8. Aryabhata’s theory of the Diurnal Motion of the Earth

8. Appayadiksita's Criticism of Aryabhata's Theory of the Diurnal Motion of the Earth (Bhubhramavada ) * ER Appayadiksita, who is assigned to "the third and fourth quarters of the 16 th century" | refers in the following passages to Aryabhata and his theory regarding the earth's motion.- svarga prthivyoh parasparamupajivyopajivakabhavasya tulyataya svargo na pratistha prthivi pratistheti vyavasthitaktyayogat | kim tu niscalatvamiha pratisthasabdarthah | tattu jyotisca- krantargatatvena bhramati svarge nasti asti tu prthivyam prthivi pratistheti srutyantarat | aryabhatadyabhimatabhubhramanadivadanam srutinyayavirodhena heyatvat ' * Annals (B. O. R. Institute ), Vol. XIX, pp. 93-95. "" 1. Dr. S. K. De : History of Sanskrit Poetics, Vol. I, p. 266. According to Dr. De the extreme limits of Appaya's literary activity are 1549 and 1613 A. D. " Venkata, author of the Visvagunadarsa and a grandson of Appaya tells us that he hailed from Kanci (or Conjeve ram)." Compare the following reference to Kanci in the Vedantakalpataruparimala :- " kancya ko marga iti prasna margagrahanopayataya tattatpradesasthita girinadikananadi sadabhavasyapi sahavacanadarsanat etc." 2. Vide p. 201, of the Vedantakalpataruparimala, edited by Ramasastri Tailangana ( Vizianagaram Sanskrit Series, Benares, 1895 ). Appaya wrote this commentary on the Vedantakalpataru of Amalananda who flourished c. A. D. 1250 (Vide J. N. Farquhar : Outlines of Religious Literature of India, Oxford. 1920, pp. 368, 222). Amalananda resided at Nasik-Tryambak as will be seen from the description of the place in the following verse occurring in the Vedantakalpataru :- " asti kila brahmagirinama girivarah traiyambakajatajutakalanaya virnimita | pandureva pati bhati yatra godavari nadi || sakusumaphalacutaruddhagharmadyutikarapatavanalisupajate | tamasi harakiritacandranunne dhavalanisa iva bhanti vasarani || " ( Continued on next page ) (49) S.I.L.H.-4

Evidently Appayadiksita was a firm believer in the stability (prati- stha) of the earth and rejects categorically the theory of the only Indian astronomer who believed in the diurnal motion of the earth,' which is mentioned in the following verse quoted by Mr. S. B. Dikshit :- " anulomagatinausthah pasyatyacalam vilomagam yadvat | acalani bhani tadvat samapascimagani lamkayam || " ( golapada ) Mr. Dikshit further states that this verse regarding the theory of Aryabhata pertaining to the diurnal motion of the earth has been wrongly interpreted by his commentator in his work called Bhattaprakasika as follows:- " bhani kartrbhutani acalani bhumigatani vastuni karmabhutani vilomaganiva pracim disam gacchativa pasyati " Mr. Dikshit records that the date of Suryadevayajvan, the author of the commentary Bhattaprakasika is not known but he is likely to be later than Bhattotpala² (A. D. 966). Brahmagupta, however, in his Brahmasiddhanta or Brahmasphutasiddhanta (composed in Saka 550 = A.D. 628) has found fault with Aryabhata's theory about the diurnal motion of the earth in the following verse:- 66 pranenaiti ' kalam bhuryadi tarhi kuto vrajet kamadhvanam | avartanamurvyasvena patamti samucchrayah kasmat || (Brahmasiddhanta, Chapter XI ). (Continued from the previous page) - " Appaya Diksita comments on these verses as follows in his commentary Parimala (P. 147, lines 11-12):- ° nasikatryambakasthane nivasadbhih acaryaih ayam gramthah krtah iti prasiddhih | atastatratyagirinadivarnanam krtam ' [Vide p. 20 of Intro. to Vedantakalpataru, Part I, (Vizia. San. Series, Benares, 1895)] 1. Vide History of Indian Astronomy (in Marathi) by S. B. Dikshit (Poona, 1896) p. 195. 2. Ibid. p. 95. - 3. Ibid, p. 234 Bhattotpala in his commentary commentary on the Brhajjataka of Varahamihira records its date as under :- caitramasasya pamcamyam sitayam guruvasare | 66 vasvastastamite sake krteyam vivrtirmaya || " ( 888 ) 4. of a pala.

" 51 According to Mr. Dikshit Aryabhata believed in the diurnal motion of the earth only. It does not seem from his works that he believed in the earth's revolution round the Sun.' Aryabhata was born in Sake 398 ( = A. D. 476) and it is creditable that he anticipated the theory of the diurnal motion of the earth about 1500. years ago in spite of a carping critic like Brahmagupta, who was then ignorant of the law of gravity, later discovered by Sir Isaac Newton in A. D. 1665, and hence tried to ridicule Aryabhata in the line " avartanamurvyascet na patamti samuchrayah katmat . Appayadiksita's grounds for rejecting the cd of Aryabhata have no astronomical tinge whatsoever. A staunch believer as he was in the fa- pramanya he rejects the bhubhramavada because it is opposed to sruti . Copernicus (1473-1543 A. D. ) apparently preceded Appayadiksita (1550 to 1600 A. D.) while Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727 A. D.) followed him. The great Vedantin, however was compelled to dismiss the cc of Aryabhata and others in a summary manner because it was opposed to the statement of the sruti viz., ' prthivi pratistha . ' Sripati, the author of the Siddhantasekhara, wrote his work Dhruvamanasam in Saka 9783 = A. D. 1056. Makkibhatta wrote a commentary on the Siddhantasekhara in Saka 1299* = A. D. 1377. Makkibhatta follows Aryabhata in his theory about the diurnal motion of the earth in commenting on verse 39 of Sadhanadhyaya of the Siddhantasekhara. We are informed by the learned editor of the Siddhantasekhara that Varahamihira, Brahmagupta, Lalla as also Sripati had no respect for the theory of Aryabhata about or the diurnal motion of the earth. It seems, therefore, that 1. Copernicus (1473-1543 A. D.) a Polish astronomer, propounded the theory that earth and other planets revolve round the Sun. This theory though now a truism gave rise to a keen controversy among the Roman clergy of the time. 2. Dikshit History of Indian Astronomy, p. 197-Brahmagupta had no good word for Aryabhata :-- " janatyekamapi yato naryabhato ganitakalagolanam | na maya proktani tatah prthak prthak dusananyesam || 43 || aryabhata- dusananam samkhya vaktum na sakyate " (Brahmasiddhanta, Chap. XI ). 3. Vide p. 11 of Intro. to Siddhantasekhara, Cal. University, 1932. 4. Ibid. p. 25. 5. Ibid. P. 26.

Makkibhatta, the commentator of Sripati's Siddhantasekhara, was the only writer of repute to uphold Aryabhata's view.' 46 1. As contrasted with this dogmatic view of Appaya the following statement of Samkaracarya reflects the correct attitude of a philosopher towards matters within the ken of our senses :- na srutisatamapi sito'gniraprakaso veti bruvan pramanyamupaiti " ( Vide p. 5 of Indian Culture and its Claims, a paper read by Pandit Srikrishna Joshi at the Foundation Ceremony of the Benares Hindu University, 1916 I am indebted to Mr. Chandra Shekhar Pant, M. A. of Lucknow for this reference). Aufrecht records a work called "" by scholars in Sihor (C. C. I, p. 415).