ASWA-MUKHA—ASWINS.

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ASWA-MUKHA. 'Horse faced.' See Kinnara. ASWA-PATI. 'Lord of horses.' An appellation of many kings. ASWATTHAMAN. Son of Drona and Kripā, and one of the generals of the Kauravas. Also called by his patronymic Draunayana. After the last great battle, in which Dur-yodhana was mortally wounded, Aswatthāman with two other warriors, Kripa and Krita-varman, were the sole survivors of the Kaurava host that were left effective. Aswatthaman was made the commander. He was fierce in his hostility to the Pandavas, and craved for revenge upon Dhrishta-dyumna, who had slain his father, Drona. These three surviving Kauravas entered the Pandava camp at night. They found Dhrishta-dyumna asleep, and Aswatṭhāman stamped him to death as he lay. He then killed Sikhandin, the other son of Drupada, and he also killed the five young sons of the Pandavas and carried their heads to the dying Dur-yodhana. He killed Parikshit, while yet unborn in the womb of his mother, with his celestial weapon Brahmastra, by which he incurred the curse of Krishna, who restored Parikshit to life. On the next morning he and his comrades fled, but Draupadi clamoured for revenge upon the murderer of her children. Yudhi-shthira represented that Aswatthaman was a Brahman, and pleaded for his life. She then consented to forego her demand for his blood if the precious and protective jewel which he wore on his head were brought to her. Bhima, Arjuna, and Krishna then went in pursuit of him. Arjuna and Krishna overtook him, and compelled him to give up the jewel. They carried it to Draupadi, and she gave it to Yudhi-shthira, who afterwards wore it on his head.

ASWINS, ASWINAU (dual), ASWINI KUMĀRAS. 'Horsemen.' Dioskouroi. Two Vedic deities, twin sons of the sun or the sky. They are ever young and handsome, bright, and of golden brilliancy, agile, swift as falcons, and possessed of many forms; and they ride in a golden car drawn by horses or birds, as harbingers of Ushas, the dawn. "They are the earliest bringers of light in the morning sky, who in their chariot hasten onwards before the dawn and prepare the way for her."-Roth. As personifications of the morning twilight, they are said to be children of the sun by a nymph who concealed herself in the form of a mare; hence she was called Aswini and her sons Aswins. But inasmuch as they precede the rise of the sun,

they are called his parents in his form Pūshan. Mythically they are the parents of the Pandu princes Nakula and Sahadeva. Their attributes are numerous, but relate mostly to youth and beauty, light and speed, duality, the curative power, and active benevolence. The number of hymns addressed to them testify to the enthusiastic worship they received. They were the physicians of Swarga, and in this character are called Dasras and Nasatyas, Gadāgadau and Swar-vaidyau; or one was Dasra and the other Nasatya. Other of their appellations are Abdhijau, ocean born;' Pushkara-srajau, wreathed with lotuses;' Badaveyau, sons of the submarine fire, Badava. Many instances are recorded of their benevolence and their power of healing. They restored the sage Chyavana to youth, and prolonged his life when he had become old and decrepit, and through his instrumentality they were admitted to partake of the libations of soma, like the other gods, although Indra strongly opposed them. (See Chyavana.) The Aswins, says Muir, "have been a puzzle to the oldest commentators," who have differed widely in their explanations. According to different interpretations quoted in the Nirukta, they were "heaven and earth," "day and night," "two kings, performers of holy acts." The following is the view taken of them by the late Professor Goldstücker, as printed in Muir's Texts, vol. v. :—

"The myth of the Aswins is, in my opinion, one of that class of myths in which two distinct elements, the cosmical and the human or historical, have gradually become blended into one. It seems necessary, therefore, to separate these two elements in order to arrive at an understanding of the myth. The historical or human element in it, I believe, is represented by those legends which refer to the wonderful cures effected by the Aswins, and to their performances of a kindred sort; the cosmical element is that relating to their luminous nature. The link which connects both seems to be the mysteriousness of the nature and effects of the phenomena of light and of the healing art at a remote antiquity. That there might have been some horsemen or warriors of great renown, who inspired their contemporaries with awe by their wonderful deeds, and more especially by their medical skill, appears to have been also the opinion of some old commentators mentioned by Yaska [in the Nirukta], for some legendary writers,' he says, took them for

ASWINS-ATHARVÄNGIRASAS.

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two kings, performers of holy acts,' and this view seems likewise borne out by the legend in which it is narrated that the gods refused the Aswins admittance to a sacrifice on the ground that they had been on too familiar terms with men. It would appear, then, that these Aswins, like the Ribhus, were originally renowned mortals, who, in the course of time, were translated into the companionship of the gods.

"The luminous character of the Aswins can scarcely be matter of doubt, for the view of some commentators, recorded by Yaska, according to which they are identified with 'heaven and earth,' appears not to be countenanced by any of the passages known to us. Their very name, it would seem, settles this point, since Aswa, the horse, literally the pervader,' is always the symbol of the luminous deities, especially of the sun.

...

