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

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seven rays and once as having ten rays, meaning seven months and
ten months of sun-shine, both of which are possible only in the Arctic
regions. The two Avestic traditions stated above must, therefore, be
taken to represent the Arctic climatic conditions prevailing in the
ancient home in the far north; and the correctness of the explanation
is proved by the discussion in the foregoing chapters. With regard to
the custom of kindling a fire on the ninth day of Din or the tenth
month, noticed in the Bundahish, it seems to me that instead of taking
it to be an indication that winter “has come,” it is better to trace its
origin to the commencement of winter at that time in some part of the
original home; for if a fire is to fee kindled there is greater propriety in
kindling it to commemorate the commencement of winter rather than
the expiry of two out of five winter months. If the custom is so
interpreted, it will imply that a year of nine months and ten days was
once prevalent in some part of the Aryan home, a conclusion well in
keeping with the ancient Roman year of ten months. But apart from
this suggestion, there is a striking coincidence between the Vedic and
the Avestic tradition in this respect. According to the Bundahish (XXV,
20), the year is divided into four seasons of three months each,
Farvardîn, Ardavahisht and Horvadad constituting the season of the
spring; Tîr, Amerôdad and Shatvaîrô the summer; Mitrô, Âvân and
Âtarô the autumn; and Din, Vohûman and Spendarmad, the winter.
The fortieth day of Sharad or autumn would, therefore, represent the
tenth day (Abân) of Avân; and the Vedic statement discussed in the
ninth chapter, that Indra’s fight with Shambara commenced “on the
fortieth day of Sharad” agrees well (only with a difference of ten days)
with the statement in the Bundahish that the winter in the Airyana
Vaêjo commenced with the month of Âvân the second month in
autumn. We have thus a very close resemblance between the Vedic
and the Avestic tradition about the end of summer in the original
Arctic home; and the corresponding Roman and Greek traditions
have been previously noticed. In short, a year of seven or ten months
sun-shine can be traced