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Bharatiya Jyotihshastra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t47: Keśava (II)

Bhāratīya Jyotiḥśāstra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t47

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Keśava (II)

v2.c12.s2.t47.1

He was the father of Gaṇeśa Daivajñya, the famous author of Grahalāghava. He was himself a very great scholar. According to the well-known saying, ‘Desire success on all fronts, but desire a defeat from the disciple,’ it was very creditable to Keśava that Gaṇeśa Daivajñya surpassed him in the matter of planetary calculations. It is evident that his son could not have possessed so much ability, if Keśava had not been a learned man himself. He has to his credit a Karaṇa work named Graha Kautuka, and the Śaka year 1418 has been adopted as the commencing year in it. From this, he appears to have lived about that date. In the work Muhūrtatatva, he remarks at the end,

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......गुरुवैजनाथचरणद्वंदे रतः केशवः।।
नन्दिग्रामगतः सुतस्तु कमलज्योतिविदव्यस्य...।।

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*Translation* :—This is for “Keśava, who hails from Nandigrāma, who is the son of Kamalākara, who always worships the feet of his preceptor Vaijanātha and who is the leader of astronomers........”

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While commenting on this verse, his son, Gaṇeśa Daivajñya observes “From Nandigrāma, a well known village, situated on the eastern shore of the Western sea, of which he was a resident”. From this, his father’s name appears to be Kamalākara, who was also an eminent astronomer. Keśava got his lessons from Vaijanātha and he was the resident of Nandigrāma on the sea coast in Konkan. This is, at present, a village, in the Janjeera State and is known as Nāndgāon. It lies about 40 miles to the south of Bombay. His gotra, as stated in the account given by Gaṇeśa Daivajñya, was Kauśika, and the name of Keśava’s wife was Lakṣmi. The family account of Keśava and Gaṇeśa is found in their other works also.

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His works.

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The works compiled by Keśava have been enumerated by Gaṇeśa Daivajñya in the commentary on Muhūrtatatva as follows :—

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सोपायं ग्रहकौतुकं खगकृतिं तच्चालनाख्यं तिथेः
सिद्धं जातकपद्धतिं सविवृतिं तातीयके पद्धतिं।।
सिद्धांतेप्युपपत्तिपाठनिचयं मौहर्तत्वाभिधं
कायस्थादिजधर्मपद्धतिमुखं श्रीकेशवायोऽकरोत्।।

v2.c12.s2.t47.8

*Translation* :— “Keśava compiled the following works :—(1) Grahakautuka, with its commentary, the planetary work called ‘Grahacālana,’ the ‘Tithisiddhi’, the Jātaka paddhati with its commentary; the Tartiyapaddhati along with the commentary; the Siddhānta Pāth containing the arguments and entitled ‘Muhūrtatatva’: the religious practices of the Kāyasthas.

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Gaṇeśa Daivajñya again writes in the same commentary,

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ग्रहकौतुकटीकावर्षग्रहसिद्धितिथिसिद्धिग्रहचालनगणितदीपिकाजातकपद्धतिटीकाताजिकप- द्धतिसिद्धान्तपाठकास्थाद्याचारपद्धतिकुंडाष्टलक्षणादिग्रंथजातनिबंधांतरमहं केशव मुहूर्ततत्त्वं वक्ष्ये,

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Translation :—I, Keśava, describes the following works :—[the same list of works as above, with the addition of (1) The definitions of eight kinds of Kuṇḍa (2) Gata nibandha]. This prose extract is quite clear. The works Jātakapaddhati and Tājikapaddhati referred to in this, are at present well known. They are jointly known as the “Keśavi” and many Jyotiṣis (astrologers) use them. Both the works have been printed. The Muhūrtatatva is also printed. The work Muhūrta Mārtaṇḍa written in Śaka 1493 near Devagiri (Daulatābād) mentions the Jātakapaddhati of Keśava, and a reference to Muhūrtatatva is found in Ranganātha’s commentary on the Sūrya-siddhānta written at Vārāṇasi in Śaka 1525. It shows that these works were extensively used in our country very soon after Keśava.

