° MEAN LONGITUDES OF THE PLANETS [CH. 1 (In this way should be obtained) the mean longitudes of the planets up to seconds of arc. The point from which the longitudes are measured in Hindu astronomy is the first point of the naksatra AsvinI where the Sun, Moon T and the planets are supdosed to have been situated at the beginning of Kaliyuga, the epoch of reckoning the ahargana. The naksatra AsvinI is a fixed point on the ecliptic near the star ^-Piscium. Correction to be applied to the mean longitudes of the Moon's apogee and the Moon's ascending node obtained by the previous rule : 17(ii-iv). To the (mean) longitude of the Moon's apogee (obtained by the above rule) add three signs and to that of the Moon's ascending node add six signs, and subtract (the latter result) from a circle (i.e., from 360 ). 1 These corrections are made to the longitudes of the Moon's apogee and ascending node, because in the beginning of Kaliyuga their longitudes were 3 s 0° 0' 0* and 6 s 0° 0' 0" respectively and not s 0° 0' O'as those of the Sun, Moon and the planets. The longitude of the Moon's ascending node is subtracted from 360° because the motion of the Moon's ascending node is retrograde. Positions of the apogees of the planets : 18. (The longitudes of the apogees of the planets) beginn- ing with Mars are 100 plus 18, 200 plus 10, half a circle (i.e., 180), 90 and 236 degrees respectively. 2 Dimensions of the epicycles of the planets : 19-21. The manda epicycles (of the planets beginning with Mars) are 14, 7, 7, 4, and 9 (in the beginnings of odd quad- rants) and 18, 5, 8, 2, and 13 in the (beginnings of) even quad- rants. 50 plus 3, 30 plus 1, 16, 59, and 9 have been stated to be the slghra epicycles (of the same planets) (in the beginn- ings of odd quadrants) and the same diminished respectively by 2, 2, 1, 2, and 1 are their own {slghra) epicycles in the (beginn- ings of) even quadrants. 3 1 Cf. MBh, i. 40. 1 Gf. MBh, vii. 13. •Cf. MBh, vii. 13-I6(i).
