Nakshatras    Model Exercise 1  Model Exercise 1B

Days, Signs, Planets

This book is being written without dealing with the mathematical part. If you read it step by step and then see your own and others’ horoscope, you will be able to understand, technically, the astrological discussion. You will also get familiar with the terminology of Hindu astrology. 

Days of the Week

1. To do that remember the first lesson in three parts: start counting the weekdays – Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. These seven days represent seven planets – Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn.

2. In Hindu astrology we make use of two other planets, called the shadowy planets, called Rahu and Ketu. This gives you a total of nine planets. It is why we have the famous navagraha stotra or worship of nine planets. Note : In Hindu astrology we do not use, Uranus (Herschel), Pluto and Neptune. In the scheme of stotra these planets have no place, though an American has given mantras for these three planets also in his book which is not given in any book of Hindu astrology we have or know of. Note : Now, also remember the sacred number 108 which are the number of beads we have in the garland, of tulasi or rudraksha with which we do our japam.

3. The part of the first lesson is: there are twenty seven nakshatras that we make use of in Hindu astrology. It is a very remarkable, brilliant and subtle division which is being explained later. Each nakshatra has four equal parts. Again you will see that twenty-seven multiplied by four gives you one hundred and eight number (108) which are the number of beads we have in the garland, of tulasi or rudraksha with which we do our japam.

Now see all this in the table given here:

Name of Day	Ruler of the Day
1. Ravivar or  Sunday	1. Ravi, Surya, Bhanu or Sun
2. Somavar or Monday	2. Chandra, Indu or Moon or Luna
3. Mangalvar orTuesday	3. Mangal, Kuja or Mars
4. Budhavar or Wednesday	4. Budha or Mercury
5. Brihaspativar or Thursday	5. Guru, Brihaspati or Jupiter
6. Shukravar or Friday	6. Shukra, Bhargava or Venus
7. Shanivar or Saturday	7. Saturn, Shani, or Manda

Note : Rahu and Ketu cannot be seen through any telescope like other planets. Yet, how effective and accurate is their use in Hindu astrology clearly proves that the ancient rishis combined their knowledge of physical sciences with metapysical knowledge which we call Yogic.

The Twelve Houses 

When Lord Rama was going to enter Lanka in his battle with the demon king, Ravana, Maharshi Agastya asked him to worship the Sun God first. It is known as the famous Aditya Hridayam Stotra. In one part of the stotra, there is the famous Surya Mandal Stotra of twelve stanzas. These twelve stanzas are the worship of the Sun’s movement into twelve houses, which represent the twelve well known calendar months. These twelve houses are called the Bhachakra in Sanskrit or the Zodiac. 

Each house has a space of thirty degrees, which when multiplied by twelve gives us three hundred and sixty degrees. The Bhachakra in Sanskrit or the Zodiac has a total span of three hundred and sixty degrees.

Each house, better call it RASHI, has a name and stretches upto thirty degrees each. It is shown in the table given below.

What is a Horoscope?

A horoscope is a diagram. South Indians and north Indians use diferent diagrams. There is no difference in the predictions given on their basis. A horoscope is also described as a map of man's destiny.

Now first see the horoscopic forms and note the difference between them:

Note : Now do series of exercises to get used to both of horoscopes 

Note : You must do this exercise as you will always get horoscopes in both forms.