Kuiper Poetic Contest

8/13/2019 Kuiper Poetic Contest

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the lower end of the world axis, the amyta is located as late asMahabharata V.97. cr ke d. The circumstance tha t these watersare only mentioned the most recent parts of the Rigveda (Luders,p. I Z I ~ . is due to the fact that the family collectionsconcerned with this aspect. When this htsa is calledering" (I.64.6), its water is meant after it h been drawn up toheaven. For the same reason the hdharreferred to as dhar divya'm (IX.1o7.5,(e.g., 1.64.5). See also Luders, p . 38gff.

If the preceding interpretation i s correct, it must be concludedthat (apart from the identity of Varuna's nocturnal iky with thecosmic waters) these passages do not confirm the theory of a ce lestialocean.% However, so long as the fundamenta l problem of t he

ythological (not cosmological ) meaning of the "third heaven",and the background of its partial identity with the primeval ornether world is not entirely clarified, no final judgment on the"celestial oceanJ' in the Rigveda would seem possible.Leiden.

Cf., e.g., Bergaigne, La religion vidique passim (see Index, 111, p. 348))Macdonell, Vedic Mythology p. 85, W . Neisser, Zum Worte~buch es Rgueda(1gz4), pp. 57-59, H. Lommel, Asiatics p. 408f., Liiders, p r11ff. "DerHimmelsozean" but see Karl Hoffmann , OLZ. 1954, col. 391).

(Editor's Footnote First Published in India Maior Congratuhtoty Volume presented to IGonda Leiden, 1972.)

l There is a considerable difference of opinion nowadays about thesocial and cultural background of the Rigvedic poetry. In Geldner's

gveda-translation and in Renou's recent studies which are based on it1there is a tendency to overemphasize the importance of literary contests,for which the poems are thought to be designed. Thieme, in a funda-mental discussion of this trend in modern Vedic studies, not only notedan unmistakable tendency to secularize the RV , but also stated tohear in some renderings of Geldner's overtones of their own that call

to mind unfortunate associations with the emberg master-singersand the minnesingers' tournament of song on thefollowing studies, devoted to a social as well as religious phenomenon,may contribute to correcting the perspective and to eliminating someviews about the Vedic society that are still materially based on ttheories of the Vedische Studien. The influence of these theories is indeestill perceptible in Geldner's latest interpretation of the Rigveda.

In point of fact, the duels between poets may rather be regarded as aspecial instance of a more general type of contest, which included un-poetical verbal contests as well as chariot races, combats, etc. Herehowever a serious methodological difficulty faces us. The questionnaturally arises on which occasions these contests may have taken place.Thieme, who is disinclined to accept the theory of such contests at all,stresses the necessity of looking for a serious, genuinely religious contentin the Rigvedic hymns.8 I quite agree with him but, while the contestsl Karl Friedrich Geldner, Der Rig-Veda aus m Sanskrit ns Deutsc he r rsetzt(Harvard Oriental Series, vols 33-36, 1951-1957); L.pdqiniennes, I Paris 1955),p. 1 fJAOS, (1957),pp. 53and 56. Cf lso H. P SkhmidtIbid., p. 53.


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from Earth, by which act a cosmic dualism of upper world and netherworld (represented by Devas and Asuras-Diinavas respectively) is con-stituted. To Varupa, the ancient god of the waters of Chaos, a nefunction is now assigned as guardian of the cosmic 1remains hidden in the nether WOthis process of differentiation, theitself as a nether world in oppocontinues to be the older worlthe younger dynasty of the heav(p, 148 16 ff.) calls Cnujdvaratara- younger brothers (read am-?).this process of creation (as westanding its predominantly demiurgical character) the goods of life,symbolized by Agni and Soma, were for the first time brought to light

ther world. According to Vedic mythology, accordingly,er have been released from the power of Inertia, the cosmic

regressive force, that lay on the hill girt-,pcirvata-) and kept theof the nether world closed (see p. 249 . This myth is apparinheritance from the primitive Indo-Iranian religion. A different versionis found in the archaic myth of the Churning of the Ocean, according towhich the goods have been won directly from the depths of the Ocean

pi on of time as a cyclical process is also metwith in India. This implies that the beginning of every new yearconceived as a new cosmic start and, consequently, that at the end ofevery year the cosmos returned to its point of departure, the undxeren-tiated state of the Chaos, to be reborn. Direct indications for this lastconception, it is true, are not found in Vedic literature: from the SouthIndian Pongal festival, during which the undifferentiated state of thecosmos is imitated and re-enacted in social life by a temporary abolish-ment of all social difference^,^ and from parallels that could be adduce

See the references in J. J. Trilogie altindischer Machte und Feste der V egeta-tion 111, p 122. The time at the new year was celebrated s ms o have variedin later periods. See Macdonell-Keith, Vedic Index, 11, p 157; Hillebrandt, Ved.Mythologie, I , 31, lIe, p 177; Caland's note on his translation of PB.V.9.1 H. P.Schmidt, Vrata,p 36 n. 46;Heesterman, The ancient Indian Roy al C onsecreation,p 7f.or further references see ially C. d'onofrio. Studi e


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n ethnological tudy thesis Leiden 1935 , p.

