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Home , Makara (month), Mesha (month), Mesha Sankranti, Ritu (Indian season)

The following letter was sent to all the branches of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan throughout the world, apart from all the top-notch jyotishis, besides all the dharmadcharyas etc. etc. as back as July 2004. However, no response has been received from any quarter yet! AKK *************************************************************************************************

July 17, 2004 Dear Friends, Namaskar! A humble request that we should not mourn on the day of “festival of lights” i.e. we should not celebrate Pitramavasya on the day of actual Dipavali (Gujarati !) on October 13, 04.

Every festival has a criterion. We celebrate Independence Day on August 15 every year. Why? Because India gained independence on that day. It is immaterial whether August 15 is a Sunday or a Monday or Shravana or . Similarly, for celebrating religious festivals, our shastras have fixed certain criteria. And as we know, fasts and festivals are celebrated for the peace and welfare of ourselves and our kith and kin. Consequently, if we do not adhere to the criteria/tenets fixed by the shastras, those very fasts and festivals will do us more harm than good. Same is the case with Muhurtas . We must therefore know the criteria. E.g. for Vasanti Navaratra, viz. the , the criterion is “ Shukla Pratipat ” and for Rama Navmi it is " Chaitra Shukla Navmi ". We must therefore know as to when Chaitra Shukla Paksha starts. This information has to be based on the Vedas, Puranas and other shastras as well as astronomy/geography, both ancient i.e. sidhantic and modern. Let us see these criteria one by one: 1. The Vedas : All the four Vedas, Brahmanas and Upanasihadas etc. state that the year comprises six of two months each. Shishira- viz. and the month of Tapah start simultaneously with Uttarayana viz. i.e. the shortest day of the year. That very month is also known as . It is followed by other months viz. Tapasya () and (Vasanta ritu comprising) Madhu (Chaitra) and Madhav (Vaishakha). Thus solar Chaitra is the third month from the date of Winter Solstice. Therefore, it should start these days three months after December 21 i.e. around February 20. In fact, it started on February 19 in 2004. 2. Vedanga Jyotisha : The earliest recorded work on Vedic astronomy is Vedanga Jyotisha also known as Rik/Yajur Jyotisha by Lagadha. It was compiled around thirteenth century BCE i.e. about 3300 years back, most probably in Kashmir. The fifth and the sixth verses of the same are: swarakramete Somarkau yada sakam savasavav, syat-tadadiyugam maghas-tapah shuklo dinam-tyajah “When the and the moon while moving in the sky, come to Vasava (Dhanishtha) star together, then the Yuga, the Magha (month) the Tapas (), the light half of the month, and the winter solstice (Uttarayana), all commence together” prapadyate shavishshthadav suryachandramsav-udak sarparde dakshinarkastu Magha shravanayoh sada “The sun and the moon turn towards North in the beginning of Dhanishtha and towards South in the middle of Ashlesha. The sun always does this (turn north) in the month of Magha and (turn south) in Shravana respectively” Vedanga Jyotisha has made it clear in its seventh mantra that by Uttaryana it means really the shortest day of the year instead of some imaginary Uttarayana like January 14 of some Panchangakars of these days: dharma vridhir apam prasthah kshapa hras udag-gatav dakshine-tau viparyastav shanmuhurtyaynen tu “During the sun’s northward journey (six months of Uttarayana) the day increases by one Prastha measure of water and the night becomes short. During the southward journey (six months of Dakshinayana), the conditions reverse. The increase (of time) during an ayana is equal to six muhurtas”. (S. B. Dikshit’s translation for all the three mantras)

1 Further, as everybody knows, and as every Panchanga indicates, Vasanta () starts exactly on the day of Madhu i.e. February 19/20. It is a geographical phenomenon and cannot be wished away or altered. How could then Vasanti Navratra start on March 21, 2004 after one month after the start of the month of Madhu i.e. the real Vasanta (Spring)? Thus there is absolutely no doubt that the Vasanti Navratras which we are celebrating these days are not on the correct days as per either the Vedas or the Vedanga Jyotisha or the phenomenon of seasons. But then why are we celebrating them on wrong days? Because our panchangakars, including the Rashtriya Panchanga do not tell us the correct days! Is it that they do not know the correct criteria/days of these phenomena themselves? Madhava cannot be equal to Chaitra if it is equal to and Vasanti Navratraas