Tithi, nkahsatra etc. vis-a-vis muhurtas.

[Guest guest]

Shri Bhupendra Jamnadasji,

Jai Shri Ram!

There has been

an inordinate delay in replying your post (#1421 Oct. 16, 09 in mukti_marg).  However,

better late than never!

<Are you

suggesting that prior to Greek influence in India or South Asian region,

there was no predictive techniques used or taught in Vedas?>

If there are no

Mesha, Vrisha etc. rashis nor Mangal, Shani etc. planets in the Vedas or the

Vedanga Jyotisha, it is obvious that there was no predictive astrology in the

Vedas!

There are works

like Atharva-Veda-Parishishta and Atharva-Jyotisha that talk of planets vis-a-vis

nakshtras, but they are of a much later date than the Atharva Veda but prior to

the import of Mesha etc. Rashis, since there are no Mesha etc. rashis in those

“astrological works†either.   But ironically, we do not have any work that

talks of calculating planetary positions vis-a-vis nakshatras either! The

Vj has given a rough methodology of calculating the sun and the moon in various

nakshtras, but it is silent about planets like Mangal, Shani etc., not to speak

of Mesha etc. rashis.

The first

" indigenous " work that is available as on date for calculating

planets vis-a-vis nakshatras is the Surya Sidhanta by Maya the mlechha!

Even that work advises as to how  to calculate nakshatras via rashis!

There is also a separate chapter on nakshtra-graha- yuti adhikara, but the

longitudes of junction stars as per that chapter is plus/minus several degrees

the nakshatra division of that very name in the same work!

It appears that

Maya the mlechha had clubbed Hindu nakshtras of the Vedanga Jyotisha with Greek

constellations/rashis and since the Vernal Equinox (The First Point of

Aries----Mesharambha bindu) was in the Ashvini nakshatra as well as Aries

constellation, known as Aries astrological sign in Greek and Western astrology

(Mesha rashi in Sanskrit), during the early centuries of CE, then he was not

far off the mark in doing so.

 In fact, the

Vedas talk of " krittikasu agnim adadeetaa " which means that krittika

naksahtra was prominent then as the VE was in that nakshatra. That is

also one of the reasons as to why the nakshatras in the Vedas and the VJ start

from Krittika instead of Ashvini. By the same logic, the nakshatras

should start these days from Purva-bhadra since the Vernal Equinox is falling

in that division now a days!  It is in fact in exact conjunction with Beta

Pegassi (Scheat) star of that division!

< Now it

would be good if you could tell us what is in Vedas and how is a muhurata to be

calculated? How to determine an auspicious or inauspicious muhuratas based on

any vedic techniques that may exists.>

The Vedanga

Jyotisha tells us the methodology of calculating nakshatras, through  mean

longitudes at that, starting from Krittika.  We find in the Vedas  instructions

to perform certain Vedic activities like yajnyas in particular nakshatras,

especially if they are coupled with a particular tithi of particular month. 

But there are no instructions in any of the Vedanga as to in which nakshatra

tonsure  or vivaha etc. is to be performed.  Such muhurta shastra seems to have

gained credence much later after the Vedas.

Even regarding

calculating the longitudes of nakshatras, there are no fool-proof methods since

nobody knows for sure as to which nakshatra starts from which star, if at all

any naksahtra starts from any star.  Lots of discussions are going on in some

Indian astrology forums about nakshatras these days but they are only vis-à-vis

phalita jyotisha-----for Patri Melapak and for calculating bhukta-bhogya etc.

and thereby dasha-bhuktis etc.--- and not about their actual positions and

their ramifications for muhurta shastra or ancient Indian astronomy.

For example, if

the Vedas tell us “kittikasu agnim adadeetai†which means that we must get

consecrated in Krittika nakshatra,   they advised us to do so because Krittikas

“did not deviate from the East†in those days.   It is not clear from this

mantra as to whether we have always to get consecrated in Krittikas even if

nowadays they have already deviated “from the East†i.e. the Vernal Equinox is

no longer falling in Krittika nakshatra.  Then again, wherefrom does the

Krittika nakshatra start?  Is the star Alcyone in the midst of that nakshatra

or is it the starting point of that division?  What about the other starts of

that very division?  What are their positions vis-à-vis Krittika nakshatras?

If we take into

account the longitudes of junction stars vis-à-vis nakshatra divisions of their

namesakes, we land in  a bigger problem than the solution offered by Junction

Stars!  For example, if Chitra Star is away by less than one degree from Swati

Star, Vishakha is away by about 21 degrees from Svati!  If Mula (Regulus) star

is the starting division of Mula nakshatra, Asvhini nakshatra starts ten

degrees before the Ashvini (Beta Arietis) Star.  That is the position of Stars

vis-à-vis nakshatras if we take the equal division of nakshatras as per

“almighty “ Lahiri ayanamsha! If sayana longitudes of Rashis are taken into

account then all the Junction stars just fall completely outside of naksahtra

divisions!

