Science of Horoscope

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What is Astrology ?

Astrology is the scientific study and application of language of the heavenly bodies. These heavenly bodies determined on the basis of Astronomy and mathematics, are mapped in the form of a horoscope. Their specific locations in the horoscope indicate specific happenings in the case of individuals, of multitudes and of geographical regions. 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 variations in their disposition determine variations in the events on the earth; the correlations are only too strong to be brushed aside by critics of Astrology.

Who should practice astrology ?

In the ancient times, a strict code of conduct was demanded of those who practised Astrology. A guru would teach astrology only to deserving disciple who would adhere to such a code of conduct. The guru-shishya (i.e., the teacher-disciple) tradition is already long over in India. With changing times, it has become difficult to find an appropriate 'guru' and a deserving 'shishya' to pursue this scared study within the rules laid by the sages of yore. It is, however, quite in order to be aware of this ancient code of conduct. Varamihira, the celebrated authority on astrology, prescribes the following qualifications for an astrologer :

(a) Physical features : According to the said author , the physical feature reflect the inner nature of man. The astrologer must be good to loom at, with all his body parts complete and healthy. He should be of sound health, with sound hands, feet, nails, chin teeth ears, forehead and head, and having a loud and impressive voice.

(b) Moral soundness : He should be truthful, gentle, bereft of cravings and aversions, clear of heart, not inclined to be critical of the qualities of others, devoid of base and wordly distractions.

(c) Behaviour in an assembly : He should be clever, able to express himself, bold in an assembly, not intimidated by his fellow astrologers, dignified and aware of the constraints of social and historical circumstances.

(d) Proficiency in the subject of Astrology : He should be well-read, and proficient in the three branches of Astrology known as Ganita, the Samhita and the hora. He must have studied the five siddhantas (or mathematical treatises). His mathematical proficiency must include the knowledge of various divisions of time, from the gross one like yuga to the finer ones. He must also possess knowledge of the various divisions, including the finest ones, of the zodiac.

(e) Proficiency in various branches of Astrology : The astrologer is required to possess a knowledge of different aspects of astrology which deal with propitiation of planets, rendering the planets beneficial or hostile, conducting religious ceremonies, and rituals which help neutralise the natural calamities.

(f) Defence of Astrology : The astrologer must be able to answer queries, and also pose relevant questions where appropriate. When necessary, he should be able to dazzle others by his knowledge, only to increase the dignity of astrology.

The Sage Parashara advocates a similar code of conduct for astrologers, stressing particularly on the necessity for technical intellectual and moral excellence; the capacity to weigh the pros and cons of a situation, along with the ability to synthesize a coherent prediction based on sound knowledge of the principles, sometimes apparently contradictory, of knowledge.

Sub-Divisions of Astrology

There are three main sub-divisions of Astrology.

(1) Samhita : This deals with collectivity or multitudes. It encompasses such varied areas as weather forecasts, agricultural produce, natural disasters, floods, famines, wars, earthquakes, cyclones, market trends, changes in government, national and international events, and virtually anything that influences the masses. The annual world predictions which are generally based either on Hindu New Year commencing on the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, or on the solar Ingress into Mesha, fall under the Samhita astrology.

(2) Siddhanta or Tantra or Ganita : This deals with the mathematical aspects of astrology. There are several treatises on Siddhanta Astrology but five among them are considered as particularly important. They are :

(a) Surya Siddhanta

(b) Paulisha Siddhanta

(d) Vasishtha Siddhanta

(e) Paitamaha Siddhanta

A proficiency in these is considered as a prerequisite for a good astrologer, according to to the celebrated Varahmihira.

(3) Hora : It deals with :

(a) Individual horoscopes, or Jataka, or natal charts of a person.

(b) Muhurta or electional Astrology, which concerns itself with the election of favourable planetary dispositions to achieve specific accomplishments in day-to-day life.

