Sunteți pe pagina 1din 12

WIENER ZEITSCHRIFT

FCR DIE

KUNDE SUDASIENS

SONDERDRUCK AUS BAND XXXVI/SUPPI,EMENTBAND · 1992


THE DEVELOPMENT OF T EJAS FROM THE VEDAS TO THE
PU'R.A:~AS

By Paolo M a,gnone, Mila.no

The word tejas is an -as derivative from the root tij 'sharpen', which
is represented in several other Indo-European languages besides
Sanskrit, such as Persian (tez 'sharp'), Greek (stizo, stigma 'tattoo',
'tattoo-mark'), Latin (dis-tinguo), Anglosaxon (sticia.n 'stick') and
German (stecken). According to the basic meaning of the root, we should
therefore expect tejas to mean 'sharpness': ·and this is actually the case
with the earliest rigvedic occurrences. Very soon, however, the word
developed a meaning centered on the notion of a peculiar kind of
'substance' or 'energy' with distinctive fiery connotations, manifest as
'glow' on the physical and as 'ardour' or 'fierceness' on the psychical
level 1.
Emergent traits of this development through metaphorical
extension are already detectable in the ~gveda 2 , although out of 75

1 Such notion of tejas is very prominent especially in the later Indian


literature, and has often attracted the attention of scholars. The single most
important contribution to the subject is an essay in Dutch by VOGEJ, dating
back to 1930, dealing with the notion of tejas as magical power, with reference
to the classical, epic and buddhistic literature (J. PH. VOGEL, Het sanskrit
woord tejas ( = gloed, vuur) in de beteekenis van magische kracht. Amsterdam
1930, passim). Unfortunately, it covers neither the vedic antecedents nor the
puranic developments, where indeed the notion oftejas comes, so to speak, into
its own. J. GONDA, Ancient-Indian ojas, Latin *augos and the Indo-European
nouns in -es/-os. L"trecht 1952, more particularly devoted to the analysis of the
kindred concept of <tjas, and especially his Some Observations on the Relations
between "Gods" and "Powers" in the Veda apropos of the Phrase su:nu"IJ,
sahasah. 's-Gravenhage 1957, passim (spec. ch. VUI), provide further useful
insights, but even here tejas is only marginally at issue and the puranic evidence
is again extremely scanty. Other scholars, as far as I am aware, have touched
on the subject even more cursorily and may be left unmentioned.
2 In his monography on vedic tapas BLAIR observes that Indra's special

connection with the roots {tij and { 80 has not yet been subjected to thorough
investigation, expressing his conviction "that there are common qualities bet-
ween sharpness and heat (particularly between tejas and tapas), and that the
study of one would help to explain the other" (CH. J. BLAIR, Heat in the ~g
Veda and Atharva Veda. New Haven [Conn.] 1961, p. 125 f. BLAIR is here
thinking in particular of a passage where Brhaspati is urged to "heat the rak{ia.s

WZKS - Supplementband (1993) 137-147


P. IVl"AGNO:<IE

oc:1:111Tt>11ces oft·1j-derivatives an overwhelming majority is employed in


the bat·iic root meaning. The word tejas itself occurs only i times, chjefly
in 1.hr, basic meaning of ''sharpness', which is further enhanced by the
association with the root ,fo 'sharpen, whet.'. Mostly, however, the literal
reference of teJa.s to sharp or pointed objects, like blades or horns, is
metaphorically extended to fire and heat, apparently through the
vehicle of the pointed and sword-like flames. A typical instanee would
be ~.V VI ,3,5: "He [viz. Agni] has notched ! his flame] like an arch('r
eager to shoot I.his arrow], and is whetting his teja,~ like an iron blade" 3 .
Elsewhere, this very metaphor of the sharpness of fire has become the
basis for a further metaphor, resting on t.he analogy between the
'sharpness', i.e. fieriness of fire and the fierceness of man, as in ~{,V
Vl,15,l9, where Agni is entreated to increase the prosperity of the
householders, and to "whet, them with :o;harpened sharpness (tigrnena
tej<tsa)" 4 . In the same sense in UY l,56,2 the eulogist is urged to
"ascend unto the lord of dah:a ... with tejas like spies a mountain" 5 .
This is excelle11tly rendered by GELDNER "zum Herrn der Kraft steig
... mit Schneid empor wie Spaher auf einen Berg", taking
advantage of l>he cognation between 'Schneid' - 'impetuosity' and
;Sclmeide' - 'blade' which gives him an opportunity of echoing back the
ambiguity of the original. Likewise, in the obseure B-V I,il ,8: ''\Vhen
tejas pervaded the king r... ] the bright. semen was effused"' perhaps

