Ride With The Devil

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Ride With The Devil

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.
' White.' The name of the third Pandu prince. All the five brothers
were of divine paternity, and Arjuna's father was Indra, hence he is
called Aindri. A brave warrior,
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22 ARJUNA. high-minded, generous, upright, and

handsome, the most prominent and the most amiable and
interesting of the five brothers. He was taught the use of arms by
Drowa, and was his favourite pupil. By his skill in arms he won
Draupadi at her Swayamvara. For an involuntary transgression he
imposed upon himself twelve years' exile from his family, and during
that time he visited Parasu-rama, who gave him instruction in the
use of arms. He at this period formed a connection with UTupi, a
Naga princess, and by her had a son named Iravat. He also married
Chitrangada, the daughter of the king of Mawipura, by whom he had
a son named Babhru-vahana. He visited Krishna at Dwaraka, and
there he married Su-bhadra, the sister of Krishna. (See Su-bhadriL)
By her he had a son named Abhimanyu. Afterwards he obtained the
bow Gaw^iva from the god Agni, with which to fight against Indra,
and he assisted Agni in burning the KhancZava forest. When Yudhi-
shftiira lost the kingdom by gambling, and the five brothers went
into exile for thirteen years, Arjuna proceeded on a pilgrimage to the
Himalayas to propitiate the gods, and to obtain from them celestial
weapons for use in the contemplated war against the Kauravas.
There he fought with #iva, who appeared in the, guise of a Kirata or
mountaineer ; but Arjuna, having found out the true character of his
adversary, worshipped him, and #iva gave him the pasupata, one of
his most powerful weapons. Indra, Yaruraa, Yarna, and Kuvera came
to him, and also presented him with their own peculiar weapons.
Indra, his father, carried him in his car to Ms heaven and to his
capital Amaravati, where Arjuna spent some years in the practice of
arms. Indra sent him against the Daityas of the sea, whom he
vanquished, and then returned victorious to Indra, who "presented
him with a chain of gold and a diadem, and with a war-shell which
sounded like thunder." In the thirteenth year of exile he entered the
service of Kaja Yirafa, disguised as a eunuch, and acted as music
and dancing master, but in the end he took a leading part in
defeating the king's enemies, the king of Trigarta and the Kaurava
princes, many of whose leading warriors he vanquished in single
combat. Preparations for the great struggle with the Kauravas now
began. Arjuna obtained the personal assistance of Krishna, who
acted as his charioteer, and, before the great battle began, related to
him the Bhagavad-gita. On
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ARJUNA— ARUNA. 23 tlie tenth day of the battle he

mortally wounded Bhishma } on the twelfth he defeated Susarman
and his four brothers, on the fourteenth he killed Jayadratha; on the
seventeenth, he was so stung by some reproaches of his brother,
Yudlii-sh^hira, that he would have killed him had not Krishna
interposed. On the same day he fought with Kama, who had made a
vow to slay him. He was near being vanquished when an accident to
Kama's chariot gave Arjuna the opportunity of killing him. After the
defeat of the Kauravas, Aswatthaman, son of Drowa, and two
others, who were the sole survivors, made a night attack on the
camp of the PancZavas, and murdered their children. Arjuna pursued
Aswatthaman, and made him give up the precious jewel which he
wore upon his head as an amulet. When the horse intended for
Yudhi-shtfhira's Aswa-medha sacrifice was let loose, Arjuna, with his
army, followed it through many cities and countries, and fought with
many Rajas. He entered the country of Trigarta, and had to fight his
way through He fought also against Vajradatta, who had a famous
elephant, and against the Saindhavas. At the city of Manipura he
fought with his own son, Babhru-vahana, and was killed ; but he
was restored to life by a Naga charm supplied by his wife UlupL
Afterwards he penetrated into the Dakshiwa or south country, and
fought with the JSTishadas and Dravi^ians : then went westwards to
Gujarat, and finally conducted the horse back to Hastinapura, There
the great sacrifice was performed. He was subsequently called to
Dwaraka by Krishna amid the internecine struggles of the Yadavas,
and there he performed the funeral ceremonies of Vasudeva and of
Krislma. Soon after this he retired from the world to the Himalayas.
(See Maha-bhaiata.) He had a son named Iravat by the serpent
nymph Ulupl ; Babhru-vahana, by the daughter of the king of
Mampura, became king of that country ; Abhimanyu, born of his wife
Su-bhadra, was killed in the great battle, but the kingdom of
Hastinapura descended to his son Parlkshit. Arjuna has many
appellations : Bibhatsu, Guc£a-kesa, Dhananjaya, Jishmi, Kiri/in,
Paka-sasani, Phalguna, Savya-sachin, Sweta-vahana, and Partha.
ARJUNA. Son of Knta-vlrya, king of the Haihayas. He is better known
under his patronymic Karta-virya (q.v.). ARTHA-&ASTRA. The useful
arts. Mechanical science. ARTJiVA. { Red, rosy.' The dawn,
personified as the charioteer
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24 A R UNDHA TI—AR YA VARTA. of the sun. This is of later

