CHAP HSR VI

SUPAREA VIPYA IS THE RGVSDA

1
'»— — ■$ -■■■■-—— — —

Suparna is a very significant word in the Rgveaic metaphysics.

It sfp?ea#g in the Rgveda -at- forty two •pia-nFB". Syena also is a
word which is used as a synonym for Suparna. Almost all the western
commentators have dewaxed Suparna as-as eagle. Suparna appears in
Mae
the Rgveda
“
in various
..............................- ' -
contexts giving multiple
- AC- ............
meanings.
• '
In some
places it appears as an adjective to some other deity# Suparna

literally means good wings, so the Indian commentators such as Say ana
have interpreted it as a bird with golden and powerful wings. The
wings are symbols for duality, and movement. A bird requires a couple
of wings to fly, it cannot fly without wings. flight can net - be datHr
wi-th—a-~gixrgi'e wing-alr&o.^—Sn—the wings a—dual 'grindule^ and
th j g. rj\

Suparna Legend

Suparna legend has its unique importance in the Rgveda and

tAJLMQM^L
later literature. The Suparna legend, which finds fullwexpression
in^*iater vedic and Quranic literature t,rT 1he Rgveda fece

i-ts_0-rxgiru—.

Uhile speculating on the Suparna legend one has to take Soma

also into his account. In the Rgveda Soma is an important deity.
 251

A complete Mandala (9th) in the Rgveda is dedicated to Soma.^Hin/th

^n^3r-4^~Qall-£d_llJRayamana Mandala 11 and it contains 1108 verses

in 114 Suktas. In this Mandal only the praise of Soma~'il3~~E5T

In the sacrificial ceremony Soma was regarded indispensable.

a^senG® &o special sacrifice could be performed. In the

rituals Soma ( which is also described as a creeper in the Rgveda),

\>;as crushed and the juice thereof was taken out. After offering
that juice as an oblation in the fire the performers used to drink
^A.at/kbe end of the sacrifice. This is termed as " Amrta" . Soros
Vai Amrtarn11 says the author of Satapath^Brahmana.

played a conspieuous part in the sacrifice during -(he

S 3.

"
At one time Soma must hare attained a remarkable
‘tfc- ~ _

whit^ey remarks;- " The simple minded Aryans whose

whole religion was the i^orship of wonderful powers and phenomena of
nature, had no sooner perceived tha.t this l^uid had power to elevate
the spirit, -under the influence of which the individual was prompted
to and capable of deeds beyond his natural powers, then they found
in it something divine. It was to their apprehension a god, endow­
ing those into whom it entered with godlike powers. The plant which

afforded it became to them the king of plants. The process of pre­

paring it was a holy sacrifice, the instruments used therefore were
sacred.1,1
The Vedic J§oma.Ja..as trav-a-Had-.to 0Ta°£k-a4rsrr. Mr. Muir, in his Ay

book, bas shown a similarity between vedic Soma and Greek'*-q^god

Dionysus. .
He has called Dionysus the Greecian Soma. p
 253 -

Soma was regarded^keavenly king. This liquid created enthu-—■

s:?-asm.^n -$°ma drinker, that n the sacrificer is deemed worthy

to enjoy the divine power and participate in the heavenly king, who
is Soma. The drinking of Soma juice makes him a nevj(nan, thoughts

celestial body had been prepared for him at the pravargya ceremony,
the enjoyment of Soma beverage transforms^ him again, for the

nectar of the gods flows for the first time in the ve$ins purifying
«3
and sanctifying him.

Soma beverage produces a sort of enthusiasm in the drinker and

the drinker feels some extra-ordinary power in him. After drinking

the soma juice Indra exclaims^.

"The heavens and earth themselves have not grown equal tc one

half of me.

Have I not drunk of Soma juice ? I in my grandeur, have

surpassed the heavens and all this spacious earth.

Have I not drunk of the soma juice ?

Ah I this spacious earth will I deposit either here or there.

Have X not drunk of Soma Juice?

In one short moment will I smi^e~the earth in fury here or there

Have I not drunk of Soma juice ?

I, greatest of the mighty ones, am lifted to the firmament.

4
Have I not drunk of Soma juice ?
 253 -

Soma in the vedic period was regarded an unfallable means

for attaining immortality. At one place in the ^gveda the saerifi-

cers exclaim/1

"We -have drunk Soma, we hare become immortals. ¥e have entered

into light. Ve have known the. gods what can fo®men do to us what
' .................................. ' /

can a mortal effect harm us

Soma is stated to be an immortal stimulant ( Amsrtyam Madam).

Indra seems irery fond of this drink. After drinking this immortal
stimulant Indra becomes so powerful that none can restrict him.
Under the stimulation of this juice he kills numerous demons. We
see descriptions in the Rgveda where Indra is stated to have broken
none hundred ninety fortresses of $usna $-sura. After drinking this
/beverage.........................................................
when Indra takes Vajra .. in his hand the heaven and earth
shake for fear of him. At that time none can withstand him in battle.
In the Rgveda Soma is described as " Sweet, honied, pungent and well
irs
flavoured, fndra drinks it, sc none can withstand him."

, . &
"Indra supported the great dyu and filled the Antariksa. &J&-
He sustained the eartiKand stretched it. All this was done by

Indra. .in the spiri t of Soi

The extraordinary thingsNjone by Indra in the stimulation of

Soma juice, are described in the Rgveda, where the poet says.
i-ZMs-if \sk>

"Verily, I proclaim the great and authentic deeds of ifae

mighty and true indra, of him, who drank\the Soma juice at the
Trikadruka rites and in his exhilaration snew Ahi."^
 254

le it is, who has measured the quarters, who. has dug with
\ ----- --^
the thunder holt the beds of-the rivers and has easily sent, them
forth belong continued path, in the exhilaration of Soma Indra

has done these deeds. 8

Praised byN^tgiras he destroyed Bala, he forced open tie firm

shut ( doors) of\the mountains, he broke down their artificial

defences in the exhilaration Gf Soma he has done all these.®

Though other gods Wso eagerly partate of this beverage, Indra

is very particularly addicted to it.

"O Indra, worshippers Vail you very fond of Soma. Indra is

\ 10
the only drinker of Soma of vitality among gods and men.'*

The worshippers used to call him very gently.and offer him

several bowls of soma juice. The\Soma flowed to him as the rivers

to the ocean, "the vedic poet has somewhat exaggerated.- "When he

called Indra's belly a great lake whihh was full of Soma juice, this

exaggeration is to show the fondness of\Indra. The sensations of.;

god Indra after drinking the Soma are described in the Rgyeda X.119

Indra verily declares- The draught which I\have drunk impel me

like violent blasts. I have quaffed the Somsu

' The .draught which I have drank impel me flc*t horses a

chariot.

I am majestic and elevated to the heavens, I have quaffed the

Soma 'll
 255 -

^JEelr^Indra is under the erfiilaration of Soma, there is nothing

for him unachievabliThvid-Hmdone.

K/"'' <55 (J
Tfi'c 9
How the Soma-wa-e-br ought to the earth <r r

In the Rgveda the Soma plant is said to have been brou^at by

f

an eagle for Indra. Soma, therefore, is called " Syenabhrtah"

brought by a "sjjn^ah or a falcon12. It was fetched down to the earth

from the heaven, therefore it is described as idvibhavah i.e.

produced in heaven. At some-place it is stated to have been brought

from a mountain 13 Hie mountain, where the soma was grown, was
called lissUavana1^. Soma was placed on this mountain by Varuna,
iavana
the Rgveda says-*

11 Varuna filled the sky with

_ «...
waters, horses with energy, cows
- — -- -- - ^

with milk. He placed the sacrifice in the altar, fire, in tiie waters

sun in the sky and soma in the mountain,

/

In IX 113, 3 Soma is described to have been brought by the

daughter of the sun from the place, hfikere it was kept by parjanya
• - . ' - #

or rain-God.

