The Yavanajātaka (Sanskrit: yavana 'Greek' + jātaka 'nativity' = 'nativity according to the Greeks'), written by Sphujidhvaja, is an ancient text in Indian astrology.
According to David Pingree, it is a later versification of an earlier translation into Sanskrit of a Greek text, thought to have been written around 120 CE in Alexandria,[1] on horoscopy.
Based on Pingree's interpretation and emendations, the original translation, made in 149–150 CE by "Yavanesvara" ("Lord of the Greeks") under the rule of the Western Kshatrapa king Rudrakarman I, is lost; only a substantial portion of the versification 120 years later by Sphujidhvaja under Rudrasena II has survived.
However, some Indian authors claim the earliest known Sanskrit work on horoscopy is Vedanga Jyotisha[5] [6] It was translated by David Pingree into English, which was published as volume 48 of the Harvard Oriental Series in 1978.
Astronomical mathematical methods, such as the calculate of the 'horoskopos' (zodiac sign on the eastern horizon) was used in the service of astrology.