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Vedic Mythology c5.s8.t1: § 46. Ṛbhus

Vedic Mythology c5.s8.t1

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§ 46. Ṛbhus

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Besides the higher gods of the Veda there are a number of mythical beings not regarded as having the divine nature fully and originally. The most important of these are the Ṛbhus. They are celebrated in eleven hymns of the RV. and are mentioned by name over a hundred times. They form a triad. Their individual names, which often occur, are Ṛbhu or less commonly Ṛbhukṣan ('chief of the Ṛbhus'), Vāja, and Vibhvan. These three names are several times mentioned together, sometimes only two of them, while occasionally Ṛbhu is referred to alone. They are most often spoken of in the plural as *ṛbhavaḥ*, but the plural of each of their names may designate the triad. Sometimes the plurals of all three (4, 36³; 8, 48¹) or of only two (*Vājā Ṛbhukṣaṇaḥ* or *Vājā Ṛbhavaḥ*) appear to be used together pleonastically to indicate the trio. Once the combination *Vājo Vibhvā̃n Ṛbhavaḥ* occurs (4, 36⁶). Occasionally an indefinite group seems to be meant, as all (*viśve*) the Ṛbhus (7, 51³), or Ṛbhu with the Ṛbhus, Vibhvan with the Vibhus (7, 48²) are invoked. In the latter passage Ṛbhu and Vibhvan are evidently thought of as chiefs of groups of the same name. The three Ṛbhus are once distinguished as eldest, younger, and youngest (4, 33⁵).

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The Ṛbhus are about a dozen times called by the patronymic name of Saudhanvana, sons of Sudhanvan, 'the good archer'. They are also once collectively addressed as the son (*sūno*) of Indra (4, 37⁴). In the same verse they are invoked as 'children of might' (*śavaso napātaḥ*), as if a play on the meaning of *napāt* (also 'grandson') were intended, in contrast with the epithet 'son of might' (*śavasaḥ sūnu*), which is applied exclusively to Indra. The epithet *śavaso napātaḥ* is almost peculiar to them, being applied to them five times and otherwise only once to Mitra-Varuṇa. In one passage (3, 60³) they are spoken of as 'children of Manu' (*manor napātaḥ*) and their parents (*pitarā*) are several times mentioned. In one hymn they address Agni as their brother (1, 161¹·³).

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They are very frequently invoked to come to the sacrifice (4, 34¹·³, 37¹) and to drink the Soma juice (4, 34⁴. 36²; 7, 48¹). Being high in heaven they are besought to come to the Soma in the lower abodes (4, 37³). In this they are generally associated with Indra (3, 60⁴⁻⁶; 4, 33³. 34⁶. 35⁷), a few times with the Maruts (1, 20⁵. 111⁴; 4, 34¹¹), and once with the Ādityas, Savitṛ, Mountains, and Rivers (4, 34⁸). In other respects also they are closely connected with Indra. They are Indra-like (4, 37⁵) and Ṛbhu is like a new Indra (1, 110⁷). With Indra they help mortals to victory (4, 37⁶) and are invoked with him to crush foes (7, 48³). They are said to have obtained the friendship of Indra by their skilful work (3, 60³; 4, 35⁷·⁹); for it is they who fashioned his steeds. In the hymns devoted to their praise, they are rarely invoked with gods other than Indra, there being only one such passage (4, 34⁸) in which Indra is not mentioned as well. Indra's connexion with them is indeed so characteristic, that he is, like the eldest of the triad, called 'chief of the Ṛbhus' (*ṛbhukṣan*), a term also two or three times applied to Indra's associates, the Maruts. In some of the Viśvedeva hymns they are brought into connexion with a few other gods, chiefly Tvaṣṭṛ.

