said to be the son-in-law of Tvashtri (viii. 26, 21 f. tava Vāyo ṛitaspate Tvashṭur jāmātar adbhuta | avāmsi ā vṛinīmahe | 22. Trashṭur jāmātaram vayam iśānam rāyaḥ imahe | sutavanto Vayum dyumnā janāsaḥ | 21. "We ask thy succours, o Vayu, lord of rites, wondrous son-inlaw of Tvashṭri. 22. We men offering libations resort to Vāyu, Tvashtri's son-in-law, the lord of wealth, and seek for splendour"); but his wife's name is not given.225 But few epithets are applied to him. He is called darśata, "sightly," "beautiful," or "conspiuous" (i. 2, 1), and supsarastama, "most handsome in form” (viii. 26, 24). He is naturally described as krandad-ishți, "rushing noisily onwards" (x. 100, 2). Together with Indra, he is designated as touching the sky, swift as thought, wise, thousand-eyed (divispṛiśā, mānojavā, viprā, sahasrākshā, i. 23, 2, 3). He moves in a shining car, drawn by a pair of red or purple horses (i. 134, 3: Vāyur yunkte rohitā Vāyur aruna), or by several teams of horses, chandrena rathena, niyutvatā rathena (iv. 48, 1; i. 134, 1; i. 135, 4; iv. 47, 1), His team is often said to consist of ninety-nine, of a hundred, or even of a thousand horses, yoked by his will, i. 135, 1, 3 (sahasrena niyutā | niyudbhiḥ śatinībhiḥ | sahasrinibhiḥ ); ii. 41, 1 (sahasrino rathāsaḥ); iv. 48, 4, 5 (vahantu tvā manoyujo yuktāso navatir nava); vii. 91, 6; vii. 92, 1, 5. As before mentioned (p. 85), Indra and Vayu frequently occupy the same chariot, iv. 46, 2; iv. 48, 2 (Indra-sārathiḥ | Vāyo); vii. 91, 5 (Indravāyā saratham yātam arvāk), which has its framework of gold, which touches the sky, and is drawn by a thousand horses, iv. 46, 3, 4 (ā vām sahasram harayaḥ Indravaya abhi prayaḥ | vahantu somapitaye | ratham hiranyavandhuram 226 Indravāyū svadharam | ā hi sthātho divispriśam). Vayu, like the other gods, is a drinker of soma. In fact, he alone, or in conjunction with Indra, was, by the admission of the other gods, entitled to the first draught of this libation, i. 134, 1; i. 135, 1, 4 (tubhyam hi pūrvapītaye devāḥ devāya yemire | 4. Pūrvapeyam hi vām̃ hitam); iv. 46, 1 (tvam hi pūrvapāḥ asi); v. 43, 3; vii. 92, 2 (pra yad vām madhvaḥ agriyam bharanti adhvaryavaḥ); viii. 26, 25.27 It is

225 Sayana gives no help. He merely says: eshā kathā itihāsādibhir avagantavyā | "This story is to be learned from the Itihasas, etc." In the Section on Tvashtri we shall see that according to R.V. x. 17, 1f. he had a daughter called Saranyu, who was the wife of Vivasvat; but Vivasvat is not identical with Vayu.

226 Regarding the word vandhura see a note in the Section on the Asvins.

227 On this subject we find the following story in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, ii. 25:

remarkable that Vayu is but rarely connected with the Maruts or deities of the storm; but in one place (i. 134, 4) he is said to have begotten them from the rivers of heaven (ajanayo Maruto vakshanābhyo divaḥ à vakshanābhyaḥ); and in another place (i. 142, 12) to be attended by Pushan, the Maruts and the Viśve devas (Pushanvate Marutvate visvadevaya Vāyave).

The following hymns are addressed to Vata (another name of the god of the wind). The imagery in the first is highly poetical:

x. 168, 1. Vātasya nu mahimānam rathasya rujann eti stanayann asya ghoshah | divispṛig yāti arunāni kṛinvann uto eti prithivyāḥ renum asyan | 2. Sam prerate anu vātasya vishṭhāḥ à enam gachhanti samanam na yoshāḥ | tābhiḥ sayuk saratham devaḥ iyate asya viśvasya bhuvanasya rājā | 3. Antarikshe pathibhir iyamāno na ni viśate katamach chana ahaḥ | apām sakhā prathamajāḥ ṛitāvā kva svij jātaḥ kutaḥ ābabhūva | ātmā devānām bhuvanasya garbho yathavaśam charati devaḥ eshaḥ | ghoshaḥ id asya śṛinvire na rupam tasmai Vātāya havisha vidhema |

"1. (I celebrate) the glory of Vata's chariot; its noise comes rending and resounding. Touching the sky, he moves onward, making all things ruddy: and he comes propelling the dust of the earth.

