History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.214
History of Dharmaśāstra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.214
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v6.c82.214.1
Another set of texts indicates another stage in the development of astrology based on nakṣatras, which seems to have been somewhat on the lines of the later horoscopic system of 'houses'. Traces of it exist though they are not very ancient. The Vaikhänasasmärta⁷⁶¹ sūtra (IV 14) refers to nakṣatras called Janma, Karma, Sāṅghātika, Sāmudayika and Vaināśika and these terms are explained in the Yogayātrā of Varāha and in the Viṣṇudharmottara-purāṇa.⁷⁶² The Yogayātrā remarks⁷⁶³ 'the nakṣatra on which a man is born is called *ādya* (first), the tenth from it (from *ādya*) is called *karma*, the 16th nakṣatra from the ādya is called 'sāṅghātika' (pertaining to a group or a collection of human beings), the 18th (from ādya) is called Samudāya (collection) and the 23rd (from ādya) is called Vaināśika (lit. pertaining to death or destruction), the 25th (from ādya) is called *mānasa* (pertaining to the mind), in this way all persons are concerned with six nakṣatras (1st, 10th, 16th, 18th, 23rd and 25th), they say that the king is concerned with nine nakṣatras, the three additional ones being those connected with his *jāti* (caste), his country and with the nakṣatra on the day of his coronation The Yogayātrā and Viṣṇudharmottara (I. 78. 14-16) further provide 'when the nakṣatra of one's birth is affected by evil (star or aspect) the results are the appearance of disease, loss of money, and- disputes; if the nakṣatra called *karma* is affected then one's undertakings do not succeed;
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if the Sāṅghātika (16th) is affected then there is treachery; when the Sāmudayika (18th) is affected there is loss of accumulated wealth; when the Vaināśika (23rd) is affected, one's desired objects perish; when Mānasa (25th) is affected, there is anxiety and unhappiness. The Nārada-purāṇa,763a after defining the above, remarks that one should not commence any auspicious act on these. When the (six) nakṣatras are not affected (by evil stars or aspects) a person is healthy, enjoys happiness, his body is well-nourished and he is endowed with wealth; but if the six nakṣatras are affected he perishes and the king also (meets the same fate) if the six along with the extra three are affected When⁷⁶⁴ the nakṣatra on which a king was crowned is affected by evil planets or aspects, one should predict loss of the kingdom, if the nakṣatra of the country is affected trouble to the country and capital is indicated and if the nakṣatra of the king's caste is affected then one should predict king's illness. The nakṣatras according to the caste of the king are as follows⁷⁶⁵: the three Pūrvas (Phalgunī, Purvāṣāḍhā and Purvābhādrapadā) and Kṛttikā are nakṣatras of the king of the brāhmaṇa class; the three Uttarās (Uttarā Phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā and Uttarābhādrapadā) and Puṣya are nakṣatras for a king of the kṣatriya caste; Revatī, Anurādhā, Maghā and Rohiṇī, of agricultural class; Punarvasu, Hasta, Abhijit and Aśvinī are nakṣatras of the *vaṇik* (trader) class.
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The countries governed by the nakṣatras are set out in chap. 14 of the Bṛhat-saṃhitā Herein Varāha differs from Ptolemy in two respects: (1) Varāha does not mention countries governed by rāśis, but countries governed by nakṣatras; (2) Varāha confines himself to India, while Ptolemy in his Tetrabiblos (II 3 pp. 157-159, Loeb Classical Library) deals with all countries then known. This is an important circumstance against the theory that Varāha's astrology is borrowed from Ptolemy or later Greek writers. If he had known Ptolemy's work he could have easily followed him even as to countries outside India. The whole of India is divided into nine parts, the Madhyadeśa and the regions in the eight quarters from the East to the North-east, each part being under groups of three nakṣatras from Kṛttikā onwards. Vide also Viṣṇudharmottara I. 86. 1-9. When the group of three nakṣatras in each of nine divisions is affected by the Sun, Mars or Saturn, the countries falling under any of the three nakṣatras of the group suffer calamities The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa (chap 58. 10-54 in B. I. edition, chap. 55 in Veṅkaṭeśvara Press edition) also specifies the countries in the nine groups, but the names differ to some extent There is some divergence about the nomenclature also. According to Parāśara and the Viṣṇudharmottara (I. 87 7) the 4th nakṣatra from the nakṣatra of birth is called Mānasa.
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A nakṣatra⁷⁶⁶ is said to be affected (*upahata*) when the Sun or Saturn occupies it or when Mars is retrograde in it or occults it or an eclipse (of the Sun or Moon) occurs in it or a meteor strikes it or when the moon continuously affects it (by occulting or occupying its middle or goes to the southern part of it). The Viṣṇudharmottara (I. 89. 1–13), Yogayātrā IX. 13–18, and Parāśara (quoted by the Adbhutasāgara pp. 271–274) prescribe certain *śānti* rites for averting the evil effects of the above noted nine nakṣatras being affected.⁷⁶⁷