The Calendar used during Mahabharat Period
The Hindu calendar is based on Sun and Moon movement in Zodiac signs. During Mahabharat times it was Lunar calendar with adjustment of no. of months per year.
Vikrama Samvat is a lunisolar calendar; i.e., the motions of the Moon and the Sun put together define its days and months. In the Indian subcontinent, two traditions have been followed with respect to lunar months. Vikrama Samvat follows Amanta tradition, which ends the lunar month on Amavasya.
1. Amanta tradition: New-Moon day (Amavasya) is the last day of the month.
2. Purnimanta tradition: Full-Moon day (Purnima) is the last day of the month.
The lunar days are called as "tithis”, which may vary from 23 hours 20 minutes – to 23 hours 59 minutes. A lunar month has two fortnights. Each fortnight consist fifteen tithis.
Sukla Paksha
Bright fortnight
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Krishna Paksha
Dark fortnight
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Day 1
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Pratipada
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Day 16
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Pratipada
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Day 2
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Dwitiya
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Day 17
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Dwitiya
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Day 3
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Tritiya
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Day 18
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Tritiya
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Day 4
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Chaturthi
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Day 19
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Chaturthi
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Day 5
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Panchami
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Day 20
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Panchami
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Day 6
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Shashthi
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Day 21
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Shashthi
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Day 7
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Saptami
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Day 22
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Saptami
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Day 8
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Ashtami
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Day 23
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Ashtami
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Day 9
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Navami
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Day 24
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Navami
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Day 10
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Dashami
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Day 25
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Dashami
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Day 11
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Ekadashi
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Day 26
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Ekadashi
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Day 12
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Dwadashi
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Day 27
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Dwadashi
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Day 13
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Thrayodashi
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Day 28
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Thrayodashi
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Day 14
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Chaturdashi
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Day 29
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Chaturdashi
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Day 15
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Purnima
(Full-Moon)
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Day 30
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Amavasya
(New-Moon)
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One fortnight is the bright, waxing half where the Moon size grows and it ends in the Full-Moon. This is known as Sukla Paksha(Bright fortnight). The other half is the darkening, waning fortnight, which ends in the New-Moon. This is known as Krishna Paksha(Dark fortnight). Hence, the days of month are named as following
The tithi of a day is known as per the Moon’s phase at the time of sunrise of that day. As the period of one tithis varies from 23.344 to 23.918 hours, the length of a month also could vary from 28 to 31.
When a tithi starts after sunrise and ends before next sunrise that tithi will be skipped. In a fortnight maximum of one tithi may be skipped. When a tithi exists across two sunrises, that tithi is repeated. In a fortnight, a maximum of one tithi may be repeated. Hence, the length of a month varies from 28 to 31.
There are 12 months in Hindu lunar calendar. To determine the name of the month, the transition of the Sun through various constellations (Rashi) is used. The first day of the month is Sukla Paksha Pratipada, the “day after Amavasya”. We hereafter call this as Sukla Paksha first day.
As the length of lunar month varies from 28 to 31 days and average length of a month is 29.5 days, a year consisting twelve months would be 354 days. The year starts on next day of the New-Moon when Sun traverse the zodiac sign of Pisces (Meena). This happens on or around the day of the March equinox, which marks the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.
The name of the month is determined by the position of Sun in zodiac sign on the last day of the month. If Sun is in Mesha zodiac sign on the last day of month (Amavasya), that month is called as Chitra. Because the Purnima of that month would occur when Moon is near the star Chitra.
The table herewith shows the naming convention of month based on Sun and Moon positions.
#
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Month
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Sun on
Month end
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Full-Moon
appearing star
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1
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Mesha
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2
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Vrishaba
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3
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Mithuna
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4
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Karkataka
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Uttara Ashada
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5
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Simha
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6
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Kanya
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Poorvabhadra
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7
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Ashwin
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Tula
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Ashwin
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8
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Vrischika
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9
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Margasirsa
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Dhanus
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Margasirsa
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10
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Makara
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Pushya
| |
11
|
Kumbha
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Magha
| |
12
|
Meena
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Uttara Phalguni
|
Example: January 16, 2018, was an Amavasya day. On that day, Sun was in zodiac sign Makara. It marks end of Pausha Month. Hence on 17th January Bright fortnight (Sukla Paksha) first day new month starts. Next Amavasya occurred on February 15th ; on that day, Sun was in zodiac sign Kumbha. Hence the month from Jan 17 to Feb 15 was known as Magha month. The Purnima of that month occurred when Moon was in the star Magha.
