Shrama

Notes on third chapter from Lokamanya Tilak's Orion

Continuing from notes from the first two chapters, though very early on vaidika-s did start their year at the vernal equinox, the tradition shifted to starting the new year at the winter solstice, or what uttarāyaṇa has been representing in our times so far. When and why this happened, we do not know. What I can postulate is that when vaidika-s would’ve realized that entire seasons were changing after hundreds of years during the equinoxes, that is to say, the vernal equinox which took place in an asterism that marked the beginning of spring, but now this asterism falls in winter, they would have gone for something more perceptible like the motion of the Sun in the sky, to create a celestial marker for their rituals. However, I have not come across any scholarly thought to support this.

The point remains, the ārambhaṇīya of the samvatsara satra changed from the day of vernal equinox to winter solstice. Currently, the vernal equinox passes through revatī, but has receded by several degrees. Even still, the vernal equinox falls around 23rd September, in Bhādrapada. This puts the winter solstice, and the beginning of uttarāyaṇa roughly in mṛgashīrṣā, consequently in month of Mārgashīrṣa. However the uttarāyaṇa, in conjuction with makara saṅkrānti is celebrated in the month of Pauṣa. Following articles by Koenraad Elst and A K Kaul go in to details and discussions on this subject. Whatever be the tradition of dates, the tradition of principle dictates we consider uttarāyaṇa to fall in Mārgashīrṣa. However, considering the antiquity of shāstra-s, there would have been a time when the equinox and solstice fell later than it does, and ritual timings would have followed these markers. This is indeed the case.

Firstly, there are grounds to believe that kṛttikā, and NOT ashvinī, was the first in the list of nakṣatra-s. The mantra-s from Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa’s prathamāṣṭaka call kṛttikā the “mouth of nakṣatra-s”. The first mantra from dvitīyaprapāṭhaka says kṛttikā is अग्नेर्नक्षत्रम् and मुखं वा एतन्नक्षत्राणाम्. Then from the seventh mantra of pañcamaprapāṭhaka, kṛttikā is the prathama of the devanakṣatra-s. What this means is the vernal equnox in the ancient times fell during kṛttikā. This would put the winter solstice in maghā. This is supported by the fact that in Taittirīya Saṇhitā, from ṣaṣṭhaprapāṭhaka, caturthānuvāka eighth mantra, you can deduce that Māgha paurṇamī, that is Māgha’s full moon was the beginning of the new year, meaning at this time, the winter solstice. Mīmānsaka-s like Jaimini and his followers have concluded as much. Even further, few scholars have postulated that vishākhā gets its name because it was the nakṣatra that got “cut” or “branched” due to the equinoxal line cutting it, because it is opposing kṛttikā and would have marked the autumnal equinox. It does not have to be a mathematically equal bisection, merely a cut through at any division.

The full discussion on this is extremenly dense, covering several commentaries, which cannot all be reproduced without essentially writting the entire chapter itself, hence it has been summarized to cover only the conclusions. Next we will discuss how an even older tradition states that mṛgashīrṣā marked the vernal equniox.

To be continued.

#civilization   #history   #constellation