Page 108 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE ANTELOPE'S HEAD 95

the heart of Yajna or Sacrifice with an arrow. Thus piecrced the
Sacrifice, with fire, fled away in the form of an antelope and hav-
ing reached the sky there shines in that form, followed by Rudra. '
Thus it was that Rudra acquired the title of Sacrifice-breaker.
In the Ta(l~ya Brahma~a vii. 2. 1, the death of PrajApati is, how-
ever, spoken of as voluntary. In Taitt. Br. iii. 9. 22. I, he is said
to have assumed the form of Yajna and given himself upto the
Devas to be sacrified. The Devas killed him on their morning,
and so every one should similarly perform the Ashwamedha sacri-
fice at the beginning of the year. One can now understand what
the meaning of these stories is. They refer to the death of Praja-
pati by Rudra at the beginning of the year; and thus it was that
Yajna meaning the year was sacrificed by means of Yajna or,
Prajapati. Rig. x. 90. 16., where we_ are told that Gods sacri-
ficed Yajna by Yajna, but this (human sacrifice) was an old (out
of date) practice, may also be similarly interpreted. I cannot say
which of these legends is older, whether that of Prajapati sacri-
ficing himself, or of Rudra killing him at the beginning of the
year." But whichever of these be the older one it does not affect
our present question. Both of them indicate that Prajapati once
commenced the year and that he either willingly allowed himself
to be sacrificed or was killed by Rudra at that time. As another
indication of time, I may point out that the time, prescribed for
the sacrifice of Shftlagava in Ashvalayana Grihya Sfttras, 4. 9. 2,
is in Va~anta or Sharad with the asterism of Ardra. The passage,
as now understood, means that the sacrifice should be performed
on any day in Vasanta or Sharad when moon-whether full, half,
quarter or new-is near the asterism of Ardra, the star over which
Rudra presides. But it appears to me that here we have a tradi-
tion that the sacrifice was originally required to be performed
at the new or full moon in the vicinity of Ardra, in Vasanta or
Sharad, thus indicating that the Vernal equinox was near Ardra
when the sacrifice was originally established. When the seasons
receded Ardra new or full moon could not fall in Vasanta or
Sharad and therefore Ardra night afterwards came to mean any
night when the moon is near the asterism of Ardra in Vasanta
or Sharad. However, as the point is not quite satifactory, I shall

kad as m the Ye ic works. It appears, the ref ore, that the u'l ole ante-
lope· was consic:er'd to be in the h~?ayens at this time •
•