Part 29 - Rohita (the generator of the universe)

The term rohita that signifies the ‘red one,’ is used as an epithet of the Sun-god in the earlier Vedas.^[1] He is mentioned as the red horse.

Somewhere, Rohita is called as the horse of Agni,^[2] somewhere as the horse of the gods:

ete vai devāśvāḥ.^[3]

But in the later Vedas, especially in the Atharvavedasaṃhitā, Rohita achieves the form of independent god.^[4]

At the very outset of the Atharvavedic hymn, dedicated to him, he is mentioned as the deity:

rohitaḥ kaścid devaḥ/ udyana yaḥ sūryastadātmaka iti jñeyam/^[5]

The rising Sun is called as Rohita.

He is mentioned as identical with Sūrya:

itaḥ paśyanti rocanaṃ divi sūryaṃ vipaścitam/^[6]

By means of the horses of Surya, he moves on.^[7]

Rohita is the generator of the universe.^[8] He generated the heaven and earth.^[9] He made firm the heaven and the earth and established the sky.^[10] He generated all the forms.^[11]

In the Atharvavedasaṃhitā, Rohita is mentioned as the generator of the sacrifice [and, called as the mouth of it]:

rohito yajñasya janitā mukhaṃ ca; ^[12]

He is mentioned as the great sacrificer.^[13] Rain befalls as the result of sacrifice performed by him and everything is sustained due to the rain and heat. He stands as the measurer of the day and night.^[14]

The derivation of the term rohita goes as:

ruho ruroha praruho ruroha dyāvāpṛthivībhyāṃ ruroheti rohitaḥ/^[15]

He is mentioned as sarvā ruroha ruhaḥ.^[16] At the end of the generations, he stood aloft upon the firmament.^[17] Rohita illumines the darkness of the sky with his light.^[18] He gives his rays towards the earth and the ocean also.^[19] Thus, moving every corner, he measures out the spaces.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf., rohitā lohitavarṇau/ rohita ityagneraśvasya ‘rohito’gneḥ’ iti darśanāt/ Sāyaṇācārya on Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 1.94.10

rohitā rohitavarṇāvaśvau/ Ibid., 1.134.3

[2]:

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 1.94.10

[3]:

Taittirīyasaṃhitā, 1.7.4.3

[4]:

Vide, Macdonell, A.A., Op.cit., p. 115

[5]:

Atharvavedasaṃhitā, 13.1

[6]:

Ibid., 13.1.39

[7]:

cf., sūryasyāśvā harayaḥ ketumantaḥ sadā vahantyamṛtāḥ sukhaṃ ratham/ Ibid., 13.1.24

[8]:

cf., yo rohitob viśvamidaṃ jajāna/ Ibid.,13.1.1

[9]:

cf., rohito dyāvāpṛthivī jajāna/ Ibid., 13.1.6

[10]:

cf., rohito dyāvāpṛthivī adṛṃhat tena sva svabhitaṃ tena nākaḥ/ Ibid.,13.1.7

[11]:

cf., rohito adhi nāke asthād viśvā rūpāṇi janayan yuvā kaviḥ/ Ibid., 13.1.11

[12]:

Ibid., 13.1.13

[13]:

cf., vediṃ bhūmiṃ kalpayitvā divaṃ kṛtvā dakṣiṇāṃ/ ghraṃsaṃ tadagniṃ kṛtvā cakāra

[14]:

cf., divaṃ ca sūrya pṛthivīṃ ca devīmahorātre vimimāno yadeṣi/ Ibid., 13.2.5

[15]:

cf., ruho ruroha rohita ā ruroha/ Ibid., 13.1.4

[16]:

Ibid., 13.1.26

[17]:

cf., urdhvo rohito adhi nāke asthād/ Ibid., 13.1.11

[18]:

Ibid., 13.2.2

[19]:

cf., rohito raśmibhirbhūmiṃ samudramanu saṃ carat/ Ibid., 13.2.40