Āditya (Aditya) is the Sun. The most important observation about Āditya has been made in Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Aitareya Brahmana). The One who provides heat, is manifested as Agniṣṭoma yajña (Agnishtoma yajna). Āditya is associated with daytime, and the Agniṣtoma yajña has to be performed in one day. So Āditya  himself is Agniṣṭoma. When rises in the morning, he emits a […]

Agni is the Sanskrit word for ‘fire’. Agni is one of the foremost among the Vedic deities. In regard of the number of Vedic hymns (sūkta; sukta) attributed to the deities, Agni comes only second to Indra (almost two hundred hymns have been dedicated to Agni). Since Agni’s deeds and actions are mainly observable on […]

Pṛśni (Prishni), the wife of Savitā (Savita), a representative form of Sūrya (Surya), gave birth to a sacrificial rite of immense significance known as agnihotra.  Agnihotra has been compared to the grinding of teeth of yajñavaraha (yajnavaraha), the sacrificial boar conceptualised as the mythical presiding deity of a yajña (yajna).  Bhāgavatapurāṇa (Bhagavatapurana) opines, while commenting on the […]

In the clan of Maharṣi Hārīta (Maharshi Harita), there was a Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) called Māṇḍūki (Manduki) who was well conversant in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas (Vedangas). The name of his wife was Itarā (Itara). She was devoted to her husband and she was pious in nature. Her son was called Aitareya. Actually he was named […]

According to Mahābhārata (Mahabharata)and Manu, Amvaṣṭha (Amvashtha) is the hybrid child born of the womb of a Vaiśya(vaisya) woman, and sired by a Brāhmaṇa (Brahmana) man – brāhmaṇād vaiśyakanyāyāmvaṣṭho nāma jāyate. They are quite ancient as a jāti (jati), since they are mentioned in Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Aitareya Brahmana). Maharṣi (Maharshi; Great Sage)Parvata and Devarṣi (Devarshi; […]

The Andhaka community is a part of the Yādava (Yadava) community living in the region of Mathurā and Śūrasena. Their relatives belong such such communities as Vṛṣṇi (Vrishni), Bhoja, Kukura and so on. Kroṣṭu (Kroshtu)was the son of Yadu, who was the son of Yayāti and Devayānī.  Sātvata was a descendant of Yadu’s lineage . […]

Andhara is an ancient non-Aryan race. In Aitareya Brāhmaṇa (Aitareya Brahmana) it is said that , Viśvāmitra , grieved by the death of his son, cursed this race. Andhra is another name of Andhara. See Andhra

A country or kingdom. The word Aṇga (Anga) is also used to refer to the citizens of the kingdom of Aṇga. Usually, it is mentioned along with four other kingdoms situated in eastern India—Aṇga, Vaṇga (Banga), Kaliṇga (Kalinga), Suhma (Suhma) and Puṇḍra (Pundra). Perhaps these five kingdoms formed a confederacy of which the capital was […]

Āsandīvat is the capital of Pārikṣhit Janamejaya, though this Janamejaya is not the descendant of the Pāṇḍava, and the grandson of Abhimanyu.He is the ancient Pārikṣhit Janamejaya mentioned in Aitareya and Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa. According to Aitareya Brāhmaṇa, he kept his horse of Aśvamedha bound, in this very place. It has been said in Aitareya Brāhmaṇa– […]

In Vāyupurāṇa (Vayupurana), Ayāsya (Ayasya) has been mentioned as Ayasya. Ayāsya was one of the sons born of the womb of Pathyā (Pathya), and sired by Maharṣi (Maharshi; Great Sage) Aṅgirā (Angira). In Purāṇa (Purana; Mythological Scripture), his name has been mentioned as one of the mantradraṣṭā (seer of holy hymns) sages of Veda. He […]