Tag: Amavasya

  • Subha Thithi Punya Thithi Difference

    When one goes through information about Hinduism and it’s Practices,one would find that each and every practice is loaded with information that signifies some fact or the other which underscores the Core Belief of Sanatan Dharm.

    I have written various aspects of Hindu Rites and their significance and meaning.

    And about Sankalpa,which is recited by Hindus on both auspicious and inauspicious occasions.

    Sankalp is the Right Determination,be it in thoughts,Words or Deeds.And Sankalpa contains portions which Geotag the performers.

    It also refers to the Time frame when the Act is performed, indicating the Aeon,day or night parameters of the Aeon,Year, Movement of the Sun 🌞,Season,Month,Star ruling that day ,Movement of the 🌒,and Day.

    Hinduism considers Time to be Eternal and A stream. Time is cyclic.What we perceive as yesterday, today and tomorrow is nothing but the instrument of our minds through which we perceive.

    As such , essentially there is nothing in the Universe that is good or bad.

    This includes Days as well,though there are good days and bad days indicated by the Almanacs, Panchanga.

    However,days do not determine what happens to you , either Good or Bad.

    The reason why they are called as good and bad are is determined depending on the actions performed by you in the past and in the present.As you sow,so you Reap. In Hinduism you can not escape the consequences of your actions, whoever you might be,even of you are an Avatar. God is not above Cosmic law.

    The indication a day, star gives you as good or bad is but a forewarning that good or bad, from your standpoint, may befall as a result of your actions.

    Yet there are two occasions which are classified differently.The are exceptions to the Rule.

    Performance of Karma, in accordance with the procedures laid out in Vedas,the Scripture of Hindus ,and Smritis, that is remembered practices, on specific days- these days are called Auspicious days,Subha Thithi.

    On the other hand, death,which is not in our hands and a Harbinger of Rebirth and a beginning of new birth and deaths or merging with the Reality,is not considered auspicious. However Hinduism does not place the blame on the day.

    Based on these two principles, Sankalpa makes a fine distinction.

    One may note in the Sankalp, when done for auspicious occasions, it reads ‘Subha Thithou’.

    This term is used for Ayush homas,Upanayan, Marriage etc.

    But for Grahana, Sraddha,Pitru/Mahalaya Paksha, Amavasya ,the Sankalp reads thus.

    ‘Punya Thithou’

    There are Karmas which are beyond us and as such are classified as days that augur well for Good passage in Life.

  • Why Moon Is Not Bathed In Earth-shine In Solar Eclipse?

    A solar eclipse is a natural event that takes place on Earth when the Moon moves in its orbit between Earth and the Sun (this is also known as an occultation). It happens at New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction with each other. If the Moon was only slightly closer to Earth, and orbited in the same plane and its orbit was circular, we would see eclipses each month. The lunar orbit is elliptical and tilted with respect to Earth’s orbit, so we can only see up to 5 eclipses per year. Depending on the geometry of the Sun, Moon and Earth, the Sun can be totally blocked, or it can be partially blocked.

    Solar Eclipse.Image.jpg
    Solar Eclipse.

    Lunar Eclipse.

    A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth into its umbra (shadow). This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned (in “syzygy”) exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a full moon. The type and length of an eclipse depend upon the Moon’s location relative to its orbital nodes.

    On a full moon night you can very clearly see everything. Of course it is not as bright as the sunshine, but everything is very clearly visible. And if you were to view the earth from space on a full moon night it would not be dark. It would be illuminated by the moonshine and all the features of the earth would be clearly visible.

    As there is ‘moonshine’ there must also be ‘earthshine’. Much of the earth is covered by water which is a good reflector of sunlight. In fact the scientists say ‘earthshine’ is much brighter than ‘moonshine’. And according to our understanding the earth is enormous in comparison to the size of the moon. So if the moonshine can completely illuminate this earth on a full moon night then the earthshine can completely illuminate the moon.

