The Illustrious Surya Siddhanta.

Accompanied by the Gudharthaprakashaka Commentary and the Hindi Exposition.

Chapter One.

Just as the crest is to the peacock, and the jewel to the serpent,

So does Mathematics original: "Ganita"; refers here to the combined science of astronomy and calculation stand at the head of all the auxiliary sciences of the Vedas.

I bow to the curved-trunked Ganesha, born of Shiva, the giver of wisdom, by remembering whom a person attains the obstacle-free completion of their desired tasks. || 1 ||
Victory to my parents, Govinda and Ballala, who are like the goddess Parvati and Lord Shiva; from them were born five sons who are the causes of the world of light meaning they are all experts in Jyotisha or astronomy/astrology. || 2 ||
I bow to my brother, the wise Krishna, the teacher of the world, whose speech was a source of trust for the Universal Sovereign Jahangir The Mughal Emperor, r. 1605–1627. || 3 ||
Having examined various texts, I, Ranganatha, compose this commentary on the Surya Siddhanta to illuminate its hidden meanings. || 4 || ( | || || ||

Now, desiring to relate the dialogue between the man who was an incarnation of the Sun and the demon Maya—which contains the true essence of reality as known to him—to the sages who were curious about the movements of the planets and who had posed questions, the author first records the auspicious salutation to Brahma. This is done to ensure the obstacle-free completion of the work he has begun and to provide an example for his students:

Salutations to Brahma, whose form is inconceivable and unmanifest, who is beyond the three qualities the Gunas: Sattva (purity), Rajas (passion), and Tamas (inertia), yet is the soul of all qualities;
The embodiment who is the support of the entire universe. || 1 ||

"To Brahma" means to the Supreme Lord who pervades the universe because of his greatness and lack of limitation; he is the one established by sacred scriptures in passages such as "From that very Self, space was born." "Salutations" means "I am bowed," in the sense of a specific mental state characterized by the movement of body and speech, acknowledging that "I am inferior compared to the supreme excellence of the Truth."

If one objects that pervasiveness alone would prove that this refers only to "Space," the author says: "The embodiment who is the support of the entire universe." This means he whose forms or natures are equal to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, acting as the foundation and refuge for the entire world—consisting of the moving and the unmoving—which undergoes creation, preservation, and destruction. The implication is that Space cannot be the subject here because it lacks that triune nature.

If one then asks if it is proper to meditate on the form of such a being, the author says: "Whose form is inconceivable and unmanifest." He is both inconceivable and of an unmanifest form. "Inconceivable" means he is not an object of ordinary meditation. The reason for this is his "unmanifest form." His nature or form is not manifest or perceptible; therefore, the author implies that a simple salutation is most appropriate since meditation on his true form is impossible.

If one asks how he can be of an unmanifest form, the author says: "Beyond the qualities." This means one from whom the qualities of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas have departed; he transcends the qualities. And that...