Bīrūnī, Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad, Alberuni's India (v. 1)

(London :  Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co.,  1910.)

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  Page 339  



CHAPTER XXXIV.
 

339
 

middle column of the following diagram, which we have
taken from some of their metrical compositions. The
corresponding field of the upper or lower columns
shows the number of muliHrtas which you wanted to
find.
 

The    muhurtas    which "l
have   elapsed   before V
noon.        .        .        .J
 

I
 

2
 

3
 

4
 

5
 

6
 

7
 


 

How  many digits the^
shadow in question is 1
larger than the noon- j
shadow    .        .        .)
 

96
14
 

60
13
 

12
12
 

6
II
 

5
10
 

3
9
 

2
8
 

0
 

The    muhurtas    which"!
have    elapsed   after \
noon         .        .        .J
 

The commentator of the Siddhdnta, Pulisa, comments whetherthc
on the latter opinion, and blames those who in general muhiirta\s
declare one muhilrtcc to be equal to two ghati, saying invariable.
that the number of the ghati of the nychthemeron ^*&® ^72.
varies in  the different parts of the year, whilst the
number of its muhilrtas does not vary.    But in another
place he contradicts himself, where he reasons about
the measure of the muhurta.    He fixes one muhurta as
equal to 720 prdna or breaths, one breath being com¬
posed of two things : the apdnct or the inhaling, and
the prdna or the exhaling of breath.    Two other terms
of the same meaning are nihsvdsa and avasvdsa.    How¬
ever, if one thing is mentioned, the other is tacitly
included and understood ; as, for instance, if you speak
of clays, you include the nights, meaning to express
days and nights.    Accordingly a muhitrta is 360 apdna
and '^60 prdna.

In the same manner, when speaking of the measure
  Page 339