personality of the sun.  There is a stylistic but not a metaphysical descent from this earlier period in the ‘lords of the atmosphere,’ for, as we shall show, the elevation of Indra and Agni denotes a philosophical conception yet more advanced than the almost monotheistic greatness attained by Varuna.  But one must find the background to this earlier period; and in it Varuna is not monotheistic.  He is the covering sky united with the sun, or he whose covering is rain and dew.  Indra treats Varuna as Savitar treats Mitra, supplants him; and for the same reason, because each represents the same priestly philosophy.

In the one extant hymn to Mitra (who is Indo-Iranian) it is Mitra that ‘watches men,’ and ‘bears earth and heaven.’  He is here (iii. 59) the kindly sun, his name (Mitra, ‘friend’) being frequently punned upon.

The point of view taken by Barth deserves comment.  He says:[89] “It has sometimes been maintained that the Varuna of the hymns is a god in a state of decadence.  In this view we can by no means concur; ... an appeal to these few hymns is enough to prove that in the consciousness of their authors the divinity of Varuna stood still intact.”  If, instead of ‘still intact,’ the author had said, ’on the increase, till undermined by still later philosophical speculation,’ the true position, in our opinion, would have been given.  But a distinction must be made between decadence of greatness and decadence of popularity.  It has happened in the case of some of the Vedic inherited gods that exactly in proportion as their popularity decreased their greatness increased; that is to say, as they became more vague and less individual to the folk they were expanded into wider circles of relationship by the theosophist, and absorbed other gods’ majesty.[89] Varuna is no longer a popular god in the Rig Veda.  He is already a god of speculation, only the speculation did not go far enough to suit the later seers of Indra-Savitar-hood.  Most certainly his worship, when compared in popularity with that of Agni and Indra, is unequal.  But this is because he is too remote to be popular.

What made the popular gods was a union of near physical force to please the vulgar, with philosophical mysticism to please the priest, and Indra and Agni fulfilled the conditions, while awful, but distant, Varuna did not.

In stating that the great hymn to Varuna is not typical of the earliest stage of religious belief among the Vedic Aryans, we should add one word in explanation.  Varuna’s traits, as shown in other parts of the Rig Veda, are so persistent that they must be characteristic of his original function.  It does not follow, however, that any one hymn in which he is lauded is necessarily older than the hymn cited from the first book.  The earliest stage of religious development precedes the entrance into the Punj[=a]b.  It may even be admitted that at the time when the Vedic Aryans became Hindus, that is, when they settled about