Editorial methodology
On the record: what school we follow by default, how we cite, and where we explicitly diverge.
Last updated: May 26, 2026
1. Why we publish this page
In plain English:You should be able to see, on the record, what tradition we follow, how we cite, and where we surface disagreement.
Astrology is a tradition with many schools, no single canon, and a real risk of being reduced to whatever the author of a given app prefers. We publish our editorial standards so any reader — sceptic or practitioner — can see what we follow, why we follow it, and where we explicitly diverge.
2. Default school: Parashari
In plain English:We answer in the Parashari mainstream by default and quote Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra where it gives the canonical rule.
Our default interpretive framework is the Parashari tradition, taking Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra ("BPHS", attributed to Maharishi Parashara) as the canonical text. Where BPHS gives a clear rule, we follow it. We supplement with the secondary Parashari classics — Brihat Jataka, Saravali, Phaladeepika, Hora Sara, Jataka Parijata, Sarvartha Chintamani, Mansagari, Uttara Kalamrita — and quote them when they sharpen or extend the BPHS rule.
3. Other schools we follow and when
In plain English:Jaimini, KP, Lal Kitab, Nadi — each surfaced when the question calls for it.
Where a question is better answered by another school, we say so and switch: • Jaimini (Jaimini Sutras and successor commentaries) — for chara-karaka analysis and timing questions where the Jaimini framework is sharper. • KP (Krishnamurti Paddhati) — for sub-lord analysis and short-window event timing. • Lal Kitab — for low-friction practical remedies in domestic life. • Nadi (Bhrigu, Chandra Kala, Devakeralam) — referenced rather than used as primary for AI-generated readings, since Nadi readings traditionally depend on lineage transmission. • Western (Tropical / Modern) — explicitly offered alongside Vedic on horoscope and personality readings so the reader can compare frameworks side by side.
4. Ayanamsa: Lahiri by default
In plain English:We default to Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) and let you switch to Raman, KP, or Krishnamurti.
Our default sidereal correction is the Lahiri (Chitrapaksha) ayanamsa, adopted by the Indian Government in 1955. We expose Raman, KP, and Krishnamurti ayanamsa as opt-ins for users whose lineage uses a different value. The choice affects which sign a planet is reported in near the cusps; we report which ayanamsa was used on every chart.
5. Citation discipline
In plain English:The AI cannot quote a text the retrieval layer didn’t actually return.
Every reading is generated against a retrieved set of passages from our 87-text corpus. The model is constrained, at the system-prompt level, to quote only from the passages that were actually retrieved for that turn. Citations are then post-checked: any (book, chapter, verse) tuple in the reply that does not round-trip to a retrieved chunk is stripped before the message is shown. This is the single most important guardrail against hallucinated sources. It is not infallible — paraphrase can still drift from the source — but it makes "invented citation" structurally hard.
6. How we surface disagreement
In plain English:When two schools give different answers, we present both and explain why a reader might pick either.
When a question has materially different answers under different schools or different classical authorities, the reply is structured to surface that disagreement rather than smooth it over. We give the Parashari answer first, then the Jaimini (or KP, or other relevant) answer, then a brief note on why a reader might prefer one over the other based on their lineage or the question type.
7. Remedies and remedial measures
In plain English:Upayas are presented as classical practice, not as guaranteed outcomes.
Where remedial measures (upayas) are suggested — mantras, fasts, gemstones, charity, ritual — they are described as classical practice with their textual source. We do not characterise them as guarantees of a particular outcome, and we do not recommend any remedy that requires expensive purchases as a default.
8. Language, glossing and Devanagari
In plain English:Sanskrit terms stay in Sanskrit, with an English gloss on first use.
Technical terms remain in Sanskrit — graha, bhava, dasha, antardasha, drishti, lagna, navamsa — with an English gloss on first use in any given reply. Devanagari is offered alongside English in the i18n-enabled surfaces. We do not translate Sanskrit terms into Western-astrology equivalents (e.g. we do not call a graha a "planet" of the Western sense), because the underlying frameworks differ.
9. When this methodology changes
In plain English:New texts, new schools, new defaults — all changes get an update note and a date.
As we ingest new texts (recent additions: Mayamatam for Vastu, full Lalita Sahasranama for stotra work) and as schools are added or refined, this page is updated. Material changes — changing a default school, changing the default ayanamsa, removing a school — will be announced in-product before they take effect.