Jyotish - Muddle of Ayanamsa

MUDDLE OF AYANAMSA
DrS. Madhavan M.Sc.; Ph.D.

Prq(essor of MathemaHcs, L-ILiuerslly College, Trluandrum
Preface
The aim of this booklet is to introduce the concept
of the Precession of Equinoxes to the general reader. As
I started writing. I found that I had to steer between
Scylla and Charybdis: If the booklet bristles with tech-
nicalities and turns out to be suffocatingly intellectual
the general reader may reject it; on the other hand, in
the total absence of technicalities this may degenerate
blto 'mere trash' , the most unwelcome form for a
scientific work. So technicalities are Introduced, but
reduced to a minimum and sufficient care is taken to
make the lntroductton a bit informal. A bird's eye view
of some astronomical and kindred concepts is made in
the first four sections to prepare the reader for the later
sections. To know what Ayanamsa is, one should know
what the first point of Aries is and, in turn, to know
that one needs to have some knowledge of Astronomy
and this is what the first four sections deal with.
: Around 1962. a series of articles under the cap-
tion ' 'the vexed question of Ayanamsa' was published
in the Astrological Magazine. At that time I found these
articles quite exciting and informative. I had often
planned a general book on the subject, but because of
hectic mathematical activities and many other con-
straints, I could hardly get the leisure required for the
execution of my plan. The idea of writing such
a book grew out of a conversation with Prof.
N.E.Muthuswamy and I wishto express my sincere
thanks for his encouragement and valuable sugges-
tions.
It is not out of place to point out some salient
features of the booklet. As regards the dates of Aryab-
hata and Varahamlhira. the view generally accepted by
the scholars is followed. The author has consulted
many books in Sanskrit and English since the sources
are referred to in important places, no bibliography is
separately given. In the transliteration of Sanskrit
words the standard scheme is avoided as the book is
being addressed to the general reader.
I wish to express my sincere thanks to Dr. B.V.
Raman, the Editor, Astrological Magazine, for permit-
ting me to incorporate the material on Ayanmsa from
his Astrological Magazine of August 1991.
I also express my sincere thanks to Shrl.V.
Lakshmana Iyer, Chief Engineer (Retd), Kerala State
for his valuable suggestions, particularly regarding the
incorporation of various ayanamsa figures. I was in-
itiated into Jyotisha by my revered father and Guru
Shri. A.N. Srinivasaraghava Iyengar. when I was quite
a boy. With respectful memories, the booklet is dedi-
cated to him.
I wish to thank Sri. M. Easwaran, Editor and Smt.
M.Girija, Proprietor. CBH Publications, for undertak-
ing to publish this book.
S.Madhavan
Contents
Preface
l.Candles of the Heavens
2.Castle in the Air
3.Spln and Merry Go-roLnds
4.From the Time's Abysmal Chasm
S.Wlther Equinox? Westward Ho!
6.S\ving or Reel?
7. Ayanamsas in the Arena
8. Astrology sans Mythology
9.East is East and West is West
10. Sayan a versus Nirayana
ll.Epllogue
Appendices
7
15
21
29
39
4:1
53
67
73
77
81;
1
Candles of the Heavens
Who is not enchanted by the myriads of twin-
kling stars that adorn the dark blue velvet of the night
sky? The advancing night which sprinkles stars all over
the sky excites the poet's imagination who lets his fancy
roam everywhere. The average man, however Is forced
to be indifferent to the celestial phenomenon. He finds
pleasure in slumber after toiling and moiling during the
day. Vociferous drunken brawls break the silence of
night. Robbers stealthily move in darkness to achieve
their ends. But there is one man who is really serious,
trying to learn about the stars. He is the star-gazer. He
searches for his celestial companions with the guidance
of his telescope. At times there are signs of ardent
pleasure on his face. His jubilant face turns pale when
things are not up to his expectations. He makes some
measurements on the graduated circles ofhis telescope
and silently engages in computation. But, What is he
actually doing? What does he measure and what does
he compute? What is the framework in which he does
his operations? One needs to know these before taking
to a serious study of Astronomy.
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
The first task is to identify the stars. The primitive
man to whom the stars were pieces of wonder imagined
fanciful stories about them. An old Malayan story as-
serts that the stars were the children of the Moon -
mother who brought her children out only during the
night, when jealous Sun who had no children, was not
present. The milky way used to be identified with the
celestial Ganges. Despite these descriptions of excited
imagination, the early man took great efforts to stud\'
the stars. The method ofidentification of stars is much
like identifying a house in a city; give the name of the
street and the number of the house. Since it is difficult
to identify the stars unless they are sufficiently bright,
stars are arranged in groups called constellations first
and then with the constellations, the stars are iden-
tified. The constellations are given names after the
anfmals or objects which they are supposed to
resemble. Sometimes they are named after characters
in mythology. 'Sapta-rishi-mandalam' for instance is
named after the seven sages, Marie hi, Vasistha, An
giras, Atri, Pulastya. Pulaha. and Kratu. The faint com-
panion ofVasishta is named after Arundhati.
The general method followed in the West is to give
a Latin name to a constellation and name the individual
star as Alpha, Beta, Gamma etc. of the constellation in
descending order of brightness. Thus Canis major is a
group of stars supposed to represent the figure in the
form of a dog. The brightest star in the group is called
Alpha Canis Majoris. This star is also known as Sirius
(Lubdhaka in Sanskrit) and is the brightest star in the
sky. Bright stars have generally individual names.
There is an important group of constellations called the
I Muddle of Ayanamsa
Zodiacal constellations viz., Aries, Taurus, Gemini,
Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius,
Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The constellation
Aries is so called because ofits supposed resemblance
to a ram. The brightest star in the constellation is Alpha
Arietls. the second is Beta Arietis and so on. Indian
astronomy refers to twelve rasis or signs as Mesha,
Vrishaba, Mithuna, Karkataka, Simha, Kanya, Tula,
Vrischika, Dhanus, Makara, Kumbha and Miua, which
are supposed to be same as above. But Mesha repre-
sents a portion of Zodiac of length so Vrishabha rep-
resents the region oflength 30 that follows, and finally
Miua represents the last 30 of the Zodiac. One striking
feature of Indian astronomy is that though Mesha rep-
resents a Zodiacal Rasi, no constellation or group of
stars is identified as Mesha. Similarly none of the 12
Zodiacal rasis is represented by an actual group of
stars. On the other hand, Mesha is identified with As-
vtni, Bharani and the first quarter of Krittika. Vrishab-
ha is identified with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters of
Krittika, Rohini and first two quarters ofMrigasirsa and
so on. Thus all the 27 nakshatras are distributed
among the 12 zodiacal rasis, each sign receiving 2 nak-
shatras and a quarter. These nakshatras are actu ally
represented by groups of stars. For example, Asvini is
a constellation of three stars resembling the face of a
horse. Each nakshatra has a principal star or yogatara,
which is generally a bright star of the group. However
the two classifications do not completely coincide.
Sravana or Altair. the principal star of the nakshatra
sravana is in Makara rasi. One may expect it to be in
the constellation Capricornus. But it is actually a star
Muddle of Ayanamsa I
in the constelation Aquila. It is true that there are com-
mon stars in the two classifications. But they are not
completely identical. But it is not important as the
Mesha rasi, and the stars Asvini, Bharani and the first
quarter of Krittika represent the same region of the
Zodiac, and similarly for the other Zodiacal rasis and
the corresponding nakshatras. We have given lllustra.
tions of the constellation Leo, whl$ consists of the
p r l n l p ~ l stars of Magna (Regulus), Purvaphalguni
[Delta Leonis) and Uttaraphall!uni (Denebola) and
Leonis and Dipper, the constellation. (see figures i and
U).
LEO and (2) here'