with sharpest heat" [J;l,V Il,23,14-: tejil!fliaya tapant ra.k.,<i,qas ta.pa ye tvii nide
da<lhrre ar.,ra·i,r:ryarr. ! avis tat kriJva ycul a8at ta ukthya'l!l- bfha,spate i:i 11arirapo
nrdaya]). The affinity is all the more consphmous as we broaden our scope to
consider the impreAsive post-vedic shift of meaning whfoh brings tPja.,.; so close
t.o lapa.s, up to the threshold of identity in epic-puranic times.
:I ~v Vl.3,5: 8a id if,qteva rmiti dhad alii~yaii chi.srta tej6 'yaw mi. dhii.ri'i:m I
citniAlhrajatfr a.ratir y<1 aktr>r ver na drui;adhtJii. ra.gh1tpatmaja.1hhii.IJ,. The same
simile ocf!urs in .B.V III,2,:IO, where the human nations are said to "have made
Agni t.hat it may be sha.rp like a sword,, ('1Jisli.q1. k:m1i-r(I. vispd.ti-'!• maliY{5'iT il'}a"/t Scl·'f!I
st.m aknivanl B'vadhitfrft n<i t~jaxe / .sa 't1.dvafo nit•ato yati vbriljat sa. yarfJharn fiJ'U
{1h.1l.nane11u d'idharat). In I_lV VT,8,5 t.he meaning of 'sharpness' is reinforced by
t.h1• root vra.4c 'foll. hew·: Agni is besought to "cut down the wicked with his pavi
lik" a tree with the sharpnest1 [of an axe]" (yu.yeyu,ge v-idatltya-'f!'I· gri:uUbhy6 'yne
1·01ti'.W ya.M. 11a·1r1. dhe.lii navya11'i'm. / pm.>ye1!1l rlijann. agha,,~a:tiu1am ajara ni<:a n{ vpht
1·1111/1111·111 mi teja8ii). In :i;tV l.5i5,l Indra is inn1ked as ··an awful and mighty
anlo11r that whets his thunderbolt to make it. t1harp. as a bull [whets his homs]"
(dini...-< l'id "·'!I" mrima vi papra..tha ind1wqi mi mahna prthi·nt r;ana prati f bltim<i..-
t1i 1•i.~1111I ti. 1·11.1-,w1~1.ibh.ya ii.ta.pdl}, sis'ite ·vajra17t t~jase mi. v<iri1.8a.ya~.).
I 1:. v v I. I ii, I !l: nayrim u tvli yrluipa..te janiini'im. agnr. rikarm.a rsarnidha brluin-
/11111 ! 11.<//iiirf '/Ill !Jn.r/uq><ltyani'. .wint1J. tiyrnR.na 'Yi.(Lfl teja,8ii. 8(lf!/. si,4adh-i.
'' I::\' I Jili.:!: lri.111. rrurtd.yo nemann{~a~. pa1'ii1J.a8a. Q, 8a1'n·udni:rp. nf1 frffr/l·r.ara~1.e
:;lf11is.111i1•1(!1 ! 111iti111 d1ikf!11. .~:w1. ·ni1l<itlw.8ya ·n·& 8dlw yiri'ffl. mi 1•e1ia ad/iii. rnlw. t1Ua.frii.
The Development of tejas from the Vedas to the Puriir.tas 1.39

hinting at the myth of the primeval im.-est., tejas is t.o be understood


(according to GELDNER) as 'Brunst', i.e. 'lust' 6 . It may be noticed in
passing that an association bet.ween tejas and retas occurs again in Ait U
2,1 where the latter is said to consist of the tejas of all limbs 7 . Anyhow,
here 'Brunst.', as before 'Schneid', conveys a kind of impetuosity whieh
urges man to act with sudden and incisive efficacy, in much the same
way as sharpness makes a blade fit for cutting and piercing. Thus it
appears from the rigvedic evidence that it is through the medium of the
blade-like or horn-like shape of the flames that tejaB js brought into
connection with fiery ardour, whereas it is through the medium of the
peculiar readiness and efficacy of a. sharpened irrntrument that teja8 is
thought. of as a kind of energy qualifying for po\n•rfol and incisive
action.
In the Atharvaveda the frequency of tejas in<,r·1·.iases drasti<~ally, nnd
the usage reflects a considerable evolution of meiming. \Vhermts in th!'
l;tgveda t~ja8 (and tij-derivatives gem~raUy) are m11u1lly found in
association with roots like .fo and vra.fo, tis Wl'll as with sharp objects,
such as ayudha 'weapon', vaJra etc., or pointed objt-cb1, such a.s .~titaa
'horn', jambha, 'teeth' and the like, in the Atharvaveda the picture is
quite different: here tejas mostly associates wit.h m.ar.d 'amulet'. wit,11
abstract qualities like yasas, varcas etc., and with various powerful and
dangerous beings, like poison and enemies. Some pa11Rages point to a
distinctive connection of tejas with splendour and ardour, e.g. AV
X ,:3, 17: "As Surya shines brilliantly, as teja8 is collected in him, so m a.y
this varr11Ja amulet bestow fame and prosperity upon me, may it
sprinkle me with tejas, may it anoint me with ya.fo.s" 8 . On t.he ot.twr
hand, the metaphorical transition from 'sharp11ess' to 'energy' is
brought out at best. in A\' ~ ..i.~ii 35, which is, besides, of the utmrn;;t
interest in that. here for the first time~ t1'.jas is attributed. to Vi:;.;i:iu, or
more exact.ly to his step (kmrna). inaugurating what will become a
regular and highly characteristic association, as we shall see further on.
The first of the strophes we are considering opens with the fo1lowing
invocation: "Thou art the step of Vi:;;r;u, the slayer of foes, possessing
the tejas of fi.re sharpened (sar.nSita.) by earth"n. Here tejas ii; a quality

