ritavarl'm  this  passage  by  "  regular,"  "equably  flowing." 

129  "  Kusika  was  a  king  "  (Kwiko  raja  babhuva.     Nir.  ii.  25).     Sayana  calls  him 
a  royal  rishi. 

130  This  is  the  sense  assigned  by  Prof.  Roth,  g.v.  pi  to  pipyana.    Sayana,  following 
Ynska,  ii.  27,  gives  the  sense  "  suckling  her  child."    Prof.  Aufrecht  considers  that  the 
word  means  "pregnant."     In  the  next  clause  sasvachai  is  rendered  in  the  manner 
suggested  by  Prof.  A.,  who  compares  R.V.  x.  18,  ]  1,  12. 

131  "  The  men  of  the  family  of  Bharata,  my  people  "  (Bharata-kula-jah  madiyah 
sarve."     Sayana). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  341 

te  |  yatra  rathasya  brihato  nidhdnam  vimochanam  vdjino  dakshindvat  \ 
7.  Ime  bhojdh  angiraso  virupdh  divas  putrdso  asurasya  vlrdh  \  Visvd- 
mitrdya  dadato  maghdni  sahasra-sdve  pratirante  dyuh  \  8.  Rupam  rupam 
maghavd  bobhavlti  may  ah  krinvdnas  tanvam  pari  svdm  \  trir  yad  divah 
pari  muhurttam  dgdt  svair  mantrair  anritupdh  ritdvd  \  9.  Mohan  rishir 
deva-jdh  deva-jilto  astabhndt  sindhum  arnavam  nrichakshdh  \  Visvdmitro 
yad  avahat  Suddsam  apriydyata  Kusikebhir  Indrah  \  10.  Hamsdh  iva 
krinutha  slokam  adrilhir  madanto  glrbhir  adhvare  sute  sachd  \  devebhir 
viprdh  rishayo  nrichakshaso  vi  pibadhvaih  Kusikdh  somyam  madhu  \ 
1 1 .  Upa  preta  Kusikds  clietayadhvam  asvam  rdye  pra  munchata  Su- 
ddsah  |  raja  vrittram  janghanat  prdg  apdg  udag  atha  yajdte  vare  a 
prithivytih  \  12.  Yah  ime  rodasl  ubhe  aham  Indram  atushtavam  \  Visva- 
mitrasya  rak&hati  Iralima  idam  Bhdratam  janam  \  13.  Visvdmitrdh 

t7  »/  I  • 

ardsata  brahma  Indrdya  vajrine  \  karad  in  nah  surddhasah  \  14  (—Mr. 
vi.  32').  Kim  te  kurvanti  Klkateshu  gdvo  ndsiram  duhre  na  tapanti  gJiar- 
mam  \  d  no  lhara  Pramagandasya  vedo  Naichdsakharn  maghavan  randhaya 
nah  \  15.  Sasarparlr  amatim  Iddhamdnd  brihad  mimdya  Jamadagni- 
dattd  \  d  Suryasya  duhitd  tatdna  sravo  deveshu  amritam  ajuryam  \  16. 
Sasarparlr  abharat  tuyam  ebhyo  adhi  sravah  panchajanydsu  krishtishu  \ 
sd  pakshyd  navyam  dyur  dadhdnd  yam  me  palasti-jamadagnayo  daduh  \ 
21.  Indra  utilhir  bahuldbhir  no  adya'ydchchhreshthdbhir  ma- 
ghavan sura  jinva  \  yo  no  dveshti  adharah  sas  padlshta  yam  u  dvishmas 
tarn  u  prdno  jahdtu  \  22.  parasum  chid  vi  tapati  simbalam  chid  vi  vris- 
chati  \  ukhd  chid  Indra  yeshantl  prayastd  phenam  asyati.  23.  Na  sdya- 
kasya  chikite  jandso  lodham  nayanti  pasu  manyamdndh  \  ndvdjinam 
vdjindh  hdsayanti  na  gardabham  puro  asvdn  nayanti  \  24.  Ime  Indra 
Bharatasya  putrdh  apapitvam  chikitur  na  prapitvam  \  hinvanti  asvam 
aranam  na  nityam  jydvdjam  pari  nayanti  djau  \ 

"6.  Thou  hast  drunk  soma ;  depart,  Indra,  to  thy  abode  :  thou  hast  a 
handsome  wife  and  pleasure  in  thy  house.  In  whatever  place  thy  great 
chariot  rests,  it  is  proper  that  the  steed  should  be  unyoked.  7.  These 
bountiful  Virupas  of  the  race  of  Angiras,132  heroic  sons  of  the  divine 

132  Sayana  says  that  the  liberal  men  are  the  Kshattriyas,  sons  of  Sudas,  that 
virupah  means  their  different  priests  of  the  race  of  Angiras,  Medhatithi,  and  others, 
and  that  the  sons  of  the  sky  are  the  Maruts,  the  sons  of  Rudra  (Ime  yagam  kurvanah 
bhojah  Saudasah  kshattriyuh  teshani  yajakah  virupah  nanarupah  Medhatilhi-prabhri- 
tayo  'ngirasas  cha  divo  'surasya  devebhyo  'pi  balavato  Rudrasya  putraso  ....  Ma- 
rutah).  The  Virupas  are  connected  with  Angiras  in  R.V.  x.  62,  5;  and  a  Virupa  is 
mentioned  in  i.  45,  3 ;  and  viii.  64,  6. 


342  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Dyaus  (sky),  bestowing  wealth  upon  Visvamitra  at  the  sacrifice  with  a 
thousand  libations,  prolong  their  lives.  8.  The  opulent  god  (Indra) 
constantly  assumes  various  forms,  exhibiting  with  his  body  illusive 
appearances ;  since  he  came  from  the  sky  thrice  in  a  moment,  drinking 
(soma)  according  to  his  own  will,  at  other  than  the  stated  seasons,  and 
yet  observing  the  ceremonial.  •  9.1SS  The  great  rishi,  god-born,  god-im- 
pelled, leader  of  men,  stayed  the  watery  current ;  when  Visvamitra 
conducted  Sudas,  Indra  was  propitiated  through  the  Kusikas.  10. 
Like  swans,  ye  make  a  sound  with  the  (soma-crushing)  stones,  exult- 
ing with  your  hymns  when  the  libation  is  poured  forth ;  ye  Kusikas, 
sage  rishis,  leaders  of  men,  drink  the  honied  soma  with  the  gods.134 
11.  Approach,  ye  Kusikas,  be  alert;  let  loose  the  horse  of  Sudas  to 
(conquer)  riches ;  let  the  king.smite  strongly  his  enemy  in  the  east,  the 
west,  and  the  north :  and  then  let  him  sacrifice  on  the  most  excellent 
(spot)  of  the  earth.185  12.  I  Visvamitra  have  caused  both  heaven  and 
earth  to  sing  the  praises  of  Indra ; 136  and  my  prayer  protects  the  race 
of  Bharata.  13.  The  Visvamitras  have  offered  up  prayer  to  Indra  the 
thunderer.  May  he  render  us  prosperous !  14.  What  are  thy  cows 
doing  among  the  Kikatas,137  who  neither  draw  from  them  the  milk  (which 
is  to  be  mixed  with  soma),  nor  heat  the  sacrificial  kettle.  Bring  to  us 
the  wealth  of  Pramaga'uda ;  subdue  to  us  to  the  son  of  Nichasakha. 
15.  Moving  swiftly,  removing  poverty,  brought  by  the  Jamadagnis, 
she  has  mightily  uttered  her  voice :  this  daughter  of  the  sun  has  con- 
veyed (our)  renown,  eternal  and  undecaying,  (even)  to  the  gods.  16. 
Moving  swiftly  she  has  speedily  brought  down  (our)  renown  from  them 
to  the  five  races  of  men ;  this  winged138  goddess  whom  the  aged  Jama- 
dagnis brought  to  us,  has  conferred  on  us  new  life."  Omitting  verses 

us  Verses  9-13  are  translated  by  Prof.  Roth,  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  "Weda,  p.  106  f. 

134  Comp.  M.  Bh.  Adip.  v.  6695.  Apibach  cha  tatah  somam  Indrena  saha  Kausikah  \ 
"  And  then  the  Kaus'ika  drank  soma  with  Indra." 

135  Compare  R.V.  iii.  23,  4,  which  will  be  quoted  below. 
J36  Compare  R.V.  iv.  17,  I. 

137  Kikatah  nama  deso'naryya-nivasah  \  "  Kikajfais  a  country  inhabited  by  people 
who  are  not  Aryas."    See  the  second  vol.  of  this  work,  p.  362,  and  Journ.  Royal  As. 
Soc.  for  1866,  p.  340. 

138  Pakshya.    This  word  is  rendered  by  Sayana  "  the  daughter  of  the  sun  who 
causes  the  light  and  dark  periods  of  the  moon,  etc."  (Pakshasya  pakshadi-nirvaha- 
kasya  Suryasya  duhita}.     Prof.  Roth  s.v.  thinks  the  word  may  mean  "she  who 
changes  according  to  the  (light  and  dark)  fortnights." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  343 

1 7-20  we  have  the  following :  "21.  Prosper  us  to-day,  o  opulent  Indra,  by 
numerous  and  most  excellent  succours.  May  he  who  hates  us  fall  down 
low;  and  may  breath  abandon  him  whom  we  hate."  This  is  succeeded  by 
three  obscure  verses,  of  which  a  translation  will  be  attempted  further  on. 
Sayana  prefaces  verses  15  and  16  by  a  quotation  from  Shadguru- 
sishya's  Commentary  on  the  Anukramanika,  which  is  given  with  an 
addition  in  Weber's  Indische  Studien  i.  119f.  as  follows:  Sasarparl- 
dv-riche  prdhur  itihdsam  purdmdah  j  Sauddsa-nripater  yajne  Vasishthdt- 
maja-S'aktind  \  Visvdmitrasydbhibhtitam  balam  vdk  cha  samantatah  \ 
Vdsishthendbhibhutah  sa  Jiy  avdsldach  cha  Gddhi-jah  \  tasmai  JBrdhmlm 
tu  Saurlm  vd  ndmnd  vdcham  Sasarparlm  \  Surya-vesmana  dhritya 
dadur  vai  Jamadagnayah  \  Kusikdndm  tatah  sd  van  mandk  chintdm 
athdnudat  \  upapreteti  Kusikdn  Visvdinfi^tro  'nvachodayat  \  labdhvd  vd- 
cham cha  hrishtdtmd  Jamadagnm  apujayat  \  "  Sasarparlr  "  iti  dvdlhydm 
rigbhytim  Vdcham  stuvam  svayam  \  "  Regarding  the  two  verses  beginning 
"  Sasarparih"  those  acquainted  with  antiquity  tell  a  story.  At  a 
sacrifice  of  king  Saudasa 139  the  power  and  speech  of  Visvamitra  were 
completely  vanquished  by  S'akti,  son  of  Vasishtha;  and  the  son  of 

Gadhi  (Visvamitra)  being  so  overcome,  became  dejected.     The  Jamad- 

• 

agnis  drew  from  the  abode  of  the  Sun  a  Voice  called  "  Sasarpari,"  the 
daughter  of  Brahma,  or  of  the  Sun,  and  gave  'her  to  him.  Then  that 
voice  somewhat  dispelled  the  disquiet  of  the  Jamadagnis  [or,  according 
to  the  reading  of  this  line  given  by  Sayana  (Kusikdndm  matih  sd  vdg 
amatim  tarn  apdnudat}  "  that  Voice,  being  intelligence,  dispelled  the 
unintelligence  of  the  Kusikas."].  Visvamitra  then  incited  the  Kusikas 
with  the  words  upapreta  'approach'  (see  verse  11).  And  being  glad- 
dened by  receiving  the  Voice,  he  paid  homage  to  the  Jamadagnis ; 
praising  them  with  the  two  verses  beginning  '  Sasarparlh.'  " 

In  regard  to  the  verses  21-24  Sayana  has  the  following  remarks : 
"Indra  utibhir  ity  ddyds  chatasro  Vasishtha-dveshinyah  \  pur  a,  khalu 
Visviimitra-sishyah  Suddh  ndma  rdjarshir  dslt  \  sa  cha  kenachit  kdranena 
Vasi&htha-dveshyo  'bhut  \  Visvdmitras  tu  iishyasya  rakshdrtham  dbhir 
riglhir  Vasishtham  asapat  \  imdh  abhisdpa-rupdh  \  tdh  richo  Vasishthdh 
na  srinvanti  \  "  The  four  verses  beginning  '  o  Indra,  with  succours  ' 
express  hatred  to  Vasishtha.  There  was  formerly  a  royal  rishi  called 

139  The  Brihaddevata,  which  has  some  lines  nearly  to  the  same  effect  as  these  I 
have  quoted  (see  Ind.  Stud.  i.  119),  gives  Sudas  instead  of  Saudasa. 


34  4  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

Sudas,  a  disciple  of  Visvamitra ;  who  for  some  reason  had  incurred  the 
ill-will  of  Yasishtha.  For  his  disciple's  protection  Yisvamitra  cursed 
Yasishtha  in  these  verses.  They  thus  consist  of  curses,  and  the  Yasish- 
thas  do  not  listen  to  them." 

In  reference  to  the  same  passage  the  Brihaddevata  iv.  23  f.,  as  quoted 
in  Indische  $tudien,  i.  120,  has  the  following  lines:  Paras  chatasro  yds 
tattra  Vasishtha-dveshinlr  viduh  \  Visvdmitrena  tdh  proktdh  abhisdpdh 
iti  smritdh  \  dvesha-dveshds  tu  tdh  proktdh  vidydch  cliaivdbhichdrikdh  \ 
Pasishthds  tu  na  srinvanti  tad  dcJidrryaka-sammatam  \  kirttandch  chhra- 
vandd  vd  'pi  mahdn  doshah  prajdyate  \  satadhd  Ihidyate  murdhd  kirtti- 
tena  srutena  vd  \  tesJidm  Idldh  pramiyante  ta&mdt  ids  tu  na  kirttayet  \ 
"  The  other  four  verses  of  that  hymn,  which  are  regarded  as  expressing 
hatred  to  Yasishtha,  were  uttered  by  Yisvamitra,  and  are  traditionally 
reported  to  contain  imprecations.  They  are  said  to  express  hatred  in 
return  for  (?)  hatred,  and  should  also  be  considered  as  incantations. 
The  descendants  of  Yasishtha  do  not  listen  to  them,  as  this  is  the  will 
of  their  preceptor.  Great  guilt  is  incurred  by  repeating  or  hearing 
them.  The  heads  of  those  who  do  so  are  split  into  a  hundred  frag- 
ments ;  and  their  children  die.  Wherefore  let  no  one  recite  them." 

Durga,  the  commentator  on .  the  Nirukta,140  in  accordance  with  this 
injunction  and  warning,  cays  in  reference  to  verse  23  :  Yasmin  nigame 
esha  sabdah  (lodhah]  sd  VasishtJia-dveshinl  rile  \  aham  cha  lEdpishthalo 
Vdsishthah  \  atas  turn  na  nirlravlmi  \  "  The  text  in  which  this  word 
(lodha)  occurs  is  a  verse  expressing  hatred  of  Yasishtha.  But  I  am  a 
Kapishthala  of  the  family  of  Yasishtha ;  and  therefore  do  not  inter- 
pret it." 

The  following  text  also  may  have  reference  to  the  personal  history  of 
Yisvamitra  :  K.Y.  iii.  43,  4.  A.  cha  tvdm  etd  vrishand  vahdto  hart  sakhdyd 
sudhurd  svangd  \  dhdndvad  Indrah  savanam  jmhdnah  sakhd  sakhyuh 
srinavad-vandandni  \  5.  Kuvid  md  gopam  karase  janasya  Jcuvid  rdjdnam 
maghavann  rijlshin  \  kuvid  md  rishim  papivdmsam  sutasya  kuvid  me 
vasvo  amritasya  sikshdh  \  "4.  May  these  two  vigorous  brown  steeds, 
friendly,  well-yoked,  stout-limbed,  convey  thee  hither.  May  Indra 
gratified  by  our  libation  mingled  with  grain,  hear  (like)  a  friend,  the 
praises  of  a  friend.  5.  "Wilt  thou  make  me  a  ruler  of  the  people  ?  wilt 

140  As  quoted  both  by  Prof.  Eotb,  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  "Weda,  p.  108,  note,  and  by 
Prof.  Mtiller,  Pref.  to  Eig-veda,  vol.  ii.  p.  Ivi. 


THE  BEAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  345 

thou  make  me  a  king,  o  impetuous  lord  of  riches?  wilt  thou  make  me 
a  rishi  a  drinker  of  soma  ?  wilt  thou  endow  me  with  imperishable 
wealth  ?  " 

The  next  passage  refers  to  Devasravas  and  Devavata,  of  the  race  of 
Bharata,  who  are  called  in  the  Anukramanika,  quoted  by  Sayana, 
"sons  of  Bharata"  (Sharatasya  putrau}\  but  one  of  whom  at  least  is 
elsewhere,  as  we  shall  see,  said  to  be  a  son  of  Visvamitra :  R. V.  iii. 
23,  2.  Amanthishtdm  Bhdratd  revad  Agnim  Devasravdh  Devavdtah  sudak- 
sham  |  Agne  vi  pasya  Irihatd  'bhi  ray  a  ishdm  no  netd  bhavatdd  anu 
dyun  |  3.  Dasa  It&hipah  purvyam  slm  ajyanan  sujdtam  mdtrishu  pri- 
yam  \  Agnim  stuhi  Daivavdtam  Devasravo  yojandndm  asad  vasl  \  4.  Ni 
tvd  dadJie  vare  d  prithivydh  ildyds  pade  sudinatve  ahndm  \  Drishadvatydm 
mdnushe  Apaydydm  Sarasvatydm  revad  Agne  didlM  \  "  2.  The  two  Bha- 
ratas  Devasravas  and  Devavata  have  brilliantly  created  by  friction  the 
powerful  Agni.  Look  upon  us,  o  Agni,  manifesting  thyself  with  much 
wealth ;  be  a  bringer  of  nourishment  to  us  every  day.  3.  The  ten 
fingers  (of  Devavata)  have  generated  the  ancient  god,  happily  born  and 
dear  to  his  mothers.  Praise,  o  Devasravas,  Agni,  the  offspring  of  Deva- 
vata, who  has  become  the  lord  of  men.  4.  I  placed  (or  he  placed)  thee 
on  the  most  excellent  spot-  of  earth  on  the  place  of  worship,1"  at  an 
auspicious  time.  Shine,  o  Agni,  brilliantly  on'the  (banks  of  the)  Dri- 
shadvati,  on  (a  site)  auspicious  for  men,  on  (the  banks  of)  the  Apaya, 
of  the  Sarasvati." 

Visvamitra  is  mentioned  along  with  Jamadagni  in  the  fourth  verse  of 
the  167th  hymn  of  the  tenth  Mandala,  which  is  ascribed  to  these  two 
sages  as  its  authors :  Prasuto  bhaksham  akaram  chardv  api  stomam  che- 
mam  prathamah  surir  un  mrije  \  sute  sdtena  yadi  tigamam  vdm  prati 
Visvdmitra-Jamadagni  dame  \  "  Impelled,  I  have  quaffed  this  draught 
of  soma  when  the  oblation  of  boiled  rice  was  presented  ;  and  I,  the  first 
bard,  prepare  this  hymn,  whilst  I  have  come  to  you,  o  Visvamitra  and 
Jamadagni  in  the  house,  with  that  which  has  been  offered  as  a  libation." 

The  family  of  the  Visvamitras  has,  as  we  have  seen,  been  already 
mentioned  in  R.V.  iii.  53,  13.  They  are  also  named  in  the  following 
passages  : 

iii.  1,  21.  Janman  janman  nihito  Jdtaveddh  Visvdmitrelhir  idhyate 
ajasrah  \ 

111  Compare  R.V.  iii.  29,  3,  4. 


346  EAELY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

"  The  undecaying  Jatavedas  (Agni)  placed  (on  the  hearth)  is  in  every 
generation  kindled  by  the  Yisvamitras." 

iii.  18,  4.  Uch  chhochishd  sahasas  putrah  stuto  brihad  vayah  sasamd- 
neshu  dhehi  \  revad  Agne  Visvamitreshu  sam  yor  marmrijma  te  tanvarn 
bhuri  Jcritvah  \ 

"Son  of  strength,  when  lauded,  do  thou  with  thy  upward  flame 
inspire  vigorous  life  into  thy  worshippers;  (grant)  o  Agni,  brilliant 
good  fortune  and  prosperity  to  the  Visvamitras ;  many  a  time  have  we 
given  lustre  to  thy  body." 

x.  89,  1 7.  Eva  te  vayam  Indra  IJiunjatindm  vidyama  sumatlndm  nava- 
ndm  |  vidyama  vastor  avasd  grinanto  Visvdmitrdh  uta  te  Indra  nunam  \ 

"Thus  may  we  obtain  from  thee  new  favours  to  delight  us:  and 
may  we,  Visvamitras,  who  praise  thee,  now  obtain  riches  through  thy 
help,  o  Indra." 

This  hymn  is  ascribed  in  the  Anukramam  to  Renu,  the  son  or 
descendant  of  Visvamitra;  and  the  18th  verse  is  identical  with  the 
22nd  of  the  30th  hymn  of  the  third  Mandala,  which  is  said  to  be  Vis- 
vamitra's  production. 

In  a  verse  already  quoted  (R.V.  iii.  33,  11)  Visvamitra  is  spoken  of 
as  the  son  of  Kusika;  at  least  the  Nirukta  regards  that  passage  as 
referring  to  him ;  and  "the  Kusikas,  who  no  doubt  belonged  to  the 
same  family  as  Visvamitra,  are  mentioned  in  another  hymn  which  I 
have  cited  (iii.  53,  9,  10).  They  are  also  alluded  to  in  the  following 
texts: 

R.V.  iii.  26,  1.  Yaisvana/ram  manasd  'gniih  nichayya  havishmanto  anu- 
shatyam  svarvidam  \  sudanum  devam  rathiram  vasuya/vo  glrbhih  ranvam 

Kusikaso  havdmahe  \ 3.  Asvo  na  krandan  janibhih  sam  idhyate 

Vaisvdnarah  Kusikebhir  yuge  yuge  \  sa  no  Agnih  mvlryam  svasvyam  da- 
dhdtu  ratnam  amriteshu  jdgrivih  \ 

"  We,  the  Kusikas,  presenting  oblations,  and  desiring  riches,  revering 
in  our  souls,  as  is  meet,142  the  divine  Agni  Vaisvanara,  the  heavenly, 
the  bountiful,  the  charioteer,  the  pleasant,  invoke  him  with  hymns. 
....  3.  Vaisvanara,  who  (crackles)  like  a  neighing  horse,  is  kindled 
by  the  Kusikas  with  the  mothers  (i.e.  their  fingers)  in  every  age.  May 

143  This  is  the  sense  of  anushatyam  according  to  Prof.  Aufrecht.  Sayana  makes  it 
one  of  the  epithets  of  Agni  "  he  who  is  true  to  his  promise  in  granting  rewards 
according  to  works"  (satyenanugatam  karmanurupa-phala-pradane  satya-pratijnani). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  347 

this  Agni,  who  is  ever  alive  among  the  immortals,  bestow  on  us  wealth, 
with  vigour  and  with  horses." 

iii.  29,  15.  Amitrdyudho  Marutdm  iva  praydh  prathamajdh  Irahmano 
visvam  id  viduh  \  dyumnavad  brahma  Kusikdsah  d  Irire  ekah  eko  dame 
Agnim  sam  idhire  \ 

"Combating  their  enemies  like  the  hosts  of  the  Maruts,  (the  sages) 
the  first-born  of  prayer113  know  everything;  the  Kusikas  have  sent 
forth  an  enthusiastic  prayer  ;  they  have  kindled  Agni,  each  in  his  own 
house." 

iii.  30,  20.  Imam  kdmam  mandaya  gobhir  asvais  cJiandrdvatd  rddhasil 
paprathas  cha  \  svaryavo  matibhis  tubhyam  viprdh  Indrdya  vdhah  Kusi- 
kdso  akran  \ 

"Gratify  this  (our)  desire  with  kine  and  horses;  and  prosper  us 
with  brilliant  wealth.  The  wise  Kusikas,  desiring  heaven,  have  with 
their  minds  composed  for  thee  a  hyinn." 

iii.  42,  9.  Tvdm  sutasya  pltaye  pratnam  Indra  havdmahe  \  Kusikdso 
avasyavah  \ 

11  We,  the  Kusikas,  desiring  succour,  summon  thee  the  ancient  Indra 
to  drink  the  soma  libation." 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  passages  that  the  Yisvamitras  and  the 
Kusikas  assert  themselves  to  have  been  ancient  worshippers  of  Agni, 
and  to  be  the  composers  of  hymns,  and  the  possessors  of  all  divine 
knowledge. 

In  the  eleventh  verse  of  the  tenth  hymn  of  the  first  Mandala  of  the 
R.V.,  of  which  the  traditional  author  is  Madhuchhandas  of  the  family 
of  Visvamitra,  the  epithet  Kausika  is  applied  to  Indra :  A  tu  nah 
Indra  Kausika  mandasdnah  sutam  pib&  \  navy  am  dyuh  pra  sutira  kridhi 
sahasra-sdm  rishim  \  "  Come,  Indra,  Kausika,  drink  our  oblation  with 
delight.  Grant  me  new  and  prolonged  life ;  make  the  rishi  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  thousand  boons." 

Sayana  explains  the  epithet  in  question  as  follows :  Kausika  Kusi- 
kasya  putra  .  .  .  yadyapi  Visvdmitro  Kusikasya  putras  tathdpi  tad- 
rupena  Indrasya  eva  utpannatvdt  Ku£ika-putratvam  aviruddham  \  ayam 
vrittdnto  'nukramanikdydm  uktah  \  "Kusikas  tv  Aishiraihir  Indra- 

143  Compare  with  this  the  epithet  of  devajah,  "  god-born,"  applied  to  Vis'vamitra 
in  iii.  53,  9  (above  p.  342) ;  and  the  claim  of  knowledge  made  for  the  Vasishthas  in 
vii.  33,  7  (above  p.  320). 


348  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

tulyam  putram  ichhan  ^rahmacharyam  cJiacTidra  \  tasya  Indrah  eva  Gdthl 
jputro  jajne  "  Hi  \  "  Kausika  means  the  son  of  Kusika  .  .  .  Although 
Visvamitra  was  the  son  of  Kusika,  yet,  as  it  was  Indra  who  was  born 
in  his  form,  there  is  nothing  to  hinder  Indra  being  the  son  of  Kusika. 
This  story  is  thus  told  in  the  Anukramanika :  '  Kusika,  the  son  of 
Ishiratha  desiring  a  son  like  Indra,  lived  in  the  state  of  a  Brahmacharin. 
It  was  Indra  who  was  born  to  him  as  his  son  Grathin.'  "  To  this  the 
Anukramanl  (as  quoted  by  Prof.  Miiller,  Rig-veda,  vol.  ii.  pref.  p.  xl.) 
adds  the  words :  Gdthino  VisvdmitraU  \  sa  tritiyam  mandalam  apasyat  \ 
"  The  son  of  Gathin  was  Visvamitra,  who  saw  the  third  Man dala."  In 
quoting  this  passage  Professor  Miiller  remarks:  "According  to  Shad- 
gurusishya  this  preamble  was  meant  to  vindicate  the  Rishitva  of  the 
family  of  Visvamitra : 144  Saty  apuvdde  svayam  rishitvam  anubhavato  Vis- 
vamitra-gotrasya  mvakshayd  itihasam  aha "  |  "Wishing  to  declare  the 
rishihood  of  the  family  of  Visvamitra  which  was  controverted,  although 
they  were  themselves  aware  of  it,  he  tells  a  story." 

Professor  Roth  in  his  Lexicon  (s.v.  Kausika}  thinks  that  this  term 
as  originally  applied  to  Indra  meant  merely  that  the  god  "belonged, 
was  devoted  to,"  the  Kusikas ;  and  Professor  Benfey,  in  a  note  to  his 
translation  of  R.V.  i.  10,  II,145  remarks  that  "by  this  family-name 
Indra  is  designated  as  the  sole  or  principal  god  of  this  tribe." 

144  Prof.  Miiller  states  that  "  Sayana  passes  over  what  Katyayana  (the  author  of 
the  Anukramanl)  says  ahout  the  race  of  Visvamitra ;  "   and  adds  "  This  (the  fact  of 
the  preamble  being  '  meant  to  vindicate  the  Rishitva  of  the  family  of  Visvamitra') 
was  probably  the  reason  why  Sayana  left  it  out."    It  is  true  that  Sayana  does  not 
quote  the  words  of  the  Anukramanl  in  his  introductory  remarks  to  the  third  Mandala; 
but  as  we  have  seen  he  had  previously  adduced  the  greater  part  of  them  in  his  note 
oni.  10,  11. 

145  Orient  und  Occident,  vol.  i.  p.  18,  note  50.    We  have  seen  above,  p.  345,  that  in 
R.V.  iii.  23,  3,  another  god,  Agni,  is  called  Daivavata,  after  the  rishi  Devavata,  by  whom 
he  had  been  kindled.    Compare  also  the  expression  Daivodaso  Agnih  in  R.V.  viii.  92,  2, 
which  Sayana  explains  as  =  Divodasenaahuyamano'gnih,  "Agiii  invoked  by  Divodasa;" 
while  Prof.  Roth  s.v.  understands  it  to  mean  "  Agni  who  stands  in  relation  to  Divodasa." 
In  R.V.  vi.  16, 19,  Agni  is  called  Divodasasya  satpatih,  "  the  good  lord  of  Divodasa." 
Agni  is  also  called  Bharata  in  R.V.  ii.  7,  1,  5  ;  iv.  25,  4 ;  vi.  16,  19.     On  the  first 
text  (ii.  7, 1)  Sayana  says  Bharatah  ritvijah  \  tesham  sambandlii  Bharatah,  "  Bharatas 
are  priests.     Bharata  is'he  who  is  connected  with  them."    On  ii.  7,  5  he  explains  the 
word  by  ritvijam  putra-sthanlya,  "  Thou  who  art  in  the  place  of  a  son  to  the  priests." 
On  the  second  text  (iv.  25,  4)  tasmai  Agnir  Bharatah  sarma  yamsal,  "  may  Agni 
Bharata  give  him  protection  ")  Sayana  takes  Bharata  to  mean  ''  the  bearer  of  the 
oblation"  (havisho  bhartta) ;  but  also  refers  to  the  S'.P.Br.  i.  4,  2,  2,  where  it  is  said, 
"or  Agni  is  called  ' Bharata,'  because,  becoming  breath,  he  sustains  all  creatures" 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  349 

According  to  the  Vishnu  Purana  (pp.  398-400,  "Wilson,  4to.  ed.) 
Visvamitra  was  the  twelfth  in  descent  from  Pururavas,  the  persons  in- 
termediate being  (1)  Amavasu,  (2)  Bhlma,  (3)  Kanchana,  (4)  Suhotra, 
(5)  Jahnu,  (6)  Sumantu,  (7)  Ajaka,  (8)  Valakasva,  (9)  Kusa,  (10) 
Kusamba,  and  (11)  Gadhi.  The  birth  of  Yisvamitra' s  father  is  thus 
described,  Y.P.  iv.  7,  4  :  Teshdm  KuSdmbah  "  sakra-tulyo  me  putro  Iha- 
ved"  iti  tapas  chachara  \  tarn  cha  ugra-tapasam  avalokya  " md  lhavatv 
anyo  '  smat-tulya-vlryyah  "  ity  dtmand  eva  asya  Indrah  putratvam  aga- 
chhat  |  Gddhir  ndma  saKausiko'lhavat  \  "  Kusamba  (one  of  Kusa' s  four 
sons)  practised  austere  fervour  with  the  view  of  obtaining  a  son  equal 
to  Indra.  Perceiving  him  to  be  very  ardent  in  his  austere  fervour, 
Indra,  fearing  lest  another  person  should  be  born  his  own  equal  in  vigour, 
became  himself  the  son  of  Kusamba,  wth  the  name  of  Gadhi  the  Kau- 
sika."  Regarding  the  birth  of  Yisvamitra  himself,  the  Vishnu  Purana 
relates  the  following  story  :  Gadhi's  daughter  Satyavati  had  been  given 
in  marriage  to  an  old  Brahman  called  Richika,  of  the  family  of  Bhrigu. 
In  order  that  his  wife  might  bear  a  son  with  the  qualities  of  a  Brah- 
man, Richika  had  prepared  for  her  a  dish  of  charu  (rice,  barley,  and 
pulse,  with  butter  and  milk)  for  her  to  eat ;  and  a  similar  mess  for  her 
mother,  calculated  to  make  her  conceive  a  son  with  the  character  of  a 
warrior.  Satyavati' s  mother,  however,  persuaded  her  to  exchange 
messes.  She  was  blamed  by  her  husband  on  her  return  home  for  what 
she  had  done.  I  quote  the  words  of  the  original : 

V.P.  iv.  7,  14.  "  Ati  pdpe  kirn  idam  akdryyam  bhavatyd  kritam  \ 
atiraudram  te  vapur  dlakshyate  \  nunam  tvayd  tvan-matri-satkritas 
charur  upaynldah  (?  upabJiuktaK]  \  na  yuktam  etat  \  15.  Maya  hi  tattra 
charau  salcalti  eva  sauryya-tiryya-ba^a-sampad  dropitd  tvadiye  chardv 
apy  akhila-sdnti-jndna-titikshddikd  IrdJimana-sampat  \  etach  cha  vipa- 

(esha  u  vai  imah  prajah  prano  bhutva  bibhartti  tasmad  va  iva  aha  " Bharata  "  iff). 
Another  explanation  had  previously  been  given  that  the  word  Bharata  means  "  he 
•who  bears  oblations  to  the  gods."  On  the  third  text  (vi.  16,  19)  Sayana  interprets 
the  term  in  the  same  way.  Eoth,  s.v.,  thinks  it  may  mean  "  warlike."  In  R.V.  vii. 
8,  4,  (V.S.  12,  34)  we  find  the  words  pro,  pra  ayam  Agnir  Bharatasya  srinve,  "  this 
Agni  (the  son  ?)  of  Bharata  has  been  greatly  renowned."  Sayana  makes  bharatasya 
=  yajamanasya,  "the  worshipper,"  and  pra  pra  srinve  =  prathilo  bhavati,  "is 
renowned."  The  Comm.  on  the  Vaj.  S.  translates  "Agni  hears  the  invocation  of 
the  worshipper"  (srinve  s'rinute  ahvanam).  The  S'.  P.  Br.  vi.  8,  1,  14,  quotes  the 
verse,  and  explains  Bharata  as  meaning  "  Prajapati,  the  supporter  of  the  universe  " 
(Prajapatir  vai  Bharatah  sa  hi  idam  sarvam  bibhartti). 


350  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

ritarn  kurvatyds  tava  atiraudrdstra-dhdrana-mdrana-nishtha-kshattri- 
ydehdrah  puttro  lhavishyaty  asyds  cha  upasama  -  ruchir  brdhmand- 
chdrah  "  \  ity  dkarnya  eva  sd  tasya  pddau  jagrdha  pranipatya  cha  enam 
aha  "bhagavan  may  a  etad  ajndndd  anushthitam  \  prasddam  me  kuru  \ 
md  evamvidah  putro  bhavatu  \  Jcdmam  evamvidhah  pautro  bhavatu"  \  ity 
ulcto  munir  apy  aha  "  evam  astv"  iti  \  16.  Anantaram  cha  sd  Jamad- 
agnim  ajijanat  tan-mdtd  cha  Visvdmitram  janaydmdsa  \  Satyavati  cha 
Kausikl  ndma  nady  abhavat  \  Jamadagnir  Ikshvdku-vanisodlhavasya  Renos 
tanaydm  Renukdm  upayeme  tasydm  cha  asesha-kshattra-vamsa-hantdram 
Parasurama- sanjnam  bhagavatah  sakala-loka-guror  Ndrdyanasya  amsam 
Jamadagnir  ajijanat  \  Visvdmitra-putras  tu  Bhargavah  eva  S'unahsepo 
ndma  devair  dattah  \  tatak  cha  Devardta-ndmd  'bhavat  \  tatas  cha  anye 
Madhuchhanda  -  Jayakrita  -  Devadwa  -Ashtalca  -  Kachhapa  -Hdrltakdkhydh 
Vtivdmitra-putrdh  babhuvuh  \  17.  Teshdm  cha  bahuni  Kausika-gotrdni 
rishyantareshu  vaivdhydni  bhavanti  \ 

"  '  Sinful  woman,  what  improper  deed  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  ? 
I  behold  thy  body  of  a  very  terrible  appearance.  Thou  hast  certainly 
eaten  the  cham  prepared  for  thy  mother.  This  was  wrong.  For  into 
that  charu  I  had  infused  all  the  endowments  of  heroism,  vigour,  and 
force,  whilst  into  thine  I  had  introduced  all  those  qualities  of  quietude, 
knowledge,  and  patience  which  constitute  the  perfection  of  a  Brahman. 
Since  thou  hast  acted  in  contravention  of  my  design  a  son  shall  be  -born 
to  thee  who  shall  live  the  dreadful,  martial,  and  murderous  life  of  a 
Kshattriya ;  and  thy  mother's  offspring  shall  exhibit  the  peaceful  dis- 
position and  conduct  of  a  Brahman.'  As  soon  as  she  had  heard  this, 
Satyavati  fell  down  and  seized  her  husband's  feet,  and  said,  '  My  lord, 
I  have  acted  from  ignorance  ;  shew  kindness  to  me ;  let  me  not  have 
a  son  of  the  sort  thou  hast  described ;  if  thou  pleasest,  let  me  have  a 
grandson  of  that  description.'  Hearing  this  the  muni  replied,  '  Be  it 
so.'  Subsequently  she  bore  Jamadagni,  and  her  mother  gave  birth  to 
Visvanaitra.  Satyavati  became  the  river  called  Kausikl.  Jamadagni 
wedded  Eenuka,  the  daughter  of  Eenu,  of  the  family  of  Ikshvaku  ;  and 
on  her  he  begot  a  son  called  Parasurama,  the  slayer  of  the  entire  race 
of  Kshattriyas,  who  was  a  portion  of  the  divine  Narayana,  the  lord  of 
the  universe.146  To  Yisvamitra  a  son  called  S'unassepa,  of  the  race  of 

146  According  to  the  Bhugavata  Purana,  i.  3,  20,  Parasurama  was  the  sixteenth 
incarnation  of  Vishnu  :  Avatar e  shodasame  pas y an  brahma-druho  nripan  \  trissapta- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  351 

Bhrigu,  was  given  by  the  gods,  who  in  consequence  received  the  name 
of  Devarata  (" god- given").  And  then  other  sons,  Madhuchhandas, 
Jayakrita,  Devadeva,  Ashtaka,  Kachhapa,  Haritaka,  etc.,  were  born 
to  Visvamitra.  From  them  sprang  many  families  of  Kausikas,  which 
intermarried  with  those  of  other  rishis." 

The  Harivarnsa,  verses  1425  ff.,  gives  a  similar  account,  but  makes 
Kusika,  not  Kusamba,  the  grandfather  of  Visvamitra  : 

Kusa-putrdh  balhuvur  Jii  chatvdro  deva-varchasah  \  Kusikah  Kusand- 
Ihas  cha  Kusdmbo  Murtimdms  tathd  \  Pahlavaih  saha  samvriddho  raja 
vana-charais  tadd  \  Eusikas  tu  tapas  tepe  puttram  Indra-samam  vibhuh  \ 
labheyam  iti  tarn  S'akras  trdsdd  abhyetyajajnivdn  \  purne  varsha-sahasre 
vai  tarn  tu  S'akro  hy  apasyata  \  aty  ugra-ta/pasam  drishtvd  sahasrdkshah 
purandarah  \  samarthah  putra-janane  smm  evdmsam  avdsayat  \  putratve 
kalpaydmdsa  sa  devendrah  surottamah  \  sa  Gddkir  abhavad  rdjd  Magha- 
vdn  Kausikah  svayam  \  Pauruhutsy  abhavad  Ihdryyd  Gddhis  tasydm 
ajdyata  \ 

"Kusa  had  four  sons,  equal  in  lustre  to  the  gods,  Kusika,  Kusana- 
bha,  Kusamba,  and  Murttimat.  Growing  up  among  the  Pahlavas,  who 
dwelt  in  the  woods,  the  glorious  king  Kusika  practised  austere  fervour, 
with  the  view  of  obtaining  a  son  equal  to  Indra  ;  and  Indra  from  ap- 
prehension came  and  was  born.  When  a  thousand  years  had  elapsed 
S'akra  (Indra)  beheld  him.  Perceiving  the  intensity  of  his  austere 
fervour,  the  thousand-eyed,  city-destroying,  god  of  gods,  highest  of  the 
deities,  powerful  to  procreate  offspring,  introduced  a  portion  of  himself, 
and  caused  it  to  take  the  form  of  a  son ;  and  thus  Maghavat  himself 
became  Gadhi,  the  son  of  Kusika.  Paurukutsi  was  the  wife  (of  the 
latter),  and  of  her  Gadhi  was  born."  r 

The  Harivamsa  then  relates  a  story  similar  to  that  just  extracted 
from  the  Vishnu  Purana  regarding  the  births  of  Jamadagni  and  Visva- 
mitra, and  then  proceeds,  verse  1456  : 

Aurrasyaivam  Richlkasya  Satyavatydm  mahdyasdh  \  Jamadagnis  tapo- 
vlryydj  jajne  Irahma-viddrn  varah  \  madhyamas  cha  S'unassephah  S'unah- 
puchhah  Jcanishthakah  \  Visvamitram  tu  ddyddam  Gudhih  Kusika-nan- 
danah  \  janaydmdsa  putram  tu  tapo-vidyd-iamdtmakam  \  prtipya  brah- 

kritvah  kupito  nihkshattram  akarod  mahlm  \  "  In  his  sixteenth,  incarnation,  perceiv- 
ing that  kings  were  oppressors  of  Brahmans,  he,  incensed,  made  the  earth  destitute 
of  Kshattriyas  one  and  twenty  times." 


352  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

marshi-samatdm  yo  'yam  saptarshitdih  gatah  \  Visvdmitras  tu  dharmdtmd 
ndmnd  Visvarathah  smritah  \  jajne  Bhrigu-prasddena  Kausikdd  vamsa- 
varddhanah  \  Visvdmitrasya  cha  sutdh  Devardtddayah  smritah  \  vikhydtds 
trishu  lokeshu  teshdm  ndmdni  vai  srimt  \  Devasravdh  Katis  chaiva  yasmdt 
Kdtydyandh  smritah  \  S'dldvatydm  Hiranydksho  Renor  jajne  'tha  Renu- 
mdn  \  Sdnkritir  Gdlavas  chaiva  Mudgalas  cheti  visrutdh  \  Madhuchhando 
Jayas  chaiva  Devalas  cha  tathd  'shtakah  \  Kachhapo  Hdritas  chaiva  Visvu- 
mitrasya te  sutdh  |  teshdm  khydtdni  gotrdni  Kau&ikdndm  mahdtmandm  \ 
Pdnino  Babhravas  chaiva  Dhydnajapyds  tathaiva  cha  \  Pdrthivdh  Deva- 
rdtds  cha  S'dlankdyana-  Vuskaldh,  \  Lohitdh  Tdmadutds  cha  tathd  Kdrl- 
shayah  smritah  \  Sausrutdh  KausikdTi  rdjams  tathd  'nye  Saindhavdya- 
ndh  |  Devaldh  Renavas  chaiva  Ydjnavalkydghamarshandh  \  Audumbardh 
hy  Ahhishndtds  Tdrakdyana-chamchuldh  \  S'dldvatydh  Hiranydkshdh 
Sdnkritydh  Gdlavas  tathd  \  Ndrdyanir  Naras  chdnyo  Viivdmitrasya 
dhlmatah  \  rishy-antara-vivdhyds  cha  JZausikdh  lahavah  smritah  \  Pau- 
ravasya  mahdrdja  hrdhmarsheh  Kausikasya  cha  \  sanibandho  'py  asya 
vamse  'smin  Irahma-kshattrasya  visrutah  \ 

"  Thus  was  the  renowned  Jamadagni,  the  most  excellent  of  those 
possessed  of  sacred  knowledge,  born  by  the  power  of  austere  fervour  to 
Eichika,  the  son  of  TJrva,  by  Satyavati.  Their  second  son  was  S'unas- 
sepha  m  and  the  youngest  S'unahpuchha.  And  Gadhi,  son  of  Kusika, 
begot  as  his  son  and  inheritor  Visvamitra,  distinguished  for  austere 
fervour,  science,  and  quietude ;  who  attained  an  equality  with  Brah- 
man-rishis,  and  became  one  of  the  seven  rishis.  The  righteous  Yisva- 
mitra,  who  was  known  by  name  as  Visvaratha,148  was  by  the  favour  of 
a  Bhrigu  born  to  the  son  of  Kusika,  an  augmenter  (of  the  glory)  of  his 
race.  The  sons  of  Visvamitra  are  related  to  have  been  Devarata  and 
the  rest,  renowned  in  the  three  worlds.  Hear  their  names :  Devasravas, 
Kati  (from  whom  the  Katyayanas  had  their  name) ;  Hiranyaksha,  born 
of  S'alavati,  and  Eenumat  of  Renu  ;  Sankriti,  Galava,  Mudgala,  Madhu- 
chhanda,  Jay  a,  Devala,  Ashtaka,  Kachhapa,  Harita  —  these  were  the 

147  The  Aitareya  Brahmana,  as  we  shall  shortly  see,  makes  '  S'unas's'epa '  a  son  of 
Ajigartta.     The  Mahabharata  Anusasanap.  verse  186,  coincides  with  the  Harivamsa. 

148  In  another  passage  of  the  Harivamsa  (verses  1764  if.),  which  repeats  the  par- 
ticulars given  in  this  passage,  it  appears  to  be  differently  stated,  verse  1766,  that 
besides  a  daughter  Satyavati,  and  his  son  Yis'vamitra,  Gadhi  had  three  other  sons, 
Visvaratha,  Vis'vakrit,  and  Vis'vajit  ( Ft  'vamitras  tu  Gadheyo  raja  Visvarathas  tada  \ 
Visvakrid  Vis'vajich  chaiva  tatha  Satyavati  nripa}. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  353 

sons  of  Visvamitra.  From  them  the  families  of  the  great  Kausikas  are 
said  to  have  sprung :  the  Panins,  Babhrus,  Dhanajapyas,  Parthivas, 
Devaratas,  S'alankayanas,  Vaskalas,  Lohitas,  Yamadiitas,  Karishis,  Sau- 
srutas,  Kausikas,  Saindhavayanas,  Devalas,  Kenus,  Yajnavalkyas,  Agha- 
marshanas,  Audumbaras,  Abhishnatas,  Tarakayanas,  Chunchulas,  S'ala- 
vatyas,  Hiranyakshas,  Sankrityas,  and  Galavas.149  Narayani  and  Nara 
were  also  (descendants)  of  the  wise  Visvamitra.  Many  Kausikas  are 
recorded  who  intermarried  with  the  families  of  other  rishis.  In  this 
race  of  the  Paurava  and  Kausika  Brahman-rishi,  there  is  well  known 
to  have  been  a  connection  of  the  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas.  S'unas- 
sepha,  who  was  a  descendant  of  Bhrigu,  and  obtained  the  position  of 
a  Kausika,  is  recorded  to  have  been  the  eldest  of  Visvamitra's  sons." 

It  will  be  observed  that  in  this  passage,  Devasravas  is  given  as  one 
of  Visvamitra's  sons.  A  Devasravas,  as  we  have  already  seen,  is  men- 
tioned in  R.V.  iii.  23,  2,  as  a  Bharata,  along  with  Devavata.  Here 
however  in  the  Harivamsa  we  have  no  Devavata,  but  a  Devarata,  who 
is  identified  with  S'unassepha.  This,  as  we  shall  find,  is  also  the  case 
in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana. 

In  the  genealogy  given  in  both  of  the  preceding  passages,  from  the 
Vishnu  Purana,  and  the  27th  chapter  of  the  Harivamsa  respectively, 
Visvamitra  is  declared  to  be  the  descendant  of  Amavasu  the  third  son 
of  Pururavas.  In  the  32nd  chapter  of  the  Harivamsa,  however,  we 
find  a  different  account.  Visvamitra's  lineage  is  there  traced  up  to  a 
Jahnu,  as  in  the  former  case ;  but  Jahnu  is  no  longer  represented  as  a 
descendant  of  Amavasu,  the  third  sor.  of  Pururavas ;  but  (as  appears 
from  the  preceding  narrative)  of  Ayus,  the  eldest  son  of  that  prince,  and 
of  Puru,  the  great-grandson  of  Ayus.  Professor  Wilson  (Vishnu  Purana, 
4to.  ed.  p.  451,  note  23)  is  of  opinion  that  this  confusion  originated  in 
the  recurrence  of  the  name  of  Suhotra  in  different  genealogical  lists, 
and  in  the  ascription  to  one  king  of  this  name  of  descendants  who  were 

149  Professor  Wilson  (V.P.  4to.  ed.  p.  405,  note)  gives  these  names,  and  remarks 
that  the  authorities  add  "  an  infinity  of  others,  multiplied  by  intermarriages  with 
other  tribes,  and  who,  according  to  the  Vayu,  were  originally  of  the  regal  caste  like 
Vis'vamitra ;  but  like  him  obtained  Brahmanhood  through  devotion.  Now  these 
gotras,  or  some  of  them  at  least,  no  doubt  existed,  partaking  more  of  the  character  of 
schools  of  doctrine,  but  in  which  teachers  and  scholars  were  very  likely  to  have 
become  of  one  family  by  intermarrying ;  and  the  whole,  as  well  as  their  original 
founder,  imply  the  interference  of  the  Kshattriya  caste  with  the  Brahmanical  mono- 
poly of  religious  instruction  and  composition." 

23 


354  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

really  sprung  from  another.  It  is  not,  however,  clear  that  the  genealogy 
of  Visvamitra  given  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  is  the  right  one.  For  in  the 
Rig-veda,  as  we  have  seen,  he  is  connected  with  the  Bharatas,  and  in 
the  passage  about  to  be  quoted  from  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  he  is 
called  a  Bharata  and  his  sons  Kusikas ;  and  Bharata  is  said  both  in  the 
Vishnu  Puraria  (Wilson's  V.P.  4to.  ed.  p.  449)  and  in  the  Harivamsa 
(sect.  32,  v.  1723,  and  preceding  narrative)  to  be  a  descendant  of  Ayus 
and  of  Puru.  Accordingly  we  have  seen  that  the  Harivamsa  styles 
Visvamitra  at  once  a  Paurava  and  a  Kausika. 

A  similar  genealogy  to  that  in  the  32nd  section  of  the  Harivamsa  is 
given  in  the  Mahabharata,  Anusasanaparvan,  verses  201  ff.,  where  it  is 
said  that  in  the  line  of  Bharata  there  was  a  king  called  Ajamidha  who 
was  also  a  priest  (Bharatasyanvaye  chaivajaniidho  ndma  purthivah  I 
lalhuva  Bharata-sreshtha  yajvu  dharma-fihritdm  varah],  from  whom 
Visvamitra  was  descended  through  (1)  Jahnu,  (2)  Sindhudvlpa,  (3) 
Balakasva,  (4)  Kusika,  (5)  Gadhi. 

One  of  the  names  applied  to  Visvamitra  and  his  race,  as  I  have  just 
noticed,  is  Bharata.150  The  last  of  the  four  verses  at  the  close  of  the 
53rd  hymn  of  the  third  Mandala  of  the  Rig-veda,  which  are  supposed 
to  contain  a  malediction  directed  by  Visvamitra  against  Vasishtha  (see 
above)  is  as  follows  :  iii.'  53,  24.  Ime  Indra  Bharatasya putruh  apapitvam 
chikitur  na  prapitvam  \  "  These  sons  of  Bharata,  o  Indra,  desire  to  avoid 
(the  Vasishthas),  not  to  approach  them."  These  words  are  thus  explained 
bySayana:  Bharatasya putrah  Bharata-vamsyuh  ime  Visvamitrah  apapi- 
tvam  apagamanam  VasishthelhyaS  chikitur  na  prapitvam  \  [  Va~]sishtaih 
saha  tesham  sangatir  nusti  \  Iruhmanuh  eva  ity  arthah  \  "These  sons  of 
Bharata,  persons  of  his  race,  kp.ow  departure  from,  and  not  approach 
to,  the  Vasishthas.  They  do  not  associate  with  the  Vasishthas.  This 
means  they  are  Brahmans." 

The  persons  who  accompanied  Visvamitra  when  he  wished  to  cross 
the  Vipas  and  the  S'utudrl  are,  as  we  have  seen  above,  called  Bharatas ; 
and  Devasravas  and  Devavata  are  designated  in  E.V.  iii.  23,  2,  as  Bha- 
ratas. On  the  other  hand  in  one  of  the  hymns  ascribed  to  Vasishtha 
(R.V.  vii.  33,  6)  the  Bharatas  are  alluded  to  as  a  tribe  hostile  to  the 
Tritsus,  the  race  to  which  Vasishtha  belonged. 

150  See  Roth's  Lexicon,  s.v.  Bharata,  (7)  "  the  name  of  a  hero,  the  forefather  of  a 
tribe.  His  sons  are  called  Vis'vamitras  and  the  members  of  his  family  Bharatas." 


THE   BRAHMANS  AND   KSHATTRIYAS.  355 

In  the  legend  of  S'unassepa,  told  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  vii. 
13-18,151  Visvamitra  is  alluded  to  as  being  the  hotri -priest  of  king 
Harischandra,  and  as  belonging  to  the  tribe  of  the  Bharatas.  He  is 
also  addressed  as  rdjaputra,  and  his  sons  are  called  Kusikas.  The  out- 
lines of  the  story  are  as  follows  :  King  Harischandra  of  the  family  of 
Ikshvaku  having  no  son,  promised  to  Varuna,  by  the  advice  of  Narada, 
that  if  a  son  should  be  born  to  him  he  would  sacrifice  him  to  that  god. 
A  son  was  accordingly  born  to  the  king,  who  received  the  name  of 
Rohita  ;  but  Harischandra,  though  called  upon  by  Varuna,  put  off  from 
time  to  time,  on  various  pleas,  the  fulfilment  of  his  promise.  When  the 
father  at  length  consented,  the  youth  himself  refused  to  be  sacrificed 
and  went  into  the  forest.  After  passing  six  years  there  he  met  a  poor 
Brahman  rishi  called  Ajlgartta  who  had  three  sons,  the  second  of  whom, 
S'unassepa,  he  sold  for  a  hundred  cows  to  Rohita,  who  brought  the 
young  Brahman  to  be  sacrificed  instead  of  himself.  Varuna  accepted 
the  vicarious  victim,  and  arrangements  were  made  accordingly,  "Visva- 
mitra being  the  hotri-priest,  Jamadagni  the  adhvaryu,  Vasishtha  the 
brahman,  and  Ayasya  the  udgatri  (tasya  ha  Fisvdmitro  hotd  dslj  Jamad- 
agnir  adhvaryur  Vasishtho  Irahmd  Aydsyah  udgdtd}"  The  sacrifice  was 
not,  however,  completed,  although  the  father  received  a  hundred  more 
cows  for  binding  his  son  to  the  sacrificial  post,  and  a  third  hundred  for 
agreeing  to  slaughter  him.  By  reciting  verses  in  honour  of  different 
deities  in  succession  S'unassepa  was  delivered ;  and  at  the  request  of 
the  priests  took  part  in  the  ceremonial  of  the  day..  I  shall  quote  the 
remainder  of  the  story  at  length : 

17.  Atha  ha  S'unahsepo  Visvdmitrasydnkam  dsasdda  \  sa  ha  uvdcha 
Ajigarttah  Sauyavasir  "rishe  punar  -me  puttram  dehi"  iti  \  " Na"  iti 
ha  uvdcha  Visvdmitro  "  devdh  vai  imam  mahyam  ardsata"  iti  \  sa  ha 
Devardto  Vaisvdmitrah  dsa  \  tasya  ete  Kdpileya-Bdlhravdh  \  sa  ha 
uvdcha  Ajigarttah  Sauyavasis  "  tvam  vehi  mhvaydvahai "  iti  \  sa  ha 
uvdcha  Ajigarttah  Sauyavasir  "  Angiraso  janmand  \y  Ajigarttih  sru- 
tah  kavih  \  rishe  paitdmahdt  tantor  md  'pagdh  punar  ehi  mum  "  iti  \  sa 

151  This  legend  is  translated  into  German  by  Prof.  Roth  in  Weber's  Ind.  Stud, 
i.  457  ff.,  into  English  by  Prof.  Wilson,  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  vol.  xiii.  for  1851, 
pp.  96  ff.,  by  Dr.  Hang  in  his  Ait.  Brahmana,  vol.  ii.  460  ff.,  by  Prof.  Miiller 
in  his  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  408  ff.,  and  into  Latin  by  Dr.  Streiter  in  his  "  Diss.  de 
Sunahsepo." 


356  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

ha  uvucha  S'unahsepah  "  adarsus  tvd  sdsa-hastam  na  yacJi  chhudreshv 
alapsata  \  go/cam  trlni  satdni  tvam  avrinlthuh  mad  Angirah  "  iti  \  sa 
ha  uvucha  Ajlgarttah  Sauyavasis  "  tad  vai  ma  tuta  tapati  pdpam  karma 
mayd  kritam  \  tad  aham  nihnave  tubhyam  pratiyantu  satd  gavdm"  iti  \ 
sa  ha  uvucha  S'unahsepah  "yah  sakrit  pdpakam  kurydt  kurydd  enat  tato 
1  par  am  \  ndpdgdh  saudrdnydydd  asandheyam  tvayd  kritam  "  iti  \  "  asan- 
dheyam "  iti  ha  Visvdmitrah  upapapdda  \  sa  ha  uvucha  Visvdmitrah 
"  Bhlmah  eva  Sauyavasih  sdsena  visisdsishuh  \  asthdd  maitasya  putro 
bhur  mamaivopehi  putratam"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvucha  S'unahsepah  " sa  vai 
yathd  no  jnup&yd  rdjaputra  tathd  vada  \  yathaivdngirasah  sann  upeyum 
tava  putraldm"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvucha  Visvumitro  "Jyeshtho  me  tvam putrd- 
num  syds  tava  sreshthd  prajd  sydt  \  upeydh  daivam  me  ddyam  tena  vai 
tvopamantraye"  iti  \  sa  ha  tivacfia  S'unahsepah  "  sanjndndneshu  vai  bru- 
yut  sauhurdydya  me  sriyai  \  yathd  'ham  Bharata-rishabha  upeydih  tava 
putratdm"  iti  \  atha  ha  Visvdmitrah putrdn  dmantraydmdsa  "  Madhu- 
chhanddh  srinotana  RishabJio  Renur  Ashtakah  \  ye  ke  cha  bhrdtarah 
sthana  asmai  jyaishthydya  kalpadhvam"  iti  \  18.  Tasya  ha  Visvdmi- 
trasya  eka-satam  putrdh  usuh  panchusad  eva  jydydmso  Madhuchhandasah 
panchdsat  kanlydmsah  \  tad  ye  jydydmso  na  te  kusalam  menire  \  tan 
anuvydjahdra  "  antun  vah  prajd  bhakshlshta  "  iti  \  te  ete  'ndhrdh  Pun- 
drdh  S'abardh  Pulinddh  Mutibdh  ity  udantydh  bahavo  bhavanti  \  Vais- 
vdmitruh  Dasyunum  bhuyishthdh  \  sa  ha  uvucha  Hadhuchhanddh  panchd- 
satd  sardham  "  yad  nah  pitd  sanjdnlte  tasmims  tishthdmahe  vayam  \  pur  as 
tvd  sarve  kurmahe  tvdm  anvancho  vayam  smasi"  iti  \  atha  ha  Visvdmitrah 
pratltah  putrdms  tushtdva  "  te  vai  putrdh  pasumanto  vwavanto  bhavishya- 
tha  |  ye  mdnam  me  'nugrihnanto  vlravantam  akartta  md  \  pura-etrd  vira- 
vanto  Devardtena  Gdthindh  \  sarye  rddhydh  stha  putrdh  esha  vah  sad- 
vivdchanam  \  esha  vah  Kusikdh  vlro  Devardtas  tam  anvita  \  yushmdms 
ddyam  me  upetd  vidydm  yum  u  cha  vidmasi  \  te  samyancho  Vaiivdmitrdh 
sarve  sukam  sardtayah  \  Devardtdya  tasthire  dhrityai  sraishtftydya  Gd- 
thindh |  adhlyata  Devardto  rikthayor  ubhyayor  rishih  \  Jahnundm  chd- 
dhipatye  daive  vede  cha  Gdthindm  \ 

"  S'unassepa  came  to  the  side  of  Yisvamitra.  Ajigartta,  the  son  of 
Suyavasa,  said,  'Eishi,  give  me  back  my  son.'  'No,'  said  Visvamitra, 
'  the  gods  have  given  him  to  me '  (devdh  ardsata} ;  hence  he  became 
Devarata  the  son  of  Visvamitra.  The  Kapileyas  and  Babhravas  are 
his  descendants.  Ajigartta  said  to  Visvamitra,  '  Come ;  let  us  both  call 


THE  BRAHMAN  S  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  357 

(him)  to  us.'1M  He  (again)  said  (to  his  son),  '  Thou  art  an  Angirasa, 
the  son  of  Ajigartta,  reputed  a  sage ;  do  not,  o  rishi,  depart  from  the 
line  of  thy  ancestors ;  come  back  to  me.'  S'unassepa  replied,  'They 
have  seen  thee  with  the  sacrificial  kiiife  in  thy  hand — a  thing  which 
men  have  not  found  even  among  the  S'udras ;  thou  didst  prefer  three 
hundred  cows  to  me,  o  Angiras.'  Ajigartta  rejoined,  '  That  sinful  deed 
which  I  have  done  distresses  me,  my  son;  I  abjure  it  to  thee.  Let  the 
[three]  hundreds  of  cows  revert  (to  him  who  gave  them).'183  S'unassepa 
answered,  '  He  who  one*  does  a  sinful  deed,  will  add  to  it  another ; 
thou  hast  not  freed  thyself  from  that  iniquity,  fit  only  for  a  S'udra. 
Thou  hast  done  what  cannot  be  rectified.'  '  What  cannot  be  rectified,' 
interposed  Visvamitra ;  who  continued,  '  Terrible  was  the  son  of  Suya- 
vasa  as  he  stood  about  to  immolate  (thee)  with  the  knife  :  continue  not  to 
be  his  son  j  become  mine.'  S'unassepa  replied, '  Speak,  o  king's  son  (rafa- 
putra),  whatever  thou  hast  to  explain  to  us,  in  order  that  I,  though  an, 
Angirasa,  may  become  thy  son.'  Visvamitra  rejoined,  '  Thou  shalt  be 
the  eldest  of  my  sons,  and  thy  offspring  shall  be  the  most  eminent. 
Thou  shalt  receive  my  divine  inheritance  ;  with  this  (invitation)  I  ad- 
dress thee.'  S'unassepa  answered,  '  If  (thy  sons)  agree,  then  for  my 
welfare  enjoin  on  them  to  be  friendly,  that  so,  o  chief  of  the  Bharatas, 
I  may  enter  on  thy  sonship.'  Visvamitra  then  addressed  his  sons, 
'  Do  ye,  Madhuchhandas,  Eishabha,  Renu,  Ashtaka,  and  all  ye  who 
are  brothers,  listen  to  me,  and  concede  to  him  the  seniority.'  18.  Now 
Visvamitra  had  a  hundred  sons,  fifty  of  whom  were  older  than  Madhu- 
chhandas and  fifty  younger.  Then  those  who  were  older  did  not 
approve  (their  father's  proposal).  Against  them  he  pronounced  (this 

152  I  follow  here  the  tenor  of  the  interpretation  (which  is  that  of  the  Commentator 
on  the  S'ankhayaua  Brahmana)  given  by  Prof.  Weber  in  his  review  of  Dr.  Haug's 
Aitareya  Brahmana,  in  Indische  Studien,  ix.  316.  Prof.  Weber  remarks  that  in  the 
Brahmanas  the  root  hu  +  vi  is  employed  to  denote  the  opposing  invitations  of  two 
persons  who  are  seeking  to  bring  over  a  third  person  to  their  own  side  ;  in  proof  of 
which  he  quotes  Taitt.  S.  6,  1,  6,  6,  and  S'.  P.  Br.  3,  2,  4,  4,  and  22.  Profs.  Roth, 
Wilson,  and  Miiller,  as  well  as  Dr.  Haug,  understand  the  words  to  be  addressed  to 
S'unassepa  by  his  father,  and  to  signify  "  we,  too  (I  and  thy  mother),  call,  or  will 
call  (thee  to  return  to  us).'  But  it  does  not  appear  that  S'unas's'epa's  mother  was 
present.  And  it  is  to  be  observed  that  the  next  words  uttered  by  Ajigartta,  which 
are  addressed  to  S'unas's'epa,  are  preceded  by  the  usual  formula  sa  ha  uvacha  Aji- 
garttah  Sauyavasih,  "  Ajigartta  the  son  of  S.  said,"  which  perhaps  would  not  have 
been  the  case  if  both  sentences  had  been  addressed  to  the  same  person. 

!53  Here  too  I  follow  Weber,  Ind.  St.  ix.  p.  317. 


358  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

doom),  'Let  your  progeny  possess  the  furthest  ends  (of  the  country).' 
These  are  the  numerous  border-tribes,  the  Andhras,  Pundras,  S'abaras, 
Pulindas,  Mutibas.  Most  of  the  Dasyus  are  sprung  from  Visvamitra.154 
Madhuchhandas  with  the  (other)  fifty  said,  '  Whatever  our  father 
determines,  by  that  we  abide.  "We  all  place  thee  in  our  front,  and 
follow  after  thee.'  Then  Visvamitra  was  pleased,  and  said  to  his  sons, 
'  Ye,  my  children  who,  shewing  deference  to  me,  have  conferred  upon 
me  a  (new)  son,  shall  abound  in  cattle  and  in  sons.  Te,  my  sons,  the 
offspring  of  Gathin,  who  possess  in  Devarata  a  man  who  shall  go  before 
you,  are  all  destined  to  be  prosperous ;  he  is  your  wise  instructor. 
This  Devarata,  o  Kusikas,  is  your  chief;  follow  him.  He  will  receive 
you  as  my  inheritance,  and  obtain  all  the  knowledge  which  we  possess.' 
All  these  sons  of  Visvamitra,  descendants  of  Gathin,  submitted  together 
in  harmony  and  with  good  will  to  Devarata' s  control  and  superiority. 
The  rishi  Devarata  was  invested  with  both  possessions,  with  the  lordly 
authority  of  the  Jahnus,  and  with  the  divine  Veda  of  the  Gathins."  155 
On  this  legend  Professor  Miiller  (Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  415  f.)  remarks, 
amongst  other  things,  as  follows :  "So  revolting,  indeed,  is  the  descrip- 

154  See  "Weber,  Ind.  St.  ix.  p.  317  f.,  and  Roth  in  his  Lexicon,  s.vv.  anta  and  udantya. 

155  This  legend  is  perhaps 'alluded  to  in  the  Kathaka  Brahmana,  19,  11,  quoted 
by  Prof.  Weber,  Ind.  St.  iii.  478  :  S'unas'sepo  vai  etam  Ajlgarttir  Varuna-grihlto  'pa- 
syat  |  taya  sa  vai  Varuna-pasad  amuchyata  \  "  S'unas's'epa  the  son  of  Ajigartta,  when 
seized  by  Yaruna,  saw  this  (verse) ;  and  by  it  he  was  released  from  the  bonds  of 
Yaruna."     Manu  also  mentions  the  story,  x.  105:  Ajigarttah  sutam  hantum  upa- 
sarpad  bubhukshitah  \  na  chalipyata  papena  khitt-pratlkaram  acharan  \  "  AjTgartta, 
when  famished,  approached  to  slay  his  son  ;  and  (by  so  doing)  was  not  contaminated 
by  sin,  as  he  was  seeking  the  means  of  escape  from  hunger."    On  this  Kulluka  anno- 
tates :  Rishir  Ajlgarttakhyo  bubhukshitah  san  puttram  S'unassepha-namanam  svayani 
vikrltavan  yajne  go-sata-labhaya  yajna-yupe  baddhva  vis asita' bhutva  hantum  pracha- 
krame  \  nachakhut-pratlkarartham  tatha  kurvan  papena  liptah  \  etach  cha  Bahvricha- 
brahmane  S'unadsephakhyaneshu  vyaJctam  uktam  \  "  A  rishi  called  AjTgartta,  having, 
when  famished,  himself  sold  his  son  called  S'unas's'epha,  in  order  to  obtain  a  hundred 
cows  at  a  sacrifice,  bound  him  to  the  sacrificial  stake,  and  in  the  capacity  of  immoiator 
was  about  to  slay  him.     By  doing  so,  as  a  means  of  escape  from  hunger,  he  did  not 
incur  sin.     This  is  distinctly  recorded  in  the  Bahvricha  (Aitareya)  Brahmana  in  the 
legend  of  S'unas's'epa."     The  speakers  in  the  Brahmana,  however,  do  not  take  by 
any  means  so  lenient  a  view  of  Ajlgartta's  conduct  as  Manu.     (See  Miiller's  Anc. 
Sansk.  Lit.  p.  415.)     The  compiler  of  the  latter  work  lived  in  an  age  when  it  was 
perhaps  thonght  that  a  rishi  could  do  no  wrong.    The  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  sect.  7, 
and  sect.  16,  verses  30-37  follows  the  Ait.  Br.  in  the  version  it  gives  of  the  story; 
but,  as  we  shall  see  in  a  subsequent  section,  the  Ramayana  relates  some  of  the  circum- 
stances quite  differently. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  359 

tion  given  of  Ajigartta's  behaviour  in  the  Brahmana,  that  we  should 
rather  recognize  in  him  a  specimen  of  the  un-Aryan  population  of  India. 
Such  a  supposition,  however,  would  be  in  contradiction  with  several  of 
the  most  essential  points  of  the  legend,  particularly  in  what  regards 
the  adoption  of  S'unahsepha  by  Visvamitra.  Visvamitra,  though  ar- 
rived at  the  dignity  of  a  Brahman,  clearly  considers  the  adoption  of 
S'unahsepha  Devarata,  of  the  famous  Brahmanic  family  of  the  Angi- 
rasas,  as  an  advantage  for  himself  and  his  descendants ;  and  the  Deva- 
ratas  are  indeed  mentioned  as  a  famous  branch  of  the  Visvamitras 
(V.P.  p.  405,  23).  S'unahsepha  is  made  his  eldest  son,  and  the  leader 
of  his  brothers,  evidently  as  the  defender  and  voucher  of  their  Brahma- 
hood,  which  must  have  been  then  of  very  recent  date,  because  Visva- 
mitra  himself  is  still  addressed  by  S'unahsepha  as  Raja-putra  and  Bha- 
rata-rishabha."  It  must,  however,  be  recollected  that  the  story,  as 
told  in  the  Brahmana,  can  scarcely  be  regarded  as  historical,  and  that 
it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose  that  the  incidents  related,  even  if 
founded  on  fact,  may  have  been  coloured  by  the  Brahmanical  prepos- 
sessions of  the  narrator.  But  if  so,  the  legend  can  give  us  no  true  idea 
of  the  light  in  which  Visvamitra's  exercise  of  priestly  functions  was 
looked  upon  either  by  himself  or  by  his  contemporaries. 

In  Indische  Studien,  ii.  112-123,  this  story  forms  the  subject  of  an 
interesting  dissertation  by  Professor  Roth,  who  arrives  at  the  following 
conclusions : 

"  (i.)  The  oldest  legend  about  S'unahsepa  (alluded  to  in  R.V.  i.  24, 
11-13,156  and  R.V.  v.  2,  7)  knows  only  of  his  miraculous  deliverance 
by  divine  help  from  the  peril  of  death. 

"  (ii.)  This  story  becomes  expanded  in  the  sequel  into  a  narrative  of 
S'unahsepa's  threatened  slaughter  as  a  sacrificial  victim,  and  of  his 
deliverance  through  Visvamitra. 

"  (iii.)  This  immolation-legend  becomes  severed  into  two  essentially 
distinct  versions,  the  oldest  forms  of  which  are  respectively  represented 
by  the  stories  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  and  the  Ramayana. 

"  (iv.)  The  latter  becomes  eventually  the  predominant  one;  but  its 
proper  central-point  is  no  longer  the  deliverance  from  immolation,  but 

156  Compare  also  Eosen's  remarks  on  the  hymns  ascribed  to  S'unas's'epa ;  Rig-veda 
Sanhita,  Annotationes,  p.  Iv.  He  thinks  they  contain  nothing  which  would  lead  to 
the  belief  that  they  have  any  connection  with  the  legend  in  the  Ramayana  and  Ait.  Br. 


360  EAKLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

the  incorporation  of  S'unahsepa,  or  (with  a  change  of  persons)  of 
Kichika,  into  the  family  of  the  Kusikas.  It  thus  becomes  in  the  end 
a  family-legend  of  the  race  of  Visvamitra. 

"  There  is  thus  no  historical,  perhaps  not  even  a  genealogical,  result 
to  be  gained  here.  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  the  character  and  agency  of  Visvamitra." 

In  a  passage  of  the  Mahabharata,  Adip.  verses  3694  if.,157  where  the 
descendants  of  Puru  are  recorded,  we  find  among  them  Bharata  the  son 
of  Dushyanta  (verse  3709)  from  whom  (1)  Bhumanyu,  (2)  Suhotra, 
(3)  Ajamidha,  and  (4)  Jahnu  are  said  to  have  sprung  in  succession 
(verses  3712-3722) ;  and  the  last-named  king  and  his  brothers  Vrajaua 
and  Rupin  are  said  to  have  been  the  ancestors  of  the  Kusikas  (verse  3723 : 
anvaydh  Kusikdh  rdjan  Jahnor  amita-tejasah  \  Vrajana-Rupinoh\  who 
were  therefore,  according  to  this  passage  also,  descended  from  Bharata 
(see  above,  p.  354).  The  Mahabharata  then  goes  on  to  relate  that 
during  the  reign  of  Samvarana,  son  of  Jahnu's  eldest  brother  Riksha, 
the  country  over  which  he  ruled  was  desolated  by  various  calamities 
(verses  3725  f.).  The  narrative  proceeds,  verse  3727  : 

Abhyaghnan  Bhdratdms  chaiva  sapatndndm  baldni  cha  \  chdlayan 
vasudhdm  chemdm  balena  ohaturangind  \  abhyaydt  tarn  cha  Pdnchdlyo 
vijitya  tarasd  mahlm  \  akshauhinlbhir  dasabhih  sa  enam  samare  'jayat  \ 
tatah  sa-ddrah  sdmdtyah  sa-puttrah  sa-suhrijjanah  \  rdjd  Samvaranas 
tasmdt  paldyata  mahdbhaydt  I  3730.  Sindhor  nadasya  mahato  nikunje 
nyavasat  tadd  \  nadl-vishaya-paryyante  parvatasya  samlpatah  \  tattrd- 
vasan  bahun  kdldn  Bhdratdh  durgam  asritdh  \  teshdm  nivasatdm  tattra 
sahasram  parivatsardn  \  athdbhyagachhad  Bhdratan  Vasishtho  bhagavdn 
rishih  |  tarn  dgatam  prayatnena  pratyudgamydbhivddya  cha  \  arghyam 
abhydharams  tasmai  te  sarve  Bhdratds  tadd  \  nivedya  sarvam  rishaye 
satkdrena  suvarchchase  \  tarn  dsane  chopavishtam  rdjd  vavre  svayatn  tadd  \ 
" purohito  bhacdn  no'stu  rdjydya  prayatetnahi "  \  3735.  "Om"  ity 
evaifi  Vasishtho  'pi  Bhdratan  pratyapadyata  \  athdbhyasinchat  sdmrdjye 
sarva-kshattrasya  Pauravam  \  vishdna-bhutam  sarvasydm  prithivydm  iti 
nah  srutam  \  Bharatddhyushitam  purvam  so  'dhyatishthat  purottamam  \ 
punar  balibhritas  chaiva  chakre  sarva-mahlkshitah  \ 

J37  Referred  to  by  Roth,  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  Weda,  pp.  142  ff.,  and  Wilson,  Rig- 
veda,  iii.  p.  86. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  361 

"  3727.  And  the  hosts  of  their  enemies  also  smote  the  Bharatas. 
Shaking  the  earth  with  an  army  of  four  kinds  of  forces,  the  Panchalya 
chief  assailed  him,  having  rapidly  conquered  the  earth,  and  vanquished 
him  with  ten  complete  hosts.  Then  king  Samvarana  with  his  wives, 
ministers,  sons,  and  friends,  fled  from  that  great  cause  of  alarm ;  (3730) 
and  dwelt  in  the  thickets  of  the  great  river  Sindhu  (Indus),  in  the 
country  bordering  on  the  stream,  and  near  a  mountain.  There  the 
Bharatas  abode  for  a  long  time,  taking  refuge  in  a  fortress.  As  they 
were  dwelling  there,  for  a  thousand  years,  the  venerable  rishi  Vasishtha 
came  to  them.  Going  out  to  meet  him  on  his  arrival,  and  making 
obeisance,  the  Bharatas  all  presented  him  with  the  arghya  offering, 
shewing  every  honour  to  the  glorious  rishi.  When  he  was  seated  the 
king  himself  solicited  him,  '  Be  thou  our  priest ;  let  us  strive  to 
regain  my  kingdom.'  3735.  Vasishtha  consented  to  attach  himself  to 
the  Bharatas,  and,  as  we  have  heard,  invested  the  descendant  of  Puru 
with  the  sovereignty  of  the  entire  Kshattriya  race,  to  be  a  horn  (to  have 
mastery)  over  the  whole  earth.  He  occupied  the  splendid  city  formerly 
inhabited  by  Bharata,  and  made  all  kings  again  tributary  to  himself." 

It  is  remarkable  that  in  this  passage  the  Bharatas,  who,  as  we  have 
seen,  are  elsewhere  represented  as  being  so  closely  connected  with 
Visvamitra,  and  are  in  one  text  of  the  Big-veda  (vii.  33,  6)  alluded 
to  as  the  enemies  of  Vasishtha' s  friends,  should  be  here  declared  to 
have  adopted  the  latter  rishi  as  their  priest.  The  account,  however, 
need  not  be  received  as  historical,  or  even  based  on  any  ancient  tra- 
dition ;  and  the  part  referring  to  Vasishtha  in  particular  may  have 
been  invented  for  the  glorification  of  that  rishi,  or  for  the  honour  of 
the  Bharatas. 

The  llth  and  12th  khandas  of  the  second  adhyaya  of  the  Sarvasara 
Upanishad  (as  we  learn  from  Professor  Weber's  analysis  in  Ind.  St. 
i.  390)  relate  that  Visvamitra  was  instructed  on  the  identity  of  breath 
(prdna)  with  Indra,  by  the  god  himself,  who  had  been  celebrated  by 
the  sage  on  the  occasion  of  a  sacrifice,  at  which  he  officiated  as  hotri- 
priest,  in  a  thousand  Brihati  verses,  and  was  in  consequence  favourably 
disposed  towards  him. 

It  is  abundantly  clear,  from  the  details  supplied  in  this  section,  that 
Visvamitra,  who  was  a  rajanya  of  the  Bharata  and  Kusika  families 
(Ait.  Br.  vii.  17  and  18),  is  represented  by  ancient  Indian  tradition  as 


362  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

the  author  of  numerous  Yedic  hymns,  as  the  domestic  priest  (puro- 
hita)  of  king  Sudas  (Mr.  ii.  24),  and  as  officiating  as  a  hotri  at  a 
sacrifice  of  king  Harischandra  (Ait.  Br.  vii.  16).  The  Hamayana 
also,  as  we  shall  see  in  a  future  section,  connects  him  with  Trisanku, 
the  father  of  Harischandra,  and  makes  him  also  contemporary  with 
Ambarisha ;  and  in  the  first  book  of  the  same  poem  he  is  said  to  have 
visited  king  Dasaratha,  the  father  of  Rama  (Balakanda,  i.  20,  Iff.). 
As  these  kings  were  separated  from  each  other  by  very  long  intervals, 
Trisanku  being  a  descendant  of  Ikshvaku  in  the  28th,  Ambarisha  in 
the  44th,158  Sudas  in  the  49th,  and  Dasaratha  in  the  60th  generation 
(see  Wilson's  Yishnu  Purana,  vol.  iii.  pp.  284,  303,  304,  313),  it  is 
manifest  that  the  authors  of  these  legends  either  intentionally  or 
through  oversight  represented  Yisvamitra,  like  Yasishtha  (see  above), 
as  a  personage  of  miraculous  longevity  ;  and  on  either  supposition 
a  great  deal  that  is  related  of  him  must  be  purely  fabulous.  All  the 
authorities  describe  him  as  the  son  of  Gathin  or  Gadhi,  the  Anu- 
kramani,  the  Yishnu  Purana,  and  the  Harivamsa  declaring  also  that 
Gathin  was  an  incarnation  of  Indra,  and  thus  asserting  Yisvamitra  to 
be  of  divine  descent.  It  is  not  clear  whether  this  fable  is  referred  to 
in  E.Y.  iii.  53,  9,  where  Yisvamitra  is  styled  deva-juh,  "born  of  a  god," 
or  whether  this  verse  may  not  have  led  to  the  invention  of  the  story. 
In  either  case  the  verse  can  scarcely  have  emanated  from  the  rishi 
himself;  but  it  is  more  likely  to  be  the  production  of  one  of  his  de- 
scendants.159 

158  According  to  the  Ramayana,  i.  70,  41  ;  ii.  110,  32,  Ambarisha  was  only  28th 
from  Ikshvaku.     Compare  Prof.  Wilson's  note  on  these  genealogies,  V.P.  iii.  313  ff. 

159  The  word  devajah,  -which,  following  Roth,  s.v.,  I  have  translated  "  god.born," 
is  taken  by  Sayana  as  =  dyotamcinanam  tfjasam  janayita,    "  generator  of  shining 
lights,"  and  appears  to  be  regarded  by  him  as  referring  to  the  creation  of  constel- 
lations by  Yisvamitra,  mentioned  in  the  Ramayana,  i,  60,  21.     Prof.  Wilson  renders 
the  phrase  by  "generator  of  the  gods;  "  and  remarks  that  "the  compound  is  not 
devaja,  '  god-born,'  nor  was  Yis'vamitra  of  divine  parentage  "  (R.V.  iii.  p.  85,  note  4). 
This  last  remark  overlooks  the  fact  above  alluded  to  of  his  father  Gadhi  being  repre- 
sented as  an  incarnation  of  Indra,  and  the  circumstance  that  Prof.  Wilson  himself 
(following  Sayana)  had  shortly  before  translated  the  words  prathama-jah  brahmanah 
in  R.V.  iii.  29, 15,  as  applied  to  the  Kus'ikas,  by  "  the  first-born  of  Brahma,"  although 
from  the  accent  brahman  here  must  be  neuter,  and  the  phrase  seems  to  mean,  as 
I  have  rendered  above,  "the  first-born  of  prayer."     The  word  jd  is  given  in  the 
Nighantu  as  one  of  the  synonymes  of  apatya,  "  offspring ;  "  and  in  R.V.  i.  164,  15, 
where  it  is  coupled  with  rishayah,  the  compound  devajah  is  explained  by  Sayana  as 
"born  of  the  god,"  i.e.  the  sun,  and  by  Prof.  Wilson  as  "born  of  the  gods."     See 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTBIYAS.  363 

This  verse  (E.V.  iii.  53,  9)  which  claims  a  superhuman  origin  for 
Yisvamitra,  and  the  following  verses  11-13  of  the  same  hymn,  which 
assert  the  efficacy  of  his  prayers,  form  a  sort  of  parallel  to  the  contents 
of  R.Y.  vii.  33,  where  the  supernatural  birth  of  Vasishtha  (vv.  10  if.), 
the  potency  of  his  intercession  (vv.  2-5),  and  the  sacred  knowledge  of 
his  descendants  (vv.  7  and  8),  are  celebrated. 

As  the  hymns  of  Yisvamitra  and  his  descendants  occupy  so  prominent 
a  place  in  the'Rig-veda  Sanhita,  and  as  he  is  the  alleged  author  of  the 
text  reputed  the  holiest  in  the  entire  Veda  (iii.  62,  10),  the  G&yatfipar 
excellence,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that,  although  he  was  a  rdjanya,  he 
was  unreservedly  acknowledged  by  his  contemporaries  to  be  both  a 
rishi  and  a  priest.  Nothing  less  than  the  uniform  recognition  and 
employment  of  the  hymns  handed  down  under  his  name  as  the  produc- 
tions of  a  genuine  "  seer,"  could  have  sufficed  to  gain  for  them  a  place 
in  the  sacred  canon.160  It  is  true  we  possess  little  authentic  information 
regarding  the  process  by  which  the  hymns  of  different  families  were 
admitted  to  this  honour ;  but  at  least  there  is  no  tradition,  so  far  as  I 
am  aware,  that  those  of  Yisvamitra  and  his  family  were  ever  treated  as 
antilegomena.  And  if  we  find  that  later  works  consider  it  necessary  to 
represent  his  priestly  character  as  a  purely  exceptional  one,  explicable 
only  on  the  ground  of  supernatural  merit  acquired  by  ardent  devotion,  we 
must  recollect  that  the  course  of  ages  had  brought  about  a  most  material 
change  in  Indian  society,  that  the  sacerdotal  function  had  at  length 
become  confined  to  the  members  of  an  exclusive  caste,  and  that  the 
exercise  of  such  an  office  in  ancient  times  by  persons  of  the  regal  or 
mercantile  classes  had  ceased  to  be  intelligible,  except  upon  the  suppo- 
sition of  such  extraordinary  sanctity  as  was  alleged  in  the  case  of 
Visvamitra. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  although  the  Aitareya  Brahmana  (see 
above)  declares  that  S'unassepa,  as  belonging  to  a  priestly  family,  was 
called  on  to  exercise  the  sacerdotal  office  immediately  after  his  release, 
yet  the  anterior  possession  of  divine  knowledge  is  also  ascribed  to 
Yisvamitra  and  the  Gathins,  and  that  S'unassepa  is  represented  as  sue- 
also  II. V.  ix.  93,  1  =  S.V.  i.  538.  (Compare  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society, 
for  1866,  p.  387  ff.) 

160  That  many  at  least  of  these  compositions  were  really  the  work  of  Vis'vamitra,  or 
his  descendants,  is  proved,  as  we  have  seen,  by  the  fact  that  their  names  are  mentioned 
in  them. 


364  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

ceeding  to  this  sacred  lore,  as  well  as  to  the  regal  dignity  of  the  race 
on  which  he  became  engrafted. 

The  fact  of  Visvamitra  having  been  both  a  rishi  and  an  officiating 
priest,  is  thus,  as  we  have  seen,  and  if  ancient  tradition  is  to  be  believed, 
undoubted.  In  fact,  if  we  look  to  the  number  of  Vedic  hymns  ascribed 
to  him  and  to  his  family,  to  the  long  devotion  to  sacerdotal  functions 
which  this  fact  implies,  and  to  the  apparent  improbability  that  a  person 
who  had  himself  stood  in  the  position  of  a  king  should  afterwards  have 
become  a  professional  priest,  we  may  find  it  difficult  to  believe  that 
although  (as  he  certainly  was)  a  scion  of  a  royal  stock,  he  had  ever  him- 
self exercised  regal  functions.  Professor  Roth  remarks  (Litt.  u.  Gesch. 
p.  125)  that  there  is  nothing  either  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  or  in  the 
hymns  of  the  Rig-veda  to  shew  that  he  had  ever  been  a  king.161  But 
on  the  other  hand,  as  the  same  writer  observes  (p.  126),  and  as  we 
shall  hereafter  see,  there  are  numerous  passages  in  the  later  authorities 
in  which  the  fact  of  his  being  a  king  is  distinctly,  but  perhaps  untruly, 
recorded. 

It  is  so  well  known,  that  I  need  scarcely  adduce  any  proof  of  the 
fact,  that  in  later  ages  Rajanyas  and  Vaisyas,  though  entitled  to  sacri- 
fice and  to  study  the  Vedas,  were  no  longer  considered  to  have  any 
right  to  officiate  as  priests  on  behalf  of  others.  I  may,  however,  cite  a 
few  texts  on  this  subject.  Manu  says,  i.  88  : 

Adhydpanam  adhyayanam  ydjanam  ydjanam  tathd  \  ddnam  prati- 
graham  chaiva  Brdhmandndm  akalpayat  \  89.  Prajdndm  rakshanam 
ddnam  ijyd  Adhyayanam  eva  cha  \  vishayeshv  aprasaktim  cha  kshattri- 
yasya  samdsatah  \  90.  Pasundm  rakshanam  ddnam  ijyd  Adhyayanam  eva 
cha  |  vanikpatham  kusldam  cha  Va^syasya  krishim  eva  cha  \  91.  Ekam 
eva  tu  S'udrasya  prabhuh  karma  samddisat  \  eteshdm  eva  varndndm  susru- 
shdm  anasuyayd  \  88.  He  (Brahma)  ordained  teaching,  study,  sacrificing, 
officiating  for  others  at  sacrifices,  and  the  giving  and  receiving  of  gifts, 
to  be  the  functions  of  Brahmans.  89.  Protection  of  the  people,  the 
giving  of  gifts,  sacrifice,  study,  and  non-addiction  to  objects  of  sense  he 
assigned  as  the  duties  of  the  Kshattriya.  90.  The  tending  of  cattle, 
giving  of  gifts,  sacrifice,  study,  commerce,  the  taking  of  usury,  and  agri- 
culture he  appointed  to  be  the  occupations  of  the  Yaisya.  91.  But  the 

161  May  not  R.V.  iii.  43,  5  (quoted  above),  however,  be  understood  to  point  to 
something  of  this  kind  ? 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRITAS.  365 

lord  assigned  only  one  duty  to  the  S'udra,  that  of  serving  these  other 
three  classes  without  grudging." 

