Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c27.s1.22

c27.s1.22

The Veda throws very little light on the Agastyas because it mentions them only by their family name Agastya. ‘Agastya’ is said to be the author of hymns i, 165 to 191, but this is only the family name and no doubt includes several Agastyas, for, while to the Agastya who married Lopāmudrā would belong hymn 179, the author of hymn 185 apparently calls himself Sumedhas (verse 10), and the Sumedhases were a gotra among the Agastyas.¹⁰ Āgastyas are alluded to sometimes,¹ but very few are mentioned by name besides those noticed above.² One was Māna, for the author of hymn 189 calls himself Māna’s son; the Mānas are mentioned and the patronymic Mānya occurs.³ Māndārya is probably another patronymic pointing to a Mandāra, and Māna and Mandāra were in the same line of descent because the author of hymns 165 and 166 calls himself Māndārya Mānya,⁴ and it is said that Mānya was Maitrāvaruṇi, son (or descendant) of Mitrāvaruṇa.⁵