INDIA R: MAY 1986 E SRI LANKA Rs. od of Timing induism Down the Ages Points to Ponder Translation of Lights Horoscope of Rukmir Jupiter's A Method to Judge Vakya_ Rapchanga and aapuciaanite panchancsTHE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE (Asia's only Journal of its type) Founded 1895 by’B. Suryanarain Rao EDITOR-IN-CHIEF. BANGALORE VENKATA RAMAN ASSOCIATE EDITOR GAYATRI DEVI VASUDEV Ealtorlal Board Rajeswari Raman Saroja Negaraj B.A Kumar Babu Director, Horoscope Department B. Sachidananda Baba Publisher & General Manager B. Niranjan Babu Foriegn Correspondent Dr. B. Sureshwara Lake Zurich, Mlinois 600047, U.S.A. PROPRIETORS Raman Publications "SH Rajeswari™ Barealore 360 020 (ais 369382, 359229) Agency Distribution for newstand Copies in India, Sci Lanka and Malaysia A, Thompson & Co. 64, Gaudiva Math Road, Royapettan, Madeas-o0gj014 YTHE ASTROLOGICAL MAGA. ZANE appears on the 11th of each month VAll tights reserved, No part of the Magazine may be reproducediia fay form or by angimncans without the ror written permission of the publi Shor. Uncolieited. manuscripts. not accompanied by stamped self-addres- Sed envelopes will not be returned. AAil published articles will become automatically copyrighted to Raman Publications uniess otherwise stated. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for products or services advertised by other than Ramau Publications Inland annual subscription is Rs. 60/- ard is to beremitted to Raman Associates, “sri Rajeswari™, Banga- fore-20 by. demand draft, M.O. oF T-P.O. Foreign anaual subseription to USA. Canada, Japan, Australia, S.America, U.S.'$ 30.00 to be remit” ted to Raman International P. Lake Zurich, Minos 60047, Subscription’ to U-K., Furope und Africa £20/-; 10 Sti Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indo: nesia, RS. 160) to” be remitied to Raman Associates. Copies to Foreign countries will be supplied by air mal. For newsageney copies apply to A. ‘Thompson & Co. 64, Gaudiya Math Raod, Royapettan, Madras-600 014, Subsctibers* change of address should reach our ollice six weeks prior t0 mailing date to ensure uninterrupted Gelivery. Substiptions once paid will hot be refunded under any circam- stances nor any adjustment made, MAY 1986 AKSHAYA—VAISAKHA 1907 SS No. 5 397 .MY EARLY EXPERIENCES IN ASTROLOGY -XXI Travels to Jhansi, Gwalior, Delhi and Lahore ace dotted with interesting encounters The entire clientele of a half-backed palmist change sides following a confrontation between our hero and the pandit, takes carc‘of it, Far up north, in Delhi, food is a problem but a local hotelier The case of a childless ‘businessman wishing to marry again for the’sake of progeay brings to sharp focus the moral responsi- bi 407. The Indirect method of Timing Marriage Jupiter and Satara must joia hands for any event to:take place, K.N. Rao works out this thamb- tule applying it to cases. of marriage. The event iscusually reflected in the charts of the entire family, 413. Transtation’of ‘Shankar Rao Arjun Manay pre- sents @ case where planetary influ: fences are tapped to,bring about regeneration ina nearly hopeless case'of a deug-addiot. AN about how alshange in Dasas can indus a metamorphosis in one’sattitudes to life. jes of an astrologer towards the client. 410, Points to Ponder Hindu Astrology is rich in techniques and systems. — But when these are used out of con- text, the answers get distorted and even fly off ata tangent. J. R. Shankar shows us just how to avoid such treacherous ground astrology.” 417, Horoscope of Rukmini Devi Arundale A Brahmin gil marrying a foreigner nearly 30 years older than her in the /20"s needed guts but that was” Rukmint Devi Arundale, Bepfr Behar! analyses the chart of this famous dancer who declined an invitation to be President of India, News and Views 401 Exaiavya Astrological Miscellany Gayatri Devi Vasudev 493 Hindu Reka Sastra Romesh K. Sastry at Jupiter's lativence’on Everyday Atfairs 422 ‘Satabhisha A’Simole Method to Judge Finances 498 K Namachivayarn Married Women and Asceticism Solitaire 45 vVakya Panchanga Vs. Drik Ganita Panchanga a7 oP. Sigh Astrology and Eye Diseases—V 431 one Naru Hinduism Through Modern Eyes an VAR, Ayer ‘Teach Yourself Sanskrit 4s ‘Prof. N. E- Muthusiamny Letters to the Editor Your Techaical Dificuties Solved 4a Mina “The Astrological Magazine” Ephemeris (May 1986) 443 ‘Astronomical Notes rd gastya Farmers” Guide for May 1986 450 ‘Mira Travel Guide for May 1986 Mihira * 3 How is This Month (May 1986) For You ? 482 Vipata Astrological Activities 463 Daily Guide for May 1986 467 ‘MikiraThe Astrological Magazine wena reat aateat wether: | AeA ATTA ey Tere Fear ‘Those who know astrology can only indicate in away what will take place in future. Who else, except the Creator Brahma, can say with certainty what will definitely happen? Vol. 75 MAY 1986 No. 5 * MY EARLY EXPERIENCES IN ASTROLOGY - XXI On my way to Delhi, | broke my journey for__ a day at Jhansi, The Rant of Jhansi was a house-hold name for patriotism an¢ sacrfice and as a student of history I was interested in visiting the place. Of course after the Rani's death Jhansi became a part of British India. 1 went round the historical places and felt proud of Indian womanhood. During the journey between Jhansi and Gwalior, | found that about a dozen persons, apparently educated, had gathered round an an elderly pandit, a palmist, showing their palms. The consultation was brief lasting for a couple of minutes, and each man was paying the palmist a rupee. Curiosity aroused, T paid a rupee to the pandit and stretched my palm awaiting his interpretation. Speaking in broken English interspersed with Hindi, he said, "your hand resembles that of Peshwa Madhavarao. Your fate-line is deceptive. It starts from the base of the line of Mars: Your longevity will be 32 and your death will be due to an accident. The Mount of Venus is not well developed. Just below Mer- cury line and above the head line, there are two shall paraliel lines, out of which one is pale, which means that you are thinking of a second marriage". Taken aback, I retorted: "lt looks as if you do not know palmistry but are only interested in getting money. Don't talk non-sense. I know astrology and palmistry. My Jupiter mount is well formed. The heart line - ayushya rekha - is also clear. How can you say that I have a short life. Under cover of palmistry you have been lying. T guess you have Rahu in the 10th house in your horoscope". Ruminating for a while, ‘the palmist said: "Yes, I have Rahu in the * Article XX has appeared in the December 1985 issue. 10th house. How did you know?". I said, Intuition". The palmist got down in the next station and all those passengers who had surrounded him flocked to me. Some desired consultation on the spot. Some gave their birth particulars to be answer- ed later on. Prasna always came to me handy in such cases. One of the questions pertained to the disappearance of the consultant's brother, whose whereabouts were not known. I applied’ the following simple method. The consultor must give a number within 27. ‘That represents the Prasna constellation. Count this from Krittika. Divide the number by 7. The remainder represents the result thus: I - the concerned person is staying nearby; 2 - returns soon; 3 - has gone away to a place other than the one he was expected to go tos 4 - returns the same day; 5 - his return is delayed; 6 - he is sick; and 7 - is trying to get back. The number given was 25, which corces- ponded to Purvabhadra. Counting this from Krittika and dividing the figure by 7 (23/7), the remainder was’ 2 and my prediction was the missing person would return ! sori. The consultor was sceptical about my forecast Thad given him my Delhi address. Five days Jater he called on me at my Delhi residence and said that the missing person had returned ! My consultation work in the train fetched me about Rs.75/-. 1 was received at the Delhi railway station by Harichand Kakar and taken to his residence in New Delhi. 1 was comfortably lodged in his outhouse. Since he was a non-vegetarian, he said that I could take my food at a hotel nearby owned by a south Indian Brahmin.398 One day, when I was taking my food in the afternoon, the proprietor, quite-friendly, came to my table and said ‘that he was a reader of the A.M. and that he was keen to have his horoscope interpreted by me. I offered my services in return for his taking care of my. food and tiffin requirements, as long as I stayed in Delhi. He had, to mention in his own words, "a peculiar health problem". He did not reveal the details but wanted me to find out the nature of his illness. In those days I was prepared to take’ risks. 