if it was too dangerous- n thisDeath, then the ominous God, andvictory RS. X. 124.5), could only be spoken of inte rn s during this Lime.la Cf.3 U~ a snd the

fundamental questions for our understanding of the charac-gveda is, how we must conceive the nature of the Goddess

Dawn (USUS). Following Ludwig, Hillthat the twenty hymns to Usas do notday but especially the first dawn of the new year.17 A similar view, basedon a comparison with the Old Ostara and the Lettish Uhsing,was taken by von Schroeder.18 olars however have rejected it.

eith objects that Hillebrandt holly unsupported by anyevidence, and depends on a tis arbitrary .lB Oldenberg points to the lack of clear references to thebeginning of the new year and controverts Hillebrandt's argumentsbased on the use of U~as-hymns o inand on a possible connection of U ~ a snight, out of which both Indra and are said to be born;

II. 10.12).20 Foy combated Willebrandt's view that Rujahrslied and his arguments ere accepted by Olde

Renou.S1 Also Renou does not see sufficient indications for Htheory: ceci reste une hyp~thkse .~

ow, every theory about Usas must needs be a hypothesis.we are confronted with the real methodological difficulty, which

has never been stated explicitly. en reading Foy's important criticismsone soon recognizes that the basic difference of opinion is ultimatelyrooted in a different approach to the Vedic hy

en we try to defend again Hillebrandt's theory, this is mainly becausethe current view, though seemingly prompted by common sense, fails tolB See IZJ IIT p. 21 1.l ee Ludwig, Ilgveda IV p. M, p. 173 a; ISiUebrandt, Ved. Myihologie Isp. 28 ff.l8 L. von Schroeder, Arische Religion 11 pp. 16, 58 f 205.l A B. Keith, Religion and Philosophy of the Veda p. 121 f. NiUebrandt's theorywas only accepted by G Montesi, Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni(1957), p. 26 (to which M. M 16 kindly drew my attention after this study hadwritten).Oldenberg, Religion des Veda p. 243 n. 1Oldenberg, Noten; Renou, Etudes vkdiques et pcinindennes

Renou, Et. vkd. etpcip. LU pp. 6, 52, 101.


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en not as a piece ofresuppositions from whichillustrated by the words

te , which once slipped from Oldenberg'sy did not overlook the diitlculties; rather

ost prominent feature is the prayer for wealth andd seem far from self- t that the dawn of alored to bestow wealth fact that, apart from

ds given in the early m~rni ng , ~o serious attemptfor this remarkable association of the dawn

ably due to the implicit conviction thatwhich induced the Vedic poets

alth and progeny. As a result ofthis conviction any attempt to understand the poets' religious attitudetowards their gods must seem useless and runs the risk of being denouncedas rec~nstruc tions l6at0ires .~ On the other hand, it cannot be deniedthat the light of Usas n7est autre que la reprise de la lumibre originelle .26

it is our conviction that the true nature of Usas cannot be reallyood unless we take the cosmogonical aspect into consideration.

n the following pages we shall point out some aspects of Uws whichseem to us not sufficiently explained by the hypothesis that the dawn of

be addressed n the way the gvedic poets address Usas.Our investigation on the principle that the hymns as religiouspoetry deserve to seriously and that, whatever may have beenthe role of the poe nique, it is our task to understand athose associations the Vedic poet were fundamental.

nical problems as the connection of thetardyapla. Cf. VII. 76.2 prd me phinth8dnthah y h e svd itaro devaydndt,AB IV. 14.5

107.1, Thieme Der Fremdling im RV. p. 27 (but see now255 n 36 and cf. e g JB E. 130 .

yo vai sarftvatsarasyd 'varodhanad codrodhanain ca veda, sa vai svastisahvatsarasya pdram as'nute, etc.z8A Cosmic aspects

The importance of Usas in the cosmic process is apparent from thefact that the two representatives of the opposite powers of light anddarkness (or upper and nether world) are u ~ h -nd ntikta- (U~dsdndkilf,Ndkto~dsd) . Still the role of Usas in the cosmogony is hardly evermentioned. There is a reference to a (first?) Ups, through whom thegods arranged the works(?) of the Sbhus (IV. 51.6 kvri svid lfk katampuriipi y6yB vi&&d vidadhzir rbhags'm), and to the early awakening ofUsas prior to the whole creation in I. 123.2 pdrvti vis'vasmdd bhlivanlfdabodhi jdyaizti vdjam bfiatcf sdnutrl 'Tr iiher als die ganzeHohe erwacht, siegend, den Preis erringend . Renou compares tiplirvyciI. 46.1. Her role as a jhyantf deserves notice (see below).