Vedic Astrology is based on a very sound understanding of astronomy. In ancient India, astronomy was a highly developed subject. Knowledge of astronomy was considered essential for an astrologer. To the ancient Vedic astrologer, such phenomena as the rotation and the revolution of the earth, the formation of seasons, the occurrence of eclipses, the concepts of solar and lunar months, the equinoxes, and the subtle concepts of disposition of planets and stars in the sky, were all well known. Without the availability of the present day sophisticated instruments and telescopes, he was able to decipher fine variations in the disposition of heavenly bodies. The fact that he could take into consideration such fine divisions of time without the electronic/atomic clocks of today is marvellous.

Earth as the center

The Vedic astrologer was aware that nothing in the universe was stationary. It was, therefore, irrelevant to attempt to pick up a fixed point in the sky, and consider the movements of earth and other heavenly bodies in relation to such a point. He, therefore, considered the position and movement of all heavenly bodies in relation to the earth itself, which was his residence. It is no wonder then that Indian astronomy and astrology consider the 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 the Sun as the centre. The Indian astronomer does appreciate the Sun to be the centre of the solar system, but he also appreciates that the Sun, the solar system, as well as the stars are all moving. Hence he considered the pole star Dhruva as the point of relative fixity at the centre of heavenly bodies in the galaxy. With such profound appreciation of astronomy, one can'ts attribute ignorance of the earthly movements to the ancient Indian astronomer.

Zodiac

Imagine a belt or a path in the sky, some 18 degrees of arc in width, running around the earth in an east-west direction. Groups of stars, to all appearance fixed, are studded along this imaginary belt. Twenty seven (or twenty eight!) such groups of stars are recognised in Vedic astrology. Because of lack of apparent motion, these are called as Nakshatras. This imaginary belt, with nakshatras studded on it, is called the zodiac. The zodiac forms the reference point for fixing up the 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 placed on it each have a span of 13'20' arc. The various nakshatras are numbered from one to twenty-seven.

The zodiac is a 18 deg wide band placed obliquely to the equator.It is divided in 12 rashis and 27 nakshatras.

In contrast to the fixed nakshatras, there are the moving heavenly bodies called the Grahas. These move along the zodiac from the west to the east. They derive their name from the fact that, while moving against the background of the nakshatras, they appear to get hold of one nakshatra after the other (graha = to catch hold of). Vedic astrology recognises nine grahas. They are the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Satrun, Rahu and Ketu. Of these, the Sun is a 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. For the sake of descriptive convenience, we shall refer to all of these as 'planets'. These planets (appear to) revolve around the earth while staying within the limits of the zodiac. The apparent path of the Sun along the zodiac is known as the ecliptic. The ecliptic passes through the centre of the zodiac. It is inclined at an angle of 23'28' to the plane of the equator. The extra-Saturnine planets, called Uranus, Neptune and Pluto has not been considered deliberately as they do not form a part of Vedic astrology.

Signs or Rashis

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 a sign or Rashi. A rashi consists of two and a quarter nakshatras. A particular group of stars in the zodiac is considered as the starting point of the zodiac. From this point, the twenty-seven nakshatras or the twelve signs begin. A planet located anywhere along the zodiac may be considered as located in a particular sign, depending upon which twelfth division of the zodiac it is in; it may be considered as being located in a particular nakshatra too, depending upon which twenty seventh division of the zodiac it is in.

The planets from the Sun to Saturn have been allotted the ownership of these signs. While the Sun and the Moon own one sign each, the remaining planets own two signs each. Rahu and Ketu are generally not allotted ownership of these signs. The names of the twelve signs, their planetary lords, and their extent in the zodiac, etc., are given in Table given below :

Table depicting rashis with their lords

	Sign	English equivalent	Symbol	Lord	Extent in degrees
1	Mesha	Aries	_	Mars	0-30
2	Vrisha	Taurus	^	Venus	30-60
3	Mithuna	Gemini	'	Mercury	60-90
4	Karka	Cancer	a	Moon	90-120
5	Simha	Leo	b	Sun	120-150
6	Kanya	Virgo	c	Mercury	150-180
7	Tula	Libra	d	Venus	180-210
8	Vrischika	Scorpio	e	Mars	210-240
9	Dhanu	Saggitarius	f	Jupiter	240-270
10	Makara	Capricorn	g	Saturn	270-300
11	Kumbha	Aquarius	h	Saturn	300-330
12	Meena	Pisces	i	Jupiter	330-360

