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HINDOO 

 ASTRONOMY AND MATHEMATICS, 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Hindoo Astronomy. 



Origin of Astronomy — Opinions of Bailly concerning the Antiquity of 

 that Science in India — Striking Coincidence between tlie Indian and 

 Arabian Zodiacs — Hindoo Computation of Time — Periodic Revolutions 

 of the Planets— Theory of Eclipses— Figure of the Earth— Determi- 

 nation of Latitudes and Longitudes — Moon's Parallax — Computatioa 

 of Eclipses and of a Solar Year — Antiquity of the Surya Siddhanta 

 and other Astronomical Works — Deficiencies and Errors of the Hindoo 

 System 



There are two powerful motives which at all times must 

 have acted on the human mind, and instigated man to the 

 study of nature ; one is the advantage to be derived from 

 such knowledge in procuring the means of existence, — the 

 other, the desire for knowledge which all men have, and 

 some in so eminent a degree as to make its pursuit a prin- 

 cipal object of their lives. 



The heavenly bodies are well adapted to call into action 

 both these motives ; they would sen'e the hunter in direct- 

 ing his path homeward from the chase, and the husband- 

 man in choosing the proper time for preparing and sowing 

 the soil. Their splendour could not be overlooked by the 

 most incurious ; and their courses and the regularity of their 

 motions were a fine subject for contemplation to minds of a 

 more elevated order. 



The climate of India, and the occupations of mankind in 

 the very early ages, were highly favourable to the most sim- 

 ple kind of astronomical observations, — those made by th-e 

 eye unassisted by any instrument. But they cannot be 

 considered as forming a science. The origin of astronomy 



