Mahabharata Quiz - 73

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Question – 73

Like any celestial body, the moon will also wobble as it moves in its orbit. Why can’t such wobble cause the Amavasya earlier in Trayodasi?

Answer:

It is true that the moon doesn’t go in a fixed orbit but wobbles forth and back as it moves. As per current knowledge, the moon is 252,088 miles away from us at the farthest distance and 225,623 miles when it is at the closest. The average orbital distance is 238,855 miles. At the average distance 30 phases occur that correspond to 30 tithi-s (15 in waxing and 15 in waning phase).

The duration of a phase at average distance = 238,855 / 30 = 7961.8 miles.

Now let us find out the range between the farthest and the closest distance.

252088 - 238855 = 13233 miles.

This is divided by the distance covered in a single tithi, i.e., 7961.8 miles.

13233 divided by 7961.8 = 1.66 tithi-s

This means that between the closest and the farthest orbit of the moon, the phases can vary within 2 phases (1.66) only.

At the farthest it is 15 +1 (16th tithi, i.e., Sodashi tithi)

At the closest it is 15-1 (14th tithi, i.e., Caturdashi tithi)

That is why Vyasa said, "This (Amavasya) in Caturdashi, Pañcadashi and also formerly happened in Ṣoḍashi but I have not known until now Amavasya in Trayodashi.” (Refer Question-70) 

It is stated in any text of astrology that Amavasya (no-moon) or Paurṇami (full moon) can happen on the 13th tithi. If the 13th tithi phase occurs, then it means the moon has come closer to the earth, by a reduction in its orbital circumference by 6000 + miles. This drift can happen over millions of years but not in a day and within a phase or two, i.e., within a month.

It occurred in the lunar Kartika month soon after the unusual natural events on Pushya day.

Vyasa makes a specific reference to Dhritarashtra of a Dhūmaketu falling on the day of Pushya!

“dhūmaketur mahāghoraḥ puṣyam ākramya tiṣṭhati” (MB: 6.3.12b)

Only if a comet had hit the moon’s surface also, a change could have happened in the speed of the moon, thereby causing a change in its path. This may sound unprecedented, but the Mahabharata is explicit in the description of the events as indicative of a terrible comet-hit on the earth which had not spared the moon as well.

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