The Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: बृहत् पराशर होरा शास्त्र; IAST: ';

abbreviated An abbreviation (from Latin ''brevis'', meaning ''short'') is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word or phrase; for example, the word ''abbrevia ...

to BPHS) is the most comprehensive extant Śāstra on

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

natal astrology Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal c ...

, in particular the Horā branch (predictive astrology, e.g. horoscopes). Though ascribed to Maharṣi

Parāśara Parāśara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharshi and the author of many ancient Indian texts. He is accredited as the author of the first Purana, the Vishnu Purana, before his son Vyasa wrote it in its present form. He was the gr ...

, the origin and date of the original composition is unknown. The most popular version of the BPHS consists of 97 chapters, a 1984 translation by R. Santhanam.

Nomenclature

'bṛhat parāśara horā śāstra' (बृहत् पराशर होरा शास्त्र) can be loosely translated to examples such as 'the great book on

horoscopy A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an as ...

by Parashara' or 'Great Parashara's manual on Horoscopic astrology': * 'bṛhat' (बृहत्) means 'great, large, wide, vast, abundant, compact, solid, massy, strong, mighty' or 'full-grown, old' or 'extended or bright (as a luminous body)' or 'clear, loud (said of sounds)'. * 'parāśara' (पराशर) is the name of a

Maharishi Maharishi is a Sanskrit word, written as "महर्षि" in Devanagari (formed from the prefix mahā- meaning "great" and r̥ṣi - sage, poet or a singer of sacred hymns), indicating members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, po ...

('great Rishi') * 'horā' (होरा) means ' horoscope or

'; also means "hour" or "time", from Greek(''ώρα''). * '

śāstra ''Shastra'' (, IAST: , ) is a Sanskrit word that means "precept, rules, manual, compendium, book or treatise" in a general sense.Monier Williams, Monier Williams' Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Article on 'zAstra'' The w ...

' (शास्त्र) means 'compendium', 'book', 'manual', 'rule', 'instruction', 'science', and 'advice'.

Summary

The

Jyotiṣa Jyotisha or Jyotishya (from Sanskrit ', from ' “light, heavenly body" and ''ish'' - from Isvara or God) is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one ...

- Vedic Astrology - is one of the Vedāṅga or six disciplines linked with the

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute th ...

to support

Vedic rituals The historical Vedic religion (also known as Vedicism, Vedism or ancient Hinduism and subsequently Brahmanism (also spelled as Brahminism)), constituted the religious ideas and practices among some Indo-Aryan peoples of northwest Indian Subco ...

. The three branches of Jyotiṣa are: * Horā: Predictive astrology (e.g. Natal (genethliac) astrology, horoscopic astrology, personal horoscopes, etc.) * ''Siddhānta'': Mathematical

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

(e.g. planetary distances, movements, sizes, strengths, etc.) * Saṃhita: Mundane astrology (e.g. collective culture, community, and society) The ''Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra'' is concerned with the predictive branch of Horā, used, for example, to determine the appropriate and most auspicious times for various events and ceremonies (i.e. depending on the anticipated planetary and star movements and positions).Flood, Gavin. Yano, Michio. 2003. ''The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism.'' Malden: Blackwell.

Origin and authenticity

J. Gonda states that at 'some time after 600 C.E..html" ;"title="Common_Era.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Common Era">C.E.">Common_Era.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Common Era">C.E.was written the ''purva-khanda'' of what was to become known as the ''Brhatparasarahora'' [''Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra''], ascribed to Parashara... [it] is deeply indebted to the [Brhajjataka of Varāhamihira, Varahamihira]; it has also borrowed two verses from Yavanajataka, Sphujidhvaja... and its existence is presupposed by the author of the ''uttara-khanda'', which was commented on by Govindasvamin in ca. 850 .E. Therefore, the ''purva-khanda'' must have been written between ca. 600 and 750... but before 800'. Additionally

Bhaṭṭotpala Utpala or (') is the name of a 10th-century Indian commentator of Vārāha Mihira's ''Brihat Samhitā''. ''Brihat Samhitā'' is a Samhitā text of (Indian astrology and astronomy) . Samhitā is one of three branches of (Samhitā has many other ...

(circa 900 C.E.) was a Vedic astrologer that 'in his commentaries he wrote that though he had heard of he''Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra'', he had never seen it. Thus we know it was lost for at least nine hundred years, until new manuscripts emerged from the early 20th century (see below). As such, there are doubts in regards to the authenticity of various manuscripts of the ''Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra'' (BPHS) that emerged centuries later. One concern raised is the apparent admission by Sitram Jha in his 1944 publication of the BPHS that he changed and removed elements of the manuscript. Another concern raised by Vedic Astrologers such as Shyamasundara Dasa 'that casts doubt on the veracity of the modern BPHS is the complete lack of any ancient commentary on the text. The oldest commentary known to me is that of Devacandra Jha's Hindi commentary from the first half of the 20th century, that is, less than 100 years old'.

Editions and translations

According to R. Santhanam and J. Gonda, the following are the modern translations (and manuscripts) of the ''Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra'' (BPHS):

Notes and references

References

* David Pingree, ' in J. Gonda (Ed.) ''A History of Indian Literature'', Vol VI Fasc 4 (1981)

External links

*Original text
बृहत्पाराशरहोराशास्त्र
* Translations online

* Translation and elaboration Onlin
''Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra'' By Maharishi Parashara
* Translation and commentar
''Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra Hindu astrological texts Sanskrit texts 8th-century Indian books