History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c89.88

v7.c89.88

The word 'utpāta' is rare in the Śrauta or Gṛhya sūtras. The Gautamadharma-sūtra, after enjoining upon the king to select a learned, well-conducted brāhmaṇa as his *purohita*, provides that the king should give heed to what astrologers and interpreters of omens tell (him) and that the purohita should perform śānti rites, rites for prosperity (such as vāstu-homa) and magic rites (on behalf of the king¹¹⁸³). But in the Purāṇas and the medieval Sanskrit works it is far more frequent than the word adbhuta; sometimes *adbhūta* and *utpāta* are used as synonyms. Garga says¹¹⁸⁴ 'deities become unfavourable owing to the wrong doings of men and create extraordinary happenings in the sky, atmospheric region and on the earth. These are the utpātas for all worlds created by gods; these utpātas sally forth for the destruction (of people) and they by their (terrific) appearances rouse people (to do what is proper.)'. Here the words 'adbhuta' and 'utpāta' are used as synonyms. Similarly, Matsya (228. 1-2) appears to regard the two words as synonyms.¹¹⁸⁵ Generally, however, the word utpāta denotes occurrences that portend evil to all. Amarakośa treats 'ajanya', 'utpāta' and 'upasarga' as synonyms. Utpāta is defined by Garga, Varāhamihira¹¹⁸⁶ and Atharva-pariśiṣṭa LXIV as the reverse of the usual natural order. *Nimitta* means, according to Amarakośa (nimittam hetulakṣmaṇoḥ) 'cause or prognostic sign'. Nimitta may be auspicious or inauspicious. This is one distinction between utpāta (which generally denotes an unlucky portent) and nimitta. There is another distinction. Nimitta is often restricted to the throbbing of a person's limbs (as in Matsya chap. 241), though here and there it is used in a wider sense as in Gītā (I. 31) ('nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni Keśava' O Keśava! I see adverse omens), Rāmāyaṇa, Ayodhyākāṇḍa. 4. 17-19, Bhīṣma-parva 2. 16-17, Virāṭa 46. 30, Atharvapariśiṣṭa LXIV (Utpāta-lakṣaṇa) 10. 9-10.¹¹⁸⁷ It may be noted that Manu VI. 50 mentions 'utpāta' and 'nimitta' separately (p. 527 note 758).