The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas

237 Pages·1898·23.744 MB·English

by  Bal Gangadhar Tilak

THE
ORION
OR RESEARCHES INTO
THE ANTIQUITY OF THE VEDAS
BY
BAL GANGADHAR
TILAK, B.A., LL.B.,
LAW LECTURER, AND PLEADER, POONA.
All rights reserved.
BOMBAY:
MRS, BiDHiBil iTMiRAM 8AGOON,
AND PUBLISHER.
'* ft '1893.
.jMA/iana. Vd, xiii.9, zairitem.
. Vd. viiu46, [ Seepages 1107 HL
Yi'^QiaL.1
am
43 t AIT-
HUNTED AT THB
EDUCATION SOCIETY'S STEAM PBJS88.
PREF ACE.
SOME explanation may be necessary for the publication
ofan essay on the antiquity of the Vedas by one whose
professional work lies in a different direction. About four
years ago, as I was reading the Bhagavad Gita, it occurred
to me that we might derive important conclusions from fche
statement of Krishna that ''he was Margashirsha of the
months. " This led me to inquire into the primitive Vedic
calendar, and the result offour years' labour isnow placed
before the public. The essay was originally written for
the Ninth Oriental Congress held in London last year.
But it was found too large to be insertedin the proceedings
wherein its summary alone is now included. I have had
therefore to publish it separately, and in doing so I have
taken the opportunity of incorporating into it such addi-
tions, alterations and modifications, as were suggested by
further thought and discussion.
The chiefresalt of my inquiry would be evident from the
titleofthe essay. The highantiquityof the Egyptian civi-
lizationis nowgenerally admitted. But scholars still hesi-
tate to place the commencement of the Vedic civilization
earlier than 2400 B.C. I have endeavoured to show
in the following pages that the traditions recorded in
the Rigveda unmistakably point to a period not later
than 4000 B.C., when the vernal equinox was in Orion, or,
in other words, when the Dog-star or the Dog as we have
(
it in the Rigveda) commenced the equinoctialyear. Many of
the Vedic texts and legends, quoted in support ofthis con-
clusion, have been cited in this connection and also ration-
IV PREFACE.
ally and intelligently explained for tho first time, tlius
throwing a considerable light on the legends and rites in
later Sanskrit works. I have farther tried to show how
these legends are strikingly corroborated by the legends
and traditions of Iran and Greece. Perhaps some of this
corroborative evidence may not be regarded as sufficiently
conclusive by itself, but in that case I hope it will be borne
in mind that my conclusions are not based merely upon my-
thological or philological coincidences, and if some of these
are disputable, they do not in any way shake the validity
of the conclusions based on the express texts and references
scattered over the whole Vedic literature. I wanted to
collect together all the facts that could possibly throw any
light upon, or be shown to be connected with the question
in issue, and ifin so doing I have mentioned some "that are
not as convincing as the others, 1 am sure that they will at
least be found interesting, and that even after omitting
them there will be ample evidence to establish the main
point. I have, therefore, to request my critics not to be
Iprejudiced by such facts, and to examine Mid weigh the
Iwhole evidence I have adduced in support of my theory
before they give their judgment upon it,
I have tried to make the book as little technical as pos-
sible but I am afraid that those who are not acquainted
|
withtJie Hindumethod ofcomputing time may still find ife
somewhat difficult to follow the argument in a few places.
Ifmy conclusions come to be accepted and th seeoticl
edition ofthe book be called for, these defects ffiay T^e
removed by adding further explanations in such oftff6&>;- At
present I have only attempted to give the maiti argument
on the assumption that the reader is already familiar with
the method, I may further remark that though I have
PREFACE. V.
used the astronomical method, yet a comparison with Bent-
ley's work will show that the present essay is more literary
than astronomical in its character. In other words, it is the
Sanskrit scholars who have first ofall to decide ifmy inter- /
pretations of certain texts are correct, and when this judg-
ment is once given it is not at all difficult to astronomically
calculate the exact period ofthe traditions in the Rigveda.
I do not mean to say that no knowledge of astronomy is
necessary to discuss the subject, but on the whole it would
be readily seen that the question is one more for Sanskrit t
scholars than for astronomers to decide. '
Some scholars may doubt the possibility of deriving so
