Vedic Metre in its Historical Development c17.s2.19

c17.s2.19

Again, it is in connection with the ritual of the fire-worship, that we may find an explanation of the new importance attached in the normal and cretic periods to such deities as Uṣas and Dyāvā-Pṛthivī, which seem to be Indo-European in their origin. The dawn is the hour of the ritual, and the twin deities of darkness and light nurse the infant flame. The fire is set up as a pillar to join heaven and earth, and at the same time to hold them apart. These deities are therefore no longer nature deities in the strict sense, but are part of the equipment of the ritual.