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How the Upākarma day is decided, for every Veda and sūtra, in any year: rules first, then the ślokas and their explanation
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Upākarma-nirṇaya
The Determination of the Upākarma Day for the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, with the Doctrine of Doṣa and Fallback
Pundit Mahesh Shastriji, Pañcāṅga Kartā and Siddhānti, mypanchang.com
This study sets out, from the primary Dharmaśāstra literature, the rules by which the day of Upākarma (the annual re-commencement of Vedic study, adhyāyopākaraṇa) is determined in any year, for the Ṛgveda, the Śukla and Kṛṣṇa Yajurveda (Kāṇva, Mādhyandina, Āpastamba, Baudhāyana, Hiraṇyakeśī) and the Sāmaveda. It establishes (i) the main day of each Veda and the rule for a tithi or nakṣatra spanning two days; (ii) the doṣas that bar every performer (grahaṇa, saṅkrānti, adhimāsa) and those that bar only the first Upākarma (Guru- and Śukra-asta); (iii) the sūtra-specific order of fallback days; and (iv) the terminal rule of performance on the main day with Śānti. It adopts, on the authority of Vasiṣṭha, the rule that once a kāla-doṣa has displaced the main day, the fallback must be free of every doṣa for all performers, and it records, in a critical apparatus, every point on which the authorities disagree and the position taken here.
Keywords: Upākarma; Śrāvaṇī; Avani Aviṭṭam; Nirṇayasindhu; Dharmasindhu; Smṛtimuktāphala; Tithinirṇaya; grahaṇa; saṅkrānti; mauḍhya; kāla-doṣa; graha-doṣa.
Transliteration. Sanskrit is given in Devanāgarī and, in the running text, in IAST.
Citations. Each śloka is followed by its source in the form speaker (compiling work, page). Pages in Part One refer to the editions listed in the Bibliography. Part Two retains, where noted, the page references of the editions used in the earlier study of this subject (a Marathi Dharmasindhu and another edition of Nirṇayasindhu); the passages cited in Part One were re-verified in the editions listed.
Translations are the author's own and are kept close to the Sanskrit; words supplied for sense are implied by the context of the passage.
NS Nirṇayasindhu · DS Dharmasindhu · SMP Smṛtimuktāphala (Varṇāśrama-dharma-kāṇḍa) · TN Tithinirṇaya · SK Smṛti-Kaustubha · AG Āhnika Grantham (Sri Ahobila Muth) · VPV Vrata-Parva-Viveka · ĀpGS Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra.
Where the authorities speak to a question, the following order of weight is applied:
1. One's own sūtra (svasūtra): Upākarma is performed "at the time stated in one's own gṛhya" (upākarma svagṛhyokte kāle, Atri in SMP p.132). A sūtra-specific statement therefore governs its own śākhā, and a general rule does not override it.
2. Smṛti-vacanas of named authorities (Manu, Vasiṣṭha, Vyāsa, Gārgya, Bṛhaspati, Kaśyapa, Kātyāyana), as preserved and arranged in the nibandhas.
3. The nibandhas (NS, DS, SMP, TN, SK), where they interpret and reconcile the vacanas, including by vyavasthā (allocation by śākhā or region).
4. Living tradition (AG), where the texts are silent or divided.
5. The Siddhānti's ruling, where the sources remain in conflict, with the grounds stated. Every such ruling is listed in Part Three.
These rules decide the Upākarma day in any year and any city. The Upākarma pages on this site apply them automatically; the ślokas behind each rule are given with it, and Part Two explains them.
Śrāvaṇī is the Pūrṇimā of the lunar month that ends with the Amāvāsyā falling while the Sun is in Siṃha, whether or not it joins Śravaṇa nakṣatra. Upākarma follows the cāndramāna year.
▶ SMP p.132, on Āpastamba
तदेवं सवितरि सिंहस्थे याऽमावास्या तदन्ते चान्द्रमसे मासे या मध्यवर्तिनी पौर्णमासी सा श्रावणी । श्रवणयोगस्तु भवतु वा मा वाभूत् ।
→ The Pūrṇimā in the middle of the lunar month ending with the Amāvāsyā in which the Sun is in Siṃha is Śrāvaṇī, whether or not it has Śravaṇa.
▶ Vaidika Sārvabhauma, Gṛhya Ratnam (AG §32, p.35)
सिंहदर्शात् पूर्वा पूर्णिमा श्रावणी । तस्याम् उपाकर्म तैत्तिरीयकाः कुर्युः ।
→ The Pūrṇimā before the Siṃha new moon is Śrāvaṇī; Taittirīyas do Upākarma on it.
Yajurveda: Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā. Ṛgveda: the day of Śravaṇa nakṣatra in Śrāvaṇa Śukla. Sāmaveda: Hasta nakṣatra in Bhādrapada Śukla. Atharvaveda: Śrāvaṇa or Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā.
▶ Gobhila (NS p.151; SMP p.135)
पर्वण्यौदयिके कुर्युः श्रावणे तैत्तिरीयकाः । बह्वृचाः श्रवणर्क्षे तु हस्तर्क्षे सामवेदिनः ॥
→ Taittirīyas on Śrāvaṇa's sunrise-holding parva (Pūrṇimā), Ṛgvedins on Śravaṇa nakṣatra, Sāmavedins on Hasta nakṣatra.
▶ Tithidarpaṇa (SMP p.136); Pṛthvīcandra (NS p.149)
औदयिके सङ्गवस्पर्शे श्रुतौ पर्वणि चार्कभे । कुर्युर्नभस्युपाकर्म ऋग्यजुस्सामगाः क्रमात् ॥
→ On the sunrise-holding day that touches Saṅgava: Ṛk on Śravaṇa, Yajus on the Pūrṇimā, Sāma on Hasta.
Yajurveda: the Pūrṇimā must hold sunrise. On the second day it counts only if it lasts past Saṅgava, at least 6 muhūrtas (12 ghaṭikās) after sunrise; otherwise the first day. The same 6-muhūrta test applies to every fallback Pūrṇimā, Bhādrapada and Āṣāḍha alike (DS p.91: "khaṇḍa tithi for these: as above"; Nigama: "श्रावण्यां प्रौष्ठपद्यां वा … षण्मुहूर्तकैः"); the 3-muhūrta test of the Guru Pūrṇimā festival does not apply to Upākarma. If the Pūrṇimā ends between 12 and 15 ghaṭikās after sunrise, Upākarma and Gāyatrī Japam are on the same day; otherwise Japam is the next day. Some ācāryas accept a Pūrṇimā that merely touches Saṅgava (Saṅgava-spṛk); the Yajur page shows it as an alternate.
▶ Gārgya (NS p.149; SMP p.138; AG §32, p.37)
श्रावणी पौर्णमासी तु सङ्गवात् परतो यदि । तदैवौदयिकी ग्राह्या नान्यदौदयिकी भवेत् ॥
→ Only if Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā lasts past Saṅgava is it audayikī and taken; otherwise it is not.
▶ Smṛtyantara (SMP p.137; AG §32, pp.37–38)
सन्धिः सङ्गवतः पश्चादर्वाङ्मध्यन्दिनाद्यदि । तत्रैवोपाकृतिं कुर्यात् … सन्धिः सङ्गवतः प्राक् चेत् पूर्वस्मिन् पर्वणि क्रिया । श्वोभूते समिदाधानमेष श्रावणिको विधिः ॥
→ Junction after Saṅgava and before midday: Upākarma that day. Junction before Saṅgava: Upākarma the previous day, Samidādhāna (Gāyatrī Japam) the next day.
Ṛgveda: Śravaṇa on the second day counts if it holds 6 ghaṭikās after sunrise (it then joins Dhaniṣṭhā, which is praised); Śravaṇa joined with Uttarāṣāḍhā is avoided.
▶ Vyāsa, cited by Hemādri (NS p.145)
धनिष्ठासंयुतं कुर्याच्छ्रावणं कर्म यद्भवेत् । … श्रवणेन तु यत्कर्म उत्तराषाढसंयुतम् । संवत्सरकृतोऽध्यायस्तत्क्षणादेव नश्यति ॥
→ Done with Dhaniṣṭhā, the rite bears full fruit; done on Śravaṇa joined with Uttarāṣāḍhā, the year's study is lost at once.
Sāmaveda: the Hasta that covers the Aparāhṇa. Hasta touching the Aparāhṇa on both days, fully or partly: the second day. Only the first day's Aparāhṇa: the first day. Only the second day's, or neither: the second day.
If a grahaṇa or saṅkrānti falls between the midnight before the day and the midnight that ends it (midnight = halfway between sunset and the next sunrise), Upākarma is not done that day, by repeating and first-time performers alike, even if it does not touch the tithi or nakṣatra. The eclipse is timed from its first contact. Penumbral eclipses are not considered in Dharmaśāstra.
▶ Vṛddha-Manu and Kātyāyana (TN p.15; NS p.146)
अर्धरात्रादधस्ताच्चेत्संक्रान्तिर्ग्रहणं यदा । उपाकर्म न कुर्वीत परतश्चेन्न दोषकृत् ॥
→ If saṅkrānti or grahaṇa falls before midnight, do not do Upākarma; after midnight it is no fault.
▶ Hemādri (NS p.146)
उपाकर्म न कुर्वन्ति क्रमात्सामर्ग्यजुर्विदः । ग्रहसंक्रान्तियुक्तेषु हस्तश्रवणपर्वसु ॥
→ Sāma, Ṛk and Yajus do not do Upākarma on a Hasta, Śravaṇa or Parva joined with grahaṇa or saṅkrānti.
