Indian · c. 6th century CE
Bṛhat Saṃhitā, ch. 6: the course of Mars
Bhauma-cāra
This omen chapter classifies Mars's retrograde motion (vakra) into five kinds, Uṣṇa, Aśrumukha, Vyāla, Rudhirānana and Asimusala, by counting constellations (nakṣatras) from the one where Mars reappears after being hidden near the Sun, and gives an omen for each. If Mars begins to retrograde from the 15th or 16th, 'mankind will be afflicted with disease in the face and with various fears' (Iyer's translation).
- Author
- Varāhamihira
- Date
- c. 6th century CE
- Original language
- Sanskrit
- Key term
- vakra (retrograde)
- Kind
- Astrological
- Planets
- Mars
Editions
2 editions.
| Year | Edition | © |
|---|---|---|
| 1865 | Kern, H. (ed.). The Bṛhat Sañhitá of Varáha-mihira. Bibliotheca Indica. Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1865 (Sanskrit text). | PD |
| 1884 | Chidambaram Iyer, N. (trans.). The Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira. Madura: South Indian Press, 1884. | PD |
Read it
No digitised copy known.
No digitised copy known. The editions above are the way in.
Myths we don’t repeat
Checked, and left out.
- Myth 01
Not Varāhamihira's teaching: the claim that retrograde planets are 'three times stronger' is later and modern.
References
Also on the Asia, Islam and medieval Europe shelf
| Date | Source | Planets | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| c. 100–90 BCE | Shiji, Treatise on the Celestial OfficesSima QianAstrological | Ma Ju | Astrological |
| System c. 1st century BCE – early 1st century CE; Hanshu compiled c. 58–111 CE | Santong li: the Five StepsLiu XinMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| compiled c. 58–111 CE | Hanshu, Treatise on Celestial PatternsBan GuAstrological | Ve Ma | Astrological |
| 499 CE | ĀryabhaṭīyaĀryabhaṭaMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| c. 900 CE (observations 877–918) | al-Zīj al-Ṣābiʾal-BattānīMath. astronomy | Me Ve Ma Ju Sa | Math. astronomy |
| c. 1025–1028 CE | Doubts concerning PtolemyIbn al-HaythamTheory / model | General | Theory / model |