(Paramārādhya Śrīla Gurudeva’s idea regarding Śrī Caitanya-pañjikā)
Jagad-guru Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda is the founder of the Śrī Caitanya-pañjikā, which protects Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s line. This pañjikā, or calendar, expounds the proper concepts and conduct according to the pure siddhānta of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, following exclusively in the footsteps of Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī. This is why, in short, we have called this calendar Śrī Caitanya-pañjikā. Another name for it is Śrī Māyāpura-pañjikā, because Śrī Māyāpura is the place of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s appearance. Jagad-guru Śrīla Prabhupāda has written that Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is actually the great person who initiated the tradition of Śrī Caitanyābda, or the Caitanya Era.
Today there are many pañjikās that have been popular for many years. However, they cannot be called complete (pañcāṅga) in all respects, for they have many deficiencies. They do not even mention any appropriate Vaiṣṇava titles for the time periods. Not only that, they have no provision for ascertaining time in connection with vratas such as fast days, the consideration of pure (śuddha) and mixed (biddha) periods, and the system for ascertaining auspicious times for travelling without impediments. We clearly see the absence of the pure guidance of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīla Prabhupāda in these pañjikās, and there is certainly a dire need for an authentic Vaiṣṇava pañjikā, exactly following in their pure line. Śrī Caitanya-pañjikā has appeared to fulfil this purpose. For the information of the people in general and for the devotees of Viṣṇu, we are presenting the titles of the different divisions of time, which are found in the Viṣṇu-dharmottara and Hayaśīrṣa-pañcarātra:
- (A) the two movements of the sun:
- northern (uttarāyaṇa) – Balabhadra
- southern (dakṣiṇāyana) – Kṛṣṇa
- (B) the six seasons:
- summer – Puṇḍarīkākṣa
- rainy season – Bhogaśāyī
- autumn – Padmanābha
- light cold winter (hemanta) – Hṛṣīkeśa
- freezing cold winter (śīta) – Devatrivikrama
- spring – Mādhava
- (C) the two phases (pakṣa) and additional month (malamāsa):
- kṣaya, or malamāsa – Puruṣottama
- dark fortnight (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa) – Pradyumna, Kṛṣṇa
- light fortnight (śukla-pakṣa) – Aniruddha, Gaura
- (D) the twelve months:
- Vaiśākha – Madhusūdana
- Jyeṣṭha – Trivikrama
- Āṣāḍha – Vāmana
- Śrāvana – Śrīdhara
- Bhādra – Hṛṣīkeśa
- Āśvina – Padmanābha
- Kārtika – Dāmodara
- Agrahāyaṇa – Keśava
- Pauṣa – Nārāyaṇa
- Māgha – Mādhava
- Phālguna – Govinda
- Caitra – Viṣṇu
- (E) the days of the week:
- Sunday – Sarva-vāsudeva
- Monday – Sarvaśiva-saṅkarṣaṇa
- Tuesday – Sthānu-pradyumna
- Wednesday – Bhūta-aniruddha
- Thursday – Ādi-kāraṇodaśāyī
- Friday – Nidhi-garbhodaśāyī
- Saturday – Avyaya-kṣīrodaśāyī
- (F) the sixteen tithīs (lunar days):
- pratipat (first day of the lunar cycle) – Brahmā
- dvitīyā (second day) – Śrīpati
- tṛtīyā (third day) – Viṣṇu
- caturthī (fourth day) – Kapila
- pañcamī (fifth day) – Śrīdhara
- ṣaṣṭhī (sixth day) – Prabhu
- saptamī (seventh day) – Dāmodara
- aṣṭamī (eighth day) – Hṛṣikeśa
- navamī (ninth day) – Govinda
- daśami (tenth day) – Madhusūdana
- ekādaśī (eleventh day) – Bhūdhara
- dvādaśī (twelve day) – Gadī
- trayodaśī (thirteenth day) – Śaṅkhī
- caturdaśī (fourteenth day) – Padmī
- pūrṇimā and amāvasyā (full moon day and dark moon day) – Cakrī
- (G) the twenty-seven constellations (nakṣatra):
- Aśvinī – Dhātā
- Bharaṇī – Kṛṣṇa
- Kṛttikā – Viśva
- Rohiṇī – Viṣṇu
- Mṛgaśirā – Vaṣaṭkāra
- Ārdrā – Bhūtabhavyabhavat Prabhu
- Punarvasu – Bhūtabhṛt
- Puṣyā – Bhūtakṛt
- Aśleṣā – Bhāva
- Maghā – Bhūtātmā
- Purva-phālgunī – Bhūtabhāvana
- Uttara-phālgunī – Avyakta
- Hastā – Puṇḍarīkākṣa
- Citrā – Viśvakarmā
- Svāti – Śuciśravā
- Viśākhā – Sadbhāva
- Anurādhā – Bhāvana
- Jyeṣṭhā – Bharttā
- Mūlā – Prabhava
- Pūrvāṣāḍhā – Prabhu
- Uttarāṣāḍhā – Īśvara
- Śravaṇā – Aprameya
- Dhaṇiṣṭhā – Hṛṣīkeśa
- Śatabhiṣā – Padmanābha
- Purva-bhādrapada – Amara Prabhu
- Uttara-bhādrapada – Agrāhya
- Revatī – Śāśvata
[CC-by-ND GVP]