A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO VEDIC ASTROLOGY

G.K. Goel Director of Astrology Astro Science Research Organization

Historical backgrou !
Existing records prove that astrology was a highly developed branch of nowledge in !ndia even as far bac as "### $%. &an'scripts which were written between (### $% and )*## $% are still available+ eg ,ita-ha Siddhanta . a treatise on astrology that was a'thored abo't (### $%. /he wor s of ,arasara+ who lived abo't )0## $%+ are also available and referred to with great respect and hono'r. /hese wor s are the bac bone of the !ndian syste- of astrology even today.

Astrolog" # t$% Gr%at%st Sci% c%

/he science of astrology is concerned with the observation of the position of certain bodies and certain points in the heavens in relation to the Earth+ and with the correspondences between these relative positions and the Earth. So-e -odern scientists assert that astrono-y is the science of the stars+ b't s'ch a state-ent is only partially correct. Astrono-y is+ and always was also a part of Astrology. !t was 'sed as a -eans to an end.

So-e scientists do'bt if astrology is a science. 1'n 2 3agnall4s Standard Dictionary gives the following definition of science5 A knowledge of facts, laws and proximate causes, gained and verified by exact observation and correct thinking - else the universal knowledge - an exact and systematic statement or classification of knowledge connecting some subject or group of subjects or any department of knowledge in which the results of investigation have been systematized. !f this is a correct definition of science+ then indeed astrology is the greatest of all sciences+ since its percepts and for-ation are based on act'al and syste-atic records of observations -ade by -en of rep'te since at least "### $.%. /he ancient Rishis+ no do'bt+ were adepts at synthesis. Astrology is indeed a synthesis of all branches of nowledge. /he whole of -an ind is deeply indebted for the nowledge and the path shown by these ancient Rishis. /he present and the co-ing generations carry the responsibility to f'rther enrich and develop the astrology. nowledge of this great science of

A ci% t Astro o&"

/he 6edic rishis had observed that there is a -athe-atical point in the northern direction in the s y+ aro'nd which all the stars see- to rotate. /his is called Dhr'va 7,ole8. /his polar point itself -oves very slowly a-ongst the stars. 3henever a star is near the polar point+ that star is designated the ,ole Star. According to 9acobi+ star Draconic was very near to Dhr'va abo't :*0# $%. /his star was so near to the polar point :;# years before and after this year+ which it was called the ,ole Star d'ring that period. &aharishi Garg and the other rishis of his Era observed that the slow -otion of the polar point in the s y is directly lin ed to the precession of the E<'inoxes. /his pheno-enon is vividly explained in the Sa-hita Granthas+ ,'ranas and other script'res. ! <'ote the following three slo as fro- the 6ishn' ,'rana+ which was narrated by &aharishi ,arasara to &aitreya5
:

Ansha :+ chapter =+ slo as )+ : and (

rkjke;a Hkxor% f'k'kqekjkfr izHkksA fnfo %AA2AA l !k egk"#A Hkze%re"q $+or#AA2AA l,;kZ$%nzelk rkjk "(k)kkf*k xzg % lgA okrk"-'e; .Z%/ /zqZos ./kf" rkf" o AA0AA
/he above slo as convey the following infor-ation5 >!n the s y+ God has placed hi-self a-ongst the stars+ in the for- of the Shish'-ara %ha ra+ whose tail is placed in the ,ole 7Dhr'va8+ and body and head are placed in the Solar Syste-. /his -otion of Dhr'va a-ongst the stars is connected with the -otion of the &oon+ the S'n and the other planets. All the stars also see- to -ove aro'nd Dhr'va. /he -otion of the S'n+ &oon and na shatras along the ecliptic ca'ses the -ove-ent of the Dhr'va a-ong the stars and are inter.dependent to each other+ as if they are all interconnected by fixed at-ospheric strings.? ,arasara goes on to e-phasise this f'rther in slo as :@ and :; of the sa-e chapter of the 6ishn' ,'rana5

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1k/kj Hk,r% lforq/zZqoks eqf"ojkskeA /zqoL; %AA23AA

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>/he -ove-ent of the polar point depends 'pon the Solar Syste- and the Shish'-ara %ha ra. /his -ove-ent draws its stability and s'stenance fro- Aarayana+ whose abode is deep in the northern direction above the polar point.? /his concept is 'ni<'e and correctly depicts the arrange-ent of the Solar Syste-. /his concept was observed by the school of &aharishi Garg -'ch before (### $%. Gargacharya was the chief preceptor of the 9adavas in the days of Bord Krishna+ when the 6ernal E<'inox point was in Rohini na shatra. /he above concept is not only referred to in the 6ishn' ,'rana+ b't also in the $rah-ana Sa-hitas+ other ,'ranas and in the &ahabharata. Astrono-ically spea ing therefore+ Aarayana is a concept analogo's to a big -agnetic force deep in the northern direction above the polar point. /his holds the Solar Systeand the stars in their respective positions. /he Solar Syste- is conceived of in the for- of Bord 6ishn' who provides s'stenance to all living beings on Earth. /he $rah-ana Sa-hita Granthas and the ,'ranas are f'll of s'ch lore4s which were recorded in the 6edic period since "### $%. /his 6edic lore4s+ recorded in the for- of hy-ns+ depicts what occ'rred in the s y in vivid detail. As a -atter of fact+ these hy-ns are tr'e records of act'al observations -ade by 6edic rishis till :### $%. 6!SC3A&!/RA AAD ,ARASARA Rishi 6ishwa-itra 7aro'nd :@## $%8 and ,arasara 7aro'nd )0## $%8 had ta en a <'ant'- leap and bro'ght abo't a concept'al change in Astrology. !n fact they had given a new di-ension to the astrological tho'ght process+ based of co'rse on the vast feedbac available to the- in the for- of 6edic literat're. 6ishwa-itra provided the analytical data and ,arasara concept'alized the sa-e in the for- of dicta and basic principles. 3e also find a parallel occ'rrence in the -odern history of astrono-y. After the invention of the telescope in the )"th cent'ry AD+ /ycho left behind vast astrono-ical
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data on the -ove-ent of the planets and stars. Kepler analyzed this data and gave three laws of planetary -otion+ which are valid even today. Aewton gave three laws of -otion in )""" AD concept'alizing the principles wor ing behind Kepler4s laws. All these gave a new direction to the science of astrono-y. We will now summarise the unique achievements of Vishwamitra and Parasara in the fields of astronomy and astrology respectively.

T$% Era o' Vis$(a&itra )*+t$ C% tur" BC,

-. I gr%ss o' t$% V%r al E/ui o0 i to 1rittika aks$atra So-e a'thorities tal abo't three 6ishwa-itras who lived in three different Eras. Cere we will explore the achieve-ents of the Rishi 6ishwa-itra who lived in the :@th cent'ry $%. /his can be proved with the help of the following verse which indicates the co--ence-ent of the 9'dhishtra Era5

izkl"# e4kklq e"q;% 'kkflr i5fFko-e# "5irk A !k6 f7'ia$ f7;qr% 'k' 'k8Lr jk9;L;AA
/his verse says that the Sa a Era co--enced after a lapse of :;:" years fro- the co--ence-ent of the 9'dhishtra Era. /h's we can draw the si-ple concl'sion that the &ahabharata Era was before :@@0 $% 7i.e. :;:" years before*0AD+ the year of the co--ence-ent of the Sa a Era8. So-e a'thorities believe that the original Sa a Era act'ally co--enced in ;;# $%. /his wo'ld p'sh the co--ence-ent of the 9'dhishtra Era bac to (#*" $%. !n any case+ the Rishi 6ishwa-itra+ to who- we are referring+ lived after the &ahabharata Era. ! have <'oted this verse to prove that the sage 6ishwa-itra and the sage ,arasara whose achieve-ents ! a- disc'ssing lived after the Era of the &ahabharata. /he sage

