PATHANI SAMANTA AND HIS THEORY OF PLANETARY MOTION Bipin Bihari Panda

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PATHANI

SAMANTA AND HIS THEORY OF

 

PLANETARY

MOTION

 

Bipin Bihari Panda

 

INTRODUCTION :

 

Pathani Samanta was born in 1835

at Khandapara, one of the princely states of pre-independent Orissa. He was

entitled as 'MAHAMAHOPADHYA' by the British Govt. His full name was

Mahamahopadhya Harichandan Mohapatra Chandersekhar Simha Samanta. He was also

known as 'PATHANI' in Orissa.

 

The first biographer of Samanta Chandrasekhar, pandit Sri

Chandrasekhar Mishra mentions few legends which are almost true .

 

Samanta

Chandrasekhar was attending wedding of his relatives in the island state of

Parikuda in the Chillika, where he was introduced to the king of Manjusha. He

was then invited to Manjusha and asked to estimate the height of 'Mahendra

mountains'. Samanta's estimated with his bamboo sticks exactly agreed

measurements and the king of Manjusha informed the matter to the then British governor

of Madras.

 

In other incident Sri Samanta

calculated the occurrence of a solar eclipse to be visible from England and

transmitted it to the Madras government through the king of Manjusha. There was

an astronomer, Shri Raghunath Achraya who contradicted Samanta's prediction.

But Samanta's calculations came true. He also predicted a solar eclipse with

timing to be visible in America, which became true with the variation of few

seconds

 

SAMANTA'S INSTRUMENTS :

-----

 

The instruments used by Pathani are made up of wood,

bamboo pieces and hardly of metallic parts. These instruments are broadly

divided into 3 categories.

 

 

 

 

1. Instruments measuring time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

e.g.

 

 

Chakra

Yantra

 

 

:

 

 

Sun dials

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapa

Yantra

 

 

:

 

 

"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golardha

Yantra

 

 

:

 

 

"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swasyambhu Yantra

 

 

:

 

 

Water clock

 

 

 

 

2. Versatile Instruments :

e.g. Sanku ( gnomon )

Mana Yantra

 

3. Armillary Sphere

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

e.g, Gola Yantra - used as

demonstration kit for showing to students, various great circles measuring

planetary motion

 

A. THE MANAYANTRA

 

Construction : Two bamboo sticks are in the form of T. The

cross piece is cut into stairs at 40 angle and each stair further subdivided at

half a degree angle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Principle : the mountain of height y located at a

distance x from the point of observations is looked through an

appropriate hole of the vertical arm to coincide with one end of the horizontal

arm. The same procedure is repeated through another hole which coinciding the

other end with the peak.

 

 

It is clear from the adjoining diagram . From similar

triangles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

y / p1 = ( x + b1 ) / b1

 

 

(1)

 

 

 

 

and

 

 

y / p2 = ( x + b2 ) / b2

 

 

(2)

 

 

 

 

multiplying (1) by 1 / p2 and (2) by 1/ p1 and subtracting

the two results we get

 

( x + b1 ) / (p2 b1)

= ( x + b2 ) / (p1 b2 )

 

p1 b2 ( x + b1

) = p2 b1 ( x + b2 )

 

x ( p1b2 -

p2 b1 ) =

b1 b2 ( p2 - p1 )

 

x = b1 b2 ( p2 - p1 )

 

p1b2 - p2 b1

 

similarly y = [ p1

p2 ( b2 - b1 ) ] / [p1 b2 - p2 b1 ]

 

In

this way the height of the mountain & the distance of the mountain from the

point of observation is determined.

 

B.

GNOMON ( SANKU )

 

 

 

 

 

------------------------------

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Construction

: It consists of a stick of measured height fixed vertically on a leveled

ground. By measuring the shadow length of the stick cast by sun.

 

Use

: It was possible to determine local time, the altitude, declination of sun,

lattidue, sun's position in the zodiac, etc.

 

Principle : Sun is assumed to be a point source of light

casting a shadow with sharp boundaries. It has a dark umbra & a penumbra

with various states of light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Limitation : The length of the shadow can't be

accurately measured. Because the sun has angular diameter of 0.5 degree,

the measured altitude has an error of about 0.25 degree

 

3. CHAKRA YANTRA : It is

used to measure the instantaneous zenith of the sun from which time is calculated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. CHAPA YANTRA : The time

is indicated by the shadow of the axis on the calibrated semicircle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. GOLARDHA YANTRA : The

shadow tip of the axis moves over a circle during a day drawn on the hemisphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THEORY

OF PLANETARY MOTION

 

Samanta Chandrasekhar had his own concepts of the solar

system and the universe, based on his own observations. He accepted geocentric

hypothesis.

