15. Rig-Veda X, 39, 1.
16. Rig-Veda III, 29, 6.
17. Rig-Veda III, 20, 1.
18. Rig-Veda I, 116, 17.
19. Rig-Veda X, 39, 12.
20. Dawn.
21. The cloud.
22. Name of the Dawn. It requires a considerable acquaintance with phonetic laws to doubt the identity of the names Ushas in Sanskrit and Eos in Greek. Yet I believe that even this has been achieved by those who seem to imagine that scepticism is the best proof of knowledge.
23. Savitri, the sun-god, but distinct from Sûrya, the sun and sun-god.
24. Name of Dawn.
25. Day and Night, Dawn and Twilight are conceived as sisters, and spoken of as Ahanî, the two days, one bright, the other dark, like the Asvins.
26. Varuna, sometimes the highest god, whose laws have to be obeyed by all creatures.
27. Their appointed course.
28. Kratu, thought, will, here command.
29. The order in which the heavenly bodies come and go, which gave the first intimation of order in the universe.
30. The sun.
31. Dawn is often spoken of in the plural, being conceived as new every day, or being considered manifold in her wide expanse.
32. Perhaps it should be remembered that in the Mahâbhârata the wife of Kasyapa, the mother of the Âdityas, was called Dakshâyanî; see Pramatha Nâth Mullick, “Origin of Caste,” p. 33.
33. Cf. “Chips,” IV, p. 385.
34. The two words are used together, as ubhayor antaram veda, sûnritânritayor api, Mahâbh. V, 5667.
35. Agni, fire, is here, as often, taken for the light of day.
36. Mitra and Varuna stand for morning and evening, or day and night.
37. Râtrî, night, sometimes called the black day, Krishnam ahar, opposed to Argunam ahar, the bright day. Cf. Rig-Veda VI, 9, 1.
38. Evil, physically darkness, morally sin.
39. Pins of the chariot.
40. The departed.
41. Explained as stars.
42. The sun.
43. Bergaigne, Vol. II, p. 277: ‘Les interprétations purement naturalistes, appliquées à l’analyse des mythes du Rig-Véda, laissent toujours, ou presque toujours, un résidu liturgique, et ce résidu, le plus souvent négligé jusqu’alors, en est précisément la partie la plus importante pour l’exégèse des hymnes.’
44. See M. M., “Physical Religion,” p. 120.
45. I have tried to preserve some of the Vedic rhythm in these translations, but I must apologise for these poetic efforts of mine in English. I have consulted, of course, the translations of Grassmann, Ludwig, Griffiths, and Bergaigne, and others where accessible, and have adopted some of the renderings which seemed to me particularly happy.
46. Flowers and plants in general are supposed to be supported by warmth within them.
47. The clouds that give their milk, the rain.
48. The culminating point of the sun, between sunrise and sunset.
49. The milk of the clouds, or the rain.
50. The fire on the hearth, in which oblations were offered.
51. On the altar or the omphalos of the earth.
52. Made visible.
53. The rubbing of the fire-sticks required great strength and skill to bring out the fire that was supposed to be hidden in the wood. The fire, when lighted on the hearth, was supposed to bring the gods to their offerings; nay, by a change of cause and effect the fire kindled on the hearth was identified with the light kindled in the sky at the approach of the dawn.
54. The fire on the altar was supposed to call the gods, like a priest.
55. Heaven and earth, gods and men.
56. The place where the fire was kept.
57. X, 3, 3.
58. X, 4, 4.
59. The darkness of the night is lighted by the light of the moon and stars.
60. The dawn or bright day that lasts from morning till evening.
61. The darkness, caused by the retreat of Dawn or Day, is lighted up by the brilliant Night.
62. See “A Sketch of the Life of Gokulaji Zâlâ and of the Vedânta.” By Manassukharâma Sûryarâma Tripâthi. 1881.