From Classical Muhurta:
"Kala (Time) is the destroyer of the worlds. Another Kala has for its nature to bring what is to pass. This latter, according as it is gross or minute, is called by two names, Murta and Amurta." Surya Siddhanta 1.10
"That which begins with Pranas is called Murta; that which begins with Truti (atoms) is called Amurta. Six Pranas make a Vinadi, sixty of these a Nadi" Surya Siddhanta 1.11
Wondering what the definition of Truti should be. @ernst in 'Classical Muhurta' on page 1 has "(atoms)" next to Truti, all the other dictionaries I look at list Truti as microscopic spans of time such as; "18 twinklings of an eye" or "33,750th of a second" rather than microscopic measurements of mass. Should Truti be understood as time or mass and what is the implication of this with Truti being the prime component of Amurta?
Also relevant dictionaries list Amurta as denoting formlessness or bodilessness and so wouldn't this negate atoms being the building block of that which is formless?
So far I have found there are two early english translations of Surya Siddhanta and they say somewhat contradictory things regarding this topic.
First is the translations by Rev. Ebenezer Burgess from 1860 published by the University of Calcutta. https://archive.org/details/SuryaSiddhantaTranslation/page/n1/mode/2up This version has atoms as the building blocks of Amurta.
Second is the translation by Bapu Sastri and Lancelot Wilkinson from 1861 https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.46927/page/n5/mode/2up This version lists time measurements for both Murta and Amurta with the former beginning with a span of 4 seconds and the latter beginning with 1/33750th part of a second.
I have not found a more recent translation, does anyone know of one?
@narottama great, thank you! very nice translation and this sheds some more light on the subject. Any idea on how we might think of Amurta in contemporary terminology, dark matter? Mesons? Nutrinos?
@quasar259 You are welcome. I am happy if this was of some help. In regards to your question about Amurta in contemporary terminology, I really dont know. Sorry I cant help with this or give you an answer. Kind regards.
@quasar259 || S.B. 3.11.6 || trasareṇu-trikaṃ bhuṅkte yaḥ kālaḥ sa truṭiḥ smṛtaḥ śata-bhāgas tu vedhaḥ syāt tais tribhis tu lavaḥ smṛtaḥ TRANSLATION The time it takes for the sun to pass over three trasareṇus is called a truṭi. A hundred truṭis make one vedha. Three vedhas make one lava.