Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.296

v1.c3.296

A-dṛṣṭa.—‘The unseen’ is a term used in the Rigveda¹ and the Atharvaveda² to designate a species of vermin. The sun is also described as ‘the slayer of the unseen’ (*adṛṣṭa-han*),³ and as a counterpart a ‘seen’ (*dṛṣṭa*) is mentioned.⁴ In one passage⁵ the epithets ‘seen’ and ‘unseen’ are applied to the worm (Kṛmi), their use being no doubt due to the widespread theory of diseases being due to worms, whether discernable by examination or not.⁶