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JUNE, 1928)
VEDIC STUDIES
101
and I have also said that the explanation of Bhaskararâya and other Tantriks that makes them refer to the fri-cakra, is not a far-fetched one. I have further given an ezplanation of these verses above on the line followed by Sayaņa, which makes them refer to the human body. The reason why so many explanations are possible of these verses is this: the verses refer to the dimanvad yaksham (atmanrad bhůtam or bhútátman) or the soul dwelling in a kosa. Now the soul in the body is identical with the purusha in the sun according to the teaching of the Upanishads; compare Taitt. Up. 3, 10, 4: 80 yas cayain purushe yas cásáv aditye sa ekah; Maitryupanishat, 7, 7: yas cayam hrdaye yas cast aditye sa esha ekah; and this explains why the kośa mentioned in v. 32 can be understood as the human heart or as the sun. The Sri-cakra, too, as I have said above, is a symbol of the human body, and therefore the Tântrik explanation of the verses is, in essence, one that refers to such body. Similarly the Upani shadic doctrine of the sun being identical with Brahman (compare Ch. Up. 3, 19, 1: adityo brahmety ddesah and TA. 2, 2, 2: asâv adityo brahma) explains why some verses of the AV. where the word yaksha occurs have been referred to the sun by MM. Henry and Boyer, and to Brahman by Geldner. In these verses yaksha in effect refers to the Brahman, even where the interpretations do not contain that word at all, but refer instead to the sun or the soul, AV. 10, 8, 43 : pundárikam návadváram tribhir gun@bhir a'urtam
tásmin yad yakshám átmanvât tád vai brahmavido viduh || "The lotus that has nine doors and that is enveloped thrine-verily the knowers of Brahman know the animate being in it." The 'lotus with nine doors' is, like the sheath, kosa, in the
fortress with nine gates' in the verse explained above, the heart in the human body. The 'nine doors' are those of the human body, and the 'lotus' can be said to have them in a figurative sense only. The 'triple envelope seems, as suggested by M. Boyer, to consist of satya (truth), yasas (glory) and brih (beauty) which are said in AV. 12, 6, 2: satyendvrta Sriya právrtá yasasd pariurtá to be the envelopes of the Brahmana's cow, brahmagavt ; compare the epithet jyotishd vrtak of the kośa mentioned in AV. 10, 2, 31 and the epithet yasasa sampa. rfurta used (in v. 33 of the same hymn) of the aparájila pú” which, as I have said above, refers to the heart. Geldner explains the expression tribhir gunebhir dvrtam as enveloped by the three gunas (i.e., sativa, rajas and tamas).'
AV. 10. 7, 38: malád yakshá.. Chúvanasya ámdhye
tápasi krantám salilásya prahthé tásmin chrayante yć u kéca deva'
vrkshásya skándhah parita iva sd khah | « The great being in the centre of the world has passed into tapas and into the back of the water ; they that are gods (that is, all the gods) rest attached in it as the branches of a tree round the trunk." The hymn 10, 7 in which this verse occurs is addressed to Skambha which, according to the Calikopanishat (v. 11), is another name of Brahman. The great being in the centre of the world,' referred to here, is therefore the Brahman; and the word krantam in the second pada refers to the passing'or transformation of Brahman into tapas and wateran idea which we have met with above (p. 62), where it was said that tapas and water were first created by Brahman or were first born of Brahman. This verse, however, speaks instead of creation or 'birth ' (utpatti of the later Naiyayikas; compare the preceding verse but one: yih srámát tápaso játó loka'n sárván saminasé tásmai jyeshtha'ya bráhmane námah referring apparently to water) from Brahman, of the passing or transformation (parinâma of the Sankhya system) of Brahman into tapas and Water, and it is very remarkable that the parinama doctrine of the Saukhyas should be thus met with in the AV. With regard to the gods resting in the Brahman, compare RV. 1, 164, 39: rcó aksháre paramé vyòman yasmin devd' ádhi vifve nishedúh; Kathopanishat, 2, 1, 9: tam derdh sarve 'rpitah : Kaushitaki Up. 2,
