Hindu mythology, Vedic and Purānic . in any case, it is pecu-liarly Indian ; but by its elements it is connectedwith the most ancient conceptions. As there is apower in the flame and the libation, so there is in theformula; and this formula the priest is not the onlyperson to pronounce, any more than he is the onlyone to kindle Agni or shed Soma. There is a prayerin the thunder, and the gods, who know all things,are not ignorant of the power in the sacramental ex-pressions. They possess all-potent spells that haveremained hidden from men and are as ancient as thefirst rites, and it was by thes
Hindu mythology, Vedic and Purānic . in any case, it is pecu-liarly Indian ; but by its elements it is connectedwith the most ancient conceptions. As there is apower in the flame and the libation, so there is in theformula; and this formula the priest is not the onlyperson to pronounce, any more than he is the onlyone to kindle Agni or shed Soma. There is a prayerin the thunder, and the gods, who know all things,are not ignorant of the power in the sacramental ex-pressions. They possess all-potent spells that haveremained hidden from men and are as ancient as thefirst rites, and it was by these the world was formed at AGNI. 29 first, and by which it is preserved up to the is this omnipresent power of prayer which Brah-manaspati personifies, and it is not without reason thathe is sometimes confounded with Agni, and especiallywith Indra. In reality each separate god and thepriest himself become Brahmanaspati at the momentwhen they pronounce the mantras which gave thempower over the things of heaven and of CHAPTER VI. SUN OR LIGHT DEITIES. I. SURYA. Surya and Savitri are two names by which the Sunis commonly addressed in the Vedic hymns. Some-times one name is used exclusively, sometimes theyare used interchangeably, and sometimes they areused as though they represented quite distinct is supposed that Savitri refers to the sun whenin-Adsible ; whilst Surya refers to him when he is visibleto the worshippers. This at any rate gives some reasonfor the two names being employed, though it maynot explain the case satisfactorily in every the hymns in which Surya is addressed arenot very numerous, his worship was most common inthe olden time, and has continued to the present is to him that the Gayatri, the most sacred text ofthe Vedas, is addressed at his rising by every devoutBrahman. Simple in its phraseology, this short verse issupposed to exert magical powers. It is as follows :— Let us meditate on that excellent g
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