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536 The Philosophy of the Bhagavad-gitā [CH. be occupied by Vişņu when he lay down, Vişņu being a dwarf (vāmano ha Vişnur āsa). The gods felt dissatisfied at this, and they approached him with various mantras and in consequence attained the whole world. Again, in xiv. I of the same work, Kuruksetra is referred to as being the place of the sacrificial performances of the gods, and it is said there that in industry, rigorism (tapas), faith, etc. Vişņu was the best of all gods and was regarded as being superior to them all (tasmād āhur Vişnur devānām śreșthaḥ), and was himself the sacrifice. Again, in Taittiriyasamhitā, 1. 7. 5. 4, in Vājasaneyi-samhitā, 1. 30; 11. 6. 8; V. 21, in Atharva-Veda, v. 26. 7; VIII. 5. 10, etc., Vişnu is referred to as the chief of the gods (Vişnu-mukhā devā). Again, Vişnu as sacrifice attained unlimited fame. Once he was resting his head on the end of his bow; and, when some ants, perceiving that, said, “How should we be rewarded, if we could gnaw the strings of the bow," the gods said that they would then be rewarded with food; and so the ants gnawed away the strings, and, as the two ends of the bow sprang apart, Vişnu's head was torn from his body and became the sun?. This story not only shows the connection of Vişņu with the sun, but also suggests that the later story of Krsna's being shot with an arrow by an archer originated from the legend of Vişnu's being killed by the flying ends of his bow. The place of Vişņu (Vişnu-pada) means the zenith, as the highest place of the sun, and it is probable that the idea of the zenith being the place of Vişnu led also to the idea that Vişnu had a superior place transcending everything, which was, however, clearly perceived by the wise. Thus, at the beginning of the daily prayer-hymns of the Brahmans, known as sandhyā, it is said that the wise see always that superior place of Vişnu, like an open eye in the sky.. The word vaişnava is used in the literal sense of “belonging to Vişņu” in the Vājasaneyi-samhitā, v. 21, 23, 25, Taittirīya-samhitā, v. 6.9. 2. 3, Aitareya-brāhmaṇa, III. 38, Satapatha-brāhmaṇa, 1. 1. 4. 9; III. 5. 3. 2, etc.; but the use of the word in the sense of a sect of religion is not to be found anywhere in the earlier literature. Even the Gītā does not use the word, and it is not found in any of the earlier Upanişads; it can be traced only in the later parts of the Mahā-bhārata.
i Satapatha-brāhmaṇa, XIV. I.
2 tad Vişnoh paramam padam sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ diviva cakşur atatam. Acamana-mantra of the daily sandhyā prayer-hymn.
