Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/146

 I 30 The Religion of the Veda

both as to number and the individuals which it is supposed to harbor. As regards number, the god Indra sometimes swells the three to four. Then there is seven, a favourite and vague number; to this the legendary Martanda‘ (Indra) is at times added as eighth. In later times the number rises to twelve. Not more than six are ever mentioned by name out- right in the Veda: Bllaga, Daksha, and Ange in addition to the three mentioned above. Bhaga, “Fortune,” is not only Indo—Iranian, but even Indo~ European, as we have seen.ll Anga, “ Portion,” “An portioner,” is a very faint abstraction. And so is Daksha, “ Dexterity," “ Cleverness.”

Now the Veda conceives of the Adityas as the descendants of a feminine Aditi who cuts a considﬁ arable ﬁgure as a very abstract female, suggesting the ideas of “ freedom from. fetters,” “freedom from guilt,” “boundlessness,” and “ universe.” She is ﬁnally identiﬁed in the Hindu mind with “earth.” A father who might be responsible for the offspring of this interesting lady is never mentioned. We are struck ﬁrst of all with the fact that Aditi, the mother, a purely Hindu product, is obviously younger than her own sons, the best of whom are at least as old as the Indo»Iranian period. I have, for my part little

1 See Macdonell, Vadir Myr/wlagy, p. 43. ’ Above, p. 109.