6ishwa-itra of the Era of Bord Ra-a and the sage ,arasara of &ahabharata fa-e were different rishis. /he Astrono-ical hy-n of 6ishwa-itra 7R6 !!! =.=8 reads as follows5 trini sat tr sahasrny agnim trimsat ca dev nav casaparyan tri saharni, trini sat, trimsat ca nava ca dev agnim asaparyan, i.e. (((= devas 7dy's or tithis8 worshipped Agni 7Kritti a D Alcyone :8 by pera-b'lation in the s y. 6ishwa-itra4s astrono-y th's contains the -ystic n'-ber (((= which can be factorised as follows5 (((= D (*) =D ;( * = /his is p'rely an astrono-ical hy-n which refers to the worship of Agni+ the lord of the star Kritti a+ by pera-b'lation in the s y. /he hy-n yields the following concepts when the f'll -oons in Kritti a 7Alcyone :8 are observed and st'died contin'o'sly for (# years5 *. T$% l% gt$ o' t$% "%ar A solar year is -ade 'p of (*) l'nar tithis to a first approxi-ationE a nine.year period is -ade 'p of (((= tithis. !n three years, there is one intercalary month. "ishwamitra discovered that in #$ years, one extra intercalary month %in addition to the usual &$' is needed. Cence (# solar years D (# synodic years F )) synodic -onths D (# G ("# tithis F )) G (# tithis
"

D (# G (*) tithis T$us o % solar "%ar 2 34- tit$is 2 34- 5 *6.73-839 2 3:7.*9 !a"s /he -odern val'es are5 &ean length of a tropical year D (";.:@:)=# days &ean length of a sidereal year D (";.:;"("( days 6ishwa-itra4s calc'lations are tr'ly a wonderf'l achieve-ent in so re-ote a periodH 73e sho'ld also re-e-ber that the d'ration of the rotation of the earth varies in different Eras and is not constant.8 Since ancient times, man has observed that day comes after night and night after day. Similarly, he has observed the phases of the time, i.e. tithi, day and year. 3. Ecli;s%s # C"cl% o' Saros /he plane of the &oon4s orbit has an inclination of ;.); degree to that of the Earth4s orbit. /he two opposite points of intersection of these orbits are called Rah' and Ket'. /hese nodes regress+ and in "*=(.@*# days 7)0."# years8 -a e a co-plete circle of the zodiac. 3hen a conI'nction or opposition of the S'n and the &oon occ'rs near either node+ a solar or l'nar eclipse occ'rs. &an has always been very c'rio's abo't the occ'rrence of the eclipses in all Eras. !t is believed that the %haldean astrono-ers discovered that eclipses rec'r in a cycle of )0 tropical years+ )) days and 0 ho'rs+ a period within which fo'r leap years are contained. !f there are five leap years+ then it is one day shorterE and if there are three+ then it is one day longer. /he !ndian rishis discovered that the corresponding cycle contained ::( synodic l'nar -onths. /his cycle is -ore appropriate and -eaningf'l
*

oon and the yearly cycle of seasons.

Vishwamitra!s mystic number """# correlates beautifully all the three elements of

beca'se the eclipses can ta e place only at the f'll or new -oons. /he !ndian law is+ therefore+ integrally rigoro's. Aow+ (((= tithis D ))) synodic -onths pl's = tithis. !f the above period is -'ltiplied by two+ the fig're will co-e to ::: synodic -onths pl's )0 tithis. /his is only ): tithis shorter than the Saros cycle of ::( synodic -onths. /h's+ astrono-ers co'ld predict the eclipse at the next f'll or new -oon after the period arrived at by 'sing the -ystic n'-ber (((=. /his establishes that the 6ishwa-itra School new abo't the cycle of eclipses. +. Vis$(a&itra Yuga )E0%lig&os, /he period of (((= synodic years e<'als (:@# solar years 7(((= ("# (*)8. Act'ally one third the period i.e. )#0# solar years+ was extensively 'sed and applied in deter-ining Eras in !ndia 'p to the ;th cent'ry AD. 7/he period of )#0# solar years will incl'de all intercalary tithis in f'll n'-ber to first approxi-ation. )#0# solar years will contain )))( synodic years.8 1ro- this initial period of )#0# years they evolved the concept of a %hat'ry'ga of @(:# years 7)#0# @8. 1ro- this+ Aryabhatta derived the concept of @+(:#+### years as co-prising a %os-ic 9'ga for higher acc'racy. 7/his is called one day of the creator+ $rah-a.8 And $rah-ag'pta conceived of @+(:#+###+### years for still higher acc'racy. So-e a'thorities believe that the val'e of the %os-ic 9'ga -entioned above is the B%& of the sidereal periods of all the seven planets. !t is not possible to verify s'ch a clai-athe-atically based on the astrono-ical data available at present. 6ishwa-itra4s -ystic n'-ber (((= gives a better and a -ore scientific explanation for the adoption of the ti-e d'rations of the 9'gas+ by different a'thorities

$ may mention that some astrologers recommend the use of the Savan year of "%& days for the calculation of dasas and for other predictive purposes. 'his is not correct. 'he solar year must be used for dasa calculations as is clear from the above discussions. 7. V%r al E/ui o0 < Vis$(a&itra= t$% arc$it%ct o' a %( cr%atio !t is very obvio's that even before "### $%+ the 6edic rishis -ade acc'rate observations of the s y. /he pheno-ena observed by the- are recorded in Cind' script'res. /hey had+ therefore+ evolved a -ethod to observe the precession of the e<'inoxes. T$is is t$% &ost )a ! &a" (%ll b% t$% o l", r%liabl% &%t$o! to 'i0 t$% !i''%r% t Eras. /he Aitareya $rah-ana specifically -entions that it was 6ishwa-itra who first saw the s'--er solstice in the na shatra of &agha and also the 6ernal E<'inox in the Kritti as. /he word is Jsaw4+ which leads 's to believe that he first observed the pheno-ena and then+ later+ co-posed the hy-ns. !t was al-ost li e the creation of a new zodiacal order in the s y+ and hence 6ishwa-itra was called the Jrival creator4. 6ishwa-itra also discovered that the rate of precession of the e<'inoxes was one solar tithi 7abo't one degree8 in *: solar years. /he long 6edic tradition of recording observations in the for- of hy-ns helped 6ishwa-itra to deter-ine the rate of precession as nearly ;#.* seconds per year against the present val'e of ;#.( seconds per year. 7/he rate of precession varies on acco'nt of n'tation and other s'ch factors8. As -athe-atical rasis 7signs8 and na shatras were not in vog'e 'p to the Era of &ahabharata+ the na shatras were recognized by their 9ogataras 7or principal stars8 which were seen within a gro'p of other stars s'rro'nding each of the- in a recognizable for- or shape in the s y. Kritti a na shatra is also recognized by the star Kritti a 7Aclyone :8 whose longit'de is abo't ("# 0K. /he val'e of the Bahiri ayana-sa was :(# ;(K ;"?.( on ).). :##(. /h's the present tropical longit'de of the star Alcyone is "# # :.K Ass'-ing that the -ean rate of precession is ;#.(KK per year+ 6ishwa-itra -ay have observed the precession of the 6E point in Kritti a na shatra before :(## $%. It is
=

b%li%>%! t$at t$% ;%rio! ($% Vis$(a&itra &a!% t$% abo>% obs%r>atio s (as *3?*< *37* BC= ($% $is ag% (as b%t(%% +4<44 "%ars. /his also proves that the 6ishwa-itra who -ade these observations lived after the Era of the &ahabharata war. 7As explained above+ the Era of 9'dhishtra was before :@@0 $%. So-e a'thorities even go as early as (#*" $%.8

@a$aris$i Aarasara # t$% Fat$%r o' Hi !u Astrolog" )-?79 BC,

T$% @a$aris$i Aarasara ($o li>%! i t$% Era o' @a$ab$arata (ar= (as t$% 'at$%r o' @a$aris$i V"asa. T$is Aarasara a ! $is so V"asa li>%! b%'or% *++? BC )or 394: BC, i t$% Era o' @a$ab$arata. 'he aharishi Parasara, who narrated the Vishnu Purana and the (rihat Parasara aitreya, lived sometime during the period *+,& - *%,& (.. 'hese

)ora Shastra to

dates are arrived at from a specific reference given in the Vishnu Purana by the aharishi himself. So, as such, there should not be any doubt about these observations. 'he Shrimad (hagvata ahapurana says that disciples and followers of Vyasa authored *+ small and big Puranas and that the Vishnu Purana was one of them /s0andh *1, chapter 2, slo0as 11 to 1,, 3ita Press, 3ora0hpur4. /he ,arasara f'lly synthesized the infor-ation available in the 6edas+ Sa-hitas and the $raha-na Granthas which were a'thored by 6edic Rishis of yore+ -ainly d'ring the period between "### and :### $%. Ce gave new di-ension and -eaning to astrology. ! a- giving below+ in brief+ the new and original principles laid down by ,arasara. /hese principles were+ probably+ not in vog'e till :### $% 7at least no specific proof is available to prove it8. -. VE Aoi t < T$% First Aoi t o' Tro;ical Ari%s
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Sage ,arasara explains his theory to &aitreya in the 6ishn' ,'rana+ second Ansha+ chapter 0+ slo as *@ to 0). /hese slo as are <'oted below5

