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

and Mrtyu, in which the weapons of the former were the equipment of a
srauta sacrifice and those of the latter the elements of popular worship .
As far as can be concluded from the texts, the relation between Brhaspati
and sacred speech is different from that bet ween Prajäpati and Väc 60 •
According to PB. 20, 14, 2 Väc takes part in the creation of the universe :
"(In the beginning) Prajäpati was alone here (i.e. this universe) ; Väc was
his only own; Väc was the second (entity existing) .... He emitted Väc
and it pervaded this All (the whole universe) . It rose upwards like a continuous
stream of water". Three times he cut off a third part of V äc. These
parts became the earth, the inter;mediate region and the heavens (similarly,
JB. 2, 244). According to SB. 6, 1, 1, 9 Prajäpa;i created the waters
out of Väc which belonged to him (cf. 6, 3,1,9). In SB. 3, 1,3,22 both
the Lord of thought (Citpati) and the Lord of the Word (Väkpati) mentioned
in VS. 4, 4 (also TS. 1,2,1,2; MS. 1, 2, 1: 10,6; KS. 2,1: 8,14;
KapS. 1, 13: 10, 12) are identified with Prajäpati, but according to Mahïdhara
on VS. the former may be Prajäpati, the latter is Brhaspati, according
to T S. 6, 1, 1, 9 the former is manas (mind, spirit) , the latter is not
identified. But elsewhere (e.g. MS. 1, 11 , 3: 164, 1) Väkpati denotes an
oth~rwise anonymous figure jus~ as Väcas pati in IJ V. 10 , 166, 3 and in
AVS. 1, 1, 1 ff.; 16,6,6 6 \ a tiUe which in RV. 9, 26, 4 and 9, 101, 5 is
applied to Soma, in 10, 81, 7 to Visvakarman· and in SB. 5, 1, 1, 16 to Prajäpati
(cf. 1, 6, 3, 27). These names indicating deities of a limited sp here
of action could be given to other deities supposed ocC'asionally to perform
that (or similar) action (according to the comm. on TÁ. Väkpati is Väyu,
because sounds are produced by means of breath or wind). The epithet
Väcas pati is applied to Brhaspati at TS. 1,8,10,1; VS. 24, 34; MS. 2,
6,6: 67,7; 3,14,16: 176, 1; KS. 15,5: 212, 15. In his capacity as "Lord
of the Sacred Word" he receives an oblation of wild rice on 17 (Prajäpati' s
number!) plates (SB. 5, 1, 4, 12). Other places testifying to a more or
less intimate relation bet ween Brhaspati and väc are VS. 9, 39, where Soma
is besought to bestow upon the person addressed (sway of) the trees,
Brhaspati (swaY,of) väc etc. (also MS. 2, 6, 6: 67,11; TS. 1, 8, 10, 1 62 ;
TB. 1, 7, 4, 1; SB. 5, 3, 3, 11 etc.); MS. 4, 9, 2: 124, 3 ... savitur ädhipatye,
cak~ur me dä1) . .. brhaspater ädhipatye, väca1!l (the faculty of
speech) me dä1); TS. 4, 4, 12, 4; KS. 22, 14: 70, 14 etc. "0 Brhaspati,
apply väc in the south"; enumerations such as KS. 8, 4: 86 , 16 agnir
väyur väg brhaspati1); MS. 2, 3, 5: 32, 3 "Sarasvatï is väc (see also SB.
3, 9, 1, 7)63; Brhaspati is bráhman; with väc and bráhman (. .. ca ... ca,
expressing complementary connexion) he (the officiant who offers oblations
of boiled rice to these deities) places a complete term of life in him (his
patron)". Elsewhere however Väcaspati (MS. 1,9, 4: 133,9) or Väg Devï
(VS. 9, 29) are distinct deities 64 • - In the mantra TB. 3, 11, 3, 1 Agni,
Soma, Brhaspati, the Visve Devä1:I, the protectors of the (inhabited) world
are besought to protect the speaker's word (speech, vaca1)).
60 Cf. also Gonda, Prajäpati and the year, p. 75.
61 1 refer to my article on the popular Prajäpati, in Hist. of Rel. 22 (1982). p . ~39.
62 I would not follow Keith . V. B. Y . S . • p. 121 in replacing the above translatlon
by "may ... Soma of lords of the forest, .. . Brhaspati of speech ... (instigate
thee)".
63 See also Gonda, Pü~an and Sarasvatï, p. 154.
64 Other relations of väc need not be discussed here; see Gonda. Pü~an and Sarasvatï.
ch. 111 etc.
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