Chapter on the Lost Horoscope (Naṣṭajātaka) — Bṛhat-Pārāśara-Horāśāstra, Adhyāya 78

नष्टजातकाध्यायः

The complete Chapter on the Lost Horoscope (Naṣṭajātaka) chapter of the Bṛhat-Pārāśara-Horāśāstra — all 16 verses, each in the original Sanskrit with VedicSpace's clean-room English translation, cited by śloka. Translated from the Chaukhamba (Devachandra Jha) edition and audited against the printed plates.

Śloka 1 — Maitreya's question — how can results be told when the birth time is unknown?

महर्षे ! जन्मसमयाद् भवता फलमीरितम् । अज्ञातजन्मकालानां कथं तज्ज्ञायते बुधैः ॥ १ ॥

O great sage! You have declared results on the basis of the moment of birth. But for those whose time of birth is not known, how is that (result) to be ascertained by the wise?

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 1

Śloka 2 — Maitreya asks for the method to know past-life karma

पूर्वजन्मकृतं कर्म सदसन्मानवस्य यत् । तज्ज्ञातुं प्रभवेद् येन तमुपायमुदीरय ॥ २ ॥

Whatever good or bad karma a man has performed in a former birth — declare that method by which one may be able to know it.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 2

Śloka 3 — Parāśara accepts the question and promises the naṣṭa-jātaka method

प्रश्नोऽयं भवतः साधुर्लोकोपकृतिकारकः । ब्रवीमि तस्मादज्ञात-जनुषां फलमादरात् ॥ ३ ॥

This question of yours is excellent and brings benefit to the world. Therefore I shall respectfully declare the (method of) results for those whose birth is unknown.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 3

Śloka 4 — The praśna (query) supplies year, ayana, ṛtu, pakṣa, tithi, nakṣatra and rāśi

प्रश्नतोऽब्दायनर्तु-पक्षतिथ्यृक्षराशिषु । अज्ञातेष्वपि तज्ज्ञातुं शक्यते नात्र संशयः ॥ ४ ॥

Even when the year, the ayana, the ṛtu (season), the pakṣa, the tithi, the nakṣatra and the rāśi are unknown, they can be ascertained from the praśna (moment of query) — there is no doubt in this.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 4

Śloka 5 — Finding the birth year (from the dvādaśāṃśa of the praśna-lagna) and the ayana

प्रश्नलग्नभास्करांश-राशौ जीवे जनुर्भवेत् । सौम्ययाम्यायने स्यातां होरापूर्वपरार्धयोः ॥ ५ ॥

Birth took place when Jupiter was in that rāśi which is the bhāskarāṃśa (the twelfth division, dvādaśāṃśa) of the praśna-lagna. The northern (saumya) and southern (yāmya) ayana are respectively (to be known) from the first and the second half of the lagna (horā).

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 5

Śloka 6 — Finding the ṛtu (season) from the drekkāṇa lord of the lagna

मन्दशुक्रारचन्द्रज्ञ-जीवैर्होराद्रेकाणपैः । ऋतवः शिशिराद्यास्तु ग्रीष्म एवार्कतो मतः ॥ ६ ॥

By the drekkāṇa-lords of the lagna (horā) being Saturn, Venus, Mars, the Moon, Mercury and Jupiter, the seasons beginning with Śiśira (are to be known) in order; and from the Sun, Grīṣma alone is held (to be the season).

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 6

Śloka 7 — Resolving a conflict between the derived ayana and ṛtu

अयनर्तुविसंवादे विदिन्दुगुरवः क्रमात् । भौमभार्गवमन्दैस्तु विनिमेया मिथो बुधैः ॥ ७ ॥

When the ayana and the ṛtu are in disagreement, then Mercury (vid), the Moon and Jupiter are, in order, to be mutually interchanged by the wise with Mars, Venus and Saturn.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 7

Śloka 8 — Finding the month from the drekkāṇa half, and the tithi from proportional parts

