3. The Laghubhaskariya-Vivarana

The Laghubhaskariya^[1] is an ancient work on Hindu Astronomy written by Bhaskara I who flourished in the beginning of the sixth century of the Christian Era. Among the extant commentaries on the work the Vivarana written in AD 869 by Sankaranarayana, native of Quilon is the earliest, and this is now brought to light for the first time.

The colophons at the end of all the eight chapters invariably described the commentary as—śaṅkaranārāyaṇīya—and this is evidence enough to believe that the author was known by the name Sankaranarayana^[2].

Commenting on the sixth stanza in the third chapter Sankaranarayana says:

atraivāsmābhiḥ paidhyarāṣṭre kollapuryāṃ viṣuvacchāyāyāḥ pañcadaśa saṅkhyāsampāditarāśiprāṇāḥ karapayādyakṣarabaddhāḥ paṭhyante yamāśayābhinnakarārdhalijjayā kathaṃ nviyaṃ mābhajayaḥ padārthakam | kriyādayaḥ kā?[à]llapurīsumucchitāḥ kramotkrameṇaiva bhavanti rāśayaḥ || ^[3]

In the light of this passage it may safely be inferred that the commentator was a native of Quilon, a town of much historical importance situated on the west cost, and that he wrote the commentary while residing in that town.

The colophons at the end of the chapters show that the commentary is named Vivarana^[4]. The commentory is not a mere textual interpretation of the original. It looks like a treatise on grahaganita using the verse in Laghubhaskariya for the purpose of authentication.

In this scholarly commentary Sankaranarayana has occasionally treated matters which are very important in astronomy but left out in the original.

The Historical Importance of the Commentary

The date of Ravivarma Kulasekhara, the commentary is very important from a historians point of view as it throws much light on the Kerala king Ravi Varma Kulasekhara and his times. The king and the commentator Sankara-Narayana were contemporaries and most probably the later was a portege of the former. In the commentary the king is referred to in respectful terms or not less than a dozen times^[5]. Sankaranarayana cites some stanzas most of which present astronomical question either by or put to Ravi Varma Kulasekhara. One of those stanzas conching a question regarding the grasa of the solar eclipse as has already been mentioned above, affords evidence that the king flourished in the 9th century^[6]. Another stanza in which the king is reported to have put a question in grahayudha in of special interest as it, together with Sankaranarayana’s remark, gives a definite clue to his date. This stanza runs^[7]

cāpapraviṣṭagurusaurisamatvakālaṃ yāmyottaraṃ gamanamantarakhapramāṇam |
ācakṣva sarvamavagamya bharoktamārgādityuktvān raviśeṣanṛpābhivandyaḥ ||

The question is put regarding the time when Jupiter and Saturn are in Dhanu. In the 9th C. AD, these two planets came into dhanurasi simultaneously only in AD 869^[8].

The stanza is introduced with the words^[9] —

ravivarmadevaḥ kadācit grahayuddhavijñāna prakaṭanārthamāha

And the following observation immediately follows it—

tadā pañcaviṃśati varṣāṇyatītāni devasya |

I.e., the king had completed twenty five years then. From this fact it is clear that the king was twenty five years old. Some years prior to AD 869, the date of the commentary^[10].

The commentary also makes mention of a king Rama Varma^[11]. Astronomy in the court of the Kulasekharas. The commentary gives us enough data to imagine the high tempo.of astronomical studies in the court of the Kulasekharas. Ravivarma himself was a great scholar in astronomy and he followed the system of Aryabhata^[12].

In introducing the fact that the king one asked a question on grahayudha, Sankara-Narayana remarks^[13]

śrīravivarmadevaḥ kadācit grahayuddhavijñānaprakaṭanārthamāha |

I.e., Ravi Varmadeva put the question to display his great knowledge of graharudha. From the verses given in the commentary it can be gathered that the king used to ask questions to his colleagues and other astronomers on various atronomical subjects such as chayapramana^[14], suryasphuta^[15], pala and avalamba^[16], grasapramana^[17], srngonnati^[18] and grahayudha^[19]. Two stanzas contain questions on Kala and Lagna^[20] put directly to Ravi varma. In a verse the birth of Ravi Varma’s son is announced and a king is asked to find out the lague. One of the verses refers to an expert astronomer who had gone to mlecchadesa^[21].

Kulasekhara had an observatory fitted with the necessary mechanism. This is referred to more than once in the commentary. For example:

golānmahodayapure ravivarmadeva
sambandhayantravalayāṅgitarāśicakrāt ||

In addition to these facts it may also be pointed out that astronomers like Sakaranarayana were associated with the court of the Kulasekhara. All this, indicates that great importance was attached to the studies in astronomy and in the development of the science even ruling princes made their personal contribution in addition to the facilities they had given to scholars and students.

Mahodayapura, the capital of Kulasekhara, known as Vanci in Malayalam, was in a very prosperous condition at that time. There were great mansion in the city^[22] and Ravi Varma had planned to construct an assembly hall^[23]. He had asked the astronomers to fix the Purvapararekha and enjoined expert craftsman for the construction. The palaces was probably situated in a place called Gotramallesvara^[24].

