To Dr. Bhagavadpada Conference Proceedings - Part I.

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Dear Dr. Bhagavadpada:

 

Thank you for your generosity of time and good will to write up the

conference proceeding notes ... I very much appreciate the knowledge

shared by , you and the other conference members ...

 

With best wishes to you and the other conference members ...

 

Mew (Mary)

 

 

, <siha wrote:

>

> PART I OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF SA

ASTROLOGERS, GURGAON, INDIA, 2008: By: Dr. Sankara Bhagavadpada.

>

> 's Inaugural Address at the International

Conference of SA Astrologers, 2008; Gurgaon, India.

>

> After Mr. Kumar Jhuraney, made the aims of the Intl Conf clear in a

very short address and the delegates introduced themselves one by

one; the Conference started off in right earnest, with Prof. V. K.

Choudhry's inaugural address, beginning with his invocation of Lord

Ganesha's grace. He touched on a wide range of themes and sutras, in

his inimitable informal manner, and the contents of his talk is being

summarized here[verbatim, as far as I have been able to achieve

this] for the benefit of the SA astrologers, who could not make it to

this Intl Conf. Delegates enjoyed the freedom to interrupt him as he

was continuing with his address. Thus, his address was punctuated

with frequent questions from delegates and his answers to such

questions. It had that typical flavor and atmosphere of a Satsang

with an erudite and great Master, which is actually so much a part

of the Hindu ethos.

>

> He started out by emphasizing that, this SA conference has not been

formally organized with a pre-determined agenda [as most VA

conferences are], but that rather, the Conf evolved mainly through

discussions and question-answer dialogues. In so far as the scheduled

presentations were concerned, he mentioned the two scheduled

presentations, one by Dr. Bhagavadpada[myself] and another by Dr.

Jonathan Miller, meaning that the rest of the sessions would take the

form of open discussions and question-answer dialogues, in which

participants would have the liberty to bring up any charts and seek

clarifications for their questions.

>

> 1.The Importance of the Comprehensive Picture:

>

> He laid stress on the importance of comprehensively taking into

account, all aspects of astrological analysis; such as Houses, Signs,

Planetary relationships through conjunctions and aspects, planetary

strengths, and placements, Transit influences, as well as the running

dasas and bhuktis, before any inference can be drawn. In some cases,

he said, during the sub-periods of strong planets, the good results

expected, may be belied, in spite of the sub-period lord being

strong. This may happen, he said, even when there is no affliction as

such to the MEP of the MT House of the sub-period lord.

>

> 2.Sutra on the Affliction in the MTH of a Dispositor:

>

> He took up a specific example, to illustrate what he had in mind.

He asked us to consider the case of an Aries Ascendant, in which, let

us say Jupiter was placed in the IH, at say 8º, when, say the MEP is

at, say some 15º. Moreover if Rahu is placed at, say 7º in

Sagittarius, it will necessarily afflict the natal Jupiter exactly.

Alternatively he also asked us to think of the FM Me being at 8º in

Libra aspecting, from that position, natal Jupiter exactly. If

further, say Mars is strong, during the sub-period of Mars, results

may not be good, because of the affliction Jupiter suffers in the MT

House of the sub-period lord, Mars.

>

> When a delegate Mr. Roop Saran asked , what the

effect would be, if the Ascendant lord was placed at say 7º in the XH

[from which position, it would exactly bless, the natal Jupiter?

>

> In such a case, the Prof said, there will come into play, a

relieving factor, but in any case, during the sub-period of a

dispositor, which has an affliction in its MT House; in spite of the

strength of the sub-period lord, results may not be good-as the

affliction will also ripen during the sub-period, and thus make it

unpleasant.[sA sutra-1].

