Brihat Samhita of Varahamihira

It may be remarked here that when, in his work on Samhita, Varaha Mihira refers to the position of the planets in the several signs of the zodiac, he refers to the fixed zodiac of the Hindus commencing from the star Revati and not to the shifting zodiac of the western astronomers which always commences at the moving vernal Equinox.

The whole book is one huge attempt to interpret the language of Nature and ascertain its bearing on the fortunes of men and nations. Where the lapidary discovers a diamond, the simple negro finds a piece of glass; where the botanist discovers a simple medicinal herb with valuable properties the farmer sees a thistle. Nature has been found to speak in a thousand ways at every moment of time and the Hindus from the earliest times have learnt to hear and understand her language. This language, the modern scientific world, at present ignores, and with the simplicity of a negro or a farmer can even afford to laugh at the supposed ignorance of the Hindus. "What is truth? asked jesting Pilate, but would not wait for an answer". They have not the patience to try and see what amount of truth there is in the Hindu interpretation of Nature's language.

We will take a few instances: over 1500 years ago Varaha Mihira (who only quotes the opinion of writers that went before him) said that solar spots indicate famine in the land. This was found to be the case during the famine of 1876—77.

Again it is generally known that all India observe anxiously the course of the moon with respect to the four stars of the 10th constellation (Magha) when the sun is in the sign Aquarius, i. e. from about February 10 to March 10, with a view to ascertain the future agricultural prospects of the land: the market price of food-grains is at once lowered or raised according as the moon's course lies to the south of the four stars or more and more to the north of the southernmost star. It