BOOKS ON INDIAN ASTROLOGY (JYOTISH) IN ENGLISH

For the longest time, astrology has piqued the curiosity of the masses and has always been a mystery. How a distant celestial object is observed by the gifted few on Earth and how its ever-changing movement impacts the events of our world is still not understood by many. Among the countless astrology questions that puzzle the human mind, one of them is how exactly does astrology work? To understand that, we must first acquaint ourselves with what astrology is. Astrology is the study of planetary positions and the alignment of stars in relation to the Earth to predict the events of the future to a great extent. It is the science that bridges the gap between the world on earth and the one beyond the sky.

Vastu Shastra is an ancient Sanskrit manual of architectural and scientific writings that was formed around 3000 BC, it contains Vastu vidya which is a broader collection of principles of designs. Vastu Shashtra includes layouts of houses, roads, shops, gardens, and even designs of the Mandir. Pandits were the architects of Vastu Shashtra popularly known as Sthapati. Few theories suggest that the formation of the Indus Valley Civilization including cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro was planned according to the Vastu Shastra. Vastu Shastra\'s main intent is to harmonize and balance the flow of energies, wherein the directional alignment is solely to promote prosperity and a positive aura. Vastu Doshas are imbalances in a space that can lead to issues like career obstacles, mental stress, relationship differences, and economic instability. It could be of several different types like residential vaastu, commercial vaastu, spiritual vastu, and Vastu in daily life. Most houses and buildings these days are not built according to the Vastu Shashtra, in most cases we cannot change the layout of the interiors so, focus on ways to balance the negative elements and remove the doshas from the place.

Vastu – The traditional Indic System of Architecture Background The term Vāstu-Śāstra has been in use to denote the compendium of architectural knowledge not only of buildings and their constituents, but also of the construction of markets, towns, streets, drains, sewers, bridges, ferries, ports, wells, bath-tanks, reservoirs, dams, embankments, parks, gate ways, arches, ladders, flights of steps to hill-tops and so on. As another term for Śilpaśāstrā the knowledge of iconography and sculpture, VŚ was meant to deal with the art and craft of all artefacts like bedsteads, couches, palanquins, wardrobes, baskets, cages, nests, lamps, costumes, coiffures, crowns and ornaments. This prescriptive compendium was also to deal with matters such as the features of the ideal site, soil conditions, planning and designing besides various normative factors such as gnomonic and astrological calculations.

Some people argue that science and spirituality are antithetical and do not make any connection with each other. Science has always been associated with the study on matter using statistical methods, analytical observations, and direct evidence. Many people have different views on spirituality. Some think of it as an inner inspiration while others take it as a serious subject to search for questions that are otherwise not answered by common people. “The more I work with the powers of nature, the more I feel God’s benevolence to man; The closer I am to the great truth that everything is dependent on the eternal creator and sustainer.” Many scientists in history did not believe in God, but there have been many who did. Let us try to understand these aspects profoundly.