Vaishnava Calendar: June 2018
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Vaishnava Calendar June 2018
1. June 2018 by 27 Comments
Prabhupada Quotes
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Why does the ‘June’ calendar, have last month’s “MAY 2018” copy posted instead? Proof reader needed, but not a JASSY editor.. haha.
Bolo,
Yfs, Balaram das.
[webmaster: Thank you for noticing, webmaster needs glasses. Proof readers are always welcome!]
Hare Krishna,
I offer my obeisances to all Vaishnavas.
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
The dates differ according to region. For Singapore, most of the fasting & festival dates coincide with this calendar, other than Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi that’s on Sunday the 24th and Pannihati Cida Dahi festival that’s on the 26th, according to this Vaishnava calendar http://vaisnavacalendar.com/vcal.php?CIID=321&lang=en&month=06&year=2018
In Srila Prabhupada’s service.
Hare Krsna mataji prabhu,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
There has been much debate on this as to whether follow Sri-Dham Mayapur times or ‘adjust’ to local time zones (which can also be inaccurate).
Also regarding observable Vaisnava festivals etc, The Lord appeared in the Holy Dhams in India, not Australia, USA, Singapore etc, so IMHO it stands to reason that those dates should be observed at the correct time in India, regardless of where we are in the world.
During Srila Prabhupada’s personal time with us, our Gurudeva always followed the Mayapur calendar. I asked Yasodanandan prabhu and his reply to me is below….
Yhs, Balaram das.
“Dear Balarama prabhu
Please accept my obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
During Srila Prabhupada’s manifested presence, we only observed one day for ekadasis, the Mayapura calendar.
I am not aware of any statement from Srila Prabhupada with regards to following the current multiple days’ system in all the time zones.
Personally I follow the Mayapur calendar.
I hope this finds you well.
ys ynd”
Hare Krishna Balaram Prabhu,
Please accept my obeisances.
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
Many thanks for the information.
Your servant
Vaisnava Calender:
The situation today in ISKCON calender is Ekadasi dates are not followed as it was back when Srila Prabhupada’s time from 1966-1977. Ekadais dates are supposed to be THE SAME in ANY time zone and Panjika was to be followed AS OBSERVED IN MAYAPUR. The new calender has created Ekadasis to be followed by dates and times in different countries thus this has created a BIG MESS.
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=39834#comments
Hare Krishna Mahesh Raja Prabhu,
Please accept my obeisances.
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
Many thanks for the information.
Your servant
Hare Kṛṣṇa Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Pardon me but may I just chuck in my two bobs’ worth? In no way am I suggesting that I am right and Prabhupada or any othe devotee is wrong, of course, but I would just like to suggest that nowadays there are qualified Vaishnava astrologers inside and outside of Iskcon who do these calculations for different parts of the globe, unlike it probably was like in the 60’s and 70’s.
I know a little bit about astrological calculations as I learnt in the days before computer programs when we all had to do the sums using ephemerides, numerous astronomical tables, and pen and paper. Here’s what I think I know ha ha :-
As far as I know, the calculation of Ekadasi follows strict rules and is not as simple as counting 11 days from the previous lunation (new moon / full moon), even though Ekadasi means the eleven day. Indeed, Ekadasi can fall on other days because it is essential to have the correct tithi at sunrise. If the Moon’s tithi is wrong Ekadasi is moved to correct it.
This is one reason why Ekadasi may indeed fall on Dvadasi, which means twelfth. The calendar days are based on the Sun, and simply adjusting Ekadasi in different Time Zones ones around the World and counting eleven won’t work.
In the same way that astrological birth charts are calculated according to to latitude and longitude, the time Brahma-muhurta begins also varies according to latitude and longitude and must be calculated for where you are at the time. This also happens with Ekadasi as the precise geographical position will alter which of the Moon’s tithi is on the eastern horizon at sunrise.
Common sense should prevail… ? To make it simple and give a mundane example, if you were born in Australia on the 5th, but you were in America now, you wouldn’t celebrate your birthday on the 4th just because in America on the 4th it is the 5th in Australia, would you? No, you’d have it on the day it was, where you were – on the 5th.
Similarly you wouldn’t get up at 1am in England because at that time it was Brahma-muhurti in Vrindavan would you? No.
Indeed, the calculations for determining the tithi on Ekadasi are so precise that it is possible to be different in the Himalayas and Sri Lanka – because latitude is a more important factor than longitudes (and therefore Time Zones). Don’t quote me on this but I am pretty sure that if the appropriate tithi finishes EVEN MINUTES before sunrise, Ekadasi is moved.
And because ALL Vaishnava Festivals, Appearance and Disappearance Days, etc are movable, eg calculated by the Lunar calendar, this is what determines which day any event falls on (Solar Calendar). So it is a combination of factors.
It is my humble opinion that it may not be as simple as saying “good enough for India, good enough for me”. In fact up until 1955 (I think, again, don’t quote me!) Bombay and Calcutta as they were known then were in different Time Zones and no doubt may even have had slight variances in their Calendars? I am no expert.
One finishing note: as Lord Kṛṣṇa can descend and appear as a different Avatar anywhere on Earth, and indeed does… so why the need to be so Indocentric? Of course in recent history all the last Avatars and leading Vaishnava personalities have appeared in the remnants of Bharata-varsa that is India – but…
…unless someone can find an instance where Śrīla Prabhupāda explicitly ordered: “Do not observe Ekadasi differently to Mayapur elsewhere around the world”, it seems common sense to use one’s present geographical position as the basis of all calculations using the Lunar and Solar calendars and modern computer software instead of relying on “one size fits all”.
