History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.711

v6.c82.711

Pāṇini derives the names of the months like Caitra from Paurṇamāsī and expressly names the Āgrahāyaṇī (IV. 2. 22), Phālgunī, Śravaṇā, Kārtikī and Caitrī (IV 2 23). 'Paurṇamāsī' itself is derived from Pūrṇamāsa by the Vārtika 2 on Pāṇini IV. 2. 35. The Full Moon tithi which has Puṣya nakṣatra is called Pauṣī by the sūtras (Pāṇ. IV. 2. 3 and IV, 2 21). Thus there were three stages; first the 27 nakṣatras were distinguished and named in the very ancient Vedic saṁhitās, then the Full Moon day was called Caitrī Paurṇamāsī (and so on) because on that tithi the Moon was in Citrā nakṣatra and so on; then the months were called Caitra, Vaiśākha &c. because they had Caitrī or Vaiśākhī Paurṇamāsī in it. All this occurred long before Pāṇini. Later the saura names Madhu, Mādhava &c. came to be indentified with lunar months Caitra, Vaiśākha &c. and became synonyms. When this occurred it is difficult to say. But it is much older than the Christian era. It must be long before Kālidāsa, who in his Meghadūta first speaks of Āṣāḍha and then refers to the next month Śrāvaṇa as Nabhas. Often on the Full Moon day the Moon might not actually be in or very near Citrā or Śravaṇa nakṣatra but that did not matter; the month would still be called Caitra or Śrāvaṇa as the case may be.¹⁰⁴⁰