History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.338

v6.c81.338

In the month of Jyeṣṭha there is a vrata called Daśaharā on the 10th tithi of the bright half The Brahmapurāṇa (63 15) states that the 10th of Jyeṣṭha bright half is called Daśaharā, because it destroys ten sins²²⁷ Ten sins (divided into three classes, of the body, of speech and of the mind) are enumerated in Manu XII 5–7²²⁸ The Rājamārtanda (verses 1397–1405) speaks of this vrata The N. S. (p 98) and some other digests put forward another basis, viz²²⁹ Jyestha śu 10 on Tuesday (acc to Varāha) or Wednesday (acc to Skanda), on Hasta-naksatra, Vyatīpāta, Gara (*karana*), Ānanda-yoga, the moon and sun being in Virgo and Taurus respectively—when all these concur or when most of them concur, a person should bathe in the Ganges and then become free from all sins. Wednesday and Hasta constitute Ānandayoga It was supposed that the Ganges came to the earth on this tithi, on Tuesday and on Hasta asterism and therefore originally it appears to have been a vrata of a bath in the Ganges at Daśāśvamedha, of worship and gifts. Then it was extended to a bath in any big river and offering of *arghya*, sesame and water Vide Kāśīkhanda, Tristhalī-setu, K T. 431, Vratarāja pp 352–355, P. C pp 144–145 for further details. At present in towns and villages on the big rivers such as Krsnā, Godāvarī, Narmadā and the Ganges, a festival of the Ganges is celebrated At such places as Banaras, Prayāga, Haridvāra, Nasik the utsava is celebrated on a large scale If there be an intercalary Jyestha, this vrata was to be performed in that month.