Difference of Opinions in Astrology!

One problem which Astrology as a science suffers is the lack of uniformity. Apart from that, another area of concern is the difference of opinions creeping up which causes a difference in the way a particular horoscope is viewed. These variations are especially prominent between the Northern and Southern parts of India especially. Let's look at a few areas in which various view points exist.

- Birth Star of Planets:
There is a branch of Astrology called DNA Astrology which places a lot of emphasis on the birth star of planets and this information is effectively obtained from a text called "Vichitra Jothidam". But there are also old Bengali texts mentioning about the constellations in which the 9 planets took birth and there appears to be some difference as seen below:

As per Vichitra Jothidam (followed in South):
Sun - Hastha
Moon - Mrigaseera
Mars - Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Pushya
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

As per old Bengali Texts:
Sun - Vishakha & Anuradha
Moon - Krithika & Rohini
Mars - Poorva Ashada & Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Shravana & Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni & Uthara Phalguni
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

Additionally Brahmanda Purana and Vayu Purana has it's own take on the birth stars of planets and the list as per it tallies mostly with Bengali texts with the exception of Venus. However just one birth star is been listed here like Vichitra Jothidam unlike olden bengali texts which provides information that some of the planets were born out of 2 constellations.
Birth stars as per Brahmanda Purana / Vayu Purana:
Sun - Vishakha
Moon - Krithika
Mars - Poorva Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni
Venus - Pushya
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)
Ketu - Ashlesha (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)

From viewing the above results, these seems to be a consistency maintained only with respect to Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. There is a mismatch especially with respect to Sun, Moon and Jupiter. For Mars, Venus and Mercury again the results don't blend perfectly when seen from all parameters.

- Special Navatara Chakra Scheme:
The Navatara Chakra or the Moon's asterisms play an important role in analysing which constellation plays a favorable role in the life of a native. Though there is no confusion of the Navatara as the name connotes 9 constellations but the total number is considered as 27 in some cases and also 28 in other cases. In South India for instance it's always only 27 stars whereas in pockets of Northern India, the factoring of Abhijit is made making the total as 28 stars. The difference creates an issue in the end result for eg the star which ends up coming as Vainasika pertains to destruction. Now let's say for a native who is born in Punarvasu Nakshatra, the 22nd Nakshatra from it namely Ashwini happens to be the star of destruction as per the 27 tara scheme. However when adopting the special 28 tara method, the Vainasika star changes to Bharani as the 23rd Nakshatra is considered in this case. This results in an altercation in analysis.

- Maraka Lords:
Maragathipathi or Maraka refers to the house lord that can cause a killing effect to the native. In general parlance and as advocated by most texts, the 2nd and 7th lord always end up being the Maraka Lords. However there is another opinion practiced in South which advocates the Maraka Lords based on the nature of the sign depending on whether it is movable, fixed or dual. The lordships associated as Maraka as per this means is as mentioned below:
Movable Sign - 2nd & 7th are Maraka Lords
Fixed Sign - 3rd & 8th are Maraka Lords
Dual Sign - 7th & 11th are Maraka Lords

- Panchanga Lords:
Here again there exists a difference of opinion. With respect to 3 of the elements viz Vara, Nakshatra & Yoga there isn't much headroom though of course there is always a question mark with respect to whether the Nakshatras need to always be as per the Vimshottari Dasa scheme or not. However on Tithi and Karana there is a difference. For eg. in South and backed up by the Kerala Text ''Krishneeyam'',  Sasthi Tithi is ruled by planet Jupiter whereas in the Northern frontier Venus is considered as ruler of Sasthi. Most Tithis undergo a change in the ruler ship lord and similar is the case with Karana. For instance Kaulava Karana is said to be ruled by Saturn in Southern folklore whereas in the Northern regions, it is said to be ruled by Mars.

