Identifying "Udagayana" with Sun's course in "Northern Hemisphere"; an evidence from Āpastamba-gṛhya-sūtra

[rupa bhaty]

Dear members,

Please find new evidence on Udagayana from Āpastamba-gṛhya-sūtra (आपस्तम्ब-गृह्य-सूत्र)- on Marriage and Ceremonies. Please read the evidence given below.

Regards,

Rupa Bhaty

• • Identifying Udagayana-Praśna 1, Section 1; अथ कर्माण्याचाराद्यानि गृह्यन्ते १; 1. Now (follow) the ceremonies (the knowledge of) which is derived from practice (and not from the Śruti). 2. उदगयनपूर्वपक्षाहःपुण्याहेषु कार्याणि २; They should be performed during the northern course of the sun, on days of the first fortnight (of the month), on auspicious days,
  • Praśna 1, Section 2; सर्वऋतवो विवाहस्य शैशिरौ मासौ परिहाप्योत्तमं च नैदाघम् १२; 12. All seasons are fit for marriage with the exception of the two months of the śiśira season, and of the last summer month.
  • The above reading clears all the doubts on the word "Udagayana". For the auspicious ceremonies, like marriage, has to begin in Udagayana but with an exception of the śiśira season. If Northern course Udagayana has to be from Wintersolstice in Āpastamba-gṛhya-sūtra then the exception of the śiśira season should not have been mentioned neither this would corroborate "northern course of the sun, on days of the first fortnight (of the month), on auspicious days,", i.e., it would not have mentioned the first fortnight after śiśira since the two months of śiśira begins with winter solstice, unfortunately is being prohibited. The two statements become contradictory. We have a long tradition of reading about marriages, copulation, Rati-Kāmadeva Mahotsava in the Vasanta season in Indic texts and poetries.
  • This find also clears the fog from the words Udagayana and Uttarāyana. Udagayana means Sun coursing in "Northern Hemisphere" and not "the northern course of the sun". The northern course of the sun is clearly stated as Uttarāyana in Jyotiṣa texts like Sūryasiddhānta. Sūryasiddhānta has differentiated between Deva-Ayana/Devayāna and Uttarāyana. All the Indic texts compliment each other and are consistent about Udagyana-Sun's course in the Northern hemisphere.
  • This study on Udagayana will have implications on dating Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa (udagatau+ dakṣiṇeti evidence).
    

[rupabhaty16]

Many Śiśirādayaḥ – Winter beginning phrases in Indic texts, now we know how to look at them....

https://rupabhaty.home.blog/2021/05/12/many-sisiradayaḥ-winter-beginning-in-indic-texts-now-we-know-how-to-look-at-them/

[Subrahmanyam Korada]

नमो विद्वद्भ्यः

आपस्तम्बगृह्यसूत्रम् ---

Here the term गृह refers to  both - भार्या and शाला  -- गृहनिमित्तः अग्निः गृह्यः -- तत्र भवानि कर्माणि लक्षणया गृह्याणि ---

गार्ग्यनारायणः आश्वलायनगृह्यसूत्रव्याख्याने ---

' गृहनिमित्तो’ग्निः गृह्यः , तत्र भवानि कर्माण्यपि लक्षणया गृह्याणीत्युच्यन्ते । गृहशब्दो भार्यायां शालायां च वर्तते ' ।

न   गृहं गृहमित्याहुः गृहिणी गृहमुच्यते -- शान्तिपर्व , भारतम्  ( गृहम् is not house , but the lady of the house , i e गृहिणी , is called गृहम् ) ।

So the अग्नि  caused by भार्या or शाला is ग्रुह्यम् - and  the कर्माणि that are performed in that अग्नि are also, due to लक्षणा , called गृह्याणि ।

But in गृह्यसूत्रs not only विवाह etc but  जातकर्म etc , where there is no अग्नि ,  are also mentioned ? -- then following छत्रिन्याय they are also included .

छत्रिणो यान्ति -- means people with umbrellas and without umbrellas are going  together .

आपस्तम्बगृह्यसूत्रम्  1-2 --

उदगयनपूर्वपक्षाहः पुण्याहेषु कर्याणि

पुण्याहेषु = पुण्यनक्षत्रयुक्तदिनेषु 

It is better not to translate the terse term - पुण्यनक्षत्राणि , one may adapt ( use as it is ) the term , just like - धर्म , योग , पुण्य etc. - some explanetion can be offered

in parnthesis / footnotes / endnotes .

समानस्याह्नः पञ्च पुण्यनक्षत्राणि -- तैत्तिरीयब्राह्मणम् , 1-5 -- 3

सुदर्शनाचार्यस्य सूत्रतात्पर्यदर्शनम् --

उदगयनादयः प्रसिद्धाः । पुण्याहास्तु अह्णः नवधा विभक्तस्य अयुजः भागाः --- प्रातः - सङ्गव - मध्याह्ना - पराह्ण - सायं शब्दवाच्याः , पुण्यनक्षत्रापरपर्यायाः ( अयुजः = odd , plural ) .

