Manasataramgini

The lesson of arjuna
Posted on March 5, 2013 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI
The third paNDava, as an impetuous warrior, the embodiment of the great indra on earth gave a
powerful lesson to his brother yudhiShThira when urged by his wife yAj~nasenI. The pith of this
lesson is truly one for the kali age, especially the situation in which the rAShTra that founded by
the kuru and the pA~nchAla finds itself in, ruled by duShTa-s, taskara-s and kulu~ncha-s who
are but frontmen of barbarous mlechCha-s. Indeed, it is quite likely that a nation that forgets the
essence of this lesson of the embodiment of indra, instead perpetually follows the false teachings
of the muNDaka who was proclaimed to be a mahAtman by the uneducated, might fail to exist in
the future.
We present the core of that teaching here:

nAchChittvA para-marmANi nAkRîtvA karma dAruNam |
nAhatvA matsyaghAtIva prApnoti mahatIM shriyam ||
Without piercing the weak points [Footnote 1] of enemies, without performing ruthless acts,
without [slaying foes] with the ruthlessness of a fisherman (slaying fish), no person can obtain
great prosperity.
nAghnataH kIrtir astIha na vittaM na punaH prajAH |

indro vRîtravadhenaiva mahendraH samapadyata ||
Without slaughter, no man has been able to achieve fame in this world or conquer wealth or
subjects. Verily indra became the great indra (mahendra) by slaughtering vRîtra.
ya eva devA hantAras tAMl loko .archayate bhRîsham |

hantA rudras tathA skandaH shakro .agnir varuNo yamaH ||
Those amongst the gods who are slayers are more extensively worshiped in the world. The gods
rudra, skanda, shakra, agni, varuNa and yama are all slayers.
hantA kAlas tathA vAyur mRîtyur vaishravaNo raviH |

vasavo marutaH sAdhyA vishvedevAsh cha bhArata ||
kAla, vAyu, mRîtyu and kubera, ravi, the vasu-s, the marut-s, the sAdhya-s, and the
vishvedeva-s, O bhArata, are all slayers.
etAn devAn namasyanti pratApa-praNatA janAH |

na brahmANaM na dhAtAraM na pUShANaM kathaM chana ||
Laid low by the prowess of the above gods, all people pay obeisance to them, but not all time to
brahmA or dhAtRî or puShaN.
madhyasthAn sarvabhUteShu dAntA~n shamaparAyaNAn |

yajante mAnavAH ke chit prashAntAH sarvakarmasu ||
Only a few men that are pacific disposition worship in their rituals those gods that are equally
disposed towards all creatures and that are pacific and peaceful.
na hi pashyAmi jIvantaM loke kaM chid ahiMsayA |
sattvaiH sattvAni jIvanti durbalair balavattarAH ||
I do not see an organism in this world that lives without doing any harm to others. Organisms
live upon other organisms, the stronger upon the weaker [Footnote 2].
nakulo mUShakAn atti biDAlo nakulaM tathA |

biDAlam atti shvA rAja~n shvAnaM vyAlamRîgas tathA ||
The mongoose eats the mouse; the cat the mongoose; the dog eats the cat; O king the dog is then
[consumed] by the cheetah .
tAn atti puruShaH sarvAn pashya dharmo yathAgataH |

prANasyAnnam idaM sarvaM ja~NgamaM sthAvaraM cha yat ||
All of these are eaten by man , behold [this] dharma [i.e. yama] which comes for all. All that is
mobile and immobile are food for [the continuation] of prANa [Footnote 3].
vidhAnaM deva-vihitaM tatra vidvAn na muhyati |

yathA sRîShTo .asi rAjendra tathA bhavitum arhasi ||
This process is the way of the gods; hence, the learned man is never mystified by it. It is
becoming you, O lord of the kings, to accept the very nature of your origins.
vinIta krodha harShA hi mandA vanam upAshritAH |

vinA vadhaM na kurvanti tApasAH prANayApanam ||
Giving up anger and pleasure [it is] the slow-witted [who] take refuge in the woods. [Because]
even the performers of austerities cannot support their lives without carrying out slaughter.
udake bahavaH prANAH pRîthivyAM cha phaleShu cha |

na cha kash chin na tAn hanti kim anyat prANayApanAt ||
In water, on earth, and in fruits, there are numerous living forms. It is not possible that one does
not slaughter them how could one support one’s life else?
sUkShma-yonIni bhUtAni tarka-gamyAni kAni chit |

