Intro to Vedic Astrology

The Vedas are the foremost among all ancient books. All the classics of the world have been
born out of the Vedas. The root verb of the word Veda' is vid' meaning knowledge. Through
the classics of Indian astrology, one can easily acquire knowledge about God while learning
about living beings. For this reason, astrology is considered to be the eyes of the Vedas.
Thousands of years ago, the Saints who were knowledgeable about the past, the present and
the future, through the power of their meditation and yoga, have described in detail in their
astrological classics the characteristics, features, appearance and nature of the planets and
their auspicious and inauspicious effects on the living and non living world. The depiction of
the position of planets in the zodiac at the time and place of a person's birth is called the
Janma Kundali or the Horoscope. The sign which was rising in the eastern horizon at the time
of birth is called Lagna or the Ascendant. The sign where the Moon is positioned is called the
Birth Rashi and the constellation in which the Moon is situated is called the Birth Nakshatra.

The Sanskrit name of Vedic Astrology is Jyotish. Jyotish means light, and is called the eye of
the Vedas, as its purpose is to shed light on our life, on our self understanding, and to help us
in the path to enlightenment.
There are three main branches within Vedic Astrology, Hora, Ganita and Samhita.
The Samhita branch deals with very broad aspects of understanding ourselves. It uses omens
and observations from the environment to draw conclusions. Analysis of dreams, sudden
sounds, appearance of animals, movement of the planets, twitching of muscles etc are
examples. A well known text that describes all that is the Brihat Samhita.
The Ganita branch deals with the pure mathematics of the Astronomical basis of astrology. It
describes in great detail how to calculate the position of the planets and many other
calculations that Vedic Astrology is based on. One famous work in the Ganita branch is the
Surya Siddhanta.
The Hora branch deals with the actual interpretations and predictions of the horoscope. Brihat
Parashara Hora Shastra is all about that, and so is this tutorial.
Maharishi Parashara makes it a point that the student of Jyotish "are good and peacefully
disposed, who honour the preceptors and elders, who speak only truth, and are God-fearing".
This knowledge is meant to be used for the good of mankind, and you, the students of Jyotish,
are responsible for applying it in a pure and evolutionary way.
How can astrology work? The positions of the planets represent the laws of nature at the time
of birth. Just like a negative takes on the quality of the surrounding light at the exposure, so
does a newborn entity take on the quality of the cosmic light at the time of birth. The
relationships of the planets with the other elements in the chart (i.e. the houses and signs)
form a sophisticated mathematical model which mirrors life to an amazing level of depth and
completeness.
What is Vedic astrology or Jyotish

The word "Jyoti" on ancient language sanskrt means "Light", and Ishwar means
"Controller". So Jyotish means:

Controller of Light
Controls of Light
Lord of Light
Lord of all Souls
The Central Spirit

Vedic astrology is astrology according to the ancient astrological tradition from

India. Vedic astrology is the science of reading a number of charts, listings, and
other mathematical formulas, tables and grids, all of which are based on the
movements of the planets in our solar system.
Vedic astrology works. If you have doubts, don't. We personally guarantee you
right now that Vedic astrology works to a very significant and obvious degree.
This will be seen by anyone who spends enough time to learn it. If you don't,
you'll never know why I can be so sure. If you do, you'll be just as sure.
To do Vedic astrology you take the moment and place a person was born, and
using scientific methods you calculate the positions of the planets in the zodiac
at that time, then draw them in a chart which has as it's starting reference point
the sign rising on the Eastern horizon for the place of the birth at the birth
moment, and with that sign known, the Houses of the chart can be known and
the planets correctly placed in them. Then other calculations and items or
astrological objects are created by the astrologer (or software program). The
basic chart is formed mainly of the 12 Signs, 12 Houses and 9 planets.
By reading the various charts and other items of Vedic astrology, you can tell
much about a person:

their bodily propensities

mental propensities
personality traits
general flow of life
events too if you're good enough
compatability with other persons
 onset and outcome of diseases
and everything else!

Vedic astrology is most meant for helping with the final stages of enlightenment
for those souls who are approaching liberation. It is a study which helps the soul,
who is at a certain stage very close to the highest things available in this world,
to fully understand the mysterious spiritual reality of acintya bhedabheda tattva,
which is a statement which summarizes reality in a nutshell. The proper study of
Vedic astrology strengthens faith in God, by giving concrete knowledge and
evidence of the ways and means of the concretely obvious presence of Divine
Control in every aspect of life, side by side with the appearance of free will and
freedom, and the resultant mixture being gradual elevation of the soul to
liberation.