▶ Gārgya, cited by Madanaratna and Hemādri (NS p.149)
अथ चेद्दोषसंयुक्ते पर्वणि स्यादुपाक्रिया । दुःखशोकामयग्रस्ता राष्ट्रे तस्मिन् द्विजातयः ॥
→ If Upākarma is done on a doṣa-joined parva, the twice-born of that land are struck by grief, sorrow and disease.
Upākarma is not done in an Adhika month; in a year with a month-increase it is done in the Nija month.
▶ Jyotiḥ-Parāśara (NS p.148)
उपाकर्म तथोत्सर्गः … मासवृद्धौ परे कार्या वर्जयित्वा तु पैतृकम् ॥
→ Upākarma and Utsarga: in a month-increase year, in the later (Nija) month.
A first Upākarma (after upanayana) is not done while Guru or Śukra is combust. A repeating performer does Upākarma on the main day even during asta.
▶ Kaśyapa (NS p.148)
गुरुभार्गवयोर्मौढ्ये बाल्ये वा वार्धकेऽपि वा । तथाधिमाससंसर्पमलमासादिषु द्विजे ॥ प्रथमोपाकृतिर्न स्यात्कृतं कर्म विनाशकृत् ॥
→ In the combustion, infancy or old age of Guru and Śukra, and in adhimāsa, saṃsarpa and malamāsa, the first Upākarma should not be done; done then, it brings ruin.
▶ TN p.15
एतच्च शुक्रास्तादावपि कर्तव्यम् । प्रथमारम्भस्तु तत्र न भवति ।
→ Upākarma is done even in Śukra-asta etc.; only the first start does not happen then.
▶ DS p.92
द्वितीयाद्युपाकर्म त्वस्तादावपि कार्यं । मलमासे तु द्वितीयाद्यपि न कार्यम् ।
→ The second and later Upākarma is done even in asta; but not in malamāsa.
Once grahaṇa or saṅkrānti has spoiled the main day, a fallback counts only if it is free of grahaṇa, saṅkrānti and Guru/Śukra-asta, for repeating and first-time performers alike. A first-timer whose main day has only asta also looks for such a clean fallback.
▶ Vasiṣṭha (SMP pp.138–139)
मलमासे निपतिते सूतके मृतकेऽपि वा । ग्रहणे सङ्क्रमे वाऽपि मौढ्येऽपि गुरुशुक्रयोः ॥ प्रौष्ठपद्यामथाषाढ्यामुपाकरणमिष्यते । प्रौष्ठपद्यामुपाकुर्याच्छ्रावणं दूषितं यदि ॥ आषाढे वाऽपि कर्तव्यं प्रौष्ठपद्याश्च दूषणे । मासत्रयेऽपि दोषश्चेत् श्रावण्यामेव कारयेत् ॥
→ In malamāsa, sūtaka or mṛtaka, grahaṇa or saṅkrama, or the mauḍhya of Guru and Śukra, Upākarma is on Prauṣṭhapadī or Āṣāḍhī: if Śrāvaṇa is spoiled, on Prauṣṭhapadī; if Prauṣṭhapadī is spoiled too, in Āṣāḍha; if all three months have a doṣa, on Śrāvaṇī itself.
Veda / sūtra | Order |
|---|---|
Kāṇva, Mādhyandina (Śukla Yajur) | Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā → Śrāvaṇa Śukla Pañcamī with Hasta → Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā → Bhādrapada Śukla Pañcamī |
Āpastamba (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) | Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā → Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā → Āṣāḍha Pūrṇimā |
Baudhāyana (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) | Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā → Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā → Āṣāḍha Pūrṇimā |
Hiraṇyakeśī (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) | Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā → Hasta in Śrāvaṇa → Hasta in Bhādrapada (the Hasta that holds sunrise and touches Saṅgava, else the day before); no Pañcamī |
Ṛgveda | Śravaṇa nakṣatra → Pañcamī → Hasta (each holding 6 ghaṭikās from sunrise), in Śrāvaṇa, then the same in Bhādrapada |
Sāmaveda | Bhādrapada Śukla Hasta → Śrāvaṇa Hasta → Bhādrapada Pañcamī → Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī; Śrāvaṇa Hasta with the Sun in Karka only as a last resort; some ācāryas: Upākarma on Śrāvaṇī with study deferred to Bhādrapada Hasta |
▶ NS p.151
श्रावण्यामपि ग्रहणादिदुष्टायां कातीयभिन्नैः प्रौष्ठपद्यां कार्यम् । तैस्तु श्रावणपञ्चम्याम् … आपस्तम्बैराथर्वणैश्च प्रौष्ठपद्याम् ॥ यत्तु बौधायनः 'श्रावण्यां पौर्णमास्यामाषाढ्यां वोपाकृत्य' इत्यूचे, तत् प्रौष्ठपद्यामपि दोषे आषाढ्यां कार्यमित्येवमर्थम् । तच्छाखीयविषयं वा ॥
→ When Śrāvaṇī is spoiled by grahaṇa etc., all except the Kātīyas do it on Prauṣṭhapadī; the Kātīyas on Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī; Āpastambas and Ātharvaṇas on Prauṣṭhapadī. Baudhāyana's "Śrāvaṇī or Āṣāḍhī" means: if Prauṣṭhapadī too has a doṣa, then Āṣāḍhī; or it concerns his own śākhā.
▶ Smṛtimahārṇava, cited by Hemādri (NS p.151)
संक्रान्तिर्ग्रहणं वापि पौर्णमास्यां यदा भवेत् । उपाकृतिस्तु पञ्चम्यां कार्या वाजसनेयिभिः ॥
→ When saṅkrānti or grahaṇa falls on the Pūrṇimā, Vājasaneyins (Kāṇva, Mādhyandina) do Upākarma on the Pañcamī.
▶ DS pp.90–91
हिरण्यकेशीनां श्रावणी पौर्णमासी मुख्यकालः तदभावे श्रावणहस्तः
→ Hiraṇyakeśīs: Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā is the main time; lacking it, Hasta in Śrāvaṇa (Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī is not in their sūtra).
▶ Yājñavalkya (SMP pp.133–134)
अध्यायानामुपाकर्म श्रावण्यां श्रवणेन वा । हस्तेनौषधिभावे वा पञ्चम्यां श्रावणस्य तु ॥
→ Upākarma on Śrāvaṇī, or with Śravaṇa, or (once the plants have sprouted) on Śrāvaṇa's Pañcamī with Hasta.
If every day in the chain is spoiled, everyone performs Upākarma on the main day with Śānti (parihara) first. The same applies to a first-timer when asta covers every fallback.
▶ Vyāsa (SMP p.139)
कालत्रयेऽपि दोषे तु श्रावण्यामेव कारयेत् । पौर्णमास्यास्तु नित्यत्वादापस्तम्बस्य शासनात् ॥
→ Even if all three times have a doṣa, do it on Śrāvaṇī, for the Pūrṇimā is nitya by Āpastamba's teaching.
▶ Bṛhaspati, with commentary (SMP p.141; AG §34, pp.40–41)
श्रावणप्रौष्ठपदाषाढेष्वेकस्मिन् दोषरहिते प्रथमोपाकृतिः कर्तव्या । त्रिष्वपि दुष्टेषु श्रावणमासे शान्तिपूर्विका कर्तव्या ॥
→ The first Upākarma in whichever of Śrāvaṇa, Prauṣṭhapada and Āṣāḍha is doṣa-free; if all three are spoiled, in Śrāvaṇa, with Śānti first.
Śānti mantras (Paddhati, SMP p.142): Guru-asta: Bṛhaspate ati yad; Śukra-asta: Pra vaḥ śukrāya; malamāsa: Āpyāyasva; solar eclipse and saṅkrānti: Citraṃ devānām, Ud u tyaṃ jātavedasam, Sūryo devīm uṣasam, Ud vayaṃ tamasas pari, Ā satyena, Devo vaḥ savitā utpunātu; lunar eclipse: six mantras from Somo dhenum, and Navo navaḥ. Śānti homa first, then the Upākarma homa.
The day is decided by the Pūrvāhṇa. For Ṛk and Yajus the tithi or nakṣatra must hold the Pūrvāhṇa of the day (from sunrise through Saṅgava, Rule 3); for Sāmavedins the Aparāhṇa decides the day (Hasta covering the Aparāhṇa, Rule 3).
On that day, the Utsarjana, its homa and the related rites come first, in the Pūrvāhṇa; the Upākarma itself is performed in the Aparāhṇa. At both, the ṛṣis are made of darbha and worshipped.
▶ TN p.16
एतच्च सामगैरपराह्णे कार्यम् । इतरैः पूर्वाह्णे ।
→ For Sāmagas the Aparāhṇa, for others the Pūrvāhṇa: the kāla by which the day is decided.
▶ Pracetas (NS p.148)
भवेदुपाकृतिः पौर्णमास्यां पूर्वाह्ण एव तु ।
→ The Upākarma Pūrṇimā is the one present in the Pūrvāhṇa.
Upākarma is not a single act but the culmination of a day of rites. The karma of the day begins in the Pūrvāhṇa, so the day is chosen by the tithi or nakṣatra that holds the Pūrvāhṇa. The morning is then taken up, in order, by the preparatory rites the texts prescribe:
• snāna and the day's nitya-karma;
• the Utsarjana of the previous term's study, with its homa (SMP p.135; NS p.153);
• the ṛṣis made of darbha, worshipped (Kārṣṇājini, NS p.153; SMP p.135);
• tarpaṇa to Prajāpati and the devas, three times each with sesame water, by Taittirīyas (Kapardī, SMP p.146);
• the new yajñopavīta, mekhalā and cloth put on with mantra (Bharadvāja, Śāṇḍilya, Smṛtisāra, SMP pp.144–146), and vapana for brahmacārins (SMP p.146);
• Śānti homa first, where a doṣa requires it, before the Upākarma homa (Paddhati, SMP p.142).