pakShmaNo .api nipAtena yeShAM syAt skandhaparyayaH || Mbh 12.15.14-12.15.26
There microscopic germ-like organisms whose existence can only be inferred by logic. At the
wink of an eyelid whole multitude of such microscopic organisms are destroyed [Footnote 4].
What arjuna does is to present this basic biological logical to this brother and explain that there
can be no existence of one life form without injury to another. Hence, arguments for absolute
ahiMsa are illogical. It is in this regard he taught a famous principle that was willfully distorted
to emasculate the Hindus in modern times:
lokayAtrArtham eveha dharma-pravachanaM kRîtam |

ahiMsA sAdhuhiMseti shreyAn dharma-parigrahaH ||
The dharma has been taught only for the appropriate maintenance of ways of the world. Between
nonviolence (ahiMsa) and violence guided by proper motives (sadhuhiMsa), the superior action
is that by which dharma is maintained.
nAtyanta guNavAn kash chin na chApy atyanta nirguNaH |
ubhayaM sarva-kAryeShu dRîshyate sAdhv asAdhu cha || Mbh 12.15.49-50
There is no act that is entirely meritorious, nor any that is entirely wrong. In all acts, something
of both, right and wrong, is [always] seen.
It is with this background arjuna urges the placing yudhiShThira to pursue the path of daNDanIti
that said to have been taught in the world of men by the bhRîgu ushanA kAvya.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Footnote 1: In the Hindu martial tradition marman-s are special “junction” points where a
warrior strikes to instantly disable or kill the opponent. The tradition of these marman-s and
striking them survives today only the south Indian martial tradition from the Tamil and chera
countries. What arjuna is talking about here is striking these marman points of enemies in battle.
Footnote 2: All students of biology know this to be a truism – perhaps even an inherent to life, as
the pANDu clarifies in this shloka.
Footnote 3: Here the pANDava is describing the food chain and the fact that flow of prANa is
the consumption of food by all – death is the dharma of life were every organism ends up as food
for another.
Footnote 4: Here arjuna is encapsulating a very important facet of early Hindu knowledge i.e.
that of microbial life. Even though they could not be seen, the early Hindus had inferred their
occurrence by reasoning based on fermentation and postulated that the whole earth, water and
plants are covered by these microbial life forms. We regard this a major scientific inference of
our early tradition. This knowledge, which the nirgrantha-s inherited from their predecessors,
combined with obsession for ahiMsa of their founder led to their numerous practices to avoid
killing microscopic life.
the future.

great prosperity.














::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
for another.
the future.

great prosperity.













