History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c53.s2.1

v3.c53.s2.1

It was shown above (pp. 1213-1214) that the Dvādaśāha sacrifice partook of the characteristics of both ahīna and a sattra and a few points of difference between the two were also set out there. Sattras are sacrificial sessions, the duration of which varies from 12 days to a year or more. Their archetype (prakṛti) is the Dvādaśāha (Āśv. XI. 1. 7). Sattras again may for convenience be divided into those called Rātrisattras and those called Sāṁvatsarika (carried on for a year or more). Āśv. (XI. 1. 8-XI. 6. 16) and Kāt. (XXIV. 1-3) speak of numerous Rātrisattras called Trayodaśarātra and so on up to Śatarātra, state the principles on which these sattras are evolved from the Dvādaśāha, the model, and set out the schemes of all of them. If only one day has to be added then it is the Mahāvrata that is added before the last day called Udayanīya. If two or more days are required to be added then they are added before the Daśarātra (that forms the central part of the Dvādaśāha and comes after the Prāyaṇīya day). In the case of Rātrisattras of many days' duration ṣaḍahas are added (Kāt. XXIV. 1. 5-7, Āśv. XI. 1. 8-14); the Daśarātra is never repeated but is only one in the same sattra (Kāt. XXIV. 3. 34). For want of space all the Rātrisattras will be passed over. The Gavām-ayana²⁶⁷⁸ (lit. the course or way of the cows i. e. the sun's rays or days) is the model of all Sāṁvatsarika sattras (Āśv. XI. 7. 1 and com., Jai. VIII, 1. 8, Kāt. XXIV. 4. 2). Several sattras of the duration of one year or more are mentioned in the sūtra texts such as Ādityānām-ayana (Āśv. XII. 1. 1), Aṅgirasām-ayana Kuṇḍapāyinām-ayana (Āśv. XII. 4. 1), Sarpāṇām-ayana, Traivārṣika (one for three years), Dvādaśavārṣika, Ṣaṭ-triṁśadvārṣika, Śatasaṁvatsara for sādhyas (Āśv. XII. 5. 18) and Sahasrasaṁvatsara, Sārasvata (performed on the holy Sarasvatī river). A few words will be said only about the Gavām-ayana.