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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
( 609 )
In 31 years, there was one intercalary month. In 5 years there were two intercalary months.
In 8 years there were three intercalary months, ... in 4 years there were 1į intercalary months, or in 122 years they reckoned 41 intercalary months.
In reckoning 12 years they had thus to count 148.5 lunations. Now 148.5 lunations = 4,385 days nearly ;
.. the year = 365.42 days nearly. Thus in a period of 12 years, the length of the year was more accurate than that of the Vedāngajyotişa. Here if the period 12 years was begun from a new-moon day it had to be terminated on the full-moon day. Thus we see how these came to be the loss of half a lunation or a paksaksaya as it is expressed in the Mahābhārata statement quoted above.
The problem of finding the length of the period of 13 years would be solved by counting 5 extra-lunations. In its place we find in the Mahābhārata 3 that this period, e.g. the period of the Pāņdavas' exile, was estimated according to Bhīşma's statement, by counting 5 intercalary months plus twelve nights. It must be understood that the period was already over by twelve nights.
The next point in Vedic calendar that seems incongruous is the statement that in the Gavāmayana sacrifices the two wings of the year are of equal duration. It means that the time for the sun to pass from the winter-solstice to the summer-solstice is equal to that of its passing from the summer-solstice to the winter-solstice. The two halves of the year would be of equal duration only when the beginning of the year is taken with the sun at one of the ends of the apse-line, i.e. with the sun either at the apogee
1 त्रिसंवत्सरं षष्टिदौक्षम्। कात्यायनत्रौतसूत्रम् २४ । १६८। 2 द्वादश सांवत्सरं प्रजापतेः। कात्यायनौतसूत्रम् २४ । १७५ । 3 MBh., Virāța, 52, opening verses.
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