|
Samāsa Saṃhitā
''Samāsa Saṃhitā'' is a lost work on astrology by the 6th-century astrologer-astronomer Varāhamihira of present-day central India. An abridged version of ''Bṛhat Saṃhitā'', it is known from excerpts in Utpala's commentary on the ''Bṛhat Saṃhitā''. History ''Samāsa Saṃhitā'' ("Minor Collection"), also known as ''Svalpa-saṃhitā'' ("Shorter Compendium"), is an abridged version of ''Bṛhat Saṃhitā'', Varāhamihira's work on natural astrology. It is now lost, but at least 142 verses on it survive in ''Saṃhitā-vivṛti'', Utpala's commentary on the Bṛhat Saṃhitā, often identifiable by the phrase "''tatha cha Samāsa-saṃhitāyam''". The ''Samāsa Saṃhitā'' is the fourth most cited work in ''Saṃhitā-vivṛti'', after the works of Parashara, Garga, and Kāshyapa. The ''Samāsa Saṃhitā'' definitely existed in the 9th century CE, when Utpala mentioned it. It was probably lost by the 11th century, when Al-Biruni wrote about Varāhamihira but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varāhamihira
Varāhamihira ( 20/21 March 505 – 587), also called Varāha or Mihira, was an ancient Indian astrologer-astronomer who lived in or around Ujjain in present-day Madhya Pradesh, India. Date Unlike other prominent ancient Indian astronomers, Varāhamihira does not mention his date. However, based on hints in his works, modern scholars date him to the 6th century CE; possibly, he also lived during the last years of the 5th century. In his '' Pancha-siddhantika'', Varāhamihira refers to the year 427 of the ''Shaka-kala'' (also ''Shakendra-kala'' or ''Shaka-bhupa-kala''). Identifying this calendar era with the Shaka era places Varāhamihira in the 505 CE. Alternative theories identify this calendar era with other eras, placing him before the 5th century CE. However, these theories are inaccurate, as Varāhamihira must have lived after Aryabhata (born 476 CE), whose work he refers to. The particulars of the date mentioned by Varāhamihira - Shukla '' pratipada'' of the Chai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vrddha Garga
Garga, also known as Vṛddha Garga ("Garga the Elder"), was an ancient Indian scholar of jyotisha. Several Sanskrit-language jyotiḥśāstra works - covering topics such as astrology, astronomy, and divination - are attributed to him. These works were written over several centuries, and are obviously not the work of a single author. Modern scholars generally date the oldest of these works - '' Gargiya-jyotisha'' - to the 1st century CE, although the source materials for these works may be much older. Biography Garga is also called Vṛddha-Garga ("Garga the Elder") to distinguish him from his later namesakes. He is among the earliest and the most important authors in the jyotisha tradition. ''Mahabharata'' 9.36.14-17 describes him as a prominent astrologer who lived at Gargasrota on the banks of the Sarasvati River. ''Vishnu Purana'' 2.5.26 states that the mythical serpent Shesha was pleased with Garga and taught him astrology, and thus, Garga became capable of predicting fu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthashastra
''Kautilya's Arthashastra'' (, ; ) is an Ancient Indian Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, politics, economic policy and military strategy. The text is likely the work of several authors over centuries, starting as a compilation of ''Arthashastras'', texts which according to Olivelle date from the 2nd c. BCE to the 1st c. CE. These treatises were compiled and amended in a new treatise, according to McClish and Olivelle in the 1st century CE by either an anonymous author or Kautilya, though earlier and later dates have also been proposed. While often regarded as created by a single author, McClish and Olivelle argue that this compilation, possibly titled ''Daņdanīti'', served as the basis for a major expansion and redaction in the 2nd or 3rd century CE by either Kautilya or an anonymous author, when several books, dialogical comments, and the disharmonious chapter-division were added, and a stronger Brahmanical ideology was brought in. The text thus became a proper ''arthashast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magadha (Mahajanapada)
