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A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE DAVID PINGREE JYOTIHSASTRA ASTRAL AND MATHEMATICAL LITERATURE OTTO HARRASSOWITZ . WIESBADEN A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE EDITED BY JAN GONDA VOLUME VI Fasc. 4 1981 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ • WIESBADEN DAVID PINGREE JYOTIHSASTRA ASTRAL AND MATHEMATICAL LITERATURE 1981 OTTO HARRASSOWITZ . WIESBADEN A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE Contents of Vol. VI Vol. VI: Fasc. 1: Fasc. 2: Fasc. 3: Fasc. 4: E. te Nijenhuis B. K. Matilal M. Hulin D. Pingree A. Kunst T. Gelblum G. Maximilien B. Dagens N. N. Musicological Literature Nyaya-Vaisesika Samkhya Literature Jyotihsastra Vedanta Yoga Philosophy Purva-MImamsa Architecture, Sculpture, Technics Other Sciences CIP-Kurztitelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek A history of Indian literature / ed. by Jan Gonda. - Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz. NE: Gonda, Jan [Hrsg.] Vol. 6. Scientific and technical literature: Pt. 3. Vol. 6. Fasc. 4. -> Pingree, David : Jyotihsastra Pingree, David: Jyotihsastra : astral and mathemat. literature / David Pingree. - Wiesbaden : Harrassowitz, 1981. (A history of Indian literature : Vol. 6, Fasc. 4) ISBN 3-447-02165-9 © Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1981. Alle Kechte vorbehalten. Photograpliische und photomechanische Wiedergabe nur mit ausdrucklicher Genehmigung des Verlages. Gesamtherstellung: Allgauer Zeitungsverlag GmbH, Kempten. Printed in Germany. Siegel: HIL. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 CHAPTER I Sulbasutras 3 CHAPTER II Astronomy 8 CHAPTER III Mathematics 56 CHAPTER IV Divination 67 CHAPTER V Genethlialogy 81 CHAPTER VI Catarchic Astrology CHAPTER VII Interrogations 110 CHAPTER VIII Encyclopaedias and Dictionaries 115 CHAPTER IX 118 Transmission of Jyotihs'astra 101 Abbreviations 131 Index 134 INTRODUCTION Traditionally jyotihsdstra is divided into three skandhas: satnhitd (omens), ganita (astronomy), and hord (astrology) (see BS 1, 9); and, according to the medieval muhurta treatises, was originally promulgated by the eighteen sages Brahmacarya, Vasistha, Atri, Manu, Paulastya, RomaSa, Marici, Angiras, Vyasa, Narada, Saunaka, Bhrgu, Cyavana, Yavana, Garga, Kasyapa, Parasara, and Surya. The validity of the first tradition was maintained only by artificially including new forms of scientific writing—e.g., treatises on mathematics, on muhurta, or on pradna—in one or another of the three skandhas, while there was never any validity to the second. In this volume an attempt has been made to establish a more accurate classification of the areas of jyotihsdstra actually made the subject of independent works, and to survey the literature in each area (but omitting the sectarian Jaina contributions) in order to establish a correct historical origin (often from outside of India) and development of each. To have included discussions of the technical aspects of these sciences, however, would both have duplicated much that has already been done (though in some areas it desperately needs to be done better) and have extended the length of this volume far beyond reasonable bounds. Nor has any attempt been made to deal with the literary qualities of the works discussed. The primary texts are certainly all in metrical form, but are generally written in a very crabbed and obscure style designed to stimulate the student's memory of the procedures to be followed, but frequently not even pretending to provide the full algorithm for solving a particular problem; that was to be found, if not in the rep