The dates of many, but not all, Hindu holidays are determined according to this calendar. In most cases, the festivals coincide with the Full-Moon or the New-Moon, or they are celebrated on the day after the Moon phase. Holidays based on the Hindu calendar include Dasara, Krishna Jayanthi, Rama Navami, Maha Shivaratri, Holi, Guru Purnima, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali.
ADHIK Masa - Extra Month
12 lunar months amount to only 354 days on average. An average sidereal year lasts about 365.256 days. This creates a difference of about eleven days, which is offset every (29.53/10.63) = 2.71 years or approximately every 32.5 months.
An Adhik month (leap month) is added about every third year. This synchronizes the calendar with the length of a sidereal year, which is the time it takes Earth to orbit the Sun in relation to fixed stars.
In Vikram Samavat calendar system., the leap month is not added mathamatically but added logically. In the leap month Sun won’t transit to next zodiac sign.
There would be two New-Moons when Sun is in the same zodiac sign on that period. So the same month repeated again. The first month is known as Adhik month and second is called as Nija(real) month.
Example: May 15, 2018 was New-Moon. As Sun was in Taurus on New-Moon day, the month ending on May 15 was Vaisakha.
On May 16, the Bright first day the new month starts. On June 13, next Amavasya occured. On this Amavasya Sun is in Gemini. Hence, the month May 16 – Jun 13 is Jyeshta.
On June 14, the Bright first day new month starts. The Amavasya occurs on July 13. On this Amavasya, also, Sun is still in Gemini. Hence, the month May 16 – Jun 13 is also Jyeshta.
The first Jyestha month is known as Adhik Jyestha (May 16 – Jun 13) and second month is known as Nija Jyestha (Jun 14 – July 13).
Hence according to the Sun’s position automatically the Adhik(Leap) months gets induced in to the calendar system.
Kshya Masa - Short Month
At a few occasions Sun may transit two zodiac signs on one single month. This would skip one month. This is rarely occurring phenomenon. On these occasionss the month which got skipped is known as Kshaya month. Kshaya month can occur every 19, 46, 65, 76, 122 or 141 years.
Example: 1983 February 12 was a New-Moon day. As Sun was in Capricorn on that day, that month name was Pausha month.
On February 13, the new month started. On 1983 March 14, next New-Moon occurred. As Sun was in Pisces on that day that month supposed to be Phalguni month.
You can notice in this case, that Magha month is missing. It was skipped.The month of Magha does not occur at all in 1983. In this case Vikram samvat combines Magha and Phalguni as single month and names it as “Magha – Phalguni” month. In this Magha is considered as Kshaya month (skipped month).
As Adhik Month and Kshaya Month naturally occur based on Sun’s movement, Vikram Samvat calendar is self adjusting one. It is flexible enough to know the date and month by looking at celestial objects at night.
Gregorian calendar has fixed no of days for weeks, months and years. Hence, using it is easy in short term. However, in long term we need to adjust the seasons accordingly.
Vikram Samvat is complex calendaring system,. It stands corrected itself over multiple millennia without any adjustments. Nevertheless, you can look at Sky map of Sun, Moon, Phase of the Moon and find the date precisely without any special tools.
