Question 1

Do I need my exact birth time?

Accepted Answer

An exact time gives the sharpest chart, but you can start without one. When the time is approximate, the reading flags what's reliable and what isn't, rather than guessing confidently.

Question 2

Is this fortune-telling?

Accepted Answer

No. Jyotish here is a symbolic language of timing and tendency. You'll see windows and likelihoods you can plan around — not fixed predictions about what must happen.

Question 3

What's an ayanamsa, and which do you use?

Accepted Answer

It's the offset between the sidereal and tropical zodiacs — the thing many tools quietly disagree on. VedicStars defaults to Pushya-paksha (P.V.R. Narasimha Rao's), with Lahiri and True Chitra available as advanced overrides, set per person so one chart reads consistently everywhere.

Question 4

Where do the interpretations come from?

Accepted Answer

From classical Jyotish texts, surfaced with citations. The astronomy is computed deterministically with the Swiss Ephemeris; the meaning is grounded in sources you can check. No Sanskrit is ever invented, and the language model never computes the astrology.

Question 5

How is this different from a horoscope app?

Accepted Answer

A horoscope app hands you a sun-sign paragraph. VedicStars computes your actual sidereal chart to the degree from your birth time and place, reads the specific placements and dasha periods in it, and shows the classical rule behind each statement. It also names its limits: it won't predict death, illness, or catastrophe, and it won't hide an uncertain birth time.