The Observance
Sankramanam marks the sun's sankramana — its transit from one zodiac sign (rashi) into the next. Unlike the lunar calendar which governs most Hindu festivals, the sankramanas track the sun's movement through the twelve signs of the sidereal zodiac, providing the foundation of the solar calendar. There are twelve sankramanas per year, one for each rashi, each marking a new chapter in the sun's annual journey.
The moment of sankramana itself — the precise instant the sun crosses the threshold — is considered especially sacred for dana (charity), bath, prayer, and pitru tarpana. Observing the sankramana connects the devotee to the cosmic rhythms through which the Lord sustains and orders all creation.
The Most Significant Sankramanas
Makara Sankranti (Jan 14)
The sun enters Makara (Capricorn), beginning Uttarayana — the sun's northward journey. Celebrated as Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Sankranti in Andhra and Karnataka. The most auspicious sankramana of the year: Bhishma Pitamaha waited on his bed of arrows for this very day before departing the body, knowing it as the gateway of the gods.
Mesha Sankranti (Apr 14)
The sun enters Mesha (Aries), the Solar New Year. In the sidereal reckoning, Mesha marks the beginning of the zodiacal cycle — celebrated as Vishu (Kerala), Ugadi in some traditions, and Puthandu (Tamil). The Solar New Year is a moment of renewal and fresh resolve in one's dharmic life.
Karkataka Sankranti (Jul 16)
The sun enters Karkataka (Cancer), beginning Dakshinayana — the sun's southward journey. The period of Dakshinayana is traditionally associated with the night of the gods; the veil between realms is considered thinner, making it important for ancestor rites and spiritual protection practices.
Bhishma and the Gateway of Uttarayana
The Mahabharata's most celebrated illustration of sankramana's significance: Bhishma Pitamaha, pierced by Arjuna's arrows, lay on his bed of arrows for fifty-eight days. Possessing the boon of Iccha Mrityu — death at his own choosing — he refused to depart during Dakshinayana. He waited until Makara Sankranti, until the sun turned northward into Uttarayana. Then, and only then, did he release his breath. The Bhagavad Gita (8.24) enshrines this teaching: those who depart during the bright half, the bright fortnight, the six months of Uttarayana — they go to the Supreme.
The Sri Vaishnava Perspective
In Sri Vaishnava theology, the sun is understood as the eye of Narayana — the instrument through which the Lord perceives, sustains, and illuminates the material world. The Taittiriya Upanishad declares: “Suryascha ma manyuscha”— the sun is a manifestation of the Supreme. The Vishnu Purana is explicit: Surya's radiance is the radiance of Narayana himself, distributed through the medium of the solar orb for the benefit of all creation.
Surya as the Eye of Narayana
The Purusha Sukta states that the sun arose from the eye of the Cosmic Purusha. The Chandogya Upanishad identifies the golden Person within the solar disc as the Supreme. When the devotee greets each sankramana with a Surya Namaskara — a prostration to the rising sun — they bow not to a celestial body but to the visible eye of Narayana, who sees all, sustains all, and illuminates the path of liberation for all who seek it.
Each sankramana is an occasion to recall that time itself — measured by the sun's movements — is the Lord's own instrument. The Bhagavad Gita (10.30) records the Lord's declaration: “Among calculators of time, I am the great calculator.”To mark sankramana is to honor the Lord's sovereignty over time.
At JETNJ
Each month, JETNJ observes Sankramanam with Surya Namaskar at dawn and a special abhishekamin gratitude for the solar cycle's unceasing sustenance of life. The major sankramanas — Makara, Mesha, and Karkataka — are observed with fuller programs. All twelve reinforce the understanding that the sun's faithful circuit of the heavens is itself an act of devotional service: Surya Narayana sustaining all creation by the will of the Lord whose eye he is.
Based on the Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vishnu Purana, Taittiriya Upanishad, and the Surya Siddhanta. This article is published for educational and devotional purposes by JETNJ — Sanjeevani Jeeyar Asramam.
