The Religion of the Veda: The Ancient Religion of India (from Rig-Veda to Upanishads) c9.43

c9.43

The two Açvins, the Dioscuri, are translucent gods. They harbor some phenomenon of morning light as one part of their dual character. The other is probably the corresponding phenomenon at eve. But just what this duality is we were unable to say.¹ It is something to have limited this brilliant Indo-European myth so far, and to find behind it reason rather than idle fancy. The god Varuna, as we have seen, belongs also to this class; for better or for worse interpretation will turn to some phenomenon of heaven which suggests the god's salient quality of overseer, be it encompassing sky, be it moon. I choose two other gods as the type of translucent gods, Vishnu and Pūshan ; in both cases we shall be engaged with variant aspects of the sun. This may seem to some minds a suspicious monotony of explanation, in fact it is the so-called solar theory. But I am nothing daunted : the sun is important and ever present with early observers ; I shall let him fight his own battles.