The question may be asked how could such accurate constants of precession, as that of the Hindu cosmological time cycles, have been obtained without modem instruments and techniques? At least on« thing must be allowed for and that is a very long period of uninterrupted observation.

Naked eye observations are accurate up to 1/6 of a degree. In the case of observing the precession moving uniformly on the celestial sphere, it would then be possible to obtain an accurate rate up to three decimal places in notless than 50" x ( 72 years /1° ) or 3,600 years. Measuring the precession is not as simple as that, however. Before attempting .to measure the precession, the exact times of the equinoxes must be measured first. Ptolemy, the Greek astronomer, speaks with pride in the Almagest of "very accurately" observing the equinox to within a quarter of a day! That is, to within at best one quarter of one degree of arc. Add to this the difficulty presented by the proper motion of the stars. The star Sirius, for example, has a very large proper motion of -0".553 ecliptic longitude per year. It would take 1,000 years for Sirius to move 1/6 of a degree and for this mistake to be noticed by a naked eye observer. In addition to this, still, the motion of the Earth's perihelion would become noticeable and have to be accounted for. With all these factors, it is difficult to imagine how they can be resolved into a system that would allow continuous observation to produce a Constant of precession accurate to three decimal places in less than 10,000 years.

Similar arguments can be put forth to show that to measure the sidereal period of the Sun to eight decimal places could not be accomplished by naked eye observations alone in any less time.

Even if we cannot comprehend a civilization going back 10,000 years prior to the six-thousand year barrier, we still must face the incredible genius of the cosmological time cycles themselves: a calendar for eternity so accurate that its formulations must be considered as laws of nature, while at the same time a structure so simple, symmetrical, and orderly, that the best scholars and astronomers of modern times have completely failed to see the astronomical basis. In this light we can understand why the Hindus regarded this knowledge as a revelation from the gods.