The Hindu calendar is based on a geocentric model of the Solar System . A geocentric model describes the Solar System as seen by an observer on the surface of the Earth.
52-410: The Hindu calendar is lunisolar but most festival dates are specified using the lunar portion of the calendar. A lunar day is uniquely identified by three calendar elements: māsa (lunar month), pakṣa (lunar fortnight) and tithi (lunar day). Furthermore, when specifying the masa, one of two traditions are applicable, viz. amānta / pūrṇimānta . If a festival falls in the waning phase of
104-509: A pakṣa , the Moon advances 180° with respect to the Earth-Sun axis. A cāndramāsa ( Sanskrit : चन्द्रमास ) is the time taken by the moon to move from a new moon to the next new moon (as per the amānta [ Sanskrit : अमान्त ] tradition ) or a full moon to the next full moon (as per the pūrṇimānta [ Sanskrit : पूर्णिमान्त ] tradition). In other words a cāndramāsa is the synodic period of
156-523: A favourite food item, or having only a single meal a day. Chaturmasya literally means "four months", derived from the Sanskrit chatur (चतुर्), "four", and māsa (मासः), "month". Chaturmasya begins on the eleventh day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashadha or Devashayani Ekadashi . This is celebrated as the day that the deity Vishnu enters a yogic sleep ( yoga nidra ) on his serpent, Shesha , for
208-530: A feast for the disciples, shishya , where the prasada and charnamrita (nectar of the feet), the symbolic wash of Guru's feet, which represents his kripa (grace) is distributed. Special recitations of the Hindu scriptures like the Guru Gita are held all day. Apart from the singing of bhajans , hymns and of special kirtan session and havan at many places, where devotees from all over gather at
260-469: A four-month period during the rainy season, when they choose seclusion and stay at one chosen place; some also give discourses to the local public. Students of Indian classical music and Indian classical dance , also celebrate this festival. The festival is celebrated by Buddhists in honour of the Buddha , who gave his first sermon on this day at Sarnath , Uttar Pradesh , India . In the yogic tradition,
312-441: A ghaṭikā, or just under 24 seconds. A prāṇa ( Sanskrit : प्राण ) or asu ( Sanskrit : असु ) is one sixth of a vighaṭikā, or just under four seconds. Sāvana māna ( Sanskrit : सावन मान ) of the Hindu calendar defines civil time . A dina ( Sanskrit : दिन ) is the time between two succeeding sunrises. dina corresponds to the concept of a solar day . The length of a dina varies with daytime length . Apart from
364-500: A gigantic form. With his first step, he covered the entire earth, and with his second step he covered the mid-world. Since there was no place for his third step, Bali suggested that Vamana place it on his head. Vamana was pleased with him and granted him a boon, and with his third step, sent Bali to Patala (netherworld). According to the boon, Bali requested Vamana or Vishnu to live with him in Patala. Vishnu obliged which worried all of
416-686: A guru is the dispeller of darkness or ignorance. The celebration of Guru Purnima is marked by spiritual activities and may include a ritualistic event, Guru puja , in honour of the guru or teacher. Gurus are believed by many to be the most necessary part of life. On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their guru. In addition to having religious importance, this festival has great importance for Indian academics and scholars . Indian academics celebrate this day by thanking their teachers as well as remembering past teachers and scholars. Hindu Gurus are revered on this day by remembering their life and teachings. The festivities are usually followed by
468-503: A period of four months and wakes up on Prabodhini Ekadashi . This is associated with the story of King Bali and Vishnu's incarnation as Vamana . Bali, the king of demons, had seized power from the Indra (the king of the gods) and was ruling over the entire universe. The gods sought shelter from Vishnu to regain their power. Vishnu incarnated as Vamana, a dwarf, and asked Bali for three steps of land. As soon as Bali obliged, Vamana assumed
520-410: A sāvana dina Above that a nakṣatra dina is divided into ghaṭikā (of 24 modern minutes each) and vighaṭikā (of 24 modern seconds each). These same units are used to subdivide a savana dina using sunrise as the starting point, i.e. the first 24 minutes after sunrise constitute the first ghaṭikā, the next 24 minutes the second ghaṭikā and so on. pitṛpakṣa pitṛpakṣa ( Sanskrit : पितृपक्ष )
