Samyojna Desk Planner January 1, 2007 to 6 April 2008

Paush Shukla Triyodashi, Vikram Samvat 2063

To

1.      Preface

2.      Organization of the Hindu Calendar

3.      Auspicious & Inauspicious periods

4.      Special Days according to Indian Calendar

5.      Sankranti & Ekadashi

1. Preface

Time is a man made construct to understand the sequence of events in the physical world. The only reality is of the present. Pats and future reside only in human memory. Activities are constantly taking place in existence. As there is harmony in existence, activities are in harmony and have a certain sequential order. Some of these activities take place in a repetitive and cyclic manner. These activities have been identified and used to construct time – Kriya ki avadhi barabar kaal. So the time taken for an activity such as the earth moving around the sun is termed as one year (further subdivided into 12 units, each being termed as a month). According to another construct, the time taken by the moon to go around the earth is termed as a month.

Broadly speaking, in existence, we have an all pervading, unchanging, omni-present and ever-present space called the Vyapak Satta. Immersed in this space there are innumerable units, called the prakriti, which can be placed into two broad categories of jarh units, which keep changing (because activities of creation, maintenance and destruction keep taking place in the jarh prakriti) and chaitanya units, which are unchanging. These can be further subdivided into four categories: padarthavastha or physical order; pranavastha or vegetation / plant order; jivavastha or animal/bird order and gyanavastha or human order. All these units in nature are submerged in and pervaded by the space – chetna or the vyapak satta. This space is nitya vartaman – ever present, which is beyond time.

The physical and plant order fall in the Jarh category and the animal and human order fall into the Chaitanya category. However human beings and animals are the coexistence of two separate entities: a changing body (which falls in the pranic order of the jarh category) and an unchanging self (of the chaitanya category). Chaitanya is ever present but not omni present i.e. specific in space but not in time, while the body or the jarh is both space and time specific (keeps changing). If human beings do not recognize the self or the chaitanya paksha and live in the belief that body (jarh) = self, then they live in an illusion, because time, a mere tool to understand the physical order, takes on a false sense of reality. This leads to unhappiness. Time is not an end / objective by itself but only a means – to be used for the benefit of human beings. If the self recognizes itself as the ever present, it has the possibility of living in perennial happiness.

Time is only a construct to understand this physical (jarh) order. Different cultures have developed different ways of understanding the jarh (physical) order around them and accordingly constructed time in their own unique manner to suit their ways.

In the traditional Hindu calendar, breaks in the continuum of time were observed on pratipada (first day of the waxing and waning phase of the moon) and ashtami (eighth day of waxing and waning phase). The main divisions of the year were: season, month, half month (paksha), day-night, and sunrise. However, an alien system (Gregorian) was imposed upon the entire country during colonial rule. The concept of Sunday as a day of rest is just one example. When the British came to the subcontinent, observance of Sunday as a day of rest was limited to Europeans – Indians worked all seven days. However, in 1842 the Governor of Bombay Sir George Arthur ordered that no government work was to be done either by Indians or Europeans on a Sunday and that further government contracts with outside tenders were to specify this. As a result, we overtly subscribe to one set of politically correct assumptions that dominate the world today, but these are constantly belied by the reality of our everyday experience. Even though we would now feel quite lost without the Gregorian calendar, many people still think that the weather turns cold only after Diwali (amavasya or the new moon in the month of Kartik) and warm weather only begins after Holi (Poornima or the full moon in Phalgun).

After independence, the government created an Indian civil calendar based on the Shaka samvat in an attempt to have a unified calendar for the country incorporating elements of the traditional calendar and the Gregorian calendar.

We need to acknowledge as well as appreciate the strength of our society and understand the premises upon which it functions. In order to do this we need be more informed. We are making a small beginning by taking a fresh look at the complexities of the Hindu calendar – the oldest calendar in the entire world (it is 1,955,885,107 years old). This planner is an attempt to understand the traditional way we perceive the world and the cosmos, even though over the past few centuries we may have been alienated from our original nature. However, this alienation is not yet complete and so we seem to be living in two different worlds – one which was our own and one that is an imposition.

We hope this planner will help us become better acquainted with the traditional component of our world. However, we recognize our current dependence on the January to December cycle, and for this reason, have made this planner span a period of 15 months to cover both the Hindu and Gregorian year. We have also included information about our country that has never been taught to us, with the hope that it will help us reconnect with ourselves. We can respect others only after we accept and respect ourselves. When we see that in reality there are no opposites only differences; no competition only complementarity; only then can we truly participate in creating a harmonious world where we can mutually enrich one another.

