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A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c4: Preface

A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c4

Language
English

Preface

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The present work on the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy grew out of my conviction about the sustained development of the twin disciplines of astronomy and mathematics, in that part of India, during mediaeval times, even after the period of Bhāskara II (b. A. D. 1114), from when on, it is uniformly presumed that Hindu mathematics had come to a standstill (see below, pp. 11-12). For a proper assessment of the said development, the premier requirement was an analytical and documented account of the extensive source materials on the subject, in Sanskrit and in Malayalam, as recorded, mostly, in palmleaf manuscripts Critical and comparative studies on individual topics, authors and works could follow, on the basis of the said account. And, the cumulation of such studies could be expected to set out the contribution of Kerala to Hindu astronomy, which would form a substantial chapter in the history of that discipline.

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This volume is intended as a history ‘in perspective’, a necessary fore-runner to ‘descriptive’ and ‘comparative’ histories of the subject. The aim is to set out in broad ‘perspective’ the characteristics of Hindu astronomy as it developed in Kerala (pp. 1-10), its major achievements and highlights (pp. 11-28), its main trends (pp. 29-40), a chronological account of the astronomers and mathematicians of Kerala (pp. 41-81), a fully referenced and documented survey of the literature on the subject produced in the land, with extracts from manuscripts and mention of earlier writings on them (pp. 81-184) and a similar survey of the literature inspired by Keralite ideas, but produced beyond the borders of Kerala (pp 185-96).

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The sections on ‘Modern anticipations’ (pp. 11-28) and on ‘Major trends’ (pp. 29-40) are bound to be highly instructive. So also are the sections on the ‘Bibliography of Kerala-based Jyotiṣa’ and the ‘Bibliography of Kerala-based Jyotiṣa’, in 115 pages, which form the burden of this book. In the former as many as 752 works and 111 authors have been identified and marked off with documentary evidence, and in the latter 118 works and 32 authors have been similarly treated.

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Of the said 752 Kerala works, 402 pertain to astronomy and mathematics and 350 to astrology. Among the astronomical works, the *karaṇa* texts number 211 and works on general astronomy, 80. There are 34 works on eclipses, which either enunciate new methodologies, indicate revised calculations or describe eclipse computation. A very important type of texts, numbering 9, pertain to the exposition of astronomical rationale (*nyāya* and *yukti*). Works connected with the *Siddhāntas* number 6, with *Tantra* 34 and with mathematics 28. The above résumé would amply substantiate the claim for sustained astronomical investigation and literary activity in that subject in Kerala during the late mediaeval period.¹

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¹ It might be mentioned here that S.N. Sen's *Bibliography of Sanskrit works on astronomy and mathematics*, (National Institute of Sciences of India, New Delhi, 1966), records only about 660 works, in all, for the whole of India.

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The survey, conducted as above, has resulted, as might be seen from the inventory of Kerala authors and works (pp. 85-184), in the identification of several hitherto unknown astronomers and the discovery of a large number of interesting texts, especially on *chaya*, *grahaṇa* and *sphuṭakriya*; these can be distinguished in the said inventory by the absence of any reference to modern writings recorded below the respective entries. Among the identifications are included also the different versions and recensions of works like the *Kriyākramakarī*, *Goladīpikā* and *Nyāyaratna*. Several works bearing the same title, and authors having a common name have been identified. (See for example, *Uparāgakriyākrama* I-III, *Grahaṇagaṇita* I-X, *Grahaṇaṣṭaka* I-IV, *Pañcabodha* I-XI, *Muhūrtapadavī* I-VII; Dāmodara I-III, Nārāyaṇa I-VIII, Puruṣottama I-III, Śaṅkara I-IX etc.). A number of additions, correlations, and corrections to existing views could also be made which would be apparent on a reference to entries such as Acyuta II (see also p. 184), Āzhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ, Ghaṭigopa, Citrabhānu-Śiṣya (see also p. 184), Jyeṣṭhadeva, Nārāyaṇa I, Nilakaṇṭha I, Parameśvara I, Putumana Somayāji, Mādhava I, Śaṅkara Variyar of Tṛkkuṭaveli, Śaṅkara Nampūtiri of Mahiṣamaṅgalam, *Muhūrtapadavī*, *Horā* etc. Of special significance in the matter of ingenuity is the *Veṇvāroha* of Mādhava and the genre of texts based on its method. Among the numerous new works discovered, two deserve special mention, viz., the *Grahaparīkṣākrama* of Nilakaṇṭha Somayāji and the *Sūryasiddhānta-vyākhya* of Acyuta Piṣāraṭi. As a matter of fact, it is quite possible that further examination of the manuscript repositories in Kerala is likely to result in more discoveries and identifications.

