1. Astrology and the Hoax of Scientific Temper_Gayatri Devi

ASTROLOGY

AND THE

HOAX

OF

"SCIENTIFIC TEMPER"

Chief Editor GAYATRI DEVI VASUDEV

This book is an inspired collection of writings that expose the fraud of "Scientific temper" in its attacks on Astrology. Astrology has always had its critics- criticism is indeed healthy for the growth and proper understanding of any science. But unfair and unjust criticism made up of distortions, lies and bias must be forcefully met and nipped in the bud. Otherwise it can be a dangerous enemy of all honest intellectual inquiry and examination. A lot of criticism has been levelled against Astrology in recent times by some so-called scientists and selfstyled rationalists. But how much of it is sensible criticism? And more important, how much of it is true? This book reveals the bias, the vituperation, the ignorance behind such attacks. Those who have attacked Astrology do not even know what it means. Some have even taken recourse to lies to criticize Astrology. This volume is an attempt at meeting unfair criticism. The book tells you all about Astrology (non- technical) and which exposes the fraud the rationalist is playing on the layman in order to push his anti- Astrology campaign.

Gayatri Devi Vasudev, B.Sc, LL.B., is the Associate Editor of The Astrological Magazine. She has authored Practical Horary Astrology and How to Judge a Horoscope-Volume11. She has also contributed articles to several periodicals and dailies. Some of her famous predictions in The Astrological Magazine include the assassination of Mrs. Indira Gandhi, the election of George Bush, Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde's chief-ministership and subsequent loss of power, Mrs. Benazir Bhutto's prime ministcrship, the end of the "Rajiv era", return of Benazir Bhutto to power, India's space programme, etc. Mrs. Gayatri Devi Vasudev has written several articles on matters of topical interest. She has also delivered lectures at different educational institutions, Rotary and other clubs and groups. She has conducted workshops on different aspects of Astrology and participated in seminars on the subject. She was the first woman to deliver the Keynote Address to inaugurate the III International Symposium on Vedic Astrology on November 18, 1994 at San Rafael. California, U.S.A. She also participated in the IV International Symposium on Astrology on February 2-6, 1996 at San Diego, U.S.A. as special invitee. Mrs. Gayatri Devi Vasudev has brought out a collection of papers under the title Astrology and the Hoax of Scientific Temper. She has recently, with her father, Dr. B.V. Raman edited Planets and the 'Xext World H'ar She has been actively working under Dr. B.V. Raman in his mission to bring Astrology into the comity of sciences.

CONTENTS

Preface Introduction Nehru Wanted Rajiv's Horoscope 1. Why Single Out Astrology - I 1 Gayatri Devt Vasudev 2. Why Single Out Astrology - II 12 Gayatri Devi Vasudev 3. Proof of the Pudding 24 K.N. Rao. I.AA.S. Table I 39 Table II 90 4. Air Crashes Related to Astronomic Events 105 V. Zakharko 5. The Hoax of "Scientific Temper" 113 A. The Narlikar Episode 113 Gayatri Devi Vasudev B. Supresslng Truth 119 H. J. Eysenck D. K. B. Nias C. Rejoinders to The Humanist Statement 127 1. Astrology and Unscientific Prejudices 127 B. A. Kumar Babu

it. About Astrology 132 Buel D. Huggins D. Rationalist Plays to the Galleries 138 Gayatri Devt Vasudev Validity of Astrology - A Radio Discussion 141 E. Piqued Rationalist Resorts to Lies 160 Gayatri Devi Vasudev F. Some More Hypocricy 170 Gayatri Devi Vasudev i. The Space Tamashas 170

iil. Weathermen Caught Napping 173 Another Instance of Hypocrisy 176 6. The Kovoor Story - The Denouement 179 Y. Kesava Menon 7. How I was Greeted by "Science": Strict Scepticism 185 Michel Gauquelin 8. Planets and Personality 193 Michel Gauquelin 9. Astrology. Science and Scientists 205 B. A. Kumar Babu 10. Astrology and Our Space Programme 215 Gayatri Devi Vasudev 11. How I was Convinced About Astrology 231 Late Dr. A. S. Bhise 12. Sri Aurobindo on Astrology 244 edited by K. Channabasappa 13. Outwitting the Stars 255 Paramahamsa Yogananda 14. Written in the Stars-Paul Brunton 266

15.Astrology Verified 291 16. Astrology: Its Origin 298 17. Indian Astrology - Sepharial 311 Appendix I -Prof. Carl Jung's Letter to Prof. B. V. Raman 328 Appendix H -The Stars and Me 330 Woodrow Wyatt Appendix m -Who Doesn't Consult Astrologers 334 Stepher Pile Appendix IV -Brighu Nadi Reading of Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi's Horoscope 339

Preface

This book is an inspired collection of writings that exposes the fraud of "scientific temper" in its attacks on Astrology. Astrology has always had its critics- criticism is indeed healthy for the growth and proper understanding of any science. But un- fair, unjust criticism made up.of distortions, lies and bias must be forcefully met and nipped in the bud. Otherwise, il can be a dangerous enemy of all honest intellectual inquiry and examination. This volume is an attempt at meeting unfair criticism. I thank all the thinkers from various sources from whom I have drawn my ideas and inspiration. I thank Mr. Anand R. Kundaji of the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore who has been extremely helpful in securing me some vital information found in this book and also my brother Mr. B. Niranjan Babu but for whose dedicated and whole- hearted help ihe production of this volume would not have been so competently executed.

Bangalore GAYATRI DEVI VASUDEV 24.12.1989

INTRODUCTION

Today the age of science is full upon us. Apart from the benefits conferred on mankind to make material life more comfortable, science is collaborating in massacres and today, in this age of scientific thought we stand on the brink of scientific destruction. Social ill-health that we see in our country - alcoholism, violent, crimes, acci- dents, suicide, terrorism and disregard for ethical principles even in the highest quarters - is the product of the age of science. The tentacles of science threaten us as it claims truth is its monopoly and it fosters materialism! Over-reliance on the method of science as the sole font of valid knowledge has blinded a certain section of educated persons to the possible alternatives employed in ancient India to discover disciplines like Astrology, Yoga, Vedanta etc. Today, the term science is being abused by some so-called 'men of science'. What they need to be told is that science needs Astrology to im- prove and harmonize the life of man. Science has been measuring the speed of falling stones and peering through lenses, Yet it has no explanation for gravity. The scientist does not know the meaning of gravity as such although he will rush to identify its manifestations. The trouble is some men of certain so-called recognised sciences have taken upon themselves the role of social reformers depending upon the official recognition

and state patronage their discipline currently en- Joys. They hasten at every opportunity to denigrate Astrology. Their so-called scientific ap- proach is nothing but a subterfuge, meant to confuse and mislead the common man. Their prejudice against Astrology rests more on a mis- conception of what science is than on a true un- derstanding of the basics of Astrology. What they have not realized is that the techniques of objec- tivity that distinguish science are already in trouble in the areas of 'relativity and particle physics. It is now being discovered, to the chagrin of the rigid orthodox scientist, that the universe is non-material and non-rational. The first step for these self-styled men of scientific temper is to free themselves from a misconcep- tion of Astrology and to be clear about the defini- tion of science, of the methods of science.

scientists We commend to the attention of our pseudo- who Australian denigrate Astrology. famous neurologist what and the Nobel Laureate Sir Eccles says viz., "This is an age more beset by superstition than 'any other age and the worst superstition is that materialistic science can explain all things. The materialists have had their long innings of arrogance. Their beliefs are worn out. They land nowhere. Materialism gives you a hopeless empty life, one without values."

The aim of science is truth, not running down branches . of knowledge like Astrology. Prejudice is no sign, however, of a true scientific mind and prejudice is what sticks out in attacks against Astrology. Criticism against Astrology has always been from a standpoint of ignorance. A careful review of some of the most vociferous critics and their antics will reveal a frightening mixture of both lack of a knowledge of what science is and what Astrology is. How else can one describe critics who tear a handful of predictions out of context and brand them as failures and proceed to say, that Astrology therefore is not a science? How else can one explain the obstinate refusal of critics to look at hundreds of correct predictions, some of, them, for instance so remarkably ac- curate as of the 1975 Emergency made months before in the pages of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, and their mischievous libel that it had not been predicted at all. Show us one discipline where there is not 100 percent success as critics of Astrology demand, but even a mere 50 percent success. Incidentally Astrology can boast of 65 to 70 percent success in the hands of qualified men and women. For some of the western scientists who claim to have tested Astrology. Astrology means only the Sun-sign and the Sun-sign forecasts published in the media. They equate the entire subject of Astrology with the Sun-sign readings and betray colossal ignorance of this

systematized knowledge. narely. Jyotisha developed in ancient India thousands of years ago. What is distressingly unfortunate , is that some of our scientists and media persons imitate western thinking in the name of modernism, im- pervious to and ignoring their own great heritage. The so called men of 'scientific temper' ir- responsibly play with young people's minds and lead them away from the spirit of scientific en- quiry by peddling neo-superstition as scientific truth before them. The consequences of such in- tellectual dishonesty can only be disastrous on young minds in their formative age. These pseudo-scientists indulge in nit-picking all the time. They have developed the knack of quoting. out of context, one or two isolated predictions that may have gone slightly off the mark and rushing to the press to proclaim Astrol- ogy is therefore not science. Proclamations. - even if endorsed by the highest authority of the land, do not make up science. If the yardstick of hundred percent ac- curacy is applied to other disciplines, then SROSS-I and its miserable end (24-3-1987) and the fate of ASLV-D2 (13-7-1988) can only be described as the greatest science hoax of the cen- tury. In fact these failures of science have only confirmed astrological axioms. Space science and meteorological failures costing crores of rupees are indulgently overlooked by the same critics which proves they have no sense of science or

fairplay. They dare not criticise such colossal failures, because if they do. they must pay the price of forfeiting their official positions. With Astrology. it is not that way. Astrology has no godfather in the governmental patronage which these other 'sciences' enjoy. The material provided in these pages is from different .sources. Some of it embodies my own painful experience with so-called men of science and the highly confused 'rationalists'. Some of it is from genuine men of science. Part of it is from some of the greatest thinkers we have had in our country in the past. But all of it Is fact. No con- cocted fiction like some of the rationlists have done in their own books and Sunday supplement- articles decrying Astrology. The loudest critics of Astrology in our own country have, as far as I have known, not shown any trace of the spirit of science in their obses- sive attacks against Astrology. Their "facts" have been cooked up; and their language undignified. This has not hurt Astrology one wee bit. But the nuisance has to be checked. And these critics must be reminded of an Arab proverb which says "You can fool some people for all time, you can fool all people for some ttme, but you can't fool all people for all time". I only hope that after reading these pages you realise what a big fraud the critics of Astrol- ogy are indulging in by their antics. I also hope you will appreciate the ancient heritage we have in Astrology and learn to question the lies critics try to spread against it. The best way we can

combat these lies is to understand Astrology properly starting from its basics. Astrology is a Vedanga and therefore Sat. It will always remain for Truth is. It has survived worse attacks in the past and wherever there are true men of science who respect truth, Astrology will always be respected. In the opinion of the famous psycho-analyst Carl Jung "Western civilisation .by ignoring Astrology gains little and may be losing much" by what. he calls "the contemptible treatment and defamation of an ancient art which defied a reasonable explanation and after 200 years of in- tensive scientific progress we can risk testing them in the light of modern truths." Gayatri Devi Vasudev B.Sc., LL.B.

Bangalore 24-12-1989

NEHRU WANTED RAJIV'S HOROSCOPE

When Rajiv Gandhi was born, grandpa Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to Indira Gandhi asking her to get a "proper horoscope made by a competent" person. Writing to his sister Vijayalaxmi Pandit on August 29, 1944, Nehru said *. "In my letter to Indira. I suggested to her to ask you to get a proper horoscope made by a competent person. Such permanent records aa the date and time of birth are desirable. As for the time, I suppose the proper time should be mentioned and not the artificial time which is being used now. War time is at least an hour ahead of the normal time." When astrologers speculated about Mr. Nehru's birth time, his private secretary wrote on June 19, 1962 to the editor of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE. Bangalore, stating: "The Prime Minister has asked me to write to you that, so far as he knows, the time of his birth was 11.30 p.m. o November, 1889." Astrologers have been speculating about the birth time of Mr. Rajiv Gandhi in the columns of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE since his entry into politics. - UNI

CHAPTER ONE

WHY SINGLE OUT ASTROLOGY-I

Gayatri Devi Vasudev Computer software has ushered in a revolu- tion in the intellectual world. Medical diagnosis, legal Information, accounts and auditing, busi- ness management and a variety of other uses have been ascribed to the computer with constd -- erable success. Astrological charts, known as horoscopes, have also been possible in a matter of minutes using computers. There is hardly any area of intellectual activity that has not been ex- plored by computer technology. Horoscope casting (provided the chart is cast in its entirety which includes Rasi, Navamsa, Shadvargas and/or Shodasavargas, Dasa-balance as well as Ashtakavarga charts) done manually is a tedious job but done by a competent person is always accurate. What the computer does is to practically eliminate the labour involved and save on time. This is about all that a computer can do in the field of Astrology. Its role is limited only to the calculational or computational part. To the conscientious astrologer. the utility of the com- puter stops here. What then does one have to say on computer forecasts? Simply this. Exit the astrologer and enter the mercenary, enter the peddler, enter the businessman. Computer forecasts are absolutely

unreliable. The blame here must not unfairly be- laid at the door of Astrology or the astrologer but at the doorstep of the tribe of men who will ex- ploit human weaknesses. This tribe is active not only in Astrology but also among educationalists (otherwise why would marks-cards' scandals erupt periodically or ques- tion papers leak out). medical fraternity (trade in human spare-parts is reported all the time), en- gineering, legal and every other field of profes- sional activity. So. the next time someone advertises a com- puter forecast we can surely conclude it is a fraud as in the case of education, medicine etc., where too. unscrupulous elements exist in larger numbers but under the more dangerous cloak of- fered by official recognition and state patronage. Patients die under medical care and some even worse, get incapacitated for life due to indif- ferent and negligent medical treatment. Brilliant students find their academic future Jeopardised and even destroyed by avaricious dons who in- dulge not only in favouritism but also sell suc- cess in examinations for monetary and other con- siderations. Such things happen in every profes- sion and to single out Astrology only as fraud is to display an obsessive prejudice against it. When two people marry, sometimes the doc- tors are approached and if the blood groups are not agreeable, the match may be set aside. Similarly young men and 'women with serious cardiac conditions are advised against marriage.

Does one therefore say that marriages are destroyed thereby and hell created for the young people. Most certainly not. The same logic applies to horoscope matching. When the disparities be- tween two charts are high the match is not recommended. Here the role of Astrology is preventive. Future unhappiness is avoided. Likewise where a chart is said to have kuja dosha, it means chances of strife in marriage are more. But by pairing such a horoscope with one containing counter-balancing features marital harmony can be achieved. Astrology was formu- lated by the ancient Rishis of India and with the specific purpose of ensuring Loka Kalyana or the welfare of the largest number. Only a short- sighted view and an inability to understand men and matters can conclude that Astrology is fraud. No one who has had enough experience of life, of inter-relationships between members of a family. of human limitations and the weaknesses of the mind will ever condemn Astrology. Some critics class Astrology with the evils of dowry. This is the ultimate in infantile logistics and to be strongly condemned. The motive in dowry is greed. The intention of horoscopic matching is the total welfare of all concerned. One who cannot distinguish this simple dif- ference between the two is quite incapable of ap- preciating the nuances of Astrology. Astrology is a preventive measure and the very anti-thesis of the adage 'ignorance is bliss'. Do schools and lITs admit mentally retarded pupils on their rolls? If they do not, can you

describe it as injustice and of labelling the men- tally retarded as misfits. Here it is only a percep- tion of the fact of the intellectual abilities of the individual that is being made and not discrimina- tion. So also in Astrology, when a chart is described as having some blemish, all that is being done is cautioning the parents that certain precautions must be taken while matching so that the girl or boy may be happy. Otherwise, it would be like Justifying a heart patient's eating cholesterol rich foods and arguing that if he is not given fat-rich foods he is being discriminated against. How unreasonable prejudice can make one is evident from this comparison? The favourite argument of some critics of Astrology is that a negative forecast to someone led him to commit suicide. Incidentally this was due to a computer forecast. A computer is a mechanical thing and with no ability to Judge human nature. That is why a computer forecast is not reliable. But no competent human astrologer would have made this kind of forecast. So why blame Astrology for this. Blame the man peddling such software. It is common knowledge that indiscreet medi- cal diagnosis often has had far reaching dangerous consequences. As a result couples have divorced, young men and women told by doctors they have terminal illnesses have killed themselves, wrong SD tests have led women to abort foetuses prematurely and so on. The list of tragedies due to such diagnoses is endless.

Now take the legal profession. Instead of counselling warring couples to reorganise their marriages. lawyers have prompted their trusting clients to file divorce-suits and destroyed thereby. Innumerable marriages. Not only that, children of such "legally invalidated marriages have been shuffled from parent to parent thereby damaging forever their growing minds with the idea that ad- justment between family members is impossible. Later when such children grow up, the first solu- tion they seek when emotionally low is in the courts perpetuating thereby a death blow to the very foundations of the institution of marriage. Or. where differences erupt between collaterals, lawyers are the first to advise partition of not only property but also of human feeling. Does no critic of Astrology have the guts to point this out? I know of whole families, generations of them. living in hate simply because of ill-advised litiga- tion relating to Joint families. In one case a young man wrote to me saying his wife had left him fol- lowing some tension. She had taken away their 6-month child with her. The young man wanted to know if his marriage would get re-sorted. After a look at the 2 charts I told him, his wife was basically a nice person, an extrovert and fond of friends. The marriage itself was safe and after a few months, he would be reunited with her. He then told me he had consulted his lawyer friends and one of them had said he could divorce his wife on the ground of adultery by carefully using the fact she was an extrovert. I told him this was unfair and her own chart showed she was a

faithful wife and a little persuasion from a com- mon friend would help. About 6 months later, he wrote to say they were now living together and he had set aside the lawyer's advice and gone by astrological counselling. Can one therefore call jurisprudence a fraud? You can go on and on in this refrain taking every single profession under the sun and you will be shocked by the negative side that every profession has to it. But the point here is, I repeat, why single out Astrology? The arguments against Astrology speak of an obsession, may be because of some personal experience, but that is no valid argument against Astrology. The attacks on Astrology are both ill-con- ceived and highly biased. The critics show by their arguments not only their utter ignorance of the basics of the science of Astrology but also an absence of an open mind which is the hallmark of a true thinker and intellectual.

Astrology In Moscow By Bill Keller Astrology ts not taboo tn Soviet Russta. Sophisticated Muscovites swap astrological sigus at parties. Horoscopes are a hot item in the weekly public market Young engineers devote their free time for running astrological computer prograuumes. In a one-room clinic a few paces from Moscow's most popular pedestrian mall, Dzhuna Davitashvili, celebrity psychic healer, gesticulates over the head of a deaf and blind man, as if pulling invisible weeds from his cranium.

The criticism against Astrology by so-called rationalists (which term includes some officially designated scientists as well) proceeds from a point of ignorance. In the first place; it is due to an absence of knowledge of even the fundamen- tals of the science. The second, and this is more serious, is a mistaken belief that anything that is beyond the known laws of science is not science at all. What such critics forget is sctence, at any point of time, is both incomplete and inconsistent Where a fact or a phenomena keeps occurring but there is no explanation, only a fool would dismiss the fact itself. A true scientist, in con- trast, would try to expand the frontiers of science by hard work and study, investigating into the heart of the phenomena. No sane man with even an inkling of scien- tific temper will shut his eyes off to phenomena which he cannot explain. Newton, talking of gravitation, said "Action at a distance can only be described; it cannot be explained." Gravitation

Watched by a rapt crowd, she works unself-consclous- ly, chattering about the hundreds of people, htgh. and low. who flock to her for a sample of the healing touch she rails Effect D. for Dzhuna. In the United States, land of all faiths, people laugh at Nancy Reagan for consulting an astrologer. But in the Soviet Union, land of scientific materialism, Dzhuna Davltashvlll has a state business license, an honored spot on the Soviet Peace Committee and a coterie of friends that includes scientists, artists, journaltsts and tntellectuals. Horoscopes, folk medicine, psychic healing and all manner of mysticism occupy a prominent place in Soviet society.

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and Its laws are known to everyone but no one knows why gravity exists, why celestial bodies with mass have the property of gravitation. Anyone who says that there is no way to explain the role of planets in human destiny and thinks that this is a valid argument against Astrology is fooling no one but himself. In science, facts precede theories. Apples fall to the ground; so do material objects and unsupported bodies. Taking this fact into account Newton began his inves- tigations and came up with the law of gravitation. He attributed gravitation to the forces of mutual attraction between material objects. Later. when Einstein came on the scene he explained the same phenomenon as due to the curvature of space in the rieTghborjiood of the material object. Both were great scientists. Yet each had his own theory which the respective contemporary scien- tific community accepted. How can the same phenomena have two divergent scientific explana- tions? Both may be wrong. or, one may be right.

"it is our secret silliness", said the wife of a govern- ment official, who nonetheless noted that as soon as Mik- hail S. Gorbachev became the Soviet leader, she looked up his sign. He is a Pisces. "Leave Nancy Reagan alone," the woman admonished. Except in the unlikely event that some Kremlin counterpart of Donald T.Regan writes a tell-all book, it may never be known whether astral omens guide Soviet affairs of state. Mr. Regan, the former White House Chief of staff, says that has sometimes been the case in the Regan family. Dzhuna Davitashvili, who prefers to go by the personal name she gave herself because "Yevgenia" seemed inade- quate to her gift, reputedly was summoned to the bedside of

Only time and another more brilliant explanation from another scientist can tell. But .the facts which these theories seek to explain are beyond doubt. If they had not existed, no one would have bothered to find out why they happened at all. This brings us to the crucial truth that the func- tion of science is not to ask hypothetical ques- tions but to explain admitted facts. Do those who question Astrology accept the facts put forth by the astrologer? If not, they have no business to waste his time with their idle ques- tions. As a scientist in his own right, he has every right to reject the idle queries of the prejudiced critic. Swami Abhedananda, a fire-brand brother- monk of Swami Vivekananda, would, talking of Astrology, tell his talented American audiences "So the study of this science is beneficial to mankind and for that reason r thought that I would give you an idea and open your views and your minds to the universal laws and the highest

Leonid I. Brezhnev when he was slipping beyond the help of conventional medicine. Dzhuna carefully does not deny this report. Whatever Mr. Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa, make of the occult sciences, his constitnents seem to feel that snch arcana explain at least as much about life as Marx and Lentn ever did. Sophisticated Muscovites swap astrological signs at dinner parties, horoscopes are a hot ttem at the weekly public market in Izmailovo Park, and at one Moscow scientific institute a young engineer says he and hts friends spend most of their free time running astrological computer programs for themselves and friends.

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spiritual truths which are hidden behind the sur- face of the phenomenal world ... After studying this you may become more superstitious and you may feel you are like a slave to the physical con- ditions of this planetary influence, but Vedanta teaches the will of the human-beings is all power- ful, and if you hold the thought and bring out the soul's power, you will be able to overcome all these natural influences ... That is also taught in our country (in India). If an astrologer would cast your horoscope, he would tell you. 'these are the conditions but there is the way out of it, and you can overcome these conditions by performing the spiritual practices or observing the spiritual laws." Swami Abhedananda would go on "In this age of skepticism and agnosticism we may laugh at the claims of the science of true astronomy, but it is certainly a study of the power fascination which it has extended over the greatest men. through 7000 to 8000 years, and a vast number

A Moscow based New Yorker was astonished recently when a renowned physicist who had received permission to emigrate to the United States asked, as a parting favonr, advice on where to get his horoscope done in New York. Oleg, 49, an astrology buff enconntered Thnrsday on the Arbat mall aronnd the corner, from Dzhuna's stndio professed to have retired a few years ago after winning abont $1,50,000 in the state lottery using a system dictated by the stars and planets. He said he was delighted to hear on a Voice of America radio broadcast that Mrs. Reagan shared his Interest ....

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of authenticated fulfilment of prophecies by astrologers which have been handed down through generations will prove that there is some underlying truth at the bottom of its claims." In fact, it is childish for an adult to rave and rant about a subject about which he knows noth- ing. Most of these rationalists are obscurantists who will refuse to see anything that is beyond their individual power of comprehension. This is very tragic indeed for science cannot be struc- tured to fit Into the limited brain-corridors of a handful of confused individuals. However, we must, when relating to such men remember they are very much human and when their passions are excited, they may go off at a tangent and believe their personal prejudices define the ul- timate boundaries of science.

Although astrology is officially frowned upon in the Soviet Encyclopedia as a "false science", scholarly works have been devoted to such subjects as the healing proper- ties of mumiyo, a tar-like resin collected from the places wounded animals go to die. Parapsychology is accorded serious discussion in the Soviet Academy of Sciences. When Soviet newspapers or television feature practitioners such as Dzhuna, as the hip late-night program "Vzglyad" did recently, there is nary a hint of smugness . Her forecast is bright: "Just see what kind of friendship will blossom between Reagan and Gorbachev. They will be like brothers. That's what the stars show me". NYTS

Courtesy : NagpurTimes(29.5.88)

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CHAPTER TWO

WHY SINGLE OUT ASTROLOGY-I

Gayatri Devi Vasudev Simple Truths about Astrology are being con- firmed by recent findings by scientists in the West. In Astrology, the Moon is said to rule the mind and described as manahkaraka. Afflictions to the Moon give rise to various kinds of mental characteristics. The Moon with Venus makes one pleasant, friendly, fond of ease. The Moon with Mars gives an aggressive nature, restless and sometimes, dictatorial. It also makes one In- tolerant of others' views. Instead of Mars if we substitute Jupiter we havg a benign, tolerant, ex- pansive personality, balanced in outlook. The Moon and Saturn together make one rigid In out- look, over-cautious and pessimistic. Scientists In the West have now confirmed the role of the Moon In defining mental states. And they offer an explanation as well. The earth Is made up of about 80 percent water and 20 percent inorganic matter. When the Sun and the Moon exert their combined pull on the earth there are high tides. When the com- bined pull of the Sun and the Moon is low, there are low tides. The joint pull of the Sun and the Moon is maximum when they are moving towards a conjunction (0°). When the two are 90° apart.

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the combined influence of their gravitational fields is lowest and this acting on the watery sur- faces of the ocean leads to low tides. In astrologi- cal language the 180° position of the Sun and the Moon is called Pournamtand the 0° position of the two is called Amavasya. Like-wise when the distance between the two is 90°. astrologically it is called Ashtami, and like the watery surfaces the fluids in the human body are also in a state of relative rest. That is why during Ashtami medication Is advised. by the ancients as per the dictum Ashtamt vyadhinasini. During the con- junction and opposition of the Sun and the Moon the oceanic surfaces are subjected to a mighty pull and so. rise up in high tides. The composi- tion of the human body is similiar to the earth - 80 percent fluid. About these periods, the brain fluid encased in a tough case, the skull, is also subjected to the combined gravitational pull of the luminaries. As a result it is thrown into tur- bulence within the walls of the skull leading to tension and impaired Judgment. That is why about these two periods there is an increased in- cidence of family tensions, accidents, crime.'

Jyotisha Sastra which is loosely translated as Astrology is a study of the correlations of the planetary positions and terrestrial phenomena. The word planet is a misfit and the right word would be graha. Like Dharma, graha, has no proper English equivalent. There are 9 grahas of importance and the mutual juxtapositions of these planets at birth carry the blue-print of an individual's future.

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The ancients knew that there were countless celestial bodies in the heavens but they pitched on to only 9. known as Navagrahas, as influenc- ing life on earth. They addressed God or the Cos- mic Being as Akhüanda Koti Brahmanda Nayaka meaning 'Lord or Master of infinite crores of Brahmandas or Cosmic Eggs'. This expression alone is evidence of the fact that the ancients knew of the existence of grahas, other than the Navagrahas. but which they did not deem neces- sary for analysing birth-charts. A graha may be described as not only a material body with a field of force of its own but also as a geometric point with a field of force. In this respect, not only Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn. Mercury but also the Sun and the Moon are grahas. Rahu and Ketu, the points of inter- section of the ecliptic and the Moon's orbit round the earth are also included in the Navagrahas. A question often asked is why not Include the now discovered trans-saturnine planets- Pluto, Neptune and Uranus in the scheme of Jyotisha. As I have said earlier only 9 grahas were con- sidered Important and others rejected for astrological purposes. Therefore, the question it- self is redundant. The mere fact that they were discovered recently cannot imply they were not known to our ancients. Only our ancients did not consider them important enough. Recent findings now tell us how these trans- saturnine planets are dissimilar from the grahas recognised in Jyotisha. A zodiac is defined as a belt extending to 9 degrees on either side of the

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ecliptic over which the planets (grahas) are said to move. This belt therefore has a latitudinal limit of about 10 degrees, north or south. Pluto's orbit is inclined 17° to the ecliptic. Therefore, how can anyone include Pluto in the Navagrahas (confined to a belt of 9° on either side of the ecliptic) when Pluto is orbiting outside the zodiac. The latitude of none of the Navagrahas exceeds 7 degrees. Per- haps this could be why Pluto was not included amongst the Navagrahas. It is also believed by modern astronomers that taking into account Pluto's high orbital inclination and eccentricity. its small mass and other properties that it may not be a planet at all but only an escaped satel- lite of Neptune. it is possible, in future. astronomers will come up with facts Justifying the exclusion of Neputne and Uranus from the Navagraha scheme. But until then let us bear in mind that absence of evidence is not evidence of ab- sence (of proof). A Russian scientist Prof. A.L. Chizevskiy (1892-1964) found there was a cor- relation between sunspot activity and human af- fairs. As a result he founded "heliobiology", which in our language ls Jyotisha. The Soviet scientist V. Desyatov relates suicides and automobile accidents to solar flares. Every time there is a peak in solar flares, suicides go up by a factor of four on the following day. Solar activity occurs in 11 years cycles with a maxima and minima every 5 1/2 years. The geocentric period of Jupiter is also a 11-year

16

cycle. This way a correlation between Jupiter and mundane events can also be established. There are hundreds of astrological dicta that work in actual practice. Anyone can verify for himself these astrological dicta. .Now, where are these dicta to be found? The oldest known work and which is popular- ly relied upon is Brihat Parasara Hora, dating back to the Pre-Mahabharata period. Dicta found in this work are astrological dicta and anyone keen on investigating into the truth of Astrology must experiment on these.

the Some critics of Astrology very naively advance argument that all buses which start in Rahukalam do not meet with accidents 'and therefore Astrology is nonsense. Whoever said this belief has an astrological background? Let those critics give us the reference of the work that carries this pseudo-astrological enunciation. This is not an astrological dictum at all and is as true or false as the belief that all men who were Gandhi topies are all honest or plain rogues. More important, anyone who is keen on test- ing astrological laws must know the laws in the first place. Without Knowing that if one goes on making up something and then proves it wrong. what has that to do with Astrology? It proves nothing against Astrology. All that it proves is the ignorance of the one airing these non-existent rules. And some 'scientists' and rationalists are doing just that.

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Certain stars such as Jyeshta, Moola etc. are classified as not good and many critics pounce on this to attack Astrology. In order to understand this classification we have to start at the very beginning. This classification is of relevance only at the time' of matching charts for marriage. And the part played by this classification in the total process of matching is a mere 2 to 4 percent. Further, the blemish does not extend to the en- tire Nakshatra. A constellation is 13° 20' of arc and is divided into 4 equal parts, each of 3° 20' duration. Each arc of 3° 20' Is called a pada. Only certain padas of certain Nakshatras are said to be blemished. The following padas of the fol- lowing Nakshatras come under this rule: Moola (1st pada) : Aslesha (1st pada] Jyeshta (1st pada) : Visakha (4th pada) And the blemish is not absolute. Where the other party's chart has neutralizing Influences, it loses lts sting. This is the purpose of matching charts.

Kuta agreement also comes in for. attack. Many people mistakenly believe that if Kuta agreement is lacking and a count of less than 18 against 36.5 is obtained, the match is best dropped. This test of Kuta agreement is only one of 8 factors considered while matching for mar- riages. Not all these factors are of equal impor- tance. Dosha Samya or balancing of afflictions in the 2 charts is second only to an approximate es- timate of longevity In the 2 charts. The Kuta test is only about 10 to 12 percent of the total match-

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ing process. Most critics of astrological matching of charts are blissfully unaware of these facts. While testing horoscopes for marriage, an overall assessment of health is also important. In the chart of an energetic young man brought to me by my friend for his daughter, I found material prosperity was good. But Venus, who has an important say in matters relating to mar- riage, had two maleflcs in the 7th from it. This meant, unless there were countering features in the girl's chart, conjugal life would be adversely afflicted and perhaps, even denied. I found no such features in the girl's chart. However, my friend was swayed by other considerations and went ahead with the marriage. Ten days after the marriage he came running to me saying that the girl had found the boy incapable of conjugal life. This is the kind of tragedy astrological counsell- ing can avert. If horoscopes are matched only on the basis of gunas by some astrologers, then there is noth- ing to defend except to say they are doing disser-

Financial Astrology Popular in Tokyo Tokyo: Ask some Tokyo currency dealers what the US dollar is going to do next and they will reply with convic- tion: Heaven knows. Faced with the task of a second-guessing the financial markets, some dealers in Tokyo are turning increasingly to the stars to guide their decisions on when to buy and sell. A Japanese bank specialist on economic fundamcntals analysis for foreign exchange rates said his department used financial Astrology to predict currency fluctuation.

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vice to Astrology. But every profession has its quota of misfits and incompetents and for this reason can we dismiss the discipline itself as nonsense? if this tendency is more apparent amongst astrologers, it is only because the media plays it up. Otherwise let people investigate into the tragedies wrought by medical and legal men as well as educationalists and they will be ap- palled at the high incidence in these areas. A horoscope is a guide to abilities and draw- backs. Irrespective of whether one Is male or female, the picture that a horoscope paints is the true picture of an individual. Unfortunately during the post-1950's, the chauvinist male found the horoscope often showed his own draw- backs as well as highlighting the plus points of his wife. This was something domineering brutish husbands did not relish and so, they set about trying to run down Astrology to serve their own selfish ends. This was how the rumblings against Astrology first began and still continue in certain sections of men. This was fanned by the western

"It is a part of our bank's strategy for predicting the dollar's outlook" , the specialist said. The manager of a major Japanese bank's treasnry sec- tion said he also uses Astrology in trading. "You know, J.P. Morgan, founder of Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, said that a millionaire does not belfeve in financial Astrology, but a billionaire does," he said. Like other star-strnck dealers , he declined to allow the publication of his name, presnmably concerned that clients might not be universally impressed.

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education many men received in our country. While they themselves led highly westernised lives, they wanted their wives to remain in a per- manent state of ignorance so that their male tyranny could go unchecked. It was precisely to perpetuate a state of permanent feminine sub- jugation and male domination that many such so-called educated men starting crying hoarse against horoscopes and matching of horoscopes. Many a -time, an honest astrologer would reject the boy's chart as being of a womaniser. debauchee, or suffering from impotence or of being extremely cruel in, nature or avaricious for dowry. Naturally greedy men resented the role of Astrology which frustrated their plans to grab money under the excuse of marriage. Women's organisations must fight not only social evils such as dowry but aiso the more subtle and in- sidious plans of such men who know that by dis- pensing with horoscope- matching, they can fool the parents of the brides.

"We can predict direction of exchange rates, stock and bond prices from planetary aspects," the manager at a Japanese Bank said. . "For example. you can predict the turning point for the dollar/yen rate from relationships between Earth, Mercury and Uranus," he added. The dollar is supposed to change direction when the angle between Mercury and Uranus ts at 30, 45, 60, 90. 120, 135,150 and 180 degrees, which happens once or twice every month he said.,

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In another case of horoscope matching brought to me, the father was eager to get his daughter married to a rich man's son. He satd his priest had said the kuta agreement was good between the two charts and showed harmony. There are many factors, other than kuta, that need to be studied while judging horoscopes for marriage. One of them is the psyche of the in- dividual. The chart in question, indeed, had its plus points but a study of the 4th house and the boy's Moon Joining Mars, Saturn and Rahu in the 7th left me little doubt of the boy's avaricious and heartless mental disposition. It also showed promiscuous personal .habits. So I hinted. to the girl's father the drawbacks of the chart and rejected it. The father of the girl, however was carried away by pictures of his daughter living like a queen with this rich boy. So the marriage was performed at great expense. The girl soon found that her husband had affairs with just about everyone who was willing and whom he met in his work-a-day life. When she protested,

The theory is that planets radiate various magnetic waves which are belleved to affcct everything on the earth Including human beings and financial markets, the manager said. Mars is a symbol of fierceness in mythology, but to astrologically-minded dealers jt Implies "restrained monetary policy," a bearish factor for the financial markets. Capricorn is also deeply related to monetary policy. while Uranus indicates sudden changes in exchange rates, bonds, stocks and other fuancial markets.

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he .began beating her with his belt. Not satisfied, he even tried to get some business deals through by trying to use her. This was the last straw and the poor girl came back to her now totally disil -. lusioned parents. Many girls, thanks to the scrutiny of horoscopes before marriage, have es- caped such tragedies. Many greedy men, on the other hand, resent horoscope matching under the garb of scientific temper. A horoscope reveals all and men shy away from it because it can reveal much more than they would like their future in- laws and brides to know. Women's organisations in the country must insist on a horoscopic study of the groom to ensure their fellow-women do not suffer at the hands of greedy brutes. Women's ac- tivist groups must ensure horoscopes are matched so that their sisters everywhere are protected from dangerous man and in-laws.

Mercury and Uranus being in parallel ts bearish for the dollar, and on December 10 last year. when they were so aligned the dollar began to fall sharply from 132 yen towards its post war low of 120.45 yen reached in early January, the manager said. But the crystal ball is sometimes Just as fallible as economic analysis. The manager at the US securities house said he had been studying the prtnctples of financial astrology for 10 years.

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The uses of horoscope-analysis are infinite. The wise man will sift the rice from the chaff and not throw out the baby with the bath water as many ill-informed critics of the science are trying to advocate.

The use of Astrology for trading is getting popular among Tokyo dealers, but the problem is that it takes many years for dealers to be able to use the Astrology. properly because it is very complicated, he said. - Reuter

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CHAPTER THREE

PROOF OF THE PUDDING

K.N.Rao, I.A.A.S.

Dr. B.V. Raman's Amazing Achievements in Forecasting World Events

(Son of late Mr. K. Rama Rao, the well-known founder and editor of National Herald; was in a responsible position in the Delhi Corporation; keenly interested in our ancient culture).

I met Dr. B.V. Raman for the first time and introduced myself to him on December 26. 1982. in Delhi. But I have read his writing so closely for so many years that I was absolutely amazed that so brilliant a person with so amazing a record. instead of being honoured with Bharat Ratna in this country should have been attacked by the pseudo-intellectuals in the Indo-Anglican lineage of the English press in India. The explanation for this, of course, flows from 'a rather inherent slavish mentality of persons who have privately depended upon Astrology but have publicly denounced it. Without knowing Dr. Raman personally. and after critically appraising his achievements for the last 10 years, i once wrote a long article 'Is Astrology a Hoax' for the Search-light, Patna, and not, in THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE. The October 1974 issue THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE

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reproduced my article when a professor of Patna University sent it to the Magazine. What 1 want to clarify here is that I neither wrote for the THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE nor personally knew Dr.Raman, till I had made my own absolutely honest assessment about his greatness. What is my assessment? He is In the history of the world of at least the last four hundred years. the greatest among successful astrologers; the greatest among the successful teachers of Astrology, particularly applied Astrology. through his books and writings 'in THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE: and the greatest promoter of the cause of Astrology through the encouragement he has given to others. To explain why I had to make this assess- ment I have to talk about the critics of Astrology and astrologers. They fall into the following categories: (A) Well-meaning critics: Some, like my father. late Mr. K. Rama Rao, founder-editor of the Na- tional Herald, and later, editor of Search-light, Patna also, and many other papers. attacked Astrology because they found astrologers driving Indians into fatal inaction. My father did not see many good astrologers and had no benefit of seeing the evidence of great mundane astrological predictions. The late Mr. C Rajagopalachari who led a Rishi-like life. was. perhaps. prompted by the desire to save Indians from fatal inaction when he attacked astrologers.

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After I learnt Astrology and gave many suc- cessful predictions myself. I discovered that many of the professional astrologers. unlike a non- professional like me, commercially exploited the fear of the unknown of persons who consulted them. i personally, heartily, endorse even today the attack on astrologers as was done by my late father and the late Mr. C Rajagopalachari but I do not accept their attack on the great supra- science of Astrology. In so doing. I have the ad- vantage of seeing in my mother, an extraordinari- ly successful astrologer but, her area being non- mundane, she herself could not assess the great- ness of Dr. B.V. Raman with whom she some- times exchanged letters. It was my Jyotish Guru, Yogi Bhaskaranandji of Ahmedabad who told me that Dr. Raman was the greatest astrologer of the world.

(B) Indo-Angltcan critics : The Indo-Anglican streaks of the colonial days survive strongly in the Indian character, particularly among English knowing Indians. They have attacked Astrology ir- rationally. The astrologers can always silence them in at least 60 out of 100 cases through cor- rect predictions. (C) Modern critics: To preserve a modern image men like Pandit Nehru privately consulted astrologers directly or through men like Mr. Gul- zari Lal Nanda, but publicly attacked it. In view of this, many people in this country felt that Pan- dit Nehru did not believe in Astrology. An extract of the letter written by Pandit Nehru on

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29.8.1944 to his sister, Mrs. Krishna Hutheesing. is given here. It is self-explanatory. Letter No. 74 From : Jawaharlal Nehru - Ahmednagar Fort To Krishna Hutheesing-20. Carmichael Road, Bombay. 29.8.44 "In my letter to Indu 1 suggested to her to ask you to get a proper horoscope made by a competent person. Such permanent records of the date and time of birth are desirable. As for the time, I suppose the proper solar time should be mentioned and not the artificial time which is being used outside now. War time is at least an hour ahead of the normal time." (Nehru's Letters to His Sister - edited with an introduction by Krishna Nehru Hutheesing- Faber and Faber 24 Russel Square. London.) Surprisingly this portion has been omitted by the editor of the letters of Pandit Nehru publish- ed by the Publications Division, Government of india, perhaps, in his over-anxiety to preserve the "secular image of Pandit Nehru". The editor exer- cised his selective judgement in a way as will dis- tort some facts of the personality of Nehru. (D) "Scientific " Critics: Irrational attacks have been made on Astrology by scientists and astronomers. The scientists, with their tremen- dous limitations, have no capacity to understand how supra-physical laws and pure scientific methodology get combined in Astrology. It is these scientists that men like me will keep on challenging day in and day out, and, other

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astrologers must join me by exhibiting their suc- cesses on the predictive side with scientific ex- planation. Basically, failures of the western Astrologers on the predictive side have been responsible for attacks on Astrology. If the western astrologers had properly learnt the prin- ciples of Hindu Jyotisha and developed enough predictive powers such an attack could never have been made. (E) Astronomer-critic:I reserve astronomers as a special category of men who, having learnt so much already about planets, must have found themselves lacking in higher intellectual faculties and gifts for astrological predictions. 2. Limitations: Constraints: in discussing Dr. Raman, let me first mention the limitations and constraints within which an astrologer has to work. This must be appreciated, intelligently, in assessing the merit of an astrologer. (A) Birth-time: The correct time of the birth of an individual, a political party, independence of a nation, signing of an agreement etc. is rarely

out of such an awkward situation by giving predictions on the basis of the Moon, as he did, in the case of Vietnam as early as 1946 and predicted continuous violence, blood-stained his- tory which would not be over till 1975. It was only in 1976 that there was a reunification of

"crimes against humanity" were committed. But in making predictions on the basis of the Moon alone, and the rising sign, Dr. Raman partly suc-

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ceeded and partly failed in some prediction he made about political' parties of India. Since people in India were interested in the political fu- ture of their own country. part- failures of Dr. Raman have been overemphasized and his much greater and more outstanding successes have not been discussed. This was an unscientific ap- praisal and to rectify the imbalane. I decided to tabulate his great predictions, not without men- tioning causes for his failed predictions without which such sided. an appraisal would become one

Dr. Raman got the wrong time of Nixon when he predicted victory for Him in 1960. Fortunately this was corrected by U.S. astrologers after which Dr. Raman made his world famous predictions about Mr. Nixon winning his re-election in 1972 but not completing his term. Yet Dr. Raman's failures teach valuable lessons in Astrology be- cause he still imparts Astrological knowledge when he discusses a horoscope - a wrong horo- scope, to risk his reputation, to justify his sense of adventure, to Justify the aspect of Mars on his own birth Ascendant. (B) Birth details: In many cases, the birth details, the day. month and year of important men of the world are not available. To make predictions about them on the basis only of the national horoscope is not the safest course al- ways, through Dr. Raman has made many such brilliant predictions about the destiny of "the men of destiny".

