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Bharatiya Jyotihshastra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t69: Muniśvera

Bhāratīya Jyotiḥśāstra (History of Indian Astronomy), translated by R. V. Vaidya v2.c12.s2.t69

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Muniśvera

v2.c12.s2.t69.1

WORKS

v2.c12.s2.t69.2

He was the son of Ranganātha, the author of Gūḍhārtha prakāśikā. The date of the commentary viz. Śaka 1525, is the date of his birth :-

v2.c12.s2.t69.3

The following three works by him are famous :-(1) A commentary on Bhāskarācārya’s Līlāvatī, entitled “Nisṛṣṭārtha Dūtī Līlāvatī Vivṛti”, (2) The Marīci commentary on the Chapters on Gaṇita and Gola from (Śiromaṇi) and (3) an independent Siddhānta work on astronomy known as Siddhānta Sārva-bhauma. It is written in Gaṇakatarangiṇī, that ‘Pāṭisāra, is an additional work credited to his name. It seems that it may be an independant work on elementary arithmetic. He has mentioned at the end the date of the completion of the first half of the Marīci commentary in a queer chronogram :-

v2.c12.s2.t69.4

शको भू श्युतो नंदभू १६ हत्फलस्य निरेकस्य मूलं निरेकं भवेत् ।
तदर्थं भवेन्मास इंदू १ नितोज्यं तिथिव्र्वं २ निता पक्षवारौ भवेत ॥ १२ ॥
नक्षत्रवारतिथिपक्षयुतिश्च योगो विश्वै १३ युताखिलधृतिः पदमभवेदाः ४० ।
अस्या यदात्र परिपूरितमितो मरीचिः श्रीवासुदेवगणकाप्रजनिर्मितोयं ॥ १३ ॥

v2.c12.s2.t69.5

Translation :-

v2.c12.s2.t69.6

The first part of the Marīci commentary, which was begun by Muniśvara, the elder brother of Vāsudeo, was completed on the date indicated by the following mathematical formulae :-

v2.c12.s2.t69.7

(i) the nakṣatra number is to be obtained as follows :- the Śaka +1=1557+1=1558 1558÷19=82 ; 82—1=81 ; √81=9 9—1=8th i.e. Puṣya

v2.c12.s2.t69.8

(ii) The month would be the nakṣatra number divided by 2 i.e. 4th viz. Āṣāḍha.

v2.c12.s2.t69.9

(iii) The tithi is given by the month number diminished by 1 i.e. the third, viz. tṛtīyā.

v2.c12.s2.t69.10

(iv) The pakṣa and vāra both to be obtained by diminishing the tithi number by 2 i.e. 1 viz. Śuklapakṣa and Sunday.

v2.c12.s2.t69.11

(v) The yoga to be indicated by the sum of numbers, denoting the nakṣa ara, vāra, tithi, and pakṣa i.e. 8+1+3+1=13th. (vyāghāta).

v2.c12.s2.t69.12

The sum of all these numbers (8+1+3+1+13) i.e. 26 increased by 13 and multiplied by 40 would give the year (=1560) of completion of the work.

v2.c12.s2.t69.13

These verses show that the commentary (first half) was completed on Sunday, the 3rd lunar day of the bright half of Āṣāḍha in Śaka 1557, the nakṣatra being Puṣya and yoga being ‘Vyāghāta’. The latter half was completed in Śaka 1560.

v2.c12.s2.t69.14

Sudhākara says that the Siddhānta-sārvabhauma was completed in Śaka 1568, and the author’s own commentary on it was completed in Śaka 1572. The Marici commentary is a voluminous work and the number of verses in it being 25000. It contains a very large collection of quotations from ancient authors. The commentary on Lilāvati contains 7000 verses and has won recognition from scholars. The commentary on the first half of the Sārvabhauma siddhānta contains 8000 verses. It is seen at several places in his works that he was a staunch admirer of Bhāskarācārya. The length of the Sārvabhauma-Siddhānta and the number of revolutions of planets and other measures adopted in the Sūrya-Siddhānta are the same as in the Sūrya-Siddhānta.

v2.c12.s2.t69.15

Munīsvara was also known by another name, Viśvarupa. He writes in his commentary, Marici, that he obtained knowledge through the favour of Kārtik-them probably belonged to the same family. His works show that he may have obtained the patronage of Emperor Śāhajāhān. In his Sārvabhauma Siddhānta, he has recorded the year of the Hijri era and the date and time of the coronation of Emperor Śāhajāhān, and also the horoscope of the moment. From this we come to know that Śāhajāhān was crowned on Monday, 4th February, 1628 A. D., the 10th lunar day of Māgha Śukla, of Śaka 1549, (the year 1037 according to Hijri era) at 3 ghatis after sunrise.

Cites (4)