The Atharva Veda consist of two books, The Bhargava Samhita and Angirasa Samhita. That is why to the Atharva Veda, the double-barreled name Of Bhrigu-Angirasi Samhita has been given by the Gopath Brahman (Bloomfield). The Iranian name of The Bhargava Samhita is Avesta. There are two currents in Atharva Veda- the Bhargava current and the Angirasa current. Bhargava Veda and Angirasa Veda come into existence after the Indo –Iranian divided on the question of monotheism and iconolatry. Vrigu or Sukra the priest of Asuras( Worshipper of Asura).
The Asuras emphasize the importance of direct monotheism and aniconic worship. Angirasa or Brihaspati was the priest of the Devas( Worshippers of Devata). Zend Avesta is the popular name of Bhargava Veda. Zend Avesta in Sanskrit is Chhand(Chhandas means Veda) Upastha( Upat Mantra karane Panini 1/3/25) Chhand Upastha means books of hymns. Zarathustra has been described in Avesta as “the Atharvan” per excellence (Farvardin Yasta 94), while Rig-Veda describes the Bhrigus as Atharvan (10/14/6). ‘Asura’, the meaning of this word degraded later and became ‘Devil’ type, but in earlier Varuna had been called Asura in Rig Veda (4/15/12). ‘ Through the grace of Asura, the sages see clearly within themselves the up growing soul. Their sight can scale the depth of the sea. They desire from Vedhas, the status of saints(Rig Veda 10/117/1). Chatterji Jatindra Mohan, Atharvan Zarathustra (Kolkata, The Parshi Zoroastrian Association: 1971)pp 2-41. ‘Asura’ means Pragya(supreme)in Nighuntu(3/9). Tantric fire cult and Parshi fire cult is the same in the sense of esoteric worship, both derived from Bhargava Veda. ‘Sukra’ means water in Nighuntu(1/12).
Therefore, Sukra( Usana Acharya) the son of Bhrigu, the son of Varuna the ‘Great Asura’, became the worshipper of Asura(Pragya, Chit or Chittam is another synonym of Asura 3/9), the non-personal Oceanic Presence. Varuna is the Lord of Ocean and most important Devata in Rig Veda. “Mahat Devanam Asurattvam Ekam,” is the Injunction of Vedas. Therefore, Bhargava connection with Asura( Ahura in Zend) worship is understandable. Maha Vidya Worship of Parsuram Kalpa Suktam connotes and denotes the inherent Asura worship and asks to become ‘Asura’ in the previously mentioned sense. Parsu is the Vedic name for Persia. “ I would now speak to Rama, the incomparable seer of the world and also about Asura and the Maghavats”(Rig Veda 10/93/14). Ram was an honorable term in Iran (vide Rama Yasht). So if we try, we may find that Tantra and Avesta had a close connection in the matter of esoteric spiritualism.