Research notes · Wisdom & lineage · 5,205 words

#The Rishis of Jyotisha: founders, Saptarishis, Vedic seers, and what actually survives

Method note: Primary texts were read in full-text OCR from archive.org (djvu.txt) and searched for the relevant passages. Verse locations below were checked in those OCR files unless marked otherwise. "PD" means public domain in the US; works published before 1931 are PD in the US as of 2026 (inference from the US copyright term rule, not from item metadata). Quotes are kept under 15 words. Archive links use the form https://archive.org/details/{identifier}.

#1. Where does the list of 18 Jyotisha pravartakas come from, and how do the versions differ?

#Takeaway

There are two closely related Sanskrit verses. One is Narada Samhita 1.2–3. The other is attributed to "Maharshi Kashyapa"; the Narada Samhita commentary quotes it in a footnote. The Kashyapa verse gives exactly the list in the brief (Surya, Pitamaha, Vyasa … Shaunaka). The Narada verse swaps several names, most notably Paulastya and Romasha/Lomasha for Paulisha, and it has an ambiguous "brahmacharya" compound. David Pingree, the leading Western historian of Indian astral science, says the 18-sage tradition comes from medieval muhurta treatises and that "there was never any validity" to it as history.

#Cited Findings

• Kashyapa version. The Narada Samhita edition on archive.org (Hindi, with the Vimala commentary) gives this as a footnote to NS 1.2–3, signed "महर्षिकश्यपः". Transliterated: suryah pitamaho vyaso vasishtho'trih parasharah / kashyapo narado gargo marichir manur angirah / lomashah paulishash caiva cyavano yavano bhriguh / shaunako'shtadashash caite jyotihshastrapravartakah. A variant reading ("लोमशौ") is noted. That gives the order Surya, Pitamaha, Vyasa, Vasishtha, Atri, Parashara, Kashyapa, Narada, Garga, Marichi, Manu, Angiras, Lomasha, Paulisha, Chyavana, Yavana, Bhrigu, Shaunaka. — Narada Samhita (Hindi, archive.org narada-samhita)
• Narada version (NS 1.2–3). brahmacharyo vasishtho'trir manuh paulastya-lomashau / marichir angira vyaso naradah shaunako bhriguh / cyavano yavano gargah kashyapash ca parasharah / ashtadashaite gambhira jyotihshastrapravartakah. The Vimala commentary counts 18 by splitting "brahma" and "acharya", and glosses acharya as Surya. The edition's Hindi introduction (p. 11) instead glosses acharya as Brihaspati. — Narada Samhita (narada-samhita)
• What the two versions disagree on. Narada has Brahma/"Acharya", Paulastya and Lomasha (sometimes Romasha). Kashyapa has Surya, Pitamaha (= Brahma), Lomasha and Paulisha. Both have Vasishtha, Atri, Manu, Marichi, Angiras, Vyasa, Narada, Shaunaka, Bhrigu, Chyavana, Yavana, Garga, Kashyapa and Parashara. — Narada Samhita (narada-samhita)
• Pingree's reading. Pingree gives the 18 as Brahmacarya, Vasistha, Atri, Manu, Paulastya, Romasa, Marici, Angiras, Vyasa, Narada, Saunaka, Bhrgu, Cyavana, Yavana, Garga, Kasyapa, Parasara and Surya. He attributes the tradition to "medieval muhurta treatises" and says there was "never any validity" to it. — Pingree, Jyotihshastra 1981, Introduction (pingree1981)
• Other numbers. G. S. Shastri's introduction to the Lomasha Samhita (in an English translation by Sreenadh) says Kashyapa lists 18 founders, Parashara lists 19, and Narada lists 18. It also shows that the Lomasha Samhita's own list of sages (vv. 13–14) is different: Vasishtha, Kaushika, Garga, Kashyapa, Mathara, Kratu, Pulaha, Simala, Shulka, Jabali, Devala, Bhrigu, Shaunaka, Narada, Vyasa, Paulastya, Atri and Parashara. The same introduction admits that most of the 18 founders' texts are "not extant". — Lomasha Samhita Part 1, tr. Sreenadh (jyotishlomashasamhitapart1ch.110sreenadh)
• Which text is older. Pingree dates the current Narada Samhita to before c. 1365, because Vishnusharman's Muhurtadipika quotes it heavily. It is a muhurta text (NS ch. 3–31) with omen chapters attached. — Pingree 1981 (pingree1981)

