The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c22.s1.1

v1.c22.s1.1

With the cult of fire are connected three great families of priests, the Aṅgirases, the Atharvans, and Bhṛgus, in all of whose cases it is at first sight impossible, and in any case difficult, to decide whether we have to do with real traditions of priestly families of the past, or with deities who have fallen in rank and become confounded with men. The case of the Aṅgirases is of special interest. Agni is not rarely called an Aṅgiras, but he is also called the chief or the most inspired Aṅgiras, and the name Aṅgiras is used in one passage of the god on the one hand, and on the other of the ancestor of the invoker of the god. On the other hand, Indra also is described as veriest Aṅgiras, and in his feat of the overthrow of Vala the Aṅgirases play a great part by their singing and their prayers. In point of fact the myth is sometimes attributed to them and not to Indra at all, or he is given a secondary role in it. They appear in the myth of the Paṇis as obtaining the cows: this is, it is probable, simply another side of the overthrow of Vala and the release of the cows, and Bṛhaspati who is credited with the same feat is once called Āṅgirasa, and once even Aṅgiras. They are repeatedly called fathers by the poets, they are associated with Manu and are once with the Atharvans and the Bhṛgus connected with Yama:¹ but they appear also with the Ādityas, Rudras, and Vasus, Soma is offered to them, they are invoked,² and they are praised as sacrificers who attained Agni and won by the sacrifice immortality.