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(C) Supplementary researches: There is no one else in the country or in the world whose re- searches in mundane Astrology could help Dr .. Raman. Small men like me, who have also given some successful predictions, have borrowed from him, even "stolen his .predictions and passed them on as ours". We have been intellectually dishonest. If we had done our own researches and passed them to Dr. Raman for publication in his famous THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE it would have served the larger and nobler cause of Hindu Jyotisha. (D) Margin for failure: All scientists particular- ly doctors have areas of failure for which we pro- vide a percentage. Why do we want an astrologer to give hundred percent correct predictions only? Dr. Raman's failure to predict in 1971 and agatn in 1980, the return of Mrs. Indira Gandhi to power with a thumping majority is an instance which will show that we have not helped Dr. Raman with our researches based on dependable data. Falling back upon his own great researches, he was utilising wrong data of political parties and even wrong horoscopes of political rivals of Mrs. Indira Gandhi sometimes. In other words, for a full assessment of political fortunes full details about individual horoscopes and political parties have never been available to Dr. Raman or. for that matter, to any astrologer. 3. 1 have discussed the failures of Dr. Raman which have been actually very few. But 1 am more interested in projecting his successes which

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must have been perhaps above 80% if his career average is taken. 4. Aims: The specific aims of my assessment of Dr. Raman's are as follows: (a) Eclipses: The impression created by physi- cal scientists and astronomers that eclipses have no effect on the destiny of nations and men of destiny will get exploded after actual instances of such predictions made are seen in the tabulated summary. (b) Astrologer-adviser: Hindu Sastras laid em- phasis on a king having the benefit of objective astrological assessment of the future for shaping state policies. Looking at the instance given in both tables, the value of the advice given in Hindu Sastras will be appreciated. (c) Superior intelligence : Wlth so many in- telligence agencies in so many countries functioning all over the world with all their man-power and researches, their failures should be compared with the failure of one in- dividual. Dr.Raman, who, in his discussion of global trends and tensions, year after year since 1937, has predicted what intelligence agencies could not foresee. It may appear enig- matic to the physical-science-afflicted-inteilect of an average educated man anywhere in the world today that an Indian astrologer, sitting in Bangalore, casting horoscopes, is able to collect more intelligence from planetary in- dications, and more successfully, in most of the cases.

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(d) Supra-scientific tradition: And the purpose also is to show that the Hindu tradition based on Sastras is supra-scientific: Hindu Jyotisha proves it; through this proof, the supra- scientific validity of the Hindu tradition stands vindicated, with brilliance, through the predictions of Dr. Raman. (e) Benefit to humanity: The benefit that flows to humanity from the acceptance of a supra- science is obvious. To serve the larger interests of mankind, and. at the same time wherever neces- sary, to attack the manifold superstitions prevalent in modern society through excessive influence of physical scientists and astronomers. who have attacked Astrology. I am giving two Tables here. Table I: Table I is a bird's eye view of some of his great predictions among thousands. I have chosen such predictions as linger in public memory. The small instances given are of recent years, particularly Indian, so that readers will be able to verify them immediately. Table II: The difference between astrological foresight and historical hindsight cannot be un- derstood and appreciated by the modern man, to- tally blind and cynical in his - materialistic pur- suits, in the technology-corrupted age of ours un- less he knows that in Astrology there is a method, a discussion, a manner of drawing con- clusions before actual prediction is given, and that even if 60% of such predictions come out correct, this achievement is much greater than the achievement of others who employ vaster

33

resources in terms of men, power and money-and achieve a much lower percentage of success. How does this amazingly great astrologer make his predictions? What is the method? Let that be described briefly. (A) Classical Basis: (a) He adopts Hindu Lunar Saka year for his predictions of all the countries of the world. It is amazing that the basis of the Hindu New Year should apply so ac- curately to predictions given about all the countries of the world - Hindu, Buddhist, Mus- lim. Christian, Jew etc. Instances have been given in Table I. (b) The beginning of the Hindu-Birth Year is converted into local meantime for the capital of the country about which predictions are given. (c) The Navamsas for all these are also cast. (d) The Hindu system of planetary cabinet for the year is mentioned and the broad general in- dications and promises for the New Year delineated. (B) Traditional Methods: Along with the classi- cal Hindu methods Dr. Raman uses the time- tested traditional methods given, among others, by the great Varahamihira thus: (a) The transits of planets, particularly major planets like Saturn, Jupiter and Rahu, in dif- ferent Rasis give their unfailing results in the zodiacal areas concerned. (b) The transit of planets into Nakshatras is also pointed out wherever and whenever neces- sary as given by Varahamihira.

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(c) The effect of eclipses as given by Varaha Mihira has been used very brilliantly by Dr. Raman in some of his most sensational predic- tions like fall of Bhutto, fall of Morarji; earthquakes in Iran and China. (C) Neo-classical basis: Dr. Raman is the greatest researcher in Mundane Astrology in the last 400 years of human history. He never makes any departure from the classical frame of the text- books. But within this classical frame, he introduces innovative style, tests them vigorously and gives his results. The features of his neo- classicism are as follows: (a) He takes into consideration the changed boundaries of India; therefore, departing from Varahamihira. he would give to Goa Satabhisha Nakshatra and Aquarius Rasi; to West Bengal Mrigasira (3). Gemini Rasi. and on this basis, after testing it with historical incidents begins to give predictions about future which come out cor- rect brilliantly. (D) Additional material: To all these, he adds additional astrological data like the following: (a) The formation of a state in India like, say, Andhra. or the emergence of a country like. say. India or Pakistan on the attainment of their inde- pendence. (b) The oath-taking ceremony of a cabinet newly formed or of an important dignitary; for in- stance, on the basis of the oath-taking ceremony of Mr. Sanjiva Reddy. the former President of India, he predicted about his ailment for which

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he had to go to U.S.A. for a major surgical opera- tion. (c) Through experimentation again Dr. Raman has reduced the Vimshottar Mahadasa of 120 years into five years proportionately, it being the period of the life of a new Government under In- dian Parliamentary System; and on the basis, perhaps, he predicted brilliantly when the late Mr. Lal Bahadur Shastrl assumed the office of the Prime Minister that his cabinet was not likely to last more than one year. How by applying these methods he discusses the finer points of Astrology and not merely foresees the coming events but takes along with him Astrology-knowing readers is illustrated in Table 1I. In his long, now nearly 50 years of astrologi- cal career, he must have written at least 400 editorials on mundane matters affecting the his- tory of the world. Five examples have only been chosen here to give to readers only an idea of the depth, range, brilliance and pre-visions, which Hindu Jyotisha gives without the use of Pluto, Neptune and Uranus. The first example shows how astrological foresight is more dependable; second why the astrological vision is superior to the foresight of statesmen; the third, how an astrologer can sift from a complex combination of planets the pre- dictable events and allay the panic created by alarmist-astrologers and astronomers; the fourth how research in Astrology is done and applied;

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and the fifth how ancient astrological formulae are eternally modern, and so brilliant. Inferences that flow from both Tables will very clearly establish the following: (A) Eclipses: The effects of eclipses on destiny of man and nation in causing rise and the fall of important men. earthquakes. railway accidents and railways' strikes. Out of the 110 instances given in the Table. I have endeavoured to collect different bases for the predictions given to show the extraordinarily brilliant range of Hindu Jyotisha and the varieties of approaches that can be made to arrive at results. For instance, the various methods through which the predictions have been made by Dr. Raman would fall into three broad categories: (a) The pure classical category when he quotes from the Sastras and applies them in a practical way thus: (i) The Vimshottari Mahadasa as applied to different vargas: see predictions about the deaths of Hitler and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the fall from power of Malenkov and Khruschev. (i1) Use of sensitive points as given in ancient Hindu classical texts (see in Table II the instan- ces of such formula being applied to predict the death of Indian National Congress of 1885 in the period between 1963-1970). (ill) The effect of yogas-raja, arishta. maraka- in all types of horoscopes. (b) Researchers : Dr. Raman has given to his readers the benefits of his researches time and

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again. See for instance, his research on 'Planetary Combinations' for the breaking out of a war and the analysis of the Ashtagraha (eight- planet combination of February 1962) and the death of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. (c) Synthesis : A skillful use of the Mahadasa (Vimshottari) and transit of planets applied to dif- ferent vargas and synthesised with the planetary indicattons in the horoscopes of concerned in- dividuals is the most scientific method for predic- tions, which is why Dr. Raman has maintained such a high average of successful predictions. [See his prediction about the short-life of the space-craft Bhaskara. (A.M., August 1979).] More important is the fact that even when his predic- tions have fatled, he has taught his readers a scientific method of arriving at a prediction which makes it possible for some of his readers to arrive at results different from his, sometimes, even bet- ter. That is how a great teacher imparts training. As Mrs. Rukmint Arundale rescued Bharat. Natyam from the houses of devadasis and Vishnu Digamber Pulaskar and V.M. Bhakthande rescued Hindustani classical music from the houses of Muslim gharanas, so has Dr. Raman rescued Astrology from the houses of persons, who were slowly getting out of tune, with the ancient intel- lectual tradition of the Rishis, and were unable to apply those principles to modern complex life. Dr. Raman's achievement is greater than that of any other Indian. His revival of Hindu supra- scientific tradition very clearly proves that the word "revivalism" is not an act of resurrecting

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what is historically archaic but the act of explain- ing what is eternally valid which. being non- physical. is less understood. therefore. less ap- preciated in this age of physical science and tech- nology when human I.Q. functions at lower, physical, sex money-sleep level only.

Table I

Some Instances of Dr. B.V. Raman's Predictions 1. These are all documented predictions answering the rigidest tests of historical scrutiny.

2. Linked to the Hindu theory of cycle of births. a horoscope is the sum-total of karmas of past. allotted for the present incarnation of the native. Astrology Is of Indian orgin. as it could not have origfnated. in any culture which does not believe in re-birth. its roots lie in the Vedas. the world's oldest books.

3. How planets influence human affairs is discussed in Dr. B.V. Raman's Planetary Influences on Human Affairs. From his own writings some intances have been given here.

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Refer to the Fullfilment Basis of Remarks issuc of The Prediction When (Persons) Predicted Prediction Astrological Magazine 2 3 6 Specific 4 5 7 8 "SI. No.

April 1947 2. Gandhyi's as- 3. India One year "Sade-sati Gandhijl's H~ Genl. sassination 30-1-1948 before third and name was " ... point to loss Gandhlji maraka- not men- by assassina- was as- dasa tioned. tion as violent saslnated. Mars is with Saturn in the 12th. of a respected mass leader of the country".

2. July 1962 2. Pt Nehru's Died on 27- More than Mahadasa Referred death approach- 5-1964 two years of Rahu- specifically ing 1-8-1963 to before Ketu as Prime 16-5-1964 criti- Minister cal

3. Jan. 1964 3. National mourn- -do- -do - Hindu New ing vear's horo- ścopć 4. Junc 1964 4 "All these are - d o - Two His natal "My life 1s {rcad by us in not favourable months horoscope not going to May : written for his continu- before end so very in March 1964) ing in office" soon Pt.Nehru had said in a Press Con- ference on 22-5-1964. Five days after, he died.

4. August 1964 5. Lal Bahudur Died on One year Oath Held back Shastri's 11-1-1966 and seven taking discussion of Cabinet-Lon- months Ceremony his hor- gevity about before of the socope. one year- Cabinet : Revealed it Shortlived lts inauspi -. Indirectly cious time Muhuhrta and day 1 1. 20 a.m. 9- 6-1964 Oath

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6. March 1966 6. The prediction -do- - d o - Birth horo- 2nd October given to VVIPS scope 12- is not his was made 30 ghatis 9-birthday public 10-1904

7. July 1967 7. President Zakir Died on 4- One year Time when Importance Hussaln 5-1968 before the Oath of Muhurta " ... may not be was taken lke Item able to com- No. 5 plete full term"

March 1977 8 Dasa of On 23-3- Two Astrologers Veiled predlc Saturn; Bhuktl 1977 Mrs. months only can tion again of Maraka; Indira before Gandhi recognise ltke Nos. 1 Saturn aspeet- that it ap- and 5. He ing, as the 7th lost elec- plied to does so in and the 8th tions Mrs. Indira national lord, the 10th Gandhi's interests house; transit horoscope of Saturn in Lagna and Mars in the 8th dramatic reversal

Jan. 1979 9. Fall of Morarji Fell in Ten Eclipse Horoscope Desal, Eclipse July- months analysis falling on his August before avoided ltke natal Moon in 1979 No. 5 August 1979

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10. Issues of 1. Death of In- Parties Repeated The birth Importance 1964. 1965. dian National Political. The great year after horoscope of blrthtime 1966, 1967. Congress (1885) year of the In- of a political 1968, 1969 organisa- dian Na- party tion spillt tional Con- in 1969. In 1967 many gress of 1885. Dec. north In- dian States had non- Congress Govts. 11. June 1978 2. Split up of Split in One year On the In 1971, Dr. Janata Party July 1979 and two basis of Raman had months the Moon made predic- before in a horo- tions on the scope basis of whose wrong horo- Lagna was scope of donbtfnl political par- ties. When accused of wrong predic- tions he

called tt an error of Judgement

12. 1. Wars (In- More than An extra- gracefully. Jan. 1954 War in 1962 An absolute- only. not dian) in eight years ordinary ly dazzling before with 1962 India- China China War piece of re- chain of search broke out predictions Hindu New followed Year which no statesman of the world could visualise or foresee 13. Angust 1964 2. War with Pakis- War broke One year Oath Gave hints tan (1965) out in Sep- three taking of many im- tember 1965 months ceremony pending dis- before time of Lal asters Bahadur Shastri's Cabinet

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14. May 1971 3 War with Pakis- December Seven Pianetary -do- tan (1971) 3 1971 months transits "Celestial warn- before ings-

15. Jan 1966 1. Devaluation of Mixed (In- Few Hindu New How planets Indian curren- dian) Somc- months Year affect cy : "Drastic time in the before economy economic middle of measures" 1966 1n- dian rupee was devalued

16. April 1969 2 Mr. Jyoti Lasted for Five years Time of Muhurta Basu's Cabinet more than before Oath of the (election) fs of 1969 : West four years Cabinet Bengal. Fairly Mr. Sid- so important

long term - not dhartha less than four Sankar years Ray (Con- gress) formed Govt. after 1973

17. Jan. 1958 3 Train Accident Ambala Two Saturn- How planets Train Acci- months Mars in cause acci- dent of 1-1- before Scorpio, dents is tl- 1958 * the 3rd lustrated from Virgo, India's Lagna

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18. April 1973 4. Railway strike A tcrriblc Thirteen A great Mars caus- after Mars strike months piece of re- ing a railway moves into during Mr. before search on strike-Eclipse ecltpsc- point L.N.Misra's on 10-4-1974 time took eclipses

place in 1974 April. May, June

19. March 1966 5. Exit of Mr. T.T.K. had Few Oath - Importance T.T.Krish- to leave at months taking of Muhurta namachari the end of before ceremony from the Centra! Cabinet the year

Recent Events 20. Dec. 1974 1 Growth of Emergency Acutally A great An totalitarianism of 1975 many piece of re- astrologer in Indian June years search, foresees for- Democracy before. Jupiter in ces that Here eight Pisces and shape history months Saturn in before he Cancer in predicted the past- it battles of Panipat and 1857 Mutiny

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21. Oct. 1977 2. President San- Dr. R.K. Few Oath Importance jtva Reddy's ail- Caroli, months of Muthurta ment. "Satur- then before nine movement President's not easy to physician, identify his ail- detected a ment" shadow on Mr. Reddy's lungs. Operation was in USA

22. July 1979 3. Mr. Jaya J.P. died Six months Eclipse Importance Prakash on 6-10- before of Eclipse Narayan is also 1979 exposed to ef- fect of Eclipse

23. A speech in 4. Mrs. Gandhi A plane Few days Perhaps A.M. 2-4-1981 should be care- (Makalu) In beforc Mrs. Indira ful about hcr which she Gandhi's safety was to fly horoscope was sabotaged 27-4-198I

24. 5. Communal In May -do- National Riots In Bihar 1981 com- horoscope munal riots took possibly

place In Bihar

25. Jan. 1982 6 .. Partisan No com- No com- Hindu New decisions by ments ments Year the Supreme Court

26. Jan. 1983 7. Supreme Court Guess -do- Hindu New will reverse ear- Year lier dicision

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27. Jan. 1982 8 A minority Sheikh Ab- Some leader will dullah died months pass away some before months after

28. Jan. 1982 9 Punjab Problem Remains Brlllant Saturn rep See how unsolved prediction resents planets and based on west and Rasis repre- deep re- Libra sent direc- search. north. So tions Two years trouble in before Punjab, also Kash- mir Hindn New Year

29. Jan. 1983 10. Punjab Problem - do -

30. Jan. 1982 11. Islamic Fun- No com- No com- With some damentalism in ments ments special re- Kashmir search on Kashmir

added New Year

31. Jan. 1982 12. Restrictions on Dr. Many Hindu New Well-known Press Jaganath months Year 3rd area of Mun Misra before house dane Astrol- passed the Bihar ogy

Press Bill which created a national controversy

32. Jan. 1982 13. Re-shuffle of Mr. Kedar Many Hindu New Research the Central Pandey, months Year Cabinet Mr. before Sttaram Kesri and Mr. V.C.Shukla were dropped. A sensation was created

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33. Jan. 1983 14. In- In the -do- Fantastic Re- crease Budget of search In Post- March al Rates 1983 In- creased

34. Jan. 1983 15. Bank Scandals Syndicate will be detccted Bank, In- dian Over- seas Dank, New Bank of India, Punjab and Sind Bank are in news and under CBI inves- tigatlon

35. Jan. 1983 16. Business Scan- Inquity. -do- Hindu New Fantastic Re- dal will be Beef Tallow Year search detected Scandal of Jains has tormented Hindus. Swaraj Paul's case is still very hot

36. Jan. 1983 17. There will be Gopala A groat re- This predic- devastating Towers search on tion is far fires in Delhi, and indanc Eclipsc, greater than Bombay Gas fires Zodiacal al- Lily's about around June In Delhi in location of London fire eclipse May, Junc regions in shook 1ndia Delhi. On June 6, fire broke out in 26 places in 1ndia

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37. Jan. 1983. 18. At least one Mr. Zodical al- Special re- No other more South In- N.T.Rama location for searches of astrologer dian StAte will Rao in Andhra Dr.Raman has done so opt for non- Andhra Revati (Pis- Hindu New many new re- Congress rule and Mr. ces Rasi). Year searches R.K.Hegde Two in Kar- months nataka before have formed non Con- gress Govts. .after Jan. 1983 elec- tions.

38. Jan. 1983 19. Performance of Won elec- At least Hindu Newspapers Congress may tions in three New Year totally failed not be that bad Delhi in months to to assess this many five mnnicipal months elections bcfore in MP and Assam State elec- tions

Pakistan

39. Dec. 1947 Re-nnion with Watch it Birth horo- Birth horo- This method India a cer- scope of Pakistan scope yields best tainfty results 13/14 Augnst 1947 mid- night Karachi and 14/15 for India

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40. June 1949 2. Democracy will Judge your- Thirty lour -do- Attlicted be a farce, self totalitatrain years ago Moon

tendencies visible in the horoscope

41. Jan. 1953 3. Significant Kwaja Niza Nine Hindu New Fantastic Re change-loss muddin months Year search or resignation was dis- before missed in July 1953

42. Jan. 1955 4. Mr. Mohd. All Was Ten Hindu Ncw -do- will be thrown thrown out months Year out in August before 1955

43. May 1956 5. Ayub's lslamic Collapsed Three Birth horo- Time is the Republic will in less years collapsc scope of is- crux of than three before lamic Muhurtha Balarista years Republic

44. May 1956 6. Economy will US aid Two Position of How planets improve- Mas- flowed into months Mercury and Rasts sive aid from Pakistan before repre- represent USA massively senting countries during USA Ayub's regime

45. August 1964 7. Indo-Pak Wars Sec under May 1971 India

46. June 1969 8. Upsurge in Two years Two years It was an Dr, Raman's East Pakistan- before and some old predic- consistent bloodshcd Bangladesh months tion based astrological was formed on prevision is Pakistan's revealed birth horo- scope

47. July 1969 9 Significant Ayub goes, A fcw Transitting Great Re change Yahya be- months planets search comes before Pakistan's dictator

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48. Jan. 1977 10. Solar eclipse of On 5th About ten Hindu New A very great Pakistan's As- July, 1977 months Year prediction cendant; sig- Bhutto before eclipse nificant change was dis- placed and Gen. Zla became Martial Law Ad- ministrator. Bhutto was later hanged

Bangla Desh

49. Jan 1975 1. Unexpected August About ten Hindu New Late Mr. developments- 1975 months Year Y.Keshav crucial for Mujib was before Menon had BanglaDesh killed also predicted

50. April 1975 2. 'Violent move- -do- Saturn's ment to nnseat entry in Mujtb Cancer and aspect of Mars

51. Jan. 1982 3. "The President Was over- Five Hindn New of Bangla Desh thrown on months Year search will be over- 25-3-1982 before thrown"

World Problems 52. World prospects 1. World war lI War broke One year Eclipse Dr. Raman's 1937-1938 will begin in ont as before grandfather Europe follow- predicted late Prof. B. ing Eclipses (1959) Suryanarain Rao had predicted about the 1st World War. Dr. Raman at the age of 25 predicted the

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Second World War when most of the Western astrologers had ruled out such pos- sibilities.

53. August 1940 2. Russo German Died after At least The time of If Stalin and Pact will be 1942 when dcad (German- three years signing of Hitler had Stafford before the Pact joined. world Soviet Non-Ag- Cripps transit of would have grcssion Pact made trip planets been coneluded on to Moscow enslaved. 23/24 August But only Dr. 1939) (Molotov- Raman knew Ribhen trap) that the Pact . would col- lapse. Europe was nervous

54. July 1940 3. Italy would Mussolini's Two years Transit of it was not a enter war and Italy had and five planets certainty at get ruined become months Hitlers before one stage

llabUlty. Italy was ruined

55. Jan. I941 4. Fascist dictator- Collapsed Four years Transit of Astrological ships will col- in 1945 before Saturn in lapse in four (see 56 foresight; no Taurus one else, years and 57 and statesman or below) Jupiter in political Cancer scientist, could have been so con- fident

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56. Sept. 1944 5. Hitler will have 30-4-1945 One year Dr. Raman Hitler fignres a violent end committed (see 4) had made in the cal- suicide before a very culation of deep study longevity in of the horo- Dr. Raman's scope of book on . world Jatmini figures - see his Notable Horoscopes and Studies in Jaimint Astrology

57. Nov. 1943 6. Mussolini will Was shot See(4) Deep stndy have a violent dead on above also of Individual end 29-7-1945 Two years horoscopes, before transits of planets in Italy's Hindu New Year

horoscope is Dr. Raman's techniquc

58. Jan 1982 7. "Global The prob- One year shortage of lem hap be- Hindu New' A great piece before Year's of research energy come ter- horoscope rible. On Sept. 19, 1983 Global Energy Meet in New Delhi

Russia

59. June 1950 1. Stalin's death Stalin died More than Stalin's Dr. Raman approaching on 5-3- three years birth rectifies Dasa Chidra of 1953 before details 21- Lagna in a Mars (ending 12-1879 at very extraor- In 1952-53) 3-5 p.m. dlnary man-

gia) Gori (Gcor- ner with fan- tastically

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high percent- age of suc- ccss.

60. Jan. 1953 2. Critical for Rus- Stalin died Five Hindu New Lunar Saka sia ... Stalin's on 5-3- months Year con- Hindu New own position 1953 before verted into Year is the LMT of most depend- Moscow able scien- tific basis for mundane predictions. Dr. Raman has used it for over four decades

61. March 1954 3. Malenkov's fall Nikolai Bul- A horo- See the pre.Planets are : troubles ganin scopic vious God's agen- begin from replaced analysis column. cies of con- May, June. him some- thus. The The further trol. Mar- 1954. Will be time in Moon' lord discnssion xists are not overthrown 1955 of 8th is in was : in spared. and not shot Ketu's nak- Rahu Dasa Planets do dead like Beria shatra and when Rahu not dis- Ketu is transits criminate aspected the nak- betwen by Mars shatra capitalists and Mars held by and com- tn his turn Mars munists. is not sub- Malenkov Marxist op- ject to any will be on position to affliction his way Astrology is but only out proof of how aspects the Marxism has 8th. Conse- become a quently mind-deaden' Malenkov's ing opiate fall by being over- thrown One Year before

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62. March 1962 Khruschev : Khruschev Two years Birth on During his What is the fu- was over- and tcn 17-4-1894 Indian visit ture? At the thrown on months Kalinorka Khruschev moment the 6-10-i964 before (Kurk). Dr. had asked ruling sub- Raman period is that by where is Brezhnev rectified God? Hindu of Rahu. Here Astrology, Saturn is in Lagna and and Dr. the constella- gave Var- Raman's tion of Mars, a gottama Libra prediction maraka. Rahu would have whose sub- Lagna in keeping given him period lasts till adequate Oct, 1963 ... with

will be the exit Khruschev.s answer

of this great liberal, balanced personage post-Stalin policies

63. Jan. 1979 5. Brezhnev's World How many Hindu New Physical health wiil be came to years or Year con- scientists affected at timc know months verted into and of Solar eclipse about it before can- L.M.T. of astronomers of February much later not be Moscow arc still nurs 1979 known and the ef- ing the belief feet of that eclipses eclipse is havc no ef- Arst fect on studied. human des- Then tran- tiny. Primf- sit of Mars live men to the who knew point of this were eclipse af- wiser than fecting Rus-modem sian politl- scientists cal power- structure analysed

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64. Jan. 1982 6. Dramatic chan- Brezhnev One year 18 of Can- Dr. B.V. ges in Kremlin. died on 12- before cer rises. Raman A leading 11-1982 Mars predicted it Soviet States- aspects the: one year ago man will pass 10th house yet an Indo away and the Anglican of 8th lord Saturn is the English Press in assolcated India wrote with Mars. that no In- Hindu New dian Year predicted it while a Rus- sian woman had.

65. Jan. 1980 7. A considerable Kosygin Six months With Libra See remarks, shake-up In was before as Lagna Indo- the Soviet removed in in the Anglican Government Is April 1980 Hindu New should be expected abont Year horo- educated the middle of the year * scope and properly by the Moon

the 1oth Hindu lord in the astrologers 6th wlththe Sun bnt aspected by Saturn and retrograde Mars power struggle is indicated

GC. Jan. 1979 8. The Soviet in- Details not Ten Afghanis- Most sensa fluence in Af- known, months tan is Krit- tlonal ghanistan will But Decem- before tika (Aries) foresight rse dramatical- ber last ly and cause week 1979 serious con- Russia cern among Its moved into neighbours. Afghants- tan

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67. Jan. 1980 9. Jupiter lord of in Decem- One month Only an the 3rd or the house of neigh- ber 1979 it before astrologer

bours is as- happened could have foreseen it sociated with Mars and Rahu ... planetary disposition 1s Indicative of the Soviet Union getting rbogged down in Afghanistan's war

U.S.A.

68. World 1. Re-election of Was About one Juditer prospects 1940 President elected year and Saturn Roosevelt before transiting their radt-

cal posi- tions

69. Sept. I940 2. Death of Presi- Died in 12- Four years Transit of Dr. Raman's dent Roosevelt 4-1945 before major prediction planets was given much earlier than per- haps by a lady clair- voyant of U.S.A.

70. World 3. Election of Truman About one Truman's We have prospects Truman "Stars was re- year horoscope quite a num- 1948-49 are not In a elected before ber of frowning mood astrological in regard to Journals in Mr. Truman this country. ... consequently there are chan- Except one or two, the ces of his re- others have election to the reduced Presidential Astrology to chair" a farce. Most of our

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astrologers ' and prophets predicted that Truman would never succeed this time-New York John Jeffries. (AM. 1949 Jan, p. 110)

71. Nov. 1968 4. Mr.Nlxon Mr.Nlxon Few Mr. Nixon's In. 1960 Dr. would be was elected months. horoscope Raman had elected as Presi- before wrong birth- dent of U.S.A. time of Mr. Nixon when he went wrong. Im- portance of birth Ume

72. Dec. 1972 5. Mr. Nixon Mr. Nixon Few Mr. Nixon's In 1960 Dr. would be re- was re- months horoscope Raman had elected elected before wrong birth time of Mr. Nixon when he went wrong. Im- portance of birth time.

73. Dec. 1972 6. But will he Mr. Nixon Two years Dr. Raman complete the resigned nine has term? Disquiet- on 9-8- hundreds of ing features for 1974 after months before the second more bril- the Water- liant predic- term. gate affair tions bnt USA remem- bers this as one of his great predic- tions.

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74. In 1972 in ad- 7. This prediction US papers - do - dressing U.S. about repeated reminded Astrologers their readers about the great prediction about Mr. Nixon

China

75. Jan. 1949 1. Fall of Chiang Fled in Oc- About Saturn's Series of Kai Shelk by tober 1949 eleven transit on predictions September 1949 months the cusp of followed beforc the 10th house of Chiang Kai

76, March 1950 2. Chinese revolu- Remains so Thirty- Chinese Mao had ac- tion will three years Republican cused Rus- remain Chinese ago horoscope sia of even 3-15 p.m. 'distortions' 1-10-1949

77. March 1950 3. Sino Russian See Table Ten years Chinese No states- relations will ll. In 1960, before Republican man of the be strained in ten years horoscope world could Mars Dasa after the foresee or (1958-1965) prediction say this and within the predicted time it hap- pened 78. March 1950 4. Will be a world China is a Nearly Planetary Surprisingly power in Rahu nuclear twenty yogas and in spite of Mahadasa power years position in bad Sino (1965-1983) before the Soviel rela- Republican tions horoscope

78. Jan. 1976 5. Chou-en-Lai Dled on Three Hindu New Who ex- will fade away 8th months Year's pected this? January before horoscope 1976

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80. Jan. 1976 6. Mao-Tse-Tung Died on Eleven Hindu New Note how will fade away September . months Year scientific his 9th 1976 Hindu New Year basis is

81. Jan. 1981 7. Earthquake fol- On 26-1- Three Hindu New Let physical lowing 1981 months Year scientists, penumbral South before seis- eclipse of the China sus- mologists Moon on 20th tained a note this January 1981 . major earth quake, Many were killed.

Egypt 82. Fcb. 1952 1. Drastic politi- On 23rd Nine King's Which Ia bet- cal changes ... July 1952 months boroscope ter- political the king King before guess or must ... careful Farouk Astrological about personal was foresight? sáfety deposed

83. Nov. 1952 2. Dictatorship Nasser One year Planetary Planets not democracy used before Naguib as position of decide the revolution form of a figure Government. head in a controlled democracy and replaced him as Egypt's dlcatator by 1954 84. Jan. 1981 3. Coup against Sadat was Eleven Hindu New Again sec Sadat shot dead months Year how Hindu on 6-10- before New Year 1981 basis be- comes ap- plicable

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Yugoslavia 85. Jan. 1977 1. Mars Jupiter Prime Mini- Seven Hindu New Again see conjunction ster months Year how Hindu may see flags Dzemal before New Year half mast in Bijidie basis be- Yugoslavia died In a comes ap- plane crash plicable

Pope

86. Jan. 1982 1. Year critical for On Angnst Ten Hindu New Could Pope 8. 1982 months Year anyone Pope sur- before know vived assas- beforehand sination at- tempt but was Seriously injured

Israel 87. Jan. 1067 1. War between Is- June 1967 Ten Hindu New Hindu New rael and Egypt war broke months Year Year for out before Jews also as basis

88. Jan. 1973 2. West Asia on Oct. 6, Ten Hindu New Hindu New the brink of war 1973-War months Year Year for broke out before Jews also as between Is- basis rael and Egypt

89. Jan. 1982 3. Armed confron- June 1982 Eight -do All wars tation with war broke months predicted Arabs out before successfully

90. Jan. 1983 4. Begin Govt. Begin quit Ten -do- Letters of ap- may not last In Sept. months preciation whole year 1983 before received for these predic- tions are many

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Iran

91. Jan. 1953 1. Maussadiques Fell tn One year Hindu New Hindn New fall Nov. 1953 before Year Year applied to Iran

A 92. Nov. 1978 2. Fall of the Jan. 1979 Four Shah's Accurate Shah; abdica- Shah fled months horoscope horoscope tion or misfor- helped tune giving of ac- curate prediction

93. Jan. 1978 3. Total lunar Teheran Eleven Hindu New Yet sclen- eclipse on 16-9- was rocked months Year lists and 1978 causes on 16-9- before Earthquake Eclipse Kovoors will 1978 not Thousands appreciate killed

94. Dec. 1980 4. Around Jupiter- On 29-7- Nine Conjunc- Yet scien- Saturn conjunc- 1981 lran months tion of tists say tion of 20-7- was rocked before major planets do 1981 Iran may by planets not affect us be rocked by earthquake Earthquake and thousands killed

King Faisal

95. Jan. 1975 1. One Arab die- King Faisal Six months Hindu New -do- tator will be vic- was shot before Year tim of violence dead by his own nephew in April 1975

England

Nov. 1951 1. Victory for Con- Conserva- Few Horoscope importance servatives tives won months of the Con -. of a party before servative horoscope Party

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97. Jan. 1952 2. Death of King The King Seven . Hindu New Perhaps also George V1 died on 6- months Year the horo- 5-1952 before scope of the King

98. June 1955 3. Victory of An- In 1975 An- Few Horoscope Fortunes of thony Eden thony . months of England .a party too Eden be- before according are came to Zodiacal predictable British P.M. sign and Eden's horoscope

Ghana

99. Jan. 1966 1. Not favourable Was over- Few Hindu New A fantastic for con- thrown on months Year tinuance of prediction 22nd Feb. beforc Nkrumah 1966 on his way to Hanoi while at Peking Air- port

South Africa

100. May 1960 1. South Africa Quit on 31- One year Horoscope A piece of re- will quit com- 5-1961 and two of Sonth search mon-wealth months Africa before

Fall of Idi Amin

101. Jan, 1977 1. Fall of Amin Fell in May Seven Hindn New A fantastic 1977 months Year prediction before

Thailand

102. Jan. 1981 1. Coup in May 1981 Slx months Hindu New Astrology Thailand there was before Year has no a coup limitations: astrologer may have

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France

103. April 1982 1. Fall of French 22-5-1981 Seven Horoscope Planets af- Govt. French Par- months of France fect Parlia- liament before ment also was dis- solved

Indonesia

104. Jan. 1966 1. Exit of Sukarno Exit in Few Hindu New Could also 1966 months Year be before Indonesian horoscope of mdcpendenec

Vietnam 105. March 1947 1. The above The French Seven Birth time One of Dr. chart has a lot continued years it not known Raman's ex- of explosive ele- their battle continued The Moon traordinary ments. Enemy for eight offers the method of France long years basis for depending till they prognos- npon the lost in tication Moon only Dien Bien when birth Phu tlme is not known

106. March 1947 2. ... combined in- USA got in- Seven Birth time One of Dr. fluences of volved first years it not known. Raman's ex- Saturn, Mars, indirectly continued The Moon traordinary Rahu in the and later offers the methods of 10th-therefore. directly basis for depending full of complica- when Red prognos- upon the tions China tication Moon only came into when birth

power time ls not known

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107. Sept. 1954 3. Geneva Agree- The blood- Continned Geneva Importance ment ... rela- stained his- for years Agreement'sof the time tions worsened tory is well- horoscope of Agreement . death, dis- known 21-7-1954 aster, In con- nection with the army and the navy ... dangers of war ... Mars dominates

108. June 1968 3. + 17th Parallel After 1975 Eight years Republic of .The only per- No bright re-unifca- before Vietnam son who , shades, Rahu tion of Viet- 26-10- timed the Dasa lasts ull nam took 1955 was return of 1975. Only place In the basis peace not after Saturn .1976 when before 1975 enters Gemini- Rahu Dasa prospects of was over peace

109. Jan. 1979 4. Chinese inten- China Four years Hindu New Military ex- sions towards launched a before Year, large-scale perts may its neighbours Saturn- could be decep- profit from offensive Rahu con- such an ex- tively against junction. ample dangerous In Vietnam Rahu Dasa view of conjunc- on 17-2- tn Chinese tion of Saturn 1979 horoscope and Rahu in the 3rd house. ... .Viet- nam will con- tinue to be a sore spot 110. April 1979 5. Sino-Viet- Vietnamese Some Horoscope Comparative namese War 1979 Obviously fought weeks of China study of com- valiantly. before and Viet- batants from Vietnamese are The war nam and the war horo- not badly was over Mahadasa scope is a placed. Be- cause Jupiter soon (No in both brilliant re- definite search of Dr. aspects Mars date could Raman the Dasa lord, be ascer- the conflict tained) may not lost long

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TABLE II Astrologer Versus Statesman The difference between Astrology and all other snbjects of the world-politlcal. social, economic together with the intelligence report of the Intelligence Agencies of the different countries is vast. in this part gets illustrated the difference between astrological foresight and historical hindsight.

Astrological Foresight Historical Hindsight Dr. B.V. Raman Pt. Nehru Coa Coa : Pt. Nehru's Speeches According to Avakahada Chakra Goa falls 'What are the basic elements of our policy under Satabhisha or Kumbha Rasl ... But after in regard to Goa? First, there must be pcaceful Rahu enters Scorpio and Saturn quits Libra their movements will have reference to the methods. This is essential unless we give up

tenth house from Kumbha ... Thercfore it oc- the whole roots of all our policies and our be-

curs to us the end of Portuguese rule is in haviour. There is nothing 1 can arguc. with

sight within the next two years. Sani Bhuktt In any person who thinks that the methods

Rahu Dasa is in operation now. Saturn is in employed in regard to Goa must be other than

a maraka place while the major lord Rahu oc- pcaceful. because we rule out our non-peaceful

cupying the 9th or house of fortune, and methods completely." aspected by the maraka Saturn clearly indi- cates "the death of the native" (the end or Por- tuguese rule)

In view of the incendiary nature of Satum- (Pt. Nehru's speech in Lok Sabha, Septem- Rahu conjunction. the Portuguese authorities will not gracefully .withdraw. The problem of ber 17, 1955)

.peaceful negotiation" cannot work in the case (Dr. Raman's editorial written earlier clearly

of Goa, in view of the strong disposition of stated what Pt. Nehru could not foresee.

malefics in the 7th. 8th and 9th houses ... There- Later when military action was taken what Pt.

fore, a grave situation is likely to develop by Nehru said is :

about October 1956 (Saturn-Rahu conjunc- Background of Liberation of Goa tion) ... before Rahu leaves Scorpio, the ' Goa "The whole operation there took about 26 problem will have been satisfactorily (but not hours. It would have taken half that tlmne but entirely non-violent) solved and Portuguese for the fact that roads were mined and vchicles authority terminated. (A.M., August, 1955) could not move." Vol. IV, p. 36 of Jawahar La! Nehru's Speeches)

Hindu Jyotisha and Statesmen's Wisdom

(2) 01. Hindu Shastras refer to Astrology as a Science of Wisdom for the management of day-to-day affairs which the King must make use of, it being an infallible peep into the future.

2. Instead of respecting the astrological wisdom of Rishls, it has been looked down upon. True what is inevitable, could not have been prevented, but could have been foreseen and mini- mised.

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3. All foreign offices of the countries of the world have their own China specialists. In the years referred to below, we had our China specialist in late K.M. Pannlkar, V.K.N. Menon, K.P.S. Menon and a vast team of officers.

4. Given below is a contrasting study between what Dr. Raman said in March 1950 and December 1954, the same year in which Pandit Nehru concluded an agreement with China which was signed in Peking. Two points worth noting below are what Dr. Raman says about relations between China and Russia on the one hand and China and India on the other. Dr. Raman. March 1950 Pt. Nehru and others 01."The period of Mars in the Chinese 01."As we know how. the CCP delegates Republic Horoscope will be of far-reaching con- sequences. While the Soviets will be despaired did not attend as meek followers of Moscow-dic-

of their Chinese friends, the Chinese themsel- tated policies. Until 1960 China was willing for

ves will follow in Asia a policy more or less on the sake of block unity to issue harmonious

the pattern of the policy followed by the sounding communiques, but from that year on-

Soviets in Europe after the.It World War. wards they displayed an Increased willingness to challenge Moscow openly. And . at the four Congresses in late 1962, and one in early 1963 the Sino-Soviet dispute was on the table for all to see. It is no accident that Peking had at- tended only block Congresses in Rumania and Albania since that time." (Management of Foreign Affairs in China in the book China: Management of a Revolutionary Society (p 335) George Allen and Unwin Ltd.)

December 1954. 02 Chinese expansionism will be aimed at 02 * A few days ago, an agreement between the destruction of the capitalist system and the India and China was signed in Peking .. The establishment of communism. It occurs to us agreement is based on the principles of mutual therefore that the adage 'trust begets trust', referred to by our Prime Minister in his recent respect for each other's territorial integrity and

Calcutta speech, will not hold good in regard to sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, mutual

our Chinese friends in view of the dominant non-interference in each other's internal affairs,

position of Mars. We beg to differ from the equality and mutual benefits, and peaceful co-

Prime Minister's view that "nobody can foresee existence ... lf these principles were recognised what will happen in the future. The future can in the mutual relations of all countries, then be foreseen with appreciable accuracy and the indeed there would hardly be any conflict and future indication in the horoscope of China certainly no war. This agreement not only set- does not warrant the optimism that China will tles some outstanding points between the great scrupulously adhere to the terms of recent countries of India and China and establishes Joint-statement issued by the Prime Ministers of India and China ... China will continue to follow their relationship firmly on a peaceful basis,

a policy of expansion until the end of Mars but 1 think it will help in the maintenance of

Dasa. India should beware of this. Otherwise peace in Asia.'

the true interests of India will be in jeopardy ... (p.253 Broadcast from Colombo, May 2, 1954) A firm grasp of the basic issues involved is es- Jawahar Lal Nehru's Speeches, Volume three, sential on the part of our leaders, it policies The Publications Division. adequate to meet the communist menace are to be eventually evolved. (A.M., December I954)

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Ashtagraha of 1962-An Instance of Astrological Peep into Future

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Editorial of November 1960, THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE Even today there are lots of critics of Astrology who cite the instances of the panic created about the possible results of the Ashtagraha Combination of February 1962, and refer to it as a glaring instance of failure of Astrology. It is therefore, necessary to know what exacily Dr. B.V.Raman said about the Ashtagraha combination in the month of November 1960, editorially, t.e., 16 months before the event.

Dr. Raman's Prediction Hindu Attitude Comments :

01 It is not necessary to suggest that our 01 Dr. Raman's own researches have led interpretation of the combination is in the light him to discard the Western Astrological method of Hindu Astrology supplemented of course by of pronouncing Judgement merely on the basis our humble experience. Hindu methods of ap- proach differ to a certain extent from those of precedents. There are so many other factors

employed by European and American taken into consideration as is obvious.

astrologers. One should not go by mere prece- dents.

02 Varahamlhlra recognises five types of 02. The factors to be taken into considera- combinations, viz., Sammoha (tarnishing). Samaja (meeting), Kosa (Fellowship), San- tion are the five types of combinations referred

nlpatha (encounter) and then Samagama to by Varahamlhlra. Western astrologers should

(general conjunction) when four or five planets learn from these finer naunces of different

meet together in a sign Samavarta. If Rahu or results. It is particularly necessary because it is

Ketu should join then it is Sammoha. The com- western astrologers who through their stupen-

bination in question takes the character of dous follies have brought down the level of

Kosa also bccause Jupiter and Saturn meet. Astrology, as a predictive science. The Jupiter Sammoha and Kosa are considered to be Effect, a book sold in enormous numbers all dangerous to people. over the world, had predicted almost the end of the world in July. 1982. and Dr. Raman had assured his readers that no such impending catastrophe would take place. Therefore, going back to Hindu Shastras and acknowledging it, would help western astrologers more than their plagiarising like Alan Leo, who lifted bodily the principles of Jyotisha of India without acknow- ledging, and, also lifted the tatva-theory- »Agnl, Prithvi, Vayu, Jal, Akash, in his esoteric Astrol- ogy. The recent glaring instance of astrological piracy Is that the British astrologers who have adopted the Shadvargas of India, and without acknowledging it, they eall it *harmonics".

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03.In Mr. Nehru's chart. the planets conjoin ,03 Ashtagraha combination in Capricorn in a maraka place. These are not happy dis- positions. Lessons of history should not be ig- Rasi was a clear indicator of the coming events.

nored. We must beware of China. Anyone,who knows elementary Astrology, could have seen that Pandit Nehru who made fun of Ashtagraha himself was to be affected by it and Dr.Raman very clearly points out that the planets are conjoining in the Maraka place in Nehru's chart. 04.Declaration of some sort of a national 04.More remarkable still, it was in 1962 emergency cannot be ruled out ... The threat from China will be real and no effort should be October when the Slno- Indian war broke out

spared to meet this threat. that the first external emergency was declared in the country. Dr.Raman had already predicted about this emergency. He had predicted again in 1974 December, the internal emergency of 1975.

05.There is also another important thing to 05.A tremendously valid principle of Hindu consider. In 1962, there will be two solar eclip- Shastras is that if eclipses fall within a ludar ses one on the 5th February and the other on 31st July. Moreover the lunar fortnight between fortnight of 13 days, a war breaks out.

