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VedicIrina
andtheRann-of-Kutch
McCrindle(1879),Bisht(1989)Agarwala(1953),amongothers,mentionthattheRann-of-Kutch(ROK)wasknownas
Irina,
inancienttimes.Startingfromthe
Rigveda(RV),Vedic
literaturereferstoaspecialtypeoflandformorplacecalled
Irina,
severaltimes.Intheschemeof
Vedic
rituals,
Irina
occupiesasignificantplaceass9ciatedwith
Nirrti,
thedeityofdisaster,andthesouthwestdirection,knownas
Nairtya
inlaterSanskritusage.The
Mahabharata
inoneplacementionsthat
Irina
wasformedbytherecessionofsea.InapreliminarystudybyIyengarandRadhakrishna(2007)itwasdemonstratedthat
Irina,
inthe
Rigvedic
timesshouldhavebeenslightlynorthofthepresent
.
dayROK.Thepresentpaperextendstheabovestudytoincludeinputsfromthe
Nirukta
andthe
Sutra
literature.Further,therelationbetween
Gaura
and
Irina
istracedwiththehelpofthe
AitareyaBrahmana,
topointoutthatthe
Gaura
of
RV
shouldhavebeenahorse-likeanimalmatchingwiththewildassofROK.Theplanofthepaped.stofirstpresentthe
Vedic
textscontainingreferencesto
Irina.
Thisisfollowedbylatertextual
*IndianInstituteofScience,Bangalore.rniyengar@ymail.com**GeologicalSocietyofIndia,Bangalore***Randhoeve197,3992XGHouten,TheNetherlands,adhin88@yahoo.colll
R.N.IYENGAR*,B.P.RADHAKRISHNA**ANDS.S.MISHRA***
referencesandconsiderationofassocialedgeographicalfeaturesasmentioncdinthe
Vedic
texts,
Irina
in
the
Rigveda(RV)
Theword
Irina
occursinthe1",81h,and1Qlb
mandalas
ofthe
RV,
sixtimesinall.ThesearelistedwiththeoriginaltextandtranslationasgivenbyGriffith,followedbyrelevantcomments,
adhayadesall1sudinenasanlrViSl'aJlIerinam
prllsayantasenah
II
(1.186.9)
So
maytheManIts,armed\\'ithmightyweapons,resthereonheavenandearthwithheartsinconcord.Asgodswhosecarshavedappledsteedsliketorrents,destroyersofthefoealliesofMitra.TheyhastenontohappyterminationtheirorderswhentheyaremadeknownbyglOl)',AsonafairbrightdaytheaJ'J'oll'fliethoverallthebarrensoiltheirmissilessparkle
(RV1.186.
8-9),
 
VedicIrinaandtheRann-o.fKutch
Griffithtranslatestheword
erinam
(a+irinam)asbarrensoil,following
Sayana.
ThecontextisthatofMaruts,whoarmedwiththeirmightyweaponscandischargesparklingarrowsoveraregionorplacecalled
erina.
Inhymn8.4addressedtoIndrathewordoccursonce.Inhymn8.76addressedto
Asvins,
itappearstwiceinitsbasicformas
Irina.
yathagauroapakrtamtrsYG1111tyaverinam
I(8.4.3)
madhvahsutasyasadivipriyonarapatamgal/raviverine
"(8.87.1)
tavavrdhanaupasustutimdivagantamgauraviverinam
II
(8.87.4)
Evenasthewild-bull,whenhethirsts,goestothe
desert
s
waterypoolComehitherquicklybothatmorning
andateve,andwiththeKanvasdrinkthyfill.Splendid,
0
Asvins,
is
yourpraise.Comefountain-like,topourthestream.Ofthesweetjuiceeffused-dearisit,Chiefs,inheaven-drinkliketwowildbullsatapool.DrinkyetheSomarichinmeath,yeAsvinsTwain:sitgladlyonthesacredgrass.So,waxenmighty,tooureulogyfromheavencomeyeaswild-bullstothepool.(RV8.4.3;
8.87.1,4)Theinterestingpointhereisthatinallthethreecases
Irina
isassociatedwithaspecialanimalcalled
Gaura.
Thisrelationisanalyzedlaterinthepresentstudy.Thenextusageof
Irina
isinthetenthbook,wheretraditioninterpretsitasdiceboard.
pravepamabahatomadayantipravatejairine
varvratanah
I
(10.34.1)
divyaangarairinenyuptahsitahsantohrdayamnirdahanti
I
(J0.34.9)
Sp11lngfromtalltreesonwindyheights,theserollerstransportmeastheyturnuponthetable.DearertomethediethatneverslumbersthanthedeepdraughtofMujavan
s
ownSoma.Downwardtheyroll,andthen
171
springquicklyupward,and,handless,forcethemanwithhandstoservethem.Castontheboard,likelumpsofmagiccharcoal,thoughcoldthemselvestheyburnthehearttoashes(RV
10.34.1,9).Thefirstversereferstoanobjectthatsupposedlysprungfromtalltreesataheight.Thiscouldrefertothenutsofthe
Vibhitaka
treeoutofwhichdiceweremade.Thehymninwhichtheabovetwoversesarise,istraditionallyassociatedwithdiceplay.Thegamewasplayedbythrowingthediceonflatground.Hence,herediceboardcouldbeasecondarymeaningoftheword
Irina.
Theword
divya
doesnotmeanmagic.Itreferstosomethingbrightandperhapscelestial.Theliteralmeaningofthesecondverse(10.34.9)abovewouldbe
"HeavenlycharcoalshavingploughedintoIrina,thoughcold,burntheheart.
"Doublemeaningmaybeintended,buttheprimarymeaningappearstobethatoffieryobjectsfallingfromtheskyinaplacenamed
Irina.RV(1.186.8-9)
alreadyquoted,wherebrightobjectsarementionedasflyingover
Irina
supportsthisinference.
Irina
in
the
Nirukta
Nirukta
ofYaska(Sarup1967)anancientreferenceontheetymologyof
Vedic
words,acceptstwomeaningsfortheword
Irina
in
RV(10.34)Irinamnirnamrnateraparnambhavatilaparataasmadosadhayaitiva
II
Board(irinam)isfreefromdebt(nir-rinam).Itisderivedfrom(theroot)rn(togo)i.e.itisdistant.Orelse,herbshavebeenremovedfromit.
BasedontheaboveetymologyofYaskaonecaninterprettheword
irinam
as:thatwhichwaspreviously
rnam,i.e.
moving/flowing(thusfertile),became
nir-rnami.e.
non-flowing,non-fertile,withoutherbs,afterbeinghitbyfieryobjects.
 