cannot wait for more than a month after the start of Vasanta Ritu! : If you look at any Panchanga, including the Rashtriya Panchanga, in any language, you will find that they have mentioned the start of the month of Madhu and Vasanta Ritu on that date viz. February 19, 2004. Rashtriya Panchanga lists the month starting with February 19 as the Vedic Mina. The first New Moon ( Shukla Pratipat ) after the solar Chaitra i.e. Madhu (Vedic Mina as per the Rashtriya Panchanga) is thus Chaitra Shukla Pratipat . It was on February 21 in 2004. As such, the real Vasanti Navratras started on February 21, 2004. It is known as in Kashmir, Gudi Padva in Maharashtra and in Andhra etc. That would have satisfied the criterion of the Vedas that madhuscha madhavashcha vasantikav ritu (Yajurveda Samhita 4/4/11/1) i.e. Madhu (Chaitra) and Madhava (Vaishakha) are the months of Vasanta i.e. Spring Season. Obviously, Chaitra Shukla Paksha is the start of the first lunar month of Vasanta as per all the Vedas also. Naturally, since as per all the Panchangas, Vasanta Ritu started on February 19, 2004, the solar Chaitra also should have started on that date of Madhu i.e. February 19 but ironically it was made to start on March 14 and the Rashtriya Panchanga starts it (Chaitra) on March 21 every year, when Madhava i.e. Vaishakha is supposed to start as per all the Vedas and Puranas. Surprisingly, Rashtriya Panchanga itself calls this month (March 21) as Vedic Mesha and Madhava! How they can call Mesha and Madhava as Chaitra, they only can say! Accordingly, the Lunar Chaitra was made to start on March 21 (which should have been actually Vaishakha Shukla paksha!) instead of February 21! When Vasanta Ritu started on February 19, 2004, according to all the Panchangas, the first shukla pratipat after that, which was on February 21, 2004, should naturally have been Vasanti Navratra! Thus the solar Chaitra and the Navratras, both, were “postponed” exactly by one month against the injunctions of all the Vedas. Why ? Because either our panchangakars themselves have no knowledge about the criteria of festivals or they are making a fool of us deliberately! Vasanta Panchami in mid-winter: Then again, do you know when we were asked to celebrate Vasanta Panchami by these very panchangakars according to whom Vasanti navratras started on March 21? January 26, 2004! That means Vasanta Panchami was celebrated two months before even their own Vasanta Shukla Pratipat ! Only the insane and dimwitted can celebrate Spring in mid-Winter! Evidently, either our panchangakars are either themselves insane and dimwitted or they treat us like that! Ramanavmi: Goswami Tulsidas says in his immortal Ramacharitamanasa : navmi tithi Madhumas punita, sukalpachha abhijit hariprita “Shri Ram was born on navmi tithi of shukla paksha in the month of Madhu, in Abhijit muhurta”. We have seen that Madhu or Chaitra and Spring (Vasanta) both commence simultaneously around February 19 every year as per the Vedas and Vedanga Jyotisha. In fact they are synonyms of one another. Let us now see other authorities in this regard: 3. Vishnu-dharmortarapurana: As per “Alberuni’s India”, in 11 th century-India all the festivals were decided as per the criteria of Vishnu-dharmotarapurana. It says in 3/9/4-5 …chaitro madhur-iti smritah, vaishakho madhavah proktah, shuchir jyeshthah udahritah shuklah proktastatha ashado nabhah shravan ishyete, praushthapado nabhasyashcha ishashch ashvayujah smritah 2 urjakhyah kartikah prokto margshirshah sahastatha sahasya paush ityukto maghah syat tap eva cha phalgunashcha tapasyakhyo maso… “(i) Chaitra is known as Madhu (or Madhu is known as Chaitra)! (ii) Vaishakha as Madhava; (iii) as Shuchih; (iv) as Shuklah (or Shukrah); (v) Nabhah as Shravana; (vi) Praushthapada (Bhadrapada) as Nabhasya; (vii) Ashvayuja (Ashvina) as Ishah; (viii) Urja as Kartika; (ix) Margashirsha as Saha; (x) Sahasya as ; (xi) Magha as Tapah and (xii) Phalguna as Tapasya.” As we have seen above, Madhu started on February 19 and Chaitra Shukla Pratipad started on Februrary 21 which means Ramanavmi should have been on February 29, 2004. Our panchangakars (including, of course, the Rashtriya Panfhanga!) made us celebrate Ramanavmi on March 30, 2004, whereas Madhu ended on March 20 and the real Chaitra Shuklapaksha on March 7! Why did they compel us to celebrate it on a wrong day—nay, even in a wrong month? Because they know fully well that in spite of claiming to be educated and intelligent people, we are not going to ask any inconvenient questions! But then, are we really intelligent and educated if we do not know anything about the criteria of our festivals? Or is it that our panchangakars also are lacking in education and intelligence and they do not know even ABC of our dharmashastras? Well, they alone can answer that question for themselves! 