"It seems to be the opinion of Yaska that the Aswins represent the transition from darkness to light, when the intermingling of both produces that inseparable duality expressed by the twin nature of these deities. And this interpretation, I hold, is the best that can be given of the character of the cosmical Aswins. It agrees with the epithets by which they are invoked, and with the relationship in which they are placed. They are young, yet also ancient, beautiful, bright, swift, &c.; and their negative character, the result of the alliance of light with darkness, is, I believe, expressed by dasra, the destroyer, and also by the two negatives in the compound näsatya (na + a-satya); though their positive character is again redeemed by the ellipsis of 'enemies, or diseases' to dasra, and by the sense of nāsatya, not untrue, i.e., truthful."

ATHARVA, ATHARVAN. The fourth Veda. See Veda. ATHARVAN. Name of a priest mentioned in the Rigveda, where he is represented as having "drawn forth" fire and to have "offered sacrifice in early times." He is mythologically represented as the eldest son of Brahma, to whom that god revealed the Brahma-vidya (knowledge of God), as a Prajapati, and as the inspired author of the fourth Veda. At a later period he is identified with Angiras. His descendants called Atharvanas, and are often associated with the Angirasas. ATHARVĀNGIRASAS. This name belongs to the descendants of Atharvan and Angiras, or to the Angirasas alone, who are especially connected with the Atharva-veda, and these

are

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ATMA-BODHA-AURVA.

names are probably given to the hymns of that Veda to confer on them greater authority and holiness.

ĀTMA-BODHA. Knowledge of the soul.' A short work attributed to Sankaracharya. It has been printed, and a translation of it was published in 1812 by Taylor. There is a French version by Néve and an English translation by Kearns in the Indian Antiquary, vol. v.

ĀTMAN, ĀTMA. The soul. The principle of life. The supreme soul.

ATREYA. A patronymic from Atri. A son or descendant of Atri; a people so called.

ATRI. 'An eater.' A Rishi, and author of many Vedic hymns. "A Maharshi or great saint, who in the Vedas occurs especially in hymns composed for the praise of Agni, Indra, the Aswins, and the Viswa-devas. In the epic period he is con sidered as one of the ten Prajapatis or lords of creation engendered by Manu for the purpose of creating the universe; at a later period he appears as a mind-born son of Brahma, and as one of the seven Rishis who preside over the reign of Swayambhuva, the first Manu, or, according to others, of Swarochisha, the second, or of Vaivaswata, the seventh. He married Anasuyā, daughter of Daksha, and their son was Durvāsas."-Goldstücker. In the Rāmāyana an account is given of the visit paid by Rāma and Sītā to Atri and Anasuya in their hermitage south of Chitrakūta. In the Puranas he was also father of Soma, the moon, and the ascetic Dattatreya by his wife Anasuya. As a Rishi he is one of the stars of the Great Bear.

AURVA. A Rishi, son of Urva and grandson of Bhrigu. He is described in the Maha-bharata as son of the sage Chyavana by his wife Arushi. From his race he is called Bhargava. The Maha-bhārata relates that a king named Krita-virya was very liberal to his priests of the race of Bhrigu, and that they grew rich upon his munificence. After his death, his descendants, who had fallen into poverty, begged help from the Bhrigus, and met with no liberal response. Some of them buried their money, and when this was discovered the impoverished Kshatriyas were so exasperated that they slew all the Bhrigus down to the children in the womb. One woman concealed her unborn child in her thigh, and the Kshatriyas being informed of this, sought the child to kill it, but the child "issued forth from its mother's

AURVA-AVATĀRA.

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thigh with lustre and blinded the persecutors. From being produced from the thigh (uru), the child received the name of Aurva. The sage's austerities alarmed both gods and men, and he for a long time refused to mitigate his wrath against the Kshatriyas, but at the persuasion of the Pitris, he cast the fire of his anger into the sea, where it became a being with the face of a horse called Haya-siras. While he was living in the forest he prevented the wife of King Bāhu from burning herself with her husband's corpse. Thus he saved the life of her son, with whom she had been pregnant seven years. When the child was born he was called Sagara (ocean); Aurva was his preceptor, and bestowed on him the Agneyastra, or fiery weapon with which he conquered the barbarians who invaded his country. Aurva had a son named Richika, who was father of Jamadagni. The Hari-vansa gives another version of the legend about the offspring of Aurva. The sage was urged by his friends to beget children. He consented, but he foretold that his progeny would live by the destruction of others. Then he produced from his thigh a devouring fire, which cried out with a loud voice, "I am hungry; let me consume the world." The various regions were soon in flames, when Brahma interfered to save his creation, and promised the son of Aurva a suitable abode and maintenance. The abode was to be at Badavā-mukha, the mouth of the ocean; for Brahma was born and rests in the ocean, and he and the newly produced fire were to consume the world together at the end of each age, and at the end of time to devour all things with the gods, Asuras, and Rakshasas. The name Aurva thus signifies, shortly, the submarine fire. It is also called Badavānala and Samvarttaka. It is represented as a flame with a horse's head, and is also called Kaka-dhwaja, from carrying a banner on which there is a crow.

AUSANA, or AUSANASA PURANA. See Purāna.

AUTTAMI.

The third Manu. See Manu.

AVANTĪ, AVANTIKĀ. A name of Ujjayini, one of the seven sacred cities.

AVATĀRA. A descent.' The incarnation of a deity, especially of Vishnu. The first indication, not of an Avatara, but of what subsequently developed into an Avatära, is found in the Rig-veda in the "three steps" of "Vishnu, the unconquerable preserver," who "strode over this (universe)," and "in

C