CONTEMPORARY JYOTISH
The overall nature of Jyotish must be considered to be broad-based and somewhat diffused. This is not to suggest vagueness but to precipitate an understanding that sharply outlined and crisp events are brought about by factors quite beyond our real comprehension. The invaluable contribution of Jyotish is to provide an overwhelming awareness of the quality, nature, growth, tendencies and structure of events, ideas, people, and any number of factors pertaining to life on the planet. Beginning work from this tolerant and mature premise, one can reduce it to individual analyses where quite sharp, sensational and even incredible predictions can be given. It is the writer’s experience that the torrential bliss generated by the Goddess of Jyotish, Jyotir Vidya, can sometimes obliterate or obscure the perspective that is the background of what the Jyotishi is doing. It is hardly a surprise that those uninitiated find Jyotish, and astrology in general, so difficult to accept. How could it be otherwise. Is it not wholly amazing that in this opaque world, there is such an accurate predictive subject that can persistently lay bare all the life attributes as they manifest in empirical fact and otherwise. The basic understanding that must permeate the genuine Jyotishi and those who come in contact with him is the overwhelming evidence of the existence of a highly potent Divinity. These Nature based miracles drive home the point that it is shameful and ridiculous for us as a species to murder each other over the names and attributes of this obviously universal power. The extremist, unyielding and fanatical division between Good and Evil, this God and that God, this lifestyle and that is merely a heightened version of the expectation that Jyotish will tell us exactly how it is and even more exactly how it is going to be, so that this uncertainty, or even trace elements of it should vanish. This must be the black and white comfort derived from the stubborn, insane conviction that only my holy book speaks the truth and should you bring your own book up for me to see, I shall eliminate you on behalf of my God.
This is the either/ or approach. Sanity dictates that we must move rationally and humanely over to the both/ and version of cosmic thought else Prithvi[1] shall continue to be stained with innocent blood. Is this Prithvi’s Dridha Karma [2]? This very question can be asked intelligently of many events in individual life and should. Is it not a quandary that after so many years on this planet, we still have so much suffering, so much doubt, so much of a distance yet to cover. How proximate can this race be to our conceptions of a benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient God? The sheer ravaging power of existence: famine, rape, murder, mayhem, regionalism, nationalism, and religious fanaticism ought to make us pause and reconsider our relative position to this divinity. No doubt, divinity carries all the attributes that we think it does and that all genuine religious experiences probably point at authentic dips into that eternal reservoir. Ought these understandings be contingent on vegetarianism when famine and flood and sheer hunger gobble up the crippled and healthy, ugly and handsome alike. Ought we to be so broken as too always be bending over, when the fact could be that we are ourselves the active functionaries of that unknown (all speculation as to its nature being just that- speculation) power. The Upanishads[3] are conveying a valid truth when they say that serious contemplation shall reveal the body to be the temple where divinity resides. This is not to say an individual, Atman, is the ultimate thing. The ultimate is Brahman, both far away and within.
As one writes this, the television shows the annual Rath Yatra[4] of Sri Jagannath at Puri in Orissa, India. Devotees throng the temple area. These are manifestations of an awareness of Divinity having unambiguously descended as Lord Jagannath, the Lord God of the World. The idea must be that the connectivity of the human divinity is in accord with that Unknown Power here at this temple just as it is anywhere else on the planet and perhaps beyond it, provided a realization of similar quality had happened sometime, somewhere with someone or with some people or with a race. But we are to struggle with the distressing results of the hatred that religious realizations spawn for some obscure reason: the more one tends to believe the letter of his spiritual texts, the more he disbelieves the possibility of an equal divinity of the other. When on prays to Lord Jagannath, who is the true Lord God of the Universe, it must be with the realization that the person somewhere on the globe who has never heard of this God, is equally connectible with the person’s conception of the Creator, in order for the human beings’ humanity to be compatible with genuine religious and spiritual realization.
Another way to put it is that Vedic Astrology works just as well for Americans as it does for Indians, who are the creators of it through their seers. But then, we as astrologers are lucky in that we are granted universality in fair measure as a natural consequence of working with natural formulae. Literal religious speculation appears to work at a different area of human understanding and precipitates responses and stimuli of a radically different typology. An instance of this distinction can be sensed in some people’s discomfort with astrology as some sort of witchcraft or a discipline in violation of their God’s supremacy. The curious thing is that an advocate of this sort of rabid, scared adherence to the letter of a text is almost identical with his counterpart in behaviour: usually violent, bloodthirsty, although the two may belong to distantly removed geographical and cultural locales. Working with human beings for their betterment, assuaging their troubles with quite miraculous principles that always confirm their truth in practice appears to be a more humane, rational and dynamically progressive spirituality than is flying planes into offices populated by innocents on the one hand and wanting an entire geographical, cultural and religious segment of the planet, dead or alive on the other.
A love for that thing, power, person, idea, system or whatever it, he, she or they may be is better expressed as a love for all that embodies that massive, magnificent power. To wear poor quality cloth, to retire, to abstain, to be extraordinarily and compulsorily gentle and all the other devices we understand so well might be laudable symbolic role models for a loving, harmless human being so adamant on respecting that power that pervades all that he may pull out hair from his head with his fists, not eat fruit unless it has dropped on its own from a tree but these cannot be necessary conditions to establish beyond reasonable doubt, as it were, that one is indeed a spiritual person. In the first place there is no need for a person who has encountered the Spirit, to establish anything of the sort. Nor is it an oblique way to disrespect renunciation of the great beings that reject Natural impulse in Nature’s world! How huge if fearsome is this surrender to that which lies beyond, on the yonder shore, as it has sometimes been referred to. This is only to reaffirm the possibility of an equally great Way, to celebrate Maya’s world as being the direct consequence of Divine Desire. This is the very reason that the four Ashrams[5] of life were advocated for the Dharmic[6] human being and not just one. Exclusivity is not meant to be an attribute of the truth. That truth is eternal is its own vehicle. Ganesha is the God who removes obstacles, gives the understanding of and advance in Jyotish, showers learning and wealth and is the true Lord God. The bewildering array of Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism is nothing but an effort to emphasize the fact that no matter where one looks one shall find an attribute of Godness, another God. But there is only one power, one God, one divinity. Thus if one is not acquainted with that enchanting form of Lord Ganesha[7] it is not that he is not of the realm or benefic worlds blessed by Ganesha. At the most he may be unaware of how to derive the joy and wisdom that meditating on Ganesha’s divine Reality can foster. These can also be called the blessings of Ganesha. Ritual, worship and form are human efforts to focus the individual soul on that formless Ultimate Reality. The silent, world-encompassing love of the roots of Hinduism is a great chance for him who wants to expand himself, to try and transcend divisions and boundaries. Certainly, it will be a Utopia to expect phenomenal reality to conform to this view, as has been proved when the unbelievable spiritual boons received in this land, were ground into humiliation by invaders and imperial colonizers. For anyone who appreciates the bottomless wisdom of India, it can be disconcerting to see the filth, poverty and the shortsighted inferiority that assails the modern Indian masses, leading to a shameful equating of poverty and spiritual advance. The enormous wealth of India, even at the material level ought not be viewed as offending against some implied condition that truth and original search for it must be accompanied by reluctance, defeatism, and impracticality. The huge tolerance of India of other faiths and policies of no conquest of other territories despite being attacked by ceaseless cross-border terrorism and unambiguous wars is a worthy lesson. India must never succumb to protecting their Gods with similar zeal, as do others in certain instances. What can be avoided is pseudo-secularism and what can be furthered are cultural study and the practice and research pertaining to the outrageously divine occult of India in a grossly difficult world.
