How Vedic Astrology Works
The knowledge of Vedic Astrology has come down to us from the Vedic slokas. These slokas have been deeply studied and realized by our Siddhas in ancient times. Hence, through them we learnt about the niverse, and the waves of energy that impact our lives. They suggested practical ways to diffuse negative energies of planets in our lives and how to seek blessings of good energies.
Vedic Astrology guides us to seek a better life than what our planets have destined for us. Siddhas in ancient times had understood the cosmic energy, and calculated its effects for the good of common man. !aharishi "arashara is said to have provided e#planations of this ancient Vedic science as predictive astrology to enable man seek blessings of benefic forces and protect themselves from malefic ones. Source of Vedic Astrology:
Vedic slokas tell us how the presence of planets in each house can create specific effects on man. $ut many of these slokas are indicative or suggestive in nature and not easy to comprehend without deeper knowledge of !etaphysics. %enerally speaking, Ancient Vedic Astrology,, as revealed through Vedas, mainly relates about creation of Astrology this niverse, and its relationship with man born to the &arth. Astrology that that came down down from the the Siddhas: Siddhas:
't was through the Siddhas that we learnt about the niverse, and the waves of energy that impact our lives. 't is interesting to note that for better perception of the powerful forces of cosmos and understanding the nature of each planet( Siddhas represented them to us as deities. So planets are prayed and invoked as %ods and a nd %oddesses) "ower of !ars is represented by *ord !uruga, Sun by *ord Shiva, !ercury by *ord Vishnu and so on. The Siddhas also suggested practical ways to diffuse negative energies of planets to a certain e#tent. Such remedies specifically help in adding good energies in human life. The Predictive Astrology:
'n Vedic Astrology, !oon is a very important planet and the !oon sign of a person is considered his or her +asi. 't is the combined study of the yogas, ualities of the - planets, their influence on the / houses, and how the ualities or gunas like Sattwa, +a00as and Tamasa, and five primordial elements like space, air, fire, water and earth influence matter in forming their nature. !odern Vedic Astrology has evolved over the years and at present, it is popular as a predictive astrology that forecasts about individuals from their birth1charts based on the time and place of birth. And here lies the most sensitive point of this field 2 what percentage of accuracy in predicting human life can be achieved3 "erhaps 45 percent, at least this is the common belief. The role of astrologer:
6hat surely an individual can gain from Vedic astrology is the knowledge about himself or herself. 6ith a certain amount of interaction with individuals, and mainly study of birth1chart, an astrologer can tell about the nature and inclinations of the individual. He makes one aware of the good and the bad influences of planets and such awareness of cosmic powers can help one with better abilities to make appropriate decisions further in their lives. The remedies in Vedic astrology:
6hen planets are in debilitated state, or in retrograde they bring lot of hardship to the native. There are certain strong afflictions of planets in birth1charts such as "itra 7osha, 8aal Sarpa 7osha, Shani 7osha, and !angal 7osha, which prevent the native from en0oying the good effects of planets. Vedic Astrology suggests remedial measures like chanting of !antras, observing and practicing certain rituals, keeping one energized through 9antras, wearing beads garlands and observing practices such as fasting on the days when the planets are powerful. Principles of Tithi Pravesh Chakra
Tithi pravesh chakra is one of the cornerstones of Vedic astrology and was hidden in tradition of S:; until the knowledge was given out by "t. San0ay +ath. Vedic astrology widely uses the solar return chart or the surya varsha pravesh chakra to predict the event of a year and this is widely known as Varshaphala. However, from time immemorial the scholars and pundits of 'ndia used the Tithi based calendar to reckon
time, since the time needs to be reckoned from both the luminaries, as they represent two different aspects of our self.