origin than the Vedie Ushas (q.v.). He is said to he the son of
Kasyapa and Kadru. He is also called Rumra, ' tawny/ and by two
epithets of which the meaning is not obvious, An-uru, ' thighless,'
and Asmana, ' stony.' ARUNDHATl The morning star, personified as
the wife of the iftshi Yasisbiha, and a model of conjugal excellence.
ARUSHA, ARtTSHI. « Red.' « A red horse.' In the Rigveda the red
horses or mares of the sun or of fire. The rising sun. ARYAN, ARYA 'A
horse.' One of the horses of the moon. A fabulous animal, half-
horse, half-bird, on which the Daityas are supposed to ride.
ARYAYASU. See Raibhya. ARYA, ARYAK < Loyal, faithful' The name
of the im. migrant race from which all that is Hindu originated. The
name by which the people of the i&g-veda " called men of their own
stock and religion, in contradistinction to the Dasyus (or Dasas), a
term by which we either understand hostile demons or the rude
aboriginal tribes " of India, who were An-aryas. ARYA-BHAIA. The
earliest known Hindu writer on algebra, and, according to
Colebrooke, "if not the inventor, the improver of that analysis," which
has made but little advance in India since. He was born, according
to his own account, at Kusuma-pura (Patna), in A-D. 476, and
composed his first astronomical work at the early age of twenty-
threa His larger work, the Arya Siddhdnta, was produced at a riper
age. He is probably the Andubarius (Ardubarius ?) of the Chronichon
Paschale, and the Arjabahr of the Arabs. Two of his works, the
Dasagltisutra and Aryashtasata, have been edited by Kern under the
title of Aryabhafiya. See Whitney in Jour. Amer. Or. Society for i860,
T)r. Bhau Daji in «/". R. A. S. for 1865, and Barth in Revue Critique
for 1875. There is another and later astronomer of the same name,
distinguished as Laghu Arya-bhafci, ie,, Aryabhafo the Less. •
ARYAMAK 'A bosom friend.' 1. Chief of the Pitna 2. One of the
Adityas. 3. One of the Yiswe-devas. ARYA SIDDHANTA The system
of astronomy founded by Arya-bha^a in his work bearing this name.
ARYAYARTA. 'The land of the Aryas.' The tract between the Himalaya
and the Yindhya ranges, from the eastern to the western sea. —
ManiL
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ASAMANJAS-ASHTAVAKRA. 25 ASAMANJAS. Son of Sagara

