ASSAM
BooKs
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FOR VEDIC ASTROLOGY - By Dr. Pranav Jyoti Deka
Utility
of Vedic astronomy/astrology:.......
Nearly all the modern scholars having extensive knowledge on Vedic astronomy think that the Vedic sages tried their level best to develop an error-free and accurate calendar. The present author a votary of utilitarian philosophy does not believe that the Vedic society was a time-bound 'rat-race' where an accurate calendar was of absolutely necessity. The reason behind this obsession of the Vedic sages to formulate an error-free calendar can be found in their religious belief and not in the mundane and social requirements.
The Vedic Hindu religion, like most other religions, used to function on two separate planes; one refined, dealing with sublime 'Atman' (soul) and infinite 'Brahman' (the supreme creator); and the other a more profane plane which functioned on the quid pro quo basis, where the deities in the form of gods, the Adityas and manes were prayed for boons, protection, and even incentives were offered to 'leave in peace'. By the time the Rig-Veda took a concrete form, the religious procedures of the Vedic Aryans were well -codified. Favours from the deities were asked not only for major social events as migration (yatra), warfare, sowing, harvesting etc. but for personal favours too in the case of pregnancy (valorous and generous male child); house construction and occupation (protection from fire), disease (should be non fatal) etc. At that socio-cultural stage, the Vedic Aryans were absolutely sure about their faith. The deities were 'correctly identified' along with the subjects they manage or control. The incantations (mantras) properly pronounced were accepted as infallible. The link between the gods in heaven and the earthlings was the sacred fire of 'yajna'. The quantity and quality of the sacrifice depended upon the value and urgency of the boon prayed for. In this fail -proof chain of certainty the only weak link was how to ascertain the proper time when the gods are in munificent mood. The gods and the Adityas were not supposed to be responsive year round and all the twenty-four hours.
If the deity did not answer the prayer, it could only mean that the sacrifice was not offered in the 'proper time'. The search for 'proper time' was the reason, which egged Vedic sages for astronomical observations and calculations. Kedarnath Prabhakar wrote "dates (tithis) were required to find a suitable day and time to do the yajna (Ved our Jyotish: Hind. P.27). S.A. Paramhans is more explicit. He states, "yajnas adhere strictly to the rules of time which were told by astronomy"(Astronomy in Ancient India … Prevalence. P. 149).
To determine the 'auspicious time' the required informations are the month (solar position) and the tithi (lunar phase), but the final determining factor (Kalavidana) was the Astakas, the method of knowing the coincidence of relevant constellations (Naksatras) with the Moon. As each god, Aditya and manes were supposed to have their own favourite Naksatra, the Astakas (conjunction) were gradually replaced by 'lordship of a deity over a particular Naksatra and the deities got permanently attached to their own Naksatras. It is the system of 'Naksatra isti' where a prayer or a sacrifice is made through yajna to the ruling deity of the other mundane subject. The Naksatras by the strength of their association with any particular deity gradually acquired a part of the same power from their lord and ultimately may even become more prominent than their 'master'. In that process some deities lost all significance. In the verses commending favourable marriage of a daughter when the Moon is in conjunction with the Swati Naksatra, or commencing a successful raid or war under the 'sway of the Abhijit Naksatra', no reference of the ruling deity has been made (Naksatra and Vedic Astrology -T. N. Dharmadhikari).
These observations support our postulation that the Vedic Aryans were highly 'practical people' and the Vedic astronomy was astrology oriented. Being astrology (result) oriented the touchstone to test the veracity of the astronomical reading was not mathematical calculation, or even sighting, but by the successful result obtained if a particular activity was commenced under definite 'auspicious Naksatra'.
The regime of pure, uncontaminated Vedic astrology ended some time in the 8th century B.C. 'Pre Mahavira, Jain literature' (Tirthankaras) mentions zodiacal houses and signs (6th century B. C.). It is generally believed that pure Vedic astrology got lost (suppressed) during the Buddhist period and was revived during the first Hindu renaissance. The first systematic and complete classification of the Naksatras, on the basis of activities they are supposed to patronize is found in the work of Parasara. This classification (if not been interpolated in the later ages) must have been formulated before 6th and after 8th century B.C. as Parasara has also described zodiacal -ascendant based astrology which has nowhere been described before 9th century B.C. (Vasistha's age?). In that period some Aryan tribes came in close contact with the Mesopotamian culture and a composite culture known as Amlash came up, whereas other Aryan groups resisted this 'Asura' influence. Parasara's work on the classification of Naksatras has been extensively quoted in Vrihad Samhitas rendering into English by M. Ramakrishna Bhat (Pub. Motilal Banarasidas. Delhi.1982) and though roughly 1200 years separates Varahmihira from Parasara, there is plenty of similarity between these two classifications of the Naksatras (Chapter 98. Vrihadsamhita). In the other two chapters of the Vrihadsamhita the stellar alignment (chap. 15 and stellar effects on birth (chap. 101) greater differences between Parasara and Varahamihira can be noticed. The basic difference is that Parasara recognized 28 Naksatras, whereas Varahamihira used 27 Naksatras (excluded Abhijit).
