This was nowhere more evident than in the case of Agni, the god of the ritual fire, whose main functions were particularized in epithets such as Jätavedas

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The God of Generations

By Ellison Banks Findly, Hartford, Conn.

The name by which a god is called is often indicative of the needs and

concerns shared by the people of his origin. This is particularly true of

the gods of the Rgveda, whose Aryan promoters were a people frank in

their desires and forthright in procuring them. Since the core of Vedic

religion was a ritual centered around a fire at which an intoxicating

drink was prepared and consumed, it was appropriate that each of its

gods was in some way, at least originally, tied to the ritual process.

Conversely, it became the business of this ritual to be effective in all the

important areas of man's life, and the business of each god, in conjunc¬

tion with the ritual, to assume a specific function with regard to these

human concerns. As these concerns grew more and more complex, the

god's duties grew accordingly and it became clear early on that, in the

case of some gods, sub-specialization was necessary. This was nowhere

more evident than in the case of Agni, the god of the ritual fire, whose

main functions were particularized in epithets such as Jätavedas. This

paper will examine the specific ritual configuration of Agni as he is

named Jätavedas, and the way in which he was a response to a specific

longing in Vedic man.

Introduction

The name Jätavedas is problematic. The majority of scholars believe

that Jätavedas 'has knowledge of the creatures:' he is 'he who knows all

generations,'' 'der die Wesen kennt,'^ ' Wesenkenner, '^ 'Kenner der

' A. B. Keith: The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads.

1. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Pr. 1925. (Harvard Oriental Series [HOS]. 31.),

160; A. A. Macdonell: Vedic Mythology. Strassburg: K. J. Triibner 1897;

Varanasi, Dehli: Indological Book House 1971, p. 97.

^ 0. von Böhtlingk und R. Roth: Sanskrit- Wörterbuch. III. St. Petersburg:

Buchdr. d. Kais. Akad. d. Wiss. 1859—1861, 78. Böhtlingk gives this as his

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350 Ellison Banks Findly

Geschlechter,"' 'knower of beings,'^ 'knower of (all) beings,'' and 'all-

knower.'' A second suggestion, made by Shende who follows the

legend of AB.III. 36, casts Jätavedas in the role of the finder or disco¬

verer of the creatures.* Similar is Haug's translation as 'having posses¬

sion of all that is born,'' and Whitney's as 'having whatever is born as

his property, all-possessor.''" For a third group, Jätavedas is that

aspect of Agni 'having innate wisdom'" and is thus 'wise with birth.

And for a fourth, he is Agni 'having born or native wealth.'

This divergency of opinion is the result of the great number of possi¬

bilities in interpreting the compound. Jätavedas is, by accent, a posses¬

sive compound based upon an underlying Karmadhäraya. Each

element can be interpreted in two ways, jätä, first of all, is a past

passive participle from jan 'to be born' which can be used 1) adjectival¬

ly, 'bom' or 'innate,' or 2) nominally, 'what has been born,' that is, 'a

creature.' And vedas can be derived from two roots, vid 'to know,' giving

first suggestion and says of it: "Die erste dieser Bedeutungen diirfte als zu

Agni's Wesen passend und in mehreren Verbindungen angedeutet, den Vorzug

verdienen."

A. Hillebrandt: Das altindische Neu- und Vollmondsopfer in seiner

einfachsten Form. Jena: Fischer 1879, p. 118.

R. Geib: Agni Kravyad das Fleisch fressende Feuer im Bg- und Atharvaveda.

In: KZ 89 (1975), 199.

' J. Eggelinc (trans.): The Satapatha Brähmana. 2. 3. Oxford: Clarendon

Pr. 1885-94. (Sacred liooks of the East [SBE]. 26. 41,), (H, 92, 342, 428; III, 231, 304, 350, etc.

^ R. T. H. Griffith (trans.); The Texts of the White Yajurveda. Benares:

Lazams 1899, p. 20n; Eggeling: The Satapatha Brähmana. I. Oxford 1882.

(SBE. 12.), 119n; II, xxxi-xxxii.

' A. B. Keith (trans.): 77ie Veda of the Black Yajus School, entitled Taittiriya Samhitä. 2 vols. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Pr. 1914. (HOS. 18. 19.), 1, 79, 237, 254; II, 303, 308, 319, etc.; A. B. Keith (trans.): Rigveda Brähmanas: The Aita¬

reya and KausUaki Brähmanas of the Rigveda. Cambrige: Harvard Univ. Pr. 1920.

(HOS. 25.), pp. 119, 128, 143, 159, 204, 311, etc.

* N. J. Shende: Agni in the Brähmanas of the Rgveda. In: Annals of the Bhan¬

darkar Oriental Research Institute 46 (1965), 5—6.

' M. Haug (ed., trans.): T%e Aitareya Brähmana of the Rigveda, 2 vols.

Bombay: Government Central Book Depot; London: Triibner 1863, II, 224.

'° W. D. Whitney: Eggeling's Translation of the Satapatha Brähmana. In:

American Journal of Philology 3, 409.

" M. Bloomfield: T%e Religion of the Veda. New York, London: Putnam

1908, p. 164; see also Keith: Religion, I, 160.

A. K. Devi: The Evolution of the Rigvedic Pantheon. Calcutta: Vijaya

Krishna 1938, p. 98.

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'knowledge,' and vid 'to find or have,' giving 'possession.' The fre¬

quency of use for these four words in the Rgveda, however, is not the

same.

jätä appears often, as both an adjective and a noun. In two Jätavedas

passages, for instance, jätd is used as an adjective: 'they celebrated the

wonderful strong (Agni) as he was born' (RV. III. 1. 13d), and 'sharpen

the dear guest born in Jätavedas' (RV. VI. 16. 42ab). And as a noun,

jäid is commonly used: in the famous verse, RV. II. 25. lc, for example,

Brahmanaspati makes an ally of him '(who) has a son (jätä) survived by

a son (jätd),' and in RV. VI. 61. 12, 'Running through three regions

with her seven branches, and bringing prosperity thereby to the five

peoples (jätd), (the river goddess Sarasvati) has been called upon in

battle after battle.' Although jätd used nominally as 'child, person,

being' does not ever appear in Jätavedas verses, the related jam 'folk'

does,'^ thus supporting both possibilities in the interpretation of his

name.

Similar substantiation for the two meanings of vedas, however, is not

forthcoming. Taking, first of all, the root vid 'to find or have,' the use of

vedas as 'possession' is frequent. We have, for example, its appearance

in the Jätavedas verse, RV. I. 99. lab, 'We shall press Soma for Jäta¬

vedas so he will burn down the possessions of the enemy,' and in the

Agni verses, RV. I. 70. 9—10, 'You (Agni) put value in cows, in timber.

Everyone brings tribute to (you) our sun. Men rival in honoring you in

many places; they apportion (you) like (sons do) the possessions of

their gray father.' vedas as 'knowledge' from vid 'to know,' however, is

rare in the Rgveda, appearing only twice, in hymns to the Rbhus and

the Asvins,'" and never with Jätavedas. Based upon the non-

compounded use of vedas, then, we would probably conclude that its

meaning in our compound is 'possession.'

But let us look at the use of these words in compounds other than

Jätavedas. _ja<d appears as the first member of only one other compound

of the Rgveda: the hapa,x jätavidyä in the late hymn RV. X. 71. 1 lc. It

is translated by Grassmann as the 'Wissen von dem Wesen / von dem

Wesen der Dinge,'" by Geldner as 'das vorhandene Wissen,'" by

'3 E.g., RV. I. 44. 4b; II. 4. Id; IX. 67. 27a.

'" RV. III. 60. lb; VIII. 87. 2d.

'* H. Grassmann: Wörterlmch zum Rig-Veda. Leipzig: Brockhaus 1873;

rpt. 4th ed. Wiesbaden; Harrassowitz 1964, p. 483.

