(Sayana) Uttarayana is also a great punya kala like Makara Sankranti

Vidvan Shriramana Sharma

5124 Shubhakrit Year Mithuna 07, 2023-June-21

Summary

The 12 Surya sankramanas or the times at which the Sun enters each rashi every year are well known. These are nirayana sankramanas. Likewise 12 sankramanas occur based on the Sun’s northward and southward movements. These are sayana sankramanas.

At one time, both kinds of sankramanas happened together. However, over time, sayana sankramanas have started to occur earlier.

Old jyautisha siddhanta texts say that punya kala is there for sayana sankramanas just like for nirayana sankramana. So let us know and observe the sayana Uttarayana punya kala.

Detail

What is sankramana or sankranti?

• The 360° circular path in which the grahas move in the skies is divided into 12 parts of 30°.

• The point where Chitra nakshatra stands is kept as the beginning of Tula Rashi. Based on this the 12 rashis starting from Mesha are taken. This is called nirayana reckoning.

• The place called vishuva point where the sun crosses the equator going northwards may also be taken as the beginning to divide into 12 parts. This is known as sayana reckoning.

[Note: This is sayana with a dental n, not retroflex n. This has absolutely no connection to Sayana Acharya (with retroflex n) who did the Veda Bhashyas. Only in nirayana there is a retroflex n.]

• In both reckonings, the crossing of the border of each part is known as a sankramana or sankranti. These are consider punya kalas or sacred times.

• Since Surya is considered the nayaka of time and the grahas, the time of His crossing those borders has special significance.

Sankramana Anushthanam

• In these punya kalas, the shastra says one should definitely perform snanam, shraddham/tarpanam, japam, danam etc. If done so, it will give more punyam than when done on other days.

• Otherwise, it is better to avoid auspicious functions like marriage on these days.

• Our forefathers have observed these at least in the form of month-beginning-tarpanas like on amavasyas. It was easy to take these to mind because our traditional months are based on rashi sankramanas.

• It is also in practice that those unable to do anushthanam in all sankramanas observe at least once in three ie 1, 4, 7 and 10 out of 12.

• It is also well known to all of us that among these, the beginning of the Mesha month or the time of entrance of Surya into Mesha is considered and celebrated as the beginning of the year.

• Even in the chandra mana tradition where months are taken by purnimas and amavasyas, the new year is celebrated following the amavasya before this Mesha sankramana.

Speciality of Uttarayana

• Among these sankramanas, just like for the new year, a high special status is given to the beginning of Uttarayana.

• We call the movement of the Sun northwards for 6 months as Uttarayana and southwards for 6 months as Dakshinayana.

• Due to this movement of the Sun the sunlight received in a particular place increases or decreases each day.

• This is why ritus or seasons happen.

• Agriculture etc and many special events in people’s lives happen based on the seasons.

• Especially, after Uttarayana begins, in Bharatam the cold and night time decreases and sunlight time increases. Plants and through them all living beings receive nourishment through this.

• Thus it is natural that everyone eagerly expects the onset of Uttarayana.

• It is also the age-old tradition that auspicious events are conducted after the beginning of Uttarayana or within Uttarayana as far as possible.

• Thus compared to other sankramanas, it is our tradition to do puja to Surya, do special naivedya and celebrate happily at the beginning of Uttarayana.

Uttarayana and Makara Sankranti

• Once upon a time, beginning of Uttarayana and Makara Sankranti occurred together. That is, the Surya would start to move northwards along with entering Makara Rashi.

• However, over time, due to changes occurring in the rotation of the earth on its own axis, Uttarayana, Dakshinayana and the seasons based on them started to move away from rashi sankramanas. That is they started to occur earlier.

• Due to this, the beginning of Mesha Rashi and the Vishuva point separated. The distance between them is known as ayanamsha. Little by little this continues to increase.

• Uttarayana etc occur earlier as many number of days as per the magnitude of the ayanamsha.

