On some recent discussions

[Dominique.Thillaud]

At 21:51 +0200 28/05/97, Beatrice Reusch wrote:
>The only thing that remains an unanswered question in my mind
>is the *need* to jump into the Agni discussion with a quote from Garzilli's
>preface. Yet I have put that to rest. It's not that I have to have all
>answers in this world.

	You're right. I don't remember the exact terms of the question
(ontological nature of Agni ?) but my own reflexions are perhaps linked to.

	In MBh Agni is in DhRSTa-dyumna, the leader of the army.
	dhRS- is 'to dare' but Vedic dhRSTi- is fire tongue.
	In dyumna, the dyu- is precised (I, 57, 91) by agnisamadyuti.
	So, for this heroe, dyu- is a fire-like light and dhRSTadyu- an
enforcement: dhRSTadyu-mna is probably to understand 'staying in fire'.
	From an other side the Greek Aga-memnon is too the leader of the
army and both Greek and Indian generals are not directly at the cause of
the war.
	If Aga-memnon has the same meaning (with reduplicated form of the
root men-), that suppose *agn- for the old name of the fire.
	Then, an other name of Agni, Agnideva, would be to understand as a
locative compound: 'the Celestial *in* the fire'. From here perhaps Agni as
a God's name and agni as the new fire's name.
	So, if I'm right, Agnideva is not a God but the name of the
Celestial *when* in the fire (sun, lightning or sacrificial fire). This can
explain why Agni is too Soma, Apaam Napat, &c.

	Hoping to help,
Dominique

Dominique THILLAUD
Universite' de Nice Sophia-Antipolis, France