>

> In reply to another question [from Ms. Sunita Singhal], as to what

would happen if Jupiter suffered only a Transit affliction, Prof

Choudhry replied that, in that instance, the whole thing would only

be a Transit affliction and would wane, as soon as the separating

orb of affliction, exceeded 1º. He also said that, if the afflicted

planet is at least 60% strong, the recovery from the affliction

[whether Transit or natal] is always faster. And that in the instance

of the afflicted planet being fully strong in the natal chart, the

recovery from the affliction would be fast.[sA Sutra-2, but known to

us]

>

> 3.Sutra on the Astounding Power of a Strong Sun:

>

> Then the Professor turned his attention to the role of the Sun in

any chart and expounded some new simple sutras, regarding the Transit

patterns of the Sun. The first and the most astounding of these

Sutras on the power of the Sun, is the following:

>

> " If the Sun is strong in any natal chart, then, in so far as the

professional matters are concerned, the individual in question has

good chances of securing a job speedily, in the wake of a

professional set-back. " [sA-Sutra-3]

>

> He added that, there is nothing the individual has to do by way of

exertions and strenuous efforts, in the finding of a job, after one

has been lost-all he has to do[when the Sun is strong in his chart]

is simply to be patient! And the impasse would resolve itself. Such

is the power of the blessing from a strong natal Sun.

>

> 4.Sutra on the Solar Transits Through the Malefic Houses:

>

> The next Sutras the Prof touched upon pertained to the Transit

impact of the Sun in any natal chart, as it passes through the three

malefic Houses, namely the VIH, the VIIIH and the XIIH. He pointed

out that when the Sun Transits these three Houses, as along with the

Sun, the planets Mercury and Venus, may also be found, in the Sun's

proximity, the impact of the Transit weakness of Sun, will become

more pronounced, as mental agitation, etc[sutra-4].

>

> Taking the example of the Aries Ascendant again, he said, that

during such periods, consulting clients may be forewarned that during

these three short periods [of roughly some 45 days], as the

individuals, especially with weak Sun are likely to suffer mental

agitation and delay, they may be advised to be more self-composed and

be patient, and also not react too much to perturbing situations, so

that these Transit periods may pass off relatively more peacefully,

with relatively less struggle and mental agitation.

>

> In the case of the example of the Aries Ascendant, the Sun would

pass through the VIH between 15th Sept and middle of October, whereas

between mid-Nov and mid Dec, it would Transit the malefic VIIIH[when

the difficulties would manifest as obstructions] and between mid-

March and mid-April when it would Transit, the sign Pisces, as one

may incur a lot of expenses, the caution, which one may give, will

have to pertain to expenditure and spending. These results of the

Transit weakness of the Sun will account for mediocre results, during

the Sun sub-period, even when the Sun is strong in a natal chart, the

Prof explained. [sA Sutra-5]

>

> 5.More Light on the Power of a Strong Sun:

>

> The sixth astounding SA Sutra he mentioned is the following,

pertinent to those with a strong Sun in their charts:

>

> " For people with a strong Sun in their charts, there will not be

many problems in life. " [sA Sutra-6]

>

> Then again, he elaborated on this, putting it in a different way:

>

> " Those with a strong Sun, are placed in a fortunate position,

because, the governing capacity of the Sun is such that even

solutions for difficult problems come easily for them-they just have

to be a little patient. " [sA Sutra-6, revisited]

>

> To illustrate the power of a strong Sun in a chart, Prof Choudhry

cited the case of a man, who in spite of many conflicts with his

boss, never lost his professional indispensability and recognition,

for even when he fell out with his boss, his boss, realizing his

value, was quick, to avoid losing him, and thus hastened to induct

him at once, into the position of an indispensable consultant,[note

that this is after he had fallen out with his boss].

