Varshapratipada: Celebrating the beginning of the new Hindu calendar 

The first date of the Hindu calendar is called ‘Pratipada’. In this, ‘Prati’ means – in front and ‘Pada’ means – to take a step. The beginning of the new year is considered from Chaitra Shukla Pratipada and according to mathematical and astronomical calculations, the planets, days, months and Samvatsaras are considered to start from this day. Even today, this scriptural time calculation related to the public has stood the test of practicality. It is considered a symbol of the national glorious tradition.

Vikrami Samvat is not based on any narrow ideology or sect. We see it in a non-religious, secular form. This Samvatsara is not based on the birth of any goddess, god or great man, it is not related to any particular caste or sect like AD or Hijri year. Our glorious tradition is purely based on the astronomical principles of nature and the basis of Bharatiya calendar is completely secular. This auspicious day of Pratipada is a symbol of the glorious tradition of Bharat.

According to Brahmapuran, Bhagwan Brahma started the creation of the universe on the first day of Chaitra month. This is the belief of Bharatiyas, that is why we consider the beginning of the new year from Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. Varsha Pratipada is also considered very holy from the spiritual point of view. Rakesh Sinha, in his book Makers of Modern India: Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar writes, “Varsha Pratipada is known as ‘Gudipadwa’ in Maharashtra. This day makes the Hindu mind, heart and conscience understand the events of Bharatiya history, identity of nation, cultural traditions and the legacy of our heroic and glorious ancestors.”[1]  It is known as ‘Ugadi’ in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka, ‘Navreh’ in Jammu and Kashmir, ‘Baisakhi’ in Punjab, Haryana, etc.

Importance of ‘Varshapratipada’ in Bharatiya culture

• Bhagwan Brahma started the creation of the universe on this day at sunrise
• Like King Vikramaditya, Shalivahan chose this day to defeat the Huns and Shakas and establish the best kingdom in Bharat and Vikram Samvat was established
• This day is also considered as the coronation day of Bhagwan Shri Ram
• It is the first day of Navratri, the nine days of strength and devotion.
• This is the birthday of the second Guru of the Sikhs, Shri Angad Dev
• On this day Swami Dayanand Saraswati founded Arya Samaj
• The coronation of Emperor Yudhishthira also took place on this day
• This auspicious day is the birthday of Sangh founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar.
• Today this day has become an important date and has gained recognition as the pivot of our social and Dharmik rituals. This is a holy day that protects national pride and cultural heritage. Starting from Pratipada, we accumulate power for six months in nine days, then in the Navratri of Ashwin month, we accumulate power for the remaining six months.
• Even today in Bharat, Chaitra Shukla Pratipada is seen in the form of March and April for the functioning of nature, education and government treasury etc
• This is the transition period between two seasons. In this time nights start getting shorter and days start getting longer. Nature takes on a new form. It seems that nature wears new leaves and becomes energetic for new creation. Humans, animals, birds, even the living and non-living nature abandons carelessness and laziness and becomes conscious. This is also the basis of Vasant Utsav. At this time snow starts melting. Mango trees start blossoming. The greenery of nature becomes a symbol of new life and gets connected to our life.

Shri Guruji while expressing his views on Varshapratipada says, “On the day of New Year, people make plans for the work of coming year, make lofty resolutions and think that they will spend their year implementing those decisions. But most of them remain only in thoughts, they have no connection with action. Human life is short. Therefore, it is inappropriate to waste even a single moment of life.

Bharatiya Calendar and Panchang (Almanac)

• An English officer asked Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya, “How does such a huge crowd come to Kumbh without any invitation card?” Pandit ji replied, “With a Panchang of six annas!
• Hindus living in villages, cities, forests, mountains or abroad, hundreds of miles away from Bharat, know the Panchang. They know the dates of festivals, celebrations, Kumbh, fairs held at various temples without any invitation or information. Not only this, astrologers can also tell anytime on which day Kumbh will be held after a hundred years, when will Diwali be held, when will solar and lunar eclipses occur.
• Time of day and night, season and year has been calculated in some form or the other since ancient times. At present, time is calculated by ‘year’. But in ancient times, this calculation was done by the rise and growth of the moon and the change of seasons. In the world’s oldest book ‘Rig Veda’, it has been said that there are three seasons in a year – Sharad, Vasant and Hemant. The origin or change of seasons is due to the Sun. Sun has been called the father of seasons. This is why the seasonal cycle is called Samvatsar. There are five seasons in a Samvatsar and such five seasonal cycles form an era. The names of these seasonal cycles are – Samvatsar, Parivatsar, Idaatsar, Anuvatsar and Udvatsar. Researching these five vatsars (seasons) through mathematics and describing them is called Panchang.
• Generally, the date, day, constellation, yoga and karana are mentioned in the Panchang. With the help of Panchang, it is easily known that what date or day is on which day, when did the year start, where are the sun and moon at this time, etc. All these facts can be known by looking at the Panchang.

