our confusing calendar

[Sarasvati]

Just a word (or two) about the calendar we follow in Iskcon. Grrr. It is harassment. Why do two temples on the same longitude have different dates for Ekadasi? Why was Gita-Jayanti (which historically took place on Ekadasi) this year NOT on Ekadasi? Why did we (at least once) celebrate Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami's Appearance Day in Mayapur on a DIFFERENT day than the Gaudiya Math devotees (apparently our grand, western computers know everything better)? Why do we have to look at our mechanical clocks to see when to break the fast on Dvadasi, instead of being in tune with the nature and breaking it at sunrise (as instructed by Srila Prabhupada, I believe)? Why do the devotees who live geographically far from any major temple feel unsure when is what?

 

Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas on the same day, and look what a powerful festival it has become! Muslims (who follow lunar calendar)celebrate Ramdan the same time all over the world I think they calculate the time from Mecca. We could also calculate the time from Mayapur, couldn't we? Traveling devotees sometimes have to do two or even three Ekadasis one after the other because different temples observe it at different times, according to the grand instructions of some Swedish Pandits. Seriously. Wasn't this new system started by Harikesh (that-time-Swami)? Isn't it a time to cast it aside and acknowledge the fact that we are a global COMMUNITY, in need of unity?

[Rati]

The spirit of your sentiment is appreciated, however there are certain principles of Jyotish (Hindu astrology) that are followed and these are tithis (lunar days) that do not correspond to solar days (sunrise to sunrise), because they are evenly divided fractional parts of full moon to new moon (kRSNa-pakSa) and new moon to full moon (zukla-pakSa). Pradyumna Das used to do precise calculations for those lunar days in the various time zones, but Srila Prabhupada needed him to do his job as an editor, so that was why the one date for all time zones policy was instituted (remember, desk top computers were not readily available at the time, and doing those calculations by hand was quite time consuming). The longitude is one part of the equation, but also the exact time of sunrise for your location (which will differ by latitude), particularly with respect to the ekAdazI/mahA-dvAdazI rule. So it is entirely possible for two temples geographically in proximity but only a few minutes difference of longitude and/or latitude in location to have different dates for observance of the same holy day.

 

Hope this clears up some of the confusion and does not make it even more enigmatic. Frustrating it will always be, but if one wants to do the vratas at the auspicious times, a necessary evil.

 

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by Rati (edited 05-19-2002).]

[Sarasvati]

I know about tithis, of course. How do our computers calculate sunrise and sunset? I have understood sunrise to be the moment the edge of the sun appears above the horizon. This can be even 20 minutes earlier than the "scientific" sunrise which means that the entire sun is above the horizon. Are our lap-top calculations so accurate, after all?

 

And what about the unity? And what about the fact that we don't have learned brahmanas (to tell us all the correct times) in every town and village in this age? Perhaps we ought acknowledge the fact that we are living in Kali-yuga. And that our movement is global, yet doesn't have all that many members.

[Sarasvati]

Oh, and how can Gita-Jayanti not be on Ekadasi? Krishna did speak the Gita on Ekadasi, didn't He?

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

How do our computers calculate sunrise and sunset?

I don't know how computers calculate this, but it would be pretty simple to write a formula to determine the exact moment of sunrise. Base it on the sun being situated overhead at a particular point in the noon time, calculate the time of the suns movement to cover X space, then count backwards to compare that to the plane of the earth sphere.

 

 

[Rati]

If I remember correctly, Hari-bhakti-vilasa tells how sunrise is calculated, but I do not remember the exact details.

 

With the internet and ISKCON's on-line paJjikA, there really is no need to have a local jyotiSa pandit on hand, now is there?

 

If you already understand about lunar days, Sarasvati, then I really do not see what you are confused about. Srila Prabhupada temporarly simplified the observance of holy days for reasons of practicality alone, but the situation has changed with computers and the internet, so your argument of keeping in line with Prabhupada's instructions does not really apply today. At least it does not appear to from my vantage point.

 

Also, there are many much more important issues when it comes to unity than astrological calculations, IMHO.

 

 

[This message has been edited by Rati (edited 05-19-2002).]

[atma]

I get it about following the lunar calendar with the tithis and everything else. What nobody explained to me yet is why in Janmastami and Gour Purnima we break the fast with ekadasi prasadam, at least in India they are very strict about that but in the West the devotees break fast with grains.

Why follow Ekadasi those days when Janmastami is astami and Gour Purnima is Purnima? Any shastra injunction about this?

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

What nobody explained to me yet is why in Janmastami and Gour Purnima we break the fast with ekadasi prasadam, at least in India they are very strict about that but in the West the devotees break fast with grains.

It is a custom (not scriptural injunction), which is performed primarily for practical reasons. Since it is late at night, it is more suitable to eat light and simply.

 

[atma]

I read this from a post from Tusta Mohan Krsna about Nrisimha Chaturdasi in Mayapur, maybe scripture is involved?

 

"The Bhagavatam classes were on the topic of the appearance of Sri Narasimhadev. The devotees were requested to follow no-grain prasadam because Mayapur has installed deities of Sri Narasimhadev."