Scholarlink

<p>Concerning the various units of time represented in the <i>Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam</i> (SB), the <i>ghaṭikā</i> has been described in intricate detail. Deriving the values of other time units stated therein depends upon ascertaining the value of the <i>ghaṭikā</i>. This paper examines that description through linguistic analysis and tabulated experimental observations. Original English translations of Sanskrit and Bengali commentaries on relevant SB verses, drawn from twelve esteemed <i>ācāryas</i>, offer valuable insight into both the nuanced usage of Sanskrit and the scientific temperament of these commentators. It is noteworthy that commentators on the <i>Bhāgavata Purāṇa</i> attribute a contextual polyvalence to the <i>ghaṭikā</i>, suggesting values of both 24&#xa0;min and 30&#xa0;min. The study does not seek to adjudicate between these conventions; rather, it documents the evidence for their coexistence and considers its implications for metrological clarity in <i>Bhāgavata</i> studies. It further notes that making unit assumptions explicit can be useful in discussions of <i>purāṇa-jyotiṣaśāstrayor bhūgola-khagola virodha-parihāra</i> (the reconciliation of apparent contradictions between <i>Purāṇic</i> and <i>Jyotiṣa</i> accounts of the terrestrial and celestial spheres), where apparent mismatches sometimes arise from differing conventions rather than substantive disagreement. More broadly, the study has significance for Hindu Studies and Indian Knowledge Systems, since it shows how <i>Purāṇic</i> theology, textual exegesis, quantitative reasoning, and experimental reconstruction may be brought into a common interpretive framework. It thereby highlights that Hindu cosmological discourse is not divorced from questions of measurement, scientific reasoning, or material practice. It is hoped that establishing a clear, reproducible framework for these units may assist future work in assessing such issues more precisely.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

The Value of Ghaṭikā in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa: A Study of Purāṇic Time Measurement

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月29日

查看全文
  • Punit Bhalla,
  • Pandu Santhoju,
  • Laxmidhar Behera

摘要

Concerning the various units of time represented in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB), the ghaṭikā has been described in intricate detail. Deriving the values of other time units stated therein depends upon ascertaining the value of the ghaṭikā. This paper examines that description through linguistic analysis and tabulated experimental observations. Original English translations of Sanskrit and Bengali commentaries on relevant SB verses, drawn from twelve esteemed ācāryas, offer valuable insight into both the nuanced usage of Sanskrit and the scientific temperament of these commentators. It is noteworthy that commentators on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa attribute a contextual polyvalence to the ghaṭikā, suggesting values of both 24 min and 30 min. The study does not seek to adjudicate between these conventions; rather, it documents the evidence for their coexistence and considers its implications for metrological clarity in Bhāgavata studies. It further notes that making unit assumptions explicit can be useful in discussions of purāṇa-jyotiṣaśāstrayor bhūgola-khagola virodha-parihāra (the reconciliation of apparent contradictions between Purāṇic and Jyotiṣa accounts of the terrestrial and celestial spheres), where apparent mismatches sometimes arise from differing conventions rather than substantive disagreement. More broadly, the study has significance for Hindu Studies and Indian Knowledge Systems, since it shows how Purāṇic theology, textual exegesis, quantitative reasoning, and experimental reconstruction may be brought into a common interpretive framework. It thereby highlights that Hindu cosmological discourse is not divorced from questions of measurement, scientific reasoning, or material practice. It is hoped that establishing a clear, reproducible framework for these units may assist future work in assessing such issues more precisely.