THE ASTROLOGERS TRUST OF INDIA
ASTROLOGY IS A DIVINE SCIENCE
Astrology & the Vedas, Puranas and Samhitas
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When Lord Brahma created the universe, he gave birth to seven mind-born children (Manasa Putra), known as the Seven Sages or the Sapta Rishis. They were assigned to be present in all the ages to guide human life. They dedicated themselves to the pursuit of inner growth and divine bliss. They work with Lord Shiva, the destroyer of the universe to keep the balance on Earth. The Sapta Rishis embody wisdom and they are known as Brahmarishis who have understood the meaning of Brahman and nature of the universe. The Seven Rishis are given in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (2.2.6). The Seven Sages are: Atri, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vashistha, Vishvamitra.
Atri is the most mentioned Rishi in Rigveda and is attributed for composing a large number of hymns to Agni (Fire God), Indra and other Vedic deities. The fifth mandala (book) of Rigveda is called Atri Mandala and eighty seven hymns are attributed to him and his descendants. He was married to Anasuya Devi, who is the epitome of virtue and one of the pathivratas, the extremely chaste women. She gave birth to Lord Dattatreya, who is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva all combined. Her other sons are Sage Durvasa and Lord Chandra (the Moon God).
Bharadwaja is the descendant of Sage Angiras and the son of Lord Brihaspati (Jupiter) and is considered the father of Ayurveda. He is the father of Guru Dronacharya, the warrior and instructor to Pandavas and Kaurava clans. His grandfather is Ashwathama, one of the warriors in the epic Mahabharata. His mother was Mama, wife of Utathya Rishi who is the elder brother to Brihaspati. The sixth mandala of Rigveda is attributed to him and his students. His wife was Suseela and his children are Devavarini and Sage Garga. The Charaka Samhita attributed Bharadwaja as an adept medical physician who learned medical knowledge from Lord Indra.
Gautama is the son of Rahugana, lineage of Angirasa. He is described in the Rig Veda as the teacher of divine knowledge and mediator between human and Gods. He authored the Gautama Dharma Sutras and a few Rig and Sama vedic mantras. His wife was Ahalya, daughter of Lord Brahma and his sons were Vamadeva, Nodhas, and Shatananda. He is said to have meditated to Lord Varuna for rain so that humans always have supply of water for sustenance.
Jamadagni is the descendant of Sage Brighu, one of the Prajaptis created by Brahma. Sage Brighu is the first compiler of predictive astrology and the author of Brighu Samhita. He is the father of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. His wife is Reuka and he had five children in total. He was well-versed in weaponry and the scriptures without formal training. It is said that he shot arrows in the sky because the Sun God had created too much heat. Surya, the Sun God appeared before him and gave him two inventions that helped mankind deal with the deal - sandals and umbrella.
Kashyapa is one of the most popular Rishis being the son of Rishi Marichi and grandson of Brahma. In the Vishnu Purana, Kashyapa marries thirteen daughters of Daksha: Aditi, Diti, Kadru, Danu, Arishta, Surasa, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodhavasha, Ira, Vishva and Muni, while in the Mahabharata, the names of these 13 wives are Aditi, Diti, Kala, Danayus, Danu, Simhika, Krodha, Pritha, Visva, Vinata, Kapila, Muni and Kadru. He was the father of Devas, Asuras, Nagas, Garudas, Vamana, Agni, Adityas, Daityas, Aryaman, Mitra, Pusan, Varuna, and all other living creatures. He is the progenitor, Prajapati. He was an author of Kashyapa Samhitha which is a classical reference book in the field of Ayurvedic Paediatrics, Gynecology, and Obstetrics.
Vashistha is the author of the seventh book of the Rigveda. He is called the first sage of Vedanta school of philosophy by Adi Shankaracharya. Yoga Vashistha, Vashishtha Samhita, some versions of Agni Purana and Vishnu Purana are attributed to him. He is said to be in possession of Kamadhenu, the divine cow and her child Nandini, who grants all wishes of the owner. He is known as the Guru of Lord Rama and the kings of the reputed solar dynasty. He is a Brahma Rishi, who occupied an exalted status among the sages. He authored Vasishta Samhita, the book on electional astrology, which helps to find out the most auspicious time for an event. He is said to have lived on the banks of river Ganga.
