Page:The Religion of the Veda.djvu/233
unto the ocean; (the god) Indra is higher than the earth; the measure of the cow is (quite) unknown."[1]
Again the following questions and answers:
"I ask thee for the highest summit of the earth; I ask thee for the navel of the universe; I ask thee for the seed of the lusty steed; I ask thee for the highest heaven of speech."
"This altar is the highest summit of the earth; this sacrifice is the navel of the universe; this soma (the intoxicating sacrificial drink) is the seed of the lusty steed (God Indra?); this Brahman priest is the highest heaven. (that is to say, the highest exponent) of speech.[2]
It is interesting to note that these riddles show us again the Hindu mind preoccupied with the nature phenomena of the world, at a time when the old nature gods have become completely crystallised. Again, as regards the status of these riddles, the Kena Upanishad opens with a very similar pair of riddle-stanzas, showing that the state of mind at the bottom of nature-worship, brahmodya, and Upanishad marks advancing mental interests, but yet advance along the same line.
The Rig-Veda (1. 164) contains a hymn which is nothing but a collection of fifty-two verses of poetry, all of them, except one, riddles whose answers are not given. There can be little doubt that the occa-