K. F. Geldner (trans.): Der Rig-Veda. III. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Pr.

1951. (HOS. 35.), 250.

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Edgerton as 'his innate wisdom,'" by Oldenberg as 'Wissen von

den Ursprüngen,''^ and by Thieme as 'das [eben erst] geborene

Wissen.'" There is, then, no interpretive consensus for jätd here, and

from the context of jätavidyd we could support either 'innate, original'

or 'being, existence, origin.'

The use of vedas in compound, however, is more decisive. According

to Grassmann, vedas appears as 'possession' in three hapax

compounds: dna^tavedas 'von dessen Habe nichts verloren geht'

(RV. VI. 54. 8b); ketavedas 'habsüchtig,' i.e. 'having possessions as

one's intention' or 'intent upon possessions' (RV. I. 104. 3a); and

sdvedas 'gleichen Reichthum besitzend' (RV. 1. 93. 9a). Geldner

agrees with all but one of these interpretations, that of ketavedas which

he translates 'die Absicht erratend,'^' but it is clear from the context

which describes an Aryan battle against the enemy demon (Kuyava)

and the longing for booty, that ketavedas can only be 'intent upon

possessions.' One other compound remains, visvdvedas, which Grass¬

mann interprets as either 'alle Schätze besitzend' or 'alle Weisheit

besitzend,'^^ an ambiguity Geldner also admits preferring, however,

the interpretation 'allwissend. '^^ While the later Rgvedic poets may

well have played upon the ambiguity Grassmann and Geldner

suggest is in visvdvedas, it is not clear that such ambiguity was original¬

ly meant. Given the use of vedas in all other compounds as 'possession'

and given the overwhelming use of vedas in its own right as 'possession,'

we argue that visvdvedas must originally have included the notion of

'possession.'

We conclude, then, that in and out of compound jätd is used both

adjectivally as 'bom, innate,' and nominally as 'creature,' but that

vedas, in and out of compound, is almost always used as 'possession.'

What does this mean, then, for the interpretation of Jätavedas?

Although the preferred use of vedas as 'possession' does limit somewhat

the possibilities for Jätavedas, no decision about his name can be

" L. Renou: Etudes vediques et ipwnxnAennes. XVI. Paris: de Boccard 1967, 142.

H. Oldenbebg: T/wr Geschichte des Wortes hrdhman. In: Nachrichten der

Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften in Göttingen 1916, 726.

" P. Thieme: Brahman. In: ZDMG 102 (1952), 124.

^° Gbassmann: Wörterbuch, pp. 54, 350, 1494.

^' Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, I, 135.

Gbassmann: Wörterbuch, p. 1304.

" Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, I, 85.

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reached without consulting context. Let us begin with his contextual etymologies.

Are there any clues in the early texts which reveal the poets' under¬

standing of Jätavedas? The most famous passage, RV. VL 15. 13,

supports the interpretation of Jätavedas as 'having knowledge of the

creatures :'

Agni is the Hotar, the lord of the home, he the king.

As Jätavedas he knows all the creatures;

he who is the best worshipper among gods and men,

should worship truthfully (for us)!

This interpretation is borne out again in RV. X. 15. 13c, 'as many

(Fathers) as there are, you know them (all), Jätavedas, '^^ and in the

later AB. II. 39. 11, 'Truly, Jätavedas is breath, for he knows the crea¬

tures. Truly, however many creatures he knows, they come into being;

those whom he does not know, how could they be?' The Aitareyabräh-

mana, however, continues by telling another yet very different story of

the origin of Jätavedas (III. 36. 1—2).^^ Prajäpati brought forth off¬

spring who subsequently abandoned him. He surrounded them with fire

(Agni) and they retumed, so he said: 'Tmly, through him (Agni) I have

found the creatures who were born.' This second explanation for why

the fire is called Jätavedas supposes that it is through him that the crea¬

tures are discovered. Because this story takes Jätavedas from vid 'to

have or find' rather than from vid 'to know' means that the Vedic tradi¬

tion has become confused about the original meaning of vedas here, jätd,

however, is consistently and unquestionably used by the tradition as

'creature.'

Using these clues and our previous information about the use of jätä

and vedas in the Rgveda, we are able to draw a tentative conclusion

about the meaning of the name. Because the exegetical tradition

consistently understands jätä here as 'creature,' it is likely that this was

its original meaning. Furthermore, because the exegetical tradition is

unclear about the meaning of vedas in the compound (but very definite¬

ly intrigued), we must rely upon its consistent use in the Rgveda as

'possession.' Following Haug and Whitney,^' then, we interpret Jäta¬

vedas as the fire 'whose possessions are the creatures,' that is, 'in

whose possession are the creatures,' or more colloquially, the fire 'in

" Cf §au. XVIII. 2. 35c; I. 8. 4ab.

" Cf MS. I. 8. 2 and §B. IX. 5. 1.68.

Haug: Aitareya Brähmaria,, II, 224; Whitney: Eggeling, p. 409.

24 ZDMG 131/2

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charge of the creatures.' We submit that this was probably the original

meaning of the name which, however, "at the time of the hymns . . .

seems to have been understood in different ways,"^' and must, there¬

fore, have become lost to the tradition early on. This would account for,

one, the inconsistent understanding of Jätavedas by a tradition proud of

its exegetical finesse and, two, the persistent attempts at etymology for

a god so popular and defined in use, but so obsure in nominal intent.

Our purpose in this paper will be to test this conclusion against the

evidence of Jätavedas' context. From this, it will become clear that the

jätä of his name is in fact 'creature,' but understood in a very peculiar

sense: not as a single isolated being individually brought into the world,

but as a symbol for the whole procession of mankind, past, present, and

future, jätä, then, is to be understood as a 'creature' caught up in man's

struggle to endure over time and therefore bound to the passage of each

succeeding 'generation.' It will become clear as well that vedas must be

interpreted as 'possession' — rooted ideologically in the ritual milieu of

Jätavedas, from which arise the blessings of this life, most particularly

those goods won through ritual which prove indispensable to the conti¬

nuity of the family: long-life, many offspring, and the beneficence of the

ancestors. Jätavedas, we will see, is the fire in charge of the genera¬

tions, who not only witnesses the passing of each successive family, but

also regulates the generation of men and therefore directly participates

in ensuring that the lineages of Vedic peoples will continue.

Jätavedas: The Unbroken Ritual Presence

The fundamental milieu for Jätavedas is rite. Each of his approxima¬

tely 130 invocations, which include two hymns addressed specifically to

him,^* are meaningless unless set firmly within the on-going ritual

process. Although his Agnian nature obliges him to be thoroughly litur¬

gical, the poets press the image even further by insistently asking Jäta¬

vedas for help in the worship: 'Perform good ceremonies, Jätavedas!'

(RV. III. 6. 6d) ; 'Those flames of Jätavedas which bear the oblation to

the gods, with them may he send forth our worship!' (RV. X. 188. 3);

and 'Go with the oblation, Agni! Worship the gods! Make good ceremo-

" Eggeling: The Satapatha Brähmana, II, xxxi.

RV. I. 99; X. 188. Other hymns, however, are essentially devoted to Jäta¬

vedas, although the AnukramanI does not record them as such: III. 17; III. 28;

V. 4; X. 16; X. 51.

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nies, Jätavedas!' (RV. VII. 17. 3ab). This request for ritual assistance

tums quickly into an identification of Jätavedas with the ritual itself

Note, for instance, RV. III. 26. 7:

I, Agni, am Jätavedas by birth.

My eye is ghee, in my mouth is the drink of immortality.

I am the three-fold blaze which measures out space,^' the unextinguishable heat. I am called 'Oblation.'

