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Vedic Mythology c6.s5: § 55. A. Virūpas

Vedic Mythology c6.s5

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§ 55. A. Virūpas

c6.s5.1

— Closely connected with the Aṅgirases are the Virūpas, whose name is mentioned three times in the plural. The Aṅgirases, the Virūpas, are sons of heaven (3, 53⁷). The Virūpas are seers, sons of Aṅgiras, born from Agni, from heaven (10, 62⁵. ⁶). Virūpa once occurs as the name of a single being, who sings the praises of Agni, in a stanza (8, 64⁶) immediately following one in which Aṅgiras is invoked. The name also has the singular sense in the adverb *virūpavat*, ‘like Virūpa’, as is indicated by the occurrence in the same stanza (1, 45³) of *Priyamedhavat*, *Atrivat*, besides *Aṅgirasvat*. The word once occurs in its patronymic form in a verse (10, 14⁵) in which Yama is invoked with the Aṅgirases and the Vairūpas. As the word is most usually a simple adjective meaning 'of variable form' and, when a name, is always found in company with that of Aṅgiras or the Aṅgirases, it would seem to have been hardly more than an epithet of the latter.

c6.s5.2

B. Navagvas². The name of these beings occurs altogether fourteen times in the RV., six times in association with that of the Aṅgirases. The Navagvas are spoken of as 'our ancient fathers' (6, 22²), or as 'our fathers' along with the Aṅgirases, the Atharvans, and the Bhṛgus (10, 14⁶). Like the Aṅgirases, they are connected with the myth of Indra, Saramā, and the cows of the Paṇis (1, 62³·⁴; 5, 45⁷; 10, 108⁸). Indra with the Navagvas as his friends sought the cows (3, 39⁵). Pressing Soma they laud Indra with songs; they broke open the stall of the cows (5, 29¹²). In one hymn they are described as having sung with the pressing stones for ten months (5, 45⁷·¹¹). In two of its occurrences in the plural the word *navagva* is a simple adjective, being in one of these cases an attribute of the rays of Agni (6, 6³). It is also found three times in the singular, when it appears to be an epithet of Aṅgiras (4, 51⁴; 10, 62⁶) or of Dadhyañc (9, 108⁴). It apparently means 'going in (a company of) nine'³, designating as a plural noun a group of nine ancient priestly ancestors.

c6.s5.3

C. Daśagvas². This name occurs seven times in the RV., three times in the singular, and only twice unassociated with that of the Navagvas. The Daśagvas were the first who offered sacrifice (2, 34¹²). Indra with the Navagvas sought the cows and with the ten Daśagvas found the sun (3, 39⁵). With the Navagvas and the Daśagvas Indra rent the rock and Vala (1, 62⁴). The Navagvas and Daśagyas praise Indra and broke open the stall of the cows (5, 29¹²). The dawns shine on the Navagva Aṅgira and the seven-mouthed Daśagva (4, 51⁴). Daśagva, mentioned with Navagva, is once spoken of as chief Aṅgiras (10, 62⁶). Daśagva is described in one passage as having been succoured by Indra (8, 12²). The name, being merely a numerical variation of Navagva, was most probably suggested by the latter.

c6.s5.4

D. The seven Ṛṣis⁴. The ancient seers are represented by a definite numerical group as 'the seven Ṛṣis', who are, however, only mentioned four times in the RV. One poet speaks of them as 'our fathers, the seven seers' (4, 42⁸). They are called divine (10, 130⁷), and in another passage (10, 109⁴) the 'seven ancient seers' are associated with the gods. The number may have been suggested by that of the seven technical priests (enumerated in 2, 1²), of whom they would, in that case, have been regarded as the prototypes. In the ŚB. they become individualized by each receiving a name (ŚB. 14, 5, 2⁶; Bṛhadār. Up. 2, 2⁶). In the same Brāhmaṇa (2, 1, 2⁴ cp. 8, 1, 10) they are also regarded as the seven stars in the constellation of the Great Bear and are stated to have been originally bears⁵. This identification is doubtless due partly to the sameness of the number in the two cases and partly to the similarity of sound between *ṛṣi*, 'seer', and *ṛkṣa*, which in the RV. means both 'star' (1, 24¹⁰) and 'bear' (5, 56³).

c6.s5.5

Probably the same ancient sacrificers are referred to as the seven priests (*viprāḥ*) who with the Navagvas praise Indra (6, 22² cp. 3, 31⁵; 4, 2¹⁵), or the seven Hotṛs⁶ with whom Manu made the first offering to the gods (10, 63⁷). Similarly the 'two divine Sacrificers' (*daivyā hotārā*) mentioned nearly a dozen times in the RV. seem to have been the celestial counterpart of two technical priests⁷.

c6.s5.6

¹ GW. s. v. *virūpa*; BRV. 2, 307, note 4. —

c6.s5.7

² BRV. 2, 145—6. 307—8. — 3 Cp. YN. 11, 19; BRV. 2, 145: 'having nine cows'. — 4 Roth, PW.; Oldenberg, ZDMG. 42, 236; ORV. 276—8. — 5 Weber, IS. 1, 167; Eggeling, SBE. 12, 282, n. 2. — 6 Cp. Hopkins, JAOS. 16, 277; ORV. 383—4; SBE. 46, 189. 322. — 7 ORV. 391; SBE. 46, 11; cp. BRV. 1, 234—5.

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