Few matters to mull

October 8, 2009

Dear All,

In my posting titled "Grace of Bhavani",I had quipped thus:"In the Brihat Samhita Varamihira gives credit to the Greeks who gave India its horoscopic astrological roots..."

This was a mental typo! I apologize for the same.

varahamihirA's "credit" was a PERFECTLY cooked-up version by the Britishers(so called "Intellectuals") who ruled our country then.They made it seem that such an advanced knowledge as in jyOtis'A could not have come from a darker skinned nation but came from the nation of Chaldea(they even quote some words like "apoklima"(in Vetius Valens) from ancient Greek horoscopes to occur(Referece: Greek Horoscopes:Edited by O.Neugebauer and H.B.Van Hoesen).

Naturally, since most Indians then(and maybe even these days too in a different form!) were servile and grovelling by nature,subjected to years of slavery of some sort, accepted the whiteman's verdict.Afterall, we have the dubious distinction to bunk our ageold wisdom and knowledge,cast aspersions on it and embrace the ordure which the West offers us with a contempt,at the first given chance!

It is actually the reverse,the knowledge of both sayAnA and nirAyana has been imparted by our seers to the Westerners who came and took liberally what they wanted(cut according to their customs and traditions) and left.One can even perform a Carbon Dating on the plam leaves(by nuetral and honest people not biased peoplw ho would want to flex the results)and know that the origins were much before the so called "Greek Horoscopes".Even ephemrides can be checked for authenticity and chronological origins.

I'm not crossing my swords with anyone but am revealing certain subjective and meditative experiences here.Also, this is not to steal the thunder of Western Astrology as it exists today.There are certain good points which can be seen in that system too.

However, I feel that nirayanA system we follow is "mega-comprehensive".When we have a milch cow(jyOthis'a s'AstrA) at home,yielding copious fresh organic milk,with a milkman(jOtishis-astrologers) on service, do we need to journey 10 miles and buy a packet of Growth-hormone-ridden,chemically sterilized milk?

I had in an earlier posting praised sayAnA(tropical zodiac system followed by the West) as good,but it was an objective view and only for some aspects and that too within a limited context of vedic jyOtishA.This has been borne out by my studies in the matter.Also,it depends on the astrologer who handles the subject.I'm not satisfied completely with the Western Astrological methods.There are many loopholes which need to be tackled.

Our astrological system,nirAyanA(sidereal) is most precise and this does not need ANY alterations(like by some over-enthusiastic western astrologers or Indian astrologers influenced by Western astrology to include planets like Pluto,Neptune and Uranus in the Vedic Astrological chart and make a mess of things.).Our seers who had such thorough knowledge,had perfect knowledge of planets like Pluto,Neptune,Uranus and even planets(And other celestial bodies) beyond Pluto.However,they purposely did not include them in the jyOtis'a s'AstrA for a reason.

Many a smart aleck in the name of "Modern Astrology" try to include these planets(Uranus,Neptune and Pluto) and "improve" Vedic astrology.All they do is add confusion to astrological systems and make people not believe astrology as a whole and trash it.

Astrology is a powerful science and can be used to tune our psychology,spirituality,etc.

The seers like maharishI paras'arA, mahars'hi gargA,Bhrigu Maharishi,varahamihirA,jAimini maharishI,etc were not fools in giving remedial measures in their tomes.

If they had a really fatalistic view,no remedial measure would have been given.No one is a fatalist.If one is a prefect fatalist,one becomes a perfect vedantist.Then I respect him or her as a yOgi who gives into God for everything.Even yOgis sometimes are not fatalists.

But many of us,go to office or work and earn money,etc.If we are fatalists we should just stay at home and wait for money to come.Afterall, if money has to come it will come,else it will not come,whatyasayall?

But we have a tendency to quote selectively to our convinience.

Fate can be construed as an admixture of Own's self-will+Previous karmAs+God's will.

