Anizham Njattuvela wreaks havoc !

Meteorology may say it is a depression in the Bay of Bengal called La Nina which is responsible for the rains, but to those well versed in Astro Meteorology, it is the Sun's transit of Scorpio and the constellation of Delta Scorpi, which is the cause, as heavy rains lashed Trichur. From 0500 PM it was raining till 1100 PM, when I went to sleep.

According to Meteorology, La Nina is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon of El Nino, as a part of the El Nino Southern Oscillation Climate pattern. La Nina is defined as the dialectial opposite of El Nina !

These depressions happen only during the Monsoon season, when the Sun transits the constellations from Eta Tauri to Alpha Scorpi ! So Astro Meteorology is right !

Why do these depression not happen during the summer season?

Climate Change, triggered by Global Warming, is creating havoc throughout the world. Sea levels rose by 1.8 mms from 1961 to 2003. All snowy mountains are melting. Co2 levels are increasing. Forest fires increased. When hot air creates lightning, forest fires are more. More cyclones and thunderstorms. Extreme climatic patterns are produced. More floods and more draughts than usual.

Jupiter blocks progress !

The banking sector has recorded good corporate performance. While the State Bank of Mysore post a growth in net of 13%, Indian Bank recorded 11.8% net rise and Vijaya Bank 33% !

Biocon, the blue chip BT co, recorded 20% growth in Q2. Wipro, the IT major, recorded a 10% rise in net profit !

There are some negative factors, like FDI falling, slipping down to 1.33 billion USD in August, from 3.28 b ! Overall, there is a slump in FDI.

Jupiter, the financial planet, moves over to the adverse 8th for India and this indicates some financial stringency. This is only a temporarary phase, as Indian stock market will go upto 50 K Sensex, within a decade. Let us not be bothered by temporary setbacks. Ultimately the victory will be India's !

Indians have mastered web designing skills, programming skills and English language skills, with the result India is the largest English speaking nation in the world. More engineering and medical graduates are produced nowadays and India will be the third largest economy in the world in 2020, after China and the US !

Housing units shortage is estimated at 20 to 70 million units and this is a huge opportunity for Housing Finance. Residential space price is rising in all urban and rural ares. Also commercial space, as India industrialises !

Now the stock market has fallen as expected, after companies mopped up 4800 crores as IPOs. From a long term perpective, this is only a temporary lull !

Sidereal Libra means rains !

The Sun entered the first degree of Sidereal Libra, thus heralding the North East Monsoon or Thula Varsham, as per Astro Meteorology.

This is the Retreating Monsoon. Coming as a depression from the Bay of Bengal, it takes the moisture laden winds and then sweep down on the Himalayas and Indo Gangetic plains, and then pours over peninsular India ! Mainly caused by the heat generated by the overhead Sun on the Tropic of Capricorn. The places of the Indian Ocean becomes hot and the northern parts of India become cool. Cool winds from the Bay of Bengal cause this and the result is Thula Varsham !

Expected to rain till the end of the sidereal month of Vrischika or Scorpio, NEM is a boon to states like Tamil Nadu. Kerala gets both SWM and NEM !

A must book for creating Astrology Software

No study of Astronomy is complete without Kepler ! Did he not bequeth the Laws of Planetary Motion to the world ?

Astronomy is nothing but Mathematical Astrology and Kepler gave the world the three laws of Motion.

1) The planets move in elliptical orbits.

20 Planets move fastest at perihelion ( nearest point to Helios, the Sun ) and slowest at Aphelion ( the farthest point from the Sun ).

3)The squares of their sidereal periods ( orbital periods ) is equal to the cubes of their semi major axes.

The base of Western Astronomy is Kepler. First we study Kepler and then we study Laplace !

Previousy astronomers ( Hipparchus, Ptolemy, Brahe, Copernicus ) have used many geomertical models to give a mathematical account of the movement of the luminaries. Astronomy is a branch of Physics, declared Kepler. In this great book, Kepler's Physical Astronomy, Bruce Stephenson demonstrates the importance of Kepler's physical principles of planetary motion. A must book for students of Astronomy and Mathematical Astrology. Also for the creation of Astronomy and Astrology softwares. In any type of Astro software, let it be Indian, Western or Chinese Astrology, or Yahoo Astrology, this book contains great info which is good for the developer.

