Sankalpa-A vow to God,

   Sankalpa is a Vow to God, expressed in Deva-naagari,a language given by HIM  !

You will have noticed that on special occasions, or while performing “Pooja” our elders begin the function by reciting ‘Sankalpa’ in Sanskrit.’ Sankalpa’ means, a vow or an affirmation to commence a job, and seeking God’s grace to fulfill it. It specifies elaborately, when and where the vow is   taken,ie. time and place, expressed in terms of God’s Creation of Universe.

If anybody asks you what day is today, you readily reply, it is 8^th of August 2013.This is as per English calendar (also called Gregorian calendar which came into use in year 1582)

It means: 8th day in the month of August in the year 2013 after a particular event, in this case, the period that has lapsed since the time of Jesus Christ

         But Hindu calendar counts the time more elaborately - from the time the Universe was created! This method of count is in vogue since thousands of years, and that count is closer to what the scientists of today estimate as the age of our universe!

Let me begin with a small story:  *1*

     Once a person did penance intensely to please Brahma. After a time, Brahma appeared before him and asked what he wanted. He said , ‘Lord, I am in urgent need of 10 lakhs of money for my daughter’s marriage. Brahma was amused at his paltry request, and said,

'You will have it in a minute’, and vanished. The person waited for a year and since nothing happened, again prayed to Brahma.  Brahma manifested and said “I told you, you will have it in a minute. I meant it in my timescale which is equal to 6 million years of you –humans!”      That is the Celestial scale of Time!       

The format generally used for Sankalpa is as below:-

A.     Time component:

Aadya Brahmanaha, dwitiya paraardhay, Sweta Varaaha Kalpay

Vaivaswata Manvantaray, Kali Yugay Prathama paaday,    

asmin vartamaana vyavahaarikay,Chaandra-maanena, Prabhavaadi shasthi samvatsaraanaam madhyay,

Vijaya naama Samvatsaray,Dakshinaayanay Varsha Rutou Shraavana maasay, Shukla pakshay,Dwiteeyaayam tithou, Guru Vaasara yuktaayaam-- - asyaam shubha tithou (On this auspicious day)…  then, B, the space component , is specified.

Earlier part in italics is in celestial scale of time or Deva Maana, beginning with the Creator-Brahma. Latter part in highlighted italics is in  Maanusha Maana ie human scale or  the current usage-Year, season, month, date, day etc.

Let us see the relation of these two Scales of time measurement:-

        Celestial scale (Deva Maana) and        Terrestrial   Scale                                                                                (Maanusha Maana)

       One day  in  celestial scale              One Year   in Human scale.

          One Celestial Year                                 360 Years of man

       Kali Yuga =1200celestial yrs.             4,32,000 years of man *

    Tretaa Yuga (Twice Kali yuga)              8,64,000 years of man

    Dwaapara Yuga(thriceKali Yuga)        12,96,000 years

   Krita Yuga( four times Kali)                   17,28,000 years

One Chaturyuga( a set of 4 yugas )          43,20,000 years of man               or ten times kali yuga 

One chatur-yuga is a Deva-Yuga                                                         71 Deva yuga is one Manvantara      =     30,65,71,428.5 yrs of man

One Kalpa =1000 Chaturyugas or 14 Manvantaras +6 Devayugas as Sandhyaamsha i.e. transition between Brahma's day and night.

One Kalpa is Brahma's half  day=       432 crores or                                                                                         4320million yrs of man  .                                   

Brahma’s one minute is 6 million years of man!

  Brahma’s life= Para or century =100 years.Two Paraardhas or half Century of 50 yrs

Each year has 360 days  called  Kalpa

 and each day has two half-days, day time in which the world is Vyakta  or manifested  and night , in which the world is Avyakta . or dissolved (it is there but not manifested)

  

During the day- time of Brahma, evolution takes place. And as the night sets in ,Pralaya or dissolution starts The cycle of evolution and dissolution starts as the next day dawns to Brahma.

Now, let us see the meaning of Sankalpa mentioned above:First,the celestial scale in italics- Deva mana

                                                                                                      Aadya Brahmanaha Dwiteeya Paraardhay=Second half century of First Brahma (in his51st year)

Sweta Varaaha Kalpay= In Sweta Varaaha Kalpa    

                                     

 Vaivaswata Manvantara: ,       Vaivaswata is 7th manvantara in the Sweta Varaha Kalpa.

