Vedic astrologers read dharmashastras upside down!

March 18, 2009

HinduCalendar , " jyotirved " <jyotirved wrote:

Dear friends,

Namaskar!

A common question I am often asked is, " Why are you against `Vedic

astrology' and not against other predictive methods like palmistry, Tarot

etc. etc. Do you believe in them " ?. The answer is an emphatic no. Then why

am I against " Vedic astrology " alone?

" Vedic astrology " and Vedic calendar have an inherent mutual conflict!

As is common knowledge by now, there is a direct conflict between Mesha,

Vrisha etc. rashi based jyotisha, whether sayana or nirayana, and the real

Vedic calendar, since there are no Mesha etc. rashis (nor Mangal, Shani etc.

planets) but only Madhu, Madhava etc. months, tithi, nakshatras and Udgayana

etc. phenomena in the Vedas, Brahnmanas and the Vedanga Jyotisha etc.

whereas " Vedic astrology " cannot survive without Rashis and Mangal, Shani

etc. planets. " Vedic astrologers " are imposing those very imaginary rashis

-–zodiac means an imaginary " circle of animals! " ---on the Hindu calendar

dictating simultaneously that even if there are no Mesha etc. Rashis in the

Vedas or the Vedanga jyotisha etc., we must celebrate all the Vedic,

Pauranic and geographic/seasonal festivals like Uttarayana, Vasanta Navratra

or Sharadiya Navratra etc. on days suggested by " Lahiri jyotishis " and not

the Vedanga Jyotisha or the Puranas or even geographical phenomena etc.!

" Vedic astrologers " never quote the exact references in spite of repeated

reminders!

To continue their opposition to the real Vedic calendar because of its

conflict with " Vedic astrology " , these " Vedic astrologers " are claiming that

predictive gimmicks through Ashvini, Bharni etc. nakshatras which, according

to them, are subsumed in Mesha, Vrisha etc. rashis vis-à-vis Mangal, Shani

etc. planets have been advocated/permitted/sanctioned by our dharmashastras!

Some moderators/owners of astrology forums even claim that the Atharva Veda

has given results of being born in different nakshatras! Another " Vedic

astrologer " says that " the sun went to meet the Bull " means the astrological

sign Vrishaba as per the Vedas! As they are not quoting the relevant

shlokas/mantras in support of their arguments, in spite of being asked to do

so repeatedly, they are liars and are obviously making a fool of everybody!

A " Vedic astrologer " had even claimed " The Manu Smriti is the oldest

Dharmasashtra and the fact that it permitted astrology means that astrology

was permitted from the beginning of the Hindu civilization. " But, as is the

habit of these " Vedic astrologers " , he also has not quoted any shloka in

support of his " declaration " !

The facts of the case, however, are:

" Nakshatra-jeevis i.e. jyotishis must be debarred from performing any

religious rites " --Manu

I request these " Vedic astrologers " to do some introspection after reading

as to what the Manu has said actually about " nakshatra-jeevis " (jyotishis!)

in shloka 162 of third adhyaya, and I quote:

" hasti go ashva ushtra damako NAKSHATRAIR YASHCHA JEEVATI,

pakshinam poshako yashchai, yudhacharyas tathaiva chai.. "

This shloka in the Manusmriti is actually in the context about as to which

people are to be debarred from performing diava and pitrya karyas i.e.

yajnyas etc for gods and oblations etc. for the Manes, and the Manu has said

unequivocally " Trainers of elephants, cows, horses; ANYONE WHO EARNS HIS

LIVELIHOOD BY DINT OF NAKSHATRAS and one who puts birds into cages are not

allowed to perform any daiva or pitra karya "

The Hindi translator of Kshemraj Shri Krishendas, Bombay, edition of the

Manusmriti has translated the above shloka as follows, " haathi, bail, ghoda

aur oont – in sabko sikhane wale aur JYOTISH SE JEEVIKA KARNE-WALE—yeh sab

shubha karya main varjit hain " . Is this the permission that the Manu is

supposed to have granted?