::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
for another.
A note on the pantheon of the Indian Saura tradition
Posted on August 12, 2015 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI
The Indian Saura-mata (or the Hindu sect of the Sun) is an amalgam of two distinct layers
[Footnote 1]: 1) The endogenous layer of solar deities going back to the Veda and 2) the neo-
morphic layer of Iranic origin which was transferred to India as as a result of contact with
Zoroastrians and to an extant non-Zoroastrian Iranians from a period spanning the beginning of
the common era to the around the 6th-7th centuries of the common era. While primarily an āstika
tradition, the later period the nāstika traditions of the Bauddha-s and to some degree the Jaina-s
also developed reflexes of the Saura system. Among Bauddha-s, the earlier manifestation
crystallized around the goddess Marīcī whose roots as a warrior goddess lay in the Saura
pantheon. In the later phase, the high-point of the Vajrayāna tradition, in the form of Kālacakra
also incorporated several Saura elements.
The Veda, like other Indo-European traditions, preserves a strong element of worship of solar
deities. It should be stressed that the solar deities are not necessarily the sun: they are associated
with solar characteristics. This means they are inspired by the experience of the sun but go
beyond the sun and are more general in their manifestations encompassing the stars, the laws of
cyclicity and invariance, and light and darkness. While one could say that all Vedic deities
simultaneously have a solar character, the most prominent among them are the Ādityas who were
to play a major role in the Indian Saura-mata:
In the most ancient layers of the Veda six (or perhaps seven) of them are named together as a
group:
imā gira ādityebhyo ghṛtasnūḥ sanād rājabhyo juhvā juhomi |
śṛṇotu mitro aryamā bhago nas tuvijāto varuṇo dakṣo aṃśaḥ ||RV 2.27.01
imās= these [feminine accusative plural]; gira= invocations [feminine accusative plural];
ādityebhyo= for the Āditya-s; ghṛtasnūḥ= dripping with ghee [feminine accusative plural];
sanāt= always; rājabhyo= for the royal; juhvā= with the juhū ladle; juhomi= I offer; śṛṇotu =
each one hears; mitraḥ; aryaman; bhagaḥ; nas= us; tuvijātaḥ= widely manifest favor; varuṇaḥ;
aṃśaḥ.
Before we render a translation we should note three points: 1) juhū ladle: The scholiast Sāyaṇa
explains that as the invocations are said to be dripping with ghee, it should be understood
metaphorically, with the juhū standing for the tongue that composes the said invocation. 2)
While a plurality of Āditya-s are named the imperative class-5 verb śṛṇotu is in the singular.
Sāyaṇa explains that it implies that each one of the Āditya-s starting from Mitra are called to
hear the invocation [as per Sāyaṇa: naḥ śṛṇotu -> asmadīyāstā giro mitrādayaḥ pratyekaṃ
śṛṇotu] – it should be noted in this context that they are not named as a compound or with an
enclitic ‘ca’ but simply as a list. 3) While the names of the 6 Āditya-s are plain in this mantra, the
word tuvijātaḥ is traditionally taken as an adjective for Varuṇa. Indeed, it is a fairly common
adjective in the Ṛgveda for Mitra and Varuṇa, and more generally the Āditya-s as also for Indra,
Bṛhaspati and Agni. Sāyaṇa explains the word as one who widely manifests his favor to many
nations. Going against the grain we suggest that it is possible that tuvijātaḥ here is another
Āditya, i.e. Vivasvān.
Hence we have:
With the juhū ladle [which is my tongue], I perpetually offer to the royal Āditya-s these ghee-
dripping invocations. May each one of them, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, the one with widely
manifesting favor [or Vivasvān], Varuṇa, Dakṣa and Aṃśa, hear us!
The reason why the list of 7 is a possibility is because elsewhere in the Ṛgveda the number of
Āditya-s is stated as 8 (RV 10.72), with 7 being the immortal gods and the 8th being the dead-
egg Mārtāṇḍa from which the rest of the universe was fashioned. A similar tale is elaborated in
the brāhmaṇa sections of Taittirīya Saṃhitā 6.5.6 and Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa 1.1.9 in the context of
the brahmaudana ritual (rice offering to the goddess Aditi). The still-born Āditya Mārtāṇḍa
might have had old Indo-European antecedents as suggested by the dead solar deity Baldr in the
northern Germanic tradition. Moreover, the Āditya-s are recorded as numbering 8 even in the
Taittirīya Āraṇyaka 2.10.7. However, there Mārtāṇḍa is replaced by Indra and Dakṣa by his
ectype Dhātṛ. Thus the list runs as: Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Vivasvān, Dhātṛ, Aṃśu and
Indra.
In the late Vedic period we also have statements that give the number of Āditya-s is given as 12:
sa manasaiva vācam mithunaṃ samabhavat | sa dvādaśa drapsān garbhy abhavat | te

dvādaśādityā asṛjyanta | tān divy upādadhāt || Śatapatha Brāḥmaṇa 6.1.2.8
By his mind he [god Prajāpati] came into copulation with speech; he became pregnant with
twelve drops; they were emitted as 12 Āditya-s; he placed them in the sky.
By the epic period the 12 Āditya-s are specifically named as Mitra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Bhaga,
Vivasvān, Dhātṛ[or Dakṣa], Aṃśa, Puṣan, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Indra and Viṣṇu.
e.g. the Mahābhārata has:
adityāṃ dvādaśādityāḥ saṃbhūtā bhuvaneśvarāḥ |
ye rājan nāmatas tāṃs te kīrtayiṣyāmi bhārata ||
dhātā mitro ‘ryamā śakro varuṇaś cāṃśa eva ca |
bhago vivasvān pūṣā ca savitā daśamas tathā ||
ekādaśas tathā tvaṣṭā viṣṇur dvādaśa ucyate | 1.59.14-16a (“Critical”)
From Aditi were generated 12 Āditya-s, the lords of the universe, whose names, O king, I shall
narrate:
Dhātṛ, Mitra, Aryaman, Śakra (i.e. Indra), Varuṇa, Aṃśa, Bhaga, Vivasvān, Puṣan, Savitṛ,
Tvaṣṭṛ, and Viṣṇu.
In this regard we may point out a sūkta from the Atharvaveda where the above 12 are all named,
albeit along with other gods (AV 11.6). Taking the number of Āditya-s as 12 also allows us to
explain the traditional short count of male deities, i.e. 33 [Footnote 2], which is seen in both the
Veda and the Itihāsa-s, in a straight-forward way. For example the Rāmāyaṇa has:
adityāṃ jajñire devās trayastriṃśad ariṃdama |

