Keśin
The Keśin Hymn appears as hymn 10.136 within the Rigveda, an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. This text dates to the second millennium BCE according to scholarly consensus on the Rigveda's composition period. Werner 1995 places this specific hymn at page 34 of his analysis. The Rigveda itself serves as the primary source for understanding these ascetic wanderers who lived during that era. No other contemporary texts describe such figures with similar detail from that time period. Scholars treat this hymn as a unique window into early Indian spiritual life before later codified traditions emerged.
Werner 1998 describes these lone ascetics as living a life of renunciation and wandering mendicants without fixed homes. They traveled with the wind while clad only in dust or yellow tatters according to the hymn's description. Flood 1996 notes they experienced heightened altered states of consciousness that allowed them to soar through the air. These practitioners possessed mystical powers enabling movement alongside deities like Vayu and Rudra. The text depicts them as equally comfortable in both physical and spiritual worlds simultaneously. Wild beasts and all people maintained friendly terms with these wandering figures throughout their journeys.
Yāska around 500 BCE offered multiple interpretations linking Keśin to either the sun god Surya or orgiastic intoxication practices. Sāyana writing in the 14th century ACE supported the solar interpretation followed by early European Sanskrit scholars including H. H. Wilson and M. Bloomfield. Hermann Oldenberg argued instead for descriptions of drunken rapture and orgiastic practices from old Vedic times. Ralph T. H. Griffith and Heinrich Roth rejected both the Surya and intoxicant-drinking views entirely. Griffith supported Roth's perspective that sanctity enabled fellowship with air deities and Gandharvas. Werner contrasts Kesin with Rishi noting former were silent wanderers while latter were settled teachers living in huts.
The hymn describes Keśin drinking from the same magic cup as Rudra which remains poisonous to ordinary mortals. Crangle 1994 details this shared vessel on pages 30-31 of his analysis. These ascetics befriended natural elements including gods enlightened beings wild beasts and all people according to Werner 1998. The text states they traveled along courses alongside deities like Vayu Rudras Apsarases and Gandharvas. One verse mentions their body allowing mortals to perceive them while they floated through space. Another passage notes how wind itself became their friend and companion during these journeys.
Karel Werner identifies this concise hymn as the earliest evidence of yogis and their spiritual tradition existing before later developments. Flood 1996 confirms it serves as a precursor to extreme ascetic practices and the Rudra-Siva tradition primarily due to its mention of Rudra. The final verse specifically references an ascetic drink that connects directly to later religious practices. This hymn depicts long-haired ascetics experiencing altered consciousness states that prefigure classical yoga methods. The Rigveda uses words of admiration for Kesins throughout its verses without criticism or condemnation. Modern scholars recognize this text as foundational to understanding Hindu spiritual evolution from ancient times forward.
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Common questions
What is the Keśin Hymn and where does it appear in ancient texts?
The Keśin Hymn appears as hymn 10.136 within the Rigveda, an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. This text dates to the second millennium BCE according to scholarly consensus on the Rigveda's composition period.
How did the ascetic wanderers known as Keśin live their daily lives?
Werner 1998 describes these lone ascetics as living a life of renunciation and wandering mendicants without fixed homes. They traveled with the wind while clad only in dust or yellow tatters according to the hymn's description.
Who provided interpretations linking the Keśin figure to the sun god Surya?
Yāska around 500 BCE offered multiple interpretations linking Keśin to either the sun god Surya or orgiastic intoxication practices. Sāyana writing in the 14th century ACE supported the solar interpretation followed by early European Sanskrit scholars including H. H. Wilson and M. Bloomfield.
What mystical powers allowed the Keśin to travel alongside deities like Vayu?
Flood 1996 notes they experienced heightened altered states of consciousness that allowed them to soar through the air. These practitioners possessed mystical powers enabling movement alongside deities like Vayu and Rudra.
Why does Karel Werner consider the Keśin Hymn significant for understanding yoga history?
Karel Werner identifies this concise hymn as the earliest evidence of yogis and their spiritual tradition existing before later developments. The text depicts long-haired ascetics experiencing altered consciousness states that prefigure classical yoga methods.