19th June and 1st July has got only 13 days Dr.Raman's extra-ordinary research of eclipses

which is said to be a rare phenomenon. It is will restore the faith of the world back in

sald that in the year in which the lunar super-scientific tradition of Hindu Astrology.

fortnight is only 13 days war is likely. In the 1962 combination Mars is dominant. He is ex- alted and in close conjunction with Saturn. There ls also a powerful Kalasara Yoga, i.e., all planets being hemmed In between Nodes. Hindu astrological works use for such a dis- position, such terms as"certaln death of Kings", great political revolutions and immense suffer- ing for the people in the northern hemisphere. 06.Capricorn being a movable sign the con- 06.The war between China and India was of flict, If it breaks out, is not likely to be a long short duration only as was clearly predicted. drawn affair. 07.In view of the favorable directions 07.Pandit Nehru had delivered a very pes- operating in the horoscopes of both America and Russia, we do not think either of them will simistic speech when Khruschev was sending a Russian ship loaded with nuclear missile and start the war. President Kennedy gave to Russia 24 hours ul- tlmatum. It appeared that the Third World War

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would break out but it was Dr.Raman who had already stated in 1960 November that there would be no war between USA and Russia. So in spite of the Bay of Pigs disaster no snch war broke out. But on the other hand, war between India and China as repeatedly predicted by Dr.Raman did break out, that was the begin- ning of the end of Pandit Nehru who next year had a stroke of paralysis. A smart photographer of US Newsweek took a photo of Pandit Nehru bending sideways, and dangling his arms in a helpless posture. A Bombay weekly reprinted that and created a sensation in Indta; one year after 1963, Pandit JawaharLal Nehru thought that he had made partial recovery and his era was not over. In a press conference In Bombay sometime in February and later in a press con- ference in Delhi on 22nd May 1964, he clearly stated. "I am not gotng to dte so early". Bnt five days after 22nd May, he died.

Foreseeing Future History (War)

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01 When in introducing Dr.Raman I remarked that an astrologer foresaw forces that shape history which the historian chronicles after the events have happened some academicians thought that it was to big a claim. Please read the following.

2. In India very few men, particularly in the North, know both English and Astrology.

3. Most of them do not know how Dr.Raman has been making predictions in advance, mam years in advance, when others strutting on the world's stage, least expected the events, that hap- pened to happen. Dr.B.V.Raman. THE ASTROLOGICAL MACAZINE Comments

July 1954 01 Wars-especially involving great nations break out only under certain definite 01.lt is planets only that decide when a war can planetary patterns when Saturn, Rahu, Mars would take place. Men are instruments of

are either in kendras or trlkonas and signs and planetary decisions and through them, Hitlers

constellations involved are of particularly sensi- and Mussolinis, wars break out. But for a war

tive nature such as Mrigasira, Aswini, Satab- to break out planets, malefic in nature moving

hisha, etc. in malefic places, must occupy certain strategic positions from each other. These are the three conditions to be fulfilled.

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02.Planetary movements during 1957 do 02.Panic is created periodically by war- not warrant the outbreak of hostilities between monger, western astrologers, western USA nad Russia. astronomers, now futurologists (who get wide publicity and get good commercial profits from books like Jupiter Effect) by giving alarming predictions about war. Dr.Raman deprecates such fears for 1957.

03.if we Just study' the movements of 03.Out of the three conditions mentioned planets in 1959, we find that by the end of one condition will be fulfilled in 1959. So there August Saturn, Mars and Rahu will have oc- will be tension between and among world cupied kendra positions ... These Influenees favour increased tension between world powers. powers, (Tensions had increased then between India and China : between China and Russia and between USA and Russia.)

04.But the real crisis can come only in 04.A11 the three conditions wilt be fulfilled 1962 when Saturn, Mars, Ketu and Jupiter will be in Capricorn and Rahu in Cancer the dis- in 1962. Russia will be In difficult sttuatlon

position having reference to the 8th from caught in two minds whether to wage a war or

Gemini ruling USA and the 12th from Aquarius not.

ruling Russia, Please note

Dr.Raman predicted very clearly in a series of editorials. (a) US-Russia will not be Involved in a war (Bay of Pigs a war nearly broke out).

(b) India-China war would break out. War broke out in 1962.

(c) It was in 1954 that he forewarned about war in 1962. That is how an astrologer foresees future history.

Predicting the Death of a Political Party (THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE,October 1963) Supra-Technical Discussion in Hindu Jyotisha (From Dr.Raman's editorial)

(5) For Astrologers For Non-Astrologers 01. According to Jalmini, the Congress has 01.Length of life of 83 years added to the a full term of life. The disposition of lords of Lagna and the 8th gives the length of life as birth year of the Congress 1885 + 83 - (1968)

above 83 years". brings to us the year of death of the old Con- gress party in 1969 when this great organisa- tion split. (Please remember that it was written when Pt.Nehru was alive and six years before the death of I.N.C.)

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02."It is also suggested by ancient writers 02.Here the principle of timing is given. The that a Bhava suffers destruction when Saturn timing according to Lahlrl's ephemeris would be transits the Rasi and Navamsa held by the lord 8-4-1966 to 2-11-1966 of the 8th or the 12th from the concerned 19-12-1966 to 16-6-1968 For Pisces Bhava. Saturn's transit of trinal places from 28-9-1968 to 6-1969 these two houses can also destroy the Bhava ... Saturn's transit of Scorplo. Pisces or Cancer should cause destruction to the 8th house.

03.The sum-total of the longitudes of 03.Pt.Nehru came out with his Kamraj Plan Saturn, Jupiter, the Sun and the Moon (here it In August, 1963, when this point of death got is Capricorn 28°) is a point of death (Mrityub- haga) activated. Many old Congress stalwarts had to

In the case of a full term life. Saturn's transit resign from his cabinet. After Pt. Nehru's death

of this point In the 3rd cycle can prove fatal. some of the old stalwarts claimed that they were the original Congressmen of the original party. and in later years, they formed an al- liance with Swatantra Party formed by the oldest surviving Congressman, Raja- Gopalacharl. 04.The longitude of Mandf less that of 04.The timing arrived at is again as In Saturn indicates another death-dealing point. paragraph 2 for Pisces. But the fine timing will Saturn's transit of which can prove fatal. In the be Pisces 18. Congress horoscope this point happens to be (44° 22'- 73° 50) Pisces 18

05.Multiply by 9 the longitudes of Mandt and Saturn. Add the products. The transit of 05.Again Pisces. First the longevity was

this point (here it is Pisces 16" ) by Saturn fixed as 83 years : Saturn's transit of three sen-

would mve extremely evil results. sitive areas located now out of the three Pisces as the sensitive area for the death of the Con- gress is established. Then it is seen that Saturn will be in this area as death's agent at the age of 83 years of the Congress Party. 06.The sign representing the Navamsa oc- 06.Again Pisces. cupied by the lord of the Ascendant is Taurus. This is second from Aries. In the Congress Chart such a sign again happens to be Pisces. When Saturn transits the sign as far removed from the sign uccupied hy the lord of the 8th death is likely. 07.It is clear therefore that Satsrn's transit 07.Symptoms of death will appear of Aquarius and Pisces should be extremely sig- nificant and crucial In future history of the Congress Party.

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Saturn enters Pisces in March 1966 and stays there until June 1968. 08.Mereury's Dasa ends in 1970. It will be 08.Now the scheme of three-fold timing of during the remaining seven years that the Con- death is complete. gress organisation would have to completely disintegrate. (a) Longevity of 83 years - 1968. (b) Saturn's transit - 1968. (c) Aeeording to the Moon at birth before 1970.

The great organisation died before 1970, and the quarrelsome children partitioned pater- nal property whieh between 1970 and 1980 was fragmented three times more.

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CHAPTER FOUR

AIR CRASHES RELATED TO ASTRONOMIC EVENTS

1 V. Zakharko » No one knows the exact number of sea acci- dents and plane crashes in the area of the Atlan- tic. lying between the Bermuda Islands, Florida and Puerto Rico, but it is known that there have been very many accidents there. But that is not the only place marked by ac- cidents of inexplicable origin. In the area between Japan, Guam and the Philippines so many ships and planes have been reported missing that the Japanese Government has officially declared it a dangerous zone. An opinion is in currency that there exists no mystery of "triangles" and that accidents in them result from the inexperience and errors of navigators and pilots, rather than the action of certain natural forces. But this point of view has , not been substantially proved. There now comes an interesting hypothesis on the "triangle" problem, recently put forward by A. Yelkin who holds a chair at the Moscow Civil Engineering Institute. "1 do not want." he says, "to advocate any of the views on the 'triangles'; is there a scientific problem here or not? What I did was simply to

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assume that the problem existed and try to find out whether there was any regularity in those ac- cidents. "After collecting statistics on planes. I saw that the moments at which they had disap- peared-as distinct from ships, these are estab- lished with a precision of one-had something definitely regular about them, related to astronomic phenomena, or, more precisely, to the position in regard to each other of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun. "It is known that the Sun and the Moon do not always exert the same influence on the Earth. "Since the Earth is compressed at the. poles, the Sun and the Moon more strongly pull'the part of it at the equator that is nearer to them. There arise the so-called forces of precession straining to turn the axls of rotation of the Earth.

A Case for Astrology ASTROLOGY has fascinated mankind for centuries and a belief in it is spread over many nations. In this country we have always paid It Its due respect and do not allow the avowed disbelief of a few to interfere with our faith in tt. Astrology does forecast definite trends in an Individual's life and that tt is not always able to foretell all events in detail certainly does not mean that tt is incapable of fulfilling tts objectives. There are those who argue that considering how a person's life runs according to preordained trends, there is no point in consulting an astrologer at all and that it may often be better not to know what the future has in store for us. But it is important to realise that Astrology has other

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"These forces can become most important in December and June, with a zero influence in March and September. Revolving around the Earth along an elliptical orbit, the Moon now comes nearer to us, now moves away. When it is the nearest to the Earth (in perigee), its tide- forming power is 40 per cent greater than In apogee. "Knowing from the statistics when the planes had disappeared, I established what coordinates the Sun and the Moon had held in those days. Without going into the subtleties of this question now, I would like to say the most important thing: it turned out that there was a definite regularity in the moments at which the air acci- dents had taken place-they coincided with new moons and full moons and the Moon's position near perigee, as well as with the moments of the greatest magnitudes of precession forces.

aspects which may be studied with profit. In his inaugural address to the All- Kerala Astrological Association, Prof. B.V.Raman has stressed this factor. He said that Astrology could also be studied "with advantage to help medictne, agriculture, meteorology and psychology". He has argued, too, that as Astrology has shown that foreknowledge of events is possible, science must find a place for it in its purview of the Universe. There arc many enthusiastic scholars both here and in the high-advanced Western countries who carry on constant research in Astrology. In this country, with tts ancient traditions, every facility should be afforded to the scholarly astrologers to improve their knowledge through study of and research into ancient texts and pass on the resultant benefits to the people. We

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The discovered regularity suggests that at such moments in the Bermuda and other tri- angles lunar-solar tides may cause a movement of ionized magma beneath the ocean floor which gives rise to magnetic anomalies. These may af- fect the functioning of common and gyroscopic compasses, clocks and electric and electronic devices, which happened on the planes and ships. This could be one of the causes of the ac- cidents." A hypothesis is not yet a theory. but there is no scientific theory which has not been preceded by hypotheses. If it turns out that A. Yelkin's hypothesis does identify not an accidental (which the author himsclf thinks is possible) regularity in the moments of accidents but a real law of na- ture. this can have not a "purely" scientific but an enormous practical significance.

may even venture to say that centers of knowledge like our Universities should afford facilities to its study. These are' days. for Instance, in which we hear of the good effect of sound waves in promoting the growth of vegetable life. it has been pointed out that certain mantras have a beneficial effect in the case of afflicted persons, and these mantras are resorted to on the advice of competent astrologers. The analogy with the effect of sound waves on the growth of plants should immediately strike the dispassionate observer who does not look down upon Astrology merely because It is fashionable to do so today. Unfortunately, most people resort to astrologers (and there are many quacks among them, as there are in any other profession) to ask for detailed information about most trivial affairs. There Is also

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For almost all the "triangles" are areas of very intense sea and air traffic. And how impor- tant it would be to know when they can be entered without any risk and when the risk is great. According to this hypothesis, the nearest time of a "line-up" of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun which causes dangerous situations in the "triangles" will come on January 18. 1977. It is possible, believes A. Yelkin, that linked with the nature of the formation of the fields of force in the "triangles" also is the mechanism of the long-term development of situations leading to earth- and sea-quakes in certain areas of deep- water depressions. Such a mechanism may cause destructive earth tremors approximately on December 20-25 and January 5-8 and 18-22 next year in the fol- lowing areas: Turkey (in the Taurus Mountains zone), New Zealand and Japan (with the ap-

the human tendency among some astrologers to try to play down unpleasant expectations and to tell those who come to them with their horoscopes only what they would like to hear. A reputation as a good astrologer is built upon long study and diligent practice. In this country there is no use pretending that Astrology is not popular. By and large, we believe in it; and the suggestions of men like Dr.B.V.Raman deserve to be studied with due consideration. That there is much in our traditional corpus of knowledge, the result of the expcrience of generations, is becoming more widely

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pearance of a tsunami), South America (from 20 to 35 degrees of the southern latitude) and Calfornia, USA. I have only to add that back in the summer A. Yelkin in conversation with me said he thought that a violent earthquake in Turkey could be expected at the end of November. As is known, the earthquake occurred. "It may be that this coincidence is also accidental," says the scientist.

Courtesy : Deccan Herald (Supplement)

recognised. In this context much can be done by our study of Astrology by the setting up of separate "chairs" devoted to the development of this hoary science.

• Courtesy: THE HINDU 18-9-1958

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The Predictions of Tycho Brahe

ETTER known even than Cardan, the Tycho BBrahe. some of whose predictions were remarkable. In 1577 he declared that "in the North, in Finland, there should be born a prince who would lay waste Germany and Vanish in 1632", and he went on to give the grisly details. His predictions came true to the letter for Gus- tavus Adolphus of Sweden was born in Finland. in 1630 he landed in Pomeranta and made a treaty with the French statesman Cardinal Richelieu, granting him subsidies. He invaded the German states and won brilliant victories, among them the capture and sack of Magdeburg where 30.000 civilians perished. But. as he foretold, he led the Swedes to victory in the Battle of Lutzen, in which he was killed. In an article on Tycho Brahe the Encyclopedia Britannica says:The fulfillment of the details of this prophecy suggests that Tycho Brahe had had some basis of reason for his prediction." (!) Among the famous who studied Astrology even if they did not practise it. were: Copernicus. Qalileo, Kepler. Huygens, Flammarion, Roger Bacon, Napier of Merchistoun (the inventor of logarithms). Sir Christopher Heydon and Ellas

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Ashmole, founder of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. Courtesy: Seeing into the Future by Harvey Day

Benjamin Franklin and Astrology

O NE of the firmest believers in astrology was Benjamin Franklin, scientist, philosopher, diplomat, and the most outstanding American of his time. He believed nothing he could not test for himself and prove to be true. While at college he drew up the horoscope of a fellow student named Titan Leeds and calculated that he would die at 3-20 p.m. on 7th October 1733 at the instant of the conjugation of the Sun and Mercury. Leeds died at the time predicted .... Astrology was then a respectable art in America and many of the Fathers of the Revolution, among them Jefferson, Washington and Robert Campbell. author of Our Flag, practised it. Campbell says that the national flagwas designed to express the symbolism of the flag and the nation in terms of the zodiac.

Courtesy: Seeing into the Future by Harvey Day

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CHAPTER FIVE

THE HOAX OF "SCIENTIFIC TEMPER"

A. The Narlikar Episode Gayatri Devi Vasudev

A science degree tagging a name docs not automatically imbibe one with a scientific temper. At a time. in our country. when chaos rules and merit "has been stomped upon and trampled to death, it is not unusual for men with doctorates to claim omniscience. and play to the galleries. Such men are small fry and best left to clamour amongst themselves. But what is tragic and ob- jectionable and must be viewed with serious con- cern is the ease with which men in responsible positions spread canards against Astrology. ì attended a discussion meeting led by Prof. Narlikar on "Astronomy and the Scientific Out- look" held on 3-12-1985 at the Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore. under the auspices of the Centre for the History and Philosophy of Science. Prof. Narlikar chose to tread on areas he had not investigated and therefore, if he could claim to be one of genuine scientific temper, had no right to trespass into. * Incidentally, no scientist, official or otherwise, has tested even a single astrological principle found in Sanskrit classics on Astrology and which principles form the basis of the most amazing predictions of Indian astrologers.

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One of the topics he chose for discussion was something about beliefs that had their origins in astronomy. He took up Astrology as one such belief and said it was not a science. His argu- ment was that according to the Greeks, the word planet meant "wanderer". The Greeks called a planet by this name because it did not seem to have a fixed path as it moved backwards and for- wards in its path round the Sun (probably the astrophysicist was referring to a planet's retrograde and direct motion although he did not make use of these terms). Since it moved in this manner, the Greeks, he said, thought planets had a will of their own. This will, they believed, planets exercised on man and this was the origin of Astrology as a belief. Since planets had no will really Astrology was not a science. 1 was surprised that he should be so lll-in- formed and that he should also subscribe to the theory of the Greek origin of Astrology. When the

Scientific Dogma Rigid and intolerant ideas, ideas which assert in effect that "I am in possession of the truth, the whole truth, every bit of the truth,and nobody outside the pale has it". narrow men's minds, shutting the door against a tolerant and ob- jective approach, where men not only look up at the heavens without fear but are also prepared to look down into the pit of hell without fear. It seems to me that people in the Buddha's time were more advanced in tolerance and compassion than we are, although they were not so ad- vanced in technology and science ....

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question hour came 1 told him that Astrology was Hindu in its origin, being a Vedanga. it was based on the theory that a correlation exists be- twecn celestial phenomena and terrestrial events. lt was not a cause and effect relationship be- tween man and the universe. Since he was mis- taken in the definition of Astrology. he could not dismiss it as of no consequence and as a mere belief with no locus standi. What did he have to say now about Astrology? The astrophysicist gave no answer. While dismissing Astrology, he further said that astrologers had charged scientists with com- ing to a conclusion that Astrology was not scien- tific without ever having made a study of it. He asserted he had details of investigations made on Astrology. He said even allowing for a wide mar- gin of error, none of the astrological dicta had been proved by scientific studies. When I asked him where the studies had been conducted and

The scientist is supposed to be an objective seeker after truth. Science has grown because in a large measure the great scientists have sought truth tn that way. But I suppose no man today, not even a sctentist, can live in a world of his own, in some kind of ivory tower, cut off from what is happening. Therefore, science today has perhaps begun to cross the borders of morals and ethics. If it gets divorced completely from the realm of morality and ethics then the power it possesses may be used for evil purposes. But above all, if it ties itself to the gospel of hatred and violence, then undoubtedly it will have taken a wrong direc- tion which will bring much peril to the world. I plead with the scientists here and elsewhere to remember that the scientific spirit is essentially one of tolerance, one of

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when, whether the results of such studies had been published and who were those who had made such studies and what were the astrological laws tested, he said nothing again, although he had initially claimed he had the references with him. I think a man of his stature should be more responsible and closer to truth. Lesser folk such as displaced educationists and rationalists can get emotional, hysterical and talk a lot of non- sense. But it is a serious matter when it comes from an officially designated scientist from a prestigious institution. Another statement this astrophysicist made was Sanskrit was suited for literature, not science. Grandoisely he conceded that a slokaby Aryabhata (he did not quote which or from where it was) had said that the earth moved round the Sun, yet the Sun appeared to rise and set just as a man in a boat sailing in a river saw the tree on the bank moving. He said this was true and cor-

humility. onc of realization that somebody else may also have a bit of the truth. Scientists should note that they do not have a monopoly of the truth: that nobody has a monopoly, no country, no people, no book. Truth is too vast to be contained in the minds of human beings, or in books, however sacred.

Jawaharlal Nehru tn his Speech at the Science Con- g ess, Caleutta, January 14, 1957.

India And Western Science "Science has dominated the Western world and everyone pays tribute to it and yet the West is still far from having developed the real temper of Science. It has still to

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rect but Sanskrit was such a versatile language that it could be interpreted in any way. Not one in the audience, which was supposed to be dis- tinguished for its intellectual stature, said a word in protest but nodded sheepishly. I wonder how many Sanskrit scholars will agree with the astrophysicist on this kind of versatility of this beautiful language. No other language can be as precise In sound and sense as Sanskrit. The latest findings of scientists is that Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer-use. There were many contradictions in what Mr. Narlikar said. When questioned about Newton's and Tycho Brahe's respect for Astrology, not- withstanding their scientific eminence, he said: "Perhaps Newton did not let the other aspects of his life Interfere when he was in the laboratory". What did he mean exactly? Was he hinting, as pointed out by Prof. Ramachandra Sharma. a noted psychologist of Bangalore who was also

bring the spirit and flesh into creative harmony. In India, in many obvious ways, we have a greater distance to travel and yet there may be fewer major obstructions in our way for the essential basis of Indian thought for ages past, though not its later manifestations, fits in with the scientific temper and approach, as well as with internationalism. It is based on a fearless search for truth, on the solidarity of man. even on the divinity of everything living, and on the free and co-operative development of the individual and the species, ever to higher freedom and higher stages of human growth." (Discovery of India.)

Jawaharlal Nehru

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present at the meeting, that Newton was . a schizophrenic, a'split. two different beings. ra- tional and irrational at the same time? But (here was one point he made when he said scientists were not necessarily scienttflc-mlnded! · (Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE February 1986)

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B. Suppressing Truth (Another favorite weapon some pseudo-intel- lectuals try to use against Astrology is a state- ment, said to have been signed by 186 scientists (including some Nobel prize-winners " condemn- ing Astrology that appeared in Humanist. This statement was issued in 1975. The matter did not stop there. 186+1 = 187 people with academic degrees issued another statement contradicting the Humanist statement. Now read on for the facts and how a real scientist rates the unscien- tific statement flaunted by critics of Astrology].

Closed and Open Minds There is no bar to knowledge greater than contempt prior to examination. Herbert Spencer.

Incidentally Dr. S. Chandrasekhar whose name is in- clnded in the list of Nobel Laureates who signed the statcment in 1975 won the Nobel prize only in 1983. This proves those who quote this statement have no respect for truth and are unfit to investigate ruth. In 1983, Dr.Subrahmanyam Chandrasekhar says in an article published in Readers' Digest: "Scientists seem to develop a certain arrogance towards nature. They imagine their success in one area means they have a special way of looking at science that must there- fore be right. But it has been shown over and over that the kinds of truth which underlie nature transcend even the most powerful minds." Courtesy: Astrology: Science or Superstition? by H.J. Eysenck and D.K.B.Nias.

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There is no doubt about the popularity of astrology. According to various opinion polls roughly a third of the population of Western countries believes in it and another third is inter- ested enough to read astrological predictions, at least occasionally. The last third remains uncon- cerned or sceptical .... In reaction to this surge of credulity, other people hurry in to denounce everything to do with astrology as an absurd fraud, and among these opponents a number of scientists have been prominent. The American Humanist (a magazine devoted to discussions of social problems and ir- rationatity) in its September 1975 issue, carried the following statement, entitled 'Objections to Astrology'. It was endorsed by 186 leading scien- tists, including 18 Nobel Prize winners.

Scientists in a variety of fields have bccome concerned about the increased acceptance of Astrology in many parts of the world. We, the undersigned-astronomers, astrophysicists, and scientists in other felds-wish to caution the public against the unquestioning acceptance of the. predictions and advice given privately and publicly by astrologers. (Those who wish to believe in Astrology should realise that there is no scientific foundation for its tenets). In ancient times people believed in the predictions and advice of astrologers because Astrology was part and parcel of their magical world vicw. Thcy looked upon celestial objects as abodes or omens of the Gods and, thus, intimately connected with events here on earth: they had no concept of the vast

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distances from the earth to the planets and stars. Now that these distances can and have been calculated, we can scc how infinitesimally small are the gravitational and other effects prodnced by the distant planets and the far more distant stars. It is simply a mistakc to imagine that the forces exerted by stars and planets at the moment of birth can in any way shape onr fntnres. Neither is it true that the positions of dis- tant heavenly bodies makc certain days or periods more favourable to particnlar kinds of action, or that the sign under which one was born determines one's compatibility or incom- patibility with other people.

Why do we believe in astrology? In these uncertain times many long for the comfort of having gnidance in making decisions. They wonld like to believe in a destiny predeter- mined by astral forces beyond their control. However, we must all face the world, and we mnst realise that our fntures lie in ourselves, and not in the stars.

One wonid imagine, in this day of widespread enlighten- ment and edncation, that it wonld be unnecessary to debunk beliefs based on magic and superstition. Yet, acceptance of astrology pervades modern society. We arc especially disturbed by the continned uncritical dissemination of astrological charts, forecasts, and horoscopes by the media and by other- wise repntable ncwspapers, magazines, and book pnblishers. This can only contribnte to the growth of irrationalism and obscurantism. We believe that thc time has come to challenge directly, and forcefnlly, the pretentions claims of astrological charlatans.

It shonld be apparent that those individnals who con- tinne to have faith in Astrology do so in spite of the fact that there is no verificd 'scientific basis for their beliefs, and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary.

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In the editorial it was explained that both the American Ethical Union and the American Humanist Association - the co-publishers of The Humanist - had long been opposcd to cults of un- reason and irrationalism (under which they also classify religion, of course). The editor went on to ask: "What better way to demonstrate this in this anniversary issue than by a major critique of Astrology?" Professor Bart J. Bok, a former presi- dent of the American Astronomical Society, was invited to draft a brief statement listing some scientific objections to Astrology. This was sub- sequently revised and expanded to the statement quoted above and then sent to a selected list of distinguished members the American Astronomical Society and the National Academy of Sciences for endorsement.

The signed statement was subsequently sent to thousands of newspaper editors in the United States and abroad. with the suggestion that they print it. especially if they carried a daily or week- ly horoscope column. The intention, of course. was to counter the ever-increasing trend for Astrology to be foisted on an unsuspecting public which Is rarely exposed to scientific criticisms of it. This was an honourable intention, but as we shall show it is questionable whether the statement is true. It is also unscientific in its approach. This point was well made by Carl Sagan, a scientist who declined to sign, in the following letter to The Humanist.

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t find mysclf unable to endorse the 'Objecttons to Astrology' statement ISeptember/October, 1975) - not because 1 feel that Astrology has any validity whatever, bnt becanse I felt and still feel that the tone of the statement ts authoritarian. The fundamental point is not that the origins of Astrology are shronded in superstition. This is true as well for chemistry. medicine, and astronomy. to mention only three. To dtscuss the psychological motivations of those who believe in Astrology scems to be quite peripheral to the issuc of its validity. That wc can think of no mechanism for Astrology ts relevant bnt nnconvincing. No mechanism was known, for ex- ample, for continental drift when it was proposed by Wegener. Nevertheless, we sce that Wegener was right and those who objected on the gronnds of unavailable mechanism were wrong. Statements contradicting borderltne, folk, or pseudo- science that appear to have an authoritarian tone can do more danger than good. They never convince those who are flirting' with pseudo- science but merely seem to confirm their im- pression that scientists are rigid and close-minded .... What i wonld have signed is a statement describing and refuting the principal tenets of astrological belief. My belief is that such a statement would have been far more persuasive and wonld have prodnced vastly less controversy than the one that was actually circulated.

Authority or evidence? The scientists who signed The Humanist statement agreed that Astrology was folkore and superstition and that there was no scientific

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basis for it. Unfortunately, they do not seem to have investigated any evidence that would have supported or disproved their ciaim, and so their response seems to have been largely emotional. Rather than appealing to their authority. it would have been better if they had simply presented evidence. This point was well made by Einstein in response to criticisms of his work. In 1920, a racist German group tried to refute the theory of relativity by holding an emotional meeting in the Beriin Philharmonic Hall, and then by persuading a hundred professors to condemn Einstein's theory in a book. Einstein commented: Were 1 wrong, one professor would have been quite enough. In addition to the 'appeal to authority' other weaknesses occur in the statement. Feyerabend (1978) points out that the 186 scientists made the mistake of criticising the basic assumptions of Astrology rather than the way in which it is practised. He observed that it is interesting to see how closely both parties approach each other in ignorance, conceit and the wish for easy power over minds. He also notes that, following the statement, many of the scientists declined in- terviews because they had not studied Astrol- ogy. It appears they had signed merely on the basis of a 'religiously' felt conviction(bold ours) Feyerabend claims that the conviction led the astronomers to overlook even evidencc they were familiar with. For example, in an article accom- panying the statement. Bok (1975) had stated

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that because ol their distance from us, the planets could not influence human affairs; he similarly assumed that the walls of the delivery room would shield the new-born child from radia- tion emitted by the planets. He made these state- ments even though, as an astronomer, he should have known that the planets might influence solar activity which in turn has various effects on us; It is also known that certain types of radia- tion can penetrate very thick walls to which a delivery room would not be an exception. The scientists' statement prompted a contrary statement published in 1976 by the astrological journal Aquarian Agent. This statement claimed that Astrology is at least a valid area of research, and that It is Important to distinguish 'Sun sign frauds' from genuine astrologers, who take far more factors into account than the sign of the zodiac under which one is born. Signatures for this statement were obtained from 187 (! people with academic degrees. This, while also appearing in authority, does seem to take a less prejudiced view. Of course, simply to state that you are In favour of further research is to say little more than being against sin and for motherhood, but even this is an advance on the simple, prejudiced refusal to examine the evidence. It is of course possible that there is no truth in any part of Astrology. The point is that the 186 scientists have not demonstrated this. To do so would involve systematically examining all the

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available evidence in favour of Astrology and then showing how it is invalid It is against this background of undisguised hostility. rather than of receptiveness to new ideas and experiments, that open- minded scien- tists have had to fight in their attempts to estab- lish whether or not there is any truth in Astrol- ogy. They have even had to defend their right to do research in this field. As a result, established scientists have often found it best to say nothing. rather than incur derision; only a few have had the courage to admit that 'there might be some- thing in it'.

Prejudice Prejudice means literally pre-judgment, the rejection of a contention out of hand, before examining the evidence. Prejudice is the result of powerful emotions, not of sound reasoning. If we wish to find out the truth of a matter we must approach the questions with as nearly open a mind as we can, and with a deep awareness of our own limita- tions and predispositions. On the other hand, if after care- fully and openly examining the evidence, we reject the proposition, that is not prejudice . It might be called "post- Judice". It is certainly a prerequisite for knowledge.

Critical and skeptical examination is the method used in everyday practical matters as well as in science. When buying a new or used car we think it prudent to insist on written warranties test drives and checks of particular parts. We are very careful about car dealers who are evasive on these points. ... Where skeptical observation and discus- sion are suppressed, the trut i hidden,

Carl Sagan.

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C. Rejoinders to The Humanist Statement

1. Astrology And Unscientific Prejudices

B.A.Kumar Babu, B.E., M.S.

There have been appearing in recent times critical and cheap attacks on Astrology. Because of the wide publicity they received, of particular interest Is a statement published In The Humanist and signed by some physicists and astronomers. Though clothed in scientific jargon the statement published is nothing more than a hastily pieced together, ill-conceived and unscien- tific criticism of Astrology and astrologers. What distinguishes the 20th century from the dark ages is the fact that people have realised that a scientist in any field is not omniscient and that all he knows is Just an extremely tiny frac- tion of the sum-total of human knowledge. It might very well be said that because of his con- centration on a very small item he gets a totally distorted view of everything else. If you have any doubts about this fact try looking at your door with your eyes about a millimetre from it and see how it appears. Thus it is that a Nobel prize In any field does not count for much except in the extremely narrow and specialised field of research that the Nobel laureate is involved in. The state- ment published in The Humanist bristles with in- consistencies and it is interesting to examine it in detail. (1) "Those who wish to believe In Astrology

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should reaslise that there is no scientific founda- tion for its tenets." This presupposes that the signatories of the statement are very conversant with the tenets of Astrology. It would be interesting to see if even ten percent of these people know how to cast a horoscope, let alone how to interpret it. As far as scientific foundations are concerned, it has to be realised that there is a difference between "known scientific foundations" and the relatively longer expanse of the unknown and unexplained scien- tific phenomena. Science knows that light is an electromagnetic wave. But has it ever really been able to explain why it is so? If you go to the root of any scientific principle you will find that at some stage it begins in a hypothesis. (2) The statement says that the ancients had "no concept of the vast distances from the earth to the planets" It is surprising that a group of such specialists as those who issued a statement in The Humanist have made remarks that border on the ridiculous. Obviously the signatories (who in- clude astronomers) do not reaslise that without a concept of such distances it would have been im- possible to cast a horoscope which in its simplest form is a chart showing the longitudes of some celestial bodies with respect to a reference point. It might be a comfortable thought to Imagine that our futures lie in ourselves. But life is such that in any major thing we do we are held down, influenced and many times thwarted from doing

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what we want to do by social, religious, family, economic and other compulsions that it is but- natural to speculate whether such compulsions which bog us down are in any way indicated by extra- terrestrial phenomena. Until proved. other- wise we may well suppose that it is the order of nature that there is a correlation between the movements of planets and the direction of man. In Lawrence E. Jerome's article in The Humanist there is a caption which says that the author has done extensive research on Astrology. Jerome and The Humanist must be having their own unique definition of * extensive research". He displays considerable ignorance in tracing the history of Astrology. Nowhere does he mention Astrology in India - and Astrology has existed in India for thousands of years. Astrology was propounded in India not by charlatans and magicians but by the same sages who enunciated the highest philosophical truths which are un- matched in their content by any philosopher or scientist of today - Eastern or Western. Lawrence Jerome talks about the principle of correspondences as the basis of all Astrology. Lit- tle does he realise that the entire gamut of physi- cal sciences is developed on the same basis. The whole problem with people who make ir- relevant attacks on Astrology is that they start on a wrong scientific premise. They accept that Astrology is all wrong and then go about trying to prove it. As such their vision gets blurred and coloured so much so that important facts are

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brushed aside as of no consequence because they are inconvenient. Under such "unscientific condi- tions" how can truth be arrived at? Though Jerome goes about trying to make a statistical case against Astrology he himself concedes that statistics can be easily manipulated (consciously or unconsciously) to yield the desired results. In the same issue of The Humanist is an ar- ticle by Bart J. Bok. an astronomer. He starts off his tirade against Astrology by calling it a pseudo-science. If at all there is a branch of knowledge which has made little or no progress in a thousand years it is astronomy. Except for some very basic facts regarding our solar system astronomers have done nothing but indulge in theoretical speculation which is a scientific word for 'useless work'. Why should so much public money be squandered on a subject so unsure of itself? Whether it is the age of the earth or of the Universe, the origin of life or something else astronomers just do not seem to agree on any- thing. Everyone of them comes out with weird ideas which look logical enough on paper but are essentially self-contradictory. Astronomers spend years and years wasting public money and do no useful service. It is time the public took a critical look at the work of astronomers. It is not a co-in- cidence that the majority of the signatories are astronomers - it is because they feel insecure about the irrelevance of whatever they are doing that they have to bring out cudgels against another branch of knowledge.

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In the same article Bok talks about the Moon and other planets having similar physical proper- ties. In the first place irrespective of what proper- ties planets possess let us concede that we are talking about correspondence of phenomenon and not a cause and effect relationship. The fact that we do not know why a certain phenomenon hap -. pens does not imply that the existence of that phenomenon itself is in doubt. It only means that the frontiers of science have still a long way to go. If 1 did not know why light has to be an electromagnetic radiation and not something else, does it mean that the existence of light is itself. unscientific. There is ample proof to show that Astrology can be used as a very valuable aid in studying the psycho-physical characteristics of a person. There is proof to show that it is valuable in long term weather forecasting. There are proofs to show that It is an extremely valuable and power- ful tool in the hands of man to help him lead a more sane existence. It is time conventional scientists stretched their mental horizons to include branches of knowledge they do not comprehend. When Edison was asked to define electricity he said: "Why define? It exists. Use it." Why not we use Astrol- ogy in the same way? Thcre might come a time in future when ad- vances made in other branches of knowledge would solve the mystery of why terrestrial hap- penings are in synchronism with planetary move-

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ments but till then let us not waste time arguing whether Astrology is scientific or not - but let us use it. (Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE April 1976.)

li). About Astrology

Buell D. Huggins

But if the humanists have doubts and fears about the United Nations, in this issue they had more about the stars, which to them are just in- animate bodies so far away that none of them, not even the Sun. could possibly give light and warmth to inhabitants of the earth, much less af- fect their physical appearance, personality, or ter- restrial destiny. it is astonishing how the humanists uphold psychologists, most of whom - Skinner. Watson, Freud and others - have been firm believers tn determinism, but when it comes to Astrology Lawrence Jerome concludes his article "Astrology: Magic. or Science" with the statement that to believe in Astrology is "to abandon free will". Evi- dently. Jerome does not know that most astrologers accept free will, and that it is the scientists and psychologists who reject it. Just eight months earlier (January - February 1975 {ssue). The Humanist editor Paul* Kurtz, in a diatribe against religton, wrote as follows: "The religious believer insists that he is free for he is created In God's image. But the problem

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of evil turns this eternal drama into a divine comedy. God entrusted me with the power and freedom of choice, yet he will punish me if i stray from Him. Why did he not program me during the act of creation, so that 1 could not avoid knowing Him and following His guidelines? Since it is He who created me. why does He condemn me for satisfying my natural inclinations, which He im- planted in me? Why does He permit suffering and pain, torment and tragedy, disease, strife, war and plunder, conflict and chaos?" Is it not plain that Kurtz does not believe in free will? Jerome further claims that humanists believe in rationality, or rationalism. Yet this hardly seems possible. When rationalism was the 17th century philosophy of Rene Descartes. Gottfried Leibniz and Baruch Spinoza, who believed not only in rationality, or reason, but also intuition and apriori knowledge. Kurtz and his fellow humanists belong to the camp of the empiricists and pragmatists who came along later-David Hume, Gerbert Spencer. John Dewey. Bertrand Russell. Jerome's linking of Astrology with magic is another blunder. Magic is a ritual performance involving slight-of-hand tricks and ofher In- genious acts which children and the uneducated are prone to link with the mystical or super- natural. Astrology, on the other hand, is based upon the powers and laws of nature and upon the electromagnetic, gravitational and radiative

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effects of those powers - the planets and luminaries. Nor is Astrology a mode of fortune-telling. Of the 30 types of fortune-telling listed in Collier's Encylopaedia. Astrology is not mentioned, though dreams, the Bible, tea leaves, animal livers, the crystal ball, the Tarot and other cards are listed. While there may be some connection between magic and fortune- telling, there is none between magic and Astrology. And the horary branch of Astrology, the least favoured and practised of all branches, is the only one which has any resemblance to fortune-telling, divination and omens.

Jerome's complaint about the "daily horo- scopes" in the newspapers does, we admit, have some validity. But did he ever stop to figure out why the "daily horoscopes" are there? They are there simply because there is a demand for them-just as there is a demand for the comic strips. the recipes, sports section, the crossword puzzle, and the women's section. In recent years, the newspaper publishers have discovered that certain readers are interested in Astrology. Most of the publishers know nothing about it and care nothing about it, but to supply the demand of certain readers and increase , on the one hand (and to appease the rest by publishing simple transits or "daily horoscopes" on the other) they publish these non- sensical columns based upon the tropical Sun-sign alone. If a competent

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astrologer were to offer them the true horoscope of George Washington, they would turn it down. Jerome finds fault with astrologers using statistics. Prof. Skinner, the psychologist, does

books not like statistics, either, stating in one of his that psychologists should use the laboratory. Does Jerome want Prof. Skinner to put him in a laboratory for several months for an experiment, along with the pigeons and mice? Astronomers cannot use the laboratory, either, being unable to capture the planets and put them there; so, like astrologers, they use mathe- matics. Bart J.Bok, in his article "A Critical Look of Astrology" wonders why astrologers do not use the time of conception, instead of the time of birth, for casting the horoscope. if Bok can give us a foolproof method of arriving at the moment of conception, we will be glad to use it. The an- cient Hindu astrologer, Satyacharya. said the time of conception might be preferable, but that it could not be discovered. We will let the scien- tists discover it. However, Bok should know that if a conception horoscope were used, it would be- come the object of the severest criticism and ridicule, since the humanists and scientists, who favour abortion, do not consider even the foetus an "entity", let alone the moment of conception, and the courts do not consider the foetus a ""per- son". So the moment of conception, before the foetus formed, would be too much like "magic" or an accident for the humanists and scientists. And

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if the walls of a room shield a baby from the radiative effects of the planets, as Bok contends, does he hot think there would be much more shielding inside the uterus? Bok. Jerome and Kurtz all spoke of the bad psychological effects that predictions could have on one. Jerome feared the Gemini native might conclude he had a "split nature" and become schizophrenic. Yet he furnished no proof that the majority of schizophrenics are Geminis. According to radio' and television news com- mentators, buyers of securities in the stock market are very strongly Influenced by "psychological factors". We are for ever being told that it was a very bad day at the stock exchange because of a report that some city is bankrupt, or the oil producing countries have raised their prices, or the steel workers went on strike, or the President was hospitalized. or a dictator seized power in some foreign country. How people intel- ligent enough and rich enough to buy expensive stocks could be so psychologically immature is not understood. They certainly lack Jerome's "rationality". But then may be they are all Gemini people. A "scientific survey" of all schizophrenics and stock purchasers should be made immedi- ately. The Humantst statement blasting Astrology was shipped to thousands of news editors in the United States and abroad. Sctence News magazine (September 13, 1975 issue) noted that the Washington. D.C. Star editor called it "the

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most futile broadside of recent memory." Science News then concluded: "Whether any minds have been changed remains to be seen." If Astrology could survive persecution by the medieval Church, it is likely to outlive another scholarly blast". With this the astrological savant agrees. (Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE February 1976.)

The Evils of Specialisation We must return to the study of the whole man. In- creasing specialisation in practice has lcd to increased I:Om- partmentalism. departmentalism and fragmentation in teaching, with all the evils that follow. The doctor must never forget that man is more than the sum of his parts. Basic medical teaching must aim at presenting a 'synoptic' view of man, in health and in disease. Unless this be achieved, then the training will be misdirected in aim. in structure and in balance. The student will lack the neces- sary guiding principles when confronted with the novel situations which rear daily in front of him in typical prac- tice.

• Margery Blake.

Astrology is Astronomy brought to earth and applied to the affairs of man

Emerson.

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D. Rationalist Plays to the Galleries Gayatri Devi Vasudev

In the mid-seventies, Prof. N.K. Narasimha Murthy, retired Professor of Mathematics, Mysore University. wrote a small Manavanamele Grahangala Prabhava book entitled Unte (Do Planets Influence Man) in Kannada. It was writ- ten for and under the inspiration and guidance of a local rationalist Mr.Narasimhiah. an erstwhile Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University. This book was a hastily written affair, full of con- tradictions. It contained some cheap gibes against Astrology. At the book-releasing function held at the Senate Hall in the Central College Grounds, Ban- galore, the erstwhile Vice-Chancellor chuckled into the mike that since the Sun, the Moon, Rahu and Ketu were not planets Astrology was proved baseless and not science. It was simply the rationalist's concept of Astrology and of definitions used in this science and had absolute- ly no relation to the proper definitions used in the science. Amused by such peurile and infantile criticism, I walked upto the man and asked him if he had studied Astrology. In order to pronounce judgement on a subject, one must know not only its basics such as definitions but a lot more of it. Criticism, from a point of ig- norance, is both invalid and untenable. The rationalist's answer only exposed his hypocrisy and blas against the subject.

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"Where do I have the time to study it?" he said. The next moment he realized the cat was out of the bag and hastily scampered into his waiting car and drove away refusing to answer my questions. It is exactly such bias that Carl Sagan refers to when he says "Prejudice means literally pre-judgement. the rejection of a conten- tion out of hand, before examining the evidence. Prejudice is the result of powerful emotions, not of sound reasoning. if we wish to find out the truth of the matter we must approach the ques- tion with as nearly open a mind as we can, and with a deep awareness of our own limitations and predispositions. On the other hand, if after care- fully and openly examining the evidence, we reject the proposition, that is not pre-judice. It is certainly a prerequisite for knowledge .... " Mr.Narasimhaih's is a case in point. He only displayed his ignorance of Astrology by his criticism. What has that to do with Astrology being a science? A great scientist Dr.Richard Garnette sums up such attitudes lucidly when he says" .... the study of facts and the observation of nature must always be stronger than any abstract reasoning: and the investigation of the arguments brought against Astrology will disclose a great reluctance on the part of the objector to resort to the tes- timony of facts, and a thoroughly unscientific habit of mind". Another firsthand Mr. Narasimha Murthy experience was of confiding in my father

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Dr. Raman that he had anticipated his mother's death to the particular day on the basis of the Moon crossing the Vipat-tarafrom her birth star. This damning confession from Mr. Murthy under- standably created a stir amongst the don's group and led us to believe he had been coerced into lending his name to the book already mentioned implying he did not really endorse its contents. This confession came at the All India Radio Sta- tion, Bangalore. after a discussion on Astrology .between Dr. B. V. Raman and Mr. Murthy had been recorded with Mr. Justice Tukol as the moderator. The discussion was initially to be be- tween Dr.Raman and Mr.Narasimhiah, but like every time in the past. the latter stayed 'away sending his deputy.

