21 india central asia reflections from astronomy astrology

8/14/2019 21 India Central Asia Reflections From Astronomy Astrology

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Jyotrivid Brijendra S. Shrivastava.Director Apara Jyotisham, Member Boardof Studies in Jyotirvigyan Jiwaji UniversityGwalior. He specializes in Medical Astrology & teaches as Guest Lecturer inUGC approved PG courses in AstrologicalScience in Jiwaji University Gwalior. Haspresented more than 50 research papers in

national & international forumsof science, engineering,

technology, medical science,astronomy, astrology and vedicsciences

organized /sponsored by Universities IITs,

etc and published in research journals likeScience India (recipient of award from thePrime Minister in 93rd Indian ScienceCongress), Vigyan Bharati Pradeepika,

AIFAS Research Journal of Astrology etc

India-Central

Asia: Reflections

From Astronomy

& AstrologyByBrijendra S. Shrivastava, IndiaFull of pearls a bowl I kept

Upside down on every ones crownIn all directions the bowl movesBut Not a single pearl rolls down

A Hindi folk Childs Quiz

ky has always fascinated humanpsyche as the history of Astronomysuggests. When we look at sky it

evokes mixed feelings of joy, wonder,

admiration, mysticism and challenge. Ithas an unconscious yet constantlyexpanding horizon of individual humanconsciousness and has transformed intosocial consciousness because sky is one ofthose natural phenomena which iscommon to all. With its early advent fromanthropocentric universe to geocentricuniverse and from geocentric toheliocentric universe and from there togalaxy centric universe; from multigalactic cosmos up to Cosmology ofuniversal oneness, our awareness aboutwe has undergone a paradigm shift everytime affecting our understanding of globalrelationships. Sky has also contributed inthe advancement of mathematics, scienceand philosophy.

V.Komarov, science writer has observedthat if we trace the history of manysciences we find that mankind has been

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immensely benefited by the study of the universe 1.Einstein had every reason to say that intellectual potential, without which moderntechnology would have been inconceivable, is mainly drawn on observations of the stars.

1Contribution of Brahmagupta and Other AstronomerMathematicians1.1Indian AstronomersAstrologers through cultural synergy with Central Asia betweenearly 8th century to 12th century have also contributed in the advancement of various sciencesparticularly astronomy and mathematics and also astrology. This IndoArab relationshipgave both momentum and direcion to this Expansionof consciousnessmission carried outby mankind in this part of world, when Europe was in slumber2. The Arabic translation ofSanskrit Greek and other literature later translated in Latin provided a great help toEuropean great Renaissance or reawakening from around 11th 12th century AD onwards asacknowledged by many European scholars and historians

1.2After Mohammad Sahib, Caliph Al Mansoor founded Baghdad in 762AD Indian scholarsvisited the Caliph during 772773 AD with Astronomical Astrological books, which weretranslated in Arabic, on the order of Al Mansoor. Confirming this, Ebenezer Berges in histranslation (1860) of Surya Siddhant of Hindu Astronomy has quoted Bin AlAdmi from the astronomical tables of planetary positions workedout by Admi and published in 920AD that during the regime ofCaliph Al Mansoor (773AD) one Indian Astrologer visited thecourt along with table of planets, observations on eclipses andcoordinates of zodiacal signs. This fact was also quoted byColebrooke in his Hindu Algebra .

1.3At that time, arithmetic, geometry, spherical trigonometryand algebra were part of Astronomy. In Arabic two works are mostfamous: SindHind and Al Arkand, both were translation ofBrahmaGuptas Braahma Sphuta Siddhantas Sindhind and Khand Khandak as Al ArkandThese works were translated by Persian scholar Yakoob Ibn Taatiq and Arabian AlFazaarisson Mohammad in Arabic with the help of Indian Pundits. Later on several translationswere done and Al Beruni (9731048AD) also did one.

1.4Edward C. Sachau, a German scholar who translated AlBeruni has observed that in thehistory of science and knowledge in eastern countries, Brahmagupta ranks veryhigh.Brahmagupta taught AstronomyAstrology to Arabs before they came to know aboutPtolemy3. From Brahmaguptas Brahmasphuta Siddhant, Arabic scholar Ibrahim Ibn HabibAlPhazaari took basic elements and computation method and prepared tables inMohammadan lunar months.

1.5Yakoob Ibn Taarik authored TarqueebAlAflaaqor Construction of AstronomicalSphere based on elements of Brahmagupta brought by another group of scholars in 161Hizri

or 777778AD in Baghdad from India.

