The Arctic Home in the Vedas c13.2

c13.2

Vernal theory and the legends of the Ashvins —The part played by the Ashvins in the struggle for waters and light —Intelligible only on the Arctic theory —Their exploits and legends —Saving or rejuvenating, rescuing from the ocean, or restoring the eye-sight or light, to Chyavâna, Rebha, Bhujyu, Atri, Vandana &c. —All explained at present as referring to the rescue of the daily dawn or the vernal restoration of the powers of the winter sun —But the theory fails to explain references to blindness or darkness in several legends —Nor does it account for the duration of the distress of the Ashvins' proteges —Nor for the character of the place of distress from which the proteges were saved —Bottomless and dark ocean really means the nether world —A bowl with bottom up and mouth downwards indicates the inverted hemisphere of the Hades —Legend of Rijrâshva —The slaughter of a hundred sheep represents the conversion of a hundred days into so many nights —The story of Saptavadhri or the seven-eunuch, praying for safe delivery after ten months of gestation —Remains unexplained up to the present —The interior of heaven and earth is conceived in the Veda as the womb in which the sun moves when above the horizon —Ten months' gestation thus represents the ten months when the Sun is above the horizon —Prayer for safe delivery indicates the perils of the long night —Riddle or paradox of a child becoming invisible as soon as born —The story of the hidden Agni refers to the same phenomenon —Probable origin of the Purânic story of Kumâra or Kârttikeya —Superiority of the Arctic over the Vernal theory in explaining the legends of the Ashvins —The legend of Indra's stealing Sûrya's wheel —The meaning of dasha-prapitve discussed —Indicates darkness on the completion of ten months —Vishnu's three strides —Different opinions about their nature quoted —Vishnu's strides represent the yearly course of the sun —And his third invisible step represents the nether world —Vishnu's opprobrious name, Shipivishta —Represents the dark or the diseased sun during the long Arctic night —The three abodes of Savitri, Agni and the Ashvins compared to Vishnu's third step —The legend of Trita A'ptya —Trita, or the third, represents the third part of the year —The Indo-Germanic origin of the legend —The A'pas —Their character and nature described —Seven-fold and ten-fold division of things in the Vedic literature —Various instances of seven-fold and ten-fold division collected —This two-fold division probably due to the seven and ten months' period of sunshine in the Arctic region —The Dâsharâjna fight —Represents struggle with the ten-fold division of darkness —Brihaspati and his lost wife in the Rig-Veda —The ten non-sacrificing kings and Râvana compared —Mythical element in the Râmâyana probably derived from the Vedic mythology —Hanumân and Vrishâkapi —Was Râmâyana copied from Homer —Both may have a common source —Conclusion.