The Inner Conflict of Tradition: Essays in Indian Ritual, Kingship, and Society c19.s9.40

c19.s9.40

89. Cf. *ŚB* 5. 4. 3. 2; 5. 4. 5. 1; *TB* 1. 8. 1. 1; 1. 8. 5. 1; *MS* 4. 3. 9: 49. 4; *PB* 18. 9. 1; *JB* 2. 202. See also, Heesterman, *Consecration*, 177. This is not the place to go into the matter, but it may be observed in passing that there seems to be an interesting alternation between Varuṇa and Indra. The strength that Varuṇa loses is his *indriya-vīrya*-, his Indra-power. It is Indra who then consistently takes over, or is born out of the sacrifice, and starts out on the warrior phase. In this connection, it is interesting that the rājasūya's unction festival is especially dedicated to Varuṇa, "for it is Varuṇa whom they consecrate" (*ŚāṅkhŚS* 15. 13. 4). But the cow sacrifice, which comes after the unction festival and precedes the saṃsṛp offerings and which in the Soma ritual is normally performed for Mitra and Varuṇa, is here dedicated to Indra, who is said to be born out of it (Heesterman, *Consecration*, 170). That is, Indra is born after the disintegration of Varuṇa, at the start of the warrior phase. Moreover, the cow sacrifice seems to have been one of the possible "boxes" of the abhiṣeka, as indeed it seems to be in the punarabhiṣeka of the *Aitareya Brāhmaṇa* (8. 5. 1–2). On the return Varuṇa takes over again, as seems to be borne out by another ritual, namely the *Varuṇa-praghāsa*, which apparently referred originally to the return of a war band at the end of the hot season (see below chap. 9). The handing over of the daṇḍa to the maitrāvaruṇa officiant seems to point in the same direction. Varuṇa, then, seems to be connected with the enthronement, which may explain the vacillation in the rājasūya as to whether the unction should be performed on the throne. According to *JB* 3. 152, Varuṇa, wishing to become king, goes out to be taught by Prajāpati—in other words, to obtain authority—and on his return is honored by the gods, who place him on the throne and then give the abhiṣeka. Moreover, when the king has sat down on the throne, he is equated to Varuṇa (*TS* 1. 8. 16f.).