Mina rashi verse of Y-VJ (Greek vs Vedic astrology debate)

In this post I want to show some interesting revelations contained in the so-called interpolated and un-numbered verse of Y-VJ that mentions Mina Rashi.  Mr R.Ramanathan, the Vedic scholar who continues to study Vedas and teaches Vyakarana, provides the translation of that verse.

"ye Brahaspatina bhukta meenan prabriti raashayah/

(te hrutaha) panchabihi (bhu)ta yaha Sheshaha sa Parigraha//

Meaning:-

Yee- This

brihaspatina:-  From(With) brihaspati (3rd vibhakti)

Bhukta:- Consumed, occupied, passed

Meenan Prabriti:- From Meena

Raashayah: Raashis (Plural)

panchabihi: By 5 (Again 3rd vibakti)

Bhuta exists

Yaha :which

Sheshaha :-Remaining

Sa ; That

Parigraha: Taken. 

 

On 'Te hrutaha' which was not clear in the manuscript, he says : "'hrut' seems to be a noun stem of "Heart",  but it does not make sense here".

Suppose the missing word is 'Trvrtaha' he says: "'trivrtaha' means multiply by 3 or "Make 3 times". There is "Trivrit Stoma", a stotra (Saman) sung during soma yajnas,  where 3 basic Samans are taken and are sung 3 fold, with 3 rounds. Trivrit Stoma is frequently used in many shrauta rituals and is one of the basic stoma used."

Taking Trivrit as three-fold or three times three-fold, let me apply the calculation given in the verse to the position of Jupiter, starting from Mina rashi (because that is where the counting must start according to this verse.) This verse applies at the most to 12 places of Jupiter in 12 rashis starting from Mina to Kumbha. I calculated for each of the 12 positions of Jupiter from Mina onwards. Here we must remember that though this calculation takes Mina as the pivotal rashi, the 5-year yuga begins at Kumbha rashi or Magha month. So I started the counting from Kumbha (first year of the 5-year yuga). (Solar months must have definitely been in use in VJ period, for, without them, the adjustment of intercalary months every half yuga is absurd and is not required)

When Jupiter is in Mina, counting from Mina, it is 1 multiplied by 3 and then divided by 5. This is taken as 3 only, and counting from the first year of first Yuga, that is, from  Kumbha / Magha, this comes to Mesha.

When Jupiter is in Mesha, it is 2 multiplied by 3 = 6 which is divided by 5. This gives quotient as 1 and reminder as 1. This implies 1 yuga (of 5 years) and 1 month. Counting from Kumbha rashi, this comes to Kataka. Like this if we calculate for all the 12 rashi positions of Jupiter, it comes as shown in the table below.

Jup in	No of rashis passed from Mina	Multiplied By  3 =	Divided by 5 =	Q – R Yugas – remaining years	The remaining Year located at which rashi (counting from Kumbha as the first year of the first yuga)
Mina	1	3	3	3 yrs	Mesha
Mesha	2	6	1-1	1 yuga -1 yr	Kataka
Rishabha	3	9	1-4	1 yuga -4 yrs	Thula
Mithuna	4	12	2-2	2 yugas -2 yrs	Makara
Kataka	5	15	3	3 yugas	Mesha
Simha	6	18	3-3	3 yugas – 3 yrs	Kataka
Kanya	7	21	4-1	4-yugas -1 yr	Thula
Thula	8	24	4-4	4 yugas -4 yrs	Makara
Vrischika	9	27	5-2	5 yugas – 2yrs	Mesha
Dhanus	10	30	6	6 yugas	Kataka
Makara	11	33	6-3	6 yugas – 3yrs	Thula
Kumbha	12	36	7-1	7 yugas – 1 yr	Makara

 

Some observations from this calculation are

·         When Jupiter completes one round around the zodiac and appears in Kumbha – the sign that it reaches after its sign of debility, 7 yugas of the five –year yuga would be over. That means 35 years are over by then and it will be the 36^th year. This year (the 36^th year) sounds familiar for us. In Mahabharata, after the war was over, Gandhari curses Krishna that on the 36^th year from then onwards, the Vrishnis would find destruction. Why did she specifically mention 36^th year? What is that relevance of 36^th year? When I exchanged some notes on this revelation with Dr Subhash Kak,  he pointed out a 36 year sattra from Panchavimsa Brahmana (PB), verse 25-7. This shows that completion of 35 years in the five year yuga (or completion of 7 yugas) has a meaning. Kuppanna sastry points out that by 4.54 yugas the Mean Sun would be ahead of Dhanishta by 30 degrees. This has to be adjusted by dropping one intercalary month after 6 yugas and another after 7 yugas. This shows that a complete adjustment will be over only after the 7 yugas or 35 years and the cycle repeats from the 36^th year onwards.

