बृहत्संहिता (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - स्थापत्य, खगोल, मौसम व जल विज्ञान)

114 बृहत्संहितायाम् [Adh. IX. Sl. 28-29
fering. When he is in Pushya, there will be copious rain
and the Vidyadharas will be crushed in battle.
आश्लेषासु भुजङ्गमदारुणपीडावहश्चरन् शुक्रः ।
भिन्दन् मघां महामात्रदोषकृद् भूरिवृष्टिकरः ॥२८॥
Sloka 28.—When he is in Aslesha, the people will
undergo immense suffering caused by snake-poison.
When he is piercing Magha, he will cause trouble to the
chief of Mahouts. There will be copious rain.
"To the chief Minister" if the reading महामात्य be adopted.
Utpala gives in a quotation the definition of the cleaving,
alias occultation, of the junction star of Magha by a planet :
भेदक्षणं गणितकारैरुक्तम् ।
छादयति योगतारां मानाद्दर्धोनाधिकाद्गार्धविक्षेपात् ।
स्फुटविक्षेपो यस्याधिकोनको भवति समादिक्स्थः ॥
The definition of the occultation of the star in question
according to the scientific astronomers, is as follows: "A planet
occults the junction star of Magha (Regulus) when its own
rectified latitude, being in the same direction (north), is more
than half the latitude, and less than one and a half the latitude
of the star" From this we may deduce that the author of the
stanza, whoever he may have been (probably Brahmagupta), had
a still more accurate knowledge of the real latitude of Regulus
than the Surya Siddhanta has, in which the latitude is stated to
be 0. Another stanza defines the latitude of the Moon when
causing the occultation of certain stars :
विक्षेपेऽन्ये सौम्ये तृतीयातारां भिनत्ति पित्र्यस्य ।
इन्दुर्भिनत्ति पुष्यं पौष्णं वारुणमविक्षिप्तः ॥ Kern.
भाग्ये शबरपुलिन्दप्रध्वंसकरोऽम्बुनिवहमोक्षाय ।
आर्यम्णे कुरुजाङ्गलपाञ्चालघ्नः सलिलदायी ॥२९॥
Sloka 29.—When Venus is in Purvaphalguni, the
Sabaras and the Pulindas will meet with destruction;