Indian Timekeeping Scales
Indian concept of Timekeeping has an inherent beauty of mapping cyclical motions in the Cosmos to days and nights.
As the Earth rotates about its axis, for earth and earthlings it is a day when their region faces the Sun and night when it moves away from the Sun’s face.
Likewise, when the Earth revolves around the Sun it faces the 2 sides of the Sun for 6 months each. These 6 months of the year are regarded as the Day and Night for the Sun and the Deva. They are marked by Uttarayan, i.e. Winter Solstice and Dakshinayan i.e. Summer Solstice respectively.
The Divine Day Night Scale
Yatha Pinde Thatha Brahmande has been a maxim that has guided the Bharata civilization in trying to understand the Cosmos by mapping it with earth and mankind.
Hence, just as humans sleep for 8 hours and stay awake and active for 16 hours in a 24 hour long day-night, the concept of sleep and activity is ascribed to the Deva, Natural elements too. In their 12 earthly month long cycle of 6 month long day and 6 month long night, the Deva, led by Vishnu are also regarded to go to sleep for only 4 months and stay awake for 8 months of the year.
This is akin to how, even though the night is 12 hours long, people are advised to wake up during the Brahma Muhurat, i.e. the last quarter of the night, the 3 hours before actual Sunrise. The Deva too go to sleep during Deva Shayani i.e. Dakshinayan and wake up before the Uttarayan on Dev Uthani – during Karthik itself.
The month of Margashira is akin to the Brahma Muhurat period of their waking state and is hence also held as conducive for spiritual practices – practices that are targeted more towards uplifting consciousness and seeking liberation such as Vaikuntha Ekadashi. This time window is held as the best time of the year as Nature, Deva and Vishnu are all considered to be recharged.
The Human – Seasonal Connect Scale
While they are ascribed to the Deva, on a human scale, they are also related to activities by people on Earth. The period between Deva Shayani and Dev Uthani are the 4 months of Chaturmas, when many outward activities of the people of Bharat such as travel, weddings, feasts etc. come to a standstill.
The Seasonal Activity Scale
India is a unique land which enjoys and benefits from a phenomenon called Monsoon. This annual, predictable and bountiful rains and the wise ways of ancient Indians to harness them well are some of the main reasons for India’s sustained prosperity for millennia.
But these heavy rains bring with them, their own forms of peril too. Also for a rain dependent, agrarian society, this is the time to be spent focussed on their primary harvest.
Hence, the way of life in Bharat has been to set aside these 4 months of monsoon as Chaturmas when all travel, weddings and such other festive events come to a stand still. The wandering Guru, Sant and Sanyasi too halt in one place for these 4 months. The Utsav, festivals that are celebrated during this time window are more in the nature of Pooja, Vrat etc. needed to strengthen and keep people physically and mentally fit in alignment with the season.
Chaturmas with a Guru (Source – a popular illustration on internet)
However, rains continue for 4 months and the condition of dark grey skies pelting heavy rains and floods is as though the benevolent Deva, led by the Divine Vishnu, have also gone to sleep for these 4 months of Chaturmas.
This coincides with the Summer Solstice after which the apparent movement of the Sun in the sky shifts southward heralding the forthcoming seasons of autumn and winter.
The end of the monsoon season is follwed by harvest which heralds the festive Deepavali season of 1 month. Now, the conditions are all set for a joyous mood as the weather becomes salubrious and there is prosperity after the harvest to celebrate weddings and feasts. This therefore, ushers in the wedding season too.
This is akin to the Deva and Vishnu, having woken up from their 4 month long slumber and becoming active with showering joy and good on people once again.
While, with passage of time and advancement in civil facilities, this window has got reduced to 4 fortnights i.e 2 months instead in human society, the natural elements take the full 4 months to turn around.
Being associated with Deva and Vishnu, the day of Ekadashi following Deepavali is revered as Dev Uthani, the day when the Deva and Vishnu wake up.
At The Scale Of Water
Just as people get recharged after a night’s sleep with fresh blood coursing through them, the Bharata land also gets recharged during monsoon with fresh water flowing through the rivers.
Dev Uthani is followed 4 days later, by the Dev Deepavali on the Full Moon day of the Karthik month. This day is regarded as the day when the Deva descend into the Ganga for their morning bath.
Dev Deepavali at Kashi – Welcoming Deva into Ganga with Lamps
It is to be noted here that Ganga is a generic word for all perennial rivers. There are many perennial rivers called Ganga, not only in Bharat but in few other parts of the world too. The Deva descending into the Ganga and sanctifying it on Deva Deepavali implies that these are the perennial rivers. For, it is the perennial rivers that continue to flow post the Monsoon. The other, monsoon and rain fed rivers will stop flowing once the rains cease.
This time window when the Deva wakeup and descend on Earth, incidentally coincides with the closure of the temple for Vishnu at Badrinath. This is when, worship by humans are brought to a halt and worship of Vishnu by the Deva is regarded to start for the next 6 months. From Nature’s perspective too, these 6 months are times of snow and access to the temple is not possible for people from the plains.
Closed Badrinath Dham Temple During Winter Months, When The Deva Offer Worship
To Conclude (Dharm Ka Vignan) – Deva Shayani and Dev Uthani Ekadashi celebrate transition between states of activity in both human and Nature. Deva Shayani, Dev Uthani and Dev Deepavali are ways to remind people of the cyclic nature of time, seasons, monsoons and the circadian rhythm of man as well as all other earthlings, including the importance of a sufficient and good night’s rest for all. May the rising of the Deva also raise the awareness and connect of mankind with Nature, of whom they are a part.
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