Out of the many luminous bodies in the sky, there are ones that are fixed and ones that move.
The background of the fixed stars is called the zodiac and is divided in separate, distinct
spaces, called Nakshatras. The heavenly bodies that move are called Grahas (for the lack of a
better word translated as "Planets"). For predictive purposes Jyotish looks at the positions of
the planets in relation to the stars in the Zodiac at the time of one's birth. These positions
reveal how the universe was functioning at that instance. In a way, planets are like 9 special
measuring points from which the entire subtle state of natural law can be measured. At the
time of birth, when the body enters the world, this state of the universe gets projected into the
structure of the life of an individual. Therefore, the conditions of these nine measuring points,
the nine planets, define the entire life span of events and circumstances for an individual.

The 9 Grahas

We just mentioned nine planets, even though not all of them are actual planets. Only five of
them are planets, one is a star, one is a moon, and the remaining two are special mathematical
points. Everyone is familiar with the Sun, the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and
Saturn. The other two elements included into the group are Rahu and Ketu, known as the
North and South Lunar nodes. Rahu and Ketu do not have physical substance, they are two
mathematical points that mark the point of intersection of the plane of the Moon's orbit
around the Earth with the ecliptic plane. Lunar or solar eclipses occur when the Sun and the
Moon are close to one of the nodes. From now on, we shall refer to this group of "planets"
with a proper Sanskrit term Grahas. Each graha (planet) represents certain facets of human
life. Traditional Vedic astrology does not consider the influences of Neptune, Uranus, and
Pluto.
Here are the names of the grahas in Sanskrit:

SUN is SURYA
 MOON is CHANDRA
MARS is MANGALA
MERCURY is BUDHA
JUPITER is GURU
VENUS is SHUKRA
SATURN is SHANI
THE NORTH NODE is RAHU
THE SOUTH NODE is KETU

Grahas have primary and secondary significations. Here is the list of the primary graha
significations assigned by the sage Parashara (the author of Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra):

SURYA (Sun) signifies the soul.

CHANDRA (Moon) signifies the mind.
MANGALA (Mars) signifies energy.
BUDHA (Mercury) signifies speech.
GURU (Jupiter) signifies knowledge.
SHUKRA (Venus) signifies reproduction.
SHANI (Saturn) signifies grief.

The 27 Nakshatras

The zodiac is divided into 27 Nakshatras, each of identical size. The first one is called
Ashwini, and the others follow from there. The very same zodiac is also divided in a different
way: into 12 Rashis (zodiacal signs). Out of the 12 signs, the one that is rising in the East at
the time of birth is of particular importance. It is called Lagna (Ascendant) and it is used as
the main point of reference in analyzing the chart. In your chart, the Lagna is Scorpio, and as
we will see, is very important in your life.The Nakshatra rising in the East is also important.
In your chart, that is Anuradha.

THE 12 RASHIS

The grahas (planets) are constantly moving through the Zodiac. The circle of the Zodiac is
divided into 12 equal segments called constellations or rashis (signs). Each rashi (sign)
occupies 30 degrees of the celestial space. Each of the rashis (signs) has a unique set of
attributes that affect any graha (planet) traveling through that sign. The signs are
environments that affect the way a planet feels and behaves. Here are the 12 rashis (signs)
listed in their natural order:

ARIES MESHA
TAURUS VRISHABHA
GEMINI MITHUNA
CANCER KARKA
LEO SIMHA
VIRGO KANYA
LIBRA TULA
SCORPIO VRISHCHIKA
SAGITTARIUS DHANUS
CAPRICORN MAKARA
AQUARIUS KUMBHA
PISCES MEENA

Rashi rulerships

Every rashi (sign) has its particular planetary ruler. The Sun and the Moon rule over one sign
each, while the rest of the grahas hold rulership over two signs. Traditionally, Rahu and Ketu
are considered not to hold rulership over any signs, although, some astrologers consider Rahu
and Ketu to co-rule the signs of Aquarius and Scorpio respectively.

The sign rulerships are a permanent value.

ARIES (Mesha) is ruled by Mars.