Great Njattuvelas trigger rise in Sensex !

Atham Njattuvela is good and it is raining well in Kerala. Other parts of India also received excellent rains.

Good monsoon means that the agriculturist's income will be up. They will be investing in farm equipments, which is good for such equipment manufacturing companies. As India is an agrarian economy, a good monsoon ensures good industrial growth. The GDP growth is expected to be 8.5%.

Jupiter in Pisces is favourable for India and the Sensex moved to 20.4 K on reports of good monsoon, an expected 8.5 GDP growth and surging car sales. The Index of Industrial Production has gone up. The market capitalisation has gone upto 71,22514 crores. This is a great Value Addition as far as investors are concerned. But then the small investors have booked profits and hence they could not exploit the current bull surge.

$19 b was invested by the FIIs so far in 2010 and the cash flow has triggered the surge in both Sensex and Nifty. In Sep end they invested 43107 crores. Simultaneoulsy the Indian Financial Institutions have sold their holdings, in order to book profits. We hope that furthur momentum will be maintained. Most brokers feel that the Sensex will create new record this Deepavali, the Festival of Lights. They maintain that the record 21.4 K level of the Sensex ( on Jan 10, 2008 ) will be surpassed within one month. Adverse factors like Global Recession and rising crude prices may halt the slide. On 10, Jan 2008, the market capitalisation crossed 72 lakh crores and this wil be surpassed easily.

On Friday, Nifty closed at 6143 and the Sensex 20,445 ! SBI and Infy crossed 3000 INR. L&T crossed 2000 !.

IIP will will the highest in these 18 months. This is another bullish factor. The good monsoon comes as a boon to consumer companies.

Not only is this phase good for the secondary market, the primary market is also rising. 4000 crores were mopped up within 2 weeks.

Machiavellis say that companies will collect about 4800 crores as IPOs and the market has been manipulated. Once the IPOs are over, the market may react sharply. More info at Stock Market Astrology

Jupiter will be moving over to Aquarius and this does not augur well for India. He will be in the 8th in India's national horoscope from Nov 1 onwards. So be careful !

Humanistic Astrology

Did you know that the 360 degrees of the Zodiac has 360 different symbols? These Sabian symbols (a set of astrological notations representing each degree of the zodiac ) can be used for divination. Discusses origins of the symbols. Learn from the great Dane Rudhyar, a Titan in the field of Astrology.

Rudhyar integrated Jungian Psychology with Astrology and called it Harmonic Astrology. He postulated that the stars do not cause the effects ( like Dante who said planets impel and they do not compel ) and that but were pictures synchronistically aligned to human beings. Detailing psychological forces working in individuals. He did not override human freedom in responding to these forces. His magnum opus "The Astrology of Personality" was published in Lucis Publishing.

Astro Software Books

If you want to calculate the longitudes of planets and create an Astro Software, then the best book for you is Laplace's CelestialMechanics. You can find out the mean longitudes of the planets, calculate the perturbations, the epicycles and then calculate the Heliocentric Longitudes of planets. You can use Laplacian equations to then reduce it to the Ecliptic Coordinates and then reduce them to Geocentric Coordinates, thus computing the true longitudes of the planets. A must for Astro software developers.


Kepler's Formulae

Kepler represents Old Astronomy. If you want to creat an Astro Software, you have to solve the Kepler problem. The Kepler Equation, M = E - e Sin E, may sound easy, but it is a transcendental equation and the most difficult amongst Kepler's equations. We can find out the True Anomaly of the planet, that is the angle between the planet and perihelion. The next step is to find the Argument of Perihelion, which is the angle between the Node and perihelion.


Laplace - Advanced Astronomy

Laplace's Celestial Mechanics is one of the best books ever written. If you read this magnificent book, you can handle Astronomy and Maths easily. 

A good book to possess !

