﻿ON TNDIAN CHRONOLOGY. 393 



myahansa, or precession, calculated by the rub of the 



Surya SUdhauta -, for 19 21' 54" would be the pre- 

 cession of the equinox in 1291 years, according to the 

 Hindu computation of 54" annually, which gives us 

 the original of the Indian Zodiac nearly ; but, by 

 Newton's demonstrations, which agree as well with the 

 phenomena as the varying density of our earth will 

 admit, the equinox recedes about 50" every year, and 

 has receded 17° $$' 50" since the tim" of Varaha.; 

 which gives us more nearly in our own sphere the first 

 degree of M-jsha in that of the Hindus. By the ob- 

 servation recorded in older Sastras, the equinox had 

 gone back 23 20 '; or about 1680 years had intervened 

 between the age of the Muni and that of the modern 

 astronomer : the former observation, therefore, must 

 have been made about 2971 years before the 1st of 

 January 1 790 ; that is, 1 181 before Christ. 



We come now to the commentary, which contains 

 information of the greatest importance. By former 

 Sastras are meant, says Bhattotpala, the books of 

 Parasara and of other Munis ; and he then cites 

 from the Parasari Sndiita the following passage, whi eh 

 is in mod ;1 .ted prose, and in a style much resembling 

 that of the Vedas : 



Sravishtadyat paushnardhantan charah sisiro ; va- 

 santah paushnardhat rohinyantan ; saumyadyadasle- 

 shardhantan grishmah ; pravri dasleshardfcaf hastan- 

 tan ; chitradyat jyesht'hardhantan sarat ; hemanto 

 jyesht'hardhat vaishnavantan. 



iC The season of Sisira is from the first of Dha* 

 " nishCha to the middle of Revati -, that of Vasanta 

 u fro 11 the middle of Revati to the end of Rohinii 

 *' that of Grishna from the beginning of Mrigasiras 

 11 to :he middle of Ashsha \ that of Versha from 

 '? the middle of Aslesha to the end of Hasta ; that 



C c 4 



