Crazy Ideas: Makar Sankranti Is Based On Global Scientific Astrology And Not Merely A Hindu Festival …

© Harish Jharia 

Makar Sankranti is also called 'Uttaraayan' उत्तरायण in Gujraat, India; because, 14th January is the day after which the path of Sun shifts from southern sky to Northern sky that is from Dakshinaayan दक्षिणायन to Uttaraayan उत्तरायण... 

मकर संक्रांति ही एकमात्र ऐसा हिंदू त्यौहार है जो हमेशा १४ जनवरी को ही पड़ता है...
हिन्दू त्यौहार हिन्दू कैलेण्डर पर आधारित होते हैं जो चंद्रमा द्वारा पृथ्वी की परिक्रमा के आधार पर बनाए जाते हैं. जबकि, अंग्रेजी कलैंडर, आकाश में सूर्य की निरंतर बदलती हुई स्तिथि पर आधारित होता है... इसलिए बाक़ी सभी त्योहारों की तारीखें हर साल बदलती रहती हैं, सिवाय मकर संक्रांति के...

Makar Sankranti is apparently the only Hindu festival that always falls on the same day every year on 14th January. Hindu festivals are basically calculated according to Indian Panchangas (पंचांग) that are based on Indian lunar calendar. On the other hand the internationally followed Christian calendar is based on western solar astrology. As a result of the difference between the movements of Earth and Moon vis-à-vis the ceaseless changing position of Sun in the sky, the Hindu festivals never fall on the same day of the Christian calendar, every year, with an exception of ‘Makar Sankranti’.

Read More on Makar Sankranti: 
Why Makar Sankranti (Hindu Solstice) always falls on 14th January: Solar and lunar calendars followed in western and eastern astrology respectively: 

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Editor's Page: Fake Prediction for End of the World on 21 December 2012 Proved Absolutely False

    The doomsday or holocaust on 21 December proved fake

Friday, December 21, 2012; New Delhi, India

Today is 21 December 2012 and the sun has already risen in Australia and Asia.  The sun is going to rise in Europe and America in a few hours and declare the holocaust date of 21 December 2012. I am sure nothing bad or good is going to happen in the world just because of the Mayan prediction of the dooms day. 

Now we should stop believing on any sorts of predictions based on any ancient or modern astrology; because, predictions for future happenings are not possible in the least. 

For detailed information please read our article:
End of the World on The Doomsday Catastrophe on 21 December 2012, The Holocaust प्रलय... Is it really possible..?
URL: http://www.discovery-of-life.com/2012/12/end-of-world-on-doomsday-catastrophe-on.html

© Harish Jharia
New Delhi, India 

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End of the World on The Doomsday Catastrophe on 21 December 2012, The Holocaust प्रलय... Is it really possible..?

Imaginary Sydney scenario on the Doomsday 2012 (Herald Sun)

© Harish Jharia 

We have been hearing about the predicted holocaust on 21 December 2012 for many years. Even a Hollywood movie has been made on this subject, showing the entire world submerged under sea water and the absolute end of nature and life on the planet earth. 

I do not know why I never got scared about this theory of abrupt devastation of Mother Nature on a particular single day. I always believed that the earth, nature and life took billions of years for its creation. Therefore, its devastation like holocaust प्रलय should also take the same length of time. The end of the world cannot happen abruptly in a day. Nevertheless, the doomsday December 21, 2012 is widely discussed among the believers and nonbelievers of this hypothetical imaginary catastrophe, across the electronic and print media. 

What is the basis of 21 December 2012 doomsday prediction..?

As I have understood from various concerned material, the dooms day has been predicted based on the Mayan Calendar according to which the earth has been created with a specific age and once it completes the span of its age the earth will be devastated with occurrence of holocaust प्रलय on 21 December 2012. 

According to Mayan beliefs certain cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on 21 December 2012 when this date is regarded as the end-date of a 5125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. Using a modified vigesimal (base 20 numeral system) tally, the Long Count calendar identifies the doomsday by counting the number of days passed since an imaginary date of creation of the world, believed to have started from 11 August 3114 BCE in the Gregorian calendar.

                           Mayan Calendar 

Who were the Mayan People..?

The Maya people were the combined tribes of diverse ranges of native Americans hailing from northern Mexico and southern central America. The term "Maya" is a collective designation including the peoples of the region who shared similar cultural and linguistic heritage. Moreover, the term Maya represents many distinct populations, societies, and ethnic groups, following their own particular traditions, cultures, and historical identity.

