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

170 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS.
Vedic legends. But I take up here the legend of Dîrgha-
tamas because we have therein an express statement as to the
life of Dîrghatamas, which remarkably corroborates the con-
clusion we have arrived at from the consideration of the story
of the Dashagvas. The story of Dîrghatamas is narrated in
the Mahâbhârata, Âdiparvan, Chap. 104. He is said to be the
son of Mamatâ by Utathya, and born blind through the curse of
Bṛihaspati his uncle. He was, however, married and had several
sons by Pradveṣhî. The wife and the sons eventually became
tired of feeding the blind Dîrghatamas ( so called because he
was born blind ), and the sons abandoned him afloat on a worn-
out raft in the Ganges. He drifted on the waters for a long time
and distance, when at last the king Bali picked him up. Dîrgha-
tamas then had several sons born to him from a dâsî or a female
slave, and also from the wife of Bali, the sons of Bali's wife be-
coming kings of different provinces. In the Ṛig-Veda Dîrgha-
tamas is one of the proteges of the Ashvins, and about 25 hymns
in the first Maṇḍala are ascribed to him. He is called Mâmat-
eya, or the son of Mamatâ in I, 152, 6, and Uchathya's offspring
in I, 158, 4. In the latter hymn he invokes the Ashvins for the
purpose of rescuing him from the ordeals of fire and water to-
which he was subjected by the Dâsa Traitana. In I, 147, 3 and
IV, 4, 13, Agni is, however, said to have restored to Dîrgha-
tamas his eyesight. But the statement need not surprise us as
the achievements of one deity are very often ascribed to
another in the Ṛig-Veda. Dîrghatamas does not stand
alone in being thus rescued by the Ashvins. Chyavâna is
spoken of as another protege of the Ashvins, and they are
said to have restored him to youth. Vandana and a host of others
are similarly mentioned as being saved, rescued, cured, protected
or rejuvenated by the Ashvins. All these achievements are now
understood as referring to the exploit of restoring to the sun