Chap'" 111- T he Sun's Trollsit

,m~qI4f(fIR'(!1ifl(qlJOi (4rif"tl6ltf'! I
'1:" omf..rnr~"m; ~~ II t II

T h ere was indeed a time wh en th e Sun' s sout h er -ly course

bega n from th e middl e of th e stat X U e~ 1 and the no rtherly one
fro m the com mencem en t of the star Dha n ist ba. For , it has be en
sta ted so in a ncien t wor ks.

~H +1l ('j q q ;; m~: M!"U 1!mf{('j~Q'FQ~ I

~q') f~(f: ~~IfU~atifm : It , ll

~;'{i(~,"!.a"" ...sf. 'IT ~~): I

C\IQ1Si4~l f" ii,,"..~"lri qwrir • 1I ~1l
At pre sen t the sou the rly cou rse of the Sun starts from the
beginnin g of C a nc e r a nd th e ot he r from the in iti al point of Sign
Capricor n. The actua l fact which goes ag ainst th e old s tat em ent
ca n be verified by direct observa tion . T he Sun's cha nge of course
ca n be d et ected by m ark in g eve ryday the position of a distant
obj ect eit her a t sunrise or sunse t , or by watch ing an d marking the
entry a nd exi t of the shadow of the gnomon planted at the ce ntre of
a big ci rcle d rawn on the ground .
[T he a utho r' s sc ientific attitude is disce rn ible he re. A true
astronom er should not follow blindly the sta te ments of a ncient
wr iters. For, wi thout ap plying period ic co rr ections t o th e r esults
obtained ac cord ing t o old ru les, one cannot get at the t rue positions
of pleners.]

"""" ........tt f~ ~'" R1'I" "''''''I I

......I1m"""') r.r"~""""""'.Pl I l¥"
I f the Sun sh ould cha nge his cou rse before reaching Mak a ra
(Ca pr icorn). he wou ld ca use the destructio n of count r ies in th e '
west and sou th . while shou ld h e a lt er his course before t ouch ing
Ca ncer, he wou ld harm th e coun tr ies in the east an d north .
 Brhl" StlrMiliJ

(Sage Garga says on this :

tl<:T folqff cr~) 'l:f fi'f \;or lj:~r;r:r~ I
'iJ1~~q t ~fel ~ S1I Jl:il~~r fcr~T~Ii~~l:l; II

Sage Pa l'a sa ra too echo es the sa me id ea. T his mea ns tha t

sometimes 011 ac tual observa tion th e Sun must have been found to
be cha nging his cou rse ca using the sols tic es befor e to uch ing the
initial point s of Capricorn and Ca ncer respe cti vely. This pheno-
men on was considered ( 0 be a bad indica tio n .]
:rn';r:~cfuIr ' ''I! '': P"fq!f~~~: I
Uffu f'q~'t1'titq fcrf(Ptf({~ QIf!~t$ : /I ~ II

Should the Sun tarr y a litt le longer in his northerly course

and then retrace his stein; to wards th e south, he wou ld cause great
happiness ill the coun tr y as well as a n abund ant grow th of crop!'.
The same effec t will follo w from the na tura l movement of the
Sun . But if i t is con trary to the rul e, ther e will be danger to
th e world .
[By the wur d ~fior the comm cmar or mean s th e abs ence of a ny
differe nce between observa tion an d ca lcu lat ion.]
mnn:~
" fOfi{fitl
q."ttrf~"" ~?,feT if'lIfTti~ !1A
~T;;;:~i'fi('if n"'tf,",~'qri : n'lI
I

The plan et T va~ ~ a da rkens the solar disc on da ys othe r than

the Parva ns viz, Srh , L-l th a nd .1 5th of ea ch for tnight. As a result
ol this seven kin gs a nd their subjec ts co me to gr ief thro ugh cl ash
of arms, fire a nd fam in e.
[See wh at Sage Pa rasa ra says on this :
~"cff~ 'mTnj;1<I>Y ('<f ~ 'n ll lIifTv ~ : I
",~)f~ ~~,, ",'r; ",,,),,f.M,,' IIJ
t1",mi\~qi(' '{'I!!i;tt: ~rJ~rf!il'~ it I
l:f1Ii"'lonmftf" ~cnsi q.,;i ~Q1" 11',)11
There are 33 K etus or Co meIS na med T 'amas a ktlak es (D a rk
Sh af ts] that a re the offspr ing of R a hu . Whe n they ap pea r on the
Sun's orb, thei r effec ts will have to be dec la red according t o t heir
colour , posi tion and sha pe .
[F or deta ils sce tonmotc a t t he en d of Cha pter XI i.y,a .J
it ;fl'tll'.~qrr, : qrqq:;?J~~i ll'.ri\" mwr: I
m~~~R{'~ f : 't''ll: ~~~ifsfq 1I C;1l
Tn' Sun' s TransIt III 25

These comets produce untowa rd effects, when tr,ey are seen

on th e Sun's disc, but a re auspicious when see n on the lunar orb.
H owever, when they ta ke the shape of the crow, h ea d less bod y
a nd a swor d ( or any weapon), th ey p r oduce o nly evil effec ts even
ill resp ect of the Moon .

~.;; ...,."..." ~. <oil"; ..'" I

~~lttH14t .11 ~$Tth; q l'i('l$""" : !l Ul

"lgf~..1"""ni ",,,IT
f~m~1fmit
''''",,'!it fm
n~-q.
.~ , I
~n,, : II t 011

Wh en th ese corners ma ke the ir a pp ea ra nce the following

effec ts are ob served : The wat er turns t urb id ; the sky is filled with
du st; a sto r m a r ises ca r ryi ng sa nd and breaking th e to ps o f moun-
ta in s a nd tr ees (or of m ounta in trees); the tr ees and c reeper ssho w
effects co nt ra r y t o th e sea sons; animals a nd birds ger he a ted by
th e Sun; the re a ppea r llares in the qu arters; and th underbolts.
ea r thq ua kes and such othe r unusual ph enomen a la ke place fore-
bo di ng evil.
[Moder n scient ists co nne ct the appear a nce of sunspo ts with
som e u nusu al occ urrence s on the earth . I fed t hat thes e T jtm asa-
ktla kas might ha ve been the sa m e as the sunspo ts of t oday.]

.. 'l""! ..." ...oi f"f.. m...~ci"".. of. I

!'f'!~ .. I({!Iq..t m T"Pri ~ ~l:I1~ u t tu

No separa te effects sho uld be decla r ed if these T amasak t laka s

mak e thei r a pp ea ra nce during the eclips es of th e lumina ri es.
Their effec ts will have to be decla red on ly wh en th ey become
visibl e a t o the r tim es.

~f~n il~;:P(Ttf~ 'if'lifvqttn: I

~f(lfflr-~tm;i ~)'«f);rt qful~ l;( II ~ ~Il

l5Jt1I"""l I'1$ltm ~q)~q.q ,ft'f,(i'l'T: I

f;pri~.l~': R"'~f;a "m it li nn
R~~f~f~l : 'SI;{hif":~~'H,,! fi1 ;:nf~T : I
f:R'i': ";;mUu: ~A;) ~'l:rQ Tfi'Ra"~ : II ~ ..... u
"fq"f ~~,: ","!qf(l'q~~qrrVI'T ~ T : I

f<l"!qfff'ff'(8 ~ if ~ 1II. Viflf¥it lIt ~ 1l

 BrhtJt SalM i/ll

""•• f. f.loqo., .,h~ • "1".m:'l"" I

~f'("ff) Q'rf't'l' ~ W~ ltr" ""' l ll " ~~~ II t ~U
I n wh ichever countr y t hese D a rk Sh aft s are sigh ted o n t he
sola r or b, the kings of th ose countries will have great sufferi ng .
Eve n sage ~ w ith emaciated bodies owi ng to h unge-r will forsake
their religious duti es and rig hteo us co nduct, and emigrate to ot her
co unt ri es with d ifficult y, carry in g in th eir a r ms th ei r chi ld re n tha t
a rc reduced to mer e ski n a nd bo nes. V ir tuous people w ill be
rob bed of thei r wealt h by thieves, will hea ve d eep sighs a nd have
d rooping eye- lids and la nguid bodie s, and will shed to rrents of
tears of great 'g rief blinding th eir eyes. F amished people will f ed
d isgusted being torm en ted by both the ir own kin g a nd by the kings
of othe r coun tr ies, a nd will co nde mn their king's conduc t (wh ich
ca uses their sufferi ng) but not the ir own p re vious acts. T hough
rain-beari ng douds appea r in the sky, they will not pour down
suffici ent qua ntity of rain on the ea rth . R ivers wi ll b ecome ve ry
slende r a nd cr op s sparse (i.e. in a few pla ces only ).
[I n th e nex t two ver ses the au th or refe rs to the effec ts of th e
shapes of these Da r k Shaft s.]

... oro" ,!!",if~.' .....""'~..rr.\ I

~lft .l'Wfi~ ~ tJi~N lI t \!lll
If the D ark Shaft 0 11 the sola r d is c shou ld a ppea r in the form
uf a ru d, the effect wou ld he dea th to the king ; if in the for m of a
truncated bo dy, it wo uld ca use da nge r of di seases; if in th e form
of a crow, there would be serious trouble from thi eves; and lastl y
if in the for m of a nail or wedge; the re would be fami ne .
[Th e a ncien ts mu st have come to the above con clusions a fter
long and mi nu te obs er va tio ns. Fcr , th ey have given d iffe ren t evil
effects for the Shaft s a p peari ng i ll d ifferent ehapes.]
"l:l,,)q~q~~~"(,r1lfwm:r : I
"a""..,,",", ~'l.llTfm~" t <II
If the Sun 's disc be enacsed by th e Sh afts in the for m of
royal parap he rnalia suc h a s th e um brella , ba nner, chow r ie et c, it
is an indicat ion of chang e of rulership; and i f the sola r orb is 00 -
vered with spa r ks of fire, smoke o r someth ing similar to that, th ere
would be de stru c tion of hum a n life on a Ja rge scale.
[By ~h1~ wh a t i. IJou ibly meant is the 1il'llar Ra re spoke n of
by modern astronomers. ]
111( S un'J Trensis III ,7

'l") ~~ .... U rm"" 'Ti~ "T1" ,

f",,_q). p~fq'ln;~';.., ,, ! s.n
I f the re is o ne of the obj ec ts mentioned above on the Sun' s
drsc , it w ill cause fami ne; a nd if t wo or more such objects a re sight-
ed , it bodes the kin g's d eath. If, o n th e o ther hand; the objects
mentione d above hav e the co lou rs, white, red, yell ow a nd bla ck ,
th e d estr uc tion of the fou r c lasses vi z . Brahmin, K sa t riya , V aicya
and Sn dra, r espec tively is indicated.
(White is the symbol o f pcruy, lea rning and intellectual guide;
red is thai 01 p OWt;f, st re ngt h , a ng er e tc.; ycllo\v is the co lour of
a us pici ousness and prosp er ity; a nd las tly black sta nd s for inert ia,
ignora nce and sin . Similarly w ind a nd fire a rc sym bols of physicu l
p\lwe r a nd in tell ec tua l brilli ance t especti vel y.]

~~ .. Q'A'tilr ~f1iffitJ\il'f!t)f~qa, ~'~qm : I

Q't'(~(f ",ilfil;:O- a~ ~ \lli ~~" ua e u
I n whic hever direcriun of till: Sun' s disc the se g rea t port ents
mak e th eir appeara nc e, from that d irec tio n will arise tr oub le 10
Ih f' people .
iOrilfi\) ft~« <Jui'l"'Q': ftonqrCf fl{;:"~Q'fCf ,
q) . ) ~"Ti ~ :f')r~. ~f", ,, ,, ,,
hr"INI"fq 'l~ \flJ\r~bUi~t:i IfH:~t i~ I
(,ffl'irnf5l'f~f~ fl f Ri"i ~ mqfff II ~ ~ II
ll thc Su n sh ould look red w ith ra ys shoo ting upwards, it
fo rebod es th e co m m a nde r's death , if ye llow , th e pr in ce's end; and
if white, rh c prirsl' s d em ise . If th e Sun's upwa rd rays be v al j ~ g a t ­
cd or smo ky and i f there Ill': no immed ia te ra in follo win g, i t wo uld
eau se gL r'.tl di saster to th e co un tr y th roug h ro bbe rs uml clas h
o f arms.

it T'1;I : 'lifq;;f) ~ rti : f~r!iTt ~fr!"~l~ ~. q~1 I

lIT ql'~if.;:riiti <n,1 l'Ji~ <f!ii'.! ~~ ... Il H lI

~ll;f<:, ~,:;i'tn ron ~ J:I ~ ~fq'~flf;:;y;::( : ~ H' : I

~l if { ili l ?4 ffi'll t{: « ~c{r;::p,)sfq ~1Q') 11 « 6'11

I'h c Su n ' (ppe::. rs generall y redd ish o r taw ny in wi!lln, of

g reenish y.. llow o r saffr on colour in the sprlug, pa le golden in "I'
su mm er , whitish in the ra iny season . I"I f the colour 01" the "inte r ior
 28

of the lotus in autum n. a nd lastl y blood -red in the de wy sea son .

These natural co lours of the Sun in th e d ifferent season:'> wo uld
produce only beneficial result s. However, even if the Sun is glossy
or having the colours as signed to other sea sons in the mon soon ,
on ly auspicious results would follow.
[The com me nta tor quotes from the a uth~ r' s "',""fl{Ol ;

(l'nif'ijifiif'ti~ffiTitilJ~'l"i:liIf;;:r~: ~: tlfi:ffiT I
Hrfliiof<:#:!j ~! '!IB:~ lflf N "li~"r.;r~: ft<Jitf: II
as well as from ,~ :

Mm oTml" ~I : ~flJ~) crrA' lll M> ~: I

. ,,'" ! 'ijilf i ~f".i .rr. "M "
lll<it ~ , " . "'" ""'lIlt
I
'''''' ,,'Of< <r<r,. i ~>r.ff .m~"". r: II
~ dffCJlPi " f~~q'tm1Rfts;lflin I
It is to be remembered in this connec tion tha t in a nc ient India the
year commenced wirh the SHira or w in ter sea son. ]
~,,: ~) rOf'5fr.t t~: tifmTI.lJI;u:uqfC'l I
qnn m~ ~H"'tNt i S1!""( : ~: II ~ ~ U
I f the Sun sho uld a ppea r in the rainy season rough a nd whi te.
it wo uld cause the destruction of Bra hm ins; if blood-red in co lour,
the ru in of K~atri y as; if yell ow, cala mity to V aisyas ( t rad ing
class ); a nd if black , de struction of th e Sadras (la bouri ng commu-
nity). St ill if he is glossy , he will prov e au spi cious to all th e
com m unities.

VlIil "'., ". , ..",""., I

~ m,'"", ",)f" . lim!J """"~ II ~ \II
"""'''''If."
Being blood-red in summe r th e Sun causes danger to t he
people; in the rainy season he cau se' drough t, bein g da r k in
appearance; and being yello wish in the d ewy season he leads to
the outbreak of d isea s es in the near fut ure .

~""""If""~1·.f"lOmrllll' " pt§' I

sn,;r;,15To;f ftu : ~i'f f~fcf1TIliC'l Il ~ 1) 1l
....Pr;n;i .pz Ifi'i'tfH fl U: f'I ..1Q26'41*1 : I
fmll!l'~", if: mfi" "' 1('{)fi'r JRm;uf"l 1l ~~ 11

•
 The Sun'! Transit III 29

I f the Su n's d isc is cut by the ra in bow, it bode s evi l to the

ruler of the co u n try . I f th e Sun loo ks qu ite hr ight in th e rai n y
sea son. it be to ken s im m ed ia te lain . S imi la rly, If the Sun be of the
colour of the Sirt p Rower in mo n soo n , ther c wil l be im m edi a te
rain . I f. on the o ther ha nd , the Su n h a s tilt" r-olo.•1' of th e pt'a·
cork's plume. then ' w ill b e- no r a in fo r I:.! yc ar s to co me,
[Se e w ha t ~:;lffj' says:
~'<ff~~'f.lir crT ~ I i!lllt<:r ~ Tf'if, 1.;: j

1~ 'l mi'r ",q (J~T ~q: J,:fq rff('l n]

..mI," ..~ """r"" ""~"r,,, ......~ I

l'fFm'" t1r~fll" rq;:ml ; flft1f'~fQ" /l ~ t ll

Jf th e Sun lo oks dar k. then: will be danger to cr ops fro m

peers lik r: locu sts; an d if he looks ash- o lo ured, the re will be trcu-
ble 10 the cou nt r y from an alien a r m y. If th e Sun's orb sh ould
ha ve a slit , it for ebodes th e deat h of the king whose' natal a ster-ism
i, curren tly occu pied by th e SUll o
mRirT:n:f1'f~ 1fRl ;:nn:n'~~ ,,<{f~ fl'I(VT"" : I
. .
~f'§n:,!"".) ;Jqfi'l'"tr: flftli ifPtr) 'i'lq) ~<{ri'f "~ " 11
I f the Su n up in th e sky sho uld have the co lour of he re's
blood , it presages wa rs . and if h e sho uld look like th e Moo n, t he
king- wou ld he kill ed and a no ther instalh-d in his p la ee .
IcC TJlf ;
~mr~<Jl!I"f ¥fT lJG: £ ~ff ~ 1flf,"7: I
em 1fCff.:1J ;r"{llT1=fT 'EfT'U 1;ifq ~~i~"I: II l

t]i'Jlt!i~'ElZfit ~ : ~W) 'iR"~1 f"'if1fqffflflflf: I

ll'To,IPf: ~ tt'If;n:() ih l ;;mflf lIH Il
The Sun appea ring like a po t would cause hun ger a nd dea th;
if he looks cut up . people will die in large num ber s; wi th ont r a ys
he will ca use dangers; ~ppe a r il\ ~ ill th e form of a n arch, he wi ll
dest ro y th e capital or cities; and in the form of all umb rell a , he
will ca use th e dest ruc tion of the en rir e count ry.
ti!f~,qf<rit ! 4"lA ~ m .. ~ M '"' I
"Il{!l1' tr.wT afiTaf't qr,
~i('f am ~q " f,p- : IIlPlll
T he Sun appear-ing like a flag o r h ow cause s wars. ThO': sa me
effect will follo w if he is q uiver ing or ro ugh or sha rp. I f there is a
30 B rhat Samhitll

da rk stre ak ac ross t he sola r elise, the ru ling monar ch will be killed

by h is o wn mi n is te r .
[I n the last quar-te r there is a not he r reading-'~ : 6f'iA't',
w hich would mean 'the king k ill ~ h is ow n m in ister.')
ftlt«~~~q8f~ft,!~lfl l'$lfon~ '"' " :I
~fi'r1m!i r~ fCi!l I;q( lom., " IIH II
Sho uld the solar disc be str uck by a m eieor , lightnin g or
th un der bolt a t sunr ise (or sunset ), th en it shou ld be understood
tha t th e ruling kin g would die a nd the king of il, for eign co unt ry
be installed as the ru ler .
[See 'tmr': :
3'1rlITre'lrit m~1j~ r-'lf T«J1ffilfffT I
~;;r<Ql i'f~T 'Um f~sr' ~ ~lfit II J
. faf_ ,,%orf. ..,,: .r_ "'''''"ioR'OO I
l:"tm'rilflf mtrit~ wt ~'mf;q' 1iI Il ~ ¥u
I f the Su n sh ould ha ve the m isty r ing a round him , o r be red
at the lime of both ri sing a nd sett ing, three would be a no rhe r
kin g in th e co unt r y .

"{<.,..t*""': ...m.:
.~" ~~m I
W'"f~'if.~IR'Jl"lm" ~ilfQ'11 1 ~ '(11
I f the Su n sho uld he co vered ~ t both th e t wiligh ts with c louds
eesembliug wt"a pu us of dest ruction, it wo ul d lead to wars in the
nea r fut ure. An d if the clo uds nppf'a r like th e deer, buffaloes,
birds, asses. camels a nd the lik e, th ere would be danger to th e
people.
f"""" ...m...''''t'l."niIf. ~ oiMlll
..ra ~ """'lIt - r•• ~'"orf",,,,,, "1 vu
It is true t ha t an aster-lam is subje cted to grea t tort ure IU "
resul t ofit s bei ng bur nt by the h ot rays of the SUlIj bu t i l lOO I\
becomes pure a nd spa r kli n ~ like gold pur ified ill fir!'.
[Sag e ,"in says :
.lit"'!'" .1If'i 'fowi!''lT'.~ I
f. <i\<t1rfif ."" T"!'.f<. '.,''',.~ II
Here we ca n see the d iffer ence in the opinions of th e sag e a nd our
a uthor. Fo r. the former sa ys th at an e ste rtem invo lved in a n ec lipse
gets rid of the sin arisi ng therefr om t hr oug h its associat io n with
lh ,. SUn. Howl"Vt'r"m st r ikes a different not e :
•
Th e S U1l' S Transit III

q-qrf1Ol;:rf '!>Pi~ 11~ "' tq~~f~:r:!r: I

;'P.f ',*flrral'~ ~p,rll~ '1e:fq (ftllj II]

f;rc(Q <:'I : srffl',IQ'T ~<1!'!lf lltfw:!i f~)sfit"1~"fJ l:I: I

~lf: "f~"ltt:i l.~fl.: f:,~~q) ~~ lli! \!Ill
I f t he mock-sun be situa ted t o t he nonh of th e Su n, then·
wou ld be good rain; if to the south of th e Sun, sto rm; if on bot h
side s of the Sun, d an ge r fro m f1 m,ds; if ove r the Sun , the king
wo uld die; a nd i f beneat h the SUlI, the peopl e Il l' t he- count ry would
pe ri sh .
.fq,f.,,) fir>wI.r,.,·.",,, • f<m~
....""),,"'"IF<Ill'j'if. .. ~ I
'lRf~<:'If~f"UI ""i <1 q ~qt 1'fit'tmf"'l.::
IilffTlllTll("If<n';1=:i( fOf9t'!¥ II ~ c; II
I f the Sun up ill the sky sho uld look blood -red, it wo uld <" 1'<'
lo n g de stroy the king . Th e sa me eftecr wo ul d fo llow. if th e Sun
be reddene d b y a dry dust srorrn . If' th e Sun's colo ur be da rk.
va r iegated, blue or soiled ( rough ), ma ny people would he killed,
T he same d isa ste r would ove rtake the country, if bi rds a nd beasts
sho u ld h owl dreadfully a t su m-ise a nd s uns~t.
[Being a poet of great e mine nce lik e ~l~'f ou r auth or chang.
1:"5 the metre towards the e nd of the c hapter a~ it is done in [h e
AloMkauy o.1". This met re is ca lled ..t~'Ii ,l
........~..._ ., ':!i.r.~",,<t~1i\fqf.'
Slfq'fj(l'~<lcl f.W.mH ~)f~ f~ni fll' <n~'lt : llH,1l
The Su n with a spc rless form, with his orb not crooked, with
bright, p le nt iful, clear and long rays, a nd h avin q a natu ra l appear-
a nce , colo ur a nd features will con fe r all ~o{)d th ings on rh... pe op l...
of th e world .
[Says Sage 'Hl"~ :-
~ ; f~q'.!Q:rrll' : qw"ltT 1fC!Hl f.;:r ll':
~~'EJ:fflfOS1m ~~ fG,"~n:: II
ifJ;ff'tflr: 1J~ ~(f : ~TilJjl'w;:r fQ : SflfT'1<fT'l. I
~: ~'H'<rRt Illl'frftn~ Wll'4TG : II
The verse i ~ i n th e qq~If"'" or chmftlt metre .
 ChaptIF lV-Th, M oon's T ram!l

f~""", _"',"f",""): f«a ...,q~ I

f'C"9IIQQC;Qtfl!nt !,,"ll~<nssaq~~ u tu
By the Sun's ra ys one ha lf of th e M oon tha t is a lways be neath
the Sun is illuminated, while the othe r h alf becomes d ark by her
ow n shadow, just as one half of a pot exposed [ 0 th e Su n is.
[The com mentator quot es bot h ~r~ a nd t;Jim r-«
~ f"Clq 'QJTlr~ ll1!llCl~~ I
~Hr ~Tqroj ~lt~q~ ~ II
a nd
-q 6 d \'it l tll tffq~ll' A ~ 1I'r'fllff l:fCf: I
,q ""''if, ~ mil>i ..~...... "J
lIf_
Ift"qqlitf "~ro~(fr
ili!f~"'" o;t,f<...
tat
"""il"..,
1Jf~Qr~: 11 ';/11
I

The Sun's rays being reflected on the surface of the w at ery

M oon dispel the da rk ness of the nig ht on the eart h, just as the
sola r rays reflecte d on a mir ror kept outsi de illumine the interio r
of the hous e.
[T he 'fff'tr&r-i'f sa ys :
•• «t .n..., 'I'if ~"""'J:')"," l: I
••,,"" ~ "";it wi;fOllf.<If.ar: "
iIN'R sa ys
1J;Vit;j I... i 1T)~'Vf'l if~ll'z:rr ri4i!l e:uff" 1
qjf.r ~'" «r:;f ~.ftil'l"'rf~ ...... "
Thi s verse or the text is a l so found in th e q'$~f~~f;l'I~ I .]

flI'IRI~ mUll: q1,uCtt=l'~ qoqr ~ I

fq.,.<.,,~: ~Sq: ~1V : 11 ~ 11
As the Moon go es fa rth er a nd farthe r a way from the surface
of the Sun , her back gets m e re a nd more illumined by the Sun. I n
the sa me ma nner the Moon's di sc begins to shi ne from the bott om
in a n increasing ~ealure ,
The M ()IJ n's T ransit IV 33

[See w hat the wifqr"" $ays :

R SPfi q Zfl!fT !fTfff l!1q:l=~"Im ~ : I
ffl'fl i'l"'Q Tflt ~!1flfllq -.rnrllft ~f<f : It]
.r~r"'6;r., ...h""."'ltil<!l ~""'qf<~" , ,
"'""' _)m:'~<ii ...~ ...... "'"
In this ma nner th e 11000' s b rightness increases everyday in
proportion to h er di stance from the Sun , just as the western side
of a pot becomes incre asin gly illumined in the a fternoon.
[This exp lains how the Moon's phases occ ur . T he simile
given in t his verse makes the mea ning qu ite cl ear; Till the noo n
the front part of t he pot will b e il lumined by th e SU Il a nd no t the
w es tern or h ind pa r t. H owever, i n the afternoon as the Sun des-
cends from the zenith of th e sky , greater and great er portions of
the hind part of th e pot are illumi ned .
In the follo wing verses effects of the Moon's tr an sit are
glven .]
of.n<I m~ro>«!f) ~"'''''''['m' ;n.,~ , ,
«~ .~ '{~~ <ffl.fjlttln'ii( 11 '(11
When the M oon pas ses through the south of t he stars j vestba,
M ilia a nd the t wo AJtMhas (Pilrva a nd U ttara}, th ere would b e
d estru ction of seeds, aq uatic anima ls a nd forests as well as da nger
fr om fire.
[The M oon is invari ab ly au spicious if she move s to the left
of pla ne ts a nd st ars. See XV III- l inf ra.]

