Varāhamihira

Varahamihira wrote the Brihat samhita, an influential encyclopedic text in Sanskrit. This text exists in many
Indian scripts, and was copied, preserved in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist temples and monasteries.

Varāhamihira (c. 505 - c. 587),[1] also called Varāha or Mihira,

Varāhamihira
was a Hindu astronomer and polymath who lived in Ujjain (Madhya
Pradesh, India). He was born in the Avanti region, roughly Born 505 CE
corresponding to modern-day Malwa (part of Madhya Pradesh, Ujjain
India), to Adityadasa. According to one of his own works, he was Died 587
educated at Kapitthaka.[2] The Indian tradition believes him to be one Ujjain
of the "Nine Jewels" (Navaratnas) of the court of ruler Yashodharman Period Gupta era
Vikramaditya of Malwa.[3][4] However, this claim appears for the first
Subject Encyclopedia
time in a much later text and scholars consider this claim to be
doubtful because neither Varahamihira and Vikramaditya lived in the Notable Pancha-Siddhāntikā,
works Brihat-Samhita, Brihat
same century nor did Varahamihira live in the same century as some
of the other names in the "nine jewels" list such as the much older Jataka
Kalidasa.[5]

Varāhamihira's most notable work was Brihat Samhita, an encyclopedic[6] work on architecture, temples,
planetary motions, eclipses, timekeeping, astrology, seasons, cloud formation, rainfall, agriculture,
mathematics, gemology, perfumes and many other topics.[7][8][9] According to Varahamihira, in some verses
he was merely summarizing earlier existing literature on astronomy, Shilpa Sastra and temple architecture, yet
his presentation of different theories and models of design are among the earliest texts that have
survived.[10][11] The chapters of the Brihat Samhita and verses of Varahamihira were quoted by the Persian
traveler and scholar Al Biruni.[12]

Varāhamihira is also credited with writing several authoritative texts on astronomy and astrology. He learned
the Greek language, and praised the Greeks (Yavanas) in his text for being "well trained in the sciences".
Some scholars consider him to be the strong candidate as the one who understood and introduced the zodiac
signs, predictive calculations for auspicious ceremonies and astrological computations to the Indian
subcontinent from the Greek literature.[13][14][15]
Contents
Works
Pancha-Siddhantika
Brihat-Samhita
On Astrology
Influences
Contributions
Trigonometry
Combinatorics
Optics
See also
Notes
References
External links

Works

Pancha-Siddhantika

Varahamihira's main work is the book Pañcasiddhāntikā ("[Treatise] on the Five [Astronomical] Canons")
dated ca. 575 CE, which gives us information about older Indian texts which are now lost. The work is a
treatise on mathematical astronomy and it summarises five earlier astronomical treatises by five authors,
namely the Surya Siddhanta, Romaka Siddhanta, Paulisa Siddhanta, Vasishtha Siddhanta and Paitamaha
Siddhanta. It is a compendium of Vedanga Jyotisha as well as Hellenistic astronomy (including Greek,
Egyptian and Roman elements).[a] Varahamihira was the first one to mention that the ayanamsa, or the shifting
of the equinox is 50.32 seconds.

They [the Indians] have 5 Siddhāntas:

Sūrya-Siddhānta, the siddhānta of the Sun, thought to be composed by Lāṭadeva, but
actually composed by Mayasura also known as Mamuni Mayan as stated in the text itself.
Vasishtha-siddhānta, so called from one of the stars of the Great Bear, composed by
Vishnucandra,
Paulisa-siddhānta, so called from Paulisa, the Greek, from the city of Saintra, which is
supposed to be Alexandria, composed by Paulisa.
Romaka-siddhānta, so called from the Rūm, ie. the subjects of the Roman Empire,
composed by Śrīsheṇa.
Paitahama-siddhānta.

