कृषि-पाराशर (महर्षि पराशर - प्राचीन भारतीय कृषि, मृदा-परीक्षण, वर्षा-पूर्वानुमान व बीज-संस्कार)

KṚṢI-PARĀŚARA 71
72. It often rains at the rising, setting, zigzag course and
accelerated motion of the planets, and also at the enterprises of kings.
73. Jupiter being in the (Nakṣatra) Citrā, it rains like a broken
vessel; then, being in conjunction with Svāti, it releases mighty clouds.
74. It is Svāti alone that lets loose the clouds accumulated in
Puṣyā; it is Revatī alone that releases the cloud generated in Śravaṇā.
Now the indication of drought
75. Mars causes immediate drought while passing on to (the
Nakṣatras) Uttara-phalgunī, Uttarāṣāḍhā, Uttara-bhādrapada, Śravaṇā,
Hastā, Mūlā, Jyeṣṭhā, Kṛttikā and Maghā.
76. The Sun, at the back of Mars, dries up even the ocean. It
is he who, being in the reverse position, submerges even mountains.
77-78. Venus being in Citrā causes immediate rainfall.¹ Mars
being in Leo, the earth becomes full of embers. He indeed, in con-
junction with the sun, dries up even the ocean.
Now supervision of Agriculture
79. Parāśara, versed in the lore of agriculture, held that agricul-
ture, when supervised, yields gold; when not supervised, it indeed
causes poverty.
Now other sages too (declare)
80. One should place one's father in charge of the harem, the
mother in that of the kitchen, a person like ownself in that of cows,
and undertake agriculture personally.
81. Agriculture, cows, commercial knowledge, women, royal
household—these are impaired in a trice through a moment's lack of
supervision.
82. Agriculture should be undertaken by a capable person
wishing welfare of people, because an incompetent cultivator resorts
to begging.
1 The word in the text is nikṛntayet (from root kṛt-to cut). S.P.Roy Chau-
dhuri interprets it as indicating drought. But cutting the clouds seems to us to
be more plausible than cutting the rains. The author appears to mean that, in
this position, Venus cuts asunder the clouds so as to cause rainfall. Moreover,
the word 'sadyaḥ' is more frequently associated with 'vṛṣṭi' than with 'anāvṛṣṭi'.