figure (1)
THE DIPPER ( Snptnrshimnndalnm)
jlgure (2)
We shall give below principal stars (yogatara) of
the 27 nakshatras, and the corresponding names in the
West.
Nakshatra
Asvini
Bharani
Krlttilta
Rohini
Mrigasirsa
Ardra
Punarvasu
Pushya
Aslesha
Magha
Purvaphalguni
Uttaraphalguni
Hasta
Chitra
Svati
Visakha
Anuradha
Jyeshta
Mula
Purvaashadha
U ttaraashadha
Sravana
Sravishta
Satabhishak
Western name
Beta Arietis
41 Arietls
Eta Tauri (Aicyon)
Alpha Tauri (Aidebarren)
Lambda Orionis
Alpha Orlonis (Betalguese)
Beta Geminiorum (Pollux)
Delta Cancri
Alpha Cancri
Alpha Leonis (Regulus)
Delta Leonis
Beta Leonis (Denebola)
Delta Corvi
Alpha Virginis (Spica)
Alpha Bootis (Arcturus)
Iota Lobrae
Delta ScorpU
Alpha Scorpii (Antares)
Lambda Scorpii
Delta Sagittarii
Delta Sagittarii
Alpha Aquilae (Altair)
Alpha Delphini
Lambda Aquarii
Muddle of Ayanamsa /
Nakshatra Western Name
Poorvabhadrapada Alpha Pegasl
Uttarabhadrapada Alpha Andromedae
Revati Zeta Piscium
In the boqk 'Popular Hindu Astronomy by
Kalinath Mukherji an attempt has been made to identify
Mesha, Vrishabha etc., i.e., Zodiacal rasis as constella-
tions. The identification is done with the help of scrip-
tures and Sanskrit Literature. However there is no
conclusive proof to show that such a system of describ-
ing the rasis as constellations was actually in force in
ancient India. It is likely that such a system was
prevalent in ancient India and the knowledge of this
system was lost with the passage of time.
2
A Castle in the Air
Any reader may have at least a dim recollection
of the geography he learnt in the secondary school.
However, no knowledge is presupposed. The ideas are
introduced without much technicalities.
One understands what is meant by a sphere. -Any
section of a sphere by a plane is a circle. When the plane
passes through the centre of the sphere, the section is
called a great circle, otherwise a small circle. In the
strict sense of the term the earth is not spherical in
shape., but spheroidal. But as an approximation we
shall treat the earth as a sphere and build our concepts.
Any observer of the sky notes that the celestial bodies
rise, move upwards, and set. Dynamical considerations
force us to conclude that the earth rotates about an
axis. We observe that the rotation is from west to east.
This axis meets the earth in two points on earth called
the North and South Poles. The terms Meru and
Badavamukha are used to designate these in Indian
astronomical literature. All the points equidistant from
the two poles lie on a great circle called the equator,
known as Niraksharekha in the Indian system. All
8 Muddle of Ayanamsa I
circles that are passing through the North and the
South poles are called meridians or circles of longitudes
and small circles along planes parallel to that of the
equator are called parallels of latitude. The meridian
which passes through Greenwich is called the Universal
Meridian. For any place on earth, the terrestrial lon-
gitude is determined thus. Draw the circle oflongitude
through the place A. Let the Greenwich meridian and
meridian through A meet the eQuator at G
1
and A1
respectively. Then the length G
1
A
1
which is the same
as the angle subtended by G
1
A
1
at the centre of the
earth is the longitude. Longitude varies form 0 to lso
and can be east or west of Greenwich. The parallels of
latitude determine the position of a place north or south
of the equator. For the place described above, terrestrial
latitude is North or South according as the place is
north or south of the equator. The terrestrial latitude
is measured by the arc of the meridian through A in-
tercepted between A and the equator. It varies form 0
to 90. For an observer in the North Pole there will be
no north, east or west. There is only South. Similarly
for an observer in the South Pole, there is only North.
For any observer the sky appears in the form of
a hemispherical dome with the stars as points of light
spread on its surface. Naturally an astronomer im-
agines a celestial sphere around him. He, treated as a
point, is at the centre ofthe sphere. He finds the posi-
tions of the stars and other celestial bodies as seen on
the sphere. The star Sirius, for example is at a distance
of 8.7 light years from the earth, and the star Alpha
Centauri is at a distance of 4.3 light years. But he uses
the projections of these on the celestial sphere for his
Muddle of Ayanamsa
immediate study. though the actual positiOns are
required in some other contexts. Now the properties of
the sphere and methods of spherical geometry and
trigonometry can be effectively applied to study the
movement of celestial bodies.
Given any two points. we can always draw a great
circle joining them. The distance between any two
points on a sphere is measured by the arc of great circle
joining them. This is taken to be the angle subtended
at the observers position by the two points. The term
'horizon' is used in common life, and one is intuitively
aware of what it Is. Varahamlhira. the celebrated
astronomer of Ujjaln. defines it as a circle along which
thesky and the earth appear to meet. More formally we
can define horizon as the great circle of the celestial
!phere intercepted by the tangent plane to eallth's
' 1rface at the observers position. The point of celestial
sphere that is vertically Overhead is called the Zenith
(Z) and its antipodal point., the point diametrically op-
posite to it, is called the Nadir (N). The earth's polar axis
when extended in either direction meets the celestial
sphere in the North and south celestial poles. The North
pole is conveniently located with the help of the pole
star. The point on the horizon below the North pole Is
called the North Point. From this the South/the East
and the West points can be fixed. One important prin-
ciple is that the height of the pole above the horizon is
equal to the latitude of the place. For any circle on a
sphere. the diameter of the sphere perpendicular to the
plane of the circle is called its axis and the points of
intersection of the axis with the sphere are called poles.
For any circle, a great circle through its poles is called
10
a secondary. The great circle with the north celestial
pole and south celestial pole for poles is called the celes-
tial equator. The celestial equator divides the celestial
sphere into two hemispheres, the northern and
southern hemispheres containing respectively the north
and south celestial poles. The meridian of a place is the
great circle passing through the Zenith, the Nadir and
the poles. Verticals are secondaries to the horizon and
the vertical through the East and West points are called
the prime vertical. Any careful observer can see that the
Sun is having an eastward motion in the sky with
respect to the fixed stars. Observe the eastern horizon
before sunrise. Certain stars will be visible near the
horizon which gradually pale into insignificance with
the arrival of the Sun at the eastern horizon. Repeat the
process continuously for a few days. One can notice the
group of stars visible near the horizon changes con-
tinuously suggesting thereby an apparent motion of the
Sun eastwards with respect to the stars. The Sun com-
pletes the revolution with respect to the stars in the
course of a period called a sidereal year. The apparent
path of the Sun is called the ecliptic. This apparent mo-
tion is actually due to the earth's revolution, in the
orbit around the Sun. The Zodiac or Zodiacal belt con-
sisting of the constellations Aries, Taurus, Pis-
ces. ......... covers the ecliptic. The ecliptic is defined as
a great circle of the celestial sphere and it is inclined
at about 23 -2 T to the equator. The points of intersec-
tion of the celestial equator and the ecliptic are called
the first point of Aries ( )' l and the first point of Libra
(a). The point at which the Sun leaves the southern
hemisphere to the northern hemisphere in the west to
east motion along
Flg(lli)
HL- the ecliptic
K and K' the poles
qf the ecliptic
S a celestial body
D the fool of the
secondary through S
t D the (celesttal)
longtlude of S
S D - the (celestial)
latitude of S
Fig (iv)
.l.'l};ttV}
II
is called the First point
N
E- the East point.
W- the Westpoint.
S - the South point.
N- the North Point.
P the North cele sttal
pole and P' the south
celesllal pole.
nS the celestial
horizon, QR the celes-
tial equator.
HL-the ecliptic.
1 - the First point of
Aries.
~ - the First point of
Libra.
K and K' the poles of
til' rliplic.
It is necessary to acquaint oneself with the system
co-ordinates used for fixing the positions of stars and
planets. Since we are not using all of them in the book,
we shall discuss some of them which are relevant to the
understanding of the remaining part of the book. The
height of any body above the horizon is measured by
its angular distance above the horizon along the secon-
dary to the horizon through the body, and is called the
altitude. If S is a body and SD is a secondary to the
horizon D being the foot of the secondary then SD is
the altitude. The angular distance measured from the
North point (or the South) eastwards upto D is called
the azimuth of the body. In this system the coordinates
reference to the horizon. We can choose
equator and a suitable origin for defining another sys-
tem. Let S be a body. Draw SD secondary to the
equator. D being the foot of the secondary. Then rD
measured eastwards is called the right Ascension and
SD is called the declination. The declination is
measured positive or negative depending on the hemi-
sphere which S (North or South) belongs. This system
is generally used to give the positions of stars. We now
start with the ecliptic and define another system. Let S
be a body and SD, secondary to the ecliptic. rD
measured eastwards is called the celestial longitude
and SD ls called celestial latitude. SD is measured
north or positive and south or negative as the case may
be. See figure (lv) for a representation. We recall that
tpe first point of Aries is one of the points of intersection
IJ
,of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. It is found that
: ~ 4 J i : e first point of Aries has a backward motion of abut
'.50" .2 per annum in relation to the stars and this phe
no me no n is called the precession of the equinoxes. In
Indian Astronomy it is conventional to refer to lon-
gitudes in relation to a fixed star in the Zodiac which
we shall call 'Meshadr and the longitude so measured
is called the Nirayana longitude of the body. If it is
measured from the first point of Aries, it is called
Sayana longitude. The Meshadi is not the First point of
Aries though at some point of time., it coincided with the
F'ratpoint of Aries. In Indian Astronomy terrestrial
latitude is called Akshamsa, the horlron is called
Kl!ihlttja. the celestial equator is called Vishuvavritta,
the ecliptic is called apamandala and longitude is called
Jhuta. and the celestial latitude is called vikshepa; To
quite specific, the celestial longitude is called
Nirayana sphuta or Sayana sphuta depending on
whether it is measured with reference to Meshadi or the
first point of Aries. The celestial latitude or Vikshepa is
unaffected by precession. The precession of the equi-
noxes is called Ayanachalana in Indian Astronomy.
Indian Astronomy employs a term Dhruva for
giving the positions of stars. This is generally called the
polar longitude, which is measured by the distance of
the star from Meshadi along the ecliptic up to the foot
of the circle through the celestial poles and the body.
If S is the body and P Is the nearer pole and D is the
point of inter section of PS with the ecliptic then the
angular distance of D measured eastwards from
Meshadi is the dhruva. Hence SD is the vikshepa or
what may be translated as polar latitude.
14
The methods given in this section are for northern
latitudes. Corresponding changes, whenever required
have to be made for southern latitudes in the descrip-
tion of the celestial sphere. The attribute c e l e s ~ l is
generally omitted by convention tn using the terms.
Thus we simply say equator, longitude, latitude etc.
dropping the adjective 'celestial'. Corresponding to
every point on the surface of the earth, one can visualize
a celestial sphere and co-ordinates of celestial bodies
can be given with reference to that. However one can
choose the centre of the earth as the centre of celestial
sphere. co-ordinates referred to this are called geo-
centric co- ordinates. It is the convention to give the
geo-centric right ascension, declination, longitude, and
latitude of celestial bodies. This matters little in the case
of distant objects like stars. In the case of comparatively
nearer bodies like the Moon, the Sun and the Planets,
geo-centric co-ordinates differ from those with reference
to any station on the surface of the earth, due to paral-
lax.
3
Spins and Merry-
Go-rounds
Before taking up the study of precession it is
necessary to know about the diurnal motion of the stars
and planets and the annual motion of the Sun. When
the earth rotates about its polar axis once, this duration
of time is called a sidereal day - in the west to east direc-
tion, the celestial bodies appear to move in the east to
west direction. This is called diurnal motion. In the
course of a sidereal day, every celestial body rises tran-
sits above, sets, transits below and rises again. The
body is saia to rise when it reaches the horizon on the
east and is said to set when it reaches the horizon on
the west. The body is said to have the upper transit
when it crosses the meridian overhead,and the lower
transit when it crosses the meridian below the observer.
Before studying the Sun's diurnal motion everyday, it
is necessary to have a general idea of the annual motion
of the Sun. We recall that the Sun moves along the
ecliptic inclined at an angle of about 23 27' called obll-
}I)
quity. (it is denoted hereafter by w) to the celstial
equator. On March 21st the Sun is at ( ) and the posi-
tion is. called the Vernal equinox. At this instant, the
longitude, the latitude, the right ascension and the
declination are all zero. The Sun moves eastwards along
the ecliptic and comes to the position S 1 on the ecliptic
on June 22nd when the longitude =90, The right as-
cension = 90 and the declina tlon=w (north). We em-
phasize that the Sun is always on the ecllp tic and
hence the latitude is alwys o- After June 22nd the Sun-
moves eastwards and reaches the position called the
Autumnal equinox on September 23rd. At this time the
longitude has become 180 the right ascension 180: and
the declination decreases to 0. Thereafter the Sun
moves along the ecliptic. longitude and the right ascen-
sion increase and the south declination increases, On
December 22nd Sun comes to S2 called the winter soilS-
tice, when the longitude is 210: The right ascension is
270 and the south declination is w. Thereafter the Sun
moves eastwards and reaches the first point of Aries
once again on March 21st( see figure (v ).
S:a.
... -
- - *' ... -
....... --,-,..., .. ...- - ---
,
--