and Kesini, He was a wild and wicked young man, and was
abandoned by his father, but lie succeeded him as king, and,
according to the Hari-vama, he was afterwards famous for valour
under the name of Panchajana. ASANGA. Author of some verses in
the i&g-veda. He was son of Playoga, but was changed into a
woman by the curse of the gods. He recovered his male form by
repentance and the favour of the i&shi Medhatithi, to whom he gave
abundant wealth, and addressed the verses preserved in the Veda
ASARA A Bakshasa or other demon. ASH2AVAKLRA. A Brahman, the
son of Kahoda, whose story is told in the Maha-bharata. Kahoefe,
married a daughter of his preceptor, Uddalaka, but he was so
devoted to study that he neglected his wife. When she was far
advanced in her pregnancy, the unborn son was provoked at his
father's neglect of her, and rebuked him for it Kahoda, was angry at
the ohild's impertinence, and condemned him to be born crooked; so
he came forth with his eight (ashta) limbs crooked (vahra) ; hence
his name. Kahcwfe. went to a great sacrifice at the court of Janaka,
king of Mithila. There was present there a great Buddhist sage, who
challenged disputations, upon the understanding that whoever was
overcome in argument should be thrown into the river. This was the
fate of many, and among them of Kaho^a, who was drowned. In his
twelfth year Ashtavakra learned the manner of his father's death,
and set out to avenge him. The lad was possessed of great ability
and wisdom. He got the better of the sage who had worsted his
father, and insisted that the sage should be thrown into the water.
The sage then declared himself to be a son of Varuna, god of the
waters, who had sent him to obtain Brahmans for officiating at a
sacrifice by overpowering them in argument and throwing them into
the water. When all was explained and set right, Kahoia directed his
son to bathe in the Samanga river, on doing which the lad became
perfectly straight. A story is told in the Vishwu Purawa that
Ashtavakra was standing in water performing penances when he was
seen by some celestial nymphs and worshipped by them. He was
pleased, and told them to ask a boon. They asked for the best of
men as a husband. He came out of the water and offered himself.
When they saw him, ugly and crooked in eight places, they laughed
in derision. He
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36 ASIKNI—ASOKA. was angry, and as he could not recall

his blessing, he said that, after obtaining it, they should fall into the
hands of thieves. ASEO"! The Yedic name of the Chinab, and
probably the origin of the classic Akesines. A-SIRAS. ' Headless.'
Spirits or beings without heads. ASMARA. Son of Madayanti, the wife
of Kalmasha-pada or Saudasa. See Kalmasha-pada. A£OKA. A
celebrated king of the Maurya dynasty of Magadha, and grandson of
its founder, Chandra-gupta, " This king is the most celebrated of any
in the annals of the Buddhists. In the commencement of his reign he
followed the Brahmanical faith, but became a convert to that of
Buddha, and a zealous encourager of it. He is said to have
maintained in his palace 64,000 Buddhist priests, and to have
erected 84,000 columns (or topes) throughout India. A great
convocation of Buddhist priests was held in the eighteenth year of
his reign, which was followed by missions to Ceylon and other
places." He reigned thirty-six years, from about 234 to 198 b.c, and
exercised authority more or less direct from Afghanistan to Ceylon.
This fact is attested by a number of very curious Pali inscriptions
found engraven upon rocks and pillars, all of them of the same
purport, and some of them almost identical in words, the variations
showing little more than dialectic differences. That found at Kapur-
di-giri, in Afghanistan, is in the Bactrian Pali character, written from
right to left ; all the others are in the India Pali character, written
from left to right The latter is the oldest known form of the character
now in use in India, but the modern letters have departed so far
from their prototypes that it required all the acumen and diligence of
James Prinsep to decipher the ancient forms. These inscriptions
show a great tenderness for animal life, and are Buddhist in their
character, but they do not enter upon the distinctive peculiarities of
that religion. The name of Asoka never occurs in them ; the king
who set them up is called Piyadasi (Sans. Priya-darsl), ' the
beautiful,' and he is entitled Devanam-piya, ' the beloved of the
gods.' Buddhist writings identify this Piyadasi with Asoka, and little
or no doubt is entertained of the two names representing the same
person. One of the most curious passages in these inscriptions refers
to the Greek king Antiochus, calling him and three others "
Turamayo, Anfcakana, Mako, and Alika 
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ASRAMA—ASURA. 27 sunari," which represent Ptolemy,