It is crucial to get political when one practices the spiritual in real contexts. What exists is nothing but the divine inviting to have its triggers explored. The scope of this enactment is so large that final judgments about the nature of the world have not been arrived at after such a long stay on the planet, even if this duration is calculated according to the parameters of modern physical sciences. The various speculative interpretations have been so joyous and esoteric that those involving themselves with their creation and study have been termed geniuses. It is this vastness of scope that prohibits leaning on Omens and Numerology even though these can be employed with great profit as supplements to Jyotish. One cannot alter Karma by choosing auspicious numbers or by sticking priority on a Nimitta[8]. These are supplements and this fact will become clear when Jyotish is consistently practiced and meditated upon. The same can be said of Gems and Mantras[9]. In a potently destined time, Upayas[10] do not alter the path of misery if that is what is destined. Yet, these are standard parts of a valid Jyotish and thus it is automatically evident that in times that involve both unshakeable difficulty and possibilities of improvement through exercise of free will (Dridha-Adridha[11] Karma) Vedic remedies ought to alleviate matters somewhat if the stipulated conditions are met with. Indeed, even in times of Dridha Karma, say in the active phases of Shani[12] such as Sade-Sati[13] conjoined with other horoscopic factors that point to an affliction in the areas touched by the Sade-Sati, a meditating on Shani’s mythic reality and chanting the spiritually empowered Mantras pertaining to Him shall lead to some sort of perceived relief, if only at a psychological level. It is always possible to label things of this nature by some skeptical term such as autosuggestion but with that mental doubting we are not presently concerned.
Jyotish appears to be the most potent spiritual tool available to mankind in deciphering patterns of life. It seems to go far beyond the scope of just intellect and taps into zones of rather unbelievable, simple mapping of Karmas so that real life situations can be judged effectively and accurately. Still, it will only be useful to not imagine that Jyotish principles as we know them today, if applied all at once to a horoscopic entity, a virtually impossible feat, would yield in clear-cut visibility of all events of a native’s life. That is simply beyond the scope of Jyotish. And this is so when innumerable dicta lie hidden in the dust of Indian history, and scores of others possibly destroyed by invading hordes. To add to this possible literature, there is a strong view that secrets of interpretations lie concealed in family traditions, the carriers of which are unwilling to part with them.
Two suggestions come to mind:
1. Life on the planet was envisaged on the planet. This may be tautological but clarifies the sterling emphasis on the planet. If this were not so, life would have been contemplated in one of the worlds inhabited by those who have attained emancipation. It also confirms the indignation that rises when one is confronted with a spiritual being who exhibits confusing reservations in one area of life and it is later discovered that very area was the most afflicted in his own life. The point is that except for the enormously gifted, Maya, the Goddess, always exercises a pull in this world, in some manner or means. Upward growth must be in and through the world and this fact ought to be naturally assimilated.
2. Tolerance within Jyotish practice and in life is essential. By tolerance in Jyotish is meant an understanding of what it is and is not capable of doing, its limits and great blessings and that Adhikara[14] varies from person to person in spiritual advance.
Fortunately, Jyotish tolerance has a highly positive facet as well. It implies a liberal expansion of astrological thought in India. Parashar[15] has recommended Vimshottari Dasha[16] as the best Dasha for the Kaliyug[17] and indeed it has proved to be thus in practice. But there are very many Dasha systems in Jyotish that can be used to supplement understandings gleaned from Vimshottari, some of them elaborated by Parashar and others by several other classical writers of Jyotish. Upon a reading of the books written by Mr. Sanjay Rath, esteemed Jyotish writer, Guru and scholar, it becomes clear that Dashas have a far greater scope than has been commonly accepted by the solitary practice of the incredibly effective Vimshottari. This very fact widens the scope of Jyotish immensely and aids the idea of Jyotish tolerance. Since specific conditions in the chart may entail application of varied Dasha systems and, indeed, the Vimshottari itself is deemed capable of being started from Lagna[18], in case this reference point is stronger than the Chandra Nakshatra[19], it becomes easier to appreciate the point that a great array of factors contribute towards precipitating a horoscopic condition, let alone extra-astrological factors acting upon life.
In the practice of contemporary Jyotish, it will be useful to remember that there are divisions in schools of thoughts that alter the interpretative results drastically. According to Mr. K.N. Rao, the writers of Light on Life and Mr. P.S. Sastry, the reckoning of Arudha Padas[20] does not involve any exceptions and it is said to be a simple business of counting from the lord of a house as many signs as it is distant from its own house. Whereas in Mr. Rath’s work, it is asserted that the Arudha of a house cannot fall in itself, based on the rationale that external realities of any matter are Mayik[21] in nature and cannot be identical with the metaphysical truth contained in a Bhava[22]. Likewise, all through the available texts on Jyotish a variance of opinions will be encountered that can be disconcerting to say the least but can also fuel a broader understanding of the subject matter and a learning by doing approach. Again, in Light on Life, by Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda, two authors who are said to have trained extensively under Indian Gurus and exhibit a deep knowledge of the subject, hold that the Panch Mahapurusha Yogas[23] are to be reckoned in the Trikona[24] Bhavas in addition to the Kendras[25]. Others restrict the applicability of this Yoga to the Kendra Bhavas only.
The following important points emerge from the works of Mr. Sanjay Rath:
Ø There is a significant common ground in the teachings of Parashara and Jaimini and that to assert any degree of mutual incompatibility in the two shall only be to the detriment of Jyotish practice.
Ø The tendencies to diffusion and interconnectivity are best seen in the concept of Argala advocated by Parashar. Even though this has sparked discomfort on an astrology list administered by a disciple of Mr. Rath, in the sense, that there appear to be far too many factors to take into account with these simultaneous applications of concepts and systems, it is well indicative of just how many variables are capable of influencing a facet of life at any given point in time.
