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

2015, Modern History of Asian Religions

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.