I have been reading several topics you have written. I salute your intelligence, dedication and interest about all things Bharatiya. Above all these, your willingness to share with the world appeals the most. May Sri Sringeri Sharada bless you.
This site contains my work and ideas. Wherever information has been gathered from other sources, they have been acknowledged and a link has been provided to that source. Data, facts and views have been gathered with a view to arrive at the Truth! The conclusions and conjectures are mine and mine alone.
Reference : Gods, Sages and Kings. Vedic Secrets of an Ancient Civilization by David Frawley
For use with our future discussions on this subject, I am jotting down a few points from this reference.
Today we hear of the dawning of the “Age of Aquarius”. The point of the vernal equinox – the position of the Sun among the stars on the first day of spring – is approaching the sign of Aquarius (Kumbha).
This phenomenon is caused by a backward tilting of the earth on its axis, the precession, which changes atthe rate of about 50″ per year and competes the whole cycle of the zodiac in about 25,800 years.
The astronomy of India has always been sidereal, based on stellar positions, unlike the west which employed a “Tropical” zodiac based on seasonal points.
Most Indian astronomers place the vernal equinox around 23 degrees from 0 degrees Aries, as of 1950. ie 7 degrees of Piesces.
While the greek Hipparchus calculated the rate of precession as 36″ per year, the Surya Siddhanta calculated the rate at 54″ which is much closer to the modern measurement of 50.3″ per year.
Precessional changes are the hallmark of Indian Astronomy.
A sidereal day is 4 minutes shorter than a regular day and therefore there are 366 sidereal days in a normal year. Thus the precession is built into the Indian calendar.
Any culture employing the sidereal zodiac will find the position of the equinoxes moving back a week or so every 500 years or about 7 degrees in the zodiac.
Today, Hindus celebrate the Sun entering the sign of Capricorn around Jan 14th as this is the observable sidereal position, and western tropical calendars use Dec 21st as the date of the western solstice.
Hindu Sidereal calculations are more complicated than tropical ones. Indian astronomy is a very specialised system that requires precise astronomical observations and shows an ongoing knowledge of the exact placement of the planets and equinoxes relative to the fixed stars. many Vedic rituals are described relative to sidereal calendars.
About every 1000 years, the equinox is moved back another nakshatram (lunar constellation).
The nakshatram after which each month (masa) is named, mark the beginning of their respective signs.
The Hindu months were devised according to a correspondence between nakshatras and the zodiac, revealing a knowledge of both systems.
In Ancient Indian Texts, the nakshatras are listed in the order of their sequence starting with the constellation that marks the spring (vernal) equinox. Medieval lists begin their listing of the nakshatras with Ashwini. Ancinet lists started with Krittija, showing the equinox at the beginning of taurus.
Whenever the equinox retreated back to a previous sign and therfore a previous month, a major calendar reform was initiated. (We can find various texts and tables in use even today).
Eras when the equinox came to an initial point of one of the 12 signs were more prominently marked in Vedic texts than the intermediary points.
For the purpose of Vedic Yajnas, the year began with the winter solstice when the sun was “renewed”.
The first month of the year therefore becomes, the one named after the nakshatram that marks the full moon on the winter solstice day.
Vedic literature tells us some of the months named by these lunar constellations (nakshatrams) and the days within them in which the solstices occured, affording us additional means of calculating these eras.
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
For sourced material, all rights vest with the source.
“Professor Brian Josephson, is the director of the Mind-Matter Unification Project of the Theory of Condensed Matter Group at theCavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, a project concerned primarily with the attempt to understand, from the viewpoint of the theoretical physicist, what may loosely be characterised as intelligent processes in nature, associated with brain function or with some other natural process.” Source
Agni Nakshatram : There is only one Nakshatram that is dedicated to the Vedic Luminary Agni (Energy). That Nakshatram is Krutika (Kritika, Krttika).
It is Agni Deva who carried the burning Siva Bijam that became Karthikeya (Shanmukha) to Ganga who bore him and the Krutika Sisters who raised him. (Amar Chitra Katha Version)
In later day astrology and vimsottari dasa systems, Nakshatras were dedicated to grahas such as sukra, kuja etc. The graha nakshatridhipathi for Krutika is Kuja, Mangal or Mars.