Ø Even though primacy is to be undoubtedly accorded to the Vimshottari since it is by far the best timing tool in Jyotish, the Narayan Dasha as laid down by Jaimini is said to give equally good or even better results. The gist of this contention appears to be that since Vimshottari starts from a Nakshatra it is more indicative of the mental state of a person while Narayan embodies more deterministic patterns as they manifest in the life of a native. Having heard this argument, we all know that Vimshottari has almost exclusively furnished interpretations for a long time now for modern Jyotishis and Parashar’s recommended Dasha is in no danger of being overwhelmed. Nor could this be the intention behind revealing the magnificence of another timing technique. The idea is to combine various Dashas to arrive at a greater understanding of horoscopic realities.
Ø Mr. Rath has elaborated the differences between Phalita[26] and Ayur[27] Dashas and most of his writings show the traditionalist Guru-oriented approach to Jyotish. Thus, whereas the statistical approach reigned supreme for a while and worked as the main channel through which Jyotish achieved this popular resurgence in various areas of the globe, the deep beauty of relating concealed modes of interpretation as laid down by the ancient sages is probably the way forward.
Ø The systemic role of the Arudha Padas as described by Parashar and Jaimini has been elaborated and implications of these are discussed frequently at the aforementioned Jyotish discussion list and it may not be excessive to assert that it forms the cutting edge of Jyotish growth as of today.
It would be equally pertinent and objective to point out that even with these multifarious techniques researched and employed from the classics, by some seriously involved practitioners and students, teachers and professionals, there are completely wrong predictions given. Occasionally these will be put up at websites owned by these researchers with considerable confidence and might even be in opposition to common sense, say against political ground realities, and then when they are proved wrong, hastily withdrawn. Even more learned people are apt to go totally off the mark in their predictive assessments. Now, in all fairness, this is not likely to be a fallout of any want of Jyotish knowledge. If anything, in some cases it may be a failure to assimilate it properly and arrive at a conclusion. In some instances it will be a case of self-admitted bias (!) for or against the subject of the prediction. This is an instance of Mayik pulls not at all diminishing with learning.
It is certain that Jyotish furnishes, through its predictive ability, a proof of the existence of divine power in this world that is not forthcoming in the arid world of philosophical musing. This in itself is a tremendous gift. It consolidates the free willed aspects of a psychological approach to astrology into deterministic comfort that things in life are surely the work of forces beyond our complete rational control. It can forcefully be argued that free will only exists in trace elements through Jyotish factors like the Upachaya Bhavas[28] and that human sojourn on this Graha is heavily conditioned by Karmas and functional reference-frames that are divine in nature. On the other hand, the understanding that an individual can never resonate with the complete power of the Cosmos must alleviate the strain that the nature of Jyotish can bring up in the mind of the practitioner, with the idea that he must at all costs take the predictive leads of Jyotish and proclaim cosmic verdicts. It does not stand to reason. Another possibility is that, except in certain cases, profound research into the sheer predictive power of the systems and tools of Jyotish might not be accompanied by the ability to proffer holistic, relevant and contemporaneously valid consultancy to clients, who may need psychoanalytical support along with spiritually or religiously deterministic models of interpretation. For one thing, not every gifted Brahmin might be able to learn Sanskrit, casting doubt on the idea of any deep research based on original texts or fragments thereof that are available to us but may offer excellent and learned services based on the tested benefits he might derive from the researches of other scholars who do have expertise in Sanskrit and an inclination to arrive at valid conclusions about dubious or as yet undiscovered facets of what the sages might have meant by certain utterances. The possibilities of an eclectic type are many in this direction and can be explored by people with destined skills, in whatever combinations they may be received or cultivated. For example, there is no need to shout down immediately curative Allopathy just because Ayurveda furnishes such profound insights into the nature of the human constitution, or vice versa. The both/ and approach can come in very handy here and might allow specific area focus leading to better results. The same thinking can be applied to consultancy in Jyotish.
Apart from the much discussed differences in Ayanamsha and other astronomical preferences related to Jyotish calculations, the fact that just as the consulter is undergoing a set of dynamic influences modifying the static patterns of his natal chart at any given time, so too the Jyotishi[29]. As sainthood is a rather difficult thing to attain, it is plausible to deem the words of the Jyotishi being significantly coloured by the flux of changing Jyotish factors as they apply to him at the time. This suggests that prediction and consultancy is relative and that accuracy or fineness of consultancy given is as much a residue of the cosmic play as is occasional inaccuracy and irrelevance, all others factors being constant. For example, this writer’s inclusive and experimental approach to spiritual exercise and religious contemplation, a willingness to adhere to a standard, central dictum of Hinduism: Vasudaiva Kutumbakam[30] could be attributed to a Guru Mahadasha in the 5th House of religion and spirituality and being in the sign of Dhanu[31] it would bring in liberal, philosophical propensities of the Kalpurusha[32]. (A reluctance to visit unknown cousins of the human family in Jammu & Kashmir, Iraq, Gaza, Burma and Indonesia just yet could be attributed to the excellent coverage on BBC World and CNN.) To those who support such an attitude, the willingness to include everybody in spiritual brotherhood could be a function of the genuinely spiritual Ketu who owns the Nakshatra of Moola where Guru is posited. They may say Ketu is also a Karaka of foreigners and also that since it is placed in the 12th House of foreigners; it is only natural that everybody be included in the flurries of creative intelligence (5th H). Some might go as far as to say that these thoughts emanate from the Galactic Center that lies in Moola and that these observations might be somewhat valid after all. Others who do not advocate such a view might notice the Argala[33] of Rahu[34] on Guru from the 6th House and might mutter that apart from facilitating a passing acquaintance with the English language, this Rahu is also afflicting the Guru with His foreign attributes, more so since there is a perpetual Rashi Drishti[35] of Rahu to the Lagna[36]. A lot can depend upon the astrological factors operating on the Jyotishi at the time of interpreting the chart.
Interpretation can also turn on factors such as the mean or true position of Rahu and Ketu[37]. Scholars at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan[38] are on record saying the true position of the nodes has given them better results while others, such as those associated with Sri Jagannath Vedic Center[39] maintain that mean position is in better accord with the near perpetual retrogression of the nodes. In this writer’s chart, this can alter the position from being a Nakshatra exchange between Guru and Ketu to Ketu being posited in Pushya[40] according to the latter view. Also the nodes change their Navamsha[41] position from being Vargottama[42] to another. The interpretation of Varga Kundalis[43] has also altered its tenor over the years. An opinion was prevalent that advised the judgment of a particular house lord with respect to that very lordship in the Varga Charts such as Navamsha and Dashamsha. It would probably be a good idea to continue to indulge in this exercise. The crucial advice that a Graha’s strength be judged in the Varga charts is probably an important indicator of the results that Graha shall give when a Dasha activates it. This is different from the opinion current now that Grahas be judged with respect to their lordship in the Varga charts and that the latter be considered as independent charts in themselves. Not just this; Arudha Padas are calculated in these charts and specific life areas elaborated after having gleaned broad tendencies from the natal chart. This is a far cry from the situation where it was being doubted if aspects would at all be legitimate in these charts.
