A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c12.2

c12.2

There exist, in regions outside Kerala, in Sanskrit and in other Indian languages, a considerable number of astrological texts which proclaim themselves as Kerala Jyotiṣa and, as such, might, in a way, be called ‘Kerala-based jyotiṣa texts’. The possible origin, nature and major trends of these texts have been discussed briefly elsewhere in this book (see pp. 38-40). These works can be identified by one or more of such indications as: (1) the definite mention of their non-Keralite authorship; (2) the addition of the expression ‘Kerala’ to their titles, apparently intended to distinguish them from other regional or all-India texts of the same or similar titles; (3) their high popularity outside Kerala which is matched only by their being practically unheard of in Kerala, the reason for which is obviously that, in a conservative society, one would scarcely go in for a low-rate alien imitation or improvisation when the full original is with oneself. Most of these works are anonymous or ascribed to apocryphal authors. Some claim to be parts of larger works. It is but natural that, while manuscripts of these works occur in good numbers outside Kerala, indicating their popularity in trans-Kerala regions, in Kerala itself, their manuscripts are well-nigh absent. It is a moot point as to what extent these texts are indebted to Kerala Jyotiṣa in the matter of the their tradition, teachings or inspiration. In some cases, it might be regular borrowal, in others restricted to their nature and contents and in still others only to the ideas. In certain cases, it is even possible that Kerala has lent nothing more than its name! The lack of definitive authorship and the amorphous nature of contents of some of these works, naturally, make their identification difficult. This is especially so, in the case of works which appear under different titles and in varied extent, a fact which is reflected in the following *Bibliography*, as well. Certain methods to ascertain the indebtedness of individual texts to Kerala Jyotiṣa and to pursue this interesting study have been suggested above (see p. 41).