Analysis of Asu and Gaoyue recorded in the indian calendar, Jiuzhi-Li

Abstract

The Indian Navagraha Calendar was translated into Chinese by Gutama Siddha (瞿曇悉達) who was an official astronomer and astrologer during the Tang 唐 Dynasty (AD 618–906). In China it was called the Jiuzhi-li (九執曆) which means the calendar of ‘Nine Luminaries’, namely the Sun, Moon, five planets and two imaginary stars, Rahu (羅睺) and Ketu (計都). In the Jiuzhi-li, however, the term Rahu is mentioned as Asu (阿修), and Ketu is not seen in the text. Instead, the term Gaoyue (高月), which means the lunar apogee, is explained. This paper examines and discusses the astronomical meaning and constants of Asu and Gaoyue described in the Jiuzhi-li.