Retrograde Launches AI Vedic Astrology Platform Co-Built by a Bangalore Class 12 Student and Jothishi's Anand Vadakepat

 


Web, iPhone, and Android platform applies classical Parashara and Jaimini astrology to real-life questions on career, marriage, health, wealth, and more

BANGALORE, INDIA — July 19, 2026 — Retrograde, an AI-driven Vedic astrology platform built on the astrology engine at Jothishi.com, is now available on web, iPhone, and Android, offering users personalized, chart-based answers to the questions that shape a life: career moves, marriage timing, health, wealth, business decisions, relocating abroad, and more.

The platform was co-developed by Pranav, a 16-year-old in the 12th grade at National Public School, Bangalore, working alongside Anand Vadakepat, founder of Jothishi.com. Jothishi's engine applies the classical framework of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS) together with Jaimini's sutras — the traditional foundations of Vedic astrology, or Jyotish.

"I kept seeing people put off decisions because they couldn't get a straight, personalized answer from an astrologer who actually had time to look at their full chart," said Pranav. "Retrograde exists so that depth of analysis doesn't have to be scarce anymore."

"Sun-sign horoscopes give the same twelve answers to millions of different birth charts. That isn't astrology, it's entertainment. Retrograde applies real chart-based analysis — a person's Nakshatra placements, every divisional chart from D1 through D60, the applicable dasha timing system, Ashtakvarga strength scores, and Panchanga — to their own specific question," said Anand Vadakepat, who has spent years building Jothishi's astrology engine.

A user shares their birth details once, then asks questions in plain language. Retrograde returns a personalized answer within seconds, grounded in that individual's own chart rather than a template.

The founders describe Retrograde's arrival as a product of its moment. A single founder still in high school, working with one collaborator, built and shipped a platform of this depth — something that would once have required a much larger team. "This is what's newly possible in the age of the one-person company," said Vadakepat. "AI and large language models let a small team do what used to take an entire startup."

The name itself was deliberately chosen. Viewed from Earth, planets ordinarily appear to move in one steady direction — direct motion. Occasionally a planet appears to slow, stop, and reverse course, an optical effect of relative orbital speeds that Vedic astrology calls Vakri gati, or retrograde motion. Ketu, the lunar south node, is treated in Jyotish as perpetually reversed relative to every other planet. "Retrograde is that pause — the moment someone stops, turns inward, and reconsiders before moving forward again," said Pranav. "That's exactly the moment we built this for."

The founders say Retrograde's underlying philosophy is that clearer decisions, made with less anxiety, lead to happier lives. Career changes, marriages, health choices, financial bets, and major moves are the decisions people most want a second, informed opinion on and most struggle to get one for. Early adoption has come largely through word of mouth, which the founders attribute to answers that reflect a user's actual chart rather than reading as generic content.

Looking ahead, Retrograde plans to expand its astrological coverage and continue building out its web and mobile experience.

 

About Retrograde

Retrograde is an AI-driven Vedic astrology platform available on web, iPhone, and Android. Built on the astrology engine at Jothishi.com, it applies the classical framework of the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, Jaimini's sutras, Nakshatras, divisional (varga) charts, dasha systems, Ashtakvarga, and Panchanga to give users personalized answers on career, relationships, health, wealth, and other major life questions. Learn more at www.retrograde.co.in.

About Jothishi

Jothishi.com is a Vedic astrology platform and the engine behind Retrograde, founded by Anand Vadakepat. Jothishi applies classical Jyotish methodology to modern astrology tools and consultations.

Media Contact

Retrograde AI

www.retrograde.co.in

info@jothishi.com

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