01 August 2012

Ayanamsha And The Precession Of The Equinoxes

These days I started wondering whether Ayanamsha and The Precession Of The Equinoxes are really one and the same. I don't think they are. I think there is a difference. To put it very simply, just as the orbital period of the moon is different from the synodic month; the Ayanamsha is different from The Precession Of The Equinoxes. Though they are apparently similar.

In the post "The World Destroying Time" dated 21 Feb. 2012; though I said I would explain the nearly 1800 years difference between Sri Yukteswar Ayanamsha and the Precession of the Equinoxes as observed by modern science, I failed to explain it. I am really sorry. I could only show how other numbers like the number of days in an orbital period of the moon, the synodic month, the number of days in a solar year can all be derived from the number 54 and I was able to show the number used by ancient Indians as an approximation of Pi (333/106). What caught my attention about those numbers was that they are not lengthy decimals like those observed by modern science; but they are quite close to the numbers given by science. And when you multiply with 24,000. They don't leave a decimal number, and are exactly precise to the last day.

I attempt an explanation to the roughly 1800 year difference. I might be wrong but please consider it.

Sri Yukteswar's Ayanamsha deviation per year is 0°0'54".

Science puts the Rate of Precession around 0°0'50.2" to 0°0'50.3". The rate per year is not constant.

360*60*60=1296000"

If you take 0°0'54"

1296000/54= 24,000 Solar Years.

As observed by science,

1296000/50.2=25816.733067729083665338645418327 Solar Years

1296000/50.3=25765.407554671968190854870775348 Solar Years

So, it is somewhere between 25,765 Solar Years to 25,816 Solar Years.

If you take 25,772 years, then the rate of precession will be around,

1296000/25,772=50.287133322986186559056340214186" Arc Seconds.

Ancient Indians, obviously, paid more attention to the synodic month than the orbital period of the moon. The synodic month is generally measured from New Moon to the next New Moon. Remember, a synodic month is roughly 2 days longer than the orbital period. So, if you are considering the synodic month from the orbital period, the moon doesn't just cover the 360° but covers another 26°40'. Roughly covering  386°40'. This is because of the simple reason that measurement is from New Moon to next New Moon and not a point on the circumference of a circle, (in this case, not a fixed point on the orbit).

For example, let's assume, a new moon occured exactly on 6°40' of Krittika Nakshatra dividing the nakshatra exactly into two halves. The next new moon occurs not at 6°40' of Krittika Nakshatra but in Mrigashira Nakshatra. For convenience, let's assume it occured exactly on centre of Mrigashira Nakshatra. So, totally, 360°(Full Revolution) + 6°40' of Remaining Krittika Nakshatra + 13°20' of Rohini Nakshatra + 6°40' of Mrigasira Nakshatra.

360°+26°40'=386°40'. This is because we are not following the Orbital period but the Synodic Period. New Moon to New Moon.

In Vedic astrology, the each nakshatra of 13°20'00" are further divided into 4 parts of 3°20'00" each. They are referred to as Padas. In a zodiac sign of 30 Degrees; you will have 9 Padas of three consecutive nakshatras. I always wondered about these padas. What real purpose were they serving? Dividing the cosmos into 27 Nakshatras itself is quite a punishment. And then a nakshatra into 4 Padas? Easier said than done. There will be 108 Padas in 360 Degrees.

Now, what happens when we mutiply 25,772 with 54?

25,772*54=1391688. Well, you will end up covering greater than 360 Degrees.

360° = 1296000" Arc Seconds.

1391688-1296000=95688.

You will cover 95688 Arc Seconds extra. This number when written in Degrees° Minutes' Seconds"?

95310= 26°34'48".

Now,

8 Padas = 26°40'00" or 96000 Arc Seconds.

Suppose, we add 1296000+96000=1392000

and divide with 54?

1392000/54=25777.777777777777777777777777778 !!!

The above number, is it the period in years for the Precession of the Equinoxes to come back to the same point?

Now, I think we know why the Padas are used.

My explanation might look ridiculous. First download the free book "Vedic Astrology: An Integrated Approach" by P.V.R. Narasimha Rao. He's the guy who created the freeware Vedic astrology software program, Jagannatha Hora. You will find the link in Jagannatha Hora website. In that book, In "1.3.8 Tithis and Lunar Calendar", he explains how the tithis are calculated. Please remember; the calculations in the book are not the author's. He is just showing how the Ancient Indians calculated the tithis. In "1.3.8.1 Tithis" P.V.R. Narasimha Rao says, "In lunar calendar, one day stands for one tithi. Tithi or lunar day is a period in which the difference between the longitudes of Moon and Sun changes by exactly 12°."

There are 30 tithis in one month. So, 30°*12=360°. NEVER FORGET, THIS IS THE SYNODIC MONTH AND NOT THE ORBITAL PERIOD OF THE MOON.

Then why does it work? Because it is a method used to calculate the position of the Moon from The Sun. It does not calculate the position of the moon on its orbit.

In the same way, the ayanamsha is not a method to calculate a point on the orbit. It is a method to calculate the position of Our Beloved Sun in relation to the centre of the galaxy in it's path around it's dual. Just as the moon, though it is revolving around the earth, the tithi is given in reference to the Sun. Sri Yukteswar clearly says, in page 8 of The Holy Science, "... and the sun, with its planets and their moons, takes some star for its dual and revolves round it in about 24,000 years of our earth-a celestial phenomenon which causes the backward movement of the equinoctial points around the zodiac."

When Sri Yukteswar was writing the book in 1894, he must have referred to the Precession of the Equinoxes as an immediate proof for his statements about the dual.

--- --- --- --- ---

There is a chance that my 54 to the power of 4 is some kind of mnemonic which the Ancient Indians used and I bumped into it quite unwittingly.

A better way of calculationg the Draconitic Year :-

54*54*54*54=8503056
54 to the power of 4 = 8503056.
360 Degrees = 1296000 Seconds
1296000/50=25920
8503056/25920=328.05
328.05/12=27.3375 -- Orbital Period Of Moon.
27.3375*333=9103.3875
9103.3875/27=337.1625
337.1625/12=28.096875
28.096875*333/27=346.528125
346.528125 -- Draconitic Year
Science puts it at 346.620075883 Days in a Draconitic year.

--- --- --- --- ---