Samāsa Saṃhitā

Samāsa Saṃhitā ("Minor Collection"^[1]), also known as Svalpa-saṃhitā ("Shorter Compendium"^[2]),^[3] is an abridged version of Bṛhat Saṃhitā, Varāhamihira's work on natural astrology. It is now lost, but at least 142 verses on it survive in Saṃhitā-vivṛti, Utpala's commentary on the Bṛhat Saṃhitā, often identifiable by the phrase "tatha cha Samāsa-saṃhitāyam".^[4] The Samāsa Saṃhitā is the fourth most cited work in Saṃhitā-vivṛti, after the works of Parashara, Garga, and Kāshyapa.^[5]

The Samāsa Saṃhitā definitely existed in the 9th century CE, when Utpala mentioned it. It was probably lost by the 11th century, when Al-Biruni wrote about Varāhamihira but did not mention it.^[6]

Samāsa Saṃhitā was an abridged version of the Brihat-saṃhitā, and borrowed some verses from it verbatim.^[6] However, it also contained some new content, as evident from the extracts from Utpala's commentary.^[7] For example, it mentions a legend about the sage Agastya devouring the demon Vatapi, which is absent from the Brihat-saṃhitā. Similarly, only the Samāsa Saṃhitā mentions that the Varāhamihira's method of gauging rainfall is based on the Magadha system mentioned in the Artha-shastra.^[6]

Ajay Mitra Shastri reconstructed a part of Samāsa Saṃhitā from Utpala's commentary on the Bṛhat Saṃhitā. Shastri's edition was published in the journal Bharātīya Vidyā volume 23.^[8]