The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c12.13

Language: English

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There is no express passage which states that Punarvasû was ever the first of the Nakshatras, nor have we in this case a synonym like Agrahâyaṇa, or Orion, wherein we might discover similar traditions. There are, however, some indications about the oldest position of Punarvasû preserved in the sacrificial literature. The presiding deity of Punarvasû is Aditi, and we are told in the Aitareya Brâhmaṇa i. 7, and the Taittirîya Saṃhitâ vi. 1. 5. 1, that Aditi has been blessed with a boon that all sacrifices must commence and end with her. The story begins with the statement that the Sacrifice (the mysterious sacrificial personage) went away from the gods. The gods were then unable to perform any further ceremonies, and did not know where it (the sacrifice) had gone to; and it was Aditi that helped them, in this state, to find out the proper commencement of the sacrifices.[*] This clearly means, if it can mean anything, that before this time sacrifices were performed at random, but it was at this time resolved and fixed to commence them from Aditi. Aditi was thus the oldest and the first commencement of the sacrifice or the year. In the Vâjasaneyi Saṃhitâ 4. 19 Aditi is said to be *ubhayatah shirṣṇī*, “double-headed,” and the commentators interpret it to mean that the two termini of the sacrifices, which began and ended with Aditi, are the two heads here alluded to. These traditions are further corroborated by the sacrificial ceremonies.

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According to the sacrificial terminology the 4th day before Viṣhûvân or the central day of the yearly *satra* is called the Abhijit day. “In the sixth month,” observes Dr. Haug,* “there are three Abhiplava, *ṣaḷahas* (six-day’s periods) and one Pṛiṣhṭhya *ṣaḷaha*.” This makes up the first 24 days of the sixth month. The following days are thus enumerated: the Abhijit day, the three *svarasâman* days and the Viṣhûvân, or the central day which stands quite apart.” Thus if we exclude the Viṣhûvân day, as standing apart by itself, this gives us four days, and with the two days—*Atirâtra* and *Chaturvinsha*—which are taken up by the initial ceremonies of the *satra*, we make up the *ṣaḷaha* wanted to complete the six months. The Abhijit day thus falls on the fourth day before the Viṣhûvân. Now if Abhijit day be supposed to be named after the Nakshatra of that name (*i e.*, when the sun is in Abhijit) then the Viṣhûvân, or the autumnal equinox must fall four days—or as the sun travels over about 1° of the ecliptic each day, 4°—after the asterism of Abhijit; and it can be shewn by astronomical calculation that, with Aditi or Punarvasû at the vernal equinox to commence the sacrifice, we get nearly the same result. In the Sûrya Siddhânta (viii.

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3 table) the longitude of Punarvasû is said to be 93°, while that of Abhijit is 266° 40′, that is, in other words, Abhijit would be about 6° behind the autumnal equinox or Vishuvan, if we suppose the vernal equinox to exactly coincide with Punarvasû. With the vernal equinox in Punarvasû there is again no other Nakshatra nearer to or at the autumnal equinox to mark the Vishùvân day. We can, therefore, now understand why Abhijit, which is so far away from the ecliptic, should have been included in the old list of the Nakshatras. It marked the approach of the Vishùvân in the primitive sacrificial calendar, but when it ceased to be used for that purpose owing to the falling back of seasons, it was naturally dropped from the list of the Nakshatras, as it was far away from the Zodiac. If Bentley's suggestion about Mûla and Jyeshthâ be correct, this must have been done at the time when the vernal equinox was in Orion. But be that as it may, it will, I think, be clear from the above that the position of the Abhijit day in the sacrificial literature fully supports the tradition about Aditi, the presiding deity of Punarvasû having discovered the commencement of the sacrifice. Aditi at this time must have also separated the Devayâna from the Pitriyâna and thus may have been appropriately called the mother of the Devas (Rig. x. 72. 5).* It was from her that the Âdityas were born (Rig. x. 72. 8 ; Shat. Br. iii. 1. 3. 2.), or the sun commenced his yearly course.