4. Sidhantas: The earliest “most accurate (?!)” ( spashta-taro savitrah ) astronomical treatise of is supposed to be the Surya Sidhanta of 5 th century AD. In Mana- adhyaya, verses 9-10, it says: bhanor-makar Sankranteh shanmasa Uttarayanam karkyadestu tathaiv syat shanmasa dakshinayanam dwirashi natha ritavas tatoapi shishiradayah meshadav dwadashaite masaistaireva vatsarah “From Makar start the six months of Uttarayana and from Karkata Sankranti the six months of Dakshinayana. Each season starting with Shishira (and Sankranti) comprises two rashis (and) six seasons make one year”. Lest there be any doubt as to what type of Rashis the Surya Sidhanta is talking about, it makes it clear in Bhugoladhyaya, verses 57 to 62: meshadav to sada vridhir udaguttarto adhika devamshe cha kshapa hanir vipareetam tatha asure tuladav dyunishorvamam kshyay vridhav tayorubhe deshkranti vashan nitem tadvigyanam puroditam ayanante vilomena devasur vibhagayoh nadi shashtya sakrid ahar nishapi asmin sakrit tadantare api shashtyante kshayvridhav ahar-nishoh parto vipareeto ayam bhagolah parivartate. “During the half revolution beginning with Mesha, there is always an excess of day to the north, in the hemisphere of the gods i.e. Uttarayana---greater according to distance north---and a corresponding deficiency of the night. In the hemisphere of the demons (Dakshinayana), the reverse. In the half revolution beginning with Libra (Tula) both the deficiency and excess of day and night in the two hemispheres are the opposite of this. The method of determining them, which is always dependent upon situation ( desha) and declination ( kranti ), has been before explained. “There occurs once, at the end of the sun’s half revolution from solstice to solstice--- (Uttarayana to Dakshinayana) a day of sixty nadis and a night of the same length mutually opposed to one another, in the two hemispheres of the gods and of the demons. In the intermediate region, the deficiency and excess of day and night are within the limit of sixty nadis beyond this sphere of asterisms (bha) revolves perversely”. (Burgess’ translation). Two things are clear from the above to even a layman with a bit of knowledge of geography of primary school level about the phenomenon of seasons: i) It is only around March 21 (Spring Equinox) Mesha Sankranti every year that day and night are equal and the length of day in the northern hemisphere starts increasing as compared to the length of night. 3 ii) Then around September 23 ( Equinox) Tula Sankranti, when the day and night are again equal, the length of nights starts increasing as compared to the length of days. And in the same order the day is the shortest around December 21 (winter solstice) and longest around June 21 ( Solstice). These very Equinoxes and solstices are known as Mesha, Karkata, Tula and respectively as per all the sidhantas and shastras. There are no other such sankrantis either in the sidhantas or modern astronomy. 5. Puranas: I have already quoted hundreds of proofs with chapter and verse in my Panchangas and other articles. It is no use to repeat them here again. Suffice to quote a few only from a couple of Puranas. First the Vishnupurana : 2/8/28-31 and 67-68 ayanasyotarasyadav makaram yati bhaskarah tatah kumbham cha menam cha rashe rashyantaram dvija (28) trishu eteshu atha bhukteshu tato vaishuvatim gatim prayati savita kurvan ahoratram tatah samam (29) tato ratrih kshayam yati vardhate anudinam dinam (30) tatashcha mithunasyante param kashtham upagatah rashim karkatam prapya kurute dakshinayanam (31) “In the beginning of Uttarayana, the sun enters Capricorn (Makara Rashi) there from going to and them Mina. After having passed through these three signs, it just gains vishuvati (equinoctial) speed resulting in the day and night being equal on Mesha. After that, nights start decreasing and the days increasing correspondingly daily. Then when the sun is in the end of Rashi, i.e. when it is just at the verge of entering Cancer, the day is the longest then and Dakshnayana starts on that date”. vsantyor Madhye vishuvam to vibhavyete Tula mesh gate bhanav samratri divam tu tat (67) Karkatavasthite bhanav dakshiyanamuchete Uttarayanam api uktam makarasthe divakare (88) “In the midst of sharat ritu and vasanta ritu, vishuvas (equinoxes) take place with the entry of the sun into Tula (Libra) and Mesha (Aries) respectively and days and nights become equal on those two sankrantis. The entry of sun into Cancer (Karkata) is known as dakshinayana whereas its entry into Maraka is known as Uttarayana” Now Shrimadbhagavata , 5/21/4-6 yada mesh tulyor vartate tada ahoratrani samanani bhavanti yada vrishadishu panchasu cha