6 ~v I,71.8: a ydd i1Jt. nrp<ttir.n teja an.at hi.ci reto ni~ikta'f!I dya~ir abhtke !

agni}p 8ardham ana:vadya:l"fl yii:11a:n.a1ri B'l'ii<lh1iarri janayat s1idaya.c ca.


7 AitC 2, 1: puru!Je ha vi.i a.ya.m iidito garbli-0 bha1.'ati yad etad retri}p / tad etat

sarvebhyo 'il.gebhya1:1 tejas .~a:qtbhiitam i.itmany eviitmiinmri bibharli / tnd yadii


1:1triya:T{l sMl.caiy athainaj janaya.ti / tad asya prathamarri janrna.
i; Av x ,3' 17: yathii s1lryo atibha.ti yd.thii 'smin teja fihitam I eva m~ 'l!flrn'!tO

'ma'!til} krrti'Tfl bhfi,li'Tfl ni yac1;hatu j tejasi.i mii sd.muk,~atu. ydsa.~li 1:1rim.mwktu mii.
9 AV X,5,25: -vi1nwl} krd1r1.o '1:1i sapatnahfi prthiv!t.~a.'Tfl.~ito 'gnit1jfi.(1. / prlh.i-1•tm
140 P.MAGNONE

of fire, and yet it is obt.ained by a pmcess of sharpening applied to earth.


The following strophes are identical, but that Vigm is successively said
to possess the tej<M of the wind, sharpened by space, the teja,~ of the sun,
sharpened by the sky, the tejas of mind, sharpened by the quarters, and
so forth. In this passage the teja.s of each particular being is brought
forth by stirring its substratum t.o efficiency: fire bursts out of earthly
fuel, its 'sharpness', i.e. its vigorous and powerful activity is aroused by
'sharpening' the quiet and passive nature of the fire-sticks. Thus te,ias
expresses a sort of foca,lization or condensation, as it were, of an energy
formerly latent in the substratum which breaks forcibly to the surface
with sudden vehemence. This prelurlm; to the connotations of
ahruptness and excess which are almost inseparahle from the classical
notion of tejas 10.

In t.he BrahmaJ).as a clearer and mort\ <·onsistont concopt of tejas


begins to settle, in conformity wit.h Um systematfo nature of these texts.
Among the many regula1·i.ties which come to the fore, we shall retain for
the present t.he association of lejas wit.h Agni and brahmmi, in
contradistinction to the association of indriya. v'irya (or sometimes '~ja.s)
with Indra and k§atra. As such, the two gods and powers usua.lly
(though not. invariably) represent t.he two poles of a bipartite system,
as in SB II,5,4,8: "For Agni is teja.~, Indra is ·indriya vt-rya: with both
energies (1,'iryiibhyiil'(l) they killed him (viz. V~·tra); for Agni is brahman,
Indra is k(}atra: coming together and uniting bra.hman with k1~atra, wit.h
both they killed him" 11 . On the grounds of this class of texts. we should

