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Vasiha: Religious Personality and Vedic Culture

Author(s): Ellison Banks FindlyReviewed work(s):Source: Numen, Vol. 31, Fasc. 1 (Jul., 1984), pp. 74-105Published by: BRILLStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3269890.

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Numen, ol.XXXI,Fasc. 1

VASISTHA: RELIGIOUS PERSONALITYAND VEDIC CULTUREELLISON BANKS FINDLY

The Vasistha material n theRgveda is among the mostintrigu-ing and complex of any found in the Family Books. Traditionalanalyses of these hymnshave focused on several issues: the earlyconfiguration fVasistha's rivalrywiththepriestVilvamitra,' thehistoricaldetailsoftheddsardjiidattle and Vasistha's role n Sudas'victory,2and the mythologicalramificationsof the storyof hisdivinebirth.3These investigations ave attempted, rimarily, odotwo things:first, o piece together nd clarify hedescriptive etailsof the traditional accounts and, second, to relate these accounts tothe increasinglycomplex mythico-historical ystemas it evolvedduringthe Vedic and Hindu periods. There have been, however,only a few attempts to examine the development of Vasistha,himself religiouspersonality, r to evaluate his religiouscontribu-tions to Vedic culture.Of the more recent discussions ofVasistha and Aryan culture,that ofK. R. Potdar describesthe traditionoftheVasistha familyas one which values, most often, what is conservative andtheologicallynormative n nature. Potdar pointsout, for nstance,that n shapingearly ndian culturetheVasistha family ncouraged"purity of behavior and means...[over against] end[s]," a "par-tiality for truthfulness," and a consequent firm belief "that[because] gods were on the side of truth" "the devotionalapproach" to thegodswas optimal.4Consonant withthisemphasison upright and perhapsconformist) ehavior,Potdar interpretsheVasisthas as a familywhichvalues "the fairnessof ... [the]familyname remaininguntarnished," "the continuity f the family ineand familytraditions" and a general sense of the optimismandhappiness offamily ifewhich could in turngiverise,perhapsout ofa sense of noblesse blige,to "the idea of sharing [one's own]prosperitywith a liberalmindand hand with other members of thesociety."5

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Vasi.stha:ersonalityndculture 75Potdar's vision of theVasisthas as shaping an ethical and socialelitism(a vision ofconsiderable meritwhen takenin thecontextofthe familial contentionand scurryforsocial status rife n ancientIndia) is complemented by Dandekar's work: first,Vasistha'sdelineationof the classical doctrineofbhaktin the seventhmandala

hymnsto Varuna attributed o himand, second, his pivotaleffortsin theshapingofa compromisebetweenan earlyVaruna-cult and anewerIndra-cult.Dandekar pointsout thatthebhakti ymnsof theVasistha cycleare important or woreasons: first, heyundermine"the long out-datedtheoryregardingthe doctrineofbhakti avingbeen originally orrowedfrom ome non-Indian [sic] sources" and,second, they show "most of the essential characteristicsof theclassical doctrine ofbhakti.6 Accordingto Dandekar it was out ofthisexperienceofbhaktihatVasistha became essential in the con-ciliation oftheIndra- and Varurna-cultsnd especially n "avertinga schism n the Vedic community"bydemonstrating thatVarunaand Indra were not antagonistic to each other but...essentiallycomplementary. Indra conquers and Varuna rules.' "7These two typesof analyses, of the contribution ftheVasisthafamily 1961) and of theoriginalancestor 1969), are important ortheir clarification f thehistory f the early religion. They do not,however, go far enough and could be easily extended by themethodologicalconcerns ofpsychohistory, hose insightshave con-siderablebearingon our assessment of thepersonVasistha and thefunction f his story s a centralreligiousnarrativewithin he tradi-tion. Althougha traditional Eriksonian) psychohistoryfVasisthais impossiblebecause of thepaucityofsourcematerial,and maybesomewhat inappropriate given the traditionalHindu concerns foranonymity and ahistoricity, insights from psychohistoricalliteraturemay be helpful n the on-goingdevelopmentofVasisthastudies.Personalitynd Culture

The field now called psychohistorys relativelynew as a self-consciousmethodology nd as itdelineatesan interdisciplinaryer-ritory hatis both consonantwithand yet sufficientlyndependentof otherrelatedfieldsto warrant ts own journals and professional

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76 EllisonBanksFindlyassociations.8 Inaugurated in 1957-58 by an historian, WalterLanger, and a psychoanalyst, rikErikson,9 nd reminiscent fthe"psychography" ofGamaliel Bradfordwhichtried to "capture the'psychology' of the subject in a relatively uccinctthematicstate-ment,"'0 psychohistory is "the utilization of a particularpsychologicaltheory...to nterpretelectedpersonalities reventsofthe past." "

Its basicpostulates that, n ifehistory,hemeaning f nyevent raumaticorotherwise,annot e ascertainedy anyunidimensional eansbut can bederivednly y carefulnd ystematiconsiderationf he vent's lacenrecurrent otivationalhemewhich ecomes learbyconstantly oving ackand forth etweenthe individual's ifehistory, is community,nd thecommunity's istory.'2

As a discipline, psychohistorys not without its critics,but thedebate between itsmajor detractors nd proponentsover the lastseveral decades13 has produced a substantial volume of iterature14out of whichsome important ritical oncernshave emerged. In thework of Erikson, for nstance, one of the leading architects f thefield,materials are explained in termsof syndromesof conflict,'5that s, as theyare related to each of Erikson's eightdevelopmentalstages,'6 and as they follow the "epigenetic" principle: "thatpsychological functioning unfolds according to a biologicallygrounded master plan that is both evolutionary and social incharacter." 17 Moreover, following rikson's lead, there s much inthe current literature that recognizes "recurrent motivationalthemesin the lifehistory fan original man,"'8" a typeofanalysiscalled the "theme-recurrence" approach. While there are othermethodological and ideological concerns in psychohistoricalliterature,not the least of which deals with the normativeratherthan the explanatory ssue (i.e., what man should e),'9 thisessaywill focusprimarily n the use ofrecurrent hemes as explanatorytools in the life ofVasistha.Because of tsscantynature,theVasistha materialoftheRgvedadoes not facilitate straightforward sychohistory, or even somegood guesses as to the developmental placement of crises orepigenetic stages. We cannot even, as Pruyserhas suggestedforsome cases, tolerate "certain gaps in the history" or relydiscerningly on "unreliable informants"20 in constructing a

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78 EllisonBanksFindlyconfigurations. Even when there is, as Erikson notes, the"beginning of an official dentity, he moment when lifesuddenlybecomes biography,"'29 hemyth bout oneself one's own or thatofothers') mustbe seen as constantly hangingas it intersectswiththe dynamic and continuingprocess ofculturechange.We find n Eriksoniananalysis, as well, the use ofpsychohistoryas narrative,and particularly s religiousnarrative.Johnson hassuggested that the psychohistorical account itself can be atheologicalsystem ndisguise,charting course of human develop-ment that carries with it a saga of mortalperfection.30ohnson'scontributionhas been topointout that n theEriksoniancase, as inreligiousnarratives fthepast, such storiesno matterhow scientifictheir ntent, do distort hepast to an unusual degreefor hesake ofthe present."31 The psychohistorian s storyteller,hen, becomeslay theologian. In the case of the Vasistha narrative this will beespecially true, for in theircrypticdescriptionsof the crises andevents in the lives of Vasistha and the Vasistha family,the earlytextsreflect stance that is less historicallydescriptive nd moreideologicallyprescriptive.As in the case of Erikson's discussion ofLuther and Gandhi, we willfind hattheVasistha narrative ellsusless what was and more what should be.VictoryndStability: ivalrywithViSvamitrand theTenKings' Battle

In bringing to the Vasistha story some insights frompsychohistory,speciallyfrom ts focuson personality nd culture,we will examine threethemeswhich indicatethepresenceofcrisesin the ancestralVasistha's lifeto which he made successfulresolu-tion and fromwhich there was not only successfuladaptation forhimself,but successfulcultural transformationmade by him andhis familyforothers as well. These threethemes-his role in thevictoryofKing Sudas over the Ten Kings, in shaping patternsoflineage and priestlyordination, and in the conciliation of theVaruna and Indra cults-do notfalleasily into a chronologicalpat-ternbutare themes central t leastto theearlyRgvedicmaterial.Inour discussionof each of thesethreethemes,we will focusnotonlyon an understandingof the nature of the crisisand its resolution,but on theway in which thetradition'sunderstandingof the eventreflects ivotal themesin the ideologyof ancient India.