#Inferences

• The site can honestly say: "Medieval Jyotisha texts name eighteen sages as the founders of the science. Two versions of the list survive, one in the Narada Samhita and one ascribed to Kashyapa." It should not present either list as Vedic or ancient-dated.
• The Paulisha/Paulastya and Lomasha/Romasha variants matter for history. "Paulisha" is the name of a siddhanta that Pingree glosses as possibly "of Paulus", meaning Hellenistic. "Romasha" echoes "Romaka" ("of the Romans"). Some scribes may have Sanskritised foreign names into familiar rishi names. This is a plausible hypothesis, not established, so the site should label it as one.
• "Yavana" in both lists is a Sanskrit word for Greeks (see §2). The list itself records that Greek-derived astrology was absorbed into the tradition, which supports an honest "lineage includes many streams" message.

#Gaps

• I could not get a critical edition of a "Kashyapa Samhita" (jyotisha). Pingree says he had no copy, and records it only in CESS A2 30b and A4. The verse's exact location in a Kashyapa text is therefore unverified; it is known here only as a quotation in the Narada Samhita commentary.
• The claimed 19-name list in a Parashara text was not verified.
• The Narada Samhita item on archive.org has no edition metadata. The Vimala commentary suggests the Ram Janma Mishra/Chaukhamba edition, which is a separate archive item: yWdh_narada-samhita-with-vimala-tika-and-explanation-by-ram-janma-mishra-kashi-sanskr. It is a modern, in-copyright commentary; the Sanskrit verse is PD.

#2. Sage-by-sage profiles: attributed works, what survives (archive.org), dating, and status

#Takeaway

Of the 18, only a few names attach to datable texts, and almost all of those texts are post-Vedic and much later than the sage's legendary era:

• Garga: Gargasamhita and Yuga Purana, c. 1st century BCE
• Pitamaha: Paitamaha Siddhanta, 1st century CE / early 5th century CE
• Vasishtha: Vasishtha Siddhanta, c. 5th century CE; the current Vasishtha Samhita is 15th century or earlier
• Parashara: Brihat Parashara Hora, c. 600–800 CE, with a lost earlier Parasharatantra
• Narada: Narada Samhita, before c. 1365
• Bhrigu: Bhrigu Samhita, c. 16th–17th century
• Yavana: Yavanajataka, 149/150 and 269/270 CE
• Paulisha: Paulisa Siddhanta, 3rd–4th century CE

The rest (Vyasa, Atri, Marichi, Manu, Angiras, Lomasha, Chyavana, Shaunaka, Kashyapa) are revered names cited by Varahamihira or later writers. No securely datable Jyotisha text of theirs survives.

#Cited Findings

Surya (Saura)

• Varahamihira's Panchasiddhantika (6th century) summarises a Saura (Surya) siddhanta alongside the Vasishtha, Romaka and Paulisa siddhantas. — Pingree 1981 (pingree1981)
• On archive.org: Burgess, Translation of the Surya-Siddhanta (1860, PD), in.ernet.dli.2015.96668; Thibaut and Dvivedi, Panchasiddhantika (1889, PD), in.ernet.dli.2015.110157 / dli.csl.6388. — archive.org search results

Pitamaha (Brahma)

• The oldest surviving siddhanta is a Paitamahasiddhanta of the early 5th century CE. It survives because it was incorporated into the Vishnudharmottarapurana (2.166–174). It is framed as Brahma lecturing to Bhrigu. An older Paitamaha (epoch 11 January 80 CE) copied Lagadha's period relation. — Pingree 1981 (pingree1981)
• Pingree thinks Pitamaha is probably the "Svayambhu" that Aryabhata refers to. — Pingree 1981

Vasishtha

• Sphujidhvaja (Yavanajataka 79.3) refers to a Vasishtha siddhanta. Varahamihira summarised a Vasishthasiddhanta with epoch 3 December 499 CE (PS 2). — Pingree 1981
• The current Vasishtha Samhita (muhurta) is at least 15th century: earliest dated manuscript 1443. It differs from the Vasishtha Samhita that Vishnusharman knew, and Bhattotpala's quotations of "Vasishtha" (967 CE) are not found in it. — Pingree 1981
• On archive.org: Vriddha Vasishtha Samhita vols 1–2, ed. Chander Mauli Raina, vriddha-vasishtha-samhita-vol-1-chander-mauli-raina and hqvs-vriddha-vasishtha-samhita-vol-2-chander-mauli-rain (modern, in copyright). — archive.org
• Vasishtha is one of the Saptarishis in every list (see §4). The Brihat Samhita cites Vasishtha, with Garga and Parashara, on how large an area a predicted rain will cover (BS 23.4). — Pingree 1981

