Jyotisha or Jyotishya is the traditional Hindu system of astrology, also known as Hindu astrology, Indian astrology and more recently Vedic astrology. It is one of the six auxiliary disciplines in Hinduism, that is connected with the study of the Vedas.
Horary astrology is an ancient branch of horoscopic astrology in which an astrologer attempts to answer a question by constructing a horoscope for the exact time at which the question was received and understood by the astrologer.
A jyotiḥśāstra is a text from a classical body of literature on the topic of Hindu astrology, known as Jyotiṣa, dating to the medieval period of Classical Sanskrit literature Only the most important ones exist in scholarly editions or translations, such as the Yavanajataka, Brihat Samhitā, Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra or Sārāvalī, while many remain unedited in Sanskrit or vernacular manuscripts.
In Hindu astrology, yoga is the relationship between one planet, sign, or house to another by placement, aspect, or conjunction. It is the consideration of the planetary dasha's directional effects, the most important factor which distinguishes Hindu astrology from Western astrology.
Planetary aspects are interchange of energies at great distances; the respective mass of each planet generates and radiates its own specific energy-field. At times these planetary aspects take a lead over planetary conjunctions. Planetary aspects play an important role in predicting future events. However, there are three great differences between Western astrology and Hindu astrology in computing these aspects - (1) in the former system the count is made from degree to degree, in the latter system the count is made from sign to sign, (2) in the former system the aspect will be mutually the same i.e. if Mars and Jupiter are in trine it can be expressed as either Mars Trine Jupiter or Jupiter Trine Mars, in the latter system if Jupiter is in Aries and Mars in Leo, Jupiter will have full aspect on Mars but Mars will have 50% aspect on Jupiter and, (3) in the former system certain aspects such as sextile are good whereas square and opposition are evil, the latter system does not have such classification in which system aspects by benefic planets and those owning trines i.e. the 5th and the 9th, are always good, and by malefic planets and those owning cadent houses i.e. the 6th, 8th or 12th, are always evil; moreover, the aspect of any planet on its own sign strengthens that house and causes no harm to its indications.
Brihat Jataka or Brihat Jatakam or Brihajjatakam, is one of the five principal texts written by Varāhamihira, the other four being Panchasiddhantika, Brihat Samhita, Laghu Jataka and Yogayatra. It is also one of the five major treatises on Hindu predictive astrology, the other four being Saravali of Kalyanavarma, Sarvartha Chintamani of Venkatesh, Jataka Parijata of Vaidyanatha and Phaladeepika of Mantreswara. The study of this classic text makes one grasp the fundamentals of astrology.
Phaladeepika is a treatise on Hindu astrology written by Mantreswara. The text is written in lyrical Sanskrit verse comprises 865 slokas and 28 chapters. It is one of the more significant works on Hindu astrology, along with Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra of Parashara, Brihat Jataka of Varahamihira, and Jataka Parijata of Vaidyanatha Dikshita. It deals in a most comprehensive and authoritative manner with almost all astrological aspects of human life. Mantreswara has equated a retrograde planet with an exalted planet in strength and effects even though it be in an inimical or its debilitation sign differing with Saravali which states that benefics are powerful when retrograde and cause Raja yoga but malefic when retrograde do not confer favourable results.
Mansagari is a popular classical treatise on Hindu predictive astrology. It is written in the usual poetic form in the traditional Sanskrit Sloka format; the language and the method of expression used are both simple and unambiguous, and therefore, easy to understand. Its author, Janardan Harji, about whom not much is known, was the son of Janardan, of Gurjar Mandala, who belonged to the Shandilya Gotra, who was also a learned and renowned astrologer of his time and place. This text, comprising five chapters, covers briefly the essential parts of Ganitha and Siddhanta, but deals with the Phalita portion of Hindu astrology in far greater detail. It has described numerous yogas and Raja yogas and also narrated their effects, as also the results of the planetary dashas as all major dasha systems in vogue. Along with the more renowned works of Parashara and Varahamihira, Mansagari has remained a standard reference book. The book, Three Hundred Important Combinations, was written by Bangalore Venkata Raman on the basis of Jataka Tantra, Parashara Hora Sastra and Mansagari.
Bhavartha Ratnakara was formerly a little-known Sanskrit treatise on the predictive part of Hindu astrology which is believed to have been written by Ramanuja, it had for a very long time remained confined mainly to the southern parts of India. It was in the year 1900 that Raman Publications, Bangalore, published this text along with its translation into English and comments by Bangalore Venkata Raman, the 10th Edition of which translation was published in 1992 followed by another edition in 1997.
Jaimini Sutras, also known as Upadesa Sutras is an ancient Sanskrit text on the predictive part of Hindu astrology, attributed to the sage Jaimini, the founder of the Purva Mimamsa branch of Hindu philosophy, a disciple of Vyasa and grandson of Parashara. It comprises nine hundred and thirty-six sutras or aphorisms arranged in four chapters, and though having several distinct features of its own, the Jaimini System, which is a unique system, appears as an offshoot of the Parashari System only; wherever it deviates, it is not found to be in conflict with the Parashari system, and gives due importance to Rahu and Ketu, the two Lunar Nodes.
