1/13/14 Ayanamsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanamsa 1/3
Path taken by the point of vernal equinox along the
ecliptic over the past 6000 years.
Ayanamsa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ayanamsa (Sanskrit ayana: ayana "movement" +
aa "component"), also ayanabhga (Sk. bhga
"portion"), is the Sanskrit term in Indian astronomy for the
amount of precession.
[1]
In astrology, this is the longitudinal
difference between the Tropical (Syana) and Sidereal
(Nirayana) zodiacs. In astronomy too, this is the difference
between the length of a tropical year (365.2422 rotations of
the earth) and a sidereal year (365.2563 rotations) required
to complete one orbit relative to the sun (tropical) or stars
(sidereal).
The above is a modern definition of ayanamsha, based on
arguments of Colebrooke, Burgess, etc. The ancient
definition of ayanamsha was not called the precession of
equinoxes but in measuring the length of the tropical year versus the sidereal year the ancients were essentially
tracking the precession observable. Suryasiddhanta (iii, 9-10) defines ayanamsha as the to and fro motion of the
circle of asterisms (Nakshatra-chakra or Bhachakra) within a maximum range of + and - 27 degrees at an annual
rate of 54" (versus the modern value of 50.3"). Burgess could not digest the idea of trepidating Nakshatra-chakra,
and assumed that some error had crept in the text. On the basis of this assumption, he advocated the use of
precession of equinoxes to define ayanamsha, following the arguments of his predecessors like Colebrooke. They
assumed that ancient Indians did not know how to measure precession accurately and therefore invented a wrong
concept of trepidating precession. But Bhaskar-ii in Siddhanta Shiromani gives equations for measurement of
precession of equinoxes, and says his equations are based on some lost equations of Suryasiddhanta plus the
equation of Munjaala.
Overview
Ayanamsa is now defined as the angle by which the sidereal ecliptic longitude of a celestial body is less than its
tropical ecliptic longitude. Ayanamsa is mostly assumed to be close to be 24 today, according to late N. C. Lahiri
23.85 as of 2000. This value would correspond to a coincidence of the sidereal with the tropical zodiac in or near
the year 285 AD, roughly compatible with the assumption that the tradition of the tropical zodiac as current in
Western astrology was fixed by Ptolemy in the 2nd century (Ptolemy actually did not fix it, he only stated indirectly
that tropical and sidereal zodiacs coincided during his times ; the credit of discovering precession in Europe should
go to Hipparchus and not to Ptolemy).
To be precise, the so-called "Lahiri Ayanamsha" is a misnomer because N. C. Lahiri borrowed this Chitra-
pakshiya Ayanamsha from its inventors Ketkar Brothers who propounded this idea three decades before him, and
Lahiri never claimed any credit. But he popularized it due to his influence on Pt Jawaharlal Nehru who allowed
Lahiri's ideas to dominate in reforming national calendar of India. According to this theory, the sidereal position of
Spica (alpha-Virginis, assumed to be the ancient Chitra) should be exactly 180 degrees as stated in
Suryasiddhaanta, while both sidereal and tropical zodiacs should coincide at the time of zero ayanamsha. Although
Suryasiddhaanta and other ancient texts state that ayanamsha was zero in 499 AD (Mesha Samkranti), N C Lahiri
1/13/14 Ayanamsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanamsa 2/3
insisted on Spica's identification as Chitra and concluded that Spica was the nearest bright star adjacent to 180
degrees, hence resting on Spica he concluded that tropical position of Spica being zero in 285 AD must be the zero
point of Ayanamsha too.
The sidereal ecliptic longitude of a celestial body is its longitude on the ecliptic defined with respect to the
"fixed" stars.
The tropical ecliptic longitude of a celestial body is its longitude on the ecliptic defined with respect to the
vernal equinox point.
Since the vernal equinox point precesses westwards at a rate of about 50".29 per year (the rate has been
accelerating) with respect to the fixed stars, the longitude of a fixed body defined with respect to it will increase
slowly. On the other hand, since the stars "do not move" (this ignores the effect of proper motion) the longitude of a
fixed body defined with respect to them will never change.
Traditional Vedic astrology (Jyotisha) uses a system of sidereal longitude. When the practitioners of these schools
of astrology use modern astronomical calculations to determine the position of celestial bodies, they need to take
into account the difference caused by the different reference point used in specifying the longitude, and this they call
the ayanamsa.
Some orthodox schools of Vedic astrology reject modern astronomy and still base their computations upon
traditional texts and treatises, mostly following the Surya Siddhanta or treatises based on it. They use ayanmsa
according to Surya Siddhnta,
[2]
in which ayanmsa rises from 0 to +27 during 1800 years, then decreases to 0
and further to -27, thereafter rising again, thus oscillating within a rage of 27 instead of cyclically moving in a
circle as modern concept of ayanmsa suggests.
Manjula advocated a cyclical concept of ayanmsa, but it could not gain currency among almanac makers. In West
Theon (ca. 4th century AD) was the earliest known advocate of Surya Siddhntic type of ayanmsa (although
Theon said trepidation varied within a rage of 8 only : Surya Siddhntic trepidation was deduced by multiplying
90 with 0.3, Theon multiplied 27 again with 0.3 to get 8 ). This oscillating type of ayanmsa, known as
trepidation, was a favourite of Indian, Arab and European astrologers and astronomers till the time of Copernicus.
Modern science does not support the idea of trepidation or oscillating ayanmsa. 490 AD is regarded as the zero
date of this type of ayanmsa according to Surya Siddhnta, Aryabhatiya and other ancient treatises. Thus the
present value of traditional ayanmsa is nearly +22.64, which is less than modern the value of about +24.
After 2299 AD, the traditional ayanmsa will start decreasing from the maximum value of +27, while modern value
will keep on increasing. Equations of sunrise and ascendant (lagna) need accurate value of ayanmsa, upon which
all important components of religious almanac and horoscopes are based in India.
The ayanamsha describes the increasing gap between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs. The ayanamsa, changes
continually through the Precession of the Equinoxes at the rate of approximately 50" a year, is currently about 24
(Lahiri). But traditionalists in India put the current value at about 22.6 degrees which is the value according to
Suryasiddhanta and Raman's ayanamsha approximates it while Yukteshwar ayanamsha is almost exactly equal to
Suryasiddhantic ayanamsha.
Western Astrologers Fagan and Bradley computed it at 24 degrees in 1950; however, there are various values in
use in India. While the general consensus among Western siderealists is that the star Alcyon represents the first
point of Aries, differences arise because of the indefinite ancient boundaries of the constellation of Aries. Indian
definition of astrological signs is not based on constellations but on equal angular division of sky, which makes it
difficult to define signs in terms of stars and constellations. This is the source of controversy about ayanamsha.
1/13/14 Ayanamsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayanamsa 3/3
References
1. ^ Monier-Williams (http://lexica.indica-et-buddhica.org/dict/lexica), 'm. (in astron.) the amount of precession'
2. ^ burgess, Ebenezer (1858). The Surya Siddhantha, a Textbook of Hindu Astronomy. American Oriental Society.
Chapter 3, Verse 9-12.
External links
Ayanamsa definitions at Best Knowns (http://en.mimi.hu/astrology/ayanamsa.html)
Ayanamsa Calculator (http://www.chennaiiq.com/astrology/ayanamsa_calculator.asp)
KP Ayanamsa Calculator (http://www.astrosage.com/kpastrology/ayanamsa.asp)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ayanamsa&oldid=586867412"
Categories: Hindu astrology Technical factors of astrology
This page was last modified on 20 December 2013 at 00:01.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.