1 asked him to mention a number of three digits, which he did. The number given was 28 '6 According to Hindu numerology the lower, middie and upper parts of the body are signified respectively by the unit, the tenth and the hundredth digits. The ‘eight planets in the order of the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Saturn, the Moon and Rahu correspond to numbers 1 to 8. Of the three individual numbers, ruled in this case by Mars, Saturn and 'Rahu, it struck me that I should consider Rahu as most malefic. And number 8 is the centre digit indicating the middle part of the body. 8 is ruled by Rahu signifying skin troubles, secret parts, etc. I boldly said that he must be suffering from some skin trouble in his private parts. Why I picked on the middle number, | did not know. It could have been intuition or just guesswork. It clicked. The hotelier who was Struck with surprise, remarked: "You ere wonderful and your analysis is superb. What you have said is absolutely correct. But tell me whether I would ever get any eliet from this dreadful disease”. T opted fr Prasna. The date was llth February 38 and the time, about_noon. Was sett | ueoe |] eT as sn vue Chart Not [}—] chart No.3 Fp a ronw | Nose |__| The ascendant was Taurus occupied by Ketu and aspected by Rahu. The Moon was ir Aridra ruled by Rahu. This confirmed my initial inference about the nature of the disease viz, blotches and eruptions in the skin I explained fo the hotelier: "The Prasna chart’ is not very encouraging. Venus, lord of thé ascendant and the 6th is no doubt well- whaced...But the Lagna itself is vitieted by The Astrological Magazine [Vol.75, No.5 the aspect of Mars-associated Saturn. Doctors themselves may not be able to diagnose the nature of your skin trouble. However as Venus is ina friendly sign and the ascendant is aspected by Jupiter some relief is possible". He said that he was not interested in knowing, how he got it, but would like to know when he would get ‘relief. | explained to him the significance of Venus as lord of the ascendant and his placement in the 10th and observed: "In the Prasna chart Ketu's sub-period will terminate by the end of 1941 and you will get relief from 1942". He appeared quite satisfied. We became friends and we used to have astrological discussions whenever possible. He also introduced to me some Of his friends. My host Harichand Kakar was @ businessman, My visit to Delhi had been sponsored by him and naturally he wanted to get from me as much information as possible on his horo- scope. Except for sight-seeing, an evening stroll in the Connaught Place and visits to the hotel for food, 1 would be mostly engaged by him either at his residence in New Delhi or in.his shop in old Delhi. His, cousin Vaishne Dutt, hailing trom Peshwar had stayed with us in our’ village in 1935 or so when grandfather was alive. Vaishno Dutt was himself an astrologer and had caution- ed his cousin that he might get into trouble when Saturn entered Aries. Hence Kakar was very particular to consult with me. He had business interests in London where he would often go. Would there be a war in the near future, invelving European councries, which could adversely affect. his business interests? These were the problems agitating nis mind. Esteemed readers must note that analysis of horoscopes and Prasna charts given. in ese articles were as made by me then, when often enthusiasm had the better of discretion. Kakar said: "How do you think my horoscope is constituted. Can you give me some past events to convince myself that your approach is correct". vas | asa vous | mee j__] chart No.2 * = ag NAVAMSA | won | | nee baMay 1986) I felt a bit hesitant for a while, but recover- ing my self-confidence, I said: "Your Lagna is Aries conjoined with Rahu. This makes you appear odd, eccentric and indicates many changes in occupation. Lord of the ascendant Mars is in the 12th with Jupiter lord of the’ 12th aspected by Saturn, lord of the 10th and. 11th; and Yenus lord of the 2nd and 7th is aspected by Saturn. These combinations indicate temptation, passionate approach to women, indolence ‘and , danger through deception. 1 am afraid you may not be quite loyal to your wife, who, because lord of the 7th is in Scorpio, a martian sign, and is aspected by Saturn ‘could be short tempered and suspicious of you". Kakar, nodding his head in assent, said: "Look here, Tam a’ self-made man, As you have mentioned I have been deceived, by the very people whom I have trusted. What you have said about my personal life is correct. 1 go out of India for months together think I could be a Rishyasrunga?". | was not interested in_ tendering any advice to him in this matter. "But", | proceeded; "The situation of Venus is such that he may expose you to thé risk of catching diseases which may destroy your health. You often allow your feelings to get the better of judgement. Unless this tendency to excitability, morbid imagination and strange appetites and acts of indiscretion is curbed, even your business may be affected! and do you I then switched on to the other aspects of his life. "Marriage could have taken place by the fag end of Venus Dasa. The first issue might have been born in the beginning. of the Moon's Dasa (1919 or 1920). Mars Dasa saw several ups and downs in your business". Kakar appeared to be quite satisfied with my analysis and said:."So far you have been correct in your interpretation. | am interested in the results of Rahu Dasa which I am told has just commenced and you must relate it to developments in the international field". "Rabu", 1 the results of Mars as the proceeded, "who should give Mars is in. the ascendant and lord of the ascendant and the 8th is in the 12th. Lord of the 0th Saturn js in Cancer Navamsa, which is occupied by Rahu. Therefore your main business during Rahu Dasa will be dealing with hides and skins and their export. The major lord is free from afflictions but occupies the conste- lation of Aswini and the fiery sign of Aries. My Barly Experiences in Astrology - XXI 399 By ‘transit both Ketu and Saturn will be shrotly converging on Rahu. After Saturn enters Aries in May 1939 there will be a conflagration in Europe affecting your export business”. After explaining the astrological factors in detail and how a war might break out in 1939, 1 advised him to take such measures as he deemed appropriate. I brought to Kakar's notice my prediction under the caption "Saturn versus Fascism" published in the January 1938 issue of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE wherein I had observed:... "These complications will plunge the world into an unhappy war. Saturn is now in Pisces. He enters Aries by about May 1939. Saturn representative of democratic thought is under very adverse influences. And his debilttation in Aries will have far reaching consequences on demo- cratic governments, while the Dictator coun- tries will be further allowed to pursue their methods un-checked. In the near future Fascism gains further ground and Mars transiting Saturn gives rise to troubles in democratic countries. The ingress of Saturn into Aries will be noteworthy as Fascism will be at its height and that will be a moment when the need for statesmen of foresight and farsight will be felt imperative to save huma- nity from another world war". 1 explained n detail the astrological configurations which would lead the world to the brink of war in 1939. Kakar felt satisfied. While 1 was in Delhi, one of my readers B.N. Mathur, an engineer by _ profession, invited me to his residence in the area of Chandni Chowk. I was introduced to his brothers and other family members. The discussions centred mainly on astrology and mantrasastra. One of his brothers, aged about 30 or 31 and a medical practitioner had his own misgivings about the use of astrology. I explained to him how on the basis of the allocation of different organs to different zodiacal signs one can find out the area of trouble and the nature of the ailment. He gave a piece of paper containing his Rasi chart with the remark: "Say something about my health’. | said, "The ascendant is Sagittarius and the lord’ isin the 6th in an inimical. sign while the 5th is occupied by the lord of the 6th Venus in conjunction with Mars and aspected by Saturn. The 5th house rules the stomach. Lord of the 6th also aspects the Moon. You are a victim of a serious stomach ailment brought about by tension400 and restlessness. There is a chance of your undergoing surgery when Mars tyansits Arie: He was "amazed" at my analysis and his somewhat arrogant attitude toned down. From then on the Mathur family was all praise for me. They took me round Delhi and invited: me to dine with them several times. They were of course vegetarians. One evening the senior most brother took me to a middle aged man. Who was said to be a famous. tantric, living in a/small house in old Delhi. We were ushered into the puja room and the "tantrik” was said to be or pretended to be in deep meditation. When I was introduc~ ed as a budding astrologer from South India capable of reading one's past, present and future, he cast a patronizing smile at me and started listing his ‘achievements’. "So you are an astrologer. am a prophet. Without any calculations, I can forecast things to the very day" boasted the "tantric". Mathur was nodding his head as if in approval. I looked’ at him for a brief while and shot back: "I believe in Tantrasastra but not in tantrics. 