Vol. V, No.4] The Hero-Gods of the Rigveda. 133 
[N.S.] 
Let all this sacrifice be thine and let the four quarters bow 
down before you. 9. 
The statement that it was in the third place that Agni in 
the form of lightning was born from waters (X, 45-1) is based 
latter rubbing one piece of wood against another. It was by 
this Agni that men used to perform sacrifices to the gods. 
Then, as the present hymn says, Agni got tired of carrying 
oblations and was afraid that as his three elder brothers had 
died before while doing this work, he might meet with a similar 
fate. Out of fear he entered into the waters. But the gods 
ing rik :— 
ag wag ufaaw staay ara ayat was | 
eatat artar waver aararase fasufa BATT UAC! 
f this venerable grey-haired Hold (i.e., of the sun) the 
middle brother is the swift-moving one (7.e., the lightning). His 
third brother is the butter-backed whom we see here as the lord 
of the house and the father of the seven sons (the terrestrial 
Agni with seven priests). ms 
Up to this point the story told in the Cat. Bra. agrees 
with our hymn. Now the difference begins. That the gods 
have been annoyed is Yama. This Yama, I pointed out before, 
The present hymn tells us that Yama found Agni_in the 
rs. aw before [see my paper on Mataricva, p. 41 
that Vivasvan with the help of his messenger Matarigva was 
the first to gather Agni from the waters. 