Prevalence of Samvats in Bharat

• Before the arrival of Shakas, the year was calculated according to Vedanga Jyotish, but now the year was calculated according to Surya Siddhanta and other principles. Around 400 A.D., the calculation of the year according to Vedanga Jyotish was completely stopped. Between 400 and 1200 AD, Panchangs started being made according to ‘Siddhanta Jyotish’ in entire Bharat. Shak Samvat became popular everywhere. Kings also started using Samvat in their own names. Usually, they used to use their Samvat from the year they ascended the throne. These Samvats were based either on Surya Siddhanta, Arya Siddhanta or Brahma Siddhanta.
• For Dharmik calculations, this type of year calculation continued throughout Bharat and in the kingdoms of Hindu kings, but after 1200, wherever the Muslim kingdom was established, they started using the Islamic Hijri year for worldly and administrative purposes. In the Hijri year, the year calculation was done according to the lunar months.
• In 1584, Akbar stopped the Hijri calendar and started the Tarikh Ilahi calendar which was based on the solar calendar. The usage of Tarikh Ilahi also stopped around 1630 and the Hijri calendar was again in use. Around 1757, when the British established their rule in Bharat, the calendar of the Christian era, which is famous by the name of Gregory’s calendar, started being used for secular and administrative purposes. It spread throughout Bharat with English education and became popular in use.
• Although the Government of Bharat has revised the Panchang from 22nd March 1957, but in the last 22 years it has been used only in government departments to some extent. Even in government departments, the Christian calendar is still followed and in religious activities, followers of different religions use their own religious calendars.

Calendar Reform Committee

The government of Independent Bharat had constituted a “Calendar Reform Committee” under the chairmanship of renowned scientist Dr Meghnath Saha to decide the national calendar. The main points of the report published in the “Science and Culture” magazine in 1952 are as follows –

● The original era of AD has no relation with Christianity. It was prevalent in the semi-civilised tribes of Europe long before Jesus Christ.

● Its one year had 10 months and 304 days.

● The ancient Roman civilisation did not even know the duration of the solar year and the lunar month. They continued to follow the same ten-month year until their leader General Julius Caesar amended it.

● After 530 years had passed since the birth of Christ, the Christian Bishop after much imagination declared 25th December as the birthday of Jesus.

● In 1572, Pope Gregory the Thirteenth moved the calendar forward ten days, making October 5 (Friday) October 15.

● Britain accepted it two hundred years later in 1775. Britain reduced it by 11 days and made 3 September 14 September.

● The European calendar has months of 28, 29, 30, 31 days, which is strange. These are neither based on any astronomical calculation nor on any natural cycle.

The Calendar Reform Committee recommended making Vikram Samvat the national calendar. In fact, Vikram Samvat was 57 years older than the Christian calendar. But due to the ‘English mentality’ of the then government, they did not like this recommendation.

Discrepancies in foreign chronologies

The history of the calendar is given in Children’s Britannica vol 1.3-1964 –

· There have been many errors in the English calendars and many amendments had to be made. In these, the calculation of the month is based on the movement of the moon and the calculation of the year is based on the movement of the sun. Today, there is no coordination in these too.

· In Christianity, the birth of Jesus Christ is a decisive event in history. Hence the chronology was divided into BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) i.e. In the year of our Lord. But this system did not come into practice for a few centuries after the birth of Jesus.

Roman Calendar – The origin of today’s AD is the Roman Samvat. It started with the establishment of Rome city 753 years before the birth of Christ. At that time it had 10 months. (First month was March to last month was December) and the year was of 304 days. Later King Numa Pimpolius added two months (January, February). From then onwards the year became of 12 months i.e. 355 days.

This did not match the motion of the planets, so Julius Caesar ordered it to be made 365 and 1/4 days. In this, some months were made of 30 days and some of 31 days and the month of February remained of 28 days which becomes of 29 days in four years. Thus, these calculations remained unscientific, inconsistent, unbalanced, controversial and imaginary from the very beginning.