History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.776

v6.c81.776

In modern times on Vijayadaśamī there is śamīpūjā in many parts of India. But śamī is a rare tree In Mahārāṣṭra and Konkana, twigs of a tree called Āptā are brought from the forest and arranged in the form of a bush near a temple and in the afternoon the people of a town or village engage in a sort of mock scramble for taking away twigs of Āptā and distribute the leaves among their neighbours, friends and relatives saying 'take this gold'. In Saurāṣṭra and in several other places there is no such distribution of leaves. The Dharmasindhu notes that common people (in Mahārāṣtra) cut off twigs of śamī and take them to their houses but that this has no śāstra basis⁴⁹⁵ In some places a he-buffalo or a goat was formerly sacrificed on this day In the former princely States of India such as Baroda and Mysore durbars were held on Vijayādaśamī (or Dasarā, as it is called) and grand processions with richly caparisoned elephants and prancing horses were taken out on the streets of the capital. The kings in ancient and medieval times performed the Nīrājana ceremony of horses and elephants, soldiers and the king himself. Kālidāsa mentions that when śarad came Raghu performed the śānti rite called vājinīrājana (Raghuvamśa IV. 24–25). In his Bṛhatsaṃhitā (chap. 44, ed. by Kern) Varāha describes at length lustration rites for horses, elephants and men The Nirṇayasindhu sets out the mantras at the time of nīrājana of the army 'O goddess, ruling over gods! may my army divided into four sections (elephants, chariots, horsemen and foot-soldiers) attain to the position of having no enemy left in this world and may victory come to me everywhere through your favour.' The Tithitattva provides that the king after performing nīrājana for vigour to his army should see the fine *khañjana* bird in the vicinity of water or cowpens and address it with the mantra⁴⁹⁶ 'O khañjarītabird! you have come to the earth, you have a blue and auspicious neck and you bestow all desires; salutation to you!' The Tithitattva then (p. 103) descants upon the conclusions about the future to be drawn from the several places where the khañjarīta (wagtail) is seen and from the directions in which it is seen. The Bṛhatsaṃhitā has a chapter (45) on the auguries to be drawn from the sight of the khañjana bird, almost the whole of which is quoted by the Kṛtyaratnākara (pp 366–373) and a few verses of which are quoted by Varṣakriyākaumudī pp 450–51. In Manu V. 14 and Yāj I. 174 among the birds whose flesh is forbidden for eating is khañjarīta (probably because it was such a valuable bird for prognostications).