Usas is born from the darkness of the nether world.taken in themselves, might seem simply to refer to thebut the frequent references in others to the firm rock (i.e. the primordialill opened by Indra) suggest that also in the first group the birth of

Usas was conceived as a reiteration of the cosrnogonical process. Cf. I.123.1 k ~ d did asthcrB aryd vihdyzih, 9 s'ukrd kr ~p dd j an i~ ta vitlccf(otherwise 1. 113.1 citrdh praketd aja fa vibhvd), IV. 51.1 thmasovayrindvad asthdt. While she arises, the is must keep sleeping in thisdarknessz7, cf. IV. 51.3 aci tr t ant& ah sasantv dbudhyamdn8stcimaso vimadhye, I. 124.10 dbudhyamlf~zdfz aphyah sasantu. This is notcontradicted by the passages which state Usas to come from the sky, e.g.I. 49.1 o bhadrtbhir i diva cid rocancfd a'dhi), or to be the daughterof Heaven (dulzits' div ssim, VII. 75.1 divijch, VI. 65.1 divojdh). Themost fundamental misunderstandings about Vedic mythology havearisen from the fact that the mythical identity of the nocturnal sky withthe nether world has scarcely ever been clearly stat .28 The parallelismbetween, e.g., I. 48.15 &so ydd adyd bhBntind v i gtivo rdivdh andIV. 51.2 vy r vrajdsya tdmaso dvdro 'chdntlr avra ayah pavakcfh (cf.111. 5.1), IV. 52.6 vy &var ydti8d tdmah, VII. 75.1 hpa drtihas trima dvardjq?am, VII. 79.4 v i dr&i.sya dliro ddrer aurgob is not accidental: itrests on the identity of dvhd divdh and vrajdsya dvdrii, dtiro cidreh.a V l l e b r a n d t , Ved. Myth. Ia, p. 33. Rigvedic references to the winter solstice areaccording to Hillebrandt I. 61.15, V. 29.5 X. 171.4; 179.2 ( But none of these passagesare conclusive , Vedic Index U[ p.a7 t&&bres temeUes ,Renou, op. C .m p. 73.P lee Bijdagen Kon. Instituut, 107 1951), p. 81 f.


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orld (that is, the subterranean waters and the nocturnals realm and here is the seat of @h which is hidden

hey unharness the horses of theof Varupa (I. 123.5), is

and is said to awa e from Pta's abode, cf. iV. 51.8 @ hy a devfh sbudhdnd gdvcirfz n6 uj ho arante. This neprimordial hill, the firm rock which Indra has opened. So Indrato have engendered U ~ a snd the Sun, cf. 11 12.7 y6h s ib ya h yci

indrah soryajiid w cisah svdr jana t,etc.29 As in the parallel cases of gni and Soma, however, the victorious

ercomes that of Darkness is also assigned to Usas herself,cinutriI. 123.2. She, who dwells on the surface of the

nu- VI. 65.5), has opened the doors of the firm rock:VII. 79.4 vi drfhcisya ddro 6drer awqob, 5.7 rujdd drfhdni

rj,dgdm. Cf. also IV. 51.2 cisthur u c wcisah purhtcin misvciravo 'dhvark,su / vy 'chcintir avran chdca yahpdvakdb. different WO is i i r ~ d - . ~ ~ence thefathers are said to have found the hidden light and to

together at the tirvd-; cf. VII. 76.p llingof darknesst d m h . Therefore

is said to open' in I. 113.4 b h h va ti nedrf sGny'tcin13mvah must be the dziro bdrer (VII. 79.3, the vrajhyavar jydtisci t d m b ) and

cf. I. 121.4 (Indra) h Only once U ~ a ssove, I. 48.15), which

reference to the nocturnal sky also accounts for Usas being called duhitd i v e . This interpretation, which can here only be indicated in passing

8.7, where Up s s said to haves denotes the netherparcvcitah shyasyo 'dbyancid lidhi similar interpretation applies to

the stone house (harmyd-) from which the light of U ~ a somes to this

orld: VII 76 2

Great Goddess mahf 11

will be discussed below.arkness and the Goods of t e

The appearance of Usasgoods of Life from the bassociated her appearaultimately due to heraddressed in the wordstreasures thou keepspriraritdhir u vratcinithe doors of the i


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e cosmic struggle of light and life against

Srayante, V.SSt4 ydd u,sa azichabince this trait is S frequently mentioned, it must have been regarded

o we are driven to the con-e U ~ a sere addressed can scarcely have been the dawn of

eject Nillebrandt7s heory ashave dismissed this argu-s succession of days can be

called the first: the conclusion that the U g ~ sddressed must be the firstof a new period. seems unavoidable. Indeed, the poets state explicitlythat this Uws is the beginning not only of a single day, but of a longseries: U~ a s rings the days (plural ). Cf. VII. 77.2 gciv n m-td netrya hmyd- properly related to the waves of the subterranean waters , hencedarkness ? See Neisser, um Worterb. des RV p. 182; Renou, Et. vkd. mp. 86 f.

