Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s20.66

v1.c3.s20.66

The Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa⁴⁹ has a list of the Nakṣatras which agrees generally with the list of the Saṃhitās. It runs as follows: Kṛttikās, Rohiṇī, Invakās, Bāhū (dual), Tiṣya, Āśleṣās, Maghās, Pūrve Phalgunī, Uttare Phalgunī, Hasta, Citrā, Niṣtyā, Viśākhe, Anūrādhās, Rohiṇī, Mūlabarhaṇī, Pūrvā Aṣāḍhās, Uttarā Aṣāḍhās, Śroṇā, Śraviṣṭhās, Śatabhiṣaj, Pūrve Proṣṭhapadās, Uttare Proṣṭhapadās, Revatī, Áśvayujau, Apabharaṇīs. In a later book,⁵⁰ however, the list grows to 28, and the full moon is inserted after number 14, and the new moon after number 28, as an attempt to bring the Nākṣatra (lunar) month into accordance with the Sāvana (solar) month of 30 days. The names in this second list are as in the Saṃhitās with the following exceptions. The seven stars of the Kṛttikās are named as Ambā, Dulā, Nitatnī, Abhrayantī, Meghayantī, Varṣayantī, Cupuṇikā, names found also in the Taittirīya⁵¹ and Kāṭhaka Saṃhitās.⁵² Beside Mṛgaśīrṣa, Invakās are also mentioned.⁵³ Then come Ārdrā, Punarvasū, Tiṣya, Āśreṣās, Maghās (beside which Anaghās, Agadās, and Arundhatīs are also mentioned), Phalgunyas (but elsewhere in the dual, Phalgunyau),⁵⁴ Phalgunyas, Hasta, Citrā, Niṣtyā, Viśākhe, Anūrādhās, Jyeṣṭhā, Mūla, Aṣāḍhās, Aṣāḍhās, Abhijit, Śroṇā, Śraviṣṭhās, Śatabhiṣaj, Proṣṭhapadās, Proṣṭhapadās, Revatī, Aśvayujau, Bharaṇyas, but also Apabharaṇīs.⁵⁵ Abhijit, which occurs also in an earlier part of the Brāhmaṇa,⁵⁶ is perhaps interpolated. But Weber’s⁵⁷ argument that Abhijit is out of place in this list because Brāhmaṇa is here mentioned as the 28th Nakṣatra, loses some force from the fact (of course unknown to him) that the list in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā⁵⁸ contains 28 Nakṣatras, including Abhijit, and adds Brāhmaṇa at the end as another.