128 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [April, 1909. 
distress, prepare Soma and offer it as libation to other gods, 
worship Agni, and perform a Horse sacrifice—are not things 
that can be explained by the second method. 
The first method onthe other hand gives a natural explana- 
Rigveda of men becoming gods sukritt or good work. In 
one form or other a belief in deification runs through the whole 
history of the Hindu Religion from the Vedic times to our own. 
Among the different schools that were formed about 700-600 B.C. 
to explain the Rigveda, there was one known as the Historical 
School who believed that many historical facts lay hidden within 
the peculiar and often wilfully mysterious language of the 
Samhita. This school no doubt invented many a fanciful story 
and committed many a mistake, but their method ought not to 
have been rejected in the way it has been done. 
is now time that we should see what Avesta speaks of 
Trita. But here at the very outset we meet with a difficulty. 
We have first to settle what character in the Avesta corresponds 
to the Rigvedic character of Trita. Three characters are men- 
ocean and performed the Horse-sacrifice. The next character 
is Thraétaona. The name means ‘son of Thrita,’’ and in the 
Avesta his father is called Athvya. This Thrita father of 
Thraétaona is therefore Athvya Thrita = the Aptya Trita of the 
Rigveda. For Zn Athvya is 8. Aptya—Zn th =S. t and Zn p= 
S. v, and there hasbeen a displacement (Metathesis) of v, and 
th. Similar displacements we have in other Aryan languages 
0, 69. i. » awa = Pali U, Wag the 
three characters mentioned before two, namely Thrita and 
Athvya, are probably identical, i.e. there is only one Thrita who 
as been mentioned as 
a, 
and as (3) Athvya Thrita (indirectly mentioned as such 
ae his son Thraétaona which means son of Thrita). Ac- 
cording to the Rigveda Aptya Trita was the third man to 
hg gather fire from the nite waters and 2° to perform a 
Horse sacrifice, Vivasvan and Y, ama having done so before him. 
In the Avesta he was the second to perform the Haoma cere- 
mony, Vivasvan having been the first to do this. 