The essence of Agni, the ritual fire, is seen by the poets as the ritual act

itself, and Jätavedas is this fire, this act, at its very inception. When he

blazes up brightly with hot butter, it is impossible to tell the brilliant

flames from the oblation he has just consumed. Hence, eater becomes

eaten as Jätavedas becomes the oblation.

As the fire of the ritual's beginning, Jätavedas is often called 'son of

strength:' sünu sdhasas,^" sdhaso yahu,^^ sdhasas putrd,^^ and ürjo

napdt?^ He is the fire kindled^" from the firesticks chumed by the hands

of the priests. Born from their enormous outburst of power, Jätavedas

is, unlike other aspects of Agni, said to sit down 'as the first one'

(RV. III. 21. Id) and to be 'the first Agni at the rituals' (RV. VTII. 23.

22ab): 'From this his own womb, Jätavedas was born first.'^^ Because

he is the ritual fire at its inception, he 'proceeds to the assembly'

(RV. VII. 9. 4b) to give birth, perhaps, to the other fires.

If Jätavedas is present at the ritual's beginning, he is also present for

its duration. The hymn RV. III. 28. to Agni is divided into three parts,

to correspond to the offering of rice cakes (purolas) at each of the three

Soma pressings (sdvand). At each of these pressings, Jätavedas is

present.

^' A possible reference to the three fire hearths laid out on the ritual ground,

the Ähavaniya, the Gärhapatya, and the Dak^inagni, which play such an impor¬

tant role in the later ritual.

^° RV. I. 127.1b; III. 11.4ab; III. 25.5b; VII. 3.8c; VIII. 71.11a; see also III. 1.8a, 23c; III. 28.3c, 5b; V. 4. 8b; VI. 4. lb, 4; VI. 5. la, 5b; VI. 12. lc;

VI. 15. 3c; X. 45. 5c.

'' RV. I. 79. 4b.

" See RV. V. 4. 6c.

" RV. X. 140. 3a; see also VI. 16. 25c; VI. 48. 2a; VII. 17. 6b; VIII. 71. 3b, 9b; X. 115. 8a.

" sam idh: RV. III. 10. 3b; III. 17. la; III. 25. 5a; IV. 12. la; IV. 58. 8c;

V. 4. 4c; VI. 15. 7a; VII. 9. 4d, 6a; VII. 14. la; X. 51. 2d; X. 69. 8d;

X. 87. 2b; X. UO. la; II. 12. 8d; VII. 78. 4c; VIII. 1. lib; X. 6. 35d;

XI. 1. 4a; XVIII. 4. 12a; XIX. 64. la, 2ab; Pai. XIX. 54. 2f.

" VS. XIII. 34; MS. I. 6. 1; SB. VII. 5. 1. 30.

24*

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356 Ellison Banks Kindly

Morning 1) Agni! savor our oblation of rice cake

at the morning Soma pressing, Jätavedas! rich in wisdom!

2) The rice cake is cooked, Agni!

or rather prepared for you.

Enjoy it, youngest!

Midday 3) Agni! Go after the offered rice cake

prepared the day before yesterday!'^

You, the son of strength, are set up at the ceremony.

4) Here at the midday Soma pressing, Jätavedas, savor the rice cake, wise one!

Agni, your portion, that of the youngest, the skilled ones at the rituals do not belittle.

Evening 5) Agni, sin^e you find the offered rice cake

acceptable at the third Soma pressing, son of strength,

then place the ceremony for approval among the gods,

that precious thing, to be watchful among the gods.

6) Agni, increasing in strength, savor the offered rice cake

prepared the day before yesterday, Jätavedas!

Here the image of Jätavedas as 'son of strength' (3c, 5b; see also 6a),

that is, as the fire bom from the hands of man, is woven together with

the notion of him as 'the youngest' (2c, 4c), that is, as the one just bom

from the fire-sticks. Although the image of ydvistha 'youngest' is not

solely attributed to Jätavedas (being employed generally throughout

the Agnian system), the poet uses it here to strengthen the idea of Jäta¬

vedas' perpetual renewal — that is, he is the youngest because he is

continually kindled, continually the 'son of strength.' The real emphasis

of this hymn, however, is not so much the rekindling of Jätavedas, but

rather that it is perpetual, that he is in fact present at every ritual, there

promoting the concems of the worshipper at each Soma pressing. Jäta¬

vedas accepts the conscientiously prepared rice cake of the worshipper

each time it is offered, and each time he takes it, and man's case, before

the gods.

tiroahnya, following Grassmann's 'was einen Tag hindurch gestanden hat,

vorgestrig' (Wörterbuch, p. 536), Bergaigne's 'qui a d6pass6 la journee'

(A. Bergaigne: Recherches sur I'histoire de la liturgie vedique. In: JA 1889,

p. 21), and Monier-Williams (M. Monier-Williams: A Sanskrit-English

Dictionary. Oxford: Clarendon Pr. 1899, p. 447). Geldner, however, has the

ambiguous 'der einen Tag alt ist' (Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, I, 361—362).

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The knowledge that Jätavedas and the ritual would go on and on

forever, as hoped for in RV. III. 28, could not always be assured.

Towards the end of the Rgvedic period, ritualists became fearful that

they would lose their ritual and especially its effective propitiation of

the gods. Reflecting this first phase of a tradition growing old, hymns

such as RV. X. 51 (and the related RV. X. 52, 53) were composed out

of the fear that ritual power was, or soon would be, waning, and as a

portrayal of the attempt to revitalize the tradition by winning back its

essence, i.e. Jätavedas. RV. X. 51 tells the story of how Agni as Jäta¬

vedas fled the ritual ground and hid from the gods. The gods went in

search of him and one, Yama, discovered him. Jätavedas agreed to

retum only if the gods (and the priests) would give him the best portion

of the offering, as well as the respect due his ofiice.

a god: 1) "Great and powerful was each sheath,

clothed in which you entered the waters.

A single god spied

all your manifold forms, Agni Jätavedas."

Agni: 2) "Who saw me? Which of the gods was it

who spied my manifold forms?

Mitra and Varuna! Where, pray tell, are

all Agni's kindling sticks, by which he goes on his way to the gods?"'*

Varuna: 3) "We sought you in many places, Jätavedas,

after you had entered the waters and the plants, Agni.

Then Yama'' discovered you, brilliant looking one!

shining across from a distance of ten resting places."

Agni: 4) "Out of fear of the priestly office I went, Vamna,

so that the gods could not harness me there.

My manifold fonns then settled (into the water).

I, Agni, no longer think about this business."

'' ülbam, 'embryonic membrane;' playing on the image of Agni as gdrbho

apdm. The membrane covers and protects Agni while in the water, but in spite of

it he was discovered. Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, III, 212n.

I.e., wood does not burn brightly in water, so how can you see me? The

kindling sticks are thought to be Agni's vehicle to the gods, and Mitra and

Varuna, who can find even the most secretive, are the leaders of the search

party. See Ibid.

" It is Yama who discovers Jätavedas because, as the first mortal

(RV. X. 10. 3; X. 13. 4; gau. XVIII. 3. 13), and therefore one of the first of

those to perform the ritual (see Macdonell: Vedic Mythology, p. 172), Yama

has a stake in the ritual's continuity. Yama, moreover, since he is the god of the dead, is especially able to see those who have gone. And like Yama, Jätavedas is associated with the cremation rites and the Pitaras (see below).

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Varuna: 5) "Come here! the god-loving Manu wants to worship

and has everything ready. You, Agni, are still in darkness.

Make the ways passable which go to the gods!

Being well-inclined, convey the oblations!"

Agni: 6) "Agni's previous brothers attended to this business right along like a chariot horse its path.

Out of fear of it, I went far away, Varuna.

Like the Gaura buffalo before the bowstring of the hunter, I

trembled with fear."

the gods: 7) "We provide a life for you which is ageless, Agni, so that, when set up, you come to no harm, Jätavedas.

Being well-inclined, then, you shall convey

to the gods their portion of the oblation, well-born one!"

