Astrology, Believe It or Not - OCR

A STR OLOGY: BELIEVE IT OR NOT?
A book on Astrology by Dr. S. Balachandra Rao
First Edition: 2000

Second Print: 2008 Pages : 156
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PREFACE
Science and technology are advancing very rapidly in
great strides, even beyond one's imagination. Mankind is
indeed reaping the rich harvest of this rapid progress in
improving its lifestyle. World is shrinking fast in transport
and communications. But ~ave these mind boggling
advancements in science and technology resulted in a
corresponding growth in human values, love of peace and
the much-needed scientific temper ? Although man has set
his foot, not just once but several times, on the moon and
even planted sophisticated equipments there for several
scientific investigations, he has not freed himself from the
demons Rahu and Ketu who gobble the fullmoon, for him,
on the occasion of a lunar eclipse !
Among us Indians, a total belief in astrology is almost
a truism. For all our activities and happenings - at the
individual, national and even international levels -
planets' intluences are held responsible. In the present
book, deliberations on this all-pervasive astrology (Phala
Jyotisha) are attempted at. The ' basic concepts and
technical terms of astronomy, on which astrology is
allegedly based, are explained. Some of the main tenets of
astrology are discussed.
Around 1985-86, I wrote computer software based on
modern astronomical algorithms and formulae to compute
planetary positions ~U1d eclipses for past as well as furture
dates. Using this software it has been possibJe to verify
and investigate the references in our ancient astronomical,
historical and literary texts as also in stone and copper
inscri pti ons.
In the preparation of this book, the members of the
Editorial Board of the .Navakarnataka Publications. Pvt.
Ltd., more particularly Sri K. L. Gopalakrishna Rao, have
frequently advised me on improvements in my manuscript,
made several corrections and greatly softened my
occasionally intemperate language. I am highly grateful to
them all as also to the Managing Director Sri R. S.
Rajaram for periodically reminding me of my assignment.
I have used several books, magazines and newspaper
reports in Sanskrit, English and Kannada. I express my
indebtedness to their authors and publishers.
BangaLore S. Balachandra Rao
July 16 2000
CD ta l Lunar Eclipse Day)
CONTENTS
Introduction 07
Ol. Mathematics and Astronomy in ancient Ind ia 14
02. Origins of Indian astrology 25
1) Omens and Nakshatra vidya 25
2) Horoscopy or J aataka 27
3) Greek influence and zodiacal signs (raashis) 29
4) Mention of planets 31
5) Week days 33
03. Ayanaamsha muddle 36
Zero-precession year: 285 A. D. ? 38
Contrad ictory predictions 39
Dasha-Bhukti chaos 40
04. Zod iac and constellations 41
05 . What is panchanga ? 51
06. Indian Natitma l Calendar 58
07. Planetary system 59
08. Roman calendar 61
09. Gregorian calendar 63
to. Indian traditional caJendar 65
It. Fi nding weekday given the date 67
12. How are weekdays named? 70
13. W hat is a horoscope? · 71
14 . Horoscope of Lord Rama 77
Is Lord Rama 's horoscope g~nuine ? 79
15. Characteristics of Raashis (S igns) 80
16. Characteristics of planets 82
17. Sun sign predictions (Ravi Raashi Bhavishya) 88
i) According to Indian astrology 88
ii) According to Western astrology 90
18. Lagna in different Raashis 93
19. Important combinations (Yogas) 97
- Good combinations 97
An impossible combination in Brihat Jaatakam lO2
Bad combinations lO6
20. Scienti sts' objection to astrology lO9
21. Psychologists oppose astrology 111
22. Astrology illegal 112
23 . Astro logers lost the 1971 elections II3
24 . Astrologers' squibs go damp 115
25. Astrologers amuse again 119
26 . "This week for you-" 122
27. i cla im er for columns . 126
2 1 es ts disprove astrological claims 127
2 . Tim La shun astrology 129
i) onsp iracy against common sense 129
ii) oll cocted 132
iii) N Co mmon mode 133
iv) Preposterous beliefs 134
v Wro ngly oriented 134
vi) N verifica tion 136
vi i) Ta ll claim 137
viii [n s apab le past 137
i ) A::; l.rology in universities 139
An i 'I1t sc ience 140
Murri n 's and astrology 141
J, T wi S " If clipse 143
2. 144
3 . '""i sm 150
INTRODUCTION
Astrology - scope and basis
Among the 'Shastras' (branches of knowledge) that
have come down to us in our Indian tradition lyotisha is
one. The chief object of astrology is to predict the various
happenings in one's life beforehand based _ on the
movement of planets. Now the claim for the validity of
astrology pre-supposes essentially two aspects: one is
phi~osophical and the other scientific. We shall briefly
examine the former before discussing at length the latter.
According to the Vendanta philosophy one's life is
determined and governed by one's past action ("Karma").
The accumulated past actions that have started giving
their fruits, good and bad, go by the name "praarabdha
karma". However, there is ample scope for fresh actions
in this birth that will be subsequently yielding their fruits.
To this extent there is provision for free-will. Now the
"praarabdha kanna", being the natural and inevitable
consequences of aUf past deeds, is just inescapable. It is
what is usually known as "fate" . This in brief is the
Karma theory providing the foundation for the rebirth
theory as a natural sequel.
The claim of astrology is that the workings of fate in
one's life is determined by the positions of planets, say, at
the time of one's birth. A doyen of Hindu astrology
explains this position in the following words :
"The relationship between the planets and Karma may
roughly be compared to the relationship between a
thermometer and one's body temperature. The
7/ Astrology: Believe it or Not I .

thermometer just records the temperature. It does not
bring about the fever. Similarly planets do not cause the
events to happen even though they just show the burden
one has to bear in life's pilgrimage due to causes
generated by him in his previous lives i.e. his past
karma. "
PART 1
We shall investigate rationally and impartially to what
extent astrology is scientific. In this effort two important
questions arise:
I. What is, scientifically, the correlation between the
objects of our solar system (viz. the sun, the moon
and the planets) and the routine happenings is one's
li fe such as birth, education, marriage, children, job,
wealth, death etc.?
U. In case it has not been possible as yet to provide a
satisfactory answer to the above question, then to
what extent (percentage) the lUles given in the
standard astrological treatises come true?
The answers demanded in the above two questions
may be called physical and statistical respectively. To our
first question, the usual answers given by the reputed
astro Logical scientists are:
l. Just as a planet exerts gravitational forces on any
piece of matter, it also subtly causes its influence on
one' life through infra-red, ultra-violet and cosmic
rays.
2. very individual emits electrons at different rates at
different times and the planets possess electro-
magnetc fields around them. Hence the interaction
between the two results in various experiences at
different times in one's life.
8/ Astrology : Believe il or Not!

