January 2012 issue of The Astrological eMagazine

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Those who know Astrology can only indicate in a way what will take place in future.

Who else, except the Creator Brahma, can say with certainty what will definitely happen ?

Contents From the Desk of Chief Editor

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DR. B. V. RAMAN SUN in Politics

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BANGALORE NIRANJAN BABU Muhurtha — The Art of Time Management

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RAMAN SUPRAJARAMA Future of India in 2012

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DR. BANGALORE SURESHWARA Ramayana — Guide to Duties of Kings, Rulers, Priests and Others

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YAJNAVALKYA Jyothisha Chinta Nidhi

15

SRI DATTA VIJAYANANDA TEERTHA SWAMIJI

M¡S¡N¡Æ M¡RGA¿¢RÀ°SMI

17

WILLIAM R. LEVACY Ashtama Guru

25

DR. S. MADHAVAN Commentaries on Brihat Jataka

29

VENKATA GIRI KUMAR Astronomical Significance of Calendars

32

DR. E. S. NEELAKANTAN Pancha Mahapurusha Yogas

35

V. R. SOUNDAR RAJAN Shaniputra

37

K. CHANDRA HARI Ancient Horoscopes, Zodiac and Yoga Rationales

39

GARGACHARYA This Year for You 2012

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VARAHAMIHIRA

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This Month for You JANUARY 2012

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Sunrise and Sunset Timings for January 2012

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Lead Article

SUN in

Politics DR. B. V. RAMAN

I

N OUR LEADING article published in an earlier issue of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE, we have endeavoured to highlight the importance of the Sun in horoscopic interpre-tation. According to the Austrian scientist Ernest Mach, every particle of matter in the entire uni-verse is interlinked with every other. Our planet is constantly bombarded by a variety of radiant energy. The infra-red and ultra-violet radiations, primary and secondary cosmic rays containing high-energy electrons, gamma-rays, etc. play no mean part in influencing terrestrial affairs. The influence is visible and has a direct relation to inhabitants of the earth.

To the Hindu sages of yore, the Sun was the visible god— Suryanarayana—the Soul of the uni-verse. To the scientists of today the Sun is the chief symbol of life. Solar flares, solar spots, etc, are caused by certain planetary dispositions and this is now a recognised scientific fact. It is again the declination position (Kranti) of the Sun that seems to regulate the flow of corpuscular streams either from the northern or southern hemisphere of the solar globe. Whatever be the theoretical explanations offered by the scientists for the influences on living beings occurring through changes in the electro magnetic field of the earth, there can be no doubt that just as the ancient seers recognised, either by intuition or by study and observation, the prime position of the Sun in its relation to the earth, we shall witness in the very near future a fusion of two most ancient sciences—medicine and astronomy— this new branch of science going under the name of heliobiology.

According to some of the scientists, the gravitational pull of the two massive outer planets. Jupiter and Saturn, when they occupy certain geometrical positions from the Sun, produce a gravitational ‘jerk’ capable of significantly affecting human behaviour. This study of the Sun’s influence on terrestrial affairs had been developed by the sages to a nicety that they could enumerate by means of

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formulae how these mutual influences interweave with beautiful and subtle complexity; and the result is the vast astrological literature which we have inherited.

The Sun is the aristocrat He represents rulers, government and those in high authority. He is the ruler of the father, heart, blood circulation and vitality. He is hot and dry aiding construction if unafflicted and bringing destruction when much afflicted. His position in the horoscope is of the utmost importance. He displays firmness and stability, justice, dignity, achievement, unsullied diplomacy, reputation, and generosity. He presides over what is called atmashakti or soul force, personal magnetism, inspiration, devotion, courage, honour, integrity; and right values, selfrespect, individuality and authority come under his sway.

He represents gold and bones in the body ; of medium height, he is dark-red in complexion, and has broad shoulders and a well-proportioned body. Siva’s temples, open areas, waterless regions, the eastern quarter, ruby, copper, red colour, solstice, up-ward gaze, eye-sight—all come under his sway. The Sun also represents patrimony, political and national influence, satwa-guna, morals and religion, noble and sublime ideas, masculine power, windy and bilious temperaments and hot or pungent taste.

If the Sun is well placed in a horoscope, i.e., if he occupies the 3rd, the 6th, the 9th, the 10th or the 11th not joined by Saturn or Rahu and the constellations of these two malefics are not involved, we can declare the native is a man of character and above board. When the ascendant for instance is Capricorn and the Sun is in Libra, inovlving Rahu’s constellation, it is clear that the native’s public life and image can only be unfortunate. Selfishness will be the motto. Not selfreliant but leaning too much on others, he cannot succeed in his public or political life. Indolence, dogma and conceit will mar his prosperity.

