ṛtu ऋतु ṛtú (us), m. ([Uṇ. i, 72]) any settled point of time, fixed time, time appointed for any action (esp. for sacrifices and other regular worship), right or fit time, [RV.]; [AV.]; [VS.] an epoch, period (esp. a division or part of the year), season (the number of the divisions of the year is in ancient times, three, five, six, seven, twelve, thirteen, and twenty-four; in later time six seasons are enumerated, viz. Vasanta, ‘spring’; Grīṣma, ‘the hot season’; Varṣās (f. pl. nom.), ‘the rainy season’ Śarad, ‘autumn’; Hemanta, ‘winter’; and Śiśira, ‘the cool season’; the seasons are not unfrequently personified, addressed in Mantras, and worshipped by libations), [RV.]; [AV.]; [VS.] &c., [MBh.]; [Mn.] &c. symbolical expression for the number six, [VarBṛS.]; [Sūryas.] &c. the menstrual discharge (in women), the time after the courses (favourable for procreation; according to [Bhpr.] sixteen days after their appearance), [Suśr.]; [MBh.]; [Mn.] &c. sexual union at the above time, [Mn. ix, 93]; [MBh.] fixed order, order, rule [[BRD.]], [RV. i, 162, 19] light, splendour, [L.] a particular mineral, [L.] N. of a Ṛṣi of the twelfth Manu. ṛtuthā ऋतुथा ṛtuthā́ ind. at the due or proper time, regularly, properly, [RV.]; [AV.]; [VS.] &c. ṛtupā ऋतुपा ṛtu—pā́ mfn. drinking the libation at the right time, [RV.] ṛtubhāj ऋतुभाज् ṛtu—bhā́j mfn. partaking of a season (said of a sacrificial brick), [ŚBr. x, 4, 4, 4.] ṛtuśas ऋतुशस् ṛtu—śás ind. at the proper or due time, at the very time, [RV.]; [AV. ix, 5, 13]; [VS.] ṛtujit ऋतुजित् ṛtu—jit m. N. of a king of Mithilā, [VP.] ṛtujuṣ ऋतुजुष् ṛtu—juṣ f. a woman enjoying intercourse at the time fit for procreation, [Kathās. cxx, 35.] ṛtumat ऋतुमत् ṛtu—mát mfn. coming at regular or proper times, [VS. xix, 61]; [TāṇḍyaBr. xiv] enjoying the seasons, [ChUp.] ṛtu—mát (at), n. N. of Varuṇa's grove, [BhP.] ṛtusthā ऋतुस्था ṛtu—sthā́ f. = -ṣṭhā́ above, [TS. v.] ṛtuṣṭhā ऋतुष्ठा ṛtu—ṣṭhā́ mfn. (for -sthā) being in season or in the seasons, [VS. xvii, 3]; [MaitrS. iii, 3, 4] ṛtubhāga ऋतुभाग ṛtu—bhāga m. the sixth part, [Hcat.] ṛtugaṇa ऋतुगण ṛtu—gaṇa m. the seasons collectively. ṛtuhoma ऋतुहोम ṛtu—homa m. a particular sacrifice, [Vait.] ṛtukāla ऋतुकाल ṛtu—kāla m. the fit or proper season, [MBh. iii, 14763] the time of a woman's courses, the time after the courses (favourable for procreation See above), [ŚāṅkhŚr.]; [Mn. iii, 45]; [v, 153]; [MBh.]; [Pañcat.] ṛtulokā ऋतुलोका ṛtu—lokā f. N. of particular bricks, [ŚBr. x.] ṛtumatī ऋतुमती ṛtu—mátī f. ‘having courses’, a girl at the age of puberty, marriageable girl, [Mn. ix, 89 ff.]; [Pañcat.] &c. a woman during her courses or just after them (during the period favourable for procreation), [Gobh. ii, 5, 6]; [MBh.] &c. ṛtumaya ऋतुमय ṛtu—máya mfn. consisting of seasons, [ŚBr. viii.] ṛtumukha ऋतुमुख ṛtu—múkha n. beginning or first day of a season, [ŚBr. i]; [KātyŚr.]; [R.] ṛtunātha ऋतुनाथ ṛtú—nātha m. ‘lord of the seasons’, the spring, [T.] ṛtupaśu ऋतुपशु ṛtu—paśú m. an animal to be sacrificed at a particular season, [ŚBr. xiii]; [Vait.] ṛtupati ऋतुपति ṛtu—páti m. lord of the times fit for sacrifices, lord of the proper times, N. of Agni, [RV. x, 2, 1] of other deities, [AV. iii, 10, 9] [xi, 6, 17] the spring, [T.] ṛturāja ऋतुराज ṛtu—rāja m. ‘the king of the seasons’, the spring, [Kathās.] ṛtuvelā ऋतुवेला