48 E. W. Hopkins, 



Tirtha. The demon is an Asura, his head is a Raksas (ogre), SB. 

 o. 4, 1. 9. The thought of Indra, even when he kills Vrtra, is that 

 he has sinned, as in PB. 22. 14. 2, " Indra on killing Vrtra thought 

 he had done wrong," akaryaui cakarvan amanyata. Compare TS. 2. 

 5. 3. 6 = 6. 5. 5. 2, " Indra on killing Vrtra fled to the farthest dis- 

 tance thinking he had sinned," aparadharn. But with Namuci the 

 sin is double, because it is a betrayal of sworn friendship. Similar 

 is the reproach of the kine in the case of Mitra himself, when he 

 has deceived his friend, Mitrah saji krurmii akar, " Being the friend 

 thou hast done a cruel thing," TS. 6. 4. 8. 1, cf. PB. 13. 6. 10, where 

 Indra instigates the perfidious deed of Sumitra and a voice (the 

 usual " inavispicious voice ") cries, sumitfah san kriiram akar. 



The gods of course trick the demons without compunction. Like 

 Sanda and Marka, " two chaplains of the demons, whom the gods 

 cajoled by a trickl}- invitation," upamantrayanta, TS. 6. 4. 10. 1 

 (cf. for the names, TB. \. 1. 1. 5; .SB. 4. 2. 1. 1, etc.), was Usanas 

 the Wise, kavya, " the chaplain of the demons, whom the gods ca- 

 joled by a trickly invitation," here b}^ wish-cows. They offered 

 him the Samans called Ausanani, for the}' are wish-cows (that is 

 the Samans of Usanas grant wishes like the wonder-cows), 7. 5. 20. 

 In 14. 12. 5, Usanas "desired to win as great a world as that of 

 other Kavyas and so practiced austerit}', discovered the Saman that 

 bears his name, and with it won his wish." i The " seer's son " has 

 here apparently (as later in the epic) become the devil's chief minister 

 (magician alread}- in RV. 9. 88. 3^ ; but in fact the historical process 



1 The (metrical) wonder-cows were originally eight, but one collapsed. 

 samastryata. and became agricultni'e. The gods got exclusive possession 

 of the Avisli-cows by means of the Aksara Saman. 11. 5. 8 (cf. Prajapati's 

 use of this Saman, to make the sap of the worlds flow, 11. 5. 10). Two 

 other head-demons, known in the SB. 1. 1. 4. 14 as Kiliita and Akuli are 

 probably mentioned in PB. 13. 12. 5. kirdtaku/ydii asiiramdyc. as disturbing 

 the Giiupayanas at divine service by dispersing (pun on the name V antah- 

 paridhy asiin prdkiratdni) the saints' vital breaths among the sacrificial 

 sticks ; though, by repeating, from PV. 5. 24. 1, the words ague tvam 

 no anfaiiia, the Gaupayanas recovered theii' vitality. Hiis Vedic passage 

 is not in the Vedic Concordance for PB. So too RV. 8. 66. la is lacking 

 entirely for PB. (8. 3. 3 and 6); PV. 9. 1. la, lacking for PB. 8. 4. 4. 

 and 5; PV. 10. 55. 5 a, lacking for PB. 9. 6. 3. On the text, S. says 

 kirdtd mh'cchdh tatkiilyardpc.^ '• belonging to the Kirilta (barbarians) clan," 

 but probably dkii/ydv is to be read, as an adjective with mdye. Compare 

 IS. 1. 32 ; JR AS. 1866, 438 ; JAOS. 18. 42. JB. has kirdtdkull . . osur- 

 ttnidydii (verb, nyadhaftdm). 