Brihat-Samhita

Another important contribution of Varahamihira is the encyclopedic Brihat-Samhita. Although the book is
mostly about divination, it also includes a wide range of subjects other than divination. It covers wide-ranging
subjects of human interest, including astronomy, planetary movements, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture,
growth of crops, manufacture of perfume, matrimony, domestic relations, gems, pearls, and rituals. The
volume expounds on gemstone evaluation criterion found in the Garuda Purana, and elaborates on the sacred
Nine Pearls from the same text. It contains 106 chapters and is known as the "great compilation".

On Astrology

Hora shastra or Brihadjathaka is a most acclaimed

astrological work by Mihira. It is mostly in code language.
More than a dozen commentaries have been written for this
work. The Kerala School of Astrology is mainly based on
Brihadjathaka.

His son Prithuyasas also contributed to Hindu astrology; his

book Hora Sara is a famous book on horoscopy. Khana
(also named Lilavati elsewhere), the medieval Bengali poet
astrologer, is believed to be the daughter-in-law of
Varahamihira.
Influences
Varahamihira's Brihajjataka is a Sanskrit text
on predictive astrology based on the Vedic
Astrology system. The above manuscript was
copied in Nepal in 1399 CE in the Nepalaksara
script, and is now in the Cambridge University
Library.

The Romaka Siddhanta ("Doctrine of the Romans") and the

Paulisa Siddhanta were two works of Western origin which influenced Varahamihira's thought. Paulisa
Siddhanta is often mistakenly thought to be a single work and attributed to Paul of Alexandria (c. 378 CE).[17]
However, this notion has been rejected by other scholars in the field, notably by David Pingree who stated that
"...the identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Pauliśa Siddhānta is totally false".[18]
Number of his writings share similarities with the earlier texts like Vedanga Jyotisha.[19]

A comment in the Brihat-Samhita, quoting Garga, an earlier astronomer, says: "The Greeks, though
barbaric,[20] must be honored since they have shown tremendous interest in our science....." ("mleccha hi
yavanah tesu samyak shastram kdamsthitam/ rsivat te 'p i pujyante kim punar daivavid dvijah" (Brihat-Samhita
2.15)).

Contributions

Trigonometry

Varahamihira improved the accuracy of the sine tables of Aryabhata.

Combinatorics

He was among the first mathematicians to discover a version of what is now known as the Pascal's triangle.
He used it to calculate the binomial coefficients.[21][22][2] He also records the first known 4×4 magic square.

Optics

Among Varahamihira's contribution to physics is his statement that reflection is caused by the back-scattering
of particles and refraction (the change of direction of a light ray as it moves from one medium into another) by
the ability of the particles to penetrate inner spaces of the material, much like fluids that move through porous
objects.[21]

See also
Hora Sara
List of Indian mathematicians

Notes
a. The Pañca-siddhāntikā ("Five Treatises"), a compendium of Greek, Egyptian, Roman and
Indian astronomy. Varāhamihira's knowledge of Western astronomy was thorough. In 5
sections, his monumental work progresses through native Indian astronomy and culminates in
2 treatises on Western astronomy, showing calculations based on Greek and Alexandrian
reckoning and even giving complete Ptolemaic mathematical charts and tables.[16]