Antigonus, Magas, and Alexander. " The date of Asoka is not exactly
that of Antiochus the Great, but it is not very far different ; and the
corrections required to make it correspond are no more than the
inexact manner in which both Brahmanical and Buddhist chronology
is preserved may well be expected to render necessary." See
Wilson's note in the Yisrwra. Purima, his article in the Journal of the
Royal Asiatic Society, vol xii, Max Muller's Ancient Sanskrit Literature,
and an article by Sir E. Perry in voL iii of the Journal of the Bombay
Asiatic Society. A$KAMA. There are four stages in the life of a
Brahman which are called by this name. See Brahman. ASTIKA. An
ancient sage, son of Jarat-karu by a sister of the great serpent
Yasuki. He saved the life of the serpent Takshaka when Janamejaya
made his great sacrifice of serpents, and induced that king to forego
his persecution of the serpent race. ASURA ' Spiritual, divine.' In the
oldest parts of the Bigveda this term is used for the supreme spirit,
and is the same as the Ahura of the Zoroastrians. In the sense of '
god ' it was applied to several of the chief deities, as to Indra, Agni,
and Yaruwa. It afterwards acquired an entirely opposite meaning,
and came to signify, as now, a demon or enemy of the goda The
word is found with this signification in the later parts of the i2ig-
veda, particularly in the last book, and also in the Atharvaveda. The
Brahmawas attach the same meaning to it, and record many
contests between the Asuras and the gods. According to the
Taittiriya Brahmam, the breath (asu) of Prajapati became alive, and "
with that breath he created the Asuras." In another part of the same
work it is said that Prajapati " became pregnant. He created Asuras
from his abdomen." The Satapatha Brahmawa accords with the
former statement, and states that " he created Asuras from his lower
breath." The Taittiriya Arawyaka represents that Prajapati created
"gods, men, fathers, Gandkarvas, and Apsarases " from water, and
that the Asuras, Eakshasas, and Pisachas sprang from the drops
which were spilt. Manu's statement is that they were created by the
Prajapatis, According to the Yisrmu Purawa, they were produced
from the groin of Brahma (Prajapati). The account of the Yayu
Puraraa is : " Asuras were first produced as sons from his
(Prajapati's) groin. Asu is declared by Brahmans to
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28 ASURI—ASWA-MEDHA. mean breath. From it these

beings were produced ; hence they are Asuras." The word has long
been used as a general name for the enemies of the gods, including
the Daityas and Danavas and other descendants of Kasyapa, but not
including the Rakshasas descended from Pulastya. In this sense a
different derivation has been found for it : the source is no longer
asu, 1 breath,' but the initial a is taken as the negative prefix, and a-
sura signifies ' not a god ; ' hence, according to some, arose the
word swa, commonly used for 'a god.' See Sura. ASURI. One of the
earliest professors of the Sankhya philosophy. A&WALAYAKA A
celebrated writer of antiquity. He was pupil of $aunaka, and was
author of $rauta-sutras, Grihyasutras, and other works upon ritual,
as well as founder of a »Sakha of the i^ig-veda. The Sutras have
been published by Dr. Stenzler, and also in the Bibliotheca Indica.
AjSWA-MEDHA, ' The sacrifice of a horse.5 This is a sacrifice which,
in Vedic times, was performed by kings desirous of offspring. The
horse was killed with certain ceremonies, and the wives of the king
had to pass the night by its carcase. Upon the chief wife fell the duty
of going through a revolting formality which can only be hinted at.
Subsequently, as in the time of the Maha-bharata, the sacrifice
obtained a high importance and significance. It was performed only
by kings, and implied that he who instituted it was a conqueror and
king of kings. It was believed that the performance of one hundred
such sacrifices would enable a mortal king to overthrow the throne
of Indra, and to become the ruler of the universe and sovereign of
the gods. A horse of a particular colour was consecrated by the
performance of certain ceremonies, and was then turned loose to
wander at will for a year. The king, or his representative, followed
the horse with an army, and when the animal entered a foreign
country, the ruler of that country was bound either to fight or to
submit. If the liberator of the horse succeeded in obtaining or
enforcing the submission of all the countries over which it passed,
he returned in triumph with the vanquished Rajas in his train ; but if
he failed, he was disgraced and his pretensions ridiculed. After the
successful return a great festival was held, at which the horse was
sacri ficed, either really or figuratively.
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ASWA-MUKHA—ASWINS. 39 ASWA-MUKHA. ' Horse faced'