It is interesting to note that: Kuja is now also considered a son of Siva, just like Karthikeya, the adopted son of the Krutika sisters and the slayer of Tarakasura. And just as Karthikeya was a War-Lord-God who led the Devas to victory, so also Kuja is considered warrior like.
It is interesting to note that the Mongols, actually call themselves, “Mangals” and they were at one time very fierce and warrior like.
Krittika Nakshatram (Astronomy and Dating) :refers to the set of six ’sister’ stars.
This set of stars is identified by classical European system as Plaeidis.
Brightest amongst them is called Alcyone by Arabs.
If a single star has to be identified as representing Krittika Nakshatra, best candidate is 25hAries AlCyone.
Kruthika nakshatra (constellation) constitutes last padam of Mesha (Aries) and the first 3 padams of Vrishabha (Taurus). ( kruthika: Location = Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Taygete, Maia, & Asterope:(Pleiades) Eta, 16, 17, 19, 20, & 21 Tauri)
The Vedanga Jyothisha begins the count of Nakshatras from Krithika Nakshatram. Today we count beginning from Aswhini Nakshatram. This can be interpreted to mean that the spring equinox occured in Krithika Nakshatram at the time that verse was composed.
The nakshatras always appear to to rise and set along the same celestial line or longitude. That is why they are called in general fixed stars.
Surya (The Sun) and Chandra (The Moon) do NOT rise and set along the same celestial line or longitude. The sunrise or moon-rise position, is to the north or south relative to the previous day.
The moon passes by every nakshatra once a lunar month and spends an average of one day close to any given nakshatra. Each day is that named after a nakshatra.
Similarly the sun passes by every nakshatra once a year and spends on an average one fortnight near any given nakshatram. That fortnight is called the kArte of that nakshatram.
Thus day-nakshatra names depend on the longitude of the moon, fortnight karte names depend on the longitude of the sun. The names of the lunar months depend on the longitude of the full moon. Each lunar month is named after that nakshatram on which the full moon day (pournami) day occurs. Since the full moon depends on the relative angular separation of the sun and the moon and the nakshatram depends on the moon and the nakshatrams, tehy never match exactly. So we take the nakshatram that most frequently occurs near the full moon and name the lumar month after that.
Kruthika Nakshatram and the Moon : Karthika Masam (Lunar Month):
The lunar month Karthika Masam is named after the Kruthika Nakshatram. This usually occurs in or close to the english calendar month of November.
Kruthika Nakshatram and the Sun : Kruthika Karte :
The fortnight called Kruthika Karthe occurs in the month of May.
Kruthika Karthe Clebraions in Tamil Nadu: Tamilians, who follow the solar calendar, celebrate Kruthika Karthe, under the name Agni Nakshatram Festival. It is celebrated in honour of Siva’s son Karthikeya also revered as Murugan, Palani, Subrahmanya, Kumaraswamy among many other names.
Source : “Agni Nakshatram is a 14-day period in May, the hottest part of the year. It is the season when devout persons go round the hill in the Giri Veedi as much out of faith as for reasons of health, in the early morning (1 am. to 10 a.m.) and evening (4 to 10 pm) in large numbers. Just now, the kadamba trees (Eugenia Racemosa), favourite flora of Murugan, are in full bloom all around the hill shedding their fragrance and conveying healing properties to all the walkers. At Kodumudi (Periyar District), ardent devotees by the thousands collect Cauvery water in scorching sun and bring it in kavadis for abhishekam of the deity and the sanctum sanctorum at the hill is a large pool of water! It is so cool that one forgets the summer-heat. The water bearers are accompanied by artistes in a variety of folk-music and folkdance items. Their procession by itself is colorful and difficult to forget. On the concluding day, the festival deity of the Periyanâyaki Temple marches to the Adivaram and there is a majestic procession round Giri Veedi.”
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
The theme of lights and overcoming fear of death dominates festivals around the world during Karthika Masam.
I compare the dates and customs of Halloween, Karthika Pournami and Yama Deepam in the following article.
It is possible that Ancient Indian customs spread to many parts of the Ancient World and were later suppressed/modified there under the label of Paganism.
At one time Halloween coincided with Karthika Pournami.
Halloween : Americans celebrate Halloween on the 31st of October. Children dress up as ghosts (prethas) and monsters and demand sweets from neighbours. Pumpkins are carved and candles are placed in them. (Jack O’ Lantern)
According to this reference, Hebrews followed a lunar calendar. Halloween was instituted on the full moon of the eight month (October). On that day they sacrificed to the golden calves at Dan and Bethel.
