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

BRAHMAGUPTA AND ŚRĪṢEṆA 331 systems, and he very much resented such interferences in pure academic life of this country. He was opposed to Āryabhaṭa for a different reason. Āryabhaṭa was universally regarded as an authority in this country, and the conservatism was so deep that even where it could be shown by direct observation or on valid theoretical grounds, that a particular concept was erroneous or less accurate, people still chose to adhere to it, since they had the backing of Āryabhaṭa's authority. Brahma- gupta was against this nonscientific attitude. Needless to say, Brahmagupta was not always fair to Āryabhaṭa in his criticism ; he overdid in enumerating the shortcomings of Āryabhaṭa's system, as if he was personally jealous of his wide popularity. Brahmagupta's feelings against Lāṭadeva, Śrīṣeṇa, Viṣṇu- candra and others would be seen from the following passage in the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta : From the fact that Śrīṣeṇa, Viṣṇucandra, Pradyumna, Āryabhaṭa, Lāṭa, and Siṁha contradict one another regarding eclipses and similar topics, their ignorance is proved daily. The criticisms which I have passed on Āryabhaṭa are, with the requisite modifications, to be applied to the doctrines of each of these teachers as well. I will, however, make some further critical re- marks on Śrīṣeṇa and others. Śrīṣeṇa took from Lāṭa the rules concerning the mean motions of the Sun, and the Moon, the Moon's apogee and her node, and the mean motions of Mars, Mercu- ry's Śīghra, Jupiter, Venus's Śīghra, and Saturn ; he took elapsed years and the revolutions of yuga (yuga- yāta-varṣa-bhagaṇa) from Vasiṣṭha and the Padakaraṇa of Vijayānandi; further took from Āryabhaṭa the rules concerning the apogee, epicycles and nodes, and those referring to the true motions of the planets and thus the Romaka Siddhānta which was (or is) a heap of jewels (as it were) has, by Śrīṣeṇa, been made into a patched rag (as it were)¹.

1. श्रीषेणविष्णुचन्द्र प्रद्युम्नार्यभटलाटसिंहानाम् । ग्रहणादिविसंवादात् प्रतिदिवसं द्विगुणमज्ञत्वम् ॥ [Cont. on Page 330]