Fw: Suryasiddhanta

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--- On Thu, 3/26/09, sunil_bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjya wrote:

sunil_bhattacharjya <sunil_bhattacharjyaRe: Suryasiddhanta Cc: , vedic_research_institute , ancintindia , IndiaArchaeology Date: Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:09 PM

 

 

Dear Bhaskarji, As someone interested in the history of Hindu Astronomy may I add a bit on the history of Suryasiddhanta. Original work of Mayasura (of Pragjyotishpura, ie. the earliest place where astrology was developed and practised)) had one hundred thousand verses. In Mahabharata you must have found that Narakasura's son Bhagadatta led a group of Yavanas. This shows that the Asuras of Pragjyotishpura were also known as Yavana and Mayasura was none other than the Yavanacharya. Mayasura learnt astrology from Surya. This Surya could be the name of a rishi or Mayasura might have made direct observation on the Sun and the solar system like the modern-day naked-eye astronomer of Orissa, Samanta Chandrasekhar had done. Aryabhatta made a concise version of Mayasura's work and this concise treatise was known as the Aryasiddhanta. It is generally said that the Aryasiddhanta is

lost. But it need not be so. This Aryasiddhanta of Aryabhatta has been called theSuryasiddhanta by Varahamihira and that is also called the Yavana jataka of Yavanacharya by Sphuridhvaja Aryabhatta said that he was 23 years of age in "Sashtyaabdaanaam Sashtyaardha (ie. sixty multiplied by half of sixty) from the start of Kali yuga". This means he was born in 3102 - (60 X 60 / 2) + 23 = 1325 BCE. Aryabhatta did not mention any other kala as the other kalas such as mentioned by Varahamihira and Brahmagupta were not there during his time. So he had to express in terms of the Kali era. In his time the 60- year Brihaspati- chakra was used in place of centuries. On the otherhand at a much later date Varahamihira mentioned Sakendrakala starting from 551 BCE and Brahmagupta mentioned Sakanta kala starting from 78 BCE. I will like to hear your

opinion as well as that of the other learned scholars regarding the above. Regards, Sunil K. Bhattacjarjya ps.From the above one can also see that Varahamihira was born much before the advent of the Sakanta kala (popularly called Saka kala or Shalivahana Saka, which king Shalivahana popularised some centuries later). Further we know that during Varahamihira' s time the Winter solstice began to occur in Uttarashadha, which was around 500 BCE and that Winter solstice stopped occurring in Uttaraashadha around 500 CE. Thus Varahamihira was born near 500 BCE and not near 500 CE, as the western scholars make out to be. I understand that Vinay Jhaji has written a book on Suryasiddhanta and he also claims to have some of the lost portions of the Suryasiddhanta but I have not seen his book so far to offer any

comment on Jhaji's work and cannot comment on his claims. It seems that an American professor Charles hartley calculated and found that the time of Solar eclipses can be calculated accurately by using the methods of Suryasiddhanta.--- On Thu, 3/26/09, Bhaskar <bhaskar_jyotish@ .co. in> wrote:Bhaskar <bhaskar_jyotish@ .co. in> Is This possible ? Yes with our Ancient knowledge, it is.@

. comThursday, March 26, 2009, 6:00 AMDear friends, Do You know that with our Andcient indian Knowledge of"Surya Siddhanta " we can calculate the position of the planets on anygiven date,of any year in the past or future (Any date after ChaitraShukla Pratipada Shake 1826), without use of telescope, or moving outof a closed room, and without the use of ephemeris, or any external (OrInternal) means of locating or mapping the planetary positions in thesky. The planetary position for any planet can be calculated within 15minutes without referring to any Ephemeris, Data, Computer or Book withclosed eyes and a assistant who can use a calculator and note down on apiece of paper what is being mentioned . This position thus calculatedshould be similiar to the Rapheals ephemeris or any more accurate onewithin just 1-2 minutes difference (Not degrees). is this possible ? Yesthis is.

With our ancient knowledge applied, with help of few shlokasand formulas, one can blind folded with help of a assistant (Anyone whoknows how to use a scientific calculator) calculate the planetarypositions of any date after Shake 1826. Those who are interested insame, may take an appointment with me in Bombay, in advance, and theywill be shown a method how to do this, alongwith illustrations andformulas of the same. But they should be well versed in the Indianknowledge of Hindu Lunar months, adhika maas etc. regards/Bhaskar.