Only after these does the Upākarma itself, the upākaraṇa homa and the re-commencement of Vedic recitation, take place, in the Aparāhṇa. The Pūrvāhṇa fixes which day; the Aparāhṇa is when, on that day, the Upākarma proper is reached.
▶ SMP p.135
अध्यायानामुपाकर्म कुर्यात्कालेऽपराह्णिके । पूर्वाह्णे तु विसर्गः स्यादिति वेदविदो विदुः ॥ उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे यथाकालं समेत्य च । ऋषीन् दर्भमयान् कृत्वा पूजयेत्तान् द्विजस्ततः ॥
→ Upākarma of the Veda study in the afternoon; the Visarga (Utsarjana) in the forenoon, so the Veda-knowers hold. At Upākarma and Utsarga, assembling at the proper time, the dvija makes ṛṣis of darbha and worships them.
▶ Gobhila, for the Chandogas (SMP p.135)
छन्दोगाभिहिताः कुर्युः प्रातरुत्सर्गिकीं क्रियाम् । अपराह्णेऽप्युपाकर्म पुष्यहस्तर्क्षयोर्द्विजाः ॥
→ The morning rite is the Utsarga; Upākarma is in the Aparāhṇa, on Puṣya and Hasta respectively.
The texts restrict Upākarma with the Sun in Karka north of the Narmadā and permit it in the South; Nirṇayasindhu confines the Siṃha rule to Sāmagas. Outside India this is a matter of family tradition (kulācāra), not location, and the calculators do not apply it by city.
▶ Garga and Bṛhaspati (SMP p.140; NS p.147)
कुलीरे रविसंयुक्ते उपाकुर्यात्तु दक्षिणे । नर्मदोत्तरदेशे तु कर्तव्यं सिंहयुक्तके ॥
→ With the Sun in Kulīra (Karka), do Upākarma in the South; north of the Narmadā, with the Sun in Siṃha.
Authority | Type | Pages |
|---|---|---|
Nirṇayasindhu (Kamalākara Bhaṭṭa), with bhāṣāṭīkā | Nibandha | pp. 145–153 (Upākarma-nirṇaya) |
Dharmasindhu (Kāśīnātha Upādhyāya), with Hindustani translation | Nibandha | pp. 89–94 |
Smṛtimuktāphale (Vaidyanātha Dīkṣita), Varṇāśrama-dharma-kāṇḍa | Nibandha | pp. 132–147 |
Tithinirṇaya (Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita) | Nirṇaya | pp. 15–16 |
Smṛti-Kaustubha (Anantadeva) | Nibandha | pp. 153–161 |
Āhnika Grantham, Vol. 2 (Sri Ahobila Muth) | Living tradition | §§31–35 |
Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra (Praśna 7) with Haradatta | Primary sūtra | - |
|
⚠ SHORT ANSWER: NO: Eclipse (Grahaṇa) blocks BOTH Pratham AND Dvitīya Upākarma. This is the single most important practical ruling. Many people incorrectly assume that since Guru-asta and Śukra-asta are permitted for dvitīya Upākarma, the same exemption applies to grahaṇa. This is WRONG. Grahaṇa is a completely different category of doṣa. |
There are two fundamentally different types of doṣa in Upākarma Nirṇaya:
|
Type |
What It Is |
Pratham |
Dvitīya |
Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Graha-doṣa |
Planetary position-based impurity (planet is combust/weak) |
❌ Blocked |
✅ PERMITTED |
Guru-asta, Śukra-asta |
|
Kāla-doṣa |
Time-based impurity (the time period itself is impure) |
❌ Blocked |
❌ BLOCKED |
Grahaṇa, Saṅkrānti, Adhikamāsa |
The exemption in Prayogapārijāta: 'grahavedhāo na vidhyate': applies ONLY to graha-vedha (planetary obstruction). It does NOT apply to kāla-doṣas like eclipse and solar ingress.
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108, Marathi): sarvashākhīya, no qualification
सर्वशाखीयांच्या गृह्यसूत्रांत उपाकर्माचा जो मुख्य दिवस सांगितला, त्या दिवशीं जर ग्रहण अथवा संक्रांति असेल, तर संक्रांतिरहित असे पंचमी वगैरे काळ घ्यावेत।
→ For ALL śākhās: if the primary Upākarma day has grahaṇa or saṅkrānti: take a saṅkrānti-free Pañcamī etc.
KEY POINT: The word 'sarva-śākhīyāṃcyā' (for all śākhās) combined with complete absence of any pratham/dvitīya qualifier = grahaṇa blocks ALL Upākarmas universally.
▶ Gārgya (Smṛtimuktāphale p.33 + Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171)
अर्धरात्रादधस्ताच्चेत्संक्रान्त्यां ग्रहणेऽपि वा । न कर्तव्यमुपाकर्मं परतश्चेन्न दोषकृत् ।
→ If grahaṇa or saṅkrānti occurs between the preceding Vedic midnight and the next Vedic midnight: Upākarma must NOT be done (na kartavyam); do it at the next valid time. If it occurs after that next Vedic midnight (parataḥ), it is not a doṣa.
'Na kartavyam upākarmaṃ': Upākarma is NOT to be done. No qualifier of pratham or dvitīya: the prohibition applies to both alike. Its only qualification is time: between the preceding and the next Vedic midnight.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156), Madanarātna
नित्ये नैमित्तिके जप्ये होमे यज्ञक्रियासु च । उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे ग्रहवेधो न विद्यते ।
→ In nitya, naimittika karmas, Upākarma, Utsarjana: graha-vedha does not apply.
Smṛti-Kaustubha then IMMEDIATELY follows this with the grahaṇa rule (same page 156):
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156): same page, immediately after
बहूचाः श्रवणे कुर्यूर्ग्रहसंक्रान्तिवर्जिते
→ Bahūcas do [Upākarma] in Śravaṇa: free from grahaṇa and saṅkrānti.
The juxtaposition is deliberate and instructive: graha-vedha exemption stated → immediately followed by grahaṇa prohibition. Smṛti-Kaustubha itself distinguishes these two categories on the same page.
Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156) also adds its own refinement on grahaṇa timing:
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156): the only possible leniency
तथातीतार्धरात्रात्परं विद्यमानो दूषको न तत्तूषः
→ Eclipse/saṅkrānti that has ALREADY ENDED (atīta) after midnight: if it is past: it is NOT a doṣa.
This is the ONLY leniency Smṛti-Kaustubha offers. Even this refers to both pratham and dvitīya equally: an eclipse that is completely over (atīta) by midnight does not contaminate. But an active eclipse within the midnight window? Both are blocked.
▶ Smṛtimahārṇava (Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171 + Smṛti-Kaustubha p.155)
संक्रान्तिग्रहणञ्चापि यदि पर्वणि जायते । तन्मासे हस्तयुक्तायां पञ्चम्यां वा तदिष्यते ।
→ If saṅkrānti or grahaṇa occurs on Pūrṇimā: in that month take Hasta-Pañcamī instead.
'Yadā bhavet': whenever it occurs. No restriction to first-time performers. This applies equally to dvitīya performers: if your Pūrṇimā has grahaṇa → take Pañcamī+Hasta. No exception.
People confuse these two valid statements:
• VALID: 'Guru-asta/Śukra-asta does not block dvitīya Upākarma': TRUE, because these are graha-doṣas
• INVALID: 'Therefore grahaṇa also does not block dvitīya': FALSE, because grahaṇa is a kāla-doṣa
The nityakarma exemption ('grahavedhāo na vidhyate') is specifically about graha-vedha: the astrological concept of a planet being 'obstructed' or 'afflicted' by position. Eclipse is NOT graha-vedha. Eclipse is a physical astronomical event that makes the time period itself ritually impure.
|
Doṣa |
Type |
Pratham |
Dvitīya Onwards |
Basis for Dvitīya Ruling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grahaṇa (eclipse) |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ BLOCKED (unless Śānti first) |
DS p.108 sarvashākhīya: no pratham/dvitīya qualifier Gārgya: 'na kartavyam' (between the preceding and the next Vedic midnight) SK p.156: 'graha-saṃkrānti-varjite' |
|
Saṅkrānti (solar ingress) |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ BLOCKED |
Same as grahaṇa: all same sources |
|
Adhikamāsa |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ BLOCKED |
DS p.93; NS p.172; SK p.159: both explicit |
|
Guru-asta (Jupiter combust) |
Graha-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
✅ PERMITTED (graha-vedha exemption) |
Prayogapārijāta: 'grahavedhāo na vidhyate' SMF p.34: 'guru-śukrayoḥ kartavyam' |
|
Śukra-asta (Venus combust) |
Graha-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
✅ PERMITTED (graha-vedha exemption) |
TD: 'śukrāstādāvapi kartavyam' SK p.159: 'vastatādāvapi kāryam' |
|
Kāla-traya (all 3 months) |
Emergency |
→ Śrāvaṇī+Śānti |
→ Śrāvaṇī+Śānti |
Vyāsa; Bṛhaspati: no dvitīya exception |
SUMMARY IN ONE LINE: Graha-doṣa (planetary combustion) → dvitīya exempt on Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā itself. Kāla-doṣa (eclipse, saṅkrānti, adhikamāsa) → dvitīya NOT exempt. Once a kāla-doṣa moves the date, the fallback must be free of both kinds, for everyone (Vasiṣṭha).