As always I may be wrong of course! _/\ò_
Haribol! \ó/
Ys, Sam
हरे कृष्ण
Bhakta Sam:Similarly you wouldn’t get up at 1am in England because at that time it was Brahma-muhurti in Vrindavan would you? No.
Mahesh: No. Because——- Srila Prabhupada gave us the exact time-frame for that. Also – if he wanted Srila Prabhupada could have changed Ekadasis on the basis of different Countries taking help from Indian expert Astronomers – BUT – he did not. This is from 1966-1977. Srila Prabhupada kept the format the SAME in ALL the years.
SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CALCULATE, THEREFORE WE HAVE TO TAKE HELP FROM THE INDIAN EXPERT ALMANAC ASTRONOMERS.
69-09-30. Letter: Madhudvisa
REGARDING YOU FIRST QUESTION, WE OBSERVE EKADASI FROM SUNRISE TO SUNRISE. THE 12 MIDNIGHT IS WESTERN ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATION, BUT THE VEDIC ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATION BEGINS EITHER FROM THE SUNRISE OR THE MOONRISE. GENERALLY IT IS SUNRISE. OUR CALCULATION IS LIKE THIS: WHEN THE SUNRISE IS THERE, EKADASI TITHI (DATE) MUST BE THERE. IF EKADASI TITHI IS NOT IN THE SUNRISE AND THE TITHI BEGINS, SAY AFTER A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE SUNRISE, THEN WE ACCEPT THAT DAY AS PREVIOUS TO EKADASI. ALL OUR CEREMONIES ARE CALCULATED IN THAT WAY. THIS MEANS WE MUST SEE THE TITHI DURING SUNRISE. THEREFORE, SOMETIMES OUR DATES OF CEREMONIES DO NOT EXACTLY COINCIDE LIKE THE WESTERN CALCULATIONS. JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS DAY THEY HAVE FIXED UP ON THE 25TH DECEMBER, BUT OUR JANMASTAMI TITHI IS NOT FIXED UP LIKE THAT. MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 1ST SEPTEMBER, 1896, BUT THIS YEAR THE TITHI OF MY BIRTHDAY WAS FIXED FOR THE 4TH SEPTEMBER. SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CALCULATE, THEREFORE WE HAVE TO TAKE HELP FROM THE INDIAN EXPERT ALMANAC ASTRONOMERS.
Bhakta Sam:One finishing note: as Lord Kṛṣṇa can descend and appear as a different Avatar anywhere on Earth, and indeed does… so why the need to be so Indocentric?
Mahesh: Except for some Saktyavesa Avatars like Jesus Christ etc – they ALL descended in India. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu Lord Ramacandra, Lord Krsna Himself They all descended in India. There are many Dhams in India that prove that fact – refer to Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta everything is in detail. You say, “can descend” – yes. But – They DID DESCEND in India.
Bhakta Sam:…so why the need to be so Indocentric?
The issue is NOT about being “Indocentric” as you have put it. It is about the EXACT format Srila Prabhupada FOLLOWED.
Show us EXACTLY where does Srila Prabhupada AUTHORISE any changes to what was FOLLOWED from 1966-1977 on Ekadasi dates ? They ALL followed Mayapur calender Indian Astronomical dates. So if this was FOLLOWED why change it NOW????? On WHOSE AUTHORITY is the change since we do NOT find that Srila Prabhupada EVER instructed the change?
Disease for changevadi in Bhagavad-gita is obvious DEVIATION. Why make another changevadi business on Ekadasi dates?????
75-02-02. Letter: Dayananda
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 17, 1975 and have noted the contents. Your study aids that you are using to help the children learn the meaning of Bhagavad-gita slokas fully seem to be alright. THE THING IS, YOU MUST SEE THAT THE MEANING OF THE VERSE IS IN NO WAY ALTERED OR CHANGED. SIMPLIFICATION IS ALRIGHT BUT DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.
740418pc.hyd Conversations
Prabhupada: The Americans and the Europeans, they are fed up with this material type of civilization. They are… They know that spiritual life is there in India. They understand it. Therefore, any swami goes there, they go round him to take some spiritual instruction. Unfortunately, mostly they go who have no knowledge. They cannot give them right knowledge. So for the time being they may surround them, but after some time they disperse. Because they do not get actually. Because so far Krsna consciousness movement, now many swamis went there and they preached Bhagavad-gita also, but not a single person became a devotee of Krsna for the last hundreds of years. But now Bhagavad-gita is being presented as it is, and people are taking it by hundreds, thousands. So they are after some knowledge, spiritual knowledge, from India, but our so-called swamis, they go, they do not give actual information of the Indian spiritual culture. Therefore they are practically deceived. BUT THIS BHAGAVAD-GITA AS IT IS, WE DO NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.
740427BG.HYD Lectures
So if you read Bhagavad-gita as it is, that is mad-asrayah. But if you interpret Bhagavad-gita according to your rascal imagination, that is not Bhagavad-gita. Therefore it is called mad-asrayah, “under My protection, as I am tea…” We are therefore presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. WE DO NOT CHANGE. WHY SHOULD YOU CHANGE? WHAT RIGHT YOU HAVE GOT TO CHANGE? If Bhagavad-gita is a book of authority, and if I make my own interpretation, then where is the authority? Can you change the lawbook according to your interpretation? Then what is the meaning of that lawbook? That is not lawbook. You cannot change. Similarly, if you accept Bhagavad-gita as the book of authority, you cannot change the meaning. That is not allowed. What right? If you have got some opinion, if you have got some philosophy, you can write in your own book. Why you are, I mean to say, killing others and yourself by interpreting Bhagavad-gita? You give your own thesis in a different way. But these people, they take advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gita and interpret in a different way according to their own whims. Therefore people do not understand what is Krsna. That is the difficulty. And the purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to understand Krsna. And all the so-called scholars’ and politicians’ commentary is to banish Krsna or to kill Krsna–the Kamsa’s policy. The Kamsa was always thinking of Krsna, how to kill Him. This is called demonic endeavor. So that will not help you.
