Page 373 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

158 SAMAGRA TILAK - 2 • THE ARCTIC HOME

obtained fulfilment of that wish for which we underwent the initia-
tion into the sacrificial rites. Let us rise ( the sacrifice being fini-
shed ). ' Those that arose, are these, who have horns. Of those,
who, however, sat ( continued the session ) saying, ' Let us finish
the year, 'the horns went off on account of their distrust. It is they,
who are hornless ( tuparaf:l ). They ( continuing their sacrificial
session) produced vigour ( urjam ). Thence after (having been
sacrificing for twelve months and ) having secured all the seasons,
they rose (again) at the end. For they had produced the vigour
( to reproduce horns, hoofs, etc. when decaying ). Thus the cows
made themselves beloved by all ( the whole world ), and are
beautified ( decorated ) by all. " *
Here it is distinctly mentioned that the cows first obtained the
fulfilment of their desire in ten months, and number of them left
off sacrificing further. Those, that remained and sacrificed for two
months more, are called ' distrustful, ' and they had to suffer
for their distrust by forfeiting the horns they had obtained. It
is. therefore, clear, that 1.his yearly Sattra, which in the Samhitas
and Bri.hma~as is a Sattra of twelve months in imitation of the
sun's yearly course, was once completed in ten months. Why
should it be so ? Why was a Sattra, which is annual in its very
nature and which now lasts for twelve months, once completed
in ten months ? How did the sacrificers obtain all the religious
merit of a twelve months' sacrifice by sacrificing for ten months
only ? These are very important questions; but the Aitareya Brah-
ma~a neither raises them, nor gives us any clue to their solution.
If we, however, go back to the Taittiriya Sarilhita, the oldest and
most authoritative work on the sacrificial ceremonies, we find the
questions distinctly raised. The Samhita expressly states that the
Gavam-ayanam can be completed in ten or twell•e months, according
to the choice of the sacrificer; but it plainly acknowledges its inabi-
lity to assign any reason how a Sattra of twelve months could be
completed in ten, except the fact that " it is an old practice sane-

• See Dr. Haug's Ait. Brah. Trans. Vol. II, p. 287. The passage is
as fol!ows-ii'T'i't ~ ~~I miT ~{jJ ffitn~~lel ~ +rrfe m;r:
~'TP'~i:IT<i~ I ID ~9"1:. ~~ <filliT~T~~~ d!JI~!!Iill'a I ID ~~ ~~lRdT
TJ:dT ~~s~ ~~= ~qflj-~r+r: &cm:Rfm;!rred" d'TBT+r~T ~<rrfot ~~~ 1 m
l!;dl~ '3i;;t ~'ffl~~ m: ~tl~fwtlRm('l{_~ ~"9'1:. ~ ~ lJICi:
3:r+rJuj ~~ ~ffi ;reT: I • ~ ~ :qmli ~~ ~ t;.i" ~ II