Our lives are based on time. Even god grants us everything based on that. Life and death are also time-bound. For eons, time has been calculated based on the movement of the planets and the stars, including the sun and the moon. These movements are calculated and codified into the annual almanac, the reading of which on the New Year is both mandatory and auspicious, said B. Damodara Dikshithar.
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One may wonder if one should trust horoscopes and forecast of the future. Our rishis made a deep study of the movement of the planets, stars and through their expertise, there is a tremendous wealth of knowledge. There are two aspects to forecast: one is astronomy and the other is an individual’s horoscope, based on the exact detailing of a person’s birth and the corresponding planetary and other relevant movements. While astronomical forecast will never go wrong, forecast for an individual could go wrong due to various personal factors and actions or wrongful entry of birth date, time and other factors.
Why is it necessary to read the almanac daily, especially on the birth of the Tamil New Year? The almanac contains various aspects of the daily life, including tithi, varam, yogam and karanam. There are mantras associated with each of these aspects, the rendering of which will help one, on a day-to-day basis.
As per the almanac, the new year (from April 14, 2024 to April 13, 2025), called Krodhi, is generally expected to be benevolent towards all. One should pray for good beginnings, offer fruits and flowers to God and consume neem-jaggery paste, to remind one that life will be bitter sweet. While rainfall is foretold to be moderate, the new almanac also warns of impact of environmental abuse.