Namaste Maharaja, Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
1. Reference is made to my last post on this subject made July 2nd, 2012 (Posted 6:16 PM -0900 by saranga-das).
2. In final preparation to bring this subject to a higher level inside Iskcon GBC, I discovered that only six (6) full moons actually fall definitively inside the 12 signs of the Hindu sidereal (stars) zodiac. The remaining six (6) fall between 2 signs of the zodiac. Of those in this category, Gaura Purnima is one of them (nakshatra Pūrvaphalgunī in the actual time of Mahaprabhu's birth). In the other 2 years of the 3 year lunar cycle, Guara Purnima falls in the sideral zodiac of Virgo and only in the final year falls in the zodiac of Leo.
3. However, if one looks at the constellations in the night sky all of them fall in Leo! Don't be confused by this. Constellations DO NOT = Signs of the sidereal zodiac. The signs of the sidereal zodiac are defined in 30 degree portions of the celestial equator which totals 360 degrees. As an astronomer, I had to learn this fact of Hindu astrology. Good thing I carefully researched this. Therefore, as far as Gaura Purnima dates go, everything is OK.
4. However, I did definitively discover that the method used to determine the lunar intercalation (adhika masa) was only right once from the period of Gaurabda 513 to 526. This is an important discovery because from the time the GBC version of the Vaisnava Gaurabda calendar calculates the adhika masa (extra month) till the correct one, all the holidays of the lunar calendar are wrong! There is one partial exception and that has to do with Ekadasi. I say partial because the Ekadasi is OK except for the named Ekadasi.
5. For this year, the calculation was off only one month and as October 16, 2012 the lunar months are as they should be. In other years, the error is greater but never affected Gaura Purnima but 4 affected Janmastami. More on this in a later post.
6. I hope this clarifies issues with the GBC Vaisnava calendar thus far examined.
Ys, Saranga Thakura das
HpS - ASA -- AGTSP paoho. It's interesting to hear your words. But we lack the general background to put too much action juice into them. If I told you that we have to meet with Laksmana agra Ja in about 45 minutes you wouldn't know if Laksmana was a man or a women, if it was in Lima or Chosika and what the topic was.
See what I mean? Your investigation is honestly very interesting and your reports of conversations with Sri-kara Das interesting! There are non-ISKCON Hindu panditas who also calculate the Adhik mas, no?
For example, we are now celebrating Vijaya-dasami, tommorrow. So I guess we could all agree that it is Dasami, but your conclusion is that this is a different month of the lunar calendar, no????
