________________
140
BRIHADARANYAKA-UPANISHAD.
Yes,' he said, and asked again : 'How many gods are there really, O Yagñavalkya?'
Six,' he said.
Yes,' he said, and asked again: How many gods are there really, O Yagñavalkya?'
'Three,' he said.
“Yes,' he said, and asked again : 'How many gods are there really, O Yâgñavalkya?'
Two,' he said.
Yes,' he said, and asked again : ‘How many gods are there really, O Yâgñavalkya?'
One and a half (adhyardha),' he said. “Yes,' he said, and asked again: 'How many gods are there really, O Yagñavalkya?'
One,' he said. “Yes,' he said, and asked: Who are these three and three hundred, three and three thousand?'
2. Yagñavalkya replied: "They are only the various powers of them, in reality there are only thirty-three gods.'
He asked: Who are those thirty-three?'
Yâgñavalkya replied: 'The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twelve Adityas. They make thirty-one, and Indra and Pragâpati make the thirty-three ??
3. He asked: "Who are the Vasus.'
Yâgñavalkya replied: 'Agni (fire), Prithivi (earth), Vâyu (air), Antariksha (sky), Aditya (sun), Dyu (heaven), Kandramas (moon), the Nakshatras (stars), these are the Vasus, for in them all that dwells (this world) : rests; and therefore they are called Vasus.'
1
The glories of these are three and thirty' Gough, p. 172. Trayastrimsau, i.e. trayastrimsatah puranau. The etymological explanation of Vasu is not quite clear, and
Digitized by Google