- Arudha Padas:
Arudha Pada or Bhaveshat Bhavam is largely a Jaimini concept where we calculate the efficacy of a house based on the distance it has moved from it's ownership sign. For instance Arudha Lagna or AL for a Gemini Lagna whose sign owner is Mercury if placed in 8th sign in Capricorn will end up being Leo as we need to move 8 signs from Capricorn to reflect the Arudha Pada. There are some exceptions to this rule which states that Arudha cannot be the same sign as house lord or 7th from it in which case we need to add a further 10 signs to arrive at the result. This exception based rule is mainly followed in certain sections but however these exceptions are also discarded in some traditions with just the resultant Arudha sign taken into account irrespective of it being the same or 7th from it.

- Chara Karaka Basis:
This again is largely a Jaimini concept where significators are listed based on the degrees traversed in a sign by a planet. There is however an unending debate whether 7 planets from Sun to Saturn or an additional 8th planet Rahu also should be included in the framework. The opinions are so widespread on this that most of the times there is a possibility of ending up having the wrong Amatyakaraka or Darakaraka as the case maybe.

- Aspects and Ownership of Rahu/Ketu:
This can safely be assumed that as never going to be solved. There is always a lingering question mark when it comes to these two chaya Grahas and the opinions are always at a juggernaut. Though there is a general view point that Rahu & Ketu both don't possess any aspect, there is a mixed say with respect to the aspects considered in North and South India. In the North, Rahu & Ketu are believed to possess 5,7,9 aspect akin to Jupiter whereas almost everywhere in the South, if indeed aspects are considered only 3,7,11 are taken into account. With regard to ownership, there is a general view that Rahu owns Aquarius and Ketu co-lords Scorpio but this theory does not find much footing in the South where it is largely considered as not owning any houses of it's own in the zodiac.

- Numerology of Planets
Though this is not something explicitly related to Vedic Astrology, there is a linkage of numbers with each planet ruling a specific number from 1 to 9. Here again there is a difference with respect to some of the numbers based on which planet rules them. There is a Nakshatra specialization text called 'Kumaraswamiyam' which mentions the numbers ruled by each of the planets which is different from the norm and adopts the Vimshottari Dasa order beginning from Sun.

Number ruled by Planets (Common System):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Jupiter
4 - Rahu
5 - Mercury
6 - Venus
7 - Ketu
8 - Saturn
9 - Mars

Numbers ruled by Planets (As per Kumaraswamiyam following Vimshottari Dasa Sequence):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Mars
4 - Rahu
5 - Jupiter
6 - Saturn
7 - Mercury
8 - Ketu
9 - Venus

As you can see above, only numbers 1,2,4 align properly in both systems and there is quite a marked difference when it comes to the other numbers ruled by the planets. Mercury for instance lords #5 as per the common system but is controller of #7 when adopting the other. Likewise Venus undergoes a change moving from 6 to 9 and so do few other planets as well.

Conclusion:
These are some of the major differences of opinions that exist in the framework of a horoscope analysis. With such varied views prevalent, there can always be a question of debate arising and also toppling up the analysis with diverse variations brought into the fray. Further research coupled with intuition is perhaps the only means to bridge the gap to a certain measurable extent.

Ascertaining Influence in Planetary Conjunctions!

While delineating a horoscope, one of the hardest spots to crack happens to be planetary conjunctions. It becomes tighter when the going gets tougher with planets being closely aligned with one another and it's quite an onerous task to see who influences whom more and which planet has a far reaching impact when they are all congregated nearby each other. When it's a single planet sitting in a sign, results are always easier to decipher whereas when 2 of them combine it gets murkier and in situations where you have 3 or more planets close by the intricacies really start sizing up.

There is also a notion of conjunctions to be taking place only when planets are placed within the same zodiac sign. This is not entirely true as planets are ever revolving and we cannot really attribute it to the zodiac sign or house concept which is fixed in nature. For instance if Planet A is at 2° and Planet B is at 26° in the same sign say Capricorn, we tend to brand it as a conjunction whereas let's say there is a Planet C placed in the previous sign of Sagittarius at 29° we don't really always take Planet A & C to be conjunct despite them being just 3 degrees apart. To explain this with a simple illustration, we can consider a horoscope to be equivalent of a large building consisting of 12 storeys or compartments. These compartments are fixed in nature like the zodiac signs in the sky whereas these compartments will consist of a number of objects which get moved from one part of the building to another part. These objects correspond to the Planets which are always movable in nature from one place to another. Hence we cannot really categorize conjunctions only when planets fall in the same sign and in essence the distance between the planets matter a lot irrespective of the zodiac sign in which they are placed.

