RETROGRESSION AND THE CUMBUSTION OF THE PLANETS

RETROGRESSION

All the planets are seen moving from West to East but for some time the planets (Excluding the Sun and the Moon) appear to move in the opposite direction i.e., East to West at this time their longitudes go on decreasing and such they are called retrograde.

Actually, all the planets and revolving around the Sun in one direction and are never retrograde i.e., never move backwards, if we view them from the sun.  But on seeing from the earth their motion appears retrograde, which is due to variation in their distance from the Sun and time of completion of one revolution of the Sun. 

The earth is revolving round the Sun and the Moon round the Earth, so they never become retrograde.

COMBUSTION

The planets are called combust when they are near the sun in longitudes and their rays which are the reflection of the Sun’s rays are intermingled with that of the Sun whose rays are much stronger.  Therefore, the effect of the planets becomes much less.  The planet under combustion is not visible, being too near the Sun, and is called Asta

PLANETS AT A GLANCE

SUN

The sun is the most important of all the heavenly bodied, to the inhabitants of the earth.  Its rays supply light and heat etc. not only to the earth but also to the other family members of the solar system.  The Sun controls the motions of all its family members.  Its influence on our day-to-day life is supreme.

EARTH

The earth is the planet on which we live.  Though we claim that we know a lot about our planet but the fact is that our knowledge about the planet is very limited.  It is the third planet in order of the distance from the sun. 

MOON

Moon is the Earth’s only satellite.  Moon is the most important of all the heavenly bodies to us after the Sun.  Like the sun and other planets, it is also moving among the fixed stars in opposite direction (West to east) making a complete revolution in about 27 days 7 hours and 43 minutes i.e., 27.3217 days

MERCURY

Mercury is the first planet in order of distance from the Sun i.e., it is the nearest planet to the Sun. The rotation period of Mercury is approx. 58.65 days

VENUS

Venus is the second nearest planet to the Sun i.e., after mercury it is the next planet nearest to the Sun.  The rotation period of Venus is approx. 584 days.

Mercury and Venus are inner planets which can be seen near the Sun (either east or west).  These are therefore called the morning or evening stars as they are visible either just after the sunset or before the sunrise.

MARS

Mars is the fourth planet in order to distance from the Sun and the nearest outer planet to the earth.  Its rotation period is 780 days.  There are two satellites of Mars named Deimos and Phobos.

JUPITER

Jupiter is the largest planet.  It is more massive planet that all the other planets combined together.  Jupiter shows yellowish disc, crossed by famous cloud belts.

There are sixteen satellites of which the most important are four, namely, Io, europa, Ganymede and Callisto

SATURN

Saturn is the sixth planet in order of distance from the sun.  It is much larger and more massive than any other planet (except Jupiter).  It is surrounded by circular rings which do not touch the surface of the planet.

RAHU AND KETU

Rahu and Ketu are the nodes of the Moon.  When the moon crosses the ecliptic while going from south to north of the ecliptic, it is the ascending node of the moon which is called Rahu and descending node of the moon which is called Ketu.  So Rahu and Ketu are actually not any physical planets but are the points on the plane of ecliptic where the moon crosses it.  This is the reason for calling these two as Chaya Grahas i.e., shadowy planets.  These are also called Dragons head and Dragons tail.

Llewellyn's 2011 Daily Planetary Guide: Complete Astrology-At-A-Glance (Annuals - Daily Planetary Guide)


Rahu Ketu Aarti

Rahu & Ketu ( Moon's Nodes ) in Predictive Astrology

FEW IMPORTANT ASTRONOMICAL DEFINITIONS

ECLIPTIC

Ecliptic is the apparent annual path of the sun amongst the fixed stars on the cosmic sphere.  It is inclined at 23D28’ to the celestial equator. Actually it is the earth that is moving around the Sun.  So exactly it is the projection of the earth’s annual path around the sun on the cosmic sphere.

ZODIAC

Zodiac is an imaginary belt of about 9⁰ north and 9^o south of the ecliptic where all the planets including moon has their movement

STARS

Stars are self-luminous bodies which emit light and heat in the space.  The Sun is a star.  Stars are grouped into constellations.

