II Indian astrology
athātaḥ sāṃvatsarasūtraṃ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ || 0(a) ||
tatra sāṃvatsaro'bhijātaḥ priyadarśano vinītaveṣaḥ satyavāganasūyakaḥ samaḥ
susaṃhitopacitagātrasandhiravikalaścārukaracaraṇanakhanayanacibukadaśanaśravaṇalalāṭabhrūttamāṅgo
vapuṣmān gambhīrodāttaghoṣaḥ | prāyaḥ śarīrākārānuvarttino hi guṇā doṣāśca
bhavanti || 0(b) ||
A Jyotiṣa is one who is versed in Brihat Saṁhita, Astronomy and Horoscopy.
1-6. We shall now proceed to give a brief description of (the
qualifications of) a Jyotiṣaka. He must be of noble birth and of agreeable
appearance; meek, truthful and without jealousy; of proportional limbs; of
joints well built and of good growth; have no physical defects; be of fine
hands, feet, nails, eyes, chin, teeth, ears, forehead, eye-brows and head;
of fine physique and of high, sonorous voice.
Generally speaking, do not virtues and vices follow the body?
The Virtues:—He must be of cleanly habits, able, noble-minded, eloquent and
of originality and imagination; must possess a knowledge of place and time;
be meek and without nervousness, must be difficult of conquest by his
fellow students; must be able and devoid of vices; must be learned in
matters of expiatory ceremonies, of Hygiene, of Occult Magic and of
ablutions; must be a worshipper of the Devas and an observer of fast and
penance; must be of remarkable genius and capable of solving any
difficulties save in matters of direct divine interference; and finally, he
must be learned in astronomy, natural astrology (Saṃhitā) and horoscopy.
In Astronomy:—He must have studied the works of Pauliśa, Romaka, Vasiṣṭha,
Sūrya and Pitāmaha; he must have a correct, knowledge of a Yuga (43,20,000
Solar years), Varṣa (a solar year), Āyana (6 solar months), Ruthu (2 solar
months), Māsa (a solar month), Pakṣa (15 solar days), Ahorātra (a solar
day), Yama (one-eighth of a solar day), Muhūrtha (one-thirtieth of a solar
day), Nāḍī (one-sixtieth of a solar day or 24 minutes), Vināḍi (one
sixtieth of a Nadi or 24 seconds), Prāṇa (4 seconds) Truṭi (33, 75th of a
second) and parts of a Truṭi and other divisions of time and also of
divisions of space.
He must have a clear knowledge of the causes of Solar, Savana, Siderial and
Lunar months as well as of intercalary lunations and intercalary days.
He must have a knowledge of the beginning and end of Śaṣṭyābda (a cycle of
60 years) [Ṣaṣṭyabda?], a Yuga (5 years), Varṣa (a year), Māsa (a month),
Thina (a day) and Horā (an hour) and of their lords.[1]
He must know the solar and other divisions of time, their similarity and
dissimilarity and must be capable of propounding the fitness or unfitness
of each for particular purposes: these divisions of time are—of Man, of
Devas, of Jupiter, of Pitṛs, of Star (Siderial). of the Sun (Solar), of the
Moon (Lunar), of the Earth (Terrestrial) and of Brahmā.
If the methods of calculation given in the five Astronomical works
mentioned above should produce different results he must be able to
calculate correctly the places of the sun and planets by actual observation
(by means of shadow and water level and with the help of astronomical
instruments) of the termination of their āyana (northward and southward
course), of their being due east to the observer after rising and of their
altitude at any time.
He must know the reason for the correction required for the conversion of
the heliocentric into geocentric longitude and vice versa; the causes of
the āyana of the sun and planets and of their slow and rapid movements at
different times.
In solar and lunar eclipses, he must be able to calculate the times of the
commencement and end of the eclipses, the places of first and last contact,
the magnitude and duration of the eclipse; in total eclipses, he must be
able to calculate the time between middle eclipse and the beginning or end
of total phase, (this period being technically known as Vimarda). He must
also know the colour of the eclipsed lunar disc. He must be able to
calculate before hand the times of the Moon’s conjunction with the planets
as well as of planetary conjunctions.
He must know the length, in yojana (5 miles), of the daily motion of each
planet in its orbit and of the orbit itself, and generally the length, in
yojanas in every ease.
He must know the Earth’s revolution round the sun and its rotation round
its axis; its shape, size and the like; the latitude of a place and its
complement; the nature of the hour circle; the cāra dala kāla [the
difference between six hours and half a day], the times of the rising of
the Zodiacal signs. He must also be able to calculate time from shadow and
shadow from time and to convert longitude into right ascension and right
ascension into longitude.
He must be able to meet objections and questions in clear and distinct
language and must be capable of explaining the science in its purity in
just the same way as separating the pure gold [from all dross] and making
it capable of retaining its value when submitted to the touch stone, to the
fire and to the hammer.
How can one, who is incapable of entrapping others with a hard question or
of answering any that is put to himself or of explaining his views to his
students, expect to become an astronomer?
The fool whose exposition is at variance with the text and whose
illustration is opposed to such exposition is not unlike one who addressing
Brahmā as Pārvatī (Goddess) begins his praise by recounting the vices of a
prostitute.
The predictions of one, who knows astronomy well, who is able to calculate
the exact Lagna with such helps as the shadow, water and astronomical
instruments and who is well-versed in horoscopy will never fail.
Viṣṇugupta says—“Flying with the speed of the wind, one might find it
possible to cross to the ocean’s opposite shore; but a non-Ṛṣi can never,
even mentally, reach the opposite shore of the vast ocean of
Jvotiṣa-śāstra.”