Pundit Mahesh Shastriji
Mypanchang.com
DS=Dharmasindhu | NS=Nirṇaya-Sindhu | TD=Tithinirṇayam | SMF=Smṛtimuktāphale | SK=Smṛti-Kaustubha
Upākarma is not a festival. It is vedādhyāya-punarārambha: the annual ritual re-installation of Vedic authority. The Smṛti defines it:
उपाकर्म नाम वेदाध्ययनस्य पुनरारम्भः
upākarma nāma vedādhyayanasya punarārambhaḥ
Translation: Upākarma is the renewal of Vedic study.
The Veda is not a static text; it is a living recited transmission. Without annual Upākarma its recitation loses śakti. Hence the supreme axiom:
न कदाचिद् उपाकर्म लोपः
na kadācid upākarma lopaḥ
Translation: Upākarma must never be allowed to lapse.
All six primary sources classify Upākarma as nityakarma: a mandatory annual rite, not an optional kāmyakarma. This classification produces a crucial legal consequence, stated most directly by Prayogapārijāta:
▶ Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.172) + Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156), citing Prayogapārijāta / Madanarātna
नित्ये नैमित्तिके जप्ये होमे यज्ञक्रियासु च । उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे ग्रहवेधो न विद्यते ।
→ In nitya, naimittika, japa, homa, yajña-rites, Upākarma, and Utsarjana: graha-vedha (planetary obstruction) does NOT apply.
This ruling has enormous practical consequence: planetary combustion (Guru-asta, Śukra-asta) = graha-doṣa. Since Upākarma is nityakarma, it is exempt from graha-vedha. This is why Guru-asta and Śukra-asta are qualified prohibitions, not absolute ones. In contrast, grahaṇa (eclipse) and saṅkrānti (solar ingress) = kāla-doṣas: time-based impurities that apply to nityakarma as well.
There is no single Upākarma day for all Hindus. Each Vedic śākhā has its own Gṛhyasūtra and own calendrical rules. The primary sources establish these distinct hierarchies:
|
Śākhā |
Primary Date |
Fallback 1 |
Fallback 2 |
Fallback 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Āpastamba (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) |
Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā |
Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā |
- |
- |
|
Baudhāyana (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) |
Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā |
Āṣāḍha Pūrṇimā |
- |
- |
|
Hiraṇyakeśī (Kṛṣṇa Yajur) |
Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā |
Hasta in Śrāvaṇa, then Hasta in Bhādrapada |
- |
- |
|
Kāṇva / Mādhyandina (Śukla Yajur) |
Śravaṇa+Pūrṇimā OR Hasta+Pañcamī |
Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā, then Bhādrapada Śukla Pañcamī |
- |
- |
|
Ṛgveda (Āśvalāyana/Śākala) |
Śrāvaṇa Śravaṇa-nakṣatra |
Pañcamī (same month) |
Hasta |
Bhādrapada equiv. |
|
Sāmaveda |
Bhādrapada Śukla Hasta |
Śrāvaṇa Hasta |
Kanyā-māsa Hasta* |
- |
|
Atharvaveda (Śaunaka) |
Śrāvaṇa or Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā |
- |
- |
- |
* Sāmaveda Kanyā-māsa option: Smṛtimuktāphale (p.33): if Siṃha-Bhādrapada primary blocked → Kanyā-māsa aparapakṣa Hasta. Important: Smṛtimuktāphale (p.32) specifies Sāmavedins must perform Upākarma in Aparāhṇa (afternoon), not Pūrvāhṇa.
Critical note on Kāṇva/Mādhyandina: Neither Śravaṇa alone nor Hasta alone qualifies: the valid combinations are strictly (1) Śravaṇa-nakṣatra + Pūrṇimā, or (2) Hasta-nakṣatra + Pañcamī. This is confirmed by Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.170), Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.155): yājñavalkya-ādi-sammata pañcamī hasta-yukta eva.
This is the most important and most frequently misunderstood point in all Upākarma Nirṇaya. All six primary sources independently establish the same distinction.
Dharmasindhu (p.93), Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.172-173), Tithinirṇayam (Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita), Smṛtimuktāphale (p.34), and Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.159) all confirm:
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.93)
नवीन यज्ञोपवीतसंस्कारवालोंका प्रथम उपाकर्म बृहस्पति और शुक्रके अस्त आदिमें और अधिकमास आदिमें और सिंहके सूर्यमें नहीं करना।
→ First Upākarma for the newly initiated: must not be done during Guru-asta, Śukra-asta, adhikamāsa, or Siṃhastha Sūrya.
▶ Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.172-173), Nārāyaṇavṛtti
प्रथमोपाकृतने स्यात्कृतं कर्म विनाशकृत्
→ First Upākarma performed in these prohibited times: the karma done is destroyed.
▶ Tithinirṇayam (Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita)
एतच्छुक्रास्तादावपि कर्तव्यम् । प्रथमारम्भस्तु तत्र न भवेत् ।
→ This must be done even during Śukra-asta [for dvitīya]. But the first beginning must not occur there.
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale (p.34)
प्रथमोपाकर्मे प्राते कुलीरस्थे रवौ सति । उपाकर्मं न कुर्वीत कुर्यात्सिंहस्थिते रवौ ।
→ First Upākarma: do not do in Karkaṭastha (Cancer) Sun; do in Siṃhastha (Leo) Sun.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.159)
प्रथमोपाकर्मं गुरुशुक्रास्तादौ न कार्यम्
→ First Upākarma must not be done during Guru-Śukra-asta etc.
Why? Pratham Upākarma contains a saṃskāra component: the formal initiation of the new yajñopavīta-wearer. Saṃskāras are subject to stricter purity requirements than annual nityakarmas.
All six sources permit second and subsequent Upākarmas during planetary combustion:
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.93)
दूसरा आदि उपाकर्म तौ बृहस्पति और शुक्रके अस्त आदिमें भी करना; परंतु अधिकमासमें नहीं करना।
→ Second and subsequent: perform even during Guru-asta and Śukra-asta; but never in adhikamāsa.
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale (p.34), citing Smṛtisāra-samuccaya
यज्ञोपवीतं कर्तव्यं श्रावणे गुरुशुक्रयोः । मौढ्येऽपि वार्धक्ये बाल्ये नित्यकर्मवन्नोदितम् ।
→ Yajñopavīta [Upākarma] must be done in Śrāvaṇa even during Guru-Śukra [asta/mauḍhya]. In mauḍhya, old age, childhood: as nityakarma it is enjoined.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.159), Smṛtisāra-samuccaya
द्वितीयाऽपाकर्मे वस्तातादावपि कार्यम्
→ Dvitīya Upākarma must be done even in [guru/śukra-asta] etc.
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale (p.34), Ātreyī darśana
आत्रेये दर्शनात् शुके शक्तियुते गुरुमौढ्येऽपि यजुशासोपाकर्मं कर्तव्यम्
→ Per Ātreyī school: even during Guru-mauḍhya, with Śukra having śakti: Yajurveda Upākarma must be done.
These permissions let a repeating performer keep Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā itself when it has Guru- or Śukra-asta. None of them addresses what happens when grahaṇa or saṅkrānti has already spoiled Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā and a fallback day is being chosen. The fallback chains that exist (Bṛhaspati, Āhnika-Nirṇaya) are stated for the first Upākarma. Vasiṣṭha settles the case:
▶ Vasiṣṭha (in Smṛtimuktāphale)
मलमासे निपतिते सूतके मृतकेऽपि वा । ग्रहणे सङ्क्रमे वाऽपि मौढ्येऽपि गुरुशुक्रयोः ॥ प्रौष्ठपद्यामथाषाढ्यामुपाकरणमिष्यते । प्रौष्ठपद्यामुपाकुर्याच्छ्रावणं दूषितं यदि ॥ आषाढे वाऽपि कर्तव्यं प्रौष्ठपद्याश्च दूषणे । मासत्रयेऽपि दोषश्चेत् श्रावण्यामेव कारयेत् ॥
→ When malamāsa falls, or in sūtaka or mṛtaka, in grahaṇa or saṅkrama, or in the mauḍhya of Guru and Śukra, Upākarma is to be on Prauṣṭhapadī or Āṣāḍhī. If Śrāvaṇa is spoiled, do it on Prauṣṭhapadī; if Prauṣṭhapadī is spoiled too, in Āṣāḍha. If all three months have a doṣa, do it on Śrāvaṇī itself.
Vasiṣṭha lists mauḍhya together with grahaṇa, saṅkrama and malamāsa as a doṣa that spoils a month, judges every fallback month by that same list, and makes no first/second distinction. So once grahaṇa or saṅkrānti has spoiled Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā, a fallback counts only if it is free of grahaṇa, saṅkrānti and Guru/Śukra-asta, for repeating and first-time performers alike. If no such day exists, everyone returns to Śrāvaṇī with Śānti.
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale, Sārvabhauma and Ātreya
यत्तु 'यज्ञोपवीतं कर्तव्यं श्रावणे गुरुशुक्रयोः । बाल्ये मौढ्येऽपि वार्धक्ये कर्तव्यं नित्यकर्मवत्' इत्यादि, तच्छाखाधीशस्य प्राबल्ये सति वेदितव्यम् ॥
ऋग्यजुस्सामाथर्वेशा जीवशुक्रकुजेन्दुजाः । शाखाधीशे शक्तियुक्ते तच्छाखाध्ययनं शुभम् ॥ … मौढ्यादिदोषेषूपाकरणवर्जनस्मरणं स्वशाखाधीशस्य शक्त्यभावविषयम् ॥
→ Even the repeating performer's asta exemption holds only when the śākhādhīśa is strong (Guru for Ṛk, Śukra for Yajus, Kuja for Sāma, Budha for Atharva); the prohibitions of Upākarma in mauḍhya refer to a weak śākhādhīśa. The exemption is therefore not a blanket rule, and it does not extend to fallback days.