;% 'osrL;kskj% 'k 8% :5;<=okf"fr fo:qr%A )k-f*k %AA@AAA nf(k*ka $kskja $ o eB;a o !kqora rFkkA 'kj7l%r;kseZB;s rCk"q% izfriDrsAA@3AA es!kknk %A rnk rqE;egksjk)ka 'jksfr frfijkig%AA@FAA n'iaG$eqg,rZ o rnsrnqHk;a Le5re#A izFkesfk'kHkkxs HkkLokaLenk'k'k-AA@@AA fo'kkHkk"ka $rqFksZ2'ks eq"s fr!I&;la'k;e#A fo'kkHkk"ka r5r-;'e#AA@JAA rnk $%nza foKk"-;&fk'kf'kjfl fLFkre#A rn o fo!kqokH;ks2;a 'k8% iq*;ks2fHk/-;rsAA@LAA rnk nk"kf" ns;kf" nsosH;% iz;rk&efHk%A .zkgke*ksH;% nk"Ke#AAJMAA
))

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nknk"Lrq fo!kqos r&;ks2fHkKk;rsA 1gksjk)k/ZHkklkLrq (k*kkLrFkkAAJNAA

!n brief+ the above slo as convey the following -eanings5 L/here are three apex points . one in the so'th 7on the line of /ropical %apricorn8+ another one in the north 7on the line of /ropical %ancer8. /he third one is in the -iddle 7on the E<'ator8. 3hen the S'n arrives on this e<'atorial point after the winter season and before the co--ence-ent of the spring season 76asant8+ the day of the 6ernal E<'inox occ'rs. 3henever the S'n is placed on the E<'ator+ either tropical Aries or tropical Bibra starts. /here is at an interval of six tropical -onths between tropical Aries and tropical Bibra. Day and night beco-e e<'al on the days of the E<'inoxes.? L,arasara f'rther states )a ! t$is is >%r" i&;orta t to 'i0 $is Era8+ >,resently+ at the ti-e of the ingress of the S'n into tropical Aries+ the (un is placed in the first )uarter of *rittika and the &oon is placed in the fo'rth <'arter of 6isha ha na shatra. Si-ilarly+ at the ti-e of the ingress of the S'n into tropical Bibra+ t$% Su is ;lac%! i t$% t$ir! /uart%r o' Vis$ak$a and the &oon is placed on the head of Kritti a. /he days on which the e<'inoxes occ'r are -ost i-portant as well as very a'spicio's for religio's p'rposes. One -'st do charity and perfor- other a'spicio's acts on these two days.? !t is therefore obvious that both the e)uinox days are considered very auspicious and are also important reference points which control the yearly and seasonal cycles. /he following inferences can therefore be drawn fro- chapter 0+ Ansa : of the 6ishn' ,'rana5 7a8 !n the days of ,arasara+ the e<'inoxes occ'rred when the S'n was in the first <'arter of Kritti a and in the third <'arter of 6isha ha. /hese sectors are )0## apart. Cowever the &oon was in the fo'rth <'arter of 6isha ha on the day of the 6ernal E<'inox and had I'st entered into Kritti a na shatra d'ring the period when the A't'-nal E<'inox
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occ'rred. T$is i !icat%s t$at t$% VE ;oi t $a! Bust r%c%!%! to t$% 'irst /uart%r o' 1rittika aks$atra ($% @a$aris$i Aarasara arrat%! t$% Vis$ u Aura a to @aitr%"a )-??9 BC,. 7b8 Astrono-ical constellations are of irreg'lar shapes and do not occ'py reg'lar spaces either in the s y or in the zodiac. 1'rther+ there are ): -onths in a year. ,arasara had therefore divided the zodiac into ): e<'al sectors of (# # each. /hese are called signs. /ropical signs will always co--ence fro- the 6E point as they control the seasonal calendar and the d'ration of day and night. %+he implications are clear. +he tropical solar calendar will control the moment of commencement of the (avan day, month or ,ear, because (avan day starts from (un rise'. 7c8 As the l'nar -onths are lin ed to the na shatras+ ,arasara divided the zodiac into :* na shatras+ each having an e<'al sector of )(#:#K. Ce also divided the zodiac into ): sidereal rasis of (## each. /he na shatra cha ra th's co--enced fro- Ashvani and the sidereal rasis fro- Aries 7&esha8. Ashvani na shatra and &esha rasi co--enced frothe sa-e reference point+ which was fixed on the Ecliptic on the bac gro'nd of stars. *. Fi0i g o' t$% I itial Aoi t o' t$% Si!%r%al Co!iac T$% &ai ;robl%& (as to 'or&ulat% a !%'i itio = ($ic$ % abl%! o % to i!% ti'" a ! locat% t$% i itial ;oi t o' t$% si!%r%al Do!iac o t$% Ecli;tic o a backgrou ! o' t$% stars a ! aks$atras. &aharishi ,arasara once again adopted the practical aspect of astrology witho't sacrificing the 6edic tradition+ which was established before "### $% 7i.e. nearly @### years before his Era8. /he /aittiriya Sa-hita *.@.0 says5

OOf$)kki,*kZekls Pr&lao&ljL;QQ

n-(ks'"#

eqHk

ok

5.haitra full moon is the mouth of the Samvatsar.6 Panchang-ma0ers in $ndia are following this dictum of the Samhita till to date. (loka #, chapter &$, ansha - of the "ishnu .urana says/
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Prs olf%r o

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/his slo a -ay be interpreted in the following -anner5 >/he &adh' solar -onth always co--ences fro- the ingress of the S'n into tropical Aries+ at the beginning of the 6asant Rit' 7season8 and after the occ'rrence of the 6ernal E<'inox day. Si-ilarly+ the first l'nar -onth will begin fro- the -onth of %haitra 7to eep in step with the ancient tradition to lin the l'nar -onths in t'ne with fixed zodiac8. Each -onth has seven designated officials who control it. 7/his also indicates that each -onth is controlled by a planet according to the day of its co--ence-ent8. Aarasara $as lai! !o( t$% 'ollo(i g !icta i t$is slokaE a. /he tropical year co--ences fro- 6asant i.e. on the day of 6ernal E<'inox. /he first -onth of the tropical year is na-ed &adh' &asa 7-onth b. /he reference point of the sidereal l'nar year and -onths is the star C$itra. /his again proves that the initial point of the sidereal zodiac is exactly opposite to the star %hitra 7Spica.)"8. /his is the dict'- which was given by sage ,arasara in line with the tradition followed by 6edic rishis since "### $.%. T$% V%!ic tra!itio ;ri ci;l%. +he following are some of the main considerations for choosing the star 0hitra as a reference point for the sidereal zodiac/ 7i8 According to ,a'ranic lore+ !ndra had illed Vis>aru;a who had three heads+ -eaning thereby that !ndra did not wish to give 'nd'e i-portance to the -ove-ent of the ayans 7the S'n8 fro- so'th to north and north to so'th. /hereafter+ the second logical step beca-e inevitable. !ndra had also to ill Vritrasura= -eaning thereby that the 6E point sho'ld not be given 'nd'e i-portance. /his si-ply -eant that !ndra had to give -ore i-portance to so-e other astrono-ical config'ration or pheno-enon+ which -ay have had an even greater and wider 'tility and p'rpose for
)@

al(a"s $a! VALID a ! SOUND r%aso s 'or a!o;ti g a "

