Week, month, year - cycles

[N. Ganesan]

The nakSatra lore (27 or 28) seems very ancient and must have been
present in the IVC. There are 100s of names for the nakSatrams in
Tamil Lexicon and literature. It will be interesting to see when the
sun entered Karttikai asterism and at that time the meshayanam also
happening? Then, Karttikai will be the first nakshatram. Manimekalai
refers to visAkam as the "middle" nakshatram, this will be true only
if Karttikai is the first nakshatram. Heard that Karttikai is the
first nakSatram in the krishna yajurvedam also. With back
calculations, what year is arrived at for having Kaarttikai as the
first nakshatram? Is it 2240 BCE? Like Manimekalai epic, Tevaram also
speaks of Karttikai as the first nakshatram. This precious data is in
harmony with Vedic texts, not analyzed so far.

Few nakSatra names: 1) tEn2el, puravi (asvini) 2) naTuvanAL,
pakalavan, cORu, tAzi, yAmai, tAti 3) azaRkuTTam, erinAL 4) vayamIn,
tiGkaNAL, paNTi 5) narippuRam, mummIn, mAzku, veyyOn 6) Atirai,
mUtirai, ceGkai 7) puNartam, mUGkil, karumpu, piNTi, AvaNam 8) vaNTu,
kuTam, pUcam 9) aravinAL, kavai, kaTcevi 10) ezuvAy, Jemali,
koTunukam, vAykkAl 11) pUram, eli 12) pARkuni, mArinAL, mAn2ERu
13) kaimmIn, kaini 14) nErvAn, naTunAL 15) vIzkkai, marakkAl
16) muRam, cuLaku 17) puRRaLi, pOntai 18) centazal, vallArai
19) neRkaTai, mUlam 20) nIrnAL, uTaikuLam 21) kaTaikkuLam, piRkuLam
22) ONam, mAyOnAL 23) viTTam, puL, kAkam 24) cekku, cataiyam
25) vArUNi, nAzi, nIr 26) aRivan, muracu 27) icainAL, nAvAy.
The present counting of nakSatrams starting with asvini seems
to be rather late (post 6-7th century). Is this started by
Brahmagupta or Varahamihira?

The month is present in Sangam texts. They called veLLuvA, kAruvA
for full and new moon days. Week is not told in CT. Eighth day's moon
is mentioned few times in sangam texts (eN-nAL tiGkaL vaTiviRRu -
perumpANARRuppaTai; eN-nAL tiGkaL - puRam). No 7th or 9th day
crescents talked about in CT. Then, was there a 8-day week? Like the
Roman 8-day cycle? Later, Thiruvalluvar hints at 7-day week: "oru nAL
ezu nAL pOl cellum" (kuRaL 1269). Sambandhar and Appar list 7 days as
in the modern week: (vEyuRu toLi paGkan .... JAyiRu, tiGkaL, cevvAy,
... - Sambandhar; koLLum kizamai Ez aan2Ay - Appar).

Is it correct to say that even though the 7-day week and 12 rashi were
borrowed in Hellenistic times into India, the nakshatra calender is
Indian?

Regards,
N. Ganesan

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com