Search for Truth By Investigation, experiment and reason. Every human being should be allowed to investigate to the extent of his desire-his ability. The literature of the world should be open to him-nothing prohibited, sealed or htdden. No subject can be too sacred to be understood. Each peron should be al- lowed to reach his own conclusions and to speak his honest thought.

He who threatens the investigator with punishment here, or hereafter, is an enemy of the human race. And he who trie to bribe the investigator with the promise of eter- nal joy is a traitor to his fellow-men.

There is no real investigation without freedom, freedom from the fear of Gods and men.

So, all investigation-all experiment-should be pur- sued in the light of reason. Robert Green Ingersoll

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Validity of Astrology-A Radio Discussion Justice Tukol I welcome today Dr.B.V.Raman, who is a well-known student and- an expert in Astrology I welcome also Mr.Narasimha Murthy who had been a Professor of Mathematics in the Central College of the former Mysore University. Today we have met to discuss about the validity of Astrology or Astrol- ogy as a science. So. in view of the discussion, Prof. Raman may kindly define what is Astrology in the scientific sense. Dr.Raman : Astrology is a science of correla- tion of the movements of celestial bodies and ter- restial affairs which means natural phenomena physical phenomena and human psychological phenomena. In other words, Astrology is a science which deals with man's responses to planetary stimuli. And what are the objections of Mr.Narasimha Murthy to doubt the validity of Astrology? Mr.Murthy : We are discussing now about the validity of Astrology. That is the subject- matter. You have defined Astrology. 1 understand. [The discussion rcproduced above was broadcast by the All-India Radio, Bangalore, on 1st December 1976 at 9-30 p.m. The participants were Dr.B.V. Raman. Editor. THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, Justice T.K. Tukol, former Vice- Chanccllor of Bangalore University and Mr. N.K. Narasimha Murihy. Retired Professor of Mathematics, Mysore University. Justice Tukol acted as moderator. The discussion was carried on extempore by the participants.]

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We cannot consider Astrology as a valid science 1 emphasise science-because it is not a science, for, it has no definite units of measurements like length, mass and time which are there for all other sciences of modern times. Next, It is not based on the methods of experimentation, obser- vation and deduction as is done in other scien- ces. Statistical methods like the mean, the mode, the standard deviation, etc., ?re not employed in analysing the predictions of Astrology. 1 say it is not valid because its foundation Itself is unsound in my opinion. Dr.Raman : I think the objection raised by Mr. Narasimha Murthy cannot hold good in the light of the fact that all sciences cannot be reduced to occular demonstration. There are sciences like Psychology, Biology, Statistics which are not amenable to the methods of experimenta- tion, etc., which acording to Mr. Narasimha Muthy should form the basis of such validity. If by science you mean, reducing everything to oc- cular demonstration, then Astrology is not a science. Medicine is not a science, Psychology is not a science, Statistics is not a science. If by science you mean systematised knowledge, then Astrology is a science. Astrology Is so vast and comprehensive In its scope'that it embraces all phenomena in nature: for instance, weather forecasting, diseases, psychological aspects of human nature, events in human life. So Astrology is amenable to experimentation in respect to say, weather forecasting or prediction of natural events. Astrology has quite a good deal of statis-

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tics and quite a good deal of astrological facts to show that it is a science. For instance, History depicts the character of Shivaji and Aurangzeb. But it is not possible to find out the character of Shivaji or the fact that Shivaji lived on the basis of science. I mean, Western science. By historical facts, we can establish that Shivaji lived or Aurangzeb lived. Similarly, we can adduce any amount of astrological facts to show that a cor- relation exists betweeen certain groupings of planets and certain events on earth. Justice Tukol : You mean to say that you can explain certain events of Shivaji's life or Aurangzeb's life by the planetary systems that ex- isted In their horoscope? Dr. Raman : What I suggested'was Just as for demonstrating the truth of history we have to use histroical facts, similarly for demonstrating the truth of Astrology, we have to use astrological facts. Supposing in hundred horoscopes, Mars is in the second house .... Justice Tukol : That is exactly what I mean by saying .... Dr. Raman : Mars is in the second house and there is some trouble with the eyes. So 1 am Justified in providing these statistics to show that in the 101st horoscope, a similar situation of Mars might indicate a similar result. That is why we are going to astrological facts. Mr. Murthy : Have such sttistical methods been employed or is there any indication to show

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that they had been employed by ancient Indian Astrologers as a method? Dr. Raman : Yes. The sages of yore might have discovered all these phenomena not merely by observation but also by intuition. In fact ac- cording to one of the great- scientists. Dr .Hans Eysenik, Professor of Psychology, General Medicine Hospital. London. "The only conclusion the unbiased observer can come to. must be. that there does exist a small number of people who obtain knowledge existing in other peoples' minds or in the outer world by means, as yet unknown to Science." Therefore, unknown to modem science does not mean that it can be unknown to sages also. They might have made a series of ob- servations. They might have conceived that such groupings of planets may give rise to some such events and in the statistical studies that have been carried out subsequently. it has been clearly established that by a certain juxtaposition of planets, a certain event has happened. Much re- search in this line has not taken place in India, I must confess. But much research has taken place in Western countries because in the West, the scientists of the recent generation are open- minded. They have not made-up their minds, whereas our scientists still seem to feel that they must get the inspiration from the Westerners. Justice Tukol : If 1 have understood Mr. Narasimha Murthy. what he wants to say is whether there has been a study. by way of verification of what is predicted by astrologers

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and if it is of certain old individuals or ancient people. Mr. Murthy : Have the practising astrologers kept registers showing their clients' cases and the way in which they have predicted and sub- sequently testifying whether they have succeeded in their predictions or failed. Whether it is in India or elsehwere, I would like to know if there is any regular documentation of such things in sufficient numbers to warrant a statemenl that there is a statistical method and if such things have been published in magazines available to many people and if such things are not published therc, are they published in India? I think many statistical persons. even individuals can publish such things. We are not telling of only this one, I am talking of ancient India of course, ancient India had no such statistics that I would likc to know, they had no such terms, methods and other things, statistical methods such as means, mode and moderation and all those things. i do not think there were sciences like statistics formerly.

Dr. Raman : We are not bothered about (he want of statistics in ancient India. We are now concerned with the proposition-Validity of Astrology, and not the validity of Astrology as devleoped by the ancients. So what they have given as principles have been applied in a" num- ber of cases and we find that they work In actual practice.

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. Mr. Murthy : That I want to know. I would like to know statistics for the application of the ancient science of Astrology within the statistical frame work. Dr. Raman : Statistics has been applied and those principles that have not been found to be quite valid, they have not been accepted, they have been rejected. In this aspect, you must al- ways allow some margin for the deprecations of the professional astrologers. So whether they have preserved an account of their predictions and fulfilments I do not know. But I am not a professional Astrologer. So as a research scholar in Astrology. I have plenty of horoscopes which we have classified: we have found out which are the combinations for short life, so he has lived for so many years and these are the combina- tions for fall from political power. For instance, we went on making researches as to the sig- nificance of Saturn in the tenth house. So this idea came to my mind at the time of the second World War when the British Government wanted to know about their future. Then I collected the horoscopes of all these monarchs in Europe during whose times such world wars occurred. For instance. Georges III, V. VI, Queen Elizabeth's. Spanish Armada-nobody expected that England would win but one chance storm destroyed the Armada. But astrologically we found that Phillip II, King of Spain, had Saturn in the tenth house. whereas Elizabeth had Jupiter in the tenth house. That is repeated in the horoscopes of George III and Napoleon;

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George V and Kaiser and George VI and Hitler. So we came to the conclusion that Hitler would fall. This way, there is plenty of statistics which we were making available from time to time in the pages of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE. This is so far as India is concerned. But so far as the West is concerned, many of the scientists have found out not only the theoretical basis of Astro- logy -- they are not quite successful-but they have made experiments to find out how for Instance there would be change in the chemical composi- tion of certain fluids at the time of eclipses, how a certain position of planets In the meridian and the horizon-they have ignored all the technical aspects of Astrology but the have confined only to the astronomical constants-the position of Mars in the meridian and horizon predispose one to becoming an athlete or a military man, etc. So if you want, we can produce all that statistics to show that these principles hold good.

Mr. Murthy : Astrology naturally arose out of the data supplied by Astronomy. Therefore an- cient Indian Astrology was based on ancient In- dian astronomy. Indian astronomy was imperfect and defective. Astronomers after astronomers- Aryabhata. Varahamihira. Brahmagupta, Bhas- kara. Ganesha and Ketkar have declared previous Acharyas as ignorant and their results as inac- curate. Dr. Raman : The proposition is reduced to this that the knowledge of Astronomy was not well developed and that Astrology has been

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developed on the. basis of that knowledge of Astronomy. First t will come to this knowledge of Astronomy. Somehow, it has been our ill-luck that we have been treated to a dtstorted image of our ancient Indtan achievements. Most of these astronomical books were written by Western scholars who had a certatn sense of prejudice and their bltnd Indian admtrers. Mr. Murthy : One minute Str, I have not quoted any Western astronomer so far, I have quoted only Indian texts and I am quoting Indian astronomers. Astronomer after astronomer has crtticized the previous astronomer and there has been no defintte scicnce ltke Astronomy and tt has been tnaccurate throughout. That is why I say it has been inaccurate. It has been corrected again and again by the application of what ts called as Beeja, and one of the last is Ganesha Daivagna who lived in the sixteenth century. कथमपि यदिदम्. स्वाद्गरिकाले श्लयं चेत्

Even thts will become inaccurate in course of time.

मुहु रपि परिलक्ष्मेन्दुग्रहादृक्षयोगात्

Then the tntelligent people will observe the Moon, the eclipses of the Moon, the planets in comnbination with the stars and all that.

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सदमलगुरुलब्धप्राप्त बोधप्रकाशैः कतिथ टटृपपत्या शुद्धिकेन्द्रे प्रचाल्ये।

With the help of the knowledge, they will find out the correct positions and put the planets into correct orbits. This is what Ganesha Daivagna has said. What I have now been saying is that Astrology which Is based on Indian Astronomy, but Indian Astronomy was not static. It has been improved from time to time while correct cor- responding improvements and corrections have not been noticed In Astrology. Justice Tukol : Would I be right if I say that all of them recognised that the Indian Astronomy was at a stage of evolution from one generation or from one person to the other and making gradual strides of progress from time to time? Dr. Raman : You have quoted the Siddhan- tas, the astronomical works relating to the Sid- dhanta period. There you see, our knowledge of Astronomy had already become decadlng by the time of the Siddhantas. What about the knowledge of Astronomy during the period of the Vedas? Mr. Murthy : Is it Improved by the period of Vedas? वेदाहि यज्ञार्थमभिप्रवृत्ताः । कालानुपूर्वा विहितश्र यज्ञाः । तस्मादिदं कालविधान शस्त्रम् । यो जौतिषम् वेद स वेद यज्ञम् ।।

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This is Vedanga Jyotisha-Lagadha-3rd or 4th century B.C. Dr. Raman : My submission is, even regard- ing the Vedic Astronomy what we have tried to understand is only from the Vedanga Jyotisha. But there is an aspect of Astronomy which is to be found in the Atharvana Veda. For instance in the appendix to the Atharvana Veda, which con- sists of 16 formulae and which have been made public by the Sankaracharya of Puri in a book called Vedic Mathematics. For instance in the 16 sutras, beginning from एकाधिकेन पर्णेन and ending with गुणगण गुणक समुच्चय simple formulae for world's mathematical, problems have been laid down. Dr.V.P. Dalial of the Heldelburg University feels impelled. as a mathematician, physicist and Sanskrit scholar, to put on record his comment on the following sloka couched In alphabetical code language. He gives the value of n (pye).

गोपीभाग्यमधुद्रात शुङ्गिशोदधि सन्घिग । रवलजीवितरवाताद गलहालारसधर।

On the face of it. it is a hymn to Lord Krish- na. Actually this gives the value of R (pye) as 3.1415926535897932384626433822792. It shows how deeply the ancient Indian mathe- maticians penetrated Into the subtlety of their claculatlons even when the Greeks had no numerals above 1000 and their multiplications were so very complex which they performed with the help of their counting frames, by ad-

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ding so many times the multiplier. Prof. Sen- gupta. former Professor of Mathematics in Calcut-

Greek ta University, has clearly shown after comparing and Hindu astronomy. methods of the spherical independence of Hindu in

Astronomers and that Hindu method is not derived from any Greek source. "Hindu astronomy in its scientific form is original and not borrowed from a foreign source. There is evidence that some crude form of Greek astronomy was transmitted to India and went by the name of the Romaka or Poulasa Siddhanta but they were rejected by our Astronomers." For instance, conversion of a vulgar fraction say 1/19th of its equivalent recurring decimal frac- tion, involves 18 steps of cumbersome working according to the current system, but requires one single and simple step of mental working ac- cording to Vedic surras. So if you go to the Vedic period, I think they had very good knowledge of Astronomy and during the period of Siddhantas, there may have been some sort of a stagnation. Mr. Murthy : Not stagnation-May 1 conclude that at the time of the Vedas. the Siddhantas had correct knowledge of Mathematical Astronomy and all that and only after these people Aryab: hata. Brahmagupta came, they spoiled the whole thing or they had forgotten the ancient. They did not know the Vedas and therefore they presented wrong values say value of T (pye) as 10 or 3 which Brahmagupta has said and Sulbhasutras of ancient time-8th century B.C .- also gave the

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wrong values. and this is the first time I am hearing that the valuc of pye is corrected to so many places. Dr. Raman : Regarding the accuracy of planetary movements of course they based their calculations on mathematics as we do now. The Moon's synodical revolution according to Surya Siddhanta is 29.530587946 days. The period given by modern astronomy differs by 7/100ths of a second so that in 5000 years the difference is about I . With this accuracy they felt they could study positions of planets in the various Rasis, and the consequent effects they envisaged. Mr. Murthy : The Surya Siddhanta has been corrected from time to time. I would just like to read this about Surya Siddhanta. "The latest Surya Siddhanta has been the Almagen of India for the last 15 centuries and has been acknow- ledged as an authority on all matters of phenomena. All the subsequent works on Astronomy-Indian Astronomy of course-have been more or less based on it ahd it is very much venerated in India as being a direct revelation from the Sun. But it would be unreasonable to adhere to it in future when the great discoveries. the accurate observations and the refined methods of calculations of modern European astronomers are available to us. We must venerate and admire it as an ancient relic tes- tifying to the high degree ot excellence at- tained by ancients under very adverse cir- cumstances." Already Panchangas based on the

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nautical almanac have gamed considerable popularity among the educated men for their per- fect agreement with easily observable phenomena, such as eclipses and conjugation of planets. I will Just say this that I had an interview with one of the Panchanga makers, one or two of them, one admitted that he used French tables in preparing his Panchanga, the other said nautical almanac was used in giving data about the eclipses and even the latest Panchanga. you give 9.04 minutes as the starting of the eclipse and 9.04 minutes cannot be by any means got by means of your Ghatis and the ancient calculations. Dr. Raman : Now, if accuracy is the only basis, then all sciences including Physics and Chemistry started with primitive instrumentation but does it then invalidate those sciences? Mr. Murthy : I have said that Astronomy is continuously improving. Why Astrology Is static- I have said that point. Dr. Raman : Astrology cannot be static be- cause we all are adopting only the modern cal- culations. What can be adapted to suit modern conditions have been adapted. What cannot be used have been rejected. But in acutal practice. some astrologers say that you have Vahana Yoga, that.you have Gaja Yoga and so on, if the predic- tions are" given, we cannot blame It on Astrology. It is as much a science as for instance medicine is.

Mr. Murthy : In the case of medicine, a cer- tain research is made and a man thinks that you

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can try. He will first try it on a number of rats or a number of rabbits. When he is satisfied that it is alright he will give it out to the world, and the Government is very particular in seeing that proper tests are made and otherwise it will be considered as spurious drug and precautions will have to be taken because it is a matter of life and death. It is not merely a dictum of a certain per- son. Dr. Raman ; I find that penicillin in one case causes death and in another case, causes relief. Mr. Murthy : Quite right. Dr. Raman : Penicillin has been tried and teseted In a number of cases but why should one .. Mr. Murthy : It is the same in all the cases because, you are not interacting dead elements. There is a human cell which reacts .... Dr. Raman : So you have an excuse. Mr. Murthy : No excuse and every medicine ... Dr. Raman : Or explanation. Mr. Murthy : A man dies after taking a cup of Panaka-can't say why-There is a reaction. It is not a bad thing. Dr. Raman : I know. Similarly a certain com- bination, it may apply in one case and a certain combination, it may not apply In another case. Mr. Murthy : Quite right Sir. Dr. Raman : Just a minute. If you want statistics, and if you think statistics has not been

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done. I submit. that you collect 1000 horoscopes and then you yourself can make statistical studies to disprove Astrology, as one of the eminent scientists In Western country Michel Ga- quelin tries to do. That can be done but I say .... Mr. Murthy : You say that statistics have been collected in Western countries. Dr. Raman : And also in India. Mr. Murthy : Large number of statistics have been collected and all that. Dr. Raman : Yes. Mr. Murthy : If that is done, it Is alright. 1 say that statistics have not been collected. Dr. Raman : To give one instance, as to the validity of these astrological principles, you know nowadays, by sending the space vehicles, scien- tists have been able to measure solar radiation, intensities and so on. Now the scientists have been able to find that the outburst of solar flares have a very significant effect on terrestrial phenomena. So when there is a solar flare, the effect of the solar flare is being transmitted to the earth through the solar wind and when the solar flare impinges on the earth's magnetic field, there is a disturbance of the ionic content. Now scien- tists have found that when the solar flare bursts, and it impinges on the earth's magnetic field, many people die from heart attacks and many people will have nervous breakdowns and Max- well Johnson has been able to discover that a certain juxtaposition of Mars and Mercury coin- cide with solar flares. So we can mathematically

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calculate that Mars and Mercury will reach the Juxtaposition on such and such a day. about that time and there are solar flares, and there are the heart attacks. Now, the astrological principle says

हृद्रोगं मम सूर्य

They associate the Sun with the heart trouble. Intuitionally what the ancients may have perceived is being experimentally proved by some of these Western thinkers. Mr. Murthy : I lay stress on that some. I want many. I want many people to do it. As I told earlier, an experiment on a frog was conducted by some scientist in the 16th century. But it is done in our colleges even today. So experiments or statistics, statistical experiments on the solar flare affecting the human heart must be con- ducted daily and continuously. Justice Tukol : I mean the reason why that is not done is all those who are astrologers are not of the same calibre, not are they mentally so equipped as to carry on the sort of experiments by collecting statistics. It Is only given to a few people who have got expert knowledge of both the subjects, viz., Astronomy and Astrology that can be expected to do justice by'collecting statistics and giving us the verifications of the planetary positions as vis-a-visthe incidents that occur. Dr. Raman : Now to give you some more statistical Information conducted by Michel Ga- quelin, who is the Professor of Statistics and

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Psychology at Sorbonne University, what he has done is-he has collected hundred thousand horoscopes and he finds that high frequency of births of doctors coincide with the position of Mars in the meridian, and low frequcncy of births of actors; similarly high frequency of births with the position of Jupiter in the meridian and low frequency of births when Jupiter is in the meridian-ior doctors and painters. Similarly, for scientists he finds high frequency of births when Saturn is in the meridian and for writers and ac- tors, he finds a low frequency births. This way he has done quite a bit of statistical evidence to show that certain juxtapositions of planets at the time of birth predispose one towards an aptitude for certain types of professions and he says we could use this Information to enable one to pur- sue his studies In the direction and derive the maximum of benefit. So even according to astrological considerations, planets in the tenth house are supposed to indicate profession. But in actual practice, many astrologers may be erring but. that is no reason for a reflection on Astro- logy. Justice Tukol: So from the discussion, it apears to me that everything need not be open to

What is Rationalism? Rationalism does not, however, either begin or end with the mere adoption of a critical attitude to established beliefs in religion or philosophy. The Rationalist seeks to overthrow accepted beliefs only in so far as he concieves

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physical verification. There are many things in the world which could be understood; many phenomena,. 1 should say, which could be under- stood more by intuition and so far as Astrology is concerned, though many statistics have been col- lected by way of horoscopes and the verification of the Juxtaposition of the planets vis-a-vts the incidents in the individual lives and the lives of the country, have been made tn the foreign countries, in India, I think we have yet to ad- vance In the collection of statistics and verifica- tion of the consequences so as to establish that even those who are studying the field of Astrology or Astronomy and allied sciences should have op- pourtunity of knowing the scientific connection between the two. Dr. Raman : The cosmic-terrestrial relations which form the basis of Astrology may transcend recognised principles of Westren Science. But a scientific approach to the problem gives the proof of Astrology. What we want critics to do is to ap-

them to stand In the way of a true constructive explanation of man's relation to the Universe and to his kind. He belteves, in short, that right thinking Is the key to right condnct, and that, as Mr. J.M. Robertson pnts it, yon can- not "rationalize condnct without seeking to rationalize creed." Rationalism-the acceptance of the reason as the final arbiter In all matters relating to the formation of opinion-tnvolves the adopUon of an essentially positive and affirmative, though wisely discriminative, attitude towards the materials of experience. Of course, the mere intention to be reasonable does not always succeed in its object. Al-

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proach the problem scientifically not irrationally. basing their conclusions on subjective factors. Justice Tukol : Mr. Narasimha Murthy is also saying that there should be scientific ap- proach. Dr. Raman : Again experimental evidence has been collected by many scholars interested in the study of Astrology and it is astonishing how those, who looked down upon it. have ignored all such evidence and stuck to their orthodox view. We have been able to collect a number of horo- scopes and study them statistically and reject what is not valid and retain what is valid. This work could profitably be done by the Universities with all the resources and funds they have.

though we can all reason fairly well up to a certain point, most of us reach that point all too soon. Hence, increasing accuracy and adequacy in the use of our reasoning powers should be our constant aim. And if we are to achieve that am In any marked degree we must voluntarily undergo cer- tain disciplines in supplement of those afforded by our present defective system of education.

-Thomas Paine in The Age of Reason'

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E. Piqued Rationalist Resorts to Lies (Society, a Bombay-based journal, in tts Oc- tober 1984 issue carried a write-up on-Dr. Raman titled "B. V. Raman's Star- Spangled Life and Predicttons" It was, on the whole, a true and fab- assessment of Dr. Raman and his attainments. It also carried several correct predictions Dr.Raman has made in his life and appreciative references to his missionary crusade for Astrology. Mr.Narasimhiah, a Ban- galore rationalist, was so upset by this that he post-haste scribbled an article in the Society, November 1988, making cheap gibes at Dr. Raman. He wrote "His International Conference of Astrology, utilised as a felicttation. function to himself in December 1983 was a flop, thanks to the sys- tematic campaign, by the right thinking people, in Bangalore, against the fraud of Astrology. The conference was considered to be international since his son Dr. B. Sureshwara attended it com- ing all the way from the United States of America .... " and many more lies referring to Dr. Raman. I rang up the Editor Mr. Binoy Thomas from Bangalore and asked him if he would carry my rejoinder refuting Mr. Narasimhiah's blatant lies in his Journal. He promised to do so and the February 1985 issue carried hot only my rejoinder blasting the awful lies Mr. Narasimhiah had so shamelessly written about Dr. Raman but also the reproduction of a very aptly worded letter from Dr. Sureshwara of Illinois which showed to what contemptious levels this self-styled rationalist

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could stoop to vent his personal animosity against Dr. Raman. We reproduce relevant excerpts from the rejoinder below, courtesy, Society. We place on record our thanks to Mr. Binoy Thomas for presenting both sides of the issue to hts readers,

partiality. thereby showing a high sense of fairness and im- Editor)

THE NEW RAMAN EFFECT Dr. Narasirnhiah's rejoinder (Society, Novem- ber 1984) made familiar but painful reading. That he is entitled to his opinions on Astrology or any other science under the sun none can dis- pute. But what is in extremely bad taste is his distortion of certain facts and the presentation of even blatant lies in relation to Dr. B.V. Raman. Referring to the International Convention on Astrology, he describes it as a flop, because to use his own words "thanks to the systematic campaign by the right thinking people in Ban- galore against the fraud of Astrology". 1 was present throughout the two-day delibe ations and I can give an eyewitness account of the nuisance these followers of Dr. Narasimhiah made of them- selves at the portals of the Banquet Hall of the Vidhana Soudha where the Convention took place. Just before the deliberations began a noisy group of about 5 or 6 persons started shouting anti-Astrology slogans. One would have thought they were hooligans and rowdies (Judging by their dress and demeanour) of the kind one usually en- counters in theatres peddling tickets in black. The police however hounded out the group In a

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matter of minutes. So much for Dr.Narasimhiah's campaign and right thinking people at the Con- vention! The second fact he deliberately misrepresents is, he says the Convention was considered Inter- national because Dr.Raman's son Dr.Sureshwara "attended it coming all the way from the United States of America". I wonder where he gets his Ideas from. Dr.Sureshwara did not attend the conference. But there were as many as 100 over- seas delegates from England, Sweden, Germany, Canada, the U.S.A .. Malaysia. Sri Lanka, Sin- gapore and Bangladesh who participated in the Convention to make it a grand international meet of astrological savants. Besides delegates from all over India also took part in it. The people of Bangalore led by the Committee for the Felicitation of Dr.B.V. Raman headed by Justice A.R. Somnath Iyer {former Chief Justice of Karnataka) and comprising of such distin- guished gentlemen as Justice Nittoor Srinlvasa Rao. Govind Narain. Veerendra Patil, Ramnath Goenka, Dr.M. Chenna Reddy, Dr.V.K.R.V. Rao and other luminaries had decided to honour their distinguished fellow citizen Dr.B.V. Raman. The International Convention was held as an adjunct to the Felicitation function. To fmpute the mo- tives of fraud to these intellectual and public per- sonalities is an insult to the entire people of Kar- nataka.

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A LETTER FROM RAMAN'S SON This has reference to the article "Narasimhiah, Bangalore's Miracle-buster Chal- lenges B.V.Raman" in November 1984 issue of SOCIETY. Dr. Narasimhiah should verify facts before he writes or says anything. The International Con- ference on Astrology at Bangalore was attended by delegates from both within and outside India. I, son of Dr.B.V.Raman, did not attend the con- ference. Therefore, Dr.Narasimhatah is wrong when he writes that I attended the Conference. I question his credibility and Judgment on many of the things he has written, especially when he cannot verify a simple fact like my not attending the Conference. Those who stretch truth to dis- credit a branch of learning, an indtvidual, or a group are Just hypocrites and nothing else. ' There is nothing new in what Dr.Narasim- hiah has said in the arttcle. Today it is fashionable for some to identify himself or herself as a 'rationalist'. Many of these 'rational' per- sons appear to have made thetr main goal in life to continually degrade anything pertaining to In- dian Culture. Hinduism and Hindus. It is because the Hindus are tolerant, that many of the so- called 'rationalists' are able to make stupid and irresponsible statements.

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Their 'rationalism' quickly evaporates when it comes to non-Hindu religions and cultures. It is simple because the other religious groups and cultures would not tolerate any direct or indirect insults or attacks on their group or beliefs. If these so-called 'rationalists' truly believe in universal applications of their beliefs, I would like to' see `them express their 'rationalist' views on the beliefs of not only Hindus, but also others. Otherwise, the conclusion is, they lack courage of conviction, and sincerity in whatever they say or write, Dr.Narasimhatah is a talented and educated individual. He should direct his talent and energy not at publicity generating efforts such as 'challenging' the faiths, and beliefs of millions of Hindus, but at action-oriented service in the suf- fering poorer and weaker sections of society. We have seen enough of lip service and words by politicians and others. Dr.Narasimhaiah with his educational background can effectively initiate educational and other programmes to assist the deserving poor. Of course, that needs a lot of ef- fort, and it will not generate the same publicity as the gimmick of 'challenge'.

In any case, the public will understand sooner or later that the main objective of many of the 'rationalists' is simply to get free and cheap publicity. And by making every issue sensational they double their 'popularity' and 'public appeal'.

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It appears tt does not matter to them whether they hurt the feelings and faith of a vast number of people, and all they care is generation of con- tinuing publicity for themselves.

Yours sincerely, (Sd.) B. SURESHWARA

Reference to Mr. A.N. Banerjee's and Mr. S.R. Bommai's speeches have also undergone mali- cious twists. While Governor Banerjee described Astrology as a statistical science and not exact, Mr.S.R. Bommai called on the astrologers to word their predictions in cautious language. Statesman and politician respectively, they are not expected to be as thoroughly science- knowing as men from specific areas of science are. I think it would be appropriate at this stage to point out to Dr.Narasimhiah, that with the discovery of Heisenberg's Principle of Uncertainty and the sur- facing of quantum physics, the very concept of the exact sciences has received a death blow. It is true Dr.Narasimhiah received a doctorate for his thesis some three decades ago, but it is unfor- tunate he has not kept pace with the latest developments of science. Several theories prevail- ing then have been set aside and clinging to these outdaled theories can do more harm than good to the cultivation of his scientific temper. A Convention attended by three to four hundred delegates and nearly 2000 citizens

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drawn from all walks of life cannot be called a flop. One of the more serious charges Dr. Narasimhiah makes against Dr. Raman is that his challenge to the latter to predict events has not been accepted. Dr. Narasimhiah sounds like a garrishly painted matinee hero who throws out 'challenges' left and right from his pedestal on the silver screen. This would be the rating his challenges deserve. However, coming to the facts themselves, there has been no challenge to Dr. Raman from Dr. Narasimhiah. Even otherwise for the sake of argument. how can he arrogate to himself the task of a judge of an individual's competence or the validity of a science. Surely, it would be the height of absurdity to claim such omniscience. No one in his senses would care a hoot for challenges of this kind. On the contrary, a few years ago when Swami Krishnateertha, Secretary of the Karnataka Jyotisha Parishad in- vited Dr. Narasimhiah to a public debate on Astrology, the latter backed out at the last minute. Dare he 'challenge' a specialist in cancer to cure a particular case of cancer? Dare he chal- lenge specialists in other fields of knowledge? While claiming to not blowing his own trum- pet, Dr.Narasimhiah unabashedly reels out dis- tinctions that have supposedly descended on him of their own accord. Belonging to a minority group in a country of caste-politics has its own distinct advantages !

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1 shall give just two instances where I had an opportunity to watch his 'scientific temper' at work .. One was at the Seminar on 'Science and Superstition' organised by the Youth Writers and Artists Guild in mid 1977 at the Institution of Engineers at Bangalore, under the Chairmanship of Dr.V.K.R.V.Rao. Dr.Raman, Swami Adldevananda and Dr.Narasimhiah and a few others were the speakers. Angered by Dr.Narasimhiah's charge against Astrology that no one had forecast the Emergency, I walked up to him with a copy of the forecast of the event made 10 months in advance in THE ASTROLOGI- CAL MAGAZINE. This man claiming to be a rationalist just scampered away hastily refusing even to look at it, let alone peruse it. His favourite quote from Swami Vlvekananda [Society, November 1.984, page 59) is pulied out of context. The Swami had the highest regard for the ancient science of Astrology. (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda,Vol. IV, pages 372-373). "In America there is the best scope for caste (real jaatû to develop, and so the people are great. Every Hindu knows that astrologers try to fix the caste of every boy or girl as soon as he or she is born. That is the real caste - the individuality and Jyotisha (astrology) recognises that, and we can only rise by giving it full sway again", the Swami says. Men who quote Vlvekananda to tar- nish Astrology should remember this !...

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"The history of science is fraught with cases of orthodox scientists rejecting the theories and findings of contemporary scientists which did not ftt tn with the theories prevailing then. Coper- nicus, Galileo, Michelson, Morley were all looked down upon because they took a stance that did not respect the reason of contemporary scientists. When will orthodox scientists learn they have never been and never will be champions of truth? As Whitehead in Science and the Modern World puts 'Science has never shaken off its origins in the historical revolt of the later renaissance. It has remained a predominantly antirationalistic movement based on a naive faith ... Of course, the historical revolt was justified ... it was a,sen- sible reaction, but it was not a protest on behalf of reason." Dr. Narasimhaiah is no rationalist or scien- tist. A highly prejudiced don, he is making use of his official position to brainwash young minds wtth his personal biases and prejudices. Like all self proclaimed reformers in our country, he will question Hindu beliefs and Hindu saints and never non-Hindu beliefs and practices. What about the faith-healing at the Dargahs and the healing sessions of the Hendersons? He dare not. Their communities will not tolerate him like we do. Lastly, a word on his attack of the predic- tions made by Dr. Raman. These predictions are based on planetary movements and their correla- tions to human activity. It is to the credit of Dr.

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Raman that he does not make categorical forecasts. No man of intellectual stature will do it. A parallel will illustrate the point. A cancer specialist with all the equipment at his command and the patient. fully reposing his faith in him will still not promise categorically, a cure. All he will say is, "I shall do my best. The rest is in God's hands". That is the reason why Dr. Raman uses the words 'may and possibly' and not 'will' and 'shall'. Only politicians and dons backed by them spill promises with a liberal usage of these words. Not true scientists who know both the scope and limitations of human skills and knowledge. (Courtesy: Society February 1985)

INDIA AND WESTERN SCIENCE "From its modern awakening with Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivckananda, Eastern mysticism has begun to adapt its revelations to the entirely different cultural framework provided by science and technology, without in any way sacrificing what is valid in its traditional under- standing of the phenomemon itself. " (The Eye of Shiva: Eastern Mysticism and Science p. 120)

-Amaury De Reincourt

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F. Some More Hypocrisy i) The Space Tamashas In 1979. India's first booster-rocket SLV-3. launched on 10-8-1979 with much fanfare came plummeting down into the Bay of Bengal within 5 minutes of take-off (10-8-1979 at 7.55 a.m. IST. at Sriharikota).

You Said It .

MR. CITIZEN by Laxman

By RAMAMURTHY

INDIAN SPACE RE

The only thing that is soaring into Don't feel so bad, professor!

space with a steady reiocity is the There is a vast improvement over

Indian price-line! the last attempt. This one fell 300 metres Farther. Courtesy : Deccan Herald dated 15/7/1988 Courtesy : TMMES OF NOW dated 16/7/88

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This scientific failure costing crores of hard- earned money only proved a simple astrological truth in electional Astrology. Malefics Saturn and Rahu are in Lagna, a deadly thing to have.The Moon in the 8th is never advocated in Muhurta as leading to premature death or termination (For details. refer Planets and Our Space- Programme supra) On 24-3-1987, again from the same site. SROSS-I was launched to watch which the Prime Minister of the country and a whole lot of other big-wigs had gathered. The weekday was Tuesday and for the time of launching (12-10-noon) Gemini rising had the Moon in the 8th. Tuesday is fateful astrologically for any new venture. The launch met with a premature and watery grave and at a whooping cost of 28 crore rupees when it came plunging into the sea within a bare 164 seconds of take- off. Any student of Astrology would have thrown up his arms in protest at the choice of the time and date of these launchings. And for this the space-scientist concerned was given a special award. This simple demonstration of Astrology is proof against all criticism. It. even to the chagrin of the scientist, proves the truth of the Yogas in his own chart which fetched him laurels for a dismal perfor- mance.

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LAB BLAB Mohan Sivanand

"Thanks to satellite technology, Dourdarshan now shows us a new picture every day-the Insat IB picture".

Courtesy : Indian Express, Science Supplement dated 23-8-88 :

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ii) Weathermen Caught Napping The deluge of July 9. 1987 at Mancherial predictably caught our Meteorology Department unawares. Two Nizamuddln bogies Delhi of the Hyderabad- (Dakshin) Express were washed away in flash floods on this fateful night about 245 kilometres from Hyderabad when the train was Just about to cross the rail bridge across the Gangaregedl rivulet. About 53 people were killed according to official sources. It was a flash alright, for us laymen. But we are not most certainly going to accept this ex- planation from the Meteorology Department. Pampered and fed at great expense to the exche- quer what weire these weather prophets doing?

WEATHER OFFICE

FROGD INDUSTRIALIST HO ENONEER

Courtesy : Indian Express Science Supplement dated 22.3.1988

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With all the resources they have at their com- mand, the highly expensive and sophisticated weather gadgets and the countless men working for them, what were these men upto? Aren't they paid to warn of weather vagaries of the mag- nitude and nature of the Mancherial deluge in which so many lives were lost? Just look at the forecast appearing on page 15, THE HINDU, dated July 8, 1987. The forecast 1s said to be "valid until the morning of July 9". That means it Includes the pre-dawn 2 hour- period on July 9 when the flash-flood came like a bolt from the blue. The meteorological forecast said "Rain or thundershowers will be fairly widespread over coastal Karnataka, Teiangana, scattered over interior Karnataka. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep and iso- lated oyer Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and Pon- dicherry." The train having travelled 245 kms from Hyderabad towards Delhi was far from anywhere near the coast. That means the weather predicted for the region was" rain or thundershowers". Not even thunderstorms but look what happened! It certainly needed cheek to make this kind of prediction! A sudden deluge which kills more than 50 people and which washes off the track itself from under the train is not even remotely anticipated. The Department owes an explanation on its fatal- ly poor performance. This is just one amongst numerous instances when the weathermen fool

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the people with their totally unreliable forecasts leading to catastrophic and disastrous conse- quences. This, based on "scientific" knowledge and methods! Scientists who have such a high opinion of their scientific knowledge and methods and who do not accept the limitations of science should ponder over their failures and descend from their ivory towers and humbly approach Astrology. Not a word of criticism from the "rationalists" who shout themselves hoarse over astrologers. Most rationalists are biased, rather ill-informed with inflated egos and a strong conditioned sense of righteous indignation which, when roused, fumes and frets and make them run amok. What is important is what is going on in the Meteorology Department if it cannot play any ef- fective role in deciphering weather changes. No answers will come because that is how it is today

Flunky Forecasts from the Weatherman. . IN ABSOLUTE defiance of INSAT pictures and charts at the Meteorological Department, the City's winter sky has held true. But take a look at the forecasts daily over the last three days. "Generally cloudy with spells of rain" on Thursday. "partly cloudy" on Friday and "mainly cloudy" for Saturday while the sky stayed gleefully blue. It seems we are in luck. Whoever said that weather was predictable anyway?

-Indian Express (20.12.1987)

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in our country when uncomfortable questions are asked. Science is meant not to glority personal egos; science is meant to unravel the secrets of Nature and to use this knowledge to help mankind. But what many of the scientists are doing now is the exact antithesis of the fundamental purpose of science. (Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE January 1988)

iif) Another Instance of Hypocrisy A lot of nonsense on Astrology has gone into a book Science, Non-Science and Paranormal produced by a local "rationalist" assisted by a mathematics teacher in a local college. Parts of the book carry flashes of sense. For instance, the "rationalist" who has also edited the volume, quotes a scientist saying science is iden- tified by its methods and not by its attainments. Immediately, he contradicts this statement by quoting out of context half-a-dozen predictions saying these went wrong and Astrology is there- fore, not science. But unfortunately, scores of predictions which have proved correct have been just wished away perhaps to impress his personal prejudices on the readers. A genuine science- man, on the other hand, would have taken note of the overwhelming number of correct preditc- tions and gone on to study why these predictions came right and how. The "rationalist" only made a fool of himself by this gimmick *

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NEWSLETTER JUNE 1988 11

COMPUTER HOROSCOPE Computer Horoscope in the South Indian/North Indien style cast in 5-pages computer printout giving the following details :- (i) Scientifically computed accurate positions of the Sun, the Moon. Lagne (Ascendant) end ell the plenets including Uranus, Neptune and Pluto (ii) Nakshatra end Paede, Janma Tithi. Rashi, Yoga and Kerane (iii) Balance of Dasha at birth according to the Vimshottari sytem (iv) Rashi kundali and Navamsha Kundali in South/North Indian style (v) Arambha. Madhya and Antya of ell the 12 Bhaves, and (vi) Bhava Kundali. Send detalis of date, time and place of birth Fees Rs. 30/- For trade enquiries for the Horoscope Softwere Package on SPECTRUN Home Computer or to act as collection centres contract :- Or. Shirali Balachandra Rao. M.Sc , Ph.D. 2388. Jnana Deep. Subramanyanagar Main Road Rajajinagar, 2nd Stage. Bangelore-560 010.

Courtesy : Canara Union Newsletter dated June 1988

Now on to his man, Friday, Mr. Balachandra Rao. This man prepares horoscopes for a fee on the sly while decrying it before the rationalist for either fear or favour, we do not know. Given above Is a copy of Mr. Rao's advertisement for his horoscopic-wares which expose to what levels one can descend in the name of 'scientific temper': This advertisement appears periodically in The Canara Union Newsletter, Malleswaram, Ban- galore. For every single wrong prediction, dozens of space and science disasters can be shown. Astrologers are human and failures are there

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sometimes. But in fact the significant number of correct astrological predictions indicate prob- abilities far in excess of what can be achieved by random chance.

A fool who thinks that he is a fool is to that extent a wise man: but a fool who thinks of himself as wise Is indeed a fool.

The fool desires undue reputation, precedence among monks, authority over dwellings, and honour among the families.

"Let both laymen and monks think that this was done by me. in every work, great and small, let them follow me" - such is the aspiration of the fool; (thus) his desire and pride Increase. * Through all his life, a fool associates with a wise man, he still remains ignorant of the truth as the spoon, the flavour of the soup.

-Dhammapada

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CHAPTER SIX

THE KOVOOR STORY-THE DENOUEMENT

Y. Keshava Menon

Columnist Leon has been, from the time Kovoor started stalking this land from across the Strait throwing challenges right and left, pointing his index finger unerringly at the patently irra- tional terms with which he was hedging the con- test. As far as we know only one person is so far reported to have fallen victim to his wile and lost a cash deposit of Rs. 1000. No astrologer seems to have been Involved. Kovoor has now met a diamond of a man he could not cut. This is set out in some detail in a rare signed editorial in the prestigious Malayalam Weekly, Malaysia Nadu, which had over a period of time, featured Kovoor and his work sym- pathetically. The rare editorial, in the Issue of the Journal of the 16th January 1977, was prompted by the Editor's total disillusionment with the Kovoor religion. It so happened that a popular literateur based in Bombay. Sri M.P. Narayana Pillay was prepared to take up Kovoor on his challenge. Sri Pillay would demonstrate through an eminent Yogi at any appointed place of Kovoor's choice the miracle of man walking on water. Kovoor nominated Quilon (Kollam) for the demonstration

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and demanded the cash deposit. Sri Pillay sent in the cash to Sri S.R. Nair, the Editor of Malayala Nadu, a known admirer of Kovoor with a request that he act as the moderator for the contest after ensuring that Kovoor's lakh of rupees was readily available and nominate the time, date and venue for the performance of the miracle. When told of Sri Pillay's final acceptance of the contest, Sri Nair was invited to meet Kovoor at the Government House, Quilon. Present at the meeting were, besides Kovoor and Sri Nair, Com- rade M.N. Govindan Nair, the Communist leader who is also a Cabinet Minister in the Government of Kerala, political leaders Anandan. Mohan and K. Karunakaran (Editor of the Daily Janayugam), Thoppil Bhasi, the matinee idol, choreographer. dramatist, playwright, producer and director, Sri Panicker and a few of the followers of Kovoor's Rationalist Philosophy. Incidentally. Thoppil Bhasi is reputed to be the man behind the film Punarjanmam (Rebirth) which featured Kovoor live. When Sri. S.K.Nair stated Sri.Pillay's case Kavoor reared up "On just one man's say-so, why should 1 sell off my valuable properties in Ceylon to stake the lakh of rupees in cash?" Kovoor said that his word that within 15 days of his losing the contest, should such a contingency arise, he would bring a lakh of rupees from Ceylon should be accepted. This statement, charged with un- necessary vehemence, stuck at the throat of those present.

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Minister Govindan Nair intervened to say that bringing a lakh of rupees from Ceylon on an er- rand of this nature was an improbability. He cited the instance of a neighbour whose sole earning member in Ceylon was not permitted to remit paltry sums for the maintenance of his aged parents in India. On Kovoor contesting this statement, the Reserve Bank authorities at Er- nakulam were promptly contacted on the telephone. It was then established that transfer of such a sum of money from Ceylon, for the avowed purpose was a total impossibility. On Sri Pillay being told over the telephone that a stalemate had arisen on terms of the con- test, Sri Pillay pointed out to those assembled that he had already put down Rs. 1000 In cash as demanded of him and he would be further in- curring expenses of a few more thousands in

Are Astrologers Charlatans?