To differentiate between the various shades of influences generated by the Sun’s situation in different houses, signs and constellations and in different aspectual positions with JANUARY 2012

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Future of India in 2012 RAMAN SUPRAJARAMA

T

HE ONGOING WINTER sessions are making a mockery of India. The political leaders, both ruling and opposition, are at logger heads. The Congress and its allies are trying to hide the recent scams that have got exposed, while BJP (also equally scammed) and its allies are taking a chance to collapse the ruling party. How does the future of India look like? Are we, citizens of this oldest and spiritual country, safe guarded? Are our interests taken care of? And can we citizens live peacefully?

Political Parties and Future Vimshottari style of time division allocates the Sun, Mercury and Rahu in that order, as the influencers in January 2012. It is commonly referred in the astrological community as “having Sun Mahadasa, Mercury Antardasa and Rahu Pratyantardasa” and denoted as Sun>Mercury>Rahu. The role of the Sun, as the main influencer started as early as August 2007, when the NDA government was ruling.

In the Indian Independence horoscope, the Sun is the lord of the fourth house and is located in the third house, in Cancer, a movable sign. Being in an inimical sign, his influence on the ruling party to Moon undertake immoral and unethical tasks of high degree, behaving Saturn Natal Chart Mercury opportunistically and exhibiting hypocrisy has been clearly seen.

Sun Venus Rasi The ruling parties refer to those in center as well as the states. More than 20 plus scams have been committed since August 2007 including the 2G scam which looted money of the citizens, the commonwealth games scam which caused shame in the international front, the Jupiter Ketu Bellary mining scam, Indian Black Money in Swiss banks etc. The same has been the case with Jan Lokpal Bill. The promise by central government to Anna Hazare is not likely to be kept. This unfavorable influence of the Sun on India’s political influence extends into 2012 as well. We will continue to see similar events and scams happening in 2012 as well.

Rahu Ascendant

Mars

Mercury is the secondary influencer of the first three quarters of 2012. He owns the second and the fifth houses of the Indian Horoscope, and occupies the third house as the Sun. Thanks to his influence these scams were exposed in the second half of 2011. Watch out! More scams are going to get exposed in the coming days. Mercury’s effect will escalate the political debates addressed to sort out and find solutions to various scams. Mercury however lacks support from the primary influencer, the Sun. He will only be instrumental in exposing the scams and other unethical transactions of the political leaders, but will not be able to bring about justice. The undesirable influence of the Sun will eventually prevail.

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Ramayana Guide to Duties of Kings, Rulers, Priests and Others DR. BANGALORE SURESHWARA Dr. Bangalore Sureshwara has been involved in the study of the application of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita and Vedic Astrology in modern life. His lectures and writings on Ramayana, Hinduism, Vedic Astrology, “Ramayana and Management” have been well received.

He was the principal speaker on Vedic Astrology at The Second Parliament of the World’s Religions held in Chicago in August-September 1993. Dr. Sureshwara successfully predicted the victories in the USA Presidential Elections of President Bush ( 2000 and 2004) and President Obama (2008). He has been a distinguished contributor to The Astrological Magazine, Asia’s leading Vedic Astrology journal founded in 1895 by Professor B. Suryanarain Rao. The illustrious Dr. B.V. Raman was its Editor from 1932 to 1938.

Dr. Sureshwara obtained Master’s and Doctorate in Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, USA. He has taught Civil, Structural and Mechanical Engineering at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at various universities in USA. His varied and extensive industry experiences cover Civil, Structural, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

E

VEN TODAY, I distinctly remember a conversation that I had in 1989 with my father Dr. B. V. Raman, wherein we concurred that I would share with others my understanding and observations of the information that is related to the various aspects of life as embedded in Ramayana. This would encourage many to start reading Ramayana and benefit from the information contained in the eternal book. Even before that memorable conversation, it has been my passion and interest to continue to study, observe and understand the many details and information that are contained in the eternal epic Ramayana.

Sage Valmiki’s magnum opus “Valmiki Ramayana” covers the story of Sri Rama. There are many popular versions and commentaries pertaining to Ramayana. Some of them have segments of the eternal story, which are somewhat different from Valmiki Ramayana. The modifications are possibly due to the authors’ views and the influence of the various environments that existed in their lives. While respecting the contribution made by many authors, many scholars consider Valmiki Ramayana as the original and authoritative text.

