Nityayoga

Last updated

In Indian astronomy, yoga (also called nityayoga) is a period of time, of varying lengths, during which the sum of the nirayana longitudes of the Sun and the Moon increases by an amount of 13 degrees 20 minutes (or, equivalently, 800 minutes). [1] While considering the sum, when the sum is 360 degrees or more, then the angle 360 degrees is subtracted from the sum to make the sum an angle between 0 degree and 360 minutes. Consider a moment T1 when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon is 0 degree and let T2 be the next immediate moment when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon is 13 degree 20 minutes. The duration of time between the moments T1 and T2 is the first yoga. Similarly, let the next immediate moment when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and Moon is 26 degrees 40 minutes. The duration of time between the moments T2 and T3 is the second yoga. The third, fourth and higher yoga-s are defined in a similar way. Since 27 X 13 degrees 20 minutes = 360 degrees, at the end-moment of the 27th yoga, the sum of the nirayana longitudes of the Sun and Moon would be 0 degree. The numbering of the yoga-s then starts afresh from that point. It appears that the astronomical yoga-s are in no way related to any astronomical phenomena. [2] S. B. Dikshit in his Bhāratīya Jyotiṣ Śāstra observes: "It is not known what planetary position in the sky is indicated by yoga, and it is useful only in astrology." [3]

Contents

The astronomical yoga as defined above is not be confused with the concept of yoga widely used in Indian astrological traditions. In Indian astrology, the term yoga has been used to indicate luni-solar distances and planetary situations, associations, and combinations. When one planet or house is related to another by placement, aspect or conjunction in a particular way then it is said that the planets and houses are in a particular yoga.

In the traditional Indian calendars or almanacs, that is in Pañcāṅg-s, Yoga or Nityayoga is one of the five elements or organs or limbs that constitute the Pañcāṅg-s, the "five organs" in the literary meaning of the term Pañcāṅg. The other four elements are Nakṣatra , Tithi , Vāra and Karaṇa.

Names of the yoga-s

In Indian astronomical literature, each of the 27 yoga-s has been given unique name as below. The literal meanings in English of the names are given in parentheses.

  1. Viṣkaṃbha (Support or obstacle)
  2. Prīti (Kindness, fondness)
  3. Āyuṣmān (Long lived)
  4. Saubhāgya (Good fortune)
  5. Śobhana (Prosperity, splendor)
  6. Atigaṇḑa (Having large cheeks or temples)
  7. Sukarmā (Virtuous)
  8. Dhṛti (Courage, determination)
  9. Śūla (Spear, pike)
  10. Gaṇḑa (Spot, mark, pimple)
  11. Vṛddhi (Growth)
  12. Dhruva (Unchangeable, constant)
  13. Vyāghāta (Hindrance, defeat)
  14. Harṣaṇa (Thrilling)
  15. Vajra (Diamond, thunderbolt)
  16. Siddha (Success)
  17. Vyātīpāta (Calamity)
  18. Varīyān (Very welcome)
  19. Parigha (Obstacle)
  20. Śiva (Benign, gracious)
  21. Siddha (Accomplished)
  22. Sādhya (Amenable)
  23. Śubha (Auspicious)
  24. Śukla (White substance)
  25. Brahma (Supreme spirit, priest)
  26. Indra (Chief)
  27. Vaidhṛta (Great calamity)

History of the yoga concept

Nityayoga or yoga has a prominent place in traditional Indian almanac known as Pañcāṅg. It is one of the five elements that constitutes the pañcāṅg-s, that is, the five elements that define a Pañcāṅg. However, the yoga-s entered the Pañcāṅg calculations only several centuries after the other four elements became parts of the Indian alamanac. Pancha-siddhantika , a text on astronomy composed around 505 CE by Varāhamihira gives the methods of calculating nakṣatra-s and tithi-s but does not give any method for calculating yoga-s. Similarly, Bṛhat Saṃhitā , a work on astrology also by Varāhamihira has long discussions on the effects of nakṣatra-s but is silent on the effects of yoga-s. These facts indicate that the concept of yoga-s did not exist at the time of Varāhamihira. The currently available Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta composed by Brahmagupta in c.628 CE has just one verse containing a reference to yoga, but all internal evidences point to the possibility of the verse being a much later interpolation. Khaṇḍakhādyaka , another treatise composed by Brahmagupta in c.665 CE has a couplet of verses referring to yoga. These verses have also been determined as later interpolations. All these point to the fact that the concept of yoga in astronomy arose post Brahmagupta. Lalla (c. 720–790 CE) in his Śiṣyadhīvṛddhidatantra mentions the yoga-s in detail. Surya Siddhanta , the founding text of the Saura-pakṣa in Indian astronomy, of undetermined authorship believed to have been composed in the 4th-5th century CE but again believed to have undergone a substantial revision in around 800 CE presents the list of all the 27 yoga-s as they are used in modern Pañcāṅg-s and also methods of calculating the yoga-s. All these evidences suggest that the concept of yoga arose sometime around 700 CE and became an integral part of the Pañcāṅg-s only after around 700 CE. [3]

