Page:The Life of Lokamanya Tilak.djvu/417

 difficulty by thinking that the poet here refers to an eclipse. But during an eclipse, the sun is covered with the dark shadow of the earth and is not besides stationary. Sayana twists the meaning. But we need not be impatient to escape from the natural meaning of the verse. A long halt of the sun in the midst of the heaven is clearly described here and it refers to the long day of the Arctic region.

In the Samhita and the Brahmanas, the annual sattras, or yearly sacrificial sessions, are said to extend over twelve months. But this was impossible within the Arctic region, where the sun goes below the horizon for a number of months during the year, thereby producing the long night. The oldest duration of the annual sattras, if such were ever performed within the Polar regions, would therefore be shorter than twelve months. In other words, an annual sattra of less than twelve months would be the chief distinguishing mark of the older sacrificial system. As all the people can-not be expected to be stationed at the Pole, the months of sunshine will vary from seven to eleven for the inhabitants of the Arctic region; and the Arctic sacrificial year, would be made up of these months of sunshine. Let us now interpret the legend of Aditi or the seven Adityas (Suns). This legend expressly tells us that the oldest number of Adityas is seven. The sun is called seven horsed and in V, 45, 9 and his seven wheeled chariot is said to be drawn by seven bay steeds (I, 50, 8). The Atharva-Veda speaks of the "seven bright rays of the Sun (VII, 107, i). Sayana is unable to account for the number seven as applied to the rays. The cue to understand the legend can be had from Shatapatha