PLANETS

Besides the fixed stars, the Sun and the Moon, there are other heavenly bodies visible to the naked eye and moving around the Sun.  As their motion is whimsical among the fixed stars, they are called Planets or wandering stars.

SATELLITE

Satellites are those heavenly bodies which move around the planets and in turn move around the sun along with the planets and are normally called moons of the planets, like the Moon which is a satellite of the earth.

SOLAR SYSTEM

The solar system is made up of the Sun, Planets, Satellites, comets, minor planets and interplanetary dust, gas etc. It is a very small part of the Universe and seems important to us only because we happen to live inside it.  As the Sun is also a star and is at one focus of the orbits of all the planets revolving around it, the system is called the Solar System.

A Book on Astronomy ; Relevant to Astrology

Paper I, Part 'B,' Astronomy Relevant to Astrology-I (Indian Council of Astrological Sciences, Regd. Madras, Delhi Chapter I, Jyotish Praveen)


Paper I, Part 'B,' Astronomy Relevant to Astrology-II (Indian Council of Astrological Sciences, Regd. Madras, Delhi Chapter I, Jyotish Praveen)

INDIAN ASTRONOMY

Now we must turn our attention to the origin and history of Indian astronomy.  It is very ancient, it pertains to a period much earlier than those of the Greek philosophers and astronomers.  It started well had depth of knowledge, accurate mathematical calculations, a system of observations (but there were no telescopes etc.).  But, after political subjugation of India, the result was burning of libraries and suppression of intellectual research.  Hence, India lagged behind in experimental observation especially during the last three centuries.

Most of the Indian astronomical works are claimed as divine revelations ot various sages.  Some of these Siddhantas are mentioned:

1. Surya Siddhanta                                 10.  Marichi Siddhanta
2. Pitamaha Siddhanta                           11.  Manu Siddhanta
3. Vyasa Siddhanta                                 12.  Angirasa Siddhanta
4. Vashishtha Siddhanta                         13.  Lomasa Siddhanta
5. Atri Siddhanta                                      14.  Paulisa Siddhanta
6. Parashara Siddhanta                          15.  Chayavana Siddhanta
7. Kashyapa Siddhanta                           16.  Yavana Siddhanta
8. Narada Siddhanta                               17.  Bhrigu Siddhanta
9. Garga Siddhanta                                 18.  Saunaka Siddhanta

All the above sages are called 18 Jyothisha Pravarthakas.

A Book on Astronomy ; Relevant to Astrology

Paper I, Part 'B,' Astronomy Relevant to Astrology-I (Indian Council of Astrological Sciences, Regd. Madras, Delhi Chapter I, Jyotish Praveen) 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Relation between the Macro Cosmos (Brahmanda) and Micro Cosmon (Pindanda)

Macro Cosmos means the world above us along with earth and all the galaxies of creation with its elements.  Macro cosmos consists of heaven; land, underground named respectively as Swarga, Marthya and Pathala.  This also consist of the sky above, the galaxies, stars, planets, the five elements denoted by fire, land, wind, water and sky, rivers, mountains, planets, plant and animal kingdom etc.

Micro Cosmos (Pindanda) is referred to human being.  The human being is called pindanda because the being is formed by a solid formation called panda in the womb and gets called as pindanda

It is strange that whatever elements present in the Macro Cosmos are also present in the Micro Cosmos and  hence human body (Micro Cosmos) is nothing but the replica of the Macro Cosmos which can be understood with the following mutual relationships

MACRO COSMOS                                                           MICRO COSMOS

Fire                                                                                     Fire of Digestion

Land                                                                                   Smell

Wind                                                                                   Respiration

Water                                                                                  All liquids in the body

Swarga                                                                               Head

Mountains                                                                           Bulging bones

Stars                                                                                   Hairs of the body

Rivers                                                                                 Blood veins

Nine Planets                                                                       Nine openings in the body

Out of nine openings Sun and Moon rules over the two eyes, Mercury and Venus represents the nostrils, Saturn and Mars represents ears, Raahu and Ketu indicates openings of the excretory organs.