Now coming to the real deal, so how do we then evaluate planetary conjunctions? One factor to always keep in the back of the mind is the planetary table of friendship to know which of the planets maintain a friendly, inimical or neutral relationship with their respective counterparts. Secondly the difference in the degrees also matter a lot. Like in the above example of 2 planets sitting in the same sign but being well over 20 degrees from each other certainly doesn't suggest a conjunction since they happen to be too far and don't necessarily warrant an influence over one another. Additionally also it would be prudent to see the direction in which the planets are moving whether in forward mode or undergoing a retrogression movement. Let's now look at some key characteristics at play to understand planetary influence in conjunctions.

Strength of Planets:
This is absolutely essential to consider for evaluating planetary influence. The strongest to weakest planets of the Navagrahas are given as under:
Ketu -> Rahu -> Sun -> Moon -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Mercury -> Mars -> Saturn

This is backed by a verse from 'Hora Sara' that states "The strength of Mars is double of Saturn's. Mercury is four times stronger than Mars. Jupiter is eight times stronger than Mercury. Venus has eight times more strength than that of Jupiter. The Moon is sixteen times stronger than Venus, the Sun twice of the Moon and Rahu's strength is twice of the Sun's and hence Rahu is the strongest of the planets". This is also corroborated in Uttara Kalamrita which assigns points to the planets for Indu Lagna Calculation as such; Sun - 30, Moon - 16, Venus - 12, Jupiter - 10, Mercury - 8, Mars - 6 and Saturn - 1. The Indu Lagna calculations doesn't include Rahu & Ketu whereas in the verse above it's clearly stated that Rahu is more powerful than Sun. It clearly makes sense because as per mythology and also astronomy, it's mentioned that Rahu & Ketu are capable of swallowing both the Sun & Moon and it's only due to the phenomenon of the Nodes that eclipses even get formed. Between Rahu and Ketu however they are one and the same with the head portion denoting Rahu and body portion depicting Ketu. In astrological parlance however Ketu is said to be the strongest of them because it is said to be associated with a 5 faced snake and hence more powerful than Rahu but however this information as to which of the nodes is stronger isn't really relevant as they are always 180° apart and the major essence to take away is that the Nodes happen to be the strongest among the Navagrahas. Also to be kept in mind is that this is only planetary strength and there is no mention of degrees which have an important bearing with respect to planetary influence.

Asthanga and Samagama - Solar and Lunar Combustion:
When planets are within a particular distance of the Sun, they are said to lose their power and said to be in a combust or Ashtanga state. The planets are said to be obscured by the Sun and their rays don't fully land on the earth. It has been clearly defined also in texts about the degrees in which they are said to be combust. Solar Combustion takes place only when the planets Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus and Saturn are involved. Since Moon is always closer to the Earth, combustion doesn't apply and likewise Nodes are only shadow points and do not possess rays of any kind. Listed below are the degrees in which planets gets combust when they are close to Sun:
Mars 17°
Mercury 14°, 12° when retrograde
Jupiter 11°
Venus 10°, 8° when retrograde
Saturn 15°

Similar to Ashtanga, when the planets get closer to the Moon it is said to cause a phenomenon called 'Samagama' or Lunar Combustion. Since the Moon is always closer to earth, when any planet comes close to the Moon, it automatically means these planets in essence are also very close to the Earth. There is however no defined degrees of Lunar Combustion when planets get close to the Moon but however it re-iterates the theory that Moon is stronger than all the other planets when in a state of conjunction. Similar to Ashtanga, Samagama does not include Sun, Rahu & Ketu.

