History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.71.1

v6.c82.71.1

About Astronomy and Astrology as developed in India Western scholars such as Weber, Whitney, Thibaut have propounded many sweeping and unwarranted theories based on flimsy data. Here and there I may have to refer to them. But I must say in one place how and why their conclusions are often unacceptable In the first place, they do `not attach due importance to the fact that a vast literature in Sanskrit has perished beyond recovery (as it is admitted was the case in Greece after Ptolemy composed his Almagest)⁶⁹³ and what we now have is a mere fraction of what once existed. In the second place, they forget or ignore that much of the literature that survives is religious and not intended to be a historical and full treatment of any topic i.e. most of the references to astronomical matters found in the Vedas and Brāhmaṇas are not made of set purpose but are incidental or casual. They hardly seem to be aware of the rule of caution and common sense that in ancient literature what is expressly stated may be used for drawing inferences, but the non-mention of certain matters cannot necessarily be a valid reason for arriving at the conclusion of non-existence, unless the subject matter was such that if something connected with it existed it should ordinarily have been mentioned. Further, and most important of all, mere similarities in institutions, usages and other matters should not be regarded as evidence of borrowing by one people from another people.