Indian Antiquary Vol 41

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

Page 49

MARCH, 1912.]
THE VEDIC CALENDAR
THE VEDIC CALENDAR. BY R. SHAMASHASTRY, B.A., M.R.A.S., M.R.S.A., MYSORE.
(Continued from page 32.) The meaning of the above passage is this :-Giving up a practice of adding twelve days to the synodic lunar year of 854 days in order to adjust it to the sidereal solar year of 866 days, the Vedic poets allowed the twelve days to accumulate to the extent of a month in the course of two and a half years, and then performed their sacrifice at the close of the thirteenth month with thirteen priests, of whom the thirteenth priest represented the thirteenth month, the dirty' month, and took up the sins of the sacrificer for the gold that was presented to him.
In the Aitarya-Brdhmana, i, 12, the thirteenth priest' is called Soma-vikrayin, seller of Sôma.' This passage, with a brief commentary upon it by Raghunandana Bhattacharya, the author of the Smrititattra, rans as follows® :
पाच्यां दिशि देवाः सोमं राजाममक्रीस्तस्माधाच्यां विधि क्रीनते प्रयोदशान्मासावक्रीस्तस्माअयोधी मासी नानुविचते पापो हिसोमविक्रमीति. भस्थाबमर्थः ।
- बतोऽधिमासस्सोमविकवी भतोऽसावितरमासवनानुविचते. विद्यमानोऽपि कर्मानस्वारसभिवेत्यर्थः सोमविक्रयपि कत्विगंतरवत्.
“The gods bought the king Sôma in the eastern direction. Thence he is (generally) bought in the eastern direction. They bought him from the thirteenth month. Thence the thirteenth month is found unfit for any religious work to be done in it); a seller of Sêma is (likewise) found unfit (for intercourse), for such a man is a defaultor." The meaning of the passage is this:-" Because the intercalated month is the seller of Soms, therefore it has no proper existence like other months. Although it has its own existence, it is yet regarded as having no proper existence inasmuch as no rites are performed in it. The seller of Soms is like other priests employed for the performance of sacrifice."
As regards the sinful nature of intercalated months, the author of the Smrititattra, quotes the following paasage :
वत्सरांतर्गतः पापः बज्ञानां फलनाशकृत् । नेतातुधानाचैस्समाक्रांतो विनामकः ॥
fearle suitfade. विरुद्धनामको विनामकः कुतः मलिम्लुचादिनामकस्वात्. " (The intercalated month) contained in the body of the year, is sinful, is destructive of the good results of sacrifices, is infested by Nairpita, Yâ tudhâna, and other evil spirits, and is of
disagreeablo namo. This and other passages are found in astrological works. The word vindmaka means that which has a disagreeable name'; for it has Malimlucha and other (disgusting) names."
The three passages quoted above throw a flood of light on the nature of the conception which the Vedio poets entertained regarding the intercalary days and months. We have to understand the three important points specified in these passages :
(1) At first the Vedic poets used to adjust their lunar year with the sidereal solar year by adding twelve days to the former, bat in the course of time they gave up that custom and began to intercalate one month to every third lunar year.
• Smrititativa, p. 788.
Ibid, p. 778.