362 ON THE INDIAN, &C^ 



The same author, in his own compilation entitled 

 Sidd'hnnta Sarvabhaiima^ has entered more fully into 

 this subject. He observes, that the seven Rish'is are 

 not, like other stars, attached by spikes to the solid 

 ring of the ecliptick, but revolve in small circles round 

 the northern pole of the ecliptick, moving by their 

 own power in the ethcrial sphere above Saturn, but 

 below tlie sphere of the stars. He places the Rishis in 

 the same relative positions, which Sa'calya had as- 

 signed to them ; states in other terms the same dis- 

 tances from the ecliptick, and the same annual motion ; 

 and directs their place to be computed by deducting 

 600 from the years of the Cali age, doubling the re- 

 mainder and dividing by fifteen , the quotient, in de- 

 grees, is divided by 30, to reduce it into signs. Mu- 

 Nis'wABA supports this mode of calculation on the au- 

 thority of Sa'calya, against Vara'ha mihira and 

 Lalla ; and affirms, that it agrees with the phenomena, 

 as observiible at the period of his compilation. It ap- 

 pears, however, to be a correction of Sa'caly a's rule. 



Camala'cara, in the Tatwaviveca, poticcs thq 

 opinion delivered in the Sidd'hanta Sarvahhaimta ; but 

 observes, that no such motion of the stars is percepti- 

 ble. Kemarking, however, that the authority of the 

 Purdnas and Sanhitds, which affirm their revolution, 

 is incontrovertible, he reconciles faith and experience 

 bv saying, that the stars themselves are |ixed ; but the 

 seven Rishis are invisible deities, who perforin the 

 jstated revolution in the period specified. 



If Camala'cara's notion be adopted, no difficulty 

 remains : yet it can hardly be supposed, that Vara'ha 

 MIHIRA and Lalla intended to describe revolutions of 

 invisible beings. If then it be allowed, that they have 

 attributed to the stars themselves an imaginary revolu-r 

 lion grounded on an erroneous theory, a probable in- 

 ference may be thence drawn as tu the period wherj 

 tfeo5c authors lived, provided one position be conr 



