Chapter Two

Now, therefore, we shall explain the "Sutras for the Astrologer."

The SamvatsaraA Royal Astrologer or Master of the Year should be of noble birth, pleasant to look upon, modest in dress, truthful, free from envy, and impartial. He should have well-knit and well-proportioned limbs, with no physical defects, and possess beautiful hands, feet, nails, eyes, chin, teeth, ears, forehead, eyebrows, and head. He should be of noble physique and have a deep, majestic voice. For generally, internal virtues and defects follow the physical form of the body. ||1||

Regarding his virtues: he must be pure, dexterous, bold, eloquent, possessed of ready wit, a knower of place and time, and endowed with SattvaThe quality of goodness, clarity, and harmony. He should not be intimidated by assemblies and should be superior to his fellow students. He must be skillful, free from vices, and well-versed in the arts of pacification, nourishment, magic, and ritual bathing. He should be devoted to the worship of the gods, observances, and fasting. His scientific power should be demonstrated by the wonders of his independent knowledge. He should be able to answer questions correctly, except when faced with the inscrutable will of destiny. He must be a master of the three branches of the science: GrahaganitaMathematical Astronomy, SamhitaNatural Astrology/Omens, and HoraHoroscopy/Predictive Astrology. ||2||

In the branch of Mathematical Astronomy, he must be a knower of time and space as described in the five SiddhantasScientific treatises or systems—namely the Paulisha, Romaka, Vasishtha, Saura, and Paitamaha. He must understand the divisions of time from the Great Age (Yuga), year, solstice, season, month, and fortnight, down to the day, night, hour (Muhurta), minute, second, and the smallest fractions of a breath. ||3||

He must understand the causes of the four types of months—Solar, Civil, Sidereal, and Lunar—as well as the occurrence of intercalary months (Adhimasa) and omitted days (Avama). ||4||

He must know the lords of the sixty-year cycle, the years, months, days, and hours, and their beginnings and endings. He must be expert in demonstrating the similarities and differences between the various measurements of time, such as the Solar system. Even when there are differences in the treatises, he must be skillful in demonstrating the truth through observation, using the shadow, water-clocks, and the alignment of the meridian, ensuring that calculation matches observation. He must understand the causes of the fast, slow, northern, southern, low, and high motions of the Sun and other planets. He must be a predictor of the eclipses of the Sun and Moon: their beginning, end, direction, magnitude, duration, intensity, and color. He must also predict the conjunctions and planetary wars of the planets yet to come. He must be skilled in determining the distance of each planet's orbit in YojanasA traditional unit of distance, roughly 8-9 miles and the rotation of the Earth. He must be an expert in the geometry of time, including the celestial sphere, the latitude, the equinoctial shadow, and the rising of the zodiac signs. His speech should be refined by the study of various objections and questions, like gold purified by the touchstone and fire. He is a true Master of the System. As it has been said:

How can one be known as a knower of the scriptures who does not lead to a clear conclusion, who cannot answer a single question when asked, and who does not teach his disciples? * A man who interprets the text one way and the meaning another, or who performs calculations incorrectly, is like a vulgar man who, approaching a grandfather, praises an unworthy stranger. * When the system is well understood, the ascendant determined by the shadow and water-clock, and the meaning of the horoscopy well-established, the words of the predictor never go in vain. * And as was said by the noble VishnuguptaAlso known as Chanakya or Kautilya: A man crossing the ocean might perhaps reach the other side by the force of the wind, but no one who is not a Seer (Rishi) can ever, even in thought, reach the far shore of the great ocean known as the "Person of Time" (Kalapurusha).

In the branch of Horoscopy (Hora), he must understand the strengths and weaknesses of the signs, hours, decans, ninth-parts, twelfth-parts, and thirtieth-parts. He must determine the various strengths of planets through their direction, place, time, and movement. He must understand the temperaments, elements, substances, castes, and activities associated with them. He must be expert in the moments of conception and birth, the calculation of longevity, periods (Dashas) and sub-periods, the eight-fold divisions (Ashtakavarga), and the various yogas (planetary combinations) such as Raja-yoga, Chandra-yoga, and Nabhasa-yoga. He must judge the results of these based on the planetary aspects and positions, and provide omens for the present moment, marriages, and other ceremonies...