ऋतुषु पञ्चविधं सामोपासीत वसन्तो हिंकारः ग्रीष्मः प्रस्तावो वर्षा उद्गीथः शरत्प्रतिहारो हेमन्तो निधनम् ॥ २.५.१ ॥
ṛtuṣu pañcavidhaṃ sāmopāsīta vasanto hiṃkāraḥ grīṣmaḥ prastāvo varṣā udgīthaḥ śaratpratihāro hemanto nidhanam || 2.5.1 ||
1. One can apply the same fivefold Sāma worship formula to the seasons. Treat spring as hiṃkāra, summer as the prastāva, the rainy season as the udgītha, autumn as the pratihāra, and winter as the nidhana.
Word-for-word explanation:
Ṛtuṣu, in the seasons [spring, etc.]; pañcavidham sāma upāsīta, one should perform the fivefold Sāma worship; vasantaḥ hiṃkāraḥ, spring is hiṃkāra; grīṣmaḥ prastāvaḥ, summer is the prastāva; varṣāḥ udgīthaḥ, the rainy season is the udgītha; śarat pratihāraḥ, autumn
Commentary:
Spring is the first among the seasons, just as hiṃkāra is the first among the Sāma stobhas. Summer is the prastāva, because in summer people ‘get ready’ to harvest. Then, the rainy season is very important for crops, just as the udgītha is important. Autumn is thought of as pratihāra, for that is the time when the old and the sick start being ‘taken away.’ Finally, winter is the nidhana, for that is the time when many people die.