Kaushitaki
Brāhmaṇa, adhyāya V: The Four-monthly Sacrifices
athātaśchāturmāsyānāṁ
chāturmāsyāni prayuñjānaḥ phālgunyāṁ paurṇamāsyāṁ prayuṅkte mukhaṁ vā etatsaṁvatsarasya
yatphālgunī paurṇamāsī mukhamuttare phalgū puchChaṁ pūrve adyathā ravṛttasyāntau
sametau syātāmevamevaitau saṁvatsarasyāntau sametau tadyatphālgunyāṁ paurṇamāsyāṁ aishvadevena yajate mukhata eva
tatsaṁvatsaraṁ prīṇātyatho bhaiṣajyayajñā vā ete yachchāturmāsyāni tasmā dṛtusaṁdhiṣu
prayujyanta Ṛtusaṁdhiṣu hi vyādhirjāyate tāni vā aṣṭau havīṁṣi bhavantyaṣṭau
vai chatasṛṇāṁ paurṇamāsīnāṁ havīṁṣi bhavanti chatasṛṇāṁ vai paurṇamāsīnāṁ vaiśvadevaṁ
samāso| atha yadagnirmathyate prajātirvai vaiśvadevaṁ tasmādetaṁ daivaṁ garbhaṁ
prajanayatyatha yatsaptadasha sāmidhenyaḥ sadvantāvājya bhāgau virājau saṁyājye
tasyoktaṁ brāhmaṇamatha yannava prayājā navānuyājā aṣṭau havīṁṣi vājinaṁ navamaṁ
tannaxatriyāṁ virājamāpnoti ||1||
V.
1. Next as to the four-monthly sacrifices.[1] He who prepares the four-monthly
sacrifices begins on the full moon night in the Phalgunīs. The full moon night
is the Phalgunīs in the beginning of the year; the latter two Phalgus are the
beginning, the two former the end. Just as the two ends of what is round may
unite, so these two ends of the year are connected. In that he sacrifices with
the Vaiśvadeva sacrifice on the full moon night in the Phalguniis verily thus
at the beginning he delights the year. Again
the
four-monthly sacrifices are the sacrifices of healing; therefore, are they performed
in the joinings of the seasons, for in the joinings of the seasons pain is
born. There are eight oblations, the oblations of four full moon days’ amount
to eight; The Vaiśvadeva is a compound of four full moon days. In that Agni is
kindled, it is because the Vaiśvadeva is propagation; therefore, he generates
this divine embryo. As to there being seventeen kindling verses, the butter
portions containing the word 'being', the invitatory and offering verses being
Virāj verses, the explanation of that has been given.[2] In that there are nine
fore-offerings and nine after-offerings,[3] eight oblations and the
offering for the steeds as the ninth, thus he obtains the brilliance of the Nakṣatras.
[translation by Arthur
Keith, in Rigveda
Brahmanas]
Here are a few commentaries
on this section, though outdated, they are still indicative of the pertinence of this verse in Vedic astronomy:
Hopkins, Journal
of the Association of Oriental Studies vol 24, p. 20-22
It is usually in conventional passages that the "four-month" season is noticed: darśe ca pāurṇamāse ca cāturmāsye punaḥ, (offered horse-sacrifices) "on the new and full-moon and on the thirds of the year," xii. 29. 114. But it is once given as the-proper term for wages which are to be paid cāturmāsyāvaram, "at least every four months," ii. 5. 118. The seasons thus
It is usually in conventional passages that the "four-month" season is noticed: darśe ca pāurṇamāse ca cāturmāsye punaḥ, (offered horse-sacrifices) "on the new and full-moon and on the thirds of the year," xii. 29. 114. But it is once given as the-proper term for wages which are to be paid cāturmāsyāvaram, "at least every four months," ii. 5. 118. The seasons thus
divided are summer, rains,
and winter, or spring, rains, autumn, according to SB. xii. 8. 2. 33; vii. 2.
