. 
124 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [April, 1909. 
stood by those who have occasions to travel in 
the jungle lands of India. In jungles that are 
being cleared by Hill tribes in India, open wells 
are even now a terror to travellers. rita fall- 
ing into a well is a fact of ordinary life and has 
no mythological significance. 
(c) Trita prepared Soma and offered it to the gods like 
his ancestor Vivasvan. 
The Rigveda does not say that Trita did it in heaven. 
(d) Trita adored Agni. 
(e) He performed a Horse sacrifice. He was the third 
o it, Vivasvan and Yama having done it 
before him. 
({) That Trita was a man also indirectly follows from 
the fact that Varuna and Agni have been called 
after his name. 
Like his ancestors Vivasvan and Yama, Trita has been said 
to have found Agni in the aerial sea and established him in 
every house. The fact underlying this statement I have 
pointed out in my paper on Mataricva. 
II. e riks mentioned under this group shew that Trita 
was a god of the atmosphere who had control over lightning. 
wo very important deeds said to have been done by 
Trita were :— 
1° The conquest of the cows hidden in a cave by the 
Panis under Vala. 
2° Killing Vritra or Ahi and releasing waters. 
The question naturally arises whether these deeds were 
done by 7'rita on earth as man or as godin the sky. There is 
so little information given of these deeds here that it is not 
possible to answer it now. I shall take up this question in two 
separate papers. 
Ag e Maruts acted as the priests of Trita—probably 
when he performed the Horse and other sacrifices. They also 
helped him in his conquests mentioned under II and in connec- 
tion with other heroic deeds done by him. 
riginally Vata was the ruler of the mid-region. 
wat at fererg atat safer | 
8 AS 
wfar: urfaaeq: pee wuss ke 
__ May Surya protect us from heaven (i.e., from heavenly 
eaP ds ise from the atmosphere and Agni from the earth— 
_ In course of time Vata as ruler of the mid-region was 
displaced by Trita. The time, again, came when in his turn 
