Identifier: indianmythlegend00inmack Title: Indian myth and legend Year: 1913 (1910s) Authors: Mackenzie, Donald Alexander, 1873-1936 Subjects: Hindu mythology Publisher: London, Gresham Contributing Library: Indiana University Digitizing Sponsor: Indiana University

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Text Appearing Before Image: ivasvat was the son-in-law of Twashtri, the artisanof Nature; he was an abstract deity, and apparently owedhis origin to the group of Adityas. Savitri, who had yellow hair, was of pre-Vedic origin.He was the Stimulator . When he commanded Nightto approach, men ceased their labours, birds sought theirnests, and cattle their sheds.^ During the long centuries covered by the Vedicperiod many schools of thought must have struggledfor supremacy. The Vivasvat myth belongs, it wouldappear, to the time before the elephant was tamed bythe Aryans. Aditi, the mother of the Adityas, who isbelieved to be of later origin than her children, had eightsons. She cherished seven of them; the eighth, whichwas a shapeless lump, was thrown away, but was afterwardsmoulded into Vivasvat, the sun; the pieces of the lumpwhich were cast away by the divine artisan fell upon theearth and gave origin to the elephant, therefore elephantsshould not be caught, because they partake of divine nature. ^ Rig-veda, ii, 38.

Text Appearing After Image: SURYA IN HIS CHARIOTFrom the Kailasa Temple, Ellora THE GREAT VEDIC DEITIES 33 Surya is an Aryanized sun god. He drives a goldenchariot drawn by seven mares, or a mare with sevenheads; he has golden hair and golden arms and hands.As he is alluded to as the eye of Varuna and Mitra,and a son of Aditi, it is evident that if he did not origi-nally belong to the group of Adityas, he was stronglyinfluenced by them. In his Savitri character, which hepossesses at morning as well as at evening, he stimulatesall life and the mind of man. One of the most sacredand oldest mantras (texts) in the Vedas is still addressedby Brahmans to the rising sun. It runs:— Let us meditate on that excellent glory of the divine Vivifier,May he enlighten (or stimulate) our understandings.^ I The feeling for Nature pervades the ancient religionand literature of India. Priests were poets and singers inearly Vedic times. A Rishi was a composer of hymns tothe gods, and several are named in the collections. Everygrea

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