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== See also ==

* [[Nakshatra]]
* [[Tithi]]
* [[Karaṇa (pañcāṅga)|Karaṇa]]


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 16:20, 3 January 2024

In Indian astronomy, yoga (also called nityayoga) is a period of time during which the sum of the nirayana longitudes of the Sun and the Moon increases by an amount of 13° 20′ (or, 800′).[1] While considering the sum, when the sum is 360° or more, then the angle 360° is subtracted from the sum to make the sum an angle between 0° and 360°. Consider a moment T1 when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon is 0° and let T2 be the next immediate moment when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and the Moon is 13° 20′. The duration of time between the moments T1 and T2 is the first yoga. Similarly, let the next immediate moment when the sum of the longitudes of the Sun and Moon is 26° 40′. The duration of time between the moments T2 and T3 is the second yoga. The third, fourth and higher yoga-s are defined in a similar way. Since 27 X = 13° 20′ = 360°, at the end-moment of the 27th yoga, the sum of the nirayana longitudes of the Sun and Moon would be 0°. The numbering of the yoga-s then starts afresh from that point. It appears that the astronomical yoga-s are in no way related to any astronomical phenomena.[2] S. B. Dikshit in his Bhāratīya Jyotiṣ Śāstra observes: "It is not known what planetary position in the sky is indicated by yoga and its useful only in astrology."[3]

The astronomical yoga as defined above is not be confused with the concept of yoga widely used in Indian astrological traditions. In Indian astrology, the term yoga has been used to indicate lunisolar distances and planetary situations, associations, and combinations. When one planet or house is related to another by placement, aspect or conjunction in a particular way then it is said that the planets and houses are in a particular yoga. In the traditional Indian calendars or almanacs, that is in Pañcāṅg-s, Yoga or Nityayoga is one of the five elements or organs or limbs that constitute the Pañcāṅg-s, the "five organs" in the literary meaning of the term Pañcāṅg. The other four elements are Nakṣatra, Tithi, Vāra and Karaṇa.

Names of the yoga-s

In Indian astronomical literature, each of the 27 yoga-s has been given unique name as below. The literal meanings in English of the names are given in parentheses.

  1. Viṣkaṃbha (Support or obstacle)
  2. Prīti (Kindness, fondness)
  3. Āyuṣmān (Long lived)
  4. Saubhāgya (Good fortune)
  5. Śobhana (Prosperity, splendor)
  6. Atigaṇḑa (Having large cheeks or temples)
  7. Sukarmā (Virtuous)
  8. Dhṛti (Courage, determination)
  9. Śūla (Spear, pike)
  10. Gaṇḑa (Spot, mark, pimple)
  11. Vṛddhi (Growth)
  12. Dhruva (Unchangeable, constant)
  13. Vyāghāta (Hindrance, defeat)
  14. Harṣaṇa (Thrilling)
  15. Vajra (Diamond, thunderbolt)
  16. Siddha (Success)
  17. Vyātīpāta (Calamity)
  18. Varīyān (Very welcome)
  19. Parigha (Obstacle)
  20. Śiva (Benign, gracious)
  21. Siddha (Accomplished)
  22. Sādhya (Amenable)
  23. Śubha (Auspicious)
  24. Śukla (White substance)
  25. Brahma (Supreme spirit, priest)
  26. Indra (Chief)
  27. Vaidhṛta (Great calamity)

History of the yoga concept

It is believed that the astronomical yoga came into being in attempts to predict the phenomena of eclipses.[4] The yoga-s entered the Pañcāṅg calculations only several centuries after the other four elements. Pancha-siddhantika, a text on astronomy composed around 505 CE by Varāhamihira gives the methods for of calculating nakṣatra-s and tithi-s but does not give any method for calculating yoga-s. Similary, Bṛhat-saṃhitā also by Varāhamihira has long discussions on the effects of nakṣatra-s but is silent on the effects of yoga-s. These facts indicate that the concept of yoga-s did not exist at the time of Varāhamihira.

Determination of Yoga

Robert Sewell's The Indian Calendar contains a section which explains in meticulous detail how the Yoga at sunrise on a day specified by a date in the Common Era can be determined. The procedure also explains how to find how much time has elapsed at the moment of sunrise since the beginning of the Yoga.[5]

Lengths of Yoga-s

The lengths of the various toga-s varies from yoga to yoga. The following table gives the mean length, the greatest length and the least length of the yoga-s.[6] It follows that the total length of a yoga-cycle consisting of 27 yoga-s is 26 days 10 hours 12 minutes 47 seconds.

Lengths of Yoga-s
Hours Minutes Seconds
Mean 22 35 44.7
Greatest 24 36 24
Least 20 52 58

See also

References

  1. ^ S. Balachandra Rao (2000). Indian Astronomy: An Introduction. Hyderabad: Universities Press. p. 68. ISBN 81 7371 205 0. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  2. ^ "The astronomical definition of Yoga". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  3. ^ Sankar Balakrishna Dikshit (1981). English translation of "Bharatiya Jyotish Shastra" (History of Indian Astronomy) Part II. Kolkota: India Metereological Department, Govt of India. p. 277 - 279. Retrieved 3 January 2024. (Translated by R. V. Vaidya from Marathi originally published in 1896.)
  4. ^ Shakti Dhara Sharma (1998). "Development of Pancanga from vedic times upto the present". Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India. 26: 75–90. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. ^ Robert Sewell and Sankara Balakrishna Dikshit (1896). The Indian Calendar. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. p. 3. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. ^ Robert Sewell and Sankara Balakrishna Dikshit (1896). The Indian Calendar. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co. p. 97. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
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