During the last twenty plus years, we have discussed, debated and differed on various aspects of Ramayana. I hope it has helped us in better understanding of the story and the events, as well their practical application and utility at an individual, society and national levels. We are in the twenty-first century and yet the enduring and the everlasting message of Ramayana is more relevant today than ever in the history of humanity Practical and Effective Message Ramayana contains many stories of some individuals who exhibited extraordinary sacrifices as they were exposed to dangerous situations. Others exhibited greedy and selfish actions with practically every available opportunity.

The story of Sri Rama and Ayodhya is the story of mankind. Ramayana has information that is needed to understand the strengths and weaknesses that defines every individual. It has been said that Ramayana is not only an eternal Scripture but it is also an encyclopedia covering the various aspects of life.

One is reminded about a statement attributed to a person of learning, knowledge and wisdom .The wise person said “every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” The words of the wise encourage everyone to let spiritualism awaken the values and ethics that lay dormant in their lives.

The simple, but powerful and effective message contained in Ramayana, is that ultimately good triumphs over evil in any conflict. This eternal message unfolds throughout the various events covered in Ramayana. Yet, some while

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Jyothisha Chinta Nidhi YAJNAVALKYA Impracticable Combinations Our ancient astrological treatises give us a plethora of combinations of planets that can make or mar the characteristics of a person. In analyzing any chart these combinations can guide the astrologer to assess the quality of the horoscope, most precisely, and help him to judge the horoscope effectively. However, it must be noted that not all such combinations found in our ancient treatises can be taken up for their face value because some of them can turn to be merely impossible or impracticable ones. The scholars have taken note of all these anomalies earlier and have discussed them threadbare. The present effort of this scribe is just to alert the students of astrology that all such combinations given in various texts of yore cannot be taken for granted outright.

However, it must be noted that this is in no way meant to find fault with those treatises that have given such impossible combinations.

The students, in such rare cases, must take them seriously to find whether such combinations are possible, feasible or at least practicable. If such strange combinations found in texts are found not reasonable, for our modern use, the only way out would be that they need not be given any weight, in the assessments. One need not sit on any judgment why such inconsistencies have crept into these texts.

This can save a lot of trouble for the budding astrologers.

This present venture is only to whip-up support to those students, who are interested to study the subject seriously.

Marital Disharmony The quarrels between husbands and wives are nothing new and they ought to have exited perhaps from the very ancient days. But it is strange that they have not damaged the institution of marriage due to many of the social and religious embargoes. However, one can see that such instances quite common, now-a-days with many girls going back to their home discarding their husband or seek a divorce. Only then, the astrologer who had matched the cases becomes the whipping-boy.

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It is interesting to note that Phaladeepika gives a combination to identify such girls who are prone to quarrelling with their husbands and make the marriage a hell or wreak it. It says that if the lords of Lagna and seventh in a girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horoscope are placed in shastashtaka positions, (i.e., 6-8) the girl will pick up serious quarrels with her husband or even break the bond.

One must not come to any hasty conclusions in such cases where the lords of the Lagna and the seventh are placed in 6-8 positions in any girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horoscope. It may be true that the combination could be ominous. Including the Moon, there are some fast moving planets like Mercury and Venus who come round the zodiac once in a month or at least in few months. Let us take the case of Kataka and Makara lagnas. In the first case where the lagna is Kataka the lords of the lagna and the 7th are the Moon and Saturn.

In the case of Makara lagna they will be Saturn and Moon respectively. Wherever Saturn could be, is it not a fact that the Moon would occupy the 6-8 position, at least once a month from Saturn? Like this, Mercury, Venus and even the Sun can take up such positions frequently. Net result would be that such quarrelling girls would constitute the bulk of female population and en-masse we cannot brand them as cantankerous. In short it is that such combinations need not be taken up so seriously or literally to make one apprehensive of a possible horror.

Royal Births Again, in Phaladeepika we find a combination suggesting a royal birth, if Venus is in the ascendant and in Aswini Nakshatra and further aspected by all the other planets.

Evidently, this cannot happen, as at least Mercury and the Sun will have to opt out, by all means. This is because Mercury and the Sun can aspect the planet only from the 7th from it and in no way either of them can be so far away from Venus.

A combination when the Sun and the Moon are in their atyuccha or deep exaltation position is capable of ushering in a great royal personage according to Maharshi Gargi.

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M¡s¡n¡Æ M¡rga¿¢rÀ°smi ‘M¡s¡n¡Æ M¡rga¿¢rÀ°smi’ – O! Arjuna, among the months, I am M¡rga¿irsa, was quoted by Lord Krishna, to Arjuna, while He was describing about His great powers and glory, Now it is the month of M¡rga¿irsa. It is very beneficial and it promotes our well-being if one knows about the sixteen names of the Lord and the advantage that accrues by knowing them. Therefore, one should know the âoda¿an¡ma St°tram of Sr¢ Har¢.

