The Arctic Home in the Vedas c10.44.3

c10.44.3

but as five seasons were sometimes mentioned in the Vedas, some explanation was felt to be necessary to account for the smaller number, and such explanation was devised by taking together any two consecutive seasons out of six and regarding them as one joint season of four months. But the explanation is too vague to be true; and we cannot believe that the system of compounding any two seasons according to one's choice was ever followed in practice. We must, therefore, give up the explanation as unsatisfactory, and see if the verse from the Ṛig-Veda, quoted above, enables us to find out a better explanation of the fact that the seasons were once held to be five. Now the first half of this verse describes the five-footed father as full of watery vapours in the farther part of heaven, while the year of six-spoked car is said to be far-seeing. In short, *purīṣiṇam* (full of, or dwelling in, waters) in the first line appears to be a counterpart of *vi-chakṣaṇam* (far-seeing) in the second line. This is made clear by the verses which follow. Thus the 13th verse in the hymn speaks of "the five-spoked wheel" as remaining entire and unbroken though ancient; and the next or the 14th verse says that "the unwasting wheel with its felly revolves; the ten draw (it) yoked over the expanse. The sun's eye goes covered with *rajas* (aerial vapour);