Software simulations using the JPL Horizons Ephemeris System of NASA establish that the conjunction Mayasura recorded occurred only once in the last 16,000 years, on 22 February 6778 BCE.
New Delhi: From all available evidence based on epigraphs, inscriptions, carvings and various historical excavations and references in Puranic literature, India precedes the western world in many scientific discoveries and inventions by many centuries. But the antiquity has been lost due to corruption of Indian chronology, where a 16,000-year-old civilisation is being compressed into a 3,500-year-old existence. This article tries to re-establish the antiquity and chronology and the following parts reconstruct India’s contribution to science and mathematics and how India has lost its technological edge in the last 300 years.
8,800-YEAR HISTORY OF SPHERICAL TRIGONOMETRY
Spherical trigonometry is a sine qua non for astronomical calculations and predictions. (It was later refined with Calculus). Astronomy became an essential part of early Indian civilization for both planning agrarian operations and making predictions based on horoscope. It was Mayasura’s Surya Siddhanta, which had revolutionised Indian astronomy by introducing precise astronomical calculations in its calendar.
Mayasura has recorded observing the Sun, Moon and all planets in conjunction in Aries (Mesha) on new moon day of Chaitra month at the end of the 28th Krita Yuga in his Surya Siddhanta.
Software simulations using the JPL Horizons Ephemeris System of NASA establish that such conjunction has occurred only once in the last 16,000 years, on 22 February 6778 BCE (see picture).
Mayasura (who lived thousands of years before) and not Greek astronomer Hipparchus (2nd century BC) should be reckoned as the rightful father of trigonometry.
ORIGIN OF 7-DAY WEEK
Mayasura’s Surya Siddhanta was the first stream of knowledge that formulated the concept of a seven-day week starting from the epochal day i.e., 22 February 6778 BCE. It lays down the reasoning behind the 7-day week besides the conventions behind sequencing the days within the week. As confirmed by Middle East scholars this was later incorporated in several calendars including Arabic, Hebrew, Babylonian, Greek, etc., and later adopted by the entire world.
It is interesting to note that if Surya Siddhanta’s epoch is considered the Zero Date, both Julian and Gregorian calendars would need correction since 22 February 6778 BCE was a Sunday (the first day being attributed to the Sun God) and not a Wednesday. It is by an executive fiat during the British that the days got re-set to the current calendar.
ORIGIN OF 60-YEAR CYCLES
All cycles of 60 years or 12 years in the world follow the epoch and cycle laid down by the Surya Siddhanta. Abul Fazal mentions that the ancient Turkish calendar, Aighuri was based on a 12-year cycle. China has been using 60-year cycles from ancient times. Tibetans also follow the 60-year cycle of Brahma Siddhanta, which has its origins in Surya Siddhanta.
The Arab astronomer Abu Ma’shar in his book Kitab al-qiranat says that the world was created when the Sun, Moon and all the five planets gathered at the first degree of Aries (not 4004 BCE as in Old Testament). Al Beruni, the noted Middle Eastern scholar, states that Abu Ma’shar derived his conclusions from Indian sources.
Greek astrology was also influenced by Surya Siddhanta and Greek scholars Plato and Cicero have also mentioned that the great year began at the conjunction of the Sun, Moon and all planets and the year 6778 BCE became an astrological epoch in Persian and Greek astrology.
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT LENGTH OF YEAR
Paulisha and Surya Siddhantas (there are more than 30 calendars in India alone) both give the length of the sidereal year as equal to 365.25875 days. The length of the year has however been evolving over time.
If one wants to avoid dealing with fractions and decimals, which are rather cumbersome and inconvenient, it is best to multiply them and make them a whole number. For example, if the number is 2.4 one can multiply by 5 and deal with 12 or if it is 2.5 multiply with 4 and deal with 10. The original Yuga and Chaturyuga were 5 years and 20 years respectively in the Vedic period which got refined to 1,200 years, 12,000 years and so on to 4,320,000 as the decimals (due to precision) kept growing. The latter-day users of “yuga” should have taken care to apply the appropriate scale carefully in any back calculations. If not, a person who had lived 10 yugas as per the earliest scale of 5 years would be shown to have lived for 12,000 years if a latter scale is applied.
Surya, Paulisha and Romaka Siddhantas have been recompiled and commented upon by Latadeva (Aryabhatta’s disciple) around 3101 BCE—way before Hellenistic astronomy or calculations by Hipparchus and Ptolemy.
Western Indologists have also wrongly speculated that the 2,850 years cycle of Romaka Siddhanta has 1,040,953 days, which implies a year of 365 days, five hours, fifty-five minutes, twenty-two seconds, when it is known to be based on a 95-year cycle (30X95). They also mistakenly reckoned that Romaka Siddhanta is based on the tropical system of Greece and Byzantine Rome and flipped the actual chronological sequence.
RECLAIMING OUR GLORY
Prior to the commencement of Siddhantic astronomy in 6778 BCE, Vedas and its commentaries indicate the beginning of Samvatsara in Sharad Ritu. The Ashvini hymns of the 7th Mandala compiled by Vasishtha Maitravaruṇi, indicate that the Sharad Ritu calendar of Vedic era had commenced when the autumnal equinox occurred in Ashvini Nakshatra around 13500 BCE and the same had been transformed into Magha Shukladi calendar.
Thus, Indian civilisation has a tradition of 6,700 years of Pre-Siddhantic astronomy from 13500 BCE to 6778 BCE and the tradition of 8,800 years of Siddhantic astronomy from 6778 BCE to till date. Ancient Indians taught the basics of astronomy, trigonometry, spherical trigonometry and calculus to the world and attained the status of “Vishva Guru” for thousands of years in the past. Let’s reclaim our glorious scientific heritage and inspire our young generation to work hard with pride and passion so that the glory of our nation could be re-awakened in the world. Let us be proud of being the descendants of the greatest and the oldest continuous civilisation of more than 16,000 years which possibly laid the strong scientific foundations in ancient times that perhaps led the world in the direction of modern advanced sciences.
Vedveer Arya is the author of “Indian Chronology” (3 volumes)