Page 384 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE COWS' WALK 169

But we may pass it over as unnecessary for our purpose. The
annual Sattras are the only important Sattras of this class and
to understand their nature we must see what a ~halaha means.
The word literally denotes a group of six days ( ~ha~ + ahan )
and is used to denote six days' performance in the sacrificial
literature. It is employed as a unit to measure a month in the
same way as we now use a week, a month being made up of five,
~halahas. The ~ha!,aha, in its tum; consists of the daily sacri-
fices called Jyotis, Go, Ayus and the same thtee taken in the
reverse order as Ayus, Go and Joytis. Every ~lza!,aha, therefore,
begins and ends with a Jyoti~h~oma ( Ait. Br. IV, 15 ). The
~haf.aha is further distinguished into Abhip/ava and Pris~hya,
according to the arrangement of the stomas or songs sung at the
Soma libations. An annual Sattra is in the main, made up of a
number of ~Ju4ahas joined with certain special ri_tes at the beginn-
ing, the middle and the close of the Sattra. The central day of
the Sattra is called Vishuvan, and stands by itself, dividing the
Sattra into two equal halves like the wings of a house ( Tait.
Br. 1, 2, 3, 1 ); and the rites in the latter half of the session or
after the Vishuvan day are performed in an order which is the
reverse of that followed in performing the ceremonies in the first
half of the sacrifice. The model annual Sattra (the Gavam-ayanam )
thus consists of the following parts :-

Parts Days
r. The in troduotory Atiratra
2. The Chaturvimsha day, otherwise called the ArambhaJ:IIya
(Alt. Br. IV, r2 ), or the PrilyaQ.tya ( TiiJ:I<J. Br. IV, 2)
the real beginning of the Sattra
3· Four Abhiplava, followed by one Pri~h~hya ,ha!aha
each month; continued in this'way for fiye months r so
4· Three Abhiplava and one Pri~h~hya ~ha!aha 24
5· The Abhijit day
6. The Three Svara-Soiman days 3
7. Visl1uvan or the Ceniral da:y which stands by itself i.e.,
not counted in the total of the Sattr11 days
8. The Three Svara-S4man days 3
g. The Vilihwajit day
ro. One Pri~h~hya and three Abhiplava ,ha!ahas 24