Sāyana
सायन
Tropical zodiac, measured from the moving vernal equinox.
Definition
Sāyana ('with the ayana') reckoning measures longitude from the vernal equinox, so its signs are tied to the seasons rather than to the stars. It is the zodiac of Western astrology and of modern astronomical ephemerides. Because of precession its signs now begin about 24° before the nirayana signs of the same name.
Articles that use this term
- SiddhantaExplainer
Gochar explained: transits, sign changes and retrograde motion
What a transit calendar actually lists, why a graha seems to move backwards, and how the classical texts and modern astronomy describe the same motion.
8 min read · 29 September 2026