>

> 6. The Malefic Impact of the VIH Lord on Various Houses:

>

> The next theme he took up pertained to the role of the VIH lord, as

it influenced various houses in any chart. He took up such themes, as

would help SA astrologers, in the interpretations of the charts of

their clients. The sutra he gave here appears below:

>

> " Whenever the VIH lord afflicts the IH or the IIIH or the XH, the

individual in question, must be forewarned to the effect that by

practicing more silence and by being less argumentative, their path

in life can become much smoother. " [sA Sutra-7]

>

> 7.Sutra on the IIH Lord in the Malefic VIH:

>

> It was also pointed out by the Professor, that for individuals,

whose IIH lord is placed in the malefic VIH, there is always the

possibility of getting into controversies. Their status will also be

controversial and even family matters will not be so happy. [sA Sutra-

8]

>

> If one were examining the question of stability of marriage and

compatibility, then such a bad-placement of the IIH lord[which is one

of the important marriage lords] in the VIH may not be too bad in

itself, but it is when, in addition, the IVH lord is also weak, that

on account of the multiple weaknesses and afflictions becoming

cumulative, the marriage can break-off, creating a misfortune in

this process. He emphasized that, the IIH lord in the VIH, will not

become a destabilizing factor in marriage, when the VIIH of

relationship and the IVH of home-life are strong.[sA Sutra-9].Through

such sutras, he was illustrating once again, the importance of a

comprehensive picture, an important theme with which he commenced

this inaugural address.

>

> Mr. Gaurav Dameja, going back to the Sutras on the Sun's impact on

the profession, asked the Prof, what the end result would be for an

individual, who recently lost a job, and had a very weak prime

determinant of profession, but for whom, the Sun was strong?

>

> To this question, the Prof replied, in keeping with the sutras

enunciated above by him, that the strong Sun will enable him to get a

job easily.

>

> 8. Placement of Planets in the Three Sun-Like Houses:

>

> Next, he turned his attention to the important Sutras on the

placement of planets in the Sun-like houses, namely the IIH, the IIIH

and the IXH. The new astounding SA sutra the Prof gave is the

following:

>

> " Any planet placed in the Sun-like Houses, has its strength

increased, by 25%, thereby it will give better results. If such

planets, placed in the Sun-like houses are already " strong " by SA

reckoning, then their " added strength " will give results surpassing

those of " strong " planets, to the extent of 25%. " [sA Sutra-10]

>

> 9.The Advantages and Power of the Leo Ascendant:

>

> In this context of the Sun-like houses[Hs], the Leo Ascendant was

touched upon and the Prof said: " Leo Ascendant people have an

additional advantage in governing, for apart from the Sun being their

Ascendant lord, there were Mulatrikona Signs in the IIH, IIIH and

also the IXH, thus bringing in three other Sun like lords, for this

particular Ascendant. " [sA Sutra-11]

>

> In reply to certain questions concerning the political aspect of

the Leo Ascendant, the Professor moved on to the chart of the

American President, Mr. George Bush Jr[GB hereafter]. The birth

details of GB are shown below:

>

> 6th Jul 1946, 7:26 AM, TZ= 4 hrs EDT,

>

> New Haven, Connecticut [72W56, 41N18]

>

> 10.Chart of Mr. George Bush Jr-Illustrative Example:

>

> Commenting on the Cancer Ascendant chart of President George Bush,

the Prof said that GB's problem has been his inability to convince

others due to placement of the lord of the sixth house in the third

house. And that those who criticize him do not appreciate GB's views

regarding war efforts in Afghanistan, etc, have had the significant

effect of acting as a powerful deterrent against further terrorist

attacks against the US. GB takes responsibility for his actions and

believes that his initiative in Afghanistan has acted as a deterrent

against terrorist attacks in other parts of the world, as well. And

that in GB's view, the initiative in Afghanistan was aimed at

destroying the very sources of terrorism. The chart of GB was cited

as an example of the influence of the strong VIH lord, on the IIIH.

[see SA Sutra-7 enunciated by the Professor above and appearing on

Pg 6].

>

> In the same context, he mentioned a consultation he had with

someone who was in charge of a big trust in India. The latter, it

appears had raised a question about the next US President in 2004.

The questioner was rather disillusioned with the Prof for having

mentioned the name of Mr. George Bush, as an answer to his question-

as the possible future President of the US at the time of the second

term of GB.