See Kinnara. AjSWA-PATL 'Lord of horses.' An appellation of many
kings. ASWATTHAMAN. Son of Drowa and Kripa, and one of the
generals of the Kauravas. Also called hy his patronymic Drauwayana.
After the last great "battle, in which Dur-yodhana was mortahy
wounded, Aswatthaman with two other warriors, Kripa and Knta-
varman, were the sole survivors of the Kaurava host that were left
effective. Aswatthaman was made the commander. He was tierce in
his hostility to the Pawdavas, and craved for revenge upon Dhnshia-
dyumna, who had slain his father, Droraa. These three surviving
Kauravas entered the Pawcfava camp at night. They found Dhnshita-
dyumna asleep, and Aswa^haman stamped him to death as he lay.
He then killed /Sikhandin, the other son of Drupada, and he also
killed the five young sons of the PaWavas and carried their heads to
the dying Dur-yodhana. He killed Parikshit, while yet unborn in the
womb of his mother, with his celestial weapon Brahmastra, by which
he incurred the curse of Krishna, who restored Parikshit to life. On
the next morning he and his comrades fled, but Draupadi clamoured
for revenge upon the murderer of her children. Yudhi-sMiira
represented that Aswatthaman was a Brahman, and pleaded for his
life. She then consented to forego her demand for his blood if the
precious and protective jewel which he wore on his head were
brought to her. Bhima, Arjuna, and Krishna then went in pursuit of
him. Arjuna and Krishwa overtook him, and compelled him to give
up the jewel They carried it to Draupadi, and she gave it to Yudhi-
sh&ira, who afterwards wore it on his head. ASWINS, ASWWAU
(dual), ASWINI KUMARAS. ' Horsemen.' Dioskouroi. Two Vedic
deities, twin sons of the sun or the sky. They are ever young and
handsome, bright, and of golden brilliancy, agile, swift as falcons,
and possessed of many forms ; and they ride in a golden car drawn
by horses or birds, as harbingers of Ushas, the dawn, " They are the
earliest bringers of light in the morning sky, who in their chariot
hasten onwards before the dawn and prepare the way for her." —
Both. As personifications of the morning twilight, they are said to be
children of the sun by a nymph who concealed herself in the form of
a mare; hence she was called Aswini and her sons Aswins. But
inasmuch as they precede the rise of the sun,
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30 AS WINS. they are called his parents in his form Pushan.

Mythically they are the parents of the Pawdu princes Nakula and
Sahadeva. Their attributes are numerous, hut relate mostly to youth
and beauty, light and speed, duality, the curative power, and active
benevolence. The number of hymns addressed to them testify to the
enthusiastic worship they received. They were the physicians of
Swarga, and in this character are called Dasras and Nasatyas, G-
adagadau and Swar-vaidyau ; or one was Basra and the other
Nasatya. Other of their appellations are Abclhijau, 'ocean born;'
Pushkara-srajau, 'wreathed with lotuses;' Badaveyau, sons of the
submarine fire, BacZava. Many instances are recorded of their
benevolence and their power of healing. They restored the sage
Chyavana to youth, and prolonged his life when he had become old
and decrepit, and through his instrumentality they were admitted to
partake of the libations of soma, like the other gods, although Indra
strongly opposed them. (See Chyavana.) The Aswins, says Muir, "
have been a puzzle to the oldest commentators," who have differed
widely in their explanations. According to different interpretations
quoted in the Nirukta, they were " heaven and earth," " day and
night," " two kings, performers of holy acts." The following is the
view taken of them by the late Professor Goldstucker, as printed in
Muir's Texts, vol. v. : — "The myth of the Aswins is, in my opinion,
one of .that class of myths in which two distinct elements, the
cosmical and the human or historical, have gradually become
blended into one. It seems necessary, therefore, to separate these
two elements in order to arrive at an understanding of the myth.
The historical or human element in it, I believe, is represented by
those legends which refer to the wonderful cures effected by the
Aswins, and to their performances of a kindred sort ; the cosmical
element is that relating to their luminous nature. The link which
connects both seems to be the mysteriousness of the nature and
effects of the phenomena of light and of the healing art at a remote
antiquity. That there might have been some horsemen or warriors of
great renown, who inspired their contemporaries with awe by their
wonderful deeds, and more especially by their medical skill, appears
to have been also the opinion of some old commentators mentioned
by Yaska [in the Nirukta], for some ' legendary writers,' he says,
took them for
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ASWINS—ATHARVANGIRASAS. 31 * two kings, performers

