Mathematics A Missing Factor in Assessing the Antiquity of Vedanga Jyotisa

TL;DR

This paper argues that neglecting mathematics led to an inaccurate earlier dating of Vedanga Jyotisa, emphasizing the importance of mathematical analysis in historical assessments.

Contribution

It highlights the role of mathematics in accurately dating ancient texts and critiques previous assumptions that overlooked this aspect.

Findings

Mathematics was crucial for the feasibility of Vedanga Jyotisa's content.

Previous dating efforts ignored the mathematical complexity, leading to earlier estimates.

Reassessment suggests a later period for the text based on mathematical considerations.

Abstract

While reading ancient texts one has to be cognizant of the assumptions made about the past. One has to ask: Are these assumptions valid? Are we projecting the present views into the past? A case in point is the dating of Vedanga Jyotisa. This note reports that due to mathematics being overlooked in the various attempts of assessing the time of composition of the text, the latter was dated much before the period when its mathematics was actually feasible.