The same " Vedic astrologer " who had said that the Manu had " permitted

astrology " had said further, " If Avtarji has not read what the Manu Smriti

says about astrology he has no right to say that astrology is not sanctioned

in the ancient past. " It means, thus, that he, like all his counterparts,

has read the Manusmriti upside down!

" One must forget bhagya and only stick to purushartha " ---Manu

The same " Vedic astrologer " had also said that the Manu has advised that a

king must consult a jyotishi. However, again, he has not quoted any shloka

in support of his argument and it appears that he is confusing, because of

his Tamoguni budhi, the Manu with Varahamihira! It is the latter according

to whom a king must definitenly have a " samvatsarika " ! The Manu was not a

fatalist. He was a scholar extraordinary with practical knowledge of

statecraft besides the Vedas etc. and what he has actually advised the king

to do, instead of consulting soothsayers, is:

" bakavat chinatayet arthan simha vat chai prakramet

Vrika vat cha avalumpeta shashavat cha vinishpatet " Manusmriti 7/106

i.e. " Like a kingfisher eager to hunt some fish in the river/sea/lake, a

king must concentrate on increasing his wealth (a kingfisher does not

consult soothsayers before pecking at the fish!). A king must jump on his

enemy like a lion jumps on its prey (lions do not consult `Vedic

astrologers' before jumping on their preys). Like a wolf a king must kill

his enemy even if it is hidden in a fort (No astrologer has as yet claimed

that he was consulted by some wolf!). Like a hare, a king must know how to

extricate himself from tricky situations (Does anybody know if any rabbit

has consulted some jyotishi?) "

In 7/182-83, the Manu has said, " A king must wage a war in the month of

Margasheersha or Phalguna or any other suitable period when he is sure of

his victory by dint of the opponent king having got addicted to some bad

habits etc. "

Consulting fortune tellers is definitely a fad, a bad habit, an addiction

and has been proscribed by shastras since it makes one very unsure of

himself/herself and leaves him/her at the mercy of soothsayers, most of whom

are liars and quite a few of whom call themselves " Vedic astrologers " these

days. Example is better than precept and that example is: BJP was sent into

wilderness as jyotishis had assured them that by advancing the elections,

Shri A B Vajapayee would be the PM, come what may! Poor Vajpayeeji has all

along been bedridden, after having lost his throne! No jyotishi had

" foreseen " that!

Regarding " bghagya versus purusharth " , this is what the Manu has said,

Naatmanam avamanyeta parvabhir abhisamridhibhih

Aamrityoh shriyam anvishyet nainam manyeta durlabam,… (Manusmirit 4/137)

i.e.

" If in spite of making efforts, one is not able to earn the desired amount

of wealth, one must in no case feel himself/herself unfortunate but continue

to make efforts till the end of his/her life, since it is not that difficult

to earn wealth (by making proper efforts) "

The Manu has not advised that one must consult soothsayers to do some

remedial measures or wear some gem to remove non-existent and imaginary

kalasarpa doshas and ashtama shani and what not to get rid of penury!

The real crux of fate versus efforts has been described by the Manu in 7/205

Sarvam karmedam ayattam vidhane daiva manushye

tayor daivam achintyam tu manushe vidyete kriya

" What good or bad deeds have been done in our past births are in the hands

of 'daiva'. What (good or bad deeds) we are doing now in this birth is up

to us. Since what is past is past. It need not be pondered upon. But the

present can certainly be taken care of (and as such, we should forget the

past janmas and concentrate on good deeds in this janma---and certainly

making a fool of the gullible public by making correct predictions from

incorrect data is not a good deed at all, nor is it a " good deed " on the

part of " clients " to run after soothsayers!).

To remove any doubts further from the minds of astro-buffs, the Manu has

defined purushartha as follows:

" alabdham chaiva lipsyet labdham rakshyet prayatnatah

Rakshitam vardhayet chaiva vridham paatreshu nikshipet

Etachchaturvidham vidyat purushartha prayojanam

Asya nityam anushthanam samyak kuryat atandritah " 7/99-100

" One must attempt to obtain what he/she has not obtained yet. He/she must

preserve what he/she has already earned, and keep on increasing it further.