of holy acts,' and this view seems likewise borne out by the legend
in which it is narrated that the gods refused the Aswins admittance
to a sacrifice on the ground that they had been on too familiar terms
with men. It would appear, then, that these Aswins, like the Ifobhus,
were originally renowned mortals, who, in the course of time, were
translated into the companionship of the gods. . . . " The luminous
character of the Aswins can scarcely be matter of doubt, for the view
of some commentators, recorded by Yaska, according to which they
are identified with ' heaven and earth,' appears not to be
countenanced by any of the passages known to us. Their very name,
it would seem, settles this point, since Aswa, the horse, literally ' the
pervader,' is always the symbol of the luminous deities, especially of
the sun. . . . " It seems to be the opinion of Yaska that the Aswins
represent the transition from darkness to light, when the
intermingling of both produces that inseparable duality expressed by
the twin nature of these deities. And this interpretation, I hold, is the
best that can be given of the character of the cosmical Aswins. It
agrees with the epithets by which they are invoked, and with the
relationship in which they are placed. They are young, yet also
ancient, beautiful, bright, swift, &c. ; and their negative character,
the result of the alliance of light with darkness, is, I believe,
expressed by dasra, the destroyer, and also by the two negatives in
the compound nasatya (na + a-satya) ; though their positive
character is again redeemed by the ellipsis of ' enemies, or diseases '
to dasra, and by the sense of nasatya, not untrue, ie., truthful"
ATHARVA, ATHARVAK The fourth Veda. See Veda. ATHARVAN".
Name of a priest mentioned in the Migveda, where he is represented
as having " drawn forth " fire and to have " offered sacrifice in early
times." He is mythologically represented as the eldest son of
Brahma, to whom that god revealed the Brahma-vidya (knowledge
of God), as a Prajapati, and as the inspired author of the fourth
Veda. At a later period he is identified with Angiras. His descendants
are called Atharvanas, and are often associated with the Angirasaa
ATHARVANGIKASAS. This name belongs to the descendants of
Atharvan and Angiras, or to the Angirasaa alone, who are especially
connected with the Atharva-veda, and them
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32 A TMA-BODHA—A UR VA. names axe probably given to

the hymns of that Veda to confei on them greater authority and
holiness. ATMA-BODHA ' Knowledge of the soul.' A short work
attributed to $ankaracharya. It has been printed, and a translation of
it was published in 1812 by Taylor. There is a French version by Neve
and an English translation by Kearns in the Indian Antiquary, voL v.
ATMAN, ATMA The soul The principle of life. The supreme souL
ATREYA A patronymic from Atri. A son or descendant of Atri ; a
people so called. ATRI. { An eater.' A Mishi, and author of many
Vedic hymns. " A Maharshi or great saint, who in the Vedas occurs
especially in hymns composed for the praise of Agni, Indra, the
Aswins, and the Viswa-devas. In the epic period he is considered as
one of the ten Prajapatis or lords of creation engendered by Manu
for the purpose of creating the universe ; at a later period he
appears as a mind-born son of Brahma, and as one of the seven
ifo'shis who preside over the reign of Swayambhuva, the first Manu,
or, according to others, of Swarochisha, the second, or of
Vaivaswata, the seventh. He married Anasuya, daughter of Daksha,
and their son was Durvasas." — Goldstucker". In the Ramayawa an
account is given of the visit paid by Rama and Sita to Atri and
Anasuya in their hermitage south of Chitrakiitfa. In the Purarais he
was also father of Soma, the moon, and the ascetic Dattatreya by
his wife Anasuya. As a fiishi he is one of the stars of the Great Bear.
AURVA. A ifoshi, son of Urva and grandson of Bhngu. He is described
in the Maha-bharata as son of the sage Chyavana by his wife ArushL
From his race he is called Bhargava. The Maha-bharata relates that a
king named Knta-virya was very liberal to his priests of the race of
Bhngu, and that they grew rich upon his munificence. After his
death, his descendants, who had fallen into poverty, begged help
from the Bhngus, and met with no liberal response. Some of them
buried their money, and when this was discovered the impoverished
Kshatriyas were so exasperated that they slew all the Bhngus down
to the children in the womb. One woman concealed her unborn child
in her thigh, and the Kshatriyas being informed of this, sought the
child to kill it, but the child " issued forth from its mother's
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A UR VA—A VA TARA. . 33 thigh, with lustre and blinded

