Calendar Series Article 2 - Adding tropical and Vedanga

After we have understood the basic revolution, we need to add on to it the tropical phenomena namely solstices and equinoxes. We can even treat the sidereal and tropical as two chakras for convenience. In terms of rashis, we categorize them as sayana and nirayana rashis.

Even if we keep rashis aside, we find that knowledge of the nakshatra circle, vishuwa and ayana (equinox and solstice) existed in the ancient era as is clearly mentioned in the Vedic texts, which further confirms that the concept of two chakras as specified above was known to them. Rigveda verse 10.85.16 clearly mentions that the three motions related to Sun were known at that time. Similar verse exists in the Vedanga Jyotisha also that extends it further to Moon as well.

Coming to Vedanga Jyotisha (VJ), it is by an author whose name does not appear in any of the Vedic texts. We can certainly have some reservations on the text since, though it is supposed to be a compendium work of the Vedas, we don’t find all of its verses in the Vedas. It can thus best be categorized as a supplement work in relation to the Vedas.

Some calendar schools that vouch for pure tropical or similar such stuff refer to VJ often to justify their take. Let us discuss the relevant verses of VJ that are frequently quoted by them:

स्वरार्कमेके सोमार्कौ यदा साकं सवासवौ ।

स्यत्तदादियुगं माघस्तप: शुक्लो दिनंत्यज: ॥

प्रपद्येते श्रविष्ठादौ सूर्याचान्द्रमसावुदक् ।

सार्पाधे दक्षिर्णाकस्तु माघश्रावणयो: सदा ॥

Translated as:

Verse 1: “When Sun and Moon are simultaneously in the same region of Sravishtha, the yuga commences along with the month of magha, seasonal Tapas and the first day of bright fortnight”

Verse 2: “When Sun is in the beginning of Sravishtha (Dhanishtha nakshatra), it moves north; when it is in the middle of Ashlesha, it moves south. It always happens in the lunar month of Magha and Sravan respectively.”

The above verses suggest that when Sun is in the beginning of Dhanishtha nakshatra, it starts its Northward journey that means it is the Winter Solstice or Uttarayana. At that time, Sun and Moon are together means Shukla pratipata is beginning, and the month of Magha is commencing.

VJ is based on rough estimation and averages. It specifies 62 lunar months for 1830 days which means one lunar month is of about 29.52 days, and a year of 366 days which means there is at least 91 days difference between each cardinal point (from solstice to equinox and equinox to solstice).

We all know that Phalguna follows Magha, Chaitra follows Phalguna and Vaisakha follows Chaitra. And when we begin at Magha at the Winter Solstice (uttarayana) as per the above mentioned verses, we would get Vaisakha at the Vernal equinox (VE, Vasanta vishuwa) since Vaisakha would begin on the 89th day after the winter solstice (29.52x3), whereas VE would begin on 91st or 92nd day (based on the VJ calculations itself).

So, it is clear that those who are promoting pure tropical or similar such stuff are wrong since they are always specifying VE in Chaitra instead of Vaisakha as derived above. And thus, they need to revisit their basics and understand the two chakras first.

I would close this article with a cautionary comment that those promoting pure tropical calendar cannot even change their calendar to Vaisakha always at VE instead of Chaitra to call it Vedic since Vedas have other contradictory inputs too.

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