Origin of vedic astrology (original) (raw)

2020, Indo Nordic author's collective

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Abstract

A Brief History of Jyotish or Origin of Indian Astrology: The history of Vedic astrology is very long, intricate and full of controversy, for now we give this concise over view; Vedic culture is extremely ancient, at least 5000 years old by conservative estimate. Vedic culture has its own unique theology, philosophy, arts, sciences, and literature which exists to this present day.rt

ON THE PHILOSOPHICAL AND COSMOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF INDIAN ASTROLOGY

2014

In India, since their inception, astronomy and astrology have operated concurrently and in complementary fashion, providing a grammar and syntax for a single semantic universe. In the present paper, an attempt is made to reveal the epistemological and cos-mological foundations of Indian astrology and divination practices, using early astrological Sanskrit sources and historical and textual-hermeneutical methodology. According to traditional Indian sources, the formal cosmological structure is coupled with a rich mythological tradition in order to support a living, meaning-filled cosmos. This cosmos was relevant above all to the terrestrial world, especially to the proper functioning of ancient Aryan society. Astrological practices cannot be differentiated from other social practices on the basis of their symbolic exchange or their rhetorical powers. The concept of "like-ness" (sādṛśya) is fundamental to the operation of the Indian astral sciences. Therefore, to know the grammar and the syntax of the heavens-the unfolding chronology, the modulations of meaning-was essential for Indians if the order of the world and of society was to be maintained.

Why are the Calculations different in Vedic and Western Astrology

Many people who have viewed their Vedic birth chart next to their Western birth chart have noticed that in many cases the Signs the Planets are placed in will change from one system to the other. A person born on April 11 th for example will have the Sun placed in Aries according to Western astrology. However, in Vedic astrology the Sun will be in Pisces on this date. Western astrology and Vedic astrology have different systems for the calculations of the placement of Planets in Signs. Vedic Astrology is one of the most ancient and complex systems of astrology in existence, which is firmly based upon actual, recordable astronomical phenomena. Vedic astronomy uses a sidereal, or fixed star, system of time for which the calculations are precise and complex. These calculations account for the placement of the Earth in relation to fixed stars (the fixed Signs of the Zodiac). Western astronomers have only recently been able to confirm the accuracy of Vedic astronomy. Western Astrology uses a simpler system for calculating the placement of Planets in Signs, which is based upon the orbit of the Earth around the Sun without regard to the location of the stars. This is referred to as the tropical, or moving star, system. Neither the Vedic, sidereal nor the Western, tropical system is inherently wrong or useless to astrologers, but the system of Vedic astrology is based upon accurate astronomical calculation of the Sun, Moon and Planets in relation to fixed stars (constellations). The breadth and scope of practices of Vedic astrologers have long exceeded the practices of Western astrologers. Western astrology has largely been used as an aid for understanding people's personalities and providing counseling. Vedic astrology has been used for centuries for accurately predicting life events, births, deaths, marriages, careers, health, and disease ; and for identifying and remedying potential problems for people and nations. In addition to the more precise stellar calculations, Vedic astrology has many complex systems for chart analysis and remedial measures which are not present in Western astrology. With all this said, it must be remembered that though astrology is based upon scientific, astronomical calculations, as a system of divination it can never be a firm science. Accurate predictions and effective remedies will always depend upon a clear mind and sharp intuition. For those without clarity, it will do no good to look at astrological charts at all. Yet for a person with a calm, clear mind, astrology can be a great tool to gain insight into how to benefit a person or society. Yet if a person's mind is clear and the intuition is sharp, then it does not matter so much what system he uses. It is possible to gain some insight from a tropical chart, or a sidereal chart, or from tarot cards, or from gazing at a crystal ball, or even from observing the behavior of the crows and other birds. But for this a person cannot learn from a book. He must have a teacher and he must sacrifice his worldly desires and dedicate himself to the service of humanity. This is because astrology is a system for developing the intuition of the higher mind, and the process of thought is contrary and disruptive to intuitive knowing. To really learn such sciences, it is essential not to read and study but to learn directly from an experienced practitioner through personal instruction and direct observation. It is not possible to understand how to transcend the mind by thinking about this feat, but only by seeing and doing it. The intention of this article is not to discredit Western astrology altogether, because surely much good work which helps people is done by Western astrologers, but instead to explain the differences of calculations between the Vedic and Western systems. Vedic astrology is firmly based upon astronomy and the placement of the stars; Western astrology is not astronomically based. That is to say that the Signs in

Chapter Astronomy, Astrology and their Origin (Full Text)

