"Chapter I. Prehistoric times"
"Chapter II. Ice Age"
"Chapter III. Arctic regions"
"Chapter IV. Night of the Gods"
"Chapter V. Vedic Dawns"
"Chapter VI. Long day and long night"
"Chapter VII. Months and seasons"
"Chapter VIII. The path of the cows"
Promotional video:
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 1. Legend of Indra and Vritra"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 2. Four victories of Indra in the fight against Vala"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 3. Cosmology in the Rig Veda"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 4. Cosmic circulation of atmospheric waters in myths"
"Chapter IX. Vedic myths about captive waters. 5. Fortieth day of autumn - the beginning of the struggle of Indra"
Here we will dwell on the legends usually explained using the theory of spring and show how it, like the theory of thunderstorms, does not lead to an understanding of a number of features in the content of these legends.
In the previous chapter, it was explained why the theory of thunderstorms does not correspond to the understanding of the legend of Indra and Vritra, and those points were given that, having been incomprehensible for so long, can be deciphered using the Arctic theory in combination with a correct understanding of the circulation of air in the upper and lower worlds. Here we will dwell on the legends usually explained using the theory of spring, and show how it, like the theory of thunderstorms, does not lead to an understanding of a number of features in the content of these legends.
Such legends are often included in the descriptions of the successes and achievements of the Ashvins, who were the doctors of the gods. Many stories about this are contained in the first book of the Rig Veda (I, 112, 116, 117, 118), and each of these hymns refers to the outstanding deeds of these divine twins. As in the case of Vritra, the nature of the Ashvins and the essence of their exploits are explained differently by different schools of translators. So, Yaska reports that (Nir., XII, 1) some consider Ashvins to be a reflection of the images of Heaven and Earth, and others - Day and Night or the Sun and Moon. There is also an opinion that these are images of long-lived kings who performed high sacred acts (as representatives of the Ichihasika school, adhering to the historical direction, believe).
We, as above, will adhere to the path of researching the legends about Ashvins only in proportion to the methods of interpretation of the naturalistic school of niruktaks. Even the followers of this school hold different views regarding the nature and character of these two gods. Some believe that the natural basis of the Ashvins was the morning star, the only morning light visible before dawn and the sun. Others think that these are two stars from the constellation Gemini ("Mithuna"). The feats of these gods are usually associated with the restoration of the strength of the sun, weakened during the winter. Much attention is paid to these gods in Professor Max Müller's Contribution to the Science of Mythology, published several years ago. But there is no need to analyze every manifestation of the Ashvins' essence, as M. Müller did,since our task is to consider only those moments in the legend that cannot be explained by the theory of spring or dawn, but which can be well understood with the help of the Arctic theory, which we will do below.
Let's start by referring to the stories about the participation of the Ashvins in the great struggle for water and light, which was described in the previous chapter.
Ashvins are clearly mentioned in sacrificial literature as deities associated with the dawn (Aitareya Brahmana, II, 15), and a long song of praise specially dedicated to them should be sung by a hotri priest before sunrise. Surya's daughter is described as riding on their chariot (I, 116, 17; I, 119, 5), and Aitareya Brahmana (IV, 7, 9) contains the story of how the gods participated in the races, competing for the prize “Ashvina Shastra. And it was conquered by the Ashvins themselves, riding on a chariot in which donkeys were harnessed. Agni, Ushas and Indra competed with them in this race, clearing the way for the Ashvins on the condition of receiving at the end of a part of the prize from these winners. Kindling a fire for sacrifices, the appearance of dawn and the rising of the sun are again mentioned as simultaneous phenomena with the appearance of the Ashvins (I, 157, 1; VII, 72, 4).
In another book of the Rig Veda (X, 61, 4), the time of their appearance is called the early dawn, when "darkness still lingers among the red cows." In this way, it is clearly indicated that the time of their appearance falls on the interval between dawn and sunrise, and no matter what theories we turn to to clarify the essence of the Ashvins as a physical phenomenon, we must not forget that these are morning deities participating in the blossoming of dawn and morning light. Moreover, two epithets related to Indra are applied to them: Vritra Khan and Sata Krata (VIII, 8, 22; I, 112, 23), they are called the possessors of the qualities of Indra and Maruts, who helped Indra in his battle with Vritra (I, 182, 2). Moreover, it is said that they even defended Indra in the fight against Namuchi (X, 131, 4). This leaves no room for doubt about their involvement in the fight against Vritra, as well as their connection with the waters of the ocean becomes clear.
The hymn (I, 46, 2) says that the ocean is their mother, and in the hymn (IV, 43, 5) their chariot rises from the ocean. In yet another hymn (I, 112, 12) the chariot circles them around the sun in the far region ("paravati"). We also read that the Ashvins moved the sweetest ocean ("sindhu"). This clearly indicates that they pushed forward the current of the ocean waters (I, 112, 9) and they also filled the celestial river Rasa with water currents, pushing it, this chariot without horses, to achieve victory (I, 112, 12). They also protect the great Atithigva and Di-vodasa from Shambara, they also help Kutsa, the favorite of Indra (I, 112, 14, 23). Immediately, in verse 18, they are addressed as Angiras, indicating that their hearts are full of the joy of victory, and both of them strive to free the streams of milk; in the hymn (VIII, 26, 17) we read that they are in the heavenly sea ("miracle of arnave").