Magadha was a region and kingdom in ancient India, based in the eastern Ganges Plain. It was one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas during the Second Urbanization period. The region was ruled by several dynasties, which overshadowed, conquered, and incorporated the other Mahajanapadas. Magadha played an important role in the development of Jainism and Buddhism and formed the core of the Maurya Empire (ca. 320–185 BCE). Geography The territory of the Magadha kingdom proper before its expansion was bounded to the north, west, and east respectively by the Gaṅgā, Son, and Campā rivers, and the eastern spurs of the Vindhya mountains formed its southern border. The territory of the initial Magadha kingdom thus corresponded to the modern-day Patna and Gaya districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The region of Greater Magadha also included neighbouring regions in the eastern Gangetic plains and had a distinct culture and belief. History Vedic period (semi-legendary) (ca. 170 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rain Gauge
A rain gauge (also known as udometer, ombrometer, pluviometer and hyetometer) is an instrument used by meteorologists and Hydrology, hydrologists to gather and measure the amount of liquid precipitation in a predefined area, over a set period of time. It is used to determine the depth of precipitation (usually in mm) that occurs over a unit area and measure rainfall amount. History People living in India and the Ancient Greece, Ancient Greeks began to record rainfall around 400 to 500 BCE.Ian Strangeways, A History of rain gauges, TerraData, 2010 In India the readings were correlated against expected growth. In the Arthashastra, used for example in Magadha (Mahajanapada), Magadha, precise standards were set as to grain production. Each state storehouse was equipped with a rain gauge to classify land for taxation purposes. Rainfall measurement was also mentioned in the Jewish text in Palestine. In 1247, the Song (Chinese surname), Song Chinese mathematician and inventor Qin Jiushao ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ilvala And Vatapi
Ilvala () and Vatapi () are asura brothers in Hindu mythology. They are featured in the Mahabharata, in which their murderous scheme is ended by the sage Agastya. Legend In the Mahabharata, the sage Lomasha narrates the legend of the daityas called Ilvala and Vatapi to the prince Yudhishthira. The elder of the brothers, Ilvala, is stated to have once begged a Brahmin hermit to grant him a son equal to that of the deity Indra. When the Brahmin refused this request, Ilvala grew angry with him. He turned Vatapi into a lamb or a goat, cooked his meat, and served him to the Brahmin. After the Brahmin had completed his meal, Ilvala called out to his brother by name, who promptly emerged from within the Brahmin's side, murdering him. Ilvala performed this deed on multiple occasions with the Brahmins he encountered. The brothers engaged in the same scheme when they came across the sage Agastya. When Ilvala summoned Vatapi after being swallowed by the sage, the latter informed him that h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agastya
Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife Lopamudra are the celebrated authors of hymns 1.165 to 1.191 in the Sanskrit text ''Rigveda'' and other Vedic literature. Agastya is considered to be the father of Siddha medicine. Agastya appears in numerous itihasas and Puranas including the major ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata''. He is one of the seven most revered rishis (the Saptarishi) in the Vedic texts, and is revered as one of the Tamil Siddhar in the Shaivism tradition, who invented an early grammar of the Old Tamil language, Agattiyam, playing a pioneering role in the development of Tampraparniyan medicine and spirituality at Saiva centres in proto-era Sri Lanka and South India. He is also revered in the Puranic literature of Shaktism and Vaishnavism. He is one of the Ind ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al-Biruni
Abu Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Biruni (; ; 973after 1050), known as al-Biruni, was a Khwarazmian Iranian scholar and polymath during the Islamic Golden Age. He has been called variously "Father of Comparative Religion", "Father of modern geodesy", Founder of Indology and the first anthropologist. Al-Biruni was well versed in physics, mathematics, astronomy, and natural sciences, and also distinguished himself as a historian, chronologist, and linguist. He studied almost all the sciences of his day and was rewarded abundantly for his tireless research in many fields of knowledge. Royalty and other powerful elements in society funded al-Biruni's research and sought him out with specific projects in mind. Influential in his own right, al-Biruni was himself influenced by the scholars of other nations, such as the Greeks, from whom he took inspiration when he turned to the study of philosophy. A gifted linguist, he was conversant in Khwarezmian, Persian, Arabic, and Sanskri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parashara