Parashara

• Varahamihira cites Parashara on the motion of Mercury (BS 7.8), on comets with Garga, Asita and Devala (BS 11.1), and on planetary conflicts. Bhattotpala often quotes a now-lost prose-and-verse Parasharatantra. Minaraja's Vriddhayavanajataka (early 4th century) names Garga and Parashara as authorities on omens. — Pingree 1981
• Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS):
  • The purvakhanda was written c. 600–750 CE and the uttarakhanda before c. 800.
  • It computes precession from 522 CE, borrows from Varahamihira's Brihajjataka, and copies two verses from Sphujidhvaja.
  • Its core is a Maitreya–Parashara dialogue with later additions. One addition is ch. 33, a dialogue between Sujanma and Lomasha.
  • Pingree 1981
• In the Vishnu Purana Parashara is the narrator, speaking to Maitreya. — Wilson tr., Vishnu Purana vol. 1 (in.ernet.dli.2015.47536)
• On archive.org:
  • BPHS: hpyq-brihat-parashara-hora-shastram-by-parashara-praudh (Sitaram Jha); reoo-brihat-parashara-hora-shastra-subodhini-commentary (Khemraj); BrihatParasharaHoraShastra (English, 2017 upload; likely a copyrighted modern translation).
  • Parashara Smriti: Parashara Dharma Samhita with Madhavacharya's commentary, ed. Vaman Shastri Islampurkar, vol. II (1906, PD), in.ernet.dli.2015.281082; ed. Chandrakanta Tarkalankar, Bibliotheca Indica (Asiatic Society), vol. 3 fasc. 1 (1890, PD), parasharasmritichandrakantatarkalankarvol3fasc1vyavaharakhandaasiaticsociety1890_202003_441_K.
  • archive.org

Kashyapa

• Varahamihira names Kashyapa with Parashara, Garga and Vajra on the "pregnancy" of clouds (BS 21.2), and with Brihaspati, Garga and Maya on the Moon's conjunction with Rohini (BS 24.2). A Kashyapasamhita is recorded in CESS (A2 30b; A4), but Pingree "regret[s]" having no copy. — Pingree 1981
• No Kashyapa jyotisha samhita turned up in archive.org title searches ("kashyapa samhita" + jyotish returned 0 results). — archive.org advancedsearch

Narada

• The current Naradasamhita is a muhurta text dated before c. 1365. Varahamihira cites a different, earlier Narada on comets (BS 11.5) and as Brihaspati's student on the Moon–Rohini conjunction (BS 24.2). Bhattotpala's Narada quotations are not in the current text. — Pingree 1981
• On archive.org: narada-samhita (Hindi, Vimala commentary); yWdh_narada-samhita-with-vimala-tika-... (Ram Janma Mishra, Chaukhamba); gdkg-shri-narada-samhita-hindi-tika-abhay-katyayan-by-n (Chaukhamba Surbharati). All are modern commentaries and in copyright. — archive.org

Garga (Vriddha Garga / Gargiya Jyotisha)

• First Gargasamhita:
  • It is the earliest surviving omen text, "probably written in the first century B.C. or A.D." It is a dialogue between Kraushtuki and Garga, and it remains unpublished.
  • It originally had about 62 angas: the Moon and nakshatras; Rahu, Jupiter, Venus, comets, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, the Sun and Canopus (Agastya); houses (vastu); omens from crows; nakshatras by country; rainfall; and more.
  • Several other texts are called "Gargasamhita"; a second one sits between omen and muhurta literature.
  • Other works ascribed to Garga: a Meghamala (rain prediction) and a text on omens from falling lizards.
  • Pingree 1981
• Yuga Purana:
  • It is one chapter of the Gargiya-jyotisha. Mitchiner concludes that the chapter, and the Gargiya-jyotisha as a whole, was "most probably composed around 25 B.C."
  • It is the only Indian text that describes the Indo-Greeks in India in any detail, and the only Brahminical text that describes Indo-Scythian incursions in detail. It knows the Yavanas and Shakas but not later invaders.
  • Mitchiner, The Yuga Purana (Asiatic Society, Calcutta, 1986; TheYugaPurana). The archive item is the 1986 first edition and is in copyright. The brief cites a 2002 edition, which is not on archive.org as far as I found.
• Varahamihira opens his chapter on the Seven Sages (BS 13.1) by saying he follows "the theory of Sage Vriddha Garga". — Brihat Samhita, tr. V. Subrahmanya Sastri & M. Ramakrishna Bhat, 1946 (varahamihira-brihat-samhita-...-1946-with-english-ocr-layer)
• The 1946 translator's introduction cites a well-known verse on the Yavanas: they are mlecchas, yet the science is established among them, so they too deserve worship like rishis. The translator does not attribute it in that passage. Tradition attributes it to Garga; that attribution is unverified here. — Sastri 1946