TAURUS (Vrishabha) is ruled by Venus.
GEMINI (Mithuna) is ruled by Mercury.
CANCER (Karka) is ruled by the Moon.
LEO (Simha) is ruled by the Sun.
VIRGO (Kanya) is ruled by Mercury.
LIBRA (Tula) is ruled by Venus.
SCORPIO (Vrishika) is ruled by Mars.
SAGITTARIUS (Dhanu) is ruled by Jupiter.
CAPRICORN (Makara) is ruled by Saturn.
AQUARIUS (Kumbha) is ruled by Saturn.
PISCES (Meena) is ruled by Jupiter.

The 12 Bhavas

The Zodiac is divided in one more way. Relative to the position of the Earth, the zodiac is
divided into 12 bhavas (houses). Just as the proper motion of planets is reflected by their
degree positions in rashis (signs), the diurnal (illusionary, relative motion of the planets as
perceived from the Earth) motion of the planets is shown by their placement in astrological
houses. The houses represent the various areas of life. The planets and signs that occupy the
corresponding bhavas (houses) will affect those areas of life. The twelve bhavas (houses)
represent the totality of the existence as experienced by a human being.
Here are the main significations of each house:

The First House represents the Self.

The Second House represents your financial assets.
The Third House represents courage.
The Fourth House represents happiness.
The Fifth House represents your children.
The Sixth House represents your enemies.
The Seventh House represents your spouse.
The Eighth House represents your vulnerable points.
The Ninth House represents your fortune.
The Tenth House represents your career.
The Eleventh House represents your income.
The Twelfth House represents the end of everything.

So far, we have briefly covered the general principles of the three main components of
Jyotish: the Grahas (Planets), the Rashis (signs), and the Bhavas (Houses). The positions of
the planets in the signs and houses are depicted in what is called the Horoscope. Evaluation
and understanding of the interactive influences of these three main elements constitutes the
interpretation of your horoscope.

ASTRONOMICAL BASIS OF VEDIC ASTROLOGY

The Zodiac is a belt of heavens extending on both sides of the ecliptic. It encircles the space
through which the planets travel in their orbits.
Vedic Astrology employs sidereal zodiac, which is different from the tropical zodiac used in
Western Astrology. While the tropical (Western) Astrology uses the vernal equinox (the
Sun's position at the beginning of spring) as the starting point for the measurements along the
zodiac, the sidereal (Vedic) Astrology uses fixed stars (Nakshatras) to identify different
segments along the zodiac.
The starting points of the sidereal and tropical zodiacs coincide once every 25,800 years.
After that the starting points separate from each other by an approximate 1 degree of an arc
per each 72 years. The difference between the longitude of the starting points of the sidereal
and tropical zodiacs at any given time is called Ayanamsha.
Due to the existing controversy about the year in which the two starting points coincided last,
there are several ayanamshas used by different schools of Vedic astrologers. Some of them
are Lahiri, Krishnamurti, Raman, and Fagan ayanamshas. Lahiri is the most widely used
Ayanamsha which is based on the last coincidence point taking place in the year 285 A.D.
Lahiri Ayanamsha for the 2014 is -24:03:31 degrees.
If you want to convert your sidereal (Vedic) planetary positions into tropical (Western), you
can do so by adding this ayanamsha to the degrees of the planets in your Vedic chart. To
arrive at the sidereal positions by converting the tropical ones, you will need to subtract the
ayanamsha from the tropical positions.
For example, your Sun is placed in 01:46 degrees of the constellation of Aries in your Vedic
chart. When you add the ayanamsha for the year of your birth, which is -24:03:31 degrees,
you will derive the tropical (Western Astrology) horoscope position of your Sun which
happens to be placed in the sign of Aries. Therefore, your Jyotish (sidereal) Sun sign is Aries
and your Western (tropical) Sun sign is Aries.
Also, if you know the sign and degree of a planet in a Western Astrology horoscope, you will
have to subtract the Ayanamsha to find the position according to the Vedic method. In many
cases (about 75%), the Grahas (planets) in the Vedic chart are one sign prior to the Western
chart. For example three quarters of the people who think of themselves of being a "Virgo"
are actually a "Leo" in Vedic.
So the zodiac that is used in Vedic Astrology is very different from the one used in Western
Astrology. As we already mentioned, the Vedic system uses the sidereal (fixed) zodiac which
is based on the actual positions of the stars (Nakshatras). The zodiac used in Western
Astrology is the tropical zodiac, which is based on the seasons, and has in principle no
particular connection with the position of the stars.

