ASHTAKAVARGA SYSTEM OF PREDICTION – PART 58 - By Dr. E.S.Neelakantan Once the student has mastered all the rules of Astrology, he could seriously ponder over a career in Astrology. Today the number of people requiring astrological guidance is very high while the number of astrologers available is too low. To bridge this gap, we need to produce more astrologers, who will give proper guidance to clients in times of need, without getting bogged down by material considerations. It is said that a diplomat is a person who, when he says “Go to hell”, people actually look forward to the trip. An astrologer should be a person with soft heart, sweet speech, cordial manners and friendly disposition. Paradoxically I find most astrologers to be short – tempered, rude and blunt in speech. The client comes with a problem. Your aim is to ameliorate his condition, not aggravate it. You cannot always oblige but at least you can speak obligingly. Speak the truth, and speak pleasingly. Never speak an unpleasant Truth (Satyam Bruyat, Priyam Bruyat; Na Bruyat Satyam Apriyam). This should be the cardinal motto of an astrologer. I once consulted a person who had gone almost blind due to retina detachment. Examination of the chart revealed that the chartholder did not have any yoga for becoming blind. I told him that his vision would become normal. When offered a fee, I was reluctant but later I accepted it with a condition that I would visit a Shiva Temple in Kizhkattalai (Near Chennai Airport) and donate that fee to the temple. In this way I ensured that the client did a good deed which in turn would ensure normalcy of vision. In the next few days, the client took some treatment in a hospital in Chennai. Within two months, the person got full vision and even today he is able to perform his normal duties without any assistance.
About two decades back, an elderly gentleman went to consult an astrologer for his wife`s sickness. The astrologer predicted that his wife would die soon. Completely upset, that gentleman contacted me and I arranged a consultation with my Guru. After seeing the chart, my Guru said, “Your wife will live long. The view of the earlier astrologer whom you met earlier may just be ignored”. The lady lived for more than a decade after this event. The astrologer who was consulted earlier committed two blunders – firstly, he failed to assess longevity correctly; secondly, he announced his terrible prediction to the client which in any case did not come true, much to the client’s relief.Many astrologers spoil their own karma, by their attitude, indecent speech and commercial considerations. Not only they bring disrepute to themselves, they bring disrepute to the science. An astrologer should be of noble birth and agreeable appearance. He should be meek, truthful and without jealousy. He should have a sonorous voice and should not have physical defects. He should be a person of clean habits, noble mind, eloquent and should not be nervous. Generally, virtues follow the body. If you have seen beauty contests such as “Miss Universe” or “Miss World”, the jury not only judges their external beauty but also their overall personality including their attitude, frame of mind and in some ways the “inner beauty”. Ruffa Guttierrez, Filipina beauty queen,model and actress and 2nd runner up in Miss World 1993 contest was asked, “What would you tell a girl suffering from low self esteem to feel good about herself?” She replied, “I would tell her to believe in herself because it is not only physical beauty that is important but also inner beauty. Just like what the little Prince said, “The essential things are invisible to the naked eye”; definitely character and personality are more important than physical beauty.”
Being truthful is an important quality for an astrologer. Recollect the words of Bhavabhuti in Uttararama Charitham: “ It is said that wise men speak about that which is true, but the words spoken by the Rishis come true after they are spoken”.
