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Re: Chittirail chittirai nal

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M.N.Ramanuja • February 24, 2001 


Srimathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Dear Kasturi Varadarajan,
       The lunar and solar days and their interplays due to the relative
movements of the Sun and the Moon are complicated and requires lot of
astrological mathematics.
     In simple words, the lunar orbit of 360 degrees is divided into
sections of 12 and a small fraction of degrees. A lunar day is reckoned as
the interval or duration in which the angle between the sun and moon
changes by 12 and odd degrees. It is also called a tithi. Each of these
sections comprises of one reputed star like Ashvini , Bharani, Krittika
etc. Since there are 27 stars, this will roughly take 28 to 30 solar days. 
  Now a lunar month comprises of two fortnights, bright and dark, and
starts on the shukla prathama and ends with krishna Amavasya. When the
angle between the SUn and the Moon is Zero degrees it is Amavasya. When 
that angle is 180 degrees it is Poornima. 
The naming is done based on the star that usually and most probably occur
on the Poornima of that month. The lunar year is reckoned from chaitra 
sukla prathama or chandramana yugadi to PhAlguNa krishna Amavasya. 
The month nomenclature is by the name of the star that will most probably
find the Moon in coincidence.
 
Chaitra masam   chitra(star)  poornima  
Vaishakha masam  vishAkhA  star  ..
Jyeshtha masam   Jyeshtha  star or Kettai ..
AshAdha   ..     Uttarashadha or uttiradam
SrAvaNa   ..     SravaNa
BhAdrapada ..    UttarabhAdrapada or uttirattadi
Ashvayuja        Ashvini 
kArtika         Krittika or kiruttihai
MArgashira ..  Mrigashira
Pousha masam   .. Pushya star 
MAgha masam     MakhA  star 
PhAlguNa masam   Uttaraphalguni or uttira star

There are so many changes from time to time in practice or reality because
of Earth's precession which takes 26,000 years and then the almanacs dont
match. So you have to take help of the astrologers contemporary almanacs
and celebrate our ceremonies or whatever.
I hope  I have been able to give some idea about this.
 
Adiyen Dasan
M N Ramanuja



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