Who is that DIVINITY – mentioned in Rig Veda 4.30.24 - with gaps in his teeth?

 

While pondering over this issue, it flashed in my mind that the rishi Vāmadeva gautama, the composer of the Rik (Rig Veda 4.30.24), deliberately did not disclose the name of the DIVINITY, who have no teeth at all or have gaps in his teeth (देवः करूळती).

In my opinion, the rishi Vāmadeva gautama wanted the serious readers of Rig Veda to ponder over again and again on this issue, so as to understand the SPIRITUAL meaning of the phrase देवः करूळती.

In a way, it is a SPIRITUAL riddle.

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वामंवामं त आदुरे देवो ददात्वर्यमा । वामं पूषा वामं भगो वामं देवः करूळती ॥
vāmaṃ-vāmaṃ ta ādure devo dadātv aryamā | vāmam pūṣā vāmam bhago vāmaṃ devaḥ karūḻatī ||

English translation (Stephanie W. Jamison and Joel P. Brereton):

Let the god Aryaman give everything of value to you, o Āduri—Pūṣan a valuable, Bhaga a valuable, the gap-toothed god a valuable.

-Āduri indicates Indra.

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According to Yāska’s Nirukta, made available in Sanskrit and English by (Late) Shri Lakshman Sarup, karūḻatī means कृत्त दन्ता - the broken-toothed/gaps in the teeth. He also stated that "or else, having seen some god with gaps in his teeth, the seer made this remark” - अपि वा देवं कञ्चित्कृत्तदन्तं दृष्ट्दैवमवक्ष्यत.

 

He also added that अदन्तक​: पूषा । इति च ब्राह्मणम् । - According to Brāhmaṇa, देवः करूळती means adantaka - Toothless (god) indicates Pūṣan.

Taittirīya Saṃhitā 2.6.8.5 says Pūṣan lost his teeth, while eating his share in a Yagna.

They transferred it for Pūṣan [4]. Pūṣan having eaten it lost his teeth; therefore, Pūṣan has pounded food for his share, for he has no teeth. The gods said of him, 'He has lost (his teeth), he is not fit for the offering.' They transferred it to Brhaspati.

It was elaborated therein as to what the inner meaning of this statement is.

 

Taking clue from this story from Taittirīya Saṃhitā 2.6.8.5 , Shiva Purana says Caṇḍa forcibly plucked off the teeth of Pūṣan in Daksha Yagna.

It is for this reason, perhaps, Sāyaṇa stated in his commentary as follows:

Karūḷatī = kṛttadanta or adantaka, the broken-toothed, or toothless, this term seems to apply to Pūṣan.

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My understanding of देवः करूळती, as the rishi Vāmadeva gautama did not disclose deliberately the name of the DIVINITY, is as follows:

Who will come to our mind, if we want to visualise a human with no teeth or having broken-tooth/gaps in the teeth?

As far as I am concerned, it shall be a young child.

Have you ever noticed how bewitching the smile of a young child is? 

It will be joyful, innocent and pure.

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Rishi Vāmadeva gautama wants to a draw a comparison between innocent and pure nature of the BRAHMAN and that of a child.

Both of them gives pleasure and unexplainable joy/BLISS. 

Further, the names ADITI, INDRA, AGNI, Varuna, Pūṣan, Bhaga, etc, are epithets of the same BRAHMAN and are , thus, not Gods with Bodies, but DIVINE forces. Hence, question of losing teeth by DIVINE forces does not arise.

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Thus, rishi Vāmadeva gautama indicated in esoteric sense that it is the BRAHMAN, who is karūḻatī, ie., BRAHMAN will bless the spiritual aspirant with DIVINE BLISS.

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Interestingly, Vivekacūḍāmaṇi ( विवेकचूडामणि), a spiritual treatise attributed to Shri Adi Shankara, states that a Jnani (the embodiment of the BRAHMAN), behaves like a Child or ghost or an insane person.

दिगंबरो वापि च सांबरो वा
त्वगंबरो वापि चिदंबरस्थः ।
उन्मत्तवद्वापि च बालवद्वा
पिशाचवद्वापि चरत्यवन्याम् । । 540 । ।

He who is clothed with wisdom, whether he wears clothes or is clad with the regions of space, or wears a skin, roams the earth either as an insane person, or as a child, or as a ghost.