1.6Great Islamic Mathematician Al Khwaarismi (b783 AD) authored two books on Indianganita and Beeja ganitaHisaab Al Hind or Kitaab al zaam and Tafreek Bi Hisaab AlHind explaining zero based decimal place value mathematics Number system called Hind

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Kaa Hisaab. Hisaab al Hind is not available in Arabic but was found from Spains Arabiccenter (1126 AD) in Latin as Liber Algorizmi de Numero Indurum meaning book ofAlkhwarizmi on Hinds Numbers.1.7Impact of the work titled Alkhwarizmi on Hinds Numbers on Europe was so great thatIndian Number System was named as Alkhwarismi now known as Algorithm inMathematics. AlKhwarizmi has called the Indian Numerals used in the book as Haroof AlGubaar. Gunakar Muley4 has pointed out that these numbers are Indian which weredeveloped from Brahmi script. Muley further strengthens his assertion by bringing amanuscript written in Spain in 976AD.It should be remembered that Spain was underIslamic rule and to quote Rahul Sankratyaayan, Spains capital Kardova had becomeBaghdad of the West in the matter of knowledge and culture during 10th century.5

Sanskrit word Jeeba in trigonometry was translated as JB. Latin translation mistook it forJeb or pocket on chest and translated it sinus or chest which is now called sine in Englishis an example of the impact of IndoArabic relations on European reawakening.

Alkhwarizmi was born in Kheewa city of Khwarism region of todays Uzbekistan of CentralAsia. Al Beruni (7931048) was also born here.

1.8 Indian Astronomer Aryabhat (b476AD) was first in Astronomy to expound dailyrotation of Earth. Abul Hasan Al Ahwaazi compiled his theories of planetary motions as AlArjbhad during 8th century AD. Faizi in Persian translated Bhaskaracharyas Leelavati abook on mathematics in 1587AD.

Therere hundreds works which deal with contribution of Indian astronomer

mathematicians ranging from value of Pi to different branches of mathematics, algebra,geometry, trigonometry, spherical trigonometry etc and the joint impact of IndoArabicliterature on European thought process. However, only an outline has been given here toarouse curiosity among scholars and readers for further exploration in IndoArab culturalrelations.

2. Ramal Vidya2.1Ramal or the art of prediction through dice is an excellent example of cultural synergy. Itis based on four elements fire or aatashi, air or khhaarva, water or aabi and earth or baadi of

saankhya philosophy.

2.2Science historian Paul Tannery (1897 AD) translates Ilm Ul Ramal as Sand Time orearth element based time calculation which in my opinion is erroneous. It reminds DhooliKarma because in India mathematic earlier was called Dhooli Karma spreading dust orsand on a board or earth for calculation, which was translated in Arabic as Haruf Al Gubaar,as pointed out while referring to AlKhwarizmi.

2.3However, names of all 16 shapes formed on dice kabzul daakhil etc are Arabic and itsmuhurta is based on moons counting in Hizri calendar. This leads us to ascribe Ramal to

Arabic origin.

2.4S.B.Dixit in his monumental work on History of Indian Astrology6 has disproved thisassumption with a chronological analysis on the basis of a book found by Babur a European

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scholar written between 350500AD and mentioned in Bengal Asiatic Society Journalswhich mentions Ramal type system of answering questions with Sanskrit and Prakratnouns. Dixit further refers to GargSamhita of Tanjor Museum, which contains a chapterwith 235 Shlokas on Paashavali, Paash in Sanskrit means Dice. He therefore concludesthat since Sanskrit books were lost, later Sanskrit books on Paashavali or Ramal werewritten from Arabic text basis. Whatever might be the fact the Vidya of Ramal is anexcellent exmple of IndoArabic exchange of knowledge.

3. Annual Horoscopy3.1In this system planetary chart is worked out for the moment when the sun aftercompleting one year arrives at the same degrees in birth chart this system is called Taazikwhich is an Arabic Word. All its 16 planetary combinations employed in predictions areArabic in name like Itthashaal Eeshraaf etc. However, mutual degreewise angles of planetscalled Dristis or aspects are Arabic and differ from traditional Hindu Natal Horoscopydespite their names being in Sanskrit. Again in assessing strength of planet Hadda strengthis used in Taazik only which is nowhere used in any Indian predictive system whileworking out six fold strength of a planet called shadbala.

3.2In 1592 Balbhadra who living with King Shah Shuza authored Haayan Ratna on TaazikSystem of prediction and acknowledged its Arabic origin by stating yavanacharyen paarseekbhaashayam praneetam jyotish shastra etc.

