completely5. However. it is. in spite of the comparatively numerous relevant text-places at our disposal not feasible exactly to trace the development that led to this re sult in a series of chronologically consecutive passages. First. because it is impossible to ascertain beyond doubt the precise years of all relevant texts or even the relative dates of their origin. And in the second place. because we cannot speak of one homogeneous • gradual process. of a single regular or 'rectilinear' series of events or stages of development. The many facts. associations • homologations <strong>and</strong> so on which have or may have contribl!ted to the fusion of the personal god on the one h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Bráhman-<strong>Brahma</strong> 6 on the other are too complex <strong>and</strong> too variabie to admit of a detailed homogeneous evolutional or really historical description . As observed earlier. archaic mythologies <strong>and</strong> systems of categories <strong>and</strong> classification meant to organize the perception of the world are not necessarily free from differences of opinion. disagreement <strong>and</strong> even contradictions 7. And that all the more when the processes <strong>with</strong> which the ancient authorities we re confronted are for the greater part inaccessible to sense perception <strong>and</strong> when experiences of something divine are such as may be attributable to more than one power concept 8. 5 This is of course not to say that we may arbitrarily substitute Brahmä for Prajäpati when the latter's name is found in a text.· Heiler, op. eit., p. 333 mistakenly regards Praj~pati's words bhüV, bhuvaV, svaV, out of which arose the tripartite universe (SB, 11, 1, 6, 3), as Brahmä's, inconsiderately adding that it was no more than one step from the creative word to the word as the divine hypostase Bráhman. S. Bhattacharji's (Theogony, p. 155) Prajäpati-<strong><strong>Brahma</strong>n</strong> (KBUp. 2, 9) is based up on a misunderst<strong>and</strong>ing. , 6 It may be recalled that <strong>with</strong> regard to its formati~n, brahmán (brahma) is to bráhman as damán "harness" (RV. 8, 72, 6) to daman "fetter, rope, string", as sle~mán "sticking, viscous matter, mucus etc." to slé~man "lime, glue, b<strong>and</strong> 11 , as dharmán "ruie" to dhárman "established order", etc. The words in -mán (accented on the suffix) may originally have denoted the idea expressed by the stem as a 'quality' of a potent being or object (cf. dhvasmán "darkening", bhujmán "abounding in valleys"). Cf. Gr. Xe:L UWV "wintry , stormy weather, cold weather, winter" (e.g. Ilias 17,549; ad. 14,522; Herodotus 7, 188) <strong>and</strong> Xe:Lua "winter as a season, coId, frost". See also Gonda, Notes on brahman, p. 72 f. ; E. Benveniste, Origines de la formation des noms en indo-européen, Paris 1935, I, p. 121 ff., esp. p. 124. 7 I cannot agree <strong>with</strong> Keith, Religion <strong>and</strong> philosophy, p. 444, who after enumerating some efforts made in the briihmar;tas "to arise to a principle above <strong>and</strong> beyond Prajäpati" says that "there is nothing particular valuable or serious in these attempts". 8 For a more complete argument see Prajäpati's rise, Introduction <strong>and</strong> Epilogue. 66
Abbreviations
- Page 1:
Prajapati's relations with Brahman,
- Page 4 and 5:
ISBN 044485695 I Aangeboden in de v
- Page 7 and 8:
I Introduction In this publication
- Page 9 and 10:
11 Visvakarman and Vayu Passing men
- Page 11 and 12:
during the performance of an animal
- Page 13 and 14:
great (primaeval) ocean, the timely
- Page 15 and 16:
eternal and primaeval (puräva). As
- Page 17 and 18:
IV Prajapati and Brhaspati It has r
- Page 19 and 20:
5, 1, 4, 14 15 ; 5, 1, 5, 2; 8; 5,
- Page 21 and 22: In the Sarphitäs of the J!.gveda a
- Page 23 and 24: patible with the explanation furnis
- Page 25 and 26: duties" (of Brhaspati), in 10·, 16
- Page 27 and 28: strengthened himself and the sacrif
- Page 29 and 30: That the one speaking in AVP. 20, 5
- Page 31 and 32: epresents Bráhman. Prajäpati crea
- Page 33 and 34: the person speaking comfortable or
- Page 35 and 36: quenched, blazed forth again, Brhas
- Page 37 and 38: in 4, 8, 9 the anu~tubh is said to
- Page 39 and 40: v uia 106 makes the pat ron conquer
- Page 41 and 42: with the sovereignty of Agni, Indra
- Page 43 and 44: sweat, sveda) on its forehead ... a
- Page 45 and 46: HiraI;1yagarbha, Agni, Brahman and
- Page 47 and 48: stanza is described as the embryo i
- Page 49 and 50: Brhaspati is related to have gained
- Page 51 and 52: Parenthetically, although Prajäpat
- Page 53 and 54: in the past to introduce a new rite
- Page 55 and 56: ment al power AVS. 9, 6 (AVP. 1b, 1
- Page 57 and 58: Säya~a's explanation, the brahmán
- Page 59 and 60: 7, 4, 1, 16 it is stated to be his
- Page 61 and 62: 31 1-16) which consists of 16 stanz
- Page 63 and 64: VIII Prajapati and the God Brahma I
- Page 65 and 66: and "born, was the sole lord of wha
- Page 67 and 68: IX Puru~a That the Puru!}a concept
- Page 69 and 70: proceeded to create the provinces o
- Page 71: x Epilogue How in the course of tim
- Page 75: 11. Abbreviated titles of books and
- Page 78 and 79: GENERAL INDEX Acyuta, 59 aetiologic
- Page 80 and 81: INDEX OF SANSKRIT WORDS aksara, 63,
- Page 82 and 83: INDEX OF SANSKRIT TEXT-PLACES AVP.
- Page 84: VS. 40,8 9 SB. 14,2,2,10 22 SB. 1,3