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A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c7.s2: 2. Spirit of enquiry

A History of the Kerala School of Hindu Astronomy (in Perspective) c7.s2

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2. Spirit of enquiry

c7.s2.1

At the outset, a reference might be made to the mental outlook and spirit of enquiry that characterised Kerala astronomers and mathematicians in their investigations. Parameśvara of Vaṭaśreṇi (c. 1360-1455), who revised the then prevailing Parahita system of computation and evolved new methods in his work entitled Dṛggaṇita,¹ makes a revealing statement in this regard, in the beginning of that work. He says :

c7.s2.2

dṛśyante vihaga dṛṣṭyā bhinnāḥ parahitoditāḥ |
pratyakṣadṛṣṭāḥ spaṣṭāḥ syur grahāḥ śāstreṣv itīrtam || I.¹.2 ||

satkarmoditakalasya grahā hi jñānasādhanam |
aspaṣṭavihagaiḥ siddhaḥ kalaḥ śuddho na karmaṇi || 3 ||

ye tu śastravidas tadvad golayuktividas ca taḥ |
sphuṭakhecaravijñāne yatnaḥ kāryo dvijair ataḥ || 4 ||

sañcintyeti samālocya pūrvatantrāṇi yatnataḥ |
sphuṭayuktim khecarāṇām goladṛṣṭyā samīkṣya ca || 5 ||

sphuṭakhecaravijñānam śiṣyair yaiḥ prarthitam dvijaiḥ |
tebhyo Dṛggaṇitam nāma gaṇitam kriyate mayā || 6 ||

c7.s2.3

¹ K. V. Sarma, The Dṛggaṇita of Parameśvara, Cr. ed. with Introduction, Hoshiarpur, 1963. Parameśvara is reputed to have made continuous astronomical observations for 55 years with the help of instruments : Cf. what Nilakaṇṭha Somayājin, who received instruction from Parameśvara, says in his Āryabhaṭīya-bhāṣya (Gola, 43) : *Parameśvarācāryeṇa punaḥ grahaṇagrahayogādikam yantraḥ pañcapañcaśad-varṣakālam samyak parīkṣitam. Aha caivam...“grahendraḥ pañcapañcaśad-varṣakālasaḍaniare”* etc. (Trivandrum Skt. Ser., No. 185, p. 154).

c7.s2.4

'(The positions of) the planets derived according to the Parahita (system of computation) are found to be different (from their actual positions) as seen by the eye. And, in authoritative texts (śāstra) it is said that (only) positions as observed (should be taken) as the true ones. (I. i. 2).

c7.s2.5

'(The positions of ) the planets are the means of knowing the times specified for (the performance of ) meritorious acts. (Here), times calculated from incorrect (positions of ) planets will not be auspicious for those) acts. (3)

c7.s2.6

‘Hence, efforts should be made for knowing the true (positions of) planets by those who are learned in the sciences and by those who are experts in spherics. (4)

c7.s2.7

‘Cogitating thus, and painstakingly studying the ancient texts and observing well the true positions of the planets according to the spherics, I am composing a manual on astronomy for the twice-born disciples who requested for a knowledge of the true (positions of the) planets’. (6).

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