On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters
Von A. Venkatasubbiah, Mysore
In the RV hymns addressed to Indra, the poets love to dwell on his
exploits, — on his overthrow of Vrtra, Vala and other enemies, on his
shattering of their forts (purah), on his release of the waters (rivers),
cows, etc., confined in them. This release is sometimes referred to by the
verbs ji and san meaning 'to win'; compare 3, 34, 8—9: saträsäharp,
vdrenyam saho-däm sasavdmsam svär apds ca devthj sasdna ydh prthivtrp,
dydm utimdm indrarn madanty dnu dhiranäsahjlsasdndtyä utd suryam
sasänidrah sasäna purubhöjasarn gdmj hiranydyam utd bhögam sasäna
hatm ddsyün prdryarn vdrnam ävat jj and 1, 32, 12: djayo ga djayah
süra sömam dväsrjah sdrtave saptd sindhün jj.
Pages 167—201 of Heinrich Lüdebs' Varuna (Vol. I) deal with
Indra's conquest of Vrtra and pages 519—537 (Vol. 2) with the over¬
throw of Vala. There is much similarity between the two myths ; and
LüDEKS has observed (p. 537) that both myths, in the form in which we
have them, are creation myths, that they represent the popular and
priestly versions resp. of the same myth, and that the two versions have
influenced one another as is easily understandable. One instance of such
influenee is, according to him (p. 530), the mention of 'the exhilaration
caused by Soma' {somasya made) 'm.2, 11,1: tdd asmai ndvyam angirasvdd
areata süsmä yäd asya pratndthodirate j vijvä ydd gotrd sdhasä pdrivrtä
made sömasya drrnhitdny airayat „(L) singt ihm dieses neue (Lied), wie
die Ahgnas, daß sich sein Schnauben erhebt wie vormals, als er die
eingesperrten Kuhherden, die fest verschlossenen, im Rausch des Sornas
herausschaffte". 1 The mention of Soma here, says Lüdebs, is in all
probability borrowed from the Vrtra myth. Another instance, according
to him, is the mention of the Maruts encouraging Indra with their
hymns in 5, 30, 6: tiibhyld ete marutah susivä drcanty arkdrn sunvdnty
dndhah j dhim ohändm apd äsdyänam prä mäydbhir mäyinarn saksad
indrah jj ,,Dir singen diese befreundeten Maruts den Preis, sie pressen
den Somatrank; den prahlenden Drachen, der auf dem Wasser lag, den
listigen, den soll Indra mit List überwinden". Here (observes Lüders)
the description of the Maruts encouraging Indra with praise is borrowed
from 2, 17, 1 (explained above) which is concerned with the Vala myth;
and he adds that this deseription of the Maruts explains perhaps why
1 The English translations of the RV verses cited here are mine. The
German translations are those of Geldneb except where it is indicated by
the letter L or otherwise that they are those of Lüdebs (in Varuna, Vols 1, 2.).
This should not be taken to mean that I agree wholly in their interpretations.^
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 121
they are exceptionally given a role in the Vala myth in 2, 34,1: dhärävard
marüto dhrsnvöjaso mrgd nd bhimds tdvisibhir arcinah / agndyo nd
susucänd rjlsino bhrmim dhdmanto dpa gd avrnvata // ,,(L) Die Regengüsse
schenkenden (?) Maruts von kühner Kraft, gleich wilden Tieren furcht¬
bar in ihrer Stärke, lohsingend, wie Flammen glänzend, Trestersoma
trinkend, ... blasend, haben die Kühe aufgedeckt".
LÜDEES' opinion that the above stanza refers to the Vala myth seems
to be based on his belief (which however has not been formulated in so
many words) that the release of cows is not one of the results of the
conquest of Vrtra. This belief is erroneous as will become plain from the
following verses all which refer to the overthrow of Vrtra and mention
the release of cows :
1, 32, 12: djayo gd djayah süra sömam dväsrjah sdrtave saptd sindhün /
„Erobertest du die Kühe, du erobertest, o Held, den Soma ; du ließest die
sieben Ströme frei, daß sie laufen."
10, 89, 7: jaghana vrtrdrn svädhitir vdneva ruröja puro dradan nd
sindhün / bibheda girirn nävam in nd Icumbhdm a ga indro akfnuta svayüg-
bhih II "With his companions, Indra Struck down Vrtra as the axe a tree;
he smashed the fort as ho cut (a path for) the rivers; he shattered the
rock (-cave) as (one does) a new pot; he called the cows (i.e., made the
cows come out from the rock-cave)". On p. 172, n. 1, Lüders remarks
that this verse, as also 8, 45, 30 and others, refers to the Vala myth.
Our verse however explicitly mentions the killing of Vrtra which shows
that this belief of Lüders is unfounded.
1, 61, 10: asyed evä sdvasä susäntarn vi vrscad vdjrena vrtrdm indrah /
gd nä vräriM avdnir amuncad abhi srdvo däväne sdcetäh // "By his own
strength Indra cut the roaring Vrtra with the Vajra; for fame, with a
mind to give, he freed the rivers as (also) the cows that had been shut
up".i
2, 19, 3: sd mdhina indro drno apdm prairayad ahihdcchä samudrdm /
djanayat sür yarn, viddd gd aktündhnäm vayünäni sädhat // ,,(L) Dieser
gewaltige Indra, der Schlangentötor, trieb die Wasser zum Meere hin.
Er erzeugte die Sonne, er fand die Kühe, er bewirkte durch den Schimmer
der Tage, daß man sich zurecht findet". Lüdebs observes (p. 193)
however, 'in 2, 19, 2 is described the battle with Vrtra; the stanza that
follows too (2, 19, 3) deals with this, but there is joined to it a remark
that can refer only to the Vala myth'.
