The Wonder of Calculation (Karana Kutuhala)

The fact that there are 28 [lunar mansions] has led some scholars to claim that this science was borrowed from other countries. All these scholarly opinions were refuted by Bal Gangadhar Tilak in his book Orion 1. Orion, p. 95..

Professor Hermann Jacobi 2. Indian Antiquary, Vol. 23, pp. 154-159. has clarified that the series of lunar mansions Nakshatras starting with Krittika The Pleiades is not the oldest arrangement. Indians possessed an even more ancient system starting from the time of the Vernal Equinox Mahavishuva, in which the calculation of the lunar mansions began with Mrigashirsha Orion. The ancient etymologist Yaska derived the word "Nakshatra" from the root Naksh (meaning "to know" or "to attain"), a definition also accepted by the great grammarian Panini. The Taittiriya Brahmana An ancient Vedic commentary describes how one should identify a lunar mansion for a religious ritual: "An individual should look toward the eastern sky before sunrise, or at the moment the first rays of the sun descend, to see where the lunar mansion appears. When the sun emerges, the mansion remains to its west. That mansion is the current solar constellation. The religious ritual intended for that mansion should then be performed."

Hora — The fundamental nature of the Hora branch is to determine the entirety of a human being's joys and sorrows through the ascendant Lagna at the moment of birth. The Hora branch is also commonly called the Jataka (nativity) branch. Over time, it was divided into two parts: the subject dealing with individual birth became known as Jataka, while the other part became Tajika A branch of Indian astrology influenced by Persian/Arabic traditions. The branch of astrology that constructs horoscopes and relates to a specific individual is famous as Horashastra or Jataka. In the time of the polymath Varahamihira, scholars were somewhat uncertain about the origin of the word "Hora." In the Brihat Jataka 3. original: "होरेत्यहोरात्रविकल्पमेके वाञ्छन्ति पूर्वपरवर्णलोपात्। कर्माजितं पूर्वभवे सदादि यत्तस्य पंक्तिं समभिव्यनक्ति॥" Some scholars believe the word 'Hora' is formed by removing the first and last syllables of 'Ahoratra' (day and night). It manifests the maturity of good or bad fruits of actions earned in previous lives. (Brihat Jataka 1.3), it is mentioned that some believe "Hora" was formed by dropping the first and last syllables of the word Ahoratra A-HO-RA-tra; meaning "day and night". This science of Hora clearly expresses the good or bad fruits of actions performed in previous lives. In the Brihat Jataka, Varahamihira placed special emphasis on two points: (1) Horashastra is connected to the principles of Karma and Reincarnation. (2) The science explains that a horoscope

is merely a map or a plan that points toward the future of an individual's life, as generated by the actions Karma of previous births. Horashastra does not claim that the planets in a person’s horoscope "force" them to do this or that; rather, the horoscope merely indicates the directions in which a person's future is inclined.

In the Saravali, the author Kalyan Varma 1. Saravali, Chapter 2, verses 2-5. also stated that Jatakashastra and Horashastra are the same, and the term is a synonym for the discourse on destiny. It is a great aid in the acquisition of wealth, like a boat in the ocean of misfortune, and like a wise minister during a journey or an invasion. As a result of these concepts, Indian astrology came to be regarded as a noble pursuit, contributing significantly to making human life virtuous. This science was a leader in propounding the doctrine of reincarnation, as a result of which the lifestyle of Indians became filled with goodwill and culture compared to other nations. The people of Babylon and Assyria considered their astrology to be based on three concepts: (1) The constellations are temples where gods reside. (2) The constellations tell humans the intentions of the gods regarding the future. (3) Human destiny is decided in a heavenly assembly under the chairmanship of "Marduk" 2. A Babylonian deity.. Except for the first concept, the other two are entirely different from Indian views. The principles of Karma and Reincarnation are not found in Babylon and Greece. Therefore, they could not make their astrology "noble" in a way that would make their contemporary lives virtuous.

Shakha or Samhita — Opinions regarding the "Branch" Shakha or "Compendium" Samhita are not uniform. Generally, the Samhita or Shakha can be considered to have two parts. One is that which deals with the movement of planets in the celestial sphere Grahachara, their mutual conjunctions or "wars," comets, meteors, and the interpretation of omens Shakuna for the welfare or misfortune of the world. The second part deals with "Auspicious Timing" Muhurta—determining the favorable or unfavorable times for rituals such as marriage and travel. Varahamihira...