Combining all these instructions, we can easily see that the Ashvins were Indra's assistants in his battle for water and light, and we already know the meaning of this battle, this struggle between the forces of light and darkness. And here the Ashvins, as doctors of the gods, came first to the aid of the gods in their sufferings and misfortunes. It is true that Indra was the main character in this battle, but Ashvins always appear by his side, providing the necessary assistance and acting in the vanguard of the victorious march of the morning gods.
Such a character of the Ashvins can hardly be explained with the help of the theory of spring, as well as the theory of the daily struggle of light with darkness, since we have seen that the dawn, during which the Ashvina Shastra is read, is not a rapidly flowing dawn of the tropics. The above facts can be satisfactorily explained only by the Arctic theory. Resorting to it, we can easily understand why Ashvins can return youth, heal and heal many decrepit, blind, lame and needy, all those whom they patronize, which is said in the legends dedicated to them.
Here is an important passage from A. MacDonnell's book "Vedic mythology": "The sage Chyavanu, aged and decrepit, they delivered from the impotence of the body, prolonged his life, returned youth, gave him lust, made him the husband of virgins (I, 116, 10 and etc.). They also restored youth to old Kali and supported him in a friendly way when he found a wife (X, 39, 8; I, 112, 15). They brought in a chariot his wife Kamadya to young Vimada (X, 65, 12), who was the wife of Purumitra (I, 117, 20). They showed Vishnapa, like a lost animal, to the eyes of their worshiper Vishvaka, the son of Krishna (I, 116, 23; X, 65, 13). But more often than other plots, there is a story about how they saved Bhujya, the son of Tugra, who was abandoned in the ocean, or in the thick of clouds ("udameghe"), and called out to them, young heroes, from the depths of darkness. There, in the ocean, where there is no support,they brought him home in a hundred-oared ship (I, 116, 5). They rescued him with the help of an animate waterproof ship that crossed the air, and with the help of four ships, and on an animate winged boat, and on three flying chariots with a hundred legs and six harness horses.
One of the passages says that Bhujya was holding onto a log in the middle of the ocean ("arnaso madhye") (I, 182, 7). The sage Rebha, wounded and tied, hidden by the enemy in the ocean, abandoned, as if dead, having stayed in the water for ten nights and nine days, was picked up by them from the water, just as they scoop soma with a ladle (I, 116, 24; I, 112, 5). They saved Vandana from his distress and brought him back to sunlight. It is also said about them that they dug out for Vandana a shining hidden gold of unprecedented beauty, similar to one asleep in the underworld ("nir-riti") or the sun hiding in darkness (I, 117, 5). They removed the sage Atri Sapta-vadhri from the burning furnace, where the cunning demon had thrown him, and delivered him from the darkness (I, 116, 8; VI, 50, 10). They snatched a quail ("vartika") from the wolf's mouth, calling them to help (I, 112, 8). And that Rijrashwe,who was blinded by his cruel father for killing and giving the wolves one hundred and one sheep to be eaten, they returned their sight at the request of the she-wolf (I, 116, 16; I, 117, 17). They also cured Pravridge of blindness and lameness (I, 112, 8). When Vishpala's leg was cut off in battle like a bird's wing, the Ashvins gave her an iron leg (I, 116, 15). They helped Ghosha in a friendly way, giving her husband a (lonely) elder in her father's house (I, 117, 7; X, 39, 3). The eunuch's wife was given a son Hiranya-hasta ("Golden-handed") (I, 116, 13; VI, 62, 7). To a cow (belonging to) Shai, which remained barren, they gave a full udder of milk (I, 116, 22). And they gave Pad a strong, quick dragon-killing stallion, prompted (to action) by Indra, and he won him immense prey (I, 116, 6). "116, 16; I, 117, 17). They also cured Pravridge of blindness and lameness (I, 112, 8). When Vishpala's leg was cut off in battle like a bird's wing, the Ashvins gave her an iron leg (I, 116, 15). They helped Ghosha in a friendly way, giving her husband a (lonely) elder in her father's house (I, 117, 7; X, 39, 3). The eunuch's wife was given a son Hiranya-hasta ("Golden-handed") (I, 116, 13; VI, 62, 7). To a cow (belonging to) Shai, which remained barren, they gave a full udder of milk (I, 116, 22). And they gave Pad a strong, quick dragon-killing stallion, prompted (to action) by Indra, and he won him immense prey (I, 116, 6). "116, 16; I, 117, 17). They also cured Pravridge of blindness and lameness (I, 112, 8). When Vishpala's leg was cut off in battle like a bird's wing, the Ashvins gave her an iron leg (I, 116, 15). They helped Ghosha in a friendly way, giving her husband a (lonely) elder in her father's house (I, 117, 7; X, 39, 3). The eunuch's wife was given a son Hiranya-hasta ("Golden-handed") (I, 116, 13; VI, 62, 7). To a cow (belonging to) Shai, which remained barren, they gave a full udder of milk (I, 116, 22). And they gave Pad a strong, quick dragon-killing stallion, prompted (to action) by Indra, and he won him immense prey (I, 116, 6). "117, 7; X, 39, 3). The eunuch's wife was given a son Hiranya-hasta ("Golden-handed") (I, 116, 13; VI, 62, 7). To a cow (belonging to) Shai, which remained barren, they gave a full udder of milk (I, 116, 22). And they gave Pad a strong, quick dragon-killing stallion, prompted (to action) by Indra, and he won him immense prey (I, 116, 6). "117, 7; X, 39, 3). The eunuch's wife was given a son Hiranya-hasta ("Golden-handed") (I, 116, 13; VI, 62, 7). To a cow (belonging to) Shai, which remained barren, they gave a full udder of milk (I, 116, 22). And they gave Pad a strong, quick dragon-killing stallion, prompted (to action) by Indra, and he won him immense prey (I, 116, 6)."
