कृषि-पाराशर (महर्षि पराशर - प्राचीन भारतीय कृषि, मृदा-परीक्षण, वर्षा-पूर्वानुमान व बीज-संस्कार)

PRESENTATION.
BIBLIOTHECA INDICA
A COLLECTION OF ORIENTAL WORKS
KRSI-PARĀŚARA
EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY
GIRIJA PRASANNA MAJUMDAR
AND
SURES CHANDRA BANERJI
SIR WILLIAM JONES
Work Number Issue Number
285 1579
MDCCXLVI-MDCCXCV
THE ASIATIC SOCIETY
CALCUTTA-

BIBLIOTHECA INDICA
A COLLECTION OF ORIENTAL WORKS
KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY
GIRIJA PRASANNA MAJUMDAR
AND
SURES CHANDRA BANERJI
THE ASIATIC SOCIETY,
CALCUTTA-16.
10 MAR 1961
SIR WILLIAM JONES
Work Number Issue Number
285 1579
MDCCXLVI-MDCCXCV
THE ASIATIC SOCIETY
1, PARK STREET, CALCUTTA-16
1960

S
PUBLISHED BY THE ASIATIC SOCIETY
CALCUTTA
DECEMBER 1960
680.954
C 22.8 7100
Price Rs. 7·50 nP.
34446
SL No 22971
Printed by J. C. Sarkhel from Calcutta Oriental Press Private Limited
9, Panchanan Ghosh Lane, Calcutta-9.

As early as the year 1957, Dr. G. P. Majumder, M. Sc., B. L., Ph. D.,
F. N. I., F. A. Sc , F. B. S., for sometime Natural History Secretary
(Biology) of the Asiatic Society, undertook an edition and translation
of this important Sanskrit text on agricultural pursuits entitled Kṛṣi-
Parāśara, in collaboration with Dr. Sures Chandra Banerji, M. A.,
D. Phil.
The manuscript was made ready and sent to the press towards the
close of the same year. It is regretted that due to unavoidable
circumstances it took nearly three years in getting the book through the
press.
In placing the work before the world of scholars the Society expresses
profound grief at the sad and untimely death of Dr. Majumdar which
occurred on November 21, 1959. He was one of the foremost Indian
Botanists and we all deeply mourn his loss.
The collaboration between an eminent Botanist of the calibre of Dr.
Majumdar and a reputed Sanskritist like Dr. Banerje in bringing out
the text and translantion of this important agricultural treatise is
expected naturally to enhance the value of the work. It is for the
scholars to say whether this natural expectation has been fulfilled.
S. K. Saraswati
General Secretary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword ... ... i-ii
Preface ... ... iii-iv
Introduction ... ... i-xviii
Text ... ... i-iv, १-६०
[ Contents of Text ... ... i-ii
Description of Mss. and published text ... iii-iv
Verses ... ... १-६० ]
English Translation ... ... 61-88
Appendix ... ... i-xix
Glossary of Important Technical Terms ... i-ii
Bibliography ... ... iii-iv
Index to verses ... ... 1-9
Errata

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FOREWORD
It is hardly necessary to write a foreword to a work the interest
of which speaks for itself. In an agricultural country like India one
would expect to find a good number of old works bearing upon agri-
culture or agricultural operations; but it is surprising that such
Sanskrit works are not numerous. The present work, small as it is,
is one of three or four such treatises which are known to exist; and it
is a happy idea to edit it critically from available manuscripts and
make it readily accessible to those who are interested in the
subject.
The present edition is based upon the collation of three manuscripts
obtained from different sources and a printed edition ; and all
important variants to the text-reading are faithfully recorded. It is
noteworthy that two of these manuscripts are in Bengali characters,
while the printed edition and the remaining manuscript in Devanāgarī
are based apparently on Bengali originals. This is a point in favour
of the editors' suggestion of the probable Bengal provenance of the
work.
Although associated with the name of a sage of hoary antiquity,
one must confess to a doubt with regard to the rather early date
(11th century A.D.) claimed for the present work. Even if systema-
tic, the work is not exhaustive ; and it has all the appearance of a
compilation. It is possible that it absorbs a great deal from a floating
traditional literature which is now lost. The fact that some of its
verses are ascribed by Raghunandana to some other authors would
perhaps point to the same direction. There is much again in this
work which finds an echo in the innumerable agricultural proverbs
which are to be found in the various languages of India, and which in
Bengali are seen in the apocryphal collection which goes by the name
of Khanā. These proverbs crystallise the scattered experience of ages
within the limits of cryptic but wise utterances. The editors have
rightly drawn attention to some parallelisms to be found in the sayings
of Khanā. I feel I am not entitled to express an opinion on the

