AGRICULTURAL METEREOLOGY

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AGRICULTURAL METEREOLOGY

 

 

AUSPICIOUS TIME FOR CULTIVATION

 

 

Braht-Parasara Samhita as cited in Vacaspatya Kosa contains an account of aus-

 

picious moments for commencing cultivation. Translation of the important por-

 

tions: Ploughing (of the field) is recommended under the constellations Mula,

 

Visakha and Magha and under mobile, fixed, slow and quick planets, or when the

 

evil planets or stars are of weak influence, and the moon is in the mansion

 

called Jala (Purvasadha) and is visible in her full aspect and vigour along

 

with Venus, and when Brhaspati (Jupiter) is in the Langna mansion. It should

 

not be done on Sundays and Saturdays, nor at the time of sun's entrance into

 

Leo, Aquarins, Cancer, Aries, Capricorn, or Libra, for that causes emaciation

 

of the body (of the cultivator), nor on the fourth, sixth, ninth and fourteen-

 

th days of the lunar month called Rikta (for the same reason). The sowing of

 

the seeds is auspicious under the constellations other than Sravana,Satabhisaj

 

Punarvasu, and Visakha, but not on Tuesday. Again, eight constellations begi-

 

nning from the one under the influence of Rahu are inauspicious, next three

 

are auspicious, then one inauspicious, next three auspicious and one inauspi-

 

cious, then again three auspicious and one inauspicious, and finally three

 

 

auspicious and four inauspicious. For ploughing, the sages have declared that

 

three constellations from the one vacated by the sun are inauspicious, then

 

eight auspicious, then nine inauspicious and finally eight auspicious. One

 

should begin ploughing under the nineteen constellations comprising Mula,

 

Visakha and Magha along with the mobile, fixed, slow and fast constellations.

 

Here is what Narada says:- "The first ploughing with the bulls should be done

 

under the constellations that are slow, fixed, fast and mobile as well as

 

under Visakha and those sacred to the Pitrs (Manes)." More elaborately says

 

Sripati: One should do the first ploughing with healthy and uncastrated bulls

 

under the constellations that are slow, fixed, fast and mobile as well as Mula

 

Magha, and Visakha. Here the word uncastrated is added because the orchids of

 

the bulls being fertile, ploughing with ungelded bulls would make the culti-

 

vation fertile and that done with gelded animals would make it sterile. As

 

regard the avoidance of Sunday in ploughing a quotation from Vyavahara-tattva

 

is given: "Cultivation is not recommended under the constellations called

 

Purva, Dvisa Yana (Bharani) and Agni (Krttika) on Sundays and Saturdays and on

 

the Rikta days of the lunar month." In support of the Lagna etc. the follow-

 

ing quotations from Ratnamala and Kasyapa are given: "Cultivation should be

 

done when the Venus and the moon are in full vigour, the Saturn, Mars and the

 

Sun are weak, and the moon is in the Purvasadha mansion and the Jupiter is in

 

the auspicious mansion." Kasyapa says: "It is auspicious to start cultivation

 

when Jupiter is in his Lagna Mansion, Venus is strong, and the moon is in con-

 

junction with Purvasadha and when the evil stars are weak.As regards pro-

 

hibition of certain signs of the zodiac and lunar days, the following quotati-

 

ons from jyotih-sara-Sagara are given; "Cultivation done at the moment of

 

sun's entrance into the aries, is fatal to the cattle, into the cancer forebo-

 

des danger from water, into the Leo is baneful for the crop, into the Libra

 

destroys the plough (yoke), into the Capricorn too destroys the crop and into

 

the Aquarins portends danger from thieves. "Cultivation done on the eighth

 

lunar day kills the oxen, on the ninth is fatal to crop, on the sixth causes

 

insect pest and on the fourteenth is fatal to the cattle. On the fourth lunar

 

day, too, similar consequences are expected." Sowing may happily be done

 

under the other 15 constellations comprising Mula, Magha, Danistha, Svati and

 

under those that are fixed, slow and fast. A quotation from Ratnamala is

 

given to support it. "Sowing is said to yield bumper crop if done under the

 

constellations Hasta, Asvin, Pusya, Uttara Rohini, Citra, Radha Mrgasiras,

 

