Introduction

Varahamihira, the son of Adityadasa—who attained profound knowledge of the Vedas while residing in Avanti Modern-day Ujjain, a historic center for Indian astronomy—having received the grace of the Sun God in the city of Kapittha, carefully deliberated upon the opinions of the learned and composed this sweet Horashastra Horashastra: A treatise on predictive astrology or horoscopy. The grace arising from prostrating at the feet of the Sun, the Sages, and the Guru is the primary cause for the compilation of this scripture; therefore, I bow to them again and again.

From observing the positions of the lunar mansions original: "Nakshatravasthan" given in the Surya Siddhanta, it is known that it was composed during the same period as Varaha. Now we encounter these theories—1. Perhaps Varahamihira himself composed the Siddhanta and named it after his father or the Sun, or 2. His father composed it and named it the Surya Siddhanta himself. In his work Panchasiddhantika Panchasiddhantika: "The Five Astronomical Treatises," a core text by Varahamihira, Varaha mentions the name of the Saura Siddhanta among the five systems; for this reason, it is clearly demonstrated that the Surya Siddhanta was not authored by him. Thus, it appears that the said text was composed by his father, Adityadasa. For the observation of the readers, the positions of the lunar mansions as written in the Surya Siddhanta and by Brahmagupta are published below.

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The English names of the lunar mansions in order: Alpha, Beta, Gamma Arietis; Musca; Epsilon, Delta, etc. The text lists Western astronomical equivalents like Aldebaran, Regulus, Spica, and Arcturus

1. Written in six parts of a degree.