2. Organization of the Hindu Calendar

The Hindu calendar is a combined lunar and solar calendar as it is based on the position of both sun and moon. When referring to the lunar cycle we refer to tithi and paksha, but when referring to the solar cycle we talk in terms of sankranti and gate. Festivals and other religious occasions are based both on the solar and the lunar cycles. For example, some of the sankrantis (corresponding to the solar calendar) like the Mesh Sankranti (more popularly known as Baisakhi), Kark Sankranti, etc. are very important and are celebrated throughout the country, while on the other hand important festivals like Basant Panchami, Mahashivratri, Holi, Diwali, Janmashtami, Ramnavami, etc. are determined by the lunar calendar.

The names of months like Chaitra, Vaishakha, etc. are the same in both the lunar and solar cycles. These two cycles cannot be separated and seen in isolation. However, it should also be remembered that these two cycles are not in step. This creates a slight difficulty for those unacquainted with the Hindu calendar, as demonstrated by the following example. In 2006, Baisakhi falls on April 14^th. According to the solar calendar it is the first day (or sankranti) of the month of Vaishakh, but according to the lunar cycle it is Chaitra Shukla Dwadashi (or the twelfth day of the bright half/waxing phase of the month of Chaitra). So it can be seen that according to the lunar cycle it is the month of Chaitra, but according to the solar cycle the month of Vaishakha has started.

SOLAR CYCLE

A solar month is the time it takes the sun to travel through a zodiac sign (rashi). The entry of the sun in a rashi is celebrated as sankrant and is also the start of the solar month. Thus there are twelve sankrants in a year. For example, the month of Vaishakha begins when the sun enters the zodiac sign Aries.

A solar year has two ayana (halves) of six months each, and each solar month is further divided into 30 or 31 gate (days). The northern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Capricon and Gemini is called Uttarayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Capricorn northwards towards the Tropic of Cancer. Uttarayan starts on the day of Makar Sankranti. The Southern declination of the sun when it appears to move between the constellations Cancer and Sagittarius is called Dakshinayan. This corresponds to the movement of the sun from the Tropic of Cancer southwards towards the Tropic of Capricorn. Dakshinayan starts on the day of Kark Sankranti. The solar year begins with the entrance of the sun into Mesha (Aries) or Makara which is around 14/15 of January.

LUNAR CYCLE

The lunar month (masa) consists of 30 tithis (days) which can begin at any time of the solar day, but for practical purpose they are considered to commence at sunrise and last through the whole solar day. The tithes are grouped into two pakshas with 14-15 days each. The Krishna Paksha is the dark half or waning phase, from purnima to amavasya, and the Shukla Paksha is the bright half or waxing phase, from amavasya to purnima. In North India, the lunar month starts on the first day of the Krishna Paksha (Krishna Paksh Pratipada) and the last day of the month is the day of purnima.

In Bengal, Maharashtra and South India, the amanta system is used, in which the lunar month instead starts on the first day of Shukla Paksha (Shukla Paksha Pratipada) and ends on the day of amavasya. Each masa is named after the naksatra in which the full moon occurs in each successive month. They are as follows:

            Month                                                            Naksatra

            Chaitra (March-April)                                    Chitta

            Dashiki (April-May)                                       Vishaka

            Jyeshtha (May-June)                                    Jyeshtha

            Ashadh (June-July)                                       Poorvashadha

            Shravan (July-August)                                  Shravan

            Bhadrapad (August-Sept)                           Purvbhadra

            Ashwin (Sept-Oct)                                        Ashwini

            Kartik (Oct-Nov)                                            Krittika

            Margshish (Nov-Dec)                                   Mrigashira

            Paush (Dec-Jan)                                           Pushya

            Magh (Jan-Feb)                                            Magh

            Phalguna (Feb-March)                                 Uttara

In South India the months are named after the constellations in which the sun is moving at that time.

Adhika Masa and Kshaya Masa

In order to reconcile the lunar and solar years, an ingenious system was devised. It was ordained that any month in which the sun did not enter a new sign of the zodiac would not count and would be followed by another month of the some name. Thus in the lunar month of Chaitra the sun must enter the sign of Mesha (Aries). If it does not, there will be an intercalary Chaitra followed by the proper month of the some name during which the sun does enter Mesha. These intercalary months occur approximately once in three years. By this reckoning, the twelve lunar months are adjusted to the solar year.

