282 HINDOO ASTRONOMY. 



the reason of his rules, and no wish to be better informed, 

 he is perfectly satisfied if, as it usually happens, the actual 

 commencement and duration of the eclipse agree within a 

 few minutes with his prediction. Beyond this his astro- 

 nomical inquiries do not extend ; and his observations, if 

 he make any, go no further than the determination of a 

 meridian line, or the length of the day at the place of his 

 residence. 



This astronomy, as exhibited in their tables, presents 

 three principal objects : 1. Tables and rales for computing 

 the places of the sun and moon. 2. Tables and rules for 

 calculating the places of the planets. 3. Rules for deter- 

 mining the phases of eclipses. 



The Indian astronomers, hke all others, have distin- 

 guished that portion of the heavens in which the motions 

 of the sun, the moon, and planets are performed from the 

 rest of the celestial sphere. This tract, which corresponds 

 to our zodiac, they divide into twentj'-seven equal portions, 

 called lunar houses, each marked by a group of stars or 

 constellations. This division was naturally suggested to 

 the early astronomers of all countries by the motion of the 

 moon, which makes a complete revolution round the heavens 

 in about twenty-seven days and seven hours. The moon 

 does not exactly pass over equal portions of the heavens in 

 equal tunes, but astronomy must have made some progress 

 before this important fact could be ascertauied. It is prob- 

 able that the moon's supposed uniform motion would be 

 used by the first astronomers as the means of measuring out 

 the heavens into equal spaces, and detemaining the position 

 of the most remarkable stars. In this way the moon would 

 serve the purpose of an astronomical instrument. 



Besides their lunar zodiac they had another divided into 

 twelve signs of thirty degrees each. This was purely 

 mathematical, and served for the purposes of calculation. 

 The divisions of this other zodiac were distinguished by 

 names and emblems, and, what is truly remarkable, they 

 are the same as those which are connected with the signs 

 «f our zodiac. This striking coincidence naturally dis- 

 poses to the beUef that the Bramin and the Arabian zodiacs 

 had a common origin. Sir William Jones thought they 

 had not ; but Mr. Colebrooke, whose labours have thrown 

 much light on Indian science, is inclined to a contrary 