‘AuÀadh® Cintay®dviÀnum’ - At the time of taking medicines for curing the diseases, one should think of Vishnu. One should remember Vishnu the originator of Ayurv®da.

No other sources except Veda and Vishnu Pur¡na which is the offspring of Vedas can decipher more about Vishnu.

In Vishnu Pur¡na it is said that Yasm¡dvi¿vamidaÆ sarvaÆ tasya ¿akty¡mah¡tmanaÅ tasm¡d®v°cyat® viÀ¸aÅ vi¿adh¡t°Å prav®¿an¡t.

Vishnu is that Paramatman by whose power this whole Universe has been created, who has entered into this creation and by whom this entire Universe is borne. Vishnu means the God who pervades the whole existence, the omnipresent. As He is omnipresent, He is omniscient also. As he is omniscient, it implies that He congnises patient’s diseases.

Hence, while taking the medicine one should think of Vishnu and chant the mantra ‘ÕÆ ViÀ¸av® NamaÅ’ at least three times before the medicine is taken.

‘Bh°jan®ca Jan¡rdanaÆ’ - At the time of taking food one should remember Jan¡rdana.

The word Jan¡rdana has two meanings. He is the one who is prayed by all, who is solicited by all. He is the slayer of the demoniacal men who harm others, or it means that He torments those who trouble others.

The Nirukta á¡stra says, ‘Bhakta Vidv®Ài¸¡Æ T£r¸a Mardan¡ddi Jan¡rdanaÅ’ – Jan¡rdana is the God who gives food to all beings and is thus prayed, just as I acquired food; let all the living beings in this world acquire it.

S£À¶i sthityantakara¸¢Æ brahmaviÀ¸u ¿iv¡tmik¡Æ sa saµjµ¡Æ y¡ti bhagav¡n®ka ®va jan¡rdanaÅ.

Jan¡rdana is the Lord who takes the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who are involved in the activities of creation, THE ASTROLOGICAL eMAGAZINE

SRI DATTA VIJAYANANDA TEERTHA SWAMIJI JUNIOR PONTIFF, AVADHOOTA DATTA PEETAM, MYSORE

protection and destruction. Such Jan¡rdana is to be remembered while taking food and the mantra ‘ÕÆ Jan¡rdan¡ya NamaÅ’ must be chanted before consuming food. ‘áayan® Padman¡bhaÆ Cha’ - One should remember Padman¡bha before going to bed. One should chant ‘ÕÆ Padman¡bh¡ya NamaÅ’ before going to bed. In ViÀ¸u Sahasran¡ma, the word ‘Padman¡bha’ appears three times.

The moment one listen to the word Padman¡bha, one gets the vision of four faced Brahma merged in meditation, sitting in a lotus which emerged from the navel of Sri Maha Vishnu, who is being served by Goddess Maha Lakshmi and who is in pleasant Y°ga Nidra (Yogic sleep) on a soft bed Ëdi¿®Àa (the serpent) which is moving to and fro slowly because of the waves of milky ocean.

This is a marvelous sight. It causes pleasantness to the mind.

By just remembering this, sleeplessness is warded off. One gets sound sleep within no time.

Since He is bearing the lotus in His naval, which is the cause of the very existence of this Universe, He is called Padman¡bha.

Those who aspire for sound sleep should meditate on the Lord at three centers in the body. (1) Sahasr¡ra (2) Centre of Heart (3) Navel region. By concentrating the mind and vision on these places and by long rhythmic breathing (inhalation and exhalation), one can get sound sleep in a very short span of time. As this method cannot easily be followed by all, the alternative suggestion is to remember Padman¡bha before going to bed. Padman¡bha also refers to the one who resides at the centre of Padma (the lotus).When it is said so; it implies that JANUARY 2012

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Ashtama

Guru WILLIAM R. LEVACY

William R. (Bill) Levacy holds a BA in Literature, a Master’s in the Science of Creative Intelligence, and a Master’s in Education. Bill is currently a PhD Candidate in Education at Capella University, with a specialization in Human Performance Improvement (HPI). Bill is the author of, “Beneath a Vedic Sky,” “Beneath a Vedic Sun,” and “Vedic Astrology Simply Put.” He is a recipient of the 2011 “Jyotish Medha Pragya” award by the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (ICAS) in New Delhi, India. Bill is President of the American College of Vedic Astrology™ (ACVA), and the ACVAOnline ™ educational program at www.acvaonline.org. Bill has maintained an active Vedic astrology practice since 1983 with thousands of clients around the world. Bill lives in Southern California and can be reached at www.vedicastrologer.com.

