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

184 THE ARCTIC HOME IN THE VEDAS.
be far-seeing. In short, purīshiṇam (full of, or dwelling in, waters)
in the first line appears to be a counterpart of vichakshaṇam
(far-seeing) in the second line. This is made clear by the verses
which follow. Thus the 13th verse in the hymn speaks of " the
five-spoked wheel " as remaining entire and unbroken though
ancient ; and the next or the 14th verse says that " the unwast-
ing wheel with its felly revolves ; the ten draw (it) yoked over
the expanse. The sun's eye goes covered with rajas (aerial
vapour) ; all worlds are dependent on him."* Comparing this
with the 11th verse first quoted, it may be easily seen that
purīshiṇam (full of watery vapours) and rajasā āvṛitam (covered
with rajas) are almost synonymous phrases, and the only in-
ference we can draw from them is that the five-footed year-
god or the sun went to dwell in watery vapours i. e., became
invisible, or covered with darkness (rajas), for some time in
the farther part of the heaven. The expression that " The
ten, yoked, draw his carriage," (also cf. Ṛig. IX, 63, 9) further
shows that the five seasons were not made by combining any
two consecutive seasons out of six as explained in the Brâh-
maṇas (for in that case the number of horses could not be
called ten), but that a real year of five seasons or
ten months was here intended. When the number of seasons
became increased to six, the year-god ceased to be
purīshin (full of waters), and became vichakshaṇam or far-see-
ing. We have seen that the sun, as represented by Dîrgha-
tamas, grew old in the tenth month, and riding on aerial
waters went into the ocean. The same idea is expressed in
the present verse which describes two different views about
the nature of the year, one of five, and the other of six sea-
sons, and contrasts their leading features with each other.

• Ṛig. I, 164, 13 & 14,—पञ्चारे चक्रे परिवर्तमाने तस्मिञ्छा तस्थुर्भुवनानि
  विश्वा । तस्य नाक्षस्तप्यते भूरिभारः सनादेव न शीर्यते सनाभिः ॥ सनेमि चक्र-
  मजरं वि वावृत उत्तानायां दश युक्ता वहन्ति । सूर्यस्य चक्षू रजसैत्यावृतं तस्मि-
  न्नार्पिता भुवनानि विश्वा ॥