In the past

also, as clarified by Alberuni, some sidhanta-makers had become aware of this

problem and they had resorted to unequal division of twenty-eight nakshatras

including Abhujit. Brahmagupta, in his Brahma Sphuta Sidhanta, also has talked

of unequal division of naksahtras. But it appears that because of computational

difficulties, unequal division was completely given up!

The problem

gets aggravated since ninety-nine per cent of Hindus are “Vedic astrologersâ€

i.e. nirayanawalas!  And they do not want to disturb their apple-pie cart of

nakshtra divisions etc. because then they will not be able to justify their

blind faith in Dasha-bhuktis, whether Vimshotari or Ashtotatri or any other

system!  Similarly, they will be unable to do any Patri-Melapak etc. as well. 

All they are bent on doing right now is to prove by hook or by crook that the

real Vamadevas had nothing else to do except to “invent†non-existent

zodiacs---that also nirayana, hundreds of them with hundreds of ayanamshas---

which were “teeming†with “imaginary animals†like Rams and Bulls and

Scorpions  etc. etc.

As such, the

question of nakshatra divisions vis-à-vis Junction stars etc. is wide open for

discussion and unless and until we come out of the shackles of dahsa-bhuktis

and patri-melapak etc. etc., we can never be able to take an intelligent and

unbiased view of the same.

And unless we

are able to decide the starting and ending points of nakshatra divisions, we

cannot decide as to whether they are inauspicious or auspicious for some

activity  since if we presume some portion of the imaginary circle known as

ecliptic to be  Ashvini nakshtra, it may actually be Bharni or Revati!

It is

therefore, once again, a Clarion call to every Hindu to do some brain-storming

exercise about the nakshtra divisions and arrive at some definite conclusions. 

I do not have many expectations from Hindu astronomers since they are more

interested in discussing the birth charts of Bhagwan Ram and Bhagwan Krishen

etc. rather than touching a hornet’s nest!  “Vedic astronomers†are as cowardly

as “vedic astrologers†are, thus!

In a later

post, you had also asked about the methodology of calculating tithi etc.  Astronomically,

it is the easiest and the simplest component of a pandchanga.  Tithi is always

the same whether it is calculated by so called sayana method or so called

nirayana method, because it is the mutual distance of the moon over the sun!

Synodic New

Moon is taken as the starting point of the synodic month.  Thus when the Moon

is away by 360 i.e. zero degrees from the sun (sun conjunct moon in

longoitude!), that is New Moon i.e. Amavasya—actually the end of Amavasya and

start of Shukla Pratipat. When the moon advances by twelve degrees over the

sun, that is the end of Shukla paksha pratipat i.e. the first tithi of Bright

lunar half.  When the Moon advances further twelve degrees over the sun after

that event, that is when it is away by twenty-four degrees from the sun, that

is the end of the second tithi of Shukla Paksha.  The timing of ending of  one

tithi is also the starting time of the next tithi.  Thus Shukla paksha dwitiya

starts the moment  Shukla Paksha pratipat ends and so on.  We can thus go up to

Purnima, when the longitude of the Moon will have gained   180 degrees over the

sun.  This is also known as soli-lunar opposition for the same reason.  The

moment Purnima ends, that is the moment the Moon has gained 180 degrees over

the longitude of the sun, that very moment Krishna Paksha starts.  When the

Moon is away by 180 + 12 degrees from the sun, that means that is the end of

Pratipat of Krishna Paksha.

Thus we can go

on up to the next conjunction of the Moon with sun!

One thing is to

be borne in mind.  In certain cases, a tithi that is prevailing at the time of

sunrise is taken into account e.g. for deciding navaratras (Lunar New Year)

etc. Shukla Paksha Pratipat of Chaitra masa must be prevailing at the time of

sunrise.  But for deciding the timings of Dipavali etc., Amavasya must be

prevailing at Pradosha i.e. up to about two hours after sunset, whereas for

deciding Bhratri Dvitiya, Dwitiya tithi must be prevailing at Madhyahna and so

on.  

If you are

really interested in understanding the ramifications of all these discussions,

I suggest you join

hinducalendar

Posts to that

forum are not moderated and quite a few members will feel it a pleasure to

answer your questions.

Jai Shri Ram!

A K Kaul

 

 

 

--- , Bhupendra

Jamnadas <b_jamna> wrote:

>

> Namaste A.K Kaul Ji,

>

> Are you suggesting that prior to Greek influence in India or South

Asian region, there was no predictive techniques used or taught in Vedas?

>

> How is are muhuratas to be determined? I have asked this question a

few times in the past as well but so far you have stuck to the argument that

current Vedic astrologers have nothing to do with Vedas.

>

> Now it would be good if you could tell us what is in Vedas and how is a

muhurata to be calculated? How to determine an auspicious or inauspicious

muhuratas based on any vedic techniques that may exists.

>

> Thanks,

> Bhupendra.

>

>

>

>

> ________________________________

> jyotirved jyotirved

>

> Cc: hinducalendar ;

indian_astrology_group_daily_digest

> Thu, October 15, 2009 5:12:47 AM

> [Mukti_Marg]

>

> Â

> Dear friends,