the good of -an ind. /hen the rishis advised !ndra to perfor- the Ashva-edha 9agna+ -eaning thereby+ that Ashvani sho'ld be recognized as the first na shatra. /his lore indicates that Ashvani was chosen as the first na shatra of the zodiac after d'e consideration over a long period of ti-e. /he wisdo- behind this decision is evident. V%!ic astrolog"= ($ic$ is bas%! o t$% si!%r%al Do!iac= is a >%r" ;ot% t a ! %''%cti>% tool to look i to all as;%cts o' $u&a li'%. 7/his ,a'ranic lore -ay also be referred in s and "+ chapters * to )@ of the Shri-ad $hagvata &ahap'rana.8 7ii8 Once Ashvani beca-e the first na shatra+ its initial 7or zero8 point needed to be defined. /here is no 9ogatra that can act as a reference point between Revati and Ashvani na shatras. /he longit'de of the star Ashvani 7 Arietis8+ having a -agnit'de of :."@+ is )## "K. 1'rther+ this star is 0 # away fro- the Ecliptic. /he 9ogatara of Revati 7,isci'-8+ with a -agnit'de of ;.:@+ is a very faint star. !n a n'tshell+ there is no star between Revati and Ashvani to <'alify as a reference point. /he belief that there was a pro-inent star inbetween these two na shatras+ which had disappeared over the years+ see-s to have no basis. /here appears to be no reference to s'pport this ass'-ption. 7iii8 /he star %hitra 7opposite to the I'nction point of Revati and Ashvani8 is a very pro-inent and bright star+ with a of -agnit'de of #.=0 and is located within : # of the Ecliptic. Except for the star &agha 7 Beonis8+ there is no pro-inent bright star so closely located to the Ecliptic. !n any case+ the 6edic rishis fixed Ashvani as the first na shatra and th's star &agha was not considered as the reference star. 7iv8 %hitra is a bright star and is placed )0## away fro- the initial point of the rashi and na shtra divisions. %onse<'ently+ at night+ the transits of the S'n and the &oon in these sectors can be -ore easily observed based on this star. 7v8 !f the reference point is ta en to be located opposite to the initial point+ the star %hitra beco-es placed exactly in the -iddle of %hitra na shatra which is an advantage. 6araha &ihira -entions in the S'rya Siddhanta that the longit'de of star

);

%hitra in %hitra na shatra is " # @#K+ which indicates that 6araha &ihira also agreed that star %hitra is exactly at the -iddle of its na shatra. 7vi8 6araha &ihira again indicates that the longit'de of the star &agha 7 Beonois8 is the "th degree in &agha Aa shatra. !f the longit'de of %hitra is ta en to be )0##+ the longit'de of star &agha will be ):;# ;=K . nearly ):"#. 7vii8 6edanga Myotish says that the star Dhanistha 7Delphini8 is at the beginning of Dhanistha na shatra. /his condition of 6edang Myotiosh is also f'lfilled if the %hitra star beco-es opposite to the first point of sidereal Aries 7Ashvani na ashatra8. 'hese are sound and valid reasons to accept .hitra as a reference star having a longitude of *+&& in the sidereal 7odiac. 3. E/uator ,arasara has again given d'e i-portance to the E<'ator. /he Earth is flattened at the poles and b'lges at the E<'ator. /his is the reason that ,arasara has given the dict'- that b$a>as )$ous%s, ar% to b% co struct%! o t$% E/uator )t$is &%a s %/ual $ous% !i>isio ,. /he location of -an with respect to the E<'ator on Earth is fixed. &an on Earth feels -axi-'- planetary infl'ences corresponding to his location vis.N.vis the E<'ator. /he Ecliptic is always -oving on acco'nt of the pert'rbation of the Earth4s polar axis and th's the location of ho'ses on the Ecliptic was not considered a good proposition. +. Asc% !a t )Lag a, 'he invention of the ascending point was a most important and a significant step in the history of astrology. 'his may probably have occurred in the era of Parasara aharishi

)"

As is evident fro- the st'dy of the $rihat ,arasara Cora Shastra+ the concept of an ascending degree had laid the fo'ndation of the constr'ction of a horoscope having ): signs and ): ho'ses+ with the lagna being the ascending sign or first ho'se. /he Mata a Granthas+ Aarad ,'rana and other classics of this Era followed the sa-e syste-. /here is every reason to believe that sage ,arasara had perfected this syste- and given to astrology a new di-ension. Sag% Aarasara $as= t$%r%'or%= rig$tl" %ar %! t$% titl% o' FT$% Fat$%r o' Hi !u Astrolog"4. /he 6E point 7the first point of tropical Aries8 and initial point of sidereal AriesO Ashvani na shatra are two i-portant para-eters. /hese two points have a 'niversal nat're and 'tility. T$% asc% !i g ;oi t is s;%ci'ic to ti&% a ! ;lac%= a ! "%t it also bri gs about a corr%latio b%t(%% t$% %/uatorial a ! t$% %cli;tic ;la %s. As the E<'ator and the Ecliptic are on different planes+ and both are very i-portant+ ,arasara devised a practical -ethodology to bring abo't a correlation between these two planes. /his is explained in the following lines5

)*

7. D%'i itio o' t$% asc% !a t )lag a, a. /he ascending degree 7or lagna bind'8 is the point of intersection of the Ecliptic with the eastern horizon of a place at the given ti-e. b. ,arasara has given another i-portant dict'- . that the sidereal sign containing this lagna point+ rising on the eastern horizon at the ti-e of birth or <'ery+ is the ascendant or lagna 7sign8. $ased on this lagna sign and the planets conIoining and separating fro- each other+ the native4s good and bad effects are ded'ced. c. +his ascending point has a deeptamsa of &1$ on either side. After correlating all conflicting factors+ this dict'- of ,arasara laid down+ on logical gro'nds+ a firfo'ndation for e<'al ho'se division. d. Once ,arasara had fixed the first point of tropical Aries 7the 6E point8+ which regresses at a rate of ;#.:= seconds per tropical year+ and the first point of sidereal Aries exactly opposite to star %hitra+ he divided the zodiac -athe-atically+ ignoring the act'al location of constellations in the s y and along the zodiac in the following -anner5 7i8 /he zodiac was divided into ): e<'al sectors of (# degrees each and each sector was called a sign or a rasi. /he first sign was always called Aries with the last being ,isces+ th's co-pleting a circle of ("# #. /he tropical signs always co--enced fro- the 6E point for any Epoch or ti-e. /he tropical signs do not have any direct correlation with na shatras or fixed stars. 7ii8 !t is widely believed that tropical signs are a western concept. /his is very far fro- the tr'th. /he 6ishn' ,'rana 7)0## $%8 clearly deals with tropical signs and indicates their 'se. Cowever our ;r%s% t !a" I !ia astrolog%rs !o ot gi>% !u% i&;orta c% to tro;ical sig s. /he tropical signs basically control the seasonal cycles. /he ingress of the S'n into tropical Scorpio wo'ld be a -'ch better g'ide for the rainy season. &ost !ndian astrologers follow the $rihat Sa-hita of 6araha &ihira+ b't forget that both the tropical and the sidereal zodiacs coincided in his Era. As s'ch+ 6araha &ihira has not given separate dict'-s for the 'se of the tropical and the sidereal zodiacs. .resent
)0

day !ndian astrologers should make sincere efforts and learn the purpose and use of tropical signs, particularly for predicting seasonal variations. 7iii8 Si-ilarly the ): signs of the sidereal zodiac of (# # each co--ence frozero degrees of sidereal Aries. /he sidereal zodiac is again divided into :* e<'al sectors+ each of )(# :#K+ and each sector is called a na shatra. /ho'gh sidereal rasis and na shatras co--ence fro- the sa-e initial point+ they are identified with different gro'ps of stars in the zodiac and in the s y. Generally+ the sidereal rasis are identified with fixed constellations+ which are -ostly within =# north or so'th of the Ecliptic. $'t the constellations+ which are identified as the na shtras+ are so-eti-es placed even beyond (# # north or so'th of the Ecliptic. )owever, the basic point to be noted is that though the sidereal rasis /signs4 and na0shatras do have a fi8ed relationship with the stars, their location is always dependent and measured, for astrological purposes, from a fi8ed point which is opposite to star .hitra.