Besides these "scientific" arguments astrologers
adduce the following ones in support of astrology ;
3. The horoscope of a person at the time of his birth is
cast according to scientifically established formulae of
astronomy. Hence the predictions based on such a
scientifically cast horoscope are also perfectly
scientific.
4. The astrological predictions may sometimes go wrong
on account of its avoidable lapses shown
below;
i. The time and date of birth of a person might not
have been reported correctly.
ii. There will be differen.ces in the position of a
planet at a given time according to different
panchangas or almanacs (ephemerides) .Therefore
the mistakes in a panchanga chosen contribute to
the wrong predictions .
iii. Many practising astrologers do not have a correct
or adequate knowledge of astrology; or for the
sake of earning money they may predict
whimsically. Thus, quacks in the field are to
blame and not at all the "science" of astrology.
5. The traditionalists who do not want to "defile" their
ancient wisdom with scientific and rational thinking
take for granted the validity of astrology for the
simple reason that the shastra was propounded and
developed by great seers like Parashara, laimini and
great mathematicians and astronomers like
Varahamihira.
6. Many a western "scientist" has vouchsafed the
scientific nature of astrology and has strj ven for its
developmen t.
7. Many a prediction made by reputed astrologers has
9/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

7. Many a prediction made by reputed astrologers has
come true.
8. Astrology or Jyothisha is a "Darshana" and a branch
dealing with "great transcendental knowledge" (extra-
sensory and suprarationa1!) which is far above the
ordinary and wordly sciences. Hence the worth of ·
astrology cannot be judged by the standards of
science or just reasoning.
Apart from the above arguments there may be a few
more such in favour of this subject. However, it is
certainly interesting and rewarding to investigate the
above mentioned arguments one by one.
1. Among the nine planets - navagrahas - mentioned in
Indian astrology, four of them are not planets at all;
the sun is a star, the moon is only a satellite of the
earlh and Rahu and Ketu are but only imaginary
geometrical points being the ascending and
de cendi ng nodes of the moon.
Regarding the claim that different types of rays emitted
by the planets influence men's lives, there are absolutely
no reports confirming experimental verification that
planets emit such rays. So, the emission of cosmic rays
from the planets is only a figment of imagination.
2. Now coming to the claim that individuals emit
ele trons and that planets are surrounded by electro-
magnetic fields, well, in fact there are sophisticated
instruments and counters in physics to detect
em i . ions of particles like electrons. Have the modem
savants of a trology conducted experiments using
theinstrul11ents to confirm their claims ? Further,
what relati n hip can there be between the electrons
supposed to be emitted by the planets and the
occurences in one's life such as marriage, offspring,

employment etc? It is too farfetched. Certainly there
Calmot be any such relationship.
3. It is true that a horoscope is cast for a given time
(time of birth) using the scientifically established
astronomical formulae. This methematical aspect of it
is certainly laudable. But so far as the predictive part
is concerned, nowhere is the astronomical science
used. For example, for one born in Mesha lagna
(Aries on the ascendant) there may be Jupiter in the
fifth house i.e. in Simha (Leo). This is no doubt found
out using the established astronomical calculations.
But using this position of Jupiter, predicting about
one's offspring is the predictive part in which
astronomy or science has no place at all ! In fact, the
predictive astrology is based only on certain "rules"
prescribed in the ancient astrological treatises like
those of Parashara and Varahamihira. Even among
these rules there are many which often clash and
contradict each other.
4. Even after casting correct horoscopes basing on exact
birth-times of persons, and on accurate modern
ephemerides (navina driksiddahanta panchanga), no
"astrological scientist" has ever predicted events
which are at least 70% to 75% correct among
thousands of such predictions made by him.
5. The ancient savants of lyotisha shastra like
Parashara, Jaimini and Varahamihira are, no doubt,
great scholars and their works are highly respectable.
The achievements of some of them in Indian
Astronomy are indeed a matter of pride for us. But
when it comes to the predictive side of astrology the
rules set by these savants very much require testing
on the anvil of scientific verifiability.
11 I Astrology: Believe it or Nor!

6. It may be true that some westem scholars have striven
to uphold the cause of astrology and attempted to
elevate this subject to the level of a science. But we
should not fail to notice that these western "scientists"
of astrology have not published their authentic
findings in any respectable scientific journal of
international repute.
7. The failures of the predictions made by the
astrologers very much out-number the successes.
Examples are too many and too well-known to need
any mention here.
8. As regards the use of such respectable adjacti ves as
"transcendental" etc. for astrology, we may point OUt
that the works of Parashara or Varahamihira nowhere
cont,ti n anything dealing with transcendental or extra-
sensory or supra-rational.
If the protagonists of astrology honestly concede that it
has not been possible as yet to provide an acceptable
rationale for astrology, they can launch a meaningful
project which is definitely worth a trial in the interest of
astrologers themselves and their favourite field. They can
collect thousands of correct horoscopes and get
pred ictions from enlightened and reputed astrologers and
then verif y to what extent (percentage) the predictions
(whi ch must be well-defined and verifiable and not
el usive or vague 1) come true. If the findings are
encouragi ng - say, validity upto 70% to .80% - they must
be pubJished in leading newspapers and journals. Then
further investigation, coding and classification can be
pursued. Th i can raise astrology to the level of a
statistical science thou gh not of a physical science.
Without takin g up any such investigation it is no use
rushing to adduce p udo-scientific arguments in favour of
12/ Astrology; Beli eve it or Not I

astrology, and claim its supenonty over a rather less
developed and recent science like meteorology.
Since astronomy deals with positions of planets and
predictive astl:ology uses these data, we shall briet1y
consider the relevant astronomical concepts 111 the
subsequent chapters.
"You live in Time as well as Space. You are

descended from the ancient Rishis of India; but
you . live nOI in their age now, do you? Your
struggle is with the twentieth centu/y scientists.. .. {f
you are not willing and ready to assimilate the new
light (science), .. " go and live in Pitruloka with
your fore -fathers. Why tarry here? Goodbye!"
- Swami Rama Tirtha

1 MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY
IN ANCIENT INDIA *
"Like the crests on the heads of peacocks, like the
gems on the hoods of the cobras, mathematics
(astronomy) is at the top of the Vedanga slwstras"
zrw ~mrr ~ ~ i1URlT zrw
~ ~lWfTUri dJitlrrf (~) ~Ufur ~.
(Vedanga jyotisha, 4)
This is the supreme importance given to mathematics
(astronomy) among the branches of secular knowledge
ever since the vedic times. Evidently, therefore, the germs
of Indian mathematics have to be traced back to the
vedas.
i. Sulva sulcas
The earliest first significant mathematical texts of the
vedic lore we have are 'Sulva Sutra ' in which are given
rules, with mathematical details, for constructing 'Yajna
bhu.m.ikas' i.e. sacrificial altars. In this ancient text, we are
remarkably introduced to surds of the type ff,.,JT, etc.
Baudhayana and Apastamba sutras give very good
rational approximation for the irrational number ff in the
form.
I + 1/3 + 1/3.4 .. 113.4 .34 which is correct to 5 decimal
places.
wnui rrflitar qtfW( mrrc:!Uar a1lt-srd1~'~~iTofar Rfi:tm :
(Apastamba I, 6 & Balldhayana 1, 61-62)
See Indian Mathematics and Astronomy .. Some

Landmarks by the author, Jnana Deep Publications, 2000
141 Astrology : Believe it or Not!

