“Two Ways to Heaven: RV 10.14 and 10.

16”

by Madayo Kahle

(Universidad Complutense de Madrid)1

It is generally accepted that in the Ṛgveda (RV) most testimonies of the concern

about afterlife appear in the latest layers of compilation (cf. Bodewitz 1994). The hope

of reaching immortality in the highest spheres of heaven is expressed in a few hymns

of books 8, 9, 1 and 10. Thus, there are not many passages in which we can find some

information about the conception of death or afterlife in Rigvedic times. Naturally,

most of them belong to the group of hymns mythically attributed to Yama, the king of

the deceased, himself. In the RV we can distinguish two possible destinies once life

comes to an end. One is to fall into a pit or a hole, to be smashed down by a god or the

enemy, to fall into utter darkness, or to be devoured by Nirṛti encountering total

annihilation. The other is to reach heaven and to become one among the immortals

after a complete life of fulfillment of all duties towards the gods and the pitáras.

In the following paper we will argue that in hymn RV 10.14 and 10.16 we can

see the description of two different ways leading to heaven, one for the spirit or the

soul (ásu) and the other for the body (tanū́) of the deceased. In the first part, we will

look at the role of Agni in the cremation hymn RV 10.16, basing this analysis on the

differentiation between Agni Jātavedas and Agni Kravyād. Then, we will compare this

hymn with some parallel passages in hymn RV 10.14, leaving for the final part an

attempt to sketch out the emergence of the doctrine of the two paths devayāna and

pitṛyāṇa.

1
This paper has benefited from the aid of the Spanish State (MEC: HUM2006-09403/FILO)

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 First, it is necessary to summarize and comment briefly on hymn 10.16: In

verses 1 and 2 Agni Jātavedas is asked to “cook” the body and to “deliver it to the

pitáras” without burning or consuming it. In verse 3 - which strongly reminds us of

the Puruṣasūkta (RV 10.90) - we see that the corpse should be dissolved into its

elements and each of them should return to its cosmic origin, finding its “foundation”

in earth or in heaven and earth (cf. Brereton 2004: 468): the eye to the sun, the ātmán

to the wind, the members (śárīram) to the plants, etc. Agni’s share for his services is a

goat which is burned together with the corpse. Once in the world of the pitáras, the

deceased, meeting his remains, should dress himself with a new life-span (ā́yur) and

join a body (tanū́). In the following verse Agni and Soma are asked to restore whatever

was pecked out before. To avoid being burned up by the excited Agni, the deceased

should protect himself with meat and fat. Agni is asked not to overturn the Soma-cup

which belonged to the deceased, symbolizing his offerings to the gods. In verses 9 and

10 Agni Kravyād (the “flesh-eating” Agni) who had entered the house of the deceased

is sent far away. At the same time another Agni Jātavedas is asked to bring the

oblations to the “highest seat”. This flesh-transporting (kravyavā́hanaḥ) Agni (the

second Jātavedas), strengthening the ṛtá, should transfer the offerings to the gods and

the pitáras and bring the pitáras to the sacrificial fire. The two final verses deal with

the revival and purification of the fireplace.

There has been a large discussion about Agni’s role in hymn RV 10.16.

However, there is no doubt that this hymn is fundamentally dedicated to Agni

Jātavedas, the “conveyor” (Hayakawa 2000), who transfers and transforms the

oblations and sacrificial offerings and brings them to the gods as the main mediator

between the mortal and the immortal world. Nonetheless, there is also the continuous

presence of Agni Krayvād, the dangerous aspect of Agni, the destructive fire which

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devours everything. Geib (1975: n. 42) argued that it was the familiar fireplace turned

into Agni Kravyād, the destructive force, which might have provoked death. It is also

likely that it is the same Agni Kravyād who consumes Agni’s share of the sacrifice, the

goat and the meat surrounding the corpse. The burning of the corpse itself, however,

was considered a sacrifice and, therefore, it is Agni Jātavedas who is asked to “cook”

the body and to deliver it to the pitáras. From brāhmaṇic literature we learn that the

cremation (antyeṣṭi) was considered the continuation of the agnicayana and the

offering of one’s own body the culmination, “the final sacrifice”, of the whole ritual

life of the deceased.

