A topic which brings much doubt and tests the faith of newcomers in Jyotish is the topic of Ayanamsa. Where our western counterparts who use the tropical zodiac aren’t affected by this problem, those who use the sidereal zodiac, or a zodiac based on star positions are cast into a deep dilemma as to which ayanamsa to use. Where western sidereal astrologers are almost forced to take the plunge into learning the intricacies of the ayanamsa and thereby choose the ayanamsa they like the best, vedic astrologers are presented with a peculiar situation where faith tends to be the compelling factor in choosing ayanamsa.

This writeup doesn’t claim to ascertain a correct ayanamsa, but tries to shed light on the many different facets of the ayanamsa, and some possibilities within the same.

Solar and Lunar eclipses occur every six months, with both eclipses ocurring within fifteen days of each other. These two close eclipses, their time of ocurrance and the rasi/nakshatra of the luminaries during both events, are most relevant for analysis.
The analysis of eclipses adds significant relevance to the use of nodes transit in the zodiac.