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D. D. KOSALEI
head of cattle from Asvattha; the same Päyu Bharadväja as the supposed seer of x.87.12 mentions the atharan flame as most effecere in driving away
átudhāna demons. The bones of Dadi:;añc tharrara are used by Indra to bill the nine ninetics of his dark cnemies : 1.84.13 indro dodñico asthabhir tstrārijs afratiskutaḥ; jaghāta natalir tata. In fact, Atharvan is cxplicitl; the first gajia sacrificer according to i.83.5 and x.92.10 while the atharsan fire-drill or method of lighting the fire is lauded in vi.15.7 as in vi.16.13-14; the last șk calls Agni by Inára's titles, ustrahanam puran daram, which shows again that fire was used as a poliorcetic vcapon by the carly Irdic Aryans, and incideritally cz.plains how the Avesta could separate Verethraghna from India. The most important of all references to Atharvan is z.14.6 where we have an association in the same line with Anxiras, the pitrs, the Nine secro ratages, and the Phrgus, thc last of whom also appeared in z..92.10. at this stage, we note that the ks containing any reference to Atharsan are overwhelmingly of Bharadvaja or Gotama origin, i.e. of Angiras authorship. Lates, the whole of the Atharva-veda is called the Atharvátairas, (cf.Mbh.5.18.5-8; and the special combination appears with the highest eminence in that reda. Finally, we have seen that the BhrguAngiras combination also crists, which shou's just why thc extinct Atharvan was important in India : The Athartan is the proper fire-priest of one Ar;an group, and association with him was the means whereby the Angirasa; and the Dhrgus climbed into medic triesthood. This gives us much the samc historical de clopment as that of the Wagub in Persia. In the Mundaka Upanigad 1.2 we have the line of teachers as Brahma-Atharvan-argir-Pharadwaja Satyavāha-Argiras. This is a step towards the final inversion to be found in still later traditions which makes Atharvan an Aigiras, the very first.
Hoxe er, not everything can be explained b; parallel histrical developments, and like the name of the riser Sarasvati, there is possibilit; of a legend heing transferred. The story of thc hero Thraetona and the dernon Azi Dahāka is here of considerable interest. The Persian hero of the Athvga clan derforms
reat sacrifice of a hundred stallions, a thousad ozea, and ien thousand lambs Trasna Yt. iz 13-14) or Ardsi Sūra Anānita Yts33-34). Or Vayu (Yt.
0294. Yeryü.33-34 for the destruction of the snake.Az Dahāka himself, "the three-mouthed, the three-ncaded, the six-sjes, v:ho has a thousand senses, that most powerful fiendish Druj, that cemon balcful to the viorld"
e same sacrifice in the land of Bãri = Babylon) to Ardi Sura inahita (Ytr.29-31; and to Vayu (Yt.xv.19-21) "in his accursed palace of inta in order to destroy the severi habitable regrms of the world Karsh
are reiected. The hero Thractona áthwya vares). but his great sacrifices are rejected. The hero Thraa
him and set free his "two vives, Savanghavāc pass successfully to destroy him and set free his "txo vires
who are the firest of body amongst women, and the most
tates in the world" 1.17.14). As a three-headed demon is the Presia as Tribiras Tragira, and in the slaing. Trita inte has
and Erenarāc, who are the fairest of wonderful creatures in the varias vei
