The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s4.8

v1.c16.s4.8

There can really be little doubt as to the nature of the god. The name can be diversely explained as ‘the active one’ from the root *viṣ*, or as ‘crossing the back of the world or the earthly regions’ from *vi* and *snu* (akin to *sānu*), but the solar nature of the deity is reasonably plain. In the Atharvaveda⁴ he is asked to bestow heat: in the Brāhmaṇas⁵ his head cut off becomes the sun; in post-Vedic literature his weapon is a rolling-wheel, his vehicle Garuḍa, the sun-bird, and the breast jewel which he wears is clearly the sun. His dwelling in the mountains may be either derived from the conception of the sun on the cloud mountains, or, more simply, from the idea that he who dwells in the farthest distance must be on a mountain peak. The only alternative theory which requires mention is that of Oldenberg⁶ that he is merely the wide-stepping god, and this has no such probability as to displace the obvious meaning put upon his nature by Vedic India.