Jyotiṣa
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Jyotiṣa (Devanagari: ज्योतिष, Sanskrit: jyotiṣa, from jyótis-, 'light, heavenly body', English: Jyotish, Jyotisha) is the Hindu system of astrology. Jyotisha is also known as Indian astrology, Hindu astrology, and Vedic astrology.[1]
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[edit] Introduction
Jyotisha is the study of the planets, the stars, and the horizon. 'Jyoti' means 'light' that shines down from the heavens as the divine principle of life, and the suffix 'sh' means 'best, wisest'; therefore, the word 'Jyotisha' can be translated as 'the science of light', or 'the wisdom of the heavens'.[2]
Each time a soul reincarnates, consciousness is brought into that lifetime. By observing the movements of the celestial bodies through time and space, the wisdom of the heavens can be applied to each incarnation to encourage the soul to develop to its fullest potential.[3]
[edit] Elements
[edit] Vargas - the divisional charts
Varga (Sanskrit: varga, 'part, division'.) There are sixteen varga, or divisional, charts used in Jyotisha: [4]
| Varga | Divisor | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Rasi | 1 | D-1 |
| Hora | 2 | D-2 |
| Drekkana | 3 | D-3 |
| Chaturtamsha | 4 | D-4 |
| Trimshamsha | 5 | D-5 |
| Saptamsha | 7 | D-7 |
| Navamsha | 9 | D-9 |
| Dashamsha | 10 | D-10 |
| Dwadashamsha | 12 | D-12 |
| Shodhashamsha | 16 | D-16 |
| Vimshamsha | 20 | D-20 |
| Chaturvimsha | 24 | D-24 |
| Saptavimshamsha | 27 | D-27 |
| Khavedamsha | 40 | D-40 |
| Akshavedamsha | 45 | D-45 |
| Shastiamsha | 60 | D-60 |
[edit] Chart styles
There are two chart styles used in Jyotisha:
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North Indian
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South Indian
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[edit] Grahas – the planets
Graha (Devanagari: ग्रह, Sanskrit: gráha, 'seizing, laying hold of, holding'.)[5]
Nine grahas, or navagrahas, are used in Jyotisha:[6]
| Sanskrit Name | English Name | Abbreviation | Gender | Guna |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surya (सूर्य) | Sun | Sy or Su | M | Sattva |
| Chandra (चंद्र) | Moon | Ch or Mo | F | Sattva |
| Mangala (मंगल) | Mars | Ma | M | Tamas |
| Budha (बुध) | Mercury | Bu or Me | N | Rajas |
| Brihaspati (बृहस्पति) | Jupiter | Gu or Ju | M | Sattva |
| Shukra (शुक्र) | Venus | Sk or Ve | F | Rajas |
| Shani (शनि) | Saturn | Sa | M | Tamas |
| Rahu (राहु) | North Lunar Node | Ra | M | Tamas |
| Ketu (केतु) | South Lunar Node | Ke | M | Tamas |
[edit] Rāshis – the zodiac signs
Rāshi (Sanskrit: rāshi, '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 degrees, and is divided into 12 rāshis of 30 degrees 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.[7]
| Number | Sanskrit Name | Western/Greek Name | Tattva (Element) | Quality | Ruling Planet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meṣa "ram" | Aries (Κριός "ram") | Tejas (Fire) | Cara (Movable) | Mars |
| 2 | Vṛṣabha "bull" | Taurus (Ταύρος "bull") | Prithivi (Earth) | Sthira (Fixed) | Venus |