, 76.6 grivdni netrf, TS. V 3.1 1prttlndm pdtniprathame' yyrim dgddnezrf anitri prajdndm. As the dawn of the first day Usas is alsoknow its name (I. 123.9 jdnaty dhnah prathamdsya ndma iukr d

kr ~n dd jan i~ ta v i ti c f, where the aorist shows that the dawn of this firstday has just appeared). Whether a sirnjlar idea prevails in VII. 80.1,where the Vasisthas are said to have awakened first at the appearance ofUsas is doubtful.The cosmogonical prototype of Usas as the first of many is referredto in TS. IV. 3.1 1a (etc.) iyd m evd sd yd prathamd vyatichad, (m) yrhyagdrbhah prathamd vy@ ti~y pdm kka mahimdnam bibharti, (n) yd prathamdvyatichat sd dhenzir abhavad yamk (cf. AthS. 111. 10.1). In the Rigvedashe is also called agriyd (see below). I'os tly Usas is regarded as re-presenting the whole series which she inaugurates, and sometimes, whenthere is a general reference to the u,&ah, she is obviously included intheir number. Inversely, the plural seems to denote especially the first onein I. 92.1 etd u tyd u~cisahketlim akrata ptirve drdhe rdjaso bhdntimaiijate. Note also TS. IV. 3.1 1f trihidt svdsdra tipa yanti ni~kytcidisamdndih kettim pratinlun"cdmdniih, where the dawns of a month seem tobe taken as one group. Sometimes, however, Usas is opposed to thegreat mass of ordinary days, e.g. I. 123.11 b ha d d tv dm u ~ oitardm vydcha nd tdt te any&zqdso naian ta. Renou's remark L'U. actuelle commeprivilkgike, selon la norrne bien connue 32 fails t o appreciate her im-portance as a netry dhndm fully.

A new succession of happy days is apparently inaugurated in I. 124.9dsdm pdrvdsdm cihasu svds @dm dpard pdrvdm a bhy kti paicdt tdhpratnavdn ndvyasir nandm asmk revdd uchantu sudind u~dsah.The samehymn ends with the following words (13) dstodhvariz stomyd brcihmagcime' 'vivydhadhvam uiatl'r ujdsah yup ndk am devir dvasd sanema saha-srigam ca Satinam ca vdjam. In contrast with the other hymns to Usas,RS. IV. 51 is entirely addressed to the Usgsah, which only thatwhat is said about the first Dawn is also essentially true, though to aless degree, of all the following dawns. Cf. also I. 92.1 prdti gdvd 'rwiryanti mdtdrah es kehren die roten Kiihe wieder, die Miitter .

We are drawn to the same conclusion by the frequent use of the wordiigra-, which also suggests that the beginning of a new period wascelebrated. Usas, who is the foremost (agriyd X. 95.2), distributes thefirst goods (I. 123.4 dgram-agram id bhajate vciszkdm; but Geldner: dasAllerbeste von allen guten Dingen , similarly Renou), she goes in frontof the other dawns (VII. 80.2 dgra eti yuvatir dhraycigd prdcikitat s dry ah

Etudes vkdiques DI 60.


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agnim), she inaugurates the sac&ce VI. 65.2 dgrariz yajfihyabrhatd ndyantir). It is natural but significant that as a n et ry d h d m shet the beginning of the days, cf. V. 80.2

a th kp va t fydty dgre / brhadrathdjydtir yachaty dgre dhnrlm. The same phrase recurs in V. 1.4 ydd imsdvcite a,dsrS v iriipe he td vciji jdyate dgre dhmZm, 5 jcinigta hi hnyo dgre

2, X 110.4). Equal1 cant is the fact that Ais said to wait for the beginning of the D to shine at hat beginIV 13.1 prdty agnir ugdsii gram akhyad, VII 8.1 dgnir dgre

9.3 citrdbhcinur u sdrit bhaty dgre VII. 68.9 dgre budhacinmd, V 1.1 dgre byhdnn q h i m zirdhva' asthcln nirjaganv

5 vi bhdty dgra upiscim [email protected] these references to the beginning of a new

oo explicit and too frequent to be ascribed to the wbimsof certain poets. If this is true, only Willebrandt's theory can accountfor them. Oldenberg's objection that this interpretation of the Uws-hymns is "vielmehr hineingetragen als aus ihnen herauslesbar" (Rel. desVeda, p. 243 n. 1 disregards these facts. Deluded by "diese so durch-sichtigen Texte" he has been blind to their real problems.D. This particular day

th equal frequency the hymns stress the importance of the presentday, at which U ~ a ss invoked to appear. A period of darkness hasobviously come to a close: in I. 92.6 the poet says dtdrigmaprirdm asya "we have attained the end of this darkness". Is thito be the end of the last night? Elsewhere we read: "Arise The livingspirit has come to us. Darkness went away, the light is coming. (The

ess) left its path for the sun to go. have gone (to the point)men prolong their life-time" (I. 11 lid irdhvam jivd l sur na

jydtir eti / cfraik pdntham ydtaveAgain we must ask: is it likely from a psycho-hat Vedic poets should have welcomed every new

day as a point where they prolonged their existence? Renou, Et. vdd. 111,p. 52 reniarks on this stanza: "Surrection soudaine de la phrasCologiec o m e 92,6 qui pourtant ne doit pas nous obligerallusion au dkbut de l'ann6e ceci reste une hypoth

objected that any day could be regarded as a special dayonne connue". This is true, but was every day actually

9.2 tknci sus'rdvasani dnamprtPvddyd duhitar divah , I 92.14 zboadykhd gom aty ds'vcivati vibhcivari revdd asmk vy dcha sCwtcivati, 15yuks vd hi vcijinivaty ris'vcidi adydrupddi usah, I. 113.7 @o adykhd subhagevy ircha, 12ihddydjah s'rkjfhatamci vy dcha, 13s'divat purdsd vy livcisa devydtho adykda'riz vy dvo m aghdni, 17adyd tdd ucha gmatk maghoni, I 123.3ycid adyd bhcigdk vibhdjdsi ntbhyah, 8sadfs'ir adyd sadfs'ir id u s'vd dirghdksacante vdrupasya dhdma (see above, p. 226), 13 t@o no adyd suhdvci vyitcha, IV. 51.4 kuvit sd devih sandy0 ndvo vci ydmo bablziiydd u,saso voadyd, V. 79.1 maht. no adyd bodhaydso rciyk divitmati, VI. 65.3 civo dhcitavidhatt rdtnam adya', VIJ. 75.2 mahk no adyd suvitdya bodhi, 78.5 prdtitvcidyd sumcinaso budhanta.