Thus, the start of a year needs to be reckoned from the time when the e#act portion of tithi commences again after a full cycle of Sun in the zodiac. Since the !oon phase calendar or the tithi calendar is synchronised with Sun, we need to see the tithi when the Sun returns back to the same sign after a year and the e#act amount of the birth tithi has elapsed. 6hen the event happens, that commences a new year in the life of native and the horoscope drawn for that moment can show the events of the year. However, the tithi pravesh chart can not be read independently from the natal chart, since the natal horoscope has an over1riding influence over the native. This article shows how to analyse the tithi pravesh chart, while simultaneously taking the natal chart into consideration. 'n addition to analysing tithi pravesh chart like a normal rasi chart, there are specific factors which need to be analysed while analysing a tithi pravesh chart. They are) 1. Weekday: Take
the weekday running at the commencement of the tithi new year. This becomes the lord of the year and has the most predominating influence on the native. Here the day needs to be reckoned from Sunrise to ne#t sunrise and thus, somebody who is born after <<)<< hrs need to be considered to be born in the previous day. =nly when the birth is after Sunrise, the weekday becomes the current weekday. Thus there can be minor discrepancy between the weekday as reckoned as per the &nglish calendar and the one reckoned as per the Hindu calendar. 'f this planet happens to be a functional benefic for the natal lagna and placed favourably in the horoscope, then the year would be favourable, otherwise unfavourable. The intensity of the results can be seen from how well the planet is placed in the natal horoscope, what are the yogas the planet is involved in etc. The year lord shall activate all the yogas and results related to it in the natal horoscope during that year. This is based on the principle that whenever a planet is strong to give results, it will give the results of its ownership, placement and yogas in the natal horoscope. 2. Lagna: The
lagna is the key which chanalises the energies of the natal horoscope to the Tithi pravesh chakra.
Thus, if the tithi pravesh lagna is placed in 8endra to >atal lagna, it will bring happiness( in trikona it will bring prosperity and if placed in 7usthana or badhakasthana, it will bring troubles and obstacles. The lagna lord in the tithi pravesh chakra needs to be studied for success or failure in different endeavours in the year. 3. Hora: The
Hora lord at the commencement of the tithi >ew 9ear set the focus of the events that are going to happen in that year. The events can be seen from the ownership, placement and yogas the Hora lord is involved in the tithi pravesh chakra. This is the most important factor of the three and the strengths, placement or ownership and the yogas it is involved in will have tremendous impact on the main events of the year. 'f it is badly placed or afflicted, then the events can leave us with some bad e#periences. The influence on the hora lord can be seen from the different divisional charts to find the e#act nature of events likely to take place in different area of life represented by the divisional chart. The principle of the 9ear lord, *agna, *agna lord and Hora lord can be applied to any other pravesh chakra such as !asa pravesh chakra or 7ina pravesh chakra.? Introduction to Nakshatras
The nakshatras are the apparently fi#ed bodies in the @odiac, where the planetary system moves with them placed in the background. Among the +asi and the nakshatras, the former is overlorded by the Sun, whereas the latter is overlorded by !oon. This implies that the +asi shows the environment we would be placed with at different times in our life and what we get out of it, on the other hand, the nakshatras govern the different state of mind we shall be having at various times. &ven the actual events are important in our life, taking a person1 centric view point( our reactions to them also matter eually. Hence the study of the nakshatras is well warranted.
There are two nakshatra schemes, one of which uses /4 >akshatras and the other uses / nakshatras, which include the Abhi0it >akshatra, an intercalary nakshatra. $oth the schemes are useful in their own right. 6hile /4 nakshatra scheme is used for all day to analysis, such as analysis of birth chart, analysis of dasas, using >avatara chakra etc(
the / nakshatra scheme is used for analysis of few chakras such as sarvatobhadra chakra, the sannadi chakra etc. The >akshatras are reckoned from beginning with Aries which coincides with the beginning of Ashwini. There are four padas BuartersC of each nakshatra, each measuring Dd /avamsa. However, since the duration of sign is D< degrees, the nakshatra cannot be mapped e#actly on the +asis. However, it is interesting to see that - nakshatras can be mapped to E +asis. From this we can derive the basis of dividing the zodiac of / +asis and /4 nakshatras into D parts each measuring /< degrees. This is the basis for the >avatara ;hakra, where the nakshatras are divided into three groups of - each, starting either from the :anma or *agna >akshatra. 