Lords of Light
Jyotisha is a Sanskrit word that translates literally to ‘Lords of Light.’ The name refers to the light of the stars, and to the beings of light—devas or deities—whose virtues the stars embody. The name also refers to the mirroring inner light by which we know the divine. In the West, Jyotisha is often called Vedic Astrology, Hindu Astrology or Indian Astrology.
Eyes of the Vedas
The four Vedas—Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Arthava Veda—are foundational sacred texts of the Vedic and Hindu traditions, cognized in ancient times by rishis (seers). The Sanskrit word Veda translates to knowledge; the Vedas contain the sum of human knowledge in highly compressed and richly significant form.
Jyotisha is one of the six Vedangas, limbs of the Vedas. The Vedangas are bodies of knowledge and skill that enable us, when properly prepared and practiced, to recognize—cognize again—the sacred knowledge the Vedas contain. Vedic knowledge is knowledge of the sanatana dharma, the eternal truth, rectitude or way that is the core of all true and complete, and therefore sacred, knowledge.
Jyotisha is the Eyes of the Vedas because it is a vehicle of light whose practice gives active life to inner light. In the light of Jyotisha, we can see by our own practiced light divine will and cosmic law written in the light of the stars. As the Eyes of the Veda, Jyotisha renders visible—drishta—the otherwise invisible—adrishta—forces that profoundly shape human lives.