Varāhamihira

Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira
Born	505 CE; Ujjain
Died	587; Ujjain
Period	Gupta era
Subject	Encyclopedia
Notable works	Pancha-Siddhāntikā, Brihat-Samhita, Brihat Jataka

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Varahamihira wrote the Brihat samhita, an influential encyclopedic text in Sanskrit. This text exists in many Indian scripts, and was copied, preserved in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples and monasteries.

Varāhamihira (c. 505 – c. 587),^[1] also called Varāha or Mihira, was an ancient Indian astrologer, astronomer, and polymath who lived in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh, India). He was born at Kayatha,^[2] in the Avanti region, roughly corresponding to modern-day Malwa (part of Madhya Pradesh, India), to Adityadasa. According to one of his own works, he was educated at Kapitthaka.^[3] The Indian tradition believes him to be one of the "Nine Jewels" (Navaratnas) of the court of ruler Yashodharman Vikramaditya of Malwa.^[4]^[5] However, this claim appears for the first time in a much later text and scholars consider this claim to be doubtful because neither Varahamihira and Vikramaditya lived in the same century nor did Varahamihira live in the same century as some of the other names in the "nine jewels" list such as the much older Kalidasa.^[6]

Varāhamihira's most notable works were the Brihat Samhita, an encyclopedic^[7] work on architecture, temples, planetary motions, eclipses, timekeeping, astrology, seasons, cloud formation, rainfall, agriculture, mathematics, gemology, perfumes and many other topics.^[8]^[9]^[10] According to Varahamihira, in some verses he was merely summarizing earlier existing literature on astronomy, Shilpa Sastra and temple architecture, yet his presentation of different theories and models of design are among the earliest texts that have survived.^[11]^[12] The chapters of the Brihat Samhita and verses of Varahamihira were quoted by the Persian traveler and scholar Al Biruni.^[13]

Varāhamihira is also credited with writing several authoritative texts on astronomy and astrology. He learned the Greek language, and praised the Greeks (Yavanas) in his text for being "well trained in the sciences". Some scholars consider him to be the strong candidate as the one who understood and introduced the zodiac signs, predictive calculations for auspicious ceremonies and astrological computations.^[14]^[15]^[16]

Works[edit]

Pancha-Siddhantika[edit]

Varahamihira's main work is the book Pañcasiddhāntikā ("[Treatise] on the Five [Astronomical] Canons") dated ca. 575 CE, which gives us information about older Indian texts which are now lost. The work is a treatise on mathematical astronomy and it summarises five earlier astronomical treatises by five authors, namely the Surya Siddhanta, Romaka Siddhanta, Paulisa Siddhanta, Vasishtha Siddhanta and Paitamaha Siddhanta. It is a compendium of Vedanga Jyotisha as well as Hellenistic astronomy (withGreek, Egyptian and Roman elements).^{[lower-alpha 1]} Varahamihira was the first one to mention that the Ayanāṃśa, or the shifting of the equinox, is 50.32 arc seconds per year.

They [the Indians] have 5 Siddhāntas:

Sūrya-Siddhānta, the siddhānta of the Sun, thought to be composed by Lāṭadeva, but actually composed by Mayasura also known as Mamuni Mayan as stated in the text itself.
Vasishtha-siddhānta, so called from one of the stars of the Great Bear, composed by Vishnucandra,
Paulisa-siddhānta, so called from Paulisa, the Greek, from the city of Saintra, which is supposed to be Alexandria, composed by Paulisa.
Romaka-siddhānta, so called from the Rūm, ie. the subjects of the Roman Empire, composed by Śrīsheṇa.
Paitahama-siddhānta.

Brihat-Samhita[edit]

Another important contribution of Varahamihira is the encyclopedic Brihat-Samhita. Although the book is mostly about divination, it also includes a wide range of subjects other than divination. It covers wide-ranging subjects of human interest, including astronomy, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture, growth of crops, manufacture of perfume, matrimony and domestic relations. The volume expounds on gemstone evaluation criterion found in the Garuda Purana, and elaborates on the sacred Nine Pearls from the same text. It contains 106 chapters and is known as the "great compilation".