1 do not think there is any prophet now who can prophecy the future. Astrology alone can do it". The "tantric" waved his hand declaring, “Don't have assumptions. Because of sustained upasana, 1 get a vision of things that have happened, that are happening and that will happen. It is all Her grace". Mathur became somewhat uneasy, gently tapped my back and whispered into my ear that I was going too far in suspecting the bonafides of the "tantric", According to Mathur, the "tantric" had much influence in higher circles ang was even capable of casting spells. I would not be taken in. I had the Prasna chart ready (No.3) in my mind. The Lagna was Libra with the Moon aspect- ed by Mars. Rahu was in the 2nd aspected by Mars. Ketu in the 8th was aspected by Saturn. Jupiter was no doubt in a Kendra, but his dispositor was not well placed. Exalted Venus was associated with malefic Saturn, the Sun and malefic Mercury. I simply’ said "Sir, notwithstanding all the claims you make for your “tantric” “powers and foresight, my astrological knowledge tells me that you are an exhibitionist’ and cannot have any real spiritual power", His face turned Fed with anger. In a menacing tone he chided Mathur for having brought with him "a presum- Ptuous youth" who dared question his powers. I aplogised to Mathur for my indiscretion but stuck to my point that the "tantric" was The Astrological Magazine [Vol.75, No.5 only duping the innocent people. After two or three years I learnt that the "tantric" had fled without leaving any trace of his whereabouts. I visited Hardwar and Rishikesh and had dips in the Ganga. At Hardwar | stayed with one Nanjunda Sastry, brother-in-law of the well-known Kannada literateur V. Seetharamiah, Nanjunda Sastry took me to Rishikesh, Laksh- mana Jhoola and other places. It was the first time that | had a view of the magnificent Himalayas, said to be the abode of Lord Siva and great sages. At Hardwar 1 chanced to meet quite a number of sadhus, fake as well as genuine. Some of them claimed to be astrologers. In fact 1 had my horoscope read by a sadhu who was said to be spiritually evolved. A brief discussion with this sadhu led me to the conclusion that he not only knew astrology well but had also the power of intuition. On the basis of my Rasi. chart he revealed that my mother died early, that 1 was married at 18, I had two children, that I was passing through a very difficult period and that I would -have a brilliant future. "When do you think some prosperity will dawn on me"?, I queried, His answer was "in Saturn in Jupiter". Saturn's sub-period for me would last from October 1938 to April 1941. I again posed the question, "Saturn enters Aries in October 1939 when sadesathi will commence. How would you reconcile this with your prediction of prosperity dawning after “the commencement of Saturn's sub- period". Trying to clear my doubt the sadhu said, "Saturn is a yogakaraka for you from ‘the Moon. He is also your Lagna lord. Your good time -actually starts after Saturn enters the 4th quarter of the constellation of Aswini. Sade sathi will affect you both positively and negatively - positively you will gain reputation, fame and name and finances will improve. On, the negative side your father will pass away before Saturn leaves Gemini. Jupiter and Saturn in mutual aspect involving Kendras’ will raise you high in the field of astrology. Make note for your future guidance that gochara Saturn especially when his own Dasa is running will not cause any catastrophic events. He will create such condi- tions as will make one taste the bitter fruits of life, mellow him and pave the way for @ bright future". He spoke in Hindi and it was translated into Kannada by Nanjunda Sastry. He declined to accept the five rupee note I offered him. On the other hand, he {Continued on Page 465]May 1986) News and Views 401 News and Views EKALAVYA Anarchy in Astrology F LATE statements are made by writers in astrological forums that make the rishis who propounded the science blush. Fortunately, the latter knew that young men think old men are fools, but old men know that young men are fools! Some of the statements are here! in which angels fear to tread. ‘The latest example of such an edict by an enterprising writer runs as follows : ** Jupiter's aspect or its association with Mars does not cancel Kuja-dosha; on the contrary enhances the evil nature of Mars””! A few “examples” are adduced in ‘* support”. It is very much like ruling that light does al; areas not banish darkness, but makes it darker closing one’s eyes right. One cannot allow such prevarications go unchallenged, lest these exercises multiply as they tend to as permissiveness does. Contrast the statement above, with that of Sage Garga, one of the founding fathers of astrology, on the same issue : aaviqadiseat Pretfardt edivenat sacha: + “+ Great men aver that the association or aspect of Mercury or Jupiter removes that (Kuja) doshs."” Note the respect Garga shows towards his predecessors as though quoting their views and of course underscoring them, at the same time. Can any one dare accuse Garga of supineness? No, meekness is the hallmark of true learn- ing: fae favadqa: 1 If anywhere there was a case for a student to study under a Guru, it is in here, in astrology. Proper initiation into a potent daivie mantra is an additional advantage. ‘The Guru alone could remove the cobwebs of confusion, and personally guide the process of deduction. And you can’t translate a verse 2 ignoring anvaya, sandhi and samasa, The due process of astrological laws should take its course. The printed book or a dillitant ap- proach can never clear doubts. And questioning the wisdom of rishis can never arise in this science, being divine, and that will Be like questioning the Vedas them- selves. You can only extend it. One who subverts it has no locus standi here; he isa poacher. [remember an incident in the old legislative assembly at Delhi. THe late S. Satyamurti of Madras had resumed his seat after his oration on an important issue. Up jumped an oppo- sition member and waved his fist shouting “I don't understand at all the point the Hon. Member was making". Satyamurti slowly rose, and in the pindrop silence replied : “I can only offer arguments, but not brains. Imagine the applause that followed. The point here is, one should not air one’s views on time-honoured views in such a brash manner. The crunch of the matter is best expressed by Mantreswara which is unequivocal fasiedenreet aad a dei qa: afarafer afaang at In the total cancellation of doshas of all kinds and inducing good fortune, Jupiter is unrivalled. Of course the comparative strength and weak- ness of Jupiter under given circumstance will have a say in the matter; but it does not authorise one to say that Jupiter invariably becomes a malefic under this condition. In the police administration, it is common to see when a culprit is not traceable, often the sub-inspector produces an innocent or stock person and builds up his cases on him, and the poor man is unjustly pushed into the lock-up. Accusing Jupiter in the present context is not different from it. If one has eyes he should look for the boot on the other leg.402 Surrogate Parenting Charity sometimes can go to absurd lengths. T remember reading a year back of an English girl trying to rehabilitate drug addicts by playing the wife! And now comes news of rationalising surro- gate mothering as the greatest act of altruism! In America where it has become five star business run by specialised’ agencies ‘despite state laws to the contrary, it costs a whacking dollars 10,000 besides incidental expenses to get a baby by proxy. A university professor argues: ‘‘ While money is definitely a factor, surrogates truly want to make infertile couples happy; they want to do something important in life." One such mother puts it thus: “They are borrowing one tiny little egg and some space, but Iam givinga lot to them.” In the West, the R.C. Church condemas the practice as rank adultery. Although the view is the same in India too, a wag points out that there was the practice of Niyoga in Mahabharata days, which is a reli- gious sanction for procreation of child on the woman by a collateral relative for dharma. True; but dharma-sasiras have changed with time since on this issue. ‘And, the same wag adds: there appears to have been fertilization in vitro in India; for is not Agastya, kumbha-sambhava? — One’ wonders. Secrets of Communication Language transcends all conventional media. The eyes of the female, for instance, is prover- bially eloquent. So are the fingers of the dumb. Bats and shrews are known to communicate through ultrasonic sounds; but it has now been established by a research scientist that the pachyderm communicates through infrasonic sounds, not audible to humans. ‘The signals thereof are said to emanate from a spot in the jumbo's forehead with tremors when the station is at work. And low frequency signals are audible far and near. The Astrological Magazine [Vol. 75, No. 5 This is the means, it is explained, by which this animal, while in heat, reaches its mate how- ever far or herd together at times of necessity. The same principle, it would seem, applies to humans too. The guru is said to offer nayana-diksha to his disciple, or transmit knowledge through his eyes, and the spot between the brows anjya- chakra, the focus of the face, is known to be the sensitive area of reception. Many will testify that when we sit in front of saints like Ramana Maharshi our questions are automatically answered and doubts quelled. Indeed, rishis and yogis engaged in tapas in the far reaches of the Himalayas, transmit infra- sonic messages of goodwill and well-being to the whole universe, which is a clear refutation of the alien charge that ascetics are selfish and and lack social consciousness. * Psychologists call this phenomenon tele- something and club it under parapsychology. The secret of it all says the scientist lies in the fact that the cells of the body carry electro- magnetic charges. A rose yet smells sweet by whatever name you call it. Gochara The word gochara in astrology is commonly understood as the transit of planets with refe- rence to the Moon. But in the interpretation of Dasa-Bhuktis, it has another specific meaning which students must note. Venkatesha makes it clear thus : atared Gai area wafery omar 52 1 ie., in all cases when the lord of Bhukti is gochara vis avis the Dasa lord, it will prove beneficial. He continues WMateqdara, i.e., gochara lord means. ahigyfatiner: wecreafrafira: 