The Brihat Samhita of Varaha Mihira

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BRABATA VARSHA has long continued to be the centre of attraction not only in respect of its wealth and civilization but in that of its intellectual advancement. To it converged, as to a common focus, the eyes of foreigners from the earliest period of the world's history. It was the one fountain of knowledge from which issued streams to water distant lands of ignorance at every point of the compass, now yielding abundance of intellectual harvest. Time was when Arvan wisdom shone resplendent, and, from its eminence, dazzled the eyes of distant nations-distant geographically and distant chronologically, illumined every corner of the intellectual horizon and served as a boacon, lighting the paths of erring travellers. History is puzzled in its attempt to reach the date of Aryan civilization. Antiquarians are at logger-beads in their conclusions touching the age of Aryan learning. Though at loggerheads most of the Christian antiquarians take care not to assign to any Indian event datos earlier than what is permissible under their Biblical Chronology.

Now it is well known that Aryan learning dates from the remotest antiquity. The Aryans have cultivated almost every department of knowledge. As the art of printing was un known a large proportion of Aryan literature has been washed into oblivion by the mighty wave of time. Not a few remain, "Like stranded wrecks the tide returning hoarse To sweep them from our sight".

unless rescued from their fate. Our excellent Government are now laudably working in this direction. But most of the Hindus, of the present day, can neither use the books them selves nor will they allow foreigners to interfere with their sacred literature.

The public can thereforn do much if their eyes could only be opened to the importance of the subject. Most of the Eng lish knowing natives hardly know what these books treat of. I have many a time astonished young Collegians and graduates by quoting from Hindu astronomers and mathematicians, and they were surprised to find that the Aryans knew what the Eu ropeans know forgetting that these sciences were taken to the west from here.

Now it has come to my knowledge that in many Hindu families whole libraries, for want of inspection, are now being feasted on by moths and white ants and large quantities havo already been emptioa: nto the dustbins, the decay having gone too far I know that at this moment over 50 books are being exposed to sun and rain in a wellknown family here and I hear they have remained in that state for over four years. This meritorious act is no doubt due to the circum stance that the present owners of the books have begun to taste the sweets of English education, while their ancestors appear to have been men of learning. My attempts to rescue them from further ruin proved a complete failure. The books appear to have, by a peculiar process, melted together and formed into one brittle mass. Similar icjuries to Aryan lite rature are more or less going on all over India. English education, like Aaron's rod, appears to have devoured up every other education and it has spread now throughout the land.

VARAHA MINIRA Was a native of Avanti and the son of Adityadasa who was an astronomer and from whom he recei ved his education as he himself tells us in his Brihat Jata ka (Chap. XXVI Verse 5). The da'e of his birth is involved in obscurity. It is the practice of all the Hindu astronomers to give this information in their works on astronomy; but unfortu nately Varsha Mihira's work on astronomy, known as the Pan chasidhantika, is now lost boyond all hope of recovery. The popular notion is that he was one of the 12 goms of the Court of Vikramarks. Now Vikrama Era, as we find from the Hindu calendar, dates from 56 B. C. whereas Varahn Mihira is considered to have flourished in the sixth century after Christ. So the Vikramarka of the first contary before Christ must be different from the Vikramarka of the 6th century after Christ, unless we go to the length of believing that Vikramarka reigned, according to the Hindu legend, for a thousand years. We are not without parallel instances in the Christian Bible in which Enos is said to have lived 905 years, Cainan 910 years, Seth 912 years, Adam 930 years, Noah 950 years, Jared 962 years and Methusala 969 years; and yet poor non-biblical Vikramarka is grudged a comparatively small matter of 500 years.

Now A. D. 505 is considered by some to be the date of Varaha Mihira's birth and by others to be that of his Pancha sidhantika, and A. D. 587 is thought to be the date of his death. It is also said that Varaba Mihira has quoted from Aryabhatts; that Aryabhatta was born in 476 A. D. and that this circumstance goes to prove that the dates given above are probably not incorrect. We shall now exa mine how far these dates are supported by evidence to be obtained from Varaha Mihira's own works-a circumstance which, curiously enough, appears to have escaped the atten. tion of even such eminent scholars as Colebrook, Davis, Sir William Jones and others: In verse 2 of Chapter 111 of his Brahat Samhita Varaba Mihira says.

"At present the Solsticial points coincide with the beginning of Karkataka (Sigo Cancer)and with the begin ning of Makara (Siga Capricornus),"p> 2019/ uat968b.jpg">