Similarly  it  is  said  in  the  second  of  the  Yajna-paribhasha  Sutras, 
translated  by  Professor  M.  Miiller  (at  the  end  of  the  ninth  volume  of 
the  Journal  of  the  German  Oriental  Society,  p.  xliii.),  "  that  sacrifice 
is  proper  to  the  three  classes,  the  Brahman,  Rajanya,  and  also  the 
Vaisya."  162  Prof.  Miiller  also  refers  to  Katyayana's  S'rauta  Sutras,  of 
which  i.  1,  5  and  6  are  as  follows : 

5.  Angahlna£rotriya-shanda-£udra-varjam  \  6.  Brahmana-rdjanya- 
vaisyanam  sruteh  \  "  Men,163  with  the  exception  of  those  whose  members 

163  Prof.  Mtiller  does  not  give  the  original  text. 

163  In  one  of  these  Sutras  of  Katyiiyana  (i.  1,  4)  and  its  commentary  a  curious 
question  (one  of  those  which  the  Indian  authors  often  think  it  necessary  to  raise  and 
to  settle,  in  order  that  their  treatment  of  a  Subject  may  be  complete  and  exhaustive) 
is  argued,  viz.  whether  the  lower  animals  and  the  gods  have  any  share  in  the  practice 
of  Vedic  observances;  or  whether  it  is  confined  to  men.  The  conclusion  is  that  the 
gods  cannot  practise  these  rites,  as  they  are  themselves  the  objects  of  them,  and  as 
they  have  already  obtained  heaven  and  the  other  objects  of  desire  with  a  view  to 
which  they  are  practised  (tatra  devanam  devatantarabhavad  anadhikarah  \  na  hy 
atmanam  uddisya  tyagah  sambhavati  \  kincha  \  devas  cha  prapta-svargadi-kamah  \ 
na  cha  tesham  kinchid  avaptavyam  asti  yad-artham  karmani  kurvate  |  ).  As  regards 
the  right  of  the  lower  animals  to  sacrifice,  although  the  point  is  decided  against  them 
on  the  ground  of  their  only  "  looking  to  what  is  near  at  hand,  and  not  to  the  rewards 
of  a  future  world  "  (te  hy  asannam  eva  chetayante  n&  paralaukikam  phalam) ;  still  it 
is  considered  necessary  seriously  to  obviate  a  presumption  in  their  favour  that  they 
seek  to  enjoy  pleasure  and  avoid  pain,  and  even  appear  to  indicate  their  desire  for  the 
happiness  of  another  world  by  seeming  to  observe  some  of  the  Vedic  prescriptions :  "JVa- 
nu  uktaih  sunas'  chaturdasyam  upavasa-darsanat  syenasya  cha  ashtamyam  upavasa- 
darsanach  cha  te  'pi  paralaukikam  jananti"  iti  \  tat  katham  av  agamy  ate  "  te  dhar- 
martham  upavasanti"  iti  \  ye  hi  veda-smriti-puranadikam  pathanti  te  eva  jananti  yad 
" anena  karmana  idam  phalam  amutra  prapsyate"  iti  \  na  cha  ete  vedadikam  pathanti 
napy  anyebhyah  agamayanti  I  tena  sastrarthamavvlvamsah  phalam  amushmikamaka- 
mayantah  katham  tat-sadhanam  karma  kufyuh  \  tasmad  na  dharmcirtham  upavasanti 
iti  |  kimartham  tarhy  etesham  upavasah  \  uchyate  \  rot/ad  aruchir  esham  \  tarhi  niyata- 
kale  katham  rogah  \  uchyate  \  niyata-kalah  api  rogcih  bhavanti  yatha  triflyaka-clia  • 
turthikadi-jvarah  \  adhanas  cha  ete  \  "  But  do  not  some  say  that  '  from  a  dog  having 
been  noticed  to  fast  on  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  month,  and  a  hawk  on  the  eighth, 
they  also  have  a  knowledge  of  matters  connected  with  a  future  life  ? '  But  how  is  it 
known  that  these  dogs  and  hawks  fast  from  religious  motives  ?  For  it  is  only  those  who 
read  the  Vedas,  Smritis,  Puranas,  etc.,  who  are  aware  that  by  means  of  such  and  such 
observances,  such  and  such  rewards  will  be  obtained  in  another  world.  But  these  animals 
neither  read  the  sacred  books  for  themselves,  nor  ascertain  their  contents  from  others. 
How  then,  ignorant  as  they  are  of  the  contents  of  the  scriptures,  and  devoid  of  any 
desire  for  future  rewards,  can  they  perform  those  rites  which  are  the  means  of  attain- 
ing them  ?  It  is  therefore  to  be  concluded  that  they  do  not  fast  from  religious  motives. 
But  why,  then,  do  they  fast  ?  "We  reply,  because  from  sickness  they  have  a  disinclin- 


366  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

are  defective,  those  who  have  not  read  the  Veda,  eunuchs,  and  S'udras, 
have  a  right  to  sacrifice.  6.  It  is  Brahmans,  Rajanyas,  and  Yaisyas 
(only  who)  according  to  the  Yeda  (possess  this  privilege)."  m 

ation  for  food.  But  how  do  they  happen  to  be  sick  on  certain  fixed  days  ?  "We  answer, 
there  are  also  certain  diseases  which  occur  on  fixed  days,  as  tertian  and  quartan  agues. 
Another  reason  why  the  lower  animals  cannot  sacrifice  is  that  they  are  destitute  of 
wealth  (and  so  unable  to  provide  the  necessary  materials)." 

lei  "And  yet,"  Prof.  Miiller  remarks  (ibid),  "concessions  were  made  (to  other  and 
lower  classes)  at  an  early  period.  One  of  the  best  known  cases  is  that  of  the  Eatha- 
kara.  Then  the  Nishadasthapati,  though  a  Nishada  chief  and  not  belonging  to  the 
three  highest  classes  was  admitted  to  great  sacrifices,  e.g.  to  the  gavedhukacharu." 
The  S'atap.  Br.  i.  1,  4,  12,  has  the  following  words:  Tani  vai  etani  chatvari  vachah 
"ehi"  iti  brahmanasya  "agahi"  "adrava"  vaisyasya  cha  rajanyabandhos  cha  "adha- 
va  "  iti  sudrasya  \  "  [In  the  formula,  havishkrid  ehi, '  come,  o  oblation-maker,'  referred 
to  in  the  previous  paragraph,  and  its  modifications]  these  four  (different)  words  are 
employed  to  express  '  come  : '  ehi,  '  confe,'  in  the  case  of  a  Brahman ;  agahi,  '  come 
hither,'  in  the  case  of  a  Vais'ya;  adrava,  'hasten  hither,"  in  the  case  of  a  Eajanya- 
bandhu,  and  adhava,  '  run  hither,'  in  the  case  of  a  S'udra."  On  this  Prof.  Weber 
remarks,  in  a  note  on  his  translation  of  the  first  adhyaya  of  the  first  book  of  the 
S'.  P.  Br.  (Journ.  Germ.  Or.  Soc.  iv.  p.  301) :  "  The  entire  passage  is  of  great  im- 
portance, as  it  shews  (in  opposition  to  what  Eoth  says  in  the  first  vol.  of  this  Journal, 
p.  83)  that  the  S'udras  were  then  admitted  to  the  holy  sacrifices  of  the  Arians,  and 
understood  their  speech,  even  if  they  did  not  speak  it.  The  latter  point  cannot 
certainly  be  assumed  as  a  necessary  consequence,  but  it  is  highly  probable ;  and  I 
consequently  incline  to  the  view  of  those  who  regard  the  S'udras  as  an  Arian  tribe 
which  immigrated  into  India  before  the  others."  See  above,  p.  141,  note  251,  and 
Ind.  Stud.  ii.  194,  note,  where  Prof.  Weber  refers  to  the  Mahabharata,  S'antip.  verses 
2304 ff.  which  are  as  follows :  Svahakara-vashatkarau  mantrah  s'udre  na  vidyate  \ 
tasmach  chhudrah  paltayajnair  yajetavratavan  svayam  \  purnapatramayim  ahuh 
pakayajnasya  dakshinam  \  sudrah  Paijavano  nama  sahasranaffi  satam  dadau  ]  Ain- 
dragnyena  vidhanena  dakshinam  iti  nah  s'rutam  \  "  The  svahakara,  and  the  vashat- 
kara,  and  the  mantras  do  not  belong  to  a  S'udra.  Wherefore  let  a  man  of  this  class 
sacrifice  with  pakayajnas,  being  incapacitated  for  (Vedic)  rites  (srauta-vratopaya-hlnah  \ 
Comm.).  They  say  that  the  gift  (dakshina)  proper  for  a  pakayajna  consists  of  a 
full  dish  (purnapatramayi').  A  S'udra  called  Paijavana  gave  as  a  present  a  hundred 
thousand  (of  these  purnapiitras)  after  the  Aindragnya  rule."  Here,  says  Prof.  Weber, 
"  the  remarkable  tradition  is  recorded  that  Paijavana,  i.e.  Sudas,  who  was  so  famous 
for  his  sacrifices,  and  who  is  celebrated  in  the  Eig-veda  as  the  patron  of  Vis'vamitra 
and  enemy  of  Vasishtha,  was  a  S'udra."  In  the  Bhagavata  Purina,  vii.  11,  24,  the 
duties  of  a  S'udra  are  described  to  be  "  submissiveness,  purity,  honest  service  to  his 
master,  sacrifice  without  mantras,  abstinence  from  theft,  truth,  and  the  protection  of 
cows  and  Brabmans"  {sudrasya  sannatih  sauchani  seva  svaminy  amayaya  \  amantra- 
yajno  hy  asteyam  satyam  go-vipra-rakshanam  |).  The  Commentator  defines  amantra- 
yajnah  thus:  namaskarenaiva  pancha-yajnanushthanam,  "the  practice  of  the  five 
sacrifices  with  obeisance,"  and  quotes  Yajnavalkya.  See  also  Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana, 
vol.  iii.  p.  87,  and  notes  ;  Miiller's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  p.  203 ;  the  same  author's  Essay, 
at  the  end  of  the  ninth  vol.  of  the  Journ.  Germ.  Or.  Soc.  p.  Ixxiii, ;  and  Bohtlingk  and 
Eoth's  Lexicon,  s.v.  pakayajna. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.         367 

According  to  the  Ait.  Br.  vii.  19,  "the  Brahman  alone  of  the  four 
castes  has  the  right  of  consuming  things  offered  in  sacrifice  "  (etdh  vai 
prajdh  hutddo  yad  brdhmandh  \  atha  etdh  ahutddo  yad  rdjanyo  vaisyah 
sudrah).  And  yet,  as  Prof.  Miiller  observes,  it  is  said  in  the  S'atap. 
Br.  v.  5,  4,  9  :  Chatvdro  vai  varndh  Irdhmano  rdjanyo  vaisyah  sudro  na 
ha  eteshdm  ekaschana  lhavati  yah  somam  vamati  \  sa  yad  ha  eteshdm 
ekaschit  sydt  sydd  ha  eva  prdyaschittih  \  "There  are  four  classes,  the 
Brahman,  Rajanya,  Yaisya,  and  S'udra.  There  is  no  one  of  these  who 
vomits  (i.e.,  I  suppose,  dislikes)  the  soma.  If  anyone  of  them  how- 
ever should  do  so,  let  there  he  an  atonement." 

Professor  "Weber,  by  whom  also  these  words  are  quoted  (Ind.  St. 
x.  12),  remarks  that  "they  leave  open  the  possibility  of  Kajanyas, 
Vaisyas,  and  even  S'udras  partaking  of  the  soma,  the  only  consequence 
being  that  they  must  as  an  expiation  perform  the  Sautramam  rite." 

In  the  twenty-first  of  the  Yajna-paribhasha  Sutras,  translated  by 
Miiller,  p.  xlvii.,  it  is  declared  that  the  priestly  dignity  belongs  to  the 
Brahmans ;  and  it  is  laid  down  by  the  Indian  authorities  that  even  when 
the  sacrifice  is  of  a  kind  intended  exclusively  for  Kshattriyas,  the  priest 
must  still  be  a  Brahman  and  not  a  Kshattriya,  the  reason  being  that 
men  of  the  former  class  only  can  eat  the  remains  of  the  sacrifice  (see 
Katyayana's  S'r.  Sutras,  i.  2,  8):  Brdhmandhritvijo  bhahsha-pratishedhdd 
itarayoh,  "the  Brahmans  only  are  priests,  because  the  other  two  castes  are 
forbidden  to  eat  (the  remains  of  the  sacrifice  ").  See  also  Weber,  Ind. 
St.  x.  pp.  17  and  31,  and  the  passages  of  the  Ait.  Br.  viii.  24  and  27, 
referred  to  in  pages  30  and  31  :  24.  Na  ha  vai  apurohitasya  rdjno 
devdh  annam  adanti  \  tasmdd  rdjd  'yakshamdno  brdhmanam  puro  dadhlta  \ 
"  The  gods  do  not  eat  the  food  offered  by  a  king  who  has  no  purohita. 
Wherefore  (even)  when  not  about  to  sacrifice,  the  king  should  put 
forward  a  Brahman  (as  his  domestic  priest)."  27.  Yo  ha  vai  trln 
purohitdms  trln  purodhdtrln  veda  sa  brdhmanah  purohitdh  \  sa  vadeta 
purodhdyai  \  Agnir  vdva  purohitah  prithivl  purodhdtd  vdyur  vdva  puro- 
hito  ' ntariksham  purodhdtd  ddityo  vdva  purohito  dyauh  purodhdtd  \  esha 
ha  vai  purohito  yah  evaih  veda  atha  sa  tirohito  yah  evam  na  veda  \  tasya 
rdjd  mitram  lhavati  dvishantam  apabddhate  \  yasyaivaih  vidvdn  Irdh- 
mano  rdshtra-gopah  purohitah  \  hshattrena  kshattram  jayati  lalena  lalam 
asnute  \  yasyaivam  vidvdn  Irdhmano  rdshtra-gopah  purohitah  \  tasmai 
visah  sanjdnate  sammukhdh  ekamanasah  \  yasyaivafh  vidvdn  brdhmano 


368  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

rdshtra-gopah  purohitah  \  "The  Brahman  who  knows  the  three  puro- 
hitas,  and  their  three  appointers,  is  a  (proper)  purohita,  and  should  be 
nominated  to  this  office.  Agni  is  one  purohita,  and  the  earth  appoints 
him ;  Yayu  another,  and  the  air  appoints  him  ;  the  Sun  is  a  third,  and 
the  sky  appoints  him.  He  who  knows  this  is  a  (proper)  purohita ;  and 
he  who  does  not  know  this  is  to  be  rejected.  (Another)  king  becomes 
the  friend  of  the  prince  who  has  a  Brahman  possessing  such  knowledge 
for  his  purohita  and  the  protector  of  his  realm ;  and  he  vanquishes  his 
enemy.  He  who  has  a  Brahman  possessing  etc.  (as  above)  conquers 
(another's)  regal  power  by  (his  own)  regal  power,  and  acquires  another's 
force  by  (his  own)  force.  With  him  who  has  a  Brahman  etc.  (as  above) 
the  people  are  openly  united  and  in  harmony." 

I  add  another  passage  from  the  same  Brahmana,  which  might  also 
have  been  properly  introduced  in  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  work 
(chapt.  i.  sect,  iii.)  as  it  relates  to  the  creation  of  the  four  castes  : 

Ait.  Br.  vii.  19.  Prajdpatir  yajnam  asrijata  \  yajnam  srishtam  anu 
brahma-kshattre  asrijyetdm  \  brahma-kshattre  anu  dvayyah  prajdh  asrij- 
yanta  hutddas  cha  ahutddas  cha  brahma  eva  anu  hutddah  kshattram  anv 
ahutddah  \  etdh  vai  prajdh  hutddo  yad  brdhmandh  \  atha  etdh  ahutddo 
yad  rdjanyo  vaisyah  sudrah  \  tdbhyo  yajnah  udakrdmat  \  tarn  brahma- 
kshattre  anvaitdm  ydny  evco  brahmanah  dyudJidni  tair  braJima  anvait  ydni 
kshattrasya  tarn  (?  taih)  kshattram  \  etdni  vai  brahmanah  dyudhdni  yad 
yajndyudhdni  \  atha  etdni  kshattrasya  dyudhani  yad  asva-rathah  kavachah 
ishu-dhanva  \  tarn  kshattram  ananvdpya  nyavarttata  \  dyudhebhyo  ha 
sma  asya  vijamanah  pardn  eva  eti  \  atha  enam  brahma  anvait  \  tarn  dpnot  \ 
tarn  dptvd  parastdd  nirudhya  atishthat  \  sa  dptah  parastdd  niruddhaa 
tishthan  j'nutid  sfdny  dyudhdni  brahma  updtarttata  \  tasmdd  ha  apy 
etarhi yajno  brahmany  eva  brdhmaneshu pratishthitah  \  atha  enat  kshattram 
anvdgacMat  tad  abravld  " upa  md  asmin  yajne  hvayasva"  iti  \  tat 
"  tathd  "  ity  abravit  ll  tad  vai  nidhaya  svany  dyudhdni  brahmanah  eva 
dyudhair  brahmano  rupena  brahma  bhiitva  yajnam  upardrttasva"  iti  \ 
"tathd"  iti  tat  kshattram  nidhaya  svdny  dyudhdni  brahmanah  eva  dyudh- 
air brahmano  rupena  brahma  bhutvd  yajnam  updvarttata  \  tasmdd  ha 
apy  etarhi  kshattriyo  yajamdno  nidhaya  eva  svdny  dyudhdni  brah- 
manah eva  dyudhair  brahmano  rupena  brahma  bhutvd  yajnam  upd- 
varttate  \ 

"Prajapati  created  sacrifice.   After  sacrifice,  Brahman  (sacred  know- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  369 

ledge)  and  K.shattra  (regal  power)165  were  created.  After  these,  two 
kinds  of  creatures  were  formed,  viz.  those  who  eat,  and  those  who  do 
not  eat,  oblations.  After  Brahman  came  the  eaters  of  oblations,  and 
after  Kshattra  those  who  do  not  eat  them.  These  are  the  eaters  of 
oblations,  viz.  the  Brahmans.  Those  who  do  not  eat  them  are  the 
Rajanya,  the  Yaisya,  and  the  S'iidra.  From  these  creatures  sacrifice 
departed.  Brahman  and  Kshattra  followed  it,  Brahman  with  the  im- 
plements proper, to  itself,  and  Kshattra  with  those  which  are  proper  to 
itself.  The  implements  of  Brahman  are  the  same  as  those  of  sacrifice, 
while  those  of  Kshattra  are  a  horse-chariot,166  armour,  and  a  bow  and 
arrows.  Kshattra  turned  back,  not  having  found  the  sacrifice  ;  which 
turns  aside,  afraid  of  the  implements  of  Kshattra.  Brahman  followed 
after  it,  and  reached  it ;  and  having  done  so,  stood  beyond,  and  inter- 
cepting it.  *  Being  thus  found  and  intercepted,  sacrifice,  standing  still 
and  recognizing  its  own  implements,  approached  to  Brahman.  "Where- 
fore now  also  sacrifice  depends  upon  Brahman,  upon  the  Brahmans. 
Kshattra  then  followed  Brahman,  and  said,  '  invite  me 167  (too  to  par- 
ticipate) in  this  sacrifice.'  Brahman  replied,  '  so  be  it :  then  laying 
aside  thy  own  implements,  approach  the  sacrifice  with  the  implements 
of  Brahman,  in  the  form  of  Brahman,  and  having  become  Brahman.168 

165  The  two  principles  or  functions  represented  by  the  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas 
respectively. 

166  See  "Weher,  Indische  Studien,  ix.  p.  318. 

167  See  "Weber,  in  the  same  page  as  last  quoted. 

169  This  idea  may  be  further  illustrated  by  a  reference  to  several  passages  adduced 
by  Professor  Weber,  Ind.  St.  x.  1 7,  who  remarks :  "  Hence  every  Rajanya  and  Vais'ya 
becomes  through  the  consecration  for  sacrifice  (d7ksha)  a  Brahman  during  its  con- 
tinuance, and  is  to  be  addressed  as  such  in  the  formula  employed,"  and  cites  S'.  P.  Br. 
iii.  2,  1,  39 f.,  part  of  which  has  been  alreiJdy  quoted  above,  in  p.  136,  note;  and 
also  Ait.  Br.  vii.  23  :  Sa  ha  d^kshamanah  eva  bfahmanatam  abhyupaiti  \  "  He  a  king, 
when  consecrated,  enters  into  the  condition  of  a  Brahman."  See  the  rest  of  the  section 
and  sections  24,  25,  and  31  in  Dr.Haug's  translation.  The  S'.P.Br.  xiii.  4,  1,  3,  says, 
in  opposition  to  the  opinion  of  some,  that  an  as'vamedha,  which  is  a  sacrifice  proper 
to  Rajanyas,  should  be  begun  in  summer,  which  is  their  season :  tad  vai  vasante  eva 
abhyarabheta  \  vasanto  vai  brahmanasya  rituh  \  yah  u  vai  has  cha  yajate  brahmani- 
bhuya  wa  eva,  yajate  \  "  Let  him  commence  in  spring,  which  is  the  Brahman's  season. 
"Whosoever  sacrifices  does  so  after  having  as  it  were  become  a  Brahman."  So  too 
Katyayana  says  in  his  S'rauta  Sutias  vii.  4,  12  :  "  Brahmana"  ity  eva  vaisya-rajan- 
yayor  api  \  "  The  word  Brahmana  is  to  be  addressed  to  a  Vais'ya  and  a  Rajanya  also." 
On  which  the  Commentator  annotates  :  Vaisya-rajanyayor  api  yajne  "  dikshito  'yam 
brahmanah"  ity  eva  vaktavyam  \  na  "dlkshito  'yam  kshattriyo  vaisyo  va  "  iti  \  "  The 
formula  '  This  Brahman  has  been  consecrated '  is  to  be  used  at  the  sacrifice  of  a  Vais'ya 

24 


370  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Kshattra  rejoined,  '  Ee  it  so,'  and,  laying  aside  its  own  implements, 
approached  the  sacrifice  with  those  of  Brahman,  in  the  form  of  Brah- 
man, and  having  become  Brahman.  Wherefore  now  also  a  Kshattriya 
when,  sacrificing,  laying  aside  his  own  implements,  approaches  the 
sacrifice  with  those  of  Brahman,  in  the  form  of  Brahman,  and  having 
hecome  Brahman." 

The  Mahabharata,  S'antip.  verses  2280  f.  distinctly  defines  the  duty 
of  a  Kshattriya  in  reference  to  sacrifice  and  sacred  study :  Kshattriya- 
sydpi  yo  dkarmas  tarn  te  vdkshyami  Hharata  \  dadydd  rdjan  na  ydcheta 
yajeta  na  cha  ydjayet  \  nadhydpayed  adhiylta  prajds  cha  paripdlayet  \ 
"  I  will  tell  thee  also  the  duties  of  a  Kshattriya.  Let  him  give,  and 
not  ask  (gifts) ;  let  him  sacrifice,  but  not  officiate  for  others  at  sacri- 
fices ;  let  him  not  teach,  but  study  ;  and  let  him  protect  the  people." 

It  is  clear  that  these  passages  which  restrict  the  right  o'f  officiating 
ministerially  at  sacrifices  to  the  members  of  the  Brahmanical  order,169 
represent  a  very  different  state  of  opinion  and  practice  from  that  which 
prevailed  in  the  earlier  Yedic  age,  when  Yisvamitra,  a  Rajanya,  and 
his  relatives,  were  highly  esteemed  as  the  authors  of  sacred  poetry,  and 
were  considered  as  perfectly  authorized  to  exercise  sacerdotal  functions. 

The  result  of  the  conflict  between  the  opposing  interests  represented 
by  Yasishtha  and  Yisvamitra  respectively,  is  thus  described  by  Professor 

and  a  Rajanya  also  ;  and  not  the  words  '  this  Rajanya,  or  this  Vais'ya,  has  been  con- 
secrated.' " 

169  It  appears  from  Arrian  that  the  Greeks  were  correctly  informed  of  this  prero- 
gative of  the  Brahmans.  He  says,  Indica,  ch.  xi.  :  Kol  Saris  Se  iSia  dvti,  ffryr)ri)s 
otrnp  -rijs  Ovcrlys  rwv  rts  ffotywruiv  rovrcav  yiverat,  cos  OVK  &v  &\\us  Kexapi<r/ie'j/a 
rols  Beoii  Bixravras.  "And  whosoever  sacrifices  in  private  has  one  of  these  sophists  " 
(so  the  highest  of  the  classes,  here  said  to  be  seven  in  number,  is  designated)  "  as 
director  of  the  ceremony,  since  sacrifice  could  not  otherwise  be  offered  acceptably  to 
the  gods."  Arrian  makes  another  assertion  (ibid,  xii.)  which,  if  applied  to  the  time 
when  he  wrote  (in  the  second  Christian  century),  is  not  equally  correct.  After  observ- 
ing that  the  several  classes  were  not  allowed  to  intermarry,  nor  to  practice  two  pro- 
fessions, nor  to  pass  from  one  class  into  another,  he  adds  :  t/iovvov  afyicriv  avfi-rai 
ffotpiffrfyv  fK  Ttavrbs  ytvfos  y(Vf<r6ai '  on  ov  fj.a\6aKa  roiffi  aotyiffrfjffiv  etoi  rci 
irp-fiyfj.a.Ta,  a\\a  Travraiv  ra\anrcap6rara.  "  Only  it  is  permitted  to  a  person  of  any 
class  among  them  to  become  a  sophist ;  for  the  life  of  that  class  is  not  luxurious,  but 
the  most  toilsome  of  all."  However  indubitably  true  the  first  part  of  this  sentence 
may  have  been  in  the  age  of  Vis'vamitra,  it  cannot  be  correctly  predicated  of  the  age 
of  Arrian,  or  even  of  the  period  when  India  was  invaded  by  Alexander  the  Great. 
The  mistake  may  have  arisen  from  confounding  the  Buddhists  with  the  Brahmans,  or 
from  supposing  that  all  the  Brahmanical  Indians,  who  adopted  an  ascetic  life,  were 
regarded  as  "  sophists." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND   KSHATTRIYAS.  371 

Hoth  at  the  close  of  his  work  on  the  literature  and  history  of  the  Veda, 
which  has  been  so  often  quoted,  p.  141 :  "Vasishtha,  in  whom  the  future 
position  of  the  Brahmans  is  principally  foreshadowed,  occupies  also  a  far 
higher  place  in  the  recollections  of  the  succeeding  centuries  than  his 
martial  rival ;  and  the  latter  succumhs  in  the  conflict  out  of  which  the 
holy  race  of  Brahmavartta  was  to  emerge.  Vasishtha  is  the  sacerdotal 
hero  of  the  new  order  of  things.  In  Visvamitra  the  ancient  condition 
of  military  shepherd-life  in  the  Punjab  is  thrown  back  for  ever  into 
the  distance.  This  is  the  general  historical  signification  of  the  contest 
between  the  two  Vedic  families,  of  which  the  literature  of  all  the  suc- 
ceeding periods  has  preserved  the  recollection." 


SECT.  VII. — Do  the  details  in  the  last  two  sections  enable  us  to  decide 
in  what  relation  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra  stood  to  each  other  as 
priests  of  Sudds  ? 

It  appears  from  the  data  supplied  in  the  two  preceding  sections  that 
both  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra  are  represented  as  priests  of  a  king  called 
Sudas.  .This  is  shewn,  as  regards  the  former  rishi  (see  pp.  319  ff., 
above),  by  E.V.  vii.  18,  4,  5,  and  21-25  ;  and  vii.  33, 1-6,  where  he  is 
said  to  have  interceded  with  Indra  for  Sudas,  who,  as  appears  from 
verse  25  of  the  second  of  these  hymns,  was  the  son  of  Pijavana.  A 
similar  relation  is  shewn  by  R.V.  iii.  53,  9-13  to  have  subsisted  between 
Visvamitra  and  Sudas  (see  above,  p.  342) ;  and  although  Sudas  is  not 
in  that  passage  identified  with  the  king  who  was  Vasishtha' s  patron, 
by  the  addition  of  his  patronymic,  we,  are  told  in  the  Mrukta,  ii.  24, 
that  he  was  the  same  person,  the  son  of  Pijavana.  There  is  therefore 
no  doubt  that,  according  to  ancient  tradition,  the  two  rishis  were  both 
priests  of  the  same  prince.  It  further  appears  that  the  Bharatas,  with 
whom,  as  we  have  seen,  Visvamitra  was  connected,  are  in  H.V.  vii' 
33,  6  referred  to  as  in  hostility  with  Sudas  and  his  priest.  Are  we 
then  to  conclude  that  the  one  set  of  facts  excludes  the  other — that  the 
two  rishis  could  not  both  have  been  the  family-priests  of  Sudas  ? 

There  is  no  reason  to  arrive  at  such  an  inference.  Vasishtha  and 
Visvamitra  could  not,  indeed,  have  been  the  domestic  priests  of  Sudas 
at  one  and  the  same  period.  But  they  may  have  been  so  at  different 


372  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

times  ;  and  the  one  may  have  supplanted  the  other.  It  is,  however,  very 
difficult  to  derive  from  the  imperfect  materials  supplied  in  the  passages 
to  which  I  have  referred  any  clear  conception  of  the  shape  and  course 
which  the  contest  between  these  two  rivals  took,  or  to  fix  the  periods 
at  which  they  respectively  enjoyed  their  patron's  favour.  Prof.  Roth 
thinks170  that  some  light  is  thrown  on  this  obscure  subject  by  the 
different  parts  of  the  53rd  hymn  of  the  third  mandala  of  tbe  Rig-veda. 
This  composition,  as  it  stands,  contains,  as  he  considers,  fragments  of 
hymns  by  Visvamitra  or  his  descendants,  of  different  dates ;  and  the 
verses  (9-13),  in  which  that  rishi  represents  himself  and  the  Kausikas 
as  being  the  priests  of  Sudas,  are,  in  his  opinion,  earlier  than  the  con- 
cluding verses  (21-24), m  which  consist  of  imprecations  directed  against 
Yasishtha.  These  last  verses,,  he  remarks,  contain  an  expression  of 
wounded  pride,  and  threaten  vengeance  against  an  enemy  who  had 
come  into  possession  of  some  power  or  dignity  which  Yisvamitra  him- 
self had  previously  enjoyed.  And  as  we  find  from  one  of  his  hymns 
(the  53rd)  that  he  and  his  adherents  had  at  one  time  led  Sudas  to 
victory,  and  enjoyed  a  corresponding  consideration ; — while  from  Yasish- 
tha's  hymns  it  is  clear  that  he  and  his  family  had  also  been  elevated  in 
consequence  of  similar  claims  to  a  like  position; — it  would  seem  to 
result  that  Yisvamitra  had  cursed  Yasishtha  for  this  very  reason  that  he 
had  been  supplanted  by  him.  The  former  with  his  Kusikas  had  through 
the  growing  influence  of  his  rival  been  driven  away  by  Sudas  to  the 
Bharatas  the  enemies  of  that  prince  and  of  the  Tritsus;  and  then 

™  See  Litt.  und  Gesch.  des  Weda,  pp.  121  ff. 

171  I  have  (above,  p.  343)  characterized  these  verses  as  obscure  and  have  left  them 
untranslated.  The  portions  of  the  following  version  which  are  printed  in  italics  are 
doubtful :  verse  22.  "  He  (or,  it)  vexes  (turns  the  edge  of]  even  an  axe ;  and  breaks 
even  a  sword.  A  seething  cauldron,  even,  o  Indra,  when  over-heated,  casts  out  foam. 
23.  0  men,  no  notice  is  taken  of  the  arrow.  They  lead  away  the  intelligent  (lodha) 
looking  upon  him  as  a  beast.  Men  do  not,  however,  pit  a  hack  to  run  against  a  racer ; 
they  do  not  lead  an  ass  before  horses.  24.  These  sons  of  Bharata,  o  Indra,  desire 
separation,  not  vicinity.  They  constantly  urge  the  horse  as  if  to  a  distance ;  they  carry 
about  the  bow  in  the  battle."  The  reader  may  consult  Prof. Wilson's  translation  R.V. 
vol.  iii.  p.  89  f.,  as  well  as  Roth's  Litt.  u.  Gesch.  des  Weda,  p.  109  f.  In  his  Illustra- 
tions of  the  Nirukta,  p.  42,  Roth  conjectures  that  both  lodha  and  pas'u,  in  verse  23, 
may  denote  animals  of  different  natures,  and  that  the  clause  may  mean  something  to 
the  same  effect  as  "  they  look  on  the  wolf  as  if  it  were  a  hare."  In  his  Lexicon,  s.v. 
pasu,  he  takes  that  word  to  denote  a  head  of  cattle  (ein  Stuck  Vieh)  as  a  term  of 
contempt.  He  takes  jyavaja,  in  verse  24,  to  mean  "  having  the  impulsive  force  (?) 
(Schnell- Kraft]  of  a  bow-string." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  373 

• 

vowed  vengeance  against  their  enemies.  Roth,  remarks  that  if  this 
conjecture  appears  too  bold,  which  he  does  not  allow,  there  is  no  alter- 
native but  to  regard  verses  9-11  of  R.V.  iii.  53,  as  interpolated,  and  to 
hold  that  Yisvamitra  had  always  been  allied  with  the  Bharatas.  But, 
as  he  urges,  in  a  period  such  as  that  which  the  hymns  of  the  Yeda 
represent  to  us — a  time  of  feud  and  foray  among  the  small  neighbour- 
ing tribes,  when  the  power  of  the  leaders  of  families  and  petty  chiefs 
was  unlimited,  when  we  observe  that  the  ten  kings  were  allied  against 
Sudas — in  a  period  of  subdivided  dominion  like  this  it  would  be  far 
more  surprising  to  find  a  family  so  favoured  by  the  gods  as  that  of  Vis- 
vamitra or  Yasishtha  in  continued  and  undisturbed  possession  of  in- 
fluence over  any  one  of  these  chieftains,  than  to  see  mutual  aggression, 
hostility,  and  vindictiveness,  prevailing  even  among  families  and  clans 
united  to  one  another  by  community  of  language  and  manners.  It  is 
further  evident  from  later  tradition,  as  Roth  remarks,  that  Yasishtha 
and  his  family  had  not  always  been  the  objects  of  Sudas' s  favour;  but 
had,  on  the  contrary,  been  at  some  time  or  other  sufferers  from  his 
enmity  or  that  of  his  house;  and  in  proof  of  this  he  refers  to  the 
passage  which  has  been  cited  above  (p.  328)  from  Sayana's  note  on 
R.V.  vii.  32,  and  the  S'atyayana  and  Tandya  Brahmanas,  as  there 
quoted;  and  also  to  the  176th  adhyaya  of  the*  Adiparvan  of  the  Maha- 
bharata,  verses  6696  if.,  which  will  be  adduced  in  a  future  section. 

According  to  Roth's  view  (p.  124)  the  alienation  between  Sudas  and 
Yasishtha  fomented  by  Yisvamitra  was  only  of  temporary  duration,  and 
we  must,  therefore,  understand  that  according  to  his  view,  the  former 
rishi  and  his  family  remained  eventually  victors  in  the  contest  for 
influence  between  themselves  and  the^r  rivals. 

Professor  Weber,  in  a  note  appended  to  an  article  by  Dr.  A.  Kuhn 
in  page  120  of  the  first  volume  of  his  Indische  Studien,  expresses 
a  different  opinion.  "The  testimonies,"  he  says,  "  adduced  by  Roth, 
pp.  122  ff.,  according  to  which  Sudas  appears  in  the  Epic  age  as 
hostile  to  Brahmanical  interests,  stand  in  opposition  to  his  assertion 
that  Yasishtha's  family  finally  banished  Visvamitra  and  the  Kusikas 
from  the  court  of  that  prince.  The  enmity  between  the  latter  and 
Vasishtha,  the  prototype  of  Brahmanhood,  is  thus  by  no  means  of 
temporary  duration  (Roth,  p.  124),  but  the  very  contrary."  The 
passages  cited  by  Roth,  which  Weber  here  claims  as  supporting  his 


374  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

• 

own  view,  are  Manu,  vii.  41  (see  above,  p.  296),  the  Anukramanl 
with  the  S'atyayana  and  Tandya  Brahmanas  quoted  in  p.  328,  and 
the-  126th  and  following  sections  of  the  Adip.  of  the  M.  Bh.  which 
will  be  adduced  hereafter.  To  these  may  be  added  the  text  from  the 
KaushitakI  Brahmana,  cited  in  p.  328.  If  Sudas  became  ultimately 
reconciled  to  Vasishtha,  and  re-instated  him  and  his  relatives  in  their 
position  of  court  priests,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  rival  family  of  Visva- 
mitra,  it  seems  hard  to  understand,  according  to  Professor  Weber's 
argument,  how  that  prince's  name  should  have  been  handed  down  by 
tradition  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  examples  of  impiety  displayed 
in  resistance  to  Brahmanical  pretensions.  It  is,  however,  to  be  observed 
that,  except  in  the  text  of  Manu,  it  is  the  descendants  of  Sudas,  and 
not  the  king  himself,  who  are,  charged  with  the  outrages  committed 
against  Vasishtha' s  family ;  and  that  in  the  passage  of  the  M.  Bh.  above 
referred  to  (Adip.  vv.  7669  ff.)  the  son  of  Sudas  is  represented  as  be- 
coming ultimately  reconciled  to  Vasishtha.173  And  if  the  passages, 
which  have  been  cited  above  from  the  Eig-veda  (pp.  330  f.)  in  allusion 
to  Sudas' s  deliverance  by  the  gods,  refer  to  a  real  person,  and  to  the 

172  It  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that  the  Anus'asanap.  of  the  M.Bh.  contains  a  con- 
versation between  Vasishtha  und  Saudasa  (the  son,  or  one  of  the  descendants  of, 
Sudas)  about  the  pre-eminent  purity  and  excellence  of  cows,  verse  3732  :  Etasminn 
eva  kale  tu  Vasishtham  rishi-sattamam  \  Ikshvaku-vamsajo  raja  Saudaso  vadatam 
varah •  \  sarva  -  loka  -  charam  siddham  brahma-kosaih  sanatorium  \  purohitam  abhi- 
prashtum  abhivadyopachakrame  \  Saudasa  uvacha  \  trailokye  bhagavan  kiiitsvit  pavi- 
tram  kathyate  'nagha  \  yat  Kirttayan  sada  marttyah  prapnuyat  punyam  uttamam  \ 
"  At  this  time  the  eloquent  king  Saudasa,  sprung  from  the  race  of  Ikshvaku,  pro- 
ceeded, after  salutation,  to  make  an  enquiry  of  his  family-priest  Vas'ishtha,  the  eternal 
saint,  the  most  excellent  of  rishis,  who  was  able  to  traverse  all  the  world,  and  was  a 
treasure  of  sacred  knowledge  :  '  What,  rf  venerable  and  sinless  man,  is  declared  to  be 
the  purest  thing  in  the  three  worlds,  by  constantly  celebrating  which  one  may  acquire 
the  highest  merit  ?  "  Vas'ishtha  in  reply  expatiates  at  great  length  on  the  merit  re- 
sulting from  bestowing  cows,  and  ascribes  to  these  animals  some  wonderful  properties? 
as  that  they  are  the  "  support  of  all  beings"  (pratishtha  bhutanam,  verse  3736),  "  the 
present  and  the  future"  (gai-o  bhTitam  cha  bhavyam  cha,  3737),  and  describes  the  cow  as 
"  pervading  the  universe,  mother  of  the  past  and  future  "  (yaya  sarvam  idam  vyaptam 
jagat  sthavara-jangamam  \  tarn  dhenum  sirasa  vande  bhuia-bhavyasya  mataram,  3799). 
The  sequel  is  thus  told  in  verse  3801 :  Varam  idam  iti  bhumido  {bhumipo}')  vichintya 
pravaram  risher  vachanam  tato  mahatma  \  vyasrijata  niyatatmavan  dvijebhyo  subahu 
cha  go-dhanam  aptavafus  lokan  \  "  The  great,  self-subduing  king,  considering  that 
these  words  of  the  rishi  were  most  excellent,  lavished  on  the  Brahmans  very  great 
wealth  in  the  shape  of  cows,  and  obtained  the  worlds." — So  here  we  find  the  son  of 
Saudasa  extolled  as  a  saint. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  375 

same  individual  with  whom  we  are  at  present  concerned,  they  are  diffi- 
cult to  reconcile  with  these  traditions  in  the  Brahmanas,  Mahabharata, 
and  Puranas ;  inasmuch  as  they  are  not  said  to  be  the  productions  of 
Visvamitra  or  his  descendants,  and  as  they  necessarily  imply  that  Sudas 
was  a  pious  prince  who  worshipped  the  popular  deities  in  the  way  pre- 
scribed by  the  rishis  by  whom  he  was  commemorated,  since  the  latter 
would  not  otherwise  have  celebrated  him  in  their  hymns  as  a  con- 
spicuous object  of  divine  favour.  Tradition,  too,  as  we  have  seen 
(p.  268)  represents  Sudas  to  have  been  the  author  of  a  Yedic  hymn. 
The  verses  of  the  104th  hymn  of  the  seventh  book  which  I  have  quoted 
(above,  p.  327)  do  not  appear  to  contribute  any  further  aid  towards  the 
solution  of  the  question  under  consideration.  Assuming  that  they  con- 
tain a  curse  aimed  at  Visvamitra  we  .have  no  means  of  ascertaining 
when  they  were  uttered ;  whether  the  charge  preferred  against  Vasish- 
tha preceded  or  followed  the  ascendancy  of  his  rival. 

We  seem,  therefore,  to  possess  no  sufficient  data  for  settling  the 
question  of  the  relations  in  which  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra  respec- 
tively stood  to  king  Sudas,  further  than  that  they  both  appear,  from 
the  hymns  of  the  Big-veda,  to  have  been,  at  one  period  or  another,  his 
family  priests ;  but  which  of  the  two  was  the  first,  and  which  the  last, 
to  enjoy  the  king's  favour,  must,  according  to  'all  appearance,  remain  a 
mystery. 

SECT.  VIII. — Story  of  Trisanku. 

I  shall  now  proceed  to  adduce  the  different  legends  in  the  Puranas, 
the  Ramayana,  and  the  Mahabharata^  in  which  Vasishtha  and  Visva- 
mitra are  represented  as  coming  into  conflict. 

In  the  third  chapter  of  the  fourth  book  of  the  Vishnu  Purana  (Wilson, 
vol.  iii.  pp.  284  ff.)  we  find  a  story  about  a  king  Satyavrata,  called  also 
Trisanku,  the  26th  in  descent  from  Ikshvaku,  who  had  become  degraded 
to  the  condition  of  a  Chandala,  about  whom  it  is  briefly  related,  iv.  3,  1 3  : 
Dvadasa-varshikyam  anuvrishtyam  Visvamitra  -  kalatrapatya  -poshanar- 
tham  chandala  - pratigraha- pariharanaya  cha,  Jalmavl-tlra-nyagrodhe 
mriga-mamsam  anudinam  lalandha  \  14.  Paritushtena  cha  Visvamitrena 
sa-sarlrah  svargam  dropitah  \  "During  a  twelve  years'  drought  he  daily 
suspended  deer's  flesh  for  the  support  of  Visvamitra's  wife  and  children 


376  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

on  a  nyagrodha-tree  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges,  intending  by  this 
means  to  spare  them  the  (humiliation  of)  receiving  a  gift  from  a  Chan- 
dala ;  and  was  in  consequence  raised  bodily  to  heaven  by  Yis  vamitra, 
who  was  gratified  (with  his  conduct)."  173 

This  story  is  told  at  greater  length  in  the  Harivamsa  (sections  12 
and  13)  where  Vasishtha  also  is  introduced.  I  have  already  (p.  337) 
remarked  on  the  super-human  longevity  ascribed  to  this  sage,  who  is 
represented  as  contemporary  both  with  Ikshvaku,  and  with  his  descend- 
ants down  to  the  sixty -first  generation.  But  Indian  mythology,  with  its 
boundless  resources  in  supernatural  machinery,  and  in  the  doctrine  of 
transmigration,  can  reconcile  all  discrepancies,  and  explain  away  all 
anachronisms,  making  any  sage  re-appear  at  any  juncture  when  his 
presence  may  be  required,  another  and  yet  the  same. 

The  Harivamsa  states  that  Satyavrata  (Trisanku)  had  been  expelled 
from  his  home  by  his  father  for  the  offence  of  carrying  off  the  young 
wife  of  one  of  the  citizens  under  the  influence  of  a  criminal  passion 
(verse  718.  Yena  lharyya  hrita  purvam  hritodvaha  parasya  vai  \  720. 
Jahdra  kdmdt  Icanyam  sa  kasyachit  puravasinah} ;  and  that  Vasishtha 
did  not  interfere  to  prevent  his  banishment.  His  father  retired  to  the 
woods  to  live  as  a  hermit.  In  consequence  of  the  wickedness  which 
had  been  committed,  Indra  did  not  rain  for  a  period  of  twelve  years. 
At  that  time  Vis  vamitra  had  left  his  wife  and  children  and  gone  to 
practice  austerities  on  the  sea-shore.  His  wife,  driven  to  extremity  by 
want,  was  on  the  point  of  selling  her  second  son  for  a  hundred  cows,  in 
order  to  support  the  others ;  but  this  arrangement  was  stopped  by  the 
intervention  of  Satyavrata,  who  liberated  the  son  when  bound,171  and 

». 

173  In  the  Mahabh.  S'antip.  verses  5330  ff.  (referred  to  by  Weber,  Ind.  St.  i.  475, 
note)  there  is  a  story  of  Vis'vamitra  determining  to  eat  dog's  flesh  in  a  period  of  famine 
between  the  end  of  the  the  Treta-age  and  the  beginning  of  the  Dvapara;  and  holding 
a  conversation  on  this  subject  with  'a  Chandala.     The  circumstance  is  referred  to  in 
Manu,  x.  108  :  Ksliudlmrttas  chattum  abhyagad  Visvamitrah  sva  -jaghanlm  \  chan- 
dala-hastadadaya  dharmadharma-vichakshanah  \  "And  Yis'vamitra,  who  knew  right 
and  wrong,  resolved  to  eat  a  dog's  thigh,  taking  it  from  the  hand  of  a  Chandala." 

174  See  in  Ind.  Stud.  ii.  121  ff.  Professor  Eoth's  remarks  on  the  peculiar  relation  in 
which  he  regards  this  story  as  standing  to  that  of  S'unas's'epa,  as  given  in  the  Aitareya 
Brahmana.     The  various  incidents  in  the  one  present  in  many  respects  a  curious 
parallel  to  those  of  the  other,  which  he  considers  can  hardly  be  accidental ;  and  he 
thinks  this  version  of  the  legend  of  Trisanku  may  have  arisen  out  of  a  transformation 
and  distortion  of  that  of  S'unas'sepa. 


THE  BRAHMANS   AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  377 

maintained  the  family  by  providing  them  with  the  flesh  of  wild 
animals :  and  according  to  his  father's  injunction,  consecrated  himself 
for  the  performance  of  a  silent  penance  for  twelve  years  (verse  732. 
Updmsa  -  vratam  dsthdya  dlkshdm  dvddasa  -  vdrshiklm  \  pitur  niyogdd 
avahat  tasmin  vana-gate  nripe).  The  story  proceeds  thus  : 

Verse  733.  Ayodhydm  chaiva  rdshtram  clia  tathaivdntahpuram  munih  \ 
ydjyopddhydya-sambandhdd  Vasishthah  paryarakshata  \  Satyavratas  tu 
bdlydd  vai  bhdvino  'rthasya  vd  laldt  \  Vasishthe  'Ihyadhikam  manyum 
dhdraydmdsa  nityadd  \  735.  Pitrd  hi  tarn  tadd  rdjydt  tyajyamdnam 
svam  dtmajam  \  na  vdraydmdsa  munir  Vasishthah  kdranena  ha  \  pdni- 
grahana-mantrdndm  nishthd  sydt  saptame  pade  \  na  cha  Satyavratas  tas- 
mdd  dhritavdn  saptame  pade  \  jdnan  dharmdn  Vasishthas  tu  na  mam 
trdtlti  Bhdrata  \  Satyavratas  tadd  rvsham  Vasishthe  manasd  'karot  \ 
guna-luddhyd  tu  bhagavdn  Vasishthah  kritavtims  tadd  \  na  cha  Satya- 
vratas tasya  tarn  updmsum  aludhyata  |  .  .  .  .  740.  Tena  tv  iddrilm 
vahatd  dlkshdm  tdm  durvahdm  bhuvi  \  "  kulasya  nishkritis  tdta  kritd  sd 
vai  bhaved"  iti  \  na  tarn  VaSishtho  bhagavdn  pitrd  tyaktam  nyavdrayat  \ 
alhishekshydmy  ahani  putram  asyety  evam  matir  muneh  \  sa  tu  dvddasa- 
varshdni  tdm  dlkshdm  udvahan  ball  \  avidyamdne  mdmse  tu  Vasishthasya 
mahdtmanah  \  sarva-kdma-dughdm  dogdhrlm  dadarsa  sa  nripdtmajah  \ 
tdm  vai  krodhdch  cha  mohdch  cha  sramdch  chaiva  kshudhdrditah  \  dasa- 
dharma-gato  rdjd  jaghdna  Janamejaya  j  .  .  .  .  745.  Tach  cha  mdm- 
saih  svayam  chaiva  Visvdmitrasya  chdtmajdn  \  bhojaydmdsa  tach 
chhrutvd  Vasishtho  'py  asya  chukrudhe  |  .  .  .  .  750.  Visvdmitras  tu 
ddrdndm  dgato  bharane  krite  \  sa  tu  tasmai  varam  prdddd  munih  prltas 
Trisanliave  \  chhandyamdno  varendtha  varam  vavre  nripdtmajah  \  sasarlro 
vraje  svargam  ity  evam  ydchito  varah*  \  andvrishti-hhaye  tasmin  gate  dvd- 
dasa-vdrshike  \  pitrye  'bhishichya  rdjye  tu  ydjaydmdsa  tarn  munih  \  mi- 
shatdm  devatdndm  cha  Vasishthasya  cha  Kausikah  \  sasarlram  tadd  tarn 
tu  divam  dropayat  pralhuh  \ 

733.  "  Meanwhile  Vasishtha,  from  the  relation  subsisting  between 
the  king  (Satyavrata's  father)  and  himself,  as  disciple 175  and  spiritual 
preceptor,  governed  the  city  of  Ayodhya,  the  country,  and  the  interior 
apartments  of  the  royal  palace.  But  Satyavrata,  whether  through  folly 
or  the  force  of  destiny,  cherished  constantly  an  increased  indignation 
against  Vasishtha,  who  for  a  (proper)  reason  had  not  interposed  to  pre- 
175  Literally  "  the  person  in  whose  behalf  sacrifice  was  to  be  performed." 


378  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

vent  his  exclusion  from  the  royal  power  by  his  father.  '  The  formulas 
of  the  marriage  ceremonial  are  only  binding,'  said  Satyavrata,  '  when 
the  seventh  step  has  been  taken,176  and  this  had  not  been  done  when  I 
seized  the  damsel :  still  Yasishtha,  who  knows  the  precepts  of  the  law, 
does  not  come  to  my  aid.'  Thus  Satyavrata  was  incensed  in  his  mind 
against  Yasishtha,  who,  however,  had  acted  from  a  sense  of  what  was 
right.  'Nor  did  Satyavrata  understand  (the  propriety  of)  that  silent 

penance  imposed  upon  him  by  his  father 740.  When  he  had 

supported  this  arduous  rite,  (he  supposed  that)  he  had  redeemed  his 
family  position.  The  venerable  muni  Yasishtha  did  not,  however,  (as 
has  been  said)  prevent  his  father  from  setting  him  aside,  but  resolved 
to  install  his  son  as  king.  When  the  powerful  prince  Satyavrata  had 
endured  the  penance  for  twelve  years,  he  beheld,  when  he  was  without 
flesh  to  eat,  the  milch  cow  of  Yasishtha  which  yielded  all  objects  of 
desire  j  and  under  the  influence  of  anger,  delusion,  and  exhaustion, 
distressed  by  hunger,  and  failing  in  the  ten  duties  [the  opposites  of 
which  are  then  enumerated]  he  slew  her  ....  (745)  and  both  partook 
of  her  flesh  himself,  and  gave  it  to  Yisvamitra's  sons  to  eat.  Yasishtha 
hearing  of  this,  became  incensed  against  him,"  and  imposed  on  him  the 
name  of  Trisanku  as  he  had  committed  three  sins  (verses  747-749). 
"  750.  On  his  return  home,  Yisvamitra  was  gratified  by  the  support 
which  his  wife  had  received,  and  offered  Trisanku  the  choice  of  a  boon. 
When  this  proposal  was  made,  Trisanku  chose  the  boon  of  ascending 
bodily  to  heaven.  All  apprehension  from  the  twelve  years'  drought 
being  now  at  an  end,  the  muni  (Yisvamitra)  installed  Trisanku  in  his 
father's  kingdom,  and  offered  sacrifice  on  his  behalf.  The  mighty 
Kausika  then,  in  spite  of  the  resistance  of  the  gods  and  of  Yasishtha, 
exalted  the  king  alive  to  heaven." 

The  legend  of  Trisanku  is  also  related,  though  differently,  in  the 
Balakanda  of  the  Ramayana ;  but  as  it  is  there  introduced  as  a  portion 
of  the  history  of  Yisvamitra's  various  contests  with  Yasishtha  recorded 
in  the  51st  to  65th  sections  of  that  book,  I  shall  reserve  it  till  I  take 
up  that  narrative. 

ITS  "The  next  ceremony  is  the  bride's  stepping  seven  steps.    It  is  the  most  material 
of  all  the  nuptial  rites ;  for  the  marriage  is  complete  and  irrevocable  so  soon  as  she  , 
has  taken  the  seventh  step,  and  no  sooner."     Colebrooke's  Misc.  Ess.  i.  218,  where 
further  details  will  be  found. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  379 

• 

SECT.  IX. — Legend  of  Harischandra. 

The  son  of  Trisanku,  the  subject  of  the  preceding  story,  was  Haris- 
chandra,  whose  name  is  mentioned  in  the  Vishnu.  P.,  hut  without  any 
allusion  to  the  events  of  his  life.  According  to  the  Markandeya 
Purana, i77  however,  he  gave  up  his  whole  country,  and  sold  his  wife 
and  son,  and  finally  himself,  in  satisfaction  of  Visvamitra' s  demands  for 
money.  The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  story  as  there  told,  book  i. 
sections  7-9.  We  may  perhaps  regard  it  as  having  in  part  a  polemical 
import,  and  as  intended  to  represent  Visvamitra,  the  Kshattriya  rival 
of  the  Brahmans,  in  the  most  unfavourable  colours.  The  sufferings  of 
Harischandra,  his  wife,  and  son,  are  very  pathetically  depicted,  and  the 
effect  of  the  various  incidents  is  heightened  with  great  artistic  skill. 
The  story,  in  fact,  appears  to  me  one  of  the  most  touching  to  be  found  in 
Indian  literature.  Harischandra,  the  Purana  tells  us,  was  a  royal  rishi 
(rajarshi)  who  lived  in  the  Treta  age,  and  was  renowned  for  his  virtues, 
and  the  universal  prosperity,  moral  and  physical,  which  prevailed  dur- 
ing his  reign.  On  one  occasion,  when  hunting,  the  king  heard  a  sound 
of  female  lamentation  which  proceeded,  it  appears,  from  the  Sciences  who 
were  becoming  mastered  by  the  austerely-fervid  sage  Visvamitra,  in  a 
way  they  had  never  been  before  by  anyone  else ;  and  were  consequently 
crying  out  in  alarm  at  his  superiority.  In  fulfilment  of  his  duty  as  a 
Kshattriya  to  defend  the  weak,  and  inspired  by  the  god  Ganesa,-who  had 
entered  into  him,  Harischandra  exclaimed  (i.  7,  12)  "  'What  sinner  is 
this  who  is  binding  fire  in  the  hem  of  his  garment,  while  I,  his  lord, 
am  present,  resplendent  with  force  and  fiery  vigour  ? '  He  shall  to- 
day enter  on  his  long  sleep,  pierced  in  all  his  limbs  by  arrows,  which, 
by  their  discharge  from  my  bow,  illuminate  all  the  quarters  of  the 
firmament"  (12.  Ko'yam  ladhndti  vastrdnte  pavakam  papa-krm  narah  \ 
balos/ma-tejasd  dipte  mayi  patydv  upasthite  \  1 3.  So  'dya  mat-Mrmukd- 
kshepa  -  vidlpita  -  digantaraih  \  sarair  vibhinna  -  sarvango  dirghanidrdm 
pravekshyati  |).  Visvamitra  was  provoked  by  this  address.  In  con- 
sequence of  his  wrath  the  Sciences  instantly  perished,  and  Harischandra, 
trembling  like  the  leaf  of  an  asvattha  tree,  submissively  represented  that 

177  The  same  story  is  told  in  the  Padma  Purana  also.  See  Wilson's  V.P.  vol.  iii. 
p.  287,  and  note.  The  glory  of  Haris'chandra  is  described  in  the  M.Bh.  Sabhap. 
•verses  489  ff. 


380  EAELT  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

he  had  merely  done  his  duty  as  a  king,  which  he  defined  as  consisting 
in  the  bestowal  of  gifts  on  eminent  Brahmans  and  other  persons  of 
slender  means,  the  protection  of  the  timid,  and  war  against  enemies. 
Visvamitra  hereupon  demands  a  gift  as  a  Brahman  intent  upon  receiv- 
ing one.  The  king  offers  him  whatever  he  may  ask  :  Gold,  his  own  son, 
wife,  body,  life,  kingdom,  good  fortune  (hiranyam  vti  suvarnam  vd  putrah 
patnl  kalevaram  \  prunah  rdjyam  puraih  lakshmlr  yad,  dbJiipretam  utma- 
nah  | ).  The  saint  first  requires  the  present  for  the  Rajasuya  sacrifice.  On 
this  being  promised,  and  still  more  offered,  he  asks  for  the  empire  of 
the  whole  earth,  including  everything  but  Harischandra  himself,  his 
wife  and  son,  and  his  virtue  which  follows  its  possessor  wherever  he 
goes178  (i.  7,  28.  Vina  bharyyam  cha  putram  cha,  sariram  cha  tavanagha  \ 
29.  DJtarmam  cha  sarva  -  dharma^-jna  yo  yantam  anugachhati).  Haris- 
chandra joyfully  agrees.  Visvamitra  then  requires  him  to  strip  off  all 
his  ornaments,  to  clothe  himself  in  the  bark  of  trees,  and  to  quit  the 
kingdom  with  his  wife  S'aivya  and  his  son.  When  he  is  departing 
the  sage  stops  him  and  demands  payment  of  his  yet  unpaid  sacrificial 
fee.  The  king  replies  that  he  has  only  the  persons  of  his  wife,  his 
son,  and  himself  left.  Visvamitra  insists  that  he  must  nevertheless 
pay  ;  and  that  "  unfulfilled  promises  of  gifts  to  Brahmans  bring  destruc- 
tion" (i.  7.  35.  Viseshato  brdTimanunam  Jianty  adattam pratisrutairi}.  The 
unfortunate  prince,  after  being  threatened  with  a  curse,  engages  to 
make  the  payment  in  a  month ;  and  commences  his  journey  with  a 
wife  unused  to  such  fatigues,  amid  the  universal  lamentations  of  his 
subjects.  While  he  lingers,  listening  to  their  affectionate  remonstrances 
against  his  desertion  of  his  kingdom,  Visvamitra  comes  up,  and  being 

r 

178  Compare  Manu's  very  striking  verses,  viii.  17,  and  iv.  239  ff.,  which  may  be 
freely  rendered  as  follows : 

"  Our  virtue  is  the  only  friend  that  follows  us  in  death ; 

All  other  ties  and  friendships  end  with  our  departing  breath. 

Nor  father,  mother,  wife,  nor  son  beside  us  then  can  stay, 

Nor  kinsfolk  : — virtue  is  the  one  companion  of  our  way. 

Alone  each  creature  sees  the  light,  alone  the  world  he  leaves ; 

Alone  of  actions,  wrong  or  right,  the  recompence  receives. 

Like  log  or  clod,  beneath  the  sod  their  lifeless  kinsman  laid, 

His  friends  turn  round  and  quit  the  ground ;  but  virtue  tends  the  dead. 

Be  then  a  hoard  of  virtue  stored,  to  help  in  day  of  doom  ; 

By  virtue  led,  we  cross  the  dread,  immeasurable  gloom." 
See  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society,  vol.  six.  for  1862,  p.  303  f. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  381 

incensed  at  the  delay  and  the  king's  apparent  hesitation,  strikes  the 
queen  with  his  staff,  as  she  is  dragged  on  by  her  husband.  All  this 
Harischandra  endures  with  patience,  uttering  no  complaint.  Then  the 
five  Visvedevas,  merciful  gods,  exclaimed,  "  'To  what  worlds  shall  this 
sinner  Visvamitra  go,  who  has  thrust  down  this  most  excellent  of  sacri- 
ficers  from  the  royal  dignity?  Whose  faith  shall  now  sanctify  the 
soma-juice  poured  out  with  recitation  of  texts  at  the  great  sacrifice, 
that  we  may  drink  it,  and  become  exhilarated '  "  (i.  7,  62.  Aiha  visve 
tadd  devdh  pancha  prdhuh  Icripdlavah  \  Visvdmitrah  supdpo  ''yam  loktin 
lean  samav  tipsy  ati  \  63.  Yenayam  yajvandm  sreshthah  sva-rdjydd  avaro- 
pitah  |  Jcasya  vd  sraddhayd  piitam  sutam  somam  mahddhva/re  \  pltvd 
vayam  praydsydmo  mudam  mantra  - purassaram  |).  Visvamitra  heard 
what  they  said,  and  by  a  curse  doomed  them  to  become  men;  he 
relented,  however,  so  far  as  to  exempt  them  from  having  offspring,  and 
from  other  family  ties  and  human  weaknesses,  and  promised  that  they 
should  eventually  be  restored  to  their  pristine  position  as  gods.  They  in 
consequence  became  partially  incarnate  as  the  five  Pandus,  the  sons  of 
Draupadi.  Eesuming  the  story  of  Harischandra,  the  writer  tells  us  that 
he  then  proceeded  with  his  wife  and  little  son  to  Benares,  imagining 
that  this  divine  city,  as  the  special  property  of  S'iva,  could  not  be  pos- 
sessed by  any  mortal.  Here  he  found  the  relentless  Visvamitra  waiting 
for  him,  and  ready  to  press  his  demand  for  the  payment  of  his  sacri- 
ficial gift,  even  before  the*  expiration  of  the  full  period  of  grace.  In 
this  extremity  S'aivya  the  queen  suggests  with  a  sobbing  voice  that  her 
husband  should  sell  her.  On  hearing  this  proposal  Harischandra  swoons, 
then  recovers,  utters  lamentations,  and  swoons  again,  and  his  wife,  see- 
ing his  sad  condition,  swoons  also.  While  they  are  in  a  state  of  un- 
consciousness, their  famished  child"  exclaims  in  distress,  "  0  father, 
father,  give  me  bread ;  0  mother,  mother,  give  me  food  :  hunger  over- 
powers me;  and  my  tongue  is  parched"  (i.  8,  35.  Tata  tdta  dadasvdn- 
nam  ambdmba  Ihojanaih  dada  \  kshud  me  lalavatl  jdtti  jihvdgram  susJiyate 
tatlia].  At  this  moment  Visvamitra  returns,  and  after  recalling  Haris- 
chandra to  consciousness  by  sprinkling  water  over  him,  again  urges 
payment  of  the  present.  The  king  again  swoons,  and  is  again  restored. 
The  sage  threatens  to  curse  him  if  his  engagement  is  not  fulfilled  by 
sunset.  Being  now  pressed  by  his  wife,  the  king  agrees  to  sell  her, 
adding,  however,  "  If  my  voice  can  utter  such  a  wicked  word,  I  do 


382  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

what  the  most  inhuman  wretches  cannot  perpetrate  "  (i.  8,  48  f.  Nri- 
samsair  api  yat  karttum  na  sakyam  tat  karomy  aham  \  yadi  me  sakyate 
vanl  vaktum  idrik  sudurvachaK).  He  then  goes  into  the  city,  and  in 
self-accusing  language  offers  his  queen  for  sale  as  a  slave.  A  rich  old 
Brahman  offers  to  buy  her  at  a  price  corresponding  to  her  value,  to  do 
his  household  work.  Harischandra's  heart  was  torn,  and  he  could  make 
no  reply.  The  Brahman  paid  down  the  money,  and  was  dragging  away 
the  queen  by  the  hair  of  her  head,  when  her  little  .son  Kohitasva,  seeing 
his  mother  about  to  be  taken  away  from  him,  began  to  cry,  and  laid 
hold  of  her  skirts.  The  mother  then  exclaims  :  i.  8,  59,  "  MuncJidryya 
muncha  mam  tdvad  yuvat  pdsydmy  aham  sisum  \  durlalham  darsanam 
tdta  punar  asya  lhavishyati  \  60.  Pasyaihi  vatsa  mam  evam  mdtaram 
ddsyatdm  gatdm  \  mdm  md  sprdkshih  rdja-puttra  asprisyd  'ham  tavd- 
dhund"  |  61.  Tatah  sa  bdlah  sahasd  drishtvd  krishtdm  tu  mdtaram  \ 
samabhyadhdvad  ambeti  rudan  sdsrdvilekshanah  \  62.  Tarn  dgatam  dvijah 
kretd  bdlam  abhydhanat  padd  \  vadams  tathdpi  so  'mleti  naivdmunchata 
mdtaram  \  63.  Rdjapatny  uvdclia  \  "  prasddam  kuru  me  ndtha  krlmshve- 
mam  cha  Idlakam  \  krltd  'pi  naham  lhavato  vinainam  kdryya-sddhikd  \ 
64.  IttJiam  mamdlpa-lhdgyaydh  prasdda-sumukho  lhava  \  main  saihyojaya, 
Idlenavatsenevapayasvinlm"  \  §5.Brdhmanahuvdcha  \ugriJiyatdmvittam 
etat  te  dlyatdm  Idlako  mama  "  |  "  'Let  me  go,  let  me  go,  venerable  sir, 
till  I  look  upon  my  son.  I  shall  hardly  ever  behold  him  again.  Come, 
my  darling,  see  thy  mother  now  become  a  slave.  Touch  me  not,  young 
prince ;  I  may  no  longer  be  handled  by  thee.'  Seeing  his  mother 
dragged  away,  the  child  ran  after  her,  his  eyes  dimmed  with  tears, 
and  crying  '  mother.'  The  Brahman  purchaser  kicked  him  when  he 
came  up;  but  he  would  not  let  his  mother  go,  and  continued 
crying  '  mother,  mother.'  The  queen  then  said  to  the  Brahman,  '  Be 
so  kind,  my  master,  as  to  buy  also  this  child,  as  without  him  I  shall 
prove  to  thee  but  a  useless  purchase.  64.  Be  thus  merciful  to  me  in  my 
wretchedness;  unite  me  with  my  son,  like  a  cow  to  her  calf.'179  The 
Brahman  agrees  :  '  Take  this  money  and  give  me  the  boy.'  "  When  his 
wife  and  son  were  being  carried  away,  Harischandra  broke  out  into 
lamentations :  i.  8,  68.  Yam  na  vdyur  na  chddityo  nendur  na  c?ia  pri- 
thag-janah  \  drishtavantah  purd  patnlm  seyam  ddsltvam  dgatd  \  69. 
Surya-vamsa-prasuto  'yam  sukumdra-kardngulih  \  samprdpto  vikrayam 
179  The  whole  of  this  reads  like  a  scene  from  "  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  383 

bulo  dhin  mdm  astu  sudurmatim  \  "  '  She,  my  spouse,  whom  neither  air, 
nor  sun,  nor  moon,  nor  stranger  had  beheld,  is  now  gone  into  slavery. 
This  my  son,  a  scion  of  the  solar  race,  with  his  delicate  hands  and 
fingers,  has  been  sold.  Woe  to  me,  wicked  wretch  that  I  am.'  "  After 
the  Brahman  had  gone  out  of  sight  with  his  purchases,  Visvamitra 
again  appeared  and  renewed  his  demands;  and  when  the  afflicted 
Harischandra  offered  him  the  small  sum  he  ha4  obtained  by  the  sale  of 
his  wife  and  son,  he  angrily  replied ,  i.  8,  74  :  Kshattrabandho  mame- 
mdm  tvam  sadrislm  yajna-dakshindm  \  manyase  yadi  tat  Icshipram  pasya 
tvam  me  lalam  par  am  \  75.  Tapaso  'ttra  sutaptasya  Irdhmanyasydmala- 
sya  cha  \  mat-prabhdvasya  chograsya  suddhasyddhyayanasya  cha  \  "  'If, 
miserable  Kshattriya,  thou  thinkest  this  a  sacrificial  gift  befitting  my 
deserts,  thou  shalt  soon  behold  the  transcendent  power  of  my  ardent 
austere-fervour,  of  my  spotless  Brahmanhood,  of  my  terrible  majesty, 
and  of  my  holy  study.'  "  Harischandra  promises  an  additional  gift, 
and  Visvamitra  allows  him  the  remaining  quarter  of  the  day  for  its 
liquidation.  On  the  terrified  and  afflicted  prince  offering  himself  for 
sale,  in  order  to  gain  the  means  of  meeting  this  cruel  demand,  Dharma 
(Righteousness)  appears  in  the  form  of  a  hideous  and  offensive  Chan- 
dala, and  agrees  to  buy  him  at  his  own  price,  large  or  small.  Haris- 
chandra declines  such  a  degrading  servitude,  and  declares  that  he 
would  rather  be  consumed  by  the  fire  of  his  persecutor's  curse  than 
submit  to  such  a  fate.  Visvamitra  however  again  comes  on  the  scene, 
asks  why  he  does  not  accept  the  large  sum  offered  by  the  Chandala ; 
and,  when  he  pleads  in  excuse  his  descent  from  the  solar  race,  threatens 
to  fulminate  a  curse  against  him  if  he  does  not  accept  that  method  of 
meeting  his  liability.  Harischandra,  implores  that  he  may  be  spared 
this  extreme  of  degradation,  and  offers  to  become  Visvamitra's  slave  in 
payment  of  the  residue  of  his  debt;  whereupon  the  sage  rejoins,  "If 
thou  art  my  slave,  then  I  sell  thee  as  such  to  the  Chandala  for  a  hundred 
millions  of  money"  (i.  8,  95.  Yadi  preshyo  mama  bhavdn  chanddldya 
tato  mayd  \  ddsa-bhavam  anuprdpto  datto  vittdrludena  vai  |).  The 
Chandala,  delighted,  pays  down  the  money,  and  carries  off  Harischandra, 
bound,  beaten,  confused,  and  afflicted,  to  his  own  place  of  abode.  Morn- 
ing, noon,  and  evening  the  unfortunate  prince  repeats  these  words : 
i.  8,  99.  Bald  dlna-mukhl  drishtvd  Idlam  dlna-mulcJiam  purah  \  mdm 
smaraty  asukhdvishtd  "  mochayishyati  nau  nripah  \  100.  Updtta-vitto 


384  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

vipraya  dattvd  vittam  ato  'dhikam "  |  na  sd  mum  mriga-sdvdkshl  vetti 
pdpataram  kritam  \  101.  Rdjya-ndsah  suJirit-tydgo  bhdryyti-tanaya-vik- 
rayah  \  pruptd  chanddlata  cheyam  oho  duhkha-parampard  \  "My  tender 
wife,  dejected,  looking  upon  my  dejected  boy,  calls  me  to  mind  while 
she  says,  'The  king  will  ransom  us  (100)  after  he  has  gained  money, 
and  paid  the  Brahman  a  larger  sum  than  he  gave  for  us.'  But  my 
fawn-eyed  spouse  is  ignorant  that  I  have  become  yet  more  wretched 
than  before.  101.  Loss  of  my  kingdom,  abandonment  of  friends,  sale 
of  my  wife  and  son,  and  this  fall  into  the  condition  of  a  Chandala, — 
what  a  succession  of  miseries !  "  Harischandra  is  sent  by  the  Chandala 
to  steal  grave-clothes  in  a  cemetery  (which  is  described  at  tedious  length, 
with  all  its  horrors  and  repulsive  features),  and  is  told  that  he  will 
receive  two-sixths  of  the  value  for  his  hire ;  three-sixths  going  to  his 
master,  and  one-sixth  to  the  king.  In  this  horrid  spot,  and  in  this 
degrading  occupation,  he  spent,  in  great  misery,  twelve  months,  which 
seemed  to  him  like  a  hundred  years  (i.  8,  127.  Evam  dvddasa-mdsds  tu 
nltdh  sata-samopamdh\  He  then  falls  asleep  and  has  a  series  of  dreams 
suggested  by  the  life  he  had  been  leading  (smasdndbhydsa-yoffena,  verse 
129).  After  he  awoke,  his  wife  came  to  the  cemetery  to  perform  the 
obsequies  of  their  son,  who  had  died  from  the  bite  of  a  serpent  (verses 
171  ff.).  At  first  the  husband  and  wife  did  not  recognize  each  other, 
from  the  change  in  appearance  which  had  been  wrought  upon  them 
both  by  their  miseries.  Harischandra,  however,  soon  discovers  from 
the  tenor  of  her  lamentations  that  it  is  his  wife,  and  falls  into  a  swoon  ; 
as  the  queen  does  also  when  she  recognizes  her  husband.  When  con- 
sciousness returns,  they  both  break  out  into  lamentations,  the  father 
bewailing  in  a  touching  strain  the  loss  of  his  son,  and  the  wife  the  de- 
gradation of  the  king.  She  then'falls  on  his  neck,  embraces  him,  and 
asks  "  whether  all  this  is  a  dream,  or  a  reality,  as  she  is  utterly  be- 
wildered ;  "  and  adds,  that  "  if  it  be  a  reality,  then  righteousness  is  un- 
availing to  those  who  practise  it "  (verse  210.  Rdjan  svapno  'tha  tathyam 
vd  yad  etad  manyate  bhavdn  \  tat  kathyatam  mahubhaga,  mano  vai  muh- 
yate  mama  \  211.  Yady  etad  evam  dharmajna  ndsti  dliarmq  sahdyatd  |). 
After  hesitating  to  devote  himself  to  death  on  his  son's  funeral  pyre 
without  receiving  his  master's  leave,  (as  such  an  act  of  insubordination 
might  send  him  to  hell)  (verses  215  ff.),  Harischandra  resolves  to  do  so, 
braving  all  the  consequences,  and  consoling  himself  with  the  hopeful 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  385 

anticipation :  verse  224.  Yadi  dattam  yadi  hutam  guravo  yadi  toshitdh  \ 
paratra  sangamo  Ihuyat  puttrena  saha  cha  tvayd  \  "  If  I  have  given 
gifts,  and  offered  sacrifices,  and  gratified  my  religious  teachers,  then 
may  I  be  reunited  with  my  son  and  with  thee  (my  wife)  in  another 
world."180  The  queen  determines  to  die  in  the  same  manner.  When 
Harischandra,  after  placing  his  sou's  body  on  the  funeral  pile,  is  medi- 
tating on  the  lord  Hari  Narayana  Krishna,  the  supreme  spirit,  all  the 
gods  arrive,  headed  by  Dharma  (Righteousness),  and  accompanied  by 
Visvamitra.181  Dharma  entreats  the  king  to  desist  from  his  rash  in- 

180  In  the  following  verses  of  the  Atharva-veda  a  hope  is  expressed  that  families 
may  be  re-united  in  the  next  world:  vi.  120,  3.  Yattra  suharddah  suhrido  madanti 
vihaya  rogam  tanvah  svayah  \  aslonah  angair  ahrutah  svarge  tattra  pas'yema  pitarau 
cha  putran  \  "In  heaven,  where  our  friends, and  intimates  live  in  blessedness,  having 
left  behind  them  the  infirmities  of  their  bodies,  free  from  lameness  or  distortion  of 
limb, — may  we  behold  our  parents  and  our  children."     ix.  5,  27.   Fa  purvam  patim 
vittva  athanyam  vindate  'param  \  panchaudanam  cha  tav  ajam  daddto  na  vi  yoshatah  \ 
28.  Sanianaloko  bhavati  punarbhuvd  'parah  patih  \  yo  'jam  panchaudanam  dakshina- 

jyotisham  dadati  \  "  When  a  woman  has  had  one  husband  before,  and  takes  another, 
if  they  present  the  aja  panchaudana  offering  they  shall  not  be  separated.  28.  A  second 
husband  dwells  in  the  same  (future)  world  with  his  re-wedded  wife,  if  he  offers  the 
aja  panchaudana,  illuminated  by  presents."  xii.  3,  17.  Svargam  lokam  abhi  no  nayasi 
sam  jay  ay  a  saha  puttraih  syama  \  "  Mayest  thou  conduct  us  to  heaven ;  may  we  be 
with  our  wives  and  children."  xviii.  3,  23.  Svan  gachhatu  te  mano  adha  pitrln  upa 
drava  \  "May  thy  soul  go  to  its  own  (its  kindred)  and  llasten  to  the  fathers."  From 
the  texts  cited  by  Mr.  Colebrooke  "  on  the  duties  of  a  faithful  Hindu  widow,"  (Misc. 
Ess.  115  ff.)  it  appears  that  the  widow  who  becomes  a  sati  (i.e.  burns  herself  with 
her  husband's  corpse,  or,  in  certain  cases,  afterwards)  has  the  promise  of  rejoining  her 
lord  in  another  life,  and  enjoying  celestial  felicity  in  his  society.  In  order  to  ensure 
such  a  result  in  all  cases  it  was  necessary  either  that  both  husband  and  wife  should 
have  by  their  lives  merited  equal  rewards  in  another  existence,  or  that  the  heroism  of 
the  wife,  in  sacrificing  herself  on  her  husband's  funeral-pile  should  have  the  vicarious 
effect  of  expiating  his  offences,  and  raising  him  to  the  same  heavenly  region  with 
herself.  And  it  is  indeed  the  doctrine  of  the-ftuthorities  cited  by  Mr.  Colebrooke  that 
the  self-immolation  of  the  wife  had  this  atoning  effect.  But  in  other  cases  where  the 
different  members  of  a  family  had  by  their  actions  during  life  merited  different  kinds 
of  retribution,  they  might,  according  to  the  doctrine  of  the  transmigration  of  souls 
current  in  later  ages,  be  re-born  in  the  shape  of  different  animals,  and  so  rendered  in- 
capable of  any  mutual  communication  after  death.  In  regard  to  the  absence  of  any 
traces  of  the  tenet  of  metempsychosis  from  the  earliest  Indian  writings,  see  Professor 
Weber's  remarks  in  the  Journ.  of  the  Germ.  Or.  Soc.  ix.  327  ff.  and  the  abstract  of 
them  given  in  Journ.  Roy.  As.  Soc.  for  1865,  pp.  305  ff. 

181  An  attempt  is  here  made,  verses  234  f.,  to  give  the  etymology  of  Visvamitra  : 
Visva-trayena  yo  mitram  karttum  na  s'aMtah  pura  \   Visvamitras  tu  te  maittrlm  ish- 
tam  chaharltum  ichhati  \  "  That  Visvamitra,  whom  the  three  Vis'vas  formerly  could 
not  induce  to  be  their  friend,  wishes  to  offer  thee  his  friendship,  and  whatsoever  thou 
desirest." 

25 


386  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

• 

tention ;  and  Indra  announces  to  him  that  he,  his  wife,  and  son  have 
conquered  heaven  by  their  good  works.  Ambrosia,  the  antidote  of 
death,  and  flowers,  are  rained  by  the  god  from  the  sky  ;  and  the  king's 
son  is  restored  to  life  and  the  bloom  of  youth.  The  king,  adorned  with 
celestial  clothing  and  garlands,  and  the  queen,  embrace  their  son. 
Harischandra,  however,  declares  that  he  cannot  go  to  heaven  till  he 
has  received  his  master  the  Chandala's  permission,  and  has  paid  him  a 
ransom.  Dharma  then  reveals  to  the  king  that  it  was  he  himself  who 
had  miraculously  assumed  the  form  of  a  Chandala.  The  king  next 
objects  that  he  cannot  depart  unless  his  faithful  subjects,  who  are 
sharers  in  his  merits,  are  allowed  to  accompany  him  to  heaven,  at  least 
for  one  day.  This  request  is  granted  by  Indra ;  and  after  Visvamitra  has 
inaugurated  Rohitasva  the  king's  son  to  be  his  successor,  Harischan- 
dra, his  friends  and  followers,  all  ascend  in  company  to  heaven.  Even 
after  this  great  consummation,  however,  Yasishtha,  the  family-priest 
of  Harischandra,  hearing,  at  the  end  of  a  twelve  years'  abode  in  the 
waters  of  the  Ganges,  an  account  of  all  that  has  occurred,  becomes  vehe- 
mently incensed  at  the  humiliation  inflicted  on  the  excellent  monarch, 
whose  virtues  and  devotion  to  the  gods  and  Brahmans  he  celebrates, 
declares  that  his  indignation  had  not  been  so  greatly  roused  even  when 
his  own  hundred  sons  had  been  slain  by  Visvamitra,  and  in  the  follow- 
ing words  dooms  the  latter  to  be  transformed  into  a  crane :  i.  9,  9. 
Tasmad  durdtmd  brahma-dvit  prujnanum  avaropitah  \  mach-chhupopahato 
mudhah  sa  vakatvam  avupsyati  \  "  Wherefore  that  wicked  man,  enemy 
of  the  Brahmans,  smitten  by  my  curse,  shall  be  expelled  from  the 
society  of  intelligent  beings,  and  losing  his  understanding  shall  be  trans- 
formed into  a  Vaka."  Visvamitra  reciprocates  the  curse,  and  changes 
Yasishtha  into  a  bird  of  the  species  called  Ari.  In  their  new  shapes 
the  two  have  a  furious  fight,182  the  Ari  being  of  the  portentous  height  of 
two  thousand  yojanas  (=  18000  miles),  and  the  Vaka  of  3090  yojanas. 
They  first  assail  each  other  with  their  wings  ;  then  the  Vaka  smites  his 
antagonist  in  the  same  manner,  while  the  Ari  strikes  with  his  talons. 
Falling  mountains,  overturned  by  the  blasts  of  wind  raised  by  the 

182  On  the  subject  of  this  fight  the  Bhagavata  Purana  has  the  following  verse  : 
ii.  7,  6.  Traisankavo  Harischandro  Visvamitra-  VasisJithayoh  \  yan-nimittam  abhud 
yuddham  pakshinor  bahu-varshikam  \  "The  son  of  Tris'auku  was  Haritchandra,  on 
whose  account  Yisvamitra  and  Vasishtha  in  the  form  of  birds  had  a  battle  of  many 


THE  BRAHMAXS  AND   KSHATTRIYAS.  387 

flapping  of  their  wings,  shake  the  whole  earth,  the  waters  of  the  ocean 
overflow,  the  earth  itself,  thrown  off  its  perpendicular,  slopes  down- 
wards towards  Patala,  the  lower  regions.  Many  creatures  perish  by 
these  various  convulsions.  Attracted  by  the  dire  disorder,  Brahma 
arrives,  attended  by  all  the  gods,  on  the  spot,  and  commands  the  com- 
batants to  desist  from  their  fray.  They  were  too  fiercely  infuriated  to 
regard  this  injunction:  but  Brahma  put  an  end  to  the  conflict  by 
restoring  them  to  their  natural  forms,  and  counselling  them  to  be  recon- 
ciled :  i.  9,  28.  Na  chdpi  Kausika-sreshthas  tasya  rdjno  'parddhyate  \ 
svarga-praptikaro  brahmann  upalcura-pade  sthitah  \  29.  Tapo-vighnasya 
kartturau  kdma-lcrodha-vasam  gatau  \  parityajata  bhadram  no  brahma  hi 
prachuram  balam  \  '  The  son  of  Kusika  has  not  inflicted  any  wrong  on 
Harischandra  :  inasmuch  as  he  has  caused  the  king's  elevation  to  heaven 
he  stands  in  the  position  of  a  benefactor.  29.  Since  ye  have  yielded 
to  the  influence  of  desire  and  anger  ye  have  obstructed  your  austere 
fervour ;  leave  off,  bless  you ;  the  Brahmanical  power  is  transcendent.' 
The  sages  were  accordingly  pacified,  and  embraced  each  other." 

This  interesting  legend  may  be  held  to  have  had  a  double  object, 
viz.  first  to  portray  in  lively  colours  the  heroic  fortitude  and  sense  of 
duty  exhibited  by  Harischandra  and  his  wife  in  enduring  the  long 
series  of  severe  trials  to  which  they  were  subjected;  and  secondly,  to 
represent  Visvamijra  in  an  unamiable  light,  as  an  oppressive  assertor  of 
those  sacerdotal  prerogatives,  which  he  had  conquered  for  himself  by 
his  austerities,183  to  place  him  in  striking  contrast  with  the  genuine 
Brahman  Vasishtha  who  expresses  strong  indignation  at  the  harsh  pro- 
cedure of  his  rival,  and  to  recall  the  memory  of  those  conflicts  between 

years  duration."  On  this  the  CommentatoV  remarks  :  Visvamitro  rajasuya-dakshina- 
chhalena  Harischandrasya  sarva-svam  apahritya  yatftyamasa  \  tach  chhrutva  kupito 
Vaiiishtho'pi  Visvamitram  "  tvam  art  bhava"  iti  xasapa  \  so  'pi  "  Ivam  vako  bhava" 
iti  Va^ishtham  sasapa  \  tayos  cha  yuddham  abhud  iti  prasiddam  \  "  Vis'vamitra 
under  pretence  of  taking  a  present  for  a  rajasuya  sacrifice,  stripped  Harischandra 
of  all  his  property,  and  afflicted  him.  Vasishtha  hearing  of  this,  became  incensed, 
and  by  an  imprecation  turned  him  into  an  Ari.  Visvamitra  retorted  the  curse  and 
changed  Vus'ishtha  into  a  Vaka.  And  then  a  battle  took  place  between  them,  as 
is  well  known."  Here  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Commentator  changes  the  birds  into 
which  the  rishis  were  transformed,  making  Yis'vamitra  the  An  and  Vasishtha  the 
Va"Ra. 

183  It  is  true  that  the  Brahman  rishi  Durvasas  also  is  represented  as  a  very  irascible 
personage.  See  vol.  iv.  of  this  work,  pp.  165,  169,  208,  407  ;  and  Weber's  Ind.  St. 
iii.  398. 


388  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

the  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas,  which  were  exemplified  in  the  persons 
of  these  two  sages,  of  whom  the  one  is  said  to  have  been  made  the 
"lord  of  Brahmans"  (  Vasishtham  isam  viprdndm,  M.Bh.  S'antip.  v.  4499), 
and  the  other  is  declared  in  the  story  before  us  to  have  been  the  "  enemy 
of  the  priests." 

SECT.  X. —  Contest  of  Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra  according 
to  the  Mahdlhdrata. 