rashishu charati tada ahani eva vardhante hrasati cha masi masi ekaika ghatika ratrishu (4) yada vrishchikadishu panchasu vartate tada ahoratrani viparyayani bhavanti (5) yavad dakshinayanam ahani vardhante yavad uttarayanam ratrayah (6) “When the sun enters Mesha and Tula days and nights are equal on those dates and the day starts getting longer as compared to nights when the sun passes through Vrisha etc. five rashis then days keep on increasing and the nights decreasing by one ghati every month. (After the day and night have become equal on Tula Sankranti) the nights keep on increasing during the sojourn of five rashis of Vrishchika etc. In short, during Uttarayana days keep on increasing till Dakshinayana and after that nights keep on increasing”. Vishnurhdarmotarapurana 3/8/6-8 says tula meshagate bhanav vishuvad dinam uchete, dhanvato mithunantashcha ayane soasya dakshine , “When the sun is in Mesha and Tula, they are the days of Vishuva i.e. days and nights are equal then. From the end of (start of Makara) Uttarayana starts and from the end of Mithuna (start of Karkata) Dakshniyana starts” Any discussion on such topics is incomplete without appropriate references from Shivamahapurana: We just quote one 5/51/54 from this Purana below: madhavasya site pakshe tritiya ya akshayabida tasyam yo jagadambayah vratam kuryad atandritah… “The tritiya of Shukla paksha of Madhava (!) is know as akshayaya tritiya. One who observes a fast for Jagadamba on that date (gets immortal and thousand fold results)” 4 It is to be noted here that is to be observed in (lunar) Madhava that means according to Shiva-Mahapurana also Vaishakha does not have any other existence besides Madhava! Thus the akshyaya tritiya that we observed in 2003 on May 4, was against all the shastras since solar Madhava had ended on April 20 and lunar Madhava on April 30! A similar situation is going to crop up in 2005. We will be asked to celebrate Akshaya tritiya on May 12, when solar Madhava will have ended on April 20 and lunar Madhava shukla paksha will start on April 8, 2005 which means it should be celebrated actually on April 11, 2005! Now obviously, if as per all the Vedas, Vedanga Jyotisha, Surya Sidhanta, Bhagavata, Vishnupurana, Vishnudharmotarapurana and Shiva Mahapurana etc. etc. solar Shravana is another name of Dakshinayana viz sun in Karkata, it starts on June 21 in 2004. The first shukla pratipat after that is on July 18. Therefore, that is the day when the Lunar Shravana starts in 2004 as per all the Vedas and Puranas etc. As such, Shravana viz and Amarnath Yatra etc. should be celebrated on July 31 in 2004. Why are our panchangakars asking us to celebrate it on August 29 instead? Only because they treat the entire Hindu society as ignorant fools who have no idea about the criteria of any festivals! Or is it that the panchangakars do not know anything themselves but are just copying from others like blind following blind? Similarly, Janmashtami should be celebrated on the Krishna-paksha Ashtami following that Shravana Purnima i.e. on August 7 in 2004. But we are asked to celebrate it on September 6! Why? For God’s sake do ask your “Panditji” and let me know what he says! 6. To clinch the issue on the basis of Agama i.e. yogashastras, I will quote the master-yogi i.e. Acharya Abhinavgupta’s Tantraloka: 6/114-116 shatsu shatsu anguleshu arko hridayat makaradishu tishthan maghadikam shatkam kuryat tat-chotarayanam sankranti tritaye vrite bhukte chashtadashangule mesham prapte ravav punyam vishuvat par laukikam praveshe tu tulasthe arke tadev vishuvad bhavet Ih sidhi pradam chaitat dakshinayan-gam tatah The translation of these mantras, as per the commentary of Jayaratha is, (Linking yogic kriyas to seasons, it says, “After every six ungalas from the hirdaya (the pranas go to) Makara etc. and make Magha etc. six such months from Uttarayana starting with sun’s transit into Makara. From Makra to Mithuna is Uttarayana and in Magha sun transits Makara Rashi so till Ashada when the sun transits Mithuna, Uttarayana lasts, After having crossed three sankrantis (of Uttarayana)–eighteen unglas of Prana --= vishuvat Sankranti arrives. Because on that day of Mesha sankranti the days and nights are equal throughout the world that is why it is known as vishuvat. When the sun enters Tula it is vishuva again”. I do not think that there should be any doubt now in anybody’s mind as to how we are being taken for a ride by these panchanga-makers. Or is it that those panchangakars themselves are being taken for a ride by someone else either knowingly or unbeknown to them? In either case, it is literally killing our dharma. As we have seen that Shravana Shukla Paksha starts from July 18, 2004, therefore, Bhadra Shukla paksha will start