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This volume is primarily the outcome of the researches which I carried out as a University Research Scholar under the supervision of Prof. V. A. Ramaswami Sastri, concurrently with my duties as the Supervising Pandit of the Cataloguing Section of the University Oriental Manuscripts Library, Trivandrum: My intimate association, later, with the compilation of the *New Catalogus Catalogorum of Sanskrit Works and Authors* at the Madras University also proved to be of great help in my work. The thrill at discovering the thitherto unknown basic of text of the *Parahita* System of Kerala astronomy, viz., the *Grahacāranibandhana* of Haridatta (c. A. D. 650-700) and, subsequently, of the basic text of the *Dṛk* System, viz., Parameśvara's *Dṛggaṇita*, which had been proclaimed by all earlier scholars as irrevocably lost, sustained me through the heavy strain involved in examining several hundreds of palmleaf manuscripts, identifying, studying and correlating works on Jyotiṣa. Another factor which kept up the tempo of the investigations, during later years, was the flow of queries from the late savant, Vaṭakkumkūr Rajaraja Varma, who was then writing his 6-volume *History of Kerala Sanskrit literature* and 2-volume Supplement to Ulloor's *History of Kerala literature*. I cherish the privilege I had in supplying him with substantial literary information in that connection, which he has generously acknowledged at several places in his said books, particularly in the Preface to vol. I of the latter work and in the general reference he has made on pp. 508-9 of vol. VI of the former.

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The magnificent Manuscripts Library of the Kerala University, which is the largest repository of Kerala manuscripts, has, naturally, been the prime source of my basic materials. I am indebted to the successive Directors of that Library, to wit, Prof. V.A. Ramaswami Sastri, Dr. P.K. Narayana Pillai and Dr. K. Raghavan Pillai, and to Dr. L.A. Ravi Varma, who was in charge of the Maharaja's Palace Library, Trivandrum, for the facilities they afforded towards my studying the materials available at these centres. Thanks are due, for similar facilities, also to the authorities of certain other manuscript repositories, especially the Govt. Oriental Mss. Library, and the Adyar Library, Madras, the Sanskrit College Library, Trippunithura, the S.V. Oriental Institute, Tirupati, and our own Vishveshvaranand Institute, Hoshiarpur. Among the private collections which I could make use of, a mention might be made of those at the Azhvāñceri Tamprākkaḷ Mana, Kāṇippayyūr Mana, Elamprakkoṭṭu Mana and Vayaskara Illam, to the custodians of all of which I am thankful. I am obliged to Shri Rama Varma Maru Thampuran of Cochin, Chalakkudi, for providing me with the details about several astronomical tracts and to Shri P. Ramanathan, Ulloor Publishers, Trivandrum, for placing at my disposal the rich library of his father Ulloor S. Parameswara Aiyar, the veteran historian of Kerala literature. Among modern scholars on mathematics, I am particularly grateful to Prof. T.S. Kuppanna Sastri, Sanskrit College, Madras, and Prof. C.T. Rajagopal, lately of the Ramanujan Institute of Mathematics, University of Madras, for the inspiration they gave me in my investigations. I also wish to put on record the help that I received from Shri Raj Kumar and Shri K. Sundareswaran of our Institute in the matter of reading the proofs and allied work relating to the present publication. The credit for the neat and expeditious execution of the printing of this volume goes to the V.V.R.I. Press, Hoshiarpur.

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K.V. SARMA Vishveshvaranand Institute, Hoshiarpur, August 15, 1972.

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