prasna

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Home Base: Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Navadwip Dhama, Nadia, WB, INDIA

Camp: Narasimha Caturdasi (Appearance) Festival, ISKCON Sri Mayapur, India'

 

> Dear Jayapataka Swami Maharaja,

> please accept my humble obeisances all glories to Srila Prabhupada.I was

> wandering about Prashna I heard Srila Prabhupada followed it and now I

> hear that some think it is karmakanda ie.niyama-agraha(too strictly

> following)Srila Prabhupada may have followed it and not been

> implicated,and it seems he did not emphasise it.Should we follow it?I am

> asking this question especially in referance to which days we shave the

> head. Thank you Maharaja,

> your servant bhakta Jason.

 

This question is misleading. "Prashna" is specifically an astrological

system by which one asks an astrologer a question. The astrologer using

various means of detecting signs and by astrologically calculating the

moment that the question was asked can give an answer about the question.

When someone doesn't know his birth date and time, for example, sometimes

they use prashna to find out if a marriage compatibility is okay or not.

 

You can ask one of the ISKCON Astrologers more about this topic. I am not

much of an astrologer so I don't consider myself qualified to comment more

on this.

 

I never heard specifically that Srila Prabhupada did a "prashna" to make a

decision. Asking astrologers for an auspicious day to do a ceremony or

following auspicious moments of the day or week or avoiding inauspicious

moments for starting or doing something important is not "prasna", to my

knowledge. It is simply knowing the flows of astrological influence and

avoiding the bad currents.

 

Srila Prabhupada avoided starting major journeys on Thursday afternoons for

instance since it is recommended not to do so by astrological authorities.

Some things like that Srila Prabhupada would follow. That isn't "prasna".

 

I don't know why you have said that "I heard Srila Prabhupada followed it".

If you can explain then I can say more.

 

I hope that this finds you in good health.

 

Your ever well wisher,

 

Jayapataka Swami