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<p>The 8th-century astronomer Lalla first articulated the dispute with the Paurāṇikas on the view of the cosmos. His arguments were supported by later astronomers such as Bhāskara. Christopher Minkowski summarized the dispute in five parts relating to the Earth, eclipses and the Moon and dubbed it the <i>virodha</i> problem. The paper uses a critical study of a dozen Purāṇas to establish that they are, in reality, consistent with the <i>Sūrya Siddhānta</i> in all five aspects. The <i>Sūrya Siddhānta</i> is meant for scholars and contains numerous computations. The Purāṇas are for the layperson and use storytelling and metaphors to stay accessible to their audience. The paper unravels these narratives and metaphors and demonstrates, for example, that the Purāṇic Earth was of the right shape and size. The texts also described continents such as Africa and the Americas. The paper should open a fresh perspective on understanding the Purāṇic texts.</p>

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Reconciling Cosmologies of the Purāṇas and the Sūrya Siddhānta: Arguments to Bridge a Divide of over 1,000 Years

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月3日

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  • Ganesh Swaminathan

摘要

The 8th-century astronomer Lalla first articulated the dispute with the Paurāṇikas on the view of the cosmos. His arguments were supported by later astronomers such as Bhāskara. Christopher Minkowski summarized the dispute in five parts relating to the Earth, eclipses and the Moon and dubbed it the virodha problem. The paper uses a critical study of a dozen Purāṇas to establish that they are, in reality, consistent with the Sūrya Siddhānta in all five aspects. The Sūrya Siddhānta is meant for scholars and contains numerous computations. The Purāṇas are for the layperson and use storytelling and metaphors to stay accessible to their audience. The paper unravels these narratives and metaphors and demonstrates, for example, that the Purāṇic Earth was of the right shape and size. The texts also described continents such as Africa and the Americas. The paper should open a fresh perspective on understanding the Purāṇic texts.