ब्राह्मस्फुटसिद्धान्त (ब्रह्मगुप्त - शून्य, कुट्टक, बीजगणित एवं सम्पूर्ण २१ अध्याय सान्वय सटीक)

330 BRAHMAGUPTA A GREAT CRITIC Varāha was the author of the Sūrya Siddhānata¹, and who adds, that “Satānanda, the author of the Bhāsvatī was a pupil of Varāha under whose directions, he himself acknowledges, he wrote that work”. This concluding remark alludes to the following verse of the Bhāsvatī Karaṇa : “Next I will propound succinctly., from Mihira’s instruction, (the system) equal to the Sūrya Siddhānta¹, (Miscellaneous Essays, p. 388-90) (The word ‘Mihira’ has double meaning : it might be an abbreviation of Varāhamihira, or it may mean sun or Sūrya). Thus on the authority of Colebrooke, Śrīṣeṇa may by re- garded as the initiator of the Romaka system. Brahmagupta him- self mentions in one of his passages the name of Śrīṣeṇa in connec- tion with the Romaka system, and further the conceptions of the Romaka system came down as Vāsiṣṭha system through Viṣṇucan- dra,² Lāṭadeva also derived from Śrīṣeṇa the concepts of the mean motions of the Sun, the Moon, the Moon’s apogee and her node and the mean motions of Mars, Mercury’s. Śīghra, Jupiter, Venus’ śīghra and Saturn. I have indicated elsewhere, which is also the view of Sankara Bālakṛṣṇa Dīkṣita, that the original Romaka and Paulīśa Siddhāntas were introduced to Indians by Lāṭadeva, and the latter Romaka Siddhānta by Śrīṣeṇa (Original Romaka Siddhānta was prevalent before Śaka 427 and this is the one which is mentioned by Varāhamihira who makes no reference to Śrīṣeṇa and Viṣṇucandra in the Pañcasidhāntikā, and the latter Romaka Siddhānta was introduced by Śrīṣeṇa as is indicated by Brahmagupta. Thus we have two Vāsiṣṭha Siddhāntas and two Romaka Siddhāntas). My personal view is that Lāṭadeva, Śrīṣeṇa and possibly Viṣṇucandra also, were naturalised Greeks, settled in India and they had adopted themselve to Indian life. They were conversant in Greek and Indian Astronomy both and had contributed substantially to Indian astronomy. Brahmagupta was opposed to any of these f oreign influences dominating Indian

1. अथ प्रवक्ष्ये मिहिरोपदेशात् तत्सूर्यसिद्धान्त समं समासात् ॥ —Bhāsvatī Karaṇa
2. श्रीषेणेन गृहीत्वा रचोन्त्यरोमकः कृतः कन्था । एतानेव गृहीत्वा वासिष्ठो विष्णुचन्द्रेण ॥ —BrSpSi. XI. 50