a:n.u. vi kram,I', 'hltr1i prthivyas trirri n{rbh<ijamo yo 'sman dvr;11ti ya1'[1· vaya:r!I, di1i11rruil1.
/ .~a rna J'iil!it ta·rri pra:!f. ,; jahatu.
Ill A further cue to the kind of energy which is actually meant is offered by
a passagn like AV XII,5,7-11 where the k.,atriya who robs a bri'ilnna:!Ja of his cow
.is tht·eatcned with the loss of various attributes, grouped in eoupfos ;wcording
to analogy or com plernentarity (6ja8 ca teja.s ca 8ri.ha.~ cri l11ilarr1. ca ·uti.k cendriytf.r.n
en ,frts ca dhrirrna.~ ca f / br,ihma ca k~atrri.rri ca rii(l(r<.ir/1· ca vi.4a.~ ca t?Ji'}is r:a yriAaJ
m ·1J<fro18 ca. drduitia1p. ca ! ayu./; r,a rupa1µ ca nam,a ca k'irti.~ c.a J'rii.tuiil ci'ipan.68 ca
··tilc~u.i ro.•4rulmt[L ca II ptiya8 ca rrfaa.4 canrUl1[t cannady(trtt carta11i ca sa.tyarr1
"''':'f'lrfl. (".(1 pJlrtr.irrt ca pmja ca. pnsri.V((.S ca. 11 ta-ni s1irvai:iy apa kratnanti brahrna-
r1u"1111 ii.drlll1ina11ya Jinato brakrnati.ri.-rrt k.,atrf.ya8ya ). Hern it is signifiea.nt thnt
/•ju.< i>< gmuped together with ojas at. the very bt•ginning of the hymn, this first
c·1111ph· lwi11g adjacent to another formed by 1Sahas a.nd bal<t, whcrea1:1 other
1·011plc"" """h as l'llifl·i f ya..fu,;,, varcas / drat>il'}.a follow a fow steps apart; which
><•·1·111~ l.o i111ply t.hat the connotations of vigour and power a1"B primary with
n·.-<l""·t. '"' r.liosP of radiance a.nd majesty.
I I :-:; I: 11 Ji.-1 x ... t~jo ua agnir indriyaf[I vf:ryam indm, afi.bhya.m. P1W111 ·u/Jab-

,,!/ll 1!1 1•irycibh!1ii111 nyli.mi.u hrahma ·ua a11nifj, f0atrrirn {ndm.s te 11.bhe sa.n11nlbliyri
1.,,lf11u11 m """1tr<i111 <'a ·"t!t11:jwn lqt-1>ii tnbhyam n1am ·uMhhyar11 viryahhyam a.9h··
'l'lw Development of tejas from the Vedas to the Pural).as 141

hi' j111-lt.ifil'd i11 seeing in tejas the distinguishing mark of a brii.hma'(l.a,


a.lt.l1011µ;h I.he equation is not always so straightforward: for, while Agni
ii-; idj•11f.ifi<~d with bmhman and t~jas in the bipartite system, elsewhere
111· 11my. for example, be juxtaposed as tejas to B.rhaspati as
lim/1111amn'<L8a, as in the simulated riddle-solving contest between the
/111/r i\µ;11i and the brahman Brhaspati which is prescribed as par·t of the
tt.~1·111111•dlu1. in SB XIII,2,6,9 12 . In t.he uncomplicated dual :,1cheme,
111·vprf.fwlmis, it seems safo to assume the alliance (if not equivalence) of
hm/11111111 - tejas - brahma.varr.a8a on the one hand versus k~atra 1~jrM -
i111/riy11 ·1J'trya on the other hand, as far as the Bl'ii.hmar:ias are concerned.
L11f.1·r on, this opposition is blurred, apparently by the progre.s.sive
li1.1li11g of the distinction between the different, 'Da::mi118rniid1te' (or
·o.;11ltl-lLance-powers'), and Uie parallel ri8e in importa.ncfl of t1~ja,8, which
h1•1·onies an all-embracing e8sencc comprehending in it:;;olf what one<'
ul-li-d to pe.rtain to the diverse provinces of power.
This evolution is traceable to some upanishadic do<'trines, as e.g. t.lw
wc·ll-known teaching of Udrlalaka _,\rur.1i to Sw•t.aketu in the
( 'l1iindogyopani:tiad, according to which "in th<' beginning t.liis waH h11I.
lu•ing, one without a second f ••. J. It desired: 'may 1 be many, may I
g<•11erate offspring'. It brought forth tejax", which in it.s t,urn prod1wPd
np, which finaJly yielded anna, 1=1• The three elements, which 1uc
a.ssigned, respectively, red, white and black 14 , clearly prdigur<~ t.fao
three g1J.'{/,U8, and the pre-eminence of te)rL.'! anticip1th1s Uw pivot.al
position of the 1:iharp,kara in the Sarpkhyan F.chcme, 01· of Uw creator
Brahma. in the pural).ic cosmogonies, both being embodiments of t.hc
rajog1.1if)a which iti t.he systematic equivalent ofte;fa.'I . •t\8 imch, t1;j1M is not