Again, the welJ-known Pythagoras' theorem is
beautifully stated by these authors far earlier than
Pythagoras:
"The diagonal of a rectangle produces both areas
which its length and breadth produce separately."
(Apastamba 1,4)
There is therefore a strong case to rename this theorem
more justifiably as 'Sulva Theorem '.
One of the greatest problems that had remained
unsol ved for centuries in the history of mathematics was
what is popularly known as 'squaring the circle' i.e. to
construct - using only ruler and compasses - a square
whose area is equal to that of a given circle. Surprisingly
this problem was tackled by the authors of the Salva
sutras and they gave practical methods for squaring a
circle, as also for the converse. Their constructions
involved approximating the value of Pi to 3.088 which is
justifiable in the light of crude mathematical methods
adopted thousands of years ago. However, in modern
mathematics it is known that an extact geometrical
construction, using ruler and compasses, to 'square a
circle ' is impossible. Incidentally, it may be pointed out
that the approx.imate value of Pi used in the Sulva-sutras
i certainly better than the Biblical value Pi=3 (see:(l)
~ in gs vii. 23;(2) ehron. IY.2) given much later.
Ii. Aryabhata's value of Pi

TII fa t the creclit of giving for the first -time in India
Ih valu of Pi correct of four decimal places as
II . L41 s to Aryabhata I (476 A.D.). He mentioned
thor 0 f diameter 20,000 has its circumference
apl r xirn.atel l eq ual to 62,832; and of course Pi is the
rati f th circumference to the diameter.
15 / ASfro/ogy : Believe it or Not!

~ ~~ui (lQ1"1fQ:;>-mn ""6~~IOIIJ{
3~ ~ 3m:rffi" 'it1q~oIl6 : II
(Aryabhateeyam, Gallitapaada, Sl. 10)
It is interesting to note that Arayabhata uses the word
aasanna (meaning approximate) suggesting that the
rational value of Pi given by him was only approximate
since Pi is irrational (i_e_ cannot be expressed as a
fraction, ratio of two integers)_ This achievement of
Aryabhata in the 5th century is truly significant and
admirable realising that it is only thirteen centuries later,
in 1761, that Lambert proved that Pi is irrational and only
in 1882 that Lindemann established the further fact that Pi
is transcendentaL
iii. Concept of zero and decimal numerals
The most remarkable achievement for which the entire
world is beholden to ancient India, is the invention of the
decimal numerals (with place values), zero and infinity_
"Of all mathematical discoveries, no one has contributed
more to the general progress of intelligence than this
(zero)" remarks Florian Cajori, the renowned historian of
mathematics_ It can definitely be said that from the very
earliest times ten (10) has formed the basis of numeration
in India_ A list of numeral denominations in powers of
ten, up to 10 raised to the power 12 (i.e_l followed by 12
zeros) called paraardha, is found in as ancient a text as
the Yajurveda Samhita (Vajasaoeyi) while the highest
power of 10 known to the Greeks of those times was 10
raised to power 4 which they called a myriad. It is
recorded that Prince Gautama (Bodhisattva) was
acquainted with the names of the different powers of ten
up to 10 raised to power 53 which he called tallakshana_
-The concept of zero was used in metrics (chhandas) by
16 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

Pin gala (before 200 B.C.) in his Chhandah-sutra. The
idea of expressing all quantities by nine figures (or digits)
whereby imparting to them both an absolute value and
one by position is so simple that this very simplicity is the
reason for our not being sufficiently aware how much
admiration it deserves! The earliest evi.dence, available so
far, of a symbol for zero (viz., a dot) is found in the
Bakshali manuscript (300 A.D.).
Ancient Jains ' contribution to mathematics is really
marvellous. Their mathematical achievements are recorded
in famous Jain texts, dating back from 500 B.C. to 300
B.C., like lambudweepa prajnapti and Suryaprajnapti in
which Pi is approximated to the square-root of 10 and
calcu lated correct upeo 13 decimal places.
iv, Topics in mathematics
India's contribution to mathematics was chiefly in the
methods of arithmetic . and algebra. In fact, it is Indian
arithmetic that is now used the world over. The topics
discussed in the Hindu mathematics of early renaissance
in clu ded the fOllowing: 1) Parikarma (the four
fund amental operations), 2) Vyavahaara (, determination),
. ) Raj;u (meaning rope referring to geometry), 4) Trairasi
I h > ru le of three), 5) Yavat laval (simple equations), 6)
Kal(l.so,varna (operations with fractions), 7) Varga and
\In/'Rwl1ula (square and square-root), 8) Ghana aDd ghana-
1/1/1/(1 ( ub and cube-root) and 9) Prastarana and Vikalpa
II r'lllU l/l ti ons and combinations).
Moll lvirac harya (9th Cent A.D), a great Jain
In Ith n111 tii an of Karnataka gave the well -known general
f nnu la /l ,=nl/(n -r ) 1r1 for the first time in the history of
w rid mnth m Ili es. But, this formula is wrongly attributed
t Had J n ' (1 63 4 A.D). by Prof. D. E. Smith in his

-
I-Iostory of Mathematics (Vol. II. p. 527) published in
1925 . Ironically, Mahavira 's Sanskrit work, Ganita Saara
Sangraha (GSS) edited in 1912 by Prof. M. Rangacharya
carries a fore word by Prof. Smith himself!
In 1881, a manuscript - now popularly known as the
Bakshali manuscript - was discovered at a village called
Bakshali, about 70 miles away from the historically
famous town of Taxila near Peshawar. This manuscript
consi sting of 70 birch-bark leaves is rich in mathematical
content of a very high order. The Bakshali manuscript is
in the Gatha language (a refinement of old Prakrit) written
in the Sharada script and is said to belong to the 3rd
Century A. D. Interesting topics like arithmetic and
geometric progressions, simple equations and rational
approximation for the square-root of a number which is not
a perfect sq uare are discussed in the Bakshali manusclipt.
v. Shape and rotation of the earth
Aryabhata I (476 A.D.) is one of our greatest
mathematicians and astronomers. In fact, Aryabhata was
the first in India to develop these subjects systematically
and he is lightly respected as the 'father of algebra'. In
his famous book Aryabhateeyam, he has given the tables
for the trigonometric ratio 'sine' (called jya in Sanskrit)
for angles fro m 0 to 90 degrees at intervals of 3 3/ 4 degrees
.iu t in one stanza. The same sine-tables can also be found
in the ancient astronomical text, Surya Siddhanta.
It is highly remarkable that Aryabhata was the first to
declare that (i) the earth is round and that (ii) stars appear
to move from east to west for an observer on the earth
due to relative motion just as for one moving in a boat.
stationary objects (like trees etc.) appear to move in the
opposite dij·ection.