Vishwamitra is the author of the third book of Rig Veda. He is the great sage who discovered the Gayatri Mantra. Vishvamitra was a king in ancient India, also called Kaushika (descendant of Kusha) and belonged to Amavasu Dynasty. Vishwamitra was originally the Chandravanshi (Somavanshi) King of Kanyakubja. He was a valiant warrior and the great-grandson of a great king named Kusha. He rose to the position of Brahmarishi on his own merit as he was born as a Kshatriya (warrior) and not a Brahmana. He obtained the title after undergoing several austerities for thousands of years with dedication and effort.
आ नो भद्राः क्रतवो यन्तु विश्वतः
May auspicious thoughts come to us from all directions
Rig Veda (1.89.1)
Maharishi Bhrigu
Maharishi Bhrigu is one of the seven great sages or Sapta Rishis and is the first compiler of astrology and the author of Brighu Samhita, the treatise on mundane astrology. The information was written on palm leaves more than 10000 years ago. The leaves are said to have information on all human beings born in the future. It was written with the intent of helping mankind move from the troubles of daily life and onto a more spiritual path. The Brighu Samhita is one of its kind for having information on past lives and predicting current and future lives. Large sections have been lost but some exist with selected families in India who possess these manuscripts. A printed version is said to comprise some 200 volumes, but most Indian astrologers who use the system work with loose manuscript pages. According to the tradition, consultations with the Bhrigu-Samhita are preordained, and the moment of arrival is the key to discovery of the correct leaf, which indicates not only the life pattern and destiny of the inquirer, but also his name in a Sanskrit equivalent of the language of the inquirer.
Sage Garga is the son of Rishi Bharadwaja. One of the eight Siddhanta is named after this great Sage (i.e., Brahma, Surya, Soma, Vashishtha, Pulastya, Romaka, Arya and Garga). Sage Garga is considered one of the most important contributors to Vedic Astrology. His work on Garga Samhita is based on the six fractions of astrological science. His work lays down the rules of astrology in detail using the nakshatras. He begins with Krittika Nakshatra as the first of the twenty-seven and is significant as the other systems of astrology begin with Ashwini Nakshatra. He is also the author of Garga Hora written in the Sanskrit Sutra format and Varahamihira draws a lot of work from Garga's treatise. The Greeks have created the works of Sage Garga in the field of astronomy.
Sage Garga
Varahamihira is the world's most renowned Astronomer, Mathematician and Astrologer. He is believed to hail from Ujjain, India and lived during the Gupta period. He was born in Malwa (Madhya Pradesh) to Adityadasa, a great Brahmin scholar in astrology, astronomy and mathematics. He was raised as a scholar from a young age and throughout his life he continued discovering innovations in science. He received the name "Varahamihira" after predicting King Vikram Aditya's son's death which occurred after a boar devoured him at the age of 18. Impressed with his knowledge, the King added "Varaha" (Boar) to his name and so he became known as Varahamihira. He has contributed exceptionally to the field of astronomy and astrology through Pancha-Siddhantika, Brihat Samhita and Brihatjathaka. He was highly respected by Greek philosopher and astronomers at the time.
Varahamihira
Aryabhata was the first of the great astronomers of classical India. His works have had a significant impact on Indian mathematics and astronomy. He authored major works on astronomical computations known as Arya Siddhanta, which came to light primarily through the works of Varahamihira, his contemporary. It was also picked up by famous mathematicians such as Brahmagupta and Bhaskara. Arya Siddhanta uses principles from the older Surya Siddhanta and covers some of the major astronomical instruments of time including the shadow instrument, angle measuring devices, semicircular and circular devices, umbrella-shaped divide, a cylindrical stick Yasti Yantra and water clocks that include bow-shaped and cylindrical designs. Though his most significant work is the Aryabhatiya containing information on the position of planets in space, nature of the solar system, causes of eclipses, arithmetic, algebra, plane trigonometry and spherical trigonometry, fractions, quadratic equations, sums of power and sine tables. His work is considered foundational to the study of astronomy and mathematics.
Aryabhata
Maharishi Parashara
Maharishi Parashara is a highly notable Rishi who wrote Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS) and Laghu Parashari, fundamental books on Vedic Astrology. He is the grandson of Sage Vashishtha, one of the Sapta Rishis and his son is Rishi Veda Vyasa, the compiler of all Vedic texts. He said that Jyotisha or Vedic Astrology is the supreme limb of the Vedas and has three divisions. Hora is refers to predictive aspect (natal birth charts, horoscopes, etc). Ganita is mathematical astronomy containing information about the movement of planets and stars, distances, sizes and strengths. Samhita refers to mundane astrology, that is, collective culture, society, and the world at large. BPHS contains information on the predictive branch of astrology, i.e., Hora. It is used to predict events in the future based on the position and movement of planets and stars.
