The Implicit Power Behind Agni, Indra, Surya, and Others: Vishnu in the Vedic Saṁhitās
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How to Cite

Benjamin A. McClintic. (2022). The Implicit Power Behind Agni, Indra, Surya, and Others: Vishnu in the Vedic Saṁhitās: Journal of Vaishnava Studies. Journal of Vaishnava Studies, 21(1), 51–61. Retrieved from https://ivsjournal.com/index.php/jvs/article/view/264

Abstract

Indra, lord of the seasonal rains, holds a place of prominence in the Ṛg-veda. By any bean-counter’s measure, he is first and foremost among the gods, along with Agni, the god of Fire. Few deities receive as much attention as these two. Additionally, the Vedic saṃhitās contain hymns to numerous recipients of sacrifice besides these two, such as the Sun god, Sāvitṛ, his consort, Uṣas (the Dawn), Soma-Pavamāna, Rudra, and a number of theological names describing various cosmogonic forces, Prajāpati, Puruṣa, the Viśve-devas, and so forth, as well as other deities. These latter entities, even taken altogether, still receive a minor share of the sacrificial hymns by comparison to Indra and Agni, at least in the Ṛg.

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