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

XX CONTENTS. PAGE Hades—Legend of Ṛijrâshva—The slaughter of a hundred sheep represents the conversion of a hundred days into so many nights —The story of Saptavadhri or the seven-eunuch, praying for safe delivery after ten months of gestation—Remains unexplained up to the present—The interior of heaven and earth is conceived in the Veda as the womb in which the sun moves when above the horizon—Ten months' gestation thus represents the ten months when the Sun is above the horizon—Prayer for safe delivery in- dicates the perils of the long night—Riddle or paradox of a child becoming invisible as soon as born—The story of the hidden Agni refers to the same phenomenon—Probable origin of the Paurâṇic story of Kumâra or Kârttikeya —Superiority of the Arctic over the Vernal theory in explaining the legends of the Ashvins— The legend of Indra's stealing Sûrya's wheel —The meaning of dasha-prapitve discussed—Indicates darkness on the completion of ten months—Viṣhṇu's three strides—Different opinions about their nature quoted—Viṣhṇu's strides represent the yearly course of the sun —and his third invisible step represents the nether world— Viṣhṇu's opprobrious name, Shipiviṣhṭha—Represents the dark or the diseased sun during the long Arctic night—The three abodes of Savitṛi, Agni and the Ashvins compared to Vish- ṇu's third step—The legend of Trita Âptya—Trita, or the third, represents the third part of the year—The Indo-Germanic origin of the legend—The Âpas—Their character and nature de- scribed—Seven-fold and ten-fold division of things in the Vedic literature—Various instances of seven-fold and ten-fold division collected—This two-fold division probably due to the seven and ten months' period of sunshine in the Arctic region—The Dâsha- râjña fight—Represents struggle with the ten-fold division of darkness—Bṛihaspati and his lost wife in the Ṛig-Veda—The ten non-sacrificing kings and Râvaṇa compared—Mythical element in the Râmâyaṇa probably derived from the Vedic mythology—Ha- numân and Vṛiṣhâkapi—Was Râmayaṇa copied from Homer— Both may have a common source—Conclusion. . . . 297 CHAPTER XI THE AVESTIC EVIDENCE. Nature of Avestic evidence stated—Different views of scholars re- garding its character—Necessity of re-examining the subject—