VEDIC ASTROLOGY AN INTRODUCTION

Astrology is as old as Vedas themselves. The Vedas which are the sacred Hindu scriptures, embody eternal knowledge. Strict moral and spiritual practices along with the deep study are prerequisities to understand the essence of Vedas. To the uninitiated, the Vedas might appear as nothing more than ritualistic oblations to air, water and thunder etc. Deep truths, however begin to unfold to the true seeker as his search goes on.

In time of yore, sincere seekers of truth and knowledge in India used to spend years and years at the feet of their 'gurus', learning the meaning hidden in Vedas. In order to decipher what lies concealed in Vedas, a study of certain subjects is considered a prerequisite. These subjects are called the 'Vedangas' or the body organs of the Vedas. There are six such vedangas. They are :

(A) Shiksha : Which deals with the understanding of the Vedic 'Varanas', 'Swaras' and Mantras, and thus with the technique of correct pronunciation.

(B) Chhanda : Dealing with the appropriate lyrical utterance of the Vedic 'Suktas'.

(C) Vyakarana : Expouding the grammatical aspects of the language.

(D) Nirukta : Which explains the difficult words, 'padas' and 'mantras'.

(E) Kalpa : Dealing with the understanding of Sutras and the use of Mantras, hence concerned with the ritualistic aspects of the Vedas.

(F) Jyotisha or Astrology : Of the body called the Vedas, astrology represents the 'eyes' with its capacity to see the past, the present and the future. Astrology is considered as the most important of the Vedangas.

The 'Bogi' festival

Jan 13th is The 'Bogi' festival, a time to clean your homes and your mind. This is a sacred opportunity and falls on the last day of the month of Margazhi, occurring just before the harvest festival known as Sankranthi or Pongal.

Religously this means overhaul of your current self and getting ready for a higher self. Materially this means clearing up all old personal stuff which carry the vibrations of the previous years. This festival indicates leaving behind the old way of doing things be it relationshp, money matters or health habits.

This year Bogi falls on Tuesday which is a day auaspicious for Jyeshta Devi, the Goddess who eliminates misfortunes. Offering prayers to her on this day will burn away your misfortunes and make way for a fulfilling year ahead.
The first day of the vedic month of 'Thai' is January 14th. This is the day when Sun enters the sign Capricorn. This is also the day of the great harvest festival 'Pongal' and synchronizes with the vedic winter solstice. Winter comes to an end and there is gradual onset of sunny days. Worshipping the Sun on this day is incredibly powerful to give a jumpstart to all your activities for the year.
The second day of the vedic month of 'Thai', January 15 is a thanksgiving celebrations for cows and cattle. They are well decorated and special poojas are performed for them. Worshipping the cow during 'Cow Pongal' brings good luck and fortune to you and your family.

MARGHASZHI Vedic Month

Dhanur masa-Marghazhi - is a Shoonya Masa. Because it is considered as inaspicious to do any good things other than Godly functions.This month month is allotted to Gods and for us it a blank - meaning Soonya.

The month of Margazhi is sacred because Lord Krishna says in the Gita that he is Margazhi among the twelve months. During this month no marriages or homams are performed. The Vedas (four in number) are recited in temples to propitiate Lord Narayana. This tradition, carried on from olden days, is called "Adyayana utsavam."

The morning hours of 4 – 6 am is the purest time of the day, as contained in the scriptures written by the Siddhas of ancient India. Prayers offered during these times are more powerful and are heard by the Gods and Goddesses. If the entire day was composed of these hours, your prayers would likely manifest. All the days between Dec. 16 – Jan. 15 are in the Vedic month of Margazhi and every hour for this entire month is equal to the holy hours of 4 – 6 am.

The Vedic month of Margazhi is very auspicious as it corresponds to morning hours of 4-6 am as per celestial times. This time otherwise known as 'Brahma Muhurta' is very holy. Performing cow pooja everyday is considered to be incredibly powerful this Margazhi month as it is equivalent to offering prayers to the all the celestial beings in one go. All the gods and goddesses along with sages are considered to be elements within the cow.

The month is also noted for its numerous music concerts. Another unique feature of the month is the beautiful kolams (rangoli) drawn on streets and in the courtyard of houses

What is Jyotish, Vedic Astrology?

Jyotish is the most time-tested system of astrology in the world. The Sanskrit word is rooted in "jyoti" which means light, as the light of knowledge. Jyotish signifies the "science of light". In western countries, Jyotish is often referred to as Vedic, Indian, or Hindu astrology. Jyotish knowledge can be traced back to the Vedic civilization in northern Bharat (also known as India). Indeed, Jyotish is a part of the vedic sciptures -- many manuscripts and translations of which are available.

We use the sidereal (according to the stars) positions of the planets against the backdrop of the relatively-fixed stars in Jyotish -- just as one "sees them in the sky", as astronomers do, and as do more than 90 per cent of astrologers in the world.
This is the most important difference between Vedic and tropical astrology. Tropical astrologers base their zodiac on the equinoxes instead. The result is that the positions of the planets they calculate continues to change with respect to the stars.
The arithmetical difference between planetary positions calculated sidereally and tropically is a value for what is called the precession of the equinoxes, or the Ayanaunsh. Today, this difference is 23 degrees 49 minutes and 17 seconds according to the official government calculation.
Planetary positions in the sidereal and tropical systems coincide approximately every 26,000 years, the last such occasion being about the beginning of the Christian era.

