Al-Biruni’s chapter on the standard Hindu works on astronomy and astrology has as much to tell us about his view of science as it does about Indian astronomical and astrological ideas. The chapter begins with a short description of the state of science in his day and then moves on to a discussion of core Hindu astronomical and astrological texts. As you read this excerpt, ask yourself what connection Al-Biruni saw between these two topics. How did his views on science in general inform his discussion of Hindu texts?

The number of sciences is great, and it may be still greater if the public mind is directed towards them at such times as they are in the ascendency and in general favour with all, when people not only honour science itself, but also its representatives. To do this is, in the first instance, the duty of those who rule over them, of kings and princes. For they alone could free the minds of scholars from the daily anxieties for the necessities of life, and stimulate their energies to earn more fame and favour, the yearning for which is the pith and marrow of human nature.

The present times, however, are not of this kind. They are the very opposite, and therefore it is quite impossible that a new science or any new kind of research should arise in our days. What we have of sciences is nothing but the scanty remains of bygone better times.

If a science or an idea has once conquered the whole earth, every nation appropriates part of it. So do also the Hindus. Their belief about the cyclical revolutions of times is nothing very special, but is simply in accordance with the results of scientific observation.

The science of astronomy is the most famous among them, since the affairs of their religion are in various ways connected with it. If a man wants to gain the title of an astronomer, he must not only know scientific or mathematical astronomy, but also astrology. The book known among Muslims as Sindhind is called by them Siddhanta, i.e. straight, not crooked nor changing. By this name they call every standard book on astronomy, even such books as, according to our opinion, do not come up to the mark of our so-called Zij, i.e. handbooks of mathematical astronomy. They have five Siddhantas:

The authors of these books draw from one and the same source, the Book Paithamaha, so called from the first father, i.e. Brahman.

Varahamihira has composed an astronomical handbook of small compass called Panca-siddhantika, which name ought to mean that it contains the pith and marrow of the preceding five Siddhantas. But this is not the case, nor is it so much better than they as to be called the most correct one of the five. So the name does not indicate anything but the fact that the number of Siddhantas is five.

Brahmagupta says: “Many of the Siddhantas are Surya, others Indu, Pulisa, Romaka, Vasishtha, and Yavaua, i.e. the Greeks; and though the Siddhantas are many, they differ only in words, not in the subject matter. He who studies them properly will find that they agree with each other.”

Up to the present time I have not been able to procure any of these books save those of Pulisa and of Brahmagupta. I have commenced translating them, but have not yet finished my work. Meanwhile I shall give here a table of contents of the Brahma-siddhanta, which in any case will be useful and instructive.

Contents of the twenty-four chapters of the Brahma-siddhanta —

These, now, are twenty-four chapters, according to his own statement, but there is a twenty-fifth one, called Dhyana-graha-adhyaya, in which he tries to solve the problems by speculation, not by mathematical calculation. I have not enumerated it in this list, because the pretensions which he brings forward in this chapter are repudiated by mathematics.

Source: Edward Sachau, ed., Alberuni’s India (London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., 1910), pp. 152–155.

Questions to Consider