Indian Astronomy – In Retrospect

Translated from the original article in Kannada by Dr.Y.S.Gayatri in 'Shankara Krupa' Ed 13 July-2011 issue

‘ज्ञानं विज्ञान सहितं’ is an ancient Indian adage. Knowledge and Science being in tandem with their way of life is not new for Indians. Bhagawan Veda Vyas said, ‘यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्’ about the Mahabharata. This saying can be extended to the Vedas too as the root of all the ‘Shastras’ are to be found in the Vedas. In the same vein the roots of Astronomy also lies in the very same Vedas.

It is a known fact that the Rig Veda is the oldest scripture of mankind. Several sections in the Rig Veda point to the knowledge of Astronomy of those days. Based on the proofs gathered from within the Rig Veda and the opinions of many researchers like Weber, Max Muller, Jacobi, Winternitz, Balagangadhara Tilak and others, the Rig Veda was written around B.C 4000. The Rig Veda has several references to the Solar System with 10 planets. The origins and formations of those planets are also found in it. The mention of the giant red spot on the planet Jupiter in the Rig Veda is surprising as today only powerful telescopes can provide this view. The two satellites of Mars and the separation of the moon from the earth have also been mentioned here. Even though the Rig Veda mentions such facts, the modern scientists in a fit of delusion claim that it is modern science that discovered them. That the satellites of several planets revolve around their parent planets was a fact known to our ancient sages. Gravity as a force was known to them. They also knew that the Sun was the source of energy to the earth. The Vedas also mention the time division as day, night, month, season and year. A mantra in the Rig Veda says ‘सूर्यरश्मिस्चन्द्रमा तिराति गन्धर्वः’, points to the fact that the phases of the moon and that the sun was its source of energy was known to ancient Indians.

During the Vedic era, sages like Vashista, Vishwamitra, Vaamadeva and others were also experts in Astronomy. It is said that the sages who belonged to Sage Atri’s lineage has special knowledge of eclipses. This has been mentioned at several places in the Samhitas and the Brahmanas. The Brahmanas of the Saama Veda describe astronomy with Sun as their central object. Even the ‘Gavaamayana’ sutras narrate astronomy in the view of the knowledge required for Indian Astrological Almanac (Panchanga). Even though the Rig Veda mentions the names of several stars, it is the Yajur Veda that contains the details of 27 star and their star clusters. It also contains the detailed description of the holy period of four months (Chaturmaasa), associated rituals, the seasons, months and their names. In the Brahmanas of the Saama Veda, the section that concerns the rules of formation of the Mahavakyas has laid stress on the Uttarayana or the six-month period between Makar Sankranti (around January 14) and Karka Sankranti (around July 14), when the sun travels towards the north on the celestial sphere. 108 bricks are required to construct a Yagna-Vedi. This number has been used in the Astrological texts that were written at a later period for calculations of time. Yajur Veda contains the detailed explanation of the ‘Gavamayaana’ rituals. Even the Atharva Veda has references to Vedic Astronomy at several places. It mentions the months and the additional month too, when the sun does not at all transit into any rāshi but simply keeps moving within a rāshi in a lunar month, and the 27 stars (Nakshatras) and the additional 28th intercalary Nakshatra ‘Abhijit’ and their names.

The Brahmanas are glosses on the philosophy and rituals of the Vedas. They are commentaries on the four Vedas, detailing the proper performance of rituals, their origins and inner meanings. The Brahmanas explains and enlightens us with the knowledge about Astronomy mentioned in the Samhitas. The role of the Sutras of Indian Astrological Almanac (Panchanga) is deemed as immensely important in the Vedic tradition. The ‘Vidhaana Sutras’ and ‘LaaTaayana Sutras’ were created in the Saama Veda for this very purpose. The Astrology part in the Vedas highlights the knowledge of Astronomy through the 36 hymns (Slokas) of Rig Veda and 46 ‘Slokas’ of the Yajur Veda, specially dedicated to astronomy.