On the origin of the concept of yoga

The word vyātīpāta occurs in two verses in Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta, but from the context of the occurrence of the word, it is clear that it is not referring to the vyātīpāta that occurs as the 17th yoga in the list of 27 yoga-s. It is referring to one of two mahāpāta-s which occur when the Sun and the Moon are in parallel declination and this happens when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and Moon is 180°. There are two moments in every lunar month when this happens. One of them is called the vyātīpāta and other vaidhṛti. In order to find these mahāpāta-s one has find the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon. This must have led to the idea of finding yoga-s by finding the sum of longitudes just as tithi is determined by the difference of longitudes. [3]

There is another theory regarding the origin of the yoga concept in Indian astronomy. According this view, the astronomical yoga came into being in attempts to predict the phenomena of eclipses. [4]

Determination of Yoga

Robert Sewell's The Indian Calendar contains a section which explains in meticulous detail how the Yoga at sunrise on a day specified by a date in the Common Era can be determined. The procedure also explains how to find how much time has elapsed at the moment of sunrise since the beginning of the Yoga. [5]

Lengths of Yoga-s

The lengths of the various toga-s varies from yoga to yoga. The following table gives the mean length, the greatest length and the least length of the yoga-s. [6] It follows that the total length of a yoga-cycle consisting of 27 yoga-s is 26 days 10 hours 12 minutes 47 seconds.

Lengths of Yoga-s
HoursMinutesSeconds
Mean223544.7
Greatest243624
Least205258

A different system of yoga-s

There is a different system of yoga-s in use in India. This system consists of 28 yoga-s, in contrast to 27 yoga-s in the system already explained, and the names and the rules for the determination of these yoga-s are different from the ones given earlier. In this system, the succession of the yoga-s depends the day of the week. Hence it has absolutely no connection whatsoever with any astronomical phenomena as the week has no definable relation to the motion of the moon or the sun. This system of yoga-s do not find any mention in Sūrya-sddhānta . In some Hindu calendars yoga-s of this system are also given for each day of the month. But these yogas are only of astrological interest.

The names as well as the rules for the determination of the 28 yoga-s as given in Śrīpati's Jyotiṡa Ratnamāla are given below. [7] [8]

Names of the 28 yoga-s in the different system

  1. Ānanda
  2. Kāladaṇḍa
  3. Dhūmra
  4. Prajāpati
  5. Saumya
  6. Dhvānkṣa
  7. Dhvaja
  8. Śrīvatsa
  9. Vajra
  10. Mudgara
  11. Chattra
  12. Maitra
  13. Mānasa
  14. Padma
  15. Lambaka
  16. Utpāta
  17. Mrtyu
  18. Kāṇa
  19. Siddhi
  20. Śubha
  21. Amṛta
  22. Musala
  23. Gada
  24. Mātaṅga
  25. Rākṣasa
  26. Cara
  27. Sthira
  28. Pravardha

Rule for assigning the yoga-s in the different system

The rule assumes a cycle of 28 nakṣatra -s which includes the 28th nakṣatra, namely, Abhijit. The 28 yoga-s are assigned as follows: [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

Hindu astrology, also called Indian astrology, or Jyotisha ; from jyót “light, heavenly body", and more recently Vedic astrology, is the traditional Hindu system of astrology. It is one of the six auxiliary disciplines in Hinduism that is connected with the study of the Vedas.

