The Extraction of Determinations for Lunar Days (1836) - Page 19

Ritual Timings and the Month of Shravana

Whether the ritual offerings should be performed on the earlier day or when there is a partial contact with the required time is a matter of debate; however, Hemadri Hemadri Pant, a 13th-century scholar and author of the influential legal digest Chaturvarga Chintamani argues for the earlier day. In the Nirnaya-amrita a treatise on ritual timings, it is decided that for the followers of the Yajur Veda Yajur-shakhina: practitioners of one of the four primary Vedas, focusing on sacrificial formulas, the ritual of the herbs part of the Upakarma ceremony should be performed on the following day.

In the Rama-koshtaka an astrological or ritual manual, the preference for the earlier day's pervasion is explicitly stated. Regarding new Brahmacharis Brahmachari: a student of Vedic knowledge who has undergone the Upanayana initiation, the initiation into the study is mentioned here, though not its completion. Shaving the head is prescribed as a duty for these students and others authorized to perform the ritual.

The Full Moon of Shravana Shravani Purnamasi: the full moon day of the lunar month Shravana, marking the height of the monsoon is the time for the ritual of Pavitrarpana the offering of "pavitra" or consecrated silk/cotton threads to the deity; this is a family duty that must be performed despite any minor ritual defects. On this day, the ceremonial oil bath is mandatory. On this same day, provided it is free from the influence of Bhadra an inauspicious astrological period during which certain rituals are avoided, the ritual of Raksha Bandhan the "bond of protection," where protective threads are tied around the wrist must be performed. For the Shravana ritual the Upakarma, it should be performed at sunset for those to be initiated. If the lunar day is partial, it may be performed during the remainder of the period.

The Festivals of Ganesha and Shitala

The annual Sankata Chaturthi the "Fourth Day of Crisis," a fast dedicated to removing obstacles is known as the day of the Appearance of Ganesha. This day should be observed when the fourth lunar day pervades the time of moonrise. If moonrise occurs during that lunar day on two consecutive days, the former day is chosen.

However, Madhava Madhavacharya, the 14th-century scholar and influential commentator states that if the lunar day pervades the time when the ritual actually begins, the later day should be accepted. Regarding the third and fourth lunar days, they are preferred when they pervade the appropriate time; if they pervade both days, the former is chosen.

For the Shitala Vrata a ritual dedicated to Goddess Shitala, the "Cool One," to ward off smallpox and fevers on the seventh lunar day, the earlier day should be taken. For the eighth lunar day Ashtami of the dark fortnight of Shravana, the day that pervades midnight should be accepted.