Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute

THE CONCEPT OF TIME IN VEDIC RITUAL by Maitreyee Rangnekar

Review by: Asha Gurjar
Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 85 (2004), p. 202
Published by: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41691977 .
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202 Annals
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Bhagyalata
Pataskar
THE CONCEPT OF TIME IN VEDIC
RITUAL,
by Maitreyee
Rangnekar,
New
Bharatiya
Book
Corporation,
Delhi, India, 2001,
pp:
i-xx + 302.
This book is a
study
of
many aspects
of
tim
in connection with
Vedic Ritual. The
night
and
day
are the most natural
things.
Time is a
beginningless entity
and the fifth dimension of the universe. The
parts
of
the time are
only
convenient names
given by
man.
The author has
nicely arranged
the book in 21
chapters.
She has
very
meticulously
noted detailed references to different
days
of
months,
half-
months,
months of the
year, seasons, year,
described in almost all relevant
Vedic texts
beginning
from
Rgveda
to the rauta literature and some of the
Upanisads
as well. The duration of
ritual,
proper
order of ritual
items,
their
frequency
-
all these
things
are
important
in
getting
the
expected
results. At
many places,
time is identified with ritualistic items. References are found
to the deification of
parts
of time. There are
many equations
between time
units and the sacrificial items. The book throws
light
on the desire of ancient
seers to establish a sort of
harmony
between the time of the ritual and the
number of
oblations,
or the number of letters of the metre in which the
particular
formula is recited. In the
book,
one comes across
many types
of
rituals
having one-day
duration to some
lasting
for
many years.
Reference
to seven seasons is found here. The life
span
is considered to be hundred
years,
and so in the rituals a
great importance
is attached to the number
hundred. In the
Time,
there is
repetition
of moments
resulting
into
days
and so on. In
keeping
with the cosmic
cycle
seers used to
perform
rituals.
The details about these rituals in the book are
very interesting.
The author deserves thanks for this informative book
creating
interest.
- -
Asha
Guijar
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