~: m:fffi <tff: I
J~lfTfaf~~
(Aryabhateeyam, Golapaada 6 & 9)
Aryabhata was followed by his immediate successor,
I3h as kara I (6th Cent.) whose commentary on the
Aryabhateeyam is famous. Bhaskara I provides interesting
geometrical treatment for algebraic formulae. He also
wrote two texts, Mahabhaskareeyam and Laghubha-
skareeyam elucida6ng Aryabhata's system of astronomy.
vi, Brahmagupta
Bralunagupta (628 A.D.) was the first mathematician
to give the area of a cyclic quadtilateral as the square-root
of (s-a) (s-b) (s-c) (s-d) where a,b,c and d are the sides
and s is the semi-perimeter of the quadrilateral.
~d' ~ ~1<i1E11C11<\ tRi <l&'l11I. I
(Brahmasphuta Siddhanta, XII 21)
Brahmagupta 's contribution to geometry is very
significant. He is the first to discllss the method of
obtaining a cyclic quadrilateral having rational sides. His
ce lebrated theories on the circum-diameter of a triangle
. nd o n finding the diagonals of a cyclic quadrilateral in
I 'rms of sides are well-known.
In fact, Brahmagupta - Indian astronomer par
, . ' II nee - was known to Arabs before they came to
f eve n Ptolemy (2nd Cent. A.D). Brahmagupta's
, ' !lIskrit works were translated into Arabic as Sindh-Hilld
IIl d II /OI'kond !
v _ Solutions of indeterminate equations
n of lh most important contributions of ancient
Inclion. malh matics is in perfecting the methods of
s Ivi n in inte ers the inderterminate equations (wrongly
19 / A stro logy: Believe it or Not!

called Diophantine equations) of the first and second
degrees of the type ax-by=c and Nx?-+ l=l where a, b, c
and N are all constant integers. A general solution of the
former is discussed for the first time in the history of
world mathematics by Aryabhata I while the latter is a
remarkable contribution of Brahmagupta. However, an
improved method to solve an equation of the form
Nx?-+ 1=y2 was developed by Bhaskara II. This method of
Bhaskara is called Chakravaala (cyclic) method. This
remarkable achievement of Brahmagupta and Bhaskara is
beyond all praise. It is certainly the finest thing achieved
in the theory of numbers before the advent of the
celebrated mathematician, Lagrange (1736). There is an
interesting history behind an equation of the type
Nx 2+1=y2 ! In 1657, the famous French mathematician
Fermat proposed to his friend Frenicle to solve in integers
the indeterminate equation 61x2+1=y2, but neither of them
succeeded in solving this equation. It was only in 1732
that the renowned mathematician Euler gave a .complete
solution. But, surprisingly and coincidentally the very
same equation was completely solved by Bhaskara II
(1150 A.D) in his Siddhanta Siromani by the famous
ChakravaaLa method more than five centuries earlier! In
fact, Bhaskara obtains the lowest non-trivial values for x
and y satisfying the equation 61x2+ 1=y2 as consisting of 9
and 10 digits respectively viz., x=226153980 and
y=17663 19049.
viii. Mabavira and ellipse
The unique credit, among Indian mathematicians, for
mentioning formulae for the area and circumference of an
ellipse goes to the famous Kamataka Jain mathematician
Mahavira (9th Cent. A.D.). Although his formula for the

area is incorrect, Mahavira's formula for the
ircumference of an ellipse viz., the square-root of
6b 2+4a2 , where a and b are respectively the major and the
minor axes of the ellipse, is a very good approximation.
Mahavira calls an ellipse aayata vritta and was
perhaps inspired by the discussion of sanui chakravaala
and vishama chakravaala which appears in ancient Jain
works.
The celebrated Jain mathematician Mahavira flourished
in the royal court of the famous and benevolent
Ra . htrakoota king Amoghavarsha Nrupatunga (815-878
A.D) who ruled from a place called Manyakheta (or
Malkhed) in Karnataka. Mahavira's Ganita Sara Sangraha
is a very beautiful text-book in mathematics comprising a
large number of very interesting problems and examples.
ix. Pre-Newtonian calculus in India
It should be considered a highly remarkable
achi evement that Bhaskara II introduced the calculus
c ncept of 'derivative' though not with modern rigour. He
111 ntions dearly the equivalent of d (sin x) = cos (x) dx
Ind that the derivative as instantaneous speed vanishes at
th ' m'lxima or minima.
~tm:r ct>lQall"lolfbtalI6<: 'l>R ~l,,~r~I<<Tc1'U\ I
~ trot q;"fi ~ ~~ ~ I
(Graha Gaflita, Spasthadhikara, SI.57-62)
I!'h ou ·h Newton and Leibnitz invented and developed
• II 'uilis in the 18th century, the credit of having
( II • -I 'ci it and even explicitly mentioned its property
,lU' I : houle! 0 to Bhaskara (l2th Cent.) and also to an
lrli r m 111 matician, Manjula (932 A.D.) in India. "Are
(/J f' f. L/n{rYIII I/. of Bhaskaracharya and Shankarachal)la
Iii ' rlor to those of Newton and Daf1vin ? "asked Sister
2 1 I Astrology: Believe it or Not!

Nivedita. not without valid reason.
x. Critical view of tradition
One remarkable feature of our ancient Indian
mathematicians and astronomers is their undaunted attack
on tradition whenever they found fault with it. Bhaskara II
asserts, "It is necessmy to speak out the truth accurately
before those who have blind faith in tradition. It is
impossible to believe in whatever is said earlier unless
every erroneous statemen.t In. it is criticized and
condemn.ed. "
~ ~':3'cql<1CijIIN"ua1 ~fu; ~~~
C1i1«'tl0ISlO'"(1~O! farcRi arrtm~: II
Brahmagupta attacks the samhita part of the vedic
literature fo r its inaccurate consideration of the luni-solar
year without. providing necessary cOlTections in the form
of intercalary months.
xi. Indispensability of mathematics
We find in the works of Mahavi ra and Bhaskara II
very beautiful and interesting problems rich in poetic
imagery. So much so even one who is congenitally
all ergic to mathematics is made to love the subject.
The glory and indispensability of mathematics in every
walk of life are perhaps never described more beautifully
and effectively in the past than by the mathematician
Mahavira. He says, "In all transactions which relate to
worldly, vedic and other religious affairs, in the science of
love, in economics, in music and in drama etc.,
mathematics is held in highest esteem." Mahavira
proceeds furti1er to assert, "Whatever there is in all the
three world , possessing moving and non-moving objects,
nothing can exist without mathematics."