Other words that stress the present day are nzindm, nd. Cf. I 12ratnavdn ndvyasir niindm asmk revdd uchantu sudinci usdsah (c

G o adykhd revdd asmk vy licha), I 129.11 v i niindm uchcidprd ketlir, I 48.3 uvbsosd uchdc ca nli devf ird rdthcincim, IV 51.1

nihd ni divd duhitdro vibhcitb gcitzirit krpavann u ~ d s odnciya, VII. 75.8 ndno gdmad virdvad dhehi rdtnam. Especial emphasis is expressed in V I .65.4-5, where the words kvo dhcita vidhatt. rdtnam adyd are varied with a

etition of the word idd now : id hi vodcis't@a ~ c i s a h idd v@rciya drate ydd ukt hvahathci purd cif . 5. h i ta u ~ odriscino gotrd gdvcim dngiraso grvdnti.Renou, op. c. 111, p. 87 remarks Instant priviltgit soulignt par le pronomdtictique . Cf. also p. 52: L'idte gtnCrale est la m&me: exalter l U.d'aujourd'hui parmi l'ensemble des U., comme la divinitt invoqute estexaltbe parmi I'ensemble des divinitts invocables . I do not think thisdoes full justice to the particular character of the passages cited.E. As in former days

Sometimes the poet's prayer for the present day is accompanied by areference to former days: pnrvdthci I. 92.2, V . $0.6, pratnavdt I 124.9,VI. 65.6 (cf. V. 79.1). Though far f rom conclusive in themselves, thesewords find their most natural explanation if they are taken to refer tothe beginning of former periods, rather than to the preceding days.F. The new li fe

The poets pray for increase of their vital strength (VI.vdyah krnuhi Sdcibhir), for prolongation of their ear thly existence (X. 18.3drbghiya hyuh prat ard k dddhcinGh). Psychologically it is hardly con-ceivable that such prayers should have been repeated a t the beginning ofevery new day. The fact that such prayers are constantly directed to


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G Life and SecurityNumerous are the passages where Usas is said to have overcome the

darkness and its danger: in close association with tcimas- the hymns, rlrrih- dwitcf-, e.g. V. 80.5 cfpajydti$(f'giit, VII. 75.1 cfpa mlh

n viiviid in juxso is bhcfya-. It must be due to mere accident that we do not here meet

with the expression tamo bhayam (cf. e.g. ChU. I. 3.1 zrdyar;ts tai). But the opposite amy abhayam "life and security"was present in the minds of the poets ompare VII. 81.6

ftani vasutvancim (IV. 5.13 amy'tasya pcftnfb, 111. 61.3I. 75.3 bhiinrivo .

rather point to a perionew year put an end?N Progeneration

The clearest manifestation of vital strength to the Vedic poet wasprogeneration, as well as material wealth. This is what he longs for asthe clearest proof of his vitality, and since U e s was considered a janitrf

she is implored to bestowni didihi prajdvat (cf. I. 13the phrase rayim

suvfram , which is mostly translated byparallelism between material wealth andof one's blessed state, it may be useful to point out that rayi- does notexactly denote "wealth" in our sense of the word. In 11. 11.13 asmcrayiriz riisi vfrcfvantam VI. 65.6 suv rayim g. mt # rirfhi, etc., we haveclear instances of a etymologica rayim rci- (Indo-Ir. 'raHfm raH-),

8 The Indian notion of wealthblessing, a gift (cf. Lat. dfves:divus, Gr. ~ t 8 a i p v .

same association of vital strength with wealth (and social prestige)e.g. ChU. 11 11.2 (cf. 12.2-20.2) sa ya

veah, prcigf bhavati, sarvam d p r eti,bhavati, mahan kirtya.'si prajayii ca dhane

rayfn? zzdate/ s'is'ihf nab

S asya kule viro jiiyate (ChU. 111 13.6).one of the Vedic deities that are specially implored to

stow progeneration. A few quotations may suEce: I. 92.8 z as tdas'ydn? yas'cisani suvi ram ray im, 13 as tdc citrdmvrfjinivati/ ykna tokdriz ca trfnayariz ca dhrlmahe, I. 123.1IV. 51.10 ray divo duhitaro vibhdtfh prajhvantariz yachatii