740811SB.VRN Lectures
Now he’ll explain further, in the next verses, how he became advanced. This verse is very important, that jnanam guhyatamam yat tat. Actually, perfect knowledge you can get from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and in parampara system you get that knowledge. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh. PARAMPARA MEANS THEY DO NOT CHANGE THE WORD OF KRSNA. THAT IS PARAMPARA. Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru, and the parampara system says the same thing. No change
Thank you Mahesh Prabhu for correcting me, as usual I was wrong! I had no idea that changing the calendars for different locations is an Iskcon invention! Not being an initiated devotee, even though I was around (on the fringe) in the 70’s, I was and still are ignorant of all the intricacies of living as you experienced Prabhupada devotees did and still do.
Sorry for wasting anyone’s time, Sam.
Sam Treloar :Sorry for wasting anyone’s time
Mahesh: It is not wasting time, Prabhu. Here we are ALL learning. Actually – It is good for you to bring up these points so we can discuss – openly.
Regarding Iskcon inventions, might this also explain why there is no mention in my original The Hare Kṛṣṇa Cookbook ©1973 of the taboo regarding red lentils? I have scanned the pdf of it using the terms red lentil/s, masoor, or masur etc but always returns zero results. I only found out about this by accident when I went to the Melbourne Temple around 2000 after an absence of 15 years after the Zonal Acharya fiasco. It was stuck on a noticeboard. Up until then I’d never heard of the ban and had been cooking dhal with it but stopped when I found out.
Anyone – is that yet another Iskcon invention?
Note: I think, Sam Prabhu, that the reference to Masoor (masura) dal (red lentils) could be in reference to the the month of Kartika because of its high protein. My understanding is that we are giving up attachment to the material body so the various foods that we are -attached to- are here being detached (renunciation) and act in the status of spirit soul : “The real purpose behind the vow taken during these four months is to minimize the quantity of sense gratification”.
Madhya 4.169 Sri Madhavendra Puri’ s Devotional Service
At the end of summer Madhavendra Puri returned to Jagannatha Puri, where he remained with great pleasure during the whole period of Caturmasya.
PURPORT
The Caturmasya period begins in the month of Asadha (June-July) from the day of Ekadasi called Sayana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. The period ends in the month of Kartika (October-November) on the Ekadasi day known as Utthana-ekadasi, in the fortnight of the waxing moon. This four-month period is known as Caturmasya. Some Vaisnavas also observe it from the full-moon day of Asadha until the full-moon day of Kartika. That is also a period of four months. This period, calculated by the lunar months, is called Caturmasya, but others also observe Caturmasya according to the solar month from Sravana to Kartika. The whole period, either lunar or solar, takes place during the rainy season. Caturmasya should be observed by all sections of the population. It does not matter whether one is a grhastha or a sannyasi. The observance is obligatory for all asramas. The real purpose behind the vow taken during these four months is to minimize the quantity of sense gratification. This is not very difficult. In the month of Sravana one should not eat spinach, in the month of Bhadra one should not eat yogurt, and in the month of Asvina one should not drink milk. ONE SHOULD NOT EAT FISH OR OTHER NONVEGETARIAN FOOD DURING THE MONTH OF KARTIKA. A nonvegetarian diet means fish and meat. SIMILARLY, MASURA DAL AND URAD DAL ARE ALSO CONSIDERED NONVEGETARIAN. THESE TWO DALS CONTAIN A GREAT AMOUNT OF PROTEIN, AND FOOD RICH IN PROTEIN IS CONSIDERED NONVEGETARIAN. On the whole, during the four-month period of Caturmasya one should practice giving up all food intended for sense enjoyment.
750519mw.mel Conversations
Madhudvisa: Yes. Indian import store they have. We have papadams.
Prabhupada: Take the dal, urad dal, and make it powder like flour, and knead it with oil. And give masala and then make like capati. And when it is dry it is papad. It is not difficult. Add little soda-bicarb.
751207mw.vrn Conversations
Prabhupada: Oh. That’s all right. One must be confident before challenging others. Not that theoretical. Challenge is no good. In all stages he must be able to defend himself from the opposing elements. Then such challenge is all right. (break) We are confident that this soul cannot be manufactured by any material combination. Therefore we can challenge. And I can defend ourself in any stage. (break) Cana, cana?
Aksayananda: Channa?
Prabhupada: Not cchana but cana. Canaka dahl?
Aksayananda: Oh, cana dahl, yes.
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Cana dahl is good nowadays.
Aksayananda: Chick pea dahl for winter.
Prabhupada: Mixed with little urad dahl, then it will be very palatable and very beneficial.
Bg 5.2 P Karma-yoga–Action in Krsna Consciousness
Therefore, jnana (or knowledge that one is not this material body but spirit soul) is not sufficient for liberation. ONE HAS TO ACT IN THE STATUS OF SPIRIT SOUL, OTHERWISE THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM MATERIAL BONDAGE. Action in Krsna consciousness is not, however, action on the fruitive platform. Activities performed in full knowledge strengthen one’s advancement in real knowledge. Without Krsna consciousness, mere renunciation of fruitive activities does not actually purify the heart of a conditioned soul. As long as the heart is not purified, one has to work on the fruitive platform. But action in Krsna consciousness automatically helps one escape the result of fruitive action so that one need not descend to the material platform. Therefore, action in Krsna consciousness is always superior to renunciation, which always entails a risk of falling.
Hare Krsna Mahesh prabhu, yes I agree about the high protein factor in red lentils and I heard that passed down the ‘grape-line’ in the seventies, so we always observed that restriction.