After having increased it, he/she should utilize (invest) it properly

" These are the four limbs/types of purushartha and one must always keep them

in mind and act accordingly (and not waste his/her time and wealth and

energy by running after nakshatra-soochis!) " .

Bhishma also has castigated nakshatra-soochis!

Let us hear what Bhishma had to say about " nakshatra-soochis "

" ahvayakah devalakah naakshatra gramayajakah

Ete brahmana chandalah maha-pathika panchakah " ….. Shanti Parva 76/6

i.e. " Court bailiffs, pujaris of temples for the sake of money, those who

study naksahtras (jyotishis!)…are chandalas even if they are Brahmins (and

must be excluded from daiva and pitrya karya) " .

Bhishma also did not believe in bhagya (and therefore nakshatra-soochis!)

but in purushartha:

Let us now hear Bhishma's views about bhagya versus purushartha:

" utthanenna sada putra prayatetha yudishthira

Na hi utthanam rite daivam rajnyam artham prasadayet " Rajdharmanushasana

parva 65/14

" Dear son Yudishthira, you must always rely on your own efforts since

without your own efforts there is no question of any daiva (bhagya)

bestowing any riches on any king "

" vipannam vai samarambhe santapam ma sma vai krithah

Ghattasvaiva sadaatmanam rajnyam eva paro nayah " Rajadharmanushasana parva

65/16

" If you are besieged by miseries, do not feel despondent. To struggle with

adversities (without consulting soothsayers!) is the only way out for a king

to come out of those adversities. "

Vishnugugupta Kautileeya a.k.a. Chanakya has no good words for

nakshatra-soochis and astro-buffs!

The world famous statesman Chanakya (4th century BCE), in his Arthashastra,

has dissuaded a king about consulting nakshatra-soochis in no uncertain

terms:

" nakshatram ati prichhantam baalo artham ati vartate

Artho hyarthasya nakshatram kim karishyanti tarakah "

i.e. " The objective (artha) eludes the foolish man (baalam) who enquires

too much from the stars. The objective should be the nakshatra of the

objective, of what avail are the stars " . We must not forget that Chankya

destroyed the last king of Nanda-Vamsha, who was an astro-buff. It means

thus that to destroy a powerful enemy you have to shun and not embrace

nakshatra-jeevis!

Vasishtha Muni, the preceptor of Bhagwan Rama, also has chided astro-buffs

and jyotishis:

Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana has nothing but sarcasm for jyotisha, jyotishis

and also their clients in no uncertain terms when he has said:

" kaal vidbhir vinirneetaa yasyasti chira jeevita,

sa ched jeevati sanchhin shiras tad daivam uttamam

kaal vidbhir vinirneetam pandityam yasya raghava

anadyapita vidyash-ched vidvan tad daivam uttamama " Mumukshu vyavhar

prakran 8/18-19

" Destiny may be said to be efficacious/effective, if some one for whom the

jyotishis (fortune tellers) had predicted a long life survives even after he

has been beheaded.

" Destiny may be said to be something to be reckoned with, if some one for

whom jyotishis had predicted great scholarship becomes a scholar without

reading even a single alphabet himself/herself "

It is clear that after the nakshatra and/or utpata-soochaka works like

" Atharva-Veda Parishishta " or " Parashara Samhita " etc. had been spawned, the

real well wishers of Bharatavarsha like the Manu, Bhishma and Vasishtha and

even Vishnugupta Kautileeya etc. had warned the Hindus in no uncertain terms

about the pernicious effects of running after " nakshatra soochis " who are

actually " chandalas " even if they are Brahmins!

