Indian Astronomy

ज्योतिष
Exploring
Vedic
Astronomy
Introduction
The Vedas, in old Sanskrit language, are an accumulation of knowledge,

over the past 4000-7000 years. They provide fascinating social, spiritual,
and naked eye astronomical observations from Indian subcontinent for
their period. Many hundreds of ‘Drishtrara’s or visionary composers
(Rishi’s) have contributed to Vedas over many generations of time. Though
much of the material has been lost, currently four Vedas and vedangas
consisting of Brahmana’s, Aranayakas, Upanishads and sutras’ are
available. So in this short presentation we would be exploring astronomical
references contained in Vedas(specifically Vedanga Jyotishya) .
Vedanga
Jyotishya
is a 3400-year-old explicit Vedic astronomical observation
handbook for practicing Vedic priests. Two versions, one
attached a Rig Veda- Arca-Jyotisham and other to Yajur Veda,
Yajusha-Jyotisham. The priest’s handbook was an almanac to
perform Vedic Yajna’s at correct time relative to seasons based
on Sun-Moon motion. The luni-solar handbook provided
algorithms to estimate linear astronomical date with corrections
every five years, based on observation of solstices.
Vedanga Jyotishya provides a five year time-linear mathematical model sun-
moon movement in time covering nakshatra, Thiti, Parva, masa, Ritu, Ayana
(equinoxes, solstices), year ending with a five year unit called Yuga, which is
eternally cyclic. The Yuga model is a 5-year unit of 1830 days starting when
Winter solstice coincides with sun and moon being in conjunction at Shravishta
nakshatra, with provision for correction. Rest of the units mentioned above is
related to Yuga based time units. Vedanga Jyotishya provides algorithms to
calculate the current circumstance like nakshatra, Thiti etc based on keeping
track number of days past from beginning of Yuga, which would be visually
observed.
The material in Vedanga Jyotishya is attributed to Lagadha Mahatma. The

text refers to Lagadha in third person as the source of knowledge, and
hence was probably recorded by his disciples and carried down in time.
Time-Unit
Defintaions
Measure of passage of time is very critical in relating natural phenomenon like
Sun-Moon motion. Vedanga Jyotishya defines its own time units. It ranges from
micro unit of about 0.1 second to macro unit of 5 solar year unit called Yuga. The
units are Matra, Kashtha, kala, Nadika, muhurtha, paksha or Parva, masa, Ritu,
Ayana, Varsha and Yuga. These time units are synchronized to angular sky
observations of heavenly bodies. Evan our present day time-calibration has
origins in time, angular position relation. The sun and moon angular positions
along the ecliptic are calibrated with 27-unit Nakshatra system .
The relations proposed in Vedanga Jyotishya are shown below.
• 10 Matra=Kashtha
• 124 Kashtha= 1 kala
• 10.05 kala= 1 Nadika
• 2 Nadika=Muhurtha (Muhurtha= about 48 minutes of present time)
• 30 Muhurtha= Day = 603 kala
• 366 days= Year=12 months= 6 ritus =2 Ayana
• 5 years= Yuga
YUGA
A solar year of 366 days, six ritus, two Ayana’s, twelve months and 5 such
years make a Yuga. A Yuga starts at bright cycle of Lunar month Magha
and ends at end of dark cycle of Pushya. He observes and records Sun and
Moon are together at the beginning of nakshatra Shravishta at the time of
winter solstice by noting that northern movement of Sun starts. He also
observes that when sun and moon reach the half point of Aslesha, the
Southern movement starts.
Yuga
Identities:
• Five years of 366 solar days or 1830 days.
• Moon rising in the east over Yuga 1768.
• There are 62 New moons in Yuga.
• There are 67 moon visits to each nakshatra
in a Yuga.
• Sun stays in each nakshatra for 13 days.
• Sun visits 135 Nakshatras in a Yuga.
• Moon’s North-south Ayana in a Yuga is 134.
Modeling errors in Vedanga
Jyotishya from modern
astronomical view point
Clearly a 3400-year-old mathematical model of sun-moon motion cannot have the

precision of modern day models of sun-moon motion. Vedanga Jyotishya has an
understanding of possible errors in its model and allows for corrections by observation.
• Solar year of 366 days is a round off of what we
now know as 365.24 etc.
• Solar and Lunar conjunction do occur every 1830
days. However use of this 1830-day cycle will
shift the Solstice 4 to 5 days every Yuga.
Lagadha was apparently aware of this.
• Earth’s Precession of sun is not explicitly
accounted for, and may or may not be known to
Lagadha
• Provision to correct error occurring over
rounded Yuga to 366 days at the beginning of
Yuga with leftover errors is implicit in Vedanga
Jyotishya
• Vedanga Jyotishya proposes linear moon time
motion with equal angular motion of moon for
Nakshatras, making all thiti’s equal. This is not
true because of complex moon motion.
Conclusion
The Vedic literature, Mahabharata and other texts are full of many astronomical
observations. The old Vedic astronomical references are very implicit and not
explicit in the modern sense.
However, Vedanga Jyotishya from 1300-1400 BC is a very scientific naked eye sun-
moon astronomical treatise meant to estimate current positions of moon for Vedic
rituals It is a profound school of astronomically scientific work for its period. Its
concepts of time unit and time measurement survive in Jyotishya today.
Thank you
very much!

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ज्योतिष

The Vedas, in old Sanskrit language, are an accumulation of knowledge,

The material in Vedanga Jyotishya is attributed to Lagadha Mahatma. The

Clearly a 3400-year-old mathematical model of sun-moon motion cannot have the

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