The Orion, or Researches into the Antiquity of the Vedas c8.8

c8.8

The only other authority I can find for supposing that Phâlguna was a Vasanta month is the statement in Shushruta's medical work, that " Phâlguna and Chaitra make Vasanta." But on a closer examination of the passage wherein this sentence occurs, it will be found to bear on its face the marks of later insertion. There are two consecutive paragraphs in Shushruta, each enumerating and describing the seasons of the year. The first states that "There the twelve months, beginning with Mâgha, make six seasons, comprising two months each. They are Shishira, &c........Of these Tapa and Tapasya make Shishira " and so on until all the six seasons in their usual order, the *ayanas*, the year and the lustrum are described; and at the end we have " this is called the wheel of time by some."* The second paragraph then begins with the words " *But here* " and continues to state " But here the six seasons are,—Varshâ, Sharad, Hemanta, Vasanta, Grîshma and Prâvrish," thus altogether dropping Shishira and dividing the rainy period into two seasons Varshâ and Prâvrish. The paragraph then proceeds to assign the months to the seasons as follows :—" Bhâdrapada and Âshvina is Varshâ, Kârtika and Mârgashîrsha is Sharad, Pausha and Mâgha is Hemanta, and Phâlguna and Chaitra is Vasanta;" and so on until