Category: Astronomy

Omnipresence of Triśanku (Southern cross stars), Harīścandra and Ambarīṣa in Ṛgveda Saṃhitā

The astronomy connections... Ikṣvāku King Harīścandra and Ambarīṣa are mentioned one after the other in Maitrayāṇī Araṇyaka Upaniṣad. Read below the phrase said by Ikṣvākus King Bṛihadratha. 1) अथ किमेतैर्वा परेऽन्ये महाधनुर्धराश्चक्रवर्तिनः केचित्सुद्युम्नभूरिद्युम्नेन्द्रद्युम्नकुवलयाश्वयौवनाश्ववद्धियाश्वाश्वपतिः शशबिन्दुर्हारिश्चन्द्रोऽम्बरीषो ननूक्तस्वयातिर्ययातिनरण्योक्षसेनोत्थमरुत्तभरतप्रभृतयो राजानो मिषतो बन्धुवर्गस्य महतीं श्रियं त्यक्त्वास्माल्लोकादमुं लोकं प्रयान्ति ॥ १.५॥From this prapāṭhaka 1.4 we get information of ancient kings like … Continue reading Omnipresence of Triśanku (Southern cross stars), Harīścandra and Ambarīṣa in Ṛgveda Saṃhitā →

Nakṣatra was used in the sense of star and the Sun in masculine form in Ṛgveda Saṃhitā 

The sense of ‘star’ appears to be adequate for all or nearly all the passages in which the word Nakṣatra appears in the Ṛgveda. The etymological application of Nirukta ‘obtain’ for the root Nakṣ here is well received for the sun, on the contrary, the same etymology won’t apply for the moon going through a … Continue reading Nakṣatra was used in the sense of star and the Sun in masculine form in Ṛgveda Saṃhitā  →

Identifying the lost Yamakoti of Sūryasiddhānta

There's an interesting name Yamato found in Japan which had given birth to naming of a culture as Jomon culture, the archeology of pottery, referring to 18000 BCE. The name "Yamato" could thus be a vestige of the ancient concept of Yamakoti, a geographical marker that was once significant in Indian astronomy which used to … Continue reading Identifying the lost Yamakoti of Sūryasiddhānta →

Bṛhadratha and his relations with other Tribes in Ṛgveda

In a previous blog, article, and research paper, I dated King Bṛhadratha to around 34,500 BCE based on internal evidence, such as observations of receding ocean levels and the vernal equinox occurring in the Magha asterism. The Ramayana also records astronomical observations of two pole stars, specifically mentioning Vega (referenced in discussions in Historical Rama … Continue reading Bṛhadratha and his relations with other Tribes in Ṛgveda →

The memory of Svāti’s non return to the celestial pole star region is hidden in the marriage Sūtra of Āpastamba-Gṛhya-Sūtra

In one of the articles, Hanumān’s leap towards Laṅkā and the Memory of Flight Path of Swāti Nakṣatra, which was published in MyInd online journal (read here), I had discussed about the flight path of Svāti, used as an adjective to Hanumāna's flight path to Laṅkā in Rāmāyaṇa. In this mentioned article it was concluded … Continue reading The memory of Svāti’s non return to the celestial pole star region is hidden in the marriage Sūtra of Āpastamba-Gṛhya-Sūtra →

Identifying “Udagayana” with Sun’s course in “Northern Hemisphere”; An evidence from Āpastamba-Gṛhya-Sūtra

Identifying Udagayana It is crucial to grasp the gist of Sanskrit words, especially considering their polysemous nature. This has created great confusions in the academia whether the word udagayana would mean the sun rising in the northern hemispher, ie. equinox day or would it mean sun's northern course from winter solstice point. A mistaken interpretation … Continue reading Identifying “Udagayana” with Sun’s course in “Northern Hemisphere”; An evidence from Āpastamba-Gṛhya-Sūtra →

Many Śiśirādayaḥ – Winter beginning phrases in Indic texts, now we know how to look at them

We have many texts with śiśirādayaḥ as counting of ṛtus apart from Vasanta also. Basically, they appear in śrauta sūtras, gṛhyasūtras, and Purāṇās. There have been complications in understanding the texts from where the saṃvatsara began, whether winter Solstice or Vernal equinox. Besides, I chaffed out and separated this first as a problem and I … Continue reading Many Śiśirādayaḥ – Winter beginning phrases in Indic texts, now we know how to look at them →

Fascinating Evidence of Beginning of Lengthier Monsoons and Winters from Suśruta Saṃhitā.

Suśruta Saṃhitā One of the Āyurvedic text, Suśruta Saṃhitā, is a well known text which describes surgery with the help of instruments. The names of surgical instruments itself are very peculiar and perhaps have retained the earliest memories of different anthropological taxa's body parts as the names of these instruments. Probably, as it appears to … Continue reading Fascinating Evidence of Beginning of Lengthier Monsoons and Winters from Suśruta Saṃhitā. →

Gopatha – 23000 BCE knows Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa, then how old is Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa?

We already know that Gopatha Brāhmaṇa was written around 23,000 BCE according to logical and scientific reasoning. Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa compilation has always been of utmost importance and critical. In his translation of Vedga Jyotia, Shri PV Kane asserted that although some researchers derive Vedic Uttarayana from the Vernal Equinox, others derive it from the Winter … Continue reading Gopatha – 23000 BCE knows Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa, then how old is Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa? →