166 
HINDOOSTAN. 
“ The mean longitude of the fun at that inftant in the 
Hindoo fphere is = o 5 o° o' o", becaufe he is fuppofed 
juft entering Aries, according to mean motions : but his 
mean longitude is the European fphere, being then =2 
o ! 20 0 52' 28"’5, the difference between the fpheres at 
that moment becomes equal to that quantity ; which muft 
therefore be deducted from the mean longitudes above 
determined, and we have the relative pofitions of the fun, 
moon, and planets, in the Hindoo fphere, as follows; 
Sun’s mean 
longitude - 
- P s 
Hindoo Sphere. 
0° 0' 0" 
Moon’s 
ditto 
3 
2 
2 40-8 
Mercury’s 
ditto - 
- 3 
1 
So i 3‘5 
Venus’s 
ditto 
2 
3 
13 45'5 
Mars’s 
ditto - - 
2 
13 
58 11*5 
Jupiter’s 
Saturn’s 
ditto 
1 
9 
S 33 ' 6 
ditto - 
- 3 
3 
24 27-6 
<c The mean longitude of the fun, moon, and planets, 
in the Hindoo fphere, at the end of the year 4-900 of the 
Cali-Yug, being thus determined, we muft now find the 
quantities of the mean annual motions, that will juft give 
thefe pofitions, reckoning from the commencement of the 
Cali-Yug, as an epoch of affumed mean conjunftion. 
“ The length of the Hindoo year, according to the 
Surya Sid.dhanta, is 365 days I5 110, 31' 31" 24.'", in which 
time the fun is fuppofed to make one complete revolution 
in his orbit. The mean motions of the fun, moon, and 
planets, in that fpace of time, by De la Lande's tables, 
are as follows: 
Sun 
Moon 
Mercury - 
Venus - 
Mars - - 
Jupiter - 
Saturn - 
European Sphere\ 
- - i r o s 0° o' 58" 4 -o"' , 26 
- - 13 4. 12 47 39 17-03 
- * 4 * t 24. 46 3 5 3 6 '9 
1 7 15 12 22 18-4. 
- - o 6 11 25 17 49-3 
01 o 21 49 9-2 
o o 12 14 8 0-9 
“ Thefe motions being reduced to the Hindoo fphere, 
'by deducting the difference between the fpheres at the 
end of one complete Hindoo year = 58" 4o"'-26, we fhall 
have their refpedtive mean annual motions in the Hindoo 
Iphere, as follows: 
Hindoo Sphere. 
Sun - - - 
I r 0 s 
o° 
0' 
0" 
0"' 
Moon - - - 
*3 4 
12 
46 
40 
36-78 
Mercury - - - 
4 1 
24 
45 
36 
56-6 
Venus - - - 
1 7 
1 5 
11 
23 
38-1 
Mars - 
0 6 
11 
24 
19 
9 
Jupiter - - - 
0 1 
0 
20 
5 ° 
29 
Saturn - 
0 0 
12 
13 
9 
20 ‘6 
Multiplying thefe by 4900, 
the number 
of years ex- 
pired from the affumed epoch, we obtain the number of 
revolutions, &c. of each planet in that fpace of time ; 
from which rejecting the fractional parts of a revolution, 
and fubftituting in their ftead the fign, degree, &c. the 
planet is in, (at the end of the year 4900 above deter¬ 
mined from European tables,) and then dividing the 
whole by 4900, we get the mean annual motions required, 
as follows: 
Hindoo Sphere. 
Sun 
I* 
0* 
o° 0' 0" o'" 
Moon 
- 13 
4 
12 
46 
40 
41-153 
Mercury - - 
4 
1 
24 
45 
12 
22* 206 
Venus - 
1 
7 
15 
I I 
47 
40-72 
Mars - 
- 0 
6 
11 
24 
10 
15-814 
Jupiter - 
- 0 
1 
0 
21 
*3 
0-411 
Saturn - 
- 0 
0 
12 
12 
53 
5593 
From this example, a general idea may be formed of the 
principles of the Hindoo aftronomy, and the manner of 
determining the mean annual motions of the planets at 
different periods, from their pofitions in the heavens being 
then given by obfervation. 
“ If we compare the mean annual motions thus deter¬ 
mined, with thojfe deduced from De la Lande's tables, we 
fhall find that they differ confiderably; and that the lat- 
ter make the 
Moon’s mean 
annual motion - 
0" 
4'"-4 lefs. 
