The term Jyotish or Jyotisha is the original word for “astrology” in India.
The term is derived from Sanskrit, where it means “the science of heavenly bodies,” although it is sometimes interpreted differently as “the science of light.”
Although Jyotish is the original word for astrology in India, there is some disagreement about what to call the specific type of astrology that is unique to India. Some practitioners prefer to retain the original designation, and thus they refer to the type of astrology they practice as “Jyotish.” However, others, especially practitioners of different traditions of astrology from areas outside of India, tend to refer to the indigenous astrology of India with other names such as “Indian astrology,” “Hindu astrology,” or “Vedic astrology.”
In Sanskrit the term is written as ज्योतिष (jyotiṣa).
Jyotish is usually pronounced joe-tish.
