३३

प्रजापतिर्वै स्वां दुहितरमभ्यध्यायद्दिवमित्यन्य आहुरुषसमित्यन्ये तामृश्यो भूत्वा रोहितं भूतामभ्येत् ।

(Prajâpati’s Illegal Intercourse with his own daughter, and the consequences of it. The Origin of Bhûtavân.)

Prajâpati thought of cohabiting with his own daughter, whom some call “Heaven,” others “Dawn,” (Uṣâs). He transformed himself into a buck or a kind of deer (ṛiśya), whilst his daughter assumed the shape of a female deer (rohit).[28]

[28]Sâyaṇa gives another explanation. He takes rohitam, not as the name of a female deer, but as an adjective, meaning red. But then we had to expect rohitâm. The crude form is rohit, not rohita. He explains the supposed rohita as ritumati.

प्रजापतिर्वै स्वां दुहितरमभ्यध्यायद्दिवमित्यन्य आहुरुषसमित्यन्ये तामृश्यो भूत्वा रोहितं भूतामभ्येत् ।

तं देवा अपश्यन्नकृतं वै प्रजापतिः करोतीति ।

He approached her. The gods saw it (crying), “Prajâpati commits an act never done (before).”

तं देवा अपश्यन्नकृतं वै प्रजापतिः करोतीति ।

ते तमैच्छन्य एनमारिष्यत्येतमन्योन्यस्मिन्नाविन्दन् ।

(In order to avert the evil consequences of this incestuous act) the gods inquired for some one who might destroy the evil consequences (of it). Among themselves they did not find any one who might do that (atone for Prajâpati’s crime).

ते तमैच्छन्य एनमारिष्यत्येतमन्योन्यस्मिन्नाविन्दन् ।

तेषां या एव घोरतमास्तन्व आसंस्ता एकधा समभरन् ।

They then put the most fearful bodies (for the gods have many bodies) of theirs in one.

तेषां या एव घोरतमास्तन्व आसंस्ता एकधा समभरन् ।

ताः संभृता एष देवो ऽभवत्तदस्यैतद्भूतवन्नाम ।

This aggregate of the most fearful bodies of the gods became a god, Bhûtavân,[29] by name.

[29]Sây. takes him as Rudra, which is, no doubt, correct.

ताः संभृता एष देवो ऽभवत्तदस्यैतद्भूतवन्नाम ।

भवति वै स यो ऽस्यैतदेवं नाम वेद ।

For he who knows this name only, is born.[30]

[30]This is only an explanation of the term bhutâvân.

भवति वै स यो ऽस्यैतदेवं नाम वेद ।

तं देवा अब्रुवन्नयं वै प्रजापतिरकृतमकरिमं विध्येति ।

The gods said to him, “Prajâpati has committed an act which he ought not to have committed. Pierce this[31] (the incarnation of his evil deed).”

[31]This refers to the pâpman, i.e., the incarnate evil deeds, a kind of devil. The evil deed of Prajâpati had assumed a certain form, and this phantom, which is nothing but a personification of remorse, was to be destroyed.

तं देवा अब्रुवन्नयं वै प्रजापतिरकृतमकरिमं विध्येति ।

स तथेत्यब्रवीत्स वै वो वरं वृणा इति ।

So he did. He then said, “I will choose a boon from you.”

स तथेत्यब्रवीत्स वै वो वरं वृणा इति ।

वृणीष्वेति स एतमेव वरमवृणीत पशूनामाधिपत्यम् ।

They said, “Choose.” He then chose as his boon sovereignty over cattle.[32]

[32]This appears to confirm Sâyaṇa’s opinion that Rudra or Śiva is here alluded to. For he is called paśupati, master of cattle.

वृणीष्वेति स एतमेव वरमवृणीत पशूनामाधिपत्यम् ।

तदस्यैतत्पशुमन्नाम ।

That is the reason that his name is paśumân, i.e., having cattle.

तदस्यैतत्पशुमन्नाम ।

पशुमान्भवति यो ऽस्यैतदेवं नाम वेद ।

He who knows on this earth only this name (paśumân), becomes rich in cattle.

