Motilal Banarsidass Publishing House (MLBD) is an Indian academic publishing house, founded in Delhi, India in 1903. It publishes and distributes serials, monographs, and scholarly publications on Asian religions, Buddhology, Indology, Eastern philosophy, history, culture, arts, architecture, archaeology, language, literature, linguistics, musicology, mysticism, yoga, tantra, occult, medicine, astronomy, and astrology.
Chandradhar Sharma Guleri was a writer and scholar of Hindi, Sanskrit, Prakrit and Pali from Jaipur, India. He was born in Jaipur and his father belongs to Guler village in Himachal Pradesh hence "Guleri" at the end of the name. Described as a versatile genius, he is known as the author of Usne Kaha Tha, first published in 1915, which is debated to be the first short story in Hindi. He is also remembered for his efforts to preserve the Jantar Mantar Observatory in Jaipur.
Atmakaraka is the significator of the soul's desire in Jyotisha. The Atmakaraka is either the Sun or one of the planets and has the strongest influence on the subject of the horoscope according to astrologers.
Madhurā Vijayam, meaning "The Victory of Madurai", is a 14th-century C.E Sanskrit poem written by the poet Gangadevi. It is also named Vira Kamparaya Charitham by the poet. It chronicles the life of Kumara Kampana, a prince of the Vijayanagara Empire and the second son of Bukka Raya I. The poem describes in detail, the invasion and conquest of the Madurai Sultanate by the Vijayanagara empire.
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.
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.
Jataka Tattva is a standard treatise on the predictive part of Hindu astrology and follows the Parashari System. It is written in Sanskrit. Its author has adopted the Sutra method for imparting knowledge of astrology instead of the traditional Sloka format. A great deal of importance is given to Medicine and Astrology. The author of this text, Mahadeva, son of Revashankar Pathak, hailed from Ratlam, Rajasthan, he was a devotee of Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and well-versed in medicine, Sanskrit and Jyotisha. Mahadeva is believed to have lived from 1842 to 1888. He had written this treatise with the assistance of Vishnushastri, and completed its writing on Phalguna Shukla Panchami Vikram Samvat 1928. The brevity of the sutras employed to describe lengthy original passages culled from other texts is noteworthy. His son, Shriniwas Mahadeva Sharma translated this text into Hindi which translation with commentary was published in 1913. The earliest translation of this text into English appears to be that of V.Subramanya Sastri which was published in 1941 by V.B.Soobbiah and Sons, Bangalore.
Jataka Parijata is an Indian astrological text that is ranked alongside Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra of Parāśara Muni, Bṛhat Jātaka of Varāhamihira and Phaladīpikāḥ of Mantreśvara. It is regularly studied as a textbook and a reliable reference-book, and is one of the few books that gives time on the nativity, the other two being Horā Ratnaṃ and Jātaka Bharaṇaṃ.
Laghu Parashari, also known as Jataka Chandrika, is an important treatise on Vimshottari dasha system and is based on Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra. Written in Sanskrit in the usual Sloka format, it consists of forty-two verses divided into five chapters. Thus, it is a brief but an important treatise on predictive part of Hindu astrology whose authorship is not known even though it is presumed that it was written by ardent followers of Parashara. It contains all the fundamental principles on which the Parashari system is based. It is widely relied upon by the exponents of Hindu astrology and a text that is frequently cited.
Jaimini Sutras, also known as Upadesa Sutras is an ancient Sanskrit text on the predictive part of Vedic Astrology, attributed to the sage Jaimini, the founder of the Purva Mimamsa branch of Vedic 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.
Dashadhyayi is a commentary on the first ten chapters of Varāha Mihira's Bṛhat Jātaka, written in present-day Kerala, India. This text was regularly studied and memorised along with Bṛhat Jātaka and its interpretation of terms readily accepted.
Prasna Marga is a 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 at Edakad near Tellasseri in the present Indian State of Kerala, by Narayanan Nambutiri of Panakkattu house. 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.
In Hindu astrology, Vakri grahas are those planets of the Solar System other than the Sun and the Moon that appear to move backwards, which apparent motion is due to Earth’s orbit. Vakri in Sanskrit means twisted or crooked; it also means indirect, evasive and ambiguous. A Vakri graha is also known as the Saktha graha. Vakragati confers exceptional i.e. Cheshtabala, to Vakra grahas whose strong influence is expressed by the manner they affect the Natal Chart and by their transits. The two Lunar Nodes have perpetual retrograde motion.
Sondekoppa Ramachandrasastri Ramaswamy is an Indian writer, journalist, biographer, social activist and environmentalist. He has authored more than 50 books and thousand articles both in Kannada and English. He is recipient of the "Karnataka State Sahitya Akademi Award" (1992) for year's best work in social science. In 2015, he was honoured by Hampi University, Karnataka with the 'Nadoja' award. An avid campaigner for environmental issues and people's rights, he has led numerous movements both at state and national level for conservation of vast tracts of rich flora and fauna from ill-planned Government policies. His years as a writer and chronicler brought him under the influence of doyens of literature and public life such as D. V. Gundappa, V. Sitaramayya, Rallapalli Ananta Krishna Sharma, Yadava Rao Joshi and P. Kodanda Rao. His writings essentially mirror the literary, cultural, nationalist and developmental problems that are contemporaneous to the present day scenario. S. R. Ramaswamy is currently the honorary Editor-in-Chief of Kannada monthly "Utthana" and "Rashrothana Sahitya" at Bangalore.
Sondekoppa Srikanta Sastri was an Indian historian, Indologist, and polyglot. He authored around 12 books, over two hundred articles, several monographs and book reviews over four decades in English, Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit. These include "Sources of Karnataka History", "Geopolitics of India & Greater India", "Bharatiya Samskruthi" and "Hoysala Vastushilpa". S. Srikanta Sastri was a polyglot well versed in fourteen languages spanning Greek, Latin, Pali, Prakrit, Sanskrit and German among others. He was Head of the Department of History & Indology at Maharaja College, University of Mysore between 1940 and 1960. He was conferred the Kannada Literary Academy award in 1970 and was subsequently honoured by Governor of Karnataka Mohanlal Sukhadia in 1973 during mythic society diamond jubilee function. A Festschrift was brought forth and presented to him during his felicitation function in 1973 titled "Srikanthika" with articles on History and Indology by distinguished scholars. His work on Indus Valley civilization and town planning at Harappa and Mohenjodaro were published in successive articles and drew considerable attention. His articles on The Aryan Invasion theory, the date of Adi Sankaracharya, Oswald Spengler's view on Indian culture, Jaina epistemology, Proto-Vedic religion of Indus Valley Civilization and evolution of the Gandabherunda insignia remain relevant today.
