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

CONTENTS. xvii PAGE was an ancient practice—Plainly indicates an ancient sacrificial year of ten months—Comparison with the old Roman year of ten months or 304 days—How the rest of 360 days were disposed of by the Romans not yet known—They represented a long period of darkness according to the legend of the Dashagvas—Thus lead- ing to the Arctic theory —Prof. Max Muller on the threefold nature of cows in the Vedas —Cows as animals, rain and dawns or days in the Ṛig-Veda—Ten months' Cows' walk thus means the ten months' duration of ordinary days and nights —350 oxen of Hêlios—Implies a night of ten days—The stealing of Apollon's oxen by Hermes—Cows stolen by Vṛitra in the Vedas—Represent the stealing of day-cows thereby causing the long night—Further sacrificial evidence from the Vedas—Classification of the Soma- sacrifices—Difference between Ekâha and Ahîna—A hundred nightly sacrifices—Annual Sattras like the Gavâm-ayanam—Mo- del out-line or scheme of ceremonies therein—Other modifica- tions of the same—All at present based upon a civil year—But lasted for ten months in ancient times—Night-sacrifices now in- cluded amongst day-sacrifices—The reason why the former ex- tend only over 100 nights is yet unexplained—Appropriately ac- counted for on the Arctic theory—Soma juice extracted at night in the Ati-râtra, or the trans-nocturnal sacrifice even now—The analogy applied to other night-sacrifices—Râtri Sattras were the sacrifices of the long night in ancient times—Their object—Soma libations exclusively offered to Indra to help him in his fight against Vala—Shata-râtra represented the maximum duration of the long night—Corroborated by Aditi's legend of seven months' sunshine—Explains why Indra was called Shata-kratu in the Pu- râṇas—The epithet misunderstood by Western scholars—Similar- ity between Soma and Ashvamedha sacrifices— The epithet Shata-kratu, unlike other epithets, never paraphrased in the Ve- das—Implies that it was peculiar or proper to Indra—Dr. Haug's view that kratu, means sacrifice in the Vedas—Hundred forts or puraḥ (cities) of Vṛitra—Explained as hundred seats of darkness or nights—Legend of Tishtrya's fight with Apaosha in the Avesta —Only a reproduction of Indra's fight with Vṛitra—Tishtrya's fight described as lasting from one to a hundred nights in the Avesta—Forms an independent corroboration of hundred nightly Soma sacrifices — The phrase sato-karahe found in the Avesta —The meaning and nature of Ati-râtra discussed—Means a trans- nocturnal Soma sacrifice at either end of the long night—Produc- tion of the cycle of day and night therefrom—Hence a fitting in-