पशुमान्भवति यो ऽस्यैतदेवं नाम वेद ।

तमभ्यायत्याविध्यत्स विद्व ऊर्ध्व उदप्रपतत् ।

He (Bhûtavân) attacked him (the incarnation of Prajâpati’s evil deed) and pierced him (with an arrow). After having pierced him, he sprang up (and became a constellation).

तमभ्यायत्याविध्यत्स विद्व ऊर्ध्व उदप्रपतत् ।

तमेतं मृग इत्याचक्षते ।

They call him mṛiga, i.e., deer (stars in the Orion), and him who killed that being”[33] (which sprang from Prajâpati’s misdeeds), mṛiga vyâdha, i.e., hunter of the deer (name of star).

[33]Sây. refers the demonstrative pronouns tam imam, by which alone the incarnation of Prajâpati’s evil deed is here indicated, to Prajâpati himself, who had assumed the shape of a buck. But the idea that Prajâpati was killed (even in the shape of a buck) is utterly inconsistent with the Vedic notions about him: for in the older parts of the Vedas he appears as the Supreme Being, to whom all are subject. The noun to be supplied was pâpman. But the author of the Brâhmaṇam abhorred the idea of a pâpman or incarnation of sin of Prajâpati, the Lord of the Universe, the Creator. Thence he was only hinted at by this demonstrative pronoun. The mentioning of the word pâpman in connection with Prajâpati, was, no doubt, regarded by the author, as very inauspicious. Even the incestuous act committed by Prajâpati, he does not call pâpa, sin, or doṣa, fault, but only akritam, “what ought not to be done,” which is the very mildest term by which a crime can be mentioned.

तमेतं मृग इत्याचक्षते ।

य उ एव मृगव्याधः स उ एव स ।

He who (is called) the hunter of the deer is he (Bhûtavân) himself.

य उ एव मृगव्याधः स उ एव स ।

या रोहित्सा रोहिणी ।

The female deer Rohit (into which Prajâpati’s daughter had been transformed) became (the constellation) Rohiṇî.

या रोहित्सा रोहिणी ।

यो एवेषुस्त्रिकाण्डा सो एवेषुस्त्रिकाण्डा ।

The arrow (by which the phantom of Prajâpati’s sin was pierced) which had three parts (shaft, steel, and point) became such an arrow (in the sky).

यो एवेषुस्त्रिकाण्डा सो एवेषुस्त्रिकाण्डा ।

तद्वा इदं प्रजापते रेतः सिक्तमधावत्तत्सरो ऽभवत् ।

The sperm which had been poured forth from Prajâpati, flew down on the earth and became a lake.

तद्वा इदं प्रजापते रेतः सिक्तमधावत्तत्सरो ऽभवत् ।

ते देवा अब्रुवन्मेदं प्रजापते रेतो दुषदिति यदब्रुवन्मेदं प्रजापते रेतो दुषदिति तन्मादुषमभवत् ।

The gods said, “May this sperm of Prajâpati not be spoilt (mâduṣat).” This became the maduṣam.

ते देवा अब्रुवन्मेदं प्रजापते रेतो दुषदिति यदब्रुवन्मेदं प्रजापते रेतो दुषदिति तन्मादुषमभवत् ।

तन्मादुषस्य मादुषत्वम् ।

This name mâduṣa is the same as mânuṣa, i.e., man.

तन्मादुषस्य मादुषत्वम् ।

मादुषं ह वै नामैतद्यन्मानुषं सन्मानुषमित्याचक्षते परोक्षेण ।

For the word mânuṣa, i.e., man, means “one who should not be spoiled” (mâduṣan). This (mâduṣa) is a (commonly) unknown word.

मादुषं ह वै नामैतद्यन्मानुषं सन्मानुषमित्याचक्षते परोक्षेण ।

परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः ।

For the gods like to express themselves in such terms unknown (to men).

परोक्षप्रिया इव हि देवाः ।