Planetary War or Graha Yuddha:
When 5 planets barring the luminaries and nodes viz Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn come within 1º distance from each other it is said to cause 'Planetary War' or 'Graha Yudha'. This concept doesn't utilizes the Sun, Moon, Rahu & Ketu and this only occurs when the 5 planets get extremely close ie within a degree distance of each other. Here again, it is stated that Venus never loses in a planetary war when associated with the other 4 planets again harping on the strength order of planets that Venus happens to be the strongest planet after the Nodes and the Luminaries. The victor in Planetary War sans Venus who always wins is decided based on the Latitude of the planets with the planet having more Northern Latitude said to come out on top and be the winner.

Yoga Formation within 12°:
This is a very important principle. It is stated in Uttara Kalamritam that when any 2 planets cause a yoga whether good or bad, it should be seen only when they are within 12° from each other. 12° can also be interpreted as One Tithi and this number is extremely pivotal in ascertaining results. It has also been stated that for effects to fructify, it is quite essential that planet slower in motion is ahead of the planet which is faster in motion. The slowest to fastest motion of the planets are as below:
Saturn -> Rahu/Ketu -> Jupiter -> Mars -> Sun -> Venus -> Mercury -> Moon

Thus we can witness during conjunction of planets which are within 12°, the faster planet should be behind and the slower planet should be ahead for it to be effective. This is also termed as an 'lthasala Yoga' and said to be benefic in general when a faster planet with less longitude is behind a slower planet with higher longitude. On the other hand there is also something called 'Easarapha Yoga' which in general is said to be inauspicious when a faster planet with greater longitude is ahead of a slower planet with lesser longitude.

Through this concept, it can be clearly understood that Mercury + Sun conjunction known as Buddha Aditya Yoga where Mercury the faster motion planet being in lesser degree than Sun the slower motion planet is more effective as compared to the other way round where Mercury is higher in degree than Sun. One exception to this rule however is when ascertaining Sun and Moon. If the Moon being the faster planet is behind the Sun within 12 degrees, it happens to be cudgeled by the Sun which is known as Ammavasya Tithi and also said to be a natural malefic as it's in Krishna Paksha or waning state. On the other hand when it is ahead of Sun but within 12 degrees, it is said to form Pratipada Tithi and attains waxing status of Shukla Paksha which also indicates natural benefic state of Moon. Though in both cases Moon happens to be in a dark state because of being close to the Sun, the latter is more auspicious as it enjoys the status of a natural benefic. One more point worth pondering is whether the planets are approaching each other or going away. For instance in a Venus + Jupiter conjunction where both are in forward motion with Venus the faster planet approaching Jupiter the slower planet could cause an auspicious yoga but just twisting the ratio and let's say Jupiter happens to be retrograde in which case both planets face each other to form a collision, it could indicate a far greater impact, be it good or bad.

Nadi Planetary Rule:
This is a specific Nadi rule with respect to Planetary influence when 2 or more planets are conjunct. It is said that the planet lower in degree is the one who is going to be influenced by the planet ahead in degree. This is based on a simple reasoning that the planets are always moving and the planet which is behind in degree is the one who will touch the forward planet and gather most of the significations of the higher degree planet and not the other way around. However if the planet ahead in degree happens to be in a retrograde state then both planets tend to influence each other a lot. A good way of understanding is through an example and let's say Venus in normal motion is behind Rahu which always travels backwards. In this case the influence is potent as both are coming towards each other. However reversing the equation and let's say Rahu is behind in degree than Venus, here the influence is relatively marginal as Rahu travels in a different direction as compared to Venus which goes in another direction with their paths not crossing one another.

