Indian civilisation and culture - Please post info

by Prash & Veno

Vedic astrology is the modern name for an ancient system of astrology known in Sanskrit as "Jyotish" - "Jyoti" being light and "isha" being lord. Jyotish thus translates into "the Lord of Light" or "the Knowledge of Light". Modern science now confirms that all matter/physical universe is based upon light and its interplays which would make Jyotish "the science of light".

Vedic Astrology is a science dating back to more than 5000 years. Its earliest origins can however be traced back to the beginning of the manifest Universe. It passed down through the ages as an orally transmitted knowledge and formed an important part of the Vedas, one of the prime manuscripts containing the spiritual tradition of India.

Vedic Scriptures known as 'Vedas' describe Jyotish as 'the Eye of the Vedas'. The world is always there but we cannot see it without our eyes - in the same way Jyotish is the light which illumines the universal knowledge encapsulated in the Vedas.

The Ancient Sages who according to Vedic Mythology are the mind born sons of Brahma (one of the Trinity, the Creator of the Universe in Vedic Mythology), were privy to the secrets and functionings of the Universe and transmitted their knowledge orally to their disciples.

The instructions of one such Sage by the name of Parashara were put into text around 3000 years ago. These writings form the backbone of present day Vedic Astrology.

Vedic Astrology is thus the earliest form of Astrology and is a system that has changed very little over the course of time. Its precision and accuracy as a divination science is unrivalled even today.

Its western counterpart, known as Western Astrology has its roots in the Roman civilisation. The Romans derived it from the Greeks who in turn derived it from the Egyptians.

Many scholars now believe that Astrology travelled to Egypt through the middle east (Babylonian culture). Babylonians had a strong connection with the Vedic civilisation flourishing in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent and so it can be said that their Astrology was very similar if not completely identical to Jyotish.

The modern day Western Astrology was deeply influenced by the Theosophical Movement. Theosophists as we know were channelling their information from the East - mainly India and Tibet. Somehow over the last century many faults crept into this evolving system such as the use of the astronomically inaccurate Tropical Zodiac.

Tropical Zodiac used in Western Astrology was relevant 2000 years ago but is no longer valid. There is no point in analysing a chart which does not correspond to the actual heavenly positions of the planets and signs. It is similar to playing music on an out of tune instrument!

Vedic Astrology is much more extensive and vast than its western counterpart. It is unquestionably the foremost among all divination methods and sciences.

It requires a serious and deep study with an open attitude from all the intellectual and inquisitive minds to uncover its magic. To all the critics of Astrology we suggest that they take a good look at the functionings of Vedic Astrology before they dismiss it as nonsense.

History bears testament to the fact that the greatest scientific minds like Ptolemy, Newton and Galileo all practised Astrology.

It is interesting to note that Ancient Vedic Sages knew about most of the astronomical phenomena including the precession of the earth's axis thousands of years before modern astronomy came to know about it and used it in their calculations.

The present day Vedic Astrology is comprised of different systems delineated by different Sages, which are complementary to each other thereby adding to its richness.

Vedic Astrology covers every area of human existence and can give accurate results down to the minute. Vedic Astrology encompasses everything ranging from psychology, healing, prediction,religion and spirituality to everyday affairs.

Every birth is sacred and brings with it both positive and difficult karma which influence our Character, Talents, Relationships, Career ,Finance, Health and Spiritual nature.

There is nothing one cannot improve or change through greater self understanding and right application. Upon this foundation one can take responsibility for one's Self and direct one's life in a more positive and meaningful manner. Vedic Astrology helps you do exactly that.

This the reason why the present day
SUN-SIGN ASTROLOGY is COMPLETELY WRONG.
It is a complete joke in more ways than one - it has very little to do with Real Astrology. It is time that it was erased from public/media consciousness.

The Sidereal Zodiac used in Vedic Astrology is astronomically accurate because it takes the shifting of the earth's axis into account when calculating the longitudes of the planets and constellations.

The Tropical Zodiac used in Western Astrology is a Symbolic Zodiac based upon the position of the planets and constellations as they were in the sky 2000 years ago.

The Sidereal zodiac is the real zodiac as it actually appears in the sky at any given moment.

In order to convert a Western (tropical) horoscope into a Vedic (sidereal) horoscope one needs to subtract the current ayanamsa from the Tropical longitudes of the planets and signs to get their Sidereal positions. Because the earth's axis is always changing its position the ayanamsa changes slightly every year.

In January 1, 1900 the ayanamsa was 22 degrees 27 minutes 59 seconds.

Today the ayanamsa is 23?52' degrees.

There are various ayanamsas in use today. There are some disagreements on the actual measurement of the ayanamsa or longitudinal difference between the two zodiacs. The most popular and widely accepted ayanamsa in India was introduced by N.C. Lahiri. He calculates the precessional rate to be around 48 seconds per year.