Essential Reading
'Jyotish Text Recommendations' with Ernst Wilhelm
This week, I had the pleasure of speaking once again with Vedic astrologer Ernst Wilhelm. In our third interview, I asked him about his essential reading list for Jyotish texts. As someone deeply interested in this subject, I was eager to hear which books he finds most useful and what he typically recommends to his students.
Unsurprisingly, the Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra topped the list. Though somewhat controversial, it remains a fascinating text. Early in our discussion, we explored its mysteries, focusing on the more recent English translations.
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Popular classical texts used in Jyotish
We also covered several other important texts, including Varaha Mihira’s Brihat Samhita, the Jaimini Sutram, Phaladipika, Prasna Marga, Tajika Neelakanta, Jataka Tatvam, Yavanajataka, and Svartha Chintamani.
As always, it was a fascinating and enjoyable conversation, and I hope listeners find it both insightful and valuable.
Title pages from the two most popular English translations of BPHS
Useful Links from this video include:
Video: Essential Reading
Website: Vedic-Astrology.net
Article on Parasara: BPHS
Courses: Jyotish
Software: KALA
Facebook: Ernst Wilhelm
Internet Archive: Digital Books






Ernst is a phenomenal guide in understanding and parsing thorugh the textual sources. Thank you for this interview!