6hile we see the mapping of the - >akshatras on E +asis, we see that there are few nakshatras which would fall across two +asis such as 8rittika, which falls in Aries and Taurus( !rgashiras, which falls across Taurus and %emini and so on. There are others which would fall in rasi such as Ashwini, $harani, +ohini etc. &ven though this looks haphazard and erratic, there is a hidden meaning behind it. To understand the meaning, we need to know the tattvas Bprimordial elementsC ruling the +asis and the >akshatra padas. $eginning from Aries, the +asis are ruled by Fire, &arth, Air and 6ater in a cyclical manner. Thus Aries, *eo and Sagittarius are the fiery signs( Taurus, Virgo G ;apricorn are the earthy signs and so on. This is the same pattern which repeats for the nakshatra padas, which means that the first pada is governed by fire element, /nd by earth, Drd by air and the Eth by water. This cycle repeats across the nakshatras. The beauty of the mapping of the >akshatra with the rasi is that, among the - nakshatra padas which fall in a rasi, the tattva of the first and the last pada belongs to the tattva of the sign. So the first and last pada of Aries would be Fiery, the first and last pada of Taurus would be &arthy and so on. Seeing this from another perspective, the while seen among the three groups of E signs Bstarting from Aries, *eo and SagittariusC, the st sign starts from st pada of a nakshatra and ends with the st pada of a nakshatra Bfor e#ample, Aries starts with st pada of Ashwini and ends with the st pada of 8rittikaC. Similarly, the /nd sign BTaurus, Virgo, ;apricornC start with /nd pada of a nakshatra and end with the /nd pada of another nakshatra Bfor e#ample, Taurus starts with /nd pada of 8rittika and ends with /nd pada of !rgashirasC( Drd sign %emini starts with Drd pada of !rgashiras and
ends with Drd pada of "unarvasu and the Eth sign ;ancer start with Eth pada of "unarvasu and end with Eth pada of Aslesha. The lordship of each cycle of - nakshatras, as per Vimshottari dasa scheme, starting from Ashwini is 8etu, Venus, Sun, !oon, !ars, +ahu, :upiter, Saturn, !ercury. 't is worthy to note that the D of the nakshatras, which fall in the 0unction of signs Brasi sandhiC, are ruled by Sun, !ars and :upiter, the three best friends on the 7evas sideI The other >akshatras which fall inside the signs are ruled by 8etu, Venus, !oon, +ahu, Saturn G !ercury. 6hat can be made out of these two categories of the planets3 Classification of Nakshatra Fixed Nakshatras
+ohini, ttar1phalguni, ttar1ashadha and ttar1bhadrapada are supposed to be fi#ed nakshatras and they are favourable for activities which are related to establishing something permanent such as coronations, laying the foundations of cities, sowing operations, planting trees. Soft Nakshatras
;hitta, Anuradha, !rigasira and +evati are soft nakshatras. They are favourable for soft or artistic activities such as wearing new apparel, learning dancing, music and fine arts, se#ual union and performance of auspicious ceremonies. ight Nakshatras
Ashwini, "ushya, Hasta and Abhi0it are light nakshatras, and they are favourable for light and sportive activities such as putting ornamentation, pleasures and sports, administering medicine, starting industries and undertaking travels. Shar! Nakshatras
!oola, :yestha, Ardra and Aslesha are sharp nakshatras in nature and they are favourable for sharp, piercing and painful activities such as incantations, invoking spirits, for imprisonment, murders, and separation of friends. "o#ile Nakshatras
Sravana, 7hanishta, Satabhisa0, "unarvasu and Swati are mobile nakshatras and they are auspicious for mobile activities such as acuiring vehicles, for gardening and for going on procession. $readful Nakshatras
"urva1phalguni, "oorvashadha and "oorvabhadra, $harani and !akha are dreadful nakshatras and they are favourable for nefarious schemes, poisoning, deceit, imprisonment, setting fire and other evil deeds. "ixed Nakshatras
8rittika and Visakha are mi#ed nakshatras and during their influences, works of day1to1day importance can be undertaken. %naus!icious Nakshatras
$eginning from the third uarter of 7hanishta and ending with the last part of +evati, the time is held to be unsuitable for any kind of auspicious work. This period goes under the special name of >akshatra "anchaka and when these stars are ruling, one should avoid 0ourney towards the south, house repairing or renovation, collecting fuel and cattle fodder or acuiring cots and beds. Aus!icious Nakshatras
=f all the twenty1eight constellations, the pride of place appears to have been given to "ushya, the th star. Nakshatras:
. Ashwini /. $harani D. 8rittika E. +ohini 5. !rgashiras J. Ardra 4. "unarvasu
. "ushya -. Aslesha <. !akha . "urva1phalguni /. ttara1phalguni D. Hasta E. ;hitra 5. Swati J. Visakha 4. Anuradha . :yestha -. !oola /<. "urva1ashadha /. ttara1ashadha //. Sravana /D. 7hanishta /E. Satabhisa0 /5. "urva1bhadrapada /J. ttara1bhadrapada /4. +evati
The Nakshatras’ elationship to the !ushu"na Chakras
KLof the lunar mansions Mthe twenty1seven nakshatrasN ' am Abhi0it.O 2 8rishna speaking in Srimad $hagavatam, ;anto , ch.J, v./4 ' am an amateur astrologer who has been meditating for twenty1five years and studying !aha 9oga under the guidance of Sadguru Sri Vasudeva. ' have been researching the nakshatras for a number of years and want to share an amazing discovery that to my knowledge is unknown, namely that the nakshatras relate to points of energy and consciousness along the sushumna subtle channel.
