Re: Purnimanta month in Mahabharata

[sunil bhattacharjya]

On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 9:44 AM, sunil bhattacharjya <skbhatt...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Shri Nityanandaji,

This in continuation of our earlier discussion on Purnimanta / Amanta month. Kindly have a second look at the following verse:

अहः पूर्वं ततो रात्रिर्मासाः शुक्लादयः स्मृताः।
श्रविष्ठादीनि ऋक्षाणि ऋतवः शिशिरादयः॥ ४४.१-२

When it comes to ahoratri this verse clearly talks about the aha (the day portion) and the ratri (the night portion) of the ahoratra. However it does not talk about the shukla paksha and the Krishna paksha. The Veda say that the Moon is the maker of the masa  and when it comes to masa  it says that the shukla (bright) comes first.

In other words it says that (of the ahoratra) the aha (day) comes first and then comes the ratri (night), of the masa the shukla (bright moon) comes first. The moon is the brightest in Purnima. This means the the month begins from the point of highest brightness and at this very point the month ends after completing the month. In a Purnimanta month the month ends when the moon is the brightest and from that point the next month starts. Thus,according to me, this verse is not at all  contradicting the other verse in the Mahabharata, where it is said that the Pitri-karya is to be done in the Amavashya in the middle of the month.

Will you and / or any other scholar like to offer your considered opinion on this ?

Regards,
Sunil KB