Sir,- Following Dr. Kovoor's line of reasoning (16th Oct) 1 think that cardiology too Is humbug. Let Dr Kovoor produce a single cardiologist who on seeing an electro-car- diogram (ECG) can tell within 5 percent error the sex and age of the patientl

The fallacy In Dr. Kovoor's "test" lies in his absolute ignorance of science. Just as an ECG is an indicator of the patient's heart and circulatory system so the horoscope is the indicator of a person's destiny. Just as a cardiologist can make a wrong diagnosis, so too an Astrologer can make a wrong diagnosis (prediction). After all he is a human

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bringing the yogi and his attendants over and es- corting them back. To this, Kovoor petulantly retorted, "If Sri Pillay's Yogi is a miracle performer why should he not produce the lakh of rupees for him from thin air rather than take all the pains to come over and take a risk?" With this he stalked out of the place followed by his adherents. The editorial concludes "I am now in a quan dary and led to believe that you do not have a lakh of 'rupees in the first place. Please do not churn our mind, thoughts and soul any more and create ulcers for which there might not be any remedy even in rationalism. I published your ar- ticles and statements hitherto accepting your genuineness prima facie. Please do not put human faith on trial any more." Confirming the fact delineated in the editorial is an independent report by Thoppil Bhasl and a statement of Sri Narayana Pillay himself.

being and as prone to fallibility as any other englneer. physician, surgeon or Dr. Kovoorl

Coming specifically to Dr. Kovoor's charge against Dr B.V. Raman, this is a clear example of hypocrisy. He has cleverly selected the one year in which Dr. Raman failed and ignored 37 years of accurate (published) record of predictions (bold ours)

To quote just one astonishing prediction: In the period October 1972 to December 1972. Dr. Raman in his forecast 'IN THE USA' published in The Astrological Magazine of the same period said *as Saturn enters Aridra constellation, in May 1974, Nixon will be forced to resign". This predic-

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In the meantime, came the blast from no less a person than Acharya Rajneesh. This was the real coup d'etat for the Doctor which only Acharyas may divine. "Why does Kovoor," asks the Acharya in the course of an interview with the Current, the popular Bombay Weekly, "spend his last days on negativism?" To the saint. It is simple logic. "You say that there is no God. That can only be a matter of faith, for you cannot prove it. You accuse the other fellow of being irrational because he says that there Is God. Your rationality is thus on a par with the other fellow's." (The words are mine to simplify the whole process of thought of the Acharya). The Acharya deplores that an aged man of over 80 as Kovoor claims he Is should engage

tion came Just before and after Nixon had won the U.S. Presidential election with the largest majority in American history and a clear 20 months before he actually resigned as predicted. Name ONE newspaper or magazine Dr. Kovoor, which has politically or otherwise anywhere in the world made such a predictiont There are hundreds of other accurate predictions but for reasons of space I give only a few: the assassination of Shaikh Mujfbur Rehman and King Faisal of Saudi Arabia as well as the attempts on the life of President Ford were accurately predicted.

Besides every issue of The Astrological Magazine car- ries the legend- "Those who know Astrology can only indi- cate in a way what will take place in future, who else except the Creator can say with certainty what will definitely hap-

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himself in this negative process of denials in his last days. Kovoors do more for Astrology than Is com-

totally monly imagined. By his several challenges going unnoticed by astrologers led by Dr.B.V.Raman who sat back like a sage receiving the darts as flower offerings. Kovoor is today a sad man-a little wiser let us hope.

Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, April 1977.

pen?" If a man is a charlatan and out to fool people why should such a legend be published in every issue at all? No, Dr.Kovoor you can only fool some of the peoplc, sdme of the time, but you can't fool all people all the timel Bombay. - V.R. PRABHU

Courtesy: Free Press Journal, dated 22-10-1976

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CHAPTER SEVEN

HOW I WAS GREETED BY 'SCIENCE' : STRICT SCEPTICISM

Michel Gauquelin

In science, the important thing is not only to discover phenomenon, but above all to repeat it a sufficient number of times for it to be properly established. When I published my first statistical results in 1955, revealing a new relationship be- tween man and certain planets, I had of course already made sure of the phenomenon by various experiments in France. But all I had done was to discover them. This is why this work, which presents the extension of my research from France to four other countries of Europe, takes on the value of a confirmation. A link between man and the planets ... When we envisage such a relationship, we automatically In his latest book "Written in the Stars" Michel Gauguelln's studies establish the link between man and planets. Thirty years have passed since he first began his experiments to disprove Astrology but now he has ended up accumulating invaluable data proving the correlation be- tween astrological data and human life. This volume pub- lished in 1988 is an impartlal but amazing record of the study conducted by Gauquelin which proves the validity of the basic tenet of Astrology- of the link between man and planets. These findings are based on a collection of more than 100,000 cases and 30 years painstaking, scientific en- deavur.

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think of Astrology. And such positive and nega- tive passion Is attached to that word in the eyes of those who are stirred up by the question, that they can no longer make any objective judgement of the scientific facts presented to them. This is why this work is also valuable as a response to all those who only wanted to see in my work a 'fortunate' stroke of luck, which was a priori un- worthy of being examined. Scepticism. which is the 'done thing' in ad- versaries of Astrology. is nine times out of ten based on an exaggeratedly scientistic concept of the relationships between man and nature. In- deed, Mr.Dauvillier, for example, a professor of

The complete data used by Gauquelin is said to be available on magnetic tape and can be checked by anyone against the source data in the public domain and on the original birth- certificates accessible at Gauquelin's laboratory in Paris according to the postscript to the book by Geoffrey Dean.

In fact, there is no doubt whatsoever about the validity of Gauquelln's methodology, as three members of the CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal which publishes theSkepticalInquirer] to which local rationalists make frequent references in their attacks on Astrology, Professors Abeli, Paul Kurtz and Zelen have finally acknowledged In 1983. in an article that * Gau- quelin adequately allowed for demographic and astronomical factors in predicting the expected distribution of Mars sec- tors for birth times in the general population ". (Ref. The Abell-Kurtz- Zelen'Mars Effect' Experiments: A Reappraisal' The Skeptical Enquirer. 1983. pages 77-82. )

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cosmic physics at the College de France, wrote to me. in a letter which in other respects was most polite *. What immoderate human vanity it is to believe that the destiny of a mammal born on a little planet could be linked to the course of the celestial bodies! Just put the sun, the earth, and the human race and life into their places in the galaxy, and you will see how futile these beliefs are ... '. Every word is saturated with a kind of primary materialism. Look again: 'the vanity of this mammal born on this little planet ... ' What has vanity got to do with anything here? There are facts and there are experiments. We have to examine them, that is all. In. any case. it does too much credit to the consequences of my results to think, with horror or delight, that there is any risk of them over- turning everything that is currently known. It is too much to believe that they might. if recognized to be correct, modify the thought processes of a scientist worthy of the name. In the case of scep- tics, this excessive credit (or indignity) which they heap on me comes from their habits of thought, which prevent them from reasoning about any- thing other than what they already know about the laws of the universe. They confuse an un- resolved problem with a false problem and flee from it. giving their current knowledge as an ex- cuse. Here is Mr. Dauvillier's testimony once again: If such influences existed, they would not

• All the quotations which follow are taken from letters I received and have preserved in my files.

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act on the arrangement of chromosomes at the moment of birth, but at conception. Now, the laws of genetics show us that these associations are chance ones'. Nevertheless, this scientist is presented with numerous easily verifiable statis- tics showing the Importance of the moment of birth ... That they should appear to him to be in- credible, or even absurd, I can easily accept. But one should at least assess the results before af- firming the opposite! There is more to come: Sylvain Arend.an astronomer at the Brussels observatory. asserts by way of sole scientific criticism: 'Professional astronomers have studied the problem priort[!).As far as they are concerned, the planets a

are celestial bodies which have cooled down and which in essense merely reflect the radiation which they receive'.He adds: 'Moreover, it can be seen II] that human destiny depends on human and not astral factors *. The thought process is always the same: peremptory apriority (which is admirable in a scientist), negative proof on the basis of known 'radiations'and complete refusal to study the question. The most astonishing thing is still to come. All these gentlemen, for whom there is nothing left to discover about 'radiation'. have been working together for several years on a com- mittee with the publicly recognized aim of exam- ing evidence such as mine! From the pen of Paul Couderc, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, we read:

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'For a long time, a permanent scientific commis- sion, founded by the American Association of Scientific Societies, has undertaken to study the laws put before it: it is prepared to examine any propositions concerning the influence of planets on individuals': and further on : 'A Belgian com- mittee for " investing phenomena held to be paranormal. made up of thirty scientists from all disciplines .* was formed in 1948 to study precise programmes of simple, controllable experiments.' And Courdec concludes : 'I am at the disposal of anyone to pass on to the Belgian committee any precise statement of laws. since these experi- ments deserve to be examined by scientists-they have been in the past and will continue to be.' t I hastened, of course to forward my work to these two committees. and to Couderc himself. I expected that my results would surely be ex- amined by these men of science. Did not my work contain first and foremost an experimental criti- que of Astrology which no one had ever before really undertaken? With these men of science, I hoped to set up a discussion not of the practical aspect of horoscopes, since I was backing up their argument on this point, but at the strictly

• Compromising, amongst others, S. Arend (see above), M. Boll (see below) and P. Couderc himself.

t Paul Courdec, L'Astrologte, P.U.F., 1951, pp.76 and 77

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scientific, experimental and verifiable level of my experiments. I am still waiting .... Aftersome time, having received no reply. I ventured to enquire about the progress of the matter. 1 was berated with accusations of self- importance. What!' replied Marcel Boll, 'do you really think that the scientists would stop all work and amuse themselves for ten days going over your work with a fine tooth comb? ... this is self-justification manta!' Are the scientists on these committees really so overburdened with work? Not according to Paul Courdec who-contradiction of contradic- tions !- made this disillusioned remark : 'Unfor- tunately these scientific commissions do not have enough work'. Yet he himself never even acknow- ledged my repeated requests for examination. I was told he had better things to do. Be that as it may, it is clear that this astronomer is perfectly willing to spend time writing a whole book on the blunders of astrologers, but not to look Into 'a programme of simple, verifiable laws' that he himself called for. It is very easy to draw a conclusion from all this: the adversaries of Astrology love to criticize it, but they have no intention whatsoever of broadening the debate in order to check the facts set before them. Their committees of 'scientific investigation' do not aim to serve science, but only to spread amongst public opinion the decep- tive appearance of science.

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But deploring the indifference and scepticism of certain scientists would be a sterile, and hence unscientific, attitude. In order to claim the right to be examined and read, you have to set every- thing in motion. To find the necessary credence. you have first and foremost to pursue research in order to obtain more and more convincing sets of proof. This is why 1 had to increase the amount of birth data studied, and repeat the experiments over and over again, broadening the scope of my research to several countries. After all, perhaps the quantity of my data was not yet sufficient. And you could ask what would happen to all this fine reasoning if fresh observations destroyed the first ones. My contradictors had not waited for the results of these experiments to come, but had replied in advance: 'If the statistics show a semblance of correlation.' Dauvillier wrote to me, 'this can only be a fluctuation showing that the data are not sufficiently numerous.' As for Marcel Boll, he prophesied: 'Your conclusions are noth- ing more than a serialized novel, the worst kind of justification. and this solution is hopeless, since if you repeated the same investigation in Great Britain, Germany. the U.S.A. or the USSR, you would wriggle out of it with ease (faced with different results). by citing national idiosyncrasies.'* That was a challenge that I Just had to take up. The results of fresh research that I am

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publishing now are a direct response to Messrs Dauvillier and Boll: they fully confirm, and ex- tend to a European scale. the French results published in 1955. Courtesy: "Written in the Stars"by Michel Gauquelin

. Note of 1987 : Some 30 years ago, Marcel Boll was a well-known scientific writer in France, ranking with Martin Gardner In the USA, for example.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

PLANETS AND PERSONALITY*

Michel Gauquelin

Planetary Heredity i maintain that the child's temperament is re- lated to the position of the planets at the time of his birth. But relationship does not necessarily mean direct and almost instantaneous influence. When he comes into the world, the child is fully formed, with all the potentialities inherited from his parents. It is difficult to accept the idea that the heavenly bodies could act on the chromosomal structure of the child's cells, could disrupt and redistribute them, to the point of ' Gauquclin began his studies with 576 cascs of doctors who werc members of the Academic De Medecine. He then look up 508 cases of notable doctors. He found Mars occupied a prominent position in their charts. He extended his inves- tigations to 570 well-known sportsmen, then to 494 members of the Chamber of Deputies and stage by stage covered painters and and scientists in his study. He found Jupiter dominant in the charts of actors. lawyers, judges, Mars sig- nificantly placed in the charts of the sportsmen, military men and doctors. Saturn was strong in those of priests and scien- tists. However, at this stage Gauquelln's studies were confined only to France.

Well-known mathematicians and statisticians who ex- amined the results of these studies were impressed but said if the findings could be replicated in data from other countries, Gauquelln's fingings would be really significant.

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modifying his character. At the conception. per- haps, the heavenly bodies might (who knows) have affected the chromosomal lottery. But after the encounter between the ovum and the sperm, the whole game is played according to the genetic plan. In reality, if he were born two weeks earlier. the same child would just as well have become a doctor, sportsman or painter. according to his temperament. This is why-looking at the question from a scientific point of view. I do not think that the planet adds anything to the child being born. At the very most. it is perhaps an 'indicator' of a temperamental tendency which will lead him later

So, Gauquelin geared up to the challenge and set about working on cases outside France, This covers about i5,000 cases-Italy 7,000 Germany 3000, Belgium 3000, and Nether- lands2000 plus 2000 more French births. This was no easy task and at every stage Gauquelin had to face many problems. These plus the original group of 7000 births were divided Into 40 specific groups. He found Mars, Saturn or Jupiter had Just risen or reached their culmination at these births, the planet depending upon the group to which the births related, the division being on the basis of occupation. The results of these findings are given in detail in"Wrttten in the Stars" and show an unfailing cosrrespondence between planets and personality. Some of these findings were independently tested and cor- roborated by researchers, some of whom include the 'Para Committee' in Brussels in 1967, 3 members of the CSICOP. American Sceptics Committee in 1977 and Prof.Dr. Arno Muller, Saarland University, tn 1988.

Reproduced above are excerpts from "Written in the Stars".

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to succeed in a career which suits his character. What leads to success in professional life is hereditary predispositions, allied to a combina- tion of favourable circumstances. To integrate the planet into the system. we have to take account of heredity. Psychology-and particularly the work of Eysenck-teaches us that there is an hereditary basis for personality. 1 Since the posi- tion of the celestial body represents a factor in character, one explanation proves to be possible: that this factor is hereditary. Thus the position of the planet at birth would also have to be hereditary. As early as 1955, I had intended to put this idea into concrete form. But. for practical reasons, it was only from 1959 that any truly em- pirical research could be undertaken, this re- search being announced In the last chapter of Les Hommes et les Astres. My first results ap- peared in 1961 in a German Journal2. But the fundamental work on this subject remains my Heredity Planetaire (Planetary Heredity). which was published in 1966 with a preface by Professor Giorgio Plccardi. the director of the laboratory of physico-chemistry at the University of Florence. in Italy.3 1 am pleased to announce that an updated version of this work has tust been translated into English and published In that work 1 give a detailed report on the results of an investigation carried out on some 30.000 birth dates and times for parents and their children. collected from the birth registers for Paris and several places in the Paris area. 1 noted

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a predisposition in children to come into the world when a planet is rising or reaching its cul- mination, if the same planet was positioned in the same zones . of the sky at their parents' births. The tendency to have a planet in 'Gauquelin plus zones' in one's horoscope appears to be hereditary, hence the title of my book: planetary heredity. True, this tendency is not very pronounced. A very great quantity of data is re- quired to bring it to light. Sometimes- and this was the case for an investigation i published recently- the effect is not observed, and this could lead us to doubt its very existence. The future will doubtless show us how to explain this regrettable instance of non- replication. Most often, however, the effect can be observed in a manner which is statistically very significant. What appears certain. in any case, is that planetary heredity can only be observed for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Moon, precisely the five temperament -planets, and not with the others which are further away from us: Uranus, Neptune or Pluto, nor for Mercury either, a very small planet which is swamped by the Sun's fires. All this appears to confirm the hereditary nature of the five planetary types described above, to the exclusion of any other. Moreover, if both of the child's parents are born with the same planet in 'Gauquelin plus zones', then their child has twice as much chance of being born under the same planetary configuration. This last observation, if confirmed, is in accord with the

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classical laws for the transmission of hereditary factors. But it is not opportune to go to further lengths on planetary heredity in this work. The curious reader will, if he wishes, find further in- formation on these investigations in the recent English translation of my book Planetary Heredity.4

Midwife Planets?

Little by little, my work encouraged me to propose a physical model for the planetary ef- fects; a very fragile model, it is true and not without contradictions; nothing more, in fact. than a proto-theory6. The child seems to be endowed with a 'planetary sensitivity' which induces his coming into the world at a 'chosen' moment. How can this be explained? In medicine it is known that once the moment of birth has arrived, the slightest little thing-the introduction into the or- ganism of a medicine in a homeopathic dose, for instance-can set off the start of labour. This 'slightest little thing' could be linked to planetary factors, so that the child could react to a cosmic 'call sign' to which his planetary type would make him more sensitive than to any other. Playing the role of a catalyst or filter, the midwife planet would partly determine the time of birth. This Is the most likely mechanism: birth being imminent, the mother's uterine contractions are started up and guided by harmonal secretions from the foetus passing into the mother's blood; the foetal

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secretions themselves being partly stimulated by the 'midwife' planet passing through the Gau- quelin plus zones. Certainly. this is a very daring model, per- haps too much so. and one which makes astrophysicists shudder. It is certain that it raises a shower of difficulties which have not yet been overcome. In a recent book. I have Indulged in self-criticism of my explanatory model; I refer the reader to this.5 The most shocking thing from the astrophysical point of view is that I have not established any significant correlation for the Sun, whose influence on the earth and Its in- habitants is by far the most important. So by what means could the planets, which are mini- scule by comparson, act this role of catalyst or filter that I have described? There is however a promising sign: when the geomagnetic activity of the earth (which depends on sunspots and solar eruptions) increases, the planetary effects on heredity can. it seems, as much as double in fre- quency. This explanatory model also makes biologists shudder. Here, however, the promising signs seem more numerous. The role I attribute to the foetus, for example. is based on the most recent medical observations. They are. for example. ex- pressed in this succinct phrase of Professor Robert Debre, a renowned paediatrician and a member of the Academie de Medicine: 'It is the foetus that orders the mother to expel it !; ' or rather, in the words of the chairman of an inter- national congress of obstetrics. Dr. G.S. Dawes,

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of the University of Oxford: 'Finally, there is evidence that suggests that the foetus normally initiates the process of parturition. thus liberat- ing itself from the intra-uterine environment which has protected it'. 1 can note in passing that these experts are merely reformulating in modern scientific terms the intuition of Hippocrates who asserted, five centuries before Christ: 'When the time comes, the child stirs, breaks the membranes holding it and comes forth from its mother's womb'.

Yes, any other theory: the search for a physi- cal model for planetary effects is, I fear, an al- most unsurmountable task in the state of current knowledge, because of the small material means I have at my disposal in order to achieve it. But. as William of Orange asserted in a famous maxim: 'It is not necessary to hope in order to .undertake, nor to succeed in order to persevere *.

it is worthwhile abandoning for once the 'scientification' of my results in order to examine the 'symbolic' hypothesis. At the beginning, I had little belief in it and wrote to this effect. But cer- tain pieces of empirical evidence have shaken my antipathy for this way of seeing things. Alongside the theory of the celestial bodies as physical causes, we shall discover that the doctrine of heavenly bodies as signs or symbols is full of enigmatic indications which cannot be blindly ignored simply because we wish to remain

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reject my discoveries in the name of logic. The reality of facts alone should be our Ariadne's thread in this obscure labyrinth of astral influen- ces where so many great minds have wandered hopelessly but with the deep conviction that there was a way out of the labyrinth, perhaps even many ways out.

A planet in the 'Gauquelin plus zones' is cer- tainly linked to the child's predispositions. There is simply no need to search for a physical relationship between planet and child. As a con- sequence of universal sympathy, the child is .born in his own time. If human beings come into the world under the same astral configurations as their parents, it is because they are obeying the same signs. The influence of the celestial bodies, in the astrological sense, is not really an in- fluence; it is simply a significant coincidence be- tween the planet and the child. That is the true meaning of planetary effects, the only possible astrological doctrine. In other words, the planet 'signs' the child; it does not influence him.

As early as 1955, when I observed my first results, it was already pretty obvious to me that there was something astonishingly true about this planetary symbolism. But the time had not then arrived to speak of it, because it was simply an Impression that I was not able to prove scien- tifically. In my research, I had observed Mars

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dominating the births of men of war and sports champions. Jupiter being dominant with actors. Saturn with scientists and the Moon with poets. And, it is true, many military men and cham- pions turn out to be 'martial'. many actors 'jovial', many scientists 'saturnine' and many poets 'lunar'. Can we really speak of coinciden- ces? It seems difficult.

How could I demonstrate to others what ap- peared to me to be terribly evident? My impres- sion would have to be confirmed by objective re- search. Fortunately, the character traits method made it possible to identify the psychological pat- terns which correspond to the positions of the planets in 'Gauquelin plus zones'. The Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Moon types have been defined and published. Thanks to this method. it had become possible to compare astrological tradition with the thousands of traits in our catalogue; in particular, to test the validity of the keywords that astrologers attribute to planets which are strong in the birth horoscope. It was going to be possible to judge my hypothesis, or rather, my initial impression. Al- ready. in 1974, in my work La Cosmopsychologie. with regard to our description of the planetary types. I had published the astrological sig- nificance of the heavenly bodies according to the Tetrabiblos of Ptolemy. the great astrologer of an- tiquity.12 This was just a first step. In 1977, I sug- gested to my then-wife Francolse, now Schneider-

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Gauquelin, that she undertake a more systematic investigation. ' Using the data provided by our catalogue of traits, she tested the validity of the keywords attributed by ten astrologers to the bodies of the solar system. She demonstrated in accordance with my hypothesis, that a significant proportion of planetary symbolism had an objec- tive reality. at any rate for the five celestial bodies for which psychological types had pre- viously been demonstrated. This work gave rise to the publication of a monograph by my laboratory1 . This monograph has since been reproduced in the form of a book for which I wrote the preface 14

The results of my investigation were very positive for Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and the Moon. When they bear the 'ancient' astrologers' keywords, the celebrities In my groups were born much more frequently with the right planet in the right place'. that is. in the Gauquelin plus zones, than would be allowed by ch'ance.

REFERENCES

1 Eysenck II., The Structure of Human Personaltty, Methuen London, 1970. 2 auquelin M .. 'Die Planetare Hereditat',Zeltschrift fur Para psychologie und Grenzgebiete der Psychologte. 5, 2/3, 1961. 168-193. 3 Gauquelin M .. L'Heredite Planetatre, foreword by Prof. G.Pic- cardi, Florence University. Planetc, Paris, 1966. 4 Gauquelin M .. Planetary Heredity. ACS Publications. P.O.Box 16430. San Diego, CA 92116, USA. 1988.

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5 Gauquelin M.,Planetary Heredity, A Reappraisal on 50,000 subjeets. New Birthdata Series, Volume 2,LERRCP, Paris, 1984.

6 Seymour P.A. H., A Causal Mechanism for Gauquelin's Planetary Effect, Plymouth, 1986, (another very recent math- ematical modelfor a theory by an astronomer). 7 Debre, Prof. R., in France-Sotr, 12 April 1975. 8 Dawes G.S., Chairman's opening remarks, Foetal Autonomy, C1BA Foundation. 1969.

9 Andre J., Rendez-vous planetaries, La Science et ses doubles, Autrement, Paris, i986,pp 46-53. 10 Gauquelin M., Cosmic Influences on Human Behavior Stein & Day, New York, 1973. ( Updated edttion, Aurora Press. New York, 1985 11 Seznec J., The Survtval of the Pagan Gods. Princeton University Press, 1972. 12 Gauquelin M., La Cosmopsychologte, Parls, Retz. 1974. 13 Gauquelin F., Traditional Symbolism in Astrology and the character-Trait Method. Series D, Vol. 7, LERRCP, Paris 1980

14 Gauquelin F., The Psychology of the Planets foreword by M. Gauquelin, Astro Computing Publications, San Diego, 1982.

15 Startup M .. The Accuracy of Astrologer's Keywords- Part1 & Part 2, Correlatton, 1981, 1.1, 36-43 & 1.2. 24-36.

One is born into a herd of buffaloes and must be glad If one is not trampled underfoot before one's time.

• Great spirits have always encountered violent oppoition from mediocre minds.

» .

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16 Gauquelin M., Planetary Influences: An Empirical Study of the Acuracy of 'Ancient' Astrologers' Keywords, Correlation, 1982, 2,2,4-11. 17 Parr J., Tambulane's Malady and other Essays on Astrol- ogy in Elizabethan Drama University of Alabama Press, 1953. 18 Couderc P .. V Astrologle. P.U.F., Paris, 1951. 19 Sachs A .. Babylonian Horoscopes, Journal of Cuneiform Studies. 1952, 6, 2, 49. 20 Curry, P., Astrology and Philosophy of Sccience, Correla- tion, 1981, 1,1,4-10 ( and Astrology as a Scientific Re- search Programme unpublished M.Sc. thesis, London School of Economics, 1980). 21 Lakatos 1., The Methodology of Scientific Research Programmes. Cambridge University Press; ed. J. Worral & G. Currrie. 1978. ( quote in Curry, 1981).

The struggle against the persistent and overwhelming majority of fools and of those who exploit them as tools is indeed a tough one and with little prospects. But the fight ls necessary for without it mankind will be in worse plight.

• ALBERT EINSTEIN

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CHAPTER NINE

ASTROLOGY, SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS

Kumar Babu B.E.,M.S. The alignment of planets on the same side of the Sun a few years ago gave the media an op- portunity to take some cheap potshots at Astrol- ogy. Though it had been astronomers who had been making a big deal of this so called align- ment. Imaginary predictions were attributed to astrologers. For example the New York Daily News said that "Indian Astrologer B.V.Raman predicted that Los Angeles would be destroyed by an earthquake." This was nothing more than a fabrication because we have repeatedly been ad- vising our readers to disregard the big fuss that astronomers have been making regarding this alignment. In our editorial in the January 1982 issue of THE ASTROLOGICAL .MAGAZINE we stated "It is our opinion that no special significance be attached to this so-called line-up. And we would ltke to make it clear that we do not endorse the opinions of either Western astronomers or astrologers anticipating such catastrophes as a nuclear war, extinction of life and destruction of cities by earthquakes, etc. One need not get scared at such sensation -mongering predictions made in this regard".

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There is no doubt that this was primarily done for its headline value but it is symptomatic of a deeper psychological disease that is afflicting not only the media but the public in general. The psychological basis for the media making unfair and underserved comments on Astrology probably resides in the newsman's (and the general public's) awe of scientists. This awe is so obses- sive that newsman who are supposed to verify the truth of a report before publishing it become to- tally tongue-tied when they are in the presence of scientists and take anything a scientist says as Gospel truth. And unfortunately since the scien- tific community, with a few honorable exceptions, has been less objective when it comes to Astrol- ogy we can't really expect anything better from the media either. Is Astrology a science ? Are scientists Justified in trying to bar the entry of Astrology into the comity of sciences? We will at- tempt to answer briefly these and other ques -. tions. Critics of Astrology have always had "valid arguments" to prove Astrology is not a science. It is important here to realize that a subtle distinc- tion exists between what is valid and what is true. The connection between truth and validity is this. If all the premises of a valid argument are true then the -conclusion is true. The thing to note is that the "premises" must be true. If a review of criticisms of Astrology is made one will invariably find that the arguments flow from faul- ty initial premises. A case in point is critics find- ing fault with Astrology on the basis of the

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newspaper report above- when the report itself was totally wrong. Quantification is the introduction of numbers into the definition of concepts and the formula- tion of laws. There is no doubt that physics is the most thoroughly quantified of all sciences and there is a proclivity in some scientists to take for granted that in all areas quantification alone is a necessary and sufficient condition for a subject to be classified as a science. In Astrology. psychol- ogy and in biological science quantification is not very prevalent. In itself quantification is no magic key. If the material warrants it, then its advantages are ob- vious. Advocates of quantification get annoyed when other sciences do not make an effort to quantify. Understandable as it is, the annoyance does not always make their arguments more Judi- cious or temperate. Deduction from quantified laws is easier; this is one reason why quantifica- tion is desirable. But to say that a subject can't be classified as a science unless it can quantify is totally illogical. There are those who think that scientists are always objective and fair and would have ac- cepted Astrology if it merited being called a science. This is far from the truth and is very clearly brought out by Theodore Gordon in his book 'Ideas in Conflict' where he says "some of the ideas which are now the very Jewels of our existence were absolutely rejected by prominent spokemen of their age. For all our vaunted scien-

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tific `achievements and publicized open-minded- ness, radically new ideas have few supporters. Ideas which did not coincide with the precon- ceived mainstream of scientific, political or religious thought were fought with militant and abusive dedication. Socrates. Galileo, Maxwell. Planck. Lister and Roentgen, all of these and others faced the establishment. They proposed the unusual, the mutant idea and they were rejected first, .The scientists have attempted to Intro- duce a logical and codified reception system by which newly proposed data can be rationally ex- amined before being accepted as truth. This is the scientific method which purports to open Its arms to all new ideas to give them a fair test. This method implies that there are no cliques in science, that an idea will stand on its own worth. not on the opinion of pre-eminent scientists. Yet this approach has failed repeatedly because . scientifists are people who. even as you or I. are impressed by titles, rank, glory, and can suffer the ego-starvings Jealousies .... ' The whole edifice of science is built on the ability to prophesy. Natural laws are. after all, formulas for predicting. Some scientific dis- ciplines permit relatively exact predictions; others predict with less precision. These latter dis- ciplines, including Astrology, are those in which causality is not properly understood. However over the course of time considerable evidence has accumulated linking terrestrial phenomena with

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planetary motion and in time causality may be understood better. It is impoosible to list in an article of this nature all the accumulated evidence but we will sample some of the latest findings. Ralph Morris, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Illinois Medical Center, studied more than 100 patients over 5 years and found that bleeding ulcers and chest pains became more frequent in two thirds of the patients at times of the Full Moon. His findings were pub- lished in the January 8,82 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association where he says "People who have problems, such as ulcers, should be more careful and take their medicine during full-moon periods". Prof Morris thinks that incidences of health problems may be linked to changes in gravitational and electromagnetic fields. He says that while no one has pinpointed a cause and effect relationship there is consider- able support for a theory that speculates that magnetic interaction between the earth and the Moon may affect physical and emotional proces- ses. He further thinks that this interaction could affect humans because of electrical charges and metals such as iron in the body. Support to the theory that the Moon could influence humans comes from J.Allen Hynek. Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at Northwestern Univer- sity. His studies show that increases in arson, violent crimes and strange behaviour in mental hospitals occur when the Moon is full.

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Professor Frank Brown. Dept. of Biological Science at Northwestern University says that"all life is sensitive to the electromagnetism of the at- mosphere. Humans, he says, are" Just a plethora of magnetic fields .... ". and studies have shown that changes in the magnetic fleld can, for in- stance, affect metabolism. Other researchers like A.P. Krueger of the University of California. Berkeley point out that lon levels are known to change 100 fold during electrical storms and that positive ions in the air can drastically increase the levels of serotonin, a biochemical associate with a widerange of stress and anxiety reactions in animals.

Jupiter has always been considered by astrologers to be a very special planet in a horo- scope. Modern science reiterates this in the February 82 issue of the Science Digest which says'Jupiter is probably the only planet that is slowly contracting and thus generating thermal energy which radiates into space at twice the rate it receives energy from the Sun. Because its very strong rapidly rotating magnetic field Interacts with the solar wind. Jupiter emits Intense radio waves. This in conjunction with the fact that human beings are influenced by eletromagnetic fields should be sufficient to cause even the most hard-nosed skeptic to investigate whether planets may, after all. have some influence on the destiny of man. This may he disturbing to some who believe that man is master of his own destiny. Even here modem science seems to indicate that we are not really totally in control of our destiny.

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For instance Sarnoff Mednick, Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern Califor- nia, says that his research (including measure- ment of brain waves etc .. ) has shown that some people have a genetic predisposition to commit crimes. In a study involving 9000 children he said one could predict the onset of criminal be- haviour as much as 10 years in advance. These and other scientific findings have shown and continue to show that the microcosm and the macrocosm are not after all that far apart. Dr.Fritjof Capra. a distinguished physicist at the University of California says. "Any living system, from a bacterium to a brain, from a beehive to the biosphere, is complete in itself and is also a component of the Cosmos. Two basic themes emerge again and again from the study of living and nonliving matter and are also repeadly emphasized in the teaching of the mystics-the Universal Interconnectedness of and interdepen- dence of all phenomena." Some researchers speculate that planetary in- fluences may be due to energy beyond the presently known limits of the electromagnetic spectrum. perhaps even on another still undis- covered spectrum. Bui others are uncomfortable with the Idea of a force apparently not governed by the known laws of physics. These others have an established view of the world and how natural laws work. and they are afraid of any new view point that in any way threatens their eomfortable and settled perceptions of the world. As Beverly

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Rubik. a San Francisco State University biophysicist says, "Everyone thinks the scien- tific community is cool, calm and collected but there are people who would rather crucify you than see their world view destroyed." It is possible that using our subconscious minds may be the only way of obtaining a complete under- standing of the effect of planetary motion on human affairs. Our ancient sages must have real- ized the limitations of the conscious mind when they gave more importance to "Jnana" (transcen- dental experience)than to "Vidya" (or knowledge). Princeton Psychologist Julian Jaynes likens the conscious mind to a flash light searching around a dark room. The flash light (if it could think) since there is light in whatever,direction it turns. would have to conclude that there is light everywhere while the truth was that the room was dark!

.f The bitter denunciation of Astrology by some scientists reminds us of what philosopher William James said many years ago about his scientist colleagues at Harvard. We quote, "There is in- cluded in human nature an ingrained naturalism

The Scientist's Dilemma 1 We are living in a period of such great external and Internal insecurity and with such a lack of firm objectives that the mere confession of our convictions may be of sig- nificance, even if these convictions, as all value Judgements, cannot be proven through logical deductions.

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and' materialism of mind 'which can only admit facts that are actually tangible. of this sort of mind theentity called 'science' is'the idol. Fond- ness'for the word 'scientist' Is one'of the notes by which you may know its votaries: and its short way of killing any opinion'that it'disbelleves in is to call it 'unscientific'." There have been a number of 'Investigating Committees' which have been formed - all with the express intent of debunking Astrology and other paranormal phenomena. Dr.Hynek ridicules these committees with this observation, "What sort of a scientific investigation Is it that as- sumes the answer before starting ?". The answer to a research problem should never be anticipated to such a degree that it strongly influences the approach to the problem. Ridicule can not and should not be an ac- cepted part of the scientific method. In each epoch of man's history there has been a smugness of knowledge that is not ap- parent to most participants of that age. It is an

• There arises at'once the question: should we consider the search for truth or more modestiy expressed, our efforts to understand the universe "through construetive logical truth-as an autonomous oblective of our work?

This, in a sense, religious attitude of a man engaged In scientific work has some influence on his whole personality. For apart from the knowledge which is offered by accumu- lated experience and from the rules of logical thinking, there exdsts in principle for the man of science no authority whose decisions and statements could have

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unawareness of things not properly understood. Things that are bewildering and unthinkable at that point in time but holding answers for the future. That is why it is essential that scientists study the puzzling phenomena of today, not dis- miss with ridicule, with humility and dignity.

themselves a claim to "truth". This leads to a paradoxical situation that a person who devotes all his strength to ob- jective matters will develop from a social point of view, Into an extreme individualist who at least in principle has faith in nothing but his own Judgement. It Is quite possible to assert that intellectual individualism and the thirst for scientific knowledge emerged simultaneously in history and remained inseparable eversince.

• Albert Einstein

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CHAPTER TEN

ASTROLOGY AND OUR SPACE PROGRAMME* Gayatri Devi Vasudev July 13, 1988 was indeed one of the darkest days, In the life of our space programme. Even as the 150 Kg ASLV-D2 satellite shot into the sky and the scientific community gathered at Sriharikota cheered shouting 'success, success', a pall of gloom descended over it within a mere 150 seconds, when the Augmented Satellite Launch Vehicle (ASLV-D2), carrying a stretched Rohini series Satellite plunged into the Bay of Bengal. hissing fumes! Except for isolated instances of bold write ups on the failure, the media, by and large. preferred not to criticize the dismal performance of our science-men. On the contrary many con- soled the scientists that programmes everywhere had had to face failure and one even went so far as to pat the space scientist on his back and prod him to redouble his efforts. As in the past the Failure Analysis Committee was entrusted with the task of finding out what went wrong, where and why. The ISRO Chairman drew consolation from the fact that failures have also occurred in U.S. and European space programs but conveniently

• Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, October 1988

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avoided comparing the success-failure ratio of our programs to that of other countries! ISRO's shocking 66 per cent launch failure is the highest. Against this background, it was ridiculous for the ISRO chief to say that the Polar Launch Vehicle Program will remain unaffected. The Government (presumably on the advice of our space scientists) uses 'technology spin off as a justification for the colossal amounts of money being spent on the space program. This technol- ogy spin-off includes nationwide television, better telephone systems and sophisticated cyclone warning systems. Apart from the fact that none of these' things have materialized, all- the spin-off Items can be purchased from the U.S., Russia and Western Europe at a fraction of the cost. As an example. Singapore has no space program but its telephone systems far outclass those of every city in india. It is apparent to us that the govern- ment is afraid of displeasing the powerful 'space/science lobby' that seems to be" om- nipresent. The 7th plan assigns 700 crore rupees to space when basics like drinking water, sanitation etc .. are in short supply in every city of India. Imagine the benefits if that money was invested in improving our country's water supplies. The 'space lobby' is a creation of ego bound Indian scientists who start 'prestigious' projects (that have very little relevance to the country's real needs) in order to advance their careers. Career advancement is easy in India if you start

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expensive projects even if you do not complete them. Large segments of the Indian press appear to understand little about the state of technology development outside the country. So much so that any press release from a National Laboratory or an Indian University is immediately accorded headline status! Our' Rishis who gave us such sciences as Vatmanika' Sastra (crudely translated as aeronautics) also gave us Jyotisha a beacon of knowledge to show light where conventional methods of 'information gathering' must stop due to various limitations. There is general scientific agreement that at any given point in time science has a degree of incompleteness.resulting in some inconsistencies and Jyotisha is no exception. Hence it is surprising that some 'scientists' dis- play such ignorance when dealing with Astrology. The ASLV-D2 was launched on an Amavasya (new Mqon)- a most unsuitable time astrological- ly. Though the launch probably had severe tech- nical problems-not surprising because of the low calibre of some of our scientists- the inauspi- cious launch time itself magnified the technical problems. Dr. Ram Shrivastava, Professor of Physics at the Holkar Science College.Indore and Founder Member of 1CEPS (International Centre for Educational Physics Experiments in Space) echoed a fundamental dictum of Muhurta or elec- tional Astrology when he said "No space scientist would dare to launch a satellite on a new Moon

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night when the earth tilts in the direction of the Sun and the Moon resulting in severe tides." in fact. Dr.Shrivastava's warning to the Mini- ster of State for Science and Technology had been arrogantly dismissed by the concerned Minister with the words he (the Minister) did not know if "the scientist was well-known or reputed". Had Astrology been applied. "the hard-earned money of the nation would not have been thrown into the Bay of Bengal". It is all the more appropriate now for thoughtful decision makers to seriously consider Astrology as a planning tool in projects of national interest. The failure of the ASLV-D2 brings four points into sharp focus: a new astrological principles, (1) vindication of (2) lack of under- standing of the term 'science' of some newsmen, (3) failure of the news media to critically review our scientists' performance and (4) the guilty silence of men in responsible positions on the tremendous wastage of public money. A few days before the launch, many a newspaper carried columns on how foolproof this venture was: and one went on to say "This second ASLV being in effect the first operational one. no chances are being taken* and further wrote, naively, of the Failure Analysis Committee constituted by the ISRO Chairman to find out what went wrong with SROSS-I and that it would do everything to ensure the success of SROSS-II The truth of our observations made in the June 1975 issue of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE

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when India's first space-craft was launched from a Soviet cosmodrome has now been borne out. We had observed: "This has occurred Just on the eve of the country coming under the second and more significant phase of sade-sathi in- fluence of Saturn. Obviously this is a period of great saturnine strain on Indian affairs and we are hesitant to join the chorus of sooth-sayers amongst our politicians and scientists that "Aryabhata" now in orbit, and "Rohini" the second Satellite to be put into orbit would serve the nation in its development efforts. This inference becomes fortified if the chart cast for the time of launching Aryabhata is carefully assessed. Lord of the Ascendant Moon ruling Aryabhata is in the Ascendant in the constella- tion of Saturn who in turn occupies the 12th without any beneflc aspects. But Jupiter, lord of the 9th, aspects the Ascendant. Obviously this disposition indicates that the launching could act as a shot in the arm to our country now under the grip of moral degeneracy and economic chaos. "Mercury, the planet of science ruling the 3rd and 12th houses, is in the 10th in exact conjunc- tion with the Sun. lord of the 2nd. the constella- tion of Ketu being involved. The exaltation of the

much political planet in the 10th is significant in as as the experiment in space while strengthening the image of the rulers and divert- ing public attention, will not have much relevance to the current problems of India's economic and social development ....

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JUPIT. SUN KETU SAT. SAT. SUN MERC. VENUS KETU VENUS MERC.

MARS ASCDT. Chart 1 MOON MARS

RASI NAVAMSA MOON ASCDT.

RAHU JUHT. RAHU

"What are the uses of 'Aryabhata' and how do they benefit the' country?" . are questions . that naturally arise in our minds. Lord of the 4th (agriculture) and 11th (benefits) is no doubt placed in the 11th but he is in conjunction with Ketu aspected by'Mars and subject to Papakar- tari Yoga being hemmed in between the Sun and Mercury on one side and Saturn on the. other. Because Mars is a yogakaraka its prestige as a member of the Space Club will be enhanced but it will not find a" practical application in the course and content of economic development as a whole ... +

"Aryabhata"" was put into orbit under the directional influence of Saturn which will last for nearly 14 years. Saturn as lord of the 7th is in the 12th while in the'Navamsa his affliction is not less pronounced. Therefore, it occurs to us that we should not expect much useful result from this experiment. Every single word said above has come out true. The relevance of this project to our

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economic and social life is dubious. its role in improving agriculture has been zero. What initial- ly started at 4 crores of rupees is now mounting with each venture, the present costing 23 crores of rupees and taking into account the 15 months of work by space-science men it would probably run into several more crores. In a country where millions die for lack of food and countless children are ravaged by dis- ease and malnutrition, putting public funds to such prestige-boosting exercises and expensive luxuries is an appalling and disgraceful com- mentary on the Government's priorities. Reproduced below is a table from a national daily which is to say the least amusing. Inciden- tally, the June 1981 launch is described as a success although the mission ended in less than 10 days against a life expectancy of 90 days! LANDMARKS IN SPACE PROGRAMME

DATE SATELLITE FUNCTION LAUNCHER RESULT MAR. 19,1975 Aryabhata Setentific U.S.S.R.Success June 7.1979 Bhaskara-1 Earth U.S.S.R. Success Aug. 10.1979 observation Rohini Earth

July 18,1980 observation SLV-3 Failure Rohini Earth

June 19,1981 observation SLV-3 Success Apple Communí - Arfane cation Enro-pean Success

Nov.20.1981 Bhaskara II Space Agency Earth observation USSR. Snccess May 31.1981 Apr. 17, 1983 Rohini Scientific SLV 3 Failure Selenttfic Mar.24,1987 Rohini SROSS-I Technology SLV-3 Succcss

and Applf - Mar. 19,1988 IRS-IA cation ASLV Failure Remote sensing U.S.S.R.Succes Courtesy : THE HINDU (14-7-1988)

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Seven of these launches are described as suc- cessful and no one still knows, the spacemen in- cluded, what that means. If putting a satellite at colossal cost to the exchequer in the sky is decribed as a success, well ... And the term failure in all the 3 cases is a disastrous plunge down into the sea within minutes of take off. Perhaps. the launches did not come down Immediately is what success means according to this table. In- cidentaly. the. Table is indulgent to ISRO in enumerating its success and needs correction. Earlier on 10-8-1979 'Rohini' SLV-3 also came plummeting into the Bay of Bengal within 5 minutes of take-off. A horoscope (Chart 2) cast for this launch has serious afflictions.

MARS MOON KF.TU JUPIT.