>

> Pointing out how humans succumb to illusions in mere appearances

[as he saw in the case cited above] he moved on to a slightly

different theme. Taking into account, the possible impact

of " external pomp and paraphernalia " on our human minds, the Prof

sounded a note of caution and said that astrologers always had the

responsibility of going purely only by the planetary influences seen

in any chart, rather than basing their judgment on such external

misleading symbols.

>

> When Ms. Sunita Singhal asked about the weakness of the Sun in GB's

chart[as it was placed in the malefic XIIH], the Prof drew her

attention to the " Sun-like planet " , Me, ruling the " Su-like IIIH " ,

being placed in the IH, and thereby providing, an adequate

compensation for the weakness of the Sun. He also said, the IIH lord,

the Su, in the XIIH of losses and expenditures, showed GB's massive

financial expenditure and energies in the XIIH of distant lands - but

towards the stamping out terrorism for globally. And that because GB

incurred colossal expenses in this massive effort, his reputation got

tarnished, as the people were unable to appreciate his vision. Added

to this, the Prof pointed out that the placement of the VIH lord in

the IIIH, while increasing his fighting capacity, had unfortunately

also landed him in controversies.

>

> At this point, looking at " the close influence " of Rahu on Jupiter

as the VIH lord, I asked the Prof, whether this close influence would

serve to magnify his fighting spirit and also magnify the

controversies? To this question, the Prof replied that as Jupiter was

strongly placed in the IIIH, Ra actually did not afflict Jupiter.

>

> There was another question put to the Prof concerning the

affliction of Ketu to Venus and the Prof clarified that " we may not

actually know the nature of his relationship with his wife, though we

may be certain that this affliction is capable of denying him mental

peace " .

>

> As the Professor, had allowed each session to evolve, on its own,

depending upon the participation of the delegates; at this point, in

the context of " Ketu's affliction " in GB's chart, I asked about " the

magnitude of the misfortune " caused by the affliction from Ketu to

the Moon and Moon's MTH in India's chart?

>

>

11. New SA Light on India's Chart:

>

> [ 15th Aug 1947, 12:00:01 AM, TZ= - 5hrs 30 mts,

>

> Delhi, [77E12, 28N36]]

>

> In answering this question, , it appears, has

actually given us a potent new sutra, pertaining to the Sun-like

houses, which was already touched upon[Hs]:

>

> " When planets are placed in one of the Sun-like Hs; i.e.; in either

the IIH, or the IIIH, or the IXH, their strengths are raised by an

additional 25%, merely through the benefit of placement in the Sun-

like Hs. " [sA Sutra-9]

>

> With India's chart in mind, He went on to add that on account of

such " additional placement benefit " , coming to so many planets,

placed in the Sun-like IIIH; the affliction from Ketu to the Moon as

the IIIH lord as also to the IIIH MEP, becomes less damaging.

>

> Looking at the exaltation of Ketu, in India's chart, he also said

that, this aspect of Ketu to the IIIH and the IIIH lord has given

India profound interest in mystic disciplines and spiritual

liberation, as well as astrology, which is the foremost of the mystic

disciplines.[sA Sutra-12]

>

> As the Prof was dwelling on India at that moment, he also threw

additional light on certain other aspects of India's chart. He said,

India's IIIH, also showed travels to other countries to being

philosophy to the doorsteps of foreign countries.[sA Sutra-13]

>

> In the context of the IIIH, which was so very important for India,

he mentioned in passing that if in any chart, there was the influence

of the VIH lord on the IIIH or the IIIH lord, then impatience and

aggression would have been the hall marks.[sA Sutra 14]

>

> Bringing the IIIH of India into focus again, the Prof mentioned

that as the IIIH lord, the Moon was in its own MTH and that too close

to the MEP, and as also so many planets were placed in the IIIH, in

spite of the affliction from Ketu, India did have a substantial share

in the presently occurring IT revolution.[ SA Sutra-15]

>

> Expatiating further, he said that in view of the Sun-like

character of the IIIH; as the IIIH signified leadership on the one

hand over associates and team members, and on the other, signified

communication; it was clear that it was always communication which

created leadership[sA Sutra-16 and an important SA insight].