(laukikanam hi sadhunaam artham vaganuvarthathe rshinam punaradhyanam vacham arthonudhavathi )
Predictions made by saints like Shirdi Sai Baba fall under the above rule.A word even inadvertently uttered by a Rishi has an inherent tendency to come true.On this principle one should not conclude that they are Astrologers.Astrologers merely gauge the future But Rishis determine the future.Their words become destiny.In other words they create destiny.Astrologers by analyzing the planetary movements unravel the future but they have no power to control or create destiny. It is recommended that an Astrologer should be without jealousy. Imagine an astrologer analyzing the chart of Bill Gates. Either he can admire the planetary combinations that made Bill the richest man in the world. Else he can bemoan his own fate in not being rich like Bill Gates. Once the quality of jealousy enters a person, he tends to look at the negative side of life ignoring all the good things God has done for him. In one of the earlier issues I discussed the life of Steve Jobs astrologically. Steve Jobs was an enormously successful person but he died of cancer at a fairly young age. This teaches one important lesson. Life is a mixture of good and evil. Every horoscope has something good and something bad- only the proportion differs. A jealous man looks at the positive side of another man’s life and the negative side of his own life whereas he is supposed to look only at the positive side of his own life. Here is one paragraph which explains what life all about is. Arthur Ashe, the legendary Tennis player and former Wimbledon Champion was dying of AIDS which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does God have to select you for such a bad disease"? Ashe replied " The world over 50 million children start playing tennis, 5
million learn to play tennis, 500,000 learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the Grand Slam, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals; When I was holding a cup I never asked God 'Why me?'. And today in pain I should not be asking God 'Why me?' "
There is an interesting anecdote mentioned by Joseph Murphy in “The Power of the Subconscious Mind”. A man went to an astrologer, who predicted that within a certain date, the man would die”. Exactly as predicted the man died. Was this Astrologer, a genius? No, he is a criminal, if Joseph Murphy’s interpretation is correct. The Astrologer gave a suggestion which was accepted by the client’s subconscious mind. Once subconscious mind believes in something, it will definitely happen. Had the Astrologer predicted a long life and had that prophecy been accepted by the client’s subconscious mind, certainly the client would have lived long. Before teaching Astrology, one should ascertain, if the student’s 2nd house is influenced by Sun, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu or Mars. If so, it is better that student is not allowed to learn Astrology. In olden times, Astrologers were also Vedic Pundits. They were adept in chanting Vedic hymns such as Rudram and Chamakam from their Gurukul days. It is said that the benediction or the benedictory word of a Vedic Pundit would never prove false. Generally, such Vedic Pundits were free of greed, ego and ambition. Predictions made by such great souls would never go wrong. Very recently, I saw the chart of a person born in Libra Lagna with Venus in 6th and Saturn in 9th. Venus was in Uttarabhadra, which is a star of Saturn while Saturn was in 8th cusp, though in 9th house. Since Venus was exalted and getting the aspect of Yogakaraka Saturn, it was fairly well placed. Further, 8th Lord in 6 is also a good feature. Overall I felt Venus would do good and expressed my views to the client. As visualised, the client got the post of a CEO in a well known multinational company. It was at this stage that the chartholder informed me that
several astrologers had wrongly predicted that he would become jobless due to the following reasons:
(1) Venus in 6 is bad, being a dustana. (2) As Lagna Lord in 6, it would deliver bad results (3) Venus, by occupying a star of Saturn would become a strong significator of 8th house and therefore deliver bad results.
No doubt, the astrologers did a good job in their analysis. But while giving their valuable judgement, should they not evaluate both the pros and cons in totality? Should only the negative features of a planet be highlighted rather than its positive features? The 6th is a dustana but it is also an Upachaya house. Imagine a cup with water half – filled. The optimist said, the glass is half full. The pessimist said the glass is half empty. Your perception determines your judgment.
A client called me on a Sunday which was also a Pradosham day seeking an appointment. Usually 4.30 pm to 6 PM is Pradosham and this period is intended for worship of Lord Shiva and avoidable for all other activities. Giving this reason, I suggested to the client to come and meet me at a convenient time avoiding 4 .30 – 6 00 PM. The client happily said, “Sir, even I wanted to say the same thing. Sunday, between 4 30 – 6 00 is Rahukaal. I wish to avoid that time.Same day, same time, different reason – look at the paradox. I would say that if you look at the good things in your life, the bad would vanish of their own accord.
To those who think twice before paying the fee( Gurudakshina) to the Astrologer ,here is an anecdote. My Guru never used to demand a fee but clients used to give him some fee( Gurudakshina) for every
consultation. One gentleman came to consult my Guru for his daughter’s marriage. In this process you need to go to an astrologer every now and then and consult him. The client made one remark in the course of this meeting,”Sir,I would come to meet you every now and then for finalizing my daughter’s marriage proposal.I will pay you my Gurudakshina once it gets finalized and will compensate you for all the consultations I have had with you till then”. My Guru said” Why do you bother about that now.You need to think over it only when the alliance gets finalized”.For some strange reason that gentleman’s daughter never got married and remained a spinster forever.I will now allow you to draw your own inference.I prefer not to comment because what transpired in that meeting between my Guru and the client is evident from my narrative. The word “Daivajna” in Sanskrit means Astrologer. “Daivam” means fate and “ Jna” means “ to know”. To know about events beforehand is the work of an Astrologer. To know the future, one should be aligned with the mind of God. For that alignment to take place, an astrologer should be far far away from petty considerations, ego, ambition or greed. It may appear utopian but really that is the goal worth striving for.
( to be continued)