1 arreaett firsareeg, arecedt wteTE: area drritarft eaetaefaata: 1 qeoresqaed) ara: aalsammlat: | That planet which occupies own, exalted or Moolatrikona house, not in 6,8,12, not combust and friendly is said to be in gochara to theMay 1986] Dasa lord. That planet which is combust, debil tated, not in own Moolatrikona house, occupies 6, 8 or 12 is a-gochara, i.e., not gochara. Thus in one word gochara a whole package of qualifications are inducted. Its nearest English equivalent would be ‘functional benefic’ which again consists of two word: Bhoja the Rasika King Bhoja of Dara was well known asa rasika and for his patronage of poets and poetry. He lavished fortunes on them. Poet Ballala recounts them all'in his Bhoja Prabandha. Here are two anecdotes from it. One day an indigent poet saw Bhoja worship- ping at a Siva temple. , That tickled the poet’s fancy who burst into a poem which runs thus: and araaa for fifa Praearga aad ort geen aaAiTafe | ant arart aad afarer arnfer: emae adaed aftecanmard at PreTzay 1 “O king! Don’t you know that Lord Siva has disappeared from the universe ?”” Bhoja looked back in surprise at the poet who continued: “Maha Vishnu appropriated half of Siva’s body (Sankara-Narayana) and Parvati the other half (Ardha-Nareeswara). And the world thus struggles in his absence !"". “Mother Ganga, that He wore on his head, entered the ocean ; the crescent moon the sky; the serpent that adorned Him went under the earth. His omnipotence and omni-knowledge took possession of your good self but, the Lord’s begging bowl, that remained, fell into my hands !”” Thoroughly enjoying the poet’s ingenuity, Bhoja rewarded him lavishly. On another occasion, a poet who came to see Bhoja posed him this riddle : reat cafe a wat at Eger aria araar 7 wart aeafe 4 car a car ae uo | eA AetsaH “Mother flies into a rage not because of me ; neither because of her daughter-in-law. Equally my wife throws up a tantrum neither because of my mother nor of me. I too become angry News and Views 403 neither because of my wife nor my mother. 0, king! Can you find out the culprit? Bhoja could readily fix the culprit; it was poverty, and the king banished that tormentor for ever from the poet's life. Halley’s Comet In the chapter on comets, Varahamihira in his Brihatsamhita states : ainneananat ar afasfafarer aaak ogy | feourrafeen atafeaen: eq: Bea wen Bhattotpala in his commentary explains the verse thus: There are three categories of comets: those that are among the stars, immediately below that region, that fall on earth, Sine generis is not possible to. mathema- tically calculate their rising or setting. Mr. Ramakrishna Bhat in his edition of the above work, after translation, adds a note of his own which reads thus: “As the comets are phenomena in the nature of portents, they cannot have fixed times of rising and setting. For, a potent is a sudden occurrence that augurs well or ill, and if it can be ascertained by mathematical calculation, it ceases to be an augury or portent.” ‘The above interpretation is misleading, to, say the least and becomes a convenient stick to beat astrology with. Apparently Mr. Bhat. says he has followed the nyaya that an atithi (guest) ceases to be one by prior intimation ! Unfortunately for him, Varaha himself, later on, in the same chapter, categorically avers aaNet aHeY: 1 (comets augur ill) with no conditions attached and therefore Halley too. Truth is, at Vasutow’s time, it was not possible to calculate their rise and setting! but today Halley’s and quite a few others have been accurately sized up, their periodicities predicted well in advance. And we have been awaiting Halley’s with telescopes notched at it. Are we, then,'to join the bandwagon that decries astrology in chorus that Halley's is harmless? No, Mr. Bhat, comets are not chameleons.The Astrologtcal Magazine [¥ol. 75, No. 5 READY FOR SALE PRASNA MARGA ~TWO VOLUM! (Vol. One: Chapters | to XVI) ENGLISH TRANSLATION WITH ORIGINAL SLOKAS IN BOLD DEVANAGARI EXHAUSTIVE NOTES AND EXAMPLES BANGALORE VENKATA RAMAN This is a unique work dealing with important aspects of both horary and natal astrology. Some of the methods given are novel and are not to be found in any published works on astrology. SOME CONTENTS Qualifications of an astrologer, Prasna and Jataka, Things to be noted at Query Time, Reading the Results, The Time Factor, The Space Factor, Examination of Breath, Prasnakshara, Querist’s Mood, Some Peculiar Signs, Conducting the Prasna, Significance of the Lamp, Worshipping the Planet, Ashtamangalam, Time of Query, Significance of Gulika, Prana and Deha; The Death Circle, The Five Sutras, Diagnosing Illness, Thrisphuta and its application, Animal Symbols, Pancha Bhutas, Niryana or Death- dealing Saturn, Diseases and Arudha. Effects of Lagna—Prana and Deha, Rahu Chakra, Amazing Predictions, Nature of Death, Determining Longevity. Evil Periods, Maha- Chakra Dasa, Death-dealing planets, Diseases and their causes, Troubles from Enemies, Discovering whether the enemy has resorted to any black-magic, Whereabouts of the Querist, Locating Hidden Wealth, Remedial Measures, ete. (Vol, Two: Chapters XVII to XXXH) ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS, EXHAUSTIVE NOTES AND EXAMPLES Deals with all aspects of marriage such as longevity, compatibility, nature of married life etc., on both the basis of horary and, birth charts; birth and death of children; childlessness, pregnancy, unsuccessful conceptions, sex of child, remedies for the bicth of healthy progeny, adoption and transition of property etc.: transit effects ; diseases, their cause and remedial measures as prescribed in Karma Vipaka ; questions bearing on Deities, rulers and war; rainfall and weather forecasting ; water divining for digging wells ; conjugal and sexual union, the type of partner and the surroundings ; etc. The subject of ascertaining the.birth chart when the birth-data are not known; dreams and their interpretation ; and Ashtakavarga and its use and application to various sectors of life have all been explained in detail. ‘An Excellent Guide to The chapters on weather-forecasting and “rulers” practical utility. Each Part is self-contained and complete and can be studied independent of the other. (I Part, Pages 7124-XXI) Rs. 60/- Foreign U.S. Dols. 24/- (II Part, Pages 420+ XVI) Rs. 45/- (U.S. Dols. 18/- Both parts together 100/- or U.S. Dols. 4 Less 10% to subscribers of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE Postage Extra RAMAN ASSOCIATES, “Sri Rajeswari’’, Bangalore-560 020 jerpretation of Horoscopes using classical Techniques. be found to be of immenseMay 1986) Astrological Miscellany Astrological Miscellany Gayatri DEvi VASUDEV, 405 BSc, LL.B [In this feature, unusual and interesting events that occur in day-to-day. life will be discussed astrologically. They may be about anything—birth, marriage, death, accident, sport, career, art, farming, weather, animals, and the list is endless—so {long as it is different from the morotony of life. Bangalore-560 020.) An Intriguing Situation A WOMAN gets divorced from. her busband ‘through a court of law. She now wants to marry an aged widower. The widower agrees to the marriage and agrees to abide by her conditions. Of these one is slightly shocking and intriguing. What isit? She wants her divorced husband to live with them and be maintained by her. The three plan to live under one roof. What are the peculiarities in the charts of these 3 people? This case is from East Godavari District and all details except the very vital ones have been withheld. Woman: Born 3/4-10-1951. Rasi: Can- cer—Ascendant ; Leo—Mars, Venus and Ketu ; Virgo—Saturn, the Sun and Mercury ; Libra— the Moon; Aquarius—Rahu; and Pisces— Jupiter. Navamsa : Virgo—Ascendant ; Scorpio ~ Jupiter; Aquarius—Rahu ; Aries Saturn, Mercury and the Moon ; Taurus—Mars and the Sun; Cancer—Venus ; and Leo—Ketu. Balance of Jupiter Dasa at birth: 11 years, 5 months and 30 days. The 7th lord Saturn is in the 3rdin a com- mon sign with exalted 3rd lord Mercury and the 2nd lord Sun. Saturn and Mercury are very ciose and 7th lord Saturn joining Mercury can indicate impotency in the husband, Add to it the fact of the Dasa of Saturn running upto April 1982 and then of Mercury, both eunuch planets. In the circumstances of the case, Jupites’s aspect is also far from relieving as he happens to own the 6th house. From the Moon, the Lagna and 7th lords join Ketu in the 11th. This plus the predomi- 3 Readers are invited to send in details of such dates and the Ayanamsa used to ‘ Astrological Miscel tances plus relevant astrological charts, ny ’, THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, nance of dual signs can give more than one marriage. The running Dasa is of Mercury who is closely placed to old man Saturn and therefore marriage to a widower is nothing to be surprised about. Widower: Born 2/3-10-1918. Rasi: Virgo— Ascendant, Mercury, the Sun and Venus; Scorpio—Mars and Rahu: Taurus—Ketu; Gemini—Jupiter ;" and Leo—tye Moon and Saturn. Balance of Ketu Dasa at birth: I year, 4 months and 24 days. The Lagna lord Mercury in Lagna with 12th lord the Sun and debilitated Venus and the 7th lord Jupiter in the 10th ina common sign are not exactly testimony to the man’s sexual morals. Jupiter Dasa is running and Jupiter as 7th lord aspects the 4th or sukhasthana. Jupiter should give an official or legal wife which is what our woman is aiming at. But Jupiter is aspected adversely by a powerful, eclipsed malefic Mars and this can give a bitchy wife, sbrewish and dominating. ‘What