How far the belief of Doomsday, Holocaust, प्रलय on 21 December 2012 is true..?

1. The belief about the holocaust प्रलय is absolutely wrong because it is based on unscientific theories.
2. This doomsday has been calculated with the knowhow of astrology prevalent in the prehistoric era when the modern scientific theories were not discovered. 
3. This doomsday has been predicted out of folkloric astrological calculations that cannot be considered dependable and believed indiscriminately.
4. The rumor about 21 December 2012 has spread out of viral internet spams and should be simply ignored.
5. 21st December 2012 is going to be a normal day just like anyother day of our common life.
6. We should not get scared about any abnormal happening like meteoric bombardment, devastation due to earthquakes, natural calamities like tsunamis   or submerging of world under deep waters. 
7. 21st December 2012 is not going to be any doomsday of holocaust प्रलय and we all should live our normal and fearless lives. 

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Moon Phases: How they Differ From Lunar Eclipse?

        Click on the image to see enlarged view

© Harish Jharia

There is a celestial phenomenon called ‘the phases of moon’, in which the moon successively changes its shape, every day, from ‘full moon’ to ‘new moon’ in a fortnight and from ‘new moon’ to ‘full moon’ in the following fortnight. We are going to discuss phases of moon in this article in a common man’s language, without using scientific and astronomical terminologies. 

What are phases of moon?
As you know that the moon does not have its own glow and it would be visible to us only when sunrays fall on its surface. Sunrays illuminate half of the moon that is visible to us and the other half of it left dark and apparently remains invisible to us. This is so because moon is a spherical body. This half lit and half dark moon moves around our earth at different angles on different days. In these successively changing situations, the illuminated portion of moon looks to us in different shapes on different days.  

Full Moon (पूर्णिमा): 
Moon does not glow on its own and is only visible to us when sunrays fall on its surface. Full moon would be visible to us, in its full glow, when earth positions itself in-between sun and moon in a straight line.

New Moon (अमावस्या):
New-moon could be better caller as ‘no-moon’ because moon is not visible on new moon day. This situation arises when the moon positions itself between sun and earth and the dark half of the moon faces towards the earth in its day time. Resultantly, in day time the new moon remains invisible to us.

Phases of moon (चंद्र कलाएँ): 
Whereas, the new-moon remains invisible and full-moon shines in its full glow, the moon takes 15 days for growing from new-moon to full moon, successively increasing in its size day-by-day. From the very next day after new-moon and full-moon the changing sizes of the illuminated moon starts appearing in early mornings and late evenings.

You may refer the above illustration wherein various positions of moon vis-à-vis earth are shown receiving parallel sunrays from their left side. Apparently, the left halves of earth and moon are illuminated with sunlight (day time) and the right halves of those are left dark (night time). The shapes and views of moon (as visible from earth) in three different situations, that is- New-moon, full-moon and half-moon are also illustrated at the bottom of the sketch.

Please also read "Lunar Eclipse: How It Differs From Moon Fazes" to know the difference between Lunar eclipse and lunar phases.

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Lunar Eclipse: How It Differs From Moon Fazes

                 Click on the image to see enlarged view

© Harish Jharia

Lunar eclipse is a celestial constellation in which we are not able to see full view of the circular bright moon. The bright portion of the moon is partly visible and the remaining portion of the circular view remains dark. 

There is another phenomenon that is called ‘the phases of moon’, in which the moon successively changes its shape, every day, from ‘full moon’ to ‘new moon’ in a fortnight and from ‘new moon’ to ‘full moon’ in the following fortnight. We are not going to discuss phases of moon in this article and will talk about it in another post on Discover Life. 

What is lunar eclipse?
Let us discuss lunar eclipse in a common man’s language, without using scientific or astronomical terminologies. In lunar eclipse we are able to see the moon only partially and the rest of the portion becomes dark. It appears as if a portion of the moon has been chopped off from its main body.

Full Moon: 
Moon does not glow on its own and is only visible to us when sunrays fall on its surface. Full moon would be visible to us, in its full glow, when earth moves in-between sun and moon in a straight line and the earth does not block sunrays from falling on the moon. 

Eclipse:
Eclipse of moon commonly known as lunar eclipse takes place only on full moon nights. The formation of all the three celestial bodies that is sun, earth and moon remains the same as described under full moon conditions. Nevertheless, there is a little difference that the earth, in addition to being in between sun and moon in a straight line, also obstructs sunlight from falling on the moon surface, either partially or fully. As a result of this obstruction the moon becomes dark and eclipse takes place.

