This chapter examines the nexus of Vedism and astrology (Jyotiḥśāstra) in the work of the famous polymath Varāhamihira (fl. 550). In its use of ritual conventions, Varāhamihira’s texts demonstrate the influence of Atharvan ritual in astrological circles. It also clarifies importance of the yātrā, or war march, in figurations of kingship. The chapter shows how the ritual narrative of the war-bound king came to be incorporated in the royal ritual of consecration (abhiṣeka) and how, through this ritual appropriation, new, non-Vedic ritual actors would come to participate in Vedic ritual forms. In particular, Varāhamihira applies the technique of bali (food exchange) to undermine the aspersive, abhiṣeka based format of Atharvan śānti, which relied exclusively on śānti water and Atharvan mantras. The ritual-astrological nexus offers a counterpoint to early Dharmaśāstric conceptions of warfare, which tend to mute details of astrological timing for military action, and hence supress possible debates over fatalism.
LA VARIABILITÉ DE LA PRODUCTION DU MIEL CHEZ L'ABEILLE DE RACE NOIRE (APIS MELLIFICA L.) ET CHEZ QUELQUES HYBRIDES INTERRACIAUX