important and far-reaching conclusions from the data
furnished by the hymns of the Rigveda, and some may
think that I am taking the antiquity of the Vedas too far
back. Bat fears like these are out ofplace in a historical
or scientific inquiry, the sole object ofwhich should be to
searchforandfind outthe truth, The methodofinvestigation
followed by me is the same as that adopted by Bentley,
Colebrooke and other well-known writers on the subject,
and, in my opinion, the ojaly question that Sanskrit scholars
have now to decide, is whether I am or am not justified in
carrying it a step further than my predecessors, indepen-
dently of any modifications that may be thereby made
necessary in the existing hypothesis on the subject.
I have omitted to mention in the essay that a few native
scholars have tried to ascertain the date ofthe MaMbh&rata,
and the Rkn&yana from certain positions of the sun, the
moon and the planets given in those works. For instance,
the horoscope of R&ma and the positions of the planets at
thetime ofthegreat civil war, aa found in the Mah&bh&rata,
VI PREFACE.
are said to point to aperiod of 5000 or 6000 B. C., and it is
contended that the Vedas which preceded these works
mast be older still. Bentley relying on the same data has
calculated 961 B. C. as the exact date of Rama's birth.
This will show how unsafe it is to act upon calculations
|
based upon such loose statements. Sometimes the accounts
\]
in the Puranas are themselves conflicting, but even where
they are or can be made definite any conclusions based on
them are not only doubtful, but well nigh useless for chro-
nological purposes, for in the first instance they are open
to the objection that these works may not have been
written by eye-witnesses ( the mention of Edshis in the
Bamayana directly supporting such an assumption ) , and,
secondly, because it is still more difficult to prove that
we now possess these books in the form in which they were
originally written. With regard to the positions of the
planets at the time ofthe war given in the Mahabharata,
the statements are undoubtedly confused but apart from
;
it, I think that it is almost a gratuitous assumption to hold
that all ofthem really give us the positions of the planets
in the ecliptic and that such positions again refer to the
fixed and the moveable zodiacal portions of the Nakshatras.
Perhaps thewriters simply intend to mention all auspicious
orinauspicious positions of the planets in such cases. I
have therefore avoided all such debatable and doubtful
points by confining myselfsolely to the Vedic works, about
the genuineness ofwhich there can be no"doubt, and using
the Puranic accounts onlyto corroboratetheresultsdeduced
from the Vedic texts. According to this view the Maha-
bharafeawarmust be placed in the Krittika period, inas-
much as we are told that Bhishma was waiting for the
turning of the sun from the winter solstice in the month
PREFACE. Vll
of Magha. The poem* as we now have it, is evidently
written a long time after this event.
Lastly, I have toexpress my obligations to several friends
for encouraging me to carry on the inquiry and helping me
in one way or another to complete this essay. My special
thanks are however due to Dr. Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandar-
kar, who kindly undertook to explain to me the views of
German scholars in regard to certain passages from the
Rigveda, and to Khan BahadurDr. DasturHoshangJamasp
for the ready assistance he gave in supplying information
contained in the original Parsi sacred books. I am also
M
greatly indebted to Prof. Max tiller for some valuable
suggestions and critical comments on the etymological
evidence contained in the essay. I am, however, alone
responsible for all the views, suggestions, and statements
made in the following pages.
With these remarks I leave the book in the hands of
critics, fully relying upon the saying of the poet
"
The fineness or the darkness of gold is best tested in
"
fire. It is not likely that my other engagements will
permit metodevotemuchtimetothissubject in future; and
I shall consider myselfwellrewarded ifthe present essay
does in any way contribute to a fuller and unprejudiced
discussion ofthe high antiquity of the Aryan civilization,
ofwhichoursacredbooks aretheoldestrecords intheworld.
B. G. TILAK.
Poona, October, 1895.
CONTENTS.
/l CHAPTER PAGES
^ I. Introduction ... * 1 9
4' II. Sacrifice alias the Year ... ... 10 31
3260
III. The Krifctikas
{
l IV. Agrah&yana 61 95
j
V. The head 96128
f Antelope's
129156
VI. Orion and.his belt
I VII. Eibhas and Vrishakapi 157197
198220
VIII. Conclusion
II
1
tv Appendix ... ... 221 227
4