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The references to the physical aspect or the equipment of the Ṛbhus are scanty. They are of sunlike appearance (1, 110⁴). They have a car (1, 161⁷), which is drawn by steeds (7, 48¹). Their car is bright, their steeds are fat; they wear metal helmets and fair necklaces (4, 37⁴). Ṛbhu is a possessor of steeds (*aśvin*: 4, 37⁵). The Ṛbhus are characteristically defthanded (*suhastāḥ*) and skilful (*apás*, *svapas*: 4, 33 1. 8 &c.), their skilful deeds being incomparable (3, 60⁴). They are frequently said to have acquired the rank of gods in consequence of their marvellous skill. Through their wondrous deeds they obtained divinity (3, 60¹). By their skilful deeds they became gods and immortal, alighting like eagles in heaven (4, 35⁸). They are men of the air who by their energy mounted to heaven (1, 110⁶). For their skilful services they went the path of immortality to the host of the gods (4, 35³), obtaining immortality among the gods and their friendship (4, 33 3. 4. 35³. 36⁴). But they were originally mortals, children of Manu, who by their industry acquired immortality (3, 60³; 1, 110⁴). The AB. (3, 30²) speaks of them as men who by austerity (*tapas*) obtained a right to partake of Soma among the gods. The gods rejoiced so greatly in their work, that Vāja became the artificer of the gods, Ṛbhukṣan of Indra, and Vibhvan of Varuṇa (4, 33⁹). They went to the gods and obtained the sacrifice, or a share of the sacrifice, among the gods through their skilful work (1, 20 1. 8. 121 6. 7). Thus the third or evening pressing or libation (*savana*) belongs to them, they having obtained it by their skilful work (1, 161⁸; 4, 33¹¹. 34⁴. 35⁹). They are thus sometimes expressly invoked as gods (4, 36⁵. 37¹).

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Like the higher gods, they are besought to give prosperity and wealth (4, 33⁸. 37⁵), in cattle, horses, heroes (4, 34¹⁰), and to grant vigour, nourishment, offspring, dexterity (1, 111²). They grant treasures to the Soma presser (1, 20⁷; 4, 35⁶). He whom they help is invincible in fight (4, 36⁶), and Ṛbhu and Vāja are besought to give aid and booty in battle (1, 115⁵).

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The same verb *takṣ*, to fashion, is generally used with reference to the manual skill of the Ṛbhus as to that of Tvaṣṭṛ. The five great feats of dexterity by which they became gods, are spoken of with pretty uniform frequency and are all or most of them mentioned in nearly every hymn dedicated to their praise. They fashioned or made a car (1, 111¹. 161³; 4, 33⁸. 36²), which is horseless, reinless, three-wheeled, and traverses space (4, 36¹). The car which goes round they fashioned for the Aśvins (1, 20³. 161⁶; 10, 39¹²). When in a verse (4, 34⁹) which enumerates each of their feats with a single word, they are said to have fashioned the Aśvins themselves, this appears to be only a loose way of referring to the same exploit.

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For Indra they fashioned the two bay steeds (*harī*) which waft him (4, 33¹⁰ &c.). It appears to be only a varied reference to the same feat when the Ṛbhus are represented as desiring to make a horse or as having made one horse after another (1, 161 3. 7).

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They further fashioned or made a cow (1, 161³; 4, 34⁹), which yields nectar (1, 20³) and is all-stimulating and omniform (4, 33⁸). This cow they formed out of hide (1, 110⁸) or extracted (*ariṇīta*) from a hide (1, 161⁷ &c.). They guarded her and formed her flesh (4, 33⁴). That they formed this cow for Bṛhaspati may be inferred from a verse (1, 161⁶) which states that Indra yoked the two bay steeds and the Aśvins the car, while Bṛhaspati drove up the omniform (cow). A minor feat, only twice referred to and perhaps connected with the foregoing one, consists in their having re-united the mother with her calf (1, 110⁸. 111¹).

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The Ṛbhus also rejuvenated their parents (1, 20⁴. 111¹; 4, 35⁵), who were frail and lay like decaying posts (1, 110⁸; 4, 33 2. 3). They made the two who were old young again (1, 161 3. 7). When in the brief enumeration of their feats already referred to (4, 34⁹), they are simply said to have fashioned their parents, the same feat is doubtless meant. It was their laudable fame among the gods, that they made their frail and very old parents young again so as to walk (4, 36³). In the first verse of the same hymn it is said to have been the great proclamation of their divine power, that they made heaven and earth to thrive. The latter thus seem to be intended by their parents.