"Nourished by Parjanya and energetic Soma was brought by the

. it.
daughter of sun, Gandharvas took it and infused the sap in * 16

At another place in the Rgveda Parjanya is said to be "the father

of Soma.

•’ parjanya, the father of this plant wi th energeti c leaves, has

placed in the navel of earth-and mountains, when it is ground in
the sacrifice, the waters flow towards it. Bu-t in the Atharva i4da
1?
Soma is stated to have sprung up from Purusa.
 256 -

Soma As Amrta

In the Ijgveda we are told that in the beginning thecoma or

&
Amrta was not available to everybody. It was beyond the reach
of the commons^ nc4 it was .available even to the gods. It was .
/ cma
very carefully preserved in the heavens and -prote-ete-d by the Gandha-
rva. An iron city was constructed to protect the Amrta, where
nobody was allowed to enter in. grmdterve guarded.-t-hi5—Amrta. ■

"Gandharva verily protect this dwelling place, wond^rous he

guards the generations of the gods.

l
Lord of the snare, he takes(frenan) wi th the snare. Those
are most devout have gained a snare ofoeath. 18

The Gandharvas we re more powerful than the gods, so Hie gods

were not able to snatch the soma from them therefore they request*^{__

Suparna to fetch it for them from the heaven. Accepting their^

x-equest the Suparna bird stretched his strong wings and flew towards
the sky. With his swift flight he passed through itae iron city and
entering into the region of the dyau he took hold of the Soma and
brought down the Soma for Indra. The Rgveda describes^*-

"On rushing with the speed of thought through the iron fort

he passed.

The Suparna vrent to heaven and brought Soma to the thunderer

Indra.19(/

While rushing to the heaven he was attacked and checked by the

Gandharvas, the guardians of Amrta, so the Suparna had to fight with
them with his talons. Describing this fight the Rgvedic poet says-
 257

"There in the heaven hath the strong winged eagle left his

talon as a snared lion leaves the trap that caught him."

Even the wild steer in his. thirst captured, the leather strap
20
still holds his foot entangled.

"Supa^na~T^BW--^pswiftly that none could attain his speed.

0 Suparna none can capture your^swirftaa^ss.

/
At some places in the Hgveda we find descriptions, where Syena

is said to have brought Amrta or Soma from the heaven.

"swift he returned with the sweetness of the Some and hence

the falcon hath acquired his glory."

t
"The swift going Syena went with Soma. The bird brought the

delightful Soma from afar.

t(Vith a desire to get the gods friendship the bird brought -fee

Soma from the loftiest heaven.

E^Vith thousands of powers he rushed to the heaven and therefrom

he brought the Soma.

{ ...„
"Syena was so strong and powerful that he needed n-eae4'S'help.

He, with his might, went to heaven, passed through the iron city

and brought the Soma.

"Without car or wheels he went to heaven with the help of

22
his might and brought the godly oblation i.e. Soma, "

Commenting on " with no car to bear him" Griffith remarks-

With his own wheel'-less nature that is by his own natural impulse
 258

he went.'' During Ms flight he never felt tired. 23

Suparna went with a swiftness of thought and passed through

the iron fort.

phere in the heavens the Suparna had to fightjwith the guardians.

SShen Krsano., one of the guardians shot an arrow aiming at him, which

stuck the Suparna and as the result a feather of Suparna fell out. I
in iv 27 of the Rgveda we find a description, where Syena, the

deity of the Sukta, says-

"Being still in the germ, I have known all the births of these

divinities in their order.

l! A hundred bodies of iron confined me, but as a bawk I came

forth with speed."

"When the hawk screamed on his descent from heaven and they _
( guardians of the Soma) perceived that the Soma was ( carried _away)

by it, then the archer krs'anu, pursuing with the speed of thou git

and stringing his bow, let fly an arrow against it.

fl The straight flying hawk carried off the Soma from above the
test heaven as ( Asvins carried off) Bhujyu from the region of Indra
and a falling feather from the middle of the bird dropped from him

wounded in the conflict. 2V

This conflict also could not worry the bird, for the worshipper
' ”........................ ' " _ . 25
made him powerful by chanting the invocations.

Thus in short the Rgvedic Suparna legend tells us that m the

 259

■4a the.-beginning the soma or itorta was preserved in mjtffon city

and was well protected by the Gandharva. Indra and other gods
desired to drfitik the Soma so they requested^Sriparna to go to the_
heaven and bring the Soma for them. Then Suparna with his strong
and powerful wings made a swiftxflight to the heaven and catching

hold of the Soma he descmmied from heaven. In the way he _ came into
conflict with Gandjie-fva s who were kept to guard. Then Kr^anu let

an arrow flyxfowards the bird as a result a single feather of the

bird £ell out, but it could not restrict him in his task of bringing
dcKirn the Soma.

Kn.s legend has very long travelled in the other samhitas

of the veah«4 Brahmanas and epics and other Puranic literature, but

with some variatibik.

Suparna legend explained

Actually in the Rgveda Suparna is explained in various context^

Suparna in the Rgveda generally means any thir^ that is bright. In

MhA,^ pc
1.35.7 the sun is -ea4d as Suparna.

"Enriched with vitality Suparna enlightens the sky. - "Where has

'/
the Surya gone, who knows it?

The sun is said to be a suparna with red wings. 27 At another

place Suparna is used as an adjective -±£wthe moon. 28

Thus Suparna in the Rgveda is used in various meanings. It . ,

............ " ~ ■ ' ' ' (ft.
had been a method of the Rsis to express their thoughts symbolically.

All the various vidyas that come in the Rgveda are ibe methods of
.... . *• '

expression of the mysteries regarding the universe and the beings.

 260

SiiBlfe2il^L_±he^uparna vidyi also stands symbolically for a

vaidya, tbat opens the doors^f~~so~m?ili3r--syaigrles.

Prajapati ss Suparna -

Suparna literally means golden wings. The wings are a symbol

.......... fly
of duality, for a bird can never/with a single wing, Jor flight

a couple of wings are necessary. Theory of duality is a basic idea

of the |[gveda the word^uparna is so significant that it lies beside^

Agni, Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Yama, Matari sT/vam?!, to give various names

to the si! entity, Clares the poet - "He is one but wi semen
call him by various names?

prajapati is Suparna for $he is the root cause of the dual!stic

principle. He was alone in the beginning ( Tadeksm) but afterwards
* v fa* 9 ......................................................................................... ...............................................................................................................................................

he became many ( Bahu syam). The originally unborn one gets him-.
A'-'~ ................................ ...... " *

self concealed in the embryo end in manifestation he becomes many.*'

V . „ .

