History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.726

v6.c81.726

Then the question arises as to when pūjā is to be performed. Here there are varying views. The Samaya-mayūkha⁴⁶⁴ (p. 14) quoting Devī-purāṇa appears to hold that the pūjā should be in the morning, while the Nirṇayasindhu (p 165) holds that it should be at night It appears from the Devī-purāṇa and Kālikāpurāṇa that pūjā in the morning, mid-day and at night is intended ⁴⁶⁵ 'When the sun is in sign Virgo, the devotee should follow the method of *ayācita* or *nakta* or take food only once or subsist only on water beginning from the *nandikā tithi* of the bright half, should bathe in the morning, should rise superior to the opposites (of heat and cold, happiness and pain &c) and should worship (Śiva and) Śivā three times a day.' The Kālatattvavivecana ⁴⁶⁶ resolves this conflict by saying that morning and midday *pūjās* are brief, the principal and elaborate pūjā is at night only. There is some confusion caused by the texts laying down the nakṣatras, tithis or both on which the different items in the Durgāpūjā were to be performed The Kālaviveka quotes Vyāsa as follows: 'one should awaken Devī on Ārdrānakṣatra, make her enter (the devotee's house) on Mūla, and having worshipped her on Uttarāsāḍhā should take leave of her on Śravaṇa'.⁴⁶⁷ Most digests refer only to the tithis. For example, we saw above (p. 159 note 411) that on the 7th tithi the bilva branch is to be brought to the house, on the 8th fast, pūjā and jāgara are to be observed, the *bali* is offered on 9th, and on the 10th nīrājana and discharging the Devī take place. Some texts combine the tithi and nakṣatra for the several parts of Durgāpūjā. For example, the Rājamārtanḍa verse (q in n. 426 above) says 'one should, after propitiating with faith (Devī) by the head, flesh and blood of several kinds of animals, take leave of her on Śravaṇa-nakṣatra and 10th tithi'. The Devīpurāṇa provides⁴⁶⁸ 'The bilva tree should be addressed with a mantra on 6th tithi joined to Jyeṣṭhā, (the sheaf of) plants should be brought into the house on the 7th joined to Mūla, fast, pūjā and homa take place on the 8th joined to Pūrvāṣāḍhā, on the 9th joined to Uttarāṣāḍhā one should worship Durgā with animal sacrifices and after prostrating oneself before her leave should be taken of her on 10th tithi joined to Śravaṇa'. It often happened that the tithi and nakṣatra provided for an item did not tally and some rules were evolved. The first rule is: if both tithi and nakṣatra as provided tallied then that led to very good results, as said in the Liṅgapurāṇa 'even if there be no Mūla-nakṣatra, one should enter the bilva branch in the house on the seventh; the same rule applies to other tithis, but if the nakṣatras exist on the tithis specified there is increase of the results or rewards.' The second rule was that *tithi* was superior⁴⁶⁹ and therefore even if the nakṣatra did not exist on the tithi specified, one should follow the tithi laid down for the several items in Durgāpūjā. Devala and Lalla⁴⁷⁰ laid this down.