On Astrology[edit]

Varahamihira's Brihajjataka is a Sanskrit text on predictive astrology based on the Vedic Astrology system. The above manuscript was copied in Nepal in 1399 CE in the Nepalaksara script, and is now in the Cambridge University Library.

Hora Shastra or Brihadjathaka is a most acclaimed astrological work by Mihira. It is mostly in code language. More than a dozen commentaries have been written for this work. The Kerala School of Astrology is mainly based on the Brihadjathaka.

His son Prithuyasas also contributed to Hindu astrology; his book Hora Sara is a famous book on horoscopy. Khana (also named Lilavati elsewhere), the medieval Bengali poet astrologer, is believed to be the daughter-in-law of Varahamihira.

Influences[edit]

The Romaka Siddhanta ("Doctrine of the Romans") and the Paulisa Siddhanta were two works of Western origin which influenced Varahamihira's thought. The Paulisa Siddhanta is often mistakenly thought to be a single work and attributed to Paul of Alexandria (c. 378 CE).^[18] However, this notion has been rejected by other scholars in the field, notably by David Pingree who stated that "...the identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Pauliśa Siddhānta is totally false".^[19] Number of his writings share similarities with the earlier texts like Vedanga Jyotisha.^[20]

A Bṛhat-Saṃhitā verse (adhyāya II, śloka 14), reads: म्लेच्छा हि यवनास् तेषु सम्यक् शास्त्रम् इदं स्थितम् । ऋषिवत् तेऽपि पूज्यन्ते किं पुनर् दैवविद् द्विजः ॥, romanized as mlecchā hi yavanās teṣu samyak śāstram idaṃ sthitam, ṛṣivat te’pi pūjyante kiṃ punar daivavid dvijaḥ. (“The Yavanas are of low origin. When this science (sic) has come to stay with them and when such shastras are worshipped as sages, how much more should an astrologer of the Brahmin origin be?”^[21]

A comment to that verse, quoting Garga, an earlier astronomer, says: "The Greeks, though barbaric,^[22] must be honoured since they have shown tremendous interest in our science....."

Contributions[edit]

Trigonometry[edit]

Varahamihira improved the accuracy of the sine tables of Aryabhata.

Combinatorics[edit]

He also records the first known 4×4 magic square^{[citation needed]}.

Optics[edit]

Among Varahamihira's contribution to physics is his statement that reflection is caused by the back-scattering of particles and refraction (the change of direction of a light ray as it moves from one medium into another) by the ability of the particles to penetrate inner spaces of the material, much like fluids that move through porous objects.^[23]

Notes[edit]

↑ The Pañca-siddhāntikā ("Five Treatises"), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman and Indian astronomy. Varāhamihira's knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough. In 5 sections, his monumental work progresses through native Indian astronomy and culminates in 2 treatises on Western astronomy, showing calculations based on Greek and Alexandrian reckoning and even giving complete Ptolemaic mathematical charts and tables.^[17]

References[edit]