572-520: Is a holy period of four months, beginning on Shayani Ekadashi (June-July) and ending on Prabodhini Ekadashi (October-November) in Hinduism . This period also coincides with the monsoon season in India. Chaturmasya is reserved for penance, austerities, fasting, bathing in holy rivers and religious observances for all. Devotees resolve to observe some form of vow, be it of silence or abstaining from
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#1732797266239624-696: Is a pakṣa during which the Sun crosses the equator and transitions overhead the southern hemisphere, i.e. the autumnal equinox occurs within pitṛpakṣa. bhādrapada māsa kṛṣṇa pakṣa is identified with pitṛpakṣa. This identification is not always correct. For instance, in the Gregorian year 2020, bhādrapada māsa kṛṣṇa pakṣa ended with the new moon on 17 September while autumnal equinox occurred five days later, on 22 September. Chaturmas Chaturmasya ( Sanskrit : चातुर्मास्य , lit. 'Cāturmāsya'; Pali : Catumāsa ), also rendered Chāturmāsa ,
676-407: Is a tradition of inviting monks to their respective cities during Chaturmasya to give religious instruction. In Jainism, the third part of the classical Jain text Kalpa Sutra , written by Bhadrabahu I in the 1st century AD, deals with rules for ascetics and laws during the four months (chaturmas) of the rainy season, when ascetics temporarily abandon their wandering life and settle down amidst
728-437: Is also possible that an entire tithi elapses between two sunrises, i.e. the Moon traverses a 12° arc in between two sunrises (it enters the arc after one sunrise and exits the arc before the next sunrise). In this such a case, neither sāvana dina will be associated with this tithi, i.e. this tithi will be skipped over in the calendar. Such a tithi is referred to as a kṣaya ( Sanskrit : क्षय ) (lost) tithi . Subdivisions of
780-445: Is considered to be dvādaśī tithi. adhika tithi and kṣaya tithi It is possible that two consecutive sunrises may have the same tithi, i.e. the Moon continues to remain within the same 12° arc across two consecutive sunrises. In such a case, two consecutive sāvana dina will be associated with the same tithi. The tithi associated with the second sāvana dina is referred to as a adhika ( Sanskrit : अधिक ) (additional) tithi . It
832-452: Is known as a saṅkramaṇa ( Sanskrit : सङ्क्रमण ) or saṅkrānti ( Sanskrit : सङ्क्रान्ति ). These time periods are defined based on the solstices ( Sanskrit : अयन; IAST : ayana ) and equinoxes ( Sanskrit : विषुवत्; IAST : viṣuvat ). The time taken by the Sun to move from the winter solstice to the summer solstice is known as northward movement ( Sanskrit : उत्तरायण , romanized : uttarāyaṇa ) and time taken by
884-543: Is likely a scientific rationale, disease spreading more readily with the onset of monsoon. A number of Hindus, particularly those following the Vaishnava tradition, refrain from eating meals that are oily, salty, sweet or that contain onion or garlic, and eggplant during this period. The sanyasis or ascetics observe Chaturmasya for four fortnights, beginning on full moon day of the month of Ashadha, also known as Guru Purnima or Vyas Purnima, and ending on full moon day of
936-408: Is offered to one's gurus and teachers on Guru Purnima. The day falls at the beginning of Chaturmasya . On this day, Mahavira , after attaining kaivalya , made Gautama Swami his first disciple ( ganadhara ) thus becoming a Guru himself. Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar The Hindu calendar defines nine measures of time ( Sanskrit : मान IAST : māna ): Of these, only
988-477: Is shorter than the saura māna varṣa by about eleven sāvana dina. As a result, unless explicitly synchronised, these two parts of the calendar will diverge over time, as the cāndra māna varṣa will keep "falling behind" the saura māna varṣa. In order to synchronise these two parts of the calendar, an additional cāndramāsa is introduced into some cāndra māna varṣa. Such a cāndramāsa is referred to as adhikamāsa ( Sanskrit : अधिकमास ) . A adhikamāsa takes its name from
1040-463: Is the time taken by the Sun to orbit the Earth once and return to the starting point with respect to the fixed stars. The starting point is taken to be the position of the Sun when it is in opposition to Spica ( Sanskrit : चित्रा , romanized : citrā ). . A rāśi ( Sanskrit : राशि ) is a 30° arc of the orbit of the Sun around the Earth (i.e an arc of the ecliptic ). Starting in
1092-409: Is then associated with the entire sāvana dina. To illustrate: consider the Gregorian date 18th Sep 2021 . Instead of referring to it as "2nd dina of kanyā masa" Hindus will refer to it as " bhādrapada māsa, śukla pakṣa, dvitiyā tithi", which is the tithi prevailing at sunrise on that sāvana dina. Even though the Moon moves into the trayodaśī arc soon after sunrise (at 6:54AM), that entire sāvana dina