piques one is the role of the divorced husband in this real-life drama. Divorced husband; Born 12-10-1946. Rasi: Gemini—Ascendant ; Cancer—Jupiter ; Virgo— the Sun; Libra—Jupiter, Mercury and Mars: Scorpio—Venus and Ketu ; Aries—the Moon; and Taurus—Rabu. . The 7th lord Jupiter in the Sth with Mercury and 6th lord Mars and Ketu afflicted kalatra- Karaka Venus in the 6th do not exactly make for a macho! Rabu is in sayanasthana (12th house) aspected by afflicted Venus (whose results he reflects) and by 6th lord Mars406 adversely. The Dasa being of Rahu could have caused much frustration in conjugal life. Rapport in Collusion If this be the case, why would the woman and the divorced husband be teaming up again? Look at the Janma Rasis of the pair. They are in the 7th from each other signifying perfect rapport in thoughtand intention. In the divor- ced husband’s chart, Saturn aspects the 4th housing the Sun. The 4th lord Mercury is with Mars in a quadrant from the Moon gene- rating a paisacha yoga of sorts. Mars, ruler of disease, afflicts Jupiter in the same sign in the Sth house causing strong emotional imbalances. Lagna is under a papakartar! yoga caused by Rabu and Saturn. All, these planetary posi- tions can result in dangerous mental _aberra- tions. Rahu Dasa on and Rabu afflicted by 6th lord Mars can give no qualms of conscience. Do all these clues put together bring out a fearful picture‘of a man planning to perpetuate acrime for gain? Chequered Career Some readers from Calcutta are baffled by their friend’s problem. Born 7-12-1928 at 9 p.m. (Local Time) at 22.N 42, 90 E 22. Rasi: Cancer—Ascendant; — Libra—the Moon ; Scorpio—Ketu, Mercury, the Sun and Saturn ; Capricorn—Venus ; Aries—Jupiter (R); Taurus—Rahu; and Gemini—Mars (R). Navamsa: Scorpio—-Ascendant and Mercury ; Capricorn—Venus, Mars and the Sun; Aqua- rius—Rahu:; Pisces—Saturn ; Gemini—Jupiter ; Leo—Ketu; and Libra—Mars. Balance of Mars Dasa : 2 years, 0 month and 27 days. “The case of our friend is a bit baffling. Originating from present Bangladesh, he migrated to India in October 1947. Joined Government of India as Radio Operator on 1-9-1951 and resigned on 15-4-1961. While here he was transferred to Kashmir, Port, Blair, Cuttack, Imphal with Delhi as head- quarters. Joined Calcutta Port Trust on 17-4-1961 as Radio Officer, and worked in land and on boatd Port Trust vessels, staying out of Calcutta onan average, 6 months in a year. Resigned on 9-3-1977 and joined Merchant The Astrological Magazine (Vol. 75, Now 5 navy as Radio Officer. As the company was liquidated suddenly he lost two months salary, and joined another shipping ‘company on 1-5-1977. Resigned and joined another company on 6-12-1978. Resigned and joined another company on 25-6-1979, Resigned from this company also under compulsion on 10-6-1980. No job from 11-6-1980 to 14-9- 1980. Joined a foreign shipping company on 5-9-1980. Left that contract job on 21-10-1983 under duress. Since then the native is jobless. “* How can Saturn in the 2nd from the Moon do so much harm, when it was not so bad_ when he was on the Moon, or-inthe 12th?"’ So ask his friends. Saturn to Blame Four planets occupy the sign Scorpio. Of these Mercury is the current Dasa lord. Tran- sit Saturn is now moving through ‘Scorpio tilting the balance against the native. Matters are made worse by Scorpio being the 2nd sign from the natal Moon. Naturally, the magnitude of the adversity is pretty high. | Eversince the advent of Mercury Dasa, the Dasa~Bhukti lords have been intimidated by transit Saturn. In Dasamsa too, the Moon is in Libra and as he happens to be inthe same sign in Rasi also, the effect is particularly telling on career matters with stress in financial affairs caused by transit Saturn influencing the 2nd lord the Sun as well. Further, the transit Saturn is on natal Saturn also. ‘This concentration of adverse influences explains the native’s plight. Once Saturn moves out of Scorpio in. Decem- ber 1987, the native’s career is bound to look up again. Mercury as Dasa lord is not only vargottama but gains 5 bindus in the bhinnashta~ kavarga. Venus Bhukti will have begun and Venus too is in vargottama in a powerful kendra (quadrant). The two are again mutually well-placed. Consistent with Mercury's natu- rai characteristics, career may take the shape of agency, liaison "work or business. A new cycle of monetary stability may begin with Saturn’s entry into Sagittarius. CORRECTIONS A.M., February 1986, page 190, para 3. «... Seorpio—Venus, the Sun and Mercury. Sagittarius—Mars ;"" are the correct positio: All other positions remain the same. A.M., April 1986, page 330, column 2, read “Kerala Jothidam’” for * Jothida Kadal”’. The errors are regretted. Editor.May 1986) The Indirect Method of Timing Marriage 407 The Indirect Method of Timing Marriage K. N. RAO, as. 'O the valuable research * of my team-mates Tam adding a supplementary piece with a series of questions : (a) Ifthe horoscope of the boy or the girl about whose marriage the question is being put to the astrologer is not available but the horo- scopes of other family members are, can the question be answered with confidence? (8) If the horoscope of the boy or the girl is available and also of .both parents, can the question be answered with certainty ? (c) If the horoscope of the boy or the girl to be married is available and also of one of the parents, can there be a sound cross-checking of the astrological prediction about marriage? Answer My answer to all these questions is a positive yes. Since I am a firm believer in the infallible wisdom of our ancient Rishis let me first stress three points : (a) No event which takes place in anyone's life can be outside the horoscope of the indi- vidual concerned. (6) Since all Hindu scriptures speak about births and rebirths, astrology must be taken as the only science known to mankind with the help of which the quixotic turns of human destiny can be explained proving it to be the results of deeds of past lives. (c) Since all men come under the cosmic scheme of interconnected destinies, an event in the life of a child can be traced in the horo- scopes of its parents and vice versa. So it is in the case of brothets and sisters also. Actual Prediction I will proceed to illustrate these with actual predictions given by me. Mr. R. N. Chopra, I.A.S. of M. P. cadre, at present Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri ‘Academy of Public Administration, Mussorie, 'A series of research articles prepared by a team of, scholars led by Mr. K N. Rao will appear begianing from June 1986 issue of The Astrological Magazine. had asked me whether his daughter, more career-minded, would be inclined to. marry at all. Tnot merely said that she would but insisted that she would marty before Jupiter Jeft Capricorn (27-1-1986). Sri Chopra’s daughter was married in the first fortnight of January 1986. : Her own horoscope Now let me explain it first with the help of the ‘double transit’? phenomenon from the daughter's horoscope. Daughter Sfare ‘Venus| When she was married in the first fortaight of January 1986, Saturn from Scorpio was aspecting her Lagna-lord and 7th lord and covered the 1/7 axis. Jupiter which earlier had aspected her Lagna and the 7th Jords from Sagittarius was now aspecting the 7th house from Capricorn, cover ing again the 1/7 axis. Upto this point [ have only reported what my team-mates have given in that paper. Now see further. Father's horoscope ‘Now how the same event was cross-checked by me inthe horoscope of the father, Mr. R. N. Chopra, is what I am illustrating. On the day Mr. Chopra’s daughter was married, Saturn from Scorpio was aspecting both his Sth house and the Sth lord. Jupiter which earlier had aspected the Sth lord from Sagittarius was aspecting the Sth house on the day. Both Saturn and Jupiter were indicating some event concerning his children. Closer Scrutiny of the detailed horoscope of Mr. Chopra408 confirms it was the marri- {~———]——- age of his daughter, a | | ! marriage of her choice. po Royai Wedding Father | Since Mr. H. J. Eysenk | stars, had talked glibly of replication in astrology agnal | | being absent in his | Pelican series book Astrology Science or Hoax have given elaborate statistical evidence to prove the scientific validity of Hindu Astrology. It is necessary to do it in an age when the dogma of scientism is destroying man’s sanity. Iam giving an instance, as a piece of replication, of the royal wedding of Prince Charles on 2947-1981 with astrological explanation. | Prince | Charles cee Elizabeth | i j | I | Ll In the horoscope of the Prince Saturn retrograde in Leo till 26th April 1980, giving effects from Cancer covered 1/7 axis and also lords of Lagna and the 7th house, fifteen months before. (Let me remind readers that in our broad-timing scheme we are starting with a block of two years first which we will subsequently reduce into months.) Similarly Jupiter, retrograde in Leo till 26th April 1980, like Saturn, totally covered 1/7 axis and also lords of Lagna and the 7th house. In the horoscope of the Queen Both Saturn and Jupiter from Virgo were aspecting the 5th lord of the Queen in Pisces indicating some event in the life of her child, Prince Charles. Detailed analysis would reveal the event as marriage. Another Prediction Now I will discuss an_ interesting prediction. Mr. K. Saigal, IAS of Assam cadre, spreads the message of the Upanishads and astrology The Astrological Magazine [Vol. 75, No. 5 [yeti | Sun — Soo-in-law Daughter | | | |Lagna| Venus with transparent sincerity. ‘Sometime