Keshava (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Keśava, fl. 1496–1507) was an
astrologer and astronomer (''
jyotishi
Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one ...
'' or ''daivajña'') from
Nandigrama
Nandigrama is the name of a location, place or region somewhere in Western India where a school of astronomers and mathematicians flourished during the thirteenth-eighteenth centuries CE. David Pingree, one of America's leading historians of the ...
in present-day western India.
Biography
Keshava flourished around 1496–1507.
He lived at
Nandigrama
Nandigrama is the name of a location, place or region somewhere in Western India where a school of astronomers and mathematicians flourished during the thirteenth-eighteenth centuries CE. David Pingree, one of America's leading historians of the ...
in western India. He was a son of Kamala-kara of
Kaushika gotra
In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...
(clan), and a pupil of Vaijanatha (or Vaidyanatha).
His wife's name was Lakshmi.
He had three sons, who were famous jyotishis:
* Ananta (fl. 1534): wrote ''Kalanirnayavabodha'' and a commentary (1534 CE) on
Varaha-mihira's ''Laghu-jataka''
*
Ganesha (born 1507): wrote a number of works during 1522–1554; his great-grandson - also called Ganesha - wrote ''Shiromani-prakasha''
* Rama (fl. 1525/1550): his son Nrsimha (born 1548) wrote ''Graha-kaumudi'', ''Kheta-muktavali'', ''Graha-dasha-phala'', ''Graha-dipika'', ''Varsha-phala-dipika'', ''Harsa-kaumudi'' (a commentary on Ganesha's Graha-laghava''), and ''Hillaja-dipika''
Works and commentaries
''Muhurtadipika'' by his son Ganesha lists several works written by Keshava. Sometimes, Ganesha's works are also attributed to Keshava. Works written by Keshava include:
* ''Graha-kautuka'' (1496 CE)
* a commentary on 'Graha-kautuka''
* ''Graha-siddhi''
* ''Tithi-siddhi''
* ''Graha-chalana''
* ''Ganita-dipika''
* ''Jataka-paddhati'', also known as ''Keshava-paddhati''; ''Brhat-keshavi'' is an enlarged version of this text
** Apparently a condensed version of Shripati's JKP: it is an extremely concise text containing only 42 verses, and was very popular as a handbook on mathematical calculations essential for ''jataka''.
* A commentary on ''Jataka-paddhati''
* ''Tajika-paddhati'', also known as ''Varsha-phala-paddhati'' or ''Tajika-keshavi''
** A work on
Tajika (Arabic-Persian astrology), it contains 26 verses
* ''Siddhanta-vasana''
* ''Kayasthachara-paddhati''
* ''Kundastaka-lakshana''
The following works of Keshava survive in form of manuscripts, several of which are incomplete:
* ''Graha-kautuka'' (over 10 manuscripts), and possibly the commentary on it; over 10 manuscripts survive
* ''Jataka-paddhati'' and ''Brhat-keshavi'' (over 200 manuscripts), and the commentary on it (over 25 manuscripts)
* ''Tajika-paddhati'' (around 50 manuscripts)
* ''Muhurtatattva'', containing two parts - ''
Muhurta
Muhūrta ( sa, मुहूर्त, translit=muhūrtaṃ) is a Hindu unit of measurement for time along with nimiṣa, kāṣṭhā, and kalā in the Hindu calendar.
In the Brāhmaṇas, ''muhūrta'' denotes a division of time: 1/30 of a day, ...
-khanda'' and ''Samhita-khanda'' (around 100 manuscripts)
* ''Sudhiranjani'' (2 manuscripts), a ''karana'' (concise exposition of astronomy) and apparently an appendix to ''Varsha-paddhati''
Commentaries
Besides Keshava himself, several later authors have written commentaries (''tika'') on his works:
* ''Jataka-paddhti''
** Keshava himself
** Vishva-natha (1618) at
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
**Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
**Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a cit ...
** ''Praudha-manorama'' by Diva-kara (1626) at Kashi
** ''Vasana-bhashya'' by Dharmeshvara (c. 1600–1650) in
Malava
** ''Jataka-kaustubha'' by Narayana (1678) at Kashi
** Guru-dasa (1824) at
Jalandhara
** several modern editors
* ''Tajika-paddhati''
** Mallari (fl. 1612)
** Vishva-natha (fl. 1612/1630)
* ''Muhurta-tattva''
** ''Muhurta-dipika'' by Keshava's son Ganesha (born 1507)
** Vishva-natha (fl. 1612/1630)
Ganesha's ''Graha-laghava'' or ''Siddhanta-rahasya'' was apparently based on his father's ''Graha-kautuka''.
References
Bibliography
*
{{refend
15th-century Indian astronomers
16th-century Indian astronomers
Sanskrit writers