Prajapati ha-s-.twofo-ld■ ■ pr-inoipie-e- in -M-m,—He is divided into two

32
fold forms. Hirukta and Anirukta or manifested and unmanifested"

The former is within the reach of time and space, hence .it is limited

while the later is beyond time and space hence unlimited or endless.
In the Brahtnanic 'terminology the former i.e. Hirukta is called
Parimita and the later i.e. Anirukta apaifimita. In the terminology of
Samkbya system we may call these vyakta and Avyakta, the nirukta or
parinita ox- vyakta form of prajapati is this empirical world, which

is peneivable."|he anirukta, or a-paifimita or Avyakta form is trans­

cendental and is beyond tbe reach of the senses. The manifested

world, in the Rgveda is termed as Dssangula,that can be measured

out by ten finger^that is ten sense organs. But -tfee another form of
 261 -

Prajapati, which is Anirukta, is not within the reach of these,*-

fingers or sense organs. It can not be realised by these. Sc the
poet says-j

" Purusa with thousands of heads, . thousands of eyes and thousands

ctfvwU* Trfln&Crf'
of feet, envelops the earth, but (exceeds a place) measuring ten

fingers. „33

prajapati is Suparna so he is always beyond Jdae-> darkness. u He. ,

is beyond the great ocean of darknessT-says the author of Mahabharata
"he is very bright, only by knowing him one can surpass the death
34^ a
let our invocations be to the knowable suprana soul , ^nd so s ays

the jurveda^

"I verily know the Supreme Being, who is great and bright as the

sun beyond the darkness.

Only by knowing him, one can attain immortality. Ho way other

than this is there for that. it 35

The sun, the fire and soma are called^uparna and these Suparnas
are metaphorically called the hair of Prajapati^. In the Egveda

also prajapati is called " trayah kesinah" ( Rg. 1.164.44). These

three types of hair, according to Hirukta (are the re, Aditya and

Vayu.

Prajapati is Garutman having two golden wings, his wings, at

some .place in the Rgveda are termed as Bahu with which he supports
the 1 okaRhythmic motion is Prajapati’s_ nature. He upholds the
earth and heaven with his arms or wings. He is the creator end
^ustainer.37 Therefore Prajapati is called the 1-Iaha Suparna or

the greatest golden-winged biro.

 262

Samvatsara - as Suparna

Parna or wing is a symbol for motion as the Cakra or Pada. The

world is rapidly mowing towards its goal. Prajapati after creating

' .............
the world gave a push to it, ~@er since -the-very time it is moving.
It will not stop until the %otal^destrul^eir of the .w&rXd^- Movement
movement ’ ... .
is Jmrta and absence of/is death. The movement of the creation is
regulated by the time factor. Years after years creep away and the
world also ^oes on. Therefore^year or Samvatsara is said is> ~
h-
ge=bde« great Suparna.

^ But indeed that year is a great eagle, the six months which they

perform prior to the visuvat are the one wing, and other which they

perform subsequent thereto are the other and the visuvat is the "body

and indeed where -the body is ,ther,e-‘are also the wings and where the
\d.ngs are there is also the body.3^

Sftayatsara is divided into two parts.. Daksinayana and Uttarayana.

fach ayana consisting of six months these two Ayanas are the two

wings of Samvatsara- the great^uparna. In the Rgveda gamy a tsar a

is stated to have grown appeared from Samudra Arnava. Arnava is

a word which is derived from the root "R" meaning to go, so Arnava _
is a state of movement, ISlovement is the cause of year or Samvatsara.
■ ’ —

Years, months or days can be reckoned with the moye_^of the universe,

therefore the Samvatsara is stated to have appeared from Arnava. 39

Samvatsara or the time factor is regulated by the sun. Sun’s

movement make the days, months and years. Hence in the Brahmanas

the sun also is termed as Suparna.

 263 -

The sun- as Suparna -

In the Rgveda we see Suparna jss-used for the sun too. The
Suparna surya- is stated as lighting up the regions. 40 In the
Atharvaveda it is called a golden bird.

The wings of -this golden bird, flying in the sky, are stretched,41
"the sun as Suparna in the Rgveda and Ha-ri Hamsa In'the Atharvaveda
’ ............, 42
is called Hiranyapaksa sakuni in the Mahabharata.
» *

prana as Suparna-

According to JUB ( 3.35.2) Life principle or Prana is_ also _

symbolised as the bird ( patanga) which is the same as Suparna.

The two wings of -this Suparna are the rhythmic principles of

, , . 43/ A Hri- 9
contraction and expansion.

In the Rgveda this Suparna is described as entering into the

ocean.

"A Suparna has entered the ocean. He looks round t&e views this

universal world.'*^

Here Purusa is Samudra (puruso vai Samudrah) and Prana or ^ _

life principle is Suparna or Patanga. (Prano Vai Patangah JUB.111.35.2

In the Atharvaveda also Prana is Identified with Hamsa and human

with Salila or waters.

¥hen Hamsa fl$| from xraters, It never picks up i-t« both of -tins
legs. One of its legs always remains_there, if it picks up both of
AR
its legs, there will be no today or tomorrow.
 264 -

In the^Rgveda Prana is identified with Agni. On the level of-

cosmic manifestation Pranic Agni .abides in Purusa or the human beings
there fore it is called ifr-Sada.46
, ... .. a ,
' 0

As a bird folds and unfolds its wings so is tiie nature of prana.

In the form_of inspiration and expiration the pranic__Juparna folds
and unfolds its wings.

On the level of empirical manifestation life force is prana,

but on the transcendental the creator of this world is also Prana.^
He is the life spirit of this uni\Terse. Atharvaveda calls Prana as
Prajapati.48 Phis great life force enters into the beings, which

are inferior to him. He isMaha Suparna or the great suparna.

- 50
His two wings are these 15m and Prthivi.

The Supreme Being-as suparma*-

Prajapati is Suparna, about which in the Rgveda we—s-ee descri^-*^

^taron-as diving into the ocean and creating the universe out of this'
ocean. This ocean in which Suparna is said to have entered, is
nothing but the prim^^^t/aters, a-boul^wl^ch^We -Rsi of^JHasadiya

Sukta -say®—

"There x*ras darkness covered by darkness in the beginning. All

these worlahst^s indistinguishable water.

That one unbreathed'upba^bre a the d of his own strength. Other

than that there was nothing else^hatever.

■^At that time the great Suparna or Praj-sq^ati entered into the
ocean and churned it and out of it there appeared-^ the universe.
 265

Prajapa ti retnaind before the creation in^Vaaana/ form, but when

creation starts he casts away his Vamana frorm and becomes Virat.
is ttee—prac-e-s-s-ef Vamana transforming into Virat. prajipati in
his Vaman form, was at first realised by the individual soul, which

is a part of the great self just as a spark of the great fire. This
is the mystery, revealed through- the story of Markandeya Rsi in the
Mahabharata and pur anas. Rsi Markandeya was wandering hither and
thither in the flood^of-wa-fces?-a t the time of complete tio-xu
The time of the creation was fast approaching. Wandering thus the
Rsi saw a vert? tree, where on a leaf there was lying the Lord in a
Vamana fern. Being invoked by the Rsi the Lord started creating the
universe.. The vsrtptree mentioned in the story is the matter o-r the
Tamas of Basadiya^ukta or»Prakrti of Samkhya, on which the Supreme
^oul, in its ^aman or smell form was lying, request&^fae Lord

leaving his small form takes virat♦ form and is transformed into the

umv er se.

Thus the ocean, described in the Rgveda is really--tfa-a matter,

in which enters the Suparna i.e. Prajlpati, and by churning it the
..........................■ ' ....... ‘ _ 14 _
Lord creates various things. Therefore in the Atharva Prana is
. _ ...... _ 1 • - - *

termed as Virat. (Prano Virat AV-XE 4.12). In the PranaJ^ukta of

the Atharva^Prana is described as -the lord of the universe, which
52
regulates and creates the universe.

Savitr - as Suparna -
6 1 .............. .....I.”— ■ ■"> -

Suparna is Savitr^ and Garutman53, savitr finds its derivation

from 'Su' to produce or tc bring forth. God is savitr, for i%e brings -
forth the creation*Jsurya is savitr, as he produces the rays and light
 - 266

She individual soul is savitr asja-e produces the energy in the body.

In the Atharvaveda the human being is termed, as the bearer of li^at.

