Prajapati's relations with Brahman, Brhaspati and Brahma - DWC

eternal and primaeval (puräva). As is weIl known it came to be identified
with Bráhman and to be identifiable with any other term for the Supreme
(ane) .
A similar interpretation seems to be probable in the case of VS. 40, 8
where the man who clearly knows the ätman (st. 7) is declared to have
attained that bright, bodiless ... principle which in päda c is described
as being an inspired sage (kavi), encompassing (paribhü) and svaya1]lbhü
16. .
Yet, becoming svayambhü does not seem to have always been regarded
as something impossible. At the end of the long description of Indra' s 'great
consecration' in AiB. 8, 14, 3 it reads: "He became the ane who resides in
the Highest (parame~thin), Prajäpatilike 17 ; ••• he won all victories, attained
. .. the supremacy over all thegods ... , became svayambhü, sovereign
(svaräj), free from death in yonder world of heaven". A prospect of the
same future is held out to a royal person who has himself consecrated in
the same way (8, 19, 2). In these cases the usual translation "self-existing"
might be preferred : one has reached the state of one who is svayambhü
18.
TA. 1, 23, 8 runs as follows: "When the mighty 19 waters obtained an
embryo (cf. ~V. 10, 121, 7 a etc.), conceiving Dakl?a, bringing forth the
svayambhü one (cf. ~V. 10,121,8 b), then these (primary) creations (the
worlds, lokä1)., comm.) emanated in addition (to him); out of the waters,
one should know, this (world) has come into existence. That is why this
All is Bráhman Svayambhu. That is why this All (having come into existen
ce out of the waters) was so to say not compact (was unsteady, sithilam) ,
not fixeg (not firm, adhruvam). Prajäpati entered that distributing himself
... " In SB. 2, 4, 4, 1 f. the figure of Dakl?a "the Skilful ane, Skill", whose
name occurs also in other cosmogonic contexts (e.g. RV. 10, 72, 4 ff. )zo
is identified with Prajäpati, or, rat her , "the latter wäs named Dakl?a".
After a series of 'identifications' beginning with the sun and ending with
"that is all that is alive, everybody existing, the best (highest bliss, katama1).)
, svaya1]lbhu (sic)", TA. 10, 14, 1 continues: "this is Bráhman,
this is the one that is free from death, this is the Purusa 2\ this is the
Supreme ruler of beings ... ", SäyaI].a explaining svaya0bhu by "Prajäpati
who has not been born". The corresponding passage MNU. 265 ff. reads,
how.ever: "... svayambhu1)., (the formula) 'the year, that is Prajäpati,22,
that is the sun (äditya) , this Purusa (Person, viz. the person in the sun)
is the supreme ruler of beings". Witb. this passage one should compare TA.
10, 63, 1 (p. 892 B. 1.) and MNU. 531 "Brahmä (sic), everybody existent,
the highest bliss (see above), svayambhu1). (TA. , -bhüi) , MNU.), that is
(the formula) 'the year, that is Prajäpa.U' "23. It is clear that in this text
16 I refer to the commentaries and to R.T.H. Griffith, The texts of the White Yajurveda,
Benares 1927, p. 365.
17 präjäpatya: I prefer this translation to "connected with or belonging to Prajäpati".
18 See above, p. 7 f. .
19 For the meaning of brhat "bulky" see J. Gonda, Notes on brahman, p. 31 ff.
20 See, e. g. , ~ V. 10, 72, 4 f. I refer to Macdonell, Vedic mythology, p. 46.
21 See RV. 10, 90.
22 J. Gonda, Prajäpati and the year, Amsterdam Acad. 1984.
23 See also J. Varenne, La Mahä NäräyaI)a Upanillad, Paris 1960, p. 60f.
9