Nakshatras

The twenty-seven nakshatras also extend along the zodiac from 0� to 360�. They too are owned by planets. But in case of nakshatras, the planets Rahu and Ketu are also allotted the ownership. Each nakshatra is further divided into four parts called the Padas or charanas. There are thus 108 nakshatra padas or quarters in the twenty-seven nakshatras. Each nakshatra quarter measures 3�20'. The relation of nakshatras with rashis, along with their extent and owners, are shown in Table given below :

Table depicting rashis,nakshatras and their lords

	Rashis	Nakshatras	Extent s d m	Pada	Lord
1	Mesha	1. Ashwini	0^s13�20'	4	Ketu
		2. Bharani	0^s26�40'	4	Venus
		3. Krittika	1^s0�0'	1	Sun
2	Vrisha	3. Krittika	1^s10�0'	3	Sun
		4. Rohini	1^s23�20'	4	Moon
		5. Mrigasira	2^s0�0'	2	Mars
3	Mithuna	5. Mrigasira	2^s6�40'	2	Mars
		6. Ardra	2^s20�0'	4	Rahu
		7. Punarvasu	3^s0�0'	3	Jupiter
4	Karka	7. Punarvasu	3^s3�20'	1	Jupiter
		8.Pushya	3^s16�40'	4	Saturn
		9. Ashlesha	4^s0�0'	4	Mercury
5	Simha	10. Magha	4^s13�20'	4	Mercury
		11. P Phalguni	4^s26�40'	4	Venus
		12. U Phalguni	5^s0�0'	1	Sun
6	Kanya	12. U Phalguni	5^s10�0'	3	Sun
		13. Hasta	5^s23�20'	4	Moon
		14. Chitra	6^s0�0'	2	Mars
7	Tula	14. Chitra	6^s6�40'	2	Mars
		15.Swati	6^s20�0'	4	Rahu
		16. Vishakha	7^s0�0'	3	Jupiter
8	Vrischika	16. Vishakha	7^s3�20'	1	Jupiter
		17.Anuradha	7^s16�40'	4	Saturn
		18. Jyeshtha	8^s0�0'	4	Mercury
9	Dhanu	19. Moola	8^s13�20'	4	Ketu
		20. P Asadha	8^s26�40'	4	Venus
		21. U Asadha	9^s0�0'	1	Sun
10	Makara	21. U Asadha	9^s10�0'	3	Sun
		22. Shravana	9^s23�20'	4	Moon
		23. Dhanishtha	10^s0�0'	2	Mars
11	Kumbha	23. Dhanishtha	10^s6�40'	2	Mars
		24. Sata Bhishaj	10^s20�0'	4	Rahu
		25. P Bhadrapada	11^s0�0'	3	Jupiter
12	Meena	25. P Bhadrapada	11^s3�20'	1	Jupiter
		26. U Bhadrapada	11^s16�40'	4	Saturn
		27. Revati	12^s0�0'	4	Mercury

A segment of the zodiac extending from 276�40'0" to 280�53'20" (equivalent to 6�4'0" to 10�53'20" in the Makara rashi, involving the last quarter of the twenty first (i.e. Uttarashadha) nakshatra and the beginning of the twenty-second (Sharavana), is sometimes considered as a separate nakshatra by the name Abhijit. This addition changes the number of nakshatras to twenty-eight. In such a situation, Abhijit is considered as the twent-second nakshatra, and the subsequent six nakshatras (from Sharavana onwards) assume changed numbers (from 23 to 28, instead of 22 to 27).

The geocentric astronomical framework

In order to understand the very basic astronomical concepts, as pertinent to an understanding of Vedic astrology, it is important to understand certain facts about the earth, the movements of the earth, and the apparent movement of the planets around the earth. Explanation of a few definitions is also in order.

Earth as a sphere : The earth is spherical. It rotates from west to east around its axis. The axis of the earth is an imaginary line which, passing through its centre, connects its two poles, the north pole and the south pole. Another imaginary line running across the largest circumference of the earth, equidistant from its poles and running in an east-west direction, is called the equator. The terrestial equator is considered as the zero degree of latitude. Parallels drawn to the equator, either north or south of it, indicate the north or south latitudes, from zero degree at the equator to 90 degrees at either pole.

