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

VEDIC MYTHS—THE CAPTIVE WATERS. 247 'conquering in the waters (apsu-jit)' is his exclusive attribute (VIII, 36, 1)."* As regards the abode of Vṛitra, we have (§ 68, A):— "Vṛitra has a hidden (ninya) abode, whence the waters, when released by Indra, escape, overflowing the demon (I, 32, 10). Vṛitra lies on the waters (I, 121, 11; II, 11, 9), or enve- loped by the waters, at the bottom (budhna) of the rajas or aerial space (I, 52, 6). He is also described as lying on a summit (sānu), when Indra made the waters to flow (I, 80, 5). Vṛitra has fortresses, which Indra shatters when he slays him (X, 89, 7), and which are ninety-nine in number (VIII, 93, 2; VII, 19, 5). He is called nadi-vrit, or encompasser of rivers (I, 52, 2), and in one passage parvata or cloud is described as being within his belly (I, 54, 10)." There are again passages (V, 32, 5 & 6) where Indra is said to have placed Shuṣhṇa, who was anxious to fight, "in the darkness of the pit," and slaughtered him "in the darkness, which was unrelieved by the rays of the sun," (asūrye tamasi). In I, 54, 10, darkness is said to have prevailed in Vṛitra's hollow side, and in II, 23, 18, Bṛihaspati, with Indra, is said to have hurled down, the ocean, which was "encom- passed in darkness," and opened the stall of kine. Finally in I, 32, 10, Vṛitra's body is said to have sunk in "long dark- ness," being encompassed with waters. This shows that the waters of the ocean, which was encompassed by Vṛitra, were not lighted by the rays of the sun. In other words, the ocean (arṇaḥ) which Vṛitra is said to have encompassed was different from the 'bright ocean' (shukram arṇaḥ), which the sun is said to have ascended in V, 45, 10. Vṛitra's ocean (arṇava) was enveloped in darkness (tamasā parivṛitam, II, 23, 18), while the ocean, which the sun ascended, was bright and shin- ing (shukram). Indra is again described as going to a very

• See Macdonell's Vedic Mythology, in Grundriss der Indo- Arischen Philologie und Altertumskunde, § 22 (Indra), pp. 58-61.