History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c63.956

v4.c63.956

⁹⁷⁰ आत्रेय्याश्चैवम्। गौ. 22 12; आत्रेयीं च स्त्रियम् । आप. ध. सू. I. 9. 24. 9. आत्रेयी is variously explained. The word occurs as early as the Sat. Br. I. 4, 5, 13 where in explaining why the offerings to Prajāpati are made in a low tone a legend about the goddess 'Vāc' is narrated and it is said that in having sexual intercourse with an ātreyī, a man incurs sin' (तस्मादप्यात्रेय्या योषितैनस्वी). Here the word appears to mean a woman who is in her monthly illness. Vas. (20. 35-36) defines ātreyī as a woman who has taken the purificatory bath on the 4th day after her monthly illness begins and derives the word from अत्र 'आत्रेयीं वक्ष्यामो रजस्वलामृतुस्नातामात्रेयीमाहुः । अत्र ह्येष्यदपत्यं भवतीति.' Vasiṣṭha either cites or summarises a Vedic passage (as stated by Viśvarūpa) which means 'here (i. e. in the womb of this woman) a child is to come'. In SBE vol. 14 p. 107 the same is translated as 'if the husband approaches her at that (time) he will have offspring'. But this is not correct. 'Eṣyat' qualifies 'apatyam' and is not in the masculine. Vas. derives the word from अत्र and the root इ. Viṣṇu Dh. S. 36.1 and 50.9 appear to hold that ātreyī means a woman of the Atrigotra. Haradatta on both Gaut. and Āp. explains ātreyī as Vasiṣṭha does and states that others interpreted it as ‘अत्रिगोत्रा’; on या. III. 251 (तथात्रेयीनिषूद्कः) विश्वरूप explains आत्रेयी as a woman within 16 days from the beginning of the monthly illness and quotes वसिष्ठ 20.36 and also says ‘आत्रेयीं अत्रिगोत्रां वर्णयन्ति। तदपि युक्तमेव। तथा चाम्नायः ततोत्रिः सम्बभूवेत्युक्त्वा तस्मादप्यात्रेय्या योषितैनस्विनमाहुः । तेनोभे सम्यग्व्याख्याने एव ।’. From Śabara on Jai. VI. 1. 7 it appears that some derived the word as 'अत्र कुक्षावस्या विद्यत इत्यात्रेयी', while Śabara himself preferred the meaning 'अत्रिगोत्रा' and regarded the prohibition to kill an ātreyī as simply meant for praising that gotra 'तथा गोत्रप्रशंसार्थे आत्रेय्या अवधसङ्कीर्तनम् । न चापन्नसत्त्वा आत्रेयी । गोत्रं ह्येतत् । न हि अत्रशब्दादयं तद्धित उत्पन्नः । समर्थानां हि तद्धित उत्पद्यते । न च अत्रशब्दस्य सामर्थ्यमस्ति' (on जै. VI. 1. 9). यम quoted by परा. मा. II: 1 p. 103 gives two meanings ‘जन्मप्रभृति संस्कारैः संस्कृता ब्रह्मचर्यया । गर्भिणी वाथ वा या स्यात्तामात्रेयीं विनिर्दिशेत्॥’. The अमरकोश gives आत्रेयी as a synonym of रजस्वला.