Page 375 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

160 SAMAGRA TILAK- 2. THE ARCTIC HOME
" The cows held this sacrificial session, being hornless
(and) desiring to obtain horns. Their session lasted (for)
ten months; then when the horns grew (up), they said, 'We
have gained, let us rise, we have obtained the desire for which
we sat (commenced the session)'. Half, or as many, of them
as said, ' We shall certainly sit for the two twelfth ( two last)
months, ard rise after completing the year, ' ( some ) of them
had horns in the twelfth month by trust, ( while ) by distrusl
those that ( are seen ) hornless ( remained so ). Both, that is,
those who got horns, and those who obtained vigour ( urjam ),
thus attained their object. One who knows this, prospers, whe-
ther rising ( from the sacrifice ), in the tenth month or in the
twelfth. They indeed go by the path ( padena ) ; he going by the
path indeed attains ( the end ). This is that successful ayanam
( session). Therefore, it is go-sani ( beneficial to the cows ) ".
This passage, in its first part repeats the story given in the
previous Anuvdka of the Samhita and in the Aitareya Bn1hma~a
with slight variations. But the latter part contains two important
statements : firstly that whether we complete the sacrifice within
ten months or twelve months the religious merit or fruit obtained
is the same in either case, for both are said to prosper equally;
and secondly this is said to be the case because it is the ' path '
or as Saya~a explains " an immemorial custom. " The Samhita
is, in fact, silent as to the reason why an annual sattra which
ought to, and as a matter of fact does, now last for twelve months
could be completed in ten months; and this reticence is very
remarkable, considering how the Samhita· sometimes indulges
in speculations about the origin of sacrifici<d rites. Any how we
have two facts clearly established, ( 1 ) that at the time of the
Taittirtya Samhita the Gavam-aynam, the type of all annual Sattras,
could be completed in ten months; and ( 2 ) that no reason
was known at the time, as to why a Sattra of twelve months
could be thus finished in ten, except that it was ' an immemorial
custom'. The Ta~9ya Brahma~a IV, I, has a similar discussion
about Gavdm ayanam, and clearly recognises its two-fold chara·
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