Page 151 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

136 SAMAGRA TILAK - 2 • 11IE ORION
when it rose at the beginning of night, it was the autumnal equi-
nox, the end of the Devayana. Now all DeJa-ceremonies and
sacrifices could be begun and performed only during the Deva-
ylna, • or, as we find it in later traditions, only in the Uttarayapa.
The acronycal rising of Orion was thus a signal to stop such
ceremonies, and oblations could properly be said to have been
spoilt by the appearance of this constellation at the beginning
of night.t But above all the burden of the song " lndra is uttara
of all, " becomes specially appropriate in this case. The word
alttara does not here mean superior, but "upper" implying that
lndra ~the upper or the northern portion of the universe,
though the sun or V rithAkapi may go down. I would therefore
transJ,ate the/ first verse thus :-" Where my friend v rithakapi
rcdoicec! in the wealth of the Aryans, they gave up sacrificing and
did not resPect Indra. lndra is (however) in t!te upper ( i. e·
northern ) part of the universe. ":t
VERSE 2~Indra is here reproached for following up Vri'ha
kapi, though he has offended lndraQl. Says she to Indra : " 0
lndra I (how is it that) you run down fast after Vrithakapi and
do not go anywhere else to drink soma. lndra is, etc."
The word pard in this verse seems to denote the region where
V ri~hlkapi has gone. Pard vat is often said to be the place in the
distant or lower portion of the sphere and is thus contrasted with
arvdvat ( ~ig. viii. 13. 15) In ~ig. viii. 33. 10 Indra is said to be
Vri~ in thepardvat and also in the arvavat regions. lndra is
again very often spoken of as going to distant regions to see
whether V ritra is duly killed. The same fact appears to be here
expressed in a different form.
-- ·--------
• Jaimini Mim. Dar. vi, g. 23, and other authorities cited in
Chap. II.
t If Vritra is correctly identified with the constellation of Mriga-
sbiras, we may on the same theory also explain why be is called
J,Jokllas:J'U In '-ig. x. 73· 7· The appearance of Mriga, at the beginning
of mgbt, ind1cate<.l the commencement of the Dikshil}iyana when
sacrifices were stopped. Vritra alias Mriga might thus come to be
regarded as a destroyer of ~he sacrifices.
t If Vri,btkaplyt Is to be at all introduced hs the dialogue, we
may assign tbia verse to her. The phrases, "my friend" and "did not
respect lndra," ·would be more appropriate in her mouth than in that
of lndra or lndrl~l.