History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.1574

v6.c81.1574

*Nikumbhapūjā*—(1) on Cai. śu. 14 fast and on pūrṇimā worship of Hari; Nikumbha goes out to fight with *piśācas*; a clay or grass effigy should be made and worship should be offered to piśācas in the noon in each house with flowers, naivedya &c. and with drums and lutes; worship again at moonrise; and then dismiss; the performer should observe a great festival with song and music and the din of people; people should play with a serpent made of grass surrounded by sticks and it should be cut up into pieces after three or four days and pieces kept for one year; HV II. 241-242 (from Āditya-purāṇa), NM (p 64 verses 781-790) calls this ‘Caitrapiśāca-varṇanam’; (2) on Āśv. pūrṇimā; people (except women, children or old men) should not take food by day and keep Agni near the house door and worship it and so also Full Moon, Rudra and Umā, Skanda, Nandīśvara, Revanta; worship of Nikumbha with sesame, ricegrains and *māṣas*, brāhmaṇas to be fed at night and people should take food (but no meat); music, dance and songs that night; next day they should take easy and in the morning after that they should besmear themselves with mud and play like *piśācas* without feeling shame, smear their friends with mud and employ lascivious words and prattle obscene words; in the afternoon they should bathe; if a person does not indulge in this *saturnalia* he is affected by piśācas; KKN 411-413, KR 375-378 (both quote Brah.); (3) on Cai. kr. 14; worship of Śambhu and Nikumbha who is accompanied by piśācas; on that night people to protect their children from piśācas and to see the dance of veśyās; KKN 446, KR 534-536.