ii KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
technical matter contained in the present work; but from what it
says about meteorological forecasts of rainfall, about omens and
portents, about auspicious time for sowing and similar topics, which
preponderate, it seems to me that the work is more like a Sanskrit
version of the collective weather-wisdom of the popular vernacular
proverbs.
It is difficult for this, among other reasons, to fix an absolute date
from an examination of its contents. But the work appears to contain
much that is old, and will, therefore, appeal to those who are interested
in this subject of never failing interest.
S. K. De

PREFACE
Agriculture has been playing a vital rôle in the economy of India
ever since the dawn of Aryan civilisation, as is evidenced by count-
less references to it scattered in various works starting with the
Ṛgveda. It is, therefore, natural to expect specialized works on this
subject. Curiously, however, the Kṛṣi-parāśara is the only work in
Sanskrit, known hitherto, devoted exclusively to the different agricul-
tural operations; this fact alone underlines the importance and
interest of this work.
The work, entitled Kṛṣi-Śāsana, is nothing but a compilation of
passages, referring to agriculture, culled from different sources. The
anonymous MS. No. 5276, called Kṛṣi-śāstra (Appendix), in the
Govt. Oriental MSS. Library,¹ Madras, is of no practical value or
interest dealing as it does only with the time suitable for some of the
items of agricultural operations; the modest object of the work is
indicated in the second verse where the author promises to set forth
the time for agricultural operations (samayaṃ kṛṣi-karmaṇaḥ)
Despite the great interest and importance of the Kṛṣi-parāśara, it
has not yet received as much attention of scholars as it deserves. The
Vaṅgavāsī edition of the work, printed forty years ago, has long been
out of print. Moreover, being presumably based on a single MS.,
it does not note the variant readings excepting one or two which might
be marginally noted in the MS. at the disposal of the editor, and
suffers from lapses, grammatical and otherwise.
The Bengali translation, accompanying the text in the said edition,
and the English translation by S. P. Roy Choudhuri, based on the
printed text, are necessarily defective. It is with a view to constitu-
ting the text, as accurately as practicable, that the present critical
edition has been undertaken. The text, presented here, is based on a
¹ Triennial Catalogue of MSS. 1925-26 to 1927-28. Vol. VI, Part I
Sanskrit (1935), pp. 7277-78. R. No. 5276, foll. 16. Date and authorship
unknown.

iv KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
collation of as many MSS. as could be procured and also of the
printed text.
The help that has been derived from the previous workers in the
field has been acknowledged in proper places. Any suggestion
regarding the improvement of the work or any new information
regarding the subject will be gratefully received, and attempts will be
made to improve the work in that light if and when another edition is
brought out.
The editors express their grateful thanks to Dr. S. K. De for
the Foreword.

INTRODUCTION¹
Title of the work
The work, as we find it in the present edition, opens with a verse
telling us that sage Parāśara is relating Kṛṣi-karma-vivecanam. This
word appears to have been used only to denote agricultural operations
in general, and not to indicate the name of the work. The colophon
of our text names it as Kṛṣi-parāśara, and agrees with MS. D² in this
respect. According to the colophon of the printed text, the title of
the work is Kṛṣi-saṃgraha, while it has been named Kṛṣi-paddhati in
the India Office MS., and Kṛṣi-tantra by Jogesh Chandra Roy in his
Ancient Indian Life (p. 30).
Authorship and date
Both the title of the work and its colophon associate the name of
Parāśara with it. There are many proofs of its high antiquity. In
the first place, the versification throughout the work tends to prove
that it belongs to a period anterior to the rise of the Nibandha litera-
ture which dates back approximately to the eleventh century A. D.,
if not earlier. None of the well-known Smṛti-digests or Nibandhas is
written in verse though, of course, there are innumerable verses cited
from various authorities. Again, the author of the present work cites
only two authorities, viz., Manu and Gārgya, contrary to the usual
practice of Nibandha-kāras whose works abound in quotations not
merely from earlier works but also from contemporary ones. This is a
singular feature which makes it probable that the work was composed
before the rise of the Nibandhas. It may also be noted that the work
is written in a fashion which is rarely met with in the Indian literature
after the eighth century A.D., since when the attention of the Indian
scholars has mainly been directed towards the exposition of the recogni-
1 For a detailed account of the work, its authorship, date, contents, etc.
See S. C. Benerji in ABORI, Vol. XXXVI, 1955.
2 See under description of the MS.

