Y.M.C.A. Students questions are answered on 11.3.2008 on email

by Mrs. Abha Sharma, M.B.A., Jyotishacharya,

Senior Astrology Researcher Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi

1. What is a horoscope, how do we define it?

Answer – Horoscope word is derived from word “HORA”. Hora word is derived from Sanskrit word “Ahoratra” which means day and night making up 24 hours. Cutting first and last syllables, Hora thus means 12 signs. It also means one Half of a sign.

A Horoscope is the chart of 12 houses indicating the placement of nine planets in the Sky / Zodiac at the time of birth of an individual or an event. The 12 houses can have either of the 12 signs and or the 9 planets. The first house is called the Lagna or Ascendent.

The Horoscope is made basing on the calculations done on the birth details of a person or an event. The three basic requirements for this are Date of Birth, Time of Birth and Place of Birth.

2. Its history, when the concept of Horoscope started and also who created it primarily?

Answer--- The creator “Brahmaji” told this pious science to some Sages and one among them was  Maharishi Parashar who is called the father of Astrology. He has written the most famous epic—“ Brihad Parashar Hora Shastra”, where he has explained the concept of Horoscope.

Ancient Scientists which are called as ”Maharishies” have written many literary mile stones for this pious science. As per them, the Science of Astrology is broadly divided into three major categories called ---

1.    Ganita ( Sidhanta / Mathematical Astrology)

2.    Hora (Jataka / Natal / Individual Astrology)

3.     Sanhita ( Mundane / Medini Jyotish)

3. What is the religious importance of Horoscope?

Answer--- Horoscope is considered very sacred for Hindus and out of the sixteen important Sanskaras of Hindus, the “Vivaha Sanskara” make use of horoscopes matching for prospective brides or bridegroom to see the compatibility of the two to lead a happy and prosperous married life.

Astrology is merely the medium of indicating the KARMIC PATTERN which has a link with the past life and also with the future. The karmic pattern is woven in the horoscope so as to indicate the balance of karmas that the native is carrying as well as his task in this life.

Hindus especially “Brahmins, Shatriyas and Vaishyas” consult their family Astrologers for seeing the education pattern to be received by their children before commencement of their education.

Also, good “Mahuratas” i.e  the auspicious timing of starting any good job / business, be it making or buying a house, entering an office/ house or fixing engagement / marriage date, all Hindus generally consult their astrologers.

Each one of us is motivated differently and reacts in a different manner to a given situation. It is outer manifestation of the karmic pattern and the inner motivations to exhaust the fruits of past karmas and to do karmas that lead to emancipation is seen in a horoscope when we divide it into four parts—

1.    Dharm--- Houses 1,5,9

2.    Artha ---- Houses 2,6,10

3.    Kama --- Houses 3,7,11

4.    Moksha ---Houses 4,8,12

The signs and Planets occupying and influencing these houses indicate the Karmic Pattern. If Majority of the Planets are in artha and Kama houses, the native’s inclinations and motivations are oriented in that direction. If conducive dashas are there in right chronological growth, he can enjoy them to the full. A spiritually inclined person will have grouping of planets in the dharma and moksha segments.

e.g. if in a native’s horoscope the nine planets are as follows:

Kama Houses has Jup and Mars (birth in fiery signs)

 Moksha Rahu, Sat(both in earthy signs)  & Dharma Ven (Airy)

Artha Sun, Moon, Mer, Ketu ( All in watery signs)

Then such a person will have fiery passion for physical satisfaction, intellectual religious thoughts, fluctuating desires for money/wealth and stable desire for salvation.

Different combinations of all these four make different types of people having different outlooks and motivations. Here 5th and 9th houses play a noteworthy role.

Astrology tells us that our Karmas chase us through various reincarnations in the same manner as a calf chases her mother in the herd of cows and locate her with precision. Past life Karmas result in the dashas sequence we get at the time of birth and then the promise gets fructified in the dashas and when the transit promises.

4. How many types of horoscopes are there in all?

Answer—There are basically three types of Horoscopes prevalent in India and world vide—

A--- North Indian Style of Horoscope

B---- South Indian Style of Horoscope

C---- Udiya / Bengali Style of Horoscope

5. Is horoscope connected to other disciplines like palmistry, numerology, face Reading, gemology, tarot card reading?

Answer— All these disciplines except “Tarot Card reading” come under the major category of Occult sciences of India and where Astrology is the mother of all these sciences as Palmistry also talks about the Mounts of Planets like – Jupiter, Mars, Saturn , Moon, Sun etc. and all the characteristics of these as given in Palmistry are the same as given in the Astrology. Only difference between the two sciences is that Predictions by Palmistry are made by seeing the Hands and Palms and Astrological predictions can be done even without seeing a person but by taking his birth details.

Similarly, Numerology also tells about the relation of numbers with the Planets and their influence on a person’s personality and so future.

A Face reader makes predictions by seeing influence of planets on the face of a person.

