- Foreword
The Indian Institute of Astronomical & Sanskrit Research has done a very useful piece of work by publishing the Bra"4ma Sphuta SiddhSnta. This is an original work on Astronomy written about twelve hundred years ago. Mainly devoting himself as was natural, the author, Brahma Gupta, has given considerable space to such branches of Mathematics as in his opinion are particularly applicable to Astronomy. Brahma Gupta is not a mere theoriser. His work bears ample evidence of close observation of astronomical phenomena, though he did not have at his disposal any large and well equipped Vedhalaya or Observatory. He has had to find fault with some of his predecessors. The main reason for his criticism was as stated by him:
- ब्रह्मोक्तं ग्रहगणितं महता कालेन यत् श्लथीभूतम् ।
- अभिधीयते स्फुटं तज्जिष्णुसुतब्रह्मगुप्तेन ॥
The creator Brahma himself had given certain calculations book namely Brahma SiddhSnta. But in the course of many years these calculations have been found to have bocome inaccurate. Of course, in referring to calculations, the author is referring to the bases of these calculations, the main data of astronomy. The excellent and fairly exhaustive introduction by Dr. Satya Parkash is of very great help in understanding the book because it brings out clearly the various points on which Brahma Gupta has laid stress, particularly those on which he differs from other great astronomers.
A great controversy still rages between two schools of Indian astronomers which for want of better names may be called the schools of Arya Bhata and Brahma Gupta. Some years ago the Indian Institute of Astronomical & Sanskrit Research published the Vateshwar Siddhanta which is supposed to be associated with the Arya Bhata School. It is, therefore, in the fitness of things that it should now publish the present standard volume of the other school.
To my mind the Publication of such books is of great value from two points of view. It helps to remove the ignorance of average educated Indian of today about the achievements of his ancestors. In the field of two important branches of science, Mathematics and Astronomy, it is really surprising how those ancient astronomers could reach such heigts of accuracy with the help of instruments which seem to be laughably crude compared to those that modern astronomers have at their disposal. At the same time a study of such literature is a very salutary corrective