304 HIXDOO ASTRONOMY. 



Venus gives 860 years, and Mars 140, which is evidently 

 too little. 



For Jupiter, Saturn, and the sun Mr. Bentley makes use 

 of new equations. 



The aphehon of Mars gives 641 years. The sidereal 

 year 736. The whole brought together stand thus : — 



From the moon's apogee 605 Years. 



node 530 



Sun's apogee 1105 



Venus 860 



Mara 340 



Moon 759 



Jupiter 875 



Saturn 805 



Mars 's aphelion 641 



Length of the year 736 



Total 7306 



which being divided by 10, the number of results, in order 

 to get the mean, gives 731 years nearly for the age of the 

 Surya Siddhanta, which differs but five years from the age 

 determined by the length of the year only. 



Mr. Bentley says, that independent of all calculations, 

 it is known from the Hindoo books by whom the Surya 

 Siddhanta was written, and when. In the commentary on 

 the Bhasvoti, it is declared that Varaha was the author of 

 the work. Now, the Bhasvoti was vrntten in the year 1021 

 of saka, by one Sotanund, a pupil of Varaha, and under 

 whose directions he v^ote his commentary. Varaha must 

 then have been alive, or a short time before. This agrees 

 as nearly as possible with the age above deduced ; for the 

 Bhasvoti, in the year 1799, the time when Mr. Bentley made 

 his computations, was exactly 700 years old. It is ex- 

 tremely probable that the name of Varaha must have been 

 to the Surya Siddhanta when it was first written ; but that 

 after his death, priestcraft found means to alter it, and to 

 introduce the absurd story of Meya or Moya having re- 

 ceived it through divine revelation at the conclusion of the 

 satya yiig. Indeed, according to Bentley, a number of 

 other astronomical works were then framed for the purpose 

 of deception, — some were pretended to be delivered from 

 the mouth of one or other of their deities, as the Brama, 

 Siddhanta, Vishnu Siddhanta, and the works of Siva, com- 



