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26
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
cloth is stretched on the ground, bearing an calf and a heifer to be married, an enterimage of the saptarshi over it; wheat and tainment being simultaneously given to one rice are scattered over the cloth, a ghi-lamp hundred and eight Brähmans, and on the occais lighted, and red lac and flowers are offered sion of Vastu or the ceremonies performed to the image. Another form of worship before or at the time of occupying a newlyis to mark seven red-lac-dots on a patlā or a built house, burnt offerings and worship are wooden stool, and to place seven pice and offered to the saptarshi. seven betel-nuts thereon. After worship- Every Brāhman must offer arghyast to, ping the seven pice, the bridal pair are made and worship, the agastya constellation, in a to take four turns round the stool, touching hut of darbhag and kasada, within seven the stool with their great toes at every turn. days from the date of its appearance. A proverb runs to the effect that, whatever may Failure to make this offering brings polluhappen to the couple, still the seven pice of tion on him for seven months, and disqualisat pati (i, e., the ceremony described) are fies him from performing any of the rites or secure? A third process is to form seven ceremonies prescribed by t'ie Shastras. small piles of kamod," on each of which, Married couples are made to look at the successively, the bride places her right foot Pole star immediately after the Hymenal while the bridegroom removes each pile one knot is tied by the priest, in the hope that by one.
they may be as long-lived or as inflexible or The fifth day of the bright half of Bha- unmoved by the ups and downs of life.2 drapad (the eleventh month of the Gujarati The twelfth day after the death of a Hindus) is observed as a day of worship in person, known as Tärä-bäras (or the star. honour of the saptarshi group. People twelfth) is kept as the day of star-worship by observe a fast on that day. Brähmans set the relatives of the deceased, when one up seven chätst in honour of the seven sages, member of the family observes a fast on that adding an eighth in honour of Arundhati, day in honour of the deceased, and takes the wife of Vasishtha, and worship them by food only after worshipping the stars at shodashopachär (i.e. sixteen-fod ceremonial). night: It is customary on this day to give. The worship is said to secure felicity for up the use of bronze vessels and to give them departed souls.*
away in charity. The saptarshi are also annually worship. Just as persons carrying or accompanying ped by Brahmans on cocoanut-day (the 15th a corpse to the cemetery are considered day of the bright half of Shravan) on the sutaki (under ceremonial impurity), so those occasion of changing their sacred threads, who witness this rite are also considered Hindu seamen also worship the constellation unclean : but they are purified by a sight of on the same day.5
the stars, In the performance of the Nil-parvãn cere- 1 Young girls watching the starry sky at mony, which is held to propitiate the spirit's night recite a verse which means, "I worshipof departed ancestors, and which requires a ped the star-spangled firmament first and 1.K, P. Joshi, Limbdi.
R. B. Pandya, Jetpur Sanskrit Pathashala. The Schoolmaster of Khirasarā.
+ D.K. Pandya, Dhhānk, and N. M. Dave, Sanka. "B. K. Dave, Kotda-Sangani.
• Jairam Vasaram, Jodia. Kalyanji Bhaishankar, Kolki, and R. B. Pandya, Jetpur, G. K. Bhatt, Songadh. • A superior kind of rice.
Twisted braids of darbha grass. Arghya is an offering of water in a spoon filled with barley seeds, sesamum seeds, sandal ointment, rice, and Aowers,
Two varieties of sacred grass, used in thatching roofs,