in 1984, Itold him that his daughter would become a mother in 1985. He told me that his daughter and son-in-law both in U.S.A. were “ plan- ning” to have children later in 1988. On my telling that cosmic planning alone had meaning for us astrologers he had only remarked that God’s will alone had to prevail. Saturn -and Jupiter, it can be seen, concentrated in 1984-85. (Saturn from Libra and Scorpio and Jupiter from Sagittarius and Capricorn) on the Sth house of Mr. Saigal’s daughter and son-in- law. In September 1985, the daughter of Saigal delivered a baby in U.S.A. Now coming to Mr. Saigal’s own horoscope during this period his Sth lord (Mars) was tran- sited over by Jupiter and aspected by Saturn, indicating an event concerning his only child, already married. She conceived. The Sun, the 9th lord representing grandchildren, too came under similar influence and Mr. Saigal became a grandfather. Twill now discuss more deeply bow inter- connected destinies unfailingly show an event in many horoscopes. Also when the event is a happy one and when, a tragic one can be distin- guished. But I am here confining myself to the question of marriage only. Now see thesame event, marriage, in three horoscopes. Rajiv's Marriage (26-2-1968) (a) In his own horoscope Saturn was in Aquarius till 19-12-1966 in the 7th house of Rajiv Gandhi fulfilling both conditions, covering 1/7 axis. Later retro- grading in Pisces till 9-12-1967, i.e., two and ahalf months before marriage he reinforcedhis eaflier resolve of finding a bride for Mrs. Gandhi's first son. Jupiter on the day of marriage was in Leo, covering 1/7 axis. So far it is in line with the paper of my team-mates. But now see further. (b) In Mrs. Gandhi's horoscope ‘Now Saturn from Aquarius was casting his 7th aspect on the Sth lord of Mrs. Gandhi in Leo and Jupiter from Leo was casting his influ- ence onthe Sth lord also—both indicating an event about a child of Mrs. Gandhi. (c) In Sanjay Gandhi's horoscope Elder brother in astrology is represented by the 11th lord who, in this case Mars, is in Sagittarius. Saturn from Pisces was casting his 10th aspect on Sanjay Gandhi's clder brother (Mars) in Sagittarius and Jupiter from Leo was casting his 5th aspect also on the elder brother—both indicating an event in the life of Sanjay Gandhi's elder brother. The Drekkana confirms it. Sanjay Gandhi’s Marriage (29-9-1974) (a) In his own horoscope Saturn was in Gemini aspecting Sanjay Gandhi's 7th lord (the Moon) in September 1974. Saturn, retrograde till 28th February 1974, giving effects from Taurus also aspected his Lagoa lord (Saturn) and 7th house (Cancer) covering 1/7 axis within seven months of his marriage. Jupiter was in Capricorn till February 8, 1974 covering again 1/7 axis and during his marriage was in Aquarius, aspecting his 7th lord. (b) In Mrs. Gandhi's horoscope ‘Now Saturn, aspecting Mars in Leo as has been discussed, cast his aspect on the Sth lord of Mrs. Gandhi and also, being retrograde, the 4 The Indirect Method of Timing Marriage 409 Sth house, indicating some event concerning her children. Jupiter in Aquarius was of course aspecting her 5th lord. (c) In Rajiv Gandhi's horoscope The 3rd lord of Rajiv | Gandhi (Venus) is in Leo and the 3rd house is Libra. Saturn from Gemini was casting his 3rd aspect on Rajiv's 3rd lord and Jupiter from Aquarius was casting his 7th aspect on the 3rd lord in Leo and 9th aspect on the 3rd house, Libra, when Sanjay Gandhi got married. The 3rd lord represents younger brother. Drekkana confirms it. Summary and Conclusions 1, Let me request the readers to apply the double transit phenomenon to all horoscopes and convince themselves that events are happen- ing only when Saturn and Jupiter join to work out a cosmic scheme. © Modern primitives criticising astrology do not have a mind open enough to see how planets incessantly influence every activity of an individual or a nation. Q) India: Talking of the nation see how Jupiter in (a) Capricorn till 271-1986, with Saturn’s aspect ftom: Scorpio on it affected the 9th house of India (from Taurus Lagna), the house of religion and judiciary. Two judicial pronouncements of 1985 and 1986 have created national mass reaction as no previous judge- ments ever did. The Golaknath case had affected the rich and Bank Nationalisation case had touched only the fringe of India popula- tion. (®) But. the Supreme Court judgement in the Shah Bano case has shaken up the funda- ‘mentalist Muslim community though in the din so created one does see streaks of the reformist zeal of the late Hamid Dalwai, reappearing and expressing itself with pleasing vigour through the personality and utterances of Mrs. Dalwai. (c) Then the Ram-Janma Bhoomi decision from Faizabad has pleased the Hindus and annoyed Muslims. Lord Krishna was born in a jail but (Continued on page 46D)410 The Astrological Magazine (Vol. 75 No. 5 Points to Ponder H. R. SHANKAR, B.A. INDU predictive astrology is rich in techniques and systems. Evolved by men of wisdom and experience, each of its dicta is sound in concept and valid within its frame~ work. Itis only when these are used out of context that the answers get distorted and even go off ata tangent. The crux of the problem, therefore, is a question of correctly identifying the context in which each of these dicta hold valid. ‘This has remained elusive. At the most what we do at present is to scan the memory to pick a dictum that answers a known, event and hold on to it as a guide, only to drop it when it fails to click the next instance. Like a puppy chasing its tail, we keep on running after one dictum after another in a bid to find a‘‘ reliable” one, and keep going in a.whirl. The absurdity of such an approach gets fully exposed nowin computer readings of horos- cope. The computer with all the astrological dicta in its memory now scans the horoscope for the presence of related combinations and Prints out the translated version of the dictum corresponding to it. Such of those observ: tions related to dicta valid for the chart turn out to be correct, while those related to dicta that happen to be incompatible to the chart and thus are out of context, make absurd reading. This is equally true in the case of a practitioner, except that he makes less mistakes being not as comprehensive in scan- ning as a computer. Of course, this lacuna stands compensated adequately by the intuitive faculty. But if the ability to make correct prediction rests exclu sively on this unique faculty, then there is no need to invest time on serious study of astro- logical discipline. Because, one endowed with intuitive faculty does not need any crutch to aid him. One with the intuitive faculty can make predictions, aceurately and effortlessly, without having any knowledge of astrology. Hence, it would mean getting into a|mental trap to bring in intuition to bail (one self) out of this slippery situation. Certainly, intuition is an asset any day and in the practice of any science, Ict alone astrology. But it is limited toa gifted few, while astrology is a utility discipline for the benefit of all. Anyone willing to invest time on its study seriously should, be able to gaina certain degree of minimum competence to draw from this knowledge. Astrology can serve this, purpose adequately once this lacuna is set right. How to ascertain as to which technique ordictum is ‘reliable’? in the context of a given case ? ‘One way of coming to grips with this pro- blem isa scheme to establish parameters to denote the area within which a dictum would hold valid. In other words, it isa scheme for collating and classifying all astrological dicta into appropriate slots, to be picked up easily for case-working. This calls for statistical verification of the validity of each dictum, with parameters defined as clearly as feasible. This would bea stupendous task, but should be feasible with the kind of computer scanning facilities now available to research. An easy beginning could be made by starting with veri- fication of only such dicta which, from our present knowledge and experience, appear to hold valid in a general way! In the form of riders, we may say. In other words, we start with planetary combinations which arc believed to be effective, irrespective or in spite of other combinations extant in the chart, either in support or to the contrary. For instance, in an earlier article Ecited one such combination with an illustration. In a horoscope, when the 5th from Lagna or the Sth from Jupiter happens to receive the aspects of both from Jupiter and Mars (or such a Sth house occupied by either) then the native of that chart would suffer ‘‘ Putra-soka"’, i.e., sorrow on account of son (male issue). The operative part is that son will be the source of sorrow! Not havingMay 1986] aon, or the son dying after a promising start are the kind envisaged. Keeping in mind that maximum sorrow is inflicted when the son dies in the prime of youth, and Saturn is observed to inflict a severe blow during its transit in its second round, the tragedy can be foreseen during the period of 30 to 60 years of the father. Any horoscope, therefore, wherein this combination is present and the native has passed 60 years without such a mishap in life, is to be taken.as an exception. While I have a collection of charts with this combination wherein the tragedy has befallen, I have yet to come across an exception. It is only after scrutiny of such charts which have proved exceptions that parameters could be determined as to the conditions under which the rule is not operative. The present