Dear Matthew,
I meant something slightly different. Specifically, that the horizon at dawn has a bright pink color due to the rising sun, and it is this phenomenon that is compared to the color of the monastic robe. For the same reason, the moon might be slightly pinkish (in the author's view, perhaps). And the moon hanging above the horizon at that time is compared to Ananda's shaved head.
Best regards,
Dmitrii K.

вс, 7 сент. 2025 г. в 16:26, Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info>:
Dimitri’s post raises a very interesting problem concerning Indian knowledge of moonlight as solar reflection, rather than the product of its proper luminosity. Someone once pointed out to me a passage from the Nirukti - I’ve forgotten the details- that strongly suggests knowledge of the lunar reflection. But was this very widely known and accepted?

Matthew

On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 15:14, Patrick Olivelle <jpo@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:
Thanks, Matthew. That makes sense, and then in bahulapakṣagataḥ the ‘gataḥ’ would mean “gone into” rather than “in” as it has generally been translated. And, as Dmitrii points out, it must be the morning of the first day of the dark half, just after the full moon day. That makes great senses. Thanks.

Patrick

On Sep 7, 2025, at 7:52 AM, Matthew Kapstein <mattkapstein@proton.me> wrote:

Dear Patrick,

Might it not be, more simply, that he seemed like a (formerly) full moon that was now waning? There need not be an astronomical contradiction.

best,
Matthew

On Sun, Sep 7, 2025 at 14:45, Patrick Olivelle via INDOLOGY < indology@list.indology.info > wrote:
Dear All:

Aśvaghoṣa in his Saundarananda (5.53) compares Nanda’s shaven head to the full moon in the “bahulapakṣa”, which I take to be the kṛṣṇapakṣa. But, as far as I understand, there is no full moon in the dark fortnight of the month. Am I missing something in this simile? Is he saying that the full moon, it it appeared in the dark fortnight, would have looked as pathetic as Nanda’s shaven head? Thanks for any input. Here is the verse:

nandas tatas tarukaṣāyaviraktavāsāś cintāvaśo navagṛhīta iva dvipendraḥ /
pūrṇaḥ śaśī bahulapakṣagataḥ kṣapānte bālātapena pariṣikta ivāvabhāse //

With best wishes,

Patrick

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