In addition to all this, many other feats of the Ashvins are mentioned, which are described as saving, helping and healing many. But for the impudent purpose, the above is enough, from which it is clear that they had the ability to help the lame, blind, unfortunate or wounded, and in a number of legends there are clearly visible indications of a similar weakening of the forces of the sun. Taking such instructions as the path to understanding the essence of the legends, many scientists, including Max Müller, explain to us that Chyavana is nothing more than a weakening, falling sun (“chhyu” - “to fall, decline”). From this it follows that it falls into the abyss of darkness, from which, as indicated, the Ashvins themselves appeared (III, 39, 3).
The Vedic rishis are said to have revealed the secret of the myth of Vandana, comparing the Ashvins digging up treasures for him with the discovery of the sun hidden in darkness. Kali is also said to represent a tarnished moon. In turn, the iron leg of Vishpala is explained, which is explained as the first part ("pada") of the light half of the lunar month. It is called "iron" compared to the bright light of the full moon, the color of gold. Rijrashva's blindness is explained as the blind darkness of night or winter, and the blind and lame Pravridge is related to the sun after sunset or in the approach to the winter solstice. The setting sun, thrown into the water, is also understood as the essence of the myth of Bhujya or Rebha. Under the image of the eunuch's wife, Vadhrimati, who received a golden-armed son as a gift from the Ashvins, one should see, as we are assured, the very dawn under a different name,who is called the wife of the eunuch because she is separated from the sun at night. The cow Shau is explained as the light of the morning sun, which can be described as sleeping in the darkness, and from the darkness it was carried by the Ashwins for Vandana.
In short, all these legends are explained only as referring to the sun or moon during the period of sunset or extinction. Ashvins act as saving morning light or the sun, annually in distress at the winter solstice. And when the sun becomes bright and shines every day in the morning or becomes especially strong and exultant in the days of spring, then this miracle is attributed to the Ashvins, the doctors of the gods.
Such explanations of the legends about Ashvins are, of course, a step forward compared to the words of Yaska, who explained the essence of only one legend, connecting the salvation of the quail with the phenomenon of dawn. But I still cannot agree with the interpretation of these legends presented by the theory of spring, which is accepted by many. It cannot be agreed that everyone whom the Ashvins save from darkness suffered from calamities and misfortunes caused by the fall of the sun's power in winter. So, we cannot explain why all those patronized by Ashwins are described by this theory as being saved from darkness. Darkness is clearly mentioned when it comes to the treasure dug up for Vandana, compared to the "sun dwelling in darkness" (I, 117, 5), or when it speaks of Bhujya drowned in the bottomless darkness of the waters ("a narambhane tamasi"), or when it is said about Atri that he was taken out of the darkness ("tamas") (VI, 50, 10).
The strength of the sun really decreases in winter, and it is easy to understand that in this case it is called lame, then blind, then tired. Blindness, of course, indicates darkness, darkness ("tamas") (I, 117, 17), but if expressive references to darkness are found in a number of passages, then we cannot reasonably believe that the healing of the blind should be associated only with the restoration of strength the sun, which has decayed during the winter. The darkness referred to is certainly the real darkness of the night, and according to the theory of the daily struggle of light against darkness, we will have to think that such miracles of healing should occur daily. But the Vedas do not say so about them, and therefore Vedologists are trying to explain the legends using the theory of the annual disappearance of the sun in winter. But we see that in this case the indications of blindness or darkness remain incomprehensible. Since the darknessAs it is often mentioned, it lasts for several days, in this case we are forced to conclude that the legends refer to a long period of winter darkness, that is, their real basis is the disappearance of the sun behind the horizon for a long night in the Arctic region.
With the help of the theory of spring, it is impossible to figure out how long the period of unhappiness experienced by those protected by the Ashvins lasted. For example, Rebha stayed immersed in water for ten nights and nine days (I, 116, 24), and Bhujya, another worshiper of them, lay for only three nights and three days in the bottomless ocean of darkness, from where the Ashvins took him out (I, 116, 4). Again, the Ashvins are described as staying in a distant region ("paravat") for the same three days and three nights (VIII, 5, 8). Max Müller agrees with Benphy that both ten days and three days represent the time of the winter solstice, when the sun appears motionless, and then in one jerk turns on its way back. It seems to me that Max Müller encountered a difficulty here, since immediately after this explanation he noticed that “whether this period lasted ten or twelve daysit would be difficult to define even for more experienced astronomers than the Vedic rishis."
Even if we accept that, nevertheless, these ten days were calculated correctly, how then can we explain the legend of Dirghatamas, who grew old in a period of about ten yugas and was saved by the Ashvins from torment by the judgment of his enemies? I indicated above that the south here means one month, and, if this is correct, we must assume that Dirghatamas, which represents the year's course of the sun, was immobile for two months at the winter solstice. And all this difficulty disappears when we resort to the Arctic theory to explain these legends, because you can see that the sun is there over the horizon from one to a hundred nights and even up to six months.
