Page 89 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

ahiraa itaelf be undentood to denote tbe three amall stars in the
bead of Orion. Invakas become identical with them and the dis·
tinction Jiven in Amara must be put aside as meaningless. I am,
therefore, of opinion that the asterism of Mtigashiras was once
really believed to possess the form of an antelope's head with an
arrow sticking to it. The mention of the arrow in these traditions
at once enables us to determine the form. for the arrow can be
readily and easily identified with the three stars in the belt of
Orion. The head with the arrow at the top must therefore be mado
up by talcing along with the belt the two stars in the knees and.
one in the left shoulder of Orion somewhat as below :-

It gives us the arrow pierced into the head and the three stars
in the belt are at the top of the antelope's bead-a position which
Amara assipls to InvaUs. I may further observe that the ancient
observers could not and would not have selected the three small
stars in the Orion's bead to form tlleir asterism when there were so
many stan of the first and second magnitude in the same portion
of the heavens. Then again w,batever the later astronomers may
say abo~t the junction stars in Mpgshiras, the three stars of that
asterism popularly pointed out, even at present, are those in the
belt and not in the head of Orion. I do not mean to imply that the
the asterism may not have been conceived and figured otherwise.
As a matter of fact we know that it was figured as a hunter or a
deer and there are goQd arounds to hold that these ate ancient
ideas. • All that I, ther~fore. mean is that of the various fisures

• The constellation appears to have been varll usly conceived
( I ) the antelope's head; ( :1 ) the whole antelope; ( 3 ) PrajApati erfher
in the form of an antelope or as a person with a belt or Yaj~tc