Vivasvat , Vivasvan ( Sk . विवस्वत् , vivasvat IAST ) - in the Vedic religion the solar deity , the personification of light in heaven and earth, the progenitor of people. In the Rigveda Vivasvat mentioned about thirty times.
By origin Vivasvat is the last (eighth) son of Aditi ; he was born without arms and legs, smooth on all sides, because the elder brothers Mitra , Varuna , Bhaga and others cut off all unnecessary things, and so the ancestor of people appeared [1] . An elephant emerged from its remaining parts. Thus, in the Yajur Veda and Brahmins Vivasvat belongs to adityam .
Subsequently, in the post-Vedic period, this god became equal to the gods, became the sun, that is, Surya , and the name Vivasvat became the epithet of Surya. In some texts Vivasvat is called Martanda . He first performed a sacrifice and bestowed fire on people (“Rig Veda” (X), “ Shatapatha Brahman ” (III)). The god of fire Agni appears in the Rigveda as the herald of Vivasvat personifying light (RV I, 58, 1). It was to him that he first appeared (PB I, 31, 3). Indra , Soma , Ashvina and especially Yama are closely associated with this god; his name is used as the epithet Agni and Ushas .
Vivasvat's wife was Saranya , the daughter of Tvashtar , or Sanjna, also the daughter of Tvashtar or Vishvakarman . In both versions, the descendants of these wives have the same names. From the wife of Vivasvat were born the twins Yami and Yama, named after Vivavasvat's father. Saranyu (or Sanjna) then, not wanting to live with her husband, ran away from him in the form of a mare, but Vivasvat, having turned into a horse, caught up with her and achieved reconciliation. As a result, Ashvina's twins were born from the nostrils of Vivasvat's wife [1] . According to another version [2] , Sanjna, unable to endure the brilliance of her husband, gave up her place to the maid Chaye and ran away. Vivasvat, thinking that Chaya was his wife, had joined her, and she bore him two sons and a daughter. The sons were named Savarni and Shani, the daughter of Tapati. Also, since the time of Atharva Veda, Manu Vaivasvata is considered the son of Vivasvat [3] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Myths of the World / Ed. S.A. Tokarev . - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia , 1991. - T. 1. - p. 235.
- ↑ Mani, Vettam. Puranic Encyclopedia. - New Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass , 1975. - P. 879. - ISBN 0-8426-0822-2
- ↑ Hopkins EW Epic mythology. - Strassburg: KJ Trubner, 1915. - P. 200. - ISBN 0-548-71855-5 .