Part 27 - Sripati’s life and works

Very little information about the life of Sripati can be had from Ganitatilaka. From its verse given on p. 6, it may be inferred that he is Mahesvara or Saiva by religion; for, herein he has referred to Mahesvara. This inference is corroborated by the fact that in the 2 nd verse of Siddhantasekhara, he calls himself "the best of the Dvijas (Brahmanas)", in case it can be safely assumed that it is the work of Ganitatilakakara. Ganitatilaka is silent about his parentage and birth-place. At least some information about his parentage can be, however, gathered from a verse occurring in verse occurring in Dhruvamanasa composed in Saka 978. There it is stated that he is son of Nagadeva, son of Bhatta Kesava, and that he composed this jyotihsastra in Rohinikhanda, perhaps his native-place. In the beginning of Jyautisaratnamala² alias Sripatiratnamala, Sripati has mentioned the names of Garga, Varaha and Lalla. From the introductory verse of Jatakapaddhati, we learn that Sripati composed this work at the request of his pupil or pupils. This leads us to infer that he had at least one pupil, if not more. This Sripati is an author of astronomical works such as Dhikota³, a karana-grantha, and Siddhantasekhara. He is not only a celebrated astronomer but also a famous astrologer as can be seen from his astrological works Jyautisaratnamala and Daivajnavallabha. He seems to have flourished not earlier 1 This seems to be based upon Varahamihira's Pancasiddhantika and Brhatsamhita, Brahmagupta's Brahmasphutasiddhanta and Lalla's Sisyadhi vrddhida. 2 This work has been published in A. D. 1934 with English translation and short notes by Mr. Narendra Kumar Mazumdar M. A., in the "Calcutta Oriental Journal" vol. I, pp. 286-299. Several verses of this work occur in Siddhantas' ekhara. 3 It deals with solar and lunar eclipses and is elucidated in the commentary styled as Udaharana. See "Descriptive Catalogue of Samskrta and Prakrta Mss. (B. B. R. A. S.)" vol. I, p. 81.

than Manjula, the author of Laghumanasa³, a karana-grantha ( 932 A. D.) The exact date of Sripati is not yet known; but it is certain that he is in no way posterior to Bhaskara. carya³ and that he wrote his Siddhantasekhara in about 1040 A. D. Herein he has criticized the unique doctrines of the Jainas regarding their conception about two suns, two moons, a double set of stars and planets and the pyramidal shape of Meru. WORKS- (1) Dhikotida-karana (Saka 961). (2) Jyautisaratnamala alias Sripatiratnamala³. (3) Siddhantasekhara. (4) Daivajnavallabha. (5) Jatakapaddhati 1 He has been referred to and even followed especially in his method of finding the precessional rate, by the great astronomer and mathematician Bhaskara. 2 Thibaut observes in his introduction (p. VIII) to Pancasiddhantika that this is a compendious astronomical treatise which does not set forth the theory of the subject at a comparative length as the siddhantas do, but only supplies a set of concise and often only approximately correct rules which suffice for the speedy performance of all the more important astronomical calculations. 3 About him Spottiswoode has observed that he is the most celebrated Indian astronomer. His birth-date is 1114 A. D. At the age of 36, he composed Siddhantasiromani divided into two parts viz. Goladhyaya and Grahaganitadhyaya and having Patiganita and Bijaganita as its appendices. He composed at the age of 69, Karanakutuhala, a karana-grantha. Bijopanaya which is a short treatise on the corrections of the moon's place and which is quoted in Vasanabhasya is also attributed to him by some but this is doubted by Mr. Sukumara Ranjan Das, who is at best prepared to consider it as an appendix to Siddhantasiromani. 4 See Maxmuller's "History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature" and "Indian Historical Quarterly" vol. VII, p. 140. 5 Madhava (Saka 1185) has mentioned Sridhara in his commentary on Sripati's Ratnamala. 6 Jatakakarmapaddhati of Sripati has been commented upon in Samvat 1673 by Sumatiharsa Gani, pupil of Harsaratna, pupil of Udayaraja Gani. 7 Sripati is quoted by Rama (17 th century) in his Kautukacintamani. See "Descriptive Catalogue of Samskrta and Prakrta MSS". (B. B. R. A. S.) vol. I. He is also quoted by Kesava in his Jatakapaddhati. Ibid., p. 117.

(6) Ganitatilaka³. (7) Bijaganita. (8) Dhruvamanasa² (composed in Saka 978)³.

1 The existence of this work is now no more a matter of mere inference to be drawn from its being quoted by Munisvara alias Visvarupa in his work styled as Liluvativivrti. The reverse seems to be, however, the case with Bijaganita referred to in Lilavativivrti. For, the source of its Ms. if any, remains unknown. See Dixit, p. 315. 2 Manjula's Laghumanasa or Brhanmanasa seems to have been utilized in composing this work. 3 There are two other works viz. Sripatinibandha and Sripatisamuccaya; but, whether their author can be identified with our Sripati or not remains to be ascertained.