Saṃhitā skandha
संहितास्कन्ध
Everyday Hindi: संहिता स्कंध
The branch of Jyotiṣa on collective matters, omens and nature.
Definition
Saṃhitā is the branch of Jyotiṣa that deals with matters beyond the individual: the motions of grahas as they bear on countries and seasons, rainfall, comets, earthquakes and omens, and also architecture, gems and the examination of land. Varāhamihira's Bṛhat Saṃhitā (6th century), in about 106 chapters, is its classical compendium. Modern 'mundane astrology' corresponds broadly to this branch.
Articles that use this term
- Siddhanta
Eclipses in the Indian sky: what is computed and what is kept
How the siddhantas compute a grahana, what Rahu and Ketu stand for in that computation, and sutak as a practice that varies from one tradition to another.
7 min read · 30 September 2026