ādityā vasavo rudrā aśvinau ca paraṃtapa || 3.13.14c-15a (“critical edition”)
From Aditi were born the 33 deva-s, O foe-crusher (i.e. Rāma): the Āditya-s (12), the Vasu-s (8),
the Rudrā-s (11) and the twin Aśvin-s (2), O foe-scorcher. [Traditional numbers in brackets]
One may note that the same counts as above for the Āditya, Vasu-s and Rudrā categories are
given in the Śatapatha Brāḥmaṇa 6.1.2.6-8. Regarding these categories and the total count, in the
Ṛgveda we have:
tvam agne vasūṃr iha rudrāṃ ādityāṃ uta |

yajā svadhvaraṃ janam manujātaṃ ghṛtapruṣam ||
śruṣṭīvāno hi dāśuṣe devā agne vicetasaḥ |
tān rohidaśva girvaṇas trayastriṃśatam ā vaha || RV 1.45.1-2
You O Agni offer ritual here to the Vasu-s, the Rudra-s and also the Āditya-s [on behalf] of the
people who are Manu’s descendants, who perform proper rituals and pour the offering of ghee.
O Agni and the gods, wise ones, do hear the worshiper: O you with a red-horse, delighting in
Vedic chants, bring those 33 gods!
Thus, we find both the categories (Ādityas, Rudra-s, Vasu-s, and also Aśvin-s), and the total
number 33 to be an ancient one. Indeed this count 33 likely goes back to the Indo-Iranian period
as the Zoroastrians also enumerate 33 yazata-s. Hence, it is possible that there was a system of
counting even from the earlier Vedic period that already had 12 Āditya-s, 11 Rudra-s, 8 Vasu-s,
2 Aśvin-s, and it would suggest that the count 8 or lower for the Āditya-s seen in the Ṛgveda is a
parallel tradition.
Accepting this proposal allows us to account for most major Vedic deities within those 3
categories plus the Aśvin-s: The 12 Āditya-s as listed above already includes a big fraction of the
chief Vedic deities going back to the Indo-Iranian period. Indeed, such a number 12 for the chief
gods might have ancient Indo-European antecedents for among the Hittites, Greeks and the
northern Germanic people we either see pantheons with 12 chief gods or a category of deities
with 12 gods [Footnote 3].
The 12 Hittite gods

from Yazılıkaya
The Rudra category originally also included the Marut-s who constitute a second block of major
Vedic deities. The Vasu category includes Agni, Vāyu, Soma and Dyaus, among others who
make another key set of Vedic deities. This way one can see why the Vedic pantheon is often
described as triad of Vasu-s, Rudra-s and Āditya-s. Finally, we have the twin Aśvin-s and
Bṛhaspati, who are usually in the Viśvedeva category. Finally, we may note that the functional
principle of the triad of Vasu-s, Rudra-s and Āditya-s also lurks behind the classical Hindu
trinity: Dyaus, who is the old Indo-European father figure in the Vasu category, reemerges as the
father-deity Brahman; Śiva is the exemplar of the Rudra category; Viṣṇu the epitome of the
Āditya category. In this regard the Mahābhārata has: “jaghanyajaḥ sa sarveṣām ādityānāṃ
guṇādhikaḥ ||” 1.59.16cd (“Critical”) i.e. He [Viṣṇu], who is the last-born (of the Āditya-s) is the
most endowed of all of them. This marks the rise of Viṣṇu to the preeminent status in that
category.
This position of Viṣṇu among the Āditya-s, while a hallmark of Vaiṣṇava ascendancy [Note that
elsewhere in the Mahābhārata, Indra or Varuṇa are mentioned as the foremost of the Āditya-s],
was also interiorized in part by the Saura-mata. We see this an iconographic representation
(below), which was stolen from a Saura shrine in Madhya Pradesh, and auctioned in 2002
(Likely of the Chandela dynasty based on stylistic grounds). Here we can see that the central
image of the Āditya is accompanied by both a distinctive Saura pantheon (see below) and also
Brahman and Śiva on either side of his head. This implies that the central Āditya is being
implicitly identified with Viṣṇu.
Central Āditya implicitly identified with

