Brihat Samhita
Varahamihira's 6th-century work, the main source of Samudrika, with chapters on the marks of men, the five great men and women. Editions number the chapters differently.
- Samudrika Shastra
- हिंदी: बृहत् संहिता
What is the rule behind Brihat Samhita?
The main sources are Brihat Samhita (6th century CE), the Garuda Purana's chapters on the marks of men and women, the medieval Samudrika Tilaka, the Jain Prakrit Angavijja, and Charaka Samhita's examination of build and sara.
Source: Brihat Samhita; Garuda Purana; Samudrika Tilaka; Angavijja; Charaka Samhita
Brihat Samhita describes a man from the feet upward to the head; after the parts, the reader takes in the whole: build, proportion, lustre, voice and gait.
Source: Brihat Samhita
Where can you learn about Brihat Samhita?
Related terms
- Hasta SamudrikaThe hand as one part of Samudrika. The palmistry subject teaches the hand; a reader who reads both reads the body first, then the hand.
- KalapurushaThe person of time, on whose body Jyotish places the twelve signs, from Aries at the head to Pisces at the feet.
- LakshanaA mark or feature the texts read: build, proportion, lustre, face, voice, gait, limbs, feet or a mole.
- AngulaThe breadth of a person's own finger, the unit for their height. Brihat Samhita gives 108 angulas as tall, 96 as medium and 84 as short.
- Samudrika ShastraThe old Indian study of lakshanas, the marks and features of the whole body. Varahamihira places it in the Samhita branch of Jyotish. It is a tradition of signs, not medicine and not a test of character or worth.
- TalaThe length of the face, from hairline to chin, used by image-making texts such as Manasara to measure a figure. A living adult is about nine to ten talas tall.
Guruji, your guide
The short answer
Inside the app, you can ask Guruji about any lesson, in your own language.
What does Brihat Samhita mean in Samudrika Shastra?
Varahamihira's 6th-century work, the main source of Samudrika, with chapters on the marks of men, the five great men and women. Editions number the chapters differently. The main sources are Brihat Samhita (6th century CE), the Garuda Purana's chapters on the marks of men and women, the medieval Samudrika Tilaka, the Jain Prakrit Angavijja, and Charaka Samhita's examination of build and sara.
Your first lesson takes about five minutes
Sign in with your email, choose your language, and start at the beginning. RishiSetu keeps your place.