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ANY JYOTISH SHASTRAS indicate the sign of Pisces, its ruler Jupiter, and the 12th house to be the indicators of Moksha or liberation. Persons with strong and favorable connections to the 12th house, and a well placed Jupiter, often exhibit spiritual tendencies and have a releasing disposition … from material cravings to the opening of one’s spirit to unshakeable tranquility.

However, the examination of the charts of public gurus in the last couple of decades reveals another set of criteria for spiritual leaders, especially those who have worked in the West. It is that of Scorpio, its ruler Mars and the 8th house…the Ashtama Gurus who demonstrate transformative vigor aimed at mystical transcendence, the secrets of the Self, and life mastery.

This article will examine those indications of the 8th house, Mars, and Scorpio and how they apply to the charts of several modern Gurus. The favorable qualities of these 8th place indicators will be reviewed to help us understand how the 8th house and its characteristics could lead a person to assume the role of a guru or spiritual leader of some fashion in these active, modern times.

Traditional 8th House Indications As is the case in many classic texts, Laghu Parashari, for example, indicates that the ruler of the 8th house due to its placement of 12th from the 9th does not produce good results. Traditional expositions of the 8th house tend to focus on end-of-life matters, sexual and eliminative functions, legacies, and the unknown. Parashara indicates the concerns of the 8th house as indicative of “longevity, wealth of the dead, and things that have happened and are to happen (in the past and future births).” Parashara also states that 8th house is an intuitive house in that it gives a person the ability to know “that which is not stated.”

Vyankatesh Sharma’s “Sarvarth Chintamani,” lists “guyha” or hidden matters as an 8th house trait, along with ayu (life) and randhra (bad). Bhatt Narayana’s Chamatkar Chintamani says that the 8th house is an indicator for “occult matters, “ The hidden influences of the 8th can bring about trouble from servants and those THE ASTROLOGICAL eMAGAZINE

close by through revealing secrets. Rama Dayalu’s Sanketa Nidhi, calls the 8th , the house of mysteries.

Sanketa Nidhi also indicates the 8th house as representing “fear from enemies, imprisonment, and acting in an unbecoming manner.” Symbolically, as well as literally, Sanketa Nidhi identifies “crossing the river” as a trait of the 8th house. The 8th house is concerned with matters related to “crossing over” or death, perhaps even symbolic death and rebirth. Mantreshwara’s Phaladeepika while mirroring Parashara’s emphasis on longevity and death, expands 8th house descriptions to include impediments due to impurity, embarrassments, chronic indebtedness, and all around sorrow. Mantreshwara also provides the rule that “if the lord of the house under examination is in the 6th, 8th, or 12th from the Lagna, that house is destroyed.

The same will be the results if that house is occupied by the Lords of the 6th, 8th, or 12th. As we will see in the next section of this article, a benefic aspect on the 8th house can mitigate some of the negative energy and can promote the positive end of the scale.

The 8th House can be Favorable Pandit Ojha, in Predictive Astrology of the Gurus, (p. 110) states that “apparently contradictory matters, such as longevity and death, happiness, and mental distress, etc. are really not contradictory but represent the positive and negative aspects of the same content.”

Mantreshwara, alerts us that all rules of Vedic astrology have a favorable and unfavorable dimension to them. In the case of the dusthanas, including the 8th , if the house concerned is aspected by a benefic, it will in fact flourish.

As such, Mantreshwara is making us aware that the 8th house can also indicate the opportunity for an improvement of a life condition. If one is beset with obstacles (vighna), then it would be the recognition of obstacles, or creating more discernment, that would allow an individual to navigate around these barriers, setbacks, or delays (or transcend them) and move forward. If a person had many impurities (asuchi) that diminished their life force, then the removal of those afflictions could lead to a healing transformation and more vitality (life). If a person was JANUARY 2012

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Commentaries on

Brihat Jataka DR. S. MADHAVAN (Born in 1940 Dr. S. Madhavan did his M.Sc. (Mathematics) and took his doctorate in Mathematics from the University of Kerala. He has published several research papers in journals of international repute in mathematics, Indian astronomy, astrology etc. He retired as Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics, University College, Thiruvananthapuram. He also worked abroad for about four years. He has attended several national and international conferences and guided scores of M.Phil. and PhD students. He studied sanskrit and jyotisha in the traditional way. He is now translating the commentary Apurvarthapradarshika of his father, Sri A.N. Srinivasaraghava Iyengar on Brihat Jataka into English. Through his organization Mihira Astrological Center, he works for the promotion of astrology.)

