Orion, or, Researches into the antiquity of the Vedas / by Bal Gangadhar Tilak.

  • Bal Gangadhar Tilak
Date:
1916
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Orion, or, Researches into the antiquity of the Vedas / by Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    17T ^ erse 1.—The verse has been differently interpreted by different writers. Yaska (13. 4.) interprets it as referring to the rays of the sun, which (the rays) deem themselves perfectly independent of the luminary by which they were sent out. Sayana ascribes it to Indra who says '‘that sacriiicers, allowed by me to sacrifice to Vrishakapi, have disregarded me, but are praising the lord Vrishakapi who is delighted, as my friend, in the sacrifices, where plenty of Soma is used ; [ but notwithstanding] this Indra is superior to all.77 Madhava Bhatta, whom Sayana mentions with respect, however thinks otherwise. He considers that the verse is addressed by Indrani to Indra, when she perceived that the sacrifices have ceased to sacrifice on account of the oblations being spoiled by an animal repre¬ senting Vrishakapi. He would, therefore, thus interpret the verse. Says Indrani, “In places of plenty where lord V rishakapi revels, sacrifices have given up sacrificing and disregarded Indra. My friend Indra is superior to all.” V hen the very first verse is thus interpreted in three different ways, one can easily attribute the difference to an imperfect percejjtion of the bearing of the whole hymn, do me Madhava Bhatta alone appears to have taken into consideration the verses that follow. Thus the fifth verse of the hymn states that the things of Indrani were spoilt bv Vrishakapi in the form of an animal, and consequently he was beheaded. I should, however, like to refer to verse 2ff wherein Vrishakapi is told that when he ajipears ag*ain. sacrifices would be performed. This evidently implies that they were stopped before and were to be commenced again on the re-appearance of Vrishakapi. The first verse there¬ fore must be interpreted to mean that “the sacrifices are stopped.” The root srij with vi may mean either to 12
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