about vriddha vasishta siddhanta

8/9/2019 About Vriddha Vasishta Siddhanta

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About Vriddha Vasishta Siddhanta

[Written by Sreenadh OG & Veneet Kumar]

Certainly there lived many Vasishtas - evident from the fact that we have many Samhita

texts such as multiple Vasishta Samhitas, Vriddha Vasishta Samhita and Jagan Mohana

ascribed to Vasishta. The same is the case with Siddhantas - Vasishta Siddhanta andVriddha Vasishta Siddhanta are known. The same could be the case with Hora text

ascribed to Vasishta as well. The Vasishta Siddhantas known to me are –1) Ancient Vasishta Siddhanta referenced by Mihira: Varaha Mihira in Pancha

Siddhantika refers to Vasishta Siddhanta and some portion of Pancha siddhantika

are based on this text. (This text is unavailable) 2) A text named Vriddha Vasishta Siddhanta is available. RN Rai dates this text to a

period around 9th century AD. (The article in which he does the same is attached

along with). David Pingree refers to this text in his compilation : "A descriptivecatalogue of the Sanskrit astronomical manuscripts preserved at the Maharaja

Man Singh II Museum in Jaipur, India", Page number 16. Available in Google

Books at:http://books.google.co.in/books?id=5w9zayTJsJEC&printsec=frontcover&source

=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false) (This text is available) This write-up is about the second text in the above list, i.e. Vriddha Vasishta

Siddhanta. This text is also known by the name Viswa Prakasa and is written in theform of a dialogue between Sage Vasishta and Vamadeva. Vriddha Vasishta is a

laterday sage in the lineage of Vasishta. This text certainly provides many quotable

quotes. Let me quote some beginning quotes from this text.

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[Salutations to Vishnu, who is of the form of consciousness, who is supreme, who isthe supreme soul, who is the object of the meditation of yogis, who is peaceful and

who is of the form of time]

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[In Naiminisharanya, the land of gods, the great brahmana named Vamadeva, after

greeting (the great sage) Vasishtha, who was seated comfortably, asked (thefollowing)]

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[O teacher! O the knower of dharma! O the one with a peaceful soul! O the knower of

past, present and future! O the ocean of mercy! O sage! All the shastras have been

studied by me by your grace]



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[All those shastras appear useless to me without the Jyotisha, the eye of the Veda.

Therefore, grant me (the knowledge) of Jyotisha shastra]

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[Vasishtha said: O greatly fortunate one! Excellent is the question which you are

asking me. I shall tell this knowledge in detail, as I heard (it) from Brahma]

This quote shows that Jyotish is taught by Brahma to Vasishta. There might be Horaand Samhita texts as well ascribed to this tradition. Here the discussion is about

Siddhanta Skandha (astronomical mathematics) taught by Brahma to sage Vasishta.

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[Earlier lord Brahma, after learning it entirely from the First Purusha, Hiranya-Garbha and upon being requested by the groups of sages, created the Jyotisha shastra]

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[This is that shastra, which is crystal clear, is comprised of a collection of tender padas (shlokas), is a secret and is of the nature of the knowledge of Adhyatma

(spirituality), and is eternal. It is (also called) Vishwa-Prakasha (the ‘light on the

world’ or the ‘light on everything’), and is the blameless eyes of those who know the

movements of planets (to avail knowledge about past-present-future)]

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[Prosody or Chanda shastra are the feet, Grammar is the mouth, Kalpa Shastra are thehands, Jyotisha are the two eyes, Shiksha is the nose, Nirukta (etymology) are the

ears. These are the six limbs of the Vedas]

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[Since Jyotishsastra is the eyes of the Vedas, it is the most important of all the limbs

of the Vedas. A man, who possesses all other limbs in his body, but is deprived of

eyes, is nothing]Eyes are one of the most important limbs; and so is the case of Jyotishastra among the

limbs of Vedas.

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[The Vedas were created for performing Yajnas. Those Yajnas are said to dependent

on time. From this shastra (Jyotisha), the knowledge of time comes. Therefore, the

supremacy of Jyotisha amongst the limbs of the Vedas is established]Use of astrologia and especially astrological mathematics in Calendar and Ephemeris

(Panchanga) calculations is emphasized here. From the Vedic perspective astrologia

is Kalavidhana sastra (the science of time measurement) and Calendar calculationsare given maximum importance.

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[Therefore (i.e. since Jyotish sastra is useful in timing of Yajnas in proper muhurtas)

Jyotish sastra, which is meritorious and secret, should be studied by the Brahmins.

After knowing it properly, one obtains wealth, dharma, moksha as well as fame]

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[After creating the Jyotisha-chakra for 17064000 years, the planets positioned in the beginning of Aries were put into a non-ending circular motion by Lord Brahma]

17,064,000 years is the period of divine activity. Sûrya-Siddhânta. Chapter 1, verse

24 reads: “47,400 divine years passed while the God Brahmâ was employed increating animate and inanimate things, planets, stars, gods, demons, and the rest.'

Since one divine year equals 360 solar years, 47,400 divine years are equal to

17,064,000 solar years. In other words, the present kalpa on earth began with a periodof divine activity lasting 17,064,000 years, and only then did the period of 'cosmic

evolution' begin”. Thus the above sloka states that at the beginning of Kalpa (at the

beginning of creation) all planets were at the beginning of Aries.

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[The bha-chakra is moved by the force of gravitation (dragged by the flow of Vayunamed Pravaha) from west (towards the east). Because of this (force) it rotates

quickly, even though planets are present in it. The planets moves towards the east

with (their respective) speeds]

The 1st line of this sloka seems to be missing 2 letters.

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[In the beginning of creation, the Tithi was Madhu (Chaitra) Shukla Pratipada (i.e.first day of bright fortnight in the month of Chaitra). At that time Sun and other

planets were at the beginning of Aries. In the beginning of a yuga, the planets are at

the beginning of Aries. But, the Mridu-Patas(nodes of the Moon, Rahu and Ketu) are placed at a different position (i.e. at a position different from the beginning of Aries.)]

Please note that at the beginning of creation all the planets were at the beginning of

Aries. Moon too was at the beginning of Aries evident from the fact that it was aSukla Pratipada Tithi, Moon placed very near to Sun which is in Aries. Rahu and



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Ketu are thought to be placed in the line bisecting the zodiac – i.e. the line joining the

joint of Cancer-Leo and Capricorn-Aquarius. The equinoxes are thought to be placed

along Rohini-Mula axis with vernal equinox in the Nakshatra of Brahma (Nakshatraof Creation) – i.e. Rohini and Autumnal equinox in Mula Nakshatra. Autumnal

equinox in 0 deg Mula Nakshatra and Vernal equinox in 16 deg 40 min of Taurus

Sign. (i.e. Middle of Rohini Nakshatra)

Interesting are the subject dealt within this text and it seems to borrow much info

from Surya Siddhanta. .

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about vriddha vasishta siddhanta

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