Ribhus (
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
: ऋभु, ṛbhu, also Arbhu, Rbhus, Ribhuksan) is an
ancient India
According to consensus in modern genetics, anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. Quote: "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by m ...
n word whose meaning evolved over time.
In early layers of the Vedic literature, it referred to a sun deity.
It evolved to being a wind deity, thereafter referred to three male artisans whose abilities and austerities make them into divinities in later Vedic texts.
Their individual names were Ribhu (or Rhibhu), Vaja and Vibhvan (also called Vibhu), but they were collectively called Rhibhus or Ribhus (, pl. ṛbhava, also called Ribhuksan). Their name's meaning is "clever, skillful, inventive, prudent", cognate to
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''labor'' and
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
''arb-aiþs'' "labour, toil", and perhaps to English ''
elf
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
''.
Ribhus are depicted in some legends of the Vedic literature as three sons of the goddess of morning light named ''Saranyu'' and Hindu god
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
.
In other legends, such as in the
Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
, they are sons of ''Sudhanvan'', which means good archer.
In either legends, they are famous for their creative abilities, innovation and they design chariots, the magic cow of plenty, channels for rivers, and tools for Indra and other gods, which makes many envious.
In later Hindu mythology, the Ribhus are born in human form who then bring their innovation to earth, remain humble and kind.
This makes some gods angry and the Ribhus are refused entry back to heaven.
Other gods intervene and make the inventive Ribhus immortal. They are revered in ancient Hindu texts as sages, as stars, or rays of the sun.
Origin and meaning
The Ribhus were first mentioned in the oldest
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
scriptures of the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sh ...
, wherein eleven hymns are dedicated to them (
RV 1.20, 110, 111, 161,
RV 3.60,
RV 4.33-37,
RV 7
The seventh Mandala of the Rigveda ("book 7", "RV 7") has 104 hymns. In the Rigveda Anukramani, all hymns in this book are attributed to ''Vashista''. Hymn 32 is additionally credited to Sakti Vashista, and hymns 101-102 (to Parjanya) are addit ...
.48), and the
Atharvaveda
The Atharva Veda (, ' from ' and ''veda'', meaning "knowledge") is the "knowledge storehouse of ''atharvāṇas'', the procedures for everyday life".Laurie Patton (2004), Veda and Upanishad, in ''The Hindu World'' (Editors: Sushil Mittal and G ...
. They are said to be the sons of Sudhanvan, a descendant of
Angiras
Angiras or Angira (Sanskrit: / ', pronounced ) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the ''Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first of ...
. In later
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
(
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana (IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature c ...
Book 2, Chapters 15 - 16 and the ''Song of Ribhu'') Ribhu, supposed to be the leader of them, is said to be a son of
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
. Unlike that identification the "
Puranic
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
Encyclopedia" states that this Ribhu is not identical with the leader of the Ribhus whose name therein is Rbhuksan. They are supposed to dwell in the solar sphere;
Aitareya Brahmana The Aitareya Brahmana ( sa, ऐतरेय ब्राह्मण) is the Brahmana of the Shakala Shakha of the Rigveda, an ancient Indian collection of sacred hymns. This work, according to the tradition, is ascribed to Mahidasa Aitareya.
Auth ...
III, 30 describes them as "sun's neighbours or pupils".
Works
The Ribhus are artists who formed the horses of Indra, the carriage of the
Ashvins
The Ashvins ( sa, अश्विन्, Aśvin, horse possessors), also known as Ashwini Kumara and Asvinau,, §1.42. are Hindu deities, Hindu twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn and sciences. In the ''Rigveda'', they are described ...
, and the miraculous cow of
Brihaspati
Brihaspati ( sa, बृहस्पति, ), also known as Guru, is a Hindu deity. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a rishi (sage) who counsels the devas (god ...
, made their parents young, and performed other wonderful works which according to
RV 4.51.6 were "done by the dawn". According to
Yaska they also founded the sacrifices. They are supposed to take their ease and remain every year for twelve days idle in the house of Agohya (an appellation of
Aditya
Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a me ...
which means "one who cannot be concealed", therefore the Sun). When the
Devas
Devas may refer to:
* Devas Club, a club in south London
* Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter
* Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist
* Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club
* Devas (band), ...
(gods) heard of their skill, they sent
Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
to them, bidding them, to construct four cups from the one cup of
Tvashtar
Tvashtr ( sa, त्वष्टृ, Tvaṣṭṛ) is a Vedic artisan god or fashioner. He is also mentioned in later literature of Hinduism like the ''Harivamsa''. Sometimes, Tvashtr is identified with another deity named Vishvakarma. In Hindu L ...
, the artificer of the devas. When the Ribhus successfully had executed this task, the devas received them among themselves, gave them immortality and allowed them to partake of their sacrifices.
