Calendar Series Article 3 – Why Chaitra etc. months can’t follow the tropical rashis?

In my book “Resolving the Indian Calendar Anomalies” I have given a detailed explanation why Chaitra etc. months can’t follow the tropical rashis.

The fact is the roots of Chaitra etc. months lie in the nakshatra framework and hence they have to follow the sidereal setup. I know a simple statement like this can’t satisfy the calendar enthusiasts who recommend either a pure tropical setup or similar such stuff in which there is always Chaitra month at the Vernal Equinox.

Therefore, I have given five references in my book that clearly refute their theory. Two references are from the puranas and two are from the Vedic texts. The Vaidic references are particularly explained in depth in my book since the interpretation needed a fresh perspective.

The fifth reference that I’ve given there is from the Vedanga Jyotisha (VJ), the verses of which we had discussed in the previous article “Adding tropical and Vedanga” that can be accessed via the “Articles” section or visiting the link as provided below:

Adding tropical and Vedanga

Here, in this article, I am elaborating the verses further in a simple language.

Considering a pure tropical setup, since Sun enters the tropical Capricorn at the time of the Winter Solstice, the name of the month should have been Pausha and not Magha in the mentioned verses when tropical Aries ingress is named Chaitra even in that system. So those recommending a pure tropical framework need to find an answer to how Magha month is specified in the said VJ verses before providing the same as a reference. In fact, only sidereal Aquarius ingress can justify the name of the lunar month as Magha at that time.

Not just the ones who favor a pure tropical setup, everybody else who recommends only Chaitra month at the time of the Vernal Equinox must try to answer the above question first before presenting their fancy theories that are neither supported astronomically nor by the ancient texts.

Anyone can refer to the other four references in my book and challenge it if they have any logical explanation for any of the five references before promoting any of their Chaitra only theory at the VE.

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