^ 1, 32, 2: dliann dhirn pdrvate sisriyändm tvdstäsmai vdjram svaryäm
tatakfa/väirä iva dhendvah syändamänä dnjah samudrdm dva jagmur äpahlj
and 1, 32, 11: däsäpatnir dhigopä atisthan niruddhä äpah panincva gdvahj
apdm bilam dpihitarn ydd dsld vrtrdrn jaghanvd dpa tdd vavärajj likewise refer to the release of the cows (and waters) after the overthrow of Vrtra.
122 A. Venkatasubbiah
6, 17, 1: pibä sömam abhi yam ugra tarda ürvdm gdvyam mdhi gfijänd
indra / vi yö dhrsno vddhiso vajrahasta visva vrtrdm amitriyä sdvobhih jj
"Drink the Soma juice, 0 powerful Indra, desiring which thou brokest
open the hole of the cows; being much praised, 0 valiant one that hast
the Vajra in hand, who, with might, destroyedest Vrtra (and) all (other)
enemies."
10, 48, 2: ahdm indro rodho vdkso dtharvanas tritdya gd ajanayam dher
ddhi j "I am Indra, the dam and breast of Atharvan; I brought out
the cows from the ahi (serpent) for Trita." The ahi mentioned here is in
all probability Vrtra.
5, 30, 4: sthirdm mdnas cakrse jätd indra ve§id eko yudhdye bhüyasas
cit j dsmänarn cic chdvasa didyuto vi vidö gaväm ürvdm mriyäijäm jj "O
Indra, thou, (as soon as thou art) born, makest a firm resolve and goest,
though alone, to fight with many. With force didst thou hurl the stone,
thou foundest the hole of the cows (and settest them free)". Although
there is no mention of Vrtra or ahi in this verse, the statement that
Indra, as soon as he was born, went to fight with many enemies, shows
that the reference here is to the conquest of Vrtra. Compare the following
verses :
10, 113, 4—5: jajndnd evd vy äbädhata spfdhah prdpasyad virö abhi
paurnsyam rdtjam j dvrscad ddrim dva sasyddah srjad dstabhnän ndkarn,
svapasydyä prthiim jj dd indrah satrd tdvisir apatyata vdriyo dydväprthivt
abädhata j dväbharad dhrsitö vdjram äyasäm sevam mitrdya vdrunäya
däsüse jj „Eben geboren verjagte er die Gegner; der Held schaute nach
weiterer Mannestat, nach Kampf aus. Er spaltete den Fels, ließ die
Flüsse laufen; er stützte das breite Firmament mit Geschicklichkeit.
Da war Indra vollständig im Besitz seiner Kräfte; er drängte Himmel
und Erde weiter weg. Mutig schmiß er die eherne Keule, die für Mitra,
Varuna (und ?) den (Opfer ?)spender ersprießliche".
8, 89, 5: ydj jdyathä apürvya mdghavan vrtrahätyäya j tat prthivtm
aprathayas täd astabhnä utä dydm jj ,,Als du allererster Gabenreicher
zur Vrtratötung geboren wardst, da hast du die Erde ausgebreitet und
den Himmel gestützt".
7, 98, 3: jajnändh sömam sdhase papätha prä te mätä mahimdnam
uväca j endra papräthorv äntdriksarn yudhd devebhyo vdrivas cakartha jj
„(Eben) geboren hast du den Soma zur Siegeskraft getrunken. Die
Mutter sagte deine Größe voraus. Du, Indra, hast den weiten Luftraum
ausgefüllt; durch Kampf hast du den Göttern Freiheit verschafft".
1, 32, 3—4: vrsäyämäno 'vrnita sömarn, trikadrukesv apibat sutdsya / ä
sdy a kam maghavädatta vdjram dhann enam prathamajdm dhinäm jj ydd
indrdhan prathamajdm dhinäm dn mäyinäm dminäh prötd mäyd}i j
dt sür yarn janäyan dydm usdsarn tädttnä sätrum nä kilä vivitse jj „Gierig
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 123
wie ein Stier erwählte er sich den Sorna; in den Trikadruka's trank er
vom ausgepreßten. Der Gabenreiche ergriff das Wurfgeschoß, die Keule;
er erschlug ihn, den Erstgeborenen der Drachen. Als du, Indra, den
Erstgeborenen der Drachen erschlugst und da die Listen der Listigen
noch überlistetest, da du Sonne, Himmel, Morgenröte zum Vorschein
brachtest, da hast du fortab( ?) nimmer deinen Meister gefunden".
It becomes clear from these stanzas that Indra, as soon as he is born,
(1) becomes adult, (2) drinks Soma and attains great strength, (3) takes
the Vajra in hand and kills Vrtra and other enemies with it after fighting,
(4) shatters the rock(-cave), (5) sets free the waters (rivers) and cows
confined therein, (6) extends and firmly establishes earth and heaven,
and (7) places in the sky the sun. Dawn and other lights.
In the conquest of Vrtra he had as allies Visnu and the Maruts who
encouraged him with words of praise and Soma drink, and helped him
actively'. Compare in this connection the following stanzas:
10, 113, 2—3: tdm asya visnur mahimdnam öjasämiüm dadhanvdn
mddhuno vi rapsate / devebhir indro maghdvä saydvabhir vrtrdrn jaghanvd
abhavad vdrefiyah jj Vflrerja ydd dhinä bibhrad dyudhä samdsthitha yudhdye
sdmsam avide j visve te dtra marutah sahd tmdndvardhann ugra nmhimdnam
indriydm jj ,, Diese seine Größe (stärkte) Vi§nu mit Kraft, der den
(Soma)stengel fließen ließ. Er ist voll des süßen Tranks. Nachdem Indra
mit seinen Gefährten, den Göttern, den Vrtra erschlagen hatte, ward
er der Auserwählte. Als du Waffen tragend mit Vrtra, dem Drachen,
zusammengestoßen warst, um zu kämpfen, um Lob zu ernten, da
stärkten alle Marut zusammen in eigener Person deine indrische Größe,
du Gewaltiger".
