A Critical Edition of the Candrārkī of Dinakara: A Text Concerning Solar and Lunar Tables

A set of tables devoted to solar and lunar phenomena entitled the Candrārkī  was prepared in Sanskrit by the sixteenth-century Indian astronomer Dinakara.  Along with the tables, Dinakara composed a short accompanying text which instructed the user how to extract and manipulate the tabular data to construct their own calendar for any desired year and geographical circumstances.  The work proved to be popular.  Based on a small fraction of the extant manuscripts, we present a critical edition of the text together with a discussion of the challenges raised while preparing the edition.

script that has been catalogued is Śaka 1545 (1623 ce), but the majority of extant manuscripts date from the late 18th and 19th centuries. Given the magnitude of the corpus then, many challenges arise when it comes to the task of critically editing the text. These range from the very practical problem of sourcing so many manuscripts scattered all over the world, to the tricky task of reconciling the range of readings and variation these manuscripts attest to. In fact, the magnitude and diversity of manuscripts in this case really challenges the notion of reconstructing an original text, which is the primary assumption when building a critical edition.
Given the scope of such a task, we have begun by preparing a critical edition based on a small fraction of the manuscripts that were available to us. Even with this small number we could immediately detect many issues that would have to be overcome as well as difficulties which were likely to compound in complexity as more manuscripts were sourced. These included: the insertion of extra verse(s), variety and placement of inter-textual tables, different rendering of numerical data, paratext, scribal links and references to other table-texts and the like. Despite the fact we were only able to acquire a small percentage of the extant manuscripts, nonetheless we see this study as a first step on which future studies can build.
This edition forms the basis of the translation and commentary in the contribution by Kolachana et al. (forthcoming). It also stands as a counterpart to the upcoming critical edition of the numerical tables that accompany the text by Montelle (forthcoming) which, in addition to an edited version of the tables, presents a brief analysis of their numerical content and a discussion on the challenges arising from specifically critically editing numerical data. Studies of this sort may also help address broader questions historians of science on the Indian subcontinent are interested in, which relate to the transmission and dissemination of popular astronomical texts and the ways in which astronomical texts may be altered and recast as they circulate through increasing numbers of diverse users and communities, all of whom leave their mark on the version they came into posession of.

. P R E PAR I NG T H E C RI T I CA L E D I T I O N
G iven the nature and complexity of the job of critically editing this text, we have included a brief discussion on the manuscripts as well as the editing process. To this effect, we provide details of the manuscripts themselves in subsection 1 and explore some of the challenges faced in critically editing this text and the ways in which we addressed them in subsection 1. In addition, we propose a tentative reconstruction of the relations between the various manucripts in a stemma in subsection 1, and, because there was great variety in the ordering history of science in south asia 6 (2018) 127-161  of verses from manuscript to manuscript, we include a table capturing this for comparison below (see Table 2 in subsection 1). We argue that not only would variation in verse order be very difficult to keep track of in a critical apparatus, but also significant trends would become buried under details of variant readings. After the critical edition, we include a section which lists the colophons of each manuscript individually (see subsection 3) and the extra verses each manuscript contains that we have not included in the edition (in subsection 3). Following this, we list the verses which are common to more than three manuscripts as they appear in each manuscript in section 3. This is to show the commonalities and differences these related verses have so that possible manuscript relations appear more evident.

