History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.118.2

v6.c82.118.2

85 2 and in X. 68 11 (the pitṛs adorned the heavens with nakṣatras)723a nakṣatra appears to mean the 27 well-known asterisms. So also when the Śatapatha contrasts the Kṛttikās (that do not swerve from the east) with other nakṣatras (that do swerve), nakṣatra should be taken to mean asterisms in the Zodiacal belt, the 27 (or 28) constellations in the Zodiacal belt in which the moon appears to move. Another word is 'stṛ' (that is an Indo-European word), which always occurs in the instrumental plural in the Ṛgveda (as in I 68. 5, I. 87. 1, I 166. 11, II. 2 5, II. 34 2, IV. 7. 3, VI. 49. 3 and 12) and is often connected with decking the sky. The word 'ṛkṣa' in the sense of 'star' occurs in Rg⁷²⁴ I. 24. 10 'these ṛkṣas that are established high up (in the sky) are seen at night, but where did they go by day'. This refers to the constellation of the seven sages (Ursa Major). In the Atharvaveda VI. 40 1, the constellation of the seven sages is expressly mentioned: "May Heaven and Earth confer on us freedom from danger here, may the Sun and the Moon do the same for us; may the wide mid regions confer on us freedom from danger and may there be abhaya for us on account of the oblation offered to the Seven Sages" The Śatapatha states that the seven sages were formerly called 'ṛkṣāḥ' (note 727 below) In Rg V. 56 3, VIII. 24. 27, VIII. 68 15 the word ṛkṣa means either 'bear' or something else It has been pointed out above p 494 that in Rg.