QUESTION:

I was watching a video by Narasimha Rao, expressing the view that one would use sidereal or tropical zodiac depending on the purpose. For example, in a “static” situation like a birth chart Narasimha always uses the sidereal zodiac; but in a “timing” situation, like for example examination of the annual horoscope (either using Tajika or Tithi Pravesha chart), he always uses the tropical zodiac.

I found it “intellectually honest” for a very traditional Hindu astrologer like Narasimha, who had Sanjay Rath as one of his teachers, to say that in progressed situations one should ALWAYS use tropical zodiac instead of sidereal zodiac. At the same time his approach is still to continue using sidereal for natal horoscope.

What is your view on Narasimha Rao’s approach?

My Reply

I also find it pretty encouraging that he accepts the tropical zodiac for certain situations.

I agree that tropical and sidereal coordinates co-exist and are not mutually exclusive. I say there are two ways to measure space: One is based on the moon’s relationship to sun and stars; The other is based on the Sun’s relationship to the moon and earth. Measuring the moon’s relationship to the sun and stars results in drawing 27 constellation fields (nakshatra, the sidereal stars). Measuring the Sun’s relation to the moon and earth results in drawing 12 solar fields (rashi / the tropical signs).

A fuller description of my outlook can be found here: vicdicara.com/tropical .

Mr. Rao’s approach seems to demand the idea that Aries is a location, but not always the same location. Sometimes it’s over here (a sidereal location). Sometimes it’s over there (a tropical location). This doesn’t sit well with my sense of reason and logic.

My approach lets Aries be a fixed, permanent location, it’s always “over here” (at the ascending node of the Sun and the equator) and never anywhere else (like at some angle to a star. What is sidereal, in my system, is not Aries, Taurus, etc. But Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī, etc. So, in my system, sidereal co-exists not by offering an alternate definition of Aries and the rest, but by defining an alternate way of looking at the same space (in 27 stellar segments, the nakshatra).

There is a much fuller description of my system at the link above.