. fIft1:!.lQlli-l IJR: mrr film~T~<:Nq): q"Tq: I

~i{ § Sfml'J: f~~ f~T{i'{q) ~'ifl ftt 11 \11
If the M oo n should pa ss throu gh the sout h of the stars V isa-
kh ii and Anuradba, evil effects would Ioflow . H owever, if she
passes th rough the midd le of Magha a nd V isikha, on ly beneficial
effect s will a ccrue to the world.
[See th e 9"m~ on this-
~1t f<rmljfT~t \'f':I'1:!Ji mT.4rr qJq'G~;:lf: I
~frr2': «i rri f1.,itm<f~ T~)~Jicr: II ]
q " 'Wifllflt q'~ ~TnT ~ll~ Jtt:Qq)q1f.r I
vQ1mI1fif ;:rq~ ~qfa'''' (f)l:1I ~;~ 111911
T he six co nstell a ti ons beginning with R evati conj oin wit h
the Moon before she h as actually come to-them; th e twel ve sta rs
34 SrMt Salhhita

b eginn ing with A rdra conj oin wi th th e Moon only when the latter
comes to t hei r middle portion. wh ile the remaining nine counted
from Jy e~~h a conjoin with the M oon on l y after she has comple tely
passed by them .
[Sage 'Pf sa ys :
G"trm'<f 6'1t1fitttf ~~ :;f ~ ufl'5.~r I
~"[r. ..,q","rr. .~"hrr'!T II
l1q'Jf$IJ't' rfl <flHjprfCJ r;qflJ~m'Wtr : I
mf<r':{f<r~fl1.'U~ 1J;~ ~,ttt "f <i~~ II
~f;:flS'5ri'f;IJr'"i" wrmfT: Sllfil rntl: I
l{(fTf~ q-s:~~ ij"1Npftf;::r qUJ ~rft!f II
mrit;:r~~lI"!lI" ~,q CJm!fl:if:rffT: I
Q;mfor q:Q-m,,) f;r 'f'ff '1i'r'lftfl:!.T II
See a lso .iPfQ'~; 1!I :
~ mf~t<tfcrm lS't5l')"'Oq~Ttf ~<i ~{ i!frf;:r I
q~fi~"4 t:6I flwf1 'l'''' I{<in:lcrT~~: II
q"S~ m"'T~/,:;r;:~lln"sf~f~iffi1Ielm1lh:lf: I
e;:'ll l;:f ;:ml~ !~ fqiJli 1l';;:~~f;:rT1t; II
'4lfl:q"U;; 'l'p:rIi'lf'R!Ji q"ElJlJf('lf;;:rf~T: ~f~: I
QW4f:l<t>'IOII 'jf \lr iJ A Cffrreh lit1fr: II
l1Q~~f;;r:a'~ ~l'n 111l11sf'lff;jffl":... .. . I
Now the a ut hor refer s to some un usua l a ppea ra nce s of th e
Moon and thei r effect s.]

;r.~~~ ;i\~N1~ f~~nmn ;;f"hti, I

"'l~q'h, (ffi;r;~a f~~ ~11fil1i Il l:; II

When th e Moon looking like a boa t has he r ho rns raised a

Uti le a nd far from each other. there will be tr oubl e to sea-fa ri ng
people, but happiness to a ll the re st.

",,1";\ " ~..r" qm "~r..t "r."'I I

snr"", r.r.r"" "¥"f""" W.... "" tll
When th e Moo n's no rt hern horn be h igh er than the o ther by
a half. then it is called L aagala or Plough (in shape). The effect of

.
thi s would be tr ouble to fa rmers , bu t cor dia li ty a mong the ru le rs
of countries without any apparent reason, as well as good crops
.
a nd prosperity in t he count ry.
Thl M oon's T ransit IV 35

[A que stion mi ght be raised he re: H ow could th ere be good

food crop s and prosperity in the la nd whe n th e hu sbandm en a re
in trouble ? T he answer wo uld be that wh en food crops are avall-
able in plenty their prices fall down . So th e ag ric ultu r ists suffer
in consequence. It is also possible that t he re mi gh t be some epi-
demic breaking out a mong th e farmers.
See what '!.~fi says on th is :
iJl{T ~ftll : J;ffqqf <=: ifjf¥:Jnll ~Jl::J;f€"~lt ff I
B"nl::):H:~"nft OfT ~<;1 ~ l1"JT ~l::: II

"" '!f_ »t ~ f"n:\t~ I

u wt '"' f~lI' lJ...<:fnrR ~f~i!TretTT II
From the a bo ve qu otation it appeD. rs that accord ing to thi s
Sage no unt ow a r d h a ppen ings a re indica ted by the luna r a ppea r-
a nce in the fo rm of a boat or plough .]

;rf~fi!l"QI (!1 q al"'Ri q<a ~~rw~l~li t'l''t I

qtt'!'~ ~u;n;;:r~)l1lfi~ VfMi ~ II ~ " II
If the southern horn be raised by a half, it is na med Evil
Plough, a nd will bring a bout t he death of th e PaQQya king a nd will
lead to the mob iliza tion of ~ rmies for war.
["i,;JtTli is again quoted h ere :
~fm!r 'i'f "lJit ~P!~ ~ ~r~ q ¥:Jt ," l:JJ; I
:l~~rw;::rn' ~ sr;;r'~lI'<fi~ ~ ~a~ II
act
This m eans tha t the Evil Plough is brough t in to existen ce
when th e M oo n' s southern hor n appears much thicker tha n th e
n orth e rn on e. The re sult of this woul d be destru ct ion of human
l ife on a large scale.]

,,~rnh,f;:r §fqa11l1fq: 5I:1IqfG!fQ"l~' : ~~ : 1

. ~f>ri\ qm om '!.._Rt<'il", lin II
Wh en th e two h orn s of the M oon are of equal heigh t a nd
thickness, there will be h a ppiness, good rai ns an d abundan t food
cro ps in the land. These effects will b e felt th rou ghout th e m onth
simila r to those experience d on the first d ay of the m onth . If the
M oon r ises in the form of a rod, there will be tr ouble to the ca tt le
a nd the king will be very c ru d and tyrannical in pu nish in g th e
subjects.
(l!:rlTl'f says :
~"'!ll) ..r l~: ",,) "'q~fI<,".~ I
srf~ ~ '€:~ 5~ Cfr!itqT qqfl' q~T II
36 B ,lult Sathhitif

'<f~~m q ;U "') ,~llTcfT <=:~ ~<r ff~ffi I

:ar.:: ~'"l WTf1l<Jill'Ol') ~qf~Tif ~q~ II
~'ffiltqT 'U'ill'fJ f<rf;:rSiff~ lPt~: I
~ q):ri f.r""Tif')lfrGtr:"~t;:r li'tT mIT II]

""'!..... ~<nf.
""~ ~'If.r"
... ~ "'" "")
.,..),m",i
""'"""l
~_
I
Il nil
If the Moon sho uld appear in the for m of a bo w, there would
be wars , a nd victory wou ld go to those tha t live in the d irec tion
of the bowstring. Should she be stretched like th e yoke of a carri-
ag e from the south to the north , t here would be earthqua ke .
[~41J1f states :
T<:i\ ~ .'" ,,)# ",i\ll~r",)f."'I I
.~iu~.) "",!n,) "i\~ Il
eTI'I'lfT: W!{ /H<i -e:;:rf'ff C1"Y~ <i (fqJ lit I
,nnw" ~~lfj ~('J" ~ : II
:qritlifT lf iIT a<i'tfir ;:fe,,~ft~l:1lTq\'lT I

~~il:' srfff'l:aff Q~)'TflTR<;&H!:r 't: II

~'~:fm)qr If<r;~'I' 'J:f1l'~~ ~ II ]

'!q~ 1W"Qlfi)!'l:tT f~s:~" ~ m imqlftr I

r.r.~f." ""'''i!l'l~'!'" r.r.~ !"i'l Il Il n
If the y oke i s sligh tly raised at its sou thern tip tha n a t the
other, t he Moon is the n sa id t o b e tying on a side, t he effec t of
which w ou ld be drought and des t ruc tion of traders.
[Compare "!4'J1i :
liTUlIf\1 l'lfFrn : f'f.~rr lfm lion
•
m I
• ~"",'fu#~)S. "'~T ~r~."",: II]
""j"ql'lfui 'If, "r".),..",'i'" "~'lR I
Vld"'1'ffqftf§r1f~Ifi Tr1; ~~lT~tflf II t'~ 11
If one of th e horns of the Moo n should a ppea r turned down .
wards as a result of the other's el ev ati on, it is ca lled ' Bent' . It
would then cause fa mine in the cou nt ry affecting even the catt le.
[See,,~ :
",,) ~ r 'l';# ~ ~ "r",,) •• "'"
I
.*."'''''If ~ $f....., ,~ ~ II]
40 Brhat Sarhhitci

If the M oon' s di sc is cut by Sa turn, the Yaudheyas, ministen,

peopl e of th e K uru co untry , r ulers of the eastern coun tri es, and
the Arjunayanae will undergo grea t sufferi ng for ten months.
[The metre is 1I!.~,"1 ~ . The Yaudheyas are a peop le belonging
to th e northern division . So are the Arjun ayanas.]

""~fiIf!fti 'if qldi1!l'tltT"i tl'Z ~rfl~'if: I

1fq~'Ji( If« !l'i -n,fCf f~ ~r~ f"f;:w1icr: 1l~ ~11
When M ercury cuts th e Moon and then departs the r efrom .
there wi ll be tr ou ble for the cou ntry of Magad h a, the city of
Ma th urii and the peopl e living on th e b a nks of the river V el)a.
In other pla ces there will be peace and plenty as in the G olden
Age .
{T he metre is <i6H,rQ].

""")""If"""""" ""\;!' r"r"", or. "'""

~.~",r.r••m.'h,l!t,"r..... ,,<ft"'l"'""
I

When th e M oon is obstructed by K etu (meteor ), it will d est roy

p eople's health , ha ppiness and pro sper ity; a n d it will ca use m uch
destructi on among fighters (those that are employed in th e military)
a s well as in tense sufferi ng 10 the pe ople through increase in
r obber ies.
(Thi s occurs in qJ 'I6 , but no name is av aila ble for it . Of
course i t IS simila r to th e ~~fll'tR\. with ll'lf!Jl instead of the "l''l'!Jl before
th e llti.]
3~1 q~l mit l;ffif ~ ~ I
~a- non 1q1 q~ 3'[<qr. . f{qi'{ : 1l" C: ll
Wh en the eclip sed Moon is cut by a meteor, the king, whose
natal star is occupied by the M oon at th e time, will soon die.
[See the <lqlll'lJf~"I -
~R':Tf'll iF'l) ~ ~~!if l.tt ~ f~ II
This metre occur ring under ~~,,~ cat egory has no name given. ]

"".r••:....""'!t'jf",",."'" r",,,,, or'~'l!t, I

"''''''3' .~r.", ,~,l!t) 'IT on...,,,,,,,,l,,,,,," ",."
If the Moon is of ash colour, rou gh, reddish, devoid of ra ys,
a nd of dark appearance, and looks b rok en or shaky, people will
have danger fro m hunger, tumult, p est ilence, di sease and thieves
in store.
The M oon's T ransit IV

[T he m et re is naili.]
m~Q'~;nq:;rC::'f,Il!l:::C l ('l)
Q'~;nf~TfJlf<'~ qf~~ '<PI : I
"'"" !!",T r.,,, "r.",r" it r""",
1:1') ~a ~ m<ffi l~ : f~<mr ll ~ oll

Should the M oon appea r white like snow, the Kund a (j as-
mine ) flowe r, lo tu s a nd crystal , as if she were pla ce d above by
Goddess Pa r va tr a fter polishin g h er ca r efully with the idea th ? t
she might get happine ss at n igh t t hrough he r, she would bestow a ll
h ap piness and prospe rity on the who le manki nd .
[The M oon is one of the eig ht constituen ts of th e Lord Sh'a 's
form. She is a lso sai d to adorn th e ma tted lock s of th e L ord . H er e
th e poesy of the as tronomer as serts itsel f, as he gioe s a fine exa mp le
of p oetic fancy in this verse.
The m et re is ~lI;a f'Hl"~ . ]

lj'R . oJ ,,"', ;;; "'llir ....... . rr" ,r. """" I

~ ¢~01 ~l1tt ~ Hi ('l~ ~ if ll~ t :l
If th e M oon waxe s r eg ula rl y in the bright fortn ight, Brah-
m in e and K satr'iyas a s w ell a s a ll the p eopl e will enj oy po we r, pros-
peri ty a nd ha ppiness. If her gr ow th is m eagr e, the effect w ill be
loss; a nd if it is m oderat e , the result too will b e li kew ise. These
effec ts will ha ve to be de cl ared in the r ever se or d er in th e ca se of
th e d ark fortn ight.
[T he metre is wrf<:r;ft.]

Q'flI nGl!~m~: fRf{'l fifQ11l"<l ~lrl'tfu q-;iff lfl I

IItr~fi('l1'ff;:rq1l~i~ q)'1'" lNf~ '!.t!1i fQ1tl'Q n)~'{f')jq : II ~ , n

If th e M oon is as b righ t as (h e lo tus stal k and a pea r l neck -

la ce, if her d igits increase o r de cr e ase propor tionatel y to th e num-
ber of lunar days that ha ve elapsed, a nd if h er mot ion, o rb and
ra ys r em ain natu ra l, all peop le will enj oy success a nd prospe r-it y.
[H ere th e a ut ho r sums u p what he h as sa id already a b o u t the
M oo n.
T h e m etre is 'lfo:qijnlT] .
 Chap:" V-Ri2hu's Coutse

!Q',!«lfqllirdt.rn~q frn: flfi(iji!l(fQlI~ I

Sn1!1tQfUlmf V~ qm ~ Ii t II
T hough the demon's head was cut off, it was not dep rived
of life as a res ult of his h aving tasted n ectar, and, it is said , it
assumed the form of a placet.
[Compare th e follow ing PurJ:l).ic statement:
flff;rmr"T "Fr••",,'fI ~ I
rmf~'3,;;:r)sfi:r ;; !iI1~Rlf"~)S«) lfl{i3T mr: II
The reader may noti ce h ere the au thor' s regard for the views of
ancient Sages in sp ite of his own scientific thinking.]

. .. otqUi\'lt,rEftf~R~ ... ~ l'fIf.t i

~ q~urmT~ti';" : ll~ ll
They say that th e Dragon' s H ead (Rahu) bei ng similar in
form to th e orbs of the luminaries and dark in co lour, is not visible
in the sky exce pt on the Parvan day s (Le. N ew and Full M oon ).
As a result of th e C reator ' s boo n R ahu is visible on ly during
eclipses and not on othe r days.
[Th e PuriilJic story r uns thus : Shilhika , one of the wives of
Sag e K asyapa, requested her husband for progeny a t a n unseascna f
hour. Enraged at t his untimely request, he gave her a son who was
d readfu l like th e God of Death . T hi s child came to be ca lled
R jthu. Soon afte r his birth he fough t wit h Aditi 's son and was
trounced. Humilia ted by this, he perform ed severe penance for ten
th ousand divin e years on a Himalayan peak . H e asked Brahman ,
when th e latter appeared befor e him, to con fer on him th e sta tus of
a plan et. imm or tality, vic tory over the Gods and power to devou r
th e two luminari es. At this, the L ord spoke smilingly thus : " You
will find it ext remely hard to digest th ese two; still, be it so." So
saying, Brahman van ished . Then R ahu ru shed at th e luminari es.
But Lord Vigm hurled his discus, cut off his head and said , " L et
RaJ,II.', Germe V 43

t be C reatoe' s words not go to waste . In your respective period!

you may d evour the t wo luminaries and thereby i ndicate goo d and
bad things fo r the worl d . " l

~«:J,«r~ ~ 'p. ~·ql " I (!f4 rt~rit I

", qQ "fQ~~ <'I'q)l:rli «f~ Q I@Q, 1I ~ 1l

Some Sages d eclar e that Rii hu i.e . son of Sithhi.lr.i, is of a.

serpentine form with only the face a nd ta il, while others hol d that
he is Iorrnless a nd of the n ature of pure darkn ess.
(The commenta to r quot es from three au tho r itie s: .h:~ who
says -
rRr""",,,,,,,,,,, ~: '!"'i~1,;r 1
.,pq~f~ q~ ::n 6'~r~"tT f~ 'f.J!; I I
IffuIi!5 who says-
'l'q,"",r",) " .: ~.I"'<'RI~.1 I
~ll~ !fin.:) <n:'~"Rnf~1=~: II
a nd ~ who sa ys-
~ ~ ~'Et~q -;:i tfcq;;f: 1
"""i"",r. R1.,,,1' ••" ,,, ~~.wrn 11 ]
.r, ",,1 ,"~1 rm)""" n r......1 .,~ : I
q ' I "' 14~"' h'f f(if" 'Piner ",q r"'l4\1'll1I ( : lI 'tll
I n case Rahu h as a body. moves in th e zod iac, pou t'SScs only
the- b ead a nd a ci rcu la r sha pe, how is it that he seizes th e lu mina-
ries who a re separated from h im by 180\ 'wben hi s ow n movem ent
is fixed and un iform ?

af"'Qd ...a: ~ ~ flQ : m llT ~ ~ I

~"t'''tlf1Jtfr.it~ ",IfF"t' 'lW' fi'l' 11'(1 1
If. o n th e othe-r h and. his moti on is not fixed , how IS it tha t
h is e-xact position is de-te-rmi ne-d by calculation ? If he is to be
identified on ly by his tail and face. wh y should he not seize t hem
( the lumin aries) a t other interva ls (inst ea d of only when ISO" a pa rt )?

n ~ ~:ilih"q : ~~ ~ttor ~ « ~f(f I

~lar"'I *,«ip4 ~qf<'l' lIfilitTi'" ilil"'.';' 11 \ 11
If this R ghu w ho is a big se-rpent In appea ra nce a ctually seizes
the Sun or th e 1 100 n with his tail or mouth, why shou ld he not
Obstruc t hal f of the zodiac th at lies be tw een his head a nd ta il ?
44 Brhat SarMita

• Iff. ""~ vR\"t<f1ffi..mf'lil ri I

arol{tfftt;:{,ri)" vm: 'it:q'tsf" l'$U('[ Il\9U
If there sho uld be two Rabus, when th e M oon is ec lipsed by
o ne R ahu w hen sh e is ri sing or setting. th e SUD wh o is 180 0 awa y
from the M oo n sh ould a lso be eclipsed by th e ot her R j.hu wh ose
rate of m otio n is also equa l (to th a t of the othe r R flhu ),

~ ~t1ii tol'~ tllt¥(q<t~ Slfa~n:ft~: I

"~<!l"'" ""'""",,,A'''' 'l"1<ll~ 11<11
At a luna r e clipse t he Moon enters the sh adow of the earth,
a nd a t a solar ecl ipse sh e en te rs the Su o's disc. Tha t is th e r eas on
wh y th e luna r eclipse does n ot begin a t th e w estern lim b, n or the
solar one a t th e eastern limb.

~~ ~~T 'Q'q'f;'lfI~ 1A'm 'ihi'Q'Q"l I

f~f" f.<f" <m~'jil,m",,,,f~.. neu
J ust as the sh ado w of a tre e goes on incr ea sing on o ne sid e as
a r esult of the Sun's m ovement , even so is th e case with the
sha do w of the earth every n ight by its hidi ng the Sun tluring it s
rotatio n .

\1qfm~~Tm Qh: ",-ro-tfllnif" .mef'Ti'f: I

"'.' ~"'f~""""",",l' "'" f.m~ II I 0 II
I n h e r co urs e t owa rds th e ea st, if the Moon tena nting th e 7th
h ou se fro m the Sun, d oes not swerve m uch eithe r to th e n or th or
{he sor.th (wh en h er d ecli nation is very littl e), she ent ers th e ear th's
sha dow.
[Cr.mpa re the tiJ f~1: R\'-
~,<;~r1;Jt Uf~fitl'Tf[t '«I) 'l'T::iJRrnfftRr I
-.: I:l fif~ cllM"ftil tq~~ BTT:U~ <:: l II]

·t'Ff):.tn ~ : ~qqfff U~ q .! 4Ill m'IT'T8: ~ I

.r"",,,,,r.O'li V'<"" t~"'''ll<!l' 11 1111

T be M Mn situa ted b elow a nd movin g fro m thewcst obstructs
th e sola r disc like a cl oud . T he solar ec lipse, the refo re, is d iffer ent
in diffe re nt c ountries .acco rding t o th e visib ili ty of the eclipsed
di sc.
Rllhu' s Course V 45

[The ~fu4r.(f says:

~'1:n -:;;~Tf<f\'i ~ lJ1::itsf<ff~lftft:r:n I
Of q-~qf;:, ~ :::: T m-~ <J<f' t;lJT::~::H:'F~i!: II
Cl' l:Ill[zr~q 51JRT l: f<rrf~lf q<.;n ftTi'f : I
'J:;;~TzrT "'tOlf.p:;f "l ~IfR i Qf'7::lfift:1ff II
The 'lii!fR;jI«('I-
~Ql it:~ vi::: ~q QT<flff<J l:fI:rn)lT~i., I
f,iI., ''l,"' ~"""">R "J
"""<!i ~<f'"'' ;f'.f. ...'!l"'''' si.'''I'"' ,
,m ~ittials~mn~hTI:f1~) ~f<{ti~ f~ 11 ~ '1 1

W hen th e luna r eclipse takes plac e, the obs tructi ng ag en cy

is ver y la rge, whereas in the sola r eclipse it is small . H e nce in
semi -lunar and semi -sola r eclipses the lumi nous horns become blunt
an d sha rp re spectively.
[The same idea is round in the w<trfff:;r;(l-
~ii:TU<n:~ ~u¢f<rqr{!J") 'nn~R~: I
"Hi:;;~:.r) m~~Cl')e.1:!J f<MH!H:Cl'<J)S~rp:r ,!: II]

q<J~~JfAiT~t!.t,~"fli<i r~Q'!,f1"ll\1",i: I
,T~1fm:1!"I~~~i'I: {Cn';f~ : li t !Ill
I n thi s manner have the ancient seers e ndo wed with d. vlne
ins ight explained the ca uses of ecl ips es. H ence the scient ific fact
is that Rghu is not at all the caus e or eclipses.
[The a bove cat egorical sta teme nt or our au tho r sho ws th a t
thou gh h e h as r ega rd far religious t raditions, h e woul d not a llow
sci entific truths t o be d ilut ed w ith popula r be liefs.
T he IIf!Ffu:iOTi''lJ says :
lff'f U g: snnwrrf~ ~T-:<rf(f FTo atrr :n'liJ3; I
ff?r(tJi ~f<frU<t~, (I'~ fii" ::r 1I~ fQ' It
fifi SIref1:flfli WiT U~';:<:T) lIt"-t l.:frl1i!'!t I
IDUFlI~ rr i'fff) ~ff 11~t!fll'<i';:ift: II]

q)ml<Tlj\) ~«t~Q' <n:) VfP1!Irq~ : I

lR'IQiTqrr~qnit ~{'I'fit;:f ff mi!f{fT II t vu
('t'rPf~R 'f1f;;rtQ~ arr) q~ti i\ ~ ~ : I
~,,~rm:, ,"".f..nl!ril~'''''' •• " ~ ~,,
 46

A boon was con ferred on the demon R ahu by the C reator :

" T hou shalt sustain th yself by means of the oblation s offered to the
sacred Fi re a t an eclipse." Hence R ahu's presence is assu med a t
that time . The Moon has two no des, Northern and South ern, as a
result ~ f her decl ina tion (d eviation to the north or south), w hich
ca n be ascer tai ne d by ast ron omical ca lculati ens. The Ascending
Nod e is called R jth u.
[He re the a ut ho r refers to th e tradi tiona l a spect of R a hu
mentioned in th e Pu rig3s. T he two nod es of the Moo n a re called
R ahu and K etu respect ively.]

• "'""".f. f.r..,;~ 1Clf11ri\ firiinnf. I

"",f,,,,,,r. '"'" """"'"'''''''''O'!! II!\II
An eclipse ca n by no mea ns be ascer tained thr ough omens
a nd other indica tions. For, portents such as fall of meteo rs a nd
earth tremors occur at othe r times as w ell .
(This refers to a po pula r beli ef th at a n eclipse i s h eralded by
some unusu al occurrences such as ea rt hqua ke a nd terr ific thunde r.]

flltii!{ Q~1!I'f':r ~J:ll'it ",,,fit' I

q5'qQ~q)1fT",

." " """"" • ICf"".,rqi f.qf~f... "to"

Sc hola rs sh ould not be lieve the foll owing t raditional st ate-
m ent to the effect that a n ecl ipse ca n not take place except , when
ther e is a combinatio n of five pla nets in the sa me zodiacal Sign ,
a nd th a t a week b efore the ecl ipse i .e. on the prevloue 8th l unar
da y, i ts cha rac teristi cs ca n be inferred fro m the behaviour or a p-
peara nce of a d rop of oil poured on the surface of wa te r.
[H ere two mo re popu lar beliefs are mentioned.
refers to the same :
,m
too

.~q~"","")' ~'" ••~<ti •• ~ I

:qf if ;:r ~T~~~t'f '!f ti ~"'1 v~ lf~(f II
'R ~~ qfm: f!f,;:l~ ~<1~ ~T I
~mf"@ f<fi>ITi'fI~: 'ij[Ul f(f« R!'JJ: II]

'Q'!f",m'ltI 1;118) f<rtilll ~fS~l ~ I

fl'l~~n."i~l rn ~1«f'If.f mf'l1:f1n Il tl:;11
The magnitud e of the solar eclipse should be deter min ed
th rough the '-1000 ' 8 d eflection i .e. parallax . T he d ir ection of corn-
menceme nt of th e eclipse is found out through the deBection and

•
R6JIIls COU'U v 47
anale, of the M oon known as Ayanavalana an d Ak seva lena. T he
duration of the eclipse is got by no ting th e exact time of conj unction
of the Sun and the :-'100n. All these have been explained in detail
by me in my aetronornica l work Pan casiddhan tika .

.....~, ..rq t qim: ~~ itcH'll: Q;~nt: I

q;tmWl!ht 'Q'~l!I'1h",qm'1i~ f<fiiqT: li t t il
T he Creator (or Brahman ), the M oon, I ndra, Kubera, Varu-
J;la, Agn i and Yarn a (Go d of deat h) are in order lords of the succee-
slve half-yearly p eri ods since creati on .

