Artic Home of the Aryans by Lokamanya Bal ... - Mandhata Global

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not known who this Mâdhava is, but Pandit Satyavrata states that he
is referred to by Durga, the commentator of Yâska. We may,
therefore, take Mâdhava to be an old commentator, and it is
satisfactory to find that he indicates to us the way out of the difficulty
of interpreting the phrases vishurûpe and virûpe occurring so many
times in يig-Veda, in connection with the couple of Day and Night.
The word “form” (rûpa) or body (vapus) can be used to denote the
extent, duration, or length of days and nights, and virûpe would
naturally denote the varying lengths of days and nights, in addition to
their color which can be only two-fold, dark or bright. Taking our clue
from Mâdhava, we may, therefore, interpret the first half of the verse
as meaning “The twin pair assume various (nânâ) lengths
(vapûmshi); of the two one shines and the other is dark.”
But though the first half may be thus interpreted, another
difficulty arises, as soon as we take up the third quarter of the verse.
It says, “Two sisters are they, the dark (shyâvî) and the bright
(arûshî).” Now the question is whether the two sisters (svasârau) here
mentioned are the same as,, or different from, the twin pair (yamyâ)
mentioned in the first half of the verse. If we take them as identical,
the third pâda or quarter of the verse becomes at once superfluous. If
we take them as different, we must explain how and where the two
pairs differ. The commentators have not been able to solve the
difficulty, and they have, therefore, adopted the course of regarding
the twins (yamyâ) and the sisters (svasârau) as identical, even at the
risk of tautology. It will surely be admitted that this is not a satisfactory
course, and that we ought to find a better explanation, if we can. This
is not again the only place where two distinct couples of Day and
Night are mentioned. There is another word in the يig-Veda which
denotes a pair of Day and Night. It is Ahanî, which does not mean
“two days” but Day and Night, for, in VI, 9, 1, we are expressly told
that “there is a dark ahah (day) and a bright ahah (day).” Ahanî,
therefore, means a couple of Day and Night, and we have seen