Revati, Svati, Dhanistha, Magha and Mula.Sowing of seeds yields the best

 

harvest if done under the cnstellations the two Dhatrs, Mula, Paitra (Magha),

 

Pusya, the three Hastas, the three Uttara constellations, Revati, Dhanistha

 

and Asvins." Kasyapa says: "If, after meditating on Sita, sowing is done

 

under Punarvasu, Svati, Mula, and under the constellations that are fast,fixed

 

and slow, it yields rich harvest." For prohibition of a particular time the

 

following quotation from Rajamartanda is given: "When the sun is very fierce

 

and in an unfavourable position there are duststorms on the earth (correspond-

 

ing to menstrual periods of a woman). Therefore sowing should be avoided from

 

that time for three days." Narada sats "From the planet or star covered by

 

Rahu, the three constellations on the head are baneful to the harvest, the

 

three on the neck cause blackness in the grain, the twelve in the belly make

 

the crop thrive, the four on the tail are said to cause absence of seeding (or

 

grain), and the five that fall outside the body lead to the ruin of the har-

 

vest." In Ratnamala too, it is mentioned that "From the planet Rahu risen at

 

the sowing time, three constellations are towards the head, three on the neck,

 

twelve on the belly, four on the tail and five outside the body, and they are

 

the cause of ruin of the harvest, blackness in the grain, increase in growth,

 

and absence of seeding respectively, as well as forebode dangers of natural

 

calamities." Some people take the word Phani to mean "the sun" on the basis

 

of the single testimony of Sarvodaya. But this is not correct, for Narada

 

clearly takes it to mean Rahu and is supported by Kasyapa who says: "From the

 

planet Rahu, the next eight constellations are portentous of barrenness."about

 

the determination of the auspicious Lagna (moment) Vasistha says: "Now for

 

ploughing the field, three constellations from the one left by the sun, are

 

inauspicious in due order. From those, the next eight are auspicious, then

 

the next nine inauspicious, and the last eight again auspicious. For example,

 

if the sun is in conjunction with Ardra, his abandoned constellation would be

 

Mrgasirsa. Beginning from that the three Mrgasirsa, Ardra and Purnarvasu are

 

inauspicious, the next Pusya, Aslese, Magha, Purva Phalguni Hasta, Citra and

 

Svati are auspicious. The next Visakha, Anuradha, Jyestha, Mula Purvasadha,

 

Uttarasadha, Abhijit, Sravana and Dhanistha are inauspicious. Then Satabhisaj

 

Purva Bhadrapada, Uttara Bhadrapada, Revati, Asvini, Bharani, Krittika, and

 

Rohini are auspicious." As Vasistha has saidThe three constellations-one

 

left by the sun, the other occupied by the sun and the third to be occupied

 

next by him are undersirable. Eight constellations next to them counting on

 

both sides backwards and forwards are auspicious. And the remaining nine on

 

the tail end of the cycle are again unpropitious." Narada, too says; "At the

 

time of commencement of ploughing, the three constellations, beginning from

 

the one left by the sun, are fatal to the oxen. The next three bring wealth

 

and the further five happiness. The next nine cause three-fold pain and bring

 

death in their wake, the five contiguous to them are for propsperity and the

 

last three on the tail end of the cycle are auspicious." As regards the infl-

 

uence of the zodiacal cycle on ploughing, Kasyapa says "Three, eight, nine and

 

seven constellations beginning from the one left by the sun cause loss, gain,

 

death of the cultivator and the acquisition of wealth respectively." In this

 

connection which takes into consideration 27 constellations, the Abhijit is

 

not included. Now, what is the reason for leaving out the five constellations

 

To this it is said that they are included in that. By "that" is meant the

 

upper rod of the plough and the upper rod of the Sula. In between them the

 

aggregate of five each should be considered as condiucive to prosperity. This

 

accounts for ten constellations. And the three constellations on the upper

 

part of the rod of the plough should be recorded as productive of auspicious

 

results