    The ‘earthshine’ bombarding the moon at the time of a total solar eclipse would be at least ten times brighter than the moonshine on the earth on a full moon night.

    If Western astronomers are correct the solar eclipse would be the prefect time to see the moon illuminated by earthshine. The shadow created which causes the solar eclipse on earth is, according to NASA, at most 167 miles wide. So if you were sitting on the moon during a solar eclipse you would see an extremely bright earth planet with a dark circle of only 167 miles wide. This is not enough to diminish the earthshine in any significant way. So  even though the sun is behind the moon, the full force of the sunshine is hitting the earth and reflecting off those shiny blue oceans and reflecting off the land also’

    On checking up I found that earth shine is not much and hence not visible.

    Science talks about Albedo and distances, but that does seem to me a lot of suppositions and wishful thinking.

    Earthshine is a soft, faint glow on the shadowed part of the moon caused by the reflection of sunlight from the Earth.

    Specifically, Earthshine happens when the light from the sun is reflected from the Earth’s surface, to the moon, and then back to our eyes. Because of this double reflection of light, Earthshine is many, many times dimmer than the direct light of the sun on the moon. Earthshine is even more faint because the moon’s “albedo” (a specific kind of reflectivity) is less than Earth’s. Even though this dim light is only a reflection it can still illuminate some features of the moon.

    Earthshine can be best seen during the crescent phases (the 1-5 day period before or after a New Moon). During this time the sun is mostly behind the moon from our perspective and bathing the Earth in a lot of direct light that is reflected onto the shadowed parts of the moon.

    Moons orbiting other planets can also experience this phenomenon, generally called “planetshine”

    Albedo (/ælˈbd/), or reflection coefficient, derived from Latin albedo “whiteness” (or reflected sunlight) in turn from albus “white”, is thediffuse reflectivity or reflecting power of a surface.

    It is the ratio of reflected radiation from the surface to incident radiation upon it. Its dimensionless nature lets it be expressed as a percentage and is measured on a scale from zero for no reflection of a perfectly black surface to 1 for perfect reflection of a white surface.

    Albedo depends on the frequency of the radiation. When quoted unqualified, it usually refers to some appropriate average across the spectrum of visible light. In general, the albedo depends on the directional distribution of incident radiation, except for Lambertian surfaces, which scatter radiation in all directions according to a cosine function and therefore have an albedo that is independent of the incident distribution. In practice, a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) may be required to accurately characterize the scattering properties of a surface, but albedo is very useful as a first approximation.

    The albedo is an important concept in climatology, astronomy, and calculating reflectivity of surfaces in LEED sustainable-rating systems for buildings. The average overall albedo of Earth, its planetary albedo, is 30 to 35% because of cloud cover, but widely varies locally across the surface because of different geological and environmental features.[1]

    The term was introduced into optics by Johann Heinrich Lambert in his 1760 work Photometria.

    Will some one clarify in simple terms?

    Or is this the same as what Science calls as Axioms, not to be questioned?

    Citation.

    http://space-facts.com/solar-eclipse/

    http://krishna.org/astronomy-debunked-solar-eclipses-are-not-caused-by-the-moon/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albedo

  • Where Are These Muslims?

    My father worked in Bodinayakkanur, Tamil Nadu,as a Teacher before he settled down in Srivilliputhur.

     

    He served as a Teacher for 35 years.

     

    He had a student, Habib, who was a Devout Muslim at Bodinayakkanur.

     

    After quite a few years he received a message from Habib that he had become a DEO, District Educational Officer and he would be visiting the school where my father was working,Srivilliputhur.

     

    DEOs visit schools to inspect them and as such,schools, especially aided schools are very vigilant and accord all respects to the DEO when he is on Inspection tour.

     

    He had informed my mother, not my father, through a messenger , that it had been long since he ate my mother’s food, he would like Ragi Dosa every night and he would be sending a boy to pick it up daily during his stay at the Traveler’s Bungalow.