In the city there were arrangements for announcing time at the expiry of every ghatika (24 minutes). For this purpose soldiers on duty were to beat the drown.

This is made clear in the verse.—

putraḥ śrīravivarmadevanṛpaterdīptāṃśuvaṃśoditaḥ
prāsādādhikṛte mahodayapure tatrāpi senāmukhe
bheryāṃ viṃśati tāḍitāsu ghaṭikāsvāvirbabhūvātha kiṃ
lagnaṃ meṣadaśāṃśake savitari prācyā diśo bhūpate ||

In another verse it is said that those in balakridesvara have announced the twentieth ghatika^[25]. Putting these two facts together it may be inferred that Balakridesvara was the cantonment in the city of Mahodayapura.

The sacred association of the city of Mahodayapuram in the middle of the ninth century immediately following the period of Rajasekhara or Ceraman Perumal Nayanar, are brought out by an astronomical treatise composed in AD 869.

Sankaranarayana was patronized by Stanu Ravi Kulasekhara. This ruler, who in all probability was the immediate successor to Ceraman Perumal Nayanar or Rajasekhara, was himself an interesting figure if we go by a couple of identification. In the first place, it is suggested that he was identical with Kulasekhara Alvar, the royal Vaisnava saint who is stated to have belonged to the dynasty of the Ceras of the west cost^[26]. There is no reason why the author of the Perumal Tirumoli evidence of the recitation of which at Srirangam is available at least from AD 1088^[27] should not be identified with this Perumal who ruled in the 9th C. as we will have to wait fill the end of the 11th C. for another Cera Perumal with a name or title of Kulasekhara.

The heavy Brahmanical influence and a certain sacredness claimed on account of it was a characteristic feature of the Mahodayapuram monarchy. The double intender employed in the opening verse. It praises the ruler Stanuravi, who was the patron of the astronomer although all the terms used to describe the object of the praise are also equally applicable to Siva^[28]. Infact one of the characteristic features of the image of royalty in the whole of South India in this period in this divinations through various mean. This is seen in the case of the Cera kings of Mahodayapura as well. The ruler of this dynasty are described as deva (God) as witness the titles Rajasekharadeva, Kulasekharadeva, Ramadeva etc. in the epigraphic records^[29].

One is reminded of the important statement made by Sankaranarayana the commentator of Laghu-bhaskariya that the city of Mahodayapuram had a separate Senamukha (“cantonment”)^[30]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

P.K. Narayanapillai, Ed. Laghubhaskariya, Tvm, 1949;
Laghubhaskariya with Vivarana commentary, Tvm, 1949

[2]:

The commentary of this work called vivarana by a certain Sankaranarayana is pub. along with it. Sankaranarayana says clearly that he was patronised by Ravivarma who had the title Kulasekhara, and alludes to him as a Sthanu in the opening verse.—iti śaṅkaranārāyaṇīye vivaraṇe bhāskarīye candragrahaṇādhyāyaścaturthaḥ

[3]:

Vide -P 52

[4]:

Vide -Pp 25 -52 etc.

[5]:

The king is seen characterised as Keralavamsaketuh (P 63), Nrpendrah (P 66) Bharata (P 70) Avaniravih (P 112) etc. it is possible that in the opening stanza Sthanu Ravi is in directly praised.

[6]:

There are also epigraphical evidences for showing that Ravivarma flourished in 9th C.

[7]:

Vide -P 120

[8]:

Elamkulam Kunhan Pillai, The age of Sthanu Ravi, the Cera emperor—The proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 9th session, Patna

[9]:

Vide -P 120

[10]:

Mr. Kunhan Pillai interprets the observation of the commentator to mean that the king had completed 25 regnal years in 869.

[11]:

Vide -P 58

[12]:

Vide-P 120‘ācakṣva sarvamavagamya bhaṭoktermārgāt’

[13]:

P 120

[14]:

Vide -P 63

[15]:

Ibid 66

[16]:

Ibid 67

[17]:

Ibid 90

[18]:

Ibid 112

[19]:

Ibid 120

[20]:

Ibid 58

[21]:

Ibid 62

[22]:

prasādādhikṛte mahodayapure tatrāpi senamukhe (P 58)

[23]:

P 60

[24]:

gotramalleśvarastha prāsādāgrapraviṣṭo raviḥ || (P112)

[25]:

bālakrīḍeśvarasthairadhikṛtaghaṭikāstāḍitāḥ pañcaviṃśat | (P58)

[26]:

Laghubhaskariya Ed. P.K. Narayanapillai Pp 213 -214

[27]:

South Indian Inscriptions, III, Pp 148 -152

[28]:

P.K. Narayanapillai -Ed. Laghubhaskariya, Op.cit -V -1

[29]:

For references ibid -ch. on Chronology of Ceras.

[30]:

P.K. Narayanapillai -Op.cit -III -P 342