Chapter 34 - On Halos (pariveṣa-lakṣaṇa)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

1. When the sky is filled with thin light clouds, the solar or lunar rays, gathered together by the action of the wind and made into circles of different sizes and colours, form what are known as Halos (pariveṣa).

2. If the colour of these halos should be red, their lord is Indra; if blue, Yama; if gray, Varuṇa; if of the colour of the dove, Nirṛti (a demon presiding over the south-west point of the compass); if of the colour of the clouds, Vāyu; if variegated in color, Īśānya (a deity presiding over the north-east point of the compass); if green, Kubera (God of wealth); and if white, Agni.

3. Kubera also causes the halo to appear black, and the other gods to appear with the colour belonging to each. If a halo should be seen to appear and disappear at brief intervals of time, it is caused by Vāyu, and it will not produce effects of a permanent nature.

4. If the halo should appear of the colour of a peacock or fire or silver, or oil or milk, or water, and of the shape of a complete circle and glossy, there will be happiness in the land.

5. If the solar or the lunar halos should continue from the rising to the setting of the luminaries, frequently changing in colour, or if the halos should appear red or disagreeable or imperfect or oblongular or triangular in shape, or of the shape of a bow, there will be misery in the land.

6. If the halo (pariveṣa) should appear of the colour of the neck of the peacock, there will be rain; if it should appear variegated in colour, the chief ruler will be assassinated; if of the colour of smoke, there will be fear in the land; if of the colour of the rainbow or red like the flower of the Aśoka, there will be wars in the land.

7. If in the rainy season, the solar or lunar halo should either appear of a single colour, or glossy; if of different colors, or occupied by clouds sword-like in shape, or if the sun, while surrounded by a halo, should appear very bright and yellow, there will be immediate rain.

8. If the solar or lunar halos should appear big at the eastern or western horizon or at the meridian, and if birds and animals should be found to howl with their faces turned to the Sun or Moon, and if the colour of the halos should be dim, mankind will be tormented with various fears. If the halo should be crossed by meteors or lightning, the chief ruler will meet his death by a weapon.

9. If, daily,^[1] the Sun and Moon should appear red, the chief ruler will die; if halos should be frequently seen round the Sun and Moon at rising or setting, or in the meridian, rulers will be killed.

10. If the halo should consist of two concentric circles, the commander-in-chief will be afflicted with fear, and there will also be wars but not of a fearful nature; if the halo should consist of three concentric circles, there will be wars; if of four circles, the first prince will suffer miseries; and if of five circles, the capital city will be seized by the enemy.

11. If the halo should include within it a planet, the Moon and Stars, there will be either rain within three days or wars within a month. According to some that prince will suffer miseries the lord of the Lagna (rising sign) of whose nativity, the lord of the sign occupied by the Moon, and whose star should happen to be included within the circle of a lunar or solar halo.

12. If Saturn should be included within the circle of a lunar or solar halo, the minor crops will perish; there will be rain attended by storms and deaths among settled farmers.

13. If Mars should be so included, children and commanders of armies will suffer and there will be fear from wars and destructive fires. If Jupiter should be so included, priests, ministers and rulers will suffer.

14. If Mercury should be so included, ministers and permanent writers will be happy and there will be good rain. If Venus should be so included, princes that march out for fight will suffer and there will be good food in the land.

15. If Ketu should be so included, mankind will suffer miseries from hunger, fire, death and from rulers. If Rāhu should be so included, pregnancy will miscarry, there will be disease in the land and rulers will suffer

16. If two planets should be included within a solar or lunar halo, there will be wars in the land; if three should be so included, mankind will suffer from hunger and drought.

17. If four planets should be included within a halo, rulers, ministers and priests will suffer; if five or six planets should be so included, the world will come to an end.

18. If while the comets do not appear, Mars and other planets should be separately eclipsed, or if the stars should be so eclipsed, rulers will perish.^[2]

19. If the halo (pariveṣa) should appear on the first day of the dark or bright half of a lunar month, there will be deaths among the Brāhmaṇas; if on the second day, there will be deaths among the Kṣatriyas; if on the third day, there will be deaths among the Vaiśyas; and if on the fourth day, there will be deaths among the Śūdras; if the halo should appear on the fifth day, villages will suffer; if on the sixth day, towns will suffer; and if on the seventh day, treasuries and store-houses will suffer.

20. If the halo should appear on the eighth day of the dark or bright half of a lunar month, the first prince will suffer; if on the ninth, tenth or eleventh day, the king will suffer; if on the twelfth day, the chief town will be besieged by the enemy, and if on the thirteenth day, there will be confusion and dismay in the army.

21. If the halo should appear on the fourteenth day of the dark or bright half of a lunar month, the queen will suffer; and if on the fifteenth (new or full moon) day, rulers will suffer.

22. The inner circle of the halo represents citizens, the outer circle represents the army marching out for fight and the central circle represents the army pursued by the enemy.

23. If any of these circles should appear of blood-colour or black or of fearful appearance, the persons it represents will suffer defeat. If any of these circles should appear glossy, white and bright, the persons it represents will succeed in battle.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

According to Garga, if the appearance should last for a single day, the chief ruler will die, and if for 7 days, the country will perish.

[2]:

If comets appear at the time, the effects assigned to them will alone come to pass.