Gautama the Budha also has warned about omen-mongers in no uncertain terms:

" Some brahmanas and shramanas earn their livelihood by taking to beastly

professions and eating food brought to them out of fear; the say, `there

will be a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse, occultation of the stars, the sun

and the moon will move in the correct direction, the nakshatras will move in

the correct path, in the incorrect path, there will be precipitation of

meteors, burning of the cardinal direction, earthquakes, roar of heavenly

war drums, the sun, the moon and the stars will rise and set wrongly

producing wide distress among all beings etc. (Just do not be taken in by

their pranks!) " Digha nikaya, Vol I, p 68, Pali Text Book Society

All the dharmashastras are against nakshtra-schoochis/jeevis:

It is not only the Manusmriti and the Mbh or Yogavasishtha but every

dharmashastra has castigated vociferously such " brahaman chandalas "

Let us see what Atri Samhita 383-385 has to say

" jyotirvido hyatharvanah keerah pauran-pathakah

Shradhe yajnye mahadane na varneeyah kadachanai

Shradancha pitaram gauram danam chaiva tu nishphalam

Yajnye cha parihanih syat tasmat tan parivarjayet

Aavkashchitrakarashchai vaidyo nakshatra pathakah

Chatur vipra na pujyante brihaspati samah yadi

" A JYOTISHI, AN ATHARVANA, ONE WHO NARRATES PURANAS FOR A LIVELIHOOD, ALL

THESE ARE TO BE AVOIDED IN A SHRADHA AS WELL AS A YAJNYA AT ALL COSTS. IF

THESE PEOPLE DO PARTICIPATE IN SHRADHAS ETC. ALL SUCH SHRADAS AND ANY

CHARITIES TO THEM WILL BE NISHPHALA I.E. FRUITLESS. THEY WILL DO MAXIM

HARM TO ANY YAJNYA IN WHICH THEY PARTICIPATE. THEY MUST THEREFORE BE

AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS……A BRAHMIN WHO IS A NAKSHATRA PATHAKA I.E. ONE WHO

READS NAKSHATRAS OF HIS CLIENTS HAS TO BE SHUNNED AND AVOIDED EVEN IF HE IS

AS LEARNED AS BRIHASPATI, THE PRECEPTOR OF GODS " .

It is worthwhile to note that the " Atharva Veda Parishishita " has advised to

utilize the services of an Atharvana without fail whereas Atri Rishi has

advised that an Atharvana, even if he is as well-read and intelligent as

Brihaspati, has to be shunned like a " chandala "

I wonder if there can be anything more damaging/castigating for

nakshatra-soochis---who call themselves " Vedic astrologers " these

days---than Atri's admonishments!

Vridha vasishtha has called nakshtra soochis as papamoortih i.e. sin

personified:

Nakshatra soochee kila papa-roopo, heyah sada sudharma kritye…….

Vridha-Vasishta

A nakshatra soochi is sin personified and must be avoided at all costs in

any good deed.

Was Varahamihira really a well-wisher of the Hindus or of the

Greeks/Ionians, since he called the latter " mlechhas " but wanted the Hindus

to worship them as Rishis because they knew astrolatory?

As everybody knows, Varahamihira, whom some " Vedic astrologers " address as

" Parama pujya " ---i.e. the " Most worshipful one " , has said in his Brihat

Samhita 2/15

Mlechhah hi yavanas teshu samyak shastram idam sthitam

Rishi vat te-api pujyante, kim punar daiva-vid dvijah

" Yavanas (Greeks and/or Ionians) are certainly mlechhas actually but as they

know the shastra of astrology (predictive gimmicks!) they are worshipped

like Rishis… " . However, all our shastras, as seen above, advise that even if

a highly well read Brahmin like Brihaspati is a nakshatra-soochi/jeevi i.e.

a jyotishi, he must be shunned like a chandala from all the religious

functions!

Since it is those very " doctrines " that have been castigated by our Rishis

that were later propagated/advocated by Varahimihira on the shoulders of

Sphujidwaja's Yavana Jatakam and Maya the mlechha's Surya Sidhanta etc., we

have to be extremely wary about the intentions of that Varahamihira and

today's " Vamadevas " and " Parasharas " who tell us that predictive gimmicks

are " Vedic astrology " and who call those gimmicks as " Vedanga Jyotisha "

which actually is a mathematical work for calculating tithi etc.

Since all the sages like the Manu, Vasishtha, Chanakya and even Gautama the

Budha were of a pre-Varahamihira era, who was around in about 6th century

AD, it means Varahamihira had either not read any of those

admonishments---nay even our dharma-shastras---or ignored them deliberately.