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#17327972662391144-674: Is traditionally observed to honour one's chosen spiritual teachers or leaders. It is observed on the full moon day ( Purnima ) in the month of Ashadha (June–July) according to the Hindu Calendar . It is also known as Vyasa Purnima, for it marks the birthday of Veda Vyasa , the sage who authored the Mahabharata and compiled the Vedas . The word guru is derived from the Sanskrit root words, gu and ru . G u means "darkness" or "ignorance", and ru means "dispeller." Therefore,
1196-564: The ashrams , matha or place where the seat of Guru, Guru Gaddi exists. This day also sees the ritual of padapuja , the worships of Guru's sandals, which represent his holy feet and is seen a way of rededicating to all that a Guru stands for. Disciples also recommit themselves on this day, towards following their teacher's guidance and teachings, for the coming year. This day is also seen as an occasion when fellow devotees, Guru Bhai (disciple-brother), express their solidarity to one another in their spiritual journey. In Vedic Hindu tradition,
1248-695: The Vedic hymns extant during his times and dividing them into four parts based on their characteristics and use in rites. He then taught them to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana , Jaimini and Sumantu. It was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific "Vyasa" (vyas = to edit, to divide). He divided the Vedas into four parts, namely, Rig , Yajur , Sama and Atharva . Gautama Buddha went from Bodhgaya to Sarnath about 5 weeks after his enlightenment. Before he attained enlightenment, he gave up his austere penances. His former comrades,
1300-504: The pakṣa , i.e. prathama (first), dvitīya (second) etc. The fifteenth, that is, the last tithi of a kṛṣṇa pakṣa is called amāvāsya (new moon) and the fifteenth tithi of a śukla pakṣa is called pūrṇimā (full moon). The saura māna ( Sanskrit : सौर मान ) of the Hindu calendar is defined by the movement of the Earth around the Sun. It contains sidereal ( Sanskrit : निरयन; nirayana ) and tropical ( Sanskrit : सायन; sāyana ) elements. A saura māna varṣa or sidereal year
1352-399: The Earth on its axis. This definition is not used in practice but is required for defining the following smaller units of time. Ā dina is ~4 minutes short of 24 hours. A ghaṭikā ( Sanskrit : घटिका ) or nāḍī ( Sanskrit : नाडी ) is one sixtieth of a nakṣatra dina, or just under 24 minutes. A vighaṭikā ( Sanskrit : विघटिका ) or vināḍī ( Sanskrit : विनाडी ) is one sixtieth of
1404-422: The Earth. Ṛtu corresponds to the concept of a season. The six ṛtu of the year are known as Nākṣatra māna ( Sanskrit : नाक्षत्र मान ) is defined with respect to the fixed stars, so all elements are sidereal in nature. A dina ( Sanskrit : दिन ) is the time taken by the celestial sphere to complete one sidereal rotation around the Earth. In reality, this movement is caused by the diurnal rotation of
1456-439: The Hindu calendar defines the following synodic calendar elements: A pakṣa ( Sanskrit : पक्ष ) is the time taken by the Moon to move from a new moon to a full moon and vice versa. The waxing phase of the moon is known as the bright side ( Sanskrit : शुक्ल पक्ष , romanized : śukla pakṣa ) and the waning phase is known as the dark side ( Sanskrit : कृष्ण पक्ष , romanized : kṛṣṇa pakṣa ). During
1508-404: The Moon, or two pakṣas . During a cāndramāsa , the Moon advances 360° with respect to the Earth-Sun axis. A candra māna varṣa or lunar year is made up of 12 consecutive candramāsa . These twelve candramāsa are designated by unique names caitra , vaiśākha , etc. In some instances an additional candramāsa , known as an adhikamāsa , is added to synchronise the candra māna varṣa with
1560-415: The Sun to move from the spring equinox ( ecliptic longitude 0°) to the autumnal equinox (ecliptic longitude 180°) is known as devayāna ( Sanskrit : देवयान ). The time taken by the Sun to move from the autumnal equinox to the spring equinox is designated as pitṛyāṇa ( Sanskrit : पितृयाण ). Due to the axial tilt of the Earth, the Sun appears to be in the north celestial sphere during devayāna and
1612-491: The Sun to move from the summer solstice to the winter solstice is called southward movement Sanskrit : दक्षिणायन , romanized : dakṣiṇāyana . Due to the axial tilt of the Earth, the Sun appears to move towards the north from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer during uttarāyaṇa , and towards the south from the tropic of Cancer to the tropic of Capricorn during dakṣiṇāyana . The time taken by