And there is also a point beyond the scope of explanations through the theory of spring. This is the question of the place where the sufferers rescued from there by the Ashvins. Bhujya, for example, was not on land, but in water ("apsu"), without support and being in darkness, not illuminated by the rays of the sun (I, 182, 6). We will immediately be able to find analogies to this plot in the legends about the ocean covered by Vritra, or about the dark ocean, which Brihaspati let go downward (II, 23, 18). In both of these cases, we see that it is said about the lower world, about the homeland of heavenly waters, that is, about the place that should have been crossed in a boat and the sun diving there in the Rig Veda, and Helios of Greek mythology. Therefore, this cannot be considered the place where the sun goes for the winter, and also, without accepting the Arctic theory, we cannot explainhow the creatures patronized by the Ashwins could be saved by them after drowning in the dark and bottomless ocean.
In the hymn (VIII, 40, 5) about Indra it is said that he discovered the seven-ton ocean, which has a hole in one side, which clearly refers to the struggle for water in the lower world. The same expression "jimha-baram", which defines the hole, is also found in the legend of the hymn (I, 116, 9), where it is said how the Ashvins raised the well “upside down, having a hole in the side or bottom” (I, 116, 9) … And the hymn (I, 85, 11) tells how the Ashvins pushed (overturned?) A well lying on its side to give water to a thirsty Gotama. Commentators do not explain these phrases or words, taking all this often for a description of clouds. But I think that these words describe, most likely, the opposite world, in which each thing is supposedly "upside down", in accordance with the ideas of those who inhabit the upper world. Dr. Warren believes that the Greeks,and the Egyptians believed that everything in hell is in this position. He saw analogies to these ideas in the Vedas, in those stanzas that referred to the lower world. This same idea of hell is at the heart of many ideas among other peoples. I think that Dr. Warren has correctly identified ancient considerations regarding the position of antipodes in the underworld.
In ancient times, people could imagine this world in the form of an inverted celestial hemisphere, immersed in darkness and filled with water. That is why the Ashwins had to make a hole in its wall and let the water go up, so that, reaching the sky, it could rain down and water the thirsty Gotama. Similar features are attributed to the Maruts in the hymn (I, 85, 10, 11), and this should also be translated in the same way. Definitions such as “uchcha-budhna” (“upside down”) and “jimha-bara” (“with a hole at the bottom or on the side”), when applied to a well (“avata”), clearly indicate something unusual or inversion of the object in question. We cannot take this as indications of clouds, since the well is said to be thrown up so that the water from it can flow exactly there.
The concept of hell, where everything is turned upside down, is actually said in the hymn (I, 24, 7), which tells that Varuna, the possessor of a highly revered power, "erected a tree trunk in a bottomless world", and its rays, "hidden away from us ", as it is indicated there," raised upside down and pouring down "(" nichkhinah "). Such a description of Varuna's world exactly corresponds to the concept of hell. It is accurately described if we consider it as a place where everything is turned upside down, as a hemisphere, arranged just like that. This reflects the point of view of a person living in our world, who believes that bottomless darkness should reign in the lower world, which has no support and is open downward (I, 182, 6). And this bottomless and unsupported ocean crosses Bhujya in boats, mercifully sent by the Ashvins.
In the Atharva Veda (X, 8, 9) a vessel with an opening not at the top, but inclined or directed downward, and also, accordingly, with the bottom turned upward, is described as a receptacle of glory and as a place where seven rishis, the protectors of this Great One, reside. The same verse is repeated in one of the Upanishads (in the Brahadaranyaka Upanishad: II, 33), but with the difference that the opening of the vessel is directed downward. Yaska (Nir., XII, 38), quoting these lines, gives two interpretations: in one he says that the seven rishis are seven rays of the sun, and the vault of the vessel is turned upward, and in the other he explains that the vessel is the head of a person with its bowl-shaped vault of the palate in the mouth, that is, having a concave shape. It seems to us more likely that such a description refers rather to the lower world than to the upper vault or concave palate of a person.
The glory referred to in these lines is the same as that of Khvareno in the Scripture of the Parsis, where, namely in the Zamyad-Yashta, it is narrated that Khvareno, or Glory, was lost by Yima three times and then returned to him the first time by Mithra, then by Thraetaona, who defeated Hazi Dahaka, and the third time by Keresaspa and Atar, who defeated Hazi Dahaka. This battle took place in the Vurukashi Sea, at the bottom of a deep river, and we saw that this must mean the Ocean-nose surrounding the whole world.
The word "Hvareno" (corresponding to the Sanskrit word "svar") is Glory, that is, light, and everyone who possesses it reaches the top, and everyone who loses it goes down. Thus, "when Yima lost his Glory, he sank, and Hazi Dahaka reigned, just as the disappearing light opens the way up to the enemy." It should be noted here that among those who were crowned with glory in antiquity, the seven Amesha Spentas are especially mentioned, for whom thought, speech and deeds were one. There is a close resemblance here between the glory stored in an overturned vessel and saved by the seven sages in the Vedas, and the glory mentioned in the Avesta (Hvareno), which belonged to the seven Amesha Spentas, but was lost three times by Yima and returned to him only after the victory over Azi Dahaka - the Avestan analogue of Ahi Vritra. This victory was achieved in the Vurukashi Sea. All this supports our assumption that the vessel overturned with its mouth downwards is an inverted hemisphere of the lower world, a place of darkness and a house of air waters. This was the area where Bhujya drowned and was saved only through the intervention of the Ashvins.