The Hindu calendar, also called Panchanga, is one of various lunisolar calendars that are traditionally used in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, with further regional variations for social and Hindu religious purposes. They adopt a similar underlying concept for timekeeping based on sidereal year for solar cycle and adjustment of lunar cycles in every three years, but differ in their relative emphasis to moon cycle or the sun cycle and the names of months and when they consider the New Year to start. Of the various regional calendars, the most studied and known Hindu calendars are the Shalivahana Shaka found in the Deccan region of Southern India and the Vikram Samvat (Bikrami) found in Nepal and the North and Central regions of India – both of which emphasize the lunar cycle. Their new year starts in spring. In regions such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the solar cycle is emphasized and this is called the Tamil calendar and Malayalam calendar and these have origins in the second half of the 1st millennium CE. A Hindu calendar is sometimes referred to as Panchangam (पञ्चाङ्गम्), which is also known as Panjika in Eastern India.

<i>Tithi</i> Lunar day in the Hindu calendar

In Vedic timekeeping, a tithi is a "duration of two faces of moon that is observed from earth", known as milа̄lyа̄ in Nepal Bhasa, or the time it takes for the longitudinal angle between the Moon and the Sun to increase by 12°. In other words, a tithi is a time duration between the consecutive epochs that correspond to when the longitudinal angle between the Sun and the Moon is an integer multiple of 12°. Tithis begin at varying times of day and vary in duration approximately from 19 to 26 hours. Every day of a lunar month is called tithi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryabhata</span> Indian mathematician-astronomer

Aryabhata or Aryabhata I was the first of the major mathematician-astronomers from the classical age of Indian mathematics and Indian astronomy. His works include the Āryabhaṭīya and the Arya-siddhanta.

Brahmagupta was an Indian mathematician and astronomer. He is the author of two early works on mathematics and astronomy: the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta, a theoretical treatise, and the Khaṇḍakhādyaka, a more practical text.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panchangam</span> Traditional Hindu calendar

A panchāngam is a Hindu calendar and almanac, which follows traditional units of Hindu timekeeping, and presents important dates and their calculations in a tabulated form. It is sometimes spelled Panchāngamu, Pancanga, Panchanga, Panchaanga, or Panchānga, and is often pronounced Panchāng. Panchangas are used in Jyotisha.

Varāhamihira, also called Varāha or Mihira, was an astrologer-astronomer who lived in or around Ujjain in present-day Madhya Pradesh, India.

Lalla was an Indian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer who belonged to a family of astronomers. Lalla was the son of Trivikrama Bhatta and the grandson of Śâmba. He lived in central India, possibly in the Lāṭa region in modern south Gujarat. Lalla was known as being one of the leading Indian astronomers of the eighth century. Only two of his works are currently thought to be extant.

Nakshatra is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology. A nakshatra is one of 27 sectors along the ecliptic. Their names are related to a prominent star or asterisms in or near the respective sectors. In essence, a nakshatra simply is a constellation. Every nakshatra is divided into four padas related to the Char Dham, a set of four pilgrimage sites in India.

Utpala, also known as Bhaṭṭotpala was an astronomer from Kashmir region of present-day India, who lived in the 10th century. He wrote several Sanskrit-language texts on astrology and astronomy, the best-known being his commentaries on the works of the 6th-century astrologer-astronomer Varāhamihira.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian astronomy</span> Astronomy on the Indian subcontinent

Indian astronomy refers to astronomy practiced in the Indian subcontinent. It has a long history stretching from pre-historic to modern times. Some of the earliest roots of Indian astronomy can be dated to the period of Indus Valley civilisation or earlier. Astronomy later developed as a discipline of Vedanga, or one of the "auxiliary disciplines" associated with the study of the Vedas dating 1500 BCE or older. The oldest known text is the Vedanga Jyotisha, dated to 1400–1200 BCE.

<i>Tantrasamgraha</i> Astronomical treatise written by Nilakantha Somayaji

Tantrasamgraha, or Tantrasangraha, is an important astronomical treatise written by Nilakantha Somayaji, an astronomer/mathematician belonging to the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. The treatise was completed in 1501 CE. It consists of 432 verses in Sanskrit divided into eight chapters. Tantrasamgraha had spawned a few commentaries: Tantrasamgraha-vyakhya of anonymous authorship and Yuktibhāṣā authored by Jyeshtadeva in about 1550 CE. Tantrasangraha, together with its commentaries, bring forth the depths of the mathematical accomplishments the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics, in particular the achievements of the remarkable mathematician of the school Sangamagrama Madhava. In his Tantrasangraha, Nilakantha revised Aryabhata's model for the planets Mercury and Venus. According to George G Joseph his equation of the centre for these planets remained the most accurate until the time of Johannes Kepler in the 17th century.

