Hi!
Great reply. please see my comments in green.


The Dharma (loosly translated as religion) followed in the Vedas is called the Satya Sanaatana Dharma (the dharma of eternal truth)
Can you define what you mean when you use the word Truth, for me?
(it would be great exercise for every learner of this forum to attempt this).
Each Veda has a Mahaavaakya (the gist of the Veda) assosiated with it.
try to find all four mahaavakyas and the Veda assosiated with each, also the meaning of the Mahaavakya (try 'mahavakya' in wikipedia or google it).

After going through this thread I could have different answers but there is no fun in it. So my answers without looking at others and vivekvshetty's explainations.
Q1: What is the goal or aim of your life?
My parents admitted me in a school so the goal of my life was to complete school education. I was attracted to opposite sex and when I looked at the Society I found that to get a good wife I should earn enough for a decent living so the goal of my life was to become an Enginner since I was good in Science and Maths compared to Languages. After I got employed as an Executive the goal of my life was to become a good Manager and better person.
I discovered that I was not good enough in my relationships so I got attracted to books on Psychology (I am Ok you are OK), Better Yourself (How to stop worrying and start living? Heal yourself through Yoga etc.). Gradually I was attracted to Religion, Philosophy and the books were Sadhak Sanjivani (Swami Ramsukhdasji Maharaj), J. Krishnamurthy.
Suddenly the goal shifted to good education of my (only) daughter and we shifted to our home at Delhi sacrificing my career and the goal was more money.
Meanwhile for personal development I had shifted from Books to Satsang and the personal goal became Spiritual Development.
At the age of 55 years I am not sure about my material goals since my Guru tell me not to desire but I would like to have some goals to gauge my spiritual advancement.
Q2: What is your motivation for wanting to learn Astrology and in particular Jyotish?
We had Panchang in our home when I was school going kid and my mother used to ask elderly persons about the tithis and specially whether the Purnima fast was to be observed on Chaturdasi or Purnima. Out of curiosity I learned how to look into Panchang to answer her querries. I observed that my grand father use to look at Panchang before Daily Puja and state the Tithi, Day, Nakshatra, Moon Rashi, Surya Rashi and Jupiter Rashi during the Sankalp. My mother use to consult a Jyotishi during my fathers illness so I got attracted to Birth Charts and learned how to make my own to know what was in store for me in my life. I had a glimpse of it regarding my career, spouse etc. It was mainly self study through books.
I would like to go deeply into it now. As before, the motivation is not very clear, may be, it is to help others.
Q3: What are your experience with Astrology and Astrologers?
As stated before I never needed an Astrologer. During my College days I had consulted a face reader who told me that I had a good career ahead, I won't get the girl I had in mind and without asking he told me that I will be in service and Business was not for me.
I have tried Business and failed and I recollect what he had said. I have a deep urge to prove him wrong.
Q4: What are the Vedas?
Not very sure, although, I am "Kaushik gotrotpannam Rigvedanatargat Ashwalayan Sutra Shakal Shakhadhyee". Perhaps it means that I am suppossed to know Ashwalayan Sutra of Rigveda or only a Shakha of that, great spelialization indeed.
Perhaps there is great wisdom in Vedas but is it not available today in other forms even in story books?

kagashe

Namaskaar kagashe ji (is it K. Aghase?),
Good reply sir, but we were expecting more from you. At least on the Veda question.

If our goals and aims keep on changing then they are really not goals but necessities and priorities at certain stages in life
But doesn’t the questions what? Where? How? Why? of this thing we call ‘life’ pop up all the time in our mind? Does not the vastness of this cosmos and the puny existence of ours makes us think? Has it not happened to everyone when they stand in front of the mirror and see their own reflection and think – is that really me? Don’t we try to find an explanation and answers for these questions from sources we think might have the answers (for some it is religion and for some it is science). Do they deliver? Or do they fail?
Is not resolving all these question and then become contented once and for all, the goal and real aim of our life? And in the process we resolve ourselves.
Are we not always faintly aware of this goal?

Dear Vivek Ji and and Rahul Ji

You are doing a grat job. Here are my anwers to the questions put at the first page of this post

Q1: What is the goal or aim of your life?

Well though my ambition can be described in a sentence or two, I think little background to this is necessary as it is not a conventional one.

When I was 18 or so I was studying and wanted to be a doctor of medicine, my sole ambition was to get selected in a medical college, I studied very hard and ultimately got admission in a medical college. Suddenly it seemed that it is the end of road for me, I wanted to achieve one thing and I did that, now what?  I made another ambition,  I wanted to be a good doctor, the best in my field, I continued my studies  but I was not satisfied with that, the question of what I will do after I become the best doctor in the world tormented me again and again. It gradually dawned to me that one’s ambition should be such, when one reaches at it, one should be ready to die or one should not have any regrets when one dies. Obviously becoming a good doctor or amassing a lot of wealth can not be a good ambition as no one wants to die when one reaches at the top in ones field or amasses a lot of wealth. One would surely like to bask in the glory of what one has achieved.