And in horoscopy, the Jyotiṣaka must know such divisions of
space as rāśi (a sign of Zodiac or a space of 30°), horā (15° or half a
sign), drekkana (10° or one third of a sign), navam saka (3° 20' or
one-ninth of a sign), dvādaśāṃśaka (2° 30' or one twelfth of a sign),
triṃśāṃśaka (one-thirtieth of a sign), and their strength or weakness
considered
horoscopically; he must know the horoscopic strength of the planets with
respect to their Dik (direction), Sthāna (place), Kāla, (time) Ceṭā
(motions, conjunctions and the like).
He must know the temperament of the planets; the parts of the body lorded
over by each; the mineral division of each; the caste, sex and authority of
each and the like; he must be able to state, from the time of conception or
birth of a person, particulars connected with these occasions so as to
insure belief; he must be able to say in what cases a child will die in
infancy, and to calculate the period of one’s existence; he must be able to
divide one’s life into planetary divisions and sub-divisions; he must be
able to use the Aṣṭakavarga tables to a given horoscope. He must know how
the several Raja, Candra, Dvigraha, and Nabhasa yogas affect the fortunes
of men. He must also know how the fortunes of men are affected by the
position and look of planets. He must be able to calculate the cause of
one’s death and discover his future life.
He must be able to discover auspicious periods for marriages and the like.
In Yātrā, he must know the fitness or unfitness of a Tithi (lunar day),
Vāra (week day), Karaṇa, Nakṣatra, Muhūrta, and Lagna (a sign of zodiac)
and Yoga for particular purposes. He must be able to interpret natural
gestures and dreams; he must be able to state when a prince ought to start
for battle to secure success in war; he must be learned in rules relating
to ablutions and sacred fire ceremonies in honour of the planets and
offerings to evil spirits; he must be able to interpret phenomena connected
with such sacred fires and with elephants and horses while mounting the
same.
He must be able to interpret the language and gestures of fighting men and
the like; he must be learned in the Ṣaḍguṇa and Upāya policies; he must be
able to predict the success or failure of an undertaking; he must be able
to interpret omens; he must have a knowledge of favourable halting places
for the king’s army; he must be able to interpret the colour of ceremonial
fires; he must know when to employ the ministers, spies, messengers and
forest men; he must be able to give directions touching the captures of the
enemy’s fortress.
On all the above subjects, works of learned men exist. The predictions of
one to whom the truths of the science appear as if spread before his eyes,
written on his mind and planted in his breast will never fail.
A true Astrologer is also one who has thoroughly mastered the Science of
Brhat Saṃhitā.
It treats of the motions of the sun and planets; of their size, color,
rays, brilliancy and shape and changes in the same of their disappearance
and re-appearance; of their courses and deviations therefrom; of their
retrograde and retrograde motions; of their conjunction with the stars and
of their places among the stars and the like.
It treats of the effects of agastya cara and saptaṛṣi ca on particular
parts of India, corresponding to particular portions of the ecliptic; of
the stellar divisions of every substance, animal and plant, and of their
increase or decrease according to the motion of the planets among the
stars; of the formation and interpretation of various figures presented by
the planets when meeting together; of planetary conjunctions; of planetary
years; of monsoonish indications of the weather; of the moon’s conjunction
with Rohini (5th constellation), Svāti (15th constellation) and the two
Āṣāḍhas (20th and 21st constellations), on particular week days of the
month of Āṣāḍha and of predicting the nature of the coming weather and
crops from the same.
It treats of the prediction of immediate rain from surrounding phenomena;
of judging the nature of the future crops from the growth of plants and
flowers; of the halos round the sun and moon; of lines of clouds crossing
the solar disc at rising and setting; of the winds; of meteoric falls; of
false fires; of earthquakes; of the red sky immediately before sunrise and
after sunset; of the fanciful shapes of clouds; of dust storms; of
thunderbolts; of the price of food grains; of gardening.
It treats of Indradhvaja of the rainbow and of architecture; of the
prediction of events from casual words and gestures and from the cawing of
crows; of the formation of zodiacal circles for purposes of horary
astrology.
It treats of the prediction of future events from phenomena connected with
the deer, the dog and the motions of the wind; of the construction of
temples, towers and palaces; of the casting of images and of founding the
same; of the growth of plants and trees; of under currents; of certain
annual ceremonies to be performed by princes for success in war.
It also treats of the prediction of events from the flight of the kañjana
(a small black bird—the gracular religiosa) and from the appearance of
various abnormal phenomena, of expiatory ceremonies; of miscellaneous
planetary phenomena; of ghṛta kambala; of the royal sword; of paṭa;[18] of
the features of a house cock, a cow, a sheep, a horse, an elephant, a man
and a woman.
It also treats of the treatment of women; of moles in the body; of injuries
to shoes and clothes; of hairy fans; of walking sticks: of beds and seats;
of lamplight; of tooth brush and the like.
Generally, the determination of the fortunes of men and princes depends on
matters enumerated above and changing every moment. It therefore behoves a
prince to employ astrologers solely upon this work. As it is impossible for
a single astrologer to observe and determine all the phenomena occurring
day and night, the task must be assigned to four competent and well-paid
astrologers; one of them is to observe the east and south-east; another the
south and south-west; a third the west and north-west; and the fourth the
north and north-east. The fall of meteors and the like is sudden in its
nature and the determination of one’s fortunes depends on the shape,
colour, gloss, size and the like of these falling bodies and upon how they
approach or cross planets and stars.
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K RAJARAM IRS 3 4 25
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