Grahaṇa and Saṅkrānti are kāla-doṣas. All six sources agree they block every Upākarma without exception:
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108, Marathi): sarvashākhīya rule
सर्वशाखीयांच्या गृह्यसूत्रांत उपाकर्माचा जो मुख्य दिवस सांगितला, त्या दिवशीं जर ग्रहण अथवा संक्रांति असेल, तर संक्रांतिरहित असे पंचमी वगैरे काळ घ्यावेत।
→ For ALL śākhās: if the primary Upākarma day has grahaṇa or saṅkrānti: take a saṅkrānti-free Pañcamī etc.
▶ Smṛtimahārṇava (in Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171 + Smṛti-Kaustubha p.155)
संक्रान्तिग्रहणञ्चापि यदि पर्वणि जायते । तन्मासे हस्तयुक्तायां पञ्चम्यां वा तदिष्यते ।
→ If saṅkrānti or grahaṇa on Pūrṇimā: take Hasta-Pañcamī in that month.
▶ Pāṇḍutī (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.33): Āpastamba-specific
ग्रहणे संक्रमे वाऽपि मौढ्येऽपि गुरुशुक्रयोः । प्रौष्ठपद्यामथाशुच्या उपाकरणमिष्यते ।
→ Grahaṇa, saṅkrānti, OR Guru-Śukra mauḍhya in Śrāvaṇa: do Upākarma in Bhādrapada (Prauṣṭhapādā).
Note: The Pāṇḍutī passage is extraordinary: it lists Guru-Śukra mauḍhya alongside grahaṇa and saṅkrānti as reasons to shift to Bhādrapada specifically for Āpastamba. This is NOT a contradiction of Category B above: it means: when these doṣas cause Śrāvaṇa to be unusable, Āpastamba's prescribed fallback is Bhādrapada. But if all three months fail: see Category D below.
When all three months (Āṣāḍha, Śrāvaṇa, Bhādrapada) are simultaneously defective, the following rules apply:
▶ Vyāsa (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.33)
कालत्रयेऽपि दोषे तु श्रावण्यामेव कारयेत् । पौर्णमास्यास्तु नित्यत्वादापस्तम्बस्य शासनात् ।
→ Even if all three time-periods have doṣa: do it on Śrāvaṇī only, because of the nityatva (obligatory nature) of Pūrṇimā per Āpastamba's teaching.
▶ Vyāsa (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.33)
मुक्त्वा भाद्रपदाषाढ्यां श्रावण्यामेव कारयेत्
→ Leaving aside Bhādrapada and Āṣāḍha: do it on Śrāvaṇī only.
▶ Bṛhaspati (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.34): with Śānti
श्रावण-प्रौष्ठपदाषाढेषु एकस्मिन्दोषरहिते प्रथमोपाकृतिः कर्तव्या । त्रिष्वपि दुष्टेषु श्रावणमासे शान्तिपूर्विका कर्तव्या ।
→ If one among Āṣāḍha, Śrāvaṇa, or Bhādrapada is doṣa-free: do Upākarma there. If all three are defective: in Śrāvaṇa month, do with prior Śānti.
This is the direct scriptural basis for the Ahobila-Maṭha ruling. The authority chain is: Vyāsa-vacana → Bṛhaspati elaboration → Smṛtimuktāphale compilation → Ahobila-Maṭha Āhnika-Nirṇaya. The Ahobila-Maṭha rule is NOT a mere monastic opinion: it is grounded in Vyāsa and Bṛhaspati.
|
Doṣa |
Category |
Pratham |
Dvitīya + |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grahaṇa (eclipse) |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ Blocked |
All six sources: sarvashākhīya, no exception |
|
Saṅkrānti (solar ingress) |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ Blocked |
All six sources: sarvashākhīya |
|
Adhikamāsa |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ Blocked |
DS p.93; NS p.172; SK p.159: all explicit |
|
Guru-asta |
Graha-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
✅ Permitted |
DS p.93; SMF p.34; SK p.159: 'kartavyam' |
|
Śukra-asta |
Graha-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
✅ Permitted |
TD: 'śukrāstādāvapi'; SMF: 'kartavyam' |
|
Siṃhastha Sūrya: Sāmaveda only |
Kāla-doṣa |
❌ Blocked |
❌ Blocked |
NS p.172: 'sāmaganāṃ siṃha-stha-vacanāstaddviṣayam' |
|
Siṃhastha Sūrya: other śākhās |
N/A |
Not applicable |
Not applicable |
NS p.172: 'na tu bahūcādiparam' |
|
Kāla-traya doṣa (all 3 months) |
Emergency |
→ Śrāvaṇī+Śānti |
→ Śrāvaṇī+Śānti |
Vyāsa; Bṛhaspati; Smṛtimuktāphale p.33-34 |
DS=Dharmasindhu | NS=Nirṇaya-Sindhu | TD=Tithinirṇayam | SMF=Smṛtimuktāphale | SK=Smṛti-Kaustubha
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.93)
ग्रहण और संक्रांति का योग उपाकर्मसंबंधी दिनरात्रिमें होवै अर्थात् मध्यरात्रके पहले दो प्रहर और व्यतीत हुये मध्यरात्रके उपरंत दो प्रहर होता है: और आठ प्रहरमें विद्यमान और श्रवणनक्षत्रकी पूर्णिमा आदि तिथिसें नहीं स्पर्शत हुआ ऐसाभी ग्रहण और संक्रांतिका योग उपाकर्मकों दूषित करता है।
→ Two prahars before midnight and two prahars after midnight = eight-prahar window. Even if the eclipse does not touch Śravaṇa nakṣatra or Pūrṇimā tithi: it still corrupts Upākarma.
One prahar ≈ 3 hours. The aṣṭa-prahar window spans approximately 6 PM to 6 AM: the full night.
▶ Prayogapārijāta (in Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171)
अर्धरात्रादधस्ताच्चेत्संक्रान्तिग्रहणं तदा । उपाकर्म न कुर्वीत परतश्चेन्न दोषकृत् ।
→ If grahaṇa or saṅkrānti occurs between the preceding and the next Vedic midnight: do not do Upākarma. After the next Vedic midnight, it is not a doṣa.
▶ Gārgya (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.33 + Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171)
अर्धरात्रादधस्ताच्चेत्संक्रान्त्यां ग्रहणेऽपि वा । न कर्तव्यमुपाकर्मं परतश्चेन्न दोषकृत् ।
→ If grahaṇa/saṅkrānti occurs between the preceding and the next Vedic midnight: do not do Upākarma; do it at the next valid time. After the next Vedic midnight: not a doṣa.
▶ Madanarātna/Gārgya (in Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.171)
यद्यर्धरात्रादर्वाक् तु ग्रहः संक्रम एव च । नोपाकर्म तदा कुर्याच्छ्रावण्यां श्रवणेऽपि वा ॥
→ Eclipse or saṅkrānti before the next Vedic midnight: do not do Upākarma even on Śrāvaṇī or Śravaṇa day.
Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156) makes a subtle but important distinction from the other authorities:
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156)
तथातीतार्धरात्रात्परं विद्यमानो दूषको न तत्तूषः
→ Eclipse/saṅkrānti that has ALREADY ENDED (atīta) after midnight: if it is past: it is NOT a doṣa.
The Smṛti-Kaustubha reconciliation: (a) Eclipse/saṅkrānti between the preceding and the next Vedic midnight → doṣa; after the next Vedic midnight → not a doṣa (per Gārgya and Prayogapārijāta: परतश्चेन्न दोषकृत्). (b) Smṛti-Kaustubha adds: one that started before midnight and is atīta (already over) after midnight → NOT doṣa. This is a slightly more lenient position than Dharmasindhu's blanket aṣṭa-prahar rule.
▶ Nirṇayasindhu, citing Prayogapārijāta and Hemādri
नित्ये नैमित्तिके जप्ये होमे यज्ञक्रियासु च । उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे ग्रहवेधो न विद्यते ॥ पर्वणि ग्रहणे सति पूर्वं त्रिरात्रादिवेधाभावं वक्तुमिदम् । तेन पर्वणि ग्रहणेऽपि चतुर्दश्यां श्रवणे कार्यमिति हेमाद्रिः ॥
→ The "piercing" (vedha) of the three nights before an eclipse does not apply to Upākarma; so, Hemādri says, even with an eclipse on the Pūrṇimā, Upākarma may be done on the Caturdaśī with Śravaṇa.
This leniency concerns the days before the eclipse. It does not lift Gārgya's rule (3.2): a grahaṇa or saṅkrānti within the day's own midnight window still bars that day.
Four sources state a regional rule tied to the Narmadā:
▶ Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.169-171), Prayogapārijāta (Bṛhaspati-vacana)
नर्मदोत्तरभागे तु कर्तव्यं सिंहयुक्ते । कर्कटे संस्थिते भानौ उपाकल्यां दक्षिणेति वचनात् ।
→ North of Narmadā: do Upākarma when Sun is in Siṃha (Leo). South: when Sun is in Karkaṭa (Cancer).
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108, Marathi), Kaustubha
नर्मदेच्या उत्तरेकडे सिंहस्थ रवि असतां, पंचमी वगैरे काळ घ्यावेत।
→ North of Narmadā with Siṃhastha Sun: take Pañcamī etc.
▶ Tithinirṇayam (Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita)
नर्मदोत्तरभागे तु कर्तव्यं सिंहयुक्के
→ North of Narmadā: with Siṃha-yukta Sun.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.158)
नर्मदोत्तर देशे तु कर्तव्यं सिंहयुक्के । कर्कटे संस्थिते भानावुपाकल्यां तु दक्षिणे ।
→ Narmadā-uttara: Siṃhastha. South: Karkaṭastha.