Cp. 10, 113, 1: tdm asya dydväprthivt sdcetasä visvebhir devair dnu
susmam ävatäm j ydd ait krnvänö mahimdnam indriydm pitvt sömasya
krdtumä avardhata jj ,, Diesen seinen Ungestüm ließen einmütig Himmel
und Erde mit allen Göttern gewähren. Als er auszog, seine indrische
Größe annehmend, da wuchs der Umsichtige, nachdem er vom Soma
getrunken hatte".
5, 29, 2: dnu ydd im marüto mandasänäm drcann indram papivdmsatn,
sutdsya j ddatta vdjram abhi ydd dhirn hänn apö yahvtr asrjat sdrtavd u jj
,,Als die Marut dem trankbegeisterten Indra zusangen, der vom Soma
getrunken hatte, da faßte er die Keule, als er den Drachen erschlug. Er
ließ die jüngstgeborenen Gewässer frei zum Laufen". See also 5, 30, 6
explained on p. 120 above.
It is therefore said of them in the following verses that they killed
Vrtra, released the cows, etc. :
* He had also the backing of Heaven and Earth and of the Visvedevas.
124 A. Venkatasubbiah
1, 156, 4: dädhdra ddksani uttamdm aharvidam vrajdm ca visnuh
sdkhiva apornute // „Er besitzt höchsten Vorstand, der den richtigen
Tag ausfindig macht, wenn Visnu in Begleitung des Freundes (Indras)
den Rinderpferch aufschließt".'
7, 99, 3: vy astabhnä rödasl visriav ete dädhärtha prthivtm abhito mayü-
khaih jj „Du stemmtest diese beiden Welten auseinander, o Visnu. Du
hast allenthalben die Erde mit Pflöcken gefestigt".
8, 7, 22—23: sdm u tye mahattr apdh sdm ksont sdm u süryam / sdrn,
vdjram parvasö dadhuh / vi vrtrdm parvasö yayur vi pdrvatä aräjinah /
cakränd vfsni paürnsyam / /„Diese haben die großen Gewässer, die
beiden Heerscharen (d. h. Himmel und Erde), die Sonne und gleichsam
die Keule (des Indra) hergestellt. Sie haben gliedweise don Vrtra durch¬
fahren und die herrenlosen Berge, indem sie eines Bullen Krafttat
vollführten".
1, 85, 10: ürdhvdrn nunudre ^vatdrn tä öjasä dädrhändrn cid bibhidur
vi pdrvalam / dhdmanto vändm marütah suddnavo made sömasya ränyäni
cakrire // ,,Sie stießen den Brunnen mit Kraft nach oben; sogar den
festen Fels spalteten sie. Ihre Musik blasend haben die freigebigen Marut
im Rausche des Soma erfreuliche Dinge verrichtet". Compare also
2, 34, 1 explained on p. 121 above.
Indra's release of waters and of cows is a feature of the myths of
(1) Pipru, (2) Arbuda, (3) Öusna and (4) Vala.
(1) In 10, 99, 11: asya stomebhir ausijd rjisvä vrajdm darayad vrsabherjAi
piproh / "With his hymns of praise Rjisvan Au§ija made the strong
(Indra) split the cowpen of Pipru (and release the cows)". Compare
10, 138, 3: drlhdni pipror dsurasya mäyina indro vy asyac cakrvd
rjisvanä jj "Being praised by Rjisvan, Indra hurled afar the fortresses
of the wily demon Pipru"; 6, 20, 7: vi pipror dhimäyasya drlhdh püro
vajrin chdvasä nd dardah j "As, O bearer of the Vajra, thou cleftest with
force the strong forts of Pipru, wily like the ahi". The word purah in
these verses like vraja in 10, 99, 11 refers to the rockcave in which the
^ In a footnote, Geldner explains that tho word vrajam denotes the cave
of Vala. This is wrong. Visnu appears as Indra's ally in the conquest of Vrtra,
not of Vala. This is the case with the Maruts also. Compare 4, 18, 11: utd
mätd mahis dmdnv avenad ami tvä jahati putra devdh j dthäbravid vrtrdm indro
hanisydnt sdkhe vlsno vitardrn vi kramasva jj ,,Und die Mutter blickte dem
Büffel nach: ,,mein Sohn, jene Götter lassen dich im Stich". Da sprach Indra,
im Begriff den Vrtra zu erschlagen: ,, Freund Visnu, schreite so weit als
möglich aus", and 8, 100, 12: sdkhe visno vitardm vi kramasva dydur dehi
lokärn vdjräya viakdbhej hdnäva vrtrdm rinäcäva sindhün indrasya yantu
prasavi visrstähjj ,, Freund Vi.?nu, schreite so weit als möglich aus! Himmel,
gib der Keule Raum, um auszuholon( ?)! Wir beide wollen den Vrtra er¬
schlagen und die Flüsse frei machen. Losgelassen sollen sie auf Indra's Geheiß dahinfließen."
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 125
cows were confined. We learn from 8, 32, 2: ydh sfbindam dnarsanim
piprum dasdm ahimvam j vddhid ugro rivdnn cpdh jj ("who (Indra),
powerful, slew Srbinda, Anarsani, Pipru, the däsa Aliisuva and impelled
the waters (to flow)") that Indra liberated the waters also that had been confined (like the cows) in the fortresses.
(2) Indra drove out the cows of Arbuda, it is said in 8, 3, 19: nir indra
brhatibhyo vrtrdm dhdnubhyo asphurah j nir drbudasya mfgayasya mäyino
nih pdrvatasya gd äjah jj which Geldner renders as ,,Du, Indra, stießest
den Vrtra von den hohen Qucllen( ?) fort. Des Arbuda, des Zauberers
Mrgaya, des Parvata Rinder triebst du heraus". The meaning of this
stanza is not certain; according to Säyana and Grassmann, mrgaya is
the name of a demon while Ludwig explains it as 'hunter', and like
Geldner, looks on parvata as a proper name. The words nih pdrvatasya
gd äjah in päda c however are like a paraphrase of the words üd usriyäh
pdrvatasya tmdnäjat in 10, 68, 7 addressed to Brhaspati. Geldner
renders this päda as 'or trieb in eigener Person die Kühe des Berges
heraus'. This seems to me to bc right, and I would therefore translate
our verse as, 'Indra, thou pushedest out Vrtra from the high springs;
thou drovest out from tho rock(-cave) the cows of Arbuda and the wily
Mrgaya".
