Three Purāṇic Statements on the Shape of the Earth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa55Abstract
The article analyses an argument given in Jñānarāja's Siddhāntasundara (ca. 1500) on the shape of the earth according to the Purāṇas. The argument involves the use of the word gola, 'ball, globe,' in the Purāṇas, a Purāṇic statement about the mountain Meru being north of everywhere, and a Purāṇic comparison of the earth to a mirror. The article concludes that Jñānarāja breaks with the Purāṇas as well as the traditional commentaries on these texts, and further suggests that we might have to rethink the dictionary definition of gola.
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Published
2021-05-08 — Updated on 2023-05-11
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- 2023-05-11 (3)
- 2021-05-09 (2)
How to Cite
Knudsen, Toke Lindegaard. (2021) 2023. “Three Purāṇic Statements on the Shape of the Earth”. History of Science in South Asia 9 (May). Edmonton, Canada:128-66. https://doi.org/10.18732/hssa55.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Toke Lindegaard Knudsen
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