The Origin of Civilization - book, 2021

The author states that scholars have been fascinated by the similarity in ancient astronomy in different civilizations, for example, both the Sumerians and Chinese used Jupiter’s movement in deriving their zodiac of 12 constellations and used 360 degrees in describing the sky. The author has further revealed Chinese zodiac has three phases based on ancient texts and precession, characterized by its starting constellation, Yin 寅Sagittarius at ca 5300BC, Chou 丑Capricornus at ca 3000BC and Zi 子Aquarius at ca 700BC which is still in use today in China. The Sumerians inherited the Chinese zodiac of the second phase Chou Capricornus at ca 3000BC, so did the ancient Indians and the Egyptians via their mutual trades with the Sumerians. Capricornus was used as a telling sign of planting millet during 4000BC-3000BC in the Yellow River downstream, Qian Niu牵牛as a bull being led for plowing the field, however, Sumerians changed the “bull” to Taurus as Sun in the Vernal Equinox, instead of Chinese in the Winter Solstice. The author has also made a breakthrough by determining ancient Chinese started their sexagesimal calendar in 5324BC and their first phase zodiac of 12 constellations known as Yin 寅Sagittarius was already in place then, based on ancient texts and Jupiter’s solar circle, an astonishing discovery which has also been independently verified by another astronomical event based on precession that Chinese started their Phase One zodiac around 5300BC. The author has further demonstrated Chinese used the Left Pivotal Star known as Lota-Draconis today as their North Star at 5000BC and the Right Pivotal Star known as alpha-Draconis as their North Star at 3000BC. Recent archeological findings indicate the People of East had observed the North Star at 4400BC. Chinese astronomy has always been under strict state supervision and, according to our findings revealed in this book, is the oldest known, two thousand years older than the Sumerians. These ancient People of East developed the earliest astronomy and invented the earliest calendar for one practical purpose, to determine the precise dates of their brief planting of millet, which occurs at the end of May and the beginning of June at the northern latitude of 36 degrees. This is the precise reason why the first civilization was born to farmers of millet, not to cultivators of barley, wheat, corn, or rice in warmer climates at lower latitudes.

The dawn of astrology : a cultural history of Western astrology

Continuum eBooks, 2008

"As above, so below, " the basic doctrine of astrology, has served many ends and taken on multiple forms since the historical inception of the art in the Middle East four millennia ago. Today there is a popular notion that it began to decline only late in the seventeenth century, when its tenets were swept away by scientific heroes on horseback who suddenly saw the light of objective truth-but that notion is being revealed as a gross oversimplification, thanks in part to scholarly work such as that exemplified in this massive survey of the subject. Campion's text is ample enough; its two volumes comprise 759 pages, plus 102 pages of footnotes and a 47page bibliography, but with surprisingly few (nine) illustrations, all of them appearing in the first volume. It traces the threads, some broken, others frayed, that make up the continuous chronological cord of astrology's development through history. He provides an accessible, humanistic treatment that explores the relationship of astrology to the histories of religion and magic as well as that of science, although it is science that has often relegated the deep-rooted connections between our lives and the course of the stars to the back burner of intellectual inquiry. Campion's informed treatment of astrology reveals it as the great survivor. It suffered multiple near-deaths, first in republican Rome, then in a twelfth-century conflict with Christianity, and in the seventeenth-century clash with

A History of Astrology Part I: Origins to the Romans

The origins of astrology could be said to date back as far as 15, 000 BCE, to the Stone Age, when humans carved markings on animal bones to record the lunar phases. Although a very basic form of astrology, it is evident that human beings identified a relationship with the movement of the 'stars' from a very early time.

RigVeda dates to 8th millennium BCE based on astronomical references in the Rigveda, according to the brilliant work done by Smt. Saroj Bala and her team.

