History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.242

v7.c89.242

If a person suffers from fever the Madanaratna (folio 11) provides for śāntis for the tithis (from the first onwards) on which the fever started, derived from Baudhāyana in which the presiding deity of each tithi is to be offered worship (pūjā) and homa, for each of which the mantra (of which *japa* is to be made) is different, and the incense, flowers, naivedya also are different There are also śāntis, when a person suffers from fever, about the weekday on which the fever started and images of the presiding deity of the weekday made of different metals according to the name of the day are to be worshipped with different mantras (Madanaratna, folio 12a). For example, if fever started on a Sunday or on a Monday, then the images of Rudra (for Sunday) and Pārvatī (for Monday) were to be made of gold or silver and the mantras to be recited were respectively ‘yā te Rudra’ (Tai. S IV. 5. 1. 1), ‘gaurīr-mimāya’ (Rg I. 164 41). The *gandha*, flowers, incense, lamp and *naivedya* were different in each case. If the fever starts on any one of the 27 nakṣatras, the Madanaratna (folios 12b-15b) prescribes sāntis for all the 27 nakṣatras, specifying the deity of each nakṣatra, the figure of the deity, its colour, mantra, the five upacāras from *gandha*, the kinds of fuel-sticks to be employed, the *āhutis*, the gifts &c If the mantra¹²⁷⁶ be not known, the Gāyatrī mantra (Rg. III. 62. 10) was to be employed and the āhutis were to be 1008 or 108 according to the nature of the disease. The Madanaratna (folios 15b-20b) quotes from Ātreya further details about the 27 nakṣatras, viz. the number of stars in each nakṣatra, whether a nakṣatra is masculine, feminine or neuter, its figure, colour, deity, tree, its *gaṇa*1276a (whether *devagaṇa* or *rākṣasagaṇa* or *manuṣyagaṇa*), what actions should be done on each, the Visanāḍī of each.