Imaginary lines can also be drawn on the surface of the earth connecting the north pole to the south pole. Encompassing the circumference of the earth, these correspond to the 360 degrees of longitude. They are also known as the terrestrial meridians. Ancient Vedic astrologers considered the terrestrial meridian passing through Ujjain as the zero degree longitude. At present, the meridian passing through Green witch in England is regarded as corresponding to zero degree of longitude. The longitudes are marked from zero degree to 180 degrees east or west, depending upon whether a place falls to the east or to the west of Greenwitch. The latitude and the longitude of a place are the co-ordinates, which help to locate the place accurately on the surface of the earth. The 360 degrees of terrestrial longitude represent a time span of 24 hours. One hour thus corresponds to 15 degrees, and one degree of terrestrial longitude represents 4 minutes of time.

The equator divides the earth into northern and souther hemispheres.Latitudes and longitudes help locate a place on the surface of the earth.Arrow shows the direction of the earth's rotation from west to east.

The great and the small circles : A great circle is any circle the plane of which passes through the centre of a sphere. Equator is a great circle on the earth, equidistant from the north and south poles. Any circle the plane of which does not pass through the centre of a sphere is called a small circle. As the equator corresponds to zero degree latitude, all parallels to it are small circles, which represent the north or south latitudes.

Imaginary extensions into space : The space around the earth extends to an infinite extent. To us, the extension of space upto the zodiac is of primary importance. Celestrial Sphere is an imaginary projection of the earth in all directions upto infinity. An extension of the plane of terrestial equator into space is called the celestial equator . Any great circle that joins the celestial north and south poles is called a meridian. The meridian of a place corresponds to the terrestrial longitude. The meridian passing through Greenwitch corresponds to zero degree of longitude, and is termed as the Principal meridian or the Standard meridian. The angular distance between the principal meridian and the meridian of a given place (i.e., the angle subtended by the principal meridian and the meridian of a given place, at the centre of the earth) is called the longitude of a place.

The Sun crosses the meridian of a place at mid-day. The intersection of the ecliptic (i.e., the sun's apparent path around the earth) with the meridian of a place is termed as the midheaven which in other words corresponds to the cusp of the tenth house of a horoscope. The meridian of a place thus passes, around the earth, through north pole, midheaven (10th house or zenith), south pole nadir (4th house) and back to the north pole.

Declination and right ascension: Just as parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude help to locate a place on the surface of the terrentrial sphere, so do their extensions in the form of parallels of declination and meridians of right ascension help to locate heavenly bodies on the celestial sphere.Declination of a planet is the angle subtended by it and the celestial equator at the earth. The declination of a planet, thus, corresponds exactly with the terrestrial latitude. A planet at the terrestrial equator is said to possess zero degree declination. Right ascension of a planet is its angular distance, measured eastwards along the celestial equator, from the vernal equinox to the point where a perpendicular drawn through the said planet falls on the celestial equator.

Equator and ecliptic ; formation of seasons: The earth rotates on its own axis in twenty-four hours. Along with this rotation, it also revolves around the Sun in one year or 365.2422 days (365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 46 seconds). This span of time is called a tropical year. The path of the earth around the Sun appears to us, from the earth, as the Sun's path around the earth, and is called the ecliptic . The equator runs around the middle of earth in an east-west direction and divides the earth into a northern hemisphere and a southern hemisphere. The ecliptic, or the Sun's path, in the apparent east-west direction, does not lie along the equator but is obliquely placed to it. Half of the Sun's path thus lies to the north of the equator and a half of it to the south of the equator.

The Sun thus happens to cross the equator twice a year, giving rise to what are termed as the two equinoxes. The vernal equinox happens around the 21st March, when the Sun is on its northerly course. The autumnal equinox occurs around 23rd September when the Sun is on its southerly course..

The ecliptic is inclined to the equator at an angle of 23.28'.It crosses equator at two points, the vernal equinox and the autumnal equinox.The north of the earth corresponds to the celestial north and celestial south poles.

