Dear HP Swami:

Pamho. AgtSP. Hare Krishna!

Thanks for earlier reply to my post regarding Sri Cantanya's Appearance Day. I intend to engage as many devotees as possible on this topic. I expect change will happen only slowly.

Let me please continue: the Lord was born on the full moon of Phalgun, Sakabda 1407. This means that he was born during the Sun's transit into Aquarius and on the full Moon when the Moon was in Leo. This fact never changes and each time we observe Gaura Purnima the full Moon will always be in Leo and the Sun will be in Aquarius. This point transcends astrology and is significant in Vedic astronomy. A great place of check this is at www.astroviewer.com; all the details you will ever need abount the Sun and the Moon can be found at www.timeanddate.com including dates way into the past.

The way our calendar is supposed to work, everything in the next year is predicated on the full Moon in Govinda masa. What has in fact actually happened is that everyone is following the 1957 change implemented by the Indian government that emphasizes the first new Moon following the Vernal Equinox. In this, Iskcon and others in the Vaisnava community have been entirely consistent. The problem is that the Vedic lunar calendar is built around the 27 Nakshastras and only in that way is it related to the movement of the Sun. Since we have no familiarity with the Vedic nakshastras, it is easy to miss this critical point. However, the 27 nakshastras follow the solar ecliptic which also means the standard signs of the Zodiak. Given this important relationship, one can easily understand the connection.

ASA -  AGTSP   paoho.   Maybe "One" can easily understand but We here at the ASA Commando: Uncle Gismo, Monkey/Piggy et al don't understand.  It is like giving you a 20-second class in Spanish and then expecting you to read Don Quixote.  But it is interesting!

Point: At this time at least 1/3 of three year cycle is wrong. That means ALL of the holidays are observed on the wrong days.

ASA -  But Ekadasis are correct, no?

This should matter especially to Krishna devotees; but until most of us understand the Vedic lunar calendar how can we? Remember in the Ramayana the Moon phase and nakshastra mark the appearance of Lord Ramacandra, this is also true Sri Krishna Janmastami (Rohini), as well as, other avataras of Visnu.

I'm taking time to doucment this here for all my God brother's benefit that are a part of your blog.

Yours, Gurudeva, in eternal humble service,

Saranga Thakura das

ASA - So, I guess the Ekadasi's would be correct but you are saying that they are part of a different Vedic month, no?   When did this shift of months occur?   Seems that Janmastami has been about the same time for 60-years or the father of Nitai-gaurasundara would have noticed, no?    More explanation.