Agni: 8) "Give me the fore-offerings and the after-offerings as mine alone, (for they are) the nourishing portions of the oblation,

and the ghee of the waters and the man of the plants,

and let there be long life for Agni, gods!"'"'

the gods: '9) "Yours alone shall be the fore-offerings and the after-offerings, the nourishing portions of the oblation.

Yours, Agni, shall be this whole worship.

Before you the four regions of earth shall bow down!"

The Jätavedas of this hymn is childishly willful and petulent: the

ritual will go on, he says, if you make it worth it for me to retum. Behind

this egotistical drama, however, is an underlying sense that it is the

poet-priests who have done something wrong; it is the Vedic system

itself that has somehow gone awry. The main issue here seems to be one

of authority. There is a clear perception that the priests have, in their

skillful machinations, become too high-handed. By his (real or

imagined) flight, they are forced to realize that Jätavedas, that is ritual, that is religion itself, has a power and a life all its own which is not to be

managed and manipulated by ritual technicians. The lesson is that if

ritual is misused, its essence will depart; if, however, it is treated with

respect and honor it will retum. In the end, RV. X. 51 reaffirms ritual's

perpetuity, and thereby Vedic man's need for continuity and religious

stability over time.

The terms of Jätavedas' contract with the gods are high. The prayäjd and

anuyajd are buttery oblations made before and after the main oblation; they are

the two best parts of the offering. In c Geldner, following Oldenberg,

suggests "das Ghfta vor allen Wassern und den Menschen vor allen Pflanzen,"

since man in fact comes from the plants (Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, III, 213n).

This last demand by Jätavedas would certainly be in keeping with his

acknowledged responsibility vis-a-vis man (see below).

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Why is it that the ritual's perpetuity is so important for the Vedic

worshipper? There is certainly great satisfaction in the perfection of the

art of ritual itself: in the precise building of eloquent formulations, and

in the neat and fastidious performance of the ritual act. Ritual for its

own sake, however, gratifying as the constant sameness ofthat act is,

can not account for the great strength of the hope that it will continue.

Rather, it is the blessings of this life that are believed to accrue from

ritual that make it so important. Just as Jätavedas is intimately

associated with the ritual and its continuity, so also is he associated

with the conferring of its wealth.

He is, to begin with, a god of wealth, 'possessing booty rich in cattle'

(RV. 1. 79. 4ab), 'winning a thousand-fold booty' (RV. III. 22. led),

'rich in goods' (RV. VI 15 7c), and 'having all goods' (RV. X. 150.

3b). To him the poets say, 'You rule all of this — the goods which are in

heaven and on earth' (RV. IV. 5. llcd).

Jätavedas is also, however, most generous with his possessions, for

'he shall swell riches and booty among them' (RV. I. 77. 5c). And his

worshippers feel no hesitation in asking for what they desire most: 'All

beautifully created things of Agni Jätavedas may we inspired ones

attain in accord with our thoughts' (RV. III. 11. 8), 'Send us treasures

comprising all goods! Bestow on us all possessions!' (RV. V. 4. 7cd)

and '(We praise) Agni, the son of strength, Jätavedas, for the granting

of goods' (RV. vm. 71. 11 ab).

The wealth associated with Jätavedas — that is, the vedas 'posses¬

sions' of his name — is not just any wealth, however. Poet after poet

makes clear that to Jätavedas belongs what Vedic man wants most,

something we might call "living wealth," that is, cows, horses, and espe¬

cially male offspring: 'Send us good wealth containing much gold, abun¬

dant, full of offspring and beautiful children' (RV. II. 2.12cd). This

"living wealth" is further enumerated in RV. V. 4. 11:

The pious, for whom you, Agni Jätavedas, shall make a broad pleasant place, comes luckily into the wealth of horses, sons, heroes, and cows.

It becomes idealized in RV. X. 88.4:

He who was the first god-pleasing Hotar,

whom, choosing, they annointed with butter;

he made flourish the flying and the walking, the standing and the moving, that Agni Jätavedas.

The products of Jätavedas' ritual presence, then, are the blessings of

this life, particularly blessings which live, like family and offspring

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(RV. X. 4. 7c). That the blessings of this life come only through ritual,

tied so closely to Jätavedas' unbroken presence on the ritual ground,

and that Jätavedas is so evidently a god of wealth support our under¬

standing of the vedas in his name as 'possession.' Jätavedas can not be

understood in any other way than as the guardian of the enduring ritual,

but the ritual can only endure if it is effective, that is, if it (and Jäta¬

vedas) bring the worshipper what he wants most: cows, horses, and

long-lived male children.

Jätavedas: The Keeper of the Family

It is out of Jätavedas' basic ritual character as an assured and contin¬

ual presence that he becomes in the poets' minds the keeper of the

Vedic family. If what the worshipper seeks most from the proper

worship of and with Jätavedas is "living wealth," it is the human compo¬

nent of this wealth that is especially prized, a human component

embedded in the jätd of Jätavedas, and its related words. At the basis of

Jätavedas' association with the human is his association with creation

(jan) itself Jätavedas, to begin vrith, must, like those in his keeping, be

created: 'He found {vid) the bosom of the parent at birth' (RV. III. 1.

9a); 'I, Agni, am Jätavedas by birth' (RV. III. 26.7a); 'He is bom in the

highest heaven' (RV. VII. 5. 7a); 'When, bom, you filled up the two

worlds' (RV. VII. 13.2b); and 'First, Agni is bom from heaven; second,

as Jätavedas (he is bom) from us' (RV. X. 45. lab). Furthermore, Jäta¬

vedas is called jätd '(newly) born' (RV. 111. 1.13d; VI. 16. 42a) and

sujätä 'weU-bom' (RV. X. 51.7d).

Jätavedas is, in one case, the agent by which creation occurs: 'Giving

birth to the creatures, you cried out to your offspring, delighting, Jäta¬

vedas!' (RV. VII. 5. 7cd). Although the bhuvanä of this verse is often a

general term for 'creature,' in this Agni Vaisvänara hymn where the

poet is in every other instance discussing the Aryan and Dasyu

warriors, it refers most likely to the Aryan men as they are renewed by

ritual. Jätavedas is, moreover, associated with jam 'peoples, folk"" and praja 'offspring,"*^ and is bountiful with his 'concem for all peoples'

(RV. 111. 57. 6d). This interpretation of jätd as a human creature is

confirmed in the following pada from a Brahmanaspati hymn: 'He has a

son (jätd) survived by a son (jätä)' (RV. II. 25.1c) whom Brahmanas-

^' RV. I. 44. 4b; 11. 4. Id; IX. 67. 27a.

RV. II. 2. 12d; V. 4. lOd; VI. 16. 36a.

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pati makes an ally. Here jätä as 'creature' is used in the extended and

collective sense of a janus or a jdnman 'generation.' And it is in this

sense, we argue, that is, as a human creature taking part in the long and

continued pattern of life through the endurance of lineages and genera¬

tions, that jätä is used in Jätavedas.

Woven together with Jätavedas' theme of man is his theme of the

home. The generalized Agni is often called grhapati 'lord of the home'

and enjoys, more than any other Vedic god, an especially intimate rela¬

tionship with daily life. Within the Agnian system, however, it is the

name Jätavedas with which the domestic themes are especially tied.

NoteRV. X. 110. 1:

Kindled today in the home of Manu,'"

you the god worship the gods, Jätavedas.

Understanding, convey them hither, one great from contracts!

You are the messenger, the seer, the discerning.

Again, 'Jätavedas is the fire celebrated in the home' (RV. VI. 12. 4b;

VII. 12. 2b);'''' and 'Agni! as (the embryo) of the waters, you are perpe¬

tually kindled in the home, son of strength, Jätavedas, ennobling dwel¬

ling places wdth your relief (RV. III. 25. 5). Jätavedas enters the grhd

'home' (RV. X. 16. 10a) 'to domesticate mortals' (RV. III. 1.17c); and

to 'illuminate the liquid nourishments of the good householder!'

