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DECEMBER, 1912.]
THE ADITYAS
291
The conception of their being month-gods does not seem to be unfounded. Bat the months, of which they are said to be lords, are not ordinary consecutive months, but intercalary months of the five-years cycle. To prove this it is necessary to kuow the nature of the five-years cycle, as explained in the Maitrayantya Sashhita itself. The passage (I, 10, 8) in which it is described runs as follows:
प्राणेभ्यो वे ताः प्रजाः पाजायंत. प्राणा वा एतानि नव हवींषि. नव हि प्राणाः आस्मा देवता ततः प्रजायते. नव प्रयाजा नवानुबाजा हा आज्यभागा अष्टी हवींष्यग्नये समवयति. वाजिनो यजति. तचिंशत् शिवक्षरा विराद विराजेव प्रतितिष्ठति. विराजो वै बोनेः प्रजापतिः प्रजा असृजत. विराजी वा एतयोनेर्यजमानः प्रजायते. शिचिंचरात्रयो मासः, यो मासः स संवत्सरः. सवत्सरः प्रजापतिः. तस्मजापतेश्च वा एस द्विराजदच योनेर्मिधुनायजमानः प्रजावता. एकैकया वा आहुत्या बादश द्वादह रात्रीरवत. ता यावती: संख्याने सावतीः संवत्सरस्व रात्रयः संवत्सरमेव भातृष्याववते. वैश्वदेवेन चतुरो मासो-युवत. वरुणप्रघासः परांश्चतुरः. साकमेधः परांश्चतुरः, तानेव भ्रातृव्यायुवत. ऋतुवाजी वा अन्यश्चार्नुमास्यवाज्यन्यः. यो वसंतोऽभूत्मावडभू
शरदभूदिति यजते स ऋतुयाजी. अय यस्त्रयोदशं मासं संपादयति चयोदशं मासमभियजते स चातुर्मास्थयाजी. ऋतस्वीनिष्ठा चतुर्थमुत्सृजेत. ऋजू दशै परा इष्वा तृतीयमुत्सृजेत. ये व त्रयस्संवत्सरास्तेषां पर्टिशत्पूर्णमासाः. यौ नौ सयोश्चनुर्विशतिः. तोऽमी पढूिंशत्यधि तानस्यां चतुर्विशत्यामुपसंपादयति एष वाव स बयोदशो मास: तमेवेनस्संपादयति. तमभियजते. वैश्वदेवेन येजेत पशुकामः न वरुणप्रघासैर्न साकमेधैः. सर्वो वै पुरुषः साहस्री जायते यावत्तरसं स्वेवेति. प्रजननं वा एतद्धवियश्वदेवं. यवैश्वदेवेन यजते प्रजननाय वा एतचजते स्वां मानां गच्छानीत. 'स यवा सहसं पशून्गन्छेत्थ वरुणप्रपासर्यजते. बेरवादः सहस्रमगंस्तस्येनवहोऽवयजाते. M.S. 1, 10,8..
"From vital breaths are those creatures born. Vital breaths are these nine oblations, for nine are the Vital breaths. Atma [the inner man] is the deity. From him (the deity) is (the sacrificer) born. Nine fore-offerings, nine after-offerings, two butter Fortions, and eight oblations, ho puts together for Agni. He makes the oblation of curdled milk (vajina). That amounts to thirty. The Virat metre consists of thirty syllables. By means of the Virit, he has a firm footing; for Prajapati created the creatures from the womb of Virit. From this womb of Virat is algo the sacrificer born. Thirty and thirty nights are a month. That which is the month is the year. Prajapati is the year. From the womb of the couple, Prajapati and Virat, is the sacrificer born. With each oblation he inserts twelve and twelve nights. There are, when counted, as inany oblation's as there are nights in a year. He separates the year from the enemy. With the Vaišvadêva sacrifice he inserts four months; with the Varuņapraghaba sacrifice, the next four months; with the Så kamêdha sacrifice, the next four. These are the months which he has separated from the enemy. He who sacrifices for the seasons is one, while he who sacrifices for the four-months is another : he who sacrifices for the reason that that which was the spring has become the rains, and that which was the rainy season has become the autumn, is a sacrificer for the seasons. Bat he who gains a thirteenth month, and sacrifices for that thirteenth month, is the one who sacrifices for the four-months. Having sacrificed for three regular (months), he should omit the fourth; and then having sacrificed for the next two regular (months), be should omit the third, What are counted as three years, there are in them thirty-six full moons; what are counted as the next two, there are in them twenty-fonr. Those (days) which exceed (am intercalary month) in thirty-six full moons, he puts in (the next) twenty-four full moons. This is, verily, that thirteenth month. This is what he gains and sacrifices for. He who is desirous of cattle should observe the Vaibvadêra sacrifice, but neither the Varuņapraghasa nor the S&kamedha. All the Purusha amounts to a thousand when counted together as far as the flesh-oblation (Tarasa). The oblation made in the Vaišvadêva sacrifice is, verily, the birth of Creatures). The reason for which he eacrifices with the Vaiávadêva is the birth of creatures, for which he sacrifices with the thought
• It is only twenty-eight or twenty-nine if milk is included. The Tai Brahmana (I, 6,8) counts two Aghoras, portions of olarified butter to make up thirty.
• Tho root 'yu' moana both midrapa and amikrana, insertion' and 'noparation.'