↑ Brian Evans (24 February 2014). The Development of Mathematics Throughout the Centuries: A Brief History in a Cultural Context. John Wiley & Sons. p. 61. ISBN 978-1118853979. Varahamihira, a mathematician born around 505 CE and died 587 CE, who was also known for innovation with Pascal's triangle.
↑ RK Sharma & OP Misra (2003). Archaeological Excavations in Central India: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. New Delhi: Mittal Publication. ISBN 81-7099-874-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
↑ O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Varāhamihira", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.
↑ History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. 2008. p. 46.
↑ Ram Gopal (1984). Kālidāsa: His Art and Culture. Concept Publishing Company. p. 15.
↑ Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.
↑ Ariel Glucklich (2008). The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective. Oxford University Press. pp. 10, 123–126. ISBN 978-0-19-971825-2., Quote: "[...] the new temples and inconography, the science of architecture, the enormous encyclopedia the Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira [...]"
↑ Ivor Grattan-Guinness (2016). Companion Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the Mathematical Sciences: Volume Two. Taylor & Francis. pp. 954–956. ISBN 978-1-134-88832-0.
↑ Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 549–561, 737–738, 874–876. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.
↑ Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 1. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 1–19. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.
↑ Michael Meister (2003). Gudrun Bühnemann (ed.). Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions. BRILL Academic. pp. 251–260. ISBN 90-04-12902-2.
↑ T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1985). Elements of Hindu Iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 25, 58–59. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
↑ Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 2. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 960–961. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.
↑ Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 685–697. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.
↑ David Pingree (1963), Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran, Isis, Vol. 54, No. 2, University of Chicago Press, pp. 229-246
↑ Sarma, K. V. (2008). "Varāhamihira". In Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 2184–2185. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9604. ISBN 978-1-4020-4559-2.
↑ "Varahamihira". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.
↑ McEvilley, Thomas (November 2001). The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies. Allworth Press. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-58115-203-6.
↑ Pingree, David (1978). The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series. Vol. Vol. 2. pp. 437–438. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
Pingree, David (1969). The Later Pauliśa Siddhānta. Centaurus 14. pp. 172–241.
↑ Velandai Gopala Aiyer. The chronology of ancient India: beginning of the Sat Yuga, Dwaper, Treta, and Kali Yuga with date of Mahabharata. Sanjay Prakashan. p. 63.
↑ Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira, archive.org, Sanskrit with English translation by Panditabhushana V. Subrahmanya Sastri and Vidwan M. Ramakrishna Bhat. 1946: Bangalore. p. 19
↑ Monier-Williams. "Definition of म्लेच्छ". Sanskrit Dictionary.
↑ "Varahamihira". Science, Civilization and Society.

External links[edit]

The Brihat-samhita; complete translation by N. Chidambaram Iyer Online edition with glossary
Pancasiddhantika, Brihat Jataka, Brihat Samhita and Hora Shastra Various editions in English and Sanskrit. (PDF)
The Brihat Jataka (1905) Pdf edition internet archive

Template:Jyotish Vidya

[18] The Pañca-siddhāntikā ("Five Treatises"), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman and Indian astronomy. Varāhamihira's knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough. In 5 sections, his monumental work progresses through native Indian astronomy and culminates in 2 treatises on Western astronomy, showing calculations based on Greek and Alexandrian reckoning and even giving complete Ptolemaic mathematical charts and tables.^[17]

[1] Brian Evans (24 February 2014). The Development of Mathematics Throughout the Centuries: A Brief History in a Cultural Context. John Wiley & Sons. p. 61. ISBN 978-1118853979. Varahamihira, a mathematician born around 505 CE and died 587 CE, who was also known for innovation with Pascal's triangle.

[Sharma_&_Misra-2] RK Sharma & OP Misra (2003). Archaeological Excavations in Central India: Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. New Delhi: Mittal Publication. ISBN 81-7099-874-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

[MacTutor-3] O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Varāhamihira", MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St Andrews.

[4] History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. 2008. p. 46.

[5] Ram Gopal (1984). Kālidāsa: His Art and Culture. Concept Publishing Company. p. 15.

[6] Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.

[Glucklich2008-7] Ariel Glucklich (2008). The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective. Oxford University Press. pp. 10, 123–126. ISBN 978-0-19-971825-2., Quote: "[...] the new temples and inconography, the science of architecture, the enormous encyclopedia the Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira [...]"

[Grattan-Guiness2016-8] Ivor Grattan-Guinness (2016). Companion Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the Mathematical Sciences: Volume Two. Taylor & Francis. pp. 954–956. ISBN 978-1-134-88832-0.

[9] Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 549–561, 737–738, 874–876. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.

[10] Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 1. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 1–19. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.

[Bühnemann2003-11] Michael Meister (2003). Gudrun Bühnemann (ed.). Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu Traditions. BRILL Academic. pp. 251–260. ISBN 90-04-12902-2.

[Rao1985-12] T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1985). Elements of Hindu Iconography. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 25, 58–59. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.

[13] Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 2. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 960–961. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.

[14] Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 685–697. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.

