364 ON THE INDIAN', 8cC» 



•Jl/.^^'M when the solstitial colure was at the middle of 

 jisUshd ; and a like circle passed through the next as- 

 ferism, when the equinox corresponded with the iirst 

 point of Mi-sha, An astronomer of that period, if he 

 were apprized of the position assigned to the si-'.me stars 

 by Garga reputed to have been the priest of Crishna 

 Jind the P/im/us, might conclude with Vara'ha mi- 

 HiRA, that one revolution had been completed, and 

 that the stars had passed through one Nacshalra of the 

 second revolution. In corroboration of this inference 

 respecting the age of Vara'ha mihira's astrological 

 treatise, it may be added, that he is cited by name in 

 the Vayiuha taiitra^ the original of the fables of Pilpay, 

 which were translated for Nuskirva''n more than 120Q 

 years ago *. 



The theory being wholly unfounded, Vara'ha 

 mihira's rule of computation soon ceased to agree with 

 the phenomena, and other rules have been successively 

 introduced by different authors, as Lalla, Sa'calya 

 and lastly MuNis'wARA ; whose rule, devised less than 

 >wo hundred years ago, does not yet grossly betray its 

 insufficiency. 



This pretended revolution of the stars of Ursa Major 

 is connected with two remarkable epochas in Indian 

 chronology ; the commencement of the CaUjiiga. or 

 $inful age, in the reign of Yud'hisht'hira ; and its 

 prevalence, on the failure of the succession of Cshatriya 

 princes, and establishment of a different dynasty, J 01 5 

 years after the birth of Par ic shit, according to the 

 Vishnu Piirana ; or 1115 years, according to the 

 Phdgavaia', but I-IQS years, if a correction, which 

 jias been proposed by Skid'hara Sv^^ami and spmq 

 other commentators, be admitted. This subjec^ha^ 



' PREfACE to the Sanscrit cilitioi^ of the Hit'^ade.a. p. xi. 