Smṛtimuktāphale records which communities count as southern: आन्ध्रमहाराष्ट्रकर्णाटककायस्था दाक्षिणात्याः । तद्व्यतिरिक्तास्सर्वे नर्मदोत्तरदेशस्था इत्यभियुक्तवादः ॥ (Āndhras, Mahārāṣṭras, Karṇāṭakas and Kāyasthas are southerners; all others are reckoned north of the Narmadā). The rule is about communities and their custom, not about where one lives. Outside India it is followed as family tradition (kulācāra), as Smṛtyarthasāra says: yathā svakulācāram; this site does not apply it by location.
Important clarification: The Siṃhastha-Sūrya restriction (not doing Upākarma in Siṃhastha) applies ONLY to Sāmaganāṃ: per Nirṇaya-Sindhu (p.172): 'sāmaganāṃ siṃha-stha-vacanāstaddviṣayam... na tu bahūcādiparam.' For all other śākhās, Siṃhastha Sūrya is the CORRECT time for Upākarma in the Narmadā-uttara zone.
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108)
आपस्तम्बानां श्रावणी पौर्णमासी मुख्या: यत्दभावे भाद्रपदे इति विशेषः
→ Āpastamba: Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā primary. If unavailable: Bhādrapada. This is the specific rule.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.156)
येषां गृह्यसूत्रे पञ्चमी नोक्ता तेषां... भाद्रपदे'वोचित-श्रवणादिकाले-ष्वपाकर्मोचिन्तम्
→ Those whose Gṛhyasūtra does not mention Pañcamī [= Āpastamba]: even with grahaṇa-doṣa in Śrāvaṇa: go to Bhādrapada Śravaṇa-ādi.
▶ Pāṇḍutī (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.33)
प्रौष्ठपद्यामुपाकुर्याच्छ्रावणं दूषितं यदि । आषाढे वाऽपि कर्तव्यं प्रौष्ठपद्यां च दूषिते ।
→ If Śrāvaṇa dūṣita: do in Bhādrapada. If Bhādrapada also dūṣita: do in Āṣāḍha.
Āpastamba's fallback chain per Pāṇḍutī: Śrāvaṇa → Bhādrapada → Āṣāḍha. But when ALL THREE fail: Vyāsa's direct injunction applies: 'kāla-traye'pi doṣe tu śrāvaṇyāmeva kārayet': Śrāvaṇī with Śānti.
▶ Nirṇayasindhu (Upākarma-nirṇaya, bhāṣāṭīkā edition p.151): आपस्तम्बैराथर्वणैश्च प्रौष्ठपद्याम् → Āpastambas and Ātharvaṇas: on Prauṣṭhapadī (Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā) when Śrāvaṇī is spoiled.
Critical: Āpastamba's Gṛhyasūtra (Praśna 7, Khaṇḍa 1) prescribes only 'śrāvaṇyāṃ paurṇamāsyāmupākarma.' Hasta and Pañcamī do NOT appear in Āpastamba's own sūtra: those belong to Kāṇva-Mādhyandina. Therefore Āpastambins cannot take Pañcamī/Hasta as an alternative.
▶ Baudhāyana-sūtra (in Smṛtimuktāphale)
श्रावण्यां पौर्णमास्यामाषाढ्यां वोपाकृत्य तैष्यां माघ्यां वोत्सृजेयुः
→ Having done Upākarma on Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā or on Āṣāḍhī, they should do Utsarjana on Taiṣī or Māghī.
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108)
बौधायनानां श्रावणी पौर्णमासी मुख्या: दोषसम्भावनया तद्भावे आषाढ इति विशेषः
→ Baudhāyana: Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā primary; on possible doṣa, Āṣāḍha.
▶ Nirṇayasindhu (Upākarma-nirṇaya, bhāṣāṭīkā edition p.151): how the sūtra is to be read
श्रावण्यामपि ग्रहणादिदुष्टायां कातीयभिन्नैः प्रौष्ठपद्यां कार्यम् । तैस्तु श्रावणपञ्चम्याम् … आपस्तम्बैराथर्वणैश्च प्रौष्ठपद्याम् ॥ यत्तु बौधायनः 'श्रावण्यां पौर्णमास्यामाषाढ्यां वोपाकृत्य' इत्यूचे, तत् प्रौष्ठपद्यामपि दोषे आषाढ्यां कार्यमित्येवमर्थम् । तच्छाखीयविषयं वा ॥
→ When Śrāvaṇī is spoiled by grahaṇa etc., everyone except the Kātīyas does it on Prauṣṭhapadī (Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā); the Kātīyas on Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī; Āpastambas and Ātharvaṇas on Prauṣṭhapadī. As for Baudhāyana's words "Śrāvaṇī or Āṣāḍhī": they mean that if Prauṣṭhapadī too has a doṣa, then Āṣāḍhī; or they concern his own śākhā only.
So Baudhāyana's Āṣāḍhī is a last resort after Bhādrapada, the same order Vasiṣṭha gives for everyone (Rule 7): Śrāvaṇa → Bhādrapada → Āṣāḍha, and Āṣāḍha is used only when it is itself free of doṣa.
▶ Dharmasindhu (p.108)
हिरण्यकेशीनां श्रावणी पौर्णमासी मुख्यकाल: तदभावे श्रावणहस्त
→ Hiraṇyakeśī: Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā is the main time; if it is not available, Hasta nakṣatra in Śrāvaṇa; if that is not clear, Hasta nakṣatra in Bhādrapada. The Hasta taken is the one that holds sunrise and touches Saṅgava kāla; if it does not reach Saṅgava, the pūrvaviddha day (the day before) is taken. Śrāvaṇa Śukla Pañcamī is not in their sūtra and is not taken, and Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā is not taken either.
▶ Smṛtimahārṇava (in Nirṇaya-Sindhu p.177 + Smṛti-Kaustubha p.155-156)
संक्रान्तिग्रहणञ्चापि पौर्णमास्यां यदा भवेत् । उपाकरितस्तु पञ्चम्यां कुर्यात् वाजसनेयिभिः ।
→ If saṅkrānti or grahaṇa on Pūrṇimā: Vājasaneyī must do Upākarma on Pañcamī.
In Śrāvaṇa māsa the dual condition is strict: Pañcamī counts only together with Hasta nakṣatra; neither alone qualifies. If Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī + Hasta is not clear, Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā is taken; if that is not clear, Bhādrapada Śukla Pañcamī, with no nakṣatra requirement in Bhādrapada.
▶ Goṃbhil (in Smṛti-Kaustubha p.153 + Smṛtimuktāphale p.32)
पर्वण्योदियके कुर्युः श्रावणी तैत्तिरीयकाः । बहूचाः श्रवणक्षे तु हस्तक्षे सामवेदिनः ।
→ Taittrīya → Pūrṇimā. Bahūca → Śravaṇa. Sāmaveda → Hasta.
Sāmaveda has three unique exceptions:
• Siṃhastha-Sūrya blocks Śrāvaṇa-gata Hasta/Pūrṇimā for Sāmavedins specifically
• Adhikamāsa is permitted for Sāmaveda (Tithinirṇayam: 'sāmaganāṃ tvadhimāse'pi bhavati'): unique exception not shared by others
• Upākarma must be in Aparāhṇa (afternoon): Chandoga rule; Utsarjana in Pūrvāhṇa
• If Siṃha-Bhādrapada blocked → Kanyā-māsa (Virgo) aparapakṣa Hasta nakṣatra (Smṛtimuktāphale p.33)
A commonly confused point: when in the day is Upākarma performed? Two different questions are involved, and the texts answer each.
Which day: the Pūrvāhṇa decides it for Ṛk and Yajus, the Aparāhṇa for Sāmavedins. Tithinirṇaya: एतच्च सामगैरपराह्णे कार्यम् । इतरैः पूर्वाह्णे ।; Pracetas (NS p.148): भवेदुपाकृतिः पौर्णमास्यां पूर्वाह्ण एव तु ।. This is why the Pūrṇimā or Śravaṇa must hold sunrise through Saṅgava (Rule 3), and why the Sāma Hasta is judged by the Aparāhṇa.
The order of the rites on that day: Smṛtimuktāphale gives it: the morning belongs to the Utsarjana and its homa; the Upākarma follows in the Aparāhṇa, after the many rites of the morning (listed under Rule 10).
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale
अध्यायानामुपाकर्म कुर्यात्कालेऽपराह्णिके । पूर्वाह्णे तु विसर्गः स्यादिति वेदविदो विदुः ॥ उपाकर्मणि चोत्सर्गे यथाकालं समेत्य च । ऋषीन् दर्भमयान् कृत्वा पूजयेत्तान् द्विजस्ततः ॥
→ Upākarma: Aparāhṇa (afternoon). Utsarjana: Pūrvāhṇa (morning). Thus the Veda-knowers know. At both, ṛṣis of darbha are made and worshipped.
▶ Smṛtimuktāphale, Chandogābhihitāḥ
छन्दोगाभिहिताः कुर्युः प्रातरुत्सर्गिकीं क्रियाम् । अपराह्णेऽप्युपाकर्म पुष्यहस्तर्क्षयोर्द्विजाः ॥
→ Prātaḥ: Utsarjana; Aparāhṇa: Upākarma.
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.157)
तेषां हि अपराह्ण उपाकर्मकालः
→ Their Upākarma time is the Aparāhṇa.
When Upākarma and Gāyatrī Japam fall on the same day (Rule 3), the order is Gāyatrī Japam first and Upākarma after, in the Aparāhṇa sense of "after the Prātaḥ-kāla".
▶ Nirṇaya-Sindhu (multiple places)
सर्वथा कर्मलोपप्राप्तौ शाखान्तरोक्तकालानामाग्रहत्वम् आवश्यकम्
→ When rite would be totally lost: dates of other śākhās become obligatory.