MOON SUN MFRC. KETU Chart 2 VENUS SUN

RASI JUPIT. RAHU NAVAMSA ASCDT. MERC. SAT, VENUS

MARS ASCDT. SAT. RAIU

The Lagna is Leo. occupied by powerful Saturn and Rahu while the Moon is in the 7th. All the benefics are relegated to the 12th house. In the parent launch (Chart 1). the Dasa lord Saturn is in the 12th house in Aridra and its ruler Rahu is debilitated in the 5th house. Rahu in the 5th is a severe affliction that can give

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problematic offspring (in this context the series may have a chequered career) some times, at other times, a mental euphoria of success where it is not.phantasical plans, wild imagination and hypochrondria also. Saturn as Dasa Iord made the successful projects practically useless and the failures, abysmally dismal. Saturn Dasa ends in August 1989. The present Bhuktl is that of Jupiter and is the last one in Saturn Dasa going by the name of dasa-chidra. Saturn, the 7th and 8th lord and a first rate malefic, is placed in the 12th house. His blemish is slightly redeemed by being in Jupiter's constellation, although Jupiter is himself caught between malefics. Jupiter and Saturn are in Nakshatrapartvartana which is not too bad but the chart suffers from severe strokes of balarishta and the Dasa of a maraka planet running can hardly support the grandiose objec- tives envisaged in our space programmes. 'Bhaskara l', which marked Experiment two of the space sctentists, was launched on 7th June, 1979 at 16 hours (1ST), again from a Soviet cosmodrome. Its function was described as earth observation and that included "studies in hydrol- ogy, metelorology. forestry and other related areas of economic developments". 'Bhaskara' was an improvement on 'Aryabhata' in that it cost Rs. 6.5 crores (the launcher being a gift from USSR). took 4 years to build and involved 600 men who worked on it in different space centres in the country. This was in Venus Bhuktl of Saturn Dasa in Chart 1. Venus as 11th lord is afflicted by Ketu. The Dasa lord Saturn is in the 12th in

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the house of expenditure and as a malefic allows for unwarranted spending or to put it more plain- ly. creates losses.

MARS SUN VENUS MERC. KETU

KETU Chart 3 JUPIT. MOON

RASI NAVAMSA SAT. RAHU VENUS SUN SAT.

ASCDT. MARS MOON MI:XC. RAITU JUPIT. ASCDT.

in 'Bhaskara's chart (Chart 3)' discussed in the August 1979 issue of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE,we wrote. "Lord of the Ascendant Venus is in the 8th In his own sign in association with the Sun, lord of the 11th and the constellations Involved being Krittika and Mrigaslra respectively. This disposition suggests that the launching of 'Bhaskara' can at best act as not only a shot in one arm to the sagging spirit of our scientist as the pace of our progress in space science is far from spectacular, but also strengthen the image of our rulers whose amateurish methods of governing have placed India under the grip of moral degeneracy not to speak of economic chaos and political confusion. Mercury, the planet of in- telligence, thinking. communications, weather and intellectual acumen, is ideally placed in the 9th as lord of the 2nd and the 7th. This Is a silver lining as Mercury's position denotes that

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'Bhaskara' will contribute to some extent to the advancement of knowledge pertaining to weather .... "What is the main mission of 'Bhaskara' and how does it benefit the 'common man' and the weaker sections about whom our politicians shed crocodile tears day in and day out? The satellite is said to identify mineral occurrence areas. The fourth rules minerals. agriculture, etc. It is aspccted by exalted Jupiter, lord of the 3rd and 6th. But lord of the 4th Saturn is with Rahu in the 8th from the 4th. This is not an encouraging disposition though Saturn and Rahu are posited in the 11th. In fact, Ketu in the 5th can only mean Imaginary uses and nothing more ... " Saturn, the 5th lord, ruling intelligence is eclipsed by Rahu. It is also the house of invest- ment and Saturn's affliction by the nodes con- firms the unwise investment of both grey-matter and resources which finally showed up as a big failure. 'Rohinf' D2 launched in April 1983 is said to have been an unqualified success for ISRO. One just cannot be satisfied by such statements. One is also curious to know why it was called suc- cessful. Simply because The Rohini D2 took more than 2500 imageries which were used for iden- tification of features of Bhadravati forests in Kar- nataka, snow cover in Sutlej and vegetation in northern Andhra Pradesh" although this data was of practically no utility compared to the cost of

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acquiring it. The same data could have been provided by U.S. satellites currently orbiting the earth for a nominal cost. The same crores if employed to Improve agriculture would have paid spectacular dividends both In terms of produce and in terms of improving the life of the poor farmer. But none of it. These space programmes provide Information using which a paper is writ- ten, read at an international conference, and the reader given a citation amidst the clicking of cameras and the clapping of hands. A single ego is bloated out of all proportion and that at what cost to the exchequer? Some space project this! 'Rohinf' D2's predecessor's performance is also described as a success thereby making a mockery of this term if we look into the facts of the Rohini Satellite which went up on July 19, 1981. Its" mission ended in Just- 9 days as against the envisaged 90 days due to low attitude problems". Now when the media heralded the second ASLV Launch on July 13,'it was received with crossed fingers by the astrological community. More so because of the sad choice of the lunar day being Amavasya, in the context of the first developmental flight of the ASLV also going up in smoke. This was barely a year ago when accord- ing to the spacemen. the operational launch vehicle had failed to "achieve its mission's objec- tives". In spite of that, said the press. which seemed to have clearly" succumbed to the story doled out to it by the 'scientists', that "much of

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the technology developed for the ASLV could be tested during its 3 minute flight and the perfor- mance was found to be satisfactory" even if in common parlance it had failed even before the end of this 3 minutes of providing profound en- lightenment! According to the FAC the failure of the mis- sion was due to an occurrence which had only an exceedingly low probability. Chances or no chan- ces and in spite of all the detailed research and investigation by the FAC, SROSS-II went the same way as its predecessor, because' the orthodox scientific community of our country did not have an open enough mind to consider the use of Astrology. There has been, never before, such rigidly of outlook as we now have in our officially designated scientists. SROSS-I was launched on March 29. 1987 in Jupiter Bhuktl of Saturn Dasa of the parent chart. The chart (Chart 4) for the time of blast-off has some interesting features. The weekday was Tuesday. The Moon is in the 8th. a powerful combination for balarishta. Apparently abhijti, the Sun in the 10th is himself afflicted by Rahu. The Moon in the 8th is one of the doshas frowned upon in electional Astrology. in fact, the. principle is Sarveshukaryeshusasi balatayah that no matter what the venture, the Moon must be rendered strong. The same mistake was repeated at the launching of ASLV_D2 (Chart 5) rendered worse by the lunar day being Amavasya, Amavaasyaa

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SUN JUPST. MARS ASCDT. SAT. RAHU KI:TU

MERC. MERC. VENUS Chart 4 ASCDT RASI NAVAMSA MOON MOON

SAT. KETU MARS VENUS RANU JUPTT. SUN

niraarambha sarvaarambhesh varjitam- meaning the new Moon day should be rejected for any enterprise. We may also note the concentration of the malefic influences of the Sun, the Moon, Mars and Saturn on the 8th or house of destruc- tion. The 8th lord Mercury is in Aridra ruled by Rahu. Any tyro in Astrology could predict that ASLV- D2 would meet with instantaneous death.

MARS VENUS SUN JUPIT. MOON MOON RAHU SUN MERC. SAT. J

RAHU Chart 5 JUMT. VENUS

RASI NAVAMSA KETU ASCDT.

SAT. ASCDT. MERC. KETU MARS

The Ascendant is in a martian sign Scorpio. Both Aries and Scorpio ruled by Mars are taboo for any undertaking. Panchaka works out to 4 which is unsafe:Now let us take a look at its

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previous project shown by the 11th house Virgo (ruling elder siblings). Virgo is afflicted by the combined aspects of Mars and Saturn. The 11th lord Mercury is also aspected by both malefics showing the fate of its predecessor. Apart from the fact that the launch-off times were astrologically unsound the last Bhuktl of Saturn Dasa (Chart 1) now running does not seem to indicate smooth sailing for the space projects of our country. Chart 1 has an interesting melee of planetary dispositions. The Lagna and Lagna lord are both in Cancer, the constellation occupied by both being Pushya ruled by Saturn. Saturn as a func- tional malefic and placed in a dusthana transfers his inhibiting qualities to the Lagna. Therefore results of the space project will be nebulous, non-profitable, entail heavy losses and be marked by a string of failures. Yogakaraka Mars who is also the 10th lord (ruling achievements) is in the 8th house and this does not speak much of fu- ture performances either. "Results include "many breaks in career, If the 10th lord is fortified. he will occupy a high office in his field but only for a short time. If a malefic planet afflicts the 10th lord, the person has criminal propensities and commits offences. Saturn here makes the person an undertaker or otherwise employed in burning ghats, grave yards etc". These are for individual charts but can be suitably adapted to the project although they cannot be read too literally. The 10th lord Mars is afflicted by being in Rahu's

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constellation and Rahu is afflicting the house of intelligence from his sign of debility. This sug- gests impaired thinking and inability to com- prehend realities. The 10th lord in the 8th, house of death, is hardly indicative of laudable achieve- ments. On the contrary it points to more dismal performances. In Chart 1 Jupiter in the 9th is the only saving grace of a jinxed space program. lt may give an occasional sample of a semi- successful launch and nothing more. But Jupiter Dasa is practically ruled out this century and this dis- position of Jupiter ceases to be relevant. Mercury Dasa can be interesting for Mercury. though 12th lord, is in the 10th with exalted Sun (2nd lord) and can normally give rather gratifying results in terms of achievement. But within a year of the advent of Mercury Dasa, transit Saturn will have moved to Capricorn bringing the chart under affliction again. This could therefore give another spell of frustration and gloom for our space 'scientists'. The Sun, 2nd lord joining 12th lord Mercury in a constellation of Ketu will fire the ambitions of the spacemen so much as to expend astronomical amounts to put their plans into action but most of it ultimately going up in smoke. LITTERALLY!

Phenomena comc to us disguised in their frameworks of timc and space; they arc messages in cipher of which we shall not understand the ultimate significance until we have discovered how to decode them out of their space-time wrap- pings. Sir James Jeans (The Universe Around Us).

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

HOW I WAS CONVINCED ABOUT ASTROLOGY

Late Dr. S.A. Bhise, D.Sc.,Ph.D.

(Dr. S.A. Bhise was an eminent scientist and a great inventor. His inventions in the realm of mechanics were largely to do with the casting and composing of type. American and European scientific Journals conceded that he had satisfac- torily solved the intricate problem of multiple type-casting and he was dubbed "the Edison of India". In the chemical line he developed proces- ses for reducing Iodine to its atomic non- poisonous and water-soluble form. According to Scientific American, "the work of Dr. Bhlse should dispel the illusion, that the Indian brain sadly lacked inventive faculty". Such an eminent scientist's personal experiences with astrologers, must be of great value to the advocates of Astrol- ogy for Dr. Bhise's opinions are not coloured by misconceptions and prepossessions which char- acterise the utterences of modern scientists on Astrology.) As a youth I had not the slightest faith in Astrology. This despite the fact that my parents firmly believed that the stars exert an influence on human affairs. They used to consult astrologers frequently. However, I kept an open mind on the subject. In the event of coming across evidence which

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proved conclusively the soundness of astrological principles, 1 would gladly recognize the science as valld. I told my friends. I meant every word of it. Thus. when, in 1895, in the twenty-seventh year of my life, I was afforded an opportunity to observe astrological evidence at first hand, I proceeded to investigate the matter with all scien- tific impartiallty at my command. In the course of my sojourn at Lucknow, whither I had gone as a piligrim, 1 heard that a famous astrologer and palmist had taken up residence in the city. In order to "kill time", I went to him one day. I told him quite frankly of my scepticism. But I assured him that in the event of his furnishing conclusive evidence of his claims, 1 would cheerfully confess my conversion. The man was a venerable Brahmin pandit and since I was from distant Bombay. he was a total stranger to me. It was scarcely conceivable, therefore, that anything he said was based on previous information. He regarded me solemnly for several seconds, carefully examined my palms, and asked whether 1 had two hours or more to spare. "Here Is one thing at any rate that I can safely predict. If you can spare the time. you will leave here fully con- vinced". "1 called his bluff" and he set to work. The first thing he did was to take impressions of my palms on a sheet of paper. Then he studied the lines on the soles of my feet. Finally, he com-

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pleted an involved series of mathematical calcula- tions and said: "I am now going to ask you several questions, please answer nothing but 'yes' or 'no'. "Did you lose your father when you were twenty-six years of age?" (I answered in the af- firmative, attributing the guess to the fact that he knew me to be on a holy pilgrimage and such journeys are usually undertaken on behalf of the disembodied soul of one's late parent and occur after the first anniversary of the death). "Did you complete your formal education at the age of twenty-one and enter the civil, military or private service soon afterwards?" (This too. I attributed to mere guess work. Such a program is quite the usual thing for the educated Hindu). "Did your first wife pass away several months before your father?" (This was more than mere guess work. I was now intensely interested). Tell me, " I asked him, "would you care to cast my horoscope? Could you undertake to tell me the approximate date of my birth and, at the same time. tell me something of what the future has in store for me? I have all the time in the world at my disposal at the present moment, and I shall be glad to pay you well for your services." "Frankly", - the pandit smiled benevolently as he said this "I am very much interested in your case. I would regard it as a privilege to cast your horoscope. But I warn you I shall have to spend considerable time making the necessary calcula- tions."

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Two hours later, the good Brahmin Was ready with his report. "At the time of your birth, Pisces was In the Ascendant" .- I was mildly surprised. - "You were bom in April 1867." - The adjective mildly no longer ap- plied - "You came into this world on the 29th day of the month, shortly before sunrise." At that my amazement knew no bounds. - "As nearly as 1 can calculate it", he ruthlessly continued, "You were bom at 4-30 in the morning." My scepticism was at an end. 1 frankly and enthusiastically admitted this to the astrologer. I entreated him to enlighten me with regard to the future. The sage was silent for several minutes. Then he said: "Within less than a year, you will be given an unexpected opportunity to travel to a far distant land, north-west of India. This will mark the beginning of a new career. it will be entirely at variance with that of your father." Within six months 1 left for England. - "You will- reside in foreign lands for many years. And you will become celebraated for your work. You will derive a comfortable living from your labours. never, however, be truly a man of- wealth. You will achieve considerable success in some kind of humanitarian work. In work of a medical nature among other things. You will incline Increasingly toward an interest of philosophy and matters oc- cult. You will ever be striving anxiously and earnestly -- independently to boot-to achieve

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something worthwhile. Assistance will be offered you more largely by foreigners+than your own people. You will have plenty of secret enemies. No one, though. will be able to do you any harm. You will devote the best part of your life to the fulfilment of some important task or mission. After a hard struggle you will succeed. You will owe your success to financial and moral support rendered you by foreigners unexpectedly. You will neither gamble nor speculate nor become ad- dicted to any vice. You will live an exemplary life. After reaching a ripe age you will be sur- vived by grown-up sons and daughters and grandsons and grand-daughters. "Scorpio in relation to Saturn occupies a peculiar' position in your horoscope. On this account, you will never sanction religious or- thodoxy, so called. Rather, you will become a religious and social reformer of note. When you will have passed your sixty-fifth birthday. you will devote the great part of your time to the study of philosophy and the occult sciences. To facilitate your studies you will retire from all commercial activity. In fact, you will virtually renounce all worldly interest. According to the planetary aspects of your horoscope and lines of your palms, you are destined at this time to il- luminate the weary ways of the world with a new, important concept, a concept which will either take the form of a philosophical or spiritual truth or be translated into a measure of reform. Your accomplisment will be accorded wide renown.

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Your memory will persist in the minds of the world at large for many years after your death". A large part of the foregoing has already been substantiated, especially the last. Within the past few years, I have not only proposed a con- crete "measure of reform " (viz., the World Globe Temple) but I have also devoted considerable time to the study of philosophy and religion with a view to write a "Philosophy of Reason". I intend to retire from all temporal affairs within two or three years. My enlightment encompassed a period of more than three hours. My mother verified the hour of my .birth for me on return to the hotel, in as much as I was not myself fully aware of it and I found my Luck- now friend's rough horoscope, when I was once more back in Bombay, totally almost line for line with that cast at the time of my birth. The only exception I could note was that of the position assigned to the Moon; the Lucknow astrologer identified a particular phase as existing with Aquarius in the ascendancy whereas the man my father had engaged showed it in relation to Pis- ces. Then, of course, there was six minutes dif- ference In the time of birth.

From that time to this very day I have been a staunch believer in Astrology and Palmistry. I have constantly in the interest of science, at- tempted to sift the truth from the falsities. My horoscope . .with the first an- nouncements in the Indian press of the Chicago

world fair of 1893. 1 became conscious of a burn- ing desire to make a trip to the United States. Since I had no way of knowing whether or not I would be afforded the opportunity for such a journey - as a matter of fact, my circumstances at the time seemed to indicate anything but the likelihood of my leaving India in the near future - 1 consulted a prominent Bombay astrologer. As I have already pointed out, I had not the slightest faith in Astrology at the time; It was only out of curiosity. The good man at once pronounced the the Aries Ascendant horoscope the more reliable. He proceeded to predict, on the strength, of it. that 1 would never leave India. On the other hand, the Lucknow sage, as 1 have already indicated, cast my horoscope with Pisces In the Ascendant and, on the strength of Saturn's position during Scorpio's ascendancy. he prophesied my spending the greater part of my life achieving success abroad. Needless to say. the fulfilment of the Lucknow prognostication has resulted in Hindu astrologers with one accord discarding the horo- scope with Aries in the Ascendant and accepting that dominated by Pisces. The following are positions of the planets as determined by Hindu astrologers: There Is the conjunction of Venus and Mer- cury, during the ascendancy of Pisces, which Is considered highly beneficial. As a result of it, I have acquired International repute as India's pioneer and inventor. In addition. I have secured

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myself a significant position in social and scien- tific circles generally. The publicity accorded me by the press, I might state, has at no time in recent years been inconsiderable. Pisces appears in my horoscope incidentally, in the first house. The Sun's position in the second house, with Aries In the ascendent. is indeed an exalted one. In accordance with it I have at all times beer able to earn a comfortable living. I have had lit tle trouble securing adequate financial backin for my inventions. Unlike so many accidental in ventors, I have never had the experience of bein given anything other than an executive post or. the board of directors of the company organised for my contrivance's exploitation. 1 have been either president. vice-president. or some other of- ficer, with a proportionate share in the company's earnings. However, it has not been destined that I mass wealth or make any appreciable savings. The Sun's position is scarcely favorable as can readily been; the Sun in the house of wealth is considered favourable to spiritual rather than temporal well-being. Mars appears in the fifth house with Cancer in the ascendancy. which is by no means too favourable. On account of it. I was forced to end my formal education with graduation from high school. Owing. however, to the opportunities for observation and enlightening contact afforded in the Occident, I have been able. I believe, consider- ably to increase my store of knowledge. I have

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been granted honorary academic degrees and membership in sundry engineering and learned societies. Rahu. the earth's node, apears in the sixth house, with Leo in the ascendancy. This is a decidedly good omen. According to Hindu Astrol- ogy, Rahu in the 6th house raises a man of the most humble origin to the position of a powerful potentate and enables him to crush his enemies with ease. 1, for one, did not reach such an exalted position as that of king or dictator. However, it is true that 1 was born in india, a land scientifi- cally centuries behind the times, and that despite the almost insurmountable obstacles arising out of this contingency I have "beat" a number of European scientists and inventors "at their own game". It is also a fact that I have had any num- ber of enemies, the greater portion of whom have been characterised by duplicity. Yet, with the help of the Almighty. 1 have consistently prevailed against them. I am told by Hindu astrologers that H.H. Sayaji Rao, Gaekwar of Baroda has a horoscope which, too. shows Rahu in the sixth house. On this account it is believed he ascended to the throne. Needless to-say, he was aided by other powerful planetary aspects as well. Saturn is shown in the ninth house with Scorpio in the ascendancy. Saturn is a slow- moving planet. Its chief function is to increase the beneficence of the influences peculiar to the

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house in which it finds itself and in my case these influences pertain to travel and to religion. As regards travel, I have made several long voyages from India to England and return, and from England to the United States. All in all. I have spent more than thirty three years of my life, the greater part by far. in travel and residence abroad. In the house directly opposite. the third, Saturn is in exceedingly bad aspect, to which fact I have absolutely no assistance from brothers, sisters or relatives. With regard to religion, 1 have throughout waged relentless war against orthodoxy, so-called and deceitful dogma. I have devoted not a little time to matters philosophical and had en- deavoured with more or less zeal to effect social and religious reforms. It is interesting to note in this connection that the sadesatt of Saturn in my case begins somewhere in 1933. the year in which I am contemplating the inception of a dras- tic change in my way of life .: When I was about five years of age, we removed to Bombay, to a house which my father had had built next door to a family of Christian persuasion. A very real friendship sprung up be- tween our neighbours and ourselves and i used very often to have tea with them, often afternoon. My further contact with a faith other than Hindu was obtained at Christian Missionary School at which my education commenced. In the course of my residence abroad, my contacts have been almost exclusively with Chris-

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tians and Jews and it is by them that I have been helped most considerably in my work. The conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon and Ketu (the Moon's node in relation to the earth) with Aquarius in the ascendancy, in the twelfth house of my horoscope represent the expenditure of money. Due to Jupiter's favourable aspect in thts case, my money was rarely spent for any reason other than one of necessity, that is; for up-keep of the home, for worth-while causes, etc. Since the Moon is the ruler of the mind, and, in this case is found in, Aquarius, I have con- stantly been engaged in Intellectual pursuits, in the solving of scientific problems and the study of philosophical and occult subjects. Astrologers term me an "Aquarian" as a matter of fact. The effect of the Moon, however, is compli- cated by the phenomenon of Ketu, the eclipse aspect as I have already stated. By virtue of this land, I have often been in "hot water" (the oc- cidental astrologer does not take such concurren- ces into account and cannot, therefore, help but be in error). In 1896 I first acquired a full knowledge of Ketu's significance in my horoscope. It was from the lips of no less renowned a Hindu Gujarathi

bay. (astrologer) than the aged Nursi Joshi, of Bom- He warned me that my inventions and ideals were bound at all times not only to meet with misunderstanding and distrust but with Jealousy and envy - to breed for me enemies of a cowardly nature who. not having the courage

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confront me with their indictments in public. would resort to a whispering campaign against me. He assured me at the same time that I was certain to emerge from all this triumphant. He even went so far as to say that every obstacle in my path would serve only to assist me on my way. Since the Moon's eclipse is caused by the shadow of the earth itself, enemies would be found among my fellow countrymen. It would be only on exceedingly rare occasions that help would be forthcoming from India. Nurst Joshi concluded by telling me that the Instance of Ketu in the twelfth division is exceed- ingly rare, and that the only other such case of which he was aware was that of H.H. the Gaek- wad of Baroda. Thus it came about that I have on numerous occasions suffered set-backs through misunderstanding only to secure an' even more advantageous position within a short while. My ideals, motives, and activities have not only been misjudged by outsiders but also by my family circle, who certainly should have known better. I have been blamed with distressing frequency for fancied wrongs which time invariably proved the result of none of my doings. Due to its somewhat unusual aspects, my horoscope has been carefully studied by astrologers on three continents. Several years ago. It was published in a number of astrological journals.

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Among those to whom I am especially in- debted for convincing proof of Astrology's validity are: The Sage of Lucknow; Narsf Joshi, Hareshwar Mahadev Joshi Jivanram Chithnavis (all three of Bombay ), Alan Leo and Robert King of London; Swami Rajah of Atlantic City: Belle Bart and Theodore Nyland of New York.

• Reproduced from THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE (October 1948 and November 1948.)

In America there is the best scope for the caste (real jaatû to develop, and so the people are great. Every Hindu knows tht astrologers try to fix the caste of every boy or girl as soon as she is born. That is the real caste-the individuality, and Jyotisha (Astrology) recognises that, and we can only rise by giving it full sway again.

• Swamt Vlvekananda (Complete Works Vol. IV page 372-373)

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CHAPTER TWELVE

SRI AUROBINDO ON ASTROLOGY

edited by K. Channabasappa

ASTROLOGY is in the general mind as- sociated with that class of subjects which goes under the name of the occult.and along with others of its class it has long been discredited by modern "enlightenment", one does not quite know on what gtounds or with what rational justifica- tion. It has its psychic and mystical side, but that Is not its ordinary presentation; there it claims to be a science like any other with fixed processes and an exact and definite system of rules which ought to be perfectly capable of verification or of disproof by experiment and in- duction like any othere science. Its basis Is astronomical and mathematical. Its data perfectly open and positive and in no way hidden or oc- cult,nor does it at all shrink back from the test or hide itself in secrecy and mystery. It does not indeed give ordinarily the why, but only the how of the causes and effects it professes to establish, but so It Is with all other sciences; they do not give the reason for things, but only their proces- ses.

Yet Astrology is supposed at some indefinite time in the march of human mind to have been exploded along with such things as witchcraft and demonology. not to speak of the existence of

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spirits and the immorality of the soul and there is a sort of idea that it has been disproved and therefore put aside as a superstition which no reasonable man can even look at except with a lofty disdain, much less stoop to investigate with an open mind its truth or falsity. Still the anathema of science has not been able to destroy it. In Europe it has revived, and in India it has always survived. It is not indeed the habit of educated Indians to profess explicitly their belief in it; they fight shy of that as a rule, but it is largely consulted by numbers of them, as also by many Europeans. This is an anomalous position which ought to be corrected. Either Astrology is a true science and should be investigated, proved. improved where defective and generally rehabilitated in opinion, or else it is a pseudo-sience and should be investigated and disproved so as to cut the ground away final- ly from all secret belief or open credulity. As a matter of fact Astrology has never been scientifically disproved. nor has any rational ground ever been advanced for treating it as a pseudo-science. It simply came to be assumed at a certain period and under certain intellectual in- fluences that it was a childish superstition. Or if there were any grounds,then it was left aside be- cause astrologers were charlatans, because many, perhaps most predictions went wrong, but most of all because it was thought that in the nature of things, in any rational theory of the universe the planets simply could not have any influence

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on our characters, lives and actions. None of those grounds are sufficient. If many astrologers are charlatans, so also have there been many quacks in the field of medicine; at one time in- deed not only did they pullulate; but the system of medicine itself seemed so defective that there were plenty of clear and enlightened minds who were inclined with Moliere to denounce the whole thing as a gross pseudo-science, an elaborate and solemn system of ignorance, humbug and quack- ery. Supposing that view had prevailed It could not. merely because men are too vitally interested in healing their ailments and preserving their bodies and know no other way of doing it, that would not have done away with the truth under- lying the science. That many predictions go wrong. proves nothing essentally. against Astrology any more than the constant failure of doctors to heal dis- eases proves anything essential against their science. The first reason of this failure may be that a number of practising astrologers are either charlatans who speak to please their clients rather than predict by scientific rule-of that kind there are perhaps many-or else inefficient and ignorant men who practise only by rule of thumb, perfunctorily and with a main eye upon their fees. But if even capable astrologers fail often, that also only proves that either the science or their way or treating it is largely em- pirical or that some of its rules and theories may be errors. But every science has to pass through its empirical stage and some-as again, the

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science of medicine have hardly emerged from it, and every science too burdens itself in its progress with false generalisations, incorrect theories and imperfect rules which have after- wards to be discarded or amended. As the main point in medicine is whether herbs and metals and other remedies have or have not certain ef- fects on the body and whether their working can be substantiated by experience in a sufficient number of cases to establish a regular relation of cause and effect so it is in Astrology with the fundamental question of planetary influences upon earth and its creatures. The apriori argument from the rational theory of the universe cannot stand. There is nothing essentially irrational in the Idea that in this solar system, so closely linked together. there may be mutual influences .of all the planets upon each other or that the beings of a particular planet are powerfully influenced or even dominated by in- fluences from the others. The question remains, the apriori rationality being admitted or at least not summarily dismissed, first, whether it is so in fact and secondly, how far those influences go and of what nature they are. Astrology affirms that they not only effect our bodies, but also our psychical being. If matter and mind were entirely independent entities having no influence or deter- mining effect upon each other, then such a result could not be: but that is not the case. According to the materialistic view of the universe which claims to be the sole rationalistic view, mind is itself an effect of matter and all its states and

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movements are determind by matter. There is nothing then impossible, planetary influence being once admitted. in the action of material bodies producing psychical conditions on the earth and thereby determining our psychical states and movements. In a more truly rationalis- tic view mind and matter are always influencing and determining each other; here too. given a universal mind and matter so acting upon in- dividual matter and mind, the movements of the planetary system may be one or even the first nodus of their activities, and the assertions of Astrology become at least primarily credible. Further. Astrology affirms that these influen- ces determine the whole course of our lives and that the all-important element is time. That raises the major question of the influence of Time upon human beings and events; does Time deter- mine the course of our lives and the states of our being and if so, how far and in what way? Or to put the question more precisely, as it is raised by Astrology. do or can the conditions reigning at given critical time, in this case the moment of birth, determine our physical and psychological conditions and the whole course of our future lives, or determine them to any considerable ex- tent? And are the relative movements and there- fore the mutual positions of the Sun and planets with regard to the earth and each other either the nodus or in some way the effective signs of these determinations? And, secondly, do the develop- ing time conditions which come afterwards, by themselves or viewed in reference to the original

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conditions determine from moment to moment, from time to time the subsequent evolution of our primary physical and psychological conditions and the course of linked and successive cir- cumstances which make up the history of our lives, and if so, again, are the relative movements and mutual positions of the Sun and planets at any given time the nodus or the effective signs of this late determination also? Can they therefore be taken for all practical purposes as deter- minants, or at any rate as sure signs by which the determinations of our life and being can be discovered? That is the question which Astrology raises, and it is evidently a perfectly legitimate and rational question: nor can we on a priori grounds condemn and put away an affirmative answer, which is based upon past expirence sys- tematised into rules and theories, as a supersti- tion or a childish folly. Granted that in things here there is a chain of cause and effect or at least, if causality is disputed, of antecedent con- dition leading upto subsequent condition- and that if and so far as we know that chain, scien- tific prediction becomes in that proportion po.s-

Ancient Prophecies There have been many occasions in the past 2,000 years when astrological predictions have come true. Hip pocrates predicted a plague at Athens, and a plague swept the city. Alexander the Great was warned by astrologers to flee from the walls of Babylon where his evil star prevailed, bnt like Hitler he took their advice only when it snited htm, entered the city, and met his end. Courtesy: Seeing into the Future by Harvey Day

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sible- two propositions which, unless we deny determination altogether, it would be difficult to dispute- there Is no Inherent Improbability in the clue to happenings, human and other, on the planets being found in the motions of those planets. Astronomy is in a sense the primary physical science, for the first facts which give all the others their field are astronomical facts; it may well be that in the psycho- physical field the same rule holds and that there the first facts may be astrological. The a priori objections disappearing, the next step is to ask ourselves whether there is a suffi- cient prima facte empricical case for inquiring into the actual truth of Astrology. This at present depends upon the experience of isolated individuals, a very unsatisfactory basis. But if this experience could be collected, sifted and published, I believe it would he found that a for- midable prima facie case exists in favour of Astrology, much stronger than that which en- couraged the Society for Psychical Reasearch to carry on its work in another psycho- physcial field to such important conclusions. I may state

Astrology Is Science Mr. Morarjl Desa] observes thus about Astrology:

I firmly believe that the law of Karma governs the universe and therefore 1 believe in Astrology as a science. Bnt I wonld not go so far as to claim that there are many practising astrologers who can make absolntely correct forecasts. Accurate predictions are indeed possible ....

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my own experience in the matter in the bellef, justified by many instances, that it is only typical of the experience of hundreds of others. My first accidental contact with an Indian astrologer was not encouraging. This gentlemen was the most accomplished thought-reader I have ever seen: for he asked me to think my question without speaking it and not only successfully named the unspoken question I had fixed on. but three others which had crossed my mind, one of them only in the merest flash and without leaving any impression behind; this he pretended to do by mathematical calculation, an operation which I took leave to regard as humbug or professional parade. For when it came to his answers, I found that he was still doing thought-reading and not Astrology: he simply echoed the hopes or thougts in my mind and his predictions did not come within one hundred miles of the truth. Other practioners I have found to belong, a few plainly to the class of merely flattering charlatans but most to the ineffieient who read by rule of thumb and have made no profund study of their

One's destiny Is the sum total of the consequences of one's past actions or karmas. If we believe in the dynamie law of karma, we must admit that one's destiny is unal- terable, unavoidable. Modem physical science, too. tells us that action and reaction are equal and opposite, that noth- ing" in this world is lost, but only undergoes a change of form or value. It stands to reason thus that one's destiny is capable of being charted in advance by a good astrologer.

Coutesy: Times of India (11-4-65,

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science. On the othere hand, with capable astrologers the results have been often of such a remarkable accuracy as to put quite aside any possibility of chance hit, mere coin- cidence, intelligent prevision or any of the current explanations. I may instance the father of a friend of mine, a deep student of the science but not a professional, who predicted accurately the exact year, month. hour and even minute of his own death. In my own case accuracy was hampered by the inability to fix the precise mo- ment of my birth; still some of the results were extraordinary. Two may be mentioned, from one and the same astrologer. which related to my public career. One. given when I had. not yet plunged into the political vortex and my then obscure personality was quite unknown to the astrologer, predicted as an inevitable certitude of the future a political struggle with powerful non- Indian adversaries during which for a time even my life would fall under the shadow of danger. The other, given at the time of my first prosecu- tion in the Bande Mataram case, predicted three

India And Western Science "If we are to live at all, we must resume India's great, interrupted endeavour. We must take up boldly and ex- ecute thoroughly, in the individual and in the society, In the spiritual and in the mundane life, in philosophy and religion, in art and literature, in thought, In political and economic and social formulation, the full and unlimited sense of her highest spirit and knowledge. And if we do that, we shall find thal the best of what comes to usdraped

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successive criminal trials in each of which the prosecution would fail. I may instance also two predictions by the book in which slokas from Sanskrit astrological writings indicating the results of certain conjunctions or planetary posi- tions were shown to be aplicable to my horo- scope. One foretold specific chronic illnesses for the body of which there was no sign at the time, but long afterwards they put in their unexpected appearance and persisted. Another Indicated very very precisely that one of my future activities would be to found a new spiritual philosophy and Its discipline; at that time I had no knowledge of philosophy or Yoga and no turn or inclination in my mind which could make the realisation of this prediction at all probable. These are only the most precise examples out of a number. Suppos- ing all well-authenticated evidence of the kind were to be collected, I am convinced there would be an overwhelmingly strong prima facie case and even a body of sufficently strong empirical proof to establish at least a nucleus of truth in Astrol- ogy.

in Occidental forms, is already implied tn our own ancient wisdom and has there a greater spirit behind tt, a profounder truth and self-knowledge and the capactty of a will to nobler and more ideal formations. Only we need to work out thoroughly tn life what we have always known in spirit. There and nowhere else lies the secret of the needed harmony between the essential meaning of our past culture and the environmental of onr future." (Ynva Bharati, Madras, Dec 1979.p33). SRI AUROBINDO

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That would be the first step. For if Astrology is a science and is to take its proper place, the first necessity is to dissipate by an appeal to the empirical mind of the general public as well as of the sceptical thinker the great mass of unenquir- ing prejudice which now exists against it.

• Reproduced fromTHE ASTROLOGICA MAGAZINE February 1975.

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN

OUTWITTING THE STARS

"Mukunda, why don't you get an astrological armlet?" "Should I. Master? I don't believe in Astrology." "It is not a question of belief; the scientific attitude one should take on any subject is whether. it is true. The law of gravitation worked as efficiently before Newton as after him. The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of human belief.

"Charlatans have brought the ancient steller science to its present disepute. Astrology is too vast, both mathematically and philosophically, to 1 From astronomical references in ancient Hindn litera- ture, scholars have been able to ascertain the dates of the authors. The scientific knowledge of the rishis was very great; in the KaushitaktBrahmanawe flnd precise astronomical pas- sages indicating that tn 3100 B.C. the Hindus were far ad- vanced in astronomy, which had a practical value to determin- ing the auspicious times for astrological ceremonies. An ar- ticle in East-West, February, 1934, says the Jyotish or body of Vedic astronomical treatises: "It contains the scientific lore that kept India at the forefront of all ancient nations and made her the Mecca of seekers after knowledge. Brahmagupta, one of the Jyotish works, ts an astronomical treatise dealing with such matters as the heliocentric motion of the planetary bodies in our solar system, the obliquity of the ecliptic. the earth's spherical form, the reflected light of the Moon, the earth's daily axial revolution, the presence of fixed stars in the Milky Way. the law of gravitation, and other scientific facts that dtd not dawn in the Western world until the time of Copernicus and Newton".

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be rightly grasped except by men of profound un- derstanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the 'wise'. "All parts of creation are linked together and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity." my guru continued. "Man, in his human aspect, has to combat two sets of forces - first, the tumults within his being, caused by the admix- ture of earth, water, fire, air, and ethereal ele- ments; Second, the outer disintegrating powers of nature. So long as man struggles with his mor- tality, he is affected by the myriad mutations of heaven and earth. "Astrology is the study of man's response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscious benevolence or animosity; they merely send forth positive and negative radiations. Of themselves, these do not help or harm humanity. but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of cause-effect equilibrium that each man has set into motion in the past.

The so-called "Arabic numerals," invaluable in the development of Western mathematics, came to Europe in the ninth century, via the Arabs, from India, where that system of notation had been anciently formulated. Further light on India's vast scientific heritage will be found in Sir P.C Roy's History of Hindu Chemtstry,In B.N. Seal's Positive Sciences of the Ancient Hindus, In B.K. Sarkar's Hindu Achievements in Exact Sciences and his The Positive Background of Hindu Sociology, and U.G. Dutt's Materia Medica of the Hindus.

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"A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical har- mony with his individual karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait, revealing his unalterable past and its probable future results. But the natal chart can be righly Interpreted only by men of Intuitive wisdom; these are few. "The message boldly blazoned across the heavens at the moment of birth is not meant to emphasize fate - the result of past good and evil but to arouse man's will to escape for his univer- sal thraldom. What he has done, he can undo. None other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent in his life. He can overcome any limitation, because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he possesses spiritual resources that are not subject to planetary pressure. "Superstitious awe of Astrology makes one an automaton, slavishly dependent on mechanical guidance. The wise man defeats his planets which is to say. his past - by transferring his al- legiance from the creation to the Creator. The more he realizes his unity with Spirit, the less he can be dominated by matter. The soul is ever free; It is deathless because birthless. It cannot be regimented by stars. "Man Is a soul, and has a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all compulsive patterns. So long as he remains confused in his ordinary state of

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spiritual amnesia, he will know the subtle fetters of environmental law. "God is Harmony; the devotee who attunes himself will never perform any action amiss. His activities will be correctly and naturally timed to accord with astrological law. After deep prayer and meditation he Is in touch with his divine conscousness; there is no greater power than that inward protection." "Then, dear Master, why do you want me to wear an astrological bangle? I ventured this question after a long silence; I had tried to as- similate Sri Yukteswar's noble exposition, which contained thoughts very new to me. "It is only when a traveller has reached his goal that he is justified in discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis dis- covered many ways to curtail the period of man's exile in delusion. There are certain mechanical features in the law of karma that can be skilfully adjusted by the fingerts of wisdom. "All human ills arise from some transgression of universal law. The scriptures point out that man must satisfy the laws of nature, while not discrediting the divine omnipotency. He should say: "Lord, I trust in Thee, and know Thou canst help me, but I too will do my best to undo any wrong I have done'. By a number of means - by prayer, by will power, by yoga meditation, by con- sultation with saints, by use of astrological

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bangles - the adverse effects of past wrongs can be minimized or nullified. "Just as a house may be fitted with a coper rod to absord the shock of lightning, so the bodi- ly temple can be protected in certain ways. "Electrical and magnetic radiations are cease- lessly circulating in the universe; they affect man's body for good and ill. Ages ago our rishis pondered the problem of combating the adverse effects of subtle cosmic influences. The sages dis- covered that pure metals emit an astral light which is powerfully counteractive to negative pulls of the planets. Certain plant combinations were also found to be helpful. Most effective of all are faultless jewels of not less than two carats. The practical preventive uses of Astrology have seldom been seriously studied outside of India. One little-known fact is that the proper jewels, metals and plant preparations are value- less unless the required weight is secured and unless the remedial agent is worn next to the skin." "Sir, of course I shall take your advice and get a bangle. I am intrigued at the thought of outwitting a planet!" "For general purposes I counsel the use of an' armlet made of gold, silver, and copper. But for a specific purpose I want you to get one of silver and lead." Sri Yukteswar added careful direc- tions. 'Guruji, what 'specifc purpose' do you mean?"

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"The stars are about to take an 'unfriendly' interest In you. Mukunda. Fear not; you shall be protected. In about a month your liver will cause you much trouble. The illness is scheduled to last for six months, but your use of an astrologi- cal armlet will shorten the period to twenty-four days". I sought out a jeweller the next day, and was soon wearing the bangle. My health was excel- lent; Master's prediction slipped from my mind. He left Serampore to visit Benares. Thirty days after our conversation, I felt a sudden pain in the region of my liver. The following weeks were a nightmare of excruciating pain. Reluctant to dis- turb my guru, I thought I would bravely endure my trial alone. But twenty-three days of tortue weakened my resolution; I entrained for Benares. There Sri Yukteswar greeted me with unusual warmth, but gave me no opportunity to tell him my woes in private. Many devotees visited Master that day, just for a a darshan2. Ill and neglected, I sat in a comer. It was not until after the evening meal that all guests had departed. My guru summoned me to the octagonal balcony of the house. "You must have come about your liver disor- der." Sri Yukteswar's gaze was averted; he walked to and fro, occasionally intercepting the moon- light. "Let me see. you have been ailing for twent- four days, haven't you?" "Yes, sir." The blessing that flows from the mere sight of a saint.

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"Please do the stomach exercise I taught you. "If you knew the extent of my suffering. Master, you would not ask me to exercise." Nevertheless I made a feeble attempt to obey him. "You say you have pain; I say you have none. How can such contradictions exist?" My guru looked at me inquiringly. I was dazed and then overcome with joyful relief. No longer could I feel the continuous tor- ment that had kept me nearly sleepless for weeks; at Sri Yukteswar's words the agony vanished as though it had never been. I started to kneel at his feet in gratitude, but he quickly prevented me. "Don't be childish. Get up and enjoy the beauty of the moon over the Ganges." But Master's eyes were twinkling happily as I stood in silence beside him. I understood by his attitude that he wanted me to feel that not he. but God, had been the Healer. I wear even now the heavy silver and lead bangle, a memento of that day - long-past, ever- cherished - when I found anew that I was living with a personage indeed superhuman. On later occasions, when I brought my friends to Sri Yuk- teswar for healing, he invariably recommended jewels or the bangle, extolling their use as an act of astrological wisdom. I had been prejudiced against Astrology from my childhood, partly because I observed that many people are sequaciously attached to it. and

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partly because of a prediction made by our family astrologer: "You will marry three time, being twice a widower." I brooded over the matter, feel- ing like a goat awaiting sacrifice before the temple of matrimony. "You may as well be resigned to your fate", my brother Ananta had remarked. Tour written horoscope had correctly stated that you would fly from home toward the Himalayas during your early years, but woud be forcibly returned. The forecast of your marriage is also bound to be true." A clear intuition came to me one night that the prophecy was wholly false. I set fire to the horoscope scroll placing the ashes in a paper bag on which I wrote: "Seeds of past karma cannot germinate if they are roasted In the fire, of divine wisdom." I put the bag In a conspicuous spot; Ananta immediately read my defiant comment. You cannot destroy truth as easily as you have burnt this paper scroll." My brother laughed scornfully. It is a fact that on three occasions before I reached manhood, my family tried to arrange my betrothal. Each time I refused to fall in with the plans.3 knowing that my love for God was more overwhelming than any astrological persuasion from the past. 3 One of the girls whom my family selected as a possible bride for me afterward married my cousin, Prabhas Chandra Ghosh. He is an officer of the Yogoda Satsanga Society (af- filiated with SRF) in India.

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The deeper the Self-realization of a man, the more he influences the whole universe by his subtle spiritual vibration, and the less he himself is affected by the phenomenal flux." These words of Master's often returned inspiringly to my mind. Occasionally I told astrologers to select my worst periods, according to planetary indications, and I would still accomplish whatever task 1 set myself. It is true that my success at such times has been preceeded by extraordinary difficulties. But my conviction has always been Justified; faith in divine protection, and right use of man's God- given will, are forces more formidable than are in- fluences flowing from the heavens. The starry inscription at one's birth, 1 came to understand, is not that man is a puppet of his past. Its message is rather a prod to pride: the very heavens seek to arouse man's determination to be free from every limitation. God created each man as a soul, powered with individuality, hence essential to the universal structure, whether in the temporary role of pillar or parasite. His freedom is final and immediate. If he so wills; it depends not on outer but inner victories. Sri Yukteswar discovered the mathermatical application of a 24,000-year equinoctial cycle to our present age . The cycle is divided into an As- cending Arc and a Descending Arc. each of

4 These equinoctial cycles are expounded in Swami Yukteswar's book, The Holy Science (Yogoda Satsanga Society, P.O. Ariadah, Dakshineswar, West Bengal, India).

