VEDIC ASTROLOGY LESSON-2

Revealed to the Indian Seers in yogic flashes of heightened Consciousness,
Astrology was developed strictly on scientific laws. Backed up by Astronomy
and Maths, Astrology continues to rule as the Queen & Mother of
all Sciences.

Astro Cycles Theory
Long Astro Cycles have fascinated mankind. This is the Vedic perspective of
Astro Cycles.

The Vernal Equinoctial Point was found to precede one degree in every 72
years. Hence as one Zodiacal Sign is 30 degrees in length, 2160 years is
the duration of an Age Cycle. We are at the moment undergoing the Piscean
Age which will give way to the Aquarian in 2444 AD.  It is called
the Piscean Age because the Vernal Equinoctial Point is passing through
Pisces and is at the moment 06 degrees 40 minutes 24 seconds in Pisces.

Age Cycle                               ( 72*30)                     =            2160 years
Precessional Cycle            (72*360)                    =            25920 years ( as the Zodiac is 360 degrees )
Equinoctial Cycle              (2000*2160)             =              43,20000 years
Cosmological Cycle          ( 2 million * 2160 ) =              4.32 billion years

One Cycle of Brahma      = 100 Brahma years

One Day of Brahma         = 4.32 billion years

Hence one Super Cosmological Cycle or 

Maha Manvantara = 4.32*2*365.25*100 = 311.04 trillion years  

One Cosmological Cycle ( Brahma Kalpa) was considered to be one
Brahma Day and another 4.32 billion years was considered to be
one Brahma Night. One Cosmological Cycle was one thousand
Equinoctial Cycles ( Chatur Yugas) or 2 million Age Cycles!

The Vedic Calendar - Based on Equinoctial Cycles

An Equinoctial Cycle comprises of 4 Ages.

Satya Yuga                   =            800 Age Cycles
Threta Yuga                =            600 Age Cycles
Dwapara Yuga            =            400 Age Cycles
Kali Yuga                      =            200 Age Cycles

______________________________

Maha Yuga                     =             2000 Age Cycles
( Equinoctial Cycle )

As per Vedic Astronomy, the Dark Age ( Kali Yuga ) commenced from 3102 BC ,
16th February Midnight.
The Concept of Ayanamsa

The Date of Coincidence of the Tropical and the Sidereal Zodiacs was found
to be 285 AD and the Ayanamsa ( precessional distance ) was called Lahiri's
Ayanamsa. Different scholars gave different dates but the Indian Govt in
order to standardise the Ayanamsa value took the initial point of the
Zodiac as the point in the Ecliptic opposite the star Chitra ( Alpha
Virginis ) which was the vernal equinoctial point on the Vernal Equinox day
of 285 AD. The rate of precession of the Vernal Equinox was taken as 50.3
seconds per sidereal year.

In Vedic Astrology, Ayanamsa value is deducted from the Tropical longitudes
of planets to get the Sidereal longitudes. Hence the longitudes of planets
in Western Astrology ( Tropical ) and Indian Astrology differ by 23.5
degrees this year. Natal charts cast in these 2 systems will be entirely
different!

The Tropicalists ( Western Astrologers) maintain that the Vernal Point is in
the 6th degree of Pisces now . The Siderealists ( Vedic Astrologers )
maintain that the Sidereal Starting Point remains to be 0 degrees Beta
Arietis ( Aswini ) and that the Sidereal Zodiac doesn't change.

Scientific Offshoots of Astrology

Pythagorus discovered that the Nine numbers correspond to the Nine
revolving heavens and became the founder of Astro-Numerology. The
most auspicious number Three was represented by the monarch of
the sky, Jupiter.


Another intuitively scientific offshoot of Astrology was Vedic Planetary
Gemology. The nine gems correspond to the nine planets and Gems
were found to heal humans.This gave birth to the science of Gem Therapy.

Astrology as related to Yoga

As per Indian Philosophy, Astrology was considered to be the foremost
amonst the six auxiliary sciences as Yoga was considered to be the
foremost amongst the six main sciences. Even Yogis used to consult
astrologers about gaining Self-Actualisation. Jupiter, Saturn and the
South Node were considered to be the spiritual planets which bring in
Immortality or Self-Actualisation.

The Law of Correspondences

There is correspondence between the Seven planets and the Seven
Chakras or Dynamos of Cosmic Energy in Man. The Sun at the Centre
of the Solar System is represented by the Anahata Chakra and Saturn
by the Mooladhara Chakra. " As Above, so Below "- the seven energy
centers are arranged exactly as in the Solar Logos. We are, indeed ,
made in the image of Godhead, in His Image, in the image of the Almighty
Solar Logos!

In our next article we will deal with the properties of the nine revolving
heavens and their significations.

VEDIC ASTROLOGY LESSON 1

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. IndianAstro-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 Transcendant 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.