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The exhibition of skill which is most frequently mentioned and appears to have been thought the greatest, as showing the Ṛbhus in the character of successful rivals of Tvaṣṭṛ, consists in their having made the one cup, the work of Tvaṣṭṛ, into four (1, 20⁶. 110³; 4, 35²· ³. 36⁴). This cup is the drinking vessel of the gods (1, 161⁵; 4, 35⁵) or of the Asura (1, 110³). The Ṛbhus were commissioned by the gods through their messenger Agni, to make the one cup, which was of wood, into four, promising as a reward that they should receive worship equally with the gods (1, 161¹· ²). Tvaṣṭṛ praised (*panayat*) the proposal of the Ṛbhus to make two, three, or four cups, and acquiesced (*avenat*) when he saw the four shining cups (4, 33⁵· ⁶). But in another passage it is said that Tvaṣṭṛ, on seeing the four cups, hid himself among the females and desired to kill the Ṛbhus for desecrating the drinking vessel of the gods (1, 161⁴· ⁵), though the Ṛbhus in a previous verse of the same hymn (v. ¹) disclaim any wish to desecrate it. They are described as measuring out like a field the one wide drinking vessel (*pātra*), desiring fame among the immortals (1, 110⁵). The same feat is less definitely referred to when they are said to have formed or fashioned cups (1, 161⁹; 3, 60² cp. 4, 35⁵).

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The skill of the Ṛbhus is incidentally exemplified by the statement that they fashioned prayer (10, 80⁷), sacrifice (3, 54¹²), and the two worlds (4, 34⁹), or that they are supporters of the sky (10, 66¹⁰).

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Another myth connects the Ṛbhus with Savitṛ. They are said to have been round the sky, wind-sped, in swift course (4, 33¹ cp. 1, 161¹²). After much wandering they came to the house of Savitṛ, who conferred immortality on them when they came to Agohya (1, 110²· ³). When, slumbering for twelve days, they had rejoiced in the hospitality of Agohya, they made fair fields and directed the streams, plants occupied the arid ground and waters the lowlands (4, 33⁷). By their skill they made grass on the heights and waters in the depths, when they slumbered in the house of Agohya (1, 161¹¹). Having slept, they asked Agohya as to who had awakened them; in a year they looked around (ib. ¹³).

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The word *ṛbhu* is apparently derived from the root *rabh*, to grasp (cp. 2, 3⁸)¹, thus meaning ‘handy’, ‘dexterous’. It frequently occurs in the RV. as an adjective and is several times thus used as an attribute of Indra, Agni, and the Ādityas. It seems to be identical with the German *elbe* and the English *elf*². Vāja (from the root *vaj*) means the ‘vigorous one’³, and Vibhvan⁴ (from *vi* and the root *bhū*), ‘the eminent’ (artist). Thus both the name of the Ṛbhus and the account given of them in the RV. indicate that their essential character is that of skilful artificers.

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It is clear that they were regarded as not having been gods from the beginning. Whether their close connexion with Indra has in any way to do with their original nature is doubtful. It is also uncertain who is meant by their patronymic Saudhanvana, since the word *sudhanvan* occurs only twice in the RV. as an attribute of Rudra and of the Maruts. It is, however, most probable that their parents who are mentioned so often, represent heaven and earth⁵. The notion that they produce fertility is connected with their sojourn of twelve days in the house of Savitṛ or Agohya, the sun ‘who cannot be concealed’⁶. They have therefore by various scholars⁷ been taken to be genii of the three seasons⁸, which are at a stand-still during the twelve days of the winter solstice. The cup of Tvaṣṭṛ possibly represents the moon, and the four into which it was transformed by the Ṛbhus, its four phases. On the whole it seems probable that the Ṛbhus were originally terrestrial or aerial elves, whose dexterity gradually attracted to them various myths illustrative of marvelous skill. But the evidence furnished by the RV. is hardly sufficient to warrant any certain conclusion.

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