On these two occasions, the day and night all over the globe are of equal duration. The Sun is vertically above the equator at this time. The declination of the Sun at these occasions is zero as it corresponds to the terrestrial equator which represents zero degree latitude.

After vernal equinox, the Sun progressively attains north declination unit it reaches a maximum of 23�28'. This occurs around 21st June and is known as the summer solstice . The Sun is vertically above the tropic of Cancer at this time. The northern hemisphere experiences the longest day and the shortest night on this occasion. The reverse holds true for the southern hemisphere.

After the autumnal equinox, the Sun pursues a southward course and attains a maximum south declination of 23�28' at the time of winter solstice . This happens around 22nd December. The Sun is vertically above the tropic of Capricorn, at this time. The northern hemisphere experiences the shortest day and the longest night on this occasion. The reverse holds true for the southern hemisphere.

The obliquity of the ecliptic to the equator thus results in the formation of seasons . When it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is summer in the southern hemisphere. When it is summer in the northern hemisphere, it is winter in the southern hemisphere.

The horizon: It is the great circle, which represents the meeting line of the earth and the sky. It varies according to the position of the observer on the surface of the earth. For example, for an observer at the north pole of the earth, the horizon corresponds with the equator while the southern hemisphere remains out of view. For one standing at the equator, the great circle passing through the poles represents the horizon; the two poles lie on the horizon in this case. For any intermediate positions, the horizon too varies accordingly. More and more of the southern hemisphere moves out of the horizon as the observer moves northward, and more and more northern hemisphere moves out of the horizon as the observer moves southward.

The point of the celestial sphere, which is directly overhead for the observer, is called as the zenith . This is at right angles to the observer's horizon. Its opposite point is known as the nadir . The great circle that passes in a north-south direction through the zenith and the nadir, through the celestial north and south poles (i.e., the north and south poles of the equator) and through the north and south points of the horizon is called the meridian which has been already referred to.

The rising and setting of signs

As already mentioned, the ecliptic passes through the centre of the zodiacal belt which extends some 8' to 9' on its either (north as well as south) side. The planets remain within the limits of the zodiac. The earth rotates around its axis once in twenty-four hours from west to east. As a consequence, all heavenly bodies appear to revolve around the earth from east to west once in twenty-four hours. The zodiac, with the nakshatras and rashis fixed upon it, also appears to revolve around the earth once in twenty-four hours. Thus all the signs and nakshatras on the zodiac appear to successively rise in the eastern horizon and set at the western horizon once in twenty-four hours. Six of the twelve signs appear at the eastern horizon during the day-time and the remaining six during night-time. The following points are of importance:

1. The sign that rises at the eastern horizon, at a given moment of time, is of primary importance and called the ascendant or the lagna. It is the sign where the ecliptic cuts the eastern horizon. In a horoscope this represents the first house.

2. The sign seventh from the ascendant is the descendant or the setting sign. That is, when a particular sign is rising in the eastern horizon, its opposite sign is setting in the western horizon. It is the sign where the ecliptic cuts the western horizon. In a horoscope this represents the seventh house

3. The points where the meridian cuts the ecliptic are the zenith (above the earth) and the nadir (below the earth, exactly opposite to the zenith) The Zenith (mid-heaven) represents the tenth house in a horoscope, while the nadir represents the fourth house.

4. Each sign takes time to rise at the horizon from zero degrees to 30 degrees. All signs are not of equal duration so that some signs take longer to completely rise above the horizon compared to the others

5. Signs can be divided into three groups, depending upon their rising periods (rashi maanas).

Group A	Mesha	Kanya	Tula	Meena
Group B	Vrisha	Simha	Vrischika	Kumbha
Group C	Mithuna	Karka	Dhanu	Makara

A sign belonging to one group takes the same time to rise as another belonging to the same group at the equator. The six signs from Karka to Dhanu lengthen and the remaining six shorten as one proceeds from the equator to the north pole. On the other hand, the signs from Makara to Mithuna lengthen, while the remaining ones shorten, as one proceeds from the equator to the south pole.

