parāśaratantra: ancient hindu astronomy & natural science-source book

8/13/2019 Pararatantra: Ancient Hindu Astronomy & Natural Science-Source Book

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|| mUzUilq || mcleri:zxuwrM

PARARATANTRA

ANCIENT SANSKRIT TEXT ON ASTRONOMY

AND NATURAL SCIENCES

Reconstructed Text with Translation & Notes

R. N. Iyengar


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|| S lq Gwpr mu

To my grandfather,Daivaja, Sri Srinivasa Gopalachar

To my parents,Smt. R. Padmasini and Vidyaratna, Prof. S. Rangachar

for having decided I should learn Sanskrit for a few yearsin the traditional style.

To all my esteemed teachers in thePr thama, K vya and S hitya (I year) courses during 1953-58,

at the Mah r ja Samskr ta P t ha l, Mysore; especially,Vidwan, Pandit N.S. Ramabhadrachar

who through his inimitable style of teaching impressed upon methat the basic tenet of the intellectual tradition of India is:

|| lululqwzsl m o ||


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CONTENTS

Foreword in English ......... vii Foreword in Sanskrit ......... xi

Preface ......... xv Abbrevation ......... xix

Introduction . ........ 20

1. || Emlrlkrr|| ......... 45 Prologue

2. || xuixUxkrr|| ......... 58 Fundamentals

3. || ASircU|| ......... 62 Suns Movement

4. || clScU|| ......... 81 Moons Movement

5. || UWcU|| ......... 86 Rhus Movement

6. || pqcU|| ......... 101 Movement of Mars

7. || okcU|| ......... 104 Movement of Mercury

8. || oWxmicU|| ......... 110 Movement of Jupiter

9 || zcU|| ......... 113 Movement of Venus

10. || zlUcU|| ......... 122 Movement of Saturn


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11. || MicU|| ......... 126 On Comets

12. || AaxircU:|| ......... 150 On Canopus

13. || lMqkrr|| ......... 167 Astral-geography

14. || lmxaq|| ......... 174 Naks atra Af ictions

15. || aWrq|| ......... 198 Planet Conjunctions

16. || ijMUhqWiq|| ......... 204 Tithi, Karan a and Muhrta

17. || muwhq|| ......... 209 Rainfall

18. || pMqmlq|| ......... 227 Earthquake

19. || EsMmimixrmUuwS|| ......... 232 Meteors, Mock Sun, Haloes

20. || qlwq|| ......... 242 Dreams and Divination

21. || xhq|| ......... 257 Miscellany

Index ......... 274


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The origin of what has been characterized as Indian or Hindu Astronomy

can be traced to the thoughts and practices of Vedic people ( c 2000 BCE).The earliest text in Sanskrit on astronomy goes by the name Vedga Jyotisa (VJ), one of the auxiliaries of the Vedas, which states : Just likethe combs of peacocks and the crest of the jewels of serpents, so does Jyotia stand at the head of the auxiliaries of the Vedas. The kernel ofVedic life was the performance of yaja (sacri ce) which was in the natureof forging an inseparable consonance between the performer (microcosm)

of sacri ces and the Universe (macrocosm). VJ avers: The Vedas haveindeed been revealed for the performance of sacri ces; but these sacri ceshave been set out to be performed according to sequences of time. Hence,only he who knows astronomy, the science of time, understands sacri ces.

Vedga Jyotisa speci cally deals with astronomical ideas. It hasconceived a ve-year cycle, a lunisolar one, calledYuga , during whichthere would be 5 solar revolutions, 67 Moons sidereal and 62 synodicmonths, 1830 civil days, 1835 solar days and 1830 lunar days or tithis. Thetext has also given the divisions of a day and associated aspects, besidesa list of 27 naksatras (asterisms) starting with Bharan and ending with Avin . The naksatra list, but of 28 including Abhijit , also appears in theYajurveda texts and the Atharvaaveda but beginning with Krttik. TheVedic literature too has several other astronomical ideas. VJ ( c 1200 BCE)is attributed to one Lagadha, and the extant text - gvedic recension (35

verses ) and the Yajurvedic (43) - might have been xed in text form a littlelater. In the history of astronomical literature in Sanskrit, the text next to

