Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c23.109

c23.109

The fable was obviously devised to explain the name Maitrāvaruṇa, and the hymn has combined that with another fable that ‘Vasiṣṭha’ (and not Agastya³) was born of Urvaśī in order to explain the metronymic Aurvaśa which was the name of a ‘Vasiṣṭha’.⁴ This view is supported by another fact, that a reason why ‘Vasiṣṭha’ was born from Mitra and Varuṇa was necessary and was supplied by another fable, often linked with the former. Nimi, the first king of Videha, and ‘Vasiṣṭha’ had a quarrel and cursed each other to become bodiless (vi-deha);⁵ both then went to Brahmā and he assigned Nimi to the eyes of creatures, whence they wink (nimeṣa), and said Vasiṣṭha should be son of Mitra and Varuṇa with the name Vasiṣṭha.⁶ This fable has manifestly been fabricated or modified to explain the name Videha and supply a reason for the birth from Mitra and Varuṇa.