History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c41.29

v3.c41.29

To give up Veda study for several months altogether was probably found undesirable. Therefore Manu IV. 98, Vas. Dh. S. 13. 6–7, Auśanasa (p. 515) and others prescribe that after utsarjana the Vedas should be studied till the next upākarma during the bright fortnights of the remaining months and the Vedāṅgas at one's will or in the dark fortnights. The Gobhila smṛti III. 134 says that after Dakṣiṇāyana (sun's passage in the southern celestial hemisphere) for six months one should not study the Upaniṣads and Rahasya texts. It appears that gradually the rite of utsarga in Pauṣa or Māgha came to be discontinued. Aṣṭāvakra¹⁹³⁷ on Mānavagṛhya I. 5. 1 deplores that in his day hardly any one was found to celebrate utsarga on the day specified by the sūtrakāra, that he was powerless to do anything or to upbraid any one but that he would only describe what the śāstra prescribed. Similarly the Smṛtyarthasāra, after describing the procedure of utsarjana, remarks (p. 11) 'after studying the Veda for a year utsarjana may be performed on the day of upākarma or may not be so performed'. Gobhila-Smṛti (III. 128–129, quoted in Sm. C. I p. 55) says 'when *dvijas* perform every year upākarma together with utsarjana according to the prescribed procedure, that results in the growth of the Vedas (Vedic study). Whatever act is performed even in sport by brāhmaṇas whose vedas have not grown stale, that act becomes successful.' Vide Śāṅ. gṛ. IV. 5. 16 to the same effect. It is on account of this idea that in the *saṅkalpa* the expression 'yātayāmatānirāsena' (by removing staleness) occurs. In modern times utsarjana is performed on the same day as upākarma, but precedes the latter. These two together being generally performed in Śrāvaṇa either on the full moon or on Śravaṇa nakṣatra or on the 5th of the bright half of Śrāvaṇa are designated by the word Śrāvaṇī.