~ f""qll~f~' """" ..rf. q,.....~ I

ft'~l\' ftfflFq'RT fi!(f"~f~<! ~ II ~ 0 U
q;j Y'~N : I~TH~«fll"iR"t ~ 1t ~ 11'l: I
~mS'iqft'f;nI"lifi!(",m : 'jf'q ~ 'if ll ~ t II
"1..t.!tIt ... ihlT!!'q~qt ~"«l;q,! f~~~ I
VlQ. f~ ~Wn'"lll'tfl{T.~~ ll ~ ~ll
q'fRfI 1lR~l!~ !f;r~ ll~ :q 1JflJT1i~ I
Qft': tf{ {I~ e.fIl'RT,,!fll<!i qli II ~ ~ II
Duri ng the Period pres ided over by the Cr ea tor Brdhmanas
a nd th e ca ttle will prosper; a nd there will be happin ess, a nd good
heal th amo ng th e people as well as abunda nt crops. I n th e next
per iod own ed by th e M oon the results would be sim ilar to those
in the pr evio u s Pertod, but there wou ld be troub le to th e learned
a ....ell aa drought . I n th e Period presi ded over b y In d ra r ulers
wilt be at loggerheads, au tumnal crops wilt be destr oyed and th ere
wUl be no happiness a mong th e people. I n the fou rt h Per iod
belonging to Kubeee wealthy persons will suffer loss of th eir wealth
bu t th ere will b e gen eral prosperity or good cro ps. I n th e fifth
Period owned by Varuna th ere will be trouble (Q kin gs, but others
will enj oy happiness and abundant crops. T he sixth Period of
Agni. otherwise known as Mit ra, will lead to good ha rvest, health
and h appiness, fre ed om from fear (or pr o tect ion or securi t y) an d
abundan ce of water {i.e. good rains). Yama's Period , wh ich is the
seven th , will p ro duce d rought , fa mine and destruction of cr ops.
In ca se of a n eighth Period coming after that of Ya ma as a result
of unu sual causes, it will be harmful by causi ng hunger , death
and drough t.
48 Srhat SamhitlJ

~ ""r<!l ""r..r"", ".....,..... I

vf~ ~"qj~, mi ~m'1 II ~'( II

Shou ld a n eclipse take place a littl e earlier th an the time

a rr ived a t by astrono mica l calculation, there wou ld be a bortions
a nd cl ash of a rms. On the othe r h a nd , if it sho uld comm enc e a
little la ter th an t h e calculated time , t h ere wo uld be d estruction
of flower s and fru its, pan ic would g rip th e peop le, and loss of
crops would ensue .
[fPt says :
tn:r~""':t ~,,~ rnmrrt Ql"gf~ a~ T I
~ffi'" ",,,,,,t ~ "'At """'f....'! "
~R q" f~ 1.'11 fi'fiu f<J1ltl"'''U l I
'lm!(~ l1f~t: «<It 'If'f,)l'j"fcfqf~ffT: It
a nd~~-

q;rtlTIfrRit6' <n 'lJ"t{!f 'iii !~{f I

lTllQl"rqq;rr,!fli <!: '1i~ I Eq' fql'f~fff I I]

~1.n"rW<l"'" ..~ 'l'i"''''~'"'"''! '

'1P!r<!l"r. ., .."',...-r_r. "'""', 'lOr. ll , ~ll
] h ave men tioned the effects of ecli pses ta king place a little
earlier or la ter than the calculated tim e for the sole reason that
th e ancients have sta te d so in th eir works. However, if th e ast rol-
oger know s the co rrec t m ethod of calculating eclipses, by no means
ca n there be any difference whatsoever in th e time of th eir oc cur-
ren ce• .
[Aga in we see our au thor assert ing h is scienti fic attit ud e. For ,
if th ere is a ny differen ce between the a ctua l time and calculat ed
time of an ecl ip se, it sho uld be u nd erstood that th e p erson co nc ern-
ed d oes not know th e science of astr onomy properly. Still Va rg ha -
mih ira would quote the opin ions of th e an cients for hist or ical
r ea sons as well a s for making his Sa rn hita a t rue compe ndium of
both modern a nd a ncie n t.kno wledge. ]

"""r... ~ 'lTlt ol!'1 d"Q1OT~) ..., rOlf.,", I

~~: ", ~~q-qlq litt~f(l~f'ii(litqli'if II " II

Should the re be two eclipses, one sola r a nd the ot he r lunar,

in one and same m onth, kings would b e destroyed as a result of
revolt of tbto;;r a rmy; an d th ere would be bloody battles.
Rzz.hu's COUrS4 V 49

[~ s a y s :
~~q)=t~mit ~ ~ if !W~lf~ I
trWrt orti ~: ~::r'H'!ljf+TaT "rn: I I}
qfffi~~Rffl:lO''' m\qmill'i!4 i1i ~<ft~1l:" I
" liuffll ! flllftlll:if;q1 QIQal'!te1n , 1S1I
Sh ould the lum ina r ies rise or set being ecl ipsed , there w ould
be danger to a utumnal crops a s well a s to kin gs. On th e other
h and, if the eclipse sho u ld a lso be tota l a nd the eclipse d orb be
e sp ected by m al efic s as well, ther e w ould be famine and pestilenc e
all ove r th e c ount ry.
{! :(lTq says in thi s connec ti on :
o"'I"'lfff '!ilrff'~''''' ., of. '''If. I
~~ g ;:r<;r mit "" \'I' ~ i'l' f<fl:f;!J" a- .11
vciroJ fflt ;;f)<f Rf 'ru 1J<=rtIiR orr I
lill'~lHl:)~ ~ ~ r liTPlT $"'Wf ;jf;r'l II

and~-
lI'T'<rQT~JilJf«~iP:TH2f{!f reitfff err I
ft r<rn,~fq'lJ!fT~ i'flf 't«r fq;:r r ~ihl 11
m""oR.,flf wi'" o;;<!i
(f~ i{QlIll' F<JiUfff{'<f'flflt ~l11q~ II
"'1I
ffi llijrrff «hr r'fiY «ei ::'fT qlia If<:r I
~q M:T~;:r<RT;:1!ff~~ ~ 'f rf'Eio:rrt II
vti«!r (('!if ~l1f fiff ifm'fr~mrr qr I
1f1J!br~) IlR liT~lT>:Jl'~ sr3l'THftTi 11]
~lfl1ff~1'I') ~'IJfu~P~'J('l' "ilurtf'<f I
~rf~... f"'I"f"'!T) ~~.,,, 11,<11
!I'iti ",qmfq<:ff~WW«f ;;:{",TQ'fi11; fil'(("'ttrt~ I
lIil1i"'\J)i"{;hW~ ~iQli'r ,,~f.."'iI"'Fl: II ~ t II
qt,~ rtl:qfO'qtQ~~T ~)1i~'i{ 'qr-q,.q: I
~ltT~:~i~ : qs:~it ~li'r II ~ 0 II
~)~lfFql'i~m ~l;~~Q'iO'~{l':rrzrif; nY I
q'~t~ ")lH~;:mI'N;:wrt f~ ~ 1fqfa II Hll
60 Brltal Sttmki14
Should an ecli pse, solar or lun ar, co m mence wh en the disc
h as just hal f-r isen, it would destr oy low m bal s, Ca J.l4:llas e tc. as
well as a ll sec r tnces i. e. religious p ractices. Sho uld the above
' phen omenon ta ke place in th e first division of th e visibl e part of
the sky, whe n it i s divid ed into seve n equal parts, those that live
by working on fir e lik e the goldsmiths , virtuous men, Brahmins
and he rmits wo uld be affected. I f thi s happen in the second part
of the sky, agricu lt ur ists, heret ics t rade rs, K sa tri yas a nd a rmy
ch iefs wo uld com e to g def. I n th e third part i t would h a r m a r ti-
sans, ardsts, t he Sadras, Mlecche s a nd m in isters. If the eclipse
take plac e a t m idday i.e. the fourth d ivision of the sl y, the king a nd
the middle coun try woul d suffer, but th e prices of grains wou ld
b e fa ir. I n t he fifth d ivision animals that live on grass , mi n isters,
inma tes of harems. a nd Vai syas (or merchants) would suffer.
An ecl ipse occur ring in th e sixth div ision of the sky would harm
women a nd the Sudee s, a nd last ly on e occurring a t sunset or th e
last portion of the sky wo uld destroy rob bers and those th a t live
in th e border countr ies. I n wh ichever part of the sky th e ecl ipse
ends. the pe opl e a nd things cor respo ndi ng to t ha t pa rt would be
benefited .

(K a:sya pa says-
'3f< :i;Jmlfa) lim) «<ill~eT~" I
ll~hJ rn" lRf m ' if'lTe.T i:f~ "l'Tll'a- II
lNoro """,1" .. r"" l(Tj r"",<; I
'J.'1'!I' " ~.,.rn ~ "•••r~",~"
~1l:lJHt 'l:s"it ~ qtOffi Jf~T 'Jlll'1{ I
e:f!! !ifclf"rd lfi~<mT: n tCf zrt~i.t. 11
~TJi~ ll'it;:l:fmHI~'ff,;:rt ~ ll'~{'[ I

Also '!~~-
;ro «"',
'liT "0' r"",1 o. 'IT mt~ I
"or .1<j r."..I.,,,,,O\ 'l",,",r.iT~ "
Tn the ca se of a solar eclipse the daytime should be divided into
7 equa l pa r-ts, O ne should then note down in wh ich division s
the eclip se b egtns, be comes maxim um a nd ends . The pe rso ns
assign ed to th ese w ill in orde r suffer•. be destroyed and pr osper.
Sa me is the case wit h a lun a r eclipse, where the nigh t ;s to b e
divid ed . From th e text it i s clea r that certain ca stes, avocations
R ahu's Couru Y 61

and countr ies b elong to certain subd ivisions of the vi sib le sky or
t he da) or night . a s t he ca st': ma y be.]

rl'l'!",",,,,Qil r,,'J'T'.r....... ~.,. I

"G U iHrl e!': snflRt!i ~i(l r.-!uipl II n.1I
~r""r",£r",,"
..r........r.....,.1
.,r..... l!"">;"""""""
H"
'~T<"''''''!l"'
1
''
til!! .r",,'l'!'! ",)f. "'J"! """"" ."" 1
~" "iltll ,.i1 .rltornTTQ' f~~~: It '''II
An ecl ipse (I.e. Rahu) oc cur r ing in the northern (win ter )
solstice wo ul d de stroy Brah mins a nd kings (I.e. K ~ :\tri y a s ), while
in the louth ern (su mmer) solstice, V ai syas (tradcr~) a nd Su dras
{labouring d an). If th e eclipse. sola r o r lunar, be sigh tl:d in the
fou r quarters begin ning with the nort h, people of the four classes
begi nni ng with Brahmin s wou ld suffer in or der. Sh ould it occu r
in an yon e of the four corners or semi-qua rters viz . north -east,
south -east , south- west and n or th-wr st, M ler chas , attacking or
marching armies a nd th ose who ea rn their livi ng by m ea ns of
fire like fa-e-wcrshippers a nd sm it hs would be affec ted . I f it hegins
in the south , aqu at ic a n imals an d elephants will be destroyed; a nd
if in th e nor th, ca n le will pe r ish. If it shou ld be gin in the eas t ,
the earth would be tr oubled with floods; and if in the west bus-
ba ndmen, servants, la bourers and seeds a nd se ed lin gs would be
d estroyed ,
[See wh at Sage .-r flt't' sa ys-
'Ali" lt f l1<1t1 ltft ~~ ~jif,:n i: I
1f1O'1t ;;r<=r~~;:;:r ,,'~ ~r.r m'ti: ~: II
"""'If"lTf.~~f... r.l'o","" ",r~1'f" ,
a nd the "lmI'~-
....l~ f<"<o'J") Am1. ! r.oIfu.'!f'" I
fl:l wnf~~) ~n:-~~~r-f1f<tf;;j'l"i' 1.~ I I
r.""""",W"~"". or"" ~ f'~\l"~ I
tJ:lfUlfll'Tlr ~ljf<:" qeTr.a '!i'f{Il"If: II J

qlS1t t<"'i ", f~~~,: ~)IR)Jflf>{mm"l'lni'lf: I

ljfj",f;:a''' it t d1fili 'ttl l Pt q1~r."'a' q.I'Hi~ 1I ~~1t
62 Brhat SarM il~

H an ecl ipse tak es plac e in th e Sig n Aries i. e. wh en the Sun

or th e M oon is eclipsed while passing through Ari es, the peopl e of
th e Pa ftc:lila count r y, K aliega s, the Sa rasenas. the K amboj as,
peopl e of modern O ri ssa, hunters or fores ters, tho se who wie ld
w eapons I.e . warriors, an d th ose th at wor k on fire will come to
g rief.
[I n thi s and the succe ed ing seven vers es the a uthor d iscusses
effects of eclipses ta king place in th e twel ve houses begi nning wi th
M esa. L.'hc me t re is qN-.....,..~fu~ . ]

m'tT: q-m)sq q)fq;:ft ¥rfi'Tq 'it q il:~qql'ldl: I

.~Tf.-. ~, ",it ,,"''''''''., ~" " "

When the eclipse, sola r or luna r, occurs in Sign T aurus,
sh ephe rds, catt le, ow ners of la rge h erds of catt le, a nd men wh o
have risen to prom ine nce will be affected .
{As the Sign affecte d is calle d Vrsa bha-c-Bcll-c-ca ule, t heir
owner s a nd virtuous men are sai d to b e afflic ted. T his Secti on
m a y well be read wi t h ad vantage with wh at is give n in ch apters
XIV-XVI infra .
The met re is V ai tahya. ]

fi:r~ ~~, "!qy ,!lflt"'" ifft'f=r:

lfimf'lft: I
~~ 'fWf~r ~ : 'l~ : ~iJCfm: 11''''11
I f the eclipse sho uld ta ke place in Sign G emini , h igh-class
women, kings a nd powerful mini sters a nd the like, persons profi-
cient in (fine) a rts, peopl e living on the banks of the Jumna.people
of Balkh, th e Vira:, as a nd the Suhmas wou ld be affected.
(As the Sign Mi thuna is entirely Human wit h a r tistic activit ies,
it is but meet that such persons a re affected. T he me tre is f~q;O
w ith one d iffer ence viz. in the last q uarter in stea d of th e initial
"rfl'J two long sylJabes a rc used , thereby giving the same number
of Mattas] .
lInttl;:~qill;:I~~~"'I;lf:::i=I";J:fffqf~'S~",,~ fq )
q~mTr... ~~ lfTWttfQ'J;:j wrfq ["i!ff(f ....li i II ~ 0:;II
I f the ecli pse sho uld be i n Sign Cance r, it would alilict the
Ahhlras, th e Sabaras (these a re people of some mount a in regions) ,
the Pa ltav es , wr estlers, the Matsyas , t he K urus, Sekas, the Paii~
cillas a nd t hose th a t are infi rm . F ood-grates also would be in
j eopa rdy.
RzJhu's Cour$, V 53

[The metre em ployed is SuddhaviraI-J

r,,~ ~~l'"('Il'li!rllWlQt4g'ffi['t
l: l'it)q~~l ilf~~t~ I
ff ll t ~ fl~tI~~~lf~

~~~lf;f:rt~~wrh .... imi; 1 1 ~ £.11

Should a n eclipse occur in Sign Leo, it wou ld dest roy the

tri be of hunt ers, th e people inh a biti ng the Mekala mou ntain, heroic
persons, ru ler s and th eir equa ls as we ll a s the forest-d eni zens,
Should it occ ur i n Sig n Vi rgo, i.t would afflict crops, poets, w rit ers
scribes, musicians, people of the Asmaka a nd Tr-ipura region s as
w ell 3$ count ries abounding in padd y field s.
[The Sign Siraha sta nds for a mountainous region, an d V irgo
i s represented by a virgin holding corn et c. As thi s R asi be lo ngs
10 M er cury, wh ose exaltation and Mulatrikon a are h ere, hi s
character istics a re naturally affect ed . The metre is ifl;mf f~. J

~~tI~fl''cI:iQf~~ iall!If\..,~i ~ I
'U r~;q~~r.n: " iI'<i'f<;t ~1Il;:a'Q1 qtlfql!l fTl)qT't Ir t 0 II

If the eclipse occurs in Sig n Li bra , people of Avantl a nd

Aparlnta re gi ons {i.e. the west er n bo rders near th e Sahya m oun-
tai n), vir tuous pt'rson s, t raders, inha bita nts of th e Da ~ arn a co unt ry,
Mara an d K acch ap a reg ions will come to grief. Jf it ta kes p lac e
in Sign Scorpio, people of U dum ba ra , Mad ra a nd Col a, th e Yau-
dh eya tr ibe , fight ers that use poisoned weapon'S a nd tr ees will be
d estroyed .
[I n th e first line there is a va riant reading f~;'i'!. , meani ng
rivers, for «tTl. The metre is '3'q~ . ]

q f.:q;ll'~ !ttl "l ("l l r~f~ii[+t ... E111

q- ts'<i'A<i1Q"l fl!l~ fC(I'H'~"1llti: I
i!''''~~ ~ ,..qf.~tf~ ","'~
.'""'';\1 li"""",f• .,~.;\"" " ¥! ,,
If th e ecl ipse sho uld happen in Sig n Sagittarius, it would
des troy chief m inister s, horses, pe ople of Videh a, wrestlers , the
Piiiicl'llas, physici an s, me rchants. thos e th at are ro ugh a nd tough
54 Br"al Sam1lil4
a nd those wh o wield weapons. An eclipse occurri ng in Sign Cap-
r icorn would ru in fish es, ministers a nd t heir fa milies. m en of low
classes, those w ho a re skilled in cha r ms and herbs, those that a re
?ld and infir m a nd the pe rsons who live by wea pons.
[This Sign Sa gittarius is presided over by Jupiter, who is th e
m in ister o r teacher of th e God s. Its form also is par tly equest r ia n
and partly hu man. H en ce the suffer ing of pa rticu la r per sons and
an im als. T he metre is 1flJiij"fiJOI'~ . j

!nt~rqr't~rr«qr~,,","l'fI''''~~tM"''tI­
",~ru.",,""'f"m<'~"'" ".." I
.)it """1i"'!1"'"'''''''''' _~ "Y'"
"",r-""!"'t'f. ..,,, ..... lI"rtflnlq
Ifa n eclipse tak es place in Sign Aqu arius, itwitl harm people
li ving on th e mountain s a nd in the west , bea rers of burdens, thi-
eves, Abh iras [he rds me n] , the Darad es, n ob le men, reside nt. of
Sim hapura a nd th e Bar bara s. O ne ta king place in Sign PiICe1
would affec t the sh ores of ocean s and the a rt icles such a s pearls
obtained fro m the sea-bed, foreste rs. scho lar s and those whose
p rofession is co nnected with wate r or water-pr od ucts, The effects
of eclip se occurring in th e severa l cons te llation! will h ave t o be
p red icted ac cording to the r ules mentioned in the Chapter Oft the
"Sphere of th e H eavens or Starry Firmament,"
[In chapte r XIV th e a uth or d iscusses th e geogrephical scbdi-
visions of the cou nt ry in relation to the constella tions . So we have
to apply the pri nciples enu nciated in this chapter to the peoples
a nd things presided ove r by the d ifferent stars , wh en we have to
predi ct the effects of ecli pses occur ring in the different SIan. a l we
have done in the case of the diffe rent Sign s of the Z odiac.
~ is a va riant for lI'lW[ in the third line of tbe verse. The
metrc i9 lIlt:n'itOJttmr.
See"ij"1[rtfa~-

fOr.mit•••~ om ..... ., .. . m~ I

"f~ff lIi!'; ." '~"''''''J",.n'''I ,, ]

ll!QllffiUlt1iiQei'ff;:rit'tmA'ontt(t. I
VTRTtt lnmf~~ tflf «<nl Q1ID: ll 't~ II
, Eclipses a re of ten kind s via. Sau;Ya. Apasavya, L,ha, Gra.tQ1Ia,
Ni rodha, A,/Jamardana; Aroha . AghrJta. AJQdhyalamas an d T amonl)'a.
RJihu's COUTSe V 55

[w hen t he shado w a ppears in different par ts of the lunar or

sola r disc, or w hen the shadow a ppears to behav e in d ifferent ways,
diffe ren t design ati ons are given to the eclipses. Savya mea ns the
southern side of tp e disc, whi le Apasa/J)'a mea ns the nor the rn side.
In th e case of a luna r ecl ipse south-east is called Sa!'D'4, wh ile no r th-
e a st ApasaD)·a. I n th e case of the solar eclipse these a le re spec tivel y
north- west a n d sout h-west. Leha mea ns ' licking wit h the t ongue' .
Grasana means _swallowing. N iroaha i!, blocking. Aoamardana is com-
p lete crushing. ArohafJa is remounting. Aghriila is smelt, The other tw o
te rms a re sel f-explanatory .]

'l&lrRl' (l'q f" ~JTi':jf<=tt~ -.r<ff i'l' ljf'<rtllf lltf " I

~" 8it ",~f;'~ l:l;:p:rf: sr:;fFfm : 1I'!¥11

When the sha do w ( Rahu) is on the southern side of th e sola r

or luna r orb a t an eclipse, th e world w ill be inund a ted by Rood s,
but people will be h app y a ud free from fear. If the ecl ipse occurs
on th e northern side, people wi ll pe rish a s a result of the tyra nny
of kings an d d epred a t ion s of r obbers.
fit is to be re memb ered that t he words .iavya and apasa0.14
mean different di rec tions in the case of sola r an d lu nar ecl ipses}.

r",,)qil"f. qf",r•.r~",) ......r, fl ..~ : I

~fl""' ~" .~.)q, " "" "1!) 1I ¥~ n

The eclipse is ca lled Lelia (Lick ing ) when the ecl ipsed disc is
enveloped a ll round (or licked ) b y the tongues of darkn ess. All
beings will be happy a nd there will be p lenty of wa t er on the ea rth
as a result of th is ec lipse .
[T he h igh ly imagina ti ve a nd ob servant Aryans m ust h a ve
observed eclipses whe re lik e t he flames (i.e. ton gues) of fire th e
t ongues of sh adow or darkness gradually licked an d enveloped t he
or b].

'Il~", f1tftr tiifl ~tf~r: qT<rt ?:IT ,!~Soq"'TI:Q'~1i; I

f'iti'l',!q f~~", : qm 'ii( ~li'1'«r1'm{ ll Y ~1I

If a part of t he di sc i.e . one h al f, one-third or one-four th,

is covered by sh adow, it is term ed Grasana (Swallowing). As a
consequence of th is th er e will be the end of 3, very powerful king,
a nd de str uction of w ealt h in the coun try, a nd prosperous countr ies
also will h av e t roubles.
 Brhat Sarhhitll

""~ ~@,,,, "'~ r..m'l"i ""r"",'l'

~ f':f{)q"t fcrii'Q: srq-~~<f i"~ trosn

Whe n the ecli pse sta r ts all a r ou nd a nd for ms a thick lump

of da rkness in the cen tr e, it is ca lle d Ni sodha (O bstruction ). All
beings will be happy in con st-qu en ee.

........r.r. r.,il.... '.IlI'" or. r,"i r",,'l I

~r~ql';fW' ~ SI,n'lm i~ ftlf~ : 1r"~11

It is called .{vamardana (Crush ing) when the ecl ipse is t ot al

a nd lasts long in tha t conditio n. It s resul t wi ll be destru ction of
prominent kings a nd Jeading countri es.

~ ~ .r. .."',"'!!'",'" !"IiI il'" I

V1U~-q(l:R'~¥ri';'li tRi'i mlt¥l Il 'iW

It is called Arona!!" or Arona (Mounti ng) if after the termi-

n at ion of the eclipse the lumina ry be again covered with darkness.
Con seque ntly there will be great panic in the country a s a result of
mut ual fighl ing among the kings.

Cf'kr , <i ~~ ~ V1tqf';f:nmq~~a: I

~tnss;~:mt a ~1f~;:tq~~ ~: II X0 II
It is ca lled Aghrtita (Smelt) when th e shadow a ppears on a
part of the disc as does the vapoues of the hot breath of the mouth
on a mir ror. This will bring in good rains a nd pr osperi ty to the
world.
ql~ ",,: Slf!fli f~¥lflt ~ .... Q'fC{ or"" I
wq'Eqitl;:" ~ lI'R:) fiJ ~'[ql(l11i 'if II 'H II

T he eclipse is called Ma d~1tJ t am(J s (Darkness in the Centre)

when tb e shadow appears in th e C ent re of the di sc lea vin g th e
surrounding parts bri!tht. It will d estroy t he peo ple of th e C entra l
r egions and afflict humanity with fea r a nd sto mach troubles.
[This phe nomen on is possible only in a sol ar eclipse].

•• ~ra.1'i ..... .,.il .""'''''"......, I

mlt Ryq1 r~ 'nltftliflH'¥m9t ;if 11V.~1l

Wh en t he shadow is very th ick in th e surroundi ng p arts of

th e disc a nd ver y thin i n the central port ion, the eclipse is known
RlJ!Ju's CUU1st v 63

"""""Rl'jf,,,...,",,",",~.~.,,,,""1
'lFlfRmq 'q!:q{m:rf~ 1i"~t"a) v l!:: ~ I
1lfi"1'J:OIlii.mi'-'1 ~n~~'q"fq fq~ q'q"'reitfif'{l-
,,; q '!if Wj:l.: F",~q:q~~~l "'~l~'i(1 T I{ IlI)CO II

An eclips e occurring in th e month of Srava~a will ha rm the

following : the peopl e of K ashmir , the Pulind as (h unt ers or forest
tribes), the Chin ese, the Yaeanas, people of K ur ukset ra, G andhara ,
th e Central regi on, and Kamboj e as well as the animals wit h un-
cl oven h oofs a nd autumna l grains. All th e rest and other places
will enjoy h ap piness and prospe ri ty.
[Th e metre is m{l'l'ftwmr.J

",ft1'1i. ill:::;.~~tT~T<J: J:~r.Tt·h.: ,q-'nT$'qlfh.. I

"" '!Ij .. ""i.'!') r~r", 'lr"..~.....'J'I": II.'"
I f the eclipse occurs in t he m onth of Bhadra pad e, it will
destroy the peop le of K alinga, Benga l, Ma gadha a nd Sur aH ra, th e
M le cchaa , th e Suviras, th e Darad as, t he Asmak as, and chi ldren
in th e womb. Ho wever, there will be plenty of food in th e land .
[T he metr e i s '$Rlfu.]
""'.h,..,.... Rl~ " "'1{f:,;-
"'ilI,..r~,,,," r,",, .i.. ~'.'~ I
<IroiqloJr"""" ..., r""". "
~)"J')"" ,!r" ;{r"'lf,,~ 11 -·11

Whe n the eclip se tak es plac e in the month of A~vi na, th e

people of K lirnboja , Chi na, the Yavanas, th e Vlihhkas. surgeons,
peop le living on th e banks of the I nd us, in the A na r ta co untry,
th e Peu ud ras ( reside nts of Pun dr a}, ph ysicians a nd the K ir atas
(hunters) will come to gr ief. But t here will be ple n ty of food a nd
ha ppiness.
[O ur au tho r states succinct ly in one verse th e effects of ecli p-
ses taking pla ce in sever al luna r months in his qlfn:ra'fta r th us-
"",,!f< ll1"",r"""r<~""" ~f""",,: I
~"~'lT~ ~f~.T"'TllT~ II
T he metre is i(~ ....nH:r'l'T . Next he speaks of th e te n kind s of the end
of ecl ipses. See a lso verse 43 supra.]

mr,,'",!""' f;:f" ~~ """lj " I

""""'."" f• ...,f.r. ... mmj'i ."'1,m 11 - t II
64

Th e end of a n eclipse, sola r or lunar, is of ten varie ti es:

(i) DaE.{iI)4 rJJDfl. (ii) Vama han_ , (iii) Dak!i1J.'.Jku,,-!i. (iv) J"4md:u.lri.
(v) D a1[ i 1J.a.M] Il , (vi) Vdm ap~,,... (vii) SiJfuha,da u (viii) ] IJraf}(J , (b'o)
M4dh~ IJ Did(JrlI " 4 . and (x ) Anlapidar01J.a.
(The last is al so cal led A Il lj'd t> i d'a r 4 f}IJ. The d efinitions a nd
effects of these ten kinds of Mok$'l or release a rt: given in the fn1-
lowin g n ine ver ses. J
v TCttrnq q1lq " ri'~h«fs:w~ {(r~if : I
~f!fttii ~"iGl rr ~T~,r1l5Zr.l 11 ~ ~1l
I f the eclips e b egi ns to lea ve in the Sou rh-ea etem qua rt er
of the lu na r d isc, it is called DakSif}ahlJ'lrIb1u da (Brea k of the Sou:'
thern or right Chin). T he effect of such a release would be d estruc-
li on of cro ps, a ppe a ra nce of fac ial d isea ses, trouble to the r ulers .
a nd good rain s.
[Sage KAsyapa says -
~frnu) ~~':': flI' r~'"r.ttlti' Q"f~ 1T;; ~f" I
«.""'" " ~.a 1""1[' ,!m'!T~ II]
~1"" ,!"!,,rn,...m I
'r"""" . "',
~li ~ afF£fi iR'J"R !Jf1t ~' 'if 1l l:; ~ 11

I f the rel ease of the luna r or b occurs in its Nort h-easter n pa rt .

it is termed Vam4!l3ml~ heda- B rea k of th e left chi n. I n conseque nce
of this th ere will be trou ble an d da ng er to the king "s son. facia l
d iseases a nd fea r o f a r med conflict. H owever, there will be ple nty
of food gTains in the la n d .
{e r. Sage Kasyapa-
'r"',-<1'....I',<1 1Q'l""""'" I]
.r~"r ....' ..ml!l..... . r. ..._ , ,
qr~ "!q ~ ~ lqfOl Il"'q r 1(r~tIJl r~: Il ~ 'i'l i

If the release tak es place on the S ou the rn , ide of the lu na r

d isc, it is ca lled the Dak,<iQ ~ h k.f jb .~ tda -Break of the r ight be lly. I n
consequence o r thi s t here will be tr ouble 10 the pri nces a nd conflic t
wit h the en emie s liv in g to th e south .
[Cr. Kasyapa-
<:f~l:!I': ~~: ~ !(riTir j::ftt:ft ,fct~ f<r t
"{I:i["'j':f'1li a':{ ~ferm"" f~ qj "f'tJ: I I
Rahu' J Course V 65

<l~1j !, f~~) q~'fI~~fIi#f'Nff) ~T~: I

~T1!Tt rr\i' f<Tqf~ : "ftnf;; ;;r a''f ~'UTrf;; 1I=l{1l
I f the e nd of the eclipse occ urs on th e Northe r n side of the
M oon ' s d i ~c . it is ter med Vx ma ku ksibheda-c- Break of t he left bell y.
As a rcsult of th is women will have miscar r iages an d th e crops
will be mode ra te .
tcr. K as>'a pa-
a~m ':! lfl;T "M"t <fT"~jfe1r~5 : I
~"!it 1T-.t fCl '1I ~ ll lf «l;:ln mftl'q~<f?l T II
Acco rdin g to th is Sage there will be in addirion the d estruc-
tio n of the ki ng wh o rules over the ter ritor y in the nor th].

""'·........,.~1 .r"""'Ql ~ ",~,",1 ;1.

~qJ ,rt~q~ ~nn~) 'flit U=~ ll
Should the libera tion lak e place on the South-weste rn side o f
the Moon' s di sc, it would be design ..ted as Dalq ifJ apilJ ·ubhtdlJ-
Brea k of the southern or righ t a nus-while the on e in the North-
western side, Vilmapay ubht da-Hreak of the left a nus. In bo th the
cases the effect wou ld be th a t people will suffer from diseases of
the an us a nd t he ge nerating organs. Ther e will b e li ttle rai n" I n
the case 01 the Vi2maplJyu there will be the deat h of the queen of the
la nd.
[Cf. K Mya pa-
.~ ",,1 """,1"",' """ ',, I
~ it",,~ f<I"""", "",'hni "or "J
'tit!' ~ FCfT JfTi'l<t "," ~ qil I
f(~;:rf~f8 ~~r~~ iif'Tff: Ill:O\S 1l
When the commencement and end of the ecl ipse are both on
the eastern side of the luna r d isc, it is called Saiichardana-Vomit-
ing , I t w ill lead to happiness, peace , goodw ill a nd prosperity as
well as good crops.
[Cf. K asya pa-e-
l;:rRPf1m 'RT ~<f wf;:j g n~r ~ ':.;: l
!:kJ{~~ ~<t fl"Rf.rtqf'tf;r,i<:'f~ I;]

m'fSiIJ~ tJrfi:l~~'fflqlli 9 ('fiNr('eJ~ t

~ ~*"'J4,,"i)fp:n if ~~~f«f C't'5l' :>I..,.: ll t:; Z:;: 1l
If in a n ecl ipse the begi nning is on the eastern side and the
66 Bshat Samhi/a

liberation on the western side of the M oon ' s di sc, it is called Ja ro1Jo
- D eca ying. As a r esult of this people will be troubled b y hunger
and threat of wea pon s and consequently be utt erly helple ss.
[Cf Kasya pa-
TIl') ""it <10"'''''' ~""f" I
'J""""''' "" >it",,! oW "l"~ II]
qt;!t qfif Sl''fiT~: SN;{ 1F'1tqf~~ ;rrIl' I

a,":.mqll>'t Il:lfn:~ r~ ;:" r~!1R f( ll'CO llI

If the l ibera tion starts from th e middle of the M oon's disc
and if tha t part becom es bright at first , it is ca lled M odhy a oidarana
- clea ving in the m iddle. It s consequences would be d isaffect ion
in the king's army, and sparse ra ins, h ut good crops.
[Cr. Kiisyapa-
~ 'Sf'f'nn lfrir ~~ ~fifalf'\'t (fU I
I n the light of Kasyapa ' s sta tement it would be bett er if we inter-
prct ~. etc . in th e lex! wit h the Of a s app licable to both th e p re -
ceding word a nd the followi ng one . T hen it woul d m ean-s- N either
good crops nor good rains . Fo r , good r a ins a nd good cr ops alw a ys
go togeth er .)

",Ji~,! fq'ffl~n ~ ~ ~)~1!Ill!Q' : I

~m~~: ~TJ1::;(R~q~ f~i Iit o ll

If at first th ere appears b ri gh tness all r ound leavin g thick

darkness in the m iddle of the lunar orb. it is ca lled An t;'adarmJa-
Piercing at the end. Co nseque ntly (he central re gion of th e la nd
a nd the a ut umnal cro ps would suffer destruction .
[Cf. Kasyapa-
<ni'" 1'<"""" """,,) '<til ",r >1il~ I
ll"O.:jI ~ ~t1I"1 m: fZl1~\rn~z:t f~ O\~:qf<'1 II]

'lil HO q"mt ..."" ",..rnr. f~ I

'!.'" fifO; '"'"" qql ""' . ., qf"", """" Il t lll
All the se t en kinds of li berations tha t ha ve b een mentioned
w ith reference to the lunar eclipse should also be applied f a sola r
eclipses as well, b ut th e o nly d iffer ence between the two is that
wh erever t he east has been stated for the M oon, west sho uld b e taken
fo r the Sun . Similarly in the cas e of other pairs of q ua rt er s.
Rlihu'J C OUTU V 67

~;ffi "", r~ r',,, ""'f.'mit"".",,,,. ~1;i\ I

;:fT~n:t l:t ~Ii ~: sr~1:"~1;{ Il t ';( ll
7Ril 1=l'fi"!:tf'R rn ;:no:na.l!If 'El'ifI ~ ~I:{ I
H lf -;;1'f ~ f~~ r~~r'iqf1:"mr1t l l l ~ ll

. fm) ~ f,,,, ~) 'l"'" " mf""", ~ I

~) tfJ~ : ~",,"h:,,~ ~~: QW ll l ¥ ll

f..m., §<"O'T' ...". 'J{l:"" ••" ''''' I

~i ~ ~ ..t. " l"' II t~1I
~f~m~f"'q"n; : "l:"(ft ~F(I' : ijht~ i~~ I
lt~~ ~~ l'mt'i "'~lftfrf{f li t ~ ll
If after th e termi na ti on of a n ecli pse (here should ari se a dust-
storm in the place w ith in seven da ys, it wi ll cause famine; if
there be hea vy m ist . t here would b e outbreak of d iseases ; if there
be an ea rt hqua ke. dea th of a ,l ead ing king ; if ther e be fall of a
meteo r, de struct ion of a m ini ster ; if there ap pea r d oud s of many
colou rs , extreme pa nic ; if there b e th under , miscarria ges; if there
be Ilghtning , trouble t o ki ngs a nd tusked a ni mals (or from kin gs
and snakes) ; if there occu r a mi sty ci rcle a roun d the Sun or the
Moon, outbrea k of d iseases ; if there bc false fires in the qua rt ers .
ri sk to the king and da nger from fire ; if th ere be fierce dry w inds,
trouble fro m robbe rs; if ther e be a cla p of portcnlom thunder . or
rainbow or D anda (a rod -li ke appeara nce of the d ouds ), da nger of
famine a nd a tt ack by a n enemy' s a rm y; if there be a planetary wa r-
fare. wa rs a mong the kings ; a nd i f K etu j Comet ) b e seen , the same
effe ct , t.e., wars . If the re should be norm al ra ins (w ithout an y un-
natural fea tu res) withi n these seven days. ther e w ould be pro sper ity
a nd plenty of food, and wha tever ev il was indica ted by the ecli pse.
all that wo uld be com ple tely wa rded uff.
[Cf. the ~ 1fnHif!l_ill­
'niQ'"q<f'H ~f~?1 m1'{Wi<fil:(IHn : I

',",,""~ 'J'lT • • ~",\"i '.!'" ~f~, II

al s o ,~-
~~;ffi ",",,""".~f. I
'li1j;«m..m, "'""1oTn ()"'!""" II
f''l101T'T 'fl"" ""'" .f'..
~I
UlfTll qf~1'{ : f!t 14:<'lI4cn1jJ ij1Ct1l!i : 11
 68 Bthat Samhita

f~,\rnif!f'lmnr f~r~rsfr.r~~
f;:rq1ar~~r ;:~r"l;fn:r -.:p:rnr '" II
QQOf: ~r - " ~'""" .....
~l;mf'l. l q'(Hrh. : I
tfOIl1s::<f;::rrQ: forffif·P.ll'! fi!'J ~~f~ II
~'ryf srT<fef '<f'i:."'.i~~~ I
:J~ ~ ~i ~f~~!f ~'''IT~1li3; II]

~ [""" ..,,", ~r. ".~ v;(ts<ii'" I

l't''SIr;;~: 'Sr...:~i ~1=1~)f("q"lf)ill'~ Ill '-'u
Shou ld a sola r e cli pse occur a t the c ud of th e for tn igh t after a
lunar eclipse , peopl e would become unruly a nd unju st in their be h a-
viour and couples would be at loggerheads .

""'Q ~h·t,. m~ 'IJ~ l:ff<r l~6 ( 6) f"sn: I

