The Secret Of The Veda Aurobindo - HolyBooks.com

212 The Secret of the Veda
There is a verse, I.104.5, which does not mention her name,
nor is the hymn itself about the Angirases or Panis, yet the line
describes accurately enough the part attributed to her in the
Veda: — “When this guide became visible, she went, knowing,
towards the seat that is as if the home of the Dasyu,” prati yat
syānīthāadar´si dasyor, oko na acchā sadana ˙mjānatīgāt. These
are the two essential characteristics of Sarama; the knowledge
comes to her beforehand, before vision, springs up instinctively
at the least indication and with that knowledge she guides the
rest of the faculties and divine powers that seek. And she leads
to that seat, sadanam, the home of the Destroyers, which is at
the other pole of existence to the seat of the Truth, sadanam
r.tasya, in the cave or secret place of darkness, guhāyām, just
as the home of the gods is in the cave or secrecy of light. In
other words, she is a power descended from the superconscient
Truth which leads us to the light that is hidden in ourselves, in
the subconscient. All these characteristics apply exactly to the
intuition.
Sarama is mentioned by name only in a few hymns of the
Veda, and invariably in connection with the achievement of the
Angirases or the winning of the highest planes of existence. The
most important of these hymns is the Sukta of the Atris we have
already had to take note of in our scrutiny of the Navagwa and
Dashagwa Angirases, V.45. The first three verses summarise the
great achievement. “Severing the hill of heaven by the words he
found them, yea, the radiant ones of the arriving Dawn went
abroad; he uncovered those that were in the pen, Swar rose
up; a god opened the human doors. The Sun attained widely to
strength and glory; the Mother of the Cows (the Dawn), knowing,
came from the wideness; the rivers became rushing floods,
floods that cleft (their channel), heaven was made firm like a
well-shaped pillar. To this word the contents of the pregnant hill
(came forth) for the supreme birth of the Great Ones (the rivers
or, less probably, the dawns); the hill parted asunder, heaven
was perfected (or, accomplished itself); they lodged (upon earth)
and distributed the largeness.” It is of Indra and the Angirases
that the Rishi is speaking, as the rest of the hymn shows and