གཎ་ཌའ་དས་ཀྱ་མད intro.7

intro.7

In The Sūtra on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī, the Buddha gives a schedule of twenty-four bi-monthly readings which vary over the course of twelve months and four seasons⁸ to cover the entire year. In each case, he gives two shadow length readings which denote the times when the gaṇḍī is to be struck and when it is not. With a few exceptions, these readings are two feet apart. Since the length of the shadow shortens from the first reading to the second, we can infer that these times are in the morning, when the shadows cast by the sun progressively decrease. Hence, for each time of year, the Buddha provides a range from the earliest time at which the gaṇḍī may be struck until the time it may no longer be struck.