“God ordained, in Leviticus 23, the Feast of Tabernacles on the fifteenth of the seventh month. I Kings 12:28-3228 After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 29 One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan. 30 And this thing became a sin; the people went even as far as Dan to worship the one there. 32 He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. (NIV)”
Westerners used to begin their new year with the winter solstice at one time as opposed to the spring equinox new year traditions of South Indians. Today their new year day Jan 1st is separated by 9 days from the winter solstice, so we know how relatively young this calendar is, compared to the Indian calendars. ( See : Equinoxes and Dating the Vedas
For October (Akhtabar – Ashtavar(sha)) to be their 8th month, the first month has to be March. This implies at the their new year also started at the Spring Equinox, as it does for the Andhras, Kannadigas and Tamilians (and some other Indian States), at the time of the Old Testament.
The Biblical Reference above shows that the full moon was the 15th day, which means that like Andhras and Kannadigas (and some other Indian States), they started their calendar on the new moon day when the sun and the moon were aligned.
Karthika Pournami : Andhras (and Indians of some other states) celebrate Karthika Pournami in a big way on the full moon day of lunar month Karthika Masa. Karthika Masa is named after the Kruthika Nakshatram (called Pleiades). The Krutika Nakshtram is a constellation of 6 stars called the Krttikas and the adopted son Karthikeya (son of Siva), whom they all raised together. It is Karthikeya who killed Tarakasura and returned Indra’s kingdom to him.
Karthika Masam is named after Kruthika Nakshatram, because, on an average, the full moon day occurs closer to Kruthika than the other 26 Nakshatrams. This usually occurs in the english calendar month of November.
This year Karthika Pournami is on 2nd November and occurs in Ashwini Nakshatram which is 2 nakshatras away from Kruthika.
On the day of the Kruthika Nakshatram in Karthika Masam, the festival of Kruthika Deepotsavam is observed – this is on 4th November this year!
“The Seven Sisters constellation, Pleiades, which looks like a small cluster of grapes, has long been a signal for the time of year to honor the dead — such as All Saints Day, Nov. 1. According to myth, the Seven Sisters constellation is at its highest point in the sky during a great calamity. The Aztecs and Mayans believed it would be overhead at midnight on the night the world comes to an end.“(Reference)
What is a good day to the victors (Karthikeya and the Devas) might well be a bad day to the losers (Tarakasura). Could this be a clue?
Yama Tharpanam and Yama Deepam : Yama is worshipped on different days of Karthika Masam and one or 2 days preceding it.
My calendar gives the day before Deepavali (Aswiyuja Krishna Paksha Chaturdasi as Yama Tarpanam, Naraka Caturdasi, Preta Caturdasi and Yama Deepam) and Karthika Krishna Paksha Trayodasi as Yama Deepam. Expect variations from state to state.
Yama Dharmaraja is reverred the luminary (deva) in charge of Yama (Restraint and Self-Control) and Dharma (Ethics, Right Conduct etc). He is popularly known as the God of Death or Mrutu Devata in contemporary Hinduism. At the end of your life, it is believed that, Yama reviews the account of your activites and decides how much time you get in heaven and how much time in each kind of hell. Yama is worshipped to overcome the fear of death.
Yamadwitheya / Bhathru Dwithiya: As the legend goes Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yamuna (Yami) on this particular day. That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of “Yama-Dwitiya” or Bhathru Dwithiya. (Source)
In Andhra, sisters give Arati to their brothers on Naraka Caturdasi. Variations of this custom occur in various states of India, both north and south.
For other posts written by me on the spread of Ancient Indian Customs (Brahmins to Hebrews) you may see links below: (These are not connected to Karthika Masam.)
“The science of architecture owes its origin to eighteen great sages. Their names are Bhrigu, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvakarma, Maya, Narada, Nagnajita, Vishalaksha, Puranadara, Brahma, Kartikeya, Nandishvara, Shounaka, Garga, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Shukra and Brihaspati .
The building of a house should never be begun in the month of Chaitra. A person who does this is sure to contract a disease.
The month of Vaishakha is a good time to begin. One who does this is bound to own many cows.