Viṣṇu; flanked by Brahman and Rudra
Despite the above-noted parallelism with the Vaiṣṇava-mata, the 12 Āditya-s as a group were
central deities of the Saura-mata, especially, in their solar aspect embodied by Vivasvān. They
were combined with the Iranic elements to give rise to a distinctive Saura pantheon. In
iconographic terms this is represented by several images showing the 12 Āditya-s as a group. We
shall consider one of those, which was first described by the historian AL Shrivastava [A Rare
Representation of Dvādaśāditya; East and West, Vol 52], to illustrate the peculiarly Saura
pantheon (below). On stylistic grounds this image can be considered a production of the rājpūt
dynasty of the Pratihāra-s, who were known to be major votaries of the Saura-mata: We have
king Mihira Bhoja who was said to have been born upon the invocation of Mitra by his father,
and the kings Rāmabhadra and Mahīpāla whose inscriptions described them as Saura-s. The
image shows stylistic and material similarity to a toraṇa with 12 Āditya-s from Hinglajgarh,
Madhya Pradesh, which was noted by AL Shrivastava as being housed in the Central Museum,
Indore. Image was auctioned by the Sotheby’s auction house and has been since lost to the
public. Hence, it is possible that the image was stolen from the Hinglajgarh ruins or a temple
renovated by the Chandela-s or Paramāra-s by one of the image thieves who have been operating
at these sites for several years.
The 12 Āditya-s with the Saura pantheon
Here the central Āditya may be identified with his primary solar aspect, i.e. Vivasvān. Forming a
right triangle around around his head are the triad of Āditya-s who come as a group from the
Ṛgveda: Mitra, Varuṇa and Aryaman who are also associated with the rising, setting and
meridian solar aspects. The remain tetrads on either side of the “top-center” Aryaman account
for the remaining 8 Āditya-s of the dodecad.
In addition to the 12 Āditya-s the image also depicts the distinctive Saura pantheon which
includes:
The twin Aśvin-s: These are horse-headed deities depicted at extreme lower corners of both
images. The twins are ancient deities going back to the Proto-Indo-European period and are
attested in most branches of the Indo-European tree. They may even go back to an earlier phase
of human history being related to twin deities seen elsewhere in Eurasiatic cultures and their
New World descendants. In the Hindu tradition they are said to be born of Vivasvān and his wife
Saṃjñā when they assumed the form of horses. They are the physicians of the gods who are
supposed to have transmitted the science of medicine to the Bhṛgus
Saṃjñā: On the right of the god is his wife Saṃjñā also known as Rājṅī. She is said to have
assumed the form of a mare in the realm of the Uttarakuru where Vivasvān is a said to have
mated with her in the form of horse to sire the Aśvin-s.
Chāyā or Nikṣubhā: The left of the god is his wife Chāyā the personification of the shadow or
darkness. She is specifically known as Nikṣubhā in the Iranized flavors of the Saura-mata and is
central to the origin mythology of the Iranic Saura ritualists. The Bhaviṣyata purāṇa narrates the
following tale in her regard:
Kṛṣṇa, the hero of the Yadu-s married Jāṃbavatī, the daughter of the great bear Jāmbavān. Their
son was the valiant Sāmba. As Sāmba grew up he secretly dallied with some of numerous wives
of Kṛṣṇa. Hence, Kṛṣṇa cursed him with an incurable disease that disfigured his skin. To relieve
himself of this curse Sāmba went to the banks of the river Candrabhāgā, worshiped Vivasvān,
and honored the god by constructing a temple at Mūlasthāna (what is today Multan, where the
temple was destroyed by the Mohammedans). No local brāhmaṇa knew of the mysteries of his
worship; hence, they could not take up priesthood at the temple. So Sāmba sought help of
Gauramukha, the adviser of the Yadu chief, Ugrasena. Gauramukha asked him to go to
Śakadvīpa and obtain a special class of ritualists called magācārya-s to worship Sūrya. Sāmba
then asked regarding the antecedents of these worshipers of the sun. Gauramukha told him that
the first of the brāhmaṇa-s amidst the śakha-s was called Sujihva. He had a daughter of the name
Nikṣubhā. Sūrya was enamored by her took her as his wife. Thus, she gave birth to Jaraśabda
[the Indianized Zarathushtra of the old Zoroastrians], who was the founding father of all the
Magacārya-s [Indianized Magi]. The gotra he founded was hence termed the Mihira gotra. They
are distinguished by the sacred girdle called the avyaṅga [Avestan: Aiwyanghana, i.e. Parsi
kusti] that they wear around their waist. Sāmba there upon requested Kṛṣṇa to send him Garuḍa
and flying on the latter’s back he landed in Śakadvīpa. He collected the magācārya-s, brought
them back to Bhārata and installed them as priests of his Sūrya temple.
Piṅgala: On the proper right of the god is a deity with a pen and inkpot. He is the attendent of
Vivasvān known as Piṅgala. He is the deity of writing. Thus, he becomes the patron deity of the
kāyastha-s or the old Indian scribal guild. Sometimes, he is identified with Citragupta who
records all the deeds of beings. In the later Saura tradition he came to be identified with Agni.
Daṇḍin: On the proper left of the god is the attendant deity Daṇḍin. He is depicted typically
with a scepter of law. He is said to be the enforcer of law among the beings even as Piṅgala
records their deeds. In the later Saura tradition he came to be identified with Yama.
Srauṣa and Rājña: Like Piṅgala and Daṇḍin another pair of attendants of Vivasvān, Srauṣa and
Rājña, are mentioned in the Saura tantra literature, like the tantra sections of the Sāmba purāṇa.
Their origins from the Mithraic branch of the Iranic tradition are transparent: In the Avesta,
Mithra (cognate of Indic Mitra) is said to be flanked on either side by the deities Rašnu and
Sraoša. They were Indianized as Rājña and Srauṣa even as Mithra (Mihira) was identified with
primary solar deity in the Saura-mata. In later tradition, Rājña is further identified with Indic
Rudra and Srauṣa with Skanda. The latter’s identification is unsurprising as Indic Skanda and
Iranic Sraoša are deities sharing an ancient common origin, as supported by two diagnostic
iconographic features. The first is found in the Sraoša yasht of the Avesta:
sraoshahe ashyehe taxmahe tanu-mãthrahe darshi-draosh âhûiryehe

