— Just
released: Trivedi's
American Panchang. What is a panchang? A panchang
is a Vedic Calendar. Incidentally, the very word "calendar" comes from
the Sanskrit word for time or kala. This etymology provides
strong evidence that the means of measuring time is originally a Vedic
science, one that spread from India to all corners of the world. The
word panchang literally means
"panch angas" or "five divisions". This is because a Vedic day is
considered in five different ways, the wara (or day such as
Sunday or Raviwar, etc.), the nakshatra (or ruling
constellation), the tithi (or phase of the Moon such as ekadashi
or purnima), the karana and the yoga. Pandit
Devendra Trivedi of Fremont California has been publishing his panchang
for nearly twenty years now, and it has been my great pleasure to have
offered him my assistance and whatever advice I could lend from the
very beginning.
Many years
ago Pandit Devendra
Ji, a staunch Shri Krishna bhakta, asked me to provide him with
a list of our Gaudiya fast days and observances. He has faithfully
included these Gaudiya dates in his Trivedi's American Panchang for
nearly twenty years now. The 109-page spiral-bound panchang
also contains important details like marriage compatibility, times of
rising signs (so that horoscopes can be drawn up in mere moments),
planetary positions, times and dates of eclipses, a description of
festivals, and a number of valuable essays and many other details about
the science of Jyotish Shastra. This year, my own column
Panchang Notebook deals with the fool-hardiness of the space
shuttle program, and the
urgent need for all of NASA's scientists to stop their nonsense and
begin a study of Bhagavad Gita As It Is.
Our dearly
beloved Shrila
Prabhupada, whose example we are ever bound to follow, carried a panchang
with him, and often consulted it. No Vedic gentleman would like to
undertake an important endeavor without first knowing something of the
moment at hand. By timing events through the foreknowledge of the
esoteric panchang science, the wise follower of Vedic
civilization stacks all odds in his favor. Building projects, major
purchases, partnership agreements, yagnas: all these are more
likely to run smoothly if an accurate panchang is consulted in
advance. A trained engineer from a long line of Gujarati brahmans,
Pandit Trivedi has taken every precaution to see that his panchang's
calculations are reliable and accurate. Misguided souls have mistakenly
argued that a panchang is not necessary for a devotee. In fact,
the reverse is true because the devotee recognizes the hands of Lord
Shri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at work in every
moment of time in every atom of the Universe. By getting the panchang
habit, Vaishnava fast days and important tithis are not missed.
If you would
like to begin using
a panchang to insure daily successes, small and large, in your
life, then you owe it to yourself to send $15.00 + $3.00 shipping to:
Vishwa Vaidic Vidyasangha (make checks out to
V.V.V., Inc.)
1303 Columbus Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133 USA
or call: 415.567.8990 or 415.47INDIA
My humble obeisances in the dust of he lotus feet of all Vaishnavas.
Hare Krishna.
