Chapter One

The Mean Motions of the Planets

original: मध्यमाधिकार (Madhyamadhikara); this section details the fundamental mathematical rules for calculating the average (mean) positions of celestial bodies.

(Brief Description)

[ Verse 1—Invocation of God. Verses 2-7—The story of Mayasura A legendary figure and architect of the asuras (demons/titans) in Hindu mythology performing penance to the Sun God to acquire the science of astronomy (Jyotish-shastra); the Sun God being pleased, granting a boon, and manifesting a man from his own body to teach him. Verses 8-9—The man (a personified portion of the Sun) telling Mayasura that the science which the Sun God previously revealed to the Great Sages is now being retaught with slight modifications for the current era. Verse 10—Two divisions of Time: (1) Eternal time without beginning or end, and (2) Measurable or calculable time. Verses 11-20—Units of time ranging from a nimesha the blink of an eye to a kalpa Kalpa|A cosmic cycle or 'Day of Brahma,' totaling 4.32 billion years. Verses 21-23—The current age of Brahma the creator deity in the Hindu triad. Verse 24—The duration of time spent in the process of creation since the start of the current kalpa. Verses 25-27—The underlying causes of the movement of stars and planets. Verse 28—The units used for measuring angles. Verses 29-34—The number of revolutions performed by the planets, their "fast peaks" original: शीघ्रोच्च (shighrochcha); a term related to the epicycle theory, similar to the center of the epicycle in Ptolemaic astronomy, the moon's apogee and nodes, and the stars within one Mahayuga Mahayuga|A Great Age consisting of 4,320,000 years. Verses 35-36—The relationship between lunar and solar months. Verses 37-39—The total number of civil days (savana days), intercalary months, and lunar days (tithis) in a Mahayuga. Verse 40—The number of civil days and lunar days in a kalpa. Verses 41-44—The number of revolutions of the planetary "slow peaks" original: मन्दोच्च (mandhochcha); the planetary apogee where the planet's motion appears slowest and their nodes during a kalpa. Verses 45-47—The time elapsed from the start of the kalpa to the end of the Satyayuga The first and most perfect of the four world ages. Verses 48-50—The method for calculating the total number of days passed since the beginning of creation. Verses 51-52—The method for determining the "Lord of the Day," "Lord of the Year," and "Lord of the Month." Verses 53-54—The method for calculating the mean positions of the planets. Verse 55—The method for determining the year of Jupiter (Samvatsara). Verses 56-58—The specific positions of the planets at the end of the Satyayuga. Verse 59—The relationship between diameter and circumference, and the measurement of the Earth's circumference. Verses 60-61—Determining the latitude circle of a specific location and using it to calculate a planet’s mean position. Verse 62—Listing the famous cities located on the central meridian The prime meridian of ancient Indian astronomy, passing through Ujjain of India. Verses 63-65—Using lunar eclipses to determine how far east or west a location is from the central meridian. Verse 66—When the solar trend or motion begins. Verse 67—Determining the position of planets at any desired time. Verses 68-70—The maximum distance the Moon and other planets can travel north or south of the ecliptic original: कान्ति-वृत्ति (kanti-vritti); the apparent path of the Sun. ]