Deeptamsa or Planetary Orbs of Influence:
This works on the theory of the span of degrees in which one planet has an orbital influence over the other. There is list of degrees given for each of the planets and they influence to this extent irrespective of whether a planet is behind or ahead of it. The planetary orbs are as follows:
Sun - 7°30'
Moon - 6°
Mars - 4°
Mercury - 3°30’
Jupiter - 4°30'
Venus - 3°30’
Saturn - 4°30'
Rahu - 6°
Ketu - 6°

This is semi arc degree of influence. For eg. if let's say Sun is placed in 16° in a sign. Since Sun's Deeptamsa range is 7°30', we would have to both add and subtract from the degree in which Sun is placed. Hence Sun's influence will be on any planet which is between 8°30' to 23°30' which in essence is +/- 7°30' from degree of the Sun.

Hence, these are the different theories at play when ascertaining Planetary conjunctions. It looks like there is much more than what meets the eyes with so many staggering combinations coming into the fray. But looking at things from a logical perspective will help in establishing the impact and influence which Planets instill on one another.

Summary:
- For conjunctions to take place Planets should be within 12° of each other irrespective of sign
- If conjunction test is met, then strength of planets should be ascertained from the order of Ketu -> Rahu -> Sun -> Moon -> Venus -> Jupiter -> Mercury -> Mars -> Saturn with nodes being strongest and Saturn being the weakest
- Always ascertain the degree of distance between the planets in conjunction and also check the relationship among planets in conjunction whether they are Friend/Enemy/Neutral
- In general planets in lower degree have a higher influence on planets ahead of it. This is however subject to planetary average motion speed and also factoring in effects of Retrograde planets
- Check the orbital influence which a planet has on another. Sometimes both could be influencing each other whereas in some cases one will have influence on the other and not the other way around which again will give clues as to which planet is the primary driver and which plays second fiddle

Synastry Matching - Compatibility of Zodiac Signs

The age old question of which Zodiac sign is compatible with which Zodiac sign has always raised eyebrows and is always a topic that arouses a lot of interest. Though there is no one stop solution to this, we can do it by exercising some caution to the wind and adopting a restrained approach by looking at a few definitive factors. It's of course a different matter when other planetary positions come into the fray. However for synastry matching, it's best to consider each others Ascendant as it determines the physical characteristics and also a slight consideration of Moon is perhaps pertinent as it is to do with the mind and denotes the mental framework.

The three best ways to analyse synastry would be by looking at the following factors:
Based on Nature - Movable or Cardinal, Fixed or Static, Dual or Mutable
Based on Element - Fire, Earth, Air, Water
Based on Planetary Relationship - Mars, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn

Blending the three I believe one will be able to establish some sort of perception and arrive at a conclusion whether at all the two signs in question bond in any way or not. Let's categorize these 12 zodiac signs based on the 3 factors mentioned.
Aries - Movable / Fire / Mars
Taurus - Fixed / Earth / Venus
Gemini - Dual / Air / Mercury
Cancer - Movable / Water / Moon
Leo - Fixed / Fire / Sun
Virgo - Dual / Earth / Mercury
Libra - Movable / Air / Venus
Scorpio - Fixed / Water / Mars
Sagittarius - Dual / Fire / Jupiter
Capricorn - Movable / Earth / Saturn
Aquarius - Fixed / Air / Saturn
Pisces - Dual / Water / Jupiter

It is also a good ploy to look at some key words associated with these 3 factors:
Based on Nature:
Movable - Promoting Change, Enterprising, Outgoing, Restless, Taking Control, Over Active
Fixed - Resistance to Change, Focus, Practical, Firm, Persistence, Stubborn,
Dual -  Constant Change, Flexible, Adaptable, Fluctuating, Indecisive, Inconsistent, Balance

Based on Element:
Fire - Action oriented, Outgoing, Impatient, Forceful, Enthusiastic, Impatient, Careless
Earth - Responsibility, Hard working, Organized, Practical, Stable, Reserved, Critical, Steady
Air - Socially Active, Communicative, Tolerant, Nervous, Superficial, Aloof, Eccentric
Water - Feelings, Imagination, Sensitive, Artistic, Intuitive, Psychic, Moody, Secretive, Unrealistic

