302 HINDOO ASTRONOMY. 



would never have discussed, had I not been obliged to do so 

 in a history of astronomy." 



Mr. Bentle)', to exemplify his idea of the formation of the 

 Indian tables, has supposed the planets to have been in a 

 line of mean conjunction in the beginning of Aries at the 

 commencement of the cali yug, that is, at midnight between 

 17th and 18th February, O.S., in the year of the Julian 

 period 1612, on the meridian of Lanca (7.5° 50' E. long.). 

 He then, by proceeding on the principle which he believed to 

 have been employed in forming the Indian tables, and using 

 Lalande's tables, has deduced a set of mean annual motions 

 of the planets on the Hindoo sphere, which differ but a few 

 .seconds from the annual motions as given by Lalande. 

 ZS'ow, had a European astronomer who had no idea of the 

 Hindoo method found these fictitious motions in their 

 tables, he would have been deceived by appearances, and 

 have supposed them to be of great antiquity. 



The Hindoo systems of astronomy may be divided into 

 three classes. 



The first class supposes a general conjunction of all the 

 planets, their apogees and nodes, in the first point of Aries, 

 and this conjunction has for its period the culpa of Brama, 

 which contains 4,320,000,000 years, and which began 

 ] ,972,944,000 years before the call yug. It appears that 

 the astronomer Bramagupta was the author of this enor- 

 mous period. 



The second supposes a general and true conjunction at 

 the end of the calpa of Varaha, with a mean conjunction 

 at the end of certain cycles. The calpa of Varaha is of the 

 same length, but it began 17,064,000 years later. 



The third does not suppose any conjunction either at the 

 beginning or end of the calpa. 



The writings of Bramagupta, the Siddhanta, and the 

 Siromani of Bhascara, belong to the first class : these do 

 not assume a conjunction of the cali yug. Again, the 

 Surya Siddhanl/i, Soma Siddhanta, Varisha Siddhanta, and 

 Guch others as assume a mean conjunction at the beginning 

 of the cali yug only, as the Jat Karnob of Varaha, the 

 tables of Trivalore, &c., belong to the second. And to the 

 third belong the Brama Siddhanta, Vish7m Siddhanta, 

 Bhasvoti, Drubo Rolhono, Chendrika, and other Siddhayitas. 