This is not casual cross-śākhā mixing. It is emergency Dharma: āpad-dharma: invoked ONLY when the rite cannot otherwise be performed within one's own śākhā.
For Āpastamba: the sarvathā-lopa condition never activates because Vyāsa and Bṛhaspati provide an explicit within-śākhā solution: Śrāvaṇī Pūrṇimā with Grahaṇa-Śānti. Upākarma is not 'lost': it is preserved via Śānti. The Ahobila-Maṭha tradition therefore does not authorize Āpastambins to take Hasta or Pañcamī.
Śānti is a full ritual neutralization: a recognized śāstric procedure that transforms a duṣṭa (polluted) day into a śuddha (purified) one. Bṛhaspati specifies the mantras:
▶ Bṛhaspati (in Smṛtimuktāphale p.34)
शान्तिं कृत्वा तथोऽपि शुक्रदेवेन्द्रमन्त्रगैः । होमैर्नैजैर्गजपैरपि तयोरुदितमन्त्रकैः । कर्तव्यं श्रावणं विप्रेते जीवेन भावितम् ।
→ Having performed Śānti with Śukra-Devendra mantras, homos, gajapas: then Śrāvaṇa (Upākarma) should be done, sustained by Guru (Bṛhaspati).
After Śānti, the day becomes ritually usable. A doṣa-neutralized Pūrṇimā is superior to a clean Pañcamī: because it preserves śākhā integrity.
▶ SMP p.144
एतच्चोपाकरणं गृहस्थब्रह्मचारिणोः साधारणं कर्म । मन्वादिभिः गृहस्थधर्ममध्ये उपाकरणस्य विधानात्, उपाकर्म तथोत्सर्गं वनस्थानामपीष्यते । धारणाध्ययनं कृत्वा गृहिणां ब्रह्मचारिणामिति देवलस्मरणात्, अधीयीत गृहस्थोऽपि नियमाद् ब्रह्मचारिवदिति व्यासस्मरणात्, समावृत्तो ब्रह्मचारिकल्पेन यथान्यायमितर इति शौनकस्मरणाच्च ॥ अत्र ब्रह्मचारिकल्पेनेति … गृहस्थस्य मेखलाजिनदण्डरहितमुपवीतधारणं तर्पणहोमादिकमविरुद्धं कर्तव्यतयाऽवगम्यते ॥
→ Upākarma is common to the householder and the brahmacārin: Manu and others place it among the householder's duties; Upākarma and Utsarga are wanted of vānaprasthas too (Devala: for retention and study, of householders and brahmacārins); Vyāsa: the householder too studies under discipline like a brahmacārin; Śaunaka: the samāvṛtta in the manner of a brahmacārin. "In the manner of" means the householder does the upavīta-dhāraṇa, tarpaṇa, homa and the rest, without the mekhalā, ajina and daṇḍa.
▶ DS p.94
अधीतानां छन्दसामाप्यायनद्वारा श्रीपरमेश्वरप्रीत्यर्थमुपाकर्मदिने अद्योत्सर्जनाख्यं कर्म करिष्ये
→ For the Utsarjana on the Upākarma day: "For the pleasure of Śrī Parameśvara, through the replenishing of the Vedas studied, I shall today perform the rite called Utsarjana."
▶ DS p.94
अधीतानामध्येष्यमाणानां च छन्दसां यातयामतानिरासेनाप्यायनद्वारा श्रीपरमेश्वरप्रीत्यर्थम्
→ For the Upākarma: "… of the Vedas studied and to be studied, through removing their staleness and replenishing them, for the pleasure of Śrī Parameśvara."
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.161)
...श्रीपरमेश्वरप्रीत्यर्थे... छन्दस्सामाध्ययनद्वारा... सहोपाकर्मं करिष्ये इति संकल्पं कुर्यात्
→ The saṅkalpa for the nūtana brahmacārin, made together with the ācārya and śiṣyas.
When it may be done. Not in Guru- or Śukra-mauḍhya or malamāsa, and not with the Sun in Karka; Gautama's permission to do it anyway holds only after Śānti (SMP p.141).
▶ Vṛddha-Manu (SMP p.141)
गुरुभार्गवयोर्मौढ्ये मलमासे तथैव च । प्रथमोपाकृतिर्न स्यात्कुर्याच्चेत्स विनश्यति ॥
→ In the mauḍhya of Guru and Śukra, and in malamāsa, there should be no first Upākarma; one who does it perishes.
▶ SMP p.142
प्रथमोपक्रमे प्राप्ते कुलीरस्थे रवौ सति । उपाकर्म न कुर्वीत कुर्यात् सिंहस्थिते रवौ ॥
→ When the first commencement comes with the Sun in Kulīra (Karka), do not do Upākarma; do it with the Sun in Siṃha.
What is renewed. Everything worn for the vrata is put on new, and the old is discarded.
▶ SMP p.146
मेखलामजिनं दण्डं वस्त्रं यज्ञोपवीतकम् । पूर्वोपयुक्तमुत्सृज्य धारयेयुर्नवं व्रते ॥
→ The mekhalā, ajina, daṇḍa, cloth and yajñopavīta used before are discarded, and new ones worn for the vrata.
▶ Smṛtisāra (SMP p.145)
मौञ्जीयज्ञोपवीतादि नवमेव तु धारयेत् । कटिसूत्रञ्चापि नवं नवं वस्त्रमुपाकृतौ ॥
→ At Upākarma one wears a new mauñjī, yajñopavīta and so on, a new waist-thread and new cloth.
Putting on the yajñopavīta.
▶ Bharadvāja (SMP pp.144–145)
अथ यज्ञोपवीतस्य धारणे कथ्यते विधिः । स्नात्वा शुद्धः शुचौ देशे प्रक्षालितपदद्वयः ॥ करद्वन्द्वपवित्रश्च कृतोपस्पर्शनो द्विजः । उपविश्यासने दार्भे प्राणानायम्य वाग्यतः ॥ मन्त्रं सदैवमुच्चार्य ब्रह्मसूत्रं गले क्षिपेत् । दक्षिणं बाहुमुद्धृत्य शिरसैव सह द्विजः ॥
→ Having bathed, pure, in a clean place, feet washed, with pavitra on both hands and ācamana done, seated on darbha, restraining the breath in silence, reciting the mantra, he puts the brahmasūtra on the neck, raising the right arm with the head. For the householder and the vānaprastha, a mantra and an ācamana for each thread.
▶ Śāṇḍilya (SMP p.145)
आर्द्रवासा न कुर्वीत कर्म किञ्चित्कथञ्चन । राक्षसं तद्धि विज्ञेयं तस्माद्यत्नेन वर्जयेत् ॥ उपवीतादिकं धार्म्यमुपाकर्मणि तन्नवम् । अनवं वा नवं वाऽपि पुरातनमिह त्यजेत् ॥
→ No rite in wet clothes: that is rākṣasa. At Upākarma the upavīta etc. must be new; the old, new or not, is given up.
Vapana. The brahmacārin is shaved at Upākarma (Vaikhānasa: श्रावण्यां पौर्णमास्यां शिष्यं वापयित्वा), even within the six months after caula or upanayana, and without regard to tithi or vāra for this.
▶ SMP p.146
क्षुरकर्म न कर्तव्यं चौलात्परमृतुत्रयम् । तथोपनयनादूर्ध्वमुपाकर्म विना क्वचित् ॥
→ No shaving for three ṛtus after caula, nor after upanayana, except at Upākarma.
Kāṇḍarṣi tarpaṇa and ṛṣi-pūjā. For Taittirīyas the Upākarma tarpaṇa is the kāṇḍarṣi tarpaṇa: the ṛṣis of the kāṇḍas of the Taittirīya Saṃhitā, headed by Prajāpati.
▶ Kapardī (SMP p.146)
प्रजापतिमुखान् देवानेकैकांस्त्रिस्तिलोदकम् । उद्धृत्य तर्पणं कुर्युः श्रावण्यां तैत्तिरीयकाः ॥
→ On Śrāvaṇī, Taittirīyas offer tarpaṇa to Prajāpati and the other kāṇḍarṣis, one by one, three times each with sesame water.
At Upākarma and Utsarga the ṛṣis are made of darbha and worshipped (SMP p.135). For the first start, svastivācana and nāndī-śrāddha (vṛddhi-śrāddha) are done first (DS p.93; NS p.148, Nārāyaṇa-vṛtti).
▶ Smṛti-Kaustubha (p.161) adds the homa sequence: new kaṭisūtra; svasti-puṇyāhavācana; nāndī-śrāddha; saṅkalpa; approaching the gṛhāgni; anvādhāna with Sāvitrīṃ brāhmaṇam ardham…; the pradhāna-devatās Sāvitrī, Brahmaṇaspati, Anumati, Agni, Śakunī, Mitrāvaruṇau, Āpaḥ, Marutaḥ, Devabrahmāṇi, Indrasomau, Pavamāna Soma.
▶ Bṛhaspati (SMP p.141)
शान्तिं कृत्वा तयोर्वाऽपि शुक्रदेवेन्द्रमन्त्रिणम् । होमदानैर्जपैर्वाऽपि तयोरुदितमन्त्रकैः ॥ कर्तव्यं श्रावणं विप्रैरिति जीवेन भाषितम् ॥
→ Having done Śānti for the two, Śukra and Bṛhaspati (the counsellor of Indra), by homa, gifts or japa with the mantras stated for them, brāhmaṇas are to do the Śrāvaṇa rite, says Jīva (Bṛhaspati).