Interpretations
Three Seasons
According to Yaska and Sayana the Ribhus represent the rays of the sun.
David Frawley
David Frawley (born 1950) is an American author, astrologer, teacher (''acharya'') and a proponent of Hindutva.
He has written numerous books on topics spanning the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology. His works have been popular ...
states about that notion, that "Vedic gods, like the Adityas, Maruts, Vasus and Rhibhus, often appear as rays of the sun, as stars or constellations"
Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Bal Gangadhar Tilak (; born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak (pronunciation: eʃəʋ ɡəŋɡaːd̪ʱəɾ ʈiɭək; 23 July 1856 – 1 August 1920), endeared as Lokmanya (IAST: ''Lokmānya''), was an Indian nationalist, teacher, and an independence a ...
, stating that the interpretation of Yaska and Sayana could not explain their number, interpreted them 1893 referring to "several European scholars" as representing the three seasons of the year of the early Vedic period. The Satapata
Brahmana
The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within ea ...
XIV.I.1.28 mentions "three divisions of the year" and in
RV 1.164.48 the "three spokes" are supposed to mean this three seasons. But Tilak didn't show a relation of their name and works to this interpretation. So
Arthur Berriedale Keith
Arthur Berriedale Keith (5 April 1879 – 6 October 1944) was a Scottish constitutional lawyer, scholar of Sanskrit and Indologist. He became Regius Professor of Sanskrit and Comparative Philology and Lecturer on the Constitution of the Briti ...
1925 mentioned that "the assertion that the Rbhus are really the Rthus" (the seasons) "is not 'in the slightest degree plausible'".
Twelve intercalary Days
Description
According to Bal Gangadhar Tilak referring to
RV 1.161.13 the twelve days, when the Ribhus rested at the house of Agohya, took place "at the end of the year".
[''The Orion'', p.113 f.] He describes them as the holiest days of the year of which the ancestors of today's Indians believed, that the devas then would leave heaven to visit the homes of the humans. As David Frawley mentioned in context of the seasons, according to
RV 7
The seventh Mandala of the Rigveda ("book 7", "RV 7") has 104 hymns. In the Rigveda Anukramani, all hymns in this book are attributed to ''Vashista''. Hymn 32 is additionally credited to Sakti Vashista, and hymns 101-102 (to Parjanya) are addit ...
.103.7 - 8 also as the long
Atiratra
The Agnicayana ('; ) or Athirathram ( ml, അതിരാത്രം) is a category of advanced Śrauta rituals.
After one has established the routine of the twice-daily routine of Agnihotra offerings and biweekly ''dara-purna-masa'' offerin ...
rite of
Soma
Soma may refer to:
Businesses and brands
* SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects
* Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems
* SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...
was celebrated at this time.
Bal Gangadhar Tilak further interpreted the hound or dog, which according to
RV 1.161.13 woke the Ribhus, as the "dogstar"
Sirius
Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
, which appears at the
vernal equinox "at the end of the Pitriyana".
The "Pitriyana" (meaning "the path of the fathers", called
Pitrs
The pitrs () are the spirits of departed ancestors in Hinduism. Following an individual's death, the performance of the antyesti (funeral rites) is regarded to allow the deceased to enter Pitrloka, the abode of one's ancestors. The non-performanc ...
), are the six southern signs of the
Zodiak, by Tilak also called "the eternal waters of Yamaloka". Illustrative Maitrayani
Upanishad
The Upanishads (; sa, उपनिषद् ) are late Vedic Sanskrit texts that supplied the basis of later Hindu philosophy.Wendy Doniger (1990), ''Textual Sources for the Study of Hinduism'', 1st Edition, University of Chicago Press, , ...
VI, 1 describes the year as divided into two halfes, one of which belongs to Agni (Fire) and the other to
Varuna
Varuna (; sa, वरुण, , Malay: ''Baruna'') is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such ...
(Water). Thus according to Bal Gangadhar Tilak in 1893 the year started at the time of the ''Rigveda'' at the vernal equinox and the Ribhus recommenced working after their awakening in the beginning of the new year.
William Dwight Whitney
William Dwight Whitney (February 9, 1827June 7, 1894) was an American linguist, philologist, and lexicographer known for his work on Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Arya ...
1895 rejected this interpretation by Tilak. In this context Tilak also pointed to the fact that because of
RV 1.161.13 not the solar year but the anticlockwise movement of the
precession of the equinoxes
In astronomy, axial precession is a gravity-induced, slow, and continuous change in the orientation of an astronomical body's rotational axis. In the absence of precession, the astronomical body's orbit would show axial parallelism. In particu ...
must be meant which he calls an "equinoctial year", but he didn't refer to this in his further interpretation.