~ : fi¥~~
~~~~~;fftll
(GSS, / /6)
But, all this is not surely to claim that the magnificent
achi evements of modern science and technology have
their roots in the Vedas and can be traced back to the
Vedas. Any such claim would be preposterous and
inexcusably fanatical. To this category belong the
' transcendentalists' .
Astronomers of Kerala
Contrary to the popular thinking that there was scanty
progress in Indian mathematics and astronomy after
Bhaskara II (b.11l4 A.D). mainly due to the successive
f reign invasions, there was indeed a tremendous and
intense development in these subjects in Kerala.
T he achievements of Kerala mathematicians in respect
r the fa mous constant Pi were brought to the notice of
. holars. both Indian and western, by Charles M. Whish
who presented a paper on the subject before the Royal
As iatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland in 1835. In
hi. paper, On the Hindu Quadrature of the Circle, Whish
brou hl to light the remarkable contributions to
111 1111 'matics contained in four famous Kerala works -
'[ ;/IIlm .I'angraha, Yukti bhasha, Kamna paddhali and
• ' I lmlllnlllaaia.
r
1 rrin to the Tanlra sangraha of Nilkanta Somayaji
1\ . ). Whish remarks ,that the text laid the
'"untl ld n for a complete system of 'flu xions' (calculus).
11 til ' Sadralnamaala of Shankara Varman, Whi sh
(~{ 111111 illS, "(It) abounds with fluxional forms and
infinil be found in no other work of foreign or
23 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

-
An important hall-mark of the Kerala astronomers is
their unmistakable stress on the spirit of independent
inquiry and observation. Paramesvara of Vatasreni (1360-
1455) has been held in great esteem for his bold reform of
revlsmg the then prevalent Parahita system of
astronomical computations and evolving new methods of
greater accuracy in his work entitled Drigganita.
Although before Aryabhata I (476 A.D.) there were
five systems of astronomy in India viz., Vasistha,
Paitamaha (or Brahma), Saura, Romaka and Paulisha
(the last two being of foreign origin), after Aryabhata I
the mathematical and observational astronomy grew
systematically in this country. Brahmagupta (7th Cent.)
Manjula (10th Cent.), Bhaskara II (1114 A.D.) and the
Kerala astronomers are great contributers.
"It is india that gave us the ingenious method of

expressing all numbers by means of 10 symbols,
each symbol receiving a value of position as well
as an absolute value. The idea escaped the genius
of A rchimedes and Apollonius "
- Laplace (1749-1827), a leading French
mathematician.
* * *
"[/. (Bhaskara s Chakravaala method) is beyond
all praise : It is certainly the finest thing achieved
in the theory of numbers before Lagrange. "
- Ha1lkel, the famous German mathematician.
24/ Astrology : Believe it or NOl !

2 ORIGINS OF INDIAN ASTROLOGY
Even since the Vedic times, there has been a strong
belief that "Omens" (adhbuta, Ulpaata, nimitta) foretell
future events, good and bad. In fact, there are various
references in the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda to an
ominous bird called shakuna. Perhaps, Kaushika Sutra is
the fil"st systematic text in which a large number of omens
have been listed and classified besides giving details of
xpiatory rites (praayaschittas and shaantis) to get over
the evil effects of the omens . It is said that similar beliefs
in omens and connected rituals (namburbi) were
ntertained in Babylonia.
1. Omens and naksbatra vidya
Buddha disapproved Brahmins who earned their
livelihood from the useless knowledge of omens
(Deeghanikaaya, 1, l.24) . But, in a later Buddhist text
Shaardoola Kamaavadaana, written around the first
nlury A.D., an "outcaste" displays a knowledge of astral
111 ns and even of mathematical astronomy only to
'l thlish that the outcaste is in no way inferior to a
L ru hmin . This text includes sections on the characteristics
(r native born when the Moon is in each nakshatra, a list
)1' • untries and regions of India governed by different
It Iks/lfllms and effects of lunar eclipses taking place in
r ,Tei' nt nakshatras. Almost the entire text is concerned
\' Ilh Jll'" Ii tions based on the Moon and the nakshatras and
n in th contexts of eclipses, earthquakes, diseases etc.
'1'1 I' t was translated into Chinese by Chu Luh-yen and
'11 I ' j ' n in the Kingdom of Wu in about 250 A.D. and

most of it by Dharmaraksha at Lo-yan in about 300 A.D.
Of course, belief in good days and bad days is
recorded as early as in Rigveda Samhita and Taittireeya
Braahmana. For instance we have the following mantras
in respect of auspicious days (nakshatras) for performing
special rituals :
~. mtor 't'~ .... 3~ 3ffiOtm I (Tai. Br. 1.8.4.2)
- They begin ploughing on Madra (Anuraadha)
asterism and consecretion of fire on Aditya asterism.
~. 'RiRrri fml: ~ 31@T1\ (R. V. VIl.88.4)
- Vipra (Varuna) established the reciter of hymns on
auspicious day, after expending the passing days and nights.
~. ~ &qar~f5ITfOr ~ Wcffu ~ ~ ~ QQ ~ I
(Tai. Hr. 1.5.7.9)
-Sacrifices are performed on Deva Nakshatras and
punyaahas.
tI. m~(l ~ fi'R:rr ~ l1i ~ '"t~ I
(Tai. Hr. /.5.2.3)
- A daughter shou ld be given away in marriage on the
Swali Nakshatra if she is desired to be her husband's
favourite.
Several heterogeneous materials relating to dreams,
physiognomy, cries of animals and birds etc. have been
added in course of time, to the original contents of the
omen sections of Shaardoola Karnaavadaana. The earliest
avail.able text of this nature is the first version of Garga
Samhita, probably composed in the first centurary B.C. or
A.D. This legendary text went on getting expanded over
the following centUJies . In fact, some nine chapters of this
text deal with the motion of Rahu (Moon's node), Guru,
Shukra, Comets (called Ketu), Shani, Kuja, Budha, Ravi
and Agastya (Canopus). Interestingly, parts of the
successive versions of Garga Samhita have been freely
26/ Astrology; Believe it or Not I

used by successive authors of Sanskrit texts on astrology.
2. Horoscopy or Jaataka
Nakshatra Vidya, developed and practised during the
V dic times and the first Carga Samhita period,
ssenlially consisted of omens (more appropriately called
Shakuna Shaastra) and predictions based on the nakshatra
occupied by the Moon at the time of one's birth .