See: Related posts attesting to Hindu identity based on archaeology, language studies and validation of astronomical references in ancient texts using planetarium software. Indigenous Hindu identity is emphatic from Rgvedic times; Vedic tradition and Sarasvati-Sindhu Civilization, Mleccha-Chandas (speech and prosody) are two sides of the same Indian sprachbund (language union) coin: Roots of Hindu civilization on the banks of Vedic River Sarasvati with Bharatam Janam engaged in work as metalcasters of the Early Bronze Age. In my view, we are getting closer to rewrite the true Itihasa of Bharatam Janam (lit. 'metalcaster folk') from ca. 8th millennium BCE. Let those who contest the averments contradict the evidence which has been presented in 'falsifiable' formats pace Karl Popper: Date of the Rigveda ca. 5th millennium BCE -- Nicholas Kazanas. It is time to make a fresh start in Indo-European Studies. Intemperate, unethical comments of Michael Witzel on BB Lal's new book (2015) without even reading it. http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/02/unmasking-motives-of-aryan.html http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2015/02/the-rigvedic-people-invadersimmigrants.html The Rigvedic People: 'Invaders'?/'Immigrants? -- New book by BB Lal. Kazanas' links refuting Witzel and 'mass migrationists' "Historicity of Vedic and Ramayan Eras: Scientific Evidences from the Depths of Oceans to the Heights of Skies". “वैदिक युग एवं रामायण काल की ऐतिहासिकता Historicity of Vedic and Ramayan Eras: Scientific Evidences from the Depths of Oceans to the Heights of Skies June 2012 by Saroj Bala and Kulbhushan Mishra Paperback 210.00 Hardcover 810.00 The book is the result of intense research of 10 years. Sky views of Astronomical References in Rigveda & Scientific Evidences of Evolvement of Science and Culture since Vedic Times International Veda Conference: Re-Establishment of Vedic India 20-22 Feb., 2015 Key Findings Multi disciplinary scientific research reports, including those from astronomy, ecology, archaeology, oceanography, space imagery, genetic profiling etc. have revealed that: •indigenous civilization has been developing in Indian subcontinent for last more than 10,000 years. Aryans were originals of India. •Vedas are the world's most ancient compilation of knowledge on subjects including Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Medicine, and Botany etc. •The Epics reflect the history, geography and life styles of ancient Indian dynasties, populations and tribes. •Vedas and Ramayan contain references of sky views which could be observed sequentially between 9000 BP & 7000 BP. Astronomical Determination of Dates of references in Vedas and Epics: using Planetarium software •Astronomical references in Rigveda represent the sky views of important dates from 7000 BC to 5000 BC (9000 BP-7000 BP). •Planetary references in Valmikiya Ramayana reflect sky views seen sequentially on dates around 7000 BP •Sky view of the time of Lord Ram’s birth could be seen from Ayodhya on 10th January 5114 BC, which was also Shukla Paksha Navmi of Chaitra month. •The sky views on several dates right from the start of Putra-Kameshthi Yajna (15th January, 5115 BC) to commencement of journey of Ram Sena to Lanka (19 Sept, 5076 BC) matched exactly the descriptions in Ramayan and that also sequentially. •Vedas are the compilation of profound knowledge and Epics represent the History of those periods.

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The Followers of the Stars: on the Early Sources and Historical Development of Indian Astrology

Acta Orientalia Vilnensia, 2003

This article sets itself a goal to explore the early historical development of the traditional astrological sciences (jyotiṣaśāstra, jyotiṣavidyā) in India, tracing its relationship to the astrology developed in Mesopotamia and in the Hellenistic period by the Greeks, as well as discussing some of its amplifications in South Asia, and the direct intercourse between India and the Arabs. Some attention is paid to the transformation and re-interpretation of foreign astral and divinatory sciences in India. The primarily sources of the present study are the early Sanskrit texts (mainly those of Sphujidhvaja’s and Varāhamihira’s, and the study itself is grounded on the critical analysis of contemporary discussions carried on by D. Pingree, O. Neugebauer, P. V. Kane, A. M. Shastri, and others scholars in the field.

Campion, Nicholas and Gale Dreyer, Ronnie, ‘Indian Astrology’, in David Kim (ed.), Modern History of Asian Religions, Leiden: Brill, 2015, pp 163-191.

Modern History of Asian Religions, 2015

Astrology is best defined as "the practice of relating the heavenly bodies to lives and events on earth, and the tradition that has thus been generated."1 India is home to a living tradition of astrology which extends back in an unbroken lineage for almost two thousand years, has roots which may be traced to the first or second millennia bce, and has deep roots in Indian religion.2 In India astrology is known as jyotiṣa or jyotiḥśāstra ("science of the stars"); this branch of learning includes mathematics, astronomy, divination, and astrology.3 As each branch became more sophisticated, each became a separate area of study, and while astronomers and mathematicians no longer utilize astrology in their area of study, astrologers still use mathematics and astronomy. The term jyotiṣa today is mostly used in connection with some sort of divinatory practice, and covers a range of subsets including jātaka (horoscopy, or astrology of the fate of the individual), praśnaśāstra (interrogational astrology), and muhūrtaśāstra (electing the right moment). Although Hellenistic, Arabic, and Western astrological techniques have been added over the course of the last two millennia, the ritual of consulting an astrologer for advice on love, profession, health, money, etc., or parents seeking guidance from an astrologer when their child is born, has never wavered.

Vedic Astrology

Indo Nordic author's collective, 2020

Are you interested in Vedic Astrology. Here is the A to Z of it all. How stars guide our destinies.