Sage Jaimini
Sage Jaimini is the founder of the Mimamsa school of philosophy. He was the son of Sage Parashara and student of Maharishi Veda Vyasa. Sama Veda was destined to be imparted to Jaimini. He is said to have collected the mantras that were set to its melodies that formed the Sama Veda. His main disciples were Sumanta, his son and grandson Sukarma, who studied the Sama Veda and divided them into Samhitas. Jaimini is also the contributor to the Jaimini school of Astrology. The foundational principles are the same as that of Brihat Parashara Hora Shashtra but he used a unique predictive system and employed a different set of aspects and significators of planets and ascendants. His system is based on the principle of planetary degrees and sign aspects. Predictions are employed based on Padas, time period of Ascendants and special Yogas that are unique to Jaimini astrology that formed in the horoscope.
"There is no better boat than a horoscope to help a man cross the sea of life"
Varahamihira (c. 505 - c. 587)
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Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Baishakh Shukla Panchami is an auspicious day in the nation’s cultural history. On this day, Sri Adi Shankaracharya was born on Earth on Baisakh, Panchami Tithi of Shukla Paksha in Kalady, Kerala. There are various texts that sing the glories of Sri Adi Shankaracharya’s glorious, ascetic and captivating life. He not only came to the pinnacle of spiritual practice and realized the truth of unity, but also distributed the knowledge of unity of the Divine and established national cohesion by the establishment of various maths or monasteries.
In the vast expanse of India’s spiritual and intellectual heritage, few figures loom as large as Sri Adi Shankaracharya. He is primarily known for his work on Advaita Vedanta though his remarkable intellectual prowess encompassed the domain of Vedic Astrology.
The stories of his life are mentioned at various places in Vedic texts. His life was so divine and extraordinary that no text can do justice in narrating the exemplary life he lived and the wondrous works he shared with the world. At the time of his birth, the Pandits were so taken aback seeing the horoscope they had prepared. In addition to the birth chart, astrologers speculated that by looking at the signs of his body, this unique child was none other than Lord Shiva himself. A moon-like aura shined around him. In the middle of the forehead, there was an impression of a third eye, trident on his shoulders, and his body shined like a precious gemstone. He was especially known for propounding Advaita Vedanta philosophy in Hinduism.
Adi Shankaracharya was born in the 8th century CE in Kalady, a village in present-day Kerala. His life spins a tale of wisdom and reform. By the age of twelve, he had mastered the Vedas and various allied disciplines, including Vedic Astrology. His interest in it was not just an academic endeavour but also a profound exploration of the cosmic order that governs the universe and the natural worlds we live in. He recognized its inherent potential as a tool that can be used for self-realization. His commentaries are often intertwined with metaphysical concepts and astrological discussion.
One of Shankaracharya’s significant contributions to Vedic astrology was his emphasis on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of astrology. While astrology is traditionally used to predict events, Shankaracharya elevated its purpose. He advocated for the use of astrological as a pathway to moksha, or liberation. This perspective aligned astrology with the broader goals of Vedanta, underscoring its role as a spiritual science rather than a deterministic tool.
In his commentaries on the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, he often emphasizes the interconnectedness of the individual and the cosmic—a core concept in Vedic astrology. By highlighting the unity of the individual soul with the universal consciousness, he established a framework for understanding astrology as a reflection of divine order.
Shankaracharya was also instrumental in reviving temple devotion in India. He founded and consecrated number temples that were meticulously aligned with astronomical and astronomical alignment, such as the Jyotirlinga temples. He re-established them as sites embodying cosmic energies for humankind to benefit from. He stressed the importance of walking the path of Dharma or righteousness. He urged astrologers to practice this divine science with integrity so that individuals can be uplifted in the right manner of thought and intention.
Adi Shankaracharya has left a legacy that serves as a beacon for Vedantic philosophy within astrology. This has enabled future generations to remind themselves of the greatness that lies beyond the cosmos and the interlink between the Individual Soul and the Supreme Soul. His teachings are ever-enduring and illuminating as it lights the path for us to respect and acknowledge Vedic Astrology as a divine science.