A Note on 365 vs 360 days year in the

Vimsottari Dasha
1. Referring the statement in Phala Deepika (page 196) for
mahadasa calculation
to take the Solar year, which is the time taken by the Sun to
complete
one round of the Zodiac from any reference position, Guruji KSK
has guided
to adopt the Solar year of 365.25 days alone for calculating the
Vimshottari
Dasa system, and to take 360 days a year for easy calculation of
sub sub
(DBAS) dasa periods. (KP Reader I pp 96-97)
2. This length of the Solar year is in line with the following
references:
1) According to the present universally used Gregorian calendar,
the average
year is 365.2425 days, which is applied in the SWs like KPAstro
3.0, JHora.
2) The moderns take the mean length of the sidereal Solar year to
be of
365.2564 days (365d-6h-9m-9.50 sec).
3) In Surya Siddhanta, the length of the sideral Solar year is
365.2587 days
(365. gh 15.31.30), which is longer than the above mean length
(365.2564)
by about 3m19sec only.
4) In Siddhanta Siromani, a Solar year consists of 365.2584 days
(365. gh
15.30.22), which is longer than the above mean length
(365.2564) by about
2m53sec only.

3. Some remarks on the 360 day year are as given under.

1) The 360 day year doesn't refer to the length of a Solar year
(365.25
days) or Lunar year (360 tithis, about 354.36 solar days) and is
called a
Savan year or the civil year. Nowadays it is not in use in any part
of the world
except for sacrificial purposes particularly for the Soma-yajna.
2) In Surya Siddhanta, the Solar month is said to have
30.4382266 days
(30. gh 26.17.37) and the Lunar month has 29.5305833 days (29.
gh 31.50.6).
The difference of 0.907643 days (gh 54.27.31) gets corrected by
one intercalary
month after every 32 months and 15.246 days. For the pure Lunar
year of about 340 days, the panchangs in India are corrected to
be in line
with the solar year by adding one adhika masa every 3 years or
so.
3) By taking a month of 30 days and a year of 360 days, one
cannot go by the
universally used Gregorian calendar. If the 360 day year rather
than the
365 day year is used for the mahadasa calculation, the gap
between them
would become more divergent with the dasa period, i.e. 6.25 days
(365.25360) after 1 year, 31.5 days (6.25x6) after 5 years, about 6
months after
35 years, a whole year after 70 years, and a native may have to
celebrate
his 72 birthday even while he has yet to complete his 71st year
under
Vimshottari dasa of the 365 day year.
4) The simplicity of calculation by dividing the year into months
by multiplying

by 12 and further converting into days by multiplying of 30 in the

calculation
of the dasa balance at birth and sub sub (DBAS) dasa periods (in
Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, Phala Deepika, Tables of Bhukti and
Anthara
etc) cannot be understood as taking a 360 day year - 12 months x
30 days
per month. The year is taken as 365.25 days. The actual dates
computed by
rigorous calculations by taking actual days of the months and by
this simple
method differ only by a few days; accurate practically for all
astrological
purposes.
4. The KP astrologers and the vast, overwhelming majority of
Vedic astrologers,
except some like Sadasiva Giri, Hira Gulrajani, N. Sundara Rajan,
Rohini Ranjan, have used the regular solar year of 365 days. Since
the 360
day year dasa option is already incorporated in the SWs like
KPAstro 3.0,
JHora, the statistical study can be done easily to prove whether
the 360 day
year gives the better results. The bottom line is that one can use
what works
better for him as an individual astrologer, while simultaneously
respecting
the personal preferences of others.
References
* Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra
* Dasa-Bhukti Computation- 360 or 365 Days by N. Sundara Rajan,
The Astrological Magazine, January 2004
* For Beginners in Jyotish-3 by Rohini Ranjan
http://www.boloji.com/astro/00308b.htm
* How Long is a Year in Vimsottari Mahadasa? by Jyotish Sastri,
The Astrological Magazine, October & November 2000
http://www.shyamasundaradasa.com/jyotish/resources/articles/how_long_
year/how_long_year_1.html
* How many Days Make a Year? by Prof. P S Sastri,
The Astrological Magazine, June 1987
* In Quest of Origin of Parasars Vimshottary Dasa-Period by K.R. Kar in

KP & Astrology Year Book 2004

* Know your Dasha by All India Astrological Services
http://www.hinduastrology.com/learnastrology/dasha.asp
* KP Reader I by K.S. Krishnamurti
* Phala Deepika, translated by S.S. Sareen
*Table of Duration of Dasa, Bhukti and Anthara in Vimshottari Dasa in:
PROF. K. S. KRISHNAMURTI'S Advance Emphemeris for 1991 to 2000 by
B. Bala
*Timing Events Through Vimshottari Dasha by KN Rao
* Vimsottari & Udu Dasas by Sanjay Rath

*****