~~~1lf1f) 1I~r~ , f'l!l:(fT: 'SfiifTR if ll tc:n
Should a lunar eclipse take place at the end of the next for t-
n ight after a sola r eelipse , the Bra hmin s would pe rform many sa cr-i-
fices a nd be blessed with the fruitthereof', a nd all the subjects wo uld
b e ha pp y and contented.
[When a n ecl ipse, sola r or lunar, t ake s place, all persons a rc
advised to ob serve some ru les regard in g food. recr ea t ion . e tc. Those
persons whos e na tal sta r or si gn is affected b y thi s are, however,
advised to pe rform some propi tiatory rituals in cluding gifts. T he se
a re explained in the Marsya PUra 1).3 , Chapter (ij . Devou t Hindus
abstai n from food, slee p, e tc. during a n eclipse. For. thoug h they may
n ot be aware of the sci ent ific reason for it , yet they feel t hat the
p eri od of an eclipse is a critical one , when mys teriolll\ cosm ic forces
a re rel eased , which wh en properl y att u ned th rough p ra ye rs a nd
medita tions lea d to be neficial resuh s.]
 Chapter VI- T ransit of Mors
tf,!4tl ~f: ;;f. ifit) f('l ~mi ~(('l'lt~ I
allf"'T'I!1 ~ " Q q'll~r.p.rT'fl~;n1;{ II ! II
If M ars sh ould sta r t h is retrograde mot ion wh ile pa ssing
through a con stell ation tha t happens to be the 7th , 81h or 9th
from the one in w h ich he emerged after his conjunction wi th the
Sun {i.e. ecl ip se) , it (the em er ging face) would be called U f fJava!tra
or H ot F ace. It is harm ful to those who wor k on fire, such as the
sm ith s, cooks a nd sacr ificers.
[Cr. ,!~ri-
""''''''''' '!i.I<~ ~,,.it,fq 'iT I
f~r" ",f~"'1F\J iT" ",~"
ornsP;:Pftf<r'l"T it 'if " 'iff;::;:r 9" G:f;f;::('f 'q I
~qt:!~ ('INT ~ nri'r ii;:;~ S:.~W : II
T he a uthor mentions in all five Faces o f Mars.]

irlm~ (f~r~f'if.a ~~~~~ l

~!.ftffl'l ~1 ~ ~'l::lfi'f l::Trn'i'f;P2" 1l~ 1I
If M ars be gins h is retrograd e moti on wh ile pass ing throug h
the 10th , l ith or the 12th star reckoned from the one where in he
ri ses a fter ecl ipse, it is ca lled A jTUl/l uklw or Tear-Face. Consequently ,
h e w ill spoil a ll ju ices or tastes, an d ca use di seases an d drought a t
his next em er gence fr om com bustion.
[Cr. ~"""-
~~ ~'f.T~ <fIfq rn?l' <nfq \lfJt~ I
"T~i1Fij'" l',f~
:ffii <f'i"1l:J ~lj 1<f "f q('[ II
<rif-:r ~) ~f~ ~T ~<J; WI;; I
('f ":{

~ !!!f ~r~ ~~ m,!~~ "f-1~ II

~) """": 'Ii'" """""" "")fuJr~ I
<J~f-.r: ~r~tri~o:fHfm ~: W'rma II]
~m ;;p;ftnml ~gim~ f<iq itl ff~t:l'q I
if~'l;t(l~ ~'ftl'; <p::tfa I'fYiT ljf~ ~ ;q 1I'll1l
70 Brhat Samhitll

If th e re trogression r eferred to a bove starts when l\.la rs moves

th rough the I Bth or 14th sta r , it is know n as f) 'ilia-Vaktra or Snake-
M outh, It wi ll fru cti fy wh en M ars ge ts ecl ipse d next t ime . Cons-
quently, people 'wi ll be tr oubled by snakes (o r tu sked animals) ,
wild elepha nts and beasts. bu t they will enj oy prosper ity o r abun-
da n t food .
(Cr. Sa ge Jflf-
'JI'..n~ 'f rrel~ lfR <[rfr "1<t~ I
f;::r 1[Tt ~ff 1l' P:rmlf'!if vn"fl1~ II
'l1<lf~ ~ ;;1ITm~r ~)<f,"l1<t <R~ t
'!.'lH!JTfJ~ f~i~rrffiP:r~l=qft,p::rTfG'~~ 11
also <nfvn: -
~r'ft<p;r'<{~~~ ~~;ff~~F:rJ:rTOI'F'i ~rlPi~~ti 'if IJ
~rt{uiRf"f('l' !llfi ~nl,,! q)'l''m'r.{ fqf~ I
~<:f !!l!f~'ri ~",ti ~ 'Jrll~<Q!rff nsu
If M a rs begins h is r etrogression wh ile passin g through the
15 th or 16th aster -ism counted from the o ne occup ied b y h im a t the
t im e of hi s em erg ence , thatjac( is kn own a s Rudkiranana o r B lood-
Face. T h is w ill produce immed ia tely facial d iseases and panic,
hut it will also bring about prosperity.
[Cf .m-
m G tr~l i ~1: QTS'mfq- ~ I
f., ,!~ !'a <r:t>~!;;fffirrrrrii~ II
Gr fq;~~ : q-TFI<ff:i'1f 'tl<ff..,- sfeer W<f I
f:if !f~rq ~ ~"l!r if: 1J:f,fitm "li'iff~ "'f II
also Hlm: -
. .
q~~~~;fl1Ui,T rr'1~fT'"i : m~5'9" IIJ
1{r~~ ~~ <mJ'C{er~~i'I)sf1f ~T i'I~ lf. I
({f!!llllh·ll: tftTt 1ti'futI ~2' "nf"..il'mn~ nxu
\ Vhen th e r etr ograde motion of Ma rs comm ences when he
passes th ro ugh the 17th or l Sih asterism from the one occupi ed by
h im a t the time of co mbu stion, it ( Ihe j ace) is ca lled Asimusala or
Suord-Stace. W hen M ars be comes d irect after this , peo p le will be
troub led b y bands of r obbers, drough t a nd r isk from weapons ,
[The re a de r woul d ha ve not iced in ver se 3 and onwa rds that
th e count in g of asreris ms is done not fr om th e one in which M ars
emerges from eclipse, bu t from th e one in which he gets ecl ipsed .
Th is is mad e clea r by the use of the wo rd ;1l1i ~ ~ ' in verse 3 . Now
compare what sag e Garga says ;
Transit of M ars VI 71

""",OtSI!1"Ot .., ",f~"'if f.-.fu;t

f"km~q<i "'" q",' .fi:<ttf"""
II
"'J'!" q<i """"'<B'r ~ . ....: I
'SI'Tfl:!f;:IT ~~;:f ~f;cr ~J!R ~~'Jf ~: 11
also lfU'l'l;-
" q""",SI!1"Ot or "');'T"i: "",qf',j'l~~ <1,,"" ,,"II]
it l i QUi ti' r<ffi1 Q'rii( r~ i,~i~ ~: I
!ilf'llIQeqmrr'lCW'Jlt'r.nq ~~t'I ll ftll
Should A-lars begin h is retrogression in the star Uttarl1fi1ifha
aft er being released from eclipse in the sta r Purva or Uttara Phal-
g unJ, and get eclipsed again in th e ester ism R oh int , he would
afflict t he three worlds wit h untold sufferings.
[After d isposin g of the effects of the five Faces or Va ktra of
M a rs , th e author n ow d eals with the effects of some of th e aster-isms
conn ec ted wit h his retrogression a nd combustion or release.
c r. q<:I'Ilf1:-
qm;~~ ~m q;¢ mi~<m 1
'5fT:ilT'l~ !ilCfR f'R i~ ff"T q~a II]

"''''!T) foq", '"" F 'l;Oif'lf.....) ~ I

of"",!~foq",f~~~ ~.. 11. 11
Should Mars emer ge from his conjunction w ith the Sun in
the aster-ism Srevaua and become retrograde in the star Pusye, kin gs
wou ld be in jeopardy. Si milarly the peo ple, count ri es and thi ngs
denot ed by the st ar in which he re-em erg es would come to grie f.
[See chapters X IV a nd XV for the count r ies, peoples, etc .
denot ed by t he stars".
cr. 'nJ'm:-
.-p,ff: '""i1\ m.:~'" ... ",.n. I
",nr"f'l"" <nIT.) P:'I<"'!: '''.H~ II
If':Il ;;r~ f.;: fiq lfPT: W~ff : I
"'. " ")fi!<i ~qjrn)fi!'lT1f"'"' ~"'~ II]
m tR Q'r'{ ~;:rt tmTtfff (:t)f~: 1ti1:W", ffif: I
qyqa'T '!q1 r~({ ~"' lr"",4'l1 fl': ueu
Shou ld Mars sta r t h is ret rogression while p assing through
the cluster of stars comprising M agh a, the Piit;l,,"ya ru le r would meet
with his end , and there would be drough t a nd panic resu lting fro m
fighting.
72 Brhat Sathhit7J

