Indian astronomy The term jyotia in the sense of one of the Vedanga, the six auxiliary disciplines of Vedic

religion, is used in the Mundaka Upanishad and thus likely dates to Mauryan times. The Vedanga Jyotisha redacted by Lagadha dates to the Mauryan period, with rules for tracking the motions of the Sun and the Moon. The documented history of Jyotisha begins with the interaction of Indian and Hellenistic cultures in the Indo-Greek period. The oldest surviving treatises, such as the Yavanajataka or the BrihatSamhita, date to the early centuries CE. The oldest astrological treatise in Sanskrit is the Yavanajataka ("Sayings of the Greeks"), a versification by Sphujidhvaja in 269/270 CE of a now lost translation of a Greek treatise by Yavanesvara during the 2nd century CE under the patronage of the Western Satrap Saka king Rudradaman I. The first named authors writing treatises on astronomy are from the 5th century CE, the date when the classical period of Indian astronomy can be said to begin. Besides the theories of Aryabhata in the Aryabhatiya and the lost Arya-siddhnta, there is the Pancha-Siddhntika of Varahamihira. The main texts upon which classical Indian astrology is based are early medieval compilations, notably the Bhat Parara Horstra, and Srval by Kalyavarman. The Horashastra is a composite work of 71 chapters, of which the first part (chapters 1-51) dates to the 7th to early 8th centuries and the second part (chapters 52-71) to the later 8th century. The Srval likewise dates to around 800 CE.[ English translations of these texts were published by N.N. Krishna Rau and V.B. Choudhari in 1963 and 1961, respectively. Historically, the study of astrology in India was an important factor in the development of astronomy in the Early Middle Ages.

Elements
Vargas
Main article: Varga (astrology) There are sixteen varga (Sanskrit: varga, 'part, division'), or divisional, charts used in Jyotisha:[6] Varga Rasi Hora Drekkana Chaturtamsha Trimshamsha Saptamsha Navamsha Dashamsha Dwadashamsha Divisor Chart Purpose 1 D-1 Natal chart 2 D-2 Overall wealth 3 D-3 Siblings 4 D-4 Properties 5 D-5 Morals, ethics, spiritual values 7 D-7 Children 9 D-9 Spouse, Etc. 10 D-10 Earning Career 12 D-12 Parents, Grandparents

Shodhashamsha 16 Vimshamsha 20 Chaturvimsha 24 Saptavimshamsha 27 Khavedamsha 40 Akshavedamsha 45 Shastiamsha Chart styles 60

D-16 D-20 D-24 D-27 D-40

Vehicles Upasana-s, Sdhana-s Education (higher) Vitality Quality of life (From here on out,the birth time must be absolutely precise of D-45 the divisional chart is incorrect!!) D-60 Used to differentiate between twins, etc, etc.

There are two chart styles used in Jyotia:

North Indian

South Indian

Grahas the planets

Graha (Devanagari: , Sanskrit: graha, 'seizing, laying hold of, holding'.)

Nine grahas, or navagrahas, are used in Jyotisha:

Sanskrit Name Surya ( ) Chandra ( ) Mangala ( ) Budha () Brihaspati ( Shukra ( Shani ( ) )

English Name Sun Moon Mars Mercury ) Jupiter Venus Saturn

Abbreviation Gender Guna Sy or Su Ch or Mo Ma Bu or Me Gu or Ju Sk or Ve Sa M F M N M F M M M Sattva Sattva Tamas Rajas Sattva Rajas Tamas Tamas Tamas

Rahu ( ) Ketu ( )

North Lunar Node Ra South Lunar Node Ke

Planets in maximum exaltation, mooltrikona (own sign), and debilitation, are:[9] Graha Sun Moon Mars Jupiter Venus Saturn Exaltation 10 Aries 3 Taurus Mooltrikona 4-20 Leo 4-20 Taurus 16-20 Virgo 0-15 Libra Debilitation Sign Rulership 10 Libra Leo 3 Scorpio 28 Cancer 15 Pisces 27 Virgo Cancer Aries, Scorpio Gemini, Virgo Taurus, Libra Capricorn, Aquarius