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VasiYstha:ersonalitynd culture 79The details of the Ten Kings Battle, which the early traditionsees as essential to the understandingof Vasistha, fall against abackground of hostilitywith Visvamitra that is only obliquelyreflected n the Rgveda. Although importantto evaluating thereasons forand alliances in thebattle, theVisvamitra issue is, forwhateverreason, not central to the Rgvedic narrative and henceless significanthan other ssues in considering heearlytradition'sassessment of Vasistha's impact on itself. Nevertheless, theVisvamitra fragmentsare, as background, informativefor our

concerns. While Oldenberg holds that the hostility s not to befound in theRgveda32 and thatthere s no organizationalconnec-tion between stories n differentources, it seems clear to Geldner,for nstance, who lays more stresson the post-Rgvedictradition,that 7.104 is Vasistha's counter attack, oftenword forword, to3.53.21-24, the traditionalvasisthadvesitnyahfVilvamitra.33 n bothinstancestheenemy sunnamed, butLommel has correctlyssessedthe situation in 7.104 as follows: Der Ungenannte, aber denH6rern gewiss nichtUnbekannte, von dem die verleumderischenVorwiirfe ausgehen, ist gemeint, wenn in Einzahl der Unhold(Str. 1) der Bisredende (2.4), der Ubertaiter7) verwiinschtwird;... Sie (the words of Str. 2) bestaitigen, ass dieses Gedicht gegenVigvamitragerichtet st.3 One of the overt issues in this textualmud-slinging s that of thereligious technique: while each side hasapparentlycalled the other a sorcerer ydtudh/na;.104.15-16),35itseems that Vilvamitra is more ikely o have used magic to gain hisends thanVasistha, who reliedprimarily pon thehighand solemnritual.36The Anukramani refers to this hymn as a means for slayingdemons (raksoh/dn),nd certainly hedemonologypresent s impor-tant to thehistory fearlyIndian folkreligion," but there s moreto 7.104 than a simplecollection ofmagical curses. In his analysis,Lommel has offered reconstruction f the hostilitywhich reliesupon accounts in, among others,theBrhaddevata (4.112b ff.)andthe Mahabharata (1.166 ff.). While the early stories focus on acontention ver the office fpur6hitathepersonaland family riest)under the patronage of King Sudas, the later ones describe anopposition arising out of the murder (by burning) of Vasistha'sbrightest,most pious, and most liturgically minent son, Sakti,

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80 EllisonBanksFindlythroughthe deviousness of Visvamitra. As Lommel reconstructsthe whole narrative,thehostility egan when thisson ofVasisthawon overVivvamitra,the atter hen thepurdhitafSudis, duringaspeaking contest at a great sacrifice.As a consequence, Lommelinfers,Visvamitra lost hispurdhita-officend, when the kingchoseas his nextpriestthe father fthegiftedyoungbrahman, Vasistha,Visvamitra's hostility o father nd son began in earnest.38DuringVasistha's ensuing pur6hita-shipnder Sudas, he helped thekingtovictory n theTen Kings Battle. In time, however,Vasistha felloutwith King Sudas reflected, f we believe (as Lommel does)39 thelivelyand realistic account in theMahabharata, in Sakti puttingcurse on thekingbecause he refusedto move out of theway on anarrow forestpath (MBh. 1.166.1-10). With the hostility etweenthe two families still brewing, Vigsvamitra ventually contrived,throughthe actual handiwork of the Saudasas (members of theSudas family),to bring about the burning death of Sakti as hespoke, accordingto Sarvanukramani 7.32 ff., he lastpragdthan asacrifice.40The death of his son, and later of"one hundredsons,"so saddened Vasistha (whose griefwas to be assuaged perhaps bythe malevolent power of 7.104) that he eventually attempted,unsuccessfullybecause of the intervention f the gods, death bysuicide on several occasions. Secondary to thisreconstructednar-rative account, but central to the psychological development ofVasistha as depicted by tradition, is the somewhat apocryphalaccusation byVilvamitra that t was Vasistha himselfwho broughtabout theburningofhis own son41--an accusation so powerful hatLommel sees in any number ofplaces Vasistha's attempt odefendhimself gainst such slander.42While most of this "hostilitynarrative" is unknown or at leastunreflectedn theRgveda, we do have in theearlytexta relativelygenerous amount ofmaterialabout Vasistha's role in King Sudas'victory n theTen Kings Battle. This victory heme is essentialtothe traditionnot onlybecause it represents he rise and stabilizingof one of the prominentVedic families,43 ut because it acts as asymbol of the dominance and superiorityof Aryanism both inphysical strength nd in ritual efficiency.The ddiardjiid4was acontest between the Trtsu clan, led by Sudas Paijavana of NorthPaficala,45 and a confederation of ten tribes who opposed his

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Vasis.tha:ersonalitynd culture 81

westwardprogress46 a reclamation of lands, it seems, once con-quered to thewest ratherthan new victories o the east). The realpower among the Trtsus, however, was not King Sudas but hispur6hitaVasistha,47who because of his eloquence and liturgicalskillswas able to successfully ngage the help of Indra. BecauseVasistha had superseded in theoffice fpurohita isvamitra,underwhose guidance the Trtsus had fought n other battles,48 t wasapparently out of revenge that Vilvamitra allied the ten tribestogether gainst his old patron King Sudas.The war as a whole consistedof a number of battles and skir-mishes, includinga later one on thebanks of the Yamuna River,but thedecisive battle tookplace on thebanks oftheParusni Riverwhere the ten tribes and their eaders surrounded Sudas and his

Trtsus.49Vasistha called upon Indra for aid; Indra parted theParusni River; the Trtsus wentacross; the tentribesfollowed;andtheParusni swallowed themup and drownedthem.The followinghymnto Indra, 7.18, a typeofddndstutioKing Sudas, describes ndetail the events of this battle. The author obviouslywanted torecord all aspects of the event which made him and his familyvictorious and, even though Vasistha must have been relativelyaged at thetime,forhis grandsonParliara (vs. 21) was old enoughtofight, is observationalpowersand memory eemto have been inoptimal condition.1. Indeed,O Indra,ourfathers,hesingerswon all their oodsfrom ou,foryours rethegood-milkingows,yours hehorses.You bringnmanyprovisionsor hepious.2. For, ikea kingwithhiswives,you ivecomfortablyorever.Be gracioustous) with ach new)day,O watchfuleerAcknowledgeour) songswith ows andhorses,O liberal neUrgeus, yourfollowersn to riches3. These pleasing, od-boundongsgo toyou,having ontendednthis our) place.50Let thewayofyourriches omeheretous.In yourfavor,O Indra,maywe find efuge.4. Like a calf et oose) toa nursing ow n a beautifulmeadow,Vasisthareleasedhis formulationsoyou.Onlyyou, everyoneellsme,are the ordofcows.Let Indra cometous in goodfavor

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82 EllisonBanksFindly5. Indramade theever-wideningloodsintopassablefords or udas.Fortheboastful imyuhe made a curse)ofthe newest ong,his nsulting peech, he madelike)a timber-driftn therivers.6. Turvada, heYaksu,was thefirstffering,51The Matsyas52wereoverly agerfor iches ike fish or ait) nwater;The Bhrgus nd theDruhyus ompliedwillinglyThe friend elpedhimover,who,ofthetwoopponents, as hisfriend.537. The Pakthas, heBhalanas,theAlinas,and theVisdnins54

cheered n their oodfriends.The feast ompanion= Indra) of theAryan = Sudas), who ed hismen nbattle,55came to theTrtsus' aid) lusting or attle.8. Because the unwisewith vil ntention iolatedAditi,theydivertedheParusni.56Possessedofpower, Sudas) embraced hewhole arth.Like a sacrificialnimalhe57 aythere,whothought imself seer.9. Theycame to a falsegoal as if t weretheir ruegoal: theParusnri.In their urry, hey idnot reachtheir ightodging.

Indra delivered p to Sudas in theplace called)Manusa58thefugitivenemy funmanly peech.10. Theywent ikecows without shepherd rom field,assembled s was usual for treaty.59The Prinigus, truck own totheearth,compliedwillingly ith heir eams nd possessionsin tribute).11. Twenty-oneeoplesfrom othVaikarnatribestheking = Indra)smashing own,desiring ame.As an expert lacesstrew n theritualground,he struck hemdown).

The hero ndramadea rush mong hem.12. Then thecudgel-bearertruck he old and famousKavasaintothewater; heDruhyu king)followed,whileyourfollowers,hoosing riendshipor riendship,intoxicated ou with oma).13. In oneday ndrasplit penall their orts,thesevencitadels, yforce.He dividedup thepropertyf theenemy or heTrtsu.May we conquer he PUiru houses abusive peech t the ritual.14. The AnusandDruhyus, agerfor ows,sixty undred, ix thousand ixty,and againsix mendied as payment.All theseheroic eeds weredonebyIndra.