In  the  Adiparvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  verses  6638  ff.,  we  find  another 
legend,  in  the  Brahmanical  interest,  regarding  the  same  two  great  per- 
sonages, which  begins  with  a  panegyric  on  Vasishtha,  at  the  expense 
of  the  rival  rishi : 

6638.  Srahmano  mdnasah  putro  Vasishtho  '  rundhatl-patih  \  tdpasd 
nirjitau  sasvad  ajeydv  amarair  api  \  kdma-krodhdv  ubhau  yasya  charanau 
samvavdhatuh  \  yas  tu  nochchhedanam  chakre  Kusikdndm  uddra-dhlh  \ 
Visvdmitrdparddhena  dhdrayan  manyum  uttamam  \  6640.  Putra-vyasana- 
santaptah  saktiman  apy  asakta-vat  \  Visvamitra-vintistiya  na  chakre  karma 
ddrunam  \  mritdms  cha  punar  dharttum  yah  sa  putrdn  Yama-Jfshaydt  \ 
kritdntam  ndtichakrdma  veldm  iva  mahodadhih  \  yam  prdpya  vijitdtmd- 
nam  mahdtmdnam  narddhipdh  \  Ikshvdkavo  mahlpdldh  lebhire  prithivlm 
imam  \  purohitam  imam  prdpya  Vasishtham  rishi-sattamam  \  yire  kra- 
tubhis  chaiva  nripds  te  Kuru-nandana  \  sa  hi  tan  ydjaydmdsa  sarvdn 
nripati-sattamdn  \  Irahmarshih  Pdndava-sreshtha  Vrihaspatir  ivdmardn  \ 
6645.  Tasmdd  dharma-pradhdndtmd  veda-dharma-vid  ipsitah  \  hrdhmano 
gunavdn  Icaschit  purodhdh  paridrisyatdm  \  kshattriyenulhijdtena  prithi- 
vlmjetum  ichhatd  \  purvam  purohitah  kdryyah  pdrtha  rdjydlhisiddhaye  \ 
mahimjiguhatdrdjndlrahmakdryampurassaram\  .  .  .  6666.  Kshattriyo 
'ham  bhavdn  vipras  tapah-svddhydya-sddha.nah  \  Irdhmaneshu  kuto  vlry- 
yam  prasdnteshu  dhritdtmasu  \  arludena  gavdm  yas  tvaih  na  daddsi  ma- 
mepsitam  \  sva-dharmam  na  prahdsydmi  neshydmi  cha  lalena  gam  |  .  .  .  . 
6679.  "  Sthlyatdm"  iti  tach  chhrutvd  Vasishthasya  payasvinl  \  urd- 
dhvdnchita-siro-grlvd  pralalhau  raudra-darsand  \  6680.  Erodha-raktelc- 
shand  sa  gaur  hamlhd-rava-ghana-svand  \  Visvdmitrasya  tat  sainyam 
vyadrdvayata  sarvasah  \  kasdgra-danddbhihatd  ltdlyamdnd  tatastatah  \ 
Jcrodha-raktekshand  krodham  Ihuya  eva  samddadhe  \  dditya  iva  madhydhne 
krodha-dlpta-vapur  babhau  \  angdra-varsham  munchantl  muhur  bdladhito 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  389 

mahat  \  asrijat  Pahlavdn  pucJiJidt  prasravdd  Drdviddn  S'akdn  \  yoni- 
desdch  cha  Yavandn  sakritah  S'acardn  bahun  |  .  .  .  .  6691.  Drishfvd  tad 
mahad  dscharyam  brahma-tejo-lhavam  tadd  \  Visvdmitrah  kshattra-bhdvdd 
nirvinno  vdkyam  abravit  \  "  dhig  balam  kshattriya-lalam  brahma-tejo- 
balam  balam  \  baldbalam  vinischitya  tapah  eva  param  balam  "  |  sa  rdjyaih 
sphltam  utsrijya  turn  cha  dlptdm  nripa-sriyam  \  bhogdms  cha  prishthatah 
kritvd  tapasy  eva  memo  dadhe  \  sa  gatvd  tapasd  siddhim  lolcdn  vishtabhya 
tejasd  |  6695.  Tatdpa  sarvdn  dlptaujdh  Irdhmanatvam  avdptavdn  \  api- 
bach  cha  tatah  somam  Indrena  saha  Kausikah  \ 

6638.  "  Vasishtha,"  a  Gandharva  informs  Arjuna,  "  was  the  mind- 
born  son  of  Brahma  and  husband  of  Arundhatl.184  By  his  austere  fer- 
vour, lust  and  anger,  invincible  even  by  the  immortals,  were  constantly 
vanquished  and  embraced  his  feet.  Restraining  his  indignation  at  the 
wrong  done  by  Visvamitra,  he  magnanimously  abstained  from  exter- 
minating the  Kusikas.185  6640.  Distressed  by  the  loss  of  his  sons,  he 
acted,  although  powerful,  like  one  who  was  powerless,  and  took  no 

184  Arundhatl  is  again  mentioned  as  the  wife  of  Vasishtha,  in  the  following  lines  of 
the  M.  Bh.  Adip.  7351  f.  addressed  to  Draupadi :  Yathendram  Harihaye  Svaha  chaivu 
Vibhavasau  \  Eohim  cha  yatha   Some  Damayantl  yatha  Nale  \  yatha  Vaisravane 
Shadra  Vasishthe  chapy  Arundhatl  \  yatha  Narayane  Lakshtms  tatha  tvam  bhava 
bharttrishu  \  "What  Indran!  is  to  Indra,  Svaha  to 'the  Sun,  Rohini  to  the  Moon, 
Damayanti  to  Nala,  Bhadra  to  Kuvera,  Arundhatl  to  Vasishtha,  and  Lakshm!  to 
Nardyana,  that  be  thou  to  thy  husbands."     She  is  again  noticed  in  verses  8455  ff.  : 
Suvrata  chapi  kalyani  sarva-bhuteshu  visruta  \  Arundhatl  mahatmanam  Vasishtham 
paryasankata  \  visuddha-bhavam  atyantam  soda  priya-hite  ratam  \  saptarshi-madhya- 
gam  virawi  avamene  cha  tarn  munim  \  apadhyanena  sa  tena  dhumaruna-sama-prabha  \ 
lakshya  'lakshya  nabhirupa  nimittam  iva  pasyati  \  "  The  faithful  and  beautiful  Arun- 
dhatl, renowned  among  all  creatures,  was  suspicious  about  the  great  Vas'ishtha,  whose 
nature  was  eminently  pure,  who  was  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  those  he  loved,  who 
was  one  of  the  seven  rishis,  and  heroic ;  aAd  she  despised  the  muni.     In  consequence 
of  these  evil  surmises,  becoming  of  the  dusky  colour  of  smoke,  both  to  be  seen  and  not 
to  be  seen,  devoid  of  beauty,  she  looks  like  a  (bad)  omen."     This  version  of  the  last 
line  is  suggested  by  Prof.  Aufrecht.  The  Commentator  explains  it  thus :  "Nimittam  " 
bharttur  lakshmanam  "  iva  pasyati"  kapatena  \  atah  eva  "nabhirupa  prachhanna- 
vesha  j  tena  hetuna  "  lakshya  'lakshya  cha  "  \  "  '  She  regards  as  it  were  '  i.e.  by  guile 
'  the  omen '  afforded  by  her  husband's  (bodily)  marks,  hence  she  assumed  a  disguise, 
and  was  'both  to  be  seen  and  not  to  be  seen.' " 

185  As  regards  the  magnanimous  character  here  assigned  to  Vasishtha,  I  quote  a 
passage  from  the  Vishnu  Purana,  i.  9,  16  ff.,  where  the  irascible  Durvasas  (to  whom 
I  lately  referred,  and  who  is  said,  in  verse  2,  to  be  a  partial  incarnation  of  S'iva, 
S'ankarasyamsah},  addressing  Indra,  who,   he   conceived,  had  insulted    him,  thus 
speaks  of  that  sage's  amiable  temper,  as  contrasted  with  his  own  fierce  and  revengeful 
disposition:  15.  Naham  kripalu-hridayo  na  cha  mam  bhajate  kshama  \  anye  te  mun- 


390  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

dreadful  measures  for  the  destruction  of  Visvamitra.  To  recover  those 
sons  from  the  abode  of  Tama,  he  would  not  overstep  fate,  as  the  ocean 
respects  its  shores.  Having  gained  this  great  self-mastering  personage, 
the  kings  of  Ikshvaku's  race  acquired  (the  dominion  of)  this  earth. 
Obtaining  this  most  excellent  of  rishis  for  their  family-priest,  they 
offered  sacrifices.  This  Brahman-rishi  officiated  as  priest  for  all  those 
monarchs,  as  Vrihaspati  does  for  the  gods.  6645.  "Wherefore  let  some 
desirable,  virtuous  Brahman,  with  whom  righteousness  is  the  chief 
thing,  and  skilled  in  Vedic  observances,  be  selected  for  this  office.  Let 
a  well-born  Kshattriya,  who  wishes  to  subdue  the  earth,  first  of  all 
appoint  a  family-priest  in  order  that  he  may  augment  his  dominion. 
Let  a  king,  who  desires  to  conquer  the  earth,  give  precedence  to  the 
Brahmanical  power."  The  Gandharva  then,  at  Arjuna's  request,  goes  on 
(verses  6650 ff.)  to  relate  the  "ancient  story  of  Vasishtha"  (vasishtham 
akhyanam  purunam)  and  to  describe  the  cause  of  enmity  between  that 
rishi  and  Visvamitra.  It  happened  that  the  latter,  who  was  son  of  Gadhi, 
king  of  Kanyakubja  (Kanouj),  and  grandson  of  Kusika,  when  out  hunt- 
ing, caihe  to  the  hermitage  of  Vasishtha,  where  he  was  received  with 
all  honour,  entertained  together  with  his  attendants  with  delicious  food 
and  drink,  and  presented  with  precious  jewels  and  dresses  obtained  by 
the  sage  from  his  wonder-working  cow,  the  fulfiller  of  all  his  desires. 
The  cupidity  of  Visvamitra  is  aroused  by  the  sight  of  this  beautiful 
animal  (all  of  whose  fine  points  are  enumerated  in  the  legend),  and  he 
offers  Vasishtha  a  hundred  million  cows,  or  his  kingdom,  in  exchange 
for  her.  Vasishtha,  however,  replies  that  he  is  unable  to  part  with  her 
even  in  return  for  the  kingdom.  Visvamitra  then  tells  him  that  he  will 
enforce  the  law  of  the  stronger:  €665.  "I  am  a  Kshattriya,  thou  art 
a  Brahman,  whose  functions  are  austere  fervour,  and  sacred  study. 
How  can  there  be  any  vigour  in  Brahmans  who  are  calm  and  self- 
restrained?  Since  thou  doest  not  give  up  to  me,  in  exchange  for  a 

ayah  S'akra  Durvasasam  avehi  mam  \  Gautamadibhir  anyais  tvaih  garvam  apadito 
mudha  \  ahshanti-sara-sarvasvam  Durvasasam  avehi  mam  \  17.  Vtuiishthadyair  daya- 
taraih  slotram  kurvadbhir  uchchakaih  \  garvam  aato  'si  yenaivam  mam  athadyava- 
manyase  \  15.  "  I  am  not  tender-hearted  :  patience  lodges  not  in  me.  Those  munis 
are  different :  know  me  to  be  Durvasas.  16.  In  vain  hast  thou  been  rendered  proud 
by  Gautama  and  others  :  know  me  to  be  Durvasas,  whose  nature  and  whose  entire 
substance  is  irascibility.  17.  Thou  hast  become  proud  through  the  loud  praises  of 
Vasishtha  and  other  merciful  saints,  since  thou  thus  contemnest  me  to-day." 


THE   BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  391 

hundred  million  of  cows,  that  which  I  desire,  I  shall  not  abandon  my 
own  class-characteristic ;  I  will  carry  away  the  cow  by  force."  Yasish- 
tha, confident,  no  doubt,  of  his  own  superior  power,  tells  him  to  do  as 
he  proposes  without  loss  of  time.  Yisvamitra  accordingly  seizes  the 
wonder-working  cow;  but  she  will  not  move  from  the  hermitage, 
though  beaten  with  whip  and  stick,  and  pushed  hither  and  thither. 
"Witnessing  this,  Yasishtha  asks  her  what  he,  a  patient  Brahman,  can  do  ? 
She  demands  of  him  why  he  overlooks  the  violence  to  which  she  is  sub- 
jected. Yasishtha  replies  :  "  Force  is  the  strength  of  Kshattriyas,  pa- 
tience that  of  Brahmans.  As  patience  possesses  me,  go,  if  thou  pleasest" 
(6676.  Kshattriydndm  lalam  tejo  brdhmandndm  Icshamd  balam  \  ksfiamd 
mam  lhajate  yasmdt  gamyatdrh  yadi  radiate] .  The  cow  enquires  if  he 
means  to  abandon  her ;  as,  unless  he  forsakes  her,  she  can  never  be  carried 
off  by  force.  She  is  assured  by  Yasishtha  that  he  does  not  forsake  her, 
and  that  she  should  remain  if  she  could.  "Hearing  these  words  of  her 
master,  the  cow  tosses  her  head  aloft,  assumes  a  terrific  aspect,  (6680) 
her  eyes  become  red  with  rage,  she  utters  a  deep  bellowing  sound,  and 
puts  to  flight  the  entire  army  of  Yisvamitra.  Being  (again)  beaten 
with  whip  and  stick,  and  pushed  hither  and  thither,  she  becomes  more 
incensed,  her  eyes  are  red  with  anger,  her  whole  body,  kindled  by  her 
indignation,  glows  like  the  noonday  sun,  she 'discharges  showers  of  fire- 
brands from  her  tail,  creates  Pahlavas  from  the  same  member,  Dravidas 
and  S'akas,  Yavanas,  S'ubaras,"  Kanchis,  S'arabhas,  Paundras,  Kiratas, 
Sinhalas,  Yasas,  and  other  tribes  of  armed  warriors  from  her  sweat, 
urine,  excrement,  etc.,  who  assail  Yisvamitra's  army,  and  put  it  to  a. 
complete  rout.  6692.  "Beholding  this  great  miracle,  the  product  of 
Brahmanical  might,  Yisvamitra  wa§  humbled  at  (the  impotence  of )  a 
Kshattriya's  nature,  and  exclaimed,  'Shame  on  a  Kshattriya's  force ;  it 
is  the  force  of  a  Brahman's  might  that  is  force  indeed.'  Examining  what 
was  and  was  not  force,  and  (ascertaining)  that  austere  fervour  is  the 
supreme  force,  he  abandoned  his  prosperous  kingdom  and  all  its  brilliant 
regal  splendour;  and  casting  all  enjoyments  behind  its  back,  he  devoted 
himself  to  austerity.  Having  by  this  means  attained  perfection,  and 
Brahmanhood,  he  arrested  the  worlds  by  his  fiery  vigour,  and  disturbed 
them  all  by  the  blaze  of  his  glory ;  and  at  length  the  Kausika  drank 
soma  with  Indra."  18S 

186  See  above,  p.  342,  and  note  134. 


392  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

The  same  legend  is  repeated  in  the  S'alyaparvan,  verses  2295  ff. : 
Tathd  cha  Kausikas  tuta  tapo-nityo  jitendriyah  \  tapasd  vai  sutaptena 
brdhmanatvam  avdptavdn  \  Gddhir  ndma  mahdn  unit  kshattriyah  prathito 
bhuvi  |  tasya  puttro  'bhavad  rdjan  Visvdmitrah  pratdpavdn  \  sa  raja 
Kausikas  tuta  mahuyogy  abhavat  kila  \  sa  puttram  abhishichydtha  Visvd- 
mitram  mahdtapdh  \  deha-nydse  manas  chakre  tarn  uchuh  pranatdh  pra- 
jdh  |  "  na  gantavyam  maJidprdjna  trdhi  chdsmdn  mahubhaydt "  |  evani 
uktah  pratyuvdcha  tato  Gddhih  prajds  tatah  \  "visvasya  jagato  goptd 
lhavishyati  suto  mama  "  |  2300.  Ity  uktvd  tu  tato  Gddhir  Visvdmitram 
nivesya  cha  \  jaguma  tridivam  rdjan  Visvdmitro  'bhavad  nripah  \  na  sa 
saknoti prithivlfii  yatnavdn  api  rakshitum  \  tatah  susrdva  rdjd  sa  rdksha- 
selhyo  mahdlhayam  \  niryayau  nagardch  chdpi  chatur-anga-baldntitah  \ 
sa  ydtvd  diiram  adhvdnam  Vasishthdsramam  abhyagdt  \  tasya  te  sainikdh 
rtijams  chakrus  tattrdlaydn  bahun  \  tatas  tu  bhagavdn  vipro  Vaiishtho 
Brahmanah  sutah  \  dadrise  'tha  tatah  sarvam  lhajyamdnam  mahdvanam  \ 
tasya  kruddho  mahdrdja  Vasishtho  muni-sattamah  \  2305.  "  Srijasva  S'a- 
rardn  ghordn  "  iti  svdm  gum  uvdcha  ha  \  tathoktd  sd  'srifad  dhenuh  pu- 
rushdn  ghora-darsandn  \  te  cha  tad  lalam  dsddya  babhanjuh  sarvato 
disam  \  tach  chhrutvd  vidrutam  sainyam  Visvdmitras  tu  Gudhijah  \  tapah 
param  manyamdnas  taspasy  eva  mano  dadhe  \  so  'smiths  tlrtha-vare  rdjan 
Sarasvatydh  samdhitah  \  niyamais  chopavdsais  cha  karshayan  deham  dt- 
rnanah  \  jaldhdro  vdyubhakshah  parndhdras  cha  so  'bhavat  \  tathd  sthan- 
dila-sdyi  cha  ye  chdnye  niyamdh  prithak  \  asakrit  tasya  devds  tu  vrata- 
vighnam  prachakrire  \  2310.  Na  chdsya  niyamdd  buddhir  apayuti  mahut- 
manah  \  tatah  parena  yatnena  taptvd  bahu-vidham  tapah  \  tejasd  bhdska- 
rdkdro  Gudhijah  samapadyata  \  tapasu  tu  tathd  yuktam  Visvumitrant, 
Pitdmahah  \  amanyata  mahdtejdh  vara-do  varam  asya  tat  \  sa  tu  vavre 
varam  rdjan  " sydm  aham  brdhmanas  tv"  iti  \  tatheti  chdbravid  Brahma 
sarva-loka-pitdmahah  \  sa  labdhvd  tapasogrena  brdhmanatvam  mahdyasdh  \ 
vichachura  mahlm  kritsndih  kritakdmah  suropamah  \ 

"  2295.  So  too  the  Kausika,  constant  in  austerities,  and  subduing  his 
senses,  acquired  Brahmanhood  by  the  severity  of  his  exercises.  There 
was  a  great  Kshattriya  named  Gadhi,  renowned  in  the  world,  whose  son 
was  the  powerful, Visvamitra.  This  Kausika  prince  (Gadhi)  was  greatly 
addicted  to  contemplation  (mahdyogi] :  and  after  having  installed  his  sen 
as  king,  he  resolved  to  abandon  his  corporeal  existence.  His  subjects, 
however,  submissively  said  to  him,  '  Do  not  go,  o  great  sage,  but  deliver 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  393 

us  from  our  great  alarm.'  He  replied,  '  My  son  shall  become  the  protector 
of  the  whole  world.'  2300.  Having  accordingly  installed  Visvamitra, 
Gadhi  went  to  heaven,  and  his  son.  became  king.  Visvamitra,  however, 
though  energetic,  was  unable  to  protect  the  earth.  He  then  heard  that 
there  was  great  cause  of  apprehension  from  the  Rakshasas,  and  issued 
forth  from  the  city,  with  an  army  consisting  of  four  kinds  of  forces. 
Having  performed  a  long  journey,  he  arrived  at  the  hermitage  of  Va- 
sishtha.  There  his  soldiers  constructed  many  dwellings.  In  conse- 
quence the  divine  Brahman  Vasishtha,  son  of  Brahma,  beheld  the  whole 
forest  being  cut  up  ;  and  becoming  enraged,  he  said  to  his  cow,  (2305) 
'Create  terrible  S'avaras.'  The  cow,  so  addressed,  created  men  of  dreadful 
aspect,  who  broke  and  scattered  in  all  directions  the  army  of  Vis  vamitra. 
Hearing  of  this  rout  of  his  army,  the, son  of  Gadhi  devoted  himself  to 
austerities,  which  he  regarded  as  the  highest  (resource).  In  this  sacred 
spot  on  the  Sarasvati  he  macerated  his  body  with  acts  of  self-restraint 
and  fastings,  absorbed  in  contemplation,  and  living  on  water,  air,  and 
leaves,  sleeping  on  the  sacrificial  ground,  and  practising  all  the  other 
rites.  Several  times  the  gods  threw  impediments  in  his  way  ;  (2310) 
but  his  attention  was  never  distracted  from  his  observances.  Having 
thus  with  strenuous  effort  undergone  manifold  austerities,  the  son  of 
Gadhi  became  luminous  as  the  sun  ;  and  Brahma  regarded  his  achieve- 
ments as  most  eminfint.  The  boon  which  Visvamitra  chose  was  to 
become  a  Brahman  ;  and  Brahma  replied,  '  So  be  it.'  Having  attained 
Brahmanhood,  the  object  of  his  desire,  by  his  severe  austerities,  the 
renowned  sage  traversed  the  whole  earth,  like  a  god." 

We  have  already  seen  how  the  power  of  austere  fervour  (tapas)  is 
exemplified  in  the  legend  of  Nahusha  (above,  pp.  308  ff.).  In  regard 
to  the  sense  of  this  word  tapas,  and  the  potency  of  the  exercise  which 
it  denotes,  I  may  refer  to  my  articles  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Asiatic 
Society  for  1865,  p.  348  f.,  and  for  1864,  p.  63,  as  well  as  to  the  fourth 
volume  of  this  work,  pp.  20  ff.  and  288;  and  to  pp.  23  and  28  of  the 
present  volume.  In  further  illustration  of  the  same  subject  I  quote 
the  following  panegyric  upon  tapas  from  Manu,  xi.  234  ff.  where,  how- 
ever, the  word  cannot  have  the  same  sense  in  all  the»verses: 

Tapo-mulam  idaih  sarvani  daiva-manushalcam  sulcham  \  tapo-madhyam 
budhaih  proktam  tapo'ntam  veda-darsibliih  \  235.  Brdhmanasyatapojna- 
nam  tapah  kshattrasya  rakshanam  \  vaisyasya  tu  tapo  vdrttd  tapah  sudra- 


394  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

tsya  sevanam  \  236.  Rishayah  samyatdtmdnah  phala-miildnildsandh  \  tapa- 
saiva  prapasyanti  trailokyam  sa-chardcharam  \  237.  Aushadhdny  agado 
vidyd  daivl  cha  vividhd  sthitih  \  tapasaiva  prasiddhyanti  tapas  teshdih  hi 
sddhanam  \  238.  Yad  dustaram  yad  durdpam  yad  durgam  yach  cha  dush- 
karam  \  sarvaih  tu  tapasd  sddhyafh  tapo  hi  duratikramam  \  239.  Mahupti- 
takinas  chaiva  seshds  chdkdryya-kdrinah  \  tapasaiva  sutaptena  muchyante 
Icihishdt  tatah  \  240.  Kitds  chdhi-patangds  cha  pasavas  cha  vaydmsi 
cha  |  sthdvardni  cha  Ihutdni  divam  ydnti  tapo-baldt  \  241.  Yat  kinchid 
enah  Jcurvanti  mano-vdn-murttilhir  jandh  \  tat  sarvam  nirdahanty  a£u 
tapasaiva  tapodhandh  \  242.  Tapasaiva  visuddhasya  brdhmanasya  ditau- 
kasah  \  ijyds  cha  pratigrihnanti  kdmdn  samvarddhayanti  cha  \  243.  Pra- 
jdpatir  idam  sdstram  tapasaivdsrijat  prabhuh  \  tathaiva  veddn  rishayas 
tapasd  pratipedire  \  244.  Ity  etat  tapaso  devdh  mahdlhdgyam  prachak- 
shate  |  sarvasydsya  prapasyantas  tapasah  punyam  uttamam  \ 

"234.  All  the  enjoyment,  whether  of  gods  or  men,  has  its  root,  its 
centre,  and  its  end  in  tapas ;  so  it  is  declared  by  the  wise  who  have 
studied  the  Veda.  235.  Knowledge  is  a  Brahman's  tapas ;  protection 
that  of  a  Kshattriya ;  traffic  that  of  Vaisya;  and  service  that  of  a 
S'udra.  236.  It  is  by  tapas  that  rishis  of  subdued  souls,  subsisting  on 
fruits,  roots,  and  air  obtain  a  vision  of  the  three  worlds  with  all  things 
moving  and  stationary.  2*37.  Medicines,  health,  science,  and  the 
various  divine  conditions  are  attained  by  tapas  'alone  as  their  instru- 
ment of  acquisition.  238.  Whatever  is  hard  to  be  traversed,  or  obtained, 
or  reached,  or  eifected,  is  all  to  be  accomplished  through  tapas,  of  which 
the  potency  is  irresistible.  239.  Both  those  who  are  guilty  of  the  great 
sins,  and  all  other  transgressors,  are  freed  from  sin  by  fervid  tapas. 
240.  Worms,  serpents,  insects,  beasts,  birds,  and  beings  without  motion 
attain  to  heaven  through  the  force  of  tapas.  241.  Whatever  sin  men 
commit  by  thought,  word,  or  bodily  acts,  by  tapas  they  speedily  con- 
sume it  all,  when  they  become  rich  in  devotion.  242.  The  gods  both 
accept  the  sacrifices  and  augment  the  enjoyments  of  the  Brahman  who 
has  been  purified  by  tapas.  243.  It  was  by  tapas  that  Prajapati  the 
lord  created  this  scripture ;  and  through  it  that  the  rishis  obtained  the 
Vedas.  244.  Suah  is  the  great  dignity  which  the  gods  ascribe  to  tapas, 
beholding  its  transcendent  merit." 

I  return  for  a  moment  to  the  story  of  Vasishtha  and  his  cow. 

Lassen  remarks  (Ind.  Alt.  2nd  ed.  i.  631,  note)  that  Atharvan  is  given 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  395 

in  the  Lexicons  as  a  name  of  Vasishtha  (see  Wilson's  Dictionry,  «.«.). 
Weber  (Ind.  St.  i.  289)  quotes  from  Mallinatha's  Commentary  on  the 
the  Kiratarjunlya  the  following  words :  Atharvanas  tu  mantroddhdro 
Vasishthena  kritah  ily  dgamah  \  "  There  is  a  passage  of  scripture  to  the 
effect  that  the  mantras  of  the  Atharvan  were  selected  by  Vasishtha." 
In  Bohtlingk  and  Roth's  Lexicon,  s.v.  Atharvan,  it  is  noticed  that  the 
eleventh  hymn  of  the  fifth  book  of  the  Atharva-veda  contains  a  conver- 
sation between  Atharvan  and  Varuna  about  the  possession  of  a  wonder- 
ful cow  bestowed  by  the  latter  on  the  former ;  and  it  is  remarked  that 
this  circumstance  may  explain  the  subsequent  identification  of  Atharvan 
with  Vasishtha.  Prof.  Roth,  however  (Diss.  on  the  A.V.,  Tubingen, 
1865,  p.  9),  thinks  the  two  sages  are  distinct.  The  cow  is  spoken  of 
in  A.V.  vii.  104,  as  the  "  brindled  cow- given  by  Varuna  to  Atharvan 
which  never  lacked  a  calf"  (prisnim  dhenum  Varunena  dattdm  Athar- 
vane  nitya-vatsdm).  The  following  is  the  curious  hymn  referred  to  : 

A.V.  v.  11,  1.  Katham  make  asurdya  abravlr  iha  katham  pitre  haraye 
tvesha-nrimrah  \  prisnim  Varuna  dakshindm  daddvtin  punarmaghatvam™ 
manasd  'chikitslh  \  2.  Na  kdmena  punarmagho  bhavdmi  sam  chakshe  kam 
prisnim  etdm  upuje  \  kena  nu  tvam  Atharvan  kdvyena  kena  jatena  asi 
jdta-veddh  |  3.  Satyam  aham  gabhlrah  kavyena  satyaih  jatena  asmijata~ 
veddh  |  na  me  ddso  na  dryyo  mahitvd  vratam  mlmdya  yad  aham  dha- 
rishye  \  4.  Na  tvad  anyah  kavitaro  na  medhayd  dhlrataro  Varuna  sva- 
dhdvan  \  tvam  td  visvd  Ihuvandni  vettha  sa  chid  nu  tvaj  j'ano  mdyl 
bibhdya  \  5.  Tvam  hi  anga  Varuna  svadhdvan  visvd  vettha  janimd  supra- 
nlte  |  kirn  rajasah  end  paro  anyad  asti  end  kim  parena  avaram  amura  \ 
6.  Ekaih  rajasah  end  paro  anyad  asti  end  parah  ekena  durnasam  chid 
arvdk  \  tat  te  vidvdn  Varuna  pra  bravimi  adhovarchasah  panayo  Iha- 
vantu  |  nlchair  ddsdh  upa  sarpantu  bhumim  \  7.  Tvam  hi  anga  Varuna 
bravlshi  punarmagheshu  avadydni  bhuri  \  mo  shu  pamr  abhi  etdvato  bhur 
md  tvd  vochann  arddhasam  jandsah  \  8.  Md  md  vochann  arddhasam 
jandsah  punas  te  prisnim  jaritar  daddmi  \  stotram  me  visvam  d  ydhi 
sachlbhir  antar  visvdsu  mdnushishu  vikshu  \  9.  A  te  stotrdni  udyatdni 
yantu  antar  visvdsu  mdnushlshu  vikshu  \  dehi  nu  me  yad  me  ddatto  asi 
yujyo  me  sapta-padah  sakhd  'si  \  10.  Samdno  bandhur- Varuna  samd  jd 
veddham  tad  yad  ndv  eshd  samdjd  \  daddmi  tad  yat  te  ddatto  asmi  yujyas 

187  This  is  the  reading  proposed  by  Professor  Aufrecht  instead  of  punarmagha  tvam, 
which  is  found  in  Roth  and  Whitney's  edition  of  the  A.V. 


396  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

te  sapta-padah  salcM  'smi  \  \\.Devo  devdya  grinate  vayoddh  vipro  viprdya 
stuvate  sumedhdh  \  ajljano  hi  Varuna  svadhdvann  Atharvdnam  pitaram 
deva-bandhum  \  tasmai  u  rddhah  krinuhi  suprasastam  sakhd  no  asi  para- 
mas  cha  landhuh  \ 

1.  (Atharvan  speaks)  "How  hast  thou,  who  art  mighty  in  energy, 
declared  before  the  great  deity,  how  before  the  shining  father  (that  the 
cow  was  mine)  ?  188  Having  hestowed  a  brindled  cow  (on  me)  as  a  sacri- 
ficial gift,  thou  hast  resolved  in  thy  mind  to  take  her  hack.  2.  (Varuna 
replies)  It  is  not  through  desire  that  I  revoke  the  gift ;  I  drive  hither 
this  brindled  cow  that  I  may  contemplate  her.  But  by  what  wisdom, 
o  Atharvan,  in  virtue  of  what  nature,  doest  thou  know  the  nature  of 
beings?  3.  (Atharvan  answers)  In  truth  I  am  profound  in  wisdom; 
in  truth  by  my  nature  I  know^the  nature  of  beings.  Neither  Dasa  nor 
Aryya  can  hinder  the  design  which  I  shall  undertake.  4.  There  is 
none  other  wiser  or  sager  in  understanding  than  thou,  o  self-dependent 
Varuna.  Thou  knowest  all  creatures ;  even  the  man  of  deep  devices 
is  afraid  of  thee.  5.  Tr.ou,  o  self-dependent  Varuna,  o  wise  director, 
knowest  all  creatures.  What  other  thing  is  beyond  this  atmosphere  ? 
and  what  is  nearer  than  that  remotest  thing,  o  thou  unerring  ?  6. 
(Varuna  replies)  There  is  one  thing  beyond  this  atmosphere  ;^  and  on 
this  side  of  that  one  there  is  that  which  is  near  though  inaccessible. 
Knowing  that  thing  I  declare  it  to  thee.  Let  the  glory  of  the  niggards 
be  cast  down  ;  let  the  Dasas  sink  downward  into  the  earth.  7.  (Athar- 
van rejoins)  Thou,  o  Varuna,  sayest  many  evil  things  of  those  who 
revoke  their  gifts.  Be  not  thou  numbered  among  so  many  niggards ; 
let  not  men  call  thee  illiberal.  8.  (Varuna  replies)  Let  not  men  call 
me  illiberal ;  I  restore  to  thee,  o  rworshipper,  the  brindled  cow.  Attend 
with  all  thy  powers  at  every  hymn  in  my  honour  among  all  the  tribes 
of  men.  9.  (Atharvan  answers)  Let  hymns  ascend  to  thee  among  all 
the  tribes  .of  men.  Give  me  that  which  thou  hast  taken  from  me ;  thou 
art  to  me  an  intimate  friend  of  seven-fold  value.  10.  We  two  have  a 
common  bond,  o  Varuna,  a  common  descent.  I  know  what  this  com- 
mon descent  of  ours  is.  (Varuna  answers)  I  give  thee  that  which  I 

iss  Professor  Aufrecht  thinks  thai  Dyaus,  '  the  Heaven,'  is  denoted  by  mahe  asu- 
raya,  and  that  pitre  haraye,  if  the  correct  reading,  can  only  mean  the  Sun,  the  word 
hari  being  several  times  applied  to  that  great  luminary.  1  am  otherwise  indebted  to 
Prof.  A.  for  the  correct  sense  of  this  line,  and  for  other  suggestions. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  397 

have  taken  from  thee.  I  am  thy  intimate  friend  of  seven-fold  value, 
who,  myself  a  god,  confer  life  on  thee  a  god  [or  priest,  devdya]  who 
praisest  me,  an  intelligent  sage  on  thee  a  sage.  (The  poet  says)  Thou, 
o  self-dependent  Varuna,  hast  begotten  our  father  Atharvan,  a  kinsman 
of  the  gods.  Grant  to  him  most  excellent  wealth ;  thou  art  our  friend 
and  most  eminent  kinsman." 


SECT.  XI. — The  same,  and  other  legends,  according  to  the  Rdmayana. 

The  story  told  in  the  preceding  section  is  related  at  greater  length 
in  chapters  51-65  189  of  the  Balakanda,  or  first  book,  of  the  Bamayana, 
of  which  I  shall  furnish  an  outline,  noting  any  important  variations 
from,  or  aditions  to,  the  account  in  the  Mahabharata,  and  at  the  same 
tim'e  giving  an  abstract  of  the  other  legends  which  are  interwoven  with 
the  narrative.  There  was  formerly,  we  are  told,  a  king  called  Kusa, 
son  of  Prajapati,  who  had  a  son  called  Kusanabha,  who  was  father 
of  Gadhi,  the  father  of  Yisvamitra.  The  latter  ruled  the  earth  for 
many  thousand  years.  On  one  occasion,  when  he  was  making  a  cir- 
cuit of  the  earth,  he  came  to  Vasishtha's  hermitage,  the  pleasant  abode 
of  many  saints,  sages,  and  holy  devotees  (chapter  51,  verses  11-29), 
where,  after  at  first  declining,  he  allowed  himself  to  b'e  hospitably 
entertained  with  his  followers  by  the  son  of  Brahma  (ch.  52).  Vis- 
vamitra  (ch.  53),  however,  coveting  the  wondrous  cow,  which  had 
supplied  all  the  dainties  of  the  feast,  first  of  all  asked  that  she  should 
be  given  to  him  in  exchange  for  a  hundred  thousand  common  cows, 
adding  that  "  she  was  a  gem,  that  gems  were  the  property  of  the  king, 
and  that,  therefore,  the  cow  was  his  by  right "  (53,  9.  Ratnam  hi  bha- 
gavann  etad  ratna-hdrl  cha  pdrthivah  \  10.  Tasmdd  me  salaldm  dehi  ma- 
maishd  dharmato  dvija}.  On  this  price  being  refused,  the  king  advances 
immensely  in  his  offers,  but  all  without  effect.  He  then  proceeds 
(ch.  54) — very  ungratefully  and  tyrannically,  it  must  be  allowed — to 
have  the  cow  removed  by  force,  but  she  breaks  away  from  his  attend- 
ants, and  rushes  back  to  her  master,  complaining  that  he  was  deserting 
her.  He  replies  that  he  was  not  deserting  her,  but  that  the  king  was 

189  These  are  the  sections  of  Schlegel's  and  the  Bombay  editions,  which  correspond 
to  sections  52-67  of  Gorresio's  edition. 


398  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

much  more  powerful  than  he.  She  answers,  54,  14  :  Na  lalam  kshat- 
triyasydhur  Irdhmanuh  lalavattardh  \  brahman  Irahma-lalaih  divyam 
Ishdttrdch  cha  lalalattaram  \  aprameyam  lalam  tulhyam  na  tvayd  lala- 
vattarah  \  Visvamitro  maJidvlryo  tejas  tava  durdsadam  \  m'yunkshva  mam 
mahdtejas  tvam  Irahma-lala-samlhritdm  \  tasya  darpam  lalam  yatnam 
ndsaydmi  durdtmanah  \  "  Men  do  not  ascribe  strength  to  a  Kshattriya : 
the  Brahmans  are  stronger.  The  strength  of  Brahmans  is  divine,  and 
superior  to  that  of  Kshattriyas.  15.  Thy  strength  is  immeasurable. 
Visvamitra,  though  of  great  vigour,  is  not  more  powerful  than  thou. 
Thy  energy  is  invincible.  Commission  rne,  who  have  been  acquired  by 
thy  Brahmanical  power,  and  I  will  destroy  the  pride,  and  force,  and 
attempt  of  this  wicked  prince."  19°  She  accordingly  by  her  bellowing 
creates  hundreds  of  Pahlavast  who  destroy  the  entire  host  (ndsayanti 
lalam  sarvam,  verse  19)  of  Visvamitra,  but  are  slain  by  him  in  their 
turn.  S'akas  and  Yavanas,  of  great  power  and  valour,  and  well  armed, 
were  then  produced,  who  consumed  the  king's  soldiers,191  but  were 
routed  by  him.  The  cow  then  (ch.  55)  calls  into  existence  by  her 
hollowing,  and  from  different  parts  of  her  body,  other  warriors  of 
various  tribes,  who  again  destroyed  Visvamitra's  entire  army,  foot 
soldiers,  elephants,  horses,  chariots,  and  all.  A  hundred  of  the  mo- 
narch's sons,  armed  with  various  weapons,  then  rushed  in  great  fury 
on  Yasishtha,  but  were  all  reduced  to  ashes  in  a  moment  by  the  blast 
of  that  sage's  mouth.192  Visvamitra,  being  thus  utterly  vanquished  and 
humbled,  appointed  one  of  his  sons  to  be  regent,  and  travelled  to  the 
Himalaya,  where  he  betook  himself  to  austerities,  and  thereby  obtained 
a  vision  of  Mahadeva,  who  at  his  desire  revealed  to  him  the  science 
of  arms  in  all  its  branches,  and  gave  him  celestial  weapons  with  which, 
elated  and  full  of  pride,  he  consumed  the  hermitage  of  Yasishtha,  and 
put  its  inhabitants  to  flight.  Yasishtha  then  threatens  Visvamitra  and 

190  Compare  Manu,  xi.  32  :  Sva-vlryad  raja-vlryach  cha  sva-vlryam  balavattaram  \ 
tasmat  svenaiva.  vlryenn  nigrihniyad  ar7n  dvijah  \  "  Of  the  two,  his  own,  and  a  king's 
might,  let  a  Brahman  know  that  his  own  is  superior.  By  his  own  might  alone,  there- 
fore, let  him  restrain  his  enemies." 

191  "We  had  been  before  told  that  they  had  been  killed,  so  that  this  looks  like  a 
slaying  of  the  slain,  as  no  resuscitation  of  the  army  is  alluded  to. 

192  (Jn  this  the  Commentator  remarks  that  "though  these  princes  were  Kshattriyas, 
they  were  not  actual  kings,  and  had  acted  tyrannically  ;  so  that  a  very  slight  expiation 
•was  required  for  killing  them "  (kshattriyatve  'pi  prithivt-patitvabhavat  tad-badte 
alpa-prayaschittam  atatayitvach  cha  [). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  399 

uplifts  his  Brahmanical  mace.  Visvamitra,  too,  raises  his  fiery  weapon 
and  calls  out  to  his  adversary  to  stand.  Vasishtha  bids  him  to  show  his 
strength,  and  boasts  that  .he  will  soon  humble  his  pride.  He  asks : 
(56,  4)  Kva  cha  te  kshattriya-balam  kva  cha  brahma-balam  mahat  \  pasya 
brahma-balam  divyam  mama  kshattriya-pdmsana  \  tasydstram  Gddhipu- 
trasya  ghoram  dgneyam  udyatam  \  brahma-dandena  tach  chhdntam  agner 
vegah  ivdmbhasd  \  "  '  What  comparison  is  there  between  a  Kshattriya's 
might,  and  the  great  might  of  a  Brahman  ?  Behold,  thou  contemptible 
Kshattriya,  my  divine  Brahmanical  power.'  The  dreadful  fiery  weapon 
uplifted  by  the  son  of  Gadhi  was  then  quenched  by  the  rod  of  the  Brah- 
man, as  fire  is  by  water."  Many  and  various  other  celestial  missiles, 
as  the  nooses  of  Brahma,  Kala  (Time),  and  Varuna,  the  discus  of  Vishnu, 
and  the  trident  of  S'iva,  were  hurled  by  Visvamitra  at  his  antagonist, 
but  the  son  of  Brahma  swallowed  them  up  in  his  all-devouring  mace. 
Finally,  to  the  intense  consternation  of  all  the  gods,  the  warrior  shot 
off  the  terrific  weapon  of  Brahma  (brdhmdstra] ;  but  this  was  equally 
ineffectual  against  the  Brahmanical  sage.  Vasishtha  had  now  assumed 
a  direful  appearance :  (58,  18)  Roma-kupeshu  sarveshu  Vasishthasya  ma- 
hdtmanah  \  marlchyah  iva  nishpetur  agner  dhumdkularchishah  \  prdjvalad 
brahma-dandas  cha  Vasishthasya  karodyatah  \  vidhumah  iva  kuldgnir 
Yama-dandah  ivdparah  \  "Jets  of  fire  mingled  with  smoke  darted  from 
the  pores  of  his  body;  (19)  the  Brahmanical  mace  blazed  in  his  hand 
like  a  smokeless193  mundane  conflagration,  or  a  second  sceptre  of  Yama." 
Being  appeased,  however,  by  the  munis,  who  proclaimed  his  superiority 
to  his  rival,  the  sage  stayed  his  vengeance  ;  and  Visvamitra  exclaimed 
with  a  groan  :  (56,  23)  Dhig  balam  Icshattriya-balam  brahma-tejo-balam 
balam  I  ekena  brahma-dandena  sarvdstrdni  hatdni  me  \  "  '  Shame  on  a 

V 

Kshattriya's  strength :  the  strength  of  a  Brahman's  might  alone  is 
strength :  by  the  single  Brahmanical  mace  all  my  weapons  have  been 
destroyed.'  "  No  alternative  now  remains  to  the  humiliated  monarch, 
but  either  to  acquiesce  in  this  helpless  inferiority,  or  to  work  out  his 
own  elevation  to  the  Brahmanical  order.  He  embraces  the  latter  alter- 
native :  (56,  24)  Tad  etat  prasamikshydham  prasannendriya-mdnasah  \ 
tapo  mahat samdsthdsye  yadvaibrahmatva-kdranam  \  "Having  pondered 
well  this  defeat,  I  shall  betake  myself,  with  composed  senses  and  mind, 

193  The  Bombay  edition  has  vidhumah.     Schlegel's  and  Gorresio's  editions  have 
sadhumah,  "  enveloped  in  smoke." 


400  EAELY   CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

to  strenuous  austere  fervour,  which  shall  exalt  me  to  the  rank  of  a 
Brahman."  Intensely  vexed  and  mortified,  groaning  and  full  of  hatred 
against  his  enemy,  he  travelled  with  his  queen  to  the  south,  and  car- 
ried his  resolution  into  effect ;  (ch.  57)  and  we  are  first  of  all  told 
that  three  sons  Havishyanda,  Madhusyanda,  and  Dridhanetra  were 
born  to  him.  At  the  end  of  a  thousand  years  Brahma  appeared,  and 
announced  that  he  had  conquered  the  heaven  of  royal  sages  (rajarshis) ; 
and,  in  consequence  of  his  austere  fervour,  he  was  recognised  as  having 
attained  that  rank.  Visvamitra,  however,  was  ashamed,  grieved,  and 
incensed  at;  the  offer  of  so  very  inadequate  a  reward,  and  exclaimed : 
"  '  I  have  practised  intense  austerity,  and  the  gods  and  rishis  regard 
me  only  as  a  rajarshi!194  Austerities,  it  appears,  are  altogether  fruit- 
less'" (57,  5.  Jitah  rajarshi-lokas  te  tapasd  Kusikdtmaja  \  6.  Anena 
tapasd  tvam  hi  r  ajar  shir  iti  mdmaJie  \  ....  7.  Visvdmitro  ''pi  tach 
chhrutvd  hriyd  kinchid  avdn-mitkhah  \  duhkhena  maJiatd  "vishtah  saman- 
yur  idam  abravlt  \  tapas  cha  sumahat  taptam  rujarsldr  iti  mum  viduh  \ 
dpvqh  sdrshi-gundh  sarve  ndsti  manye  tapah-phalam  |).  Notwithstanding 

194  The  Vishnu  Parana,  iii.  6,  21,  says  :  "  There  are  three  kinds  of  rishis  :  Brah- 
marshis,  after  them  Devarshis,  and  after  them  Rajarshis"  (jneyah  brahmarshayah 
purvam  tebhyo  devarshayah  punah  \  rajarshayah  punas  tebhyah  rishi-prakritayas 
traytih  \  ).  Bohtlingk  and  Eoth,  s.v.  rishi,  mention  also  (on  the  authority  of  the 
vocabulary  called  Trikandas'esha)  the  words  maharshi  (great  rishi),  paramarshi  (most 
eminent  rishi),  srutarshi  (secondary  rishi),  and  kandarshi,  who  is  explained  s.v.  to  be 
a  teacher  of  a  particular  portion  (kanda)  of  the  Veda.  Devarshis  are  explained  by 
Professor  "Wilson  (V.P.  iii.  p.  68,  paraphrasing  the  text  of  the  Vishnu  Purana),  to  be 
"sages  who  are  demi-gods  also  ;"  Brahmarshis  to  be  "sages  who  are  sons  of  Brah- 
ma or  Brahmans ;  "  and  Rajarshis  to  be  "  princes  who  have  adopted  a  life  of  devo- 
tion." In  a  note  he  adds :  "  A  similar  enumeration  is  given  in  the  Vayu,  with  some 
additions  :  Rishi  is  derived  from  risk,  '  to  go  to,'  or  '  approach  ; '  the  Bralimarshis,  it 
is  said,  are  descendants  of  the  five  patriarchs,  who  were  the  founders  of  races  or  gotras 
of  Brahmans,  or  Kas'yapa,  Vas'ishtha,  Arigiras,  Atri,  and  Bhrigu ;  the  Devarshis  are 
Kara  and  Narayana,  the  sons  of  Dharma  ;  the  Balakhilyas,  who  sprang  from  Kratu ; 
Kardama,  the  son  of  Pmlaha;  Kuvera,  the  son  of  Pulastya;  Achala,  the  son  of  Pra- 
tyusha  ;  Narada  and  Parvata,  the  sons  of  Kas'yapa.  Rajarshis  are  Ikshvaku  and  other 
princes.  The  Brahmarshis  dwell  in  the  sphere  of  Brahma ;  the  Devarshis  in  the  region 
of  the  gods;  and  the  Rajarshis  in  the  heaven  of  Indra."  Brahmarshis  are  evidently 
rishis  who  were  priests ;  and  Rajarshis,  rishis  of  kingly  extraction.  If  so,  a  Devarshi, 
having  a  divine  character,  should  be  something  higher  than  either.  Professor  Roth, 
following  apparently  the  Trikandas'esha,  defines  them  as  "  rishis  dwelling  among  the 
gods."  I  am  not  aware  how  far  back  this  classification  of  rishis  goes  in  Indian  lite- 
rature. Roth,  s.vv.  rishi,  brahmarshi  and  devarshi  does  not  give  any  references  to 
these  words  as  occurring  in  the  Brahmanas ;  and  they  are  not  found  in  the  hymns  of 
the  R.V.  where,  however,  the  "  seven  rishis  "  are  mentioned.  Regarding  rajarshis 
see  pp.  266  S.  above. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  401 

this  disappointment,  he  had  ascended  one  grade,  and  forthwith  recom- 
menced his  work  of  mortification. 

At  this  point  of  time  his  austerities  were  interrupted  by  the  follow- 
ing occurrences :  King  Trisanku,  one  of  Ikshvaku's  descendants,  had 
conceived  the  design  of  celebrating  a  sacrifice  by  virtue  of  which  he 
should  ascend  bodily  to  heaven.  As  Vasishtha,  on  being  summoned, 
declared  that  the  thing  was  impossible  (asakyarn),  Trisanku  travelled 
to  the  south,  where  the  sage's  hundred  sons  were  engaged  in  austerities, 
and  applied  to  them  to  do  what  their  father  had  declined.  Though  he 
addressed  them  with  the  greatest  reverence  and  humility,  and  added 
that  "the  Ikshvakus  regarded  their  family-priests  as  their  highest  re- 
source in  difficulties,  and  that,  after  their  father,  he  himself  looked  to 
them  as  his  tutelary  deities"  (57,  22.  Jkshvdkundm  hi  sarveshdm  puro- 
dhah  paramd  gatih  \  tasmdd  anantaram  sarve  lhavanto  daivatam  mama), 
he  received  from  the  haughty  priests  the  following  rebuke  for  his  pre- 
sumption :  (58,  2)  Pratydkhydto  'si  durluddhe  gurund  satyavddind  \  tarn 
katham  samatikramya  sdkhdntaram  upeyivdn  \  3.  Ikshvdkundm  hi  sar- 
veshdm  purodhdh  paramd  gatih  \  na  chdtikramitum  sakyam  vachanam 
satyavddinah  \  4.  "Asakyam"  iti  chovdcha  Vasishtho  lhagavdn  rishih  \ 
tarn  vayam  vai  samdharttum  kratum  saktdh  katham  tava  \  5.  Eulisas 
tvam  nara-sreshtha  gamyatdm  sva-puram  punah  \  ydjane  lhagavdn  saktas 
trailokyasydpi  pdrthiva  \  avamdnam  katham  kartum  tasya  sakshydmahe 
vayam  \  "  Fool,  thou  hast  been  refused  by  thy  truth-speaking  preceptor. 
How  is  it  that,  disregarding  his  authority,  thou  hast  resorted  to  another 
school  (sdkhd]  ? 195  3.  The  family-priest  is  the  highest  oracle  of  all  the 
Ikshvakus ;  and  the  command  of  that  veracious  personage  cannot  be  trans- 
gressed. 4.  Vasishtha,  the  divine  risl^i,  has  declared  that '  the  thing  can- 
not be ; '  and  how  can  we  undertake  thy  sacrifice  ?  5.  Thou  art  foolish, 
king ;  return  to  thy  capital.  The  divine  (Vasishtha)  is  competent  to 

195  It  does  not  appear  how  Tris'anku,  in  asking  the  aid  of  Vasishtha's  sons  after 
applying  in  vain  to  their  father,  could  be  charged  with  resorting  to  another  sakha 
(school),  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  that  word :  as  it  is  not  conceivable  that  the  sons 
should  have  been  of  another  S'iikha  from  the  father,  whose  cause  they  espouse  with  so 
much  warmth.  The  Commentator  in  the  Bombay  edition  explains  the  word  sakhanta- 
ram  &s=yajanadina  rakshakantaram,  "one  who  by  sacrificing  for  thee,  etc.,  will  be 
another  protector."  Gorresio's  Gauda  text,  which  may  often  be  used  as  a  commentary 
on  the  older  one,  has  the  following  paraphrase  of  the  words  in  question,  ch.  60,  3 
Mulam  uisrijya  kasmat  tvam  sakhasv  ichhasi  lambitum  \  "  Why,  forsaking  the  root, 
dost  thou  desire  to  hang  upon  the  branches." 

26 


402  EARLY   CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

act  as  priest  of  the  three  worlds ;  how  can  we  shew  him  disrespect  ?  " 
Trisanku.  then  gave  them  to  understand,  that  as  his  preceptor  and  "his 
preceptor's  sons  had  declined  compliance  with  his  requests,  he  should 
think  of  some  other  expedient."  In  consequence  of  his  venturing  to 
express  this  presumptuous  intention,  they  condemned  him  hy  their  im- 
precation to  become  a  Chandala  (58,  7.  " Pratydkhydto  bhagavatd  guru- 
putrais  tathaiva  cha  \  anydm  gatim  gamishydmi  svasti  vo  'stu  tapodha- 
ndh  "  |  rishi-putrds  tu  tach  chhrutvd  vdkyam  ghordbhisafhhitam  \  sepuh 
parama-sankruddhds  "  chdnddlatvam  gamishyasi"  |).  As  this  curse  soon 
took  effect,  and  the  unhappy  king's  form  was  changed  into  that  of  a 
degraded  outcast,  he  resorted  to  Visvamitra  (who,  as  we  have  seen,  was 
also  dwelling  at  this  period  in  the  south),  enlarging  on  his  own  virtues 
and  piety,  and  bewailing  his  f?te.  Visvamitra  commiserated  his  con- 
dition (ch.  59),  and  promised  to  sacrifice  on  his  behalf,  and  exalt  him 
to  heaven  in  the  same  Chandala-form  to  which  he  had  been  condemned 
by  his  preceptors'  curse.  "  Heaven  is  now  as  good  as  in  thy  possession, 
since  thou  hast  resorted  to  the  son  of  Kusika  "  (59,  4.  Guru-sdpa-kri- 
tam  rupam  yad  idam  tvayi  varttate  \  anena  saha  rupena  sasarlro  gami- 
shyasi  \  hasla-prdptam  aham  manye  svargam  tava  naradhipa  \  yas  tvam 
Kausikam  agamy  a  saranyah  saranam  gatah  |).  He  then  directed  that 
preparations  should  be  made  for  the  sacrifice,  and  that  all  the  rishis, 
including  the  family  of  Vasishtha,  should  be  invited  to  the  ceremony. 
The  disciples  of  Visvamitra,  who  had  conveyed  his  message,  reported 
the  result  on  their  return  in  these  words :  (59,  11)  S'rutva  te  vachanam 
sarve  samdyanti  dvijdtayah  \  sarva-deseshu  chagaclihan  varjayitvd  Maho- 
dayam  \  Vdsishtham  tach  chhatam  sartam  krodha-parydkuldksharam  \ 
yad  uvucha  vacho  glioram  srinu  tvcm  muni-pungava  \  "  kshattriyo  ydjako 
yasya  chanddlasya  viseshatah  \  katham  sadasi  bhoktdro  havis  tasya  surar- 
shayah  \  brdhmantih  <ca  mahdtmdno  bhuktvd  chanddla-bhojanam  \  katham 
svargam  gamishyanti  Visvdmitrena  pdlitdh"  \  etad  vachana-naishthuryyam 
uchuh  samrakta  -  lochandh  \  Vasishthdh  muni-sdrdula  sarve  saha-maho- 
daydh  \  "  Having  heard  your  message,  all  the  Brahmans  are  assembling 
in  all  the  countries,  and  have  arrived,  excepting Mahodaya  (Vasishtha?). 
Hear  what  dreadful  words  those  hundred  Vasishthas,  their  voices  qui- 
vering with  rage,  have  uttered :  '  How  can  the  gods  and  rishis  196  con- 

196  The  rishis  as  priests  (ritvik)  would  be  entitled  to  eat  the  remains  of  the  sacrifice, 
according  to  the  Commentator. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTE^AS.  403 

sume.  the  oblation  at  the  sacrifice  of  that  man,  especially  if  he  he  a 
Chandala,  for  whom  a  Kshattriya  is  officiating-priest  ?  How  can  illus- 
trious Brahmans  ascend  to  heaven,  after  eating  the  food  of  a  Chandala, 
and  being  entertained  by  Visvamitra  ? '  These  ruthless  words  all  the 
Vasishthas,  together  with  Mahodaya,  uttered,  their  eyes  inflamed  with 
anger."  Visvamitra,  who  was  greatly  incensed  on  receiving  this  mes- 
sage, by  a  curse  doomed  the  sons  of  Vasishtha  to  be  reduced  to  ashes, 
and  reborn  as  degraded  outcasts  (mritapdJi)  for  seven  hundred  births, 
and  Mahodaya  to  become  a  JSTishada.  Knowing  that  this  curse  had 
taken  effect  (ch.  60),  Visvamitra  then,  after  eulogizing  Trisanku^  pro- 
posed to  the  assembled  rishis  that  the  sacrifice  should  be  celebrated. 
To  this  they  assented,  being  actuated  by  fear  of  the  terrible  sage's 
wrath.  Visvamitra  himself  officiated  at  the  sacrifice  as  ydfaka ;  m  and 

v     •/  / 

the  other  rishis  as  priests  (ritvijaK)  (with  other  functions)  performed  all 
the  ceremonies.  Visvamitra  next  invited  the  gods  to  partake  of  the  ob- 
lations: (60,  11)  Ndlhyagaman  yadd  tattra  bhdgdrtham  sarva-devatdh  \ 
tatah  Jcopa-samdvishto  Visvdmitro  mahdmunih  \  sruvam  udyamya  saJcro- 
dhas  Trisankum  idam  abravlt  \  " pasya  me  tapaso  vlryam  svarjitasya 
naresvara  \  esha  tvdm  svasarirena  naydmi  svargam  ojasd  \  dushprdpyam 
svasarirena  svargam  gachchha  naresvara  \  svdrjitam  kinchid  apy  asti 
may  a  hi  tapasah  phalam  \  "  "When,  however,  the  deities  did  not  come  to 
receive  their  portions,  Visvamitra  became  full  of  wrath,  and  raising 
aloft  the  sacrificial  ladle,  thus  addressed  Trisanku  :  '  Behold,  o  monarch, 
the  power  of  austere  fervour  acquired  by  my  own  efforts.  I  myself,  by 
my  own  energy,  will  conduct  thee  to  heaven.  Ascend  to  that  celestial 
region  which  is  so  arduous  to  attain  in  an  earthly  body.  I  have  surely 
earned  some  reward  of  my  austerity. \"  Trisanku  ascended  instantly 
to  heaven  in  the  sight  of  the  munis.  Indra,  however,  ordered  him  to 
be  gone,  as  a  person  who,  having  incurred  the  curse  of  his  spiritual 
preceptors,  was  unfit  for  the  abode  of  the  celestials  ; — and  to  fall  down 
headlong  to  earth  (60,  17.  TrisanJco  gachha  Ihuyas  tvam  ndsi  svarga- 
hritdlayah  \  guru-supa-hato  mudha  pata  Ihumim  avdk-sirdh  |).  He 
accordingly  began  to  descend,  invoking  loudly,  as  he  fell,  the  help  of 
his  spiritual  patron.  Visvamitra,  greatly  incensed,  called  out  to  him 
to  stop :  (60,  20)  Tato  Irahma-tapo-yogdt  Prajdpatir  ivdparah  \  sasarjja 
dakslnne  Ihdge  saptarshln  apardn  punah  \  daksliin&m  disam  dsthdya 
197  This  means  as  adhvaryu  according  to  the  Commentator. 


404  £ARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

rishi-madhye  mahdyasdh  \  nakshattra-mdldm  apardm  asrijat  krodha- 
murchhitah  \  anyam  Indram  karishydmi  loko  vd  sydd  anindrakah  \  daiva- 
tdny  api  sa  krodhdt  srashtum  samupachakrame  |I9S  "  Then  by  the  power 
of  his  divine  knowledge  and  austere  fervour  he  created,  like  another 
Prajapati,  other  Seven  Bishis  (a  constellation  so  called)  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  sky.  Having  proceeded  to  this  quarter  of  the  heavens,  the 
renowned  sage,  in  the  midst  of  the  rishis,  formed  another  garland  of 
stars,  being  overcome  with  fury.  Exclaiming,  '  I  will  create  another 
Indra,  or  the  world  shall  have  no  Indra  at  all,'  he  began,  in  his  rage, 
to  cay  gods  also  into  being."  The  rishis,  gods  (Suras),  and  Asuras  now 
became  seriously  alarmed  and  said  to  Visvamitra,  in  a  conciliatory  tone, 
that  Trisanku,  "  as  he  had  been  cursed  by  his  preceptors,  should  not  be 
admitted  bodily  into  heaven,  until  he  had  undergone  some  lustration  " 
(60,  24.  Ayam  raja  mahabhaga  guru-sdpa-parikshatah  \  sasarlro  divam 
ydtum  ndrhaty  akrita-pdvanah  |).199  The  sage  replied  that  he  had  given 
a  promise  to  Trisanku,  and  appealed  to  the  gods  to  permit  his  protege 
to  remain  bodily  in  heaven,  and  the  newly  created  stars  to  retain  their 
places  in  perpetuity.  The  gods  agreed  that  "these  numerous  stars 
should  remain,  but  beyond  the  sun's  path,  and  that  Trisanku,  like  an 
immortal,  with  his  head,  downwards,  should  shine  among  them,  and  be 
followed  by  them,"  adding  "that  his  object  would  be  thus  attained,  and 
his  renown  secured,  and  he  would  tie  like  a  dweller  in  heaven  "  (60, 
29.  Evam  lhavatu  bhadram  te  tishthantv  etdni  sarvasah  \  gagane  tdny 
anekdni  vaisvdnara  -  pathdd  vahih  \  ndkshattrdni  muni-£reshtha  teshu 
jyottishshu  jdjvalan  \  avdk-sirds  Trisankus  cha  tishthatv  amara-sanni- 
Ihah  |  anuydsyanti  chaitani  jyotimsM  nripa-sattamam  \  kritdrtham  kirt- 
timantam  cha  svarga-loka-gatam  yethd  |).  Thus  was  this  great  dispute 
adjusted  by  a  compromise,  which  Yisvamitra  accepted. 

This  story  of  Trisanku,  it  will  have  been  observed,  differs  materially 
from  the  one  quoted  above  (p.  375  ff.)  from  the  Harivamsa;  but  brings 
out  more  distinctly  the  character  of  the  conflict  between  Vasishtha  and 
Yisvamitra. 

When  all  the  gods  and  rishis  had  departed  at  the  conclusion  of  the 

198  1  follow  Schlegel's  text,  which  differs  verbally,  though  not  in  substance,  both 
from  the  Bombay  edition  and  from  Gorresio's. 

199  The  last  compound  word  akritapavanah,    "without  lustration,"  is  given  by 
Schlegel  and  Gorresio.    The  Bombay  edition  has  instead  of  it  eva  tapodhana,  "o  sage 
rich  in  austerity." 


•  THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  405 

sacrifice,  Yisvamitra  said  to  his  attendant  devotees  :  (61,  2)  Mahan 
vighnah  pravritto  ''yam  dahhindm  dsthito  diiam  \  disam  anydm  prapat- 
sydmas  tattra  tapsydmahe  tapah  \  "  This  has  been  a  great  interruption 
[to  our  austerities]  which  has  occurred  in  the  southern  region  :  we  must 
proceed  in  another  direction  to  continue  our  penances."  He  accordingly 
went  to  a  forest  in  the  west,  and  began  his  austerities  anew.  Here  the 
narrative  is  again  interrupted  by  the  introduction  of  another  story, 
that  of  king  Ambarlsha,  king  of  Ayodhya,  who  was,  according  to  the 
Ramayana,  the  twenty-eighth  in  descent  from  Ikshvaku,  and  the  twenty- 
second  from  Trisanku.  (Compare  the  genealogy  in  the  Ramayana,  i.  70, 
and  ii.  110,  6ff.,  with  that  in  Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  iii.  pp. 
260  ff.  280,  284  ff.  and  303  ;  which  is  different.)  Yisvamitra  is  never- 
theless represented  as  flourishing  contemporaneously  with  both  of 
these  princes.  The  stoiy  relates  that  Ambarlsha  was  engaged  in 
performing  a  sacrifice,  when  Indra  carried  away  the  victim.  The  priest 
said  that  this  ill-omened  event  had  occurred  owing  to  the  king's  bad 
administration  ;  and  would  call  for  a  great  expiation,  unless  a  human 
victim  could  be  produced  (61,  8.  Prdyaschittam  mahad  hy  etad  naram 
vd  purusharshalha  \  dnayasva  pdsum  sighram  ydvat  karma  pravarttate[). 
After  a  long  search  the  royal-rishi  (Ambarlsha)  came  upon  the  Brah- 
man-rishi  Richika,  a  descendant  of  Bhrigu,  and  asked  him  to  sell  one  of 
his  sons  for  a  victim,  at  the  price  of  a  hundred  thousand  cows.  Richika 
answered  that  he  would  not  sell  his  eldest  son  ;  and  his  wife  added  that 
she  would  not  sell  the  youngest  :  "  eldest  sons,"  she  observed,  "  being 
generally  the  favourites  of  their  fathers,  and  youngest  sons  of  their 
mothers"  (61,  18.  Prdyena  hi  nara-sreshtha  jyeshthdh  pitrishu  valla- 
bhdh  |  mdtrlndih  cha  kanlydmsas  ta^mdd  rakshe  kamyasam  \  ).  The 
second  son,  S'unassepa,  then  said  that  in  that  case  he  regarded  himself 
as  the  one  who  was  to  be  sold,  and  desired  the  king  to  remove  him. 
The  hundred  thousand  cows,  with  ten  millions  of  gold-pieces  and  heaps 
of  jewels,  were  paid  down,  and  S'unassepa  carried  away.  As  they  were 
passing  through  Pushkara  (ch.  62)  S'unassepa  beheld  his  maternal  uncle 
Yisvamitra  (see  Ramayana,  i.  34,  7,200  and  p.  352  above)  who  was  en- 
gaged in  austerities  there  with  other  rishis,  threw  himself  into  his  arms, 


kagim  chapi  mama  Raghava  suvrata  \  namria  Sntyavatl  nama  RicJiike 
pratipadita  \  "  And  I  have  a  religious  sister  older  than  myself  called  Satyavati,  who 
was  given  in  marriage  to  Richika." 


406  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

and  implored  his  assistance,  urging  his  orphan,  friendless,  and  helpless 
state,  as  claims  on  the  sage's  benevolence  (62,  4.  Na  me  'sti  mdtd  na 
pita  jndtayo  bdndhavdh  kutah  \  trdtum  arhasi  mam  saumya  dharmena 
muni-pungava  |  .  .  .  .  7.  Na  me.ndtho  Jiy  andthasya  bhava  bhavyena  che- 
tasd  |).  Visvamitra  soothed  him;  and  pressed  his  own  sons  to  offer 
themselves  as  victims  in  the  room  of  S'unassepa.  This  proposition  met 
with  no  favour  from  Madhushyanda201  and  the  other  sons  of  the  royal 
hermit,  who  answered  with  haughtiness  and  derision:  (62,  14)  ITatham 
dtma-sutdn  hitvd  trdyase  'nya-sutdn  vibho  \  alcdryyam  iva  pasydmah  sva- 
mdmsam  iva  bhojcme  \  "  How  is  it  that  thou  sacrificest  thine  own  sons, 
and  seekest  to  rescue  those  of  others  ?  We  look  upon  this  as  wrong,  and 
like  the  eating  of  one's  own  flesh."  m  The  sage  was  exceedingly  wroth 
at  this  disregard  of  his  injunction,  and  doomed  his  sons  to  be  born  in 
the  most  degraded  classes,  like  Vasishtha's  sons,  and  to  eat  dog's  flesh,203 
for  a  thousand  years.  He  then  said  to  S'unassepa:  (62,  19)  Pavitra- 
pdsair  dbaddho  rakta-mdlydnulepanah  \  Vaishnavam  yupam  dsddya  vdg- 
Ihir  Agnim  uddhara  \  ime  cha  gdthe  dve  divye  gdyethdh  muni-pirttraka  \ 
Ambarlshasya  yajne  'smims  tatah  siddhim  avdpsyasi  \  "When  thou  art 
bound  with  hallowed  cords,  decked  with  a  red  garland,  and  anointed 
with  unguents,  and  fastened  to  the  sacrificial  post  of  Vishnu,  then  ad- 
dress thyself  to  Agni,  and  sing  these  two  divine  verses  (gdthds},  at  the 
sacrifice  of  Ambarisha ;  then  shalt  thou  attain  the  fulfilment  [of  thy 
desire]."  Being  furnished  with  the  two  gathas,  S'unassepa  proposed 
at  once  to  king  Ambarisha  that  they  should  set  out  for  their  destina- 
tion. When  bound  at  the  stake  to  be  immolated,  dressed  in  a  red  gar- 
ment, "he  celebrated  the  two  gods,  Indra  and  his  younger  brother 
(Vishnu),  with  the  excellent  verses.  The  Thousand-eyed  (Indra)  was 
pleased  with  the  secret  hymn,  and  bestowed  long  life  on  S'unassepa  " 
(62,  25.  Sa  baddho  vdgbhir  agryalhir  abhitushtdva  vai  surau  \  Indram 
Indrdnujam  chaiva  yathdvad  muni-puttrakah  \  tasmai  pritah  sahasrdksho 

801  The  word  is  written  thus  in  Schlegel's  and  Gorresio's  editions.    The  Bombay 
edition  reads  Madhuchhanda. 

202  Schlegel  and  Gorresio  read  svamamsam,  "  one's  own  flesh,"  which  seems  much 
more  appropriate  than  s'va-mamsam,  "dog's flesh,"  the  reading  of  the  Bombay  edition. 

203  Gorresio's  edition  alone  reads  sva-mamsa-vrittayah,  "  subsisting  on  your  own 
flesh,"  and  makes  this  to  be  allusion  to  what  the  sons  had  just  said  and  a  punishment 
for  their  impertinence  (64, 16.  Yasiriat  sva-maihsam  uddishtam  yushmabhir  avamanya 
main). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  407 

rahasya-stuti-toshitah  \  dirgTiam  dyus  tadd  prdddch  Chhunassephdya  Va- 
savah  |).201  King  Ambarisha  also  received  great  benefits  from  this  sacri- 
fice. Visvamitra  meanwhile  proceeded  with  hia  austerities,  which  he 
prolonged  for  a  thousand  years. 

At  the  end  of  this  time  (ch.  63)  the  gods  came  to  allot  his  reward ; 
and  Brahma  announced  that  he  had  attained  the  rank  of  a  rishi,  thus 
apparently  advancing  an  additional  step.  Dissatisfied,  as  it  would  seem, 
with  this,  the  sage  commenced  his  task  of  penance  anew.  After  a 
length  of  time  he  beheld  the  nymph  (Apsaras)  Menaka,  who  had  come 
to  bathe  in  the  lake  of  Pushkara.  She  flashed  on  his  view,  unequalled 
in  her  radiant  beauty,  like  lightning  in  a  cloud  (63,  5.  Rupendprati- 
mdm  tattra  vidyutam  jalade  yathd}.  He  was  smitten  by  her  charms, 
invited  her  to  be  his  companion  in  his  hermitage,  and  for  ten  years 
remained  a  slave  to  her  witchery,  to  the  great  prejudice  of  his  austeri- 
ties.285 At  length  he  became  ashamed  of  this  ignoble  subjection,  and 
full  of  indignation  at  what  he  believed  to  be  a  device  of  the  gods  to 
disturb  his  devotion ;  and,  dismissing  the  nymph  with  gentle  accents, 
he  departed  for  the  northern  mountains,  where  he  practised  severe 
austerities  for  a  thousand  years  on  the  banks  of  the  Kausiki  river. 
The  gods  became  alarmed  at  the  progress  he  was  .making,  and  decided 
that  he  should  be  dignified  with  the  appellation  of  great  rishi  (mahdr- 
shi) ;  and  Brahma,  giving  effect  to  the  general  opinion  of  the  deities, 
announced  that  he  had  conferred  that  rank  upon  him.  Joining  hia 
hands  and  bowing  his  head,  Visvamitra  replied  that  he  should  consider 
himself  to  have  indeed  completely  subdued  his  senses,  if  the  incompar- 
able title  of  Brahman-rishi  were  conferred  upon  him  (63,  31.  Brah- 
marsJii-sabdam  atulam  svdrjitaih  karmabhih  subhaih  \  yadi  me  lhagavun 
aha  tato  'ham  vijitendriyah  \ ).  Brahma  informed  him  in  answer,  that 
he  had  not  yet  acquired  the  power  of  perfectly  controlling  his  senses ; 
but  should  make  further  efforts  with  that  view.  The  sage  then  began 
to  put  himself  through  a  yet  more  rigorous  course  of  austerities,  stand- 
ing with  his  arms  erect,  without  support,  feeding  on  air,  in  summer 
exposed  to  five  fires  (i.e.  one  on  each  of  four  sides,  and  the  sun  over- 
head), in  the  rainy  season  remaining  unsheltered  from  the  wet,  and  in 

204  I  have  alluded  above,  p.  358,  note,  to  the  differences  which  exist  between  this 
legend  of  S'unasVepa  and  the  older  one  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana. 

205  Compare  Mr.  Leckie's  History  of  Rationalism,  vol.  i.  p.  86. 


408  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

winter  lying  on  a  watery  couch  night  and  day.  This  he  continued  for 
a  thousand  years.  At  last  Indra  and  the  other  deities  became  greatly 
distressed  at  the  idea  of  the  merit  he  was  storing  up,  and  the  power 
which  he  was  thereby  acquiring. ;  and  the  chief  of  the  celestials  desired 
(ch.  64)  the  nymph  Eambha  to  go  and  bewitch  him  by  her  blandish- 
ments. She  expressed  great  reluctance  to  expose  herself  to  the  wrath 
of  the  formidable  muni,  but  obeyed  the  repeated  injunction  of  Indra, 
who  promised  that  he  and  Kandarpa  (the  god  of  love)  should  stand  by 
her,  and  assumed  her  most  attractive  aspect  with  the  view  of  overcom- 
ing the  sage's  impassibility.  He,  however,  suspected  this  design,  and 
becoming  greatly  incensed,  he  doomed  the  nymph  by  a  curse  to  be 
turned  into  stone  and  to  continue  in  that  state  for  a  thousand  years.206 
The  curse  took  effect,  and  Kandarpa  and  Indra  slunk  away.  In  this 
way,  though  he  resisted  the  allurements  of  sensual  love,207  he  lost  the 
whole  fruit  of  his  austerities  by  yielding  to  anger;  and  had  to  begin 
his  work  over  again.  He  resolved  to  check  his  irascibility,  to  remain 
silent,  not  even  to  breathe  for  hundreds  of  years;  to  dry  up  his 
body ;  and  to  fast  and  stop  his  breath  till  he  had  obtained  the  co- 
veted character  of  a  Brahman.  He  then  (ch.  65)  left  the  Himalaya 
and  travelled  to  the*  east,  where  he  underwent  a  dreadful  exercise, 
unequalled  in  the  whole  history  of  austerities,  maintaining  silence,  ac- 
cording to  a  vow,  for  a  thousand  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he  had 
attained  to  perfection,  and  although  thwarted  by  many  obstacles,  ho 
remained  unmoved  by  anger.  On  the  expiration  of  this  course  of 
austerity,  he  prepared  some  food  to  eat ;  which  Indra,  coming  in  the 
form  of  a  Brahman,  begged  that  he  would  give  him.  Visvamitra  did 
so,  and  though  he  had  none  left  for  himself,  and  was  obliged  to  remain 
fasting,  he  said  nothing  to  the  Brahman,  on  account  of  his  vow  of 
silence.  65,  8.  Tasydnuchchhvasamdnasya  murdhni' dhumo  vyajdyata  \ 
9.  Trailokyam  yena  sambhrdntam  dtdpitam  ivdlhavat  |  ....  11.  "  JBa- 
hubhih  kdranair  deva  Visvdmitro  mahdmunih  \  'lolhitah  krodhitas  chaiva 
tapasd  chabhimrdhate  |  .  .  .  .  12.  Na  dlyate  yadi  tv  asya  manasd  yad 
abhlpsitam  \  13.  Vindsayati  trailokyam  tapasd  sa-chardcharam  \  vydkulds 

206  On  this  the  Commentator  remarks  that  this  incident  shews  that  anger  is  more 
difficult  to  conquer  than  even  lust  (etena  kaniad  api  krodho  durjeyah  iti  suchitam). 

207  The  Commentator,  however,  suggests  that  the  sudden  sight  of  Eambha  may  at 
first  have  excited  in  him  some  feelings  of  this  kind  (apatato  Rambha-darsana-pravrit- 
tya  Tcamenapi  tapah-kshayah). 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  409 

cha  di&ah  Sarvdh  na  cha  kinchit  prakdsate  \  14.  Sugarah  kshubhitdh  same 
vislryante  cha  parvatdh  \  prakampate  cha  vasudhd  vdyur  vdtlha  sankulah  \ 
15.  Brahman  na  pratijdnlmo  ndstiko  jdyate  janah  |  .  .  .  .  16.  Buddhim 
na  kurute  ydvad  ndse  deva  mahdmunih  \  17.  Tdvat  prasddyo  lhagavdn 
agnirupo  mahddyutih"  |  .  .  .  .  19.  Brahmarshe  svdgatam  te  'stu  tapasd 
smah  sutoshitdh  \  20.  Brdhmanyam  tapasogrena  prdptavdn  asi  Kausika  \ 

dlrgham  tiyus  che  te  brahman  daddmi  sa-marud-ganah   \   21 svasti 

prdpnuhi  bhadram  te  gachha  saumya  yathdsukham  \  .  .  .  22*.  ...  brdh- 
manyam  yadi  me  prdptam  dlrgham  dyus  tathaiva  cha  \  23.  Onikdro  'tha 
vashatlcdro  vedds  cha  varayantu  mum  \  kshattra-veda-viddm  sreshtho  Irah- 
ma-veda-viddm  api  \  24.  Brahma-putro  Vasishtho  mdm  evam  vadatu  deva- 
tdh  |  ....  25.  Tatah  prasddito  devair  Vasishtho  japatdm  varah  \  sakh- 
yam  chakdra  Irahmarshir  "evam  astv'\  iti  chdlravit  \  26.  " Brahmar- 
shitvam  na  sandehah  sarvam  sampadyate  tava"  |  .  .  .  .  27.  Visvdmitro 
'pi  dharmdtmd  laldhvd  Irdhmanyam  uttamam  \  pujaydmdsa  brahmarshim 
Vasishtham  japatdm  varam  \  "  As  lie  continued  to  suspend  his  breath, 
smoke  issued  from  his  head,  to  the  great  consternation  and  distress  of 
the  three  worlds."  The  gods,  rishis,  etc.,  then  addressed  Brahma:  "The 
great  muni  Visvamitra  has  been  allured  and  provoked  in  various  ways, 
but  still  advances  in  his  sanctity.  If  his  wish  is  not  conceded,  he  will 
destroy  the  three  worlds  by  the  force  of  his  austerity.  All  the  regions 
of  the  universe  are  confounded,  no  light  anywhere  shines ;  all  the  oceans 
are  tossed,  and  the  mountains  crumble,  the  earth  quakes,  and  the  wind 
blows  confusedly.  15.  We  cannot,  o  Brahma,  guarantee  thai  mankind 

shall  not  become  atheistic 16.  Before  the  great  and  glorious  sage 

of  fiery  form  resolves  to  destroy  (everything)  let  him  be  propitiated." 
....  The  gods,  headed  by  Brahma,  then  addressed  Yisvamitra:  "  'Hail 
Brahman  rishi,  we  are  gratified  by  thy  austerities ;  o  Kausika,  thou  hast, 
through  their  intfhsity,  attained  to  Brahmanhood.  I,  o  Brahman,  as- 
sociated with  the  Maruts,  confer  on  thee  long  life.  May  every  blessing 
attend  thee ;  depart  wherever  thou  wilt.'  The  sage,  delighted,  made 
his  obeisance  to  the  gods,  and  said  :  '  If  I  have  obtained  Brahmanhood, 
and  long  life,  then  let  the  mystic  monosyllable  (omkdra)  and  the  sacri- 
ficial formula  (vashutkdra}  and  the  Yedas  recognise  me  in  that  capacity. 
And  let  Vasishtha,  the  son  of  Brahma,  the  most  eminent  of  those  who 
are  skilled  in  the  Kshattra-veda,  and  the  Brahma-veda  (the  knowledge 
of  the  Kshattriya  and  the  Brahmanical  disciplines),  address  me  simi- 


410  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

larly.'  ....  Accordingly  Vasishtha,  being  propitiated  by  'the  gods, 
became  reconciled  to  Visvamitra,  and  recognised  his  claim  to  all  the 
prerogatives  of  a  Brahman  rishi Visvamitra,  too,  having  at- 
tained the  Brahmanical  rank,  paid  all  honour  to  Vasishtha."  Such 
was  the  grand  result  achieved  by  Visvamitra,  at  the  cost  of  many 
thousand  years  of  intense  mortification  of  the  body,  and  discipline  of 
the  soul.  During  the  course  of  the  struggle  he  had  manifested,  as  the 
story  tells  us,  a  power  little,  if  at  all,  inferior  to  that  of  Indra,  the  king  of 
the  gods ;  and  as  in  a  former  legend  we  have  seen  King  Nahusha  actually 
occupying  the  throne  of  that  deity,  we  cannot  doubt  that — according  to 
the  recognised  principles  of  Indian  mythology — Visvamitra  had  only 
to  recommence  his  career  of  self-mortification  in  order  to  raise  himself 
yet  higher  than  he  had  yet  risen,  to  the  rank  of  a  devarshi,  or  divine 
rishi  (if  this  be,  indeed,  a  superior  grade  to  that  of  brahmarshi),  or  to 
any  other  elevation  he  might  desire.  But,  as  far  as  the  account  in  the 
Ramayana  informs  us,  he  was  content  with  his  success.  He  stood  on 
a  footing  of  perfect  equality  with  his  rival  Vasishtha,  and  became  in- 
different to  further  honours.  In  fact,  it  was  not  necessary  for  the  pur- 
pose of  the  inventors  of  the  legend  to  carry  him  any  higher.  They 
only  wished  to  account  for  his  exercising  the  prerogatives  of  a  Brah- 
man ;  and  this  had  been  already  accomplished  to  their  satisfaction. 

In  the  story  of  S'akuntala,  however,  as  narrated  in  the  Mahabharata, 
Adiparvan,  sixty-ninth  and  following  sections,  we  are  informed  that, 
to  the  great  alarm  of  Indra,  Visvamitra  renewed  his  austerities,  even 
long  after  he  had  attained  the  position  of  a  Brahman,  verse  2914  :  Tap- 
yamdnah  kila  purd  Visvamitro  mahat  tapah  \  subhrisam  tdpaydmdsa 
S'akram  sura-ganesvaram  \  tapasd  dlpta-viryyo  ''yam  sthdndd  mum  cJiyd- 
vayed  iti  \  "  Formerly  Visvamitra,  who  was  practising  intense  austere- 
fervour,  occasioned  great  distress  to  S'akra  (Indra),  thefcord  of  the  deities, 
lest  by  the  fiery  energy  so  acquired  by  the  saint  he  himself  should  be 
cast  down  from  his  place."  Indra  accordingly  resorted  to  the  usual 
device  of  sending  one  of  the  Apsarases,  Menaka,  to  seduce  the  sage  by 
the  display  of  her  charms,  and  the  exercise  of  all  her  allurements,  "  by 
beauty,  youth,  sweetness,  gestures,  smiles,  and  words  "  (verse  2920,  Ru- 
pa-yauvana-mddhuryya-cheshtita-smita-bhdshitaiK),into  the  indulgence  of 
sensual  love ;  and  thus  put  an  end  to  his  efforts  after  increased  sanctity. 
Menaka  urges  the  dangers  of  the  mission  arising  from  the  great  power 


THE  BRAHMANS:AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  411 

and  irascibility  of  the  sage,  of  whom,  she  remarked,  even  Indra  himself 
was  afraid,  as  a  reason  for  excusing  her  from  undertaking  it ;  and  refers 
to  some  incidents  in  Yisvamitra's  history,  Terse  2923 :  Mahdlhdgam 
Fa^ishfham  yah  putrair  ishtair  vyayojayat  \  kshattra-jdtas  cha  yah  pur- 
vam  abhavad  brdhmano  baldt  j  sauchdrtham  yo  nadlm  chakre  durgamdm 
bahubhir  jalaih  \  yam  tarn  punyatamdm  loke  Kausiklti  vidur  jandh  \ 
2925.  Babhdra  yatrdsya  purd  Icdle  durge  mahdtmanah  \  ddrdn  Matango 
dharmdtmd  rdjarshir  vyddffatdm  gatah  \  atlta-kdle  durbhikshe  abhyetya 
punar  dsramam  \  munih  Pdreti  nadydh  vai  ndma  chakre  tadd  prabhuh  j 
Matangam  ydjaydnchalcre  yatra  prlta-mandh  svayam  \  tvam  cha  somam 
bhaydd  yasya  gatah  pdtum  suresvara  \  chakdrdnyam  cha  lokam  vai  Icrud- 
dho  nakshattra-sampadd  \  pratisravana-pHrvdni  nakshattrdni  chakdra 
yah  |  guru-£dpa-hatasydpi  Trisankoh  saranam  dadau  \  "2923.  He  de- 
prived the  great  Yasishtha  of  his  beloved  sons  ;  and  though  born  a  Kshat- 
triya,  he  formerly  became  a  Brahman  by  force.  For  the  purpose  of  puri- 
fication he  rendered  the  holy  river,  known  in  the  world  as  the  Kauslkl, 
unfordable  from  the  mass  of  water.  2925.  His  wife  was  once  maintained 
there  in  a  time  of  distress  by  the  righteous  rajarshi  Matanga,  who  had 
become  a  huntsman ;  and  when  the  famine  was  past,  the  muni  returned 
to  his  hermitage,  gave  to  the  river  the  name  of  Para,  and  being  grati- 
fied, sacrificed  for  Matanga  on  its  banks ;  and  then  thou  thyself,  Indra, 
from  fear  of  him  wentest  to  drink  his  soma.  He  created,  too,  when 
incensed,  another  world,  with  a  garland  of  stars,  formed  agreeably  to 
his  promise,  and  gave  his  protection  to  Trisanku,  even  when  smitten  by 
his  preceptor's  curse."  Menaka,  however,  ends  by  saying  that  she 
cannot  decline  the  commission  which  has  been  imposed  upon  her ;  but 
begs  that  she  may  receive  such  succours  as  may  ensure  her  success. 
She  accordingly  shows  herself  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Visvamitra's 
hermitage.  The  'saint  yields  to  the  influence  of  love,  invites  her  to 
become  his  companion,  and  as  a  result  of  their  intercourse  S'akuntala  is 
born.  The  Apsaras  then  returns  to  Indra's  paradise. 

SECT.  XII. —  Other  accounts,  from  the  Mahdbhtirata,  of  the  way  in 
which  Visvdmitra  became  a  Brahman. 

In  the  Udyogaparvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  sections  105-118,  a  story 
is  told  regarding  Visvamitra  and  his  pupil  Galava,  in  which  a  different 


412  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

account  is  given  of  the  manner  in  which  Visvamitra  attained  the  rank 
of  a  Brahman  ;  viz.  by  the  gift  of  Dharma,  or  Righteousness,  appearing 
in  the  form  of  his  rival.  M.  Bh.  Udyogap.  3721 :  Visvdmitram  tapa- 
syantam  Dharmo  jijndsayd  purd  \  abhydgachhat  svayam  bhutvd  Vasishtho 
hhagavdn  rishih  |  .  .  .  .  3728.  Atha  var&ha-sate  purne  Dharmah  punar 
updgamat  \  Vdsishthaih  vesam  dsthdya  Kausikam  Ihojanepsayd  \  sa  drish- 
tvd  sirasd  bhaktam  dhriyamdnam  maharshind  \  tishthatd  vdyulhakshena 
Visvdmitrena  dhlmatd  \  pratigrihya  tato  Dkarmas  tathaivoshnam  tathd 
navam  \  bhuMvd  "prlto  'smi  viprarshe"  tarn  uktvd  sa  munir  gatah  \ 
kshattra-bhdvdd  apagato  brdhmanatvam  updgatah  \  Dharmasya  vachandt 
prlto  Visvamitras  tathd  'bhavat  \  "Dharma,  assuming  the  personality 
of  the  sage  Vasishtha,  once  came  to  prove  Visvamitra,  when  he  was 
living  a  life  of  austerity;"  and  after  consuming  some  food,  given 
him  by  other  devotees,  desired  Visvamitra,  who  brought  him  some 
freshly  cooked  charu,  quite  hot,  to  stand  still  for  the  present.  Visva- 
mitra accordingly  stood  still,  nourished  only  by  air,  with  the  boiled 
rice  on  his  head.  "  The  same  personage,  Dharma,  in  the  same  dis- 
guise, reappeared  after  a  hundred  years,  desiring  food,  and  consumed 
the  rice  (still  quite  hot  and  fresh),  which  he  saw  supported  upon 
the  hermit's  head,  while  he  himself  remained  motionless,  feeding  on 
air.  Dharma  then  said  to  him,  '  I  am  pleased  with  thee,  o  Brah- 
man rishi ; '  and  went  away.  Visvamitra,  having  become  thus  trans- 
formed from  a  Kshattriya  into  a  Brahman  by  the  word  of  Dharma, 
was  delighted." 

