Monday 20 May 2019

A Brief History Of Hindu Or Vedic Astrology

By Jose Edwards


In astrology, the two most common forms of astrological readings come from either Hellenistic or Hindu astrology. While Vedic astrology is basically the same as the Hindu practice, the term Vedic did not become popular until during the 1970s. Whereas, both practices have been around for quite some time, with Hindu forms becoming more well known during the 19th century.

While there are some astrologists whom suggest the Hindu astrological practice was derived from Hellenistic practices, thus post-dating the practice to the Vedic period, there are many others whom disagree. In addition, while a number of authors have suggested that original forms of astrology only included information provided by omens, dreams and physiognomy, the majority still base interpretations and predictions on the alignment of planets and stars in the universe.

Originally Vedic and Western forms were thought to be part of the occult. Whereas, times have changed as there are a number of Indian universities now offering advanced degrees in Vedic form. In the beginning, a number of scientists protested the course offerings as being nothing more than pseudoscience. However, in 2001, the High Court favored the practice and allowed the universities to move forward with such offerings.

The Hindu form is also considered one of the 6 disciplines which are part of Hindu holiday rituals and observances. While in the beginning, the form used a calendar to mark the date of sacrificial rituals, this is no longer the case. In addition, while the word demons was originally found in the Hindu form, later the term graha which had been thought to refer to demons was determined to mean planet.

Hindu astrology comes from a basic foundation which focuses on the connection between the macrocosm and microcosm. As such, current practice relies on the sidereal zodiac which is different from the more popular tropic zodiac now used in Western astrological practices. In addition, the Hindu form includes nuances and sub-systems of prediction and interpretation of the elements not generally found in Western forms.

The Nirayana or sidereal Nirayana consist of an imaginary belt 360 degrees in diameter which like the Western or tropical zodiac is divided into multiple sections. In the Vedic tradition, each part is known as a rasi while in Western astrological practices the parts are known as signs. While extremely similar, the measurement of planets differ among the two astrological practices.

Both the Hellenistic and Hindu forms also appear almost identical on a synchronous basis. While appearing to be the case, the Vedic form primarily refers to the sidereal zodiac in which the planets are measured amidst fixed stars. Whereas, in the Western tradition, the measurement of the planets takes place closest to the Sun at the time of the Spring equinox.

In addition, Western astrological practices and astronomy have always referred to the twelve signs of the zodiac beginning with the sign of Aries. Whereas, the first introduction to the Greek aspects of astrology appeared to have occurred much earlier in history. While this is the case, the earliest astrological chart or reading to be discovered was an Indian text referring to the days of week dating back to 476 A. D.




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