Bhakta Sam is a wonderful devotee… although living quite away from the Melbourne Temple in the 70s & 80s, he always attended the Sunday programs and helped with Prasad distribution etc. He had a workplace accident and donated a large amount of Laxmi, so I arranged his life membership and he received a full set of Srila Prabhupada’s transcendental books… a great soul indeed and I trust he doesn’t mind me mentioning this on the forum.
Yfs,
Balaram das.
Thank you Balarama dasa for your acknowledgement of my attempts to serve but I am not worthy of your praise as I am just another struggling half-bhakta who barely manages to maintain any semblance of spiritual life.
Though, I will say this-
Attending mangala-arati just that one time in September 1975 changed my life forever. I will never forget you guys – Madhudvisa, you yourself, Kurma the cook, Amoga the photographer, Subhapati the reclusive pujari, Ugreshrava, Yugatita, Sahadev, many others that I can’t remember and/or I didn’t have contact with, (please forgive the spelling mistakes) and later Yasomatinandana, Artri devi dasi, Gopala devi dasi, Saranganah, Usapati, etc.
Many thanks and obeisances Prabhu, jai!
Red Lentil or Masour Dal falls in the category of Rajasic food like onion and garlic which stimulates the senses.
However Black and / or Tan Lentils are considered Sattavic food.
That is a understanding I have known from the elders in my family.
Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Amar Puri: Red Lentil or Masour Dal falls in the category of Rajasic food like onion and garlic which stimulates the senses.
Mahesh: that is interesting – from what I have heard is the HIGH protein foods like masura dal (Red Lentil) and urad dal increases sexual organ power which is then a drawback for one who wants to control his mind. For spiritual life one HAS TO control the mind.
Make no mistake, any type of food consumed provides the strength which circulates in the form of blood energizing the body and its respective organs.
The food also falls in the category of the Three Gunas. So Red Lentil happens to fall in the category of Rajjo guna and Urad Dal falls in the category of Sattava Guna. That is what Srila Prabhupada says as well in the conversation ;
750519mw.mel Conversations
Madhudvisa: Yes. Indian import store they have. We have papadams.
Prabhupada: Take the dal, urad dal, and make it powder like flour, and knead it with oil. And give masala and then make like capati. And when it is dry it is papad. It is not difficult. Add little soda-bicarb.
For the serious and sincere Spiritual life practitioners particularly the Bhakti Yogi consumes food items fall in the category of Sattava Guna which increases the discriminatory power, energy to utilize in the proper area of cultivating Bhakti Yoga including for the necessary procreation, if need be, according to the regulative principles of the Sastric injunction.
Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Not just Kartika – they are taboo in the International Society for Hindu Consciousness at all times.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Pamho, and please, I do not mean to cause offence. My sincere apologies if I do, हरे कृष्ण.
Here’s the technical Jyotish reason that using geolocation to calculate Ekadasi can result in it falling on different dates around the world. Having just learnt that it is not the system implemented by Śrīla Prabhupāda, I’m talking about the standard method as used by Hindus etcetera. Yes, yes, I know that it is wrong to speculate, but I am merely trying to add an improvement, not expunge a previous arrangement.
I have no qualms of accepting whatever method Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed. Re timing of Ekadasi around the world, I have not yet seen anywhere a direct order, only the example. I suggest it would’ve been impractical and uneconomical for His Divine Grace to carry more than the one Mayapur calendar as he circled the globe seven times; eg one for every location? It makes sense in the 60’s and 70’s to have only had the one Ekadasi observance globally in unison, as in those days there weren’t portable computers and it would be difficult, if not near impossible, for His Divine Grace (not being an astrologer Himself) to access local Jyotish practitioners in each vicinity that He visited. Of course nitya-siddhas don’t “break any rules” – in fact, they set precedents wherever and whenever they appear to. It seems that Prabhupada established unique Ekadasi guidelines in the same way that He was more lenient regarding the otherwise strict types of foods that may or may not be eaten on Ekadasi as observed by other Vaishnavas.
I suggest there MAY be recognition due of the importance of factoring in longitude in calculating the tithi in a given location, in the same way that horoscopes are drawn. Yet I will not dismiss the utmost significance and the ramifications of Mayapur Ekadasi timing on the world as a whole.
But… Perhaps local time ought be considered? At the risk of looking stupid and inviting accusations of mental speculation (and sincerely hoping not to offend anyone with my impertinence) I think that otherwise what I and others have said still holds as far as standard Jyotish goes, “the tithi must be there”. But for where? Where you are now? Personally I would like to suggest that the default would be the Mayapur Calendar as established by Śrīla Prabhupāda, but if an accurate calendar for your current location is available, what could be the harm in using that?
(especially when you take into consideration the warnings about correct observations of Ekadasi re: mixed and pure; see below, salagram.net)
Now, a little on Jyotish astrology.
A Lunar month is the time from one New Moon to the next, as it travels a full 360 degrees around us in a circle. The New Moon is when the Sun and Moon are conjunct – that is, they are 0° “apart”, ie together. A tithi or thithi is a Lunar day, 1/30th of a lunar month. The first tithi starts at zero degrees of the lunar phase. As there are 30 tithis in a lunar month, each tithi is 360° ÷ 30 = 12° wide; 15 tithis from new to full moon and 15 tithis from full to new moon again.
This first tithi in a lunation is between 0° and 11° (0° is counted as the first degree; 1° is the second degree, etc), the second tithi from 12° to 23° etc. Thus the eleventh tithi (Shukla Ekadasi) is from 120 to 131 degrees in the New to Full Moon waxing phase; and then counting again from the Full Moon waning phase the eleventh tithi (Krishna Ekadasi) is from 300 to 311 degrees, during the dark fortnight from Full Moon to New Moon .