Once again it would serve us well to appreciate the sheer magic of what we do as Jyotishis when we delve into horoscopic secrets. An interesting historical fact is that Jaimini couched his Shlokas[44] in a Sanskrit numerological code to conceal the Bhavas and Rashis he meant. Only when the code is addressed and the resultant number reversed and divided by twelve can one arrive at the house Jaimini intends in a given statement! Obviously, he considered these verses of great importance. Again, Navamsha could be of greater import than merely being a very important divisional chart if we were to ponder the great focus Jaimini has placed on this chart by elaborating on combinations pertaining to Karakamsha[45] and Navamsha Lagna. Though there has been a considerable amount of literature lost the hope is for traditional secrets to emerge from families in possession of them as too for a resurfacing of lost verses in a similar manner.
In real terms, the surrounding myths can be extremely useful for living life in Jyotish, more so if their eternal reality is explored along with Jyotish as it illumines the path. An excellent example is the rendering of Shani’s archetypal Sade-Sati in the life of Raja Vikramaditya by Dr. Robert Svoboda in The Greatness of Saturn. This text does not deal with Jyotish formulae but can be a magical landmark in the life of a person undergoing the Sade-Sati. It might be realized with a sense of shock that the archaic essence of this Gochar has not altered since the days of Vikram and that much the same effects are likely to resonate with their typical tenor in the life of a person today. The book is loaded with a crucial and valuable attribute: it is very real. This could be so since Dr. Svoboda spent his Sade-Sati in India learning about Shani and thus the book transcends the materialist mythology that has sufficed as a guide map for seekers in the absence of convincing living myths. Just like the story it worships, the book too is alive and the author considers the reader to have been found by the book rather than the other way around. Reading myths that are alive and communicate directly with the seeker can fill the aspirant with awe and then Jyotish shall not be a mere subject but an undertaking that is nothing short of divine.
Writers such as Dr. K.S. Charak, a Surgeon and Vedic Astrologer, have again highlighted the areas where Jyotish is virtually undeveloped. One such zone is the domain of astro-medical diagnosis. While timing of an illness can be done with greater ease, the actual illness is a far more difficult proposition to determine, even though broad areas of affliction can be pointed out in advance. Other areas include the lukewarm nature of transits whether reckoned from Lagna or the Moon in Dridha Karma times. In such periods, the all-important Graha seems to swallow up the phenomenon of transit. Although it is well known that transits are secondary tools at best, especially if they are not those of the Dasha planets, it is surprising to se them gobbled up by overwhelming Grahas in a given phase. Importantly, however, they must continue to be an important part of chart interpretation in lighter, more open times. In much the same manner, colour therapy and the attention to particular types of food might work better in a negative way in Dridha times. For instance, what not to do, might be a better way to exercise these remedies since the positives one attempts will require heavy belief on the part of the person for them to have yielded fruits. Obviously what is overpoweringly destined, say in a conventionally negative way, is unlikely to be altered by wearing only a benefic colour. In any case, there is no saying that chanting of Mantras and wearing of certain colours and eating of certain foods did not divert greater evils. This part of it is a bit iffy.
Absolutes do not abound on this planet and Jyotish is no exception, at least for us in Kaliyug. It can enhance life just as it is and that is by no means a small gift.
ANURAG SHARMA.
DEHRADUN.INDIA.
Selected Reading:
1. Astrology Of The Seers by David Frawley. (Motilal Banarasidass, Delhi.)
2. Essentials of Medical Astrology by Dr. K.S. Charak. (Uma Publications, New Delhi.)
3. Subtleties of Medical Astrology by Dr. K.S. Charak. (Uma Publications, New Delhi.)
4. Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India by Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda. (Penguin, New Delhi.)
5. The Greatness of Saturn by Dr. Robert Svoboda. (Rupa, Delhi.)
6. Jaimini Maharishi’s Upadesa Sutras Translated by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
7. Crux of Vedic Astrology: Timing of Events by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
8. Narayana Dasa by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
9. Vimshottari and Udu Dasas by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
10.How to Judge a Horoscope, Vols.1&2 by Dr. B.V. Raman. (Motilal Banarasidass.)
11.Three Hundred Important Combinations by Dr. B.V. Raman. (Motilal Banarasidass.)
12.Masks of God, Vols. 1,2,3&4 by Joseph Campbell. (Souvenir Press, London.)
[1] Mother Earth
[2] Absolutely determined fate
[3] Concluding portions of the Vedas called Vedanta: philosophical basis of the Vedas.
[4] Religious procession
[5] Stages of life
[6] Following the righteous path
[7] A God in Hinduism
[8] Omen
[9] Sacred formulae
[10] Remedial measures
[11] Karma not entirely determined
[12] Saturn
[13] Transit of Saturn before, in and after the constellation housing the natal Moon, lasting seven and a half years.
[14] Legitimate right
[15] Indian sage who composed the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, arguably the most important Vedic Astrology treatise of India.
[16] A system of planetary periodicity, literally one hundred and twenty years, usually taken to begin from the lunar mansion occupied by the natal Moon.
[17] One of the Major Ages in cyclical Hindu reckoning, considered the most degraded of the lot, in operation now.
[18] Ascendant
[19] Lunar mansion occupied by the natal Moon.
[20] Denoting external manifestations of realties signified by the various houses.
[21] Illusory, considered from the standpoint of the Ultimate Reality, beyond names and forms.
[22] House
[23] Five Great Men Combinations, occurring when Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn occupy their own or exaltation signs.
[24] Trines
[25] Quadrants
[26] Relating to fruits or events.
[27] Relating to longevity.
[28] Houses 3,6,10 & 11: the houses of growth embodying, inter alia, human free will, effort and growth over time.
[29] Vedic/Hindu Astrologer.
[30] The world is your family.
[31] Sagittarius
[32] Cosmic Man
[33] Intervention
[34] North Node of the Moon.
[35] Sign aspect
[36] 11th, June 1972; 10:15AM; Cuttack, Orissa, India.
[37] South Node of the Moon.
[38] Vedic Astrology Institute in New Delhi.
[39] Vedic Astrology Institute
[40] Lunar mansion in Cancer, lorded over by Saturn.
[41] Ninth Harmonic Chart.
[42] Occupying the same sign in the Navamsha as in the natal chart.
[43] Divisional charts.
[44] Sanskrit verses.
[45] Sign occupied by the Atmakaraka, the planet farthest advanced by degrees irrespective of signs, in the Navamsha chart.
