Jyotihshastra: Astral and Mathematical Literature c7.s1.1

c7.s1.1

The word tājika is derived from the Pahlavī Tāzig, a term which the Iranians applied to the Arabs; it in turn is derived from the name of the Arab tribe, Ṭayyi’. Since the early eighth century, the Arabs and Persians who encroached on the Western coast of India were called Tājikas.¹²⁰ As the name for a branch of genethlialogy the term tājika refers to Indian adaptations of Arabic/Persian astrology, which was itself a combination of elements from Greek, Syriac, Sasanian, and Indian science.¹²¹ In tājika texts not only are a number of astrological techniques and concepts foreign to jātaka—including some like the ἀφέτης or haylāj (Sanskrit hillāja) that had been a part of the YJ but later forgotten in India—but also many technical terms—e.g., kabūla (qabūl), antihā (intihā’), hadda (hadd), sahama (sahm), and many others.