So… a solar day starts at sunrise and a lunar day starts at the new moon, whenever that is. Because the moon moves at varying speeds (it can move between 12 and 15 degrees in a solar day) a tithi can vary from roughly 19 to 26 hours! Given that a new moon can occur at any time of day, the eleventh solar day (confusingly also called Ekadasi!) and the eleventh lunar day (tithi) will often NOT CONCUR. That is, on the eleventh day after a lunation, the tithi on the eastern horizon at sunrise may be the tenth, eleventh, or twelfth! Depending on your latitude and longitude this will vary.
If on Dvadasi (the 12th solar day) the 11th tithi (lunar day) is there, then Ekadasi falls on Dvadasi; in another method, if Dasami, the 10th lunar tithi is still going during brahma-muhurta (on one website 96 minutes before sunrise; at odds with the 72 minutes mentioned later) on the 11th solar day, Ekadasi is moved to the next day. Confused? So am I, ha ha. Usually Ekadasi falls on the 11th or 12th solar day after a lunation, never on the 10th, even if the Moon’s Ekadasi tithi is there at sunrise. Dasami is avoided, always, for calculating Ekadasi dates.
So here’s why it can vary:
The moon moves between roughly 12 to 15 degrees in a day, depending on the season. By the time the sun rises in say, San Francisco the Earth has rotated 210 degrees from the sunrise when it occured in Mayapur. In that time (12½ hours) the moon has moved at least 7 degrees.
By then it could well be in the next tithi in which case Ekadasi would be observed a day earlier. It may even have entered the next sign – yet another reason why birthtime is indispensible for setting up an exact natal chart.
This is the reason by Jyotish calculation that in Australia we sometimes observe Ekadasi a day later than Mayapur. Because we are ahead some 5 hours or so of India, at our sunrise the appropriate 11th tithi may not yet be there – hence the moved date.
Perhaps the correct Brahma Sampradaya Vaishnava practice is different to how others calculate Ekadasi, I don’t know. Perhaps there is some invisible esoteric factor that escapes me. I am only familiar with the general Jyotish method as is used by Hindus, Iskcon and the Gaudiya Math alike. (if anyone knows how to get a translated copy of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta’s Surya Siddhanta I would greatly appreciate it if you can let me know where. I am a student, not a paṇḍit, and would love to benefit from the learning experience.) Even then, apparently different Maths or mutts observe Ekadasi differently – perhaps even sampradayas, I don’t know.
I do know that all the muhurtas vary in length according to season and latitude. Ask any Jyotish astrologer and I am sure they will concur. But if Prabhupada says brahma-muhurta is to be observed the same time everywhere, 72 minutes before sunrise, you’ll get no argument from me and I won’t question that, of course. Perhaps this is why we’re not meant to live near the North or South Poles!
Having said all that, of course I have no qualms of accepting whatever method Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed. I have not seen anywhere a direct order, only the example. I suggest it would’ve been impractical and uneconomical for His Divine Grace to carry more than the one Mayapur calendar as he circled the globe seven times; eg one for every location? It makes sense in the 60’s and 70’s to have had the one Ekadasi observance globally in unison, as in those days there weren’t portable computers and it would be difficult, if not near impossible, to access local Jyotish practitioners in each vicinity that He visited. Of course nitya-siddhas don’t “break any rules” – in fact, they set precedents whenever they “appear to”. It seems that Prabhupada established unique Ekadasi guidelines in the same way that He was more lenient regarding the otherwise strict types of foods that may or may not be eaten on Ekadasi as observed by other Vaishnavas.
~ ~ ~
Here’s some interesting stuff from http://www.salagram.net/ekadasi-page.htm
Basic Rules for understanding the Vaishnava Calendar.
1/. The Tithi at sunrise rules the day.
2/. If the Tithi begins after sunrise and ends before sunrise of the next day (Lost) it is combined with the next Tithi.
3/. If the same Tithi falls on sunrise two days in a row, observances are scheduled on the first day; exept Ekadasi, Amavasya, or Purnima Tithis which are scheduled for the second day.
4/. Sometimes it may be seen that on the calendar – panjika it is writen Ekadasi tithi but the next day it is writen Suddha Ekadasi fasting for ……ekadasi, this is the practical application of observing Suddha or pure ekadasi, that is free, according to Vaishnava viddhi of an blemish.
Rules for Ekadasi.
Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada makes an interesting comment in his purport to Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya lila. 9-24-342:
“You should recommend the avoidance of mixed Ekadasi and the performance of pure Ekadasi. You should also describe the fault in not observing this. One should be very careful as far as these items are concerned. If one is not careful, one will be negligent in executing devotional service.”
General Rules for observance are:-
1/. Ekadasi must come in prior to the Arunodaya Viddhi (1hour, 12 mins, before sunrise). When it does so it is called Suddha Ekadasi – pure ekadasi. If it begins after that, it is considered impure and is therefore to be observed on the Dwadasi ( making Mahadwadasi or Compounded) on the next day.
2/. If Ekadasi falls on Sunrise two days in a row, fasting is observed on the second day.
Mahadwadasi.
(If Mahadvadasi is in force, fasting is prohibited on the Ekadasi, but the observance is done on the Dwadasi. Compound Dwadasi-Mahadwadasi.)
1/. If Ekadasi begins after sunrise and ends before sunrise the next day it is considered Lost, too short, thus not full, and impure. Therefore the next day is called Unmillani Mahadwadasi.
2/. If Dwadasi begins after sunrise and ends before sunrise on the next day (Trayodasi), it is also Lost, and is to be observed as Tri-Sprsa-Mahadwadasi.