• This matter has been said in the Siddhanta texts like Surya Siddhanta, the texts of all Jyautisha Acharyas such as Aryabhata, Bhaskara, Brahmagupta etc and the dharma shastra nibandhas such as Nirnaya Sindhu. Everyone who knows siddhanta jyautisham knows this.

• That is why in the section known as triprashna in the texts on jyautisha calculations, it has been advised to take ayanamsha into consideration to the length of days and nights and rising and setting.

Today’s situation

• However this matter has not become widely known to the common people.

• Due to this, only the 12 sankramanas Mesha etc as per nirayana reckoning are widely known and in anushthanam. It is not so well known that the sayana sankramanas such as vishuvam are occurring separately.

• If we daily observe the direction in which the sun rises and sets, we can ourselves learn that Uttarayana, Dakshinayana, etc nowadays occur about 24 days before the nirayana beginnings of months.

• As per this, the ayanamsha is of the magnitude of about 24 degrees. It is also slowly increasing.

• As per the civil calendar, the Sun starts to move northwards around December 21/22. We can ourselves examine and learn this as said above.

• However Makara Sankranti occurs around January 14/15.

Punya Kala for Sayana sankramanas as well

• We mentioned earlier that sankramanas have punya kala. This definitely exists for nirayana sankramanas or the beginning of months. There is no doubt about that.

• However, the old jyautisha siddhanta texts have themselves said that even sayana sankramanas have punya kala.

• The Romasha Siddhanta says dina-rātri-pramāṇānāṃ nirṇayo na bha-saṅkramāt| yataḥ sakala-karmāṇi puṇyo’taścala-saṅkramaḥ|| That is, it is not possible based on the rashi sankramanas to compute the lengths of the day and night which determine all the karmanushthanas. (It is only possible to compute based on sayana sankramanas.) Thus the advancing (sayana) sankramana is sacred.

• In the Vasishtha Siddhanta this is endorsed and said: cala-saṃskṛta-tigmāṃśoḥ saṅkramo yaḥ sa saṅkramaḥ| That is, (for this reason) the sayana sankramana of the Sun is a more special sankramana.

• In the Pulastya Siddhanta, the anushthanas which are to be performed in this sayana punya kala just like nirayana are explicitly stated: ayanāṃśa-saṃskṛto bhānuḥ nāle carati sarvadā| amukhyā rāśisaṅkrāntiḥ tulyaḥ kālavidhistayoḥ| snāna-dāna-japa-śrāddha-vrata-homādi-karmabhiḥ| sukṛtaṃ cala-saṅkrāntau akṣayaṃ puruṣo(a)śnute|| 

• That is, the Sun (computed) with ayanamsha revolves on the circle determining nadikas (ie determines the lengths of day and night). Thus (in this matter) the rashi sankramana is not important. (However) the punya kala of 12 sayana sankramanas is to be known just as for the 12 nirayana sankramanas. Endless merit is obtained by performing snanam, danam, japam, shraddham (tarpanam), vratam, homam etc at sayana sankramanas.

• Thus it would be excellent to observe the sayana sankramanas just like the nirayana beginnings of the months. Some rare respected people do in fact observe so.

Surya Puja for Uttarayana

• As said earlier, we perform puja to Surya Bhagavan at the beginning of Uttarayana based on its greatness. Thus it would be highly appropriate to perform this at the beginning of Uttarayana when the Sun is actually observed by our eyes to start moving northwards.

• As per the wordly custom, Surya Puja is performed on Makara Sankranti. There is nothing wrong with it as it is also a punya kala.

• This is why some great elders do perform Surya Puja at the Uttarayana as per the sayana reckoning. Puja is also conducted on Makara Sankranti as per lokachara.

• Therefore I pray that astikas should consider these matters, and if found appropriate, observe the punya kala of the physically visible Uttarayana, and be the object of the anugraha of (Sarveshvara who is the antaryami of) Surya Bhagavan.

In the current Shubhakrit year

(Sayana) Uttarayana Punya Kala

2022 December 22

Makara Sankramana Punya Kala

2023 January 15