Let us now think, if Bhujya was drowning in homeless darkness and in the ocean for three days and nights (I, 116, 4), and Rebha - ten nights and nine days (I, 116, 24), then it becomes clear that such periods say about a long darkness lasting a specified time. I believe that the story of Rijrashna, that is, the Red Horse (Red Sun), also refers to similar moments, namely the long days of darkness in the Arctic. Rijraswa, as we remember, killed one hundred and one sheep and gave them to the she-wolf Vrika, and his father blinded him as a punishment. But the Ashvins, fulfilling the prayer of the she-wolf, fired his sight.
Max Müller thinks that here the stars appear in the form of sheep, described as being killed by the rising sun. But we have seen that 350 Helios sheep are considered 350 nights, and 350 corresponding days are represented in the form of 350 bulls. So the Greek legend refers to a year of 350 days and a long night of ten days.
The ten-day period fits well with the concept of the ancient Aryan year reflected in the story of Helios. This similarity naturally leads us to the question - does the story of Helios not contain a key to understanding the story of Rijrashwa? When we examine the plots from this point of view, it is not difficult to find analogies between the murder of Rijrashva's sheep and the eating of the bulls of Helios by Odysseus's comrades-in-arms. The wolf, as Max Müller noted, is usually perceived in Vedic literature as a representative of darkness and misfortune, and not light, and therefore killing a hundred sheep means turning a hundred days into night, and this illustrates the onset of a long darkness lasting a hundred nights, that is, a hundred days for 24 hours.
The fact that Rijrashva becomes blind for a hundred nights is connected precisely with this, and the fact of his cure by the Ashwins, the harbingers of light and dawn, corresponds to the same. I only doubt that these hundred days should have been represented in the legend by bulls or cows, not sheep. But at the same time, I believe that one should not look for such unimportant inconsistencies in every myth, and that it is quite permissible to speak of these days, which have turned into a long night, as about sheep. The killing of a hundred or a hundred and one sheep is quite understandable according to the theory of the onset of prolonged darkness, the maximum time of which, as indicated in the previous chapter, reached a duration of one hundred days or one hundred time intervals of 24 hours each. Thus, the legends of the Ashvins give us evidence of the existence in antiquity of three, ten or one hundred continuous nights, and those descriptionswhich lead us to such a conclusion, very weakly, to put it mildly, can be connected with the theory of spring and dawn, as they are now understood.
But, in our conclusion, the most significant in the stories about the Ashvins is the story of Atri Saptavadhri. He was thrown into a flaming abyss and pulled out from there by the Ashvins, which is also referred to as being taken out of the darkness ("tamasakh") (VI, 50, 10). The hymn (I, 117, 24) narrates that the Ashvins presented the golden-armed son of the childless Vadhrimati, the wife of the eunuch. And in the hymn (V, 78, 5), the author of which is believed to be Atri Saptavadhri himself, it is indicated that he was enclosed in a wooden box, from which the Ashvins took it out. Max Müller says about this: “If this tree or this box is an image of the night, then, being locked in it, Saptavadhri separated from his wife and thus became like a eunuch (“vadhri”), and only in the morning, when he was released by the Ashvins, became the husband of the dawn. " But this researcher overlooks the fact that Atri, whom he considers the sun,hiding for the time of night, is called in the hymn not just "vadhri", but even "saptavadhri", that is, "seven times eunuch." The word "vadhri", used in the feminine gender, means a leather belt, but Max Müller notes that Sayana believed that this word could also be used in the masculine gender (X, 102, 12). And then the word "saptavadhri" will mean the sun, entangled in a net of seven belts. But other indications in the legend say that the definition of "seven times eunuch" acts as a characteristic of Atri Saptavadhri, and not as a story about someone entangled in belts. And then the word "saptavadhri" will mean the sun, entangled in a net of seven belts. But other indications in the legend say that the definition of "seven times eunuch" acts as a characteristic of Atri Saptavadhri, and not as a story about someone entangled in belts. And then the word "saptavadhri" will mean the sun, entangled in a net of seven belts. But other indications in the legend say that the definition of "seven times eunuch" acts as a characteristic of Atri Saptavadhri, and not as a story about someone entangled in belts.
It has already been said above that the entire hymn (V, 78) is attributed to Atri himself, and this poet appeals for help to the Ashvins, asking for help in trouble. The first six stanzas of the hymn are simple and understandable: in the first three the Ashvins are called to fly to the place of sacrifice, like two swans; in the fourth Atri, thrown into a pit, calls to them, begging for help, like a wailing woman; the fifth and sixth verses tell the story of Saptavadhri, who was imprisoned in a tree or in a wooden box and who asks these walls to open like a woman's sides; bearing the fetus. These six stanzas are followed by the last three (the hymn contains only nine stanzas), and they describe the birth of a child who has been in the womb for ten months. But Vedologists have not been able to reveal that these three verses are obviously related to the previous six.
According to Sayana, these three stanzas contain the meaning of the liturgy accompanying childbirth (the so-called "Garbhasravini Upanishad"). A. Ludwig tries to explain them as a description of the process of childbirth, suggesting a plot corresponding to the image of a wailing woman from the fourth stanza, or comparing a covering tree with the sides of a woman in labor. But it seems unlikely, not to say extraordinary, the suggestion that the plot, the explanation of which is based on assimilation or comparison, could take up as much space as the three stanzas at the end of the hymn. We therefore need to try to find some other explanation or follow Sayana, believing that such an irrelevant plot, namely the liturgy on the occasion of childbirth, is introduced here for no other purpose, but only to increase the number of stanzas in the hymn.
