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Kṛṣṇa Daivajña
16th-17th century Indian scholar / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kṛṣṇa Daivajña was a 16th-17th century Indian astrologer-astronomer-mathematician from Varanasi patronized by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. As a mathematician Kṛṣṇa Daivajña is best known for his elaborate commentary on Bhaskara II's (c. 1114–1185) Bījagaṇita and, as an astrologer, his fame rested on his commentary on Śrīpati's (c. 1019 – 1066) Jātakapaddhati. These commentaries contain not only detailed explanations of the text being commented upon, but also the rationales of the various rules and often additional original material.[1] He has also composed an original work by name Chādakanirṇaya dealing with eclipses.
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Kṛṣṇa Daivajña's family originally lived in Dadhigrama in the Vidarbha region; his father moved his family to Varanasi and took residence there. Kṛṣṇa Daivajña's father was Ballāla and his grandfather was Trimalla. He had five brothers of whom Ranganātha was known for his commentary Guḍharthaprāśikā on Suryasiddhanta. Several of his nephews, these include Munīśvara, Gadādhara and Nārāyaṇa, have composed reputed works on astrology and astronomy. He studied under Viṣṇu, a pupil of Nṛsiṃha who was a pupil and nephew of Gaṇeśa Daivajna the author of Grahalāghava.[1]
Kṛṣṇa Daivajña was associated with the Mughal court. In his commentary on Jātakapaddhati, he used the birth date of Abdur Rahīm Khān-i Khānān, an influential courtier of the third Mughal emperor Akbar, to illustrate some of his astrological computations and observations. This points to his close connections to the Mughal court. Later, he came under the service of Jehangir from whom he received honor and emoluments. This has been attested by his nephews Munīśvara, Gadādhara and Nārāyaṇa in their writings. Subsequently, Munīśvara came under the patronage of Shah Jehan, and perhaps emulating his uncle Kṛṣṇa Daivajña, he used the emperor's date of accession as an example of a particular astrological practice in his astrological work.[2]