ṛtu—velā f. the time of or after menses (fit for procreation), [ŚāṅkhGṛ. i, 19, 1.] ṛtuyāja ऋतुयाज ṛtu—yāja m. ‘offering to the seasons’, a particular ceremony, [AitBr.]; [ĀśvŚr.]; [KātyŚr.] &c. ṛtudhāman ऋतुधामन् ṛtu—dhāman m. (probably for ṛta-dh°), N. of Viṣṇu, [VP.] ṛtuśānti ऋतुशान्ति ṛtu—śānti f. N. of wk. ṛtucaryā ऋतुचर्या ṛtu—caryā f. N. of wk. ṛtugāmin ऋतुगामिन् ṛtu—gāmin mfn. approaching (a woman sexually) at the fit time (i.e. after her courses), [R.]; [BhP.] ṛtugraha ऋतुग्रह ṛtu—grahá m. a libation offered to the Ṛtus or seasons, [ŚBr.]; [KātyŚr.] ṛtuliṅga ऋतुलिङ्ग ṛtu—liṅga n. characteristic of a season, [Mn. i, 30] sign of menstruation, [W.] ṛtumukhin ऋतुमुखिन् ṛtu—°mukhin mfn. taking place on the first day of a season Comm. on [TBr.] ṛtupātra ऋतुपात्र ṛtu—pātrá n. a vessel for the libation to the Ṛtus or seasons, [ŚBr.]; [KātyŚr.]; [Vait.] ṛtuparṇa ऋतुपर्ण ṛtu—parṇa m. N. of a king of Ayodhyā, [MBh.] (v.l. ṛta-p°). ṛtupraiṣa ऋतुप्रैष ṛtu—praiṣa m. N. of particular invocations spoken before the sacrifice to the seasons, [AitBr. v, 9, 3]; 4. ṛtusthalā ऋतुस्थला ṛtu—sthalā f. N. of an Apsaras. ṛtusaṃdhi ऋतुसंधि ṛtu—saṃdhi m. junction of two seasons, transition from one season to the next one, [PārGṛ.]; [GopBr.] &c. junction of two fortnights, the days of new and full moon (as the junction of the dark and light half of the month, and reversely), [T.] ṛtusevya ऋतुसेव्य ṛtu—sevya mfn. to be taken or applied at certain seasons (as particular medicines or food &c.), [T.] ṛtusnāna ऋतुस्नान ṛtu—snāna n. the act of bathing after menstruation. ṛtusnātā ऋतुस्नाता ṛtu—snātā f. a woman who has bathed after her courses (and so prepared herself for sexual intercourse), [Suśr.]; [MBh.]; [Ragh.] &c. ṛtuvṛtti ऋतुवृत्ति ṛtu—vṛtti f. revolution of the seasons, a year, [L.] ṛtuyājin ऋतुयाजिन् ṛtu—yājín mfn. sacrificing at the beginning of every season, [MaitrS.] ṛtuyājyā ऋतुयाज्या ṛtu—yājyā f. = -yāja above, [Vait.] ṛtuṣāman ऋतुषामन् ṛtu—ṣāman (for -sāman) n. N. of a Sāman. ṛtudevata ऋतुदेवत ṛtu—devata mfn. having the seasons for a deity, [ĀśvGṛ.] ṛtugamana ऋतुगमन ṛtu—gamana n. approaching (a woman) at the right time, [ĀpŚr.] ṛtuhārikā ऋतुहारिका ṛtu—hārikā f. ‘taking away or obstructing the menses’, N. of a female demon. ṛtukarman ऋतुकर्मन् ṛtu—karmán n. a right action, [TBr.] ṛtuprāpta ऋतुप्राप्त ṛtu—prāpta mfn. that which has approached its own season (as a fruit-bearing tree), [L.] ṛtusātmya ऋतुसात्म्य ṛtu—sātmya n. diet &c. suited to a season. ṛtusamaya ऋतुसमय ṛtu—samaya m. the period of or after the menses (fit for procreation), [VarBṛS.]; [Pañcat.] ṛtumaṅgala ऋतुमङ्गल ṛtu—maṅgala n. an auspicious omen for the season, [Śak.] ṛtuparyāya ऋतुपर्याय ṛtu—paryāya m. the revolution of the seasons. ṛtuparyaya ऋतुपर्यय ṛtu—paryaya m. (= -paryāya), [Mn. i, 30] ṛtusaṃhāra ऋतुसंहार ṛtu—saṃhāra m. ‘collection of the seasons’, N. of a poem ascribed to Kālidāsa. ṛtusahasra ऋतुसहस्र ṛtu—sahasrá n. a thousand seasons, [ŚBr. x.] ṛtuvyāvṛtti ऋतुव्यावृत्ति ṛtu—vyāvṛtti f. the end of a season, [ĀpŚr.] ṛtusamāveśana ऋतुसमावेशन ṛtu—samā—veśana n. cohabitation during the fortnight after menstruation, [ĀpGṛ.] ṛtuketulakṣaṇa ऋतुकेतुलक्षण ṛtu—ketu-lakṣaṇa n. N. of the 55th Pariśiṣṭa of the [AV.] ṛtuṣṭhāyajñāyajñīya ऋतुष्ठायज्ञायज्ञीय ṛtu—ṣṭhā—yajñāyajñīya n. N. of a Sāman, [Lāṭy. i, 5, 15]; [ĀrṣBr.]