Indian Antiquary Vol 42

SR No.: 032534
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications
Publication Year: 1984
Total Pages: 400
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 16 MB

Page 25

JANUARY, 1913.)
THE ADITYAS
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bolt raised, he became afraid of it, and said : There is in me some power and I shall give it to you. Do not kill me!' He gave it to Indra, and the latter took it, and gave it to Vishņu saying * keep it for me. Vishņu took it and thought : May Indra put vital force into us; may Indra bring prosperity to us; may there be blessings upon us ; for there is internal power in him.' Followed by Vishạn, Indra raised the thunderbolt against the one-third part that lay in the air, Seeing the raised thunderbolt, he became afraid of it, and said : There is some power in me and I shall give it to you. Do not kill me!' He gave it to Indra, and Indra took it and gave it to Visbņu, saying keep this for me a second time,' Vishņu took it, thinking : May Indra put vital force into us; may Indra bring prosperity to us; may there be blessings upon as ; for there is internal power in him.' Followed by Visbņu, Indra raised the thunderbolt against the one-third part that lay in the sky. Seeing the raised thunderbolt, he became afraid of it, and said : There is some power in me and I shall give it to you. Do not kill me ; let us make peace : I shall enter into you.' Indra said: 'If you enter into me, of what use will it be to me?' He said: 'I shall brighten yourself ; I shall enter into you for your own enjoyment.' (So saying) he gave it to Indra, and Indra took it and gave it to Vishņu, saying: Keep this for me for a third time. It (the power) is, verily, a thousand of what are called Tridhatus (three elements). He gave it to Vishnu. The Riks, the Samas, the Yajus, and whatever else there is, all that belongs to the three elements. Hence he obtains cattle alone."
“V ritra is the belly; and sin is hunger, the enemy of man. When man obtains Tapas, he rends the sin, the inimical hunger. This is what the heavenly utterance said : Both of them conquered, but never sustained defeat ; and no one defeated either of them (Indra and Vishnu.)"
We are told in the above passage that Vșitra grew out of the remnant of Soma and that he grew first in the form of a day, then of half a month, then of a month, and at last of a year. Thus Vitra is clearly identified with Time. Special attention should be paid to those sentences of the passage which clearly declare : "Vitra began to grow breadthwise by the measure of an arrow in the course of a day and also lengthwise by the measure of an arrow in the course of a day. They say that day and night themselves grew by the measure of an arrow, and became half-months, months, and a year.' It is clear therefore that Vğitra is a demon infesting the intercalary months, or rather of the eighth intercalary month, since Indra who destroys him periodically is, as we have seen above, the god of the seventh intercalary month of the luni-solar cycle of five years. Since Vritra is made to enter into Indra himself,' it is clear that he is the broken eighth month coming alter the seventh month.
I have pointed out in my Vedic Calendar how the Vedic poets regarded the intercalary days as being sintal and inimical to man. In the above passage Vțitra is spoken of as a kind of sin and enemy to man. We hare already seen how Agoi and Soma are considered as the gods of the light balf of an intercalary month. In the following passage of the Taittiriya Samhita (II. 5, 2) Agni and Soma are clearly described as the life-principles of Vritra. It follows therefore that Vritrs must be the light half of an intercalary month. Since Vțitra is periodically destroyed by Indra, the god of the seventh intercalary month, and since he is made one, with Indra himself, it is also clear that Vritra is the first half of the broken eighth intercalary month. The reference to cold and fever in the passage seems to indicate the arrival of the rainy seagon. The passage itself runs as follows:
त्वष्टा हतपूत्रो वींद्र सोममाहरत्, तस्मिनिंद्र उपहवमेधत. तं नोपाहयत पुर्व मेऽवधीरिति. स यज्ञवेशसं कृत्वा प्रासहा सोममापिबत्. गस्य बहत्यशिष्यत तत् स्वष्टाहवनीयमुपप्रार्वतयत्स्वाहेंद्रशत्रुर्वर्धस्वति. यावर्तयत् तत्रस्व वृत्रत्वं बनवीत् स्वाहेंद्रशत्रुर्वर्धस्वति तस्मादस्य इंद्रः शत्रुरभवत्. स संभवनमीषोमावभिसमभवत्. सबमित्रमिषुमात्रं विप्ववर्धत. स इमालोकानावृणोत्. तत्रस्य वृत्रवं. तस्मादिद्रोऽविभेत्. स प्रजापतिमुपाधावत् शत्रुमउजनीति. तस्मै वजं सिक्का प्रायच्धदेतेन जहीति. तेनाभ्यायत. तावतामनीषोमी मा प्रहारावमंतः स्व इति. मम