from August 17. Naturally, the first Krishna Pratipat after that i.e. Ashvina Krishna Paksha is the start of Pitrapaksha, which means it starts from August 31, 2004. As such, the Purnima shradha of Pitrapaksha falls on August 29, 2004, whereas the Pitramavasya is actually on September 14, 2004. And by the same logic and criterion Sharadiya Navaratras start from September 15 and Kartika falls exactly after about one month i.e. on October 13, 2004. And that is the world famous festival of lights viz Dipavali! But tragically, our panchanga-makers advise us to mourn on that day i.e. we are advised to celebrate Pitraamavasa then! Why? Because they know that we have become immune to all such things and are worried only about financial gains or losses but not about our dharma! But we must know that by “mourning” on the day of actual Dipavali we will be losers not only financially but in every worldly and spiritual sphere like that of the erstwhile ruling party! So whether we mourn or burst crackers on the actual Dipavali (October 13), it is up to us now! 5 7. Primary School level Geography : Let us see the situation in the light of modern astronomy/geography. Initially, I was myself peeved as to why the ayana and vishuva (Makara, Mesha, Karkata and Tula) sankrantis had been praised to the skies by our Rishis, so much so that they say that it is difficult even for yogis to catch the actual moment of such sankrantis and any charities or fasts on such occasions yield thousand-fold results! Let me explain it in a manner that is as non-technical as possible: We know that the earth hurtles around the sun at about 30 kilometres per second. (2) It also rotates on its axis, causing days and nights (3) The equator is “precessing” at tremendous speeds. (4) Because the is inclined to the equator (obliquity of ecliptic) the earth/sun reaches the minimum/maximum declination i.e. it is at the minimum/maximum distance from the equator during its revolution of the sun at particular points of time. The maximum obliquity of the ecliptic has remained around 23°28’ over the last couple of centuries. Therefore that is the maximum north/south declination that the sun/earth can attain these days during its journey via the ecliptic. On that declination depends the phenomenon of seasons, which is also directly responsible for increase/decrease in day/night durations. The sun attains the maximum northern declination of about 23° 27’ on June 21. That means it is at a maximum northern distance from the equator on that date. That is thus the last day of the summer season when the day is the longest and varsha ritu starts. The sun (actually the earth) has then to stop for a fleeting moment---less than a nanosecond--- before climbing down from that “high pedestal” of North declination! That fleeting moment is the real crucial moment and we can only “calculate” it correctly to some extent with our computers with microprocessor speeds in GHz that also only with the data from NASA and other overseas observatories and not from our panchanga-makers including the Rashtriya Panchanga! This very moment of “U-turn” in the declination of the sun is the real dakshinayana as the earth has reached the maximum declination of south or the sun the maximum declination of north viz. 23° 27’ and has to turn back from there. This is also known as Karkata Sankranti of the sun as the sun lies directly over the tropic of Cancer (Karka-Rekha) on that date. I am sure everybody has read that much of geography in his primary school days! There cannot be any other Karkata Sankranti as per any shastra or sidhanta or modern astronomy/geography since there is no other Karka Rekha (Tropic of Cancer) or any other longest day of the year! Similar is the case on December 21, when the sun reaches the maximum south declination (of around 23° 27’) i.e. when the sun is at a maximum southern distance from the equator. It has to stop then for a fleeting moment---less than a nanosecond again--- before “turning” back (U-turn!) from that high pedestal. That fleeting moment is the real Uttarayana of the sun known as Makara Sankranti since the sun is directly on the tropic of Capricorn--- Makara-Rekha---on that date. There is absolutely no other Makara Sankranti either as per the shastras or sidhantas or modern astronomy/geography since there is no other Makara-Rekha nor any other shortest day of the year! That also is primary school level geography! Similarly, during its sojourn around the sun; the earth, the equator and the ecliptic join together for a fleeting moment---here also less than a nanosecond--when the longitude, latitude, declination and right ascension of the sun/earth are zero! The sun (actually the earth) is in exact “conjunction” with the ecliptic and