The Dhaarmik Traditions - Indic Studies Foundation

45 equinox, vernal
equinox
वसंतसंपत
,(Vasanth
Sampat),autumna
l equinox
nnualjourneythroughtheheavenswiththeeclipticasitspath.Theeclipticistheprincipalaxisint
heeclipticcoordinatesystem.Thetwopointsatwhichtheeclipticcrossesthecelestialequatorar
etheequinoxes.Theobliquityoftheeclipticistheinclinationoftheplaneoftheecliptictotheplane
ofthecelestialequator,anangleofabout231/2°.Theconstellationsthroughwhichthe ecliptic
passes are the constellations of the zodiac .
either of two points on the celestial sphere where the ecliptic and the celestial equator
intersect. The vernal equinox, also known as “the first point of Aries,” is the point at
which the sun appears to cross the celestial equator from south to north. This occurs
about Mar. 21, marking the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. At the
autumnal equinox, about Sept. 23, the sun again appears to cross the celestial equator,
this time from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern
Hemisphere. On the date of either equinox, night and day are of equal length (12 hr each)
in all parts of the world; the word equinox is often used to refer to either of these dates.
The equinoxes are not fixed points on the celestial sphere but move westward along the
ecliptic, passing through all the constellations of the zodiac in 26,000 years. This motion
is called the precession of the equinoxes . The vernal equinox is a reference point in the
equatorial coordinate system .
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47
48 Gaudapada Proponent of Advaita Vedanta and well versed in Buddhism. His most celebrated work is
the Kaarika (Gloss) on the Mandukya Upanishad
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50 Gotra A term applied to a clan, a group of families, or a lineage - exogamous and patrilineal -
whose members trace their descent to a common ancestor, usually a
51 Grihastya The second stage of the varna Ashrama system, namely that of a householder or
married man or woman.
52 Gunas There are 3 Gunas , Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas and these three Gunas occur in each and
every individual in varying degrees. The relative proportion of each in the total
determines the essential nature of the individual. It follows that at any given time a
individual, may exhibit different modes of behavior as his personality matures and
develops. The son of a Brahmana may choose not to follow the priestly vocation and
may elect to go into law. As a general rule of thumb one elects to be in a profession
which utilizes his Gunas fully. For example Brahmanas tend to cluster around intellectual
pursuits (teaching, legal, corporate management, administration etc. In the past the
choice of professions available to Brahmanas were limited to priestly duties and the
services he could render as a Minister to the Maharaja including mundane tasks such as
accounting and cooking. In recent years substantial numbers of Brahmanas faced with
increasing discrimination from their own government have elected to go into Business,