Interview with Sri K.N. Rao

August 11, 2007

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi This article appeared in Journal of Astrology - Winter 2004 issue www.journalofastrology.com

The Limitations of Learning Astrology

Learning astrology is usually a private hobby, or for some – a private obsession. Once you've learned enough to realize that astrology is a sacred science that can give you reliable insights into your life and other's lives you're at risk of becoming obsessed. You've entered the minority of people on the planet who have seen beyond the all-too-common notions of astrology as foolish hearsay and astrologers as fortune telling charlatans. You'll likely find yourself buying more books than can fit on your shelf and spend many late nights trying to make sense of the puzzle of existence. However, the path of astrology is typically a solo journey. You may get readings, take local classes, or eventually attend an annual conference but basically you're on your own. There are self-study certification courses available but astrology is generally not recognized as a valid science. It is not taught at colleges or universities (except in some parts of India) even though long lists of famous scientists believed in astrology.

Astrology - The Unrecognized Science

This is all quite ironic because archaeologists have found ancient records of the study of astrology in the ruins of almost every ancient civilization – Greece, Babylon, China, Rome, India. It is the oldest science in the world and the mother of astronomy. Many of the great Western astronomers, like Copernicus and Kepler, were also astrologers. In the East, the great astronomers were always knowledgeable in astrology. There is also, of course, the biblical reference of the three wise men being astrologers from the East. However, astrology today is assigned an undignified place in the scientific and academic world. Students of astrology sometimes feel ashamed of admitting they're studying or practicing astrology for fear of ridicule by reputable professionals or academic scholars. When the famous Swiss psychologist, Carl Jung, told Sigmund Freud of his professional use of astrology in his psychiatric practice it represented his break from Freud and the conventional scientific community.

The Research Problem

Without support from the scientific community astrologers have had a difficult time generating substantial research. Without substantial research astrology has not been able to gain the recognition it deserves. It's been a catch 22 situation. The popularization of astrology through columns in newspapers and magazines hasn't helped in this regard and has further removed it from science into the realm of fanciful superstition. Today astrology is an unrecognized, virtually unregulated profession without any licensing requirements to speak of. Anyone can claim to be a professional astrologer, hence the opinion that astrologers are quacks and charlatans is not without substantiation. And now with the explosion of the Internet, and worldwide, unregulated advertising, anyone can represent astrology in any manner whatsoever. Sri K.N. Rao

The Work of Sri K.N. Rao Sri K.N. Rao was all too aware of these problems with astrology. He saw the great need for scientific, replicable research to help restore astrology as a sacred science. Even though he had a full time government position he spent his evenings doing his own research into the ancient principles of Parashara and Jaimini - the great sages of Vedic astrology. He published these finding in astrological journals and publications across India. He became well known as one of India's most brilliant astrologers and made many dazzling predictions that gained him recognition.

Yogi Moorkhanandji and Sri K.N. Rao in 1981

The Prediction of Yogi MoorkhanandjiEven with increasing recognition Rao developed a distaste for astrology. He saw that most people were just interested in mundane concerns like money, job, marriage, etc. instead of using astrology to understand their karma and grow spiritually. He decided to give it up altogether.

However, in 1980 an event happened that changed all that. A great yogi, Yogi Moorkhanandji (a.k.a. Swami Vidyaranya), told Rao, "This knowledge of jyotisha (astrology) is not lost but is hidden, as at sunset. There will be a revival of it and you will be the medium through whom it would happen." Mookhanandji forbade him to give up astrology saying that he could not avoid this mission. It was his karma.

About Yogi Mookhanandji's words Rao writes, "Since I believe in the words of such Mahatmas (great souls), I knew that sometime, even in the India of my times, some chances would come and I would be fulfilling some astrological mission, about which I had hints from others also. But none has said it in so clear a language."

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan School of Astrology– New Delhi, IndiaWith Moorkhanandji's encouragement Rao continued with his astrology work, always giving readings without charge, and focusing mainly on his research and writing. Even though he had little time for teaching, Rao naturally attracted students around him. He is charismatic, articulate, possesses a wealth of classical knowledge, combined with a modern, systematic approach based on original research. Teaching was inevitable. Gradually the vision of creating a school of astrology took shape in the late 1980's after Rao's job was transferred to New Delhi. This gave him the opportunity to submit a proposal to begin an astrology school at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, a worldwide institute devoted to the preservation of India's culture, based in New Delhi. The school began accepting students in July of 1987 and was designed as a two-year course of study offering Jyotish Alankar and Jyotish Acharya degrees. Click here for more information about the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Institute of Astrology.

Meeting Sri. K.N. RaoI first met my teacher, K.N. Rao, in the fall of 1993 on Rao's first visit to the US. He was talking at an informal gathering at the home of Vedic scholar, David Frawley, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His school had already become highly successful and had attracted the attention of the American Council of Vedic Astrology (ACVA). Frawley, the president of ACVA, had visited Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and invited Rao to be the keynote speaker at the Second International Symposium on Vedic Astrology in San Rafael, CA that fall.

K.N. Rao's mission had begun to take on a global influence. Never had an astrologer from India captivated a Western audience like Rao. His visit to the US represented a landmark in the study of Vedic astrology in the West to the point that David Frawley summed it up as, "Vedic astrology in the US before Rao, and after Rao."

Even with increasing global recognition, Rao preferred to remain in India and focus on developing his school. In April 1997 he launched the first issue of the quarterly magazine called the "Journal of Astrology" which was created in order to publish the ongoing research produced at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. They have since published more than 25 issues, which are currently distributed worldwide. Click here for more information about the Journal of Astrology.

A typical classroom of students at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan