DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.638#0088
:A
THE GREAT VEDIC DEITIES 31
s position, both in nature and mythology: an easy
>rollary is his function of regulating the relations of
lan and man."
The character of an imported deity is always influ-
iced by localization and tribal habits. Pastoral nomads
ould therefore have emphasized the friendliness of
lithra, who sent rain to cause the growth of grass on
sun-parched steppes. Both Mithra and Varuna had their
dwelling-place in the sea of heaven, the waters "above
the firmament" from which the rain descended. Ulti-
ately the Indian Mitra vanished, being completely
erged in Varuna, who became the god of ocean after
he Aryans reached the sea coast. In post-Vedic sacred
iterature the priestly theorists, in the process of syste-
matizing their religious beliefs, taught that a great con-
pict took place between the gods and demons. When
order was restored, the various deities were redistributed.
Indra remained the atmospheric god of battle, and Varuna
became the god of ocean, where, as the stern judge and
lawgiver and the punisher of wrongdoers, he kept watch
ever the demons. In the " Nala and Damayanti" epic
arrative, the four "world guardians" are: Indra, king
f the gods; Agni, god of fire; Varuna, god of waters;
nd Yama, judge of the dead.
It may be that the displacement of Varuna as supreme
leity was due to the influence of the fire-worshipping cult
|f Agni, who was imported by certain unidentified Aryan
tibes that entered India. Agni did not receive recog-
nition, apparently, from the other Aryan " folk-wave",
tfhich established a military aristocracy at Mitanni in
Mesopotamia, and held sway for a period over the
Assyrians and some of the Hittite tribes. An important
scription, which is dated about 1400 B.C., has been
eciphered at Boghaz~K5i in Asia Minor by Professor
THE GREAT VEDIC DEITIES 31
s position, both in nature and mythology: an easy
>rollary is his function of regulating the relations of
lan and man."
The character of an imported deity is always influ-
iced by localization and tribal habits. Pastoral nomads
ould therefore have emphasized the friendliness of
lithra, who sent rain to cause the growth of grass on
sun-parched steppes. Both Mithra and Varuna had their
dwelling-place in the sea of heaven, the waters "above
the firmament" from which the rain descended. Ulti-
ately the Indian Mitra vanished, being completely
erged in Varuna, who became the god of ocean after
he Aryans reached the sea coast. In post-Vedic sacred
iterature the priestly theorists, in the process of syste-
matizing their religious beliefs, taught that a great con-
pict took place between the gods and demons. When
order was restored, the various deities were redistributed.
Indra remained the atmospheric god of battle, and Varuna
became the god of ocean, where, as the stern judge and
lawgiver and the punisher of wrongdoers, he kept watch
ever the demons. In the " Nala and Damayanti" epic
arrative, the four "world guardians" are: Indra, king
f the gods; Agni, god of fire; Varuna, god of waters;
nd Yama, judge of the dead.
It may be that the displacement of Varuna as supreme
leity was due to the influence of the fire-worshipping cult
|f Agni, who was imported by certain unidentified Aryan
tibes that entered India. Agni did not receive recog-
nition, apparently, from the other Aryan " folk-wave",
tfhich established a military aristocracy at Mitanni in
Mesopotamia, and held sway for a period over the
Assyrians and some of the Hittite tribes. An important
scription, which is dated about 1400 B.C., has been
eciphered at Boghaz~K5i in Asia Minor by Professor