     

    After completing the inspection, he sat with the Headmaster of the school , informed him that he was satisfied with his inspection and he would be leaving.

     

    The Headmaster who knew the relationship of the DEO with my father asked hm whether he had visited my Fathers Class.

     

    He is reported to have replied that he could not visit his teachers class and he(Habib) was  an example of what a Teacher could do a poor student.

     

    Till his untimely demise, he used to come to our Home at least once a year and pay  his respect to my father!

     

    I was in Bangalore with three of my friend and we were staying together for about six years.

     

    I had/have a friend Syed Siddique.

     

    He might even forget the dates of Ramzan and Bakrid, but very sure about Amavasya!

     

    He was very much attached to my parents.

     

    He used to go to my mother in kitchen and demand food/special dishes and she would oblige him.

     

    My father had a stroke and was admitted to a Hospital.

     

    Siddique came till the Hospital and refused to come inside the room saying he could not bear the sight of my father lying sick.

     

    My father expired the next day.

     

    Siddique was nowhere to be found.

     

    While we were preparing the body for funeral.

     

    He came, inebriated, crying , demanding that he be allowed to carry my father’s body to the cremation ground.

     

    The priests objected to this, him being a Muslim.

     

    My eldest brother said that Siddique was more attached to our father than us and my father reciprocated that.

     

    Siddique carried the body.

     

    He vowed that he would not eat non vegetarian food and sop drinking till the thirteenth day ceremony and he stuck to it,

     

    When I lost my first wife he was one of the few who was by  side leaving his family commitments and consoled me.

     

    Even after 40 years, I can not forget his affection .

     

    I am still searching for him for we went our ways because of our profession.

     

    He is a native of Chozhachakkaranallur,near Myiladuthurai, en route to Vaitheeswara Koil.

     

    I have tried to locate him, in vain.

     

    If some one, his children, grand children happen to read this remind ‘Swamigal’, that’s how I used to call him because of his knowledge of Hinduism, or Vellai Iyer is searching for him.

     

    Now where are all these Muslims Gone?

     

    Are we missing them or they are not showing up?

  • Types of Sraddha One Hundred Sixteen

    I have posted a few articles on Sraddha,Rites for the departed , including text of Mantras ans Mahalaya Paksha Procedure.

     

    I shall be posting a series of articles in detail on various aspects of Sraddha.

     

    Here are the types of Sraddha to be performed.

     

    They are one hundred sixteen in number.

     

     

     

    Sraddha the ceremony performed for the ancestors is of different types.

    Stricly speaking Sraddha has to be performed daily.

    Definition of Sraddha.

    देशे काले च पात्रे च श्रद्धया विधिना च यत् ।
    पितृनुद्दिश्य विप्रेभ्यो दत्तं श्राद्धमुदाहृत् ।। – ब्रह्मपुराण

    Meaning: The offerings (food etc.) made to the Brahmin (priests) with the intension being received by the deceased ancestors, after taking into account the aptness of country, time period and place and with complete faith and abiding by all the rules is known as Shraddha.
    C: Associated words

    Shraddhattva Pinda, Pitru Puja (ritualistic worship of deceased ancestors), Pitru Yagna (sacrificial fires performed for deceased ancestors).

     

    Hindu Dharma does not give any chance to anyone to say that the shraddha was not performed due to non-feasibility in a particular period!

    Normally every year Shraddha should be performed on the date of death of the person (as per the Hindu calendar and not as per the English calendar.) If the date is not known and only the month is known, then in that case the shraddha can be performed on the no moon night of that month.

    If both, the date as well as the month is unknown then the shraddha can be performed on the no moon night of the Hindu calendar month of Magh or Margashirsha.

    If the definite date of death is not known then the shraddha can be performed on the date when the news of the death was received.

    Shraddha for deceased ancestors’ souls should be performed everyday and it can be achieved just by offering water (tarpan) to them.

    If it is impossible to perform Shraddha daily, then Darsha Shraddha should be performed.  Darsha means no moon night. Therefore Darsha Shraddha is t is performed on every New Moon.

