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Zodiacal Circumference
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into 67 parts known as celestial parts (gagana khandas) such that the zodia. cal circumference was graduated into 54900 C.P.
It is worth-mentioning here that unequal division in muhūrtas can provide a standard scale for weeding out the actual identifying stars of the naksatras because this unequal division in muhurtas permits all yogatarās (identifying stars) of nakşatras in their respective divisions. Although these divisions are not sensitively dependent on the velocity of the Moon (which may be of any magnitude between maximum to minimum dependent on the position of Ucha with period of the order of 9 years) but is certainly dependent upon the stretches of the Moon's passages at least to cover the extremities of the respective lunár asterismic patterns. Astronomically this zodiacal division is more important as regards naked eye amatuer observations than the simplified equal divisions for some practical usage. It is however worth-mentioning here that in the study of syzygies in the 5-year cycle of fixed Jaina calendar, this unequal division in muhurtas did not exactly conform to the observation. Thus the amature astronomer divided the nakşatras into three categories 1.e. kula, upakula and kulopakula.22 This simply reflects upon the degree of keenness possessed by amatuer Jaina astronomers in their studies in the division of zodiacal circle.
About a thousand years after Winter solstice coincided with the beginning of Abhijit (a Lyrae) nakşatra (asterism) i. e. in nearabout 3rd/4th century A.D., they switched from the lunar motion over to the solar motion and divided the zodiacal circle into 24 equal parts, each part representing naksatra (asterism) except 4 parts which represented a pair of nakşatras (asterisms) each. The zodiacal circumference was clearly graduated in 360 saur days of a saura year (In ancient Chinese astronomy, too, a zodiacal cir cumference was graduated in the number of days in a year).23 This led to the division of zodiacal circle in 3600 and the equal amplitude system of naksatras (asterism) was developed when Abhijit (" Lyrde) was again dropped with the advent of Siddhāntic astronomy. It is worthy of note that the use of 27 naksatras (asterisms) only is hinted upon in Samavāyānga Sūtra24 (=SVS). SVS 27.2 states as : (Quotation No. 7) i.e.,
“Leaving aside Abhijit (a Lyrae) only 27 nakşatras (asterisms) are used in Jambūdvīpa (isle of Jambū tree)."
The role of Jaina School of Astronomy in allocating the number of muhurtas to naksatras (asterisms) has left an everlasting impact on Indian
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