na'fii8. Likewise, in SB VIl,4,1,39 Agni h1 said to have seized the trja11 of


Prajapati dragging it to the south, while lndrn seized hi~ 1!j1M rising up to the
north (prajli.paler 1:isra8tasyagni11 teja udaya dakifi1Jak1ir.~at 81! 'tnldarumad yal
kr13td>d1frarnat tll,smat kiir~mary6 'thii.8y1:ndra oja adayodai/.i1, ·udakrii:nu1t JIU Ulbt'm-
bdro 'bhavat); the two gods are further identified with the Aacrifiem"s t.wo ar·mR
(SB VIJ.,4,1,4:1: ... ttw as11aita1! indragnt emi baM:t.).
12 SH XIIl,2,6,9: .. .tejo brahma·varcasa:yt1, kramati yo '811amedh.ena yajate Mtil

ca brahmii. ca braluniidya'f[I, nad.ata agneyo vai lumi Mrhaspaty6 bmhm.l.i /m].h:m.11


b*haspati8 teja8 cai-vasmin brahmavarca8arft ca samtci dh.atto yti.pam. al>hito mdalt>
yajamano mi yti.po yajamanam emit<it tejasa ca brakmaiJa.nasena cobhayata~t
paridltattalf.
13 ChU Vl,2,l-4: sad eva somyedam <J{Jra Us'id ekam e.vad1Jitiyam [., ,] tad
nikf}ata bah1i sya'l[t prajayeyeti f tat tejo '1>rjata / tat teja aik1Jata bahu syam
prajayeyeti /tad apo 'srjata [... ]ta apa aikf}ata / bahvyalt s71ama prajayemah'i.li f
lfi rinnam a.~rjanta .. .
"' ChU VI,4,6: ... yad u rohitam ivabhud iti teja11as tad riipam iti tad vida,,,,,
mkru~1 / :11a1l u Auklam ivabhud ity a]Jii'f!I· rupam it·i tad v·ida'T{t ookT'UIJ, i yad u
kt·~~111·111 im111kud Uy annasya rupam iti tad vida·1tt ca/;:T'Ulf.
142 P.~lAGNONE

one with the supreme essence, but rather a.ppears as the subtle
centrifugal energy presiding over manifestation. Thus in BrU' III,7,14,
expounding his cosmic (adkidaivata) doctrine of the atman,
Yajfiavalkya concludes the ascendant hierarchy of entities as follows:
"He, who though dwelling in tejas is other than it, whom tejas does not
know, whose body is tejas, who rules tejas from within, he is thine
atman, thine interior Ruler, the Immortal" 15 . Here tejas is the most
intimate body of at·man, on the threshold of manifestation through the
successive layers of darkness, space, moon-and-stars, the quarters, the
sun, the wind, the atmosphere, fire, water and earth. Likewise, in the
daiva. parimara described in KauU 2,12-13 each deity is said to be
resolved into pra·1;ta, which goes to the wind, and teja~q, which is
absorbed into the higher deity, the same process being then repeated
over again: "This brahman indeed shines, when fire blazes; but when
it does not, it dies. Its tejas goes to the sun, its praria to the wind ... "
and so forth 16 • Even in this passage, whereas prafJ,a appears to
represent the invariable kernel of reality, t~jas is the ever-changing
energy which is passed on along the downward current of evolution
and taken back in involution. The source of such energy is clearly
identified with the purU:ja Vi~QU in MaiU 6,35: "The truth's mouth is
hidden behind a veil of gold; do thou remove it, o Pu~an, that [I may
reach to] Vi:?I)U the Satyadharma. I am indeed the pv.ru§a in the sun!
For verily, Satyadharma is the sun-nature in the sun, the pure and
indeterminate puru,~a-nature. What abides in the middle of the sun, as
well as in the eye and in fire, is but a particle of tejas permeating space;
it is brahman, immortality, effulgence, it is Satyadharma" 17 . This
passage is most meaningful in that for the first time it transfers the
notion of tejas from its original animatistic or pantheistic milieu to a
theistic context, where tejas comes to be regarded as the supreme god's
own creative energy. This doctrine is definitively Kanctioned by the
oft-cited strophe of BhG X.,41, where Kr:?I).a concludes the
enumeration of his vibhutis by saying: "Whatever being is glorious,

15 Brt: III,7,14: yas teja81: tiljtha'l'{tS teja.so 'ntaro yarrt tejo na 1!eda yasya tejalp
8arirri1J1. yas tejo 'ntaro yamayaty ~a ta atmii:maryiimy amrtalp.
16 KauU 2,12: .. .etad ·vai bra.hma dipyate yad agnir jvalati / athaitan mriyate

yan na jvaltJ.ti f tMyiidityam eoo tejo gacchati / i•iiyu'f{t prii:1y.ah ...