The expected destiny for the corpse is clear: to be delivered to the pitáras, “to

the world of those who have done good deeds”. Verse 5 is especially interesting

regarding the conditions of future life. Interpretations of this verse vary quite a lot.

There are two lines of interpretation of cárati svadhā́bhiḥ. Ikari (1989: 162), who

translates it as “moves according to his will”, follows the same analysis as Geldner

(1951) and Geib (1975); while Griffith (1889-1891) translates “goes with our oblations”

and Doniger O’Flaherty (1981) that he “wanders with the sacrificial drink”. Another

difficult concept in verse 5 is śéṣaḥ for which we accept Oberlies’ (1998: 500-501)

interpretation as “what remains” (“das Übriggebliebene”). There are different parts of

the deceased which are, have been, and will be transferred. During this process

everything is submitted to some form of purification and reparation - through Agni or

Soma - and what remains are the essentials of the body, after all elements return to

their cosmic origin. As Oberlies has pointed out, it makes no sense to speak of coming

back to what Geldner interprets as “descendents” joining a new body in a hymn that

is clearly directed to transfer the corpse of the deceased, as complete as possible, to

his destiny. The question which arises is: what is supposed to move according to its

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will dressing itself with a life-span, and join a body? We might find the answer in

ásunītim (verse 2), a compound of ásu and an abstract noun based on the verbal root nī

(“to lead”), translated by Geldner as Seelengeleit. In RV 10.16 there is no other mention

of ásu. The only thing we know from verse two is that when Agni Jātavedas has

completed his task he should deliver the deceased to the pitáras and that when the

deceased passes the “leading of the ásu” he “will become one who leads (forward) the

will of the gods” (Brereton). As Oberlies (1998: 505) formulates it, it seems likely to see

in ásu a kind of Freiseele which guarantees the continuity between this life on earth

and life in the world beyond. Therefore, the second verse permits us to assume that in

the moment of death the ásu of the deceased has left the body making its own way.

The main focus in hymn 10.16, however, is on the treatment of the corpse, the body of

the deceased.

Thus, we might look somewhere else to learn about how the ásu reaches the

world of the pitáras. It is in hymn RV 10.14 where we find another description of the

transition of the deceased to the world of the pitáras: Yama, son of Vivasvant, was the

first to find the path on which the “ancient fathers passed beyond” (verse 2). After the

invocation of Yama and all the others who have gone before this way, we read in verse

7 and 8 how the deceased should go forth on this path, rejoicing together with Yama

and Varuṇa in the sacrificial drink2. Uniting in the highest heaven with the fathers

2
In verse 7 we find again an instrumental case of svadhā́ (svadháyā mádantā), which here seems to refer

to sacrificial offerings. This gives us more arguments to interpret svadhā́bhiḥ in verse 5 of hymn RV

10.16 as to wander “with the sacrificial drink”, which is more in line with what we would argue in this

paper. The body of the deceased as a sacrifice in itself wanders together with the offerings which

should lead it to the world of the pitáras. However, the possibility that svadhā́ means in both places

“according to his will” or “own way” cannot be ruled out. But, in this case we understand that it refers

to the deceased as a whole, once the ásu has joined his body.

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and the rewards of the sacrifices and good deeds, he should leave behind all

imperfections and “merge with a glorious body” (sáṃ gachasva tanvā̀ suvárcāḥ).

There are striking parallels between these two verses and verses 4 and 5 of RV

10.16. However, it is even more interesting to look at the differences: The first thing

we have to point out is that in hymn RV 10.14 it is the deceased himself who should

“go forth”; in hymn 16, on the contrary, it is Agni who has to carry him to the sukṛ́tām

ulokám. Again in the following verses the deceased should “unite with the fathers” in

one hymn, but should be “set free again to go to the fathers” in the other. “Who has

been offered” - passive - “moves according to his will” (cárati svadhā́bhiḥ), according to

one interpretation, or, more coherent with our interpretation, “moves with sacrificial

drink”.

