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INTRODUCTION.
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(ghasha), for such a fish grows largest.' I am still inclined to take ghasha as the name of some kind of fish, real or mythic.
Professor Whitney once more discusses the vexed question as to the real meaning of Gåtávedas,' and thinks the translation Wesen-kenner,' being-knower,' or 'he who knoweth [all] beings' to be unacceptable. He remarks that 'The word may, indeed, fairly be regarded as an obscure one: that is to say, it is very strange that an appellation so frequently applied to Agni should not have its meanings distinctly pointed out, either by its applicableness, or by parallel expressions used in the descriptions of the same god or in ascriptions made to him ; but no such explanation has been found obtainable from the Vedic writings. It is no doubt a fact that at the time of Yaska—who (7, 19) proposes five different derivations of the term, the first of which is the one given above, viz. gåtâni veda, 'he knows (the things) that are bom'-the real meaning of the compound was unknown; and even at the time of the hymns the epithet seems to have been understood in different ways. That the meaning 'knower of beings' was, at any rate, one of those commonly assigned to 'Gatavedas' by the Vedic poets, seems to me, however, sufficiently manifest from a number of parallel expressions used in reference to Agni, such as Rigveda VI, 15, 13, visvå veda ganima gåtavedâh, 'Gatavedas knows all races (or existences);' I, 70, 1, à daivyâni vrata kikitvân à manushyasya ganasya ganma,' he who minds the divine ordinances, and the race of the human kind;' ib. 3, devånâm ganma martāms ka vidvân, 'knowing the race of gods and the men;' I, 189, 1, visvani vayunâni vidvan, “knowing all works ;' ib. 7, tvam tân agna ubhayan v vidvän veshi, &c. On the other hand, in Sat. Br. IX, 5, 1, 68, the term is explained by gåtam gåtam vindate; he takes possession of being after being, or of whatsoever is born. How easily terms such as Gâtavedas and Wesen
* See Grassmann, Wörterbuch & v.; M. Bergaigne, III, 334, takes this passage to supply the etymology of the word.
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