3/. If Dwadasi falls on the Sunrise two days in a row the first Dwadasi becomes Vyanjuli Mahadwadasi.
4/. When the following Amavasya or Purnima falls on sunrise two days in a row the preceeding Dwadasi becomes Paksa-Vardhini-Mahadwadasi, Paksa based.
Parama Ekadasi in the month of Purushottam.
Breaking an Ekadasi Fast
If you have observed a complete fast (without even water), you do not need to break it with grains. You can break it with caranamrita or fruit. Those devotees who fasted all day and took nothing other than air, it is advised to drink a mixture of 50 – 50 hot milk and water, sweatened with rock candy sugar after the sun has risen at the appropriate time. The effects of this loosen the mala (stools) in the intestine where all the toxins from the fast have been absorbed, and expell it all within about half an hour. Then take a light lunch, eating only once on the dwadasi. If you have observed Ekadasi by eating fruit and vegetables etc., then it should be broken the following day by taking grains at the time specified in the Vaisnava Calendar. Mahadvadasi is observed like Ekadasi. For more details see Navadvip Panjika intro of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura (NP-intro.doc)
~ ~ ~ [END]
Very complex indeed!
So is this [geolocation of Ekadasi calculation] a breakaway Iskcon practice and should be ignored, and I should therefore instead use the Mayapur calendar, therefore in line with Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions, even though I am not an initiated Prabhupada devotee? I really am quite ignorant of what or how much of Iskcon is to be rejected (probably all of it, ha ha), although I am aware of their heritage yet nowadays absolute corruption. Yet I naively thought that their calendar would be correct and applicable.
In practice, I do find it easier not to eat on the Ekadasi days contained in those Iskcon calendars, regardless of whether or not they differ from the Mayapur dates. I always had put this down to the Moon phase being approaching the sesquiquadrate (135°) in Western astrology which is a good time to give the tummy a break as the appetite is low. I also find it somewhat illogical, even hard to accept, using a calendar that is based on astronomical timing for somewhere halfway around the world; but that’s more because I am pedantic about astrological timing than an expert. It is my firm belief that without timing, astrology is useless – although I will not dismiss the significance and the ramifications of Mayapur Ekadasi on the world as a whole.
Which brings up the question:
Is the Mayapur calendar drawn up by Iskcon, and therefore faulty?
X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
I must say that I am not at all impressed by every Jyotish practitioner just because it is a Vedic science. Some are quite shonky. I once had a very frustrating experience with an Indian one who eluded answering my questions in a direct truthful manner, as if I was an idiot because I am a Westerner. I wanted to know how in ancient times horoscopes were drawn up for night-time births, seeing as water clocks are hardly portable, and hourglasses don’t keep time well with all that jostling when travelling to an immanent birth. All very well for royalty who have servants in the palace maintaining waterclocks, 30 muhurtas an ahotram!
I was informed that sundials can do the job using moonlight.
I then asked: What about during the New Moon? What if it is the wet season and the sky is pitch black? Even the rising and setting of fixed stars are useless then!
I never did hear back from him.
Anyway… so… for the neo-iskcon, and the uninitiated devotees, those not yet Prabhupadanugas, what for us then? The Vaishnava Calendars that I use are:
1. “Vaishnava Calendar for Iskcon and Gaudiya devotees” by Abhay Charan das, available from Google Play Store; and
2. the downloadable .csv (iCal) file for Melbourne, Australia from http://www.vaisnavacalendar.info/calendar-file-downloads which I then load into a widget for my tablet’s homescreen.
Both of these use geolocation and as far as I know have exactly the same event dates for where I live. The website I mentioned has many types of files for many locations. Therefore I could always change my virtual location to Mayapur if need be.
Fellow devotees, please forgive me for my impertinences, although I regard Śrīla Prabhupāda as the foremost exponent of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness that I have been blessed to see and hear, I am only a student, certainly not a Bhakta in the sense that I don’t follow all four prescribed restrictions properly (only two, no gambling and no meat-eating) and my chanting is irregular and often lacking.
Yes, I am a musician and I have always had a problem with “sex and drugs and rock’n’roll”. But never will I eat the meat of the Sacred Cow. Maybe in dire circumstances I would throw a brick at a rabbit in order to survive, ha ha, but only as a last resort.
Hare Kṛṣṇa
हरे कृष्ण
“Cigarette Sam” says:
” Fellow devotees, please forgive me for my impertinences, although I regard Śrīla Prabhupāda as the foremost exponent of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness that I have been blessed to see and hear, I am only a student, certainly not a Bhakta in the sense that I don’t follow all four prescribed restrictions properly (only two, no gambling and no meat-eating) and my chanting is irregular and often lacking.”
Keeping the Right Foot in following the Right (Authorized) direction ultimately leads to the Right destination.
How one arrives at the Final destination determines the type of activities in following the authorized instructions one gets involved with it further decides its intended destination.
So it is the FREE choice of the individual Jiva to choose from.
A wise person chooses the wise choice as per the individual desire being dictated under the influence of the three modes of material nature.
OM TAT SAT.
Hare Krishna. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Dandavats Prabhus!….. re: Ekadasi calculation.
I have one last question, please. Was the vakyam panchangam method advocated in Śrīla Bhaktisiddhanta’s Surya Siddhanta (I can’t find an English copy) and that’s what Śrīla Prabhupāda used? Or was it a matter of practical convenience that Prabhupāda only used the one pancham (panjika) ie Mayapur? If you are interested or can provide an answer please read on; for others, please ignore the rest as I don’t wish to waste your time (my apologies for my mundane curiosity and not accepting everything without question). Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
As far as I understand, the ancient vakyam panchangam method using Jyotish Shastra takes the words of the sages literally and ignores the actual positions of the planets in favour of their Divine positions. Another method (thiru-ganita or drik panchangam) makes corrections based on observations and the real positions are used instead. It appears also that there’s more than one Surya Siddhanta – the ancient one using invisible divine planetary positions (by Aryabhata I, possibly millions of years old), and the ‘modern’ one using apparent physical positions reckoned by ‘reality’ (Aryabhata II, c. AD500), and of course Bhaktisiddhanta’s.
