Page 134 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

CHAPTER VII
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RIBHUS AND VRISHAKAPI
Knowledge of astronomy in Vedic times-The seasons and the
year-The ay.anas-The zodiacal belt or rir,,-Observation of a total
eclipse ~f the sun in the '-igveda-Knowledge of the· planets-Sh ukra
and Manthin-Venus and Vena, Shukra and Kupris-The legend of the
seasons of the year-Their sleep or rest in Agohya's (sun's) house for
r2 intercalary da.vs-said to be awakened by dog l ~ig. i. r6r. I 3 ) at
the end of the year-Indicates the commencement of the year w.;ith.the
dog-star-Nature and character of VrishAkapi-His identification w"ith
the sun at the autumnal equinox-The hymn of VrishAkapi .. in the
~igveda x. Scr-Its meaning discussed verse by verse-Cessation and com-
mencement of sacrifices on the appearance and disappearance of
VrishAkapi in the form of a M1iga-IndrAI}l cuts off hi> head and sets a
d(lg at his c:ar-Orion ( Mr gaahiras) and Canis-Meaning of n:dh·as in
the Vedic literature-When Vrishlkapi enters the house of Jndra, his
Mriga becomes invisible ( \lig. x. 86. 22 )-Points to the nrnal equinox
in Onon or Mriga-Leading incidents in the story sta~ed and explained.

It is said that we cannot suppose that the Vedic bards were
acquainted even with the simplest motions of heavenly bodies.
The statement, however, is too general and vague to be criticised
and examined. If it is intended to be understood in the sense that
the complex machinery of observation which the modern astro-
nomers possess and the results which they, have obtained thereby
were unknown in early days, then I think there cannot be two
opinions on that point. But if by it is meant that the Vedic poets
were ignorant of everything except the sun and the dawn, ingno-
rant of the Nakthatras, ignorant of month, ayanas, years and so
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on, then there is no authority O! support for such a supposition
in the ~igveda. On the contrary, we find that some of the
Nakthatras are specifically named, such as Arjun£ and Agha in ~ig.
x. 85. 13, while the same hymn speaks generally of the Nak-
~hatras, and the motions of the moon and the sun as causing the
seasons. In ~ig. i. 164 we have again several references to the
seasons, the year and the number of days contained in jt ( verse
48) and according to Yaska, perhaps to the ayanas ( Nirukta 7.
24 ). I have in a previous chapter refer~ed to the passages in the
~igveda, which mention the Devayana and the Pitriyana, the old