6. For any given latitude, the rising period for different signs is fixed.

7. As one moves away from the equator, certain signs lengthen while the others shorten as far as their rising period is concerned. That is, certain signs remain longer on the horizon than the others.

8. Six signs elapse between sunrise and sunset, while the remaining six signs do so between sunset and sunrise.

9. This means that in winter, when the days are shorter, the six zodiacal signs that rise successively during the day have a shorter time duration, while the remaining six have a longer time duration. This gives rise to signs of short ascension and those of long ascension.

10. Signs of long ascension in the northern hemisphere are: Karka, Simbha, Kanya, Tula, Vrischika and Dhanu.

11. Sings of short ascension in the northern hemisphere are: Makara, Kumbha, Meena, Mesha, Vrisha and Mithuna. These are the signs of long ascension for the southern latitudes.

12. As one nears the poles, certain zodiacal signs fail to rise.

The concept of sidereal time

The earth rotates around its axis in 24 hours, in what may be termed a mean solar day. In other words, the mean solar day is a function of earth's rotation in relation to the Sun. Considered with reference to any fixed star in the zodiac, the earth completes its one rotation in approximately 23 hours and 56 minutes (23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.09 seconds, to be precise). One rotation of the earth in relation to a fixed star is called a sidereal day. Said in another manner, a sidereal day is the time interval between two successive transits of a fixed star over the meridian of a place. A sidereal day is 3 minutes and 56 seconds (or roughly 4 minutes) shorter than the mean solar day.

A sidereal day consists of 24 sidereal hours. Time reckoned according to this method is called the sidereal time .Since the sidereal time considers the angular rotation of the earth in relation to the fixed stars of the zodiac, the earth will attain the same position with reference to the zodiac every day at the same sidereal time. In other words, for any location, for the same sidereal time, the disposition of the signs of the zodiac (including the rising sign, the setting sign, the tenth house, the 4th house, etc.) will be the same. This is the reason why it is essential to obtain the correct sidereal time for the purposes of erecting an astrological chart for any given moment of mean solar time as provided by the watch.

Why is the mean solar day longer than the sidereal day? By the time the earth rotates once, with reference to a fixed star, i.e., in one sidereal day, the Sun has moved by approximately 1� thereby consuming approximately 4 additional minutes each day.

Precession of equinoxes

The earth revolves around the Sun once in 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds. Considered from the earth, the Sun appears to complete one round of the ecliptic during this period. This is called a tropical year .In the span of a tropical year, the earth regains its original angular position with the Sun. It is also called the year of seasons since on this Earth-Sun cycle depends the occurrence, and timing, of seasons. If we consider the revolution of the Sun around the earth from one vernal equinox (around 21st March, when the day and night all over the globe are equal) to the next vernal equinox, it takes one tropical year to do so.

However, if at the end of a tropical year from one vernal equinox to the next, we consider the position of the earth with reference to a fixed star of the zodiac, the earth appears to lie some 50.26 seconds of celestial longitude to the west of its original position. In order for the earth to attain the same position with respect to a fixed star after one revolution, it takes a time span of 365 days 6 hours 9 minutes and some 9.5 seconds. This duration of time is called a sidereal year .The sidereal year is just over 20 minutes longer than the tropical year; this time difference is equivalent to 50.26 seconds of celestial longitude.
Each year, the Vernal equinox will fall short by 50.26 seconds along the zodiac reckoned along the fixed stars. This continuous receding of the Vernal equinox along the zodiac is called as the precession of equinoxes.

Causes of precession

The earth rotates around its axis like a spinning top. In doing so, its north pole (and, therefore, the celestial pole), describes a dircle of some 47 degrees around the pole of the ecliptic.

The wobble of earth's axis in a clockwise direction causes the precession of equinoxes.
The axis now points towards polaris;in about 13,000 years from now
it will have to be moved to a point within a few degrees from vega.