Most probably, it must be the latter, since that is what today's " Vedic

astrologers " are doing! It could also be that he read dharmashastras upside

down, exactly like today's " Vedic astrologers " who claim that the Manu had

permitted astrology. It is, therefore, extremely doubtful that Varahamihira

was a well-wisher of the Hindus, as he appears to have misguided them about

his prowess of predictive gimmicks on the basis of a monstrous astronomical

work viz. the Surya Sidhanta and advised them to treat even mlechhas as

Rishis if they knew astrolatory!

It is worthwhile to note that the same " Vedic astrologer " who says that the

Manu has " permitted astrology " goes on parroting that Varahamihira belonged

to an era of 6th century BCE instead of 6th century AD, but, as is the

habit of " Vedic astrologers " , he is not advancing any proofs for the same

either!

Actually, some good for nothing Greek astronomer masqueraded as Maya, the

father-in-law of famous Rakshasa king Ravana, at the fag end of Satya-yuga

(sic!) and some " mlechhas " are masquerading today as " Vamadevas " , all

teaching us " Vedic astrology " (sic!). You can draw your own conclusions

about Varahamihira as well as today's " Vamadevas " and " Parasharas " whose

only aim is thus to derail the real Vedic calendar through " Vedic

astrology " ! That also reminds me that some jyotishis are sort of

worshipping even Ravana for the astrological knowledge he is supposed to

have bequeathed through his Ravana Samhita etc. works! I have seen that

work also, and like Brihat Parashari, is the worst possible figment of

imagination!

Common-sense also demands to shun being a " kapurusha " (a fatalist eunuch!)

I remember having read, several decades back, a dialogue---perhaps--in

Panchatantra. A shishya, after having met with failures in spite of his

efforts, was disappointed and said to his Guru, " bhagyam phalati sarvatra,

na vidya na chai paurusham " i.e. " It is only fate and neither efforts nor

education etc., that work/frucitfy everywhere in case of a human being " .

The Guru, however, retorted,

" udyoginam purusha simham upaiti lakshmi, daivena deyam iti kapurusha

vadanti " ---

" Only someone who acts like a lion i.e. one who makes Herculean efforts in

spite of having met with failures, deserves the blessings of Lakshmi, the

goddess of wealth. On the other hand, `bhagya will do everything' is a pet

dialogue of eunuchs " . That is also what Bhagwan Krishna advised Arjuna in

the Gita:

" klaibyam ma sma gamah parthai naitat tvayi upapadyete

Kshyudram hridaya daurbalyam tektvotishtha parantapai "

" O Arjuna, don't act like a eunuch! It does not behove you! Shake off your

sloth and weak heartedness and get up and fight – act " Bhagwan Krishna did

not ask Arjuna to consult any soothsayer nor did He advise Arjuna to " leave

everything to your fate " . We also must, therefore, wake up and make every

effort ourselves to save the Vedic calendar from the clutches of " Vedic

astrologers " , instead of expecting some miracles!

" Try, try again "

I also remember having read in my school days a REAL STORY of some king,

perhaps Rana Sanga of Rajasthan—I am not sure, that after fleeing from his

opponents, he was hiding in a dilapidated house in ruins and was in utter

frustration. There he saw a spider crawling towards its web but the

`thread' through which it was crawling snapped and it fell to the ground.

The spider kept on trying again and again and it is said that it succeeded

in going into its web after an eighth attempt. The king was amazed on the

tenacity of the spider and got an inspiration, `Try, try again' from that

creature! Instead of running to some jyotishi, like today's politicians, he

made several attempts and ultimately succeeded in vanquishing his enemy. So

if we really want to succeed in our efforts to streamline the Vedic

calendar, the first thing we have to do is to shun " brrahmana-chandalas " .

Are our dharmacharyas aware of the damage that is being done to the nation

by " Vedic jyotish " ?

In a nutshell, all our shastras and common sense are against any sort of

indulging in " bhavishya-darshan " especially as it is the greatest obstacle

in streamlining the Hindu calendar. It is only " Vedic astrologers " who are

putting the cart before the horse by trying to convey that our shastras have

" permitted astrology " from the " beginning of Hindu civilization " !