Vedic Astrology, a guide to the fundamentals of Jyothish, is a great book by Ronnie Dreyer, for those hungering for the knowledge of Jyothish. Ronnie Dreyer has made the tough subject light by explaining in simple terms the mighty science of Astrology. Dreyer is well versed in Western Astrology, despite having profound knowledge of Jyothish. She can fathom the complexities, the pitfalls and the perplexities that veteran Western astrologer encounter while they deal with Jyothish. Throughout the book, there are warnings and hints that guide astrologers in the proper path, saving them from the interpretative calamities experienced by many astro savants.

Vedic Astrology is explained in simple terms to the student, without much technical jargon. Vedic Astrology is similar to Western Astrology and differs only by 23.5 degrees, which is the difference between the Zodiacs now.

Foreword is by James Braha, another veteran Vedic Astrologer.

This book is a must for the novitiate, as it contains immense information to the students of Evolutionary Astrology.

Lunar Mansions !

Astrology has 108 lunar mansions. That is 27 constellations multiplied by 4. Each asterism or Nakshatra is divided into 4 quarters. Nine such quarters tenant a Zodiacal Sign. Beta Arietis ( Aswini ) 1,2,3 and 4, 41 Arietis, 1,2,3 and 4 and the first quarter of Peiades ( Karthika ) tenant the constellation of Aries.

The quarters of Nakshatras are then the lunar mansion and the Sidereal Zodiac has 108 lunar mansions.

The book "Nakshatras, Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology" is a great book by Dr Dennis Harness and Dr David Frawley. It deals with the Sidereal Zodiac and contains a wealth of information about Vedic Astrology. A must for the novitiate.

Both are great scholars of Astrology and can enlighten the students about the great stellar science which is Vedic Astrology. Once the concept of Lunar Mansions is understood, the student can easily grasp the structure of the Sidereal Zodiac, upon which Vedic Astrology is based.

Equation for Saturn in the great Jup-Sat perturbation

We will now deal with the equation for Saturn in the Jupiter- Saturn inequality.

3102 is added to the Year of Birth and then 4660 is deducted from it. Then that value is subtracted by 918 and multiplied by 360. Then that value is mulitplied by 2873 seconds and then the resultant value is minussed from Saturn's longitude ( if his longitude is less than 180 ) and added ( if his longitude is greater than 180 ).

Mathematically,

KY ( kali year ) = Year ( Date of Birth ) +3102
kyb = KY - 4660

x, bhujamsa = ( kyb )/918 * 360
y, bhujajya = sin (x )

satvalue = sin (x ) * 2873

If Mean Longitude of Saturn < 180
Sat's corrected Long = Sat's long - satvalue

If Longitude of Saturn > 180
Sat's corrected Long = Sat' long + satvalue


Western Astronomy gives the perturbation amplitude as .812 degrees which is similar to the Indian value of 2873 seconds. Similar values are not exactly the same and hence neither borrowed from each other !

Computation of Ayanamsa

In India, Chaitra Paksheeya Ayanamsa is widely followed. The Indian Govt gave the job of standardising the Almanacs to the great N C Lahiri. It is also known as Lahiri's Ayanamsa.

The Year of Coincidence of the Tropical and the Sidereal Zodiacs was at 285 AD, according to Chaitra Paksheeya Ayanamsa. There are 13 other Ayanamsas, with different scholars differing as to the dates. The great Dr B V Raman opined that the two Zodiacs coincided at 398 ACE, but the followers of Chaitra Paksha Ayanamsa are more.

According to Cheiro, the Precession was one degree in every 72 years.

According to C P A, the precession is 50.24645 secs per year.

Mathematically

y = year(xdate)-Year of Epoch

x = 50.25645+(.00022229)*y + ((0.00000000027)*y^2)

Chaitra Paksha Ayanamsa = 22.436+ (x/3600)*y

Computation of the great Jupiter-Saturn perturbation !

In Indian Astronomy, the great Jupiter - Saturn perturbation, is calculated using the formula given below.