In  the  Anusasanaparvan  of  the  Hahabharata,  we  have  another  refer- 
ence to  the  story  of  Visvamitra.  King  Yudhishthira  enquires  of  Bhlsh- 
ma  (verse  181)  how,  if  Brahmanhood  is  so  difficult  to  be  attained  by  men 
of  the  other  three  castes,  it  happene'd  that  the  great  Kshattriya  acquired 
that  dignity.  The  prince  then  recapitulates  the  chief  exploits  of  Visva- 
mitra: 183.  Tena  Tiy  amita-vlryena  Vasishthasya  mahdtmanah  \  hatam 
putra-satam  sadyas  tapasd  'pi  pitdmaha  \  ydtudhdnds  cha  bahavo  rtikshasds 
tigma-tejasah  \  manyund  "vishta-dehena  srishtdh  kaldntakopamdh  \  185. 
Mahdn  Kusika-vafiisas  cha  brahmarshi-sata-sankulah  \  sthdpito  nara-loke 
'smin  vidvun  brdhmana-samyutah  \  Richlkasydtmajas  cliaiva  S'unahsepho 
mahdtapdh  \  vimokshito  mahasattrat  pasutdm  apy  updgatah  \  Harischan- 
dra-kratau  devdms  toshayitvd  "tma-tejasd  \  putratdm  anusamprdpto 
Visvdmitrasya  dhlmatah  \  ndbhivddayato  jyeshtham  Dewrdtam  nard- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  413 

dhipa  \  puttruli  panchdsad  evdpi  saptdh  svapachatdm  gatdh  \  Trisankur 
bandhubhir  muktah  AikshvdJcuh  priti-punakam  \  avdk-sirdh  divam  nlto 
dalcshindm  dsrito  disam  \  ....  tato  vighnakarl  chaiva  Panchachudd  su- 
sammatd  \  Ramlhd  ndmdpsardh  sdpdd  yasya  Sailatvam  dgatd  \  tathaivd- 
sya  bhaydd  baddhvd  Vasishthah  salile  purd  \  dtmdnam  majjayan  srlmdn 
vipdsah  punar  utthitah  \  "For  he  destroyed  Vasishtha's  hundred  sons 
by  the  power  of  austere-fervour;  when  possessed  by  anger,  he  created 
many  demons,  fierce  and  destructive  as  death;  he  (185)  established 
the  great  and  wise  family  of  the  Kusikas,  which  was  full  of  Brahmans 
and  hundreds  of  Brahman  rishis;  he  delivered  S'unassepha,  son  of 
Eichika,  who  was  on  the  point  of  being  slaughtered  as  a  victim,  and 
who  became  his  son,  after  he  had,  at  Harischandra's  sacrifice,  through 
his  own  power,  propitiated  the  gods  j  he  cursed  his  fifty  sons  who 
would  not  do  homage  to  Devarata,  (adopted  as)  the  eldest,  so  that  they 
became  outcastes;  through  affection  he  elevated  Trisanku,  when  for- 
saken by  his  relations,  to  heaven,  where  he  remained  fixed  with  his 
head  downwards  in  the  southern  heavens;  (191)  ....  he  changed  the 
troublesome  nymph  Rambha,  known  as  Panchachuda,  by  his  curse  into 
a  form  of  stone ;  he  occasioned  Vasishtha  through  fear  to  bind  and  throw 
himself  into  the  river,  though  he  emerged  thence  unbound  ;  "  and  per- 
formed other  deeds  calculated  to  excite  astonishment.  Yudhishthira 
ends  by  enquiring,  "how  this  Kshattriya  became  a  Brahman  without 
transmigrating  into  another  body"  (197.  Dehdntaram  andsddya  Icatham 
sa  bruhmano  'bhavat  |).  In  answer  to  this  question,  Bhlshma  (verses 
200  ff.)  deduces  the  descent  of  Visvamitra  from  Ajamidha,  of  the  race 
of  Bharata,  who  was  a  pious  priest,  or  sacrificer  (yajvd  dharma-bhritdm 
varah\  the  father  of  Jahnu,  who  again  was  the  progenitor  of  Kusika, 
the  father  of  Gadhi  ;  and  narrates  the  same  legend  of  the  birth  of  Vis- 
vamitra, which  has  been  already  extracted  from  the  Yishnu  Parana  (see 
above,  pp.  349  f.).  The  conclusion  of  the  story  as  here  given  is,  that  the 
wife  of  Eichlka  bore  Jamadagni,  while  "the  wife  of  Gadhi,  by  the  grace 
of  the  rishi,  gave  birth  to  Visvamitra,  who  was  a  Brahman  rishi,  and  an 
utterer  of  the  Veda ;  who,  though  a  Kshattriya,  attained  to  Brahman- 
hood,  and  became  afterwards  also  the  founder  of  a  Brahman  race"  (246. 
Visvdmitram  chdjanayad  Gddhi-bhdryyd  yasasvirii  \  risheh  prasdddd  rd- 
jendra  brahmarshim  brahmavadinam  \  tato  brahmanatdm  ydto  Visvdmitro 
mahdtapah  \  Icshattriyah  so  'py  atha  tathd  brahma-vamsasya  karakah  |). 


414  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

of  which  the  members  are  detailed,20?  including  the  great  rishi  Kapila. 
In  regard  to  the  mode  in  which  Yisvamitra  was  transformed  from  a 
Kshattriya  into  a  Brahman,  we  are  only  told  that  he  belonged  to  the 
former  class,  and  that  "Bichika  infused  into  him  this  exalted  Brah- 
manhood"  (259.  Tathaiva  Jcshattriyo  rajan  Visvamitro  mahatapdh  \ 
Richlkendhitam  Irahma  param  etad  Yudhishthira  |). 

This  version  of  the  story  is  different  from  all  those  preceding  ones 
which  enter  into  any  detail,  as  it  makes  no  mention  of  Yisvamitra  hav- 
ing extorted  the  Brahmanical  rank  from  the  gods  by  force  of  his  aus- 
terities ;  and  ascribes  his  transformation  to  a  virtue  communicated  by 
the  sage  Eichika. 

I  have  above  (p.  296  f.)  quoted  a  passage  from  Manu  on  the  subject  of 
submissive  and  refractory  monarchs,  in  which  reference  is  made  to  Yis- 
vamitra's  elevation  to  the  Brahmanical  order.  Nothing  is  there  said  of 
his  conflict  with  Yasishtha,  or  of  his  arduous  penances,  endured  with 
the  view  of  conquering  for  himself  an  equality  with  his  rival.  On  the 
contrary,  it  is  to  his  submissiveness,  i.e.  to  his  dutiful  recognition  of 
the  superiority  of  the  Brahmans,  that  his  admission  into  their  class  is 
ascribed.  Kulliika,  indeed,  explains  the  word  submissiveness  (yinaya) 
to  mean  virtue  in  general ;  but  the  contrast  which  is  drawn  between 
Prithu,  Manu,  and  Yisvavnitra,  on  the  one  hand,  and  Yena,  Nahusha, 
Sudas,  and  Mmi,  the  resisters  of  Brahmanical  prerogatives  (as  all  the 
legends  declare  them  to  have  been),  on  the  other,  makes  it  tolerably 
evident  that  the  merit  which  Manu  means  to  ascribe  to  Yisvamitra  is 
that  of  implicit  submission  to  the  spiritual  authority  of  the  Brahmans. 


SECT.  XIII. — Ikgend  of  Saudasa. 

In  the  reign  of  Mitrasaha,  also  called  Saudasa,  and  Kalmashapada, 
the  son  of  Sudasa,  and  the  descendant  of  Trisanku  in  the  twenty-second 
generation  (see  p.  337,  above),  we  still  find  Yasishtha  figuring  in  the 
legend,  as  the  priest  of  that  monarch,  and  causing  him,  by  an  impre- 
cation, to  become  a  cannibal,  because  he  had,  under  the  influence  of  a 
delusion,  offered  the  priest  human  flesh  to  eat.  I  shall  not  extract  the 

208  The  names  in  this  list  differ  considerably  from  those  given  above,  p.  352,  from 
the  Harivain&'a. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  415 

version  of  the  story  given  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  in  detail  (Wilson,  V.P. 
vol.  iii.  pp.  304  ff.),  as  it  does  not  in  any  way  illustrate  the  rivalry  of 
Vasishtha  and  Visvamitra. 

The  Mahabharata  gives  the  following  variation  of  the  history  (Adi- 
parvan,  sect.  176) :  "  Kalmashapada  was  a  king  of  the  race  of  Ikshvaku. 
Visvamitra  wished  to  be  employed  by  him  as  his  officiating  priest ;  but 
the  king  preferred  Vasishtha"  (verse  6699.  Akdmayat  tarn  ydjydrthe  Vis- 
vdmitrah  pratdpavdn  \  sa  tu  rdjd  mahdtmdnam  Vasishtham  rishi-sat- 
tamam  |).  It  happened,  however,  that  the  king  went  out  to*  hunt, 
and  after  having  killed  a  large  quantity  of  game,  he  became  very  much 
fatigued,  as  well  as  hungry  and  thirsty.  Meeting  S'aktri,  the  eldest  of 
Vasishtha' s  hundred  sons,  on  the  road,  he  ordered  him  to  get  out  of  his 
way.  The  priest  civilly  replied  (verse  6703) :  Mama  panthdh  mahdrdja 
dharmah  esha  sandtanah  \  rdjnd  sarveshu  dharmeshu  deyah  panthdh  dvijd- 
taye  \  "  The  path  is  mine,  o  king ;  this  is  the  immemorial  law  ;  in  all  ob- 
servances the  king  must  cede  the  way  to  the  Brahman."  Neither  party 
would  yield,  and  the  dispute  waxing  warmer,  the  king  struck  the  muni 
with  his  whip.  The  muni,  resorting  to  the  usual  expedient  of  offended 
sages,  by  a  curse  doomed  the  king  to  become  a  man-eater.  "It  hap- 
pened that  at  that  time  enmity  existed  between  Visvamitra  and  Va- 
sishtha on  account  of  their  respective  claims  to  be  priest  to  Kalmasha- 
pada" (verse  6710.  Tato  ydjya-nimittam  tu  Visvdmitra-Vasishthayoh  \ 
vairam  dslt  tadd  tarn  tu  Visvdmitro'nvapadyata  |).  Visvamitra  had  fol- 
lowed the  king ;  and  approached  while  he  was  disputing  with  S'aktri. 
Perceiving,  however,  the  son  of  his  rival  Vasishtha,  Visvamitra  made 
himself  invisible,  and  passed  them,  watching  his  opportunity.  The 
king  began  to  implore  S'aktri's  clemency  :  but  Visvamitra  wishing  to 
prevent  their  reconciliation,  commanded  a  Pvakshasa  (a  man-devouring 
demon)  to  enter  into  the  king.  Owing  to  the  conjoint  influence  of  the 
Brahman-rishi's  curse,  and  Visvamitra' s  command,  the  demon  obeyed 
the  injunction.  Perceiving  that  his  object  was  gained,  Visvamitra  left 
things  to  take  their  course,  and  absented  himself  from  the  country. 
The  king  having  happened  to  meet  a  hungry  Brahman,  and  sent  him, 
by  the  hand  of  his  cook  (who  could  procure  nothing  else),  some  human 
flesh  to  eat,  was  cursed  by  him  also  to  the  same  effect  as  by  S'aktri. 
The  curse,  being  now  augmented  in  force,  took  effect,  and  S'aktri  him- 
self was  the  first  victim,  being  eaten  up  by  the  king.  The  same  fate 


416  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

befell  all  the  other  sons  of  Yasishtha  at  the  instigation  of  Visvamitra : 
6736.  S'aktrim  tarn  tu  mritam  drishtcd  Visvdmitrah  punahpunah  \  Vasish- 
thasyaiva  putreshu  tadrakshah  sandidesa  ha  \  sa  tan  S '  aTctry-avardn  putrdn 
Vasishthasya  mahdtmanah  \  lhakshaydmdsa  sankruddhah  simhah  kshudra- 
mrigdn  iva  \  Vasishtho  ghdtitdn  srutvd  Visvdmitrena  tan  sutdn  \  dhdra. 
ydmdsa  tarn  6okam  mahddrir  iva  medinim  \  chakre  chdtma-vindsdya  bud- 
dhim  sa  muni-sattamah  \  na  tv  eva  Kausikochhedam  mene  matimatdm 
varah  \  6740.  Sa  Meru-kutdd  dtmdnam  mumocha  bhagavdn  rishih  \  gires 
tasya  sildydm  tu  tula-rdsdv  ivdpatat  \  na  mamdra  cha  patcna  sa  yadd 
tena  Pdndava  \  tadd  'gnim  iddham  bhagavdn  samvivesa  mahdvane  \  tarn 
tadd  susamiddho  'pi  na  daddha  hutdsanah  \  dlpyamdno  'py  amitra-gJina 
&lto  'gnir  abhavat  tatah  \  sa  samudram  abhiprekshya  sokdvishto  mahdmu- 
nih  |  baddhvd  kanthe  sildm  gurvlm  nipapdta  tadd  'mbhasi  \  sa  samudror- 
mi-vegena  sthale  nyasto  mahdmunih  \  jagdma  sa  tatah  khinnah  punar 
evdsramam  prati  \  6745.  Tato  drishtvd  "srama-padam  rahitam  taih  sutair 
munih  \  mrjagdma  suduhkhdrttah  punar  apy  dsramdt  tatah  \  so  'pasyat 
saritam  purndm  prdvrit-lcdle  navdmlhasd  \  vriltshdn  lahuvidhdn  pdrtha 
harantlm  tira-jdn  bahun  \  atha  chintdm  samdpede  punah  kaurava-nan- 
dana  \  "  ambhasy  asydm  nimajjeyam  "  iti  duhhha-samanvitah  \  tatah pdsais 
tadd  Dtmdnam  gddham  baddhvd  mahdmunih  \  tasydh  jale  mahdnadydh 
nimamajja  suduhkhitah  \  atha  chhittvd  nadl  pdsdms  tasydri-lala-sudana  \ 
sthala-stham  tarn  rishim  Icritvd  vipdsam  samavdsrijat  \  6750.  TTttatdra 
tatah  pdsair  vimulctah  sa  mahdn  rishih  \  Vipdseti  cha  ndmdsydh  nadyds 
chaltre  mahdn  rishih  |  .  .  .  .  6752.  Drishtvd  sa  punar  evarshir  nadlm 
haimavatwi  tadd  \  chandragrdhavatlm  Ihimtim  tasydh  srotasy  apdtayat  \ 
sd  tarn  agni-samam  vipram  anuchintya  sarid  vard  \  satadhd  vidrutd  yas- 
mdch  satadrur  iti  visrutd  |  .  .  .  .  6774.  Sauddso  'ham  mahdbhdga  ydjyas 
te  muni-sattama  \  asmin  Jcdle  yad  ishtam  te  bruhi  kirn  karavdni  te  \  Va- 
sishtha  uvdcha  \  vrittam  etad  yathd-lcdlam  gachha  rdjyam  prasddhi  vai  \ 
Irdhmandms  tu  manushyendra  md  'vamamsthdh  kaddchana  \  rdjd  uvdcha  \ 
ndvamamsye  mahdlhdga  kaddchid  Irdhmanarshalhdn  \  tvan-nidese  sthitah 
samyak  pujayishydmy  aham  dvijdn  \  Ikshvdkundm  cha  yendham  anrinah 
sydm  dvijottama  \  tat  tvattah  prdptum  ichhdmi  sarva-veda-viddm  vara  \ 
apatyam  Ipsitam  mahyam  datum  arhasi  saltama  \  "  Perceiving  S'aktri  to 
be  dead,  Visvamitra  again  and  again  incited  the  Eakshasa  against  the 
sons  of  Vasishtha ;  and  accordingly  the  furious  demon  devoured  those 
of  his  sons  who  were  younger  than  S'aktri,  as  a  lion  eats  up  the  small 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  417 

beasts  of  the  forest.809  On  hearing  of  the  destruction  of  his  sons  by 
Yisvamitra,  Yasishtha  supported  his  affliction,  as  the  great  mountain 
sustains  the  earth.  He  meditated  his  own  destruction,  but  never 
thought  of  exterminating  the  Kausikas.  6740.  This  divine  sage  hurled 
himself  from  the  summit  of  Meru,  but  fell  upon  the  rocks  as  if  on  a 
heap  of  cotton.  Escaping  alive  from  his  fall,  he  entered  a  glowing  fire 
in  the  forest ;  but  the  fire,  though  fiercely  blazing,  not  only  failed  to 
burn  him,  but  seemed  perfectly  cool.  He  next  threw  himself  into  the 
sea  with  a  heavy  stone  attached  to  his  neck;  but  was  cast  up  by  the 
waves  on  the  dry  land.  He  then  went  home  to  his  hermitage ;  (6745) 
but  seeing  it  empty  and  desolate,  he  was  again  overcome  by  grief  and 
went  out;  and  seeing  the  river  Vipasa  which  was  swollen  by  the  recent 
rains,  and  sweeping  along  many  trees  torn  from  its  banks,  he  conceived 
the  design  of  drowning  himself  into  its  waters :  he  acccordingly  tied  him- 
self firmly  with  cords,  and  threw  himself  in ;  but  the  river  severing  his 
bonds,  deposited  him  unbound  (yipasa)  on  dry  land ;  whence  the  name  of 
the  stream,  as  imposed  by  the  sage.210  6752.  He  afterwards  saw  and  threw 
himself  into  the  dreadful  S'atadru  (Sutlej),  which  was  full  of  alligators, 
etc.,  and  derived  its  name  from  rushing  away  in  a  hundred  directions 
on  seeing  the  Brahman  brilliant  as  fire.  In  consequence  of  this  he  was 
once  more  stranded ;  and  seeing  he  could  not  kill  himself,  he  went  back 
to  his  hermitage.  After  roaming  about  over  many  mountains  and  coun- 
tries, he  was  followed  home  by  his  daughter-in-law  Adrisyanti,  S'aktri's 
widow,  from  whose  womb  he  heard  a  sound  of  the  recitation  of  the 
Vedas,  as  she  was  pregnant  with  a  child,  which,  when  born,  received 
the  name  of  Parasara,  verse  6794.  Learning  from  her  that  there  was 

209  See  above  (pp.  327  ff.),  the  passages  Quoted  from  the  Brahmanas,  about  the 
slaughter  of  Vasishtha's  sons.     In  the  Panchavims'a  Br.  '(cited  by  Prof.  "Weber,  Ind 
St.  i.  32)  Vasishtha  is  spoken  of  as  puttra-hatah. 

210  The  Nirukta,  ix.  26,  after  giving  other  etymologies  of  the  word  Vipas',  adds  a 
verse  :  Pasah  asyam  vyapasyanta  Vasishthasya  mumurshatah  \  tasmad  Vipad  uchyate 
purvam  asld  Unmjira  \  "  In  it  the  bonds  of  Vasishtha  were  loosed,  when  he  was  on 
the  point  of  death :  hence  it  is  called  Vipas'.  It  formerly  bore  the  name  of  Urunjira." 
It  does  not  appear  whether  or  not  this  verse  is  older  than  the  Mahabharata.     On  this 
text  of  the  Nirukta,  Durga  (as  quoted  by  Prof.  Miiller,  Rig-veda,  ii.  Pref.  p.  liv.)  an- 
notates :    Vafsishthah  kiln  nimamajja  asyum  mumurshuh  puttra-marana-sokarttah  pa- 
sair  atmanam  baddhva  \  tasya  kila  te  pasah  asyam  vyapasyanta  vyamuchyanta  uda- 
kena  \  "  Vasishtha  plunged  into  it,  after  binding  himself  with  bonds,  wishing  to  die 
when  grieved  at  the  death  of  his  sons.     In  it  (the  river)  his  bonds  were  loosed  by  the 
water." 

27 


418  EAELY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

thus  a  hope  of  his  line  being  continued,  he  abstained  from  further 
attempts  on  his  own  life.  King  Kalmashapada,  however,  whom  they 
encountered  in  the  forest,  was  about  to  devour  them  both,  when  Vasish- 
tha stopped  him  by  a  blast  from  his  mouth ;  and  sprinkling  him  with 
water  consecrated  by  a  holy  text,  he  delivered  him  from  the  curse  by 
which  he  had  been  affected  for  twelve  years.  The  king  then  addressed 
Vasishtha  thus:  "'Most  excellent  sage,  I  am  Saudasa,  whose  priest 
thou  art :  what  can  I  do  that  would  be  pleasing  to  thee  ? '  Vasishtha 
answered  :  '  This  which  has  happened  has  been  owing  to  the  force  of 
destiny :  go,  and  rule  thy  kingdom ;  but,  o  monarch,  never  contemn 
the  Brahmans.'  The  king  replied:  'Never  shall  I  despise  the  most 
excellent  Brahmans ;  but  submitting  to  thy  commands  I  shall  pay  them 
all  honour.  And  I  must  obtain  from  thee  the  means  of  discharging 
my  debt  to  the  Ikshvakus.  Thou  must  give  me  the  offspring  which  I 
desire.'  "  Vasishtha  promised  to  comply  with  his  request.  They  then 
returned  to  Ayodhya.  And  Vasishtha  having  been  solicited  by  the 
king  to  beget  an  heir  to  the  throne211  (verse  6787.  Rdjnas  tasyujnayd 
devl  Vasishtham  upacliakrame  \  maharshih  samvidam  Jcritvd  samlabhuva 
tayd  saha  \  devyd  divyena  vidhind  VasishtJio  bhagavdn  rishih],  the  queen 
became  pregnant  by  him?  and  brought  forth  a  son  at  the  end  of  twelve 
years.  This  extraordinary  proceeding,  so  contrary  to  all  the  recognized 
rules  of  morality,  is  afterwards  (verses  6888-6912)  explained  to  have 
been  necessitated  by  the  curse  of  a  Brahmani,  whose  husband  Kalmasha- 
pada  had  devoured  when  in  the  forest,  and  who  had  doomed  him  to  die 
if  he  should  attempt  to  become  a  father,  and  had  foretold  that  Vasish- 
tha should  be  the  instrument  of  propagating  his  race  (verse  6906 : 
Patriim  ritdv  anuprdpya  sadyas  tyakshyasi  jlmtam  \  yasya  charsher  Va- 
sishthasya  tvayd  putrdh  vindiitdh  I  tena  sangamya  te  bhdryyd  tanayam 
janayishyati}.™ 

211  The  same  story  is  told  in  the  Vishnu  Pur.  iv.,  4,  38  (Wilson,  vol.  3,  p.  310). 

212  This  incident  is  alluded  to  in  the  Adip.,  section  122.     It  is  there  stated  that 
in  the  olden  time  women  were  subject  to  no  restraint,  and  incurred  no  blame  for 
abandoning  their  husbands  and  cohabiting  with  anyone  they  pleased  (verse  4719. 
Anavritah  kila  pura  striyah   asan  varanane  \  kama-chara-vihatinyah  svatantras 
charu-hasini  \  tasam  vyuchcharaniananam  fcaumarat  subhage  patln  \  nadharmo  'bhud 
vararohe  sa  hi  dharmah  pura  'bhavat,  compare  verse  4729).     A  stop  was,  however, 
put  to  this  practice  by  Uddalaka  S'vetaketu,  whose  indignation  was  on  one  occasion 
aroused  by  a  Brahman  taking  his  mother  by  the  hand,  and  inviting  her  to  go  away 
with  him,  although  his  father,  in  whose  presence  this  occurred,  informed  him  that 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  419 

The  Hahabharata  has  a  further  legend,  regarding  Visvamitra'a 
jealousy  of  Vasishtha,  which  again  exhibits  the  former  in  a  very 
odious  light,  and  as  destitute  of  the  moral  dispositions  befitting  a 
saint,  while  Yasishtha  is  represented  as  manifesting  a  noble  spirit  of 
disinterestedness  and  generosity. 

S'alyap.  2360.  Visvdmitrasya  viprarsher  Vasishthasya  cha  Bhdrata  \ 
bhrisam  vairam  alhud  rdj'ams  tapah-sparddhd-kritam  mahat  \  dsramo  vai 
Vasishthasya  sthdnu-tlrthe  'bhavad  mahdn  \  purvatah  pdrsvatas  chdsld 
Visvdmitrasya  dhimatah  |  .  .  .  .  2366.  Visvdmitra  -  Vasishthau  tdv 
ahany  ahani  Bhdrata  \  sparddhdm  tapah-kritdm  tlvrdm  chakratus  tau 
tapo-dhanau  \  tattrdpy  adhika-santapto  Visvdmitro  mahdmunih  \  drish- 
tva tejo  Vasishthasya  chintdm  ati  jagdma  ha  \  tasya  luddhir  iyam  hy 
dsid  dharma-nityasya  Bhdrata  \  iyam>  Sarasvatl  turnam  mat-samlpam 
tapo-dhanam  \  dnayishyati  vegena  Vasishtham  japatdm  varam  \  ihdga- 
tafh  dvija-sreshtham  hanishydmi  na  saihsayah  \  2370.  Evam  nischitya 
lhagavdn  Visvdmitro  mahdmunih  \  sasmdra  saritam  sreshthdm  krodha- 
samrakta-lochanah  \  sd  dhydtd  munind  tena  vydkulatvam  jagdma  ha  \ 
jajne  chainam  mahdvlryyam  mahdkopam  cha  bhdviril  \  tatah  enam  vepa- 
mdnd  vivarnd  prdnjalis  tadd  \  upatasthe  muni-varam  Visvdmitram  Sar- 
asvatl |  hata-vird  yathd  ndrl  sd  'bhavad  duhkhitd  bhrisam  \  Iruhi  kirn 
Icaravdnlti  provdcha  muni-sattamam  \  tdm  uvdcha  munih  Icruddho  "Vasi- 
shtham  sighram  dnaya  \  ydvad  enam  nihanmy  adya  "  tach  chhrutvd 
vyathitd  nadl  \  2375.  Prdnjalim  tu  tatah  kritvd  pundarilca-nibhekshana  \ 

there  was  no  reason  for  his  displeasure,  as  the  custom  was  one  which  had  prevailed 
from  time  immemorial  (verse  4726.  S'vetaketoh  kiln  pura  samaksham  mataram  pituh  \ 
jagraha  brahmanah  panau  "  gachhava  "  iti  chcibravit  \  rishis-putlras  tatah  Jcopam 
chakaramarsha-choditah  \  mataram  tarn  tatha  drishtva  ttiyamanam  balad  iva  \  krud- 
dham  tarn  tu  pita  drishtva  S'vetaketum  uva^ia  ha  \  "ma  tata  Jcopam  karshis  tvam 
esha  dhannah  sanatanah  \  ").  But  S'vetaketu  could  not  tolerate  the  practice,  and 
introduced  the  existing  rule  (verse  4730.  Rishi-puttro  'tha  tarn  dharmam  S'vetaketur 
ni  chakshame  \  chakara  chaiva  maryadam  imam  strl-pumsayor  bhuvi  \  ).  A  wife  and 
a  husband  indulging  in  promiscuous  intercourse  were  therefore  thenceforward  guilty  of 
sin.  But  a  wife,  when  appointed  hy  her  husband  to  raise  up  seed  to  him  (by  having 
intercourse  with  another  man),  is  in  like  manner  guilty  if  she  refuse  (4734.  Patya 
niyukta  yd  chaiva  pat.rii  puttrar tham  evit  cha  \  na  karishyati  tasyas  cha  bhavishyati 
tad  eva  hi  \  iti  tena  pura  bhlra  maryadd  sthapita  balat  \  ).  Pandu,  the  speaker, 
then  proceeds  to  give  an  instance  of  the  latter  procedure  in  the  case  of  Madayanti, 
the  wife  of  Saudasa,  who,  by  her  husband's  command,  visited  Vasishtha  for  the 
purpose  in  question  (4736.  Saudasena  cha  rambhoru  niyukta  puttra-janmani  \  Mada- 
yanti  jagamarshim  Vasishtham  iti  nah  srutam  \  ).  Compare  what  is  said  above,  p. 
224,  of  Angiras,  and  in  pp.  232  and  233  of  Dirgatamas  or  Dirghatapas  ;  and  see  p. 
423,  below. 


420  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

prdkampata  bhrisam  bhltd  vdyunevdhatd  latd  |  . .  .  2377.  Sd  tasya  vacha- 
nam  srutvd  jndtvd  pdpa-chikirshitam  \  Vasishthasya  prabhdvam  cha  jd- 
nanty  apratimam  bhuvi  \  sd  'dhigamya  Vasishtham  cha  imam  artham 
achodayat  \  yad  uktd  saritdm  sreshthd  Visvdmitrena  dhimatd  \  ubhayoh 
sdpayor  bhltd  vepamdndpunahpunah  | . .  .  2380.  Turn  krisdm  chavivarndm 
cha  drishtvd  chintd-samanvitdm  \  uvdcha  rdjan  dharmdtma  Vasishtho 
dvipaddm  varah  \  Vasishthah  uvdcha  \  "pdhy  dtmdnam  sarich-chhresthe 
vaha  math  slghra-gdmini  \  Visvdmitrah  saped  hi  tvdm  md  Icrithds  tvam 
vichdranam"  \  tasya  tadvachanam  srutvd  Icripd-sllasya  sd  sarit  \  chintayd- 
mdsa  Kauravya  Jcim  kritvd  suJcritam  lhavet  \  tasyds  chintd  samutpannd 
"  Vasishtho  mayy  atlva  hi  \  Tcritavdn  hi  day  dm  nityam  tasya  kdryyam  hitam 
mayd"  \  atha  kule  svalce  rdjan  japantam  rishi-sattamam  \juhvdnamITau- 
sikam prelcshya  sarasvaty  abhyacMntayat  \  2385.  "Idam  antaram"  ity  eva 
tatah  sd  saritdm  vard  \  kuldpahdram  akarot  svena  vegena  sd  sarit  \  tena 
kuldpahdrena  Maitrdvarunir  auhyata  \  uhyamdnah  sa  tushtdva  tadd 
rdjan  Sarasvatlm  \  Pitdmahasya  sarasah  pravrittd  ''si  Sarasvati  \  vy dp- 
tarn  chedam  jagat  sarvam  tavaivambhobhir  uttamaih  \  tvam  evdlcdsa-gd 
devi  megheshutsrijase  pay  ah  \  sarvds  chdpas  tvam  eveti  tvatto  vayam  adhl- 
mahi  \  pushtir  dyutis  tathd  klrttih  siddhir  buddhir  umd  tathd  \  tvam  eva 
vdni  svdhd  tvam  tavdyattnm  idam  jagat  \  2390.  Tvam  eva  sarva-bhuteshu 
vasaslha  chaturvidhd  l|  .  .  .  .  2392.  Tarn  dnltaih  Sarasvatyd  drishtvd 
Icopa-samanvitdh  \  athdnveshat  praharanam  Vasishthdnta-lcaram  tadd  \ 
tam  tu  kruddham  abhiprekshya  brahma-badhyd-bhaydd  nadi  \  apovdha 
Vasishtham  tu  prdchlm  disam  atandritd  \  ubhayoh  kurvatl  vdkyam 
vanchayitvd  cha  Gddhijam  tato  'pavdhitam  drishtvd  Vasishtham  rishi- 
sattamam  |  2395.  Alravld  duhkha-sankruddho  Visvdmitro  hy  amarsha- 
nah  |  "  yasmdd  mdm  tvam  saricl-chhreshthe  vanchayitvd  punargatd  \ 
sonitam  vaha  kalydni  raksho-'gra-mani-sammatam "  |  tatah  Sarasvati, 
sapid  Visvamitrena  dhlmatd  \  avahach  chhonitonmisram  toyam  samvat- 
sdram  tadd  |  .  .  .  .  2401.  Athdjagmus  tato  rdjan  rdkshasds  tattra 
Bhdrata  \  tattra  te  sonitam  sarve  pivantah  sukham  dsate  |  .  .  .  .  2402. 
Nrityantas  cha  hasantas  cha  yathd  svarga-jitas  tathd  |  .  .  .  .  2407. 
tdn  drishtvd  rdkshasdn  rdjan  munayah  samsita-vratdh  \  paritrdne 
Sarasvatydh  param  yatnam  prachakrire  \ 

11  2360.  There  existed  a  great  enmity,  arising  from  rivalry  in  their 
austerities,  between  Visvamitra  and  the  Brahman  rishi  Vasishtha.  Va- 
siehtha  had  an  extensive  hermitage  in  Sthanutirtha,  to  the  east  of 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEITAS.  421 

which  was  Visvamitra' s  ....  2366.  These  two  great  ascetics  were 
every  day  exhibiting  intense  emulation  in  regard  to  their  respective 
austerities.  But  Visvamitra,  beholding  the  might  of  Vasishtha,  was 
the  most  chagrined  ;  and  fell  into  deep  thought.  The  idea  of  this  sage, 
constant  in  duty  (!),  was  the  following :  '  This  river  Sarasvati  will 
speedily  bring  to  me  on  her  current  the  austere  Vasishtha,  the  most 
eminent  of  all  mutterers  of  prayers.  "When  that  most  excellent  Brah- 
man has  come,  I  shall  most  assuredly  kill  him.'  2370.  Having  thus 
determined,  the  divine  sage  Visvamitra,  his  eyes  reddened  by  anger, 
called  to  mind  the  chief  of  rivers.  She  heing  thus  the  subject  of  his 
thoughts,  became  very  anxious,  as  she  knew  him  to  he  very  powerful 
and  very  irascible.  Then  trembling,  pallid,  and  with  joined  hands, 
the  Sarasvati  stood  hefore  the  chief  of  munis.  Like  a  woman  whose 
husband  has  heen  slain,  she  was  greatly  distressed ;  and  said  to  him, 
'  "What  shall  I  do  ? '  The  incensed  muni  replied,  '  Bring  Vasishtha 
hither  speedily,  that  I  may  slay  him.'  2375.  The  lotus-eyed  goddess, 
joining  her  hands,  trembled  in  great  fear,  like  a  creeping  plant  agitated 
by  the  wind."  ....  Visvamitra,  however,  although  he  saw  her  con- 
dition, repeated  his  command.  2377.  "The  Sarasvati,  who  knew  how 
sinful  was  his  design,  and  that  the  might  of  Vasishtha  was  unequalled, 
went  trembling,  and  in  great  dread  of  being  cursed  by  both  the  sages, 
to  Vasishtha,  and  told  him  what  his  rival  had  said.  2380.  Vasishtha 
seeing  her  emaciated,  pale,  and  anxious,  spoke  thus  :  '  Deliver  thyself, 
o  chief  of  rivers ;  carry  me  unhesitatingly  to  Visvamitra,  lest  he  curse 
thee.'  Hearing  these  words  of  the  merciful  sage,  the  Sarasvati  con- 
sidered how  she  could  act  most  wisely.  She  reflected,  '  Vasishtha  has 
always  shown  me  great  kindness;  I  must  seek  his  welfare.'  Then  observ- 
ing the  Kausika  sage  [so  in  the  text,  but  does  not  the  sense  require 
Vasishtha?]  praying  and  sacrificing  on  her  brink,  she  regarded  (2385) 
that  as  a  good  opportunity,  and  swept  away  the  bank  by  the  force  of 
her  current.  In  this  way  the  son  of  Mitra  and  Varuna  (Vasishtha) Z1S 
was  carried  down ;  and  while  he  was  being  borne  along,  he  thus  cele- 
brated the  river :  '  Thou,  o  Sarasvati,  issuest  from  the  lake  of  Brahma, 
and  pervadest  the  whole  world  with  thy  excellent  streams.  Residing  in 
the  sky,  thou  dischargest  water  into  the  clouds.  Thou  alone  art  all  waters. 
By  thee  we  study.'  [Here  the  river  Sarasvati  is  identified  with  Saras- 
213  See  above,  pp.  316  and  320  f. 


422  EARL?  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

vatl  the  goddess  of  speech.]  2H  '  Thou  art  nourishment,  radiance,  fame, 
perfection,  intellect,  light.  Thou  art  speech ;  thou  art  Svaha ;  this 
world  is  subject  to  thee.  2390.  Thou,  in  fourfold  form,  dwellest  in  all 
creatures.'  ....  2392.  Beholding  Vasishtha  brought  near  by  the 
Sarasvati,  Visvamitra  searched  for  a  weapon  with  which  to  make  an 
end  of  him.  Perceiving  his  anger,  and  dreading  lest  Brahmanicide 
should  ensue,  the  river  promptly  carried  away  Vasishtha  in  an  easterly 
direction;  thus  fulfilling  the  commands  of  both  sages,  but  eluding  Vis- 
vamitra. Seeing  Vasishtha  so  carried  away,  (2395)  Visvamitra,  im- 
patient, and  enraged  by  vexation,  said  to  her  :  '  Since  thou,  o  chief  of 
rivers,  hast  eluded  me,  and  hast  receded,  roll  in  waves  of  blood  accept- 
able to  the  chief  of  demons,"  [which  are  fabled  to  gloat  on  blood]. 
"The  Sarasvati,  being  thus  cursed,  flowed  for  a  year  in  a  stream- 
mingled  with  blood.  .  .  .  2401.  Rakshasas  came  to  the  place  of  pil- 
grimage, where  Vasishtha  had  been  swept  away,  and  revelled  in 
drinking  to  satiety  the  bloody  stream  in  security,  dancing  and  laughing, 
as  if  they  had  conquered  heaven."  Some  rishis  who  arrived  at  the 
spot  some  time  after  were  horrified  to  see  the  blood-stained  water,  and 
the  Rakshasas  quaffing  it,  and  (2407)  "  made  the  most  strenuous  efforts 
to  rescue  the  Sarasvati."  After  learning  from  her  the  cause  of  the 
pollution  of  her  waters,  they  propitiated  Mahadeva  by  the  most  various 
austerities,  and  thus  obtained  the  restoration  of  the  river  to  her  pristine 
purity  (24136°.). 

We  have  another  reference  to  the  connection  of  the  families  of  Sudas 
and  Vasishtha  in  the  legend  of  Parasurama,215  the  destroyer  of  the 
Kshattriyas,  in  the  49th  section  of  the  S'antiparvan  of  the  Mahabharata. 
Sarvakarman,  a  descendant  of  Sudas,  is  there  mentioned  as  one  of  those 

214  See  the  remarks  on  Sarasvati  in  my  "  Contributions  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
Vedic    Theogony    and    Mythology    No.   II.,"  in  the   Journ.  R.  A.  S.,   for    1866, 
pp.  18  ff. 

215  Paras'urama  was  the  son  of  Jamadagni,  regarding  whose  birth,  as  well  as  that  of 
Visvamitra  and  the  incarnation  of  Indra  in  the  person  of  his  father  Gadhi,  the  same 
legend  as  has  been  already  given  above,  p,  349  ff,  is  repeated  at  the  commencement 
of  the   story  referred  to  in  the  text.     In  discoursing  with  his  wife  Satyavati  about 
the  exchange  of  her  own  and  her  mother's  messes,  Richika  tells  her,  verse  1741 : 
Brahmabhutam  hi  sakalam  pitus  tava  Jculam  bhavet  \  "  All  the  family  of  thy  father 
(Gadhi)  shall  be  Brahmanical ; "  and  Vasudeva,  the  narrator  of  the  the  legend,  says, 
verse  1745  :    Visvamitram  cha  dayadam  Gadhih  Kmikanandanah  \  yam  prapa  btah- 
tnasammitaih  visvair  brahmagunair  yutam  \  "And  Gadhi  begot  a  son,  Visvamitra, 
whom  he  obtained  equal  to  a  Brahman,  and  possessed  of  all  Brahmanical  qualities." 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  423 

Kshattriyas  who  had  been  preserved  from  the  general  massacre  by 
Parasara,  grandson  of  Vasishtha  :  verse  1792.  Tathd  'nukampamdnena 
yajvand  'mita-tejasd  \  Pardsarena  ddyddah  Saudusasydbhirakshitali  \ 
sarva-karmdni  kurute  sudra-vat  tasya  vai  dvijah  \  Sarvakarmety  abhi- 
khydtah  sa  mdm  rakshatu  pdrthivah  \  "  Sarvakarman,  the  son  of  Saudasa, 
was  preserved  by  the  tender-hearted  priest  Parasara,  who  performed, 
though  a  Brahman,  all  menial  offices  for  him,  like  a  S'udra;  whence  the 
prince's  name ; — may  this  king  protect  me  (the  earth)."  The  same 
book  of  the  Mahabharata,  when  recording  a  number  of  good  deeds  done 
to  Brahmans,  has  also  the  following  allusion  to  Mitrasaha  and  Vasish- 
tha :  verse  8604.  Raja  Mitrasahas  chdpi  Vasishthdya  mahdtmane  \  Da- 
mayantlm  priydm  dattvd  tayd  saha  divam  gatah  \  "  King  Mitrasaha, 
having  bestowed  his  dear  Damayanti  on  Vasishtha,  ascended  to  heaven 
along  with  her."216 

The  same  passage  has  two  further  allusions  to  Vasishtha,  which, 
though  unconnected  with  our  present  subject,  may  be  introduced  here. 
In  verse  8591  it  is  said:  Rantidevas  cha  Sdnkrityo  VasishtJidya  mahat- 
mane |  apah  praddya  sltoshndh  ndka-prishthe  mahlyate  \  "  Rantideva,  son 
of  Sankriti,  who  gave  Vasishtha  tepid  water,  is  exalted  to  the  heavenly 
regions."  (Seethe  Bhag.  Pur.  ix.  21,  2-18,  where  the  various  acts  of 
self-sacrifice  practised  by  this  prince  are  celebrated:)  It  is  said  of 
Vasishtha  in  verse  8601 :  Avar&hati  cha  Parjanye  sarva-lhutdni  Ihuta- 
krit  |  Vasishtho  jlvaydmdsa  prajdpatir  ivdparah  \  "  When  Parjanya 
failed  to  send  rain,  the  creative  Vasishtha,  like  Brahma,  gave  life  to  all 
beings." 

Vasishtha,  in  short,  is  continually  reappearing  in  the  Mahabharata. 
I  will  here  adduce  but  one  other  passage.  In  the  S'antiparvan,  verses 
10,118ff.,  it  is  said:  Tasya  Vrittrdrdditasydtha  mohah  dslch  chhatakra- 
toh  |  rathantarena  tarn  tattra  Vasishthah  samabodhayat  \  Vasishthah 
uvdcha  |  deva-6reshtho  'si  devendra  daitydsura-nibarhana  \  trailokya-lala- 

211  This  appears  to  refef  to  the  story  told  above,  p.  418  ff.,  of  Kalmashapada  (who 
was  the  same  as  Mitrasaha),  allowing  Vasishtha  to  be  the  agent  in  propagating  the 
royal  race;  for  both  there  (v.  6910)  and  in  the  Vishnu  Pur.  ("Wilson,  vol.  iii.,  pp. 
308  and  310),  the  name  of  the  queen  is  said  to  have  been  MadayantT,  which  is 
probably  the  right  reading  here  also,  the  first  two  letters  only  having  been  transposed. 
If  so,  however,  it  is  to  be  observed  that  a  quite  different  turn  is  given  to  the  story 
here,  where  it  is  represented  as  a  meritorious  act  on  the  king's  part,  and  as  a  favour 
to  Vasishtha,  that  the  queen  was  given  up  to  him ;  whilst,  according  to  the  other 
account,  the  king's  sole  object  in  what  he  did  was  to  get  progeny. 


424  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

samyuktah  kasmdch  chhakra  nishldasi  \  esTia  Brahma  cha  Vishnus  cha 
S'ivas  chaiva  jagat-patih  \  Somas  cha  lhagavdn  devah  sarve  cha  paramar- 
shayah  \  ma  kdrshlh  kasmalam  S'akra  kaschid  evetaro  yathd  \  dryydm 
yuddhe  matim  kritvdjahi  satrun  surddhipa  \  "  By  reciting  the  Rathan- 
tara,  Vasishtha  encouraged  India,  when  he  had  become  bewildered  and 
distressed  in  his  conflict  with  Vrittra,  saying  to  him,  '  Thou  art  the 
chief  of  the  gods,  o  slayer  of  the  Daityas  and  Asuras,  possessing  all 
the  strength  of  the  three  worlds :  wherefore,  Indra,  dost  thou  despond  ? 
There  are  here  present  Brahma,  Vishnu,  S'iva,  the  divine  Soma,  and 
all  the  chief  rishis.  Faint  not,  o  Indra,  like  an  ordinary  being.  As- 
sume a  heroic  spirit  for  the  fight,  and  slay  thine  enemies,  etc.' " 
Strength  was  thus  infused  into  Indra. 

In  a  later  work,  the  Raja  TaranginI,  Book  IV.  verses  619-655  (pp. 
188  ff.  and  note,  pp.  521  and  522,  of  Troyer's  edition,  vol.  i.  and  vol. 
ii.  189,  469,  note),  a  curious  echo  of  these  old  legends  is  found  still  re- 
verberating. A  story  is  there  told  of  a  king  Jayapida  who  oppressed  his 
people,  and  persecuted  the  Brahmans,  and  was  eventually  destroyed  by 
them  in  a  miraculous  manner.  He  is  compared  to  Saudasa  in  verse  625  : 
Sa  Saudasah  ivdneka  -  loka  -  prdndpahdrakrit  \  astutya  -  kritya  -  sauhi- 
lyam  svapne  'pi  na  samdyayau  \  "  Like  Saudasa,  depriving  many 
persons  of  their  lives,  he  'was  not  satiated  with  wicked  deeds  even  in 
his  dreams."  One  of  the  Brahmans  stood  up  on  behalf  of  the  rest  to 
remonstrate:  Aha  sma  "Visvdmitro  vd  Vasishtho  vd  taponidhih  \  tvam 
Agastyo'thava  kim  stha"  iti  darpena  tarn  nripah  |  .  .  .  .  bhamn  yatra 
Harischandras  Trisankur  Nahusho  'pi  vd  \  Visvdmitra-mukhelhyo  'ham 
tattraiko  lhavitum  kshamah  \  vihasyovdcha  tarn  rdjd  "  Visvdmitrddi- 
kopatah  \  Harischandrdyo  nashtds  tvayi  kruddhe  tu  kim  bhavet"  \ 
pdnind  tddayann  urvim  tatah  kruddko  'bhyadhdddvijah  \  "  mayi  kruddhe 
kshandd  eva  brahma-dandah  pated  na  kim  "  \  tach  chhrutvd  vihasan  rdjd 
kopdd  Irdhmanam  alravlt  \  "patatu  Irahma-dando  'sau  kim  adydpi 
vilambate  "  \  nanv  ayam  patito  jdlmety  atha  viprena  Ihdshite  \  rdjnah 
kanaka-dando  'nge  vitdna-skhalito  'patat  \  "  The  king  haughtily  asked 
him  :  '  Art  thou  Visvamitra,  or  Vasishtha,  so  rich  in  devotion  ?  or 
Agastya  ?  or  what  art  thou  ?'....  The  Brahman  answered,  swelling 
with  indignation  :  '  Just  as  thou  art  a  Harischandra,  a  Trisanku,  or  a 
Uahusha,  so  too  have  I  power  to  be  a  Visvamitra,  or  one  of  those  other 
rishis.'  The  king  answered  with  a  smile  of  contempt :  '  Harischandra 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  425 

and  the  rest  perished  by  the  wrath  of  Yisvamitra  and  the  other  sages  : 
but  what  will  come  of  thy  wrath  ? '  The  Brahman,  angrily  replied, 
smiting  the  ground  with  his  hand,  '  "When  I  am  incensed,  shall  not  the 
Brahmanical  bolt  instantly  descend  ?  '  The  king  retorted  with  an  angry 
laugh :  '  Let  it  descend ;  why  does  it  not  come  down  at  once  ? '  '  Has  it 
not  fallen,  tyrant? '  said  the  Brahman ;  and  he  had  no  sooner  spoken,  than 
a  golden  beam  fell  from  the  canopy  and  smote  the  king,"  so  that  he 
became  tortured  by  worms,  and  shortly  after  died ;  and  went,  as  the 
story  concludes,  to  hell. 

Professor  Lassen,  who  quotes  the  stories  regarding  Yasishtha  and 
Visvamitra  (Ind.  Alt.  2nd  ed.  i.  718  f.),  makes  the  following  remarks 
on  their  import : 

"The  legend  of  Jhe  struggle  between  Vasishtha  and  Yisvamitra  em- 
braces two  distinct  points  :  one  is  the  contest  between  the  priests  and 
warriors  for  the  highest  rank ;  the  other  is  the  temporary  alienation  of 
the  Ikshvakus  from  their  family  priests.  Yasishtha  is  represented  as 
the  exemplar  of  such  a  priest ;  and  the  story  of  Kalmashapada  is  related 
for  the  express  purpose  of  showing  by  an  example  that  the  Ikshvakus, 
after  they  had  retained  him,  were  victorious,  and  fulfilled  perfectly  the 
duties  of  sacrifice  (see  above,  p.  390) :  in  his  capacity  of  priest  he  con- 
tinues to  live  on,  and  is  the  representative  of  his  whole  race.  "We  may 
conclude  from  the  legend  that  his  descendants  had  acquired  the  position 
of  family  priests  to  the  Ikshvakus,  though  neither  he  himself  nor  his 
son  S'aktri  belonged  to  their  number.  Trisanku  is  the  first  prince  who 
forsook  them,  and  had  recourse  to  Yisvamitra.  His  successor  Amba- 
rlsha  received  support  from  that  personage,  as  well  as  from  Eichika, 
one  of  the  Bhrigus ; — a  family  whose  connection  with  the  Kusikas 
appears  also  in  the  story  of  Parasurama.  The  hostility  between  the 
Ikshvakus  and  the  family  of  Yasishtha  continued  down  to  Kalmasha- 
pada. Yisvamitra  is  represented  as  having  intentionally  fostered  the 
alienation  ;  while  Yasishtha  is  described  as  forbearing  (though  he  had 
the  power)  to  annihilate  his  rival. 

"The  conflict  between  the  two  rivals  with  its  motives  and  machinery 
is  described  in  the  forms  peculiar  to  the  fully  developed  epos.  To 
this  style  of  poetry  is  to  be  referred  the  wonder-working  cow, 
which  supplies  all  objects  of  desire.  There  is  no  ground  for  believing 
in  any  actual  war  with  weapons  between  the  contending  parties,  or  in 


426  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

any  participation  of  degraded  Kshattriyas,  or  aboriginal  tribes,  in  the 
contest ;  for  all  these  things  are  mere  poetical  creations.  Besides,  the 
proper  victory  of  Vasishtha  was  not  gained  by  arms,  but  by  his  rod. 
The  legend  represents  the  superiority  of  the  Brahmans  as  complete, 
since  Visvamitra  is  forced  to  acknowledge  the  insufficiency  of  a  warrior's 
power ;  and  acquires  his  position  as  a  Brahman  by  purely  Brahmanical 
methods. 

"Prom  Yisvamitra  are  derived  many  of  the  sacerdotal  families, 
which  bear  the  common  name  of  Kausika,  and  to  which  many  rishis 
famous  in  tradition  belong.  As  there  were  also  kings  in  this  family, 
we  have  here  an  example  of  the  fact  that  one  of  the  old  Vedic  races 
became  divided,  and  in  later  times  belonged  to  both  of  the  two  higher 
castes.  It  appears  impossible  $iat  any  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  should 
have  been  among  the  descendants  of  Yisvamitra's  sons,  as  the  legend 
represents;  and  the  meaning  of  this  account  may  therefore  be  that 
some  of  his  sons  and  their  descendants  accepted  the  position  of  priests 
among  these  tribes,  and  are  in  consequence  described  as  accursed."217 

SECT.  XIV. — Story  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  about  king 
Janaka  becoming  a  Brahman. 

The  S'atapatha  Brahmana  has  the  following  account  of  a  discussion 
between  Janaka,  king  of  Videha,  and  some  Brahmans  :218 

xi.  6,  2,  1.  Janako  ha  vai  Vaideho  Irdhmanair  dhdvayadlhir  samd- 
jagdma  S'vetaketund  Aruneyena  Somasushmena  Sdtyayajnind  Ydjnavalk- 
yena  \  tan  ha  uvdcha  "katham  katham  agnihotram  juhutha  "  iti  \  2.  Sa 
ha  uvdcha  S'vetaketur  Aruneyo  "  gharmdv  eva  samrdd  aham  ajasrau 
yasasd  visyandamandv  anyo  'nyasmin  juhomi"  iti  \  "katham  tad"  iti  \ 
ddityo  vai  gharmas  tarn  sdyam  agnau  juhomi  agnir  vai  gharmas  tarn 
pratar  dditye  juhomi"  iti  \  "kirn  sa  lhavati yah  evamjuhoti"  \  " ajas- 
rah  eva  sriyd  yasasd  bhavaty  etayos  cha  devatayoh  sayiyyam  salokatdm 
jayati"  iti  j  3.  Atha  ha  uvdcha  Somasushmah  Sdtyayajnih  "  tejah  eva 
namrdd  aham  tejasi  juhomi v  iti  \  "  katham  (ad"  iti  \  llAdityo  vai  tejas 
tarn  sdyam  agnau  juhomi  \  agnir  vai  tejas  tarn  prdtar  dditye  juhomi " 

2"  See  also  Prof.  Mullet's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.,  pp.  80  f.,  383  f.,  408,  413  ff.,  485  f. 
218  This  passage  is  referred  to  and  translated  by  Prof.  Muller,  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp. 
421  ff. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRITAS.  427 

•iti  |  "kirn  sa  lhavati  yah  evam  juhoti"  iti  \  "  tejasvl  yasasvy  annddo 
lhavaty  etayos  chaiva  devatayoh  sdyujyam  salokatdm  jayati "  iti  \  4. 
Atha  ha  uvdcha  Ydjnavalkyah  "  yad  aham  agnim  uddhardmy  agnihotram 
eva  tad  udyachhdmi  \  ddityaih  vai  astam  yantam  sarve  devdh  anuyanti  \  te 
me  etam  agnim  uddhritaih  drishtvd  uptivarttante  atha  aham  pdtrdni  mr_ 
nijya  upavdpya  dgnihotrim  dohayitvd  pasyan  pasyatas  tarpaydmi"  iti  \ 
tvam  nedishtham  ydjnavalkya  agnihotrasya  amlmdmsishthdh  \  dhenu- 
satam  daddmi"  iti  ha  uvdcha  "  na  tv  eva  enayos  tvam  utkrdntim  na 
gatim  na  pratishthdm  na  triptim  na  punardvrittim  na  lokam  pratyu- 
thdyinam"  \  ity  uktvd  ratham  dsthdya  pradhdvaydn  chakdra  \  5. 
Te  ha  uchur  "  ati  vai  no  'yam  rdjanyalandhur  avddld  hanta  enam 
brahmodyam  dhvaydmahai"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  Ydjnavalkyo  "brdh- 
mandh  vai  vayam  smo  rdjanyalandhur>asau  yady  amum  vayam  jayema 
ham  ajaishma  iti  Iruydma  atha  yady  asdv  asmdn  jayed  brdhmandn 
rdjanyalandhur  ajaishid  iti  no  Iruyuh  \  md  idam  ddridhvam"  iti .\ 
tad  ha  asya  jajnuh  \  atha  ha  YdjnavalTcyo  ratham  dsthdya  pradhd- 
vaydnchakdra  tarn  ha  anvdjagdma  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  "  agnihotram  Ydjna- 
ualkya  veditum"  iti  \  "agnihotram  samrdd"  iti  \  6.  "  Te  vai  ete  dhutl 
hute  utlcrdmatas  te  antariksham  dvisatas  te  antariksham  eva  dhavamyam 
kurvdte  vdyum  samidham  marlchir  eva  sukrdm  dhutim  te  antariksham 
tarpayatas  te  tatah  utkrdmatah  \  7.  Te  divam  dvtiatas  te  divam  eva  dha- 
vanlyam  kurvdte  ddityam  samidham  chandramasam  eva  sukrdm  dhutim  te 
divam  tarpayatas  te  tatah  dvarttete  \  8.  Te  imam  dvisatas  te  imam  eva 
dhavaniyam  kurvdte  agnim  samidham  oshadhlr  eva  sukrdm  dhutim  te 
imdm  tarpayatas  te  tatah  utkrdmatah  \  9.  Te  purusham  dvisatas  tasya 
mukham  eva  dhavaniyam  kurvdte  jihvdm  samidham  annam  eva  sukrdm 
dhutim  te  purusham  tarpayatah  \  satyah  evam  vidvdn  asndty  agmhotram 
eva  asya  hutam  lhavati  \  te  tatah  utkrdmatah  \  10.  Te  striyam  dvisatas 
tasydh  upastham  eva  dhavaniyam  kurvdte  dhdrakdm  samidham  (dhdrakd 
ha  vai  ndma  eshd  \  etayd  ha  vai  Prajdpatih  prajdh  dhdraydnchakdra'} 
retah  eva  sukrdm  dhutim  te  striyam  tarpayatah  \  sa  yah  evam  vidvdn 
mithunam  upaity  agnihotram  eva  asya  hutam  lhavati  yas  tatah  putro 
jdyate  sa  lokah  pratyutthdyl  \  etad  agnihotram  Ydjnavalkya  na  atah 
par  am  asti"  iti  ha  uvdcha  \  tasmai  Ydjnavalkyo  varam  dadau  \  sa>  ha 
uvdcha  "  kdmaprasnah  eva  me  tvayi  Ydjnavalkya  asad"  iti  \  tato  Irahmd 
Janakah  dsa  \ 
'"Janaka  of  Yideha  met  wjth  some  travelling  Brahmans,  S'vetaketu 


428  EARLY   CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

Aruneya,  Somasushma  Satyayajni,  and  Yajnavalkya,  and  said  to  them, 
'How  do  ye  respectively  offer  the  agnihotra  oblation?'  2.  SVetaketu 
replied,  '  I,  o  monarch,  in  sacrificing,  throw  the  one  of  the  two  eternal 
heats  which  pervade  the  world  with  their  splendour  into  the  other.' 
'How  is  that  done,'  asked  the  king.  (S'.  replied),  'Aditya  (the  sun) 
is  one  heat;  in  the  evening  I  throw  him  into  Agni  (Fire).  Agni  is 
the  other  heat ;  in  the  morning  I  throw  him  into  Aditya.'  '  What ' 
(enquired  the  king)  '  does  he  hecome  who  thus  sacrifices  ? '  '  He 
acquires'  (replied  S'.)  'perpetual  prosperity  and  renown  ;  conquers  for 
himself  an  union  with  these  two  deities,  and  dwells  in  the  same  region 
as  they.'  3.  Then  Somasushma  answered, '  I,  o  monarch,  in  sacri- 
ficing, throw  light  into  light.'  '  How  is  that  done,'  asked  the  king. 
'  The  Sun  "  (answered  S.)  '  is  light ;  in  the  evening  I  throw  him  into 
Fire :  and  Fire  is  light ;  in  the  morning  I  throw  him  into  the  Sun.' 
'  What '  (enquired  the  king)  '  does  he  hecome  who  thus  sacrifices  ? ' 
'  He  becomes'  (rejoined  S.)  'luminous,  and  renowned,  an  eater  of  food, 
and  conquers  for  himself  an  union  with  these  two  deities,  and  dwells 
in  the  same  region  as  they.'  4.  Then  Yajnavalkya  said,  '  When  I  take 
up  the  fire  I  lift  the  agnihotra.  All  the  gods  follow  the  Sun  when  he 
sets ;  and  when  they  see  me  take  up  the  Fire,  they  come  back  to  me. 
Then,  after  washing  and  putting  down  the  vessels,  and  having  the 
Agnihotra  Cow  milked,  beholding  them  as  they  behold  me,  I  satisfy 
them  (with  sacrificial  food).'  The  king  answered,  '  Thou  hast  ap- 
proached very  close  to  a  solution  of  the  Agnihotra,  o  Yajnavalkya ; 
I  give  thee  a  hundred  milch-cows :  but  thou  hast  not  discovered  the 
ascent  of  these  two  (oblations),  nor  the  course,  nor  the  resting-place, 
nor  the  satisfaction,  nor  the  return,  nor  the  world  where  they  re- 
appear^).' Having  so  spoken,  Janaka  mounted  his  car  and  drove  away. 
5.  The  Brahmans  then  said  amongst  themselves,  '  This  Rajanya  has 
surpassed  us  in  speaking;  come,  let  us  invite  him  to  a  theological 
discussion.'  Yajnavalkya,  however,  interposed,  'We  are  Brahmans, 
and  he  a  Rajanya ;  if  we  overcome  him,  we  shall  ask  ourselves,  whom 
have  we  overcome  ?  but  if  he  overcome  us,  men  will  say  to  us,  a 
Rajanya  has  overcome  Brahmans.  Do  not  follow  this  course.'  They 
assented  to  his  advice.  Then  Yajnavalkya  mounted  his  car,  and  drove 
after  the  king  ;  and  came  up  to  him.  Janaka  asked,  '  is  it  to  learn  the 
agnihotra  (that  thou  hast  come),  Yajnavalkya?'  'The  agnihotra,  o 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  429 

monarch,'  said  Y.  6.  The  king  rejoined,  '  These  two  oblations,  when 
offered,  ascend ;  they  enter  the  air,  they  make  the  air  their  ahavamya 
fire,  the  wind  their  fuel,  the  rays  their  bright  oblation,  they  satisfy  the 
air,  and  thence  ascend.  7.  They  enter  the  sky,  they  make  the  sky 
their  ahavanlya  fire,  the  sun  their  fuel,  the  moon  their  bright  oblation; 
they  satisfy  the  sky,  they  return  thence.  8.  They  enter  this  earth, 
they  make  this  earth  their  ahavaniya  fire,  Agni  their  fuel,  the  plants 
their  bright  oblation ;  they  satisfy  the  earth,  they  ascend  thence. 
They  enter  man,  they  make  his  mouth  their  ahavanlya  fire,  his  tongue 
their  fuel,  food  their  bright  oblation ;  they  satisfy  man.  (He  who, 
thus  knowing,  eats,  truly  offers  the  agnihotra).  9.  They  ascend  from 
him,  they  en.ter  into  woman  [the  details  which  follow  are  better 
left  untranslated],  they  satisfy  her.  ^  The  man  who,  thus  knowing, 
approaches  his  wife,  truly  offers  the  agnihotra.  The  son  who  is  then 
born  is  the  world  of  re-appearance.  This  is  the  agnihotra,  o  Yajna- 
valkya ;  there  is  nothing  beyond  this.'  Y.  offered  the  king  the  choice 
of  a  boon.  He  replied,  'Let  me  enquire  of  thee  whatever  I  desire,  o 
Yajnavalkya.'  Henceforward  Janaka  was  a  Brahman."  219 

By  Brahman  in  the  last  sentence  we  have,  I  presume,  to  understand 
a  Brahman.  Even  if  it  were  taken  to  dignify  a  priest  of  the  kind 
called  Brahman,  the  conclusion  would  be  the  same;  as  at  the  time 
when  the  Satapatha  Brahmana  was  written,  none  but  Brahmans  could 
officiate  as  priests.220 

Janaka's  name  occurs  frequently  in  the  Mahabharata.  In  the  Vana- 
parvan  of  that  poem  (8089)  he  is  called  a  rajarshi.  In  the  S'anti-parvan, 
verse  6640,  it  is  said:  Atrupy  udaharantlmam  itihdsam  purutanam  \  gltam 
Videha-rdjena  Janakena  prasdmyatd  \  "  anantam  vata  me  mttam  yasya 
me  ndsti  kinchana  \  Mithildydm  pradlptdydm  no,  me  dahyati  kinchana  "  | 
"  They  here  relate  an  ancient  story, — the  words  recited  by  Janaka  the 
tranquil- minded  king  of  Videha: 

'  Though  worldly  pelf  I  own  no  more, 

Of  wealth  I  have  a  boundless  store  : 

While  Mithila  the  flames  devour, 

My  goods  can  all  defy  their  power.'  " 

219  The  Commentator  explains  brahma  by  brahmishthah,  "Most  full  of   divine 
knowledge." 

220  prof.  Muller  remarks  in  his  article  on  Caste  (Chips  from  a  German  "Workshop,|ii. 
338) :  "  That  king  Janaka  of  Videha  possessed  superior  knowledge  is  acknowledged 
by  one  of  the  most  learned  among  the  Brahmans,  by  Yajnavalkya  himself;  and  in 
the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  which  is*believed  to  have  been  the  work  of  Yajnavalkya, 
it  is  said  that  king  Janaka  became  a  Brahman." 


430  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

The  same  sentiment  is  ascribed  to  the  same  royal  rishi  in  verse  7891  : 
Api  cJia  bhavati  Maithilena  gitam  nagaram  upahitam  agnind  'Ihivlksliya  \ 
"  na  khalu  mama  hi  dahyate  'ttra  kinchit "  svayam  idam  aha  sma  Ihumi- 
palah  |  "  And  these  words  were  repeated  by  the  king  of  Mithila  when 
he  beheld  the  city  enveloped  in  fire,  '  nothing  of  mine  is  burnt  here  ; ' 
— so  said  the  king  himself." 

Another  "ancient  story"  of  Janaka  is  related  in  verses  7882-7983  of 
the  same  book.  It  is  there  stated  that  this  king  was  constantly  en- 
gaged in  thinking  on  matters  connected  with  a  future  life ;  and  that 
he  had  a  hundred  religious  teachers  to  instruct  him  on  different  points 
of  duty  (verse  7884).  He  was,  however,  visited  by  the  rishi  Pancha- 
sikha221  (verses  7886,  7888),  a  pupil  of  Asuri  (verse  7890),  who  so  con- 
founded the  king's  hundred  instructors  by  his  reasoning,  that  they  were 
abandoned  by  their  pupil,  who  followed  this  new  teacher  (7898.  Upetya 
iatam  dcharyan  mohaydmdsa  hetubhih  \  7899.  Janakas  tv  abhisaihraktah 
Kapileydnudarsantit  \  utsrijya  satam  dchdryyan  prishthato  'nujagdma 
tarn),  Panchasikha  appears  also,  at  verse  11839,  as  his  instructor. 
At  verse  10699  Janaka  is  again  brought  forward  as  receiving  religious 
information  from  Parasara;  in  verses  11545-11836  as  being  taught  by 
the  rishi  Yajnavalkya  the  principles  of  the  Yoga  and  S'ankhya  philo- 
sophies;, and  in  verses  11854-12043  as  holding  a  conversation  with  a 
travelling  female  mendicant  (Ihilcshukl],  named  Sulabha,  who  sought  to 
prove  him,  and  to  whom  he  declares  himself  to  be  a  pupil  of  Pancha- 
sikha (here  said  to  belong  to  the  family  of  Parasara,  verse  11875),  and 
an  adept  in  the  systems  just  mentioned ;  and  from  whom,  in  answer  to 
some  reproaches  he  had  addressed  to  her  regarding  her  procedure,  he 
learns  that  she  belongs  to  the  Rajanya  class,  like  himself,  of  the  family 
of  the  rajarshi  Pradhana,  that  she  had  obtained  no  suitable  husband, 
and  wandered  about,  following  an  ascetic  life,  and  seeking  final  eman- 
cipation (verses  12033  ff.). 

A  further  story  in  illustration  of  Janaka's  indifference  to  worldly 
objects  is  told  in  the  Asvamedhikaparvan,  verses  887  if. 

221  See  Prof.  "Wilson's  Sankhya-karika,  p.  190 ;  and  Dr.  Hall's  Preface  to  his 
edition  of  the  Sankhya-pravachana-bhashya,  pp.  9  ff. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  431 

SECT.  XY. —  Other  instances  in  which  Brahmans  are  said  to  have  been 
instructed  in  divine  knowledge  by  Kshattriyas. 

Two  other  cases  in  which  Brahmans  are  recorded  to  have  received 
instruction  from  Kshattriyas  are  thus  stated  by  Professor  Miiller  :m 

"  For  a  Kshattriya  to  teach  the  law  was  a  crime  (sva-dharmdtikrama^), 
and  it  is  only  by  a  most  artificial  line  of  argument  that  the  dogmatic 
philosophers  of  the  Mlmamsa  school  tried  to  explain  this  away.  The 
Brahmans  seem  to  have  forgotten  that,  according  to  their  own  Upani- 
shads,  Ajatasatru,  the  king  of  Kasi,  possessed  more  knowledge  than 
Gargya,  the  son  of  Balaka,  who  was  renowned  as  a  reader  of  the  Veda, 
and  that  Gargya  desired  to  become  his  pupil,  though  it  was  not  right, 
as  the  king  himself  remarked,  that  a  EJshatriya  should  initiate  a  Brah- 
man. They  must  have  forgotten  that  Pravahana  Jaivali,  king  of  the 
Panchalas,  silenced  SVetaketu  Aruneya  and  his  father,  and  then  com- 
municated to  them  doctrines  which  Kshatriyas  only,  but  no  Brahmans, 
had  ever  known  before."  I  subjoin  two  separate  versions  of  each  of 
these  stories.  The  first  is  that  of  Ajatasatru  : 

Kaushltaki  Brahmana  Upanishad,  iv.  1.  Atha  ha  vai  Gdrgyo  Bdldlcir 
anuchdnah  samspashtah  dsa  \  so  'vasad  Uslnereshu  savasan  Matsyeshu 
Kuru  -  panchdleshu  Kasi  -  videheshv  iti  \  sa  ha  -Ajdtasatrum  Kdsyam 
dvrajya  uvdcha  "  brahma  te  bravdni  "  iti  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatruh 
"  sahasram  dadmah"  iti  "  etasydm  vdchi  \  '  Janako  Janakah'  iti  vai  u 
jandh  dhdvanti"  iti  |  .  .  .  .  19.  Tatah  u  ha  Bdldlcis  tushmm  dsa  \ 
tarn  ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatrur  "  etdvad  nu  Bdldke"  iti  \  "  etdvad"  iti  ha 
uvdcha  Edldkih"  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatrur  " mrishd  vai  khalu  ma 
samvddai/ishthdh  "  brahma  te  bravdni"  iti  \  yo  vai Bdldke  eteshdm puru- 
shdndm  karttd  yasya  vai  tat  karma  sa  vai  veditavyah  "  iti  \  tatah  u  ha 
Bdldkih  samit-pdnih  pratichakrame  "  updydni"  iti  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha 
Ajdtasatruh  " pratiloma-rupam  eva  tad  manye  yat  kshattriyo  brdhmanam 
upanayeta  ehi  vy  eva  tvd  jnapayishydmi  "  iti  \  tarn  ha  pdndv  alhipadya 
pravavrdja  \ 

"Now  Gargya  Balaki  was  renowned  as  a  man  well  read  in  the 
Veda.  He  dwelt  among  the  Usinaras,  Matsyas,  Kurus,  Panchalas, 
Kasis,  and  Videhas,  travelling  from  place  to  place.  He  came  to 

2i2  Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,  vol.  ii.  p.  338. 


432  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Ajatasatru,  the  Kasya,  and  said,  '  Let  me  declare  to  thee  divine  know- 
ledge.' Ajatasatru  said,  '  We  bestow  on  thee  a  thousand  (cows)  for 
this  word.'  Men  run  to  us  crying,  '  Janaka,  Janaka.'  "  The  learned 
man  accordingly  addresses  Ajatasatru  in  a  series  of  statements  regard- 
ing the  object  of  his  own  worship,  but  is  silenced  by  the  king's  display 
of  superior  knowledge,  on  every  topic.223  The  story  ends  thus:  19. 
"Then  the  son  of  Balaka  remained  silent.  Ajatasatru  said  to  him, 
'Dost  (thou  know  only)* so  much,  o  Balaki.'  'Only  so  much,'  he 
answered.  The  king  rejoined,  '  Thou  hast  vainly  proposed  to  me,  let 
me  teach  thee  divine  knowledge.'  He,  son  of  Balaka,  who  is  the 
maker  of  these  souls,  whose  work  that  is,  —  he  is  the  object  of 
knowledge.'  Then  the  son  of  Balaka  approached  the  king  with  fuel 
in  his  hand,  and  said,  '  Let  me  attend  thee  (as  thy  pupil).'  The  king 
replied,  '  I  regard  it  as  an  inversion  of  .the  proper  rule  that  a  Kshat- 
triya  should  initiate  a  Brahman.  (But)  come,  I  will  instruct  thee« 
Then,  having  taken  him  by  the  hand,  he  departed." 

S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xiv.  5,  1,  1  (=  Brihadaranyaka  TJpanishad,  ii. 
1,  1,  p.  334  of  Cal.  edit.).  Driptabdldkir  ha  anuchdno  Gargyah  dsa  \  sa 
ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatrum  Kdsyam  " brahma  te  bravdni"  iti  \  sa  uvdcha 
Ajdtasatruh  "  sahasram  etasydm  vdchi  dadmah  'Janalco  Janakah  '  iti  vai 
jandh  dhdvanti"  iti  |  .  .' .  .  12.  Sa  ha  tushnlm  dsa  Gargyah  \  13.  Sa 
ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatrur  "  etavad  nu"  iti  \  " etdvad  hi"  iti  \  "  na  etdvatd 
viditam  bhavati"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  Gargyah  " upa  tvd  aydni"  iti  \ 
14.  Sa  ha  uvdcha  Ajdtasatruh  " pratilomam  vai  tad  yad  Irdhmanah 
Itshattriyam  upeydd  '  Irahma  me  vakshyati '  iti  \  vy  eva  tvd  jndpayish- 
ydmi"  iti  \  tarn pdndv  dddya  uttasthau  \ 

"  Driptabalaki  Gargyya  was  well  read  in  the  Yeda.  He  said  to 
Ajatasatru,  the  Kasya,  'Let  me  'declare  to  thee  divine  knowledge.' 
Ajatasatra  replied,  '  We  give  thee  a  thousand  (cows)  for  this  word. 
Men  run  to  me  calling  out,  "Janaka,  Janaka."'  At  the  end  of  their 
conversation  we  are  told:  12.  "  Gargya  remained  silent.  13.  Then 
Ajatasatru  asked  him,  '  (Dost  thou  know)  so  much  only  ?  '  '  Only 
so  much,'  he  replied.  '  But  this,'  rejoined  Ajatasatru,  'does  not  compre- 
hend the  whole  of  knowlege.'  Then  said  Gargya,  '  Let  me  come  to  thee 
(as  thy  disciple).'  Ajatasatru  answered,  '  This  is  an  inversion  of  the 
proper  rule,  that  a  Brahman  should  attend  a  Kshattriya  with  the  view 
223  See  Prof.  (Jewell's  Translation  of  the  Upanishad,  pp.  167  ff. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  433 

of  being  instructed  in  divine  knowledge.    (But)  I  will  teach  thee.' 
He  took  him  by  the  hand,  and  rose." 

The  second  story  is  that  of  Pravahana  Jaivali  : 

S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xiv.  9,  1,  1  (=  Brihadaranyaka  Upanishad,  vi. 
2,  1,  p.  1030  of  Cal.  edit.).  S'vetaketur  ha  vai  Aruneyah  Panchdldndm 
parishadam  djagdma  \  sa  djagdma  Pravdhanam  Jaivalim  parichdrayamd- 
nam  \  tarn  udlkshya  abhyuvdda  "kumdra"  iti  \  sa  ulhohn  iti  pratisus- 
rdva  \  " anusishto  nv  asi  pitrd "  |  " om"  iti  ha  uvdcha  |  2.  "Vettha 
yathd  imdh  prajdh  prayatyo  vipratipadyante  "  iti  \  "  na"  iti  ha  uvdcha  \ 
l< vettha  ydthd  imam  lokam  punar  dpadyante"  iti  \  "na"  iti  ha  eva 
uvdcha  |  "  vettha  yathd  'sau  lokah  evam  lahulhih  punah  punah  pra- 
yadbhir  na  sampuryyate"  iti  I  "  na  "  iti  ha  eva  uvdcha  \  3.  "Vettha 
yatithydm  dhutydm  hutdydm  dpah  ^urmha  -  vdcho  bhutvd  samut- 
thdya  vadanti "  iti  \  "no,"  iti  ha  eva  uvdcha  \  "  vettha  u  devaydnasya 
•vd  pathah  pratipadam  pitriydnasya  vd  yat  kritvd  devaydnam_  vd  panthd-  ' 
nam  pratipadyate  pitriydnam  vd  \  4.  Api  hi  nah  risher  vachah  srutam 
(R.V.  x.  88,  15^=Yaj.  S.  19,  47)  '  dve  sritl  asrinavam  pitrmdm  ahamde- 
vdndm  uta  marttydndm  \  tabhydm  idam  visvam  ejat  sameti  yad  antard 
pitaram  mdtaram  cha ' "  iti  \  "na  aham  atah  ekanchana  veda"  iti  ha 
uvdcha  |  5.  Atha  ha  enam  vasatyd  upamantraydnchakre  \  anddritya 
vasatim  kumdrah  pradadrdva  \  sa  ujagdma  pitararg,  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha  (l  iti 
vdva  kila  no  bhavdn  purd  'nusishtdn  avochah  " 22*  iti  \  "  katham  sume- 
dhah  "  iti  \  " pancha  md  prasndn  rdjanyahandhur  aprdkshit  tato  na  ekan- 
chana  veda  "  iti  ha  uvdcha  \  "  katame  te  "  iti  \  "  ime  "  iti  ha  pratlkdny 
^ldujahdra  \  6.  Sa  ha  uvdcha  \  "  tathd  nas  tvam  tdtajdnithdh  yathd  yad 
aham  kincha  veda  sarvam  aham  tat  tubhyam  avocham  \  prehi  tu  tattra 
pratltya  Irahmacharyyafii  vatsydva "  iti  \  lhavdn  eva  gachhatv " 
iti  \  7.  Sa  ujagdma  Gautamo  yatra  Pravdhanasya  Jaivaler  dsa  \ 
tasmai  dsanam  dhdryya™  udakam  dhdraydnchakdra  \  atha  ha  asmai 
argham™  chdkara  \  8.  Sa  ha  uvdcha  "varam  lhavate  Gautamdya 
dadmah"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  " pratijndto  me  esha  varah  \  yam  tu  kumd- 
rasya  ante  vdcham  alhdshathds  tdm  me  Iruhi"  iti  \  9.  Sa  ha  uvdcha 
"daiveshu  vai  Gautama  tad  vareshu  \  mdnushdndm  bruhi"  iti  \  10.  Sa 
ha  uvdcha  "vijndyate  ha  asti  hiranyasya  apdttam  go-asvdndm  ddsl- 
ndm  pravardndm  paridhdndndm  \  md  no  lhavdn  bahor  anantasya 

231  The  text  of  the  Brihadaranyaka  Up.  reads  avochat. 
235  The  Brih.  Ar.  reads  ahritya. 
2-6  The  Brih.  Ar.  reads  anjhyam. 

28 


434  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

aparyantasya  abhy  avaddnyo  bhud"  iti  \  "  sa  vai  Gautama  tlrthena 
ichhdsai"  iti  \  "  upaimy  aham  bhavantam"  iti  "  vdchd  ha  sma  eva 
purve  upat/anti"  \  11.  Sa  ha  wpayana-klrttii 227  uvticha  \  "  tathd  nas 
tvam  Gautama  ma  'parddhds  tava  cha  pitdmahdh  yathd  \  iyam  vidyd 
vtah  purvam  na  kasmimschana  brdhmane  uvdsa  \  turn  tv  aham  tubhyam 
vakshyami  \  ko  hi  tvd  evam  bruvantam  arhati  pratydkhydtum  "  iti  \ 

"S'vetaketu  Aruneya  came  to  the  assembly  of  the  Panchalas.  He 
came  to  Pravahana  Jaivali,  who  was  receiving  service  from  his 
attendants.  Seeing  S'vetaketu,  the  king  said,  '  o  youth.'  '  Sire,'  he 
answered.  (King)  '  Hast  thou  heen  instructed  by  thy  father  ? ' 
(S'vetaketu)  'I  have.'  2.  (K.)  '  Dost  thou  know  how  these  creatures, 
when  departing,  proceed  in  different  directions?'  (S'.)  'No.'  (K.). 
'  Dost  thou  know  how  they  return  to  this  world  ?  '  (S'.)  'No.'  (K.) 
'  Dost  thou  know  how  it  is  that  the  other  world  is  not  filled  with  those 
numerous  beings  .who  are  thus  constantly  departing?'  (S'.)  'No.'' 
3.  (K.)  'Dost  thou  know  after  the  offering  of  what  oblation  the 
waters,  acquiring  human  voices,  rise  and  speak?'  (S'.)  'No.'  (K.) 
'  Dost  thou  know  the  means  of  attaining  the  path  which  leads  to  the 
gods,  or  that  which  leads  to  the  Pitris ;  by  what  act  the  one  or  the 
other  is  gained?  4.  Ard  we  have  heard  the  words  of  the  rishi : 
(E.V.  x.  88,  15  =  Vaj.  S.  19,  47)  "  I  have  heard  of  two  paths  for 
mortals,  one  to  the  pitris,  another  to  the  gods.  By  these  proceeds 
every  moving  thing  that  exists  between  the  father  and  the  mother  (i.e. 
between  Dyaus  and  Prithivl,  heaven  and  earth)."  '  '  I  know  none  of 
all  these  things,'  answered  S'vetaketu.  5.  The  king  then  invited  him 
to  stay.  The  youth,  however,  did  not  accept  this  invitation,  but 
hastened  away,  and  came  to  his  father,  to  whom  he  said,  '  Thou  didst 
formerly  declare  me  to  be  instructed.'  '  How  now  (my)  intelligent 
(son)  ?  '  asked  his  father.  '  The  Rajanya,'  replied  the  son,  '  asked  me 
five  questions,  of  which  I  know  not  even  one.'  '  What  were  the 
questions  ?  '  '  They  were  these,'  and  he  told  him  the  initial  words  of 
each  of  them.  6.  The  father  then  said,  '  Be  assured,  my  son,  that  I 
told  thee  all  that  I  myself  know.  But  come,  let  us  proceed  thither, 
and  become  (his)  pupils.'  'Do  thou  thyself  go,'  rejoined  the  son.  7. 
Gantama  accordingly  arrived  (at  the  abode)  of  Pravahana  Jaivali,  who 
caused  a  seat  to  be  brought,  and  water  and  the  madhuparka  mess  to  be 
227  The  text  of  the  Brih.  Ar.  Up.  reads  klrttya  uvasa. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  435 

presented :  8.  and  said,  '  We  offer  thee  a  boon,  Gautama.'  Gautama 
replied,  '  Thou  hast  promised  me  this  boon  :  explain  to  me  the 
questions  which  thou  hast  proposed  to  the  youth.'  9.  The  king  replied, 
'  That  is  one  of  the  divine  boons ;  ask  one  of  those  that  are  human.' 
10.  Gautama  rejoined,  '  Thou  knowest  that  I  have  received  gold,  cows, 
horses,  female  slaves,  attendants,  raiment;  be  not  illiberal  towards  us 
in  respect  to  that  which  is  immense,  infinite,  boundless.'  '  This,  o 
Gautama,'  said  the  king,  '  thou  rightly  -desirest.'  '  I  approach  thee  (as 
thy)  disciple,'  answered  Gautama.  The  men  of  old  used  to  approach 
(their  teachers)  with  words  (merely).  He  (accordingly)  attended  him 
by  merely  intimating  his  intention  to  do  so.228  '  Do  not,'  then  said  the 
king,  '  attach  any  blame  to  me,  as  your  ancestors  (did  not).  This 
knowledge  has  never  heretofore  dwelt  in  any  Brahman ;  but  I  shall 
declare  it  to  thee.  For  who  should  refuse*  thee  when  thou  so 
speakest  ? '" 

Chhandogya  Upanishad,  v.  3,  1.  S'vetaketur  ha  Aruneyah  Panchdldndm 
samitim  eyuya  \  tarn  ha  Pravdhano  Jaivalir  uvdcha  "  kumdra  anu  tvd 
'sishatpitd"  iti  \  "anu  hi  bhagavah"  iti  \  2.  "Vettha  yad  ito  'dhipra- 
jdh  prayanti"  iti  \  "  na  bhagavah'"  iti  \  "  vettha  yathd  punar  dvart- 
tante"  iti  \  "  na  bhagavah"  iti  \  "  vettha  pqthor  deva-ydnasya  pitri- 
ydnasya  cha  vydvarttane  "  iti  \  "na  bhagavah  "  iti  \  3.  "Vettha  yathd 
'sau  loko  na  sampuryyate"  \  " na  bhagavah"  iti  \  "vettha  yathd  pan- 
chamydm  dhutdv  dpah purusha-vachaso  bharanti"  iti  \  "naiva  lhagavah'" 
iti  I  4.  "Atha  nu  kirn  anusishto  'vochathuh  \  yo  hi  imdni  na  vidydt  ka- 
tham  so  'tmsishto  bravita  "  iti  \  sa  ha  dyastah  pitur  arddham  eyuya  \ 
tarn  ha  uvacha  "  ananusishya  vdva  kila  md  bhagavdn  abravld  'anu  tvd 
'sisham'  "  iti  \  6.  "  Pancha  md  t^djanyabandhuh  prasndn  aprdkshlt 
teshdm  na  ekanchana  asakam  vivaktum"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  "yathd  md 
tvam  tadd  etdn  avado  yathd  'ham  eshdrh  na  ekanchana  veda  yady  aham 
imdn  avedishyam  katham  te  na  avakshyam  "  iti  \  6.  Sa  ha  Gautamo 
rdjno  'rddham  eyuya  \  tasmai  ha  prdptdya  arhdfh  chakdra  \  sa  ha  prdtah 
nabhdgah  udeydya  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha  "  mdnushasya  bhagaran  Gautama  mt- 
tasya  varam  vrimthuh"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  "  tava  eva  rdjan  mdnusham 
vittam  |  ydm  eva  kumdrasya  ante  vdcham  abhdshathds  turn  eva  me  bruhi" 
iti  |  7.  Sa  ha  krichhrl  babhuva  \  tarn  ha  "  chiram  vasa"  ity  djndpaydn- 

228  Or,  "by  merely  intimating,  not  performing,  the  respectful  mode  of  approach 
by  touching  bis  feet,"  according  to  the  Commentator. 


436  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

chakdra  \  tarn  ha  uvdcha  "yatha  md  tvam  Gautama  avado  yathd  iyam 
na  prdk  tvattah  purd  Irdhmandn  gachhati  tasmdd  u  sarveshu  lokeshu 
kshattrasya  eva  prasdsanam  abhud"  iti  \  tasmai  ha  uvdcha  \ 

"  1.  S'vetaketu  Aruneya  came  to  the  assembly  of  the  Panchalas. 
Pravahana  Jaivali  asked  him,  '  Young  man,  has  thy  father  instructed 
thee? '  '  He  has,  sire,'  replied  S'vetaketu.  2.  'Dost  thou  know,'  asked 
the  king,  'whither  living  creatures  proceed  when  they  go  hence?' 
(S'.)  '  No,  sire.'  (King)  '  Dost  thou  know  how  they  return  ? '  (S'.)  '  No, 
sire.'  (K.)  'Dost  thou  know  the  divergences  of  the  two  paths  whereof 
one  leads  to  the  gods,  and  the  other  to  the  pitris?'  (S'.)  'No,  sire.' 
3.  (K.)  '  Dost  thou  know  how  it  is  that  the  other  world  is  not  filled  ? ' 
(S'.)  'No,  sire.'  (K.)  'Dost  thou  know  how  at  the  fifth  oblation  the 
waters  acquire  human  voices  ?  '  ('S'.)  '  I  do  not,  sire.'  4.  (K.)  '  And  hast 
thou  then  said  "  I  hav^  been  instructed?  "  for  how  can  he  who  does 
not  know  these  things  allege  that  he  has  been  so  ? '  The  young  man, 
mortified,  went  to  his  father,  and  said,  '  Thou  didst  tell  me,  I  have  in- 
structed thee,  when  thou  hadst  not  done  so.  5.  That  Rajanya  proposed 
to  me  five  questions,  of  which  I  could  not  solve  even  one.'  The  father 
replied,  '  As  thou  didst  then  say  to  me  regarding  these  five  questions, 
I  know  not  one  of  them, — (so  I  ask  thee  whether)  if  I  had  known 
them,  I  would  not  have  told  them  to  thee  ?  '  6.  Gautama  went  to  the 
king,  who  received  him  with  honour.  In  the  morning,  having  received 
his  share  (of  attention),  he  presented  himself  before  the  king,  who  said 
to  him,  'Ask,  o  reverend  Gautama,  a  present  of  human  riches.'  He 
replied,  '  To  thee,  o  king,  belongs  wealth  of  that  description.  Declare 
to  me  the  questions  which  thou  proposedst  to  the  youth.'  7.  The  king 
was  perplexed  and  desired  him  to  make  a  long  stay  :  and  said  to  him, 
'  As  thou  hast  declared  to  me,  o  Gautama,  that  this  knowledge  has  not 
formerly  reached  the  Brahmans  (who  lived)  before  thee,  it  has  there- 
fore been  among  all  peoples  a  discipline  inculcated  by  the  Kshattriya 
class  alone.'  He  then  declared  it  to  him." 

SECT.  ~KVI.— Story  of  King  Visrantara  and  the  S'ydparna  Brahmans. 

