History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.234.2

v6.c81.234.2

Similarly, the Nirukta holds a discussion on Sinīvālī and Kuhū (XI. 31) The Atharvaveda (VI. 11. 3) mentions Prajāpati, Anumati and Sinīvālī together. The word Kuhū occurs in the Atharvaveda and is applied to a deity that is invoked to come to the sacrifice and to bestow on the worshipper wealth and a heroic son. In the Tai S I. 8 8. 1 and Śat. Br. IX. 5. 1. 38 mention is made of these four, viz of Anumati, Rākā, Sinīvālī and Kuhū, as recipients of *caru* (oblation of boiled rice) How these names were coined in the distant past is an insoluble riddle Anumati can be derived from root *man*, but why the tithi of the Full Moon mixed with the 14th tithi was so called is more than anyone can say. Kuhū may be plausibly derived from *kuha* ‘where’ (as in Ṛg. I 24 10, X 40 2) as the day when the moon is invisible and when primitive people asked in wonder the question ‘where does the moon go’. But Rākā and. Sinīvālī defy attempts at any plausible etymology. Eminent philologists, instead of admitting ignorance, are not wanting, who following the traditions of the very ancient etymologist Yāska (who says in Nirukta II 1 '*na tveva na nirbrūyāt*), suggest that the word Sinīvālī is made up by combining the Babylonian-Akkadian word '*sin*' (meaning moon) with Dravidian '*vel*' (white light)¹⁵⁸ 'Amāvāsyā' (New Moon) is addressed as a deity by itself in Atharva¹⁵⁹ VII.