Page 345 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

130 SAMAGRA TILAK - 2 • THE ARCTIC HOME
though the Vedic people lived later on in places presided over by
the twelve Adityas. That is how ancient trarntions are preserved
everywhere, as, for instance, those relating to the older year in the
Egyptian literature, previously· referred to.
We have seen above that the peculiar characteristic of the
Arctic region is the varying number of the months of sunshine
in that place. It is not, therefore, enough to say that traces of a
period of seven months' sunshine are alone found in the Rig-
Veda. If our theory is correct, we ought, to find references to
periods of eight, nine or ten months' sunshine along with that
of seven months either in the shape of traditions, or in some other
form; and fortunately there are such references in the :{{ig-Veda,
only if we know where to look for them. We have seen that
the sun's chariot is said to be drawn by seven horses, and that this
seven-fold character of the sun has reference to the seven suns
conceived as seven different month-gods. There are many other
legends based on this seven-fold division, but as they do not
refer to the subject under discussion, we must reserve their conside-
ration for another occasion. The only fact necessary to be mentioned
in this place is that the number of the sun's horses is said to be
not only seven ( I, 50, 8 ), but also ten in IX, 63, 9; and if the
first be taken to represent seven months, the other must be
understood to stand for ten months as well. We need not, however,
depend upon such extension of the legend of seven Adityas to
prove that the existence of nine or ten months of sunshine was
known to the poets of the ~ig-Veda. The evidence, which I am
now going to cite, comes from another source, I mean, the
sacrificial literature, which is quite independent of the legend
of the seven Adityas. The Rig-Veda mentions a number of
ancient sacrificers styled ' our fathers ' ( II, 33, 13; VI, 22, 2 ), who
instituted the sacrifice in ancient times and laid down, for the
guidance of man, the path which he should, in future, follow.
Thus the sacrifice offered by Manu, is taken as the type and
other sacrifices are compared with it in I, 76, 5. But Manu wa,
not alone to offer this ancient sacrifice to the gods. In X, 63, 7,
he is said to have made the first offerings to the gods along with
the seven Hoq:·is; while A~giras and Yayati are mentioned with
him as ancient sac~ficers in I, 31, 17, Bhrigu and Ailginis in Vllls
43, 13, Atharvan a11d Dadhy:1fich in I, 80, 16 and Dadhyafich,