Page 364 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

MONTHS AND 'SEASONS 149
m:a~sas it was not definitely known or settled which two seasons
out of six should be compounded to reduce the number to five:
but as five seasons were sometimes mentioned in the Vedas, some
explanation was felt to be necessary to account for the smaller
number and such explanation was devised by taking together any
two consecutive seasons out of six and regarding them as one joint
season of four months. But the explanation is too vague to be
true; and we cannot believe that the system of compounding any
two seasons according to one's choice was.ever followed in practice:
We must, therefore, give up the explanation as unsatisfactory and
see if the verse from the ~ig-Veda, quoted above, enables us to
find out a better explanation of the fact that the seasons were once
held to be five. Now the first half of this verse describes the five-
footed father as full of watery vapours in the farther part of heaven,
while the year -of six-spoked car is said to be far-seeing. In short,
pur£~hinam (full of, or dwelling in waters ) in the first line appears
to be a counterpart of vichakS;haffam ( far-seeing ) in the second
line. This is made clear by the verses which follow. Thus the 13th
verse in the hymn speaks of " the five-spoked wheel " as remaining
entire and unbroken though ancient and the next or the 14th verse
says that " the unwasting wheel with its felly revolves; the ten
draw (it) yoked over the expanse. The sun's eye goes covered with
rajas (aerial vapour); all worlds are dependent on him."* Com-
paring this with the 11th verse first quoted, it may be easily seen
that pur£~hiffam (full of watery vapours) and rajasu dvritam (cover-
ed with rajas ) are almost synonymous phrases and the only
inference we can draw from them is that the five-footed year-god
or the sun went to dwell in watery vapours i. e. became invisible,
or covered with darkness and ( rajas ), for some time in the farther
part of the heaven. The expression that " The ten, yoked, draw
his carriage," (also cf. ~ig. IX, 63, 9) further shows that the five
seasons were not made by combining any two consecutive seasons
out of six as explained in the Brahamapas ( for in that case the
number of horses could not be called ten), but that a real year of
five seasons or ten months was here intended. When the number of
seasons became increased to six, the year-god ceased to be pur£hi~n

• ~ig. I, 164. r3 and 14-t:RT"( :;f.fi qftq~ -er~r ~J<fifrf.'t rl'lfl I
~ Wfl~~~ <{ft~11\:: ~ Of ~4~ 6ifff~: II if.ff'if 'iftili~ rl Cfi'B a''ffi"fl~·
~ ~ ~ 1 ~q~ ~ \:iif~(<if'!~ ~~flterr ~rfir fctJI:fr 11