Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s21.950

v1.c3.s21.950

Pitṛ-yāṇa, the ‘way of the fathers,’ mentioned in the Rigveda¹ and later,² is opposed to the Deva-yāna, or ‘way of the gods.’ Tilak³ considers that the Devayāna corresponds with the Uttarāyaṇa, ‘northern journey’ of the sun, and the Pitṛyāṇa with the Dakṣiṇāyana, its ‘southern journey.’ He concludes from a passage of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa,⁴ where three of the seasons—spring, summer, and the rains—are ascribed to the gods, but the others to the Pitṛs, or Fathers, that the Devayāna began with the vernal equinox, and the Pitṛyāṇa with the autumnal equinox. With this he connects the curious distinction of Deva- and Yama-Nakṣatras in the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa.⁵ These conclusions are, however, very improbable. Cf. Nakṣatra and Sūrya.