3.3It is pertinent to note that AlFazari and Al Beruni while translating predictive astrologyfrom Sanskrit to Arabic has adopted 1 day =1 year system which was later adopted bywesterners as secondary direction system of prediction for one year this is acknowledged by

Alfraid Pears in his Text Book of Astrology written some 100 years ago.7

Nevertheless, allthese systems are somewhat different from Taazik Annual system of prediction.

4. Sawai Jai Singhs Observatories4.1When European Astronomers were following circular orbits of planets Jai Singh (16861743AD) had discovered elliptical orbits. During the regime of Mohammad Shah, Jai Singhworked out new tables of planetary positions after rectifying astronomical tables of MirzaUlug Beg, which had accumulated difference of 4 degrees and 8 minutes of arc by then.These tables are contained in his work called ZizMohammad Shahi for determination of

Hindu and Muslim festivals more accurately.

4.2Sawai Raja also constructed Astronomical observatories in five places with due consentfrom his ruler Mohmmad Shah, for more accurate positions of planets including the moonwhich was crucial in determining Hindu and Muslim festivals as both were moon based,because he found that metallic instruments get eroded in use and do not give precision. Hesent Father Manual to Europe for collecting observation table prepared 30 years before forcomparison. These observatories which were viewed by Jagannath Pandit as lighthouse ofknowledge are also illustrations of ancient IndoArabiccooperation. We can still draw some

inspiration from them. He also got translated Ptolemys work Syntaxes called Almagest inArabic into Sanskrit as Samrat Siddhanta. Sawai Jai Singh had also a good collection ofinstruments like AtroLabs from Samarkand because these instruments were being preparedin Arab countries with good precision in 17th century. Sawai Raja Singhs work and attitudeis of immense value because his period was of political instability yet he showed high

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wisdom in strengthening Hindu Muslim relations through calenderic Astronomy and alsoIndoArabic relations.

efore this is concluded we draw attention to recent research done by Prof.C.K.Rajuof Nehru Museum who played a leading role in the CDAC team which built Paramour supercomputer. In his research,8 he has established that in the field of EuropeanGregorian calendar reform and in streamlining European navigation system Indo

Arabic techniques and rules of Laghu Bhaskariya a text on Indian astronomy authored byBhaskar I (550630AD) had played a decisive role.The object of this paper is to remind that historical and scientific relations are part of alarger social spectrum which act like a bridge often abandoned; but visiting the past throughsuch conferences can reaffirm our faith to evolve new patterns of relationships for makingthe planet called earth more better. To quote AlBeruni:

Knowledge in its true sense is always universal.Thoughts and inventions originating from

any geographical region benefit all nations.

References:1. V.Komarov : The Fascinating Astronomy ,Mir Publication Moscow

2. Euclid Ptolemy and other great mathematician and astronomer of Greece and Alexenderia Egypt,flourished during around 300BC to 300AD. After that there was no development of knowledge. TheEuropean world was unaware of these works till the great European Renaissance starting around 12 th

century AD when European scholars came in contact with the works of Greek, Egyptian, Indian andArabic scholars translated from Arabic to Latin. During that time Spain was under Islamic rule and thatis why several Latin translations of Arabic works were found at first in Spain.

2 Colebrooke:Hindu Algebra P643.Edwrd C. Sachau translation of AlBerunis Kitaab Ul Hind in English as Alberunis India pxxxi4. Gunakar Muley: Great Mathematicians of World p6466

5.Rahul Sankratyaayan: Darshan Digdarshan p146. Alfraid Hupar historian of mathematics hasobserved that Arabs were first to introduce Indian numerals in Spain. It was a new and revolutionarysystem. This method has paved the way of modern science and engineering .Laplace, Frenchmathematician (17491827) has observed that this wonderful Indian method of expressing all figures onlyin10 symbols appears so simple that we dont consider its importance

6.p6407. 1Alfraid Pears: Text Book of Astrology P175 Published by American Federation of Astrologers7.2Shri Awatar Krishna Kaul an eminent Astronomer in his article on Indian Astronomy andAstrology of 1996 at p35 has quoted Robert Zoler from his Last Keys to Prediction at p8 that Arabsestablished a link between India and Spain. Kaul says that it is to be noted that Spains St.Placidustranslated several astrological works in Spanish later translated in English, which included AlBerunisElements of Astrology, which is an amalgam of astrology prevailing in Central East Asia, Persia andIndia. That was the period when Arabs were spreading Astrology and Astronomy in Europe.

8.Prof C. K. Rajas article http/www/hinduwisdom.info

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21 india central asia reflections from astronomy astrology

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