>

> Answering a question, concerning the " added strength " of planets

placed in the IIIH, he said: " The direct aspects of planets placed in

the Sun-like IXH, would also naturally enjoy the additional strength

of 25%, as they are beamed into the IIIH. " [sA Sutra 17]

>

> These uplifting commentaries of the Professor, on the IIIH of

India's chart , softened the " rather grim picture " of India, that I

had created in my presentation on the ethos of India, when I had

pointed out " the seriousness and gravity " of the afflictions from Ke

to the IIIH and the IIIH lord.

>

> 12. Charts of the US Presidential Candidates:

>

> As Prof Choudhry did not, by deliberate intent, have any prefixed

agenda for his inaugural address, but had rather allowed the debates

and questions from the participants, to propel and shape the

direction of its development, the above topical discussion on the Sun-

like IIIH, had brought in a new question , pertaining to an entirely

different field- namely, that of SA perceptions and predictions for

the ongoing US elections. One delegate had asked [i am not sure, who

it was, it could have been Dr. Miller and Dr. Johnson] whether Mr.

Mitt Romney had any chance of being elected to the office of the US

President? This question was actually, it appears, asked of the Prof

some weeks ago, but it came up for discussion again at the Conf. You

are seeing the birth details of this Presidential candidate below:

>

>

>

> [12th March 1947, 9:50 AM, TZ= 5 hrs EST,

>

> Detroit, [83W03, 42N20]]

>

>

>

> In the view of the Prof, the affliction to the debilitated IIIH

lord, was the crucial factor, which would deny him success. He had

already made this view known, on previous occasions, when the same

question was put to him. As there were many charts for HC, he also

clarified that the Gemini Ascendant chart[around 8PM] seemed to be

the more reliable among many others, which were also in circulation.

With Gemini rising HC appears to have the best chance to win keeping

in mind the charts of other candidates in circulation.

>

> The chart of the other Presidential candidate, Mr. Obama Barrack

also came up for discussion:

>

> [Aug 8th, 1961, 13:06Hrs, Honolulu (157ºW52´, 21ºN18´), 13:06 Hrs,

Time Zone=10 Hrs HST].This gave a Libra Ascendant with MEP at 24º 30´.

>

>

>

> The birth details of Ms Hillary Clinton considered are 26th

October, 1947, 8.00 PM, Chicago, CST 6 Hours.

>

> It was held by the Prof that as the chart of HC(as per

details mentioned above) held the greatest promise she is most

likely to be elected to the White House.

>

> Towards the end, when I had asked whether the three Sun-like Hs,

the IIIH, the IIH and the IXH, would ever give also the general

significations of the Sun?, the Prof replied: " These Su-like Hs would

of course never give " the general significations of the Sun " , but

that nevertheless, they are capable of bestowing a high status, such

as only the Sun is capable of bestowing and that they can also

bestow the Sun-like capacity to organize and manage. " [sA Sutra-18]

>

> In passing, mentioned that from a careful

examination of the general appearance of an individual, it is not

always possible to arrive at the correct Ascendant. He added that,

the Libra and Leo Ascendants, alone have their well-known hall-marks

stamped in the appearance of the individuals , whereas the other ten

Ascendants are hard to tell from an examination of their appearance.

[sA Sutra-19]

>

> This was an answer to a question from one of the delegates, who had

asked, whether by looking at HC, one cannot tell unambiguously what

Ascendant she has?

>

> These were the main SA sutras and general principles, the Professor

shared on the first day, during his inaugural address, thereby

uplifting and ennobling " the level of SA Consciousness " , among the SA

astrologers gathered there, for that those very purposes. This

inspiring inaugural address created the spirit of openness, clarity

and enquiry, which would prove to be the friendly climate, in which

the rest of the Conference was to flourish and grow.

>

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