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

THE VEDIC DAWNS. 99
of dawns mentioned as ‘dwelling in the same abode.’ A third
dawn is spoken in the third verse, followed by the fourth and the
fifth dawn. The five dawns are then said to have five sisters each,
exclusive of themselves, thus raising the total number of dawns
to thirty. These ‘thirty sisters’ (triṁshat svasâraḥ) are then
described as ‘going round’ (parî yanti) in groups of six each, keep-
ing up to the same goal (nishkṛitam). Two verses later on, the
worshipper asks that he and his follower should be blessed with
the same concord as is observed amongst these dawns. We are
then told that one of these five principal dawns is the child of
Ṛita, the second upholds the greatness of Waters, the third
moves in the region of Sûrya, the fourth in that of Fire or
Gharma, and the fifth is ruled by Savitṛi, evidently showing
that the dawns are not the dawns of consecutive days. The last
verse of the Anuvâka sums up the description by stating that the
dawn, though it shines forth in various forms, is but one in reality.
Throughout the whole Anuvâka there is no mention of the rising
of the sun or the appearance of sun-light, and the Brâhmaṇa
makes the point clear by stating “There was a time, when all
this was neither day nor night, being in an undistinguishable state.
It was then that the Gods perceived these dawns and laid them
down, then there was light ; therefore, it brightens to him and
destroys his darkness for whom these (dawn-bricks) are placed. ”
The object of this passage is to explain how and why the dawn-
bricks came to be laid down with these Mantras, and it gives the
ancient story of thirty dawns being perceived by the Gods, not
on consecutive days, but during the period of time when it was
neither night nor day. This, joined with the express statement
at the end of the Anuvâka that in reality it is but one dawn,
is sufficient to prove that the thirty dawns mentioned in
the Anuvâka were continuous and not consecutive. But, if