Since these " Vedic astrologers " are not quoting any exact references in

support of their arguments, it appears that they are completely enveloped in

Tamoguni budhi and therefore interpreting every shastra in quite an opposite

manner!

What is all the more surprising is that our dharmacharyas and jagadgurus and

" his holiness of art of one thing or the other " etc. etc. are encouraging

these " brahmana chandalas " in their anti-Vedic activities in the name of

" Vedic astrology " !

May be even those dharmacharyas etc. etc. are reading all the shastras

upside down, since the Manu has advised especially Vanaprasthis, which

naturally includes Sanyasis and dharmacharyas and jagadgurus etc. etc., to

desist from being nakshatra soochis, in no uncertain terms:

" na chaa utpata nimitabyam na nakshatranga vidyaya

Na anushasana vadabyam bikshyam lipset karhichit Manusmriti 6/50

" A Vanaprasthi should never earn his `biksha' (a mendicant's livelihood)

either by declaring the results of utpatas i.e. omens like falling of

meteors or flying of swallows etc. etc.; face reading etc. nor by nakshatra

vidya i.e. by checking the horoscopes of others….. "

I, therefore, request these dharmacharyas and " his holinesses " and yogis and

tantriks galore to wake up to such travesty of dharmashastras and instead of

reading them upside down, they must streamline the real Vedic calendar in

accordance with the Vedic lore and not " Lahiri-lore " or " Ramana-lore " or

" Chandra-Hair-lore " etc.

A friendly advice to all the " nakshatra-soochis " and " nakshatra-jeevis " who

call themselves Vedic astrologers these days:

Since most of the " Vedic astrologers " and their " acharyas " are prospering by

leaps and bounds at the cost of the real Vedic calendar by such anti-Vedic

activities as " Vedic astrology " they feel that they are doing the right

thing and they must continue to do so, as instead of losing anything, they

are gaining name and fame and of course, wealth! But this is what Bhishma

has said about such nouveau riche people.

Na adharmash-charito rajan sadyah phalati gaurivaa

Moolani chai prashakhaschai dahan samdhigachhati

Papena karmana vittam labdva papah prahrishyeti

Sa vardamanah steyena papah pape prasajyete

Na dharmo asteetimanvanah shucheen avahasan iva

Ashradhadanashchai bhavet vinasham upagachhati…. ….Mahabharata Shanti parva

102/17-20

" O Yudishthira, adhrma does not fructify immediately just as a seed sown in

the earth would do! However, it burns the roots (parents!) as well as the

branches (kith and kin, including offspring!) ultimately. A sinner, by

amassing wealth by dint of his sinful activities feels overjoyed and commits

more sinful activities (to earn more wealth)! On prospering thus through

his adharma he thinks that nothing like dharma exists at all and even makes

a fun of pious people, who are poor because of their piety. However, the

sinner gets destroyed ultimately (together with his parents and offspring) " .

I do not think anything more pertinent and relevant could have been said by

anybody else for these naksahtra-scoohis and naakshtraas and nakshatra

jeevis and their dharmacharyas! We have a LIVING EXAMPLE OF " the greatest

Vedic astrologer " of the previous century, who had literally built a huge

empire through " Vedic astrology " (nakshatra-soochi!) profession, books and

magazines but died himself a miserable death; his wife became a pauper who

had to beg from her offspring for her hand to mouth living (in spite of the

fact that the " greatest Vedic astrologer of the twentieth century " had

foreseen " Rajya yogas " and " dhana yogas " in her horoscope and that is why he

had married her)! All those " Vedic astrology " books and " magazines " are now

being sold as waste paper and his offspring are fighting among themselves

like Kilkenny cats for the spoils! Ill gotten is ill spent! And as per our

shastras, there is nothing more ill gotten than what is " gotten " through

being a " brahmana-chandala " i.e. a " nakshatra-scoohi " , as has been proved

above.