The Kali year, ky, is calculated and 4660 is deducted from it to get the kyb, the kali year balance. Its Bhujamsa,x is calculated using the Equation of Bhuja and then its Bhujajya ( Sin x ) is calculated to get the value of Manda Phala, a.

Mathematically, it can be written as

Y, (Year of Birth) + 3102 = ky, the Kali Year of Birth

kyb ( kali year balance ) = ( ky - 4660 )

x = kyb*360/918

b, bhujajya = sin(x)

Since the duration is 918 years and perturbation amplitude is 1187 seconds,

Manda Phala, a = sin(x) * 1187

( Example - My year of birth is 1955. Add 3102 and we get 5057. Less 4660 is 397. 397*360/918 is 155.6 and its Bhujamsa is 25 degrees roughly ( 180-155). So Sin (25 ) is 0.41. Manda Phala, therefore is 0.41*1187 seconds or Vikalas. )


This value, Manda Phala, a is added to Jupiter's mean longitude, if Jove's long is less than 180 and subtracted if Jove's long is greater than 180.

In the West, this discovery is attributed to Laplace. The duration of the perturbation of 918 years is known as Laplace period. Its amplitude of .332 degrees is similar to the Indian value of 1187 seconds.

Laplace gives the equation 2 nj - 5 ns, bringing to light the 5:2 Resonance in the orbits of the two celestial giants. 2 revolutions of Saturn = 5 revolutions of Jupiter = 60 years !

Computation of Ahargana

Ahargana is defined as the no of days elapsed after the start of the Iron Age, the Kali Yuga, which began on 3102 BC.

Kali Era = English Era +3102

The no of days elapsed from Kali Start was 1822903 on 01/01/1890.

Hence

Ahargana = ( xdate - 01/01/1980 ) + 1822903

where xdate is the date of birth.

This Ahargana is printed on every V A Horoscope. All calculations in Indian Astronomy is based on Ahargana. Ahas means day in Sanskrit and gana means calculation.

The present Kali Era is therefore

3102 + 2010 = 5112

The difference between the Malayalam & English eras are 825. Malayalam Era is 1185 now and if you add 825 to Malayalam Era, you get English Era.

Definition of Ascendant

The Ascendant is defined as the intersecting point between the Ecliptic and the Celestial Horizon and is the Eastern Celestial Horizon. It is represented by the formula

Tan L = Sin E / cos E cos w - Sin w Tan A

where A is Latitude of the place, w is the maximum declination of the Sun, E is the Right Ascension of East Point ( Sayana Kala Lagna ) & L - the Lagna.

Raseenam Udayo Lagnam - Udaya Lagna, the Ascendant, the pivot of the horoscope, is the Eastern Celestial Horizon. In Astrology everything is based on Lagna, Sarvam Lagnepi Chinthayel.

180 degrees opposite to the Ascendant is the Descendant, the Astha Lagna and is the Western Celestial Horizon.

THE EQUATION OF BHUJA

Bhujamsa is the degrees traversed by the planet in the Zodiac. In the mighty 360 degree Circle, the planet may be anywhere and its position is the mean longitude of the planet. The planet actually is in the ellipse and its position is the true longitude of the planet.

If the planet is say at 42 degrees, then the Equation of Bhuja states that its Bhujamsa is 42 degrees. That is in the first Oja Pada, in the first quarter of 0-90 degrees, the Bhujamsa is the same.

If the planet is say at 110 degrees, then the Equation of Bhuja states that its Bhujamsa is 70 degrees. That is in the first Yugma Pada, in the second quarter of 90-180 degrees, the Bhujamsa is 180 - bhuja.

If the planet is say at 200 degrees, then the Equation of Bhuja states that its Bhujamsa is 20 degrees. That is in the second Oja Pada, in the third quarter of 180-270 degrees, the Bhujamsa is bhuja - 180.

If the planet is say at 300 degrees, then the Equation of Bhuja states that its Bhujamsa is 60 degrees. That is in the second Yugma Pada, in the fourth quarter of 270-360 degrees, the Bhujamsa is 360 - bhuja.

