Page 423 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

204 SAMAGRA. TILA.K - 2 • THE ARCTIC HOME

of Vritra. Vritra is a cloud, a storm-cloud, or a rain-cloud
hovering in the sky, and by smiting it with his thunder-bolt
Indra may well be described as releasing the waters imprisoned
therein. But where are the cows which are said to be released
along with the waters ? The Nairuktas interpret cows to
mean waters; but in that case, the release of the waters and the
release of the cows cannot be regarded as two distinct effects.
The recovery of the dawn and the sun, along with the release
of waters, is however, still more difficult to explain by the Storm
theory, or, we might even say, that it cannot be explained at all.
Rain-clouds may temporarily obscure the sun, but the pheno-
menon is not one which occurs regularly, and it is not possible
to speak of the production of the light of the sun as resulting
from the breaking up of the clouds, which may only occasion-
ally obscure the sun. The recovery of the dawn, as a prize
of the conflict between Indra and Vritra simultaneously with
the release of waters, is, similarly, quite inexplicable by the
Storm theory. The rain-clouds usually move in the heavens,
and though we may occasionally find them on the horizon, it
is absurd to say that by striking the clouds Indra brought out
the dawn. I know of no attempt made by any scholar to explain
the four simultaneous effects of Indra's fight with Vritra by any
other theory. The Storm theory appears to have been suggest-
ed by the Nairuktas, because the release of water was suppos-
ed to be the principal effect of the conquest, and waters were
naturally understood to mean the waters, which we see every
day. But in spite of the efforts of the Nairuktas and Western
scholars, the simultaneous winning of light and waters still
remains unexplained. Macdonell ( Ved. Myth. p. 61 ) referring
to this difficulty observes, " There appears to be a confusion
between the notion of the restoration of the sun after the dark-
ness of the thunderstorm, and the recovery of the sun from
the darkness of the night at dawn.' The latter trait in the Indra
myth is most probably only an extension of the former. " It
this means anything, it is only a confession of the inability of
Vedic scholars to explain the four simultaneous effects of Indra's
conquest over Vritra by the Storm theory; and, strange to say,
they seem to attribute their failure, not to their own ingnorance
or inability, but to the alleged confusion of ideas on the part
of the Vedic bards.