Indian Antiquary Vol 42

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

Page 41

FEBRUARY, 1913.]
THE ADITY AS
37
न तस्य वाच्यपि भागोऽस्ति । वहीं शृणोत्यलकं शृणोति नहि प्रवेद सुकृतस्य पंथामिति ॥ 20
"Of those born together, the seventh they call the sole-born; six, they say, are twins, god-born seers; the sacrifices of them, distributed according to their respective abodes and modified in form, move to the permanent. 19
"O men, tell me who is that friend who, though not vexed, said about his friend thus:- As a deserter, he wants to fly from us? Whoever has deserted his friend that knew him will have no share (of offerings) even in talk; if he hears that there is such a thing, he hears what is untrue; for he does not know the path of good deeds." 20
The poet says here that while the six sons of Aditi are born in pairs, the seventh became single-born, since the eighth, as he says later on, was half-born and was therefore cast out. It is only for the seven that sacrificial offerings are distributed according to their abodes, but not for the eight, who, though a friend, has fled from the company of his friend, the seventh Aditya. This is what the poet seems to imply when he says that a deserting friend will have not even a promise of a share of sacrificial offerings..
The poet now goes on to speak of the five years' cycle:
ऋतुः ऋतुना नुद्यमानः विननादाभिधावः ।
षष्ठिश्च त्रिशका वल्गा शुरूकृष्णौ च पाठिको ॥ 21
"One season, being propelled by another, runs and makes a noise: sixty are the groups of thirty (days); white and dark parts are also sixty in number." 21
Before going to speak of the deserter, the poet finds it necessary to describe the rotation of the seasons and of the five years cycle. Here the sixty groups of 30 days are evidently sixty months, i. e., five years. In this cycle a season of two months, propelled by other seasons, steps in. The sixty white and dark parts in the last line seem to refer to the greater cycle of sixty years, in which 120 solstices will happen. (60 winter, 60 summer.) It is to be remembered that the cycle of five years is closely connected with the cycle of sixty years, which is made of twelve cycles of five years each. There may probably be some reference to the names of the sixty years in the words Prabhava, '20 and Akshaya, used in the beginning of the Upanishad, while comparing the year to a river. After describing the characteristics of the spring and other seasons which are omitted here as unnecessary, the poet goes on to speak of the winter season when the sacrifices in connection with intercalation are completed :
अतिताखाणि वासांसि अटिवजद्यतान्न च । विश्वेदेवा विप्रहरति अग्निजिह्वा असश्चत ॥ 22 नैव देवो न मर्त्यः न राजा वरुणो विभुः । नाग्निनेद्र न पवमानः मातृष्क चन विद्यते ॥ fener gaffe: gfasanyaßu तस्येंद्रो वनिरूपेण धनुर्ज्यामच्छिनत्स्वयम् । धनुरित्ययं अक्षवर्णेषु चक्षते । gada q¿ìåigeqegea gaftrea vg: || 25 Free gaffe for aftita
स प्रवऽभवत् । तस्मयः सप्रववैण ॥ यझेत यजते रुद्रस्य स शिरः प्रतिदधाति । नैनं रुद्र भारुको भवाते व एवं वेद ।। 26
(To be continued.)
Prabhava is the name of the first year and Akshaya of the last in the cycle of sixty years.
What is the authority for saying that Akshaya instead of Kahaya, is the name of the last year of the ayole ? J. F. F. Akshaya is the name by which the last year is commonly known in the Southern parts of India; mo Essentials of Astronomy, p. 155, Mysore G. T. A. Press, 1912.-E. S.