description of the manuscripts
The critical edition of the text presented in section 2 is based on nine manuscripts of the Candrārkī. The manuscripts and the library or repository from which they were acquired, along with the sigla we assigned them are presented in Table 1. Some of the manuscripts (the digital versions) obtained were in colour whereas the others were in black and white. All manuscripts are written in Nāgarī script on hand-made paper. Brief descriptions of the manuscripts are given below.
1 : Central Library, Baroda, 3119 7 ff. This MS contains 7 folia numbered 1-5 followed by 1-2. It includes a commentary on the Candrārkī ( ff.. 1-5) and the text (ff. 1-2). 25.5×11.6 cm. It appears that a critical edition of the candrārkī of dinakara the commentary and the text have been written by a different hand. The commentary has 15-17 lines per page. On f. 5v, a colophon reads iti śrīmoḍhajñātīya dina [kara]kṛtacaṃdrārkī vṛttiḥ saṃpūrṇā, although text continues and appears to break abruptly at the end of the same folio. The second part of this MS bundle contains the text of the Candrārkī. 13 lines per page. There is occasional paratext and two inter-textual tables have been drawn up representing numerical data otherwise expressed in the verses. The former table include the kṣepakas (epoch offsets), guṇakas (annual increments), and rāmabīja corrections which are given in verses 2-4, and 6 (see Figure 1). The latter table includes oblique ascensions as well as the noon equinoctial shadow (given as 5;6 digits). From this data, one can reconstruct the terrestrial latitude to be ≈ 23 ∘ which is consistent with other references in the text and tables to the same geographical region. This MS has been embellished with botanical inspired motifs in the center of many pages.
This MS contains the text only in a neat hand which has occasional corrections. 8 lines per page. 8 × 4.25. 4 The recto of the first folio is blank save for atha caṃdrārkī prāraṃbhaḥ probably written in a different hand and a ruled table including guṇakas, kṣepakas, and rāmabījas, similar to the one found on the page in Figure 1, however it gives additional information: the epoch offsets of the moon, anomaly, and node. Notably these are not given anywhere in the text. It is unknown how or why the scribe computed these parameters and inserted them in the manuscript. 5 3 : BORI, 308/1882-83 4 ff. This MS contains text only in a rough but legible hand. 9 lines per page. 9.5 × 4.25. 6 The colophon (f. 4v) notes that this MS was copied in Saṃvat 1894, Śaka 1759 (current), tithi 5 of the dark fortnight (kṛṣṇapakṣa), Monday which corresponds to some date in 1837 ce. The month is given by the scribe somewhat cryptically as 'māhā' which to our knowledge corresponds to no known month name. Likely candidates, such as māghā do not fit with the other details. This makes it tricky to pinpoint the exact calendar date. history of science in south asia 6 (2018) 127-161 kolachana, montelle, dhammaloka, melnad, mahesh, et al.
1 : Jaipur, 5015 15 ff. This MS contains 15 folia numbered 1-10 followed by 1-2. It includes both tables (first: ff. 1v-10) and text (last ff. 1-2). 12 × 28 cm. 7 It is neatly written. The tables use black ink for the entries and red ink for the double margin lines and table grids. They include table titles and row headers identifying the units or contents of the table cells on every page. Occasional errors have been corrected using whitish paste. On the very first page (f. 1r) there is written sāraṇī caṃdrārkī. The Candrārkī text finishes on f. 2r with the colophon iti caṃdrārkkī sūtraṃ saṃpūrṇā but the scribe continues on for another 10 verses (numbered 1-8, 1, 1) from some as of yet unidentified text. These are transcribed in 3.
2 : RORI 10180 12 ff. This MS contains the text (first: ff. 1-2v) and the tables (last: ff. 2v-12v). 10 × 23 cm. It is neatly written using black ink for the text and red ink for verse separating daṇḍas and colophon text. It includes a ruled table giving the guṇakas, kṣepakas, and rāmabījas, similar to the one depicted in Figure 1. The tables themselves use using black ink for the entries and paratext, and red ink for the double margin lines and table grids. It includes table titles and very occasionally row headings. 4 : Rajasthan-Jodhpur/Jayapur 5482 5 ff. This MS contains only the text in a large legible hand. 8 lines per page. 20 × 9.5 cm. 8 Verse numbers and other numbers have been highlighted with red powder. A colophon (f. 4v) mentions the name paṃḍāviṣṇudata, but no date. f. 1r is blank except for a cursive hand writing mentioning the title: caṃdrārki. 5 : Rajasthan-Jodhpur/Jayapura 11633 5 ff. This MS contains the text only in a disjointed rough hand. 8 lines per page. 23 × 12.5 cm. Errors have been corrected by marginal notes. The Candrārkī text finishes on f. 4r, but an additional page (f. 4v) is covered with some text pertaining to astronomical examples. The Śaka date 1238 is given on this page which pertains to the date of the text the Mahādevī on which the Candrārkī appears to be based on in many respects (see Kolachana et al. forthcoming). There is also a marginal reference to Mahādevī parameters on f. 4r, as well as some paratext in an unidentified vernacular (see Figure 2). 6 : Rajasthan-Jodhpur/Jayapura 9026 5 ff. This MS contains the text only in a thick legible hand. 14/15 lines per page. 24 × 12.5 cm. The Candrārkī end on f. 3r and another as of yet unestablished text continues until the end of f. 4v. Red powder has been used to highlight intermediary colophons. Important section headings and colophons have been rendered in red ink. The first page is blank save for a title in what appears to be the same hand: caṃdrārkkī prāraṃbha śrīr astuḥ.
1 : Bodleian Oxford, MS. Walker 208b 59v-68r 14 ff. This MS contains the text only with apparently two different hands. The first (ff. 1r-3r) is large and messy and includes 5/6 lines per page. The second (ff. 3v-7v) is much neater and uniform and includes 6 lines per page. 25 × 11.5 cm. Frequent errors have been crossed or smudged out and corrected in the margin.