Since as far as I can remember I was a very inquisitive child,  I wanted to know everything, I asked a lot of questions , sometimes I got the answers and sometimes irritated responses, when the persons, whom I asked questions, didn’t know the answers. I read a lot, knew a lot but there was always a void inside me as I wanted to know something but couldn’t find out what I want to know. Suddenly while doing the study of medicine I realized what I was looking for since my childhood. I wanted to know it all, I wanted to know the basic functioning of this universe, I wanted to know was there someone running it or was everything is just happening. Then I felt that I was in the wrong field, science and medicine provided some answers but not all of them and I left my studies at a time when in a year I could have graduated, though there were some other reasons but the helplessness of not knowing it all was the major one.

I had a naïve belief that after leaving medicine I will have all the time in the world to look for answers but some other priorities like means of earning livelihood, getting married and raising a family etc. took more importance. I was drawn into them in a big way. These in addition to some other problems didn’t let me think about my ambition for next 15 years or so. My problems kept on mounting and I suffered huge financial losses and intentional insults by those people whom I least expected to do so. I was perplexed why this was happening to me of all the people. People, who deserved to be punished, got free and I was made the scape goat. Because of all this my ambition, what I wanted to do, why I wanted to do what I wanted to do, got buried in some remote corner of my mind.

As I couldn’t find any way out of my problems I seeked astrological help and met many astrologers and I regret to say that my experience with the astrologers was not exactly very good. Most of them were after extracting money and those who didn’t accept money never cared to explain anything. I was aware that I was an intelligent guy, I could learn things and rationalize them and, as I also had certain free time, I took up the study of astrology some two years back. While studying it, I found that this was what I was looking for since as far as I can remember. It gave me an insight to my problems and offered a reasonable explanation for them. I found that the planetary position at the time of my birth was such that I was made to go through what I went through. This brought me to another question that why the planets assumed such configuration at the time of my birth or, to put it in other words why I took birth under those conditions. This too has been answered and that is, a soul does not take birth until the planets assume such configuration in the heavens so as to give it (the soul) the results of its karma in the previous birth.

Actually I was bearing the burns of my karma in the past birth, however I don’t agree with God for why one should bear the results of karma of the previous birth, in the present birth. Why not karma of one birth are settled in that birth only and allow the person to begin with a clean slate. These karmas are not known to the person still they walk with him everywhere. I know all about the karma theory, sanchit karma and everything but I still don’t agree. And I don’t think anyone can satisfy me except the almighty himself. I want to have certain interaction with Him to understand His logic behind all this (and certain other things). I know this interaction with Him will not come to me easily. For that I will have to do whole hearted efforts and all my time should be devoted to this. But I just can’t renounce the world like that and run away from my responsibilities. To settle my responsibilities I need to have a lot of money but money is not my ambition, still it is necessary. But I have to find out how much I need it.

This brings me to my ambition I have a sum in my mind which would take care of my responsibilities. First I want to earn this amount and then proceed to have some sort of interaction with God. I will probably earn my required sum in next 10 years or so. During this time I will continue to study astrology and the allied subjects as much as possible as I feel this could the only way to have this interaction. And after I have earned the required money I proceed with what I have in my mind.

If I die now I will not be satisfied with myself and the way I lived my life so far, however when I achieve my ambition I will not have any regrets at that time, that is for sure.


Q2: What is your motivation for wanting to learn Astrology and in particular Jyotish?
Q3: What are your experience with Astrology and Astrologers?


I think the answer to Q 1 above also contains answers to these two questions.


Q4: What are the Vedas?


Vedas are ancient scripture that contain the results of thoughts and actions of very learned people of that era. I refrain from calling them belong to Hinduism because when these were conceived there was not any religion. Demarcation of people belonging to one religion or the other came much later.

My details about Vedas will not be very different from those given by mr. pittuchen so it will seem (and it will be) influenced by that post.

Thank you for taking this initiative.

Goal or aim of life?

Just want to take right decissions at the right time of life. I am not much of a future planner I just let things come in my life and take appropriate actions against them. I never regret my decissions. Unfortunately whatever decissions I take never make me happy instantly it always take time but I never complain.

Learning Astrology?

I have a little knowldege of nemerology and always observed that how certain numbers influence ones life. Vedic Astrology is some elite form,  a little reading make me understand that the vedic knowledge is not an ordinary one it must be from some super being choosen by God. So I got interested in learning vedic astrology as a super form of knowledge.

Experience with Astrology/Astrologist?

No real experience but visited once an astrologer and got my kundli reading.

Vedas?

Dosen't know much never read them. Just few things that these are among the most ancient and sacred of the world's scriptures, the four Vedas are regarded as divinely revealed, eternal wisdom. They are the Rig Veda, Atharva Veda, Sama Veda, and Yajur Veda.

Well I have read the other answers and now have a better understanding of Vedas. I wish I can find more time to read vedas.

Jokhio