f....et q n j r"""" r",....mr, ..-or. lfq..~ I

~ ;'it. ft'l q)i qf!: flfnr ~)f~1 'Q'lfiit uau
Should ~ L rs first cut the sta r M agh :t an d the n V isakhA, there
wou ld be fa mi ne in th e country. Shou ld he cut the sta r Rohinl,
there would be great mortality in the land.
<f'"'!l'il "~.. "q("i!\")""Ar.,r~ I
T1 l q~ r~ I«) ~ f;rf"~IN lf~~~ ut-u
If Mars should pass through the southern side of R ohi nt, he
wou ld cau se drought and slump in the market. Should he a ppea r
emitting smoke or flam es, he would destroy th e people living in the
regi on of the Pariymra mountain.
""".,;t ..m 'l'l r~ ~ on.. q I
f~ tAf~'jq€iI~"'( : ~"kl"lQ : lInll
The transit of Mars th rough the foll ow ing sta rs viz . R oh inr ,
Srav a na, )"1li.la . the three Uuaras a nd Jy e~~ha , would de stroy th e
formation of clouds.
[H ere the a utho r speaks of the h a rm ful effects of the mere
tra nsit of Mars th rough the above ester-isms, This is one of th e
m ethods of predicting d r ougb t .]
'iil'T't1Tln: smtl'l1: lbC"'t!l¥ttuf",(q~H'I¥i, I
~ Ir,.r","",,,,,,,,,,"!,, !f'!'" IInll
The trans it a nd r ising of Mars after conju nction with the Sun
in the ast er-isms Sraveua , Maghg, Punarvasu, B asta , Mala, Pnrve-
bhad ra , Asvi nl, ViSiikhl[ a nd R oh inr w ill prove au spicious.
[T hi s ver se gives a gen eral ru le to the effect that Mars do es
good to the world when he transits th rough or ri ses in the above
asteri sms. Th is mu st b e taken in conjunct ion with what the author
has stated in th e previous ver se.]
fq:m",q~'J:fd : f41Y"'I~illf\qiji :
~:ri'... (q9>'!'ffIlcn('lI~'5U:n1r. I
r....r~ .r• ..,.; q"" ilf..." "
~~~1'It e:1fOtl'ill SfilTifll;f II II n
If Ma rs being po ssessed of a la r ge and bright fonn , red
colour resembling the K ili:lsuka an d Asoka flowers , b rilliant a nd
charming rays and lust re like that of red-hot molt en copper, should
move along the Northern Path (or to th e nor th of the sta r he is in ),
h e would prove beneficia l to the kings and bring peace a nd joy to
the subjects.
 Transit if M ars VI 73

[cr.•~-
<t~TfufT~~q' or<m tJTlh!tn: ~ I
"11'<tTf~;9- ;"r ('lT;:~ ~ tJurll' tJT q ll'6<J~ II
~Tllmmf~\i ~ rl'etlJ'f ~ 1.!<n~ ~ I
"l) nrtJJ1if 'll'(JT ,,"tIT: sr:;rr~Vfi : 11
T

lfari'r lJE4'fl<'1 Gl <trrit g ~~ f1!iJ: II

In these verses Sage Carga spea ks of th e Nortlum, the M UJdl6
and the Sout/urn Path for M ar s. T he ni ne stars b eginning from
Bharan l come under th e Nortlurn Path, th e n ine from Parvephalgunr
come under th e ~\1iddle Path, and lastly th e nin e star s from Po rva:-
:;!iQha under the Southern Path. It is also an astrological pri nci p le
that a planet si tuat ed to the north of a n aster ism gives: good result s.
T h e me tre is 'qlfir-ft .]
 Chapter VlI-Mercury's Transit

"",~ql ('lq r~: ~f'f<rfq' ...~) <!'*gaQI:{ I

"",~......~"-f~~ 111 11
Never does M ercury reappea r after h is eclipse b y the Sun
unaccompanied b y any unusual (por te nto usjphenomen on . Gener all y
at such rimes he creates da nger to the peopl e through wa ter,
fire or wind, and causes extraord ina ry fluctua ti ons in the prices
of food grains.
[Mercury' s movements must b e stud ied by astrologer s and
economists for predict in g market tre nds in cert ain peri od s.
cr. the "'m"if~ifT-
_ ma <rfuwil ")",rar'l'lf",,, ""rf",f. I

q<Jw ;mr<i1 'i'j:lI "l lil.l tl R rti,f;;-&TtfNT II

also Cfillli-
•
""" ~ .... """ ""1Rr
... " ~ ,N """ lIfu""",,,, "
a lso~-
'11 "'tl4I (~frj
<rrRr fir-JT~;r ~ft,,;;r : I
......I<ff<t'lf;ri""lf"'''''f<f.., II]
f"""!"..".r"""""''''"'i,;m m,, I
~ f~'t\(d'1q : lti1:mt,\frsi m:~ ll ~ll
when M ercury pa sses through the stars Sraval)a, Dhani.ghli.
R ohir;lI, Mrgasiras and Uttara,aQha a nd thus cuts them across, he
creates drought, diseases a nd panic.
[cr. ,""",-
~l im<i ;:r «~46fJJ"'''llIW\ 1
Qf<a4lt.l"f 2R'T ~Rr ~T u~~ qlTtri:{ H
H ere we have to not e the wor ding ', \ ;q,' in the text a nd 'llf-a' ill
K alya pa ' e work. This should make us beli eve that the untowe rc
effects m entioned here would tak e pla ce only if me rc ury cuts a cres:
the particular a sterisms . and not orherwise.]
~ln1Tf'1' I4tn;;('jr~!r'lf"1ilt ~ir ~tfm I
_f"""'~"""'''lf~,,",: " ~,,
M ercury's T ransit VII 75

When M ercury paSqes through the five constella t ions beginning

with Ardra. people wi ll be afflicted as a result of clash of a rms,
hu nger, fr igh t , di seases. drough t and sor row.
[I Iere thf': au thor spea ks of th e effect of Mer cury's movement
through some of the sta rs. But Ka svepe refers to the cutting of the
sta rs
Cf. ~'1' -

nm-r f.r >m """ """"!f~"" I

fiRf.. m "ffi<_ 'Nt;" ",,>rit ""~ IIJ
~mr", ~~ ~iq9lqca:r-q.li"'lq~"': . 1
~dr~'!.fol ~ff ~Rl Sf ~d i ""' l ,! il¥ 1l
When Mercury moves th rough the six stars beginning w ith
H asta , cutting across them, prices of oi ls, and juices will shoot up,
t here wi ll be plenty of food in the cou nt ry, but the cattle will
suffer.
[T he wo r d Sneha means someth ing that lubrica tes. So it
incl ude s ghee. Rasa mea ns hon ey. jaggery and such other thing s.
cr. ~lN-
~Rr~lf.,. 'H"!;, q~" "'f!iJ'!fr1:tTF~"'~: I
...~, "1m, 'if"""'"""'" II
T here is a metrical fla w in the first quarter of this verse.]
,ntiJ'fIj ~~Ji nqqfljwti 1rim 'if I

~ 'J'Ir f""'''''l!l'F'i q~~~ IIXU

When M er cury cuts across the sta rs Ut ta raphalgu nt , Krttika ,
Uttarabhad rapada a nd Bharant , a ll li vin g be ings will be afflicted
with d iseases a r ising from the vi riat ion or di minu tion of the seven
const itue nt elem en ts of th e body via. mu scle, hone, blood , ski n,
semen, fat a nd marrow.
[According to Ayurvt'd a the seven element s are: ur, tflI"!:, 1:1"',
hf{ qffl!f, ~oH and ~"Ii . According 10 some there are t en el ements
including t"qr , ~ a nd ~:n't.
Cf. ~~ -
>ro;t,!,~,,"f;:~"; 'I """" I
~~f"'1 1~]Il1 m 1:tT..-i ~rftf<f : II}
arf~q l <:ll!l IJ:'l·U;1q '!.vr-!. ~ ~ ~: i
qlltff~if~t1 t1 "' ij ( .ftqQl ff'n: : il ~ 1 1
When Mercury tr ansits afflicti ng the sta rs A svinr, Sa ta bhlsa] ,
Mula and R evatt , merc ha n ts (merc ha nd ise ?), physicians, sa ilors,
76 n rhat Samhita

substa nces deri ved from water, such as pearls, conch shells etc. ,
a nd ho rses will come t o grief.
[Cf. ifi1Qll"-
""1
TTl
'''''!T 'l""f"<ff ""''''.~ I
qflJ)f1"flqlql~ Is:::J1<11 N~ fcr;mrlr~ II]

'!..t;:"r"""'......;r..) , 'I")sf"'l'>ftlml'
tj~i¥'!lIetftfi ( I q-q~ q-) ~ l.s::iITI~ : 111911
\ Vhen M ercur y cuts thr ough any one of the three Parva stars,
( Pnrvepba lgu nr, Piirva ~aQha and Pcrva bhadra), people will suffer
from hunger . armed conflict, robbers, d iseases a nd pa nic.
[Cf. the follo wing-
'.I.'f'" """,)",) if< .,.r.f. R'\
~~\,~~'fi'"{-.:r~ : 'nlf;;r srtf~"'t "<if~
I
nl
~,~!rf.r""~~'"""')'l!"i\'1T""'"",""''''': I
~I:('l' IftTmW;t iflft"' : ~1fffi{' 'Tali: 111:; 11
Seven courses of M erc ury named (i) Pr iikrta , ( ii) V imi~ra ,
(ii i) Sarilk,ip ta , ( iv) Tlk ,':l~ ' (v) YoglJnta , (v i) Chora and ( vii)
P ap a , ha ve been mention ed in the T antra ( Scie nti fic work) of Sage
Parasara, on th e basis of the aster isms.
[The «-a ment ion ed by our au thor must be · ql:llmift~n · . Some
tr ansla tors have taken the name of t he last course to b e lfNJW,
whi le actu all y it is q'lq'l a s shown b y cr;rrpt .]
srt''t'dijSi11 "'lq Ultll"Qqdl*'l~lr", ~T~ I
fqqf md' : Slf~~ mm~lff~~'3l 11 ~'.Ur;r 11 £11
m;f.....,"; '!"" ~§' " ' 'J"11'; ~'" I
d'j~trt ~p «m'5limfT"i ~~ I I tO il
<ilmf...tfa 'l'i i "'OTi
'!fa' '1"....) "
trm 'l<f~'(' ~. <nliUf;;{~ II nli .
ql~T <<If,,,~ ~ ~$ff~ ~ I
T he course is known as Prv. rllJ when M er cury pass es th rough
Bheranr, I( ruika , R ohint or Svan . I t is MiSra wh en the star is
Megaairae, Ard ra. ASl~J: or Ma gh l. I n the course called Smhkf ipta
M ercury transits through Punarvaau, and the two Phalgunts. The
ga it is call ed T V'!1}iJ when his tra nsit ta kes place through the two
Bhe dr apadss, J y e ~tha , Aiv in l and R evatt. I n r oglln/II M ercury
moves through M ula, Piirvilf!<:Jha a nd Uttarii~ac;iha. In Oharll he
m oves through Srava na , Citra:, Dhani,\hii. a nd Saeabhisa]. Lastly
M lfcury's T ransit VII 77

in th e course kn own as Pllpl! M er cur y courses t hroug h Hasta ,

Anuradh'i. and Vi sakh;l.

:ntI'~~f~: '" ~ ;yf~ ~ Il t':( tl

~l(Tf~ ~ frmT f~M rll.,lJt'" • I
;r.;r 1fT~T:i ~ 4 ",4 gMI: SfT~mTi'fT~ IIn ll
T he same a ut ho r ity (I.e. sage Para b ra) has given th e d ura-
t ion of vi sibility a nd combustion of M ercury in th e seven courses in
terms of da ys as 40, 30 , 22 , 18 , 9 ,15 , and 11 da ys respectiv ely.
[The idea is th a t if Mercury gets eclipsed or r ises in his first
cour se, he will r ema in invi sib le or visible for 40 da ys.
Cf. l{<I'J1i-
'if~rfuT~ ntt lTIfTi{~ ~: I
"llffiit<f; f" fl:p;wrr ~~f4~ lfd A~ flJ II
"'" [rf.~f" " r;i " "f'l'<!lit", "",,;,- I
~ i!T<HTT~ i'T"m!rPrt ~ iffi q"S"if :;:r II
'tT'lT'Tt q"R~'l' (f~ ffiqjm I
'l't~'lTf"'m'~ ~ ""I"
" r\lf>n:rr ~~ ; ~:fl'1f'l'~f~ O{lll~; I
\tR1 "'I<'1 ; ~ l!" ~T~ ll" Oll ~1 '<l l f(J:!T: II
There is d ifference of op inio n betw een Pa rasa ra and V rddha
Garga in that th e la tt er states that in the third ( Sarilk~ ip t a ) cou rse
the dura t ion of visib ility or ot he rw ise is 22i da ys a nd in the last
it is 101 da ys. O ur a uthor follows Perasara a nd sa ys a s follow,
in th e lJqyRfi f~ -
!ilWqfuf1:rso~~ ~f~l:!J1i)1 1 H'l "l1 { 'II 'IIlP4I : I
l'J'(fl'it 9 tlt!t4Hli 'l'l':1tF-:<t4': f¥ ~(f II
fIl[ l on:tmmt fCffiff 'f JUfiff T f"l1l' <lWIT;;r, I
fll"-fT lff ff : qlfi: I~~ {lf'lllf~am~; II

""f""", "f'! m., ~""~, "'¥"" ~""

'"- """""" "~I!'i '*or "
~et "litllT 1ftu ,,~~ .... ~~"t I
""""'" ~ mmrl ~ h · .. ~fuwit' "
'l'i1'M' agrees wi th '{U1f'{ a nd says :
ij6!l1 F< ~ I ;::TqJ f~~;;rf;r ~,. .... mITff; I
~~l1ffi 'if G'":;T '<f~ i:lrf., 'f II
if<{ 'if li'Tii~ tJr ~tW'<{ffl=ffl'H I
 78 B rhat Sathhilll

w('f 'Rr: ~ ~'"TRr f·d~Vf.tll: II

-.
Nex t the author gives th e effects of these cour ses.]
.
R1'~' I(qlq l ()-rQ q f",!i'qQ<J ;j( Q': ~ I
mlfttnf'q "'~ i$jiltl i(~l!! fCf~'hn! IltY1 1
,

Wh en Me rcury is in hi s Prakrta course, people will enjoy

"h ealth , h appiness, good rains and bumper crops. In the Sam-
k ~ ip t a a nd MiSra courses th e effects would be of a mixed nature,
in the re st they would be qu ite untoward.
[Cr. qli_
ii·~"nl("i¥q~,!
~lfu~;;;re:R!JT ~cn lTfc:r: I
~f~T '" fiffirm ~ ~1'Y+1'fA,~q II
{fPi~ tiTu 'if q-m ~ lJl!JT l.f) mf'i.dlifllq <l I
q,,,,,,,,, «""'" ~.lTii"",,,,-,,, II ]

~r(f!f'lR !;f'lfF f!JAim ~ ~ hWflh l1: I

q",,,gv:'Q"'~~ ~1fl;ri' (U "'Qf('ll: ll t W.ll
According to D eval a ' s view the ~jVI or Direct, Ativakril or,
.,Exceedingly Retragrade, VakTlI or Retrograde a nd Vikala or Deformed
moti on s of Merc ury wou ld come into bei ng wh en he stays visib le
for 30 ( 5 X6), 24 (4 X6) , 12 (2 X6) and 6 days (1 X6) respectively.
[Sage Devala who himself quotes ancient autho rities is quoted
h ere in respect of the four ki nds of mo tions of M ercury. These
four names woul d also apply to the conditions wh erein h e remains
invisible for the different du rations. The comm entator wa nts us
t o understand that th e effects of these motions a lso will last for so
many daya.]
~ f~ .",."f.-,. '!fof"",,,,,,". I
~ 'If l.f'lI;T f~ ¥IIHl'I"5':itOli'li Il ~ '4: 11
Mercury's D irect motion is beneficial to peop le, wh ile his
Exceedingly & trograde mo tion brings about economic ruin of the
country through fami ne. H is Retrograde "'m otion produces th reat of
wa r, while h is Deformed motion causes pani c and di seases.
ref. ... -
f,.rf. f",,~ f""••f, , «»r.r, I
""'" 'Ifu, '" f""or """" f~<mf"", II
~mrr~ <If, f."..., «»r.r, I
~ tTfd1i1rr ~lfll lrd /i11lfl!IT II
,,~,f. <mr ..... :!"f,",,"<il'l"'" I
<m 'Ifu: «' mm """"'''''~, "
M ercury's Tr ansit VII 79

"'! ~'lTf" .", ~'l""" "Pi""", I

~ " T ~r ~~* "
q<f1H'('l'lfit" «if m('l'ii «TJr"lfll' ~ I
m<rT"l{RT'q ~if.Tift qwt ~ ~J{ I I

Next the author gives the effects of M ercu ry's v isib ility and
disappeara nce in the different lunar months.]

tftffT,,"r.:rr<{J:!f~m@f~"'f""": lI'il Et, I

rit ".m""", 'l.....!'''..lf~ " l " "
If M ercury b ecomes visible in th e lunar month s of Pause,
A~a c:l h a, Sravaa a, Valsakba and Magha, there will be great d anger
to the wortd. But if he rema ins eclipsed (inv isib le) durin g th ese
months , he will prove au spiciou s.
[According to Vrddha Cargo. Mercury is seldom visible in th e
sky in the above-named five months. In the remai ning seven
mo nths generally he is visible. So the t ..... o groups are re spect ively
called Invisible and Visible. If this r ule sho uld be viola ted, the re
would be ou tbreak of cattle d isease, drought and famine. For ,
he says-
-.tm~~ ~-'I1q'l!JiqIPfRfiJ i
, mit;;o: """ .T"~ <ffit "
""rs<o~ ,~, <01, ~ " , ..... I

'f'li ""'''J!f~ ;Not 'fT1'r f"t<", "

See also 'f1:fIll: -
h nmllll!fn:Jfit QM tiI I'H!I41H'l'Y:JT i
~ if ~ ~ ~ 'fIll l'l l f<::~t 'l ll
",.it ~ Jfr<t liTq emf ~\'.IT "l it1f¥: I
<imlt """_"'~ .;nq'!l " ;N"'I "
Perasa ra gi.....ea mor tality as the evil effect for th e two mo nths
Pau se and VaiSa kh a, sto rm for M a gha , and famine for A~aQh a
and Snl vat;la .]

~""ir" 'If .r. ,,,It "2"'" folf"ti"', ,

'If'''''(Gei~n l <;n~4 11j4:4 l f ~ (RT f~a lltc:n
Should M ercu ry b e visible in the lunar mo nths of K ar ttika
a nd Asvina, there wou ld be danger from weapons (or wa r), rob -
bers, fire, d iseases, wat er and hunger.
[Out of twelve m onth s for seven months M ercury , b ei ng visib le
80 Brhat Samhitlt

is disastrous for the world. This may be the reason why Mercur y
is not cons idered bad when he is com bust, in ast rology.
The metre is errem.J

wr. ,,1'im.'liI ""r" ",~'liI 'T~",r.. "m~ ,

..., 'l<m:r!f.a ,<I'. . """ """i
mmr• ..." II!..'
If to wns a re besieged when M ercury get s eclipsed . they
would be freed fro m th e siege wh en M e rcury ris es ag ain . Accor-
d in g to other schola rs besieged ci ti es would be benefited only
w hen Me rcu ry rises in the west .
[Cf. • .;\-
_ro:f>f.a oTril 'I'lit ~m-, ,
~"' ",~r.a rn""f"!I" m.f<il~ "
According to this authority the besieging a rmy be comes victori ous
or ta kes possession o f the town wh en Mercury rise s in th e w est ,
whe reas when he ri ses again in the eas t the to wn wou ld he retaken
or freed from th e enemy' s hold. The met re is ,~.]

~r ..",., ll"""i:.,..... ..r_ "!'II '" ,

r,"",'ff<r<"~'" r~", """•• ll~"!'" II ". II
If M ercur y appears being po ssessed of golden hue or of the
colour of parrot or is sim ila r in hue to the Sasyaka gem and if his
d isc is glossy a nd pretty b ig, h e will prove benefici al to mankind.
In the absence of these features h e wi ll prove harmfu l.
[Cr. """'-
f<pr·""''''Tn",,,,,,,,%f.ft,,,.:r
.1fT: SfUflfa IJ
 ,!~fu"l (: """
J U PIT ER' S COU RSE

;m~'l:!I' ~it'tti1qlr"*'2ir;:r ir.I ~~ I

{ffif3'ft' lflRf~ ri lft~" II t II
Ascertain the sta r in wh ich J up iter rea ppears after conjunc-
tio n wi th the Sun. That year of J up iter will b ea r the na me of
that parti cular sta r and the succeed ing yea rs those of the luna r
I

mon ths following it in regular ord er.

[The jovian yea r commences with the ri5i ng of Jupit er a nd
is called aft er the as terism in which he reappea rs. For example,
if J upi ter re-emerges after an eclipse in the star krttika. then tha t
year would b e ca lled K ar ttika . T he succee d ing yea rs would be
~lirgasIr ;;a . Pausa etc. cr. -.;f~ :-
lf~fa- Oflff~ tiQ: it;; ~~ff I
~ ~ fd l:lfCH &131f./lqm<fi: II
also ititlfll q :-
lior..n: 'lit ....~sf1fUl: '!": I
~rn~ "fqffiffi"~ qffi"t f<f$: II
f~rf~ 'if 'jq ~f.eb6 I F"" q ( I ~: I
1~,,-a-,\! «"'."" «<I
ilT'f'""fim( "
«f" .r.",«rn '1 """,,,,,,,,)sfwu: I
CfFI'I1<ti"'ffi (1 lim) ~f'1~sq" ~a- II
als o '/PI : -
"""''''' «~'!T \(f«il 'l"""'-<~ I
('I'f ;j"'k t>I <1It:e1'{(:ff :p)~: srcrcf~ II
TTIT" «l"H]i £<=:ifor o~ ; :n f" ~i!'t : i
o~ «Tq';m~ lJrq;::n~) ~ i I
t:!;~:;f ;:for :;f~ 'if,," ~lCqf('f: i
<to",,, "","'lit "" """ffilsfq'f; II ]
o'Oif'!T ","""m..mr."P"'i"rmr.. I
"iImft:~!I ~qJ~ti 'if ~~ II ~ II
Jupi ter ' s years commence from Kartti ka and consist of two
a steri sm s each beginn in g wit h K ruikii a nd follow in regu lar
 82 B rhat Sathhita

order. H ow ever , the 51h, 10th a nd ll th yea rs com prise each

three asteris ms,
[Her e the word Antya is inter pret ed as th e 12th to th e
lIth i .e. 10th . If J upi ter ri st's in kr ttikli or R oh inl, his yea r w ill be
cal led Karttilea; if in Mrgafiras_o r Ar dra, M argah rf a; if in Punar-
va su or Pc sya , Pausa; if in AUesa or Megha , M agha; if in
Purv aphalguru, U t rara pba lgu m or B asta , Phalguna; if in Citra. or
svsu, Cailra; if in Vaiikhl or Anu radhii, Vaisakha; itin J Yf'~~hll
or Mula, jye f f ha; if in pu.rva ~ l<;iha o~ U ttara ~<;ih a , A { iJ1ha; if in
Sra va ne, Dhanl st h a , or Satahhi~aj . SriJva"a; if in P urva bM d ra ,
U ttarabbadra or R eva tt , BMdrapada; a nd if in Asvim or
Bba raor, A: ivina. This shows th a t on ly th e t hree mon ths Viz.
Bhadrapada, Ph1ilguna a nd Srava'1a , ha ve th ree sta rs each . I can not
u ndersta nd how th e A wina mont h wh ich is the 1 2t~ inorder cou ld
h ave three sta rs . O n th e other ha nd the 10th , V I Z . Sravana , h as
three sta rs. O ur a uthor m ust hav e follow ed som e an cient ' au tho r
or h e means 10th b y the word CRlI as given above.
Cf. qq :-
'lm'~"r ". ~. " ffif< ~r. :I
~ l:fMTft~ : ~: ~"l'I'll~!"""'l aa i R <J: II
lQl <t'm p':')f,; 'f 'JT[ R!r ~ ~R Wt'fu: I

"""!il "'" <rlsi<: l?n",,,,If\l,"wam~ II

'j'ffiI, """it .'to,..,," • I
~)""" ~fir mit "",>it.-«ro ~ <r: II
'ITWR " ••"" , "'of<: ¥<"I fir: I
,;0",,: <r)~"'l?n",.W!ril",,": II
""""" r,,,,",,, ~""lf\m: I
~?flfft",rr~r: ~!fiT~mf~T: II

a lso ""v:rq :-

'l'Tfi"rrf<"'" iM r"""~"",f<,,-,, I
r"" 'll1<'R i\li 'lm'¥ - olt.", u]
"...."'""'' "••rn'..m ...nq".,..".... I
,f~ (lR1qldij\~TtI;:rt ~iif; !fq II ~ II

In the K12rltika year of J upi ter ca r tmen. person s living by

fire, a nd cattle will suffer. There will a lso be outbreak of d iseases
and clash of arm s. R ed and yellow flowers will gro w in abundance.
Jupite~s Course V/lJ 83

[ Cf. 'Tif:-
m i'l"'iti: Sl"!U"l'l: ~..., I§f'll l ~: I
ln llll lf.rl 'f.'li"'t$t :q ~ft~f~: lI J

ll'Wl"'l",,>jfl!'; !",,,,..,,,OT>i.. ~" """ I

"lTfil... fmhi'q 'l"'''' ",.a "'"
nvu
In th e Mirg:a s ir ~a yea r of Jupiter ther e will be drought,
d estructi on of crops as a result of pests like wild animals, rat s,
locusts and bird s, out b r eak of epi demics and kings' h ostil ities
even w ith their fr iend s.
[Cf. 'I'i,-
""..,n m f..,u..1<>ilrn..)v.,.'.......
,,~,
"1!' I
,,,,,,!",,, II]
~~l'R'I': -tNt r." l't4u: q-nqi f~{fqy: I
f~f. ,....''''" oilf"""""'f..f_ 1l~ 1l
In the Pausa year of J upiter the world will b e ha ppy and
prosperous, kings will b e free from enmi ty among th emselves, th e
pr ices of food grains will go up two-fold or th ree-fold , and preser-
vanve work w ill flouri sh.
[Rhattotp ala interprets a~ etc . as fall in prices of corn.
er. 'fil :-
","","'i1fil,fi",~rnf"""", I
tt q ~ eH!l fI .q ;:;r: q"": ~'<mrftwr: IIJ

f~anqfqf~ ~"{R "'Wtl.,ll:{ I

!R'n:~Ell'T;lfIti~ f~lI'f""1 1I ~1I
I n t he M agbe year of Jupiter people wo uld worship the
manes ( a nd parents and elde rs)with greater de votion , an d a ll bei ngs
would enjoy h a ppiness and cont en tm en t as well as sound health.
There would b e good rains and good prices for corn ; and people
wo uld live with grea ter amity and cordia lity .
[Cf. . , , -

,",""Tn; ljfu" ""oj f"..... .. I

~, """.;r 'fTii mit .. ~""" "

A ccord ing to this sage th e yea r of Magha would be notab le for
treaties a mong ru ler s a lso.]
84 B rhat Samhitll

q)lfy"." fl("'lmftcMf~I1mnf"'1
ihdni SPRAt SiiiH1'$'IIl (1 .,q-mfRn: 11\)11
•
In the Ph algune year of J up iter h appiness, rainfall and
CTOpS would be sporadic and young women would be afBicted with
m isfortune. Kings would become cruel and aggressive and robbers.
would increase enormousl y.
[Cf. •",,-
~rnllflla,,,,,,,n:: ~T' : ~~ : I
~~ ljfit,; '" ...r""""""." II I
~ 'Rt lJfr. fl:lQ1POf ~"~;rq'f ~: I
•
!f~ .,''hltllltiqfQ~'' qm. .... 4(Eqllltllli( uen
In the Cait ra year of J upiter ra infall woul d be scanty, food
costly, but people would enjoy ha ppiness and kings would be -
come kind-hearted . Pulses would th ri ve, but the bea ut iful would
suffer .
[Cr. 'Ili':-
't '!lSlitlU~: f~ ~ 'if I
e"fqn;)T1f 'if Jt~r ,.fm~ ~~: I I
The word ~irt in the text may mean ' th ose who live
b y their ph ysical charm' such as actors and dancing girls.
The beginning of the second half of the ver se looks like a
Sloka line. T h e flaw in caesura is quite apparent here.]

';milt ,..;"" f~r: "'lr.....:""':

"'l"': I
...r'""""lr~,,: ....."""' ~ 11<11
In the Vai sakha yea r of J upiter b oth the ru lers and th e
ruled would be devoted to religious practic es, happy an d free fro m
fear (or troubles). Peopl e would be engaged in perfor ming sacrifices
and there would be abundant growth of all crops.
[Cf. ,," ,-
tn" ~"" >nf.ff ..r", ~"" .n;m: I
,,~ .. ",."'., II!'" ",,,,,f.. f~ ,,]
.... ",r"!""'''l1i\il., '\"': "'"'''': I
<i\w<\ ~"", r. .. ftm ~ """"r"'l"!o"
I n the J y elj~ha yea r of J up it er' leaders of classes (castel),
J upiter s Course VIII . 85

fam ili es, wealt hy men and t rade gu ilds, kings and those th at are
well-versed in th e laws gov erning r ight eous conduct (like judges
and wise elde rs) will be in trouble. AU grains except K angu and
those of the Sa m l class will suffer .
(rnd 'ifis another read ing for l1lfR lfu'\. Accordi ng to thi s read-
ing , ' all grains w it h t heir seeds' should be affected .
Cf. 1\1i:-

!"W""'
<1 d"'I:e"''''''lffmfllf;::rr~: I
. .
!fi~,) fi:a :st '1 i1l ~) *olftfRftii;l, II]

vmt 'lTll'l\ "'l!Tf~ ...f...'lf~ ,

ll~ ~ &lQl'Q"'f ~f.: ~ ~m : li t t il
I n th e A ~aQha year there wi ll be gro wth or cro P!! in some
pl aces a nd d rou ght elsewhere. The welfare of the people will be
moderate, and kings will be come very active and busy .
[trN is the acquis it ion of th ings one does n ot possess, wh ile
9'" is th e protection of wh at has b een acquired.
cr. 1fli:-
~f~""'..""",,'m)""~ I
'fIT'l'j"""") ~: II]

s.n<fl!fil'ti" ll1'li ~ «m fOl qr~r.{f I

tJin it -U1Wti'T: q~ it 'Of ~ : 11 r~ ll
I n the SravaQa year of Jupiter peop le will be happy and
crop s abu ndant. He ret ics an d th e mea-nminded wi ll be troubled
a long with th eir followers.
[ Cf . • • :-
:>;JTorttr: ij'~P:P:if : efl{litm~ : f~ I
tlA' ij'l{.qdi lfIfa ~~qfi;l qm<r: 11
~-I~l ;:q-mfvs.;"; rnfd4:ffii :f":t')q ffi1f ~ II ]

mJ:~ em:tliri f~~ tnfa ,!:~m 'If I

PI' l:f'1t~l:I'~ ~fli IRf1fi§f-m If..r"",~ Wl! II n il
I n the BhMrapada year of J up iter the produ ce of creepers
like gr een gr am s and the first cro p of the year will be quite sat is-
factory . T h ere will be no secon d crop in the year. Food grains
will be in plent y on ly in some pl aces, and there will be panic or
d anger in othe r par ts.
86 B rhat Samhita

sr1to'lrrn flf~;:r;:ft "fT~ t .... tr('( I

'R:Tfu " <t<rf"fflfflf 'Rf.RIll"lf<fiTw : II]
""'-¥""S,,,,,-'«If<! ;r.i ~r..-r: ""': ol"'ll
~: snt!f"lim ri~ l~ utvu
In th e jovia n yea r ca lled AsvaY llja there will be consta nt
rainfall, a nd the people will enjoy h ealth a nd happine ss. A ll living
beings will grow strong and there w ill be abundant food for all.
[Cr. ' ;:1£"':-
~ flW'''1J1<1el q ~ ;:mAi''' : h TCf: I
U~ffi'f: ~~~ "' l tj~" I q; ~ : It
H a ving d isposed of the effects of the 12 years of Jupiter, the
a uthor no w turns to these of jupiter's position, moti on , colour
e tc.]
"~IUnn§"It>l_) ~qf-.~ "''''~ I
",<it "r...."') ,,'iT.!
§ "",'".m,,)
ttlXII
Sh ould J up iter mov e during h is trans it to the north oC the
aster ism he is in, h e would bestow health, happ iness and pl enty.
wh ile to th e sou th of the star, h e would cause contra ry r esults.
I f he moves in th e m iddle, the effects w ill be of a mixed nature.
fir;n:;'tl'J1ffQtl':fi'@ I ;i ~ ~~: I
""'''I r"".~) r••••r.... "r. ",.rr.....
II!~ II
If jupiter moves th ro ugh two asterisms in the course of a
yea r , h e will prove au spicious,; if he covers 2i sta rs the effect
will be mi xed ; a nd if he moves by cha nc e faster a nd covers more
tha n that , a ll the crop s will be de stroyed .
Cl'h l li Qti " (Oj l!flJ1 ~fQ' :
!ftH ~fT1J : ~ I
~U\ .. ~_: <Ii.. m ~ ~ 11 1011

~""""'~f.r"""!,, '\....) r ~ I

r.-¥..... !J1!Tt ,,'" "" ""': ~,: 11 1 01'

If j up iter a ppears w ith the colour of fire, the re w ill be
d an ger from fire; if with yellow colour, disease s will crop up;
if w ith da rk colour, war will break ou t; if with green colou r, there
w ill be danger fro m thieves; if w it h red colour , danger from
wea pons ; and if w ith the colo ur of smoke, the res ult will be
d rough t. Should j up iter be sigh ted during the da y, a king will be
k illed . If j up it er' s orb be lar ge, clear, posi ted in an a usp icious
Jup itu's Course VIII 87

aster -ism a nd sig h ted at n ight. all the people would be quite
happy.
or
[In the la st line '!q'f: i s a not he r read ing for 'If..-r: I Many
the colours a re said to be bad for J upiter. In as trology jupiter's
co lour is give n as golden . So all ot he r colours except golden mu st
b e inausp iciou s for h im .
cr. ornm:-
;rof..,,~ ...." r.Ol ~~ : I
~ !fT fWra' cnr ~ ~) lIT f4'n~ R1 II
I n the next verse th e Body of the Yedr is expla ined along with its
limb s. Effects of pl a neta ry conj unct ion or aspect a re a lso given
he re.]

-<If~"" .. "",~>rif..... ",m

..,.; (f~"; .. ~ ~, ll"
~, """'I I
~ ",.,f:mmw..._ "l'lri ". ~
~ '.I"'_1N ~ """" "',,) ~~ " It u
The stars Krttika a nd Rohinr constitute the Body ~ theyear
( perso nified ); the two A ~aghas are the navel; Asl~l . the heart; and
Magh a the flower. I f the se lunar ma nsions are devoid ofmalefics,
the effect will be beneficial. I f th e Body is affiicted b y malefics
throu gh conj unction or as pect, there w ill be danger from fire and
wind. If the naDII is afflicted, the re w ill be threa t of famine. If
the fl owtT is afflicted , destruction of roots and fruits will ensue.
Lastly if the heart is afflicted, undoubtedl y there wi1l be destructi on
of crop s.
[Th.is ver se gives clues to find ou t if the particular year of
Jup iter wo uld be well or ill. Just as T im e is personifi ed as ~~ ,
even so her e the year is perso ni fied as ~.~(11!1't . I feel that here
the person is to b e ta ken as female in view of the flower.
cr. flVtflJ :- '

'Or""" ~." ..' il '"""'~: ..,., I

mtIlllfm ;;r.fr ~ri ~'rj If<l'T II
,,~ ~ ~f~&lT;r~: I
'l~ ~ ....'1!Mi j;O\ ~, II
i{<it "",~rf,,: """""': ~f;<: ....1 fim I
The m etre is f1T('1"",,m .
88 B shat Sarilhita

Nex t h e tells us the method of calculat ing th e yea rs of the

lustru m or Yuga of five years .]

mnf;:r <lItff~ $14Htf'I<it I4mf", ritfi!titeq§f+l: 1

;ren'lNSln!W"f" ~ flf1lnlQ""""'UI((lW q: II ~o II

'fl'siA ~ $1"'\1'I'tlIi'=i mt:zf li2QT r~~ I

!'"f;:r "ll(IQ(!l'i.lt>Tf~ ~f;r Wn: ~ ~:~ : I ~t

Multipl y th e number of years th at hav e elap sed since the

beginning of the Salivah an a era by 44. Add 8589 to t he product
and d ivide the result by 3750. T o the quotient thus obtained ad d
the Saka years . D iv ide this by 60 and its remainder by 5 . The
quotient represen ts th e five-year pe riods ru led by Vi'J)u and
others, and th e remainder denotes th e n umber of years that have
elapsed in the particular lustrum .
[Let u s work out this ru le in order to find out the lustr um ru ling
at pr esen t: The current Saka year (elapsed) 1893 when mult ipli ed
by 44 yield s 83292. Add 8589 to thi s pr odu ct. The re sult
is 91881. By d ivid ing this by 3750 we get a quotient, 24. Add
this ag a in to th e past Saka years i.e. 1893. The sum is 1917.
By d ivid ing th is sum b y 60, we ~:31 57/60. T he rem ainder
57 giv es th e paSt yea r from Prab hava , which is Angirasa, a nd th e
current year Rakta ksa (See also note unde r verse 22 for the di screpa-
ncy). So the current yuga or lustrum is t he last on e ru led b y
Bhaga (see verse 23 infra). There are 12 yugas or five-year per iods
wh ose names are given in verse 23 infra. T he next ver se gives the
names of the five years of a yuga . T he m etre of th ese and others
u pto the 37th , except 36, is ~<r.rJfa . ]

~li~ ~;mrr 1ti'«i'UI~ ~,

~l ~~ditl l ~!nr"f STmm>~_~ 1l~~ 11

Place the years of Jupiter ob ta ined according to th e previ-

ous verse in two places separately. M u ltip ly the first by 9 an d
d ivid e the other by 12. Add the prod uct of th e first and the quotient
of th e second. D iv ide th e resul t b y 4. The quotient would rev ea l
th e particular star counted from Dhani sthu. T he remainder wou ld
indicate the particular Pacta or qua rter of th e next star that is
occupied by J upi ter .
[T o work ou t the formu lae given in verses 20-22 first of all
we have to find out th e num ber of jovian years th at have elapsed
JupiWt COUrS4 VllI 89

from th e beginning of Kali yu ga t ill the beginning of the Saliva~

hana era . This is done as follows:-
In a M ah ayu ga ( i.e. collectio n of the four yu ga s) the number
o f Sola r years is 432‫סס‬OO =3 750 X 1152. T hat of Jupiter for the
same period is 4370688=3794 X 1152. Hence for every 3750 solar
years we h ave 3794 jovial years. Therefore 1 solar year=3794 =
3750
Irlh· years of Jupiter . Now we have to find out th e number of
Jupiter's years past in K ali yuga at th e beginning of the Saliv'li-
hana era . For th is proceed thu s :
The nwnbe r of sola r years past from the beginning of Kali
Yuga up to the b eg inn ing of th e Saka era is 3179. This sho uld be
convert ed into J up iter 's years: 3794 x 3 179 or 3216 1126
3750 3750 '
Now it is known that ka liy uga started in the yea r Vij aya
(wh ich is th e 27th from Prabhava). T he refore , 3216-l{H + 26 (26 is
the numb er of years elapsed from Prabhava at the be ginning of
Kaliyu ga)-=3242H H. This being divided by 60 gi ves a remainde r
2ii '; ~ which means it is th e Srd yea r Viz. Sukla , of th e cycle of 60
years of J up it er.
Now com ing to th e current yea r of the Saka era , vi z. 1894,
the number of jovia n years elapsed is 1893 +.i-}ri- lll +2H H yean
from the beginning of Prabhava. It is 1 893 + 2 2';""·T~o + 2}H ~ or
19I7H H wh ich bei ng divided b y 6() gives 3 IH i. e. 31 cycles of
60 yea rs have passed and in the 32nd cycle 57 years have ela psed.
According to thi s th e current cyclic year should be R ak t aksa,
the 58th year, H owever, our Pall.c~ii.gas . especially the
South-Indian ones, name it Virodhikrt, the 45th year, How did
th is d iscrepancy a rise? " Orig inally the re was no difference
betw een th e No rt he r n and Sout he rn systems of the 6O-year j ovian
cycle. But later on in South India the d ist inction bet-
ween the jovian a nd solar years was ignored and cons equently
a sout hern jovian year is th e same as a solar year and t here
is no suppression of a Sarhvatsara in a period of 85 or 86 years as
is th e case with th e Northern or true system. 11 has no connect ion
with th e mo vement of J upit er , and Pramathin is regarded as the
first year of Kaliyu ga as against Vijaya in the Northern system. "1
At present , we are to ld by th e same a uthor on the basis of S. B.
Dikshit' s find ings, th e northern year is 12 years in adva nce of the
(I) Vide " Indi a AI S~n In The BrhaISllrhhitK"-Ajaya MltrJ. Sha stri.
p.48S.
90 Brhat SamhitO

sou thern one. So by deducting 12 yea rs from 57 got by us, we

arr ive at 45. w h ich should be ta ken as the current , a nd not past
S amvatsara in the sout he rn system. Now d ivid e this 67 b y 5 in
order to get the yu gas and yea rs. W e get then II yu gas a nd 2
year s, whi ch means that it is the Parioatsara yea r in the last yuga
known as Bhaga (Sun). T he cur rent yea r would be Idavatsara
ru led by the Moon .
U sing the me thod given in verse 22 for finding the star QC(;U~
pied by Jupiter at the beginni ng of Sa ke year 1893, m u lti p ly the
resul t got above viz. 51 . by 9 in one p la ce, and divid e t he same
(57) by 12. Add up th ese results. Then d ivide th e sum b y 4 . The
quotien t gives the n umber of th e sta r occupied by Jupiter , counted
from Dhan i' 1h a. ( For. it ha s been decla red th at at th e commence-
ment of th e cyclic year Prabhava J up iter was in t he star Dhani ~ tha) .
Thus 57X 9=513, 57-;- 12"",1.'75, By addi ng 513 +4 '75=617"75.
Divide this by 4 = :H7.75..;-.4=129.4 , This means tha t J upiter was
in the 130th star from Dhanietha . So d ivide 129.4 b y 27. T he
balance is 21 a nd odd . So J up iter must have been in the 2200
star from Dh a n i ~ th3. 1. c. An uradhi, on 27th March 1971. This
is a fact . C f. a lso '[lifl!'l :(Jiij" 1. 55 & X IV 17.]

f'l<l:!: ~) "'"~ , sil .. q.. rq"", I

. .
'Sfjq"{ultm: f't('lf~ Rtl'~t;rt:fronf~ ll't11 : S1f~: II~ ~ II
The lords of the 12 yugas ( five-yea r periods) in t he cycl e of
Jupiter are th e following i n order : ( 1) V ijnu, (2) J up iter. (3)
I ndra , (4) Fire, (5) Tva ~~ a (one of the Peej apetis or creators ).
(6) Ahi rhudh nya , (7) th e M anu . (R) Visv edevas (th e All-Go ds),
(9 ) Soma (the Moon), (10) Indrsgnr, ( Il ) the ASvins, a nd (12)
Bhaga ( the Su n ).
[C f. ij'IH6fifi{tn-
"''''I'J"'T'''O"'!~'''I!lf~~""r....m:<rf" I
W<rll~TTil11l"f.t rcfr~f't 'tIl11l« i 'if II]

~<mR:Tsf1'if: qf~bt ~f~ ~ih1¥t9:!n"'(;I1 I

~Tqfcrr.f IC42<wH : rof"'(ffi"t: ~~'tfemf II ~'t II
T h e names of the five years in a lustrum along wi th their
presid ing d eities are ( I ) Sasavatsara w ith it s lord Fir e, (2) Pariva-
tsara with the Su n , (3 ) Idxvatsara wi th the Moon , (4) Anuva tsar a
with Praj ftpati (creator), and (5) Id vatsara with R udra .
Jupiter's Couru Vlll 91

o;f~, .......
""'" ~ frr~ .0\\'''''0'
, .'If...., '!"~ ,
qll",m:::JH'I 3 ...... ';,:,' ~ PtE"'IIq lfl q"'....13ti{ 'lffi1'( II ~~ II
I n t he first yea r viz. Samvatsare , rainfall will b e evenly dis-
t r ibut ed ; in th e second year [ Pat-ivatsara ] th e rainfall will be good
in th e beginning only and nor aft er ; in the thi rd year ( Idsvatsara)
th ere will be ple nt y of rain th roughout the season; in the fourth
year (Anuvatsara ) rainfall will be late i.e. at the end of th e season ;
and in the la st year ( Idvatsara ) it will b e scanty.
[The fou r months of Srava na , Bhadrapad a , Asvayuja and
K Artt ika constitute t he rainy season . Even d istribution of ra ins
means equal d istribution in all th e four mon ths of th e monsoon .]
......r< 'j'!O"'! ~'IT....m fof........" """,,,,,"'! I
'fi'~tf~ 1'fl;lJtf~ ~ Qttt1nf.. ~f~ ,,"8fT~f..

Among the 12 yugas th e first four viz. VHl}u , jupiter ,

f"""'l " " "
Jndra and Fire, are th e for emost and the best ; the four middle
ones viz . Tvasta, Ahirbudhnya , the M an es and Vihedevas, are
moderate, and the last four viz. th e Moon Jndrsgnr , Asvins and
the Sun, are to be u nderstood as th e wor st.
[Cf. th e 8'fmif( <<f-
",ron: 1ji["f"fR) ~Tfif ll~f" lfUflf1t'~f.:r I
~~~" ~iTl{;ij [f,::t i!fqmTq-f .Pf 111
wni 1tfilftiOl:lI4Crmrq'",) 1'ff'l ~T q~ , m: t
liil\l,C\_: 'SIl(l{:« OftMJT srm ¥f~ Ti<t: ll~"' ll
When J up iter ent ers the first quarter of the aster-ism Dhani-
.Hhii and at t he same time ri ses after gett ing eclipse-d by the
Su n , in th e month of Magha, Pr ab hava , th e first yea r of hi s cycle
of 60 years comes intobeing and it will b e beneficial to all bei ngs.
[Th e comment ator states that th e month of M agb a is of th e
lunar calendar and not of th e solar one . For, th e lunar M agh e
b egins when th e Sun en ters Aqu arius and then it is the Solar Phal-
guna. The condit ion ment ioned in th is verse would b e satisfied if
J up iter be in 9-23°_2P and th e Su n in l o-6°. 2P , be cause J up iter
rises on ly when there is an int erval of 13" be tween h is longitude
and th e Sun's. In actu al experience, however , these three con di-
tio ns viz. M agh a , Dhanisth a and J up iter's rising, may b e hard to
realis e.]
ffi~'!": 'lA..,.f~: a~m'Q' : ,(i\6I1t'i'fmr ~frn: I
fi.ffilsff'r.'Sl~ 'SItfi " ~?!f¥Clt:{)f;,:,' ;r;m:f'flfq 1l~ t; 1I
92 B th at Samlzita

