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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[DECEMBER, 1912.
that he may attain his own measure. When he comes by a thousand cattle, then he should sacrifice with the Varoņapraghâss. When he comes by a thousand of this, then he gets rid of his sin by means of sacrifice."
Omitting the sacrificial technicalities with which the above passage abounds, we may confine our attention to that portion of the passage where a distinction is drawn between the Season-sacrificer and the Four-monthly sacrificer, and where the nature of the three Four-monthly sacrifices, the Vai vadova, the Varnaapraghaga, and the Sakamêdha is clearly defined. It is clear from this passage that during the Vedio period there were two important schools of priestly astronomers, the Season-sacrificers and the Four-monthly sacrificers. Of these two schools, one seems to have been observing the lunar year of 854 days without adjusting it to the solar or sidereal year, and to bave allowed it to fall back by 113 or 12 days in every year and to regain its original initial point at the close of 32 or 30 years, making a full rotation through the seasons. This is what is mesnt by the expression that what was the spring became the summer, and that what was the summer became the autumn. The priests who were sacrificing for such rotating seasons are called Ritu-yajins, Season-sacrificers'. The other school of sacrificers called the Châturmâsyâyâjins, • Four-monthly sacrificers', did not like the Season-sacrificers, allow the your to fall back for want of intercalation, but adjusted their ludar year of 354 days to the sidereal year of 366 days by adding two months in five years or four months in ten years. From the reference made to twelve days in the beginning of the passage, it is clear that it is the sidereal year of 366 days that is taken for adjustment with the lunar year of 354 days. Accordingly the extra days in three lunar years amount to thirty-six days, i.e., one month and six days. These six days, says the author, are to be added to the twenty-four days of the subsequent twenty-four full-moons or two years. From the statement that whoever gains a thirteenth month is a Four-monthly sacrificer, it is clear that the three Ohatarmasyas or Four-months are undoubtedly threo intercalary periods of four months each. I have pointed out in my Vedic Calendar how the vedio poets regarded the intercalary days or months as enemies and as sinful periods infested with demons. This is what the writer means when he says that the sacrificer has to separate tbe Châtarmasyas, the Foor-months, from the enemy. The meaning of a thousand cattle seems to be this :-In ten sidereal years of 366 days each there are 120 months of 30 days each and fonr intercalary months of 30 days. Each ordinary month was made to consist of five week-periods of six days each. The days in each such week, except the last in each month, were called 96. jyhtis, Ayus, Ayus, go, and jyotis. Of these names, the word go means & Cow, i.e., 'cattle.' Since there are two cows in each week,' there are eight cows or cattle in each month. Hence the namber of cattle in 120 ordinary months will be 120 X 8 = 960. In the intercalary months even the last week' appears to be counted, as well as the first four weeks. Accordingly, in the four intercalary months there are 4 X 10 = 40 cow-days. Hence the number of cow-days or cattle in ten years, when the Vaisradeva or first Four-montbly sacrifice was performed, amounts 960 + 40 = 1000. This appears to be the meaning of the expression that wben the sacrificer counts a thousand cattle after the Vaišvadeva period, he has to perform the Varuņapraghasa. What is meant by the expression that Parosha amounts to a thousand will be explained later on.
It appears that when the three Four-monthly periods were got rid of by intercalation, the Vedic poets used to renew their sacred fire by churning anew. This idea is conveyed in the following passage of the Maitrûyanîya Sanhita (I. 10, 7):--
धाविहितानि चातुर्मास्यानि. संवत्सरं चातुर्मास्यानि. संवत्सरेणाग्निं मंथलि. Three are the Four-monthly sacrifices to be performed. To a year (amount the three) Fourmonthly periods. In such a year [s.e., once in thirty years) the sacrificer churns the fire [i..., sota up the sacrificial fire again)."
