Varahamihira, An Astrologer, Astronomer, and Polymath from Ujjain, India

Hello and Welcome, Today we are going to know more about the Ancient Great Indian Mathematician Varahamihira. His Contribution to Mathematics was Remarkable and is still considered a stepping stone for many branches of mathematics. Here in this Article, we are going to discuss Varahamihira Books, About Varahamihira, and Many more. Let’s Start…

Who was Varahamihira?

Varahamihira, also known as Varaha or Mihira, is an Indian Mathematician who was born during the early 6th century. He was born in the Avanti region and brought up in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh, India).  

A meeting with the renowned scholar Aryabhata in Kusumapura inspired him to pursue studies in astronomy and astrology. He studied at Kapitthaka. He was one of the “Nine Jewels” of the court of Emperor Yashodharman Vikramaditya of Malwa. 

Mathematician Varahamihira is renowned for compiling the Pancha-Siddhantika (Five Treatises), a comprehensive work that brings together astronomical knowledge from Greek, Egyptian, Roman, and Indian traditions.

Varāhamihira’s most well-known work was Brihat Samhita. This book is all about architecture, mathematics, gemology, temples, planetary motions, astrology, cloud formation, eclipses, timekeeping, rainfall, seasons, agriculture, and many other topics.

Some Mathematicians even believed that he had a strong knowledge of predictive calculations and zodiac signs. He used to perform astrological computations and auspicious ceremonies in India in those days. The 11th-century scholar Al-Biruni greatly admired Varahamihira and praised him as an outstanding astronomer.

An Interesting Story behind the name of Varahamihira

The term Varaha means the boar (which is also the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu), and the Term Mihira translates to Sun. 

As per ancient texts, the King Vikramaditya rewarded Varaha-Mahira with the title ‘Varaha’. King Vikramaditya once asked Varahamihira to predict his son, but he was alarmed by Mihira’s prediction. 

After deeply studying the prince’s horoscope, Mihira meditated and foresaw a grave danger to the prince’s life. He predicted that in his 18th year, on a specific day and month, the prince would be killed by a boar, and no human effort could prevent this fate.

It is said that Mihira never made any false predictions. Even though the king took every precaution to protect his son from all odds. But on the predicted day,i.e., on his 18th birthday, the prince was injured and disfigured by the iron hooves of an artificial boar, which was part of the royal emblem fixed to the flagpole, and died. 

Vikramaditya honored Mihira with the royal emblem in recognition of his knowledge. From then on, he became known as Varaha Mihira.

Works of Varahamihira and His Books

Varahamihira has written two books, Pancha-Siddhantika and Brihat-Samhita. Both of his books became famous not only in India but also throughout the globe. His books have been translated into different languages.

Pancha-Siddhantika: A Simplified Overview

Pancha-Siddhantika, meaning “Treatise on the Five Astronomical Canons,” is one of the key works by Varahamihira, a famous ancient Indian astronomer and mathematician. Written around 575 CE, the book is considered a major milestone in Indian astronomy and reflects a blend of Indian and Western (Greek, Roman, and Egyptian) astronomical traditions, including ideas from Vedanga Jyotisha.

This text serves as a compilation and summary of five earlier astronomical works. It discusses a wide range of topics such as the movement of planets, eclipses, solstices, equinoxes, and celestial measurements.

The five systems included in this treatise are:

1. Paitamaha Siddhanta – One of the oldest known Hindu astronomical texts, it had a strong influence on later works like Aryabhatiya and Surya Siddhanta.
   
2. Romaka Siddhanta – Thought to be inspired by ancient Greek astronomy, though the identity of its author remains unknown.
   
3. Surya Siddhanta – Traditionally linked to Latadeva, but the text itself credits its authorship to Mayasura (also known as Mamuni Mayan).
   
4. Paulisha Siddhanta – Named after Paulisa of Saintra, this text was authored by Paulisa and reflects Western astronomical thought.
   
5. Vasishtha Siddhanta – Attributed to Vishnucandra, this work is named after a star in the Great Bear constellation.
   

Through Pancha-Siddhantika, Varahamihira preserved and shared the essence of these five important astronomical traditions, making it a treasured text in the history of Indian science.

In this book, he writes about mathematical astronomy and talks about ayanamsa, or the shifting of the equinox is 50.32 seconds. He was the first Mathematician to speak about ayanamsa.

2. Brihat-Samhita

This is the second book written by Varahamihira. This book has 106 chapters, and hence this book is also called “great compilation”. This book is all about divination.