The months of Agrahayana, Magha and Falguna are also auspicious. An individual who begins the task in Agrahayana has full granaires, one who begins it in Magha attains all sorts of riches and one who begins it in Falguna obtains gold and sons.
Ashada is also a good month to start. Servants and animals are owed by a person who starts the building in Ashada.
The months of Jyaishtha, Shravana, Bhadra, Ashvina and Pousha are inauspicious. If you start in Jyaishta, you will die soon; you will also die if you begin in Shravana; begin in Bhadra and you will suffer from all manner of losses; your wife will die if you start the task in the month of Ashvina; and all your goods will be stolen if you start in the month of Pousha.
It is best to begin the building of a house when the nakshatras Ashvini, Rohini, Mula, Uttarabhadrapada, Uttarashada, Uttarafalguni or Mrigashira are in the sky.
Any day is permissible with the exception of Sunday and Tuesday.
The ground on which the house is to be build has to be tested. A pit should be dug and a sapling planted. If the sapling thrives and growns into a big tree, the ground has been well-chosen. But if the tree withers away or does not grow into a strong tree, one ought to move somewhere else.
A diagram is then drawn on the ground, in the form of a square with eighty-one smaller squares inside it. That is the larger square will be subdivided into nine squares along very side. Nine multiplied by nine gives the eighty- one smaller squares. In each of these eight-one smaller squares, a specific god has to be worshipped.
Different types of houses.
A house that has doors on all four sides is known as a sarvatobhadra. Such a configuration is recommended for palaces or temples.
A house that does not have a door to the west is known as a nandyavarta;
a house that does not have a door to the south is known as a varddhamana; a
house that does not have a door to the east is known as a svastika;
and a house that does not have a door to the north is known as ruchaka.
A palace should be one hundred and eight cubits (hand-lengths) in length.
If a prince, and not a king, is to live in the palace, sixty-six cubits are the recommmended length.
Other recommended lengths are sixty-four cubits for generals,
forty-eight cubits for ministers,
twenty-eight cubits for artisans and
twelve cubits for messengers and guards.
Priests and physicians are entitled to twenty-four cubits.
An ordinary householder should build a house that is thirty-two cubits in length.
The sole exception is an outcast, he is entitled to only sixteen cubits.
There should not be any trees in the front of the house.
But trees have to be planted towards the back.
The wood with which the house has to be built must be carefully chosen. One must not cut down a tree that birds have built nests on.
Certain trees must never be chosen. These include those that have been gashed by an elephant or struck by lightning.
They also include trees that grow near temples or at the of rivers and trees from cremation grounds.
Neem trees and mango trees must never be used for building houses.
The height of the tree should be multiplied by its circumference. This product should now be divided by eight. If the remainder that is left is one, the timber can be used in building any part of the house. Such timber is known as dhvaja.
When the remainder is two the timber is known vrisha and should be used in constructing the western door.
When the remainder is three the timber is called simha and should be used for the northern door.
The name is vrishabha if the remainder is four and such wood should be used for the eastern door.
When the remainder is five the timber is given the name of hasti and should be used for the southern door.
Deities must to be installed in temples.
Vishnu’s image should have either eight hands or four. If there are eight hands, the arms to the right should hold a shankha (concha-shell), a gada (mace), a shara (arrow) and a padma (lotus). The arms to the left should hold dhanu (bow), a padma, a shankha and a chakra (bladed-discus). If there are four hands, the mace and the lotus should be to the right and the chakra and the conch-shell to the left. Vishnu will be shown standing on the world.
Garuda, the king of the birds, bears him around Garuda will therefore be shown at Vishnu’s feet, towards the right. Lakshmi’s image must always be to the left of Vishnu’s image and Lakshmi will hold a lotus in her hand.
The best deities are made out of gold, silver, copper, jewels, stone, wood, from alloys.
The proportions of the various parts of the body must be exactly right.
Shiva’s image must have matted hair and he must wear a crescent moon on his forehead. The deities must convey the impression that Shiva is sixteen years old. Shiva must be dressed in tigerskin and must be garlanded with snakes. A peacock feather should adorn on ear. If a spear, a rod or a trident are shown, they must be to the right. And if a skull, a snake or a sword are shown, they must be to the left. When Shiva is show riding a bull, his image has two hands. But when he is shown in a dancing posture, the image has ten hands. If the intention is to show him destroying Tripura, the image must have sixteen hands.
