History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v2.c23.308

v2.c23.308

Varṣavardhana or abdapūrti:—In some of the sūtras provision is made for some ceremonies every month on the day of the birth of the child for one year and on every anniversary of the day of birth throughout life. For example, Gobhila gṛ. (II. 8. 19-20) says 'every month of the boy's birth for one year or on the parva days of the year he should sacrifice to Agni and Indra, to Heaven and Earth and to the Viśve devas. Having sacrificed to these deities he should sacrifice to the *tithi* and *nakṣatra*'.⁵⁹² The Śāṅ. gṛ. (I. 25. 10-11 S. B. E. vol. 29, p. 52) similarly says 'having sacrificed in the same way every month on the tithi of the child's birth, he sacrifices when one year has expired in the (ordinary) domestic fire'. Baud. gṛ. III. 7⁵⁹³ prescribes an offering of cooked rice for life (āyuṣyacaru) 'every year, every six months, every four months, every season or every month on the nakṣatra of birth'. Kāṭhaka gṛ. (36. 12 and 14) prescribes a homa every month after nāmakaraṇa for a year in the same way as in nāmakaraṇa or jātakarma and at the end of the year an offering of the flesh of a goat and sheep to Agni and Dhanvantari and feeding the brāhmaṇas with food mixed with plenty of ghee. Vaik. III. 20-21 speaks at great length of the ceremony called 'Varṣavardhana' (increase of the years of a person) to be performed on the anniversary of the birth-day every year and lays down that in this rite the deity of the nakṣatra on which a child is born is the principal one, that oblations of ghee are to be offered to that deity and nakṣatra and then to the other presiding deities of the nakṣatras and to the nakṣatras them-selves, then an oblation with the vyāhṛti (bhūḥ svāhā), then offerings to Dhātā. It describes in detail how different cere-monies are to be performed up to Upanayana, then up to finishing of Veda study, how ceremonies are to be performed on the anniversary day of one's marriage, on the nakṣatra on which a person performed solemn sacrifices like Agniṣṭoma and that if he thus lives till 80 years and 8 months he becomes one who has seen a thousand (full) moons and is called 'brahma-śarīra', in celebration of which several ceremonies are pres-cribed (which for want of space are not set out here). In connection with the anniversary of the marriage day,⁵⁹⁴ Vaik. specially prescribes that whatever ceremonies women direct as done traditionally should be performed. Aparārka (p. 29) quotes verses of Mārkaṇḍeya to the effect that all should every year on the day of birth celebrate a festival (mahotsava) in which one should honour and worship one's elders, Agni, gods, Prajāpati, the *pitṛs*, one's nakṣatra of birth and brāhmaṇas. The Kṛtyaratnākara (p. 540), the Nityācārapaddhati (pp. 621-624) quote the same verses (as Aparārka does) and add that on that day one should worship Mārkaṇḍeya (who is believed to be immortal) and the seven other *cirajīvins*.⁵⁹⁵ The Nityācārapaddhati (p. 621) quotes a verse that in the case of kings the anniversary of the day on which they were crowned should be celebrated. The Nirṇayasindhu, the Saṁskāraprakāśa (which in pp. 281-294 gives the most elaborate treatment) call this festival 'abdapūrti'. The Saṃskāraratanamālā contains a very extensive discourse on this rite (pp. 877-886) and calls this festival 'āyurvardhāpana'. The Nirṇayasindhu and the Saṃskāraratnamālā set out the verses that are addressed to Mārkaṇḍeya and others. In modern times women do celebrate every month the birthday of a child and the first anniversary of birth. They make the child cling to the principal house-post or to the post used for churning out butter from the pail of curds and water.