xshnaothra ýasnâica vahmâica xshnaothrâica frasastayaêca ||
To the embodiment of universal law, the mighty Sraoša,
whose body is made of mantra-s, the mighty-speared and lordly god,
be propitiating ýasna offering, recitation, propitiation, and praise. [Translation from Avestan
modified by me based on Darmesteter]
Here we note that Sraoša’s primary weapon like that of Skanda is the spear, a epithet repeated for
Sraoša in the Iranian holy book the Fargard 18.
In Fargard 18.23 we have:

âat hô sraoshô ashyô aom merekhem frakhrârayeiti parô-darsh nãma spitama zarathushtra ýim
mashyâka avi duzhvacanghô kahrkatâs nãma aojaite, âat hô merekhô vâcim baraiti upa
ushånghem ýãm sûrãm |
And then the universal-law embodied Sraoša awakens his rooster named Parodarsh, O
Zarathushtra of the Spitama clan, which ill-speaking people call Kahrkatas, and the rooster lifts
up his voice against the mighty Ushah [demonized cognate of Indic dawn goddess the Uṣas;
Translation from Avestan modified by me based on Darmesteter].
Here were see that Sraoša’s bird is the rooster, which is the same as the bird of Skanda.
This identification of Sraoša and Skanda might relate to the fact there is some evidence for the
worship of Skanda by Iranians in the Indosphere in first few centuries of the common era
[Footnote 4].
In this later period where Skanda is explicitly identified with Srauṣa we observe Daṇḍin being
replaced by Skanda or iconographically converging to Skanda. We can see that in the above
image.
Mahāśvetā: Below the solar deity rising from the pedestal is seen the image of a goddess named
Mahāśvetā, a key deity of the Saura-mata. She is identified sometimes with the white light
emitted by the sun or more commonly with the deity of the earth i.e. Pṛthivī.
The Marīcī-s: Above the two wives are shown two archer-goddesses in the above image.
Sometimes there might 4 such archer goddesses. They are known as the Marīcī-s or the light
goddess and sometime explicitly named as Uṣas and Pratyuṣas when present as a pair. They
represent the darkness dispelling function of the sun with the arrow they shoot representing the
rays of light. Their warrior nature was combined with elements drawn from another āstika
warrior goddess Vārāhī and essentialized in the bauddha tradition in the form of the solo goddess
Marīcī.
Aruṇa: The lame charioteer of the sun, the brother of the celestial eagle Garuḍa, is sometimes
shown managing the seven horses of the solar chariot. He can be seen the first of the images
shown above.
The Saura pantheon also includes other deities like Revanta and Yama the god of death and the
netherworld, both of whom are the sons of Vivasvān. They are rarely depicted in classic Saura
images as those shown above. However, Revanta along with deities of his maṇḍala, including
Piṅgala and Daṇḍin, where depicted in images specifically dedicated to him.
::::::::::::::::::::
Footnote 1: Picture showing reconstructed evolution of Saura-mata
Footnote 2: The short count is 33; the long count given in the Veda as 3339 (A lunar eclipse
cycle number, as noted by R. Shamasastry) and subsequently later day Hindus hold that number
to be 33 x 107.
Footnote 3: The significance of this number was also transmitted to Japan, where the Indo-Aryan
deities inherited via the Bauddha was developed into a Nipponic pantheon of 12 gods drawn
from different original categories (dvādaśadevāḥ).
The Nipponic dvādaśadevāḥ are (left to right each row): Pṛthivī [Vasu], Soma [Vasu], Kubera
[Yakṣa], Vāyu [Vasu], Varuṇa [Āditya], Nairṛta [Rākṣasa], Brahman, Vivasvān [Āditya], Rudra
[Rudra], Indra [Āditya], Agni [Vasu], Yama
Footnote 4: For example: We have Skanda depicted on the early Iranic ruler Ayalisha (Azilises)
in India. We also have an inscription of an Iranian general in the Kadamba army who records
worshiping Skanda in South India and then building a temple for Skanda in Gandhara upon his
return.
The mahAsAvitrI and the mahAnArAyana upaniShad of the atharvan-s.
Posted on September 16, 2008 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI
The mahAnAryAnopaniShad is a text of considerable importance because it provides the shruti

