மகா மகம் என்றால் என்ன? – மகாமகத்தின் அறிவியல் நோக்கு!
மறவன்புலவு க. சச்சிதானந்தம்
Dr.P.H.Anand,
Professor Emeritus,
Government College (Autonomous)/ Bharathidasan University,
Kumbakonam-612 001, INDIA
WEB: www.sitdm.com
Maha Magham Hour
Legends pertaining to Maha Magham Hour are obscurely geocentric. The conjectural micro-Astronomical aspects of the loci drawn in relevant legends cover large segments of Time and account for a ‘proximity principle’ in the vastitude of Astro-Geographic space, wherein distances miniature into near null-points.
Three points of space fall within the loci; their ordinates constitute variable planarity: Kudavayil’s Amirtha Theertham is the exordium of surface-waters; Kalasanalloor’s Siv Theertham is the sub-surface middle; Maha Magha theertham of Kumbakonam is the base bearing within it a density upon which the previous two are tiered respectively in the order. Now the points metaphorically and metonymically image a pitcher, holder of all life spores in a catena of replications that go on mythically forever. Now the loci implicate these points as the mouth, the middle and the meniscus bottoming out of a ‘pitcher’, Aquarius or Kumbha.
The pitcher-paradigm of a zodiacal merit and mien must be borne in mind to appreciate the Kumbha Rasi in which sun of ‘Bhaskara kshetra’ (the sacrosanct name of Kumbakonam), in all heliacal sessions through a full lunation dwells, siderially sanctioned. Though in the solar year of our planet the sun-stay in Kumbha looks regular and definitive in time-degree, the lunation of Maha Magham year allows the sun-stay a little longer than the usual. The calibration of this more than the usual duration is workable with two events of referable and seeable proximity in the ‘conical’ astronomical viewing of our Bharath, characteristically ‘conical’ with a sixty degree aperture cross-winning the events. Put in common parlance, one-third of the hemisphere of the sky, the ‘eternal-shatari’ for the globe we live in, offers to our visibility.
Geographically, with our planetary spin being what it is, the zero sixty, one-sixth of the zodiacal belt taken from the East for observation from the points in the loci aforementioned, hypothetically circumscribe the happening of ‘events’ elliptically recurring as they may be.
The two events among other things, not un-beknown to experts and the lay alike are, of course: i. The stay of Jupiter (Guru) in Leo, ii. The stay of Full Moon in the light half month, fuller perhaps accounting for its undue ‘libration’, a few seconds more than the 54 per cent of Moon with an observable wobble on count of relative nearness to the viewers from the line of loci.
The almanacal quartering of Aa, Kaa, Maa, Vai attests the second event. For the first, the stellar geography with a calculus of mean deviation must evolve; the primary event is Jupiter’s (Guru’s) node-to-apsis-move near the Alpha Leonis of the six stars (five according to Surya Siddhanta) in advance of Moon’s and the Regulus (Magham or Alpha Leonis)’s move from node to apsis in advance of Jupiter’s; after these, the longer lingering of Moon as viewable from the points in the loci in Regulus star, far on the southern edge of Zodiacal belt-line, inclining the viewers. The indices of inclination get revealed in the ‘baanams’ of the three shrines: of Koneswara, of Amirtha Kaleswara and the Aadhi Kumbeswara.
The ‘baanams’ of these Siva lingas, it is said, do indicate by their graded slant, pointing to the southern side of the zodiacal belt within the perceptible sixty degrees from the Eastern Horizon from the loci, the Alpha Leonis, the brilliant star in question.
The proximity of the three-in-one loci of the metaphoric pitcher’s mouth, middle and earth-merged meniscus subtend the proximal arc of events above to a maxima as following motions and mean deviations occur: As the mouth of the pot is open to eye the sky, much has been written by authorities like Kudavayil Balasubramaniam and Tho. Mu. Bhaskara Thondaiman in their works.
The foremost is the star in the conjunction event. The asterism takes the name ‘Magham’. The name means ‘mighty’; it entails a plural ‘maghas’. The manes of the departed and ancestors and pitrus (fathers) are the regents of this asterism. It is tenth in Hindu and ninth or eight or seventh in Arab, Chinese and other siddhanthas accordingly.
