A Sophisticated Astronomical Calendar

Last weekend, the School of Philosophy and Economic Science in Dublin celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Sanskrit Week, an event that began in 2015 during the Eastern period, gathering enthusiasts of this sacred language of Hinduism and classical Hindu philosophy. Since covid, the event became an online four days event, mornings only, over the Easter weekend.

I was there! Each day started early, at 7am with chanting, a bit of grammar at 8.30am, then conversation and the comprehensive study of other literature texts.

It was in one of the conversation classes, while talking about days of the week and months, that the subject came up: whether the months of the year in Sanskrit,  in the Hindu calendar, are related to the Gregorian/Julian calendar.

And the answer is... no.

As we know, the Gregorian calendar is derived from the Roman calendar, which evolved through Julius Caesar's reform and later the Gregorian reform, to better align with the solar year, but it retained months named after Roman gods, emperors and numbers, reflecting some political influences of that time.

I was amazed to learn that, on the other hand, the Hindu calendar, a lunisolar calendar system that integrates lunar months with solar years, is based on detailed astronomical observations, including the phases of the moon, the position of the sun relative to the nakshatras (lunar mansions), tithis (lunar days) and yogas (planetary angles), reflecting a sophisticated understanding of celestial mechanics and the cyclical nature of time.

The English calendar, while historically rich and globally standardised, is primarily a solar civil calendar, focused on administrative convenience and historical commemoration rather than celestial synchronisation or profound significance. In contrast, the Hindu calendar system displays a greater degree of astronomical sophistication and cultural richness due to its lunisolar structure, intricate astronomical calculations and deep integration with religious, agricultural and astrological traditions. It functions not only as a timekeeping device but as a living cultural and spiritual framework that guides daily life and ritual practice.