There is one particular image that deserves special mention. This is known as arddhanarishvara, half-male and half-female. The Shiva part of the image will be to the right and the Parvati part of the image will be to the left. The right hand of the image will hold a skull or a trident and the left hand of the image will hold a lotus or a mirror.
There is another type of image known as Uma-Maheshvara. In this case, there are two separate images, one of Shiva and the other of Parvati. The deities of various other gods and goddesses are also described.
Pavilions (mandapa)
These are classified in terms of the number of pillars that are used in their construction, and there are twenty-seven main types of pavilions.
(I) A pushpaka pavilion has sixty-four pillars.
(II) A pushpabhadra pavilion has sixty-two pillars.
(III) A suvrata pavilion has sixty pillars.
(IV) An amritanandana pavilion has fifty-eight pillars.
(V) A doushalya pavilion has fifty-six pillars.
(VI) A buddhisamkirna pavilion has fifty-four pillars.
(VII) A gajabhadra pavilion has fifty-two pillars.
(VIII) A jayavaha pavilion has fifty pillars.
(IX) A shrivatsa pavilion has forty-eight pillars.
(X) A vijaya pavilion has forty-six pillars.
(XI) A vastukirti pavilion has forty-four pillars.
(XII) A shrutinjaya pavilion has forty-two pillars.
(XIII) A yajnabhadra pavilion has forty pillars.
(XIV) A vishala pavilion has thirty-eight pillars.
(XV) A sushlishta pavilion has thirty-six pillars.
(XVI) A shatrumardana pavilion has thrity-four pillars.
(XVII) A bhagapancha pavilion has thrity-two pillars.
(XVIII) A nandana pavilion has thirty pillars.
(XIX) A manava pavilion has twenty-eight pillars.
(XX) A manabhadraka pavilion has twenty-six pillars.
(XXI) A sugriva pavilion has twenty-four pillars.
(XXII) A hairta pavilion has twenty-two pillars.
(XXIII) A karnikara pavilion has twenty pillars.
(XXIV) A shatarddhika pavilion has eighteen pillars.
(XXV) A simha pavilion has sixteen pillars.
(XXVI) A shyamabhadra pavilion has fourteen pillars.
(XXVII) A samudra pavilion has twelve pillars. Pavilions should be triangular, semi-circular or rectangular.”
One chariot, one elephant, five foot-soldiers, and three horses form one Patti;
three pattis make one Sena-mukha;
three sena-mukhas are called a Gulma;
three gulmas, a Gana;
three ganas, a Vahini;
three vahinis together are called a Pritana;
three pritanas form a Chamu;
three chamus, one Anikini;
and an anikini taken ten times forms, as it is styled by those who know, an Akshauhini.
O ye best of Brahmanas, arithmeticians have calculated that the number of chariots in an Akshauhini is twenty-one thousand eight hundred and seventy. The measure of elephants must be fixed at the same number.
O ye pure, you must know that the number of foot-soldiers is one hundred and nine thousand, three hundred and fifty, the number of horse is sixty-five thousand, six hundred and ten.
These, O Brahmanas, as fully explained by me, are the numbers of an Akshauhini as said by those acquainted with the principles of numbers.
O best of Brahmanas, according to this calculation were composed the eighteen Akshauhinis of the Kaurava and the Pandava army.
Time, whose acts are wonderful assembled them on that spot and having made the Kauravas the cause, destroyed them all. Bhishma acquainted with choice of weapons, fought for ten days. Drona protected the Kaurava Vahinis for five days. Karna the desolator of hostile armies fought for two days; and Salya for half a day. After that lasted for half a day the encounter with clubs between Duryodhana and Bhima. At the close of that day, Aswatthaman and Kripa destroyed the army of Yudishthira in the night while sleeping without suspicion of danger.”
Authorship and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
From around 10 am this morning to around 11 am on Oct 4th morning, we have the Aswiyuja Pournami (Purnima). (As per the computations of Sri Lanka Venkateswara Siddhanti (Sringeri) and Sri Dayananda Saraswathi).
This lunar month called Aswiyuja Masa because the full moon occurs frequently close to Aswini Nakshatram (13 aAries / SAO-75151/HD-12929/Hamal.). The Vedic Nakshatradhipati are the Ashwini Devatah while the Graha Nakshatradhipati is Ketu.
Ancient Indians – Satya Samhita
