^ HH's post on the "vedic astrology" ^
besides the original vedic sources, one should consider the post-vedic laukika literature such as artha-shAstra etc., to understand how people considered the subject of jyotiSha in social life, and whether it was predictive in nature (that is predicting the future outcome on basis of astral-configuration).
kauTalya describes at various places remedies for calamities etc., using mantra and specfic rites and so on. E.g. certain rites by king and his people on the nights of pUrNimA and amAvasyA to ward off the tigers striking the subjects; or, certain rites to make enemy blind; or certain rites to be performed to remedy the floods and cause rains. He also describes at places the ill-omens and outcomes. But nowhere does he talk about the science of predicting the future on basis of nakShatra-configuration. Surely he was himself learned in atharvan veda, and from which he derives much material. He also provides to some extent things which could be considered the vAstu-shAstra and many other things useful for statecraft. So why would he leave out the 'useful' art of vedic (predictive) astrology, and horoscope etc.?
Now, fast forward to chAlukya times. mAnasollAsa does mention in some detail the predictive stuff, e.g. matching the horoscope of boy and girl, girls born under which stars are better for princes etc.; so by this time predictive astrology had become popular in the realm of statecraft in pockets.
But even then not universally all across. In madhurAvijayam, princess ga~NgAdevI mentions the atharvan brAhmaNa-s presiding over the ceremonies and deciding muhUrta etc. for these, but even she does not provide anything like predictive astrology (e.g. invade the moslem under such and such astral configuration). muhUrta-s are apparently not of predictive context in this case.
bhojadeva commissioned many scholarly researches to be undertaken by his retinue of scholars (one of the largest intellectual assembly ever in the historic India, was in his city). No, predictive astrology is not one of those subjects he sponsored, as far as I have come across, though I might be wrong on this point.
In va~Nga country however, you find the chronicles relating to the sena kings describing in funny detail how "vedic astrologers", that is predictive astrologers, were very much entrenched in their court. One account mentions some related episodes. The first one relates to the birth of lakShamaNa sena. When the time of his birth approached, astrologers predicted a "good" time of birth for the child, and a horribly bad time just before it. His mother who was in labour insisted to prolong the labout by a few hours so that the child is born under good starts. While the lakShamaNa was born under desired configurations, the queen died during the labour. And, oh well, this lucky boy would later become the cause of the sword of islam making a successful entry in east India. Now, many years later, when Khalji invaded Bihar, sena's vedic astrologers predicted the invincibility of Khalji, and advised sena to abandon any plans of forward strike. Sena just waited in his capital and was wiped out. Hindus of Assam and Orissa were better who did not wait, and adopted an offensive policy, thereby ensuring they did not fall to Islam, in fact they routed Khalji. (Sena was chAlukya-derivation of sorts ...as noted on the other ICIH thread)
besides the original vedic sources, one should consider the post-vedic laukika literature such as artha-shAstra etc., to understand how people considered the subject of jyotiSha in social life, and whether it was predictive in nature (that is predicting the future outcome on basis of astral-configuration).
kauTalya describes at various places remedies for calamities etc., using mantra and specfic rites and so on. E.g. certain rites by king and his people on the nights of pUrNimA and amAvasyA to ward off the tigers striking the subjects; or, certain rites to make enemy blind; or certain rites to be performed to remedy the floods and cause rains. He also describes at places the ill-omens and outcomes. But nowhere does he talk about the science of predicting the future on basis of nakShatra-configuration. Surely he was himself learned in atharvan veda, and from which he derives much material. He also provides to some extent things which could be considered the vAstu-shAstra and many other things useful for statecraft. So why would he leave out the 'useful' art of vedic (predictive) astrology, and horoscope etc.?
Now, fast forward to chAlukya times. mAnasollAsa does mention in some detail the predictive stuff, e.g. matching the horoscope of boy and girl, girls born under which stars are better for princes etc.; so by this time predictive astrology had become popular in the realm of statecraft in pockets.
But even then not universally all across. In madhurAvijayam, princess ga~NgAdevI mentions the atharvan brAhmaNa-s presiding over the ceremonies and deciding muhUrta etc. for these, but even she does not provide anything like predictive astrology (e.g. invade the moslem under such and such astral configuration). muhUrta-s are apparently not of predictive context in this case.
bhojadeva commissioned many scholarly researches to be undertaken by his retinue of scholars (one of the largest intellectual assembly ever in the historic India, was in his city). No, predictive astrology is not one of those subjects he sponsored, as far as I have come across, though I might be wrong on this point.
In va~Nga country however, you find the chronicles relating to the sena kings describing in funny detail how "vedic astrologers", that is predictive astrologers, were very much entrenched in their court. One account mentions some related episodes. The first one relates to the birth of lakShamaNa sena. When the time of his birth approached, astrologers predicted a "good" time of birth for the child, and a horribly bad time just before it. His mother who was in labour insisted to prolong the labout by a few hours so that the child is born under good starts. While the lakShamaNa was born under desired configurations, the queen died during the labour. And, oh well, this lucky boy would later become the cause of the sword of islam making a successful entry in east India. Now, many years later, when Khalji invaded Bihar, sena's vedic astrologers predicted the invincibility of Khalji, and advised sena to abandon any plans of forward strike. Sena just waited in his capital and was wiped out. Hindus of Assam and Orissa were better who did not wait, and adopted an offensive policy, thereby ensuring they did not fall to Islam, in fact they routed Khalji. (Sena was chAlukya-derivation of sorts ...as noted on the other ICIH thread)