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Vasis.tha:ersonalityndculture 8315. Fully nabledby ndra,thoseTrtsusbrokeforthikewaters eleaseddownwards.The enemies,now) few nnumber,handedover all their ossessions oSudas.16. He smashed hepresumptuouso theground,thathalf manwho withoutndra drinks hecooked milk).Indra thwartedhe ntention f the ntention-thwarter.(The deserter) leeswhile tillhaving traceof theway.17. With heweakhe did this ingular eed.With ram he slew the ionness.With needle ndrasplit penthepeaks.All their ossessions e sent o Sudas.18. "All enemies re subject oyou.Bring hepresumptuousheda intobondageHe whosinsagainst hepraisingmortals,on himbringdownyour harp udgel,O Indra "19. The Yamuna (River)and theTrtsuswerethere eside ndra,and therehedeprived hedaofeverything.The Ajas, theSigrus, nd theYaksusbroughtheheads oftheir orses s tribute.20. Neither ourfavors oryourriches,O Indra,nor yourfirst r latest deeds) are to be numbered s few as thedawns.Foryouslewthegodling, rrogance.By yourownself,youstruck own Sambara from nhigh.21. Para~ara,Satayatu,Vasistha,60who for ove ofyouwentoutfrom heir ome,didnotforgethefriendshipfyou,thehospitable.Now happydaysshine ut to theritual atrons.22. Two hundred ows from hegrandson fDevavat,twowagons ogether ith heir eamsfrom udas-in order obe worthyf thesegifts rom aijavana,O Agni,I circle hem, raisingike a Hotar the ritual eat.23. Fourhorses ivenbyPaijavana (lead) me-well-schooled,dornedwithpearls, nd for ersonal se only.theseruddy orses fSudas, stepping irmlyn theearth,bearme andmychildren n to fameformychildren.24. He whosefame spreads)between hetwobroadworlds.whoas dispenser andsout booty) o each and everyhead,himthey raise, s theseven treams id Indra.He has struck ownYudhyamadhin theconfrontationfbattle.25. Accompanyingim,O men O Marutsas youdidDivodasa, the father fSudasOut ofesteem, romotehe desire fthePaijavana:an imperishable,naging overeignty

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84 EllisonBanksFindlyStructurally, he hymncan be divided into the following ections:vss. 1-4, a standard liturgical ntroductionpraising Indra for hiswondrous deeds and requesting in return riches and prosperouslives;61 vss. 5-20, an historicaldescriptionof the battle, the Trtsucomrades, and theirenemies; vs. 21, a generationalsalute to theVasistha family'sclose relationshipwith Indra;62 and vss. 22-25,the ddndstuti,n which Vasistha describes the priestlyfee KingSudas paid to him as a resultof the battle (vs. 22-23) and praisesSudas as the most righteous, heroic and generous of all royalpatrons vss. 24-25). The mostimportantpartofthehymnforourpurposes is the centralsectionwhich, in itsdetailingofthebattle,develops a themepivotalto our understanding fVasistha's role inVedic culture: Aryan ritual superiority.The eloquence of thepriestlyVasisthas is described in clear contrast to the coarse,inelegantand ineffectivepeech of their enemies (5cd). The Trtsu(= Aryan) enemy does not know the proper ritual language,especially the use of the brdhman,ormulation,9d) and the strongand clearlyreaffirmedrtsu alliance with ndra is tellingfor, s thetrulyAryan god, he has theproper, expert knowledgeofthe ritualwhich theTrtsushave ust so aptlyputto use (11cd). Moreover, thebattle is seen, at least by the Vasistha composers, not simplyas asecular contestbetweenenemytribes,but as a contestbetweenthepowers oftruth rtc)and thoseofthe unwise (acetds) nd inwhich aTrtsu victorywill vindicateAditi, truth'sguardian (8ab). The tentribesappear to have a great lack of udgment-the Trtsus wouldnever have miscalculatedso badly as to be swallowedup by a river(9ab)-and the "shepherd" Visvamitra is depicted as hardlytheleader needed for heconfederation hatwas Sudas' enemy; infact,"in all the threehymnsof theseventhMandala, narrating heeventsof the Daiarajfia War, Visvamitra is completely out of [the]picture,"63 as an effective itual leader and seer. The centralpor-tionofthehymn,then, is a detailed delineationofwhytheTrtsusare thefavored nd chosenpeople of ndra and thus destinedto ruleIndia.One of the psychohistorical hemes64Erikson develops in hisdiscussionof thereligiousman, especially n reference oGandhi, isthe clear sense of moral dominance. Central to thelivesofspiritualinnovators, says Erikson, is a "precocious and relentless

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Vasis.tha:ersonalitynd culture 85

conscience,"65 a conscience to which the man is inordinatelyresponsible,but fromwhich he develops an overweeningsense ofmoral superiority.There is, on the one hand, a strongemotionalnecessity o remainmorallyunblemishedand, on theother,such aconviction of his own superiority,bound in some extraordinary,almost covenantal, way to the transcendent ruth,thathe placeshimself in a position of obligatorymediatorshipwith regard toothers.66Throughout his life, this sense of moral dominance isintellectualized s a pre-emptive earchfor thicalclarity bout notonlywho is right,but what is right, nd what itmeans tobe right.We findthissense ofmoral dominance-this firm elief n one'sown unblemishedstate, in one's consistent thical superiority ndin one's obligatory mediatorshipwhen it comes to judging andcorrecting thers-in Vasistha for s an exemplarofancient ndiansagehood, he sees himself as the bearer and transmitterof asuperiorway of life. The early cultural distinction, o evident in7.18, is that ofAryanoverDasyu, and the central ssue hereis thatof theDasyu's irreligion.67 s chief rchitect fthe decisivebattle nthe Aryan conquest of India, at least as recordedin the Rgveda,Vasistha is held by the tradition and perhaps even by his contem-poraries) to be one of the prime movers in the establishmentofVedic culture.There is forhim, as forhis time,no otherway thantheAryan way (7.18.16d), effectedn thiscase not by the conver-sion ofdeviants, as forGandhi, but by dominance over them.Aryan victory vertheDasyu and theensuingstability fSudas'sovereignty ver Bharata India with the help ofVasistha and hisfamily s reflected n Vasistha's own personal life. Eriksonpointsout thatthe hallmarkofthehomo eligiosus,fthespiritually ensitiveman turnedgreat innovator, s the capacityto impose on his owntimewhat most personallyconcernshim, a capacity Erikson callsre-enactment.The greatman has thegift o re-enact n himself hecrises ofhis era and to bring, in a meaningfulway, his own solu-tions to contemporary culture; by actualizing what is mostappropriateforhimselfhe brings ntobeing, in partby gift nd inpartby circumstance,what is mostappropriatefor and needed byothers.A man of genius, he takes upon himself an evolutionaryand existentialcurse shared by all'68 and finds

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86 EllisonBanksFindlythe neway n which e andhealone )can re-enact hepast nd create newfuture n the rightmedium at the rightmoment n a sufficientlyargescale...(thereal) question s notonlyhowsuchmen cometoexperienceheinescapabilityf an existentialurse,buthow tcomes boutthat hey avethepertinacityndthegiftednessore-enactt na medium ommunicableotheir ellowmen and meaningfuln their tageofhistory.60

Of Vasistha's innerstruggleswe know,among others,one thing:that, however he got there (even accepting the reconstruction fSakti's role inhis father's scendance), it was significanto him andto his familyto win out over Visvamitra as the chosen personalpriest of Sudas. For Vasistha, as Lommel's exegesis of 7.104 soaptly shows, one of the most personal issues was that of his own"election," of his being especiallychosen because ofcertain nnatequalities, to hold what came to be themostprominent ntellectualpost of his time.70 ustas for heAryans,forwhomthe ssue of their"election," of theirbeing the speciallychosen of the Vedic gods,was at the heartoftheirconquest of ndia, so also was "rightness"a significantssue forVasistha, not only in the solidification fhisown vocation but in the exact patternthatvocation would take aswell. In thisway the Ten King's Battle became symbolic.Althoughit was not the eventwhich actually gave Vasistha his position asSudas' purdhita,hroughphrasessuch as 7.83.4d whichdescribetheresults of the battle--"The purdhita-officef the Trtsus (i.e. ofVasistha) proved true (satyd)"-it is clear that the battle validatedVasistha's own claim to and retention ftheoffice.71 he outcomeof the battle, then, broughttwo arenas into accord, for t showedthat ifVasistha could actualize the basis for his own "election"with Sudas (i.e., his priestly loquence and abilityto call upon thegods), thenthe electionof theAryanswould become clear as well.And both, in fact,were once again establishedin the course oftheddiaradjild.ContinuityndStatus:HereditaryrdinationndDivineBirth

The historical events of 7.18 are reflected n a second hymn,7.33, written ome time(perhaps a generation)after he first. .33is not,as the earlierhymnwas, a praise of ndra, but a praiseof theoriginalVasistha priest,now dead, made at the ordinationof thenew Vasistha priest.In the intervening ime between thecomposi-tion of 7.18 and 33, three significant hanges have taken place.First, the Vasistha tradition'sunderstandingof itselfhas become

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Vasi.stha:ersonalityndculture 87

mythologized. n 7.18 theaccount of thebattle s as "historical" asanything in the .Rgveda;72 the overwhelming quality of thenarrative s as ifan eyewitnessweredescribing he event nperson.Note the detailed list of enemies, the itemized account of who fellinto the water and who fled,and theparticularsof the tribute hatwas paid; the description s immediate,specific, nd fastmoving.In 7.33, however,the account of the battle s not in the ournalisticpresent, but is instead a recollection frommemory,a projectioninto the (mythic)past of a now idealized event. Verses 1-6 belowhave few details of thebattlebut stresseven more the special favorIndra showed the Vasisthas over otherpeoples. It is this sense ofelection, amplifiedas the Vasisthas increasinglyview themselveswithinhistory,whichdistinguishes he7.33 account from hemorenarrativeone of7.18. Furthermore, heVasistha of7.18 is likeanyotherhistoricalfigure: s one ofthemain participants n theevent,he exhibits hebroad rangeofhuman strengthsnd weaknesses. Bythetime of thecompositionof7.33, however,the ancestralVasisthahas become a superhuman figure, heobject around whomlegendsof divinity grow. Although still remembered as the heroicprotagonistof the battle, he has become separate and apart fromother men and is now newlydiscoveredto be ofdivinebirth.There are, secondly, socio-culturalchanges which have takenplace during the interval,particularlyan elevation of the priest(brahmadn)ver the warrior ksatrzya)..18 reflects n earliertimeintheAryan conquest of ndia when thewarrior, nd war,weredomi-nant for 7.18 is concernedwithwinninga battle,withovercomingenemies, and withprocuring hephysicalblessingsofa prosperouslife. Man's enemies at this time are external: human threats o hisphysical ivelihood and well-being. n 7.33, however, t is thepriestwho is dominant, as is his main concern,peace. The latterhymn,as we will see, is concerned with establishingthe longevityandcontinuity f a priestly ine, and with the preservation f a familypriestly radition.Here, man's enemies are internal: thechaos anddisorder which threatena society f twere to become devoid of asense ofhistory nd ofthe uniqueness of its own tradition.Again, Indra in 7.18 is a war god, a doer of wonderfuldeeds, adivine actor who miraculously ppears at times ofstress o save hisworshippers."7n 7.33, however, Indra still does greatdeeds, but

