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.
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.
Considered as India’s biggest and first social reality show, the Green Kerala Express is a successful S R show, by the govt of the coastal state of Kerala.
There is a grand jury consisting of PhDs and the 1223 Panchayats, the Corporations and the Municipalities of Kerala will come under the scanner. It has received 250 entries so far from the residents of Kerala. A whopping 213,000 USD will be awarded to the best Corporation, Panchyath and Municipality, after 100 days of intense competition. Projects will be selected and there will be video documentation. The leaders of Panchayats who are selected will have to answer the learned Jury’s questions. The august assembly or audience can vote via text messages.
By Green is meant Sustainable Agriculture, Organic Farming, water conservation, health, food and social security, eco friendly homes, atmospheric non pollution, education, energy, housing and women’s empowerment, in a land burdened by overpopulation and scarce resources.
There are some good examples like a village that ditched pesticides for Organic Farming. Waste was converted into biofuel by one village’s initiative , and another village replaced incandescent bulbs with flouoscent bulbs. Another village is based on Bio Gas. Another village which solved its potable water problem was highlighted. The Green Initiative is spreading worldwide and will sweep the world.
Education or Wisdom is great and is the teacher of teachers. It is time India invested in R & D in Agri and educated its people about both Bio Technology and Organic Farming and the necessity of keeping the land green and improved her agri infrastructure. Now there is an awakening and 32 lakh trees were planted on Environment Day. 2000 trees were planted at the Trichur Medical College Healing Garden and 200 gooseberry seedling were planted by Oushadi, the state’s Ayurvedic arm at the nearby Santhvana Vana. More than 10 million trees will be planted in Kerala !
I hope they include Bio Dynamics and Astro Meterology as part of Organic Farming.
The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values for building a sustainable society. Humanity is called upon to create a global partnership to protect the Environment, human rights, human development and sustainable living.
The Ark of the Gaia Covenant means protecting Gaia, the Earth, the Mother who gave birth to mankind.
Isnt Nature the first teacher of Man ? Didnt Man first experience the Divine in the stillness of the woods ?
In Natural Philosophy, Sankhya, Universal Nature and Universal Time are the two main principles which are responsible for the world.
Time is the Creator, Time is the Preserver, Time is the Destroyer and Universal Nature is His consort ! (Sarvam Kalena srijyanthe, Sarvam Kalena Palayanthe, Sarvam Kalena Samhriyante ).
Time is the all consuming Power Of mighty Absolute ! The foolish Ego thinks it is the doer But is afraid of Time !
Theology or Anti Paganism tries to convert people into dogmatic and superstitiious believers of an extra cosmic God ! It is time for us to choose between the forces of Darkness and the forces of Light. This is the Golden Age of Enlightenment and the ignorant have no place in the Age of Enlightenment !
Bio Regionalism is a system of Philosophy which highlights the Enviroment. Its exponent Gary Snyder is considered as the Poet Laureat of Deep Ecology.
Gay Snyder was attracted to Zen and drew his inspiration from the writings of D T Suzuki. He was inspired by Zen’s attitude towards Nature and the Environment.
Zen is nothing but esoteric Buddhism and Snyder was attracted towards Buddhism and ( through its sciences and arts ) to East’s traditional attitudes towards Nature.
Did not Lord Buddha say
Know that which ye sow ye reap See yonder fields The sesamum was sesamum, the corn was corn The Silence and the Darkness knew So is a man’s Fate born ! ( The Light of Asia )
Even though Buddhism does not postulate the concept of a Divine Judge, Nature substitutes Him ! What ye sow ye reap becomes the Grand Law of Causation, the Law of Karma and Universal Nature is the Judge.
Biio Regionalism sees ecoregioins as bioregions and highlights the unique ecology of the bioregion. B R encourages the use of local foods and local materials. The cultivation of native plants in the bioregion is highlighted. Native traditional wisdom, which is benevolent to that particular bioregion, is given prime importance.
BR opposes consumer culture and a homogenous economy. It is obvious that Bio Regionalism is based on the Wisdom of Nature.
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.
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.
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 !
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.
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.