People who come to me and say "I have no belief in astrology or astrological remedies" are

1. Influenced very much by the hoax of western scientific temper!(Verbal transcript in mind/subconsious mind:"Hey all this B.S. lets work hard and believe in science and in logic and in ...and in....and in...blah blah blah")(Scientific temper involves testing for oneself the truths as laid out by our preceptors under an able guide/guru.And not beliving some foolish report in a magazine given by a totally ignorant moron that jyOtishA has failed,sitting upon erroneous judgement)

2. Have had bitter experience with astrology or remedial measures,given by some quack/charlatan.(Verbal transcript in mind/subconsious mind:"I burnt my fingers beliving one moronic astrologer and thus all of this is a sham(erroneous logic).I did all his suggested remedial measures,yet squat happened.All this just weakens my willpower and makes me afraid.")(Emotionality takes precedence over logicality.Someone has fear of crossing a bridge because a bridge which he went in childhood collapsed and he after great resuce effort was saved.He carries what psycholgists call abnormal fear for bridges.Dont we call this "abnormal"?)

3. Have not studied the system at all and just give their 2 cents to prove they are of an intellectual breed(wannabes!)(Verbal transcript in mind/subconsious mind:"What is there to study in this shitty science? It is a pseudo science which will not put me in good light before my peers or my standing as an educated person.I have not read it,yet it is ok, so let me bash it")(Here peer pressure and own ignorance about the subject makes one pout such views)

4. Their upbringing is such as to reject anything to do lightly with spirituality or occult.(Say their parents were both communists or belonging to some caste or community which derides vedic wisdom)(Verbal transcript in mind/subconsious mind:"My Dad used to debunk this subject.Obviously he must be right.Its not in our family to believe such nonsense.")(Here power to think is being delegate to some "higher authority")

5. Find it too complex to understand the nuances.(Verbal Transcript:"Whew!so many rules,exceptions,exceptions to exceptions! My brain is getting fried.I think thus this science is but of contradictions and not applicable!(Wow what a great classical piece of erroneous logic again!)"(Rules have to be learnt from classical standard texts,fundamentals have to grapsed very well,systematic approach has to be adopted,sikshA guru's advice has to be sought,meditation and other means to energize one's subconscious mind to predict properly is to opted,upAsana is to followed for some deity to induce vAks'akthI.All this requires hardwork and dedication and not all are capable of this, and not all do this)

These 5 categories make up for the majority of those who mouth such assinine views on astrology.A few also mouth some dialogues like"Im a s'rIvidhyA upAsakA.Im not affected by grahAs"(you can substitute s'rIvidhyA by any other deities name like Shirdi Sai Baba,NarasimhA,etc).

To all these overenthusiastic zealots,let me say something.

upAsanA is not something of an umbrella which protects you PERFECTLY from your bad karmAs totally.One has to suffer for one's bad karmAs,whatever that might be.

upAsanA gives strength to endure any calamities in life.upAsanA shortens the duration of the bad karmA(if say you need to suffer something for 40 years, by the strength of upAsanA, one can reduce is drastically)upAsanA is difficult to follow(Please refer my older postings on the difference between upAsanA and bhakthi).It involves total commitment and not getting initiated into manthrAs and mumbling it under breath daily for sometime and expecting miracles.upAsanA deity can in a rare case take upon the karmAs or by sheer ahethuki kripA can avert such kArmic happenings seeing the progress of the upAsakA.(These are very rare instances and though everyone would love to fall in this category, it happens to one in a million devotees)

A leaf from my own life:

One devotee who claimed he was a Baba devotee once told me all this astrology is humbug and that Baba asked all not to believe in such things and depend on Him alone.(I had predicted when he brought in the first place his jAthaka chakrA that an accident related to the spine was in the offing soon(on a probablistic note as nothing can be said deterministically) and asked him to take caution and that it can be averted easy as it is of an "apa" kind and not "kAla" kind as pulipAni and gargA mention it.I also quoted a samskruthA verse for his benefit.)

I said,"Very well.Do you depend on Him for everything?"

He replied back, "Ofcourse, I do."