CALENDAR DURING MAHABHARAT WAR
Source: Virata Parva, Chapter 47, Verese 1-5
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs04047.htm
1 [भीस्म]
कलांशास तात युज्यन्ते मुहूर्ताश च दिनानि च
अर्धमासाश च मासाश च नक्षत्राणि गरहास तथा
2 ऋतवश चापि युज्यन्ते तथा संवत्सरा अपि
एवं कालविभागेन कालचक्रं परवर्तते
3 तेषां कालातिरेकेण जयॊतिषां च वयतिक्रमात
पञ्चमे पञ्चमे वर्षे दवौ मासाव उपजायतः
4 तेषाम अभ्यधिका मासाः पञ्च दवादश च कषपाः
तरयॊदशानां वर्षाणाम इति मे वर्तते मतिः
5 सर्वं यथावच चरितं यद यद एभिः परिश्रुतम
एवम एतद धरुवं जञात्वा ततॊ बीभत्सुर आगतः
1 [bhīsma]
kalāṃśās tāta yujyante muhūrtāś ca dināni ca
ardhamāsāś ca māsāś ca nakṣatrāṇi grahās tathā
2 ṛtavaś cāpi yujyante tathā saṃvatsarā api
evaṃ kālavibhāgena kālacakraṃ pravartate
3 teṣāṃ kālātirekeṇa jyotiṣāṃ ca vyatikramāt
pañcame pañcame varṣe dvau māsāv upajāyataḥ
4 teṣām abhyadhikā māsāḥ pañca dvādaśa ca kṣapāḥ
trayodaśānāṃ varṣāṇām iti me vartate matiḥ
5 sarvaṃ yathāvac caritaṃ yad yad ebhiḥ pariśrutam
evam etad dhruvaṃ jñātvā tato bībhatsur āgataḥ
Bhisma said, 'The wheel of time revolves with its divisions, viz., with Kalas and Kasthas and Muhurtas and days and fortnights and months and constellations and planets and seasons and years.
In consequence of their fractional excesses and the deviations of the heavenly bodies, there is an increase of two months in every five years.
It seems to me that calculating this wise, there would be an excess of five months and twelve nights in thirteen years. Everything, therefore, that the sons of Pandu had promised, hath been exactly fulfilled by them’.
This account was given when Duryodhana sought for clarification from Bhisma about whether Pandava’s completed their 12 years term in forest life and one year hiding.
As per gregorian calendar
Five Years = 5 x 365.25 = 1826.25days
As per Lunar calender
Five years = 5 x 12 x 29.45 = 1767days
Difference with solar years = 1826.25 – 1767 = 59.25 days
59.25 days is equivalent to two months as Bhisma stated in his calculations. Hence it is evident Lunar calendar with Adhik month and Kshaya month adjustments was in use on that time.
To understand the start of month was the day after Amavasya (Amanta tradition) or the day after Purnima (Purnimanta tradition), we have Bhisma himself clarifying it before his death. On the last day of his life, from the bed of arrows Bhisma tells Yudhishthira about his suffering on the arrow bed and the time has come to his departure.
Source: Anusasana Parva, Chapter 153, Verses 26-28
http://sacred-texts.com/hin/mbs/mbs13153.htm
26 दिष्ट्या पराप्तॊ ऽसि कौन्तेय सहामात्यॊ युधिष्ठिर
परिवृत्तॊ हि भगवान सहस्रांशुर दिवाकरः
27 अष्ट पञ्चाशतं रात्र्यः शयानस्याद्य मे गताः
शरेषु निशिताग्रेषु यथा वर्षशतं तथा
28 माघॊ ऽयं समनुप्राप्तॊ मासः पुण्यॊ युधिष्ठिर
तरिभागशेषः पक्षॊ ऽयं शुक्लॊ भवितुम अर्हति
26 diṣṭyā prāpto 'si kaunteya sahāmātyo yudhiṣṭhira
parivṛtto hi bhagavān sahasrāṃśur divākaraḥ
27 aṣṭa pañcāśataṃ rātryaḥ śayānasyādya me gatāḥ
śareṣu niśitāgreṣu yathā varṣaśataṃ tathā
28 māgho 'yaṃ samanuprāpto māsaḥ puṇyo yudhiṣṭhira
tribhāgaśeṣaḥ pakṣo 'yaṃ śuklo bhavitum arhati
O Yudhishthira! The thousand-rayed maker of day, the holy Surya has begun his northward course. I have been lying on my bed here for eight and fifty nights. Stretched on these sharp-pointed arrows I have felt this period to be as long as if it was a century.
O Yudhishthira, the lunar month of Magha has come. This is, again, the lighted fortnight and a fourth part of it ought to by this (according to my calculations) be over.'
Bhisma said, “Magha month has came and this is the bright fortnight (Sukla Paksha)”. This clearly states the beginning of the month is Sukla Paksha.
Hence the similar calendar of Vikram Samvat Amanta tradition with Adhik Month / Kshaya month adjustments was in use during mahabharat time is made evident.
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