Therefore, we could speak of two ways; one is active: the deceased himself has

to make it. The other way - through which the body and all the other offerings are

transferred by Agni Jātavedas - is passive. Both ways, however, lead to the same place

and the deceased meets what has gone before through them: Yama, the fathers, “the

ones who have done good deeds”, who went through one path; his body and the ritual

offerings he has carried out, transferred through the other. Following this argument

we would find in both hymns cross-references to the other path: In hymn 16 the body

reaches the “world of those who have done good deeds”, i.e. the agents. On the

contrary, in hymn 14 the ásu meets the iṣṭāpūrtá offered by the sukṛ́t.

Yet, we should look into another aspect in order to explain a difficult and

apparently contradictory passage in hymn 10.14. There can be no doubt that the

kingdom of Yama in this group of hymns is a bright place in the highest spheres of

heaven where he enjoys immortality in the company of the gods and the pitáras.

Nonetheless, there is also a different aspect of Yama. He is the first who discovered

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and opened the path to heaven and reached immortality. Therefore, he had to defeat

mortality and vanquish the destructive forces which, at least in some way - we

suppose -, must continue to be under his command, similar to the two dogs of Yama

who are his servants. These two asutṛ́pā prowl around, even in the midst of the living,

looking for possible victims - for the ásu of a deceased - to satiate themselves. They

represent the danger to be devoured and annihilated at the moment of death. Only

once the danger emanating from them is overcome, they become guides to the

heavenly world. It seems contradictory that in hymn 16.9 Agni Kravyād is sent away

to “those whose king is Yama”, “carrying away all impurities”, if a heavenly place is

meant. Yamárājñaḥ is a hapax in the RV. So, could not the two dogs and all other

possible negative elements be called “those whose king is Yama” because they were

subdued by him, without implying that Yama resides together with them in the same

place?

Summarizing the main elements of our exposition so far, we have two hymns

dealing with the passage of the deceased from earth to heaven; in both the deceased is

supposed to re-join a body. Hymn 10.16 focuses on the transformation and the

transfer of the body; hymn 14, on the other hand, describes the passage of the ásu.

These hymns could be considered as the description of two ways to heaven. The

destiny is the same; all elements which have gone through these ways meet again;

therefore, they could be considered as complementary. Both paths entail dangers

which have to be avoided or sorted out. We could add that the way through Agni

Jātavedas is almost immediate. On the contrary, to follow the way the fathers have

gone takes some time. At least, the three days mentioned in RV 10.14.16 but, more

likely, as long as the celebration of the rituals for the departed (śrāddhas) last.

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The Two Paths: devayāna and pitṛyāṇa

The famous passage RV 10.88.15 mentions two paths between heaven and

earth, one for the gods (devā́nām) and the other for the mortals. At first sight, it is

logical to associate these paths with the doctrine of the devayāna and the pitṛyāṇa

formulated in later texts, especially in the Upaniṣáds. But this idea falls apart as soon

as one reads this passage in its Rigvedic context.

Devayāna appears 13 times in the RV, generally combined with pathí. In most

cases there can be no doubt that it refers to the path on which the gods approach the

sacrifice. Therefore, we may relate devayāna with Agni Jātavedas, who is, indeed,

asked to bring the gods to the sacrifice on many occasions. Pitṛyāṇa appears only once

in the RV, but, there are some other passages which mention “paths on which the

fathers move on”. As we have seen it was Yama who first discovered this path on

which after him the pitáras, each on his own path, went to the place where they joined

again a body and their offerings.

Therefore, following our brief analysis of RV 10.14 and RV 10.16 it is, at least,

plausible to associate the path of communication between mortals and gods through

the sacrificial fire Agni Jātavedas with the concept of devayāna in Rigvedic times and

the path on which the asú reaches heaven with the “path of the mortals”, which in

some later Vedic passages is also called pitṛyāṇa.

