The 10 Best Books on Vedic Astrology you Need to Read – a Quick Guide.
Books are doors to the valley of wisdom. It is mostly through the books that knowledge from ancient civilization has been transferred to our times. There have even thousands of books written in the topic of astrology and, among them, we are going to find out ten most important ones in this article. So read on with patience.
Vedic Astrology is vast and it covers wide areas of Life. Moreover, from prediction point of view, there are a lot of elements that needs to be understood before one can begin predictions. It takes years of reading, understanding, and analyzing charts before one can master this vast yet enlightening subject.
But it is challenging in itself to find informative yet not so daunting books, particularly so if you are new student to this field or simply a person curious to learn more about Vedic astrology.
So here the ten books that you need to read to better understand Vedic astrology. Some are for perspective and listed to give a frame to look at Vedic astrology and some others are informative books for predictions.
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Graha Sutras
This book is written by Ernst Wilhelm. It is based on the classic Brihat Prasashara Hora Shastra, and focuses on the fundamental of Grahas (Planets) and goes on to explore Grahas in depth. It contains Sutras written in Sanskrit and their accurate translations with detailed and expertly commentary. This book is all about Grahas, their meaning, and effect.
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Astrology of the Seers
This book return by David Frawley is an absolutely must read for beginners and experienced practioner alike. It is easy to understand even for a lay person as David Frawley writes in clear, simple and easy to understand language. After reading this book one might start to see through the veil of mysticism around astrology and actually start to learn it.
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The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 1 & 2
This two part book is written by Richard Fish and Ryan Kurczak. The first part gives the solid foundation on Vedic Astrology. The books are written in such a way that it feels like one is taking a proper course on Vedic Astrology. The part to is more for an intermediate student of astrology. Both of them are highly recommended.
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Beneath a Vedic Sky
If have gone through the first three books in this list, and understood the basics of astrology then it is time to read this one. This book is written by William Levacy, and it focuses on details of reading a chart. Conjunctions are pretty well-explained in this book.
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Light on Life
This is another book on fundamentals of astrology but with some great insights of the subject. This book is written by Robert Svoboda and Hart Defouw. It is an excellent book to have yet another perspective on the fundamentals.
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Prasna Tantra
This one is for advanced practioner of astrology. You might have guessed from title it self that it focuses on Horary astrology. Prasna Tantra not only gives specific techniques for Prasna Astrology but also gives deeper principles. It is written by master astrologer B.V. Raman whom many remember as the father of Astrology.
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Prasna Marga
Another book on Horary Astrology translated by B.V. RAMAN. It is more advanced than the former one and delves into the esoteric principles of horary astrology. This one is one of the highly regarded classic in the subject.
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27 Stars, 27 Gods
This is one of the most comprehensive books on Nakshatras, and it focuses on the mythology behind the Twenty-seven Nakshatras. This one is deeply rich in its analysis of the mythology behind each one of the Nakshatras. I highly recommend it to any one who is new to the concept of Nakshatras. It is written by Vic Dicara.
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Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra
This one is a heavy classic and the most comprehensive work on Vedic Astrology. It is ascribed to Sage Parashara but there is no exact date of publication to it. But this one is referenced by all astrologers from beginners to masters. This Two volume humongous work is a go to book for anyone to have most inclusive understanding of Vedic astrology, but the words given in this books has to be taken with a grain of salt and think symbolically as the book was written in older times.
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Sarvath Chintamani
You might want to read this one before Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra actually. This book is another classic written in Sanskrit by Venkatesa Sarma. It details on effect of each house in natal chart in immensely profound ways. It also gives detailed analysis of each planets and their effect on an individual. The title’s literal meaning is ‘the gem of superior desires or thoughts’ and it one of the most cited classics in the topics of conjunctions.
Apart form the books on the list above, there are many other books out there that are extensively referenced on the topic astrology both academically and informally. Some of them are classic on their own rights. Jatak Parijata, Laghu Parashari, Saravali, Brihat jataka, Phaladeepika, Uttara Kalamata etc. are some of them. However, if you are new to the astrology it is important not be bugged down by heavy classics and instead begin with simple and precise books on the fundamentals.
It is only when we read the diverse range of books from the diverse writers from western side and eastern side both that you can finally grasp the true essence of astrology and learn to see it through your own Brahma. The lack of research and understanding of deeper concepts will only keep you on the surface of this vast sea of knowledge called Vedic Astrology. So open you mind’s eye, begin with the earlier books on the list, get hold of the fundamentals, and learn the principles, and then grow up to the heavier books eventually.
Happy Reading!