exercise is for purposes of verification of such selected dicta; and guided by the knowledge gained in the process, to formulate parameters to determine the con- ditions under which the dictum could be consi- dered as ‘reliable’. Accordingly, I am placing before the research-minded readers a series of selected planetary combinations which I believe would stand statistical verification of its validity in most conditions; or at least could have limited exceptions. The 8th house is admittedly a dusthana, a malefic Bhava. Mars is a malefic planet. ‘Occupation of the 8th house by Mars is a com- bination that spells evil. The nature of evil, the extent of evil and the time when it befalls are delineated and prediction is accordingly made. Whereas, the results would be totally different, when Mars is placed in Cancer and Lagna is Sagittarius. Mars in the 8th for Sagittarius Lagna would bestow prosperity to the native and during Mars Dasa he would gain house and property, conveyance, respect and his wishes generally fulfilled. This dictum is valid only for Sagittarius Lagna. The indi- cated results would flow in spite of other com- binations extant in the chart. In the same way, Saturn in the 8th in Sagittarius for Taurus Lagna, and placed alone without aspect from any other planet, makes for an excellent com- bination for prosperity. During Saturn Dasa, Points to Ponder 4il the native would attain peak prosperity and would have his wishes fulfilled. Read with the general dicum that Saturn in the 8th would give longevity, the above combination promises both prosperity and longevity ina unique way. Sato Kem | Soon ee, | | Jupiter ‘enus Mars Meory Chart Rahu | I Chart 1; Born 29-6-1940 at 18-30 hours at Lat. 10° 58/N, Long. 79° 25’ E. Saturn Os. 18° 55’ ; Jupiter Os. 16°05’; Mars 3s. 4° 26"; the Sum 2s. 14° 30’; Venus 2s. 10° 287; Mercury 3s.9° 0/; Rabu 5s. 22°50’; the Moon Qs. 4° 50’; and Lagna 8s. 12°0’. Ketu Dasa at birth: 4 years, 5 months and 20 days. To begin with let me make my observation on the combination of Mercury and Mars. Irrespective of the Bhava involved and in spite of the 2nd and 4th houses being well fortified, whenever Mars is associated with Mercury, the native will have to overcome some impedi- ment at one time or other during his academic career. This again is another combination which invariably holds valid. 1M is seen that even in the case of a rank student, the native who had Mercury-Mars conjunction had to miss one year due to circumstances, Whereas, in this ‘case (Chart 1) the native had uninterrupted and smooth educational career, though Mercury is in the company of Mars in the 8th. The point is made to underline that Mars in the 8th for Sagittarius Lagna is seen to have shed its malefic disposition altogether. In spite of the fact that the 10th lord is in the 8th, the native had absolutely no problem or impediment in establishing himself in a successful career and is progressing well. The412 placement of the Sth lord in the 8th has not caused any adverse influence, as he has two loving children, a boy and a girl; and both are progressing well in their studies. During Mars Dasa, there is substantial inflow of income from different sources and with mini- mum of effort. He purchased a luxury flat, a new car and has made wise investments during the Mars Dasa. He also undertook a pleasure trip abroad with family, and pilgrimages within the country. He is respected in his professional field and loved in social circles, as he is always there to help one at the time of need. The only happening that could be attri- buted to the ill-effect of Mars in the 8th would be the fall he had in the bathroom when he slipped and had his ankle slightly injured. This was in Mars Dasa—an agent of Mars through parivartana (exchange). Is Mars reluc- tant to hurt the native? What we needto bear in mind is that any happening in life could be delineated from more than one planetary combination. Conse- quently, one can easily cite other combinations to account for the events mentioned. The purpose of spotlighting this particular combl- nation is that all these results could be inferred from this one single combination, without getting into in-depth analysis of other combi- nations. For instance, the native of this chatt had been warned of the’ oncoming Mars Dasa by astrologers who had based their conclusions in good faith on the placement of debilitated Mars in the 8th, but with no knowiedge that ‘or Sagittarius Lagna, the general rules relating to Mars in the 8th is not applicable. Their predictions have gone hay-wire. That these predictions have gone wrong proves the validity and soundness of the astrological system. You camnot take a wrong premise and arrive at correct conclusions. When predictions go wrong, it merely signals that error has crept in and needs to be re-worked or that we are working on wrong data. It exposes the limita- tiens of the astrologer and is no reflection on the validity of the system. Chart 2: Born 29-9-1902 at 9-55 p.m. at 22° 35 N, 88° 23! E, Died 21-7-1974, The Astrological Magazine (Vol. 75, No. 5 | | 7 Ketu Ascendant | | I | | 1 a | | Mars | Chart 2 LV i spter | | Moon i sm | | gm, | sm | This case (Chart 2) complies with the condi- tions of the second dictum: Saturn placed alone in Sagittarius being the 8th house to Taurus Lagna. This also provides a variation from the earlier illustration. In the first exam- ple, the native had the run of Mars Dasa— which is the key-Dasa in the context of the dictum—at the prime period of life. Whereas, in this instance, the key-Dasa which is that of Saturn happens to start late in life. In fact, the native died at the ripe age of 72 just as Saturn Dasa started, during its own sub-period. In one case, we can evaluate the extent of the results that are likely to manifest when the key- Dasa operates; from the other, we can form an idea as to what would be the outcome in cases where the key-Dasa cannot operate. Although the 10th lord Saturn is in the 8th, and in spite of the dictum that states that Saturn is not a yogakaraka for Taurus Lagna (Bhavartha Ratnakara), the native had a very successful and lucrative legal practice and amassed wealth. He was actively involved in professional activities and saw flow of income from profession till the very end of his life. He had his own house, conveyance and other par: phernalia. He commanded high social status, Even though the 9th lord is in the 8th and the Sth lord is placed in the Sth, both detrimental positions for issues, he had three sons and a daughter. He had excellent rapport with his sons who loved and respected him. Incidentally he used to actively participate in discussions on astrology with scholars and had built a rich library. In short, he led a gracious life. One (Continued on page 461May 1986] Translation of Lights 413 Translation of Lights SHANKAR ARJUNRAO MANE WE: MORTALS, are endowed with the gi of discriminating between good and evil by the Almighty God, who expects that we use this power when confronted by adversé spells of time. In my opinion, a person cannot totally escape the adverse turn of events indi- cated by unfavourable planetary configurations. But, a pious man who constantly prays to God saying Asato ma sad gamaya (lead me from untruth to truth), Tamaso ma jyotirgamaya (lead me from darkness to light) and Mrityorma anirutam gamaya (lead me from death 10 real life—-to live in you) will not be assailed by the bancful influences of evil planets (inter-planetary d relationships like semi-square, square, oppositions, ete.) In fact, such a pious person survives the unfavourable dictates of Fate. Lord Krishna says (vide Sloka 29 in Chapter IX) Ye bhajanti tu maam bhaktyaa, mayi te teshu chapyaham (But those that resort 10 me with loving devotion—they are in Me anc also Lam in them). ‘The intrinsic or esoteric meaning of the Sloka 29 of Chapter IX of Bhagavadgita is also to be borne in mind. That is why it is said. “planets incline, they do not dictate”, “* Wise mea rule the stars, fools are ruled by the stars”, etc. There is another interesting verse from the sacred, Gita. Uddharetu amrutaa aatmanam na ctmanam avasaadayet, atmaiva hi atmane bandkuswatmaiva ripuratmanah (Sl. 5, Chap. VI, that is, one should upliftthe self by means of the mind and should not cause the self to sink down. For, the mind alone is the friend of the scif and the mind alone is the enemy of the self). Astrologically, the positions of the luminaries in the nativity and their aspects to other planets reveal to us the clue for “uplifting the self by means of the mind’’. The Sun represents Jeevatma and the Moon is the karaka for mind. The reiative strength of the luminaries with refereuce to the nature of aspects they receive 5 strat from other planets gives us a glimpse of the stage of evolution of the soul. Sometimes, the translation of light gives a clue as to how we can make the best use of even the worst plane- tary configurations. There may be the worst opposition aspect between two plancts, but a third planet may, by virtue of its strong. posi- tion, bring about a reconciliation or rapport between the two planets thus opposed! The third good planet may be in bencficiat trine to the one and a beneficial sextile to other and thus, due to the translation of light caused by the third planet, a native can experience the beneficial results of the opposing planets. Ishall illustrate this point with the chart of an ill-fated person born at 10-30 p.m. (IST) on 24-2-1931, 10°47" N, 79° 10" EI furnish the Sayana chart, Sidereal time at birth being 