The Origins of Astrology

The Origins of Astrology, 2025

Astrology as digenesis is opposite to astronomy originating in technical mathematical functions and physics of astral motions. Its primordial elements are the celestial bodies as objects of adoration with the attribution of devine effects. Space and earth, viewing sites and the azimuth, were regions with a known array of living forms or relevant topographical features under considered celestial patterns. There arose a planetary observation from wheelings and fixed projections and length conditions of shadows, thus there distinguished the moon, sun, bright stars and imprecisely the rest (Losev, 2010). The earliest records are chiefly star pattern catalogs of nilotic and logogram observables as classified lists of religious text. The rise of precession reopened fixed trees monitoring static further observational systems tasked with celestial phenomena. On this basis came the discovery of a fatherly solar nomos, for attempting reckoning body prospects and forecasting similar appearances needed projecting vector solutions of cases to happen. This called for the astronomy of spheres understanding the fixed and wandering stars motion of celestial bodies in interpretation distinctions of the earth format as oblate ellipsoid. Hence an adequate base for practical astrology explored the effects of these celestial phenomena on the earthly objects. A system made with solid solid instruments suggested concrete close stars sought in texts with divine as well as corporeal and characteristic closeness.

A Concise History of Hindu Astrology and Indian Spirituality

2023

This essay refers to the concise history of Hindu astrology, highlighting its symbolism present in its spirituality which is transversal to all cultures. In a summarized way, it also mentions the foundations and main conceptions of Hindu astrology, namely Rasi, Nakshastra, Navagrahas, Bhava, Dashas.

Origins of the Tājika System of Astrological Aspects and Dignities

History of Science in South Asia, 2018

The astrological doctrines of aspects and planetary dignities found in the authoritative texts of the Tājika (Sanskritized Perso-Arabic) school are examined with respect to their origins and historical development, with particular emphasis on Balabhadra’s encyclopaedic Hāyanaratna (1649) and its quotations from the perhaps earliest work of the school, Samarasiṃha’s Tājikaśāstra (thirteenth century). It is argued that a major source of these doctrines is Sahl ibn Bishr’s Arabic-language intro­duction to astrology (ninth century), possibly in abbreviated or paraphrased form. Several of the constituent ideas have been imperfectly understood by their Indian epitomists, resulting in reinterpretations and innovations.

Ancient Indian astro-mathematical tradition: Evolution and linkages

AIP Conf. Proc. 1283, pp. 156-160; doi: HTTP://DX.DOI.ORG/10.1063/1.3506051 (5 pages), 2009

Indian astronomical tradition is characterized by antiquity, continuity and interaction with the outside world. From 6th century CE till the time of Kepler’s laws, Indian astronomers were probably the only ones in the world who could calculate eclipses with any degree of accuracy. In the 12th century, an astronomer in Central India, Padmanabha by name, predicted the lunar eclipse of 8 November 1128 and was rewarded by the king with a land grant ( Mirashi 1933-34). The tradition was alive well into the 19th century. By means of shells arranged on the ground and using mathematical tables memorized “by means of certain artificial words and syllables”, a “Kalendar maker residing in Pondicherry” calculated the lunar eclipse of 31 May -1 June 1825, with an error of no more than +4 minutes for the beginning (Neugebauer 1983, p. 436). Even now, traditional astronomical almanacs in India, known as panchangas, used in India for ritual and religious purposes base their calculations on ancient texts. It is only in the case of eclipse that they borrow data from modern sources. The beginnings of astronomy are related to the requirements of the ritual in early cultures. Ritual was seen as a means of securing divine approval and support for terrestrial actions. To be effective, it had to be elaborate and well-timed, so that a careful distinction could be made between auspicious and inauspicious times. Since planetary motions provided a natural means of time keeping and were seen as embodiment of divine signals, astronomy developed as an intellectual discipline( see Yano 2003). Similarly mathematics grew as an aid to designing sacrificial altars. The oldest geometry texts in India are the Sulvasutras which dealt with questions like the square root of two. Different scholars place the earlier of these texts anywhere between 800 BCE and 400 BCE. Astronomy texts are decidedly older. Subsequent developments in mathematics came about as an astronomical aid.

Notes on Some Sanskrit Astrological Authors

History of Science in South Asia, 2017

This paper supplements and corrects the information given in the works of David Pingree regarding four major authors on Tājika or Sanskritized Perso-Arabic astrology from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century: Tejaḥsiṃha, Yādavasūri, Bālakṛṣṇa and Balabhadra. It further contributes information on a fifth such author, Tuka, not discussed by Pingree.