Gemology is the science of using gems as beneficial for a person depending upon his planetary strengths and weaknesses which in turn can be judged by any of the occult sciences as mentioned above.

TAROT CARD reading is the only discipline which has come from foreign countries and thus it cant be called as connected to Hindu Astrology as the cards that come out for seeing a person’s future trend are analyzed based on the sixth sense of the Tarot Card Reader and they have nothing to do with the planetary influence on him.

We can call all these method of exploring your future as different types of forecast techniques in similarity with many ways of getting treatment by various disciplines of medical sciences , be it Allopathic, Ayurvedic, Homeopathy, Yunani, Yoga, etc.

6. What are the uses of horoscopes or what are the different fields horoscopes could be used?

Answer--- The Use of Astrology and Horoscope Analysis is unlimited as it can be used for each and every aspect of Life. Some of the important points which can be explored about the events of a native by the horoscopes are given by following significations of Houses.

I HOUSE—Life, personality, life style, Body, health.

II HOUSE--- Family, wealth, Speech, Right eye and right ear

III HOUSE---Younger Siblings, Hobbies, Initiative, Arms

IV HOUSE---Happiness, Residence, Mother, Vehicles, Heart

V HOUSE--- Education, Children, Past Life Deeds, Mantra, Upper Abdomen ( Stomach etc.)

VI HOUSE---Competition, Diseases, Enemies, Debts, Lower Abdoman

VII HOUSE---Spouse, Partnerhip, Foreign Travel, outer Sexual Organs

VIII HOUSE--- Longevity, Non-Curable diseases, Secrets, inner sex glands

IX HOUSE---Religion, Father, Luck, Present Birth Karmas, thighs

X HOUSE---Profession, Deeds, Higher Position, Government, knees

XI HOUSE---Income, Gains, Honours, desires, Elder Brother, legs

XII HOUSE---Expenditure, Foreign Residence, Hospital, Salvation, feet.

Similarly, all the nine planets as well as the 27 Nakshatras also tell about the various issues of human life.

à Medini Jyotish --Horoscopes can be made to see the Mundane events i.e. World events such as Weather forecast, Earthquakes, Future Wars, Annual national events, Monsoon / Rain forecast, general well being of a country, region, etc.  All these come under the branches of Astrology ---Astrometerology & Mundane Astrology.

à Muhurt Jyotish tell us the auspicious timing for any event to be organized so as to get minimum hinderances and  maximum benefits out of that event.

à Prashna Jyotish gives the answers to any kind of question related to any person, thing, event, etc. For example, if a child is missing then through” Prashna Jyotish, it can be clearly confirmed that whether he is kidnapped or lost.

Similarly, a stolen object can be traced with the help of getting answers from the” Prashna Jyotish”

àTajik or Varshaphala  Jyotish gives the annual forecast of a native’s life, the major good or bad events can be predicted with the help of this branch of Hindu Astrology

7. What are the different techniques of creating and interpreting horoscopes?

Answer--- Hindu Astrology makes use of Divisional charts to have the microscopic view of the horoscope in the same manner as an M.B.B.S. docter makes use of X-ray Machine, MRI Machine, Ultrasound Machine, etc.

Most Astrologers use “Shadvargas” or “Saptavargas” , i.e. six or seven most important divisional charts e.g. Navansha, Dreshkon, Hora, Saptansha, Dwadashamsha, Trimshamsha and Dashmansha along with the Lagna Chart. In Parashar’s HoraShasra there is mentioned to make use of 16 divisinal charts for predictions. But there can be as many as 60 divisional charts.

There in all 99 Dashas in Hindu Astrology – 55 are given by Parashar Rishi and 44 are given by Jaimini. That means through about 99 techniques, an event can be predicted. The most prevalent Parashary Dashas in India are Vimshottari and Yogini. The famous Jaimini Dashas in use are Char and Mandook Dashas.

8. Are there any future developments in the Field of horoscopes?    

Answers—There is tremendous development in the field of Hindu Astrology and hence Horoscopes as for the last twenty years Astrology is being taught in a scientific manner at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi.

The Astrology Wing there has come out with extensive research under the able guidance of World famous Astrologer Sh.K.N.Rao for the past twelve years. SH.Rao has authored more than thirty Books showing the use of thousands of years old astrological principles still applicable but in modern contemporary references.

Now the modern educational disciplines which a student would study in future can be easily predicted by making use of Hindu Astrology.

Similarly, the marital bliss, breakups, divorces, second marriage, living-in relationships can be easily predicted by Hindu Modern Astrology.

All the myths of “KalSarpa” Yogas, Bad things about Saturn’s Sade-Satti and other such mis- conceptions have also been removed from the minds of innocent ignorant people. This is really a very valuable contribution done by the modern researchers of Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Delhi 

Thus, Hindu Astrology has been proved as a Super Science which has the strength to help the society to improve the living of people to make the world a better place to live with better human beings.