V, 35, 4. vríshâ hí ási râ´dhase gagñishé vríshni te sávah.

Thou (Indra) art a hero, thou wast born to be bounteous; in thee, the hero, there is might.

V. Várshishtha, strongest, best, oldest.

It is curious to watch the last stage of the meaning of vríshan in the comparative and superlative várshîyas and várshishtha. In the Veda, várshishtha still means excellent, but in later Sanskrit it is considered as the superlative of vriddha, old, so that we see vríshan, from meaning originally manly, vigorous, young, assuming in the end the meaning of old. (M. M., Sanskrit Grammar, § 252.)

Yet even thus, when vríshan means simply strong or hero, its sexual sense is not always forgotten, and it breaks out, for instance, in such passages as,

I, 32, 7. vríshnah vádhrih prati-mâ´nam búbhûshan purutrâ´ vritráh asayat ví-astah.

Vritra, the eunuch, trying to be like unto a man (like unto Indra), was lying, broken to many pieces.

The next passages show vríshan as applied to Agni:

III, 27, 15. vríshanam tvâ vayám vrishan vríshanah sám idhîmahi.

O, strong one, let us the strong ones kindle thee, the strong!

V, I, 12. ávokâma kaváye médhyâya vákah vandâ´ru vrishabhâ´ya vríshne.

We have spoken an adoring speech for the worshipful poet, for the strong bull (Agni).

Vishnu is called vríshan, I, 154, 3:

prá víshnave sûshám etu mánma giri-kshíte uru-gâyâ´ya vríshne.

May this hymn go forth to Vishnu, he who dwells in the mountain"(cloud), who strides wide, the hero!

Rudra is called vríshan:

II, 34, 2. rudráh yát vah marutah rukma-vakshasah vríshâ ágani prísnyah sukré û´dhani.

When Rudra, the strong man, begat you, O Maruts with

bright ornaments on your chests, in the bright lap of Prisni.

That the Maruts, the sons of Rudra, are called vríshan, we have seen before, and shall see frequently again (I, 165, 1; II, 33, 13; VII, 56, 20; 21; 58, 6). The whole company of the Maruts is called vríshâ ganáh, the strong or manly host, i. e. the host of the Maruts, without any further qualification.

VI. Vríshan, name of various deities.

Here lies, indeed, the chief difficulty which is raised by the common use of vríshan in the Veda, that when it occurs by itself, it often remains doubtful who is meant by it, Indra, or Soma, or the Maruts, or some other deity. We shall examine a few of these passages, and first some where vríshan refers to Indra:

IV, 30, 10. ápa ushâ´h ánasah sarat sám-pishtât áha bibhyúshî, ní yát sîm sisnáthat vríshâ.

Ushas went away from her broken chariot, fearing lest the hero should do her violence.

Here vríshan is clearly meant for Indra, who, as we learn from the preceding verse, was trying to conquer Ushas, as Apollo did Daphne; and it should be observed that the word itself, by which Indra is here designated, is particularly appropriate to the circumstances.