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

neutral concept Bráhman is credited with semen and in that it is the 'mind'
of the male Brahmán that becomes the male figure Prajäpati. and secondly
because it is a rare instanee of a birth without a mother and as such differs
from cases such as the well-known birth of Pallas Athene without a mother
from the head of her father Zeus, or of Dionysos from the thigh of the same
god 24. A principle or concept such as "spirit, mind". is also in other religions
not only an important attribute of a First Cause or Supreme Being. but is
also believed to. be a substitute for its personal bearer or 'sub stratum ,25. In
the last place, Prajäpati clearly is a product of Bráhman 's endeavour.
In a remarkable story that is handed down in JB. 2, 369 f. 26 Prajäpati
is, it is true, said to have come into existence, here and in the beginning ,
as the only being; "he did not see a second one". But when he looked about,
he sawanother more excellent being (neuter) , that (coming) from himself
stood over (himself) (so 'nyad ätmano 'dhy uttarato jyäyas ti~thad apasyat).
This being introduced itself as Brahman. When Prajäpati proposed to be together,
because they were the first and superior beings, Brahman refused
because, it said, Prajäpati was caught byevil. At Prajäpati's request Brahman
cut or broke his evil into three parts 27 which became the cow, sleep and
shadow. Thereupon Prajäpati divided Brahman into eight pieces; eight,
because the gayatrf which is identical with Brahman, consists of eight syllables
. With these eight parts (the eight trivrt days etc.) he pushed the
evil away.
Although the formula which according to LS. 1, 11, 5; DS. 3, 3, 24 is to
be muttered by those who have offered is at first sight no more than an
enumeration of important names and concepts - "I resort to Bráhman, the
gäyatrf, väc, prä~a, Prajäpati" - the three concepts which are in a way
encompassed by the names of the impersonal and personal origin of the
universe that are made to occupy "the places of honour and authority" 28
may be taken to constitute a sort of link bet ween Bráhman and Prajäpati
and to attest to the tendency to 'identify' them. As already noticed, the
gäyatrf is said to be Bráhman's metre and "to be" Bráhman (SB. 8, 5, 3,
7; 13,6,2,7; cf. VS. 10, 10; SB. 5,4,1,3 and VS. 9,32 for ~rhaspati
and this metre) , but is also declared to be Prajäpati's breath (SB. 10, 3,
1, ~). The eulogy upon väc ~V. 10, 71 begins with an invocation of Brhaspab,
the lord of Bráhman; the first deity that came to Prajäpati's aid when
he was hesitatÎl)g was Väc, making herself known as his own voice (TB.
2, 1, 2, 3); in SB. 5, 1, 1, 16 Prajäpati is called Väcaspati. (It may be noticed
that sometimes Väcaspati is an epithet or aspect of Brhaspati, MS.
2, 6, 6: 67, 7; KS. 15, 5: 212, 15)29. Präna, vital breath, is at times 'identified'
with Bráhman (cf. SB. 8, 4, 1, 3): then again with Prajäpati (6, 3,
1,9; 7,4,1,16).
24 As is wen known, parthenogenesis is in the animal and vegetable kingdom a
fact; cases in which the male alone produces offspring are rare. Likewise in
mythology; see F. Heiler, Erscheinungsformen und Wesen der Religion, Stuttgart
1961, p. 491ff. (with a bibliography).
25 I refer to J. Gonda, The creator and his spirit, in WZKSA 27 (1983), p. 5 ff.
26 For a complete German translation see W. Caland, Das Jaiminïya-BrähmaI}a in
Auswahl, Amsterdam Acad. 1919, p. 206 f. See p. 36 above.
27 Incorrectly: "him in three places" S. Bhattacharji, in ABORI 64 (1983), p. 206.
28 I refer to J. Gonda, On the structure of multipartite formulaé in Vedic rites and
ceremonies, Turin 1983. (dealing, inter aHa, with the tendency to give Prajäpati
the last (or first) place).
29 Cf. S. Bali, Brhaspati, p. 72; 89; 174 etc.
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