History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.707

v6.c82.707

The names of the twelve solar months distributed two each among six seasons are very ancient. They occur in the Taittirīya-saṁhitā IV 3 11. 1, Vāj S 13 25 They are Madhu, Mādhava, Śukra, Śuci, Nabhas, Nabhasya, Iṣa, Ūrja, Sahas, Sahasya, Tapas and Tapasya¹⁰³⁷. In the Brāhmaṇas we meet with months (lunar) named form nakṣatras. It is therefore that some works speak of *ṛtus* (seasons) as of two kinds, viz. Saura and Cāndra. The former begin either with Mīnarāśi or Meṣarāśi, while the latter are called Caitra and the rest¹⁰³⁸ The name of the nakṣatra is often formed into a derivative and joined to the word Paurṇamāsī, Pūrṇamāsa or Amāvāsyā and sometimes the names of the months such as Phālguna and Caitra occur in the Brāhmaṇas (vide note 1015 above).¹⁰³⁹