D uring this year viz. Prabhava , there will be d rought . out-

b rea k of fires, storms, the six -fold t roubles known as l tib lldh 'lls a nd
p hle gmatic ai lm en ts in some parts. H owever, the people in general
will not suffer .
"""'! frn"" f~",,: llf...: ll"""l""': "'"' ..mr: I
~Tqf~~('( 'q'ffffiUfl!f ~~~nf1'f lIl'Jift!f 'f.~'~ ~ ~ ll ~tll
f~"'l$llm eju~f~~ntf ll'lifl{1jlfiT~q'm~.1:1l;( 1
li...."'" ..r,,~t ",,0 .... mf. . " W'''''''~ Il ~ o ll
T hereafter th e second year named Vibhava sets in. th en Sukla
the third yea r, th en Pramoda the fou rth year and th en Prajap eti
the fifth year . These yea rs will yield mo re a nd more beneficia l
effects in th ei r order . I n th is first yu ga of Jup iter th e r ulers
( K sat r tvas) will govern the cou ntry so well that th e land wou ld be
smiling with abundant pa ddy. sugarcane, ba rl ey and ot her grains,
b eing r id of all fears, hostilities and t he curs es of the K ali age,
wi th the subjects qu ite happy and contented .
•,,,,' sf,,,,:"'~"'''"~ ~.,mmfi'f
'l",iIf. 'l" fll1iFl '
1Iqf[:I!T qs:"ilf tNI~ mlRl'lf ,,;, q't f I l ~~ l l

f""""",,'l f...,....
'R ~~ ~sfq ~
H.'
, '{f! : fq;;rc(~
f"""l:""'" "..: I
1;TITT: ~lq~ ll ~ ,ll
In th e second yuga of J upit er t he five years are n amed in
order: Angiras , Srunukha , Bhave , Yuvan and Dh.li.Ui. Among these
th e first t hree will prove auspicious. while th e last two will be
mod erate. I n th e first three yea rs there will be p lenty of rainfall
and th e p eopl e wi ll be free from d isea ses and fear . I n the last two
years ra ins will be m oderat e, but d iseases wi ll crop up and wa rs
will also break out .

"TI' 'l" '!.O<Mo" " .. fll"Pi ~r"""l' ,

!t11Tf~ fCi "':ot q~i/.(H'lilq
. 'ii{
.
f~~ ~'Q') lfl~ lIH I!

" TOi f"",. "It'' ~ ~"'If.....

qyq: ....., ~.r~"", ~
~i""' ~: """"~
, .. ,~
~..

I
1I ~ ~ 1I
In t he th ird yug a pr esided over by Indra th e years are
n amed in order: [inam , Bahudlalny a, Pramathin, Vikrama and Vn a as
a result of J up iter's t ransit. T he first two years wi ll be very auspi-
ciou s and will confer on th e people the b lessings of the G olden
Age. The year Prarnath in will be very harmful. while the la st two
will produce pl enty of food but will cause diseases an d fear.
Jupiter' j CQu rJe VllJ 93

llil!iiS ~ ~ '{<i qf""""'tli{ ~<t'I 'f1i~ I

. i 9 ~~I'2...s:i m-ri ~;::r ~ 1I ~~11
1ftl:i f('.. h
st-..; ff" -.;f..,r« ..,..r~ •• , '<TM'~ I
~ ~iQ ri\";r;{ Q;Qt4Siq@l!F"qi!fft'{ 1l~~1i
The fir st year named Citrahhdnu of the fuurth lu strum is con-
sid er ed to be th e best , while th e second yea r named SuhhilRU is of
moderate effect , a s it produces diseases that are not fa tal. T he
th ird ca lled Til rm}a gives ab unda nt rains, and the fourth name d
Pilrthiva makes p eop le happy with a bundant crops . The la st one
called Vyaya is said to be ausp ici ous , but it w ill be marked by the
activities (If cup id (I.e. ther e will b e many romances) a s well as
by various fest ivit ies .
[The commentator takes the reading ...!i 't tor a ~~ and says that
;rff is the nam e of the third year. Th is is ag a ins t the trad itional list
of' n am es. He a lso omits Parthiva, the fou rth yea r , resort ing to the
r ea d ing "rmftNtf~. wh ich is not "'ery ha ppy. H en ce I have
rejected it here .
The m etre of the la st ver se is ~>t);m . ]
~,="' sit ...~ f~m;r ':3\'!i: ~,)Vtl: ,,~~ i~u i
ft'pnfpNt f~: "'"~ ~) flfffitft~ ~Q' ~T: I ~~ 1
T he first yea r of the fifth lustrum presided over by TvaJ1~j, is
Sarvajit. T he others are Saroadhnrin , Virodhin, Vikrta a nd khara.
Of these o n ly the seco nd year viz . Saruadharin, is b en efici al , and
the r est lead to dange r.
~~ f~) ~'ffqT ~"'l'w:r qlJnil ~'!!C: I
~~!If affiRm 1frit1.t: a~)Nll'b":: u ~t:;l1
I n the six th lustrum pr esid ed ove r by Ahirbudhny a the yea rs
are named Nand ana , Vijay a. jaya. M anmatha and Durmukha. O f these
the first three yea rs are beneficial, wh ile M anmatha , the 4th year .
is middli ng, but the la st o ne is u tt erl y ba neful .
[Th e m etre is 't:lf14ifT j so is the next onc.]
~~..'" tfff "'.~ ~ "" r...r", .UI) f... r. " I
~"Ufft' ~ ta~ : ~('I) <mr~) ~<rir.f q"S'if'q": i l} t. I
f[('I'5fTltf Sl',!~q<{iff 'lr~~ 9: ,!i
oR "'" ~ .~r..;i "",,,,,) filff" I
~1'f: !i"J(...f~: 'flH!(lfP:r~~Tf1
!f""mlt ~'Iif If" i!'rl:l': n)lV'{) ~-':i!'r"t1:f: It ¥o II
 94 B rkot SarilhitlJ

T he yea rs com posing the 7th yuga of J upite r presided over

b y the Mants a re Hemalamba , Vilambi, Vikari, Saruarl a nd Pla ya .
I n the first year there will be sto rmy rains accompa nied by the
six -fold cala mities. I n the second yea r both the rains and crops
w ill be sca nty. In the third there will be great ha voc ca used by
floods. In the fourth year there w ill be famine a nd in the last
ye a r know n as Plava t here will be good rains a nd pros perity.
[The me tre is ~, .]
.,. 'jit ~.,.'''''' """"bn, 'i!~ll1l'" I
~N't i!;:fttl: ~a' : ~ f~.~ fA' IITT';A!i'Of II 'tt II
,!~l 51"tf('(~' smTl'flittri ~m-) tld it.l .1SI<: 1
iu

~, ,«m f~ lfUrisfr.f: ~if"'l "qrr('l'r..""ihtti ~ 11 'll'~ II

The years of th e 8 th lustrum owned by Vis ve-d eva s a re
S obhakrt or Sokah rt , Subhaket , Krodhin , Vifvavasu a nd Pam bhaoc,
The first two years will be high ly b enefici a l to the peop le , while
the thi rd very troublesome, The las t two w ill be mo d erate,
but the last one, Parabhaua, will b e a fflict ed with fire, weapons,
d iseases, sor row , and da nger to Bra hmin s a nd ca tt le.
[For 'lT1rF\ there is a variant reading viz. w) ~ . A ccording
to tradition the year Subbakrt precedes Sobhakrt. The metre is
~m. u pto the 45th ver se.]
VTU: q;:r~ ~ ~: f41 ~"lt"1"'l snl: ~ fllRJ: I
«T\lT~~ ~~~q"fQ: ~l ~~~~~~ II ¥~ II
~: l;f{~ orp: 5f'iIl;::rt m~Tti!r~ ,1H",till1Q~'" I
4": ~) \Nlff~irl",...."': ;;n:j <r"f ... fl~fl1=Q 1t II Y¥ 11
I n th e 9th lustr um be long in g to the M ooo the five years a re
in order Planahga, Ktlaka , Saumya , SadhilraFJo and Rodko/crt . The two
years, Kllaka and Soumya , a re a uspiciou s and beneficial, wh ile
Plouanga is tro ublesome to the people in many way s. I n the yea r
SlJdhlJraFJa. the re will be scanty ra ins and the sixfold trouble s will
b e on the increase, I n the fifth year of Rodna" r! rain fall will be
sporadic but th e crops will flouris h.
[The trad it ional name for Rodhak rt is Virodhikrt.]
t"J:Tfr.ri:!i ~ Ti ~a~li qf~f<niw~ I
!if'ntN1~ : tR ~lTmi ",;:pmf~ ... II 't~ II
qf'Ntf<ri'if t:lW4wmit ,!~.,::ii<"1t:j o:'qqfT.'l'itq': I
~~ 1'R: ~f~ m ('ffi1fijtIqoil'''I., I1U: II 'tfc 11
('l'N(': ~<"1~) 'nlfm: ~"'l1 s.,<"1Rlq l I
1J~ ~)~ ~T~fl) f4f~)q1t1:"JI'~:tSOffl' : 11 'tl,) II
JUPiter's Course VIII 95
I n the ten th lu str um b elong ing to Ind r a gnr the years are
n amed Paridh1J.vin , Pramadin, Ana nda, RJJk j asa a nd A nala. I n the
year Paridhavin t he ce nt ra l count ry will be destroyed , a ki ng will
m ee t with h is end , rai n wi ll be sca nty and d isa strous fires wi ll
brea k out. In Pramildin the people will gene rall y b e ind olent , wa r
will br eak out and t rees which bear re d flowers a nd w hose seeds
a r e red will peri sh . T he next year i.e. Ananda , w ill ma ke ev ery
body ha ppy and p rosp er ous. Rak rasa a s well as An ala is d est ructive.
H owever , th e former w ill he lp the growth of su mm e r crops, a nd
the la tter w ill lead to the outb reak of fir es and epi demics.
(I n the sec ond line Bha jtotpala r eads SI1tIR;t f~ tfls~ . ]0
th e fifth line a lso flf\lfil:r: for ' ('I ~ '( : ' . As Vikrama ha s a lread y been
u sed for th e 4 th yea r of the 3r d lustr um , I th ink th e auth o r
co uld not ha ve used it aga in. The m etr e of 46 is 1ll'1q~m.. . and
that of 4; ,,"~~r . ]

~"r", f"W'''"'''J''"f~1rT:"'l !!'if. ... I

~a § tf~ffl' ~""'1.:T ~!fr~) ~..~~'t¥~ 'FT«: II ¥ t; t1

....,"'l'" "oil"". fqr.m,; ..-T 'F!".... I

Uiri,f".1r, ~.1il qi !!'ifll'i",..,r"",,,, II ~ t II
I n t he 11th yug a of J u pit er ow ned by Asvins the five years
a r e ca lled in o r de r Pingala , Kalayukta , Siddkartha, Raudra and
D urmati. I n the firs t yea r viz. Pingala, there will b e exces sive rai ns
causing havoc to the people. inc rease of robbers a nd severe a sth -
m a tic com p la ints th at shake the ja ws. T he second yea r w ill be a
source of t roub les. T h e th ird will be h ighly a dva ntageous a nd
au sp icious. The yea r Ra udra will be dreadful causing m uch
suffer ing a nd d estr uction . I n t he year Durm ati the rainfa ll w ill
b e modera te ,
[These verses a nd th e follo wi ng two a re in the aq~rri'l' metre.]

,,~~ 'J't ~""""",<i ,,_ !f<r ~1 ...if" ,

'31;1TTfTIr5''w a~ &llnlf mcn:Tl!It flfQ1fT "'f ,r'!": n V.O 11
~ rlfflfii lfif'q({ i!.al'li lff~ <if~ fRT~ I
..i " 'T'iq'" "9'i "",f'!T 'Fi!," fq,i>i, II XI "
In th e la st lustrum owned by B haga (S un) the yea rs a re named
D unJubhi, Udgarin (or Rudhirodgarin), R akt a k~ a , Krodha a nd
(Ksay a}. T he first year is h elp fu l to the growth of abundant
c rops, the seco nd year b rings a bout the ruin of kings a nd ha s
uneven and ir r egu la r ra ins (or fier ce a t times). I n the thir d yea r
96 Brha l Sam/ti,.

there will be troubl e from tu sked animals like boa rs, a nd d iseases.
The fourth yea r will e ngender excessive w ra th (ha t red) and will
denude kin gdoms t hrough host ilit ie s.
(In the secord line instead of a~iTrft some read Q1fR. H owever .
the po pu la r name of the year is Rudhirodgadn, one which vomits
blood.]
~lffqfCl' !.l'ffQIt'fQ fQ I~ ~lf>Ttltf
iiI;:''l~fff
;rq. ilfi5m!l'i ~qr'l«'f! f~ I

..."""'" f~",; "" 'll"i "'"

lIif~~~ ~ ~ "'"«a': 1I \(~1l

The la st or the fifth year, known as ksaya , of the last lustrum

will create a U kinds of loss and destruction, and pan ic among Brah-
m ins. But the agriculturists will flouri sh. The Va isyas and Sudr as
also w ill prosper ; so will robbers and daco its. T hu s ha ve I suc-
cinctly described a ll things pert aining to th e cycle of 60 years of
J up it er.
[The author ha s d eta ched the last yl":ar from verse 51 in order
to effect a fine fina le to the topic of cyclic yea rs. H e h as com-
p ressed in three verses in his ~~IHlm~ the material he has d evelop ed
here in 26 ver ses:
~ ~""'''lJ'i f"'. ....lf" .~ ~ ~. I
~ 'l't ~,,"" .-g'"f. qf.'"" "
... ~""""'J'f '["'"T'"f. ",mmr'(T I
,,1>it f~"r..<i 'l"T"l! ~"""" ~ I
srf?l"\'f Y"i~lT'i) ¥rlJCfri (f~iTfm <f~ 1
"ilTlt sr4lf 'Ii tT'['iJi~l'<i-ll ~ 'l : II
T he metre is ~funf. )
"~.i!l" r",,, ~~. , ~,~,, ~,! ..q;fm.., T

VW'.,. q fq: ~Hqqlfi'l'i f~altf'{,S' q{~ ~ifT,\ II v. ~ II

Should J upiter be filled with b right ra ys all round ,be po ssessed

of a large form . wh ite like th e lotus. th e K unda jasm ine and crystal,
be not overpowered by any othe r pla net . and be moving along t he
ri ght pa th i.e. to th e n orth of pla nets and as teei sms, he wo uld p rove
beneficial to the entire m ankind.
[H ere aga in the a uth or speaks of -J up iter , the astr on om ica l
J u piter , as h aving white colour like the lotus, K unda an d crystal.
The metre is a n extension" of R rlJelf with two short syllables
instead of a lon g on e in th e beginn in g .]
 Course rif Venus

;nfJ'Tiiu~T'f~~'!'tnt~rro: I
vfw trRJr: .. roo~r: ~~ : orl"~r: II t II
N ine avenu(S named ( I) Naga (Ser pent), ( 2) Gaj a (Elepha nt),
(3) Airiwata ( Indra's elephant}, (4) VH abha (Bull) , (5) Go (cow),
(6 ) J aradgava, (7) Mrga (D eer) , (8) Aj a (Goat), and Dahan4
(Fir e) composed of three sta rs each in reg ular order beginning
with Asvinl , have b een a llotted to Venus by some (I.e. D evala and
othe rs.)
(According to Devala and Kasvepa th e th ree stars, Asvinr,
Bharenr and Krttikli, constitute the Nagavnht of Venu s. In th e
same ma nner other Avenues are also formed by ot he r triads of stars
in regular order . Our author's own view is given in the 2nd.
ve rse.
cr. Deuala.
""ft<R'w:nm: ~ifi rrflmTT IJ: €i<t IRl 'tiI: t
,'''''' 'l'l'i"'" "" .m.r: ~: II
also Kaiyapa :
f;M",,,,'lf~,,,,,,,,,,,,,foro{,,,, If<IT ","Rr "i~ : I
rrrififfzftf;;r ar ~r ~J"ll"T f~ II
m.,,"rWm "",.sr.",,,",,",,, "laT I
'1'mlT 'll:\m ~llr ~'l1r rr1: WfWrnr It
~<ft f"""",,,, '.('IT'IT 'l"'fIfo'" I
""""'" f'«"J""""''''' ~ .~"' "l"' II ]
;:rrm g 'l<r.f«nftltornno:r 4ffrq ~r~ f~f«l «: I
.n<i\" " "f."",: ."... • 'fIf• ..,... 11 ,11
However in my view th e N aga avenue or Venus is con stituted
b y the three asteris ms Svau, Bha ranj a nd Krttika; and the Gaja ,
Airavala and Vn- abhab y the three succ eedi ng triads of stars, viz. ( I )
R ohlm , M rgaSira s, and Ar drll, (2) Punarvasu , Pusya and ASle, a,
98 Brhat SamhitlJ

(3) :\fagh1t, Purvaphalguni and U ttarap halguni. And the GDvullJ

is composed of the four aster-isms Asvinr , R eva ti , Purvabhad ra and
Unarebhsdra.

~n~ ~~~ 1!rn~, f~ 'i{ ~ I

~rQmT~I t:1 I GQ ~?tl tl l l1lli ~ 11 ~ II
Simil arly the jarad,go'/!(J I2venue is composed of t hree stars
Sravena , Dhanis'[h a and Satabhi~aj; the M sga avenue of Anurndha ,
J yeHha a nd M Ula , the Aj aoJthl of H asta , Citra and V iSiikha; a nd
the Dahana aornue of the two sta rs P ;:irvl~'1i4ha and Utta r i'i~a<;lh a .
[Our au thor and the ancients a re of the same view on ly in
respect of the th ree Vithis , viz. Gaj a, A i~vata and Vrfabha.]

fffi>l'f'fff't'>lmnrt ~1 ~" t:qqTUjq(.ifttl : I

tmnql§fl (qw "f~ r'tla.h ll II V II
O f th ese nine avenues the first three viz . )'vllga , Gaja a nd
Airavata. arc in the Northj the next three viz. Vrf abha, Go and Jarad-
gava, in the .'lJiddle; a nd t he last thre e viz . ,M rga, Aj a a nd
Dobona, in the South. In each t riad of avenue.t t oo th e three individ ual
ones a re further subdivided int o N orthern , M iddle a nd Southern
re spectively .
[In the matt er of a llotme nt of sta rs to th e n ine Vithis th ere
a re three distinct schools viz. ( I) D evala a nd ot her s, ( 2) G a rg a
a nd varzha mi htra , an d (3 ) Pa r.ksara . Between the first school a nd
the second there is complete agreement in respe ct of on ly the
Airilvala and Vr~abha Vi/his. There is partial ag reeme nt bet wee n
the two in respect of Naga (only Bharam a nd Krttika:) a nd of Mrga
(on ly M nla }. Between th e Secon d a nd third Schoo ls there is full
agreement in resp ect o f NlJga, Gaja, Go and J aradgava, a nd p artial
agreement in respect of A iriIvata (with M agha added) Vr~abha .
(with M agha removed ), Aja (Visakha is the only com mon fea ture)
and Dahana (th e two A ~a. 9ha s a re commo n) M rga is cnm plet ely
d ifferent in the two Schools. T he follnw ing chart shows the Vilhis
and thei r con stituent aates-iem according t o th e three schools. The
stars are numbered form ASvin!.
Ccurst of Vel'lUS IX 99

Ser ial
xe, I, Na m es or
" ilhlS
I Sc hoo l
Deval a &
others
I I School
Varaha &
Ga r ga
tIl Sc hool
Pa ri ura ,
I

J NAga Stars St a rs Sian.

1, 2, 3. 15. 2 , 3 15, 2,:1

2 G aja 4 , 5 , 6, 4, 0, 6 4,5, 6

3 Air :tvat a 7, 8 , {) 7, 8 ,9 7 , 8 , 0 ,10

, Vj-sabha 10 , ll , 12 10, 11. 12 n . 12

3 Go 13, 14, I,"J I , 2"5 , 26 , 27 I , 25 , 26 ,27

6 J a ra dg;l.\ra 16,11 ,1 8 22 , 23, 24 1 22 , 2.1 ,2.

7 1 fr got 19,20,2 1 17, 18 ,19 13 ,14 .

