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Astrology (VS) Science
Astrology (VS) Science
When the great Julius Caesar entered his palace on the fateful day of his murder by his
own beloved friend, he had ignored the warning of the cobbler, "Beware the Ides of March "
The sage Mihira predicted that King Vikramaditya's son would be killed by a pariah (pig) at
the age of eighteen, so accurately that he was then after called Varahamihira .
We have numerous instances where predictions of seers, sages and astrologers have
come true. There are various methods of prediction. Here are some.
1. Inspired predictions: Some persons invoke (or, are possessed by) Divine Souls and
offer predictions. They employ certain 'mantras' which when chanted with
reverence as prescribed in the scriptures, help them to invoke the spirits. But they
2. Intuitions: Every man is endowed with this power. It will simply strike in your mind
5. Numerology: Numbers represent planets. Predictions are offered based on the date
of birth etc
There is also a technique called" Astro Numerology" which employs not only numbers but
6. Palmistry: The palm of a man is said to reveal his future. Lord Christ has said in the
Bible, "And God made marks upon the hands of man that he may know".
7. Physiognomy: There is also a system of prediction, which is based on the physical
characteristics of a person
8. Astrology: It is the most popular method of prediction, based on the horoscope cast
ASTROLOGY vs SCIENCE
From time immemorial, man has been observing the objects of the sky and correlating
their movement to the events in his life. Great men, Philosophers and sages have asserted
their belief in astrology. But there is a lobby in some quarters that astrology has no
scientific basis. According to them, it is superstition to believe that the planets have any
knowledge". Our sages and seers have observed the movement of celestial bodies, and with
their knowledge, wisdom and inspiration put forward many theories proved "positive" by
experience. It has become a fancy for some to scorn astrology as superstition. These men
include scientists, rationalists and politicians. Those in power secretly consult astrologers
for their personal and political fortunes but do not have the courage to include the subject
in the curriculum. In ancient times great astrologers adorned the royal courts and the kings
consulted them on all matters. We have instances where our sages had offered astounding
Let us discuss the reservations of scientists for not recognizing astrology as an exact
science.
KNOWLEDGE IS TRANSFERABLE
A scientist is able to split water into two gases namely oxygen and hydrogen. He can teach
the technique to anybody, and the latter can obtain the two gases from the given quantity
of water. Suppose an astrologer says by studying a horoscope that the native would marry
an educated girl, he should be able to tell us what combination of planets made him come
to that conclusion. And anybody who knows that particular combination should make the
same inference in any chart. But, the astrologer miserably fails to transfer his knowledge
and escapes by saying that 'intuition' also plays a vital role in predicting events.
Unfortunately, astrology lacks clear-cut theories, which help us make definite inferences.
TEST OF PROBABILITY
Modern Science, like Chemistry or Physics, is based on theories, which stand the test of
probability. Imagine that you toss a coin. The Probability that you get a head is 50%. It may
vary from 40% to 60% by mere chance. But only an event with 70% probability is
considered a significant event by Scientists. They accept that some factor is influencing the
event. If 100 persons suffering from throat cancer are examined and at least 70 are found
to be smokers, then we can conclude that smoking causes the disease. "Are the dictums of
astrology universally true?" Let us take the statement - "Persons born with the Moon in
Aries are short-tempered". To know the truth of this statement, we have to study 100
persons having the luminary in Aries at the time of birth. If at least 70 of them are short-
FREE WILL
Another argument against astrology is that man has a free will. He can plan, endeavor and
achieve his ends. Success depends on his will power, self-confidence hard work and
knowledge. There are two schools of thought. According to Dr.B.V.Raman, the eminent
astrologer, "Planets impel us, but they do not compel". Knowledge of astrology helps us
know in advance any impending danger. We can resist, modify or even overcome the
impulsions of the planets. But, there are others, like the elite astrologer late professor
K.S.Krishnamoorthy, who say that fate is inevitable. Man has a free will but how freely he
can exercise his will is already destined. You know the rules of the road and are an able
driver. But if the other man comes on the wrong way and dashes against you, it is fate!
According to the Karma theory of Hinduism, man's life in this birth is the result of his past
deeds in the previous birth. Unless the scientific basis of astrology is established, we
Astrology has long been associated with religion. The religious colour has kept the elite of
the society away from the subject. While rationalists tar the image of astrology, quakes and
clairvoyants exploit the public. There has been neither a serious study nor research. It is
not an exaggeration if one says that the veterans, who held the field of Indian Astrology for
the past few decades, did not encourage new findings. Krishnamurthy System based on the
constellation and sub- theories is scientific and has been found very accurate in
experience by many astrologers. But these theories have found a place only recently in the
astrological arena.
VEXED QUESTIONS
There is a lot of disputes among astrologers regarding Ayanamsa and house system. This is
also a reason why the subject remains unattractive. “Which is the correct time of birth?",
"Which ayanamsa is correct?", "Is the cusp the beginning or the midpoint of a house?" are
some of the vexed questions hitherto unanswered. For a beginner, the theories are too
It is high time that astrologers not only quote the old books but also do their own research
MY RESEARCH
I took interest in astrology sometime in the early seventies. For quite sometime I had been
testing the dictums of Vedic and Western astrology with actual events in the lives of my
relatives and friends. The post mortem revealed that the theories were not universally
applicable. I started my own research with the profession of a person as the subject. My
aim was to find out whether any particular combination existed in the horoscopes of
persons engaged in any particular profession. I collected the birth particulars of a number
of bank employees and teachers. I cast their horoscopes accurately and tested the various
theories.
By God's grace a great discovery was made by me. I found that whenever the Moon signified
the X house, the house of profession, it was invariably in aspect by the planet indicating
the profession, Jupiter in the case of bank employees and Mercury in the case of teachers.
Sometimes the aspects were harmonious and other times adverse. I tried to know how an
adverse aspect could bring the native to the profession he was engaged in. The fact was
that the aspects were not actually good or bad and the result depended on the aspecting
planet and the aspected planet. So I termed the aspects (Western) as positive or negative.
Later I made another discovery more interesting than the previous one. Planets gain
AYANAMSA
There are a number of ‘panchangs’ in vogue owing to the different ayanamsas followed by
different authors. This has resulted in lot of confusion as the ‘nakshatras’, ‘thithis’ etc
differ on any particular day. The horoscopes cast by different followers are different, for
There are various systems of house-division. The cusp of a house is taken as the beginning
TWIN BIRTHS
Children born with a few minutes’ difference have different characteristics. Sometimes one
survives and the other dies though they have the same Rasi and Navamsa charts.
Which is the actual time of birth? Even the sages have different opinions. One says that we
have to take the cutting of the umbilical chord; another asks us to take the first cry of the
baby and yet another advocates the method of pre-natal epoch. Again there are numerous
A novel technique!
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