pramANa for several basic rituals of dvija-s like the saMdhyopAsana, trisuparNa ritual,
shivopAsana using the pa~nchabrahma mantra-s, shaucha rites, kamorkArShIt ityAdi japa,
prANAgnihotra, pariseShaNa, the daily vaishvadeva offerings and the final virajA homa with the
teaching of renunciation. It is the only genuine vedic upaniShad that is peculiar in belonging to
two veda-s – the taittirIya kRîShNa yajurveda as the final section of the taittirIya AraNyaka
(TA 10) and to the atharvaveda. The family tradition amongst the atharvan-s holds that it belongs
to the lost AraNyaka of the atharvaveda that was cited by sha~Nkara bhagavatpAda, the famed
advaitAcharya. This lost AraNyaka was most probably associated with either the paippalAda
shAkha or the original shaunaka as some mantra-s in it resemble the paippalAda text as against
the vulgate which is commonly known as the shaunaka. The AV recension, while similar to the
TA 10 version, has several differences that help in establishing the archaic core of this text. I
have a handwritten transcript with intonations, while an intonation-less version, with some
errors, was published by Colonel George Jacob with nArAyaNa’s notes (Jacob was an interesting
guy, who lived not far my childhood home. Though he was an English warrior who fought our
armies during the great struggle, and the son and son-in-law of accursed Isaist subversionists, he
turned pro-Hindu and started pressing on the English government to preserve the literary
traditions of “the old shAstrI’s – those living encyclopedias of learning”.).
One important mantra used by the atharvan-s, called the mahAsAvitrI, is the mantra with the
oblations are made during the first upAkarma and in subsequent recitation during brahmayaj~na.
The source for this mantra is the atharvavedIya MNU:
OM bhUH | OM bhuvaH | OM svaH | OM mahaH | OM janaH | OM tapaH | OM satyaM | OM
tat-savitur vareNyaM bhargo devasya dhImahI | dhiyo yo naH prachodayAt | omApo-jyotI-
raso.amRîtaM brahma bhUr-bhuvas-svaroM | OM bhUr-bhuvaH-suvar-mahar-janas-tapaH
satyaM madhu kSharanti | tad-brahma tad-Apa Apo jyotI-raso. amRîtaM brahma bhUr-bhuvas-
svaroM| OM tad-brahma | OM tad-vAyuH | OM tad-AtmA | OM tat-sarvaM | OM tat-puroM
namaH ||
The AV version of the upaniShad also contains the nArAyaNa sUkta which gives the text its
name. The AV form of this chant clarifies a few otherwise minor points that are constant topics
of debate amongst south Indian brAhmaNa-s: 1) The sUkta in the AV form also ends with the
mantra “RîtaM satyaM…”, which suggests that this mantra was present in the ancestral form of
the text. This corresponds to the oral taittirIya text of the brAhmaNa-s from the Andhra and
drAviDa countries as against the printed MNU from the TA, which often elides this mantra.
Thus, the oral text is most probably preserving the original form. Secondly, in the final part of
the chant there is a version prevalent in South India that lists the trinity brahma, shiva and hari
and then indra (sa brahma sa shivaH sa hariH sendra …). It has been alleged that this inclusion
of hari is a recent interpolation by shaiva-s who want to establish the nArAyaNa here as the
puruSha, rather than viShNu. It is countered that the vaiShNava-s do not include sa hariH in their
version of the recitation and that the inclusion of sa hariH breaks the otherwise perfect
anuShTubh meter. The AV version of the MNU lacks sa hariH strongly suggesting that it is
indeed a shaiva-inspired late interpolation into the TA version of the text. As an example of how
the upaniShad is recited by the atharvan-s I provide a MP3 version of this sUkta:
atharvavedIya nArAyaNa sUkta MP3
Finally, we will discuss some aspects of textual evolution and some parallels with molecular
evolution using the two MNUs as a case study.
Continued …