These last three verses can be literally translated as follows: 7: "As the wind moves from all sides to the lotus pond, so should your embryo move (in your womb) and come out after it has developed there for ten months."
8: "Like the wind, like a forest, like the sea swaying, so you, ten months old, come out with an outer cover (" jarayu "-" afterbirth ")." 9: "Let the child (" kumara "-" boy "), which lay in the mother's womb for ten months, come out alive and unharmed, alive with a living mother."
These three stanzas, as indicated above, follow immediately after those that speak of how Saptavadhri was imprisoned in a wooden cage and then released from it, and therefore they should be considered related in meaning to the first six or being part of the same plot. … But neither the theory of spring nor the theory of dawn gives us the key to understanding the stanzas. By themselves, the words in them are understandable: the child has reached full development in the womb within ten months, and those around him pray for a successful outcome of childbirth. But what is this child? After all, it has already been indicated that the wife of the eunuch Vadhrimati gave birth to a golden-armed son with the help of the Ashvins. Therefore, we cannot assume that the mother herself prayed in anticipation of childbirth, as well as her husband. Saptavadhri could not pray that his wife would be safely relieved of her burden by giving life to a child not conceived of him. Thus,the words of the hymn have remained unclear to this day, and this is especially true of the connection of the first six stanzas with the history of Saptavadhri. The only explanation was the one given above, but it is either unsatisfactory or does not explain anything at all.
But this whole story becomes understandable if you illuminate its essence from the point of view of the Arctic theory. Indeed, the Rig Veda often speaks of dawn as the mother giving birth to the sun (I, 113, 1; VII, 78, 3). But about the dawn it cannot be said that she bore the fruit for ten months, and on the other hand, we find in the 7th, 8th and 9th stanzas the words "dasha masyah" and "dasha masan" ("ten months") which cannot appear here without any meaning.
Therefore, we need to look for another explanation for everything described. And it is given to us in the instructions in the Rig Veda, where it is mentioned that the sun was basically the son of Heaven and Earth, or simply - Heaven ("dyu"). In the hymn (X, 37, 1) we read that the sun is “divas-putra” (“son of the sky”), and in the hymn (I, 164, 33) - that “The sky is our father, we are all conceived from him, and the great Earth is our own mother. " Further, it is indicated that the father put his seed in two vast vessels, and above it is mentioned that the sun, still hidden in the mother's womb, gave birth to various descendants, retired to the area of nir-riti (underground). And also - that the one who created it did not know about it; he is truly hidden from those who saw him. In the hymn (I, 160, 1) we also find the words: “These heaven and earth, granting prosperity and all (“necessary for life”or all“who need”) supporting spaces, two vessels,having a noble birth, saints; between these two goddesses the brilliant sun-god moves as indicated."
These passages show that: 1) the sun was understood as a child born in two vessels (containers) - in heaven and earth; 2) that it moved, like an embryo in the womb, that is, in the space of heaven and earth, and 3) upon completion of such a movement in the womb and after numerous offspring had been generated, the sun disappeared into empty space (in the area of nir- rity ) and became hidden from those who had seen him before.
The annual course of the sun, described in this way, does not cause much tension of the imagination in order to imagine its immersion in "nirriti" as an exit from the womb. But what is meant by the words "he moved in the womb for ten months"? This is satisfactorily explained by the Arctic theory. We have already seen that the waters were carried by Dirghatamasa for ten months and that during the same period the Dashagvas were completing their sacrifices. The sun can easily be imagined as moving in the womb during those months when it is above the horizon, or between heaven and earth. At the end of this period, the sun disappears or leaves the womb into an empty earth, where it seems to fall into a wooden shelter, or box, for two months. Thus, the image of the sage Atri is also made clear,appealing to the Ashvins with a prayer for release from this box, as well as for the safe birth of a child, that is, himself, from the womb after ten months.