It is due to this fact that man gets disturbed due to various weather changes in the nature as the elements mentioned in the Micro cosmos have to get adjusted to the changes of the elements in the Macro Cosmos

Astrology is a science which studies these changes through the study of planes influencing different persons differently according to the veracities of the presence and the strength of these elements in the body represented through the planets which is not the same for all the human beings or animal race in this world.

Astrological Real Question & Answers for Applied Astrology & Practice

The Essentials of Vedic Astrology

The Ascendant: The 108 Planets of Vedic Astrology

Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India

KARMA VASANA

Karma Vasana means that a human being may die with sorrow leaving behind certain desires getting unfulfilled in one lifetime.  Say for example a person is interested in getting name and fame as a musician or dancer or an actor etc. and has worked his or her lifetime to accomplish the same and dies without achieving it before his or her death.  In the next birth this knowledge which is hidden in the soul gets manifested as a scent from past birth and he or she pursues this knowledge to accomplish the fame in the next human birth which otherwise could not have been accomplished in the past births. So, it is the desire of any form that tends the soul to get rebirth.

Vedic Astrology: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Jyotish

Beneath a Vedic Sun: Discover Your Life Purpose with Vedic AstrologyFundamentals of Vedic Astrology: Vedic Astrologer's Handbook Vol. I (v. 1)

Astrological Real Question & Answers for Applied Astrology & Practice

KARMA THEORY

Hindu astrology believes in the theory of Karma.  The study of astrology is based on the theory of Karma i.e., it is based on the foundation of past karma of the native in question. To begin with we have to understand the meaning of Karma and the gamut of Karma Theory. To understand the meaning of Karma one has to understand the philosophy of rebirth which is the result of one’s deeds in the past births. 

To get human birth the soul has to transmigrate 84 lakh times in different births.  That is why it is said that it is very difficult to get the birth of a human being.  Thus the birth of a human being happens after innumerable births of the past.  If in the past birth good deeds were performed present birth will be good one and if bad deeds are performed it results in bad birth.  Karma means the results obtained for the acts or deeds performed in many births.  Therefore, according to Hindu philosophy, we consider that the human beings get born and reborn time and again as per the Karmic effects of the past births.

There are three type of Karmas, they are Sanchitha Karma, Prarabdha Karma and the Agami Karma.

SANCHITHA KARMA – The deeds done in many births good or bad gets carried on and on from birth after birth and the karmas get accrued from birth after birth and the cumulative karmas of these past births are titled as Sanchitha Karmas.

PRARABDHA KARMAS – Out of the Sanchitha Karma when the effects of these karmas are felt and become operative then that karma gets categorized as Prarabdha Karma. Therefore one who starts enjoying or suffering the results of the Sanchitha Karma falls under the ambit of being under the influence of Prarabdha Karma.

AGAMI KARMA – The results performed in the present birth will be enjoyed or suffered in the future and can be termed as Agami Karma. Agami karma can also be termed as the karma to be performed in future.

Astrology is a medium to know what are the natives Sanchitha Karmas, whether good or bad.  And what Prarabdha Karmas are there for him to enjoy or suffer during his present birth.

50 Spiritual Classics: Timeless Wisdom from 50 Great Books on Inner Discovery, Enlightenment and Purpose

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

You Are a Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience

SIGNIFICANCE IN VEDAS

In India, Hindus strongly believed in VEDAS.  It is said that Lord Brhama has told our ancient Rishis about the rules and regulations for a man to lead life in the Stotras (Sacred chanting) form which is called Shruti or Vedas.

Astrology is an oriental science and is part of Vedas and hence is called a Vedanga.  There are six branches of Vedas namely Shiksha, Vyakarana, Jyothisha, Chandas, Nirukta and Kalpa.  Jyothisha is astrology which is considered as eye of Vedas.

VEDIC ASTROLOGY

This is a place where anybody can learn share and discuss about vedic astrology free of cost.  Hope this site would be beneficial to those wishing to learn astrology.  In the comming days i would be posting articles about astrology.