Foreword


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VJ is the ryabhatya of ryabhata I (499 CE) which appeared after a longspan of time of more than 1000 years. Moreover, the ryabhatya belongsto a new genre of astronomical texts, called the Siddhntas, which deal with

mathematical astronomy. It is inconceivable indeed that there were no newastronomical studies and attainment in India during this long interregnum.On the other hand, the ve siddhntas redacted by Varhamihira, a juniorcontemporary of ryabhata I, in the early sixth century CE, known asthe Pacasiddhntik , (the name given by his scholiast, Bhattotpala wholived in the tenth century CE ) belong to a period much earlier than thatof ryabhata I. According to traditional lore and references made in therelated literature, there are 18 siddhntas, the redactors or authors of whichare: Srya, Pitmaha, Vysa,Vasistha, Atri, Par ara, Ka yapa, Nrada,Garga, Manu, Marci, Agira, Loma a or Romaka, Pauli a, Cyavana,Yavana, Bhrgu and aunaka. Several of them appear to have been lostand some of them are referred to, or partially retained, in later texts. Theimportance of studying these sources can hardly be over-emphasized.

A few western historians of Indian astronomy like David Pingree, have

opined that the Aryabhaan and later Indian astronomy were in uenced byHellenic astronomical ideas. Pingree even says that much of what we knowabout Greek astronomy between Hipparchus and fourth century A.D., can

be found in Sanskrit texts. He also states that Indian astronomers wereignorant of Ptolemaic astronomy till the seventeenth century. Contradictionof this kind apart, Pingrees assertion that because of the Indian tendencyto modify intellectual imports and also of the corrupt nature of the earliestsurviving texts, it is often dif cult to determine precisely the nature ofGreek texts on which the Sanskrit texts are based is biased and hardlyconsistent. Pingrees approach, as of some other western savants, fromthe standpoint of historiography, leaves much to be desired. It would bean erroneous approach in history of science, if one were to conclude thatif a scienti c idea is present in a culture-area earlier than that in anotherculture-area, the latter should have borrowed it from the former, unless itis substantiated by undisputable pathways of transmission, including the

concerned textual sources. Just comparing the contents without examiningthe cultural context is also an improper methodology.


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The period between the three centuries before and after the Christianera, was a creative one; for, it witnessed the emergence of the two medicalclassics, new ideas on atomism, and revolutionary ideas of Buddhism,

Tntrism and, more importantly, the formulation of the versatile decimal place value system. It is more than likely that this period also saw somefresh thinking on orbital astronomy including planets, which formed the

basis of the Pre-Siddhntic astronomy and this could also have been afountain-source for even the Alexandrian astronomical pursuits.

A few other western scholars like Burgess, think of a common sourceof transmission and, in this respect, the Pre-ryabhatan/Pre-Siddhnticastronomy and Vedic astronomical ideas merit our attention. Although wehave some knowledge of Vedic astronomy, it is desirable, indeed necessary,that more systematic studies are undertaken to unravel especially theastronomical ideas hidden in Vedic symbolism and imagery . Likewise, theliterature relating to the other siddhntas needs to be examined in depth.Realizing the importance of such studies and their historical value, Prof.R.N. Iyengar, hailing from a family of Sanskrit scholarship and himself

trained in Sanskrit, though an engineer by profession, has been a pioneerin these studies over the past three decades. His meticulous studies have

brought to light the knowledge of comets ( dhmaketu) and meteoriticshowers even during the Rgvedic times, the astronomical signi canceof the Vedic Daraprn amsa altar, Dhruva as ancient pole star, certaincelestial luminaries associated with Krsna, eclipses and planets in the Mahbhrata , besides the cycles of rainfall, earthquakes and the like, asrecorded in ancient Sanskrit texts.

Now, Prof. Iyengar has ably brought out a reconstructed text titled: Pararatantra compiling the Sanskrit passages attributed to Par ara andrecorded in (i) Utpalas commentary on the Brhatsamhit of Varhamihira;(ii) Adbhutasgara of Balllasena; and (iii) Commentary named Utpala- parimala of Bhskarayogi on the Bhatsamhit. This composite text, thetitle of which is based on Utpalas commentary, is different from the other

texts attributed to the name of Par ara, like Brhat-parara-horstra (atext on astrology), Kr si-parara (a work on agriculture), Parara-smr ti


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(a Dharma stra text) and Parara-gama. A notable aspect of this text isits listing of 27 naksatras beginning with Krttik like the Vedic texts, butomitting Abhijit , as in the Vedga Jyotisa. Probably the Pararatantra

could belong to the Vedic tradition.

