| Astronomia Vedica Part IV | | | | mainly religious, there is no mention as to how |
| Astronomy, " the science of the Heavens ", was | | | | results like this were derived. Overall, the Vedic |
| well developed by the Indians and noted scholar | | | | culture was very rich in astronomical thinking, and |
| Eirik L Harris remarked that " the Vedic culture | | | | it is a shame that non religious texts did not last |
| was very rich in astronomical thinking." The Winter | | | | through the centuries, for they could have shone |
| Solstice was the base of all year-long sacrifices | | | | more light on the matter of the astronomical |
| and the Vedic knowledge of both winter and | | | | accomplishments of the Vedic people." |
| summer solstices were accurate. There is a verse | | | | The ancient Indians divided the path of the moon |
| in the Rig Veda stating that Winter Solstice was in | | | | into 27 equal parts called nakshatras, showing the |
| Aries. " The period of the Rig Veda was | | | | variation of the relative position of the moon in |
| therefore 6500 BC and it is possible to date the | | | | comparison to the rest of the stars visible to the |
| Rig Veda thus " remarks Eirik L Harris. Astronomy | | | | Vedic people. These nakshatras were quite |
| and Mathematics were inspired by Vedic practices. | | | | important for determining times of the year, as |
| Another scholar B.V.Subbarayyappa remarked | | | | can be seen in combination with Vedic mythology, |
| that " Indian mathematics too owes its primary | | | | and can also be used to determine how far back |
| inspiration to Vedic practices. The Shulba sutras, | | | | in history Vedic astronomy extended. |
| part of another Vedic auxiliary called the Kalpa | | | | The myth of the god Janus shows both of these |
| sutras, deal with the construction of several types | | | | factors, the determination of the age of Vedic |
| of brick altars and in that context with certain | | | | astronomy and different periods of the year. |
| geometrical problems including the Pythagorean | | | | Janus had four heads, each of which represented |
| theorem, squaring a circle, irrational numbers and | | | | a phase of the moon in Sagittarius (one of the |
| the like. Yet another Vedic auxiliary, Metrics | | | | nakshatras) which marked the four seasons. One |
| (chandah), postulated a triangular array for | | | | head was the full moon (in Sagittarius) which gave |
| determining the type of combinations of 'n' | | | | the time of the spring equinox, another was the |
| syllables of long and short sounds for metrical | | | | new moon, during which time the autumn equinox |
| chanting. This was mathematically developed by | | | | fell, still another was the half waning moon, |
| Halayudha who lived in Karnataka (10th Century) | | | | marking the winter solstice, and finally came the |
| into a pyramidal expansion of numbers. Such an | | | | head representing the half waxing moon, during |
| exercise appeared six centuries later in Europe, | | | | which time came the summer solstice. From |
| known as Pascal's triangle. Vedic mathematics and | | | | current knowledge of the movement of the |
| astronomy were pragmatic and integrated with | | | | sphere of stars surrounding the earth, it can be |
| Vedic religio-philosophical life." | | | | calculated that the observations leading to the |
| "During the three centuries before and after the | | | | myth of Janus were made around 4000 BC. |
| Christian era, there were new impulses. | | | | Additionally, within the Rg Veda is a verse |
| Astronomy became mathematics-based. In the | | | | observing the winter solstice in Aries, which would |
| succeeding centuries, while astronomy assimilated | | | | have placed it at around 6500 BC. |
| Hellenic ideas to some extent mathematics was | | | | It is possible to date the Rg Veda like this |
| really innovative. Indian astronomers were able | | | | because a complete cycle in the procession of the |
| mathematicians too. The doyen among them, | | | | equinoxes takes place either every 25,870 to |
| Aryabhatta I (b.476 A.D.) gave the value of pi | | | | 24,500 years according to modern astronomers |
| (3.1416 approx., a value used even today) worked | | | | (the exact time period is still disputed by modern |
| out trigonometrical tables, areas of triangles and | | | | day astronomers), meaning that the moon is only |
| other plane figures, arithmetical progression, | | | | full in Sagittarius during the spring equinox every |
| summation of series, indeterminate equations of | | | | 25,000 years or so. Modern astronomers, |
| the first order and the like. He expounded that | | | | however, were not the first to make the difficult |
| the earth rotates about its own axis and the | | | | calculations to discover the length of this cycle. |
| period of one sidereal rotation given by him is | | | | The Vedics were able to do this and came up |
| equivalent to 23h 56m 4s.1, while the modern | | | | with the value of 25,870 years. How these |