The overall nature of Jyotish must be considered to be broad-based and somewhat diffused. This is not to suggest vagueness but to precipitate an understanding that sharply outlined and crisp events are brought about by factors quite beyond our real comprehension. The invaluable contribution of Jyotish is to provide an overwhelming awareness of the quality, nature, growth, tendencies and structure of events, ideas, people, and any number of factors pertaining to life on the planet. Beginning work from this tolerant and mature premise, one can reduce it to individual analyses where quite sharp, sensational and even incredible predictions can be given. It is the writer’s experience that the torrential bliss generated by the Goddess of Jyotish, Jyotir Vidya, can sometimes obliterate or obscure the perspective that is the background of what the Jyotishi is doing. It is hardly a surprise that those uninitiated find Jyotish, and astrology in general, so difficult to accept. How could it be otherwise. Is it not wholly amazing that in this opaque world, there is such an accurate predictive subject that can persistently lay bare all the life attributes as they manifest in empirical fact and otherwise. The basic understanding that must permeate the genuine Jyotishi and those who come in contact with him is the overwhelming evidence of the existence of a highly potent Divinity. These Nature based miracles drive home the point that it is shameful and ridiculous for us as a species to murder each other over the names and attributes of this obviously universal power. The extremist, unyielding and fanatical division between Good and Evil, this God and that God, this lifestyle and that is merely a heightened version of the expectation that Jyotish will tell us exactly how it is and even more exactly how it is going to be, so that this uncertainty, or even trace elements of it should vanish. This must be the black and white comfort derived from the stubborn, insane conviction that only my holy book speaks the truth and should you bring your own book up for me to see, I shall eliminate you on behalf of my God.
This is the either/ or approach. Sanity dictates that we must move rationally and humanely over to the both/ and version of cosmic thought else Prithvi[1] shall continue to be stained with innocent blood. Is this Prithvi’s Dridha Karma [2]? This very question can be asked intelligently of many events in individual life and should. Is it not a quandary that after so many years on this planet, we still have so much suffering, so much doubt, so much of a distance yet to cover. How proximate can this race be to our conceptions of a benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient God? The sheer ravaging power of existence: famine, rape, murder, mayhem, regionalism, nationalism, and religious fanaticism ought to make us pause and reconsider our relative position to this divinity. No doubt, divinity carries all the attributes that we think it does and that all genuine religious experiences probably point at authentic dips into that eternal reservoir. Ought these understandings be contingent on vegetarianism when famine and flood and sheer hunger gobble up the crippled and healthy, ugly and handsome alike. Ought we to be so broken as too always be bending over, when the fact could be that we are ourselves the active functionaries of that unknown (all speculation as to its nature being just that- speculation) power. The Upanishads[3] are conveying a valid truth when they say that serious contemplation shall reveal the body to be the temple where divinity resides. This is not to say an individual, Atman, is the ultimate thing. The ultimate is Brahman, both far away and within.
As one writes this, the television shows the annual Rath Yatra[4] of Sri Jagannath at Puri in Orissa, India. Devotees throng the temple area. These are manifestations of an awareness of Divinity having unambiguously descended as Lord Jagannath, the Lord God of the World. The idea must be that the connectivity of the human divinity is in accord with that Unknown Power here at this temple just as it is anywhere else on the planet and perhaps beyond it, provided a realization of similar quality had happened sometime, somewhere with someone or with some people or with a race. But we are to struggle with the distressing results of the hatred that religious realizations spawn for some obscure reason: the more one tends to believe the letter of his spiritual texts, the more he disbelieves the possibility of an equal divinity of the other. When on prays to Lord Jagannath, who is the true Lord God of the Universe, it must be with the realization that the person somewhere on the globe who has never heard of this God, is equally connectible with the person’s conception of the Creator, in order for the human beings’ humanity to be compatible with genuine religious and spiritual realization.
Another way to put it is that Vedic Astrology works just as well for Americans as it does for Indians, who are the creators of it through their seers. But then, we as astrologers are lucky in that we are granted universality in fair measure as a natural consequence of working with natural formulae. Literal religious speculation appears to work at a different area of human understanding and precipitates responses and stimuli of a radically different typology. An instance of this distinction can be sensed in some people’s discomfort with astrology as some sort of witchcraft or a discipline in violation of their God’s supremacy. The curious thing is that an advocate of this sort of rabid, scared adherence to the letter of a text is almost identical with his counterpart in behaviour: usually violent, bloodthirsty, although the two may belong to distantly removed geographical and cultural locales. Working with human beings for their betterment, assuaging their troubles with quite miraculous principles that always confirm their truth in practice appears to be a more humane, rational and dynamically progressive spirituality than is flying planes into offices populated by innocents on the one hand and wanting an entire geographical, cultural and religious segment of the planet, dead or alive on the other.
A love for that thing, power, person, idea, system or whatever it, he, she or they may be is better expressed as a love for all that embodies that massive, magnificent power. To wear poor quality cloth, to retire, to abstain, to be extraordinarily and compulsorily gentle and all the other devices we understand so well might be laudable symbolic role models for a loving, harmless human being so adamant on respecting that power that pervades all that he may pull out hair from his head with his fists, not eat fruit unless it has dropped on its own from a tree but these cannot be necessary conditions to establish beyond reasonable doubt, as it were, that one is indeed a spiritual person. In the first place there is no need for a person who has encountered the Spirit, to establish anything of the sort. Nor is it an oblique way to disrespect renunciation of the great beings that reject Natural impulse in Nature’s world! How huge if fearsome is this surrender to that which lies beyond, on the yonder shore, as it has sometimes been referred to. This is only to reaffirm the possibility of an equally great Way, to celebrate Maya’s world as being the direct consequence of Divine Desire. This is the very reason that the four Ashrams[5] of life were advocated for the Dharmic[6] human being and not just one. Exclusivity is not meant to be an attribute of the truth. That truth is eternal is its own vehicle. Ganesha is the God who removes obstacles, gives the understanding of and advance in Jyotish, showers learning and wealth and is the true Lord God. The bewildering array of Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism is nothing but an effort to emphasize the fact that no matter where one looks one shall find an attribute of Godness, another God. But there is only one power, one God, one divinity. Thus if one is not acquainted with that enchanting form of Lord Ganesha[7] it is not that he is not of the realm or benefic worlds blessed by Ganesha. At the most he may be unaware of how to derive the joy and wisdom that meditating on Ganesha’s divine Reality can foster. These can also be called the blessings of Ganesha. Ritual, worship and form are human efforts to focus the individual soul on that formless Ultimate Reality. The silent, world-encompassing love of the roots of Hinduism is a great chance for him who wants to expand himself, to try and transcend divisions and boundaries. Certainly, it will be a Utopia to expect phenomenal reality to conform to this view, as has been proved when the unbelievable spiritual boons received in this land, were ground into humiliation by invaders and imperial colonizers. For anyone who appreciates the bottomless wisdom of India, it can be disconcerting to see the filth, poverty and the shortsighted inferiority that assails the modern Indian masses, leading to a shameful equating of poverty and spiritual advance. The enormous wealth of India, even at the material level ought not be viewed as offending against some implied condition that truth and original search for it must be accompanied by reluctance, defeatism, and impracticality. The huge tolerance of India of other faiths and policies of no conquest of other territories despite being attacked by ceaseless cross-border terrorism and unambiguous wars is a worthy lesson. India must never succumb to protecting their Gods with similar zeal, as do others in certain instances. What can be avoided is pseudo-secularism and what can be furthered are cultural study and the practice and research pertaining to the outrageously divine occult of India in a grossly difficult world.
