varaha mihira

April 17, 2009

Dear Kishoreji,

- http://www.aryabhatta.net/Varahamihira.html

Tradition says that Varaha's daughter-in-law Khona was a girl from Bengal / Assam (Pragjyotishpur). There is a good possibility that Varaha himself was from Bengal / Assam (Pragjyotishpur).

Secondly I find it difficult to agree with the calculations as the the first point in Ashwini for equinoctal consideration is 13 degree and not 1 degree.

Regards,

Sunil K. Bhattacharjya

--- On Thu, 4/16/09, kishore patnaik <kishorepatnaik09 wrote:

kishore patnaik <kishorepatnaik09 varaha mihira - http://www.aryabhatta.net/Varahamihira.htmlTo: "" , "indiaarchaeology" <IndiaArchaeology >, , Vedic Astrology-Hyderabad Date: Thursday, April 16, 2009, 8:04 AM

VarahamihiraAryabhatta is said to have discovered the diurnal motion of the earth' which he thought to be spherical. I leave the explanation of these scientific matters to those who are making scientific investigations of Hindu Astronomy. But one thing is certain that it was about this time that the old Krttika series of asterisms was discarded and the new series commencing from the 1st point of Asvini was adopted. The first point of ASvini recedes one degree or by one day in 73 years and it has receded twenty days now giving a total of twenty into seventy-three (20 X 73) that is, 1460 years. The point was on the equinoctial circle on the first day of Vaisakha and now it is on the 10th of Ohaitra. So the point was seen there 1460 years ago, that is, 1921-1460 that is 461 A.D. This is only an approximate calculation. If accurate

calculation is made it will fall within the active period of Aryabhata's life. Aryabhatta had many students and his next successor Lalla was one of his pupils and some say Varahamihira, too, was his pupil. Aryabhatta had another celebrated astronomer as his contemporary. This was Varahamihira. In his Vrhajja- taka in the 26th chapter, he says that he was son of Adityadasa, that he was an Avantaka, that he received his knowledge from his father and that he obtained a book from the Sun-God at Kampillaka or Kapitthaka. Bhattotpala tells us that he was a Migadha dvija. Some say that he was a Magadvija, i.e., one of the Magii long settled in India. From all this the late Pandit Sudhakara Dvivedi in his Ganakatarangiui infers that it is not impossible that Varaha was a Magadha Brahmin. He might have gone to Ujjain for livelihood He studied with his father at his own house in Magadha and also studied the works of Aryabhatta there, he travelled to make himself known, he worshipped Sun-God at Kampillaka (Kalpi) and obtained a book from him. I

acquired a manuscript of his son's work Prthuyasah-Sastra at Samkhu the northernmost part of the Nepal valley, the opening verse of which says that the son Varahamihira asked his father some questions while he was residing at the beautiful city of Kanyakubja on the Ganges. Varaha might have retired to Kanyakubja in his old age to be on the Ganges and there imparted his knowledge to his son Prthuyasah. Amaraja, the commentator of Khandanakhandakhady a says that Varahamihira died in the Saka year 509 that is 587 A.D. Some people think that Varaha wrote his Panca-Siddhantika in 505 A.D. that is Saka 4:27. But this is impossible if we are to believe Amaraja. Varaha would then be only 18. Therefore Dr Thibaut after carefully considering all the facts of the case thinks that 427 Saka was the date when Lalla revised the Romaka-Siddhanta and that the Panca-SiddhSnta was composed about 550 A.D. So Varahamihira was a later contemporary and perhaps a

student of Aryabhata. The Ganakatarangiui has given a list of Varahaâ€™s works and thinks that the Vrhat-Saipbita is his last work. It is an Eucyclopoedic work. It treats not only of Astronomy and Astrology but of such subjects as gardening, agriculture, sculpture, strilak^ana, purusalakgana and so on. This great work is the Pafica-Sidhantta in which he gives a summary of all the Sidhantas current in his time. They are five in number Paulisa, Romaka. VaSi^tha, Paitamaha and Sur.yyasiddhaata. Varaha says that of these five PmiliSa and Roraaka have been explained by Latadeva. The Siddhanta made by PauliSa is accurate. Near to it stands the Siddhanta proclaimed by Romaka, more accurate is the Savitra (Saura) and the two remaining are far from the truth. Kern says that the third Skandha of Jyotisa "'namely, its Jataka section has been borrowed from the Yavanas