[15] David Pingree (1963), Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran, Isis, Vol. 54, No. 2, University of Chicago Press, pp. 229-246

[Sarma2184-16] Sarma, K. V. (2008). "Varāhamihira". In Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 2184–2185. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9604. ISBN 978-1-4020-4559-2.

[17] "Varahamihira". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007.

[19] McEvilley, Thomas (November 2001). The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies. Allworth Press. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-58115-203-6.

[20] Pingree, David (1978). The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series. Vol. Vol. 2. pp. 437–438. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
Pingree, David (1969). The Later Pauliśa Siddhānta. Centaurus 14. pp. 172–241.

[21] Velandai Gopala Aiyer. The chronology of ancient India: beginning of the Sat Yuga, Dwaper, Treta, and Kali Yuga with date of Mahabharata. Sanjay Prakashan. p. 63.

[brihat-22] Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira, archive.org, Sanskrit with English translation by Panditabhushana V. Subrahmanya Sastri and Vidwan M. Ramakrishna Bhat. 1946: Bangalore. p. 19

[23] Monier-Williams. "Definition of म्लेच्छ". Sanskrit Dictionary.

[SCS-24] "Varahamihira". Science, Civilization and Society.

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v t e Indian astronomy
Astronomers	Apastamba Aryabhata I Aryabhata II Vainu Bappu Bhāskara I Bhāskara II Baudhayana Brahmagupta Sandip Chakrabarti Radhagobinda Chandra Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar Amil Kumar Das P. Devadas Gautama Siddha M. K. Das Gupta Jyesthadeva Kamalakara Katyayana Lagadha Lalla Madhava of Sangamagrama Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis Mahavira Manava Jayant Narlikar Parameshvara Achyuta Pisharati Venkatraman Radhakrishnan J. J. Rawal Megh Nad Saha Jagannatha Samrat Bapudeva Sastri Jai Singh II of Amber Nilakantha Somayaji Sripati Mahendra Suri Govind Swarup Utpala Varahamihira Shankara Variyar Vasistha Yajnavalkya Pathani Samanta
Works	Aryabhatiya Brahmanas (Aitareya Brahmana Shatapatha Brahmana) Bṛhat Saṃhitā Shulba Sutras Panchangam Khandakhadyaka Siddhantas (Brahmasphutasiddhanta Maha-Siddhanta Pancha-Siddhantika Paulisa Siddhanta Paitamaha Siddhanta Romaka Siddhanta Surya Siddhanta Vasishtha Siddhanta) Tantrasangraha Jyotirmimamsa Treatise on Astrology of the Kaiyuan Era Vedanga Jyotisha Vedas (Atharvaveda Rigveda) Yavanajataka Zij
Instruments	Armillary sphere Astrolabe Celestial globe Compass Cross-staff Dioptra Equatorial ring Equatorial sundial Globe Gnomon Mural instrument Quadrant Sextant Sundial Triquetrum Water clock
Concepts	Axial tilt Azimuth Cardinal direction Celestial equator Celestial sphere Celestial spheres Center of mass Circular orbit Deferent and epicycle Earth's rotation Eccentricity Ecliptic Elliptic orbit Equant Geocentrism Geoheliocentrism Globe Gravity Heliocentrism Hindu units of time Jyotiṣa Kalpa Moonlight Nakshatra Parallax Precession Ritu Spherical Earth Sunlight Tithi Yuga Zodiacal sign Manvantara
Centers	Jantar Mantar Jaipur New Delhi Ujjain Varanasi Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics
Other regions	Babylonian astronomy Ancient Greek astronomy Hellenistic astronomy Islamic astronomy Chinese astronomy European astronomy
Months of the Vedic calendar	Chaitra (चैत्र) Vaisakha (वैशाख) Jyeshta (ज्येष्ठ) Aashaadha (आषाढ) Shraavana (श्रावण) Bhadrapada (भाद्रपद) Ashwin (अश्विन्) Kartik (कार्तिक) Margashirsha (मार्गशीर्ष) Pausha (पौष) Maagha (माघ) Phalguna (फाल्गुन)