No Rashi has been mentioned at all in the Manusmriti or the Mbh or

Arthashastra or Atri Samhita etc.:

Absence of Mesha etc. rashis at the time of the Manu is evident from the

following shlokas about creation:

" kalam kala vibhakteeshchai nakshatrani grahas tatha

Saritah sagaran shailan samani vishamani chai " 1/24

" The creator created Time, kal, nakshatras, grahas, oceans and mountains

etc...(but not Mesha etc. rashis!) " .

" Daive ratri ahanee varsham pravibhagastayoh punah

Ahas tatra udagayanam ratrih syat dakshinayanam " 1/67

" A year has two ayanas, Uttarayana is the day of gods and dakshinayana their

night " .

It means the Creator had not created any Mesha etc. rashis by the time of

the Manu though He had created naksahtras and grahas! Dimensions of Time

also were in Ayanas and days etc. sans Mesha etc. Rashis.

Similarly, we do not find Mesha etc. rashis in the Mbh. nor in the

Arthashastra of Chanakya but only nakshatras!

What is also noteworthy is that in all the admonishments of the Manu, the

Atri Samhita and the Mbh or Gautama the Budha, " Vedic astrologers " have been

addresses as " nakshatra-soochis " or " nakshatra jeevis " or " shamanas " or even

" naakshatras " . It confirms the fact that prior to the advent of Surya

Sidhanta by Maya the mlechha, predictions in India were made on the basis of

nakshatras (and not Mesha etc. Rashis!) vis-à-vis planets, as advocated by

" Atharva Veda Parishishta " etc.---–but not any Veda or Vedanga Jyotisha

etc.! Such " jyotishis " whom the AVP calls Atharvanas etc. were called

nakshatra-jeevis by our shastras. And those very naakshatra-jeeevis have

been castigated by all the shastras as " brahmana-chandalas " etc.!

A nod to wise and….

I could quote hundreds of " pramanas " from the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanishadas,

Itihasas and Puranas and other shastras where the Hindus have been advised

to believe in their efforts (and not in soothsayers!) for chaturvarga i.e.

dharma, artha, kama and moksha. But I think that is belabouring the issue,

and " Vedic astrologers " like the one who said that the Manusmriti permitted

astrology, would say that my posts are " verbose " ! Thus if these jyotishis

are really wise, they will take this hint as more than sufficient and stop

making fools in the name of Vedic astrology and also creating obstacles in

streamlining the Vedic calendar!

Celebrating festivals/muhurtas on wrong days is literally killing our dharma

ourselves!

" Darhma eva hato hantih dharmo rakshayati rakshitah

Tasmad dharmo na hantavyo, maa no dharmo hato avadheet " Manusmriti 8/15

" If you kill your dharma, it will kill you and if you protect it, it will

protect you. As such, dharma has to be protected at all costs lest it kills

us if we betray it for selfish motives " . And there is no better or worse

way of killing/betraying one's own dharma than by celebrating festivals on

wrong days!

The net result of this mess known as Vedic astrology is that we are

celebrating all our festivals etc. on wrong days like marriages in

shdardapaksha and Pitra amavasya on the day of actual Dipavali and so on!

All I can do is to pray to God to save Hindu dhamra from

`brahmana-chandalas " and their dharmacharyas and yogis and tantriks so that

Hindus can start celebrating festivals and muhurtas on correct days!

With regards,

A K Kaul

Om Tat Sat Brahmarpanam Astu

--- End forwarded message ---

April 18, 2010

Dear friends,

Namaskar!

A common question I am often asked is, “Why are you against ‘Vedic

astrology’ and not against other predictive methods like palmistry, Tarot

etc. etc. Do you believe in them " ?. The answer is an emphatic no. Then why

am I against “Vedic astrology” alone?