(RV. V. 4. 2c). He is called dämünas 'friend of the house' (RV.

III. 5. 4c)''^ and ddmya 'domestic' (RV. III. 2.8b).""^ He is also close to

the Vedic family and its needs, for he is their 'friend' (RV. I. 94. Id;

m. 1. 19a), 'comforting' (RV. VI. 8. la) and 'hstening' (RV. VIII. 43.

23b). Jätavedas, finally, is a 'kinsmen' (RV. III. 1. 3b) to the family, an

'undying father to us' (RV. V. 4. 2a), and 'like a father' (RV. VI. 12. 4d)

to every worshipper.

The relationship of Jätavedas to the human and domestic community

is set within the framework of time, whose passage is marked by the

performance of the ritual over days, months, and years. Jätavedas is,

for instance, 'famed of old' (RV. III. 11. 4a), 'kindled in the home

durond can also be found several times in the same hymn with Jätavedas:

RV. III. 1. 18a; III. 25. 4a; V. 4. 5a; VI. 12. la; VII. 12. lb.

'''' ddma can also be found several times in the same hymn with Jätavedas:

RV. I. 94. 14a; II. 2. 4a, lid; II. 4. 3d; III. 3. 9d; III. 6. 3b; III. 10. 2c; III. 29.

15d; IV. 5. 15b; V. 43. 12c; X. 91. lb, lOd.

dämünas can also be found several times in the same hymn with Jätavedas:

RV. III. 1. lie, 17c; III. 2. 15b; III. 3. 6d; V. 4. 5a; VII. 9. 2c; X. 91. lb.

^' ddmya can also be found several times in the same hymn with Jätavedas:

RV. III. 1. 15d; VIII. 23. 24c.

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perpetually' (RV. III. 25. 5ab), and is invoked by the quickening song

'continually' (RV. X. 4. 7b). He is praised 'from day to day' (RV. III.

29. 2c), for'since antiquity you have satamongtheseclans' (RV. VI. 5.

3a). He is regular and punctual in ritual for, like the unstressed Agni, he

is 'the god worshipping at the right time' (RV. V. 22. 2b; V. 26. 7c); he

is honored 'with every worship' and 'with every song' (RV. VI. 48. lab),

and through him the ritual is performed 'in the proper order."" Ritual

with Jätavedas, then, extends back over the ages, for he has been

present at every worship from the first.

That Jätavedas has belonged to the ritual continuum from the begin¬

ning is clear from his association with the descendents of Manu — by

legend the first Aryan, and the first to perform the worship. Not only is

Jätavedas 'kindled today in the home of Manu' (RV. X. 110. la), but he

is asked to 'protect both (these women) who belong to this Manu-off-

spring' (RV. III. l.lOd). 'From day to day Agni is to be honored

by the watehful descendents of Manu as they offer oblations'

(RV. III. 29. 2cd), and he is the 'guest of all offspring of Manu'

(RV. IV. 1. 20b), the'clan-lord of ofi'spring of Manu' (RV. V. 4. 3a; see

also III. 2. 10a), and the fire revered by the 'clans descended from

Manu' (RV. X. 69. 9c; X. 83. 2c).''*

If we bring together the themes of Jätavedas' relationship with men,

his intimacy with their homes and daily lives, his ritual continuity over

time, and his specific association with the Aryan descendents of Manu,

one other theme must be present as well: Jätavedas as witness and

protector of the Vedic generations. The theme of Jätavedas' guard¬

ianship over the Vedic lineage is, in fact, a common one, found for

instance in the following verses from RV. III. 1.:

17) You, Agni, became the banner of the gods —

you, the eloquent, who knows all wisdom.

As friend of the house, you give the mortals dwelling.

As charioteer, you successfully seek out the gods.

18) In the home of mortals, the immortal

sat down as king and carried out the ceremonies.

The ghee-faced shone out far and wide,

Agni, who knows all wisdom.

" anv^dk (RV. V. 9. Id; V. 22. 2c; VI. 5. 3d; X. 176. 2c). Although this term is not unique to Jätavedas, it is certainly characteristic of him, for it can be found not only in the same verse with his name, as above, but also in the follow¬

ing hymns which invoke him: RV. III. 11. lc; IV. 12. 3d; V. 26. 8a-

VIII. 23. 6b; X. 83. lb.

See also RV. I. 59. 5c and VII. 2. 7a for the alliance of Jätavedas with

manuka 'Manu's offspring.'

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20) Thus I have proclaimed those earliest births of yours, Agni,

and those still happening, to you the ancient one.

These great Soma brews were made for the bull.

From generation {jdnman) to generation, Jätavedas is set up.

21) From generation to generation, he is set up:

never weary, Jätavedas is kindled by the Viävämitras.

May we be in his favor, him worthy of worship,

and in his auspicious prosperity.

It is in opposition to hymns such as this, where Jätavedas is djasra

(21b), never tired of his ritual duties, that hymns such as RV. X. 51

were written, for in these early hymns the Vedic proclivity to ritual was

fresh, as was its belief in the endurance of the ritual's fruit. The first half

of this hymn to Agni, vss. 1—14, tells of the mystical and unearthly

forms of Agni's birth, particularly of his origin in the waters and clouds.

Beginmng with verse 15, however, the hymn tums to the fire in its ritual

form, climaxing in verses 20—21 with the proclamation of Agni's old and

new births on the sacrificial ground."' Although not mentioned until

these climactic verses, the Jätavedas theme begins as early as lie

where Agni is called dämünas 'friend of the house,' and 15d where his

appearance is called ddmya 'domestic' It is in verse 17 and 18,

however, where the theme of Agni's advocacy of man is introduced and

combined with the theme of his lodging in man's home as the chief of

ritual ministrants. This familiar immediacy then becomes the basis for

the poet's knowledge of Jätavedas' old and new births (in 20), and more

importantly of his continual establishment by the family in each new

generation.

Because of his enduring presence and witness, finally, it is Jätavedas

who is asked to 'Guard our future {tdnaya) generations {toka), Agni!'

(RV. X. 4. 7c), as he clearly has those in the past: 'Jätavedas, bestow

glory among us! May I attain immortality through my offspring, Agni!'

(RV. V. 4. lOcd). In RV. III. 17. 2, the poet says:

Just as you (earlier) carried out the priestly office on earth, and likewise, discerning, that in heaven, Agni Jätavedas, so with this oblation worship the gods!

Just as for Manu, promote this worship today!

That is, just as you supported the worship of the first Aryan man, so

support the worship of his present day descendent. While the Agnian

epithet Vaisvänara is identified with the ritual as a possession of the

Aryan nation,^" the epithet Jätavedas is identified with the ritual as a

Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, I, 332.

^° E. B. Findly: TheMeaning of Vedic Vaisvänara. In: WZKSA, Spring 1982.

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perpetual companion and benefactor to man throughout the genera¬

tions. Jätavedas, therefore, belongs to the liturgy as it reflects, informs

and responds to man's domestic and familial life. Because his ties to the

Aryans are domestic rather than political, he remains primarily in the

home, and his ritual services are employed, above all else, for the

regular activities of life and for the continuation of the lineage.

Jätavedas, Pitaras, and Demons

The importance of Jätavedas for the continuation of the lineage is

nowhere more evident than in his pivotal role in the care and regulation

of the Pitaras. Unlike any other aspect of Agni, Jätavedas is consistent¬

ly associated with the fire which burns corpses, which carries the dead

to Yama's kingdom, and which offers oblations to the ancestors. It is

under the guardianship and protection of Jätavedas, in fact, that the

dying worshipper becomes a potentially polluting corpse, and is then

transformed into an ancestor worthy of reverence. Furthermore, it is

from his care of the dead man's body, that Jatävedas is thought to have

peculiar powers of protection against demons, and, in general, on behalf

of the religiously sensitive individual.