Mercury’s 
Venus’s 
ditto 
- 24 
34-4 greater. 
ditto - - - 
24 
2-5 lefs. 
Mars’s 
ditto - - - 
8 
53-2 greater. 
Jupiter’s 
ditto - - - - 
12 
31-4 iefs. 
Saturn’s 
ditto - - - 
15 
24-7 greater. 
“ From thefe circumftances, an European aftronomer^ 
unacquainted with the principles of the Hindoo lyitems, 
on feeing fuch motions given in Hindoo tables, would be 
apt to be deceived by appearances, and afiign a degree of 
antiquity to the work which it never pofieffed; thinking, 
that the author ?jmjl have lived at that period, when, ac¬ 
cording to his ideas, the quantities of the mean annuaL 
motions were the fame as given in the book. This fhows 
the abl'olute neceffity of being acquainted with the prin¬ 
ciples of the Hindoo fyltems of aftronomy, before we can 
attempt to inveftigate their antiquity from the quantity 
of the mean annual motion of a planet. For the mean 
annual motion of Jupiter, above deduced, is i s 0“ 21' 3",. 
which quantity, according to the principles of the Eu¬ 
ropean aftronomy, would refer the age of a book in which 
it was found, to a period iome thoufands of years back j 
though, in reality, it is only calculated to give the pofition 
of that planet at the end of the year 4900 of the Cali- 
Yug, agreeing with European tables; and fo of the- mo¬ 
tions of the reft of the planets above deduced. For, let 
the mean annual motions above deduced be multiplied 
by 490c, and we fhall have 
Sun 
revolutions 
4900 — 
0 s 
oo 
o'' 
0" 
Moon 
- 
6 55°7 — 
3 
2 
2- 
40-8 
Mercury 
- 
20345 — 
3 
1 
5 ° 
1 3'5 
Venus 
- 
7965 — 
2 
3 
13 
45'5 
Mars 
- 
2605 — 
2 
13 
58 
1 1‘5 
Jupiter 
- 
413 — 
1' 
9 
5 
33'6 
Saturn 
- 
166 — 
3 
3 
24 
27-6 
which are precifely the fame as thofe computed from D6 
la Lande’s tables for the fame inftant. 
With refpeft to the different fyftems of Hindoo aftro¬ 
nomy, fays Mr. Bentley, ivhich have been framed from 
time to time, there are but three now generally known, all 
of them modern. The firft is the Brahma Calpa, invented 
by Brahma Gupta, near 1300 years ago ; (i. e. reckoning: 
from the year 1808 :) the fecond, the Padma Calpa , laid to 
have been invented by a perfon of the name of Sri Dhara 
Padma, or Sri Dhara Padma Nabha, between eight and 
nine hundred years ago : and the third and laft, the Va- 
raha Calpa, invented by Varaha Mihira, between feven and 
eight hundred years ago. Hence it may be feen, that the 
different fyftems bear the names of their inventors, and 
not of deities; for there is no fuch deity as Padma, though 
there is a fyftem of that name; therefore it muft be fuffi- 
ciently obvious that thefe real lyftems of the aftronomers 
were the bales on which the writers of the Puranas erect¬ 
ed their ideal ones of the Brahma Calpa, the Padma Calpa, 
and the Varaha Calpa ; the two firft of which they fanci¬ 
fully reprefent as paft, and affert that we are now in the 
third or laft. But the truth is, that none of thefe artifi¬ 
cial fyftems are yet expired, (except in the idea of vifiona- 
ries,) nor will be for many millions of years to come 
The number of years now elapfed of the firft, =1972948905 
And yet there are to expire, - - 2347051095 
The years elapfed of the Calpa of Varaha, =1955884905 
And there remain yet to expire, - - - 2364115095 
Moil of the Eaftern nations, and the Hindoos in parti¬ 
cular, appear to have employed, from time immemorial, 
artificial fyftems, not only in aftronomy, but alfo for chro¬ 
nological purpofes. Therefore, to form a juft idea of 
their antiquity, a knowledge of thefe fyftems, and of the 
various changes that have taken place from time to time, 
is abfolutely neceffary. Two of the moft ancient Hindoo 
fyftems now known, and which in early times were ap¬ 
plied to the purpofes of chronology, are contained'in an 
aftronomical work entitled the Graha, Munjari. This work 