Parashara (Sanskrit: पराशर; IAST: ) was a maharishi and the author of many ancient Hindu 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 grandson of the sage Vasishtha and the son of the sage Shakti. There are several texts which give reference to Parashara as an author/speaker. The various texts attributed to him are given in reference to Parashara being the speaker to his student. Etymology When Parashara's father Shakti died after being devoured by the king Kalmashapada along with Vashistha's other sons, Vashistha resorted to ending his life by suicide. Hence he jumped from Mount Meru but landed on soft cotton, he entered a forest fire only to remain unharmed, then he jumped into the ocean who saved him by casting him ashore. Then he jumped in the overflowing river Vipasa, which also left him ashore. Then he jumped into the river Haimavat, which fled in several dire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Second Aulikara Dynasty
The Second Aulikara dynasty (Late Brahmi script: ''Au-li-ka-rā'') was a royal dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Daśapura, and at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern India (excluding the east) and parts of Deccan plateau. It was the second royal house of the Aulikara clan. Origins The dynasty belonged to the ancient clan of the Aulikaras, and was the second royal house belonging to this clan. Territory The second Aulikara dynasty initially controlled the Malwa plateau, but at its peak under Yashodharman Vishnuvardhana controlled a vast area, consisting of almost all of Northern India and northern parts of the Deccan plateau. Establishment Aulikara rulers such as Adityavardhana and Dravyavardhana expanded their kingdom and one of their successors Yashodharman conquered vast territories from the Hunas and Guptas after the Battle of Sondani, defeating the Huna Chief Mihirakula around 528 A.D., thus e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utpala (astronomer)
Utpala, also known as (') was an astronomer from Kashmir region of present-day India, who lived in the 9th or the 10th century. He wrote several Sanskrit-language texts on astrology and astronomy, the best-known being his commentaries on the works of the 6th-century astrologer-astronomer Varāhamihira. Date Utpala dates two of his commentaries on Varāhamihira's works to the year 888 of the ''Shaka kāla''. Assuming that Utpala refers to current year of the Shaka era beginning in 78 CE, these works can be dated to 965-966 CE. * For example, a verse in ''Jagac-candrikā'' - his commentary on the ''Bṛhaj-jātaka'' - states that he finished the work on the 5th day of the shukla paksha, bright half of the Chaitra month. This day began on Thursday, 9 March 965 CE and ended on Friday. Utpala states that he completed his work on Thursday. * Similarly, a verse in ''Saṃhitā-vivṛti'' - his commentary on the ''Bṛhat-saṃhitā'' - states that he finished it on the 2nd day of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bṛhat Saṃhitā
''Bṛhat-saṃhitā'' is a 6th-century Sanskrit-language encyclopedia compiled by Varāhamihira in present-day Ujjain, India. Besides the author's area of expertise— astrology and astronomy—the work contains a wide variety of other topics.His book is divided into 3 sections namely Tantra, Hora and Samhita. Contents According to the penultimate verse of the text, it contains 100 chapters in less than 4000 ''shlokas'' (verses). Sudhakara Dvivedi's edition of the text, with Utpala's commentary, contains 105 chapters, plus the last chapter containing the table of contents; H. Kern's edition contains an additional chapter (#36) titled ''Raja-lakshnam''. According to Utpala, Varahamihira excludes five chapters from the contents, thus arriving at 100 as the number of chapters; However, Varahamihira himself excludes 3 more chapters from the table of contents, bringing the number of chapters to only 97; so, it is not clear how exactly is the number 100 is arrived at. Utpala cit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
