KNOWLEDGE FROM COSMOS

  Astronomical Mentions in Other  अङ्गः  of Vedas कल्पः (Manual of Rituals) कल्पः has various  सूत्र  ( सूत्र  is a   large collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual, it is a distinct type of literary composition, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms. सूत्र  forms a school of Vedic study).  Types of  कल्पः सूत्र are 1.  श्रौता सूत्र  has  यज्ञ Rituals 2.  गृह्या सूत्र - has Domestic Ceremonies 3.  धर्म  सूत्र -has -Religious and Social Laws 4.  शुल्ब सूत्र -has Geometry and Mensuration  सूत्र  with some important astronomical mentions are अश्वलायन  श्रौता सूत्र Names of months based on nakshatra and seasons are found in this text.  The reference to seasons indicates that spring was considered the year's first season. Tithi is not mentioned specifically ,however use of words चतुर्दशी, अष्टमी indicate Tithis. Like in this verse...

Atharva Vedang Jyotish  Continuing with the Vedang period of the history of astronomy, Atharva Vedang Jyotish (AVJ) relatively, is of a later period than RVJ and YVJ. It is a text, as told to Kashyap by Pitamah. The time units followed then were as  12 निमिष = 1  लव 30 लव  = 1  कला 30 कला  = 1  त्रुति 30 त्रुति = 1  मुहूर्त 30  मुहूर्त = 1 अहोरात्र  / whole day The document also gives the list of 15  मुहूर्त, whose measure is compared with the length of a gnomon/stick, which is 12 anguls long. These names must be of the मुहूर्त by day, as my blog Vedang Period 1 refers (since the shadow is measured). The list shows a maximum shadow of 96 anguls cast by"Rudra"    मुहूर्त and 0 anguls by 'Abhijit'    मुहूर्त. It is not exactly 0, but the shadow does not alter in length or direction, hence 0.  Shadow is not  0 at noon, but it must be shorter than 3 anguls. T he lengths of shadows are not the same throughou...

  Vedang Jyotish  As we know there are six parts/ अङ्गः  of the Vedas. These are  शिक्षा (Phonetics) कल्पः (Manual of Rituals)   व्याक्रण (Grammar),written by Panini निरुक्त (Etymology) ज्योतिषः (Astronomy and Astrology), by Lagdha छन्दसः (Prosody/Rhythm, Intonation),written by Pingla Vedang Jyotish is written in an aphoristic form or sutra style - a style noted for the depth of its contents. The word Astronomy originates from Middle English and  Old French  astronomie , which in turn was derived from Latin  astronomia , through Greek, from  astronomos , meaning  ‘star-arranging’. One of the oldest Hindu texts on astronomy is Jyotish. Often it is confused with astrology, which deals with the prediction part. It was the earliest document on astrometry. but not exactly a Star Catalog. The astrology part was added later as  जातक स्कंध . The वेदांग ज्योतिष was more of a handbook on astronomical information which was used for ...

                        Astronomy During the  Vedic Period-4                                            Nakshatra नक्षत्र Nakshatras, as generally  understood by all, is a group of stars in the sky used for astrological purposes. W hy were they formed or created?   and What is their purpose? and   is what we should know.  The Vedic  people first looked at the Sun and Moon to calculate time. The Moon was the  basis of the heavenly clock. Therefore it was necessary to know the location/position of the Sun,  Moon and equinocal points in the Sky. These people regularly performed rituals and yagasयज्ञ and to know the appropriate time to perform these rituals, they had to know the exact position/ Location of the celestial object. Today it is easy to know the position with the ...