Bhrigu

• The Bhrigusamhita is a huge collection of ready-made horoscopes, framed as a Bhrigu–Shukra dialogue, with 13 enormous adhyayas (one per sign plus a Yogasagara). The earliest dated manuscript is from 1645, and Pingree doubts it is older than the 16th century. Its South Indian counterpart is the Tamil Saptarshi nadi. — Pingree 1981
• In the Paitamaha Siddhanta, Bhrigu is the pupil Brahma addresses. Varahamihira cites Bhrigu on shakuna (omens, BS 85.43). — Pingree 1981
• On archive.org: kpki-shri-bhrigu-samhita-mahashastra-kundali-khanda-by- and several modern Hindi editions (in copyright). — archive.org

Yavana

• "Yavana" is a person or group, not a rishi:
  • Yavaneshvara translated a Greek text from Alexandria in 149/150 CE.
  • Sphujidhvaja versified it as the Yavanajataka in 269/270 CE, in 79 adhyayas.
  • Minaraja wrote the Vriddhayavanajataka (early 4th century).
  • Pingree 1981
• On archive.org: Pingree, The Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja (Harvard Oriental Series 48, 1978; PingreeYJ; in copyright). Also K. S. Shukla's critique, the_yuga_of_yavanajataka_david_pingrees_text__translation_reviewed_-_ks_shukla, which disputes Pingree's reading. — archive.org

Paulisha (Paulisa)

• Paulishasiddhanta ("siddhanta of Paulus?") is a 3rd–4th century CE text summarised in the Panchasiddhantika from Latadeva's recension (epoch 21 March 505). A later Paulisa siddhanta followed in the 8th century. — Pingree 1981

Lomasha / Romasha

• Lomasha Samhita: a Hindi translation by Girija Shankar Shastri and an English rendering by Sreenadh are on archive.org (jyotishlomashasamhitapart1ch.110sreenadh; modern). Lomasha also appears as a speaker in BPHS ch. 33. — Sreenadh; Pingree 1981
• Pingree also mentions a Romashasiddhanta, and separately the Romakasiddhanta ("of the Romans", 3rd–4th century). — Pingree 1981

Atri, Manu, Angiras, Marichi, Shaunaka, Chyavana, Vyasa

• Varahamihira cites Atri on utpatas (portents) and says Garga used Atri (BS 45.1), and cites Manu on water divining (BS 53.99). Pingree suggests "Kautsa" in an omen text might be Angiras. Texts on lizard-fall divination are ascribed to Shaunaka. — Pingree 1981
• Marichi, Atri, Angiras and Vasishtha appear as Saptarishis in the Vishnu Purana's Svayambhuva-manvantara list (see §4). — Wikipedia "Saptarshi" (secondary)

Vedic-era figures

• Lagadha (Vedanga Jyotisha):
  • The text survives in two recensions: a Rigveda version of 36 verses (by Lagadha, or by Shuci following Lagadha) and a Yajurveda version of 43/45 verses.
  • Its core cycle: 5 solar years = 1830 sidereal days = 62 synodic months = 1860 tithis.
  • It uses the 27 nakshatras starting from Krittika as 13°20′ arcs. It mentions neither the planets nor the zodiac signs.
  • Pingree dates it to "not very many years before or after 400 B.C.", arguing from its post-Vedic language, its debt to Pingala, and Achaemenid-era Mesopotamian astronomy.
  • Pingree 1981
  • On archive.org: R. Shama Shastry ed. & tr. (Mysore, 1936; EfNG_vedanga-jyotisha-by-r-shama-shastry-english-1936-...; uploader marks it CC0, but its real US PD status is uncertain). B. G. Tilak, Vedic Chronology and Vedanga Jyotisha (1925, PD; pli.kerala.rare.45298, vedicchronologya033083mbp). One DLI item is labelled 1903, which looks like a metadata error. — Shama Shastry; Tilak
• Shatapatha Brahmana (Yajnavalkya tradition):
  • SB 2.1.2.3 says the Krittikas "do not move away from the eastern quarter".
  • SB 2.1.2.4 says the Krittikas were originally the wives of the Rikshas (Bears), "for the seven Rishis were in former times called the Rikshas". They are separated because the Rishis rise in the north and the Krittikas in the east.
  • SB 2.1.2.5 makes Agni their mate.
  • Eggeling tr., SBE 12 (1882, PD; wg912)
• Atharva Veda 19.7:
  • The hymn lists the nakshatras with blessings. It is counted as 27, or 28 with Abhijit, and starts with Krittika.
  • Abhijit is absent from the Taittiriya Samhita and Vedanga Jyotisha lists.
  • Wikipedia "Nakshatra"; Cambridge IAU Colloquium "Asterisms" PDF
  • Whitney & Lanman, Atharva-Veda Samhita (Harvard Oriental Series 7–8, 1905, PD): atharva-veda-samhita (Part 1); Part 2 with Book XIX is in.ernet.dli.2015.195569. — archive.org
• Agastya (Canopus): the first Gargasamhita has an anga on Canopus (Agastya). Brihat Samhita ch. 12 is "the Course of Agastya", which in that text comes just before ch. 13 on the Seven Sages. Agastya is in the Jaiminiya Brahmana's Saptarishi list. — Pingree 1981; Sastri 1946; Wikipedia "Saptarshi"

