What is Jyotish?

The planets constantly move relative to earth, the sky and each other. The movements and positions of Sun, Moon and planets close to the earth correlate closely with the fortunes of individual people, groups and other entities. It is absurd and childish to think that the stars and planets control human events; the actual theory of astrology is that the patterns of time in both the heavenly and human levels of reality are similar, because time and its effects on consciousness are the universal measure and common denominator of all events.

Observing this correlation between heavenly and human time patterns, and using it to predict what is likely to happen is the basic premise and practical method of astrology. Therefore astrology is a system for making educated guesses about probable patterns in the behavior of individuals and groups of human beings, based on the patterns and timing of the movements of the planets in the skies.

Ethics for Jyotishis

Vedic astrology is not just another subject like mathematics and physics. It is a sacred subject that gives its knower a special power to see the past, the present and the future. An irresponsible or impure person cannot properly value or understand such fine knowledge. So the Mahārṣis who gave Humanity this great science have set some guidelines for the ethical behavior of Jyotishis. We require all our students to abide by these spiritual principles.

According to Mahārṣi Parāśara, one should give this knowledge only to worthy, sincere and God-loving students who always speak the truth and have proper respect for their teacher. In Vedic culture, one's relationship with the guru or other giver of knowledge is that of a servant with his master. Just as a servant obeys every command of his master, a worthy student obeys his teacher’s instructions. A wealthy employer may give his servant only some money, which will be here today and gone tomorrow. But a teacher gives his students knowledge, and especially spiritual knowledge is the most precious asset.

So spiritual teachers are to be treated with utmost respect. Jyotish is not ordinary knowledge, and neither the knowledge of Jyotish nor its teacher may be treated as an ordinary material commodity without some unpleasant karmic reaction. This may be a little difficult for students from materialistic Western culture to understand and appreciate, but it is nevertheless true. You have a choice: you can learn it the easy way by hearing and understanding, or you can learn it the hard way by personal experience.

Geocentric Conception

Vedic astrologers are well aware that nothing in the universe is stationary. Therefore it is irrelevant to consider the movements of earth and other heavenly bodies in relation to an arbitrary fixed point, such as the sun. It is far more convenient and practical to simply consider the surface of the earth as the central point, and calculate the motions of the bodies of the universe from their actual observed positions in the sky.

In other words, Vedic astronomy considers the position and movement of all heavenly bodies in relation to the earth. Vedic astronomy and astrology consider the earth as the center, and all other heavenly bodies move around it. Vedic astronomy and astrology are thus geocentric, and not heliocentric (considering the Sun as the reference point) like Western astronomy and astrology.

The Vedic sages certainly were not ignorant of Earth’s motion around the Sun. Vedic astronomy understands quite well that the Sun is the center of the solar system. But the Earth, the other planets, the Sun and even the Galaxy are all in constant relative motion. From which point do we measure all this movement? We live on the Earth and see the universe from this vantage point; so for Vedic astronomy, the most practical and convenient fixed point is the pole star, currently Polaris or Dhruva-loka in Sanskrit.

Rāśis and Nakṣatras

The Zodiac is the path that the planets follow as they move relative to the background of fixed stars. You can visualize the Zodiac as a belt in the sky, about 18 degrees of arc in width, running around the earth in an east-to-west direction. Several groups of fixed stars are studded along this imaginary belt. The fixed stars are divided into two sets, one of twelve groups and another of twenty-seven groups. The twelve groups, based on the motion of the Sun are called Signs or Rāśis; the twenty-seven groups of stars are called Nakṣatras, stellar mansions or asterisms. This imaginary belt, with 12 Rāśis and 27 Nakṣatras ranged along on it, is called the Zodiac.

The heavenly bodies called planets or Grahas move, generally from west to east, in front of the background of the fixed Rāśis and Nakṣatras. The name Graha (graha = Sanskrit ‘to catch hold of’) derives from the fact that while moving against the background of the Nakṣatras, they appear to get hold of one Nakṣatra after the other. Vedic astrology recognizes nine Grahas: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. Of course, the Sun is a star, the Moon is a satellite of the earth, and Rahu and Ketu are mathematical points on the Zodiac, but Vedic astronomy and astrology refer to all of them as Grahas. The Grahas (appear to) revolve around the earth along the path of the Zodiac.

The Vedic Calendar

The Vedic calendar is not based on clock time, but on the natural motions of the sun and moon. Therefore it is a reliable predictor of the seasons, weather and many other phenomena. The Vedic Astrological science of Muhurta or the election of auspicious timings for activities is based on the Vedic calendar system. Therefore every competent Vedic astrologer must be familiar with the Vedic Calendar. The Vedic Claendar is based on the lun ar month. In general, a lunar month is the time it takes the Moon to orbit the earth. Like other planets, the Moon moves from west to east along the Zodiac. Three types of lunar months are important in Vedic astrology: the Sidereal month, the Synodic month and the Nodical month.

Since the lunar year is eleven days shorter than the solar year, there is a difference of over a month every three solar years. To compensate for this, roughly once in three years there is an intercalary month; during this year, there are thirteen lunar months. The nineteen-year Vedic lunar-solar cycle is so accurate that the Tithis or lunar dates recur or fall on similar days after exactly nineteen years. The Moon's apparent path intersects the ecliptic obliquely at two points called the nodes. The point where the Moon crosses the ecliptic from south to north is called the Ascending Node or Rahu. Where it crosses the ecliptic from north to south is called the Descending Node or Ketu. Rahu and Ketu are instrumental in all eclipses and very important in Jyotish.

