The First Two Chapters of Mīnarāja's Vrddhayavanajātaka

Abstract

Among the earliest surviving Greco-Indian jyotisa (astronomical/astrological) texts, the Vrddhayavanajātaka is the most expansive, containing over four thousand verses. Although the content of the work is devoted mainly to horoscopy, that is, prognostication based on the astronomical configuration of planets and zodiac signs, the Vrddhayavanajātaka is nonetheless an important source for the study of the history of science of India and its cultural history, in particular, its interaction with the Hellenistic world during the early centuries of the Common Era. In 1976, David Pingree published a critical edition of the work in two volumes, to be followed by a third volume of the discussion and analysis of the text which never materialized. The present work attempts to fill this gap by providing an overview of the work, together with an English translation of its first two chapters.