- - ~ - sl -
- f ; ~ ...
Fig(v)
17
It is necesary to acquaint oneselfwith the nature
of diurnal motion of the Sun. When the latitude of a
station lies between 0 and go.w (North) the general
nature of the diurnal motion can be described thus. On
March 21st, the Sun rises at east point and sets at the
west pqlnt. the equator being its diurnal path. The day
and night are of the same duration. After this the rising
and setting points are shifted northwards, the Sun's
diurnal path every day being a small circle parallel to
the equator. The day lengthens and the night shortens.
This phenomenon continues till June 22nd when the
day is longest and the rising and setting points are in
the northernmost position. Thereafter the Sun retraces
Its path, the rising and setting points move backwards
and the whole phenomenon repeats in the reverse
.. order. On September 23rd, the Sun once again rises at
the East and sets at the West. The day and night have
the same duration. Afterwards. the rising and setting
points are shifted southwards., the day shortens and
the night lengthens until December 22nd when the
rising and setting points are in southenmost positions
and the day is shortest. This pheno-menon repeats in
the reverse order till the next March 21st. when the
latitude Is go.w the general description given above
works through and on the day when the Sun's dedma
tion is W-north on the summer solstice day, the Sun
touches the north point at setting and there is no
night, in any higher latitude the Sun touches the
north point on the day when the declination is 90"--?
north and thereafter the Sun continues to hover over
the horizon without rising and setting for a few days till
the declination once again becomes 90'!.) , This is called
perpetual day. There is an equal duration of perpetiual
night, and it comes when the Suns declination is go::.;
south. At the north pole the day lasts 6 months and
the night of an equal duration.
However, we are primarily interested in the
latitudes between oo and 90' -w (North) for which the
essential details are
1. At the equator i.e., when the latitude is 0, the
day and night have the same duration on all days.
2. On the equinoctial day, i.e., at the Vernal equi-
nox and the Autumnal Equinox the duration of the day
and night are the same.
3. At the summer solstice the day is longest ( the
njght is shortest) and at winter solstice the day is
shortest (the night is longest). For southern latitudes
the detaUs can be got by changing the day into night
and night into day.
It is necessary to add a word of caution. In all
these descriptions above, the change in the declination
of Sun in a day is not taken into account. In the stric-
test sense of the term. the dirunal path of the Sun on
any day is not parallel to the equator, but only ap-
proximately so. Moreover on March 21st. the Sun need
not be at the first point of Aries, at Sunrise and state-
ment about the Sun's rising at the East point is only
nearly true. However these minute differences can be
omitted while making a general study ofthe diurnal mo-
tion.
At the Vernal equinox, spring commences. Sum-
mer at the summer solstice, Autumn at the Autumnal
equinox, and winter at the Winter solstice. The period
j'
between two successive passages of the Sun through
the first point of Aries which we shall call the tropical
year reproduces the seasons in the same order. The In-
dians have 6 seasons (Vasanta, Grishma, Varsha.
Sarat. Hemanta, Sisira) each of two months duration
starting fom the S nn 's passage through Meshadi. Thns
it is with reference to the sidereal year which doesnot
reproduce the seasons in the same way according to the
western concept.
Let us now examine these details in the light of
the description in the preceding section. We recall that
the nirayana longitude is measured from the fixed point
of the Zodiac called Meshadi and not from the First
point of Aries. The entry of Sun in Mesha is called
Mesha-sankrantl which occurs when the nirvana lon-
gitude of the Sun is zero. In fact Mahavishuvat cor-
responds to the day on which the day and the night are
of equal duration, and hence it falls on March 21st. This
is called the Meshayana in Indian Astronomy. Therefore
vishuvat as observed by the Hindu society is not exactly
on the day when the lengths of the day and night are
equal but a few days later. Similarly Uttarayana. strictly
in accordance with the term starts on the day when the
Sun starts moving towrds the north. This happens
when the day is shortest in the northern latitudes. But
the Uttarayana-punyakala observed by the religious
Hindu is at the time of Makarasankranti, when the
nirvana longitude of the Sun is 270. This occurs a few
days after the Sun has started his northward course.
All these discrepancies occur because, of the
phenomenon called the precession ofthe equinoxes due
to which the First point of Aries moves westwards at
20
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
the rate of about 50" .2 per annum. In the Indian system
the year used is sidereal. A sidereal year is defined as
the interval between two successive passages of the Sun
through Meshadi. Let at a time Meshadi coincide with
the first point of Aries. This corresponds to the Vernal
Equinox. When the Sun comes back to Meshadi after
one sidereal year. the First polnt of Aries has already
moved westwards by 50" .2 year the real 'Mahavlshuvaf
or the Vernal equinox is already over. The vernal equi-
nox thus receeds every year and the difference that has
accumulated now since the Meshadi and First point of
Aries coincided is over 23. In fact the First point of
Aries is now in the constel Iation Pisces. At any tlme
the quantity to be subtracted to get the nirayana lon-
gitude from the Sayana is called Ayanamsa. The Inter-
val between two successive passages of the Sun
through the First Point of Aries is called a tropical year.
The first point of Aries and the instant of the
Sun's passage through the first point of Aries are both
known by the term the Vernal equinox. Similarly for the
First point of Libra and the solstices. In Indian
Astronomy the term Vishuva or Vlshuvat ls used to
denote equinoxes or equivalently the first point of Aries
and Libra. However one can name the First points of
Aries. Mah avls hu vat for clarity. It is also called Sayana
Meshadi. The term First Point of Aries alone is used in
this book. When the term first point of Aries ls used,
the reader will remember the synonyms the Vernal
equinox, pilrvavishuvat and sayana meshadi.
4
From the Time's
Abysmal Chasm
We shall introduce in this section the Indian con-
cept of time. According to Suryasiddhanta the micro -
divisions of time are as follows.
I 0 gurvaksharas 1 asu(prana)
6 as us 1 vinadi
60 vinadis 1 nadi
60 nadis 1 day
We get a slightly different Version in the Sidhan-
taslromanl of Bhaskara.
100 trutis 1 tatpara
30 tatpara 1 nlmesha
18 nlmeshas 1 kastha
30 kasthas 1 kala
30 kalas 1 gatika
2 ghatikas 1 kshana.muhurta
30 muhurtas 1 day
The day referred to can be the sidereal day or the
savana day. A sidereal day (nakshatra dina) 18 the time
)')
for one rotation of the circle of asterisms (bhachakra)
or equivaleiJtly the time of one rotation of the earth
about its axis. A savana day is defined as the interval
between two successive risings of the Sun,. When the
savana day is divided into smaller units the attribute
savana' is also used to indicate that. Thus a savana day
is equal to 60 savana nadis. Though the savana day is
ofvariable length, it is what is used by the Indians for
common purposes and what is called day in common
parlance.
With the sidereal year as the base, we have the
rnacrodivisions of time. We emphasise that a sidereal
year is the time taken by the Sun to move once round
the earth in relation to the fixed stars. A rnahayuga or
chaturyuga consists of four yugas occurring in the
order Krita, Treta, Dvapara and Kali with the following
durations:
Duration ofKali- 4,32,000 years
Duration ofDvapara- 2 x 4,32,000 years
Duration ofTreta- 3 x 4,32,000 years
Duration of Krita.- 4 x 4,32,000 years
Thus the period of a Chaturyuga is 4,32,0000
years. A Kalpa consists of I OOOchaturyugas and it con-
stitutes a day ofBrahma., the creator. There is an equal
duration of night when the worlds cease to exist. The
life span of the creator is I 00 years in his scale and it
is but the twinkling ofan eye ofthe supreme Brahman.
This kind of theoretical division of time looks ap-
parently quixotic. A truti in fact is equal to 1 I 33750 of
a second .. and it is defined as the time to break a leaf
oflotus with a sharp blade. One wonders whether these
things were actually used or the Hindus had any in-
strument to measure them. One important thing is that
the Hindus had a great capacity for theorization. In fact,
large divisions of time can be used to measure the lives
of galaxies and small units for measuring the
phenomenon in the microcosmic world. The period of
4,32,000 yeas is quite significant, because the planets
come back to their mean positions in that time.
The solar months can be defined in the following
way. The Month Mesha starts at the entry of the Sun
in Mesha and lasts till his entry in Vrishabha. The
period of tracing a longitudinal distance 30 since the
entry of Mesha is called the Month of Mesha. The month
Vrishabha is the time to trace 30 since the entry in
Vrishabha and so on. Thus the twelve months from
Mesha to Mina can be defined. The term entry in Mesha
is to be carefully defined. It is when the Sun's position
is at Meshadi, a fixed star of the Zodiac we have defined,
In other words it is the instant at which the nirayana
longitude of the Sun is Zero. The duration of the years
sidereal) according to the Suryasiddhanta is 365 days
and 6 hrs, 12 mins. 38.56 seconds, and the modern fig-
ure is 365 days 6 hrs 9 mins, 8.6 seconds and there is
a difference of about 3 minutes. These are in mean solar
units defined later. Apart from the solar measure, or the
sauramana, the lunar measure or the chandraniana is
also in vogue. At the time when the longitudes of the
Sun and the moon are equal, the New moon or
amavasaya ends, This is called the conjunction of the
Sun and the Moon. The period of tracing a longitudinal
distance of 12 by the moon from this position is called
21
prat ha rna and the period of separation of the Moon
eastwards by 12 is called a thithi (lunar date). We give
below the lunar days (thithis) of the bright half (sukla
paksha) till the moon comes to opposition when the dis-
tance fom the Sun is 180.
The distance ofthe Moon Thithi
from the Sun
(eastward
0- 12
12- 24
24- 36
36- 48
48- 60
60- no
no- 84
84- oo
oo- 108
108- 120
120- 132-
1320- 144
144- 156
156- 168
168- 180
separation)
(pratipat) Sukla prathama
Sukla dvitiya
Sukla tritiya
Sukla chaturthi
Sukla panchami
Sukla shasti
Sukla saptami
Sukla ashtami
Sukla navami
Sukla dasami
Sukla ekadasi
Sukla dwadasi
Sukla Trayodasi
Sukla Chaturdasi
Poornlma
At the end of the Poornima or full moon Krishna
Paksha or the dark half commences. The period to trace
the first 12 after the full moon is called Krishna
Prathama and the second 12 is called Krishna dvitiya
and so 011. The fifteenth tithi of the Krishna Paksha is
Altlavasya at the end of which the moon comes back to
the next conjunction and the lunar month ends. Thus
25
the lunar month consists of 30 tithis and is of duration
of about 29 1/2 solar days. With these concepts the
lunar months are intro duced., The lunar month
Chaitra starts at the Sukla Prathama in the solar
month Mina, Vaisakha starts at the sukla pratipat of
the solar month Mesha and so on. Since the lunar
montb is shorter than the solar the lunar year will be
over IO or II days before the solar year. To adjust this
adhimasa (intercalary month) is introduced once in
three years. A lunar month without a solar ingress
(sankramana) is called an intercalary month and it has
the same name as the month that follows., but With the
prefix adhi. Thus ifthere is an intercalary month before
Sravana, it is called adhisravana.
The Indian almanac normally gives the details ac-
cording to the solar, lunar and other systems. But the
sidereal solar year is the basis.
One more important thing is that the time accord-
ing to the Hindus is not universal. It is subjective. This
is best illusrated by a puranic story. The King Revata
desperately searched for a suit able bridegroom for his
daugher Revati. He decided to meet the creator and get
the informtion straight from him. He went to the
creators place with his daughter, waited a bit to ask
the creator about his problem being enchanted by the
symphony of a Gandharva. The creator heard the prob-
lem of Revata, and replied. "Oh! Revata! you are in my
world now and my time scale applies to you. When you
go back to earth, none of the princes you have in mind
will be alive. However at the time. there will be a prince
named Balarama in Dvaraka, and you can choose him
21i Muddle of Ayanamsa/
as your son-in-law". This Story illustrates that time as
concieved by Indians was subjective.
In the modern days mean solar units are used.
Since the Sun's motion is not uniform and its path Is
inclined to the equator, an astronomical mean Sun
whose right ascension slightly differs from that of the
Sun is defined and the time is measured with reference
to that. The motion of the asrtronomical mean Sun
being uniform makes time keeping convinlent. The in-
terval between two successive mean midnights Is a
mean solar day, which is divided ito 24 mean solar
hours and so on.
We shall close this account With a brief descrip-
tion of the Rashtriya Panchanga. As we have observed
the Indian almanacs are based on the solar sidereal
year. Consequently the equinoxes, the solistics, and the
seasons do not repeat with the periodicity Of a solar
year. The lunar calendar is adjusted against the solar
calender wich is sidereal in character. On the other
hand Western calender is based on the tropical year,
the duration of which is 365.2422 mean solar days. In
having a year of length 365 days an error od 0.2422 of
a day , and this is offset by introducing a leap year once
in four years, by introducing an additional day In
February,. Ev.en with correction, an error crops up and
this is removed by the Gregorian correction which rules
that century years are not leap years unless divisible
by 400. The Indian system as given in Rashtrtya
Panchang is based on the tropical year and is aligned
with the Gregorian Calendar in the following way.
27
Month of the National
calendar
Georgian date on
the lst ojthe month
1. Chaitra (30 days):
31 days in leap year
March 22
(March 2 1st in
leap year)
2. Vaisakha(31 days) April 21st
3. Jyeshta(31 days) May 22nd
4. Asahada(31 days) June 23rd
5. Sravana(31 days) July 23rd
6. Bhadra(31 days) August 23rd
7. Asvina(30days) September 23rd
8. Kartlka(30days) October23rd
9. Agrahayana(30days) November 22 nd
10. Pausha(30days) December 22 nd
11. Magha(30days) January 21st
12. Phalguna(30days) February 20th
Saka era which commenced in 78 A.D. is used
for this purpose.
5

