Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s20.234

v1.c3.s20.234

Nakṣatra-darśa (‘gazer at the lunar mansions’), an ‘astrologer,’ is mentioned in the list of victims at the Puruṣamedha, or ‘human sacrifice,’ in the Yajurveda.¹ A notice in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa² indicates that that work regarded the practice of choosing a particular Nakṣatra under which to set up the sacrificial fires as an idle one, because it decides in favour of choosing the sun as one's Nakṣatra.