Sramana Tradation

Author(s): G C Pandey
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 36

APPENDIX
[A] The interpretation of Kesi-sūkta ( Rg. 10,136 )
The seers of the different ;ks of the hymn are mentioned as Jūti, Vatajūti, Viprajūti, Vrşāņaka, Karikrata, Etaśa and Rşyaśộnga who are described as the sons of Vātarasana.
kesyagnim keši viņam keśt bibharti rodasi /
kesi viśvam svardľse keśidam jyotir ucyate || (1) The verse apparently identifies Keśī with the sun. As Sāyana says "ittham mahanubhavaḥ kesi ko námety ata ahal idam drśyamānam mandalastham yaj jyotir idam eva keszty ucyate // " While this interpreta. tion is the obvious one, the meaning of visam does not fit in with it. Sayaņa says of Vişam 'udakanāmaitat'. If, on the other hand, 'Keśi' is supposed to refer to a poison-eating, wonder-working, long-haired ascetic, then this verse would have to be regarded as an attempt to exalt the ascetic by identifying him with the sun.
munayo vātarašanāḥ pisangå vasate malā /
vātasyänudhrä jim yanti yaddevāso avikșata 11 (2) Sayaņa interprets vātaraśanāḥ as vātaraśanasya putrāḥ and piśangā malā as " pisangāni kapilavarnāni malá malināni valkalarūpāni vásámsi". Thus Sayaņa interprets the whole verse as 'The seers of supersensuous vision (atīndriyârthadarsinaḥ) are clad in tawney.coloured and dirty rags. When the gods, shining by their greatness enter their divine nature, these seers through the worship of breath attain to the form of air ("prānopásanayā prānarūpiņo vāyubhāvam prapannå ityarthaḥ”). Dr. H. L. Jain interprets it to mean that the sages enter the state by stopping the breath (op. cit., p. 13). While the second line remains obscure, what is the meaning of Vatarašanāḥ ? For a patronymic, it is strange indeed. I would still think, as I had suggested earlier, that vátarašanāḥ' refers to the flying' of the Munis which would make it possible for them to follow the sweep of the wind as