This in other words, means that the plane of the equator intersects the plane of the ecliptic at a constantly shifting point. This point, the first point of Aries or the vernal equinox, goes on receding westward at a rate of approximately 50.26 seconds of arc each year. This is called the precession of the equinoxes. The result of this precession is a slow increase in the right ascensions of almost all fixed stars in the zodiac. This precession takes some 25,800 (or approximately 26,000) years to complete one circle. As will be seen, an appreciation of this precession is of paramount importance in the understanding of the basic concepts of Vedic astrology.

Fixed and movable zodiacs

The fixed or the sidereal zodiac considers the nakshatras as its basis. Its first degree begins as the first degree of Mesha (Aries) from a particular point in the Revati group of stars. There is another zodiac, however, which is reckoned from the Vernal equinoctial point; here the first point of Aries begins from the Vernal equinox. This is called the movable or the tropical zodiac. As has been seen, the movable zodiac continues to recede westward along the stars, which characterise the fixed zodiac?

Ayanamsha; the sayana and the niryana system

It has been seen that because of the precession of equinoxes at a rate of 50.26 seconds per year, the distance between the Vernal equinox (the 1st point of the movable zodiac) and the 1st point of Mesha (Aries) on the fixed zodiac has been progressively increasing. This distance at any given epoch is called as the Ayanamsha .The ayanamsha thus indicates the difference between the fixed zodiac and the movable zodiac. The system that considers the fixed zodiac is called the Niryana (without ayana!) system, while the one that considers the movable zodiac is called the Sayana (with ayana!) system. The Niryana values of planetary longitudes can be obtained by subtracting the ayanamsha for a given time from the Sayana longitudes.

The Niryana and the Sayana zodiacs coincided in the year 285 AD when the ayanamsha was zero. At the rate of precession of equinoxes stated above, the ayanamsha on the 1st of January, 1995 is 23�47'26". The equinoctial precession completes one round in aproximately 26,000 years, as mentioned earlier, so that the fixed and movable zodiacs coincide regularly after this time span. The ayanamsha reckoned on the basis of considering the year 285 AD as the year when the Sayana and the Niryana zodiacs coincided is called the Chitrapaksha ayanamsha.

Ancient method of time reckoning

The Vedic seers had an elaborate method of reckoning time. They combined genius with religion so that it appealed to the intellectual and the devoted alike. There were several methods of reckoning time. One standard method was as follows:

1 Asu (or Prana)	=	4 (sidereal) seconds
6 Asus	=	1 sidereal Pala (or Vighati or Vinadi or 24 seconds)
60 Palas	=	1 Ghati (24 minutes)
60 Ghatis	=	1 day (24 hours)
30 days	=	1 month
12 months	=	1 year
43, 20, 000 years	=	1 Yuga
72 Yugas	=	1 Manu
14 Manus	=	1 Kalpa (or 1008 Yugas)
2 Kalpas	=	A day and night of brahma
30 day-nights of Brahma	=	1 month of Brahma
12 months of Brahma	=	1 year of Brahma
100 years of Brahma	=	Life of Brahm (or 1 Mahakalpa
In addition to the above, the following methods of reckoning of time were used for astrological purposes :
1. Sidereal day	=	Time interval between one star-rise to the next
2. Civil day	=	Time interval between obe sunrise to the next
3. Lunar month	=	One new moon to the next
4. Solar maonth	=	Interval between entry of Sun from one sign to the other.
5. Solar year	=	Period of one solar revolution
6. Jupiterian (Barhaspatya) year	=	Period of Jupiter's motion through a sign.

Circular divisions

Measures of angles have been similarly described by Vedic astronomers.

60 Pratatparas	=	1 Tatpara
60 Tatparas	=	1 Vilipta (or Vikala or second)
60 Vilipta	=	1 Lipta (or Kala or minute)
60 Lipta	=	1 Lava (or bhaga or amsha or degree)
30 Lavas	=	1 Rasi (Sign)
12 Rashis	=	1 celestial circle or a revolution

Planets and the zodiac

The planets revolve around the Sun at different velocities in elliptical orbits. They also appear to revolve around the earth in elliptical orbits.

Says Parashara:

"Although the grahas proceed towards the east, they appear as if they are
moving in the westward direction, under the influence of the 'force of flow'."

The following three factors are of importance:

I. The rotation of the earth from west to east direction : Even as this causes the day as well as the night, it also makes the planets appear to be moving from east to west across the earth.

