Vedic Astrology

Astrology is the study of human behaviour and experience on the back drop of time and space. Astrology is a scientific study and application of the language of the heavenly bodies(planets and stars). These heavinely bodies are determined on the basis of astronomy and mathematics, are mapped in the form of a horoscope. Their specific position in the horoscope indicates specific happenings in the case of individuals. The main factors affecting the horoscope of any individual are Date of birth, Place of birth and exact time of birth. Whether the sun, the moon, the planets and stars themselves influence the terrestrial phenomena, or they only indicate such phenomena by their various dispositions, is immaterial. What is important to us is that variation in their disposition determine variations in the events on the earth, the correlation are very strong. Actually Astrology starts where Astronomy ends. As far as human experiences are concerned both studies are complementing to each other. Astrological findings are based on the Astronomical and mathematical and biological principles. Astrology is widely used all over the world. People use it in different forms according to region and culture of the area. In Hindu Astrology, this system has been explained as space time connection. Within the space, there are four elements Air, Fire, Water and Earth each is therefore attributes, sattva , Raja and Tamasa and make up 12 divisions in the nature. So the zodiac in which earth and all the planets are imprisoned by gravitation and revolve around the sun is divided by 12 clusters of stars or signs of the zodiac. In Vedic astrology it is founded that nothing in the universe is stationery. In any case we consider ourselves in the central point with rest of universe in the constant motion around us. We, therefore, consider the position and movement of all the heavinely bodies in relation to earth itself. The Indian Astronomy and Astrology considers earth as the centre, and all other heavenly bodies moving around it in one manner or the other. The Indian astronomy is thus geocentric, and not heliocentric which latter considers sun as the centre. The zodiac forms the reference point for fixing up position of any planet or star in the sky. Since it encircles the earth, it is comprised of 360 degrees. The twenty-seven nakshatras being evenly distributed on it each having the span of 13°20’ arc. The various nakshtras are numbered from one to twenty-seven. Apart from it Vedic astrology recognises nine grahas. They are the Sun, the Moon, the Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu & Ketu. Of these the Sun is star, the moon is a satellite of the earth, Rahu and Ketu are mere mathematical points on the zodiac. While the remaining ones are planets. When the zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts, each such part has an extension of 30 degrees of the arc. Such a division is called Rashi or Sign . A sign consist of two and a quarter nakshtras. Each sign has a certain specific influence of its own. All the planets as they travel around each zodiac sign, exert an influence according to their separate nature and in accordance with the quality of aspect which they form.

More about principles of Astrology

As we know that there are twelve signs of the zodiac. One of sign rising happens to be the sign rising at the eastern horizon at the time of birth. This rising sign is called as lagna or Ascendant. The lagna happens to be the first house of horoscope. This means that signs and houses donot coincide. The first house has the label of sign rising at the time of birth, the second bears the label of sign that will rise next, and so on. The nine grahas(from the sun to ketu) are the occupants of these houses. Each house represents certain characteristics. The sign falling in these houses also represents certain characteristics.

Horoscopic Chart

Before going further it is important to understand how a horoscopic chart looks like. Vedic Astrology has three major facets. Detailed mathematical calculations. The rules and the information based on these rules to predict the influence of planets. Heuristic predictions.