Xrom the human body appear the rays all around it. So long a man is
alive, the rays also illuminate the body, but as -the■ man nears 46-
death, the rays also gradually get absorbed in the body^ and at the
time of the death the rays totally disappear.. These rays are the
production of Atma. Hence this is termed as §avita.

Two Suparna jfoirds on a ~free

Semi? Vk. ' _ J[qdj \ _

Txfo'Afeia&s. parasaatma and jivatma also are described as two
Suparna or golden winged birds in the Rgveda. Rsi Dirghatamas

describes^ it -me taphtx^ipally

(f Two birds, with golden wings, are very fast friends and

ore embracing the same tree.

One of them enjoys the fruit thereof while the other illuminates
tally.f4I/

Verily these two birds are the two souls i.e. the universal
soul and the individual soul. One of them the individual soul
enjoys the fruit of the cosmic tree and the universal soul' remains as
an indifferent spectator, "jihe individual soul reaps the harvest of
his actions so he reaps what he sows. These two SuparnaSas being
vital"'spirit ( Jivitma) and the Supreme Spirit ( Parana tma) is obser^-

j^ed by Sayana end approved by Griffith. The .tree is the cosmos or

the tree of existence called A^valtha in the later upanisads and the
Gita. The vital spirit and the Supreme Spirit abide in the same
body. The former enjoys"'the fruits or the rewards of/Wis past^
actions,while the lifter is a passive spectator. In Rg. X. 114.3 we
A r
 267 -

see a description^of a youthful maiden of four braided locks falling

into lore with two supsrna birds. This bride is Prakrti'. ®

—
In the Atharvaveda we see a reference -©#-three birds^®. These
three Suparna birds, according to Dr. V.S.Agrawal, correspond to iLgni

Vayu and Adilya.

The Rgveda refers to -er^uparna being called by manj’' names.

On the transcendental level there is only one .Supreme entity, which
............................................................. ' " ..............................................................................

is termed as jgJrajapati in jurved&.Prajapati moves in embryo, though

he is unborn but takes birth in various forms, 58 the single entity

on the level of manifestation becomes many and thus becomes many
individual souls, therefore the vedic poets call the single ^suparna
by many names. These individual souls are stated as^uparna birds in
Eg. 1.164.22. In that verse these souls or the birds are described
as honey-sucking birds.

' The tree whereon the fair winged birds, sucking honey, roost

and procreate.

Upon its top they say the Pig is luscious: none obtains it,
* (go
who knows not the father.

In this verse the word Madhvadah Sup ar a ah is very significant.

Each one of the jivatmas is a honey-sucking bird. Here the honey

serves as a symbol for Prana®^ and the solar rays are the honey

making bees. The solar rays send down the Prana on earth and because
of this Pripa the beings sustain their lives on this earth. In
the PrapalilteaBi of the Atharvsveda prana is stated to be^Jsprya, ^n drama

and Prajipati.®^ In the Prana the universe dwells. In 1he J^stapath

 - 2m -

BrabmanAall that is in the universe is called as Madhu.63 In the

vedic symbolism the dadhi ( curd^) ghrta (Butter) and feeKadhu(honey)

respectively correspond to the three lokas namely, Prthivi, Antariksa

and jcjyu or earth mid-region and heaven.64 Dyu is the immortal world
of the gods. The honey or'JlPadhu remains in the heavens or dyu in the

solar rays, the sclar rays keep prana in all the rains and when the
rains pour down, the prana comes to "the earth a nd enters into all the
beings, Says the

"When Prana pours down in the^riinfe on the earth, all the crea-
tures are happy."

Therefore Surya is stated as the Atms of sentient and insentient

universe ( Surya atma jagatah tasthusah ca. Rg. 1.115.1).

These SuparnaS or honey-sucking birds sitting on a tree enjoy

the fruit thereof. The fruit is certainly the fruit of life. The
tree is cosmos and the father is prajapati, the immortal creator of

the cosmos.

Regarding these honey-eucking birds Dr. ¥.S.Agrawal remarks-

"These bee-eaters are called Saranga paksi". According to the

Adiparna of Mbh. R^s)z(i Handapala, who was a bachelor sage, is born

as a saranga bird, a honey—sucker, which is the same%ladh^vada and

his Mfe sarangifcka gives birth to four sons who a re tte peers of [fa­
ng, Sukta X. 142 ( Mbh. Adi-Ch. 223).*^he name Handapala signifies his
being a guardian of Manda or Soma. Soma or the cosmic principle of
life and vitality is said to be of four kinds, viz. Amsu, (Plant
shoots} symbolising matter, Graha, (the drinking cup) symbolising the
organs of sense ( Indriyas or Prana) and Raja* ( or king _£oma) which
 269

symbolises the principle of mind as an unknown yaksa ( Apurva yaksa)

in the centre of all beings and the last of all Vaja signifying the

universal mind or vijnana. These four kinds of honey_eating birds

represent the basic fourfold pattern of the creation and are the
honey—eating jsuparirias which rest on the cosmic tree and make an endless

shrilliag choMus and all of them love to feed on honey and therefore
entitled to the epithet ^ Madhavadah suparna^®®

The Suparna theory of the Hgveda supports the theory of plura-

9 lism of Simkhya. According to Samkhya the individual souls are many

in number. Isvarakrsna the author of Samkhya kanka successfully

establishes the me^ry-%-#-piu-r-aii-sr!i ( purusa Bahatva) . These

Madhavadah &uparn'ah or the honey sucking birds of the Rgveda corres­

pond to the purusas of &amkhya. The Madhu or honey is kept in this

human body. In it is kept the sweet fruit or Amrta, but only he,

who realises it can taste it. " If you have known Him"- suggests
juj^anisad- " You have gained a great truth, if not, you have lost it. .

for the wisepen see Him in everybody and thus after leaving this world
„6?
the y a ttai n immor ta li ty.

Immortality can be searched inside the human body. It would

be a futile effort to search wfea-t* in the outer world. Though it is

xtfithin, -teu^only a few realise it. The reason is that " the lord has

made the senses look out.Tw$rd, so they see always outward and not

inward, but^one, whose eyes are turned inward, sees they internal^

■=woxJ^d, attains immortalityTba-g-*th-e ^childish men follow after

desire and pleasure and walk into the snare of death, that gapes wide

for them. But calm souls having learned of immortality seek not for
 270

permanence in the things of this world.®^ Thus the Rgveda also

teaches j&jg-men to seek for the -te&ta inside and thfeee- individual
fty&L.
souls, which hanker after the sweet fruit or the honey are described
as lladhvadah Jjuparnah. ^

This Madhu or honey in the human body, according to the Indian

physiology is the semen virile (Viryam vai Amr^tam) and the Qup arng..

or the souls desire to taste it. At some places Jsuparna itself is

identified with semen virila-70 It is the seed which produces life

in the universe. Prajapati deposited his seed in Prakrti and the
whole universe came into existence, therefore in the Rgveda it is
called Pratnasyaretah or Bhuvanasyaretah.7'1' Retah is also identified

with prana ( prana vai retah). Re tas is very significant element in

the life. Without it the life cannot be preserved. It gives life
to evers' being therefore retas and praija are regarded as synonymous.
•yj'}

words, therefore in the vedic terminology prana also is a supaffla which

enters into the ocean, and the ocean is nothing but Pru Purusa or a

human being.

Thus in the |/edic terminology the word " Suparna^ is used in

various senses, and all these senses are studied under the caption of
” Suparna Vidya."

