Lexicon of Rig Veda

Lexicon

of Rig Veda

God by giving to man perception of the Truth and so making him seer embarks him on his divine ship, 7.88.4. This ship is an image symbolizing movement and means of movement, that brings here, to the Earth, gods and their boons from Heaven and carry us from Earth through middle-world toward Heaven. The same meaning has another image of chariot so frequent in Veda. Do yoke, O Ashvins, your chariot, the ship of thoughts, 1.46.7, crossing the Ocean of the middle-world, 1.25.7, those thy golden ships that are within Ocean, in the middle-world move, 6.58.3, Then you, O Ashvins, acted as heroes, when in Ocean giving no support, having no basis, having nothing to hold on, you have carried to (your) home Bhujyu having ascended on your hundred-oared ship, 1.116.5; to us for chariot thou bestowest a ship that becomes the home, having its own oars, having his own feet (i.e. self-moving through land and through waters), O Agni, that carries over our heroes, our masters of wealth and living ones, that is peaceful refuge, 1.140.12, salvaging Indra invoked by many carries us over to the peaceful happiness by the ship beyond all calamities, 8.16.11.