(Surya Siddhanta) Vedic concept of time - 1

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SrI:

Jai Sriman nArAyaNA!

 

The Vedic Concept of Time - Part 1

The measurement of time in the West is restricted to a second at the lowest

level and a century at the highest level.However, ancient Vedic scholars had

defined time from a very minute part of a second to a large multiple of century.

"Surya Siddhanta" is an ancient Vedic text dealing with the astronomical

configurations of the zodiac.

 

Time in West is measured in the order of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks,

fortnights (biweekly), months, years, decades and centuries. Though scientists

divide seconds into milli, micro or nano seconds, the nomenclature still

assumes a second as the basic unit.

 

As per the Surya Siddhanta, the smallest measurement of time is Truti, which is

equivalent to one 3,240,000th part of a second. The time taken to pin a padma

patra (lotus leaf) with a needle is called Truti.

60 such Trutis are equal to one Renuvu, which make it one 54,000th part of a

second. 60 Renuvus comprise one Lavamu, thereby, one Lavamu is a 900th part of a

second. 60 Lavamus make one Leekshakamu. Hence one Leekshakamu is one 15th of a

second. 60 Leekshakamus equal to one Pranamu, accordingly one Pranamu is 4

seconds long. It is also stated that one Pranamu is the time taken to enunciate

ten long syllables.

 

To be continued....

 

nArAyaNA!

(From the souvenir "Vigraha Pratishthapana and Kumbhabhishekam Celebrations"

Sri Venkateswara temple, Bridgewater, NJ, June 1998. Author:K.V.Mallikharjuna

Rao B.E,B.Ed, M.A.)