Based on Planet:
Mars - Action, Energy, Strength, Spirit, Movement
Venus - Passion, Pleasures, Relationship, Taste, Artistic
Mercury - Intelligence, Creative, Calculative, Analytical, Logic
Moon - Emotions, Nurturing, Mind, Moody, Imagination, Psychology
Sun - Courage, Ordering, Leadership, Soul, Ego, Status, Authoritative
Jupiter - Wisdom, Teaching, Traditional, Philosophical, Expansion, Benevolent
Saturn - Hard working, Persevering, Conservative, Patience, Justice, Discipline

The synastry matching come under 7 pairings and when extended turns up to a total of 78 possibilities. The different pairing axis are as follows: 1/1, 2/12, 3/11, 4/10, 5/9, 6/8 and 7/7. Each of these axis has 12 combinations each except for the 7/7 matching where there are only 6 possibilities. Let's look at all the different combinations making up the sum total of 78

1/1 Axis:
1) Aries - Aries
2) Taurus - Taurus
3) Gemini - Gemini
4) Cancer - Cancer
5) Leo - Leo
6) Virgo - Virgo
7) Libra - Libra
8) Scorpio - Scorpio
9) Sagittarius - Sagittarius
10) Capricorn - Capricorn
11) Aquarius - Aquarius
12) Pisces - Pisces

2/12 Axis:
13) Aries - Pisces
14) Taurus - Aries
15) Gemini - Taurus
16) Cancer - Gemini
17) Leo - Cancer
18) Virgo - Leo
19) Libra - Virgo
20) Scorpio - Libra
21) Sagittarius - Scorpio
22) Capricorn - Sagittarius
23) Aquarius - Capricorn
24) Pisces - Aquarius

3/11 Axis:
25) Aries - Gemini
26) Taurus - Cancer
27) Gemini - Leo
28) Cancer - Virgo
29) Leo - Libra
30) Virgo - Scorpio
31) Libra - Sagittarius
32) Scorpio - Capricorn
33) Sagittarius - Aquarius
34) Capricorn - Pisces
35) Aquarius - Aries
36) Pisces - Taurus

4/10 Axis:
37) Aries - Cancer
38) Taurus - Leo
39) Gemini - Virgo
40) Cancer - Libra
41) Leo - Scorpio
42) Virgo - Sagittarius
43) Libra - Capricorn
44) Scorpio - Aquarius
45) Sagittarius - Pisces
46) Capricorn - Aries
47) Aquarius - Taurus
48) Pisces - Gemini

5/9 Axis:
49) Aries - Leo
50) Taurus - Virgo
51) Gemini - Libra
52) Cancer - Scorpio
53) Leo - Sagittarius
54) Virgo - Capricorn
55) Libra - Aquarius
56) Scorpio - Pisces
57) Sagittarius - Aries
58) Capricorn - Taurus
59) Aquarius - Gemini
60) Pisces - Cancer

6/8 Axis:
61) Aries - Virgo
62) Taurus - Libra
63) Gemini - Scorpio
64) Cancer - Sagittarius
65) Leo - Capricorn
66) Virgo - Aquarius
67) Libra - Pisces
68) Scorpio - Aries
69) Sagittarius - Taurus
70) Capricorn - Gemini
71) Aquarius - Cancer
72) Pisces - Leo

7/7 Axis:
73) Aries - Libra
74) Taurus - Scorpio
75) Gemini - Sagittarius
76) Cancer - Capricorn
77) Leo - Aquarius
78) Virgo - Pisces

With respect to Nature, the similar nature signs get along with each other as they possess a similar characteristic. In general Movable may not get along with Fixed signs as their characteristics are different but both Movable and Fixed signs maintain some sort of association with Dual nature signs as it is known to be a judicious mix of the two and maintains the balance. Fixed with Dual can be a little better than Movable with Dual especially as the negative tendencies of the two can multiply when pecked together. Coming to elements, apart from their own elements, it's a general rule of thumb that Fire signs and Air signs always go well and same is the case with Earth and Water signs. Fire in general isn't compatible with Water signs and when compared with Earth signs they are of contrary nature causing heads to turn. Earth and Air signs usually tend to lack an understanding and when it comes to Air and Water signs it is seemingly better when aligned but disagreements can flare up due to the logical side of Air going in a different tangent with respect to the emotional thinking of water signs. When addressing planetary relationships, we can group the 7 planets into two categories viz Deva Guru Jupiter led group comprising of Jupiter, Mars, Sun & Moon and the Asura Guru group headed by Venus which includes Venus, Mercury and Saturn. The Deva Guru planets are generally good with each other and the same holds true for the signs ruled by the Asura Guru planets. Zodiac signs owned by Deva Guru ruled planets hold an inimical relationship with those ruled by Asura Guru planets and vice versa.