editing challenges and our resolutions
Despite the fact we only had nine manuscripts to compare and contrast with each other, editing this text raised many challenges which we had to resolve. Some were specific to Candrārkī itself, others were more common and applicable to editing technical treatises of this sort in general. We list here some of the issues we faced and their resolution: Order of verses: Among the nine manuscripts used by us, but for two ( 2 and Additional verses: In addition to variation in ordering, all manuscripts contained a different collection of verses. In the face of this, we were conservative in our choice of verses to include in the edition. We settled on choosing those verses which were present in almost all manuscripts, and that appeared to fit the content and scope of the work. All extra verses are listed separately in a different section. Only when more manuscripts become accessible will we be able to comment on the role of these additional verses and their significance to the Candrārkī.

Variation between extra verses:
There were some extra verses that were found in more than three manuscripts, but did not appear in enough of the manhistory of science in south asia 6 (2018) 127-161 uscripts or did not seem relevant to include in the edition. In such cases, we listed each of these extra verses together in their own section (see subsection 3), listing each occurence side by side. We did not feel compelled to edit these common extra verses and present the result apart from the main edition, as the differences between versions seemed too great to faithfully represent each of them by a single verse with variant readings noted. We felt this side-by-side presentation would allow the reader to appreciate the differences in renditions between manuscripts, and appreciate something of the scribal liberty in this particular context.

Inter-textual colophons:
Many scribes appeared to handle sectioning of the work differently. Some manuscripts did this occasionally throughout the text (for instance 2 and 1 ); others (for instance 6 ) did this frequently, seemingly after every change of topic. As we deemed this largely a result of the predilection of individual scribes, and not central to the text itself, we did not list them as part of the edition, either in the main text or the apparatus criticus.
Colophon discrepancies: Almost all colophons contained various orthographical and grammatical mistakes. This seems to be typical and not specific to any discipline or topic. We resolved to report the contents of the colophon as they appear in the manuscript without editorial correction so that the idiosyncracies of the scribe can be fully appreciated (see subsection 3).

Emendation of numerical values:
While in the majority of cases, at least one manuscript testified to the correct reading, in a few places they didn't and we had to emend the text. One notable case in which this happened was with a particularly tricky object numeral (bhūtasaṅkhyā) which was clearly a source of confusion for all scribes. Based on numerical evidence found in the accompanying table (see Figures 1 and 2 for instance) and reconstruction of data, we were certain that the object numeral in verse 2, first quarter, had to represent 1; 15, 31, 17, 17. However almost all MSS readings did not give the last two numbers, … 17, 17 correctly. The only two that did ( 1 and 4 ) gave a compound which did not fit the meter, namely atyaṣṭyaṣṭi. We took the liberty of emending the final elements of the compound to the unattested atyaṣṭidṛṣṭī, literally '17 twice' which satisfied both the metrical demands as well as the numerical requirements. We hope this mystery may be solved as more manuscripts come to light.
Page breaks: Generally, critical editions make note of the places in which a new page begins, usually with a vertical line inserted appropriately in the edited text with a marginal note, providing MS and folio number details. We found this task to be impossible to do with any clarity, given both the variation in ordering of verses, as well as the number of extra verses. Therefore, we decided to bypass this aspect of critical editing, given it was potentially more confusing than informative.
proposed ms stemma We posit the following preliminary relationship between the manuscripts. Given that we have such a small fraction of the manuscripts, this stemma is very tentative. However, it may be useful for future studies which will no doubt refine and enlarge our understanding of the ways in which the manuscripts are related one to the other.

-ादे त ुयम ्
] -दै त ुयम ् 1 , -ािदत ुयम ् 1 , 6 , -ािदत ुकम ् 2 , -ािदचत ुयम ् 1 history of science in south asia 6 (2018) 127-161 T his section gives the various extra verses that were not included in the critical edition. It also lists the colophons that are found in the various manuscripts (see Table 3  In this section we group together those extra verses which are similar, but whose differences argue against editing them into a single verse. The sigla for the manuscripts transmitting these verses are given at the end of each verse. history of science in south asia 6 (2018) 127-161