the persecutors. From "being produced from the thigh (uru), the
child received the name of Aurva. The sage's austerities alarmed
both gods and men, and he for a long time refused to mitigate his
wrath against the Kshatriyas, but at the persuasion of the Pitns, he
cast the fire of his anger into the sea, where it became a being with
the face of a horse called Haya-siras. While he was living in the
forest he prevented the wife of King Bahu from burning herself with
her husband's corpse. Thus he saved the life of her son, with whom
she had been pregnant seven years. "When the child was born he
was called Sagara (ocean) ; Aurva was his preceptor, and bestowed
on him, the Agneyastra, or fiery weapon with which he conquered
the barbarians who invaded his country. Aurva had a son named
i&chika, who was father of Jamadagni. The Hari-vansa gives another
version of the legend about the offspring of Aurva. The sage was
urged by his friends to beget children. He consented, but he foretold
that his progeny would lire by the destruction of others. Then he
produced from his thigh a devouring fire, which cried out with a loud
voice, " I am hungry ; let me consume the world." The various
regions were soon in flames, when Brahma interfered to save his
creation, and promised the son of Aurva a suitable abode and
maintenance. The abode was to be at Badava^mukha, the mouth of
the ocean ; for Brahma was born and rests in the ocean, and he and
the newly produced fire were to consume the world together at the
end of each age, and at the end of time to devour all things with the
gods, Asuras, and Rakshasas. The name Aurva thus signifies, shortly,
the submarine fire. It is also called Badavanala and Samvarttaka. It
is represented as a flame with a horse's head, and is also called
Kaka-dhwaja, from carrying a banner on which there is a crow.
ATLSANA, or AILSAN ASA PUKAiVA, See Purarca. AUTTAMI. The third
Mann. See Manu. AVANTl, AYANTIKA. A name of TJjjayinl, one of the
seven sacred cities. AVATAR A. e A descent.' The incarnation of a
deity, especially of Vishnu, The first indication, not of an Avatara, but
of what subsequently developed into an Avatara, is found in the i&g-
veda in the " three steps " of " Vishwu, the unconquerable
preserver," who "strode over this (universe)," and "in 0
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34 AVATARA. three places planted Ms step." The early

commentators under, stood the " three places " to he the earth, the
atmosphere, and the sty ; that in the earth Vishmi -was fire, in the
air lightning, and in the sky the solar light. One commentator,
Aumavabha, whose name deserves mention, took a more
philosophical view of the matter, and interpreted " the three steps "
as "being " the different positions of the sun at his rising,
culmination, and setting." Sayarca, the great commentator, who lived
in days when the god Vishmi had obtained pre-eminence,
understood " the three steps " to be " the three steps " taken by that
god in his incarnation of Yamana the dwarf, to be presently noticed.
Another reference to "three strides" and to a sort of Avatara is made
in the Taittiriya Sanhita, where it is said, " Indra, assuming the form
of a she-jackal, stepped all round the earth in three (strides). Thus
the gods obtained it" Boar Incarnation. — In the Taittiriya Sanhita
and Brahniawa, and also in the #atapatha Brahma?ia, the creator
Prajapati, afterwards known as Brahma, took the form of a boar for
the purpose of raising the earth out of the boundless waters. The
Sanhita says, " This universe was formerly waters, fluid. On it
Prajapati, becoming wind, moved. He saw this (earth). Becoming a
boar, he took her up. Becoming Viswakarman, he wiped (the
moisture from) her. She extended. She became the extended one
(Pnthvl). From this the earth derives her designation as 'the
extended one.' " The Brahmawa is in accord as to the illimitable
waters, and adds, "Prajapati practised arduous devotion (saying),
How shall this universe be (developed)? He beheld a lotus leaf
standing. He thought, There is somewhat on which this (lotus leaf)
rests. He, as a boar — having assumed that form — plunged
beneath towards it He found the earth down below. Breaking off (a
portion of her), he rose to the surface. He then extended it on the
lotus leaf. Inasmuch as he extended it, that is the extension of the
extended one (the earth). This became (abhut). From tliis the earth
derives its name of Bhuml" Further, in the Taittiriya Arawyaka it is
said that the earth was " raised by a black boar with a hundred
arms." The #atapatha Brahmana states, " She (the earth) was only
so large, of the size of a span. A boar called Emusha raised her up.
Her lord, Prajapati, in
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AVATAR A. 35 consequence prospers him -with this pair and

