WHAT IS JYOTISH?

Vedic Astrology is a commonly used term for the astrological principles enunciated by the seers belonging to the Vedic faith which originated in erstwhile India. The appropriate term used for this, by the seers and practitioners, is Jyotiṣa. Because of the vastness of the field of Jyotiṣa, as well as its age some consider this to be the origin of the astrology practiced by the Zorastrians, Greeks and many others.  Just as with modern Astrology, Vedic Astrology or Jyotiṣa is a means to predict the past, present and future of any born soul or object.

#	Yoga tara	Longitude
1	Aśvinī	8:00:00
2	Bharaṇī	20:00:00
3	Kṛttikā	37:30:00
4	Rohiṇī	49:30:00
5	Mṛgaśirā	63:00:00
6	Ārdra	67:20:00
7	Punarvasu	93:00:00
8	Puṣya	106:00:00
9	Aśleṣā	109:00:00
10	Magha	129:00:00
11	Pūrva Phalgunī	144:00:00
12	Uttara Phalgunī	155:00:00
13	Hastā	170:00:00
14	Chitrā	180:00:00
15	Svāti	199:00:00
16	Viśāka	213:00:00
17	Anurādha	224:00:00
18	Jyeṣṭha	229:00:00
19	Mūla	241:00:00
20	Aṣāḍha	254:00:00
21	Uttara Aṣāḍha	260:00:00
22	Abhijit	266:40:00
23	Śravaṇā	280:00:00
24	Dhaniṣṭha	290:00:00
25	Śatabhiṣaj	320:00:00
26	Pūrva Bhadrapada	326:00:00
27	Uttara Bhadrapada	337:00:00
28	Revatī	359:50:00

The seers enunciated the principles of Jyotiṣa in the Veda, Purāṇa, in auxiliary literature called Naḍi as well as in śāstra (sacred books of divine authority) and sūtra (manuals sometimes in coded form). There are eighteen primary seers of the Jyotiṣa Śāstra namely: Sūrya, Pitamaha (Brahmā), Manu, Nārada, Marici, Kaśyapa, Vaśiṣṭha, Parāśara, Vyāsa, Atri, Añgirāsa, Garga, Bhṛgu, Lomaśa, Chyavana, Śaunaka, Pauliśa and Yavana. These same authors are also authors of the Veda, Purāṇa and Vedānta.

The term Jyotiṣa comprises of an area greater than just the principles of interpreting orbital placements. Jyotiṣa comprises over three parts of Gaṇita (mathematics and astronomy), Saṁhita (palmistry, collective interpretation of omens, celestial and geographical events) and Horā (interpretive principles). As evident from the three parts of Jyotiṣa, whilst some aspects of Jyotiṣa can be said to be scientific in nature, clubbing the subject of Jyotiṣa under a scientific banner limits the spectrum to which it is applied and therefore it is not appropriate to consider Jyotiṣa as purely a science. Notably, most practitioners of Vedic Astrology today are mostly practicing the Horā portion of Jyotiṣa, and it is rare to find schools which teach all three portions such as Sri Jagannath Center and Devaguru Brihaspati Center.

 

Jyotiṣa is depicted as an organ and is said to be the eye of the Vedas, indicating that it is a means for those seeking the goal of the Vedas, namely God; the subject is a means to navigate or manoeuvre in the mundane world. At first Jyotiṣa was used as a means to plan the best time for commencing any event to ensure the best possible outcome. This is then extended to the interpretation of the birth itself as it symbolises the beginning of ones independent existence in this world, and the quality of the birth chart, and events transpiring at birth, will reveal the quality of the life that the being is about to experience.

 

In traditional literature, Jyotiṣa comprises the study of five planets (Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn), two luminaries (Sun and Moon) and two nodes of the Moon (north and south node) comprising a total of nine orbiting bodies called Graha. Some modern day Jyotiṣa have incorporated the use of planets beyond the orbit of Saturn but this is not accepted traditionally as only five planets are accepted to preside over the five elements of earth (solid), water (liquid), fire (energy), air (gas) and ether (space/vacuum).

The Vedic names of the Graha from the Sun to the south node are: Sūrya, Chandra, Mangala, Budha, Guru, Śukra, Śaniścara, Rāhu and Ketu. Several other Vedic names exist for the Graha to sometimes depict them in certain states or dignities, i.e. Venus is named Bhṛgu when it is strong and well placed.

 

Further the subject includes twelve sun-signs, which are carved out from the celestial sphere based on the principle that in the duration of the Sun’s 360 degree orbit, twelve full moons occur thus leaving twelve equal portions in a circle. The collective of the twelve sun-signs are popularly called ‘Zodiac’ as they are depicted as various animals or beings and are from the first to last: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Their Vedic names are in order: Meṣa, Vṛṣabha, Mithuna, Karkataka, Siṁha, Kanya, Thula, Vṛṣchika, Dhanuṣ, Makara, Kumbha and Mīna. Again other names of them exist to designate certain aspects of their qualities.