Aitareya  Brahman  a,  vii.  27.  Visuantaro  ha  Saushadmanah  S'ydparndn 
parichakshdno  visydparnam  yajnam  djahre  \  tad  ha  anuludhya  S'ydparnds 
tarn  yajnam  ajagmuh  \  te  ha  tad-antarvedy  dsdnchahrire  \  tun  ha  drishtvd 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  437 

uvucha  " pdpasya  vai  ime  karmanah  karttdrah  dsate  aputdyai  vdcho 
vaditd.ro  yach  chhydparndh  imdn  utthdpayata  ime  me  'ntarvedim  dsi- 
shata  "  iti  \  "  tathd  "  iti  tan  utthdpaydnchakruh  1  te  ha  utthdpyamdndh 
ruruvire  "ye  tebhyo  Bhutavirebhyah  Asitamrigdh  Kasyapdndm  soma- 
pltham  abhijigyuh  Pdrikshitasya  Janamejayasya  vikasyape  yajne  tais  te 
tattra  vlravantah  dsuh  \  kah  svit  so  'smdka  asti  vlro  yah  imam  somapltham 
alhijeshyati"  iti  \  "  ay  am  aham  asmi  vo  virah  "  iti  ha  uvucha  Rdmo  Mdr- 
gaveyah  \  Rdmo  ha  dsa  Mdrgaveyo  'nuchdnah  S'ydparnlyah  \  teshdm  ha 
uttisJtthatdm  uvucha  "  apt  nu  rdjann  itthamvidam  veder  utthdpayanti" 
iti  |  "  yas  tvam  katham  vettha  Irahmabandho"  iti  \  28.  "  Yattra  Indraih 
devatdh  paryavrinjan  Visvarupam  Tvdshtram  abhyamamsta  Vrittram 
astrita  yatln  sdldvrikebJiyah  prdddd  Arurmaghdn  avadhld  Brihaspateh 
pratyavadhld^  iti  \  " tattra  Indrah  somaplthena  vydrdhyata  \  Indrasya 
anu  vyriddhiih  kshattram  somaplthena  vydrdhyatq  \  api  Indrah  som.aplthe 
'bhavat  Tvashtur  dmushya  somam  \  tad  vyriddham  eva  adydpi  kshattraih 
somaplthena  \  sa  yas  tarn  bhaksham  vidydd.yah  kshattrasya  somaplthena 
vyriddhasya  yena  kshattram  samridhyate  katham  tarn  veder  utthdpayanti" 
iti  |  "  vettha  bruhmana  tvam  tarn  thaksham"  \  "  veda  hi"  iti  \  "  tarn  vai 
no  bruhmana  bruhi"  iti  \  "  tasmai  vai  te  rdjann1''  iti  ha  uvucha  \  29. 
Traydndm  bhakshdndm  ekam  dharishyanti  somam  vd  dadhi  vd  apo  vd  \ 
sa  yadi  somam  Irdhmandndm  sa  bhakshah  \  bruhmandms  tena  lhakshena 
jinvishyasi  \  Irdhmana-kalpas  te  prajdydm  djanishyate  dddyl  dpdyl  dva- 
sdyl  yatJid-kdma-praydpyah  \  yadd  vai  kshattriydya  pdpam  bhavati 
bruhmana- kalpo  'sya  prdjdydm  djdyate  Isvaro  ha  asmdd  dvitlyo  vd  tritlyo 
vd  bruhmanatdm  dbhyupaitoli  sa  brahmalandhavena  jijyushatah  \  atha 
yadi  dadhi  vaisydnum  sa  bhakshah  \  vaisyums  tena  lhakshena  jinvishyasi  \ 
vaisya-kalpas  te  prajdydm  djanishyate  'nyasya  bali-krid  anyasya  ddyo 
yathd-hdma-jyeyah  \  yadd  vai  kshattriydya  pdpam  lhavati  vaisya-ltalpo 
'sya  prajdydm  djdyate  Isvaro  ha  asmdd  dvitlyo  vd  tritlyo  vd  vaisyatdm 
abhyupaitoh  sa  vaisyatayd  jijyushitah  \  atha  yady  apah  sudrdndm  sa 
bhakshah  \  sudrdms  tena  bhakshena  jinvishyasi  \  sudra-halpas  te  prajd- 
ydm djanishyate  ''nyasya  presJiyah  kdmotthdpyo  yathdkdma-vadhyah  \ 
yadd  vai  kshattriydya  pdpam  bhavati  sudra-kalpo^sya  prajdydm  djdyate  \ 
Isvaro  ha  asmdd  dvitlyo  vd  tritlyo  vd  sudratdm  abhyupaitoh  \  sa  sudra- 
tayd  jijyushitah  \  30.  Ete  vai  te  trayo  bhakshdh  rdjann  "  iti  ha  uvdcha 
"  yeshdm  usum  na  iydt  hshattriyo  yajamdnah  atha  asya  esha  svo  'bha- 
kshah" ityddi  \ 


438  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

"Visvantara,  the  sort  of  Sushadman,  setting  aside  the  S'yaparnas,  was 
performing  a  sacrifice  without  their  aid.  Hearing  of  this  the  S'yaparnas 
came  to  the  ceremony,  and  sat  down  within  the  sacrificial  enclosure' 
Observing  them,  the  king  said,  '  Remove  these  S'yaparnas,  doers  of  evil 
deeds,  and  speakers  of  impure  language,229  who  have  sat  down  within 
my  sacrificial  enclosure.'  Saying,  'So  be  it,'  they  removed  them. 
When  they  were  being  removed,  they  exclaimed,  '  The  Kasyapas  found 
champions  in  the  Asitamrigas  who  conquered  for  them  from  the  Bhuta- 
viras  the  soma-draught  at  the  sacrifice  which  Janamejaya,  the  son  of 
Parikshit,  was  performing  without  their  (the  Kasyapas')  aid.  Who  is 
the  champion  who  will  conquer  for  us  this  soma-draught  ? '  'I  am 
your  champion,'  cried  Rama  Margaveya.  This  Rama  was  a  learned 
man,  belonging  to  the  S'yaparnaj-ace.  When  the  S'yaparnas  were  mov- 
ing away,  he  said,  '  T)o  they,  o  king,  remove  from  the  sacrificial  en- 
closure a  man  who  possesses  such  knowledge  [as  I]  ? '  '  How  dost 
thou  possess  it,  Brahman  ? '  asked  the  king.  28.  (Rama  answered) 
"  When  the  deities  rejected  Indra,  who  had  killed  Tvashtra,230  prostrated 
Vrittra,  given  over  the  Tatis  to  the  wolves,  slain  the  Arurmaghas,  and 
contradicted  Brihaspati,  then  he  (Indra)  forfeited  the  soma-draught. 
In  consequence  of  his  forfeiture,  the  Kshattra  (Kshattriya)  class  lost  it 

229  Prof.  "Weber  (Tnd.  St.  i.,  215)  thinks  the  words  "doers  of  evil  deeds"  appear 
to  refer  to  some  variety  of  ceremonial  peculiar  to  the  S'yaparnas,  and  the  words 
"  speakers  of  impure  language  "  to  a  difference  in  their  dialect ;  and  he  is  inclined  to 
derive  the  patronymic  of  Rama,  Margaveya,  from  the  impure  caste  of  Margavas 
mentioned  in  Manu,  x.  34 ;    by  which  supposition,  he  thinks,  a  ground  would  be 
discovered  for  the  reproaches  which  Vis'vantara  addresses  to  the  S'yaparna  family. 
In  reference  to  the  story  of  Janamejaya,  alluded  to  in  this  passage,  Weber  remarks 
(Ind.  Stud.  i.  204):    "The  same  work   (the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  vii.,  27)  makes 
mention  of  a  dispute  which  this  king  had  orith  the  sacerdotal  family  of  the  Bhutaviras, 
a  branch  of  the  Kasyapas;    and  which  was  adjusted  by  the  intervention  of  the 
Asitamrigas,  who  belonged  to  the  same  race."    A  S'yaparna  is  alluded  to  in  S'  P.  Br. 
x.,  4,  1,  10  (quoted  by  Prof.  Weber,  Ind.  St.  i.,  215) :  Etad  ha  sma  vai  tad  vidvan 
S'yuparnah  Sayakayanah  aha  "  yad  vai  me  idam  karma  samapsyata  mama  eva  praja 
Salvanam  rajano  'bhavishyan  mama  brahmaniih   mama  vaisyah  \  yat  tu  me  etavat 
karmanah  samapi  tena  menbhayatlia  Salvan  praja  '  tirekshyate"  iti  \  "Knowing  this 
Sayakayana,  the  S'yaparna,  said,  '  If  this  my  rite  had  been  completed,  my  offspring 
would  have  become  the  kings  of   the   Salvas,  mine   their  Brahmans,  mine   their 
Vais'yas.      But  as  (only)  so  much  of  the    rite  has  been  completed,   my  offspring 
shall,  in  both  respects,  excel  the  Salvas.'"     See  also  Ind.  St.  x.  18. 

230  See  Dr.  Haug's  note,  p.  487,  where  he  states  why  he  cannot  follow  Sayana  in 
rendering  abhyamamsta   by   "killed."      Prof.   Weber   (Ind.   St.  ix.    326)   defends 
Silyana's  interpretation. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  439 

also.  (But  Indra  recovered  a  share  in  the  soma- draught,  having  stolen 
Tvashtri's  soma.)  Hence  at  present  also  the  Kshattriyas  are  excluded 
from  the  soma-draught.  "Why  do  they  remove  from  the  sacrificial  en- 
closure a  man  who  knows  that  (other)  draught  which  (properly  helongs) 
to  the  Kshattriyas  who  are  excluded  from  the  soma-draught,  and  by 
which  they  are  rendered  prosperous  ?  '  '  Dost  thou,  o  Brahman,  know 
that  draught ?'  asked  the  king.  'I  know  it,'  answered  Kama.  'De- 
clare it  then  to  us,'  rejoined  the  prince.  '  I  declare  it  to  thee,  o  king, 
said  the  other.  29.  '  Of  the  three  draughts  they  shall  bring  one,  either 
soma,  or  curds,  or  water.  If  he  (the  priest,  bring)  the  soma,  that  is 
the  draught  of  the  Brahmans,  and  with  it  thou  shalt  satisfy  the  Brah- 
mans.  One  like  a  Brahman  shall  be  born  in  thy  line,  a  receiver  of 
gifts,  a  drinker  (of  soma),  a  seeker  of  food,231  a  rover  at  will.'  "When- 
ever the  offence  (of  drinking  the  Brahman's  draught)282  is  chargeable  to 
a  Kshattriya,  one  like  a  Brahman  is  born  in  his  line,  who  in  the  second 
or  third  generation  from  him  has  the  power  of  becoming  a  Brahman, 
and  likes  to  live  as  a  Brahman.  Next,  if  (the  priest  bring)  curds, 
that  is  the  Yaisya's  draught ;  with  it  thou  shalt  satisfy  the  Yaisyas. 
One  like  a  Yaisya  shall  be  born  in  thy  line,  one  who  is  tributary  to 
another,  who  is  to  be  used  (lit.  eaten)  by  another,  and  who  may  be 
oppressed  at  will.  Whenever  the  offence  (of  consuming  the  Yaisya's 
portion)  is  chargeable  to  a  Kshattriya,  one  like  a  Yaisya  is  born  in  his 
line,  who  in  the  second  or  third  generation  from  him  has  the  power  of 
becoming  a  Yaisya,  and  is  desirous  of  living  as  a  Yaisya.  Next,  if  (the 
priest  bring)  water,  that  is  the  S'udra's  draught;  with  it  thou.  shalt 
satify  the  S'udras.  One  like  a  S'udra  shall  be  born  in  thy  line,  the 
servant  of  another,  who  may  be  expelled  and  slain  at  pleasure.  When 
the  offence  (of  drinking  the  S'udra^s  draught)  is  chargeable  against  a 
Kshattriya,  one  like  a  S'udra  is  born  in  his  line,  who  in  the  second  or 
third  generation  from  him  has  the  power  of  becoming  a  S'udra,  and 
desires  to  live  like  a  S'udra.  30.  '  These,  o  king,  are  the  three  draughts, 
which  the  Kshattriya  when  sacrificing  should  not  desire.  His  own 
proper  draught  is  as  follows :  Let  him  squeeze  the  descending  branches 

231  Prof.  "Weber  (Tnd.  Stud.  ix.  326)  would  prefer  to  translate  avasayl  (uberall-) 
wohnend,  "dwelling  everywhere." 

232  Dr.  Haug  translates  "  when  there  is  any  fault  on  the  Kshattriya  (who,  when 
sacrificing,  eats  the  Brahmana  portion),"  etc.     See  the  beginning  of  par.  30  below. 


440  EARLY  CONTESTa  BETWEEN 

of  the  nyagrodha  (Indian  fig)  tree,  with  the  fruits  of  the  udumbara, 
the  asvattha,  and  the  plaksha  trees,  and  drink  these  juices.  This  is 
his  own  proper  draught." 

The  continuation  may  be  read  in  Dr.  Haug's  translation,  pp.  486  ff. 
After  the  priest  has  given  the  king  a  deal  of  further  information  the 
result  is  told  in  par.  34,  as  follows : 

Tarn  evam  etam  lhaksham  provdcha  Rdmo  Mdrgaveyo  Yisvantardya 
Saushadmandya  \  tasmin  ha  uvdcha  prokte  "  saltasram  u  ha  Irdhmana 
tubhyam  dadmah  \  sasydparnah  u  me  yajnah  "  iti  \ 

"This  draught  did  Kama  Margaveya  declare  to  Yisvantara  the  son 
of  Sushadman.  When  it  had  been  declared  the  king  said,  'Brahman, 
we  give  thee  a  thousand  (cows) :  and  my  sacrifice  (shall  be  performed) 
with  (the  aid  of  the)  S'yaparnas.'  " 

SECT.  XVII. — Story  of  Matanga  who  tried  in  rain  to  raise  himself  to 
the  position  of  a  Brahman. 

The  legend  of  Matanga,  which  is  narrated  in  the  Anusasana-parvan 
of  the  Hahabharata,  verses  1872  ff.,  is  introduced  by  a  question  which 
Yudhishthira  addresses  to  Bhishma,  verse  1867 :  Kshattriyo  yadi  vd 
vaisyah  £udro  vd  rdjasattama  \  brdhmanyam  prdpmiydd  yena  tad  me 
vydkhydtum  arhasi  \  tapasd  vu,  sumahatd  karmand  vd  srutena  vd  \ 
brdhmanyam  atha  ched  ichhet  tad  me  bruhi  samdsatah  \  Bhishmah  uvdcha 
|  1870.  Brdhmanyam  tdta  dushprdpyam  varnaih  kshattrddilhis  tribhih  \ 
param  hi  sarva-bhutdndm  sthdnam  etad  Yudhishthira  \  lahvls  tu  sam- 
saran  yonir  jdyamdnah  punah  punah  \  parydye  tdta  kasmimschid  brdh- 
mano  ndma  jdyate  \  "  Explain  to  me  the  means — whether  it  be  intense 
austere-fervour,  or  ceremonies,  or  Vedio  learning — whereby  a  Kshat- 
triya,  a  Vaisya,  or  a  S'udra,  if  he  desire  it,  can  attain  to  the  state  of  a 
Brahman.  Bhishma  replies  (1870),  The  state  of  a  Brahman  is  hard 
to  be  acquired  by  men  of  the  other  three  classes,  the  Kshattriyas,  etc. ; 
for  this  Brahmanhood  is  the  highest  rank  among  all  living  creatures. 
It  is  only  after  passing  through  numerous  wombs,  and  being  born  again 
and  again,  that  such  a  man,  in  some  revolution  of  being,  becomes  a  Brah- 
man." Bhishma  proceeds  to  illustrate  this  principle  by  the  case  of  Ma- 
tanga, who  was  apparently  the  son  of  a  Brahman,  was  distinguished  for 
his  good  qualities,  and  was  esteemed  to  be  himself  of  the  same  class  as  his 


THE  BRAHMAXS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  441 

father  (verse  1873  :  dvijdteh  Jcasyachit  tdta  tulya-varnah  sutas  tv  alhut  \ 
Matango  ndma  ndmnd  vai  sarvaih  samudito  gunaili  \ )  He  was,  however, 
discovered  to  he  of  spurious  birth  in  the  following  manner :  He  hap- 
pened to  he  sent  somewhere  hy  his  father  to  perform  sacrifice,  and  was 
travelling  in  a. car  drawn  by  asses.  On  his  way  he  repeatedly  pierced 
on  its  nose  with  the  goad  the  colt  which  was  conveying  him  along  with 
its  mother.  Feeling  for  the  wound  thus  inflicted  on  her  offspring,  the 
she-ass  said:  "  Be  not  distressed,  my  son,  it  is  a  Chandala  who  is  on  the 
car.  There  is  nothing  dreadful  in  a  Brahman;  he  is  declared  to  be  kindly, 
a  teacher  who  instructs  all  creatures :  how  then  can  he  smite  any  one  ? 
This  man  of  wicked  disposition  shows  no  pity  to  a  tender  colt,  and 
thereby  indicates  his  origin ;  for  it  is  birth  which  determines  the  cha- 
racter "  (verse  1876.  Uvdcha  md  suchah  puttra  chandtilas  tv  adhitish- 
thati  \  IrdJimane  ddrunam  ndsti  maitro  Irdhmana  ucliyate  \  ucJidryah 
sarva-bhutdnum  sdstti  him  praharishyati  \  ayam  tu  pdpa-pralcritir  bale 
na  kurute  day  dm  \  sva-yonim  mdnayaty  esha  bhdvo  bhdvam  niyachhati  |). 
Overhearing  this  colloquy,  Matanga  instantly  got  down  from  the  car 
and  besought  the  she-ass,  whom  he  honoured  with  the  epithet  of  "  most 
intelligent,"  to  tell  him  how  she  knew  him  to  be  a  Chandfila  and  how 
his  mother  had  been  corrupted.  The  she-ass  informs  him  that  his 
mother  when  intoxicated  had  received  the  embraces  of  a  low-born 
barber,  and  that  he  was  the  offspring  of  this  connection  and  conse- 
quently no  Brahman  (verse  1882.  Brdhmanydm  vrishalena  tvam  mat- 
tdydm  ndpitena  ha  \  jdtas  tvam  asi  cJianddlo  brtihmanyaih  tena  te  'nasat  |). 
On  receiving  this  unwelcome  revelation,  Matanga  returned  home,  and 
being  questioned  by  his  reputed  father  about  the  cause  of  his  speedy 
reappearance,  he  told  him  what  he  had  heard ;  and  expressed  his 
determination  to  enter  on  a  course  of  austerities.  He  does  so  accord- 
ingly with  such  effect  that  he  alarms  the  gods,  and  receives  the  offer 
of  a  boon  from  Indra.  He  asks  for  Brahmanhood ;  but  Indra  tells  him 
that  he  must  perish  if  he  continues  to  make  that  request,  as  the  high 
position  he  seeks  cannot  be  obtained  by  one  born  as  a  Chandala 
(verse  1895).  Matanga,  however,  continues  his  exercises  for  a  hundred 
years,  when  Indra  repeats  his  former  determination,  and  supports  it  by 
reasons,  explaining  (1901  ff.)  that  a  Chandala  can  only  become  a  S'udra 
in  a  thousand  births,  a  S'udra  a  Vaisya  after  a  period  thirty  times  as 
long,  a  Yaisya  a  Eajanya  after  a  period  sixty  times  the  length,  a  Ra- 


442  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

janya  a  Brahman  after  a  period  of  sixty  times  the  duration,  and  so  on. 
a  Brahman  only  becoming  a  Kandaprishtha,  a  Kandaprishtha  a  Japa, 
a  Japa  a  S'rotriya,  after  immense  intervals.  Indra  therefore  advises 
Matanga  to  choose  some  other  boon.  But  the  devotee  is  still  dissatis- 
fied with  the  god's  decision,  and  renews  his  austerities  for  a  thousand 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  receives  still  the  same  answer, 
and  the  same  advice.  But  though  distressed  he  did  not  yet  despair ; 
but  proceeded  to  balance  himself  on  his  great  toe ;  which,  although 
reduced  to  skin  and  bone,  he  succeeded  in  doing  for  a  hundred  years 
without  falling.  At  length,  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  tumbling, 
Indra  ran  up  and  supported  him ;  but  continued  inexorably  to  refuse 
his  request ;  and  though  further  importuned,  would  only  consent  to 
give  him  the  power  of  moving  about  like  a  bird,  and  changing  his 
shape  at  will,  and  of  being  honoured  and  renowned  (verses  1934  ff.). 

The  assertion  here  made  of  the  impossibility  of  a  Kshattriya  becom- 
ing a  Brahman  until  he  has  passed  through  a  long  series  of  births  is 
of  course  in  flagrant  contradiction  with  the  stories  of  Yisvamitra, 
Vitahavya,  and  others. 

Matanga  (or  a  Matanga)  is  mentioned  in  a  passage  already  quoted  in 
p.  411  as  a  rajarshi  who  supported  Visvamitra's  family  and  for  whom 
that  sage  sacrificed.  He  is  also  named  in  the  Sabha-parvan,  verse  340, 
as  sitting  in  Tama's  assembly  along  with  Agastya,  Kala,  and  Mrityu, 
etc.,  etc. ;  in  the  Yana-parvan,  8079,  as  a  great  rishi  (jnaharshi] ;  and 
in  the  S'anti-parvan,  10875,  as  one  of  certain  sages  who  had  acquired 
their  position  by  austerities  (see  above,  p.  132).  His  disciples,  he  him- 
self, and  his  forest  are  mentioned  in  the  Ramayana,  iii.  73,  23,  29,  30. 


SECT.  XVIII. — Legend  of  the  Brahman  Parasurdma,  the  exterminator 
of  the  Ksliattriyas. 

As  Parasurama  belonged  to  the  race  of  the  Bhrigus,  it  may  be  advis- 
able to  premise  some  particulars  regarding  that  family. 

In  his  Lexicon,  s.v.,  Professor  Roth  tells  us  that  the  Bhrigus  were  a 
class  of  mythical  beings,  who,  according  to  the  Nirukta,  xi.  19,  belonged 
to  the  middle  or  aerial  class  of  gods  ("  mudhyamiko  deva-ganah  "  iti 
JVairuktah}.  They  were  the  discoverers  of  fire  and  brought  it  to  men 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  443 

(R.V.  x.  46,  2,  etc.)283  He  adds,  however,  that  this  race  has  also  a 
connection  with  history,  as  one  of  the  chief  Brahmanical  families  bears 
this  name,  and  allusions  are  made  to  this  fact  even  in  the  hymns  of  the 
Rig-veda  (vii.  18,  6;  viii.  3,  9,  16  ;  viii.  6,  18  ;  viii.  91,  4).  Bhrigu 
is  also,  as  Prof.  Roth  observes,  the  name  of  a  rishi  representing  a 
family,  who  is  mentioned  in  Atharva-veda,  v.  19,  1,  as  suffering  injury 
at  the  hands  of  the  Srinjayas  (see  above,  p.  286).  As  regards  his  birth, 
it  is  said  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  iii.  34,  that  first  the  Sun,  and  then 
Bhrigu  arose  out  of  the  seed  which  had  issued  from  Prajapati,234  that 
Bhrigu  was  adopted  by  Varuna,  and  was  consequently  called  Varuni, 
etc.  (Tasya  yad  retasah  prathamam  udadipyata  tad  asdv  ddityo  'bhavat  \ 
yad  dvitlyam  dslt  tad  Bhrigur  abhavat  \  tain  Varuno  nyagrihnlta  \  tas- 
mdt  sa  Bhrigur  Varuni  K).  He  is  accordingly  called  by  this  name  in 
the  S'.  P.  Br.  xi.  6,  1,  1,  where  he  is  said  to  have  conceived  himself  to 
be  superior  in  knowledge  to  his  father  Varuna  (Bhrigur  ha  vai  Vdrunir 

Varunam  pitaram  vidyaya  Himene) ;  and  also  in  the  Taittirlya  Upani- 
shad  (Bibl.  Ind.  p.  123  :  Bhrigur  vai  Vdrunir  Varunam  pitaram  upa- 
stfsara).235  The  preceding  story  of  Bhrigu' s  birth  is  developed  and  mo- 
dified in  the  Anusasana-parvan  of  the  Mahabharata,  verse  4104  ff. : 

Vasishthah  uvdcha  \  api  chedam  purd  Rdma  srutam  me  Brahma-darsa- 
nam  \  Pitdmahasya  yad  vrittam  Brahmanah  paramdtmanah  \  devasya 
mahatas  tdta  Varumm  libhratas  tanum  \  aisvaryye  vdrune  Rdma 
Rudrasyesasya  vai  pralhoh  \  "Vasishtha  said,  4104:  I  have  also 
heard,  o  Rama  (i.e.  Parasurama),  of  this  vision  of  Brahma,  of  that 
which  occurred  regarding  Pitamaha,  Brahma,  the  supreme  spirit,  the 
great  god  (i.e.  Hahadeva),  Rudra,  Isa,  the  lord,  assuming  the  body  of 
Varuna,  and  invested  with  the  dominion  of  Varuna."  After  this  singular 
description  of  Mahadeva  as  identified  with  Brahma,  Brahma  the  su- 
preme spirit,  and  Varuna,  the  speaker  goes  on  to  tell  us-  that  the 
munis,  the  gods  headed  by  Agni,  the  embodied  portions  of  the  sacrifice, 
and  the  Vedas,  etc.,  assembled  on  the  occasion  referred  to,  and  then 
proceeds,  verse  4 1 1 2  :  Esha  Brahma  S'ivo  Rudro  Varuno  ' gnih  Prajd- 
patih  |  klrttyate  bhagavdn  devah  sarva-bhuta-patih  sivah  \  tasya  yajnah 

233  See  my  article  on  "  Manu,  the  progenitor  of  the  Aryyan  Indians  "  in  Journ. 
R.  A.  S.  for  1863,  p.  415  f. ;  and  above,  pp.  168  and  170. 

234  The  commencement  of  the  story,  of  which  this  is  part  of  the  sequel,  is  given 
above,  p.  107  f. 

235  See  Ind.  Stud.  ii.  231,  and  Journ.  of  the  German  Or.  Soc.  ix.  240. 


444  EAELY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Pasupates  tapah  kratava  eva  cha  \  dlkshd  dlpta-vratd  devl  disas  cha  sa- 
diglsvardh  \  deva-patnyas  cha  kanyds  cha  devdndm  cTiaiva  mdtarah  \ 
djagmuh  sahitds  tattra  tadd  Bhrigu-kulodvaha  \  4115.  Yajnam  Pasu- 
pateh  pritdh  Varunasya  mahdtmanah  \  Svayambhuvas  tu  tdh  drishtvd 
retah  samapatad  bhuvi  \  tasya  suJcrasya  visyanddt  pdmsun  sangrihya 
bhumitah  \  prdsyat  Pushd  kardbhydm  vai  tasminn  eva  hutdsane  \  tatas 
tasmin  sampravritte  satire  jvalita-pdvahe  \  Brahmano  juJivatas  tattra 
prddurbhdvo  babhuva  ha  \  sJcanna-mdtram  cha  tach  chhukram  sruvena 
parigrihya  sah  \  djya-vad  mantratas  cJidpi  so  'j'uhod  Bhrigu-nandana  \ 
tatas  tujanaydmdsa  hJiuta-grdmafii  cha  viryyavdn  ]  .  .  .  .  4121.  S'ukre 
Jiute  'gnau  tasmims  tu  prddurdsams  trayah  prabho  \  purusMh  vapmhd 
yuktdh  svaih  svaih  prasava-jair-gunaih  I  "bhricf''  ity  eva  Bhriguh  pur- 
vam  angdrelhyo  'ngird  'bhavat  \  angdra-samsraydch  chaivo  Kavir  ity 
aparo'bhavat  \  salia  jvdldbhir  utpanno  Bhrigus  tasmdd  Bhriguh  smritah  \ 
....  4140.  "  Varunas  chesvaro  devo  labhatdm  Jcdmam  Ipsitam"  \  nisar- 
gdd  Brahmanas  clidpi  Varuno  yddasdmpatih  \  jagrdha  vai  Bhrigum  pur- 
vam  apatyam  surya-varchasam  \  Isvaro  'ngirasam  chdgner  apatydrtJiam 
aJcalpayat  \  Pitdmahas  tv  apatyam  vai  Kavim  jagrdha  tattva-vit  \  tadd 
sa  Vdrunah  Jihydto  Bhriguh  prasava-harma-krit  \  Agneyas  tv  Angirdh 
srlmdn  Kavir  Brdhmo  mahdyasdh  \  Bhdrgavdngirasau  lake  loika-san- 
tdna-lakshanau  \  ete  hi  prasavdh  sarve  prajdndm  patayas  trayah  \ 
sarvam  santdnam  eteshdm  idam  ity  upadhdraya  \  Bhrigos  tu  puttrdh 
saptdsan  sarve  tulydh  Bhrigor  gunaih  \  Chyavano  Vajraslrshas  cha 
S'uchir  Aurvas  tathaiva  cha  \  S'ukro  Varenyas  cha  Vibliuh  Savanas 
cheti  sapta  te  \  Bhdrgavdh  Vdrunah  sarve  yeshdm  raffiso  Ihavdn  api  \ 
"4112.  This  adorable  and  gracious  god,  lord  of  all  creatures,  is  known 
as  Brahma,  S'iva,  Eudra,  Yaruna,  Agni,  Prajapati.  This  Pasupati  (had) 
a  sacrifice.236  Austere-fervour,  Oblations,  Consecration,  (Diksha)  that 
goddess  with  brilliant  rites,  the  Points  of  the  compass,  their  regents, 
the  wives,  daughters  and  mothers  of  the  gods  came  all  together  with 
joy  (4115)  to  this  sacrifice  of  Pasupati  the  great  Varuna.  When  Sva- 
yambhu  (Brahma)  saw  these  goddesses  his  seed  fell  to  the  ground. 
Pushan  in  consequence  collected  the  particles  of  dust  which  were  thus 
moistened,  and  threw  them  into  the  fire.  When  the  sacrifice  with  its 
blazing  fires  had  begun,  there  was  seen  an  apparition  of  Brahma  offering 
an  oblation.  Collecting  with  the  sacrificial  ladle  that  which  had  fallen, 
836  Such  seems  to  be  the  construction  of  this  line. 


THE  BRAHMANS   AND   KSHATTRIYAS.  445 

he  cast  it,  like  butter,  with  sacred  texts,  into  the  fire.  And  thence  the 

powerful  god  generated  all  beings 4121.  When  the  seed  had  been 

cast  into  the  fire,  there  arose  three  men  endowed  with  bodies,  and  with 
their  own  respective  qualities  derived  from  their  generation.  Bhrigu 
sprang  first  from  bhrik  (the  blazing  of  the  fire),  Angiras  from  the 
cinders,  and  Kavi 237  from  a  heap  of  cinders.  Bhrigu  was  so  named 
because  he  was  produced  together  with  flames."  The  god,  called  Ma- 
hadeva,  Yaruna,  and  Pavana,  claimed  these  three  men  as  his  own,  and 
the  fruit  of  his  sacrifice  (verse  4133  f.).  Agni  and  Brahma  also  claimed 
them  (4135  f.).  The  other  gods,  however,  entreated  Brahma  to  accede 
to  the  wishes  of  Agni  and  Yaruna :  "  4140.  'And  let  Yaruna,  the  lord, 
the  god,  also  receive  the  object  of  his  desire.'  By  the  gift  of  Brahma, 
Yaruna,  lord  of  sea-monsters,  first  received  for  his  offspring  Bhrigu 
brilliant  as  the  sun.  And  Isvara  (Mahadeva)  appointed  Angiras  to  be 
Agni's  son.  And  Pitamaha,  who  knows  the  reality  of  things  took 
Kavi  as  his  offspring,  Then  Bhrigu,  the  progenitor  of  creatures,  was 
named  the  son  of  Yaruna,  Angiras  the  son  of  Agni,  and  the  glorious 
Kavi  the  son  of  Brahma.  The  Bhargava  and  the  Angirasa  are  distin- 
guished in  the  world  as  the  propagators  of  mankind.  For  all  these 
three  lords  of  creatures  were  propagators.  Know  the  whole  of  this 
world  to  be  their  offspring.  Bhrigu  had  seven  spns,  all  equal  to  their 
father  in  good  qualities,  Chyavana,  Yajrasirsha,  S'uchi,  Aurva,  S'ukra, 
Yarenya,  Yibhu,  and  Savana.  These  were  all  Bhargavas,  and  Yarunas, 
to  whose  race  you  (Parasurama)  yourself  also  belong." 

In  another  passage  of  the  M.  Bh.  Adip.  869,  it  is  similarly  said : 
BJirigur  maharshir  bhagavdn  Brahmana  vai  Svayambhuvd  \  Varunasya, 
kratau  jdtah  pdvakdd  iti  nah  srutam  \  "~VYe  have  heard  that  the  great 
and  venerable  rishi  Bhrigu  was  produced  by  Brahma  from  fire  at  the 
sacrifice  of  Yaruna." 

The  ^irukta,  iii.  17,  has  the  following  etymology  of  Bhrigu  :  Arclii- 
shi  Bhriguh  sambabhuva  \  BJirigur  bhrijyamano  no,  delie  \  "  Bhrigu  was 
produced  in  the  flame;  though  roasted,  he  was  not  consumed." 

The  Taitt.  Br.  i.  8,  2,  5,  has  a  different  account :  Indrasya  sushuvd- 
nasya  tredhd  indnjam  vlryyam  paropatat  \  BJirigus  tritiyam  abhavat  \ 

237  In  the  M.  Bh.  Adip.  v.  2606,  Kavi  is  said  to  be  Bhrigu's  son  (Bhrigoh  pidtrah 
Kavir  vidvan  S'likrah).  On  the  other  hand  he,  or  another  person  of  the  same  name, 
is  said  in  the  Anu&asana-p.  4150,  to  be,  along  with  Kavi,  a  son  of  Kavi. 


446  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEX 

"  While  Indra  was  continuing  to  pour  out  Soma,  his  manly  vigour  fell 
in  three  portions.     The  third  became  Bhrigu." 

Bhrigu  is  declared  in  the  Yishnu  P.  (see  above,  p.  65)  to  have  been 
one  of  the  nine  Brahmas,  mental  sons  of  Brahma.  The  Bhag.  P.  iii.  12, 
23,  says  he  sprang  from  the  skin  of  the  creator  (Bhrigus  tvachi}.  The 
M.  Bh.  Adip.  2605,  on  the  contrary  declares  :  Brahmano  hridayam  Ihit- 
tvd  nissrito  lhagavdn  Bhriguh  \  "  The  venerable  Bhrigu,  having  split 
Brahma's  heart,  issued  forth"  (Weber,  Ind.  St.  ii.  231).  So,  too,  the 
Yayu  P.  i.  9,  100:  Bhrigus  tu  hridaydj  jajne  rishih  Salilajanmanah  \ 
"  Bhrigu  was  produced  from  the  heart  of  the  Water-born  (Brahma)  ; " 
and  adds,  verse  103  :  Ity  ete  mdnasdh  puttrdh  vijneydh  Brahmanah 
sutdh  I  Bhrigv-ddayas  tu  ye  srishtdh  navaite  Irahma-vddinah  \  104.  Gri- 
hamedhinah  purdnas  dharmas  tait  prdk  pravarttitah  \  "These  were  the 
mind-born  sons  of  Brahma.  Bhrigu,  and  the  others,  nine  in  all,  who  were 
created,  were  declarers  of  sacred  knowledge  and  ancient  householders; 
by  them  was  duty  of  old  established."  Manu  mentions  Bhrigu  (i.  35,  see 
above,  p.  36)  as  one  of  his  own  ten  sons.  He  also  speaks  of  him  (i.  59, 
60,  above,  p.  38)  as  commissioned  by  himself  (Manu)  to  promulgate  his 
code.  In  Manu,  v.  1.  however,  the  sage  is  said  to  have  sprung  from 
fire  (idam  uchur  mdhatmfmam  anala-prabhavam  Bhrigurri}.  As,  how- 
ever, he  had  been  previously  declared  to  be  one  of  Manu's  ten  sons,  and 
is  so  called  also  in  the  third  verse  of  book  v.  and  the  second  of  book  vii., 
where  he  is  styled  Mdnavo  Bhriguh,  Kulluka  thinks  it  necessary  to 
explain  this  other  alleged  descent  from  fire  by  saying  that  that  had 
been  the  sage's  origin  in  a  previous  mundane  era  (Ealpa)  :  Yadyapi 
prathamadhydye  dasa-prajdpati-madhye  "Bhrigum  Ndradam  eva  cha"  iti 
Bhrigu-srishtir  api  Mctnutah  eva  ufctd  tathdpi  kalpa-hhedena  agm-pra- 
bhavatvam  uchyate  \  tathd  cha  srutih  "  tasya  yad  retasah  prathamaih  dedl- 
pyate  tad  asdv  ddityo  'bhavat  \  yad  dvitlyam  dsid  Bhrigur"  iti  \  atah 
eva  bhrashtdd  retasah  iitpannatvdd  Bhriguh  \  "  Though  the  creation  of 
Bhrigu,  as  one  of  the  ten  Prajapatis,  is  declared,  in  the  35th  verse  of 
the  first  book,  to  have  proceeded  from  Manu,  still  he  is  here  said  to 
have  been  produced  from  fire,  from  the  difference  in  the  manner  of  his 
birth  in  the  different  Kalpas.  And  so  the  Yeda  says  (in  the  passage 
quoted  above  from  the  Ait.  Br.).  Hence  he  is  called  Bhrigu,  because 
he  sprang  from  the  seed  which  fell  (bhrasktat}.w 

233  See  Prof.  Wilson's  note,  Yishnu  Parana,  vol.  i.  p.  100  if.,  in  the  course  of 


THE  BRAHMAXS  AND  KSHATTBIYAS.  447 

Professor  Roth  (Lit.  and  History  of  the  Veda,  p.  135)  says  :  "  The 
Bhrigus  are  one  of  the  most  important  Vedic  families,  to  which  Jamad- 
agni,  Chyavana,  Aurva,  Apnavana,  and  other  rishis  are  assigned.  Many 
conjectures  might  be  formed  in  connection  with  the  part  which  these 
several  Bhrigus  play  in  the  later  legends ;  but  it  seems  to  me  unsafe  to 
draw  any  conclusions  till  we  are  in  possession  of  the  intermediate  links, 
and  especially  till  we  have  learnt  more  precisely  from  the  Yedic  hymns 
themselves  the  relations  of  these  families  to  each  other.  Nevertheless 
I  will  remark  that  S'unahsepha,  the  adopted  son  of  Visvamitra,  is, 
according  to  the  Puranas,  a  Bhrigu ;  and  consequently  the  Bhrigus 
appear  in  intimate  connection  with  the  enemy  of  Vasishtha ;  and 
further,  that  Sagara,  who  was  reared  by  the  Bhrigu  Aurva,  is  restrained 
by  Yasishtha  in  his  war  of  extermination  against  the  S'akas  and  other 
barbarous  tribes.  His  enemies,  \vhen  hard  pressed,  had  resorted  to 
Yasishtha  as  an  intercessor."  (See  above,  p.  337,  and  Wilson's  Vishnu 
Purana,  vol.  iii.  p.  291.) 

The  story  of  Parasurama  and  the  Kshattriyas  is  briefly  mentioned  in 
the  second  section  of  the  Adiparvan  of  the  Mahabharata  (verses  272- 
280),  where  the  events  referred  to  are  said  to  have  occurred  in  the  in- 
terval between  the  Treta  and  Dvapara  ages  (Tretu-dvdparayoh  sandhau 
Ramah  sastra-bhritdm  varah  \  asaTcrit  parthivam  kshattraih  jaghanamar- 
sha-choditah  \  sa  sarvam  kshattram  utsudya  sva-vlryyenanala-dyutih  |). 
The  history  is  •  more  fully  told  in  other  parts  of  the  Mahabharata. 
In  the  178th-180th  sections  of  the  Adiparvan  there  is  a  legend  in 
which  no  mention  is  made  of  Parasurama,  or  the  slaughter  of  the  Kshat- 
triyas ;  but  in  which  we  have  the  following  particulars  :  Parasara  was 
son  of  S'aktri,  and  grandson  of  Yasishtha,  as  we  have  seen  above,  p.  417- 
When  he  heard  of  the  way  in  which  his  father  had  met  his  death,  he 
determined  to  execute  a  general  slaughter  of  all  creatures  (v.  6800)  ;239 
but  his  grandfather  restrained  him  by  narrating  the  history  of  the 

which  he  says,  "  The  Vayu  has  also  another  account  of  their  (the  Prajapatis)  origin, 
and  states  them  to  have  sprung  from  the  fires  of  a  sacrifice  offered  by  Brahma ; 
an  allegorical  mode  of  expressing  their  probable  original — considering  them  to  be  in 
some  degree  real  persons — from  the  Brahmanical  ritual,  of  which  they  were  the  first 
institutors  and  observers." 

239  Reference  is  made  in  the  commencement  of  the  Vishnu  Purina  to  the  same 
circumstance  (Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  i.  pp.  7  if.)  Paras'ara  is  the  narrator  of 
the  Vishnu  Purana  (ibid.  p.  11). 


448  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Bhrigus  and  Kshattriyas,  as  follows :  There  was  a  king  named  Krita- 
viryya,  by  whose  liberality  the  Bhrigus,  learned  in  the  Vedas,  who 
officiated  as  his  priests,  had  been  greatly  enriched  with  corn  and 
money  (verse  6802.  Ydjyo  veda-viddm  loke  Bhrigundm  pdrthivarsha- 
bhah  |  sa  tun  agra-lhujas  tufa  dhdnyena  cha  dhanena  cha  \  somdnte  tar- 
paydmdsa  vipulena  visdmpate  I).  After  he  had  gone  to  heaven,  his 
descendants  were  in  want  of  money,  and  came  to  beg  for  a  supply  from 
the  Bhrigus,  of  whose  wealth  they  were  aware.  Some  of  the  latter 
hid  their  money  under  ground,  others  bestowed  it  on  Brahmans,  being 
afraid  of  the  Kshattriyas,  while  others  again  gave  these  last  what  they 
wanted.  It  happened,  however,  that  a  Kshattriya,  while  digging  the 
ground,  discovered  some  money  buried  in  the  house  of  a  Bhrigu.  The 
Kshattriyas  then  assembled  and  saw  this  treasure,  and,  being  incensed, 
slew  in  consequence  all  the  Bhrigus,  whom  they  regarded  with  con- 
tempt, down  to  the  children  in  the  womb  (verse  6809.  Aramanya  tatah 
krodhdd  Bhrigums  tan  sarandgatdn  \  nyaghnuh  parameshrdsdh  sarvdms 
tan  nisitaih  saraih  \  d-garlhdd  avakrintantas  cheruh  sarvditi  vasundha- 
rdm  |).  The  widows,  however,  fled  to  the  Himalaya  mountains.  One 
of  them  concealed  her  unborn  child  in  her  thigh.  The  Kshattriyas, 
hearing  of  its  existence  fr.om  a  Brahman!  informant,  sought  to  kill  it ; 
but  it  issued  forth  from  its  mother's  thigh  with  lustre,  and  blinded  the 
persecutors.  After  wandering  about  bewildered  among  the  mountains 
for  a  time,  they  humbly  supplicated  the  mother  of  the  child  for  the 
restoration  of  their  sight ;  but  she  referred  them  to  her  wonderful 
infant  Aurva  into  whom  the  whole  Yeda,  with  its  six  Vedangas,  had 
entered  (verse  6823.  Shad-angas  chdkhilo  vedah  imam  garhhastham  era 
ha  \  vivesa  Bhrigu-vamsasya  Ihuyah  priya-chiklrshayd  |),  as  the  person 
who  (in  retaliation  of  the  slaughter  of  his  relatives)  had  robbed  them 
of  their  eyesight,  and  who  alone  could  restore  it.  They  accordingly 
had  recourse  to  him,  and  their  eyesight  was  restored.  Aurva,  however, 
meditated  the  destruction  of  all  living  creatures,  in  revenge  for  the 
slaughter  of  the  Bhrigus,  and  entered  on  a  course  of  austerities  which 
alarmed  both  gods,  asuras,  and  men  ;  but  his  progenitors  (Pitris)  them- 
selves appeared,  and  sought  to  turn  him  from  his  purpose  by  saying 
that  they  had  no  desire  to  be  revenged  on  the  Kshattriyas  :  6834.  Nu- 
nlsair  hi  tadd  tdta  Bhrigubhir  bhdvitdtmalhih  \  ladho  liy  tipehhitah 
sarvaih  kshattriydndiii  vihimsatam  \  ui/ushd  viprakrislitena  yadd  nah 


THE  BEAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  449 

khefla  dvisat  \  tadd  'smdbhir  badhas  tdta  kshattriyair  ipsitah  svayam  \ 
nikhdtam  yach  cha  vai  vittam  kenachid  Bhrigu-vesmani  \  vairdyaiva  tadd 
nyastam  kshattriydn  kopayishnubhih  \  kifh  hi  vittena  nah  kdryyam  svar- 
gepsundm  dvijottama  |  .  .  .  .  6841.  Ma  ladhlh  kshattriydms  tdta  na 
lokdn  sapta  puttraka  \  dushayantam  tapas-tejah  krodham  utpatitam  jahi  \ 
"  6834.  It  was  not  from  weakness  that  the  devout  Bhrigus  overlooked 
the  massacre  perpetrated  by  the  murderous  Kshattriyas.  When  we 
became  distressed  by  old  age,  we  ourselves  desired  to  be  slaughtered  by 
them.  The  money  which  was  buried  by  some  one  in  a  Bhrigu's  house 
was  placed  there  for  the  purpose  of  exciting  hatred,  by  those  who 
wished  to  provoke  the  Kshattriyas.  For  what  had  we,  who  were 
desiring  heaven,  to  do  with  money  ?  "  They  add  that  they  hit  upon 
this  device  because  they  did  not  wish  to  be  guilty  of  suicide,  and  con- 
cluded by  calling  upon  Aurva  to  restrain  his  wrath  ;  and  abstain  from 
the  sin  he  was  meditating,  verse  6841  :  "  Destroy  not  the  Kshattriyas, 
o  son,  nor  the  seven  worlds.  Suppress  thy  kindled  anger  which  nullifies 
the  power  of  austere-fervour."  Aurva,  however,  replies  that  he  cannot 
allow  his  threat  to  remain  unexecuted.  His  anger,  unless  wreaked 
upon  some  other  object,  will,  he  says,  consume  himself.  And  he  argues 
on  grounds  of  justice,  expediency,  and  duty,  against  the  clemency  which 
his  progenitors  recommend.  He  is,  however,  persuaded  by  the  Pitris 
to  throw  the  fire  of  his  anger  into  the  sea,  where  they  say  it  will  find 
exercise  in  assailing  the  watery  element,  and  in  this  way  his  threat 
will  be  fulfilled.  "  It  accordingly  became  the  great  Hayasiras,  known 
to  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  Yeda,  which  vomits  forth  that 
fire  and  drinks  up  the  waters"  (Mahad  Hayasiro  Ihutvd  yat  tad  veda- 
vido  viduh  \  tarn  agnim  udgirad  vaktrtit  pilaty  dpo  mahodadhau}.  It  is 
worthy  of  remark  that  in  a  legend,  one  object  of  which,  at  least,  would 
seem  to  be  to  hold  up  to  abhorrence  the  impiety  of  the  Kshattriyas  in 
oppressing  the  Brahmans,  we  should  thus  find  a  palliation  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  oppressors,  coming  from  the  other  world.  But  here  the 
principle  of  the  nothingness  of  mundane  existence  asserts  itself;  and 
the  final  superiority  of  the  Brahmans  is  vindicated,  while  their  magna- 
nimity is  exemplified. 

The  next  version  of  this  legend,  which  I  shall  quote,  is  that  given 
in  the  115th-l  17th  sections  of  the  Vanaparvan.  Arjuna,  son  of  Krita- 
virya,  and  king  of  the  Haihayas,  had,  we  are  told,  a  thousand  arms. 

29 


450  EAELY   CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

He  obtained  from  Dattatreya  an  aerial  car  of  gold,  the  march  of  which 
was  irresistible.  He  thus  trod  down  gods,  Yakshas,  rishis,  and  op- 
pressed all  creatures  (10137.  Avydhata-gatU  chawa  rathas  tasya  mahdt- 
manah  \  rathena  tena  tu  tadd  vara-ddnena  viryyavdn  \  mamardda  devun 
yakshdms  cha  rishlms  chaiva  samantatah  \  bhutdihs  chaiva  sa  sarvdms  tu 
pidaydmdsa  sarvatah  |).  The  gods  and  rishis  applied  to  Vishnu,  and 
he  along  with  Indra,  who  had  been  insulted  by  Arjuna,  devised  the 
means  of  destroying  the  latter.  At  this  time,  the  story  goes  on,  there 
lived  a  king  of  Kanyakubja,  called  Gadhi,  who  had  a  daughter  named 
Satyavati.  The  marriage  of  this  princess  to  the  rishi  Kichlka,  and 
the  birth  of  Jamadagni,  are  then  told  in  nearly  the  same  way  as  above 
narrated  in  page  350.  Jamadagni  and  Satyavati  had  five  sons,  the 
youngest  of  whom  was  the  redoubtable  Parasurama.  By  his  father's 
command  he  kills  his  mother  (who,  by  the  indulgence  of  impure 
desire,  had  fallen  from  her  previous  sanctity),  after  the  four  elder  sons 
had  refused  this  matricidal  office,  and  had  in  consequence  been  de- 
prived of  reason  by  their  father's  curse.  At  Parasurama's  desire, 
however,  his  mother  is  restored  by  his  father  to  life,  and  his  brothers 
to  reason ;  and  he  himself  is  absolved  from  all  the  guilt  of  murder ; 
and  obtains  the  boon  of  invincibility  and  long  life  from  his  father. 
His  history  now  begins  to  be  connected  with  that  of  king  Arjuna  (or 
Kartavlrya).  The  latter  had  come  to  Jamadagni' s  hermitage,  and  had 
been  respectfully  received  by  his  wife  ;  but  he  had  requited  this 
honour  by  carrying  away  by  force  the  calf  of  the  sage's  sacrificial 
cow,  and  breaking  down  his  lofty  trees.  On  being  informed  of  this 
violence,  Parasurama  was  filled  with  indignation,  attacked  Arjuna,  cut 
off  his  thousand  arms,  and  slew  him.  Arjuna' s  sons,  in  return,  slew 
the  peaceful  sage  Jamadagni,  in  the  absence  of  Parasurama.  The  nar- 
rative thus  proceeds  : 

10201.  Daddha  pitaram  chdgnau  Rdmah  para-puranjayah  \  pratijajne 
ladham  chdpi  sarva-kshattrasya  Bhdrata  \  sa  kruddho  'tibalah  sankhye 
sastram  dddya  vlryyavdn  \  jaghntidn  Karttavlryyasya  sutdn  eko  'ntak- 
opamah  \  Teshdm  chdnugatdh  ye  cha  kshattriydh  kshattriyarshalha  \ 
turns  cha  sarvdn  avdmridhndd  Ramah  praharatdm  varah  \  trissapta- 
Jcritvah  prithivlm  Jcritvd  nihlcshattriydm  pralhuh  \  samantapanchake 
pancha  chakdra  raudhirdn  hraddn  \  10205.  Sa  teshu  tarpaydmdsa  Shri- 
Bhrigu-kulodvahah  \  sdkshdd  dadarsa  charchlkam  sa  cha  Rdmam 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND   KSHATTRIYAS.  451 

nyavedayat  \  tato  yajnena  makatd  Jdmadagnyah  pratdpavdn  \  tarpayd- 
mdsa  devendram  ritvigbhyah  pradadau  mahim  \  vedlm  chdpy  adaddd  hm- 
mlm  Kasyapdya  mahdtmane  \  dasa-vydmdyatdm  kritvd  navotsedhdm 
visdmpate  \  tdm  Kasyapasydnumater  brdhmandh  khandasas  tadd  \  vya- 
bhajams  te  tadd  rdjan  prakhydtdh  Khdndavdyandh  \  sa  praddya  mahwi 
tasmai  Kasyapdya  mahdtmane  \  asmin  mahendre  sailendre  vasaty  armta- 
vikramah  \  evam  vairam  abhut  tasya  kshattriyair  loka-vdsibhih  \  prithivi 
chdpi  vijitd  Rdmendmita-tejasd  \ 

"  Earaa,  after  performing,  on  his  return,  his  father's  funeral 
obsequies,  vowed  to  destroy  the  whole  Kshattriya  race ;  and  executed 
his  threat  hy  killing  first  Arjuna's  sons  and  their  followers.  Twenty- 
one  times  did  he  sweep  away  all  the  Kshattriyas  from  the  earth,  and 
formed  five  lakes  of  blood  in  Samantapanchaka  ;  (10,205)  in  which  he 
satiated  the  manes  of  the  Bhrigus,  and  beheld  face  to  face  (his  grand- 
father) Eichika,  who  addressed  himself  to  Rama.  The  latter  gratified 
Indra  by  offering  to  him  a  grand  sacrifice,  and  gave  the  earth  to  the 
officiating  priests.  He  bestowed  also  a  golden  altar,  ten  fathoms  long 
and  nine  high,  on  the  mighty  Kasyapa.  This,  by  his  permission,  the 
Brahmans  divided  among  themselves,  deriving  thence  the  name  of 
Khandavayanas.  Having  given  away  the  earth  to  Kasyapa,  Parasu- 
rama  himself  dwells  on  the  mountain  Mahendra,.  Thus  did  enmity 
arise  between  him  and  the  Kshattriyas,  and  thus  was  the  earth  con- 
quered by  Rama  of  boundless  might." 

The  means  by  which  the  Kshattriya  race  was  restored  are  described 
in  the  following  passage  from  the  Adiparvan,  verses  2459  ff. : 

Trissapta-hritvah  pritliimm  Icritvd  nihkshattriydm  purd  \  Jdmad- 
agnyas  tapas  tepe  Mahendre  parvatottame  \  2460.  Tadd  nihkshattriye 
loke  Bhdrgavena  krite  sati  \  Irdhmandn  kshattriydh  rdjan  sutdrthinyo 
'bhichakramuh  \  tdlhih  saha  samdpetur  brdhmandh  samsita-vratdh  \  ritdv 
ritau  nara-vydghra  na  kdmdd  ndnritau  tathd  \  tebhyas  cha  lebhire  garb- 
ham  kshattriyds  tah  sahasrasah  \  tatah  sushuvire  rdjan  kshattriydn 
vlryyacattardn  \  kumdraihs  cha  kumdrls  cha  punah  kshattrdbhii'rid- 
dhyaye  \  evam  tad  brdhmanaih  kshattram  kshattriydsu  tapasvibhih  \ 
jdtuili  vriddham  cha  dharmena  sudlrghendyushdnvitam  \  cliatvdro  'pi  tato 
varndh  babhuvur  brdhmanottardh  \ 

"2459.  Having  one  and  twenty  times  swept  away  all  the  Kshat- 
triyas from  the  earth,  the  son  of  Jamadagni  engaged  in  austerities  on 


452  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Mahendra  the  most  excellent  of  mountains.  2460.  After  he  had  cleared 
the  world  of  Kshattriyas,  their  widows  came  to  the  Brahmans,  praying 
for  offspring.  The  religious  Brahmans,  free  from  any  impulse  of  lust, 
cohabited  at  the  proper  seasons  with  these  women,  who  in  consequence 
became  pregnant,  and  brought  forth  valiant  Kshattriya  boys  and  girls, 
to  continue  the  Kshattriya  stock.  Thus  was  the  Kshattriya  race  vir- 
tuously begotten  by  Brahmans  on  Kshattriya  women,  and  became  mul- 
tiplied and  long-lived.  Thence  there  arose  four  castes  inferior  to  the 
Brahmans." 

This  restoration  of  the  Kshattriyas  and  their  rule  is  said  to  have 
been  followed  by  a  state  of  great  virtue,  happiness,  and  prosperity. 
As  one  exemplification  of  the  religious  perfection  which  prevailed,  it  is 
said  that  "  the  Brahmans  did  not  sell  their  sacred  lore,  nor  recite  the 
Vedas  in  the  vicinity  of  S'iidras  "  (verse  2474.  Na  cha  vikflnate  Brahma 
Irdhmands  cha  tadd  nripa  \  na  cha  £udra-samdlhydse  veddn  uchchdra- 
yanty  uta  |). 

Another  version  of  this  legend  is  given  in  the  S'antiparvan,  section  49. 
The  birth  of  Jamadagni  as  the  son  of  Biehlka  and  Satyavati  is  related 
very  much  as  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  (see  above,  p.  349  f.) ;  but  Richika 
tells  his  wife  that  the  whole  of  her  father's  race  shall  become  Brah- 
manical  (verse  1741.  Brahma-bhutam  hi  salcalam pitus  tavakulam  bhavet}; 
and  of  Visvamitra,  the  son  of  Gadhi,  we  are  told  that  he  "had  the  cha- 
racter of  a  Brahman,  and  was  possessed  of  all  Brahmanical  qualities  " 
(1745.  Visvdmitram  cha  ddyddam  Gddhih  Kusika-nandanah  \  yam  prdpa 
brahma-samitam  msvair  brahma-gunair  yittam  |).  Jamadagni  was  father 
of  the  dreadful  Parasurama,  "who  became  perfect  in  science,  thoroughly 
versed  in  archery,  and  the  slayer  of  the  Kshattriyas,  himself  violent  as 
flaming  fire.  By  propitiating  Mahadeva  he  obtained,  among  other 
weapons,  the  irresistible  axe  (parasu)  "  (1747.  Sarva  -  vidydnta  -  gam 
sreshtham  dhanur-vedasya  pdragam  \  Rdmam  Jcshattriya-hantdram  pra- 
dlptam  iva  pdvakam  \  toshayitvd  Mahddevam  parvate  Gandhamddane  \ 
astrdni  varaydmdsa  parasum  chdtitejasam  \ ),  from  which  his  name  is  de- 
rived. Arjuna,  son  of  Kritavlrya,  king  of  the  Haihayas,  is  here  also  re- 
presented as  having  a  thousand  arms,  but  in  opposition  to  the  previous 
account  he  is  described  as  a  "  dutiful  and  religious  monarch,  who  at  an 
asvamedha  (horse-sacrifice)  bestowed  on  the  Brahmans  the  earth  with 
its  seven  continents  and  mountains,  which  he  had  conquered  by  his 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  453 

arms  and  weapons  "  (verse  1751.  Chakravarttl  mahdtejd  viprdndm  dsva- 
medhike  \  dadau  so,  prithivlm  sarvdm  sapta-dvlpdm  sa-parvatdm  \  sva- 
bdhv-astra-balendjau  jitvd  parama-dharma-vit  |).  He  had,  however,  at 
the  solicitation  of  Agni  permitted  that  voracious  deity  to  consume  his 
towns,  villages,  forests,  etc. ;  and  as  the  hermitage  of  Apava  (Yasishtha) 
had  been  destroyed  in  the  conflagration,  Arjuna  was  doomed  by  the 
sage's  curse  to  have  his  arms  cut  off  by  Parasurama.  The  story  proceeds : 
Verse  1769.  Arjunas  tu  mahdtejd  ball  nityam  samdtmekah  \  brah- 
manyas  cha  saranyas  data  suras  cha  Bhdrata  \  1760.  Ndchintayat  tadd 
sdpam  tena  dattam  mahdtmand  \  tasya  putrds  tu  balinah  sdpendsur 
pitur  badhe  \  nimittdd  avaliptdh  vai  nrisamsds  cJiaiva  sarvadd  \  Jama- 
dagni-dhenvds  te  vatsam  dninyur  Bharatarshabha  \  ajndtam  Kdrtta- 
mryena  Haihayendrena  dhimatd  \  tannimiftam  abhudyuddhamJdmadagner 
mahdtmanah  \  tato  'rjunasya  bahums  tan  chhittvd  Rdmo  rushd  'nvitah  \ 
....  1766.  Tatah  pitri-ladhdmarshdd  Ramah  parama-manyumdn  \ 
nihlcshattriydm  pratisrutya  mahlm  sastram  agrihnata  \  tatah  sa  Bhrigu- 
sdrdulah  Kdrttavlryasya  viryavdn  \  vikramya  vijaghdndsu  puttrdn  paut- 
trdms  cha  sarvasah  \  sa  Haihaya-sahasrdni  hatvd  parama-manyumdn  \  cha- 
Jcdra  Bhdrgavo  rdjan  mahlm  sonita-kardamdm  \  sa  tathd  "su  mahdtejdh 
liritvd  nihlcshattriydm  mahlm  \  1770.  Kripayd  p^arayd  "vishto  vanam  eva 
jagdma  ha  \  tato  varsha-sahasreshu  samatlteshu  Jcesfyichit  \  kshepam  sam- 
prdptavdms  tattra  pralcrityd  hopanah  prabhuh  \  Visvdmitrasya  pauttras 
tu  Raibhya-puttro  mahdtapdh  \  Pardvasur  mahdrdja  Icshiptdha  (kshiptvd 
"ha?}  jana-samsadi  \  "yete  Yaydti-pataneyajnesantahsamdgatdh  \  Pra- 
tarddana-prabhritayo  Rama  kirn  kshattriydh  na  te  \  mithyd-pratijno  Rdma 
t'vam  katthase  jana-samsadi  \  bhaydt  kshattriya-vlrdndm  parvatam  samu- 
pdsritah  \  sd  punah  kshattriya-sataih  prithivl  sarvatas  iritd"  \  1775. 
Pardvasor  vachah  srutvd  sastram  jagrdha  Bhdrgavah  \  tato  ye  Kshat- 
triydh rdjan  satasas  tena  varjjitqji  \  te  mvriddhdh  mahdvlryydh  prithivl- 
patayo  'bhavan  \  sa  punas  tdn  jaghdndsu  bdldn  api  naradhipa  \  garbha- 
sthais  tu  mahl  vydptd  punar  evdbhavat  tadd  \  jdtam  jdtarn  sa  garbham  tu 
punar  eva  jaghdna  ha  \  arakshams  tu  sutdn  Icdmschit  tadd  Icshattriya- 
yoshitah  \  trissapta-lcritvah  prithivlm  liritvd  nihlcshattriydm  prabhuh  \ 
dalcshindm  asvamedhdnte  Kasyapdyddaddt  tadd  \  sa  Icshattriydndm 
seshdrtham  karenoddisya  Kasyapah  \  1780.  Sruk-pragrahavatd  rdjams 
tato  vdkyam  athdbravlt  \  "  gachha  tlram  samudrasya  dalcshinasya 
mahdmune  \  na  te  mad-vishaye  Rdma  vastavyam  iha  Icarhichit "  |  tatah 


454  EAELY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

S'urpdrakam  desam  sdgaras  tasya  nirmame  \  sahasd  Jdmadagnyasya  so 
'pardnta-mahltalam  \Kasyapas  tarn  mahdrdja pratigrihya  vasundhardm  \ 
kritva  brdhmana-samsthdm  vai  pravishtah  sumahdvanam  \  tatah  sudrds 
cha  vaisyds  cha  yathd  -  svaira  -prachdrinah  \  avarttanta  dvijdgrydndfii 
ddreshu  Hharatarshabha   \    ardjake  jlva-loke   durbaldh   balavattaraih   \ 
1785.  Pldyante  na  hi  vitteshu  prabhutvam  kasyachit  tadd  \  tatah  kdlena 
prithivl  pldyamdnd  durdtmabhih  \  viparyayena  tendsu  pravivesa,  rasdta- 
lam    \    arakshyamdnd   vidhivat   kshattriyair   dharma-rakshilhih    '    tdm 
drishtvd  dravatim  tattra  santrdsdt  sa  mahdmandh  \  urund  dhdraydmdsa 
Kasyapah  prithivim  tatah  \  dhritd  tenoruna  yena  tenorvlti  mahl  smritd  \ 
rakshandrtham  samuddisya  yaydche  prithivl  tadd  \  prasddya  Kasyapam 
dev'i  varaydmdsa  bhumipam  \  prithivy  uvdcha  \    1790.  "  Santi  brahman 
mayd  guptdh  strishu  kshattriyn-pungavdh  \  Haihaydndm  kule  jdtds  te 
samrakshantu  mam  mune  \  asti  Paurava-ddyddo  Viduratha-sutah  prabho  \ 
rikshaih  samvardhito  vipra  rikshavaty  atha  parvate   \   tathd  'nukampa- 
mdnena  yajvand  'py   amitaujasd    \   PardSarena   ddyddah   Sauddsasyd- 
bhirakshitah  \  sarva-karmdni  kurute  sudra-vat  tasya  sa  dvijah  \  Sarva- 
karmety  abhikhydtah  sa  mam  rakshatu  pdrthivah  \  .  .   .  .   1799.     Ete 
kshattriya-ddyddds  tattra  tattra  parisritdh  \  dyokdra-hema-kdrddi-jdtim 
nityam  samdsritdh  \     J  800.    Yadi  mum  abhirakshanti  tadd  sthdsydmi 
ni£chald  \  eteshdm  pitaras  chaiva  tathaiva  cha  pitdmahuh  \  mad-artham 
nihatdh  yuddhe  Rdmendklishta-karmand  \  teshdm  apachitis  chaiva  mayd 
kdryyd  mahdmune  \  na  hy  aham  kdmaye  nityam  atikrdntena  rakshanam  \ 
varttamdnena  vartteyam  tat  kshipram  samindhiyatdm "  |  tatah  prithivyd 
nirdishtdms  tan  samdriiya  Kasyapah  \  abhyashinchad  mahlpdldn  kshat- 
triydn  virya-sammatdn  \ 

"Being  of  a  meek,  pious,  kind,  and  charitable  turn  of  mind,  the 
valiant  Arjuna  thought  nothing  of  the  curse ;  but  his  sons,  who  were 
of  an  arrogant  and  barbarous  disposition,  became  the  cause  of  its 
resulting  in  his  death.  Without  their  father's  knowledge  they  took 
away  Jamadagni's  calf;  and  in  consequence  Parasurama  attacked 
Arjuna  and  cut  off  his  arms."  His  sons  retaliated  by  killing  Jama- 
dagni.  1766.  Parasurama  incensed  at  the  slaughter  of  his  father, 
having  vowed  in  consequence  to  sweep  away  all  Kshattriyas  from 
the  earth,  seized  his  weapons ;  and  slaying  all  the  sons  and  grandsons 
of  Arjuna,  with  thousands  of  the  Haihayas,  he  turned  the  earth  into  a 
mass  of  ensanguined  mud.  1770.  Having  thus  cleared  the  earth  of 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  455 

Kshattriyas,  he  became  penetrated  by  deep  compassion  and  retired  to 
the  forest.  After  some  thousands  of  years  had  elapsed,  the  hero,  na- 
turally irascible,  was  "taunted  by  Paravasu,  the  son  of  Raibhya 
and  grandson  of  Visvamitra,  in  a  public  assembly  in  these  words : 
'  Are  not  these  virtuous  men,  Pratardana  and  the  others,  who  are 
assembled  at  the  sacrifice  in  the  city  of  Tayati, — are  they  not 
Kshattriyas?  Thou  hast  failed  to  excecute  thy  threat,  and  vainly 
boastest  in  the  assembly.  Thou  hast  withdrawn  to  the  moun- 
tain from  fear  of  those  valiant  Kshattriyas,  while  the  earth  has  again 
become  overrun  by  hundreds  of  their  race.'  Hearing  these  words, 
Kama  seized  his  weapons.  The  hundreds  of  Kshattriyas  who  had 
before  been  spared  had  now  grown  powerful  kings.  These,  how- 
ever, Parasurama  now  slew  with  their  children,  and  all  the  numerous 
infants  then  unborn  as  they  came  into  the  world.  Some,  however, 
were  preserved  by  their  mothers.  Having  twenty-one  times  cleared 
the  earth  of  Kshattriyas,  Rama  gave  her  as  a  sacrificial  fee  to  Kasyapa 
at  the  conclusion  of  an  asvamedha.  1780.  Making  a  signal  with  his  hand, 
in  which  he  held  the  sacrificial  ladle,  Kasyapa,  in  order  that  the  remain- 
ing Kshattriyas  should  be  spared,  said  to  Parasurama,  'Go,  great  muni,  to 
the  shore  of  the  southern  ocean.  Thou  must  not  dwell  in  my  territory.' 
Sagara  (the  ocean)  created  for  him  a  country  called  S'urparaka  on  the  re- 
motest verge  of  the  earth.  Having  received  dominion  over  the  earth,  Kas- 
yapa made  it  an  abode  of  Brahmans,  and  himself  withdrew  to  the  forest. 
S'udras  and  Yaisyas  then  began  to  act  lawlessly  towards  the  wives  of 
the  Brahmans  ;  and,  in  consequence  of  there  being  no  government,  the 
weak  (1785)  were  oppressed  by  the  strong,  and  no  one  was  master  of 
any  property.  The  Earth,  being  distressed  by  the  wicked,  in  conse-* 
quence  of  that  disorder,  and  unprotected  according  to  rule  by  the 
Kshattriyas,  the  guardians  of  justice,  descended  to  the  lower  regions. 
Perceiving  her  moving  from  place  to  plaoe  in  terror,  Kasyapa  upheld 
her  with  his  thigh  (uru}.  From  this  circumstance  she  derives  her 
name  of  urvz.m  The  goddess  Earth  then  propitiated  Kasyapa,  and  sup- 
plicated him  for  protection,  and  for  a  king.  '  I  have,'  she  said,  'pre- 
served among  females  many  Kshattriyas  who  have  been  born  in  the 
race  of  the  Haihayas ;  let  them  be  my  protectors.  There  is  the  heir  of 
the  Pauravas,  the  son  of  Yiduratha,  who  has  been  brought  up  by  bears 
210  £7^7  reaiiy  means  "  the  broad,"  signifying  the  same  aaprithivi. 


456  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

on  the  mountain  Eikshavat :  let  him  protect  me.  So,  too,  the  heir 
of  Saudasa  has  been  preserved  hy  the  tender-hearted  and  glorious 
priest,  Parasara,  who  has  performed,  though  *a  Brahman,  all  menial 
offices  (sarvakarmdni]  for  him,  like  a  S'udra; — whence  the  prince's 
name  Sarvakarman."  After  enumerating  other  kings  who  had  been 
rescued,  the  Earth  proceeds :  "  All  these  Kshattriyas'  descendants 
have  been  preserved  in  different  places,  abiding  continually  among  the 
classes  of  dyokaras  and  goldsmiths.  If  they  protect  me,  I  shall  con- 
tinue unshaken.  Their  fathers  and  grandfathers  were  slain  on  my 
account  by  Rama,  energetic  in  action.  It  is  incumbent  on  me  to  avenge 
their  cause.  For  I  do  not  desire  to  be  always  protected  by  an  extra- 
ordinary person  [such  as  Kasyapa] ;  but  I  will  be  content  with  an 
ordinary  ruler.  Let  this  be  speedily  fulfilled.'  Kasyapa  then  sent 
for  these  Kshattriyas  who  had  been  pointed  out  by  the  Earth,  and  in- 
stalled them  in  the  kingly  office." 

This  reference  to  the  bestowal  of  the  Earth  upon  Kasyapa  is  founded 
on  an  older  story  which  occurs  both  in  the  Aitareya  and  the  S'atapatha 
Brahmanas.  The  passage  in  the  first-named  work  is  as  follows,  viii. 
21.  Etena  ha  vai  Aindrena  mahdlhishekena  Kasyapo  Visvakarmdnam 
Bhauvanam  abhishishecha<  \  tasmdd  u  Visvdkarmd  Bhauvanah  samantam 
sarvatah  prithivlm  jayp,n  parlydya  aivena  cha  medhyena  ye  \  bhumir  ha 
jagdv  ity  uddharanti  "  na  ma  marttyah  kaschana  datum  arhati  Visva- 
karman  Bhauvana  mum  diddsitha  \  nimankshye  'ham  salilasya  madhye 
moghas  te  esha  Kasyapdydsa  sangarah  "  iti  \  "  With  this  great  inaugur- 
ation like  that  of  Indra  did  Kasyapa  consecrate  Yisvakarman  Bhau- 
vana, who  in  consequence  went  round  the  Earth  in  ail  directions,  con- 
•  quering  it ;  and  offered  an  asvamedha  sacrifice.  They  relate  that  the 
Earth  then  recited  this  verse  : 

"Me  may  no  mortal  give  away  ;   but  thou,  oh  king,  dost  so  essay ; 
Deep  will  I  plunge  beneath  the  main  ;  thy  pledge  to  Kasyapa  is  vain." 

The  Sktapatha  Brahmana,  xiii.  7,  1.  15,  says:  Tarn  ha  Kasyapo  yd- 
jaydnchakdra  \  tad  api  bhumih  slokam  jagau  "  na  md  marttyah  kaschana 
datum  arhati  Visvakarman  Bhauvana  mandah  dsitha  \  upamankshyati 
syd  salilasya  madhye  mrishaisha  te  sangarah Kasyapdya  "  iti  \  "Kasyapa 
officiated  for  him  at  this  sacrifice.  Wherefore  also  the  Earth  recited 
this  verse :  '  No  mortal  may  give  me  away.  Yisvakarman,  son  of 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  457 

Bhauvana,  thou  wast  foolish  (in  offering  to  do  so).     She  will  sink  into 
the  midst  of  the  waters.     Thy  promise  to  Kasyapa  is  vain.'  " 241 

The  story  is  also  related  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana  in  a  similar  way.  I 
note  the  chief  points  and  variations.  When  Gadhi's  daughter  was  de- 
manded in  marriage  by  the  rishi  Richika,  the  king  considered  that  the 
suitor  was  not  a  fit  husband  for  a  daughter  of  his  noble  race;  and  said, 
"  Give  me  a  thousand  horses  white  as  the  moon,  each  with  one  black  ear, 
as  a  marriage  gift  for  the  maiden ;  for  we  are  Kusikas  "  (ix.  15,  5.  Far  am 
msadrisam  matvd  Gddhir  Bhdrgavam  abravlt  \  6.  Ekatah  sydma-karnd- 
ndm  haydndm  chandra-varchasdm  \  sahasram  dlyatdm  sulkam  hanydydh 
Kusilidh  vayam  |).  The  youngest  offspring  of  their  union  was,  we  are 
told,  "  Parasurama,  who  is  declared  to  have  been  a  portion  of  Yasudeva 
(Yishnu  in  the  form  of  Krishna),212  apd  who  exterminated  the  Haihaya 
race.  Thrice  seven  times  he  swept  away  from  this  earth  all  the  Kshattri- 
yas,  that  depraved  and  impious  race,  full  of  passion  and  darkness,  with 
which  she  was  burthened.  He  destroyed  them,  though  the  offence 
which  they  had  committed  was  but  insignificant  (v.  14.  Yam  dhur  Vd- 
sudevdmsam  Haihaydnam  kuldntakam  \  trissaptahritvo  yah  imdm  cJiakre 
nihlcshattriydm  mahim  \  dushtam  kshattram  bhuvo  bhdram  abrahmanyam 
anlnasat  \  rajas-tamo-vritam  ahan  phalguny%  api  krite  'mhasi  |).  King 
Arjuna,  who  had  been  endowed  with  miraculqus  powers,  took  Havana 
prisoner,  then  released  him,  and  afterwards  carried  away  by  force  Ja- 
madagni's  cow  and  calf.  Parasurama,  in  revenge,  after  a  terrible  battle, 
and  the  defeat  of  the  king's  army,  cut  off  Arjuna's  arms  and  head,  and 
recovered  the  cow  and  calf.  When  his  father  was  informed  of  the 
king's  death,  he  said  to  Parasurama:  "Rama,  Rama,  thou  hast  com- 
mitted sin,  in  that  thou  hast  causelessly  slain  the  lord  of  men,  who  is 
composed  of  all  the  deities.243  It  is  by  longsuffering  that  we,  the  Brah- 
mans,  have  acquired  respect ;  the  same  means  whereby  the  deity,  the 
instructor  of  all  worlds,  attained  the  highest  rank  of  godhead.  By 

241  It  will  be  observed  that  there  are  some  varieties  of  reading  in  the  verse,  as 
given  in  the  two  Brahmanas.     Manda  asitha  in  the  S'.  P.  Br.  looks  like  a  corruption 
of  the  mam  didasitha  of  the  Aitareya.    The  story  of  Arjuna,  Paras'urama,  and  the 
Kshattriyas  is  briefly  told  again  in  the  As'vamedhika-parvan,  but  without  any  new 
circumstances  of  particular  interest. 

242  See  above,  p.  360,  and  note  146.     None  of  the  passages  I  have  quoted  from 
the  Mahubharata  allude  to  Paras'urama  being  an  incarnation  of  Vishnu. 

243  Compare  the  passages  quoted  above  in  p.  300  from  the  Vishnu  Purana,  and  from 
Manu. 

• 


458  EARLY   CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

patience  the  fortune  of  Brahma  shines  like  the  splendour  of  the  Sun. 
Hari,  the  lord,  is  speedily  pleased  with  those  who  are  patient.  The 
murder  of  a  king  who  has  heen  formally  inaugurated  is  worse  than  that 
of  a  Brahman.  Go  and  expiate  thy  sin  by  visiting  holy  places,  with 
thy  mind  intent  upon  Achyuta  (Vishnu)  "  (ix.  15,  38.  Rama  Rama 
mahdbhdga  bhavdn  pdpam  akdrashlt^  \  abadhld  nara-dwam  yat  sarta- 
devamayam  vrithd  \  vayam  hi  brdhmands  tdta  kshamayd  'rhanatdm  gatdh  \ 
yayd  loka-gurur  devah  pdrameshthyam  aydt  padam  \  kshamaya  rochate 
Iftkshmlr  BrdTiml  saurl  yathd  prabhd  \  kshamindm  dsu  Utagavdihs  tush- 
yate  Harir  Isvarah  \  rdjno  murdhdbhishiktasya  badho  brahma-badhdd 
guruh  \  tlrtha-samsevayd  chdmho  jafiy  angdchyiita-chetanah  |).  On  his 
return  from  this  pilgrimage  Rama  was  desired  by  his  father  to  kill  his 
mother  (on  grounds  similar  to  those  stated  in  the  account  quoted  above, 
p.  450,  from  the  Mahabharata),  as  well  as  his  brothers,  and  executed 
the  order ;  but  at  his  intercession  they  were  all  restored  to  life.  During 
his  absence  in  the  forest,  his  father  Jamadagni  was  slain,  and  his  head 
cut  off,  notwithstanding  the  entreaties  of  his  wife,  by  the  sons  of 
Arjuna,  in  revenge  for  the  loss  of  their  own  father.  Parasurama, 
hearing  his  mother's  outcries,  hastened  back  to  the  hermitage,  and 
laying  hold  of  his  axe,  proceeded  to  avenge  this  outrage:  ix.  16,  17. 
Gatvd  Mdhisktnatlth  Rdjno  brahma-ghna-vihata-sriyam  \  teshdm  sa  sir- 
shabhih  rdjan  madhye  chakre  mahdgirim  \  18.  Tad-raktena  nadlm  ghordm 
abrahmanya-bhaydvahdm  \  hetum  kritvd  pitri-badhaih  kshattre  'mangala- 
kdrini  |  .  .  .  .  20.  Pituh  kdyena  sandhdya  sirah  dddya  barhishi  \  sarva- 
dei-amayam  devam  dtmdnam  ayajad  makhaih  \  21.  Dadau  prdchlm  disam 
hotre  brahmane  dakshindm  disam  \  adhvaryave  pratlchlm  vai  udgdtre 
vttaram  disam  \  22.  Anyebhyo  'vdntara-disah  Kasyapdya  cha  madhya- 
tah  |  drydvarttam  upadrashtre  sadasyebhyas  tatah  par  am  \  23.  Tatas 
chdvabhritha-sndna-vidhutdsesha-kikishah  \  Sarasvatydm  brahma-nadydm 
reje  vyabJirah  irdmsumdn  |  .  .  .  .  26.  Aste  'dydpi  Mahendrddrau  nyasta- 
dandah  prasdntadhlh  \  upagiyamdna-charitah  siddha-gandharva-chdra- 
naih  \  27.  Evam  Bhrigushu  visvdtmd  bhagavdn  Harir  isvarah  \  avatlrya 
param  blidram  bhuvo  'han  bahu6o  nripdn  \  "17.  He  went  to  the  city  of 
Mahishmati,  which  had  been  robbed  of  its  glory  by  those  Brahman- 
slayers,  and  raised  in  the  midst  of  it  a  great  mountain  composed  of 
their  heads.  With  their  blood  he  formed  a  dreadful  river,  which  struck 
244  So  in  the  Bombay  edition.  Burnouf 's  text  has  the  usual  form  akarshit. 


THE   BRAHMANS   ANB   KSHATTRIYAS.  459 

fear  into  the  impious ;    justifying  his  action,  against  the  oppressive 

Kshattriyas  by  their  murder  of  his  father 20.  He  then  united 

his  father's  head  to  his  body,  laying  it  on  the  sacred  grass  ;  and  offered 
a  sacrifice  to  the  divine  Spirit,  who  is  formed  of  all  the  deities.  On 
this  occasion  he  gave  the  eastern  region  of  the  earth  to  the  hotri  priest, 
the  south  to  the  brahman,  the  west  to  the  adhvaryu,  and  the  north  to 
the  udgatri.  To  others  he  gave  the  intermediate  regions  (south-east, 
south-west,  etc.),  to  Kasyapa  the  central;  on  the  upadrashtri  he  be" 
stowed  Aryavartta,  and  on  the  Sadasyas  what  was  beyond.  Having 
then  cleansed  all  his  impurity  by  the  avabhritha  ablution  in  the  SarasvatI, 
the  river  of  Brahma,  he  shone  like  the  sun  unobscured  by  clouds.  .  .  . 
26.  Having  laid  aside  his  weapons,  he  sits  to  this  day  in  tranquillity  of 
mind  on  the  mountain  Mahendra,  whilst  his  exploits  are  celebrated  by 
the  Siddhas,  Gandharvas,  and  Charanas..  Thus  did  the  universal  Spirit, 
the  divine  lord,  Hari,  become  incarnate  in  the  Bhrigus,  and  destroy 
numerous  kings  who  were  a  burden  to  the  earth."  It  is  singular  that 
sin  requiring  expiation  should  be,  as  it  is  in  this  narrative,  imputed  to 
Paras  urama,  while  he  is  at  the  same  time  declared  to  have  been  a 
portion  of  Yishnu,  the  supreme  Spirit. 

The  story  of  Parasurama  is  also  told  in  the  Dronaparvan  of 
the  Mahabharata,  verses  2427  ff.,  after  those  of  many  other  kings 
and  warriors,  to  illustrate  the  truth  that  death  must  sooner  or 
later  overtake  even  the  most  pious  and  distinguished  personages. 
The  earlier  incidents  are  briefly  narrated;  but  some  of  the  details, 
as  the  slaughter  of  the  Kshattriyas,  are  dwelt  on  at  greater  length 
than  in  the  other  accounts.  Some  of  the  victims  of  the  hero's 
vengeance  are  described  as  "haters  of  Brahmans  "  (brahma-dvishum, 
verse  2431).  The  Kshattriyas  who  were  slain  are  described  as 
of  various  provinces,  viz.  Kasmiras,  Daradas,  Kuntis,  Kshudrakas, 
Malavas,  Angas,  Vangas,  Kalingas,  Yidehas,  Tamraliptakas,  Kaksho- 
vahas,  Vitihotras,  Trigarttas,  Marttikavatas,  S'ivis,  and  other  Bajanyas 
(S'ivln  anydms  cha  rdjanydn,  verse  2437).  At  verse  2443  the  narra- 
tive proceeds  :  Nirdasyum  prithivlm  kritvd  sishteshta-jana-sankuldm  \ 
Kasyapdya  dadau  Rdmo  haya-medhe  mahdmakhe  \  trisapta-vdrdn  prithi- 
vlm kritvd  nihlcshattriydm  pralhuh  \  ishtvd  kratu-Satair  vlro  Irdhmane- 
bhyo  hy  amanyata  \  sapta-dvipdm  vasumatlm  Mdrlcho  'grihnata  dvijah  \ 
Raman  provdcha  "  nirgachha  vasudhdto  mamdjnayd  \  sa  Kasyapasya 


460  EAULY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

vachandt protsdrya  saritdmpatim  \  ishupdtair  yudhdm  ireshthah  kurvan 
brdhmana-sdsanam  \  adhydvasad  giri  -  sreshtham  Mahendram  parvato- 
Uamarn  \  "2443.  Having  freed  the  earth  from  Dasyus  (or  robbers),  and 
filled  her  with  respectable  and  desirable  inhabitants,  he  gave  her  to 
Kasyapa  at  an  asvamedha.  Having  twenty-one  times  cleared  the  earth 
of  Kshattriyas,  and  offered  hundreds  of  sacrifices,  he  destined  the  earth 
for  the  Brahmans.  The  Brahman,  the  son  of  Marichi  (i.e.  Kasyapa), 
received  the  earth,  and  then  said  to  Kama,  '  Depart  out  of  her  by  my 
command.'  Having  repelled  the  ocean  by  his  arrows,  and  established 
the  rule  of  the  Brahmans,  Rama  dwelt  on  the  mountain  Mahendra." 

The  Anusasanaparvan  of  the  same  poem  has  another  "  ancient  story  " 
about  Parasurama,  which,  like  the  preceding  passage  from  the  Bhaga- 
vata  Purana,  adverts  to  the  pollution  incurred  by  that  warrior  from  his 
numerous  deeds  of  blood.  It  begins  as  follows  :  verse  3960.  Jdmad- 
agnyena  Rdmena  tlvra-roshdnvitena  vai  \  trissapta-lcritvah  prithivl  kritd 
nihlesJiattriyd  purd  \  tato  jitvd  mahlm  kritsndm  Rdmo  rdjlva-lochanah  \ 
djahdra  Itratum  vlro  Irahma-kshattrena  pujitam  \  vdji-medham  maJidrdja 
sarva-kdma-samanvitam  \  pdvanam  sarva-lhutdndm  tejo-dyuti-vivarddha- 
nam  \  vipdpmd  sa  cha  tejasvl  tena  hratu-phalena  cha  \  naivdtmano  'tha 
laghutdm  Jdmadagnyo  ' 'dhyaaachhata  \  sa  tu  kratu-vareneshtvd  mahdtmd 
dahshindvatd  \  3965.  Pqprachhdgama  -  sampanndn  risJiin  devdms  cha 
Bhdrgavah  \  "pdvanam  yat  par  am  nrlndm  ugre  Icarmani  varttatdm  \ 
tad  uchyatdm  mahabhdgdh"  iti  jdta-ghrino  'bravlt  \  ity  ulctdh  veda- 
sdstra-jnds  tarn  uchus  te  maharshayah  \  "  Rama  viprdh  satkriyantdm 
veda-prdmdnya-darsandt  \  Ihuyascha  viprarshi-gandh  prashtavydh  pdva- 
\iam  prati  \  te  yad  bruyur  mahdprdjnds  tach  chaiva  samuddchara  \ 
"  2960.  Rama,  son  of  Jamadagni,  having  thrice  seven  times  cleared 
the  world  of  Kshattriyas,  and  conquered  the  whole  earth,  performed 
the  horse-sacrifice,  venerated  by  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas,  which 
confers  all  objects  of  desire,  which  cleanses  all  creatures,  and  augments 
power  and  lustre ;  and  became  thereby  sinless  and  glorious.  He  did 
not,  however,  feel  relieved  in  his  mind,  but  after  offering  the  most 
excellent  of  sacrifices,  at  which  presents  were  bestowed,  he  (3965)  en- 
quired of  the  rishis  skilled  in  the  scriptures,  and  of  the  gods,  what  was 
that  which  most  perfectly  cleansed  those  men  who  had  committed 
deeds  of  violence ;  for  he  felt  compunction  for  what  he  had  done.  The 
rishis  skilled  in  the  Vedas  and  S'astras  replied,  '  Let  the  Brahmans  be 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  461 

the  objects  of  your  liberality,  as  the  authority  of  the  Vedas  requires ; 
let  the  Brahman-rishis  be  further  consulted  in  regard  to  the  means  of 
lustration ;  and  do  whatever  these  wise  men  may  enjoin.'  "  Parasurama 
accordingly  consulted  Yasishtha,  Agastya,  and  Kasyapa.  They  replied 
that  a  sinner  was  cleansed  by  bestowing  cows,  land,  and  other  property, 
and  especially  gold,  the  purifying  power  of  which  was  very  great. 
"  Those  who  bestow  it,  bestow  the  gods,"  a  proposition  which  is  thus 
compendiously  proved  :  "  for  Agni  comprehends  all  the  gods  ;  and  gold 
is  of  the  essence  of  Agni"  (verse  3987.  Devatds  te  prayachhanti 
ye  suvarnam  dadaty  atha  \  Agnir  hi  devatdh  sarvdh  suvarnam  cha 
taddtmakam).  In  regard  to  the  origin  of  this  precious  metal,  Yasish- 
tha tells  a  very  long  story,  which  he  had  heard  Prajapati  relate, 
how  it  was  born  by  the  goddess  Ganga  to  Agni,  by  whom  she  had  been 
impregnated,  and  was  thus  the  son  of  that  god.  "Thus  was  gold 
born  the  offspring  of  Jatavedas  (Agni).  That  which  is  produced 
in  Jambunada  is  the  best,  and  a  fit  ornament  even  for  the  gods.  It  is 
called  the  chief  of  gems  and  of  ornaments,  the  most  pure  of  all  pure 
things,  the  most  auspicious  of  all  auspicious  objects  ;  and  one  with  the 
divine  Agni,  the  lord  Prajapati"  (verse  4099.  Evam  suvarnam  utpan- 
nam  apatyam  Jdtavedasah  \  tatra  Jdmlunadam  sreshtham  devdndm  a/pi 
Ihushanam  \  4001.  Ratndndm  uttamam  ratnam  Ihushandndm  tathotta- 
mam  \  pavitram  cha  pavitrdndm  mangaldndm  cha  mangalam  \  yat  suvar- 
nam sa  lhagavdn  Agnir  isah  prajdpatih  |).  It  must  be  highly  con- 
solatory for  those  who  are  disposed  to  be  liberal  to  the  Brahman,  to 
be  assured  that  the  gold  which  they  bestow  has  such  a  high  mystical, 
as  well  as  current,  exchangeable  value.  "  Parasurama,"  the  story 
concludes,  "  after  being  thus  addressed  by  Yasishtha,  gave  gold  to  the 
Brahmans,  and  was  freed  from  sin"  (verse  4183.  Ity  uTctah  sa  Vasish- 
thena  Jdmadagnyah  pratdpavdn  \  dadau  suvarnam  viprebJiyo  vyamu- 
chyata  cha  Icilvishdt}. 