2. The

Devāḥ vai Somasya rājno 'grapeye na samapādayann “aham prathamaḥ pibeyam" "aham prathamaḥ pibeyam" ity eva akāmayanta | te sampadayanto 'bruvan “hanta ājim iyāma sa yo naḥ ujjeshyati sa prathamaḥ somasya pāsyati” iti | “tathā” iti | te ājim ayuḥ | teshām ājim yatām abhisṛishṭānām Vāyur mukham prathamaḥ pratyapadyata atha Indro 'tha Mitrāvaruṇāv atha Aśvinau | so 'ved Indro Vāyum ud vai jayati iti tam anu parāpatat | sa ha “nāv atha ujjayāva” iti | sa “na” ity abravīd “aham eva ujjeshyāmi” iti | “tṛitīyam meʼtha ujjayāva” iti |“na” iti ha eva abravid "aham eva ujjeshyāmi" iti | “turīyam me 'tha ujjayāva iti | “tathā” iti | tam turiye 'tyārjata | tat turīya-bhāg Indro 'bhavat tribhāg Vayuḥ | tau saha eva Indravāyā udajayatām saha Mitrāvaruṇau saha Aśvinau | "The gods did not agree in regard to the first draught of king Soma; but each of them desired, 'Let me drink first, let me drink first." But coming to an arrangement, they said: 'Come, let us run a race, and the victor shall first drink the Soma.' 'Agreed,' said they all. They ran a race accordingly; and when they started and ran, Vāyu first reached the goal, then Indra, then Mitra and Varuna, and last the Asvins. Indra thought he might beat Vayu, and he followed him closely; and said 'Let us two now be the victors.' 'No,' rejoined Vayu, 'I alone shall be the winner.' 'Let us so win together that I shall have a third (of the draught),' said Indra. 'No,' said Vāyu, 'I alone shall be the winner.' 'Let us so win together that I shall have the fourth,' continued Indra. 'Agreed,' said Vāyu. He gave him a right to the fourth, so Indra has one share out of four and Vayu three. So Indra and Vayu won together, as did Mitra and Varuna, and the two Asvins respectively." See the story of another similar settlement by a race in the Ait. Br. iv. 7 f.

gusts (?) of the air rush after him, and congregate in him as womon in an assembly. Sitting along with them on the same car, the god, who is king of this universe, is borne along. 3. Hasting forward, by paths in the atmosphere, he never rests on any day. Friend of the waters, first-born, holy, in what place was he born? whence has he sprung? 4. Soul of the gods, source of the universe, this deity moves as he lists.22 228 His sounds have been heard, but his form is not (seen): this Vāta let us worship with an oblation."

x. 186, 1. Vātaḥ ā vātu bheshajam śambhu mayobhu no hṛide | 2. Pra naḥ āyūm̃shi tārishat | uta Vāta pitā 'si naḥ uta bhrātā uta naḥ sakḥā | sa no jīvātave kridhi | 3. Yad ado Vata te grihe amṛitasya nidhir hitaḥ | tato no dehi jivase |

"1. Let Vata, the wind, waft to us healing, 229 salutary, and auspicious, to our heart: may he prolong our lives. 2. And, Vāta, thou art our father, our brother, and our friend: cause us to live. 3. From the treasure of immortality, which is deposited yonder in thy house, o Vāta, give us to live."

Here the same property is ascribed to Vata which is elsewhere ascribed to Rudra, that of bringing healing.

228 Compare St. John's Gospel, iii. 8: The wind bloweth where it listeth," etc. 329 Compare i. 89, 4.

SECTION IX.

THE MARUTS.

(1) Their parentage, epithets, characteristics, and action.

The Maruts, or Rudras, the gods of the tempest, 230 who form a large troop of thrice sixty (viii. 85, 8: triḥ shashtis tvā Maruto vavṛidhānāḥ), or of only twenty-seven (i. 133, 6: trisaptaiḥ śūra satvabhiḥ),231 are the sons of Rudra and Priśni 232 (Rudrasya maryāḥ | Rudrasya sunavaḥ | Rudrasya sünün | Rudrasya putrāḥ | idam pitre marutām uchyate vachaḥ pitar marutām... Rudra | Priśnim vochanta mataram | adha pitaram ishmiņam Rudram vochanta | yuvā pitā svapāḥ Rudraḥ esham sudugha Pṛiśniḥ sudinā marudbhyaḥ | Priśnimātaraḥ | asūta Priśnir mahate ranaya tvesham ayāsām Marutām anikam | Gomātaraḥ | Gaur dhayati Marutām śravasyur mātā maghonām |),233 or the speckled cow (i. 64, 2; i. 85, 1 f.; i. 114, 6; i. 168, 9; ii. 33, 1; ii. 34, 2;

230 Prof. Benfey, in a note to R.V. i. 6, 4, says that the Maruts (their name being derived from mar, ' to die,') are personifications of the souls of the departed.

