History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.259
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.259
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The Yogayātrā chap. 7 (verses 1-12) and Hemādri on Vrata (vol. II pp 894-897) mention ceremonial baths on and worship of nakṣatras from Aśvinī to Revatī and their presiding deities as yielding various benefits The Ātharvaṇa-pariśiṣṭa I (called nakṣatrakalpa) sections 37-50 deal with *nakṣatrasnāna* from Kṛttikā to Bharaṇī Sections 37-41 contain the mantras employed in worshipping and placating the presiding deities of the nakṣatras beginning with Kṛttikā. Section 42 describes the general procedure of *nakṣatrasnāna*; sections 43-45 set out the substances to be added to the water for each nakṣatrasnāna and the benefit to be derived from so doing. Sections 47-50 contain special rules in relation to each nakṣatra from Kṛttikā to Bharaṇī, about the distribution of food to brāhmaṇas and gifts to be made on each nakṣatra together with the rewards to be expected therefrom. But the Bṛhatsaṁhitā chap. 47 (1-87), the Ātharvaṇa-pariśiṣṭa V pp. 66-68, Viṣṇudharmottara II. 103, Yogayātrā (VII. 13-21), the Kālikāpurāṇa chap. 89, and Hemādri (on Vrata vol. II. pp. 600-628) speak of a śānti called Puṣyasnāna or Puṣyābhiṣeka. It is said that Bṛhaspati performed this śānti for Indra, then Vṛddha-Garga got it and he imparted it to Bhāguri. Most of the above works confine it to the king, since the king is the very root of the tree—the subjects—and since any harm to or welfare of that root (the king) results in misfortune or welfare of the people;
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therefore care must be taken for the increase of the king's welfare.¹²⁸³ As the treatment in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā is the fullest and is among the most ancient descriptions, it is briefly set out here. The royal astrologer and family priest should perform the rite of Puṣyasnāna for the king, than which there is nothing more holy and nothing more destructive of all evil portents. This may be performed on puṣya-nakṣatra every time, but the Śānti on this day when the Full Moon is in Puṣya-nakṣatra is the highest and if such a *snāna* is performed without there being Puṣya nakṣatra on that day, then it yields only half the fruit. There is no utpāta which is not averted or mitigated by this śānti and there is no other auspicious rite which surpasses this. About Puṣya the Ratnamālā¹²⁸⁴ states 'Just as the lion is the strongest among all quadrupeds, so is Puṣya the most powerful among nakṣatras; undertakings begun on Puṣya succeed even if the Moon be unfavourable or be *gocara*. Then Varāhamihira states in very poetic verses (47.
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4-15) that the Puṣyasnāna of the king should be performed in a sylvan spot abounding in young and beautiful trees emitting fragrance and free from trees having thorns or trees like marking nut or from owls, vultures and the like or on rivers or on lakes or near lotus pools or near a cow-house or seashore or hermitages of sages, grand mansions resounding with the sweet cries of cuckoos and the like or near a holy shrine or tīrtha or a spot beautified by parks Then the astrologer, the councillors and officiating priests should go out from the capital at night and make an offering (*bali*) in the East, North or North-east and the royal family priest, being himself pure and bowing down, should invoke with fried grains, akṣata, barley, curds and flowers and with a mantra¹²⁸⁵ the gods, the (guardians of) quarters, the nāgas and brāhmaṇas to be present at the spot and then say 'tomorrow you will receive worship and depart after conferring welfare on the king'. The family priest and the others should stay in order to find the auspicious nature or otherwise of the dreams (of the king). On the next day in the morning they should collect materials (for the Puṣyasnāna) on the spot chosen the previous day.
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He should draw a maṇḍala (a diagram) there and should place thereon various jewels and should assign places to nāgas, yakṣas, gods, pitṛs, gandharvas, apsarases, sages, siddhas, planets, nakṣatras, Rudras, the mātṛs, Skanda, Viṣṇu, Viśākha, Lokapālas, goddesses (such as Lakṣmī, Gaurī, Indrāṇī), which should all be drawn with charming coloured powders or chalk &c., should offer them worship with sandal wood paste, flowers &c., with various edibles, fruits and meat, with drinks viz. wine, milk and decoctions, he should follow the procedure of Grahayajña and worship the various deities invited with appropriate foods, incense, clarified butter, flowers, with lauds and salutations &c (verses 30-33). Then he should set up Agni on an altar to the west or south of the maṇḍala drawn by him, should kindle it into flames and bring near it the materials and darbhas He should offer worship on the altar to the west with fried grains, ghee, curds, honey, white mustard, fragrant substances, flowers, incense, fruits, and should donate plates full of *pāyasa* and ghee Then in the four intermediate quarters of the altar he should establish four jars the necks of which are surrounded with white thread and that are covered with leaves, twigs and fruits of trees having milky sap and filled with water mixed with herbs and materials for puṣyasnāna and jewels.
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In verses 39-42 Varāhamihira names about 15 plants the leaves¹²⁸⁶ of which are to be cast in the jars and also seeds and *sarvauṣadhīs*, *sarvagandhas*, bilva fruit &c. He should spread an old bull's hide with its neck to the east on the altar and thereon he should spread the reddish hide of a bull trained for fighting, the hides of a lion and a tiger one over the other, when the Moon is in Puṣya-nakṣatra and there is an auspicious *muhūrta* Over the hides a throne made of gold, silver, copper or of a tree with a milky sap should be placed. The king should occupy the throne after placing thereon a piece of gold, surrounded by his ministers, men of his confidence, the family priest, the astrologer, the citizens that have auspicious names (such or Jayarāja, Siṃharāja &c.).