The Full-Moon and New-Moon Sacrifices of The Katha Sakha

It is my duty or record my sincere gratefulness to the authorities of the university Grants Commission for the financial assistance which I received from them for my project A critical study of the full moon and new moon sacrifices of the katha sakha. With this assistance I worked on the said project during 1981-84. However it was not possible to do full justice to the project during that short period of time. Later on I was occupied with other engagements the pressure of which did not permit me enough time to devote myself to the project. Then by 1995 I had to leave Pune and shift to New Delhi to stay with my son Shrikant. In fact this was a great disturbance to my work. After being free from other commitments I again resumed the work on my incomplete project and steadily brought it to a satisfactory conclusion. I now have a feeling of satisfaction and relief that finally the work is being taken up for publication and relief that finally the work is being taken up for publication by the Vaidika Samsodhana Mandala. My sincere thanks are also due to the authorities of the Mandala. It is upto the critics to say how far I have been successful in my attempt.

The Kathas and their Rich Heritage

The Katha Sakha which belongs to the black Yajurveda has become almost extinct as there are no followers of that school at present. Although a large part of the literature of the Katha-s is now lost owing to the ravages of time the Veda of that school the Kathaka Samhita (=KS) or simply known as Kathakam is fortunately handed down to us. The wide currency and popularity enjoyed by the Katha-s has been testified by Patanjali who also refers to the close association of the Katha-s with Kalapa-s (identified with the Maitrayaniya-s by Schroeder) and with the Kauthuma-s ( a branch of the samaveda) the Caranavyuha which mentions that the Katha-s had 44 Upagrantha-s speaks with admiration of the rich heritage of that celebrated Vedic School.