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

374 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS. stated above must, therefore, be taken to represent the Arctic climatic conditions prevailing in the ancient home in the far north ; and the correctness of the explanation is proved by the discussion in the foregoing chapters. With regard to the custom of kindling a fire on the ninth day of Din or the tenth month, noticed in the Bundahish, it seems to me that instead of taking it to be an indication that winter “has come,” it is better to trace its origin to the commencement of winter at that time in some part of the original home ; for if a fire is to be kindled there is greater propriety in kindling it to com- memorate the commencement of winter rather than the expiry of two out of five winter months. If the custom is so inter- preted, it will imply that a year of nine months and ten days was once prevalent in some part of the Aryan home, a conclu- sion well in keeping with the ancient Roman year of ten months. But apart from this suggestion, there is a striking coincidence between the Vedic and the Avestic tradition in this respect. According to the Bundahish (XXV, 20), the year is divided into four seasons of three months each, Farvardîn, Arḑavahisht and Horvadaḍ constituting the season of the spring ; Tîr, Amerôdaḍ and Shatvaîrô the summer ; Mitrô, Âvân and Âtarô the autumn ; and Dîn, Vohûman and Spen- darmaḍ, the winter. The fortieth day of Sharad or autumn would, therefore, represent the tenth day (Abân) of Avân ; and the Vedic statement discussed in the ninth chapter, that Indra's fight with Shambara commenced “ on the fortieth day of Sharad ” agrees well (only with a difference of ten days) with the statement in the Bundahish that the winter in the Airyana Vaêjo commenced with the month of Âvân the second month in autumn. We have thus a very close resem- blance between the Vedic and the Avestic tradition about the end of summer in the original Arctic home ; and the corres- ponding Roman and Greek traditions have been previously noticed. In. short, a year of seven or ten months sun-shine