27. Goddess Vāk

It has already been mentioned that Sarasvatī is presented in the Atharvaveda as identical to Vāk. But, Vāk is often mentioned as an independent deity also. She is extolled in three entire hymns of the Atharvaveda.^[1]

In one hymn,^[2] Vāk is the daughter of the sage Ambhṛna and she, acquiring the knowledge of Brahman and realising herself to be identical with the same, invokes herself throughout the hymn. This hymn, without any variation, appears in the Ṛgveda^[3] also. Yāska^[4] regards such hymns as ādhyātmika hymn.

Here, Vāk states that she traverses along with the Rudras, the Vasus, the Ādityas and with all the gods and she holds Mitra and Varuṇa, Indra and Agni and both the Aśvins.^[5] She is the lord of all,^[6] bestower of riches^[7] and omnipresent.^[8] She guides each and every action of all the beings.^[9] She stretches the bow of Rudra in order to slay Śaru, the hater of Brahman.^[10] She belongs to the Heaven and the Earth.^[11] She is the bearer of Soma, Tvaṣṭṛ, Pūṣan and Bhaga.^[12] She holds riches for the sacrificers.^[13] She originates from the water of the oceans and she gives birth to the father of the universe.^[14] Being the almighty one, she pervades the whole universe beyond the Earth.^[15] Thus, Vāk herself reveals as the Supreme divinity.

Sāyaṇācārya,^[16] while commenting on another hymn of Vāk, refers to its four varieties, viz. parā, paśyantī, madhyamā and vaikharī. All sorts of speech whether propitious or unpropitious are of these four divisions^[17] and of these, the first three types belong to ones interior and hence, unexpressed.^[18] Only vaikharī type of Vāk is expressed verbally and listened by others.^[19] Therefore, a listener is asked to be of a well-willing mind to the speaker being regardless to what he speaks, censurable or praiseworthy, as because, three portions of his speech are deposited in him and only one portion is expressed.^[20]

In another hymn of the Atharvaveda,^[21] Vāk, the deity of speech is extolled. There, she is asked to be pleasant to the listeners,^[22] and as such she is called madhumatī.^[23]

Thus, in the Atharvaveda, Vāk represents twofold identities, one as the daughter of Ambhṛna and one as the goddess of speech.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Atharvaveda, 4.30; 7.44; 16.2

[2]:

cf., Ibid., 4.30

[3]:

cf., Ṛgveda, 10.125

[4]:

athādhyātmikā uttamapuruṣayogāḥ / ahamiti caitena sarvanāmnā / yathaitadindro vaikuṇṭhaḥ / labasūktam / vāgāmbhṛṇīyamiti / Nirukta, 7.2

[5]:

ahaṃ rudrebhirvasubhiścarāmyahamādityairuta viśvadevaiḥ / ahaṃ mitrāvaruṇobhā bibharmyahamindrāgnī ahamaśvinobhā // Atharvaveda, 4.30.1

[6]:

ahaṃ rāṣṭrī … / Ibid., 4.30.2

[7]:

… saṃgamanī vasūnāṃ … / Ibid.

[8]:

… bhūristhātrāṃ … / Ibid.

[9]:

cf., Ibid., 4.30.4

[10]:

ahaṃ rudrāya dhanurā tanomi brahmadviṣe śarave hantavā u / Ibid., 4.30.5

[11]:

… ahaṃ dyāvāpṛthivī ā viveśa / Ibid.

[12]:

ahaṃ somamāhanasaṃ bibharmyahaṃ tvaṣṭāramuta pūṣaṇaṃ bhagam / Ibid., 4.30.6

[13]:

ahaṃ dadhāmi draviṇā haviṣmate suprāvyā yajamānāya sunvate / Ibid.

[14]:

ahaṃ suve pitaramasya mūrdhan mama yonirapsvantaḥ samudre / Ibid.

[15]:

tato vi tiṣṭhe bhuvanāni viśvotāmūṃ dyāṃ varṣmaṇopaspṛśāmi / Ibid., 4.30.7

[16]:

sarvā hi vāk parāpaśyantīmadhyamāvaikharīrūpacaturavasthāpannā / Sāyaṇa, Ibid., 7.44.1

[17]:

Ibid.

[18]:

tatra parādyastisrovasthā dehāntaravasthānād na parebhyo’rthaṃ pratipādayituṃ kṣamāḥ / Ibid.

[19]:

vaikharī tu tālvādisthāneṣu varṇapadavākyarūpeṇa abhivyajyamānā paraśrotragrahaṇayogyā bhavati / Ibid.

[20]:

śivāsta ekā aśivāsta ekāḥ sarvāḥ vibharṣi sumanasyamānaḥ / tisro vāco nihitā antarasmin tāsāmekā vi papātānu ghoṣam // Atharvaveda, 7.44.1

[21]:

Ibid., 16.2

[22]:

suśrutau karṇau bhadraśrutau karṇau bhadraṃ ślokaṃ śrūyāsam / Ibid., 16.2.4

[23]:

Ibid., 16.2.1-2