S Aja 22 , 23 , 2·& 13, 14 , 16 '6. 17, 18

9 Dah ana 25 , 26, 27 20 , 2 1 19 , 20 , 21

;ffim ~ nfft "",,1 "lom.l ...l fim J

~;mnfnl11fF-Rf) m~m; II
q fil.{ =u f' Qq1tvi 'J qwT~lfu ~1fui1T I
Jo.~(flf ittn <ihfr ";;fn:~1f('f ~r I I
,hf~'!T '!"""" ~f.mf.mf"l"" J
~')~r ~ ~IPH1'fTiT~ntfttf(f ~JZin II
'l"1mr """,1.1 . " ",.1 J "!""
~1 "m
"""l ~""~,,l: ''l"': II
>Wi,,1 ~ "W'1 ""<;'11<",1 .~ "l"' I
qt:?jT ~1Jlft ro fu'mm GWG tNar; II
 100 B,hat Sathhila

a"",1 """,0ft ~"", a',,~, I

~ rrcr~ft ~ ;;fU1Jt lf ml'rTf"laT: It
also ~"TIleTIa~·r.~'~'"1 ;-
,,1.1 ",oAT",1 ..n.>ffi!r1 .. rlm;; ~ I
roq~'lH: f!rl "Iq') t:Q~r ~~r II
~~ ~t: flll"""lI<"jq1 f:f'lTT "l~fll l
ll~~f":TlT ~~T iiRl f~"'C ~ r f<:fmm '<f II
i' 'ifJlfB ~~ frn ~'f: ltll"~T:
o
I
1f1>1ir l=I oznfHf~ ~r; q'NTlfTramrr: II]
'!ifqN liil"ql ~" qq-rff?1fflnpn~ I
~ mu tfI ..q) fl ( q ~ q l«l1' 't II ~ II
Others ( like Sage K"asyapa ) decla re these th ree Vlth u or
Avenues for the aste ri sms as well accord ing as they happ en to be
to the NIJTlh , in the M iddle or to the South orthe eclip tic . Simila rly,
V enu s too is cons idered to b e in the Northern, M iddle or Southern
Avenue, if he moves to the north , in the mi ddle or to the south of a n
aster-ism , as the case ma y be.
[This i!\ another definition of the VUhls for the sta rs. A
planet too ma y be said to b e in a par ticu la r Avenue, if it occupies
the correspo nd ing positi on relative t o th e asterism , according to
th e comme nta tor.
cr.~" :-
"Ilff';fR!JT !{l.fr lfllTf ~fiHl:!I"r~vrar q r : J
~tJffifRifr: ~)~) l1nnrr ~T: ~: I t
.f~, <f"".it "'" ' ''''r ~",mrn, I
;;l;,i'fffit)l:l.rir: ~~pft ~ ~~ I
.f"<11 . fuoi\ a"', a,;r a", , f. ,,,., "J
~~ l:ITf;Q1fot f;prf~) Il t QIl f1 m-nfm : I

<f~alo".,..f. .. f'.... 'PI' dI'fI: II " II

Yet others (lik e Sage G a rga) hav e stated tha t the Northern
Avenue is con stitu ted by the n ine asteri srns begin ning from
Bhara nt. rhe M iddle AVl1Iue by the nine stars beginnin g from
P nrvaphalgura, a nd the Southern Avenue by the nin e stars beginning
from Pu rva!Jal;ihii .
[Cr. Gargo : -
....~"''" ..,~ ",,0; 0<11 I
"a",' d<T '1ft .1\' <11 qN •• ~
COUTse of Venus IX lOt

'J"'T f"",-f"",,"" """,,) "'"' • .;r I

q;j ~ lfe'.ffql ~ qf~ qiff II
""",,,) ~ " '!;ft. m •.;r I
,,<i,,",: TIT... 'Om ql'! """ II ]

.,.)f"""""","; f.llf".,.;'t " ."""""""' I

~ f~~ f~ .~i ~ ~&i' 1l~11
T he sci ence of a strology-cum-a stronomy has been founded o n
the in tuition of a n cien t Sages. H ence it is not p ropt"r on our
p art 10 say wh ich a mong the di v erg en t views of the Sages ar e
correct and wh ich not . I have, th erefor e, only qu oted here the
opinions of m a ny wise men.
[We have seen a bove a v ast number of conflict ing opinions
r egarding the VUhls . Our a ut hor must ha ve felt the n ecessity to
pronounce h is j ud gmen t on this. But he thou ght tha t such a
course would no t b e just ifi ed in a field where ther e is no sci entific
m a ch in er y to prove the correctness or otherwise of a sta tem ent.
F or, a ll the vi ew s q uoted above ha ve the scriptura l sa ncti ty or
authority.)

"","Tf.~ ~ ljf-r""f","T""'j<" 'IT I

~!I~: ~) af~!l ll ~ II
When V enus rises o r sets whi le travelli ng a long the )I.'Q rthern
Avenues, he w ill prom ote prosper it y, food cr ops and a ll good
things; h e w ill p roduce mod rate r esults while passin g through the
.Middle Avenues; a nd he w ill bring about di saster s while m ovin g in
the Southern A ven ues.
[Cf. "" :-
~mI'l:ni :;;uy.:q l.j ~n\ll'rf'.1a: I

'If\m " '!ii"i " '!'fe," f.-f.!f. iRl "

~rl"ff11li ~F:q-t<Jli tJT~:q-Tf~: I
lJnT lj ~ij"~ :q !JT1J4llj R~ II
:a~ Ulfd:q li pf~ fe:roj lJni tJTf~.;r::r: J
1:J~ ij"s:.~ ~m it>Gl~ PI"" I ~<:jq11 1
Accord ing to Para-sar a th e effects of th e movement of Ve nus
through t he n in e Avenues a re ( I) trouble to those who live by
ser pents (snake-charmers), (2) suffering of he rd s of elephants, (3)
r evolt of the army, (4) a ffliction of th e age d , r ich , lea r ned , strong
102 Brha1 S amhiUi

a nd cr ops a s we ll a s outbrea k of phlegm atic troubles, (5) destruc-

t io n of crops and ow ne rs of ca tt le, (6 ) t rouble to the learned in the
S astras, (7) d isea ses a mong the deer o r q uadrupeds, crop-diseases
a nd a ilm en ts of h ermits , (8) fine growth of crop s, plentiful rain-
fall a nd pro sper ity to religious stu dents, and (9 ) destr uct ion of
crops, outbrea k of fir es and d iseases ca used by the viti ation of bile.]
~~)~ mp::rtqipl'~q~l:I: I
~-{ ~1l:qTm~ 'l'{lf~!! tfqT'liJi ~ ~ II t II
T he tr a nsit of Ve n us th rough the n ine Avenues divided into
three gro u ps, N orthern, M idd le and Southe rn, will p rod uc e in
order the following r esult s : I n the Naga A venue th e r esults woul d
be exce edi ng ly beneficen t , in the Ga]a, very good, a nd in th e
A irlivata slight. In the ne xt triad viz. Vrf abha, Go a nd ] aradgavQ
th e effects wou ld be in order mode ra te , middlin g and slightly
harmmful. Lastly in the Mrgo, Aj a and Daha na they would b e
very bad (or untoward ), in auspicious, a nd exceed in gly h ar m ful
r espectively.
[N ext he spea ks of six ;\fal.lc;lalas or c ircl es of V en us a nd
their effects.]

",,,, ,,,, ......""..'1'" <jf-",,"'l'

q1lP'f~f~.. ~ltoj """""~ " 10 "
"",r",,,, ,,~, ~.,,) .r.
fmi ~.) i!"'T~ ,
llirT'l!~~')itq~m"!lfI<t: II t t II
The fo ur stars beginning with Bharant. (: .e. Bhar anr, K r t tikd ,
Rohi m and Mrgastras) co nst itute th e first Man dala or circle of
V en us. T hi s wi ll prod uce good effects in the form of p len ty of food.
H owever , it w ill cr eate fea r or tro uble in th e co unt r ies of Venga ,
Aliga , ~tah i ~a, Vah lika and Kalicga . Sh ould anoth er p la net p ass
over V en us a fte r t he latter h as ri sen in th is circle, it wo uld kilt the
rulers of the tribe s viz. Bhadrasva , Sll ra sena, Yaudheya and
K ct iva rsa .
~2ql:[Titfri r~i'I"tlNf1=lilT~mtn:,~td I
f~smm~'l1tti'i f<ritrtff: 1f',.:~.~;:rP! ut~ II
Q~Q"'I I51I %l o:a ;;r~Wi!'f<l~lf1(~ffl'l: I
1f)iJioft""Jir1<t: <i ~tA1;pf : ~'1gr'ff II n II
T he second M aty j ala consists of the four stars, Ard ra , Punar-
va su , Pusya a nd A s le~a . It will promote good rains a nd lux ur ia nt
Course of Venus IX 103

crops. It will, however, b e ha rmful to th e Brahmi n class, especl-

a lly 10 th ose that are eng age d in cruel d eeds. Should Ven us be
attac ked or b locked in th is circle by anoth er planet, Mlecchas ,
foresters, those th at live by dogs (h unters etc.}. catt le-owners , the
people of Gona rda and Videha , Sud-as and thos e that .are engaged
in men ia l work would b e affli ct ed .
f"'i{~'n'Q'rf'{q'$"fll'i1jf'e': m'Q'sn!lT~r,", §'.lIi: I
~~.,.." ;:ft':;;ft;:;;f(fq1.:lfi1.:~ II ~ "t II
f~m~q) ~ir.nf~~ ~T.U,P:TlJ; I .
M!".,,,,,~_,f~rf",,r~i1~ " I ~ "
The third circle consists of the five aster-isms, Maghj , Par ve
and Urtara Ph algu nt , H aste and C itr iI. If Ven us traverses th is circle
a fter r i s in~ , h e will d estroy th e crops, create the fear of famine
(hunger ) and thieves, and revolu tion ize the social order bringing
a bou t confusion of th e classes. should Venu s be attacked by anot he r
planet in th is circle, he woul d kill shephe rds . Sabaras (a class of
hunt ers), Sad ras, PUQ4ras, peopl e of th e western regio ns, Salikas ,
forest d wellers. D ravid as and the coasta l p eople.
u H'lnU .. r"li'flf q"'lIl'''' ~~lftflti ~ I
. 1P""~f""rf,,W f",,1ta',. " I " "
mrrstir;a ,~ f1ll'i\f'l'f~: fq;:rf"!, ~1f"' 1't11
SH''Q'i(f Tqf.(l'~ri=l'~t!n'<i! ~'<{ II N II
T h e three stars, Svari , V isakha and Anuradhi, cons t itute the
fourth circle. This p roduces th e sense of secur ity in the mi nds of
people, promotes the interests of Bra hmins an d Ksat riyas as well
as exc elle nt growth of crops, b ut causes estrange me nt among
Fri end s. Should Venus be assai led in thi s cir cle by another planet.
h e would kill the ch iefta in of the K iratas ( hunte rs), and crush the
Iksvaku s, cave-m en, peop le of Ava ntt, Puli ndas, T auganas and
Surasen as.
~~rri q'5''ItH ~H);ri SR(fjflJ~ I
~ ftllh:Tn~"lJT~ ~'<{r~",l'l'fq;:t'l'~ II tc: II
lJf!ifI1:~~ j{r"r'ltl'~T~f"3Tmh"u~l~ I
l'fr=wft'l' f~~"~''{Ifit~ 'm~fh~,flJ ",q : II ~ t II
The fifth M aT}dala consis ts of the five SIal'S , J ye~~ h a . M td a,
Purva and Un era A ~aQ h a . and Sravaua . T his will trouble people
wi th hunger , thi eves and diseases and a fflict the peop le of K ashmir ,
1 04 Bsh at Samhila

Asmaka, M ataya , Avanti and those livi ng on the banks of the

Osrudevr. If V enus is overpowered h ere by ano the r planet, he
will destr oy the D ra vid as, Abhiras , Amb ast h es, T r igart as, Sa ur.i~ t­
ras, people of Sind hu, Seuvrrakas a nd th e king of KaSt.

~ qu;r15ni ~"fG"I;;f ~;;60(~ I

..
,r~~'~ H .,('qtfr;q lfa:f';rn:r~1'Il~ II ~ o It

""" )~~".''lT''''''''''~' ).~ ..

.~ : ~~Qc(""~ I", ,:uwri'~,r4: II , ~ II
,
The sixt h Afof}4ala cons ists of the six stars, Dha n i ~ 1h a .
Setabhisaj , Pnr va and Utta ra Bhadra padd , R cva ti , a nd Asvint .
It is auspicious and productive of a bundant wealth, cattle-w ealt h
and bump er cro ps, but in some pl aces th ere will b e fear too . If
V enus is a tt ack ed here by a not he r pla net , the Solikas and the
people of Osndh a re and Avanti will be tormented; and pe ople of
V ideha will b e ki lled ; but cave-men . Yavanas ' Sak as and slaves
will pr osper .
[The Sulikas a re assigned to th e north-west and south-east
divisions ( X I V) 23,8). T hey are also ca ll ed Calikee in the Purna as.
The Mereya-purana refers to t heir country as being wat ered by the
river Caksu (O xus) . Scholars identify th em with the Sogdians living
to the north of th e O xus, with the C 3.1ukyas of th e Deccan etc.
T hey were also id en tified with the 5u likas of O rissa . Gil ll.dhdrtl
extended. from th e Kabul va lley to Tak~asila and comp rised the
R awalpindi an d Pesh awar distric ts. The town Puskalzv an is me n-
tioned by our author.
The YavantlS were th e Greek settlers found in th e south-west
d ivison near Na sik.
T he Videha country comp rised the country from Gorakhpur
on the Rap ti to Dar bhanga , with K osala on the west and Anga on
th e east.
The Sakas are mentiond in many inscriptions begin n ing with
that of R ud radgm an . They are assigned to the weste rn d ivision .
The Agnt-purana (LV. 16) assigns them to the south-west of I nd ia .
They were the d escend ant s of the Scyth ians who ad opted I nd ian
tit les such as K eatrape and M ah aksatrapa .]

~,qt 'Cftmd ~a ~If IfVni 'g'<llr'! I

flf'5tITU 'tim iT~rl!t qq'Nn~~ II ~~ II

If Venu s ri sing in the four th or fifth Mat;l<;lala happ ens to be

in the western horizon , the result s will all be au spicious, and th ey
Course oj Venus IX IO~

will b e b eneficia l in the th ird M a ndala , provided h e rises in the

east. The effects of his tra nsit in ot her M a'}(jalas will b e as stated
already.
[According to Pa rasara the six M atJ4alas are call ed ( 1) Ady a.
(2 ) Rohita, (3 ) D a runa , (4) Virocana, (5) Urdbvada nda, a nd
(6) T tksna. Unlike V arjthami hira's, Parasere's third a nd fourth
M aTJrJalas contain fou r stars each . The last two , it is said, contai n
five sta rs each. Then . nobody knows what has happened to the sta r
Asvin!. This sage says th a t th e first four M aT}rj.alas a re sa id to b e
Vi'ita (wind) a nd th e last one , T lki}'Q3, Vyiflamarga the Serpent Routt .
tIrdhuada1J4a minus Sravat:ta is kn own as VaHvi'inara or Fire. So
the opi nio n of Pa ra sa ra d iffers much from Varzhamihira's.
Cf. the " q IQm~m­

~"'!TW\.'NTf.r",""m"'OT~ii! I
,,~, \J>i! . ..~ ~"'...m",", "1

l'iZ) SlmIf1ri\'SIi ~~ &JI')i l flt" 4m,~: I

"if"'" " lr.i~.~'l!'" " ~ l "
If Ve nu s becomes visible be for e the Sun sets, h e will create
panic; if he is seen th roughout the da y, fam ine a nd d iseases will
brea k out; a nd if seen at mi dday alo ng with the M oon , there will
be d iscord between the king, hi s army a nd the pop u lation .
[Cf. w llf1:-
'J;Ji!:: ~<i ~T Wf-T ~asq" 1lV~: I
a<:"T c<4 li l;gfil l'li m OfJ'elT.a- ;:rlT'Uf~ 'if II
The last quar ter of the text may also h e interpreted as-c-r' Thc
kin g' s a rmy a nd towns will be va nq uished ."]

f"""",)""'; ",..,f"_,,,f~..., I
Qt:q"d g ':(.f~ «m m~f~ff til'" 11 ~ 'll' II

Should V enus pass cutting the star K r ttika , th e en tire earth

will be submerg ed b y r ivers ca r ry ing waters that overflow the b anks
an d con ceal all elevations a nd depression s on the earth .

srr;rrtRi) m;t f~ ~i~ q'Tffll'i ~ I

1iimff441"'flIllICiIl'lI 'filq"Jwfn IIi't ~ II ~l II

When the wain of R oh lnt is cut b y Venus, the earth wo uld

b e strew n w ith th e hair and p ieces of b ones (0£ th e de ad ), a nd
106 Bshat SamhiM

appear as thoug h she wer e ob ser ving the Kopala vow to atone for
the hein ous sin of Brahmi n-mur d er .
{Fo r the vow of Kap;ila sec l:f i).+l!. f;;r XI-72. One who co m m its
the wor st cr im e such as killi ng a Bra hmen a should pe r form the
above vow observin g celibacy and penance, covering h imself with
garlands of skulls, bones, h a ir etc. for gett ing rid of the sin. H ere
the poet speaks metaphorica lly that th e Earth too would look like
on e observing the vow , since her body would b e covered with
hundred s of dead bod ies, caused b y all kinds of visitations of G od.
T h e wa in of R ohi nr is said to he cut by a planet, when it is
situa ted in the 1i th . deg ree of T aurus a nd has a southern la ti tud e
of a little more tha n two degrees. Cf. qn:'lirl«<JT~lf-
fimqrmfi:<f" "fffi 'i""'" ~rit I
~ 'lJ~ q~qT f"lRf'ff ~ ~ nf~,[fr: II
also tn,1fi-
'i",.m "''''~ mwr "'" . f,,'l): I
""..iWf:) f""",)f"",r: """ ~ ~ : "J
~"""""') ",,,,,,oni,,,,,,,)wn: ~~, I
a,~ 'tll~ l~lti f~ «f':ft::,f~~: ll~'ftll
\ "'h en V enus comes to Mrgal iras, h e will destroy a ll j uices or
tastes and cro ps; and when h e visits Ardra. he wi ll ruin th e K osala
a nd K aliage countries and prod uce exceed ingly hea vy rains.

'tf~h..m,t ~~~ fffit 11 ~1""Q : I

~ ~ ,f~f<m",.,.",f""',, " ""
\ Vhen Venus is situated in th e star Punamasu, the p eop le of
Asme ke a nd Vi darbha countries will b e great ly t roubled, Wh en
h e is in Pusya , there will be good rains and destruc tion of th e
V ldvadb ara e (the Iea r ned P) in battle .
[Bhe rt otpa la int er prets the wo rd Vid)'adharii1]iim. as DevQ)'Onlniim
m ean ing dem igods. However . since t he author is explain ing
effect s of the t ra n sit on the denizens of th e earth, and not of heaven ,
that wo rd m ust sta nd lo r som e class of huma n be ings of lea rned
m en.]

""""'!! 'J'l'l!"""'!f'lm~ 11"" I

f......... r ~""""lf",'[f""", neeu
When V enus sta ys in th e co nste llation A Sle~a. h e w ill cause
a cu te suffering to the peopl e through snakes. But whe n h e p ierces
Cours( oj Venus IX 107

th e star M aghiJ , he will har m the com man ders of elephant-divisions

or chi ef ministers, and ensure cop ious rains .
[q~~ is anot her read ing for '~r~ ' . The piercing or occul-
tat ion of the junction star of M agh t b y a planet is defined b y
astron omers as follows: " A planet occults th e junc tion star of
M agha (R eg ulus) when its own rectified latitude, being in the
same d ir ection (no rt h), is more than half the latitude, a nd less than
one and a ha lf th e latitude of th e sta r." D r . Kern continues to
say : " From th is we may deduce that the author of th e stanza,
(quoted below ), whoever he may h ave been (prob ab ly Brahma-
gupta), had a still more accurate kn owledge of'the rea l lati tude of
R egulus than th e Sarya Siddhanta h as, in which the latitude is
sta ted to be 0."
cr. qwlld'~;rr«'l"-
~T~lTfQ trlifffro 1iA"r~r.rrf~r~~i! I
f'§'!Pf~l) lf~lfTft>Tmifi) orcrfff ~qR!f!:fll: I t
f. " . ,,", "h.
~'""t fir-rfu f..... I
t:'';fiAfu '!'" .i'" "''' '1<rf.f"""
II J

"". """!f",,,,,,,.,,,,,),,!f.~,,,,, I
lwici!t ~'i"'T~ i=l' qfS"i!{ ~: ",fi=lflUlfi ' II 'H J I
T en an ting Purvaphalgunl Venus destroys Sabaras and Pulinda s
(two forest tribes), hu t ca uses a bu ndant ra ins. W hile stay ing in
Uttaraphalgunl he gives good rains but ru ins the peopl e of K ur u and
Paflcii.la countri es as well a s the b eings living in the j iiJiga la regions
i.e. wh ere there is very litt le water.

~1I:'ff'l!f'Jf!f;ut!ri' ~~ ~ihr :j(t"ffll' '" fOf1.:N: I

lfP'!!{' r~iftrr f"''Sl'n:~ nmr 'Iff: llI ~ oll
,,\t'hen Venu s occupies th e star H asta , the peop le of th e Kuru
countr y as well as a rti sts i.e. painter s, will be in t roub le, and there
will b e d rough t. w hen h e occupies th e sta r C it r~ , th ere will be
good rai ns, bu t b ird s and la boure rs en gaged in the sinking of wells
will suffer .
"''''i "iI:",f",...f.,..,f...~"", I
~,..,T.\sf. 'f!f.<if1!!'rt" "'; f"" ,"m ; lI H Il
When Venu s passes through Svi ti, the re wilt be good
ra ins . but mes sengers , t rad ers and sailo rs will be in trouble. In
ViU.kha. Venus would cau se b enefici al rainfall as wen as threat to
merchants.
108 Brhat SamhillJ

q~ ~<n:)I{) iiii1!01qT 1ft ?4~ ~ ;a rq: I

lf1ft=flfif1l'~t ~ f~q' ~ €W;j" I 'ir1!': 1l ~ ~ 11
When V enus ts in Anur ndhs , th er e will be host ili ty among
the Ksatr'iyast when he is in J ye~, h ~ , leaders or K aat rIya s will be
in j eopardy ; a nd when he is in M jlla , d ru ggists (those who de al in
m edi cinal roots ) a nd physician s will b e harmed. I n addition , the re
will be d rough t result ing from his tran sit th rough all th e three
stars (m ent ioned h ere).
" rcil ,"""".m f..... '.,,"', llplf", I
'>l~ ~lfIf~ : q,~q~ .qf~~ II ~~ II
W hen V enus p asses through the sta r PilrviisaQha, aquati c,
a ni mals an d products will suffer (o r peop le will be troubled by
aqua tic a n imals etc.): whe n he is in Uttar li$al;lha , d iseases will
spr ead; wh en he is in Sravana , people will suffer from ear-di seases;
an d wh en he is in Dhani stha , her etics will he in trouble.
mff-.wf~ mr'lll"lfiTilTrilIi~ ItR3'll flt;rf' lfml! I
!mt~n=" 'll;rfq ~lf('l lCITH:t:l"~ nIH: ~f<:f<:fl! II ~'lf II
'W he n V enus is in Sat abhi aaj, d istillers of liquor as we ll as
d ru nkards will suffer. While passin g t hrough Pn rvebhadrapede he '
afflic ts gamblers an d the people of K u ru and Pai\ cilla countries.
H owever , there will be good rain s.

.m;~... """"''''''t'''lf'l'<t .. """''I I

'Q'f~illt iPI1f1;rt qTRt lj f~ffll<r.nOfTl! II ~v. II
While tenanting the star Uttarabhxdrapada Ven us will
d estroy roots and fru its; R evau , travellers and m ar ching t roops;
Asvinl , keepers of horses; and Bhara m , K iri las (h un ters) a nd
Yevenae.
{See what sage K i syapa says on this:
iRif",fim 'l"'l ..,m f"'-l""f" I

Uf.."r - "" "W'f"~'W"\ "

'lit ~ .....'.m",,; ,\,01, '!'iI' 'I'" I
'l;JT~;:if iifif~WAi ifil ~ I '1 I i1 i ~ : I I
.,.".,,) f~ 'l"~"", I
'!'it 1f~ "~,,,,r.,, "" "",orr..
~I!'" "
"""'1'l"'fT m..,,~, '!'"~, ""', I
""'il«"'" 'l"'l ~"",m" .,,0<1 "
COUTU c!f Venus IX 109

'<mit ~ l'!l <flllE4« ~l! ~S'9 fa- I

~~ g; ~*i lf~ l {1i!i',,) q f1jq it;;r II
""" f.r""","; ~ "n if!!",,1 m~ I
'!'lf~ "i-"""'M f.r~rini >m .~~ "
""f"ilt '!'lf~ " <fl(f"fTf..,,1fir<: I
"
firn,,,m w~ H f"" f<l",<f. "
Oft .100).: ''''''l'' ~ f"."t ""'I I
q r:it ~i( G qrf~l1lj t!i~ if, OJf if~r I
<f.,""i 'f!''',....r-.o!l or'rf'<..",,'l I

''''''R'ji""""lf. {<>it """"': "

",r".; "~""; "~ ''''o!l i\>i "iK"''l I
q~;qt ~R lt>4' <Qq i "I~')flRTlf; II
Accord ing to Parasara Venus be ing glossy and full ar rays
prod uces ra ins wh ile ten anting Parva and U uaraphalgu nt. Svi ti.
Visakha. th e Bbs drapa das, Ard ra . Bhar aut and Pusya . I n case
he moves to the north. in the middle or to th e south of B oh iur , Citra .
Vi s akha an d Aouradba , he will ca use health and happ iness, crops
and rainfall to rh e b est advan tage, moderate b enefit and mini mum
adv an tage respectively of the people. If he moves to the north or
in the middle of M agba and Krtnka. h e will p rove ben efici al to
manki nd . Si milarly h is movement in the middle of the A ~aQhas .
Punar vasu and R oh ln t will br ing about encirlement of cities by
enemies.
I n th e next verse th e aut hor giv es the effects of Venu s's
ri sing and setti ng in the d ifferen t luna r days or T ithis :-]

qinllf~"t~ft~ ~H2ql i'l'rf"Wf~ f('l'fQ{ 1{m: ~a: I

~n:' IJ)rl( i(ri...qe:t:i\f i'l' <{r a'tr lfit <{rf~qT~ <:rlflla lI ~ fd l

\ \Then Venus ri ses or sets on the 8th, I qth or 15th lunar

d ay (ne w moon) of the dar k fortn ight , the earth would look as
thou gh it were a vast sheet of water i. e. it will b e com pletely
submerged in flood s.
[Cf. Ka;yapa-
~'l* Wrrr<Tf1tT~.n:lf[q1tl :q I
""" ""'. : '!iol,...-r if~ ~" "
Sage Parllsara gives some more d eta ils regardi ng the mont hs in
w hich he r-ises or sets thus: If h is ri sing or setting t akes place in
110 BrhtJt SamhitlJ

the month of Karttika , there will b e no rain at all for 90 d ays.

If V enus ri ses (or sets) du r in g the transit of Jupiter through
K rtt ikii, there will be good ra in-fall th rou gh ou t the yea r. I n case
the lumina r ies complete th eir circuit of th e eclip tic (?) a t the
t im e o f Ve nas' s ris ing o r sett in g, th er e w ill b e good rains. Shou ld
V enus be te na nting at the ti me a sta r or sign that is considered
dry or non-rainy , then too there would b e rains; an d a rain-produ-
ing sta r or sign, surely th ere would be no ra in.
The metre of th is vers e and oth ers upto th e 42n d. is ,",~ .]

