The Arctic Home in the Vedas c9.1

c9.1

dependent evidence about the long night —Vritra living in long darkness —Expressions denoting long darkness or long night —Anxiety to reach the end of darkness —Prayers to reach safely the other end of night —A night, the other boundary of which was not known according to the Atharva Veda —The Taittirîya Samhitâ explains that these prayers were due to fears entertained by the ancient priests that the night would not dawn —Not caused by long winter nights as supposed by Sâyana —Description of days and nights in the Rig-Veda —Divided into two typical pairs —One described as bright, dark and virûpe —Virûpe means ‘of varying lengths’ and not ‘of various colours’ —Second pair, Ahanî, different from the first —Durations of days and nights on the globe examined —Ahanî can only be a couple of the long Arctic day and night —Described as forming the right and left, or opposite, sides of the Year in the Taittirîya A’ranyaka —The sun is described in the Rig-Veda as unyoking his car in the midst of the sky —And thereby retaliating Dâsa’s mischief —Represents the long day and the long night —Summary of evidence regarding long day and long night —Ushas and Sûrya as Dakshinâ and Dakshinâ’s son —Probably imply the southerly course of both.