“Vedic astrology” and Vedic calendar have an inherent mutual conflict! As is

common knowledge by now, there is a direct conflict between Mesha, Vrisha

etc. rashi based jyotisha, whether sayana or nirayana, and the real Vedic

calendar, since there are no Mesha etc. rashis (nor Mangal, Shani etc.

planets) but only Madhu, Madhava etc. months, tithi, nakshatras and Udgayana

etc. phenomena in the Vedas, Brahnmanas and the Vedanga Jyotisha etc.

whereas “Vedic astrology” cannot survive without Rashis and Mangal, Shani

etc. planets. “Vedic astrologers” are imposing those very imaginary rashis

-–zodiac means an imaginary “circle of animals!”---on the Hindu calendar

dictating simultaneously that even if there are no Mesha etc. Rashis in the

Vedas or the Vedanga jyotisha etc., we must celebrate all the Vedic,

Pauranic and geographic/seasonal festivals like Uttarayana, Vasanta Navratra

or Sharadiya Navratra etc. on days suggested by “Lahiri jyotishis” and not

the Vedanga Jyotisha or the Puranas or even geographical phenomena etc.!

“Vedic astrologers” never quote the exact references in spite of repeated

reminders! To continue their opposition to the real Vedic calendar because

of its conflict with “Vedic astrology”, these “Vedic astrologers” are

claiming that predictive gimmicks through Ashvini, Bharni etc. nakshatras

which, according to them, are subsumed in Mesha, Vrisha etc. rashis

vis-à-vis Mangal, Shani etc. planets have been

advocated/permitted/sanctioned by our dharmashastras! Some moderators/owners

of astrology forums even claim that the Atharva Veda has given results of

being born in different nakshatras! Another " Vedic astrologer " says that

" the sun went to meet the Bull " means the astrological sign Vrishaba as per

the Vedas! As they are not quoting the relevant shlokas/mantras in support

of their arguments, in spite of being asked to do so repeatedly, they are

liars and are obviously making a fool of everybody!

A “Vedic astrologer” had even claimed " The Manu Smriti is the oldest

Dharmasashtra and the fact that it permitted astrology means that astrology

was permitted from the beginning of the Hindu civilization. " But, as is the

habit of these “Vedic astrologers”, he also has not quoted any shloka in

support of his “declaration”!

The facts of the case, however, are:

“Nakshatra-jeevis i.e. jyotishis must be debarred from performing any

religious rites”--Manu I request these " Vedic astrologers " to do some

introspection after reading as to what the Manu has said actually about

" nakshatra-jeevis " (jyotishis!) in shloka 162 of third adhyaya, and I quote:

" hasti go ashva ushtra damako NAKSHATRAIR YASHCHA JEEVATI, pakshinam poshako

yashchai, yudhacharyas tathaiva chai.. "

This shloka in the Manusmriti is actually in the context about as to which

people are to be debarred from performing diava and pitrya karyas i.e.

yajnyas etc for gods and oblations etc. for the Manes, and the Manu has said

unequivocally " Trainers of elephants, cows, horses; ANYONE WHO EARNS HIS

LIVELIHOOD BY DINT OF NAKSHATRAS and one who puts birds into cages are not

allowed to perform any daiva or pitra karya "

The Hindi translator of Kshemraj Shri Krishendas, Bombay, edition of the

Manusmriti has translated the above shloka as follows, “haathi, bail, ghoda

aur oont – in sabko sikhane wale aur JYOTISH SE JEEVIKA KARNE-WALE—yeh sab

shubha karya main varjit hain”. Is this the permission that the Manu is

supposed to have granted?

The same “Vedic astrologer” who had said that the Manu had “permitted

astrology” had said further, " If Avtarji has not read what the Manu Smriti

says about astrology he has no right to say that astrology is not sanctioned

in the ancient past. " It means, thus, that he, like all his counterparts,

has read the Manusmriti upside down!

“One must forget bhagya and only stick to purushartha”---ManuThe same “Vedic

astrologer” had also said that the Manu has advised that a king must consult

a jyotishi. However, again, he has not quoted any shloka in support of his

argument and it appears that he is confusing, because of his Tamoguni budhi,

the Manu with Varahamihira! It is the latter according to whom a king must

definitenly have a " samvatsarika " ! The Manu was not a fatalist. He was a

scholar extraordinary with practical knowledge of statecraft besides the

Vedas etc. and what he has actually advised the king to do, instead of

consulting soothsayers, is:

“bakavat chinatayet arthan simha vat chai prakramet Vrika vat cha avalumpeta

shashavat cha vinishpatet” Manusmriti 7/106