| 3 | Mithuna "twins" | Gemini (Δίδυμοι "twins") | Vayu (Air) | Dvisvabhava (Dual) | Mercury |
| 4 | Karka "crab" | Cancer (Καρκίνος "crab") | Jala (Water) | Cara (Movable) | Moon |
| 5 | Siṃha "lion" | Leo (Λέων "lion") | Tejas (Fire) | Sthira (Fixed) | Sun |
| 6 | Kanyā "girl" | Virgo (Παρθένος "virgin") | Prithivi (Earth) | Dvisvabhava (Dual) | Mercury |
| 7 | Tula "balance" | Libra (Ζυγός "balance") | Vayu (Air) | Cara (Movable) | Venus |
| 8 | Vṛścika "scorpion" | Scorpio (Σκoρπιός "scorpion") | Jala (Water) | Sthira (Fixed) | Mars |
| 9 | Dhanus "bow" | Sagittarius (Τοξότης "archer") | Tejas (Fire) | Dvisvabhava (Dual) | Jupiter |
| 10 | Makara "sea-monster" | Capricorn (Αἰγόκερως "goat-horned") | Prithivi (Earth) | Cara (Movable) | Saturn |
| 11 | Kumbha "pitcher" | Aquarius (Ὑδροχόος "water-pourer") | Vayu (Air) | Sthira (Fixed) | Saturn |
| 12 | Mīna "fish" | Pisces (Ἰχθείς "fish") | Jala (Water) | Dvisvabhava (Dual) | Jupiter |
[edit] Bhāvas – the houses
Bhāva (Sanskrit: bhāva, 'division'.) In Jyotisha, the natal chart is the bhava chakra (Sanskrit: chakra, 'wheel'.) The bhava chakra is the complete 360 degree circle of life, divided into houses, and represents our way of enacting the influences in the wheel.[8]
| House | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lagna |
| 2 | Dhana |
| 3 | Sahaja |
| 4 | Sukha |
| 5 | Putra |
| 6 | Ari |
| 7 | Yuvati |
| 8 | Randhara |
| 9 | Dharma |
| 10 | Karma |
| 11 | Labha |
| 12 | Vyaya |
[edit] Nakshatras – the lunar mansions
Nakshatra (Devanagari: नक्षत्र, Sanskrit: nakshatra, 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.[9]
The 27 nakshatras cover 13°20’ of the ecliptic each. Each nakshatra is divided into quarters or padas of 3°20’:
| # | Name | Location | Ruler | Pada 1 | Pada 2 | Pada 3 | Pada 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashvinī (अश्विनि) | 0 - 13°20' Aries | Ketu | चु Chu | चे Che | चो Cho | ला La |
| 2 | Bharanī (भरणी) | 13°20' - 26°40' Aries | Venus | ली Li | लू Lu | ले Le | पो Lo |
| 3 | Krittikā (कृत्तिका) | 26°40' Aries - 10°00' Taurus | Sun | अ A | ई I | उ U | ए E |
| 4 | Rohini (रोहिणी) | 10°00' - 23°20' Taurus | Moon | ओ O | वा Va/Ba | वी Vi/Bi | वु Vu/Bu |
| 5 | Mrigashīrsha (म्रृगशीर्षा) | 23°20' Taurus - 6°40' Gemini | Mars | वे Ve/Be | वो Vo/Bo | का Ka | की Ke |
| 6 | Ārdrā (आर्द्रा) | 6°40' - 20°00' Gemini | Rahu | कु Ku | घ Gha | ङ Ng/Na | छ Chha |
| 7 | Punarvasu (पुनर्वसु) | 20°00' Gemini - 3°20' Cancer | Jupiter | के Ke | को Ko | हा Ha | ही Hi |
| 8 | Pushya (पुष्य) | 3°20' - 16°20' Cancer | Saturn | हु Hu | हे He | हो Ho | ड Da |
| 9 | Āshleshā (आश्लेषा) | 16°40' Cancer - 0°00' Leo | Mercury | डी Di | डू Du | डे De | डो Do |
| 10 | Maghā (मघा) | 0°00' - 13°20' Leo | Ketu | मा Ma | मी Mi | मू Mu | मे Me |
| 11 | Pūrva or Pūrva Phalgunī (पूर्व फाल्गुनी) | 13°20' - 26°40' Leo | Venus | नो Mo | टा Ta | टी Ti | टू Tu |
| 12 | Uttara or Uttara Phalgunī (उत्तर फाल्गुनी) | 26°40' Leo - 10°00' Virgo | Sun | टे Te | टो To | पा Pa | पी Pi |
