The mystic import of certain special terms in the Rig Veda.
Adri: Mountain, hill, plateau, signify to the mystics engaged in the inner sacrifice, the universe (with its three worlds) rising from the bowels of the earth to the peaks of the skies as also the individual consisting of the physical, vital and mental formations. This high mountain has many plateaus which the Rishis scale step by step.
Aditi : The infinite Nature, unslayable Cow, mother of Indra and other Gods and radiances.
Diti: Divided Nature (Prakriti); her progeny is the Dasyus, Danavas, Vritra and his legion - sons of Darkness.
The Jyoti, Light, (Truth, Right) is above, the eternal Day. Tamas, Darkness (Falsehood) below is the Night. Between these Light and Darkness – lies the triple world. Even as the Adityas, sons of Light, the Gods, dwell above, the Daityas, sons of Darkness, live at the bottom of the Hill. The cave or hole at the base of the Hill is only the residence of the Danavas, Vritras etc. Their activities extend to all the three worlds. That is why there is the constant battle between the Gods and the Daityas.
Go: Cows are rays of consciousness, portions of the vast Aditi, hence they belong to the Adityas.
Apah: Waters are the currents of the power of consciousness; hey become the seven rivers. The figures seven corresponds to the sevenfold principle of cosmic existence. Hence these active powers of consciousness flow in all the seven worlds.
Ocean: Symbolising the infinite, boundless, immortal existence, is above; it is the Sat-Chit-Ananda of the Vedantins. There is another ocean below, inert, the Inconscient. This is spoken of as apraketam salilam, the inconscient waters, by Parameshthin. From the inconscient base rises (or is created) the Hill of the three worlds. The Aryan who exerts himself attains to the active Consciousness - the Waters - the rays of Consciousness, the Cows, the sap of delight of Consciousness, the Soma, and proceeds to work to attain the Truth, the supreme Light, the Immortality. This effort can be fruitful only with the aid of the Gods. Extracting the essence of all his experience-the Soma – he purifies and offers it to the Gods. The King-Hero of the Gods, strengthened by it, achieves what is desired for the sacrifice.
The celestial flowing Waters are held by Vritra, the Cows are stolen by the Panis and are imprisoned in the nether cave by their leader. They are to be released. These rivers flowing from the supreme Ocean celestial, not of earth; they are obstructed by Vritra who covers them. Indra kills with his thunderbolt the Asura who obstructs their reaching the earth and the Waters are released. He makes an opening on the top of the Hill and the Waters flow through. Many are the hymns which speak of this release of Waters following the slaying of Vritra. We must note that though the symbolism of the Hill or mountain is clear, still in the Veda the mountain also signifies the cloud which conceals the Waters.
Cow: The Dasyus are theives, the Panis are traffickers: Vala, their chief, surrounds the Cows. He dwells in the cave of the Hill. He conceals the flock of Cows in the cave of Darkness. Along with the Angirasas, Indra subdues him and frees the Cows. How does he effect this? To reach the lost treasures of Cows, the sacrifice of the Yajamana is the means. The Angirasas, divine Rishis - originally human, they have attained divinity - utter the hymns and aid Indra. Indra gathers strength by the draught of Soma. Entering the cave, breaking open the cellar of the Hill, he releases the Cows and drives them upward. Here it is Sarama, the celestial Hound with intuitive vision that reaches and beholds the pen of the Cows and shows it to Indra and his cohorts. The recovery of the Cows follows.
This is the constant work of Indra in which he is supreme. Though he has originally achieved and established for the benefit of mankind this victory of recovery of Cows with the help of the ancient Angirasa Rishis, even today this King of the Gods of the three worlds, engaged in ceaseless search of the Cow-treasure, repeats his feat for the benefit of men.
O maghavan, thou hast protected the son of Svitra who in conquering the field of earth remained serene even amidst impelling currents, a hero, a shaft of Light. In this for long did thy foes foster enmity; thou hast inflicted sharp pains on these hostile minds.
An examination of certain baffling Riks.
Hymn 32:
Rik 1. Describes the heroic exploit of Indra in slaying Vritra and releasing the Waters.
Rik 2. When Vritra is struck down with the celestial thunderbolt of Indra, the Waters flow down from above sraight to the ocean of the Inconscient below; fostered by these conscient nourishing waters, the Yajamana is rendered anew, fruitful. The rivers of earth, the waters and rain-waters wind their way to the ocean; their course is not straight or downward.
Rik 3. Strong with the drink of Soma poured in these vessels of the body, life and mind, Indra slew Vritra.
Rik 4. Following the elimination of Vritra, Indra struck down his followers and raises the Dawn, the Day, the Sun - the results of the slaying of Vritra. The sun rises from the ocean of the Inconscient; so too the Dawn and the Day. The Sun is the highest Truth-Light.
Rik 7. Though the serpent is naturally without hands or feet, it is permissible to take 'shorn of arms' as broken all over.
Rik-8. With the fall of Vritra, embodiment of Tamas, the Waters released from his constrictions go beyond him and ascend the regions of the mind; they do not flow crookedly. Covered so long by darkest darkness, imprisoned in the hill, they now go beyond the physical and vital regions to the mental and flow to make it fruitful.
Rik 9. Danu is mother of Vritra, Diti. Diti, embodying division, mother of Vritra and other Asuras, is the very opposite of Aditi the infinite, mother of Indra and other Gods. As Vritra was being struck, his mother stood with her arms outspread to avert the blows of the thunder-weapon. With his mother above him, Vritra below met his end. The root of all division in existences, division embodied, mother of Vritra, the Lower Nature, was struck above while her son, the concretised figure of Darkness, below, became senseless. This points to the endless, impenetrable, invisible nature of Tamas, and the visibility of her who enwombs it - the Inconscient Darkness.
Rik 10. This Vritra in deathlike long sleep became immobile, his body concealed in the waters.
Rik 14. Thus Indra had a fear that Vritra might come up again from some hidden place, though in fact he had been slain. Vritra who was under was not seen, only his mother, asleep and immobile, was seen.
Hymn 33:
Rik 6. The Angirasas enthused Indra with their mantrapowers. Though Vritia was struck down and had disappeared, had lain in long sleep, his followers had not retired from the battle. It is to be noted that though the Darkness is turned out, its tail lasts for a while. As the other Asuras are being killed, Indra's protection is afforded to exemplars like Kutsa and others.