Sememe: ayana; sun and property

[Luis Arnold Gonzalez-Reimann]

Just for clarification.  The terms uttarayana and dakshinayana literally 
mean "the movement (of the Sun) towards the North," and "the movement (of 
the Sun) towards the South."  They refer to the shift in the place of 
sunrise (and sunset) along the horizon throughout the year. uttarayana is 
the period between the Winter solstice and the Summer solstice, the 
ascending half of the year.  Dakshinayana is the other, descending half 
of the year.  A solstice, therefore, is the moment when one of these 
ayanas finishes, an ayananta (end of the ayana).  Using the word ayana 
for referring to a solstice is probably merely an abbreviation of 
ayananta, and not an indication of the movement (ayana) from one 
constellation to the next, that is, the samkranti.  Although interpreting 
the term in this sense of transition from one constellation (rashi) to 
another, specifically into Cancer and Capricorn, sounds reasonable, it 
seems clear that that is not its early meaning.
The Brahmanas often refer to these two halves of the year, in particular 
(but not only) when dealing with the gavam ayana ritual.

Luis Gonzalez-Reimann
UC, Berkeley