Page 90 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE ANTELOPE'S HEAD 77
we may make _out of the stars in the constellation of Orion, one
should be of an antelope's head with the arrow sticking to it to
represent the cut off head of M"iga and not as the present con-
figuration supposes both the body and the head of Mtiga together
and unseparated.

I have in what bas gone above presumed that the asterism of
Mrigashiras must be looked for in the constellation of Orion and
that the legends of Rudra and Prajapati refer to this constellation.
~- Some scholars, however, doubt the correctness of this assumption;
and so far as absolute certainty is concerned their doubts may be
justifiable. For Vedic hymns were not committed to paper till a
long time after they were sung and there is of course no possibility
of finding therein a photograph of the portion of the heavens re-
ferred to in the various hymns. All that we can, therefore, do is
to weigh the probabilities of the proposed indentifications; and if
this course be adopted I do not think any reasonable doubts could
be entertained about the identification of Mrigashiras with the
constellation of Orion. To quote the words of Prof. Whitney
' there is the whole story illustrated in the sky; the innocent and
the lovely Rohi~ ( Aldebaran ) ; the infamous Prajapati (Orion)
in full career after her, but laid sprawling by the three-jointed
arrow ( the belt of Orion ), which shot from the hand of the near
avenger (Sirius) is even now to be seen sticking in his body. With
this tale coming down to us from the first period of Nak~hatras
jn India who could have the least doubt of its persistent identity
from the earliest times to the latest ?'* I subscribe to every word
.of what is here so forcibly expressed. Of course, we may expect
:Some variations of details as the story got degenerated into
.Pura!)iC legends; but it is imposible to mistake the general identity.
l shall tbe~efore not unnecessarily dwell upon it here.
We have seen how Mrigashiras may have been primitively
.conceived. After this it is not difficult to identify the other stars .

. (see the next chapter). Of these three forms I consider the 'antelope's
head' to be the oldest. It 'rill be seen that tht:y are the developments
.of the sall\e idea.
• See Prof. Whitney's Essays on Hindu and Chinese systems of
~oster.sms, p. _5.3.