Introduction to Dashas

All along we have been looking at a pretty static picture of the birth chart. All of the analysis
applies on the person's life in general, without having any clue when events will take place.
We have been interpredicting the birth chart, but we have not made timed predictions.
Vedic Astrology has a most brilliant system of timing when the effects of each planet will be
felt, the dashas. Dashas are planetary cycles, which follow in a very specific order, with a
very specific time span. There are various dasha systems, but we will consider one of them
here, the Vimshottari dasha system.
The complete dasha cycle is 120 years. After a 120 years, the cycle repeats itself. Out of the
full cycle, each planet takes a number of years:

Sun 6 years
Moon 10 years
Mars 7 years
Rahu 18 years
Jupiter 16 years
Saturn 19 years
Mercury 17 years
Ketu 7 years
Venus 20 years

Everybody is somewhere in this 120 year cycle. The point where we enter this cycle at the
beginning of our life, is determined by the degree of the Moon at the time of birth. From that
point on, we travel through the cycle in the order shown in the table. As you can see, it takes
years to finish one cycle.
The main periods just explained, are called the "Maha Dashas" or main periods. The Maha
Dashas themselves are subdivided in sub periods, called "Antar Dashas". The sub periods
follow the same order as the main periods, and divide up the time span of the particular main
period, just like the main periods divide up a life time. The only difference is that a sub period
is not 120 years - it is compressed to be just the number of years of the particular main period
it runs under.
Example:
Now how do we use dashas in conjunction with the birth chart? There are just three simple
rules that reveal most of the effect of a dasha period.

1. The planet which dasha is ruling will be activated in the birth chart. Whatever this planet
does or is related to in the birth chart, according to the interpretation rules explained so far,
will be experienced more pronounced in its dasha period.

2. Treating the position of the dasha lord as the first house, look at the rest of the chart, and
interpret all the other planetary positions in their new house positions as counted from the
dasha lord. In other words, interpet the birth chart with the dasha ruler as the Ascendant.

3. If the main dasha lord and the sub dasha lord are related (conjunct, aspecting each other,
etc.) then their effect in the chart will be quite noticable.

Vimshottari Dashas

There are many dashas in Vedic astrology but the most popular dasha system is the
Vimshottari dasha system. It is based on a 120 year life span, representing the natural, full
lifespan of a human being. The order and length of dashas is the same for everyone, only the
entry point is different.
The Vimshottari dasha system has 9 dasha rulers, which are the 9 Grahas themselves. The
order in which the dashas follow has an astronomical basis, and is the order of increasing
distance from the Sun, with some special cases.

Mercury
Ketu
Venus
Sun
Moon
Mars
Rahu
Jupiter
Saturn

One special case is the Sun itself, which is placed before the Moon. The other special case is
Rahu and Ketu. Rahu is associated with the astroid belt which is located between Mars and
Jupiter, and Ketu is placed opposite of Rahu in this cycle of 9.
The Vimshottari dasha order is the same as the rulerships of the nakshatras. The 27 nakshatras
are divided in three cycles of 9, and the nakshatras within each group are ruled by the 9
Grahas. The first Nakshatra is ruled by Ketu, and the other 8 rulers follow in the order of the
Vimshottari dashas.
The duration of the dashas is as follows: Ketu 7, Venus 20, Sun 6, Moon 10, Mars 7, Rahu 18,
Jupiter 16. Saturn 19, Mercury 17.
The dasha the person is born in, is determined by the ruler of the Moon's Nakshatra. For
example, your Moon is in Bharani, which is ruled by Venus, therefore you were born in a
Venus dasha. How far this first dasha has progressed depends on how many degrees the Moon
is into that nakshatra. The further the Moon is into the nakshatra, the greater portion of the
first dasha is expired. To calculate the exact dasha balance at birth, one has to calculate the
percentage of degrees the Moon has progressed into its nakshatra, and that percentage of the
dasha's length is expired at birth. A complete overview is given in the Vimshottari Dasha
report.

What is Transits?