Bhuja Jya is Sin ( M ) and is the sine value of the Kendra. Bhuja Jya is used in the calculation of Epicycles, in calculating the Equation of Center for Moon, Jupiter and Saturn.

The Manda Phala, the Equation of Center is given by the formula

Equation of Center, Mandaphala =Circumference of the Epicycle ( Parama Phala ) * Manda Kendra Jya ( Sin M ).

This is the equation used in calculating the 14 perturbations of the Moon, the five of Jupiter and the six of Saturn.

The Auxiliary Circle, the Vikshepa Vritta

In order to compute the celestial longitudes of planets, first the Graha Madhyamam, the mean longitude of the planet is computed.

We have to understand that the planets traverse in elliptical orbits. If their orbits are circular, then there is no need for jya samskaras ( trignometric corrections ).

Once the mean longitudes of the planets are ascertained, then we first start with the First Jya Samskara, the first trignometric correction. Manda Jya means Sin M in Western Astronomy.

The Kepler Equation is M = E - e Sin E, where e is eccentricity and E is the Eccentric Anomaly, an auxilary angle in Kepler's equations.

Like Kepler who brought in an auxiliary angle ( E, the Eccentric Anomaly ), Indian Astronomy uses Vikshepa Vritta, an auxiliary circle. The mean longitude of a planet reduced by Manda Kriya is the Vikshepa Vritteeya Sphuta, the once corrected longitude of the planet.

While Western astronomers compute the celestial longitudes using the formula Theta = v + w ( Celestial Longitude = True Anomaly + the Argument of Perihelion ), Indian astronomers use the Triune Trignometric Method. Longitudes are corrected thrice using Manda Kriya, Parinathi Kriya and Sheegra Kriya.

The perturbations of planets

All planets have perturbations. Moon has 300 perturbations, of which 14 are major. Hence for 14 perturbations, 14 jya samskaras have to be done ( Chatur Dasa Jya Samskara). The largest of them is the Evection. There are others like the Variation, the Annual Equation and the Parallactic Equation. When 14 trignometric corrections are done, we get the Reduced Longitude of the Moon, the Samskritha Chandra Madhyamam.

Jupiter has five major perturbations ( guror pancha kendrani bhavanthi ) and Saturn has six. So five jya samskaras and six jya samskaras have to be done for Jupiter and Saturn, before commencing the Triune Trignometric Method.

The four systems of Astronomy

There are four major methods of calculation in Astronomy

They are

Longitudes calculated along the Zodiac or Ecliptic - The Ecliptic System
Longitudes calculated along the Celestial Equator - The Equatorial System
Longitudes calculated along the Celestial Horizon - The Horizontal System
Longitudes calculated along the Celestial Meridian - The Meridian System


Longitude measured along the Kranti Vritta, the Ecliptic or Bha Chakra , the Zodiac is known as Kranti Vritteeya Sphuta, the true longitude of the planet.

Longitudes measured along the Vishuvat Vritta, the Celestial Equator is known as Vishuvat Vritteeya Sphuta, Right Ascension.

Udaya Lagna, the Ascendent and Astha Lagna, the Descendent are measured along the Celestial Horizon,The Kshitija

And the Madhya Lagna, the MC and the Patala Lagna, the IC are measured along the Celestial Meridian, the Nadi Vritta.

About Sine, Cosine and Reverse Sine

Jya ( Sine ), Kotijya ( Cosine ) and Utkram Jya ( Versine ) are the three trignometric functions introduced by the Indian astronomers and mathematicians.

In order to compute the celestial longitudes of planets, these functions were used by the trinity of Indian Astronomy, Bhaskara, Brahnmagupta and Aryabhata.

Thrijya, the Radius or R

If 360 = 2 Pi r
then, r = 360/2Pi in degrees

One degree is 60 minutes and one minute is 60 seconds and hence one degree is 3600 seconds.

R in seconds will be ((360/2pi)* 3600 ) Vikalas or 206265 seconds. This figure 206265 is known as the Magic Figure of Astronomy.