    If it is not possible to perform Darsha Shraddha every month, one should at least perform it on the no moon night of Hindu calendar months of Chaitra, Bhadrapad and Ashwin months.

    If it is not possible even to perform Darsha Shraddha on no moon nights of Chaitra, Bhadrapad and Ashwin, then at least the ritual of Mahalaya should be performed in the Pitru fortnight of the month of Bhadrapad. If this too is impossible thenShraddha should be performed on the no moon night of the month of Bhadrapad (sarva pitri amavasya) .

     

    Types of Sraddha.

     

    Matsya Puran mentions ‘नित्यं नैमित्तिकं काम्यं त्रिविध श्राद्ध मुख्यते ।’, meaning, primarily there are three types ofShraddha – one performed daily, periodically and with purpose (Kamya). In addition to these, Yamasmruti definesNandi Shraddha and Parvan Shraddha as additional main types.

    Daily Shraddha

    The ritual of Shraddha performed daily is known as Daily Shraddha. This Shraddha can be performed just by offering water or sesame seeds to deceased ancestors.

    Periodic Shraddha

    The shraddha performed for deceased ancestors with a single objective and other such types fall under periodic Shraddha.

    Purpose oriented (Kamya) Shraddha

    Shraddha performed for achieving a specific objective is termed as purpose oriented (Kamya)Shraddha.

    From the point of view of deriving fruitful result, if the Shraddha is performed on a specific day, date (as per Hindu calendar) and taking into consideration the position of stars (nakshatra), then the desired result is achieved.

    The details.

     

     Day and the derived result of the Shraddha

    Date (as per Hindu calendar) and the derived result of the Shraddha

    Date of performingShraddha Result derived from the Shraddha
    First day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Gaining a good fowl and being able to give birth to a healthy baby boy.
    Second day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Conceiving a baby girl.
    Third day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring a horse, acquiring fame
    Fourth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring a lot of inferior animals
    Fifth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Having a lot of good looking male children
    Sixth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Conceiving bright male child, getting success in gambling.
    Seventh day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring a farm or land
    Eighth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Obtaining success in business
    Ninth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring animals like horses
    Tenth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Expansion of cattle, acquiring animals with two humps
    Eleventh day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring utensils, clothes and a scholar male child.
    Twelfth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Acquiring gold, silver etc.
    Thirteenth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight Gaining superiority within the community
    Fourteenth day in Hindu Lunar fortnight The persons, who have died due to the stroke of a weapon or on a battlefield, get momentum to attain a higher sub-plane. Gaining good citizens.
    Full moon / no moon night Fulfillment of all wishes

    Note 1: Except full moon night, all other dates that belong to the dark fortnight and corresponding dates in dark fortnight of the month of Bhadrapad, bestow special benefit.

    1. Bhimashtami Shraddha: If one is not able to conceive or is facing problems of abortion, then for the well being of the fetus, Shraddha is performed or offering of water is made to Bhishmacharya, on the eighth day of the bright fortnight (Bhimashtami) in the Hindu calendar month of Magh.

    3. Position of stars and the derived result of the Shraddha

     

