History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c43.59

v3.c43.59

says²⁰⁰⁹ that a gift must be made on the first day of each *ayana* (the sun's passage to the north or south), at the beginning of *Ṣaḍaśīti* and while an eclipse of the sun or moon is in progress and that the rewards of the gifts made on these occasions are inexhaustible. Vanaparva 200. 125 is to the same effect. A gift made on Amāvāsyā imparts rewards a hundred times (of the reward of making it on any ordinary day), a thousand times when made on the suppression of a tithi, a hundred thousand times when made on the equinoctial day and a gift brings endless rewards when made on Vyatīpāta. Saṁvarta (208–209) says that gifts made on the *ayana* day, equinoctial day, vyatīpāta, the suppression of a tithi and on the eclipses of the sun and moon, on new moon day, 12th day, saṁkrānti (sun's passage into a zodiacal sign) becomes inexhaustible and these tithis are highly commended and so also Sunday for a bath, japa, homa, dinner to brāhmaṇas, fast and gifts.²⁰¹⁰ Śātātapa (146) states that 16 *ghaṭikās* before and also after the moment when the sun enters a new zodiacal sign is the holy time for gifts, while others give 30 ghaṭikās (before and after) for Karkaṭaka (Cancer saṁkrānti), 20 for Makara (Capricorn) and 105 for Tulā (Balance) and Meṣa (Aries). Viśvarūpa on Yāj. I. 214–217 states that the times specified as the proper occasions for śrāddha are all of them the most appropriate times for making gifts. Vide Prajāpati 25 and 28 and Atri 327 for similar rules. Śaṅkha says that if amāvāsyā falls on Monday, the 7th tithi on Sunday, 4th on Tuesday, 8th on Wednesday—these four are like eclipses and so gifts made on these days yield infinite rewards (quoted by Hemādri, dānakhaṇḍa p. 66). The Viṣṇu Dh. S. chap. 89 deals with the rewards of the gifts of various articles made on the full moon days of the twelve months of the year. Anuśāsana chap. 64 speaks of dānas on the 27 nakṣatras from kṛttikā.