It is crucial to get political when one practices the spiritual in real contexts. What exists is nothing but the divine inviting to have its triggers explored. The scope of this enactment is so large that final judgments about the nature of the world have not been arrived at after such a long stay on the planet, even if this duration is calculated according to the parameters of modern physical sciences. The various speculative interpretations have been so joyous and esoteric that those involving themselves with their creation and study have been termed geniuses. It is this vastness of scope that prohibits leaning on Omens and Numerology even though these can be employed with great profit as supplements to Jyotish. One cannot alter Karma by choosing auspicious numbers or by sticking priority on a Nimitta[8]. These are supplements and this fact will become clear when Jyotish is consistently practiced and meditated upon. The same can be said of Gems and Mantras[9]. In a potently destined time, Upayas[10] do not alter the path of misery if that is what is destined. Yet, these are standard parts of a valid Jyotish and thus it is automatically evident that in times that involve both unshakeable difficulty and possibilities of improvement through exercise of free will (Dridha-Adridha[11] Karma) Vedic remedies ought to alleviate matters somewhat if the stipulated conditions are met with. Indeed, even in times of Dridha Karma, say in the active phases of Shani[12] such as Sade-Sati[13] conjoined with other horoscopic factors that point to an affliction in the areas touched by the Sade-Sati, a meditating on Shani’s mythic reality and chanting the spiritually empowered Mantras pertaining to Him shall lead to some sort of perceived relief, if only at a psychological level. It is always possible to label things of this nature by some skeptical term such as autosuggestion but with that mental doubting we are not presently concerned.
Jyotish appears to be the most potent spiritual tool available to mankind in deciphering patterns of life. It seems to go far beyond the scope of just intellect and taps into zones of rather unbelievable, simple mapping of Karmas so that real life situations can be judged effectively and accurately. Still, it will only be useful to not imagine that Jyotish principles as we know them today, if applied all at once to a horoscopic entity, a virtually impossible feat, would yield in clear-cut visibility of all events of a native’s life. That is simply beyond the scope of Jyotish. And this is so when innumerable dicta lie hidden in the dust of Indian history, and scores of others possibly destroyed by invading hordes. To add to this possible literature, there is a strong view that secrets of interpretations lie concealed in family traditions, the carriers of which are unwilling to part with them.
Two suggestions come to mind:
1. Life on the planet was envisaged on the planet. This may be tautological but clarifies the sterling emphasis on the planet. If this were not so, life would have been contemplated in one of the worlds inhabited by those who have attained emancipation. It also confirms the indignation that rises when one is confronted with a spiritual being who exhibits confusing reservations in one area of life and it is later discovered that very area was the most afflicted in his own life. The point is that except for the enormously gifted, Maya, the Goddess, always exercises a pull in this world, in some manner or means. Upward growth must be in and through the world and this fact ought to be naturally assimilated.
2. Tolerance within Jyotish practice and in life is essential. By tolerance in Jyotish is meant an understanding of what it is and is not capable of doing, its limits and great blessings and that Adhikara[14] varies from person to person in spiritual advance.
Fortunately, Jyotish tolerance has a highly positive facet as well. It implies a liberal expansion of astrological thought in India. Parashar[15] has recommended Vimshottari Dasha[16] as the best Dasha for the Kaliyug[17] and indeed it has proved to be thus in practice. But there are very many Dasha systems in Jyotish that can be used to supplement understandings gleaned from Vimshottari, some of them elaborated by Parashar and others by several other classical writers of Jyotish. Upon a reading of the books written by Mr. Sanjay Rath, esteemed Jyotish writer, Guru and scholar, it becomes clear that Dashas have a far greater scope than has been commonly accepted by the solitary practice of the incredibly effective Vimshottari. This very fact widens the scope of Jyotish immensely and aids the idea of Jyotish tolerance. Since specific conditions in the chart may entail application of varied Dasha systems and, indeed, the Vimshottari itself is deemed capable of being started from Lagna[18], in case this reference point is stronger than the Chandra Nakshatra[19], it becomes easier to appreciate the point that a great array of factors contribute towards precipitating a horoscopic condition, let alone extra-astrological factors acting upon life.
In the practice of contemporary Jyotish, it will be useful to remember that there are divisions in schools of thoughts that alter the interpretative results drastically. According to Mr. K.N. Rao, the writers of Light on Life and Mr. P.S. Sastry, the reckoning of Arudha Padas[20] does not involve any exceptions and it is said to be a simple business of counting from the lord of a house as many signs as it is distant from its own house. Whereas in Mr. Rath’s work, it is asserted that the Arudha of a house cannot fall in itself, based on the rationale that external realities of any matter are Mayik[21] in nature and cannot be identical with the metaphysical truth contained in a Bhava[22]. Likewise, all through the available texts on Jyotish a variance of opinions will be encountered that can be disconcerting to say the least but can also fuel a broader understanding of the subject matter and a learning by doing approach. Again, in Light on Life, by Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda, two authors who are said to have trained extensively under Indian Gurus and exhibit a deep knowledge of the subject, hold that the Panch Mahapurusha Yogas[23] are to be reckoned in the Trikona[24] Bhavas in addition to the Kendras[25]. Others restrict the applicability of this Yoga to the Kendra Bhavas only.
The following important points emerge from the works of Mr. Sanjay Rath:
Ø There is a significant common ground in the teachings of Parashara and Jaimini and that to assert any degree of mutual incompatibility in the two shall only be to the detriment of Jyotish practice.
Ø The tendencies to diffusion and interconnectivity are best seen in the concept of Argala advocated by Parashar. Even though this has sparked discomfort on an astrology list administered by a disciple of Mr. Rath, in the sense, that there appear to be far too many factors to take into account with these simultaneous applications of concepts and systems, it is well indicative of just how many variables are capable of influencing a facet of life at any given point in time.