28 Capricorn 0-12 Aries 5 Cancer 27 Pisces 20 Libra

Mercury 15 Virgo

0-10 Sagittarius 5 Capricorn Sagittarius, Pisces 0-20 Aquarius 20 Aries

Rahu and Ketu are exalted in Taurus/Scorpio and debilitated in Scorpio/Taurus respectively. They are also exalted in Gemini and Virgo. The natural planetary relationships are: Graha Sun Moon Mars Mercury Jupiter Friends Moon, Mars, Jupiter Sun, Mercury Sun, Moon, Jupiter Sun, Venus Sun, Moon, Mars Neutral Mercury Venus, Saturn Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Saturn Enemies Venus, Saturn Mercury Moon Mercury, Venus

Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn Mercury, Venus, Saturn

Venus Saturn

Mercury, Saturn Venus, Mercury

Mars, Jupiter Jupiter

Sun, Moon Sun, Moon, Mars Sun, Moon, Jupiter

Rahu, Ketu Mercury, Venus, Saturn Mars

Rshis the zodiac signs

Rshi (Sanskrit: ri, 'part'.) In Jyotisha, the zodiac is called kalpurusha, the eternal time that has no beginning or end. In the Vedas, the ecliptic is referred to as the Sudarshan Chakra, the wheel in the hand of Lord Vishnu, the creator of the universe. The entire chakra is 360, and is divided into 12 rshis of 30 each, representing 12 constellations that are the zodiac signs. The progression through the zodiac signs represents the cosmic evolution of the soul. Jyotisha uses the sidereal zodiac. Number Sanskrit Name Western/Greek Name 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Mea "ram" Aries ( "ram") Tattva (Element) Tejas (Fire) Prithivi (Earth) Ruling Planet Cara (Movable) Mars Quality Sthira (Fixed) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Cara (Movable) Sthira (Fixed) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Cara (Movable) Sthira (Fixed) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Venus Mercury Moon Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter

Vabha "bull" Taurus ( "bull") Mithuna "twins" Karka "crab" Siha "lion"

Gemini ( "twins") Vayu (Air)

Cancer ( "crab") Jala (Water) Leo ( "lion") Tejas (Fire) Prithivi Kany "girl" Virgo ( "virgin") (Earth) Tula "balance" Libra ( "balance") Vayu (Air) Vcika Scorpio (o Jala (Water) "scorpion" "scorpion") Sagittarius ( Dhanus "bow" Tejas (Fire) "archer") Makara "sea- Capricorn ( Prithivi monster" "goat-horned") (Earth) Kumbha Aquarius ( Vayu (Air) "pitcher" "water-pourer") Mna "fish" Pisces ( "fish") Jala (Water)

Cara (Movable) Saturn Sthira (Fixed) Dvisvabhava (Dual) Saturn Jupiter

The zodiac signs in Jyotisha correspond to parts of the body:[12] Sign Mesha (Aries) Vrisha (Taurus) Mithuna (Gemini) Karka (Cancer) Simha (Leo) Kanya (Virgo) Part of Body head mouth arms two sides heart digestive system

Tula (Libra)

umbilical area

Vrikchika (Scorpio) generative organs Dhanu (Sagittarius) thighs Makara (Capricorn) knees Kumbha (Aquarius) Lower part of legs Meena (Pisces) feet

Bhvas the houses

Bhva (Sanskrit: bhva, 'division'.) In Jyotisha, the natal chart is the bhava chakra (Sanskrit: chakra, 'wheel'.) The bhava chakra is the complete 360 circle of life, divided into houses, and represents our way of enacting the influences in the wheel. Each house has associated karaka (Sanskrit: karaka, 'significator') planets that can alter the interpretation of a particular house. [13] House Name Karakas Meanings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Lagna Dhana Sahaja Sukha Putra Ari Yuvati Sun destiny, physique, birth/birth circumstances, hair, appearance, head, brain

Jupiter, Mercury, wealth, family relationships, eating habits, speech, Venus, Sun, Moon eyesight, death Mars Moon Jupiter Mars, Saturn Venus, Jupiter mind, written communication, environment, younger siblings, short journeys inner life, emotions, home, property education, mother creativity, children, spiritual practices, punya acute illness, injury, openly known enemies, litigation, daily work, foreigners, service business and personal relationships, marriage, spouse, war, fighting length of life, physical death, moka, chronic illness, deep and ancient traditions luck, fortune, spirituality, dharma, guru, father

Randhara Saturn Dharma Jupiter, Sun Karma Labha Vyaya

Mercury, Jupiter, Sun, dream fulfillment, knees and spine, current karmas, Saturn career, sky themes (being 12am/mid heavens Jupiter Saturn, Ketu, Rahu gains, profits from work, ability to earn money, social contexts and organizations loss, intuition, imprisonment, feet, foreign travel, moksha