In 10, 67, 12: indro mahna mahato arnavdsya vi mürdlidnam abhinad
arbuddsya j dhann dhim drinät saptd sindhün "By his might, Indra broke
the head of Arbuda, the great ocean (i.e., the great container of water);
he killed the ahi (i.e., Arbuda) and impelled the seven rivers to flow".'
(3) Indra's conquest of Susna and the release of the cows in his pos¬
session (i.e., confined by him in Iiis fortress) is referred to in 8, 96, 17:
tvdrn ha tydd apratimändm 6jo vdjrena vajrin dhrsitö jaghanthajtvdrn
süsnasydvä tiro vddhatrais tvdrn gd indra sdcyed avindah jj ,,Du hast da
jene Macht, die nicht ihresgleichen hatte, mit der Keule, du Keulen-
^ Indra's killing of Arbuda is referred to in 2, 11, 20 also which reads as
asyd suvändsya mandinas tritdsya ny drbudarn vävrdhänö astahj avartayat
süryo nd cahrdrn bhindd valdm indro dngirasvän jj and which Geldner
renders as ,, Gestärkt an diesem gepreßten, berauschenden (Soma) des Trita
hat er den Arbuda niedergestreckt. Wie die Sonne das Rad, ließ er (es)
rollen. Indra spaltete in Begleitung der Aiigiras den Vala." This inter¬
pretation of päda c (like that of Säyana) is not satisfactory. I therefore look on
the expression särj/o nd cakrdm as süryacakram na (cp. sindhur nd ksodah in
1, 66,10); na is equivalent to yathä so that päda c is equivalent to süryacakram yathä avartayat (tathä). It has to be construed with päda b or with d. In the former case, the meaning of the two pädas would be, 'he (Indra), waxing strong
from this exhilarating (Soma juice) pressed by Trita, struck down Arbuda
as he made the (chariot-)wheol of the sun to roll (i.e., made the sun move
in the sky)'. That is to say, Indra struck down Arbuda and placed the sun
in the sky.
126 A. Venkatasttbbiah
träger, kühn erschlagen. Du strecktest mit deinen Waffen die des Snsna
nieder; du machtest durch deine Geschicklichkeit die Kühe ausfindig,
Indra". 1, 51, 11: ugrö yayim nir apdh srötasä srjad vi süsnasya drrnhitä
airayat purah // ,,Der gewaltige (besteigt) den eilenden (Wagen), er ließ
die Gewässer in Strömen laufen. Er sprengte die festen Burgen des
Susna" refers to Indra's release of the waters after he shattered the
forts of Susna. Similarly it is said in 8, 40, 10: süsnasyändäni bhidati
jesat svarvatir apdh that Indra "'squashed the testicles of Su,sna and
won the waters with the sun (or light)". 10, 111, 5: indro divdh prati-
manarn prthivyd visva veda sdvanä hdnti susnam j mahtrn cid dydm
dtanot suryena caskumbha cit kdmbhanena skdbhiyän // refers to Indra's
slaying of Susna and his placing of the sun in heaven after he had
propped it. It is rendered by Geldner as: „Indra wiegt Himmel und
Erde auf; er kennt die Somaopfer; er erschlägt den Susna. Den großen
Himmel hat er mit der Sonne durchzogen und ihn mit der Stütze gestützt,
der beste Stützer".
(4) The release of cows and of waters (rivers) by Indra, Brhaspati
and the Ahgirases, or one or more of these three, after splitting open the
cave of Vala by means of a spell of truth is mentioned in many RV
verses. They have been explained by me in the article entitled The Act
of Truth in the Rgveda published in the J (ournal of) O(riental) Ä(esearch),
1940, XIV pp! 151—165, 211—236. I shall therefore cite here two
passages only:
The first passage consists of w. 1, 2 of hymn 5, 45 which is addressed
to the Visvedevas and reads as vidd divo visydnn ddrim ukthair äyatyä
usdso arcino guh / dpävrta vrajinir üt svär gäd vi düro mdnusir devä
ävah II vi suryo amdtirn nd sriyam säd örvdd gdvärn mätd jänatt gät / dhdn-
varijoso nadyäh. khado-arrmh sthüneva sümitä drrnhata dyaüh //. It is the
opinion of Säyana (and Ludwig) that these verses refer to the Vala
myth. LtjDERS (p. 326) admits that this opinion could be right; but he
is loth to agree with Säyana chiefly because the cows (which play an
important role in the Vala myth) are not, according to his thinking,
mentioned in these verses. The word vrajinih is regarded by him as an
epithet of dvärah understood, and he translated it as 'die Tore des
Pferches (the doors of the cow pen)'. But the first thing that one associates
with the word vrajinib' 'having a cowpen' are cows; and one should
hence understand the word gäh after it (as does Grassmann; see his
Wört., s. v.). The meaning of the verses is: "Thou, Indra, diseoveredest
the rock(-cave) of heaven, unloosing it (i.e., splitting it open) with
hymns. The splendours of the approaching Dawn came forth. He opened
(set free) those (viz. cows, etc.) that were in the cowpen; the sun rose
and the god opened the doors of men. The sun spread glory as (i.e., in the
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 127
form of) light; the mother of cows (i.e., Usas) came out from the cave
of the cows, knowing; the rivers, with destroying currents overflowing
the banks (sped forth); the sky became stable like a post that is set up
well fixed".