Ø Even though primacy is to be undoubtedly accorded to the Vimshottari since it is by far the best timing tool in Jyotish, the Narayan Dasha as laid down by Jaimini is said to give equally good or even better results. The gist of this contention appears to be that since Vimshottari starts from a Nakshatra it is more indicative of the mental state of a person while Narayan embodies more deterministic patterns as they manifest in the life of a native. Having heard this argument, we all know that Vimshottari has almost exclusively furnished interpretations for a long time now for modern Jyotishis and Parashar’s recommended Dasha is in no danger of being overwhelmed. Nor could this be the intention behind revealing the magnificence of another timing technique. The idea is to combine various Dashas to arrive at a greater understanding of horoscopic realities.
Ø Mr. Rath has elaborated the differences between Phalita[26] and Ayur[27] Dashas and most of his writings show the traditionalist Guru-oriented approach to Jyotish. Thus, whereas the statistical approach reigned supreme for a while and worked as the main channel through which Jyotish achieved this popular resurgence in various areas of the globe, the deep beauty of relating concealed modes of interpretation as laid down by the ancient sages is probably the way forward.
Ø The systemic role of the Arudha Padas as described by Parashar and Jaimini has been elaborated and implications of these are discussed frequently at the aforementioned Jyotish discussion list and it may not be excessive to assert that it forms the cutting edge of Jyotish growth as of today.
It would be equally pertinent and objective to point out that even with these multifarious techniques researched and employed from the classics, by some seriously involved practitioners and students, teachers and professionals, there are completely wrong predictions given. Occasionally these will be put up at websites owned by these researchers with considerable confidence and might even be in opposition to common sense, say against political ground realities, and then when they are proved wrong, hastily withdrawn. Even more learned people are apt to go totally off the mark in their predictive assessments. Now, in all fairness, this is not likely to be a fallout of any want of Jyotish knowledge. If anything, in some cases it may be a failure to assimilate it properly and arrive at a conclusion. In some instances it will be a case of self-admitted bias (!) for or against the subject of the prediction. This is an instance of Mayik pulls not at all diminishing with learning.
It is certain that Jyotish furnishes, through its predictive ability, a proof of the existence of divine power in this world that is not forthcoming in the arid world of philosophical musing. This in itself is a tremendous gift. It consolidates the free willed aspects of a psychological approach to astrology into deterministic comfort that things in life are surely the work of forces beyond our complete rational control. It can forcefully be argued that free will only exists in trace elements through Jyotish factors like the Upachaya Bhavas[28] and that human sojourn on this Graha is heavily conditioned by Karmas and functional reference-frames that are divine in nature. On the other hand, the understanding that an individual can never resonate with the complete power of the Cosmos must alleviate the strain that the nature of Jyotish can bring up in the mind of the practitioner, with the idea that he must at all costs take the predictive leads of Jyotish and proclaim cosmic verdicts. It does not stand to reason. Another possibility is that, except in certain cases, profound research into the sheer predictive power of the systems and tools of Jyotish might not be accompanied by the ability to proffer holistic, relevant and contemporaneously valid consultancy to clients, who may need psychoanalytical support along with spiritually or religiously deterministic models of interpretation. For one thing, not every gifted Brahmin might be able to learn Sanskrit, casting doubt on the idea of any deep research based on original texts or fragments thereof that are available to us but may offer excellent and learned services based on the tested benefits he might derive from the researches of other scholars who do have expertise in Sanskrit and an inclination to arrive at valid conclusions about dubious or as yet undiscovered facets of what the sages might have meant by certain utterances. The possibilities of an eclectic type are many in this direction and can be explored by people with destined skills, in whatever combinations they may be received or cultivated. For example, there is no need to shout down immediately curative Allopathy just because Ayurveda furnishes such profound insights into the nature of the human constitution, or vice versa. The both/ and approach can come in very handy here and might allow specific area focus leading to better results. The same thinking can be applied to consultancy in Jyotish.
Apart from the much discussed differences in Ayanamsha and other astronomical preferences related to Jyotish calculations, the fact that just as the consulter is undergoing a set of dynamic influences modifying the static patterns of his natal chart at any given time, so too the Jyotishi[29]. As sainthood is a rather difficult thing to attain, it is plausible to deem the words of the Jyotishi being significantly coloured by the flux of changing Jyotish factors as they apply to him at the time. This suggests that prediction and consultancy is relative and that accuracy or fineness of consultancy given is as much a residue of the cosmic play as is occasional inaccuracy and irrelevance, all others factors being constant. For example, this writer’s inclusive and experimental approach to spiritual exercise and religious contemplation, a willingness to adhere to a standard, central dictum of Hinduism: Vasudaiva Kutumbakam[30] could be attributed to a Guru Mahadasha in the 5th House of religion and spirituality and being in the sign of Dhanu[31] it would bring in liberal, philosophical propensities of the Kalpurusha[32]. (A reluctance to visit unknown cousins of the human family in Jammu & Kashmir, Iraq, Gaza, Burma and Indonesia just yet could be attributed to the excellent coverage on BBC World and CNN.) To those who support such an attitude, the willingness to include everybody in spiritual brotherhood could be a function of the genuinely spiritual Ketu who owns the Nakshatra of Moola where Guru is posited. They may say Ketu is also a Karaka of foreigners and also that since it is placed in the 12th House of foreigners; it is only natural that everybody be included in the flurries of creative intelligence (5th H). Some might go as far as to say that these thoughts emanate from the Galactic Center that lies in Moola and that these observations might be somewhat valid after all. Others who do not advocate such a view might notice the Argala[33] of Rahu[34] on Guru from the 6th House and might mutter that apart from facilitating a passing acquaintance with the English language, this Rahu is also afflicting the Guru with His foreign attributes, more so since there is a perpetual Rashi Drishti[35] of Rahu to the Lagna[36]. A lot can depend upon the astrological factors operating on the Jyotishi at the time of interpreting the chart.
Interpretation can also turn on factors such as the mean or true position of Rahu and Ketu[37]. Scholars at Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan[38] are on record saying the true position of the nodes has given them better results while others, such as those associated with Sri Jagannath Vedic Center[39] maintain that mean position is in better accord with the near perpetual retrogression of the nodes. In this writer’s chart, this can alter the position from being a Nakshatra exchange between Guru and Ketu to Ketu being posited in Pushya[40] according to the latter view. Also the nodes change their Navamsha[41] position from being Vargottama[42] to another. The interpretation of Varga Kundalis[43] has also altered its tenor over the years. An opinion was prevalent that advised the judgment of a particular house lord with respect to that very lordship in the Varga Charts such as Navamsha and Dashamsha. It would probably be a good idea to continue to indulge in this exercise. The crucial advice that a Graha’s strength be judged in the Varga charts is probably an important indicator of the results that Graha shall give when a Dasha activates it. This is different from the opinion current now that Grahas be judged with respect to their lordship in the Varga charts and that the latter be considered as independent charts in themselves. Not just this; Arudha Padas are calculated in these charts and specific life areas elaborated after having gleaned broad tendencies from the natal chart. This is a far cry from the situation where it was being doubted if aspects would at all be legitimate in these charts.
