Vedic mythology

30 III. RELIGION, WELTL. WISSENSCH. u. KUNST. IA. VEDIC MYTHOLOGY.
receive a white and Varuna a dark victim at the sacrificial post (TS. 2, i, 7*.
9 1 MS. ; 2, 5 7 4
. The somewhat .)
scanty evidence of the Veda showing that
Mitra is a solar deity, is corroborated by the Avesta and Persian religion in
general. Here Mithra is undoubtedly a sun-god or a god of light specially
connected with the sun 5 .
The etymology of the name is uncertain 6 . However, as the word also
often means friend in the RV. and the kindly nature of the god is often
referred to in the Veda, Mitra even appearing as a god of peace (TS. 2,
i, 8 4 ) 7 , while in the Avesta Mithra is on the ethical side of his character
the guardian of faithfulness 8
, it must have originally signified ally or friend
and have been applied to the sun-god in his aspect of a beneficent power of
nature.
i EGGERS 16 2
19. HILLEBRANDT 67. 3 OLDENBERG thinks that the
special connexion of Varuna with night is old: ZDA1G. 50, 64 5. 4 HILLE
BRANDT 67. 90; ORV. 192, note. 5 Sp.AP. 183; ORV. 48. 190; EGGERS 613.
u HILLEBRANDT 1134; EGGERS 70. 7 EGGERS 8 42 3. EGGERS 53 6.
KHF. 13; ROTH, ZDMG. 6, 70 ff.; PW.; OST. 5, 6971; WINDISCHMANN,
Mithra, Leipzig 1859; GW. s. v. Mitra; HILLEBRANDT, Varuna und Mitra 11136;
BRV. 3, no 29; BOLLENSEN, ZDMG. 41, 5034; WEBER, IS. 17, 212; BRI. 17;
ORV. 190 2; BOHNENBERGER 85; A. EGGERS, Der arische Gott Mitra, Dorpat 1894
(Dissertation); v. SCHROEDER, WZKM. 9,118; HRI. 71 ; OLDENBERG, SEE. 46, 241. 287.
14. Surya. - Ten entire hymns of the RV. may be said to be de
voted to the celebration of Surya specifically. It is impossible to say how
often the name of the god occurs, it being in many cases doubtful whether
only the natural phenomenon is meant or its personification. Since his name
designates the orb of the sun as deities, his connexion with the
well, Surya is the most concrete of the solar
luminary never being lost sight of. The
adorable light of Surya in the sky is as the face (amka) of do, 7 3).
great Agni
8
The eye of Surya is mentioned several times (5, 4o &c.), but he
is himself equally often called the eye of Mitra and Varuna (p. 23) or of
Agni as well (i, us 1
); and once (7, 77 3 ) Dawn is said to bring the eye of
the gods. The affinity of the eye and the sun is indicated in a passage
where the eye of the dead man is conceived as going to Surya (10, i6 3 cp.
9o 3 . 3
I58 - 4
). In the AV. he is called the lord of eyes (AV. 5, 249) and is
said to be the one eye of created
5 i* ).
beings
He is
and to see beyond the sky,
8
far-seeing (7, 35 ; 10, 37*),
the
all-
earth, and the waters (AV. 13,
seeing (i, 5o 2
), is the spy (spas) of the whole world (4, i3 3 ), beholds all
beings and the 2
good and bad deeds of mortals (i, 50?; 6, 5i ; 7, 6o 2 . 6i x .
I>4
63 ). Aroused by Surya men pursue their objects and perform their work
(7, 63 4 ). Common to all men, he rises as their rouser 3
(7, 63*- ). He is the
soul or the guardian of all that moves or is stationary (i, 115*; 7, 6o 2
).
2
has a car which is drawn by one steed, called etasa (7, 63 ), or by an in
definite number of steeds 3
(i,ii5 ; 10,373. 497) or mares (5,298) or by seven
horses (5,
9
45 ) or mares called haritah (i,
8 -
5o 9; 7, 6o 3 ) or mares (4, 133).
by seven swift
Surya s path is prepared for him by Varuna (i, 24 8
; 7, 87 1
) or by the
Adityas Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman (7, 60^). Pusan is his 3
messenger (6, 58 ).
The Dawn or Dawns reveal or produce Surya as well as Agni and the sacri
fice (7, 8o 2 . 783). He shines forth from the lap of the dawns (7, 633). But
from another point of view Dawn is_ Surya s wife (7, 75 5 ).
_He also bears the metronymic Aditya, son of Aditi (i,5o 12 . i9i 9 ; 8,90")
or Aditeya (10, 88"), but he is elsewhere distinguished from the Adityas
( 8 > 35
13 - 15 )- His father is Dyaus (10, 37 1
). He is god-born (ibid.). The gods
raised him who had been hidden in the ocean (10, 72 7 ). As a form of Agni
He