History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.285
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.285
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It may be stated here that the rules laid down in the above verses (of yugmavākya) are riddled with exceptions. Some say that these rules apply only to tithis of the bright half and not to those of the dark half. But many works such as Aparārka (p. 216), Kālanirṇaya (p 172), Vratakālaviveka (P. O. vol. VII.
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p 87), Nirṇayasindhu (p 18) hold that the passage applies to tithis of the dark half also, since the express mention of Amāvāsyā in combination with pratipad is an indication in that direction It would be noticed that the *yugmavākya* (even though held to be applicable to the dark half) does not refer to the first tithi of the dark half, the 10th and 13th tithis of both halves Their combinations with the preceding or following tithis will be governed by express texts where available and by other considerations in other cases, such as the verse 'in the bright half that tithi should be preferred which exists at the time the sun rises and, in the dark half, that tithi should be preferred which exists when the sun sets '¹⁹² Another important rule is that where there are express texts prescribing a particular combination of *viddhā tithis* as more appropriate for a vrata or other religious rite, that express rule prevails and not the rule derived from this yugmavākya¹⁹³ For example, it is laid down in the very place (where the yugmavākya occurs) that the 6th tithi, 8th tithi, amāvāsyā and the 13th of the dark half are to be preferred (for religious rites) when in combination with the following tithis (i e.
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7th, 9th, 1st of bright half and 14th of dark half respectively) and others (than those mentioned in the first half such as the 7th, 9th) are to be preferred when combined with those preceding them.¹⁹⁴ The application of special considerations may be further illustrated by the following The same tithi may be preferred if *pūrvaviddhā* in one vrata and as paraviddhā in other cases owing to the difference in the deities of the vratas. For example, Skandaṣaṣṭhī is preferred as pūrvaviddhā, but Mandāraṣaṣṭhī is preferred as paraviddhā (because the deity is Mandāra and not Skanda) Sometimes, although the devatā is the same, it will have to be pūrvaviddhā and sometimes paraviddhā as in the Vināyaka-vrata which requires mid-day as the proper time. If the 4th exists at midday and then is mixed up with 5th, but did not exist at midday the previous day, then 4th mixed with 5th will be preferred, but if mixed with the 3rd before noon and not mixed with 5th at time of midday, 4th mixed with third will be preferred Sometimes it depends on the fact whether it is bright or dark fortnight Śukla pratipad will be preferred if pūrvaviddhā, but kṛṣṇa pratipad will be preferred as uttaraviddhā The rites for pitṛs are not governed by yugma-vākya The gṛhya-pariśiṣṭa provides that the pitṛs attend on that tithi which exists at the time when the sun sets;
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that tithi and afternoon are assigned for the pitṛs by Brahmā himself¹⁹⁵ Sometimes even a combination not approved by yugmavākya has to be accepted for the performance of a rite e. g when aṣṭamī with Rohiṇī nakṣatra exists (in Kṛṣṇājanmā-vrata) the fast should be observed on that Aṣṭamī, though it may be combined with 7th tithi (and not on 9th as yugmavākya requires).¹⁹⁶ Sometimes, even though a tithi be pūrnā, it is passed over in favour of a viddhā one.¹⁹⁷ Suppose there is Ekādaśī in the bright half from sunrise to sunrise on a certain day and there is Ekādaśī on the next day for two ghaṭikās, then there is Dvādaśī for 59 ghaṭikās in extent; thus trayodaśī commences the day after just one ghaṭikā after sunrise. According to this verse of Pracetas there is to be no upavāsa on the Ekādaśī, though it is pūrnā, but the fast will be observed on Dvādaśī, and the *pāraṇā* in order to be celebrated on dvādaśī will have to be during the first ghaṭikā of the third day from ekādaśī or earlier. But if the Dvādaśī in this case be only for 55 ghaṭikās, trayodaśī will begin three ghaṭikās before sunrise; if *pāraṇā* be done at sunrise it will be on the 13th and not on the 12th. In this latter case, according to Pracetas, the Upavāsa will have to be on the pūrnā Ekādaśī in order that the pāraṇā may be on 12th.
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It has to be further remembered that the positive prescription about celebrating a vrata or the like on the fixed tithi is governed by the yugmavākya, but the rules forbidding the partaking of oil, meat or the like on the fixed tithi apply for the whole of that day¹⁹⁸ and that tithi, whether it is 65 ghaṭikās and extends over three days or is only 55 ghaṭikās and extends over two days only. For explaining the words 'ekādaśyām nirāhāraḥ' from Varāha-purāṇa (39. 32) the Ekādaśītattva (pp. 3–4) states that one is to fast not merely for the time that the Ekādaśī lasts on a week-day but for the whole of the week day on which Ekādaśī falls and it applies the reasoning contained in Jai VI. 2 19–20 (called *Kalañjādhikaraṇa*). If the vrata is such that some items in it are to be done by day and some at night, then that vrata must be observed on that tithi which exists by day as well as at night and in such a case the yugmavākya has no application Vide p 72 and note 184 above. In certain cases where the vrata has several items extending over the whole day or a large part of it, the tithi at the time of sunrise even if it be only for a ghaṭikā is declared by some texts to be *sakalā* (*pūrṇā*) for purposes of both gifts and vratas.¹⁹⁹