History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.508

v6.c81.508

It is clear from almost all Purāṇas and other works on Janmāṣṭamī that the principal time for the celebration of the birth of Kṛṣṇa is the midnight ³⁴¹ of the 8th of Śrāvaṇa dark half (Bhādrapada dark, if the month is Pūrṇimānta). This tithi is of two kinds viz (1) without Rohiṇī nakṣatra and (2) with Rohiṇī nakṣatra. In each of these two, the Kālanirṇaya of Mādhava (pp 218-224), the Nirṇayasindhu (pp 128-130), the Dharmasindhu (pp 64-67) and other digests set out several possible alternative combinations The Nirṇayāmṛta (pp 56-58) mentions as many as 18 kinds, eight of the *śuddhā* tithi, 8 of the *viddhā* tithi and two more, one being the one where Rohiṇīnakṣatra is there at midnight and the other being Navamī joined to Rohiṇī and having either Wednesday or Monday. A discussion of these would be somewhat complicated and hardly otherwise than of academical interest to modern readers. Therefore, all these alternatives are not set out here. Instead, the brief conclusions put forth by the Tithitattva are given ³⁴² by way of sample. These are: If Jayantī (Aṣṭamī with Rohiṇī) exists only a single day, the fast must be observed on that very day; if it spreads over two days, then the fast is on the later of the two; if there is no Jayantī, then the fast is to be observed on Aṣṭamī joined with Rohiṇī, if two days have Aṣṭamī joined to Rohiṇī, then fast is on the later of the two; if there is no Rohiṇī nakṣatra then fast is to be observed on the Aṣṭamī that exists at midnight or if aṣṭamī exists on two days at midnight or if it be not existent at midnight then on the later day.