    Position of star while performing Shraddha Result derived from the Shraddha
    Kruttika Acquiring a heavenly abode for oneself and ones son.
    Rohini Conceiving male child
    Mruga Acquiring radiance of Brahman (Brahmatej)
    Aardra Providing momentum to the soul of an evildoer, action transformed into supernatural power.
    Punarvasu Obtaining wealth or land
    Pushya Improvement in strength
    Ashlesha Conceiving a male child with brave character, fulfillment of a wish
    Magha Gaining superiority within the community, a long married life
    Purva Good luck, conceiving a male child, elimination of sin
    Uttara Good luck, conceiving a male child, elimination of sin
    Hasta Fulfillment of a wish, gaining superiority within the community
    Chitra Conceiving a handsome male child, conceiving ample male children
    Swati Earning profit in business, earning success.
    Vishakha Conceiving ample male children, acquiring gold
    Anuradha Acquiring a kingdom (attaining position of minister etc), acquiring friends
    Jyeshtha Acquiring superiority, authority, wealth and self-confidence, acquiring a kingdom
    Mula Obtaining good health, acquiring a farm or land
    Purvashadha Achieving good fame, successful journey up to the sea limit
    Uttarashada Getting relieved from grievances, fulfillment of all wishes, achieving good hearing ability
    Shravan Achieving best progress in subtle plane, superiority
    Ghanishtha Acquiring kingdom (attaining position of minister etc), fulfillment of all wishes
    Shavataraka Achieving supernatural powers in medical practice, acquiring metal other than gold and silver.
    Purvabhadrapada Acquiring a flock of sheep or lamb, acquiring metal other than gold and silver.
    Uttarabhadrapada Acquiring cattle, acquiring sanctified and good premises
    Revati Acquiring utensils and clothes, acquiring cattle
    Ashwini Acquiring horses
    Bharni Acquiring a long life

    Note 1: When an evildoer dies and Shraddha is performed for him at the time of Aadra star, for imparting momentum to its soul, the desired benefit can be derived.

    Special note: In the table given in point 2 and 3, multiple benefits are indicated for a single date or star position. These are specified based on references obtained from different books.

    2. Nandi Shraddha

    The ritual of Shraddha performed during the start of any joyous ceremony and performance of any of the 16 religious rites, and recitation of specific mantras for success of the ceremony is called NandiShraddha. In this ritual Satyavasu (or kratudaksha) are the vishve deities and the father-grandfather-great grandfather, mother-grandmother (mother’s mother) – great grandmother (mother’s grandmother) and mother- grandmother (mother’s mother-in-law)-great grandmother (mother-in-law of mother’s mother-in-law) are invoked.

    3.. Karmanga Shraddha: This Shraddha is performed during the religious ritual of Garbhadhan.

    4. Vruddhi Shraddha: Shraddha performed at the time of birth of a baby.

    5.Parvan Shraddha

    The Pindapitruyagna (sacrificial fires related to deceased ancestors) mentioned in the Shrout lineage is to be performed by a Sagnik (one who performs the ritual of Agnihotra). Alternative to this is the Parvan Shraddha mentioned in the Gruhya sutras. Once the deceased ancestors get listed as Parvans, then this shraddha is performed for them. (Detailed information on Parvan is presented under the heading ‘Terminology of Shraddha’ and in point ‘3 B’ of volume 2.) Ekparvan (single Parvan), dviparvan (doubleParvan), triparvan (triple Parvan) are the three varieties of this shraddha. Mahalay Shraddha and Tirtha Shraddha are the types of Parvan Shraddha.

    6. Mahalay Shraddha (fortnightly): It is a Parvan Shraddha performed starting from the eleventh day of dark fortnight of Bhadrapad (Hindu calendar month) till the no moon night.

    7.. Tirtha Shraddha: The ritual of shraddha performed at Holy places like Prayag or at the banks of a sacred river is termed as Tirtha Shraddha. While performing Tirtha Shraddha, all the Parvans of Mahalay are invoked.

    .Other types

    Apart from the main types mentioned above there are 96 types of Shraddha namely, 12 no moon nights, 4 eras, 14manvantars, 12 sankrants, 12 vaidhruti, 12 vyatipat, 15 mahalays, 5 first, 5 ashtak and 5 anvashtake. (Detailed information about these is present in the books related to science of Dharma.)

    Brief information about few of the other types of Shraddha

    8. Goshthi Shraddha

    The Shraddha performed by the group of priests (Brahmins) and scholars at a holy place with the intention that, ‘Deceased ancestors’ souls should get satisfied and let happiness and prosperity preside’, or while discussing the topic of Shraddha, if one gets inspired all of a sudden and performsShraddha, then such Shraddha is termed as Goshthi Shraddha.

