Etymology
Jyotisha, states Monier-Williams, is rooted in the word ''Jyotish,'' which means light, such as that of the sun or the moon or heavenly body. The term ''Jyotisha'' includes the study ofHistory and core principles
Jyotiṣa is one of the Vedāṅga, the six auxiliary disciplines used to support Vedic rituals.Flood, Gavin. Yano, Michio. 2003. ''The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism.'' Malden: Blackwell. Early jyotiṣa is concerned with the preparation of a calendar to determine dates for sacrificial rituals, with nothing written regarding planets. There are mentions of eclipse-causing "demons" in the Atharvaveda and Chāndogya Upaniṣad, the latter mentioning Rāhu (a shadow entity believed responsible for eclipses and meteors). The term '' graha'', which is now taken to mean planet, originally meant demon. The Ṛigveda also mentions an eclipse-causing demon, Svarbhānu, however the specific term ''graha'' was not applied to Svarbhānu until the later '' Mahābhārata'' and '' Rāmāyaṇa''. The foundation of Hindu astrology is the notion of bandhu of theModern Hindu astrology
Astrology as a science
Astrology has been rejected by the scientific community as having no explanatory power for describing the universe. Scientific testing of astrology has been conducted, and no evidence has been found to support any of the premises or purported effects outlined in astrological traditions. There is no mechanism proposed by astrologers through which the positions and motions of stars and planets could affect people and events on Earth. In spite of its status as aTexts
The ancient extant text on Jyotisha is the '' Vedanga-Jyotisha'', which exists in two editions, one linked toDiscussion
The field of Jyotisha deals with ascertaining time, particularly forecasting auspicious day and time for Vedic rituals. The field of Vedanga structured time into ''Yuga'' which was a 5-year interval, divided into multiple lunisolar intervals such as 60 solar months, 61 savana months, 62 synodic months and 67 sidereal months. A Vedic Yuga had 1,860 ''tithis'' (, dates), and it defined a ''savana''-day (civil day) from one sunrise to another. The Rigvedic version of Jyotisha may be a later insertion into the Veda, states David Pingree, possibly between 513 and 326 BCE, when Indus valley was occupied by the Achaemenid fromWater clock
A ''prastha'' of water sthe increase in day, nddecrease in night in the un'snorthern motion; vice versa in the southern. here isa six-muhurta ifferencein a half year. — Yajurveda Jyotisha-vedanga 8, Translator: Kim Plofker
Elements
There are sixteen ''Varga'' ( sa, , 'part, division'), or divisional, charts used in Hindu astrology:Sutton, Komilla (1999). ''The Essentials of Vedic Astrology'', The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, EnglandZodiac
The Nirayana, or sidereal zodiac, is an imaginary belt of 360 degrees, which, like the Sāyana, or tropical zodiac, is divided into 12 equal parts. Each part (of 30 degrees) is called a sign or ''rāśi'' (Nakṣhatras, or lunar mansions
The '' nakshatras'' or lunar mansions are 27 equal divisions of the night sky used in Hindu astrology, each identified by its prominent star(s). Historical (medieval) Hindu astrology enumerated either 27 or 28 nakṣatras. In modern astrology, a rigid system of 27 nakṣatras is generally used, each covering 13° 20′ of the ecliptic. The missing 28th nakshatra is ''Abhijeeta''. Each nakṣatra is divided into equal quarters or ''padas'' of 3° 20′. Of greatest importance is the Abhiśeka Nakṣatra, which is held as king over the other nakṣatras. Worshipping and gaining favour over this nakṣhatra is said to give power to remedy all the other nakṣatras, and is of concern in predictive astrology and mitigating Karma. The junction of two rashis as well as Nakshatras is known as Gandanta.Daśās – planetary periods
The word ''dasha'' (Heavenly bodies
TheGocharas – transits
A natal chart shows the position 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'' (Yogas – planetary combinations
In Hindu astronomy, ''yoga'' (Bhāvas – houses
The Hindu Jātaka or Janam Kundali orDṛiṣṭis
''Drishti'' (See also
References
Bibliography
* * * * * * * * *Further reading
* Burgess, Ebenezer (1866). "On the Origin of the Lunar Division of the Zodiac represented in the Nakshatra System of the Hindus". ''Journal of the American Oriental Society''. *Chandra, Satish (2002). "Religion and State in India and Search for Rationality". ''Social Scientist'' * *Jain, Sanat K. "Astrology a science or myth", New Delhi, Atlasntic Publishers 2005 - highlighting how every principle like sign lord, aspect, friendship-enmity, exalted-debilitated, Mool trikon, dasha, Rahu-Ketu, etc. were framed on the basis of the ancient concept that Sun is nearer than the Moon from the Earth, etc. * Pingree, David (1963). "Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran". ''Isis – Journal of The History of Science Society''. pp. 229–246. * Pingree, David (1981). ' in J. Gonda (ed.) ''A History of Indian Literature''. Vol VI. Fasc 4. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. * Pingree, David and Gilbert, Robert (2008). "Astrology; Astrology In India; Astrology in modern times". '' Encyclopædia Britannica''. online ed. *Plofker, Kim. (2008). "South Asian mathematics; The role of astronomy and astrology". ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', online ed. * Whitney, William D. (1866). "On the Views of Biot and Weber Respecting the Relations of the Hindu and Chinese Systems of Asterisms", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' ; Popular treatments: *Frawley, David (2000). ''Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic (Hindu) Astrology''. Twin Lakes Wisconsin: Lotus Press. *Frawley, David (2005). ''Ayurvedic Astrology: Self-Healing Through the Stars''. Twin Lakes Wisconsin: Lotus Press. *Sutton, Komilla (1999). ''The Essentials of Vedic Astrology''. The Wessex Astrologer, Ltd.: Great Britain.External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hindu Astrology Astrology Hindu astronomy Superstitions of India Vedangas