makes him complete." In the RamayaTja also it is stated that
Brahma "bebecame a boar and raised up the earth." Kurma, or
Tortoise. — In the /Satapatha Brahmawa it is said that " Prajapati,
having assumed the form of a tortoise (kurma), created offspring.
That which he created he made (akarot) ; hence the word Kurma."
Fish Incarnation. — The earliest mention of the fish Avatara occurs
in the /Satapatha Brahmawa, in connection with the Hindu legend of
the deluge. Manu found, in the water which was brought to him for
his ablutions, a small fish, which spoke to him and said, " I will save
thee " from a flood which shall sweep away all creatures. This fish
grew to a large size, and had to be consigned to the ocean, when he
directed Manu to construct a ship and to resort to him when the
flood should rise. The deluge came, and Manu embarked in the ship.
The fish then swam to Manu, who fastened the vessel to the fish's
horn, and was conducted to safety. The Maharbharata repeats this
story with some variations. The incarnations of the boar, the tortoise,
and the fish are thus in the earlier writings represented as
manifestations of Prajapati or Brahma. The " three steps " which
form the germ of the dwarf incarnation are ascribed to Vishrau, but
even these appear to be of an astronomical or mythical character
rather than glorifications of a particular deity. In the Maha-bharata
Vishnu has become the most prominent of the gods, and some of his
incarnations are more or less distinctly noticed ; but it is in the
Purawas that they receive their full development According to the
generally received account, the incarnations of Vishrau are ten in
number, each of them being assumed by Vishnu, the great
preserving power, to save the world from some great danger or
trouble. i. Matsya. 'The fish.' This is an appropriation toVishwu of the
ancient legend of the fish and the deluge, as related in the
Satapatha Brahmana, and quoted above. The details of this Avatara
vary slightly in different Pumraas. The object of the incarnation was
to save Yaivaswata, the seventh Manu, and progenitor of the human
race, from destruction by a deluge. A small fish came into the hands
of Manu and besought his protection. He carefully guarded it, and it
grew rapidly until
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36 AVATAR A. nothing but the ocean could contain it. Manu

then recognised its divinity, and worshipped the deity Vishwu thus
incarnate. The god apprised Manu of the approaching cataclysm,
and bade him prepare for it. When it came, Manu embarked in a
ship with the .Eishis, and with the seeds of all existing things. Vislmu
then appeared as the fish with a most stupendous horn. The ship
was bound to this horn with the great serpent as with a rope, and
was secured in safety until the waters had subsided. The Bhagavata
Purana introduces a new feature. In one of the nights of Brahma,
and during his repose, the earth and the other worlds were
submerged in the ocean. Then the demon Haya-griva drew near, and
carried off the Veda which had issued from Brahma's mouth. To
recover the Yeda thus lost, Vislmu assumed the form of a fish, and
saved Manu as above related. But this Purawa adds, that the fish
instructed Manu and the i&shis in " the true doctrine of the soul of
the eternal Brahma;" and, when Brahma awoke at the end of this
dissolution of the universe, Vishnu, slew Haya-griva and restored the
Veda to Brahma. 2. Kurma. 'The tortoise.' The germ of this Avatara
is found in the $atapatha Brahmana, as above noticed. In its later
and developed form, Vislmu appeared in the form of a tortoise in the
Satya-yuga, or first age, to recover some things of value which had
been lost in the deluge. In the form of a tortoise he placed himself
at the bottom of the sea of milk, and made his back the base or
pivot of the mountain Mandara. The gods and demons twisted the
great serpent Vasuki round the mountain, and, dividing into two
parties, each took an end of the snake as a rope, and thus churned
the sea until they recovered the desired objects. These were — (i.)
Amnta, the water of life; (2.) Dhanwantari, the physician of the gods
and bearer of the cup of Amnta; (3.) Lakshml, goddess of fortune
and beauty, and consort of Vislmu ; (4.) Sura, goddess of wine ; (5.)
Chandra, the moon; (6.) Bambha, a nymph, and pattern of a lovely
and amiable woman; (7.) TJchchaiA-sravas, a wonderful and model
horse ; (8.) Kaustubha, a celebrated jewel ; (9.) Parijata, a celestial