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A work that I would prefer to call as the magnum opus of
my life is now getting published as a series in the reputed astrological
magazine founded by Dr. B.V. Raman. Dr. Raman’s
contribution to arriving at the rate of Precession is well known to many. I feel honored to have my research paper on the Siddhantic version of precession
verified with paleocliamtic data, offering newer insights to recent trends in
science on precession, accepted for publication in this magazine after being
reviewed by the editorial team.
The paper is published as a multi-part series
starting from August 2020 issue of the magazine.
Click here to download the August 2020 issue https://astrologicalmagazine.com/
Recent trends in science:
Certain recent observations in planetary science
have raised doubts on the reliability of the luni-solar model of the precession
of the equinoxes. A brief account of them is given below:
1. The
earth’s spin axis is no longer precessing, i.e. not
moving westward, but had started moving eastward. (https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/grl.50552
)
“Around the year 2000, Earth's spin axis took an
abrupt turn toward the east and is now drifting almost twice as fast as before,
at a rate of almost 7 inches (17 centimeters) a year. "It's no longer moving toward Hudson Bay, but instead
toward the British Isles," reports Adhikari who had presented quite
a few research papers on this topic. (https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6332
)
NASA scientists have identified three factors influencing the
axial drift, namely isostatic rebound of land forms formerly under ice sheets,
melting of the ice sheets and mantle convection – each having equal weightage
in influencing the axial drift. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180919195906.htm)
The axial drift is therefore guided
by internal dynamics of the earth and not by external forces such as luni-solar
pull which is the basis for the current theory of precession.
2. This
revelation brings us to the next issue on what happens with the moon in
relation to the earth. The moon is receding from us
thereby theoretically producing less torque, whereas the
rate of precession is found to be increasing which can happen due to
greater force on the earth as per luni-solar theory. This contradiction is now
being noticed, but when read with the previous point, it is understood that the
earth’s axial motion is not influenced by the moon or the sun. Added to this is
the fact demonstrated in space station that a gyroscope
in zero gravity does not change its orientation come whatever be the
disturbance to it. https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2016/03/Gyroscopes_in_space This means earth does not behave like a rotating gyroscope in zero
gravity, which is contrary to the current concept that is the basis for the
26000 year cycle of precession.
3. That
there is no precession of the
earth is established by the data on lunar cycle equations and eclipse
calculations. http://www.binaryresearchinstitute.org/bri/research/evidence/lunarcycle.shtml
The earth completes a full revolution of 360 degrees
from one like equinox to another like equinox and is not found short of the
proverbial precession amount of 52 arc seconds. Examination of the past
data also shows that the spring equinox had occurred on the same Gregorian date
(after leap year adjustment) and not drifted. The spring equinox occurs on 21st
March (or 20th) now and it was on the same Gregorian date in the
year 499 CE, at the time of Aryabhata when the tropical equinox coincided with
sidereal equinox. (check out Fig 5 in
my blog: http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.com/2020/07/mahabharata-date-is-intertwined-with.html
)
This means that there is no
variation in the dates with reference to the earth in relation to the sun as it
circles around the sun. The points of equinoxes and solstices are fixed on the
circle of orbit of the earth. What is perceived as precession is the shift
noticed in the background frame of reference when the entire circle is moving
ahead. This can be possible only if the sun along with
the entire solar system is moving in a curved path. Only in that case,
there can be absence of precession
with reference to sun but presence of precession with reference to a distant
star.
Since the rate is increasing now, the researchers
hypothesize a binary companion for the sun, with
the sun presently moving around the perigee. The implication of this which is
not yet grasped by the scientists is that the sun is going to change the direction of its movement by
which we will see the equinox moving forward. This
forward movement of the equinox after a backward movement is exactly the
version of Surya Siddhanta
and revealed variously by different authors in the past and expressed by
limited shift of the pole stars in the Puranas.
In this backdrop I worked on the Siddhantic concept
of precession in comparison with the Milankovitch
cycles and checked with paleoclimatic data since
the beginning of Last Glacial Maximum. My
findings reveal a wavy or a sinusoidal
path for the sun with least scope for a binary companion.
This implies that in the next generation simulators based on Siddhantic
precession, Arundhati will be seen ‘walking behind’ Vasishtha and Amavasya or Pournami not happening on the “13th
day”, forcing the researchers to learn the basics and start from the basics.
The abstract of my paper gives in a nutshell the
contents and the focus of my paper. Request readers to share this paper,
discuss and come up with constructive responses, if any.
Abstract
The current theory of the axial precession of the
earth relative to the distant stars resulting in the continuous precession of
the equinoxes and the corresponding pole shift in a circle around the zodiac in
a cycle of approximately 26000 years is not recognized by the Indic Thought
that proposes a short cycle of 7200 years consisting of forward and backward
motion of the equinoxes and a corresponding limited number of pole stars spread
across the span of the constellation of Ursa Minor, known as Shishumara in
Puranas and the Vedic texts. The decipherment of the ‘difficult passage’ of Siddhanta
Shiromani reveals the cycle of eccentricity of the earth’s orbit that differs
from that of Milankovitch which suffers from ‘100 000 year problem’. The
precession cycle of Milankovitch stands disputed by the Surya Siddhantic cycle
and the ‘Yuga of Ayana’ of Munjāla and Vishnuchandra that consists of three
cycles of equinoxes. The concept of obliquity of Milankovitch absent in Indic
Thought is also non- existent in the emerging scientific revelation from lunar
data and solar path-based movement that is mistaken as precession of the axial
tilt. The three Indic cycles enumerated
from the Siddhantas and checked against the Milankovitch cycles are verified
with paleocliamtic data. It is found that the sequence of glacial events since
the Last Glacial Maximum match with the mid-point of the Ayana cycle of the equinoxes.
The incidence of Dansgaard –Oeschger events that remain unexplained by any
current theory are found to match with the Ayana cycles, besides giving
credence to the sinusoidal path of the sun that is observed as to and fro
motion for an observer on the earth.