Hence while doing a synastry compatibility check, it is paramount to keep all these factors into account. Blanket statements passed such as 1/1, 5/9, 7/7 axis all being samples of great matches may not always be the case. For instance both Aries personalities under 1/1 group could lead to excess fire and overload of movable energy while on the other hand perhaps two Taurus personalities may hold better as Earth signs are generally more stolid and can hold up even though it can be too one-dimensional. Sometimes even a 6/8 combination such as Virgo & Aquarius may end up being a decent choice as the planetary rulers are friends and also a fixed with dual sign placement can strike a better balance if the Earth and Air bonding can maintain a cordiality. Within these 6/8 axis itself some are better than the others for eg Scorpio & Aries match can be more fruitful than say a Leo - Capricorn match.

Though, there are numerous classifications associated with zodiac signs, I singularly feel that the nature, element and planetary relationships hold the key in establishing the finer side and dissecting the zodiac signs at an intricate level to understand the level of compatibility which the zodiac signs possess.

Primer of Different Branches of Vedic Astrology

Astrology is an ocean and there are so many different dimensions of viewing a chart. What caught my attention is that different branches of it focus more on a selective area going deep only in that particular zone to help predict pointed results. Let's take a birds eye view of these sub branches of Astrology.

- 'Jaimini' is study of 'sign' based astrology
This form of astrology largely depends on the degrees in a sign. The basis of classification of the rasis as Movable (Cardinal), Fixed (Static) and Dual (Mutable) form a major role in delving in further. Even the aspects work on this placement with the movable signs aspecting all the fixed signs except the one placed next to it and the fixed signs aspecting all the movable signs except the one next to it. The dual signs however aspect each other in the same dual category.

- 'Nadi' is study of 'planet' based astrology
Nadi Astrology is a huge branch by itself within the realm of astrology but one defining feature of it happens to be that it largely works on the significations of planets and how they influence one another. Each planet has certain characteristics associated with it and based on the planets it touches results tends to get formed. In most versions of Nadi Astrology, the Ascendant or Lagna doesn't even have a say. It works purely on planetary relationship.

- 'Lal Kitab' is study of 'house' based astrology
Lal Kitab extensively touches on the Houses and the scope is seen extensively from the Natural or what you call the Kala Purusha Horoscope which adopts Aries as the Ascendant. The Ascendant is done away with and the houses are mapped always with Aries as the Lagna. The results are all based on planets in different houses and the yearly chart movement of planets into different houses forms a major say in delivering results. The aspects also works on a house to house basis.

- 'KP' is study of 'star' based astrology
Krishnamurthy Paddathi or KP system as it's called placed much importance on the stellar constellation in which the planets are situated. It is a hybrid version of western and Indian modes of astrology as it adopts the Placidus system for casting charts. The signifying feature of KP is that as per this methodology adopted, the owner of the star in which the planet sits is said to have the major say and direct the results accordingly.

- 'Vedic Astrology' is a study of combination of planets, signs, houses, stars and lot more.
Vedic Astrology however is an amalgamation of all the above methods and considered to be the most supreme of all systems. Thus no individual method can ever supersede the ocean that is traditional vedic astrology though they help in supplementing by providing useful information but on a holistic point of view none surpasses Vedic Astrology.

Note: There are also other techniques such as Prasna, Palmistry, Muhurthas etc which can be said to be an off shoot and helpful for astrological pursuits.