Samudrika Shastra

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Samudrika Shastra (

Indian astrology, is the study of face reading, aura reading, and whole body analysis. The Sanskrit term "Samudrika Shastra" translates roughly as "knowledge of body features." It is related to astrology and palmistry (Hast-samudrika), as well as phrenology (kapal-samudrik) and face reading (physiognomy, mukh-samudrik).[1][2] It is also one of the themes incorporated into the ancient Hindu text, the Garuda Purana.[3]

The tradition assumes that every natural or acquired bodily mark encodes its owner's psychology and destiny. Elevation, depression, elongation, diminution, and other marks become relevant. There are five main types of human elements in terms of the Samudrika: Agni, Vayu, Jal, Akash and Prithvi. Traditional stories in

Gautama the Buddha, and Mahavira the Tirthankara
conform to this tradition.

somatotypes
') – also mimics the practice of Samudrika Shastra.

History

The system of human marks finds a mention in various

IAST: Sāmudrika-śāstras). Many of these texts are undated: the Sanskrit-language Samudrika-tilaka, one of the earliest important works, was composed in the 12th century CE.[4]

Around 600

Brhat-samihta. Several manuscripts included verses from the Gargiya-jyotisha, Rati-rahasya, and other Puranas (Vishnu and Matsya).[8]

Other works on the topic include Samudrika-sara by Shankara or Narayana-suri and Samudrikadesha by Damodara.[9] Samudrika-maha-shastra, an anonymous manuscript from Nepal, dated 17 September 1800, contains 32 chapters in form of a dialogue between the deities Ganga and Samudra. In Jain literature, two notable samudrika-shastra texts are Samudrika-lakshana of Jaipur, and Samudrika by Pandita Padam-sinha of Ajmer.[10]

Among localised works originating from western India, the three most important texts are the Samudrika-tilaka, the Samudrika-chintamani, and Samudrika.[10] Durlabha-raja began writing the Samudrika-tilaka (as Nara-lakshana-shastra) in c. 1160 CE, and his son Jagad-deva completed it in c. 1175 CE; Sri Venkateswar Steam Press published the work under the generic title Samudrika-shastra in 1954.[11] Samudrika-chintamani (Sāmudrikacintāmaṇi) of Madhava Shri-grama-kara, written in c. 1700 CE, closely follows the Samudrika-tilaka.[12] Samudrika, also known by the generic titles Samudrika-shastra or Samudrika-lakshana, is an anonymous work with two versions. The first version is found throughout India, and one manuscript names Mula-deva as its main author, plus Vama-deva as the author of twenty verses. The second version is found in northern India and Nepal, and one manuscript suggests that it is derived from the collection of one Jagan-mohana, composed by Shri-lakshmanacharya Bhatta.[13]

Samudrika-tantra (1847-1848 CE), attributed to the god Shiva, is a localised text from Mithila.[14]

Over 50 manuscripts of various samudrika-shastra texts contain a commentary or translation, mostly in non-Sanskrit regional languages such as including

Maru-Gurjura, Odia, Tamil, and Malayalam. The oldest manuscript with a commentary is titled Samudrika-lakshana (1507 CE): it comes from a Jain collection of Rajasthan, and features a Hindi commentary.[15]

References

  1. ^ Modern Asian studies, Volume 41. Cambridge University Press. 2007. p. 504.
  2. ISBN 0-940985-69-1
    . Samudrika shastra.
  3. ISBN 978-81-223-1084-9
    .
  4. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 113.
  5. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 134.
  6. ^ a b Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 117.
  7. ^ David Pingree, ed. (1971). Census of the Exact Sciences in Sanskrit Series A. Vol. 2. American Philosophical Society. p. 11.
  8. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 118.
  9. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 119.
  10. ^ a b Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 120.
  11. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, pp. 121–122.
  12. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, pp. 127–128.
  13. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 129-133.
  14. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, pp. 120–121.
  15. ^ Kenneth G. Zysk 2016, p. 135.

Bibliography

Further reading


Stub icon

This Hinduism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samudrika_Shastra&oldid=1146016613"