Some 2000 years ago the Old Roman calendar covered a ten month period which started with March and then progressed through April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December and this was followed by an unnamed winter period which eventually became January and February.

 

'December' was the tenth month of the Old Roman calendar which was formed from 'decem' a word from Latin meaning 'ten' as can be seen within 'decimal' meaning one 'tenth' and 'decathlon' meaning 'ten events' and the source of these words is 'dasa' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'ten'.

 

'Dasa' and 'dasama' whose meaning is 'ten' which becomes the Latin word 'decem' whose meaning is 'ten' is also the source of the word 'ten' as the 'D' becomes a phonetically similar 'T' and as this evolves throughout the languages it becomes the number 'ten'.

 

 

The ninth month of the Old Roman calendar is 'November' and this comes from 'novem' a word from Latin meaning 'nine' which also gives us the word 'noon' meaning that which is nine hours after sunrise ( 3 am ) and the ninth hour of daylight ( 12 noon ).

 

'Novem' has its origins within 'nava' and 'navam' words from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'nine' as seen in words such as 'Navadvipa' whose meaning is nine ( nava ) islands ( dvipa ) and 'navaratna' meaning nine ( nava ) jewels ( ratna ).

 

'Navam' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'nine' is also the source of 'nine' as it becomes the Latin 'novem' meaning 'nine' which becomes the Proto Germanic 'newun' and the German 'neun' and eventually we get the word 'nine'.

 

 

The eighth month of the Old Roman calendar is 'October' and this comes from 'octo' a word from Latin whose meaning is 'eight' a word we see in 'octopus' which means eight ( octo ) footed ( pous ) and 'octagon' which means eight ( octo ) sided ( gonia ).

 

'Octo' meaning 'eight' has its origins in the Sanskrit 'asta' meaning 'eight' which becomes the Avesta 'ashta' the Old Norse 'atta' the Old German 'ahto' the Greek 'okto' and the Latin 'octo' which becomes 'October' the eighth month of the Old Roman calendar.

 

'Asta' meaning 'eight' is also the source of the word 'eight' as it departs the shores of Vedic India and evolves into the Avesta 'ashta' the Old Frissian 'ahta' the Old English 'eahta' and finally its evolution is complete as the word we know today as 'eight'.

 

 

The seventh month of the Old Roman calendar is 'September' a name from 'septa' a word from Latin whose meaning is 'seven' its source being 'sapta' and 'saptam' words from Sanskrit meaning 'seven' a mystical number which is prominent throughout the Vedas.

 

'Sapta' can be seen within 'sapta rishi' the 'seven great sages' its seen within 'sapta cakra' the seven points of energy along the spine and its seen within 'sapta puri' the 'seven holy cities' as well as 'sapta sindhu' which are the 'seven holy rivers'.

 

'Sapta' whose meaning is 'seven' is also the source of the word 'seven' as it departs the shores of Vedic India and travels to other lands it becomes the Latin 'septem' which becomes the German 'sebun' and eventually we arrive at the word 'seven'.

 

 

The sixth month of the Old Roman calendar was originally 'sextillis' which is the Roman word for 'six' and the source of this  is 'sas' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'six' and this was eventually replaced by 'August' in honour of Julius Augustus Caesar.

The fifth month of the Old Roman calendar was originally 'quintillis' which is from the Latin word 'quintus' meaning 'five' and the source of this is 'panca' a word from Sanskrit meaning 'five' an evolution which sees the 'pan' become 'pen' become 'kwen' become 'quin'.

 

'Quintillis' was once the fifth month of the Old Roman calendar but during the reforms Julius Caesar instituted a new calendar which was known as the 'Julian Calendar' and after his death some 2000 years ago they renamed the month as 'July' in honour of Julius Caesar.

 

 

The fourth month of the Old Roman calendar is the month of 'June' which has been said to have come from the Roman god of 'youth' who was known as 'Juno' and its source is 'yuva' and 'yuvana' words from the language of Sanskrit meaning 'young' and 'youth'.

'Yuva' and 'yuvana' whose meaning is 'young' and 'youth' can be seen within the great epics known as Mahabharata and the Ramayana where Rama and Bhisma were inaugurated as the 'yuva raja' whose meaning is the young ( yuva ) king ( raja ).