There is a possibility that two Sankrantis may occasionally occur in the same lunar month. When this happens, the month to which the second Sankranti properly belongs, is called Kshaya or eliminated month. Eliminated months occur at intervals varying from 19 to 141 years. Intercalary months occur generally seven times in a cycle of 19 years.

The Hindu New Year or samvatsar starts on the day of Chaitra Shukla Pratipada (the first day of the bright half of the month of Chaitra). But the new year is celebrated on different days in different parts of the country. Some regions and communities start their new year on Kartik Shukla Pratipada (the first day of the bright half of the month of Kartik). This would be the time of Diwali. In Bengal and Punjab the New Year starts on the day of Mesh Sankrant (popularly known as Baisakhi), while the Tamil New Year called Pongal falls on the day after Baisakhi (i.e. 15 April).

Samvatsars

There are many calendars in India. There are over 30 samvatsars (eras) that have been used in different parts of the country at different times. The Vikram samvat is most widely used today, although the Hijri samvat (used by Muslims), Bangla Samvat, Kali samvat, Kolam samvat, Yazdejardi samvat, Buddha Nirvana samvat, and Mahavir Nirvana samvat continue to be used by some. There is a lot of similarity between different calendars. Festivals are celebrated on the same day with different names in different parts of India according to different calendars. As per the traditional Hindu calendar each samvatsar (year) is given a specific name and they recur in cycles of sixty years. The names are as follows:

Prabhava, Vibhava, Shukla, Pramod, Prajapati, Angirasa, Srimukha, Bhava, Yuva, Dhatu, Iswara, Bahudhanya, Pramadi, Vikrama, Vishu, Chitrabhanu, Swabhanu, Tharana, Parthiva, Vyaya, Sarvajitu, Sarvadhari, Virodhi, Vikriti, Khara, Nandana, Vijay, Jaya, Manmatha, Durmukh, Hevilambi, Vilambi, Vikari, Sharvari, Plava, Shubhakritu, Krodhi, Viswavasu, Parabhava, Plavanga, Keelaka, Soumya, Sadharana, Virodhikritu, Paridhavi, Pramadicha, Ananda, Rakshasa, Nala, Pingala, Kalayukti, Siddharthi, Roudri, Durmathi, Dundbhi, Rudhirodghari, Rakthakshi, Krodana, Akshaya,

This year (Vikram Samvat 2064 or Christian Era 2007 – 2008) is Sharvari and the next year (Vikram Samvat 2065 or Christian Era 2008 – 2009) is named Plava. The complete cycle of one year was traditionally divided into six ritus (seasons) as follows:

            Season                                              Months

            Vasant (Spring)                                 Chaitra and Vaishaka (March-May )

            Greeshma (Summer)                       Jyeshtha and Ashadh (May-July)

            Varsha (Rain)                                    Shravan and Bhadrapad (July-Sept)

            Sharad (Autumn)                               Ashwin and Kartik (Sept-Nov)

            Hemant (Winter)                               Margshish and Paush (Nov-Jan)

            Shishira (Early Spring)                    Magh and Phalgun (Jan-March )

Panchang (Almanac)

In India the panchang is used for reckoning time and thus regulating the social and cultural life of the people. Panchang means having five limbs. A panchang is so named because it gives information regarding the five basic divisions of time. These are the:

(a)   Tithi (phase of the moon)

(b)   Vaar (day)

(c)   Nakshatra (star or constellation through which the moon is passing)

(d)   Yoga (total distance traversed by the sun and moon from any specific point)

(e)   Karana (half a tithi)

In addition, the panchang also gives tables for the correction of the time of sunrise at different longitudes, the time taken by the sun to traverse each rashi (zodiac sign) and the moon to traverse each nakshatra, the positions of the sun, moon and other planets, time of sunrise/sunset, auspicious days, dates, times for various rituals, etc.

Panchangs are used at two levels: (a) in the house and (b) professionally by pundits. At the household level panchangs are used for checking when to keep fasts, auspicious for starting a puja etc. The pundits use it for casting horoscopes, for deciding auspicious dates and times for major events like marriages, moving into a new house, etc.

The Hindu Concept of Time

The Hindu concept of time is extremely vast and divided into yugas and mahayugas. They are calculated as follows:

One human year represents one day for the divine

360 divine days make one divine year

12,000 divine years make one mahayuga

One mahayuga is divided into 4 yugas, which are called: Krita, Treta, Dwapar and Kali. In terms of human years:

Kali Yuga                   =          432,000 years

Dwapar Yuga             =          864,000 years (dwa means twice)

Treta Yuga                 =          1,296,000 years (tre means thrice)

Krita Yuga                  =          1,728,000 years (4 times Kali Yuga)

Hence one complete mahayuga is equal to 4,320,000 (4.32 million) human years.

