New Significance of Makara Sankranti

By Patita Pavana das Adhikary

In the midst of that region of outer space [antarikña] is the most opulent sun, the king of all the planets that emanate heat… By the influence of his own illumination, the Sun heats the universe, maintains order, and spreads light so all can see. While moving north, south or through the equator, in accordance with the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Sun is said to move slowly, swiftly or moderately. According to his movements in rising above, going beneath or passing through the equator—and traveling through the various signs of the zodiac, headed by Makara [Capricorn]—days and nights are short, long or equal to one another. (SB 5.21.3)

MAHAPRABHU LEFT HOME ON MAKARA SANKRANTI: Just a few days preceding our Divine Lord’s sannyasa initiation, Nimai had abandoned His household on the Makara Sankranti day. Makara Sankranti occurs when the Sun god enters into the constellation of Capricorn and uttarayana. Uttarayana is the six months when Surya moves in his Northern route or direction. Because Mahaprabhu chose Makara Sankranti to leave home for the salvation of all mankind, a significant date in the Vedic/ astrological calendar has taken on a newer and more worshipful significance for us Gaudiyas. Those who wish to learn more about the Lord’s sannyasa-lila may turn to issue # 9 of Sri Krishna Kathamrita, the world’s best magazine, available from www.gopaljiu.org.

As we know from the evening arotik song of Shrila Bhaktivinoda Thakur that Shrila Prabhupada taught the world, the demigods also celebrate this glorious movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. That would include the Sun god’s honoring our blessed Lord’s 500th Sannyasa Diksha Anniversary. The Lord was forced to accept the role of a renunciate because no one would heed a householder’s instructions to become Krishna conscious. Because of that, His wife and Mother were left to pine for Him endlessly. Both Smt.Vishnupriya Devi and Shachi Mata passed their days absorbed in the Lord’s divine name associating directly with Him through the power of hari nama. They also taught the world by their wondrous, loving displays of bhakti-yoga, associating with the Lord via His Holy Name. Thus even Mahaprabhu’s family members set an example for each of us struggling devotees on the path back to home back to Godhead.

NORTHERN ROUTE / SOUTHERN ROUTE: For the past six months (till Jan 14th, 2010), the Sun has been in dakshinayanam or the southern course comprised of these six rashis or signs: Cancer (Karkata), Leo (Simha), Virgo (Kanya), Libra (Tula), Scorpio (Vrishchik) and Sagittarius (Dhanush). Those six signs of the Southern Course are numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Signs 10, 11, 12. 1, 2 and 3 comprise Uttarayana. These are Capricorn (Makara), Aquarius (Kumbha), Pisces (Meena), Mesha (Aries), Vrishabha (Taurus) and Mithuna (Gemini).

TIMELY ASTROLOGICAL LESSONS FROM THE BHAGAVAT: The Bhagavat describes how—from Makara Sankranti onwards—the days grow longer while Surya moves in the region of dev-loka. This turning North by the Sun god, and the lengthening of days, has been celebrated not only in Vedic India, but also in the Vedic-descended civilizations in Europe. Thus, many Vedic historians have concluded that this Sankranti festival is the source of the pre-Christian European Saturnalia festival.

The Bhagavat says: “Until the sun travels to the south the days grow longer, and until it travels to the north the nights grow longer.” (S.B. 5.1.6)

From Makara Sankranti the days are already beginning to lengthen. Then, when the Sun becomes exalted in Aries from Mar. 14th-15th, the “solstice” or “equal length of day and night” will occur. After Aries, from Taurus to Gemini, days will become longer than nights until the beginning of dakshinayana when Sun enters Cancer on 14th July. Days will continue to shorten through Leo and Virgo. When the Sun goes into debility in Libra on Oct. 15th, the fall equinox will come to pass, and once again the time of day and night will be equal. Days continue to lose minutes through Scorpio and Sagittarius. From Makara Sankranti onwards days are growing longer, and this has been a cause for people all over the world to celebrate since time immemorial.

MORE ON SATURNALIA: Makara or Capricorn is a sign owned by Saturn, hence the name “Saturnalia”. For the Romans, when the Sun entered Makara, it was time for Shani-puja or Saturnalia. That day, when the Sun turns from the Southern route and heads North, is known as the solstice. “Sol” is Latin for Sun and is derived from the older “Surya” from Sanskrit, the mother of Latin and all other languages. The suffix “-stice” is from stitium, “to stand still”. Therefore Saturnalia was a day of solstice, of the Sun’s turning North, and moving through a sign of Saturn. Saturn is a planet ruling “restriction” so in ancient Rome, restrictions on the servants of the higher castes were relaxed during the week-long Saturnalia.

As mentioned, this originally-Vedic Saturnalia festival was supplanted by the Christians when they needed a convenient date for their savior’s birth. Never mind that the chosen deep winter date did not fit Biblical descriptions for the autumnal birth of Jesus. Even the date of the Sun’s entrance into each sign has been buried beneath ancient mis-calculations still prevalent in the totally un-scientific “modern astronomy” of today. Western astronomy’s miscalculations have spilled over into the Western form of astrology, in which remains little of the original science of vedanga jyotish.

Especially culpable is the Vatican’s Gregorian Calendar which ignores lunar cycles as seen by the word “month” and its derivation from “Moon”. Along the way months have been arbitrarily added and rescheduled. They have even been named for ordinary men like Julius Caesar (July) and Augustus Caesar (August). Evidentially, the original lunar and solar calendars were hacked by the church for the specific purpose of obliterating Vedic (so-called “Pagan”) festivities. Through a reign of fear the church controlled huge portions of the known world.

But even the tyranny of totalitarianism, as we see again raising it ugly visage in America today with its aggressive wars, is nothing before the sankirtan movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. As Prabhupada has said, “Krishna can kick away ten thousand Rahus”

IF UTTARAYANA IS “GOOD”, THEN IS DAKSHINAYANA “BAD”? The Southern six-month course is also known as the “route of the ancestors” or pitri-ayanana. Now during the “northern six months”—Uttarayana Lord Surya again moves towards the other side of the Universe just as waves move from one side to another of a slow moving river. All students of Vedic astrology and Vedic culture recognize Makara Sankranti as a holy event. It is our great fortune that this year that consecration is increased a million-fold due to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu having left home on this day.
Some have written to ask us if the pitri-ayana (route of the ancestors) is bad. Perhaps that would be like asking if your ancestors were all bad. Most people I know find their relatives a mixed bunch. Some of them may even get liberated just by your becoming a devotee. For every direction, there is the opposite. For day there is night, for the Sun there is the Moon, for yin there is yang, for devayana there is pitri-ayana. The banks on both sides of the Kshipra at Ujjain are holy.

Great maharishis like Shrila Prabhupada must sometimes even visit mleccha-desha for Bhagavan Shri Krishna-seva. Lord Vivaswan, the great devotee who spoke Shri Bhagavad Gita to Manu and who is the light of the Universe, is no different. Does the Sun lose his light when he traverses dakshinayanam for the deliverance of the ancestors?

On Jan 14th we greeted the new, northern ayana with a silent recitation of Gayatri mantra. As the Sun came up over the Swargagrad Valley, the Sun god seemed to display a new diamond-like sparkle. As we know from the Bhagavata, the 60,000 sages known as the Vālikhilyas must have been singing his glories, welcoming Lord Surya Narayana once again into the celestial region.
dkrishna108@yahoo.com