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88 EllisonBanksFindlyhe is increasingly endowed with his own thoughts and even,perhaps, with a conscience (7.33.1). The attributionof mind toIndra, over and above his legendarybrute strength,ndicates theincreasing infiltration f priestlyconcerns into the myth-makingprocess, a development that will culminate in the Upanisad'ssingularfocus on the intelligent elf. The growing pecializationofroles forkingsand seersseen in 7.33 reflects he ntensified reoccu-pation ofkingswithrulingsettled ountries nd towns,and ofseerswithattendingto spiritualmatters n the forest.7.33 also reflects,however, a solidification f socio-ritualstatuswiththe increasingprominenceof the priestover the king.?4The real issue, however, is thatduringthe interveninggenera-tion there has been an internalizationof spiritualqualities in thesage. In 7.18, the fsi is merelya technician of the sacred who,throughhis technicalknowledgeof imagery,meter,and liturgicalprocedure, can manipulate the gods by properperformance f theritual and ritual speech. The focushere is primarily n the god'sdeeds; we see littleofthepriestexceptthat he is theone who calledupon Indra. In 7.33, however,thesage isnotonlya technician,butas a makerofspeechhis is theverypowerof salvation tself. t is notjust Indra's strengthbut Vasistha's skilled formulation(brdhman)which saves theTrtsus. Without the formulation,ndra would, orrathercould, not have been impelledinto service on behalfofKingSudas.Most important,however, is that religious consciousness hasbeen radicallytransformed.n 7.18, thesage focuseson the divisionof people into "good" and "bad," with the decisive issue beingwho has and knows the proper use of the ritual. Note that in7.18.5cd, 9d, 13d, 16ab, 18c, and in such other verses as 7.83.1,Aryanis divided fromDasyu, theTrtsusfrom he tentribes,on thebasis of the knowledgeable eloquence of one and the arrogant yetignorantbabble ofthe other.The centralconcern of7.33, however,is no longerthesimply omprehendedand easilyconcluded issue ofa world divided intogood and evil,but rather he internal ohesionof the priestly radition.As the warrior's fearofphysicalthreat sreplaced bythepriest'sfearofsocial and religiouschaos, spirituali-ty is internalized,with a most remarkablegrowthof priestly elf-consciousness: a consciousnessthat t s thepriesthimselfwho must

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Vasi.s.tha:ersonalitynd culture 89be the bearer of tradition.This new evaluation ofthe priestly olegoes hand in hand with the new self-awarenessthe sage has ofhimself, ymbolizedmostobviously n verses such as 7.33.1 belowwith the affirmationof the peculiar physical qualities of theVasistha family.The developmentof religious sensitivityn 7.33,therefore, s linked most intricatelywith the development of acertain self-consciousness, nd with the establishment nd preser-vation ofa newlyclarified ense of who the sage is and must be.7.33 belongs to a ritual forthe installationof a new priest n theVasistha line and functions here to renew and restorepride in theVasistha family radition. n orderto do so, theauthor(s) has inter-woven past (mythical)timewithpresent historical)time, n such away that thepast is recreated or at least remembered) n the ritualpresent, nd theparticipants re able to move withease through heeventsof both eras. To facilitate hisprocess, thehymnemploysarepertoireof sophisticated mages and a dramatic structure uiteunlike the purelynarrative one of 7.18.The main eventin 7.33 is not the Ten Kings Battle,which s bynow considered old news, but the birthof the ancestralVasisthafrom the two great philosophical gods, Mitra and Varuna.According to the tale, Mitra and Varuna both saw the AsparasUrvasi at a ritual.They forgot hemselves nd let their eed fall ntoa jar. From out of the ar Vasistha and hisyoungerbrotherAgastyawere born.75 t is this focus on Vasistha, and not the battle andIndra's aid, whichestablishestheAnukramanidedication of7.33 tothe Vasistha and not to Indra.76

Indra:1. "The white-cladwakeners f pious) thoughts ithhairbraided ntheright77have indeed ome farfrom heir ouse)on a pilgrimageo me.As I standup from hestrew, announce o themen:'I cannothelp myVasisthasfromfar.' "782. Out ofthedistance heyed Indra herewith heir oma,past (others' Soma) pouring nto pools, beyond (others') strong(Soma) drink.To thepressed oma ofPasadyumnaVayataIndrapreferredhatof theVasisthas.793. Indeed,did he not cross heriverwith hem?Indeed,did he notstrike own Bheda with hem?Indeed,at theTen KingsBattledid not ndrahelpSudas because ofyourformulation, Vasisthas?

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90 EllisonBanksFindlyIndra:

4. "Out of ove foryourforefathers,menI tiedup theaxelshaft ithyourformulation.Saying You shallcertainlyometo no harmwith loudroar n Sakvarimeter80youVasisthasputstrengthn Indra."5. In their eed,those urroundedt theTen KingsBattlelookedup likethirstynimals owardheaven.Indraheardthepraising asistha ndfreed passagefor heTrtsus.6. Like sticks or rivingattletheweakBharataswerebroken.As VasiSthawas theireader,theTrtsuclansspreadout.7. Threemakeseedamongthe creatures.There are threeAryan reationswhich iveoffight.Threeheats ccompany awn:all these heVasisthasknow."'8. Their ights like the ncrease f the sun at dawn),their reatnesss bottomlessike that f thesea.Like the swiftnessfthewind syourpraise,O Vasisthas

not tobe overtakenyanyone lse.9. With nsightsrom heir earttheypenetratehethousand-branchedsecret.82Weaving gaintheenclosure pannedbyYamatheVasisthasreverence heApsaras.10. WhenMitraandVaruna sawyouas light pringingorth romightning,thatwas yourbirth, Vasistha, ndyettherewas another:whenAgastya resented outothe Trtsu)clans.11. Andyou,Vasistha, re the son ofMitra andVaruna,bornfrom he mere) thoughtfUrvasi,O formulatorAs thedrop sprinkledownduring hedivineformulation,all thegods caughtyouin a lotus.12. He, suspectinghedouble birth), newbeforehand;he has a thousand ifts, as alwayshad gifts.Vasisthawas bornfrom heApsarasin order o weave theenclosure pannedbyYama.13. Ata longSoma festival,nd excited ythehomages,they oth pilled heir eed into jar.From out of themiddleMana (= Agastya) ameforth;then, hey ay,thesageVasisthawas born.

Agastya:14. "He supportshehymn-bearer,heverse-bearer.

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Vasis.tha:ersonalitynd culture 91Carryinghepressingtone,he shallspeakfirst.Reverencehim ympathetically;foruntoyou,Pratrds,83 ayVasistha ome "

Verses 1-6 are a projection nto thepast ofthe Ten Kings Battle andIndra's aid, inwhich the"voice" of ndra alternateswith priestlychorus describing exactly how Indra responded to the originalVasistha's call forhelp. This sectionemphasizes Indra's election oftheTrtsus on the basis of their loquence. Verses 7-9 are a seriesofritualriddles, mportant n thishymnbecause correctknowledgeofritualtechniqueand symbolism swhat makes theVasisthas eligiblefordivine favor and is what is at the core ofthefamily radition obe passed on at this nstallation.Moreover,we see evidencehere oftherapid growth n ritualpraxiswithspecific eferencenverse7 tothe three fires, called the Ahavaniya, the Garhapatya and theDaksin~gni in later literature.84The Vasisthas, as other Vedicpriests,attributethe maintenance of the natural world to propercare ofthese fireswithin"the enclosure spanned by Yama" (9c),that is, within the ritual ground. Finally, verses 10-14 detail thenew Vasistha myth nd the installationofthe new priest.In verse10, thepoet lays the groundforthe "double birth" ofevery priestby describingthe two birthsof the originalVasistha: his original,though clearly mythical,birthfromdivine parents, and his ritualrebirth ntothepriestly ocation. Verse 14 is spoken byVasistha'smythicalbrother s thenew priest s presentedto theclans he willnow serve.857.33 is an excellenthymnforpsychohistorical xaminationfor,although we may see little of the ancestral Vasistha's own innerstruggles,we see a greatdeal of the struggles mong theVasisthasof the nextgeneration s they, n theirformation f a corporateper-sonality, respondto thegrowingpains ofthe culture around them.Erikson identifies wo elementswhich are particularly ppropriateto the evidence of 7.33. First, there is an acute and immediateconsciousness ofone's own death whichforces hehomo eligiosusolive continuously eforethisfact nd tomake his own lifechoices inlight of it. Furthermore,because it is death "which gives allhumanitya joint identity,"'86 thereligiosity f thesemen is based,as well, on a love forall men as equally mortal. Quite often, ndthis s thecase with theVasisthas, man experiencesthis movement

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92 EllisonBanksFindlybetweenlifeand death, past and future, s a matterof theturnoverof generations.87 he safety nd optimisticreaffirmation fman'sprocreative kills hat s afforded ythe"generational complex" is,as a resolutionto the problemof death, eminently ppropriate toVedic cultureand is uniquelyreflected n the mmortalization f theVasistha family.Second, Erikson findsthereligiosity fgreatmen bound to theirappropriationof themesoffatherhood nd sonship, by whichonefaces the problem of not only whose son one is, but also whosefather.The father-sonheme,"found at critical imes n the ives ofall great innovators as an intrinsicpart of their nner transforma-tion," 8 bringsa man abruptlybeforethose whom he mustreplaceand surpass as an adult and is, for hisreason, thefactormosttornwithconflict.