The second passage consists of the three following stanzas (vv. 4—6)
of 1, 62 the first nine verses of which refer to the Vala myth : sd sustübhä
sd stubhd saptd vipraih svarinddrim svaryb ndvagvaih j saraij.yiibhih phali-
gdm indra sakra valdm rdvevM darayo ddsagvaih jj grtjänö dngirobhir
dasma vi var usdsä suryena gobhir dndhah j vi bhumyä aprathaya indra
sdnu divö rdja uparam astabhayah jj tdduprdyaksatamam asya karma
dasmdsya cdrutamam asti ddmsah j upahvarl ydd üparä dpinvan mddhvar-
Vaso nadyas cdtasrah jj. LiJDERS renders them as follows (p. 518, 536,
336): „Du brachst (im Bunde) mit der laut jauchzenden (Schar, mit)
den sieben Sängern, mit der Stimme laut rufend den Felsen auf zu¬
sammen mit den Navagvas, mit den Saranyus( ?) den Behälter, du
starker Indra, den Vala mit Gebrüll (zusammen) mit den Dasagvas.
Von den Ahgiras gepriesen hast du, Wundertäter, mit der Morgenröte,
mit der Sonne, mit den Kühen das Dunkel erschlossen ; der Erde Rücken
hast du, Indra, ausgebreitet, den Raum des Himmels (und) den unteren
hast du befestigt. Das ist seine hervorragendste Tat, des Wundertäters
schönstes Wunderwerk, daß er in der Höhlung die vier darunter befind¬
lichen metflutenden Flüsse schwellen maehte".
It is said in these two passages that Indra, after he split open the cave
of Vala, released the cows and rivers that were therein, removed darkness
and made the sim and Usas shine, and extended and propped up earth
and heaven. These are the results of the overthrow of Vrtra also. The
two myths are thus similiar in respect of their consequences. They aro
however different in some other respects. The allies of Indra in his con¬
quest of Vrtra were Vi^nu and the Maruts while his allies in the overthrow
of Vala were Brhaspati and the Ahgirases. Again, in the case of Vrtra,
Indra fought with and killed him with the Vajra while he overthrew
Vala by means of a spell of truth. Moreover, the RV poets describe that
Indra fought with Vrtra and slew him in the very moment in which
he (Indra) was born, but no such statement is made in connection with
the overthrow of Vala.
It can be seen that Indra's release of waters and cows is a feature
that is common not only to the myths of Vrtra and Vala but to those of
Pipru, Arbuda and Susna also. If, as is opined by Lüders, the release of
cows described in the Vrtra myth is borrowed from that of Vala, and
the release of waters (rivers) featured in the Vala myth borrowed from
that of Vrtra, it would follow that, in the myths of Pipru, Arbuda and
Su^a, one or other of these two releases is unoriginal and borrowed.
128 A. Venkatasubbiah
This is a proposition that ono finds hard to accept. On the other hand,
it seems to me that the mention of the release of cows and waters in
all the above myths follows a conventional pattern and that there is no
borrowing in any of these myths. The 'winning' of the sun and Usas and
the extension and propping up of earth and heaven too seem to form
part of the conventional description. They are mentioned in full in
connection with the overthrow of Vrtra and Vala ; in the myth of Susna
too we find them mentioned (see p. 126 above) but less fully, and, as
mentioned on p. 125 it is possible that there is brief reference to them
in the myth of Arbuda.
As already observed above, it is the opinion of Lüdees that the Vala
myth, in the form presented to us by the RV poets, is the same as the
Vrtra myth worked over by priests. The great warrior Indra, who smites
Vrtra with the Vajra and slays him, observes Lüdees (p. 531), is re¬
presented in the Vala myth as overthrowing Vala by the instrumentality
of rta or hymn, an instrument that is appropriate enough in the case
of priests, but wholly out of place in connection with a warrior. Lüdees
also observes (p. 528) that the opening of the cave of Vala is sometimes
ascribed to Indra, sometimes to Brhaspati, to the Ahgirases, to the
Ahgirases conjointly with Indra or Brhaspati; and he also points out
that when the openers are Indra and the Ahgirases jointly, the latter
are in some verses represented as principals and Indra as auxiliary
(Statist), while in other verses Indra is represented as principal and the
Ahgirases as auxiliary. And all this, opmes Lüdees (p. 531), seems to
show that Indra's connection with the Vala myth is not original.
It must be pointed out however that the term 'auxiliary (Statist)' is
not the right word to denote the relation between Indra and the Ahgi¬
rases in the Vala myth. Indra is called angirastama 'best of the Ahgirases
in 1, 100, 4: so dngirobhir dngirastamo bhüd ... marütvän no bhavatv
indra ütt and 1, 130, 3: vrajdm vajrt gdväm iva simsann dngirastamah /
dpavrrbod isa indrah pdrivrtä dvdra isah pdrivrtah jj and as such takes
part in the overthrow of Vala.
The epithet angirastama is applied to Agni also in 1, 31, 2: tvdrn ague
prathamo dngirastamah; 1, 75, 2: dthä te angirastamdgne vedhastama
priydm; 8, 43, 18: tubhyarn tä angirastama and other verses; and he is
called angiras in more than fifteen verses (aee Geassmann s. v.). In
1, 67, 5: ajo nd ksdm dädhdra prthivtrn tastdmbha dydm mdntrebhih
satyaih j Agni is said to have held up the earth like Brahmä (the creator)
and to have made fast the sky by means of spells of truth ; and similiarly
it is said in 5, 1, 7: agnim hötäram ilate ndmobhih j d yds tatdna rödasi
ftina "they invoke with hymns Agni the hotr who extended the two
worlds (heaven and earth) with a (spell of) truth". In 10, 156, 3—4:
TAFEL I, 1
TAFEL II, 2
TAFEL II, 3
TAFEL III, ll
TAFEL III, 2
i-N(n4IO (0 NOO)
NN NN N N N N N
TAFEL III, g
TAFEL III, 4
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 129
dgne sthUrdm rayim hhara prthtim gömantam aivinam / angdhi khdrn
vartdya panim jj dgne ndlcsatram ajdram d suryam rohayo divi / dddhaj
jydtir jdnebhyah jj it is said: "0 Agni, bring us profuse massive wealth
containing cows and horses; oil the nave and make the Pani roll. Agni,
thou hast caused the sun, unaging luminary, to rise in the sky, giving
light to people" ; and in 6, 60, 2 addressed to Indra and Agni : td yodhistam
abhi gd indra nündm apdh svär usdso agna ülhdh j disah svär usdsa indra
citrd apö gd ague yuvase niyütvä jj it is said: "0 Indra and Agni, you
two have fought for the cows, waters, sun and Dawn that had been
carried (away); O Indra, thou givest the quarters (i.e., dispellest dark¬
ness), the sun, the beautiful Dawn, the waters and cows, O Agni, that
drivest with a team". The reference in all these verses is to the overthrow of Vala.