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HATTOTPALA INVOKES the Sun at the commencement of his commentary on Brihat Jataka

thus.

³e®íeðeb meefJelee ®ekeÀej efJeHegueb mkeÀvOeweðq eefYep³eexelf e<eb lem³eeseq®íefÊe Ye³eeled Hegve: keÀefue³egies mebme=l³e ³ees Yetleueced ~ Yet³e: mJeuHelejb JejenefceefnjJ³eepesve meJe¥ J³eOee efolLeb ³eb ÒeJeoefvle cees#ekegÀMeuee mlemcew vecees YeemJeles ~~ This means, “The three fold Jyotisha was propounded by the Sun. Fearing that it would be lost in Kaliyuga the Sun took the incarnation in the world as Varahamihira and expounded the three branches in a short form. This is what people with knowledge of salvation say. Obeisance to that Sun”.

This statement is fully justified by the fact that Varahamihira wrote monumental works on all the three branches - Siddhanta, Hora and Samhita. In Siddhanta he wrote Pancha Siddhantika. In Hora, he wrote Brihat Jataka and Laghu Jataka. Brihat Samhita is encyclpaedic in range and covers the whole gamut of celestial and terrestrial phenomena. It deals with the transits of planets, comets, architecture, weather forecast, iconography, omens, qualities of men and women and a wide variety of topics. He also wrote a work called Samasa Samhita known only through quotations.

Vatakanika is a work dealing with omens. But it exists only in a fragmentary form. On travels or what may be called military astrology he wrote Brihadyatra, Svalpayatra and Yogayatra. On marriages he wrote Brihat Vivahapatala and according to Bhattotpala he also THE ASTROLOGICAL eMAGAZINE

wrote Svalpa Vivahapatala. According to tradition the authorship of more than thirty works is attributed to him, but the authenticity is not certain. Apart from the global sweep of learning he was a master of Sanskrit prosody as is evidenced from his metrical extravaganza in Brihat Samhita, while describing transits of planets. In fact no other astrologer of India possessed his versatility.

Regarding his period several opinions prevail. Because of his reference to 427 Saka in Paricha Siddhantika as meHleeeféeJesomebK³eb it is generally believed that he flourished in 5th century A.D. Amaraja mentions in his commentary on Brahmasphuta Siddhanta that he died in Saka 509 which corresponds to 587 A.D. Because he named his son Prithuyasas and reference to Prithu (which means big or the name Prithu) in He=LegiegCe³eMee (B.J. 11.10) and He=eLf eJeerMe: (B.J. 11.15) it is likely that he was contemporary of Vainya Gupta, Vainya being a synonym of Prithu.

He introduces himself thus:

Deeefol³eoemeleve³e mleoJeeHleyeesOe: keÀeefHeefÿue: meefJele=ueyOeJejÒemeeo: ~ DeeJeefvlekeÀes cegevf eceleev³eJeueeske̳e mec³e iIeesjb Jejenefceefnjes ©ef®ejeb ®ekeÀej ~~ This implies that he belonged to Avanti and Kapisthala gothra. His father was Aditya dasa who gave him knowledge. He was endowed with a boon from the Sun and he wrote the beautiful Horasastra after going through the works of the sages.

Brihat Jataka Brihat Jataka of Varahamihira is great work on Hora. The author has culled out much information from this literature from hoary past and presented in an acceptable fashion.

He himself observes in Brihat Samhita thus: JANUARY 2012

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Astronomical Significance of Calendars VENKATA GIRI KUMAR

A

S WE MOVE TO THE NEW YEAR 2012 the first thing which we do is to replace the old calendar with the new calendar. The Calendar has become an integral part of our life and due to the electronic revolution it is available in many forms such as wrist watches, cell phones, computers etc. Today Gregorian calendar is internationally accepted civil calendar and is in use across the globe. Though there are many advantages with the other calendars which are traditionally in use in India such as Hindu Solar Calendar, Islamic Calendars etc., it is the Gregorian calendar which has become more popular in day to day activities due to its own advantages. This article focuses on providing the astronomical significance of each of these calendars and explains their advantages and drawbacks. The calendars are devised based on the movements of Sun and Moon and are classified as Solar, Lunar and Lunisolar calendars. The Solar calendar considers only Sun and ignores the Moon. The lunar Calendar considers only Moon and ignores the Sun. The Lunisolar Calendar considers both Sun and Moon. Each of the 3 calendars has its own way of organizing the units of time such as year, month and day which is explained in detail in the remaining sections of the article.

