History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.218

v6.c81.218

The topic of vratas is rather inextricably mixed up with discussions on Kāla and tithi The nibandhas (commentaries and digests) on vratas are numerous In this section I shall mention works that deal with vratas alone or with vratas in relation to *tithis*, but not works on kāla in general and muhūrta This is rather an arbitrary arrangement and it is possible that there would be some repetition and overlapping A verse in the Kālaviveka of Jīmūtavāhana names seven predecessors that had expounded kāla in relation to religious rites, viz Jitendriya, Śaṅkhadhara, Andhūka, Sambhrama, Harivaṁśa and Yogloka. Some of these writers must have been earlier than the first half of the 11th century A D as in the Malamāsatattva Raghunandana states that Andhūkabhaṭṭa mentions in his work how in śake 955 (1033-34 A. D.) there was on Amāvāsyā Tulāsaṅkrānti and the Vṛścikasaṅkrānti on the pratipad and again on Amāvāsyā Dhanus-saṅkrānti This establishes that Andhūkabhaṭṭa wrote his works about 1035 A D. But the works of all those seven writers on kāla have not yet been discovered. Two other works ascribed to king Bhoja of Dhārā¹⁴³ dealt among other matters with kāla and vratas (in the 2nd quarter of the 11th century) One of them, the Rājamārtanḍa, is available in Mss and, besides expounding the astrological significance of tithis, week days, nakṣatras, Yogas, deals (in verses 1136-1292 and 1327-1405) with several vratas and the proper times for them viz. Ekādaśī, Saptamyarkavrata, Agastyārghyadāna, Śravaṇadvādaśī, Rohiṇyastamī, Haritālī-caturthī, Durgotsava, Kaujāgara, Pretacaturdaśī, Sukharātrī, Bhrātṛ-dvitīyā, Dīpadāna, Kārtikasnāna, Māghasnāna, Māghasaptamī, Bhīṣmāṣṭamī, Puṣyadvādaśī, Aśokāṣṭamī, Caitrāvalī, Sāvitrīvrata, Pāṣāṇacaturthī, Araṇyaṣaṣṭhī, Daśaharā, Saṅkrānti. The Rājamārtanḍa has not so far as I know yet been published, though hundreds of the largest from are quoted in the medieval digests It is at that time the earliest extant work of a nibandha form treating of vihtas. Another work dealing with vratas and ascribed to Bhoja is the one cited as Bhūpāla-samuccaya or Bhūpāla-kṛtyasamuccaya, or Kṛtyasamuccaya on *vratas*, *dānas &c* This last work has not yet been unearthed and is found quoted in such medieval digests as the Kṛtyaratnākara