The Lunar Mansion of this asterism resembles a House! With five starts (which exactly is the fifth is still a matter of dispute between systems of Astronomy since the days of Ptolemy) according to several authorities, the southernmost is deemed the junction star. In Khandakataka a sixth is included to make the constellation appear as a ‘Sickle’. In and owing to this inclusion Alpha Leonis alias Regulus 129o 49’, 0o 27’ N is positioned in the forehead of the Lion. On right ascension lion’s forehead is first viewed; the most brilliant Regulus cannot escape notice. The Arab name for this asterism is aj-Jabbah meaning the forehead of the Lion. For us in the tropical region, the situation of aj-Jabbah, with four of first or second magnitude at times dimming as Cepheids, is far southward of the ecliptic. However ‘Magham’ Regulus is consistently of the first magnitude. In Heliacal rising, magha becomes visible at 14 degrees. The prospect of early visibility is significant; for the daily rate of motion apparent from our geocentric paradigm is merely the time-motion commensurate with the time-degree.
The longitude of Jupiter (hereafter referred to as ‘amarejya’ [The Teacher of IMMORTALS AMRTHA]) is less than that of the Sun as he rises in the East; as is with Venus, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, of them Venus and Mercury when retrograding. The mention of these other planets is to appreciate the enhanced degree of visibility of ‘Amarejya’ (Jupiter) through ‘oblique ascension’. The junction star represents the Asterism in question and is of the second class when visible at 14o, in respect of magnitude it is between first and second class, its brilliancy notwithstanding. Long continued observation will reckon the ‘proximity principle’ involved.
In the light half month after a fixed number of respirations, Moon (‘Himarashmy’ as would be called hereafter) turns full to view close to sunset. Himarashmy in Sisira Ritu is fuller in Maasi and yet more full in the Maha Magham conjunction on two counts: by wobble going beyond 54 per cent in terms of Moon’s ‘Libration’ and by apogee position lingering longer. Calculations by experts explain this. For practical observers from the loci, the three places in and southeast of Kumbakonam, the southern junction star’s trek glances the asymptotic. It commences from Konesan and edges in to Kalasanalloor to culminate in Kumbesam. The infinitesimal proximity in the face of astronomical distances, still merits through proportion. The nearest reference event is the longer full moon of Manmatha years Maasi. In Barhastyamana the event repeats 144 years once and in respect of siderial long stay in the zodiac accommodating ‘Amarejya’ (Jupiter) of the system in oblique ascension, it is further raised through one more power. The recursive pattern is time-spaced or ‘chronotoped’ as it were across one thousand seven hundred and twenty nine years. This number (of years) is unique.
The current year is Time-degreed three times, self-replicating the duration as Unity Cubed! With the star’s ascension, in the East within the first sixty degrees, in the Cone’s Western Southwestern edge of the ecliptic the Full Moon and Jupiter join, the former a whit swifter to reach up the latter with its siderial revolution and rise in the month named after the asterism with which Sun wheels in opposition. (As apollonian, the Sun-stay in Bhaskaraksetra, is masculine to dominate the day time, the preferred fore-noon period). As libations mark the day time, civil savana time is styled in respect of the siderial and the patriarchate with little distinction of day from night, in the loci. The lunar time proceeds from the solar; the sidereal revolution Time in terms of Moon’s nodal position is greater than Jupiter’s; which is why a recursion of its co-inherence of normal linking it with Jupiter and Alpha Leonis from the Kumbakonam loci re-presenting Sun-in-Pitcher is after, approximately 20736 lunations.
Though after 232 lunations or so verisimilar heliacal risings of Sun and Moon occur from Earth’s point of view and they occupy with Earth relatively similar positions in terms of nodes either during inferior or superior conjunction, it takes thousands of lunations to make relatively similar moves in terms of both axis and node of Moon the Himarashmi (having cool rays), and this is the nearest reference event. It may so be conjectured that such an event have taken the savanna time some 1728 earth years ago which in Barhaspatyamana work out 144 Jupiter years. Number 12 may look cardinal and arithmetic but its role in 24 sines and the arc of 30o (the sub division of the arc being 3o 45’) in Maasi satisfy Indo-Astronomic view of events discussed.
Founded on this, a count up towards the optimal conjunction takes a minimum 52 to 60 minutes (12/12 to 12/14) on 22nd February 2016, after sun set. It may be surmised that the optimal is arrived at, counting on the heliacal rising of celestial bodies in reference and their gravity centres and longitudes and not on the geometric centres. The paradigm is with respect to 10o 58’ N of Kumbakonam; thus it falls between 7.06 pm and 7.14 pm on that day; yet through parallax this may advance through 2 to 3 hours in the afternoon; and the sacrosanct Bhaskarakshetra reckons the forenoon and noon of the day as fit for libations . With events of Himarashmi and Amarejya in ascension given their due in due season, we may look at the legendary side of things.
