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In 1975, Van Buitenen's Mahāvīra vessel theory, particularly its anthropomorphism and the idea of the invigoration of the sun, were rejected by Kashikar,32 who recurs to Lüders' position. The latter scholar based his interpretation on Baudhāyana as the oldest source. There, mention is made only of three clay balls from which the parts of the mahāvira are shaped and then placed one on top of the other. It was also Lüders who had argued 33 that not the sun, but the milkstream of the sky from which the rain falls has to be invigorated before the monsoon starts, as the milk sacrifice is then discontinued. The three parts of the vessel correspond to the tripartite sky and consequently to the trebling of the skystream which in the shape of the heated milk contributes to the sun's heat. Later,34 the vessel is put on a par with the life-giving sun and the year, i.e. time - the latter being, since the family books of the RV, intimately related to Indra35 and afterwards to Prajāpati, his successor in the Brāhmaṇa period.36
Up to now, scholars have paid little attention to the relation of the name Mahāvīra to the object, the vessel. Van Buitenen rendered Mahāvīra by 'Large Man',37 Oldenberg by 'der große Held", 38 Renou by 'grand homme%39 and 'souverain'40, whereas Caland'1 and Hillebrandt 42 did not translate the word.
Now there is a tradition (TA, etc.) that at the end of the milk sacrifice the utensils are laid together near the Mahāvīra vessel in the shape of a man. These are then sprinkled with the flour left over from the sacrificial cake by way of marrow and with a mixture of sour milk and honey representing blood.43 On the one hand, all this reminds us of the common group of myths in which a primaeval giant or cosmic man like the rg- and atharvavedic Purusa is sacrificed so that the world can be created from him. On the other hand, we have Mahādeva, the Vrātya, who emerges from a piece of gold (suvarna) that Prajāpati, the rgvedic
301d., 11 sq. 311d., 37 (the latter goes back to Oldenberg 1917: 447). 32 Kashikar 1975: 137 sqq. and 141 sq. 33 Lüders 1951: 359 sqq. 34E.g., in the AitĀr 3,2,3. 35 Indra is the sun: RV 3,44,4; ŚB 1,6,4,18 etc.; - Indra regulates time: RV 3,30,12
sq.
36 Prajapati is identified with the sun at TB 1,6,4,1; SB 12,3,5,1 etc.; with the year:
AiB 1,1; 4,25 etc. 37 Ibid., 9. 38 Oldenberg 1917: 86; cf. Macdonell /Keith, II 1912: 142 'great hero.' 39 Renou/ Filliozat 1949: $721. *Renou 1954: 124. Thus also Minard 1956: $116 a. 41 Caland 1924: 423, 427. 42 Hillebrandt 1897 : 135. 43 Hillebrandt, Ibid.