:. A"a a&sa
All the a'thorities have established the i-portance of the correct and tr'e val'e of the ayana-sa. Cence o'r classics say that ayana-sa -'st be 'pdated fro- ti-e to ti-e thro'gh observations. !t is arrogance at its worst that so-e so.called -odern a'thorities have given their own na-es to the ayana-sa by altering its val'e a little. /he 6edic and scientific ayana-sa had not been given a na-e before the nineteenth cent'ry. All ayana-sa7s8 are+ in fact+ either %hitra ,a sheeya or S'ryasiddhanti a only. /he S'rya Siddhanta says that the 6E oscillates li e a pend'l'- :* degrees east and west+ b't according to the description given in the Shatpath $rah-ana+ the 6E point has been fo'nd to have shifted by "* degrees. /herefore &'nIala+ $has aracharya+ Ket ar and+ in partic'lar+ -odern astrono-y accept that the 6E point always -oves bac wards
)=

d'e to the precession of the E<'inoxes with an ann'al -ean -otion of ;#.( seconds per year+ co-pleting the circle in abo't :"+### years. /here is no hesitation in saying that the ass'-ption of the S'rya Siddhanta that the 6E point oscillates+ is not correct. At present+ the old S'rya Siddhanti a ayana-sas are calc'lated in a self.willed -anner 7according to the old length of the year8. /he val'es of s'ch ayana-sas are in the range of :: degrees :; -in'tes in :##( AD. 'he .hitra Pa0sheeya ayanamsa is proved to be authentic by scientific research and is eminently compatible with the dicta of our ancient sages and scriptures. a. D%'i itio o' A"a a&sa +he angular distance between the fixed initial point of sidereal Aries and the "2 point or, in other words, the tropical longitude of the fixed initial point is called ayanamsa. +he fixed sidereal initial point of Aries is always exactly opposite to the longitude of the star 0hitra of date. +his definition of Ayanamsa is according to astrological re)uirements. /he above can be restated+ in the following words+ to -a e the definition -ore rigoro's+ acc'rate and a'thentic+ free fro- controversies+ and also to incorporate the advances of -odern astrono-y5 GH$% t$% tru% tro;ical lo gitu!% o' star C$itra )S;ica # -:= Vigi is, is r%!uc%! b" -?9 !%gr%%s= t$% r%&ai !%r (ill b% t$% tru% >alu% o' t$% C$itra Aaks$%%"a a"a a&sa o' !at%.L /he acc'racy of the ayana-sa is therefore dependent on the correct -eas're-ent of the tr'e position of the 6E point and the tr'e tropical longit'de of star %hitra on a given date. &odern astrono-y has ta en the following corrective steps for the acc'rate -eas're-ent of these very i-portant and vital para-eters. /he steps are explained below in brief.

:#

b. @%asur%&% t o' t$% E/ui o0 /he deter-ination of the correct longit'de of any celestial body depends on the correct and proper -eas're-ent of the 6E point. As all of 's now+ the 6ernal E<'inox point has a nearly 'nifor- retrograde -otion of abo't ;#.( sec per year d'e to the precession of the E<'inoxes and an oscillatory -otion d'e to n'tation. /his gives rise to the -ean E<'inox of date and the tr'e apparent E<'inox respectively. Si-ilarly+ the inclination of the Ecliptic to the E<'ator+ nown as the obli<'ity of the Ecliptic is also variable. /he inclination s'ffers slow 'nifor- di-in'tion of abo't half a second per year as well as an oscillation d'e to n'tation of obli<'ity. /he catalog'e E<'inox is an e-pirical approxi-ation to the dyna-ical E<'inox. /here is always so-e difference between the two d'e to the li-ited acc'racy of observation. /he !nternational Astrono-ical Pnion introd'ced new -ethods of co-pilation fro- the year )=0; A.D. T$is % sur%s t$at t$% !i''%r% c% b%t(%% t$% t(o E/ui o0%s is l%ss t$a 9.9+ s%co !s. c. Ar%c%ssio !ndian astrono-ers call the precession of E<'inoxes Akas$c$ala a. Aewco-b has given a for-'la to find o't the precession for a partic'lar year after )0;# AD. A -aIor change+ having far reaching conse<'ences for f'nda-ental astrono-y+ is the adoption of a new val'e for the constant of general precession fro- the year )=0;. /his constant is based on the latest deter-ination of l'ni.solar precession and planetary -asses. Nutatio Si-ilarly the new !A6 7)=0#8 theory of n'tation has been adopted fro- )=0; onwards for better acc'racy. /he new n'tation theory th's incl'des all externally forced -otions of the Earth4s rotational axis while no geophysical 7internally ind'ced8 or free -otion is incl'ded. /he new reference pole shall be referred to as the >%elestial Ephe-eris ,ole 7%E,8.?

:)

Ab%rratio Aberration is the displace-ent of the position of a celestial obIect d'e to the infinite speed of light. /he planetary observation is also co-p'ted by interpolating the geocentric ephe-eris. !. A;;ar% t G%oc% tric Lo gitu!% a ! Latitu!% o' C%l%stial Bo!i%s /he -odern ephe-erides give these val'es based on the tr'e E<'inox and Ecliptic of date and are corrected for planetary aberration. Apparent or tr'e places of stars are now given in the Ephe-eris calc'lated on the basis of the new val'es of precession+ aberration and obli<'ity of the Ecliptic as per !AP 7)=*"8 and the )=0# theory of n'tation. T$is is t$% r%aso C$itra. /he wor of astrologers is to provide a definition of ayana-sa. Astrologers cannot -eas're the longit'des of the above two essential and vital para-eters. /his is the wor of astrono-y. &odern astrono-y is <'ite advanced and all ephe-erides provide the tropical longit'de of stars for each Epoch+ fro- which the tr'e val'e of ayana-sa can easily be ded'ced. 3owever, the following aspects are examined before arriving at this definition of aynamsa/ /he stars in the s y are not absol'tely fixed b't -ove slowly in all directions when viewed fro- the Earth. /heir -otion is nown as proper -otion of stars. Star %hitra also -oves+ and the ann'al val'e of its proper -otion in longit'de+ ta ing the oscillation of the Ecliptic into acco'nt was .#.#:@ sec. in )=00 and .#.#:0 in :##) AD. According to the Bahiri Ephe-eris for :##( AD+ the tropical and the sidereal zodiacs were coincident
::

($" I $a>% sugg%st%! t$at a"a a&sa s$oul! b% obtai %! b"

!%!ucti g -?9 !%gr%%s 'ro& t$% &o!%r >alu% o' t$% tru% tro;ical lo gitu!% o' star

in :0; AD. !t is calc'lated and confir-ed by renowned observatories of the world that the longit'de of star %hitra was )0## ##K #(KK.# on ::nd &arch+ :0; AD+ the 6E day. T$% lo gitu!% o' star C$itra (it$ r%'%r% c% to t$% abo>% r%'%r% c% ;oi t $as $o(%>%r !i&i is$%! b" :9II !uri g t$% ;%rio! o' -4-? "%ars 'ro& *?7 AD. !n view of the appreciable shift of %hitra fro- its original position in :0; AD+ it is necessary to give serio's consideration to the proposal of correcting the present position of the initial or zero point on the Ecliptic so that it is bro'ght to the position exactly opposite to star %hitra. +he correction can be made in two ways/ 7)8 &a ing a correction at an interval of )## years+ or any other appropriate period.
7:8

/ropical longit'de of star %hitra for any partic'lar year or day -ay be ded'cted by )0##+ the res'ltant val'e will represent the tr'e val'e of the ayana-sa of date.

+he second option is now )uite feasible and practical for .anchangmakers, as this data can easily be obtained from astronomical observatories and the re)uired values can be easily calculated with help of computers. +he various values of ayanamsa on different bases on &.&.-$$# are as under/ /r'e %hitra ,a sheeya Bahiri Krishna-'rthi Ra-an 1agan :(Q;:K;=KK.( :(Q;(K;"KK.( :(Q;(K)@KK ::Q:"K;=K :@Q(:K(;KK

/he ayna-sa of Bahiri is based on the tropical longit'de of the initial point of sidereal Aries as :(R );K ##L on &arch :)+ )=;*. Krishna-'rthi tried to -a e an atte-pt to bring his ayna-sa val'e closer to the tr'e %hitra ,a sheeya val'e. ! have no co--ents on the ayana-sa val'es which are not based on star %hitra as a fixed reference point. !f so-e a'thorities say that they obtain better predictive res'lts by
:(

