Agastya

[F. Smith]

I have been reading a Skt text called Vrataraaja with a student. This 
text is filled with astrological and astronomical references that 
occasionally stump me completely. One is agastya. MW defines this as 
Canopus. If only I knew what and where Canopus is in the sky! As the name 
indicates, it seems to be a southern star, one that is visible from 
Kaarttika maasa to Vai.saakha. In spite of that, I suspect it might be a 
star in a raa'si or a nak.satra, if for no other reason than because 
these were the usual templates through which classical India viewed the 
sky. Any help out there?

Fred Smith 
University of Iowa