Once again it would serve us well to appreciate the sheer magic of what we do as Jyotishis when we delve into horoscopic secrets. An interesting historical fact is that Jaimini couched his Shlokas[44] in a Sanskrit numerological code to conceal the Bhavas and Rashis he meant. Only when the code is addressed and the resultant number reversed and divided by twelve can one arrive at the house Jaimini intends in a given statement! Obviously, he considered these verses of great importance. Again, Navamsha could be of greater import than merely being a very important divisional chart if we were to ponder the great focus Jaimini has placed on this chart by elaborating on combinations pertaining to Karakamsha[45] and Navamsha Lagna. Though there has been a considerable amount of literature lost the hope is for traditional secrets to emerge from families in possession of them as too for a resurfacing of lost verses in a similar manner.
In real terms, the surrounding myths can be extremely useful for living life in Jyotish, more so if their eternal reality is explored along with Jyotish as it illumines the path. An excellent example is the rendering of Shani’s archetypal Sade-Sati in the life of Raja Vikramaditya by Dr. Robert Svoboda in The Greatness of Saturn. This text does not deal with Jyotish formulae but can be a magical landmark in the life of a person undergoing the Sade-Sati. It might be realized with a sense of shock that the archaic essence of this Gochar has not altered since the days of Vikram and that much the same effects are likely to resonate with their typical tenor in the life of a person today. The book is loaded with a crucial and valuable attribute: it is very real. This could be so since Dr. Svoboda spent his Sade-Sati in India learning about Shani and thus the book transcends the materialist mythology that has sufficed as a guide map for seekers in the absence of convincing living myths. Just like the story it worships, the book too is alive and the author considers the reader to have been found by the book rather than the other way around. Reading myths that are alive and communicate directly with the seeker can fill the aspirant with awe and then Jyotish shall not be a mere subject but an undertaking that is nothing short of divine.
Writers such as Dr. K.S. Charak, a Surgeon and Vedic Astrologer, have again highlighted the areas where Jyotish is virtually undeveloped. One such zone is the domain of astro-medical diagnosis. While timing of an illness can be done with greater ease, the actual illness is a far more difficult proposition to determine, even though broad areas of affliction can be pointed out in advance. Other areas include the lukewarm nature of transits whether reckoned from Lagna or the Moon in Dridha Karma times. In such periods, the all-important Graha seems to swallow up the phenomenon of transit. Although it is well known that transits are secondary tools at best, especially if they are not those of the Dasha planets, it is surprising to se them gobbled up by overwhelming Grahas in a given phase. Importantly, however, they must continue to be an important part of chart interpretation in lighter, more open times. In much the same manner, colour therapy and the attention to particular types of food might work better in a negative way in Dridha times. For instance, what not to do, might be a better way to exercise these remedies since the positives one attempts will require heavy belief on the part of the person for them to have yielded fruits. Obviously what is overpoweringly destined, say in a conventionally negative way, is unlikely to be altered by wearing only a benefic colour. In any case, there is no saying that chanting of Mantras and wearing of certain colours and eating of certain foods did not divert greater evils. This part of it is a bit iffy.
Absolutes do not abound on this planet and Jyotish is no exception, at least for us in Kaliyug. It can enhance life just as it is and that is by no means a small gift.
ANURAG SHARMA.
DEHRADUN.INDIA.
Selected Reading:
1. Astrology Of The Seers by David Frawley. (Motilal Banarasidass, Delhi.)
2. Essentials of Medical Astrology by Dr. K.S. Charak. (Uma Publications, New Delhi.)
3. Subtleties of Medical Astrology by Dr. K.S. Charak. (Uma Publications, New Delhi.)
4. Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India by Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda. (Penguin, New Delhi.)
5. The Greatness of Saturn by Dr. Robert Svoboda. (Rupa, Delhi.)
6. Jaimini Maharishi’s Upadesa Sutras Translated by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
7. Crux of Vedic Astrology: Timing of Events by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
8. Narayana Dasa by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
9. Vimshottari and Udu Dasas by Sanjay Rath. (Sagar Publications, New Delhi.)
10.How to Judge a Horoscope, Vols.1&2 by Dr. B.V. Raman. (Motilal Banarasidass.)
11.Three Hundred Important Combinations by Dr. B.V. Raman. (Motilal Banarasidass.)
12.Masks of God, Vols. 1,2,3&4 by Joseph Campbell. (Souvenir Press, London.)
[1] Mother Earth
[2] Absolutely determined fate
[3] Concluding portions of the Vedas called Vedanta: philosophical basis of the Vedas.
[4] Religious procession
[5] Stages of life
[6] Following the righteous path
[7] A God in Hinduism
[8] Omen
[9] Sacred formulae
[10] Remedial measures
[11] Karma not entirely determined
[12] Saturn
[13] Transit of Saturn before, in and after the constellation housing the natal Moon, lasting seven and a half years.
[14] Legitimate right
[15] Indian sage who composed the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, arguably the most important Vedic Astrology treatise of India.
[16] A system of planetary periodicity, literally one hundred and twenty years, usually taken to begin from the lunar mansion occupied by the natal Moon.
[17] One of the Major Ages in cyclical Hindu reckoning, considered the most degraded of the lot, in operation now.
[18] Ascendant
[19] Lunar mansion occupied by the natal Moon.
[20] Denoting external manifestations of realties signified by the various houses.
[21] Illusory, considered from the standpoint of the Ultimate Reality, beyond names and forms.
[22] House
[23] Five Great Men Combinations, occurring when Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus or Saturn occupy their own or exaltation signs.
[24] Trines
[25] Quadrants
[26] Relating to fruits or events.
[27] Relating to longevity.
[28] Houses 3,6,10 & 11: the houses of growth embodying, inter alia, human free will, effort and growth over time.
[29] Vedic/Hindu Astrologer.
[30] The world is your family.
[31] Sagittarius
[32] Cosmic Man
[33] Intervention
[34] North Node of the Moon.
[35] Sign aspect
[36] 11th, June 1972; 10:15AM; Cuttack, Orissa, India.
[37] South Node of the Moon.
[38] Vedic Astrology Institute in New Delhi.
[39] Vedic Astrology Institute
[40] Lunar mansion in Cancer, lorded over by Saturn.
[41] Ninth Harmonic Chart.
[42] Occupying the same sign in the Navamsha as in the natal chart.
[43] Divisional charts.
[44] Sanskrit verses.
[45] Sign occupied by the Atmakaraka, the planet farthest advanced by degrees irrespective of signs, in the Navamsha chart.
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