Page 73 - SBV (English)

Early Life 13

twelve, he began studying the Upaniñads under the tutelage of his Sanskrit
professor.
Bimalä was becoming recognized as a nascent genius. Delighting in debates
on many diverse subjects, his masterly command of knowledge and insight
rendered him nigh undefeatable. And although generally respectful and polite
toward his mentors, as was the norm in those days, he was so dedicated to truth
that he could not brook any misleading statements or misrepresentation of fact
in any field, and did not hesitate to expose insufficiencies in opposing positions
even if presented by honorable superiors.
Mr. C. Little was a mathematics teacher assigned to teach physics to
Bimalä’s class. He would read from the textbook three times, then say, “I think all
of you can understand this.” He kept a list of the first three students’ names, and
looking at the list would ask questions. One day outside of class he queried some
students about the teachings of the Bible, knowing that most of them disliked
having to learn it. But only Bimalä was bold enough to pipe up: “In your scripture
prayers like ‘Give us our daily bread’ resemble the outlook of the viddha-çäkteyas
in this country. The Supreme Lord is the object of devotion, not the servant of
*
us who have turned from Him. Those who take His name wanting Him to serve
them have no devotion in their hearts.”
In 1888 Bimalä Prasäda started translating from Sanskrit to Bengali two
classical astronomical treatises: Siddhänta-çiromaëi, which he completed and
published in 1893; and in 1896, Sürya-siddhänta, with its original Sanskrit verses
and his own Bengali rendition. Recognizing his extraordinary proficiency
†
and contributions in both the Eastern and Western systems of astrology and
astronomical calculations, specifically for his initial unpublished work on Sürya-
siddhänta, his tutors Paëòita Maheça-candra Cüòämaëi and Paëòita Sundara Läl
conferred upon him the title Çré Siddhänta Sarasvaté when he was just fifteen
years old.

* Viddha-çäkteya—a corrupted votary of Durgä.
† Traditionally accepted as having been disseminated originally by demigods and åñis,
Sürya-siddhänta is a complex mathematical work on astronomy, comprehending: (1)
computation of the mean and true positions of planets, (2) determination of latitude
and longitude and local celestial coordinates, (3) prediction of full and partial eclipses of
the moon and sun, (4) prediction of conjunctions of planets with stars and other planets,
(5) calculation of the rising and setting times of planets and stars, (6) calculation of the
moon’s phases, (7) calculation of the dates of various astrologically significant planetary
combinations, (8) discussion of cosmography, (9) discussion of astronomical instruments,
and (10) discussion of varieties of time.