Whither Equinox ?
Westward Ho!
Before discussing the evolution of the concept of
precession, it is necessary to clarify what the term im-
plies. We have defined the term"First Point ofA.r;ies" as
one of the points of intersection of the celestial equator
and the ecliptic. By the 'Precession of the Equinoxes'
we mean a backward or westward motion of the First
Point of Aries. In other words, it is not a fixed point,
but has a westward motion relative to the stars. The
longitudes of stars, thus, are not constant. but change
according to the rate of precession. We shall describe a
simple experiment. For any place on earth you find that
the duration of day is same as that of night on two days
in a year. This happens on the equinoctial days. Exactly
after a few sidereal years are over, measure the dura-
tions of day and night. They will be different. If it is a
millennium. the difference will be clearly perceptible.
On the other hand, ifthe experiment is performed after
an exact number of tropical years are over, the
phenomenon of having the durations of day and night
30
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
to be equal repeats. We shall describe a simpler experi-
ment. Plant a staff of considerable height at a place. On
an equinoctial day, note the position of the shadow at
noon, and measure its length. Exactly after a few
sidereal years are over repeat the experiment. The
length of the shadow will be different. If the experiment
is performed after the completion of an exact number
of tropical years, the shadow will have the same length.
From the experiment we can infer that the equinoxes
recede. The idea is quite simple. But it took several cen-
turies for mankind to arrive at a defmite conclusion on
the phenomenon of precession.
One does not know where human clvtllzatlon
began. Historians tell us that it was in Babylonia, on
the banks of Euphrates and Tigris. The Babylonian clay
tablets with their cuneiform writing reveal some facts
about the astronomical knowledge they possessed.
Astrology was the main goal of Babylonians and as it
depended on Astronomy, they devised methods of com-
putation of planetary position. They had a luni-solar
calendar and they measured planetary longitudes from
a fixed point of the zodiac. it is doubtful whether they
had any idea of precession of the equinoxes. There are
clay tablets which give different positions of the sidereal
Equinox. possibly for different times. This does suggest
the idea of precession, but they had not penetrated deep
into the problem.
The Egyptians also devised a calendar. The solar
year of 365 days was adopted, by them by about 3000
B.C. They understood later the inaccuracy of their
methods and introduced some correction. Accordingly,
the heliacal rising of Sirius was chosen as the beginning
of the Egyptian year because it was the brightest star
in the sky. Being enchanted by the bright ness of the
star, they deified it by identifying with the Goddess Is is,
However, they did not have any idea of precession.
In Greek civilization we find really an attempt to
explain the phenomenon of precession. Even this oc-
curred only after the civilization reached a fairly high
level of advancement. The systematic study of preces-
sion started with Hipparchus. He lived in Rhodes and
had spent some time in Alexandria, the intellectual
metropolis of the West during his days. An anecdote is
narrated to show how he took interest in the precession
of the equinoxes. The appearance of a new star in Scor-
pio in 134 B.C.created great interest in him and he pre-
pared a catalogue of stars and classi fled them into six
magnitudes, those of the sixth being just visible to the
naked eye. When he compared the positions given by
Timocharis and Aristyllus one hundred and fifty years
before, he found that there was some difference. There
was a general increase in the longitudes of stars and a
natural conclusion was that the equinoctial points had
changed. Hipparchus also noted that the obliquity and
the latitudes of stars did not show any change. So he
concluded that the equator might have shifted from east
to west, retaining the inclination to the ecliptic unal-
tered. Thus he arrived at the important discovery ofthe
precession of the equinoxes. He therefore defined two
kinds of years, tropical and sidereal, The sidereal year
is the time required by the sun to return to the same
star after one revolution and the tropical year is the in-
terval between two successive passages of sun through
the first point of Aries. Hipparchus also computed the
lengths of these two kinds of years with considerable
amount of accuracy.
The next important astronomer in the line was
Ptolemy of Alexandria. Astronomers like Geminus,
Kleomedes. Theon of Smyrna and Martinus Cappella do
refer to the theory. But Proklus rejects the theory. Much
similar to some Indian astronomers Proklus gives the
theory of libration of the equinoctial points. The idea is
that the longitude of a star increases for 640 years at
the rate 1 /SO years and then starts decreasing for 640
years and then again increases for 640 years again and
so on. Ptolemy did not agree with this theory. To him,
precession was due to the rota tion of the sphere of fixed
stars from west to east around the poles in about
36,000 years. After Ptolemy there followed some
in Alexandria and the last of them,
Hypatia. was brutally murdered. This brought the in-
tellectual activity in Alexandria to a standstill.
The revival of astronomical studies starts from the
Renaissance. How different facts individually helped to
study the theory of precession of the equinoxes Is im-
portant. The Ptolemaic theory was deeply rooted in the
academic circles of Europe until the Copernican chal-
lenge. The Ptolemaic theory was essentially geocentric.
Copernicus replaced it by a heliocentric system. This
had the specific advantage of explaining direct and
retrograde motions. In his work De Revolutionibus, he
explains that precession originates from a slow motion
ofthe earths axis. such that it is inclined always at the
same angle to the ecliptic. He gave the period for Its
revolution as 26,000 years.
I Muddle of Ayanamsa 33
Tycho Brahe, the celebrated Danish astronomer
is another impor tant person in the list. With the help
of King Frederick II, he established the Hveen Obser-
vatory or Uraniburg as he called it. He patiently made
observations with the help of the instruments he had.
He employed a system of Astronomy which was a hybrid
of the Ptolemaic and Copernican systems. According to
him the Sun and the moon revolved round the earth
and the other planets revolved round the sun. To him,
we owe a catalogue of 777 stars which furnishes an
exact value of precession. Galileo, his contemporary
was responsible for a breakthrough from the conven-
tional methods. Though he did not directly influence
the concept of precession. it was his invention of the
telescope that paved the way for accurate observation.
In the meanwhile, Kepler, an assistant of Tycho Brahe
examined the planetary tables prepared by Tycho Brahe
and arrived at his famous laws of Planetary motion.
When this reached the hands of Newton, he discovered
the inverse square law from which the theory of
planetary motion could be inferred. This put science on
sound foundations and heralded the era of classical
physics. Newtonian theory of gravitation made possible
a dynamical explanation for precession which we out-
line below:
The earth is actually spheroidal in shape. The sun
and the moon exert their attractive forces on the earth.
Since they do not remain in the equatorial plane al-
ways, the resultant force does not pass through the
centre of graqty of the earth. Therefore it does affect
the axis of rotation of the earth by giving it a velocity
of rotation round the axis of the ecliptic. A force acting
34
through the centre of gravity of a body does not affect
the rotation of the body about its centre of gravity. The
resultant force of attraction of the sun and the moon
on the earth acts in a direction inclined to the equatorial
plane. If the earth were not rotating, this force will tend
to make the earth's axis perpendicular to the direction
of the resultant force. But because ofthe rotation of the
earth the axis rotates about an axis perpendicular to
the direction ofthe resultant. The rotation is very much
like that of a top which is in rotation about the axis of
symmetry. At each instant, the axis of the top moves at
right angles to the direction of gravity without falling,
since its rotational velocity is much more than the con-
ical motion of the axis. in the case of the earth, the diur-
nal rotation is faster than rotation ofthe axis about the
normal to the plane of the ecliptic. This motion of the
terrestrial axis about the axis of the ecliptic is called
the precession due to the sun. The moon also excerts
a similar influence and the combined effect is called
luni-solar precession. By solar precession the earth's
axis takes about 26,000 years to make one revolution
about the pole of the ecliptic. By Lunar precession it
takes about 19 years.
One of the important effects of precession is that
the celestial pole revolves about the pole of the ecliptic
completing one revolution in about 26000 years. As a
result, the pole star has to be changed from time to
time. The 'northern star' is not as constant as it was
thought to be. The present pole star is not exactly at the
North pole but slightly away from it. By A.D.7600 one
may have to Alderminn (Alpha Cephei) as the pole star
I Muddle of
Ayanamsa
-
and by A.D .. l4,000 Vega( Alpha Lyrae) would have the
claim.
Flamstead, who was the first astronomer Royal
has given the celestial history of the observations of
fixed stars, planets, sunspots and Jupiter's satellites.
His star catalogue is immensely useful in the study of
precession.
Bradley who was the third astronomer Royal is
well known .for the study of aberration, observes thus:
when I considered these circumstances and the situa-
tion of the ascending node of the moon's orbit, at the
time when I first began my observations, I suspected
that the moon's action upon the equatorial parts ofthe
earth might produce these effects, for if, the precession
ofthe equinox be, according to Sir Isaac Newton's prin-
clples,caused by the action of the Sun and the moon
Qpon those parts, the plane of the moon's orbit being
at one time above 10" more inclined to the plane ofthe
equator, than another, it was reasonable to conclude
that the part of the whole annual precession which
arises from her action would in different years be varied
in its quantity, whereas the plane of the ecliptic ,wherein
the sun appears keeping always nearby the same in-
clination to the equator, that part of precession which
is owing to the sun's action may be the same every year,
and from hence, it would follow that although the Mean
annual precession proceeding from the joint action of
the sun and moon were 50", the apparent annual
precession might sometimes exceed and sometimes fall
short of the mean quantity according to the various
situations ofthe nodes of the moon's orblt."
J6
Jean Le Rond D"Alembert who is well known for
his famous mechani cal principles contributed to Math-
ematical Physics extensively. He made investigations of
the precession of the equinoxes and the rotation of the
earth's axis, and demonstrated that his theory tallied
with that of Bradley. Laplace well known for his equa-
tion that bears his name and a contemporary of
Napoleon, has discussed precession in his
work.Mecanlque Celeste.
Frederick Wilhelm Bessel established an obser-
vatory in Konigsberg under the patronage of the King
of Prussia. With the munificence of the King, he in-
stalled instruments to make precise observa tions. He
undertook the great task of determining the positions
of all stars upto the ninth magnitude between 15 south
and 45north declinations. In twelve years, he made
about 75,000 observations and these are greatly useful
in determining astronomical constants such as preces-
sion, aberration and refraction. The head of the
astronomical family of the Strunas, Frederick Wilhelm
was succeeded by his son Otto as the Director of the
Palkovo observatory. He won the gold medal of the
Royal Astronom ical society for his determination of the
constant of precession in which included the proper
motion of the solar system. The rate of precession is not
actually a constant, but depends on time.
We have discussed only luni-solar precession.
When the planets are also taken into account, it is
called generalized precession. Science proceeds on the
assumption that out knowledge is incom plete. So con-
tinues the research on precession. It goes on like that
. ,
The reader is referred to standard books on Astronomy
for a detailed information on precession and the allied
concept of nutation.
6
Swing or Reel?
Before discussing the Indian concepts on preces-
sion we shall introduce a few terms for convenience. As
we have seen, the first point of Aries is one of the points
ofintersection ofthe equator and the ecliptic and it has
a backward notion of about 50".2 per annum. The lon-
gitude measured from it is called Sayana longi tude. The
longitudes measured from a fixed point of the ecliptic
called Meshadi is called Nirayana longitude. Thus we
get zodiacs of two kinds, the say ana zodiac and the
nirayana zodiac.
The sayana longitude of a planet exceeds the
nirayana longitude by a quantity called Ayanamsa.
In Indian astronomy precession is called
ayanachalana. The cele brated astronomer Aryabhata I
does not explicitly refer to ayanachalana in his treatise.
Since the ayanamsa at this time was nearly equal to
zero, it is likely that he bypassed it. At the same time
the reference to Kali 3600 in his book has given rise to
some conjectures. The commentator Suradevayajvan on
Aryabhatiya observes that a correction has to be ef-
fected, posi tive or negative, as the case may be with
reference to 3600 kali, thereby suggesting that 3600 is
the year in which the two zodiacs coincided. There is
no mention about precession in the works of Brah-
magupta or Lalla. Bhaskara I did not even approve of
the concept.
We get a reference to precession ofthe equinoxes
in Varahamihira s Brihatsamhita. Varahamihira obser-
ves: " there was a time when the suns southerly course
commenced from the middle of the star Aslesha. and
northerly course started from Dhanishta. This has been
mentioned in ancient works".
"At present the southerly course of the sun com-
mences from the beginning of Karkataka, and the other
from the beginning of Makara. The fact which is against
the old statement can be verified by the observation.
The sun's change of course can be ascertained by mark-
ing the position of a distant object either at sunrise or
sunset or by marking the entry and the exit of the
shadow by the gnomon installed at the centre of a big
circle ( drawn on the surface of the earth)".
This suggests that Varahamihira was aware of
precession and the Sayana and Nirayana zodiacs nearly
coincided during his lifetime. This is important since
Varahamihira's period can be fixed by other methods.
The Pane hasiddanthika is dated around 505 ADr from
an internal evidence and a rough estimate ofthe period
in which the coincidence of the two zodiacs took place
would be 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th century A.D.
The Suryasiddhanta makes an explicit reference
to precession, but purports a theory of libration instead
of recession. According to the Suryasiddhanta, equi-
noxes swing on either side of the fixed point Meshadi
amounting to 600 oscillations in 4,32,0000 years, a
mahayuga. Thus the period of oscillation is 7200 years.
According to the Suryasiddhanta, it moves uniformly
forwards by 27 in the first 1800 years and retraces the
path in the next 1800years .. By 3600 years it reaches
the zero position. Then it moves backwards to 27 and
then retraces its path back to Meshadi. By 7200 Kall,
it is again in the zero position .. This theory of libration
is now not generally accepted since a dynamical expla
nation of recession is given. However, we have to wait
till 5400 kali i.e.2229 A.D. to verify the statement ofthe
Suryasiddhanta. lf atthat time, the first point of Aries,
instead of receding, starts moving forward, the theory
of oscillation gets justified. Who knows what may or
may not be happening? The rate of precession here is
54" per annum. This theory ofayanadolana[trepidation)
as it is called, instead of ayanachalana receives a crush-
ing blow from the remarks in Satapathabrahmana. It is
mentioned therin that krittikas were always in the east.
Being a constellation close to the ecliptic this points out
that they were in the equator at the time of
Satapathabrahmana. The yogatara or the principal star
of krittikas is at a distance of about 36 from the first
point of As vim. One is forced to conclude that it was at
the first point of Aries. The dolana theory allows a range
of24 to 27 and the separation ofthe equinoctial point
.bY 36 is not contemplated by the theory unless it is
suitably amended.Thus for the time being one is better
42 Muddle of Ayanamsa/
off with the theory of recession and there is no scope
for the optimism of dolana-theorlsts.
A remarkable exposition of precession is given by
Munjala in the work Laghumanasa. He explains the
precession ofthe equinoxes and gives the precessional
rate as 59". 9 This figure is really significant. In a certain
sense the estimate is startlingly accurate in the Indian
context. Actually the Indian sidereal year is slightly
greater than the actual value and this contributes
about 9.76 in the backward direction. Adding this to
the precessional constant of 50" .049 the figure works
out to 59".8.
Bhaskara II gives the theory of complete revolu-
tion of the equinoxes. According to him the number of
revolutions in one Kalpa i.e. 437 x 107 years is
199,669. This leads to the rate of precession of
59" .9007 per annum. He follows Munjala clearly in this
regard. It is surprising that some commentators of
Bhaskara reject his theory and advocate the theory of
oscillation of equinoxes instead.
It is important to note that later writers have
abandoned the theory of libration and developed the
theory of recession of the equinoxes.
Some Indian books on Astronomy give methods
of computing the Ayanamsa. Here is a sample: The Saka
year reduced by 278 and divided by 70 would give the
total precession in degrees at any time. The rate of
precession is 51". In this 278 saka is the zero period.
This corresponds to 3457 kali or to 355 AD. There are
other methods also. But a full discussion Is not at-
