Review of Virodhamardanam

By
Sri Sri Vishwanandana Thirtha Swamiji
An astrologer by name Yajnesvara has composed a work by name
Virudhamardanam is about seventy stanzas. He has also commented on this
work himself. His motto is to remove the contradictions between astrology
and Puranas regarding cosmology. He has dealt with three aspects size:
1. Size of the earth.
2. Shape the earth
3. Lunar and solar eclipses.
At the outset, he mentions that this world is an illusion! Nothing is
realistic. So, there is actually no necessity to clear any Contradiction. But,
yet it is useful is attempting to remove the apparent contradictions (Note that
this is purely a MayaVadins view, which the followers of Dvaita school of
philosophy never accept).
As regarding the size of the earth, he observes that the size mentioned in
Puranas is very much greater than the size mentioned in Antilogy. Whereas
the Purayas give figure in Lacks of Yojanas, the figure given by
suryasiddhanta in only a few thousand yojanas. The way he tries to
reconcile the two is as follows; the astrologers have confined themselves to
the visible earth. Actually, earth extends to much more space. Just because
we are unable to perceive these parts of the earth, it is not correct on our part
to deny those parts. If the modern discovers go beyond the Polar Regions
without changing the direction, they would certainly reach those lands. But,
unfortunately they are unable to cross the polar regions.
This solver the second contradiction also. The visible smaller earth is
spherical where as the Puranik bigger earth is flat. The author staunchly
supports the astrologer view that the earth is global. But it is funny that he
tries to explain certain anomalies like the sun appearing on our head during
mid-day assuming that the earth is flat. He also observes that the astrologer
have made certain assumption for the purpose of calculation. They conceive
three spheres size. Terestial sphere, cosmic sphere and celestial sphere. It is
possible that people on other parts of the bigger earth will also have their
own astrological calculation suiting to their own confined smaller earth. So

it is not night on our part to deny the Puranik version which is gives by sage
Vyasa who is an incarnation of Lord Visnu.
Another topic dealt with by the author is how the earth is being held in
space. The moderners feel that it is the gravitational force between the sun
and the earth that is responsible for the stay of earth in its own orbit. The
author says that instead of accepting a number of such force between
different planets and sun, it is better to accept one divine force supporting all
the planets including the earth and the sun. The modern astrologists say that
the earth is going around the sun and the moon is in turn going around the
earth. The author has not give any satisfactory explanation supporting the
Puranik view and refuting the scientists view.
As far eclipses he remarks that we need not necessarily accept that the
eclipse are caused by moon coming is between sun and earth ( solar eclipse)
or the earth shadowing the moon (lunar eclipse). We have an alternative
explanation based on Rahu and Ketu theory. Drawing our attention to the
differences in sizes it Rahu and moon, he says that although the actual size
are different, the size of Rahu projected on lunar orbit would match with the
size of the moon. He does not explain how this is the fact.
Note: Neither sheshagiri Rao of Mysore, who has gone through of this
text nor I are satisfied with the arguments placed forward in
virodhamardanam.
I personally fed that neither the scientist nor the traditional Puranic
scholars would accept his arguments.