It  is  interesting  to  remark  how  the  different  distinctive  principles  of 
Indian  religion  and  sentiment  severally  assert  themselves  in  turn,  and 
thus,  occasionally,  come  into  conflict  with  each  other,  as  in  the  story  of 
Parasurama.  The  primary  object  of  this  legend  is  no  doubt  to  illustrate 
the  vengeance  which  inevitably  overtakes  all  those  who  violate  the 
sacredness  of  the  Brahmanical  prerogative,  and  the  meritorious  character 
of  those  who  act  as  its  defenders.  No  sooner,  however,  is  this  end  ac- 


462  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

complished,  and  the  impious  foes  of  the  priesthood  swept  away  again 
and  again  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  than  a  revulsion  of  feeling  takes 
place,  and  the  higher  principles  of  the  sacredness  of  life,  and  of  the 
blessedness  of  mercy,  come  forward  to  claim  recognition ;  and  a  deep 
sense  of  the  pollution  of  bloodshed  calls  aloud  for  atonement.  In  the 
Bhagavata,  as  we  have  seen,  Jamadagni  imputes  it  as  a  crime  to  the 
avenger  of  the  Brahmans  that  he  had  slain  a  king ;  and  even  goes  the 
length  of  declaring  that  in  doing  so  he  had  incurred  greater  guilt 
than  if  he  had  murdered  a  Brahman. 

In  the  same  book  of  the  Mahabharata,  verses  7163  ff.,  an  extrava- 
gant description  is  given  of  the  prerogatives  and  powers  of  the  Brah- 
mans;  and  Arjuna  is  again  brought  forward,  in  verses  7187  ff.,  as 
at  first  scouting  their  pretensions,  but  as  ultimately  conceding  their 
unapproachable  superiority  :  "  The  magnificent  and  mighty  Kart- 
tavirya  (Arjuna),  possessing  a  thousand  arms,  was  lord  of  this 
whole  world,  living  in  Mahishmati.  This  Haihaya  of  unquestioned 
valour  ruled  over  the  whole  sea-girt  earth,  with  its  oceans  and  con- 
tinents "  (verse  7187.  Sahasra-bhuja-bhrit  srlmdn  Kdrttavlryo  'bhavat 
prdbhuh  \  asya  lolcasya  sarvasya  Mdhi&hmatydm  mahdbalak  \  so,  tu  ratnd- 
karavatlm  sadvlpdm  sdgardmlardm  \  sasdsa  pritJiimm  safvdih  Haihayah 
safya-vikramah').  He  obtained  boons  from  the  muni  Dattatreya,  a 
thousand  arms  whenever  he  should  go  into  battle,  power  to  make  the 
conquest  of  the  whole  earth,  a  disposition  to  rule  it  with  justice' 
and  the  promise  of  instruction  from  the  virtuous  in  the  event  of 
his  going  astray.  7196.  Tatah  sa  ratham  dsthdya  jvalandrka-sama- 
dyutim  \  air  avid  vlryyasammohdt  "ko  nv  asti  sadriso  mama  \  dhairyye 
vlyyye  yasah-sauryye  vikramenaujasd  'pi  vd"  \  tad-vdhydnfe  'ntarl- 
kshe  vai  vdg  uvdchdsaririnl  \  "no,  tvam  mudha  vijdriishe  brdhma- 
nam  IcsJiattriydd  varam  \  sahito  bruhmaneneha  kshattriyah  sdsti  vai 
prajdh  "  |  Arjuna  uvdcha  \  kurydm  Ihutdni  tushto  'ham  kruddho  nusaih 
tathd  naye  \  karmand  manasd  vdchd  na  matto  'sti  varp  dvijah  \  7200. 
Purvo  brahmottaro  vddo  dvitlyah  kshattriyottarah  \  tvayoktau  lietu- 
yuktau  tau  viseshas  tattra  drisyate  \  brdhmandh  samsritdh  kshattram  na 
kshattram  brdhmandsritam  \  sritdh  brahmopadhdh  viprdh  khddanti 
kshattriydn  lihuvi  \  kshattriyeshv  dsrito  dharmah  prajdndm  paripdlanam  \ 
kshattrdd  vrittir  brdhmandndm  taih  katham  brdhmano  varah  \  sarva-bhu- 
pradhdndms  tun  bhaiksha-vrittln  aham  sadd  \  dtma-sambhdvitdn  viprun 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  463 

sthdpaytimy  dtmano  vase  \  kathitam  hy  anayd  satyam  gdyatryd  kanyayd 
divi  |  vijesJiydmy  avasdn  sarvdn  brdhmandms  charma-vdsasah  \  7205.  Na 
cha  mum  chdvayed  rdshtrdt  trishu  lokeshu  kaschana  \  devo  vd  mdnusho 
vd  'pi  tasmdj  jyeshtho  dvijdd  aham  \  aiha  brahmottaram  lokam  karishye 
kshattriyottaram  \  na  hi  me  samyuge  kaschit  sodhum  utsahate  balam  \ 
Arjunasya  vachah  srutvd  vitrastd  'bhud  nisdcharl  \  athainam  antariksha- 
sthas  tato  Vdyur  abhdshata  \  "  tyajainam  kalusham  bhdvam  brdhmane- 
bhyo  namaskuru  \  eteshdm  kurvatah  pdpam  rdshtra-kshobho  bhavishyati  \ 
atha  vd  tvdm  mahlpula  samayishyanti  vai  dvijdh  \  nirasishyanti  te  rash- 
trad  hatotsdham  mahdbaldh"  \  7210.  Tarn  rdjd  "  kas  tvam"  ity  dha 
tatas  tarn  prdha  Mtirutah  \  "  Vdyur  vai  deva-duto  'smi  hitam  tvdm  pra- 
bravlmy  aham"  \  Arjunah  urdcha  \  "  aho  tvayd  'dya  vipreshu  bhakti- 
rdgah  pradarsitah  \  yddrisam  prithivl-bhutam  tddrisam  brtihi  vai 
dvijam  \  vdyor  vd  sadrisam  kinchid  bruhi  tvam  bvdhmanottamam  \  apdm 
vai  sadriso  vahnih  suryyasya  nabhaso  'pi  vd  \  "  Then  ascending  his 
chariot  glorious  as  the.  resplendent  sun,  he  exclaimed  in  the  intoxication 
of  his  prowess,  'Who  is  like  me  in  fortitude,  courage,  fame,  heroism, 
energy,  and  vigour  ? '  At  the  end  of  this  speech  a  bodiless  voice  in  the 
sky  addressed  him :  '  Thou  knowest  not,  o  fool,  that  a  Brahman  is 
better  than  a  Kshattriya.  It  is  with  the  help  of  the  Brahman  that 
the  Kshattriya  rules  his  subjects.'  Arjuna  answers  :  '  If  I  am  pleased, 
I  can  create,  or,  if  displeased,  annihilate,  living  beings ;  and  no  Brah- 
man is  superior  to  me  in  act,  thought,  or  word.  The  first  proposition 
is  that  the  Brahmans  are  superior ;  the  second  that  the  Kshattriyas  are 
superior ;  both  of  these  thou  hast  stated  with  their  grounds,  but  there 
is  a  difference  between  them  (in  point  of  force).  The  Brahmans  are 
dependant  on  the  Kshattriyas,  and  not  the  Kshattriyas  on  the 
Brahmans ;  and  the  Kshattriyas1  are  eaten  up  by  the  Brahmans, 
who  wait  upon  them,  and  only  make  the  Vedas  a  pretence.  Justice, 
the  protection  of  the  people,  has  its  seat  in  the  Kshattriyas.  Prom 
them  the  Brahmans  derive  their  livelihood  :  how  then  can  the 
latter  be  superior?  I  always  keep  in  subjection  'to  myself  those 
Brahmans,  the  chief  of  all  beings,  who  subsist  on  alms,  and  who 
have  a  high  opinion  of  themselves.  For  truth  was  spoken  by 
that  female  the  Gayatri  in  the  sky.  I  shall  subdue  all  those 
unruly  Brahmans  clad  in  hides.  7200.  No  one  in  the  three  worlds, 
god  or  man,  can  hurl  me  from  my  royal  authority;  wherefore  I  am 


464  EARLY  CONTESTS   BETWEEN 

superior  to  any  Brahman.  Now  shall  I  turn  the  world  in  which  Brah- 
mans  have  the  upper  hand  into  a  place  where  Kshattriyas  shall  have  the 
upper  hand  :  for  no  one  dares  to  encounter  my  force  in  battle.'  Hear- 
ing this  speech  of  Arjuna,  the  female  roving  in  the  night  became 
alarmed.  Then  Vayu,  hovering  in  the  air,  said  to  Arjuna  :  'Abandon 
this  sinful  disposition,  and  do  obeisance  to  the  Brahmans.  If  thou 
shalt  do  them  wrong,  thy  kingdom  shall  be  convulsed.  They  will  sub- 
due thee :  those  powerful  men  will  humble  thee,  and  expel  thee  from 
thy  country.'  The  king  asks  him,  '  Who  art  thou?'  Vayu  replies,  '  I 
am  Vayu,  the  messenger  of  the  gods,  and  tell  thee  what  is  for  thy 
benefit.'  Arjuna  rejoins,  '  Oh,  thou  displayest  to-day  a  great  warmth 
of  devotion  to  the  Brahmans.  But  say  that  a  Brahman  is  like  (any 
other)  earth-born  creature.  Or  say  that  this  most  excellent  Brahman 
is  something  like  the  wind.  But  fire  is  like  the  waters,  or  the  sun, 
or  the  sky.' " 245  Vayu,  however,  goes  on  to  answer  this  spirited 
banter  by  adducing  various  instances  in  which  the  superiority 
or  terrible  power  of  the  Brahmans  had  heen  manifested :  7124. 
Tyaktva  mahitvam  bhiimis  tu  sparddhayd'nga-nripasya  ha  \  ndsamjagd- 
ma  turn  vipro  vyashfamlhayata  Kdsyapah  \  "  The  earth,  being  offended 
with  king  Anga,  had  abandoned  her  form  and  become  destroyed  : 
but  the  Brahman  Kasyapa  supported  her."  This  is  afterwards  told 
more  at  length,  verse  7232  :  Imam  Ihumim  dvijdtilhyo  ditsiir  vai  dak- 
shindm  purd  \  Ango  ndma  nripo  rdjams  tatas  chintdm  main  yayau  \ 
"  dhdranim  sarva-bhutdndm  ay  am  prdpya  varo  nripah  \  katham  ichhati 
mam  datum  dvijelhyo  Brahmanah  sutdm  \  sd  'ham  tyaktvd  garni  shy  ami 
bhumttvam  Brahmanah  padam  \  ayam  sa-rdshtro  nripatir  md  Ihud  "  iti 
tito  'gamat  \  7235.  Tatas  turn  JTasyapo  drishtvd  vrajantim  prithivlm  tadd  \ 
pravivesa  mahlm  sadyo  muktva  "tmdham  samdhitah  \  riddhd  sd  sarvato 
jajne  trinamhadhi-samanvitd  |  .  .  .  .  7238.  Athdgamya  mahdrdja  na- 
maskritya  cha  Kasyapam  \  prithivi  Kdsyapl  jajne  s^ttd  tasya  mahdtma- 
nah  |  esha  rdjann  idriso  vai  Irdhmanah  Kasyapo  'bharat  \  any  am  pra- 
Iruhi  vd  tvam  cha  Kasyapdt  kshattriyam  varam  \  "King  Anga  wished 
to  bestow  this  earth  on  the  Brahmans  as  a  sacrificial  fee.  The  earth  then 
reflected,  'How  does  this  excellent  king,  after  having  obtained  me,  the 
daughter  of  Brahma,  and  the  supporter  of  all  creatures,  desire  to  give 

245  The  drift  of  the  last  line  is  not  very  clear,  unless  it  he  a  reply  by  anticipation 
to  line  225,  which  will  be  found  a  little  further  on. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  465 

me  to  the  Brahmans  ?  I  shall  abandon  my  earthly  form,  and  depart  to 
the  world  of  Brahma.  Let  this  king  be  without  any  realm.'  Accord- 
ingly she  departed.  7235.  Beholding  her  going  away,  Kasyapa,  sunk 
in  contemplation,  entered  into  her,  leaving  his  own  body.  She  then 
jbecame  replenished,  and  covered  with  grass  and  plants,  etc.,  etc. 
....  7238.  She  afterwards  came  and  did  obeisance  to  Kasyapa,  and 
became  his  daughter.  Such  was  the  Brahman  Kasyapa :  Declare,  on 
your  part,  any  Kshattriya  who  has  been  superior  to  him." 

Further  illustrations  of  the  tremendous  power  of  the  Brahmans  are 
the  following : 

7215.  Apilat  tejasd  hy  dpah  svayam  evdngirdh  purd  \  sa  tdh  piban 
Jcshlram  iva  ndtripyata  mahdmandh  \  apurayad  mahaughena  mahlm  sar- 
vdm  cJia  pdrthiva  \  tasminn  aham  cha,  kruddhe  vai  jagat  tyaktvd  tato 
gatah  \  vyatishtham  agnihotre  cha  chiram  Angiraso  lhaydt  \  atha  saptas 
cha  lhagavdn  Gautamena  Purandarah  \  Ahalydm  kdmaydno  vai  dhar- 
mdrtham  cha  na  himsitah  \  yathd  samudro  nripate  purno  mrishtas  cha 
varind  \  Irdhmanair  dbhisaptah  san  labhuva  lavanodakah  |  .  .  .  .  7223. 
DandaJcdndm  mahad  rdjyam  brdhmanena  vindsitam  \  Tdlajangham  mahd- 
kshattram  Aurvenaikena  ndsitam  |  .  .  .  .  7225.  Agnim  tvam  yajase  nit- 
yam  kasmdd  Irdhmanam  Arjuna  \  sa  hi  sarvasya  lokasya  havya-vdt  him 
na  vetsi  tarn  |  .  .  .  .  7241.  Bhadrd  Somasya  duhitd  rupena  paramd 
maid.  \  yasyds  tulyam  patim  Somah  Utathyam  samapasyata  \  sd  cha 
tivraih  tapas  tepe  mahdlhdgd  yasasvinl  \  Utathydrthe  tu  chdrvdngl 
param  niyamam  dsthitd  \  tatah  dhuya  sotathyaiii  daddv  Atrir  yasas- 
viriim  |  Ihdryydrthe  sa  tu  jagrdha  vidhivad  bhuri-dakshinah  \  turn  tv 
akdmayata  srlmdn  Varunah  purvam  eva  ha  \  sa  chdgamya  vanaprastham 
Yamundydm  jahdra  tdm  \  7245.  Jalesvaras  tu  hritvu  turn  anayat  sva-  * 
puram  prati  \  paramddlhuta-sankdsam  shat-sahasra-sataih  hradam  \  na 
hi  ramyataram  kinchit  tasmdd  anyat  purottamam  \  prdsddair  apsarolhis 
cha  divyaih  kdmais  cha  solhitam  \  tatra  devas  tayd  sdrddham  reme  rdjan 
jalesvarah  I  athdkhydtam  Utathydya  tatah  patny-avamarddanam  \  tach 
chhrutvd  Ndraddt  sarvam  Utathyo  Ndradam  tadd  \  provdcha  "  gachha 
Iruhi  tvam  Varunam  parusham  vachah  \  madvdkydd  muncha  me  Ihdry- 
ydm  kasmdt  tdm  hritavdn  asi  \  lokapdlo  'si  lokdndm  na  lokasya  vilum- 
pakah  |  Somena  dattd  me  bhdryyd  tvayd  chdpahritd  'dt/a  vai"  |  .  .  .  . 
7251.  Iti  srutvd  vachas  tasya  tatas  tarn  Varuno  'bravlt  \  "  mamaishd 
supriyd  bhlrur  naindm  utsrashtum  utsahe"  \  ity  ukto  Varunendtha  Nd- 

30 


466  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

radah  prdpya  vai  munim  \  UtatTiyam  abravid  vdliyam  ndtihrishta-mandh 
iva  |  "  gale  grihltvd  Jcshipto  'smi  Varunena  mahdmune  \  na  prayachhati 
te  bhdryydm  yat  te  kdryyaih  kurushva  tat "  |  Ndradasya  vachah  srutvu, 
Jtruddhah  prdjvalad  Angirdh  \  7255.  Apibat  tejasd  vdri  vishtabhya  sa 
mahdtapdh  \  plyamdne  tu  sarvasmims  toye  vai  salilesvarah  \  suhridbhih^ 
Tcshobhyama.no  vai  naivdmunchata  tarn,  tadd  \  tatah  kruddho  'bravld  bhu- 
mim  Utathyo  brdhmanottamdh  \  darsayasva  chJialam  bhadre  shat-sahasra- 
satam  hradam  \  tatas  tad  Irinam  jdtam  samudrai  chdvasarpitah  \  tasmdd 
desdn  nadlm  chaiva  provdchdsau  dvijottamah  \  "  adrisyd  gachha,  bhlru 
tvam  Sarasvati  marun  prati  \  apunyah  esha  bhavatu  desas  tyalctas  tvayd 
'subhe"  |  tasmin  samsoshite  dese  Bhadrdm  dddya  vdripah  \  7260.  Adaddt 
saranam  gatvd  bhdryydm  Angirasdya  vai  \  pratigrihya  tu  tarn  bhdryydm 
Utathyah  sumand  'bhavat  \  mumocha  chajagad  duhkhdd  Varunam  chaiva 
Haihaya  |  .  .  .  .  7262.  Mamaishd  ^vpasd  prdptd  krosatas  te  jalddhipa  \ 

7263 esha  rdjann  idriso  vai  Utathyo  brdhmanottamah   \   bravlmy 

aham  bruhi  vd  tvam  Utathydt  Jcshattriyam  varam  \ 

"Angiras,  too,  himself  formerly  drank  up  the  waters  by  his  own 
might.  Drinking  them  up  like  milk  he  was  not  satisfied :  and  filled 
the  whole  earth  with  a  great  flood.  When  he  was  thus  wroth,  I 
abandoned  the  world  and  departed,  and  dwelt  for  a  long  time  in  the 
agnihotra.  The  divine  Purandara  (Indra),  who  had  a  passion  for  Ahalya, 
was  cursed  by  (her  husband)  Gautama ;  but,  from  motives  of  religion, 
he  was  not  injured.248  The  sea,  which  is  filled  and  purified  by  water, 
being  cursed  by  the  Brahmans,  became  salt."  7223.  The  great  king- 

246  See  above  pp.  121  and  310;  and  also  pp.  107-113.  In  this  same  Anusasana 
,,  Parva,  verses  2262  ff.,  there  is  found  another  story  (told  to  illustrate  the  frailty  of 
the  female  sex)  of  Indra  being  enamoured  of  Ruchi,  the  wife  of  the  rishi  Devas'ar- 
man,  and  of  the  method  •which  that  sage's  disciple,  Yipula,  (to  whose  care  his  pre- 
ceptor's wife  had  been  entrusted  during  her  husband's  absence,)  devised  to  preserve 
his  charge  from  being  corrupted  by  the  licentious  immortal  who  was  in  the  habit  of 
assuming  manifold  Protean  disguises  in  order  to  carry  out  his  unworthy  designs,  and 
to  save  the  female  from  being  "  licked  up  by  the  king  of  the  gods,  as  a  mischievous 
dog  licks  up  the  butter  deposited  at  the  sacrifice"  (Yatha  Euchiffi  navalihed  deven- 
dro  Bhrigu-sattama  \  kratav  upahite  nyastaih  havih  s'veva  duratmavan),  a  respectful 
comparison,  truly,  to  be  applied  to  the  chief  of  the  Indian  pantheon  !  The  plan 
which  Vipula  adopted  to  save  the  virtue  of  his  master's  wife  against  her  will  was  to 
take  possession  of  her  body  with  his  own  spirit,  and  to  restrain  her  movements  by 
the  force  of  Yoga,  and  compel  her  to  say  the  contrary  of  what  she  desired.  The 
story  ends  by  his  re-entering  his  own  body,  reproaching  Indra  with  his  disgraceful 
behaviour,  and  compelling  him  to  retire  abashed. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRITAS.  467 

dom  of  the  Dandakas  was  overthrown  hy  a  Brahman ;  and  the  great 
Kshattriya  family  of  the  Talajanghas  was  destroyed  by  Aurva  alone. 
7225.  And  why  dost  thou,  o  Arjuna,  worship  Agni  (who  is)  a  Brah- 
man ?  for  knowest  thou  not  that  he  bears  the  oblations  of  the  whole 
world  ?  "  The  story  of  TJtathya,  of  the  race  of  Angiras,  is  afterwards 
told :  "  7241.  Bhadra  was  the  daughter  of  Soma,  and  considered  to  be  a 
a  person  of  great  beauty.  Soma  regarded  TJtathya  as  a  fitting  husband 
for  her.  She  practised  severe  austerities  in  order  to  gain  him.  Atri  (the 
father  of  Soma,  according  to  the  Vishnu  Purana,  Wilson,  1st  ed.  p.  392) 
then  sent  for  TJtathya,  and  gave  her  to  him,  and  he  married  her  in  due 
form,  presenting  large  gifts.  7245.  The  god  Varuna,  however,  who  had 
formerly  been  enamoured  of  her,  came  and  carried  her  off  from  the  abode 
of  the  hermit,  who  was  living  on  the  banks  of  the  Yamuna,  and  took  her 
to  his  own  city,  to  a  very  wonderful  lake  of  six  hundred  thousand 
(yojanas).  No  city  was  more  delightful  than  that,  adorned  as  it  was  by 
palaces  and  apsarases,  and  rich  in  celestial  objects  of  enjoyment.  There 
the  god  enjoyed  her  society.  His  wife's  dishonour  being  made  known 
to  Utathya  by  Narada,  he  requested  the  latter  to  go  and  deliver  a 
severe  message  to  Varuna :  '  I  command  thee  to  let  my  wife  go,  who  was 
given  to  me  by  Soma ;  wherefore  hast  thou  carried  her  away  ?  Thou 
art  a  guardian  of  the  world,  not  a  robber.'.  .  .  .  7251.  Varuna  answered, 
'  She  is  my  beloved ;  I  cannot  bear  to  give  her  up.'  Narada,  in  no 
very  gratified  humour,  reported  this  answer  to  Utathya,  and  said, 
'  Varuna  took  me  by  the  throat,  and  cast  me  out.  He  will  not  give 
up  thy  wife.  Take  whatever  measures  thou  esteemest  proper.'  Uta- 
thya was  greatly  incensed  (7255),  and  stopped  up  and  drank  all  the 
sea.  Still  Varuna,  though  urged  by  his  friends,  would  not  give  up» 
the  female.  Utathya  then  desired  the  earth  to  try  some  other  stra- 
tagem ;  and  the  lake  above  described  was  turned  into  a  salt  wilder- 
ness, and  the  ocean  swept  away.  The  saint  then  addressed  himself  to 
the  countries  and  to  the  river  :  '  Sarasvati,  disappear  into  the  deserts ; 
and  let  this  land,  deserted  by  thee,  become  impure.'  After  the  country 
had  become  dried  up,  Varuna  submitted  himself  to  Utathya,  and 
brought  back  Bhadra.  The  sage  was  pleased  to  get  his  wife,  and 

released  both  the  world  and  Varuna  from  their  sufferings He 

said  to  the  latter  (7262)  '  This,  my  wife,  was  gained  by  my  austerities 
in  spite  of  thy  remonstrances.'  7263 '  Such,  o  king,  I  say,  was 


468  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

the  Brahman  TTtathya;   tell  me  of  any  Kshattriya  superior  to  him.'  " 

A  story  is  next  told  (yerses  7265  ff.)  of  the  gods  being  conquered 
by  the  Asuras  or  Danavas,  deprived  of  all  oblations,  and  stripped  of 
their  dignity,  and  of  their  coming  to  earth,  where  they  saw  the  sage 
Agastya,  and  applied  to  him  for  protection.  The  succour  they  implored 
was  granted  to  them  by  the  sage,  who  scorched  the  Danavas,  expelled 
them  from  heaven  and  earth,  and  made  them  fly  to  the  south.  Thus 
were  the  gods  reinstated  in  their  dominion. 

"We  have  then,  verses  7280-7290,  the  following  legend  of  Yasishtha : 
The  Adityas  were  performing  a  sacrifice,  bearing  Yasishtha  in  their 
remembrance,  when  they  were  attacked  by  the  Danavas,  called  Khalins, 
who  came  in  tens  of  thousands  to  slay  them  : 

Yerse  7284.  Tatas  tair  arddit^dh  devdh  saranam  Vdsavam  yayuh  \  sa 
cJia  tair  vyathitah  S'akro  Vasishtham  saranam  yayau  \  tato  'bhayam 
dadau  tpbhyo  Vasishtho  lhagavdn  rishih  \  tadd  tun  duhkhitdn  jndtvd 
dnrisamsya-paro  munih  \  ayatnenddahat  sarvdn  Khalinah  svena  tejasd  \ 
....  7289.  Evam  sendrdh  Vasishthena  rakshitds  tridivaukasah  \ 
Brahma-datta-vards  chaiva  hatdh  daitydh  mahdtmand  \  etat  karma 
Vasishthasya  kathitam  hi  mayd  'nagha  \  bravlmy  aham  Iruhi  vd  tvam 
Vasishthdt  kshattriyam  varam  \ 

"  The  gods  being  distressed  by  them,  resorted  to  Indra ;  and  he  too, 
being  harassed  by  them,  went  to  Yasishtha  for  help.  This  reverend 
and  benevolent  sage  gave  them  all  his  protection ;  and  being  aware  of 
their  distress,  without  any  exertion,  burnt  up  all  the  Danavas  .... 
7289.  Thus  were  the  gods,  including  Indra,  preserved  by  Yasishtha, 
and  the  Daityas,  even  although  they  had  obtained  a  boon  from  Brahma, 
'  were  slain.  Such  was  the  exploit  of  Yasishtha  :  can  you  tell  me  of 
any  Kshattriya  who  was  superior  to  him  ?  " 

A  further  tale  is  told  of  the  prowess  of  the  sage  Atri,  who  interposed 
to  deliver  the  gods  and  restore  light  to  the  celestial  luminaries : 

Yerse  7292.  Ghore  tamasy  ayudhyanta  sahitdh  deva-ddnavdh  \  avidhyata 
sarais  tattra  SvarlJidnuh  Soma-lhdskarau  \  atlia  te  tamasd  grastdh  viha- 
nyante  sma  ddnavaih  \  devdh  nripati-sdrdula  sahaica  Balibhis  tadd  \ 
asurair  badhyamdnds  te  ksJdna-prdndh  divaukasah  \  apasyanta  tapasyan- 
tam  Atrim  vipram  tapodhanam  |  .  .  .  .  7297.  Te'bruvams  " chandramdh 
bhava  \  timira-ghnas  cha  savitd  dasyu-hantd  cJia  no  bhava  "  |  evam  uktas 
tadd  'trir  vai  tamo-nud  alhavat  sasi  \  apasyat  saumya-lhdvdch  cha  soma- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  469 

vat-priya-darsanah  \  drishtvd  natiprabham  somam  tathd  suryam  cha  pdr- 
thiva  |  prafcdsam  akarod  Atris  tapasd  svena  samyuge  \  7300.  Jagad 
vitimiram  chdpi  prakdsam  akarot  tadd  \  vyajayat  satru-samghdms  C!M 
devdndih  svena  tejasd  |  .  .  .  .  7303.  Dvijendgni-dvitiyena  japatd  charma- 
vdsasd  |  phala-bhakshena  rdjarshe  pasya  karmdttrind  kritam  |  .  .  .  . 
7304 bruhi  vd  tvam  Atritah  kshattriyam  raram  \ 

"  The  gods  and  Danavas  fought  together  in  dreadful  darkness;  when 
Svarbhanu  pierced  with  his  arrows  the -sun  and  moon.  Enveloped  in 
gloom  the  gods  were  slaughtered  by  the  Danavas,  together  with  the 
Balis.  Being  thus  slain  and  exhausted,  the  celestials  beheld  the  Brah- 
man Atri  employed  in  austerities ;  "  and  invoked  his  aid  in  their  ex- 
tremity. He  asked  what  he  should  do.  They  reply,  verse  2297 : 
"  'Become  the  moon,  and  the  gloom-dispelling  sun,  the  slayer  of  the 
Dasyus.'  Atri  then  became  the  gloom  -  dispelling  moon,  and  in  his 
character  as  such  looked  beautiful  as  Soma.  Perceiving  the  sun  and 
moon  to  be  shorn  of  their  brightness,  Atri  threw  light  upon  the  conflict, 
(7300)  freed  the  world  from  darkness,  by  the  power  of  his  austere- 
fervour,  and  vanquished  the  enemies  of  the  gods 7303.  Behold 

the  deed  done  by  Atri,  the  Brahman,  attended  by  Agni,  the  mutterer 

of  prayers,  clad  in  a  skin,  and  living  upon  fxuits 7304.  '  Tell 

me  of  any  Kshattriya  superior  to  Atri.'  "  , 

This   story  is  founded  on  some  verses  of  the  Eig-veda,  v.  40,  5  : 

Yat  tva  suryya  Svarlhdnus  tamasd  'vidhyad  dsurah  \  akshetra-vidyathd 
mudgho  bhtivanuni  adidhayuh  \  6.  Svarlhdnor  adha  yad  Indra  mdydh  avo 
divo  varttamdndh  avdhan  \  gulham  suryyam  tamasd  'pavratena  turiyena 
Irahmand  'vindad  Atrih  \  8.  Grdvno  brahmd  yujujdnah  saparyyan  klrinu 
devdn  namasopasikshan  \  Atrih  suryasya  divi  chakshur  ddhut  Svarbhdnor* 
apa  mdydh  aglmkshat  \  9.  Yam  vai  suryyam  SvarWidnus  tamasd  'vidhyad 
dsurah  \  Atrayas  tarn  anv  avindan  nahi  anye  asaknuvan  \ 

"  When  Svarbhanu  of  the  Asura  race  pierced  thee,  o  Sun,  with 
darkness,  all  worlds  appeared  like  a  man  who  is  bewildered  in  a  region 
which  he  does  not  know.  6.  When,  Indra,  thou  didst  sweep  away  the 
magical  arts  of  Svarbhanu,  which  were  operating  beneath  the  sky,  Atri 
discovered  by  the  fourth  text  the  Sun,  which  had  been  hidden  by  the 
hostile  darkness.  8.  Applying  the  (soma-crushing)  stones,  performing 
worship,  serving  the  gods  with  reverence  and  praise,  the  priest  Atri 
placed  the  eye  of  the  Sun  in  the  sky,  and  dispelled  the  illusions  of 


470  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

Svarbhanu.  9.  The  Atris  discovered  the  Sun  which  Svarbhanu  had 
pierced  with  darkness.  No  others  could." 

"We  have  next  a  curious  legend  about  the  sage  Chyavana,  of  the 
race  of  Bhrigu : 

7306.  Asvinoh  pratisamsrutya  Chyavanah  Pdkasdsanam  \  provdcha, 
sahito  devaih  "  somapdv  Asvinau  kuru  "  |  Indraft  uvdcha  I  "  asmdbhir 
ninditdv  etau  bhavetdm  somapau  katham  \  devair  na  sammitdv  etau  tasmdd 
maivam  vadasva  nah  \  Asvibhydm  saha  nechhdmah  somam  pdtum  mahd- 
vrata  \  yad  anyad  vakshyase  vipra  tat  karishydma  te  vachah  "  |  Chyava- 
nah uvdcha  \  " pibetdm  Asvinau  somam  bhavadbhih  sahitdv  ubhau  \  ubhdv 
etdv  api  surau  suryya-puttrau  suresvara  \  7310.  Kriyatdm  mad-vacho 
devdh  yathd  vai  samuddhritam  \  etad  vah  kurvatdm  sreyo  bhaved  naitad 
akurvatamn  \  Indrah  uvdcha  \  "  Asvilhydm  saha  somam  vainapdsydmi 
dvijottama  \  pibantv  anye  yathdkdmam  ndham  pdtum  ihotsahe"  \  Chya- 
vanah  uvdcha  !|  "  na  diet  Itarishyasi  vacho  mayoktam  bala-sudana  \  mayd 
pramathitah  sadyah  somam  pdsyasi  vai  makhe"  \  tatah  karma  samdrab- 
dham  hitdya  sahasd  'svinoh  \  Chyavanena  tato  mantrair  abhibhutdh  surd 
'bhavan  \  tat  tu  karma  samdrabdham  drisJttvendrah  krodha-murchhitah  \ 
udyamya  vipulam  sailam  Chyavanam  samupddravat  \  7315.  Tathd  vqfrena 
bhagavdn  amarshdkula-loohanah  \  tarn  dpatantam  drisJitvaiva  Chyavanas 
tapasd  'nvitah  \  adbhihKsiktvd  'stambhayat  tarn  sa-vajram  saha-parvatam  \ 
athendrasya  mahdghoram  so  'sryat  satrum  eva  hi  \  Mayam  ndmdhuti- 
mayam  vyaditdsyam  mahdmunih  |  .  .  .  .  7319.  Jihrd-muldsthitds  tasya 
sarve  devdh  sa-vdsavdh  \  timer  dsyam  anupraptdh  yathd  matsydh  mahdr- 
nave  [  te  sammantrya  tato  deva  Madasydsya  samlpagdh  \  abruvan  sahttdh 
Sakram  pranamdsmai  dvijdtaye  \  Asvibhydm  saha  somam  cha  pibdma 
'vigata-jvardh  \  tatah  sa  pranatah  S'akras  chakdra  Chyavanasya  tat  \ 

ft 

Chyavanah  kritavdn  etdv  Asvinau  soma-pdyinau  \  tatah  pratydharat 
karma  Madam  cha  vyabhajad  munih  \ 

"  Having  given  a  promise  to  that  effect,  Chyavana  applied,  along 
with  the  other  gods,  to  Indra,  to  allow  the  Asvins  to  partake  in  the  soma 
juice.  Indra  answered,  '  How  can  they  become  drinkers  of  the  soma, 
seeing  they  are  reviled  by  us,  and  are  not  on  an  equality  with  the  gods  ? 
We  do  not  wish  to  drink  soma  in  their  company ;  but  we  shall  accede 
to  your  wishes  in  any  other  respect.'  Chyavana  repeats  his  request, 
and  urges  that  the  Asvins  also  are  gods,  and  the  offspring  of  the  Sun. 
7310.  He  adds  that  it  will  be  well  for  the  gods  if  they  accede  to  this 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  471 

demand,  and  ill  if  they  do  not.  India  rejoins  that  the  other  gods  may 
drink  with  the  Asvins  if  they  please,  but  he  cannot  bring  himself  to  do  it. 
Chyavana  retorts  that  if  he  does  not,  he  shall  be  chastised  by  the  sage, 
and  made  to  drink  soma  (with  them)  at  the  sacrifice.  A  ceremony  was 
then  instantly  begun  by  Chyavana  for  the  benefit  of  the  Asvins ;  and  the 
gods  were  vanquished  by  sacred  texts.  Indra,  seeing  this  rite  commenced, 
became  incensed,  uplifted  a  vast  mountain  (7315),  and  rushed  with 
his  thunderbolt,  and  with  angry  eyes,  on  Chyavana.  The  sage,  how- 
ever, sprinkling  him  with  water,  arrested  him  with  his  mountain  and 
thunderbolt.  Chyavana  then  created  a  fearful  open-mouthed  monster, 
called  Mada,  formed  of  the  substance  of  the  oblation,"  who  is  further 
described  as  having  teeth  and  grinders  of  portentous  length,  and 
jaws,  one  of  which  enclosed  the  earth  and  the  other  the  sky:  and 
the  gods,  including  Indra,  are  said  (7(119),  "  to  have  been  at  the  root  of 
his  tongue  [ready  to  be  devoured]  like  fishes  in  the  mouth  of  a  sea 
monster.  Finding  themselves  int  his  predicament,  the  gods  took  counsel 
and  said  to  Indra, '  Make  salutation  to  Chyavana,  and  let  us  drink  soma 
along  with  the  Asvins,  and  so  escape  from  our  sufferings.'  Indra  then, 
making  obeisence,  granted  the  demand  of  Chyavana,  who  was  thus  the 
cause  of  the  Asvins  beccjming  drinkers  of  the  soma.  He  then  per- 
formed the  ceremony,  and  clove  Mada  to  pieces." 

Does  this  legend  mean  that  this  rishi  of  the  JBhrigu  family  was  the 
first  to  introduce  the  Asvins  within  the  circle  of  the  Arian  worship  ? 

Compare  the  passages  from  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana  iv.  1,  5,  1  ff.,  and 
from  the  Yanaparvan  of  the  M.  Bh.  verses  10316  ff.  quoted  in  my  "Con- 
tributions to  a  knowledge  of  the  Yedic  theogony  and  mythology," 
No.  II.,  in  the  Journ.  R.  A.  S.,  for  1866,  pp  11  ff. ;  Ind.  St.  i.  188, 
and  the  Asvamedhika-parvan  of  the&L  Bh.,  verses  249  ff.,  there  referred 
to.  The  Asvins  are,  in  different  passages  of  the  Eig-veda,  as  iii.  58, 
7,  9 ;  viii.  8,  5  ;  viii.  35,  7-10,  invited  to  drink  the  soma-juice. 

Vayu  relates  to  Arjuna  yet  one  more  instance  of  the  irresistible 
power  of  the  Brahmans  : 

7327.  Madasydsyam  anuprdptdh  yadd  sendrdh  divaulcasah  \  tadaiva 
Chyavaneneha  hritd  teshdm  vasundhard  \  ubhau  lokau  hritau  matvd  te 
devdh  duhkhitdh  bhrisam  \  sokdrttds  cha  mahtitmdno  BraJtmdnam  saranam 
yayuh  \  devdh  uchuh  \  Maddsya-vyatisiktdndm  asmdkam  loka-pujita  \ 
Chyavanena  hritd  bhumih  KapaiS  chaiva  divam  prabho  \  Brahma  uvdcha  \ 


472  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

7330.  Gachhadhvam  saranam  viprdn  dsti  sendrdh  divaukasah  \  prasddya 
tun  ubhau  lokdv  avdpsyatha  yathd  purd  \  te  yayuh  saranam  vipran  uchus 
te  "  kdnjaydmahe  "  |  ity  uktds  te  dvijdn  prdhur  " jay  ateha  Kapdn"  iti\ 
"bhugatdn  hi  vijetdro  vayam"  ity  abruvan  "dvtjdh"  \  tatah  karma  sa- 
mdrabdham  brdhmanaih  Kapa-ndsanam  \  tat  srutvd  preshito  duto  brdh- 
manebhyo  Dharii  Kapaih  \  bhu-gatdn  brdhmandn  aha  Dhanl  Kapa-vacho 
yathd  \  ubhavadbhih  sadrisdh  sarve  Kapdh  kirn  iha  varttate  \  sane  veda- 
vidah  prujndh  sarve  cha  Icratu-ydjinah  \  7335.  Sarve  satyavratds  chaiva 
sarve  tulydh  maharshUhih  \  sris  chaiva  ramataiteshu  dhdrayanti  sriyam 
cha  te  |  .  .  .  .  7339.  Etais  chdnyais  cha  bahubhir  gunair  yuktdn  katham 
Kapdn  |  7340.  Vijeshyatha  nivarttadhvaih  nii-rittdndm  subham  hi'vah"  \ 
Brdhmandh  uchuh  \  Kapdn  vayam  vijeshydmo  ye  devds  te  vayam  smritdh  \ 
tasmdd  ladhydh  Kapd  'smdkam  Dhanin  ydhi  yathdgatam  \  Dhanl  gatvd 
Kapdn  aha  "  na  no  viprdh  priydnkardh  \  grihltvd  'strung  atho  vipran 
Kapdh  sarve  samddravan  \  samudagra-dhvajdn  drishtvd  Kapdn  sarve  dvi- 
jdtayah  \  vyasrijan  jvalitdn  agnin  Kapdndm  prdna-ndsandn  \  brahma- 
srishtdh  havyabhujah  Kapdn  hatvd  sandtandh  \  nabhaslva  yathd  'bhrdni 
vyardjanta  narddhipa  \  Hatvd  vai  ddnavdn  devdh  sarve  sambhuya  sam- 
yuge  \  tendbhyajdnan  hi  tadd  brdhmanair  nihatdn  Kapdn  \  athdgamya 
mahdtejdh  Ndrado  'Jcathayad  vibho  \  yathd  hjitufi  mahdbhdgais  tejasd 
brdhmanaih  Kapdh  \  Ndradasya  vachah  srutvd  prltdh  sarve  divaukasah  \ 
prasasamsuh  dvijdms  chdpi  brdhmandms  cha  yasasvinah  \ 

"  "Wlien  the  gods,  including  Indra,  were  enclosed  within  the  mouth 
of  Mada,  the  earth  was  taken  from  them  by  Chyavana.  The  gods  then 
considering  that  they  had  lost  both  worlds,  in  their  distress  resorted  to 
Brahma,  and  said,  'Since  we  have  been  swallowed  up  in  the  mouth  of 
Mada,  the  earth  has  been  taken  from  us  by  Chyavana,  and  the  heaven 

0 

by  the  Kapas.'  Brahma  answered,  ''jo  speedily,  ye  gods,  with  Indra,  to 
the  Brahmans  for  help.  After  propitiating  them  ye  shall  regain  both 
worlds.'  They  did  so,  and  the  Brahmans,  after  ascertaining  that  the 
gods  would  themselves  deal  with  those  of  their  enemies  who  were  on 
earth,  began  a  ceremony  for  the  destruction  of  the  Kapas.  The  Kapas 
upon  this  sent  a  messenger  to  the  Brahmans,  to  say  that  they  themselves 
were  all,  like  them,  skilled  in  the  Vedas,  learned,  and  offerers  of  sacrifice, 
all  pure  in  their  observances,  and  all  resembling  great  rishis,  etc.,  etc. 
How  then  should  the  Brahmans  be  able  to  conquer  them  ?  It  would 
be  more  for  their  interest  to  desist  from  the  attempt.  The  Brahmans, 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  473 

• 

however,  would  not  be  persuaded;  and  when,  in  consequence,  the 
Kapas  assailed  them,  they  hurled  forth  fires  hy  which  the  Kapas  were 
destroyed.  The  gods  themselves  conquered  the  Danavas,  and  learning 
from  Narada  what  the  illustrious  Brahmans  had  effected,  they  sang 
their  praises."217  • 

Hearing  of  all  these  testimonies  to  the  terrible  might  of  the  Brah- 
man s,  Arjuna  at  length  gives  in,  saying : 

7350.  Jlvdmy  aham  brdhmandrtham  sarvathd  satatam  prabho  \  brah- 
manyo  brdhmanebhyas  cha  pranamdmi  cha  nityasah  \  Dattdttreya-prasd- 
ddcJi  cha  mayd  prdptam  idam  lalam  \  loke  cha,  paramd  klrttir  dharmai 
cha  charito  mahdn  \  oho  hrdhmana-karmdni  mayd  Mdruta  tattvatah  \ 
tvayd  proktdni  kdrtsnyena  Srutdni  prayatena  cha  \  Vdyur  uvdcha  \  brdh- 
mandn  kshdttra-dharmena  pdlayasvendriydni  cha  \  Bhrigubhyas  te  lhayam 
ghoram  tat  tu  hdldd  lhavishyati  \ 

"  I  live  altogether  and  always  for  the  sake  of  the  Brahmans.  I  am 
devoted  to  the  Brahmans?  and  do  obeisance  to  them  continually.  And  it 
is  through  the  favour  of  Dattattreya  (a  Brahman)  that  I  have  obtained 
all  this  power  and  high  renown,  and  that  I  have  practised  righteous- 
ness. Thou  hast  declared  to  me  truly  all  the  acts  of  the  Brahmans, 
and  I  have  listened  intently."  Yayu  then  says  to  him  :  "Protect  the 
Brahmans,  fulfilling  a  Kshattriya's  function ;  ajid  restrain  your  senses. 
A  dreadful  cause  of  apprehension  impends  over  you  from  the  Bhrigus, 
but  it  will  only  take  effect  after  some  time."  This  last  remark  may 
have  been  introduced  to  bring  this  story  into  harmony  with  the  other 
legend  about  the  destruction  of  Arjuna  and  the  Kshattriyas. 

The  narrative,  which  has  just  been  quoted,  is,  as  I  have  already  stated, 
preceded  by  a  panegyric  of  some  length  pronounced  by  Bhishma  on  thje 
Brahmans  (verses  7163-7184),  ofVhich  the  following  are  specimens: 

7163.  Brdhmandndm  paribhavah  sddayed  api  devatdh  \  7164.  Te  hi 
lokdn  imdn  sarvdn  dhdrayanti  mariishinah  \  7175.  Chandane  mala-panke 
cha  Ihojane  'Ihojane  samdh  \  vdso  yeshdm  dukulaih  cha  sdna-JcsJiaumdjinuni 
cha  |  7177.  Adaivam  daivatam  huryur  daivatam  vd  'py  adaivatam  \  lokdn 
anydn  srijeyus  te  lokapdldms  cha  kopitdh  \  7179.  Devdnum  api  ye  devdh 
kdranam  kdranasya  cha  \  7181.  Avidvdn  brdhmano  devah  .  .  .  .  |  vidvdn 
Ihuyas  tato  devah  purna-sdgara-sannibhah  \ 

"The  prowess  of  the  Brahmans  can  destroy  even  the  gods.  7164. 
217  This  translation  is  a  good  deal  condensed. 


474  EAELY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

O 

Those  wise  beings  uphold  all  these  worlds.  7175.  To  them  it  is  in- 
different whether  they  are  perfumed  with  sandal  wood  or  deformed 
with  mire,  whether  they  eat  or  fast,  whether  they  are  clad  in  silk,  or 
in  sackcloth  or  skins.  7177.  They  can  turn  what  is  not  divine  into 
what  is  divine,  and4he  converse;  and  can  in  their  anger  create  other 
worlds  with  their  guardians.  7179.  They  are  the  gods  of  the  gods  ; 
and  the  cause  of  the  cause.  7181.  An  ignorant  Brahman  is  a  god, 
whilst  a  learned  Brahman  is  yet  more  a  god,  like  the  full  ocean." 
(Compare  the  similar  eulogies  in  p.  130,  above.) 

In  the  Anusasanaparvan,  sections  52  ff.,  we  have  the  story  of  Para- 
surama,  in  connection  with  that  of  Visvamitra,  yet  once  more  handled. 
Yudhishthira  says  he  is  very  curious  to  know  something  more  about 

these  two  personages : 

i, 

2718.  Katham  esha  samutpanno  Rdmah  satya-pardkramah  \  katham 
brahmarshi-vaffiso  'yam  kshattra-dharmd  vyajdyata  \  tad  asya  samlhavam 
rdjan  nikhilendnuklrttaya  \  KausikdcJi  cha  katttam  vamsdt  kshattrdd  vai 
Irdhmano  'bhavat  \  oho  prabhdvah  sumahdn  dsld  vai  sumaJidtmanah  \ 
Rdmasya  cha,  nara-vydghra  Visvdmitrasya  chaiva  hi  \  katham  puttrdn 
atikramya  teshdfii  naptrishv  athdlhavat  \  esha  doshah  sutdn  hitvd  tat 
tvam  vydkhydtum^arhasi  \ 

<(How  was  this  valiant  Rama,  descended  from  the  family  of  a  Brah- 
man-rishi,  born  with  the  qualities  of  a  Kshattriya  ?  Tell  me  the  whole 
story :  and  how  did  a  Brahman  spring  from  the  Kshattriya  race  of 
Kusika  ?  Great  was  the  might  of  Rama,  and  of  Visvamitra.  How 
did  it  happen  that,  passing  over  the  sons  [of  Richika  and  Kusika], 
this  defect  showed  itself  in  their  grandsons  ?  " 

»  Then  there  follows  a  long  dialogue  related  by  Bhishma  as  having 
taken  place  between  king  Kusika  antl  the  sage  Chyavana.  The  latter, 
it  seems,  "foreseeing  that  this  disgrace  was  about  to  befall  his  race 
[from  connection  with  the  Kusikas],  and  entertaining,  in  consequence, 
after  he  had  weighed  all  the  good  and  evil,  and  the  strength  and  weak- 
ness (on  either  side),  the  desire  of  burning  up  that  whole  family" 
(verse  2723.  Etam  dosham  purd  drishtvd  Bhdrgavas  Chyavanas  tadd  \ 
dgdminam  mahdluddhih  sva-vamse  nmni-sattamah  \  nischitya  manasd 
sarvam  guna-dosham  laldlalam  \  dagdhu-kdmah  kulam  sarvam  Kusikdndm 
tapodhanah  |),  came  to  Kusika.  Chyavana  is  welcomed  and  treated 
with  great  attention,  and  receives  from  Kusika  the  offer  of  all  his  king- 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEIYAS.  475 

dom,  etc. .  The  saint,  however,  does  not  requite  this  honour  with  cor- 
responding kindness,  but  makes  the  king  and  his  wife  perform  many 
menial  offices,  rub  his  feet,  attend  while  he  sleeps,  bring  him  food,  and 
draw  him  in  a  chariot,  while  he  lacerates  their  backs  with  a  goad. 
All  this  is  submitted  to  so  patiently,  that  the  sage  is  propitiated,  ad- 
dresses them  in  kindly  tones,  and  touches  their  wounded  bodies  with 
his  godlike  hands.  After  creating  a  magical  golden  palace,  with  all  the 
accompaniments  of  pleasure  (2826  if.),  in  order  to  give  them  a  con- 
ception of  heaven,  (2892  if.)  the  sage  offers  to  bestow  any  boon  the  king 
may  choose ;  and  to  solve  any  of  his  doubts.  Kusika  asks  the  reason 
of  the  sage's  unaccountable  procedure.  Chyavana  answers  that  he  had 
heard  from  Brahma  that  there  would  be  "a  confusion  of  families  in 
consequence  of  the  hostility  of  Brahmans  and  Kshattriyas,  and  that  a 
grandson  of  great  glory  and  heroism  would  be  born  to  Kusika  "  (verse 
2878.  Brahma-kshattra-virodhena  bhavitd  kula-sanJcarah  \  pautras  te  bha- 
vitd  rdj'ams  tejo-vlryya-samanvitah  \ );  that  he  had  intended  in  consequence 
to  burn  up  the  race  of  the  Kusikas,  but  that  the  king  had  come  so  well 
out  of  the  severe  ordeal  to  which  he  had  been  subjected,  that  the  sage 
had  become  thoroughly  pacified,  and  would  grant  the  boon  which 

Kusika  desired : 

i 

2897.  Bhavishyaty  esha  te  Jcdmas  Kausikdt  IfausiTco  dvy'ah  \  tritlyam 
purusham  tulhyam  brdhmanatvam  gamishyati  \  vamsas  te  pdrthiva-sresh- 
tha  Bhrigundm  eva  tejasd  \  pautras  te  bhavitd  vipras  tapasvl  pdvana- 
dyutih  |  yah  sa-deva-manushydndm  lhayam  utpddayishyati  \ 

"  This  thy  desire  shall  be  fulfilled ;  from  a  Kausika  a  Kausika  Brah- 
man shall  arise  :  in  the  third  generation  thy  race  shall  attain  to  Brah- 
manhood  by  the  might  of  the  Bhrigus.  Thy  son's  son  shall  become,  a 
Brahman,  a  devotee,  splendid  as* fire,  who  shall  alarm  both  gods  and 
men."  Kusika  being  anxious  to  know  how  all  this  was  to  be  brought 
to  pass,  Chyavana  informs  him  : 

2995.  Bhrigundm  kshattriydh  ydjydh  nityam  etaj  janddhipa  \  te  cha 
Ihedam  gamishyanti  daiva-yulctena  hetund  \  kshattriyds  cha  Bhrigun 
sarvtin  ladhishyanti  narddhipa  \  dgarlhdd  anulcrintanto  daiva-danda  nipl- 
ditdh  |  tatah  utpatsyate  'smdkam  Icula-gotra-vivardhanah  \  Urvo  ndma 
mahdtejd  jvalandrka-sama-dyutih  \  sa  trailokya-vindsdya  kopdgnim  jana- 
yishyati  \  mahlm  sa-parvata-vandm  yah  Jcarishyati  bhasmasdt  \  Icanchit 
kdlam  tu  vahnim  cha  sa  eva  samayishyati  \  samudre  vadavd-vaktre  pralt- 


476  EAELY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

shipya  muni-sattamah  \  2910.  Puttram  tasya  mahdrdja  Richikam  Bhri- 
gu-nandanam  \  sdkshdt  kritmo  dhanur-vedah  samupasthdsyate  'nagha  \ 
kshattriydndm  abhdvdya  daiva-yuktena  hetund  \  sa  tu  tarn  pratigrihyaiva 
puttram  sanTcrdmayishyati  \  Jamadagnau  mahdbhdge  tapasd  bhdvitdt- 
mani  \  sa  chdpi  Bhrigu-sdrdulas  tarn  vedam  dhdrayishyati  \  kuldt  tu  tava 
dharmdtman  Jcanydm  so  'dhigamishyati  \  udbhdvandrtham  bhavato  vam- 
iasya  Bharatarshabha  \  Gtidher  duhitaram  prdpya  pauttrlm  tava  mahd- 
tapdh  |  brdhmanaih  Jc.shattra-dharm.unam puttr am  utpddayishyati  \  2915. 
Kshattriyafh  vipra-karmdnam  Vrihaspatim  ivaujasd  \  Visvdmitram  tava 
Tcule  Gddheh  puttram  sudhdrmikam  \  tapasa  mahatd  yulctam  praddsyati 
mahddyute  \  striyau  tu  kdranam  tattra  parivartte  Ihavishyatah  \  Pitd- 
maha-niyogdd  vai  ndnyathaitad  lhavishyati  \  tritiye  purushe  tubhyam 
brdhmanatvam  upaishyati  \  bhavitdjvam  cha  sambandhl  Bhrigunam  bhd- 
vitdtmandm  \  .  .  .  .  2923.  Etat  te  kathitam  sarvam  aseshena  mayd 
nripa  \  Bhrigunam  Kusikdndm  cha  abhisambandha-Jcdranam  \  yathoktam 
rishind  chdpi  tada  tad  abhavad  nripa  \  janma  Rdmasya  cha  muner 
Visvdmitrasya  chaiva  hi  \ 

11  The  Bhrigus  have  always  been  the  priests  of  the  Kshattriyas ;  but 
these  will  become  hostile  to  each  other  for  a  fated  reason.  The  Kshat- 
triyas  shall  slay  all  the  Bhyigus,  even  to  children  in  the  womb,  being 
oppressed  by  a  divine  nemesis.  Then  shall  arise  the  glorious  Urva,248 
like  the  sun  in  splendour,  who  shall  augment  the  glory  of  our  race.  He 
shall  create  a  fire  of  wrath  for  the  destruction  of  the  three  worlds, 
which  shall  reduce  the  earth  with  its  mountains  and  forests  to  ashes. 
After  a  time  he  will  extinguish  the  fire,  throwing  it  into  the  ocean  into 
the  mouth  of  Yadava  (the  submarine  fire).  Into  his  son  Eichlka  shall 

'.443  Urva  is  here  said  (verse  2907)  to  belogg  to  the  race  of  Chyavana,  but  -whether 
as  a  near_or  remote  descendant  is  not  stated.  In  verse  2910  Richlka  is  said  to  be  the 
son  of  Urva.  In  the  Adiparvan,  verses  2610  if.,  the  matter  is  somewhat  differently 
stated :  dirush7  tu  Manoh  kanya  tasya  pattn  yasasvitit  \  A.wvas  tasyam  samabhavad 
urum  bhittva  mahayasah  \  mahatejah  maliavlryyo  balah  eva  gunair  yuiah  \  Richlkas 
tasya  puttras  tu  Jamadagnis  tato  'bhavat  \  "  Arushi,  the  daughter  of  Manu,  was  the 
wife  of  the  sage  (Chyavana)  ;  of  her  was  the  illustrious  Aurva  born,  having  split  his 
mother's  thigh.  He  was  great  in  glory  and  might,  and  from  his  childhood  endowed 
with  eminent  qualities.  Richlka  was  his  son,  and  Richlka's  was  Jamadagni."  Here 
Aurva  is  said  to  derive  his  name  from  having  divided  his  mother's  thigh  (uru) ;  and 
no  allusion  is  made  to  Urva,  though  the  same  person  appears  to  be  meant.  In  the 
passage  of  the  Anus'Ssana-parvan,  however,  we  have  an  Urva,  the  father  of  Richlka, 
whose  patronymic  will  thus  be  Aurva ;  as  it  ^s,  in  fact,  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  as 
quoted  above  in  p.  352. 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTRIYAS.  477 

enter  the  entire  embodied  Dhanur-veda  (science  of  archery),  for  the 
destined  destruction  of  the  Kshattriyas.  This  science  he  shall  transmit 
to  his  great  son  Jamadagni,  whose  mind  shall  be  spiritualized  by  devotion, 
and  who  shall  possess  that  Veda.  He  (Bichika)  shall  obtain  [for  his 
wife]  a  maiden  of  thy  family,  to  prolong  thy  race.  This  great  devotee, 
wedding  thy  grand-daughter,  the  daughter  of  Gadhi,  shall  beget  a 
Brahman  (i.e.  Parasurama),  fulfilling  the  functions  of  a  Kshattriya ; 
(2915)  and  shall  bestow  on  thy  family  a  Kshattriya  who  shall  perform 
the  functions  of  a  Brahman,  Visvamitra,  the  son  of  Gadhi,  an  austere 
devotee,  and  glorious  as  Vrihaspati.  The  two  wives  shall  be  the  cause 
of  this  interchange  of  characters.  According  to  the  decree  of  Brahma 
all  this  shall  so  happen.  Brahmanhood  shall  come  to  thee  in  the  third 
generation,  and  thou  shalt  become  connected  with  the  spiritual-minded 
Bhrigus."  2923.  "Thus  ^concludes  Bhishma)  have  I  told  thee  at  length 
the  cause  of  the  connection  between  the  Bhrigus  and  the  Kusikas.  All 
this  was  accordingly  fulfilled  in  the  births  of  Parasurama  and  Vis- 
vamitra." 

Is  this  legend  intended  to  account  for  a  real  fact  ?  "Was  Parasurama 
of  a  sacerdotal  tribe,  and  yet  by  profession  a  warrior,  just  as  Visvamitra 
was  conversely  of  royal  extraction,  and  yet  a  priest  by  profession  ? 

According  to  the  Vishnu  Purana,  iv.  11,3  (Wilson,  4to.  ed.  pp.  416, 
417),  Arjuna  was  of  the  race  of  Yadu,  and  the  ninth  in  descent  from 
Haihaya,  the  great-grandson  of  that  prince.  It  is  there  said  of  him : 

Kritavlryydd  Arjunah  sapta-dvlpapatir  bdhu-sahasrl  jajne  yo  'sau  bha- 
gavad-amsam  Atri-kula-prasutam  Dattdttreydkhyam  drddhya  bdhu-sa- 
hasram  adharma  -  sevd  -  nivdranam  dharmena  prithivyayam  dharmatas 
chdnupdlanam  ardtibhyo  'parajayam  akhila  -jagat  -prakhyata  -purushafh 
cha  mrityum  ity  etdn  vardn  abhilaJhitavdn  leblie  cJia  \  tena  iyam  asesha- 
dvlpavatl  prithvl  samyak  paripdlitd  \  dasa-yajna-sahasrdny  asdv  ayajat  \ 
tasya  cha  slolco  'dyapi  giyate  "  na  nunam  kdrttaviryyasya  gatim  yasyanti 
parthivah  \  yajnairddnairtapolhiri'dprasrayenadamenacha"  \  anashta- 
dravyata  tasya  rdjye'bhavat  \  4.  Ev am  panchdslti-sahasrany  abdan  avyd- 
hatdrogya-srl-bala-pardkramo  rujyam  akarot  \  Mdhishmatyam  dig-vijayd- 
Ihydgato  Narmadd-jaldvagdhana-krldd-nipdna-maddkulena  ayatnenaiva 
tena  asesha-deva-daitya-gandharvesa-jayodbhuta-maddvalepo  ''pi  Rdvanah 
pasur  iva  laddhah  svanagaraikdnte  sthdpitah  \  5.  Yah  pancJitislti-var- 
sha-sahasropalalcshana-kdldvasdne  lhagavan-ndrdyandmsena  Parasurdmena 
upasaihhritah  \ 


478  EARLY  CONTESTS  BETWEEN 

"  From  Eritavirya  sprang  Arjuna,  who  was  lord  of  the  seven  dvlpas 
[circular  and  concentric  continents  of  which  the  earth  is  composed], 
and  had  a  thousand  arms.  Having  worshipped  a  portion  of  the  divine 
Being,  called  Dattattreya,  sprung  from  the  race  of  Atri,  he  sought  and 
obtained  these  boons,  viz.  a  thousand  arms,  the  power  of  restraining 
wrong  by  justice,  the  conquest  of  the  earth,  and  the  disposition  to  rule 
it  righteously,  invincibility  by  enemies,  and  death  at  the  hands  of  a  man 
renowned  over  the  whole  world.  By  him  this  earth,  with  all  its 
dvipas,  was  perfectly  governed.  He  offered  ten  thousand  sacrifices. 
To  this  day  this  verse  is  repeated  respecting  him  :  '  No  other  king  shall 
ever  equal  Kartavirya  in  regard  to  sacrifices,  liberality,  austerities, 
courtesy,  and  self-restraint.'  In  his  reign  no  property  was  ever  lost. 
4.  Thus  he  ruled  for  eighty-five  thousand  years  with  unbroken  health, 
prosperity,  strength,  and  valour.  "When  he*was  excited  by  sporting  in 
the  JSTarmada  and  by  drinking  wine,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  binding 
like  a  beast  Havana,  who  had  arrived  in  Mahishmatl  in  his  career  of 
conquest,  and  who  was  filled  with  arrogance,  arising  from  the  pride  of 
victory  over  all  the  gods,  daityas,  and  gandharva  chiefs,  and  imprisoning 
him  in  a  secret  place  in  his  capital.  At  the  end  of  his  reign  of  eighty- 
five  thousand  years  Arjuna  was  destroyed  by  Parasurama,  who  was  a 
portion  of  the  divine  N|rayana." 

The  Bhagavata  Purana,  ix.  23,  20-27,  assigns  to  him  the  same 
descent,  and  relates  of  him  nearly  the  same  particulars.  Yerse  23  says : 
Arjunah  Kritavlryyasya  sapta-dvlpesvaro  'bhavat  \  Dattattreyad  Harer 
amsat  prapta-yoga-mahagunah  \  "Arjuna' was  the  son  of  Kritavlrya, 
and  ruler  of  the  seven  dvlpas.  He  obtained  the  great  attribute  of  Yoga 
(supernatural  powers  arising  from  devotion)  from  Dattattreya,  who  was 
a  portion  of  Hari,"  etc. 

The  legend  of  Parasurama,  as  related,  is  of  course  fabulous.  Not  to 
speak  of  the  miraculous  powers  which  are  ascribed  to  this  hero,  and 
the  incredible  number  of  the  exterminations  which  he  is  said  to  have 
executed,  we  cannot  even  suppose  it  probable  that  the  Brahmans 
should  in  general  have  been  sufficiently  powerful  and  warlike  to 
overcome  the  Kshattriyas  by  force  of  arms.  But  the  legend  may 
have  had  some  small  foundation  in  fact.  Before  the  provinces  of 
the  sacerdotal  and  military  classes  were  accurately  defined,  there  may 
have  been  cases  in  which  ambitious  men  of  the  former  successfully 


THE  BRAHMANS  AND  KSHATTEITAS.  479 

aspired  to  kingly  dominion,  just  as  scions  of  royal  races  became  distin- 
guished as  priests  and  sages.  But  even  without  this  assumption,  the 
existence  of  such  legends  is  sufficiently  explained  by  the  position  which 
the  Brahmans  eventually  occupied.  With  the  view  of  maintaining 
their  own  ascendancy  over  the  minds  of  the  chiefs  on  whose  good  will 
they  were  dependent,  and  of  securing  for,  themselves  honour  and  profit, 
they  would  have  an  interest  in  working  upon  the  superstitious  feelings 
of  their  contemporaries  by  fabricating  stories  of  supernatural  punish- 
ments inflicted  by  their  own  forefathers  on  their  royal  oppressors,  as 
well  as  by  painting  in  lively  colours  the  prosperity  of  those  princes 
who  were  submissive  to  the  spiritual  order. 


480 


CHAPTEE   V. 

RELATION  OF  THE  BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS  TO  THE  NEIGHBOUR- 
ING TRIBES,  ACCOEDING  TO  MANU  AND  THE  PTJRANAS. 

I  now  propose  to  enquire  what  account  the  Indian  writers  give  of 
the  origin  of  those  tribes  which  were  not  comprehended  in  their  own 
polity,  hut  with  which,  as  dwelling  within,  or  adjacent  to,  the  boun- 
daries of  Hindustan,  their  countrymen  were,  in  ancient  times,  brought 
into  continual  and  familiar  co.ntact. 

It  appears  to  have  been  the  opinion  of  Manu,  the  great  authority  in 
all  matters  regarding  the  Hindu  religion  and  institutions  in  their  full 
development,  that  there  was  no  original  race  of  men  except  the  four 
castes  of  Brahmans,  K^hattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  S'udras ;  and  that  all 
other  nations  were  derived  from  these.  His  own  words  (x.  4)  are 
these :  Brdhmanah  kshattriyo  vaisyas  trayo  varnah  dvydtayah  \  chatur- 
thah  eliajdtis  tu  sudro  ndsti  tu  pancJiamah  \  "Three  castes,  the  Brah- 
man, the  Kshattriya,  and*  the  Vaisya,  are  twice-born  ;  the  fourth,  the 
S'udra,  is  once-born ;  and  there  is  no  fifth."  On  the  last  clause  of  this 
verse  Kulliika  Bhatta  annotates  thus :  PancJiamah  punar  varno  ndsti 
sanlclrna-jdtlndm  tv  asvatara-vad  mdfd-pitri-jdti-vyatirikta-jdty-antarat- 
vdd  na  varnatvam  \  ay  am  cha  jdty-antaropadesah  sdstre  samvyavaharandr- 
thah  |  "  There  is  no  fifth  caste ;  for  caste  cannot  be  predicated  of  the 
mixed  tribes,  from  the  fact  that,  like  mules,  they  belong  to  another 
species,  distinct  from  that  of  their  father  and  mother.  And  this 
reference,  which  is  made  in  the  S'astras  to  castes  other  than  the  four, 
is  merely  for  the  sake  of  convenience  and  conformity  to  common 
usage." 

Accordingly,  in  the  following  description  which  Manu  gives  in  the 
same  chapter  of  the  rise  of  the  inferior  castes,  they  are  all,  even  the 


BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS  AND  NEIGHBOURING  TRIBES.     481 

very  lowest,  such  as  Nishadas  and  Chandalas,  derived  from  the  mixture 
the  four  so-called  original  castes.  Thus,  in  verse  8  :  Bruhmanad  vaisya- 
kanytiydm  ambashtho  ndmajdyate  \  nishadah  sudra-kanydydm  yah  par a- 
sava  iichyate  \  "From  a  Brahman  father  and  a  Vaisya  mother  springs 
an  Ambashtha :  from  a  Brahman  father  and  a  S'udra  mother  is  born  a 
Nishada,  called  also  Parasava."1  Again,  in  verse  12.  Sudrdd  dyo- 
gavah  kshattd  chdnddlas  chddhamo  nrindm  \  vaisya  -  rdjanya  -  viprdsu 
jay  ante  varna-sankardh  \  "  From  a  S'udra,  by  women  of  the  Vaisya, 
Kshattriya,  and  Brahman  castes  are  born  those  mixed  classes,  the  Ayo- 
gava,  the  Kshattri,  and  the  Chandala,  lowest  of  men."  Again,  in 
verse  20  :  Dvijdtayahsavarndsu  janayanty  avratdms  tu  ydn  \  tan  savitrl- 
parilhrashtdn  vrdtydh  iti  vinirdiset  \  "Persons  whom  the  twice-born 
beget  on  women  of  their  own  classes,  but  who  omit  the  prescribed  rites, 
and  have  abandoned  the  gayatri,  are  to  be  designated  as  Vratyas."  2 
In  the  next  three  verses  the  inferior  tribes,  which  spring  from  the 
Brahman  Vratya,  the  Kshattriya  Vratya,  and  the  Vaisya  Vratya  respec- 
tively, are  enumerated. 

In  verses  43  and  44  it  is  stated :  S'anakais  tu  Icriyd-lopdd  imdh 

1  It  does  not  appear  how  the  account  of  the  origin  <)f  the  Nishada  race  from  king 
Vena,  given  above  in  pp.  301  and  303,   can  be  reconciled  with  this  theory  of  Manu; 
unless  recourse  be  had  to  the  explanation  that  that  story  relates  to  the  Svayambhuva 
Manvantara.     But  Manu's  narrative  seems  to  refer  to  the  same  period.     See  above, 
p.  39.     If  the  Vedic  expressions  panchajanah  and  the  other  corresponding  phrases 
signifying  "  the  five  tribes  "  be  rightly  interpreted  of  the  "  four  castes,  and  the  Nisha- 
das,"  we  might  understand  this  as  intimating  that  the  Nishadas  had  at  one  time  been 
regarded  as  a  distinct  race.     But  the  phrase  is  variously  understood  by  the  old  \redic 
commentators ;  as  has  been  shewn  above,  p.  177. 

2  Manu  says,  ii.  38  f.  :  A-sliodasad  brahmanasya  savitrl  nativarttate  \  a-dvavimsa^ 
kshattrabhandhor  a-chaturviirul ater  visah^  atah  urddham  trayo'py  ete  yatha-kalam 
asamskritah  \  savitrl-patitah  vratyah   bhavanty  aryya-nigarhitah  \    "  The  gayatri 
should  not,  in  the  case  of  a  Brahman,  be  deferred  beyond  the  sixteenth  year ;  nor  in 
the  case  of  a  Kshattriya  beyond  the  twenty- second  ;  nor  in  that  of  a  Vais'ya  beyond 
the  twenty-fourth.   After  these  periods  youths  of  the  three  classes,  who  have  not  been 
invested,  become  fallen  from  the  gayatri,  Vratyas,  contemned  by  respectable  men 
(Aryyas)."     In  the  following  verse  of  the  Mahabharata,  Anus'asanaparvan,  line  2621, 
a  different  origin  is  ascribed  to  the  Vratyas  :  Chandalo  vratya-vaidyau  cha  brahma- 
nyam  kshattriyasu  cha    \  vaisyayam  chaiva  sudrasya  lakshyante-'pasadas  trayah  \ 
"  The  three  outcaste  classes  are  the  Chandala,  the  Vratya,  and  the  Vaidya,  begotten 
by  a  S'udra  on  females  of  the  Brahman,  Kshattriya,  and  Vaisya  castes  respectively." 
A  Vratya,  therefore,  according  to  this  account,  is  the  son  of  a  S'udra  man  and  a 
Kshattriya  woman.     On  the  Vratyas,  see  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  i.  33,  52,  138, 
139,  445,  446,  etc. 

31 


482  RELATION  OF  THE  BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS 

kshattriya-jdtayah  \  vrishalatvam  gatdh  loke  Irdhmanddarsanena  cha  \ 
Paundrakas  chodra-draviddh  Kdmbojdh  Yavandh  S'akdh  \  Pdraddh  Pah- 
lavas  Chlndh  Eirdtdh  Daraddh  Khasdh  \  "  The  following  tribes  of 
Kshattriyas  have  gradually  sunk  into  the  state  of  Vrishalas  (outcasts), 
from  the  extinction  of  sacred  rites,  and  from  having  no  communication 
with  Brahmans ;  viz.  Paundrakas,  Odras,  Dravidas,  Kambojas,  Yavanas, 
S'akas,  Paradas,  Pahlavas,  Chinas,  Kiratas,  Daradas,  and  Khasas." 

The  same  thing  is  affirmed  in  the  Mahabharata,  Anusasanaparvan, 
verses  2103  f. :  S'akdh  Yavana-kdmbojds  ids  tdh  kshattriya-jdtayah  \ 
vrishalatvam  parigatdh  brdhmandndm  adarsandt  \  Dravidas  cha  Ka- 
lindds  cha  Pulindds  chdpy  Uslnardh  \  Kolisarpdh  Mdhishakds  ids  tdh 
kshattriya-jdtayah  ityddi  \  "These  tribes  of  Kshattriyas,  viz.  S'akas, 
Yavanas,  Kambojas,  Dravidas,  Kalindas,  Pulindas,  Usinaras,  Kolisarpas, 
and  Mahishakas,  have  become  Vrishalas  from  seeing  no  Brahmans." 
This  is  repeated  in  verses  2158-9,  where  the  following  additional 
tribes  are  named :  Mekalas,  Latas,  Konvasiras,  S'aundikas,  Darvas, 
Chauras,  S'avaras,  Barbaras,  and  Kiratas,  and  the  cause  of  degradation 
is,  as  in  verse  2103,  restricted  to  the  absence  of  Brahmans.  (Then 
follow  the  lines  (2160ff.)  in  glorification  of  the  Brahmans,  already 
quoted  in  p.  130.) 

The  Yavanas  are  said  in  the  Mahabharata,  Adiparvan,  section  85, 
verse  3533,  "to  be  descended  from  Turvasu,  the  Vaibhojas  from 
Druhyu,  and  the  Mlechha  tribes  from  Anu"  (Yados  tu  Yddavdh  jdtds 
Turvasor  Yavanah  smritdh  \  Druhyoh  sutds  tu  Vaibhojdh  Anos  tu 
mlechha-jdtayah  |).  Is  it  meant  by  this  that  the  Yavanas  are  not  to 
be  reckoned  among  the  Mlechhas  ?  Their  descent  from  Turvasu  is  not 
•however,  necessarily  in  conflict  with  the  assertion  of  the  authorities 
above  quoted,  that  they  are  degraded  Kshattriyas. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  determine  who  the  Yavanas,  and  other  tribes 
mentioned  in  the  text,  were. 

The  verse  which  succeeds  that  last  quoted  from  Manu  is  the  follow- 
ing :  45.  M-ukha-hdhuru-paj-jdndm  ydh  loke  jdtayo  vahih  \  mlechha- 
vdchas  chdryya-vdchah  sarve  te  dasyavah  smritah  \  "  Those  tribes  which 
are  outside  of  the  classes  produced  from  the  mouth,  arms,  thighs,  and 
feet,  [of  Brahma,  i.e.  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  S'udrasJ 
whether  they  speak  the  language  of  the  Mlechhas  or  of  the  Aryas, 
are  called  Dasyus."  The  interpretation  to  be  given  to  this  verse  turns 


TO   THE  NEIGHBOURING  TEIBES.  483 

upon  the  sense  which  we  assign  to  "  outside"  (vdhifi).  Does  it  mean 
that  the  Dasyus  were  of  a  stock  originally  distinct  from  that  of  the 
four  primeval  castes,  and  therefore  altogether  separate  from  those  tribes 
which  sprang  from  the  intermixture  of  those  four  castes,  or  which,  by 
the  neglect  of  sacred  rites,  apostatized  from  their  communion  ?  Or  does 
it  merely  mean  that  the  Dasyus  became  eventually  excluded  from  the 
fellowship  of  the  four  castes  ?  If  the  latter  sense  be  adopted,  then  Dasyu 
will  be  little  else  than  a  general  term  embracing  all  the  tribes  enume- 
rated in  verses  43  and  44.  The  commentator  Kulluka  understands  the 
word  in  the  latter  sense.  His  words  are :  £rdhmana-kshattriya-vaisya- 
sudrdnum  kriyd-lopddind  yah  jdtayo  vdhydh  jdtdh  mlechha-bhdshd- 
yuktdh  dryya-bhdshopetdh  vd  te  dasyavah  sarve  smritdh  \  "  All  the 
tribes,  which  by  loss  of  sacred  rites,  and  so  forth,  have  become  out- 
casts from  the  pale  of  the  four  castes,  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas, 
and  S'udras ;  whether  they  speak  the  language  of  the  Mlechhas  or  of 
the  Aryas,  are  called  Dasyus."  His  view  is  confirmed  by  a  short 
passage  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  quoted  above  (p.  358),  where  Vi6- 
vamitra,  speaking  to  his  sons,  says :  "  Let  your  descendants  possess  the 
furthest  ends  (of  the  country),"  and  the  author  of  the  Brahmana  adds : 
"  These  are  the  numerous  border-tribes,  the  Andhras,  Pundras,  S'abaras, 
Pulindas,  Mutibas.  Most  of  the  Dasyus  are  sprung  from  Visvamitra." 
Here  the  writer  of  this  ancient  Brahmana  connects  together  certain 
tribes  named  either  in  Manu,  or  in  the  Hahabharata,  as  degraded 
Kshattriyas,  with  the  appellation  Dasyu,  thus  intimating  that  the 
latter  was  a  general  name  embracing  all  the  former.  This  view  is 
further  confirmed  by  the  following  lines  of  the  Hahabharata,  book  ii. 
verses  1031-2  :  Daraddn  saha  Kdmbojair  ajayat  Pdkasdsanih  \  prdgut-^ 
tardm  disarn  ye  cJia  vasanty  dsritya  Dasyavah  \  "  The  son  of  Indra  con- 
quered the  Daradas  with  the  Kambojas,  and  the  Dasyus  who  dwell  in 
the  north-east  region;  "  and  still  more  by  the  annexed  verses  from, the 
Dronaparvan,  of  the  same  epic  poem,  4747  :  Kdmbojdndm  sahasraischa 
S'akdndm  cha  visdmpate  \  S  avardndm  Kirdtdnum  Varvarandm  tathaiva 
C?M  \  agamy a-rupdm  prithivlm  mdmsa-sonita-karddamdm  \  Icritavdihs 
tattra  S'aineyah  kshapayams  tdvakam  balam  \  Dasyundm  sa-sirastrdnaili 
srobhir  luna-murddhajaih  \  dirgha-kurchair  mahl  klrnd  vivarhair  anda- 
jair  iva  \  "  S'aineya,  destroying  thy  host,  converted  the  beautiful  earth 
into  a  mass  of  mud  with  the  flesh  and  blood  of  thousands  of  Kambojas, 


484  RELATION  OF  THE  BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS 

S'akas,  S'abaras,  Kiratas,  and  Yarvaras.  The  ground  was  covered  with 
the  shorn  and  hairless  but  long-bearded  heads  of  the  Dasyus,  and  their 
helmets,  as  if  with  birds  bereft  of  their  plumes."  Here  the  word 
Dasyu  is  evidently  a  general  term  for  the  tribes  named  just  before. 
Some  of  these  same  tribes  had  previously  been  called  Mlechhas  in 
verses  4716,  4723,  and  4745.  See  also  Sabhap.  1198  f. 

There  is  a  passage  in  the  S'antiparvan,  section  65,  lines  2429  ff., 
which  is  worth  quoting,  as  it  shows  that  the  Brahmans  of  that  age 
regarded  the  Dasyus  as  owing  allegiance  to  Brahmanical  institutions. 
King  Mandhatri  had  performed  a  sacrifice  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  a 
vision  of  Vishnu ;  who  accordingly  appeared  to  him  in  the  form  of 
Indra  (verse  2399).  The  following  is  a  part  of  their  conversation. 
Mandhatri  asks : 

2429.  Yavandh  Kirdtdh  Gdndhdrds  Chlndh  S'avara-varvardh  \  S'akds 
Tushdrdh  JZankas  cha  Pahlavds  chdndhra-madraJcdh  \  2430.  Paundrdh 
Pulinddh  Ramathdh  Kdmbojds  chaiva  sarvasah  \  brahma-kshattra-prasu- 
tds  cha  vaisydh  sudrds  cha  mdnavdh  \  fcatham  dharmdms  charishyanti 
sarve  vishaya-vdsinah  \  mad-vidhais  cha  katham  sthdpydh  sarve  vai  dasyu- 
jlvinah  \  etad  ichhdmy  ahaffi  srotum  bhagavams  tad  Iravzhi  me  \  tvam  ban- 
dhu-bhiito  hy  asmdkam  kshattriydndm  suresvara  \  Indrah  urdcha  \  mdtd- 
pitror  hi  susrushd  karttavya  sarva-dasyubhih  \  dchdryya-ffuru-susrushd 
tathaivdsrama-vdsmdm  \  bhumipdndtn,  cha  susrushd  karttaryd  sarva-dasyu- 
bhih |  veda-dharma-lcriyds  chaiva  teshdm  dharmo  vidhlyate  \  2435.  Pitri- 
yajntis  tathd  kupdh  prapds  cha  sayandni  cha  \  ddndni  cha  yathd-ktilam 
dvijebhyo  visrijet  sadd  \  ahimsd  satyam  akrodho  vriUi-ddydnupdlanam  \ 
bharanam  puttra-ddrdndm  saucham  adroha  eva  cha  \  dakshind  sarva- 
yajndndm  ddtavyd  bhutim  ichhatd  \  pakayajntih  mahdrhds  cha  ddtavydh 
sarva-dasyubhih  \  etdny  evamprakdrdni  vihitani  purd  'nagha  \  sarca- 
lohasya  karmdni  karttavydnlha  pdrthiva  \  Mandhdtd  uvdcha  \  drisyante 
mdnushe  loke  sarva-varneshu  Dasyavah  \  lingdntare  varttamdnah  dsra- 
meshu  chaturshv  api  \  Indrah  uvdcha  \  2440.  Vinashtdydm  danda-nltydm 
rdja-dharme  nir&krite  \  sampramuhyanti  bhutdni  rdja-daurdtmyato  'na- 
ffha  |  asanJchydtdh  bhavishyanti  bhikshavo  linginas  tathd  \  asramdndm 
vikalpds  cha  nivritte  'smin  krite  yuge  \  asrinvantah  purdndndm  dharmd- 
ndm  paramdh  gatih  \  utpatham  pratipatsyante  Icdma-manyu-samlritdh  \ 

" '  The  Yavanas,  Kiratas,  Gandharas,  Chinas,  Savaras,  Varvaras, 
S'akas,  Tusharas,  Kankas,  Pahlavas,  Andhras,  Madras,  Paundras,  Pu- 


TO  THE  NEIGHBOURING  TRIBES.  485 

lindas,  Kamathas,  Kambojas,  men  sprung  from  Brahmans,  and  from 
Kshattriyas,  persons  of  the  Yaisya  and  S'udra  castes — how  shall  all 
these  people  of  different  countries  practise  duty,  and  what  rules  shall 
kings  like  me  prescribe  for  those  who  are  living  as  Dasyus  ?  Instruct 
me  on  these  points ;  for  thou  art  the  friend  of  our  Kshattriya  race.' 
Indra  answers :  '  All  the  Dasyus  should  obey  their  parents,  their 
spiritual  directors,  persons  practising  the  rules  of  the  four  orders,  and 
kings.  It  is  also  their  duty  to  perform  the  ceremonies  ordained  in  the 
Yedas.  They  should  sacrifice  to  the'Pitris,  construct  wells,  buildings 
for  the  distribution  of  water,  and  resting  places  for  travellers,  and 
should  on  proper  occasions  bestow  gifts  on  the  Brahmans.  They 
should  practise  innocence,  veracity,  meekness,  purity,  and  inoffensive- 
ness;  should  maintain  their  wives  and  families;  and  make  a  just  di- 
vision of  their  property.  Gifts  should'be  distributed  at  all  sacrifices  by 
those  who  desire  to  prosper.  All  the  Dasyus  should  offer  costly  paka 
oblations.  Such  duties  as  these,  which  have  been  ordained  of  old, 
ought  to  be  observed  by  all  people.'  Mandhatri  observes:  '  In  this 
world  of  men,  Dasyus  are  to  be  seen  in  all  castes,  living,  under  other 
garbs,  even  among  men  of  the  four  orders  (asramas).'  Indra  replies : 
'  "When  criminal  justice  has  perished,  and  the  duties  of  government  are 
disregarded,  mankind  become  bewildered  through  the  wickedness  of 
their  kings.  When  this  Krita  age  has  come  to  a  close,  innumerable 
mendicants  and  hypocrites  shall  arise,  and  the  four  orders  become  dis- 
organized. Disregarding  the  excellent  paths  of  ancient  duty,  and  im- 
pelled by  passion  and  by  anger,  men  shall  fall  into  wickedness,' "  etc. 
In  these  last  lines  it  is  implied  that  the  Brahmanical  polity  of  castes 
and  orders  was  fully  developed  in  the  Krita  [or  golden]  age.  This, 
idea,  however,  is  opposed  to  the  representations  which  we  find  in  some 
though  not  in  all  other  passages.  See  above,  the  various  texts  adduced 
in  the  first  chapter. 

In  the  Yishnu  Purana,  .Bharatavarsha  (India)  is  said  to  "have  its 
eastern  border  occupied  by  the  Kiratas;  and  the  western  by  the  Ya- 
vanas ;  while  the  middle  is  inhabited  by  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and 
S'udras,  engaged  in  their  several  fixed  occupations  of  sacrifice,  war, 
trade,  etc."  (Yishnu  Purana,  ii.  3,  7.  Purve  Kirdtdh  yasydnte  paschime 
Yavandh  sthitdh  \  Irdhmandh  kshattriydh  vaisydh  madhye  sudrds  cha 
IMgasah  \  ijyd-yuddha-vanijyddyair  varttayanto  vyavasthithdh  |). 


486  RELATION  OF  THE  BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS 

Manu's  account  of  the  origin  of  the  Yavanas,  S'akas,  Kambojas,  etc., 
corresponds  with  the  tenor  of  the  following  story,  which  we  find  in  the 
fourth  book  of  the  Yishnu  Purana,  sect.  3.  Bahu,  the  seventh  king 
in  descent  from  Harischandra  (see  above,  p.  379)  was  overcome  by  the 
Haihayas  and  Talajanghas,3  and  compelled  to  fly  with  his  queens  to 
the  forests,  where  he  died.  After  his  death  one  of  his  wives  gave  birth 
to  a  son,  who  received  the  name  of  S'agara.  When  he  had  grown  up, 
the  youth  learnt  from  his  mother  all  that  had  befallen  his  father. 

Para.  18.  TataTi  pitri-rdjya-harandmarshito  Haihaya-Tdlajanghddi- 
ladhdya pratijndm  alcarot prdyasascha  Haihaydn  jaghdna  \  S'aka-Yavana- 
Kdmboja  -Pdrada  -Pahlavdh  hanyamdnds  tat-lcula-gurum  Vaiishtham 
iaranam  yayuh  \  19.  Atha, etdnVasishtho  jlvan-mritakan  kritvd  Sagaram 
dha  "  vatsa  vatsa  alam  ebhir  ati-jlvan-mritakair  amisritaih  \  20.  Ete 
cha  mayd  eva  tvat-pratijnd-paripdlandya  nija-dharma-dvya-sanga-pari- 
tydgam  kdritdh "  |  21.  Sa  "  tathd"  iti  tad  guru-vachanam  abhinandya 
teshdm  veshdnyatvam  akdrayat  \  Yavandn  apamundita-siraso  'rddha- 
munddn  S'akdn  pralamla-kesdn  Pdraddn  Pahlavdms  cha,  smasru-dhardn 
nih-svddhydya-vdshatlcdrdn  etdn  anydms  cha  Tcshattriydn  chakdra  \  te  cha 
nija-dharma-paritydgdd  Irdhmanais  parity ahtdh  mlechhatdm  yayuh  \ 

"  Being  vexed  at  the  rloss  of  his  paternal  kingdom,  he  vowed  to 
exterminate  the  Haihayas  and  other  enemies  who  had  conquered  it. 
Accordingly  he  destroyed  nearly  all  the  Haihayas.  "When  the  S'akas, 
Yavanas,  Kambojas,  Paradas,  and  Pahlavas  were  about  to  undergo 
a  similar  fate,  they  had  recourse  to  Yasishtha,  the  king's  family-priest, 
who  interposed  in  their  behalf  in  these  words  addressed  to  Sagara, 
representing  them  as  virtually  dead  :  '  You  have  done  enough,  my  son, 
in  the  way  of  pursuing  these  men,  who  are  as  good  as  dead.  In  order 
that  your  vow  might  be  fulfilled,  I  have  compelled  them  to  abandon  the 
duties  of  their  caste,  and  all  association  with  the  twice-born.'  Agree- 
ing to  his  spiritual  guide's  proposal,  Sagara  compelled  these  tribes  to 
alter  their  costume.  He  made  the  Yavanas  shave  their  heads,  the 
S'akas  shave  half  their  heads,  the  Paradas  wear  long  hair,  and  the 
Pahlavas  beards.  These  and  other  Kshatriyas  he  deprived  of  the 

3  See  Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  4to.  edit.,  p.  416  and  418  note.  In  the  note  to 
p.  418  the  Avantyas  are  mentioned,  on  the  authority  of  the  Vayu  Purana,  as  being  a 
branch  of  the  Haihayas.  In  Manu,  x.  21,  the  Avantyas  are  said  to  be  descended 
from  Brahman  Vratyas. 