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OBSERVATIONS

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Keśava’s works on mathematical astronomy appear to have received a setback because of the works written by his son; but Keśava’s rank is very high among astronomers in respect of observations. Our country has produced very few astronomers of equal ability. In the ‘Mitākṣara’, his own commentary on Grahakautaka, he observes,

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ब्राह्मार्यभटसौराष्ट्रेऽपि ग्रहकरणेेषु बुधशुक्रयोर्महदंतरं अंकतया दृश्यते । मंदे आकाशे नक्षत्रग्रहयोगे उदयोस्ते च पंचभागा अधिकाः प्रत्यक्षमतंर दृश्यते । ... एवं क्षेपेष्वंतरं वर्षभोगेष्वपि अंतरमस्ति । एवं बहुकाले बह्वंतरं भविष्यति । यतो ब्राह्माद्येेष्वपि भगणानां सावनादीनां च बह्वंतरं दृश्यते एवं बहुकाले बह्वंतरं भव्येव ।... एवं बह्वंतरं भविष्येः सुगणकैर्नक्षत्रयोगग्रहयोगोदयास्तादिभिर्वर्तमानं घटनामवलोक्य न्यूनाधिकभगणैश्चैर्रहगणितनि कार्याणि । यद्वा तत्कालक्षेपवर्षभोगान् प्रकल्प्य लघुकर्र्पाणि कार्याणि । ... एवं मया परमफलस्थाने चंद्रग्रहणतिथ्यंताद्विलोमविधिना मध्यश्चंद्रो ज्ञातः तत्र फलस्व-व्हासवृद्धयभावात् । केंद्रगोलदिस्थाने ग्रहणतिथ्यंताद्विलोमविधिना चंद्रोच्चमकालितं । तत्र फलस्य परमव्हास-वृद्धित्वात् । तत्र चंद्रः सूर्यपक्षात्पंचक्क्लोनो दृष्टः । उच्चं ब्रह्मपक्षाश्रितं । सूर्यः सर्वपक्षेपोषदंतरः स सौरो गृहीतः । अन्ये ग्रहा नक्षत्रग्रहयोगग्रहयोगोदयास्तादिभिर्वर्तमानघटना-मवलोक्य साधिताः । तत्रेदानीं भौमेज्यौ ब्रह्मपक्षाश्रितौ घटतः । ब्राह्मौ बुधः । ब्राह्मार्यमध्ये शुक्रः । शनिः पक्षत्रयात्पंचभागाधिको दृष्टः । एवं वर्तमानघटनामवलोक्य लघुकर्माणि ग्रहगणितं कृतं ॥

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Translation :—The figures as calculated from Brāhma, Āryabhaṭa and Saura Siddhāntas exhibit a vast difference in the positions of Mercury and Venus. Saturn shows an excess of five degrees, when actually seen in the sky at the time of its conjunction with stars and planets and while setting and rising...., similarly, a difference is recorded in epochal positions and in the annual rates of motions. This difference will become very great as time will elapse, since the Brahma and other Siddhāntas themselves show a great discrepancy in the numbers of revolutions and the number of seven days etc. Much greater difference will occur after the lapse of a long time.... Hence, the future calculators should calculate planetary places, by adopting the figures of revolutions increased or decreased in conformity with the actual observed phenomena of the conjunction, rising and setting of stars and planets in their own time. Otherwise, short karaṇa works should be compiled by adjusting the epochal positions true for the moment in question. The writer has accordingly found out the mean place of the moon, instead of its maximum equation of centre, by reversed steps, from the observation of the lunar eclipse at the ending moment of the full moon, since, the equation of centre is neither positive nor negative. The moon's apogee was finally fixed by reversing the steps of calculation, after observing the eclipse at the moment of the full moon in the celestial globe of observation, since the maximum correction would neither be plus nor minus. The moon's place was found to be 5 minutes less as compared with that calculated from the Sūrya Siddhānta. The apogee agreed with that of the Brahmapakṣa. The sun's place showed a small discrepancy in the case of all ‘pakṣas’; hence, the writer accepted that belonging to Saurapakṣa. Places of other planets were fixed after actually observing their positions at the time of their conjunctions with stars and planets. Here the writer has taken the Mars and Jupitar as derived from the Brahma Siddhānta and Mercury's place from Brahmapakṣa. Venus was taken as occupying the mean position between the Ārya and Brahmapakṣa. The Saturn was seen to exceed the position given by the three pakṣas by five degrees. Thus the writer has calculated the places of planets by a shcrt method after observing their actual places at the present time.

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The writer has not found such a detailed account of results of observations personally taken by any other astronomer and recorded in his own work. As a matter of fact he inclined to think that there never lived another astronomer like Keśava, except the author of the original Sūrya Siddhānta, Āryabhaṭa I, Brahmagupta and the astronomers living in the time of king Bhoja. If he had recorded the day on which the observations were taken and what were the planetary positions found from observation, the record would have been very useful. But it is a matter of regret that tradition never induced the astronomers in our country to record such an account in their own works.

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The writer found from calculation that he has adopted in his work, Graha-kautuka, such epochal positions and annual motions as agreed with his observations.

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Keśava has himself written a commentary on the Graha Kautuka and the Jātakapaddhati.

Cites (7)