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

XX CONTENTS. PAGE
Hades—Legend of Ṛijrâshva—The slaughter of a hundred sheep
represents the conversion of a hundred days into so many nights
—The story of Saptavadhri or the seven-eunuch, praying for safe
delivery after ten months of gestation—Remains unexplained up
to the present—The interior of heaven and earth is conceived in
the Veda as the womb in which the sun moves when above the
horizon—Ten months' gestation thus represents the ten months
when the Sun is above the horizon—Prayer for safe delivery in-
dicates the perils of the long night—Riddle or paradox of a child
becoming invisible as soon as born—The story of the hidden Agni
refers to the same phenomenon—Probable origin of the Paurâṇic
story of Kumâra or Kârttikeya —Superiority of the Arctic over
the Vernal theory in explaining the legends of the Ashvins—
The legend of Indra's stealing Sûrya's wheel —The meaning of
dasha-prapitve discussed—Indicates darkness on the completion of
ten months—Viṣhṇu's three strides—Different opinions about their
nature quoted—Viṣhṇu's strides represent the yearly course of the
sun —and his third invisible step represents the nether world—
Viṣhṇu's opprobrious name, Shipiviṣhṭha—Represents the dark or
the diseased sun during the long Arctic night—The three
abodes of Savitṛi, Agni and the Ashvins compared to Vish-
ṇu's third step—The legend of Trita Âptya—Trita, or the
third, represents the third part of the year—The Indo-Germanic
origin of the legend—The Âpas—Their character and nature de-
scribed—Seven-fold and ten-fold division of things in the Vedic
literature—Various instances of seven-fold and ten-fold division
collected—This two-fold division probably due to the seven and
ten months' period of sunshine in the Arctic region—The Dâsha-
râjña fight—Represents struggle with the ten-fold division of
darkness—Bṛihaspati and his lost wife in the Ṛig-Veda—The ten
non-sacrificing kings and Râvaṇa compared—Mythical element in
the Râmâyaṇa probably derived from the Vedic mythology—Ha-
numân and Vṛiṣhâkapi—Was Râmayaṇa copied from Homer—
Both may have a common source—Conclusion. . . . 297
CHAPTER XI
THE AVESTIC EVIDENCE.
Nature of Avestic evidence stated—Different views of scholars re-
garding its character—Necessity of re-examining the subject—