Jyotish- Illuminating the Future of mankind

Jyotish, which means light or lord, is the study of the divine and expressing it through time and space. It is the existing form of ancient astrology and is still rampant in India. It is known as the Eye of the Veda for its ability to see the future. It is a process of drawing a parallel between people’s inner qualities and ways of life and the time and places of their births, through the relative positions of different heavenly bodies to one another. The origin of Jyotish can be traced back to the 3rd millennium BC, but it’s still very much in vogue and most people prefer to consult it before taking any important decision. There is a popular tradition among the Hindus to keep the name of the newborn on the basis of their Jyotish chart. Besides, Jyotish concepts are hugely in use in the organizations of calendars and holidays as well as in many other areas of life and science. Jyotish is also known for providing solutions for the problems detected by the Horoscope or astrological charts of people.
Earlier on the Hindu Brahmins used to practice Jyotish, but in recent time India has seen a renaissance in the field of studying Jyotish and other Vedic sciences. The Indian universities are planning to begin sponsor courses on this science. The study of Jyotish is known to be timeless and universal in nature. It primarily deals with the influence of the stars and planets on human beings. Jyotish decodes the fundamental rules of the Nature and looks for conveying to mankind a technique which smoothes their approach to life in association with Nature. By doing that it increases the opportunities for betterment and decrease suffering.
Jyotish Shastra is an important part of Vedanta and is known as Vedic astrology. It is based on what Western astrologers call the whole house system and recognizes nine grahas which means heavenly bodies or planets. The nine planets are: Surya or Sun, Chandra or Moon, Mangala or Mars, Budha or Mercury, Guru or Jupiter, Sukra or Venus, Sanaiscarya (Sani) or Saturn, Rahu or Ascenting/North Lunar Node and Ketu or Decending/South Lunar Node. However, there is a fundamental difference in the measurement of the Zodiac in the Jyotish Shastra and in the Western astrology. Jyotish recognizes the sidereal Zodiac (the stars are believed to be the fixed background against which the motion of the planet is measured), while the Western astrologers uses the tropical zodiac (the movement of the planets is measured against the position of the sun on the Spring Equinox.).