Bhrigu Samhita
Encyclopedia
The Bhrigu Saṃhitā is an astrological
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...

 (Jyotish) classic attributed to Maharishi Bhrigu during the Vedic period, Treta yuga
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of mankind, in the religion of Hinduism, and follows the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and precedes the Dvapara Yuga. The most famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and...

. It is said that it was compiled by the Sage out of compassion for humanity so that humanity could cope with the pressures of its existence and move towards a more spiritual nature. The Bhrigu Samhita is said to contain predictions on the current and future lives as well as information on the past life. These predictions will be accurate based on the actions (karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....

) of the questioner.

Origin

It was said that Maharṣi Bhṛgu insulted Lord Viṣṇu while trying to determine who amongst the Trinity of Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

, Viṣṇu and Śiva
Siva
Siva may refer to:*Shiva, a major Hindu God*Živa , a Slavic goddess*A pro-apoptotic signaling protein*1170 Siva, asteroid named after the god*Siva , name of several rural localities in Russia...

 is the greatest, but apologised immediately of his mistake and Lord Viṣṇu instead apologised to him. Upon seeing Lord Viṣṇu's humility Maharṣi Bhṛgu declared him to be the greatest.

But Lakṣmī(the goddess symbolising prosperity), wife of Lord Vishnu perceived it as an insult of her husband. She gave a curse to Maharishi Bhṛgu, that he and his community (Brahmins) to which he represents will be parted away from wealth.

After apologising from Goddess too, she suggested him to write Bhṛgu Saṃhitā which contains predictions. In this way, Brahmins can earn their living by telling past,present and future of people.

The Ashram of Maharishi was in present day Ballia (U.P.), India. Major part of Bhṛgu Saṃhitā was destroyed during Muslim Invasions at that time.

Maharishi Bhrigu was the first compiler of predictive astrology. He compiled about 500,000 horoscopes and recorded the life details and events of various persons. This formed a database for further research and study. This study culminated in the birth of the science (Śāstra) of determining the quality of time (Horā) and is the Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāstra.

These Horoscopes were based upon the planetary positions of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...

, Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...

, Mercury
Mercury (planet)
Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...

, Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...

, Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...

, Jupiter
Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet within the Solar System. It is a gas giant with mass one-thousandth that of the Sun but is two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our Solar System combined. Jupiter is classified as a gas giant along with Saturn,...

, Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...

, Rāhu
Rahu
In Hindu mythology, Rahu is a cut-off head of an asura, that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses. He is depicted in art as a serpent with no body riding a chariot drawn by eight black horses. Rahu is one of the navagrahas in Vedic astrology...

 (North Node of the Moon) and Ketu
Ketu
*In Vedic astrology, Ketu is the Moon's South node. Ketu is generally referred to as a "shadow" planet.*Ketu is a historical location in present day Benin.*Ketu is another name for the mountain K2....

 (South Node of the Moon).

After that, Maharishi Bhṛgu gave his predictions on different types of horoscopes compiled by him with the help of Lord Gaṇeśa
Ganesa
Ganesa can be:* Ganesa, alternate spelling of Ganesha, the Hindu god.* Ganesa , a genus of marine snails in the family Turbinidae....

 in a brief and concise manner. The total permutations/possible horoscope charts that can be drawn with this is about 45 million. Maharishi taught this art of predictions to his son (Śukra) and other pupils.

Lost manuscript

Currently the original Bhṛgu saṃhitā is not available. During foreign invasions of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 by Muslim warriors from the northwest in the 12th and 13th centuries, the brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 community became dispersed all over India. The invaders captured these prime assets of the brahmins. Some parts of the 'Bhṛgu Saṃhitā' were taken away by them. The most unfortunate and destructive event was the destruction of the Nalanda
Nalanda
Nālandā is the name of an ancient center of higher learning in Bihar, India.The site of Nalanda is located in the Indian state of Bihar, about 55 miles south east of Patna, and was a Buddhist center of learning from the fifth or sixth century CE to 1197 CE. It has been called "one of the...

university library by then Muslim rulers, where several thousands of the horoscopes compiled by Maharṣi Bhṛgu had been stored. Only a small percentage of the original horoscopes of Bhṛgu Saṃhitā remained with the Brahmin community which are now scattered throughout various parts of India.
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