The "science" of predicting life's events from
" horoscope" cast at the time of birth was developed in the
Hellenistic Egypt in the second century B.C. and
Lransported to India in the second century A.D. In around
150 A.D . probably in the court of Western Kshatrapa
Ruclradaaman in Ujjayini, a Greek manuscript of an
astrological text, composed in Egypt around 100 A.D.,
was translated into Sanskrit by a head of the Greek
c mmunity, referred to as Yavaneshwara. In the
tran lation of the Greek work, alien names and concepts
had been Indianised or Sanskritised.
Although Yavaneshwara's prose translation is no more
[l vail able, a substantial portion of a versification of that
l ' t made by the (Yavana Raaja) Sphujidhavaja is
Ivu il able. This text was composed in 270 A.D. during the
I' i ··11 of the Western Kshatrapa Rudrasena II.
. ' r hllj id hvaja's Yavana laataka shows further signs of
lllndlli zation of the Egyptio-Greek astrology. Yavana
J Ifli l/ka of Sphujidhvaja is edited, translated into English
W 111 mrnents by David Pingree (published from
' 111 11 ridge , Massachusetts, 1978).
pllLlj idhvaja's Yavana laataka contains 79 chapters
"hi II lU ay be divided into 5 sections: i) on nativities, ii)
1\ prashna (called "horary" astrology), iii) on Yaatra or
III Iil lry astrology, iv) on muhurta (called "electional"

astrology) and v) on mathematical astronomy. Most of the
texts on laataka or horoscopy composed thereafter in this
country, till the introduction of the so-called Taajika texts
in the 13th century, are mostly repetitions, of the basic
tenets of Yavana laataka and of Satyaachaarya. Another
ancient Sanskrit text, Vriddha Yavana laataka of
(Yavanaadhiraaja) Meenaraaja composed during the
period 300-325 A.D. in the realm of Western Kshatrapas-
Rudrasimha II (305-317 A.D) and Yashodaaman II (317-
332 AD.) is also of Greek origin. This is a highly
enlarged book, about twice the size of Sphujidhvaja's
Yavana laataka and having 71 chapters.
While Sphujidhvaja never mentions Rahu and Ketu,
the nodes of the Moon, Meenaraaja mentioned Rahu as a
graha. Varahamihira's (6th Cent. AD) Brihat laatakam
stands out eminently among the Sanskrit texts on Indian
asu·ology. This book is considered the most authoritative
textbook and most of the subsequent texts on Indian
astrology are modelled on Brihat laatakam of
Varahamihira. However, the author of this celebrated work
refers to and has quoted from his predecessors, Maya,
Yavana, Manittha (Moc:UE8wu), Shaktipoorva (Paraashara),
Devasvaamin, Vishnugupta, Siddhasena and
leevasharman. These authors seem to have lived during
the 4th and 5th centuries AD.
Another famous work, referred to as Poorvakhanda
("earlier part") of a voluminous text that has become
popularly known as Brihat Paraashara Horaa, was
composed around the beginning of the seventh century
A.D. This book computes the Ayanaamsha - the amount
of precession - since the (elusive) zero-year, taken to be
522 A.D. Further, the book is deeply indebted to
Varahamihira's Brihat laatakam and has borrowed two

shlokas from Sphujidhvaja's Yavana laataka. The
, ndary author, Paraashara, of this work is obviously
different from his namesake mentioned by Varahamihira.
The so-called Poorvakhanda of Brihat Paraashara
Homa is used by Kalyanavannan in his Saaraavali (800
A.D) and its existence is presupposed by the author of the
UHara Khanda ("latter par!") which was commented on
by Govindavarman (850 A.D.). It follows , therefore, that
the text Brihat Paraasha Horaa had its earlier part
omposed between 600 and 750 A.D. while the latter part
before 800 A.D.
3. Greek influence and zodiacal signs (raashis)
Varahamihira is sincere in acknowledging the
Ll il mistaka ble
Greek influence on Indian astrology when
he says:
~ "1q01 I ~·8~ ~ ~~ ~ I
~sf2r ~ fit ~~: I
-"The Greeks are mlechchas. This science (of
I.I strology) is well established among them. Even they are
11 noured as sages. Then how much more an astrologer,
w h (~ is a brahmin, should be honoured !"
-Brihat Samhita, Il, 14.
A ain, in his Brihat Jaatakam, Varahamihira gives the
IW Il1 LOS of the twelve signs of the zodiac in the following
,I'lt/ okfl :
ftp"'1(1<:!~ f'J1(j?"l~cfI'lrl"1ql~ ¢lQlRiXll : I
ci1i&1<ll 3~ ~rn~ fu'w:r. I
" ( riya, Tavuri, 1ituma, Kulira, Leya, Pathona, Jooka,
I' lUI', i. T-w kshika, Akokero, Hridroga and the last
wry bha) [ttham (are the names for Mesha etc.)"
- Brihat Jaatakam, 1.8.
rn this context, it may be worthwhile quoting
29 / Astrology; Believe it or Not!

Chidambara Aiyar who u'anslated Brihat Jaataka in 1885.
He says, " All the above names, excepting Kulira and
Antyabha, are evidently Greek names - a circumstance
clearly indicating that the intercourse between the learned
men of India and Helias was more than superficial."
C. M. Whish utilized materials from Varahamihira and
a commentary Prabodhana on Sripati's Ratnamaala, in
which one Yavaneshwara is again mentioned, to show that
a large number of technical terms typical of Greek
astrological literature found their way into Sanskrit
astrological works. As ari example, he gives the names of
the twelve signs (Raashis) of the zodiac, given by
Varahamihira, as follows :
Kriya KPlo' C; Aries

Taavuri Taupos Taurus
Jituma M8uILOS Gemini
Karka or Kulira KapK(voc; Cancer
Leya i\ ewv Leo
Paathon a ITapgevoc; Virgo
looka Zuyo' v Libra
Kaurpya LKOprdoS Scorpio
Taukshika Ta/;,o' TTJ S Sagittarius
Aakokera 'A 1Yo' K£pWC; Capricorn
Hridroga 'Y8p o Xo' oC; Aquarius
Ittha 'IX 8u S Pi sces
Besides these names of the signs of the zodiac, in the

Sanskritized form , Varahamihira uses many other Greek
words of astrological purport almost without any change;
for example, aapoklima (declination), Dreshkaana or
Drikaana or drikkaana or drekkaanCl (the chief of the ten
parts out of thirty parts, of a sign), Durudharaa, harija,
(horizon), hibuka (the 4th Lagna or house), Jaamitra
30/ Astrology : Believe it or Not!

(dia meter, the 7th house), Kendra (anomaly, argument of
In ' quation), Kona (angle), liptaa (Ae1t't'Yl a minute of arc
i.'. 1/60 of a degree), meshurana (meridian), panapharaa
ri si ng, al so 2nd, 5th, 8th and lIth houses) . Weber has
pointed out that these words were used in the same sense
in which Paulus Alexandrinus applied them in his
Eisagoge. The author of Paulisha Siddhaanta is often
