The Arctic Home in the Vedas c10.11

c10.11

Upon this Sāyaṇa says :—‘दिग्भ्राजः’ तान् तान् दिशं प्राप्यावस्थिताः सूर्याः । ‘ऋतून्’ वसंतादिसुचितानृतुधर्मान्, ‘करोति’ तस्यां तस्यां दिशि कुर्वति । न हि ऋतुनिष्पादकसूर्यव्यतिरेकेण तत्तद्धर्माः संभवति । तस्मात्त्येव दिक्षु विभिन्नाः सूर्याः । *And again* नानालिंगत्वादिति । यद्येक एव सूर्यः स्यात् तदानीं वसंताद्यतूनां नानालिंगत्वं न स्यात् । न हि कारणभेदमन्तरेण कार्यभेदः संभवति । तस्मादृतुधर्मवैलक्षण्यसिद्धये बहुसूर्यत्वमभ्युपेयम् । ...... । ‘अष्टौ तु व्यवसिता’ इति । बाढम्, संत्येव तत्तल्लिंककल्पा अनन्ताः सूर्याः । किन्तु तत्रास्ति काश्चिद्विशेषः । ‘व्यवसिताः’ निश्चिताः । tvijaḥ). A third explanation is then put forward, viz., that the distinction of seven suns is probably based on the different effects of sun's rays in different months or seasons, and in support of it a Mantra, or Vedic verse, Dig-bhrāja ṛtūn karoti, (resorting to, or shining in, different regions (they) make the seasons), is quoted. I have not been able to find the Mantra in the existing Saṁhitās, nor does Sāyaṇa give any clue to it, but simply observes "the different features of different seasons cannot be accounted for, except by supposing them to have been caused by different suns; therefore, different suns must exist in different regions".¹ But this explanation is open to the objection (actually raised by Vaiśampāyana), that we shall have, on this theory, to assume the existence of thousands of suns as the characteristics of the seasons are so numerous. The Āraṇyaka admits, to a certain extent, the force of this objection, but says—aṣṭau vyavasitāḥ, meaning that the number eight is settled by the text of the scripture, and there is no further arguing about it.