Page 86 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

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CHAPTER Y

THE ANTELOPE'S HEAD

:\Irigashiras-lts oldest form and posttion-ldentitication of Rohini
and Rudra, etc.-Plutarch on the non-Egyptian origin of Orion, Canis
and Un;a-Methods of interpreting mythological legends-Storm and
dawn theories- Their insufficiency-Knowledge of the hea\'ens amongst
the ancient Aryas-Heaven and Hell, DeYa~ ina and Pi tri)'!lna-Joined
by equ ino,.es, the gates of HeaYen-Dogs at these gates-Kerbe ros and
Yama's dogs-The Chinnt bridge :md the dogs that guard it-Their
identilka tion with Canis Major :.!Dd Canis :'11inor, when the \'ernal
equino~ was in Orion-Cel esti al riYer and Charon's boat-Comparison
of the ~igYeda and the A\·esta dogs-Sarama :md Shunasirau-Dog
( . tar) com mencing the year- He\iacal and acronycal rising of Orion
in spring and autu m n-Vi,h~u and Rutlra-Kerberos and Orthros-The
lc.o.:~.: nc.l of Namuchi alitiS Vri tra- His dec.tl'i.tation by Indra at the gates
of hea \•en wh ere Orthros is stationed-Represen ted by the 'antelope's
head ' in the hean'ns, Yritra bei ng= :'IIriga-Compact between Indr
and Xamuchi-Watery foam-Its identification, with the :'ltilky Way-
Legends of Rudrli-How he killed Prajapati Yajna or Sacrifice at the
beginning of the year-Sh ulagaya sacrifice-Tistrya = '''i>tri. the t hree
star belt of Orion. The Hindu Trinity, D~ttatreya-Hi s represen ta t ion
in the sky.

The part of the heavens, which contains the Nak~hatras, we
have now to consider, is the most attractive and interesting in the
celestial sphere. Even a casual observer on a clear night is sure to
be attracted by its splendid appearance, and the rising of the sun
in this portion of the heavens at the beginning the year must hove
rendered it doubly attractive to the ancient Aryan observers. It
contains no less than five stars of the first magnitude including
Sirius and a number of the second, with the stream of the Milky
Way passing through them. Here there was a fine field for the virgin
imagination of the ancient poets and priests and the numerous
legends that exist in almost all the sections of the Aryan race about
this portion of the heavens fully show that they did not fail to make
use of this brilliant opportunity. I intend to examine some of these
legends in this chaP.ter with a view to see what corroborative
evidence we may get therefrom. If we can more naturally and easily
explain the legend~ that relate to this part of the heavens on the