Namaste Sudarshan,
I am happy that I am learning a lot from members who are well-versed in this forum. The joy of learning prompts me to venture with my own posts and threads (some of which, I know, could be hollow). Learning and growing in knowledge is a continuous, life-long process, a very joyous one at that.Originally Posted by Sudarshan
Motivated by Sudarshan's comments quoted above, I turned to the pages of the Kanchi Saint for a treatise on Jyotisha. It was quite a revelation! I am delighted to share some of the information here (which may be familiar to many members).
Paramacharya Explains the Science of Jyotisha
(Source: http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part10/chap1.htm to chap7.htm)
1. Jyotisha is one of the six limbs of the Veda Purusha, actually his eye. [Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's Lexicon explains that the term means 'the science of lights' (stars and other heavenly bodies)]. It has another name nayanam, meaning 'to lead'. Just as the eye leads a person, so does Jyotisha (the combined science of Astronomy and Astrology) was used to lead the Vedic rituals.
2. Important works on Jyotisha are the samhitas (treatises) of Garga, Narada and Parasura; Suryasiddhanta that incorporates the teachings of the Sun god to Maya, the carpenter of the Asuras, and the works of Varahamihira, Aryabhata and Bhaskaracarya. In recent times there was Sri Sundaresvara Srautin who wrote a work called Siddhanta-Kausthubham. The ancient authors were well versed in astronomy and astrology.
3. Known as 'Skandha-trayatmakam', Jyotisha consists of three skandhas or sections: siddhanta (astronomy), hora (predictive astrology) and samhita (mundane astrology).
4. The siddhanta-skandha deals with arithmetic, trigonometry, geometry and algebra. The higher mathematics developed by the west in later centuries is found in our ancient Jyotisha. Arithmetic was known as vyakta-ganita, algebra as avyakta-ganita or bijaganita, and geometry was Jyamiti (from which the English term was derived). Along with kalpa, (the sixth limb of Veda Purusha -- his hands), which contains the sulba-sutras or forumulas, these branches of mathematics were used to compute the exact measurements and shape of yajnavedi, the sacrificial altar.
5. The term samikarana indicates an equation. An equation in the Apastamba sulba sutras could not be proved by Westerners, which they thought was faulty, and they accepted it as right only later. There are a number of old equations still to be solved.
6. The books on Mathematics also deal with the movements of celestial bodies. The ancient grahas (planets) included the five planets (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn), the Sun, the Moon and the caya grahas (shadow planets) Rahu and Ketu.
7. The hora-skandha deals with the planetary position and movements and their influence on human life. The sages saw a relationship between the position and movements of the planets and the destiny of man, the sorrow and happiness experienced by him. How does this happen? To quote Paramacharya:
8. The samhita-skandha discusses subjects such as divination of an underground water source, perfumes manufacture, and the right measurements of a house. It also discusses sakuna (sign) and nimitta (omen). Since sakuna literally means a bird, only signs connected with birds come under its category. What does a bird flying from right to left indicate? What is foretold by the chirping of such and such a bird? Question like these belong to the sakuna-sastra. Nimitta means omen. When a cat crosses our path it is an omen; when an eagle flies above us it is a sakuna. A nimitta does not produce any result on its own. It points to the result that has already been ordained by some other factor -- or, in other words, it merely indicates the fruits of our past karma.Different reasons are given for the ups and downs in a man's life for his joys and sorrows. It is similar to finding out the different causes of the ailment he suffers from. The physician will explain that the disease is due to an imbalance in the "dhatus". The mantravadin will say that it is due to the gods being displeased with the patient, while the astrologer will observe that it is all in his (the patient's) stars. The pandit versed in Dharmasastra will explain that the illness is the fruit of the man's past actions, his karma. And the psychologist will express the view that the bodily affliction is related to an emotional disturbance. What is the true cause?
All these different causes may be valid. All of them together go to create an experience. When it rains it becomes wet and the place is swarmed with winged white ants. Frogs croak. All these are indicators of the rain. Many outward signs manifest themselves as the fruits of our past karma. They are all related to one another. The course of the planets governing our life is in accordance with our karma. We come to know the consequences of our past actions in previous births in various ways. Astrological calculations help us to find out such consequences as indicated by the heavenly bodies
9. Bhaskaracarya found out that his daughter Lilavati had mangalya dosha in her horoscope, that suggested early widowhood and was dependent on the position of Mars. Bhaskaracarya used all his wits and arranged the marriage at the most auspicious moment favourable to the bride, when she was still a child, according to the custom. Time was measured in those days using a water pot that resembled an hour glass. Water tricked from an upper container to a lower in drops through a suitable hole. The lower container was graduated to mark the measurement of time in nazhikai (nadika), one sixtieth of a day or 24 minutes. Fascinated by this time apparatus, Lilavati was intently looking into the upper vessel, but did not notice a pearl slip from her nose-stud drop into the vessel. This partially blocked the hole, causing a miscalculation of time. When it was found out, it was too late. Bhaskaracarya named his mathematical treatise after his daughter's name and made her daughter highly proficient in the subjects of mathematics. We learn the text of an edict in the Pracinalekhamala that a Gurjara (Gujarat) king had made an endowment to popularise the works of Bhaskaracarya.
10. Sun is called saptasva (one with seven horses), but the term asva also means kirana or ray. Eko asvo vahati saptanama says Taittiriya Aranyaka (the same ray has seven names). Thus the ancients found out the prismatic (VIBGYOR) composition of a ray of sunlight.
11. The very first stanza in the Suryasiddhanta, which is a very ancient treatise, states that it is the force of attraction that keeps the earth from falling. In Sankara's commentary on the Upanisads there is a reference to the earth's force of attraction. Says Paramacharya, "The Prasnopanisad (3.8) states: 'The deity of the earth inspires the human body with apana'. In his commentary on this, Sankara observes that, just as an object thrown up is attracted by the earth, so prana that goes up is pulled down by apana. This means that our Upanisads contain a reference to the law of gravitation. There are many such precious truths embedded in our ancient sastras."
12. The term laghu means light, small, etc. and guru means heavy. A guru is actually a 'weighty' personality, a great man who has mastered the sastras. Since the student is laghu, he goes round his guru. This is based on laghava-gaurava nyaya. By adducing this reason for the earth going round the sun, Aryabhata combined science with a traditional sastric belief.
13. Siva is called "Ashtamurti". Earth, water, air, fire, space, the sun and the moon, the yajamana or sacrificer--they are all the personification (murti) of Isvara. Among them only the yajamana has no bhramana or motion. All the rest have bhramana, says Appayya Diksita. That he has said so is mentioned in the verse in question by his younger brother's grandson, Nilakantha Diksita.
14. For centuries the Europeans thought that the shape of the Earth was flat like a plate; Whereas the very term bhugola sastra indicates that our ancients knew that the earth was a gola or sphere. And they called the universe brahmanda (the egg of brahman), indicating that the universe is oval in shape, a fact confirmed by modern science. In addition, the term jagat means something in motion, so it was known that our cosmos was in motion.
Swami Yukteswar Giri (guru of Swami Paramahansa Yogananda) says, "Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state of disrepute. Astrology is too vast, both mathematically and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by men of profound understanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the 'wise.'" (Autobiography of a Yogi, chapter 16).
As for the other queries of Sudarshan, I am not competent to answer them, nor can I hunt for satisfactory explanations. Members who are in knowledge may add clarity to subjects such as the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu and whether the rishis of Satya Yuga were sinners in the earlier Kali Yuga, etc.
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