adopting a partic'lar val'e of ayana-sa+ s'ch a state-ent is too wide and s'bIective. /here see-s no reason to accept s'ch propositions. %. A Su&&ar" o' Aaras$%rJs Ari ci;l%s !n a n'tshell+ &aharishi ,arasara gave a specific direction to astrology by laying down+ aro'nd )0## $%+ the following basic dict'-s5 7i8 ,arasara introd'ced -athe-atical rasis of (# # each. /ropical rasis co--enced fro- the 6E point+ whereas sidereal rasis co--enced fro- a fixed reference point in the zodiac. $oth sets of rasis were given si-ilar na-es. /he first rasi always started fro- &esha 7Aries8. 7ii8 /he sidereal zodiac is again divided into :* na shatras of e<'al parts of )( # :#K each. /hese na shatras also co--enced fro- the fixed reference point referred to above. /he first na shatra always co--enced fro- Ashvani. 3ith the dawn of the ,arasara Era+ the predica-ent abo't whether there sho'ld be :* or :0 na shatras had also finally been resolved. 7/his predica-ent had arisen on acco'nt of the sidereal period of the &oon being :*.(:)""); days.8 7iii8 Sage ,arasara introd'ced a wee of seven days+ na-ing each day after the seven planets. /he order of the days was decided according to the place-ent of planets in their orbits aro'nd the Earth. A planet is the lord of each -onth according the day of the -onth4s co--ence-ent. A hora is e<'ivalent to an ho'r. ,arasara divided the day and night into :@ ho'rs+ which 'lti-ately gave the concept of the order of the wee days. 7iv8 Sage ,arasara developed and introd'ced the birth chart represented by ): signs and ): ho'ses. /his was even then a new concept for 6edic astrology. Ppto the Era of the &ahabharata+ and even in the later Era of 6ishwa-itra+ there is no -ention of rasis or wee days. Only the 6al-i i Ra-ayana -entions the birth details of Bord Ra-a and his brothers with reference to zodiacal signs. !n the 6al-i i Ra-ayana of :@### slo as+ the signs were never 'sed except in three slo as. All other literat're and classics of that Era do not -ention rashis and wee days. As s'ch it is safe to ass'-e that the three slo as in the 6al-i i Ra-ayana -ay have been interpolated after the Era of ,arasara. /he 6ishn' ,'rana+ as well as the )* other -aIor ,'ranas
:@

a'thored in the Era of ,arasara + eg the Aarad ,'rana+ refer to rashis and wee days. !t is therefore safe to ass'-e that ,arasara and his conte-porary rishis introd'ced the concept of -athe-atical rasis+ na shatras and wee days aro'nd :### $%. 7v8 /he -ost far.reaching and significant contrib'tion of the Era of ,arasara was the invention of the ascendant 7lagna8. /he sign containing the ascending degree was called the ascendant or lagna sign. I t$% birt$ c$art= %ac$ Ras$i also act%! as a b$a>a )$ous%,. /he longit'de of the -ost effective point of each bhava was the sa-e as the ascending degree+ which was called bhava -adhya or the -iddle point of the bhava. 7vi8 All b$a>as (%r% co struct%! o t$% E/uator . /he Ecliptic was not preferred for the constr'ction of bhavas. Eac$ b$a>a &a!$"a $a! a !%%;taa&sa o' -7 9 o %it$%r si!%. T$us Aarasara r%co&&% !%! t$% us% o' %/ual $ous% !i>isio . /he reasons for this dict'- have already been explained. 7vii8 /here are two significant slokas in 4rihat .arasara 3ora (hastra on 4hava charts/

:qrk xzgxq*kk LokLrFkk jkf'kxq*k eq"sA :ksrfePNkfe onAA

slo a "O) >O sage+ yo' have explained to -e the nat're 7for-+ no-enclat're+ characteristics+ f'nction etc8 of planets and signs. Kindly narrate to -e the secrets and classifications of bhavas 7ho'ses8? ,rasara replied5

Hkkok"ka

HksnkaLrk"

'5i;k

oxkZ" !kks6l ;k"kg .zg"k 8ks'firkeg%A rk"ga lSizo(;kfe e )ks;A :,;rkfefr%AA

slo a "O: >O &aitreya+ Bord $rah-a has classified bhavas 7ho'ses8 into )" inds of vargas 7divisions8. ! will explain to yo' these classifications.? /hese two slo as are of great significance and lay down the basis of ,arasari astrology.
:;

7)8

+he birth sign chart also acts as one of the divisional charts. p'rposes and these can be obtained by dividing signs 7rasis8 into co-ponents and arranging these in a specified har-onio's sche-e.

7:8 Bord $rah-a described )" inds of bhava vargas 7ho'se divisions8 for different

7(8 /he first division of any varga chart that contains the ascending degree will act as the first bhava of each varga. Each varga chart will have ): bhavas. /he instr'ctions are clear and do not leave any do'bt. !n this -anner each sign is divided into );# parts and each part has specific characteristics which can be ascertained by constr'cting separate divisional charts. /his also laid the fo'ndation of nadi astrology. T$% s"st%& o' !i>isio al c$arts is a >%r" u i/u%= ;ractical= %as"<to<a;;l" a ! >%rsatil% &%t$o! to %0a&i % a ! ;r%!ict %>%r" as;%ct o' li'% i &i ut% !%tail. /he above principles pave the way for the develop-ent of astrological science in the different branches which are s'--arised as 'nder5

Na!i Astrolog"
!n this syste- each rasi 7or sign8 is divided into );# e<'al parts. Each part is called a Aadi. Each Aadi has a special characteristic. /his syste- is pop'lar after the na-e of &aharishi $hrig'. /he predictions are -ade based on progression and transits of planets. !n the west+ predictions are -ade with the help of progression of the planets b't on a different basis+ as they are 'nware abo't the f'nda-entals and basic principles of $hrig' astrology.

Dir%ctio al Astrolog"
&aharishi ,arasara developed the following -ethodology syste-s for predictive p'rposes5 ). 9ogas5 /hese are for-ed on acco'nt of a specific config'ration of signs+ ho'ses and planets in a nativity. /hese yogas are indicative of specific characteristics as well as the potential of a nativity.

:"

:.

Directional 7dasa8 Syste-5 ,arasara developed fo'r basic directional syste-s. /he first are the na shatra dasas based on the place-ent of planets in na shatras and ho'ses+ li e the 6i-shottari and the Kalacha ra dasas. Secondly+ there are planatary dasas li e the ,inday'r dasa+ Ansay'r dasa and the Aisargay'r dasa. /hirdly+ there are the sign 7or rashi8 dasas and lastly the bhava 7or ho'se8 dasas li e in the S'darshan %ha ra syste-.

(.

/ransit of planets5 /his can be divided into the following parts. a. /he daily transits of planets with respect to the ascendant+ the &oon and the other planets placed in a nativity. 7So-e specific syste-s were developed for predictive p'rposes li e the Asta a 6arga syste-.8 b. d. /he yearly solar S l'nar ret'rn charts ,rediction based on the ti-e of <'ery c. /he yearly solar ret'rn charts

/he last two syste-s are pop'larly nown as part of the /aIi syste-.

Kai&i i S"st%&
&aharishi Mai-ini has laid special e-phasis on yogas and rashi dasas. /he principles laid down by hi- are nown as Mai-ini Astrology. /he JPpdesh S'tras4 a'thored by hi- are very pop'lar and occ'py a respectable place in the syste- of prediction in 6edic astrology.

Sa&$ita Astrolog"
/his branch of astrology basically deals with h'-an affairs on a collective basis and indicates the -ethodology of the rise and fall of nations and civilisations 7-'ndane astrology8 as well as -eteorological predictions.

El%ctio al )@u$urta, Astrolog"

:*

/his branch of astrology occ'pies pri-e stat's and is -ost pop'lar in all societies and co'ntries of the world. Even persons who do not have faith in God or astrology+ choose an a'spicio's -o-ent to co--ence a Io'rney or start a new vent're. !n the 6edic period+ -'h'rats were generally based on the place-ent of planets in na shatras or on a partic'lar d'ration of the day which depended on s'nrise or l'nar tithis etc. Cowever+ in last fo'r tho'sand years+ after the introd'ction of signs+ ho'ses and wee days in astrology+ this branch of &'h'rta astrology has expanded tre-endo'sly.

T$% Era o' Vara$a @i$ira

6araha &ihira was a great astrono-er.c'-.astrologer. Ce lived in the early years after %hrist tho'gh a'thorities have different views abo't his act'al Era. $'t one thing is certain+ which is that both the tropical and the sidereal zodiacs were al-ost coincident d'ring his ti-e. Cis na-e is respected even today and is ta en along with those of other great rishis of the 6edic Era li e Garg+ 6ishwa-itra 7in the field of astrono-y8 and ,arasara+ $hirg'+ Mai-ini 7in the field of astrology8. !n fact he s'--ed 'p in his wor s the advance-ents -ade 'pto his Era in the field of astrology. /he principal wor s of 6araha &ihira are5 7)8 ,anch Sidhhantica 7:8 $rihat Sa-hita 7(8 $rihat Mata a 7@8 Bagh' Mata a and 7;8 9oga 9atra 6araha &ihira adopted the principles given above in the $rihat Mata a and in his other wor s witho't any reservations. /his is evident fro- slo a @+ chapter ! of the $rihat Mata a.