...a highlyncommon an xperiencesilialonflictsithuchmortalnten-sityustbecause ealreadyensesnhimselfarlynchildhoodome ind foriginalityhat eemsopoint eyondompetitionith he ersonalather.89For Gandhi, as forothers,one's vocation is thevehiclebywhich tosurpass and replace the fatheras well as to renew and revitalize"the professionalheritageof .. father nd ... forefathers.90 As hemoves beyond a resolutionwith the immediatelypreceding genera-tion,thehomo eligiosusearches,as Eriksonsays, "for the ather ndthe on who mightmatch the enormity fexistence,"9' that is, hemust come to terms not only with the problem of spiritual andpsychic authoritybut also with that of intellectualand culturalinheritance.These two themes find acute expressionin 7.33. Althoughsur-rounded by the fact of death in conflicts uch as the Ten KingsBattle and in the daily hardshipsofbuilding up a settled civiliza-tion,Vasistha and his family ome to termswithdeath notonly byacknowledgingthe succession of generations,but also by makingthecontinuity ffamily special concern,and by tying hatconcernto the vocational patternsof priesthood.As early as 7.18.1-4, forinstance,Vasistha reminds ndra ofthe tradition f aid he has givento the ancestralsingers n thefamily92nd, in theddndstutioda of7.18 (vss. 22-25), Vasistha takesprideinhispriestly eenotonlyforhimselfbut also on behalfof his descendantswho stand to share in

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Vasisytha:ersonalityndculture 93the fame of his priestlyheroics, as well as in the wealth he hasbrought them. By 7.33, however, as perhaps in 3.53 of theVisvamitras, 5.40 of the Atris and 6.47 of the Bharadvaijas,93 hefocus on the permanence of the family s more than ust a strongdesire for tscontinuity nd consistency ver time, it approaches aritual divinizationof the wholeVasistha line. By couplinga sense ofthe uniqueness of theVasisthas94withan unusual dramaticstruc-ture, theauthor(s) has createda means bywhichtheVasisthas canbe (re-)immortalized verytime thehymn s performed t a ritual.Death is conquered, then, not just by the reverencingof theforefathers,r by the procreationof new aspirantsto the priestlyart, but by a continual reminderof familial singularity nd by aritualeffectuation,ime and timeagain, of thosethingswhich havemade the Vasistha family mmortal: the relationshipwith Indraand thedivine birthof tsancestor.Adaptationto Vedic culturehasmeant, then,that as the culture ettles nto more fixed nd complexsocio-economic patterns, Vasistha family identitywill not onlyremain in tactbut will be a model forfamilyand priestly) atternsthroughout he countryside.The theme of fatherhood nd sonshipby which greatmen dealwith authority nd generativitys expressed in 7.33 in a concernover the ancestral Vasistha's births. Most of the mythologizingwhich surroundsVasistha focuseson the issue of who his parentswere. According to the myth,Vasistha has two fatherswho wereboth great gods and no mother,despite the fact thatUrvasi wasresponsible for and present at his birth. Throughout his lifeVasistha was obliged, then, ike any good son, to carryout the willof thesegreat parents: thepreservation frtd r moral truth mongthe peoples of the Aryan nation. 7.33 records, however, anotherbirth:by his ordination ntothepriesthood,Vasistha is thought obe "born again" (vs. 10). The focus here is not ust on who hisfather r parentswereor on theglorificationf theVasistha lineageand its extraordinary ies to the gods of morality,particularly oVaruna.95 Instead, it is on Vasistha's priesthoodand his role asritual servantto theAryans.We have, then,on the one hand, Vasistha's physicalbirth:first,fromhis real parentsof theVasistha family nd, second, fromhisspiritualparents,thegods Mitra and Varuna. In thefirstnstance,

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94 EllisonBanksFindlyhe is beholden to the Vasistha familyto be a "good son" bypreserving hepriestly radition; n the second instance,he becomesa "good son" to Mitra and Varuna by preservingrtd. t is alsoimportant o the ancestralVasistha, as well as to hisdescendants,toimprove on the past, not to be bound by the weaknesses of theforefathers,ut continually oheal the tradition:"From the sins ofour fathersrelease us And fromthose which we ourselves havedone " (7.86.5ab). On the otherhand, however,there sVasistha'sspiritualrebirth: second birthwhichoccurs at his ordination ndthroughwhichhe becomes a true and proper"father" to those whoneed his religious ervices,that s, tothetrueAryanworshipper.AsDange says, "if the birth is to be forthe benefit of the earthlypeople, it has to be had in the sacrificial tmosphere."''96t is thissecond birthwhich, more than any other, unites the lineage ofVasistha priests,for n each new generationthe spiritualrebirth sre-enacted and this special mode of "fathering" is renewed.97 nfindingn thehereditary rdinationof thepriesthood resolution othe father-son heme, Vasistha and his familyalso move beyondordinary elfish amily oncernsfor, ikeGandhi, theynow ministerunto the culture at large.In our earlier reviewofthe themeofvictory nd stability n thelife of Vasistha, we focused on the notion of moral (and ritual)dominance as central to thedistinction etweenAryanand Dasyu.Moral dominance is also important as the Vasisthas establishpatternsof continuity, nd particularly s theydevelop notions ofstatus. In 7.33 we find an affirmation f sage over king, of thecontemplative ifestyle ver theactive lifestyle, f theknowledgeofritual and language over the knowledge of chariots and horses.Often enough theVasistha hymns praise priestlyknowledgeof theritual, celebrate the wise insightsof the early poet which fathomand preservertd, truth," and describe thenew fame of thosewhofollow the priestly way.98 This elevation of the contemplativelifestylend thesubsequentbelief n one's personalclosenessto thetranscendent ruth, s symbolized n thefact heVasisthas frequent-lymention themselves n the last verseoftheirhymns-remindingthe gods that it is the Vasisthas, and none others,who have sentsuch beautifulpraises and who deserve the most bountifulbless-ings.99 Again as with Gandhi, the development of a sense of

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Vasi.stha:ersonalityndculture 95

"rightness" has more to do withthe dominance of a certainset ofmores or customs, namely Aryan and subsequentlypriestly nes,than it has withthe dominance of individualvalues.ConciliationverRejection: he ndra- nd Varuna-cults

In Dandekar's discussion of Vasistha's role as a religiouscon-ciliator n the encounterbetween the ancientVaruna-cult and thenew Indra-cult,he notes,first, ow deliberateefforts ere made toemphasize theseparateyetcomplementary pheresofthe twogodsand, second, how in the process of conciliation Varuna wastransformednto thekind ofgod India needed at the time. Of thehymns n the.Rgvedadevotedto thedual divinityndravarunau,10oothe mosthelpful n understanding herelationship etween the twogods are, accordingto Dandekar, thosein theVasistha mandala. nthese hymns,particularly n 7.82, Indra is characterized as "thenational war-god...invoked for help in battles and wars" whileVaruna is "the upholderof law and order... [invoked] in connec-tion with the promotion of the activities of peace."101 Bothtogether,then, "promote the world-process," 02 forwhile Indraconquers, Varuna rules (7.83.9ab). Not only do these hymnsseparate and allocate different unctions o each god, but specialattention s paid to the function fVaruna forhe is "responsibleforlaw and order not only in the cosmic sense but also in the socio-ethical sense." 103Moreover,

Varuna was concernedmore or less exclusively iththeestablishmentfpeace and goodwillnotonlywithin heVedicAryan ommunityutalsobetween he Vedic communitynd thosewhowerestrangerso that om-munity utwhomight, or nereason ranother, e acceptable othe om-munity.104

Of Varuna, for nstance,thesehymns say:"You [wecall] for heattainmentfpeace." (7.82.4b)"Mitra presents arunawithpeace." (7.82.5c)"[He] presides onstantlyverthe aws." (7.83.9b)"[He] keepsthechosenpeople norder." 7.85.3c)

Vasistha's assistance in the delineation of separate spheres foreach god comes at the expense, however, of moving beyond the

