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

356 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS. Avesta by Anquetil; and many attempts have been made not only to identify the places mentioned therein, but to draw his- torical conclusions therefrom. Thus Heeren, Rhode, Lassen, Pictel, Bunsen, Haug and others have recognized in these ac- counts of the Vendidad, a half historical, half mythical re- miniscence of the primeval home and the countries known to the followers of the Avesta, when these Fargards were composed. Professor Spiegel at first took the same view as Rhode, but has latterly retracted his opinion. On the other hand, Kiepert, Breal, Darmesteter and others have shown that no historical conclusion can be drawn from the description contained in the first two chapters of the Vendidad; and this view seems to be now mainly accepted. But it must be borne in mind that this view was formulated at a time when the Vedic evidence in support of the Arctic theory, set forth in the previous chap- ters, was entirely unkown, and when the existence of an Arctic home in ancient times was not regarded as probable even on geological grounds, man being believed to be post- Glacial and the Arctic regions always unsuited for human habitation. The recent discoveries in Geology and Archæology have, however, thrown a flood of new light on the subject; and if the interpretation of the Vedic traditions noticed in the previous chapters is correct, it will, I think, be readily admitted that a reconsideration of the Avestic tradition from the new standpoint is a necessity and that we should not be deterred from undertaking the task by the recent verdict of Zend scholars against the views of Bunsen and Haug re- garding the historical character of the first two Fargards of the Vendidad. The first Fargard of the Vendidad is devoted to the enu- meration of sixteen lands created by Ahura Mazda, the Su- preme God of the Iranians. As soon as each land was created Angara Mainyu, the evil spirit of the Avesta, created different evils and plagues to invade the land and made it unfit for human