The application of his name to the cremation fire in two hymns

(RV. X. 15, 16) from the mortuary section of Man. X. (14—18) and in

all four hymns of the funeral book XVIII of the Atharvaveda, indicates

that Jätavedas' association with this and the other Pitara fires is not

accidental but, as we will argue, in keeping with the usual perceptions of

his role. About the rites of death and thereafter in ancient India we

know a great deal," and in particular about the central role played by

fire, but very little of this information comes specifically from the

Rgveda." From the Rgveda we do know, however, that there was a belief

in a soul {(hu), in the existence of ancestors {pitf), in a heaven {svarga),

andinaguardianofthedead, Yama. It is also clear form RV. X. 14—18

^' See, for instance, W. Caland: Altindischer Ahnencult. Leiden: Brill 1893;

Die Altindischen Todten- und BeMatiungsgebräuche. Amsterdam: Müller 1896;

A. Hillebrandt: Death and Disposal of the Dead {Hindu). In: J. Hastings, ed.:

Encyclopaedic of Religion and Ethics. Vol. IV. New York: Scribner 1912,

pp. 475—79; Keith: Religion, 11, 417—432; D. Shastri: Origin and Development of the Rituals of Ancestor Worship inlrulia. Calcutta, Allahbad, Patna: Bookland

Private Limited 1963; P. V. Kane: History of Dharmasästra. Poona: BORI

1953, IV, 179-266.

" Keith: Religion, II, 403.

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that extensive rites surrounding death were known and used, and that

these rites were substantially the same as those used in later Vedic

times.One of these hymns, RV. X. 16, a hymn to the funeral fire, is

significant in understanding not only the rituals of death but also the

role of Jätavedas in them:

The Burning of the Corpse (1-8):^":

1) Don't burn him up, Agni, don't consume him with heat,

don't scorch his skin or his bones!

When you have cooked him, Jätavedas,

then send him on to the Fathers!

2) When you have cooked him, Jätavedas,

then hand him over to the Fathers!

When he goes to the spirit world, then he will become a vassal of the gods.

3) Let your eye go to the sun and your life's breath to the wind,

go to heaven and to earth as befits the law (dharmdn)\

Or go into the waters, if it is intended for you there;

(or) sit down firmly among the plants with your bones!

4) The ram is your share, burn it with fervor!

Let your blaze burn it, let your flame (burn) it!

With your friendly forms, Jätavedas, bear him to the world of the pious!

5) Give him up again to the Fathers, Agni,

who (once) laid in you (and now) wanders on his own!

Clothed in life, let him seek out what's left behind;

let him join up with his body, Jätavedas!

6) What the black bird has thrust into you,

the ant, the serpent, or the beast of prey,

let the all-consuming Agni make healthy again,

and Soma, who has entered the Brahman priests.

'' That their hymns belong to the tenth Mandala indicates that these rites are either later in development than the main Soma rites of the Rgveda, or that they have been classed with other "special" (viz., "gfhya-like") rites, such as the marriage ceremony (RV.X.8.5).

Following the directions in Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, III. 147ff. RV.X.16

can be compared with the following Atharvan passages: vs. 1 with Sau.XVIII.

2.4ab, 5a, 4d; vs. 2 with gau.XVIII. 2.4c, 5bcd; vs. 3 with §au.XVII1.2.7; vs. 4 with §au.XVII1.2.8; vs. 5 with Sau.XVIII.2.I0; vs. 6 with Sau.XVIII.3.55; vs. 7

with Öau.XVIII.2.58; vs. 8 with Sau.XVIII.3.53; vs. 9 with Sau.XII.2.8,

Pai.XVII.30.9; vs. 10 with §au.Xn.2.7, Pai.XVII.30.7; vs. 12 with Sau.

XVIII. 1.56; vs. 13 with Sau.XVIII.3.6; vs. 14 with §au.XVIII.3.60.

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7) With parts of a cow, lay armor around you against Agni,

cover yourself with butter and fat

so that the bold, greedy (Agni), made daring by his flame,

does not crowd around to burn you.

8) You should not tip over this beaker, Agni!

Dear to the gods and Soma-makers

is this beaker, out of which the gods drink.

In it the immortal gods carouse.

The Absolution of the Cremation Fire (9—12):

9) The corpse-eating Agni I send far away;

let him go to King Yama's carrying impurity with him!

Here let this other Jätavedas

bear the oblation to the gods, as he knows (the way)!

10) The corpse-eating Agni who has entered your home,

seeing this other Jätavedas,

I take him away as the god for the worship of the Fathers;

he shall send the gharmd drink'' to the highest abode."

11) The corpse-bearing Agni,

who shall worship the Fathers growing in tmth,

shall announce the oblations to the gods and the Fathers.

12) Eagerly we want to install you,

eagerly we want to kindle (you).

Eagerly bear the eager Fathers here

to eat the oblation!

The Extinguishing of the Cremation Fire (13—14):

13) What you have burned up, Agni,

scatter down again!

There let the Kiyämbu grow,

and the Päkadürvä and the Vyalkaää!

14) You cool one, bringing coolness, you fresh one, bringing refreshment, join easily with the little frog woman, and greatly delight this Agni!

Verse 1, according to Caland quoting the Taittiriya school, is recited

as the cremation fire, kept continually in check by Jätavedas, is lit from

the east by the Ähavaniya hearth,^' and verse 2 as it is lit from the west

'' A hot milk drink.

" cf. gau.XVin.4.1.

" Caland: Todten, p. 59; see also Kaus.LXXXI.33.

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by the Gärhapatya. These two verses describe the body as it is

"cooked" (sW):"

Agni ist aber nicht so sehr der gott, dem der todte geopfert wird, als der

psychopompos, durch dessen vermittelung und aus welchem der todte neu

geboren werden soll, der den geopferten den Vätern zufuhren soll. Das feuer

darf ihn also nicht vernichten, sondern, wie man euphemistisch sagt, nur „gar machen."'"

Under the guidance of Jätavedas, the body is transformed (and made

acceptable) through the application of heat: transformed, it would

seem, at the instigation of man and not left to the natural processes of

decay and decomposition. The reference to the Pitaras in Id, and again

in 2b, 5a, 10c, lid, and 12d recalls the well-known verse from the

previous hymn: 'And those Fathers who are here and those who are not

here, and those whom we know and those whom we do not know, as

many as there are, you know them (all), Jätavedas!' (RV. X. 15. 13abc).

The world of the spirits {dsunlti) in 2c, peopled by these Pitaras and

under divine sovereignty, is also called the 'world of the pious' (sukftäm

loka) (4d; Öau. XVIII. 3. 71d; XVIII. 4. Id) as well as the 'place of

King Yama' {yamäräjan) (9b), and it is here, at least in the early

conceptions, that the soul goes after death. Verse 3, however, suggests

that a theory of transmigration is already in the works: the parts of the

body are, upon death, appropriately distributed among the natural

elements."

The burning of a ram in verse 4 is to be Jätavedas' share of the offer¬

ing,and verse 5, according to later material, accompanies the rites

for the collection of the bones three days after cremation (Kaus.

LXXXII. 28). The use of tanü 'body, person' in these two verses is

common with Jätavedas. While in 4c (see also RV. X. 51. 2b), it is the

auspicious form of the fire which carries the dead to the spirit world, in

5d (see also RV. X. 15. 14d), it is the physical body which the soul of

the dead (later preta) comes to seek. Furthermore, in earlier hymns,

Jätavedas is the 'protector of (our) bodies' (RV. V. 4. 9d; see X. 4. 7d),

the 'defender of (our) bodies' (RV. VI. 48. 2d) and gives (new) people

(tanü) and offspring to the worshipper (RV. VII. 104. lOd, Ila).