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12,000 years. Within each Arc fall four Yugas or Ages, called Kali. Dwapara, Treta, and Satya. cor- responding to the Greek ideas of Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Golden Ages. My guru determined by various calculations that the last Kali Yuga or lron Age, of the As- cending Arc. started about A.D. 500. The Iron age, 1200 years in duration, is a span of materialism; it ended about A.D. 1700. That year ushered in Dwapara Yuga, a 2,400-year period of electrical and atomic-energy development, the age of telegraph, radio, airplanes, and other space- annihilators. The 3,600-year period of Treta Yuga will start in A.D. 4,100; its age will be marked by common knowledge of telepathic communications and other time-annihilators. During the 4,800 years of Satya Yuga, final age in an Ascending Arc, the intelligence of man will be highly developed; he will work in hormony with the divince plan. A Descending Arc of 12,000 years, starting with a Descending Golden .Age of 4,800 years, then begins for the world (in A.D. 12,500); man gradually sinks into ignorance. These cycles are the eternal rounds of maya, the contrasts and relativities of the phenomenal Universes, Men, one by one, escape from creation's prison of

5 The Hindu scriptnres place the present world-age as occuring within the Kali Yuga of a much longer universal cycle than the simple 24,00 year equinoctal cycle with which Sri Yukteswar was concerned. The Universal cycle of the scrip- tures is 4,300,560,000 years in extent, and measures out a

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duality as they awaken to consciousness of their inseverable divine unity with the Creator. Master enlarged my understanding not only of Astrology but of the world's scriptures. Placing the holy texts on the spotless table of his mind. he was able to disect them with the scalpel of intuitive reasoning, and to separate errors and interpretations of the scholars from the truths as originally expressed by the prophets.

(Reproduced from Autobiography of a Yogi Paramahama Yogananda.)

Day of Creation or the length of life assigned to our planetary system in its present form. This vast figure given by the rishis is based on a relationship between the length of the solar year and a multiple of Pi (3.1416, the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle).

The life span for a whole universe, according to the an- cient sears, is 314, 159,000,000,000 solar year, or " One Age of Brahma".

The Hindu scriputes declare that an earth such as ours is dissolved for one of two reasons; the inhabitants as a whole become either completely good or completely evil. The world mind thus generates a power that releases the captive atoms held together as an earth.

Dire pronouncements are occasionally published regard- ing an imminent "end of the world". Planetary cycles, how- ever, proceed according to an orderly divine plan. No carthly dissolution is in sight; many ascending not descending equi- noctial cycles are yet in store for our planet tn its present form ..

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN

WRITTEN IN THE STARS

The cupolas quiver with light in the dazzling sunshine, the bathers fill the air with the sounds of their matutinal ablution, and the Jumbled, Oriental pageant of the water-front and Benares shows itself anew to my alien gaze. I idle down the Ganges in a heavy Junk, whose prow is carved like a cobra's head. I am on the roof of a cabin, while the three rowers who are below pull their quaint oars. A merchant from Bombay is my companion and, as he sits next to me, he tells me that he intends to retire from trade when he returns to that city. He is an extremely pious but equally practical man. While laying up treasure in heaven, he has not omitted to lay up treasure in the bank. I have known him for about a week and find him an amiable, genial and friendly per- son. "I am retiring at the very age which Sudhei Babu predicted it would happen" he says, eager to explain. This odd remark causes me, metaphorically, to prick up my ears "Sudhei Babu - who is he?" "Do you not know? He is the cleverest astrologer in Benares." j "Oh, just an astrologer!" 1 grunt back a little scornfully.

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For I have seen the breed squatting In the dust of Bombay's great open space, the Maidan; sitting in sultry booths at Calcutta; and foregathering wherever travellers pass through every little town I have visited. Most of them are dirty-looking creatures, with wild locks of un- kempt hair. The recognizable print of supersiti- tion and ignorance rests upon their faces. Their stock-in-trade usually consists of two or three greasy. well-fingered books and some vernacular almanac filled with incomprehensible signs. I have often cynically thought of their eagerness to direct the fortunes of other persons, when they themselves seemed outside the pale of good for- tune.

"1 am somewhat surprised at you. Is it safe for a business man to trust himself to the twin- kling of the stars. Don't you think common sense is a better guide?" I add. in the tone of one giving good advice. The other man half-shakes his head and smiles tolerantly at me. "How, then, do you explain the prediction of my retirement? Who could have guessed that I would give up trade at such an exceptionally early age. for as you know I am only a year past forty?" "Coincidence, perhaps." "Very well; let me tell you a little story. Some years ago I met a great astrologer in Lahore and started a large business negotiation on his advice. At that time I was in partnership with an

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older man. My partner asserted that the affair was far too risky and he refused to agree with me. Because he would not enter Into the transac- tion we dissolved partnership. I carried the busi- ness through alone. It was a startling success and brought me a small fortune. Yet unless the Lahore astrologer had strongly supported me, I, too. would have feared to enter the affair." Then you hold the opionion that. "Our lives are ruled by destiny and that destiny is shown by the positions of the stars!" I slip my objections to his statement upon the thread of an impatient gesture. The astrologers I have seen in India are such an illiterate, stupid-looking lot. that I cannot im- agine what beneficial anyone." advice they can give

"Ah, you must not confuse a learned scholar like Sudhei Babu with those ignorant men you have encountered. Truly, those men are char- latans but he is a highly intelligent Brahmin who lives in a large house of his own. He has made a deep study of the subject for many years and possesses many volumes of great rarity." It suddenly occurs to me that my companion Is no fool. He belongs to that type of modem Hindu who is enthusiastically practical and who does not hesitate to avail himself of the latest resources of Western Invention. He is even ahead of me in some ways. He carries a magnificent moving-picture camera on the boat, whereas I can boast of nothing better than a humble pocket

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kodak; his servant produces a thermos flask and pours out a cooling drink, thus rebuking my la- mentable forgetfulness of an excellent travelling requisite; and 1 know from his talk that he makes more use of the telephone when in Bombay than I have ever cared to do when in Europe. And yet he believes in astrology! I puzzle over the incon- gruous elements which compose his character. "Let us understand each other. You fully ac- cept the theory that every man's career and every worldly event is controlled by stars whose dis- tance from our planet is so great that it beggars imagination?" "Yes, I do," he answers quietly. I shrug my shoulders, not knowing what to say. He assumes an apologetic air. "My dear sir, why not go and try him for yourself? You say in your country, The proof of the pudding is in the eating'. Find out what Sudhei Babu can discover about you. I have no use for the cheap charlatans myself, but 1 believe in that man's genuineness." "H'm. I am sceptical about those who make a business of foretellelng. Still, I shall take you at your word. Will you take me to this astrologer?" "Certainly, Come and have tiffin with me tomorrow and then we shall visit him .* We continue to float by broad palaces and old temples and little shrines bespattered with yellow flowers. I look indifferently at the broad

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stone steps crowded with bathing pilgrims and reflect that, though science rightly flatters itself with having put a check to superstition, 1 have yet to learn that a scientific attitude should put a check to investigation. If my companion can produce some evidential facts for the marked feel- ing of fatalism which he shares in common with most of his countrymen. I shall study them with an open mind. The next day my amiable acquaintance brings me to a narrow, archaic street which runs through a heap of flat-topped houses. We stop before a rambling, old. stone-built stucture. He leads the way through a dark, low-roofed passage and then we climb several stone steps, which are no wider than a man's body. We pass through a narrow room and find ourselves on the veranda of a spacious inner courtyard, around which the house has been built. A chained dog sights us and furiously barks a challenge. An array of large pots, each holding some tropical flowerless plant, spreads along the veran- da. I follow my companion into a dark, frowning room and nearly fall over some broken flag-stones at the threshold. As I stoop, 1 notice that loose earth lies sprinkled in the room as freely as it is sprinkled on the veranda floor. Does the astrologer find relief from his starry studies in plant-growing, 1 wonder. The other man shouts for the astrologer, whose name is echoed back to us by the ancient

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walls. We wait for two or three minutes and as- sist the dog. by further calls for the astrologer, to punctuate the silence of this seemingly deserted building. I begin to think that we have come on a fruitless errand, when the sound of someone stir- ring descends from an upper floor. Soon after I hear shuffling steps approach our room. The figure of a slight man, carrying a candle In one hand and Jangling a bunch of keys in the other, appears on the threshold. There follows a brief conversation in the semi-gloom and the astrologer unlocks another door, through which we all pass. He draws aside two heavy curtains and opens the shutters which cover tall balcony windows. The astrologer's face is suddenly illuminated by the light which falls through the opened win- dows. I see a man who seems more like a figure from the ghost world than one of flesh and blood. Never before have I seen anyone so" sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought". His death-like coutenance, incredibly lean body and unearthly slow movments combine to produce a weird ef- fect. The whites of his eyes are so pronounced as to heighten this impression, their whiteness offer- ing a strong contrast to the Jet-black pupils. He takes his seat at a large table, whose sur- face is littered with papers. I discover that he speaks tolerably good English, yet it is only after some persuasion that I can induce him to carry on a direct conversation without the aid of a third party as interpreter.

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"Please understand that 1 come as an en- quirer, not as a believer," I begin. He nods his thin head. "Yes. I shall cast your horoscope and then you must tell me if you are satisfied." "What is your fee?" "1 have no fixed charge. Some people of posi- tion pay me sixty rupees; others pay me twenty rupes. I leave the amount to you". I proceed to make it clear to him that, before we bother about the future, I want to test his knowledge of the past. He agrees. "For a while he busies himself with calcula- tions over my birth date. After ten minutes he stoops to the floor behind his chair and searches among a disorderly pile of yellowed papers and palm-leaf manuscripts. Finally he draws out a lit- tle bundle of oblong, time-stained slips. He sketches a queer diagram on a sheet of paper and says: c This is a chart of the heavens at the time you were born. And these Sanskrit texts explain the meaning of every part of the chart. Now. I shall tell you what the stars declare." He scrutinizes the diagram with minute care, referes to one of the slips, and speaks again. in that low, emotionless voice which befits his per- sonality so well. "Your are a writer from the West? Am 1 cor- rect?" I nod in agreement.

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He tells me thereafter about my youth and describes in quick succession a few happeings of the earlier years of my life. In all, he gives me seven important points about my past. Five of them are broadly correct, but the other two are utterly wrong. Thus I am able to check up on the value or worthlessness of his powers. The hones- ty of the man is transparent. 1 am already con- vinced that he is incapable of deliberate decep- tion. A 75% success in an inttal test in startling enough to show that Hindu Astrology calls for in -; vestigation, but it also indicates that the latter is no precise, infallible science. Once again Sudhei Babu burrows among his scattered papers and then describes my character with a fair degree of accuracy. After that he pic- tures the mental capacities which have brought me to follow a profession congenial to them. Here again, when he lifts his intellectual head and asks, "Have I read correctly?" I cannot dispute his words. He shuffles his papers, silently studies the diagram, and begins to speak of the future. The world will become your home. You shall travel far and wide, yet always you wlll carry a pen and do your writing work." And in this strain he discourses of what is yet to be. But I can run no investigating rule over his prophecies. so I am content to leave them where I find them - written in the stars! 1 One of his predictions, which I had instantaneously and scep- tcally dismissed aa a ridicnlons impossibility, has now received ample confrmation. Bui a second event has failed to mature at the dale he gave for it. The others still wait for tme's comment.

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. With his last words he again asks if I am satisfied. His fairly correct description of my past forty years on this amazing planet; his almost completely successful effort to show me my men- tal self these things silence the criticisms which I have come prepared to utter." I want to ask myself, "Is this man merely drawing a bow at a venture? Is he doing nothing more than a bit of smart guess work?" But 1 must candidly confess that his prognostictions impress me. Yet time alone can tell whether there is any worth in them or not. is my western attitude toward the dark ques- tion of fate to tumble about me like a ·house of thin cards? What can I say about lthe matter? 1 move over to the window and stand there, staring out at the opposite house and jingling the silver rupees in my pocket. Finally I return to my seat and question the Astrologer. "Why should it seem impossible to you that such distant stars can influence the lives of men?" he rejoins softly. Do not the tides respond to the distant moon in their ebb and flow? Does not the body of woman undergo a change every lunar month? Does not the absence of the Sun make men more liable to depressed moods?" "Quite so. But that is a far cry from asserting the claims of astrology. Why should Jupiter or Mars care two annas whether I meet with shipwreck or not?" He looks at me with an unruffled face.

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"It is better that you regard the planet as being only symbols which stand in the sky; it is not they which really influence us, but our own past." He replies. "You will never understand the reasonable nature of astrology unless you accept the doctrine that man is born again and again and that his fate follows him with every birth. If he escapes the results of his evil actions in one birth. they will punish him in his next; and if he does not retrieve a due reward for his good ac- tions in one lifetime, he will surely retrieve it in the next. Without this doctrine of the continued return of man's soul to this earth until such time as it becomes perfect, the changing fortunes of different persons would seem the result of mere chance or blind luck. How can that be allowed by a Just Deity? No - it is our belief that when a man dies, his character, destres, thoughts and will continue to exist until they enter a body of flesh once more and come among us in the form of a new-born baby. The good or evil actions committed In the former birth will be suitably rewarded or punished in the present or even fu- ture births. This is how we explain fate. When I said that you would be shipwrecked one day and in grave danger of drowning. that is the fit des- tiny which God. in His hidden justice, has por- tioned out to you because of something wrong which you did in a former birth. It Is not the planets which force you into shipwreck, but the inescapable results of your former actions. The planets and their positions only act as a record of this destiny; why they should do so I cannot

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say. No man's brain could ever have Invented astrology; It came to us from long ago, when it was revealed for man's benefit by the great seers and sages of ancients times." As I listen to this plausible pronouncement. I hardly know what comment to make. He would bind one's soul and fortune to the stake of fate, but no healthy westerner will let himself be despoiled of the prized possession of free will. What inhabitant of the energetic Occident can wax enthusiastic over this belief that it is des- tiny. and not choice, which directs him to take his steps? I gaze in bewilderment at this lean dreamer, this sallow wanderer through . remote signs of the zodiac. "Do you know". I tell him, "that in some parts of the South astrologers rank next to the priests, and that nothing of any mag- nitude can be done without previously consulting them? We Europeans would laugh at such a posi- tion, for we do not look kindly upon predictive methods. We like to think that we are free in- dividuals and not the hapless victims of an inex- orable destiny." The astrologer shrugs his shoulders. "In one of our old books, the Hitopadesa, it is declared: 'No one is capable of opposing the predestination of fate, which are written in the foreheads of men." He lets his words sink in. Then he continues: "What can you do? We must bear with the the fruit of our actions." But I am dubious about this statement and express my feeling. The

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prophet of personal fortunes rises from his chai. I take the hint and prepare to leave him. He mur- murs musingly: "All is in the power of God. Nothing can es- cape Him- Who of us Is really free? Whither can we go where God is not?" At the door he adds hesitatingly: "If you wish to come again we may talk fur- ther on these matters." I thank him and accept the invitation. "Verly well. I shall expect you tomorrow, after the Sun has gone down, about the hour of six." Next day I return with the dusk to the astrologer's house. 1 have no intention of accept- ing all that he tells me, but neither have 1 formed any plans for rejection. I come to listen, possibly to learn, though the latter rests on how far his statements can be verified by experiment. And at this time I am ready enough to make experi- ments. but only if sufficiently strong reasons can be given for them. Yet Sudhei Babu's reading of my horoscope has stirred me to the perception that Hindu astrology is not superstitious non- sense, and that it may well warrant a deeper in- vestigation. That thought represents the limit of my present attitude. We sit facing each other at his large writing- table. A paraffin lamp throws a dim light upon the scene. Millions of other Indian homes are being Iit to-night in the same way.

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"I have fourteen rooms in this house." the astrologer tells me. They are filled with ancient manuscripts, which are mostly written in Sanskrit. That explains why I need such a large house, although I live alone. Come and see my collection." He removes the hanging lamp and leads the way into another room. Open boxes are ranged around the walls. I peer inside one of them and find it full of books and papers. Even the floor of the room is hidden under a multitude of paper, bundles of palm-leaf manuscripts and books whose covers are discoloured with age. I take a small bundle in my hand; each leaf is covered with incomprehensible, faded characters. We go from room to room and find the same scene everywhere. The astrologer's library appears to be in a state of hopeless disorder, but he assures me that he is familiar with the whereabouts of every book and paper. It seems to me that his house has gathered the wisdom of Hindustan. Surely much of the strange lores of India is con- tamed in the almost undeciperable pages of these ancient rolls of manuscript and in these Sanskrit books! We return to our chairs and the other man informs me: "Nearly all my money has been spent in buying those manuscripts and books. Many of them are very rare and cost me large sums. So it Is that I am very poor to-day." "What subjects do they deal with?"

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They deal with human life and divine mysteries, while many are concerned with astrol- ogy" Then you are also a philosopher!" His thin mouth relaxes into a half-smile. "A man who is not a good philosopher will make a poor astrologer." " If you will pardon me for saying so, 1 hope you do not overstudy all these books. I was shocked at your pallor when I first met you." That is not surprising." he replies calmly. "1 have not eaten for six days." I express my conceren. "It is not a question of money. The woman who comes every day to cook for me is away ill. She has been away for stx days." Then why not call in another woman?" He shakes his head firmly. No my food must not be cooked by a lower =

caste woman. I would rather not eat for a month than permit that to happen. I must wait till my servant's health is restored. But 1 expect her to return in a day or two." 1 peer at him Intently and notice that he wears the sacred thread of The Sons of Brahma." The triple cord of woven linen which nestles under his chin is placed around the neck of-every Brahmin baby and is never to be removed till death. So he is a Brahmin.

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. "Why trouble yourself with a superstitious caste restriction" 1 urge. "Surely your health is more important than that!" "It is not superstition. Everyone gives out a magnetic influence which is quite real, even though the Instruments of your Western science have not yet discovered it. The cook who prepares food throws her influence into it, unconsciously of course. A cook of low character will thus taint the food with bad magnetism, which passes into the person who eats the food." "What a strange theory!" "But it is true." I change the subject. "How long have you been an astrologer?" "For nineteen years. I took up the profession after my marriage." "Ah, I understand." "No. I am not a widower. Shall I explain? When 1 was a youth of thirteen 1 prayed often to God for knowledge, and so was led to various people who taught me and to different books. I became so fascinated by study that I would sit up reading all day and far Into the night. My parents arranged a marriage for me A few days after we were married, my wife got angry with me and said: I have married a human book!' On the eighth day she ran away with the man who used to drive our carriage .* Sudhei Babu pauses. I cannot help smiling at his wife's caustic comment, though her speedy

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elopement must have created a sensation in con- servative India. But the ways of women are tor- tuous and beyond the compass of a man's mind. "After a while I recovered from the shock," he continues, "and forgot her. All my emotions were blotted out. I went deeper than ever into the study of astrology and the divine mysteries. It is then that I took up my greatest study, the book of Brahma Chinta .* "Perhaps you will tell me what that book is concerned with?" The title can be translated as Divine Medita- tion, or as The Quest of Brahma, or even as God- knowledge. The entire work contains several thousand pages, but the part I study is only a section. It took me nearly twenty years to collect even that, because it exists only in scattered parts here and there. I have slowly obtained these different parts through agents in the various provinces of India. There are twelve chief divisions among its subjects, and many sub- divisions. The chief topics are philosophy, astrol- ogy. Yoga, life after death, and other deep mat- ters. "Do you know if there is any English transla- tion of book?" He shakes his head. "I have never heard of one. Few, even, are the Hindus who know of the existence of the book. Hitherto, it has been jealously guarded and kept secret. It came originally from Tibet,

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where it is looked upon as very sacred and only chosen students are allowed to study it." "When was it written?" "It was composed thousands of years ago by the sage Bhrigu, who lived so long ago that I can- not give you the date. It teaches a method of yoga which is quite different from all others which exist in India. You are interested in Yoga are you not?" "How do you know that?" For answer, Sudhei Babu quietly produces the chart which he constructed around my birth- date, and moves his pencil among the strange glyphs which represent planetary configurations and zodical signs. "Your horoscope surprises me. It is out of the ordinary for a European, and not even a com- mon one for an Indian. It snows that you will have a great tendency to study Yoga and that you will enjoy the favour of sages who will help you to delve deeply Into the subject. Yet you will not limit yourself to Yoga alone, but become versed in other mystic philosophies." He pauses and looks at me straight in the eyes. I recieve the subtle impression that he is about to make a statement which will be tan- tamount to a revelation of his inner life. I am taken a back at this strange turn of af- fairs. I first come to Sudhei Babu to check up on the claims of Indian astrology; I come again to listen to his further defence of its basic postulate.

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And now he unexpectedly offers to become my teacher in Yoga! "If you will practise the methods of Brahma Chinta you will need no teacher,"he continues. "Your own soul will become your teacher." I suddenly realize my mistake and wonder whether he has read my thoughts. "You take me by surprise?" is all I can say. . I have already instructed a few persons in this knowledge but I never regard myself as their master-only as their brother or friend. So I do not undertake to become your teacher In the or- dinary sense. The spirit of the sage Bhrigu will simply use this body and mind of mine to com- municate his teachings to you." "I do not understand how you can combine the profession of astrology with the teach ing of a Yoga system?" His thin hands spread themselves upon the table. " The explanation is this. I live in the world and serve it through my work, which happens to be astrology. Secondly, I refuse to be looked upon as a teacher of Yoga, because in our Brah- ma Chinta the only teacher acknowledge is God. He is the only preceptor we acknowledge. He, as the universal soul, is In us, and will teach us. Look on me as a brother, if you wish, but do not look on me as a spiritual preceptor. Those who have a teacher are too apt to lean on him and to depend on him instead of their own soul."

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"And yet you depend on astrology for guidance, " I retort quickly, "Instead of your own soul." "You are not right. I never look at my horo- scope now-ín fact. I tore It up many years ago." I express astonishment at this statement. He replies: "I have found the light and do not need astrology to guide me. but those who still walk in darkness find it helpful. I have placed my life entirely in the Lord's hands. I carry that act to fts proper conclusion by giving up all care about future or past. Whatever the Lord sends, that I occept as His will. I have given my whole self - body, mind, actions and feelings - to the will of the Almighty." Suppose you are threatened with death by a murderous ruffian, would you do nothing and ac- cept that as God's will?" "When any danger arises I know that I have only to pray and instantly to receive Hís protec- tion. Prayer is necessary but fear is not. I pray frequently and the Lord has marvellously protected me. Yet I have been through great troubles. Through all of them I was conscious of His help and I trust Him fully under every event. One day you, too, will disregard the future and become indifferent to it." There will have to be a remarkable change in me before that happens." I observe drily. That change will surely come"

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"Are you certain?" "Yes. you cannot escape your destiny. This spiritul rebirth is an event which comes from God, whether one looks for it or not." "You say strange things, Sudhei Babu." The idea of Deity is the unknown factor which enters Into so many of my conversations in this land. The Hindus are essentially religious and I am often tantalized by the familiar way in which they introduce mention of God. it is pos- sible for them to appreciate the view- point of a doubting Westerns . who has surrendered simple faith for complex reason? I realize that it will be unavailing and suit no practical purpose to throw up this question of Deity into agreement with the astrologer. I have no taste for partaking of any theological diet which he will probably place before me, so I turn the subject back to less con- troversial ground. "Let us talk of other matters, for God and I have never met." He looks at me fixedly, his peculiar black and white eyes searching my soul. The chart of your horoscope cannot be wrongly drawn or I' might keep back my knowledge from an unready mind. But the stars move without fault; what you are unable to grasp today will linger in your thoughts for a time and then return with double force. I tell you again that I am ready to impart the way of Brahma Chinta to you." "And I am ready to learn it .*

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What is the meaning of this mystery of chance, which, by the mere fortune of birth, puts one man in dirt-stained rags upon this road and another in silken robes in yonder river-side palace? Life is truly a dark enigma; I cannot comprehend it. "Let us sit down here! " says the astrologer, when we reach the Ganges. We sit in the shade and look down the river upon the stretch of broad stone steps, rambling terraces and jutting platforms. Little groups of pilgrims are constant- ly coming and going. The shapely forms of two slender minarets soar gracefully into the pearly sky to'height of nearly three hundered feet. They mark the charming Mosque of Aurungazeb, that.Muham- medan anachronism in this most Hindu of Hindu cities. But the astrologer has noted my sad preoc- cupation with beggars, for he turns his sallow face towards me and says: "India is a poor country." His voice is some- what apologetic. "its people have been sunk in inertia. The English race possesses some fine points and I believe that God brought them to our country for its benefit. Before they came life was unsafe; law and justice were often set aside. It is my hope that the English will not leave India; we need their help, but it should be given in friendship now, and not by force. However, the destiny of both nations must fulfil itself." 'Ah, your fatalism returns again!"

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He ignores my comment and falls into silence. At length he asks: "How can the two peoples avoid God's will? Day is ever followed by night, and night is ever followed by day. So is it with the history of na- tions. Great changes brood over the world. India has been sunk in sloth and intertia, but she will change until she bcomes filled with desires and ambitions, which ever precede activity. Europe burns with practical activities, but the strength of its materialism will pass away and it will turn its face towards higher ideals. it will happen to America.

l listen in silence. "For this reason the philosophic and spiritual teachings of our land will travel towards the West like a wave of the ocean" he continues gravely. "Scholars have already translated some of our Sanskrit manuscripts and sacred books into Western languages, but many texts are hidden away in cave libraries in out of the way parts of India, Nepal and Tibet. Those, too, must even- tually be made known to the world. The time will come before long when the ancient philosophies and Inner knowledge of India shall unite with the practical sciences of the West. The secrecy of past times must give way to the needs of this century. I am glad that all this will happen." I stare into the greenish water of the Ganges. The river is so strangely tranquil that it hardly seems to flow. its surface shimmers in the sun- light.

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He addresses me yet again: The destiny of each race of people must be realized, just as the destiny of every person must fulfilled. The Lord is omnipotent. Men and na- tions cannot escape from their self-earned fate. but they may be protected throught their troubles and even saved from great dangers." And how does one obtain such protection?" "By prayer, by keeping a child-like nature when one turns towards the Almighty, and by remembering Him not on one's lips, but in one's heart, especially before one begins any action. In happy days try to enjoy them as a blessing of God. and in troubles try to think that it is very much like a medicine to heal your inner disease. Fear Him not, as He is all merciful." "You do not believe that God is remote from this world, then?" "No. God is a spirit which is hidden in people and throughout this "universe. If you see

RAMANA MAHARSHI AND ASTROLOGY But Ramana could never let down the devotees who had cast their burden on htm. The cases of Jagadisa Sastri and Rangayyar are worth recalling on this point. From his death bed Jagadlsa Sastri, "the Sanskrit Pandit of Bhagavan's Court" wrote a final appeal tn poem that "he would not accept any plea that prarabdha must follow its course and if only Bhagavan willed it His grace could cancel prarabdha and save him." Certain death was warded off. Rangayyar, a playmate of Ramana at Tiruchupuzi and later a staunch devotee, was stricken in a certain period

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any beauty in Nature, a beautiful landscaspe, for instance, do not worship it for its own sake, but remember that it is beautiful because of the Deity present in it. See the Divinity in objects and people, and do not be so captivated by the outer forms that you forget the inner Spirit which gives them life." "You mingle your doctrines of fate, religion and astrology in a peculiar manner, Sudhei Babu." He gazes solemnly at me. "Why so? These doctrines are not of my creation. They have descended to us from the most distant ages of the past. The tremendous power of destiny, the worship of our Creator and the lore of planetary influences were known to the earliest peoples. They were not such savages as you Westerners imagine. But have 1 not prophesied? The west will rediscover before this centruy closes how real are these invisible forces which enter into the lives of all men."

by a series of calamities. Astrologers saw no hope for htm. Ramana not only made him stay with him but also insisted on his not leaving his presence for a long time. Once, when Rangayyar sought permission to go to the railway station and see off his relative, Ramana warned him to came there straight "without loitering anywhere or spending the night in town."He was thus savcd from evil which there would have been no escapc otherwise.

lt ts not that a specific prayer should always be ad- dressed to Ramana. For, fate's blows are quick, sudden and totally upredlctable. Then unasked Ramana would be

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"It will be extremely hard for the west to give up its inborn notion that a man's will is free to make or mar his own life." "Whatever happens is by His will and what seems like free will really works by His power. The Almighty returns to men the good or evil fruits of their thoughts and deeds in earlier bodies. It is best to accept His will, but one will not tremble under sorrows if one looks to him for the strength to endure them

(Reproduced from Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton)

there with his helping hand .... While seeing the palm of another devotee an eminent palmist wondered how this devotee was still alive. 'Could all my vast knowledge he wrong?', wondered the palmist. Then it dawned on him that Ramana had saved the life of his devotee even without the devotee's knowledge. Whether one prays or not Ramana knows what to do when and does it, but would never accept credit for it.

• Courtesy: Divinity Here and Now A.R.Natarajan

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ASTROLOGY VERIFIED

(The following is a reproduction from Encyclopaedia of Tales of the chapter on the experiences of the famous his- torian Meadows Taylor in Astrology).

In this chapter we shall strive for nothing less than to show that a great deal of what is boasted as "modern progress* is.in fact retrogres- sion. Astrology may have fallen into contempt under the influence of improved modern science.but undoubtedly the time is coming when it will again have the attention it deserves and recover its ancient dignity as a sublime science. There is supposed by modern astronomers, to be some connection, not unlike that attributed by the old astrologers, between the position of the planets and the fortunes of our earth. Not of course, as used to be supposed in Christendom, and is still believed in this and other Eastern countries, that the lives of individual men are in- fluenced, but that the period of perihelion, when the superior planets approach the Sun, is one of misfortune arising from natural causes. It is al- leged that the history of great epidemics, for ex- ample, confirms this theory. The view is that at such time, the temperature and other conditions of our atmosphere are so seriously disturbed as naturally to engender irregularities. The next step will be for the modern astronomers to discover

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that no mere change in atmosphere temperature accompanying the conjunction of planets affects human destinies, but a far more tmportant and occult power, the magnetic sympathy between the various planetary orbs. Colonel Meadows Taylor, the well known author of "Confessions of a Thug, Tara" who had during his long career in India acquired an in- timate knowledge of the natives of this country and gained their warm affection and respect as few Englishmen ever do, thus speaks of his ex- perience of Astrology in three instances :- "1 hear you speak Mahratta, is it so ?" "1 am only a beginner" 1 replied; "but 1 dare say 1 can follow you* "1 am struck with with your face, * he con- tinued, "and 1 should like to see your hand and cast your horoscope. Do you know when you were born?" "1 gave him the date, and he proceeded to ex- amine first my forehead and then my left hand. 'It is a long and happy life on the whole ' hc said; 'but there are some crosses and some deep sor- rows; you are not yet married, but you soon will be, and you will have children - not many - some of whom you will lose. You will never be rich, nor ever poor; and yet much, very much money will pass through your hands. You will not now stay long here;but after many years you will return and rule over us. Fear nothing, your destiny is

prosper. under the planet Jupiter, and you will surely

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"He added further details when he brought my horoscope some hours later, one which esper cially struck me being that 1 should become a Rajah, and rule over a large tract of country to the south." This happened in 1828, and shortly after- wards Taylor's employment over the province of Nuldersy in which Tuljapoor is situate abruptly came to an end. He was somc time afterwards ap- pointed sole Administrator of the Shorapoor state during the minority of the king and subsequently when the Berars were ceded along with Nuldroog to the English he was appointed Deputy Commis- sioner of Berar and made his arrangements ac- cordingly,but an express arriving from the Bom- bay Government a sudden change was made, and he was ordered to take charge of Nuldroog. This happened in 1853, and shortly afterwards when he visited Tuljapoor he met the old astrologer again. He thus writes :- "On the day of my arrival, I had just break- fasted,and sat down to begin work in my cucher- ry, or office tent, when an old Brahmin came in, and for a time sat down quietly in a corner without speaking. Seeing that 1 was alone, he came up to my table, and peering closely into my face as he leant upon his staff, he said. 'Are you

ago?" the Taylor Sahib who came here many years

"When 1 answered that 1 was the same, he produced a bundle of old papers, and asked me whether 1 recollected them. As 1 looked over

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them. I saw that I had put my initial to each of them, but forgot at the moment why I had done so; for in any case of inquiry or settlement it was my habbit to initial all the papers. and I thought these documents must relate to some old claim or suit to be revised, I was soon undeceived. 'Have you forgotten sahib', said the old man, that I once cast your horoscope, and told you that you would return here to govern us after many years? And see! it was true! you have come: indeed, there is little difference in the time 1 recorded twenty- five years. I had not the exact data, if you remember, that I wanted. you could not give it to me.' It was all true enough then I was the 'ruler' over them, and 1 then recollected how strange it had appeared to me at the residency when my destination was so suddenly altered from Berar to these western districts, on the requisition of Government of Bombay. The prediction had cer- tainly been a strange one. and was as strangely fulfilled, even to the very letter of time. "And you have been a 'rajah too'. continued my old friend, "and have governed a country to the south for ten years; that I recored - see Sahib, and he pointed excitedly to the document. 'See there is no mistake there either!' " "Not quite a 'Rajah' " I said laughing, "only manager of the country while the Rajah was a child". 'It was all the same, "returned the old Brah- min;" you were all powerful, and just like a

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Rajah, and you governed the people. And you have seen sorrow too, Sahib: you were not mar- ried when you were here, and now you have lost wife and dear children. I hear? I wrote that. I saw it all plainly - it is here. And you are not rich they tell me? Yet lakhs of rupees have passed through your hands. Did I not tell you that too?' "No, indeed." I replied. "I am not rich; indeed much the reverse,and i have had heavy sorrows." 'It could not be avoided' he said: 'no one could have mistaken what I discovered Just 25 years ago. You were born for work not for the indulgence of wealthy idleness, and so you will continue. If you want these papers I will give them to you; if not, let them remain with me,' and so saying he took his leave. He soon after- wards went on a pilgrimage to Nasik and there died. "I did not want the papers, and he kept them. I cannot account for his prediction. I only relate what happened. I told my old Serishtadar, Baba Sahib. about my horoscope and its results; but he was not in the least surprised. We Brahmins', he said 'believe in astrology, and you English laugh at it, but when one who understands the art casts a horoscope and calcu- lates it scientifically, the result is seldom wrong. You were to have gone to Berar, and yet your fate has brought you here to Tooljapur again, at the very time appointed, twenty five years after, in spite of yourself and also of the Resident. Can

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you doubt, after thls? Is there not more in astrology than you believe?' I made no comment. How could 1 in the face of the simple facts that had occured? The second instance is much more remark- able. Rather a curious incident occurred during this year (1846). A Brahmin who had been absent from Shorapoor for two years, came to me and said that he had cast up the table of my nativity, and had brought me the result. As I had never seen or heard of him before, and as he himself wished to know whether it tallied with my own experience hitherto. I was anxious to see the paper. which ran after this manner. I had not, nor could 1 have given him any sort of informa- tion as to the date of my birth or other par- ticulars; as I did not know of his existence.

From birth under the Sun's influence. Neither favourable `or unfavourable. I was weak and delicate, some times ill. Six years Next under the Moon influence. Generally good: few crosses and those which occurred resulting in good. Ten years. Next under Venus. Neither favourable nor unfavourable. The ordinary run of life. Seven years. Next under Saturn. Bad, losses. Grief. No worldly advancement. No wealth. Never long in the same place; unsettled, frequent disappoint- ments. Eighteen years.

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Deduct on account pf astrological months five years, two months. End of troubled period. thirty five years, two months. Since when I have been under the influence of "Brihasput" or Jupiter, of whose sway one year is already past, and it will continue from its com- mencemnt, sixteen years. Add to the previous calculation the one year of Jupiter, and the result is - thirty six years; which was my exact age. The Brahmin enquired whether that was about right, as he had been rather bothered in the calculations regarding the Moon's influence which could not be rendered with as great cer- tainty as the others. No one here knew my age, that i was aware of; but the rcsult seemed to mc very curious. I wished to know how the calcula- tions had been made; but my friend could only explain them in Sanskrit, and this I did not un- derstand. I sent the paper home to my father. and it afforded a good deal of interest and amusement to friends at home." The third instance is the most remarkable.

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CHAPTER SIXTEEN

ASTROLOGY: ITS ORIGIN

Vedanga Jyotisha : Oldest Tract Vedanga Jyotisha is the oldest tract on Astrology and found in the Rig and Yajur Vedas. The position of the equinoxes given in it enables one to fix the date of this treatise of the Hindus. This same information also helps us to fix the date of the beginnings of the accurate visual observations of the sky by the Hindus. Ac- cording to Vedanga Jyothisha, Mrigastra, a star in the Orion group of stars, was the position of the equinox marking the beginning of the spring season at about this time. By noting the present position of the equinoxes (the spring equinox is now in Pisces) and from the rate of their retrograde motion of 50 1/4 seconds of angle per year, the difference between the present position of the equinox and that of the equinoxes as given in Vedanga Jyotisha can be worked out and this places it at about 4000 years before Christ. In other words, Hindu Astrology can be traced to this period in India.

Nakshatras

Very early in the history of mankind, the Vedic Hindus in Bharatavarsha were the first to study systematically the movements of the Sun, the Moon and other grahas in the sky. These movements were studied against the background

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of the stars. The ancient Hindus saw that, night after night, the Moon or Chandra, shifted its position among the stars. Watching its move- ments closely, they saw it came back to its original position every 193rd days. So. they divided the path of the Moon in the sky into 271/3 equal parts. Constellations on or about the path of the Moon were related to the Moon's daily mo- tion. Thus the lunar zodiac of the Hindus came into being. It was made up of 27 constellations corresponding to the star or groups of stars by which the Moon was seen on each successive night. These stars (may be one or more) were called Nakshatras.

The brightest star of each Nakshatra was called Yogatara. The Yogatara (or asterism chosen to mark out each Nakshatra) was chosen either because it was most clearly visible to the naked eye or be- cause it had some other feature that attracted the eye such as, for example, peculiarity of con- figuration. These 27 Nakshatras chosen lay ap- proximately on the ecliptic, never too faraway from it. These 27 Nakshatras are: Aswinl, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini. Mrigasira, Aridra, Punarvasu, Fushyami, Aslesha. Makha, Pubba, Uttara. Hasta. Chitta, Swati, Visakha, Anuradha, Jyeshta. Moola. Poorvashadha, Uttarashadha, Sravana, Dhanishta, Satabhisha, Poorvabhadra, Uttarab- hadra and Revati.

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Movement of the Sun The ancient Rlshis also saw that the Sun and the other grahas never moved very far from the course of the Moon. They used this fact to regard the 27 divisions in the sky as many mile- stones to chart the course of the other grahas. They saw that the Sun too apparently moved amongst the stars. They noticed that a par- ticular star which rose or set with the Sun did not do so after a certain number of days. So, they chalked out the Sun's course and found it also had a periodic movement like the Moon's. Only the time it took was 12 times that of, the Moon's cycle. Therefore 27 lunar constellations were divided into 12 Rasis. The Sun took one month to cross each Rasi or 2 1/4 Nakshatras.

So!ar Month

The period taken by the Sun to cross each Rasi was called a solar month. The solar month was named after the asterism in which the Full Moon took place that month. The solar month in Mesha when the Full Moon occurred in Chltta Nakshatra was called Chaitra and so on.

Lunar Zodiac: Hindu in Origin The phenomenon of precession, known in the Vedas, was known to the Hindus several cen- turies before the Christian era. The Hindus in-

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vented sunya or zero and this was a sensational attainment for it "liberated the human intellect from the bars of the counting frame". This symbol sunya. the sciences of geometi, trikonameti and bijaganiia were carried over by early Arab travellers to India to the West. The same Arabs also carried the Nakshatra system and the lunar zodiac to the West. These sciences in the course of their transit from India to the West via Arabia acquired new names. Geometi hecame geometry, trikonameti became trignometry and bijaganiia became al- gebra. The Nakshatra system was christened Menazil system. They borrowed the system from the Hindus and improved upon it calling each Nakshatra or lunar mansion Menazil al yamr. The Chinese also, one of the oldest civiliza- tions. borrowed the lunar zodiac from India call- ing it Sieu. According to Prof. Weber, there is no evidence whatsoever of the lunar zodiac in China earlier than 250 B.C. This period in the history of Hindu astronomy is a very late period indeed. That clearly proves that the lunar zodiac was purely the discovery of the Hindu astronomers. Many western historians and their slavish In-

tributing dian counterparts make the sad mistake of at- all knowledge of Astrology and astronomy to the Greeks. But the Hindus knew and practised Astrology much. much earlier and there is evidence of this in Vedic literature. The same historians who think Greece and Chaldea discovered Astrology unfortunately and con-

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veniently overlook the fact that history does not admit of intellectual trade or even political Inter- course betwen India and Greece till after the date of Alexander's entry into India which is about 300 B.C. That means, their theory that India learnt her Astrology from Greece becomes baseless and concocted as we have already seen that Vedanga Jyotisha İs at least about six thousand years old.

The Solar Zodiac: Greek Origin Theory Mischievous:

In one of the hymns in the Rig Veda, the Sun is described as the 12 spoked wheel. The 360 days as well as the same number of nights are called his 720 children. The very fact that the Hindus could, so early in the history of the world, visualise the number of days to a year speaks of their astronomical attainments. The commentator Sayana explains the 12 spokes referred to in the sloka as the 12 signs of the zodiac. There are the 12 Adityas or solar en- tities of the Veda. They are said to be the off- spring of Adtti meaning endless which means an enclosure like the ecliptic. The reference to the Adityas is to the manifestations of the same Sun in the 12 stages of his journey or simply the 12 divisions into which the ecliptic is divided. The equinoctial and solistical points are im- portant points on the ecliptic. In the Vedas these poinis are called as the 4 Adityas - Agni, Indra, Mitra and Varuna. In different hymns of the Rig

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Veda, Indra Is always associated with Agni. Agni is the point of Intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. The Vedic Hindu had a very good concept of the equinox, not merely as the time when day and night are equal but also as the Junction of the ecliptic and equator. In the Rig Veda, Agni Is described as the leader of the hosts of gods, implying that the year begins when the Sun is at the vernal equinox or Agni. The 4 Adityas, Agni, Indra, Varuna and Mitra, though lords of different signs. are described as one in the sense that each can oc- cupy the position of the other on account of precession. Rik(I 164-66)

Nakshatras:Arcs, not Stars In the very early Vedtc times, the Nakshatras were essentially longitudinal segments of the ecliptic. The constellations were a relatively later discovery chosen to symbolize and identify the divisions.

Weekdays First Conceived by Hindus: The Rig Samhita is believed to be the world's oldest extant record. The date ascribed to it is 14th century B.C. by Colebrooke. But Indian scholars call it apourusheya or not composed by any human. Modem scholars, on the basis of astronomical data found in it, are now veering to this conclusion.