TO  THE  NEIGHBOURING  TRIBES.  487 

study  of  the  Vedas,  and  the  vashatkara.  In  consequence  of  their 
abandonment  of  their  proper  duties,  and  of  thei  rdesertion  by  the 
Brahmans,  they  became  Hlechhas." 

This  story  is  also  related  in  the  Harivamsa,  from  which  I  extract 
the  concluding  part  of  the  narrative : 

773.  Aurvas  tu  jdtakarmddi  tasya  kritvd  mahdtmanah  \  adhydpya  ve~ 
dun  akhildn  tato  'stram  pratyapddayat  \  dgneyam  tu  mahdldhur  amarair 
api  dumaham  \  sa  tendstra-balendjau  lalena  cha  samanvitah  \  Ha}haydn 
nijaghdndsu  Icruddho  Rudrah  pasun  iva  \  djahdra  cha  lokeshu  kirttim 
klrttimatdm  varah  \  tatah  S'akdn  sa-yavandn  Kdmlojtin  Pdraddms  tathd  \ 
Pahlavdms  chaiva  nisseshdn  karttum  vyavasitah  kila  \  te  ladhyamdndh 
vlrena  Sagarena  mahdtmand  \  Vasishtham  saranani  gatvd  pranipetur  manl- 
shinam  I  Vasishthas  tv  atha  tan  drishtvd  samayena  mahddyutih  \  Saga/ram 
vdraydmdsa  teshdih  dattvd  'bhyam  tadd  \  Sagarah  svdm  pratijndm  cha 
guror  vdkyam  nisamya  cha  \  dharmam  jaghdna  teshdm  vai  vesdnyatvam 
chakdra  ha  \  arddham  S'akdndm  siraso  mundayitvd  vyasarjayat  \  Yavan- 
dndm  sirah  sarvam  JTdmbojundm  tathaiva  cha  \  Pdraddh  mukta-kesdscha 
Pahlavdh  smasru  -  dhdrinah  \  nissvddhydya  -  vashatkdrah  kritds  tena 
mahdtmand  \  S'akdh  Yavana-kdmlojdh  Pdraddh  Pahlavds  tathd  \  Koli- 
sarpdh  sa-Mahishdh  Ddrvas  Choldh  sa-Keraldh  \  sarve  te  kshattriyds  tdta 
teshdm  dharmo  nirdkritah  \  Vasishtha-vachandfl  rdjan  Sagarena  ma- 
hdtmand | 

"  Aurva  having  performed  Sagara's  natal  and  other  rites,  and  taught 
him  all  the  Vedas,  then  provided  him  with  a  fiery  missile,  such  as 
even  the  gods  could  not  withstand.  By  the  power  of  this  weapon, 
and  accompanied  by  an  army,  Sagara,  incensed,  speedily  slew  the 
Haihayas,  as  Rudra  slaughters  beasts;  and  acquired  great  renown 
throughout  the  world.  He  then  set  himself  to  exterminate  the  S'akas, 
Tavanas,  Kambojas,  Paradas,  and  Pahlavas.  But  they,  when  on  the 
point  of  being  slaughtered  by  Sagara,  had  recourse  to  the  sage 
Yasishtha,  and  fell  down  before  him.  Vasishtha  beholding  them, 
by  a  sign  restrained  Sagara,  giving  them  assurance  of  protection. 
Sagara,  after  considering  his  own  vow,  and  listening  to  what  his 
teacher  had  to  say,  destroyed  their  caste  (dharma),  and  made  them 
change  their  costumes.  He  released  the  S'akas,  after  causing  the  half 
of  their  heads  to  be  shaven; — and  the  Yavanas  and  Kambojas,  after 
having  had  their  heads  entirely  shaved.  The  Paradas  were  made  to  wear 


488     BRAHMANICAL  INDIANS  AND  NEIGHBOURING  TRIBES. 

long  hair,  and  the  Pahlavas  to  wear  beards.  They  were  all  excluded 
from  the  study  of  the  Vedas,  and  from  the  vashatkara.  The  S'akas, 
Tavanas,  Kambojas,  Paradas,  Pahlavas,  Kolisarpas,  Mahishas,  Darvas, 
Cholas,  and  Keralas  had  all  been  Kshattriyas ;  but  were  deprived  of 
their  social  and  religious  position  by  the  great  Sagara,  according  to  the 
advice  of  Vasishtha."  Other  tribes  are  mentioned  in  the  following 
line  who  seem  to  have  undergone  the  same  treatment. 

It  would  appear  from  this  legend,  as  well  as  from  the  quotations 
which  preceded  it,  that  the  Epic  and  Puranic  writers  believed  all  the 
surrounding  tribes  to  belong  to  the  same  original  stock  with  them- 
selves ;  though  they,  at  the  same  time,  erroneously  imagined  that  these 
tribes  had  fallen  away  from  the  Brahmanical  institutions ;  thus  assign- 
ing to  their  own  polity  an  antiquity  to  which  it  could  in  reality  lay  no 
claim.  Any  further  explanation's  on  these  points,  however,  must  be 
sought  in  the  second  volume  of  this  work. 

In  the  passages  quoted  above,  pp.  391,  393,  and  398  from  the  Maha- 
bharata  and  Ramayana,  it  is  stated  that  S'akas,  Yavanas,  Pahlavas,  etc., 
were  created  by  Vasishtha's  wonder-working  cow,  in  order  to  repel  the 
aggression  of  Yis  vamitra.  It  does  not,  however,  appear  that  it  is  the 
object  of  that  legend  to  represent  this  miraculous  creation  as  the  origin 
of  those  tribes.  The  narrators,  if  they  had  any  distinct  meaning,  may 
not  have  intended  anything  more  than  that  the  cow  called  into  exist- 
ence large  armies,  of  the  same  stock  with  particular  tribes  previously 
existing. 

It  is  not  very  easy  to  say  whether  it  is  only  the  inhabitants  of  Bha- 
ratavarsha  (viz.  that  portion  of  Jambudvlpa  which  answers  to  India) 
whom  the  Puranic  writers  intend  to  represent  as  deriving  their  origin 
from  the  four  primeval  Indian  castet,.  Perhaps  the  writers  themselves 
had  no  very  clear  ideas.  At  all  events  the  conditions  of  life  are  dif- 
ferent in  the  two  cases.  The  accounts  which  these  writers  give  us  of 
the  other  divisions  of  Jambudvlpa,  and  of  the  other  Dvipas,  or  con- 
tinents, of  which  they  imagined  the  earth  to  be  composed,  and  their 
respective  inhabitants,  will  be  considered  in  the  next  chapter. 


489 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PAETS  OF  THE  EARTH 
EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA. 

It  will  clearly  appear  from  the  contents  of  the  present  chapter 
that  the  authors  or  compilers  of  the,  Puranas  in  reality  knew  nothing 
of  any  part  of  the  world  except  that  immediately  around  them. 
Whenever  they  wander  away  beyond  their  own  neighbourhood,  they 
at  once  lose  themselves  in  a  misty  region  of  fiction,  and  give  the  most 
unbridled  scope  to  their  fantastic  imaginations. 

The  following  is  the  account  given  in  the  Vishnu  Purana  regarding 
the  divisions  of  the  earth,  and  their  inhabitants.  Priyavrata,  son  of 
Svayambhuva,  or  the  first  Manu  (see  above,  pp.  65  and  72)  who  is 
separated  from  the  present  time  by  an  enormoils  interval  (see  pp.  43  ff. 
and  298,  above),  "  distributed  the  seven  dvipas,1  of  which  the  earth  is 
composed,  among  seven  of  his  sons  "  (ii.  1,  7.  Priyavrato  dadau  tesJidm 
saptdndm  muni-sattama  \  vilhajya  sapta  dvlpdni  Maitreya  sumahdt- 
mandm}. 

The  Bhagavata  Purana  gives  us  the  following  account,  v.  1.  30.  Tad 
analhinandan  sama-javena  rathena  jyotirmayena  rajariim  api  dinam  kafi- 
shydmi  iti  saptakritvas  taranim  anuparyyalcrdmad  dvitiyah  iva  patan- 
gah  \  \_evam  kurvdnam  Priyavratam  agatya  Chaturananas  "  tavudhikdro 
'yam  na  lliavati"  iti  nivdraydmdsa~\  (The  words  in  brackets  are  not  in 
the  Bombay  edition,  but  are  taken  from  Burnouf's.)  31.  Ye  vai  u  ha 
tad-ratha-cliarana-nemi-krita-pariklidtds  te  sapta  sindhavah  dsan  yatah 
eva Icritdh  sapta  bhuvo  dvipdh  \2  "  Priyavrata,  being  dissatisfied  that  only 

1  The  original  division  of  the  earth  into  seven  continents  is  assigned  to  Naruyana 
in  the  form  of  Brahma  ;  see  above,  pp.  51  and  76. 

2  In  this  passage  we  find  the  particles  vai,  ti,  ha,  occurring  all  together  as  they  do 
in  the  Vedic  hymns  and  Brahmanas.     This  circumstance  might  seem  to  suggest  the 


490       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

half  the  earth  was  illuminated  at  one  time  by  the  solar  rays,  "followed 
the  sun  seven  times  round  the  earth  in  his  own  flaming  car  of  equal 
velocity,  like  another  celestial  orb,  resolved  to  turn  night  into  day. 
[Brahma,  however,  came  and  stopped  him,  saying  this  was  not  his 
province.]  The  ruts  which  were  formed  by  the  motion  of  his  chariot 
wheels  were  the  seven  oceans.  In  this  way  the  seven  continents  of 
the  earth  were  made." 

The  same  circumstance  is  alluded  to  at  the  commencement  of  the 
16th  section  of  the  same  book,  where  the  king  says  to  the  rishi: 
verse  2.  Tattrdpi  Priyavrata-ratha-charana-parikhataih  saptalhih  sapta 
sindhavah  upaklriptah  \  yatah  etasydh  sapta-dvipa-visesha-vikalpas  tvaya 
lhagavan  Tchalu  suchitah  \  "  The  seven  oceans  were  formed  by  the  seven 
ruts  of  the  wheels  of  Priyavrata's  chariot ;  hence,  as  you  have  indicated, 
the  earth  has  become  divided  into  seven  different  continents." 

It  is  clear  that  this  account  given  by  the  Bhagavata  Purana  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  seven  oceans  and  continents  were  formed  does  not 
agree  with  the  description  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  as  quoted  above 
in  p.  51. 

These  seven  continents  are  called  "  Jambu  dvipa,  Plaksha  dvipa,  S'al- 

possibility  of  the  passage,  or  its  substance,  being  derived  from  some  of  the  Brahmanas 
(to  which,  as  we  have  seen,  p/155  note,  the  compiler  of  this  Purana  was  in  the 
habit  of  resorting  for  his  materials) ;  but  the  style  has  otherwise  nothing  of  an. 
archaic  caste,  and  I  am  not  aware  that  the  dvipas  are  mentioned  in  any  of  the 
Brahmanas.  It  is  also  remarkable  that  the  words  sapta  sindhavah  are  here  used  for 
"  seven  oceans."  This  phrase  occurs  several  times  in  the  Vedas.  For  instance,  it  is 
to  be  found  in  the  Vajasaneyi  Sanhita  (of  the  Yajur-veda),  38,  26,  yavatl  dyava- 
prithivl  yavach  cha  sapta  sindhavo  vitasthire  \  "As  wide  as  are  the  earth  and  sky, 
and  as  far  as  the  seven  oceans  extend."  The  commentator  Mahidhara  understands 
the  latter  in  the  Puranic  sense,  as  the  oceans  of  milk,  etc.  (sapta,  sindhavah  sapta 
saifiudrah  kshlradyah).  The  hemistich  I  have  quoted  from  the  Vaj.  Sanhita  occurs 
somewhat  modified,  and  in  a  different  connexion,  in  the  Atharva-veda,  iv.  6,  2.  The 
same  phrase,  sapta  sindhavah,  is  to  be  found  also  in  several  places  in  the  first  Book  of 
the  Rig-veda.  (See  Benfey's  Glossary  to  Sama-veda,  sub  voce  saptan.}  In  Rig-vedai.  32, 
12,  it  is  said  to  Indra  avasrijah  sarttave  sapta  sindhun  \  "Thou  hast  let  loose  the 
seven  rivers  to  flow."  Sayana  understands  this  of  the  Ganges  and  other  rivers,  seven 
in  number,  mentioned  in  the  Rig  Veda,  x.  75,  5  :  imam  me  Gange  Yamune  Sarasvati 
S'utudri  stomam  sachata  Parushnya  \  "  Receive  this  my  hymn  with  favour,  o  Ganga, 
Yamuna,  Sarasvati,  S'utudri,  with  the  Parushni,  etc. ;"  but  in  this  distich  ten  rivers 
in  all  are  mentioned.  (See  "Wilson's  note  to  Rig-veda,  i.  32,  12,  vol.  i.  p.  88,  of  his 
translation).  See  also  hymns  34,  8  ;  35,  8  ;  71,  7  ;  and  102,  2,  of  the  first,  and  58, 
12,  and  85,  1,  of  the  eighth  Books  of  the  Rig-veda.  The  "seven  rivers"  of  the 
Veda  are,  according  to  Professor  Miiller  (Chips  from  a  German  Workshop,  vol.  i. 
p.  63),  "  the  Indus,  the  five  rivers  of  the  Penjab  and  the  Sarasvati." 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  491 

mali  dvipa,  Kusadvipa,  Krauncha  dvipa,  S'aka  dvipa,  andPushkara  dvipa. 
They  are  surrounded  severally  by  seven  great  seas,  of  salt  water,  sugar- 
cane juice,  wine,  clarified  butter,  curds,  milk,  and  fresh  water"(Y.P.  ii.  2, 
4.  Jambu-plakshdhvayau  dvlpau  S'dlmalis  chdparo  dvija  \  Kusah  Kraun- 
chas  tatJid  S'dJcah  Pushkaras  chaiva  saptamah  \  5.  Ete  dvipdh  samudrais 
tu  sapta  saptabhir  dvritdh  \  lavanekshu-surd-sarpir-dadhi-dugdha-jalaih 
samam  |).  Jambu  dvipa  is  in  the  centre  of  all  these  continents  (Wilson, 
vol.  ii.  p.  110).  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Agnldhra,  son  of  Priyavrata,  who 
again  divided  it  among  his  nine  sons  (Wilson,  ii.  101).  In  the  centre 
of  Jambu  dvipa  is  the  golden  mountain  Meru,  84,000  yojanas  high,  and 
crowned  by  the  great  city  of  Brahma  (ibid.  p.  118).  There  are  in  this 
continent  six  cross-ranges  of  boundary-mountains,  those  of  Himavat 
(=Himadri,  or  Himalaya),  Hemakuta,  and  Nishadha  lying  south  of 
Meru;  and  those  of  Nila,  SVeta,  and  S'ringin,  situated  to  the  north- 
ward. Of  these,  Nishadha  and  Nila  are  the  nearest  to  Meru,  while 
Himavat  and  S'ringin  are  at  the  south  and  north  extremities.  The 
nine  Yarshas  or  divisions  of  Jambu  dvipa,  separated  by  these  and  other 
ranges,  are  Bharata  (India),  south  of  the  Himavat  mountains,  and  the 
southernmost  of  all ;  then  (2)  Kimpurusha,  (3)  Harivarsha,  (4)  Ilavrita, 
(5)  Ramyaka,  (6)  Hiranmaya,  and  (7)  Uttara  Kuru,  each  to  the  north 
of  the  last;  while  (8)  Bhadrasva  and  (9)  Ketumala  lie  respectively  to 
the  east  and  west  of  Ilavrita,  the  central  region.  Bharata  Varsha,  and 
Uttara  Kuru,  as  well  as  Bhadrasva  and  Ketumala/  are  situated  on  the 
exterior  of  the  mountain  ranges.  (Wilson,  ii.  pp.  114-116,  and  123.) 
The  eight  Varshas  to  the  north  of  Bharata  Varsha  (or  India)  are  thus 
described : 

Y.P.  ii.  1,  11.  Ydni  Kimpurushddlni  varshdny   asldau  mahumune  \ 
teshdm  svdbhdwiki  siddhih  sukha-p^dyd  hy  ayatnatah  \    12.  Viparyyayo 

z  The  Mahabharata  tells  us,  Bhishmaparvan,  verses  227-8,  in  regard  to  the  Varsha 
of  Ketumala  :  ayur  dasa  sahasrani  varshanam  tattra  Bharata  \  suvarna-varnai  cha 
narah  striyas'  chapsarasopamah  \  anamnyah  vlta-sokah  nityam  mudita-manasah  \ 
jayante  manavas  tattra  nishtapta-kanaka-prabhah  \  "The  people  there  live  ten 
thousand  years.  The  men  are  of  the  colour  of  gold,  and  the  women  fair  as  celestial 
nymphs.  Men  are  born  there  of  the  colour  of  burnished  gold,  live  free  from  sickness 
and  sorrow,  and  enjoy  perpetual  happiness."  The  men  by  the  side  of  the  mountain 
Gandhamadana,  west  of  Meru,  are  said  (v.  231)  "  to  be  black,  of  great  strength  and 
vigour,  while  the  women  are  of  the  colour  of  blue  lotuses,  and  very  beautiful"  (tattra 
krishnah  narah  rajams  tejo-yuktah  mahabalah  \  striyas  chotpala-varnabhah  sarvah 
supriya-darsanah). 


492       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

na  tattrdsti  jard-mrityu-lJiayam  na  cha  \  dharmtidharmau  na  teshv  dstdm 
nottamddhama-madhyamdh  \  na  teshv  asti  yugdvasthd  Jcshettreshv  ashtasu 
sarvadd  \ 

"In  the  eight  Varshas,  called  Kimpurusha  and  the  rest  (i.e.  in  all 
except  Bharata  Yarsha)  the  inhabitants  enjoy  a  natural  perfection  at- 
tended with  complete  happiness  obtained  without  exertion.  There  is 
there  no  vicissitude,  nor  decrepitude,  nor  death,  nor  fear ;  no  distinction 
of  virtue  and  vice,  none  of  the  inequalities  denoted  by  the  words  best, 
worst,  and  intermediate,  nor  any  change  resulting  from  the  succession 
of  the  four  yugas."  And  again  : 

ii.  2,  35.  Ydni  Kimpurushddydni  varshdny  ashtau  mahdmune  \  na 
teshu  soko  ndydso  nodvega-kshud-hhayddikam  \  sustlidh  prajdh  nirdtanJcdh 
sarva-duhlcha-vivarjjitdh  \  36.  Dasa-dvddasa-varshdndili  sahasrdni  sthird- 
yushah  \  na  teshu  var skate  devo  lhaumydny  ambhdmsi  teshu  vai  \  37. 
Krita-tretddikd  naiva  teshu  sthdneshu  Icalpand  \ 

"In  those  eight  Yarshas  there  is  neither  grief,  nor  weariness,  nor 
anxiety,  nor  hunger,  nor  fear.  The  people  live  in  perfect  health,  free 
from  every  suffering,  for  ten  or  twelve  thousand  years.  Indra  does  not 
rain  on  those  Yarshas,  for  they  have  abundance  of  springs.  There  is 
there  no  division  of  time  into  the  Krita,  Treta,  and  other  ages." 

The  Uttara  Kurus,  it(  should  be  remarked,  may  have  been  a  real 
people,  as  they  are  mentioned  in  the  Aitareya  Brahmana,  viii.  14  : 4 

Atlia  enam  udlcJiydm  disi  visve  devdh  shadbhis  chaiva  panchavimsair 
ahobhir  abhyashinchann  etena  cha  trichena  etena  cha  yajushd  etdlJiis  cha 
vydhritibhir  vairdjydya  \  tasmdd  etasydm  udwhydm  disi  ye  fee  cha  parena 
Himavantam  janapaddh  "Uttara-Kuravah  Uttara-Madrdh"  iti  vaird- 
jydya  eva  te  'IhishicJiyante  \ 

"  Then  in  the  northern  region  duriug  six  days  on  which  the  Pancha- 
vifhsa  stoma  was  recited,  the  Yisve-devas  inaugurated  him  (Indra)  for 
glorious  dominion  with  these  three  rik-verses,  this  yajush-verse,  and 
these  mystic  monosyllables.  Wherefore  the  several  nations  who  dwell 
in  this  northern  quarter,  beyond  the  Himavat,  the  Uttara  Kurus  and 
the  Uttara  Madras,  are  consecrated  to  glorious  dominion  (vairdjya\  and 
people  term  them  the  glorious  (viraj).'1  See  Colebrooke's  Misc.  Essays, 
i.  38-43;  Dr.  Haug's  translation  of  the  Ait.  Brahmana;  and  Prof. 
"Weber's  review  of  this  translation  in  Ind.  Studien,  ix.  pp.  341  f. 
4  Quoted  by  Weber  in  Ind.  St.  i.  218. 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  493 

In  another  passage  of  the  same  work,5  however,  the  Uttara  Kurus 
are  treated  as  belonging  to  the  domain  of  mythology  : 

Ait.  Br.  viii.  23.  Etaiii  ha  vai  aindram  mahdbhishekam  Vdsishthah 
Sdtahavyo'tyardtayeJdnantapayeprovdcha  \  tasmdd  u  Atyaratir  Jdnan- 
tapir  tirdjd  san  vidyayd  samantam  sarvatah  prithivlm  jayan  parlydya  \ 
sa  ha  uvdcha  Vdsishthah  Sdtyahavyah  "  ajaishlr  vai  samantam  sarvatah 
prithivlm  mahad  md  gamaya  "  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  Atyaratir  Jdnantapir 
"  yadd  brdhmana  uttara-kurun  jayeyam  tvam  u  ha  eva  prithivyai  rdjd 
sydh  sendpatir  eva  te  'ham  sydm"  iti  \  sa  ha  uvdcha  Vdsishthah  Sdtya- 
havyo  "  deva-kshettram  vai  tad  na  vai  tad  marttyo  jetum  arhaty  adruksho 
me  d  'tah  idam  daden  iti  \  tato  ha  Atyardtim  Jdnantapim  dtta-viryyam 
nissukram  amitra-tapanah  S'ushminah  S'aivyo  rdjd  jaghdna  \  tasmdd 
evam-vidushe  Irdhmandya  evam-chakrushe  kshattriyo  na  druhyed  na  id 
rdshtrdd  avapadyeyad  (?)  na  id  vdma-prdno  jahad  iti  \ 

"  Satyahavya  of  the  family  of  Vasishtha  declared  this  great  inaugu- 
ration similar  to  Indra's  to  Atyarati,  son  of  Janantapa;  and  in  con- 
sequence Atyarati,  though  not  a  king,  by  his  knowledge,  went  round 
the  earth  on  every  side  to  its  ends,  reducing  it  to  subjection.  Satya- 
havya then  said  to  him,  '  Thou  hast  subdued  the  earth  in  all  directions 
to  its  limits ;  exalt  me  now  to  greatness.'  Atyarati  replied,  '  When, 
o  Brahman,  I  conquer  the  TJttara  Kurus,  thpu  shalt  be  king  of  the 
earth,  and  I  will  be  only  thy  general.'  Satyahavya  rejoined,  'That  is 
the  realm  of  the  gods  ;  no  mortal  may  make  the  conquest  of  it :  Thou 
hast  wronged  me  ;  therefore  I  take  all  this  away  from  thee.'  In  con- 
sequence S'ushmina,  king  of  the  S'ivis,  vexer  of  his  foes,  slew  Atyarati 
son  of  Janantapa  who  had  been  bereft  of  his  valour  and  energy. 
Wherefore  let  no  Kshattriya  wrong  a  Brahman  who  possesses  su^ch 
knowledge  and  has  so  acted,  lest  he  should  be  expelled  from  his 
kingdom,  be  short-lived,  and  perish." 

The  TJttara  Kurus  are  also  mentioned  in  the  description  of  the 
northern  region  in  the  Kishkindha  Kanda  of  the  Ramayana,  43,  38, 
'Uttardh  ffuravas  tatra  krita-punya-pratisrdyah  \  "  There  are  the 
TJ.ttara  Kurus,  the  abodes  of  those  who  have  performed  works  of  merit." 
In  v.  57  it  is  said :  na  kathanchana  gantavyaih  kurundm  uttarena  vah  \ 
anyeshdm  api  Ihutdndm  ndnukrdmati  vai  gatih  \  "  You  must  not  go 
to  the  north  of  the  Kurus :  other  beings  also  may  not  proceed  further." 

5  See  Colebrooke's  Essays,  i.  43  ;  Dr.  Haug's  translation  ;  and  Ind.  Stud.  ix.  346. 


494       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

In  the  same  way  when  Arjuna,  in  his  career  of  conquest,  arrives  at 
the  country  of  the  Uttara  Kurus  in  Harivarsha,  he  is  thus  addressed 
hy  the  guards  at  the  gate  of  the  city,  M.  Bh,  Sabhaparvan,  1045  : 

Pdrtha  nedam  tvayd  sakyam  puram  jetuni  Jcathanchana  \  updvarttasva 
kalydna  parydptam  idam  Achyuta  \  idam  puram  yah  pravised  dtyuvam 
na  sa  bhaved  narah  \  .  .  .  .  na  chdttra  kinchij  jetavyam  Arjundttra  pra- 
drisyate  \  Uttardh  Kuravo  hy  ete  ndttra  yuddham  pravarttate  \  pravishto 
'pi  hi  Kaunteya  neha  drakshyasi  kinchana  \  na  hi  mdnusha-dehena  sakyam 
attrdbhwlkshitum  \ 

11  Thou  canst  not,  son  of  Pritha,  suhdue  this  city.  Kefrain,  fortu- 
nate man,  for  it  is  completely  secure.  He  who  shall  enter  this  city 

must  be  certainly  more  than  man Nor  is  there  anything  to  be 

seen  here  which  thou  canst  conquer.  Here  are  the  Uttara  Kurus, 
whom  no  one  attempts  to  assail.  And  even  if  thou  shouldst  enter,  thou 
couldst  behold  nothing.  For  no  one  can  perceive  anything  here  with 
human  senses."6 

In  the  Anusasanaparvan,  line  2841,  Kusika  says,  on  seeing  a  magic 
palace  formed  by  Chyavana  (see  above,  p.  475): 

Aho  saha  sarlrena  prdpto  'smi  paramdm  gatim  \  Uttardn  vd  Kurun 
punydn  athavd  'py  Amardvatlm  \ 

"  I  have  attained,  even  in  my  embodied  condition,  to  the  heavenly 
state ;  or  to  the  holy  Northern  Kurus,  or  to  Amaravati  [the  city  of 
Indra] ! " 

"  The  country  to  the  north  of  the  ocean,  and  to  the  south  of  the 
Himadri  (or  snowy  range),  is  Bharata  Varsha,  where  the  descendants 
of  Bharata  dwell"  (V.P.  ii.  3,  1.  Uttaram  yad  samudrasya  Himddres 
chaiva  dakshinam  \  varsham  tad  Bhdrataih  ndma  Bhdratl  yattra  santatih). 
It  is  divided  into  nine  parts  (Iheddh},  Indradvipa,  Kaserumat,  Tamra- 
yarna,  Gabhastimat,  Nagadvlpa,  Saumya,  Gandharva,  Varuna;  and 
"this  ninth  dvipa,"  which  is  not  named,  is  said  to  be  "surrounded  by 
the  ocean"  ay  am  tu  navamas  teshdm  dvipah  sdgara-samvritali),  and  to 
be  a  thousand  yojanas  long  from  north  to  south.  "  On  the  east  side  of 
it  are  the  Kiratas,  on  the  west  the  Yavanas,  and  in  the  centre  are  the 
Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and  S'udras,  following  their  respective 
occupations  of  sacrifice,  arms,  trade,  etc."  (The  text  of  this  passage, 
V.P.  ii.  3,  7,  has  been  already  quoted  in  p.  485). 

6  See  the  second  vol.  of  this  work,  pp.  332-337,  and  vol.  iv.,  p.  375. 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  495 

The  Vishnu  Purana  contains  a  very  short  list  of  the  tribes  inhabiting 
Bharata  Varsha.  (See  Wilson,  vol.  ii.  pp.  132  f.)  It  specifies,  as  the 
principal,  only  the  Kurus,  Panchalas,  the  people  of  Kamarupa,  the 
Pundras,  Kalingas,  Magadhas,  Saurashtras,  S'uras,  Bhiras,  Arbudas, 
Karushas,  Malavas,  Sauviras,  Saindhavas,  Hunas,  S'alvas,  S'akalas, 
Madras,  Ramas,  Ambashthas,  and  Parasikas.7  These  tribes  seem  to  be 
all  confined  to  India  and  its  vicinity. 

The  praises  of  Bharata  Varsha  are  celebrated  as  follows : 

V.P.  ii.  3,  11.  Chatudri  Bhdrate  varshe  yugdny  attra  mahamune  \  Jcri- 
tam  tretd  dvdparas  cha  kalis  chdnyatra  na  Icvachit  \  12.  Tapas  tapyanti 
yatayo  juJivate  chdttra  yajvinah  \  ddndni  chdttra  dlyante  paralokdrtham 
ddardt  \  purushair  yajna-purusho  Jambu-dvlpe  sadejyate  \  yajnair  yajna- 
mayo  Vishnuranya-dvlpeshuchdnyathd  \  13.  Attrdpi  Bhdratam  sreshtham 
Jambu-dvlpe  mahamune  \  yato  hi  karma-bhur  eshd  ato  'nydh  bhoga-bhuma- 
yah  |  attra  janma-sahasrdndm  sahasrair  api  sattamam  \  Icadachil  labhate 
jantur  mdnushyam  punya-sanchayam  \  gdyanti  devtih  kila  gltakdni  "dhan- 
yds  tu  ye  Bhdrata-bhumi-bhdge  \  svargdpavargasya  dahe  tu  bhute  bha- 
vanti  bhuyah  purushdh  suratvdt  \  14.  Karmdny  asankalpita-tat-phaldni 
sannyasya  Vishnau  paramdtma-rupe  \  avdpya  turn  karma-mahlm  anante 
tasmin  lay  am  ye  tv  amaldh  praydnti  \  15.  Jdnlma  naitat  kva  vayam 
mime  svarga-prade  karmani  deha-bandham  \  pydpsydma  dhanydh  khalu 
te  manushydh  ye  Bhurate  nendriya-viprahlndh  "  | 

"In  Bharata  Varsha,  and  nowhere  else,  do  the  four  Yugas,  Krita, 
Treta,  Dvapara,  and  Kali  exist.  12.  Here  devotees  perform  austerities, 
and  priests  sacrifice  ;  here  gifts  are  bestowed,  to  testify  honour,  for  the 
sake  of  the  future  world.  In  Jambudvipa  Vishnu,  the  sacrificial  Man, 
whose  essence  is  sacrifice,  is  continually  worshipped  by  men  with  sacri- 
fices; and  in  other  ways  in  the*  other  dvipas.8  13.  In  this  respect 
Bharata  is  the  most  excellent  division  of  Jambudvipa ;  for  this  is  the 
land  of  works,  while  the  others  are  places  of  enjoyment.  Perhaps  in  a 
thousand  thousand  births,  a  living  being  obtains  here  that  most  excel- 
lent condition,  humanity,  the  receptacle  of  virtue.  The  gods  sing, 
'  Happy  are  those  beings,  who,  when  the  rewards  of  their  merits  have 

7  The  list  in  the  Mahabharata  (Bhlshmaparvan,  346  ff.),  is  much  longer.      See 
Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  ii.  pp.  132  f.,  and  156  ff. 

8  "'In  other  ways,'  i.e.  in  the  form  of  Soma,  Vuyu,   Suryya,  etc."     (Anyatha 
Soma-vayu-suryyadi-rupah  \  ).     Commentator. 


496       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

been  exhausted  in  heaven,  are,  after  being  gods,  again  born  as  men  in 
Bharata  Yarsha  ;  (14)  who,  when  born  in  that  land  of  works,  resign  to 
the  supreme  and  eternal  Vishnu  their  works,  without  regard  to  their 
fruits,  and  attain  by  purity  to  absorption  in  him.  15.  "We  know  not 
where  we  shall  next  attain  a  corporeal  condition,  when  the  merit  of 
our  works  shall  have  become  exhausted ;  but  happy  are  those  men  who 
exist  in  Bharata  Varsha  with  perfect  senses.'  " 

To  the  same  effect  the  Bhagavata  Purana  says,  v.  17,  11  : 

Tattrdpi  Bhdratam  eva  varsham  karma-kshettram  anydny  asjita-var- 
sJidni  svargindm  punya-seshopabhoga-sthdndni  bliaumdni  svarga-paddni 
vyapadisanti  \  12.  Eshu  purusJidndm  ayuta-purushdyur-varshdnam  deva- 
Tcalpdndmndgdyuta-prdndndmvajra-samhanana-vayo-moda-pramudita-ma- 
hdsaurata-mithuna-  vyavdydpavarga-  varsha-  dhritaika-garlha-  kalatrdndm 
tretd-yuga-samah  kdlo  varttate  \ 

"Of  these,  Bharatavarsha  alone  is  the  land  of  works:  the  other 
eight  Varshas  are  places  where  the  celestials  enjoy  the  remaining 
rewards  of  their  works ;  they  are  called  terrestrial  paradises.  12.  In 
them  men  pass  an  existence  equal  to  that  of  the  Treta  age,  living  for  the 
space  of  ten  thousand  ordinary  lives,  on  an  equality  with  gods,  having 
the  vitality  of  ten  thousand  elephants,  and  possessed  of  wives  who  bear 
one  child  after  a  year's  conception  following  upon  sexual  intercourse 
attended  by  all  the  gratification  arising  from  adamantine  bodies  and 
from  vigorous  youth." 

The  commentator  remarks  on  verse  11  :  Divya-bhauma-lila-lheddt 
triwidhah  svargah  \  tattra  lhauma-svargasya  padtini  sthdndni  vyapa- 
disanti \  "  Heaven  is  of  three  kinds,  in  the  sky,  on  earth,  and  in  the 
abyss.  Here  the  other  Varshas  are  called  terrestrial  heavens." 

It  is  curious  to  remark  that  in  the1  panegyric  on  Bharata  Varsha  it  is 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  distinguishing  advantages  of  that  division  of 
Jambudvlpa  that  sacrifice  is  performed  there,  though,  a  little  further 
on,  it  is  said  to  be  practised  in  S'almali  dvipa  also. 

It  would  at  first  sight  appear  from  the  preceding  passage  (ii.  3,  11) 
of  the  Vishnu  Purana  (as  well  as  from  others  which  we  shall  encounter 
below),  to  be  the  intention  of  the  writer  to  represent  the  inhabitants 
of  Bharata  Varsha  as  a  different  race,  or,  at  least  as  living  under  quite 
different  conditions,  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  other  dvipas,  and  even 
of  the  other  divisions  (varshas)  of  Jambu  dvipa  itself.  From  the  use 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARAT  AVARS  HA,  OR  INDIA.  497 

of  the  word  tnanushya  (humanity)  here  applied  to  the  inhabitants 
of  Bharata  Varsha,  viewed  in  reference  to  the  context,  it  would 
seem  to  be  a  natural  inference  that  all  the  people  exterior  to  it  were 
beings  of  a  different  race.  Yet  in  the  descriptions  of  Kusa  dvipa  and 
Pushkara  dvipa  (see  below)  the  words  manujdh  and  mdnavdh  "  descend- 
ants of  Manu,"  or  "men,"  are  applied  to  the  dwellers  in  those 
continents.  In  the  passage  of  the  Jatimala,  moreover,  translated  by 
Mr.  Colebrooke  (Misc.  Essays,  ii.  179),  we  are  told  that  "  a  chief  of  the 
twice  -  born  tribe  was  brought  by  Vishnu's  eagle  from  S'aka  dvipa ; 
thus  have  S'aka  dvipa  Brahmans  become  known  in  Jambu  dvipa." 
According  to  this  verse,  too,  there  should  be  an  affinity  of  race  between 
the  people  of  these  two  dvlpas.  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  the 
descendants  of  Priyavrata  became  kings  of  all  the  dvipas,  as  well  as  of 
all  the  varshas  of  Jambu  dvipa  (see  above,  pp.  489,  491).  And  in  the 
passage  quoted  above,  p.  478,  from  the  Yishnu  Purana,  iv.  11,  3,  it  is 
said  of  Arjuna,  son  of  Kritavlrya,  that  he  was  "  lord  of  the  seven 
dvlpas,"  "that  he  ruled  over  the  earth  with  all  its  dvlpas."9  If, 
however,  the  kings  were  of  the  human  race,  it  is  natural  to  infer  the 
same  of  the  people. 

But,  in  a  subject  of  this  sort,  where  the  writers  were  following 
the  suggestions  of  imagination  only,  it  is  to  be  expected  that  we  should 
find  inconsistencies. 

Jambu  dvlpa  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  salt  water  (Wilson,  V.P.  ii. 
109);  and  that  sea  again  is  bounded  on  its  outer  side  by  the  dvlpa 
or  continent  of  Plaksha  running  all  round  it.  (Y.P.  ii.  4,  1.  JTsharo- 
dena  yafhd  dvlpo  Jambu-sanjno  'bhiveshtifah  \  samveshtya  Jcshdram 
udadhim  Plaltsha-dvipas  tathd  sthitah}.  According  to  this  scheme  the 
several  continents  and  seas  form  cpncentric  circles,  Jambu  dvipa  being 
a  circular  island  occupying  the  centre  of  the  system. 

Plaksha  dvlpa  is  of  twice  the  extent  of  Jambu  dvipa.  The  character 
and  condition  of  its  inhabitants  are  described  as  follows : 

Y.  P.  ii.  4,  5.  Na  cJiaivdsti  yugdvasthd  teshu  sthdneshu  saptasu  \  6. 
Tretn-yuga-samah  kdlah  sarvadaiva  mahdmate  \  Plaksha-dvipddishu  brah- 
man S '  dkadvipdntakeshu  vai  \  7.  Pancha-varsha-sahasrdni  jandh  jlvanty 
andmaydh  \  dharmdh  panchasv  athaiteshu  varndsrama  -  vibhtiga  -  jdh  \ 

9  Pururavas  is  said  to  have  possessed  thirteen  islands  (dvlpas)  of  the  ocean 
(above  p.  307). 

32 


498       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

varnds  tattrdpi  chatvdras  tan  nibodha  gaddmi  te  \  Aryyakdh  Kuravas 
chaiva  Vivdsdh  Bhdvinas  cha  ye  \  vipra-kshattriya-vaisyds  te  sudrds  cha 
muni-sattama  \ 

"In  those  seven  provinces  [which  compose  Plaksha  dvipa]  the 
division  of  time  into  Yugas  does  not  exist :  but  the  character  of 
existence  is  always  that  of  the  Treta  age.  In  the  [five]  dvlpas,  be- 
ginning with  Plaksha  and  ending  with  S'aka,  the  people  live  5000 
years,  free  from  sickness.  In  those  five  dvlpas  duties  arise  from  the 
divisions  of  castes  and  orders.  There  are  there  also  four  castes, 
Aryyakas,  Kurus,  Vivasas,  and  Bhavins,  who  are  the  Brahmans, 
Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  S'udras,"  and  whose  worship  is  thus  described  : 
9.  Ijyate  tattra  lhagavdns  tair  varnair  Aryyakddibhih  \  soma-rupl 
jagat-srashtd,  sarvah  sarvesvaro  Harih  \  "  Hari  who  is  All,  and  the  lord 
of  all,  and  the  creator  of  the  world,  is  adored  in  the  form  of  Soma 
by  these  classes,  the  Aryyakas,  etc." 

The  inhabitants  of  this  dvipa  receive  different  names  in  the  Bhaga- 
vata  Parana,  being  there  called  (v.  20,  4)  "  Kansas,  Patangas,  tlrdhva- 
yanas,  and  Satyangas,  four  castes,  who,  purified  from  passion  and 
darkness  by  the  touch  of  the  waters  of  these  rivers,  live  a  thousand 
years,  resemble  the  gods  in  their  appearance  and  in  their  manner  of 
procreation,  and  worship  with  the  triple  Yeda  the  divine  Soul,  the  Sun, 
who  is  the  gate  of  heaven,  and  who  is  co-essential  with  the  Vedas  " 
(Ydsdmjalopasparsana-vidhuta-rajas-tamaso  Hamsa-patangorddhvdyana- 
satydnga-sanjnds  chatvu.ro  varndh  sahasrdyusho  vibudhopama-sandarsana- 
prajanandh  svarga-dvdrafh  trayyd  vidyayd  Wiagavantam  traylmayafii 
suryam  dtmdnayi  yajante). 

In  regard  to  Plaksha  and  the  other  four  following  dvlpas,  the  Bhaga- 
vata  Purana  says,  ibid.  para.  6,  that1"  their  men  are  all  alike  in  respect 
of  natural  perfection  as  shewn  in  length  of  life,  senses,  vigour,  force, 
strength,  intelligence,  and  courage  "  (Plahhudtshu  panchasu  purusJid- 
nam  dyur  intriyam  ojah  saJio  lalam  luddhir  vikramah  iti  cha  sarveshdm 
autpattikl  siddhir  aviseshena  varttate  |). 

Plaksha  dvipa  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  sugar-cane  juice  of  the  same 
compass  as  itself,  ii.  4,  9,  Plaksha  -  dvipa  -pramdnena  Plaksha  -  dmpah 
samdvritah  \  tathaivekshu-rasodena  parivesdnukdrind  \  Round  the  outer 
margin  of  this  sea,  and  twice  as  extensive,  runs  S'almala  dvipa 
(verse  11.  S'dlmalena  samudro  'sau  dvlpenekshu  -  rasodakah  \  vistara- 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  499 

dtoigunentitha  sarvatah .  samvritah  sthitah\).  It  is  divided  into  seven 
Yarshas,  or  divisions.  Of  their  inhabitants  it  is  said : 

Y.  P.  ii.  4,  12.  Saptaitdni  tu  varshdni  chdturvarnya-yutdni  cha  \ 
S'dlmale  ye  tu  varnds  cha  vasanti  te  mahdmune  \  Tcapilds  chdrundh  plt&h 
krishnds  chaiva  prithaTc  prithak  \  Irdhmandh  Icshattriydh  vaisydh  sudrds 
chaiva  yajanti  te  \  Ihagavantaih  samastasya  Vishnum  dtmdnam  avyayam  \ 
Vdyulhutam  makha-sreshthair  yajvino  yajna-sarhsthitam  \  13.  Devdndm 
attra  sdnnidhyam  atlva  sumanoharam  [ 

"  These  seven  Yarshas  have  a  system  of  four  castes.  The  castes  which 
dwell  there  are  severally  the  Kapilas,  Arunas,  Pitas,  and  Krishnas  (or 
the  Tawny,  the  Purple,  the  Yellow,  and  the  Black).  These,  the  Brah- 
mans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and  S'udras,  worship  with  excellent  sacri- 
fices Yishnu,  the  divine  and  imperishable  Soul  of  all  things,  in  the 
form  of  Yayu,  and  abiding  in  sacrifice.  Here  the  vicinity  of  the  gods 
is  very  delightful  to  the  soul." 

The  Bhagavata  Purana  says  of 'this  dvipa,  v.  20,  11. :  Tad-varsha- 
purusAdfy  S'rutadhara-viryyadhara-vasundhareshundhara-sanjndh  Ihaga- 
vantam  vedamayam  somam  dtmdnam  vedena  yajante  \  "  The  men  of  the 
different  divisions  of  this  dvipa,  called  S'rutadharas,  Yiryadharas,  Yasun- 
dharas,  and  Ishundharas,  worship  with  the  Yeda  the  divine  Soul  Soma, 
who  is  co-essential  with  the  Yeda."  > 

This  dvipa  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  wine  of  the  same  compass  as  itself 
(v.  13.  Esha  dvrpah  samudrena,  surodena  samdvritah  \  vistdrtich  chhdl- 
malasyaiva  samena  tu  samantataK}.  The  exterior  shore  of  this  sea  is 
encompassed  by  Kusa  dvipa,  which  is  twice  as  extensive  as  S'almala 
dvipa  (v.  13.  SurodaJcah  parivritah  Kusadvlpena  sarvatah  \  S'dlmalasya 
tu  vistdrdd  dvigunena  samantatah}.  The  inhabitants  of  Kusa  dvipa  f\re 
thus  described,  Y.P.  ii  4,  14  :  :> 

Tasydm  vasanti  manujah  saha  Daiteya-danavaih  \  tathaiva  deva-gan- 
dharva  -  yalcsha  -  himpurusltddayah  \  varnds  tattrdpi  chatvdro  nijdnush- 
tTidna-tatpardh  \  Daminah  S'ushminah  Snehdh  Mandehus  cha  mahdmune  \ 
Irdhmandh  Icshattriydh  vaisydh  sudrds  chdnukramoditdh  \  15.  Yathokta- 
Itarma-lMrttritvdt  svddhikdra-kshaydya  te  \  tattra  te  tu  Kusa-dvipe  Brah- 
ma-r-upam  Jandrddanam  \  yajantah  kshapayanty  ugram  adhikdram  phala- 
pradam  \ 

aln  this  set  of  Yarshas  (of  Kusa  dvipa)  dwell  men  with  Daityas, 
Danavas,  Devas,  Gandharvas,  Yakshas,  Kimpurushas,  and  other  beings. 


500      PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

There,  too,  there  are  four  castes,  pursuing  their  proper  observances, 
Damins,  S'ushmins,  Snehas,  and  Mandehas,  who  in  the  order  specified 
are  Brahmans,  Kshattriyas,  Yaisyas,  and  S'udras.  In  order  to  destroy 
their  right  [to  reward]  derived  from  the  performance  of  these  works, 
they  worship  Janardana  in  the  form  of  Brahma,  and  so  neutralize  this 
direful  merit  which  brings  rewards." 

Of  Kusa  dvipa  the  Mahabharata  tells  us,  Bhishmaparvan,  verses 
455-7:  Eteshudeva-gandharvdhprajdschajagatlsvara  \  viharante  ramante 
cha  na  teshu  mriyate  janah  \  na  tesku  dasyavah  santi  mlechha-jdtyo  'pi 
vd  nripa  \  gaura-prdyo  janah  sarvah sukumdras  cha  pdrthiva  |  "In  these 
(Varshas  of  Kusa  dvipa),  gods,  Gandharvas,  and  living  creatures, 
amuse  and  enjoy  themselves.  No  one  dies  there.  There  are  no  Dasyus 
or  Mlechhas  there.  The  people  are  fair,  and  of  very  delicate  forms." 
The  Bhagavata  Purana,  v.  20,  16,  says,  "  The  people  of  this  dvipa  are 
called  Kusalas,  Kovidas,  Abhiyuktas,  and  Kulakas  "  (Kusa-dvlpaulcasah 
Susala-Tcomddlhiyukta-Tculaka-sanjndh  \ ). 

Kusa  dvipa  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  clarified  butter,  of  the  same 
circumference  as  itself. 

Around  this  sea  runs  Krauncha  dvipa  which  is  twice  as  large  as 
Kusa  dvipa.  The  Y.  P.  says,  ii.  4,  19:  Sarveshv  .  eteshu  ramyeshu 
varsha-saila-vareshu  cha  \  nivasanti  nirdtankdh  saha  deva-ganaih  prajdh  \ 
Pushkardh  Pushkaldh  Dhanyds  Tishmds  chdttra  mahdmune  \  Irdhmandh 
kshattriydh  vaisydh  sudrds  chdnuhramoditah  \  "In  all  these  pleasant 
division- mountains  of  this  dvipa  the  people  dwell,  free  from  fear,  in 
the  society  of  the  gods.  [These  people  are]  the  Pushkaras,  Pushkalas, 
Dhanyas,  and  Tishmas,  who,  as  enumerated  in  order,  are  the  Brahmans, 
Kshattriyas,  Vaisyas,  and  S'udras."  The  inhabitants  of  this  dvipa  are 
called  in  the  Bhagavata  Purana,  v.  20,  22,  "  ....  Purushas,  Eisha- 
bhas,  Dravinas,  and  Devakas"  (Purusharshabha-dravina-devaka-sanjndh). 
This  dvipa  is  encompassed  by  the  sea  of  curds,  which  is  of  the  same 
circumference  as  itself.  The  sea  again,  on  its  exterior  edge,  is  surrounded 
by  S'aka  dvipa,10  a  continent  twice  the  size  of  Krauncha  dvipa. 
Of  S'aka  dvipa  it  is  said  in  the  Vishnu  Purana,  ii.  4,  23  n°.  : 
Tattra  punyah  janapadds  chdturvarnya-samanvitdh  \  nadyas  chdttra 
mahdpunydh  sarva-pdpa-lhaydpahdh  |  .  .  .  .  tdh  pilanti  mudd  yulctdh 
Jaladddishu  ye  sthitdh  \  varsheshu  te  janapaddh  svargdd  abhyetya  me- 
10  In  the  M.  Bh.  (Bhishmap.  v.  408  ff.)  S'ukadvlpa  comes  next  after  Jambudvlpa. 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  501 

dinlm  \  24.  Dharma-hdnir  na  teshv  asti  no,  sangharshah  parasparam  \ 
maryddd-vyutkramo  ndpi  teshu  deseshu  saptasu  \  25.  Mayas  cha  Mdga- 
dhds  chaiva  Mdnasdh  Mandagds  tathd  \  Magdh  brdhmana-bhuyishthdh 
Mdgadhdh  kshattriyds  tu  te  \  Vaisyds  tu  Mdnasdh  jneydh  Sudrds  teshdm 
tu  Mandagdh  \  26.  S'dkadvlpe  tu  tair  Vishnuh  surya-rupa-dharo  mune  \ 
yathoktair  y'yate  samyalc  karmabhir  niyatdtmabhih  \ 

"  There  there  are  holy  countries,  peopled  by  persons  belonging  to  the 
four  castes ;  and  holy  rivers  which  remove  all  sin  and  fear.  .  .  .  The 
people  who  dwell  in  these  divisions,  Jalada,  etc.  [of  S'aka  dvipa],  drink 
these  rivers  with  pleasure,  even  when  they  have  come  to  earth  from 
Svarga.  There  is  among  them  no  defect  of  virtue ;  nor  any  mutual 
rivalry;  nor  any  transgression  of  rectitude  in  those  seven  countries. 
[There  dwell]  Magas,  Magadhas,  Manasas,  and  Mandagas,  of  whom 
the  first  are  principally  Brahmans  j  the  second  are  Kshattriyas ;  the 
third  are  Vaisyas,  and  the  fourth  are  S'udras.  By  them  Vishnu,  in  the 
form  of  the  Sun,  is  worshipped  with  the  prescribed  ceremonies,  and 
with  intent  minds." 

Of  this  dvipa  the  Mahabharata  tells  us,  Bhishmaparvan,  verse  410, 
that  the  "people  there  are  holy,  and  no  one  dies  "  (tattra punydhjana- 
paddh  na  tattra  mriyate  naraK).  One  of  the  mountains  there  is  called 
S'yama  (black),  "whence  men  have  got  this  black  colour"  (verse  420. 
Tatah  sydmatvam  dpanndh  jandh  janapadesvara).  Dhritarashtra  then 
says  to  his  informant  Sanjaya  that  he  has  great  doubts  as  to  "how 
living  creatures  have  become  black."  Sanjaya  promises  in  the  follow- 
ing lines,  the  sense  of  which  is  not  very  clear,  to  explain  the  mystery : 
422.  Sarveshv  eva  mahdrdja  dvlpeshu  Kuru-nandana  \  gaurah  krishnas  cha 
pdtango  yato  varndntare  dvijdh  I  sydmo  yasmdt  pravritto  vai  tat  te 
vakshydmi  Bhdrata  \  But  as  he  proceeds  no  further,  we  lose  the  benefit 
of  his  solution  of  this  interesting  physiological  problem.  The  Bhaga- 
vata  Purana,  v.  20,  28,  gives  the  four  classes  of  men  in  this  dvipa  the 
names  of  Bitavratas,  Satyavratas,  Danavratas,  and  Anuvratas  (tad- 
varsha-purushdh  Ritavrata~Satyavrata-Ddnavratdnuvrata-ndmdnah}. 

This  S'aka  dvipa  is  surrounded  by  the  ocean  of  milk  as  by  an  armlet. 
This  ocean  again  is  encompassed  on  its  outer  side  by  Pushkara  dvipa, 
which  is  twice  as  extensive  as  S'aka  dvipa. 

Of  Pushkara  dvipa  it  is  said,  Vishnu  Purana,  ii.  4,  28  if. : 

Dasa-varsha-sahasrdni  tattra  jlvanti  mdnavdh  \  nirdmaydh  visokdicha 


502       PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH 

ragardveslM-vivarijjitah  \  adhamottamau  na  teshv  dstdm  na  ladhya-ladha- 
IMU  dvija  \  nershyd  'suyd  bhayam  rosho  dosho  lolhudiko  na  cJia  |  .  .  .  . 
29.  Satydnrite  na  tattrdstdm  dvipe  Pushkara-sanjnite  |  .  .  .  .  30. 
Tulya-vesds  tu  manujdh  devais  tattraika-rupinah  \  Sl.Varndsramdchdra- 
hlnam  dharmacharana  -  varjjitam  \  trayi-vdrttd-dandanlti-susrushd- 
rahitam  cha  yat  \  32.  Varsha-dvayam  tu  maittreya  lhauma-svargo  'yam 
uttamah  \  sarvasya  sukha-dah  Jcdlo  jard-rogddi-varjjitah  \ 

"In  this  dvipa  men  live  ten  thousand  years,  free  from  sickness  and 
sorrow,  from  affection  and  hatred.  There  is  no  distinction  among  them 
of  highest  and  lowest,  of  killer  and  slain ;  there  is  no  envy,  nor  ill-will, 
nor  fear,  nor  anger,  nor  defect,  nor  covetousness,  nor  other  fault ;  there 
is  there  neither  truth  nor  falsehood.  Men  there  are  all  of  the  same  ap- 
pearance, of  one  form  with  the  gods.  The  two  divisions  of  this  dvipa 
have  no  rules  of  caste  or  orders,  nor1  any  observances  of  duty ;  the  three 
Yedas,  the  Puranas  (or,  trade),  the  rules  of  criminal  law  and  service  do 
not  exist.  This  [dvipa]  is  a  most  excellent  terrestrial  heaven ;  where 
time  brings  happiness  to  all,  and  is  exempt  from  decay,  sickness,  and 
all  other  evils."  u 

Of  all  the  dvipas  together,  the  Mahabharata  says,  Bhishmaparvan, 
verses  468  ff.  : 

Evaih  dvlpeshu  sarveshu  prdjdndm  Kuru-nandana  \  Irahmacharyyena 
satyena  prajdnum  hi  damena  cha  \  arogydyuhpramantibhydm  dvigunam 
dvigunam  tatah  \  e/co  janapado  rdjan  dvlpeshv  eteshu  Bharata  \  uktdh 

11  In  the  same  way  as  Pushkara,  the  remotest  dvipa,  is  here  described  to  be  the 
scene  of  the  greatest  perfection,  we  find  Homer  placing  the  Elysian  plains  on  the 
furthest  verge  of  the  earth  : 

a\\d  cr'  es  'HXvffiov  ireSioi'  /col  Treipora  701775 

aflaVaTOi  irffj.\l/ovffiv,  89i  £at>6bs  'PaSd/j.av6vs, 

rfjirep  ftrfiffTi)  /Star})  TreAet  avBpilnroicrtv. 

oil  VKfxrbs,  otir'  ap  xeipwv  tro\vs  otfre  TTOT'  i)/j.&pos, 

a\\'  alfl  Zf<pvpoio  \iyv  irvfiovras  atjras 

'ClKeavbs  dvitiGiv  a.vw]/vxfiv  dvBpuirovs.     Odyssey  A.  563-568. 

"  Thee,  favoured  man,  to  earth's  remotest  end, 
The  Elysian  plain,  the  immortal  gods  shall  send, — 
That  realm  which  fair-haired  Rhadamanthys  sways, 
Where,  free  from  toil,  men  pass  their  tranquil  days. 
No  tempests  vex  that  land,  no  rain,  nor  snow  ; 
But  ceaseless  Zephyrs  from  the  ocean  blow, 
Which  sweetly  breathe  and  gently  stir  the  air, 
And  to  the  dwellers  grateful  coolness  bear." 


EXTERIOR  TO  BHARATAVARSHA,  OR  INDIA.  503 

janapaddh  yesJiu  karma  cJiaikam  pradrtiyate  \  Isvaro  dandam  udyamya 
svayam  eva  Prajdpatih  \  dvlpdndm  tu  mahdraja  rakshams  tisJithati  nit- 
yadd  \  sa  raja  sa  sivo  rajan  sa  pita  prapitdmahaih  \  gopdyati  nara- 
sreshtJia  prajdh  sa-jada-panditdh  \  Ihojanam  chdttra  Kauravya  prajdh 
svayam  upasthitam  \  siddham  eva  mahdldho  tad  M  Ihunjanti  nityadd  \ 

"  Thus  in  all  these  dvipas  each  country  doubly  exceeds  the  former 
one  in  the  abstinence,  veracity,  and  self-restraint,  in  the  health  and  the 
length  of  life  of  its  inhabitants.  In  these  dvipas  the  people  is  one,  and 
one  sort  of  action  is  perceivable.  Prajapati,  the  lord,  wielding  his 
sceptre,  himself  governs  these  dvipas.  He,  the  king,  the  auspicious 
one  (siva\  the  father,  along  with  the  patriarchs,  protects  all  creatures, 
ignorant  as  well  as  learned."  (So  there  are  differences  of  intellectual 
condition  in  these  dvipas  after  all!)  "All  these  people  eat  prepared 
food,  which  comes  to  them  of  itself.'* 

Pushkara  is  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  fresh  water  equal  to  itself  in 
compass.  What  is  beyond  is  afterwards  described  : 

V.P.  ii.  4,  37.  Svddudakasya  parato  drisyate  lolca-samsthitih  \  dvigund 
kdnchanl  bhumih  sarva-jantu-vivarjjitd  \  38.  Lokdlokas  tatah  sailo  yoja- 
ndyuta-vistritah  \  uchchhrayendpi  tdvanti  sahasrdny  achalo  hi  sah  \  tatas 
tamah  samdvritya  tarn  sailam  sarvatah  sthitam  \  tamas  chdnda-Tcatdhena 
samantdt  parisveshtitam  \ 

f '  On  the  other  side  of  the  sea  is  beheld  a  golden  land  of  twice  its  extent, 
but  without  inhabitants.  Beyond  that  is  the  Lokaloka  mountain,  which 
is  ten  thousand  yojanas  in  breadth,  and  as  many  thousands  in  height. 
It  is  on  all  sides  invested  with  darkness.  This  darkness  is  encompassed 
by  the  shell  of  the  mundane  egg."  12 

In  a  following  chapter,  however,  (the  seventh)  of  this  same  book,  the 

•> 
^> 

12  See  Manu,  i.  verses  9  and  12,  quoted  above,  p.  35.  The  thirteenth  verse  is  as 
follows  :  Tabhyam  sa  saJcalabhyam  cha  divam  bhumim  cha  nirmame  \  madhye  vyoma 
ditas  chashtav  apam  sthanam  cha  sasvatam  \  "  From  these  two  halves  of  the  shell 
he  fashioned  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  and  in  the  middle  (he  formed)  the  sky,  and  the 
eight  quarters,  and  the  eternal  abode  of  the  -waters."  In  regard  to  the  darkness 
(tamas)  with  which  the  mountain  Lokaloka  is  said  to  be  enveloped,  compare  Manu 
iv.  242,  where  the  spirits  of  the  departed  are  said  to  pass  by  their  righteousness 
through  the  darkness  which  is  hard  to  be  traversed  (dharmena  M  sahayena  tamas 
tarati  dustaram) ;  and  Atharva-veda,  ix.  5,  1,  "  Crossing  the  darkness,  in  many 
directions  immense,  let  the  unborn  ascend  to  the  third  heaven"  (ttriva  tamamsi 
bahudha  mahanti  ajo  nakam  a  Jcramatam  tritlyam}.  See  Journal  Royal  Asiatic 
Society  for  1865,  pp.  298,  note  2,  and  p.  304. 


504     PURANIC  ACCOUNTS  OF  THE  PARTS  OF  THE  EARTH,  ETC. 

shell  of  the  mundane  egg  is  said  to  be  outside  of  the  seven  spheres  of 
which  this  system  is  composed : 

V.P.  ii.  7,  19.  Ete  sapta  may  a  lokdh  Maittreya  kathitds  tava  \  pdtd- 
Idni  cha  saptaiva  Irahmdndasyaisha  vistarah  \  etad  anda-lcatdhena  tiryalc 
chorddhvam  adhas  tathd  \  kapitthasya  yathd  vyam  sarvato  vai  samdvritam  \ 

"  These  seven  spheres  have  heen  described  by  me ;  and  there  are  also 
seven  Patalas  :  this  is  the  extent  of  Brahma's  egg.  The  whole  is  sur- 
rounded by  the  shell  of  the  egg  at  the  sides,  above,  and  below,  just  as 
the  seed  of  the  wood-apple  (is  covered  by  the  rind)." 

This  system,  however,  it  appears,  is  but  a  very  small  part  of  the 
whole  of  the  universe : 

Ibid,  verse  24.  Anddndm  tu  sahasrdndm  sahasrdny  ayutdni  cha  \ 
idrisdndih  tathd  tattra  koti-lcoti-£atdni  cha  \ 

"  There  are  thousands  and  ten  thousands  of  thousands  of  such  mun- 
dane eggs  ;  nay  hundreds  of  millions  of  millions." 

Indian  mythology,  when  striving  after  sublimity,  and  seeking  to 
excite  astonishment,  often  displays  an  extravagant  and  puerile  facility 
in  the  fabrication  of  large  numbers.  But,  in  the  sentence  last  quoted, 
its  conjectures  are  substantially  in  unison  with  the  discoveries  of 
modern  astronomy;  or  rather,  they  are  inadequate  representations  of 
the  simple  truth,  as  no  figures  can  express  the  contents  of  infinite 
space. 


505 


APPENDIX. 


Page  6,  line  24. 

Professor  Wilson's  analyses  of  the  Agni,  Brahma-vaivartta,  Vishnu 
and  Vayu  Puranas,  were  originally  published,  not  in  the  "  Gleanings 
in  Science,"  but  in  the  Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal,  vol.  i. ; 
and  are  reprinted  in  the  3rd  vol.  of  "Wilson's  Collected  Works,  edited 
by  Dr.  E.  Eost. 

Page  37,  line  1. 

"  Abodes  of  gods."  Bohtlingk  and  Eoth  in  their  Sanskrit  Lexicon, 
t.v.  nikdya,  shew  that  in  other  passages,  if  not  here  also,  the  compound 
word  deva-nikdya  should  be  rendered  "classes,  or  assemblages,  of  gods." 

Page  50,  line  25. ' 

Compare  the  passage,  quoted  below,  in  the  note  on  p.  115,  from  the 
S'antiparvan  of  the  M.  Bh.,  verses  6130  ff. 

Pages  90  ff. 

The  representations  of  the  Krita  yuga  are  not  always  consistent.  In 
the  Dronaparvan,  verses  2023  ff.  a  story  is  told  of  King  Akampana,  'vho 
lived  in  that  age,  and  who  was  yet  so  far  from  enjoying  the  tranquillity 
generally  predicated  of  that  happy  time  that  he  was  overcome  by  his 
enemies  in  a  battle,  in  which  he  lost  his  son,  and  suffered  in  con- 
sequence severe  affliction. 

Page  97,  note  190. 

It  is  similarly  said  in  the  Dronaparvan,  verse  2395  :  Kshatdd  nas 
tray  ate  sarvan  ity  evam  kshattriyo  'bhavat  \  "He  (Prithu)  became  a 
Kshattriya  by  delivering  us  all  from  injuries."  See  also  S'antiparvan, 
verse  1031. 


506  APPENDIX. 

Page  115,  line  13. 

The  S'antiparvan  of  the  M.  Bh.,  verses  6130  ff.,  gives  a  similar  descrip- 
tion of  the  original  state  of  all  things,  and  of  the  birth  of  Brahma. 
Bhishma  is  the  speaker  :  Salilaikdrnavam  tdta  purd  sarvam  abhud  idam  \ 
mshprakampam  andkdsam  anirdesya-mahltalam  \  tamasti  vritam  asparsam 
api  gambhlra-darsanam  \  nissabdam  vd  'prameyam  cha  tattra  jajne  Pitd- 
mahah  \  so  'srijad  vdtam  agnim  cha  Ihdskaram  chdpi  vlryyavdn  \  dTcdsam 
asrijach  chorddhvam  adho  bhumim  cha  nairritlm  \  nalhah  sa-chandra- 
tdram  cha  nakshattrdni  grahdms  tathd  \  samvatsardn  ritun  mdstin  pak- 
shdn  atha  lavdn  kshanan  \  tatah  iaflram  lolca-stham  sthdpayitvd  Pitu- 
mahah  \janaydmdsa  lhagavdn  puttrdn  uttama-tejasah  \  6135.  Marichim 
rishim  Attrim  cha  Pulastyam  Pulaham  Kratum  \  Vasishthdngirasau  cho- 
bhau  Rudram  cha  pralhum  Isvaram  \  Prachetasas  tathd  Dakshah  kanydh 
shashtim  ajljanat  \  tdh  vai  hrahmarshayah  sarvdh  prajdrtham  prati- 
pedire  \  tdbhyo  visvdni  Ihutdni  devdh  pitri-gands  tatha  \  gandharvdp- 
sarasas  chaiva  ralcshdmsi  vividhdni  cha  |  .  .  .  .  6149.  Jajne  tdta  jagat 
sarvam  tathd  sthdvara-jangamam  \  6150.  Bhuta-sargam  imam  Itritvd 
sarva  -  lolca  -pitdmahah  \  sdsvatam  veda-pathitam  dharmam  prayuyuje 
tatah  \  tasmin  dharme  sthitdh  devdh  sahdchdryya-purohitdh  \  dditydh 
vasavo  riidrdh  sa-sddhydh  marud-asvinah  \  "  This  entire  universe  was 
formerly  one  expanse  of  water,  motionless,  without  aether,  without  any 
distinguishable  earth,  enveloped  in  darkness,  imperceptible  to  touch, 
with  an  appearance  of  (vast)  depth,  silent,  and  measureless.  There 
Pitamaha  (Brahma)  was  born.  That  mighty  god  created  wind,  fire, 
and  the  sun,  the  sether1  above,  and  under  it  the  earth  belonging  to 
Nirriti,  the  sky,  with  the  moon,  stars,  constellations,  and  planets,  the 
years,  seasons,  months,  half-months,  and  the  minute  sub-divisions  of 
time.  Having  established  the  frame  fof  the  universe,  the  divine  Pita- 
maha begot  sons  of  eminent  splendour,  (6135)  Marlchi,  the  rishi  Attri, 
Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Kratu,  Vasishtha,  Angiras,  and  the  mighty  lord 
Rudra.  Daksha,  the  son  of  Prachetas,  also  begot  sixty  daughters,  all 
of  whom  were  taken  by  the  Brahmarshis*  for  the  purpose  of  propa- 
gating offspring.  From  these  females,  all  beings,  gods,  pitris,  gan- 
dharvas,  apsarases,  and  various  kinds  of  rakshases,  ....  (6149)  this 

1  And  yet  it  is  elsewhere  said  (Anus'asanap.  2161,  quoted  above  in  p.  130)  that  the 
sether  (ajcasa]  cannot  be  created. 

2  Here  this  word  must  mean  "  rishis,  sons  of  Brahma." 


APPENDIX.  507 

entire  world,  moving  and  stationary,  was  produced.  6150.  Having 
formed  this  creation  of  living  beings,  the  parent  of  all  worlds  estab- 
lished the  eternal  rule  of  duty  as  read  in  the  Yeda.  To  this  rule  of 
duty  the  gods,  with  their  teachers  and  domestic  priests,  the  Adityas, 
Vasus,  Eudras,  Sadhyas,  Maruts,  and  Asvins  conformed." 

Another  account  of  the  creation  is  given  in  the  same  book  of  the 
M.  Bh.,  verses  7518ff.,  where  it  is  ascribed  to  Yishnu  in  the  form  of 
Govinda,  or  Kesava  (Krishna),  who  is  identified  with  the  supreme  and 
universal  Purusha.  Resting  on  the  waters  (7527)  he  created  by  his 
thought  Sankarshana,  the  first-born  of  all  beings.  Then  (7529)  a  lotus 
sprang  from  his  (either  Sankarshana' s  or  Vishnu's)  navel,  from  which 
again  (7530)  Brahma  was  produced.  Brahma  afterwards  created  his 
seven  mind-born  sons,  Marichi,  Attri,  Angiras,  Pulastya,  Pulaha,  Kratu, 
and  Daksha  (7534). 

Compare  Bhishmaparvan,  verses  3017  ff. 

Page  122,  note  223. 

Compare  the  passage  quoted  in  the  last  note  from  the  S'antiparvan, 
verse  6135. 

Page  128,  line  20. 

The  S'antiparvan,  verses  7548  ff.  ascribes.,  the  creation  of  the  four 
castes  to  Krishna :  Tatah  ITrishno  mahdbhdgah  $unar  eva  Yudhishthira  \ 
brdhmandndih  satam  sreshtham  mukhtid  evdsryat  prabhuh  \  bdhubhydm 
kshattriya-satam  vaisydndm  urutah  satam  \  padbhydm  sudra-satam  chaiva 
J&savo  Bharatarshabha  \  "  Then  again  the  great  Krishna  created  a 
hundred  Brahmans,  the  most  excellent  (class),  from  his  mouth,  a 
hundred  Kshattriyas  from  his  arms,  a  hundred  Yaisyas  from  his  thighs, 
and  a  hundred  S'udras  from  his  feet."  , 

Compare  Bhishmaparvan,  verse*3029. 

Page  128,  note  238. 

In  another  place  also,  verses  6208  f.,  the  Anusasanaparvan  ranks 
purohitas  with  S'udras :  S'udra-karma  tu  yah  kurydd  avahdya  sva-karma 
cha  |  sa  vijneyo  yathd  sudro  na  cha  bhojyah  kathanchana  \  chikitsakah 
kdndaprishthah  puradhyakshah  purohitaTi  \  samvatsaro  vrithddhydyl 
sarve  te  sudra-sammitdh  \  "  He,  who,  abandoning  his  own  work,  does 
the  work  of  a  S'udra,  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  S'udra,  and  not  to  be  in- 
vided  to  a  feast.  A  physician,  a  kandaprishtha  (see  above,  p.  442),  a 


508  APPENDIX. 

city  governor,  a  purohita,  an  astrologer,  one  who  studies  to  no  purpose, 
— all  these  are  on  a  level  with  S'udras." 

Pages  144  ff. 
See  above,  note  on  pp.  90  ff. 

Page  150,  line  4. 
Compare  Dronaparvan,  verse  2397. 

Page  220,  line  14. 

1  am  indebted  to  Professor  Max  Miiller  for  pointing  out  to  me  two 
passages  in  Indian  commentators  in  which  Manu  is  spoken  of  as  a 
Kshattriya.    The  first  is  from  Madhusudana  Sarasvati's  Commentary  on 
the  Bhagavad-gita,  iv.  1.     The  words  of  the  text  are  these  :  S'rl-Bha- 
gavdn  uvdcha  \  imam  Vivasvate  yog'am  proktavdn  aham  avyayam  \  Vivas- 
van  Manave  prdha  Manur  Ikshvdkave  'bravit  \  evam  parampard-prtiptam 
imam  rdjarsTiayo  viduh  \  sa  kdleneha  mahatd  yogo  nashtah  parantapa  \ 
sa   evdyam  mayd    te  'dya  yogah  proktah  purdtanah    \    Ihakto  'si  me 
sakhd  clieti  rahasyam  etad  uttamam  \    "  The  divine  Being  (Krishna) 
said :    I  declared  to  Yivasvat  (the  Sun)  this  imperishable  Yoga-doc- 
trine.    Yivasvat  told  it  to  (his  son)  Manu;  and  Manu  to  (his  son) 
Ikshvaku.    Thus  do  royal  rishis  know  it  as  handed  down  by  tradition. 
Through  lapse  of  time  however  it  was  lost.     I  hare  to  day  therefore 
revealed  to  thee  (anew)  this  ancient  system,  this  most  excellent  mystery  ; 
for  thou  art  devoted  to  me  and  my  friend." 

On  this  Madhusudana  remarks  :  "Yivasvate"  sarva-kshattriya-vamsa- 
vya-lhutdya  Aditydya  prolctavdn  \  "  1 1  declared  it  to  Vivasvat '  i.e.  to 
Aditya  (the  Sun)  who  was  the  source  of  the  whole  Kshattriya  race." 

The  second  passage  is  from  Somesvara's  tika  on  Kumarila  Bhatta's 
Mimansa-varttika.  I  must,  however,  first  adduce  a  portion  of  the  text 
of  the  latter  work  which  forms  the  subject  of  Somesvara's  annotation. 
For  a  copy  of  this  passage,  which  is  otherwise  of  interest,  I  am  indebted 
to  Professor  Goldstiicker,  who  has  been  kind  enough  to  copy  it  for  me.2 
The  first  extract  refers  to  Jaimini's  Sutra,  i.  3,  3 ;  where  the  question 
under  discussion  is,  in  what  circumstances  authority  can  be  assigned  to 

2  See  Professor  Muller's  Anc.  Sansk.  Lit.  pp.  79  f.  where  this  passage  is  partly 
extracted  and  translated.     See  also  the  same  author's  Chips  from  a  German  Work- 
shop, vol.  ii.  pp.  338  ff. 


APPENDIX.  509 

the  Smriti  when  the  S'ruti,  or  Veda,  is  silent.  After  some  other 
remarks  Kumarila  proceeds :  S '  dkyddi-vachandni  tu  katipaya-dama-dd- 
nddi  vachana-varjjam  sarvdny  eva  samasta-chaturdasa-vidyd-sthdna-virud- 
dhdni  trayl-mdrga-vyutthita-viruddhdcharanai£  cha  Buddhddidhih  pranl- 
tdni  trdyl-buhyebhyai  chaturtha-varna-niravasita-prdyebhyo  vydmudhe- 
Ihyah  samarthitdni  iti  na  veda-mulatvena  sambhdvyante  \  svadharmdti- 
kramena  cha  yena  kshattriyena  said  pravaktritva-pratigrahau  pratipannau 
na  dhafmam  aviplutam  upadekshyati  iti  kah  samdsvdsah  \  uktam  cha  "para- 
loka-viruddhdni  kurvdnam  duratas  tyajet  \  dtmdnam  yo  visamdhatte  so 
'nyasmai  sydt  katham  hitah"  iti  \  Buddhddeh  punar  ayam  evdtikramo  'lan- 
kdra-luddhau  sthito  yena  evam  aha  "  Icali-Jcalusha-Ttritdni  ydni  loke  mayi 
nipatantu  \  vimuchyatdm  tu  lokah"  iti  \  sa  kila  loka-hitdrtha-kshattriya- 
dharmam  atikramya  brdhmana-vrittim  pravaktritvam  pratipadya  prati- 
shedhdtikramdsamarthair  Irdhmanair  ananusishtam  dharmam  Idhya- 
jandn  anusdsad  dharma-p'iddm  apy  dtmano  'nglkritya  pardnugraham 
kritavdn  ity  evamvidhair  eva  gunaih  stuyate  \  tad-anusishtdnusdrinas  cha 
sarve  eva  iruti-smriti-vihita-dharmdtikramena  vyavaharanto  viruddhdchd- 
ratvena  jndyante  \  tena  pratyakshayd  srutyd  virodhe  grantha-kdrindm 
grahltrdcharitrmdm  grantha-prdmdnya-bddhanam  \  na  hy  eshdm  pur- 
voktena  nydyena  sruti-pratibaddhdndm  sva-pnula-sruty-anumdna-sdmar-  • 
thyam  asti  \  "  But  the  precepts  of  S'akya  and  ethers,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  enjoining  dispassion,  liberality,  etc.,  are  all  contrary  to  the 
fourteen  classes  of  scientific  treatises,  and  composed  by  Buddha  and  others 
whose  practice  was  opposed  to  the  law  of  the  three  Yedas,  as  well  as  cal- 
culated for  men  belonging  mostly  to  the  fourth  caste  who  are  excluded  from 
the  Yedas,  debarred  from  pure  observances,  and  deluded : — consequently 
they  cannot  be  presumed  to  be  founded  on  the  Yeda.  And  what  confid- 
ence can  we  have  that  one  (i.e.  Bftddha)  who  being  a  Kshattriy a,3  trans- 
gressed the  obligations  of  his  own  order,  and  assumed  the  function  of 
teachingand  the  right  to  receive  presents,  would  inculcate  a  pure  system 
of  duty?  For  it  has  been  said :  '  Let  everyone  avoid  a  man  who  practises 
acts  destructive  to  future  happiness.  How  can  he  who  ruins  himself 
be  of  any  benefit  to  others  ? '  And  yet  this  very  transgression  of  Buddha 
and  his  followers  is  conceived  as  being  a  feather  in  his  cap ;  since  he 
spoke  thus,  '  Let  all  the  evils  resulting  from  the  sin  of  the  Kali  age  fall 
upon  me ;  and  let  the  world  be  redeemed.'  Thus,  abandoning  the 
3  Compare  Colebrooke's  Misc.  Essays,  i.  312. 


510  APPENDIX. 

duties  of  a  Kshattriya,  which  are  beneficial  to  the  world,  assuming  the 
function  of  a  teacher  which  belongs  only  to  the  Brahmans,  and  instruct- 
ing men  who  were  out  of  the  pale  in  duty  which  was  not  taught  by  the 
Brahmans  who  could  not  transgress  the  prohibition  (to  give  such  in- 
struction), he  sought  to  do  a  kindness  to  others,  while  consenting  to 
violate  his  own  obligations  ;  and  for  such  merits  as  these  he  is  praised ! 
And  all  who  follow  his  instructions,  acting  in  contravention  of  the 
prescriptions  of  the  S'ruti  and  Smriti,  are  notorious  for  their  erroneous 
practices.  Hence  from  the  opposition  in  which  the  authors  of  these 
books,  as  well  as  e  those  who  receive  and  act  according  to  them,  stand 
to  manifest  injunctions  of  the  Veda,  the  authority  of  these  works  is 
destroyed.4  Por  since  they  are  by  the  above  reasoning  opposed  by 
the  Veda,  the  inference  that  they  rest  upon  independent  Vedic  au- 
thority of  their  own  possesses  no  force." 

The  next  passage  is  from  Kumarila's  Varttika  on  Jaimini's  Sutra,  i.  3, 
7 :  Vedenaivdlhyanujndtd  yeshdm  eva  pravaktritd  \  nitydndmabhidheydndm 
manvantara-yugddishu  \  teshdm  viparivartteshu  Icurvatdm  dharma-sam- 
hitdh  |  vachandni  pramdnani  ndnyesJidm  iti  nischayaTi  \  tathd  cha  Manor 
richah  sdmidhenyo  bhavanti  ity  asya  vidher  vdkya-seshe  sruyate  "Jfanur 
vai  yat  kinchid  avadat  tad  llieshajam  bheshajatdyai"6  iti  prdyaschittddy- 
upadesa-vachpnam  pdpa-yyddher  bheshajam  \  "  It  is  certain  that  the 
precepts  of  those  persons  only  whose  right  to  expound  the  eternal 
meanings  of  scripture  in  the  different  manvantaras  and  yugas  has  been 
recognized  by  the  Veda,  are  to  be  regarded  as  authoritative,  when  in 
the  revolutions  (of  those  great  mundane  periods)  they  compose  codes 
of  law.  Accordingly  by  way  of  complement  to  the  Vedic  passage  con- 
taining the  precept  (vidhi]  beginning  '  there  are  these  sdmidheni 
verses  of  Manu '  it  is  declared,  '  whatever  Manu  said  is  a  healing 
remedy ; '  i.e.  his  prescriptions  in  regard  to  expiatory  rites,  etc.,  are 
remedies  for  the  malady  of  sin." 

4  The  Nyaya-mala-vistara,  i.  3,  4,  quotes  Kumarila  as  raising  the  question 
whether  the  practice  of  innocence,  which  S'akya  (Buddha)  inculcated,  was,  or  was  not, 
a  duty  from  its  conformity  to  the  Veda,  and  as  solving  it  in  the  negative,  since  cow's 
milk  put  into  a  dogskin  cannot  be  pure  (SUkyoktahimsanam  dharmo  wo,  va  dharinah 
srutatvatah  \  na  dharmo  no,  hi  putam  syad  go-kshlram  sva-dritau  dhritam). 

6  These  words  are  quoted  by  Bothlingk  and  Roth,  s.v.  bheshajata,  as  taken  from 
the  Panchavims'a  Brahmana,  23,  16,  7.  A  similar  passage  occurs  in  the  Taitt.  Sanh. 
ii.  2,  10,  2. 


APPENDIX.  511 

From  Somesvara's  elaborate  comment  on  the  former  of  these  two 
passages  I  need  only  extract  the  following  sentences  :  Etad  alhiyukta- 
vachanena  dradhayati  "  uktam  cha"  \  Manas  tu  Icshattriyasydpi  pratva- 
kritvam  " yad  vai  kinchid  Manur  avadat  tad  Iheshajam"  iti  veddnujnata- 
tvdd  aviruddham  ity  dsayah  \  "This  he  confirms  by  the  words  of  a 
learned  man  which  he  introduces  by  the  phrase  '  for  it  has  been  said.' 
But  although  Manu  was  a  Kshattriya,  his  assumption  of  the  office  of 
teacher  was  not  opposed  to  the  Veda,  because  it  is  sanctioned  by  the 
Vedic  text  '  whatever  Manu  said  was  a  remedy : '  Such  is  the  purport." 

Page  254,  line  12. 

Yas  titydja  sachi-vidam,  etc.  This  verse  is  quoted  in  the  Taittiriya 
Aranyaka  (pp.  159  f.  of  Cal.  edit.),  which,  however,  reads  sakhi-vidam 
instead  of  sachi-vidam.  An  explanation  of  the  passage  is  there  given 
by  the  Commentator. 

Page  264,  line  14. 

Professor  "Weber  considers  (Indische  Studien,  i.  52)  that  "  the  yau- 
dhah  and  the  arhantah  were  the  forerunners  of  the  Rajanyas  and  the 
Brahmans."  See  the  whole  passage  below  in  the  note  on  p.  366. 

Page  268,  note  5*1., 

Compare  Asvalayana's  S'rauta-Sutras,  i.  3,  3  and  4,  and  commentary 
(p.  22  of  Cal.  edit.).  Prithi  Yainya  is,  as  I  find  from  Bb'htlingk  and 
Roth's  Lexicon,  s.v.,  referred  to  also  in  the  Atharva-veda,  viii.  10,  24, 
The  words  are  these  :  Sd  udaJcrdmat  sd  manusJiydn  dgactihat  \  tdm 
manushydh  updhvayanta  "  irdvaty  ehi"  iti  \  tasydh  Manur  Vaivasvato 
vatsah  dslt  pritliivl  pdtram  \  tdm  Prithi  Vainyo  'dhok  tdm  krishimjha 
sasyam  cha  adhoTc  \  tekrishim  cha  sJtsyam  cha  manmhydh  upajlvantiityddi  \ 
"  She  (i.e.  Yiraj)  ascended :  she  came  to  men.  Men  called  her  to  them, 
saying,  '  Come,  Iravati.'  Manu  Vaivasvata  was  her  calf,  and  the  earth 
her  vessel.  Prithi  Vainya  milked  her ;  he  milked  from  her  agriculture 
and  grain.  Men  subsist  on  agriculture  and  grain." 

See  "Wilson's  Vishnu  Purana,  vol.  i.  pp.  183  if.,  where  Prithu's  (this 
is  the  Puranic  form  of  the  word)  reign  is  described.  It  is  there  stated 
that  this  king,  "taking  the  lord  Manu  Svayambhuva  for  his  calf, 
milked  from  the  earth  into  his  own  hand  all  kinds  of  grain  from  a 
desire  to  benefit  his  subjects"  (V.P.  i.  13,  54.  Sa  kalpayitvd  vatsam  tu 


512  APPENDIX. 

Manum  Svdyambhuvam  pralhum  \  sve  pdnau  prithivl-ndtho  dudoka  pri- 
thivlm  Prithuh  \  55.  Sasya-jatdni  sarvdni  prajanaih  hita-Mmyaya). 
See  also  the  passage  quoted  -from  the  Bhagavata  Purana  by  the  editor 
Dr.  Hall  in  pp.  189  ff.  The  original  germ  of  these  accounts  is  evidently 
to  be  found  in  the  passage  of  the  Atharva-veda,  from  which  the  short 
text  I  have  cited  is  taken. 

Prithu's  reign  is  also  described  in  the  Dronaparvan,  2394  ff.,  and 
S'antiparvan,  1030  ff. 

Page  286,  line  8  from  the  foot. 

The  Srinjayas  are  mentioned  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  xii.  9,  3, 
1  ff.  and  13  (see  Weber's  Indische  Studien,  i.  207),  as  opposing  without 
effect  the  celebration  of  a  sacrifice  which  was  proposed  to  be  offered  for 
the  restoration  of  Dushtaritu  Paunsayana  to  his  ancestral  kingdom. 

Page  345,  line  24. 

Professor  Aufrecht  has  pointed  out  to  me  a  short  passage  in  the 
Taittiriya  Sanhita,  iii.  1,  7,  2,  in  which  Yisvamitra  and  Jamadagni  are 
mentioned  together  as  contending  with  Yasishtha  :  Visvdmitra- Jamad- 
agni Vasishthena  asparddhetdm  \  sa  etaj  Jamadagnir  vihavyam  apasyat  \ 
tena  vai  sa  Vasishthasya  indriyam  vlryyam  avrinltta  \  yad  mhavyam 
sasyate  indriyam  eva  tad  ifiryyam  yajamdno  bhrdtrivyasya  vrinkte  \  yasya 
bhuydmso  yajna-kratavah  ity  dhuh  sa  devatdh  vrinkte  \  "  Visvamitra  and 
Jamadagni  were  contending  with  Yasishtha.  Jamadagni  beheld  this 
vihavya  text,  and  with  it  he  destroyed  the  vigour  and  energy  of  Ya- 
sishtha. When  the  vihavya  is  recited,  then  the  sacrificer  destroys  the 
vigour  and  energy  of  his  enemy.  He  whose  oblations  and  all  attendant 

ceremonies  are  superior  destroys  the  gods  (of  his  opponent)." 

i 

Page  366,  note  164. 

In  a  notice  of  Latyayana's  Sutras,  in  Indische  Studien,  i.  50,  Pro- 
fessor Weber  observes  :  "At  the  same  time  I  remark  here  that  the 
presence  of  S'udras  at  the  ceremonies,  although  on  the  outside  of  the 
sacrificial  ground,  was  permitted — a  point  which  results  from  the  fact 
that  during  the  diksha  they  were  not  to  be  addressed  (iii.  3).  Here  and 
there  a  S'udra  appears  as  acting,  although  in  a  degraded  position. 
Compare  iv.  3,  5  :  aryo  (i.e.  vaisyah,  according  to  the  commentator 
Agnisvamin)  antarvedi  ....  lahirvedi  sudrah  \  aryalhdve  yah  leas 


APPENDIX.  513 

cha  dryyo  varnah  (brdhmano  vd  kshattriyo  vd,  Agnisvamin).  Thus 
their  position,  like  that  of  the  Nishadas,  was  not  so  wretched  as 
it  became  afterwards.  Toleration  was  still  necessary  ;  indeed  the  strict 
Brahmanical  principle  was  not  yet  generally  recognized  among  the 
nearest  Arian  races.  This  is  shown  by  the  following  fact.  Before 
entering  on  the  Yratya-stomas,  Latyayana  treats,  viii.  5,  of  an  impre- 
catory rite  called  S'yena  (the  falcon),  which  is  not  taught  in  the  Pancha- 
vimsa,  but  in  the  Shadvimsa  (iv.  2).  The  tribes  mentioned  by  Panini, 
v.  3,  112  ff.,  are  there  described:  Vrdtlndndm6  yaudJtdndm  puttrdn 
anuchdndn  ritvijo  vrinlta  syenasya  \  "  arhatdm  eva "  iti  S'dndilyah 7  j 
("  Let  the  learned  sons  of  warriors,  who  live  by  the  profession  of  Yratas, 
be  chosen  as  priests  for  the  S'yena.  '  The  sons  of  arhats  only '  [should  be 
chosen]  says  S'andilya").  "Whilst,"  proceeds  Prof.  "W.,  "in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Sutra  nine  things  are  required  for  a  ritvij  (priest),  viz.  that 
he  should  be  (1)  arsheyah  (d  dasamdt  purmhdd  avyavachhinnam  drshaih 
yasya,  'able  to  trace  his  unbroken  descent  for  ten  generations  in  the 
family  of  a  rishi');  (2)  anuchanah  (sishyebJiyo  vidyd-sampraddnam  yah 
kritavdn,  "one  who  has  imparted  knowledge  to  pupils') ;  (3)  sadhu- 
charanah  (shatsu  Irdhmana-ltarmasv  avasthitah  prasasta-Jearmd,  '  one 
who  has  practised  the  six  duties  of  a  Brahman,  a  man  of  approved 
conduct ')  ;  (4)  vagmi  (eloquent)  ;  (5)  anyiinangah  (without  deficiency 
in  his  members) ;  (6)  anatiriktangah  (without  superfluous  members) ; 
(7)  dvesatah  (equal  in  length  above  and  below  the  navel) ;  (8)  anati- 
krishnah ;  (9)  anatisvetah  (na  atibdlo  na  ativriddhah,  '  neither  too 
young  nor  too  old'), — Latyayana  here  contents  himself  with  putting 
forward  one  only  of  these  requirements,  the  second  (i.e.  that  the  priest 
should  be  '  learned  '),  as  essential.  The  title  Arhat  for  teacher,  which 
was  at  a  later  period  used  exclusively  by  the  Buddhists,  is  found  in  the 
S'atapatha  Brahmana,  (iii.  4,  3,  6)  and  the  Taittiriya  Aranyaka,8  and 

6  Nana-jafiyah  aniyata-vrittayah  utsedha-jivinah   sanghah   vratgh    \    (Patanjali, 
quoted  by  Weber)  "  Vratas  are  the  various  classes  of  people  who  have  no  fixed 
profession,  and  live  by  violence."     Vratena  sarlrayasena  jtiaii  vratinah   (Comm. 
on  Panini,  v.  2,  21)    "He  who  lives  by  bodily  labour  is  a  vratma."      The  word 
means  "  he  who  lives  by  the  labour  usual  among  Vratas,"  according  to  another 
comment  cited  by  "Weber. 