vi KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
sed Smṛti texts and to the preparation of digests and commentaries in
the various branches of learning by reconciling divergent views and by
giving the author's own conclusions. Hence, it will not, perhaps, be
absolutely unreasonable to suggest a period earlier than the eighth
century when the work might have come into being, i.e. in the period
during which the original Dharma-śāstras were yet being composed.
The reference to Gārgya in the work does not help us materially in
fixing its date, because the date of Gārgya himself is as yet uncertain.
A good deal of difficulty arises from the name 'Parāśara.' If he
be the same person as mentioned by Yājñavalkya in the list of tradi-
tional authors of Dharmaśāstra, the work then must be earlier than
Yājñavalkya, and should be placed between 100 and 600 A. D. The
work contains a citation of Parāśara as an authority—a fact which
tends to prove the author to have been different from the well-known
author of the Dharmaśāstra. But, the practice of the author referring
to himself in the third person is not uncommon in Sanskrit literature.³
Whoever this Parāśara may be, and whatever his date, the name is
certainly very old.
Here a question naturally arises as to whether the author of the
Kṛṣi-parāśara can be the same as the author of the well-known
Parāśara-smṛti which is regarded as the highest authority in the Kali
Age. While there are no external evidences on the matter, the internal
evidences fail to prove anything conclusively. If both the Parāśaras are
regarded as identical, it becomes difficult to account for the com-
plete absence of verses from the Kṛṣi-parāśara or of any reference to it
in the portion of the Parāśara-smṛti dealing with agriculture. It is
idle to argue that the Smṛti only incidentally refers to agriculture, and
that the lack of reference to the Kṛṣi-parāśara is merely accidental;
because, the Smṛti devotes no less than about a dozen verses to this
particular topic. On the other hand, it also seems a bit strange that
the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara does not refer to the chapters on agri-
culture contained in his own Smṛti work. Moreover, while the Smṛti
dwells at length on the question of castes in relation to agriculture,
3 Cf. prāyeṇa ācāryāṇāṁ iyam śailī yat svābhiprāyamapi paropadeśamiva
varṇayanti—Kullūka under Manu I. 4 (N. S. P. ed.)

INTRODUCTION vii
the Kṛṣi-parāśara appears to be scrupulously silent on this point. Had
the author of the latter been also the composer of the Smṛti
work, he could have hardly resisted the temptation of putting in a word
or two on the caste-duties on which Manu and other authoritative
Smṛti works have given their definite opinion, and of which he him-
self has spoken a good deal in his own work. An evidence against
the alleged identity of the two works is to be found in the difference
between the rules, provided by the two, about the particular kinds of
bulls to be rejected for the purpose of cultivation. According to the
Smṛti, the bulls of the following descriptions are to be avoided.⁴
(1) hīnāṅga (deformed)
(2) vyādhita (diseased)
(3) klīva (impotent)
(4) kṣudhita (hungry)
(5) tṛṣita (thirsty)
(6) śrānta (fatigued)
But, as shown below, the Kṛṣi-parāśara does not mention many
of these kinds while adding many new descriptions. The Kṛṣi-parāśara
lays particular stress on the colour of the animals, while the other
work is silent on this point. Had the works been of the same author,
we could not have expected such a difference of views.
One point is, however, significant. Though, in the Smṛti,
Parāśara, in accordance with traditional ideas, has prescribed agricul-
ture for non-Brāhmaṇas, yet he does not seem to be very keen about
making the rule rigid in consideration of the importance of agricul-
ture in daily life. As a matter of fact, Parāśara allows agriculture
to Brāhmaṇas only under certain restrictions about the number of
bulls to be employed by them ; and certain atonements are to be
undergone by them to wash off the sin of ploughing. This attitude
of the author, which is not one of condemnation, may be supposed,
though on very shaky grounds, to explain the complete absence of
any reference to castes in the Kṛṣi-parāśara. It may as well be that
the purely secular nature of the work on agriculture did not afford
4 Page 89 of the Parāśara-smṛti, Fasc. I, Ed. Dharmādhikārī, Benares.