 

His planets has novel features that planets mars, mercury,

jupiter, Venus and Saturn go round the sun and the sun moves around the earth

with these companions. Thus he has assigned heliocentric motion to the planets.

 

TYCHO AND PATHANI MODEL :

-----------

 

It is believed that he came to know the development of

western astronomy through Prof. J.C Roy. He must have accepted helio-centric

theory, but Pathani Samanta was unmoved with unflinching faith on his naked eye

observations. He went on advocating in favour of the geocentric hypothesis and

even did not

 

hesitate to retain a stanza in 'Sindmanta Darpana' which

is a direct challenge to the western astronomers. The strong intellectual

courage of the author can be gauged from his fearless declaration in the

following sloka

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arguments of pathani in favour of his geocentric theory :

 

---------

Many

of his arguments are directed against a misconception of the new theory. For

instant he argued

 

1. If the earth be rolling

like a wheel, then it ought to move only 12,000 Krosa per day, for that is the

length of earth's circumference. But you say its daily motion is 8,00,000

Krosa

2. A

stone whirled round has

always the same

face turned toward

us how can

there be

an alteration of day and night by the rotation of

earth.

 

3. In a sloka Samanta clearly stated that in a two-body

system such as the sun & the earth, both revolve around common

'Bharakendra' rather than the earth revolving around the sun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EXPLANATION :

Hang two massive objects, one heavier than the

other from two ends of a rod. balance the one end to the other like one do in

country weighing device. In general the rod will be horizontal. This point on

the rod is the 'Bharakendra'. The heavier in a smaller circle & the lighter

in a big circle, because the bharkendra is nearer the heavier object.

 

Similar way the sun & the heavier object in

orbits around this common bharakendra cause the mass of the sun very heavy

compared to that of the earth, the bharakendra deep inside the sun very close

to its center. It is on the account of this that the British says earth moves

round the sun.

 

4. The moon present above the equator in a slanting

position rotates round its axis. Similiarly if the earth were revolved we would

have seen the planets mountains etc. in a slanting manner like the set &

rise of stars.

 

5.

If a man runs with his face towards north-west then how

his motion is possible in the east direction.

 

6.

If the earth revolves around sun then the moon spot

will be seen in the north-east direction ( in dakhinayana ) & in the

north-west direction ( utarayana motion )

 

7. The

planets mercury & venus are consists of water vapours. But earth consists

of soils and larger than these. So we can’t compare earth with other planets.

All other planets are revolving while earth is at rest.

 

8. If earth is revolving like all other

planets then there should be also all the six seasons like the earth. So the

clouds which is formed in the planet mars must act like a cover to

earth as in amabasya.

 

9. If we drop a stone from a certain height it will

shifted towards east due to motion of earth from west to east. But according to

Pathani this is due to a wind called 'prabaha' which shifted the earth in the

east direction.

 

DISCOVERY OF THREE ANOMALIES OF MOON:

 

It is singular that Chandrasekhar is the only

Indian astronomer who has detected all the 3 important irregularities of the

moon which were unknown to ancient Indian astronomers.

1.

Tungantara (Evection ) : It is an irregularity which

may put the moon forward or backward over a degree.

 

2. Pakshika

( variation ) : Moon has a period of maximum one month and a maximum of

39'31''.

 

3.

Digmsa ( Annual equation ) : Inequality of moon's place

and has maximum amount of 11'9'' ( Tycho-Brahe ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the 3 anomalies as determined by Samanta in his

Sidhanta Darpana & modern values are compared below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Darpan

 

 

Modern value

 

 

 

 

Evection

 

 

2o 40'

 

 

1o 17'

 

 

 

 

Variation

 

 

38' 12''

 

 

39' 31''

 

 

 

 

Annual Equation

 

 

12'

 

 

11'9''

 

 

 

 

Equation of moon

 

 

5o 40'

 

 

6o 18'

 

 

 

 

Maximum Evection

 

 

2o 40'

 

 

1o 20'

 

 

 

 

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

---

 

At first I am thankful to my guide

Prof. Lambodar Prasad Singh & Dr. (Mrs.) Puspa Khare for their consistent

help at the time of need. I am thankful to Physics Dept. Utkal Univeristy for

giving me a chance to expose myself. Lastly my thanks goes to my friends &

well wishers whose encouragement helped me a lot.

 

.................................................................................................................................................

..

Seminar delivered on 7th

Oct. 1999

.................................................................................................................................................

 

REFERENCES:

 

1. Sidhanta

Darpan

 

2. Bulletin

of the astronomical society of India

 

3. Jyotiska

 

 

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-: THE END

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This is an E â€" edition of

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