著者

矢野 道雄

出版者

日本科学史学会

雑誌

科学史研究 第(0xF9C2)期 (ISSN:00227692)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.15, no.118, pp.p93-98, 1976-06

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The basis for the study of Indian Astronomy and Calendar was founded by such pioneers in the last century as Colebrooke, Weber, Burgess, and Thibaut. But they found no successors in this field untill recently when Prof. 0. Neugebauer, based on his interpretation of the astronomical cuneiform texts, approached to the Indian materials. More recently Prof. D. Pingree undertook further and more detailed study of Sanskrit astronomical texts with his knowledge of both Sanskrit and the history of classical astronomy. The pourpose of the present essay is to show the Japanese reader the Five Year Cycle of the oldest Indian Calendar or the hotisavedanga, eventually illustrating how the recent works of Neugebauer and Pingree are indispensable in this field of the history of science. The contents of the paper are I. The Text: Comparison of Rk- and Yajur- recensions of the Vedangajyotisa. II. The Five Year Cycle: Pingree's interpretation of 366 sidereal, not civil, days in a year. III. Naksalras: Where do they begin? IV. The length of daylight: Babylonian Origin. V. The first days of the each ayana: How they are obtained. The intercalary month of each 5 ayanas. VI. Conclusion: Inaccuracy of the edic calendar.