tempted here.
7
Ayanamsas in the
Arena
The main problem is this. There is a fixed zodiac
or the nirayana zodiac. The nirayana longitudes are
measured from a fixed point called Meshadi. At the
same time we have the sayana zodiac in which the true
longitudes or say ana longitudes are measured from the
first point of Aries which moves backwards at about
50".2. per annum. What is the correction required to
get the nirayana longitude from the sayana longitude?
The correction is called Ayanamsa and the determina-
tion of the value of Ayanamsa has given rise to many
controversies mainly becS.:ul= of the divergent views on
Ayanamsa. At preset$ the .-st point of Aries is at about
7th degree of Pisces: At some point of time these two
zodiacs coincided and the coincidence takes place with
an iriterval of about 28000 years.
But when did they coincide last? From
Varahamihira's Brihatsamhita (section 6 supra) one in-
fers that the two zodiacs coincided at some point of his
life or at least the difference between the two was quite
insignificant during his lifetime. By reference to 427
Saka or 505 A.D. in his Panchasiddhantika for the com-
putation, it is naturally inferred that he lived at that
time. Normally it is reasonable to fix the time of coin-
cidence of these two zodiacs in the 3rd, 4th, 5th or 6th
century A.D ..
From the commentary on Aryabhatiyam, we ob-
serve, that 3600 Kali which corresponds to 498/499
A.D. was the year of zero precession. This Is quite an
acceptable suggestion, more so, because of the views in
the Suryasiddhanta. Only when we probe further into
it, new theories emerge. First of all, what is meant by
Meshadi? It is a fixed point of the ecliptic or more in-
formally a fixed, identifiable star of the zodiac. The start-
ing point should be a bright star or at least a star which
can be easily recognised. We normally expect lt In the
segments of Revati or Asvlnl. It is also likely that a
yogatara of these is used as the Meshadi. It is also pos-
sible that the star has now disappeared. Indian books
on Astronomy give the polar longitudes of the prlnclpal
stars of the various nakshatras and we can easily con-
vert them into longi tudes. The longitudes we get here
are fixed quantities, having been measured from a fixed
point of the ecllptlc.A comparison of the figures with a
modern star catalogue suggests the Ayanamsa.
According to the Suryasiddhanta, the star Revati
marks the end of Zodiac.
(Paushnanthe bhagana: Smruta:)
The Yogatara or principal star of Revati is iden-
tified with the star Zeta Piscium. The polar longitude of
Revati according to Suryasiddhanta is 359o 50' and
nirayana longitude is 0. Rev. Ebenezer Burgess who has
made an intensive study of the Suryasiddhanta obser-
ves:'' In order to get an exact comparison of the posi-
tions of junction stars. as defined by the Hindus with
those of stars contained in our catalogue, we reduced
the polar longitudes and latitudes to the longitudes and
latitudes by the following formula .... "
The true positions of stars compared we take
from Flomsteed's catalogue Britanicus subtracting in
each case 15 42' from the longitudes there given in
order to reduce them to distances from the vernal equi-
nox of A.D. 560 assumed to coincide with the initial
point ofthe Hindu sphere."
According to this, Revati is the starting point and
the zero precession corresponds to A.D.560. This sys-
tem is known as the Raivata school( Raivatapsaksha
Ayanamsa). As regards the date we should note that the
Suryasiddhanta has been the basis for the longitudes
of stars. If a different value for the longitude is used,
the date will be different.
There is another school known as Chaitrapaksha
Ayanamsa. The yogatara of Chitra or Spica { Alpha Vlr-
ginis ) has a nirayana longitude of nearly 180*. Since
this is a bright star, it is likely that this was used as
the point diametrically opposite to the Meshadi. From
the current value of the say ana longitude of this star,
we can estimate that the zodiacs coincided in 345 A.D.
However. the longitudes given in various texts differ.
The Surya siddhanta gives the longitude as 180 40*.
According to Brahmagupta this is 183 and so accord-
ing to Graha-laghava. Taking these different values, dif-
ferent values of Ayanamsa will be obtained. The Indian
book Grahalaghava takes the year 444 saka ( 522 A.D.)
as the year of zero precession and 60" as the rate of
annual precession. This, now a days, is of purely his tor
leal interest. B.V.Raman gives the following rule, sub-
tract 398 from the Christian era and multiply by
50" 113. The constant for precession is thus obtained.
The year of zero position corre sponds to the 398 A.D.
Lahiri observes in his Ephemeris, "The initial
point of nirayana zodiac coincided with the mean equi-
noctial point. .... of the mean arrival of equinox day of
285 A.D. which occurred on Sunday. At the moment
both the sayana and nirayana longitudes of the star
spica were 180 0 3", of the mean moon 353 31' and
ofthe mean sun 360 and it was a new moon day."
The calendar reforms committee of the Govern-
ment of India adopted an ayanamsa of 23 15' for the
saka year 1880 to bring about a uniformity among the
different Ayanamsas. The year of coinci deuce in this
case is 285 A.D.
Some Indian astrologers use the Ayanamsa due
to Newcomb. In this system the zero position cor-
responds to 291 A.D.
Sepharial, a western exponent of Hindu Astrology
observes in his book." A Manual of Astrology" thus: "
By reference to Various Sanskrit and vernacular texts,
we have decided in common with many competent Pan-
dits that zodiacs exactly coincided in the year of
47
Kaliyuga 3600. And this agrees with the observation of
Mihira in his Samhlta. where commenting on the
phenomenon of precession of the equinoxes, he states
that in his day the summer solstice coincided with the
first degree ofKatakam and the winter solstice with the
first degree ofMakara." Kali 3600 corresponds to 498
A.D.
While writing this booklet I came across an inter-
esting account on ayanamsa in the Astrological
Magazine of August 1991. I re pro duce below a portion
of the article entitled ' As it strikes Me' by Agastya in
the above issue of the Astrological Magazine.
Ayanamsa.
" In the sixties a number of articles on this subject
contributed by well known scholars in Astrology and
Astronomy appeared in these columns. Today, the
generality of Astrological students follow either Lahiri
or Raman. Buell Huggins ln an exclusive article written
a decade ago established on the basis of a study of a
number of horoscopes, the accuracy of Raman Ayanam-
sa. Ifthe proofofthe pudding is in the eating, then the
fulfillment of a large percentage forecasts bearing on
world affairs made by the Editor in these columns lends
credence to the correctness of the so-called Raman
Ayanamsa."
The well known British astrologer Vivian Robson's
observation under the caption" The Kaleidoscope" pub-
lished in the November 1933 issue ofthe " The British
Journal of Astrology" on Ayanamsa reproduced below
should be viewed by our readers objectively.
lR
" The term 'Ayanamsa may heed some explana-
tion for those who are not conversant with Hindu
Astronomy. The Hindu astrologers count their Jon
gitudes along the Zodiac of constellations, while we use
the Zodiac ofsigns. By the precession of the Equinoxes
the signs slip backwards through the constellations, so
that our o Aries is gradually receding from the Hindu
o Aries at the rate of a little over 50- seconds a year.
The number of degrees between these points at any
given date is called the Ayanamsa for that date. At first
sight, it would appear to be easy to calculate this value
with proper accuracy, but unfortunately the problem is
one which has never been satisfactorily settled, and
many different estimates are current even among the
Hindus. Part of the. difficulty lies in the fact that exact
Hindu starting point is not very definitely known. while
differences between the Hindu and western astronomi-
cal constants add further obstacles to solution. The
reason I am bringing up this matter is that I have
received a very interesting letter on the subject from Mr.
Henry Sellqerg. who contends that the true value of the
Ayanamsa should be obtainable from the ancient Hindu
chronology and Astronomy, and supports his case by
calculations based upon the Delambre"s Ancient
Astronomy. As the matter is one of considerable impor-
tance and De-lambre"s method has not, I think, been
put before astrological students. I make no apology for
appending the fol lowing details. According to the
Suryasiddhanta the whole period of Cosmic evolution
known as a Kalpa or day of Brahma consists of
4,320.000,000 years. This is made up of 14 Manvan-
taras each of306,720,000 years, together with overlap-
ping twilight periods, each Manvantara being again
sub-divided into 71 Mahayugas of 4,320,000 years. A
Maht:tyuga contains four Yugas, namely the Satyayuga
covertng 1,728,000 years, the Tretayuga covering
1.296,000 years the Dwaparayuga covering 864,000
years, and the Kaliyuga covering 432,000 years. The
world is now in the Kali yuga of the 28th Mahayuga of
the 7th Manvantara. The actual number ofyears from
the beginning of cosmic evolution to the present date Is
as follows:
Twilight at beginning
ofKalpa
6 Manvantaras
27 Maha-Yugas
Satyayuga
1.728.000
1 ,850,688,000
116,640.000
1,728,000
1 ,970, 784,000
Less duration of creation 17,064,000
Times since first movement of planets to the end
ofsatyayuga 1.953,720,000
Treta Yuga 1,296.000
Dwapara Yuga 864,000
Preseent year ofKali Yuga 5,034
1.955,855,000
This represents the number of years from the
beginning of Cosmic Evolution to 9 3 ~ A.D. Multiplying
this figure by 12 gives us 23,470.620,408 as the num-
ber of solar months expired to date. Then as the num-
ber of solar months in one Mahayuga (51.840,000) is
fe be the number of inter-calary months in the same
period ( 1,593.336) so is the number of solar months
expired to,date to 721,384,730 which being added to
months since creation gives us 24,192,005,138 as the
number of lunar months expired. Multiplying th1s by 30
gives the number of lunar days expired as
725,760,154,140. Then as the number of lunar days in
one Mahayu ga( 1603.000.080) ls to the difference be-
tween the number oflunar and solar days ( 25,082,252)
so is the number of lunar dates expired to
11,356,018,190 which being subtracted from the lunar
days expired gives 714,404,136,050 as the number of
solar days expired. It should perhaps be mentioned
here that the Hindu solar days are longer than our own,
and that their value of precession is also longer than
ours, being about 54.525." Using Delambre's method of
conversion to arc we multiply the number of lunar days
expired by 600 and divide by the number of solar days
in a Mahayuga( 1,577.917.828). The result is in seconds
of arc. and is equal to 271,650 complete circles plus 8s.
11" 47' 43" .From this six signs must be subtracted as
there is a half circle in excess, giving 71" 47* 43" and
the Ayanamsa ls three tenths of this result, namely 21
32'18.9". This means that o Aries in our zodiac now
coincides with Pisces go 27'41M of the constellations
and incidentally, like all estimates of the Ayanamsa, it
confirms the fact that the Equinox does not enter the
constellation Aquarius for another six hundred years,
so that astrologers who are so found of telling us that
we are now entering the Aquarian age are really rather
premature."
" It will be noted that the Raman Ayanamsa for
1933 viz. 21 o 28*31" is very near this figure". This sug-
gests a different line of thinking in the study of Ayanam-
sa.
The choice of the most appropriate candidate has
to be made after going deeply into the merits and
demerits of the systems. The different Ayanamsas used
and their values are given in the Appendix II.
8
Astrology sans
Mythology
Hitherto we have been discussing Astronomy, un-
equivocally acclaimed as a science. We shall now
digress a bit to discuss another branch of learning,
namely, Astrology. The purpose is two-fold: tlrst. to dis-
cuss the rationale of astrology and then to analyse the
need to prepare the astrological documents scientifical-
ly and how this process rests on the use ofthe correct
Ayanamsa.
The man who raises his skeptical eyebrows and
denounces astrology often does so because some
western scientists also do not accept it. The real pity Is
that those who criticize astrology often do not know the
A B C of it. But those who really charge-sheet astrology
with reasons say that astrology is not a science in the
sense that Physics or Chemistry is. Whereas these
sciences rest on a well-established corpus of scientific
theory, they contend. astrology is not. But one should
understand that as a science astrology is not deter-
ministic, but probabilistic. From my experience I have
54
, Muddle of Ayanamsa I
''
found that the probability of any event indicated
astrologically by a single planet or a single combination
ranges generally from one third to half. One has to
search for other similar astrological indications which
could increase the probability. before making any
prediction.
The quacks are also greatly responsible for the
prevalence of erroneous notions about astrology. With
half-baked knowledge one sets up practice tn astrology.
By sheer luck he becomes the chief astrological. coun-
cellor to a ring ofV I Ps. Because of the publicity, the
press interviews him. He does not realize that he is
there because his stars are good and not because of his
know-ledge. He goes on saying whatever he Ukes and
gives more opportunity to opponents of astrology to at-
tack it.
In this section, the author has presented different
theories of astrology, old and new. While fdling in the
gaps. it seems necessary to formulate an astrological
theory consistent with the current scientific thought.
particularly when " rising out of social deeps, astrology
knocks at the doors of the universities from which it
was banished three hundred years ago/
Astrology: Genesis and Growth:
The origin of astrology is as obscure as that of
many other ancient sciences. Planets were worshiped
by the Harrannians Canopus and Odin
were symbols of-to borrow Carlyle's phrase-"transcen-
dent wonder". which crystallized into worship. In this
connection, the author wishes to emphasize that it was
not merely the worship of celestial bodies that led to
astrology at least in India. In fact, the Indian astrologers
were aware of scientific theories of astrology. But, they
could not be presented to the common man for obvious
reasons. Moreover, any theory could get popular accep-
tance only ifpresented in a semi-mythical fashion. For
instance, Varahamihira says in Brihatsamhita that a
rainbow is caused when the 'colours' of the Sun's rays
are separated. Then he gives the mythological account
of a rainbow. Also man, by nature, is interested in fairy
tales. Even now there is science fiction, the counterpart
of the old mythology. If scientific theories can co-exist
with science fiction, certainly astrological theories can
co-exist with mythology. The rejection of astrology on
the basis of mythology is similar to that of science on
the basis of science fiction.
One of the earliest accounts of astrology is the
cuneiform text Enlmu Anu Enlll( 18th to 16th century
B.C.) which belongs to the Babylonian civilization. It
describes celestial omens classified into four categories
ruled by the gods Sin.Shamsh, Adad and Ishtar. The
influence of the Babylonian text is clearly discernible in
the astrological analysis of the Egyptians around the
5th century B.C. Later, Hipparchus who belonged to the
Greek School made substantial contribution to the sub-
ject. The works Syntaxis and Tetrabiblos attributed to
Ptolemy sum up the knowledge of Astrology acquired
by the Babylonains, the Egyptians and the Greeks. The
Sassanian Iran produced Pahlavi expositions of as trol-
ogy, stimulated by the Hellenistic and the Indian
schools. After the decline of Sassanian empire, the Is-
lamic world promoted astrology. The Arabic texts writ-
ten during that time influenced the development of
56
Muddle of Ayanamsal
astrology in Europe. in western Europe, learning of
astrology was promoted until the emergence of the
Copernican theory of planetary motion.
In India, astrology is as old as the Vedic Litera-
ture. According to tradition, there are eighteen
pro pounders of astrological theory, Surya ,Pitatriaha,
Vyasa Vasistha
Atrt.Parasara. Kasyapa.Narada,Garga. Martchi,Manu .A
nglras.Romasa. Poulisa, Chyavana,Yavana,Bhrigu and
So unaka. Most of the works of the above authors are
not available now. There is a mention of Yavana or the
Greeks, whose school is one of the eighteen. The
greatest of the later astrologers is undoubtedly
Varahamihira, the celebrated astronomer of Ujjaln. who
flourished in the fifth century AD. Varahamihira wrote
treatises on all the three branches of Jyotlsha namely
Siddhanta, Hora and Samhlta. These represent
astronomy, predictive astrology and mundane astrology
respectively. In his Panchaslddhanthika. he describes
the five systems of astronomy. In Brihajjataka. he
covers the astrological literature. His Brihatsamhita
deals with a wide vartety of topics and Is encyclopedic
in its range. In fact. Varahamihira has summarized the
earlier literature in astrology, quite intensive in analysis
and extensive in range. Starting from Prithuyasas, the
son of Varahamihira, there is a galaxy of eminent
astrologers who have written extensively on the subject.
Though some of the books fall into the category of "tales
retold"; the contribution of India to astrology is enor-
mous. From the way in which the Indian astrological
literature has developed, it is clear that it is of inde-
pendent origin. Such an early author Parasara deals
I Muddle qf Awmamsa ) I
with dasas (periods ) and many other concepts. which
are not even contemplated by the Hellenistic school.
Any attempt to trace Indian astrology to other systems
appear meaningless. In this context, one is reminded
or a strange theory about the Indian drama. The term
'Yavanlka' tn Sanskrit means a curtain. Some scholars
trace the word to 'Yavana' and suggest a Greek origin
for the Indian drama. But there Is an equivalent to
Yavanika. namely 'Javanlka', which means fast-
moving' and hence a curtain.
While commenting on Indian astronomy
Neugebauer remarks," In spite of the pioneering work
done by H.T.Colebrooke, G.Thlbaut and others the
study of Hindu astronomy is still in its beginning. The
mass of uninvestigated material in Indian as well as
Western collections is enormous. May lt suffice to
remark that many hundreds of planetary tables are
