3d. The legend of Vāk in the Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa

In the Śatapathabrāhmaṇa, the above legend has been propounded elaborately. The legend runs thus: The soma was in the heaven. The gods were desirous of performing the soma sacrifice on the earth. But it was not possible in the absence of the soma. They, therefore, created two illusions, Suparṇī and Kadrū, for bringing the soma. Suparṇī and Kadrū quarreled with each other and the latter defeated the former. Consequently, Suparṇī had to retrive the soma. For this purpose, she turned herself into metres; and of them, Gāyatrī, the goddess of metres, brought the soma.

Gāyatrī speculating the form of bird flew to the heaven to bring the soma. While on her way back, the Gandharva Viśvavasu insinuated her and the Gandharvas robbed her of the soma. The unexpected delay in the Gāyatrī’s bringing the soma, caused anxiety to the gods. They themselves thought that the sole reason for it should lie in the snatching away of the soma by the Gandharvas. With no hopes of redeeming it, they thought it. As the Gandharvas were fond of women, they decided to send Vāk to them in or to take the soma back.

There is a difference in the above interpretations of the legend. According to the Aitareyabrāhmaṇa,^[1] it is Vāk, who took initiative. Vāk disclosed to gods the fact that the Gandharvas were fond of women and, therefore, offered herself from bringing back the soma from them. She insured the gods to come back to them with the soma. According to the Śatapathabrāhmaṇa,^[2] the gods already knew the nature of the Gandharvas that they were fond of women. Therefore, sent her to them. She accomplished in getting the soma from the Gandharvas; but according to the version of the Śatapathabrāhmaṇa, while she was returning with it, they chased her and demanded the gods to offer her to them in exchange for the soma. The gods agreed to it with the condition that if Vāk wanted to come back to them, the Gandharvas should not force her to remain with them against her will. Consequently, both the gods and the Gandharvas began to woo her. The Gandharvas chanted the Veda and the gods played on a lute in order to win her over. The gods were victorious and consequently, the Gandharvas had to lose the soma as well as Vāk.^[3] Vāk (as Sarasvatī) is held to be the patroness of arts and sciences and is invoked as a muse in the classical literature. Her affiliation with the arts and sciences goes back to the Brāhmaṇas where she is described to have been pleased by the gods playing on a lute, which shows that she had a great liking for music.^[4]