Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas
by Goswami Mitali | 2018 | 68,171 words
This page relates 鈥榁ishnu (the Deity with Three Strides)鈥� of the study on the Vedic influence of Sun-worship in the Puranas, conducted by Goswami Mitali in 2018. The tradition of observing Agnihotra sacrifice and the Sandhya, etc., is frequently observed among the Hindus. Another important innovation of the Sun-worship in the Puranas is the installation of the images of the Sun in the temples.鈥擳his section belongs to the series 鈥淪alient Traits of the Solar Divinities in the Veda鈥�.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Part 20 - 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 (the Deity with Three Strides)
痴颈峁ａ箛耻 is regarded as the solar deity. The Sun-god, representative of the sunbeam is called 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 in the Vedas. 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 is the god of wide space.[1]
The Nirukta states,
atha yad vi峁to bhavati tad 惫颈峁ａ箛耻rbhavati/ 惫颈峁ａ箛耻r惫颈艣aterv膩/ vya艣noterv膩,[2]
i.e.鈥攖hat, which is set free becomes 痴颈峁ａ箛耻. The term 惫颈峁ａ箛耻 is derived from the root 惫颈艣 to pervade or from 惫测-补艣 to interpenetrate.
Several times in the Vedas, he is mentioned with his three strides.[3] The strides of 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 are nothing but the elemental rays, which are also mentioned in connection to 厂奴谤测补 also.[4] These rays give heat and rain and crops, by means of what the whole world sustains. 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 is described as traversing the earth or terrestrial spaces with his three steps.[5]
His two steps are visible to men, but the third or the highest step is mentioned as beyond the flight of birds or mortal ken:
dve idasya krama峁噀svard峁浥沷使bhikhy膩ya marto bh奴ra峁噛ati/ t峁泃墨yamasya nakir膩 dadhar峁ti vaya艣cana patayanta岣� 辫补迟补迟谤颈峁嘺岣�//[6]
With the first two strides, 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 traverses the earth and the firmament. But with the third, he has attained the utmost limit of magnitude and upheld the vast and beautiful heaven.[7] The highest step of 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 is regarded as his ultimate abode. He is called 驳颈谤颈峁ａ弓丑腻, 驳颈谤颈办峁迟, etc., which mean dwelling in the highest position.[8]
S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, in his commentary on the respective passages interprete the two terms thus:
驳颈谤颈峁ａ弓丑腻 驳颈谤颈蝉迟丑腻测墨 驳颈谤颈岣� 辫补谤惫补迟补岣� samudg墨r峁噊 bhavati parvav膩n 辫补谤惫补迟补岣� parva 辫耻苍补岣� 辫峁涐箛腻迟别岣� 辫峁涐箛腻迟别谤惫腻 iti, and 驳颈谤颈办峁迟e v膩ci girivadunnataprade艣e v膩 迟颈峁ａ弓丑补迟别/
痴颈峁ａ箛耻, in his heavenly form is conceived as an eye fixed on the heaven.[9]
According to some scholars, these three steps of 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 are nothing but the three positions of the Sun in the sky, i.e. the Sun in his rising, in his culminating and in his setting.[10] But according to some others like 艢腻办补辫奴峁噄, etc., the three steps represent the course of the solar deity through the three divisions of universe.[11] The 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺蝉 also mention 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 with his three strides, i.e. one in earth, one in air and the other in the heaven that is recognized as the Sun, the goal, and the safe refuge of the refugee.[12] The myth of 痴颈峁ａ箛耻 as a dwarf that recovered the earth for the gods from Asuras by three strides is familiar in the Vedic literature.[13]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
cf. dve indrasya krama峁噀 svard峁浥沷使bhikhy膩ya martyo bhura峁噛ati/ t峁泃墨yamasya nakir膩 dadhar峁ti vaya艣cana patayanta岣� 辫补迟补迟谤颈峁嘺岣�// Ibid., 1.155.5
惫颈峁ａ箛耻峁� stom膩sa岣� purudasmamark膩 bhagasyeva k膩ri峁噊 y膩mani gman/ 耻谤耻办谤补尘补岣� kakuho yasya p奴rv墨rna madhanti yuvatayo janitr墨岣�// Ibid., 3.54.14
[2]:
Nirukta, 12.18
[3]:
[4]:
[5]:
cf., ya岣� p膩rthiv膩ni tribhiridvig膩mabhiruru krami峁ａ弓orug膩y膩ya j墨vase/ Ibid., 1.155.4
[6]:
Ibid., 1.155.5
[7]:
[8]:
cf., pra tad惫颈峁ａ箛耻岣� stavate v墨rye峁嘺 m峁沢o na 产丑墨尘补岣� kucaro 驳颈谤颈峁ａ弓丑腻岣�/ Ibid., 1.154.2 pra vi峁ａ箛ave 艣奴峁metu manma 驳颈谤颈办峁迟a urug膩y膩ya v峁涐梗峁噀/ Ibid., 1.154.3
[10]:
[11]:
Ibid.
[12]:
艢补迟补辫补迟丑补产谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, 1.9.3.9-15; Taittir墨yabr膩hma峁嘺, 3.1.2.7
[13]:
Taittir墨yasa峁僪it膩, 2.1.3.1; Taittir墨yabr膩hma峁嘺, 1.6.1.5; 艢补迟补辫补迟丑补产谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, 1.2.5.5