Jyotiṣa — the eye of the Veda

ज्योतिष

Also written: jyotisha · vedic astrology · jyotish · nakshatra · vedanga jyotisha · ज्योतिष

Jyotiṣa is called the eye of the Veda because it tells you when. A rite performed with perfect procedure at the wrong moment is, in the tradition's view, a rite performed into the wind. Its original purpose is the calendar; everything else grew from that.

The three skandhas

Skandha	Sanskrit	Subject
Siddhānta / Gaṇita	सिद्धान्त	Mathematical astronomy: planetary positions, eclipses, the length of the year, spherical calculation
Saṁhitā	संहिता	Mundane: weather, seasons, agriculture, omens, architecture, collective events
Horā	होरा	The individual: natal chart, daśā periods, praśna (enquiry), muhūrta (election of time)

The nakṣatra system

Indian time-reckoning is lunar-stellar before it is solar. The zodiac is divided into 27 nakṣatras of 13°20′ each — 28 with Abhijit — through which the moon passes in a sidereal month, one per day approximately. The nakṣatra of the moon at birth is the primary marker of temperament, and it carries the varṇa grouping described elsewhere on this site.

The pañcāṅga — five limbs of the day

Limb	What it measures
Tithi	The lunar day — the 12° separation of moon from sun; 30 in a lunar month
Vāra	The weekday, ruled by its planet
Nakṣatra	The lunar mansion the moon occupies
Yoga	The combined longitude of sun and moon, in 27 divisions
Karaṇa	Half a tithi; 11 kinds, four fixed and seven repeating

Jyotiṣa — the eye of the Veda

The three skandhas

The nakṣatra system

The pañcāṅga — five limbs of the day

The sources of knowledge in Sanātana Dharma

Śruti — that which was heard

Smṛti — that which was remembered

Nigama and Āgama — the two revealed streams

The four Vedas

Ṛgveda