Scientific Vedic calendar&current delusions

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Kathmandu, Sunday April 13, 2003 Chaitra 30, 2059.

Scientific Vedic calendar and current delusions

KATHMANDU POST

By Pramodavardhana Kaundinnyayana

 

The Vedas are the main scripture of the Hindus. That's why the Hindu

Dharma is called Vedic Dharma and the Hindu rituals are called Vedic

rituals. But now-a-days it has become very hard to find scholars

understanding the meaning of Vedic Dharma. `Vedic dharma', the name

itself signifies its basis i.e. it is based on the Veda. The way of

studying and teaching of the Veda is fixed by time-honoured

tradition. To understand the Veda, Vedic sages have created six

disciplines of studies. They are called the Vedangas (Organs of the

Veda), which include Shiksha (Phonetics), Kalpa (scripture of

ceremonials and rituals), Vyakarana (Grammar), Nirukta (Etymology),

Chhanda (Prosody) and Jyotisha (Astronomy). As the sages meant these

disciplines for the correct interpretation of the Veda, one should

understand the Veda by means of the six disciplines of Vedic studies.

Vedanga Jyotisha clarifies the time aspects of the Vedic rituals. The

treatise, Vedanga Jyotisha consists of 44 stanzas. It is supposed by

eastern and western scholars that the treatise was written some 3400

years ago. The treatise has been in vogue in Vedic tradition up to

near past. But some astronomers ill-informed of the Vedic studies and

Vedic astronomy think the Vedanga Jyotish is primitive and

unscientific. But the fact is reverse. Vedic Yajnas (Rites) such as

Somayaga, Darshapurnamasa Yaga, Vivaha (marriage) and Vratabandha

(initiation into a vow for a religious life) are done on specific

time of the year, which is determined by Vedanga Jyotisha and not by

any other so-called Jyotisha. In every religious rite of Vedic Dharma

one should mention Vedic samvatsara (lunar year), ayana (lunar 6

months' period), ritu (soni-lunar season), lunar month, paksha (lunar

fortnight) and the tithi (day) as determined by Vedanga Jyotisha.

Vedic scriptures clearly suggest that in the oath (sankalpa) of such

rituals, mentioning of the lunar year is necessary. In this system a

tithi consists of a time period of a day and the following night. A

fortnight consists of 14 or 15 tithis. A month consists of such two

fortnights. A Ritu consists of such two months. And an Ayana consists

of three Ritus. And finally a year consists of such two Ayanas.

 

Now-a-days Jyotisha is neither based on the Vedanga Jyotisha nor

scientific. Vedanga Jyotisha is quite scientific because it is based

on actual position of the moon and not on man-made fallacious

formula. Astrologers addicted to Faladesha (horoscopic prophecy)

Grahadasha etc. obviously cannot even understand the system. It is

seen that the astronomers of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti don't

know what is the actual Vedic lunar year as well as how to calculate

it and name it. Thus it is clear that in the field of main Vedic

tradition and Vedic scriptures, they are as the blinds guided by the

blinds.

 

Now let us see a clear example of the unscientificness of the

Panchangas (Calendars) of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti. Uttarayana

is the process in which the sun seems to migrate to the Tropic of

Cancer from the Tropic of Capricorn. That's why the period of the

same is also called Uttarayana. Likewise Dakshinayana is the name of

the reverse process and the time period of the process. In Uttarayana

the dinamana (measure of the day) goes on increasing in the northern

hemisphere while the measure of the night goes on decreasing and the

vice versa in Daksinayana. In the 7th Pausha of current year

(December 22) the sun actually touches the Tropic of Capricorn and

after that it migrates towards north day by day.

 

Vedanga Jyotisha strictly follows this natural phenomenon. But in the

Vedic rituals instead of taking the pure solar Uttarayana the lunar

cum solar (soni-lunar) Uttarayana is taken. Vedic sonilunar

Uttarayana starts from the shukla pratipada (first day of white

fortnight of Vedic lunar month) of such a lunar month in which the

winter solstice day (starting day of solar Uttarayana) occurs within

the first 24 tithis (days) of the month. This method is completely

scientific and according to the natural phenomenon. But on the other

hand the Panchangas (calendars) accepted by the Panchanga Nirnayaka

Samiti take 1st Magha (January15) of current year as starting day of

solar Uttarayana instead of the actual day, the 7th Pausha of the

current year (December 22). This is completely unscientific and

against the natural phenomenon. In this particular subject the

Panchangas of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti have no self-

consistency. In their Panchanga the minimum dinamana (measure of the

day) is 25 ghadi 37 pala on the 7th Pausha and it goes on increasing

gradually day by day. And the dinamana (measure of the day) of 1st

Magha is 26 ghadi 4 pala. So in fact they also seem to accept the

beginning of solar Uttarayana at the 7th Pausha (December 22). But in

their Panchanga they write that the Uttarayana starts on the 1st

Magha (January 15). If they keep on this sort of unscientific

calculations, in long run, a time will come when there will be warm

season (summer) in their Shishir Ritu (winter) and cold season

(winter) in their Grishma Ritu (summer). This proves that the so-

called scientific astronomers of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti are

following completely unscientific system of calendar calculation.

 

According to the dinamanas (measures of the day) given by themselves

also it is clear that actual solar Uttarayana starts from 7th Pausha

(December 22) and not from 1st Magha (January 15). By this

illustration every common educated person can understand that

accepting the 1st Magha (January15) as the starting day of solar

Uttarayana by the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti is quite unscientific

and against the Vedic system.

 

Thus it becomes clear that the Vedic calendar according to Vedanga

Jyotisha should be followed for all Vedic ritual purposes.

Astronomers are now paying attention to this fact which is a positive

move towards calendar reform

[Guest guest]

Thanks a loot for posting the article by Pramodavadhana Kaundinnyayana. this article expalains the theme of vedic calender. We shoud be able to distinguish the non vedic components like Vasar(days of week), sakranti, 12 zodiac signs from vedic ones --including tithi, lunar month adhikmas etc.