Indian astral sciences have long been examined from a wide range of scientific, historical, and socio-cultural perspectives, with foundational thinkers such as Varāhamihira and Āryabhaṭa establishing mathematical frameworks that shaped both astrological practice and early mathematics. Within this tradition, marriage and natal astrology represent two of the most intensively discussed areas. Varāhamihira's Bṛhajjātaka, a foundational genethlialogical treatise, systematically addresses planetary positions during copulation (niṣeka) and their role in predicting gender identity; subsequently, later medieval texts dedicate entire chapters to aspects of marriage, including coital timing, reproduction, and gender determination.
The present project aims to analyze selective sections on marriage, coital timing, and planetary influences on the characteristics of offspring from medieval Sanskrit astrological texts. Belonging primarily to the jātaka (genethlialogical, or birth-chart astrology) and muhūrta (catarchic) genres, these texts reveal how erotic concepts, gender, and sexuality function within historical astrological discourse. To achieve this, the project examines three exhaustive works on medieval Indian astrology:
Jātakapārijāta: Composed in the fifteenth century by Vaidyanātha Daivajña, the third chapter of this text outlines coital timing and natal astrology, explicitly describing specific planetary positions that indicate the birth of diverse gender identities and sexualities.
Muhūrtacintāmaṇi: Composed between 1600 and 1601 CE by Rāma Daivajña, the fifth chapter of this work explicitly details the ideal astrological timings for both coitation and marriage.
Sarvārthacintāmaṇi: Written by Veṅkaṭeśa (c. 1624–1675 CE), who was patronized by Vijayarāghava (the Nāyaka of Tanjore, r. 1633–1673 CE), selective parts of the second chapter predict and explain gender identity and gender-variant births.
The textual analysis will be contextualized within medieval Indian intellectual frameworks, integrating gender studies, the history of science, and sexuality studies. The objective is to demonstrate how astrological discourse functioned simultaneously as an explanatory and a prescriptive knowledge system, while tracing its Translocation and Transmission across the three centuries spanned by these texts.