easily accessible in American libraries. So far. only a
preliminary study of this material has been made
revealing a great number of parameters for lunar and
planetary tables. The planetary tables themselves are
of great extent and based on methods., so far not en-
countered in Western material, the basic idea being that
the planetary positions are computed for the whole year
as a function of the initial condi tions at the entry. of
the sun into Arles;" Very little is known even about the
published literature. For instance, ln hls Siddhanta
slromanl. Bhaskara ( c.llSO A.D.) refers to the gravita
tiona) force of the earth. Books on the history of
Astronomy generally do not refe'- to this. It seems that
these books are based not on original Sanskrit texts, but
on mistranslations and mischievous misinterpreta-
58
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
tlons. To a great extent, all these remarks apply to
astrology too.
Astrological Theories : Old and New
Some people regard astrology as a branch of
philo-sophy: some consider it as a pseudo-science; and
some others, as an off-shoot of mythology or necroman-
cy. These diverse notions prevail because ofthe several
theories of astrology and the ways they are presented.
According to Babylonians, astrology is not deter-
ministic, but indicative. They believed that the evil in-
fluence of planets could be mitigated by ritualistic
means.
Bardasanes. a Christian Scholar opines that the
motion of planets can affect only the elemental world
and not the soul.
Ptolemaic astrologers interpreted astrology in
terms of Platonic or Aristotelian theory concerning the
earth as the centre of the planetary system.
Hindu Astrology is based on the theory of Karma.
There are three kinds of karma or deed, namely
Prarabdha, Sanchita and Agami. Prarabdha refers to
the actions, the effects which have started. sanchita
refers to the hidden, and agami to be acquired ln future.
The horoscope is only the balance-sheet of one's karma
at the time of birth. The soul ls eternal and it undergoes
the cycle of births and deaths until the final emancipa-
tion. The real merit o-the Hindu theory lies in the fact
that it is not based on any astronomical theory. but on
some philosophical concepts. In fact, such expressions
I Muddle of Ayanamsa,
as the baneful influence of Mars are inaccurate in
Hindu Astrology. The planets do not influence any body
direct, but indicate certain types of karma, which are
really responsible for all that is encountered in one's
life. The theory would be complete if the correspondence
between planets and karma is defined. Hindu astrology
does define a correspondence, but the discussion of
details would take us far afield.
But the question Is this: is it possible to formulate
a theory that is not alien to the current scientific
thought? Once time Is accepted as a dimension, the
problem is quite simple. The time of birth is an impor-
tant factor, man is an entity in space-time and the birth
of an individual is an event. The time is recorded by the
planetary position at the time of birth. as observed from
the place of birth. In short, the planetary system serves
as a clock. The question now is how to use the planetary
configuration. We start with an astrological experiment.
It is said in books on astrology that the Sun in the as-
cendant affects vision. The rule was tested by the
author himself with a collection of 100 horoscopes. It
was found that in 65 cases it was true. In the remaining
there were counteracting influences, and experimental
errors. The astrological analysis is not based on an iso-
lated combination as the Sun in the ascendant, but the
swntotal of all the important combinations. To analyse
the effects of an isolated combination, one has to use
the techniques of experimental designs.
Once proves successful, a general
rule can be formulated, by reasoning. Thus
we conclude that the Sun in the ascendant affects
\<1litoi'l.;)fclie Indian astrology is based on
hO
Muddle of Aya na msa
hypotheses. Accordingly all things, good and bad, are
distributed among zodiacal signs and planets. There are
*houses' that also represent similar characteristics. The
planet Mars represents injuries and when he occupies
the ascendant, which represents the body. bodily in-
juries are indicated. This is the way in which the
general planetary combinations are defined. There are
exceptional rules also. The statistical verification ofthe
rules suggest that the hypotheses should be true. It is
reasonable to suppose that the scientist who gave the
hypothesis had some experimental basis.
Practical Astrology
Many people know astrology only as presented by
the columnists who give periodical predictions based on
the solar or lunar systems. It is true that such predic-
tions can be made and they will be true, in general. But
this crude approximation may completely fail in some
cases. To know this, one should know first what astrol-
ogy is - I mean reading of horoscopes. The Indian horo-
scope actually gives the nirayana longitudes of planets
and the ascend ant. ( One may say that the sun is not
a planet. But the Indian term ' gratia includes the
Sun. Moon. Planets and the Nodes of the lunar orbit. The
author uses the word planet to mean a graha. The dis-
cussion here is completely with reference to Indian
astrology.) While casting a horoscope. the planets are
entered in cages called zodiacal signs. Aries. Taurus
etc. For instance, the Moon may be in Aries in a horo-
scope. It means that the longitude of Moon is between
0 and 30. The longitude, when precisely measured,
may be I 0 20' 30". Even this may not be accurate. The
second can be further subdivided and when the new
I .1\.Iudtilt.: uj Aycmamsa
scale is applied it may work out to roo 20'30" .346 .....
There is no limit to this process. People who are ac-
quainted with the notion of irrational numbers know
the full import of this. In short, precise measurement
of longitudes is, at times, impossible. Even to say that
the longitude of a planet is I 0",20',30" ,346." is really
difficult. If we define the longitude of a planet as the
angular distance measured from the first point of Aries,
eastwards, upto the foot of the secondary of the centre
of mass of the planet, to the ecliptic, it is just the an-
gular distance between two points on the ecliptic and
it can be any real number between 0 and 360, if
measured in degrees. When it turns out to be irrational.
precise measurement is impossible. Of course, one can
seek approximations. With the longitudes of planets
and the ascendant one has to prepare the natal chart
and a number of subsidiary charts-sixteen or more in
number- and they have to be utilized for a complete
analysis. Consider, for example, two horoscopes with
the Moon in Aries. The longitudes may be different say
I 0"4' in the first and 11 "6" in the second. Most of the
astrologers give the same interpretation of the two.
There will be common traits because there is a common
sign Aries, a unit in a broad classification. But the dif-
ference between the two has to be brought out, using
the longitudes of Moon. With the standard works in In-
dian Astrology, prediction can be made precise upto
half a degree. Further approximations are available in
Nadi amsas. After reading the horoscope thus, one has
to make use of ash taka varga. periods, and so on. Final-
ly, the transit influences are used to adjust the results.
This "adjusting factor" is what the columnists give in
their predictions. It is true that the process is time-con-
62
Muddle of Ayanamsa
sumlng and computerisation is desirable. In the way
described above, no two horoscopes can be identical.
This observation applies to twins, also. Fun-
damental is the fact that two births can not take place
at the same place 'simultaneously.' Even if the times of
birth differ only by a second, the planetary positions will
not be the same. But the people who reject astrology
quoting the example of twins do not seem to know
these things. One is reminded of Newton's comment to
Halley when he criticized him for accepting astrology,
Sir, I have studied astrology, you have not."
Even without the minute analysis described
above, it is possible to give detailed readings of horo-
scopes. The vast treasure of astrological literature writ-
ten in Sanskrit can be utilized for this purpose. But one
has to take into account the changes in the social order,
while interpreting the rules framed in the past.
Theoretically, every aspect of human activity is covered
by astrology. The application of astrology to medicine
deserves special mention. It is possible to diagnose dis-
eases astrologically. Many Ayurvedic physicians of
Kerala are conversant with the techniques of astro-
medical diagnosis. Works like Virasimhavalokana and
Jatakatatva deal with medical astrology exhaustive ly.
The other applications of astrology include the deter-
mination of profession, aptitude, field of specialization
and a host of many others.
To conclude, the author wishes to emphasize that
the errors in astrological predictions are to be traced to
astrologers and not to the science. Any one who starts
practising astrology should do so after acquiring
enough knowledge of the subject. The experts should
Muddh"f A11nnamsa (33
continue their research and try to reduce the com-
plexity of astrological theory. Examination of the unin-
vestigated manuscripts, collection of statistical data,.
analysis of data in a scientific way and the removal of
'cobwebs', that have crept in because of the absence of
standardization of the subject may gradually reduce the
complexity of astrological theories and lead to a unified
theory.
The Future of Astrology
As observed earlier, the science of astrology was
practically relegated to the background in the post -
Newtonian era. In India, astrology has been developed
as a science without an iota of superstition, as
evidenced by the Words of Varahamihira, when the
astrologer possesses a thorough knowledge of the
science, Is proficient in methods, and makes precise
calculations, his predictions can not fall. It is no
wonder that astrology holds its sway in India even now.
It is worthwhile to examine the causes of decline of
astrology in the West. Most of the astronomers from
Hipparchus to Newton were good astrologers. But the
Ptolemaic astrologers interpreted astrology in terms of
the Aristotelian theory and consequently there was a
wide-spread notion that astrology was based on the
geocentric system. With the acceptance of the Coper-
nican theory, astrology which was rightly or wrongly as-
sociated with the geocentric system lost its importance.
Actually astrology deals only with the interpretation of
astronomical data subject to certain hypo thesis and
it is immaterial whether the geocentric of the
heliocentric system is used. Of course, the plane-tary
positions are accurately determined when a correct
(j.J
Muddle of Ayanamsa
I , , - , ..... - - , , - II..
theory is used. But the interpretation of data ls quite
independent ofthe astronomical theory involved. There
had been different theories of medicine in the early
days. But people used to take medicine for their lllness
and they never bothered about the theory. Similarly the
correctness of astrology rests on statlstl cal verification.
In India. astrology is based on the theory of karma
which is closely linked with Hinduism and consequent-
ly the changes in the astronomical theory did not alter
the importance of astrology.
The old alchemists who searched enthusiastically
for elixir vitae and the philosopher's stone made inter-
esting observations that led to modern chemistry.
Ptolemy's astronomy with the patient labour of Tycho
Brahe. led to Kepler's laws of planetary motion that
paved way for the Newtonian law of inverse square. The
Euclidean geometry was good in its own way. When the
parallel line axiom was challenged, new kinds of
geometry took shape and one of them led to the general
theory of relativity. The stream of astrology which was
running along with these went unheeded. The absence
of research in astrology for a number of years resulted
in stagnation. Had research in astrology been con-
tinued, a new subject, a successor of astrology reflect-
ing the current scientific thought, would have
developed.
In the modern days there seems to be a great in-
terest in Indian astrology. To quote one example, the
report entitled" Making a fortune with Indian astrology":
in the Indian Express dated 15.2.1991 gives the details
of the use of Indian astrology by Mr. Barry Rosen of the
United states. He uses the principles of Indian astrology
Pl'l
-- --- .. , ---
to predict the trends of trading strategies,for stocks,dls-
cussion of interest rate, currencies etc."
Mr.Rosen claims that the predictions were based
on the uncanny accuracy of Indian astrology.
It is the duty of the scientific community to utilize
the astrological principles in different fields before start-
ing to criticize astrology. Doctrinaire approach, dog-
matic assertions and criticism without analysis are all
alien to scientific thinking. It is suggested that those
who want to criticize astrology will take care to know
what it Is, before starting their criticism.
As we have seen, the astrological prediction can
be true only ifthe astronomical data that are used are
correctly prepared. The correct preparation certainly
depends on the Ayanamsa and every one who claims to
be an astrologer needs to know the full import of the
term Ayanamsa'.
9
East is East and
West is West
A devout Hindu always needs an important
document, the almanac or panchanga for the obser-
vance of religious rites. Every Hindu ritual hinges on
the almanac, the positions of the sun, the moon and
the other planets. Even in the observance of religious
customs different schools exist. While resigning patient-
ly to this divergence, one is really stunned at the be-
wildering multiplicity of schools even in the preparation
of almanacs. Before analysing this, one should know
how the difference occurs.
The orthodox almariac-maker is at the extreme.
He is totally impervious to the changes that have hap-
pened to the theories of planetary motion. He goes on
preparing the almanac according to his old Vakya
system*. There is a society in which his almanac could
be easily marketed, and thus he carries on his com-
putation with the "immutable" vakyas. The
chandravakyas' ofvararuchi, when they were prepared,
were really admirable. But one cannot use them now
for computing the position of the Moon. For example,
the positions ofthe Sun and Moon as calculated by the
traditional methods differ much from the modern
values. The really unfor tunate thing is that even the
corrections introduced in the computation of the
Moon's position by later astro-nomefs like Munjala,
Sripati and Bhaskara II, are not taken into account by
the almanac makers. Thus the tithis and nakshtras as
calculated by the traditional methods are in error. The
unscientific attitude of the society is greatly responsible
for the existence ofthese almanacs. Any change is nor-
mally resisted by the public. We shall cite and example.
The ' parahita system' of astronomical computation
took shape in a gathering at Tirunavay in Kerala in 684
A.D., since the old methods of computation became out-
moded. Later on, Parameswara of Alattur found that the
positions of planets arrived at by 'parahita system' did
not tally with observation. So Parameswara spent,
without the aid of modern sophisticated instruments,
55 years of observation and founded the 'Drigganita'.
But the popularity of 'parahita' was so great that the
new system could not get immediate acceptance.
Parahita' was used in horary astrology, electional
astrology etc. in the years that followed. Later works like
' panchabodha' describe both the systems.
The real trumpcard ofthe champions of the *
vakya system' is the existence of * Nadigranthas' in
Tamil which give the horoscopes according to the Vakya
system. Nadi granthas contains the life histories of per-
sons supposed to be written by sages ofthe past. Some
are attributed to Kousika, some to Agastya and some
others to Viswamitra and so on. They are available with
69
certain famllles that traditionally handle the things.
These Nadi works written on old palm leaves certainly
startle the public with wonderful prophesies. Oc-
casionally, there are unintelligible statements. The
whole thing appears to be a curious jumble of gems and
pebbles. But how does this happen?
We quote from vollll of SaptarshtNadi, published
by the Government of Madras; " It Is difficult to say
whether the horoscopes in it refer to the current cycle
or to the coming cycle, when the planetary positions
may come to same place some ten thousands ofyears
later. I have to say this as I found in the Kouslka Nadi
(Dialogue between Vashishta & Viswamitra) in the 7th
Bhava for a girl. In it, not only the current planetary
positions have been given, but also the names of her
parents, and also the girl's pet name. As I find, the
results given there were wrong. I requested the
Astrologer to search further. I was surprised at what I
found on 16th December I949 and I have given these
verses in the Tamil preface. Again, not only the correct
planetary positions were given, but also names as
before, and even referred to my having seen the pre-
vious reading. Further, it is said that the previous read-
ing did not relate to the girl born in Kali 5032 ( 1931
A.D.) but to a girl going to be born tens of thousand of
years Larer in the next cycle. This indicates that a per-
son (unless one attains salvation) will take birth with
the same name and environments when planets again
come to the same positions. Perhaps, this cycle is a
yuga. Learned men say that in every Treta yuga, the
incarnation of Sri Rama will take place, and all the in-
cidents as detailed in Ra may ana will repeat with per-
haps some minor changes." It appears that the
Nadigrandhas often go wrong due to wrong identifica-
tions.
I do not know whether any Nadigrantha gives the
planetary posi tions according to the Drik system. But
I have heard that there are Nadis in the Sayana system.
But one thing is sure. If by ( telescopic) observation, the
position of the Moon is inTaurus and the Vakya system
or the Nadi Granthas give the position in Aries, one has
to accept Taurus as the correct position since sense -
perception is a greater evidence than anything else, If
we accept the position as Aries, then what is meant by
a horoscope? is it not the document giving planetary
positions? A justification can be achieved
through mystification. One of the Puranas asserts that