 

'Yuva' and 'yuvana' meaning 'young' can be more easily seen within 'Juventus' which is the Roman god of youth and its easy to see the connection between 'yuva' and 'juve' and we also find that 'yuva' is the source of the words 'youth' and 'young'.

 

 

'Martius' was the first month of the Old Roman year and one which we know today as 'March' a month which has been named after the red planet and the Roman god of war known as 'Mars' and a planet which was very much feared due to its malevolent influence.

 

'Mars' and subsequently 'March' has its source in 'mar' a word from the language of Sanskrit meaning to 'grind' to 'pound' to 'smash' and this expands as the 'Maruts' the storm gods of the Vedas which accompany the red planet and in his book 'Vedic Hymns' the scholar Max Muller writes.

 

“Why should we object to Mars, Martis, as a parallel form of Marut ? I do not say the two words are identical, i only maintain that the root is the same.... if there could be any doubt as to the original identity of Marut and Mars, it is dispelled by the umbrian name Cerfo Martio which as Grassmann has shown corresponds exactly to the expression “sardha-s maruta-s” the host of the Maruts. Such minute coincidences can hardly be co-incidental.”

 

 

As the Romans included the winter period they added two more months one of which was 'February' a month which was seen as inauspicious hence it became a month of 'cleansing' as temples and homes engaged in purification through the burning and offering of incense.

 

'February' is formed from 'dhu' a word from Sanskrit meaning to 'kindle' which becomes 'dhuma' whose meaning is 'smoke' and 'dhupa' whose meaning is 'incense' 'fumes' 'perfumes' which then becomes 'dhupana' whose meaning is to 'fumigate'.

 

As the 'Dh' becomes a Greek 'Th' which becomes a Latin 'F' so 'dhuma' meaning 'smoke' becomes the Latin 'fume' meaning 'smoke' and similarly 'dhupa' meaning to 'fumigate' becomes the Latin 'feb' and 'february' meaning the month of 'purifying smoke'.

 

'January' was also added to the list becoming the first month of the year and this is personified by 'Janus' the god of 'beginnings' and indeed throughout Rome his image could be seen upon doors, entrances, gateways and the very city of 'Genoa' was named after Janus as it was seen as the gateway to Europe.

 

'Janus' whose meaning is 'beginning' has its source within 'jana' a word from the language of Sanskrit whose meaning is 'birth' and the personality of Janus is very much like 'Ganesh' who is also the god of 'beginnings' whose image is also found throughout India upon gates, doorways and entrances.

 

This makes ten of the twelve months of the Old Roman calendar which are intimately related to the language of Sanskrit and a case can also be made for the months of 'April' and 'May' whose etymology seems to be rather vague involving different opinions.

 

 

"The Indian system of counting is probably the most successful intellectual innovation ever devised by human beings. It has been universally adopted. ...It is the nearest thing we have to a universal language". John D. Barrow, The Book of Nothing (2009) chapter one "Zero - The Whole Story”.

“It is India that has given us the ingenious method of expressing all numbers by way of ten symbols. In appreciating let us recall that this eluded even Archimedes and Appolonius two of antiquities greatest mathematical geniuses”. The 13th century Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci Da Pisa ( he of the Fibonacci numbers )".

 

"It is true that even across the Himalayan barrier India has sent to the West such gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, hypnotism and chess and above all numerals and the decimal system" American Historian William Durant, author of the widely acclaimed "The Story Of Civilisation".

 

 

"Our decimal system, which is derived from Hindu mathematics, where its use is attested already from the first centuries of our era. It must be noted moreover that the conception of zero as a number, and not as a simple symbol of separation, and its introduction into calculations, also count amongst the original contribution of the Hindus." Bourbaki, Nicolas (1998), Elements of the History of Mathematics.

 

“It is the ancient Indian culture that has regarded the science of numbers as the noblest of its arts. A thousand years ahead of Europeans the Indians knew that the zero and infinity were mutually inverse notions". The Universal history of numbers by Georges Ifrah.

"There has been no more revolutionary contribution than the one which the Hindus made when they invented zero" Mathematics for the millions  -  Lancelot Hogben.