| value is 23h 56m 4s.091. He discarded the | | | | ancient people were able to make these |
| mythical Rahu-Ketu postulate concerning eclipses | | | | calculations, however is "as great a mystery as |
| in favour of a scientific explanation. | | | | the origin of life itself". |
| Aryabhatta's junior contemporary Varahamihira, | | | | Further observations which could only have taken |
| was well known for his compendium, the | | | | place around 4000 BC have also been recorded. |
| Panchasiddhantika, a compilation of the then | | | | These included the constellation Hydra, the god of |
| extant five astronomical works called the | | | | darkness. The only time Hydra was fully visible to |
| Siddhantha- Surya, Paulisha, Romaka, Vasishta, | | | | the people of northern India was in mid-winter, |
| and Paitamaha. Of them, the Suryasiddhanta, | | | | when the sun shone the fewest hours, hence the |
| which he regarded as the most accurate, | | | | allusion to the god of darkness. More importantly, |
| underwent revisions from time to time and | | | | however, was the fact that the rains came when |
| continues to be an important text for computing | | | | Hydra ceased to be completely visible. This was |
| pancangas. | | | | very important to the farmers of North India, for |
| Brahmagupta was a noted astronomer | | | | they needed to know when the rains would |
| mathematician of the 7th Century. His remarkable | | | | come, so as to know when to prepare their fields |
| contribution was his equation for solving | | | | and plant their crops." ( Astronomy of Vedic India |
| indeterminate equations of the second order - an | | | | ) |
| equation that appeared in Europe a thousand | | | | Astronomical Mysticism in the Rig Veda |
| years later known as Pell's equation. His lemmas in | | | | The five fundamental circles, the Celestial Equator |
| this connection were rediscovered by Euler (1764) | | | | ( Vishuvat Vritta) , the Celestial Meridien ( |
| and Lagrange (1768). Brahmagupta was also the | | | | Khagoleeya Dhruva Rekha ), the Ecliptic ( Kranti |
| first to enunciate a formula for the area of a | | | | Vritta ), the Nodal Circle ( Vikshepa Vritta ) and |
| rational cyclic quadrilateral. In the latter half of the | | | | the Celestial Horizon ( Kshithija ) were called by |
| first millenium A.D. there were other noted | | | | the Seers as Shahasra Seersha, Sahasra Purusha, |
| astronomers and mathematicians like Bhaskara I, | | | | Sahasra Kha, Sahasra Path & Sahasra Bhoomi. |
| Lalla, Pruthudakasvamin, Vateshvara, Munjala, | | | | This is given in the Hymn, the Purusha Sooktha, |
| Mahavira (Jaina mathematician), Shripati, Shridhara, | | | | that the Zodiacal Man or Time Eternal lies coiled as |
| Aryabhatta II , and Vijayanandin. The tradition of | | | | the mighty Zodiac ! |
| astronomy and mathematics continued unabated - | | | | Yogic or Philosophical Piece |
| determination of procession of equinoxes, parallax, | | | | The Downward Pull of the Mind |
| mean and true motions of planet, permutations | | | | The Downward Pull of the Mind is when the |
| and combinations, solving quadratic equations, | | | | negative elements in the collective mind or the |
| square root of a negative number and the like. | | | | social mind triumph. Socrates is poisoned. Rimbau |
| Using nine digits and zero, the decimal place value | | | | flees to the Abyssinian desert. History is replete |
| system had established itself by about the 4th | | | | with such incidents, when " the adverse forces " |
| century A.D. Says historian of science, George | | | | or " the hostile forces " triumph over the positive |
| Sarton, "Our numbers and the use of zero were | | | | forces in the collective or social mind. |
| invented by the Hindus and transmitted by Arabs, | | | | The Upward Pull of the Mind |
| hence the name Arabic numerals which we often | | | | This happens only in the minds of Initiates. " In Ire |
| give them.' Brahmagupta's Brahmasphuta | | | | " in Latin means to go within. Initiates are those |
| Siddhanta and Khandakhadyaka were also | | | | who are always in touch with the Divine Self in |
| rendered into Arabic in the 9th-10th century. The | | | | themselves. The four faculites of the Intuitive |
| Brahmi numerical forms with some modifications | | | | Reason - Revealation, Inspiration, Intuition & |
| along with the decimal place-value system | | | | Illumination - are experienced by them. The river |
| developed in India have since become universal." | | | | of inspiration flowing from the Truth |
| Eirik L Harris remarked that "Additionally, the | | | | Consciousness pulls the mind to the higher regions |
| Vedics, who developed the Hindu-Arabic number | | | | of the Superconscient. In Geo-Biology, this is the |
| system, were far enough advanced in | | | | pull of the mind from the Telluric level to the |
| mathematics to make many calculations, including | | | | Cosmic level. The mind experiences Bliss during |
| that of the complete cycle of the progression of | | | | this Upward Pull. |
| the equinoxes, though, again, as the Vedas were | | | | |