Suparna Legend explained -

legend..................... .
Suparna/is explained by various scholars in various ways. The
gods were on earth and Aay-fe in ■the' heaven, which was guarded by
■ ■ - ................................................. ...... - ..........................................................- ■

Gandharvas. Suparna brought Amrta fcr^gods from heaven^, This is

the story in short.
 -271

the—at o ry—to—sh^rt^,

nSq1s is Suparna vidya of tbe Rgveda, which is interpreted in

various
...................' ’ ,xS
, The author of " Essays on Indo-Aryan Mythology” -ha&-suggeste-d—
■the—- a a mean—and or ion as""the place of heavenly sera-a-i -fee-—

vrite-e—

" Suparna appears to me to he the moon and soma to he the summer

light, which disappears at the advent of the dark half of the year and
is restored to the sun Indra, when he comes in the^ conduction with the
priori. The moon is exihited as conquring the orion castle as full
moon, as making it go. sunward and delivering up its contents, the soma

to the sun at -the conjunction.

The iron castle stated in the Rgveda "VIII 100.8 seems to be the
^•ion, which the fc/£L moon besieges. In the fight with "the guardians

of the castle, the bird Is struck by the arrow discharged by Mrs^nu,

with the result that the sigajillb Psrnam, <^ill of the bird is loosened

and falls out. This may he taken

in conjunction with the Belt, the Belt is under one fancy, me arrow
discharged at the moon hy Sirius Mrsanu, under another, it and the
other stars are the guardians obliterated and conguared by _ _
the fall moon, while under the third, it is the moon*s quill fancied
to have been plucked in the fight and left on the spot. It is -the

noon’s quill because it is his own astensm in Mrgasirsa.

This is apparently B.G. Tilak’s view, which he has elaborated

in his " Arctic Horae in the ^das.”
 - -272

The other view is presented by Br. Vasudeo Saran Agrawal.

According to him the suparna is the sun and his wings are his rays.
His rays bring down Amrta to the earth in the morning everyday,, .

In thejsuparna story of the Mababharata the^uparna is stated

to have captured tortoise and elephant during his flight to the heaven
These t\<ro creatures were engaged in fighting with each other, so
Suparna captured tortoise with hisjpaw and the elephant with his right
paw. These tortoise and elephant, according to Br. V.S.Agrawal, are
also mythological. Elephant symbolis.es Mahat and the Tortoise Byava-
Prthivi- ( Dya va-Prtbivyo hi Hurmah)7^ tie writes-*

^ The sun as the centre of the solar system is a suparna. In his

irresistible flight Garuda transports a mighty branch ( Mahiisakha) ’

of the cosmic Rohine- tree, to which cling the sixty thousand Valakhilya
sages. There is no doubt that this grand bough is a-limb of the
cosmic tree of existence which is the same as the universe."

" The princlpfjb' motif in the Suparna legend is the eternal feud
between igaruda and Sagas. Garuda as Surya stands for the powers of
light and immortal!ty, the celestial devas and the nagas stand for the
powers of darkness and death, the(^chthonic)’Asuras. Garuda ultimately
- 74
truimphs over the Sagas."
- - ....................... ' " legend
In the Brahmanas various explanations of the^uparna -sags, are
given. Among them one is as the same as given by Br. Agrawal^. In

Satapath Br. the sun is called as Suparna_and Byava-Prthivi as

tortoise. The sun or suparna being a great eater ( Maha-sana) eats* _

up lyava-Prthivi. The sun dries up the things with his bright rays

and thus eats up the juice of the things.

 273

In my opinion the Jjuparna legend reveals a, great mystery which

is purely metaphysical. By metaphysics the upanisads mean bodily
activities ( Adhyatraam Sari ram definition given by_th<= up^nlsa-ds

may be one of the meanings. Metaphysics cannot be only the bodily'

^ ] activities, Adhyatma can be seen in the s'arira(physiology)in the sense

yat Pinde tat Brahmande, wo find.dc-gcri-ptl-c-nn-o-f • ccir.a 1 egend-irL-trig.

ggv®4a-i-rr-TSTious maimers.

Human body as S&fenacit-

In the Bgveda Suparna is also called as Syena. Syena is describ­

ed as a deity in the Rgveda IV.26 and 27. In IV 26.4 Syena is called
jSjuparna, who has brought down the heavenly soma. Therefore Jmparna •
and^Jfyena may be regarded as identical. Thisjsyena is a symbol of the

individual as well as the universal body.

Among the sacrifices prescribed in the vedas syenacit or syena-

yaga is also very important. It is also called as Garuda cayana.^
In this sacrifice an alter is constructed with seven bricks in the^
form of an eagle in a flying state with extended_ wings.^ This altar
is obviously a symbol of a human body with extended hands, the bricks
used for constructing the altar, are called Valakhilyas. In the

TEaitMriya samhita it is told. - " Seven Valakhilyas or bricks are

placed &n front side and seven backside.” 75

In the Vajurveda this sacrifice is called as Agni cayano,

l &*?
.................................. " " "' 'fa

which i s ■'S-s—the same as that of Suparna cit.^j&emarks Dr. Agrawal^,

^In the Agni ceyana ceremony, the chief fire- Altar, the uttaravedi

is constructed with 10^800 bricks in the shape of a suparna with

 274 -

outspread wings end there it represents the universe and is identified

with Agni himself ( Griffith Vs. Book XL footnote) Agni is the presid­
ing deity of the High altar. Agni is prajapati himself and the altar
the universe or the body in which prajlpati has manifest and resides.
Agni, prajapati and uttarvedi are looked upon as identical entities
and their common nature is said to be the same as that of Praria or
suparna viz. a two fold movement or dual motion marked by coming and
going ( etc. ca pretica) or by forward and backward impelling " (Sam
cahca pra ca saraya^ Vs. 27.45) .

According to the Taittiriya samhitaT the bricks used in the altar

of Agni csyana are Valakhilyas. In the Rgveda UJpuktas oonsicted of

78 verses are dedicated to the Valekhilyas, _Jiome scholars, including

£aysna, regard these suktas as an appendix of the Rgveda, while others,

including swamfe Dayanand regard^tra part of 1he original Rgveda.

por what reason these hymns are called Valakhilys hymns, is not
clearly stated anywhere. Regarding these ^altfctailyas Aitareya

Br&hmana, narrates a story- 11 The gods after perceiving the cows in the
cavern, wish^o obtain them by means of a sacrifice. They obtained^

j them by the means of the sixth day. They bore at the morning libation
the cavern with the borejmantra.9 After having succeeded in making

opening, they loosened ( the stones) and then at the third libation,
broke up the cavern by means of the Valakhilya verses with the
ekapada as vacah kuta, which served^ as a weapon and drove "the cows 1
out."?7 What are these seven Valakhilya s ? The answer is found in
Taittiriya ssmhita, where .seven Pranas are termed as Valakhilyas.?8---
In the Aitareya Brahmana also these pranas are termed as Valakhi­
lyas. This Brahman a gives directions for repeating the Valakhilya
 - 275 -

s^fetas in a peculiar manner, for the purpose of mating the breath and

speech^eyes aed mind, ear and Atman of the sacrificer, who is spiri­
tually regenerated in the sacrifices. Head is the abode of these seven
pranas. According to Bhatta Bhaskara, the celebrated commentator, these
seven pranas in the head are caksuridi and other senses. In
the Brahadaranyaka fipanisad these seven Pranas are further elaborated.

