________________
322
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
NOVEMBER, 1882.
with 322 A. D., and the date of the fourth inscrip- sidering that the systems of the Paulila and tion-Gupta 209—with A. D. 375.
Romaka Siddhantas, so far as they are known to Into the details of this latter part of Gen. Cun. us, agree in all essential features with the system reningham's investigation we need not enter here, presented by Aryabhata and the Súrya Siddhanta, as the purpose of this paper merely is to inquire and for all we know to the contrary acknowledged into the validity of the principles on which Gen. the same initial point of the sphere, it would appear Cunningham has drawn up his table of the twelve. advisable to date them considerably later than year Jupiter cycle with the expunged years. 250, so that the period intervening between them That table is of course quite correct for the pre- and Åryabhata might be shortened. On the sent time, in fact for all the centuries consequent whole it would, considering our present knowledge on the rise of modern Hindu astronomy as the of the matter, be decidedly unsafe to maintain oldest extant document of which we may perhaps that the modern system of Hindu astronomy, with consider the Sarya Siddhanta or else the Laghu- its fairly accurate knowledge of the planetary Aryabhata-siddhanta. As soon as the Hindus revolutions, had well established itself on Indian had acquired the very correct knowledge of the soil before, let us say, 400 A. D. mean motions of Jupiter and the sun which is Before the modern system was established embodied in the Siddhantas, the eighty-five years the Jovian cycle could not be regulated on the period followed as a necessary consequence. But principle of each 86th name being expunged, and the task devolving on us is to inquire at what reasonings about the initial year of the Gupta time the Hindus did acquire that knowledge and era based on a table of this cycle in which the at what time in consequence they first became expunged years are marked for a period beginable to construct the 85 years cycle. Amongning with 8 B. C. lose therefore their validity. European scholars of the present time there All we can say is that the expunction of Jovian prevails no doubt that the modern Hindu system years in the first centuries of the Christian era of astronomy is an adaptation of Greek doctrines. 1 ought to have been arranged in the manner On the reasons for this belief we need not dwell shown in Gen. Cunningham's table, or would have here, it may suffice to refer to the notes of Burgess been managed so if the true planetary motions and Whitney's translation of the Súrya Siddhanta had then been known. Orthodox Hindus of and Biot's Études sur l'Astronomie Indienne. The course will take an altogether different view of the exact time of the formation of the new system matter. The Súrya Siddhanta was, according is not yet well known, and various opinions, to its own statement, revealed considerably more differing more or less, have been propounded than two millions of years ago, and few Paudits concerning this point. The circumstance which in would hesitate, adopting the principles of the S. S.. a consideration of this question has primarily to to draw up a table of the Jovian cycle with every be taken into account is avowedly the fact of the 86th year properly expunged back to the beginstar 5 Piscium being taken as marking the ning of the Mahayugu or the Kalpa if wanted. beginning of the sphere. This star coincided in European scholars however will naturally take a position with the vernal equinox not far from the different view of the matter. It may moreover middle of the sixth century. On the other hand, be remarked, that even if the beginning of the Sid. it looks as if the Hindu measurements of the dhanta period could be shown to reach one or two position of the Nakshatras had been made somewhat centuries higher up than the time stated above earlier, about 490 (cf. Whitney to Súry. Siddh. (which is by no means likely), it would be rather VIII. 9. p. 355). The date of the Laghu-Arya hazardous to assume that the novel doctrines conSiddhanta is known to be 499 A. D. The date of tained in the Siddhantas immediately effected a probably the earliest Siddhantas--viz, the Paulisa total reform of the Civil Calendar all over India. and the Romaka-is not known; they are I should rather feel inclined to believe that a most likely somewhat anterior to Aryabhata, but considerable time elapsed before the new know. it is altogether uncertain by how much Professor ledge of the Jyautishas succeeded in getting Kern (in the preface to his edition of Varaha itself applied to the purposes of daily life and Mihira, Brihat-sanhita p. 50) "roughly" dates taking the place of the older methods on which the beginning of the Siddhanta period at 250 previously the almanack had been calculated. A. D., that point of time being half way between We have now to consider a passage from the date he assumes for Garga and the ascertained Garga referring to the Jupiter-cycle which is time of Varaha-Mihira. But this is--as Prof. K. quoted by Gen. Cunningham, Appendix p. 114. himself admits-altogether hypothetical, and con. "We there read : Utpala also quotes Garga to
1 This system never seems to have come into use in always'dated in the years of the Jovian cycle, but it has Southern and Western India, and grants are almost no expunged year.-ED.
