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294
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[DECEMBER, 1912.
"Indra killed Vritra with the power of Agni and Sôma. strength. He saw the power of Indra and Agni also. in himself."
The connection of Vritra with Agni and Sôma, the gods of an intercalary month, will be explained later on. That intercalary months were being observed, either singly or in sets of two, three, or four months, is clear from the following passage of the Maitrayaniya Samhita (I. 11, 10):
Hence he grew with brightness and Thereby he kept brightness and strength
वसवस्त्रयोदशाक्षरया त्रयोदशं मांसमुदजयन् रुद्राश्चतुर्दशाक्षरथा चतुर्दशं मासमुदजयन्. आदित्याः पंचदशाक्षरया पंचदशं मासमुदजयन्. अदितिष्षोडशाक्षरया षोडशं मासमुदजयत्
"The Vasus conquered the thirteenth month with a verse of thirteen syllables. The Rudras conquered the fourteenth month with a verse of fourteen syllables. The Adityas conquered the fifteenth month with a verse of fifteen syllables. Aditi conquered the sixteenth month with a verse of sixteen syllables."
Since in this passage a year of 12 months is referred to before speaking of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and other months, I take them to be of an intercalary nature. There is no reason to believe that the Vedic poets were counting thirteen or sixteen ordinary months in a year, though they were acquainted with the luni-solar cycle of 5 years, as pointed out above. The following passage of the Maitrayaniya Samhita (I. 10, 5) leaves no doubt that Indra is a god of an intercalary month:
देवाश्च वा असुराश्चास्मिलोके आसन्. स प्रजापतिरकामयत प्रासुरानुदेय प्रजाः सृजेयीत. स चातुर्मास्यान्यwway. wantedt disgurarger wiyalek: www squa, aw yi ferieurgicklewie w urgel gek प्र प्रजया च पशुभिश्च जायते. अग्निष्टोमाद्वैश्वदेवं यज्ञक्रतुं निर्माय प्रजापतिः प्रजा असृजत. उकथ्याद्वरुणप्रघासान्यज्ञऋतं निर्मायेमाः प्रजा वरुणेनामाहयत्. अतिरात्रात्साकमेधान्यज्ञत्र तुं निर्मायेंद्रो वृत्रमहन् सृष्टा वा अन्याः प्रजाः आसन्न सृष्टा अन्याः अथ प्रजापतिरकामयत प्रजास्सृजेयेति. संवत्सरो वै यज्ञो यज्ञः प्रजापतिः स एते पयसी आत्मनधत्तोधन्यं च बाह्यं च अयैताभ्यो देवताभ्या एतानि हवींषि भागं निरवपत् तैः प्रजा असृजत ऋतुभ्यो वै ताः प्रजाः प्राज्ञायंत. ऋतवो वा एतानि पंच हवींषि M. S. I. 10, 5.
"The Devas and the Asuras were in this world together. Prajapati desired that he might drive out the Asuras and create children. He looked to the Four-months;' for it is by the Fourmonths that he drove out the Asuras and created children. Whoever, knowing thus, performs the sacrifice of Four-months,' will drive out his enemy and get both children and cattle.
"Creating the Vaisvadêva sacrifice on the model of the Agnishtôma, Prajapati created children; and creating the Varuna-praghasa sacrifice on the model of the Ukthya, he put these children under the clutches of Varuna. Creating the Sâkamêdha sacrifice on the model of the Atirâtra sacrifice, Indra killed Vritra. The children that were created became of one kind, while those that were not created became of another. Then Prajapati desired that he might create children. The year is the sacrifice, and sacrifice is Prajapati. He kept in himself this pair, the year and the sacrifice, (like two kinds of) milk, that which is produced from the udder and that which is external. Then to these gods he offered the following oblations as a share, and created. children from them: from the seasons were those children born. The seasons are the tive oblations."
From this passage we can understand the technical sense in which the words Déva, Asura, and Prajís, are commonly used in the Vedas. In the terminology of the Vedic poets. the name of the ordinary days of a year is prajaḥ, children.'s I have pointed out in my notes in the Vedic Calendar, ante, p. 52, how the Vedic poets regarded the intercalary months as Asaras, demons. It follows therefore that the word Dêva as opposed to Asura
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R. V. I., 164; A. V. IX, 8.
