SYSTEMS OF ASTRONOMY. 



235 



the days of the week, or of the twelve signs; 

 which seem to have been introduced into the Hindu 

 astronomy at a much later period. 



From the above short sketch, the reader will be 

 able to judge of the progress made in astronomy in 

 India near 3000 years ago. He will perceive that the 

 Hindus at that time, possessed nothing that could 

 be called astronomy, no more than other nations. 



m. sec. 



23 



44 

 20 



13il 



3 



49i 



days. brs. 



The Hindus made the lu- 7 _ ^q ,_ in 



nation then 3 



The Europeans make it now 29 — 12 

 Difference about .... • _„ ^ 



Which in less than 165 years would produce an 



error of one lunation *. 



After this period, we meet with nothing on 

 astronomy till we come down to Brahma' Gupta, 

 being a space of about 1680 years, which seems 

 to be an entire blank in the Hindu astronomy. 

 This astronomer flourished about A. D, 527, and 

 finding that the ancient systems were very imper- 

 fect, on account of the shortness of the periods, 

 he framed an entire new system, on a much larger 

 scale, making the Culpa to consist of 4320000000 

 years. To this cycle or period of years, he as- 

 signed the following revolutions of the planets, Sec. 



This makes an error of one day in less than six years, which 

 shews that the Hindus, at that period, could not determine the 

 times of conjunctions and oppositions of the Sun and Moon for six 

 years together correct, much less eclipses ; the calculation of which 

 t hey must have been then, and for many ages after, totally un- 

 acquainted with. 



