The Surya Siddhanta

By using the word "indeed," it is implied that this is a direct transmission of what the Sun spoke, and not something based on my own imagination. It is called "primordial" because it was spoken by the Sun in the earliest times. Now, one might argue that even a text spoken by the Sun in a more recent Age original: "Yuga"; a vast cycle of time in Hindu cosmology could be considered "ancient." To address this, the text clarifies the meaning of "primordial" by saying: "That which..." This means the science which the Sun spoke first, before which nothing else was spoken. He "proclaimed" it—meaning he spoke it with great excellence and in full detail to the Sages.

And so, because there is no reason to go beyond the first revelation, and because that first revelation was the most detailed, the later versions—which are merely summaries of what was already established—are set aside. The intention here is to teach the science as it was given in the First Age.

One might then ask: "Does this mean the versions of the Sun's science given in subsequent Ages are useless?" To this, the author says: "Of the Ages..." By the revolution and constant repetition of the Great Ages original: "Mahayugas"; a cycle of 4,320,000 years, the only difference in the various versions of the Sun's teachings is "merely that." This refers to the "Difference of Time"—the interval created by time itself. The time of a later scripture is different from the time of an earlier one; the difference lies in the era, not in the fundamental methods taught in the scriptures.

Thus, because the motion of the planets original: "Grahachara" undergoes slight variations due to the power of Time, the Compassionate One the Sun deity spoke as if providing a new scripture in different Ages. He did this to establish those specific variations in planetary motion for the sake of the worldly dealings of the people living at that time. Therefore, the later scriptures are not useless.

The underlying sentiment is this: "I have accepted the planetary motions established in the Sun's science for the current Age, and I have set aside the motions from the primordial version as they no longer serve a practical purpose; yet, I am teaching you the very essence of what He spoke." Furthermore, even within a single Age, if differences are observed in the planetary motions during intermediate periods, learned scholars of those times establish those differences and compose new treatises. This correction or difference added to the original text is known as the "Seed" original: "Bija"; a technical term for the astronomical correction applied to mean longitudinal positions of planets to make them match observations...