·         The Y-VJ verse indicates the running year of five yuga cycle along with the completed yugas. The counting from Mina was recommended because only then the position of Jupiter will coincide with the first year of the first Yuga after 7 yugas (or 35years). This position also happens to be the sign where Jupiter emerges after debility. In this context let me point out an interesting finding from the Cassini Space probe that went near the planet Saturn. It reported that summer began in the northern hemisphere of Saturn from the time Saturn started moving from Leo. Presently sun is shining the northern most regions of Saturn. This coincides with Saturn transiting its sign of exaltation. When I read this news I was wondering whether signs of exaltation and debility for Saturn were assigned with a meaning like this (summer in north and summer in south respectively). There is no information on Jupiter on its summer in its Northern hemisphere on similar lines. I wish the scientists focus on the summer time in the northern hemisphere of Jupiter. Coming back to this write-up, the emergence of Jupiter from the sign of debility coincides with the start of the Year and the start of the first yuga in Kumbha rashi.  The above verse shows that it coincides with the start of a new cycle of yugas after completing 7 yugas. In the first year after the 7 yugas, Jupiter will be in Kumbha. Vediks conducted specific sacrifices for that occasion.

 

·         The 7 yuga cycle makes this verse of Y-VJ a relevant one and NOT an interpolation. The PB verse on 35 year cycle adds credence to this verse as belonging to or being relevant to Vedanga Jyothisha kaala. If it is assumed that the verse merely recommends division by 5, it is not required. Just by looking at the position of Jupiter one can say how many years have elapsed in a yuga. But then such a verse could only tell about 2 yugas + 2 years. In any Yuga, each year can be followed effortlessly, but to know which yuga- year was running in the 7 yuga cycle (so that the adjustment of intercalary months can be done), they needed a quick and easy reference. Such a reference is fulfilled by this verse. If the running year of the Yuga coincides with the sign with Jupiter in the corresponding sign as shown in the table (derived from the verse), they can know which yuga was running and which year of the yuga was running then. So this verse makes perfect sense and relevance in Vedanga Jyothisha.

 

·         One must know that no one dared to twist or alter or interpolate anything in texts like this. Perhaps such a trend can happen in the current times, encouraged or influenced by Westerners. Otherwise no one in the Vedic society would say that such and such a verse is an interpolation or that it was wrong. If a verse cannot be understood by us, we would say that it is due to our deficiency in understanding. We would try to probe and learn better to understand what the verse says and not reject it.

 

·         Now applying the 'Trivrit' as per Ramanathan's explanation, 3 times 36 makes 108 which is the longevity allotted in Ashtottari dasa system. Readers, kindly note that Horoscopy was there right from the time Vedas were chanted.  If at all there is anything to ask, the Vedic rishsi had asked for longevity. Jeevema sharadhas satham – was their prayer. Chandogya Upanishad talks about human life as a yajna and divided the life into 3 parts which added upto 116 – similar to the Shodasottari dasa system told by Parasara rishi.  Sage Parasara minces no word in declaring the purpose of Jyothisha sastra in Chapter 66-11 of BPHS as being that of determining the longevity.  Therefore, if not for anything else, it is for knowing one's longevity, they checked the horoscopic positions of a person. That is the reason for many systems of longevity found in Parasara's work.

 

·         Parasara's definition of Ashtottari dasa (108 year- longevity) makes it known that it is applicable to the one who is not tainted by Mleccha connection. He says that Ashtottari dasa must be applied to the one for whom Rahu is not in lagna or in Kendra or Kona to the lagna lord.  This shows absence of affliction from Rahu gets one into 108 year longevity. This is the trivrit of the Jupiter system. The one who follows the Jupiter system comes under the Northern tradition of Devas and Vedas.

 

·         Coming back to the Meena rashi verse, another important information contained in the table derived from this verse is that the four signs  of the zodiac (Mesha, Kataka, Thula and makara) that signify the Vishus and the ayanas  when in equilibrium (refer my article -5) and which also have a  use in making many divisional charts, are the signs where the yuga year will be located for the any position of Jupiter in the zodiac.

