Bharatiya Jyotihshastra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t29: Śrīpati
Bhāratīya Jyotiḥśāstra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t29
- Language
- English
Śrīpati
v2.c12.s2.t29.1
He has the *Siddhāntaśekhara* and the *Dhikoṭidakaraṇa*, two astronomical works to his credit. He also wrote *Ratnamālā*, a work on Muhūrta and Jātakapaddhati, one on astrology. The author has not seen his work *Siddhāntaśekhara*. The name of this work could not be found even in the catalogues of libraries like the Government Collection of the Deccan College, and the Ānandāśrama Collection of Poona. But Bhāskarācārya has referred to his work. Similarly, the Muhūrta work, *Jyotiṣadarpaṇa* and the Marīci commentary on *Siddhānta Śiromaṇi* have quoted him. The work *Dhikoṭidakaraṇa* is not at all known now; but the author found in Ānandāśrama, Poona, a chapter on the eclipses of the sun and the moon from it. It consists of 19 verses only.
v2.c12.s2.t29.2
Date
v2.c12.s2.t29.3
No books printed so far give any clue to his date; but I found Śrīpati's date in the small and incomplete copy of the Karaṇa mentioned above. The Karaṇa has adopted Śaka 961 as the epoch which shows that Śrīpati lived about that year.
v2.c12.s2.t29.4
His Commentaries
v2.c12.s2.t29.5
There is a brief commentary on the two chapters mentioned above. It contains two solved examples on eclipses for which the Śaka years 1532 and 1593 have been adopted. It shows that the Karaṇa work appears to have been in use up to that year in some regions. Both works, *Ratnamālā* and *Jātakapaddhati* have been printed at Vārāṇasī and both have a commentary on them, entitled Mahādeva.
v2.c12.s2.t29.6
His Lineage
v2.c12.s2.t29.7
Śrīpati has mentioned nothing about his place, family etc. However, Mahādeva, in the beginning of his commentary on *Ratnamālā* observes :
v2.c12.s2.t29.8
कश्यपवंशपुंडरीकखंडमार्तंड: केशवस्य पौत्र:नागदेवस्य सूनु:श्रीपति:संहितार्थं अभिधातुमिच्छु:आइ.
v2.c12.s2.t29.9
Translation.—Śrīpati, son of Nāgadeva and grandson of Keśava, and who was like the Sun giving delight to lotuses in the form of descendants of Kaśyapa with the desire of explaining the meaning of the saṃhitā, observes :—......
v2.c12.s2.t29.10
From this his ‘gotra’ seems to be Kaśyapa, Nāgadeva the name of his father and Keśava, that of his grandfather.
v2.c12.s2.t29.11
His School
v2.c12.s2.t29.12
Śrīpati says that he wrote his work *Ratnamālā* on the basis of Lalla's *Ratnakośa*. Even the work *Dhikoṭidakaraṇa* shows that he was the followed of Lalla, that is that of Āryapakṣa.
Cites (5)
- Ratnamālā (Śilāli) — Śilāli, Sanskrit
- Mārīcī — Sanskrit
- Siddhāntaśekhara — Śrīpati, Sanskrit
- Siddhāntaśiromaṇi — Bhāskara II, Sanskrit
- Jātakapaddhati (Keśavārka) — Keśavārka, Sanskrit