    9.Shuddhi Shraddha

    Offering food to priests (Brahmins) for acquiring purity is called as Shuddhi Shraddha. This is the ‘undergoing of punishment’ part of Shraddha.

    10.Pushti Shraddha

    Shraddha performed for increasing physical strength and prosperity is called as Pushti Shraddha.

    11. Ghruta Shraddha (Yatra Shraddha)

    Shraddha performed using ghee (clarified butter), in remembrance of deceased ancestors, before embarking on a journey to holy places with the objective of completing the journey without any obstacles is called Ghruta Shraddha.

    12. Dadhi Shraddha

    Shraddha performed after returning from a journey to holy places is termed as Dadhi Shraddha.

    13. Ashtaka Shraddha

    Shraddha performed on 8th day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu calendar mont. Ashtaka means the 8th day of bright fortnight of any Hindu calendar month. During the era of Vedas, the Ashtaka Shraddha used to be performed specifically on the 8th day of bright fortnight of Margashirsha, Poush, Magh and Falgun months. It was a practice to offer vegetables, meat, bondas, sesame seeds, honey, rice kheer, fruits and underground vegetables to deceased ancestors. Vishvedev, Fire (Agni), Sun, Prajapati, Ratri, Stars (nakshatra), season (rutu) etc. were considered as deities of Shraddha.

    14.Daivik Shraddha

    Shraddha performed with the objective of obtaining the grace of God is termed as Daivik Shraddha.

    15.. Hiranya Shraddha

    This Shraddha is performed without offering food and only by offering money (dakshina) to the priests (Brahmins). If food is in scarcity, then gold, equivalent to four times the cost of the food grains, should be offered.

    16. Hasta Shraddha

    Shraddha performed by offering food to the priests (Brahmins) designated for Shraddha. If cooked food is not available then the Shraddha is performed by offering money or dry food grains. (7)

    17. Aatma Shraddha

    Those people who do not have children or whose children are atheists, they should perform Shraddhafor themselves when they are alive. The rites for such Shraddha are explained in the science of spirituality.

    Even though various types of Shraddha are mentioned above, based on the calendar days, theShraddha performed for a dead person from the first day to the eleventh day, monthly shraddha,Sapindikaran Shraddha, Shraddha performed on one-year completion, Shraddha performed every year from the second year and Mahalay Shraddha are the only ones that are commonly practiced.

     

    Citation.

    http://kramans.blogspot.in/2012/01/shraddha.html

  • Lalita Shodasi Fiftten Nithya Devis List Explanation

    The Moon is considered as a Devata in Hinduism.

     

    It is reckoned as a Planet in Indian Astrology.

     

    Moon rules the mind and is responsible for the soundness of mind.

     

    If the Moon sign is not favorable, one is assailed by doubts,indecision, confusion ans depression.

     

    Moon waxes and wanes.

     

    From the New Moon day(Amavasya), it waxes.

     

    This period of waxing till the Full Moon (Poornima) is called the Shukla Paksha, Shulka means white.

     

    Waning from the Full Moon to New Moon is Krishna Paksha, Krisha mans black

     

    There are 1 5 Days in between Poornima and Amavasya.

     

    Each day, the Moon’s effulgence(Kala) is ruled by a Devi

     

    They are sixteen .

     

    They Kalas are,

     

    1.Amrita,
    2.Manada,
    3.Poosha,
    4.Tusthi,
    5.Pusthi,
    6.Rati,
    7.Dhruti,
    8.Sasichini,
    9.Chandrika,
    10.Kanta,
    11.Jyostna,
    12.Shree,
    13.Preeti,
    14.Angada,
    15.Poorna and
    16.Poornamruta.

    The sixteenth Kala is invisible.

     

    Each of these Kalas is ruled by a Devi.

