Vedic Astrology ( Jyotish)

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The Sanskrit term Jyotiṣa (Jyotish) means “knowledge of light”

Jyotish is part of the Veda and will therefore always be used as a means of deep inquiry into self. It is one of the six Vedāṅga, or limbs of the Veda, which are tools used to access the deep knowledge of the Veda itself. Each limb is methaphorically described as a part of the body of the Veda and Jyotish is seen as the eyes of the Veda for its ability to navigate the oceans of time and space with great clarity.

Early jyotiṣa is concerned with the preparation of a calendar to determine dates for sacrificial rituals. It is noble and a natural science that dates back to 3000 BC. Ancient astrology is found in the part of Atharva Veda in the form of ‘‘Jyothishmati’. As per Indian astrology event in our life is based on position of celestial bodies at time, date and place of birth.

The foundation of Vedic astrology is the notion of the Vedas (scriptures), which is the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm. Practice relies primarily on the sidereal zodiac, which differs from the tropical zodiac used in Western (Hellenistic) astrology.  Vedic astrology includes several nuanced sub-systems of interpretation and prediction with elements not found in Western astrology, such as its system of Nakshatra.

Ancient sages like Vashistha, Bhrigu, and Garga were the masters of astrology and made many predictions that were true. Then before the beginning of Kali Yuga (present time around 3102 BC) Sage Parasara wrote the astrology text called Brihad Parasara Hora Sastra. 

While Western world claims on having made scientific “discoveries” such as, the earth is not flat and that the earth revolves around the Sun, and not vice-versa, these notions were already written down at least 1000 years earlier in India and were understood as a rich and vibrant oral tradition probably 1000’s of years before that.