﻿ON INDIAN CHRONOLOGY. 597 



10" at the beginning of the year 1690, and 37 52' 

 30" on the first of January in the present year, rhcy 

 must have gone back 3 23' 20" between the observa- 

 tion implied by Varasara and that recorded by Eu~ 

 doxus ; or, in other words, 244 years must have 

 elapsed b- tween the two observations But this dis- 

 quisition having little relation to our principal subject, 

 1 proceed to the last couplets 8? our Indian astronomer 

 Parana Mihira, which, although merely astrological, 

 and consequently absurd, will give occasion to remarks 

 of no small importance. They imply, that when the 

 solstices are not in the first degrees of Carcata and 

 Macara, the motion of the sun is contrary to narure ; 

 and being caused, as the commentator intimates, by- 

 some utpata, or preternatural agency, must necessarily 

 be productive of misfortune ; and this vain idea 

 seems to indicate a very superficial knowledge even of 

 the system which Varaha undertook to explain ; rjut 

 he might have adopted it solely as a religious tenet, 

 on the authority of Gaiga, a priest of eminent sanc- 

 tity, who expresses the same wild notion in the follow- 

 ing couplet : 



Ynda nivert?.te'prrptah sravi c htamuttarayane, 

 Asleshan dacshine'praptastadavidyanmahadbhayan. 



" When the sun returns, not having reached Dha~ 

 " nishfha in the northern solstice, or not having 

 " reached jislesha in the southern, then let a man 

 " feel great apprehension of danger," 



Parasara himself entertained a similar opinion, 

 that any irregularity in the solstices would indicate 

 approaching calamity : Yaaaprapto vaishnavantutn, 



s he, udanmarge prefadyate dacshine ash sham va 

 mahabhdyaya ; that is, " When, having reached the 

 '* end cS Sravana\ in the northern path, or half of 

 " Aslesna in the s j* he still advances, it is a 



" cause of great fear." This notion, possibly, had 