Abhijit's precarious position in Indian astronomy/astrology is explained by S.D. Sharma, "Abhijit is not to be included in these considerations. It was in fact included in the list quite late around a few hundred years B.C. or so, and again dispensed with (Pre -Vedanga astronomy. S.D. Sharma. P. 143)."
Introduction of the 28th Naksatra was probably necessitated by two factors:
(i) When the Naksatras were to be divided among 7 planets (Rahu & Ketu were not there) equally, 28 is a more convenient number than 27. Later when Rahu and Ketu were included, the number of planets became 9, and 27 Naksatras were more easily divisible by 9 than 28. Rahu and Ketu were mentioned in the Atharva Veda but probably they meant the eclipses and not lunar nodes. Varahamihira was the first person to differentiate the Rahu and Ketu from eclipses.
(ii) The second problem is extremely complex, and the primitive mathematics was not upto it. To synchronize the variation of the solar magnetic intensity with the lunar sighting against a fixed angle (Naksatra), following factors and vectors had to be taken into consideration.
(a) The time and speed of one revolution of the Sun's radiation emitting zone (equatorial zone).
(b) The time required for one revolution of the Earth on its own axis.
(c) The time required for the Moon to complete one revolution around the Earth (Siderial month).
To make the synchronization if not permanent, atleast durable, the time required for the Earth to make an orbital revolution must be also taken into account. The complexity of the problem can be imagined if one remembers that:
(i) The length of a synodic month = 29.5306 days (fullmoon to fullmoon)
(ii) The length of a siderial month = 27.3217 days (Moon back to starting star)
(iii) The length of a solar month = 1/12 of solar year of 365.2563 days.
(iv) Anomalistic month = 27.5545 days.
Over and above it, the 27-day solar energy variation is never exactly of 27-days duration. Depending upon the intensity of the solar flare in the last two days of a cycle, it may be slightly longer or shorter.
We have brought this up to demonstrate that the Vedic astronomers selected the lunar months which are easier to discern as the basis of calendar and religious festivities of general nature. For the pin-point accuracy required to perform yajna, marriage etc. they used 'Astaka' and siderial months (Muhurtam).
In a synodic month the Moon covers 27 Naksatras and travel about 2 Naksatras more, thereby completing 13 cycles in 12 lunar months, which makes the JAVADI system of compensation necessary. If 27 Naksatras are used as advised by Vedanga Jyotisha a lunar year will cover 354.36705 days, but if Naksatras are used in 13 cycles it will cover 364 Naksatras.
In brief, if 28 Naksatra are used, the synchronization will be nearer to synodic month and the solar year, whereas 27 Naksatras give a better coordination with the siderial month and the 27-day solar energy cycle. This controversy and partisanship is so fierce among some Indian astrologers, that the name of Abhijit (28th) has been interpolated in to English translation of some well-known Sanskrit astrological literature even when Abhijit was not mentioned in the original text.
As the concept of 'single supreme being' took deeper root, the Vishnu got merged with Vaga, and the rest of the deities bereft of lusture and power got lost in the limbo where from they are retrieved from time to time by the exponents of Vedic rituals. Though the lords of the Naksatras were no more in esteem, their vassals, the Naksatras still retain some hold over the society. Practical experiences have taught that some types of job started on a definite date, on the average give better result than if commenced on any other day. When somebody kept careful record of such 'good' and 'bad' days, a single person or the whole school, would have noticed that there is a definite periodicity of such 'good' or 'bad' days. As for example, if they found decisions taken on migration or establishment of settlement in days which give beneficial result fall with a gap of 5, 8, 9 and 5 days, they could have correlated these days with the 4th, 12th, 21st, 26th Naksatras. Similarly marriage and festivities could have been found to run smoothly without excessive drinking, and fighting if celebrated when Mrigasira, Citra, Anuradha or Revatis turn comes to be in conjunction with the Moon with a periodicity of 5, 9, 3, and 10th days.
It should be noted that periodicity is same in al the classifications of Naksatras done by different sages in different historical periods. Classification of the Naksatras must have been based on the statistics gathered through the centuries by carefully monitoring the ultimate outcome of the ventures commenced during definite Astakas (lunar stellar conjunctions).
In our endeavour to establish the astrophysical basis of the Vedic astrology we will try to demonstrate that the periodic or sequential places occupied by Naksatras belonging to a particular class, say a Naksatra favouring 'stable activities', such as establishing a new township (Dhruba class), within the astrological series comprised of 27 Naksatras will have the same sequential positions as the periodic places occupied by the days of 'minimum-magnetic disturbances' within the 27 -day cycle of solar -terrestrial electromagnetic variation. The same should hold true to coincidence of periodic places of Naksatras favouring 'high-energy activities' as warfare, with the sequential position of the days of higher solar energy and disturbances.
Near perfect coincidence of periodicity established by tenets of astrology with the periodicity founded on scientific observations and actual measurements by instruments should compell us to accept that astrological canons on stellar classification are not mere unsubstantiated fiat but were formulated after close scrutiny, and the preceptors were unknowingly following an astrophysical phenomenon having effects on process of thinking and behaviour of human being.
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