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The Rig Veda (47-18) gives the period of precession as 28,800 years. The Puranas declare several Indras (equinoxes) have ruled over the world implying that the equinox has made several complete revolutions round about the ecliptic with respect to Aswini. The statements show in no unmistakable terms, the Hindus grasp of astronomical phenomena. The Rig Veda consists of 3parts: The Sam- hiia, Brahmanas and Upanishads. The Samhiia is divided into 10 mandalas. Each mandala consists of a number of suktas. Each sukta consists of mantras of different metres varying in number. Of these suktas, the Purusha Sukia is a very popular one and recited daily by almost every devout Hindu In his morn- ing prayers. This sukta is a description of Purusha, Kala Purusha or Time Personified. It contains many facts about time and divisions of time. In the 15th mantra of. the Rig Veda but apearing as the 7th in Tatttiriya Aranyaka we find the week defined and related to the month. It says: Saptaasyaasan paridyah, meaning the 'month is made up of 7 weekdays'. and Trisapata samidhah kritaah which means 'and three more seven days' these with the Full and New Moon days constitute the month. This is the oldest reference to the weekdays which are 7 in number. The sloka describes the month as constitued by 7 days plus three more

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(units) of 7 days plus the Full and New Moon days to make 30 days in all. Many historians obsessed with the Greek origin will find these facts hard to digest. They have usually gone by western theories which are many times fanciful, not corroborated by facts and absolutely unconnected with original works. Such historians and their slavish votaries mistakenly believe that thę zodiac was formulated first by the Babylonians in 700 B.C. and the word horoscope is from the Greek word horos- kopos. What they fall to comprehend is the Issue is not the ethymology of the word horoscope but the origin of Manilius' Astronomtcon and Jyotisha Sastra. Plotemy's Tetrabtbltos (140 A.D.) are the earliest Greek works on Astrology or Jyotisha. Further, the theories of Astronomy that Ptolemy puts forth In his Almagest are simply childish compared to ancient Indian attainments in Astronomy. For instance Prolemy begins with the theory the earth is fixed and the planets revolving around it. When he finds he cannot ex- plain the appearance of Venus in the sky before sunrise and sometimes after sunset he changes the theory to one where he conceives of a long bar connecting the earth and the Sun and the planets hanging in between. This system of Ptolemy laid the foundations for European Astronomy. By this time in India, the theory of the earth spinning on its axis, the ecliptic .... etc., were all familiar to even students of elementary

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Astronomy. How can one be so naive and so biased as to attribute all knowledge of Astroloy in India to Ptolemy with his silly theories of the earth. With their advanced theoris of the Universe (which are today accepted as correct) the Hindus were the founding fathers of Astrology when the Greeks were still stumbling in the dark with their knowledge of the skies misconceived and wrong. Vedic Astrology had gained such strong roots in India and its reputation had spread so far and wide that even Hippocratus who lived in about 400 B.C. borrowed not only his materia medica from us but also learnt Astrology here *. In India, a horoscope was an absolutely necessary diagnos- tic tool and helped decide the line of treatment as well. It was the Arabs and Moorish astrologers who took Astrology from India to Europe during the middle ages. According to Balagangadhar Lokamanya Tilak, the Indians, the Iranians and Greeks originally were all Vedic Aryans. Later the Iranians and Greeks migrated westwards, the scholars among them taking with them Hindus Astrology amongst other subjects. Many Greek words are derived from Sanskrit. From shukra in Sanskrit is derived kupris' in Greek. Chakra in Sanskrit is kuklos in Greek. The Sanskrit tatra

. A Study of the Heliocentric Science by Swami Abhedananda

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becomes turas in Greek **. Many historians, with an in-built inferiority complex, have knowingly or unknowingly worked to distort fact by attributing many Sanskrit astronomical terms to Greek. Such scholars unfortunately, are ignorant of both Sanskrit and Astronomy and are incompetent to comment on either subject. Perhaps these 'scholars'could study the available original works and scholarly studies of those proficient in both Astronomy and Sanskrit which could help them shed their highly prejudiced views of the date and origin of Astrology. Prof. Weber, in fact, traces Indian literature to the period when the Indians and the Iranians lived together. According to Tilak (ibid) the Parsls separated from the Indian Aryan (from the geographical region known as Akhanda Vishala Bharata) in the Orion period, that is, between 3000 to 2800 B.C. Says Tllak (pp. 206 The Orion) "The Greeks and the Parsis have retained no traditions of this period. for the simple reason that they carried with them only the calendar which was in force when they left the common home, while the In- dian Aryans have preserved all the traditions with a super-religious fidelity and scruplousness .. Further on (p. 307) he says talking of the Orion period (4000 B.C. to 2500 B.C.) "The Greeks and the Parsis appear to have left the common home

.. The Orion by B.L.Tilak

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during the latter part of this period as they have retained most of these legends and even the at- tributes of the constellation of Mrigashiras other- wise called Agrayana. Orion or the Pauryeni .... " .Prof. Max Mueller in his Biographies of Words (pages 288- 289) gives a list of about 60 mythological names common to Greek and Sanskrit. Many historians tend to represent this list as implying the Sanskrit words are derived from Greek, Actually. it is just the other way round as Tilak points out in his book The Orion. Vedanga Jyotisha, some historians wrongly believe. is only about Astronomy. It gives details of when sacrifices must be performed and tells us about auspicious and inauspicious periods. These periods are determined on the basis of the solar and lunar movements and come, as such .. within Astrology. It is not known exactly when but jatakaor horoscopy also evolved with muhur- ta. The latest, no matter how unwilling one is to accept the antiquity of Astrology. can be 1400

GEOLOGIST USING MANUSCRIPT FINDS WATER Armed only with a 6th century manuscript, an Indian geologist is discovering groundwater reservoirs with amazing success, using trees and termite hills as clues.

"My technique may be unorthodox", says E.A.V. Prasad, a professor at Sri Venkatcswara University in Tirupathi in South India, "but it works."

The challenge came four months ago when the Gujarat state's water supply and sewerage board (GWSSB) asked

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B.C. to 500 B.C. Jataka is a term that frequenily appears in Buddhistic literature. Buddha's own birth interpreted horoscopically by the scholars in king Suddhodana's court and that is far. far anterior to the Greek Astrology of Manilius. For one who is open-minded. the refer- ences to the horoscope of Sri Rama in Srimad Ramayana will place Astrology even earlier. By then Astrology was a well developed science, so Its origins must date back very very early in the history of Aryavarta. Even the most reluctant critic will have to concede that horoscopy in India is indigenous and the latest period thaf can be given is 600 B.C .. the Buddha having been born in 623 B.C The great poet Aswaghosha who belongs to the 1st century B.C has written 2 books in Sanskrit. Buddha Charita and Soundarananda, both of which are admitted authentic by historians (1 31- 32). In the first chapter of BuddhaCharita (1 31- 32), It says that "renowned pious scholars as-

him to locate water in Jamnagar, a chronically drought- stricken district, in the western Indian state.

Surveying the surface vegetation in village Kamballia, Prasad spotted a date palm enwinted with a banyan tree. Hc asked the GWSSB to drill a borehole 15 feet north of the trce.

Water gushed out of the well at the rate of 2000 gal lons per hour (GPH).

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sembled at the king's palace and told king Sud- dhodana that his son would be a great man and save the world from sorrows". There can be no doubt as to the origin as well as antiquity of Jyotisha. It was born and developed in India. According to scholars, well- versed in Sanskrit as well as Astrology. Jyotisha is at least 6000 years old.

In village Haripar, Prasad identified a termite mound colonized with vegetation and had a hole drilled 10 feet north of it. Its yield was even higher: 3000 GPH.

Within 10 days. Prasad located 51 well sites in 30 vil- lages that had been classified as "no source" villages. Drill- ing has been completed in 15 sites.

While modern scicntists depend on costly equipment and satellite pictures to detect groundwater, Prasad says he depends on "blo- Indications" listed in "Brihat Samhita" written by Varahamihira, a philosopher. and sage who lived about 1500 years ago.

According to Varahamihira, the presence of termite mounds indicates water below. His clues also include half a dozen animals and some 30 different trees, important among them being a species called "phreatotypes". whose roots penetrate to reach water, no matter how deep.

• Courtesy: SPOTLIGHT(30-4-1988)

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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

INDIAN ASTROLOGY*

Sepharial

(Sepharial was a noted writer on Astrology and a contemporary of late Prof. B. Suryanaraln Rao. Sepharial had always kept an open mind on Hindu Astrology. The following is reproduced from his book The Science of Foreknowledge' to bring home to the handful of Indian astrologers who have no correct conception of their own great heritage. the antiquity, importance and in-

in digenous character of Indian Astrology and how, the interests of astrological science. hotchpotch mixing-up of the Indian and the European systems has withstood the test of time and experience and has certain features which can usefully be incorporated into the western sys- tem. - Ed. A.M.)

It has been asserted that " we can find a dozen writers who allege that the Hindus got their Astrology from Chaldea and Egypt, but not one authority can we find who controverts this" .- Frankly. I should like to examine the credentials of these twelve "authorities". I am prepared to find that not one of them has familiarity with the subject of Astrology, either European or

. Reproduced from the THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, December 1961.

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Hindu. My personal intercourse with Jyotish Sastris (astrological experts) and pandits of India confirmed me in this belief, and what I have seen of the work of Orientalists does not impress me to the contrary. When the Suryasiddhanta has been closely studied from first to last, the Orientalist is as far from any conception of the basic principles of Jyotish Vedanga (Astrology) as a new-born babe. Bailly has given us a very good rendering of the astronomy of the Hindus in his Astronomic In- dienne, but he and all other Orientalists are silent about the subject of Hindu Astrology. The fact is that, never having touched the subject in their own language, they wisely refrain from'in- volving themselves in the more intricate system of the East as expounded in the Sanskrit Sastras.

Though no "authority" from a mere linguistic point of view, I venture to contradict the dictum of those twelve writers who allege (but do not prove) that the Hindus got their Astrology from either Chaldea or Egypt. I will advance my argu- ments against this allegation. 1. No Orientalist has yet disposed of the fact that Sanskrit is the oldest Indo-European lan- guage, the parent language of the Aryan race.

the None has shown, nor can show, that Accadian principle languages of the ancient Babylonians is of greater antiquity than Sanskrit, or the Babylonians more ancient than the Aryans. The language of any people is the direct outcome of its thought, for it is embodied

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thought, and hence expresses all those par- ticulars and peculiarities of environment which induced the thought of the people, their religious beltefs, their social polity, and all that goes to make up the round of their lives. Such is the Sanskrit in which the Vedas are written. And of Sanskrit it may be said without fear of contradic- tion that it is at once the most complex, com- plete, and highly inflected language within our knowledge. The Chaldean and Hebrew tongues are in comparison with it as the lisping prattle of a child is to the mature diction of a philosopher. The Astrology of the Hindus is all written in Sanskrit, Translations have been made into the vernaculars, into Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathl, Canarese, but all primarily are traceable to the teachings of the Hindu sages, Narada, Garga, Parasara, Varahamihira. and others.

2.1 It is true that India, under the princes, enjoyed a free commerce with the surrounding nations, and that certain traditions may have passed current among them. But we have to remember that this commerce was restricted to one caste of Hindus - viz., the Vaisya. or mer- chantmen. The landlord was never allowed to travel out of his country. Yet it is these Brah- mins who, as hereditary Sastris, are responsible for the entire Jyotisha Sastra. Even at this day it is only the Brahmin who is permitted to expound the Vedas, and previous to the invasion of India by foreign nations the literature of the country was exclusively in the hands of the Brahmins.

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3. If Claudius Ptolemy derived his Astrology from the Chaldeans, or if the methods advocated as original with the Chaldeans had any tradition in Egypt, certain it is that neither Chaldean nor Egyptian Astrology had tradition in India. for the sole and sufficient reason that the astrological methods of the Hindus are essentally and fun- damentally. different to all that is reputed Chaldean and Egyptian. In the first place their zodiac is not related to' the equinox, but counts from the fixed ' star Revati. which is now about 19° 35'17" east of the vernal equinox. (Mr. B. Suryanarain Rao makes Ayanamsa 21° 44'47". I have used the epoch K.Y. 3600 as given in the "Kalasankalitatables. Precession 50 1/2 " per annum - Sepharial). The calculation of periods is based on the 27 Nak- shatras. or asterisms. and are reckoned from the place of the Moon at birth. What are called "Chaldean Directions", based on the diurnal aspects of the planets after birth form no part of Hindu Astrology. How, then. can it be said that the father has been taught by his children? It must not be thought that because the Hin- dus do not relate their zodiac to the equinox they were ignorant of those considerations which determine our Western methods. They were, ap- parently, well informed concerning the precession of the equinoxes and solstices, and the proper motion of the stars. They knew to make fairly accurate observations and did not neglect the

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study of astronomy. The "Kalasankalita" tables show this to be the case. In Varahamthira's work, entitled Brihatsam- htta, there is a passage which not only deter- mines the date of that writer, but of that Parasara whom he quotes. Mihira says: The summer solstice is now in the first point of Kataka and winter solstice in Makara but the summer solstice was: at one time in the midddle of Aslesha according to former writers." Kataka is the constellation of Cancer; Makara is Capricornus; Aslesha is Leo. From this we learn that the constellation of Aries corresponded with the sign Aries when Mihira wrote his treatise on Astrology - viz., in the year A.D. 498 - and also that observation had been made over 2.000 years before that date, when Taurus was an equinoctial and Leo a solstitial constellation. The two zodiacs arc distinguished by the Hindus by the name of Sayana and Nirayana, that which has motion and that which has none. It is well known that at the beginning of the year the wor- ship of Maya under the figure of the Bull (Apis) was performed by the Egyptians in the month of May. in honour of the Sun's entry into the con- stellation Taurus, the solar disc between the Bull's horns being emblematic of the astronomi- cal fact. The Hebrews must have witnessed this ceremony during their captivity in Egypt, since they sought to perpetuate this custom in the wor- ship of the golden Calf after their exodus. The

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incident is in accord with the astronomical fact. for the Sun came to the equinoctial point in the constellation Taurus during the period of their captivity. It is evident however that the celebra- tion continued with the Egyptians after the equi- noctial point had left Taurus and had passed into Aries, for Moses, who was "learned in all the lore and language of the Egyptians", put the Hebrews straight In this matter by instituting the Pasach (Transit), or passover to coincide with the true equinox. He prohibited the Worship of the Bull and instituted the symbolism of the Ram. The equinox had precessed from Taurus into Aries 170. years before the Exodus. Before the Pharaohs there were the Hysksoi or Shepherd kings. and before the Hyksol in Egypt there were the "Former writers" on Astrology in India, referred to by Mihira. This carries us back to close upon 2700. B.C. at which time we find the Hindus already in possession of an astronomy and Astrology to writings upon which Mihira con- stantly refers.

The Sanskrit kadjan, or palmyra book, is more ancient than the hieratic papyrus of Egypt, So far as the records of Assyria go they do not approach the antiquity of the Hindu Sastras. Mr. Wilde, has laboured to show that the "day for a year" method of directing was in vogue among the Chaldeans and hence with the Babylonians. This may well be, seeing that Daniel, the chief astrologer at the court of Nabakollassar (Nebuchadnezzar) declared that. in the first year of the reign of Darius, King over Chaldea, he "un-

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derstood by books the number of the years" of desolation propheised by Jermiah and we find him making use of a period of "70 weeks" to indi- cate a period of 490 years, Le., 70x7=490 days. But if this were the method in vogue among the Chaldeans, it is certain that they were not the preceptors of the Hindus, for. as 1 have said, the latter have no such time-measure in their astrological books. 4. The insular character of the Hindus, and the exclusive nature of the Brahmin caste. is op- posed to the Idea of the Chaldean tradition which could only have been effected by commerce or by means of Mogbeds sojourning in India. In such cases the tradition would have left philological landmarks easy of recognition. That our Astrology came to us. from whatever source, by Latin tradition is evident from the names of the signs and planets in use by us. In the same manner, had the Babylonians communi- cated Astrology to the Hindus, the names would have been received by the latter along with the tradition. Where are the landmarks? Prof. Max Muller takes the contrary view in his famous derivations: Deva-Pitar Deo-pitar (Sanskrit), Zeus-patar (Greek). Deus- pater(Latin.) JupIter(English). There are two names for Jupiter in common use among the Hindus, one (Brthaspattbeing the designation of the celestial Father, the other (Guru) being the appellative of the earthly precep- tor or "God-Father",Le., Deo-pitar. Brihaspali

means "Lord of Increase" from brth (to expand) and Patt (Lord). It is identified with the Lord of Creation, Brahma, the latter name having the same root, the Hindu Trimurti or Trinity being Brahma (Jupiter), Vishnu (Mars), and Siva (Saturn): literally the Expander, the Pervader, and the Resolver. They have for consorts Sarswati. Lakshmi and Parvati respectively. Hence the unique symbol of Biune Trinity is as- sociated with the seven celestial bodies. Shiva

Laksmi Saturn Merc Ven Saraswati

Vishnu Mars Moon Jup Brahma

Parvati

to The solar orb in this relation will correspond Parabrahman. The male trigon (Saturn. Jupiter. Mars) is represented by the right tri- angle, the female (Moon, Mercury, Venus) by the reverse triangle, the male and female emanations

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being opposite in position as In nature; for ob- serve, Dhanus and Meena, the signs of Jupiter, are opposed to Mithuna and Kanya, the signs of Mercury; Mesha and Vrischika the signs of Mars are opposed to Thula and Vrishabha, the signs of Venus, etc., the opposition being that due to polarity or equilibrium. The asterisms constitut- ing the Hindu zodiac take their names from the principal stars in each of them. These stars bear Sanskrit names - not Chaldean. The astronomy of the Hindus, like their Astrology. is original with themselves. The asterisms are subdivided into padas or quarters, each of which is ruled by one of the planets. The periods of the planets are: Saturn Jupiter- 19 years 16 Mars years

Sun 7 years 6 Venus years 20 years Mercury 17 Moon years 10 years Caput Draconis 18 Cauda Draconis years (Rahu) 7 years (Ketu)

120 years

The trine is the basis of Hindu Astrology. These details are mentioned in support of the statement that there Is no known trace of Chal- dean tradition. The Chaldeans appear to have divided their zodiac into 28 asterisms and the names of them as received by us are Arabic, showing the channel of tradition.

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The insular character of the Hindus, as 1 have said, is opposed to the idea of a borrowed science. Their terminology is likewise in evidence against the theory of tradition. But what seems to set the matter beyond all doubt is the fact that the Hindus, who are saturated . with astrological beliefs, and whose whole life is regulated by these beliefs, present no. single monument or structure, no literary quotation, no theological concept, no social law, 'no single custom which points to such a tradition. Their architecture, on which all inscriptions are in relief, and not in intaglio, as with the Accacians and Egyptians their ancient lan- guage; their classic literature; their theogony; their marriage laws; their methods 'of life; their regulations in regard to births and deaths- the whole atmosphere of their thought, life, and polity are .unique and original with themselves. The religion, science and language of the Hindus, existing uncor- ruted for milleniums, is exclusively and entire- ly Hindu in Its genesis and evolution.

Mr. A.G. Trent "(Dr. Richard Garnett. LL.D.) says in regard to Hindu Astrology: ."So far as it differs from European Astrology, it appears to dif- fer for the worse. I cannot find any attempt at a theory of Uranus, whose life influence is as demonstrable as that of any other planet. At the same time, the small regard paid to the house seems to me to show that it was not derived from the Arabs, .and 1 am willing to believe it older than Mahomet, while I cannot imagine that it has

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any such antiquity as the Astrology of Egypt or Chaldea." This is a very important statement coming from so reputable a source, but I venture to sug- gest another view of the case, which appears as more worthy of acceptance. The mere fact that the Hindus have not yet adapted Uranus of their system of Astrology (for they are not ignorant of Its existence) shows once more the insular reserve of the Brahmin, who stands by the Sastras as the meanest individual among them stands by the Dharma (caste) of his progenitors. In India every thing is hereditary, inviolate, unal- terable. No doubt, in the hands of a European, any difference in the system of Astrology taught by us and the Hindus would appear prejudicial to the Hindu system. But put competent Hindu astrologers to the test on their own lines, and I venture to say that they will repeat my experience and produce better result with less labour than- we by our methods. At the same time I will point that there are comparatively fewer proficients in India than in Europe. The Hindu astrologers la- ment the decline of Jyotisha Sastra, we here regret that the masses have never even com- menced the study of Astrology. In India everyone knows something of it. in Europe the knowledge of it is restricted to a few who are vey assiduous in their studies. Astrology is not yet nearly at high noon, with us. but it has more than dawned upon those who stand on the hill tops. In the East they are lying languid in the evening of a resplendent day, and only a few watchers of the

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night retain a real interest in the glimmering stars. As to "The small regard paid to the houses", I can only say that every Sastra considers the Bhavas as an essential part of Jyothisha, and a great stress is laid on the several dignities and deblities of the planets in the houses, irrespective of the signs they occupy. I regret that I have not done justice to the part of the subject in my short exposition of Parasara In the New Mammal. That Hindu Astrology is Immeasurably older than the Mohammedan era is certain from the fact that Mihira wrote in the fifth century, at least 120 years before Mohammed, while he makes reference to and quotes from Sastras evidently written in 2700 B.C about 2300 years before Daniel began the study of the books of prophecy! Narada is regarded by the Hindus as the sage who preserved the ancient astronomical records to those who survived the deluge; and Manu, who struck the keynote of the nation's polity for the Kaltyuga in his famous "Institutes". Is held to be one of those sages who bridged over the antt and post deluvian periods. The "In- stitutes" of Manu have strict regard to the teach- ings of Astrology, and the conservative Hindu will never neglect the study of his almanac, because the observance of the "Institutes" requires that he should have due regard to the time and seasons. While it Is true that we have no evidence to know that Chaldean Astrology had its birth in India, it certainly Is true that Hindu Astrology

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cannot be ascribed to a Chaldean source. The horoscopes in the Ramayana not only enable us to fix the date of the great epic, but also con- stitute internal evidence of its historical verity. Above all they prove the great antiquity of Hindu Astrology, showing its existence in the peninsula fully 2000 years before the period ascribed to the Chaldeans. The statement that " ... The Hindus compute horoscopes incorrectly" is quite false. They calculate the Lagnasphutam, or the rising degree with great accuracy, and the planets' places are also properly determined in their panchangams. But the failings of the Professor must not be laid to the charge of the science, else an equal indictment' will dispose of European science forthwith. This, I know, the Hindus have records of the influence of every six minutes of the zodiac. European Astrology has not as yet more than barely delineated the na- ture and influence of the twelve signs. As to the many authorities "who allege that Hindu Astrology had its birth in Chaldea", I regret to say that I do not know of one Orientalist who has sufficient knowledge of either Hindu or Chaldean Astrology 'to enable him to institute a comparative study. The assertion almost makes one doubt their right to be called philologists or Orientalists. In ref- erence to Dr. Richard Garrnett and George Wilde, however, it should be observed that, whereas neither was a reader of Sanskrit, both were com- petent students and exponents of European modern Astrology. Dr. Garnett entertained great

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suspicions in regard to the antiquity of Aryan literature in distinction from Prof. Maxmuller, Sir Willian Jones, and others who were disposed to trace all tradition and language to an Aryan source. Mr. Wilde, on the other hand, had con- ceieved an idea that Chaldea was the birthplace of astronomy and Astrology, and even went so far as to call well-known modern methods by the name of Chaldean Astrology. Sparse references to astronomical facts to be found in the Accadian and Assyrian records were for him evidences of a complex system of Astrology having been current among them. 1 think it highly probable that such a system existed but we have no evidence of it still less that it had the least influence over the Astrology of the Hindus. From my general statement of the Orientalists' position in regard to Astrology, it was to be expected that the supposed evidences of a Chaldean or an Egyptian origin of Astrology would resolve themselves into a series of unsup- ported assertions. An authoritative statment can only emanate from one who has made Astrology a study. One has only to refer to the star texts of the Bible to see their linguistic study does not suffice Tor correct interpretation of passages of a technical nature. Reference to an article entitled "The Two Gates", which I contributed to the Astrological Journal, Coming Events, will show the familiar use of the word, "Gate" as referring to the point of ingress. The Book of Judges had received scholarly translation centuries before the gates of Gaza were recognised as the sign

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Capricorn, or Hebron as the sign Cancer, or yet Samson as the solar body (Shemesh-on) and Delilah as the Moon. In the translation of the Book of Job there are many fancied references of stars where none are Intended, and the succes- sional rising of the signs under the name of Maz- zaroth has troubled many a commentator. So in reference to the origin of Hindu Astrol- ogy, a mere knowledge of Sanskrit does not suf- fice. The abundant literature of Hindu Astrology requires a technical knowledge for its adequate translation. It is true that the Greeks were in a state of rude barbarism while the Egyptians were pursuing an advanced study of astronomy. It is also true that the modern Parsis in India are fol- lowers of Zoroaster, but whereas the Hindus have extensive astronomical literature in the classical Sanskrit, no such record lies to the credit of the Parsis. The statement by the late Mr.George Wilde that "The Indians have sorne ancient writ- ings of no date" Is a very unscholarly remark more particularly when the tablots of Sargon I are set in contrast as if bearing an authentic date. The only means we have of judging in this matter is by the internal evidences. Had the Hindus borrowed their astronomy from Chaldea or Egypt or Greece, they would have preserved the landmarks-there would be evidences of tradition. For just as we know that the Saxons were vassals of their Norman con- querors from the contrast of such words as cow (sax), beef (norm), deer (sax) vension(norm), sheep

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(sax), mutton (norm), etc., and just as we have traces of the Latin tradition in language of our day-as. in fact, we localise the Hebrews and know them to have been.a nomadic race from the letters of their alphabet, so we know that the Hindus have no astronomical tradition from Greek or Egyptian. In the nameing of the celes- tial bodies and the asterisms. everything is original, insular, and local. Mr. Wilde himself advanced a statement which goes far to prove. "In none of the old writings is any account to be found of the computation of horscopes by oblique ascension." It has already been shown that the Hindus fix the rising sign and count therefrom. The Hindus fix the rising sign and count therefrom giving to each succeeding sign (Rasi) dominion over a whole house (Bhava). Ballly states that "the first tables possessed by the In- dians only date back to 3102 B.C.". This was the year of the commencement of the Kaliyuga, which opened with the entry of Sun into the constella- tion Mesha (Aries) in the month of February. The tables referred to may be the oldest as yet known to us, but it is certain that Varahamihira, writing in the year A.D. 498. remarks upon the coincidence of the vernal equi- nox with the constellation Aries, and of the sum-

(Kataka). mer solstice with the constellation Cancer But in the same passage he states that, "according to former Sastras," the summer solstice once Coincided with "the middle of As- lesha" (Leo), and this throws the record back to

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3240 B.C. Weber's remark that "it would indeed be a most wonderful play of chance that in all these three countries- Chaldea. China and India - each in a different spot. but in an identical pole or same latitude the observations and cal- culations of the duration of the longest day should be the same" strikes me as being the most puerile thing ever penned by a professed orien- talist. If the countries named are in the same latitude, it would only be strange if observations and calculations as to the length of the day at summer solstice should not be same. Certainly Chaldea, China, and the Aryan country all have common latitude between the Tropic of Cancer and 30 degrees N., and It was in this territory of India that the ancient records were made. A careful survey of the passages quoted by Mr. Wllde reveal no evidence whatever that Hindu Astrology had its origin In Chaldea. They do Indeed show the aniquity of astronomical records in all the countries named, but there the matter ends, and the evidences of tradition are nil.

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APPENDIX I

Prof. Carl Jung's Letter to Prof. B.V. Raman

Kusnacht-Zch. September 6th 1947

Dear Prof Raman,

I haven't, yet received THE ASTROLOGICAL

less MAGAZINE, but 1 will answer your letter neverthe-

Since you want to know my opinion about astrology I can tell you that I've been interested in this particular activity of the human mind since more than 30 years. As I am a psychologist, I am chiefly interested in the par- ticular light the horoscope sheds on certain complications In the character. In cases of dif- ficult psychological diagnosis I usually get a horoscope in order to have a further point of view from an entirely different angle. I must say astrological that I very often found that the data elucidated certain points which I otherwise would have been unable to understand. From such experiences I formed the opinion that Astrology is of particular in- terest to the psychologist, since it contains a sort of psychological experience which we call "projected" - this means that we find the psychological facts as it were in the constella- tions. This originally gave rise to the idea

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that these factors derive from the stars, whereas they are merely in a relation of synchronicity with them. I admit that this is a very curious fact which throws a peculiar light on the structure of the human mind. What I miss in astrological literature is chiefly the statistical method by which certain fundamental facts could be scientifically estab- lished. Hoping that this answer meets your request I remain,

Yours sincerely. (Sd.) C.G. JUNG.

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APPENDIX II

THE STARS AND ME

Woodrow Wyatt

Donald Reagan: "Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in ad- vance with a woman in San Francisco who drew up horoscopes. This revelation did not startle me. We take the superstitions of religion as normal and ac- ceptable. They are no more rational than con- sulting astrologers, a practice older than estab- lished religions and which does not conflict with them. Sir Stafford Cripps was a devout Christian who believed in what Attlee dlsparingly described as the "Mumbo Jumbo" of religion as much as he did in conscientiously modelling his life on the precepts of Christ. I was the personal assistant on the Cabinet Mission to India. We had been having a sticky time with Congress and Muslim League. Stafford asked at his morning conference if anyone knew of an auspicious day on which to announce the mission's conclusions. Part seriously, part jokingly, 1 said we should apply to the Bengal Government's official astrologer. Stafford at once commanded Mr. Joyce, the press officer from the India Office, to find out from this astrologer the most auspicious day. This was duly done.

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In 1947 the Cabinet and Mountbatten, under pressure, chose August 14 as the start of independence for India and Pakistan, hoping this would not be too late. Mr. Jinnah of the Muslim League was unconcerned. The Hindu In- dian leaders were troubled. The astrologers had reported that August 14 was not the best of dates and were ordered to select the most promising moment during It. They came up with exactly midnight. So Pakistan began its inde- pendence in the morning and India in the mid- dle of the night. India's subsequent history has been somewhat more successful than Pakistan's. Apart from setbacks and hiccups which in- evitably attend an eight-year presidency, Mr. Reagan has been remarkably successful inter- nally and internationally. Perhaps we should be grateful that seemingly he relies more on advice from astrologers than from political commen- tators and opponents. As Hamlet observed: "There are more things in heaven and earth. Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy". That goes for archbishops and popes too. Confess it or not, the vast majority of mankind believes in what it thinks is super- natural. Some intellectuals (see the Hidden Power by Brian Inglis) prefer to call it para- psychology. Arthur Koestler founded a professor- ship in the subject at Edinburgh University. "Bomber" Harris consulted Lyndoe, the people's astrologer, on the best times for bomb- ing raids on Germany and presumably was not

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disappointed by the results. Millions daily read the stars' predictions under their signs of the Zodiac in the newspapers because they feel vaguely that there may be some truth in them. But such predictions are unlikely to reach anywhere near the accuracy of, say, Indian astrologers working on a precise time, date and place of birth of the person concerned. I went to India in the Army in late 1944. I had a friend, K.M. Panikkar, who was Prime Minister of the princely state of Blkaner. He asked me if I would like the court astrologer, K.P. Sharma to cast my horoscope, emphasising that his accuracy had been sharpened by being put in the local lock-up for a day or so any time he made a serious mistake over the Maharajah's Immediate future. This was unfair to Mr. Shar- ma; frequent applications to an astrologer dilute and muddy the brew. Mr. Sharma, whom I never met and who knew nothing about me (not that there was any- thing to know I when was 26). cast my horo- scope blind in January 1945 from the actual minute and second of my birth, when I knew, and from the house I was born in. The full text is published as a three-page, appendix to my autobiography. Confession of an Optimist. When I have felt down I have been en- couraged by looking at it afresh because Mr. Sharma foresaw most the next-to-come good hits in my life. For example. "The royal planet in the

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tenth [viz., the Sun) also indicated titles and honours in the latter half of life *. I was knighted when I was 64. I was sent to the Lords when I was 68. How the devil could Mr. Sharma tell that and many other things from my stars. But he did. He made amazingly accurate predictions for my friend Panlkkar which puzzled us in 1945 but became clear when, unexpectedly ambassador of independent India tn Peking (1948-52). he was able, trusted by both, to persuade the Americans and Chinese Communists to begin the negotiations which ended the Korean war. My horoscope is a main reason why I have always been an optimist. I cannot explain these matters. But there is something going on out there which is real though we do not understand it. Take care how you laugh at Mr. and Mrs. Reagan - the last laugh may be with them.

(Courtesy : THE TIMES. London).

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APPENDIX III

Who Doesn't Consult Astrologers

Stephen Pile

RONALD REAGAN consults an astrologer and the whole of America rises up in derision. Politicians mock, the state totters and car- toonists have a field day. What hypocrisy. You rarely meet Americans without them saying: "You must be a Gemini." They all read their horoscopes with blind devo- tion and there is such an astrology boom in the U.S. that you or I could buy a tent. set up in business there and make a healthy living. No less than three state governors consulted a leading British astrologer for advice about standing in the presidential election. What is more, companies have astrologers on the staff to help with product launches and the second most successful stock market analyst on Wall Street openly makes his predictions on astrological basis. It is exactly the same in Britain, where a significant number of businessmen. politicians, well-known companies, titled folk and people in the city have an astrologer in the way that others might have a chiropodist.

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More Auspicious Nonetheless, the president felt obliged to deny the report. (In that case, would he care to tell us why he delayed his inauguration as the governor of California from the traditional hour of midday to the decidedly eccentric one of a minute past midnight? Astrologers were queue- ing up to point out that his chart for the second day was far more auspicious than for the pre- vious one.) More to the point, why does Ronnie feel that he was to deny it? He would be a fool not to consult an astrologer. In his position it would be tantamount to dereliction of duty. Every body else does, particularly some of the shadier dic- tactors with whom he seems to be so chummy. General Pinochet in Chile has a hotline to the stars, General Zia of Pakistan took astrologi- cal advice before executing Bhutto, as did Sri Lanka before choosing the exact minute in which it became a republic. There is documentary evidence that Mossad. the Israeli intelligence service, regularly uses astrologers. most notably in the raid of Entebbe. Sheikh Yamant had one in London and or- ganized OPEC meetings according to her advice. Indira Gandhi had whole gangs of them and the Indian astrological press was full of warnings about the planetary dangers at the time of her assassination.

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In world history. of course, Ronnie is the rule rather than the exception. The art of divin- ing the future began around 3000 BC in the Tigris-Euphrates basin because they never knew who was going to invade them next or when the river was going to flood. (There was no divina- tion in Egypt because the desert prevented in- vasion and the Nile flooded at the same time every year.) Thereafter, all Roman emperors consulted augurs of astrologers. as did Elizabeth I, Napoleon, Lloyd George, Edward VII, Roosevelt, Churchill, the lot. Only the age of reason wiped astrology out for 300 years until the 20th cen- tury decided to give it another half-hearted go. So why should the President put himself at a disadvantage and ignore this ancient tool, par- ticularly at a time when astrology has inter- wined with Jungian psychology to the point where it increasingly counsels you on how to make the most of your individual charac- teristics? last week submitted myself to a tarot reader, a psychic. a clairvoyant in Mansfield who worked from a lock of my hair, a dial-a-crystal- ball reading, a palmist, a medium and several astrologers. Most of them got enough right to keep me interested, but were way off beam on much else. The one who got everything wrong was the medium who learned from the next world that I am dynamic, organised, quick at decisions and

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destined to be an editor (in my view this is not a fit job for a grown-up and I would re-train as a vet in preference.) The Mansfield clairvoyant predicted that I would meet a man called Fred with a flat cap, live in Saudi Arabia, sit near a fountain while having a meal and see a rolled-up pink carpet. My dial-a-crystal-ball reading brought a flood of information, including the fact that there will be only two more popes before Catholic Church disintegrates. I, meanwhile, am going to be very rich, successful, and a public figure, which is nice because the palmist said I would be strapped for cash and never fulfil my potential. You can see why astrologers want to dis- sociate themselves from that sort of waffly occult gang. They stand out In that company for their accuracy and seriousness, (bold ours) But even here there is a great range of ability. My worry Is not that Reagan consults an astrologer, but that he should consult a good one. Newspaper reports suggest that he uses Miss Joyce Jillson, who acted in Peyton Place and the Sammy Davis Jr show, wrote a booked called The Fine Art of Flirting and advertises her $ 1 introductory service in a horoscope magazine. She may be a first-rate astrologer but I would feel much happier if he was visiting some horribly serious, darksulted person in swish consultation rooms who charges a fortune and is known only by word of mouth.

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Real Thing If you want a good astrologer in Britain, for example, you should contact the faculty of astrological studies in Haywards Heath and ask for its list of consultants, all of whom have com- pleted a five-year training course and signed a code of ethics that prevents them for writing a stars column in the press. Few of those people advertise and some may charge up to € 100 for a session. However, you will be getting the real thing. Whatever my reservations about even the most unhelpful of the seers T visited, I accept that they were all compassionate, thoughtful, peace loving and aware that human society is a fragile web in which each of us depends upon the others. Personally, I would much prefer that' Ron listens to an astrologer, psychic or a blind woman with a bucket full of duck entrails than, say. Caspar Weinberger or those document- shredding aides. At last, I feel that Ron is in safe hands.

Courtesy: The Sunday Times and Times of Indta, 14-5- 1988

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APPENDIX IV

BRIGHU NADI READING OF BHAGAWAN RAMANA MAHARISHI'S HOROSCOPE

Shukra asks:

O Brahman, O great Sage, many persons are born when the constellation Libra is raising, how may I have the detailed knowledge of each individual separately?

Brighu replies: The birth Is in the Tula Lagna(Libra Ascen- dant) and therein (first house)are, you (Venus or Shukra.) O best amongst Brighus.O son. Mer- cury (Budha) is in the second house; hence the child will be a yogi. In the third house is the Dragon's Head(Rahu). and the Sun is also there. In the fifth house is Jupiter(Guru) so he will be a knower of Truth. Saturn (Shani) is in the sixth house. In the seventh is Mars(Mangal): hence the child is Yogabrishta (fallen from Yoga). In the ninth house is the Dragon's Tail (Ketu). and the Moon is also there; for this reason he will know the Self in the end. The correct time of birth (as calculated from sunrise) being :- 48 Ghatis, O Pala, 30 Vipala, 4 Truties. A configuration, as this (this Yoga) is . Furnished by Sri T.N.Venkataraman, President Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai

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called"Muktl Sadhaka" (achiever of liberation.) One bom In this configuration will see the world as Brahman. He was born on Monday the first superimposed by the second thithi of the Dark half in the month of Marghasheersha, when the Moon was in that Asterism (Nakshatra) which comes after Ardra, viz., Diti (or Punarvasu). He the best among the Brahmins, will be desirous of Liberation (Moksha) .. He will be possessed of an elder brother and a younger brother and other possibilities (of Brothers) being destroyed. And I have nothing to say about sisters.

time His education will be in accordance with the and place(he is born in), and his (knowledge) of English will be (Just enough) for. practical purposes. He will be coming in contact with (study) Philosophy, and though living like an ordinary man. he will be mentally detached. In his palm there is line which will bring him honour and success; at the base of the second (ring) finger. which is actually a Yoga-ltne, in- dicative of his desire for Moksha and Omnis- cience; he will be a knower of truth and he will look upon all equally. He will obtain great fame and respect and a mere sight of him will destroy all sins. This child (or. from his childhood he) will be pure minded and will aspire to the realisation of Hari. Even though (in his past incarnation) he had made atonements (purification) for his past sins(as will be clear later), he will suffer from severe illness in his childhood; in his thirteenth

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year his father will go to Heaven (die). His mother will become a widow. The mother will be beloved of the brothers, but this child being dis interested, (tn worldly affairs), there will be dis- sension n the home. Having renounced every thing, he will be seer of the self. And again, out of an intense desire to obtain realisation of Brahman, and having left his home, he will practice complete control over the processes of his mind. He of pure heart, having gone to the Holy mountatn, will, station himself in a quiet place, and there, his doubts removed, will be in- tent on the vision of God. Later, many diseases will assail his body; he. however will become pure(free from illness) not only in body, but in soul and mind. He will progress in the practice of Yoga. and absorbed in Yoga he will reach the Samadhl (supramental spiritual consciousness). The cause of everything that happens to all em- bodied beings is contained in what they have earned or acquired (by their actions) in past births.

Sukra asks:

O Brahman, tell me in the first place what happened in his previous life, by knowledge of which I may have divine vision (explanation of why and wherefore of the present life).

Brighu replies: O Shukra. in his former life he was a highly intelligent Brahman, who had mastered the lore

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of the Vedas and was devoted to the worship of God. Intellectual, one who had progressed far along the path of knowledge(Gnyan). he was in the first rank of those learned in the scriptures. Conceited in his learning, he was, however, despised by other learned men. One Pandit, tor- mented by an insult, cursed him, saying "May you be debased in birth after birth; may you fall from the path of salvation and be born again on this earth." When he heard this terrible and un- bearable curse he resorted to reciting the Gayatri Mantra (the mother of the Vedas); and later he became a Sanyasi(an ascetic). After a long time O Shukra he died and guided by des- tiny. took birth as a Brahmin having knowledge of Brahman and possessing characteristics as have been related before.

Shukra says: Tell me all the incidents of his ltfe while he remains on earth, beginning with his birth, and also the ceremony of purification, etc.

Brighu replies: At the moment of his birth a certain old woman of the name of Sulochana (or one who had beautiful eyes) obtained divine vision in which she had a luminous experience of Brah- man. O best amongst Brighus. his father will be a lawyer at the Court. From his birth upto his tenth year his father will have respect and standing as a leading lawyer. Thev will be three

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brothers, himself being the middle one. His mind will be on learning his lessons, and he will be agile and fond of playing. During those(ten) years he will occasionally have troubles(e.g. minor illness). During his 11th or 12th years he will be devoted to his studies. At this stage an effort (a purificatory penance as prescribed by Brighu) should be made to save the life of his father but as my words will not be heard no effort will be made. In the thirteenth year his father will go Heaven (die); and his mother having become a widow, will give up all her or- naments. During his 14th and 15th years, a certain Brahmin will give him spiritual instructions and hearing his words, he will leave his home and resort to Arunachala. Here he will stay, and his doubts having departed, he will gradually ac- quire knowledge of Brahman. This boy, being a portion of Divinity and because of the actions of his past lives, will desire Spiritual Liberation. At this time a Brahmin, who has taken a vow of silence, comes and takes shelter with him. Again some mischievous boys starts dropping stones upon him. Thereupon renouncing everything (leaving that place) he who has taken tbe vow of silence takes shelter on Arunachala. maintaining his silence. Up to his 18th year he will observe silence as a means of finding truth. Some times trouble will come to him(c.g. small illness), but he will be protected by merit acquired in the past (by his good deeds). Now, his preminded mother who was very much worried and

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depressed (by his absence) and desired the return of her son will come to him accompanied by his brother. He, however, being wise and knowing Truth, the mother and brother become disappointed and return home full of anxiety. After that, O Shukra, his knowledge and detach- ment will increase. Suddenly one day a huge python comes but when he sees this python, the python goes away. His knowledge increases and he becomes a Sidha (a perfect sage). During his 20th and 21st years : - His elder brother goes to Heaven(dies). During his 22nd, 23rd. and 24th years: his mother again visits him and she. having seen her son, returns home. Also a certain eminent Brahmin comes to see htm. He will become a knower of Brahman, and will be known (henceforth, by the name of "Maharshi". Beginning with the 26th year up to the 31st year he becomes known by this name "Maharshi" and is respected by the people around.' He-who knows Brahman-the Truth. and whose mind is free gives spiritual instruc- tlons(to disciples). During his 35th and 36th year: His brother's wife dies. His mother arrives accompanied by his younger brother. His fame spreads and he is more widely respected: a her- mitage (Ashram) like a small village springs up. Between his 37th and 41st years he be- comes indeed a Yogi and his mother goes to heaven. During his 42nd and 44th years there is mortal danger from night prowlers. There is in- deed graver danger. The thieves,however, are

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however unsuccessful. Later, all these thieves though, for committing an offence at some other place, receive the king's punishment as the result of which they perish. From his 45th to 56th year he becomes a King amongst Yogis-the knower of Brahman with a mind unattached. His fame becomes great and he is worshiped by the people to whom he is unattached. O Shukra, in his 57th year, a certain Solicitor (literally. an adviser in the Court) to whom God is dear, and who is desirous of know- ing the qualities of a Yogi will come to hear my words. He (the Solicitor who is also a knower of Brahman, will hear my words first; afterwards, he himself (the Maharshi) will read them, so also will many other people. In the extra month of Bhadrapada the many people staying in the Ash- rama, having heard these words, will be wonderstruck My words should be kept secret and should not be given to the bad, roguish and sinful people : they should be divulged only to the calm, the devoted, the pure and the firm. In the Kall age, the sinful and wicked people will decry my words and call them false, imagining them- selves to be intelligent. Furthermore, in the per- formance. of the Prayaschitta (purificatory penance) hindrances will arise from day to day; these being the results of sin will say otherwise (i.e .. deter from its performance). Therefore, on hearing this, the effort (the ceremony ) should

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be made with the liberal mind and in accord- ance with the prescribed rites.

Shukra asks : O great Yogi, if you would be kind to me please tell me whose pooj a he should perform and what money in charlty he should give so that he may not experience trouble even in dreams and he may become as a child of God.

Brighu replies: He should make a heap of 400 tolas of gold(the lines from 130 and 141 are omitted since they relate exclusively to the mode of ceremony) If he does the Prayaschitta ceremony in this manner his knowledge of Brahman will be per- fect. By its non-performance there will be mental anxiety and his Yoga will go astray. His disciples, therefore, should perform the prayaschitta (by doing which) he will becomes lustrous, knower of Brahman and respected of the people, and ultimately a perfect Yogi with in- fallible will (possessing all Divine powers). ¡Line 147 seems a mistake, therefore omitted here). During his 58th, 59th and 60th years, he shines like a being liberated though dwelling in the body, and has great love for his devotees. He experiences great bliss. he is as though a living image of the Vedas, puissant and ever dutiful.

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Now and then ll1 health arises, but disappears of itself. Pure and holy himself, and therefore beyond the need of acquiring virtue he takes Joy in doing religious deeds and works of charity (for the sake of good example). During his 61st, 62nd.and 63rd years the Light in him increases and burns like fire,and he shines like liberation incarnate. During his 64th, 65th and 66th years I declare (about) concerning this unattached great Being that he now becomes equal to the highest Brahman (achieves complete unity with Brah- man, the highest state of perfection). His face shines with beautiful light. the very sight of which is enough .o give one salvation. During his 67th, 68th and 69th years this Yogi of Yogls_this knower of Brahman whose mind is unfettered may have iliness which would be cured by the practice of Yoga. In the 70th, 71st and 72nd years he who has realised truth obtained suprene knowledge and achieved complete freedom will dangerously ill towards end, and if finally he is brought back to health by means of Yoga, then alone will hap- pen what I say further. From the 73rd to the 80th years he will be even as the Supreme Brahman, and will occupy himself in devotion and service to God. Finally death will approach and in a waking state he will pass tnto the Supreme trance (Samadhl). If death turns back he will then dle in his 83rd year, in the month of Magh on the

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12th of bright half in the early part of the night when his body will resolve itself into the five Elements and the Spirit will rest at the feet of Vishnu (Supreme Deity). If this Yogi does perform the Prayaschitta he will have all the wealth of spiritual power, but by its omission the result will be to the con- trary. Thus I have related the incidents of his ltfe as seen from the first house, which is the most important, and also, though briefly, the. other houses, after hearing which nothing more remains to be known. Thus ends the Horoscope of the Monarch of Yogis in the Sub- Chapter called "Kundali", in the seventh Chapter of the Brighu- Samhita which contains a dialogue between Brighu and Shukra.