Tajika Neelakanthi is a treatise on the predictive part of Hindu astrology written in Sanskrit Slokas by the celebrated authority on Tajika shastra, Neelakantha, son of Ananta Deva, on the basis of many earlier works of Samar Singh and others. He completed this work in the year 1509 Saka or 1587 A.D. Neelakantha also wrote Prasna Tantra, a treatise on Horary astrology based on the Tajika Shastra.
Dasadhyayi is the famous reputed commentary on the first ten chapters of Varāha Mihira’s Bṛhat Jātaka by Govinda Bhaṭṭathiri (1237–1295) of Talakkulam who hailed from Alattur, a village near Thirur in South Malabar, Kerala, and who had also written Muhūrtapadavī. This text was regularly studied and memorised along with Bṛhat Jātaka and its interpretation of terms readily accepted.
Neelakantha, the 16th century author of Tajika Neelakanthi and Prasna Tantra, and the son of Anantadeva, hailed from Kashmir; his brother, Ramchandra, wrote Muhurta Chintamani, the famous treatise on Electional Astrology. Neelakantha was the court astrologer of the Moghul Emperor, Jalaluddin Akbar. According to Deepak Kapoor, Neelakantha was born in the year 1556 The Tajika system of prognostication depends on the Varshaphala, Neelakantha wrote his famous book on Varshaphala, Tajika Neelakanthi, in the year 1587. However, B V Raman in the introduction to Prasna Tantra states that in the last part of his Varshatantra, Neelakantha records that he composed this book on the eighth day of the bright half of Aswija of Saka year 1509 which means 1567 AD. There is also evidence that he hailed from Vidarbha and that he was 43 or 44 years old when he wrote this book.
Prasna Marga is a unique work on Hindu astrology, natal and horary, that appears to be a major classical text covering every aspect of human existence. It was written in Sanskrit Sloka – format in the year 1649 A.D. in a place called Edakad near Tellasseri in the present Indian State of Kerala, by Narayanan Nambutiri of Panakkattu house of Kerala. The author himself wrote a brief commentary to his book with the name 'Durgamartha prakasini'. This work is known in English through the commentary written by Punnasseri Nambi Neelakantha Sarma, a disciple of Kerala Varma. All Parashari principles are briefly available in this classic, and about which principles it is claimed that one conversant with the six branches of Jyotisa will never err in predictions.
Planetary dispositors play an important role in Astrology. A dispositor is a planet that rules the sign that another planet is located in. For example, if Venus is in Gemini, then Mercury is the dispositor of Venus.
Balarishta in Hindu astrology is one of the Arishtas. These Arishtas are indicated by certain specific planetary situations or combinations or associations present at the time of one's birth or at the time of query or at a particular muhurta or happening as are revealed by the Natal Chart or the Query Chart or the Muhurta Chart. It is a Dosha.
Avastha (अवस्था) in Sanskrit means status, state or condition. Hindu astrology has evolved methods for ascertaining the avasthas (states) gained by planets at any given time. Parashara in his Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra refers to six kinds of avasthas.
In Hindu astrology, Varshaphala or the Progressed Horoscopes are cast according to the Tajika System propounded by Kesava and Neelakantha, which enables the astrologer to forecast events of immediate importance. The Lagna or ascendant of an annual horoscope is cast for the moment the Sun, after making a full round of twelve rasis or zodiacal signs, returns to the same position it occupied at the time of one’s birth. Muntha, which is an imaginary mathematical point, has an important role in this method of prognostication.
The tājika jyotiṣ, or tājika śastra, that is, the tājika system of astrology, is one of the three systems of Indian astrology as applied to individual charts (horoscopes). The other two systems are the Parāśari and Jaimini systems. The word tājika means an Arab or a Persian and it indicates the history of the evolution of this system of astrology in India. This system of astrology must have originated in the Arab/Persian world. It was with Arab invasions of North-West India, from the 7th century onwards, or with the Indian mercantile trade with Arabs, Armenians and Persians, that knowledge of tājika astrology came to India. In 1544 CE, an Indian scholar Neelkantha, son of Shrimad Anant Daivajna translated this system from Arabic/Persian to Sanskrit in his text "Tajika Neelakanthi".
Ashtamangala prasnam is a certain type of practice of the prasna branch of Hindu astrology. The terminology indicates the use of eight (ashta) auspicious (mangala) objects in its practice. These objects are ghee lamps, mirror, gold, milk, yogurt, fruits, book, and white cloth. The practice of ashtamangala prasnam is highly popular and held in high esteem in the Indian state of Kerala and Tulu Nadu. In fact, the author of Prasna Marga, an authoritative book on its practice was written by Narayanan Nambutiri, an astrologer from Edakad, Thalasseri in Kerala. Prasna Marga was written in 1649 CE.