The epithet angirastama is applied to U^as also in 7, 75, 1: dngiras-
tamä pathya ajigah and 7, 79, 3: vi divö devi duhitd dadhäty dngirastamä
sukfte vdsüni. In 7, 79, 4: vi drlhdsya düro ddrer auryah it is said "thou
(U§as) hast opened the doors of the solid rock(-cave)" and in 1, 92, 4:
jydtir visvasmai bhüvanäya krnvati gdvo na vrajdm vy iisd ävar tdmah jj
it is said: "Making light for all the world, Usas has uncovered darkness as (also) the pen of the cows". In 7, 75, 7: satyd satyebhir mahati mahdd-
bhir devt devebhir yajatd ydjatraih j rujdd drlhdni dddad usriyä^äm
prdti gdva usdsam vävasanta jj it is said: "The utterer of spells of truth,
the great divine worshipful (Usas), with (Ahgirases) utterers of (spells
of) truth, great, divine, worshipful, shattered the solid (fortresses,
i.e. rock-cave) and gave the cows. The cows lowed towards Usas". All
these verses refer to the Vala myth.
The Aävins too are called angiras in 1, 112, 18: ydbhir angiro mdnasä
niranydthö 'grarn gdcchatho vivari gö-arriMsah j ydbhir mdnurn suram isd
samdvatam tdbhir ü sü ütibhir asvind gatam jj "0 Asvins, 0 Ahgiras,
come to us with the aids with which, you, by means of a hymn, have
cleft( ?) the (rock-cave) and have gone in the van to the rock(cave)
of (i.e., holding) the mass of cows, (and) helped the valiant Manu with
food". The vocative singular, angirah is used in päda a instead of the
dual, manasä = with a hymn. The meaning of ni ra^yathah is not certain,
but the context seems to indicate that it means 'cleave'. As observed
by Säyana, this verse refers to the Vala myth. Compare also 8, 5, 21:
utd no divyd isa utd sindhur aharvidä j dpa dvdreva varsathah jj which
Lüdees renders as, „Und schließt uns die himmlischen Labtmgen und
die Ströme wie Tore auf, ihr Tagekundigen", iva 'as' has the sense of
'just as' and is equivalent to yathä. As observed by Lüders (p. 149),
the rivers (sindhu) are those of heaven. The doors are those of the rock-
cave in which were confined the rivers. Compare 1, 130, 3: dpävrv^d
fl ZDMG 115/1
130 A. Venkatasubbiah
\
isa indrah pdrivrtä dvdra isah pdrivrtäh; the isah of this verse are the
same as the divyä isah of our verse (8, 5, 21)'. The epithet aharvidä^ is
understood as 'knowing the day' by Lüders and Geldner also. Säyana
however, it is interesting to note, explains it as ahno lambhayitärau yad
vä ahni prahhata-samaye veditavyau stotavyau. With his explanation here
one should compare ahah vividuh in päda d of 1, 71, 2: vilu cid drlhä,
pitdrona ukthair ddrim dngiraso rdvena / cakrür divö brhatö gätüm asmi
dhah svär vividuh ketüm usrdh / which Lüders renders as „Die starken
Felsen haben unsere Väter mit Lobliedern, den Felsen die Aiigiras mit
Brüllen erbrochen ; sie haben uns den Weg zum hohen Himmel gebahnt,
sie haben den Tag, die Sonne, das Wahrzeichen der Morgenröte ge¬
funden". Säyana explains vividuh as ajänan labdhavanto vä. The second
expiation labdhavantah seems to me preferable, and I would translate
päda d as 'they won the day, the sun, and the banner of the Dawms".
Simarlaly I would translate 8, ,5, 21 as "And, 0 Aävins that win the day,
you open (and make available) for us the divine foods and rivers, as
(also) the doors (of the rock-cave)".
In 1, 156, 4: tdm asya rdjä vdrunas tdm asvinä krdturn, sacanta mdru-
tasya vedhdsah / dädhdra ddksam uttamdm aharvidarn, vrajdrp, ca visnuh
sdkhiva apornuti. Geldner renders pädas c d as „Er besitzt höchsten
Verstand, der den richtigen Tag ausfindig macht, wenn Visnu in Bo¬
gleitung des Freundes den Rinderpfereh aufschließt", making Varuna
(er) the subject of dädhära. This is wrong, and so is Säyana's explanation
of aharvidam as svargopapädakam. The meaning "winning the day"
suits the context well here, and I would hence translate the distich as
"Visnu has put on (i.e., mustered) strength (ability) that wins the day,
and with his friends opens the cowpen". The expression "to win the day"
means 'to cause distinction to be made between day and night by making
the day bright with the sun and the night dark'; ep. 10, 68, 11: abhi
syävdm nd kfsanebhir dsvarn ndksatrebhih pitdro dydm apimsan / rdtryärn
tdmo ddadhur jyötir dhan bfhaspdtir bhindd ddrirn viddd gdh jj „Die Väter
schmückten den Himmel mit den Gestirnen aus wie einen Rappen mit
Perlen. Die Finsternis verlegten sie auf die Nacht, auf den Tag das
Licht. Brhaspati spaltete den Fels, er hat die Kühe gefunden".
