Page 386 - Lokmanya Tilak Samagra (khand 2)

THE COWS' WALK 171

so called because the stoma to be chanted on that day is twenty-
four-fold. It is the real beginning of the Sattra as the MahAvrata
is its end. The Aitareya Brahma~a (IV, 14) says, "The Hoq-i
pours forth the seed. Thus he makes the seed ( which is poured
[orth) by means of the Mahavrata day produce off-spring.
For seed if effused every year is productive. " This explanation
shows that like the Pravargya ceremony, the MahAvrata was
intended to preserve the seed of the sacrifice in order that it
might germinate or grow at the proper time. It was a sort of
link between the dying and the coming year and appropriately
concluded the annual Sattra. It will be further seen that every
annual Sattra had an Ati-ratra at each of its ends and that the
DvAdashaha, or rather the ten days thereof, formed an important
concluding part of the Sattra.
The above is only a brief description, a mere outline of
the scheme of the annual Sattras mentioned in sacrificial works,
but it is sufficient for our purpose. We can see from it that a
civil year of 360 days formed their basis, and the position of
the Vieyhuvan was of great importance inasmuch as the ceremo-
nies after it were performed in the reverse order. I have shown
elsewhere what important inferences can be drawn from the
position of the Vi~huvan regarding the calendar in use at the
time when the scheme was settled. But we have now to consider
of times which preceded the settlement of this scheme, and for
that purpose we must describe another set of Soma sacrifices
included under the general class of Sattras. It has been stated
above that side by side with the Dvadashaha, there are Ah£na
sacrifices of two nights, three nights, etc. upto twelve nights.
But these sacrifices do not stop with the twelve nights' perfor-
mance. There are thirteen nights', fourteen nights', fifteen nights',
and so on upto one hundred nights', sacrifice called Trayodasha-
ratra, Chaturdasha-rdtra and so on upto Shata-ratra. But since
the Ahtna has been defined to be a sacrifice extending over not
more than twelve or less than thirteen days, all the night-sacri-
fices extending over a period longer than twelve nights are includ-
ed in the third class, viz. the Sattras. If we, however, disregard
this artificial division, it will be found that along with the
Ekaha, the Dvadashiiha and the annual Sattras, there is a series
of, what are termed, the night-sacrifices or sattras extending
over a period of time from two to one hundred nights, but not