History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.164

v6.c82.164

737a एकविंशमेतदहरुपयन्ति विषुवन्तं मध्ये संवत्सरस्य । ऐ ब्रा IV 18 (184), यथा शालायै पक्षसी मध्यमं वंशमभिसमायच्छति एवं- संवत्सरस्य पक्षसी दिवाकीर्त्यमभिसंतन्वन्ति मतिन्मार्द्धन्ति। तै ब्रा I 2 3 सायण explains on ऐ ब्रा 'दिवैव कीर्तनीयं मन्त्रजातं यस्मिन्विषुवत्यहनि तदहर्दिवाकीर्त्यम्।' The ताण्ड्यब्राह्मण (IV. 6. 3-13 and IV 7. 1) refers to विषुवत् day and provides that दिवाकीर्त्यसाम is to be sung that day since the Gods removed by Divākīrtya the darkness with which Svar-bhānu, the son of an Asura, had pierced the sun and that विषुवत् is the soul of the year and two wings or two sides go round it. Vide H of Dh vol II page 1240 for the arrangement of the 'Gavām-ayana', a saṁvatsarika sattra and the position of the विषुवत् day It should not be forgotten that the Equinox itself is more or less an astronomical fiction and cannot be accurately observed without scientific apparatus As the sacrificial year had only 360 days and a day called विषुवत् was in the middle that would come to 361 days while the solar year is 365¼ days nearly and therefore विषुवत् would have been a day of equal day and night only approximately.