द्रेकाणार्धे पूर्वमासोऽपरः स्यादपरेऽर्धके । द्रेकाणांशानुपातेन सूर्यांशसदृशा तिथिः ॥ ८ ॥

In the first half of the drekkāṇa the first month (of the season) occurs, and in the latter half the second. By proportion of the elapsed degrees of the drekkāṇa, the tithi is (obtained) corresponding to the degrees of the Sun.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 8

Śloka 9 — The derived iṣṭa-kāla becomes the birth time; then predict as before

ततः सिद्धेष्टकालो यो जनुःकालः सतां मतः । ततो ग्रहेभ्यो भावेभ्यः पूर्ववत् फलमादिशेत् ॥ ९ ॥

The iṣṭa-kāla thus established is held by the good (i.e. by authorities) to be the time of birth. From that, from the grahas and from the bhāvas, one should declare the results as before.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 9

Śloka 10 — Maitreya: Jupiter repeats the same rāśi every twelve years — which cycle?

द्वादशाब्दैः पुनरपि जीवस्तद्भगतो यतः । पर्याये कतमे बोध्यस्तदीयो जन्मवत्सरः ॥ १० ॥

Since after twelve years Jupiter again comes to that same rāśi, in which cycle is his year of birth to be understood?

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 10

Śloka 11 — Resolving the 12-year ambiguity by the querent's apparent age

संदिग्धे वत्सरे तत्रानुमित्या वयसः क्षिपेत् । वर्षाणि द्वादश मुहुस्तदाब्दावगमो भवेत् ॥ ११ ॥

When the year is doubtful there, one should repeatedly add twelve years, guided by an inference of (the querent's) age; thus the (correct) year is arrived at.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 11

Śloka 12 — Second fallback — take Jupiter in a koṇa from the lagna

अथापि तत्र संदिग्धे जीवोऽङ्गात् कोणगो मुने ! । कल्पनीयोऽनुमित्या तु वयसो वत्सरस्ततः ॥ १२ ॥

If even then it remains doubtful, O Muni, Jupiter is to be assumed as placed in a koṇa from the aṅga (lagna); and thence, by inference of the age, (the birth) year (is to be determined).

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 12

Śloka 13 — Maitreya: even with month and sūryāṃśa known, how is the exact birth moment found?

ज्ञातेऽपि मासे सार्कांशे महर्षे ! जायते कथम् । जनुषः समयज्ञानमिति मे वद तत्त्वतः ॥ १३ ॥

O great sage! Even when the month together with the Sun's degrees is known, how does knowledge of the exact moment of birth arise? Tell me this truly.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 13

Śloka 14 — Compute the sunrise (audayika) Sun for the day equal to the elapsed degrees since saṃkrānti

रवेस्तु संक्रमादंश-समेऽहनि तु साधयेत् । सूर्यमौदयिकं तस्यान्तरमिष्टार्कतो हि यत् ॥ १४ ॥

On the day equal (in number) to the Sun's elapsed degrees counted from the saṃkrānti, one should compute the sunrise (audayika) Sun; and (take) the difference between that and the desired (natal) Sun.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 14

Śloka 15 — Convert the solar difference into ghaṭīs to obtain the birth moment

कलात्मकं षष्टिनिघ्नं स्पष्टार्कगतिभिर्हृतम् । लब्धघट्यादिमानेन समः सूर्योदयात् पुरः ॥ १५ ॥

That (difference) reduced to kalās, multiplied by sixty and divided by the true daily motion of the Sun — by the measure in ghaṭīs and so forth thus obtained, (the birth time is) before sunrise,

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 15

Śloka 16 — Sign rule — birth before or after sunrise according as the natal Sun is less or greater

परस्ताद् वा प्रश्नकर्तुर्जनुःकाल उदीरितः । उदयार्कादभीष्टार्के क्रमाद्धीनेऽधिकेऽपि च ॥ १६ ॥

— or after (sunrise): thus is the birth time of the querent declared, according as the desired (natal) Sun is respectively less than, or greater than, the sunrise Sun.

BPHS Adhyāya 78, śloka 16