231 See also A.V. xiii. 1, 3, where the same smaller number is given: trishaptāso marutaḥ svādusammudaḥ. Sāyana interprets the words of R.V. viii. 28, 5, saptănăm sapta rishtayaḥ | "The seven have seven spears," by saying that it refers to an ancient story of Indra severing the embryo of Aditi into seven parts, from which sprang the Maruts according to the Vedic text: "The Maruts are divided into seven troops." The same story is told at greater length by Sayana on R.V. i. 114, 6, where, however, it is said to be Diti, mother of the Asuras, whose embryo Indra severed first into seven portions, each of which he then subdivided into seven. See the 4th vol. of this work, p. 256.

232 This word is regarded as a personification of the speckled clouds in Roth's Illustrations of Nirukta, x. 39, p. 145. In his Lexicon the same scholar says that like other designations of the cow, the word is employed in various figurative and mythical references, to denote the earth, the clouds, milk, the variegated or starry heaven. On ii. 34, 2, Sayana refers (as an alternative explanation) to a story of Rudra, as a bull, begetting the Maruts on Priśni, the Earth, in the form of a cow.

233 The Taittiriya Sanhită, ii. 2, 11, 4, says: Priśniyai vai payaso maruto jātāḥ | "The Maruts were born from Priśni's milk."

v. 42, 15; v. 52, 16; v. 60, 5; v. 59, 6; vi. 50, 4; vi. 66, 3; vii. 56, 1; viii. 7, 3, 17; viii. 20, 17; viii. 83, 1). They are, however, said to be like sons to Indra (sa sūnubhir na Rudrebhiḥ, i. 100, 5); and they are also called sindhu-mātaraḥ, children of the ocean, whether we suppose this to be the aerial or terrestrial sea (x. 78, 6), and sons of Heaven, divas-putrāsaḥ (x. 77, 2), and Divo maryāḥ, iii. 53, 13; v. 59, 6. See Müller's Trans. of R.V. p. 93. In v. 56, 8, mention is made of the chariot of the Maruts "in which Rodasi stood bringing enjoyments, in company with the Maruts" (a yasmin tasthau suraṇāni bibhratī sachā marutsu Rodasi). On this Sāyaṇa remarks that Rodasi is the wife of Rudra and mother of the Maruts; or that Rudra is the Wind (Vayu), and his wife the intermediate or aerial goddess. (Rodasi Rudrasya patni marutām mātā | yadvā Rudro Vāyuḥ | tat-patnī mādhyamikā devi). They are frequently associated with Indra, as we have already seen;-(compare the expressions which describe them as his allies and friends, and as increasing his strength and prowess, at the same time that they celebrate his greatness: Marutvantam Indram | Indra-jyeśhṭhāḥ marudganaḥ sakhibhiḥ svebhir evaiḥ | ye te sushmam ye tavishim avardhann archantaḥ Indra marutas te ojaḥ | piba Rudrebhiḥ sagaṇaḥ | ye tvā anu ahan Vrittram adadhus tubhyam ojaḥ | archanti tvā Marutaḥ pūtadakhās tvam eshām ṛishir Indrāsi dhīraḥ | Rudrāsaḥ Indravantaḥ | ayam Indro Marut-sakha | Bṛihad Indrāya gāyata marutaḥ | i. 23, 7, 8; i. 100, 1 ff.; i. 101, 1, ff.; iii. 32, 2, 4; iii. 35, 9; iii. 47, 1, ff.; iii. 51, 7 ff. ; v. 29, 1, 2, 6; v. 57, 1; vii. 32, 10; vii. 42, 5; viii. 36, 1 ff; viii. 52, 10; viii. 65, 1 ff; viii. 78, 1 ff.; viii. 85, 7 ff.; x. 73, 1; x. 99, 5; x. 113, 3);-but they are also celebrated separately in numerous hymns (as i. 37; i. 38; i. 39; i. 64; i. 85; i. 86; i. 87; i. 88; i. 166, which, with others, are rendered into English and illustrated in the 1st vol. of Professor Müller's Translation of the R.V.; see also i. 167; i. 168; v. 52; v. 53; v. 54; v. 55; v. 56; vii. 56; vii. 57; vii. 58, etc.) They are favourite deities of some of the rishis, and are often praised in highly poetical strains. They are like blazing fires, free from soil, of golden or tawny hue, and of sunlike brilliancy (ye agnayo na śośuchann idhānāḥ | arenavaḥ | hiranyāsaḥ | sūryatvachaḥ | arunapsavaḥ vi. 66, 2; vii. 59, 11; viii. 7, 7). They are also compared to swans with black plumage (hamsāso nīla-prishṭhāḥ, vii. 59, 7); and are sometimes said to be playful as children or calves (krilanti