A **** (treatise on**** jyotisha****)**** is**** a text**** from**** a classical body**** of**** literature**** on**** the topic of**** Hindu astrology,**** known as****,**** dating**** to**** the medieval**** period**** of**** Classical Sanskrit**** literature**** (roughly**** the 3rd to**** 9th centuries CE****). Only the most important ones exist in scholarly editions or translations, while many remain unedited in Sanskrit or vernacular manuscripts. Such classical texts should be distinguished from modern works. There are a great number of contemporary publications, reflecting the persisting importance of astrology in Hindu culture, and the corresponding economical attractivity of the market in India. Notable modern authors include Sri Yukteswar Giri (1855–1936) and Bangalore Venkata Raman (1912–1998).

Classification

David Pingree defines jyotihshastra as manuscripts on astronomy, mathematics, astrology and divination, and estimates that about 10% of surviving Sanskrit manuscripts belong to the category. Traditionally, jyotihshastra texts are classified into three broad categories: According to Pingree, this classification, mentioned in sources such as the Brihat Samhita (1.9), does not cover the field adequately.

List of classical texts