Page 370 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE COWS' WALK 155
sap, full of food and quite hot. The Aitareya Brc\hmav.a ( I, 22 )
gives us a rational of this ceremony as follows : " The milk in the
vessel is the seed. This seed ( in the shape of milk ) is poured in
Agni ( fire ) as the womb of the gods for production, Jor Agni is
the womb of the gods. " This explanation proves the symbolic
nature of the ceremony, and shows that the sun, the sacrifice or the
year is thus preserved as seed for time, and then revived at the pro-
per season. The Mantra or the verse, which is recited on the occa-
sion of pouring the milk into the Mahavira is taken from the J.ljg-
Veda VIII, 72 ( 61) 8, and it is very likely that the verse was selected
not simply on account of mere verbal correspondence. The hymn,
where the verse occurs, is rather obscure. But the verse itself, as
well as the two preceding verses ( VIII, 72 ( 61 ), 6- 7 - 8 ) present
no verbal ditliculty and may be translated as follows :
" 6. And now that mighty and great chariot of his with
horses ( as well as ) the line of his chariot, is seen. "
" 7. The seven milk the one, and the two create the five, on
the ocean's loud-sounding bank. "
" 8. With the ten of Vivasvat, Indra by his three-fold hammer,
caused the heaven's bucket to drop down." *
Here, first of all, we are told that his ( sun's ) chariot, the great
chariot with horses has become visible, evidently meaning that the
dawn has made its appearance on the horizon. Then the seven,
probably tlie seven Bottis, or seven rivers, are said to milk this
dawn and produce the two. This milking is a familiar process in
the Rig-Veda and in one place the cows of the morning are said to be
milked from darkness (I, 33, 10 ). The two evidently mean day
and night and as soon as they are milked, they give rise to the
five seasons. The day and the night are said to be the two mothers
of Surya in III, 55, 6, and here they are the mothers of the five
seasons. What becomes after the expiry of the seasons is described
in the eighth verse. It says that with the ten ofVivasavat, or with the
lapse of ten months, Indra with his three-fold hammer shook down
the heavenly jar. This means that the three storing places of the
arial waters (VII, 101, 4) were all emptied into the occean at this
time and along with it the sun also went to the lower world, for

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