 

·         Yet another interesting observation from this table is that the 4 positions of Jupiter during the 4 Kumbha Melas in a 12-year round of Jupiter coincide with the end of complete yugas and the mid points between them.

 

·         For example, when the 7 yugas are over and the next cycle begins, Jupiter will be in Kumbha rashi. The Kumbha Mela at Haridwar takes place in this position of Jupiter which also signifies the completion of a cycle of 35 years.  It is significant to note that this Kumbha Mela coincides with Sun in Mesha rashi – the rashi that is obtained first when the calculation is begun from Mina.

 

·         Half of this 7 yuga cycle coincides with Jupiter in Simha rashi. This is the location of Jupiter when the Kumbha Mela is held at Nashik. Sun joins Jupiter in this rashi at this Kumbha Mela.

 

·         The mid point between them occurs at Rishabha and Vrsichika.  Rishabha location of Jupiter is celebrated at Prayag with sun in Makara and Vrischika location of Jupiter is celebrated at Ujjain with Sun in Mesha.

 

·         This shows that the Vedanga Jyothisha kaala tradition of importance to Jupiter in the cycle of 7 yugas (of 5 year yuga), was replaced with Kumbha Mela when that Yuga system became redundant. That Yuga system must have become redundant soon after the uttarayana slipped backwards to Sravana. Dhanishta has a place of importance in Jupiter cycle as it signified the location of reappearance of Jupiter after a conjunction with sun and after leaving its debility. Whereas that yuga system would have held relevance throughout the ascending period of uttarayana when the southern solstice (as per Veethi concept) started to shift  from Mula 3 degrees to Dhanishta –pada 2 at 20 minutes. At that maximum extent of Uttarayana,  the Northern Equinox (Vishu) will be at Krittika – pada 1 at 20 minutes. That is the maximum the oscillation goes and therefore Krittika is regarded as "fixed" in the east. Per this, the Vedanga Jyothisha had existed prior to Lagadha for a period of (54 degrees X 72) = 3888 years.

 

·        Now Uttarayana is in its downward trend. Even since the downward trend began, Vedic society had suffered. Please note that the decay of Indus- Saraswati culture coincided with the beginning of this downward trend. Attacks by Mlecchas in North West India gradually increased from that time. It was at its peak once after Uttarayana slipped south of Makara rashi.  Wise men of the Vedic fold would not go backward of Makara. So they stuck to Makar sanakaranthi for Uttarayana also and have called it Uttarayana Makar sankaranthi (please note the inscriptions I posted). The assault on Vedic society and Aryavartha by Muslims started after Uttarayana slipped south of Makara. It is continuing now in such a pace that Veda Maatha had gone into hiding. She is crying as Vyasa said – when wrong meanings are interpreted to her. This trend is likely to continue for the next 200 plus years. By the time swing starts towards North, Veda matha would come back and gain her place.

 

The current period is similar to the period when Bali was ruling the South. He was a Danava and well known for all good works and even Vedic studies. But Veda Maatha suffered under his rule for, he did not treat Vedas the way she must be treated. The Vamana avatara was a symbolism of the end of Danava misuse of Vedas. It will happen again (many Vamana avataras have happened in the past). Until then we will have to be working towards guarding our own homes.

 

We did not intrude the Mleccha culture, we did not question their beliefs and bibles. We did not boss over them and said their sacred books and culture are all wrong. We are only defending our own sacred books, our own culture and the knowledge imparted by our own ancestors. For doing this we are being branded as Fundamentalists and what not! We have to hear all this because of Time – the Kala Purusha is yet to cast his dhrishti towards north. Let us wait and keep doing our squirrel's contribution to reduce the distress to Veda Maatha. Dahrmo rakshati rakshitaha!

 

This is probably my last mail posted to everyone. Like kalyanji and Achar ji, I too wish to not hear the 'fundamental' abuse any more – not because it is directed at us but because it is directed at what we stand for. Anyway I have planned two more articles – one on Tamil sources for Mesha and Historical and archaeological analysis of Yavanas and will be preparing them in the 2^nd week of June (as I am presently tied down to some academic work). I will send them to others in this mail chain.

Thanks for patient reading all along.

 

Regards,

Jayasree saranathan.