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96 EllisonBanksFindlysingular promotionofa god withwhom he has had a personal andintimate relationship.We know, also fromDandekar, that it isaround Varuna thatmanyof theearly panegyricswithbhakticon-tentare spun, and that t s Vasistha who, at leastfrom heRgvedicevidence, is one of the central figures n this early confessionalcult.105Hymns like 7.86, for nstance,demonstrate hatVasistha'sown religiouspreference endstowardthecontemplative xperiencewhich has at itscore an intenseand oftenheated relationshipwithmorallydemanding god.106From all indications,Vasistha's per-sonal propensities owards a heightenedconscience and terrorizingthoughtsof sin are central to our understandingofa typeofearlyIndian religiosity othighlydeveloped as the Vedic periodbecomesmore complex:

Vasisthawas...deeplyconscious fhismoral neligibilityor communionwithVaruna. He knew thathe was a sinner-the wise ones whom heapproachedunanimously old him that Varuna disliked him on thataccount...Vasistha ried o explain wayhis sins...[in]a stanza VII.86.6),whichgivesone of the finestxpressionso a sinner's sychology.'07Vasistha says to Varuna, for nstance:

I askmyself hat hat inwas,Varunafor wanttounderstand;I go tothewise to askthem.The poetstellmethevery amething:"ThisVaruna sangry ith ou."Whatwas that erriblerime,Varuna,forwhichyouwouldslayyourfriendwhopraisesyou?Tell me it,youwhoarehardto deceive nd self-ruled.so that may hurryoyouwithhomage nd be free f sin. 7.86.3-4)

Erikson has found thata sense of one's nature as sinful nd cor-rupt s significantn thedevelopmentofthereligiousman, forustas it is "only in ill health... [thatone realizes] the intricacy fthebody," 108 so it s only n a stateofconflict hathuman natureopensitselfup to serious examination. In describingLuther as a man"with a precocious, sensitive,and intense conscience" who "sub-ject[s] himself to a scrupulous and relentless form ofself-criticism,''"09 rikson points out a pattern oddly similar towhatwe find nVasistha. Justas "Luther limit[s]ourknowledgeofGod to our individual experienceoftemptation,"110 o also whenVasistha gets particularabout what wentwrongin his relationship

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Vasi.s.tha:ersonalityndculture 97withVaruna the ist of sins can easilybe described as perversions fthe will: "wine, anger, dice, or carelessness" (7.86.6b). In factVasistha even says as much in a subsequent hymn:

Ifoutofweaknessfwill,I havegone against hecurrent, pureone,Be gracious, oodruler, e gracious(7.89.3)Whether or not Vasistha's experienceof such moral demands onthe inner workings of his conscience is due to a concern overculpability n Sakti's murder,"' to some otherunknownpersonallaxity,or to some unique empathywith thesins of his culture, t isclear he suffersntenselyfromtheireffects pon his relationshipwith his god.Given his moral sensitivitynd itsnecessaryties totheold cult ofVaruna, Vasistha's conciliatory fforts iththenewmilitary ult ofIndra musthave costhima dear price.Confrontedwiththeobviousstrengthof the Indra cult, Vasistha must have, at some point,found himself faced with three options: to reject the new cult inregressive supportof a paternallyauthoritariangod; to rejecttheVaruna cult in conformistupportof thenew religiouspattern ndwith the subsequent denial of his own religiousneeds; or to workout some kind ofconciliationwhichwould both meet his own needsand not requirehimto withdrawfrom ontemporary ociety.Con-ciliation of the two cults was the only adaptive response Vasisthacould make. For spiritualreasons he could notdenyVaruna; but aVaruna cult on its own and inthe ntensely ersonal style vident nVasistha's Varuna hymnswould not have worked out in an Indiaconcerned less with the leisure activityof introspection nd morewith the workaday problems of secure borders and political andeconomic stability. ndeed, in times to come introspective eligiosi-ty wouldbe in demand, but not for a few more centuries. Forsomeone likeVasistha, whose patternofsuccess-oriented ecisionsshould be clear, conciliationwas theonlyprogressive onclusion hecould make to the dilemma. The price forconciliation was com-pounded, moreover, by the fact that Varuna could no longerprovidehima continued contextfor elf-indulgentntrospection uthad, for heculture's sake, tobe transformed rom godwho could

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98 EllisonBanksFindlyensuremorality hrough ndividual intimidation-"May theangerof Varuna spare us." (7.84.2c)-to one who, in acquiringspecialized functionswithina large pantheon and in belongingtoan increasingly omplex ritualsystem,could ensuremorality nlywithinthenetwork fthe othergods and only bymeans ofthe con-certed efforts f an increasingnumberofpriests.As we knowfromthe religious history f India (thoughVasistha certainly ould nothave anticipated it), this would effectively ndermine Varuna'sreligiouspotency.

We have, in thismovement owardsa grandervisionofsociety owhich Vasistha contributes,several commentarial reflections nEriksonian themes. Moral dominance is evident here, but notbecause we encounter hetypesofresolutionsmade in thisdirectionseen earlier in the victory nd continuity hemes,but because wefindclearly reflected n the material the sense of moral dilemmaVasistha must have faced, though in different orms, n all hisstruggles:the personal anxietyof his relationshipto Varuna, andthe personal and cultural frustrations f the conjoiningof the twocults. The successful experience of such inner labors woulddoubtless have given rise to a sense ofmoral superiority s theseissues came to closure, and to a sense thatbecause ofhis sufferinghe was not only righteousbut truthfulrtavan)112as well.Fatherhood and sonship are reflectedhere also. In making theconciliatoryresolutionhe did between the two gods Vasistha, inpart, addressed Erikson's issue of generativity: concern for"establishing and guidingthe nextgeneration." 113 By focusingonnew religious patterns,even if these somehow violated or com-promised his earlier religiosity,Vasistha's interest was directedtowards not onlythe most adaptive resolutionforhimselfbut alsothe best step forwardfor his time and forthat of his children'sgeneration.In describing"man's relationship o his productionaswell as to his progeny,"114 the generative stage focuses on thecreation, transformationnd maintenance of institutions, s "allinstitutions odifythe ethics of generativesuccession." 115 In thedevelopmentofan Indravarunau cult,Vasistha providesnotonlyanew theology for the world to come-whereby the two goals"promote the properly ntegrated socio-political ifeof the Vedic

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Vasi.s.tha:ersonalityndculture 99

Aryans" "6-but also a newviewof an old god, a Varuna whonowis "responsible for aw and order...in the socio-ethicalsense." 114The "fathering" implicit n thisadaptive concernfor he cultureof his time s bound to the"sonship" suggested nVasistha's ties toVaruna. We mayonly speculate as to howVasistha, in theend, feltabout this god. Although he never actually calls Varuna"father"'--unlike Indra, who is often nvokedby theVasistha "assons do thefather""8-the reference o the"great father"(pita ..mahlzn)n 7.52.3c may, accordingto Sayana, be toVaruna as fatherofVasistha.119Nevertheless,we find n theVasisthas' Varuna col-lection (7.82-85), all the ambivalence appropriateto a father-sonrelationship:all the frustrationsf a strongyet sensitiveand obe-dientdevoteerespondingtowhat he perceivesas his god's randomauthority. Moreover, in Erikson's discussion of the father-sontheme, particularly n reference o Gandhi, it becomes clear thatone of thegreatachievementsofthehomo eligiosuss, in his produc-tiveyears, to take the accomplishmentsofhis father nd not onlymove beyond them but also apply them in creativeways forhisfellowmen: "To better heparentthus means toreplacehim..." 120In his reworking ftheprevailingreligiouspatterns, hen,Vasisthadoes just this:retaininghis allegiance to the old god and the moralnature ofhis thought,yet reshapingit for a larger social context,and therebybridging hegap between the old ways ofhis "father"and the quicklychangingpatternsof the rest of his culture.As one of several leading religious personalities of his time,Vasistha would certainlyhave been instrumentaln giving hape tothe religious lifeof Vedic India. Rgvedic hymnswrittenby andabout him and his family,however,are more than ust accounts ofthe contributions e made to his era or, for hatmatter,more thanjust personalmemoirs ofhis struggles.Materials attributed o himreveal instead a man so perceptively ttuned to his surroundingsthat, because of special communicativegifts,he could match theinnerworkingsof his mind with the outermovementsof his socialmilieu. That his story, fragmentedas the extant remains are,epitomizes (and advocates) Aryanismover barbarism, priestcraftover secularism, and moral probity over self-indulgenceandtherebyprovides a symbolicnarrative forthe foundingof Vedic

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100 EllisonBanksFindlycivilization is clear; that it so totallyreflects he lifeexperienceofone man and his family s testimony o thepoweroftruly eligiousmen.Dept. ofReligion, ELLISON BANKSFINDLYTrinityCollege,Hartford CT 06106, U.S.A.