Table : Nakṣatra

No.	Constellation	Degrees
1	Aśvinī	00 - 13:20 Aries
2	Bharaṇī	13:20 - 26:40 Aries
3	Kṛttikā	26:40 Aries - 10:00 Taurus
4	Rohiṇī	10:00 - 23:20 Taurus
5	Mṛgaśirā	23:20 Taurus - 6:40 Gemini
6	Ärdra	6:40 - 20:00 Gemini
7	Punarvasu	20:00 Gemini - 3:20 Cancer
8	Puṣya	3:20 - 16:40 Cancer
9	Aśleṣā	16:40 - 30:00 Cancer
10	Magha	00 - 13:20 Leo
11	Pūrva Phalgunī	13:20 - 26:40 Leo
12	Uttara Phalgunī	26:40 Leo - 10:00 Virgo
13	Hasta	10:00 - 23:20 Virgo
14	Chitrā	23:20 Virgo - 6:40 Libra
15	Svatī	6:40 - 20:00 Libra
16	Viśāka	20:00 Libra - 3:20 Scorpio
17	Anurādha	3:20 - 16:40 Scorpio
18	Jyesṭha	16:40 - 30:00 Scorpio
19	Mūla	00 - 13:20 Sagittarius
20	Pūrva aṣāḍha	13:20 - 26:40 Sagittarius
21	Uttara aṣāḍha	26:40 Sagittarius - 10:00 Capricorn
22	Śravaṇa	10:00 - 23:20 Capricorn
23	Dhaniṣṭha	23:20 Capricorn - 6:40 Aquarius
24	Śatabhiṣaj	6:40 - 20:00 Aquarius
25	Pūrva bhadrapada	20:00 Aquarius - 3:20 Pisces
26	Uttara bhadrapada	3:20 - 16:40 Pisces
27	Revatī	16:40 - 30:00 Pisces

The first sign begins 180 degrees opposite the star Chitrā which is the equivalent to the star Spica. Based on the movement of the nine graha and ascendant (lagna) at birth the birth chart is drawn. The sign where the ascendant is placed is the first house. Two methods are traditionally taught to draw the houses, i.e. one which considers the entire sign as one house thereby considering the borders of the signs to be the equivalent of the houses, whilst the other draws the houses to be fifteen degrees before and after the degree of the ascendant and similarly drawing the spans of the other houses where each house is always thirty degrees in span. This latter method is also applied to the degree of the Moon. Both methods of drawing the houses are applied yet in different contexts.

 

Twenty-eight constellations or Nakṣatra are the basis of the zodiac. They are based on the stars or Yogatara but do not form star-signs per say, just as the zodiac signs known as Rāśi also do not form discernable visible star-constellations of thirty degrees each.

To complete one orbit of 360 degrees around the earth, the Moon takes slightly more than twenty-seven days. Based on this and the already available Yogatara, the seers designated either twenty-seven or twenty-eight Nakṣatra. The scheme of twenty-seven ignores the Yogatara Abjijit (# 22) and divides the Nakṣatra equally across the 360 degrees. As a result each Nakṣatra spans over 13º20’. The latter includes Abhijit and maps it as an intercalary Nakṣatra between Uttara Aṣāḍha (# 21) and Śravanā (# 23) spanning from 276º40’ to 280º 54’13”.

 

Jyotiṣa does not solely stick to the orbital placements of the Graha, but also includes the Vedic Calendar. Herein specifically the Vedic weekday or Vāra is part of the method of interpretation, and the Vedic Astronomical literature or Siddhānta describe the means to calculate the day of the week since the beginning of the world’s existence. Notably the Vedic weekday is the equivalent to our daily used seven-day week system and is also presided over by the Grahas. Only exception is that the first day of the week is always Sunday. The days are: Sunday (Sun), Monday (Moon), Tuesday (Mars), Wednesday (Mercury), Thursday (Jupiter), Friday (Venus) and Saturday (Saturn). The link between the day of the week and the orbit of the Grahas does have a link based on the Siddhānta literature.

 

The weekday and four other methods of deciding the quality of time based on the astronomical placements of the Graha, make up the five-fold calendar-system known as Pañcāñga. The five parts are: Vāra (weekday), Nakṣatra (Moon’s Nakṣatra), Tithi (angular difference between the Sun and Moon), Karaṇa (half of Tithi), and Yoga (degrees of Sun and Moon added to the Nakṣatra of Puṣya).

 

Based on the above parts and parcels of Jyotiṣa several other mathematical points are calculated such as: Vargas (divisional charts), Aṣṭakavarga, Upagraha, Praharapati, Yamapati, Yamārdhapati, Dandapati, Kāla, Horā, Aruḍha, Varṇada, Viśeṣa Lagna, and many more special points of analysis are drawn for the Jyotiṣa practitioner to discern the life of the individual and make predictions.

 

 

 

Mention of Jyotiṣa is extensive in the Veda, wherein mention of the Navagraha, or nine orbital bodies used in Jyotiṣa, is mentioned, as well as the names of the seven, eight and twelve forms of the Sun as the sun-signs were gradually created. In addition extensive mention of the Nakṣatra (constellations) finds mention. More specific mention and reference to the principles (Śāstra) of Jyotiṣa exists in the Purāṇas of Agni, Garuḍa and Nāraḍa, whereas the other Purāṇa deal more with other portions such as that of the Nakṣatra, Rāśi and their effects. In the Veda and Purāṇa also specifications as to how to overcome negative positions of the orbital bodies are given. This brings the subjects of Mantra (meditation and recitation), Tantra (gemology, colour therapy and spiritual rites) and Yantra (use of celestial machines to protect, steer or trap a soul to overcome negatives) into the subject of Jyotiṣa as a means to overcome the negatives faced by any individual, and strengthen the auspicious aspects of a persons life. 

 

 

 

A qualified practitioner of Jyotiṣa is acquainted with the means to predict the past, present and future of an individual person, animal, organisation or object as well as advise actions and remedies to appease bad karma, as well as strengthen good karmic tendencies to help the individual soul achieve their purpose of their life.