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

xx In the course of this book, I shall have occasion to quote from most of the Astronomers of ancient India like Aryabhaṭa I, Varāhamihira, Lalla, Aryabhaṭa II, Brahmagupta, Bhāskara I, Muñjāla, Vateśvara and Śrīpati not to speak of some others, whose books are available in print or manuscript. One thought that lurks in my mind, I make bold to present in this preface. I say ‘I make bold’ because, there are some historians of Hindu Astronomy, who are too ready to attack me if I claim that there must have been not a primitive astronomical activity in ancient India prior to Aryabhaṭa I. The reason for their attack is that prior to Aryabhaṭa’s work, only one crude Vedāṅga Jyotiṣa has come to light. Also some of these historians have a strong impression that the galaxy of Hindu Astronomers ranging from Aryabhaṭa derived an incentive from a foreign source especially the Greek. If such historians agree to keep an open mind, I make bold to present my thought as follows. In my humble opinion there must have been considerable astronomical activity in ancient India even prior to Aryabhaṭa. This is borne out by the following expressions of Aryabhaṭa and others. Aryabhaṭa says¹ that he dived into the then extant astro- nomical lore, which got mixed up with mathematical and non-mathematical (mythological or otherwise) knowledge, and by his intellect and the grace of his Goddess, brought- out the truly mathematical. Varāhamihira² says that he was codifying the then extant five Siddhāntas, out of

1. सदसत्ज्ञानसमुद्रात् समुद्धृतं देवताप्रसादेन सद्ज्ञानोत्तमरत्नं मया निमग्नं स्वमतिनावा Verse 49—Golapāda
2. पूर्वाचार्यमतेभ्यो यद्यत् श्रेष्ठं लघुस्फुटं बीजम् तत्तदिहाऽविकलमहं रहस्यमभ्युद्यतो वक्तुम् Verse 2—Ch. I. पोलिशकृतः स्फुतोऽसौ तस्यासन्नस्तु रोमकप्रोक्तः स्पष्टतरः सावित्रः परिशेषौ दूरविभ्रष्टौ Verse 4—Ch. I.