or Greeks. This is a fact. The Yavana-Jataka of Yavan & caryya is still regarded as an authoritative work on the subject and there are other works like Miuaraja Jataka also taken from the Yavanas. I found in Nepal a manuscript of a Yavana-Jataka written in the character of the tenth century oa palm-leaf which contains the following statement at the end.

April 17, 2009

Dear Sunil ji, and

Chakraborty ji,

These are all good pointers. I always wondered that from where,

from which tradition, Mihira collected all this astrological

information. The only sources I could think of were -

* Gujrat: The Abhira like tribes and their knowledge; The Zorashtrian

knowledge that came from Iran to Gujrat; The rudiments or continuation of

Sindhu-Saraswati and Malva-Ujjan cultural heritage present in near Ujjain Malva

region (parts of Gujrat/MP/Rajastan). The whole culture might had some ancient

Saiva or Tantric connection.

* Kamboj culture that flowed down to Assam (or vice versa from

Assam Pragjyotishpur to Kamboj in central Asia): This seems to be an

ancient seat of Jyotish and tantric cult. If Mihira had any connection with this

region, cult, then it is definitely possible that he assimilated this knowledge

from this region, culture.

* Kalinga (Origssa): This is the ancient seat of Siva culture and

later that of Jain culture. Even ancient Kamboj culture and knowledge

flowed through the east from Assam to Orissa to AP. If Mihira had some strong

connection with Kalinga, it is defenitly possible that he collected his

knowledge from these non-vedic cults.

* South Karnataka/Kerala (Satavahana kingdom): This again is

again somehow connected with the Kamboj culture. But this could be one of the

least possibilities. Even though Aryabhata was from Kerala and all this

knowledge was available in Kerala as well at that period of time, it seems to

be less possible that Mihira collected these knowledge from the south. Form the

ancient writings available in Kerala it seems that the ancient astrological

knowledge available in Kerala came from Gujrat and Baroda region. Yes - it is

also possible that there was some common Gujrat region connection to both ancient

Kerala knowledge as well as knowledge collected and presented by Mihira.

But I do see a common thread of non-vedic Tantric culture and

connection in all of the above four possibilities. It is rather a feeling

I get based on the scattered references and knowledge bits I find here and

there in ancient astrological literature and references. Narrowing down

the possibility to a single location would be difficult for me as of now. But I

definitely appreciate any such efforts.

Love and regards,

Sreenadh , "Chakraborty, PL" <CHAKRABORTYP2 wrote:>> Dear Sunil-ji,> > Khona / Khana is very well known in Eastern part of India. And somehow> Bengal / Orissa / Assam puts claim ownership over her.> > In Bengal, somewhere near Midnapore, there are mounds known as > Khanaar Dhipi (Dhipi - mound). The legend says that pithy sayings> by Khanaa (Known as Khanaar Vachan) can never be wrong. Probably> a 'Mihire-er Dhipi' also exists side by side. > > regards> > Chakraborty> > > > > Sunil Bhattacharjya [sunil_bhattacharjya]> Friday, April 17, 2009 4:53 AM> > Cc: indiaarchaeology; > Re: varaha mihira> > Dear Kishoreji,> > - http://www.aryabhatta.net/Varahamihira.html > Tradition says that Varaha's daughter-in-law Khona was a girl from Bengal /> Assam (Pragjyotishpur). There is a good possibility that Varaha himself was> from Bengal / Assam (Pragjyotishpur).> > Secondly I find it difficult to agree with the calculations as the the first> point in Ashwini for equinoctal consideration is 13 degree and not 1> degree.> > Regards,> > Sunil K. Bhattacharjya>