He even writes about other topics like astronomy, clouds, planetary movements, rainfall, eclipses, growth of crops, matrimony, gems, pearls, architecture, manufacture of perfume, domestic relations, and rituals. 

It is said that many of his books have been lost. The Arab Travelers Ibn Batuta and Al Baruni, who came to India to learn Vedic Mathematics, have translated their book into different languages.

Contributions of Varahamihira in Mathematics

1. Sine tables were created by Aryabhata but were improved by Varahamihira. 
2. He discovered a version of Pascal’s triangle.
3. He created the first 4×4 magic square.
4. He used it to calculate the binomial coefficients.
5. He was the first to speak about ayanamsa.

Just like Varahamihira’s timeless contributions, Vedic Maths continues to inspire young minds today. At Vedic Maths School, over 18,000 students have explored the magic of numbers through ancient techniques. We offer a variety of courses on Vedic maths and the Abacus. If you are interested in Vedic Maths, you can learn more about the courses:

• Vedic Mathematics: Beginner to Advanced Complete Course ( Live Class)
• Vedic Maths Teachers Training Program
• Introduction To Vedic Maths [ Beginner Level]

Interesting facts about Varahamihira 

Though he was a Mathematical Astronomer, He had an interest in other fields too. 

1. It is said that Varahamihira had constructed the “Meru Stambh”.
2. He proposed that planets and the Moon are lustrous due to sunlight, but not because of their light.
3. He even said that the Earth was spherical.
4. He penned all three main sections of Jyotisha astrology.
5. He was one of the earliest mathematicians to come up with a pattern similar to what we now call Pascal’s Triangle.
6. He was a great astrologer and astronomer. He used to see the positions of stars, the sun, the moon, and planets, and used to predict many things.
7. He explained how zero and negative numbers work in calculations and described the rules for using both positive and negative numbers in algebra.
8. He studied how light behaves when it bounces off surfaces (reflection) and when it passes through materials (refraction), describing these effects as the result of particles either bouncing back or passing through objects.

Know More: Many other Indian Mathematicians have made great contributions in the field of Mathematics, just like Varahamihira. A few of them are Aryabhatta, Mahavira, Madhava of Sangamagrama. 

About Varahamihira Life and Family:

Varahamihira lived for 80 years and hads many interesting stories associated with his life. His son, Prithuyashas, also became a well-known astrologer. He wrote two important works—Horasara, a key text in birth chart (natal) astrology, and Shatpancashika, which focuses on Prasna (a branch of astrology that answers specific questions).While Varahamihira’s own writings were brief and to the point, Horasara was written to explain his teachings in more detail and make them easier to understand.

FAQ

What did Varahamihira discover?

Varahamihira, a 6th-century Indian scholar, discovered the trigonometric formulas and improved many of the other formulas. Sine tables, which were created by Aryabhata I, were recalculated by him to improve the accuracy. He even worked on exploring the algebraic properties of the number zero and negative numbers. The 4×4 magic square was first discovered by him. 

What is the contribution of Varahamihira?

1. Sine tables were created by Aryabhata but were improved by Varahamihira. 
2. He used it to calculate the binomial coefficients.
3. He created the first 4×4 magic square.
4. He was the first to speak about ayanamsa.
5. He discovered a version of Pascal’s triangle.
6. Using his mathematical calculations he said that the stars are “fixed” and the planets revolve around the star at a constant speed.

What is Pancha Siddhanta?

Pancha-Siddhantika is the name of one of the books written by Varahamihira. In this book, he mentions about astronomical treatises. Paulisa Siddhanta, Surya Siddhanta, Paitamaha Siddhanta, Romaka Siddhanta, Vasishtha Siddhanta and are the 5 authors. 

How did he get the name Varahamihira?

The term Varaha Means the boar (is the avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu) and the Term Mahira Means Talented.

There is a story behind this name

The then king has rewarded Varaha-Mahira with the title ‘Varaha’. King Vikramaditya was alarmed by the Mihira’s prediction. King looked around the crowded court and asked in agony “Can it be true?” No one responded to the king’s question. Breaking the silence, Mihara sadly said “As per the position of the planets, the prince will die at the age of 18.”

Queen cried and said to the king “My lord, you should see to it that this prediction proves false.”

It is said that Mihira never made any false predictions. Even though the king took every precaution to protect his son from all the odds. But on the predicted day,i.e on his 18th birthday, the prince was been killed by a boar. From that day itself, he was been named as Varaha-Mahira.