The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c19.s10.12

v1.c19.s10.12

In the domestic ritual we find the pole star,⁸ Dhruva, accorded a measure of respect, and similar honour is paid to the Seven Seers,⁹ that is the Great Bear, and Arundhatī. The Seven Seers already receive in the Rigveda the credit of having in a time of trouble secured for Purukutsa’s wife a son, Trasadasyu, but in their case we have unquestionably to do with the conception of the souls of the dead entering into the stars. They are said to have settled in heaven to practice asceticism, and with the five Adhvaryus to guard the hidden footprint of the bird, and their relation with the seven Hotṛs on earth is obvious, whether it be that of prototypes or derivatives. The suggestion¹⁰ that the five Adhvaryus denote the planets, because of the similarity of their movements to and fro may be deemed most implausible. Mysterious are the five Bulls who stand in the middle of the sky;¹¹ it is certain from the terminology that they are not the planets, and we may best suppose that they are the stars of some asterism, seen there by the Indian mind.