Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s14.112

v1.c3.s14.112

Cātur-māsya, ‘four-monthly,’ denotes the festival of the Vedic ritual held at the beginning of the three seasons of four months each, into which the Vedic year was artificially divided.¹ It is clear that the sacrifices commenced with the beginning of each season,² and it is certain that the first of them, the Vaiśvadeva, coincided with the Phālgunī full moon,³ the second, the Varuṇa-praghāsas, with the Āṣāḍhī full moon,⁴ and the third, the Sāka-medha, with the Kārttikī full moon.⁵ There were, however, two alternative datings: the festivals could also be held in the Caitrī, the Śrāvaṇī, and Āgrahāyaṇī (Mārgaśīrṣī) full moons,⁶ or in the Vaiśākhī, Bhādrapadī, and Pauṣī full moons.⁷ Neither of the later datings is found in a Brāhmaṇa text, but each may well have been known early, since the Taittirīya Saṃhitā⁸ and the Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa⁹ both recognize the full moon in the month Caitra as an alternative to the full moon in the month Phālguna, for the beginning of the year.