MOON SIGN OR RASHI IN INDIAN ASTROLOGY

                                      ARUN ROY MUKHERJEE

In Indian Astrology Moon Sign or Rashi is also very important. The physical and mental features as well as nature and character of a person are determined on the basis of the Moon Sign or Rashi also. Not only that “Gochara Phalam” or transit of planets and their results are also arrived at on the basis of one’s Rashi. “Dasha Vichar” according to Vimsottori or Astottari etc systems of “Dasha Vichar” is determined according to the position of the Moon in relation to a star in a zodiac sign.  In Indian astrology when a horoscope is cast, the astrologer, therefore,  arrive at the Moon Sign or Rashi of the person based on the birth date, time and place of birth of the person and also the Star in which the Moon is positioned to calculate the “Dasha Vichar”.

What is the Rashi or Moon Sign ? In short, the Rashi of a person in his horoscope, is the zodiac sign in which Moon is found at the time of his birth. Say, a child is born at 4.30 Am at a certain place on a certain date. The astrologer, with the help of a Panchang or almanac or according to the positional astronomy, finds out the zodiac sign where the Moon is on that date and time. The zodiac on which Moon is or nearest to the Moon is the Rashi of the new born. The star which is nearest to the Moon at that time is called the “Birth Star” on which the “Dasha Vichar” is determined.

The vital question is when the Moon Sign or Rashi is so important in astrology for prediction purposes, is the method applied to calculate and arrive at the Rashi or Moon Sign accurate? The method adopted is to find the zodiac sign which appears nearest to the Moon on the date and place at the appointed time. We are aware that a zodiac sign is an imaginary figure arrived at by drawing imaginary lines between some stars which appears to be close to each other on a plane surface in the sky. The fact however is that those stars are far apart from one another both horizontally and also vertically and have no relationship among those as a cogent and homogenous and homologous body capable of a concerted power and action. Therefore, we know that zodiac signs, which are imaginary creations of human beings, comprises of stars. We must also note three more factors which are a) that the stars are far away in the sky, 2) we see an object either when the light emitted from it reaches our eyes or when light is reflected from the object and hits our eyes and 3) that it takes time for the light to travel from the object to our eyes on earth. It may be noted here that light travels at a speed of 186000 miles per second. But most of the stars are so far away from us that the light from those stars, even travelling at so high speed of 186000 miles per second requires a number of years. There are stars in our Milky Way galaxy light from which takes more than 100 years to reach us. Light from most of the stars in the 12 zodiac signs takes about 50 to 500 years to reach the earth.

In that context, keeping in mind the facts stated above, it may be safely concluded that when we see a star and a zodiac sign at a particular position the sky, the said star or the zodiac sign was at that position only at some 50 or 500 years ago according to the distance it is situated away from earth and not now when it appears before our eyes. If a star is 50 light years away from earth its today’s position at a particular point of time in the sky will be known only after 50 years when the light emitted by it now will reach our eyes. If the star is 500 light years away from us, we will know its today’s position only after expiry of 500 years. Therefore when we see a zodiac sign or a star nearest to the Moon and decide the Moon Sign or Rashi and Birth Star of the new born, it is not done on the basis of facts and actual position of the zodiac and the star or stars but on a seeming assumption and as it appears at the particular time of observation but not truly.

In Indian astrology all horoscope are prepared and Moon sign or Rashi and Birth Star are calculated on the basis of that seeming assumption and as it appears and on not the basis of facts. The zodiac signs are imaginary figures and the calculation is done on a faulty basis. The entire prediction process in astrology is, therefore, blatantly faulty and imaginary devoid of any relation with the facts.

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