viii KRṢI-PARĀŚARA
any scope for the inclusion of the duties of castes. Hence, the
identity of the authors of the two works may be possible. Among
the minor points of agreement between the two, the number of bulls
to be yoked together for cultivation deserves mention. In this res-
pect, the striking similarity of the verses, found in the two, leads one
to consider them to be of the same hand.⁵ For the reasons, stated
above, we cannot form any definite opinion about the identity of the
authors of the Parāśara-smṛti and the Kṛṣi-parāśara. Some of the
verses, found in the Kṛṣi-parāśara, are ascribed by Raghunandana to
different authors—a fact which seems to throw some light on the
date of the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara. Some of these verses are
attributed to the Rājamārtaṇḍa and others to Varāha. From certain
literary evidences, P. V. Kane, in his History of Dharmaśāstra (Vol.
I, p. 276), establishes that the Rājamārtaṇḍa was a book by King
Bhoja of Dhārā. Certain fairly reliable evidences lead the same scho-
lar to conclude that the date of Bhoja must have been between 1000-
1055 A.D. From the references to these authors by Raghunandana,
one cannot come to any conclusion as the borrowing might have been
from these authors by that of the Kṛṣi-parāśara or vice versa,
or both might have drawn upon a common source. If the
author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara be supposed to be the borrower, he
must have lived at least towards the end of the 11th century A. D.
Had the borrowing been in the other way, the author may be reaso-
nably supposed to have lived at least half a century before the rise of
Bhoja, i. e. about the middle of the 10th century A. D. Whoever
the borrower, as one of them must have been, one may, from these
data, safely place the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara in the period between
950-1100 A.D., a date which is certainly very old.
Inspite of many legendary accounts of Varāhamihira,⁶ it has now
been ascertained beyond doubt that he was a historical figure, and
that he is one of the greatest authorities in Indian astronomical
5 halam-aṣṭa-gavaṁ proktaṁ ṣaḍgavaṁ madhyamaṁ smṛtam |
caturgavaṁ nṛśaṁsānāṁ dvigavaṁ vṛṣa-ghātinām ||
6 For details, see Viśvakoṣa and Āmāder Jyotiṣi O Jyotiṣa by Jogesh
Ch. Roy, Calcutta, Saka 1825.

INTRODUCTION ix
sciences. Though there is some divergence of views among different
scholars regarding his exact date, yet there seems to be a consensus
of their opinions in placing him sometime between the 5th and the
6th century A. D. Even if the author of the Kṛṣi-parāśara be supposed
to be the borrower in this case, the above may be the upper limit of
his date. Conversely, if Varāha be the borrower, the date of our
author must be placed in the early centuries of the Christian era. That
Varāhamihira knew a Parāśara as an authority on Astronomy as well
as on cattle-science is borne out by numerous prose quotations attri-
buted to Parāśara in the Bṛhatsaṁhitā, and in verse 1, ch. 61⁷ of the
same work. Thus, inspite of the lack of conclusive evidence, we may
say that the author was perhaps earlier than the 6th century A.D., and,
by no means, later than the 11th. Jogesh Chandra Roy would,
however, place Pārāśara's work on agriculture between the 6th and the
8th Century A.D. (p. 30).
Provenance of the work
If it is difficult to determine the date of the author of this work,
it is no less so to ascertain exactly the part of the country to which he
belonged. Here also we have no other alternative but to hazard a few
conjectures from the nature of the author's treatment of the subject,
from his language and also from certain customs and superstitions to
which he incidentally refers. The first thing that strikes the reader
is the mention of the bull as the only means of cultivation. It should
be carefully noted that though various animals, as buffaloes, horses, etc.
were used in ancient times and are being used even to-day in differ-
ent parts of India for purposes of cultivation, yet the author mentions
bulls as the only means. It may be pointed out that, now-a-days,
in the major part of Bengal, only bulls are used for this purpose.
This seems to hint at the Bengali provenance of the book. This
argument, however, loses much of its cogency when we consider
that, even in Ṛgvedic times, bulls are mentioned in connection with
agriculture oftener than other animals. Among the agricultural imple-
ments is mentioned the "madikā" (or 'maiā' = ladder), a word which
7 Cf. parāśaraḥ prāha bṛhadrathāya golakṣmaṇam.

x KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
is not to be found in the standard lexicons of the Sanskrit language,
thus indicating that it is probably a deśīśabda or provincial term.
Its equivalent, used in Bengal, is “mai” which is philologically a
very easy step (madikā>̄maiā>̄mai), because the softening of these
medial consonants is a well-known feature of the Prākṛta language
(cf. āgatam = āaam in Māhārāṣṭrī Pkt.). The word “paccanikā”
or “prājanikā” (goad) has a direct derivative in Bengal in the word
“pācan’ or “pājan”. Another such Prākṛtism in the work is very
significant. The term “kaṭṭanam” (derived from Skt. kartanam),
meaning the cutting of paddy sprouts, used in the book, has the
Bengali equivalent “kāṭān” which is chiefly used in some parts of
Bengal in the same sense. The latter seems only to be a derivative
of the former.
The customs of marking the cows with heated iron and of cutting
the hairs of their bodies and tails, which are mentioned by the author,
are still to be found in most of the interior districts of Bengal, and the
practices have the same significance even to-day. Again, the practice
of selling or, otherwise parting with, cowdung on Saturday and Tues-
day (v.95), which is condemned in the work, is reprehensible even in
the present-day Bengal.
The most remarkable feature of the book is that it considers
agriculture as depending merely on rainfall (vṛṣṭi-mūlā kṛṣiḥ sarvā), and
all forms of irrigation, resorted to in the areas of scanty rainfall, are
conspicuous by their non-mention in the book. It can, by no means,
be argued that the methods of artificially watering the paddy fields
were unknown in ancient India, because, the Ṛgveda, the earliest
Indo-Aryan work, and the Arthaśāstra of Kauṭilya, a fairly old book,
mention quite a number of methods. The Śukranīti, also an ancient
work on politics, refers to irrigation by means of tanks, wells and
canals.⁸ This seems to suggest that the Kṛṣi-parāśara described the
conditions of Bengal, or, at least of the rice-producing areas of
Northern India enjoying plenty of rainfall. It should not, however, be
left unnoticed that the seasons, prescribed by the author for different
8 See The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology, by B. K. Sarkar,
Allahabad. 1914.

INTRODUCTION xi
kinds of the cultivator's duties at different stages of the growth of
paddy, correspond almost literally with the actual practices prevalent
in modern Bengal. The above facts tend to suggest that the book
originated in Northern India, if not in Bengal,⁹ though we cannot
prove anything conclusively. This does not, however, necessarily mean
that the author was an inhabitant of this part of the country.
Style and Language
Written throughout in verse, excepting a few mantras in prose, the
book is very easy and affords a pleasant reading. Even if the book be
held as a compilation, a supposition which is based on Raghunandana's
ascription of certain of its verses to other works like the Rājamārtaṇḍa,
yet, as a compilation, it has some outstanding features which at once
distinguish it from the later prose compilations or digests. It has
nothing of the needless and confusing elaboration indulged in by
later writers, and its language is simple, its style charming. The
9 That fields were extensively cultivated in Northern India, particularly,
in the region now called Bengal, and many crops, especially paddy, were largely
grown from very early times is amply borne out inter alia by the following
literary references :
(1) Mauryan Brāhmī Inscription of Mahāsthān (2nd. cent. B. C.)—the
inscription records the grant of paddy to people.
(2) Raghuvaṁśa of Kālidāsa (c. 5th. cent. A.D.)—IV. 37 (utkhātaprati-
ropitāḥ kalamāḥ hints at transplantation of paddy plants).
(3) Hiuen Tsang's account (vide Beal's Buddhist Records, II, 7th cent.
A.D.): p. 194—"the soil is flat and loamy, and rich in all kinds of
grain-produce"; p. 199.—"it is regularly cultivated, and is rich in
crops"; p. 200—"it is regularly cultivated."
(4) Rāmacarita of Sandhyākaranandin (11th. cent. A.D.)—III. 17 refers
to various kinds of paddy as the staple crop in parts of Bengal (cf.
bahudhānya-rāja-sambhati-sambhāvita-kāmyarūpayā lakṣmyā etc.).
(5) Ānuliā Copper-plate of Lakṣmaṇasena (1179-1206 A.D.),—V. 10—
kṣetrangha-puṇyāvaliśāliślāghya etc. Inscriptions of Bengal. Mazum-
dar, III. p. 85.
(6) Edilpur Copper-plate of Keśavasena (Accession 1225 A.D.).—
V. 24—"These villages had smooth fields, growing excellent paddy."
Ibid. p. 129.

