BPHS : Which Edition is Reliable ?

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Members,

 

BPHS is the most comprehensive and reliable textbook of Vedic Phalita

Jyotisha (only fragments of Jaimini's book have survived). But few users

know that almost all the popular editions of BPHS are based on some

spurious version published by Sitaram Jha, a professor at Sampoornanand

Sanskrit University (then a college). He procured a manuscript from Pt

Jeevanath Jha via Pt Kashinath Jha and added some portions related to

Samhitaa which are actually not a part of Horashaastra, thus inflating

the book to 97 chapters. Some later editors added some more kmaginary

chapters.

 

The editorial of earliest of all these editions(ie, by sitaram Jha, 1946

AD) includes a virulent attack on a Bombay Edition by Shri Venkateshwar

Press of Khemraaj Ji, which is one of the most authentic sources of

ancient books. Later, Venkateshwar Edition answered these charges with

convincing proofs, which Sitaram Jha never answered. Yet, all later

editions of BPHS continued the tradition started by Sitaram Jha and

published spurious chapters, just to show that their edition includes

more chapters !!

 

Still, Sitaram Jha's edition contains only 4001 verses in its 97

chapters, while Venkateshwar Edition contains 5781 verses in 71

chapters. The latter lacks many chapters which are not part of

Horaashaastra. Sitaram Jha acknowledged that he added these non-Hora

chapters in BPHS. Yet all later editors joined this rat race of

inflating BPHS by adding newly invented chapters.

 

I request interested members to compare Venkateshwar Edition with other

editions before reaching at any firm comclusion. Nearly half of 5781

verses of Venkateshwar Edition were deleted by Sitaram Jha and the

latter introduced a large number of verses from unnamed sources which

are part of Samhitaa and not of Horashaastra acoording to himself.

 

Presently, I am residing in the guest house of Sampoornanand Sanskrit

University and I am also teaching the sudents at its Jyotisha classes (I

do not take any salary) as long as I reside in Kashi. I am discussing

this issue with all notable Jyotishis of Kashi and I am also consulting

manuscript collections in variopus universities. It will take some time

before we arrive at any firm conclusion.

 

BPHS was known to ancient astrologers, but was available to only a few

of them, just because of lack of printing press & c.

 

Editions by GC Sharma, Santhanam and internet version (from Maharshi

Mahesh Yogi university library) are based on Sitaram Jha's edition.

Hindi commentaries from Chowkhambha (by Devachandra Jha) and Thakur

Prasad (by GD Pathak) differ in a large nuimber of cases. Venkateshwar

Edition contains 1780 additional verses which need to be examined.

 

I hope members will help me in collecting all editions and manuscripts

in the project of a new critical edition of BPHS.

 

-Vinay Jha

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