186 



Dr. G. Thibaut — On the Suryaprajnapti. 



[No. 4, 



entirely indefensible and no reason leading to it can well be imagined. 

 This is the only time that the stars — excluding the nakshatras — are mention- 

 ed in tlie Siiryaprajiiapti as far as we can judge from the commentary. 



The next point to be considered is the information the Suryaprajnapti 

 furnishes with regard to the nakshatras. Incidentally it has already been 

 remarked that the number of the nakshatras is invariably stated as being 

 twenty-eight, and that the nakshatras are as invariably treated as being 

 of different extent. The particulars are as follows : 



According to their extent or, to look at it from another point of view, 

 according to the time during which sun and moon are in conjunction with 

 them, the nakshatras are divided into four classes. Firstly, those with 

 wliicli the moon is in conjunction during one ahoratra = thirty muhurtas ; 

 to tills class belong lievati, Asvini, Krittika, Mrigasiras, Pushya, Magha, 

 Purvaphalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Anuradlia, Miila, Piirvashadha, S'ravana, 

 S'ravishtha, Purvabhadrapada. The one ahoratra for which the conjunc- 



2010 



tion lasts may be expressed as ■ muhurtas, the convenience of which 



expression will appear at once. The second division comprises those nak- 

 shatras which are in conjunction with the moon for half a nycthemeron = 



fifteen muhurtas = muhurtas ; to this division belong S'atabhishaj, 



Aslesha, Bharani, Jyeshtha, Ardra, Svati. To the third division belong 

 those nakshatras with which the moon is in conjunction for one and a half 



30 1 5 



nycthemeron = 45 muhurtas = muhiirtas ; these nakshatras are 



TJttarashadha, Uttaraphalguni, Uttara-bhadrapada, Punarvasu, Yisakha, 

 Eohiiii. The fourth division comprises one nakshatra only, viz., Abhijit, with 



27 630 



which the moon is in conjunction for 9 — = — muhurtas. We see now 



67 67 



for what reason the time of conjunction has been expressed throughout in 

 sixty-sevenths of a muhurta ; it was done for the purpose of obtaining 

 homogeneous expressions for all nakshatras. At the same time these frac- 

 tions furnish us with an easy means for calculating the time during which 

 the sun is in conjunction with each nakshatra; for five revolutions of the 

 sun occupying the same time as sixty-seven revolutions of the moon, we 

 have only to replace the denominator of the above fractions by five. The 

 result of this operation having been turned into nycthemera, we find as the 

 expression for tlie time during which the sun is in conjunction with the 

 nakshatras of the four divisions the four following terms : 13 days, 12 

 muhurtas ; 6 days, 21 muhurtas ; 20 days, 3 muhurtas ; 4 days, 6 muliiir- 

 tas. — According to the space the nakshatras occupy they are either sama- 

 kshetra, occupying a mean (medium) field or apardhakshetra, occupying 