xii KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA
author directly and clearly sets forth his views without entering into
any recondite discussions of conflicting views which bewilder the
readers of the later prose compilations. The book, however, cannot
justly be regarded as a compilation though Raghunandana's ascription
of some of its verses to other authors may give rise to such an inference.
When we find Parāśara acknowledging the use of verses from Gārgya,
and making such references as 'anye munayaḥ', there cannot be any
conceivable reason why he should have chosen to incorporate, without
acknowledgment, the particular verses ascribed by Raghunandana to
others. This is not the usual practice among the compilers who are,
in a majority of cases, above the suspicion of plagiarism. The borrow-
ing, if at all, might have been the other way about, or, both might
have drawn upon a common source. Hence, no final verdict can be
pronounced on the nature of Parāśara's work which may or may not
have been a compilation.
Poetical merits of the author
The verses of the Kṛṣi-parāśara are mostly written in what is
commonly known as the Śloka metre with occasional use of the metres
Indravajrā, Upajāti and Mālinī. This variety of metres, in such a
short space, speaks eloquently of the poetic merits of the author.
Contents of the work¹⁰
It opens with an eulogy of the author and of agriculture. Rice is
then eloquently extolled as the principal source of strength and
domestic happiness (v.v. 5-7). The influence of planets on agriculture
and rainfall is dwelt upon in some detail. Then the clouds have been
divided into four types, viz., Āvarta, Saṃvarta, Puṣkara and Droṇa,
and the effect of each is described (v.v. 24-25). Next we find
detailed and interesting methods of ascertaining the annual rainfall;
the practical value of such meteorological forecasts has, of course, got
to be tested. These are followed by an enumeration of the indications
of immediate rainfall, such as, the rising of ants from their holes with
10 For details, see ABORI, 1955 (pp. 8-27). Here a rapid reésumé only .
is given.

INTRODUCTION xiii
eggs, sudden croaking of frogs,¹¹ etc. as well as a statement of
particular positions of the sun, the moon and the planets affecting
rainfall.
Supervision of agriculture has been emphasised as indispensable
for ensuring a good return, and, in this matter, no proxy is allowed
whatsoever (v.v. 81-85)¹². Bulls are an essential element in agricul-
tural operations; as such, great care of, and humane treatment
towards them have been strongly ordained. Certain rites, e.g., those
to be performed in Laguḍa-pratipat in the month of Kārtika, are
enjoined as they are supposed to be conducive to the health of cattle.
Regarding the number of bulls to be employed, eight is the best and
two the worst. One, who wishes the constant favour of the Goddess
of wealth, should use ten ploughs. The possession of a single plough
has been most vehemently condemned.
Cowdung as a manure has been highly extolled to the point of
veneration.
The principal agricultural implements are the hala (plough) and
madikā (ladder). īṣā (pole), yuga (yoke), sthāṇu (?), niryola (rod),
pāśikā (rope), aḍḍacalla (pin of yoke), śaula (?) and paccani: these are
the eight accessories of the plough. Besides these, there are also
mentioned phāla (plough-share), viddhaka (harrow), yotra (cord) and
rajju (rope). In has been directed that the implements and their
accessories should be of prescribed shape and measurement; otherwise,
agricultural operations will be impeded at every step (v.v. 114-122;
cf. Amarārtha-kalpadruma, Vaiśyavarga, sl. 37-39).
The author then lays down the effects of the commencement of
ploughing on different days of the week and lunar days, etc. The
commencement of ploughing must invariably be preceded by certain
11 Cf. beṅg ḍāke ghana ghana/
śīghra vṛṣṭi have jena//Khanār vacan.
12 Cf. khāṭe khāṭāy lābher gānti/,
tār ardhek kāndhe chāti//
ghare vase puche bāt/,
tār ghare bā bhāt//Ibid