"In the Atharvaveda there is a verse, to which the Br. lip-refers which
describes a cup with its mouth downside and bottom upside. Manifold
knowledge has been placed in it. Seven sages sit by its side and the
organ of speech which utters the vedas is the eighth sage." the
cup tbatjbas its mouth down ward and bottom upward is this head of ours,

which is shaped like a cup and has its opening below and 'bottom at
the top. This refers to seven organs which a re indeed the instruments
of peneiving and sound etc. " Seven sages- sit hy its side" mean the
seven organs are verily the sages, the organ of speech, which utters _ '
the vedas means that the organ of speech is the eighth sage and utters
the Vedas!^

Thus two eyes, two ears, two noses snd one mouth, these are
seven Rsis or Pranas. In the ^4jurveda also these sense organs are
c
termed as Rsis.
t i

"Seven
_
Rsis
„t> * _
abide
v ...
in the body.
- _
Seven pro tectit carefully, when

a man is in sleep seven rivers flow tovrards the loka but two gods
,.80
keep awake even at the time of sleep

- - . -81
These pranas are called as Devas in the TaitBiriys ssrahita
. _ . -

In the ^athopanisad also these sense organs are called Devas- the

vehicle of knowledge. In Taif&riya samhita- these Devas i.e. senses

are divided into two classes namely Divya and Parthiva, heavenly and
 276

Division of Human body -

The human body is divided into two parts- Xyu and Pythivi. She
head is dyu and the lower part is Prthvi. In the Rgveda also the
Q '2
head is stated as £ryu and the feet as earth. Head is the place
c'-C in the lower
where Amiris preserved, the gods are on the earth -ar’

parts of the body. These gods are the Pranas. Almost all the Pranas
are in the lower part of the body. The places of the pranas are

According to the -y=&g» Darsan^

these pranas are ten. Among them five Pranas are chief and five are

Among these Prana abides in the heart apan in the X organs of excrement
vyana in the whole body. Samana in the lungs and udam in the stomach
and five |/papranas also abide in various limbs of the lower body.

These Pranas or the gods are very fond of loma. Soma .is life
energy which is kept in the dyu or the head. In the Atharvaveda the
head is described as a bowl and as a container of Amrta.®^

With this Soma the gods desire to perform a sacrifice. The

human life is a sacrifice. This sacrifice is very extensively des'

"Verily Purusa is the sacrifice of which the first 24 years

are the morning savana. This is Gaystri with 24 syllables in second
 277 -

44 years are the second savana. This is Trstubha with 44 syllables,

the last 48 years are the ishird savana.' This is jagati wi-th 48
syllables, thus in 116 years the sacrifice is completed.” Without
soma no sacrifice can be performed, similarly without life energy—
no life on the earth can remain, the gods or Pranas cannot work well
' ...................................................................................................... ........ .............................................................. ' ' ' "

in absence of Soma, pranas are termed as nrsad-Agni a fire dawellmg

A.................... . ............................................. - " '* " ................... 1 ' ‘

in the beings. Because of this fire only-fe#*life moves on. As

v
^-7

soon as this fire is extinguished -the-life also -wiil>-be extinguished.

This is ever burning in the body, therefore it requires fuel to burn
or to assimilate. The fuel of this fire is ^oma. Soma is food.
It is a great eater -(■ Mahasana) hij? hunger is never There-
p/-—
fore he1 is called Ansada and te-srood is Soma.
. / jy After consuming the
-Soma the Pranas become energetic and thus they help to perform the

sacrifice of the human life therefore Pranas or gods are very fond
of {Bis Soma or Amrta which is kept i/^ dyu or head.

Soma explainsd-

Sora stJLs—scm e th i ng--wh-i-eh- i-s-3nexy_-B i gnl fi c an —

One comple te-sukta comprising 114 suktas containing 1108 verses is
dedicated to this particular deity. Various meanings of this word
............................................................>£T ....... ----- -
have been given by the authors of Brahmanas e.g. Reto Vai .Somah iSBJ
somo Prajapatih, Prano Yai Soman ( Tandya) yasofvai somah (S’B).

In the E^gveda the universe is stated to be Agni-soma. Agni-

Soma regulate the life in the universe. In the Atharvaveda the'-body
individual or universal is described as a great grinding stone
Here is kept a I-Calasa or pot full of Soma juice. 87
 278

Soma is in fact the life energy or Prana which, is termed in -fee

_9gveda as £sabha.~ The Retas" of this
Rsahha is being poured down in the Virat and Vaman bodies. .This
is yajna or sacrifice. Soma protects the head.®®

In the Rgveda $oma is sta.ted to be the Rasa or the juice of

Indriyas®p Indrlya literally means the power of Indra. In the

individual form the organs are the power or the means of power of
Indra i.e. the individual soul, through these organs Indra discharges
his duties and manifests his powers, cn the cosmic level the sun, the
moon, the rivers etc. are the. sense organs of hie universal soul or
God, through these natural forces the power of God is manifested.

there a re three
.............. .................... .................................. u ' '
region in the humanbody also -a-s-the^e are in the oosnos.
- - • - ’ - ■ - ■ •
The nervous
- '

system in the human body may be divided into three parts^ for example^,

'Cerebrum corresponds to dyuloPa^ileadulla gblongata corresponds to

(M*t tin. ' ' -
AntariPsa spinal column corresponds to prthivi. These loPas are
‘sustained by Soma, that is the power of Indra. The power_of Indra
in the Vaman or human body is kept in the form of seamen virile,

therefore Soma is called as Retas.

Semen virile i-s.very sirmlfinant element' in the human body._

54—is termed as life/Ret$ Vai jivanam^) The absence of ihis element
‘ ‘ 1 • ' cnsiuteo?'" .....................................................................................................

means death. In the head it is preserved. Prom this vi-ri-lc- the

- deuArt. ’ ~ . ,il"

organs and the Pranas tS-lke their strength. A man who is weafe-, cannot
survive for a long time. Therefore in tfae—bCMDPe o# Indian Physiology
an emphasis is given ori^tfenl restrained life. In the Brahmacarya SuPta

of the Atharvaveda the Rsi has sung the glory of the restrained life.
^By leading a.restrained life the gods drove away the deaifa " says 1he .
QO
Atharvaveda.57
 279

.^^fette^ahraanas a story is related Prajapati, after creating

tbe universe gaTe^-piprtion of everything to the death therefore

everything of the univers^efe^been a viction of death. Anything

\/aich takes birth, certainly becomehs^a subject to death, but death
could not get a share of Brahma car i. Scfxfee death requested Prajapati
to give a share from Brahmacari also so PrajgphM told the god of
death that the god might get a share of BrahmachariN^lso in case
Brabmacari fails to offer the oblation in the sacrificia3>fiire.

This story also represents a symbolism. So far a man leads a

restraimd life and offers his semen virile to the nrsad agni or the
fire dwelling in the human body, the death cannot attack him, but as
soon as he rails to offer the oblation to the fire, he becomes a
victim of death.

Yogi and Amrta-

Yoga sadhana is the best means to attain the- Anrta or immortality.

If we follow -tbe yoglgf and—the—r-uXe-s- pro oeri-be-d by- ~tha ty. we may a chi eve
the Pranic energy and thus attain a part of Amrta in this very life.
Pranic energy or the vital force is named as Amrta. Phis vital force
is so strong in a child, that the idea of death cannot even enter
into the child*s mind. It is completely impossible to make a child
understood as to^what the-death, is.
■ ' " - ' "
pn this-fagtr-cf.Ifrf e the Pranic
■ ■" '

energy is strong,I hut as a man gradually grows old, the vital force

becomes weak. Impure entities begin to collect in our nervous system,

estern physicists regard death as gradual destruction of ihe
i. oldaee. ^ ■*. Author of ■».«. enacts

roblem" write, s-
 280

"It is the inability of the life foroe to raise to itae requisite

rate of Mbration the nervous tissue upon which it acts,its manifesta­
tion thus being rendered impossible."

