ntheon, its earlier and later heads, Indra and
Brahm[=a]. Consequently each sect admits that Brahm[=a] is greater
than the older Vedic gods, but, while naturally it identifies its
special incarnation first with its most powerful opponent, and thus,
so to speak, absorbs its rival, it identifies this incarnation with
Brahm[=a] only as being chief of lesser divinities, not as being a
rival. One may represent the attitude of a Krishna-worshipper in the
epic somewhat in this way: "Krishna is a modern incarnation of Vishnu,
the form which is taken in this age by the Supreme Lord. You who
worship Civa should know that your Civa is really my Krishna, and
the chief point is to recognize my Krishna as the Supreme Lord. The
man Krishna is the Supreme Lord in human form. Of course, as such,
being the One God in whom are all things and beings, he is also all
the gods known by names which designate his special functions. Thus he
is the head of the gods, the Father-god, as our ancestors called him,
Brahm[=a]; and he is all the gods known by still older names, who are
the children of the secondary creator, Brahm[=a], viz., Agni, Indra,
S[=u]rya, etc. All gods are active manifestations of the Supreme God
called Vishnu, who is born on earth to-day as Krishna." And the
Civaite says: "Civa is the manifestation of the All-god," and repeats
what the Vishnuite says, substituting Civa for Vishnu,[23] but with
the difference already explained, namely, that the Civa-sect has no
incarnation to which to point, as has the Vishnuite. Civa is modified
Rudra, and both are old god-names. Later, however, the Civaite has
also his incarnate god. As an example of later Civa-worship may be
taken Vishnu's own hymn to this god in vii. 80. 54 ff.: "Reverence to
Bhava, Carva, Rudra (Civa), the bestower of gifts, the lord of cattle,
the terrible, great, fearful, god of three wives;[24] to him who is
peace, the Lord, the slayer of sacrifices (_makhaghna_)[25] ... to the
blue-necked god; to the inventor (or author) ... to truth; to the red
god, to the snake, to the unconquerable one, to the blue-haired one,
to the trident-holder; ... to the inconceivable one ... to him whose
sign is the bull; ... to the creator of all, who pervades all, who is
worshipped by all, Lord of all, Carva, Cankara, Civa, ... who has a
thousand heads a thousand arms, and death, a thousand eyes and legs,
whose acts are innumerable." In vii. 201. 71, Civa is the unborn Lord,
inconceivable, th