Vedic (Parashari) astrology
Vedic astrology is often called Parashari astrology after the classical text attributed to the sage Parashara. It uses the sidereal zodiac and reads a chart through the twelve signs (rashis), the twelve houses (bhavas), the nine grahas and the twenty-seven nakshatras.
Divisional charts (vargas), such as the navamsha (D9) for partnership and the dashamsha (D10) for career, refine the reading. Timing is studied with dasha systems, above all the Vimshottari dasha: a 120-year cycle of planetary periods that begins from the nakshatra of the Moon at birth.
KP astrology (Krishnamurti Paddhati)
KP is a system developed in the twentieth century by Prof. K. S. Krishnamurti. It also uses the sidereal zodiac, but it uses Placidus house cusps and divides each nakshatra into nine unequal parts in the proportions of the Vimshottari dasha periods.
The ruler of each part, the sub-lord, is central to a KP reading. KP is often used for specific questions and for the timing of events.
What they share and where they differ
- Both use the sidereal zodiac, the nakshatras and the Vimshottari dasha.
- Vedic astrology reads the chart broadly through signs, houses, yogas and divisional charts.
- KP works with house cusps and sub-lords, which practitioners use for focused questions.
- They commonly use slightly different ayanamsas (the correction between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs): Lahiri for most Vedic work, the Krishnamurti ayanamsa for KP.
How the Gurukula uses them
Consultations at Vedhanga Gurukula draw on both systems: the broad Vedic reading for the shape of a life, and KP where a question needs a closer look at timing. The astrology course teaches both.
This guide explains a traditional discipline. It does not replace medical, legal, financial or engineering advice.