presenting the idols of the new moon and of his wife Ro-
hiṇī, placed on the ground in a circle of cowdung, with
flowers, sandal, perfumes, a lamp, fried grain, water,
young Dūrvā grass ornamented with jewels, curdled milk
and white cloth, while reciting the prayer: ‘thou art ever
new at the end of the month, born again and again; in-
crease for my benefit; hail! hail to thee, Lord of the Soma!’;
the time of the ceremony is the evening twilight of the
second day of the light half of every month (i. e. of the
second day of the fifteen days of the moon's increase),
when the sun stands in the west with twelve degrees of its
circumference. The rite is performed by a Kshatriya with
his house chaplain, and great boons are promised to him
in this and the future world for the regular fulfillment of
this act of piety; (according to the Bhavishyottara-Purāṇa,
where the principal passage runs thus: raverdvādaśabhirbhāgairvā-
ruṇyāṃ dṛśyate yadi . pradoṣasamaye pārtha (Kṛṣṇa speaks to
Arjuna) arghaṃ dadyāttadā vibho .. dvitīyāyāṃ site pakṣe saṃdhyā-
kāle hyupasthite . saṃsthāpyābhinavaṃ candraṃ bhūmyāṃ gomayamaṇḍale ..
rohiṇyā sahitaṃ devaṃ candanena suśobhanam . puṣpacandanadhūpaiśca
dīpākṣatajalaiḥ śubhaiḥ .. dūrvāṅkurai ratnadharairdadhnā (v. l. ratnaghanairdadhnā)
vastraiśca pāṇḍuraiḥ (v. l. pāṇḍavaiḥ) . mantreṇānena rājendraḥ kṣatriyaḥ
sapurohitaḥ (Mss. °tam) .. navo navo'si māsānte jāyamānaḥ
punaḥ punaḥ . āpyāyasva ca me'pyevaṃ somarāja namo namaḥ .. a-
nena vidhinā cārghaṃ sarvakāmapradaṃ śubham . yaḥ prayacchati kaunteya
māsi māsi samāhitaḥ .. sa kīrtyā yaśasā yuktaḥ kāntyā ca bhuvi
mānavaḥ . putrapautraparivṛto godhānyadhanasaṃkulaḥ .. sthitvā varṣaśataṃ
martye tataḥ somapuraṃ vrajet &c.). E. abhinava-candra-argha and vidhi.