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

That the one speaking in AVP. 20, 53, 8 looks at the person addressed
with the eye of Sürya is intelligible; but why does he eat with Brhaspati's
mouth (because this god is of ten identified with Agni?6s, or because he
drinks soma with Indra (RV. 4, 49, 3; 4,50; 10))?; and why does he beg
or entreat with Prajäpati's mouth?: probably because Prajäpati is identical
with the Lord of Speech (:~m, 5, 1, 1, 16) and because the Lord of Thought
~ Citpati) and the Lord of Speech (Väkpati) mentioned in VS. 4, 4 are at
SB. 3, 1, 3, 22 likewise said to be the same as Prajäpati 66 , the KäI}va text
(4, 1, 3, 22) adding that he rules over the thoughts and as Väkpati is
identical with the wind (yo 'yam pavate).
Brhaspati is, on the other hand, not infrequently described as a sacrificial
priest, officiating for or with other gods and besought to act as a
priest for those invoking or addressing him: at IJV. 7, 10, 4 he is invited
to come with his eulogists; 10, 17, 13 obviously to act as adhvaryu; 10,
36,5 obviously as udgatar; AVS. 9, 6, 45 (= AVP. 16, 115, 1) as udgatar;
18, 3, 41 (see above); 18, 4, 15 as adhvaryu. In this capacity he utters a
hymn (mántram ukthyam) in which Indra and other gods take pleasure
(IJV. 1, 40, 5); and is besought to place speech (vac) in the mouth of a
certain Deväpi, by means of which this one, as a hotar, duly performed
rites productive of rain (10, 98, 3, see also st. 7)67. In st. 4 of 10, 130,
which deals with the creation or invention of the sacrificé 8 , the brhatï
met re is associated with him and said to have promoted his speech. In the
reference to his rending the defences of Vala 69 he is stated to have succeeded
by means of powerful words (vac). In AVP. 19, 28, 11 he is the
womb (yoni) of vac. In 20, 21, 2 he and Sürya are entreated to defend
the person speaking against the (spoken) word and against the (evil) eye
respectively. The vocative b(-haspate is placed at the very beginning of
IJV. 10, 71 which discusses the problem of the origin, secret and production
of sacral speech 70. In IJV. 10, 64, 4 he is called an inventive sage
(kavi) 71; in 10, 13,4 a seer (rsi) 72.
As to Brhaspati as the,',originator of a mantra - a functi0!l elsewhere
ascribed to Prajäpati (e.g. TS. 3, 4, 4, 1; AiB. 3, 13, 1; SB. 11, 1, 6,
3) 73 - see, e. g., GB. 2, 1, 2. When on a certain occasion Brhaspati had
become frightened and was on the verge of calamity he beheld the mantra
"I gaze on you with the eye of the sun" (AVP. 20, 53, 8 etc.).
In a detailed enumeration of the eleven victims for the same number of
deities , which are to be immolated on the day of preparation before an
agni~toma and by means of which in the days of yore Prajäpati being exhausted
after creating living beings became st rong again, this god,is the
principal figure, and B rhaspati is put on a level with other gods: SB. 3,
9, 1, 11 furnishes its readers with the following information on the animal
that is sacrificed to Brhaspati: "Brhaspati means (the) Bráhman (cf. 14);
65 H.P. Sehmidt, Brhaspati und Indra, Wiesbaden 1968, p. 62 ff.
66 See p. 22 above.
67 1 refer to Gonda, The vision of the Vedie poets, p. 203 f.
68 Ibidem, p. 217.
69 I refer to Maedonell, Vedie mythology, p. 102; 159 f.
70 I refer to Gonda, ibidem, p. 107 f.
71 Ibidem, p. 42 ff.
72 Ibidem, p. 40 ff.
73 See Gonda, Prajäpati's rise, eh. VIII and S. Bali, op. eit., p. 22.
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