Commentary on the Essence of Battle

The master of the Northern Solstice Uttarayana is the vowel A original: Akara. In the duration of this Solstice-vowel Ayana-svara, the intermediate rising antarodaya lasts for sixteen days (16), twenty-one ghatis (21) A ghati is an ancient Indian unit of time equal to 24 minutes, and forty-nine palas (49) A pala is equal to 24 seconds; there are 60 palas in one ghati. These two—the vowels A and I—are the Solstice-vowels; therefore, they are the masters of the two paths The "paths" refer to the Northern and Southern solstices.

It is further stated that in its specific position, the rising of the vowel A occurs in the bright fortnight Shukla-paksha The waxing phase of the moon, as does the rising of the vowel I. Here, within this Position Vowel pada-svara, the intermediate rising lasts for one day (1), twenty-one ghatis (21), and forty-nine palas (49). In this manner, there are eleven such intermediate risings.

The Month Vowels

Now the Month Vowel masa-svara is declared: In the months of Vaishakha approx. April–May, Bhadrapada approx. August–September, and Margashirsha approx. November–December, the vowel A is the master. The vowel I attains its rising in the months of Ashvina and Shravana.

In the months of Chaitra approx. March–April and Pausha approx. December–January, the vowel U original: Ukara is the one that rises. Following this, in the bright fortnight of Jyeshtha approx. May–June... the vowel E original: Ekara is the rising vowel.