     

    These ae Shodasa(16) Nithyas,

     

    1.Maha Tripura Sundari,
    2.Kameswari,
    3.Bhagamalini,
    4.Nityaklinna,
    5.Bherunda,
    6.Vanhivasini,
    7.Maha Vajreswari,
    8.Shivadooti (Roudri),
    9.Twarita,
    10.Kulasundari,
    11.Nitya,
    12.Neelapataka,
    13.Vijaya,
    14.Sarvamangala,
    15.Jwalamalini and
    16.Chidroopa (Chitra).

     

    The first one, Maha Tripura Sundari is the Devi Para Shakti herself, and hence the kala ruled by her is not visible to the normal mortals.

     

    In the Sri Chakra these 15 nityas are present in the innermost circle, and the Devi is in the central Bindu.

     

    These 15 Nityas rule the famous 15 letters Devi mantra known as Panchadasakshari Mantra.

     

    Ka E Aie La Hreem Ha Sa Ka Ha La Hreem Sa Ka La Hreem
    These 15 Nityas in the form of the 15 Tithis (Phases) have two aspects each – Prakashamsa, which rules the day portion of the Tithi, and Vimarshamsa,

    which rules the night part of the Tithi. At night they collect the divine nectar and during the day they release it.
    On Poornima or full moon day all the 15 Nityas are in the moon and the moon is shining brightly. On the 1st Thithi after the Poornima, i.e., Pratipada,

     

    one Nitya leaves the moon and goes to the sun and the moon is reduced slightly in size.

     

    This goes on till New Moon.

     

    After Amavasya they return one by one on each Tithi and the moon starts shining again till its full on the Poornima when the last Nitya returns to it.

     

    This is called Shukla Paksha. Kameswari to Chitra are the Nityas ruling the Krishna Paksha Tithis from Pratipada to Amavasya.

     

    In Shukla Paksha the order of the Nityas is reversed, i.e., Chitra to Kameswari.

     

    The Nitya of the Asthami or 8th Tithi, Twarita, is common and constant to both the Pakshas. Hence she adorns the crown of Devi.

     

    The inner triangle of Sri Chakra is known as the Sarva Siddhiprada Chakra and the Nityas are next only to Tripura Sundari in importance.

     

    Kameswari is Goddess Parvati, Vajreswari is Maha Lakshmi and Bhagamalini is Goddess Saraswati.

     

    One Year has 360 days and 360 nights(720)

     

    There are 720 aspects of Devi in a Year.

     

    Each Devi rules 100 Nadis in our body.

     

    Our Body has 72, 000 Nadis.

     

    The Nityas or Eternities of Lalitha represent the fifteen lunar days or Thithis of the waxing Moon.

     

    Each has her own Yantra, mantra, tantra and Prayogas or ritual applications.

     

    The full circle of the Nithyas also represents the 21,600 breaths a human being takes in a full day and night.

     

    As such, the Nithyas are the Kalachakra, or Wheel of Time.

     

    The 15 Nityas are modifications of Lalita with her three Gunas and her five elements of aether, air, fire, water and earth.

     

    As the moon remains itself, though appearing differently according to phase, so too does Lalita.

    Lalita or Tripurasundari is the 16th day or full moon, with her 15 digits.

     

    Each of the Nityas has a certain number of arms, the totality of arms (= rays) of the whole circle being 108.

    Because any unit of time is taken as a microcosm or parallel of any other valid unit, each of the fifteen Nityas thus has 1,440 breaths.

    This identity between space, time, Tripurasundari and the individual is elaborated at great length in the Tantraraja Tantra.

    The Nityas are the vowels of the Sanskrit alphabet and are identical with both time and space.

    For example, if the number of tattvas or consonants (36) are multiplied by the 16 Nityas the number of letters is 576

    The multiples of this number provide the number of years in the different Yugas. So the circle of the matrikas and the Nityas is identical with the sidereal zodiac as well as mantra.

     

    This is the primary reason why Poornima Pooja is performed for Devi.

     

    Pooja performed on a Full Moon Day will yield  thousand fold effects.

     

    Citation.

    http://www.astrojyoti.com/lunarphasesandthenityadevis.htm