'* Caland: Todten, p. 59.

" cf. Sau.XVIII.4.12c, 13e.

Caland: Todten, p. 176.

" cf BÄU.I.1.1, etc.

" See Keith: Religion, II, 419; Caland: Todten, pp. 60-62.

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Verse 6 is used, according to some,*' when a man dies from an animal

bite, and verse 7 describes the custom of symbolically protecting the

body from the flames of the fire by surrounding it with parts of a cow.*''

Verse 8, the final verse of the cremation section, is the traditional

burning of all the dead man's implements, except those of stone, metal

and earth (Kaus. LXXXI. 9), on the pyre with him. The Soma beaker is

one of those to be saved and disposed of otherwise.*^

It is beginning with verse 9, however, that the full extent of Jätavedas'

funereal functions become clear. In 9a and 10a, the fire is called kravydd

'corpse-eating.' The introduction of this term summarizes, on the one

hand, Agni's consumptive role in the events of 1—8 and, at the same

time, emphasizes Jätavedas' protective functions against a fire which

seeks to thus violate the dead: for Jätavedas, it is clear, is at all times

'gracious (to the dead and) to the Fathers' (RV. X. 115. 6a). On the

other hand, the use of this term confirms, once again, that Jätavedas

has been and continues to be an unbroken ritual presence: it is basically

the same fire which protected the dead in 1 and sent him on his way in 2

which, now, will be there for the obsequies to the Pitaras (pitryajnd,

10c), for 'you (Jätavedas) have handed over (the oblation) to the

Fathers, and they have eaten it through your power.'** Furthermore,

the reference in 9c and 10b to the 'other Jätavedas' indicates yet

another distinction within Jätavedas' roles. Within the rubrics of this

hymn, there is a Jätavedas associated with the dead, and one asso¬

ciated with the living and with man's normal concourse of oblations and

blessings with the gods — hence, prajänän (9d), 'as he knows (the way)'

since he ordinarily travels over it all the time. The temporary distinc¬

tion between a Jätavedas for the living and one for the dead must be

made because here the Jätavedas material overlaps with that of Agni as

kravydd:^^ "Aus dem freundlichen Jätavedas ist der feindliche Kravyäd

geworden . . ."** As Geib has pointed out, this latter aspect of Agni is a

negative and destructive force which enters the body and kills it,*' for it

W. D. Whitney (trans.): Atharva-Veda Samhita. II. Cambridge: Harvard

Univ Pr. 1905. (HOS. 8.), 864.

Keith: Religion, II, 419.

'' Ibid., H, 419.

" RV.X.15.12c; §au.XVin.3.42c; XVin.4.65c.

" See also RV.VH. 104.2c; X.87.2d, 5d, 19c; Sau.Vni.3.2d, 4d;

Pai.XIII. 10.3c; XVI.6.4d.

Geib, op. cit., p. 212.

" Ibid., p. 208.

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is Agni kravydd "den man für den Tod des Verwandten verantwortlicli

maclite.It is the function of Jätavedas, then, since the cremation

ritual focuses on the dead as an authentic and still consequential human

being, to purify and make whole what is polluted because of death and

burned because of Agni kravyad: "Jätavedas erneuert und heilt,

Kravyäd frißt und vernichtet."" If, therefore, in verse 1—8, Jätavedas

has protected the dead man from the scorching heat while still supervis¬

ing his transformation {srta), has further sent him on his way to the

land of the Fathers, and has made possible his eventual return to earth

to join his body, in verses 9 and 10, Jätavedas has been present not only

for the establishment of worship to the new ancestor, but has also conti¬

nued the whole time with his normal ritual duties for the household.

The differentiation of Agni as kravyavahana 'corpse-bearing''^ in

verse 11, though it further extends the range of his roles, confirms,

nevertheless, the continuity between the fire which bears the dead man

away and that responsible for his reverence. The installation of the fire

used in obsequies to the Pitaras takes place in verse 12 used, according

to Geldner," in the kindling of the fire for the great offerings to the

ancestors in the Säkamedha (ÖB. II. 6. 1. 22) or in the Pindapitryajna

(Kaus. LXXXVII. 19). And verses 13 and 14, finally, belong to the

cooling of the place where the cremation fire burned. Although Keith

suggests that the plants in 13 are actually used in the cooling,'''

Geldner notes that there is so much water from extinguishing the fire

and cooling the bones that a marshy area develops where the plants of

13 and the frog of 14 thrive.'^ In any case, the cremation rites per se

conclude with the end of this hymn, paving the way for the beginning of

the ancestral rites mentioned earlier.

The care Jätavedas shows the dead in RV. X. 16, and particularly his

protection of the person against the fire {angi kravydd) which violates

by killing and burning, is related to another kind of Jätavedas verse:

that directed against demons. According to Geib, the kravyad which

destroys the person in death can also threaten his well-being when

Ibid., p. 212.

" Ibid., p. 201.

" Alternating later on with kavyavahana. Caland; Todten, p. 101; Ahnencult, pp. 5, 28, 94; A. Hillebrandt: Vedische Mythologie. II. Isted. Breslau: Marcus

1899, 108; Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, III, 149n; Geib, op. cit., pp. 216-217.

" Der Rig-Veda, III, 149n.

Keith: Religion, II, 420.

" Geldner: Der Rig-Veda, III, 149n.

25 ZDMG 131/2

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alive. Such that in addition to verses of lustration, with which one sends

Agni kravydd away and protects the dead from further harm from him

(e.g. RV. X. 16), there are also verses of restoration, with which one

banishes kravyadheiore he can fully destroy and while there is still hope

of good health.'* Not all of these restoration verses invoke Jätavedas by

name, however, but there is ample evidence to show that they fall into a

general category of protection which is, in turn, a part of Jätavedas'

overall concem for man. Note, for instance, these verses from

RV. X. 87," a hymn to Agni the demon-slayer (rak^ohdn):

2) You with teeth of iron,'* now that you're kindled, grab the sorcerers with your flame, Jätavedas!

Seize them of false gods with your tongue;

twist the flesh-eating (kravyad) around and stick them in your mouth!

5) Split the skin of the sorcerer, Agni;

let the murdering bolt slay him with its flame!

Crush his joints, Jätavedas;

let the flesh-eager" beast of prey (kravyad) scatter the dismembered parts around!

6) Wherever you see him now, Jätavedas, standing or moving, Agni,

or flying on the pathways through the sky,*°

there, like an archer, pierce him with the arrow you have sharpened!

7) And with your spears, Jätavedas,

win freedom for the kidnapped from the kidnapping sorcerer!

Strike him down in front of you, Agni, as you blaze up!

Let the gaily colored carrion-eating vultures eat him!

11) Three times let the sorcerer go into your trap, he who scoffs at truth with falsehood, Agni!

strike him down, Jätavedas, crackling with your flame

for the singer before his eyes!

Verses such as these belong to the ritual banishment of sorcerers

(yätudhdna) demons (pisäcä)^^ and evil spirits (kimidin)}^ The poet

" Geib, op. cit, p. 208.

" cf Sau.VIII.3.2, 4, 5, 7, 11.

cf §au.VIII.3.2a; Pai.XVI.6.2a.

" cf §au.VIII.3.4d; Pai.XVI.6.4d.

cf RV.X.88.4 above.

cf Sau.I.7.2d, 5b, 6d; VIII.3.2a, 4a, 5c, 7b, Ila; Pai.IV.4.2d, 5b, 6d;

XVI.6.2a, 4a, 6c, 7b; XV1.7.1a.

" cf Sau.V.29.10a; Pai.XIII.9.3c; XIII. 10.3b; V.40.3d.

*' cf §au.VIII.3.25c.