172
Irina
in
the
YajurvedaTaittiriyaSamhita(TS)
ofthe
Krishna-Yajurveda
refersto
Irina
inthelegendof
Visvarupa.
Thelegendsays,
Visvarupa
sonofTvastrhadthreeheads.Indrakilledhimbycuttingofftheheads,butwasaccusedofbeingguilty.Earthagreedtotakeone-thirdoftheguiltofIndra,inreturnforaboon.This(guilt)became
Irina
ontheearth.
trtiyambrahmahatyayaipratiagrhnattatsvakrtamirinamabhavattasmadahitagnihsraddhadevahsvakrtairinenaavasyed(I'S2.5.1.3)AthirdoftheguiltofkillingaBrahmanawastaken(byearth).That(partofearth)becametheself-createdIrina.Therefore,thefaithfulfireworshippershouldnotstayintheselfmadeIrina.
Thislegendof
Visvarupa
carriesthefootprintsoforthodox
Vedic
peopleemigratingoutof
Irina,
whichforsomespecialreasonbecameuninhabitable.Thetranslationof
Irina
asanaturalfissureinearthbyKeith(1914)doesnotconveythecompletemeaningoftheabovetext.Thiscanbeinferredfromotherhymns,where
pradara
(fissure,opening)isprescribedonlyasanalternateplaceforcertainrituals.
svakrtairinejuhotipradarevaitadvaaiasyainirrtigrhitamnirrtigrhitaevainamnirrtyagrahayati(TS3.4.8.5)
Heoffersintheselfmade(natural)
Irina
orinafissurethatisseizedby
Nirrti.
Certainly,inaplaceseizedby
Nirrti,
hemakeshim(theenemy)seizedby
Nirrti.
Itistobenotedthat
pradara
meaningafissureisanalternateto
Irina,
forofferingasacrifice.Theword
syakrta
qualifiesboth
Irina
and
pradara;
hencethefissurewasalsoanaturaloneincontrasttoamanmade
PlIr(itatfm38
opening.Thetwoland-typesareequivalentasfarastheritualisconcernedbuttheyarenotphysicallyidentical.Theplaceissaidtohavebeenseizedby
Nirrti,
thedeityofdisasterandmisfortune.Inessencehere
TS
equates
Irina
itselfwithdisasterormisfortune.If
Irina
meantaregion,theadditionalreferenceto
pradara
heremayhintattheexistenceofanaturalcraterinthatregion.Through
Nin'fi
adirectionisalsoindicatedfor
Irina
asinthefollowingtext.
imamdisamyantyesavainirrtyaildiksvaya11levadisinirrtimniravadayate
I
svakrtairinaupadadhatipradareva
I
etadvainirrtyaayatanam
I
svaevaiyatanenirrti11l
niravadayatel(TS5.2.4.3)
Theygointhisdirection(tothisquarter).Thisisthedirectionof
Nirrti;
verilyinherowndirectionhepropitiates
Nin'fi.
Heplaces(it)inself-madeIril,laorinafissure;thatistheabodeof
Nirrti;
verilyhepropitiates
Nin.fi
inherownabode.Theindependent
TaittiriyaBrah11lana(TB)
textcorroboratestheabovestatements..
svakrtairinejuhotipradarevaletadvairaksasa11layatanam
I
sayevaayataneraksamsihantil(TB
1.7.9)HeoffersintheselfmadeIril,laorinafissure.Thisisverilytheabodeofdemons.Theydestroydemonsintheirownabode.
TB
(2.2.7)and
TS
(3.4.8.5)aresimilar.The
SatapathaBrahmana
ofthe
Shukla-Yajurveda
alsoprovidessimilardirectionsforlocating
Irina.
tenadaksinayantisayatrasvakrta11lverina11lvindati
svabhrapradara11lva
II
(5.2.3.2)Theygosouth,where
theself-created(natural)verinaisreachedorafissureduetoawhirlpool.
tabhiretamdisamyanti
I
esavainairrtidinnairrtyameva
of 00

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