In Jyotish, the positions of the planets and other significant points are calculated with respect to a person's, or event's, birth data. Essentially, these are the time, date and place of birth. The results are then used to calculate numerous charts and tables -- about a hundred in all. It is the job of the astrologer to study them simultaneously and derive useful information based on the rules of interpretation created by our ancient sage-scientists. This study of the charts, a synthesis of information, can typically take about 10-15 hours and includes a decision about what remedial actions can be taken to enhance the person's life -- spiritually and materially.

Mantras for the Nine Planets

Vedic astrology is unique in that it gives us many ways to work with the negative planetary influences in a chart. There are forms of ceremonial worship (pujas and yagnas), gemstones, color therapy, and several other popular methods to mitigate the karmas in our life. But by far the easiest, most inexpensive, and powerful way to work with the planets in our chart is through the use of mantras.

When we do mantra repetition to a planet, we soothe and heal all the difficult energies of that planet in our life. We also encourage the positive energies from that same planet to flow toward us.

Om nava grahan puujaa ( The Worship of the Nine Planets)

Each section contains both a long and short mantra to each planet. The short form may be used by itself for mantra repetition, using a mala (rosary) of 108 beads.
Intone the RED Sanskrit sections aloud. Offering candles, incense, and flowers increases the potency of each mantra.

SUN

Om jabaakusuma sankaasham kaashyapayam mahaadyutim
Tamorim sarvapaapaghnam pranato-smi divaakaram
Om suryaaya namah

Om, I bow down with devotion to the shining light that is crimson red like a hybiscus flower, shining onto the earth, removing all the darkness and eradicating sin.
Om, I bow to the Sun.

MOON

Dadhi sankha tushaaraabham kshiirodaarnasambhavam
Namaami shashinam somam shambhormukuta bhushanam
Om candraaya
namah

I bow down to the Moon, who is creamy white like a container of yogurt and most
pleasing, born from the churning ocean of milk, the effulgent emblem of devotion
which adorns the head of Lord Shiva.
Om, I bow to the Moon.

MARS
Dharaniigarbhasambhutam vidyutkaanti samaprabham
Kumaaram shaktihastam ca tam mangalam pranamaamyaham
Om mangalaaya
namah

I bow down to Mars, the auspicious one, who supports the womb of all creation, shines forth with the radiance of beauty enhanced by love, and wields power in his hand.
Om, I bow down to Mars.

MERCURY

Priyangukalikashyaamam ruupenaa-pratimam budham
Saumyam saumyamgunopetam tam budham pranamaamyaham
Om budhaaya
namah

I bow down to Mercury, whose beloved body is dark like the night, the icon of intelligence, and whose qualities are most beautiful.
Om, I bow down to Mercury.

JUPITER

Devaanaanca rishinaanca gurum kaancana sannibham
Buddhi bhutam trilokesham tam namaami brihaaspatim
Om gurave namah

I bow down to Jupiter, teacher of gods and sages, the greatest treasure, and the most intelligent of all creation.
Om, I bow down to Jupiter.

VENUS

Hima kunda mrinaalaabham daityaanaam paramam gurum
Sarvashaastrapravaktaaram bhaargavam pranamaamyaham
Om Shukraaya namah

I bow down to Venus, who is fragrant like crushed sandal and jasmine, the great guru of the demons, expounding all scriptures, and the descendant of sage Brigu.
Om, I bow down to Venus.

SATURN

Niilaambujasamaabhaasam raviputram yamaagrajam
Chaayaamaartandasambhuutam tam namaami shanaishacaram
Om
Shaanaishcaraaya namah

I bow down to Saturn, who is blue like a storm cloud, the son of the Sun and the brother of Death, who can cast his shadow even over the Sun.
Om, I bow down to Saturn.

RAHU

Arddhakaayam mahaaviiryam candraadityavimardanam
Simhikaagarbha sambhuutam tam Raahu pranamaamyaham
Om Raahave
namah

I bow down to Rahu, the great warrior who divides even the Sun and Moon in half, born from the womb of Simhikaa.
Om, I bow down to Rahu.

KETU

Paalaashapushpa sankaasham taarakaagrahamastakam
Raudram raudraatmakam ghoram tam ketu pranamaamyaham
Om Ketave
namah

I bow down to Ketu, who is red like a paalaasha flower, who makes the star-eyed constellation to set, terrible and awesome to behold.
Om, I bow down to Ketu.

ALL PLANETS

Brahmaa muraaristripuraantakaarii bhaanuh shashii
bhuumisuto budhashca
Gurushca shukrah shani raahu ketavah sarve grahaa
shaantikaraa bhavantu
Om nava grahebhyoh namah

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva contemplate the Sun, the Moon, Earth, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu, and Ketu. May all planets be peaceful.
Om, I bow down to the nine planets.