Discernment of the Truth of Astronomical Principles

The Units of Time in a Great Age

For those who understand the Kalpaoriginal: kalpa; a vast cosmic period of 4.32 billion years, the following are the planetary revolutions and time measurements, beginning with those related to the Moon, within a Mahāyugaoriginal: mahāyuga; a "Great Age" consisting of 4,320,000 solar years: 10.

T- Vi 4 Due to the specific requirements of the time of creation, the movement of the Sun is understood through these traditional calculations for the sake of mathematical efficiency. 11.

The Chapter on Planetary Revolutions

Thus ends the chapter on Bhagaṇasoriginal: bhagaṇa; the total number of revolutions a celestial body makes in a specific cosmic cycle. All these revolutions, causes of planetary motion, nodes, and apogees as mentioned in the Kalpaoriginal: kalpa have been fully described with supporting evidence. 1.

The determination of the planetary positions begins from the first day of the Creator's time; there is no doubt here. These calculations provide the starting points for the Manusoriginal: manvantara; a period of time ruled by a specific Manu, the progenitor of humanity and the Great Ages. 2. One should seek the planetary revolutions within the desired Kalpa through the movement of the planets, carefully calculated according to their observable motion. 3.

According to those who understand the nighttime of the universe, all things are said to dissolve into the Golden One original: hemasarvalaya; likely referring to Brahman or the cosmic egg. That dissolution is mentioned here in relation to the Earth. 4. For those living beings who have not yet reached liberation, there is a constant indwelling; otherwise, due to the lack of motion and dissolution, there would be no count of days or cycles. 5.

Calculation of the Total Elapsed Days

How is the form of the nighttime of the Creator measured? Through the existence of the revolutions and the cosmic dissolution known by the wise. 5. From the solar years elapsed since the beginning of the Kalpaoriginal: kalpa, multiply the solar years by the Intercalary Monthsoriginal: adhimāsa; extra lunar months added to the calendar to keep it synchronized with the solar seasons and divide by the total solar years in a cycle. 6.

The result gives the elapsed intercalary months. To the accumulated solar years, add the lunar months that have passed since the month of Caitraoriginal: caitrādi; the first month of the Hindu lunar calendar, usually occurring in March-April. 5. Multiply this sum by thirty and add the elapsed lunar days (tithis). Set this number aside; these are the lunar days. Multiply them by the Omitted Lunar Daysoriginal: avamānāni or avama; days skipped in the lunar calendar because a lunar day is shorter than a solar day of a creation cycle. 6.

Divide that total by the lunar days in a cycle to find the omitted days. Subtract these from the lunar days previously set aside. The result is the Ahargaṇaoriginal: ahargaṇa; literally "the heap of days," the total number of civil/solar days elapsed from a fixed epoch to the current date, the mean solar days from the beginning of creation. 7.

This "heap of days" is calculated from midnight or sunrise, depending on the school of thought; the wise always calculate the solar sunrise at Lanka the traditional zero-meridian in Indian astronomy in proper order. 8. Because intercalary months contain fractional parts, one must account for the remainder. 9. This remainder must be cleared from the start of the year, accounting for the months starting from Chaitra. 10.

When the fractional parts are always subtracted, the calculation of the lunar months is complete. 11. If the remainder is smaller than the fractional part, it is added to the "heap of days" at that time, as known by those who understand the union and separation of time at midnight. 12. Even the day of the week, starting with Sunday, is determined by the months beginning with Chaitra and the fallen intercalary months...