Indian Antiquary Vol 41

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 127

MAY, 1912.)
TAE VEDIC CALENDAR
123
means a total sum of days) or of a one single day and is intended to signify various Parva-days (that had already passed). Thus it is that the manifold functions of several years are inseparably brought into a connected whole."
Again, after discussing the necessity of reciting or not reciting the Sâma-Verbos known as Yanva, Apatya, and Sakvaravaraa, on the Abhiplava days forming part of the session of thirtythree days; the author of the Nidana-Satra says: भयावेवं संप्राप्योऽयं भूयस्सांवत्सरिक द्रव्यमनुगृह्यत इति.
X, 3. "Thas it (the year or era) is to be attained. The manifold functions of several years are thus brought into favourable consideration." Again, in connection with the session of sixty-one days, the Nidana.Sätra says:
अथैतदेकषष्ठिराचं संवत्सरसम्मितास्थानमेव. सब नवाहमभितः पृष्ठ्यौ करोवि. एवं सर्व सांवसरिक 464991a Fies
" Then the session of sixty-one nights symmetrically corresponds to or implies a series of years. In the arrangement of the days of this session, the period of nine days is followed and preceded by six Prishthya days. Thus all the functions of the years (era) are brought into consideration."
From the statement that the 12 or 36 years of the Tapaschits cover so great a period of time that no man in his life-time can hold a sessional sacrifice during it, and from the statement that the 888sional days represent various full or new-moon days and thereby imply a series of years, we can clearly understand that the Gavâm- Ayana and other sacrificial sessions are all based upon different systems of intercalary days. We have already seen that the two important units of intercalary days are the periods of 11 days and of 21 days. Accordingly the Nidåna-Satra says that at the end of each year the sacrificer should celebrate eleven days, so that all the days of the year are thereby represented, and that this process should be repeatod again and again. The passage in which this idea is conveyed runs as follows :
अथ केनासंस्तीर्णान्यभिविवधीते. भतिरात्रसत्रन्यायेनेत्याहुःयथा शतरात्रम्. भपिता दशरात्र व्रतं चांते निधाय यथा सांवत्सरिकाणामह्नां समवहारःसिभ्येत् तथा कल्प कल्पं कुर्वीत.
X, 5. Then how are the sessional days treated whose ritualistio arrangement is not known? They say that they are to be arranged following the principle of excessive nights constituting a session. Or else by celebrating at the close of the year ton days together with a Mahâvrata day, he should perform the sacrifice, so that all the days of the year are thereby recalled This process he should repeat again and again,"
From this it is clear that the Vedic poets were celebrating 11 days at the end of each synodic lunar year of 354 days. From the Nida na Sútra, X,5, quoted above, we have learnt that there were others who were celebrating 5 days at the close of each Savana year of 360 days. Again, from the same passage we can understand that the periods of 12 and 21 days were taken as different units of intercalary periods. It follows, therefore, that there were four schools of astronomers during the Vedic times; a school who observed 11 days at the end of each synodic lunar year; a second school who celebrated 5 days at the end of each Savana year; a third school who observed 21 days, of course at the end of four consecutive Såvang years, and a fourth school who celebrated 12 days at the end of every fourth synodic