23h, 28m. and 56.664 seconds. Sayina Positions: Ascendant—Gemini 27° 147; Cancer (retrograde) Jupiter 10° 27/, (retiogratey) Pluto 18° 58" and (retrograde) Mars 28° 227; Virgo—(retrograde) Neptune 5° 06! anc Mors 11° 08"; Libra—Ketu 16° 41’; Canvicorn—Venus 19° 15/ and Satum [v8 397: Aquatias—Mercury 19° 227; Pisces— Meridiva cusp 21°34’ and the Sun 4°46"; Avizs—Uranus 13° 237 and Rabu 16° 41°; and Taurus—the Moon 18° 557. ‘The illustrative chart will reveai how the Venus-Saturn conjunction in Capricorn is vitia- ted by the worst opposition aspect of retro- grade Pluto and retrbgrade Mars (ia fall). Here, the opposition aspect between the planets involves the 2nd and 8th houses. In addition to this, the Sun, the prime luminary, is afflicted by the opposition of retrograde Neptune. This opposition involves the 3rd and 9th houses. Now, let us interpret the meaning of the aspects. Venus, representing love, unison and hare mony, is in close conjunction with Saturn which represents limitation. Planets ix Capricorn414 will express their nature prudently, cautiously, dispassionately and aspiringly. Conjunction between Saturn and Venus (which are not hostile) intensifies and strengthens the mean- ing of the aspect. Venus, being the Sth lord, is not afflicted here. In fact; conjunction between the 5th lord and the 8th lord here shows that the native will sacrifice even serious Jove for the sake of his ambition, or love of self-discipline. He is a profound lover of occult subject Saturn’s conjunction indicates ambition and hard work, a conservative outlook and serious- ness, self-discipline and austerity and discou- rapes warm relationships. So, in regard to the affairs of the heart, this aspect should not be interpreted as disappointment in love and courtship. On the contrary, this native, true to the theory of western astrology that his Moon is applying to four planets (i.e., Pluto, Venus,’ Saturn and Mercury) simultaneously, had four love-affairs which all started with whirlwind courtships (Saturn—a widowed older woman, Mercury—an intellectual woman of rare accomplishments, well versed in fine arts, singing and dancing, retrograde Pluto—deep- rooted platonic love-affair with a Scorpio-born woman). Now, in his old age, he is conserva- tively devoted to his own wife (another love affair which only ended in marriage) who answers to the description of Venus—and is respected in society for his veneration towards the members of the opposite sex. His innate sense of chastity is uaruffled by circumstantial contacts with women. Now, let us concentrate on the position of Venus. He isin his own decanate (Taurus). Venus is in sesquiquadrate (135°) aspect of retrograde Neptune (bad) ; in semisquare (45°) aspect of the Sun (bad); in square (90°) aspect of elevated and occidental Uranus (worse), in opposition (180°) aspect of retrograde Pluto and retrograde Mars (worst) in Cancer, an emotional and watery sign. Strictly interpreted as per the rules of astrology, such a seriously afflicted Venus would only mean total wreck of the desires of the heart, consequent on the sudden termination of the Jlove-affairs and the The Astrological Magazine [Vol. 75, No. 5 resultant emotional outburst and sloppy sent ments. But,I have seen the native survive miraculously the disastrous wreckage of love- affairs. Here come the natural questions how? and why?, The most redeeming feature against these overwhelming malefic influences is the conjunction of Venus-Saturn in exact trine as- pect of the exalted Moon in the 12th house. The Moon, as already referred to while quoting the sloka of Gita is the mind which has uplifted the native's soul and translated the light of Pluto to Venus conjunct Saturn. This is the translation of light which helped the native to triumph over his failure, Pluto is the reformer. His key words are ‘elimination, renewal and regeneration”. The Moon-seatile Pluto helped the native use his will constructively to guide his imagination and thus bring about the regeneration of both his practical affairs and emotional life. Being able to unclutter his life, he succeeded in relinquishing old emotional habits and initiating new ones. Benign Pluto helps the mind to be rid of useless possessions, deep-rooted obsessions and regenerate itself. We use the word chastity when we refer toa state of mind free from sinful sex feelings. The verb chastise means to punish. Saturn's dharma is limitation, control, restric- tion. The planet has a cold, binding and restricting influence. It isthe principle which crystallises the self and creates the personality. Saturn is the planet of Justice Absolute and Impartiality. In the case of the native, benign Saturn in his own mansion has purified the love nature by chastising his heart. This is the esoteric interpretation of Saturn—Venus cone junction avoided by the exalted Moon's bencficial translation of light. He was chastised to berome chaste. Let me, incidentally, refer to another translation of light in the chart. The Sun, the luminary, is in the sign Pisces which is called the universal dust-bin and the hospital of the zodiac. Pisces is the most receptive, emotional and impressionable sign. The Sun in this watery sign afflicted by the worst opposition of retrograde Neptune made him the worst addict to alcohol, narcotics suchMay 1986] as opium, liquor, morphine, hydrochloride and hypnotic drugs and tranquillisers. He suifered a great lot from July 1954 to November 1971. ‘Adverse Neptune causes addiction to drugs, narcotics, tobacco, smoking, etc., especially when afflicting the luminaries or the Ascendant in the watery signs (except Scorpio which is not so bad a watery signas its rulers are Mars and Pluto). Alan Leo writes in his book The Art of ‘Synthesis : ** Such sense-enchainers as tobacco, hasish, chloroform, opium. morphia, cocaine, Indian hemp, chloral hydrate, chlorodyne, nitrous oxide, sulphonal, paraldehyde, ete., are drugs associated with Neptune. Some of these drugs procure a partial release of the astral soul from the physical vehicle and this phenomenon is attributed to Neptune. ” Neptune in Virgo manifests a tendency to psychosomatic illness caused by excessive emotional preoccupation with inconsequential details (Virgo—overcritical, analytical mind indulging in hair-splitting ventures. Faults of Neptune are obsession, morbidity and drug addiction). It is needless to say how horribly the native of this chart suffered. His constitution was reduced to a pathetic condition. He was in- credibly desiccated, his bones draped with festoons of dry skin. He became a malade imaginaire appealing to all doctors for speedy rédemption from the obsessive malady. ‘Abs! nence Syndrome’ sapped his vitality when he sincerely tried withdrawal methods. He suffered from loss of weight, acute constipation, pain- ful defecation with blood in faeces, and finally around December 1970 his illness was diagnosed. as Infectious Hepatitis with Tenesmus. Mean- while, Hypnos and Morpheus wielded their baneful sway over hisfrail constitution. When he consulted me at this advanced stage of hypochondria I could infer that his dejected heart was prone to suicidal mania ina despe- rate stage. (Saturn in the 8th opposed exactly by retrograde Pluto.) ‘A deep study of his chart revealed to me that his Pluto in retrogression, which afflicted his Saturn in the house of death by the worst ‘opposition aspect, was in excellent exact sextile Translation of Lights ais aspect to the exalted Moon in Taurus. When the native in his extreme agony was groping in the darkness, as an astrologer I pointed out to him the light—the silver lining in the horizon and buoyed up his sinking spirits. (He was running Rahu Dasa, the Moon Bhukti from 28-7-1970 to 27-1-1972 and also Sade~sathi- Gochara Mars in the 12th from the natal Moon, Saturn in the 2nd from the Moon, Jupiter in the 8th from the Moon, Gochara Rahu was in transit in Capricorn aspecting afflicted, debi tated natal Mars). I assuaged his grief, explain- ing to him the exalted -Moon’s translation of Pluto's light on Venus-Saturn. Pluto symbo- lises great psychological changes and potentia- lity to physically auto-regenerate and to self- analyse (as per the latest school of thought, Scorpio is the domicile of Pluto, and Taurus its exile; Pluto is exalted in Cancer and is in fall in Capricorn). The translation of light between the exalted Moon and exalted Pluto showed the native’s latent capacity to reform and regenerate himself. He is now a poet, actor, philosopher and a prolific writer. After convincing the native about the redeem- ing feature of the Moon (an exalted luminary), T proceeded further to explain to his complete satisfaction, how best this evil opposition aspect between the other luminary, the Sun and retrograde Neptune can be offset or stalemated? Here again, the translation of light gave me the clue. In the words of Alan Leo, “the true astrologer, however, knows the duality of good and evil to be not in the stars but in ourselves and therefore, some power of modification is implied--the restriction of evil tendencies when- ever found, within the narrowest possible limits, and the unfolding of whatever is good tothe utmost possible extent. Besides this, permutation is a power; a poison may be changed to vitaliser, as in the common manioe or cassava of commerce (vide Art of Synthesis by Alan Leo—Chapter XII on Neptune, the Mystic). . I found im the chart retrograde Jupiter in the Ascendant promising Providential care and divine protection as well as strong religious and moral convictions. Here, Jupiter is