Varahamihira

A TREASURE FROM THE STORE

K.B.K.K In Mathrubhoomi Weekly January 17 .1993 page 43-44
(On Varahamihirante Panchasidhanthika Study of Dr Suvarna Nalapat )

Jyothisha is considered as a science that points out the changes in the states of the universe as well as the individual life by determining the position of the celestial spheres. According to Kalyanavarman,nothing except Jyothisha is helpful for economic increase, for escaping from dangers and for useful and safe travels. For getting the effects and predicting, the mathematical knowledge of exact position of spheres like sun etc is absolutely necessary. The author of Chamathkarachinthamani has declared doubtlessly:

Na cheth khecharaa :sthaapithaa:kim bhachakre
Na cheth spashtagaa sthaapithai :kim grahendrai:
Abhavodithaa spashtathaakaathra hethu:
Phalairevasarvam bruvethaani thasmath!
Apart from determining the position of celestial spheres, the sakuna,lakshana are also a part of Jyothisha for finalizing the effects and predictions.
When we see from this viewpoint ,Jyothisha has three Skandha-Ganitha,Samhitha and Hora.Acharya Varahamihira showed his intellectual acumen by analyzing and evaluating and codifying the three Skanda by the scholars before him, and in his own reasoning, logic and experience of them. For making the crossing of the great ocean of Jyothisasthra easy for even the lesser intellects, he created a science-boat (Sasthraplava) which is meaningful (arthabahulam) and gave it to his readers as Brihajaathaka.Codifying the opinions of sages like Brahma, the nature of Graha,the union of Graha and Nakshathra,the phenomena like comets,meteors,Sakuna,lakshana etc he created the great work Brihathsamhitha.And he created Panchasidhanthika which explains the Gathi and vigathi(movements etc)and the reasoning of spherical geometry etc for making it cognizable for ordinary scholars .He clearly stated that:

Jyothisasthram anekabhedavishayam
Skandathrayaadhishtitham
Thathkarsnyopanayasyanaama munibhi-
Samkeerthyate samhitha
Skandesmin ganithenayaagrahagathi-
Sthathraabhidhaanasya sou
Horanyomgavinirnayascha kathitha:
Skandathritheeyo:para:
Like many other sciences the origin of Jyothisasthra is related with the origin of Brahma. Brahma advised Paithamaha(Brahma)sidhantha to Vasishta; Parasara (grandson of Vasishta)learned it as Vasishtasidhantha;Sage Pulisa hearing the discussion of it in the sacrifice of Sunaka made Poulisasidhantha; that which was made by Surya for the Yavana as Romakasidhantha;and the Suryasidhantha explained by Maya .Panchasidhanthika is a explanation of these five ancient laws of Astronomy .The different contributions of these five sidhantha were explained in his preface by G.Thibout.
In 1889 G.Thibout with the help of a scholar Mahamahopadhyaya SudhakaraDwivedi translated it to English.Dr Suvarna Nalapat got this from the collection of Nalapat NarayanaMenon and after carefully studying it has translated( Note: In fact mine is not just a translation but a comparative study too) and published it.Sri Suvarna Nalapat had made attempts to explain even the slokas which were not understood by both Dwivedi and Thibout.She has integrated the modern theories of astronomy too. Since Panchasidhanthika is a Karanagrantha which is for quick mathematical calculations for astronomy, the mathematical functions mentioned in Panchasidhanthika are explained by her with help of diagrams.Dr Suvarna Nalapat,professionally related to the function of human body ,is responding to the movements of Kaalapurusha and this feat cannot be viewed without respect and wonder by the readers.
Researchers like Mr Hogarth(Authority and archeology by Hogarth) had been spreading that the origin of astronomy is Chaldea,and from there Petosiris brought it to Egypt ,and from Egypt the Greeks learned it and made it more scientific. In the clay tablets of Sargon 1 of Acadia ,very ancient astronomical facts were seen and these tablets were before Christ at least 3800 years according to Hogarth.The modern western astronomers still believe that Greece was superior to Indian astronomy .But in the preface to Panchasidhanthika Dr Suvarna is not ready to agree to the view that India was dependent on Greece for its astronomical knowledge.Eventhough Varahamihira has used several Greek words in his books (Thavuru,Juthuma,Pathonam,Phanaparam,Apoklimam) and for the Drekkanaswaroopa he has accepted Bhaava from the Yavana ,Dr Suvarna does not think that the Indian Mathematics never had anything borrowed form western urban civilizations. The Ahargana(the number of days) starts from Yavanapura in Romaka and Poulisasidhantha, yet the author tries to find Yavanapuri as a place in India