My Reference from Sai SatcharithA to Him:

Chapter 26 of Sai Satcharita - The Story of Gopalnarayan Ambadekar- "He then got Sai Baba's blessings for his astrological profession and studies and his prospects began to improve. He studied astrology and gained proficiency in it and there by improved his lot. He was able to earn sufficient money and passed his later life in ease and comfort".

If Baba was against astrology,He would not have blessed His devotee to study it.

In another example, (please refer Chapter 22 of Sai Satcharita) one astrologer predicted the possibility of a snake coming to bite Mr.Booty, Baba told Mr. Booty not to worry and the snake was killed before biting Mr. Booty. The predictions of Astrologer can come true. But Baba saved his devotee from death.

In my opinion, Baba is not against astrology,however,He is above Astrology(atleast from a low-level human perception)

Baba is not against astrology,He is against people(His devotees) who totally believe in astrology without doing action by themselves.

My experiences with Baba also prove to be salubrious only on these lines.

------His reply to my story."Im such a Mr.Booty and Baba will prevent the calamity which you say will happen without me taking recourse to any of the remedial measures which you have mentioned."

I had given him only simple measures to follow and it was his adamance and negative attitude to the divine science of astrology which made him say thus.

I say all this despite being into the s'rIvidhyA path all these years.

I said,"If your faith in Baba is really strong, cling to Him,dearly; during this period which I have mentioned,avoid all journeys and even if you have to journey for something important,wear His udhi on your forehead,pray to Him,keep Him in your heart.This way by utmost faith,you will escape scot-free.This is the best I can advice you."

At that time,I was even younger than Im now! and so he took lightly of my advice and age and said patronizingly, "Ok my dear young boy,you have a lot to see in life.I have seen a lot in my life.....(and other assorted deviant talk)..."

I kept quite and excused myself at the first given chance.

*****************************

Three weeks later,I paid a visit to him in Vijaya Hospital,Chennai,with a few roses,oranges and a Getwell card!

He saw me and lamented Baba had deserted him.He was full of invectives against Baba Himself.

I could only pity him and asked him to not get emotional as his blood-pressure might aggravate and might further prove detrimental to his condition.

His spine had been dislodged due to an impact with a truck from behind,luckily nothing else much had happened.He had gone to buy a pAn(he had the habit of chewing tobacco in betel leaves)for himself, despite my warning not to journey long distances in a scooter unless it was really urgent.(His office was at a walkable distance).He had a vAhanagandA/bheethi which was predicted by me.

A simple remedial measure given by me would have cost him,hardly Rs.50(buying some grains and giving it poor people) and a small litany to chant.He ended up paying Rs.45,000 for the spinal operation.Till date he walks with a stick to assist him and a neck-cuff(much sobered,I guess).

Obviously here,neither Baba nor astrology is to be blamed.

It is his own arrogance,lack of s'raddhA and belief in the supreme which has led to such sorry state of affairs.Maybe it was Baba who wanted to see His devotee safe and thus sent him to me for astrological advice(God helps through people--deivam mAnushya rupe'na) and he did not recognize it.

Now, one might ask a question here: If the accident was an "apA"(reversible) kind how did it turn to "kAlA"(irreversible kind).Herein lies the concept of fate as I laid bare before.It involves the native's own vAk and manah:-s'uddhI.If he speaks or thinks negative when sanguine and divine advice is being proferred,the karmA would ripen.

Now, sadly he believes in astrology more than Baba and despite my remonstrances that astrology alone should not taken as a recourse and must be supplemented by bhakthi to some deity or divine source,he does not listen to me.

Now this incident has become his "verbal transcript" to define his attitude towards astrology.(Thanks to me?)

These incidents are not said to brag about myself but to showcase certain facts to people about the power of Vedic astrology in the hands of able people.

What does an astrologer get by all this?

If he or she is doing rightful service to those who seek counsel, he or she would then burn many sins of past births by helping others(This has the pramAnA of parAs'arA) and also goes on a steady path to mOkshA.If coupled with serious upAsanA,guru bhakthi,etc, it might also be his or her last birth(This too has been stated by some vedic seers).

I just wanted to type this message fast as I had some time today in the morning.

Yours Yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli

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