Summary of the Gavāmayana sacrifice

[Full title: A Brief note on the sacrifices of the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (8): Gavāmayana]

The Gavāmayana is a sessional sacrifice. It is the model for all Satra type of sacrifices. The word ‘Gavāmayana’ literally means the course or way of the cows i.e. the rays or days. The word ‘cows’ means the Āditya’s months or days and night^[1]. For the execution of the Gavāmayana sacrifice needs 361 days i.e. near about a whole year. It is divided in to three parts. In the first part it covers 180 days. In the second part it consists of one day known as Viṣuvant days. In the third or in the last part it consists of 180 days. The last part is just reverse order of the first part. In the first part it starts with Atirātra and ends with Svarasāman where as in the last part it starts with Svarasāman and ends with Atirātra.

A table is presented below to clear this idea:

[First six months]

Names of sacrifices	Number of days
Atirātra	1
Ukthya having caturviṃsa ṣṭoma	1
4 Abhiplabasadaha (4x6) 1 Pṛṣṭhya-sadaha (1x6)	24 (repeated 5 times) 30x5=150 6
3 Abhiplabasadaha (3x6)	18
1 Pṛṣṭhya-sadaha	6
Abhijit	1
3 Svarasāman	3
Total	180

Last six months

Names of sacrifices	Number of days
Viṣuvant day; also called Ekaviṃsaha	1
3 Svarasāman	3
Visvajit	1
1 Pṛṣṭhya	6
3 Abhiplava (3x6)	18
1 Pṛṣṭhya and 4 Abhiplava repeated four times	120
3 Abhiplava (3x6)	18
1 Goṣṭoma and 1 Āyuṣṭoma	2
Dasarātra	10
Mahābrata	1
Atirātra	1
Total	181

Grand Total180+181=361

Thus the Gavāmayana is a satra sacrifice and requires a year for its completion. The ceremonies performed in both the six months are same only with little variation that they are reverse order of the first half.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Mehra, B.S, Śrauta sacrifice in the Atharvaveda, Sanjay Prakashan, Delhi, 1994, Page no-196.