Pañcabodha is the title of several different

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

treatises on

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and mathematics composed by members of the

Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics The Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics or the Kerala school was a school of mathematics and astronomy founded by Madhava of Sangamagrama in Tirur, Malappuram, Kerala, India, which included among its members: Parameshvara, Neelakanta S ...

. All these works are ''karaṅa'' texts, that is, books which explain the various computations in astronomy especially with regard to those related to the preparation of

Panchangam A panchāngam ( sa, पञ्चाङ्गम्; ) is a Hindu calendar and almanac, which follows traditional units of Hindu timekeeping, and presents important dates and their calculations in a tabulated form. It is sometimes spelled ''Pa ...

-s ( calendar). They are essentially manuals of computations. The authorship of only three ''Pañcabodha''-s have been identified. The ''Pañcabodha''-s generally contain five sections dealing with five topics. But this is not a strict rule. There are ''Pañcabodha''-s which treat less than five topics and which treat more than five topics. The topics treated are not always the same. However many of them treat the five advanced topics in traditional Indian astronomy, namely, '' Vyātīpāta'' (computation of the instants at which the sum of the (true) longitudes of the Sun and the Moon amounts to half a circle), ''Grahaṇa'' (computation of eclipses), ''Chāyā'' (shadow computations), ''Śṛṅgonnati'' (the computation of the elevation of the lunar horn, or the angle between the line of cusps and the horizontal plane) and ''Mauḍhya'' (computation of the instants when a planet becomes invisible due to its direction/longitude being close to that of the Sun).

The works titled ''Pañcabodha'' and their commentaries

The various ''Pañcabodha''-s are listed below. Following K. V. Sarma, the various texts are identified by assigning them numbers written in Roman numerals. #''Pañcabodha'' I (also called ''Prakīrṇasaṅgraha'') by anonymous author: Has a commentary in Malayalam also of anonymous authorship. The work has been published with a modern commentary in Malayalam by Kanippayyoor Sankaran Namputirippad, by Panchangam Press,

Kunnamkulam Kunnamkulam is a municipal town situated in the Thrissur District of Kerala in India, spread over an area of 34.18 km2. It is an old commercial town, with an ancient history, famous for its printing and book binding industry. In the past, ...

, Kerala. #''Pañcabodha'' II by anonymous author: Has a Malayalam commentary, called ''pañcabodhakriyākrma'' by Mahishamangalam Sankaran Namputiri. #''Pañcabodha'' III by

Puthumana Somayaji Puthumana Somayaji (c.1660–1740) was a 17th-century astronomer-mathematician from Kerala, India. He was born into the Puthumana or Puthuvana (in Sanskrit, Nutanagriha or Nuthanvipina) family of Sivapuram (identified as present day Thrissur). The ...

: Divided into five section dealing with '' Vyātīpāta'', ''Grahaṇa'', ''Chāyā'', ''Śṛṅgonnati'' and ''Mauḍhya''. Has an anonymous Malayalam commentary. #''Pañcabodha'' IV by anonymous author: Has five sections dealing with '' Vyātīpāta'', ''Grahaṇa'', ''Chāyā'', ''Śṛṅgonnati'' and ''Mauḍhya'' in 105 cerses. This has several commentaries. ##''Laghuvivṛtī'' by Nārāyaṇa (1529 CE) ##''Pañcabodhārpadarpaṅaṃ'' by Mahishamangalam Sankaran Namputiri ##''Bālasaṅkaraṃ'' by Mahishamangalam Sankaran Namputiri ##''Pañcabodhakriyākrama'' by anonymous author #''Pañcabodha'' V by Purușotttama #''Pañcabodha'' VI by anonymous author. Has commentary in Malayalam called ''Pañcabodhaṃ Bhāșā'' of anonymous authorship. #''Pañcabodha'' VII by anonymous author. treats the topics '' Vyātīpāta'', ''Grahaṇa'', ''Chāyā'', ''Śṛṅgonnati'' and ''Mauḍhya''. Has a commentary in Malayalam. #''Pañcabodha'' VIII by anonymous author. The work is in a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam languages. #''Pañcabodha'' IX by anonymous author. #''Pañcabodha'' X by also called''Pañcabodhagaṇitaṃ Bhāṣā''. the text is in Malayalam. #''Pañcabodha'' XI by anonymous author. Has a commentary in Malayalam by Vāsuṇṇi Mūssatu of Veḷḷānaśśeri

References

{{Indian astronomy Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics Indian mathematics Astronomy in India History of mathematics History of Kerala Medieval Kerala Science and technology in Kerala

The works titled ''Pañcabodha'' and their commentaries

See also

References