planets are inside the body. Because it is difficult to
know these, which represent the actions( karma) of the
native, the outer projections in the solar system are
used. If the inner planets are represented in the vakya
system, it is a different story. However this has to be
demonstrated, and not justified with pseudo-scientific
conjectures and speculations.
Reverting now to almanac-makers. we find the
other extreme. The modern astrologer generally does
not use the traditional methods of computation. not
even the Drik or its variants. Since the ephemeris is
available, he just uses it and modifies the figures, using
the Ayanamsa of his liking. Since Ayanamsas are many,
we find the almanacs ofvarious kinds. No two watches
agree, one may say. Nor do two almanacs agree. To this
cluttering cacophony, there is no remedy unless the al-
manac makers themselves realize the difficulty and
71
agree upon a common system. At last. the poor victim
is the common man. I have come across numerous in-
stances. A visitor tells me," My star was Anuradha until
last year. When I met my uncle this year he told me
that the actual star is Jyeshta. What do you say about
it?" I verify the almanac I have, and the Ephemeris and
tell him what I find. If this is the case. how about
matching of horoscopes? According to one system, the
boy's star is 1 07th quarter and according to another, it
is I 08th quarter. Is it to be approved or not? Of course,
each astrologer follows a system and there is no prob-
lem for him. As for the common man. he wants to do
things above reproactl. He wants the horoscopes to
match according to the different systems. At the root of
all these, lies the absence of a unified system of al-
manac-making. Much contribution in this regard comes
from the Ayanamsa. Once the dam is broken the flood
is on. Bach almanac maker comes forward championing
the cause of his Ayanamsa.
10
Sayana Versus
Nirayana
Varahamihira mentions in his Brihaljataka that
the zodiac starts from Mesha and Asvini, thereby.
making clear that the Indian Astrology is based on the
stellar system. Brthatsamhita gives the transit Influen-
ces of various planets when they cross the zodiacal con-
stellations, Asvini, Bharani etc. The longitudes that are
computed in Indian Astronomy are only Nirayana, while
the sayana system and the precession have been recog-
nised as we have discussed in section 6. The predictive
astrology of Indians is based on the nirayana system.
By the precession of the equinoxes, the first point of
Aries moves backwards, and thus sayana of
planets are affected. The sayana longitudes of stars are
also affected in the same way and the positions of
planets, in relation to the stars remain the same. More
explicitly, the positions of planets relative to stars are
not affected in any way due to precession. It is
esting to note the following observation of A
good deal of controversy has been raised 1ri regard to
Muddle of Ayanamsa
this system by Hindus who have received a European
Education, and who consequently wish to appear in all
matters to be" up-to-date", such persons claiming for
the East a common use of Tables of Houses, the com-
putation of horoscopes by oblique ascension under the
latitude of birth and a full knowledge of the zodiac
which begins with the equinoctial point.Despite the ef-
fort ofthese gentlemen to improve their credit for intel-
ligence at the expense of Jyotispa sastra, we maintain
that although Mihira knew of the precession of the equi-
noxes, and quoted Parasara and Garga to the same ef-
fect in his Brihatsamhita, he nevertheless used the
equinox beginning from Revati, and referred all his
rules and horoscopes to a fixed zodiac which is now (
1898) 19 34' 26" East of the vernal equinox. In proof
of this. and to silence the contention that the system
of Parasara was confined to the south of India, which
is yet in vogue, we refer critics to Bhrigu Samhlta,
which is in possession of Pandit Nandkishore of
Meerut, N.W. Province. We have in. our possession over
a hundred horoscopes from that colossal work, and in
none of them is there any observance of oblique ascen-
sion, while the planet's places are referred to the fixed
zoolac:and not to the Vernal equinox. Can any further
more reliable, or more ancient authority be adduced to
the contrary'?
Did the Indians follow the Sayana system in any
other context? As we have observed earlier, the
Vishuvat happens on the day when the durations of day
and night are equal. This happens on March 21 and
the Vishuvat on the Mesha Sankranti day observed by
the religious Hindu and cele-brated as Vishu; the
Muddle of Ayanamsa
75
definition of'vishuvat' does not hold good. Similarly the
Uttarayana Punyakala observed by the religious Hindus
takes place a few days after the winter solstice. i.e. a
few days after the sun starts his northerly course. Did
the Indians in the early days, in the Pre-Vara hamihlra
period also, do like this? One important fact is that
Varahamihira himselfmentions that the solstical points
were in Dhanishta and Aslesha in an earlier period.
This, to some extent, suggests that in the pre-
Varahamihira period, the observance of equinoxes and
solstices were with reference to the Sayana system.
In this context a reference to the Mahabharata is
quite relevant. The Mahabharatha mentions that the
planet Mars was retrograde in the constellation Magha
during the war. It is well known that Bhlshma was alive
for a few days after the war and his ascent to heaven
was in Uttarayana. If the beginning of Uttarayana were
to be the beginning of the solar month Makaram as it
is observed today, Mars cannot be retrograde in
Magha. The only possibility is that Uttarayana com-
menced when the sun was ahead of the first degree of
Makara, possibility in Aquarius, or Pisces a position
likely if we are to accept the traditional date of the
Mahabhara ta. This suggests that during the days of
Mahabharata the observance of Vishuvat' and * ayana'
was done according to the sayana system.
It is also interesting to note that Ratha saptami,
the day on which the sun changes the course of his
chariot is not on the nirayana sankranti day but on the
Suklasaptami of the month Magha. This is followed by
Bhtshmastami. It appears that the Uttarayana
Punyakala according to sayana system once happened
7G
Muddle ojAyu11u rnsa
on the Magha sukla saptami day and the observance of
Ratha saptaml is the custom of following the sayana
system lingering in the vestigial form.
Thus. we can conclude that though the nirayana
system was used for predictive astrology and related
purposes, it appears that the sayana system was used
to observe the ' equinoxes' and ' solstices'. Later on
when the nirayana zodiac coincided with the sayana
zodiac during the time of Varahamihira, the difference
between the two was not observed for a few years and
later on dropped by convention.
Epilogue
The aim of this booklet is modest, just to intro-
duce the concept of the precession of the Equinoxes to
the general reader. Since this is not intended to be a
treatise, no critical study of the different ayanamsas is
made. However, certain important things are pointed
out.
In fixing the initial point of the zodiac, several
views exist. We have given in Appendix II the details of
a few systems in vogue. The most important facts
derived from the Indian texts are due to Varahamihira
and the commentary on Aryabhatiya by Suryadevayaj-
van. The general view is that Varahamihira flourished
in the fifth or the sixth century A.D. as evidenced by
the reference to 427 Saka which corresponds to 505
AD. Since Varahamihira refers to Aryabhata in his
Panchasiddhantika he was a late contemporary or he
flourished later. The commentary of Suryadevayajvan.
as we have pointed out earlier, opines that 3600 Kali
or its equivalent 498 A.D. was the year of coincidence
of the sayana and nirayana zodiacs. How did they draw
their conclusions? Varahamihira himself describes an
experiment to detect the precession ofthe Equinoxes.
According to him the change in the sun's course can
be detected by marking the entry and exit of the shadow
of the gnomon planted at the centre of a big circle. The
rate of change in declination near the solisticial points
Muddle u( A11nnamsa
is very low and even with a circle of diameter I 0 feet,
it is quite difficult to detect the change in a day. So one
can take that the Ayanamsa was small at the time of
Varahamihira and to what extent, it was so is a matter
difficult to conjecture. Thus, to fix with preceslon the
date of zero- precession we have to take into account two
or three centuries covering the period ofVarahamihira.
As regards the rate of precession, it is about
50".2619 per annum. In fact this is not constant, but
varies with time. This fact also should be used to as-
certain the Ayanamsa.
Astronomical and astrological methods should be
used to assess on the exact date of zero precession.
When there are borderline cases, different methods of
Ayanamsa could be used to arrive at astrological predic-
tions and from the accuracy of predictions we can guess
the correct Ayanamsa.
I had an interesting experience a few years ago. I
visited a friend, a father oftwins. The twins, he claimed.
were non-identical. In fact I too felt this. As I was talking
to his father one of the twins, who was quite inquisitive,
was sitting by our side. Occasionally, he was asking
questions to his father. A boy of four, he was perfectly
masculine. On the other hand the other boy kept aloof.
He was lying on the couch nearby and plunged himself
in thought. He was even shy to come near me and sit.
The dichotomy was very clearly perceptible. I examined
their horoscopes. Both were born under Simha Lagna.
The gap between them was very small, just four
minutes. Then how to distinguish between the two?
When I calculated the Shashtyamsa, ofthe two I found
Muddle <!} Ayanamsa
that in the * masculine' case it was Vrichika and in the
latter it was Kanya. I felt that this could be a cause and
the Ayanamsa is an important factor. In a similar way
one can apply Shashtyamsa in many other situations.
As the discussion of these will take us far afield we do
not go deep into them. The reader will be able to find
numerous instances in which the ' Ayanamsa is the
deciding factor.
The aim of this book as we have remarked is only
to introduce the concept of the precession of the equi-
noxes and stimulate interest in the reader. If these
things are achieved the writing of this booklet is jus-
tified. Ifthe reader feels that the author has not singled
out one of the Ayanamsas as that of his liking the
author only wishes to emphasize that the aim of the
booklet is not to open any controversy but to make the
general public, students of astrology and even some
professional astrologers have a general idea of the
concept of the precession of the Equinoxes.
A Note orr the Term Meshadi
According to Varahamihira the Zodiac commen-
ces with the First of Asvini or equivalently the First
point of Mesha. Thus the term Meshadi indicates the
initial point of the nirayana zodiac. In this book we have
used the tenn only in this sense. Since different views
exist on this we briefly discuss the history ofthe Zodiac
in India.
It is well-known that the Vedic literature talks
about nakshatras 28 in number. This includes the 27
nakshatras and the nakshatra' Abhljtt' (Vega). The
division of the Zodiac with nakshtras was not uniform.
Bhaskara II says that the division was introduced by
the sages of the past. In the system there were 15 nak-
shatras of length 13 10' 35" that are traced by the
Moon in a day, assuming uniform motion. The
nakshtras Bharani, Ardra, Aslesha, Svati, Jyeshta and
Satabhishak were of shorter length, half the above; on
the other hand, the nakshtras Rohini, Punatvasu,Ut-
taraphalgunt,Visakha, Uttarashadha and Uttaraprosl;t-
tapada were of greater length, one and a halftimes the
normal length. The remaining part, of length 4 14* 14"
was given to Abhijit. Later when astronomy developed
this proved a serious handicap. Since computation
would be easy with uniform divisions a zodiac with 27
nakshstras- each of length 13 20'- was introduced. But
what was the initial point of the Zodiac f we have:
"In those days when the epoch commenced, the
eastern direction consisted of Krittikas, Sravana,
Pushya and the region between Chitra and Svathi."
(Sulba sutro.)
The Chapter Nakshtravyuha in Varahamihira's
Brihatsamhita first gives the qualities ofKrittikas. Also
his reference to the middle of Aslesha and Dhanishta
as solsticial points once suggests ipso fact that the Ver-
nal Equinox was in Krittikas at that time.
From these we infer that Krittikas makred the
beginning of the Zodiac at one t:imC:I ~ l s h t h was
the initial nakshatra once and it was replaced by
Sravana later. These things, we gather from the puranic
literature. However it was Krittikas till they were
replaced by Asvini later. Whether Bharani was the ini-
tial nakshatra at any time is a matter to be decided after
research. ,;
Regarding the rasis, it Is believed that they were
introduced later. Though the terms Mesha, Vrishabha
do not figure in the Vedic Literature at our disposal, one
does not know whether they were used at that time. The
twelve months during the Vedic times bear the names,
Madhu, Madhava, Sukla, Suchl, Nabhas, Nabhasya,
Isba, Urja, Sahas, Sahasya, Tapas and Tapasya. These
determined by the motion of the sun as attested
by Kalidasa:
. "The two followed the radiant sage after touching
the feet of the mothers, and shone like Madhu and Mad-
hava, functioning according to movement the resplen-
dent Sun. ((Raghuvainsa 11. 7)
Thus one has to infer that Madhu was simply the
010nth when the Sun traversed the rasi, Mesha or per-
baps the month Chaitra. At any rate, there existed a
division of the Zodiac even in the Vedic times in 12
regions and each region indicated the month by the
transit ofthe Sun through that.
From the Suryasiddhantha one infers that
Meshadi was used to indicate the Vernal Equinox also.
But this is not important since; the nomenclature
Sayans Mesha and Nirayana Mesha are used by the
Indian Whenever required the appropriate
attribute can be used. In Common parlance, the
Meshadi thus indicates the Nirayana Meshadi and we
have used the term only in this sense.
It is necessary to add a note of caution. The eclip-
tic 1s the apparent path of the Sun and Zodiac is the
belt consisting of the twelve constellations running on
either side ofthe ecliptic to a distance of about 8. The
astrologer frequently talks about the zodiac and the in-
itial point of the zodiac and refers to two coincidence of
the initial point with the first point of Aries. The term,
initial point of the ecliptic is easily understood, but
what is tl}e initial point of the zodiac? Even granting
that it is a well defined star of the zodiac, it need not
be on the ecliptic, along which longitudes are
measured: Nevertheless the star defines a correspond-
ing point on the ecliptic, the foot of the secondary
through the star to the ecliptic. When the astrologer
talks about the coincidence of the initial point of the
zodiac with the first point of Aries rather loosely. he
really means the coincidence the corresponding point
on the ecliptic. Such terms are common as evidenced
by the term conjunction for the position, when the elon-
gation is zero or even when the planets occupy the
same sign. The astrologer's license to use such terms
stems from the fact the longitude of a planet was
measured in ancient days just by the angular distance
between the planet and a fixed star. The occasional ref-
erences in this bool<let to the coincidence of Meshadi
with the first point of Aries has to be interpreted as
above.
II
The year of coincidence of the fixed and movable
zodiacs according various astronomers/ astrologers/
scholars are as follows:
Cheiro 388 B.C.
D.Davidson
G. Massey
Thierens
P. Counce)
C. Fagan
317 B.C.
255 B.C.
125 B.C.
O.A.D.
213A.D.
N.C. Lahiri
New comb adopted J:>_yll
K.S. Krlshnamurthi
P.C. Roy
B.V. Raman
Sepharial
L.D. Swamlkkannu Pillai
Ebenezar Burgess
Rates
Suryasiddhanta
Bhaskara II
Munjala
Newcomb
B.V. Raman
Lahiri
285 A.D.
291A.D.
319A.D.
398A.D.
498A.D.
532A.D.
560A.D.
54"
59.9'
59';9'
so 2388475
50" 1/3
50'. 2722 in tropical
year
so .2741 in sidereal
year
The ayanamasa'sdue Lahiri, Krlshanamurthiand
C.G.Rajan are nearly the same. B.V.Raman's is less
than that.
Some figures due to different methods are also
given to facilitate comparison.
B. V.Raman:
(vide formula in section 7)
Year(AD.)
1891
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
N.C.Lahlri
Year( A.D.)
1000
1500
1900
2000
2500
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
Ayanamsa
20' 53'17"
210-50
21-9-14
21-17-37
21-26-00
21-34-24
21-42-47
21-50-10
21-59-34
22-7-57
22-16-20
22-24-44
Ayanamsa
g 55'
16'53'
22 28'
23' 52'
30'.51'.
Using the year of coincidence as 285 AD. and rate
50" .2722 for tropical year, th1s can be calculated for
any year.
The year of coincidence is 291 A.D. and the rate
to 50". 2388475 per annum.
Krishnamurthl
1840 21'31'
1850
21. 40'
1860
21.48'
1870 21 57'
1880 22 05'
1890 22 13'
1900 22 22'
1910
22 31 I
1920 22*39'
1930 22 47'
1940
22 55'
1950
23. 04'
1960 23 12'
1970
23. 20'
1980 23 29'
1990 23 37'
2000
23. 46'
RShhiyaPanchang
IstChaitra 1890 21.3.1958
2324'41"
1st Chaitra 1906 22.3.1984
23.3755"
IstChaitra 1909 21.3.1987
23.44'32"
The year of coincidence is 285 A.D. has to be cal-
culated just like Lahiri's except that it is less than
Lah!rt's value by 5".8
III
Horoscope or Kaleidoscope
The horoscope of a native is an important docu-
ment and the astrological predictions are based on
that. Since the accuracy ofpredictions depends on that
of the data, it has to be prepared with utmost care. We
shall examine in this section, how different ayanamsas,
used by the astrologers give rise to different versions of
a horoscope.
We shall cast the horoscope of a baby born at
7.20 a.m. I.S.T. at Cochin (lat.9" 55' N, long.76" 22' E)
on 5.1.1971. The Sayana longitudes ofthe planets and
lagna are as follows:
Sun
Moon
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Rahu
Ketu
Lagna
28403'
24" 09'
228"39'
268" 41'(retrograde)
238"21'
2ss 22'
45" 51 '(Retrograde)
325" 45'
145" 45'
292 14'
We shall now erect the Nirayana charts using dif-
ferent ayanamsas.
l.B. V. Raman's Ayanamsa
Raman ayanamsa is 22 0' 24" and taking it as
22 (correct to minutes) we get the nirayana longitudes.
Sun 262" 03'
Moon
2" 9'
Mars
206 39'
Mercury
246* 41'
Jupiter
2H5" 21'
Venus
216" 22'
Saturn
23" 51'
Rahu
303" 45'
Ketu
123 45'
Lagna
270" 14'
Then we get the following Rasi and Navamsa
charts.
"-"
J .. t