Kali Yuge, Prathama paade     during  First Quarter of Kali Yuga (whose duration is 4,32,000years)*

                                             We are now in 5114^th year of Kaliyuga

According to Panchanga or Indian Almanac,it is 195,58,85,114  years since the beginning of Creation after the  last Deluge .

Brahma’s life span of 100 years is roughly equivalent to  311trillion ,40 million human years.!         

      

 It may be of interest to note that, according to Bhagavata Puraana, at the end of each day of Brahma, a Naimittika Pralaya  occurs when the living world will get consumed in a deluge, and, the next day starts with new creation.  At the end of 100 years life of Brahma, a Prakritaka Pralaya  occurs when the whole Universe will get absorbed into God, He is visualized as a small baby floating on a leaf in the Primordial  Ocean with the Universe within  His stomach. He creates a new Brahman and the process of creating Universe starts, all over again.

         

  

 Now we come to the present era: in Maanusha maana

( Asmin vartamaana Vyavahaarikay , Chaandramaanena Prabhavaadi Shasthi Samvatsaraanaam madhye Vijaya naama Samvatsaray…)In current usage of Chaandramaana, among the sixty years cycle beginning with Prabhava, the  current year is called Vijaya..

There are mainly two traditions of calculating the year in India (1) Souramaana or Solar calendar based on period of time taken by Earth to go round the Sun and, Chandramaana  (lunar),based on moon going round the Earth. In Tamil Nadu, the Solar calendar is followed while, in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, the Chandramana is in vogue.

We have a cycle of 60 years, each with a name, starting from Prabhava, Vibhava and so on….The current year is called Vijaya Samvatsara.

Dakshinaayanay:  The year is divided into Uttaraayana and Dakshinaayana depending on the apparent movement of Sun towards north or south. Now it is Dakshinaayana

Varsha rutou, Season-Rainy season …There are 6 seasons of 2 months each.

   Names of  Twelve months of year and their corresponding season :Chaitra,Vaishaaka, (Vasanta Rutou) Jestha Aashaada (Ghreeshma rutou)  Shraavana, Bhaadrapada (Varsha rutou), Aashwayuja,Kaarthika (Sharad rutou), Maargashira Pushya  (Hemanta Rutou),  Maagha Phaalguna (Shishira Rutou)

Shraavana maasay : In the month of Shraavana

Shukla pakshay   In brighter Fortnight(Vaxing of moon)…(Shukla and Krishna pakshas –Vaxing and Waning fortnight)

Dwiteeyaayam tithou     Second day(15 days in each fortnight :PrathamaDwiteeya,Thriteeya,Chaturthi,Panchami, Shasthi, Saptami, Asthami, Navami, Dashami, Ekaadashi, Dwaadashi,Trayodashi, Chaturdashi, and Poornima or Fullmoon,/ Amaasya or no-moonday )

Guru vaasara     Thursday (7 days: Ravi,Soma, Mangala or Bhouma, Budha, Guru/Bruhaspati Shukra, Shani

   Thus this auspicious day is designated precisely.)

(B) Space Componant:-

Not only the time is specified linked to the creation of Universe, but Space is also specified as elaborately, linking to our location on Earth –  

We start with    Jamboo Dweepay, Bharata Khanday ,Bhaarata varshay, Meraoho Dakshina Dig-bhaagay,Kaaveri Teeray Mahisha puray Asmad Grihay,……

Roughly translated, it indicates:    Continent- Jamboo Dweepa ,Sub-continent Bharata Khanda,

Country, Bharata Varsha, South of Meru mountains,Near the banks of River Kauveri, In Mahisooru,town, and in our house!! 

, The Sankalpa thus locates us in Universal Space and Time. This makes us humble before God and His Creation.

Sources:

            Universal message of The Bhagavad Gita bySwami Ranganaathananda.*1* Vol. 2 p.314

                Sri Vishnu Puranam Vol.1, Ramakrishna Math,Bengaluru

                Srimad Bhagavata Maha-Purana  in English –Gita press, Gorakhpur.

                Wikipedia  Google

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