£20 ON THE HINDU 



which, siibstractecl from twelve 7 ^ ^ .^ ^r. 



signs, leave .... 3 ^ 



the longitude as bcfoie. 



My intention in p,iving these examples, is to 

 shew, that as the system is entirely artificial, it is 

 immaterial whether we make the calculation from 

 the beginning of the Calpa, the end of the Calpa, 

 or any other period at which a mean conjunction 

 of the planets in the first point of Aries, is assumed 

 in the system ; for the result must ultimately come 

 out the same, cither way. 



By attending to the principles on which the mo- 

 tions given in the Surj/a Slddhanta are founded, it 

 must apjicar evident, that it could not give the 

 places of the planets sufficiently correct, for any 

 considerable length of time: for, as Vz, tlie number 

 of years from the epoch of assumed mean conjunc- 

 tion (in the formula, page 215), varies, so must the 

 mean annual motions depending thereon. Therefore 

 those motions which would have given the posi- 

 tions of the planets sufficiently correct, when the 

 Surya SkUUianta was written, would not answer at 

 present. This fact the Hindu astronomers disco- 

 vered by some means or other, between two and 

 three hundred years ago; they found, that in order 

 to have the i^laces of the planets suflficiently accu- 

 rate, it was necessary to subtract three revolutions 

 from those of \''enus; two from those of Jupiter ; 

 and to add three revolutions to those of Saturn, in 

 1080000 years. 



The works in which these corrections are given, 

 are, iht Siddhanta Rahasija, dated in 151:3, Saca ; 

 GrahaTarangini, dated 1530; Siddhanta Munjari, 

 dated 1531; and several others of modern date 

 now in use. 