Manasataramgini

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Manasataramgini

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

The lesson of arjuna

Posted on March 5, 2013 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We present the core of that teaching here:

nAghnataH kIrtir astIha na vittaM na punaH prajAH |

ya eva devA hantAras tAMl loko .archayate bhR^isham |

hantA kAlas tathA vAyur mR^ityur vaishravaNo raviH |

etAn devAn namasyanti pratApa-praNatA janAH |

madhyasthAn sarvabhUteShu dAntA~n shamaparAyaNAn |

nakulo mUShakAn atti biDAlo nakulaM tathA |

tAn atti puruShaH sarvAn pashya dharmo yathAgataH |

vidhAnaM deva-vihitaM tatra vidvAn na muhyati |

vinIta krodha harShA hi mandA vanam upAshritAH |

udake bahavaH prANAH pR^ithivyAM cha phaleShu cha |

sUkShma-yonIni bhUtAni tarka-gamyAni kAni chit |

lokayAtrArtham eveha dharma-pravachanaM kR^itam |

The lesson of arjuna

Posted on March 5, 2013 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We present the core of that teaching here:

nAghnataH kIrtir astIha na vittaM na punaH prajAH |

ya eva devA hantAras tAMl loko .archayate bhR^isham |

hantA kAlas tathA vAyur mR^ityur vaishravaNo raviH |

etAn devAn namasyanti pratApa-praNatA janAH |

madhyasthAn sarvabhUteShu dAntA~n shamaparAyaNAn |

na hi pashyAmi jIvantaM loke kaM chid ahiMsayA |

nakulo mUShakAn atti biDAlo nakulaM tathA |

tAn atti puruShaH sarvAn pashya dharmo yathAgataH |

vidhAnaM deva-vihitaM tatra vidvAn na muhyati |

vinIta krodha harShA hi mandA vanam upAshritAH |

udake bahavaH prANAH pR^ithivyAM cha phaleShu cha |

sUkShma-yonIni bhUtAni tarka-gamyAni kAni chit |

lokayAtrArtham eveha dharma-pravachanaM kR^itam |

nAtyanta guNavAn kash chin na chApy atyanta nirguNaH |

The lesson of arjuna

Posted on March 5, 2013 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

We present the core of that teaching here:

nAghnataH kIrtir astIha na vittaM na punaH prajAH |

ya eva devA hantAras tAMl loko .archayate bhR^isham |

hantA kAlas tathA vAyur mR^ityur vaishravaNo raviH |

madhyasthAn sarvabhUteShu dAntA~n shamaparAyaNAn |

na hi pashyAmi jIvantaM loke kaM chid ahiMsayA |

nakulo mUShakAn atti biDAlo nakulaM tathA |

tAn atti puruShaH sarvAn pashya dharmo yathAgataH |

vidhAnaM deva-vihitaM tatra vidvAn na muhyati |

vinIta krodha harShA hi mandA vanam upAshritAH |

udake bahavaH prANAH pR^ithivyAM cha phaleShu cha |

sUkShma-yonIni bhUtAni tarka-gamyAni kAni chit |

lokayAtrArtham eveha dharma-pravachanaM kR^itam |

nAtyanta guNavAn kash chin na chApy atyanta nirguNaH |

A note on the pantheon of the Indian Saura tradition

Posted on August 12, 2015 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

sa manasaiva vācam mithunaṃ samabhavat | sa dvādaśa drapsān garbhy abhavat | te

adityāṃ jajñire devās trayastriṃśad ariṃdama |

tvam agne vasūṃr iha rudrāṃ ādityāṃ uta |

The 12 Hittite gods

Central Āditya implicitly identified with

sraoshahe ashyehe taxmahe tanu-mãthrahe darshi-draosh âhûiryehe

In Fargard 18.23 we have:

The mahAsAvitrI and the mahAnArAyana upaniShad of the atharvan-s.

Posted on September 16, 2008 by mAnasa-taraMgiNI

The mahAnAryAnopaniShad is a text of considerable importance because it provides the shruti

Вам также может понравиться