17 MaiU 6,35: hirar.i:mayena patre1,1.a satyasyapihitarµ, mukham i tat tvarrt pu-
ljann apavniu satyadharmaya vi1j7,1.ave ! yo 'sii aditye pun11JaJ.i so 'sii aham iti ! elja
ha vai satyadltarmo yad adityasyadityatvam / tac chukla1fl. puruljam aliiigam /
nabha.~o 'ntar-gatasya tejaso 'rh8a-miitram etad yad adityas-ya madhya ivety akiji-ly.y
o.gnwu. ca / etad brahma I etad amrtam f etad bhargaJ.i / etad .~atyadh.armali.
The Development of teJas from the Vedas to the Pural)as 143

splendid or powerful, know it as originated by a particle of my own


tejas" 18 .

We finally come to the epics and the PuraQas, where indeed the
concept of tejas att.ains its full development by a transposition of its
l'!overal resonances on the mythological plane. Here we must content
ourselves with merely reviewing some of the major motives.
On the gross level, the ancient connection of tejas with fire and heat
iH preserved in the imagery of the myths, where tejas is usually manifest
hul.h in living and in lifeless beings as burning glow or dazzling blaze.
011 the subtle level, as an energy, tejas preserves those qualities of
u.brnpt1w11s, keenness and excess which we have seen accrete to it as
uurly nH in t,he vedic period through the metaphor of sharpness. Seers
11.1·u 1,lw v1,ry epitome of the teja~vin ih this respect. n1i Kapila burnt to
iwhoH 110 lnMH than king Sagara's 20,000 sons in a single outburst of
'°·
tla.111i11µ; l1jr1..~ 'l'he tejas of r~ Aurva's wrath was threatening to
UUllHlltrw t.lui whole world, until he threw it into the sea where it became
a tfor,Y 1111i.r·p who uneeasingly drains the ocean and will drink it up at the
ibnu ol' di:-1imlution 20 . It is unnecessary to multiply instances since they
llofll all 1,oo well known.
All oxcess is dangerous, hence tejas is typically destructive, as in the
~buv1i instances. Even when it is creative, in foree of its ancient
.-11oci11t.ion with procreation and seed, it regularly carries dei:itructive
h11plit'u.tions or undertones. \Vhen Siva and PiirvatT were engaged in
prolm1~ed love-making, the gods became anxiomc1 fearing thiit they
would give birth to a son possessed of unbearable tejas. They succeeded
iu inkrrupting the couple, but Siva's spilt seed could not be easily
diHprnmd of: Agni, Gariga and still others were burnt by its tejas, unt,iJ
it, wni; finally thrown into a lump of reeds where Skanda was born 21 •
'l'he brahmanical specificity of tejas is still occasionally in evidence,
!\fol P.g. in the story of Vasi!;!tha and Visvamitra's strife. In the
l'tii.rniiyal)a version, Vasi!;!tha's cow Sabala herself, impersonating the
t"~i':; brahmanical might, professes that, though king Visvamitra be
poHMl~Hsed of great v'irya, Vasi!;!tha's own teja8 is invincible, for brahrnan
iH :-1uperior to k~atra; and the defeated king finally avows: "a laughable
t.hing is the force of a k~atriya; the force of brahmanical teja., is real

18BhG X,41: yad-yad ·vibhii.timat sattva,,_n srimad urjitam eva va ; tad-tad


manm tejo 'irt/;cMa1[!-bhavam.
<mii11agaccha t1Ja1f!-
19 Cfr. VsP JV,4,2~23.

