वेदों की प्राचीनता एवं काल-निर्णय / ओरायन (लोकमान्य बाल गंगाधर तिलक - खगोलीय वैदिक शोध)

THE COWS' WALK. 193 closely watched, or accurately determined by the priests, who had the charge of these ceremonies. It is true that in giving reasons for the prevalence of a particular practice, these priests some- times indulged in speculation; but the details of the sacrifice were facts that were settled in strict accordance with custom and tradition, whatever explanations might be given in regard to their origin. But sometimes the facts were found to be so stubborn as to defy any explanation, and the priests had to content themselves with barely recording the practice, and adding that "such is the practice from times immemorial." It is with such evidence that we have now to deal in investigating the duration of the annual Sattras in ancient times. There are many annual Sattras like Âdityânâm-ayanam, Aṅgirasâm-ayanam, Gavâm-ayanam, &c. mentioned in the Brâh- maṇas and the Shrauta Sûtras; and, as observed by Dr. Haug, they seem to have been originally established in imitation of the sun's yearly course. They are the oldest of the Vedic sacrifices, and their duration and other details have been all very minutely and carefully noted down in the sacrificial works. All these annual Sattras are not, however, essentially different from each other, being so many different varieties or modifications, according to circumstances, of a common model or type, and the Gavâm- ayanam is said to be this type, (vide, com. on Âshv. S. S. 11, 7, 1). Thus in the Aitareya Brâhmaṇa (IV, 17) we are told that "They hold the Gavâm-ayanam, that is, the sacrificial session called 'the Cows' walk.' The cows are the Âdityas (gods of the months). By holding the session called the Cows' walk they also hold the Âdi- tyânâm-ayanam (the walk of the Âdityas)."* If we, therefore, ascer- tain the duration of the Gavâm-ayanam, the same rule would apply to all other annual Sattras, and we need not examine the latter separately. This Gavâm-ayanam, or the Cows' walk, is fully

• See Dr. Haug's Ait. Brâh. Vol. II, p. 287. The original is as follows,—गवामयनेन यंति। गावो वा आदित्या आदित्यानामेव तदयनेन यंति.