Vedas

The Vedas are the main scripture of the Hindus. That's why the Hindu Dharma is called Vedic Dharma and the Hindu rituals are called Vedic rituals. But now-a-days it has become very hard to find scholars understanding the meaning of Vedic Dharma. 'Vedic dharma', the name itself signifies its basis i.e. it is based on the Veda. The way of studying and teaching of the Veda is fixed by time-honoured tradition. To understand the Veda, Vedic sages have created six disciplines of studies. They are called the Vedangas (Organs of the Veda), which include Shiksha (Phonetics), Kalpa (scripture of ceremonials and rituals), Vyakarana (Grammar), Nirukta (Etymology), Chhanda (Prosody) and Jyotisha (Astronomy). As the sages meant these disciplines for the correct interpretation of the Veda, one should understand the Veda by means of the six disciplines of Vedic studies. Vedanga Jyotisha clarifies the time aspects of the Vedic rituals. The treatise, Vedanga Jyotisha consists of 44 stanzas. It is supposed by eastern and western scholars that the treatise was written some 3400 years ago. The treatise has been in vogue in Vedic tradition up to near past. But some astronomers ill-informed of the Vedic studies and Vedic astronomy think the Vedanga Jyotish is primitive and unscientific. But the fact is reverse. Vedic Yajnas (Rites) such as Somayaga, Darshapurnamasa Yaga, Vivaha (marriage) and Vratabandha (initiation into a vow for a religious life) are done on specific time of the year, which is determined by Vedanga Jyotisha and not by any other so-called Jyotisha. In every religious rite of Vedic Dharma one should mention Vedic samvatsara (lunar year), ayana (lunar 6 months' period), ritu (soni-lunar season), lunar month, paksha (lunar fortnight) and the tithi (day) as determined by Vedanga Jyotisha. Vedic scriptures clearly suggest that in the oath (sankalpa) of such rituals, mentioning of the lunar year is necessary. In this system a tithi consists of a time period of a day and the following night. A fortnight consists of 14 or 15 tithis. A month consists of such two fortnights. A Ritu consists of such two months. And an Ayana consists of three Ritus. And finally a year consists of such two Ayanas.
Now-a-days Jyotisha is neither based on the Vedanga Jyotisha nor scientific. Vedanga Jyotisha is quite scientific because it is based on actual position of the moon and not on man-made fallacious formula. Astrologers addicted to Faladesha (horoscopic prophecy) Grahadasha etc. obviously cannot even understand the system. It is seen that the astronomers of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti don't know what is the actual Vedic lunar year as well as how to calculate it and name it. Thus it is clear that in the field of main Vedic tradition and Vedic scriptures, they are as the blinds guided by the blinds.
Now let us see a clear example of the unscientificness of the Panchangas (Calendars) of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti. Uttarayana is the process in which the sun seems to migrate to the Tropic of Cancer from the Tropic of Capricorn. That's why the period of the same is also called Uttarayana. Likewise Dakshinayana is the name of the reverse process and the time period of the process. In Uttarayana the dinamana (measure of the day) goes on increasing in the northern hemisphere while the measure of the night goes on decreasing and the vice versa in Daksinayana. In the 7th Pausha of current year (December 22) the sun actually touches the Tropic of Capricorn and after that it migrates towards north day by day.
Vedanga Jyotisha strictly follows this natural phenomenon. But in the Vedic rituals instead of taking the pure solar Uttarayana the lunar cum solar (soni-lunar) Uttarayana is taken. Vedic sonilunar Uttarayana starts from the shukla pratipada (first day of white fortnight of Vedic lunar month) of such a lunar month in which the winter solstice day (starting day of solar Uttarayana) occurs within the first 24 tithis (days) of the month. This method is completely scientific and according to the natural phenomenon. But on the other hand the Panchangas (calendars) accepted by the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti take 1st Magha (January15) of current year as starting day of solar Uttarayana instead of the actual day, the 7th Pausha of the current year (December 22). This is completely unscientific and against the natural phenomenon. In this particular subject the Panchangas of the Panchanga Nirnayaka Samiti have no self-consistency. In their Panchanga the minimum dinamana (measure of the day) is 25 ghadi 37 pala on the 7th Pausha and it goes on increasing gradually day by day. And the dinamana (measure of the day) of 1st Magha is 26 ghadi 4 pala. So in fact they also seem to accept the beginning of solar Uttarayana at the 7th Pausha (December 22). But in their Panchanga they write that the Uttarayana starts on the 1st Magha (January 15). If they keep on this sort of unscientific calculations, in long run, a time will come when there will be warm season (summer) in their Shishir Ritu (winter) and cold season (winter) in their Grishma Ritu (summer). This proves that the so-called scientific astronomers are following completely unscientific system of calendar calculation.
According to the dinamanas (measures of the day) given by themselves also it is clear that actual solar Uttarayana starts from 7th Pausha (December 22) and not from 1st Magha (January 15). By this illustration every common educated person can understand that accepting the 1st Magha (January15) as the starting day of solar Uttarayana by the Panchangas is quite unscientific and against the Vedic system.
Thus it becomes clear that the Vedic calendar according to Vedanga Jyotisha should be followed for all Vedic ritual purposes. Astronomers are now paying attention to this fact which is a positive move towards calendar reform.