#Inferences

• A page template per sage that works: "What tradition says" / "What texts carry his name" / "What scholars date them to" / "Where to read it (free PD scans)".
• The datable core runs: Vedanga Jyotisha (~400 BCE) → Gargiya Jyotisha (~1st century BCE) → Yavanajataka (150/270 CE) → Paitamaha / Vasishtha / Paulisa / Romaka siddhantas (1st–5th century) → Varahamihira (6th century) → BPHS (600–800) → Narada and Vasishtha Samhitas (c. 1365 and 15th century) → Bhrigu Samhita (16th–17th century). This is the "documented lineage" timeline for a lineage map.
• Sage names used as titles ("Parashara's Hora") follow a common Indian convention of authorship by attribution. The site can present this respectfully: the texts honour the sage as the source of the teaching, while historians date the wording that has reached us.

#Gaps

• Surya Siddhanta's dating (the extant text vs. the Saura that Varahamihira summarised) was not verified in my reads.
• I found no surviving Jyotisha text attributed to Vyasa, Chyavana, Marichi or Angiras, and no reliable source either way.
• I did not consult Kim Plofker's Mathematics in India (2009) or S. B. Dikshit's Bharatiya Jyotish Shastra directly. They are on archive.org: English tr. by R. V. Vaidya / A. K. Upadhyay, vol. 2 (1969), a.k.upaghyaybharatiyajyotishsastravol21969 ("Upaghyay" is misspelt in the item name), and Hindi tr. by Shivanath Jharkhandi, QLQi_bharatiya-jyotish-of-shankar-balakrishna-dikshit-.... They contain Dikshit's Krittika-based dating argument for the Shatapatha, which I did not verify.
• I have no verified dating for the Parashara Smriti here.
• I did not check Tilak's and Dikshit's much earlier datings of the Vedanga Jyotisha (c. 1400 BCE or older, based on its solstice position) against Pingree. They are a known alternative view and should be presented as such.
• The Yajnavalkya → Shatapatha authorship link is traditional. I did not source it in this pass.

#3. Which attributions are traditional/legendary, and which are textually supported?

#Takeaway

"Textually supported" here means a surviving text bears the name and can be dated. It does not mean the Vedic sage wrote it. No surviving Jyotisha text can be shown to be by a Vedic-era rishi. The one named Vedic-period author, Lagadha, is not on the 18-founder list.

#Cited Findings

• Pingree says the tradition of 18 founding sages never had historical validity. — Pingree 1981
• The current Narada and Vasishtha Samhitas do not contain verses that Bhattotpala (967 CE) quoted under those names. So texts bearing the same name were rewritten or replaced over time. — Pingree 1981
• BPHS is composite: its core is a dialogue, with sections spoken to Mahesvara, attributed to Parvati, or framed as Sujanma–Lomasha. — Pingree 1981
• The Bhrigu Samhita is probably 16th century or later. — Pingree 1981
• The Yuga Purana (Garga) is dated c. 25 BCE on internal historical evidence. — Mitchiner 1986

#Inferences

Suggested labels for the site:

#Gaps

• Kashyapa Samhita manuscripts (CESS A2 30b) were not examined.

#4. Who are the Saptarishis, and how does the Saptarishi (Laukika) calendar work?