the equator! It is thus a “Triveni” and that is the moment of Spring Equinox. With the declination of the sun being zero degrees South it has to start moving away (cross the equator) again from that “conjunction of the equator” from that moment of zero degrees longitude-cum-latitude-cum-declination-cum-right ascension! That fleeting moment is Vishuva – Mesha Sankranti of the sun (Tula Sankranti of the earth)! It is Vishuva because the earth is conjunct with the Vishuvat Rekha i.e. the Equator. That is the moment when days and nights are really equal throughout the globe. That is the zero “moment/point” for all the calculations of longitude, Right Ascension, Declination etc. and it is known as Vernal Equinox. Vishuva also means, as per Jayaratha, the commentator of Tantraloka , the days when “days and nights are equal”. Spring Equinox also means the same thing i.e Equi-nox: day is equal to night in the midst of the spring season! This is the real Vaishakhi and the sun enters Uttara Gola then i.e. it starts gaining in northern declination! 6 There is no other Vishuvat Rekha (Equator) with which the earth can be “conjunct” during Spring and therefore there cannot be any other Vishuva or Mesha Sankranti since day and night are not equal during Spring on any other day. All the panchangakars list Uttara-gola on that date but then why do they want us to celebrate Vaishakhi/Vaishakhadi/Meshadi i.e. solar New Year on April 14/15! Because they know that we do not know ABC of geography! Or is it that they do not know it themselves? Then again after six months of that phenomenon, a similar situation comes again, when the longitude and Right ascension of the sun are 180 degrees (earth zero degrees). The longitude of the sun also can be taken as zero degrees on that date if we measure it from Autumn Equinox instead of from Vernal Equinox! The equator, the earth and the ecliptic have a confluence for a fleeting moment---less than a nanosecond---again! As the earth is conjunct the equator i.e. Vishuvat Rekha again, it is also known as Vishuva----Autumn Equinox (Jala Vishuva or Tula Sankranti) around September 23. It is the midpoint (second month) of the Sharat-ritu. (That is why Sharadiya Navaratras should start with the first Shukla Pratipat after Sharat Ritu starts---on September 15 in 2004—and not when Sharat-kala is almost over— October 14, 2004----as is being done by our panchangamakers). The declination of the sun is zero degrees at that particular moment. Again, all the panchangakars list it as “the sun enters dakshina gola” as the sun (after crossing the Equator) starts gaining southern declination from that moment. There cannot be any other Tula Sankranti/Jala Vishuva as the earth is not conjunct Equator---and thus the day and night are not equal---on any other day in Autumn! But then these panchangakars make us celebrate Tula Sankranti on October 14/15! Why? Only because they will lose their sinful crumbs if the tell us the facts! Or is it that they do not know the facts themselves? A sad state of affairs, in either case! Naturally, in ancient times, it was almost impossible for ordinary mortals to calculate accurately to the nearest minute, leave alone the nearest second, such phenomena as lasted hardly for nanoseconds! Really, hats off to our Rishis! Obviously, our present “Vamadevas” and “Parasharas” who advocate such Mesha etc. sankrantis as do not exist at all, are a slur on the real Rishis and such fakes must be banished without delay from this land of real Rishis. 8. Day-to-day experience : In fact, we do not need to brush up even our primary school level geography since our day to day experience also tells us that the sun does not rise daily from the same place. It is exactly above the equator ( bhumadhya-rekha ) on March 20/21 dividing the day into two “equal halves” of 12 hours each! That is why it is known as Vasanta- Sampat or Vishuva or Mesha Sankranti or Madhava! It does not rise on any other day from that point till its revolution around the sun is complete. (That is why there cannot be two Spring Equinoxes or two Mesha Sankrantis in a year!). After that date, we observe it rising in further north (Uttara-gola!) till June 21. And that is what is known as Dakshinayana Day or Karkata Sankranti or Nabhah (start of Varsha Ritu) and there cannot be any other Karka Sankranti as there cannot be another longest day at all for the next 365 days! From that moment onwards the sun stops rising towards north but turns back from there towards dakshina (south) till it is exactly above the equator again on September 22/23, dividing the day once again into two “equal halves” of 12 hours each. That day is known as Sharat Sampat (Autumn Equinox) or Tula Sankranti or Vishuva or Urja and the day and night are again equal on that date. Obviously, there cannot be another Tula Sankranti for at least next 365 days! From that date onwards it moves i.e. keeps on rising towards south (Dakshina Gola) rising in extreme southern direction on December 21. That is the Uttarayana day since from that date the sun stops moving further south and starts turning towards north. It is this very day that is known as world famous Makara Sankranti or or Udagayana or Tapah! That was the day for which Bhishma was waiting to shed off his mortal coil! There cannot be another Makara Sankranti as there cannot be another shortest day for the next 365 days from that date onwards! 