History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c52.24

v3.c52.24

The ahīna sacrifices²⁶⁴⁵ are those the duration of which is two to twelve days of soma pressing, which always end with an atirātra and which together with the dīkṣā and upasad days should not extend beyond a month. They should be begun on a Full Moon day. Among them there are groups of sacrifices that last for two days, three days (e. g. Gargaritrirātra), four days, five days (called pañcarātras of which Pañcaśāradīya is one), ṣaḍahas and so on. Among the numerous rites called ahīnas, the Aśvamedha and Dvādaśāha deserve notice. The Aśvamedha will be described later on. The Dvādaśāha is both an ahīna and a sattra (Āśv. X. 5. 2). There are several varieties of Dvādaśāha, one being called Bharata-dvādaśāha (Āśv. X. 5. 8., Āp. XXI. 14. 5). The twelve days of the Dvādaśāha as a sattra are constituted by the Prāyaṇīya (the commencing rite, an Atirātra), Pṛṣṭhya Ṣaḍaha²⁶⁴⁶ (6 days), Chandomas which are Ukthyas (3 days) and a tenth day which is an Atyagniṣṭoma (called Avivākya, on which no speaking or dispute about errors is allowed) and the Udayanīya (concluding rite, which again is an Atirātra). The principal differences between the Dvādaśāha as an ahīna and a sattra are: (1) a sattra can be performed only by brāhmaṇas, while a dvādaśāha may be performed by any one of the first three varṇas; (2) the sattra may extend over even long periods (such as a year or more), while a dvādaśāha cannot so extend; (3) in the sattra the distinction of yajamāna and priests does not exist but all are yajamānas and all work as priests, while in dvādaśāha that distinction exists; (4) (as a consequence of the above) in a sattra there are no dakṣiṇās. Kāt. XII. 1. 4 states that wherever in the vedic texts the words 'upayanti' and 'āsate' occur it is a sign of a 'sattra' (and so in that case the rules about sattras will apply) but where the word 'yajate' or 'yājayet' is used it is a sign of an ahīna. In an ahīna only the last day is an Atirātra, but in a sattra both the first and last days are Atirātras (Kāt. XII. 1. 6).