#Takeaway

The Seven Rishis are identified with the seven bright stars of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). Which seven sages they are varies by text. The calendar rests on a supposition that the Seven Rishis move through one nakshatra every 100 years, completing a 2,700-year cycle. In practice Kashmiri usage counts only the year within the current century (1–100). The rules can be documented precisely from Sewell & Dikshit (1896), the Vishnu Purana and Brihat Samhita 13, and Kalhana.

#Cited Findings

Who the seven are

• Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.2.6: Atri, Bharadvaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vasishtha, Vishvamitra.
• Jaiminiya Brahmana 2.218–221: has Agastya instead of Kashyapa.
• Vishnu Purana (Svayambhuva manvantara), Mahabharata and Brihat Samhita: Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasishtha.
• Traditional star mapping: Kratu = Dubhe, Pulaha = Merak, Pulastya = Phecda, Atri = Megrez, Angiras = Alioth, Vasishtha = Mizar (with Arundhati = Alcor), Marichi = Alkaid.
• Source: Wikipedia "Saptarshi". This is secondary; the article does not give primary citations for every list.

Vedic link between the Rishis and Ursa Major

• Shatapatha Brahmana 2.1.2.4 says the seven Rishis were formerly called rikshas, "bears". This matches the Greek "Great Bear". — Eggeling SBE 12 (wg912)

The rule as the Puranas give it (Vishnu Purana IV.24)

• Two stars of the Seven Rishis are seen rising first. The asterism lying at night midway between them is the one the Rishis are "united with", and they stay there for 100 human years.
• In Parikshit's time they were in Magha. When they were in Magha the Kali age began, and when they reach Purva Ashadha Kali will be at full strength.
• Wilson notes that similar accounts appear in the Bhagavata, Vayu and Matsya Puranas, and that the Vayu/Matsya figures conflict with one another.
• Source: Wilson tr., ed. Hall, Vishnu Purana vol. 4 (1868, PD; vishupuraasyste00hallgoog), Book IV ch. XXIV, p. 233

The rule as Varahamihira gives it (Brihat Samhita 13)

• BS 13.1–2: Varahamihira follows Vriddha Garga.
• BS 13.3: the Seven Sages were in Magha when Yudhishthira ruled, 2526 years before the Shaka era.
• BS 13.4: they stay 100 years in each nakshatra. A variant reading adds that they rise in the northeast with Arundhati.
• Source: Sastri & Bhat tr. 1946 (varahamihira-brihat-samhita-...). The 1946 translation is likely in copyright; Kern's 1865 translation (wg1077) is PD.

Kalhana (Rajatarangini I.55–56)

• To settle his chronology, Kalhana quotes this exact Brihat Samhita verse, citing the "author of the Samhita" on the Great Bear moving one nakshatra per century. — Stein tr., Rajatarangini vol. 1 (1900, PD mark; RajataranginiVol1)
• Kalhana dates his own writing to Laukika [42]24 = Shaka 1070 expired = 1148–49 CE, and his completion to Laukika [42]25 = 1149–50 CE. His dates run from Laukika 3889 (began 7 March 813 CE) to 4225. Following the Laukika custom, he leaves out the centuries. — Stein, Intro (RajataranginiVol1)
• Bühler showed from Kashmiri tradition that the era begins on Chaitra shukla 1 of Kali Samvat 25 (expired) = 3076–75 BCE. The Laukika/Saptarshi count was still in use (1900) among Brahmins of Kashmir and the hill states (Chamba, Kangra, Mandi). — Stein (RajataranginiVol1)

Exact working rules (Sewell & Dikshit, The Indian Calendar, 1896, p. 41)

• Names: Saptarshi-kala, Laukika-kala or Shastra-kala.
• Where used: Kashmir. In Alberuni's time (1030 CE) also in Multan. It is the only reckoning in the Rajatarangini.
• Basis: the supposition that the Seven Rishis move through one nakshatra (1/27 of the ecliptic) in 100 years. One revolution is 2,700 years, so the era runs in cycles of 2,700 years.
• Counting: the hundreds are dropped. When the count reaches 100, a new hundred starts from 1.
• Epoch: Kashmiri astronomers start the era, or one of its 2,700-year cycles, on Chaitra shukla 1 of Kali 27 current.
• Conversion: ignoring hundreds, add 47 to get the current Shaka year, or 24–25 to get the CE year.
• Year type: years begin with Chaitra (chhaitradi). Kielhorn found they are mostly current years with purnimanta months.
• Source: Sewell & Dikshit 1896 (PD; indiancalendarwi00seweuoft)
• Britannica describes the Laukika era as formerly used in Kashmir and the Punjab. — Britannica "Laukika era"