Brhaspati too is called angiras in 2, 23, 18: tava sriye vy äjihita pdrvato
gdvärn gotrdm ud dsrjo yäd angirah / indrena yujd tdmasä pärivrtam
^ The word aharvid occurs in two other verses only of the RV. In 1, 2, 2:
vdya ukthibhir jarante tväm äcchä jaritärähj sutäsomä aharvidah, Säyana
explains aharvidah as ahar- sabda ekenähnä nispädye 'gnisfoniädi- kratau
vaidika- vyavahärena prasiddhah rtv-ahhijnä iti arthah Skandasvämin's is
similar to that of Säyana; Venkata- Mädhava explains the word as lab-
dhäharmukhäh and Geldner as "der Zeit kundig". All these explanations seem to be on the right line.
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 131
bfhispate nir apdm aubjo arnavdm // „Dir zu Ehren tat sich der Berg auf,
als du Ahgirase die Rinderherde herausließest. Mit Indra im Bimde hast
du die vom Dunkel umschlossene Flut der Gewässer frei gemacht, o
Brhaspati".
Geldneb observes in bis note on this verse that pädas c d refer to the
Vrtra myth. He believes apparently that the release of the waters
(rivers) was not a feature of the Vala myth. Such belief however is
erroneous. Compare 6, 73, 3: hfhaspdtih sdni ajayad vdsüni mahö vrajdn
gomato devä esdh j apdh sisäsan svär dpratito bfhaspdtir hdnty amitram
arkaih // ,, Brhaspati erbeutete die Schätze insgesamt, dieser Gott die
großen Rinderherden. Wenn er willens ist, die Gewässer, das Himmels-
lieht zu gewinnen, ist Brhaspati unwiderstehlich; er erschlägt mit seinen
Gesängen den Feind". The two distiehs of this verse which is concerned
with the Vala myth (this is shown clearly by the mention of arka,
hymn i.e., spell of truth as the instrument for destroying the enemy)
refer respectively to the release of the cows and of waters. Cp. also
2, 24, 14: brdhmariaspdter abhavad yathävasdm satyö manyür mdhi kärmä
karisyatdh / yö gd uddjad sd divi vi cäbhajan mahtva ritih sdvasäsarat
pfthak 11 "The spell of truth of Brahmanaspati who was about to perform
a great feat acted as desired ; he who drove forth the cows gave them to
(the sons of) heaven (i.e., to the Ahgirases) ; (the herd of cows) as (also)
the mighty current moved forward impetuously with strong force".
satyo manyuh denotes 'spell of truth' (see JOR XIV p. 219); and thus
--this verse too refers to the myth of Vala. iva in päda c = yathä; it is in
effect equivalent to ca.
The epithet ängirasa 'son or descendent of Angiras', too, is applied to
Brhaspati in five verses (see Gkassmann s. v.) ; and it is said that he, in
association with the Ahgirases, cleft tho rock-cave of Vala and released
the cows in 10, 67, 3: harnsair iva säkhibhir vdvadadbhir asmanmdyäni
ndhanä vyäsyan j bfhaspdtir abhikdnikradad gd utd prdstaud üc ca vidvd
agäyat jj ,,Mit den Freunden, die wie die Gänse schrieen, die steinernen
Bänder sprengend hat Brhaspati den Kühen zugebrüllt, den Ton an¬
gestimmt und laut gesungen als Kundiger" and in 10, 67, 8: t& satyena
mdnasä göpatirn gd iyändsa isanayanta dhibhih / bfhaspdtir mithö-
avadyapebhir üd usriyä asrjata svayügbhih jj "Desiring cows by means
of a spell of truth, they shattered the watcher of cows with spells. With
his companions who warded off blame from one another, Brhaspati
delivered the cows". The expressions hamsair iva sakhibhir vävadadbhih
and mit/io-avadyapebhik refer to the Ahgirases.
In the above-cited verses, Brhaspati and U^as are associated with
the Angirases in the opening of the cave of Vala because they too are
Ahgirases, i.e., are included in the group of Ahgirases. This is the case
»•
132 A. Venkatasubbiah
with Indra also; he is mentioned with the Angirases in this connection
because he too is Ahgiras. Hence it is not right to say that this association
is a trait borrowed from the Vrtra myth.' Similarly, it is not right to say
that the use of the expression somasya made ('in the exhilaration caused
by Soma') in 2,17,1 (cited on p. 120 above) which refers to the Vala myth
is borrowed from the Vrtra myth. The use of this expression (or similar
expression) too seems to be conventional. Compare for instance 1, 52, 10:
vrtrdsya ydd hadhadhandsya rodasi made sutdsya sdvasä 'bhinac chirah
('when thou, Indra cuttest off with might the head of Vrtra who was
causing distress to the two worlds') 8, 14, 7: vy äntdriksarn atiran made
somasya rocana / indro ydd dbhinad valdm ('in the exhilaration caused
by Soma, Indra extended the middle world (antariksa) and the worlds
when he pierced Vala'): 2, 11, 20 asyd suvändsya mandinas tritdsya ny
drbudarn vävrdhänö astah / ('growing strong from this exhilarating (Soma)
pressed by Trita, he (Indra), struck down Arbuda'): 6, 43, 1: ydsya
tydc chdmbaram made divodäsäya randhdyah / aydrn sd söma indra te
sutdh piba // ('Indra, here is pressed for you the Soma in the exhilaration
caused by which (juice) thou sujugatedest Sambara for Divodäsa;
drink of it'): 5, 29, 11 ärandhayo vaidathindya piprum / d tvdrn rjisvä
sakhydya cakre pdcan paktir dpibah sömam asya // ('thou subjugatedest
Pipru for Vaidathina; Rjiävan has called for thy friendship, cooking
cookies; thou hast drunk of his Soma'); 2, 15, 9: svdpnenäbhyüpyä
cumurirn dhünirn ca jaghdntha ddsyum prd dabhitim ävah / rambht cid dtra
vivide hirai}.yarn sömasya td mdda indras cakära // ('Putting Cumuri and
Dhuni into sleep (that knows no awakening), thou hast slain the dasyu (and)
protected Dabhiti. Even the holder of the stick won gold then; Indra
performed (all) these (feats) in the exhilaration caused by Soma'). These
verses refer to the overthrow of Vrtra, Vala, Arbuda, Sambara, Pipru,
and Cumuri and Dhuni respectively ; and it is said in them that Indra
overthrew these enemies 'in the exhilaration caused by Soma' Compare
also 2, 15, 2—9 each of which verses has the refrain sömasya td mdda
indras cakära 'Indra performed these feats in the exhilaration caused
by Soma'. One of these verses (v. 9) has been cited above; the others
refer to Indra's release of the rivers after piercing the cave holding them
in confinement, to his smashing the chariot of Usas, to his making the
waters of the rivers stand still and helping his proteges to cross them, etc.
