Astronomy Yoga!…

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Astronomers detected a mini moon in 2006. They considered this to be an anomaly at that time. However, in 2011, Astrophysicists at Cornell predicted that a second moon might be the norm for our planet. Interestingly, the Hindu Panchang too assumes a zero-point moon. Let us explore the idea of this yoga point of Panchang.

One of the five essential components in the Hindu calendar is the mysterious Nitya (daily) Yoga. The other four are Nakshatra (lunar mansion), Vara (Weekday), Thithi (Lunar phase), and Karana (Half a Thithi). The word Yoga in Sanskrit refers to Harmony, Unison, or Synchronicity. Panchang makers use the rotational speed of the Yoga point (the second moon) and predict its position for every day of the year. However, they do not tell us what objects in the sky come into harmony at the Yoga point. Let us look at astronomy for a clue.

Why did they create an abstract second moon in Vedic astronomy?

The mysterious Yoga point rotates faster than the Moon. Moon takes 27.3 days to turn around the earth against the backdrop of stars. Astronomers call this the sidereal rotation. Moon, however, returns to the same point in relation to the Sun only every 29.5 days. Astronomers call this synodic rotation. Astronomy books illustrate the synodic movement of the earth as a circle around the Sun and the movement of the Moon as a circle around the earth for ease of explanation. However, the sidereal rotation of the Moon is more challenging to illustrate. This is so because the Moon moves around the earth, which is on the move. Consequently, the sidereal and Synodic rotations would fall out-of-sync.

The 2nd Moon for Perfect Harmony

The elusive point of harmony between the above two rotations of the moon is an ingenious abstraction of Rishis. This point is like a second moon for Earth. This abstract point rotates at the rate of 25 days. It moves at the combined speed of the moon around the Earth and the Earth around the sun. Panchang makers assume it to be 91° and 20′ from the new moon occurring at the first point of Aries. This combined movement creates a different effect in every one of the twenty-seven Nakshatras or the divisions of the sky. Rishis attribute the Yoga point as an indicator of the influence of the air element (Vayu Tattva) on cyclical Time. In summary, the unseen Yoga point is the fastest-moving entity in the sky. Besides, it is elusive like air. 

In Hindu astrology, the position of the Yoga point in one’s horoscope signifies the harmony/disharmony aspects of an individual’s life. The yoga point moves through 27 segments or arcs in the sky. Each of these arcs has a Sanskrit name (listed below), highlighting some aspects of harmony/disharmony.

Names of Panchang Yoga

विष्कंभ, प्रीति, आयुष्मान्, सौभाग्य, शोभन, अतिगण्ड, सुकर्म
धृति, शूल, गण्ड, वृध्दि, धृव, व्यागत, हर्षन, वज्र, सिध्दि, व्यतिपत
वरियन, परिघ, शिवम्, सिध्द, साध्य, शुभ, शुक्ल, ब्र्ह्म, इन्द्र, वैधृति

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