Studies in the Epics and Puranas c12.39

c12.39

²⁰ The important words in the RV (VIII. 96.13-15) passage are "kṛṣṇa", "drapsa", and "Aṃśumatī". According to the *Bṛhaddevatā* (VI. 109 ff), drapsa and kṛṣṇa is Soma itself. It had run away from the gods while they were coming to drapsa and kṛṣṇa thinking them to be demons. Sāyaṇa, however, says that the interpretation of the *Bṛhaddevatā* is to be neglected, and takes drapsa kṛṣṇa to mean "the swift-moving Kṛṣṇa", an Asura, who with 10,000, occupied the banks of Aṃśumatī or Yamunā. Grassmann takes this as the description of Soma. According to Oldenberg, drapsa and kṛṣṇa are identical, and not two inimical forces: kṛṣṇa drapsa was the sperm of Bṛhaspati, which remains hidden in the river; Indra with Bṛhaspati as his companion defended this kṛṣṇa drapsa against 10,000 attackers from whom it escapes. Geldner takes drapsa (Soma) as attacked by kṛṣṇa and saved by Indra. Griffith takes kṛṣṇa drapsa as the darkened moon, aṃśumatī as a mystical river of the air in which the moon dips to recover its vanished light, and 10,000 as probably demons of darkness.—I must record here my indebtedness to Prof. H. D. Velankar, my revered guru, in preparing this note.