History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.174

v7.c89.174

The fall of meteors (*ulkā*) required a śānti. There were several beliefs about them. Garga held that they were missiles discharged by the Lokapālas¹²³⁶ who send down flaming meteors as missiles for indicating (coming) auspicious or calamitous events. Another view was that they were really souls that fell own to the earth (for fresh births) after enjoying in heaven the favourable results of their actions.¹²³⁷ Meteors are often referred to in the epics as falling on serious occasions e. g. the Śalya-parva mentions¹²³⁸ the fall of a flaming meteor accompanied by a great noise and whirlwind when Duryodhana fell in the macefight with Bhīma. In Droṇaparva a flaming meteor is referred to as indicative of the coming death of the great ācārya and warrior Droṇa. The Adbhutasāgara (pp. 342-344) quotes a long passage (of 23½ verses) from Ātharvaṇādbhuta about the fall of meteors¹²³⁹ by day. It is said therein that such a fall of meteors by day portends the destruction of the country and its king and therefore a Mahāśānti called Amṛtā should be performed. There is an Ātharvaṇa-pariśiṣṭa LVIII b on *ulkā*, but the Adbhutasāgara verses do not appear to have been extracted from that.