In the Atharva Veda (XI, 5, 1), the sun is called a brahmacharin, moving between heaven and earth, and in the 12th stanza of this hymn we read that the sun "loudly calling out, thundering, red, white, carries a great reproductive organ over the earth." And if we speak of its great organ when it moves over the earth, then it is easy to understand why it is called a eunuch ("vadhri") when it descends into "nir-riti". But Max Müller asks: why is he called a seven-time eunuch? The answer is quite simple: heaven, earth and the lower world are all defined in the Rig Veda as dividing into seven layers (or entities), and when the ocean or waters are described as “consisting of seven” (“sapta budhnam arnavam”) in the hymn (VIII, 40, 5) or "sapta aptah" in the hymn (X, 104, 8), or when we meet mentions of seven "danus" (demons) in the hymn (X, 120, 6), or Vritra is said,that he had seven fortresses (I, 63, 7), and Indra is called "sapta khan" ("seven times murderer"), or when it is said that the Ashvins opened seven stalls for cows (X, 40, 8), and the sun has seven rays or seven horses (V, 45, 9), then it is quite possible to mention it as a seven times eunuch, when it plunges into "nir-riti", into the lower world, dark and bottomless, from where the Ashvins constantly extract it. Therefore, the last verses of the hymn (V, 78) are logically connected with the story of Saptavadhri (seven times eunuch), which is contained in the first verses of this hymn *: after all, if a child moves in the mother's womb for ten months, this is a ten-month light of the sun, followed by a long a two-month night, the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.that the Ashvins opened seven stalls for cows (X, 40, 8), and the sun has seven rays or seven horses (V, 45, 9), then it may well be mentioned as a seven-time eunuch when it plunges into "nir-riti", to the lower world, dark and bottomless, from where the Ashwins constantly extract it. Therefore, the last verses of the hymn (V, 78) are logically connected with the story of Saptavadhri (seven times eunuch), which is contained in the first verses of this hymn *: after all, if a child moves in the mother's womb for ten months, this is a ten-month light of the sun, followed by a long a two-month night, the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.that the Ashvins opened seven stalls for cows (X, 40, 8), and the sun has seven rays or seven horses (V, 45, 9), then it may well be mentioned as a seven-time eunuch when it plunges into "nir-riti", to the lower world, dark and bottomless, from where the Ashwins constantly extract it. Therefore, the last verses of the hymn (V, 78) are logically connected with the story of Saptavadhri (seven times eunuch), which is contained in the first verses of this hymn *: after all, if a child moves in the mother's womb for ten months, this is a ten-month light of the sun, followed by a long a two-month night, the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.dark and bottomless, from where the Ashwins constantly extract it. Therefore, the last verses of the hymn (V, 78) are logically connected with the story of Saptavadhri (seven times eunuch), which is contained in the first verses of this hymn *: after all, if a child moves in the mother's womb for ten months, this is a ten-month light of the sun, followed by a long a two-month night, the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.dark and bottomless, from where the Ashwins constantly extract it. Therefore, the last verses of the hymn (V, 78) are logically connected with the story of Saptavadhri (seven times eunuch), which is contained in the first verses of this hymn *: if a child moves in the mother's womb for ten months, this is a ten-month light of the sun, followed by a long a two-month night, the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.the existence of which is established by accurate Vedic evidence.
* Seven times became a eunuch, that is, deprived of his seven virtues.
This is how the Arctic theory explains the essence of the events mentioned in the hymn, which have not yet been understood. In connection with this plot, it is necessary to return to the riddle, or the paradox that arises here. It is assumed that the sun moved in its mother's womb for ten months and then went into the lower world. This means that it, leaving her body, was invisible, although an ordinary newborn child can be seen immediately. Here a clear contradiction arose between the two ideas, and the Vedic poets were not slow to grasp this and make a riddle out of it. Thus, we saw above (I, 164, 32) that the sun is described as invisible to those who gave birth to it, which clearly refers to its mother. We meet with the same riddle in the hymn (V, 2, 1), which says: “A young mother carries (carries) a hidden child in secret from her father. People do not see his disappearing face (hidden, not free). " And again: (I, 72, 2): “All the immortal sages could not find a calf temporarily staying near us. Those who showed attention (the gods), getting tired, followed in his footsteps, stopped at the highest beautiful place of Agni. We find the same meaning in the hymn (I, 95, 4): “How many of you understood this secret? The calf gave birth to its own mother. The embryo of many, the great sage, moved by his own strength, emerges from the bosom of this active ("apasam"). "The embryo of many, the great sage, moved by his own strength, emerges from the bosom of this active ("apasam"). "The embryo of many, the great sage, moved by his own strength, emerges from the bosom of this active ("apasam")."
This is a story about the hidden Agni, which is described in the hymn (X, 124, 1), which remained for a long time in prolonged darkness ("dirgham tamas") and which finally appears as a child of water ("apam napat") in the hymn (I, 143, 1). The epithet "apam napat" is usually understood as lightning striking from the clouds, but this is not consistent with the fact of his long stay in darkness. And this riddle can be easily solved with the help of the Arctic theory, taking into account the fact of the cosmic circulation of air waters.
The sun, moving between heaven and earth for ten months, like being in the mother's womb, brought to the minds of the Vedic poets a parallel thought about a ten-month pregnancy, but the surprise was caused by the fact that the baby, being born, is visible to everyone, and the sun became invisible just at the moment of leaving the mother's womb. Where did it go? Was he locked in a wooden box or tied with leather straps in the watery world? Why didn't the mother show him to his father after a successful birth? And were they happy? This whole story naturally raises many questions, and the Vedic poets seem to enjoy this mystery, returning to it in various hymns. But what relates to the sun is equally true of Agni, and in many places in the Vedas Agni is identical to Surya. It is said about Agni that he is the light of the sky, awakening from the dawn,that he is the top of the sky (III, 2, 14), its head. He is described as being born on the other side of the air (X, 187, 5); in "Aytareya Brahman" we read that the sun, when it sets, enters Agni, and then leaves it (VIII, 28); The same identification is found in the Rig Veda, where it is said that Agni merges with the light of the sun, or he himself shines in the sky (VIII, 44, 29). All the stories that a child born after a ten-month pregnancy, when applied to Agni or Surya, are different versions of the story about the disappearance of the sun from the upper hemisphere after ten months in the sky. The same identification is found in the Rig Veda, where it is said that Agni merges with the light of the sun, or he himself shines in the sky (VIII, 44, 29). All the stories that a child born after a ten-month pregnancy, when applied to Agni or Surya, are different versions of the story about the disappearance of the sun from the upper hemisphere after ten months in the sky. The same identification is found in the Rig Veda, where it is said that Agni merges with the light of the sun, or he himself shines in the sky (VIII, 44, 29). All the stories that a child born after a ten-month pregnancy, when applied to Agni or Surya, are different versions of the story about the disappearance of the sun from the upper hemisphere after ten months in the sky.
