Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/158

 142 The Religion of the Veda

in marriage: to the whole world of gods and mortals. The suitor who gains favor is Vivasvant, conceived as a mortal. Saranyﬁ, barely wedded, is displeased with Vivasvant and flees; not, however, until she had given birth to the twins fame and Yam‘i". This marriage, you perceive, provides the twins with a mother, whereas they have previously had only a father. In order to make sure her escape, she changes into a mare and ﬂees to the gods, who hide her away from her mortal family, Vivasvant, Yama, and YamI. The gods, in order to make matters still more safe, construct another female, called Sa— varna, who is to take Saranyﬁ’s place in Vivasvant’s affections. The word sooarzzrt’ means “ of like chaxu actor ”; it trickin states that the new female was at one and the same time like Saranyu in appearance, and also suitable in character to the mortal Vivasu vantmmore suitable than the divine Saranyﬂ, we may perhaps understand. Vivasvant begets Mano with the Savarna, and thus Manu comes into pos- session both of a father and mother. Ultimately Vivasvant ﬁnds out the deception practised upon him, follows Saranyu in the shape of a housedl and thus gaining her favor, begets with her the Agvins, “ the Horsemen ” or Dioscuri. Saranyﬁ abandons them also, just as she has previously

1 Cf. the classical Pasiphae myth.

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