ब्लॉग

In the foundational teachings of Vedic Jyotiṣa, the first part of the body of Nārāyaṇa was divided into four parts. If we consider the entire body as an endless circle, dividing it by four gives quarters of 90° each. For this, we use a special term called Kendra. The Sanskrit word Kendra literally means a center. If we speak of directions, we have only four principal directions—East, West, North, and South. Each of these is called a Kendra because, at any given time, when we face one direction, the other three are completely out of our sight.

As you know, we have short contact classes where we teach some subjects of PJC and get the opportunity to meet students. This interaction is very beneficial for both, as ultimately it follows the guru–śiṣya paramparā, the ancient Indian traditional system of learning. In the Gurukula system, it was envisioned that the guru (plural: gurus; feminine: gurvī) would be like elders in a joint family, and the students would be like children. Age was never a factor, as learning was open to all ages and all stages of life.

As a subject, Jyotiṣa has several major branches, including:

Lakṣaṇa Śāstra – the study of bodily features, signs, and omens in the surroundings. This includes palmistry (hasta-rekhā śāstra), which is associated with Subrahmaṇya or Kārtikeya.
Hora Śāstra – the domain of Gaṇeśa.
Gaṇita Śāstra – mathematics, including Vedic numerology, is another major branch.

All these come under the three divisions: Gaṇita, Hora, and Saṁhitā.

Once, a debate (śāstrārtha) took place between Kārtikeya and Gaṇeśa, with Lord Śiva as the judge. Kārtikeya composed the entire Lakṣaṇa Śāstra, while Gaṇeśa composed Hora Śāstra.