vih suvfryasya piitayah Once it is admitted thatUws has very close connections with is not surprising that sheshould be invoked to secure progeny. e religious importance ofthe goddess Usas lies no doubt in her close association with the origin oflife in the cosmogonical process, and every reappearance of the dawn isto some extent a re-enactment of this event, a rebirth of life itself. Butagain we must put the question: Is i t likely that every d a m should havebeen invoked for life and offspring? Even texts which might suggest anexuberant adoration of every new day still make a significant distinctionbetween the sun's udaya- and pratydyana-, cf. ChU. 111. 19.3 (in acosmogonical myth) atha yat tad ajdyata so 'sciv Kdityas, tan? d y a m d m ~gho~ciulfilavo 'niid ati~ tha nt arvdpi ca bhtatiini sarve ca kdm ds, tasmcittasyodayam prati, pratydyanaliz prati, gho ~d lfilavo nf itti~ {ha ntiarvdgi cabhtltdnLsarve ca kdmd h (cf. however I. 11.7 sarvdni ha vcl imdni bhatdnyddityam uccaih santani geyanti). The words pratyriycnariz prati might betaken as an explanation pointing to the fact that every new sunrise is areturn (cf. RS. I. 123.12), but modern translations give the followingrendering: A son lever et chacun de ses retours (Senart), at itsrising and at its every return (Hume), a1 suo sorgere, a (ogni) suoritornare (Papesso). If so, the udaya- must be different from both theprimordial birth and the everyday sunrise and can, i t seems, only denotethe new year's day. Although the little use that is made of technicalte rn s for New Year remains unexplained, the prayers for progeneration(including cattle, e.g. prajayd ca pakubhis' ca pra jdya te KS.p. 189,19) can only be accounted for, if Usas inaugurates a new year.From RS. VI. 3.6 sd iliz rebhd nd pra'ti vastrr wrd h s'oci~ ii iira piti mitrci-mahdh We ein Barde ruft er bei jedem Aufgang der Morgenrote lautm t seiner Fla~ nrne' '~~t does not follow that the rebhd- (see p. 276praised the Dawn every morning.

For prdti vcisto s Oldenberg ZDMG 55 p 284


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dently closely connected with vital strengthaning of szlnjtfi- these concepts seem to

have fused to such an extent that it m y seem difficult to separate thevarious aspects. A few quotations may illustrate the importance ofis besought to bestow: I. 92.8 as t havargalit rayim risvabudhyam, I 113.5 db

C 'him? pdrthivasya vcfsva @o adyCh suur h v IJfina iaJami

10 rayim divo duhitaro

colouring: it denotes the good

otions must have had theirorted to drink the Soma with

toter in der Anhaufung von Schatzen, o Held the ritual act of invigoratingthe god is closely associated with a reference to a present-giving, whichmay be the god's annual renewal of life, but which may equally well bean actual war or a ceremonial contest of the potlatch-type, in which

ealth was won (or lost). The mythological concept X. 139.3 indro ndtas tha u samarC dha'nclirufm)may also cover its replica in social life, and thevcfstZni m y be the goods won from the enemies that are the earthlyrepresentatives of the gods of the nether world.

J U ws as the goddess of contests (Potlatch?)At this point we are faced with the most important aspect of theworship of Ugas: she bestows wealth, but this wealth is also won instrife, in contests which are fought with the traditional weapons of the

ns, viz. with races and word duels.. 48 which starts with a praise of Ups as rdycf devi d h v a t i i n st. 1,

calls her jird rdthdncfm in st. 3, and depicts her in st. as vi yd srjrftilit vy ctrthinah who lets loose the contest, the competitors (see

below). The prototype of the competing hero, god Indra, was at the

same time victorious by his speech and his horses:vljpro cfrvadbhir hdn tz vytrdm ntbh ih drab er gewinntmit den Streitrossen; der Held erschlagt den Vora mit

ut although the ideal type of the sabhtya- was not yet quitergotten in later times (see below, p. 265), th edic society shows L

further grade of specialization: the maghdvan- or s k i - here mostly securesthe assistance of one or more priestly poets, who fight this part of thecontest for him: VIII. 19.10 sd drvadbhih scinitlf sd vipany dbhih sd iika ihsdnitd kytdm der hat als annerbeherrscher Erfolg, der gewinnt mitRennpferden, der mit seinen Barden, der gewinnt den ersten Preis mitseinen Tapferen . They form a party with common interests: if thesakhyd- discussed below (p. 250) denotes this association of a siiri- withhis helpers, the co-operation of these sdkhdyah 71.2,6) might even beconsidered the ritual counterpart of the myt co-operation betweenIndra and his ndrah, who are also called sdkhlfyah (I. 165.11). Anyway,in many passages the word vaydm does not refer to the poets alone (andthus rules out the idea of merely literary tournamen ut to the differentmembers of their party, e.g. when the poet says win the vdjaswith our poems and race-horses (dhibhir rirvadbhih VI. 45.12). As asingle instance we may quote IV. 51.11 vaydh sydma yaidso jdnegu.Often, however, the poets make a clear distinction between themselvesand their patrons, e.g. VII. 78.5 maghdvcino vaydriz ca, I 141.13 amf cayt maghdvdno vaydm ca, VI. 46.9 maghdvadbhyai ca m dh ya~ z a. Cf.particularly VII. 81.6 irdvah skib hyo am fta h vasutvandrit vdjam asmd-bhyam gdmatah / codQyatrf maghdnah siiny'tlfvaty u,sd uchad dpa sridhahden Opferherren (bringe sie) unsterblichen Ruhm und

