History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.129

v6.c82.129

Some remarks on the nakṣatras in general and on individual nakṣatras would not be out of place. In the Ātharvaṇa Nakṣatrakalpa (the first of the Atharvapariśiṣṭas edited by Bolling and Negelein) in chapter 4 verses 1-8 the devatās (deities) of the nakṣatras are given and chap. 2 states the number of stars in each nakṣatra In some Purāṇas also such as the Viṣṇudharmottara (I 83. 13-21) the presiding deities of nakṣatras are set out. In the Bṛhat-saṁhitā Varāhamihira (chap. 97. 4-5) specifies the deities of the nakṣatras from Aśvinī to Revatī (including Abhijit) as noted below. The Bṛhat-saṁhitā (96 1-3), the Ātharvaṇa-nakṣatra-kalpa (I. 2) and the Viṣṇudharmottara (I. 88 4-7) specify the number of single stars in each nakṣatra (which are from one to six), those having six stars being Kṛttikā, Āśleṣā and Maghā Vide JASB. vol 62 part 1 p. 14 where Hoernle gives a table, from a ms. of Puṣkarasārī's work, of nakṣatras, the stars in each, the *muhūrtas*, the gotra, devatā of each. According to Hoernle the work is very old. Some notes are added on individual nakṣatras (mentioned in the Vedic works). Kṛttikā—The Tai. Br. III. 1. 4. 1 specifies the names of seven Kṛttikās as Ambā, Dulā &c Pāṇini refers to Kṛttikā as Bahulā (in IV. 3. 34). J C. Hickey in 'Introducing the universe' (pp 119-120) says that persons of unusually keen⁷³¹ vision under favourable atmospheric conditions can see even eleven. Mṛgaśīrṣa—Tai Br. III. 1. 4. 3 mentions both names viz. Mṛgaśīrṣa and Invakā. Punarvasū—In the Kāṭhaka and Mai S. this is masculine singular; Pāṇini states (I. 2. 61) that in the Veda the word 'Punarvasu' is employed optionally in the singular (i. e.