Shantanu Iyer
Reading the old slokas by lamplight.
Has been drawn to Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra since youth. Loves the way a single sloka can suddenly clarify a chart that seemed opaque for years. Writes here about the classical tradition — its texts, its ritual remedies, its quiet logic — and how the old astrology meets the lives we live now.
Favorite texts: Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Phaladeepika, Saravali. Favorite chapter: BPHS Chapter 7 (Karaka adhikara).
Favorite text
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra
Returns to Chapter 7 (Karaka adhikara) when a chart resists easy reading — the karakas keep teaching new things.
Writing style
Long, flowing paragraphs that try to mirror the rhythm of Sanskrit prose. Sanskrit terms in their original form, with a gloss in parentheses on first appearance.
Recent articles
Venus in the 5th House: Meaning and Effects
Venus in the 5th house is the placement of Shukra, the planet of love, beauty and refinement, in the house of creativity, romance, children and learning.…
Venus in the 1st House: Meaning and Effects
Venus in the 1st house is the placement in which Venus, the graha (planet) of love, beauty, and comfort, occupies the Lagna (ascendant) sign itself. It…
Jupiter in the 6th House: Meaning and Effects
Jupiter in the 6th house is the placement of Guru, the great benefic of wisdom and expansion, in the house of service, daily work, debts, rivals and…
Jupiter in the 5th House: Meaning and Effects
Jupiter in the 5th house is the placement of Guru, the great benefic and the Karaka (significator) of wisdom, children and good fortune, in the house of…
Mars in the 2nd House: Meaning and Effects
Mars in the 2nd house is a placement in which Mangala, the fiery graha (planet) of courage and cutting force, occupies the Dhana bhava, the house of…
Moon in the 9th House: Meaning and Effects
Moon in the 9th house is a Vedic chart placement in which the Chandra (Moon), the significator of mind and feeling, occupies the house of fortune,…
Moon in the 3rd House: Meaning and Effects
Moon in the 3rd house is a placement in which Chandra, the planet of mind and feeling, sits in the house of effort, communication, siblings and courage.…
Sun in the 7th House: Meaning and Effects
Sun in the 7th house is the placement of Surya in the house of marriage and partnership, where the Sun's self-luminous nature meets the house of the…
Sun in the 1st House: Meaning and Effects
Sun in the 1st house is the placement of Surya on the Lagna, giving a confident, visible personality and a strong urge to lead. Because the Sun is the…
Eclipse Season in Vedic Astrology: Do's and Don'ts
Eclipse season in Vedic astrology, called Grahan Kala, is a period the tradition treats with unhurried caution: Rahu and Ketu, the shadow points, are…
Mercury Retrograde in Vedic Astrology: What It Affects
Mercury retrograde — called Budha Vakri in the Parashari tradition — is the apparent backward motion of Mercury as seen from Earth, occurring three to…
Yantra Remedies: Geometric Instruments for the Nine Planets
A yantra remedy uses a consecrated geometric diagram for a planet as a daily devotional tool, not an automatic talisman. Forms, consecration and practice.