Garga & Parashara: Forgotten Astronomers of India | Prof. R.N. Iyengar & S. Subrahmanya

The importance of Vṛddhagārgīya Jyotiṣa (VGJ) for tracing history of science in general and of Hindu astral sciences in particular can never be over emphasized. VGJ is an ancient encyclopedic text, originating several centuries before the more popular saṃhitā text, the Bṛhatsaṃhitā (BS) of Varāhamihira (sixth century CE). Several manuscripts attributed to Garga, Vṛddha-garga, Gārgya, Gārgīya and other variant names are available to difering levels of accuracy and readability. Such manuscripts are yet to be edited and published in readable form to properly understand and appreciate the contribution of the Vṛddha-garga or Garga School of Indic astronomy before the proliferation of Siddhānta texts of mathematical astronomy from around the beginning of the Common Era (CE).
Existence of the school of Vṛddha-Garga (VG) and/or Garga has been known for a long time. Dikshit (1896) and Sudhākara Dvivedi (1908) drew the attention of modern scholars to the text of Garga quoted by Somākara (7th century?) in his commentary on the calendar text of Lagadha in support of sun being with śraviṣṭhā nakṣatra on the winter solstice day.
The manuscripts of VGJ referred to by some as Gārgīyajyotiṣa, are heavily layered with the most ancient and the relatively later parts mixed up. Since the available manuscripts are reproductions of previous versions, scribal errors are quite large in some copies. Additionally, some of the
chapters in whole or in part seem to be added by the followers of the tradition of VG in the early centuries of the Common Era. Notwithstanding such difficulties a timeline of development of observational astronomy can be deciphered in VGJ.

Between Parāśara and Vrddha Garga, the former is more interesting since his statements are in prose. Vrddha Garga in verse follows Parāśāra closely with some important additional information. Al-beruni in the 11th century knew about the ancient Hindu astronomer Parāśara and his samhitā. Varāhamihira (6h Cent.) in his Brhatsamhitā (8.8-13) while describing the motion of Mercury attests Parāśara and Parāśaratantra (abbr. PT) by name. Hence in the interest of tracing the history of Indian astronomy from Vedic times it becomes necessary to find out what was known to Parāśara several centuries before Varāha-mihira.
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Parāśaratantra has been reconstructed with Sanskrit text, translation and notes by Prof RN Iyengar using the three sources mentioned in the conversation. The text was published in 2013. Here is the link to purchase the same: https://www.exoticindiaart.com/book/d...
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Garga & Parashara: Forgotten Astronomers of India | Prof. RN Iyengar & S.Subrahmanya
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