You may refer to the above illustration in which the sun, earth and moon are shown in a straight line. The paths of sunbeams are also shown emerging from the sun and obstructed by the earth. You may clearly see a dark portion behind the earth where sunrays are not penetrating. The illustration shows moon, positioned in the dark triangle behind the earth. This is the ‘full lunar eclipse’ condition when entire moon plunges in the dark tunnel. However when the moon is partially submerged in the dark tunnel, that condition would be called ‘partial lunar eclipse’. 

Please also read "Moon Phases: How they Differ From Lunar Eclipse?" to know the difference between Lunar eclipse and lunar phases. 

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Why Makar Sankranti (Hindu Solstice) always falls on 14th January: Solar and lunar calendars followed in western and eastern astrology respectively:

Zodiac sign 'Capricorn' or 'Makar'

© Harish Jharia

Makar Sankranti is apparently the only Hindu festival that always falls on the same day every year on 14th January.  Hindu festivals are basically calculated according to Indian panchangas that are based on Indian lunar calendar. On the other hand the internationally followed Christian calendar is based on western solar astrology.  As a result of the difference between the movements of Earth and Moon vis-à-vis the position of the Sun, the Hindu festivals never fall every year, on the same day of the Christian calendar, of course with an exception of ‘Makar Sankranti’. 


Kites flying festivals are organized on Makar Sankranti

Sakranti means transition and in this particular case, when the sun changes direction from one constellation of the zodiac to another, it is known as Makar Sankranti. Transition of the Sun takes place to Capricorn (Makar) constellation, during winter season when we see the path of the sun shifting from the southern hemisphere (Daksinayan) to the northern hemisphere (Uttarayan). In summer season the transition takes place other way round and back to southern hemisphere (Dakshinayan) on 14th July every year and  is called kark Sankranti. 


The path of the Sun visible to us is a resultant view we see from the surface of the earth.  In fact the Sun remains at its same place; instead the earth, tilted at an angle of 23.45 degrees moves around the Sun in an oval orbit. The transition or sankranti takes place when the earth moves from one half of the oval orbit to the other half of the oval path of the earth around the Sun. 

    Look for Jan 14 Makar Sankranti in the above illustration

Along the dakshinayan duration, the earth moves along its orbit with earth’s southern hemisphere tilted towards the Sun and when it moves in the Uttarayan portion of the orbit its northern hemisphere keeps tilted towards the Sun.  Obviously there would be summer season in the portion of the earth that is tilted towards the Sun. 


The earth takes one year to complete one orbit around the Sun. The sun remains northwards (Uttarayan) for 6 months and for the rest of the 6 months the Sun keeps southwards (Dakshinaayan) path, because the total path of the earth is divided into two equal parts.

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Disclaimer: 
This article / Story / fiction is written based on my personal observations. My intention for publishing the same is to provide healthy reading and intellectual entertainment and not for educating the visitors. Names of people, societies, communities and description of faiths, beliefs, incidents are imaginary and fictitious. They have neither any relevance to the prevailing entities and traditions nor have any similarities with ongoing lifestyles, political ideologies and legal doctrines. The contents of this creative work has not been written with any intention to criticize, condemn or oppose anything what-so-ever present in reality in any country in the world. No literature or authentic books have been referred for writing the contents of this article. The visitors are advised not to refer the contents of this article for any research or testimony on scientific, geographical, political, civic or legal purposes. The visitors are further advised to consult relevant experts before adapting any information from this article. The author or the website are not responsible for any errors, mistakes, or omissions there in. 
- Harish Jharia
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Superstitions: Can horoscope calculations really give authentic predictions?

© Harish Jharia

I think planets use to form constellations or raashis based on their own natural movements in the space... and create different views (aakritiyan), as they look from this planet earth...

I think they do not adjust and readjust themselves to influence a particular person among thousands of billions of human beings on earth… and write / re-write his / her destiny… based on their karma… from a remote distance of millions of millions miles away…

It is a coincidence that a particular planet makes a typical formation with other planets... Eventually synchronizing with his / her birth-raashis / constellations...

Moreover, we do not know... How all these celestial bodies synchronize with his / her karmas (deeds)...? That he / she individually does on the earth…!

We should fight back against the adversities of life, in practical ways in order to achieve success, rather than waiting for the ‘griha-dashaa’ to change in our favor

It is definitely possible for us to make ways, define our destiny for a successful life by doing good deeds (karma), and strive hard… leaving no stone unturned… and struggling on the hard and harsh surface of realistic world…

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