Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Tithi Chatterjee
According to popular understanding, astronomy is the study of stars, planets, the sun, moon, eclipses, comets, meteorites, and other related observable phenomena. In the Indian context the Siddhanta period which begins with the Common Era (C.E.), is very important for astronomical studies; which has been made achievable since several texts from the era that were expressly devoted to astronomy are now available for in-depth analysis. But for the earlier era, the unique text we have is Lagadha’s Vedanga Jyotisha (c. 1400 BCE), a calendar that makes no mention of eclipses or planets. Even though there are several works from the pre-Siddhantic period, none are specifically about astronomy or written by individual writers. Vedic astronomy did not rely on precise timekeeping, but rather on the definition of fine time units in connection to longer-term occurrences. Intercalary months were introduced regularly to maintain consistency between lunar and solar years.
The oldest piece of Indian literature still in existence for our study is the “Rigveda Samhita.” The Yajurveda, the Samaveda, and the Atharvaveda, along with their ancillary works, are closely related to the Rigveda in several ways.
Rigveda’s internal structure has an astronomical foundation. Astronomy is one of the six Vedangas, or auxiliary sciences, of the Vedas, along with phonetics, ritual, etymology, grammar, and metrics. The earliest parts of the Vedic literature can be used to identify the origins of these sciences, but the Vedangas have only recently reached us in the concise sutra style. The creation of altars and the performance of rites were both based on astronomy, and the Sulbasutras, which make up the Kalpasutras, include useful astronomical knowledge. Jyotisha, or “the science of light,” and nakshatra vidya, or “the science of stars,” are two of the discipline’s earlier names.
The Rigveda claims that the universe is endless. Of the five planets, Brhaspati (Jupiter) and Vena (Venus) are specifically mentioned by it. The moon’s path was split into equal segments, even though it takes the moon around 27 1/3 days to complete it. A nakshatra is a name for each of these components. Nakshatra was another name for a certain star or constellation.
The heavenly bodies and their behaviors were personified in Vedic culture. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the background information in the text; for example, when we read that a demon (asura) descended from the sky and disappeared underground this image should have been associated with a meteorite fall. According to Yaska (circa 700 BCE), who presents three different types of interpretations for several hymns from the Rigveda—the adhiyajna, adhyatma, and the adhidaiva—which correspond to sacrificial, philosophical, and celestial (divine) meanings, respectively—the Vedic tradition was aware of this allegorical approach. For instance, the word soma has a different connotation according to the adhiyajna and the adhidaiva, which is the ‘moon’ in a Vedic sacrifice. On the other hand, the philosophical definition of Soma in the Upanisads is manas or mind.
Fire altars are mentioned in the Rig Vedic hymns, and sacrificial rituals were a significant aspect of Vedic life. According to research on Vedic rituals, the altar, or adhiyajna, was utilized to symbolically unite the astronomical, physiological, and spiritual worlds. Therefore the altars expressed astronomical knowledge. However, despite numerous pointed references, such as in the Agnirahasya section of the tenth chapter of Satapatha Brahmana, the astronomy of the altars was not explicitly explained. The Sulbasutras consider the Rigveda to be an altar of mantras.
The purpose of the Vedic sacrifice is to encapsulate the wonder of the change of time. In other words, the altar ceremony is supposed to represent the paradoxes of division and reunification, loyalty and surrender, and finally, stability and death. The universe is symbolized by the yajamana, the patron at whose cost the rite is performed.
This ritual rebirth, which marked the renewal of his (Yajmana’s) cosmos, marks the culmination of the rite. For the yajamana’s family and friends, the ritual is essentially a play about the contradictions of life and death. People and animals can die symbolically in this performance, including the yajamana.
The fact that the Rigveda, which consists of 10 volumes (mandala) and 1028 hymns (sukta) totaling 10552 verses (mantra), has remained memorized and rendered throughout India for many centuries is proven. The oldest celestial observations performed in the Indian skies can be found here, the principal source for understanding pre-Siddhantic astronomy.
Bibliography
- Iyengar, R.N. “Ancient Indian Astronomy in Vedic Texts.” IX International Conference on Oriental Astronomy, November 15-18, 2016; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309710402_Ancient_Indian_Astronomy_in_Vedic_Texts
- Kak, Subhash. “Astronomy and its Role in Vedic Culture.” in Science and Civilization in India (Vol. 1), The Dawn of Indian Civilization, Part 1, edited by G.C. Pande, ICPR/Munshiram Manoharlal, Delhi, 2000: 507-524; ast.pdf (lsu.edu)