20 Cfr. MBh I, 178--180.


21 Cfr. e.g. Ram I,36-·37; SvP II,4,1-2: VDh I, 228; Kalidasa, Kuma-
rasaf!lbhava 10,12-14.
144 P.MAGNONE

force" 22 . Since, however, by this time different 'Daseinsmachte' show a


marked tendency to merge into tejas through oblivion of their
distinctive characters, in another set of texts tejas as a substitute for
ojas appears closely associated with the king, in line with Manu 7 ,3-11,
where kings are said to be made up with eternal portions of the
lokapalas, hence to abound in tejas and to burn eyes and minds like the
sun 23 .
Kings and seers, as gods and demons, or even powerful things like
weapons and poison are, however, only subordinate bearers of tejas,
whose ultimate source, according to the doctrine of the Maitrayai:iyupa-
ni15ad endorsed by the Bhagavadgita, is the Supreme Lord. tejas plays
a dominant role in some of the most characteristic mythical themes of
each of the great puranic gods. In the beginning, Surya was a sphere of
tejas; all beings were stupefied by his glare, until Tvai;itr reduced him to
shape on the lathe, forging each god's peculiar weapon with the cut out
tejas 24 • Brahma was originally five-headed; deeming himself to be the
primary source of creation, he become puffed up with pride, and
oppressed all the gods with the excessive tejas of his fifth head, until it
was severed off by Siva 25 . The truncated head became the dreadful
brahmiistra, the most destructive of all weapons. The demon Mahi1:1a
having seized the triple world, all the gods assembled together, and
Devi arose from the combined teja.s of their wrath 26 • As for Siva, he is
variously connected with tejas through his fiery seed or linga, his
flaming third eye etc.
However, tejas is most characteristically connected with Vii?QU and
his avatliras, and vai~tiava tejas is a technical expression which conveys
the vishnuite specificity of tejas in many contexts; this is brought out

22 Ram I,54,14-15: na bala'T{L kijatriyaayahur briihmar.ia balavattarii~ /

hrahman brahmahala'T{L divya'T{L kl}iitriic ca balavattaram I/ aprameya'T{L bala'T{L


tubhya'T{L na tvayii balavattara~ / vi8vamitro mahaviryas tejas lava duriisadam.
Ram 1,56,23: dhighala'T{L kl}atriyabala'T{L brahmatejobala'T{L balarri / ekena brahma-
darµ/.ena sarvastrar.ii hatani me.
23 Man u 7 ,3-11: arajake hi loke 'smin sarvato vidrute bhayiit / rakl}ii-rtham as ya

sarvasya ri'ijiinam asrjat prabhu~ / / indranilayamiirkar.iam agne8 ca t•arur.iasya


ca ! candravittesayos caiva matra nirhrtya sasvati~ // yasmad el}ii'fl'I. surendrar.iarri
miitriibhyo nirmito nrpa~ / tasmad abhibhavaty el}a sarvabhutani tejasa / / tapaty
iidityavac cai~a cak~m# ca manarhsi ca/ na cainarri bhuvi 8aknoti ka8cid apy
abhivikl}it·um 11 . , . karyarri so 'vek~ya 8akti'ffl, ca desakiilau ca tatfoata~i / kurute
dharmasiddhyartharri vi8varuparri puna~ puna~ i yasya prasiide padmii srir vi-
jayas ca parakrame / mrtyus ca vasati krodhe sarvatejomayo hi ,,a~.
24 Cfr. SiP 11,36-44; 15,1-26; Bhi,P 1,123,34-82; MkP 103--105; VsP IIl,2.
2a Cfr. SkP V,1,2.
26 Cfr. MkP 79; VmP 18; SkP VII,3,36.
The Development of te,ias from the Vedas to the PuraQas 145

in a contrastive manner in a passage like B<J,P III,31,37, where Brahma


proclaims to Parasurama that Vil[!QU's tejas will be subdued by Siva's
8akti 27 • 1\-Iost interesting in this respect is a little known passage from
the Vi![!Qudharmottarapurii1,1a where this special relationship of tejas to
Vil[!l).U is unequivocally stated in terms which reveal their subservience
to the aforesaid upanishadic and Gita doctrine. VDh I,172, bearing the
colophon "purit§asvarupavartiana", declares everything to be sustained
by invincible vai~vatejas, which is the imperishable substance of
everything, including avataras and even the great gods. Beings born of
the five elements, however, are incapable of enduring vai~avatejas
forever; they are, therefore, doomed to dissolution, when once they are
abandoned by it 28 . In the subsequent adhyaya, devoted to
"pradv.rbhlivasvarupavar'f).ana", a more restrictive concept of tejas is
ILl>plied: Vi![!QU summons the elect to his holy works by infusing them
with his own tejas, then again withdraws it after the consummation and
diHmisses them to their ordained end, enlightened by his grace.
AM an energy, tejas is eminently transferable, and the effects of its
tr11.m1for are different according to whether the broader or the narrower
nut.ion of tejas i11 applied. In the former event, the grant of tejas is
c1nexten11ive with creation, and its confiscation with dissolution. This is
h oue with most avati.iras, when Vi::iQu becomes incarnate with a
pclftlon (Gf1&At.i) of his tejas and then takes it back dissolving his form
af'tt1r ciomplt1tio11 of the task. But even a demon incarnate as Sisupala
I" NILid t.o tuLve been born from a particle of Ktl[!J).a's tejas, which flows
lmck into Kr!ilQa's body when he is beheaded by the latter's discus 29 •
Wlwn tejas is intended in the narrower sense, i.e. as the cause of mere
1•x1~t11lence, and not generally of existence, then its acquisition
1md Joss do not entail an absolute inception or cessation, but simply a
promotion or demotion to or from a higher level of existence. Vil[!I).U is

27 BQP 111,31,37: 8r'ikr1Jtiamantrarri kavacarri grhtia mtsa gu.ror harat I du.r-

l1il1.r1hyarri va4~avarri tejas 8ivasaktir vijel}yati.


