Upabrmhana and Rgveda Interpretation

Author(s): T G Manikar
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

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The Hymn of Agastya and Lopamudra (1. 179)
(iii) and lastly the Conclusion which gives the Fulfillment. If it is a dialogue, it is between Agastya and Lopāmudrā who are the characters involved in this incident described in the hymn.
According to Sayaņa it is Lopamudrā who speaks the first two verses and therefore makes the Request seeking union, Agastya speaks the next two verses and relents. The last two verses are spoken by the disciple of Agastya who has obviously overheard the amorous conversation of the couple and has consequently a sense of guilt. He repents and desires to atone for the sin involved. It is indeed, difficult to imagine why the disciple of the sage should have been brought in this context at all, though the naturalness in having a student in the hermitage, an antevāsin, cannot be denied in the context of an ancient Indian sage. At best, the last verse could be taken as a conclusion of the poet wishing to round off his narrative. It must be remembered in this context that it is not unusual for poets and the speakers to refer to themselves in the third person by name. In the Rgveda we have Vámadeva referring to himself in this manner in 'bhuvo avilā vamadeyasya dhinam' (IV.16.18.) so also Vasiştha ia (VII.88.1) 'matim vasiştha milhuse bharasva'. It would therefore be not altogether un-Vedic to suggest that this verse could be spoken by Agastya himself and the occurrence of his name need not point to a different speaker. It is really unnecessary to think of here either of the disciple or of the poet. If this be correct then the speaker of the preceeding verse automatically becomes Agastya himself and here too there is no necessity of thinking of somebody else. To Thiene, however, this verse is spoken by the bachelor disciple of the sage and forms the real kernal of the hymn and the rest is only a prelude and a sequel. To him the hymn is a hymn of atonement having magical character. Griffith also con. siders that the connection of the verse of the disciple with the rest of the hymn is not very apparent, I am inclined to think that the verse in ques. tion can fit in the hymn but not its speaker as is taken by tradition. I mean the student of the sage.
I would like to read the present hymn in the light of the account of the Vanaparva of the Mahābhārata (96-99, Gorakhpur edition) where we have a full account of Agastya and Lopā mudrā. According to this account sage Agastya was bachelor for a a long time and was without any issue, a male child to continue his line and to perform the necessary śruddha rites for his ancestors as well as for himself. Once, on a outing in the forest he saw his ancestors hanging in a ditch with their hands downwards. When Agastya asked them the cause of this lamentable condition of theirs they explained to him that since he had not raised any issue to offer them the "śrāddha' etc. they had to remain so and it was the birth of an issue to him in which lay their release and movement to the proper worlds.