1. Modern western astrologers use the tropical abstract Zodiac, suggesting that the Sun comes to the same point on the vernal equinox. Vedic astrologers take into account the sidereal (fixed) horoscope. The Universe expands constantly, stars move little by little, they do not stand still.
The Sun returns to the same point every year with a little displacement, which is approximately 50 1 / 3 arc-second. This Sun’s shift back against the stars is called precession or ayanamsha. The Indian astrology considers this very slight shift which is 23 degrees for 2000 years. The coincidence of two Zodiacs falls on spring equinox of 285 AD. Thereby the first difference between a Vedic and Western chart is that the planets and Lagna are shifted back by approximately 23 degrees 52 minutes depending on the date of birth.
2. In the Vedic astrology each house takes a whole sign even if the Ascendant sign falls on the first degree. In the Western astrology one sign can cover up to three houses.
3. There are no Rahu and Ketu in the Western astrology (at least until recently), the shadow planets, which are important characteristics of human karma and other important moments. Westerners use the planets Uranus, Pluto, Neptune, and now even Chiron. However, in order to check their influence we need hundreds of years. Moreover, the modern Western schools now are beginning to consider smaller planets and even comets.
Here You can find the article completely refutes their influence .
In Vedic astrology uses only the Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and two moon nodes: Rahu (Dragon Head) and Ketu (Dragon Tail). Thus, the Vedic astrologer works with the nine planets, and also in the interpretation of some moments sometimes it is used 10 upagrah or dark planets such as: Dhuma, Vyatipata, Paridhi, Indrachaapa, Upaketu, Mandi, Gulick, Kaala, Yamagantaka, Ardhaprahara and Mrityu.
4. The Western astrology attaches great importance to the position of the Sun in a specific sign (it is there for one month). And the Vedic astrology to the position of the Moon in a sign (2 days) and Lagna, the Rising sign, ascendant, which varies every 2 hours on average. From the position of the Vedic astrology it is rather strange to hear people read their psychological characteristics, prognosis for the future and determine their compatibility with others on the basis of month they were born.
5. The Western astrologers use mostly for predictions transits of the planets, as well as progression, solarium and Lunar. So far there are few of those who have mastered this knowledge well and can make successful predictions. I have heard from people who teach Western astrology and advise for many years that their system is unable to make successful predictions. Therefore they began calling themselves the psychological astrologers, humanistic, etc. Although in my view psychological analysis there is quite superficial.
In the Vedic astrology it was paid approximately 10% of attention on transits. The remaining predictions were made based on various systems: das (periods), primarily Vimshotari-dasa, where as a basis was taken the position of the Moon in a particular Nakshatra (Lunar mansion). The Vedic astrology uses many different systems of periods of the planets, Dasha systems, the most common of which is Vimshottari-dasa, 120-year cycle of the nine planets. Also in the Vedic astrology there are different systems of the signs periods, when signs and not planets rule certain spheres of a human life. In both cases each of the periods is ruled by the certain planet or sign that bring into play the potential of a birth chart. In total there are about fifty systems of periods (of the planets or signs) that allow the Jyotish achieve high accuracy in predicting events of a human life, especially the time of their occurrence. In the Western astrology such systems of periods are absent.
Greeks still had this knowledge but later on it disappeared, was lost. Some Western researchers and astrologers are trying now to restore this “Greek†system. According to many people dealing with the Western Astrology for a long time and acquaint with such kind of knowledge, this system of periods amazes its accuracy.
Almost every my course was attended by several people who practiced the Western astrology for many years. Most of them afterwards completely went over to the Vedic astrology and the rest combined both of them.
6. The Vedic astrology uses 27 Nakshatras (lunar mansions) which are of great importance, makes it possible to see much deeper any person’s chart, any event. Some Western astrologers also started to use this knowledge lately. Arabs, in their turn, copied it from the Vedas, obtained by them in the process of conquest, and gave it their name. Greeks and Persians also had knowledge about the Nakshatras.
Position of the planets in the Nakshatras (firstly of the Moon, the rising sign, the Sun) enables to reveal quite a lot. Each Nakshatra takes 13, 20 degrees and is divided into 4 parts (pads). Eexactly Nakshatras show under what star a person was born.
7. Western astrologers use only one chart, natal. Vedas astrologers say: yes, it is most important, but also there is no less important a chart, moon chart, plus 16 extra charts (Vargas), which help to see in detail all aspects and areas of life, to penetrate deeply human psychology, including the subconscious.
The Vedic Astrology also has many tools that are unique and are not used in the Western astrology. These are Karaki or indicators that provide an understanding of different categories of people or other spheres of human life, and also other prediction methods such as: Ashtakavarga, Sudarshan Chakra Chakra Sarvatobhadra, Saham, etc. as well as dozens of Lagnas, argalas, Sahams, various chakras varshaphal, ayurdaya, avasthas, Prashna, navatara, upagrahas, nadis, etc.
All of them are part of the objective reality and always act together. In the Western astrology is considered maximum of 5% of the real picture.
8. Vedic astrologers use yogas, connection of the planets. There are thousands of yogas (planetary combinations), only a few hundred basic. There are still schools in India that teach only yogas, and owing to this can analyze a chart well enough and fairly deep. Western astrologers do not know about this at all.
