History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.172

v6.c82.172

first place no Indian work of the Siddhānta class admits that any Yavana knowledge was at the basis of the Indian astronomy nor do these ancient Sanskrit works on astronomy set out any large number of purely astronomical terms of Greek origin as Varāha does in astrology. The subjects to be dealt with in the Pañcasiddhāntikā are set out in chap. I. verses 5–7 and there is hardly any word therein that can be said to be originally Greek. Reliance is placed by Weber and others on the fact that two of the five Siddhāntas the characteristics of which are summarised by Varāhamihira in his *Karaṇa*⁷⁴⁰ called Pañcasiddhāntikā are designated Romaka and Paulīśa and it is argued that this clearly suggests Greek influence. One should like to know the number of purely Greek astronomical words employed in the Siddhāntas (older than Varāha) and different from the 36 or 37 Greek words said to have been employed in Sanskrit astrology by Varāha and others. Conceding for argument that Romaka stands for the Alexandrian school that does not prove Greek influence on the Siddhāntas. There is hardly any evidence to show that any medieval work or calendar in India followed or was based mainly upon the data of the Romaka.⁷⁴¹ The length of its year is 365 days, 5 hours, 55 minutes and 12 seconds which exactly agrees with the determination of the extent of the year given by Hipparchus and accepted by Ptolemy (Thibaut in Grundriss p. 42). The rules set up by Varāha for *ahargaṇa* according to Romaka give results for the meridian of Yavanapura (and not for that of Ujjayinī). It did not occur to any Western scholar so far that the Romaka-siddhānta being in Sanskrit was most probably composed by some Greek⁷⁴² settled in India familiar with Sanskrit as well as with the Greek or Alexandrian astronomy that preceded Ptolemy and probably even Hipparchus and that therefore Varāha gave a summary of it in his *karaṇa*, just as in his famous work on Astrology, the Bṛhajjātaka, he mentions the views of the Yavanas and frequently differs from them. Further Varāha is generous in his appreciation of Greek astrology⁷⁴³ 'Yavanas are indeed Mlecchas and this śāstra is well cultivated (or established) among them; even they (the Yavanas) are honoured as if they were sages. What need it be said about a brāhmaṇa well-versed in Astrology (he will be honoured much more)'. The word 'śāstra' in this verse when read along with 'daivavid' in the 2nd half must be taken in the sense of 'horā-śāstra'. But Varāha nowhere pays a similar compliment to Yavanas about their proficiency in Astronomy and Mathematics. This would suggest that in astronomy he did not rate them high or did not think they had anything special to impart to Indians or at least he did not base his astronomical theories on the works of Greek astronomers. He hardly ever employs any Greek words that are not already employed in his work on astrology.