Indian Antiquary Vol 20

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 52

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1891.
lunar equations, belong to Makaranda, which Some individual mistakes, which attract atname is wrongly written as Maracanda.
tention, are as follows:- In example Il., p. 202, In constructing the Table XXIX., for finding the first fraction is not but w., which the epochs of mean intercalations of luni. reduced into time is equal to 46 days, 27 gh., 504 solar months from Kaliyuga-Samvat 0, 66389
8185
palas, of the saura, and to 47 days, 8 gh., 93.9 of a pala (= 7.397 paras) are neglected for
pa., of the solar time. Subtracting the last every period of an intercalation. The result, in
quantity from the time of the mean Môshacalculating the intercalation for Kaliyuga-Samvat
Sankranti acoording to the first Arya-Siddanta, 1923 expired, actually by the Súrya-Siddhanta
viz. 46 gh. 27.5 p. after sunrise on Thursday, rule, as worked out on page 150, is later by 3 gh.
11th April, A. D. 1769, the Sårvarin sariwatsara 50 palas than that obtained from the Table, viz.
commenced on the 23rd February, A.D. 1709, 8 months, 14 days, 32 gh. 40 vighatis, and this very
at 37 gh. 53 p., and not on the 21st October difference seems to have led to the invention of
A. D. 1768. additive equation (kshopa) of the same amount. On page 208 (line 12) the number 4370088 is viz. 3 gh. 50 palas, which is entered below the given as the revolutions of Jupiter; but it is that
In working the example, there is a light of the rásir, or revolutions, multiplied by 12. On mistake, the remainder (page 150, line 19 from
page 241, line 11, we should read solar revolu. the bottom) should be 38,317,536, with the result tions" for "solar days." of 8 months, 14 days, 36 gh. 23 380 palas, which
In a marginal note in Appendix II. p. 276,
Warren supposed the eclipse of the 19th March, is greater by 3 gh. 43 80349 pa. than the result
B. 0. 720, recorded by the Babylonians, to from the Table. This difference is exaotly equal be one of the sun. In saying (p. 280) that "the to the neglected quantity (66389 of a pala), multi
time ooourring during the night, the eclipse
could not have occurred in India)," he overlooked plied by 1816, the number of intercalations in the
the fact that, if the eclipse had been one of the example. The error amounted to this quantity
sun, it could not have been visible in Babylonia in about 4923 years, and it would be absurd to
itself, because even there the time of its occur. add the kshépa in every example. It is rather
rence would be during the night. It was in surprising that Warren, knowing of the omission
fact a lunar eclipse (see Chamber's Desoriptive of 739 paras in the construction of the Table,
Astronomy, 1877, page 227, and von Oppolzer'a had to adopt the expedient of an additive
Canon der Finsternisse, p. 332.) In computing this equation, which, moreover, he could not explain
same eolipse, what is said to be the sun's longi. (see p. 151). The Table could have been con.
tude (on the lower part of p. 279) is in faot the structed most accurately, without increasing its
longitude of the earth's shadow. bulk, and without having recourse to a bfja.
In writing the note to Table XLVIII. p. 63, In the tithi table XXXVII. (p. 48), the
and on the word Arya-Siddhuinta in the Glossary equation against the index 61 should be 24-7.
(p. 355), Warren plainly did not know that there In the yoga table XXXIX. (p. 49), that for the
are two different Arya-Siddhantas (see my indexes 35 and 37 should be 11-4 and 8-29, res
note, ante, Vol. XVII. p. 312). pectively, And in the solar table XL. (p. 50) it should be 6-47 for the index 368.
The mistakes noted above, particularly those in Table XLIX., for the luni-solar ahargana
in the Tables and the individual mistakes, can
by no means be exhaustive, as I have not, from the beginning of the Kaliyuga, in the first
examined every figure in the book under notice. part, the time of one year is slightly mistaken;
I can, however, say about the Tables that they the last figures, the deqimals 14, have been taken
are creditably correct. by an oversight from those opposite 13 lunations, instead of from those opposite 12, which are Were there not proofs of the ability and 36, but should be 37. The error amounts to originality of Warren, one would be inclined to about 89 paras (vipalas) in 10,000 years of the question them, from the errors in Tables XVIII., Table, in the last figures for which we should XIX., XXIX., in Appendix II., and in the Second have 12 vighalfs, 42 p. 10:7 8. Similarly, in the Chronological Table. There is no doubt of the second part of the Table, the last quantity for competency of the author for the work taken in one year is properly 2:715 suras (prativipalas), hand by him; and I attribute the material and that for 10,000 years is properly. O vighati, mistakes noticed above to the fapt, which he 52 p. 31 . The error, however, is immaterial. admits, that he was "totally ignorant of the