(.Note:- This is a wrong assumption. I have said that Yavanapuri is not Rome or Alaxandria But a place in the old Americas –Thula in Mexico,Kethumaala /current Guatemala being the place .see page 115 of my book .The Athalantham of Sanskrit is modern Atlantic and the Asura of the Sanskrit is the Azores of the modern days .This is what I have said and that shows the trade contacts of India with these far off places were several thousand years before Christian era when Rome and Greece never existed).
The merit of this work which has to be pointed out is that attempts are made to explain many facts left out by Thibout in his translation. The first sloka of second chapter about the zenith of planets explained by “ Dasasikhimanuyukthitheendriyamsaisthrinavakavimsathibhischa has to be commented upon. But probably because of her affinity towards Arshagnaana ,doctor had attempted to relate the Horathanthra to the complexities of Vaaha(sthree)thanthra.The number of the Paral from left to right and from right to left (321 as 123) etc is used. How much such methods would be useful for a science derivation?
The codification of the sciences prior to one’s time is essential .The recognition of this scientific need was shown by only one astronomer scholar, and that was Varahamihira according to Thibout.Varahamihira is introducing not any one of a theory but is introducing the differences of the main points and integration of the existing theories .People of Kerala do mathematics with Vakya(sentences ) and for these people this book is an invaluable asset. The directions,positions,the laws of diagonal, the time of eclipse and its duration, the union of star and planets for an observer, the difference in longitude, the first fixed axis ,the moonrise according to the field, making of instruments for observation, the shadow of a Shanku,the Jya of latitude, the other Jya,the backward movements etc are discussed in Panchasidhanthika.The author Dr Suvarna Nalapat ,who made a study on this famous book in Malayalam deserves praise.

KNOW INDIA (Dr K.H.Subramanian 21.6.1992.Mathrubhoomi Sunday supplement)

There were 18 Sidhanthas in Indian astronomy. Most of them are now forgotten. In AD 6th century Varahamihira codified the five Sidhanthas –Poulisa,Romaka,Vasishta,Paithamaha(Brahmam)and Soura-and wrote Panchasidhanthika which is a history of ancient Astronomy of India. In 1889 two researchers Mahamahopadhyaya SudhakaraDwivedi and G.Thibout explained it (in Hindi and English) and published it .Panchasidhanthika being a Karanagrantha (a book for practicing)it is very important from the point of view of Mathematical calculations .The Suthravakya on Jya,Kotijya,Uthkramanajya etc (sine, cosine ) which are the trigonometrical laws ,and the sine table for angles of 1/4th zodiac is given in this book.
This invaluable contribution of Varahamihira and its translation by G.Thibout is used by Dr Suvarna Nalapat for this “Discovery of India”. The hard work which is done for “ the young geniuses of Kerala who are research-oriented and inquisitive “(in her preface) deserves praise .The greatness of this book is not just the translation of the preface of Thibout and the explanation of the 18 chapters of Varahamihira.The doubts raised by Thibout in his preface have definite answers in Varahamihira’s book and this is proved by Dr Suvarna Nalapat .
In this translation there is a thought-provoking article with the title “ Cradle of Astronomy –East or West?” by the author .The evaluation of our science books done by western thinkers with their then limited knowledge and due to that the mistakes they committed and also to some extent their partiality to Greek are evident and our lack of recognition of these facts would be a gross injustice to ourselves. In the epilogue article also the author in clear language gives her own opinions without any place for doubts. For researchers who are doing research in the ancient history of America ,the cultural heritage of India (especially Astronomy and the architecture) will be a treasure according to Dr Suvarna Nalapat (page 383).This has to be thought of in detail.

STUDY OF JYOTHISASTHRA (Madhyamam 3.5.1992)

Panchasidhanthika of Varahamihira is a classic work of all times. This deep study which is mathematically very important is a hard work which has been undertaken by Dr Suvarna Nalapat .In this enquiry the author who is a scholar could find out in the ancient slokas even the Relativity theory of modern times. This work is an invaluable treasure for researchers on Astronomy.Eventhough the title “Discovering India” might create some problem.