Correlation of Sun and Breathing Behavior Can there be any link between the Sun and the breathing patterns of human beings? Can there be a time structure for human breathing? Answer to this question in all probability shall arise from the chronobiologists who have identified such rhythms as circadian, circannual etc. which relate to certain bodily functions. What else? What is the scope of a spectacular micro and macrocosmic tie up that renders manifestation of a ‘uni-verse’ – the experience of being one with the Cosmos? We have little answers forthcoming, as we have not looked upon the astronomical wisdom of the ancients with the seriousness it deserves. Have a look at the following notions – 1. Ancient Indian scriptures treat Sun as breath (prāna-sūrya in Sanskrit) and accordingly they divided the apparent solar orbit into 21600 minutes corresponding to 21600 breaths during one diurnal rotation. Can’t biologists verify this count of 21600 during a diurnal rotation? Corollary to the above count, is the fact that all our time intervals are a count of the number of breaths. Perhaps the sexagesimal system arose out of this count of 21600 and its division into 60 parts of 24 minutes – ancient units of time. Even the ancient values of the length of the tropical, sidereal and anomalistic years reflect the count of breaths used in estimation of the same. Considering breath as a time unit defined as 1/21600 of a day, we can write: • • • •
Anomalistic – Sidereal year = 60 breaths [365.25636 + (60/21600) = 365.25914] Or Anomalistic – Sidereal year = 50 breaths [365.2563624 + (60/21600) = 365.2586772] Sidereal – Seasonal year = 300 breaths [365.2563624 - (300/21600) = 365.24247] Anomalistic – Seasonal length = 360 breaths [365.2422 + (360/21600) = 365.25885)]
The extra-long sidereal year that we find attested in Indian and Babylonian astronomy is 365.25875 days and this is very close to365.24219 +(360/21600) = 365.25885 days. Value obtained above from the difference of 50 breaths between anomalistic and sidereal year lengths i.e. 365.25868 is the same as the year length given in Aryabhat īyam. 2. What exactly is a solar transit (Sūrya-samkramam)? Look at the religious significance attached to the notion of Sūryasamkramam (solar transit into sidereal signs). Can the solar transit into a sign (rāśi) be observed? If not how the computation can be done of transit times? •
Samkrama is a critical moment for enhancing the divine potence of deities also. Special rituals are advised by the scriptures at every rāśi-samkramam. Unless there is a physical effect and a unique moment it is irrational to observe such moments based on PaĦcāňgas which give different times.