In India, it seems the latter drika-ganita (testified by eyes) method is used for pancham calculation, based on the ‘modern’ Surya Siddhanta – ie using simplified formulae to calculate approximate planetary positions; then low tech tools (even just a gnomon, or sundial) are used to make observations and make corrections if necessary. This way the real positions as deemed in that location and reckoned to draw up the pancham, or panchanga (panjika in the east of India). As far as I know this is the prevalent method on the Subcontinent. Please correct me if I am wrong.
[Then there are another the two types. To avoid confusion we will use the Vaishnava method which takes into account the brahma-muhurta to avoid the impurity of dashami, 10th tithi, and dispense with the Smarta method which only uses the tithi at sunrise.
Adding to the confusion, also consider that before the introduction of the National Calendar on the 22nd of March 1957, there were not only dozens of different calendars in use all over India, but there were two time zones as well – one for Kolkata and one for Mombai, 40 minutes later. Imagine what that was like for the traveller!]
In this way, for centuries learned practitioners have drawn up the local pancham accurately, from time to time making observations to rectify any anomalies – all of this ignoring time zones and without computers, specialised software and the internet. Using geometry and algebraic shortcuts, the simple formulas given in the Surya Siddhanta provide rough estimates of positions which were then corrected using optical observations made locally.
“Time, place, and circumstance” as the maxim goes, ergo “the Ekadasi tithi must be there”. Where is “there”? Is it at your local sunrise?
This weekend, in Vrindavan a ‘normal’ Ekadasi is observed by many of the local inhabitants (judging by other non-Iskcon temples’ websites) on the 23rd June 2018, on the 11th solar (calendar) day with the 11th tithi there at sunrise. However in Mayapur, the situation is different and it falls on the 24th as Mahadvadasi on the 12th calendar day. Even going from one side of India to the other, East to West, we see a difference, yet to speak of different time zones around the globe.
Please understand, I am in no way questioning His Divine Grace and the methods He used, ‘time and place’ in the 60’s and 70’s – I’m just thinking, (vakyam pancham aside) nowadays things are different and it is no longer impractical to have a local pancham. Is that really going against His teachings? Isn’t it splitting hairs taking “don’t change anything” a little too far? (unless He specified that the Vakyam Panchangam MUST be used)… We know better such as with the “planet of the trees”!
I just want to say, in no way do I want to pretend that I am a proper devotee like you guys. I admire and respect devotees who have the sense control to follow the rules and chant their rounds. I understand that proper devotees totally accept whatever Prabhupada did without question; but for us uninitiated neophytes, what with theories like Flat Earth, Moon Landing Hoax, etc etc, we have questions, no matter how silly, that seem valid to us in order to expand our understanding. Or does my lack of unquestioning acceptance count as an offence and I should immediately cease and desist?
I have a curious mind. Even though the vakyam pancham method (divine positions) is esoterically appealing, logic and common sense indicates that location should always be taken into consideration. After all, an eclipse can occur at night in USA yet simultaneously during the daytime in Australia “the next day”.
Most of the above info on panchams I have only just recently gleaned from research after learning here on Prabhupadanugas.eu that Śrīla Prabhupāda used the one Mayapur panjika for use everywhere – that is, globally. The timing this weekend seems to point out that nowadays there are variances in practice even from one holy city to another, not just from matha to matha, Iskcon to non-Iskcon, Vaishnava to Smarta, Hindu to Hindu. Is there an element of ‘mundane astrology’ here, not ‘divine’? I am assuming that what follows must be the case… but then we all know what happens when someone assumes…
Can anyone please verify that the reason Prabhupada used just the one Mayapur panjika is because it was indeed the vakyam panchangam, the method as described in the second paragraph, eg “taking the Sage’s words literally and ignoring the true planets’ positions”; or was it simply a case of making the “best of a bad bargain” – what was most practical at the time?
Grateful for any response, please pardon my insolence,
Ys Sam
Sam Prabhu: … the Ekadasi tithi must be there”. Where is “there”? Is it at your local sunrise?
Mahesh: Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! Hare Krsna!
My OWN understanding is this: Surya Narayana (Vivasvān) sun god is Krsna’s devotee so —-OBVIOUSLY he will go FIRST to offer his obeisances to where Lord Krsna is in his Dhama : Vrindavan Dhama, Mayapura Dhama. THIS Dhama of Lord Krsna is THERE.
Also in Northern Countries in Europe the Sun is sometimes not even seen. HOW can these folks have Ekadasi????? Hence, the THERE refers to Vrindavan,Mayapura Dhamas. OUR CALCULATION IS LIKE THIS: WHEN THE SUNRISE IS THERE, EKADASI TITHI (DATE) MUST BE THERE.
TEXT 46
deva-tiryaṅ-manuṣyāṇāṁ
sarīsṛpa-savīrudhām
sarva-jīva-nikāyānāṁ
sūrya ātmā dṛg-īśvaraḥ
SYNONYMS
deva—of the demigods; tiryak—the lower animals; manuṣyāṇām—and the human beings; sarīsṛpa—the insects and the serpents; sa-vīrudhām—and the plants and trees; sarva-jīva-nikāyānām—of all groups of living entities; sūryaḥ—the sun-god; ātmā—the life and soul; dṛk—of the eyes; īśvaraḥ—the personality of Godhead.
