Prashna (Horary Jyotish)

Prashna (प्रश्न, "question") is a branch of Vedic astrology (Jyotish) that specializes in answering specific questions. The key treatise is Prashna Marga by Harihara (sixteenth century, Kerala), which systematized a methodology that had been developing within the Indian tradition for millennia. Prashna is one of the six angas (divisions) of Jyotish, yet it possesses an independent methodological foundation.

The chart is cast for the moment the astrologer hears the question. It employs the sidereal zodiac (Lahiri ayanamsha or another), 27 nakshatras (lunar mansions), the dasha system (planetary periods), and Prashna-specific techniques: arudha (projection points), ashtamangala prashna (the question of eight objects), and tambola prashna (divination by betel leaves). The Moon plays a central role as a reflection of the querent's state of mind.

Prashna's unique feature is the concept of nimitta (निमित्त): omen-signs observed by the astrologer at the moment the question is posed. The direction of the wind, the behavior of birds, the first thought upon meeting the client — all of this is integrated into the interpretation alongside the astrological chart. This adds an element of subjective perception (D3) to the symbolic data (D1).

In Errarium, Prashna (#58) represents the event-oriented branch of the Indian astrological tradition. Its closest Western analogue is horary astrology (#56), which uses the same principle of a "question chart" but with the tropical zodiac and without nakshatras or nimitta. Its relationship to Jyotish (#18) is that of a part to the whole: Prashna works with the moment of the question, whereas Jyotish as a whole works with the moment of birth.