4. 26, respectively (which must embrace the remaining time). The full-moon of
Phālguna is the regular beginning of the Cāturmāsya. See also below.
According to xiii. 168. 6
and 28, the winter solstice occurs near the beginning of the bright half of the
month of Māgha.
The saint who dies here is
anxious to pass away at an auspicious period, i. e. in the northern course of
the sun and the bright half of the month. He asserts in this passage that the
proper conditions are fulfilled. The solstice has already taken place (xii. 47.
3) and he says: " The lunar month Māgha has arrived, Yudhisthira, and the
bright fortnight must be two-thirds (or a quarter) past:"
māgho 'yaṁ samanuprāpto māsaḥ sāumyo Yudhiṣṭhira
tribhāgaśeṣaḥ pakṣo 'yaṁ śuklo bhavitum arhati.
The doubtful meaning of
tribhāga (1/3 as well as 1/4) renders exactness of translation impossible. The
natural agreement of the adjective would lead to the meaning given by Mr.
Aiyer, that the solstice occurred " on the expiry of the fourth part of
the bright fortnight in the month of Māgha, that is, on the fourth or the fifth
day after new-moon" (op. cit., p. 81). But there is no certainty that
tribhāgaśeṣaḥ does not refer to the word month.' Nīlakaṇṭha here says the day
is the eighth of the month. Mr. Aiyer takes the fifth lunar day after new moon
as the real meaning (referring to N. on vi. 17. 2). Then, according to the Vedāṅga,
he argues that this would imply that the solstice was the fourth of the five
winter-solstices of a five-year cycle (op. cit., p. 84), and uniting this with
the assumed date of the Kali Yuga in 1177 B.C., he arrives at 1194-3 as the
date of the war according to the epic itself. It is at least unfortunate that a
stanza so important for this result should not be lessambiguous, for if tribhāgaśeṣaḥ
refers to māsaḥ the whole argument is invalidated.
Though Māgha is the solstice-month,
neither this nor Cāitra nor Kārtika is the first month, but Mārgaśirṣa. This,
as is implied in the Gitā, stands in the same relation to the months as spring
stands to the seasons.' In connection with the phrase āgrahāyaṇa, this, like
the epic list, points to Mārgaśīrṣa not as the best but as the formal first
month (compare āgrahāyaṇī = mārgaśīrṣī,
Vas. xi. 43). The list is given in xiii. 106. 17 f. and is as follows
(with the alternate names supplied from another list at xiii. 109. 3 f.).
Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index of Names and
Subjects, Vol.1, p.424-426
[1] The
first two chapters deal with the Vaiśvadeva, the first of the four-monthly
sacrifices; then the next two with the Varuṇapraghāsas, the second; then the
next with the Saākamedhas, the last, and eight to ten with the Shunāsīrīya rite
which is connected with these sacrifices. The AB. has nothing to correspond,
but the rites are explained in the Yajur texts, TS. i. 8. 2-7 ; KS. ix. 4-7 ;
xv. 2 ; KapS. viii. 7-11 ; MS. i. 10. 1-4 ; ii. 6. 3 ; VS. iii. 44-61 ; ix.
35-8 ; ShB. ii. 5 and 6. For the ritual see AAShS.. ii. 15-20 ; ShShS. iii.
13-18 ; BShS. v ; MShS. i. 7 and 8 ; v. 1. 3, 4 ; AApShS. viii ; KShS. v ;
Vait. viii. 8 seq. ; Hillebrandt, Rituallitteratur, () 64 ; Eggeling, SBE. xii.
383 seq. For Phalgunī as the beginning of the year cf. Hopkins, JAOS. xxiv. 20
; Macdonell and Keith, Vedic Index, i. 424
[3] I.
e. four more between the fourth and the fifth, and six between first and
second, SHShS. iii. 13. 19 seq.
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