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ORIGIN OF BRAHMIN GOTRAS
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grcat. The original Magi were onc of the six tribes of the Mcdians (Her. i. 101), who were a western branch of the same race, first subject to the Assyrians, then independent and overlords of the eastern Persians, and finally conqucrcd by the latter but in closc alliancc ncvertheless after Cyrus and Darius I. Yet the Greek tells us that thc Magi took a pcculiar delight in killing all living things cxccpt dogs and men (Her.i.140) The special protection given to dogs (Vă. xiii ct passim) is, of course, a feature of ancient Persian mcans of production and of thc high status of the husbandman; the dog in the Avesta is the most uscful of man's friends in the protection of the household and of cattle. The killing of all sorts of lower animal life which Herodotos notices is sanctioned, and cvon demanded by Vendidad xiv.5-6. For our thesis, it is of special interest to notc that the Magi rccovcrcd thcir original position of respect, * and continued as an "honorary tribc" to be priests (with readjustment to the new rcforms) but that they had first undergonc attacks similar to thosc suffered by thic Bhrgus and other carly Brahmins. In particular, the story of Darius and the false Smerdis (Hcr.li.61 scq., fully supported by the inscriptions of Darius) and the festival of the Magophonia' (Her.iii.79) show that special action had to be taken against thc Magi as a whole, but that massacre did not
end their pricstly function. For that matter, we also know that some of the , older gods had to be rcadmitted into the panthcon (Herzfeld p.401, 408-9)
though with suitablc changes. In other words, we have a parallel to the happenings in India, and for similar rcasons : conqucst and rcassimilation, with a conquered (though herc Aryan) clan imposing itself upon the pricsthood by virtuc of superior ritual.
The Rgvcdic atharvan, though belonging to so remote a past as to appear morc than human, and without a surviving gotra (unless we infringe upon sacrcd tencts of philology to relatc athar to atri) to commemoratchis cxistcncc, still occupied a far more important historical position than would appear by the comparativcly rare citations. In x.14 and x.21.5, he is associated with Yama whilc in x.120.9 we have BỊhad-diva as an atharvan; but the signal honour given in x.120 to thc supposed rşi and the actual meaning of the name itself scem to rcficct thc stature of somcone likc Ahura Mazda, who is himself a sky-god (Her.i.131) sublimated and an Athravan (Yt.i.12). In x.48.2 Indra Vaikuntha declarcs that he protected Atharvan and Trita, and bestowed upon them the cattlc releascd from ahi, presumably Vợtra referred to as a snakc; an Avestan parallel to the Pani cpisode is perhaps the prayer of cattle to Mithra, for relcasc from the den of the Druj (Yt.x.86). In viii.9.7, as in ix.11.2, atharvan is clcarly the firc itsclf upcn which soma is sprinklcd. In vi.47.24, the Atharvans and Päyu Bharadvāja receive ten special chariots and a hundred
* To the extent of imposing exposure of the dead in spite of original burial (Her.i.140, Herzfeld
147) or crcmation (Herzfeld p.748). Dhalla takes thc Magi as west-Pcrsian pricsts, Athravans as castcrn.
