बृहत्संहिता (आचार्य वराहमिहिर - स्थापत्य, खगोल, मौसम व जल विज्ञान)

646 बृहत्संहितायाम् [Adh. LXXXVI. Sl. 5-7. included in the Kingdom of Magadha? For, the Commentator says that Varahamihira was a Magadha Brahmana. शाकुन is the adjectival form of शकुन = Omen. This शकुन is based upon the word शकुनि, a bird. This chapter should not be confounded with the one on “Portents.” अन्यजन्मान्तरकृतं कर्म पुंसां शुभाशुभम् । यत्तत्तस्यशकुनः पाकं निवेदयतिगच्छताम् ॥५॥ Sloka 5.—During a man's journey, an omen reveals the fruition of his deeds, good and bad, done in a pre- vious birth. This shows that the omens are not superstitious beliefs. They indicate one’s belief in the rebirth of the soul and thus reveal effects of past deeds, good or bad. ग्राम्यारण्याम्बुभूव्योमद्युनिशोभयचारिणः । रुतयातेक्षितोक्तेषु ग्राह्याः पुंस्त्रीनपुंसकाः ॥६॥ Sloka 6.— Omens are of various kinds, as those through beings that are rural, wild, aquatic, terrestrial, heavenly, diurnal, nocturnal and diurnal-nocturnal. The sex of the creatures is to be determined from their cry, gait, look and speech. Rural beings are men, horses, elephants and dogs; wild ones, lions, tigers, boars, deer, etc.; aquatic ones, swans and the like; terrestrial ones, dogs and the like, mangooses, serpents, etc. For the explanation of diurnal, etc., cf. Chap. 88 infra. According to the Commentator when there is a doubt as to whether a certain bird crying is male, female or eunuch, it is to be guessed from the sex of a person talking near by. पृथग्जात्यनवस्थानादेषां व्यक्तिर्न लक्ष्यते । सामान्यलक्षणोद्देशे श्लोकावृषिकृताबिमौ ॥७॥ Sloka 7.—Since it is very difficult to distinguish their sex owing to the multiplicity of their genera and the