▶ Paddhati (SMP p.142)
बृहस्पते अति यदिति बृहस्पतेः, प्र वः शुक्रायेति शुक्रस्य, आप्यायस्वेति मलमासे सोमस्य, सूर्योपरागे सङ्क्रान्तौ च चित्रं देवानां उदु त्यं जातवेदसं, सूर्यो देवीमुषसं उद्वयं तमसस्परि आ सत्येन, देवो वः सवितोत्पुनात्विति सूर्यस्य, सोमोपरागे सोमो धेनुमिति षड्भिः नवो नव इति च सोमस्य शान्तिहोमं कृत्वोपाकरणाङ्गहोमं कुर्यादिति ॥
→ Śānti homa with: Bṛhaspate ati yad (Guru); Pra vaḥ śukrāya (Śukra); Āpyāyasva (malamāsa, Soma); for a solar eclipse and saṅkrānti, Citraṃ devānām, Ud u tyaṃ jātavedasam, Sūryo devīm uṣasam, Ud vayaṃ tamasas pari, Ā satyena, Devo vaḥ savitā utpunātu (Sūrya); for a lunar eclipse, six mantras from Somo dhenum and Navo navaḥ (Soma); then the Upākarma homa.
Six independent primary authorities: spanning the Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra, Dharmasindhu, Nirṇaya-Sindhu, Tithinirṇayam, Smṛtimuktāphale, and Smṛti-Kaustubha: together with the living Ahobila-Maṭha tradition, all converge on one axiom:
न वेदाध्ययनस्य लोपः धर्मे भवति कदाचन
na vedādhyayanasya lopaḥ dharme bhavati kadācana
Translation: In Dharma, the lapse of Vedic recitation never occurs.
The key findings of this six-source analysis:
• Grahaṇa and saṅkrānti are kāla-doṣas that block ALL Upākarmās: because even as nityakarma, Upākarma cannot occur in polluted time
• Guru-asta and Śukra-asta are graha-doṣas: on Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā they block pratham only (nityakarma is exempt from graha-vedha per Prayogapārijāta and Madanaratna); but once grahaṇa or saṅkrānti moves the date, the fallback must be free of asta for everyone (Vasiṣṭha)
• The kāla-traya rule (all three months defective) mandates Śrāvaṇī + Śānti per Vyāsa and Bṛhaspati: this is the direct scriptural source of the Ahobila-Maṭha ruling
• Each śākhā has its OWN fallback: Āpastamba → Bhādrapada; Baudhāyana → Bhādrapada, then Āṣāḍha (Nirṇayasindhu); Hiraṇyakeśī → Hasta in Śrāvaṇa, then Hasta in Bhādrapada; Kāṇva/Mādhyandina → Śrāvaṇa Pañcamī+Hasta, then Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā, then Bhādrapada Śukla Pañcamī; these are NOT interchangeable
• Siṃhastha-Sūrya restriction = Sāmaganāṃ only (NS p.172); for other śākhās, Siṃhastha is the CORRECT time in Narmadā-uttara zone
• The Narmadā rule concerns community custom; outside India it is followed as family tradition, not by location
• The day is decided by the Pūrvāhṇa (the Aparāhṇa for Sāmavedins); on that day the Utsarjana and its homa are in the Pūrvāhṇa and the Upākarma itself in the Aparāhṇa (Tithinirṇaya, Nirṇayasindhu, Smṛtimuktāphale)
• The Smṛti-Kaustubha refinement: eclipse/saṅkrānti that is atīta (already ended) after midnight → NOT a doṣa: slightly more lenient than Dharmasindhu
Different śākhās can land on different days in the same year: Āpastamba and Baudhāyana on Bhādrapada Pūrṇimā, Hiraṇyakeśī on a Hasta, the Vājasaneyins on a Pañcamī, and everyone on Śrāvaṇī with Śānti when no clean day exists. These are not contradictions; each paramparā follows its own authority chain toward the same obligation.
Perform Upākarma on the correct date for your śākhā. The Veda will not fall silent.
Pundit Mahesh Shastriji
Mypanchang.com | Pañcāṅga Siddhānta Authority
For city-specific tithi and eclipse timings by longitude, see the Panchang calculator at mypanchang.com
The authorities are not unanimous. The table records each point of disagreement and the position adopted in this article, with its ground.
Question | Positions in the sources | Position adopted, and ground |
|---|---|---|
Do grahaṇa and saṅkrānti bar a repeating performer? | Yes, for all: NS p.146 (Hemādri; Gārgya), DS p.92, TN p.15, SMP p.138, VPV. For the first Upākarma only: AG §34, citing Vaidika Sārvabhauma (atra grahaṇasaṅkramaṇavarjanasmaraṇaṃ prathamopākṛtiviṣayam). | They bar everyone (Rule 4): the weight of the vacanas and nibandhas, and Gārgya's express warning against a doṣa-joined parva. |
May a repeating performer take a fallback day that has Guru- or Śukra-asta? | The permissions for repeaters in asta (TN p.15; DS p.92; AG §34) do not address fallback days; the fallback chains of Bṛhaspati and AG are stated for the first Upākarma. SMP pp.142–143 conditions even the permission on a strong śākhādhīśa. | No (Rule 7): Vasiṣṭha (SMP pp.138–139) lists mauḍhya with grahaṇa and saṅkrama as a doṣa that spoils a month and judges every fallback by that list, without distinguishing first and later performers. |
Where does Āṣāḍhī stand for Baudhāyana? | Baudhāyana-sūtra: Śrāvaṇī or Āṣāḍhī (SMP p.133). DS p.91: Āṣāḍha as the fallback. Vyāsa (SMP p.139): Śrāvaṇī, Āṣāḍhī, Prauṣṭhapadī in that order. Vasiṣṭha: Prauṣṭhapadī before Āṣāḍhī. NS p.151: Āṣāḍhī only if Prauṣṭhapadī is also spoiled. | Śrāvaṇa → Bhādrapada → Āṣāḍha (Rule 8): NS reads the sūtra itself this way, and it agrees with Vasiṣṭha. |
Does Āpastamba go to Āṣāḍha after Bhādrapada? | NS p.151 and DS p.91: Bhādrapada only. Vasiṣṭha (general): Āṣāḍha after Prauṣṭhapadī. | Yes, as a last step before Śrāvaṇī with Śānti (Rule 8), following Vasiṣṭha's general order. |
Pūrvāhṇa and Aparāhṇa | NS p.148 (Pracetas; the Gobhila verse read as Sāma-specific) and TN p.16 give the Pūrvāhṇa to non-Sāmavedins and the Aparāhṇa to Sāmagas. SMP p.135 gives the Aparāhṇa for Upākarma and the Pūrvāhṇa for Utsarjana. | No conflict (Rule 10): the Pūrvāhṇa (Aparāhṇa for Sāmavedins) is the kāla that decides the day; SMP gives the order of the rites on that day, Utsarjana and homa in the Pūrvāhṇa, Upākarma in the Aparāhṇa. |
The Narmadā and the Karka Sun | Regional allocation in SMP p.140, NS p.147, TN p.15; NS confines the Siṃha rule to Sāmagas; SMP counts only Āndhras, Mahārāṣṭras, Karṇāṭakas and Kāyasthas as southern. | A rule of community custom; outside India followed as kulācāra (Smṛtyarthasāra: yathā svakulācāram), not applied by location (Rule 11). |
Adhika year for repeating performers | DS p.92 and NS p.148: not in malamāsa, for anyone. AG §34 (1985, 1947 precedents): repeaters on the Adhika Pūrṇimā. TN p.16: Sāmagas even in adhimāsa. | Nija month for everyone (Rule 5), with DS and NS. |
Siṃhastha Guru | DS p.92 bars the first Upākarma with Guru in Siṃha for every śākhā. | Applied in the Sāmaveda determination; for the other Vedas it is under review. |
Primary texts, editions consulted
Āhnika Grantham, Vol. 2. Sri Ahobila Muth, Inc.; Dr. V. Sadagopan and Natteri Srihari Parthasarathy. Anubandham, §§31–35, pp. 35–43.
Dharmasindhu of Kāśīnātha Upādhyāya, with Hindustani translation by Rājavaidya Ravidatta Śāstrī. Dvitīya pariccheda, pp. 89–94.
Nirṇayasindhu of Kamalākara Bhaṭṭa, with bhāṣāṭīkā. Dvitīya pariccheda, Upākarma-nirṇaya, pp. 145–153.
Smṛtimuktāphala of Vaidyanātha Dīkṣita, Varṇāśrama-dharma-kāṇḍa, with Tamil gloss. Upākaraṇam, pp. 132–147.
Tithinirṇaya of Bhaṭṭoji Dīkṣita. Śrāvaṇa-māsa, pp. 15–16.
Smṛti-Kaustubha of Anantadeva, pp. 153–161.
Vrata-Parva-Viveka (Hindi). Prakaraṇa 2, pp. 42–43, and the Sāmaveda Upākarma section.
Āpastamba Gṛhyasūtra, Praśna 7, with the Anākulā-vṛtti of Haradatta.
Authorities cited through the nibandhas: Manu, Vṛddha-Manu, Vasiṣṭha, Vyāsa, Gārgya, Vṛddha-Gārgya, Garga, Bṛhaspati, Kaśyapa, Kātyāyana, Yājñavalkya, Gautama, Āpastamba, Baudhāyana, Gobhila, Pracetas, Jyotiḥ-Parāśara; Hemādri, Madanaratna, Prayogapārijāta, Kāladarśa, Smṛtimahārṇava, Smṛtyarthasāra, Pṛthvīcandra, Tithidarpaṇa, Vaidika Sārvabhauma (Gṛhya Ratnam, Daśanirṇayī), Vaidyanātīya.
How to cite this article: Pundit Mahesh Shastriji, Upākarma-nirṇaya: The Determination of the Upākarma Day for the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, mypanchang.com. Citation does not grant any right to reproduce the text.
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