Page 388 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE COWS' WALK 173

of 360 days ? Admitting that ' night ' means ' day ', we have Soma
sacrifices lasting from 1 to 100 days; and if so where was the harm to
complete the series until the yearly Sattra of 360 days was reached ?
So far as I kvow, no writer on sacrificial ceremonies has attempted
to answer this question satisfactorily. Of course adopting the
speculative manner of the Bnl.hma~as we might say that there are
no Soma sacrifices of longer than one hundred nights' duration,
because the life of a man cannot extend beyond a hundred years,
( Tait. Br. III, 8, 16, 2 ). But such an explanation can never be
regarded as satisfactory, and the Mimamsakas, who got over one
difficulty by interpreting ' night ' into ' day ' have, practically left
this latter question untouched, and therefore, unsolved. In short
the case stands thus :-The sacrificial literature mentions a series
of 99 or practically one hundred Soma sacrifices, called the ' night-
sacrifices '; but these do not form a part of any annual Sattra like,
the Gavam-anyanam, nor is any reason assigned for their separate
existence, nor is their duration which never exceeds a hundred
nights, accounted for. Neither the authors of the Bd.hma~as nor
those of the Shrauta Sdtras, much less SAya~a and Yaska give us
any clue to the solution of this question; and the Mimamsakas,
after explaining the word 'night ' occurring in the names of these
sacrifices as equal to 'day' have allowed these night-sacrifices to
remain as an isolated group in the organised system of Soma
sacrifices. Under these circumstances it would no doubt, appear
presumptuous for any one to suggest an explanation, so many
centuries after what may be called the age of the Sattras. But I feel
that the Arctic theory which, we have seen is supported by strong
independent evidence, not only explains but appropriately accounts
for the original existence of this isolated series of a hundred Soma-
sacrifices; and I, therefore, proceed to give my view on the point.

It seems to me that if the word ratri in Ati-ratra is still under-
stood to mean' night' and that if the Ati-ratra sacrifice is even now
performed during the night, there is no reason why we should not
similarly interpret the same word in Dviratra, Tri-ratra etc. upto
Shata-ratra. The objection, that the Soma juice is not extracted
during the night, is more imaginary than real; for as a matter of
fact Soma libations are made in the usual way, during the Ati-ratra
sacrifice. The Ati-ratra sacrifice is performed at the beginning
and the end of every Sattra, and all the three libations of Soma are