Vedic Astrology has two primary methods for making predictions: transits and dashas.
The two methods are complimentary and work best when used together.
There are some fundamental differences between the two. Dashas are based on the
position of the Moon at the time of birth, and the entire sequence and timing of dashas is
fixed accordingly. Dashas reflect an unfoldment of life from within, naturally taking the
awareness through each planet's portfolio at a time, in a prefixed sequence.
Transits are based on external, astronomically defined events: the ongoing movement of
the Grahas through the zodiac. Grahas represent how the everchanging environment affects
us, externally and internally.
Dashas are key to predict when our potential will manifest because our attention is
directed to it, whereas transits predict how the environment triggers physical and
psychological changes in our life.
The two methods work together intimately. When we are in a Graha's dasha cycle, that
dasha will generally give results according to it's placement in the chart. But the exact
timing of when those results can be expected, within the many years the dasha may last, can
often be determined from the transit of that Graha. The dasha provides the awareness to be
on the area of life, but the transit provides the opportunity for it to manifest.
You can think of it as someone who wants to catch a plane. When he has made up his
mind to fly, he will fly whenever the next flight becomes available. The readiness to fly is
analogous to enter a dasha period indicating travel, and the availability of the flight is
analogous to a favorable transit.

Varshaphala

The time of birth of the person is the basis for the birth chart, lasting for the entire life.
However, within the life are smaller starting points, not as significant as birth, but important
enough to consider on their own. The birthday, and specifically the exact time that the Sun
returns to it's natal position, is such an important point. The chart cast for the exact moment
that the Sun in transit is in the same degree as when it was at birth, is called the Varshaphala
Chart. Because the Western calendar is not exactly aligned with a true solar year (the time it
takes for the Earth to make a full revolution around the Sun), the exact solar return may be a
day earlier or later than the birthday.
You can think of the Varshaphala chart as a transit chart on the true birthday. The fact that the
new year is "born" on that day, makes the effects of those transits last for a year.
The Varshaphala chart is valid for one year only. Because ordinary dasha systems cover a
time span of approximately a lifetime, the Varshaphala chart also has it's own unique dasha
system that covers exactly one year.
The Varshaphala chart uses a special type of aspect as well, similar to aspects used in Western
Astrology. "Trine Aspects", aspects on the 5th and 9th house from itself, are very benefic.
Aspects on the 3rd and 11th are somewhat benefic. "Square Aspects", aspects on the 4th and
10th are malefic. Aspects to same and the opposite house are very malefic. The remaining
houses, 2,12,6 and 8, are not aspected. As you can see, the aspects are symmetrical, so
whatever planet is aspected, that aspect will be mutual. This is very different from the regular
aspects applied in the birth chart, which are essentially one-way influences.
The aspects define the generally positive or negative relation between any two planets. But
the extent in which such effects are felt, is defined by the 16 Tajika yogas. These yogas are all
based on the exact degree position of the planets involved. The general concept is that when
planets are in similar degrees, their aspects will be more pronounced. And since the
Varshaphala chart is really a transit chart, the direction the planets are moving in is also
integrated. Planets approaching each other towards a closer aspect will act differently from
planets with separating degrees.

Varshaphala Dashas
The Varshaphala Chart has it's own dasha systems, that are compressed to cover exactly the
time period the Varshaphala chart is valid: one year. Two popular dasha systems are the
Mudda dasha and the Patyayini dasha.
The Mudda dasha is similar to the standard Vimshottari dasha system, but the lifespan of 120
years is compressed to 365 days. Therefore, one year of Vimshottari would correspond to
approximately 3 days in the Muddha dasha system. An overview of this dasha system is given
in the Mudda Dasha report.
The calculation of the dasha balance is subject to alternative views. One method advocates to
use the same dasha balance as the normal Vimshottari dasha system. When the person turns
two, the Varshaphala year would start with the same dasha as the Vimshottari dasha he was
born in. For every year after the age of two, the first dasha cycle of the Varshaphala year is
incremented by one complete dasha cycle.
Another method advocates the use the balance of the Moon based on it's degree in the
Varshaphala chart, otherwise being the same.
A third method recommends no dasha at all, but to always start with the beginning of the first
dasha.
The Varshaphala chart also defines a set of special points in the chart that signify specific
aspects of life. These are called Sahams, and there are a few dozen of them, signifying birth
and death, happiness and sorrow, wealth and poverty and many more.
The Varshaphala chart is considered part of the Tajika system.