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1664-522: The Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking. In Nepal , Guru Purnima is a big day in schools. This day is teacher's day for Nepalese. Students honour their teachers by offering delicacies, garlands, and special hats called topi made with indigenous fabric. Students often organize fanfares in schools to appreciate
1716-420: The cāndra māna and sāvana māna of the calendar define the concept of a day as tithi and dina respectively. dina are not named and are not used for calendric purposes. The tithi takes precedence instead. Human life is regulated by the rising of the Sun and not by the movement of the Moon through a 12° arc. Hence, the position of the Moon at sunrise is used to determine the tithi prevailing at sunrise. This tithi
1768-495: The day is celebrated as the occasion when Shiva became the first guru, as he began the transmission of Yoga to the Saptarishis . Buddhists observe uposatha , i.e., to observe eight precepts on this day. Rainy season vassa also starts on this day, lasting for three lunar months, from July to October. During this time, Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate
1820-518: The day is celebrated in honour of the sage Vyasa , who is seen as one of the greatest gurus in ancient Hindu traditions and a symbol of the guru-shishya tradition . Their recitations are a dedication to him and are organised on this day, which is also known as Vyasa Purnima . Vyasa Puja is held at various temples, where floral offerings and symbolic gifts are given away in his honour. Hindu ascetics and wandering sanyasis observe this day by offering puja to their guru, during Chaturmasya ,
1872-516: The deities, including the goddess Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort). Lakshmi then devised a plan which only allowed Vishnu to live with Bali for a certain duration. This duration is also known as Chaturmasya or the period that Vishnu "sleeps" while visiting King Bali. Followers of the Shaivism sect recall the story of the churning of the ocean of milk. The story is recalls how Shiva saved creation by drinking poison called "halahala" which emerged from
1924-429: The entire period amidst lay people, observing a vow of silence ( mauna ), meditation, fasting and other austerities, and also giving religious discourses to the local public. During the four-month rainy-season period, when the mendicants must stay in one place, the chief sadhu of every group gives a daily sermon ( pravacana , vyakhyana ), attended mostly by women and older, retired men, but on special days by most of
1976-409: The four māna explained above, the concept of nakṣatra is an important characteristic of the Hindu calendar. This term has multiple meanings: The four māna explained above are used in combination in the Hindu calendar. adhikamāsa As seen above, both the cāndra māna and saura māna of the calendar define a varṣa comprising twelve māsa, but the duration of the varṣa differ; the cāndra māna varṣa
2028-405: The hard work done by teachers. This is taken as a great opportunity to consolidate the bond of teacher-student relationships. This was the day when Vyasa – author of the Mahabharata – was born to sage Parashara and a fisherman's daughter Satyavati ; thus, this day is also celebrated as Vyasa Purnima . Veda Vyasa did yeoman service to the cause of Vedic studies by gathering all
2080-458: The laity. This is the time when the festival of Paryushan is celebrated and the Kalpasutra is traditionally recited. Gautama Buddha stayed at the royal garden of King Bimbisara of Rajgir , whom he had recently converted, for the period of Chaturmasya and gave sermons: this practice is followed by monks to this day. Another reason for ascetics to stay in one place during the rainy season
2132-405: The last four are in active use and are explained here. The candra māna ( Sanskrit : चन्द्र मान ) of the Hindu calendar is defined based on the movement of the Moon around the Earth. The new moon ( Sanskrit : अमावास्य , romanized : amāvāsya ) and full moon ( Sanskrit : पूर्णिमा , romanized : pūrṇimā ) are important markers in this calendar. The candra māna of
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2184-464: The lay congregation. During their eight months of travel, the sadhus give sermons whenever requested, most often when they come to a new village or town in their travels. One of the most important Jain festivals, Paryushana , falls during the beginning of this period, which concludes with Forgiveness Day, Kshamavani Diwas , wherein lay people and disciples say Micchami Dukkadam and ask forgiveness from each other. Amongst Jain merchants, there