केचित् -- कृत्तिकादिविशाखान्तानि देवनक्षत्राणि पुण्याहाः - ’ यान्येव देवनक्षत्राणि तेषु कुर्वीत यत्कारी स्यात् । पुण्याह एव कुरुते ’ ( तै ब्रा 1-5-2 ) इति श्रुतेः ।

Presently I am teaching गणपतिपूजा and पुण्याहवाचनम् to my दौहित्र (daughter's son - 11 years ) |  He got गणपतिपूजा in just four सन्थाs .

पुण्याहवाचनम् - is very important for शुद्धि ( after अशौचम् of any kind ) .

धन्यो’स्मि

Dr.Korada Subrahmanyam
Professor of Sanskrit (Retd)

299 Doyen , Serilingampally, Hyderabad 500 019
Ph:09866110741

Skype Id: Subrahmanyam Korada

Blog: Koradeeyam.blogspot.in 

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[rupabhaty16]

Namo namaḥ,

Dhanyavādāḥ Shriman Dr. Korada ji,

The first Paṭala and all the sections of this Paṭala from Āpastamba-gṛhya-sūtra belongs to ceremonies involved in a marriage. Thus, "उदगयनपूर्वपक्षाहःपुण्याहेषु कार्याणि २" ; They should be performed during the northern course of the sun, on days of the first fortnight (of the month), on auspicious days, statement can have two interpretations about "उदगयनपूर्वपक्षाहः" as either "first fortnight when the Sun is in northern course" as always have been interpreted, or it should be "Sun's course in Northern Hemisphere". 

If we employ "first fortnight when the Sun is in northern course", then śiśira should be the auspicious season. Unfortunately this is not the case.

and we find the evidence in second section of the same Paṭala that śiśira is inauspicious to perform marriage ceremony. 

I have no problem in understanding पुण्याहेषु = पुण्यनक्षत्रयुक्तदिनेषु, and the ceremony to be sought on only auspicious nakṣatra days in the first fortnight, in accordance to T.B; तै ब्रा 1-5-2,  when the Sun is in the northern hemisphere, i.e., Vasanta. If I am wrong here kindly point me out. 

My contention is to show that "Udagayana" means the sun in northern hemisphere which means the time period during Vernal equinox to Autumnal equinox, which was known as deva-yāna or Deva-ayana Thats all.

Hope this serves.

Regards

Ar. Rupa Bhaty

[Subrahmanyam Korada]

आयुष्मती भव

Here the question is whether पुण्याह can be translated as an ' auspicious day ' or not . 

Let us go to back translation -- ' auspicious day ' = शुभदिनम्  ,  i e it can be any day like एकादशी / पर्वदिनम् etc - not necessarily ' पुण्याह ’ ।

As soon as the term ' auspicious day ' is heard one does not  understand it as पुण्याह । 

Some people translate ’ धर्म ’ as religion - let us go for back translation -- religion = मतम् , i e we do not get धर्म । So in such cases it is better to adapt / retain the word / term as it is and some explanation may be provided in parentheses / footnotes / endnotes .

I think I am clear . There is nothing to discuss about the rest .

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/bvparishat/e1764126-15b9-4849-b8af-4a59e05fd2f7n%40googlegroups.com.

[विश्वासो वासुकेयः]

नमो नमः।

Traditionally, सर्वऋतवो is taken to mean all 12 months - an exception to the उदगयन rule. So, that would invalidate your reasoning. 

However, let us say that you are interpreting Apastamba correctly in saying उदगयन constraint should be applicable to vivAha as well. If so, the "सर्वऋतवो विवाहस्य शैशिरौ मासौ परिहाप्योत्तमं च नैदाघम् " rule simple constrains it further to disqualify 3 of the 6 months. Hence, there is no contradiction between the two rules. (In sUtra literature, this kind of "scope-shortening" rule is called नियम. ) None of this prevents vasanta marriage or saMbhoga.

That said, my current understanding of the uttarAyaNa /udagayana identification is well stated by the great genius BG Tilak in Orion:

> Uttarāyaṇa (if such a word was then used), Vasanta, the year and the Satras all commenced together at the vernal equinox. The autumnal equinox which came after the rains was the central day of the year, and the latter half of the year was named the Pitr̥yāna or what we would now call the Dakshiṇayana. It is difficult to definitely ascertain the time when the commencement of the year was changed from the vernal equinox to the winter solstice.

What we can say is that by the time of Apastamba, the Arya-s were solidly in India ("श्रवणापक्ष ओषधीषु जातासु"). Your reasoning can ironically be taken to support the argument that udagayana / uttarAyaNa had mostly come to take the currently popular meaning.

On Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 4:40:53 PM UTC+5:30 rupabhaty16 wrote: