Verse 1.66 [‘Day and Night’ of the ‘Pitṛs’]

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

पित्र्ये रात्र्यहनी मासः प्रविभागस्तु पक्षयोः ।
कर्मचेष्टास्वहः कृष्णः शुक्लः स्वप्नाय शर्वरी ॥ ६६ ॥

pitrye rātryahanī māsaḥ pravibhāgastu pakṣayoḥ |
karmaceṣṭāsvahaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ śuklaḥ svapnāya śarvarī || 66 ||

One month (of men) forms the ‘day and night’ of the ‘Pitṛs’; and their division is by fortnights: the darker fortnight, conducive to activity, is ‘Day,’ and the lighter fortnight, conducive to repose, is ‘Night.’—(66)

 

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):

That which is the ‘month’ of men is a ‘day and night’ of the ‘Pitṛs.’ As regards ‘division’ as to which part is ‘day’ and which ‘night,’—this division, that ‘this is day and that is night,’ is determined ‘by fortnights,’ i.e., the fifteen days, which are known by the name of ‘half-month.’ That is, the said division is based upon fortnights: one fortnight is ‘day,’ and another fortnight is ‘night.’ In view of the fact that ‘day’ and ‘night’ differ in their character and occur in a fixed order of sequence, the author adds the following distinction:—The darker fortnight is ‘day,’ and the brighter fortnight, ‘night.’

The right reading (in view of the meaning intended) would be ‘Karmaceṣṭābhyaḥ’ (the Dative form), just as we have ‘svapnāya’; for the meaning meant to be conveyed is that the day is for the purpose of ‘activity.’ Hence the Locative ending in the text can be explained only as used on account of the exigencies of metre.—(66)

 

Explanatory notes by Ganganath Jha

The ‘day’ and ‘night’ of Pitṛs is regulated by the Moon, just as those of gods and men is by the Sun.

This verse has been quoted in the Kālaviveka (p. 112) in support of the view that the seasons and other calculations are not governed by the ‘Lunar Month,’—which only serves the purpose of being the ‘Day-Night’ of Pitṛs; the darker fortnight being their ‘day,’ and the brighter fortnight ‘night’.

The same work quotes it again on p. 308, in support of the view that ‘from Pratipat to Amāvāsyā is the dark fortnight, and from Pratipat to Purṇamāsi is the Bright Fortnight.’

 

Comparative notes by various authors

See the comparative notes for Verse 1.64 (Measures of Time).