Vedic Astrology, the Science of Time, the Eye of Wisdom and
the foremost among the personal astrology readingof 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.