9. The system of aspects interpretation is also different. Aspect in astrology means the influence of one object to another (one planet “looks” at the other), that is as the influence is transmitted over a distance. In the Vedic astrology different planets give different aspects according to their nature, in the Western astrology aspects of all the planets are the same. In the Jyotish aspects are asymmetrical (that is the aspect of 90 degrees ahead of the planet is not the same as the aspect of 90 degrees back of the planet), in the Western astrology aspects are symmetrical. In the Western astrology there are many aspects and they are calculated on the basis of the degrees of the planets, in the Jyotish there are no so much aspects and they are calculated based on the houses of the planets (the planet in the house “looks” at all the planets in another house and the sign of the house). In the Western astrology aspects themselves can be good and bad, in the Jyotish planets are considered to be favorable or unfavorable and not their aspects. Also, there are no aspects of the signs in the Western astrology, in the Jyotish along with aspects of the planets there are aspects of the signs.
10. The Vedic astrology uses a deeply studied upaya system (methods of the planetary influences harmonizing), as well as Ayurveda (medicine and psychology), etc.
11. In the Vedic astrology much attention is paid to the personality of an astrologer, qualities of character, spiritual level, Sadhana (daily spiritual practice). In the Western astrology it is not important.
12. The Vedic astrology was given by enlightened sages in meditation many years ago and was a part of the Vedas. The Modern Western astrology is just fragments of some knowledge. The Vedic astrology was transmitted by Parampara (the chain of disciples’ continuity) for many millennia. From India it spread to Persia (exactly Persian astrologers predicted the coming of Jesus Christ), then to ancient Greece where it was still closely connected with its roots. Later on, with the spread of Christianity, astrology sometimes was forbidden, sometimes was allowed, many books and knowledge were lost in Europe. In the 19 century in Europe astrology was completely forgotten, as it was believed that as technology was developed there would not be need for it. It was revived in the 20 century, more like a commercial project. It became popular to give different kinds of predictions in the media (for the week, month, year, etc.), comments, and mostly in accordance with the position of the Sun, which is usually far from objectivity; also it was mixed up with the magic, etc. All this causes much damage to the very word Astrology.
Most importantly the Jyotish (Vedic astrology) places God at the center of the universe, while the Western astrology, with its characteristic materialist approach, holds Him out of the world picture, and aims to exploit the resources of the material universe. In the Vedic astrology there is an important principle of the guru (spiritual teacher), or Ishta Devata, without whose blessing an astrologer has no right to engage in predictions, as in the Western astrology there are no restrictions, even a self-taught can engage in astrology. The Jyotish in Sanskrit means “light”, the divine light, and the Vedic astrology is the science of how to shed God light on people. The main objective of a real Vedic astrologer is to bring a person closer to God’s love, at the same time helping to solve problems existing in the material world.
“Astrology” is just a“stars science” and even the word itself is with the implication that a man is a master of nature (as in any other physical sciences).
The main objective of the real Vedic astrologer is to bring a person closer to God’s love and of the secondary importance, helping at the same time to solve all kinds of problems existing in the material world.
Early Christianity had rejected astrology as struggling with the authority of Magi, priests, shamans, and in general any competing spiritual outlook, even though Christ’s birth was predicted and marked by rising a star, which is one of the branches of the astrology, astrology signs.
Interestingly, the official prohibition of astrology was in 4th century.
Neither Jesus nor his disciples opposed the astrology. The same applies to the Old Testament. Eight years ago in Israel I was lent a book of well-known Rabbi about the planetary influences on human health and the fate of the USA, who adduces hundreds of evidences, relying on the Holy Scriptures and sayings of sages, confirming the authority of astrology.
In the 3rd century after the church rejected a treatise on the Transmigration of a soul and formulated religious dogmas that could help including in political issues, governing a state, astrologers were quite useless.
This prohibition had a positive moment, it forbade people to turn to fortune-tellers and astrologers for the future prediction. Only God knows the future. Astrology besides the approximate vision of the future, could tell quite exactly when to begin certain activities such as planting crops, taking medication, religious sacrifices, etc.
Brushing aside this knowledge, civilization doomed itself to a lot of lean years, epidemics of many diseases, poverty.
This prohibition broke the tradition of the Western astrology and, most importantly, the spiritual basis of the astrology was lost, it was alienated from the understanding of the law of causes and effects, the law of karma.
Although modern Western astrologers started using the word “karma†and “reincarnationâ€, but obviously these words are new in their vocabulary. Even 50-100 years ago there were very few people in the society who believed in the transmigration of souls, and several hundred years ago it was possible to be burnt for saying such words.
Speaking about the scientific character of the Vedic astrology, we mean three factors that are assigned primary importance by those who practice the science of the Vedic Astrology:
1. The basic principle is to mention the author of classic works on Jyotish (Vedic astrology) at discussing the astrological techniques, beginning with the great enlightened sages who lived thousands years ago, to many noted astrology pundits AD.
2. If this technique is consistent with the shastras principles (classical Vedic scriptures), then it must stand the test of logic and common sense (nyaaya), that is should be the logical extension of existing established principles.
3. If the above two factors are confirmed, the proposed principle must also pass a test on a large number of randomly selected cards.
Along with these three factors also need to study and detailed explanation of the principles of Vedic astrology because the classical works are not complete, since many parts were lost, and many topics are only a very brief explanation, which need to be developed to become practically applicable .
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am a supporter of objective and unprejudiced opinion, but in this article the Vedic astrology is colored. That is my opinion after about 20 years of studying and teaching this science.
Finally, many people now have noticed the growing popularity of the Vedic astrology and have started to teach or advise actively without having proper skills and knowledge. On the other hand there are intuitive and very spiritually advanced people who use the Western astrology in consultations. Therefore, in this issue all determines the personality. Harmonious personality, even using unsuitable tools can help you more than that one, who uses a precision tool but unskillfully. The same medication may be prescribed by two different doctors and the result will be different. The energy and development level of doctor’s, psychologist’s, astrologer’s, teacher’s personality can scarcely be overestimated.
Rami Bleckt