9. We have made a laughing stock of ourselves: Now we can see for ourselves as to how artificial, illogical, unscientific and irrational and, above all, anti-Vedic our Makara, Mesha, 7 Karkata and Tula Sankrantis are these days which are celebrated on January 14, April 14, July 14 and October 14 instead of December 21, March 21, June 21 and Sept. 23 respectively! All the world is laughing at us that we do not know even the actual days of solstices and equinoxes ! When these very four cardinal points are such topsy-turvy how can the other sankrantis (solar ingresses) be correct! As these panchangakars do not let the solar months start from proper days, lunar months also are made to lag behind by at least one month! And we can rest assured that what is illogical, unscientific and irrational could never have been advised by our dharmashastras, as seen above. It is only our panchangakars who are prescribing such farcical festivals and fairs! Why? Because they are worse than Duryodhana. Why? Because Duryodhana had the courage to admit that though he could differentiate between Dharma and Adharma yet he was in no mood to follow Dharma and desist from Adharma! But these panchangakars do not have the courage to admit that they have been fleecing the entire Hindu society for the last several centuries just for some crumbs and should stop now from spreading that adharma further. Or is it that they are so insensitive to even the natural phenomena like sunrise and sunset or winter and summer that they cannot differentiate between a natural Mesha Sankranti and an artificial one? But then it is equally our fault as we never questioned them about the criteria they adopted for such festivals /phenomena ! 10. Muhurtas: When the dates of sankrantis and lunar months are wrong how can the muhurtas fixed on such basis be correct? No wonder we are celebrating marriages during the actual shradha-paksha and “enjoying” shradhas during the period actually auspicious for marriages! CRC Report : It must be put on record that even the Saha Reform Committee had warned in no uncertain terms about the situation these panchangamakers have created for us, and I quote, “In continuing to follow the nirayana system, the makers are under delusion that they are following the path of dharma . They are actually committing the whole Hindu society to adharma ” (Page 260 of the Report of the Calendar Reform Committee, 1955) Earlier these Panchanga-makers used to boast (wrongly though) that as they made correct predictions on the basis of such (imaginary) rashis that is why they were following them for festivals also. But now even that “gas-ball” has been deflated since they have met their Waterloo with the failure of their predictions about NDA forming the Government under Atalji with the result that these Panchanga makers themselves are in mourning these days! (Please see the attachment proving that there are no rashis, much less astrology in the Vedas!) In view of the above, I am listing below some of the most important festivals from June 1 till December 31, 2004, as per all the Vedas, shastras, sidhantas and modern astronomy. Just celebrate them accordingly and do confront your panchangamaker/panditji with these unpleasant facts because unless and until we revolt against this anyay (injustice), they will continue to hurtle us towards the abyss of adharma by making us mourn on Dipavali! There is a saying that you can take a horse to the river but you cannot make it drink water! I have done my job by pointing out all the glaring anomalies. I have substantiated my arguments with all the proofs in a nutshell which even a layman can understand. It is up to the readers whether they want to be like vegetables being tossed by panchangamakers (including the Rashtriya Panchanga) or they want to really have some zest for real dharma! Please feel free to email or post this letter-cum-request to anybody you like since everybody must join this dharmayudha for streamlining our calendar. With best regards, Yours sincerely, Avtar Krishen Kaul

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