The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c6.60

c6.60

I have stated above that when the commencement of the year was altered from the vernal equinox to the winter solstice, *uttarâyana* either lost its older meaning or was rather used to denote the solstitial division of the year. But this is not the only consequence of that change. With the year the beginning of the annual *satras* was also gradually transferred to the winter solstice and the change was complete when the Taittirîya Sanhitâ was compiled. In fact had it not been for the passage in the Shatapatha Brâhmaṇa it would have been impossible to produce any direct evidence of the older practice. When the beginning of the *satra* was thus changed, the Vishûvân day must have gradually lost its primary meaning and come to denote simply the central day of the yearly *satra*. 4050