"He (the sun) rests at the new moon of Magha, about to turn northward; these (the priests) rest (too), about to sacrifice with the introductory atiratra; so they obtain him first . . . [A clear reference to the winter solstice, after which the sun “turns northward,” i.e. begins to rise farther and farther to the north each day] He goes northward for six months; him they follow with six-day sacrifices in correct order. Having gone north for six months, he stays, about to turn south; they rest, about to sacrifice with the vifuvat ( midsummer) sacrifice; so they obtain him a second time. [A clear reference to the summer solstice, after which the sun “turns south,” i.e. begins to rise farther and farther to the south each day] He goes south for six months; they follow him with six-day sacrifices in reverse order. Having gone south for six months, he stays, about to return north; they rest, about to sacrifice with the mahavrata sacrifice; so they obtain him a third time [a clear reference to the winter solstice again]."
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According to Hock, this text has been used to support estimates with a range from 2350 BC (Tilak for the related Taittiriya- Sayhita passage), to 1391 BC (Davis and Colebrook), to as late as 1181 BC (Jones and Pratt), or even 800–600 BC (Macdonell and Keith’s conclusion). A recent publication by Rajaram (1995: 41–3) fixes the date even earlier than Tilak, to around 3000 BC. quoted from Hans Henrich Hock. Philology and the historical interpretation of the Vedic texts, in: Bryant, E. F., & Patton,
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