V

 

Vagbhata (7th century CE) completes the Great Three (Brhatrayi) of Ayurveda, with his predecessors, Caraka and Susruta. His identity and period are controversial but a major section of the scholarly community believes that he was a native of Sindh, who lived in the sixth century and write Astangahrdayam and Astangasngraha. The two texts frankly acknowledge the authority of Samhitas of Caraka and Susruta and closely follow in the footsteps of the earlier masters.The Legacy of Vagbhata is based on a study of Astangahrdayam and employs a thematic approach with the plentiful use of tables. As in the earlier volumes on Caraka and Susruta, great care has been taken in this volume on Vagbhata to maintain fidelity to the original text while ensuring easy readability for the students of Ayurveda, medicine and the sciences.

 

Varahamihira (505–587 CE), also called Varaha or Mihira, was an Indianastronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who lived in Ujjain. He is considered to be one of the nine jewels (Navaratnas) of the court of legendary ruler Vikramaditya (thought to be the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II Vikramaditya).

Varahamihira's main work is the book Pańcasiddhantika (or Pancha-Siddhantika, "[Treatise] on the Five [Astronomical] Canons) dated ca. 575 CE gives us information about older Indian texts which are now lost. The work is a treatise on mathematical astronomy and it summarises five earlier astronomical treatises, namely the Surya Siddhanta, RomakaSiddhanta, PaulisaSiddhanta, VasishthaSiddhanta and PaitamahaSiddhantas. It is a compendium of VedangaJyotisha as well as Hellenistic astronomy (including Greek, Egyptian and Roman elements). Varahamihira's other most important contribution is the encyclopaedic Brihat-Samhita.

Varahamihira also made important contributions to mathematics. He was also an astrologer.

 

He wrote on all the three main branches of Jyotisha astrology:

 

     •  BrihatJataka - is considered as one the five main treatises on Hindu astrology on horoscopy.

     •  DaivaigyaVallabha

     •  LaghuJataka

     •  Yoga Yatra

     •  VivahaPatal

     •  His son Prithuyasas also contributed in the Hindu astrology; his book "HoraSaara" is a famous book on horoscopy.