Varahamihira

Astrologer, astronomer, and polymath Varahamihira, born in c. 505 and passed away in c. 587, also
known as Varaha or Mihira, was an ancient Indian who resided in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh, India). He
was born to Adityadasa at Kayatha, in the Avanti region, which roughly corresponds to present-day
Malwa (a region of Madhya Pradesh, India). In one of his own writings, he claims to have attended
Kapitthaka for his education. According to Indian traditions, he was one of the "Nine Jewels"
(Navaratnas) at the court of Malwa king Yashodharman Vikramaditya. This assertion, however, is made
for the first time in a significantly later text, and scholars question its veracity because neither
Varahamihira nor Vikramaditya existed in the same century, nor did Varahamihira live during the same
century as many of the other individuals in the list of the "nine jewels," such as the far older Kalidasa.

About Varahamihira
The Brihat Samhita, an exhaustive study on architecture, temples, planetary motions, eclipses,
timekeeping, astrology, seasons, cloud formation, rainfall, agriculture, mathematics, gemology,
perfumes, and many other themes, was one of Varahamihira's most famous works. Varahamihira
claims that while he summarised prior works on astronomy, the Shilpa Sastra, and temple building in
some verses, his exposition of many design theories and models is among the earliest texts to have
survived. The Persian traveller and scholar Al Biruni quoted passages from the Brihat Samhita and
lyrics from Varahamihira. In addition, Varahamihira is credited with authoring a number of reputable
works on astrology and astronomy. He studied Greek, and in his writing, he lauded the Greeks
(Yavanas) for being "highly schooled in the sciences," while being impure in terms of the religious
order. According to some academics, he is a strong candidate for understanding and popularising the
zodiac signs, astrological calculations, and predictions for auspicious rituals.

Works of Varahamihira

Pancha-Siddhantika
The Pancasiddhantika, or "Treatise on the Five Astronomical Canons," is Varahamihira's most
important work and provides details on earlier Indian works that are now lost. It was written around 575
CE. The work is a summary of five preceding works on mathematical astronomy by five writers,
including the Surya Siddhanta, Romaka Siddhanta, Paulisa Siddhanta, Vasishtha Siddhanta, and
Pitamaha Siddhanta. It is a compilation of Hellenistic and Vedanga Jyotisha astronomy (having Greek,
Egyptian and Roman elements). Varahamihira was the first person to state that the equinox shifts by
50.32 arc seconds per year, or the Ayana.
Indians have five Siddhantas:
1. Surya-Siddhanta, the Sun's Siddhanta, was assumed to have been penned by Latadeva, but
was actually created by Mayasura, also known as Mamuni Mayan, as stipulated in the text itself.
2. Vishnucandra authored Vasishtha-siddhanta, named after one of the Great Bear's stars.
3. Paulisa-Siddhanta, named after Paulisa of Saintra, was composed by Paulisa.
4. The name Romaka-Siddhanta comes from Srishena's Rum.
5. Paitahama-Siddhanta.
Brihat-Samhita
Varahamihira's encyclopaedic Brihat-Samhita is another significant addition. Even though the book
focuses primarily on divination, it also covers a wide range of other topics. It encompasses a wide
range of human interests, such as astronomy, planetary motions, eclipses, rainfall, clouds, architecture,
crop development, perfume manufacturing, matrimony, and household interactions. The book expands
on the Garuda Purana's gemstone appraisal criterion and the hallowed Nine Pearls from the same
literature. It is known as the "great compilation" because it has 106 chapters.

On Astrology
Mihira's most famous astrological work is Hora Shastra or Brihadjathaka. It is largely written in code
language. For this book, more than a dozen commentaries have been composed. The Brihadjathaka is
the foundation of the Kerala School of Astrology. His son Prithuyasas also made contributions to Hindu
astrology; his work Hora Sara is well-known in the field of horoscope. Khana (also known as Lilavati in
other places), a medieval Bengali poet and astrologer, is thought to be Varahamihira's daughter-in-law.

Influences
Varahamihira's philosophy was influenced by two Western works: the Romaka Siddhanta ("The
Doctrine of the Romans") and the Paulisa Siddhanta. The Paulisa Siddhanta is frequently
misunderstood as a single composition ascribed to Paul of Alexandria (c. 378 CE). Other researchers in
the field, however, have dismissed this theory, most notably David Pingree, who declared that "...the
identification of Paulus Alexandrinus with the author of the Paulia Siddhanta is totally false". A few of
his works are related to earlier texts such as Vedanga Jyotisha.

Contributions of Varahamihira

Trigonometry
Varahamihira enhanced the precision of Aryabhata's sine tables.

Combinatorics
He discovered the first 4x4 magic square.

Optics
Varahamihira's contribution to physics includes his assertion that reflection is generated by particle
backscattering and refraction (the change in direction of a light ray as it moves from one medium into
the other) by the particles' capability to penetrate internal spaces of the medium, similar to fluids
moving through porous items.