Nakshatras
Nakshatra (Devanagari: , Sanskrit: nakshatra, 'star', from naksha, 'approach', and tra, 'guard') or lunar mansion is one of the 27 divisions of the sky, identified by the prominent star(s) in them, used in Jyotisha.[14]

The 27 nakshatras cover 1320 of the ecliptic each. Each nakshatra is divided into quarters or padas of 320: # Name 1 Ashvin ( ) ) ) 2 Bharan ( ) 3 Krittik ( 4 Rohini ( ) Location 0 - 1320' Aries Ruler Ketu Pada 1 Pada 2 Pada 3 Chu Che Cho Li A O Lu I Va/Ba Le U Vi/Bi Ka Pada 4 La Lo E Vu/Bu Ke

1320' - 2640' Aries Venus 2640' Aries - 1000' Sun Taurus 1000' Taurus 2320' Moon

5 Mrigashrsha ( 6 rdr ( ) )

2320' Taurus - 640' Mars Gemini 640' 2000' Rahu Gemini 2000' Gemini Jupiter 320' Cancer 320' - 1620' Cancer Saturn

Ve/Be Vo/Bo Ku Ke Hu

Gha Ng/Na Chha Ko He Du Ha Ho De Mu Ti Pa Na Ra Ro Te Nu Yi Bha Hi Da Do Me Tu Pi Tha Ri Ta To Ne Yu Bhi

7 Punarvasu ( 8 Pushya ( ) 9 shlesh ( 10 Magh ( ) 11

1640' Cancer - 000' Mercury Di Leo 000' - 1320' Leo Ketu

Ma Mi Mo Ta Te Pu Pe Ru To Sha Po Re Tu Ni Ya Yo

Prva or Prva Phalgun 1320' - 2640' Leo Venus ( ) Uttara or Uttara Phalgun 2640' Leo - 1000' 12 Sun Virgo ( ) 13 Hasta ( ) 1000' - 2320' Virgo Moon 2320' Virgo - 640' Mars Libra 640' - 2000 Libra ) Rahu 14 Chitr ( ) 15 Svt ( 16 Vishkh ( )

17 Anurdh ( ) 18 Jyeshtha ( ) 19 Mla () 20 Prva Ashdh ( 21 Uttara ( ) ) )

2000' Libra - 320' Jupiter Ti Scorpio 320' 1640' Saturn Na Scorpio 1640' Scorpio Mercury No 000' Sagittarius 000' 1320' Ketu Ye Sagittarius 1320' Sagittarius 2640' Venus

Bhu Dha

Dha Bha/Pha Ji

Ashdh 2640' Sagittarius Sun 1000' Capricorn 1000' 2320' Moon

Bhe Bho Ja Jo/Khe

22 Shravana (

Capricorn 23 Shravishth ( Dhanist ) or 2320' Capricorn Mars 640' Aquarius

Ju/Khi Je/Khu Ga Gi Gu

Gha/Kho Ge Su Di Da/Tra Chi

640' 2000' 24 Shatabhish ( )or Rahu Go Sa Si Aquarius Shatataraka Prva Bhdrapad 2000' Aquarius 25 Jupiter Se So Da 320' Pisces ( ) Uttara Bhdrapad 26 320' - 1640' Pisces Saturn Du Tha Jha ( ) 1640' 3000' 27 Revat ( ) Mercury De Do Cha Pisces

Da-s - the planetary periods

Main article: Dasha (astrology) Dasha (Devanagari: , Sanskrit,da, 'planetary period'.) The dasha system shows which planets will be ruling at particular times in Jyotisha. There are several dasha systems; however, the primary system used by astrologers is the Vimshottari dasha system. The first maha dasha is determined by the position of the natal Moon. Each maha dasha is divided into subperiods called bhuktis. Vimshottari dasha lengths are:[15] Maha Dasha Length Bhuktis Ketu Venus Sun Moon Mars Rahu Jupiter Saturn Mercury 7 Years Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury 20 Years Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu 6 Years Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus 10 Years Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun 7 Years Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon 18 Years Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars 16 Years Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu 19 Years Saturn, Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter 17 Years Mercury, Ketu, Venus, Sun, Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn

Drishtis - the planetary aspects

Drishti (Sanskrit: drishti, 'sight'.) In Jyotisha, the aspect is to an entire sign, and grahas only cast forward aspects: Graha Sun Moon Venus Houses 7th 7th 7th

