Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira

In verse 2 of Chapter III of his Brahat Samhita Great Compendium Varaha Mihira says:—

“At present the Solstitial points coincide with the beginning of Karkataka Cancer and with the beginning of Makara Capricornus.”

This amounts to saying that the Vernal equinox, which is midway between the Solstices (90° from each), was at the commencement of Mesha Aries, i. e. coincided with the Star Revati the final mansion in the lunar zodiac where the fixed Hindu Zodiac commences. The precession of the equinoxes was known to the Hindus long before it was known to the Europeans, although Hindu astronomers are not agreed as to the nature of its course—some asserting that it oscillates on both sides of the star Revati while others that it makes a complete revolution round the heavens, a point about which even European astronomers have not arrived at any conclusion. Now this point is at present about 20° to the west of the star Revati. Its annual rate of motion is known and the increment in the rate is also known; so that by a process of simple calculation we can arrive at the period when the point must have coincided with the star Revati. Now unfortunately, the exact distance between the Vernal Equinox and the star Revati is not known, and cannot be determined from observation as the star (which the Hindu astronomers say was on the ecliptic) appears somehow to have disappeared. Mr. Kero Latchmana Chatrai M. A. of Poona has adopted a star, known as the Zeeta Piscium Zeta Piscium (which however is not on the ecliptic) as the Revati of the Hindus. According to him the Ayanamsam the calculation of the precessional shift, (the distance between the vernal Equinox and the star Revati), on the first January 1883 was 18° 14' 20". According to the late Mr. C. Reghunathachariar of Madras, (after him, Messrs. Vencateswara Deekshitar and Sundereswara Srouthy of Southern India) and Mr. Bapu Deva Sastry of Benares, the Ayanamsam on the 1st January 1883, was 22° 2' 39" and 21° 58' 29" respectively. But as these lengths have been arbitrarily assumed they may be dismissed as deserving of no consideration in this place. I have discovered it to be 20° 24' 15" on the above date and my discovery rests on the Druva Nadi a foundational astrological text, a work of Satyachariar an ancient astronomer, a great astronomer. For particulars of this disputed question the reader is referred to my article on the Hindu Zodiac published in the April (1883) issue of The Theosophist a journal of esoteric studies.

Now we will calculate Varaha Mihira’s time from the