Skandha meaning in Vedic astrology: the three branches

Jyotish is traditionally divided into three branches, called skandhas: Siddhanta (also Ganita), Samhita and Hora.

Each covers different ground. Siddhanta covers calculation, Samhita covers sky events and the world at large, and Hora covers the individual birth chart.

Hora is the branch a birth-chart reading belongs to.

Related terms

• Siddhanta →Siddhanta is the mathematical branch of Jyotish, also called Ganita.
• Samhita →Samhita is the branch of Jyotish that explains how sky events affect the world at large.
• Hora →Hora is the horoscopic branch of Jyotish, the study of one person's life from their birth time and place.
• Jyotish →Jyotish is the traditional name for Vedic astrology, glossed as 'science of light'.

Lessons that use this term

• What is Vedic astrology (Jyotish)? A beginner's guide →

Sources for this entry

1. Hart de Fouw & Robert Svoboda, Light on Life, ch. 6
2. OnlineJyotish, Vedic astrology lessons