21. Cyavana
Volume I: Part I pp. 277–278
Cyavana famous in Ṛgveda - stories of Cyavana in the Mbh.- seems to have written a sūtra work on dharma - quoted by the Mit., Aparārka.
— Synopsis by P.V. Kane, from History of Dharmaśāstra
21. Cyavana
21. Cyavana
The Anuśāsanaparva (18.38) states that Garga acquired on the banks of the Sarasvatī astronomy with its 64 aṅgaṣ In the same parva it is said that Vṛddha-Gargya inquired about vṛṣotsarga (125. 77 ff). Śalyaparva (37. 14-15) narrates that old Garga by his tapas acquired on the sacred Sarasvatī knowledge of kāla, movements of the planets, of evil and good utpātas and that the place is therefore called Gargasrotaṣ This astronomer Garga is probably different from the Dharma-śāstra writer Garga. Vide H. of Dh. Vol. V. pp. 591–92, 741– 42, 765 for Garga, the astronomer. Viśvarūpa on Yāj. I. 25 quotes a verse of Gārgya on the proper times for morning Sandhyā and evening Sandhyā and a prose passage of Vṛddha-Gargya on Yāj. I. 195 (p. 136).
21. Cyavana
Cyavana is a famous name in the Ṛgveda. The Aśvins are often praised as having endowed the old and aging Cyavana with youth (vide Ṛg. I. 117. 13, I. 118. 6, VII. 71. 5, X. 39. 4). The Mahābhārata spins certain stories on Cyavana in Ādiparva, chap. 6 and 8, Vanaparva chap. 122–124, Āśvamedhika 10. 32. He married Sukanyā, daughter of king Śaryāti, and the Aśvins made him young and handsome. He then helped the Aśvins to get a share in Soma offerings after paralysing the arm of Indra who at first opposed thiṣ
The Mit., Aparārka and other works cite several sūtras and some verses from Cyavana. Aparārka quotes a very long prose passage from Cyavana (on Yāj. I. 207) about the procedure of making the gift of a cow (when on the point of giving birth to a calf ) and about the mantras to be recited in that ceremony. The Mit. (on Yāj. III. 30) and Aparārka (Śuddhikāṇḍa p. 129) cite a sūtra of Cyavana on the prāyaścitta for coming in contact with a dog, a śvapāka, smoke from a funeral pyre, wine, wine-vessel &c. Aparārka cites prose passages of Cyavana on the *prāyaś*citta for killing a cow (on Yāj. III. 264–265 ), for touching, carrying or burning the corpse of one who commits suicide (on Yāj. III. 292), on the method of the purification of houses, vessels, articles of food when touched by Cāṇḍālas (on the same verse).
Aparārka on Yāj. I. 207, with reference to the great rewards of the gift of a cow when she is about to deliver, sets out on pp. 299–301 from Cyavana a long prose passage with ten Rg. Mantras and on pp. 1103, 1190, 1199 provides expiation (in prose) for causing the death of a cow, for one who touches or carries to the cemetery or cremales a suicide, and for close contact of Cāṇḍālas with houses, earthen pots and states that for children, the aged and women the expiation is only half of what is prescribed for grown-up meṇ Aparārka quotes only one verse on Yāj. III. 264-265 as mild expiation in certain cases of causing the death of a cow. The Mit. on Yāj. III. 30 cites a long prose passage as regards the times when a bath with clothes on is necessary.