nak.satras

[mgansten at sbbs.se]

Fred Smith wrote:

>This year the vernal equinox occurs in aa;sle.sa nak.satra, and the
>pit.rpak.sa begins this year on Sept 17 (Bhaadrapada k.r.s.na pratipadaa,
>in Uttara Bhaadrapadaa nak.satra. Thanks goes to my trusty Kaalnir.nay
>Marathi calendar.

We seem to have understood Edwin's question differently. To clarify: on the
day of the vernal equinox, the *moon* will occupy Aa'sle.sa, as Fred's
calendar tells him -- and this is what is normally meant by a nak.satra
"governing the day" -- but the *sun* will be in early Uttarabhadra. It is
this equinoctial point (the apparent position of the sun in relation to the
zodiac at the time of the equinox), slowly regressing through the fixed
stars, which gives rise to the difference between the tropical and sidereal
zodiacs.

Martin Gansten