The following are considered that ruling gods in each of the four yugas:

            Krita Yuga                              Sri Ranganatha

            Treta Yuga                             Sri Rama

            Dwapar Yuga                         Sri Krishna

            Kali Yuga                               Sri Srinivasa

Seventy-two mahayugas constitute one manvantara (i.e. the life of Manu) and fourteen such manvantaras make one day (kalpa) of Brahma. This works out to 4.35 billion human years (72 x 14 x 4.32 million)

Param and Para Ardham

Brahma’s whole day is 8.70 billion human years (1 day of 4.35 billion human years + 1 night of 4.35 billion human years). Thirty such days make one month for Brahma (i.e. 8.70 x 30 = 261 billion human years) and 12 months make one year. Brahma is supposed to live for 100 such years which works out to 313.2 trillion human years. This is called Param and half of it is Para Ardham.

The Span of Time

Time, or kala in Hindu philosophy, is considered in three ways/ranges. The first is cosmic or epochal time determined in terms of the life span of Brahma. The second range is Panchang time, measured in units of days and months used in determining the seasons etc. The last is horological time for measuring the duration of the day and is determined by lesser units.

Each unit of time in all three ranges is believed to have two wings and to be made up of a day and night separated by twilight periods. A unit is, therefore, made up of dawn (usha), twilight (sandhya) and night.

• The truti (particle is the smallest unit of duration. In modern terms it ranges anywhere between one ten thousand millionth of a second to one kshana (moment).
• The kshana (moment) loosely ranges from 2/45^th of a second to about four seconds.
• The nimesha/mimisha (blind or twinkling of an eye), strictly the time taken for the upward or downward movement of the eyelid, is equal to four kshans.
• The lava (fraction) is the duration of a completed blink (i.e., the time taken to shut and open the eyes in the act of blinking is equal to 8 kshanas.
• The vipala (fleeting) is the duration of four and a half nimishas or about two and a half complete blinds.
• The tala (handclap) is the time taken to bring the hands together in the act of clapping. It ranges from one quarter to three quarters of a second. It is an extremely elastic unit.
• The anu-druta (half druta) is equal to one and a quarter vipalas or half a second.
• A druta is the duration of two anu-druta.
• The laghu is the duration of a handclap and two or more finger counts. A finger count consists of the thumb touching the tips of the fingers in turn. It equals two drutas, one and a half kahthas or about two seconds.

3. Auspicious and inauspicious Periods

Life cycle rituals are mostly performed during auspicious periods. According to Hindu mythology, the following periods are regarded as auspicious:

1.       Uttarayana, the six-month period between Pausha and Ashadha (winter to summer solstice) is regarded as the day of the gods. The Mahabharata related that Bhishma, mortalty wounded during the inauspicious Dakshinayana, deliberately willed to live until the sun had turned northward beginning Uttarayana, so that he would die at an auspicious moment.

2.       The month of Vaishakha which is especially sacred and devoted to Krishna.

3.       The Sankranti, when the sun enters into a new zodiacal sign each month. The Makara Sanikranti (winter solstice) is regarded as auspicious and is celebrated as a popular festival thought India. The Mesha Sankranti (vernal equinox) is also widely celebrated.

4.       The time of Dussera, Dipawali and Bag Panchami festivals.  

The inauspicious times are:

1.        Dakshinayana, the southward progress of the sun from the summer to the winter solstice (i.e. from Ashadha to Pausha). This represents the night of the gods and the time when the spirits of the dead are awake.

2.        Chaturmasa (four months during rainy season) which falls between Ashadh Shukla Ekadashi and Kartika Shukla Ekadashi. During these four months the monks (Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist stay in one place and normally no important events are performed or new ventures started.

3.        It is said that the Sage Agastya left for his mission in the south at the beginning of a certain month and never returned. For this reason, the first day of the month is inauspicious for starting a journey.

4. Special days according to Indian Calendar (select)

5. Sankranti

Ekadashi

Thanks to my assistants Ajay and Sunil for typing the above. While we have tried to be as careful as possible in typing and edit please let us know if there are any errors.

If you like to buy the yearly planner contact SIDH + 91 135 2631304 or email sidhshri@vsnl.net or www.sidhsri.com.

Long Live Sanatan Dharam

January 2007