Cosmological questions were often the topics of riddles, as in the
Ṛgveda: "I ask you about the furthest limit of earth. Where, I ask, is the center of the world? I ask you about the Stallion's prolific seed; I ask you about high heaven where abides the Word" (1.164.34). This suggests that philosophical inquiry developed in the form of posing riddles (see
Ṛgveda 1.164.46; 10.129;
Atharvaveda 9.9–10; 10.7). A verse in the
Atharvaveda asks: "How does the wind not cease to blow? How does the mind take no repose? Why do the waters, seeking to reach truth, never at any time cease to flow?" (10.7.37; cited in Bloomfield, 1969, pp. 210–218; Huizinga, 1949, pp. 105–107).
Dealing with the mystery of existence and the universe, riddles were often considered to have a special power. The possession of esoteric knowledge meant the possession of power (Huizinga, 1949, p. 108). Moreover, a magical power was associated with riddles: the idea that a spoken word has a direct influence on the world order is at the heart of the ritualistic use of riddles, such as those used at the time of rice planting and growing (but that were strictly forbidden between harvest and the laying out of new fields), and those used on certain occasions such as funerals.
This is a free page. This page contains 197 words. This
article contains 5,431 words (approx. 18 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our Paradox and Riddles Access Pass.