| 13 | Hasta (हस्त) | 10°00' - 23°20' Virgo | Moon | पू Pu | ष Sha | ण Na | ठ Tha |
| 14 | Chitrā (चित्रा) | 23°20' Virgo - 6°40' Libra | Mars | पे Pe | पो Po | रा Ra | री Ri |
| 15 | Svātī (स्वाति) | 6°40' - 20°00 Libra | Rahu | रू Ru | रे Re | रो Ro | ता Ta |
| 16 | Vishākhā (विशाखा) | 20°00' Libra - 3°20' Scorpio | Jupiter | ती Ti | तू Tu | ते Te | तो To |
| 17 | Anurādhā (अनुराधा) | 3°20' - 16°40' Scorpio | Saturn | ना Na | नी Ni | नू Nu | ने Ne |
| 18 | Jyeshtha (ज्येष्ठा) | 16°40' Scorpio - 0°00' Sagittarius | Mercury | नो No | या Ya | यी Yi | यू Yu |
| 19 | Mūla (मूल) | 0°00' - 13°20' Sagittarius | Ketu | ये Ye | यो Yo | भा Bha | भी Bhi |
| 20 | Pūrva Ashādhā (पूर्वाषाढ़ा) | 13°20' - 26°40' Sagittarius | Venus | भू Bhu | धा Dha | फा Bha/Pha | ढा Dha |
| 21 | Uttara Ashādhā (उत्तराषाढ़ा) | 26°40' Sagittarius - 10°00' Capricorn | Sun | भे Bhe | भो Bho | जा Ja | जी Ji |
| 22 | Shravana (श्रवण) | 10°00' - 23°20' Capricorn | Moon | खी Ju/Khi | खू Je/Khu | खे Jo/Khe | खो Gha/Kho |
| 23 | Shravishthā (श्रविष्ठा) or Dhanistā | 23°20' Capricorn - 6°40' Aquarius | Mars | गा Ga | गी Gi | गु Gu | गे Ge |
| 24 | Shatabhishā (शतभिषा)or Shatataraka | 6°40' - 20°00' Aquarius | Rahu | गो Go | सा Sa | सी Si | सू Su |
| 25 | Pūrva Bhādrapadā (पूर्वभाद्रपदा) | 20°00' Aquarius - 3°20' Pisces | Jupiter | से Se | सो So | दा Da | दी Di |
| 26 | Uttara Bhādrapadā (उत्तरभाद्रपदा) | 3°20' - 16°40' Pisces | Saturn | दू Du | थ Tha | झ Jha | ञ Da/Tra |
| 27 | Revatī (रेवती) | 16°40' - 30°00' Pisces | Mercury | दे De | दो Do | च Cha | ची Chi |
[edit] Dashas - the planetary periods
Dasha (Devanagari: दशा, Sanskrit,daśā, 'planetary period'.) The dasha pattern 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.[10]
Vimshottari dasha lengths:
| Graha | Length |
|---|---|
| Ketu | 7 Years |
| Venus | 20 Years |
| Sun | 6 Years |
| Moon | 10 Years |
| Mars | 7 Years |
| Rahu | 18 Years |
| Jupiter | 16 Years |
| Saturn | 19 Years |
| Mercury | 17 Years |
[edit] Horoscopy
[edit] 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.[11]
[edit] Gochara - 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 the grahas have continued to move around the zodiac, interacting with the natal chart grahas. This period of interaction is called a gochara.[12]
[edit] Atmakaraka - the soul significator
Atmakaraka (Sanskrit: atmakaraka, from atma, 'soul', and karaka, 'significator' .) Atmakaraka is the significator of the soul's desire in Jyotisha.[13]
[edit] 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.[14]
[edit] Ayanamsa - the zodiac conversion
Ayanamsa (Sanskrit: ayanāṃsa , from ayana, 'movement', and aṃsa, 'component') is the longitudinal difference between the Tropical (Sayana) and Sidereal (Nirayana) zodiacs in Jyotisha.[15]
[edit] Panchangam
Panchangam (Sanskrit: pañcāṅgam, 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.[16]
[edit] References
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.1.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.1-3.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.1-3.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, pp.61-64.
