A History of Sanskrit Literature c35.s6: 6. Varāhamihira and early Astrologers

A History of Sanskrit Literature c35.s6

Language: English

6. Varāhamihira and early Astrologers

c35.s6.1

That the celestial bodies exercise influence on the fate of men, and that the future can be foretold from their aspect, is a very early belief in India, whether we believe it appeared there independently or was borrowed from Babylon. In the Brāhmaṇas and the Sūtras we find recognition of the idea of a lucky star, and the Dharmasūtras demand that the king shall have an astrologer just as he has a house chaplain, while the *Arthaçāstra* ranks court bards, the servants of the chaplain, and astrologers among the lower court functionaries. In war an astrologer is essential to foretell the result from the signs, and to encourage the army and terrify the foe. On the other side, we have the fact that, like a magician, an astrologer may be ritually impure, and the Buddhists denounce the occupation as they do many others.

c35.s6.2

We need not doubt that text-books of astrology were numerous, and in fact Varāhamihira, whose great work caused all the older texts to disappear, mentions Asita Devala, Garga, Vṛddha Garga, Nārada, and Parāçara among authorities. We have possibly genuine fragments of these works, but the most considerable are those of the *Vṛddha Garga Saṁhitā*, or *Gārgī Saṁhitā*,³ which is well known for containing in pseudo-prophetic form some allusions to Greek rule in India. That it existed as early as the first century B.C. is a mere guess. It is important, however, for its definite assertion that the Greeks are barbarians,¹ yet among them the science of astrology was well established and those who knew it were honoured like seers; how much more so then a Brahman skilled in it?

c35.s6.3

³ The relation of these texts is uncertain; Kern, *Bṛhatsaṁhitā*, pp. 33 ff. The astronomical data of the *Gārgī* are given by Weber, ABA. 1862, pp. 33 ff., 40 ff.; IS. ix. 460 ff. Garga is reputed the author of the Atharvan Pariçiṣṭas, li, lxii, lxiv. In the Weber MS. (JASB. lxii. 9) is a fragment of Pauṣkarasādin on astronomy.

c35.s6.4

¹ ^1 *Cf.* *Bṛhatsaṁhitā*, ii. 15.

c35.s6.5

Varāhamihira himself divides the science of Jyotis into three branches. The first, the astronomical and mathematical foundations, is called Tantra; the next, Horā, deals with horoscopes, and its name is obviously Greek; the third, Saṁhitā, covers the sphere of natural astrology. His own work on astronomy has been mentioned, but, valuable as it is, it is much less important than his *Bṛhatsaṁhitā*,² in which he shows himself a master of the learning of his day in wide fields of knowledge, and thoroughly skilled in language and metre, not at times without a real touch of poetic ability. The scope of the text is ample. After insisting on the importance of knowledge of astrology, he deals with the effects of the movements of the sun, of the changes of the moon, its conjunction with the planets and eclipses. Then he takes up the several constellations and describes their powers over the fate of man. Incidentally we have in chapter xiv an interesting sketch of Indian geography, and we learn what lands, people, and things stand under the aegis of each planet; the planetary movements also determine the wars of kings, and each year owes its fortune or mishap to the planet which presides over it. We are told also of the signs of weather, and how to foretell not merely the crop but the rise and fall of prices. The festival of the raising of Indra's banner (xliii) is poetically described and is followed by further religious matter. The importance of the astrologer in connexion with architecture, the digging of tanks, the laying out of gardens, and the making of images leads to valuable chapters on these topics (liii–lx). Then comes a description of the specific characteristics of oxen, dogs, cocks, tortoises, horses, elephants, man, woman, parasols, &c. (lxi–lxxiii). A praise of women, which is worthy of an anthology, occupies chapter lxxiv, and is followed by a section on the life of the harem, which shows affinity with the *Kāmasūtra* and *Arthaçāstra*. Couches and seats come next (lxxix), then jewels³ (lxxx–lxxxiii); short chapters deal with lamps and tooth sticks; then a long Çākuna, on augury, fills eleven chapters; of the rest, two chapters (c and ciii) deal with marriage, while cvi is a finale, followed by an index. The question of marriage is also taken up in the *Bṛhad Vivāhapaṭala* and the *Svalpa Vivāhapaṭala* of the author, while he deals with the wars of kings in his *Yogayātrā*,¹ marching out under favouring combinations, which exists also in two forms, in the first part of it he resumes the question of the relation of king and astrologer touched on in the *Bṛhatsaṁhitā*, insisting that the king has a part to play as well as the astrologer. In these works, as in the *Bṛhatsaṁhitā*, we have no reason to see anything but a development of the ideas prevalent in India itself.

Linked texts (5)

Kauṭilīya Arthaśāstra — Kauṭilya, Sanskrit
Bṛhatsaṃhitā — Varāhamihira, Sanskrit
Yogayātrā — Varāhamihira, Sanskrit
Kāmasūtra — Vātsyāyana Mallanāga, Sanskrit
Vṛddhagārgīyajyotiṣa — Garga, Sanskrit