English
At this epoch, the Hhidu Astronomy began to assume a more regular form — many improvements were made — the solar months were formed, and re- ceived their names — another set of Lunar Mansions was introduced, depending on the tropical revolution of the sun, corresponding in name and number with those of the zodiac, or fixed stars, and the six seasons of the year established on unalterable principles; which, with the months, depended also on the tropical revolution of the sun : — all of which are explained by the Plate, which shows their positions, as they then stood in respect of the fixed stars. The outer circle contains the zodiacal Lunar Aste- rism, beginning with Sravisht'ka, as the first in the arrangement at that period, and numbered from 1 to 27. The next, the tropical Lunar Mansions, or those depending on the sun's revolutions in the tropics, coinciding with the astral ones at the time, and also numbered firom 1 to 27. The next circle contains the twelve months of the year in their order, beginning with Mdgha, at the winter solstice. Next to these are the six seasons of the year, of two months each, and the first of which, Sisira, begins at the winter solstice. The innermost circle of all represents the Serpent, which is the Digitized by Google OF THE HINDUS. 7 poetic emblem of both the year and the ecliptic. The head and tail meet at the wmter solstice; and its middle corresponds with the middle oiAslesha, which, in the tropical Lunar Mansioni^, was always the middle of the year, so long as it continued to be- reckoned as commencing at the winter solstice. The following are the names of the Lunar Asterisms in their order, as numerically expressed in Plate IL 1 SraoMfha, 10 Bmgaiiras, 19 Ckiira, 2 SaiabUtU, 11 Ardra, 20 Swdti, 3 Pmva Blwdrofoda, 12 PunarvasM, 21 VUdkka, 4 UttaraBhadrapada, 13 Pushya, 22 Anurddka, 5 BevaH, 14 AOstka, 23 JyeslWlui, 6 Adwim, 16 Magka, 24 Nmii, 7 Bharam, 16 P. Pkalgum, 25 P. Ahadha, 8 KrUika, IT U.Phalgwa, 26 U.Ashad^hd, 9 Bokim, 18 Hoiia, 27 ^ravand. The names of the moveable or tropical Lunar Mansions, always beginning from the winter solstice, are the same with the fixed or Astral Mansions ; and therefore may sometimes cause an ambiguity, to be explained only by the nature of the subject. Thus when it is said, tiiat the summer solstice is always in the middle of Aslesha, we know immediately that the tropical or moveable Aslesha is meant; just in the same manner as, if it was said that the summer sol- stice is always in the beginning of Cancer, we should know that the sign Cancer was meant, and not the constellation Cancer; because the solstices and Colures do not remain always in the same points with respect to the fixed stars. It now remains to be explained, the principle on which the months were formed and named, and the time to which they refer. I have already observed, that the Lunar Mansions were fabled by the Hindu poets to have been married to the Moon, and that the first offspring of that poetic union were four of the Digitized by Google 8 THE ANCIENT ASTRONOMY planets. In like manner, the Hindu poets feign, that the twelve months sprung from the same union, each month deriving its name, in the form of a patronymic, from the Lunar Mansions in which the Moon was supposed to be full at the time. Let us therefore, in the case before us, apply this principle. At the above epoch, 1181 B. C. the sun and moon were in conjunction at the winter solstice ; and as the month began when the sun entered the signs, the first month therefore began at the winter solstice. Now to find the name of that month, the the moon would be full at about 141 days after the winter solstice, and would then be in the opposite part of the heavens to the sun. The sun would have advanced in 141 days about 14^i, and therefore would have entered the second Lunar Asterism, Satabhisha; a line drawn from the point in which the sun is llius situated, through the centre, would fall into the Lunar Asterism Maghd, in which the moon was fiill, on the opposite side; and consequently, on the principle stated, the solar month was from thence called Maghtty in the form of a patronymic. At the next full, the moon would be in Uttara Phalguni^ and the solar month from thence called Phalguna; ?jdA on this principle all the months of the year were named; that is to say, The month Md^ha, from the Lunar Asteriim Maghdf the 15th Mansion Phalguna, from U. Phalgum, ..17th. Chaitra, from CkUrd, ..19th. VaUahha, from VUalhd, ..2l8t. Jyaishtha, from Jyesht'ha, ..23rd. Ijhdra, from P, Ashadhd, :.25th. , Srdvana, from ..2Tth. Bhadra, from P. Bhddrapadu ,..3rd. Aswinat from A i vomit ..6th. Kartika, from KHtikd, ..8th. Mdrgaiirsha, from Mriga^iras ..10th. Pausha, from Pushyd Digitized by .. 13th. GooqIc OF THE HINDUS. D On the principle above stated, though the moon has been introduced by way of explanation, it is not at all necessary. All that is requisite to be understood is, that a line drawn from some part of the Lunar Mansion, through the centre, jnust fall into some part of that. month to which it gives name, otherwise it does not answer the condition requisite. Hence, it is very easy tp demonstrate the utmost possible antiquity of the time, when the months were, or could be, so named: for, there are certain limits beyond which the line cannot be drawn; and these are the termination of the Lunar Mansion, and the conmiencement of the solar month which determines the time; because, it points out the commencement of the solar month in respect of the fixed stars at the tune. Thus, at the time of the above observations, the summer solstitial point was found in the middle of the Lunar Asterism Aslesha, and the solar month JSravam then began; for, in the ancient Astrpnomy of the Hindus, that month always began at the summer i?olstice. Now the month Sravana derives its name from the Lunar Asterism Sravana (the 27th), then in the opposite part of the heavens. (See the plate.) Let, therefore, a line be drawn from the solstitial point, or commencement of the month, cutting the centre, and it will fall into the very end of the Lunar Asterism Sravana, from which it derives its name Sfravana; which line is, therefore, at its utmost limit, as it can- not go ferther without falling into a Mansion of a very different name. This position of the line, therefore, proves that the months received their names at the time of the above observations, and not before. For, if we wish to make it more ancient, let the solstitial point be supposed more advanced in respect of the fixed stars, say one, two, or three degrees, as at a, c Digitized by Google 10 THE ANCIENT ASTRONOMY then a line drawn from the solstitial point, or com- mencement of the month SravanUy suppose at a, as in the dotted line^ cutting the centre, cannot fell into any part of the Lunar Asterism &r(wand, from which it derives its name, but into Sravisht'ha (the 1st). Therefore, the name which it possesses, could never be given to it till the solstitial point, and commence- ment of the month, actually coincided with the middle of the Lunar Asterism ili/e^A5 (the 14th), being the same witii the observation which refers us to the year 1181 B.C.; and this is the utmost antiquity of the formation and naming of the Hindu months, from which a very useful inference may be drawn, which is, that no Hindu writer, or book, that mentions the names of the Hindu months, can possibly be older than this period, let its pretensions to antiquity be ever so-^eat. BesidB the observations on the positions of the Colures, there were others at the same time* Mer- cury was found at the winter solstice above men- tioned, to be in and near the beginning of the Lunar Asterism /^^mA^A5; hence he is cdMQASravisht'hqjay that is, bom of the Lunar Asterism SravisMha. This is, therefore, his second birth. The commentator on the Astronomy of the Rigveda, also states that the plainet Jupiter was in the first quarter of the Lunar Asterism Dhanisht'ha, that is, Sravisht'ha.