पञ्चसिद्धान्तिका (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - सूर्य, रोमक, पौलिश, वासिष्ठ एवं पितामह सिद्धान्त)

IX.27 IX. SAURA-SIDDHĀNTA — SOLAR ECLIPSE 227 is before noon. The first contact being earlier still, its interval from noon is greater, and therefore its nāḍīs of parallax too is greater than those of the new moon. Since both are subtractive, the first half duration is lengthened, the first contact happening earlier. Therefore the difference is to be added to the duration. In the case taken, the last contact may happen before noon or after noon. If before noon, the interval from noon upto the last contact is less than that upto new moon. There- fore the nāḍīs of parallax of the last contact is less than those of the new moon, and both are sub- tractive. Therefore the second half duration also is lengthened, the last contact happening later. So the difference is, here too, additive to the duration. If the last contact is afternoon, the naḍīs of parallax are clearly additive to the time of last contact, and the last contact happens later. But the parallax-corrected new moon occurs earlier, and so the second half-duration is lengthened both ways, and so the sum of the parallaxes is added to the duration. Thus in all three possibilities of the first case, there is only additive correction. Let us now take the second case, viz. that the new moon occurs after noon. Clearly what is said for the first contact in the first case applies to the last contact in the second case, and vice versa, but the additiveness and subtractiveness alone have to be interchanged. Therefore, here too, in all three possibilities the differences or sums, have to be added to the duration, as we have said in giving the meaning of the verse. Not understanding the above, TS have interpreted the verse in such a way that the instruction will result in lessening the duration, which is contrary to facts. Now, for the readings. In the second foot of the verse three mātrās are missing, and to restore them we have read viśleṣita as viśleṣito yutaḥ in accordance with the meaning. The emendation, by TS and NP, of the manuscript reading viśleṣitasthityām into viśleṣitaḥsthityā does not express the intended idea fully. In the fourth foot two mātrās are missing, and to restore them we have read the meaningless nāmokṣi as nāmo maukṣī. To conclude: In the introduction to this chapter we said that the Sun, Moon, and Rāhu, together with the methods of computing them are better in the Saura than in the Romaka. Now, we have seen that in the computation of the solar eclipse also, the Saura excels. For instance, the mean angular diameters of the Sun and the Moon are 30' and 34' according to the Romakas, while they are 32' and 32' according to the Saura, very near the correct 32' and 31', respectively. Computing true diameters and the parallax using the distance of the instant of eclipse, and using the true motion of the time of eclipse for getting the duration etc. are commendable in the Saura. Getting the sine z.d.n. by using the sine of the zenith distance of m.e.p. is a better method than that used by the Romaka, as also the method of successive approximation for various things like parallax in time of new moon etc. The abandoning of the Romaka's faulty correction of the Moon's position in its own orbit, is itself praiseworthy. With such good features, the Saura is easily the best of the five Siddhāntas. [इति पञ्चसिद्धान्तिकायां वराहमिहिरविरचितायां सूर्यसिद्धान्तेऽर्कग्रहणं नाम नवमोऽध्यायः ]¹

1. Col. A.B.D. इति (B. om इति) सूर्यसिद्धान्तेऽर्कग्रहणं (B. णनाम) नवमोध्यायः | C. इति सूर्यसिद्धान्ते सूर्यग्रहणं नाम नवमोऽध्यायः | Thus ends Chapter Nine entitled ‘Saura-Siddhānta: Solar Eclipse’ in the Pañcasiddhāntikā composed by Varāhamihira