2236-476: The month of Bhadrapada . Sanyasis are supposed to halt at one place during this period. Major Celebrations within this holy period include: In Jainism this practice is collectively known as Varshayog and is prescribed for Jain monasticism . Wandering monks such as mendicants and ascetics in Jainism , believe that during the rainy season, countless bugs, insects and tiny creatures that cannot be seen in
2288-459: The moon, these two traditions identify the same lunar day as falling in two different (but successive) masa. Guru Purnima ( Sanskrit : गुरुपूर्णिमा , romanized : Gurupūrṇimā ) is a religious festival dedicated to offering respect to all the spiritual and academic gurus . It is celebrated as a festival in India , Nepal and Bhutan by Hindus , Jains and Buddhists . This festival
2340-402: The naked eye take birth massively. Therefore, these monks reduce the amount of harm they do to other creatures so they opt to stay in a single place for the four months to incur minimal harm to other lives. These monks, who generally do not stay in one place for long(59 nights for females, 29 nights for males), observe their annual 'Rains Retreat' during this period, by living in one place during
2392-420: The name of the cāndramāsa which follows, viz. adhika āśvina precedes āśvina. Most times every cāndramāsa witnesses a saṅkramaṇa . If a cāndramāsa does not witness a saṅkramaṇa, that cāndramāsa is designated as a adhikamāsa thus resulting in the cāndra māna varṣa "catching up" with the saura māna varṣa. This happens approximately once every two and a half (solar) years. dina and tithi As seen above, both
2444-684: The ocean while it was being churned by the asuras (demons) and devas (demigods). The poison was held at his throat to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the body, thus turning it blue. Performing lifecycle rites such as weddings is considered inauspicious during chaturmasya. Instead it is seen as a suitable time for householders to have an annual renewal of faith by listening to discourses on dharma , and by meditation and vrata (self-control). Penance, austerities, religious observances, recital of mantras , bathing in holy rivers, performing sacrifices, and charity are prescribed. Fasts and purity during this period help maintain health, for which there
2496-543: The pañcavargika, left him and went to Ṛṣipatana in Sarnath . After attaining Enlightenment, the Buddha left Uruvilvā and travelled to the Ṛṣipatana to join and teach them. He went to them because, using his spiritual powers, he had seen that his five former companions would be able to understand Dharma quickly. While travelling to Sarnath, Gautama Buddha had to cross the Ganges . When King Bimbisara heard of this, he abolished
2548-464: The solar year or saura māna varṣa . A tithi ( Sanskrit : तिथि ) is the time taken by the Moon to advance 12° with respect to the Earth-Sun axis. In other words a tithi is the time taken for the Moon's elongation (on the ecliptic plane ) to increase by 12°. A tithi is one fifteenth of a pakṣa and one thirtieth of a cāndramāsa . A tithi corresponds to the concept of a lunar day. Tithi have Sanskrit numbers according by their position in
2600-407: The south celestial sphere during pitṛyāṇa . In Hindu tradition, the north celestial sphere is consecrated to the gods (deva) and the south celestial sphere is consecrated to the ancestors (pitṛ). Devayāna and pitṛyāṇa are not in active calendric use any longer but do form the basis for pitṛpakṣa . A ṛtu ( Sanskrit : ऋतु ) is the time taken by the Sun to move sixty degrees on its orbit around
2652-664: The toll for ascetics. When Gautama Buddha found his five former companions, he taught them the Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra . They understood and also became enlightened. This marked the establishment of the mendicant Sangha , on the full-moon day of Asadha . The Buddha subsequently spent his first rainy season at Sarnath at the Mulagandhakuti. The bhikshu sangha soon grew to 60 members; then, Buddha sent them out in all directions to travel alone and teach Dharma . According to Jain traditions, special veneration
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#17327972662392704-403: The vicinity of Zeta Piscium ( IAST : revatī), the twelve (i.e. 360° divided by 30°) rāśi are designated meṣa ( Sanskrit : मेष ), vṛṣabha ( Sanskrit : वृषभ ) etc. A sauramāsa ( Sanskrit : सौरमास ) is the time taken by the Sun to traverse a rāśi. Sauramāsa get their names from the corresponding rāśi. sauramāsa corresponds to the concept of a month. The moment in time when the Sun enters a rāśi
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