Gaurabda is the name of the moon calendar used by Gaudiya Vaishnavism as part of the liturgy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Budha</span> Deity of Planet Mercury

Budha is the Sanskrit word for the planet Mercury. Budha is also a deity.

<i>Sadratnamala</i> Book by Sankara Varman

Sadratnamala is an astronomical-mathematical treatise in Sanskrit written by Sankara Varman, an astronomer-mathematician of the Kerala school of mathematics, in 1819. Even though the book has been written at a time when western mathematics and astronomy had been introduced in India, it is composed purely in the traditional style followed by the mathematicians of the Kerala school. Sankara Varman has also written a detailed commentary on the book in Malayalam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronomical basis of the Hindu calendar</span> Applied astronomy of ancient India

The Hindu calendar is based on a geocentric model of the Solar System. A geocentric model describes the Solar System as seen by an observer on the surface of the Earth.

<i>Makarandasarini</i>

Makarandasāriṇi is a Sanskrit astronomical table text composed by the Indian astronomer-mathematician Makaranda (c.1438-1478) hailing from Varanasi. In the Sanskrit astronomical literature such table texts are referred to as sāriṇi-s or koṣṭhaka-s. It is one of the most popular such texts ever composed in Sanskrit.

In Indian astronomy, a karaṇa is a half of a tithi. It is the duration of time in which the difference of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon is increased by 6 degrees. A lunar month has 30 tithi-s and so the number of karaṇa-s in a lunar month is 60. These sixty karaṇa-s are not individually named. In stead, the originators of the concept have chosen 11 names to be associated with the karaṇa-s which means several karaṇa-s will be associated with the same name. Of these 11 names, four are fixed or immovables in the sense that they are associated with four unique karaṇa-s in a lunar month. These constant names are Śakuni, Catuṣpāda, Nāga and Kimstughna. The remaining seven names are variable or movable in the sense that there are several karaṇa-s associated with each of them. These names are Bava, Bālava, Kaulava, Taitila, Gara, Vaṇij and Vṛṣṭi.

In Indian calendrical systems, vāra denotes the week-day. It is one of the five elements that constitute the traditional almanacs called Pañcāṅga-s the other four being Nakshatra, Tithi, Karaṇa and Nityayoga. The concept of week, the unit of time consisting of seven days, is not indigenous to Indian civilisation. The concept was probably borrowed Babylonians and its use predates the use of the twelve zodiacal signs in Indian civilazation. The concept finds mention in Atharva Veda. The seven week-days are named after the seven classical planets as in the ancient Greek and Roman traditions.

In Indian astronomy and astrology, vyatipāta and vaidhṛti are two moments in the regular motion of the sun and the moon in the zodiac characterized by their certain special relative positions. These terms are also used to denote two of the 27 Nityayoga-s: vyatipāta is the 17th nityayoga and vaidhṛti is the 27th nityayoga.

References

  1. ↑ S. Balachandra Rao (2000). Indian Astronomy: An Introduction. Hyderabad: Universities Press. p. 68. ISBN   81 7371 205 0 . Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "The astronomical definition of Yoga". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 Sankar Balakrishna Dikshit (1981). English translation of "Bharatiya Jyotish Shastra" (History of Indian Astronomy) Part II. Kolkota: India Metereological Department, Govt of India. p. 277 - 279. Retrieved 3 January 2024. (Translated by R. V. Vaidya from Marathi originally published in 1896.)
  4. ↑ Shakti Dhara Sharma (1998). "Development of Pancanga from vedic times upto the present". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India. 26: 75–90. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ↑ Robert Sewell and Sankara Balakrishna Dikshit (1896). The Indian Calendar. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. p. 3. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Robert Sewell and Sankara Balakrishna Dikshit (1896). The Indian Calendar. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. p. 97. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  7. 1 2 Ebenezer Burgess (1858). "Translation of the Sûrya-Siddhânta". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 6: 141–498. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  8. ↑ H. T. Colebrooke (1872). Miscellaneous Essays Vol. II. Higginbotham & Co. p. 363. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.