Vedic Astrology -
Historical Perspective & Uses - Lesson 1
by G. Kumar
An Introduction
Vedic Astrology, the Science of Time, the Eye of Wisdom and the
foremost among the branches of knowledge has come to us from 18
seers. While Varaha Mihira is hailed as the Father of Indian
Astrology, Parashara is hailed as the Father of Indian Predictive
Astrology.
Indian Astro-Physics is divided into 3 major portions - Siddhanta
(Astronomy ), Samhita ( Astro-Philosophy) & Hora ( Astrology
).
The English word " hour" is derived from the Sanskrit
word Hora.
.
The Precession of the Equinoxes
While the Western astronomers compute everything from 0 degree
Aries which is the beginning of the Tropical Zodiac, the Indian
astronomers compute everything from 0 degrees Aswathi ( Beta
Arietis ), which is the beginning of the Sidereal Zodiac. Sidereal
is derived from the Latin word "Sidereus" meaning the
constellation of fixed stars. The Vernal Equinoctial Point was
found to precede one degree in 72 years and hence 360*72 = 25920
years was fixed as the Precession of the Equinoxes or the
Precessional Cycle.
Flamsteed anticipated
Long before Flamsteed fixed the beginning of Zodiac at 0 degree
Aries, the Indian astronomer Brahmagupta fixed it at 0 degree
Aswini ( Beta Arietis ). Another great astronomer-mathematician
Aryabhata wrote treatises on Spherical Astronomy and Spherical
Trignometry in his magnum opus Aryabhateeyam. It is said that
Arabs acquired a knowledge of maths and astronomy only after
Brahmagupta's Brahmasphutasiddhanta was translated into Arabic (
As Sind Hind )! Albert Einstein rightly remarked " We owe a
lot to the Indians who taught us how to count without which no
worthwhile discovery could have been made " !
The Difference between the Tropical ( Western ) & The Sidereal
( Indian ) Zodiacs is round about 23 degrees this year. Sidereal
Astrology is based on the immovable Zodiac- the Sidereal Zodiac -
and Western Tropical Astrology is based on the Tropical Zodiac
which is movable.
The Philosophic Aspect
As the destructive power is imbedded in the atom, so are the acts
of preservation, creation and destruction invested in the womb of
Almighty Time. Time Eternal alone is the Creator, Preserver and
Destroyer. Past, Present & Future are imbedded in the womb of
Time Eternal and a knower of Time can get an insight into Past,
Present & Future. The Present is a product of the Past. Future
is contained in the Present inasmuch as it is determined by the
Present.
The Lord equates Himself with the cosmic phenomenon of Time.
" I am Time Eternal " declares He in the the Geetha (
"Kalosmi " ). Oppenheimer, the Father of the Atom Bomb
quoted this verse from the Geetha when saw the first atomic
explosion. To him, the destructive power of the atom was a mere
manifestation of the destructive power of Time Eternal!
Uses of Astrology - The Practical Aspect
The great French mathematician Laplace advocated Probability as a
weapon to cope up with Reality. Astrology is the application of
the Law of Probability in toto, based on astronomical facts.
Our life is hindered by many an obstacle & we are busy
battling the barriers to Success. These barriers are always there,
some known, some unknown. But via the Wisdom of the Heavens
(Astrology ) these barriers can be known, why it is there and what
are the heavenly causes which generated it. Everything happens by
Cause. Classical Philosophy postulates that natural causes have
corresponding celestial causes and this is known as the Law of
Correspondences. This message is contained in the aphorism "As above, so Below".
Once the causes are known to us from a bona fide astrologer,
overcoming the barriers becomes easy. The scientist manipulates
the effect: the diviner or the poet manipulates the Cause.
Astrology and Yoga are sciences which deal with the Cause. The
Divine is the Transcendent Causeless Cause.
Astrology has been described as a Lamp in Darkness. Without it,
life becomes a lightless nightmare and we roam about groping in
the dark.
"Forewarned is Forearmed ". It is the negative aspects
of the planets which create all the barriers in our life. Once
they are known, by means of the Great Art we can transcend its
negativity. Life becomes more smooth sailing and success becomes
ours.
Go
To Lesson Two
-Article by G Kumar, Astrologer and CEO - www.zodiaccomputers.com.
Kumar started his own website in March 1999. Through his website
he offers Astrology Consultancy, Software and printouts. He is
contactable at [email protected]
or [email protected]. The
address of his physical shop is Zodiac Computers, 3/528 Tkss Bldgs,
East Nada, Guruvayur , Kerala, India 680101.Office Phone +91
0487-552851. Home Phone +91 0487-422060 He has compiled a Free
Ebook on AstroNumerology which includes all Nine Lessons. To get
the Free Ebook, click here - mailto:[email protected]?subject=NumerologyEbook
