ब्राह्मस्फुटसिद्धान्त (ब्रह्मगुप्त - शून्य, कुट्टक, बीजगणित एवं सम्पूर्ण २१ अध्याय सान्वय सटीक)

BRAHMAGUPTA AND ŚRĪṢEṆA 331
systems, and he very much resented such interferences in pure
academic life of this country. He was opposed to Āryabhaṭa
for a different reason. Āryabhaṭa was universally regarded as
an authority in this country, and the conservatism was so deep
that even where it could be shown by direct observation or
on valid theoretical grounds, that a particular concept was
erroneous or less accurate, people still chose to adhere to it,
since they had the backing of Āryabhaṭa's authority. Brahma-
gupta was against this nonscientific attitude. Needless to say,
Brahmagupta was not always fair to Āryabhaṭa in his criticism ;
he overdid in enumerating the shortcomings of Āryabhaṭa's
system, as if he was personally jealous of his wide popularity.
Brahmagupta's feelings against Lāṭadeva, Śrīṣeṇa, Viṣṇu-
candra and others would be seen from the following passage in
the Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta :
From the fact that Śrīṣeṇa, Viṣṇucandra, Pradyumna,
Āryabhaṭa, Lāṭa, and Siṁha contradict one another
regarding eclipses and similar topics, their ignorance
is proved daily. The criticisms which I have passed
on Āryabhaṭa are, with the requisite modifications, to
be applied to the doctrines of each of these teachers as
well. I will, however, make some further critical re-
marks on Śrīṣeṇa and others.
Śrīṣeṇa took from Lāṭa the rules concerning the mean
motions of the Sun, and the Moon, the Moon's apogee
and her node, and the mean motions of Mars, Mercu-
ry's Śīghra, Jupiter, Venus's Śīghra, and Saturn ; he
took elapsed years and the revolutions of yuga (yuga-
yāta-varṣa-bhagaṇa) from Vasiṣṭha and the Padakaraṇa
of Vijayānandi; further took from Āryabhaṭa the rules
concerning the apogee, epicycles and nodes, and
those referring to the true motions of the planets and
thus the Romaka Siddhānta which was (or is) a heap
of jewels (as it were) has, by Śrīṣeṇa, been made into
a patched rag (as it were)¹.

1. श्रीषेणविष्णुचन्द्र प्रद्युम्नार्यभटलाटसिंहानाम् ।
   ग्रहणादिविसंवादात् प्रतिदिवसं द्विगुणमज्ञत्वम् ॥ [Cont. on Page 330]