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

KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA 85
212. (They, i. e. the wise) commend the harvesting of paddy
in (the Nakṣatras) Ārdrā, Maghā, Kṛttikā, Citrā,¹ Puṣyā, Hastā, Svāti,
Uttara-phalgunī, Uttara - āṣāḍhā, Uttara - bhādrapada, Mūlā and
Śravaṇā.
213. Avoid taking handfuls in (the yogas) Vyatipāta, Viṣṭi,
Riktā and Vaidhṛti, and also on Tuesday, Saturday and Wednesday.
Now the planting of medhi² in Agrahāyaṇa
214. After digging out an even pit in Agrahāyaṇa, besmeared
with cowdung, the Medhi is to be carefully planted there on an aus-
picious day.
215. The medhi is to be made by farmers to bear a feminine
name, when the sun is in Scorpio; the farmer obtains increase of
crops through the efficacy of medhi.
216. (The medhi is to be made of) Nyagrodha (Ficus indica),
Saptaparṇa³ (Alstonia scholaris), Gāmbhārī (Gmelina arborea), Śālmalī⁴
(Śālmalia malabarica), particularly Udumbara⁵ (Ficus glomerata), or
(of) any other milk-exuding tree.
217-218. In the absence of Vaṭa (Banyan tree), etc. (a tree),
bearing a female name, should be used. The medhi, beflagged and
protected with (leaves of) Neem (Melia indica) and mustard,⁶ fitted
with stalks of paddy, grass and Karkaṭaka⁷, and worshipped with
sandalpaste and flowers, is conducive to the happiness produced by
crops.
219. The medhi should not be planted in Pauṣa, on an inauspi-
cious day and also in (the Nakṣatra) Śravaṇā. (While) in Agrahāyaṇa,
1 Or, any one of the following :—
Mṛga-śiras, Anurādhā and Revatī.
2 "A pillar, post (esp a pillar in the middle of a threshing floor to which
oxen are bound." (M. Wms.).
3 Bengali—Chātim.
4 Bengali—Simul.
5 Bengali—ḍumur.
6 Neem and mustard are even now supposed, in some parts of our country,
to ward off evil spirits and infection from any source.
7 A kind of plant.
12