सिद्धान्तशिरोमणि: गणिताध्याय (भास्कराचार्य - ग्रहगणित, मध्यमाधिकार व स्पष्टाधिकार सटीक)

xxii correct, for the simple reason that, even today, crude works exist side by side with advanced works. The simple fact that a Vedāṅgajyautiṣa belonging to 1180 B.C. has been unearthed and nothing else, is not a complete proof that there did not exist more advanced texts some where else in such a big country like India , especially when locomotion or transport was difficult. Just one more thought, I place before the learned historians, which is pertinent to this context. According to geology, biology and some other similar modern sciences, the first man came into the cosmic picture some millions of years ago. If that be so, how is it that we say that man remained stupid all these years and happened suddenly to blossom into a genius one fine morning round about Eighteen fifties (1850 A.D.) whereafter came all Scientific discoveries in a series, as if by the waving of a magic wand ? It could not be so, as if, we are the chosen few of God. Civilizations must have been there, which got buried in the bosom of the earth, as has been revealed by the Mohenzadaro excavations. Hence we are not right in saying that the ancient Hindu civilization was so primitive at 1150 B.C. as is reflected in the Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa. This is another and more important reason that this author makes bold to place before the historians as to why he (the author) does have faith in the statements of Aryabhaṭa, Varāhamihira and Brahmagupta who said that they were peacing out the knowledge contained in the then extant works signifying at the same time that many more books were lost even to them. In this commentary of mine, I have chosen to keep the commentary away from the Sanskrit text and Bhās- kara’s own Vāsanā Bhāṣya, for, otherwise the book grows bulkily unwieldy. I have chosen to keep silent over passages which do not call for a mathematical elucidation. Here and there I have chosen to present what modern astronomy presents in some particular contexts, so that,