Question – 121
Mahabharata says that the
Uttarayana was delayed; but is there any evidence in support of it other than
what is stated in the Mahabharata?
Answer:
The delayed Uttarayana is
remembered as ‘Ratha
Saptami’. We do celebrate Ratha Saptami even today as the day the Sun
turned north. Every year, the Sun turns north once. Why is that Saptami in
Magha month alone remembered as Uttarayana?
The reply lies in the
change of Time that occurred then. It was not the usual time of Uttarayana. Bheeshma
decided to lay down expecting the Uttarayana to come within a few days. But an
Adhika Masa occurred in Magha when it should not have been. Since the Uttarayana
dates were decided on the basis of tithi-s in the 5- year yuga, they had to
wait for Nija Masa. Even then the regular tithi could not be picked out as
Uttarayana started on a different tithi which was Saptami. This was already
discussed in Question
42
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