Conflicts to disclose

• Bühler/Stein give the epoch as Kali 25 expired; Sewell gives Kali 27 current. Those differ by one year.
• The Brihat Samhita dates Yudhishthira to 2526 years before Shaka, about 2448 BCE. That conflicts with a Kali start in 3102 BCE. Kalhana used it to place the Kurus 653 years into Kali, a choice later critics dispute.
• Sources: Stein; Sastri 1946 translator's note; advaita-l discussion (non-scholarly)

#Inferences

• Algorithm for a site widget, derived from the rules above:
  • Full Laukika year = CE year + 3076, starting from Chaitra shukla pratipada (the Kashmiri new year, Navreh). Check: Kalhana's 4224 corresponds to 1148 CE.
  • The "popular" year is the full year mod 100.
  • Worked example: from Navreh 2026, the full year is 5102 and the popular year is 2.
  • The Saka check also works: 24 + 47 = 71, i.e. Saka 1071 current = 1070 expired, as Kalhana says.
• A "which nakshatra are the Seven Sages in?" feature is possible but conventional. Starting from Magha at the epoch and adding one nakshatra per 100 years gives 51 centuries elapsed, which is 51 mod 27 = 24 steps past Magha, landing at Punarvasu. Sources disagree on both epoch and starting point (Vishnu Purana: Kali start; Brihat Samhita: Yudhishthira 2448 BCE), so a different anchor gives a different nakshatra. The widget must show the assumptions and should offer both anchors.
• The site should state plainly that Ursa Major does not actually move through the nakshatras at one per century. Sewell calls the basis a "supposition", so the cycle is a symbolic or ritual reckoning, not an observed motion. That framing is honest and still lets the calendar be celebrated as living Kashmiri heritage.

#Gaps

• I did not verify a modern authority for the current Kashmiri Saptarishi Samvat number (5101/5102). The figure above is computed from Sewell's and Stein's rules.
• I did not consult Alberuni's own text, which is in Sachau's 1888 translation (PD).
• Whitney's AV 19.7 translation wording was not read directly; the Part 2 OCR was not fetched.

#5. Teachings on time, karma, fate vs. effort, and ethics that could anchor the site's voice

#Takeaway

The sourced material supports four themes:

• Jyotisha as the "eye of the Veda" and the science of right timing (Narada Samhita; Vedanga Jyotisha).
• Omens as warnings that come from past karma, which a person can heed (Brihat Samhita).
• High ethical standards for the astrologer, including condemnation of fakes (Brihat Samhita 2).
• Openness to knowledge from foreigners: Yavanas "worshipped like rishis" for their learning.

#Cited Findings

• Purpose of Jyotisha (Lagadha). Whoever knows the science of determining times "knows the sacrifices". The same verse is repeated at the end of the Paitamaha Siddhanta 9.8. — Pingree 1981; Shama Shastry 1936
• Vedanga Jyotisha on calculation: as the crest is to the peacock, so calculation (ganita) stands at the head of the Vedanga sciences. — Shama Shastry 1936
• Narada Samhita 1.4–5: Jyotisha has three branches (siddhanta, samhita, hora) and is the Veda's "spotless eye" (vedasya nirmalam chakshuh). As a Vedanga, its subject is setting out what is auspicious and inauspicious for the world. — Narada Samhita (narada-samhita)
• Brihat Samhita on karma:
  • Evil omens result from a person's karma in previous births and are meant to warn them (BS 46.2, per the translator's introduction).
  • If you note omens when setting out, you are forewarned about the results of your efforts.
  • Sastri 1946
• Brihat Samhita 2 on the astrologer:
  • The astrologer should be truthful, modest, free from malice and impartial (BS 2.2).
  • They must master the units of time from the yuga down to the truti, and the ecliptic.
  • Varahamihira strongly condemns pseudo-astrologers.
  • Sastri 1946
• Yavana verse: the Yavanas are mlecchas, but because this science is established among them, they deserve reverence like rishis. The source is a verse quoted in the 1946 introduction, traditionally ascribed to Garga. — Sastri 1946
• Cyclic time (Vishnu Purana IV.24): Kali begins when the Seven Rishis are in Magha, and its strength is measured by their movement. Time is described as a cosmic clock read in the northern sky. — Wilson/Hall vol. 4
• Brihat Samhita 13.1–2: a lyrical image of the Seven Sages adorning the northern sky "like a necklace of pearls". The northern region seems to dance at the direction of the Pole Star, the leader. — Sastri 1946

#Inferences

• Suggested voice pillars:
  1. Time well-known is life well-lived: muhurta and the Vedanga purpose.
  2. The chart warns; it does not condemn: omens as karma's warning, and effort informed by foresight.
  3. The astrologer's dharma: truthful, impartial, free from malice, with no fear-selling, echoing Brihat Samhita 2.
  4. Knowledge honoured wherever it arises: the Yavana verse, and honesty about Greek inputs.
• These fit the user's "executive-first, plain words" preference. Each sage page can lead with a one-line teaching, with the scholarly detail one tap deeper.