References
1. Brian Evans (24 February 2014). The Development of Mathematics Throughout the Centuries:
A Brief History in a Cultural Context (https://books.google.com/books?id=3CPwAgAAQBAJ&pg
=PT61). John Wiley & Sons. p. 61. ISBN 978-1118853979. "Varahamihira, a mathematician
born around 505 CE and died 587 CE, who was also known for innovation with Pascal's
triangle."
2. O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Varāhamihira" (http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.a
c.uk/Biographies/Varahamihira.html), MacTutor History of Mathematics archive, University of St
Andrews.
3. History of Indian Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. 2008. p. 46.
4. Ram Gopal (1984). Kālidāsa: His Art and Culture. Concept Publishing Company. p. 15.
5. Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature (https://books.google.com/books?id=ql0BmI
nD1c4C). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 45–47. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.
6. Ariel Glucklich (2008). The Strides of Vishnu: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective (https://bo
oks.google.com/books?id=KtLScrjrWiAC). Oxford University Press. pp. 10, 123–126.
ISBN 978-0-19-971825-2., Quote: "[...] the new temples and inconography, the science of
architecture, the enormous encyclopedia the Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira [...]"
7. Ivor Grattan-Guinness (2016). Companion Encyclopedia of the History and Philosophy of the
Mathematical Sciences: Volume Two (https://books.google.com/books?id=ZptYDwAAQBAJ).
Taylor & Francis. pp. 954–956. ISBN 978-1-134-88832-0.
8. Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=7VR8iriWmzUC&pg=PA960). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 549–561, 737–738,
874–876. ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.
9. Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 1 (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=y_c7atbRFDQC). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 1–19. ISBN 978-81-208-
1060-0.
10. Michael Meister (2003). Gudrun Bühnemann (ed.). Maònòdalas and Yantras in the Hindu
Traditions (https://books.google.com/books?id=kQf2m8VaC_oC). BRILL Academic. pp. 251–
260. ISBN 90-04-12902-2.
11. T. A. Gopinatha Rao (1985). Elements of Hindu Iconography (https://books.google.com/books?i
d=MJD-KresBwIC). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 25, 58–59. ISBN 978-81-208-0878-2.
12. Varahamihira; M Ramakrishna Bhat (1996). Brhat Samhita of Varahamihira, Part 2 (https://book
s.google.com/books?id=7VR8iriWmzUC&pg=PA960). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 960–961.
ISBN 978-81-208-1060-0.
13. Moriz Winternitz (1985). History of Indian Literature (https://books.google.com/books?id=ql0BmI
nD1c4C). Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 685–697. ISBN 978-81-208-0056-4.
14. David Pingree (1963), Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2
28540), Isis, Vol. 54, No. 2, University of Chicago Press, pp. 229-246
15. Sarma, K. V. (2008). "Varāhamihira". In Helaine Selin (ed.). Encyclopaedia of the History of
Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures (https://archive.org/details/encycl
opaediahis00seli). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. pp. 2184 (https://archive.org/details/encycl
opaediahis00seli/page/n2193)–2185. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-4425-0_9604 (https://doi.org/10.
1007%2F978-1-4020-4425-0_9604). ISBN 978-1-4020-4559-2.
16. "Varahamihira" (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9074832/Varahamihira). Encyclopædia
Britannica. 2007.
17. McEvilley, Thomas (November 2001). The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in
Greek and Indian Philosophies. Allworth Press. p. 385. ISBN 978-1-58115-203-6.
18. Pingree, David (1978). The Yavanajātaka of Sphujidhvaja. Harvard Oriental Series. Vol. 2.
pp. 437–438.
Pingree, David (1969). The Later Pauliśa Siddhānta. Centaurus 14. pp. 172–241.
19. Velandai Gopala Aiyer. The chronology of ancient India: beginning of the Sat Yuga, Dwaper,
Treta, and Kali Yuga with date of Mahabharata. Sanjay Prakashan. p. 63.
20. Monier-Williams. "Definition of ले " (http://www.sanskritdictionary.com/?iencoding=iast&q=
ले &lang=sans). Sanskrit Dictionary.
21. "Varahamihira" (http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/le
cture14/varahamihira.html). Science, Civilization and Society.
22. "History of Mathematics in India" (http://www.archaeologyonline.net/artifacts/history-mathematic
s.html). Archaeology Online. 29 April 2014.

External links
The Brihat-samhita; complete translation by N. Chidambaram Iyer (https://www.wisdomlib.org/h
induism/book/brihat-samhita) Online edition with glossary
Pancasiddhantika, Brihat Jataka, Brihat Samhita and Hora Shastra (http://www.wilbourhall.org/i
ndex.html#panca) Various editions in English and Sanskrit. (PDF)
The Brihat Jataka (1905) (https://archive.org/details/brihatjataka00varaiala) Pdf edition internet
archive

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Varāhamihira&oldid=983988720"

This page was last edited on 17 October 2020, at 13:57 (UTC).

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this
site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.