'k8k?<kf" ojk?<ek""eqjks T&'ks6oklks Hk5rks ofLrU;ZGK"e,VKk"q;qx8s K?# 4ks rrks2f?#4 kz7;e#A es!kkf'oWFkek "o(kZ$j*kk'$+fLFkrk jk'k;ks
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jkf'k(ks)kx5g(kZHkkf" Hko"a $ 'kFkZlSW&;;k %AAAAA

> /he 7/welve8 signs of the Todiac+ co--encing with the first point of Aries and of 7the asteris- of 8 Ashvini+ and consisting+ each+ of nine stellar <'arters and for-ing a circle+ are respectively the head+ face+ breast+ heart+ belly+ navel+ abdo-en+ genital organ+ two thighs+ two nees+ two an les and two feet of Kalap'r'sha. 7/he ter-s8 Rashi+ Kshetra+ Griha+ Ri sha+ $ha-+ $havana+ are synony-o's ter-s.? /his slo a brings o't following points5 7)8 /he ): rasis.signs represent the ): body parts of Kala ,'r'sha. 7:8 &esha rasi and Ashvani na shatra start fro- the sa-e initial points. 7(8 Rasi and na shatra are again divided into parts 7divisional charts8. 7@8 Sign and bhava are synony-o's ter-s. $y this state-ent 6araha &ihira accepts the dict'- of sage ,arasara on varga charts 7division of ho'ses8. 7;8 /his slo a consists of *: f'll letters+ th's indicating that the Airayana and Sayana zodiacs+ both consisting of ): signs+ are separating fro- each other by abo't one degree in *: years along the Ecliptic. !n the Kalacha ra dasa sche-e of ,arasara+ the total dasa periods of the seven planets fro- the S'n onwards is also *: years 7; F :) F * F = F )# F )" F @8. /he total period for @ Aava-sas of each na shatra wor s o't to (;@ years 7)## F 0; F 0( F 0"8 e<'ivalent to the n'-ber of days in a l'nar year 7:=.;() ):8. !n the *alachakra dasa, sage .arasara integrated the concept of the precession of the "2 point with the lunar and the solar years. 6araha &ihira has given the <'alifications of an astrologer in the $rihat Sa-hita. Ce was a geni's and yet a very -odest person. 3e can safely say that 6araha &ihira f'lfilled all the <'alities which were laid down by hi- in the Sa-hita for an astrologer. Cis wor s on astrology are classics.

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/he following+ in a n'tshell+ are the basic feat'res of 6edic astrology5 7)8 /ropical and sidereal signs and the concept of wee days were invented in the Era of ,arasara 7aro'nd :### $%8. 7:8 6edic astrology p'ts the -ain e-phasis on three points along the Ecliptic. /he 'irst point is the initial point of tropical Aries 7the point which -ar s the ingress of the S'n into tropical Aries8. /he s%co ! one is the star %hitra. 6edic astrology believes that the initial points of sidereal Aries and Ashvani na shatra are exactly opposite to the star %hitra. /he t$ir! is the ascending point. 7(8 /he signs+ na shatras and planets are lin ed to the Ecliptic+ whereas ho'ses are for-ed on the E<'ator. /he ascending degree is the -id.point of the ho'se. 7@8 /he tropical solar calendar was reco--ended for civil and social f'nctions and also for festivals which are lin ed with the seasonal cycles. /he sidereal solar calendar is adopted for astrological and special religio's rit'als according to individ'al beliefs and practices. Cowever+ the first -onth of the solar or l'nar calendar is called %haitra and the last one is ,halg'ni. /he -onths are of fo'r inds 7)8 solar -onths 7:8 l'nar -onths 7(8 na shatra -onths and 7@8 Savan -onths. /he Savan -onth is lin ed with s'nrise as s'ch is dependent on the tropical solar year and each -onth is of (# days. /he Savan -onth can start froany day fro- s'nrise depending 'pon the re<'ire-ent of the rit'al. /he Savan -onth can not be adopted or 'sed for astrological p'rposes. R%'%r% c%s 7)8 Apte+ SS. "edic Astrology and 5ythology
7:8 7(8 7@8 7;8 7"8 7*8 708 7=8 4rihat .arasara 3ora (hastra "ishnu .urana. Gita ,ress+ Gora hp'r ,rasad+ Dr. Gora h. 4hartiya 6yotish *a !tihas (hrimad 4hagavatam 5ahapuran. Gita ,ress+ Gora hp'r !ssues in "edic Astronomy and Astrology+ %hapter )). &otilal $anarsidas+ )=0= %hatterIi+ %o--odore S K. Ayanamsa and !nitial .oint of !ndian 7odiac . Astrological &agazine+ $anglore+ )=00 6araha &ihira. (urya (iddhanta 6araha &ihira. 4rihat (amhita (#

7)#8 de 6ore+ Aicholas. 2ncyclopedia of Astrology,)=@* 7))8 Bahiri Ephe-eris+ :##( 7):8 /he !ndian Astrono-ical Ephe-eris+ :##)

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AAAENDI5<A

C$itra Aabs$a A"a a&sa

)R%'%r !%tails i For%(ar!, All thbe a'thorities have established the i-portance of correct and tr'e val'e of Ayana-sa. Cence+ all classies lays down that ayana-sa -'st be 'pdated fro- ti-e.to.ti-e+ thro'gh observations. A"a a&sa /he <'estion arises+ what is Ayana-sa and why is it so i-portant. )A, H$at is A"a a&sa /he veneral E<'inoctial point76.E.8 or the first point of tropical aries 7as defined by sage parasara in abo't :### $.%.8 is ta en as the starting point for -eas'ring of celestial longit'des+ which are nown as the tropical or the sayana longit'des. D'e to the precession of the e<'inoxes 7ayana chalana8 at the -ean rate of abo't ;#.( per sidereal year and abo't ;#.:= per /ropical 9ear 7as per -odern astrono-ical -eas're-ents8+ the logit'des of fixed stars are increasing every year at the sa-e rate. !n order to stabilize the zodiac+ the ancient sages of vedic era has identified a point which is per-anently fixed with reference to star %itra 7spica )"8 on the ecliptic. /his initial point is always exactly opposite 7)0# o away8 frostar citra. /he distance between this initial point and the 6.E. point or in other words the tropical longit'de o fthe initial point is called Ayana-asa of the date. /he celestial longit'des -eas'red fro- this fixed point are nown as >sidereal? or >Airayana? logit'des. /he following definition of Ayana-sa will be -ore regoro's+ acc'rate and free frocontroversies5 >3hen tropical longit'de of star citra 7spica S )"+ 6iginis8 is red'ced by )0# degrees+ the re-ainder will be the val'e of chitra pabsha Ayana-sa of date? )B, I&;orta c% o' A"a a&sa All astrological predictions depend on the correct longitude predictions of planets are measured with reference to the position of ".2. point and initial point of the sidereal Aries. As such, the correct value of Ayaramsa is absolutely essential. /he calender refor-s co--ittee+ constit'ted by Govern-ent of !ndia in )=;:+ had approached this s'bIect in scientific -anner and given following reco--endation5 ). /he tropical and sidereal Todiacs coincided in the year :0; A.D. and this year was ter-ed zero Ayna-sa year. /his is a general state-ent and does not specify the exact day on which the ayana-sa had beco-e zero d'ring in this year. :. 1ro- the data available fro- the Astro-o-isches Rechen !nstit'e of Ceidelberg+ Ger-any+ it was fo'nd that the e<'inoctial point 7viz. 1irst point of /ropital Aries8 of the vernal e<'inox day on &arch :: and :0; AD was very close to the initial part of the nirayana Toida. /he tropital longit'de of star chitra 7spica8 was )0# o ##J#(>.#. (. Cowever+ the s-all difference of ( second was ignored and it was ass'-ed that the initial point of sidereal zodical was per-anently fixed coinciding with the ingress of s'n in /ropical Aries+ which occ'rred on &arch :: of :0; AD. @. /he above ass'-ption was appropriate for %o--ence-ent of a calendar+ b't does not -eet the astrological considerations f'lly on acco'nt of following reasons.