E.g., N. G. Chapekar, "The Rgvedic Rsis: Vilvamitraand Ku*ika inSurendraNath Sen, ed., D.V. Potdar ommemorativeolume1950), pp. 59-62;HermanLommel, VasisthaundVilvamitra,"Oriens,8-19 1965-66):200-227;Arthur nthony acDonnelland Arthur erriedale eith,VedicndexfNames ndSubjects, vols. (1st ed. 1912; Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,1967), 2:274-277,310-312;JohnMuir, Originalanskritexts, vols. (London: Triibner& Co.,1868), 1:317-375;F. E. Pargiter, ncientndianHistoricalradition1sted. 1922;Delhi: MotilalBanarsidass, 972),pp. 205-206;V. G. Rahurkar, VisvamitratheVisvamitrasn theRgveda," Orientalhought.1 (January 961):25-56;H. D.Velankar, The Family-HymnsntheFamily-Mandalas," ournal,ombayranch,RoyalAsiatic ociety,8 (1942): 1-22;H. D. Velankar,"A FamilyHymnoftheAgastyas,"XII All-India rientalonference,1943-44):223-231.2 R. N. Dandekar,"The Dasarajiia," in R. N. Dandekar, ed., CASS Studies#1 (Poona: 1973): 127-129;Abinas Chandra Das, "A Chapterof RigvedicHistory,"TheCalcuttaeview, (November 923): 154-169;AlfredHillebrandt,Vedischeythologie,vols. 2nd rev.ed.; Breslau:1927), 1:519-523;MacDonnelland Keith, Vedicndex, :355-356;Pargiter, p. cit.,pp. 207-11,236-7;ManilalPatel, "A HistoricalHymnof theRgveda RV. VII. 33)," Journalf heGujaratResearchociety,ombay, October1939): 143-148;C. KunhanRaja, "DaSaraijfia(Battle of theTen Kings)," IndianHistorical uarterly,7.4 (December 1961):261-278;U. C. Sharma, The Da-iarajfiaWar," inDandekar, d., CASSStudies:101-126.

3 E.g., SadashivaA. Dange, "The Birth fVasistha, TheQuarterlyJournalf heMythicociety,V. 3 & 4 (October1964andJanuary 965):83-91;Pargiter, p.cit.,pp. 214-217.4 K. R. Potdar,"Contribution f theVasisthafamily,"Orientalhought,.4(December 1961): 2, 3.5 Ibid., 2, 5, 4.6 R. N. Dandekar, Varuna, Vasistha ndBhakti"nJ.Tilakasiri, d.,Afijali:O.H. de A. WijesekeraelicitationolumePeradeniya:The Felicitation olumeEditorial ommittee, niversityfCeylon,1970),p. 77.7 Ibid.; R. N. Dandekar,"Vasistha as ReligiousConciliator," nK.R. CamaOrientalnstituteoldenubilee olumeBombay:1969),237-248.8 See Roger A. Johnson, "Introduction," in Roger A. Johnson,ed.,

PsychohistoryndReligion:heCase fYoung an LutherPhiladelphia: ortressress,1977), esp. p. 3 for brief iscussion fdevelopmentsn thefield.9 Ibid.,pp. 1 ff. nd DonaldCapps, "PsychohistoryndHistorical enres:ThePlight nd Promise fEriksonian iography,"nPeterHomans,ed., Childhoodnd

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Vasis.tha:ersonalityndculture 101Selfhood:ssays nTradition,eligion,ndModernityn the sychologyf rikH. Erikson(Lewisburg:BucknellUniversityress,1978),pp. 189 ff.10 Ibid., p. 210.11 RogerA. Johnson, Psychohistorys ReligiousNarrative:The DemonicRole ofHans Luthern Erikson's aga ofHumanEvolution," nJohnson,p.cit.,p. 127.

12 SudhirKakar, "The Logic ofPsychohistory,"he ournal f nterdisciplinaryHistory,.1. (Autumn1970): 193.13 See, for xample, hediscussionnJohnson, Introduction," p. 1-5.14 See thebibliographyompiled o1974 nHistoryfChildhooduarterly,ournalofPsychohistory,.4 (Spring1975): 517-562.15 Capps, op.cit.,pp. 210-211.16 Erik H. Erikson,ChildhoodndSociety1st ed. 1950; New York: W. W.Norton& Co., 1963),pp. 247-274.17 Peter Homans, "The Significance f Erikson'sPsychology orModernUnderstandingsfReligion,"inHomans,op.cit.,p. 236.18 Kakar,op.cit.,pp. 189-190.19 Don Browning,Erikson ndthe earchfor NormativemageofMan," inHomans,op.cit.,pp. 264-292.20 Paul W. Pruyser,From Freud to Erikson:DevelopmentsnPsychologyfReligion," inJohnson, p.cit.,p. 90.21 See PeterHomans,"Introduction,"nHomans,op.cit.,p. 17.22 Waud H. Kracke, A Psychoanalystn theField: Erikson's ontributionsoAnthropology,"nHomans,op.cit.,p. 173.23 ErikH. Erikson,Young an Luther: StudynPsychoanalysisndHistory,NewYork:W. W. Norton Co., Inc. 1958),p. 22.24 WilliamMeissner, Faith and Identity,"nJohnson, p.c t.,pp. 108-109.25 Ibid.,pp. 97, 107.26 Kracke,op.cit.,p. 166.27 ErikH. Erikson,Gandhi's ruth: n theOriginsfMilitant onviolence,NewYork:W. W. Norton Co., Inc., 1969),p. 401.28 See Fred Weinstein and Gerald M. Platt, "The Coming Crisis inPsychohistory,"he ournalfModern istory7.2 (June1975): 226.29 Erikson,Young anLuther,. 54. Thispassage squoted nMeissner, p.cit.,pp. 106-107with he nterestinghange rom an officialdentity"o "an artificial

identity."30 See Capps, op.cit.,pp. 218-220.31 Johnson, Psychohistorys ReligiousNarrative,"p. 161.32 Edward WashburnHopkins, "ProblematicPassages in the Rig-Veda,"Journalf he mericanrientalociety,5 1893): 252-283.Lommel hinks, owever,that his kepticismfhisteacher s "unfruchtbar"nd"zu nichts iihrt,"p.cit',pp. 208, 223.3 Brhaddevatd .117-118. See also Karl Friedrich eldner, rans.,DerRig-Veda, . vols. HOS, vols.33-36;Cambridge,Mass.: HarvardUniversityress,1951-7),1:395n;2:273.34 Lommel,op.cit.,p. 206.35 Lommel,op.cit.,pp. 206-207.See alsoWendyDonigerO'Flaherty, rans.,TheRig Veda:AnAnthology,New York: PenguinBooks1981), pp. 292-296,fornoteson thesorceryn thishymn, nd Potdar, p.cit.,p. 2.36 Note,fornstance,he ympatheticrincipleehind hemagicalmagesntheVisvamitra erse3.53.22, in contrasto theVasisthide se ofa sacrificialnimal

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102 EllisonBanksFindly(paid;3.53.23b),

and theVasisthide harge fthemisuse fSoma, a godwhowillcertainlyuse his power against the sacrificiallygnorant 7.104.12d, 13a).Vasistha's nemyscalled,moreover, Brahman-haterbrahmadvizs;.104.2c), ndtheSatapatha-brahmana12.6.1.41) has a traditionhat heVasisthas wereoncetheonlypriestsoact as Brahmans, utthat ater nypriest ould erve s such."Das, op.cit.,p. 160. See also Lommel'sdiscussion fVi*vamitra's ower ver hedemons,op.cit.,p. 213, and Rahurkar'sdiscussion fthespecialefficacyndmagicalpower ftheVilvamitramantra,p.cit.,p. 40.37 Lommel,op.cit.,p. 207.38 Ibid.,p. 211. It isnot learhow mportantiivamitra'sKsatriya ackgroundwas in thisouster nd ifthe ouster eflectsrahman-Ksatriyaontentiont all,Chapekar,op.cit.,pp. 59-62.On Vivivamitrand thesociology f hisfamilyeeRahurkar, p.cit.RahurkaruotesHutton ndGhuryensupportf hepossibili-tythatthehostilityetween hesetwofamilies eflectsnter-casteand possiblyinter-cultural)ivalries,p.cit.,pp. 34, 36. On this ee also Sharma,op.cit.,pp.107-108,which uggests hatcaste is less an issue thanritual killor politicalallegiance.39 Lommel,op.cit.,p. 221.40 Ibid., p. 212.41 Note,for nstance, hestrong heme fsin and guilt oundn the so-called"bhakti"cycle,7.86-89. Dandekar, "Varuna, Vasistha,and Bhakti,"op.cit.,pp. 78-79;A. P. Karmarkar,Vasistha's RemorseOver theDeathof hisSon,"Animals,Bhandarkar riental esearchnstitute,2 (1941): 120-122.42 Lommel, p.cit.,pp. 213,221. Lommelrelies ere ntheBrhaddevataradi-tion which aysthat demon ook he form fVasistha nd was thusresponsiblefor heburning.43 See John Brough, The Early Brahmanical ystem f Gotra nd Pravara Cam-bridge:Universityress,1953),pp. 172-187, nd Pargiter,p.cit.,pp. 203-217.44 7.33.3c, 5b; 7.83.8a. See Sharma, p.cit.,pp. 116-124 or discussion f hesecondaryiteraturen thisbattle.45 7.20.2c; 7.25.3a; 7.32.10a; 7.33.3c; 7.64.3c; 7.83.1d ff.Dandekar believesthatSudas, leader of the argetribe alled the Bharatas = the secondwave ofAryan mmigrantsnto ndia)was a very mbitiousmanwhowanted obring othAryan nd non-Aryanettlementsnderhis control y diplomacynd militarystrategy.The Dasarajinia," p. 127-128.46 HermanOldenberg, Ueber die Liedverfasser es Rigveda," rpt. in H.Oldenberg,Kleine chriften,(Wiesbaden:Franz SteinerVerlagGMBH, 1967),pp. 573-578. This Confederationonsisted f the five tates f theearlyAryansettlers pdficajdndh)nd some neighboring on-Aryan rincipalities,ut thenumberten has to be understood s "only generally escriptive ather handefinitive," andekar, The Daiara-jfia," . 128.Sharmabelieves hat herewereactuallymanymore hanten,op.cit.,p. 101.47 There is some questionwhether he singular"Vasistha" refers o oneancestral igurersimplyo "a Vasistha."On the ssueof heuse of ingularsndplurals n names see Oldenberg Ueber die Liedverfasseres Rigveda," pp.570-571. Dandekar has suggested hat he alliancebetween udas andVasisthamayreflect,mongother hings,udas' desire obring hefairlyowerfultate ftheTrtsus ohis ide so thatBharata overeigntynAryandom ouldbethatmuchmore ecure. "The Da-arajiia," p. 128.48 3.33, 53 3.53.21-24being hefamousvasis.thadvesinyaherses). ee Chapekar,op. cit., p. 60; Rahurkar, op. cit., pp. 27-28.

