In Search of Jyotish- A Journey into The World of Vedic Astrology

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I am an earnest seeker of Jyotisa, having an unquenching thirst for learning this discipline I was born in Dhanu Lagna, Vricika Rai and Anuradha Naksatra, on a Navami Tithi, when Brhaspati was in Kumbha, Sani, in Mithuna, and Sürya, in Sinha. In my thirteenth year, I stepped into the world of Jyotisa in 1988, and after that, guided by divine providence, to study it seriously I was guided by my paternal uncle and my first Jyotisa Guru, Sri Manoj Kánti Poddar, an accomplished Jyotisasastri and a Sakti Sadhaka. My father was also a Sakti Sadhaka and an accomplished Palmist. Therefore, I was born into a family of Jyotisis and Sakti Sadhakas, and Jyotisa is running down my family lineage.

I studied palmistry from 1988 to 1993, and eventually, in 1993, I got introduced to Jyotisa through Dr BV Raman's astrological magazine. I commenced my learning through the astrological magazine for months. After that, it continued through a Bengali edition of Brhatparasara and Sarvärtha Cintamani that my uncle gave me. During my initial years, I learned immensely from Dr Raman's books, Hindu Predictive Astrology and How to Judge a Kundali Vol I and II. In 1999, Pt Sanjay Rath accepted me as his student, an event I always cherish. It was the beginning of learning advanced Jyotisa. From him, I learned several advanced topics, including Aruthas, Argalis, Vargas, Tithi Pravesa Cakra ete. His books, Crux of Vedic Astrology Timing of Events and Jaimini Maharsi's Upadesa Sutras, remained my constant companion for several years.

In my studies over thirty-three years, I always endeavoured to uncover the hidden meaning behind the slokas and sutras and reconcile the principles across several classical texts. My search slowly took the shape of this book, which is why I named it "In Search of Jyotisa". I started penning down my thoughts and experiences in a blog. "http://varahamihira.blogspot. Com in 2004, and later continued to write in other mediums such as Facebook, Medium.com, and LinkedIn.com. I kept my pen name as Varahamihira in honour of the great Jyotisakastri, who adorned the court of king Vikramaditya as one of his Navaratnas (nine jewels).

Who am I? It is difficult to say who I am. Different people see me in so many different ways. From my viewpoint, I am a soul trapped inside the world of illusion! I am not a Pundit, Acarya, or Guru, who claims to be a master of this discipline. I am merely a seeker who wishes to share his observations and experiences with like-minded seekers. I encountered numerous challenges navigating the arduous path of Jyotisa. In this book, I am narrating my reflections with a sincere prayer so it could be of some help to others in their journey.

Astronomy is the basis of Astrology, and as the Sastras state, Siddhanta is the mathematical component of Jyotisa. One must study the Siddhanta to understand how the ancient Maharsis and Acaryas computed the Graha positions. Learning the evolution and history of a subject is as much important as the current state of the subject.

The knowledge of computation of planetary positions in the sky is only a starting point in the entire field of astronomy. After covering the method of determining the Longitude and Latitude of a Graha, Süryasiddhanta moves on to apply that in ascertaining astronomical events such as Yuti (conjunction), Astangata (combustion), Grahayuddha (planetary fights), Vakragati (retrogression), Grahana (eclipse) and several others.

This book is about understanding the computation behind such astronomical events and their astrological effects. To an inexperienced eye. books such as Suryasiddhanta may appear merely a mathematical astronomical treatise, but in reality, a Jyotisa text covers both Astronomy and Astrology. For Jyotisa, Astronomy is the body, and Astrology is its soul. Therefore, one must focus on both.

The knowledge of this domain is extensive, and this book only serves as an introduction to the mathematical-minded Jyotisis. I have briefly covered the astrological effects of Astangata, Vakragati, Grahayuddha, Grahana etc., but a detailed study of each of these areas would require more extensive effort.

**Contents and Sample Pages**