Artic Home of the Aryans by Lokamanya Bal ... - Mandhata Global

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conquering in the waters (apsu-jit) is his exclusive attribute (VIII, 36,
1).”*
As regards the abode of Vṛitra, we have (§ 68, A): —
“Vṛitra has a hidden (ninya) abode, whence the waters, when
released by Indra, escape, overflowing the demon (I, 32, 10). Vṛitra
lies on the waters (I, 121, 11; II, 11, 9), or enveloped by the waters, at
the bottom (budhna) of the rajas or aerial space (I, 52, 6). He is also
described as lying on a summit (sânu), when Indra made the waters
to flow (I, 80, 5). Vṛitra has fortresses, which Indra shatters when he
slays him (X, 89, 7), and which are ninety-nine in number (VIII, 93, 2;
VII, 19, 5). He is called nadî-vrît, or encompasser of rivers (I, 52, 2),
and in one passage parvata or cloud is described as being within his
belly (I, 54, 10).”
There are again passages (V, 32, 5 & 6) where India is said to
have placed Shushna, who was anxious to fight, “in the darkness of
the pit,” and slaughtered him “in the darkness which was unrelieved
by the rays of the sun,” (asûrye tamasi). In 1, 54, 10, darkness is said
to have prevailed in Vṛitra’s hollow side, and in II, 23, 18, Bṛihaspati,
with Indra is said to have hurled down the ocean, which was
“encompassed in darkness,” and opened the stall of kine. Finally in I,
32, 10, Vṛitra’s body is said to have sunk in “long darkness,” being
encompassed with waters. This shows that the waters of the ocean,
which was encompassed by Vṛitra, were not lighted by the rays of the
sun. In other words, the ocean (arnah) which Vṛitra is said to have
encompassed was different from the “bright ocean” (shukram arnah)
which the sun is said to have ascended in V, 45, 10. Vṛitra’s ocean
(arnava) was enveloped in darkness (tamasâ parivritam, II, 23, 18),
while the ocean, which the sun ascended, was bright and shining
(shukram). Indra is again described as going to a very distant
(parâvat) region to kill Vṛitra or Namuchi, (I, 53, 7; VIII, 12, 17; VIII,
45, 25). If we combine all these statements
* See Macdonell’s Vedic Mythology, in Grundriss der Indo-Arischen
Philologie and Altertumskunde, § 22 (Indra), pp. 58-61.