The Cosmic Egg (Brahmanda) has been segregated into three divisions: Earth (Prithvi), Space (Antariksha) and Heaven (Dyauh). Sun is regarded as the major celestial body. The Sun’s path of revolution is regarded as most holy. Several hymns in the Rig Veda explain the sun’s importance and its inevitable presence in the nature. The rays of the sun are of seven different colours. It also specifies that the sun is also the reason behind the emergence of life forms on earth (Rg. 1-105-90).		Considering the sustenance of life forms, flow of river waters and blow of the winds, the Sun is required for each. Sun is also responsible for the occurrence of day, night, dawn, dusk, months and other time divisions too. The Aitareya Brahmana mentions that the ‘Sun neither rises nor it sets’. Though we know this as true today, it indicates that our age old sages knew this fact thousands of years ago. Rig Veda and the Brahmanas have references to the path of the Sun, also called ‘Krantauratha’, at several places. It is called as ‘Rruta’ in the Rig Veda. Uttarayana is called as ‘Devayana’ and Dakshinaayana is called as ‘Pitraayana’ in the Rig Veda.

Moon is one another celestial body taken into consideration for calculations of time. It has been described as ‘मासक्रुत्’ in the Vedas. The time period between two full-moons (purnima) or two new-moons (amavasya) is called a month (masa). The fact that the moon is dependent on the Sun for light and is not self-illuminative was known to the ancient Indians. The different phases of moon on different days have been named accordingly. For e.g. कृष्ण चतुर्दशी-सीनिवालि; अमावस्य-कुहू; शुक्ल चतुर्दशी-अनुमति;पूर्णिमा-राका; are the names of the moons for each phase of the moon on a particular day.

During the period of writing of the ‘Samhitas’, one month was calculated to be 30 days. The path of the moon was decided to cover 27 or 28 star clusters during that period. Even though other civilizations like Babylonian, Chinese or Arab had star wheels, they were not as advanced as that during the Vedic period.

The Vedic almanac (Panchanga) that contains 12 lunar months each named after the star cluster in which it is present and the 12 lunar months divided into 6 seasons is more objective and scientific than the Gregorian calendar followed today.

The astrological system that evolved under the exceptional imagination of the Sages during the Vedic period is unmatched. Each lunar month is divided into two phases (paksha) as ‘Shukla Paksha’ and ‘Krishna Paksha’. Each day has 30 propitious moments (Muhurtas). The longest day of the year that falls in the period between 14th July and 14th January approximately (Dakshinayana) has 18 Muhurtas. Likewise, the shortest day of the year that falls in the period between 14th January and 14th July (Uttarayana) has only 12 Muhurtas. There is also a provision for accommodating an extra month when the sun does not transit into any rāshi but simply keeps moving within a rāshi in a lunar month (i.e. before a new moon), then that lunar month will be named according to the first upcoming transit. The Vedic priest or purohits had immense knowledge of the movements of the sun and moon. The story of ‘Swarbhanu’, a demon and son of Singhika in the Puranas, depicts their knowledge of the solar eclipse.  It comes to our notice that the noble souls belonging to the sage Atri’s genealogy are the experts in matters of Solar and Lunar eclipses. In the Hindu metrics of time, a time cycle is divided into 4 epochs (Yuga) and one ‘Divine Yuga’ (Mahayuga), is about 43,20,000 human years. However, the Jyotisha of the Vedas view the concept of Yuga differently. According to Jyotisha, each Yuga has 5 years. During this time the sun revolves 5 times each year. Jyotisha says there are 67 sidereal months, 62 Lunar Months, 1830 civil days, 1835 sidereal days, 1800 solar days and 1860 lunar days. The information about the planets has been discussed in the texts of the later Vedic period. The details of the Lunar mansions (Nakshatras), days, months (Masa), years (Samvatsara), movements of the sun/moon and sidereal periods (bhagaNa) have been explained in the Jyotisha Shashtras of the auxiliary disciplines of the Vedas. To regain the precise knowledge of these ancient sciences we need to go back to the study of the Vedas. It is a wrong assumption and misconception that science is the contribution only of the western nations. This has to be amended and the truth about Indian sciences has to be exhibited to the world. It is the duty of one and all of us to ensure that our nation, Bharata, is once again a powerhouse of knowledge.