Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.1737

c7.1737

Fifteen days and nights constitute a Pakṣa (fortnight). and two Pakṣas one month. Two solar months constitute a Ṛtu (season), three ṛtus one ayana and two ayanas one year. Since there are four kinds of months, i.e. Saura, Sāvana, Cāndra and Nākṣatra, years are considered to be of five different kinds. The first is called Saṁvatsara; the second parivatsara; the third iḍvatsara; the fourth, anuvatsara and the fifth, vatsara. This is period of five years is called a yuga. In a yuga of five years there are 60 saura months, 61 sāvana months, 62 Cāndra months and 67 nākṣatra months. At the beginning of the sixth year the sun and moon meet in the same house and that period of five years also is called yuga. (Śrīdhariyam).