~H VDh 1,171,2-7: ajeyarri vai11tiavarri tejas tac ca nityarri cajantuiju / na8am
11y1in.ti te sarve h'ina vai§'{iamte,iasa 11 avina8ijagaty asmin na kirric.id atha vUf.yate /
fir• tu mahatas tasmat tejaso nrpa vail,l~avat II tejas tasya S'udurvahyarri dekibhfr
urpa sarva.da i tasmat tena vihinas te kt;ayarp, gae..cliant-i mii.nada fI mat,~yal,i kurmo
m.rahas ca narasimho 'tli.a vamanalJ, / brahma 8ambhus tathaivarkas candrama8 ca
iiamkratu~i / / evamadyiis tathaivanye yukta 11ai~~1.avatejasa f gajacchayanumanena.
viyu,iyante ca tejasa /I vitejasa8 ca te sarve paii.catvam upayanti ca j paiica
bM.Uii.tmakarri stliillarri yat kirricid jagatigatam.
29 MBh II ,44,3: e~a hy asya mahabiihWJ tejo 'rrisas ca harer dhru.vam; 45 ,2!i--27:

sa papiUa mahabiihur ?Jajraltata iviic.alalj. / tata8 cedi-pater de.hat trjo- 'yry1uf1.


dadrsur nrpi1.IJ, 11 •utpatantarri mahliraja gaganad ina bhaskara.m I tata~. karna.la.pa.-
trii.k~arri kr~tia'l'/Z lokanamaskrtam I vavande tat ta.dii. te,io 11·i1•1'.~1t 1'.fl ·nr1ri11l11.ip11.
146 P.MAGNONE

wont to infuse his teja.s into a chosen individual to make him equal to
some task, as he did e.g. with Purukutsa, who defeated the ga,ndharuas
"having his own uirya increased by the Lord's teja.s" 30 • Conversely, we
may recall that the Parasurama-avata.ra was not dissolved like the
preceding ones, but he was shorn of his vaitJ'TJ,amtejas by the younger
Rama come to relieve him from his duty of avatlira-hood 31 •
In any case, according to this doctrine the Lord is the sole wielder
and dispenser oftejas, which nothing can restrain but tejas itself: and so
by tejas the Lord subdues his own tejas, playing both parts in the
conflicts which seemingly oppose him to his enemies. However, even
though this theistic perspective is obviously dominant, the upanishadic
monistic strand is also interwoven in the complex puranic notion of
tejas, being most clearly discerned in the common cliche of the rebellious
demon, whose tapas or tejas, opportunely converted into some boon of
power, is not directly amenable to control even by the supreme Lord
unless by extraordinary, and often tricky means. In such passages teja.~
appears as a self-standing universal energy independent of the Lord,
and obeying its own intrinsic laws, with which the Lord has himself to
cope. This duplicity is but another instance of that dialectic of
personalism and impersonalism which is rooted deep in Indian culture,
sprouting along the course of its development the opposite branches of
monism and theism, ritualism and devotion, resort to magic and
surrender to grace.

:io VsP IV,3,9: (bha,gava.ttejasapyayiUUmauirya).


31 Cfr. Ram I,74ff.; NrP 47, 149-150: jyago~m akarod v"iro i>irasyaioogratas

tadii / tata}J, -paralm,riirnasya dehan -n.i1Yk·ra.mya vaiin.iavam ff pasyafii'Tfl. sarvabhuta-


11/lfft t1;jo rii:nui11tukhe 'vi&at ...
l4i

Abbreviations·

AiU Aitarryopanii?ad .IW ~gveda


AV Atharvaveda SiiP SiimbapurM}a
BQ.P Brahmnl}Q.apural).a SB Satapat.habriihmar;ia
BhG Bhagavadgit·ii SkP SkandapurM}a
Bh~P Bhavii;;yapurii.l).a SvP Sivapuriil}a
Bi;U Brhadiirai:iyakopanii:;ad VDh · Vi~I} udharmot.tarapuriil).a.
ChU Chandogyopani~ad VmP Viimanapurlil}a
KauU Kau~Itakyupani~ad Vr:;P Vii.iQU}lUriiQa
MaiV Maitrayal).yupanif?ad
Manu MiinavadharmaMtstra
MBh :Mahabharata
~lkP Miirkar;iQ.eyapuriir;ia
XrP Nara.sirµhapuriiQa
Ram Riimiiyal).a

S-ar putea să vă placă și