Page 336 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

CHAPTER VII
MONTHS AND SEASONS

Evidence of rejected calender generally preserved in sacrificial
rites by conservative priests-Varying number of the months of
sunshine in the Arctic region-Its effect on sacrificial sessions con.
sidered-Sevenfold character of the sun in the Vedas-The legend of
Aditi-She presents her seven sons to the gods and casts away the
eighth-Various explanations of the legend in Bnlhma~s and the
Taittirlya AraJ].yaka-Twelve suns understood to be the twelve month-
gods in the later literature-By analogy seven suns must have once
indicated seven months of sunshine-Different suns were believed to
be necessary to produce different seasons-Aditi's legend belongs to the
former age, or }Iilvyamyug.zm-Evidence from sacrificial literature-The
families of sacrificers in primtval times-Called 'our ancient
fathers' in the ~ig-Veda-AtharvaJ]. and Angiras traced to Indo-
European period-Navagvas and Dashagvas, the principal species of
the Angirases-Helped Indra in his fight with Val a-They finished
their sacrificial session in ten months-The sun dwelling in darkness-
Ten months' sacrifices indicate only ten months of sunshine,
followed by the long night-Etymology of Navagva and Dashagva-
According to Sayai;Ja the words denote persons sacrificing for
nine or ten months-Prof. Lignana's explanation improbabie-The
adjectives Vinipas applied to the Angirases-Indicates other varieties
of these sacrificers-Saptagu or seven Hotris or Vipras-Legend of
Dirghatamas-As narrated in the Mahabharata-A protege of Ashvlnas
m the ~ig-Veda-Growing old in the tenth yuga-Meaning of
yuga discussed-iJf .i'nu~ha yuga means ' human ages ', not always
'human tribe' in the ~ig-Veda-Two passages in proof thereof
-Interpretation of Western scholars examined and rejected-11/.inuslza
yug.: denoted months after the long dawn and before the long night-
Dlrghatamas represents the sun setting m the tenth month-A-Ia1msha
yug,: and continuous nights-The five seasons in ancient times-A ~ig­
Veda passage bearing on it discussed-The year of five seasons described
as residing in waters-Indicates darkness of the long night-Not made
up by combining any two consecutive season~ out of six-The explana-
tion in the Brahmal).aS improbable-Summary.

STARTING with the tradition about the half yearly night of
the Gods found everywhere in Sanskrit literature, and also in the
A vesta, we have found direct references in Rig-Veda to a long
continuous dawn of thirty days, the long day and the long night.