Ganittilakam Savrtuttikam

Author(s): Hiralal R Kapadia
Publisher: Oriental Research Institute Vadodra

Page 63

LXII
INTRODUCTION
I need not dilate upon the outlines of Ganitatilaka any. more, since these will serve the required purpose. So I shall now say a few words about the author and his other works.
S'RIPATI'S LIFE AND WORKS
Very little information about the life of S'ripati can be had from Ganitatilaka. From its verse given on p. 6, it may be inferred that he is Mahes'vara or S'aiva by religion; for, herein he has referred to Mahes'vara. This inference is corroborated by the fact that in the 2nd verse of Siddhantasekhara, he calls himself "the best of the Dvijas (Brahmanas)", in case it can be safely assumed that it is the work of Ganitatilakakara.
Ganitatilaka is silent about his parentage and birth-place. At least some information about his parentage can be, however, gathered from a verse occurring in Dhruvamānasa composed in S'aka 978. There it is stated that he is son of Nāgadeva, son of Bhatta Kes'ava, and that he composed this jyotiḥs'astra in Rohinikhanda, perhaps his native-place. In the beginning of Jyautiṣaratnamālāa alias S'rīpatiratnamālā, S'rīpati has mentioned the names of Garga, Varāha and Lalla. From the introductory verse of Jātakapaddhati, we learn that S'ripati composed this work at the request of his pupil or pupils. This leads us to infer that he had at least one pupil, if not more.
This Sripati is an author of astronomical works such as Dhikoti, a karana-grantha, and Siddhāntas'ekhara. He is not only a celebrated astronomer but also a famous astrologer as can be seen from his astrological works Jyautiṣaratnamālā and Daivajñavallabha. He seems to have flourished not earlier
1 This seems to be based upon Varahamihira's Pañcasiddhāntikā and Bṛhatsamhita, Brahmagupta's Brakmasphuṭasiddhānta and Lalla's S'isyadhv vṛddhida.
2 This work has been published in A. D. 1934 with English translation and short notes by Mr. Narendra Kumar Mazumdar M. A., in the "Calcutta Oriental Journal" vol. I, pp. 286-299. Several verses of this work occur in Siddhantas'ekhara.
3 It deals with solar and lunar eclipses and is elucidated in the commentary styled as Udaharana. See "Descriptive Catalogue of Samskṛta and Prakṛta Mss. (B. B. R. A. S.)" vol. I, p. 81.