There are twenty1eight points along the %overnor Vessel Bthe 7umai meridian, same as the sushumna nadiC in the acupuncture system of traditional ;hinese medicine. These points correspond to the lunar constellations in the ;hinese system. Furthermore, in Taoist neidan Binner alchemyC according to %randmaster !antak ;hia, these points map out how one refinesPprocessesPtransmutes life force energy in meditation from gross to subtler forms. ' have e#perienced these refinements myself so ' can attest to this. ' am sure it is no coincidence that KnakshatraO sounds similar to KchakraO and KkshetraO. The lunar constellations and stars of the twenty1eight nakshatras come together in a cohesive story Bor inner orbitC of minor chakras and nadis dealing with the refinement of the somaPamrita of the !oonPpsyche as the soul B0ivaC e#plores the greater possibility of enlightened rapture BanandaC. These twenty1eight nakshatras are linked to centers within the brain and cerebrospinal stem through subtle energy channels BnadisPmeridiansC. The !oon represents the mind that rules the astral and causal bodies interpenetrating this gross field of nerve ple#uses and vorte# points. ' believe that understanding this alignment of the nakshatras with the sushumna is central to decoding their meaning, and that this represents a lost body of knowledge that is only now coming to light. 't must have been part of the older nakshatra system mentioned in the Vedas because in this template Abhi0it is included and it begins with 8rittika. Here are some of the more obvious correspondences ' have uncovered so far) Abhi0it, the nakshatra 8rishna identifies with corresponds to the $rahmarandhra ;hakra B%V/
connected to the top of the sushumna nadi, where << yang BsolarC channels converge. These are the K<< physiciansO of Satabhisha.
"urva Ashada is the minor $indu ;hakra at the back of the head where the hair swirls B%VC and is the posterior position of the Soma chakra. 6hen the yogi is able to bring their se#ual energy out of their semen bringing it up to this point, it transmutes into o0as, releasing an into#icating feeling in the brain. "urva $hadrapada is a point B%V/EC that is linked to the !anas ;hakra in the sushumna, a chakra associated with the naga because it is all about the chitta 2 all the mental storage in the soul based on sense1 impressions and samskaras BattachmentsC. :yestha is a point B%VJC corresponding to the posterior of the medulla or Talu chakra, while $harani B%V/C corresponds to the anterior. As "aramahansa 9ogananda states, the BunenlightenedC soul enters and e#its through the medulla when taking a new birth. :yestha is located close to the KearringO area and the stem resembles the pole holding up the KumbrellaO of the brain. $harani is associated with the portal between earthly life in $hur and the afterlife Bfor the unenlightened soulC in $huva.
8rittika B%VC is located at the coccy#, which has a kind of KspearO or KknifeO shape. *ocated at the beginning of the sushumna at the posterior end of the root chakra, when 8undalini begins to move heat is felt here 2 hence 8rittikas deity is Agni. 'ts shakti is the power to burn desires, a theme that is taken up in the mythology seuence related to the ne#t three nakshatras. +ohini B%V/C, !rigasira B%VDC and Ardra B%VEC are located at the posterior of the se#ual and navel chakras. The mythologies associated with their respective deities tell a cohesive story about $rahma lusting after +ohini who is shot down by +udras arrow of restraint. 'n the conte#t of the refinement of pranic energies in the sushumna, this can be read as an allegory about a yogic practice of bringing the se#ual energy into the navel chakra where it is changed back into vitality so that it re0uvenates and strengthens the physical body, giving radiance and health through this center.
This is 0ust a sample of the many things ' have discovered. There is more to share and e#plore but ' am now in the process of mapping out the meanings of all these points and am inviting you to contribute to my research. These meanings will be posted on my blog K;hakra >akshatrasO with ongoing updates and more details) chakranakshatras.blogspot.com 9ou can post comments there or contact me on the site. ' plan to eventually include the ;hinese and !ayan astrological meridian systems as well because they also align on this acupuncture map. ' am sure an original template must have e#isted that was known to these three cultures, probably around the start of 8ali 9uga. This knowledge goes beyond the Vedic Astrology system, beyond any philosophical or cultural inheritance. !y interest is in deciphering the core knowledge that these ancient systems understood and that anyone can access through right meditation and awakened 8undalini.