id ntified with Paulus Alexandrinus.
The duration of a day - from one sunrise to the next
sunri se - is divided into 24 equal parts, each part called
h Ol'aC/. which corresponds to an hour. While most of the
W' stern orientalists have recognised this word as of Greek
ri in (weo:), Varahamihira gives an interesting etymology
for th · word horaa; he says:
~ :m Fcl d5 ("4 i'l ($' ""q1"'5(§.nfQj:;O;"!rrq:""'qrfrfqTT'l q ofMl 4 IC\ I
- "Horaa- is formed by the compounding of two words
d/.O ane! matra by dropping the first and the last letters ... "
(Bri/tat jaatakam, 1.3)
The renowned historian R. C. Mujumdar asserts that
til • reek influence on Varahamihira is unmistakable (The
~11.\·si 'at Age, 1954, p. 233-234).
Ilowever, it is maintained by historians of astronomy
III II rhe Greeks themselves imported a good deal of
ill lw l ' ci le from Babylonia and Chaldea. Around 700
! . " til' Ba bylonians had formulated the 360-degrees
Iii I ' di vi Ii ng it into 12 equal parts. By about 400 B.C. ,
"I I IN 'Of) 's" with sign positions of the Moon and five
IIhl i I cas t without using Ascend'a nt (Lagna). Of
Greeks improved upon this inherited
I,. M.'llt (Ill of planets

' I'll 1I1 h 1'. of the Rigvedic mantras seemed to be

aware of Jupiter and Venus as planets. Brihaspati IS
identified as Jupiter (Guru) . A mantra declares:
~: >lml ~ J1QT~: ~~
i1HI8<lNJ ~ mur ~wm. ~ II
- "Brihaspati, when being born in the highest heaven
of supreme light, seven-mouthed, multiform (combined)
with sound, and seven-rayed, has subdued the darkness"
(R. V. 4.SO, 4).
Again, we have another mantra that says:
~: >lml IJIllPlICi1fR1tXi Cij&~ I
-"Brihaspati, when first appearing, rose in front of the
Tishya (Pushya) constellation" - (Tait. Sam., 3.1.5)
It is argued that vena, mentioned in Rigveda, be taken
as Venus (Shukra). The Vedic mantra reads :
ar:mr IJIFl14~1Yi<aIOI I ~ fohrfW ~ ~ I
tl'lfRi<a8<l ~fW:1": :(1,,....81<:<("4&1 ~ <1 itar: II
-"The young lady (Ushas or lightning), approaching
her lover with a smile, bears in the highest heaven Vena
the dear one, and she moves about, in the places of the
dear (Vena) and sits down with him on a golden wing
(cloud)" (R. V. X, 123,5).
There are a couple of mantras which speak of "five
gods", "seven gods" etc. which traditionalists construe to
mean five or seven "planets". One such reference reads:
"These five mighty (gods) were seen on the vast expanse
of the sky. Even though they were seen coming together
when I composed the hymns in honour of the gods, they
have aJl gone away today" (R. V. I, 105, 10). However, just
a mention of five or seven gods cannot be interpreted as a
reference to that number of planets in the absence of
corroborative arguments.
Observations of planets by the Babylonians go back to
about 2000 B.C. Venus was the first planet to be studied.
32/ ASlfology : Believe it or Not!

II iN kn wn that the tables of the positions of Venus based
II ( bs rvation were maintained from 1921 B.C. to 1901
B, ', Be ides Venus, two more planets studied were
Jupit r and Mars.
In Vedaanga lyotisha (1500 B.C) there is absolutely no
III nti n of planets. Of course, Mahabharata abounds in
I' ·r'r nces to planets. That only shows that the age of this
Ci j at its various stages of developments and
!nl'rpo lations (Prakshepa) is of a later period.
~ . Week days
' h - even day-week is an artificial man-made device.
'I'll 'r fo re, it is ridiculous to believe that some days
(T hurs lay and Friday?) are good and some others
'I'll 'sday and Saturday?) are bad.
T h Mexicans had a week of five days before the
, ' p Ill ish onquest. The seven day-week was used by Jews,
11 tbylo nia ns and the Incas of South America.
Th Id Testament contains no traces of proper names
been given to week days though God is said to
II IV ) ne on with the work of creation for six days, to
Iwv ' r tcd on the seventh and to have blessed it and
/I fi ll 'tin d it (Genesis 2.1 -3). The Jews gave no special
I ltl /I In Ihe weekdays except the Sabbath which was the
II NI d I f the week, Even in the New Testament, week
I y \i , ,'C indicated by numbers such as "the first day."
')'IIl' " pl. ln -taJy" week originated in Egypt and not in
II l ' , T it ' names of six week-days as we find them now
I II N ·t'llwled on a wall in the city of Pompeii which
Illu lC'd in lava in 79 A.D. Therefore, the present
1111 ( I W · kd ays were known in Italy before 79 A.D.
II 1/1 11
I it is be lieved that Indians must have received
Iii 111111 ' r pl ane ts for the days of a week from Chaldea

rather than from Greece.
In ancient times, the Greeks had in each month three
weeks of ten days each, but after Alexander's conquest of
Egypt, they came into contact with the seven day-week
and adopted the same with planetary names. Each day,
called Hamera, is named after a god representing a planet:
Heliov (sun), Salenes (Moon), Aereos (Mars), Hermov
(Mercury), Dios (or Zeus, Jupiter), Aphrodite (Venus) and
Kronos (Saturn).
The oldest inscriptional evidence so far available, of
the names of week days, in India is that of the Eran Stone
Pillar Inscription of Budhagupta in the Gupta year 165
(i .e., 484 A.D.) which mentions Thursday and the 12th
tithi of shukla paksha of the Aashaada month,
corresponding to June 21, 484 A.D.
The names of the weekdays are found nowhere in the
Vedas. P. V. Kane establishes, from literary evidence, that
[ndia's knowledge of planetary week days must be
between the. first century B.C. and the first century A.D.
As regards Indian Astrology and its origin, in the
words of the great Sanskrit scholar C. Kunhan Raja,
"There is no astrology in the Vedic tradition... and all the
associated sciences came to India from outside of the
Vedic culture" (Survey of Sanskrit Literature, Bombay,
1962, pp. 275-277).
The earliest known works on Astrology are
Astronomicon by Manilius (10 A.D.) and Tetrabiblos by
Ptolemy (140 A.D.). It is evident that there was a
tremendous inflow of knowledge, used for good as well as
bad purposes, into this country from the fourth century
B.C. onwards when Alexander (the Great) invaded
Babylon in 331 B.C. and India around 325 B.C.
The following shloka from the famous astronomical
34/ Astrology : Believe it or Not I

I ' I' III' a Siddhanta is quite revealing;
CfFlTclJ ci ~ ~ CIffi9 mr roof ~ R I
~ CfdR %~llql"'J'''h.(§lq(,iI'l~ II
