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

is prescribed in various rites for prosperity in a general sense of the
term, including continuation of life. While Brhaspati is so to say the prototype
of the officiant or operator who uses the amulet and places it at the
disposal of other deities (st. 6 ff.), it is equally significant that Prajäpati
should be its creator.
In their section on the upanayana AsvG. 1, 21, 7; SG. 2,4,1; HG. 1, 5,
11; MG. 1, 22, 10; KG. 41, 9 enjoin the teacher - who according to the first
three authorities is laying his hand on the place of the pupil's heart - to
pronounce, among other mantras , the formula "let Brhaspati join you (the
pupil) to me". This invocation is perfectly intelligible: Brhaspati represents
Bráhman which in its manifestation as the Veda is to be taught to
the pupil. This god is in the same · ceremony said to have put the garment
of continuance of life on Indra when, after his example, the teacher makes
the youth clothe himself with a garment (PG. 2, 2, 7). Since the wedding
ceremonies run in several respects parallel with those of the upanayana,
it is not surprising that the same mantra is there also used to accompany
the same act (touching the heart of the bride), but now Prajäpati, the Lord
of Creatures, is the subject of the sentence (PG. 1, 8, 8; also MG. 1, 10,
13 where the bride is to look at the bridegroom). There can be no doubt
that the god is here expected to fulfil his primary function, creation and
propagation" o •
The application of the epithet "firstborn of the UniversalOrder and
Reality"l, i.e. the first and most important embodiment of what ~ta represents
, inclusive of what is considered regular, right and true "2" (prathamajá
rtásya) to both gods, Prajäp'ati and Brhaspati, is of special interest.
To the former it is given in A VS. 4, 35, 1, where he is described as
cooking (no doubt as the originator) a rice-mess for Brahmä; 12, 1, 61
(not in AVP. 17, 6, 10), where the wish is expressed that he may fill up
anything deficient on (in) the earth; MS. 4, 14, 1: 216,3, where he is
also said to be characterized by "a thousand (or, thousandfold) presences"
(sahasradhäman), and to thelatter in AVP. 2, 60, 2 and 16,51, 5"3,
which are parts of prayers for descendants. The epithet, which characterizes
a first primaeval being ('Urwesen'), is also given to other representatives
of this idea, whether they have a name (RV. 10, 5, 7 and 10,
61,19 Agni; AVS. 5, 17, 1 the Waters (Apah); 6,122,1 (Visvakarman, in
a prayer for offspring) or not (~V. 1, 164, 37 = AVS. 9, 10, 15; AVS. 2, 1,
4 = AVP. 2, 6, 4; in VS. 32, 11 the performer of the sarvamedha or universal
sacrifice on entering with his individual self the Highest or Universal
Self is said to have approached this prathamajä rtasya: i. e. , according to
the comm. Väc, the sacred word of the Veda .... ). It is clear that the possibility
of applying this epithet to several deities could contribute to their
interchangeability and identification.
Elsewhere (e.g. ~V. 6, 73, 1) prathamajá is followed by rtávä "keeping
within, abiding by rta, performing the consequent tasks or fulfilling the
40 See Gonda, The popular Prajäpati, p. 129 ff.
41 For rta see Gonda, Die Religionen Indiens, 12, Stuttgart 1978, p. 77 f.
42 Cf. Gonda, The Savayaji'ias, p. 282.
43 See L. C. Barret 's note in the edition of The Kashmirian Atharva Veda, books
XVI and XVII, New Haven, Conn. 1936, p. 52 ; in 2, 60, 2 D. Bhattacharya,
Paippaläda Sarphitä of the Atharvaveda, Calcutta 1970 replaced his name by
Prajäpati's.
44 R. T. H. Griffith , The texts of the White Yajurveda, Benares 21927, p. 316 surmises
Prajäpati.
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