Padmanabhan, T.2012-03-032012-03-031996-05-10http://hdl.handle.net/11007/177Some contributions of Chandrasekhar to stellar dynamics are reviewed. The article concentrates on two particular effects which arise due to stochastic gravitational fluctuations in stellar systems, viz. (i) diffusion in velocity space, and (ii) dynamical friction. The key ideas are discussed and a brief historical account of the derivation of the formula for dynamical friction is given.enStellar dynamicsChandraDynamical frictionArticle