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

VEDIC MYTHS—THE MATUTINAL DEITIES. 299
are, however, a number of different views held regarding the
nature and the character of these two gods. Some believe that
the natural basis of the Ashvins must be the morning star,
that being the only morning-light visible before fire, dawn and
sun; while others think that the two stars in the constellation
of Gemini were the original representatives of the twin gods.
The achievements of these gods are, however, generally explained
as referring to the restoration of the powers of the sun decayed
in winter; and an elaborate discussion of the Ashvins' exploits
on this theory will be found in the Contributions to the Science of
Mythology, (Vol. II, pp. 583-605), by Prof. Max Muller, published
a few years ago. It is beyond the scope of this work to
examine each one of the different legends connected with the
Ashvins, as Prof. Max Muller has done. We are concerned
only with those points in the legends which the Vernal or the
Dawn theory fails to explain, and which can be well accounted
for only by the Arctic theory; and these we now proceed to
notice.
Now, in the first place, we must refer to the part played by
the Ashvins in the great struggle or fight for waters and light,
which has been discussed in the previous chapter. The Ashvins
are distinctly mentioned in the sacrificial literature as one of
the deities connected with the Dawn (Ait. Br. II, 15); and we
have seen that a long laudatory song recited by the Hotṛi
before sunrise is specially devoted to them. The daughter
of Sûrya is also described as having ascended their car (I, 116, 17;
119, 5), and the Aitareya Brâhmaṇa, (IV, 7-9), describes a
race run by the gods for obtaining the Âshvina-shastra as a
prize; and the Ashvins, driving in a carriage drawn by
donkeys, are said to have won it in close competition with
Agni, Uṣhas and Indra, who are represented as making
way for the Ashvins, on the understanding that after win-
ning the race the Ashvins would assign to them a share in
the prize. The kindling of the sacrificial fire; the break