[world-vedic] Scientific Vedic calendar&current delusions

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The Indian Foundation For Vedic Science will be producing A Vedic Calendar

starting with year 2004.

 

Please email ashwini_kumarr for more details.

 

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Ashwini Kumar

 

 

>"vrnparker" <vrnparker

>vediculture

>vediculture

>[world-vedic] Scientific Vedic calendar&current delusions

>Tue, 15 Apr 2003 23:47:11 -0000

>

>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

>

>

>

 

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