.... "
"""'
fk'rc
kl.fl.t
R.l.ti
IVS.'
..
t..-
!(the

Vtftu
. swa.
':f._,.
HltS

_l_

s"'"'
The star is Asvini and the balance of the period
ofKetu at birth is 5 years 10 months and 14 days.
l;K.S.Krlshnamurthl's Ayanamsa
The ayanamsa is 23 21'. we have the nirayana
longitudes of planets:
Sun

Mars
260" 42'
o 48'
205 18'

Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Rahu
Ketu
Lagna
245* 20'
215*0'
215" 01'
22*30'
302* 24'
122* 24'
268* 53'
The Rasi and Navamsa charts as follows:
H""
tfoYl HUI
.,
S-.b

Han
.

t-1 AvA""SA

--..

f.Wj
.,
;.y;.
Wnll.l
..
il.AO.

"

S"f'

The governing asterism is Asvinl and the balance
of the period of Ketu at birth is 6 years 6 months and
29 days.
3.Lahlrl's Ayanamsa:
The ayanamsa for the day is 23" 27'. In fact the
Lahiri's ayanamsa,differs very little from those of
Rashtriya pauchaug. C . q.Rajan and K.S.Krlshnamur-
tht The nirayana longitudes In this case are the follows:
Sun 260*36'
Moon 042'
.
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Saturn
Rahu
Ketu
Lagna
205* 12'
245* 14'
214" 54'
215*55'
22"24'
302.18'
18'
268" 47'
191
The Rasi and Navamsa charts would be as fol-
lows:
'
l'11tPt
:

...
,....,.
,.., ..
I< c....,
H&.C
J.e,kll.
. A.
l< .......
,...,._
'lv.f
.
..
. .
..
,., .. .,c.
1yt
...,.,

W..-J
.
'
':1-
...., ...

The star is Asvini and the balance of the period
ofKetu at birth is 6 years 7 .months and 18 days.
4.Sepherlal's Ayanamsa
In his book' A Manual of Astrology' Sepharlal,
who has devoted a portion for discussing Indian Astrol-
ogy, gives a method to calculate Ayanamsa. According
to this the year of coincidence is 498 AD. and the rate
of precession Is 50" 113. It is much similar to Raman's
method except" that the year of coincidence Is dif-
Muddle of Ayanamsaf
ferent.The correct nomenclature would be the tradition-
al ayanamsa rather than Sepharials Ayanamsa, as the
year of coincidence is as given in Suryasiddhanta and
as suggested by Aryabhatta, according to his commen-
tator.
The ayanamsa would be 21 * 36' as corrected to
minutes.
The nirayana longitudes are as follows:
Sun 263*27
Moon 3*33'
Mars
2os 03'
Mercury 2489 05'
Jupiter 217*45'
Venus
217 46'
Saturn 25* 15'
Rahu
3os 09'
Ketu 125*09'
Lagna 271 *38'
The Rasi and Navamsa chart work out thus:
,., 'II .

-
......
1'\A. YC
tWuo
Rlt-''-
NAVAIMA.
u., ....
f(thl
.
.,
'
.
s., ..
""' .
f1-.1i
Me\' c.

'
, ....
s...,
, ..

"""""
The star is again Asvini. But the balance of the
period of Ketu is 5 years I month and 19 days.
S.Swamikannu Pillai eLal.
There are other ayanamsas which are not in use
in general. According to L.D .Swamikannu Pillai, the
year of coincidence of the two zodiacs is 532 A.D. and
the rate of precession is 50" 2619 per year. For the horo-
scopes in question it is 23 28' 27" . According to
E.Burgess the coincidence took place in 560 A.D. we
get another ayanamsa.
N .Chidambara Iyer had a different school. Accord-
ing to him the ayanamsa on 1.1.1983 was 2 ~ 24' 15".
In these we have found two important aspects in
which opinions differ, viz.
(i) The date of coincidence of the nirayana and
Sayana zodiacs and
(ii) the rate of precession.
Though regarding the former, it is difficult to
pronounce an opinion, the latter can be precisely deter-
mined with sophisticated instruments in the modem
days. The Correction occurring there have to be inC'ot.-
porated in computation to ensure accuracy.
6:The Val<ya sys tern
The countryside astrologer does not at all bother
about ayanamsa and the like. He casts his horoscopes
using a vakya Almanac. Even for the computation of the
Muddle of Ayanamsa/
Lagna he uses the traditional method of using
rasimanas etc. The navamsa lagna is calculated on the
assumption that the ecliptic arc is traced uniformly
which is in fact. incorrect.
The horoscope discussed above cast as per an al-
manac in vakya system and traditional methods would
be thus.
..
-

Sat
,.. ....

t1ws
/1r.
aMV.
"ASr H AYit"'' '"
KW

" ..
MArS.
llf"'.

$lAY\
Toof
R_.l. ..
. !. ... 1: '
The star is Revati and the balance of the period
of Mercury is 0 years 0 Months. and 9 days.
The main question is this : which of the above
horoscope is to be accepted as the correct one. The
lagna is Saggitarius or Capricornus depending on the
horoscope chosen. The star is Asvini or Revatl. The
position of Mercury differs considerably and Mercury is
retrograde according to modern computation and not so
in the vakya system. The balance of period according
to Ududasa system varies With the ayanamsa chosen.
If such divergence occurs, how can one make astrologi-
cal predictions? The vakya system can summarily be
dismissed as being The tithls and nak-
shatras calculated by the Vakya system do not tally
with observations. Varahamihira says in his Brihat-
samhita that an astrologer should be conwrsant with
Drigganita meaning thereby that the positions of the
celestial bodies arrived at by computational methods
should agree with observation. Varahamihira's
Panchaslddhantha was followed by the astronomers for
a few years. We find that the development ofParahita
system and works like Siddhanta siromani to improve
the earlier systems. Parameswara of Alathur founded
the Drigganita when the earlier methods failed to satisfy
the observational requirements. This process goes on
endlessly and whenver any method of astronomical
computation proves experimentally inaccurate, new
methods to remove the inadequacies of the earlier
methods have to be introduced. There is no point in
sticking to an outmoded and inaccurate system for
computation when more accurate methods are avail-
able. Thus we have to accept the modern methods of
computation for the purpose of fixing planetary posi-
tions. The emphasis is thus really on ayanamsa which
has to be carefully settled and a unified system and
an almanac based on that should emerge and form the
basis of astronomical data.

Jyotish - Muddle of Ayanamsa

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MUDDLE OF AYANAMSA

DrS. Madhavan M.Sc.; Ph.D.

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