Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 81

APRIL, 1928)
VEDIC STUDIES
is the Viraj in the highest heaven." This verse is the answer given by Kasyapa to the inquiry made in the preceding verse by the six sages about the nature of Viraj who is said to be the father of Brahman. In contrast with pracyulam and pracyavuanta in the first pada, one expects pratishthamanám and pratishthanta in the second pada (' after whom, when she is going, the sacrifices go and when she is firmly established, are firmly established ') instead of upatishthamdnám and upatishthanta that are found there. It is not therefore improbable that these latter words are here used in the sense of pratishthamanam and pratishthania. Com. pare Prasnopanjshat, 2, 4: tasminn utkrdmaly athetare sarua erotkråmante tasmine ca pratishthamine sarva eva pratishthante tad yatha makshika madhuka, a-rájánam utkrdmantam saruz evolkrdmante tasmins ca pratishthamdne sarva eva pratishthante' when it (*c. the praņa) departs, all the others depart, and when it stays fast, all others stay fast; just as, when the king-bee departs all the bees depart and when he stays fast, all stay fast.'
It will be seen that the second half-verse speaks of the whole universe being controlled by, and obeying the impulse of, the Viraj while the first half-verse speaks, seemingly, of the sacri. fices only, yajñaḥ, going when the Viraj goes and coming (or staying) when the Viraj comes (or stays). This is, to say the least, incongruous, and the more so as the sacrifices are not such important things as to deserve mention in this connection. One would rather expect in the first half-verse also mention to be made of the whole univerge going and coming (or staying) according as the Viraj goes and comes (or stays); compare the word sarve in the Upanishad passage sarva evotkrdmante. ... sarva eva pratishthante cited above. I am therefore led to believe that the word yajiin here in the first half-verse denotes 'universe', that is, that it has the same meaning as the word yaksha in the second half-verse. In other words, the view of the Indian commentators that sees in yaksha a derivative from the root yaj seems to be justified by the parallelism here of the two words yajvia and yaksha. AV. 8, 9, 25-26 : kó nú gaúh ká ekarshih kim u dha' ma kd' asishah
yakshim prthivyd' m ekary'd ekartúh katamó nú sah | 25 éko gaúr éka ekarshir ékam dha' maikadha'lishah
yaksham prthivya'm ekavr'd ekartúr na'ti ricyate || 26 ! “Who then is the ball, who the sole seer, what the abode and what the desires ? The being that on earth is one-seasoned, one-fold, who is he? The bull is one, one the sole seer and one-grouped are the desires. The being that on earth is one-seasoned, one-fold, he is not different." M. Boyer, following M. Henry, has understood these verses as referring to the sun (Aditya), that is, to the sun considered as the Supreme Being. This is not incorrect; but I believe that it is preferable to refer the verses, with Geldner (l.c. p. 129) to Brahman itself, to the Viraj that is spoken of in the opening verses of this hymn. The Brahman is ekarshi, the sole seer, because from it come forth as its breath, the Rgveda, Yajurveda, Samsveda. etc.; see Brhad. Up. 2, 4, 10:asya mahalo bhůtasya nisvasitam etad yad rgvedo yajurvedah sdmavedo 'tharvingirasa itihasah purânam vidyd upanishadah blokdh sútrány anuvydkhyd. nani vydkhydnány asyaivaitáni sarvdni nisvasitâni. The Brahman is ekavrl, one-fold, because it is one and changeless; compare Bh. Gità, 12, 3: sarvatragam aciniyam ca kůļastham acalam dhruvam 38 « The imperishable Brahman that is all-pervading, unthinkable, unchanging, immutable, eternal"; it is the dhama or abode (of all); compare ibid. 11, 38 : veriasi vedyam ca param ca dháma 'Thou art the knower, and the known ; (thou art) the sup reme abode '; ibid. 10, 12:param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan 'Thou art the supreme Brahman, the supreme abode, the highest purifier'; GaudapAda-kårika, 4, 100: durdarsam atigambhiram ajam sdmyam risâradam budhvd padam andndtvam namas. kurmo vathabalam; and Maitryupanishad, 6, 33 : tatah buddhah sattväntarastham acalam amylam acyutam dhruvam vishnu-saññitam sarvd param dhama satyakdma-sarvajñatva
30 And also perhaps because in it all the gods and other things become one; (compare AV. 13, 4, 13: de aemin devdekavrlo bhavanti. "In him all these gode become ono" said of the Supreme Being, called Bayitr in this hymn.