- ^ Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Monier-Williams, (c) 1899
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, pp.38-51.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.74.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.93.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.168.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.211.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.96.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.227.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.326.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (2007). Personal Panchanga and the Five Sources of Light, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, pp.61-64.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (1999). The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.11.
- ^ Sutton, Komilla (2007). Personal Panchanga and the Five Sources of Light, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, England, p.1.
[edit] Bibliography
- Encyclopedic treatments
- Kim Plofker, "South Asian mathematics; The role of astronomy and astrology", Encyclopedia Britannica (online edition, 2008)
- David Pingree and Robert Gilbert, "Astrology; Astrology In India; Astrology in modern times", Encyclopedia Britannica (online edition, 2008)
- "Hindu Chronology", Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1911) [1]
- Academic literature
- David Pingree, "Astronomy and Astrology in India and Iran", Isis - Journal of The History of Science Society (1963), 229-246.
- David Pingree, Jyotiḥśāstra in J. Gonda (ed.) A History of Indian Literature, Vol VI, Fasc 4, Otto Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden (1981).
- Ebenezer Burgess, "On the Origin of the Lunar Division of the Zodiac represented in the Nakshatra System of the Hindus", Journal of the American Oriental Society (1866).
- William D. Whitney, "On the Views of Biot and Weber Respecting the Relations of the Hindu and Chinese Systems of Asterisms"", Journal of the American Oriental Society (1866).
- Satish Chandra, "Religion and State in India and Search for Rationality", Social Scientist (2002).
- Popular introductions
- James Braha, Ancient Hindu Astrology for the Modern Western Astrologer, 1986, Hermetican Press, N. Miami, FL, USA.
- Ronnie Gale Dreyer, Vedic Astrology: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Jyotish. 1997, Samual Weiser, York Beach, ME. ISBN 0-87728-889-5
- Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda, Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India. 1996, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, ISBN 0-940985-69-1 .
- V.K. Choudhry, Systems´ Approach for Interpreting Horoscopes, Fourth Revised Edition, 2006, Sagar Publications, New Delhi, India, ISBN 81-7082-017-0.
- Komilla Sutton,The Essentials of Vedic Astrology, The Wessex Astrologer Ltd, Bournemouth, England, 1999.
- Richard Houck, Digital Astrology, Groundswell Press (1998) ISBN 0964161273. [An excellent overview of the complicated and fascinating topic of ashtakavarga, the relative strength of each of the houses of the chart.]
- Richard Houck, Hindu Astrology Lessons, 1997, Groundswell Press, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
- Prash Trivedi, 27 Celestial Portals, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, ISBN 0-940985-84-5 .
- David Harness, Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, ISBN 0-914955-83-7 .
- Sanjay Rath, Introduction to Vedic Astrology[year needed] .
- David Frawley [Vamadeva Shastri], Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic/Hindu Astrology. 2000, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, WI. ISBN 0-914953-89-6
- Prash Trivedi, Key of Life: Astrology of the Lunar Nodes, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, ISBN 0-940985-33-0 .
- C.L. Diwan, Discovery of Astrology,1994, Amar Jyoti Press, Jhansi, UP, India.
- "Hindu Electional Astrology", [A compendium on Vedic system of electional astrology by V K Shridhar] [2]ISBN 81-901413-0-9 .
[edit] See also
- Jyotiṣa resources
- Bhrigu Samhita
- Hindu calendar
- Hindu cosmology
- Hindu chronology
- Nadi astrology
- Electional Astrology- Vedic Muhurta
- Phonetical astrology- Swar Shaastra
- Tithi
- Indian astronomy
- History of astrology
[edit] External links
- Jyotiṣa at the Open Directory Project
