Page 420 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

VEDIC MYTHs-THE CAPTIVE WATERS 201
Speaking of the terrible conflict, he thus sums up the principal
incidents thereof as mentioned in the ~ig-Veda :-
" Heaven and earth trembled with fear when Indra strikes
Vritra with his bolt (I, 80, 11 ; II, 11, 9-10; VI, 17, 9 ) even Tva~h~ri
who forged the bolt, trembles at lndra's anger (I, 80, 14 ). lndra
shatters Vritra with his bolt ( 1, 32, 5 ) ; and strikes his face with his
pointed weapon ( I, 52, 15 ). He smote Vritra, who encompassed
the waters ( VI, 20, 2 ), or the dragon that lay around ( pari-shaya-
nam) the waters (IV. 19. 2 ); he overcame the dragon lying on
the waters ( V, 30, 6 ). He slew the dragon hidden in the water
and obstructing the waters and the sky ( II, 11, 5 ) and smote
Vritra, who enclosed the waters, like a tree, with the bolt ( II, 14, 2 ).
Thus ' conquering in the waters ( apsu-jat) ' is his exclusive attribute
(VIII, 36, 1 ) "*
As regards the abode of Vritra, we have ( § 68, A ) :-
" V~irra has a hidden ( ni7Jya ) abode, whence the waters,
when released by Indra, escape, overflowing the demon ( I, 32,
10 ). Vfitra lies on the waters (I, 121, 11; II, 11, 9) or enveloped
by the waters, at the bottom ( budhna ) of the rajas or aerial space
( I, 52, 6 ). He is also described as lying on a summit ( sanu ),
when lndra made the waters to flow ( I, 80, 5 ). Vritra has fortresses,
which lndra shatters when he slays him ( X, 89, 7 ), and which are
ninety-nine in number (VIII, 93, 2; VII, 19, 5 ). He is called nad£-
rrit, or encompasser of rivers ( I, 52, 2 ), and in one passage parvata
or cloud is described as being within his belly ( I, 54, 10 ). "
There are again passages (V, 32,5 and6) where Indra is said
to have placed Shu~h~a, who was anxious to fight, " in the darkness
of the pit. " and slaughtered him '' in the darkness which was
unrelieved by the rays of the sun, " ( asurye tamasi ). In I, 54, 10,
darkness is said to have prevailed in Vritra's hollow side, and in
! II, 23, 18, Brihaspati, with Indra is said to have hurled down
the ocean, which was " encompassed in darkness ", and opened
I
the stall of kine. Finally in I, 32, 10, Vritra's body is said to
have sunk in " long darkness, " being encompassed with waters.
This shows that the waters of the ocean, which was encompassed
by Vritra, were not lighted by the rays of the sun. In other words,
the ocean ( ar7Ja!z ) which Vritra is said to have encompassed was

• See Macdonell's Ved1c Mythology, in Grundriss der lndo-
Arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde, § 22, ( Indra ), pp. s8-6x.