पञ्चसिद्धान्तिका (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - सूर्य, रोमक, पौलिश, वासिष्ठ एवं पितामह सिद्धान्त)

72 PAÑCASIDDHĀNTIKĀ III.34
Defect in Romaka
34. This gaṇita work had deviated from the right path handed down by a
hierarchy of good teachers and the day of its exposure is not far distant.
Witness its downfall in 68,550 years!
To agree with the fifth case in mārgāt we have corrected upeta into apeta.
It may appear strange that the author calls 68,550 years as a not far distant date. But that
depends on the outlook of people, and the Hindu mind, especially the old Hindu mind may con-
sider even this as a comparatively short period.
Or this verse may belong to the criticism of the Romaka following immediately, strayed to this
place by the mistake of the scribe. In that case the first letter kha in khaviṣayabhūtāṣṭarasaiḥ should
be corrected as sva and the expression taken to mean "6855 years, by its own measure", in which
case the following is the meaning:-
"This Romaka has not come down through a hierarchy of good teachers
because it follows the Tropical year instead of the traditional sidereal year. It
will be exposed in a period of 6855 of its own tropical years, and people will
abandon it."
How this will happen and how the number 6855 can be arrived at almost exactly, will be shown
in explaining the next verse.
(रौ)मकमहर्गणं (वा) (तद)र्कमिन्दुं च गणयतां ग्रा(ह्यम्)
चैत्रस्य पौर्णमास्यां नवमी नक्षत्रमादित्यम् ॥ ३५ ॥
35. If we adopt the days from epoch resulting from the tropical year as
adopted by the Romaka and the Sun or Moon resulting therefrom, we must
accept Punarvasu as the nakṣatra of the full moon of the month of Caitra,
instead of the expected Hasta or Citrā, Punarvasu which is the nakṣatra of
Caitra-Śukla-navamī.
This connection has been strongly established in people's mind by the observance on Caitra-
navamī as the birthday of Lord Rāma, hero of the Rāmāyaṇa, well known as born in the asterism
Punarvasu.
This is how this will happen: The months Caitra, Vaikśākha etc. are so called because the Moon
at new moon in these months is in the vicinity of Citrā, Viśākhā etc. Thus, in a given month, the full
moon, i.e. the Moon of the 15th tithi, is in a given nakṣatra or nearby, so that the other tithis also are
34a. A.B.C.D. मार्गादुपेत a-b. A.B1. ॰णं पादं मर्क॰; B2.3. C.D. ॰णं पादमर्क॰
b. B. न तावदति दूरो A. ॰यतां तां ग्राह्या; B. ॰यतां ग्राह्याः C. ॰यता ग्राह्या;
c. A. षविषय; B. om ख D. ॰यतां ग्राह्य
c. B2. पौर्णिमास्यां
35a. A.B.C.D. रोमक d. D. नवम्यां