Yama Calculations

Accurate Yama calculation

The accurate method will use the sunrise time of the next day to calculate the duration of Rātri Yama.

Sunrise (7th August) = 5:28’:58” Sunset (7th August) = 18:29’:27” Sunrise (8th August) = 5:29’:19”
Day duration = 18:29’:27” – 5:28’:58” = 13:00’:29”
Night duration = 24 + Next Sunrise – Sunset = 24 + (5:29’:19”) – (18:29’:27”)

Rātri Mana (Night duration) = 10:29’:52”
10:29’:52”÷ 4 (Night Yama) = 2:44’:58”

Note: There is no difference between the day duration calculation but the night duration is longer by about 30 seconds (21 seconds to be precise) and the night Yama is also longer by 5 seconds.

TABLE 2: ACCURATE YAMA TABLE FOR 7TH   AUGUST 1963 AT SAMBALPUR, INDIA

Since birth time is 9:15 PM (21:15) it falls into R2 Yama i.e. second Yama of night of Wednesday.

Prahara Calculation

Sunrise (7th August) : 5:28’:58”
Sunrise (8th August) : 5:29’:19”
Day duration = 24 + (5:29’:19”) – (5:28’:58”)

Prahara duration = 24:00’:21”
Day ÷ 8 = 24:00’:21” ÷ 8 = 3:00’:03”
Note: the sunset has been completely ignored in the Prahara calculation

TABLE 3: PRAHARA TABLE 7TH   AUGUST 1963 AT SAMBALPUR, INDIA

The approximate method of using 3 hours for each prahara gives fairly accurate results and can be used (although we have used the exact method in the illustration above).