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MAY, 1890.]
THE ROMAKA SIDDHANTAS.
135
THE ROMAKA SIDDHANTAS.
BY SHANKAR BALKRISHNA DIKSHIT; DHULIA. IN this paper I purpose chiefly to show that the Romaka-Siddhanta as represented in
I the Panchasiddhantika, and the Romaka-Siddhanta of Srishona, are different and separate works. The point of the age of both these Siddhantas will also be discussed ; and it will be shown incidentally that Laţa is not the author of the former. The present RômakaSiddhanta also will be noticed. Owing to the discovery of the Panchasiddhántiká, means have been made available by which we can know something at least, definitely, about the five Siddhantas treated of, though only succinctly, by Varâ hamihira. Also copies of the BrahmaSiddhanta of Brahmagupta are now available. And fortunately these two writers, not confining themselves strictly to the special subjects treated of, have occasionally allowed them. selves to be free in alluding to previous writers. Consequently we are not left only to speculations; and we need not grope in the dark for the points that are to be considered.
It is clear from the Panchasiddhantiká that only one Romaka-Siddhanta was known to Varahamihira ; and I shall call this the original Romaka-Siddhanta, for the sake of convenience, and to distinguish it from Srishêņa's work. Srishêna's name occurs nowhere in the Panchasiddhantiká. Brahmagupta alludes to the Romaka-Siddhanta in three places, but in them he does not allude to 'Srishêņa ; while he does allude to Srishêņa's work, by his own name, in twelve places, which will be quoted further on; but in none of them, except perhaps in one, does he use the word Rômaka. It seems, in fact, that Brahmagupta does not call Srisbêna's work a Rómaka-Siddhanta. But, from a quotation from his commentary on the BrahmaSiddhanta given by Dr. Thibaut, Prithûdaka seems to have called Sriskena's work a RómakaSiddhanta ; and, for the sake of convenience, I will call it Srishóna's Romaka-Siddhanta.
First I quote from the Brahma-Siddhanta the three places where there are allusions to the Romaka-Siddhanta, and the twelve places in which Srishêna's name occurs, with their translation - The first three references are
(a) युगमन्वंतरकल्पाः कालपरिच्छेदकाः स्मृतावुक्ताः। T a faardt
T ETE 11 13 11 Chapter i. "The Yugas, Manvantaras, and Kalpas, are said in the Smriti to be the standards of (measuring) time; and because they are not found) in the Romaka, therefore the Romaka stands outside the Smritis."
(b) पौलिशरोमकवासिष्ठसौरपैतामहेषु यत्प्रोक्तं। ..
p ara agfa : 11 46 11 Chapter xiv. “That method of finding ont nakshatras which is stated in the Pauliéa, Romaka, Vásishtha. Saurt, and Paitamaha (Siddhantas), is not stated by Aryabhata ; therefore its statement (is made by me)."
युगपागाविरुपये याम्यायां भास्करस्य वारुण्यां । राव्यर्धात्सौम्यायामस्तमयादिनदलायां ॥ 2 ॥ अयमेव कृतः सूर्येतुपुलिशरोमकवसिष्ठयवनायैः। ETTERT : Pegiat T T 11 3 11 Chapter xxiv.
1 Jour. Beng. As. Soc. Vol. LIII. Part I. p. 291.
2 With this introduction, Brahmagupta gives the unequal-space system of wikshatras, which I have named the Brahma-Siddhanta System, and have described in my paper on the Twelve-Year Cycle of Jupiter, (ants, Vol. XVII. p. 4 ff.)