In the Atharvaveda the Rsi has presented the Premie therapy.

In the vedic terminology, Prina or virya ( semen virile) is termed
as Amrta. 'This is Hiranya ( Reto Hiranyam^,TS III.8.2.4). By
attaining Anrta one may drive away -the— death.®^ Protection of

vital force is life and destruction of -the* Joma is death.

Amrta and soma -

—...T............................ ...........

Men think that by quaffing Amrta the gods became immortal, gods
are described as drinker of Soma or Amrta. The gods quaffed it and
became immortal ( Apama somam Amrta Abhu»a)./^9

If men can quaff it they also can achieve immortality. Accord-

U
ing to the vedic terminology Retas and Soma are identical.^ By assimjit*
lata on of Retas in the body immortality is gained. Praiia or life
energy is Soma. Soma is Madtau. whatever is sweet, is Some. Bach

and every cell of the body collects lladhu or soma, as the bees
collect honey. But when the power of collecting this Madtau is
weakened, the cells become feeble, -tfeg^death attacks the body. The

toxins in the body desys^ghat-ie.as the act of collecting Madhu, but

when these cells are detoxinated, again the cells start collecting
Satfa Serebro spinal fluid is Soma or Amrta, which keeps our central
nervous system active. By drinking this Soma or Amrta the various
gods dwelling in our sense organs become energetic and powerful and
immortal. an abode cf-v^icuo-gedo,. In each
 281 -

The places of the gods in the

human hody^irg’described in Aitareya Brahmana,- In the Egveda also
Prajapati is said to have entered in the human body hav-ing various

forms. 92 After creating this body the creator himself entered into
it ( Tat Srstva tadevanu Pravisat). Therefore in the vedic literature

this human body is called as Devasada or Devagrha . There—ged-e—atta-i-n—

Amrta and Prana -

1 ■" *■■' in —

Both of these words are used as identical.where there is Prana ,

— / o%
there is Amrta. Amrta is Prana, says the author of Sata. Brahmans .
The discovery of vitamins in the modern -physio-b is actually a disco­
very of Pranic energy. The vitamins increase the vital force. This

vital force or Pranic energy lies in movement, in flowing and. in action

In a flowing stream this Pranic energy is much more than in the water
of a pond. In the Rgvedic terminology the lord of flowing streams is
Mitra,and Varuna is the lord of unfl-owirg water. Plowing water is
7 -

pure andA unfl-ow-l-ag

,.4
water is impure, purity is godly and impurity
is Asuri, therefore Mitra in the Rgveda is said as the lord of the

gods and Varuna the lord of Asuras. Similarly when the metabolic
force is pure, it gives energy to the human being and this energy is

Amrta.
ft

This soma or Amrta is described-as: to have been preserved in an-

iron castle, which the Suparna surpasses (.this iron castle is the skull^
of the head, or, in 4fe-e modern language we may call it cere brutn<^ln

this skull or the cerebrum is kept the soma or Amrta. The Gandharvas
protect it. These Gandharvas are actually the powers of the head, which'

assimilate or consume the floxtfing energy there only. In K§-dhyandina.

 - 282
v
-

SamAhi ta of the Wa jurveda Jplyuloks and Gandharvaloks are used as

identical, the powers of the head do not let the_ fluid flow to the

lower part of the body hence the gods dwelling in the sense^ organs_

of the lower part of the body hanker after this fluid, and they -eati
ii•xJL)
rna for_3ii£i_r_a^s4-&taai3t)—in getting the soma or Arrta from
myx
dyu.

Who is Suparna ?

v ' ' *
According to Hahabharata Kasyapa had two wives- Vinata and
' 'K.
. '
^idruy, Vinata was the mother of Suparna and Kadru of Snakes.

Kasyapa in the Puranas, is said to be the creator of all 1fae

things in several wives and seems to he in identity with the vedic

creator, prajapati is the seer of the universe. He is the regulator

of the creation. Nothing is there in the universe which he does not

see or know. Therefore he is called Pasyaka- the seer, pasyaka

is Kasyapa (Kasyapah kasmat Pasyako Vai Bhavati iti). Therefore

Surya is called a Kasyapa, for he goes on seeing everything. _

■Surya is Prajapati or the soul of that moves or moves not^ therefore

Prajapati is also termed as Kasyapa.

Kasyapa also means a kurma ( a Tortoise). The etymology of the

word kurma is given in the Satapatha Brs.

"And as to its being called Kurma ( Tortoise); Prajapati having

assumed that form created living beings. Now what he created, he

made and in a s much as he made ( kar), he is called Kurma, and Kunna

as being ( the same as ) Kasyapa ( a tortoise) therefore all creatures

are said to have descended from ^asyapa^®. The creatures are called

as Kisyapi praja*.
 283

Here is the origin of the Puranie story of Eurmavatara, which, ^

finds full expression the ^urtnapurapa. In that Purana we^read about

Vi snu as having assumed of kuxma to uphold the earth that w«s
sinking in the waters. Similarly prajapati also assumed a form of ^
kurma to manifest the universe that was sinking in the ocean of Tamas o

The tortoise conceals J^rmself in the shell, so it may be identified

T&fesf— with Puruss, who conceals hinslef in the body or the universe
h - - ~ '' ‘ .......

The universe or the body serves as s shell for him.^ puruss is Pr»ja-
pati, Prajapati is major Prana, which_ is also termed_ as Kurma (Prano
vai Kurmah). Thus^fmrma or ^aj/yapa is actually prajapati .

This Kasyapa is said to have two wives- Vinata and Kadru. Between
them Vinata is humble and earnest and Kadru is crooked^ and wi eked.
ITom Vinata springs up? the good self or Suparr.a and from Kadru the _
crookef^goers or snakes. These two wives symbolise respectiv ely_ Vidya
r“—" ' ' ~ * - - / 3
and Avidya or Subuddhi and Durbuddhi. ■ Prom /Svidya springs up crooked
goer- or wicked man. Snakes are symboli^ of sinful and_ selfish desires^
who for their selfishness,. rob their fellows. Such ron^uish people
^■rm>ry for their bellies only. Therefore snakes have long bellies
and no legs. These bellies are their vehicle s. _ The refers -tiae..snakes
s’yaheli-&e- -tfec sinful sel^-^a-de-sirres-* The sinful desires enslave

the good^rishes snd-a crooked man enslaves a goodman.

Indras rure white horse represents the intrinsically pure nature

of the soul. "Jhe original nature of the human soul is pure, but when
4ii^canes in^t^cfr^Tth" the worldly things h^becomes impure, .tet-wh^n

-fee realisiwthe Jupreme Being, fee regains his original nature. To^
deceive others wicked persons make the pure soul impure by tbeUself-
ish and sinful desires. In the Vajurveda such persons are callea as
 284 -

.^.tm.ahanah .iansb. The quality of whiteness in the Rgveda stands for

Sattvika Vrtti 4nd the black for Tamasik vrttl. in its pure nature
___!__---------- - ... . ______ - • A ‘ -- •
soul is white or sattvik, but when enveloped by sinful desire h»/(A
p4vn*i (kj~t 9
becomes black or Tamaa elk.)

Suparna is pure intellect. Puri ty of the_intellect or Buddhi

97 ~

can be achieved by Vidya only . Vidya is also .■oal-le-d a means to

attain the Amrta®®. By right knowledge the intellect is purified,
'..............
therefore Buddhi-is called a^so^of Vidya.
f J .. ....
Intellect is suparna. It
has golden or bright wings. Wings stand for movement and movement
is energy or power. The intellectual power is higher than the phj^sical
power. Therefore intellect is called Suparna. Suparna is irresistible

nowhere its movement is resisted. Similarly there is no such place

where in&allect cannot reach. Therefore also Buddhi is identified
with Suparna. Buddhis is a son of Vidya and in Suparna legend, Suparna

is a son of Vinati.