Solar Calendar It is defined based on Sun and ignores the Moon.

According to this calendar the solar year is defined to be the time taken by Sun to complete one revolution along the ecliptic starting from one reference point to reach the same reference point (though it is the earth which revolves around the Sun, for all practical purposes it is fine to consider the other way). If the reference point is considered to be vernal equinox it is known as tropical year (also known as sayana year) and the calendar as tropical calendar. If the reference point is considered to be a fixed star or a fixed point in ecliptic then it is known as sidereal year (also known as nirayana year) and the calendar as sidereal calendar.

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Mr. Venkata Giri Kumar works as a software professional in Bangalore since 1993 after completing M.E at REC Trichy.

He says the initial astrological foundation have been the books of DR. B. V. RAMAN. He has been an avid reader of THE ASTROLOGICAL MAGAZINE. His serious interests are studying and analyzing the astronomical significance of the various events in day to day life.

Tropical Calendar The Gregorian calendar is the best example of the tropical calendar and it uses the vernal equinox as the reference point. We are familiar with this calendar as we use it extensively in our day to day life but the significance of the calendar lies with the alignment of the calendar with the equinoxes and solstices. This has 12 months in a year and the number of days in a year varies between 365 and 366 days depending on whether it is a leap year or not.

The additional day in the leap year is added to the month of February which makes it 29 days from 28 days and as a result the leap year consists of 366 days and the non leap year has 365 days. The leap year is defined to be the year which is divisible by 4 and not by 100. Also the year which is divisible by 400 is considered as leap year. As a result we have the following The years 1600, 2000, 2400 ….. are leap years as they are divisible by 400 The years 1700, 1800, 1900 ….. are not leap years as they are divisible by 100 and not by 400 All the other years which are divisible by 4 such as 1704, 1708 …. are leap years.

The leap years are introduced to synchronize the calendars with the dates of equinoxes and solstices which otherwise drift backwards due to precession of equinox. As a result Gregorian calendar is highly synchronized to equinoxes and solstices. Also it is the only calendar which preserves the knowledge of equinoxes and solstices.

The leap year calculations used by Gregorian calendar are explained in detail in the article “Precession of Uttarayana” (December 2011 issue of The Astrological eMagazine). The equinoxes and solstices fall in the exact dates every year as shown below March 21 — Vernal Equinox June 21 — Summer Solstice September 21 – Autumnal Equinox December 21

– Winter Solstice THE ASTROLOGICAL eMAGAZINE

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Dr. Elavathur Subrahmanyan Neelakantan graduated from Loyala College of Chennai with distinction in Statistics. As a qualified Chartered Accountant, he is an Information Systems Auditor. While his interest in Astrology was activated by going through books of Dr. B. V. Raman, his formal learning of the subject was from Prof. K. V. Seshadrinatha Sastri, a renowned scholar of Astrology and Ayurveda. Awarded with a Doctorate by the Deemed Sri Chandrasekarendra University, Kancheepuram for his thesis on Medical Astrology, Dr. Neelakantan has been a regular contributor to The Astrological eMagazine. His multi faceted talent also includes proficiency in Vedic chants.

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N OUR EARLIER WE discussed in detail, the logical approach towards planetary combinations. In this dissertation we will try to understand the inner significance of certain planetary combinations.

Combinations come under special rules of Astrology and as such can run counter to general rules. For instance Hydrogen is inflammable; so is Oxygen: but combination of Hydrogen and oxygen gives rise to Water which puts out fire. So we cannot conclude merely on properties of Hydrogen and Oxygen, that the resultant compound which is obtained by their fusion will be similar in nature to their individual properties.

Yogas are not just combinations of planets. Their classification is not merely restricted to planetary inter relationship – it can also involve houses. For instance, Ruchaka yoga stipulates the condition of Mars being in Aries, Scorpio or Capricorn.

Yogas fall under several categories; some of them are: Yogas for education or intelligence.

Yogas for wealth.

Yogas for comforts in life.

Yogas which elevate people to the status of king.

Yogas resulting in Misfortune.

There are more than four hundred yogas discussed in textbooks on Astrology.

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Pancha Mahapurusha Yogas

In this article we will try to focus our attention on a few of these yogas and try to assimilate their significance.The most important Yogas in Astrology go under the term, “Pancha Mahapurusha Yogas”. They occur when the planets giving rise to this yoga occupy their own house or are in exaltation and in a quadrant from Ascendant .Some scholars opine that instead of reckoning these yogas from Ascendant, they could be reckoned from the Moon, as well.

These yogas are mentioned in Table1.

