When the rains subsided, the King ordered that the Brhat Samhita be transcribed onto copper plates and placed in every temple library from Taxila to Kanchipuram. He asked Varāhamihira, “But tell me truly—how did you know?”
For the drought, he turned to Chapter 28: The Movements of Living Beings .
For seven days, he did not sleep. He sent his disciples to four corners of the kingdom. On the eighth day, a young student named Ādityadāsa ran into the observatory. the brhat samhita of varaha mihira varahamihira
Thus ends the story of the Brhat Samhita —a testament to the idea that the most magical thing in the world is a careful, honest observation. This story is a dramatization. The real Brhat Samhita (c. 6th century CE) is a 106-chapter encyclopedia covering astronomy, astrology, architecture, hydrology, agriculture, gemology, perfumery, and even sexual physiology. Varāhamihira did serve at the court of Chandragupta II (Vikramaditya) of the Gupta Empire. The chapters on rainfall, animal omens, and Vāstu are genuine. The dialogue and plot are imaginative constructs to convey the spirit of the work.
“The wise man who knows the marriage of wind and water, He sees the future not in a crystal, but in a drop of rain.” When the rains subsided, the King ordered that
The King, amused, agreed.
He returned to the King. “Your Majesty, within three days, the sky will break. But before that, you must issue an order.” He sent his disciples to four corners of the kingdom
That night, Varāhamihira climbed the stone steps of the Ujjain observatory. He watched the cirrus clouds, which the Brhat Samhita called ‘tāra-patha’ —the path of stars. They were moving east to west, but high, thin. Then, just before dawn, he felt it: a cold gust from the north-west.