Page 515 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

296 SAMAGRA TILAK - 2 • THE ARCTIC HOME
Ganges ) to surround the earth, the one in the east and the
other in the west, ( Bundahish, XX), the Airyana Vaejo and
the Rangha must be taken to denote the eastern and the western
boundaries of the countries known to the ancient Iranians at
the time when the Fargard was composed. Spiegel also takes
the same view, and places Airyana Vaejo " in the farthest east
of the Iranian plateau, in the region where the Oxus and
Jaxartes take their rise;" and Darmesteter seems to quote with
approval the identification of the Rangha or the sixteenth land,
in the commentary on the Vendidad, with ArvastAn-i-Rum or
Roman Mesopotamia. The whole Fargard is thus taken to be
a geographical description of the ancient Iran, and Professor
Darmesteter-at the end of his introduction to the Fargard
observes, " It follows hence no historical conclusion can be
drawn from this description : it was necessary that it should
begin with the Vanguhi and end with the Rangha. To look to
it for an account of geographical migrations is converting cos-
mology into history." Bunsen and Haug, on the other hand,
maintain that the Airyana Vaejo represents the original home
of the Iranians in the far north, and the countries mentioned
in the Fargard must, therefore be taken to represent the lands
through which the Aryans passed after leaving their ancient
home. The first question which we have, therefore, to decide is
whether the Airyana Vaejo was merely the easternmost boun-
dary of the ancient Iran, or whether it was the primeval abode
of the Iranians in the far north. In the former case we may
take the Fargard to be merely a chapter on ancient geography
while if it is found impossible to locate the Airyana Vaejo
except in the far north, the countries from Samarkand and
Sughdha to Hapta HeDdu or the Panjaub mentioned in the
Fargard would naturally represent the route taken by the anci-
ent Iranians in their migrations from the ancient home.
Everything thus depends upon the view that we take of
the situation of the Airyana Vaejo; and we shall, therefore,
first see if there is anything in the Avestic description of
the land which will enable us to determine its position with
certainty.
It may be observed at the outset that the river Vanguhi
is not mentioned in their Fargard along with the Airyana Vaejo.
The original verse speaks only of the " good daitya of Airyana