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After repeatedly touring India, Pandit Sastri got a desire to visit foreign
lands, too. He wanted to verify the Vedic references to the sun rising in the
South and setting in the North, and rising in the West and setting in the
East, and of being of a golden colour 'Hiranmaya'. He had read B.G. Tilak's
work on "The Arctic Home In the Vedas." As he read through the
book, he desired to visit the Arctic regions himself. He wanted to see the
place where Surya had no rising or setting for six months.
So he set out in 1934 on a travel to Europe with the idea of visiting
the northernmost part of Norway. One of the important places he then
visited was Rome, where he had a special audience with the Pope. Then he
visited Paris where he met Dr. Sylvain Levi. There he was invited to give
recitations from the Vedas which were recorded. In London, he met the
educational officers in the office of the Secretary of State for India, and
explained to them the need for bringing the Catalogus Catalogorum from
1903, up to date, a work which later the Madras University undertook.
Then he sailed for Norway. He reached Tromso, 68 deg. north latitude and
from there proceeded to North Cape. The upper limb of sun appears at North
Cape, 71.2 north latitude on May 12th at 23.30 hours and the whole disc is
visible in due West from May 14th, moving slowly in the horizon northwards,
and making a round like a potter's wheel in twenty-four hours. It continues
thus till July 29 and then sinks a little in the horizon, showing again
only the upper limb till 23.23 hours on August 1st. The sun appears in the
circumpolar regions for continuous periods from 34 to 75 days according to
difference in latitude. As the sun does not rise up to the middle of the
sky but only makes a round in the horizon, its colour is golden and hence
the Vedas referred to the sun as 'Hiranmaya.' From the midnight sun
originates probably the system of counting the days from midnight to
midnight.
So Mr. Sastri enjoyed this thrilling sight of the midnight nun and after
a few days started back on his return journey. He passed through Germany
where many scholars interested in Sanskrit studies were eager to meet him.
He stayed for a few days in Jerusalem and returned to India. Throughout his
foreign tour he kept his simple habits. He would get up very early, have a
cold bath, do his Yogic exercises and Pooja and be ready by the time others
get up. He put on a long black coat and had a turban and he was treated
with great respect in all the places he visited.
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