7  Arhatam  eva  varanam  Jcarttavyam  iti  S'andilyah  \    "Arhats  only  are  to  be 
chosen,  says  S'andilya"  (Agnisvamin,  quoted  by  Weber). 

8  It  also  occurs  in  Ait.  Br.  i.  15  (see  Bothlingk  and  Koth,  s.v.}.     To  his  translation 
of  this  passage  Dr.  Haug  appends  the  following  note  :  "  The  term  is  arhat,  a  word 

33 


514  APPENDIX. 

is  known  in  the  Gana  Brahmana  (Panini,  v.  1,  124).  The  Yaudhah 
and  Arhantah  are  the  forerunners  of  the  Rajanyas  and  the  Brahmans.' 
According  to  Professor  Weber,  Ind.  St.  i.  207,  note,  a  Sthapati  "  means, 
according  to  Katyayana's  S'rauta  Sutras,  xxii.  11,  11,  a  Vaisya,  or  any 
other  person  (according  to  Katyayana,  i.  1,  12,  he  may  even  be  a 
Nishada)  who  has  celebrated  the  Gosava  sacrifice,  after  being  chosen 
by  his  subjects  to  be  their  ruler." 

Page  378,  lines  1-3. 

Compare  Dronaparvan,  verse  2149  :  nanv  eshdni  nischitd  nishthd  nish- 
thd saptapadl  smritd  \ 

Page  400,  line  9  from  bottom. 

If  further  proof  of  this  sense  of  brahmarshi  be  wanted,  it  may  be 
found  in  the  words  viprarshi  and1  dvijarshi,  which  must  be  regarded  as 
its  synonymes,  and  which  can  only  mean  "Brahman-rishi." 

Page  423,  line  12,  and  foot-note. 

The  same  verse  with  some  variations  is  repeated  in  the  Anusasana- 
parvan,  verse  6262 :  Raja,  Mitrasahas  chaiva  Vasishthdya  mahutmane  \ 
Madayantlm  priydm  bhdryydm  datvd  cha  tridivam  gatah  \  "And  king 
Mitrasaha,  having  bestowed  his  dear  wife  Madayanti  on  the  great  Va- 
sishtha,  went  to  heaved."  Here,  it  will  be  observed,  the  name  Mada- 
yanti is  correctly  given. 

Page  423,  line  17. 

This  stanza  is  repeated  in  Anusasanaparvan,  verse  6250,  with  the 
following  variation  in  the  second  line :  arghyam  pradaya  vidhival  lebhe 
lokdn  anuttaman  \ 

Page  436,  line  5  from  the  foot. 

I  find  that  two  other  instances  of  Urahmaus  receiving  instruction 

from  Rajanyas  are  alluded  to  by  Professor  Weber,  Ind.  Stud.  x.  117. 

• 

well  known,  chiefly  to  the  students  of  Buddhism.  Sayana  explains  it  by  "a  great 
Brfthman,  or  a  Brahman  (in  general)."  In  reference  to  another  part  of  the  sentence 
in  which  this  word  occurs,  Dr.  Haug  adds:  "That  cows  were  killed  at  the  time  of 
receiving  a  most  distinguished  guest  is  stated  in  the  Smritis.  But  as  Havana  observes 
(which  entirely  agrees  with  opinions  held  now  a-d^ys),  this  custom  belongs  to  former 
yugas  (periods  of  the  world).  Thence  the  word  gnghna,  i.e.  '  cowkiller,'  means  in  the 
more  ancient  Sanskrit  books  'a  guest'  (see  the  commentators  on  Panini,  3,  4,  73) 
for  the  reception  of  a  high  guest  was  the  death  of  the  cow  of  the  house." 


APPENDIX.  515 

The  first  is  recorded  in  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  x.  6,  1,  2  ff.  ;  where 
it  is  stated  that  six  Brahmans,  who  were  at  issue  with  one  another 
regarding  Vaisvanara  (Agni),  and  were  aware  that  king  Asvapati  the 
Kaikeya  was  well  informed  on  the  subject,  repaired  to  him  for  in- 
struction and  requested  that  he  would  treat  them  as  his  pupils.  He 
first  asked  them  '  if  they  were  not  themselves  learned  in  the  Veda  as 
well  as  the  sons  of  learned  men,  and  how  they  could  in  that  case  come 
to  consult  him  '  ("  Tan  nu  bhagavanto  'nuchdndh  anuchdna-putrdh  \  kim 
idam"  iti}.  They,  however,  persisted  in  their  request,  when  he  asked 
them  severally  what  they  considered  Vaisvanara  to  be,  expressed  his 
concurrence  in  their  replies,  though  all  different,  as  partial  solutions 
of  the  question,  and  ended  by  giving  them  some  further  insight 
into  the  subject  of  their  enquiry.  The  second  instance  is  taken 
from  the  Chhandogya  TJpanishad,  i'.  8,  1,  which  commences  thus: 
Trayo  ha  udglthe  kusaldh  babhuvah  S'ilakah  S'dldvatyas  Chaihitdyano 
Ddlbhyah  Pravdhano  Jaivalir  iti  \  te  ha  uchur  "udglthe  kathdmvadtima" 
iti  |  2.  "  Tathd"  iti  ha  samupavivisuh  \  sa  ha  Pravdhano  Jaivalir  uvdcha 
"bhagavantdv  agre  vadatdm  \  brdhmanayor  vadator  vdcham  sroshydmi" 
iti  |  "  Three  men  were  skilled  in  the  Udgltha,  S'ilaka  S'alavatya,  Chai- 
kitayana Dalbhya,  and  Pravahana  Jaivali.  They  said,  '  We  are  skilled 
in  the  UdgTtha ;  come  let  us  discuss  it.'  (Saying)  '  so  be  it,'  they  sat 
down.  Pravahana  Jaivali  said, '  Let  your  reverences  speak  first ;  I  will 
listen  to  the  discourse  of  Brahmans  discussing  the  question.'  "  S'ilaka 
S'alavatya  then  asked  Chaikitayana  Dalbhya  a  series  of  questions ;  but 
was  dissatisfied  with  his  final  reply.  Being  interrogated  in  his  turn  by 
Chaikitayana,  S'ilaka  answered;  but  his  answer  was  disapproved  by 
Pravahana  Jaivali,  who  finally  proceeded  to  supply  the  proper  solution. 
In  two  other  passages  the  same  TJpanishad,  as  quoted  above  in  p.  195, 
and  explained  by  the  commentator,  recognizes  the  fact  of  sacred  science 
being  possessed,  and  handed  down,  by  Kshattriyas.  See  also  the  note  on 
p.  220,  above,  p.  508.  The  doctrines  held  by  Kajanyas  are  not,  however, 
always  treated  with  such  respect.  In  the  S'atapatha  Brahmana,  viii.  1, 
4,  10,  an  opinion  in  regard  to  breath  (prdna]  is  attributed  to  Svarijit 
Nagnnjita,  or  Nagnajit  the  Gandhara,  of  which  the  writer  contemp- 
tuously remarks  that  "  he  said  tliis  like  a  Rajanya"  (Yat  sa  tad  uvdcha 
rujanyabandhur  iva  tv  era  tad  uvdcha) ;  and  he  then  proceeds  to  refute 
it  (see  Weber's  Indische  tbtudieu,  i.  218).  It  appears  that  the  Smriti 


516  APPENDIX. 

recognizes  the  possibility  of  a  Brahman  becoming  in  certain  circum- 
stances the  pupil  of  a  Rajanya  or  a  Vaisya.  Thus  Manu  says,  ii.  241 : 
Abrdhmandd  adhyayanam  dpat-kdle  vidhlyate  \  anuvrajyd  cha  susrushd 
ydvad  adhyayanam  auroh  \  242.  Nalrahmane  gurau  sishyo  vdsam  dtyan- 
tikam  vaset  \  brahmane  chdnanuchtine  kdnltshan  gatim  anuttamdm  \  241. 
"  In  a  time  of  calamity  it  is  permitted  to  receive  instruction  from  one 
who  is  not  a  Brahman;  and  to  wait  upon  and  obey  such  a  teacher 
during  the  period  of  study.  242.  But  let  not  a  pupil,  who  aims  at 
the  highest  future  destiny,  reside  for  an  excessive  period  with  such  a 
teacher  who  is  not  a  Brahman,  or  with  a  Brahman  who  is  not  learned 
in  the  Yeda."  Kulluka  explains  this  to  mean  that  when  a  Brahman 
instructor  cannot  be  had  a  Kshattriya  may  be  resorted  to,  and  in  the 
absence  of  a  Kshattriya,  a  Vaisya. 

Page  457,  note  241. 

When  I  wrote  this  note,  I  did  not  advert  to  the  difficulty  presented 
by  the  word  diddsitha,  which  has  at  once  the  form  of  a  desiderative 
verb,  and  of  the  second  person  of  the  perfect  tense.  Bb'htlingk  and 
Roth,  s.v.  dd,  on  a  comparison  of  the  two  parallel  passages,  suppose 
that  the  present  reading  of  the  Aitareya  Brahmana  is  corrupt  as  regards 
this  word,  which,  as  they-  quote  it,  is  diddsitha.  May  not  the  correct 
reading  be  daddsitha  from  the  root  dds  ? 

Page  461,  line  14. 

The  Taittiriya  Brahmana,  ii.  2,  4,  4  f.,  says  of  Prajapati :  So  'surdn 
asrijata  \  tad  asya  apriyam  dslt  \  5.  Tad  durvarnam  hiranyam  abhavat  \ 
tad  durvarnasya  hiranyasya  janma  \  .  .  .  .  sa  devdn  asrijata  tad  asya 
p*iyam  dslt  \  tat  suvarnasya  hiranyasya  janma  \  "  He  created  Asuras. 
That  was  displeasing  to  him.  5.  Tuat  became  the  precious  metal  with 

the  bad  colour  (silver).     This  was  the  origin  of  silver He 

created  gods.     That  was  pleasing  to  him.     That  became  the  precious 
metal  with  the  good  colour  (gold).     That  was  the  origin  of  gold." 


INDEX  OF  PEINCIPAL  NAMES  AND  MATTERS. 


Abhimana,  201 
Abhishnatas,  353 
Abhiyuktas,  500 
Acbala,  400 
Achhavaka,  155 
Adhipurusha,  111 
Adharma,  124 
Adhvaryu,    41,  155,  251, 

263,  294,  459 
Aditi,  18,  26,  72,  116, 122, 
_221 
Adityas,  19f.,  26,52,  117, 

126,  157,  270 
Adris'yantl,  417 
Agastya,  or  Agasti,  309  ff., 

321,  330,  442,  461 
Aghamarshana,  279 
Aghamarshanas,  353 
Agni,  10,  16~20f.,  33,  52, 

71,  75,  165,  177  f.,  180, 

270 

one  of  the  triad  of 

deities,  75 

Agnidh,  251 
Agmdhra,  155 
Agmdhra  (king),  491 
Agnihotra,  21,  428 
Agni  Purana,  210 
Agnisvamin,  512 
Agnives'ya,  223 
Agnives'yayana,  223 
Ahalya,  235,  310,  466 

the  first  woman,  121 

Ahankara,  201 
Ahavanlya  fire,  428 

Ahi,  250,  340 
Ahura  Mazda,  293 
Aindra  -  barhaspatya  obla- 
tion, 22 


Aitareya  Brahmana,  5 
quoted — 
ii.   33,— 180 

—  34,— 166 
iii.  31,— 177 

—  34,— 44*3 
v.  14,— 191 
vii.  15,—  48 

—  17,— 355 

—  19,— 367  f. 

—  27,— 436 
viii.  14,— 492 

—  21,— 325,  456 

—  23,— 369,  493 

—  24,  27,— 367 

—  33,— 107 
Ajagava,  301 
Ajaka,  349 

Ajamldha,  234,  267,  2?9, 

360,413 
Ajatas'atru,  431 
AjTgartta,  355  ff.,  360 
Ajita,  279 
Akarapana,  505 
Akas'a,  115,  130,  506 
Akriya,  232 
Akshamala,  336 
Akuli,  189    i 
Akuti,  65,  73 
Alarka,  232 
AmaravatT,  494 
Ama\asu,  349 
Ambarisha,  224,  266,  279, 

362,  405 

Ambashtha,  481,  495 
Ambhainsi,  23,  58,  79,  80 
Ams'a,  27 
Anagha,  335 
Anala,  116 
Ananta,  207 
Ananta,  114 
Anavadya,  116 


Andhras,  358,  483  f. 

Anenas,  226 

Anga,  232,  298,  464 

Angas,  459 

Angiras,  36,  65,116, 122f., 

151, 168, 172, 184, 224f., 

226,  279,  286,  330,  341, 

445,  466 

Angirases,  192,  194,  224 
Anila,  234 
Anu,  232,  482 
Anus,  179 
Anugraha-sarga,  58 
Anukramanika,  228,  266, 

328,  348" 
Anupa,  116 
Anushtubh,  16 
Anuvratas,  500 
Apas'ya,  279 
Apastamba,  2 
Apava,  453 
Apaya,  345 
Apnavana,  447 
Apratiratha,  234 
Apsarases,  33,37, 177,  320, 
_419,  etc. 
Aranyakas,  2,  5,  32 
Arhat,  511,  513 
Arishtanemi,  116,  125 
Arjuna,  449  ff.,  497 
Arjuna  (the  Pandu),  494 
Arka,  241 

Arrian,  quoted,  370 
Arshtishena,  272,  279 
Artavas,  18 
Arunas,  32,  449 
Arundhati,  336,  389 
Arurmaghas,  438 
ArushI,  124,  476 
Arvaksrotas,    57,  61,    65, 

157 


518 


INDEX. 


Arya,  18 

Aryaman,  27,  158 
Aryyas,  174  ff.,  396,  481 

their  language,  141, 

_482 

Aryakas,  498 

Asat,  46 

Asitamrigas,  438 

Ashtaka,  279,  352,357 

As'masarin,  275 

Atframas,  98 

Asura,  116 

Asuras,  23,  24,  29,  33,  37, 
58,  79,  130,  139,  177, 
187,  228,  469,  etc.,  etc. 

their  priests,  189  f. 

Asuri,  430 
As'valayanas's    S'rauta 

Sutras,  137,  511 
As'vamedha  (proper  name), 

267 

As'vatara,  336 
Asvins,  166,  470,  etc. 
Atharvan  (the  sage),  162, 

169 

his  cow,  395 

Atharvas,  293 
Atharva-veda,  2 

quoted — 

iii.  19,  1,— 283 

—  24,  2,— 179 
iv.  6,  1,— 21 

—  6,  2,— 490 

—  14,  4,— 179 

—  29,  3,  5,— 330 
v.    8,  5,— 289 

—  11,  1-11,— 395 

—  17,  1-18,— 280 

—  18,  1-15,— 284 

—  19,  1-15,— 286 
vi.  120,  3,— 385 

—  123,  3  f.— 137 
r     yii.  104,— 395 

viii.  2,  21,— 46 

—  10,  24,— 217,  511 

—  108,  1-5,— 254 
ix.  5,  1,— 503 

—  6,  27,— 282,  385 
x.   8,  7,— 9 

xi.  10,  2,— 32 
xii.  1,  15,— 163 
_  3,  17,_385 

—  5,  4-15,— 287 
xiii.  3,  14,— 171 

—  4,  29,— 9 
xv.  8,  1,— 22 
-  9,  l,-22 


Atharva-veda  continued — 
xviii.  3,  15, — 330 

—  3,  23,— 385 

—  3,  34,— 179 
xix.  6,  1  ff.,— 8,  9 

—  6,    6,—  10 

—  9,  12,— 288 

—  22,  21,— 288 

—  23,  30,— 288 

—  43,    8,— 289 

—  62,    1,— 282 
Atibala,  116 
Atmavat,  279 

Atri,  36,  61,  116,  122  f., 
171  f.,  178,  225,  242, 
248,  267,  303,  330,  468 

Atyarati,  493 

Audumbaras,  353 

Aufrecht,  Professor,  his 
Catalogue  of  Bodleian 
Sanskrit  MSS.  referred 
to,  203  ' 

information  or  sug- 
gestions from  him,  14, 
19,20,  29,93, 137, 163f., 
210,  247f.,  254ff.,  319, 
325  f.,  340,  346,  389, 
395,  512 

Augha,  217 

Aupamanyava,  177 

Aurva,  279,  445,  447, 

^448^,476 

Avantyas,  486 

Avyakta,  41 

Ayasya,  355 

Ayodhya,  115 

Ayu,  170,  171  f.,  174,  180 

Ayus,  170 

Ayus  (king),  226,  308,  353 


B 

Babhravas,  3?3 
Babhrus,  353 
Badari,  199 
Bahu,  486 
Bahuputra,  116 
Bahvasfva,  235 
Bala,  279 
Bala,  116 
Balahaka,  207 
Balakas'va,  353 
Balakhilyas,  32,  305,  400 
Baleya,  232 
Bali,"  232 
Balis,  469 


Banerjea,  Rev.  Prof.,  his 
Dialogues  on  Hindu 
Philosophy  referred  to, 
120 

his   edition    of  the 

Markandeya  Purana  re- 
ferred to,  223 

Banga,  232 

Barbaras,  482 

Baresma,  293 

Bauddhas,  305      • 

Benfey,  Prof.,  his  trans- 
lation of  the  Sama-veda 
quoted,  164 

his  glossary  to  ditto, 

490 

his  translation  of  the 

Eig-veda  quoted  or  re- 
ferred to,  167,  180,  247, 
331,  348 

Bhagavadgita  quoted,  508 
Bhadra,  389,  467 
Bhadras'va  (a  division  of 

Jambudvlpa),  491 
Bhaga,  27 

Bhagavata  Purana — 
i.     3,  15,— 213 

—  3,  20,— 350 
ii.    1,  37,— 156 

—  5,  34,— 155 
iii.  6,  29,— 156 
—12,  20,— 108 
—20,  25,— 157 
—22,  2,— 156 
iv.  1,  40,— 335 
v.  1,  30,— 489 
—16,  2,- 490 
—17,  11,— 496 
—20,  4,  6,— 498 

—  20,  11,— 499 
—20,  16,  22,— 500 
—20,  28,— 501 

vi.  6,  40,— 158 
vii.  11,  24,— 366 
viii.  5,  41,— 157 

—  24,  7,— 208 
ix.  2,  16,— 222 

—  2,  17,— 223 

—  2,  21,— 223 

—  2.  23  ff.,— 222 

—  6,  2,— 224 

—  7,— 358 

—  7,  6,— 386 

—  13,  3,— 316 

—  14,  48,— 158 

—  15,  5,— 457 

—  16,  17,— 458 

—  16,  30,— 368 


INDEX. 


519 


Bhagavata  Purana  con- 
tinued,— 
ix.  17,    2,— 227 

—  17,  10,— 232 

—  20,  1,— 234 

—  21,  19,— 237 

—  21,  21,— 235 

—  21,  33,— 235 

—  22,  14,— 275 
x.  33,  27,— 113 

Bhalandana,  and  Bhalanda 
a  Vais'ya  mantra-krit, 
279 

Bhayamana,  266 

Bharadvaja,  141,  279,  330 

Bharata,  168,  234,  242, 
354,  360,  413 

Bharata,  187,  348 

Bharatas,  320,  338,  340, 
354 

Bharatas,  344 

Bharatavarsha,  49 1,494  if. 

BharatI,  112 

Bharga,  or  Bharga,  231 

Bhargabhumi,  231 

Bhargava,  228 

Bharmyas'va,  235 

Bhasi,  116 

Bhavins,  498 

Bheda,  319,  323 

Bhlma,  133,142,308,349 

Bhlmanada,  207 

Bhlmasena,  273 

Bhiras,  495 

Bhishma,  127 

Bhrigu,  36,  65,  67,  122, 
139,  151,  168,  228  f., 
279,  286,  314,  443ff. 

Bhrigu  Varuni,  443 

Bhrigubhumi,  231 

Bhrigus,  169  f.,  228, 442  ff. 

Bhritakila,  279 

Bhiimanyu,  360 

Bhurloka,  51,209,  211 

Bhutakritas,  37,  42,  255 

Bhutanampati,  16 

Bhutapati,  108 

Bhutas,  59 

Bhutaviras,  438 

Boar  incarnation,  51  ff., 
5i,  76 

Bohtlingk  and  Roth's  Lexi- 
con referred  to,  47,  108, 
144,  178,  180, 184,  253, 
340,  348,  395,400,442, 
505,  511 

Brahma  S'vovasyava,  30 

Brahmacharin,  289 


Brahman  (masculine,  a 
priest),  155,  242  ff.,  459 

Brahman  (masculine,  the 
god),  35,  36,  75,  etc. 

his  passion  for  his 

daughter,  107 

Brahman  (neuter,  prayer, 
241 

Brahman  (neuter,  the  uni- 
versal soul),  20 

Brahmana,  son  of  a  Brah- 
man, 252,  264 

Brahmanachhaihsin,  155 

Brahmanas  (the  theologi- 
cal works),  2,  4f. 

Brahmanaspati,  16 

Brahmani,  110 

Brahmans,  7,  and  passim 

origin  of  the  word, 

252,  259,  264 

their    intermarriage 

with   womed    of   other 
castes,  282,  481 

their     prerogatives 

and  powers,  1 28, 1 30,etc. 

Brahmanya,  155 

Brahmaputra,  252,  259, 
264 

Brahmarshi,  or  Brahman 
rishi,  400.  407,  410 

Brahmas,  the  nine,  65,  445 

Brahmasva,.279 

Brahmaudana,  26,  27 

Brahma- yuga,  152  "" 

Breal,  M.  Michel,  his  Her- 
cule  et  Cacus,  246 

Bride's  seven  steps,  378, 
514 

Brihaddevata,  321,  326, 
344 

Brihadishu,  234 

Brihaduktha,  279 

Brihaspati,  16,  22,  163, 
167,  226,  270,  438 

Brihat,  16  » 

Brihat-saman,  286 

Buddha,  509 

Buddhists,  513 

Budha,  221,  226,  307,  336 

Bunsen,  Baron,  his  Philo- 
sophy of  Universal  His- 
tory referred  to,  8 

Burnouf,  M.  Eugene,  his 
Bhagavata  Purana  re- 
ferred to,  8,  155",  211, 
489,  etc. 

his  views  about  the 

Deluge,  215 


Chakshusha,  298 
Chakshusha    Manvantara, 

207,  213 
Chaiida,  207 
Chandala,  402,  481 
Caste,   mythical    accounts 

of  its  origin,  7  ff. 

Variety   and  incon- 
sistency  of    these    ac- 
counts, 34,  66,  102,  159 

Castes,  their  future  abodes, 
63,  98 

their  respective  co- 
lours,. 140,  151,  153 

no  natural  distinction 

between,  140 

manner  of  their  rise 

according  to  Prof.  Roth, 
289 

time  of  their  rise  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Haug,292 

Chaturvarnya,  135 
Charshanis,  158 
Chauras,~482 
Charvakas,  305 
Chhandas,  4 
Chhandogas,  334 
Chhandogya  Brahmaua,  5 

Upanishad,  iii.    11, 

4,— 195,  514 

iv.  1,  4,— 49 

v.  3,  1,— 435 

viii.  15,  1,— 195 

Chinas,  482,  484 
ChlrinI,  a  river,  199 
Cholas,  488 
Chunchulus,  353 
Chyavana,  124,  273,  283, 

445,  470,  474 

Colebrooke's  Miscellaneous 
Essays  quo  ted  or  referred 
to,  8,  13  f.,  25,  62,  32o, 
378,  385,  492,  497 

Co  well's,  Professor  E.  B., 
translation  of  Kaushl- 
taki  Brahmana  Upani- 
shad, 10,  432" 

Preface  to,  quoted,  32 

Creation  of  man,  mythical 
accounts  of,  7  ff. 

their  mutual  incon- 
sistency, 34,  65,  102 

how    explained     by 

Indian  commentators,  66 

Creations,  similarity  of  suc- 
cessive, 60,  89 


520 


INDEX. 


D 

DadhTcha,  279 
Dadhyanch,  162,  169,  172 
Daityas,  41, 139,  499 
Daivavata,  348 
Daivodasa,  348 
Daksha,   9,  65,    72,   116, 

122,   124  ff.,    153,   221, 

335 

DakshayanT,  Aditi,  126 
Dama,  222 
Damayanti,  389 
Damayanti,  see  Madayanti 
Damins,  500 
Danavas,    139,    144,    209, 

468  f.,  499 
Danavratas,  501 
Danayu,  123 
Dandakas,  467 
Danu,  116,  123 
Daradas,  459,  482 
Darvas,  or  Darvas,  482, 488 
Dasa,  174,  323,  396 
Dasahotri,  29 
Das'aratha,  362 
Das'arna,  222 
Dasyus,  174  ff.,  358,  460, 

469,  482,  500 
Dattatreya,  450,  473,  478 
Day  of  Brahma,  43,  48, 

213 

gods,  43 

Deities,  triad  of,  produced 
from  the  three  Gunas,  75 

Deluge,  legendof,  183,199, 
203,  209,  211 

was  the  tradition  of 

it  indigenous  or  not,  215 

comparison  of  differ- 
ent Indian  accounts  of, 
216 

Devadeva,  351 

Devakas,  500 

Devala,  352 

Devalas,  353 

Devapi,  269 

Devaraja,  279 

Devarata,  279,  351  f.,  356, 

413 

Devaratas,  353 
Devarshi,  400 
Devas,  79,  499 
Devas'arman,  466 
Devas'ravas,  344,  352  f. 
Devavat,  322 
Devavata,  344 
Dhanajapyas,  353 


Dhananjaya,  279 
Dfa;mur-veda,  477 
Dhanvantari,  226 
Dhanyas,  500 
Dharma,  20,122,124,385, 

400,  412 

Dharshtakas,  223 
Dhatri,  18,  27,  124 
Dhl,  241 
Dhrishnu,  126 
Dlirishta,  221,  223 
Dhritarashtri,  117 
Dhruva,  234,  298 
Dirghatamas,    226,     232, 

247,  268,  279 
Dirghatapas,  233 
DTrghasattra,  300 
Dishta,  222 
Diti,  116,  123 
Divodasa,  229  f.,  235,  268, 

279,  322,  348 
Dogs,   whether   they  fast 

from  religious  motives, 

365 

Draupadi,  381,  389 
Dravida,  209 

Dravidas,  or  Dravidas,  482 
Dravinas,  500 
Dridhanetra,  400 
Driptabalaki  Gargya,  432 
Drishadvati,  344 
Dropa,  207 
Druhyu,  232,  482 
DVuhyus,  179 
Duhsima,  305 
Durga,    commentator    on 

the     Nirukta,     quoted, 

344,  417 
Durgaha,  267 
Duritakshaya,  237 
Durvasas,  387,  389 
Dushyanta,  234,  360 
Dvapara,   39,  43  ff.,   119, 

146,  149  f.,  447 
DvTpas,  51,  489  nj. 
Dwarf  incarnation,  52,  54, 

233 
Dyaus  (the  sky),  feminine, 

108 
• masculine,  163,  396, 

434 


E 

Earth,  the  goddess,  51, 163 
Earth  fashioned,  51  ff.,  76 
milked,  96 


Egg,  the  mundane,  35,  74, 

156,  503 
Ekadasini,  69 
Ekavims'a,  16 
Elysian  fields,  502 
Emusha,  53 


F 

Families,  hope  of  their  re- 
union in  a  future  life, 
385 

Fathers,  see  Pitris 

Fish  incarnation,  50,  54, 
111,  183,  199.-205,  209, 
211 

Flood,  see  Deluge 


G 

Gabhastimat,  494 
Gabhira,  232 
Gadhi,  343, 349,  znApassim 
Galava,  232,  352,  411 
Galavas,  353 
Gandhamadana,  491 
Gandharas,  484 
Gandharva,  494 
Gandharvas,    33,    37,  59, 

139,  144,  177,  250,  257, 

499 

their  heaven,  63,  98, 

307 

Ganga,  130,199,206,461, 

490 

Garga,  227,  236,  279,  305 
Gargya  Balaki,  431 
Gargyas,  236 
Garhapatya-fire,  186 
Gathin,  34«,  358 
Gathins,  358,  363 
Gatra,  335 
Gautama,   121,  235,  316, 

434,  466 
Gavishthira,  330 
Gaya,  227 

Gayatri,  16,  110,114,  137 
Genesis,  i.  2, — 52 
Gifts  to  priests,  259 
Gir,  241 
Gods,  intercourse  of  men 

with,  in  early  ages,  147 

whether    they    can 

practise  Vedic  rites,  365 

Goldstiicker,  Professor,  aid 
received  from,  508 


INDEX. 


521 


Gopatha  Brahmana,  5 
Gorresio,  his  edition  of  the 

Ramayana  referred  to, 

397,  399"  etc. 
Gotama,  330 
Gravan,  155 
Griffith,  Principal,  MS.  oh- 

tained  through  him,  279 
Grihya  Sutras,  5 
Gritsa,  279 
Gritsamada,  226 
Gritsamati,  227 
Guhernatis,  Signer  A.  de, 

quoted,  xii. 
Gunas,  66,  75,  145 
Gurudhira,  279 


Haihaya,  477 

Haihayas,  449,  486 

HaimavatT,  336 

Hala,  121 

Hall's,  Dr.  Fitzedward, 
edition  of  "Wilson's 
Vishnu  Purana,  24, 
268,  512  and  passim 

information     given 

by,  155 

Preface  to  his  edition 

of  the  Sankhya-prava- 
chana-bhashya  referred 
to,  430 

Hansa,  158 
Hansas,  498 
Hanumat,  143 
Hari,  61,  62 
Harita,  224 
Harita,  352 
Haritas,  225 
Haritaka,  351 
Haris'chandra,  355,  379  ff., 

413,  486 

Harivams'a  quoted — 

292,— 302 

652,— 223 

659,— 221 

718,— 376 

773,— 487 

789,— 230 

1425,— 351 

1456,— 351 

1520.-227 

1596,-231 

1682,-233 

1732,— 227 

1752,— 231 

1766,— 352 


Harivams'a  continued — 

1781,— 236 

1819,— 273 

8811,— 307 

11355,— 154 

11802,— 153 

11808,— 152 

Harivarsha,  491,  494 

Harsha,  124 

Haryas'va,  279 

Haug's,  Dr.  Martin,  Aita- 
reya  Brahmana  quoted 
or  referred  to,  4,  5,  48, 
107,  137,  177,180,192, 
246,  250,  256,  263,  355, 
369,  438  f.,  492  f.,  513 

Origin  of  Brahman- 
ism  quoted,  11,  14,  292 

Haughton,  Sir  G.  C  ,  his 
note  on  Manu,  vii.  41, — 
296 

Hayagrlva,  207,  212 

Havishyanda,  400 

Hayas'iras,  449 

Hema,  232 

Hemakuta,  491 

Himavat,  or  Himalaya, 
130,  183,  200,229,311, 
491 

Hiranmaya,  491 

Hiranyagarbha,  195,  220 

Hiranyaksha,  352      > 

Hiranyakshas,  353        , 

Homer's  Odyssey  quoted, 
502 

Hostility  to  Yedic  wor- 
ship, 259 

Hotri,  155,  251,  263,  271, 
291,  459 

Houses,  origin  of,  93 

Hrishikes'a,  206 

Huhu,  336 

Human  sacrifices,  11  f. 

Hunas,  495 

Hymns  of  the  Rig-veda,  4, 
318 

whether  they  allude 

to     castes    as    already 
existing,  161  if. 


Ida,  268,  279,  306 

Ida,  daughter  of  Manu, 
'l84ff.,  seella 

Ikshvaku,  115,  126,  177, 
195,  221,  224,  268,  337, 
355,  362,  401,  405,  508 


Ikshvakus,  401,  418 

Ila,  126,  221,  306,  see  Ida 

Ilavrita,  491 

Indra,  3,   10,  18,  20,  33, 

44,  163,  168,  171,  191, 

438 
Indra's  heaven,  63,  98 

wife,  341 

his  adulteries,  121, 

310,  466 

Indra-dvipa,  494 
Indrani,  310,  389 
Indu  (Soma),  124 
Instrumental  cause,  51 
Isaiah  vi.  9,  10,— 255 
Isana,  20 
Ishlratha,  348 
Ishundharas,  499 
Is'vara,  75,  221 
Itihasas,  3,  5,  215 


Jabali,  115 

Jahnu,  273,  349,  353,  360, 
413 

Jahnus,  358 

Jaimini's  Sutras,  508 

Jainas,  305 

Jamadagni,  279,  330,  345, 
350,  355,  413, 422,  447, 
450  ff. 

Jamadagnis,342 

JambudvTpa,  488,  490  ff. 

Jambunada,  461 

Janaka,  130,  334,  426  ff. 

Janaloka,  44,  51,  88,  95, 
99 

Janamejaya,  152,  438 

Janantapa,  493 

Janardana,  206 

Japa,  442  , 

Jatayus,  116 

Jatimala,  497 

Jatukarnya,  223 

Jaya,  352 

Jayakrita,  361 

Jayaplda,  424 

Journal  of  the  Eoyal  Asia- 
tic Society  quoted,  3,  6, 
and  passim 

Jyotsna,  59 

K 

Ka,  125 
Kachhapa,  351  f. 


522 


INDEX. 


Kadru,  123 

Kakshivat,  268,  279 

Kala,  62 

Kala,  123 

Kalaka,  116 

Kalapa,  277 

Kali,  39,  43  ff.,  120,  146, 
150,  495 

Kalindas,  482 

Kalinga,  232 

Kalingas,  459,  495 

Kalmashapada,  414,  423 

Kalpas,  43  ff. 

Kama,  112,  124 

Kamarupa,  495 

Kambojas,  482  f.,  485  ff. 

Kanchana,  349 

Kanchis,  391 

Kandaprishtha,  442,  507 

Kandarpa,  408 

Kandarshi,  400 

Kanma,  223 

Kankas,  484 

Kanyakubja,  390 

Kanva,166,  170,  172,234, 
279 

Kanvayana,  234 

Kapas,  472 

Kapi,  237 

Kapila,  227,  414 

Kapila,  123 

Kapilas,  499 

Kapileyas,  356 

Kapishthala,  344 

Kardama,  116,  123,  400 

Karishis,  353 

Karmadevas,  46 

Kartavirya,  450,  478 

Karusha,  221  f. 

Karusha,  126 

Karushas,  495 

Kas'a,  or  Kas'aka,  226  f. 

Kas'erumat,  494 

Kas%5,a,  226 

Kasis,  431 

Kas'miras,  459 

Katfya,  227,  279 

Kas'yapa,  37,  54,  115  f., 
123  f.,  126,  195,  330, 
400,  451,  455  f.,  459 

Kasyapas,  438 

Kathaka  Brahmana  quot- 
ed, 140, 186, 189,  332  f., 
358 

Kati,  352 

Katyayanas,  352 

Katyayana's  S'rauta  Su- 
tras, 19,  136,  365  ff., 
369,  514 


Kaumara-sarga,  58 
Kaushltaki     Brahmana 
quoted,  328 

Upanishad,  10,  431 

Kaus'ika,  342,  349 
Kaus'ika  (epithet  of  Indra), 

347 

Kaus'ikas,  353,  etc. 
Kaus'ikI,  350,  411 
Kavi,  243,  279,  445 
Keralas,  488 
Kesaraprabandha,  285 
Ketumala,  491 
Ketus,  32 
Khalins,  468 
Khandapani,  235 
Khandavayanas,  451 
Khas'as,  482 
Khyati,  67 
Kikatas,  342 
Kilata,  189 
Kimpurusha,  4C1  f. 
Kimpurushas,  499 
Kinas'a,  97 
Kinnaras,  37 
Kins'uka,  229 
Kiratas,  391,  482,  484  f. 
Kolisarpas,  482,  488 
Konvas'iras,  482 
Kovidas,  500 
Kratu,  36,  65,  116,  122f., 

400 

Kraurfeha-dvipa,  491,  500 
KraanchT,  117 
Kripa,  279 
Krishna,  113 
Krishnas,  499 
Krishti,  178 
Krita,'39,  43  ff.,  88,  90  ff., 

119,    144,    148  f.,    158, 

492,  495,  505 
Kritamala,  209,  212 
Kritavirya,  449  ff.,  478 
Krodha,  123 
Krodha-vas'a,  116   c 
Kshattravriddha,  226 
Kshattri,  481 
Kshattriyas,  7,  and.  passim 

etymology     of    the 

word,  97,  504 

how  their  race  was 

restored,  452 

Kshemaka,  235 
Kshudrakas,  459 
Kuhn,  Dr,  A.,  quoted,  179 
Kulakas,  500 
Kulluka  quoted,   36,  47, 
129,  279,  480,  483 


Kumarila  Bhatta  referred 
to  or  quoted, '122,  509 

Kuntis,  459 

Kurma  avatara,  see  Tor- 
toise incarnation 

Kurus,  5,  269,  431,  495 

Kurus,  498 

Kus'a,  227,  349,  351,  397 

Kus'a-dvlpa,  491, 497,  499 

Kus'alas,  500 

Kus'amba,  349,  351 

Kus'anabha,  351,  397 

Kus'ika,  338,  340,  346, 
400,  474 

Kusikas,  342  f.,  346,  355, 
etc. 

Kusumayudha  (a  name  of 
Kama),  112 

Kutsa,  330  f. 

Kuvera,  140,  279,  400 


Lakshml,  124 

Lalita-vistara,  32 

Langlois,  M.,  translator  of 
the  Harivams'a,  151 

of  the  Eig-veda,  273, 

321 

Lassen's  Indian  Antiqui- 
ties quoted,  394,  425 

Latas,  482 

Latyayana's  Sutras,  512 

Lecky,  Mr.,  his  History  of 
Eationalism,  407 

Les'a,  226 

Life  of  Brahma,  49 

Linga  Purana  quoted,  225 

Lohita,  279" 

Lohitas,  353 

Loiseleur  Deslongchamps, 
M.,  his  note  on  Manu, 
\ii.  41,— 296 

Lokaloka  mountain,  503 

Lunar  race,  220,  225 

M 

Mada,  471  f. 

Madayanti,  419,  514 

Madhuchhandas,  or  Ma- 
dhusyanda,  279,  347, 
351  f.,  357,  400,  406 

Madhusudana  Sarasvati, 
his  Commentary  on  the 
Bhagavad  Glta  quoted, 
508 


INDEX. 


523 


Madras,  484,  495 
Magadhas,  495 
Magadhas,  501 
Magas,  501 
Mahabharata,  5  f. 
_      quoted  — 
Adi-parvan — 
272,— 447 
869,— 445 
2253,— 116 
2459,— 451 
2517,— 122 
2550,  2574,— 123 
2606,— 445 
2610,— 476 
2620-2635,— 117 
2914,— 410 
3128.-124 
3143,— 306 
3151,— 308 
3533,— 482 
3727,-360 
3750,-273 
4719,— 418 
6638,— 388 
6695, -342 
6699,— 415 
6802,- 448 
7351,— 389 
8455,— 389 
Sabha-parvan — 
489,— 379 
1031,— 483 
1045.-494 
Vana-parvan — 

10137,  10201—450 
11234,— 143 
11248,—  40 
12460,— 308 
12469,— 133 
12619,— 147 
12747,— 196 
12826,—  48 
12952,—  35 
12962,—  10 
12981,— 145 
13090,—  40 
13436,— 129 
14160,— 178 
TJdyoga-  par  van — 

373,— 310 

3721,— 412 

3970,— 336 

5054,— 276 

Bhishma  -parvan — 

227,— 491 

346,— 495 

389,— 148 


Mahabharata  continued — 
Bhishma-parvan — 
410,— 501 
455,— 500 
468,— 502 
Drona-parvan — 
2149,— 414 
2395,— 505 
2443,— 459 
4747,— 483 
S'alya-parvan — 
2295,— 392 
2281,— 272 
2360,— 419 
S'anti-parvan— 
774,—  32 

1741,1792,— 423,452 

2221,— 304 

2247,—  97 

2280,— 370 

2304,— 366 

2429,— 484 

2674,— 49,  149 

2682  ff.,— 49 

2749,— 127 

2819,— 140 

3404,  3406,— 150 

3408,—  49 

4499,— 388 

4507,— 209 

5330,— 376 

6130,— 506 

6640,— 429    ' 

6930,— 138 

7523—125 

7548,— 507 

7569,— 122 

7573,— 125 

7882,— 430 

8550,—  60 

8591,  8604,— 423 

10058,— 151 

10699,— 430 

10118,— 423 

10)861,— 130 

11221,— 334 

11545,  11854,— 430 

12658,— 215 

12685,— 122 

13088,— 145 

13090,—  40 

Anus'asana-parvan — 

183,— 412 

186,— 352 

201,— 354 

1867,— 440 

1944,— 229 

2103,— 482 


Mahabharata  continued— 
Anusiisana-parvan — 

2158,— 482 

2160,— 130 

2262,— 466 

2718,— 474 

2841,— 494 

3732,— 374 

3960,— 460 

4104,— 4*3 

4527,— 128 

4579,— 128 

4745,— 314 

6208,— 507 

6262,— 514 

6250,— 514 

6570,— 132 

7187,— 462 
AsVamedikha-parvan — 

1038,— 57 
Mahabhaya,  124 
Mahadeva,  75,  207 

taught  by  Angiras, 

226 

Mahakalpa,  213 
Maharloka,  156 
Maharshi,  400 
Mahat,  41,  75,  114 
Mahavirya,  237 
Mahendra,  451 
Mahes'vara,  74 
Mahidhara,  490 
Mashishas,  or  Mahishakas, 

482,  488 

Mahishmati,  462,  478 
Mahodaya,  402 
Mahoragas,  139 
Maitravaruna,  1 55,  244 
Maitravarum,  186 
Maitrayana,  230 
Maitreya,  56,  58 
Maitreyas,  230 
Malavas,  459,  495 
Malaya,  205  * 

Mallinatha  quoted,  395 
Mamata,  247 
Mana  (Agastya?),  321 
Manava-dhanna-s'astra 
(or  Institutes  of  Manu) — 
Quotations  from — 

i.  8  ff.— 35 

—  22,  25,— 38 

—  30,— 60 

-  31  ff.,— 35,  446 

—  58  ff.,— 38,  446 

—  66  f.,— 43 

-  69  ff.,— 47 

—  79  f.,  86,— 39 


524 


•INDEX. 


M  anava-dharma-s'astra 
continued — 

i.  87,  93,  97,— 40 

—  88  ff.,— 364 

—  100,— 129 
ii.  29,— 137 

—  38  f.,— 481 

—  170,— 138 

—  225,— 138 

—  241,— 515 
iii.  171,— 275 
iv.  239  ff.,— 380 
v.  1,  3,— 446 
vii.  2, — 446 

—  3  ff.,— 300 

—  38  ff.,— 296 
viii.  17,— 380 

—  110,— 329 
ix.  22,— 336 

—  66  f.— 297 

—  149  ff.— 282 

—  301  f.— 49 

—  303, — 300 
i.  4,— 480 

—  7  ff.,— 282 

—  8,— 481 

—  12,— 481 

—  20,— 481 

—  43  f.,— 481 
_  45,— 482 

—  105,— 358 
_  108,— 377 
ii.  234  ff.,— 393 

—  32,— 398 
xii.  39  ff.,— 40 

ManavT,  186 
Manavi,  189 
Manasas,  501 
Mandagas,  501 
Mandapala,  336 
Mandehas,  50C 
Mandhatri,  225,  268,  279, 

484   , 

Mantra, '2,  4  f. 
Manu,  progenitor  of   the 

Aryan  Indians,  161  ff., 

183ff. 

his  bull,  188ff. 

Manu,  119,  122,  297 

Auttami,  38,  111 

Chakshusha,  38,  298 

Raivata,  38 

Saihvarani,  217 

Savarni.  217 

Svarocbisha,  38,  111 

Svayambhuva,      25, 

38  f.,  44,  65,   72,  106, 
111,  114,  298,  489,  511 


Manu  Tamasa,  38 

Vaivasvata,37  ff.,  44, 

111,  115,  126,  196,213, 
217,  221,  279,298,306, 
508,  510 

Vivasvat,  217 

Manu  (a  female),  116 
Manu  (  =  mind),  23 
Manu's  Descent,  183,  217 
Manush  (=Manu),  165  ff. 
Manvantaras,  43  ff. 
Marganapriya,  116 
Marlchi,  36  f.,  65,  114  ff., 

122f.,  126 

Markandeya,  48,  199,  207 

Markandeya  Purana  quo- 
ed,  75',  81  ff.,  221  ff.,  379 

Marttanda,  126 

Marttikavatas,  459 

Maru,  277 

Maruts,  20,  71 

their  heaven,  63,  98 

Marutta,  222 

Matanga,  411,  440 

Mataris-van,  128,  170,  256 

Mati,  241 

Matrika,  158 

Matsya-avatara,  see  Fish- 
incarnation 

Matsyas,  431 

Matsya  Purana,  1,12—203 
49,  39,— 277 
132,  98,— 278 
"3,  32  ff.,— 108 

Matthew,   Gospel  of  St. 
xiii.  14  f.,— 255 

Maudgalya,  235 

Medhatithi  on  Manu,  47 

Medhatithi,  234 

Medhyatithi,  170 

Mekalas,  482 

Men,  Five  races  of,  163, 
176 

their  original  condi- 
tion, 62,  117,  14o,  147 

Menaka,  407,410 
Meru,  417,  491 
Metempsychosis,  385 
Mimausa-varttika  quoted, 

508 

Mithila,  279,  430 
Mitra,  27,  184,  186,  221, 

etc 
Mitrasaha,  337,  414,  423, 

514 

Mitrayu,  230,  322 
Mlechbas,  41  f.,  141,  482, 

484 


Mrikshim,  271 

Mrityu,  20,  124,  299,  303 

Muchukunda,  140 

Mudgala,  235,  279,  352 

Mukhya-sarga,  57 

M  tiller's,  Professor  Max, 
Ancient  Sanskrit  Lite- 
rature quoted  or  referred 
to,  2,  4,  5,  8,  13,  48, 
122,  181,  192,253,263, 
326,  355,  358,  366,  426, 
508 

Art.  in  Journ.  Germ. 

Or.  Soc.,  365 

Art.  in  Journ.  Roy. 

As.  Soc.,  115,  177 

Art.  in  Oxford  Es- 
says, now  reprinted  in 
"  Chips  from  a  German 
Workshop,"  226,  231 

Chips  from  a  German 

Workshop,  429, 431, 490 

Preface  to  Rig-veda, 

348,  417 

Results  of  Turanian 

Researches,  327 

Mund  ika  Upanishad,  i.  2, 

1,"  quoted,  3,  39 
Muni  (a  female),  123 
Munis,  153 
Mutibas,  358,  483 

N 

Nabhaga,  224,  268 
Nabhaga,  126,  224 
Nabhagarishta,  126,  223 
Nabhanedishtha,  221 
Nabhaganedishtha,  192ff., 

221 

Nagas,  37,  140 
Nagnajit  Gandhara,  515 
Nahush,  165,  179,  307 
Nahusha,   133,   226,  232, 

297,  307  ff.,  393,  410 
Naigeya  sSkha  of  Sama- 

Sanhita,  14 
Naimittika-laya,  45,  209, 

219 

Naubandhana,  200 
Nairritas,  124 
Namuchi,  175 
Kara,  35,  76,  353,  400 
Narada,  36,  119,  126,  400 
Narayiina,  35,  50,  54,  76, 

154,  400 

assumes  different  co- 
lours in  different  yugas, 
145 


INDEX. 

Narayani,  353 

P 

Narishyanta,  126,  221,  223 

Narmada,  207,  478 

Padma-kalpa,  44,  50 

Neshtri,  155,  251 

Padma  Purana,  379 

Neve,  M.,  Mythe  des  Ri- 

Pahkvas,  351,  391,  398, 

bhavas  referred  to,  161 

482,  *84,  486 

Nichas'akha,  342 

Paijavana,  366 

Nidana-SQtras,  136 

Paka-ynjna,  187 

Niggards,  259 

Pakshya,  342 

Night  of  Brahma,  43,  209 

Panchachuda,  413 

Nlla,  a  mountain,  491 

Panchadas'a,  16 

Nila,  235 

Panchajanah     and    other 

Nllakantha  on  M.Bh.,  201 

parallel  terms,  176 

Nimi,  297,  316,  337 

Panchalas    or   Panchalas, 

Niramitra,  235 

431,  434,  495 

Nirriti,  124- 

Panchas'ika,  430 

Nirukta,  5 

Panchavims  a  Brahmana,  5 

quoted    or    referred 

quoted,  417 

to,  3 

Panchavims'a  stoma,  492 

i.   8.—  256 

Pandus,  5,  127,  381 

—  20,—  147 

Panini,  3 

ii.  10,—  269 

referred  to,  513 

—  24,—  338 

Panins,  353 

—  25,—  340 

Pannagas,  144 

iii.    4,_  26 

Para,  44 

—    7,—  165 

Paradas,  482,  486 

—    8,—  177 

Paramarshi,  400 

_  17,_445 

Parameshthin,  123^ 

iv.  19,—  154 

Parardha,  44 

v.   11,—  253 

Paras'ara,  56,  58,  130,  322, 

—  13,—  321 

417,  430,  447 

vi.  30,—  322 

Paras'ava,  481 

—  32,—  342 

Paras'ikas,  495 

ix.    6,—  253 

Paras'urama,  350,  422,^42, 

—  26,—  417 

447  ff.,  474 

x.  44,—  154 

Paravasu,  455 

xi.  19,—  442 

Parikshit,  438 

—  23,—     9 

Parivettri,  275 

xii.  10  f., 

Parivitti,  275 

—  34,—  162 

Parjnnya,  20,  270 

xiii.  9,—  252 

ParsTs,  293 

Nishadas,  177.  481,153  f. 

Parthivas,  353 

Nishada,    birth    of,    301, 

Paruchhepa,  172 

303,  403,  481 

Parushni,  490 

Nishada-sthapati,  366 

Parva*!*,  400 

Nishadha,  491 

Pas-adyumna,  319 

Nitha,  241 

Passion,  51,  see  Rajas 

Nivid,  241 

Pasfupati,  108,  444 

Nodhas,  330 

Patalas,  504 

Nriga,  221 

Patangas,  498 

Nyaya-malu-vistara  quot- 

Patmvata (Agni),  191 

ed;  510 

Paundras,  or  Paundrakas, 

391,  482,  484 

Paurava,  353 

0 

Paurukutsi,  351 

Phena,  233 

Odras,  482 

Pijavana,   268,  297,  322, 

Oha-brahman,  255 

338 

525 

Pis'achas,  33,  37,  140 

Pitas,  499 

Pitris,  23,  37,  46,  58,  79, 

88,  434 

Plaksha-dvTpa,  490,  497 
Plants,  origin  of,  59,  90, 

95 

Plato  quoted,  147 
Potri,  155,  251,  263 
Prachetas,   36,    116,   125, 

279 

Prachetasa,  125 
Prachetases,  72 
Pradha,  123 
Pradhana,  51,  74 
Pradyumna,  279 
Prajapati,  16if.,23f.,29ff., 

52  ff.,  68  ff.,  180,  184, 

444,  and  passim 

born  on  a  lotus-leaf, 

32 

his  exhaustion,  68 

his  heaven,  63,  98 

Prajapati  Parameshthin,  19 
Prakas'a,  58 
Prakrita-sarga,  58 
Prakriti,  74  f. 

Pralaya,  214,  217 
Pramaganda,  342 
Prams'U,  221 
Pranava,  158 
Pras'astri,  251,  263 
Praskanva,  330 
Praskanvas,  234 
Prastotri,  41,  155 
Prasutij  65 

Pratardana,  229,  268,  455 
Pratihartri,  41,  155 
Pratlpa,  273 
Pratiprasthatrij  136 
Pratisanchara,  44 
Pratisarga,  49 
Pratishthutri,  155 
Pratyusha,  400      » 
Pravahann  Jaivali,433,515 
Prayas'chitti,  294 
Pretns,  141 
Prishadas'va,  224,  279 
Prishadhra,  126,  221 
Pritha,  494 
Prithavana,  305 
Prithi,  or  Prithu,  268, 279, 

301,  304,511 
PrithivT,  434 
Prithudaka,  272 
Priyamedha,  172,  235, 268 
Priyavrata,    65,   72,    106, 

114,  489,  491,  497 


526 


INDEX. 


Pulaha,  36,  65, 116,  122f., 

400 
Pulastya,     36,    65,    116, 

122  f.,  400 

Pulindas,  358,  482  ff. 
Pundra,  232 
Pundras,  358,  483,  495 
Puranas,  3,  5f. 
Puranas'va,  279 
Puroiiitas,  41,  128,  507 
Puru,  232,  277,  331,  360 
Purus,  179 

Purukutsa,  266,  279,  331 
Purukutsanl,  267 
Purumllha,  267 
Pururavas,  126,  128,  158, 

172,  221,  226,279,306, 

349,  497 
Purusha,  9ff.,  25,  32,34ff., 

75  f.,  106,  155 
Purusha-sukta,   translated 

and  discussed,  7  ff.,  34, 

155  f.,  159,  161 
Purushas,  500 
Purushottama,  51 
Pushan.  19  f.,  33,  71,  270 
Pusbkalas,  500 
Pushknra,  405 
Pushkara-dvlpa,  491,  501 
Pushkaras,  500 
Pushkarin,  237 
Pushpaka  (Rama' s  car)  ,120 

R 

Rabhasa,  232 

Raibhya,  455 

Rajanya,  10,  258,  264,  etc. 

Raj  irs'hi,  266,  400 

Rajas  (the  Guu.)  41,  58, 

62,  66.  75.  79,  89,  92, 

141,  154 

Raj  is  (masculine]  335 
Raj  isiiya  siicrifice,  20,  225 
Raiafciranginl  quoted,  424 
Raji,  226 
Rakshasas,   59,   140,   144, 

etc. 
Rakshnses,  33,37,59,136, 

177 

Rakshovahas,  459 
Rama,   5,  112,   115,  j20, 

305,  337 
Rama  Margaveya,  438 


Ramas,  495 
Ramathas,  485 
Ramayana,  5  f. 

Quoted — 

i.  37,  4,— 405 

—  51-65,— §97 

—  55,  5,— 329 

—  70,— 337 

—  70,  41,— 362 
ii.  110,  1-7,— 115 

—  110,  2,— 36 

—  110,  3,— 54 

—  110,  6,— 337,  400 

—  Ill,  1,— 337 

iii.  14,  5-15,  29-31, 
—  115 

iv.  43,  38, — 493 

v.   82,  13,— 59 

vii.  (or  Uttara-kanda) 
30,  19ff.,— 120' 
74,  8  ff.,— 117 
Rambha.  226,  £32 
Rambha,  336,  408,  413 
Ramyaka,  491 
Rantibhara  and  Rantinara, 

234 

Rantideva,  423 
Rasollasa,  62 
Rasp"  292 
Rathachitra,  336 
Rathakara.  3:<6 
Rathaesthas,  293 
Rathaiitara,  16 
Rat'.iaviti,  283 
Rathltara.  224 
RathwT,  292 
Rati,  106,  114 
Riiuhinayana,  72 
Ravana,  21,  478 
Re-m  irri>ige     of     Indian 
women  in  early   times, 
28'-* 

Renu,  346,  350,  357 
Renuka.  350 
Renumat,  352         ^ 
Ribhukshans,  165 
Ribhus,  255 

Ricbika,    349,    405,   413, 
'  450,  453,  476 
Rig-vcda,  2 

Texts  of,  translated  * — 
First  Mandala — 

10.  1,  — 246 

10,  11,— 247 

13,  4.-167 


Rig-veda  continued — 
First  Mandala — 

14,  11,— 167 

15,  5,— 253 

31,  4,— 172 

32,  12,— 490 

33,  9, -246 

36,  10,— 167,  170 

—  19.-166,  167 

44,  11,— 168 

45,  3,— 341 
47,  6,— 330 
58,  6,— 170 
63,  7,— 330 
65,  1,— 170 
68,  4,— 164 
76,  5,— 166 
80,  1,— 244 

—  16,— 162 

83,  5,— 169 

84,  7,— 259 
92,  11,— 45 
94,  6,— 263 
96,  5,— 213 

101,  4,-260 
5,— 246 

102,  2,— 322 
106.  5,— 167 
108,  7, -246 

8, -179 

112,  16,-171 

19, -331 

114,  2,— 163 
117,  3,— 178 

21,-171,  174 

122,  9,— 260 

124,  2, -45 

125,  7.-260 
130,  5,— 173 

8,— 174 

139,  9, -172 
144.  4,— 45 
15«,  6,-46,  247 
162,5-7,11,  15,  16, 

163,  3,— 12   [—12 

164,  15,— 362 

34,  35,— 244 

45, -252 

50,  — 11 

167,  7, -173 
175,  3,— 174 
177,  5,  -1.83 
182,  3, -260 
185,  9,— 331 


1  A  larpe  number  of  texts  are  referred  to  in  pp.  45,  163,  170,  171,  241,  243,  245,  259,  329,  etc., 
but  as  they  have  nut  been  translated  they  are  1.01  included  in  this  list. 


INDEX. 


527 


Kig-veda  continued— 

Rig-veda  continued— 

Rig-veda  continued  — 

Second  Mandala  — 

Fifth  Maudala— 

Seventh  Msmdala  — 

1,  2,  3,—  251 

—  12.-248 

87,  4,—  32.5 

—  4ff.-270 

37,  4,—  247 

88,  3-*,—  325 

2,  10,—  178 

40,  5  if.,  6,—  242,  469 

91,  1,—  172 

4,  2,—  170 

—  8,—  248 

97,  1,—  176 

7,  1,5,  -343 

45,  6,  -166 

—  3,—  242 

12,  6,—  244 

53,  2,—  331 

100,  4,  -172 

19,  8,  -243 

54,  7,  14,—  247 

103,  1,  7,  8,—  253 

20,  4.—  243 

Sixth  Mandula  — 

104,  13,—  258 

-   ei-174 

11,  4,—  177 

—    12-16,  -326 

23,  1,  2,—  242 

14,  2,—  16-5 

Eighth  Mandala  — 

4,—  260 

—  3,—  174 

2,  21.-46 

27,  l,-72 

16,  1,—  167 

4,  20,—  262 

33,  1,—  184 

—  9,  -167 

7,  20,—  249 

—  13,—  163 

—  13,  14,  -169 

9,  10,—  268 

36,  5,—  253 

—   19,—  349 

10,  2,  -166 

39,  1,—  247 

21,  8,—  243 

15,  5,—  171 

43,  2,—  252 

—    11,—  175 

16,  7,—  245 

Third  Mandala— 

44,  11,—  261 

17,  2,-249 

1,  21,  -345 

45,  7,—  244 

18,  22,  -173 

3,    6,  —  165 

46,  7,  ,-179 

19,  21,—  167 

6,  10,—  170 

48,  8,  —  165 

23,  13,—  165 

18,  4,—  346 

49,  13,  -172 

27,  7,—  168 

23,  2-4,—  ?45,  348 

51,  5.-163 

30,  3,  -164 

26,  I,  —  346 

61,  12,—  176,  178 

31,  l,-249 

29,  15,—  347,  362 

70,  2,—  167 

32,  16,—  249 

30,  20,  -347 

75,  10,—  252,  253 

33,  19,  -249 

32,  10,—  244 

—  19,  -242 

34,  8,  —  168 

33,  1-12,—  339 

Seventh  Mandala  — 

36,  7,  -  263 

34,  9,—  176,  258 

2,  3,  —  168" 

37,  7,—  263 

42,  9,—  347 

-  5,  -339 

43,  13,  27,—  168 

43,  4,  5,  -344 

7,  5,  -249        » 

45,  39,  -249 

—  5,—  247 

8,  4,—  349            • 

50,  9,—  264 

49,  1,—  176 

15,  2,-  178 

62,  1.-163 

53,6-16,21,24,—  340, 

18,  4,  5,  21-24,—  321 

—  7,-176,  178 

354,  372 

19,  3.-331 

53,  1.-261 

—  9,—  362 

20,  2,—  331 

—  7.  -2-50 

—  12,—  242 

22,  9,—  243 

64,  6,-34l 

55,  19,—  181 

2-5,  3,  -331 

66,  5,  -2-50 

Fourth  Mandala  — 

26,  1,  2.-241 

—  8,—  2  -.3 

6,  U,—  173 

28,  2.—  243 

81,  30,—  250      , 

9,  3,  4,—  252 

32,  10,—  332 

85,  5,  -2-50 

16,  9,  -242 

—  26,—  329 

—  6,—  181     » 

25,  4,-348 

3?,  1-13,—  318 

87,  5,  —  175 

—   fi,  7,  -260 

—  3,—  242 

—  9,—  2.50 

26,  7,-  175 

—   11,—  244 

91,  1.-172 

37,  1,-165 

35,  7,  -242 

92,  2,—  348 

42,8,  9.-  266 

42,  1,   -249 

Ninth  Mandala— 

44.  6.     268 

53,  3,  -332 

65,  22,  23  —177 

50,  7-9-247 

60,  8,  -3:12 

66,  20,  -178 

58,  2,  -248 

64,  3,  -  332 

86,  28,—  181 

Fifth  Mandala— 

69.  2,—  176 

92,  5,  -175 

2,  12,—  173 

70,  2,  -173 

96,  6,—  250 

21,  1.-168 

—   3,—  184 

—    11.—  1(>6 

29,  3,  -  218 

—   5,-  213 

112,  1,  3,—  250 

31,  4,—  248 

72,  2,—  3-29 

113,  6,-251 

32,  11,—  178 

83,  1-8,—  323 

528 


INDEX. 


Rig-veda  continued — 

Tenth  Mandala — 

14,  1,— 217 

16,  6,— 253 

17,  1,  2,— 217 
21,  5,  — 169 
26,  5,— 167 
28,  11,— 251 
33,  4,— 262 

45,  6,— 178 

46,  2,  9,— 170 
49,  7,— 175 

52,  2,— 252 

53,  4.-177 

54,  3,— 181 

60,  4, -177 

61,  7,— 242 

62,  5,— 341  - 

—  7,— 193 

63,  7,— 166 

68,  3,  4,  5,— 72 

—  8,  11,— 217 

69,  3,— 166 

71  and  72,— 13 

71,  1-11,— 254 

—  11,— 245 

72,  2,— 46 
-  4,  5,-72 

—  5,— 9 

73,  7,— 175 
75,  5,— 490 
77,  1,— 245 

80,  6,— 165 

81  and  82,— 13 

81,  2,  3,— 181 

82,  3,— 163,  181 
85,  3,  16,  34,— 245 

—  29,— 251 

—  39,  4!),— 257 

88,  19,— 256 

89,  16,— 243 
,—  17,— 346 

90,  1,— 32 
-"  1-16,— 9 

91,  9,— 173 

92,  10,— 169 
95,  7,— 306 
97,  1,— 46 

97,  17,  19,  22,— 256 

98,  1-12,— 270 

99,  7,— 173 

100,  5,— 164 
105,  8,— 241,  242 
107,  6,— 245 
109,  1-7,— 256 

4,— 244 

117,  7,— 246 
121,— 13 


Rig-veda  continued — 
Tenth  Mandala — 
125,  5,— 246 
129,— 13 

4,— 32 

141,  3,— 251 
148,  5,— 268 
161,  4,— 13 
167,  4,— 345 
Rijras'va,  266 
Riksha,  235,  274,  360 
Rikshavat,  456 
Ripu,  298 
Rishabha,  279,  357 
Rishabhas,  500 
Rishi,  243 

Rishis,  36,  44,  88,  etc. 
Rishtishena,  269 
Ritabadha,  279 
Ritayu,  234 
Ritavratas,  501- 
Rituparna,  32?- 
Roer,  Dr.  E.,  his  transla- 
tions of  the  Upanishads 
referred  to,  25 
Rohidas'va,  268 
Rohini,  389 
Rohita,  355 
Rohitas'va,  382 
Roth,  Dr.R.,  his  Literature 
and  History  of  the  Veda 
referred  to,289, 3 18,324, 
331",  339,  342,  360,  364, 
C72 

articles  in  Journ.  of 

Germ.    Or.   Society,    8, 
192,  194,  217,  248,  289 

article    in    Indische 

Studien,  48,  355,  376 

Dissertation  on   the 

Atharva-veda,  395 

Illustrations  of  Ni- 

rukta,    177,    253,   256, 
321,  339 

Rosen,  Dr.  F.,  remarks  on 
the  story  of  S'unas's'epa, 
359 

Ruchi  (masc.),  65 

Ruchi  (fern.),  466 

Rudra,3,  20,  65,  163, 194, 
225 

Rudras,  19f.,  52,  117 

Rupin,  360 


S'abaras,  or  S'avaras,  391, 
393,  483  f. 


Sacrifices   of  no   avail  to 

the  depraved,  98 
Sadasyas,  4.59 
Sadhyas,  10f.,  26 f.,  38,  41 
Sagara,  337,  486 
Sahadeva,  266 
Sahajanya,  336 
Saindhavas,  495 
Saindhavayanas,  353 
S'aineya,  483 
S'ainyas,  236 
S'aivya.wife  of  Haris'chan- 

dra,  380  f. 

S'akadvipa,  491,  500 
S'akalas,  495 
Sakha,  401 
Sakas,  391,398,482,484, 

486 
S'akti,  or  S'aktri,  315,  322, 

328,  3*2 
S'akuntala,  410 
S'akvaiis,  255,  320 
S'aky.i  (Buddha)  509 
Salankiiyann,  279 
Salankayanas,  353 
Salavati,  352 
S'alavatyas.  353 
S'almali-dvlpa,  490,  498 
Salvas,  438 
S'alvas,  495 
S'ama,  12t 

Samantapanchaka,  451 
Sama-veda,  2 

quoted — 

i.    262,  — 180 
—  355,— 163 
Sampralcshalina-kala,  217 
Sam^raya,  116 
Samvarana,  360 
Samvartta,  207 
Sanaka,  51 
Sananduna,  51,  65 
Sanatkumara,  114,  307 
S'andilya,  5 1 3 
Sanh'ita,  2,  4 
Sanjaya,  148 

S'ankara  on  the  Brahma- 
Sutras,  147 

Chhandogya  TJppni- 

shad,  195 

Sankarshima,  207,  507  j* 

S'ankhuyana  Brahma)    '    ' 
Sankhya,    126,   210,  bt.  ., 
430 

Karika,  158 

Pruvachana,  158 

SankTrtti,  a  Vais'ya  author 

of  Ve'dic  hymns,  279 


INDEX. 


529 


Sankriti,  237 
Sankriti,  352 
Sankrityas,  353 
S'antanu,  269 
S'aphari  (fish),  205,209 
Saptadas'a,  16 
Sapta  sindhavah,  489  ff. 
S'arabhas,  391 
S'aradvat,  279 
S'aradvata,  279 
S'arangi,  336 
Sarasrati,   71,    110,    141, 

178,  315,  344,  421,  490 
Sarasvatyas,  305 
Sarga,  49 
Sarvakama,  322 
Sarvakarman,  422,  456 
Sarvasara  Upanishad,  361 
S'aryata,  221 
S'aryati,  126,  221 
Sasarpari,  343 
Sat,  46 
S'atadru,  417 
Satananda,  235 
S'atapatha  Brahmana,  5 
Kanva  S'akha,  i.  6, 

—167,  "382 
Madhyandina  S  akha, 

Texts  from,  translated  or 

referred  to — 

i.    1,4,  12,— 366 

—  1,  4,  14,— 188 

—  3,  2,  21,— 136 
_  4,  2,  2,— 348 

—  4,  2,  5,— 166 

—  5,  1,  7—168 

—  5,  2,  16,— 137 

—  5,  3,  2,— 163 

—  7,  4,  1,— 35,  107 

—  8,  1,  1,— 181 
ii.  1,  4,  11,— 17 

—  2,  2,  6,— 262 

—  3,  4,  4,— 147 

—  4,  2,  1,— 96 

—  4,  4,  1,— 125 

—  5,  1, 1,— 69 

—  5,  2,  20,— 136 
iii.  2,  1,  39,— 369 

—  2,  1,  40,— 136 

—  ,  3,  6,— 513 
v    —  6,  2,  26,— 147 

-  9,  1,  1,— 68 
iv.  1,  5,  1,— 221 

—  3,  4,  4,— 262 
-  5,  4,  l,-9 
v.  3,  5,  4,— 268 

—  5,  4,  9,— 367 
Ti.  1,  2,  11,— 30 


S'atapatha  Brahmana  con- 
tinued— 

Madhyandina  S'akha — 
vi.  6,  1,  19,— 188 

—  8,  1,  14,— 349 
vii.  4,  1,  19,— 125 

—  5,  1,  5,— 54 

—  5,  2,  6,— 24 
viii.  1,  4,  10,— 515  ' 

—  4,  2,  11,— 19 

—  4,  3,  1,— 19 
x.   4,  1,  10,— 438 

—  4,  2,  2,— 69 

—  4,  4,  1,— 69 
xi.  1,  3,  1-,— 31 

—  1,  6,  1,— 35 

—  1,  6,  7,— 30 

—  1,  6,  8,— 29 

—  5,  1,  1,— 226 

—  6,  1,  1,— 443 

—  6,  2,  1,— 426 
xii.  1,  6,^38,— 333 
xiii.  4,  1,  3,— 369 

—  4,  3,  3,— 217 

—  5,  4,  14,— 168 

—  6,  1,  1,— 9 

—  7,  1,  15,— 456 
xiv.  1,  2, 11,— 53 

—  4,  2,  1,— 24,  36 

—  4,  2,  23,— 19 

—  5,  1,  1,— 432 
-  7,  1,  33,— 46 

—  9,  1,  1,— 433  ' 
S'atarupa,  25,  65, 72, 103, 

110,  114 
S'atayatu,  322 
S'atendriya,  114  . 
Sattva,  41,  62,  66,  75  f., 

79,  89,  92 
Sattvika,  42 
Sattyahavya,  493 
Satyaketu,  231 
Satyangas,  498 
SatyavatI,  349    405,  450, 

453     0 

Satyavrata,  207,  375 
Satyavratas,  501 
S'atyayana     Brahmana 

quoted,  320,  328 
Saudasa,  343,  414 
Saudasas,  328,  337 
Saumya,  494 
S'aunaka,  226,  279 
S'aundlkas,  482 
Saurashtras,  495 
Sauvlras,  495 
Saus'rutas,  353 
Savana,  335,  445 


Savarnyaand  Savarni,  217 
Savitrl,  71,  181 
Savitri,  110 
Sayakayana,  438 
Sayana  quoted,  2,  164  and 

passim 
S'ayu,  171 
Schlegel,  A.  "W.  von,  his 

edition  of  the  Ramayana 

referred  to,   397,   399, 

etc. 
Semitic  source,   was    the 

Indian   legend    of   the 

deluge  derived  from  a, 

216 

S'esha,  44,  116 
Seven  rishis,  200,  400,  404 
Seven  seas  surrounding  the 

continents  of  the  earth, 

491 

Sexes,  their  primitive  re- 
lations, 418 
Shadgurus'ishya    quoted, 

343 
Shadvims'a     Brahmana 

quoted    or  referred"  to, 

334,  513 
Simhika,  123 
Sindhudvlpa,  268,272,353 
Sindhukshit,  268 
Sinhalas,  391 
S'ini,  326 
S'iva,  389 
S'ivis,  459,  493 
S'lishti,  298 
Smriti,  5,  139 
Snehas,  500 
Solar  race,  220 
Soma,  10,   19  f.,  30,  7J  f., 

124,153,166,175,  181, 

221,  225,  467,  469 
Soma  Maitrayana,  230 ., 
Somas'ushma  Siityayajni, 

428  • 

Somesvara  quoted,  511 
Sons,  may  be  begotten  by 

third  parties,  418 
S'onambu,  207 
S'raddhSdeva,  207 
S'raddhadeva,  207,  335 
S'rauta-sutras,  5 
S'ravanasya,  279 
S'ri,  67 
S'rtdhara,  Commentator  or 

Bhagavata    Purana, 

quoted,  2 10  f.,  317 
S'ringin,  491 
S'rinjayas,  283,  512 

34 


530 


INDEX. 


S'rotriya,  442 
S'rutadharas,  499 
S'rutarshis,  279,  400 
Sthanu,  116, 122 
Sthanutlrtha,  420 
Sthapati,  514 
Stoma,  241 
Streiter,  Dr.,  his  Disser- 

tatio  de  Sunahsepho,  48, 

355 

Subhaga,  116 
S'uchi,  445 
Sudas,  242,268,  297,319, 

321  ff.,  338,  366,  371  ff. 
Sudasa, 

Sudeshna,  233, 
S'udras,  7  and.  passim 
etymology  of    the 

word,  97 
Sudyutnna,  221 
Subma,  232 
Suhotra,   227,   267,   349, 

353,  360 
Suhotri,  227 
Sukanya,  283 
S'uki,  117 

S'ukra,  305,  335,  445 
Sukta,  241 
Sukumara,  231 
Sulabha,  430 
Sumantu,  349 
Sumati,  234 
Sumeru,  96 
Sumitra,  167 
Sumukha,  297 
Sunahotra,  or  S'unahotra, 

226,  228 
S'unas's'epa,     350,    353 

355  ff.,  376,  405,413 
Sunitha,  299,  303 
S'unahpuchha,  352 
Suradhas,  266 
S'uras,  495 
S'urf  Iraka,  455 
Sarya,  245,  251 
Suryavarchas,  336 
S'ushmins,  500 
S'ushmina,  493 
Suta,  207 
Sutapas,  232,  235 
Sutras,  5 
S'utudri,  338,  490 
Sushadman,  438 
Suvarchas,  279 
Suvitta,  279 
Suyavasa,  355 
Svaha,  389 
Svarbhanu,  249,  469 


Svarjit  Nagnajita,  615 
Svayambhii,  33 
Svayambhu,  96,  111,  122 
S'veta,  491 
S'vetaketu  Aruneya,  428, 

434 

S'yaparnas,  438 
S'yavas'va,  283 
S'yena,  513 
S'yumaras'mi,  171 


Taittirlya-aranyaka   quot- 
ed, 31 
TaittirTya  Brahmaua,  5 

quoted — 

i.   1,2,  6,— 68 

—  1,  3,  5,— 53 

—  1,  4,  4,— 186 

—  1,  9(  10,— 26 

—  1,  10,  1,— 68 

—  2,  6,  1,— 68 

—  2,  6,  7,— 21 

—  6,2,  1,— 70 

—  6,  4,  1,— 71 

—  8,  8,  1,— 26 

—  8,  2,  5,— 445 
ii.  2,  1,  1,— 72 

—  2,' 4,  4,— 515 

—  2,  9,  1,— 27 

—  3,  6,  1,— 68 
1      —  3,  8,  1,— 23 

—  7,  9,  1,— 71 
iii.  2,  3,  9,— 21 

—  2,  5,  9,— 189 

—  3,  3,  1,— 25 

—  3,  3,  5,— 25 

—  3,  10,  4,— 26 

—  4,  1,  16,— 49 

—  8, 18,  1,— 24 

—  9,  22,  1,— 43,  46, 

—  10,9,  1,— 71  [163 

—  12,  9,  2,3-41 
Taittirlya  Sanhita,  2 

quoted — 

i.  5,  4,  1,— 29 

—  7,  1,8,-187 

—  7,  3,  1,— 262 

—  8,  16,  1,— 20 

—  16,  11,  I,— 137 
ii.  2, 10,2,— 188,510 

—  3,  5,  1,— 124, 

—  4,  13,  1,— 21 

—  5,  9,  1,— 187 

—  6,  7,1,— 186 
iii.  1,  7,  2,— 512 


Taittirlya  Sanhita  con- 
tinued— 
iii.  1,  9,  4,— 193 

—  5,  2,  2,— 332 
iv.  3,  10,  1,— 16 
v.    1,5,  6,— 184 

—  6,  8,  3,-136 
vi.  2,  5,  2,— 187 

—  3,  10,  4,— 32 

—  5,  6,  1,— 26 

—  6,  6,  1,— 191 

—  6,  8,  2,— 26 
-—  6,  10,  3,— 26 
vii.  1,  1,  4,— 15 

—  1,  5,  1,— 52 

—  5,  15,  3,— 187 

-  p.  47  of  MS.,  328 

Commentator  on, 

quoted,  3 

Taittirlya  Upanishad 

quoted,  443 

Taittirlya  Yajurveda,  12 
Takshapa,  279 
Talajanghas,  467,  486 
Tamas,  41,  57,  58,  62,66, 

75,  80,  89,  92, 141 
Tamasa,  42 
Tamra,  116 
Tamraliptakas,  459 
Tamravarna,  494 
Tandya  Brahmana,  5,  329 
Tansu,  234 
Tapas,  119,  141 

its  great  power,  394, 

410 

Tapoloka,  88 

Tara,  225 

Tarakayanas,  353 

Tiryak-srotas,  57 

Tishmas,  500 

Tishya  (  =  Kali)  age,  148 

Tortoise  incarnation,    51, 

54 

Trasadasyu,  263,  266,  331      . 
Trayyaruna,  237,  267 
Treta,   39,    43  ff.,    92  ff., 

119,    145,    149  f.,  158, 

447,  495  f. 

Triad  of  deities,  see  Deities 
Trigarttas,  459 
Tris'anku,  362,  375,  4flJ 

413 

Trishtha,  190 
Trishtubh,  16 
Tris'iras,  268 
Trivrishna,  267 
Trivrit,  16 
Tritsus,  320,  324 


INDEX. 


531 


Troyer,  Captain,his  edition 
of  the  Rajatarangini,  424 
Tukharas,  303 

Vais'asa,  97 
Vais'yas,  7,  and  passim 

Tumburas,  303 

word,  97 

Turvas'as,  179 

Vaivasvata    Manvantara, 

Turvasu,  232,  482 

112,  214 

Tusharas,  484 

Vajas,  165 

Tvashtra,  438 

Vajasaneyi  Sanhita  quoted 

Tvashtri,  181 

or  referred  to  — 

xi.  32,—  169 

xii.  34,—  349 

U 

xiv.  28,—  16 

xxx.  18,  —  49 

xxxi.  1  9 

Uddalaka  Aruni,  195 

1-16,  8 

S'vetaketu,  419 

13?  jo 

Fdgatri,41,  155,251,294 
Unnetri,  155 
tJpadrashtri,  4,  459 
Upanishads,  2,  5 
Upaafruti  (a  goddess),  311 
Upastuta,  170 

xxxviii.  26,  —  490 

Vajas'ravas, 
VajrasTrsna,  445 
ValakasVa,  349 
Valakhilya,  iii.  1,—  217 

IT      1           °17 

Fru,  298 

Valmlki,  5 

Urddhvabahu,  335 

Vamadeva,    114,  279,  330 

Urddhvasrotas,  57 

Vamana-avatara,  see 

TJrjja,  335 
Urjja,  335 
Urukshaya,  237 
Urunjira,  417 
Urva,  351,  476 
Urvasi,226,244,306,316, 

9OA      *^97 

Dwarf  incarnation 
Vandya,  a  Vais'ya  composer 
of  Yedic  hymns,  279 
Vanga,  233,  see  Banga 
Vangas,  459 
Vans'il,  116 
Vapushmat,  222 

t)JU,    337 

Ts'anas,  226 

Varaha-avatara,  53,  see 
Boar  incarnation 

Us'has,  108 
Us'inara,  268 
rsinaras,  431,  482 
Utathya,  279,  467 

Varaha-kalpa,  44,  50,  67 
Varenya,  445 
Varna  (colour  or   caste), 
140,  153,  176 

ITttanapad,  72 

Uitfinapada,  65,  72,  106, 
mooa 

Varshagiras,  266 
Varuna,    18,   20,   27,  71, 

,  &yo 

136    168  etc. 

Uttara  Kunis,  491  ff. 
Uttara  Madras,  492 

his  adultery,  467 
Varuna,  494 

Varuna-praghasa,  136 

Varfitri,  190 

V 

Varvaras,  484 

Vasas,  391 

Vach,  241,246,  325 

Vashatkara,  487 

Vachas,  241 

Vashkalas,  353 

Vahlika,  273 

Vasishtha,    or  Vas'ishtha, 

Vaibhojas,  482 
Vaidya 

36,  65,   110,   115,   122, 
211,  214,   316  ff.,  468, 

Vaikhanasas,  32 

486 

Vaikrita-sarga,  58 
Vaina,  Vainya,  268,  279 

begets  a  son  to  king 
Kalmashapada,  418 

Vairaja,  16/111 

Vasishthas,    242,    319  ff., 

Vairupa,  16 

402' 

Vais'arapayana,  122,  153  f. 

Vas'trya  fshuvans  293 

Vais'anta,  319                         Vasudeva,  206 

Vasumanas,  268 

Vasundharas,  499 

Vasus,  19  f.,  52,  117,124, 

184,  186,  221,  444 
Vatarasanas,  32 
Vatsa,  231 
Vatsabhurai,  231 
Vayata,  319 
Vayu,  10,  19,33,  76,  128, 

l"72,  464 
Vayu  Puraua  quoted,  225, 

227,  232" 

i.   5,  llff.,— 74 
—  6,  Iff.,— 75 

—  7,  22  ff.,—  81 

—  9,  1  ff.,— 77 

—  9,  100,— 446 
Vedangas,  5,  126 
Vedftnta,  223 
Vedas,  63 

antiquity  of,  'J 

undivided    in    the 

Krita  age,  144 

Vedas'ravas,  279 

Vedhas,  65 

Vedhas,  a  sage,  248 

Vedhasa,  279 

Vena,  126 

Vena,  297  ff.,  481 

Venuhotra,  231 

Venya,  268 

Vibhu,  445 

Videha,  426 

Videhas,  431,  459 

Vidhatri,  124 

Viduratha,  455 

Vidyutpataka,  207 

Vijnana  Bhikshu,  158 

Vi'krita,  123 

Vinata,  123 

Vipas',  orVipas'a,  338,417 

Vipra,  243 

Vipula,  466 

Viraj  (iqasc.),  9,  36  f.,  106, 

111,  195 

(fern.),  217,  333,  511 

Viranchi,  112 

Vlrini,  125 

Virochana,  233 

"Virupa,  224 

Virupas,  841 

Vlryadharas,  499 

Vis'",  157 

Vishnu,  3,  10,  51,  54,  62, 

67,   75,  153,  172,  211, 

495,  etc. 

assumes  different  co- 
lours in  different  yugas, 
145 


532 


INDEX, 


Vishnu  Purana  quoted  — 

Vis'vamitra,  128,  232,242, 

Wilson's  Sankhya-Karikii 

Book  i.  — 

•<J,  329 

referred  to,  430 

3,  10  ff.,  and  14  f.,—  43 

ff.,  337  ff.,  474,  483 

Vishnu   Purana  re- 

3, 16  ff.,—  44 

titras,  342,  345  f. 

ferred  to,    6,    49^  353, 

5,  1  ff.,~ 

Vis'vantara,  438  • 

446,  and  ;., 

6,  i 

is'varatha,  352                    ,  article     on    Human 

Vis'vasrijah,  37 

Sacrifices    in   India    in 

—66 

16,    20,    71, 

Jouru.  i.e.  A.s.  Soc.,  355 

9,  ly,—  389 

380 

Women,     '-vfimation.      in 

10,  lp,—  335 

Yitaharya,  228,  268,  279» 

whic'i                   nt   In- 

IX, 7.—  298 

286, 

dians    i 

13,  54,—  511 

Vitatha,  227 

136 

15,  52,—  72 

Vitihotras,  459 

Book  ii.  — 

is,  498 

\ 

4,  1,  and  5  ff.,—  497 

.1,  26  f..  37,  115  f., 

4,  9,—  498 

122,                       >,  199, 

Yadavas,  112 

4,  12ff.,—  499 

Tadu,  232,  477 

4,  19  ff.,—  500 

•!,  360 

Yadue,  179 

4,  23  ff.,—  500 

a,  22,  481 

'  Yajna-paribhasha-sutras, 

Vratya-stomas,  513 

2,  365,  367 

;03 

Vrihaspati,  310,  see  Bri- 

Yajnapeta,-  336 

7,  19,  24,—  504 

haspati 

YiljnaTalkya,  25,  136,  428 

10,  8,—  336 

Vrishagir, 

Yajnavalkyas,  353 

Book  iii.  — 

Vrishala,  482 

'Yajnr-veda,  2 

--     1,  3,—  44 

Yrishan,  170 

Yaksha3,37,  139,144,  490 

1,  6,  and  9,—  335 

t,  174,  310 

Yama,                   H\  119, 

1.  14,—  335 

.,  6 

171,  217,  320 

3,  9, 

Vyas'va,  268 

Yamadutas,  353 

6,  21,—  400 

Yamuna,  467 

Book  iv.  — 

W 

Yaska,  S,  5,  see  Xirukta 

1,  4,—  220 

Yatudhanas,  326  f.  • 

1,  5,—  72 

Weber's  Indische  Litera- 

Yaudhah  (warriors),   61], 

1,  12,—  221 

tu.-geschichte  referred  to, 

514 

1,  13,  14,—  222              j       2,  5 

Yavanas,    391,  398,  482, 

2,  2,  —  223                        Indische    Studien 

485  ff. 

3'  5,—  224 

quoted    or  referred  to, 

Yayati,  232,  455 

3,  13,—  375 

8,  9,  14,  32,  39,  48,  49, 

Year  of  Brahma,  44 

3   18,—  337                           108,  136,  141,  147,  155, 

Year  of  gods,  43  <- 

4   25  —337                            181,  186,  189,  216,  252, 

Yoga  210,  334,  466,  47  S 

6   2  —225                             272  f.,  332  If.,  357,  367, 

philosophy,  430,508 

6   19,—  226                            369,    37.").    ;JfJ.5,   438  f., 

Yogin,  153 

7^  1^—226                             443,  446,  492  f.,  511  f. 

Yudhajit,  279 

7,'  4,  and  14  ff.,  —  349     :  art  irk"-    in    Journal 

Yudhishthira,  127,133,309 

&  6,—  232                             Germ.    Or.   Soc.,    189, 

Yudhyamadhi,  322 

12,—  232                         366,  385,  443 

Yugas,  39,  43  ff. 

1  Q       1             OQO 

*—  —  system  of  not  men- 

IB, 1,  —  ioi 
—236 

origin  of  the  Indian  tra- 

tioned  in  the  hymns  oi 

.934                         dition  of  the  Deluge,  216 

the  Rig-veda,  45 

Yajra-suehi,  140 

their  several  clia-^-  - 

21  f  •[.                                 Williams'?,  Prof.  Monier, 

teristics,  3!' 

24,'  44.                                           in  Epic  poetry  re- 

Yuga  of  the  K-  rattriyas, 

Book  vi.  — 

6,  34 

152 

1,  4,—  43 

:[.     H., 

Yuvanas'va,  2  :J.  268,  279 

'.,  166 
Vis'va]it,  352 

Anah  -                    ishnu, 
and  other    Pu- 

Vis'vakarman,  52,  76,  173, 

rSnas,  6,  505 

Z 

181 

translation    of     the 

Bhauvana,  456 

Eig-veda    referred    to, 

Zendavesta,  293 

Vis'vakrit,  352 

360,  372,  490 

Zota,  294 

STKPKJSJf  AU81IS.  PRUTTBB,   HEUTFORD. 


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