~.~""lfi1~): ~~ flcaq(lr~ ~ I
tI;n ~T ~mq;qif'IWT ;::r <nf~ ~f~ ~)f~ 1l ~ ~1 1

W hen J upiter a nd Ve nus are situated in the Western a nd

E astern hor izon s, be ing a t the same t ime in opposit ion ( I.e. I SO-
apart) , mank ind will be afflicted with di seases, panic a nd gri ef and
will have no rain a t al l.
[I n the opinion of Bha notpa la there is no order meant in res-
p ect of the quarters occupied by J up iter a nd Venu s. So either of
th em ca n be in the east or west , b ut it is essent ial tha t th ey should
b e in the 7th hou se from each other . H e quot es 'rUWt", ~, 'Ilf,
;:~'6 etc. H e h as come to the conclusion that even the Sages are
n ot unanimous on this subject. Says 'l1:lfR-
~'l;i:PrlRrq" '!! t{~ ~f'ffiT I
~.t<ITtT61 real ~('ft iRT ~ ~ II
H ere this Sage intr odu ces a n ew ru le i. e. b oth J upiter a nd V enus
b eing situated in th e ea stern horizon .
"I[flf$'" speaks different ly :

'\"""'I'1'lT ~~ 'l""""' ~: I
" .. ~"'~ .rit ~ """~ roR\ "
~"'¥i Iti+llrTtFfr ihftJTltil 'lU'l.{'~ I
a !WI "1m fq.m, ~" ," f>l .~ "
Bhattotpela quotes from the work of Bhadrabghu , a J a in m onk.
wit h the words " 6 'H '\I tl'Rt~"t ~~ " which indica tes a work entitled
Bhad ra bgh u ". O ur com mentator m ust have taken the au thor's
n ame for tha t of the wor k as it often ha ppens in the case of authors
of single works e. g. ill'4 for the fIr'l'fr~!]" and 'l'lltfll for th e f~~ .
The following a re the verses of the J ain monk:
. "", lIT<;ft~"' ....: '\"'"'" '[O>'!f,,:
~",.F1i f.liiira"'"' "'" """a "
COUTS/! Of Venus IX II I

"Hrf4OfiT1H ~<Rf sr~;:rPH <m!.hr~u: J

,!'In,T '"f ~:f1!~lql q:::r: ~"fi~<:'I1fT "'lI"; I J
J;J'[f['i'9 "lf1i l::) qT !f+rai '9 ~ r 'llit"e{ t
m-:if:;;:r lJ m~~ q lJr ~ : x~T'Q~ fil1f; II
"" .. ~"'.: 'l": 'l'..... ~'!"lf.: I
>m . Mh;.... lit """" "",. ~ II
T h e evil effects of a j ourney in the d irection of Venus are referred
t o by K a:lidasa in "'lrI1f: ~m" !:l'1l'tlil' '' ( p It III. 43.)
Cf. also fIli-
,,,<ir.<n!,_ 1 of, ~ '!~.) I

~" ""1'T.1 "IT 'Rililt ~~ II ]

l1U f~T 'Jf)~"'HwilfT: fffi'l'~ ~i~¥f," <i: I

1;:nmiMTt.Tt~w~mnl <t<if."1'T "IH"~ 'f1jf'l!~a'T~~ : 11~ ~11
'PI' f";if~ I" ~i:;ft i !:l'iiffq;::{T: fq;1tHj m:li1!: :;:if ~l'n flPl'l~ : I
"l' ~U;q"l tQ ";;!I ifu ft'l ~m'''t flFl'f-a 't\;)f' l:!l' fmtf'f lJ:~'1f Il ~tll

w hen J up iter, M ercur y, M ars and Satu rn move in advance

of Venus , th ere will be wars amon g men , serpents and V ldvadbaras
(a class of demi-god s) an d th e wi nds will raze to the grou nd all
th ings stand ing erect, such as t rees and mountains. F ri end s too will
not remain cordial an y longer; Brahmins will no t be devoted to
thei r duties; and the God of ra in will not give even a drop of water;
and he will smash t he tops of mo untains with h is thund erbolt .
[I n the following four verses the author discu sses sepa rately
th e effects of the four plane ts rem ain ing ahead of Venus :]
~"m ~'ii~f~ ~l : ~'U ,,"~)sf~;:::r~Hl\t"',(I : I
1f~\tl"T~ 'fd"'ffi:!:TTq''<n: wi ~~1{11~~: II 'to II
Shou ld Satu rn b e the p lane t in ad vance of Venu s, barbarians ,
cats, elephants, d onk eys, sh e-b uffaloes, boars, bl ack grains, Pulin-
d as; Sudras and the peop le of the Southe rn country would perish
through eye-disease and ailments caused by the vitiation of wind .

f~~'1f ~: f~tf~SQ('I: ~f d(1 I~I~IHI~lJf~{lfit: I

",uri ~HlN)'f'l'1:1'f'li f( 'ntsfr.,f.~iilm 'iI' q')U i'{ ll ..-t II

Should M a rs ma rch ah ead of V enu s, the lat ter wou ld destroy

112 Bshat Sarhhinz

hum an lives by m eans of fire, weapons (wars), hunger (fam ine),

d rough t and r obbers. H e wou ld also destro y com pletely all mova-
ble and im movab le objects as well as th e Northern-country. H e
wou ld afflict the qu a rt ers w ith fire, ligh tni ng an d dust .

'W'l"l ~" ~.,fNil f",,: f«,; «. .. fir'!,"~"""'~ ,

f~ ~ 't<ri qn:lfiT ~)~ ~ 'lU ~h: "lt~;;;;r mu~ II v~ I I
Wh en J upiter is ah ead of Venus, the latt er will dest roy all
wh ite obje cts, the ab od es of Brahmins, cattle a nd God s, as well
as the East ern regi on . C louds will po ur down plenty of h ail-
stones ( instead of rain ); a nd peop le will be afflicted wit h th ro at -
d iseases, but the autum nal crops will flour ish .
[This verse is specially noteworthy for its charming allitera-
tion in both the h alves]

"""""n..
"\m~
<iI: ~" m""'~"''''''~­
f"""""""i>;{ .. ~ ~"!T,f" ~f_~ I
l!"",,,,,,,f,,,,,f"'l[Tf,,,""""1[""""'''l ~., ~
limillT: 'Ii! <n~;i'{qi:ft~ q"hnfif qv:{Tf~ II 'i"~ II

\ Vhen M er cury, whether sett ing or r ising, is in ad va nc e of

Venus, the la tt er will p roduce copi ous r ains and summer c rops.
H e will also engende r d iseases caused by the vit iation of bile, an d
j aundice. I n addition, h e wi ll destr oy recluses, sacr ificers , phy-
sician s, horses, actors , wrestl ers etc., trad er s, cat tle, veh icles, kings,
all yellow obj ects a nd th e wes tern cou nt ry .
[The metre of th is verse is vll{m~'i'r fl'ij' . ]
fffil:'lUtQq 'n'i llf ':Tf'JIfltJt;!f ~lffi I
,,",~l'f'in'rit't eqT~ ~?tf,!-M I
'If,,,,,,r- ,........~,.,
qfmf Of ~f~ "lfTi( ~f~Hn~ H¥'lI'1l
If Venus appea rs with the lustre o f fire, the re will be da nger
from fire; if he is red in colour , there will b e war; if he is golde n
in hue, diseases will er uptj if h e looks gre en or taw ny, people will
suffer gree rly from as th ma a nd cough; a nd if he appears grey lik e
ashes, coarse or da r k in col ou r, not a d rop of wat er will fall from
the sky.
[T he me tre is ~tfi'fi'l) . l
. f"fi' '''''ii:""f''''l''...f.~.f,,,,,.,, ~~.'l: I
wrr"tf."", "'W''':'"!l''''''''''' f'.'\:i,r: II¥ ~II
Course of Venus IX 113

Should Venus b e possessed of the lu stre of curds, Kumud a

(a ki nd of lotus) flower or th e Moon , bright and ex panding rays ,
a full and la r ge o rb and good mot ion i.e. not r e trogr ade , a nd
situated to the n or th of a star or planet , and be fre e fro m d istu rb-
ances like portents , and h e victorious in a planetary fight, he would
confer the b lessings of Kj-ta yuga (golde n ag e) o n human ity.
[Cf. 'rol!l'l:_
, 'f~"';j'~~'<lli~fC:'fii rf'!.'ffiTll '{';F'I"lt~ q;,!<: !1JWT11," l!lf'f : ff ;j'ltH't "1'l 'Sr'l'iTfiiJ.
Sfifi1lT; 1f"i;'fTr'if~<rf;j'qf~ fi!:O'H ; nrrffl~it ~r'qlil l~)1T~f!lC'ln:'R" !ill"r;;r;ft~ lll'fifq;;n:'ffl­
~<f~')"fr~'if)Q-ffi.;rq: vrfOl' h~ftJ".n"'f~~'li~ : I" I n this passage th e expres-
sion , "Srll"f>ff • • •U:"" makes littl e sens e. For , if Venus is t rium phant
in a fight , h ow could he ca use fam ine, freed om from di sea ses , and
rai n ? T her e mi ght be som e mi stake in th e text.
The m etre uf the ve rse is q-q~l!I'~ . T he follow ing verses are also
q uo ted possibly from Pam lara:
" 'Ji"CT'i'ilm : f~ifI'<I) qT~T U;;flrl{: I
+rr~<fr ~·HFJTm:;:r ~nnqq;t:: ~~: II"
"lIT~fir wr.:"""" fefer f,~")S'i'i "" ~"f" f",,~ I
-qfi'<f if 'lJ:ft: ! ~~ ~ui <if ;;rg ::ifrlrir i'f'i I!
q rpj f'l Q<;J;fJ{H!) : <firtoT ~<tr ~<'f ~;;rf~ 'if~ I
qR ~~?r 'if W:t ttuf ;r ~ 3fTlJft a~ I I"
In th e first q uota tion good effects a re mentioned, while in the
second th e p resence of Ven us in the easter n hor izon duri ng the
monsoon is said to be not helpful for ra in fall but benefici al to crops
and grass. j
 ;t,hm:;m:: 'I ~ 0 II

Sa turn's Transit

"""!TTf""i!"'ltl",'!l''''''''''': lj~'''''' ,
~f~~t ~)f8 '!TI~i q f1" n:i{~q: II ~ II
,"~~ .. ~! lj....P " ",r",,"'1 I
l!j'''''"'~...m ~~ -.n. ..it " , "
When Saturn tenants the st ars STaVa]) a, Svati, H ast a , Ard ra,
Bb arant and Parvephatgunr, the earth will be flood ed wit h
water, provided he is glossy. When h e passes t hrough the ccns-
tella tions .'\s l~ a:. Sa rabh isaj and Jy q~h a , h e will m ake people
h a ppy; b ut will not ca use sufficient rain. Passin g through ~fiila
h e b rin gs about hunger or fami ne, cl ash of arms a nd d rough t.
Now I s11.'1.11 give separ at ely the effects of Saturn 's passage th rou gh
th e different asterism s.
[Cf ~;j -
.".q"'''14''o.tlfl",~~f~i:f: I
"..~ twQ",!' "m ""it ""r""",,:"
m~l?:rJ'l:jT~:ii:.";:r~1J :;r
qfi:qa: I
f frr nl : "ft~: l:f~ ;nf~ Sf'1J5'''ffi'f ' I
'i'"",,~ftW 'r'T '!'iT': "' Wl":
IJ

~~"'"""""";"I,""'''''''')sf,,,,,,,, II
""" """"'O
""'",!>'"'""'"' II \"
When Saturn sojou rns in th e star Asvini , he destroys hor ses.
horsemen, p oets. ph ysicia ns and mini sters; and in th e star Bh aranl
he harms dancers or actor s, musician s or singers, those who play
on mu sical instrument s, the wicked and hunters.
~(ifRi'r !ft-g~ mb1'!f1'ri1f<l~q'1N I
\)f~ j ,,:hlf'l q it ifiTfn,"a:'tffifmllif~: 11't1 1

Wh en Saturn passes through the star K ptrika , those who work

on fire i.e. goldsm iths , blacksmiths etc., and arm y commanders
come to grief; and wh en he p asses throug h R ohint the coun tri es of
K osala , Mad ra , K :lS1 and Paiicala as well as car tmen ar e t roubled .
Saturn' J" Coursc X 115

(As I am writing this , Saturn is tenan ti ng R ohin r and is

re tro grade. ]
q fTf~l.: r~ <im !H:or 'li !l~'tfif Tti~;:n:n..1:fi~f~ I
'l.:lvit qrl.:ff~T~r<=f!fil.::;:r~'''n~~ II '( II

W hen Satu rn sojourns in t he sta r J\l rgaSl Q a, m isfortune

befalls th e p eo pl e of the Vatsa country. sac rifice rs , officiating
priests at sacrifices, nohl e per sons a nd the m id d le countr y; and
when he te nant s the ast erism Xrdd, trouble befall s the peop le of
th e P grata and R ama rh a cou ntr ies, oilmongers , washermen a nd
d yer s as w ell as thieves.
[Bh a uot p ala read s Paratara and M atha as two count r ies. It
sho u ld be Pxra te o r Pa rada and Rnm athn. One of the synonym s
of asa foet ida is Rd ma rha . as it is Rot from th e R am atha country,
whic h acc ording 10 Ksrrasvsmln, lies 10 the no rt h of I nd ia . The
Pa radas a re ident ified with Pardenc of Ptolemy in th e centre of
C ed rosia ( Baluch lsten). ' S. Levi's identification of rh e R a ma thas
with the co untry lying between Ghazni a nd W akhan seems to be
cor recr.]

'Il:nr~i:r q"J"S'~ifa"'Sl('Q';'(l"'jl.:~f~i!fT n ; I
1J5i:r 'q lf~~, rq~~qf~lR: ('f<{!,"'W"r;r Ilftll
w hen Satu rn pa'lSes through the star Punarvasu, th e people
of th e Punjab. Saurastra, Sind and Sauvtra as we ll a s eave-dw ellers
are harmed ; and when he sojourn s in the st ar 1' 11$)';\ , pe r~() ns e nga-
ged in ringing be lls, those who make loud annou nce me nts (or those
who live in hamlets ), Yavanas, Kirgtas (trader s?) . ~a m b l f' r s and
flower s are d estroyed .
[T he commentator construes Vanik as ki ratas. So me times
Sindh u an d S au vt r a are mentioned as one reg ion . It lie s bf'IWCCn
the Jhdl1m and the I ndus. Here U tpala lakes them a s d ifferent
nam es. H ow ever , according to Al be ru ni, Sauvl ra stand s fot M u ltan
and J ahra va r. Su ra str a corresponds to th e K a rhiawad p..ninsula.
T he wo rd Surat is the corruption a f Su riiHra . Prtuyam a is a
bordering- country occupied b y M lecchas.]

~ rq :;:r<:fli~ : fq~i:r 'lfl~T;:r,";:qrU: I

-ufl=J1fiQ"nro; ",) rsotfTTO fl!f qf~'<f II\SI '

'Vhen Saturn sojourns in the a ster ism A :U e ~i , a q uatic objects

or anim als, as w ell as snakes a re dest ro yed. when he ten ants the
1. I .A.I .B. pp, 93·96 .
116 Brhat Saritltitll

star M aghii, the Bahlrkes, Ctuas, G andharae, Su likas, Pa ra ras ,

t ra ders (or Vaisyas}, godowns and Kiratas come to gri ef.
[Bah ltka is the modern Hactri a or Balkh in the north of
Afghan istan . G gndhar a country extended from the K abul valley
to 'Taksaaila . Sulikas, otherwise kno wn as Cnl ikae, were the people
o f the north-western par t of I ndia . According to the M atsyapura.l).a 1
the country o f the Siilika s is wate red b y the river Caksu (O xus) .
Since the a uthor uses bo th ' Vaisya' a nd ' V anij a b', they cannot be
synonyms. The word ' Vaii ya' , therefore, means a t ribe of non-
A ryan O rigin. ( See X I V-21 l y ra). Sinc e the comment ator int er-
p rets the word ' VaJ.liY as Kir me a forest tribe---o rigin ally the nasal
m ight have b een of the dental class. The: r oot '~'!.' m ea ns to
'des troy ' according to the ~!f!fTf'!l;ft . C f also 'flf-
~~1f~' W'llllq(fq ~r~lf1'9; I
•.."..,.'!m"""",,,, ""m I I]

...,n; ""r...r.", ...."'l ......~m~' I

suzici!\ '~1' l=f~rll~~r~f;:r ;;n~ f~l neu
If Sa turn is situated in the sta r P nr vaph alguru , d eal e rs in
j uices or a rticles h av ing the six kinds o f tas tes , courtesans, virgins
and th e people of M ah a nw ra will suffe r ; and if he sta ys in the
star U ttaraph algu nl , trouble will be fa ll kings, j eggery , salt. h ermits
(or m end icants), w at e r and th e town of T ak sasil a .
[The city of Taki aEla (T a xila ) was a n import an t cen tre of
lea rn ing in ancient I nd ia . At presen t t he site of the city consists of
some villag es to the nort h-west of R awalp in di]
~ ",r.".rf..,,",r"'"i«r,,,,, f,""'O" I
~: ",m !Ff q'r<:nlf> r~ q'~ .a- uau
When Saturn sta ys in the star H asta , barbe rs, po tt er s, oi l~
m anufacturers etc., thieves, physicians, t ailors (need le-wo r kers ).
elephant-ca tchers (or elephan ts a nd crocodi les}, ha rlot s. the p eople
of the Kosal a coun try an d garlend-me kers (flor ists) come to h a rm .
ffl~ 51l=l'<n~"9ltrf,,",,,f'ii"l'llT1ITtf.. I
~ l:fl"N'4 { $!l \\M:rn~lfi'f<mn: ll ~ o ll
Wh en Saturn sojourns in the aster-ism C itr a . trou ble b efalls
women , w rite rs , p ainters and pain ted vessels. When h e is in Sva ti .
rhapsodists (or b ards or the people of M agadh a), spies, couriers.
ch arioteers or story-tellers, sa ilors . ac tors, musicians etc. are
affected.
l. I .A.L B. pp. l 00-101.
Saturn' s Course X li t

~'''''T,", ~""""'~a~~'f'i '"'" ,

'l~~~ IJTf~ ~'W1i 'If ~ tuft'\' II Ztil
When Satu rn stays in the star ViSlikha , th e peopl e of T ri-
gar ta ( i.e. l a:landh ara ), Crna , K ul uta (K ullu in th e upper va lley of
the Beas), saffr on , lac , crops, madder an d safflower a re destroyed .

~ ~Wfi"1i{!14'ltl~I~: ttlffi.""",,<t(l : I
;;q~q tTTf<a' ~ mf~ f~ir~. f~~l!fT1! Il t,u
When Satu rn passes through the sta r Anur adhi , the peop le
of K ulttta , the T an ga nae, the K hasas, the Kashmirians, mi n isters,
th ose th at wo r k with whe els su ch as pott ers , oil-makers etc., and
those th at beat gongs or bell-m ak ers are afflicted; and fr iends get
estranged.
[The T an gal).as were an abo riginal tribe living in the no r th-
eastern region of I ndia.
Bhattotp ala says that the Khasas are mountai n-dw ellers. Their
eountry lay on the sout h and west of K ashmir. R e. flr.t''iR see
IX 16 supra.]

."'Wr"g''1 ~"T')r~a~~'J"''!l~ ''''''' I

'li1f""il,,,,,,,,,,,,......m<i\Ti\m: II nil
Wh en -Satur n ten ants the asterism l Y('Hh a , troub le befalls
kings, their preceptors, those th at receive roya l pa tronage or honour ,
wa r vetera ns {i.e. gre at heroes) , group:'> or seminaries, elite fam ilies
and tra de guilds ; and whe n he stays in :M ilia , the people of Kasl.
K osala and P:if1ca:la , fru its, herb s an d wa rriors come to gr tef.
[The star J ye$\ha is p resid ed over by l nd ra . lead er of God s.
H en ce if th is star is tenanted by the malefic planet , Saturn, all
those wh o are at th e top are advers ely affected . O ri ginally the
country of Paiid ila consisted of two par ts, the No r the r n and
Southern, with the G anges as the d ivid ing lin e and with Ah kchatra
and K ampilya as th..ir respective capita ls.]

lR"ttqSfi·"i!i·',;'mrf,"~RT ~~f;rf~ I
n ;:nti tnf.~ ;;t;:n ~f~ it ('l'lm~ ~ llr~1l

\ \-n en Satu rn occu pies the star Purva~aQ ha , the peopl e of

Ailga, Van ga , K osala, G ir ivraja , M agadh a, Pu ud r u, th e city of
M ith ila and the tow n of T lim ra lipti get troubles.
(G iri vraj a must b e the capi tal of K ekaya . T a mral ipti is the
same as T amlu k in the M idnepu r di strict of Bengal ]
118 B rhal Samhiti!

f~i ~~~~~f'f,<:t ~~'~Tr",~~ li!t<fj~ I

~ftr-l'l ~uiiJ; q-rf-.:q,f~l ~ !,f<l:l 't) a tR 1l ~W.1l
Wht:n Saturn m oves th rough the sta r Ut tarfls ad ha , he d es-
t roys the p eople of the D a s ~irJ) a , th e Ya va nas, Ujja yint , the Sa b a ra s,
those who live Oil th e Pariya tra mou ntain , and the K unti bhoj a s .
[Dasa rua wa s a fa m ous coun lr y in th e ancient t im es. K 'a:tya:-
ya na spea ks of that re gio n in his V arttika "Prnvat aa ra ... " K ali dasa
celebrates it in h is M egb a dma in "lfifa 'l lt r1l:ll'l'lllfQ it ~r 1f1ll1"li :" It lies to
the cast o f V id i; a: on the bank of't he r iver Dh asa n . T h e Kun ci-
b hoj as were a peop le a nd their count r y too wa s calle d a fter them .
T h e Pin iyut ra mo untain forms the western part of the Vindhya
ran ge.]

..." '' '''Ir"!,,,,'l r.......f....o;~<lr"""f,q,[1'l I

~~iI ""irn~q) ,!r~~ ~'/(f~'l'(,'! II ~ ~ 11
Sa tu rn . tenant ing the asterism Sr av ana, de stroys ki ng' s offi-
cers, em inent Brahm ins, ph ysicia ns, pr iests and the people of
K alinga: a nd while d we lling in t he star Dh en istha, he cause-s the
v ictory of th e king of M agad ha a nd th e prospe-rity of treasure r s,
b ankers a nd the like .

~ '" ""f....r" r.......f.~1f.." ......,r"~'\"' 'l 1

",rr~~q "faT ~T"f~ : r::ftf~ 1t1i 'it ll ~ ~ ll
"Vhen Satu r n occup ies the stars Sa tabh ip j a nd Pttrvabha -
d r apeda , ph ysicians, poets, drunkar-d s, t raders and pol itici ans a re
affii ct("d ; a nti whe n he stays in Uttarabhadrapada , rive rs , th ose
who d well on river-bank s, ca r r iag e-m a ke rs, carpenters etc. , wo m en
a nd gold arc destr oyed .

~,,~t -mJ'"IffT: ~"S:q"i'lqTr"la l : mm~ I

"tU{'iil rOM"')Tq~ tl CRTN R~ "Inri'\' IItt:1I
w hen Sa tu r n m ov es in Revatt, king 's prot eges, in habita nt s
of the K raunca Dvrpe . a utumnal c rop s, th e ~abaras and Yavanas
co me to hav e d ifficul t tim es.
(The com m enta tor quo tes h ere an ex t ensiv e prose pas.sage of
Pa r iH ara descr ib in g th e effects of Saturn's slay in the d iffer ent
a ster-isms. I sha ll give only the d ifferences, if any , in the appt',:,a·
ches o f ou r auth or and Sa ge Pa r.-I ~· ar a . T he for mer ~taru w irh
Asvint , wh ile the sag~ wit h K r tt ika. Accord ing to. the S age Krttika
ho ld ing Sa turn would afflict among ot hers the Snr a sen as, women
and brewe rs. In R ohi'l i he troubles th e people of Anga a nd
Saturn's Count X 119

maidens a s we ll . I n Punaroasu he affli cts widows in addition. I n

plJ fy a he trou bles those who are in charge of weigh ts and mea sure s,
me ssenger s and sea-farin g p eople a lso. In M agha he h a rm s in
add iti on oi lme n , physicians ( Vatdves instead of Vaisyas gi ven
by V e rzhemihira}, the D ar adas and artisans. In Uttaraphalgur.l
the q ueen, her child re n, sesamum , and the people of KUrcaghara
and Da rse a re also affected. Unde r H asta washermen al so are
mentioned. U nde r ViSi!kha yellow Bowe rs a s well as war-mongers
t oo ar e affected. U nde r ~'ra va1J.a Agnidda also is a ffect ed . In
Dhani f /hil he a fflicts lords of wealt h. O ur aut hor gives only good
effects under this star.
In Satabhifaj those who live by harlot s, robber s and heretics
arc a lso a fflicted, but not poets and politician s. I n Pilrvo/JrOffnapadl1
th e people of Dravid a , Keruar e , Cola , PaJ;lc)ya a nd Simhal a countries
as well as the residents of M ahendra nagara a re afflicte d. I n Uuara-
bhadrapadl1 pulse s a nd those who a re in ch ar ge of r ivers are harmed .
T o wa rds th e end of th e ch ap te r h e changes the m etr e and
t he fo llow ing th ree ve r ses are in three d iffe re nt m etr es. In the
next ver se the author d iscu sse s the effects of the m utua l positions
of J u p iter a nd Sa tu rn .]

q;n f~TT"'l'§ ~iif1f'i"51r ,!flR ~ T~)i~~~lfTtl: I

fT'lfT !t:i(T~Tl:f"q)sffltl")~: itJ:l~ ~)~i:t1r;, u ~ til
When Jupiter t enants the sta r ViSiikhii and Saturn K r tt ikll,
ther e will be dreadful unrest and vi olence among the subjects; a nd
when these two pla net s occ u py one and th e sam e constellat ion. th e
capital will be storm ed.
[e f. '1U lftt -

'l'm.:r~ <T'' ' ' ",m..,~ ~""f"

f~':IGl ff~ T .qR: ~'lTP~lt) ~ ~ II
I

tzoF ife1 '3flrffi m ~?t ~l'TT'af~ 1

'l;f""...qrilJ~~ ;;r T<fr<:fffi~T ~Wr'Hr~ "r~ II
Similarly the conjunc tion of Sa tu rn a nd Jupiter (wh ich is called
'lli'lOSVfftittT in ast rology) in the dual R iisis is considered h arm ful.
See what ~ -(" sa ys:
tr'r.r <r2f1i Ofi;:>.:rm fl1 ~~ ~ ~1'! : 1iTf;:r: I
f('fli~r Wl T qro::: SPTl;:rf1l ~) ~ ':t. II
The m etre of th e verse is ~.]
120 Brhat Samhi ta

,,~ <f""" .r.r",,: 'J~r. '"""'t..: I

1Ilf::tqqltf " (!fd'!1~1 ~1'"",.p~ 1I~1l1l
If Saturn should ap pear with many colours, h e would destroy
b ird s (or fishes); if h e b e possessed of yellowish rays, he would
cause the threat of fam ine (or famine and fear); if h e be b lood-red,
there would be war; and if be b e ash-coloured (Le. grey), all th e
subjects would r ise in revolt in a dangerous way .
[Cr. qum:
o:ihw'Rr: t.!,it 1 ~Cf~f"4f"'''l qoj: ~"lI~S1J~<1~QT I ~fCf­
",,""""1 'l'fo I
The metre is J:Ta'li'.]

~rl..n..r""",: ll""- I
iI1'(!rid~!"q<toir..'l~ m~:
ri ~fq' ~~~Cf affiCl~lf,\
i(.m.m: .... mrff ~","'W 11,111
Saturn b ecom es auspicious and beneficial to peo ple, if h e is
possessed of th e b right lustre of Valdarya gem ( Lapit lazuli or
beryl); so is h e if h e r esembles in colour eithe r th e B'!t:la flower
(wh ich is jet bl ack) or th e Atast Hower (wh ich is deep b lue).
what ever colou r-white, Ted, yellow or black-he attains, he will
destr oy the cor respondi ng class of p eop le. in the opini on of th e
Sages such as Carga.
[The colours assigned to the foul' classes. BrIDlmaJ:las. Ksa-
triyas , VaiSyas and Sudras, are respecti.vely white , red, yellow and
black . Cf. rm-
~q~~ lf~ ro~':fI <jI(i~Sl~ I
!TlIT~ lWll"iit l:!"W""l n'1 tl t'i ~ II
and qt:llll;-

'IT,,!' !W«'s>r,r: 00" f,",\mf'! : '"""': I

l:I"11i'NR Sl'«~ i'Jer.m~ ~ II
The metre (If th e verse is ~a'I;JIfi'T.]