Page 372 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE COWS' WALK 157
enough every detail concerning the sacrifices was closely watched
or accurately determined by the priests, who had the charge of
these ceremonies. It is true that in giving reasons for the pre,.
valence of a particular practice, these priests sometimes indulged
in speculation; but the details of the sacrifice were facts that were
settled in strict accordance with custom and tradition, whatever
explanations might be given in regard to their origin. But some-
times the facts were found to be so stubborn as to defy any explana-
tion, and the priests had to content themselves with barely record-
ing the practice, and adding that " such is the practice from times
immemorial . " It is with such evidence that we have now to deal
in investigating the duration of the annual Sattras in ancient times.
There are many annual Sattras like Adityanam-ayanam, Angir-
asam-ayanam, Gavam-ayanam, etc. mentioned in the Bd.hma~as
and the Shrauta Sutras; and, as observed by Dr. Haug, they seem
to have been originally established in imitation of the sun's yearly
course. They are the oldest of the Vedic sacrifices and their dura-
tion and other details have been all very minutely and carefully
noted down in the sacrificial works. All these annual Sattras are
not, however, essentially different from each other, being so many
different varieties or modifications, according to circumstances, of
a common model or type, and the Gavam-ayanam is said to be this
type; (vide, com. on Ashv. S. S. II, 7, 1 ). Thus in the Aitareya
Bn\hma~a ( IV, 17) we are told that " They hold the Gavam-aya-
nam, that is, the sacrificial session called the 'Cows' walk. ' The
cows are the Adityas (gods of the months). By holding the session
called the Cows' walk they also hold the Adityanam-ayanam ( the
walk of the Adityas )."* If we, therefore, ascertain the duration
of the Gavam-ayanam, the same rule would apply to all other
ann,ual Sattras and we need not examine the latter separately. This
Gavam-ayanam, or the Cows' walk, is fully described in three places.
Once in the Aitareya Brahma~a and twice in the faittirtya Sanihita.
We begin with the Aitareya Brahma~a (IV, 17 ), which describes
the origin and duration of the Sattra as follows :
" The cows, being desirous of obtaining hoofs and horns
held ( once ) a sacrificial session. In the tenth month ( of their
sacrifice ) they obtained hoofs and horns. They said, 'We have
• See Dr. Haug's Ait. Br~h. Vol. II p. 287. The original is as
Jollows-"T'll~im ~Rr I ilfCiT 9T ~ 6lf~ili49' ~ liRI' I