Determination of Lunar Days

Lunar Days 13 When the astrological alignments of Citra and Vaidhriti these are specific astronomical 'yogas' or joinings considered inauspicious for starting new rituals occur, the first thirteen years original: "sa-trayodaśa-varṣāḥ"; this may refer to the age of a girl in the ritual or a specific time calculation are considered. However, when the lunar day is pure, then that pure day should be used; but if the Pratipad the first day of the lunar fortnight does not extend to the next day, then the day joined with the Amavasya the New Moon day is to be accepted. A pure lunar day is said to be one where the Pratipad is ascending. One should avoid the first sixteen or twelve nadikas a unit of time equal to 24 minutes. In the afternoon, one should perform the ritual known as the Sudarshana Trikona the auspicious triangular diagram. One must not perform the ritual when the day is joined with the New Moon, nor during the specific moment of birth. It should be endowed with the qualities of the second lunar day and so on.

The first day joined with the previous day is considered primary for the Pratipad. Those desiring auspiciousness should not perform the Navaratra vow the nine-night festival dedicated to the Goddess Durga on a day that is [incorrectly] joined. If it is an extension of the Goddess original: "devyaṅgo", then even Narasimha is born. The installation of the sacred water pot Kalasha-sthapana is forbidden in the house on the first day if it is the New Moon, but this applies to the bright fortnight... some say there is no obstacle to this. In reality, the worship of the Goddess Chandika is praised in the earlier parts of the day, as this is the time for fasting and the limbs of the ritual. The installation of the family deity in the home is a sign of complete satisfaction. Therefore, the sage Devala says: "The rules for vows and fasting should follow the householder's tradition." That lunar day should be worshipped for three days, but for ancestral rites, it is the opposite. When the previous day is full and pure at moonrise, and the next day is also full, the earlier one is preferred. Those sayings that forbid the joining with the second day are intended to forbid an excess of purity when the Pratipad does not exist on the following day.

Rama 13 The eighth day (Ashtami) and ninth day (Navami) of the festival are primary. The Gauda scholars referring to the influential medieval legal and ritual scholars from Bengal say the worship of Ashtami and Navami is the most important. These should be performed at night. They should not be done at the time of an enemy's ritual... as stated by the twelve Yamas. Thus, on the fourteenth day, having satisfied the Brahmins with food, one should worship; by this, the work of the whole year is accomplished. Or, the Goddess should be meditated upon for one night or on the ninth day itself.

One should recite the Chandipatha the 'Recitation of Chandi,' also known as the Devi Mahatmya, a primary text of Goddess worship or have it recited according to the prescribed rules. Having performed the breath-control Pranasamjyadi, one should recite the hymn or the collection. At the end, the wise man should worship the book placed on a stand with the sacred syllable Om original: "praṇavena". A manual that is self-written original: "svayaṃ likhitaṃ" or written by another's hand... if it is poorly constructed here, it becomes fruitless. One must observe the Seer (Rishi), the Meter (Chanda), and so on, for it to be effective. In this way, worship continues every day until the ninth. At the end, one should perform the great worship of Chandika. The worship on the second day is double, on the seventh day it is triple, and so on; one should continue the worship and recitation until the ninth day.

If there is a Tithi-kshaya the loss of a lunar day in the calendar, the worship for both days should be performed within a single day and night cycle, because of the contradiction with previous statements. Even if the ritual time is occupied by the earlier day, the later day is accepted for Ramanavami the birthday of Lord Rama. When the midnight hour is involved, Madhava states that the eighth day is the cause, but the later day is preferred. So too here: in the case of a lost lunar day, the existence of two days is not meaningless. There is no fault in the loss of a day during the Navaratra. The Navaratra vow is sometimes defined by its action... when the Pratipad is obtained by avoiding the astrological yogas. In the month of Ashvina, if the Pratipad occurs with Vaidhriti or Citra yogas, one should abandon the first part of the day and then start the Navaratra.

Know this from the form of Vishnu: the rule says "do not perform it joined with the New Moon, but do it when joined [with the second day]." On the second day, if the Pratipad lasts for two muhurtas units of 48 minutes and Citra-Vaidhriti lasts for three watches, then one should perform the vow on the Pratipad itself and not on the New Moon. If the Pratipad is very short on the next day, then it should be done when joined with the New Moon, but only after leaving aside sixteen nadikas. If the Pratipad, Citra, and Vaidhriti are all present, the first part of the Pratipad must be avoided. The installation of the pot original: "kalaśasthāpanaṃ" should be done during the lunar day in the daytime. One should perform the Navaratra installation... the morning time is highly recommended for the installation and the rising of the deity. The worship of the Goddess should be done when the timing is right.