Bhujajya = R Sin
Kotijya = R Cos

The arc sine of the angle is Bhujachapa
The arc cosine of the angle is Kotichapa
The arc tangent of the angle is Sparshachapa

By Jya, Bramhmagupta meant 5 degrees of a sign of 30 degrees. Hence a Zodiacal Sign consists of 6 Jyas ( 30 degrees ) . The Zodiac of 360 degrees was divided into 4 quarters of 90 degrees each. Three Jyas of 30 degrees each becomes a quadrant of the Zodiac and was called Thrijya. Thrijya is also the Radius, the Vyasardha.

His magnum opus, the Brahmasphuta Siddhanta was translated by the Arabs as As Sind Hind. Jya became jiba and Kotijya became kojiba in Arabic. It was translated into Latin as sinus ( meaning " bosom " ). So Sinus and Co-sinus when translated into English became Sine and Cosine !

The Aryabhateeyam of Aryabhata was translated by the Arabs as Al Arjabhat. Trignometry is derived from the Sanskrit Thrikonamithi and Geometry from Jyamithi !

The Celestial Meridian, the Nadi Vritta

All celestial bodies appear to rise in the east, travel westward and set in the west, because of this relative diurnal motion. When the axis of the earth's rotation is extended, it meets the Celestial Sphere on two diametrically opposite points called Celestial Poles. The one in the direction of the Earth's north pole is called the North Celestial Pole and the one in the opposite direction is called the South Celestial Pole.

The Celestial Horizon, the Kshitija

To the observer standing at a place on the surface of the earth and looking around describing a full circle, the earth appears to meet the Heavens along a circle. From the observers' frame of reference, this circle is called the Celestial Horizon, the Khshitija.

The Celestial Meridian, the Nadi Vritta

Almost 90 degrees to the Celestial Horizon, you will find another circle ( the line perpendicular to the plane of the horizon ). This Circle is the Celestial Meridian. The highest point on this Celestial Meridian is called Zenith, the MC and the lowest, the Nadir or IC.

The 18 Siddhantas !

Astronomical Knowledge is known in Sanskrit as Siddhanta. Transcendental Knowledge is Vedanta.

There are 18 astronomical treatises compiled by 18 Seers. Each Siddhanta is named after its author. They deal exhaustively with Astronomy.

They are

Surya Siddhanta
Pitamaha Siddhanta
Vyasa Siddhanta
Vasishta Siddhanta
Atri Siddanta
Parasara Siddhanta
Kashyapa Siddhanta
Narada Siddhanta
Garga Siddhanta
Marichi Siddhanta
Manu Siddhanta
Angira Siddhanta
Lomasa Siddhanta
Paulasa Siddhanta
Yvana Siddhanta
Chyavana Siddhanta
Bhrigu Siddhanta


These are the main astronomical treatises. There are others like Arya Siddhanta by Aryabhata II, Brahma Sphuta Siddanta by Brahmagupta and Maha Bhaskareeya by Bhaskara.

The Celestial Sphere, the Khagola !

When we look up at the heavens on a clear night, we find a multitude of celestial bodies, illuminating the sky with their radiance. It looks like a large hollow hemisphere, with the observer at the center. The planets and the luminaries seem to be scattered thorough the heavens at large distances.

This picture of the observer, the sky as a large crystalline hemisphere , is a very convenient model for the study of the Heavens.

This hemispherical model of the heavens is called Khagola, the Celestial Sphere. Another geocentric model, the Khagola is an imaginary sphere of large radius.

Astronomy, Maths and Astrology ( Siddhanta, Samhita and Hora ) are considered to be Apaurusheya, divine in origin. They were revealed to the Rishies in higher states of Consciousness and hence are revealed sciences. Descendit e Caelo, they cometh from Heaven !

Their date of compilation is believed to be 12th century BCE

Rotation, Revolution & Diurnal Motion

The earth rotates about its own axis, from west to east in the course of a day. Due to this rotation, the observer is carried eastward. But the observer is unaware of his motion in space. To the observer, the Celestial Sphere with all the heavenly bodies, is seen as rotating from east to west. This apparent westward motion of the heavenly objects is known as the diurnal motion.