rinderreiche Gewinne. Die Lohnherren anspornend moge die freigebigeUsas die Unfalle wegleuchten , V. 86.6 (Indra-Agni) td stirip irdvobrhdd rayim grndtsu didhrtam i ~ a h .rpdtsu didhytam, 1. 124.1revdd uchu maghdvadbhyo maghoni rev& stotrt siinrte jlfrdyanti, V. 79.abki yt tvd vibhlfvari stdmair g~ nd nti dh aya h / maghair maghoni suiriyoddmanvantah surlftdyah stijlfte LiSvastin.rte, 6 a i ~ u ha virdvad ydia &omaghoni stirigu / y t no rddhdlizsy dhraylf maghdvcino drdsata slijate diva-sllnrte, 7 tkbhyo dyuntndm byhdd ydia o maghony d vaha / yd no rddhcirizsycis'vyd gavyd bhdjanta siirdyah s.a., VI. 65.6 uchd divo duhitah pratnavcinno bharadvlfjavdd vidhatk maghoni / suvfralit ray ik grpatt ririhy urugayiritddhi dhehi irdvo nab. These stanzas suggest the conclusion that the stressformerly laid on the importance of the dakging as the poets' fee wasrather excessive. The sole fact that the patrons are denoted by the sameterm maghdvan- which is characteristic of Indra (and Uvas) allows only


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dependency of the poets, viz. on the dvans, and on thedivine maghdni), her task is to awake the ear thly gvers (I. 124.10 prribodhayo 'jab pypatd maghoni, which admits of different interpretations;similarly I. 48.2 cbda rddho maghdndm, IV. 51.3 rddhodciydyo '~ciromaghdnih). Most important would be the consistent references to vdja-in connection with U$asySBf only the exact meaning were beyond doubt.Although originally a quaiity attributed to a horse, a mule, a ram, thewaters, etc.,"' its meaning in the Rigveda seems to be a more restrictedand technical one. It is on the one hand the victorious power whichbestows the gifts and incites the gods themselves: Usas is vdjaprasata-(I. 92.8) and vzjini-, ti-, the god VSja incites the gifts (VS. 18.33vdjo no adyd p , cf. 9.2. vdjasya p ra s a ~ i ) . ~n the otherhand she wins th I. 123.2 jdyanti vdjam brhati sdnutri, I.48.1 ijo v&ariz hi vdmsvayh 4citrd m we dne, 16 (sdm mimikpdsdfi vdjair vtijinivati. As in the case t7ny'td-, however, Usas also bestowsthese v&as on men, e.g. I. 48.12 sd smdsu dhd @o vdjariz suvfryam, I.92.7 prajdvato nyvrito cis'vabudhycin 0 gdagrcidz &a mcisi vdjrfn. The sameidea is expressed n the next stanza by the word rayi-: +as tdm ajytirhyaidsah suvfrarh ddscipravargam rayim h.4vabudhyam / suddrizsasti Srdvasdyd vibhdsi vdjapras~td ubhage bficintam "Aurore, puisd-je at teindre larichesse qui porte distinction, qui consiste en h o m e s utiles, cornmenqtnten esclaves, s'achevant en chevaux Toi qui brilles d'un renom fait derCussite, 6 bienheureuse, toi qui es rnue par les prix de victoire,(cette) haute (richesse) " (Renou). Renou and Gonda (op. C. p. 49 n. 68)rightly reject the translation "booty". If so, what can have been thisvdja, which on the one hand was a quality, a sort of power, and on theother hand consisted not only of horses an cows but also, apparently,of slaves and renown (cf. VIII. 96.20 sd vdjasya Sravasyhsya ddtd, VI.45.12 etc.)? Renou holds the central meaning to be "prix"; besides theword may perhaps have denoted the "tournoi". If however a.manYs djawas a quality, which manifested itself' through wealth and which waswon through the acquirement of this wealth (cf. I. 124.13 yupndevir civasd sanema sahasrinarh ca Satinariz ca vhjam) the fundamentalquestion is: Where was this wealth won, if ordinary war is ruled out?The terminology of the Rigveda does not allow us to determine, to whatextent mock battles and ceremonial combats may have played a role in

For referencess Renou Et. d., m[ p 21Gonda spects of early Yi @uism,pGeldner note ad I 77.4.


