1880.] 



G. Thibaut — On the Suryaprajnapti. 



119 



which he had descended towards the soiith, only in reverse order, until, on 

 the day of the second summer solstice, he has again reached the innermost 

 circle, from which he had started a year ago. During the second year the 

 same expanding and contracting of the solar cii-cles rejieats itself and so on. 

 The fact of the sun seeming to ascend towards the north during one half 

 of the year, while he seems to descend towards the south during the other 

 half is therefore explained by the supposition that he approaches us during 

 the former half, while he recedes from us during the latter half. The 

 system does not assume that he actually ascends or descends ; for all the 

 circles described by him are at an equal height above the Jambudvipa ; he 

 only appears to us to stand lower at the winter solstice than he does at the 

 summer solstice, because at the former period he has receded from us to 

 the amount of five hundred and fifty yojanas. The exact localities too above 

 which the sun describes his daily circles are defined. The innermost circle, 

 i. e., the circle nearest to Mount Meru, which the sun describes on the 

 longest day, would, when projected upon the earth, be distant 180 yojanas 

 from the outer margin of the Jambudvipa. The second circle approaches 

 nearer to that margin, the third still nearer, and so on, until the circles 

 of the sun are no longer above the Jambudvipa itself but above the salt 

 ocean, the lavanoda, which surrounds the Jambudvipa. Finally on the 

 shortest day of the year the sun describes a circle which, in projection, is 

 distant 380 yojanas from the edge of the Jambudvipa. After that he again 

 approaches the Jambudvipa, and on the next summer solstice he has again 

 entered into it to the amount of 180 yojanas. The technical term by 

 which this recurring progress of the sun towards the Jambudvipa and the 

 salt ocean is denoted in the Suryaprajiiapti, is '53IT^?: or ^-^Jir^ffr {-^) ; 

 the sun is said to merge himself, or to enter to a certain distance into the 

 Jambudvipa or into the salt ocean accordingly as his circles are vertically 

 above the land or the surrounding sea. 



In connexion with the sun's motion in circles of different diameter, the 

 Siiryaprajuapti treats of the increase and decrease of the length of the day. 

 As in the Jyotisha-Vedanga, the length of the day of the summer solstice 

 is estimated at eighteen muhurtas, that of the shortest day at twelve 

 muhurtas. The days between the two solstices are erroneously supposed 

 to decrease or increase by a uniform quantity, which is easily found to be 

 equal to 3 = of a muhiirta. 



A number of opinions of other teachers agreeing with the theory stated 

 above in its general features, but differing in the figures, are likewise given 

 by the Suryajirajfiapti. 



Different opinions regarding the extent of the solar circles are given 

 in I, 8 and, which comes to the same, different opinions about the distance 

 of the two suns from each other in I, 4. According to this chapter there 