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Vasis.tha:ersonalitynd culture 10349 See 7.83.8.As Dandekar oints ut,there s "no evidenceo suggestthat...[theontestetweenhe wogroups]xtendedver everal enerations.""The Daisara-jfia,". 129.50 That s,the ongsreoftenhe ruitfpoeticompetitionsetweenriests.51 AsGeldner,ointsut, he attles ikenedo sacrifice,oth y magendinterminology.eldner,p. it., :195n.52 Note he unhere:mdtsyas the ommon ord or fish."53 That s, Indrahelped udas-theopponentseing udasandBheda.SeeRV.7.83.4.Presumably,hedawasthe eader f heTenKings onfederation.Dandekar,TheDa-sara-jfia,". 129.54 E.g.,Trtsunemies.eeSharma,p. it., p.109-116 or good iscussionof hese ndthe ther eoples rominentn thewar.55 SeeGeldner,p. it., :196n.56 That s,from enefitothemselves.57 Presumably,isvamitra.58 SeeGeldner,p. it., :196n.59 Note hat espitehe ntensenimosity,heparticipantstill bidebythecivilizedules fwarfare.tseems lear hatwith his ictoryudas ucceedednestablishinghe overeigntyf heBharatasnthe egionf he aptdt'ndhu,hemain reaofAryan ccupationtthe ime,ndDandekar as aid I believe hatthe ource f henameBharatavarsaywhichndia ame o be knowns tobesoughtn this reat istoricalvent," TheDiAarlajfia,". 129.60 Importantor he ffectivenessf he ituals thegenerationalontinuityfthepious-herewehave kind fprocessionfpilgrimso ndra.61 Seealso7.23.6;7.37.4;7.88.1.62 Thisverse ontains short eneology,ne of the firstn theRgveda:Paradara, isgrandson;atayatu, isson; and of courseVasistha. argiter,op.cit., p. 192, 09.63 Sharma,p. it., . 107.64 Developmentalhemes hichecurontinuallyhroughouthegreatman'slife, ften t times f traumartheresurgenceftraumatictress,nd whichprovideocal ointsor hematurationrocess.rikson, andhi'sruth,p..98,128.65 Ibid., . 128.66 Ibid., p. 109,117-118.67 See lso .83.1, -7.68 Erikson, andhi'sruth,. 129.69 Ibid., p. 132, 33.70 Even fwe were oaccept he uggestionfDandekarop. it., . 128) ndothershat udas' alliancewith asisthand hisTrtsuswasmadefor oliticalratherhan itualeasons,he rgumentor asistha'specialelection ouldtillhold.71 In fact,ateliteratureasts heVasisthass thevery estexamplesfpurdhitas.. B. Keith, he eligionnd hilosophyf he edandUpanishads,vols.(HOS, vols.31-32; ambridge:arvard niversityress, 925), :293.72 Keith,Religion,:131, 228; A. A. MacDonnell,VedicMythologyrpt.Varanasi, elhi: ndologicalookHouse, 971), p.96,147;Oldenberg,UeberdieLiedverfasseresRigveda," p.574-575.73 7.83.1.74 Vedicndex,:249ff; .C. Heesterman,Brahmin,itualndRenouncer,"WienereitschriftfiirieKundeiid-undstasiens,(1964):1-31.

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104 EllisonBanks indly75 Thistype fbirth allsnto he ategoryf ndyonijairth, otbornfromhemother'swomb.See Dange, op.cit.,pp. 84, 89.76 Like some f he ther amily ymns,3.53; 5.40; 6.47), itoccurs tthe ndofthe ndrasection.Velankar, FamilyHymns," pp. 1-2.77 7.83.8: "You offeredid toSudas, surroundedn all sides ntheTen KingsBattle,ndraandVaruna,when hewhite-cladrtsuswith heir airbraidbent nhomage,piously everenced ouwithprayer."78 "Indra wandersfar wayat a Soma-sacrifice,erformedyPaiadyumna.There appeartheVasisthas,with hepurposeoftakinghim...to the succour fSuda-s. ndra at once declareshis readiness o rush withtheVasisthasto helpSudas." Patel,op.cit.,p. 144.79 In makinghisway together ith heVasisthas, ndraseems ohavepassed

other oma offeringsaking laceat the sametime.80 A "groupof tanzas o be sung nbattles. ayana onTBr. II, 4, 3, 1)wouldrefer o X.133, whichbeginswiththeSakvari-metrend which s ascribed oSudas." Patel,op.cit.,p. 145.81 See Ibid.,p. 146 on thesymbolismfthe various hrees.82 This secret s thegreattree ofhumanity,ater nterpretedy Sayana assainsdra.WhilePatel, op.cit.,p. 146, interprets by saying the succession fgenerationss there eferredo nanother icture f cloth o bewoven," t eemsmore ikely o refer, s this mage usuallydoes,to ritual ctivity. f., 12c; and1.110.1a; 10.130.lad.83 The Trtsus, .e., thefamilyfSudas. "The stanza contains gastya'swordswithwhichhebrings p Vasisthatomanhood."Patel,op.cit.,p. 148.84 The conjunctionf ight hemeswith discussion f thisbattle an also befoundn 7.83.2 ff.85 MacDonnelland Keith uggest hat his astverserepresentshe doption fVasistha into the Trtsu tribe-an act necessitated y his divinebirthwhich,althoughtplacedhim n specialrelationshipo thegods,deprived imof a verynecessarysocial location." Vedicndex, :277.86 Erikson,Gandhi's ruth,. 194.87 Ibid., . 132.88 Ibid., p.320-321.89 Ibid.,p. 132; see also p. 125.90 Ibid.,p. 158.91 Ibid., p. 253.92 And inverses ikeRV.10.15.8 and 10.66.14we find emindershat his idhas beencontinuousnlybecausetheVasisthashavecontinued he loquent radi-tionsof their orefathers.93See Velankar, Family-Hymns" nd "A FamilyHymnoftheAgastyas."94 Althoughhe election"of heVasisthas ytheVedicgods sa certaintyiththem, ther amilies reacknowledged ytheVasisthas oparticipaten a personalrelationship ith hesegodsas well. See for xample,10.150.5.95 See 7.12.3; 7.39.7; 7.86.5; 7.88.1, 4.96 Dange, op.cit.,p. 86.97 Ibid.,p. 91.98 E.g., 7.23.1; 7.73.3; 7.80.1; 7.88.4; 7.90.7; 7.95.6.99E.g., 7.23.6; 7.9.6; 7.26.5; 7.42.6; 7.95.6; 7.7.7; 7.12.3; 7.76.7; 7.77.6;7.90.7; 7.39.7; and 10.65.15; 10.122.8; 10.150.5.1001.17; 3.62.1-3; 4.41; 4.42.7-10;6.68; 7.82-85;8.59.101Dandekar,"Vasisthaas ReligiousConciliator,"p. 240.

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Vasistha: ersonalityndculture 105102 Ibid., . 242.103 Ibid.,p. 240.104 Ibid., . 244.105 The emphasis n thesingle ndividualn thiscult s reflectedn the aterbrahminical itual ystemnan interiorizationftheritual nd an increasingelf-sufficiencyf the ritual atron,Heesterman, p.cit.,pp. 14-22.106 Dandekar, "Varuna, Vasistha,and Bhakti," . 78. See also Hillebrandt,op. cit.,2:33.107 Ibid.,p. 78.108 Erikson,Young anLuther,. 14.109 bid.,p. 73.110Ibid.,p. 253.11 Karmarkar, p.cit.; Lommel,op.cit.112 E.g., 7.61.2a;7.87.3c.113 Erikson,ChildhoodndSociety,. 267.114 Ibid.,p. 268.115 Ibid., . 267.116 Dandekar,"Vasisthaas ReligiousConciliator,"p. 246.117 Ibid.,p. 240.118 E.g., 7.26.2c; 7.29.4d; 7.32.3b,26b.119Geldner, p.cit.,2:228n; Karmarkar, p.cit.,p. 121.120 Erikson,Gandhi's ruth,. 129.