Astroज्योतिष

Today's teaching

“Wealth is the star for wealth; what will the stars do?”
— Kautilya, Arthashastra IX.4

Library · Teachers · Parashara (as the sage of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra) · core about 600–800 CE; modern recension 20th century

Parashara: the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra

The teaching of the book most Indian astrologers use, in its own order and in plain English: the planets and their exact dignities, the sixteen divisions, the six strengths, the good and bad lords and the yogas, the movable significators and arudhas, the many dasha systems, the ashtakavarga, and the remedy chapters — with the book's history stated honestly. 9 chapters, 7,279 words.

  1. Parashara and the bookThe sage and the book: the dialogue of Parashara and Maitreya, what historians say about its date, the modern editions and their differences, the numbering this book uses, and how to read 'Parashara says'.672 words
  2. Planets, signs and dignitiesBPHS 3, 5, 7, 8, 26, 32: the planets' exact exaltation and moolatrikona degrees, the rule that generates natural friendships, temporal and compound friendship, the share of results by dignity, the shadow points (upagrahas) and Gulika, the special ascendants, the groups of houses, the significators of the houses, and the graded and sign-based aspects.933 words
  3. The sixteen divisionsBPHS 6–7: the sixteen divisional charts, how each is counted, what each is read for, where the text is unclear and a convention is needed, the classes of dignity across the divisions, and the twenty-point Vimshopaka strength with its four schemes.878 words
  4. The six strengthsBPHS 27–28: the six-fold strength in virupas — positional, directional, temporal, motional, natural and aspectual — every component's rule, the minimum totals and component minima, the strength of houses, and the 'good and bad results' (ishta and kashta) of each planet.896 words
  5. Good and bad lords, and the yogasBPHS 34–42 and 75: functional benefics and malefics by lordship, the yogakaraka and the kendra–trikona raja yoga, the yoga-givers for each ascendant, the thirty-two Nabhasa yogas, Gajakesari, Lakshmi and the other named yogas, the yogas of the Moon and Sun, the raja, royal-service, wealth and poverty yogas, and the five great persons.1,031 words
  6. Significators, arudhas and argalaBPHS 29–33: the arudha padas (the image of a house) with Parashara's exceptions, the upapada for marriage, argala and its obstruction, the movable significators ranked by degree and the fixed ones, and the karakamsa — the Jaimini-like techniques inside the BPHS.675 words
  7. The dashasBPHS 46–51: Vimshottari and its sub-periods, Ashtottari and the conditional systems with their conditions, Yogini, the Kalachakra, the special ascendants' dashas, Chara and the other sign-based dashas, and the rules for sub-periods of sign dashas — with the points the text leaves open.844 words
  8. The ashtakavargaBPHS 66–72: why Parashara gives the ashtakavarga (to reduce the uncertainty of prediction), the dots and lines, the benefic places, the triangle and same-lord reductions in the BPHS's version, the pinda and its multipliers, and where the transcribed text differs from the standard table.527 words
  9. Women, curses, births and remediesBPHS 80–96 as history: the chapter on women's charts and the root of Mangala dosha, the chapter of curses from past lives (mainly as explanations of childlessness), the 'inauspicious births' and their rites, and the remedy chapter — worship, mantra, fire offering and gifts, with no gemstones.823 words

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