Name of the Yoga Ruchaka Bhadra Hamsa Malavya Sasa

Planet causing the Yoga Mars Mercury Jupiter Venus Saturn

Ruchaka Yoga This yoga is formed on account of the presence of Mars in a quadrant from Ascendant, while occupying Aries, Scorpio or Capricorn.

A person born in Ruchaka Yoga will be: Good looking with beautiful eyebrows.

Slim in waist and lower limbs.

Strong and courageous.

Adventurous.

Fighter.

Well- versed in occultism, sacred texts and prayers.

DR. E. S. NEELAKANTAN Bilious in constitution.

Enjoying good reputation.

Earning wealth through courageous deeds.

Equal to a ruler.

Commanding an army or a fleet of horses or conveyances.

For real effects of the yoga to fructify, the planet must be strong. According to DR. B.V.RAMAN, “A really powerful yoga would be a rare phenomenon.

Emphasis is laid on the word balishta so that if a planet is weak by debilitation, association or aspect the yoga does not operate in its real sense, though nominally it may exist. Here importance is attached to the de facto rather than de jure presence of this yoga (ref: 300 Important Combinations).

Bhadra Yoga Bhadra Yoga is formed on account of the presence of Mercury in a quadrant from ascendant, while occupying Gemini or Virgo. Please note that Mercury is the only planet whose exaltation sign also happens to be its own house. Consequently this is the rarest of the Pancha Mahapurusha yogas because the probability of the occurrence is only about 67% compared to the rest of the Mahapurusha Yogas.

A person born in Bhadra Yoga will be: Long lived, praised by learned and of sharp intellect.

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Moon

Jupiter

Venus

Planetary Position on 1.1.2012 at 0:00 hrs

Sun

This Year for You

Ketu

Mars

Rahu Saturn Mercury

2012 GARGACHARYA

Jupiter Ketu

Mars

Sun Mercury

Planetary Position on 1.1.2013 at 0:00 hrs Venus Rahu

Moon

Saturn

The transits are as follows The Sun: Enters Capricorn on 15th January, enters Aquarius on 13th February, Pisces on 14th March, Aries on 15th April, Taurus on 15th May, Gemini on 14th June, Cancer on 15th July, Leo on 15th Aug, Virgo on 15 th September, Libra on 16th October, Scorpio on 15th November and Sagittarius on 15 th December.

Mars: Is in Leo in the beginning and enters Virgo on 14th July, Libra on 14th August, Scorpio on 28th September, Sagittarius on 9th November, and Capricorn on 1st December.

Mercury: Enters Sagittarius on 4th January, Capricorn on 24th January, Aquarius on 10th February, Pisces on 27th February, back again in Aquarius on 2nd April, Pisces on 6th April, Aries on 5th May, Taurus on 21st May, Gemini on 4th June, Cancer on 21st Jun, Leo on 28th August, Virgo on 15th September, Libra on 1st October, Scorpio on 28th October, Libra on 18th November, Scorpio on 6th, Sagittarius on 27th December.

Venus: Venus enters Aquarius on 19th January, Pisces on 3rd February, Aries on 29th February, Taurus on 28th March, Cancer on 31 st August, Leo on 28th September, Virgo on 23rd October, Libra on 17th October, Scorpio on 11th October.

Jupiter: He is in Aries in the beginning, enters Taurus on May 17th.

Saturn: He is in Libra in the beginning of the year, enters Virgo on 15th May, and comes back to Libra on 4th August.

Rahu : He is in Scorpio in the beginning. He continues to stay in the same rasi.

Ketu : He is in Taurus. He continues to stay in the same rasi.

MESHA (Aries) [Aswini, Bharani and Krittika 1] This year opens with some difficulties, but gradually things change and you prosper despite some setbacks. It ends on a note of good cheer.

In January/February, you enjoy some good results. Your investments fetch good returns. You succeed in purchasing objects of your choice. There will be some obstacles particularly related to construction etc. But they will gradually vanish.

In March/April, there will be gains of various kinds.

Those trying for travels may get favourable results. There will be peace in the family. Marriage proposals may clock.

You may deal with matters tactfully and avoid THE ASTROLOGICAL eMAGAZINE

complications. Yet some general problems continue to torment you.

In May/June, you continue to have usual gains and favour of elderly women. General problems continue to remain unsolved.

In July/August, you feel happy because you find that some uncompromising opponent is tamed and the obstacles get removed. Job seekers do very well.

In September/October, you get partial success in ventures. Your official career receives a boost and your trials for assistance meet with success. Some of your kinsmen help you in difficulties.

In November/December, you find that you become a bit lazy because of some success and the tendency to

JANUARY 2012

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