This text, which is in prose, has 21 Sections and the Sanskrit passageshave been rendered into English effectively, though not literally. They dealwith divisions of time, planets, naksatras and their af ictions, mattersrelating to rainfall, earthquakes, astrogeographical aspects and mostimportantly, 26 comets ( dhmaketu) - a topic that has not been discussedso vividly in any other text in ancient time - as well as Agastya (Canopus,the southern star). Par ara was perhaps the rst to state correctly thevisibility periods of Venus in the east and west, the occurrence of lunareclipses at intervals of six months, and fairly accurate statements aboutJupiter, Saturn, and Mercury, all by his own observations. These and otherexpositions in the Pararatantra indicate that it could well have been theforerunner of the Parara Siddhnta , one of the eighteen Siddhntas asmentioned before. The Introduction by Prof. Iyengar is scholarly and lucid

alike. All those who are interested in the History of Indian Astronomy aregrateful to him for bringing out this valuable text which has enriched ourknowledge of Pre-ryabhatan astronomy.

B.V.SubbarayappaFormer President

International Union of History &Philosophy of Science

(ICSU-UNESCO)


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uzxr cmSxr zxxr qWi mr

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xxMilxr uwr auwhMr ui||

mUuM


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mUzUilxr uzwqii ii oWA i Szrli| mr Alr mrz


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mklrl pimsl Mir oAixaUlql alj pxMUral mUzUucll Cixii mcUir u ucluUki iw xqraaWhkr mrxkrqSqluwh Mi mu xuiql mimSl uxilir Mi

muUrq||


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rj qr EcUqu ri LiSz qWu xcmh mPi l u mMwkr c qSimxiMl WxisZil qSi| iSii zsbr Mr Aui l u AMU, Mli ulzxh Arrprx mrxl c xqmi pui

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AmUxr aljxr uzw ri AXas Mi rl AXaspwih uS xlSWsu xri ri W MSzM ixrm uTsiuq Aaiu c xxm Lii mUzUil uSw mUxi xzkMmuUh ArrUqWSr iqSUh xqpll Azx rSr alj xqSi xri|| Ci zq||

uMhMUMs rzuliilr x

S.Y.Wakankar

Deputy Director (Retd.), Oriental Institute Baroda.Former Professor. Jain University, Bangalore.

Presently Visiting Professor, I.I.T. Gandhinagar


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After the devastating Latur-Khilari earthquake of 30 th September 1993

a Commission appointed by Government of India visited Bangalore forcollecting information from scientists and engineers on how seismicstudies were being carried out in India. In the meeting that took placean American scientist mentioned that since earthquakes repeat in thesame tectonic province, South India, though geologically known as stablecontinental region, should have experienced earthquakes in the past. Hequite forcefully remarked but, with three to four thousand years of

history, no one in India knows when and where the ancient earthquakesoccurred in the country. This observation, factual as it was, prompted meto look into ancient literature for information on past natural disasters in thecountry. As is well known Varhamihira in his famous Brhatsamhit has along chapter on earthquakes. But to my surprise I found that Varhamihira,was only a compiler of scienti c topics prevalent in ancient India and notan original thinker. He depended on Parara and Vr ddhagarga for natural

phenomena such as earthquakes, comets, eclipses and even rainfall aswould be clear from the commentary on the Brhatsamhit by Bhat totpala.In any case as far as earthquakes were concerned, two thousand yearsago our ancients had ve broad identi ed seismic provinces in thesubcontinent. Hence, it is ironical that there should be so much quibblingin modern India about seismic zones which, in the last fty years, have

been altered several times arbitrarily without scienti c basis.

Among the ancient scienti c thinkers cited by medieval writers,Parara attracted my attention and I started collecting texts attributed to

Preface


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him. Unfortunately beyond what is available in the published commentaryof Utpala and the Adbhutasgara of Balllasena I could not get at theoriginal text or manuscript of the Pararatantra . But the search about

science in Sanskrit literature has been fascinating. To place the traditionof Parara in proper context I had to go through the History of Science inIndia as expounded by Indian and western scholars. I had to wade throughthe Vedic texts, the pur as and the two epics for natural events that mayhave a bearing on what Parara had to say. This made me realize that,contrary to the widely prevalent theories of History of Science, the roots ofHindu Astronomy were not planted in the country after either Chaldeanstransmitted computational knowledge about eclipses or Greeks introducedtheir solar zodiac and planetary periods. While the work of Varhamihirade nitely shows foreign in uence, nothing is noticeable in the text of

Pararatantra that was available to him in 6 th century at Ujjain, to hisKashmirian commentator Utpala in 10 th century and to Balllasena, theKing of Mithil as late as 12 th century CE.

