Page 492 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

VEDIC MYTHS -THE MATUTINAL DEITIES 273

in VIII, 47, 16, the dawn is asked to bear away the evil dream
to Dvita and Trita. Grammatical analogy points out that Trita
must mean the third, and in VI, 44, 32, the word trite~hu is
used as a numeral adjective to rochane~hu meaning " in the
third region. " As a Vedic deity Trita is called Aptya, meaning
"born of or residing in waters" (Say. on VIII, 47, 15 ); and
he is referred to in several places, being associated with the
Maruts and Indra in slaying the demon or the powers of dark-
ness like V~itra. Thus in X, 8, 8, Trita, urged by Indra, is said
to have fought against and slain the three-headed ( tri-shiras)
son of Tvashtri and released the cows; while in X, 99, 6, we read
that Indra subdued the loud-roaring six-eyed demon and Trita
strengthened by the same draught, slew the boar ( varaha )
with his iron-pointed bolt. But the most important incident in
the story of Trita is mentioned in I, 105. In this hymn, Trita
is described as having fallen into a Kupa or well, which is also
called vavra or a pit in X, 8, 7. Trita then invoked the gods for
help and Brihaspati hearing his prayers released him from his
distress ( I, 105, 17 ). Some of the verses in the hymn are very
suggestive; for instance in verse 9, Trita tells us about his
" kinship with the seven rays in the heaven. Trita Aptya knows
it and he speaks for kinship." The ruddy Vrika, or the wolf
of darkness, is again described in verse 18 as having perceived
Trita going by the way. These references show that Trita was
related to the powers of light, but had the misfortune of being
thrown into darkness. In IX, 102, 2, Trita's abode is said to be
hidden or secret, a description similar to that of the third step
of Vi~h~u. The same story is found in the Avesta. There Thra-
etaona, who bears the patronomic epithet Athwya ( Sans. Aptya ),
is described as slaying the fiendish serpent Azi Dahaka, who is
said to be three-mouthed and six-eyed ( Yt. XIX, 36- 37;
V, 33- 34 ). But what is still more remarkable in the Avestic
legend is that Thraetaona in his expedition against the demon
is said to have been accompanied by his two brothers who
sought to slay him on the way.* The Avestic legend thus fully
corroborates the story of the Sha~yayanins quoted by Saya~a

• See Spiegel, Die Arise he Peri ode, p. 27T, quoted by Macdonell in
his Vedic Mythology,§ 23. Also compareS. B. E. Series, Vol. XXXIII
p. 222 note 2.
A. 18