As the legend goes, nine numinous rivers Ganga et al. were defiled by multitudinous sins of being that bathed in them to wash away all their illicit murkiness; the Rivers got sullied. The River Deities prayed Kayilai Shiva Lord who metamorphosed the Water – Deities into virgins and exhorted them to rush southward and take a dip in three purgatorial theerthas; Lord specified the precise temporal-spatial junction; Sun in Kumbham; Jupiter in Simham; and Full Moon in Regulus; He ordained them to stay concurrently during the month of Maasi (Magha) and to bathe in the three water-spas when Jupiter abides in Leo (Simha) and they should repeat this expiatory therapy once in every twelve years. The water-virgins took to kumbhesa theertham, then to Siva theertham and moved to Amirtha Theertham of Kudavayil. Of a sudden, to their dismay the Amirtha theertham sank underground. Vexed over their incomplete, aborted passaging through depuration process, they felt Sin-bothered, Sin-beaten, Sin-laden, Sin-assailed, Sin-plagued, Sin-cankered, and Sin-struck by a phagedaenic stroke. They pleaded to the Lord of Konesam; an ethereal voice addressed them:
“A lapse on your part is the cause of this anomaly. Having known the concurrent space and time, you ought to have progressed along the locus of points. As eye to sensoria five is face (head) (forehead) to body. The pitcher of immortal spores of life is laid up spliced in discreet three parts; its mouth is Amirtha theertha surface waters; its middle is Siva theertha of buoyancy; its deep is Kumbakonam’s mighty ‘Magha theertha. Top down dip is holy. Gravity the basic bed rock or evil, to get rid of, obey you must an order non-contingent. Now made aware of the preposterous haste of yours, through us, the sunk Amirtha theertha shall swell. Yet, be soused and stay poised concurrently…..” and the voice faded into profound silence.
Thus in the legend the rule of proximity and concurrence and the mandatory compresence of the fluid water-virgins in three sites for a whole luni-solar month once in twelve Earth years is stressed.
After this much legend what excuse! Legandary mahamagham hour is hitched to proximal sites in a certain order of vectors. The vectors connecting the three proximal points of theerthas in the loci is a miniature of the normal soldering the moves of ‘himarashmi’, ‘amarejya’ and Regulus or Magha of Khandakataka driven by provector winds.
For us all, the order of vector is Indo-centric and anthropocentric. The depuration and expurgation are two deviant acts. Even within waters as surrogate elixir of life eternal, plumbing the depth counts from aquatic top to chthonic deep; and hence the vector.
Ganga et al., is an order of water current North-South. Nine picked Rivers ingather in the sojourn, to undo the sin-drome they have been, are and would be in and through. While expiation in ritualistic, expurgation is physical, topographically viewable ocular enactment; depuration is a periodic time scale related recycling of a primal virgin state! Mythopoeic sun ducks down into kumbha with the Apollonian masculinity as opposed to Moon with ‘Cool-rays’ in the after heat of heliacal rise into the Leo starring the feminine cycles frustrated or otherwise. About 163 cycles go deterged repeatedly, every time the conjunction and opposition occur of Moon and Sun respectively. Geographically unclean cleanse their courses to reflow as perennials. This hypostatic view of the fluvial gross is imposed on Time-endorsed spread of an epidemic sin and inoculation of beings against the sin’s outbreak again.
The blind spot in the Astronomical discourse of conjunction in question is the desirability of reversals to stages prior to getting adulterated by bastardy etc., through down to earth dippings and dumpings on the river bed. The warped logic is to colonize the thoughtful mind with a specific time degree when the exogamic river-wedding-a-pool might occur; and for that instant to last longer than a day, the conjunction is azimuthally conveyed and debriefed as one that stretches through a complete lunation in ‘Sisira-ritu’, that is Jan-Feb; but the present Mahamagham falls on a week after the ‘ritu’; making the absolution of sins or impurities and making the liberations for the same as variables and a relative set of enactments to avert defilement. While the hushed cry is of ‘pollution’ physical and spiritual in the planetary sense and concern, the signified hour is a deliberate celebration of the conjunction per se as celestial event horizoning the like of their occurrence some seventeen centuries ago. Astronomy and Geography of the sky, if we may call the plotting of the events in question so may throw more light on the impact of the Siderial side of this argument as would the readership expect in their private experience.
Note: The authors admit they have used technical terms, they cannot do without, that are too few to the experts and too many to the lay perhaps.
Authors:
Dr. P.H.Anand,
Professor Emeritus, Government Arts College (Autonomous), Kumbakonam.
Professor S.A.Sankaranarayanan,
Visiting Professor, Sri Sankara College, Kumbakonam.
Email: phanand@gmail.com