Interpretation
Bal Gangadhar Tilak then interpreted also in 1893 the Period of twelve days as the twelve
intercalary day
Intercalation or embolism in timekeeping is the insertion of a leap day, week, or month into some calendar years to make the calendar follow the seasons or moon phases. Lunisolar calendars may require intercalations of both days and months.
So ...
s, to fix the difference between the
lunar year
A lunar calendar is a calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon's phases (synodic months, lunations), in contrast to solar calendars, whose annual cycles are based only directly on the solar year. The most commonly used calendar, the Greg ...
of 354 days and the
solar year
A tropical year or solar year (or tropical period) is the time that the Sun takes to return to the same position in the sky of a celestial body of the Solar System such as the Earth, completing a full cycle of seasons; for example, the time fro ...
of 366 days. While he interpreted the beginning of the year at the vernal equinox,
Arthur Anthony Macdonell
Arthur Anthony Macdonell, FBA (11 May 1854 – 28 December 1930) was a noted Sanskrit scholar.
Biography
Macdonell was born at Muzaffarpur in the Tirhut region of the state of Bihar in British India, the son of Charles Alexander Macdonell ...
1917 stated that the twelve intercalary days "in all probability" were inserted at the
winter solstice
The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winte ...
. A.B. Keith 1925 also criticized Tilak's interpretation by pointing to "... the fact that a year of 360 days and 12 months is ... the only year clearly known to the whole of Vedic literarure prior to the late Sutras". Because he also "admits that ancient Indians had knowledge of intercalation" his statements on that point are considered "confused". But already 1895 a similar view in terms of the length of the year was stated by
George Thibaut
George Frederick William Thibaut (March 20, 1848 – 1914) was an Indologist notable for his contributions to the understanding of ancient Indian mathematics and astronomy.
Life
Thibaut was born in Germany, worked briefly in England, and then in ...
and W.D. Whitney
[''Dates and Eras in Ancient Indian History'' Vol.1, p.57] in ''Indian Antiquity''. In 1960 Narendra Nath Law wrote in ''Indian Antiquity Quarterly'' that: "W
would be correct if the 7th season or the 13th month (presumably for intercalation) had not been mentionend." He was referring to RV 1.164.15 which was interpreted by H.H. Wilson
Horace Hayman Wilson (26 September 1786 – 8 May 1860) was an English orientalism, orientalist who was elected the first Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University.
Life
He studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital, and went out to India i ...
as describing seven seasons. But according to the translation of Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith
Ralph Thomas Hotchkin Griffith (1826–1906) was an English Indology, Indologist, a member of the Indian education service and among the first Europeans to translate the Vedas into English. He lived in the UK (Oxford) and in India (Benares and N ...
RV 1.164.15 means the seven Rishis
''Rishi'' () is a term for an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mentions in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "great yogis" or ...
, which according to David Frawley were actually eight seers, representing the Big Dipper
The Big Dipper ( US, Canada) or the Plough ( UK, Ireland) is a large asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them are of second magnitude and one, Megrez (δ), of third magnitude. Four define a "bowl" ...
. The eighth star of the big dipper is according to his later reference to RV 3.56.2 in connexion with RV 1.164.15 not the unseen fourth star of the handle forming a double star system but the Pole Star
A pole star or polar star is a star, preferably bright, nearly aligned with the axis of a rotating astronomical body.
Currently, Earth's pole stars are Polaris (Alpha Ursae Minoris), a bright magnitude-2 star aligned approximately with its ...
around which the big dipper rotates. Already Moritz Winternitz
Moriz Winternitz ( Horn, December 23, 1863 – Prague, January 9, 1937) was a scholar from Austria who began his Indology contributions working with Max Müller at the Oxford University. An eminent Sanskrit scholar, he worked as a professor i ...
1907 pointed "to the fact that there are certain passages in the Vedic texts which admid of various interpretations." So A.B. Keith's and A.A. Macdonell's 1912 statement is still applicable, the 12 days were "merely the 'reflexion of the year' (samvatsarasya pratima) in the same way that they represent the twelve months and have no relation to chronology at all."[''Dates and Eras in Ancient Indian History'' Vol.1, p.57, referring to A.B. Keith and A.A. Macdonell ''Vedic Index of Names and Subjects'' Vol.2 "Samvatsara", p.411-13]
Notes
References
* Generally: Monier-Williams
Sir Monier Monier-Williams (; né Williams; 12 November 1819 – 11 April 1899) was a British scholar who was the second Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University, England. He studied, documented and taught Asian languages, especially S ...
, ''Sanskrit-English Dictionary'' (1899), s.v. 'ṛbhu'
{{Hindudharma
Crafts gods
Hindu gods
Rigvedic deities
Smithing gods
Solar gods