Crown of Treatises: Chapter on Mathematics

Nothing was beyond their knowledge. And this is only right. The connection of the six VedangasThe "limbs" or auxiliary disciplines of the Vedas: phonetics, ritual, grammar, etymology, meter, and astronomy. is the primary means of the Veda's very existence. However, it was not the intention of the ancient teachers to prove that all comprehensive knowledge and science originated solely from the Vedas; otherwise, they would not have initiated the creation of countless texts on individual subjects. In the present time, no further proof of this is required.

Aside from the Vedas themselves, an independent ancient text on JyotishaAstronomy and astrology. is famous by the name 'Vedanga Jyotisha.' For the performance of sacrifices and other rituals, it describes the determination of lunar days (tithis), festival times, and so on. Currently, three types of Vedanga Jyotisha are available: † one contains 36 verses and is related to the Rigveda; the second includes a commentary by Somakara, at the end of which is written, The Vedanga Jyotisha of the Yajurveda, composed by Shesha. This contains 43 verses. Among these, 30 verses from the Rigvedic Jyotisha are included, while the remaining 13 verses are new. Taking the 36 from the Rig-Jyotisha and the 13 from the Yaju, there are 49 verses in total. According to Somakara’s writings, his commented Jyotisha is considered to belong to the Yajurveda, and it was composed by Shesha. At its beginning, it is written:

original: "कालज्ञानं प्रवक्ष्यामि लगधस्य महात्मनः"

From this, it is known that Lagadha had written some work on astronomy, and the present Jyotisha was written based on that original. It appears that—just as the Panini grammar was created based on ancient Vedic grammar, and the Pingala manual of prosody was based on the foundations of Vedic meter—this Vedanga Jyotisha of the Mahatma Lagadha was composed upon the foundation of ancient Vedic astronomy. Lagadha or...

† The Atharva-Jyotisha is the third—in this, the Grandfather (Brahma) gave instruction to Kashyapa. This is, in a sense, related to MuhurtaThe selection of auspicious moments for performing rituals or actions.. It mentions seven planets and seven days of the week. The names of the twelve zodiac signs, such as Aries (Mesha), are not present. This should be known as the primary text on the subject of Muhurta.