#Gaps

• I did not source an explicit daiva vs. purushakara (fate vs. effort) verse from a Jyotisha text in this pass. Candidates such as Yajnavalkya Smriti 1.349–351 and passages in the Mahabharata and Matsya Purana need verification.
• I did not extract an explicit verse on astrologer ethics or the Kali-age dharma from BPHS or the Parashara Smriti.
• The exact Sanskrit and verse number of the Yavana verse (often given as BS 2.15 / Garga) were not confirmed in the OCR.

#6. Product ideas: lineage map and "sage" pages (derived)

#Takeaway

The research supports a two-layer design: "As tradition tells it" and "As history shows it", both linking to free public-domain scans. The Saptarishi calendar is a distinctive, well-documented interactive feature.

#Cited Findings

• PD scans exist to link from sage pages:
  • Wilson's Vishnu Purana (1864–77; TheVishnuPuranaVolI, vishupuraasyste00hallgoog)
  • Stein's Rajatarangini (1900; RajataranginiVol1, RajataranginiVol2)
  • Sewell & Dikshit (1896; indiancalendarwi00seweuoft)
  • Eggeling's Shatapatha (SBE 12, 1882; wg912)
  • Kern's Brihat Samhita (1865; wg1077)
  • Thibaut's Panchasiddhantika (1889; in.ernet.dli.2015.110157)
  • Burgess's Surya Siddhanta (1860; in.ernet.dli.2015.96668)
  • Whitney's Atharva Veda (1905; in.ernet.dli.2015.195569)
  • Tilak (1925; pli.kerala.rare.45298)
  • Parashara Dharma Samhita (1906; in.ernet.dli.2015.281082)
  • Pingree's CESS is also on archive.org (censusofexactsci01ping … 05ping) but is in copyright.
  • Sources: archive.org; Wilson vol. 1; Pingree CESS A1

#Inferences

1. Lineage map with two modes.
   • "Tradition" mode: a radial map of the 18 pravartakas, with the Kashyapa and Narada variants switchable, plus the Saptarishis.
   • "History" mode: a dated timeline running Vedanga Jyotisha (~400 BCE) → Garga (~25 BCE) → Yavanajataka (150/270 CE) → five siddhantas → Varahamihira (6th century) → BPHS (600–800) → Narada Samhita (before 1365) → Bhrigu Samhita (16th–17th century). Edges show "cites", "summarises" and "attributed to".
2. Sage pages, with fixed sections:
   • Who he is in tradition
   • Texts bearing his name
   • What survives and where to read it (archive ID, PD badge)
   • Scholarly date, with a confidence chip: Documented / Attributed / Legendary
   • One teaching (≤15-word quote or paraphrase)
   • Sky link where it exists: Vasishtha → Mizar/Alcor; Agastya → Canopus; Saptarishis → Ursa Major
3. Saptarishi Samvat widget:
   • Today's Laukika year (full and popular), the Saka equivalent, and the next Navreh.
   • A "Sages' nakshatra" dial with a selectable anchor (Vishnu Purana / Brihat Samhita / Laukika epoch) and an "astronomical reality" note.
   • Kalhana's 1148 CE example as proof.
4. "Night sky of the Rishis": a star map showing the Big Dipper with rishi names, Arundhati/Alcor (the traditional wedding-night star-showing), the Krittikas in the east (Shatapatha), and Canopus/Agastya.
5. "Honest lineage" badge / methodology page: quote Pingree's verdict next to the tradition. This builds trust with both devotees and sceptics.
6. Ethics page from Brihat Samhita 2: "Our astrologer's code" (truthful, impartial, free from malice), framed as a commitment to the lineage.

#Gaps

• No user research or traffic data on whether users value the "history" layer. This is a product hypothesis.
• Star-name mappings for the Saptarishis rest on secondary sources (Wikipedia citing P. N. Shankar 1985); a primary astronomical source should confirm them before publication.