The use therefore of the expression somasya made in 2, 17, 1 is con¬
ventional and it should not be inferred therefore that it is borrowed
from the Vrtra myth.
* I do not know any passage which represents Agni or the Asvins aa
associated with Indra, Brhaspati or the AAgirases in the overthrow of Vala.
On Indra's Winning of Cows and Waters 133
It thus becomes clear from the foregoing that the mention of Indra's
release (or winning) of waters and cows when he overthrew Vrtra, Vala,
Pipru, Arbuda and Susna is, in all probability, conventional, and that the
mention of cows and waters in the myths of Vrtra and Vala is not due
to borrowing from either myth. It also becomes clear that the RV poets
are following a convention when they describe that Indra performed his
exploits 'in the exhilaration caused by Soma'.
As we have seen above (p. 121) 1, 32, 12: djayo gd djayah süra sömam
dväsrjah sdrtave saptd sindhün 11 speaks of Indra winning the cows and
Soma and releasing the rivers. The Soma mentioned here is the heavenly
Soma; the rivers too are the heavenly rivers and the cows too must
therefore be heavenly ones. The waters and milk that are added to the
earthly Soma (these waters are called rivers, nadyah in 9, 107, 13; 33,12;
68, 6 and other verses, and sindhavah in 9, 96, 14; 86, 12; 66, 13 and
other verses; see Lüdees o.e. p. 253 f.; this milk is called go in in¬
numerable verses in Mandala 9) make this Soma the exact counterpart
of the heavenly Soma. It is the opinion of Lüdees (see p. 116 o. c.)
that the heavenly cows are the same as the rivers of heaven. If this be
so, the mention of cows in 1,32, 12a would be redundant, as the next päda
dväsrjah sdrtave saptd sindhün, speaks of the release of the (heavenly)
rivers. Again, the milk (gavah) and the waters (sindhavah, nadyah) that
are associated with the earthly Soma are two quite different things
which indicates that this is the case with the gävah and nadyah associated
with the heavenly Soma also. It therefore becomes plain that heavenly
cows are not identical with the heavenly rivers but are something
different.
A Newly-discovered Contact between Arthasästra
and Dharmasastra : the Role of Bharucin
J. Duncan M. Deeeett, London
When the late Professor T. R. Chintämani introduced to the world'
the work of Rju-vimala, alias Bharucin, the long-lost ancient commen¬
tator upon the Manu-smrti, he made it possible to do far more than he
himself, with a cursory survey, was able to visualise. At the kind sug¬
gestion of Professor (then Dr.) V. Raghavan the present writer acquired
from the manuscript library at the University of Travancore, Trivan-
drum, a devanägari copy of the old, damaged, copy of Bhärucin's
Manusästra-vivarana {alias 'the Vivarana'), written in the Malayälam
script, and, after some delays, has been able to commence the task of
transcribmg and translating it.'"* The copy commences with the last
sections of Book VI. A perusal of Book VII was hardly commenced when
it became obvious that Bhärucin was making considerable use of Kau-
tilya's Arthasästra, though it was not clear whether he used any particular
commentary thereupon, and though he did not refer to that work or to
its author by name. Citations of the artha-äästra, as such, in dharma-
öästra works are extremely rare. The two sästras stand for different
approaches to the problems of self-government and society, and we are
familiar with the rule that in the case of conflict between them (which is
envisaged as a matter of course) the dharma-sästra must prevail.^ The
citation of the Arthasästra of Kautilya in Varadaräja's digest is indeed
remarkable.^
However, it has been evident for long that the Manu-smrti, which
owes a great deal of its popularity and importance to its attempt to
cover all aspects of religious and civil law and politics exhaustively and
' BMruci, a new commentator on Manusmrti, Proceedings and Transactions
of the Twelfth All-India Oriental Conference (1943—4), vol. 2, Benares, 1946,
pp. 352—60. The coimection between Medhätithi and Bhärucin is proposed
at pp. 357 ff.
The text with translation, introduction and notes, is to be published by
the (Centre du sud-est asiatique. University of Brussels.
2 Yäjfiavalkya-smrti, IL 21. The relationship between the äästras is still
a matter for debate. The view of K. V. RaStgaswämi AiYAifoÄa seems to
the present writer to be correct. It is expressed passim in his works : see, e. g.
Rajadharma, Adyar, 1941, 13, 82—3, 93—3, 132—4; Indian Cameralism,
Adyar, 1949, 46—52. See Brhaspati-smrti, vyav. I, 113; Kane (cit. inf.). Ill, 9-10, 868.
' Vyavahära-nirnaya, ed. K. V. R. AiyaStgäe and A. N. K^iisH^rA AiVAir-
GÄB, Adyar, 1942, 284^5 (cf. Kaut. 3. 14, 29—31, Kä^tgle's odn., p. 120).