History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.830

v6.c81.830

In the afternoon of the pratipad (Kārtika-śukla) the tying of Mārgapālī takes place.⁵²⁹ A rope of kuśas or kāśas (Saccharum spontaneum) should be made according to the usage of one's family and tied to a tall pole and a tree in the east; one should bow to it and offer a prayer to it with the mantra (quoted in the note 529) and all including the king and brāhmaṇas accompanied by cows, elephants and the like should pass by the way underneath the rope. In the same way a strong rope of kāśas or the like should be made and a tug of war should ensue, the rope being frequently pulled on one side by the princes and on the other by persons of lower castse The pulling of the rope should be done in front of a temple or the palace or where four roads meet and an equal number of strong men should be selected for each side. A line should be drawn behind each side. If the persons of lower castes succeed in drawing the other side towards them then it should be held that the king will be victorious thereafter for one year⁵³⁰ The Nīrājana ceremony by women should be performed in the morning (if the pratipad is mixed with dvitīyā) and the Maṅgalamālikā (a series of auspicious rites or auspicious garlands) should be performed in the evening on the 2nd tithi (if pratipad exists only for a short time and is followed by dvitīyā).⁵³¹