II. Daily revolution of the zodiac from east to west : The rotation of the earth makes the whole zodiac also appear as if it is making one daily revolution around the earth. In one day-night duration, all the signs of the zodiac (and all the nakshatras) successively rise in the east and set in the west.

III. The movement of the planets from west to east : Although the daily rotation of the earth makes the Sun and other planets appear to be moving from east to west, in effect they move from west to east along the zodiac. Thus a planet in Mesha will actually proceed to Vrisha, and then to Mithuna, and so on.

Order of the planets: Aryabhata describes the order of planets thus:

"Beneath the asterisms lie (the planets) Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus,
Mercury and the Moon (one below the other); beneath them all lies the earth....."

Planets as lords of days and Horas: Aryabhata continues:

"The (above mentioned) seven planets beginning with Saturn, which are arranged in the order of increasing fourth in order of increasing velocity are the lords of the successive days, which are reckoned from sunrise."

There are 24 Horas in a day. Each Hora is being (approximately!) equivalent to an hour. The first Hora on a day, starting from sunrise, belongs to the lord of the day itself. Subsequent Horas follow in the order as given above, i.e., Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, etc., until the end of day at next sunrise.

From Saturn, the fourth in order is the Sun; therefore, the Sun is the lord of the day following the day of Saturn. That is, Sunday follows Saturday. From the Sun, the fourth in order is the Moon. Therefore, Sunday is followed by the day of the Moon, i.e., Monday.

Inner and Outer planets: The planets Mercury and Venus have their orbits between the Sun and the earth. They are called inner or inferior planets. These planets cannot go far away from the Sun. Mercury can only move a maximum of 27 degrees from the Sun and Venus a maximum of 47 degrees from the Sun.

The planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, whose orbits lie outside the orbit of the earth, are called outer or superior planets .

Phenomenon of apparent retrogression in an outer planet as viewed from the earth

Retrogression and direct motion: Planets move along the zodiac from west to east, around the Sun. However, when seen from the earth, sometimes their motion appears to be occurring in a reverse direction against the background of the stars. This apparent motion in the reverse direction is called as retrogression of planets and has special significance in predictive astrology. Rahu and Ketu, which are not true planets, however, always move in retrograde direction.

Combustion of planets: Planets when too close to the Sun become invisible and are labelled as combust. A combust planet loses its strength and tends to behave adversely according to predictive astrology. Aryabhata has the following to say about combustion:

"When the Moon has no latitude (i.e., when it is at zero degree of latitude) it is visible when
situated at a distance of 12 degrees from the Sun. Venus is visible when 9 degrees distant
from the sun. The other planets taken in the order of decreasing sizes (viz., Jupiter, Mercury,
Saturn and Mars) are visible when they are 9 degrees increased by twos
(i.e., when they are 11, 13, 15 and 17 degrees) distant from the Sun."

The degrees as mentioned above are generally taken as the limits within which the respective planets are said to be combust.

Planets as gods

Planets represent concentrations of energy. They influence the terrestrial phenomena by their disposition in the heavens. The sage Parashara, the father of Vedic astrology as understood and practised today, considers the planets as the representatives of gods. According to him:

(i) The Sun represents lord Rama.

(ii) The Moon represents lord Krishna.

(iii) Mars stands for lord Narsimha, the half human-half lion form of the lord.

(iv) Mercury represents lord Buddha.

(v) Jupiter represents lord Vamana, who attained the form of a dwarf to rid the world of the rule of demons. (vi) Venus represents lord Parshurama.

(vii) Saturn represents Kurma, the Tortoise incarnation of the lord.

(viii) Rahu represents Sookar, the Boar incarnation of the lord.

(ix) Ketu represents Meena, the Fish incarnation.

Even as the lord, according to Gita incarnates to safeguard the interests of the righteous and to punish the evil-doers, so also the planets undertake their benevolent and punitive actions. In other words, they behave as benefics and malefics in a horoscopic chart. All planets, true to their godly nature, produce both good and bad results. The actual results produced by them manifest according to the inherent nature of these planets.

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