The gods, living in the lower parts of the body, desire to have_ -
the JSmrta which is kept in the head. In the Atharvaveda soma_is_ called
as the king of Mastiska or the brain.®® therefore the gods produced
Vina ti and l^adru- Vidya and Avidya and these ■fevo^^produce__^uprna and

snakes- Pure intellect and sinful intellect. Imspure desires enslave

the pure intellect. So to buy his pother's release the Suparna or

pure intellect fljfi up to the heaven to bring Soma. In the way _

Suparna sees a Rohiiia tree and a big bough of the tree with Valakhi-

lyas hanging with downwards.

Rohin®- tree is also identified with Vata tree. This tree is the
universe or.the human body, with so man3r boughs. We read in the ^ _
.................................................... “ .
Markandeyapurana as well as in the Mahabharata also^/the Rsi Markandeya
 285

having reached a vata tree where he saw a child lying on a bough. ^0

In the belly of the child the Rsi entered and saw the whole universe
\

existing in it. The tree rwseg the matter or the universe in its
unmanifested form, the child is the ^ford of the universe in his Vaman

form, who becomes afterwards Visnu on the level of Manifestation

{ Sa Visnu yad Vamanah). In the^JTuparna legend also the tree is the
universe or the human body. The Valalchilyas are the impure Pranas,

who always remain hanging in the tree of the universe. Those who dis­
card the Supreme Being can never be purlfere-d and hence can never get

rid of the circle of birth and death- and attain salvation. They
are stated in the Mataabharata as having thumb-* like bodies. Pranas
also are described as having thumb—like forms, ^b-Nlearn from the
Savitre li/pakhyana of the Mahabharata where yama, the gc5sdvof death is
said to have taken out Angusthamatra J$rusa from Satyavana1 s bbdy^
This Angusthamatra Purusa is Prana. Impure Prana can never be -great|l9

they are always small. Therefore Valakhilayas also are described as

having small bodies and hanging in the RobInk- tree i.e. the tree of

the universe.

In this context we are reminded of the conception of three

Suparna of the vedic literature where three metres are called as
Sup arna- (Chan do vai Suparnam). The three metres are said to be

carrying off the soma or Amrta from heaven. " Three suparnas carry
off the §oma kept in the heaven 11 saysSltharvaveda^1^

These three iguparnas represent the three states of human _ life-

childhood, youth and oldage or according to 1he Indian tradition

Brahma caryassstts*-, Grhastha and Vanaprastha.

 286

In the Brahmanas we are told that the request of the gods to

“bring down th-e-.goma from the heavens metre §agati flew up first, but
returned without being successful in her effort^then flew up ^CrsXubha
but ^he)also returned back without any fruitful effort, then lastly

Gayatri flew up and fetched Soma for the gods.

In the Chandogya [jdfpanisad It is very clearly stated thstjthese

three metres represent the three states of life. Gayatri with 24

— /

syllables represents the Brahmacaryasram^which consists of 24 years.

Trstubha with 44 syllables symbolises the Grhasthasram^with 44,years
and Jfagati with 48 syllables stands for Vanaprasthasram^with 48 years.
Brahmac^aryavastha is a state cf Aorta or immortality," By observing
Brahma chary a the gods thmwlaway the.-death and by Brahmac^arya only
Indra brought immortality for the gods."101 The first state thato^
of Brahmac$arya is anabolic conditionj^th^/depends upon the proces of

assimilation and elimination. In the fi-rst state tte-t of Brohmca:rya

the power of assimilation is more than the two other states. IvTU^T

other states the proportion'of elimination fegannes mnr& than^-me as si-

milation, therefore rower or energy also-gradually moves—te—fee-
.......................................... - "— -......................... h- - '■
ifesti-iiffti np and 1his elimination of power causes 4he oldage and the—
death in the end. This state of elimination is called-a-s-(Syavana in

the Rgvedic terminology, the story of-<cyavana Rsi and his physicians
the twins- Aswini kumai^related in the Rgveda and the Kahabharata

is actually the story of the powers dwelling in the human body.

Oyavana means elimination of energy and AsVinau the twins symbolise

the two kinds of Prana i.e. Prana and Apana. By making prana energe­
tic the 6yavanavastha or the state of elimination may be overpox^ered,
one can rejuvenate his physiological condition by energiang one’s
 287 -

Prana. The act of energizing the Prana and attaining the ta or t _

immortality may be done in Brahmacaryasram* symbolised by Gayatri^,
therefore Gayatri is said to hare succeeded in fetching Amrta for the

gods^v*^1

This is at the root of the legend of the three^Jsuparna as having^

brought the Amrta i the immortal and inrisible life essence is ordained
• • * / - .................................................. ; /kl—....................
to descend from the plane of hearen to that of earth, end—threfo-ag-art-
^ ».nnTy-oaynt.yi whi.eh........................ In making Scan a trarel from the--.c.el-£=-_^

sti-al—■s-be-do to—eaTthly destrrrgrti-ea-^-

On the lerel of cosmos Soma is energy, by which the universe is

sustained. It Is the energy which is burning In the sun. ^y consum­
ing the energy the sun gives its light to the cosnos. Every time the
sun goes on consuming the energy, but the energy is not or cannot be
fully consumed, for some unseen hands go_on pouring or filling the
energy in the sun. The sun^rays send the Soma or the life energy on

the earth. With the first ray of the dawn the Soma descends from _ _ t
heaven to earth. In the Bgveda Usa is stated to bring down the Soma.

The Rgvedic Rsi saysiI H

)» By means of this eternal fleece may^furya’s dau^a ter

. „ ..102
purify."
Here Griffith explains " Surys’s daughter" as » i^raddba or

faith" but at so many places in the Rgveda Usa is described as the N

daughter of the sun. She Is called " Duhitardivsh , Usa is ^

produced by the sun rays, therefore Usa is called the daughter of

the sun. It is the sunjrays, which sendj life energy on the earth.
This life energy is Soma. Therefore the j^anlead says ** the Soma <to_
 288

(*t 104.
tee* kept in the sun. u~

The life energy is divided-into two parts Viz. Saumya prana^

and Agneya prana. Saunya Prana contains chiefly soma. Soma and Agni
are parts ( Ealas) of Aksora Purusa, These are termed as Sautnya
- _ ttuT
and Agneya prana in Esara purusa or human.
- - —* - » .
J These are termed ?s
a*---................................................

Anna and Anna da in the vedic terminology 105 . Sautnya Prana is Pity
Prana and Agneya Prlna is Deva prana.

In the Rgveda we read- " As the chariot rests upon its axle, so
Amrtas rest in the sun.106 This Amrta is the food of the gods.

( Devanna). Jaiminiya Brahmans? tel Is that all the gods depend upon

the sun. 107

Thus the Soma or Amr^/ta is in the heaven, which is brought down

to the earth by the Suparna. Suparna is the sui^rays, which are golden

in colour. Each world or each §urya as the centre of that world or

each individual soul as the centre of its own world is a -type of Sup ana.

Each bird or soul prays for the immortal essence. Amrtam is the symbol
of divine power, which is beyond time and space.

Thus the Juparna or the human soul is unceasingly flying to

get Amrta, S^is always on wings on a non-stop flight, therefore

die is called as Mahasuparna. The Maba Suparna brings the Soma to the

earth and then flows the Soma and gives life to the universe. If there
is no Soma, there will be no cosmos, no creation and no universe.