But what happens to this child-boy ("kumara") who leaves the sky? Is he lost forever or again returns to his parents? How does the father, and the mother, too, allow the child to be so lost? The task of returning the sun to parents falls in the Rig Veda to the Rebkha or the Ashvins. So, in the hymn (I, 110, 8) it is said that the Rebha reunited the mother with her calf, and in the hymn (I, 116, 13) it is said that the Ashvins gave Vadhrimati a golden-armed child. Probably, we are talking about the return of the morning sun to the parents in other hymns mentioned above: Vishnapu was returned to Vishvaka (I, 117, 7), and the Ashvins filled the udder with milk in the cowhide cow belonging to Shai. And from these facts it remains to take only one step to the story of the "kumar" (boy). Under the name of Kumara, the god Karttikeya appears in the Puranas,which was also lost or dropped ("skanda") and returned upward by seven rivers, or mothers (VIII, 96, 1) in the early morning. This Kumara led the army of the gods into battle and victoriously followed the path of the gods - the devayans. This army of gods represents the days. Just as the Maruts helped Indra in the battle with Vritra, this Kumara, that is, the morning sun, could, according to the kaleidoscope of mythology, be considered the son of the god Rudra, the god of storms, who expressed the essence of the Maruts-winds. Kumara could also be called the offspring of Agni in the water, or he could be referred to as the son of seven or six Krittikas. Just as the morning sun cuts its way through the ridges of Elburz in the Avesta, so Kumara breaks through the Krauncha mountains and in the Puranas gets the epithet "Crowncha-darana" ("Crowncha breaker"). This Kumara led the army of the gods into battle and victoriously followed the path of the gods - the devayans. This army of gods represents the days. Just as the Maruts helped Indra in the battle with Vritra, this Kumara, that is, the morning sun, could, according to the kaleidoscope of mythology, be considered the son of the god Rudra, the god of storms, who expressed the essence of the Maruts-winds. Kumara could also be called the offspring of Agni in the water, or he could be referred to as the son of seven or six Krittikas. Just as the morning sun cuts its way through the ridges of Elburz in the Avesta, so Kumara breaks through the Krauncha mountains and in the Puranas gets the epithet "Crowncha-darana" ("Crowncha breaker"). This Kumara led the army of the gods into battle and victoriously followed the path of the gods - the devayans. This army of gods represents the days. Just as the Maruts helped Indra in the battle with Vritra, this Kumara, that is, the morning sun, could, according to the kaleidoscope of mythology, be considered the son of the god Rudra, the god of storms, who expressed the essence of the Maruts-winds. Kumara could also be called the offspring of Agni in the water, or he could be referred to as the son of seven or six Krittikas. Just as the morning sun cuts its way through the ridges of Elburz in the Avesta, so Kumara breaks through the Krauncha mountains and in the Puranas gets the epithet "Crowncha-darana" ("Crowncha breaker").to be considered the son of the god Rudra, the god of storms, who expressed the essence of the Maruts-winds. Kumara could also be called the offspring of Agni in the water, or he could be referred to as the son of seven or six Krittikas. Just as the morning sun cuts its way through the ridges of Elburz in the Avesta, so Kumara breaks through the Krauncha mountains and in the Puranas gets the epithet "Crowncha-darana" ("Crowncha breaker").to be considered the son of the god Rudra, the god of storms, who expressed the essence of the Maruts-winds. Kumara could also be called the offspring of Agni in the water, or he could be referred to as the son of seven or six Krittikas. Just as the morning sun cuts its way through the ridges of Elburz in the Avesta, so Kumara breaks through the Krauncha mountains and in the Puranas gets the epithet "Crowncha-darana" ("Crowncha breaker").
But we do not touch on the question of the growth of Kumara, this child of the morning, which has reached late mythology. We cover the Ashvins problem in order to find out what related plots can be understood correctly from the point of view of the Arctic theory. We see that with its help we have not in vain analyzed a number of legends.
Thus, the expression "dasha-masya" (10 months) in the legend of Saptavadhri, as well as "dashama yuga" (tenth yuga) in the story of Dirghatamas, directly indicate ten months of sunshine, and in the same legends we saw direct or metaphorical mentions of three, ten, or one hundred continuous nights. We have also seen expressions such as "the sun sleeping in darkness in the arms of nirriti," which speaks not of metaphorical, but of quite real darkness. In all such legends, we are talking not just about the winter sun of any region, but about the sun hiding in the lower world of waters and darkness, and the Ashvins' role was to extract it from the dark pit of the lower world and from the bottomless ocean filled with darkness.
The theory of spring and the Arctic theory are both solar theories by their nature, and each legend of this kind they presumably associate with the phenomenon of the sun. But the Arctic theory is not limited to the statement that the power of the sun weakens in winter, but goes beyond that, proving that the basis of many Vedic legends is the fact of long night darkness in the circumpolar region. All the previous discussion of the myths about the Ashvins is aimed at showing how much broader than in the theory of spring, the basis is revealed by the Arctic theory in relation to the myths about the Ashvins. And such an identification is not only more desirable, but also simply necessary for a correct understanding of the essence of the legends, of the facts embedded in them, which support and confirm the new theory.
Continuation: "Chapter X. Vedic myths about the morning deities. About the Wheel of Surya"