Mercury 7th

Mars Jupiter Saturn Rahu Ketu

4th, 7th, 8th 5th, 7th, 9th 3rd, 7th, 10th 2nd,5th,7th,9th No aspect

Gocharas - the transits

Gochara (Sanskrit: gochara, 'transit'.) In Jyotisha, a natal chart shows the actual positions of the grahas at the moment of birth. Since that moment, the grahas have continued to move around the zodiac, interacting with the natal chart grahas. This period of interaction is called gochara.[17]

Yogas - the planetary combinations

Yoga (Sanskrit: yoga, 'union'.) In Jyotisha, yogas are planetary combinations placed in specific relationships to each other.

Dig bala - the directional strength

Dig bala (Sanskrit: dig bala, 'directional strength'.) Graha-s gain strength when they are placed in specific cardinal houses: House Grahas Direction 1st Jupiter, Mercury East 4th 7th 10th Venus, Moon Saturn Sun, Mars North West South

Horoscopy
Lagna the ascendant
Lagna (Sanskrit: lagna, 'ascendant'.) Lagna is the first moment of contact between the soul and its new life on earth in Jyotisha.[20]

Atmakaraka - the soul significator

Atmakaraka (Sanskrit: atmakaraka, from atma, 'soul', and karaka, 'significator' .) Atmakaraka is the significator of the soul's desire in Jyotisha.[21]

Gandanta - the karmic knot

Gandanta (Sanskrit: gandanta, from gand, 'knot', and anta, 'end'.) Gandanta is a spiritual or karmic knot in Jyotisha. Gandanta describes the junction points in the natal chart where the solar and lunar zodiacs meet, and are directly associated with times of soul growth.

Ayanamsa - the zodiac conversion

Ayanamsa (Sanskrit: ayansa , from ayana, 'movement', and asa, 'component') is the longitudinal difference between the Tropical (Sayana) and Sidereal (Nirayana) zodiacs.

Moudhya - the combustion

Moudhya (Sanskrit: moudhya, 'combustion') is a planet that is in conjunction with the Sun. The degrees the planets are considered combust are: Graha Moon Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn Degree 12 9 17 11 15

Mercury 13

Sade sati - the critical transit

Sadi sati, the transit of Saturn over the natal Moon, is the most important transit in a birth chart and takes approximately 7.5 years to complete. The transit begins when Saturn enters the house before the Moon, and ends when Saturn departs the house after the Moon. The most intense phase is when Saturn is 2-3 on either side of the Moon. The beginning of the transit will give an indication of the issues to be addressed. Sade sati results in a complete transformation, usually with a change in career or life direction.

Panchangam
Panchangam (Sanskrit: pacgam, from panch, 'five' and anga, 'limbs'.) The panchangam is a Hindu astrological almanac that follows traditional Indian cosmology, and presents important astronomical data in tabulated form. Panchangam means five limbs, or five lights that influence every day.

In modern India
David Pingree notes that astrology and traditional medicine are the two traditional sciences that have survived best in modern India, although both have been much transformed by their western counterparts. There are a great number of contemporary publications, reflecting the persisting importance of astrology in Hindu culture, and the corresponding economical attractivity of the market in India. Notable modern authors include Sri Yukteswar Giri (18551936), Bangalore Venkata Raman (19121998), Bejan Daruwalla (b. 1931), V. K. Choudhry (b. 1951), Sanjay Rath (b. 1963) & Prash Trivedi (b. 1975).

A number of Indian universities currently offer advanced degrees in Jyotisha, including Benaras Hindu University.

Innovations
New approaches developed by Hindu astrologers in the modern epoch include the following:

New Techniques of Predictions by the late Mr. H.R.S. Iyer. In the 1960s, H.R. Seshadri Iyer, introduced a system including the yoga point, which became popular in the West. Systems' Approach for Interpreting Horoscopes by Mr. V.K. Choudhry . In the early 1990s, Indian Vedic Astrologer and Author, V.K. Choudhry introduced the Systems' Approach for Interpreting Horoscopes a simplified system of Jyotish (predictive astrology). The system, also known as "SA", helps those who are trying to learn Jyotisha. Krishnamurti Paddhati by the late Mr. K. S. Krishnamurti. The system developed by Shri Krishnamurti is mainly based on the analysis of the stars (nakshatras), by subdividing the stars in the ratio of the dasha of the concerned planets. The system is also known as "KP" and "sub theory".