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 Heaven
pitáras + sukṛ́tas + iṣṭapūrtá
asú + tanū́

RV 10.14 RV 10.16

to Yama to Agni [Jātavedas]

ásu tanū́ (body)

path on which the path on which Agni J.

fathers passed beyond carries the oblations to
the gods and brings
the fathers

[pitṛyāṇa] devayāna

Yama’s dogs Agni Kravyād

Earth 3

3
This diagram includes the fundamental elements discussed in this paper: Earth and the

heavenly spheres where everything which went to heaven (pitáras, sukṛ́tas, iṣṭapūrtá, asú and tanū́) re-

joins. The two hymns, RV 10.14 and RV 10.16, - one dedicated to Yama and the other dedicated to Agni

(more precisely to Agni Jātavedas) – describe two ways to heaven. The first focuses on the ásu, the

second on the body. One way is the path on which the fathers passed beyond and the second is the path

on which Agni Jātavedas carries the oblations to the gods and on which he brings the pitáras. On the

second way the gods and the pitáras move in both directions, from heaven to earth and from earth to

heaven, while the first - on which the asú reaches heaven - is only one-way. Once the deceased has

reached immortality, he approaches sacrifice on the same way as the gods, through the sacrificial fire,

Agni Jātavedas. Yama’s two dogs threaten to devour the ásu and Agni Kravyād the body. Both threats

are even so close to the family members of the deceased and other participants in the rituals, that it is

necessary to separate them and to send these dangerous elements as far away as possible by purifying

the sacrificial place.

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 In Vedic times there must have been an increasing necessity to explain what

happened to those who failed to reach immortality but, nevertheless, have tried it. We

can deduce from a few passages some kind of differentiation at various levels between

the pitáras. Likewise, at some point, there must have also been different treatments of

those who failed - who very likely were the great majority -, because total

annihilation was not a very exciting destiny to look forward to for those who, at least,

made some effort. There are many possibilities to explain the later development of

the doctrine of the Two Paths and there have been many attempts to do so. The

presence of the danger of encountering some sort of annihilation in both hymns

provides arguments to defend that in both cases there might have been a divergence

into two ways. However, the idea of devayāna as the path on which the gods and other

immortals approach sacrifice was lost and devayāna shifted into a one-way path from

earth to heaven, maintaining the definite and radical transformation through the

sacrificial fire leading to some sort of liberation or divinization. On the other hand,

pitṛyāṇa - which very likely meant originally the path on which the deceased reached

immortality in heaven - became the path which led the deceased back to a new life on

earth.

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ABBREVIATIONS:

RV: Ṛgveda

WZKS: Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Südasiens

ZVS: Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Bodewitz, H.W. 1994. 'Life after Death in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā.' WZKS 38: 23-41.
Brereton, J.P. 2004. 'Dhárman in the Ṛgveda.' Journal of Indian Philosophy 32: 449-489.
Doniger O'Flaherty, W. (ed.), 1981. The Rig Veda: An Anthology. London: Penguin.
Geib, R. 1975. 'Agní Kravyād das Fleisch fressende Feuer im Ṛg- und Atharvaveda.' ZvS
89: 198-220.
Geldner, K.F. (ed.), 1951. Der Rig-Veda, aus dem Sanskrit ins Deutsche übersetzt und mit
einem laufenden Kommentar versehen. Cambridge (Mass.)/London: Harvard
Universty Press.
Griffith, R.T.H. 1889-1891. The Hymns of the Ṛgveda. Benares: E. J. Lazarus.
Hayakawa, A. 2000. 'Three Steps to Heaven.' Asiatische Studien 54, 1: 209-247.
Ikari, Y. 1989. 'Some Aspects of the Idea of Rebirth in Vedic Literature.' Indo-Shisōshi
Kenkyū 6: 155-164.
Oberlies, T. 1998. Die Religion des Ṛgveda. Erster Teil: Das religiöse System des Ṛgveda. Wien:
Gerold.

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