TRANSLATION
All living entities, including demigods, human beings, animals, birds, insects, reptiles, creepers and trees, depend upon the heat and light given by the sun-god from the sun planet. Furthermore, it is because of the sun’s presence that all living entities can see, and therefore he is called dṛg-īśvara, the Personality of Godhead presiding over sight.
PURPORT
In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, sūrya ātmā ātmatvenopāsyaḥ. The actual life and soul of all living entities within this universe is the sun. He is therefore upāsya, worshipable. We worship the sun-god by chanting the Gāyatrī mantra (oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi). Sūrya is the life and soul of this universe, and there are innumerable universes for which a sun-god is the life and soul, just as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the life and soul of the entire creation. We have information that Vairāja, Hiraṇyagarbha, entered the great, dull, material globe called the sun. This indicates that the theory held by so-called scientists that no one lives there is wrong. Bhagavad-gītā also says that Kṛṣṇa first instructed Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god (imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]). Therefore the sun is not vacant. It is inhabited by living entities, and the predominating deity is Vairāja, or Vivasvān. The difference between the sun and earth is that the sun is a fiery planet, but everyone there has a suitable body and can live there without difficulty.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twentieth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled, “Studying the Structure of the Universe.”
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/5/20/46
69-09-30. Letter: Madhudvisa
REGARDING YOU FIRST QUESTION, WE OBSERVE EKADASI FROM SUNRISE TO SUNRISE. THE 12 MIDNIGHT IS WESTERN ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATION, BUT THE VEDIC ASTRONOMICAL CALCULATION BEGINS EITHER FROM THE SUNRISE OR THE MOONRISE. GENERALLY IT IS SUNRISE. OUR CALCULATION IS LIKE THIS: WHEN THE SUNRISE IS THERE, EKADASI TITHI (DATE) MUST BE THERE. IF EKADASI TITHI IS NOT IN THE SUNRISE AND THE TITHI BEGINS, SAY AFTER A FEW MINUTES AFTER THE SUNRISE, THEN WE ACCEPT THAT DAY AS PREVIOUS TO EKADASI. ALL OUR CEREMONIES ARE CALCULATED IN THAT WAY. THIS MEANS WE MUST SEE THE TITHI DURING SUNRISE. THEREFORE, SOMETIMES OUR DATES OF CEREMONIES DO NOT EXACTLY COINCIDE LIKE THE WESTERN CALCULATIONS. JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS DAY THEY HAVE FIXED UP ON THE 25TH DECEMBER, BUT OUR JANMASTAMI TITHI IS NOT FIXED UP LIKE THAT. MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 1ST SEPTEMBER, 1896, BUT THIS YEAR THE TITHI OF MY BIRTHDAY WAS FIXED FOR THE 4TH SEPTEMBER. SO IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CALCULATE, THEREFORE WE HAVE TO TAKE HELP FROM THE INDIAN EXPERT ALMANAC ASTRONOMERS.
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Located over 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, Norway, is home to extreme light variation between seasons. During the Polar Night, which lasts from November to January, the sun doesn’t rise at all. Then the days get progressively longer until the Midnight Sun period, from May to July, when it never sets.1 Jul 2015
https://www.google.com/search?q=norway+sun+never+rises&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-ab
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For the enjoyment of transcendental variety, the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa there have three divisions, and these pastimes are performed in the three abodes Dvārakā, Mathurā and Gokula. When Kṛṣṇa descends to this universe, He enjoys the pastimes in places of the same name. These places on earth are nondifferent from those original abodes, for they are facsimiles of those original holy places in the transcendental world. They are as good as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Himself and are equally worshipable. Lord Caitanya declared that Lord Kṛṣṇa, who presents Himself as the son of the King of Vraja, is worshipable, AND Vṛndāvana-dhāma is EQUALLY WORSHIPABLE.
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/cc/adi/5/18
Thank you Mahesh Raja Prabhu हरे कृष्ण
Pamho Prabhus,
Today (Yogini Ekadasi) I made two discoveries – the first important for those with Android devices especially if they’re often not near a computer; and the second of lesser importance as I suspect the majority of devotees who visit this site might not spend much time at krishna.com
In the Android app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.acd.calendar “Vaishnava Calendar for Iskcon and Gaudiya devotees” by Abhay Charan das, in the menu (top left) under Settings, if you open “The algorithm of calculations” there is a checkbox where you can tick “Use Shri Mayapur”. Ticking the box brings up “Yes, follow instructions of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Shrila Prabhupada.”(sic)
Once you set your location it will calculate times ie break the fast, brahma muhurta etc based on your local sunrise. Do not worry that you have set your location, as long as the Shri Mayapur box is ticked, that is the calendar being used.
The second discovery was on an undated page on krishna.com announcing that from now on they are going back to displaying the Mayapur Calendar on their website regardless of where you are in the world. Perhaps it’s not such a minor thing after all as it means Iskcon has listened to all those who protested that they had it wrong changing to local calendars as of January 1st, 1991… Only it took maybe a quarter of a century for them to come around. Being an undated announcement it’s impossible to tell when they changed back – the copyright at the bottom of the page says 2015 so I’m guessing it’s happened fairly recently?
I hope that helps at least one person,
Ys Sam
Correction, that should read:
“Yes, follow instructions of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Shrila Prabhupada.”(sic)
My apologies
Also, using the WaybackMachine, the earliest version I could find of krishna.com announcing their move back to the Mayapur calendar on their website was Boxing Day, 2011 – making it about 21 years to do an about-face, not a quarter of a century.
हरे कृष्ण
The moon marks the date but the day is solar, and the solar day is only one for the whole world, so Sri Ekadasi devi or Sri Papa Purusa will grant their influence only one day for the whole world.