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blames his enemy, a sorcerer bent on wickedness and called kravydd,

.for the black magic which has brought unhappiness to his family. He is

hopeful that the Agni (= Jätavedas) who is friendly to his relatives will

protect him against, and make whole again, the devastation of the

sorcerer. It is noteworthy that in this role Jätavedas is characterized

throughout, and especially in verse 5, as himself kravydd: it is a bit of

imitative magic that the fire which destroys the flesh-eating must

himself be as destructive.*''

These verses of restoration in the late Rg and Atharvavedas are an

extension of an earlier Jätavedas theme: general protection from hostil¬

ity. 'Bring us to certainty! Do not deliver us over to the evil-minded

mortal, intent on inflicting injury, Jätavedas!' (RV. VIII. 71. 7) cries

the poet, 'Turn away from us the hating enemies, Jätavedas, the hostili¬

ties of the ungodly, Agni!' (RV. VIII. 11. 3). Again, 'Agni (Jätavedas),

in your friendship we shall come to no harm' (RV. I. 94. Id), and 'Sing

(songs) of many strategies, Jätavedas! Protect us always with well-

being!' (RV. VII. 9. 6cd). The Atharvaveda transforms this theme of

protection against physical injury into one of protection against evil

proclivity and religious aberration in the individual:

If in forgetfulness we have done wrong, Agni,

if we have offended in our behavior, Jätavedas, from that protect us, forethoughtful one!*'

Let him not abandon me,

let me not, a suppliant, abandon you!*'

Let Jätavedas extend both faith and wisdom to me!*'

The protective intimacy of these verses is fully in keeping wdth the

intensity of Jätavedas' attacks against those who threaten to injure the

worshipper, and with his presence in the Vedic home as guardian over

the integrity of the family.

Conclusion

The full range of Jätavedas themes centers on his immediacy in the

worshipper's home as the focus of an on-going ritual life, and the result-

Geib, op. cit., pp. 207-208.

*' Sau.VII.lll.labc; Pai.XX.7.9abc.

*' §au.XIII.1.12c; Pai.XVIII. 16.2c.

*' Sau.XlX.64. led.

25*

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ing sense that Jätavedas, being present over time, is both witness and

guardian to the passing of the generations. It is quite natural, then, that

the range of his concem should extend into the Pitaras, for the continui¬

ty of the lineage into the future through offspring (i.e. vedas as "living

wealth") is guaranteed only by the soundness of the lineage as it

extends into the past. And the soundness of the lineage in the past is

based, in tum, upon the ever-present protection of the djdng

worshipper, through death and the flames of the cremation fire, to the

abode of the pious beyond. That Jätavedas is there for it all is clear, and

that he is worshipped not only as a presence but as an active advocate

as well is also clear.

Like the other epithets of Agni, and indeed like the names of most

gods, we expect the name Jätavedas to contain the essence of his

nature, and indeed it does. We have argued above th&t jätä is not an

adjective but a noun here, referring quite literally to 'what has been

bom,' human offspring (preferably male) who in all they do uphold the

customs of Aryan culture and eventually become Pitaras; as well as, by

implication, 'what will be bom,' the offspring of today's parents who

will continue as bearers of this culture into the future. That jä<d in Jäta¬

vedas is human and generational in intent is confirmed in the specific

content of his vedas 'possessions,' usually itemized as horses, cows and

particularly children and heroes — "living wealth" essential for the

continuity of the generations. That the poets also attributed the notion

of knowledge to Jätavedas is well documented,** but it seems clear both

from the use of vedas out of this compound and from the overall intent of

Jätavedas' thematic material that the original and enduring sense of

vedas here is 'possession.' While as intimate witness to the passings of

the Vedic family, Jätavedas becomes knowledgeable of man (and as

chief ministrant, knowledgeable as well of the ritual process), this

knowledge represents a passive relationship with the worshipper, whol¬

ly out of keeping with Jätavedas' character. Rather, the relationship is

** Jätavedas is vidvds 'knowing' (RV.III. 17.3c) and visvavid 'all-knowing' (RV.V.4.3c), and is the 'Agni (who) shah perceptibly (vedyas) find favor in the song of praise' (RV.VI.4.2b). Again, he is prdcetas 'discerning' (RV.X.l 10. Id) and most frequently cikitvds 'understanding' (RV.1.77.5d; III.17.2b; IV.12.1d;

IV.3.8d; IV.5.12b; VI.5.3c; X.l 10.1c). The Atharvaveda, furthermore, calls him vidvds 'knowing' (Sau.IV.39. 10b; III.1.1a; III.2.1a; Pai.III.O.la; V.22.9c;

XIII.lO.lc; XX.43.6b), prajanat 'foreknowing' (Sau.IV.23. 2b; Pai.IV.33.3b), and prdcetas 'discerning' (Sau.VIl. 111. lc; Pai.XX. 7. 9c). Moreover, we have the

famous verse RV.VI.15.13, translated above, which attempts an etymology

from vid 'to know.'

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fashioned as an active one vvith Jätavedas in charge of, and having in

his keeping, the total well-being of the Vedic family. His total guard¬

ianship on behalf of man results, indeed, in knowledge, but it goes far

beyond this, carving out for Jätavedas a role in which the ritual fire

must be constantly and consistently diligent over time. Thus, Jätavedas

responds to the need for the assurance of familial continuity as it is

based in an effective ritual.

(26)

Indische Elemente in der Gründungslegende des

Königreiches Nanchao

Von E. Rosner und K. Wille, Göttingen

In der ersten Hälfte des 8. Jhdts. n. Chr. trat auf dem Boden der

heutigen chinesischen Provinz Yünnan ein Staatswesen hervor,

welches von allen autoehthonen Gründungen im Süden Chinas den

längsten Bestand haben sollte. Damals gelang es der regierenden

Familie aus einer der zahlreichen kleinen Herrschaften, die in der

Gegend um den Ta-li-See existierten, alle sechs „Fürsten" (liu-chao)

(Chavannes, 1900, S. 397 Anm. 4) der Region unter Kontrolle zu

bringen und einen größeren Machtbereich zu konsolidieren, der nach

Lage des neuen politischen Zentrums Nanchao („Südlicher Staat") hieß

(Blackmore, 1960). Durch eine geschickte Schaukelpolitik zwischen

den mächtigen Nachbarn China und Tibet vermochte sich Nanchao

während der gesamten T'ang-Zeit (7.—10. Jhdt. n.Chr.) seine Unabhän¬

gigkeit zu sichern. Die Fürsten von Ta-li (Yüiman) behaupteten sich

sogar noch in der Sung-Zeit (960—1279) als eigener Staat. Erst der

Mongoleneinfall und die Eroberungen der Yüan-Dynastie in Südwest¬

china setzten der staatlichen Selbständigkeit von Nanchao im 13. Jhdt.

ein jähes Ende. Yünnan wurde von da an endgültig Bestandteil des

chinesischen Reiches und fest in das Netz der kaiserlichen Administra¬

tion eingebunden (Fitzgerald, 1972, S. 60ff.).

Die Gewinnung der Oberhand über die rivalisierenden lokalen

Fürstentümer durch die Familie Meng, die spätere „Königsfamilie" von

Nanchao, im 8. Jhdt. n.Chr., ein Prozeß, der höchst wahrscheinlich

längere Zeit in Anspruch genommen hat, wird in der Legende mit einem

einmaligen Gewaltakt in Zusammenhang gebracht (Backus, 1978,

S. 93). Die Überlieferung weiß zu berichten, daß P'i-lo-ko (728-48), der

erste König von Nanchao, um das Jahr 731 die übrigen Fürsten unter

dem Vorwand eines Festes in seine Residenz gebeten haben soll. Dort

ließ er seine Gäste in einem eigens für dieses Ereignis errichteten

Pavillon unterbringen. Als die Runde durch den fortgesetzten Wein¬

genuß betrunken war, machte sich der Gastgeber davon und ließ das