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l

VI 28.6, see p. 27the winner of such

seem more appropriate than rendez-vous (Renou),

eda are strongly reminiscent of the winter ritual of the North

lllii

won. Chariot races were equally important and that is why not onlythe horses but also the chariots themselves were said to be Sravasyli-

ory . Cf. IX. 96.16 abhi vdjaliz sciptir iva iravasyd 'bhia , V . 37.3 dsya Sravasytid rcitha cf ca gho~a t ,Vvayciliz Sravasydm d huvlimahe. Perhaps this

light on the very obscure stanza I. 48.3 uvho 'pd uchrfcthtincim ye' asyli dc rage f adhrire samu drt nd Srava-

syhvah. Geldner translates: die Wagen in Bewegung setzend, die aufihr Kommen gewartet haben wie die auf Ruhrnestaten ausgehenden

l (Seefahrer) auf die Meeresflut , Renou (-Oldenberg): dkesse animatricedes chars. Ceux qui, ses approches, se tiennent prets, tels des gensavides de renorn (qui s'appretent pour un voyage) en mer, . . The

I chief difEculty is, indeed, samudre' nci since the interpretations put forward

are unacceptable: Srdvas- is a notion closely connected with society,n this society by the means which it 'pro

eda suggestive of an overseas trade, or oof gaining renown by wealth acquired by such a trade. On the otherhand there are several passages which suggest the inference that thecosmogonical streams released by Indra were as much desifous of gloryas their ritual counterpart, the Soma: Soma is likened to horses in IX.66.10 pdvamdnasya t e kave vdjin sdrgd as fi a ta drvanto nd Sravasydvab,I X . 87.5 e tt sd md ab hi gavyti' sailzdsrci nzahk v iiypavitrebhih pdvamEna asygraA chravasydvo nd pyprd snindso rdthd ivd 'rvanto nd SravasydvahThe association with the cosmogonical watersI. 125.4 tipa k~a ra nt i indhavo mayobhtiva ijdndhendvah pygdntariz ca pdp urik ca Sravasydvo ghytcisya dh d tipa yantivis'vbtab Erquickend stromen dem die Fliisse, dem dieder geopfert hat und opfern wird. Dem, der reichlich sschenkt, Sessen von allen Seiten die Schmalzstrijme wett

ow, just as Soma is rnythologically conceiveom the subterranean samudrd-, thought of asand as such is likened to horses sirous of renown , so we

interpret I. 48.3 as the goddess wh nh at es the chariots that arin readiness at her approach and are desirous of renown like (the waters)in the subterranean ocean . If the arrival of Usas coincided with theannual vytrailzdtya- and with the renewed release of the waters and thegoods of life, this association would be quite understandable. In anycase, the frequent references to Usas arriving with her own chariot(s) donot prevent us from taking rdthdn n here as denoting the chariots readyfor the fight for glory and for the hitdni dhdnam. A few stanzas froma single hymn to Indra may be quoted in illustration of this interpretation:VI 45 11 tcim tvd ydh pu rh ith a yd vd ntindni hit6 dhdne hdvyah sciSmdhi hdvam, 12 dhlbir drvadbhir drvato v@d indra iravdy ydn tvdydjq ma hit + dhdnam, 14 ya' ta ntir amitrahan mak javastama' 'sa fi tdydno hinuhi rdtham.K . conclusion.^

We have tried to demonstrate, through the discussion of a singledeity, that there is more evidence in the Rigveda suggestive of some

gainstLiiders Varutla pp 268-271 f alsoK. Hoffmann OLZ 1954 col. 391 f.


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of the new year than tonstration, however, r

to discuss the entire evidence, including the hymns to Indra and Agni,and such very significant terns as svarvid- and svdr~dti-,whose truecharacter as referring to the finding and winning of the su6 of the new

is mostly misunderstood. Cf. also parivatsark,deed, no Vedic god can be fully understood

outside the context of the whole mythology. That of theus always back to the cosmogony and its annual reiteratiYear festival.

There are certainly a few passages in the U~as-hymnswhich suggest areference to everyday events, such as those depicting birds flying out inthe early morning and men going to their work (I. 48.5, 6; I. 124.12,IV. 51.5) and the phrase divCdive in the very special context of I. 123.4(see further p. 227). twithstanding these, and in spite of the fact thatin some other religi he daily return of the sun is indeed celebrated,it may be stated in general that the hymns to U ~ a sre unaccountable asdocuments of religious thought, unless we take U ~ a so be in the firstplace the Dawn of

n the other hand, the preceding observations by no means claim tohave fully explained all aspects of Usas. The sole fact that the Indo-Iranians worshipped, besides the Sun, which is the most radiant manifes-tation of the creation of the Cosmos, a goddess Dawn, indicates thatthey recognized in her an essential aspect, different from that of the Sun.It is not yet possible for us to understand, just what aspect induced themto worship such a separate goddess beside Agni-Siirya. However, thefact that Usas seems to have been opposed both to Night and to Day-break, shows how intricate the theological ideas may have been. Cf. e.g.TB. 111. 8.16.4 u se svshd v fyai svdhk 'ty Gha, rdtrir vd W , dharvy fib, ahordtrd evd 'vamdhe, dtho ahordtrdyor evci prcititififhati, etc.(Comm. u~abiabdena dtryabhim-nini devato 'cyate). Indeed, Uws, as akinswoman of Varuqa (I. 123.5) and a sister of Night, is both closely

to Night and the nether world (cf. also G Montesi,28 (1957), p. 11 ff. . The relation Usas: Night may

have been parallel to that of Mitra: Varuna. Anyway, there remains aparticularly obscure aspect of the mythological concept of U~as,,whichit is impossible to explain, viz. her erotic character. Since this is, however,clearly an essential feature of hers, we can be sure that we are a long wayyet from a complete insight into the nature of the Indo-Iranian goddessDawn (cf. 111.61.7).

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