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7a8 /he initial point of sidereal zodic is exactly opposite to star chitra and it can not be lin ed directly with the ingress of s'n in tropical aries. 7b8 /he proper -otion of the star chitra was not ta en into consideration. On acco'nt of this reason+ the position of initial point of sidereal Aries is to be 'pdated periodically+ and can not be ass'-ed as absol'tely fixed on the ecliptie. Bahiris !ndian Ephe-eris for :##( A.D. clearly -entioned that5 >D'e to proper -otion+ the nirayana longit'de of the star %hitra 7Spica8 has+ however+ di-inished by "# seconds d'ring the period )*)0 years fro- :0; A.D.? /his clearly indicates that the ayana-sa val'e adopted by Bahiris Ephe-eries is to be 'pdated so that the initial point of sidreal Todiac is fir-ly lin ed with star chitra to -eet astrological re<'ire-ent. A'tation in longit'de 8utation is an inevitable part of the precession motion of the poles of the earth9s e)uator. +his depends mainly on the motion of the sun%earth' and of the moon in their orbit. +he value of the nutation %plus or minus' needs to be applied to the value of mean ayanamsa of the day. /he tr'e val'e of the ayana-sa of any epoach is to calc'lated as 'nder5 Ist st%;E &ean longit'de of star chitra S )0# o D &ean Ayana-sa * ! St%;E &ean Ayana-sa F notation in the longit'de for /hat day D /r'e Ayana-sa /he following for-'la for notation was decided in a conference of astrono-ers+ held in &ay )0=" at ,aris5. > S )*.:(;? 7sine Rah'8 S ).:*> 7sine SPA x :8> /he sayana longit'des of tr'e rah' and SPA are to be applied in the for-'la. /he approxi-ate val'e of A'tation in longit'de can be obtained with the help of following table by 'sing tr'e sidereal Rah' of the date. Tabl% E Nutatio 'ro& si!%r%al lo gitu!% o' Ra$u Sl. No. Nir"a a Ra$u Nutatio i S%co !s Nir"a a Ra$u )-, )*, )3, ). ))s #*R S#LF ;s #*R s :. )) ::R S; F ;s ::R s (. # #*R S= F "s #*R @. #s ::R S): F "s ::R s ;. ) #*R S); F *s #*R s ". ) ::R S)" F *s ::R *. :s #*R S)* F 0s #*R s 0. : ::R S)" F 0s ::R s =. ( #*R S); F =s #*R )#. (s ::R S): F =s ::R s )). @ #*R S= F )#s #*R s ):. @ ::R S; F )#s ::R Not%E ). A'tation is given for interval of ); o longit'de of Rah'. !ntervening fig'res can be calc'lated by -ethoid of ratio proportion.
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/he val'es of A'tation are negative for col'-n ) and positive for col'-n (. /hese val'es are s'btracted or added in -ean ayana-sa to obtain tr'e val'e of Ayna-sa of any epoch or day. On acco'nt of Astrono-ical advance-ents in last three decades as well as astrological re<'ire-ents+ it has now beco-e necessary to introd'ce following corrections in the proced're adopted for deter-ining the Ayana-sa val'e 'ptill )=0; A.D.5 ). /he initial 7first8I point of sidereal Aries will always be exactly opposite 7)0# o away8 to star %hitra 7spica )"8. :. /herefore the correct definition of Ayana-sa will be as 'nder for Astrological p'rposes5 >3hen -eanOtr'e tropical longit'de of star chitra 7spica )".x6irgnis8 is red'ced by )0#o+ the re-ainder will be -eanOtr'e val'e of %hitra ,absha Ayana-sa of the date.? (. /he calendar refor-s co--ittee ignored the above two vital re<'ire-ent of Astrology+ and adopted 6.E. point of year :0; AD as also initial point of sidereal Aries. On 6.E. Day of :0; AD+ occ'ring on S'nday Aaresh ::+ :)h :*- 7!S!8+ the -ean tropital longit'de of Star %hitra was )0#o ##J#(> as per forth f'nda-ental catalog'e 7K/.@8. /he longit'de of tr'e Rah' was abo't :) o(#J in 6irgo. !t is avoi's fro- the above data+ that the -ean val'e of Ayana-sa on &arch ::+ :0; AD was ##o##J#(> and this sho'ld have been adopted for Astrological p'rposes. Cowever+ this day was ass'-ed as zero ayna-sa day for all practical and partic'larly for calendarical p'rposes on the reco--endation of calendar refor-s co--ittee. As a -atter of fact Tero Ayna-sa day -'st have occ'rred abo't :) days prior to 6.E. day i.e. on &arch )+ :0; A.D. !f correction for A'tation is applied to -ean val'e of Ayna-sa+ tr'e Ayna-sa val'e will wor o't 0> as 6.E. day of &arch ::+ :0; A.D. @. D'e to proper -otion of stars+ the nirayana longit'de of star chitra has+ however+ di-inished by "#> d'ring the period of )*)0 years fro- :0; AD to :##( AD. /h's+ a s-all correction of ) sec. is to be applied say approxi-ately every (# years since :0; AD so that initial point of sidereal zodic re-ains lin ed and opposite to star chitra. ;. /he -ean tropical longit'de of stars is now ascertained fro- $asic fifth f'nda-ental catalog'e 7K/.;8 instead of Kt.@ which was referred prior )=0; AD. ". /he val'es of ,recession+ as obtained by new co-b for-'la and of A'tation as per for-'la decided in )0=" are no -ore valid. $oth precession and n'tation are to be calc'lated as per adoption of new para-eters and constants for precession+ aberration and obli<'ity of the ecliptic as per !AP7)=*"8 and theory of A'tation7)=0#8. Accordingly+ -ean precession val'e of 6.E. point was adopted as ;#.( seconds aper sidereal year and Bahiris !ndian Ephe-eris also adopted this val'e fro- their )==@ iss'e. 1ro- the above disc'ssion it is clear that !ndian Ephe-eris panchags are showing ayna-sa val'es ass'-ing 6.E. point of &arch ::+ :0; Ad also as initial point of pidereal zodic. /his val'e needs s-all correction so that initial point of fixed sidereal Todiac is always be opposite to star %hitra. /he Ayana-sa val'es on Man. )+ :##( and :##@ A.D. are given below so that the readers -ay observe the difference in both val'es5 As per hahiriKs Ayana-sa lin ed Ephe-eris with star chitra Man )+ :##( /r'e Ayna-sa :(R;(K @#L.=* :(R;:K @(L.=" &ean Ayna-sa :(R;(K ;"L.(( :(R;:K ;=L.#: &ean /ropical longit'de of Star %hitra D )*(R;:K ;=L.#:
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Man )+ :##@ /r'e Ayna-sa :(R ;@K (@.L@; :(R;(K (*L.;( &ean Ayna-sa :(R;@K @"L.": :(R;(K @=L.#* &ean tropical longit'de of star chitra )*(R;(K @=L.#* 7/he above data is co-piled fro- BahiriKs Ephe-eris8. /he panchang -a ers and %o-p'ter ,rogra--ers -ay ta e the data fro- original so'rces for -ore acc'rate and precise calc'lation. Ayna-sa based on star %hitra can easily be calc'lated by -a ing following ded'ctions in Ayna-sa vales given in the Bihiris Ephe-eris5 Ayana-sa val'es for the Ded'ction in following years seconds )*=#.)0:# A.D. ;# Sec. )0:#.)0;# A.D. ;) Sec. )0;#.)00# A.D. ;: Sec. )00#.)=)# A.D. ;( Sec. )=)#.)=@# A.D. ;@ Sec. )=@#.)=*# A.D. ;" Sec. )=*#.:### A.D. ;* Sec. )=*#.:#(# A.D. ;0 Sec. /he proper -otion of star %hitra is presently.#.#:0# spica per year. /he average -otion of star chitra since :0; AD wor so't to #.#(@= sees per year 7"# )*)=8. /able of %hitra ,a asha Ayana-sa &ean /ropical 7Sayana8 longit'de of Star %hitra 7spica )"8S)0#R D &ean Ayana-sa. &ean Ayana-sa F A'tation D /r'e Ayna-sa On !st Man'ary of each year
9ear A.D. &ean tropical longit'de of star &ean ,recession 6al'e of Aya-a-sa rate of A'tation 6.E. point in per sid longit'de year /r'e Ayana-sa /r'e Ayna-sa val'e adopted Bahiri and &artand ,anchang )
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Aote 7i8 Ayna-sa val'es given in col'-n " is lin ed with starchitra as a refrence point. 7:8 Ayna-sa val'es given in %olo'ni * is based on adoption of zero Ayna-asa day as 6.E. point of the year )=0; A.D. 7/his was not based on Astrological re<'ire-ent b't adopted by on reco-endations of the calender co--ittee for co--encent of

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