As I collected more and more information about natural events

described in ancient literature it became clear that right from Vedic timeswe have had a legacy of observing and interpreting natural events howeverarchaic and unintelligible it might be now. Pararatantra represents a

branch of original knowledge on astronomy and other positive sciences.The origin of this school, based on internal evidences, can be traced backto 14 th-12 th Century BCE. This date, glaringly at variance from the historyof India as taught in our schools and colleges by mainstream historians andindologists, fuelled my curiousity to verify this chronological marker bymethods of archaeo-astronomy. It motivated me to compile the statementsof Parara and subject them to a reality check. The present book is theresult of such an exercise carried out over the last several years.

Compilation of a Sanskrit text from different sources separated widelyin time is a daunting task and I was quite hesitant to publicize my studies.But the constant encouragement I received from Dr. S.Y.Wakankar, while

he was my colleague at Jain University as Professor for a period of two-and-a-quarter years, provided me with the con dence to bring out the


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Pararatantra text in book form. Prof. Wakankar not only helped mewith dif cult Sanskrit passages but also kindly read through differentversions of my manuscript suggesting corrections and improvements. I am

thankful to him for his invaluable support culminating with his Sanskritforeword to the book.

Dr. B. V. Subbarayappa is the doyen of science historians in India.It has been my privilege to meet him often to discuss the subject ofancient Indian astronomy. He found time to read through my preliminarymanuscript and suggested several improvements. Further, acceding tomy request Dr. Subbarayappa has written a scholarly foreword to the

book which highlights the importance of tracing history of astronomyand other sciences in ancient India starting from Vedic times, without

preconceived notions and prejudice. I am grateful to him for his adviceand encouragement.

Sri V.H. Sateeshkumar presently pursuing his doctoral degree inAstrophysics at Baylor University, USA has been a constant source of

enthusiasm. When he was here at the Jain University, almost every daywe used to discuss astronomy, both modern and ancient, and how it hasenriched Indian culture. He has read several chapters of this book andoffered useful comments for improvement.

My stay with Jain University after retiring from the Indian Instituteof Science has been pleasant. Dr. Chenraj Roychand, President, JainUniversity Trust, is a great patron of learning. He has fully supported mein developing the Center for Disaster Mitigation and also has encouragedme to initiate studies on Indian knowledge traditions. He recognizes theimportance of bridging the divide that exists in the country between theancient indigenous intellectual schools and the more recent western typeuniversity education. When I showed him the manuscript of my book,he offered to get the work published by the Jain University Press. I amindebted to Dr. Roychand for his continued support and encouragement.

It has been a nice experience to work with the staff of the Jain


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University publication unit. Notwithstanding the dif culties faced incombining the text in different scripts and styles with tables and gures,they have handled the book professionally with great care. They have

cooperated with me beyond my expectations in planning, designing and bringing out the book on time. My thanks are due to every one of the JUPstaff.

The book is in Sanskrit though, in line with such technical literature,the text may not be following rules of grammar strictly. However, anyonewith a working knowledge of the language would be able to follow theoriginal without dif culty. If younger scholars in our Sanskrit universitiesderive inspiration from this book to extend their horizon of study beyondthe beaten track I consider my efforts amply rewarded. The workingtranslation and notes are aimed at the general reader who likes to knowabout positive sciences, particularly astronomy, cultivated in India long

before the advent of Mahvra and Buddha, two well known historical personalities belonging to the middle of the rst millennium BCE. I hopescientists, indologists, historians and culture enthusiasts exploring the

evolution of Indian intellectual traditions and concepts rather than just thechronology of kings and wars will nd themselves on common ground inthis book Pararatantra.

R.N.IyengarJain University, Bangalore

([email protected]) Deepavali 2013

parāśaratantra: ancient hindu astronomy & natural science-source book

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