Brhat Parasara Hora Sastra

Here begins our study and commentary on the Brhat Parasara Hora Sastra (BPHS), the most important Vedic text on astrology. Jyotish or astrology is considered the eye of the Vedas. Just as a blind person cannot walk or perform many other ordinary tasks, one who studies the Vedic literatures but does not know Jyotish may have theoretical knowledge, but will be handicapped in the practical realization of Vedic truth. We know many superficially learned students of the Vedas who can quote Sanskrit texts, but who cannot successfully apply them in their own lives. They may even hold an important position in some religious organization, but their efforts to spread Vedic spiritual knowledge and culture are failing. This is because while they may have theoretical knowledge of scriptural or philosophical principles, they cannot understand the meaning and timing of the actual events in their own and others’ lives. However this knowledge is easily attainable by even a neophyte student of Jyotish.

The six angas (limbs or organs) of Jyotish are:
1. Jataka: Natal horoscopy
2. Gola: Astronomy
3. Nimitta: Omens
4. Prasna: Horary
5. Muhurtha: Electional astrology
6. Ganita: Mathematics

These 6 angas are grouped into three skandas. They are:
1. Ganita: Comprised of Ganita and part of Gola angas (Mathematics such as trigonometry and sperical geometry)
2. Hora: Comprised of Jataka, Prasna, Muhurtha and part of Nimitta (Natal Horoscopy)
3. Samhita: Comprised of Gola sastra and aspects of Hora related to Mundane astrology

Glorification of Śrī Viṣṇu

The Supreme Lord Śrī Viṣṇu is the creator, owner and controller of everything and every living being. The purpose of all Vedic knowledge, including Jyotish, is to realize Him through direct transcendental consciousness. Because the Lord is supremely pure, not only is He never contaminated by the influence of the three modes of material nature, but He is the supreme purifier by which all else is purified. Therefore association with the Lord by any of His innumerable Holy Names, transcendental forms or pastimes is purifying to the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are entangled in the three modes of material nature (guṇas) due to lust, attachment and ignorance, but the Lord, although present in the material world by His expansions, is never entangled. The Lord creates, maintains and annihilates the entire material creation, which contains innumerable universes similar to the one in which we live, with just one-fourth of His potency. The other three-fourths of His manifest potency maintains the eternal spiritual world, where those who are perfected in self-realization and devotional service live. The spiritual world is beyond the temporary material distinctions of the modes of nature. The influence of material time is conspicuous by its absence. Everyone there, even the plants and animals, is a pure devotee of the Lord.

The Three Modes of Material Nature

To practice Vedic astrology, it is essential to have a strong background in the Bhagavata philosophy, including the knowledge of the three modes of material nature expressed in Bhagavad-gita and the cosmology of universal creation expressed in Srimad-Bhagavatam. First, review Krsna's explanation of the three modes of material nature in Bhagavad-gita Chapters 14, 17 & 18. (Download the readings as necessary.)

This chart is a comprehensive reference to the three modes of material nature in different aspects of existence. It is drawn from the Vedic scriptures, especially Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, from experience and from realization. You should read it carefully, and contemplate how the three modes express themselves in different areas of life.

You will see these symptoms again and again in your Jyotish work and in your life. The object is to understand the modes of nature and their symptoms well enough to see how to extricate ourselves and others from entanglement with the modes of ignorance and passion, and engage our work in the mode of goodness, which gives purification leading to realization of Transcendence.

Spiritual Background of Jyotish

This class video is an analysis of Spiritual Background of Vedic Astrology by Patraka das. This essay does a great job of expressing one of the most important points of our Jyotish teaching: Jyotish is designed to function in the spiritual context of the Vedas. All of the four main pillars of Jyotish—the planets, signs, houses and charts—are expressions of different aspects of the Supreme Lord. If someone tries to practice astrology outside of that context, it may be astrology but it's not Jyotish anymore. Jyotish is ultimately about how our original eternal spiritual relationship with God is fragmented and reflected in the changing material energy—and most importantly, how to find our way out of the funhouse mirror maze of the material world and back to our original spiritual identity and eternal life in the spiritual world.

Transcendental Ontological Orientation

Of course everyone would like to start casting and analyzing charts, and getting the often astonishing insights Jyotish makes possible. But before we get to the fun part, there is the small matter of acquiring the proper background. As we have discussed many times, taking a Vedic science like Jyotish out of its natural context distorts its meaning and cripples its benefits. If we try to shoehorn our understanding and practice of Jyotish into the inappropriate and limited context of the impersonal, reductionist Western mechanical model of the universe, we will lose its most important values.

A musician or artist, no matter how talented, can never advance beyond his command of the rudiments of his craft. Similarly, your grasp of the meaning of a Jyotish chart can never exceed your mastery of these basics. Neophytes, in their impatience to experience the power and wonders of Jyotish, frequently want to rush into applications. But you should be well advised that the more time and effort you devote to these fundamentals, the deeper your spiritual vision and hence the deeper your insight into spiritual life in general, and Jyotish in particular, will be.

The Vedic cosmology is based on personalities, and the often complex and multidimensional relationships between and among those personalities. Personality implies consciousness, energy and relationships; so the key to getting the full benefit from Jyotish is to understand the Vedic personalist cosmology and its deep implications. In other words, before we begin the study of Jyotish proper, we need to change our ontological orientation.

The ontological classes of the expansions of the Supreme given in the Bhagavata cosmology are complex and sophisticated. However, a clear understanding and practical realization of this subject is necessary both for personal self-realization and for helping others by Jyotish and other types of spiritual counseling. Getting out of the trap of material existence and conditioned consciousness requires an intimate, detailed knowledge of the design and operation of the trap; otherwise, escape from illusion is impossible.