REVOLTJTIONS OF THE PLANETS. 29» 



always towards the earth. They had also noticed the dif- 

 ference between her apparent magnitude in the horizon and 



on the meridian. ■ , ^ ^■ 



According to the ancient Hindoo astronomical treatise, 

 the sun's apogee makes 387 revolutions in a calpa, that ot 

 Mars makes 204, Mercury's makes 368, Jupiter's makes 

 900 Venus's53o, Saturn's 39 : these are all direct or ac- 

 cording to the order of signs. The number of revolutions 

 «f the\odes, which are retrograde, in ^.calpa, is for Mars 

 2141, for Mercury 488, for Jupiter l^*, /or Venus 903, for 

 Satunr 662. It has been observed by Mr. Davis tha 

 althoudi the planetary motions, as above determined, might 

 have served for computations in the tune of Meya, the 

 author of the Surya Siddhanta, yet tor many years past 

 they have ceased to agree with the observed places in the 

 eavens, and therefore corrections have been introduced 

 IXreasing or reducing the numbers. Thus the revolu- 

 tions of the moon's apogee and node are each now increased 

 by four in a yug : the nature of these corrections, called bija^ 

 is explained in the commentary Tica. , u„ ., 



Although the Surya Siddhanta, which professes to be a 

 divine revelation, ought to have given correct e ements of 

 the planetary motions, yet the V,shm Dhermottcr directs- 

 hat Ae planets be observed with an instrument by means 

 of wl iclUhe greater or less agreement between the observed 

 and computed places may be determmed, and an allowance 



"^Tiie foUowing table contains the periodic revolutions of 

 the planets, of their apsides and nodes accordmg to the- 

 Sun/a SMhanta. The Mja, or corrections are wanting. 

 The inclination of the orbits is given, and the obliquity of 

 the ecliptic is 24°. It is the same in their astronomical 

 iJeaUses written only 268 years ago ; so that the Hindoos 

 do not appear to have discovered any dmrmution,— a prooi 

 that they were never accurate observers. 

 ^ Bb2 



