History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.153

v6.c82.153

Very interesting information and legends are given in the Vedic texts about some of the nakṣatras. About the Kṛttikās the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa⁷³³ states 'other nakṣatras contain one star, or two or three or four stars, but these Kṛttikās are many, the sacrificer reaches plenty; therefore one should set up sacred fires on the Kṛttikās. These (Kṛttikās) indeed do not swerve from the east, while all other nakṣatras do swerve from the eastern direction.' The recondite allusion in Ṛg. I. 164. 33 (atra pitā duhitar-garbham-ādhāt) and X. 61. 7 (pitā yat svāṁ duhitaramadhīṣkan) are developed into a myth, a lengthy account of which is given in the Ait. Br XIII. 10 and Śatapatha I. 6. 2. 1-4 (Prajāpati approached his daughter, some say the heaven and others say it was Uṣas &c.) and about Rohiṇī, Mṛga, the Mṛgavyādha (Sirius) and the three stars in the belt of Orion. Prajāpati⁷³⁴ is said to have had 33 daughters which he gave in marriage to king Soma, who was fond of Rohiṇī and on account of that suffered from Rājayakṣman (Tai. S. II. 3. 5 1)