Lamp of the Determination of Lunar Days

Lunar Day 2 ...the solar [year] alone is considered in respect to the solstices Ayana: The six-month period of the sun's travel, either northward (Uttarayana) or southward (Dakshinayana).. It is divided into three parts likely referring to the four-month seasons or specific ritual clusters within the solar cycle according to the distinction between the Southern and Northern paths. Note ...and that is how the Lunar Day Tithi: A lunar day, calculated as the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the moon and the sun to increase by 12 degrees. is remembered. || 184 ||

A Season Ṛtu: One of the six traditional Indian seasons. consists of two months. Months are categorized by their lunar and solar distinctions. This division is utilized by the Creator in the performance of religious duties. || 185 ||

There are six divisions beginning with Spring Vasanta: The spring season, traditionally the start of the ritual year.. This sixfold division is also twofold referring to the solar and lunar ways of calculating seasons. The season of Spring is known to consist of the pair of months beginning with Chaitra original: "caitrādi māsa yugmataḥ". Chaitra and Vaishakha.. || 186 ||

These six should be known in their proper order as declared by the testimony of the Vedas. Or, they are known to correspond to the pairs of zodiac signs starting with Pisces and Aries, or Aries and Taurus. || 187 || original: "mīna meṣādi". This notes the discrepancy between different astronomical schools on whether a season begins when the sun enters a specific sign or based on the lunar calendar.

The solar seasons, starting with Spring, were declared by the sage Bodhayana An ancient scholar of Vedic ritual and geometry.. Months are of different types, and two months make a season. There are Lunar, Solar, and Civil months. || 188 ||

A Lunar Month consists of a pair of fortnights starting with the bright half original: "sitādi pakṣa". This refers to the Amanta system where the month ends on the new moon.. However, others say the lunar month consists of the pair of fortnights starting with the dark half original: "kṛṣṇādi pakṣa". This refers to the Purnimanta system where the month ends on the full moon.. || 189 ||

The scholars of the South acknowledge the former, and they perform their rites accordingly...