- h - Sun-god says to asura Maya, "Go to Rome, your
wn ity. There, in the form of a Yavana (Mlechcha) ,
I " ill S of a curse of Brahma, I shalI reveal to you this
IlI ow l 'dge". Weber identifies Asura Maya with
'11m /m aya, the Indianized form of Ptolemy's name.
A. r gards Hindu Astronomy, it has to be proudly and
[' 'NI [fully acknowledged that our ancients greatly
I1lr)l' v cI upon what they inherited, even if from foreign
lUI' • so much so the Hindu astronomical constants of
til ' pluneL are far superior to those of Ptolemy and
' ( IlI rlUJ' better with even modern values despite their
I ' 0 ' 'ntric theory and the so-called "epicyclic" theory. It
• [\ l1'ra lly accepted that the borrowal of some crucial
l ~ 11'<!1 mi cal knowledge, along with astrology, took place
I ( /'( I" Ptolemy (2nd Cent. A.D.) and more from
II ,h II Il ia and Chaldea than from Greece.
I I wever some Indian scholars make exaggerated
-II Ins lik' the following;
....... n e mphasis is necessary to ram home the truth
11'1 II I Vedic astrologer (Rishi) discovered Uranus
(III 11'1) and fo und that it belonged to our solar system,
Ili bit d tremendous radio-activity, that it was a
lhj t in viewless space and that its shape could
I t rmined due to vast cloud belts" (-Cyrus
In okoon, Astrological Magazine, June 1963).
III Ii III Astronomer of the Vedic period
f " l't~ I Varuna (Neptune), near Pleiades in Taurus.
II • 11'(1: : II is surrounded by his seven sisters and
1111 ,\ (IV ' I' tlte seven as King (R. V.8-2) " (Ibid).
" I 111 ' proved, beyond, doubt, that Vyas~ has
" I A tro logy: Believe it or Not!

mentioned Uranus, Neptune and Pluto - supposed to
be recently discovered- under the names of Sveta,
Shyama and Teevra. These three planets also show
exact positions as given by Vyasa in Mahabharata"
(Dr. Vartak Padmakar Vishnu, Astrological Magazine,
March 1984).
But it could only be foolhardy fanaticism when
one claims, "Geocentric theory of ancient Indians is far more
scientific than the heliocentric theory of Copernicus."
(Cyrus Abayakoon, Astrological Magazine, November 1980).
3 AYANAAMSHA MUDDLE
Ayanaamsha, the amount of precession of the
equinoxes since the "Zero-precession" year, plays a
. crucial role in Indian astrol.ogy. The horoscopes in Indian
astrology are cast either using the traditional almanacs
(Panchaangas) or the modem "ephemerides".
In making Panchaangas. the traditional Siddhaantas,
Vaakyas etc. are used. These are highly specialized
ancient astronomical texts in which the supremacy of the
Indian brain in refined computational techniques is too
well-known. Of course, these texts have all been using the
disproved geocentric th.eory of planetary motion - that all
heavenly bodies, including the sun and the moon, revolve
round the earth. But then, the same geocentric theory was
in vogue the world over until Copernicus introduced the
heliocentric theory, Kepler enunciated his famous laws of
planetary motion and finally Newton explained the
phenomenon with his celebrated theory of gravitation. But,
all these dramatic developments has had hardly any impact
on aUf Indian astrology. The "rules" of Indian astrology
enshrined in the holy texts of Paraashara, Varaaha Mihira,
36/ Astrology; Believe it or Not!

Itl l l' shvuj'a et.aL continue to reign supreme.
IlUl th e fun of it is that different Panchaanga
sl ' ms yield quite differing positions of planets, the
t!.·.\'/wtra. Lagna etc. Commenting on the panchanga-
In II rs who use traditional erroneous formulae for most
II' [11 omputations but use modern ones for computing
, ll' l'vable phenomena like the eclipses, Prof. Gorakh
l 'I' I.'U I jokes "These almanac makers are like bicycle-
I'l d ' I'S riding without lamps, who get down from their
, ' I s n lreet corners, just to avoid being caught by the
Jl Ii '"'' (Th.e Report of the calendar Reform Committee).
'I'll ' supre me importance of Lagna in predictive astrology
I I ) VI II -known. These different almanacs result in
, If"j' nt Ayanaamsha values for any given day. In fact,
luri ll th present period, the variation of Ayanaam.sha is
, \I i I ::I S about 18° to 28° if not more.
I ( VI al LIt the modern Indian ephemerides like the
II W , I u li shed by N. C. Lahiri and the Govt. of India?
'l'1t ," II" many more such ephemerides by others besides
111 ' lu azi-traditjonal almanacs called Drik-ganita
I 11/ 'fUlfil/ gas. The speciality of these Indian ephemerides,
II ' \ 1111 r 1st to traditional almanacs is that totaJly modern
I II fll lti llc - based on planetary tables by Le Verrier, Simon
'I Ill/) lnd others - are used to compute the tropical
• " '11 / IIltt I ngitudes of the planets. Then these are
I il l ' II I ) til ' sidereal (Nirayan.a) positions by deducting
\' (It(! IIl'1 sha uniformly. So far as obtaining the
It! I INi I io ns usi ng modern formulae, it is all very
t I, I ','I' 'Il y sc ientific and non-controversiaL But, here
It I /I , III ' ulprit is Ayanaamsha. Among our modem
, I III I lr !I 111 rs and scholars, there are different
"11(1 11 11 I .. (; ,k,\'/w ) clinging to tJ1eir own pet theories and
" I )1( I tl il'!' I' nl years for the ."Zero-precession".
7 / Asrrology : Believe it or Not!

Zero-precession year - 285 A.D. ?
The first point of Aries, of the moving zodiac, may be
determined with reference to the position of any
prominent ecliptic star for any epoch. For this purpose,
the star Spica (Alpha-Virginis), identified as Chitra ·
nakshatra, has been assigned a nirayana longitude of
180°. Since the star has got its own proper motion, it
cannot indicate a fi xed initial point for all times even
thougb a fixed longitude is assigned to it. Therefore, it is
necessary to adopt the Vernal Equinoctial point of a
specified date . The mean Vernal Equinoctial point of the
mean vernal equinox day of 285 A.D. , which occupied on
m
March 22, ISh S7 (GMT) of that year, has been adopted
as the fixed initial point (the first point of Mesha) of the
nirayana (or Sidereal) system of Indian astronomy. The
same is used for astrological purposes by many Indian
astrologers and panchaanga makers.
The Ayanaamsha values for different years , as .adopted
by N . C. Lalliri and by the·Govt. of India, are listed below
(correct to a minute of arc) :
Year Ayanaamsha
1900 22° 28'
1950 23° 10'
1980 23° 35'
1990 23° 44'
1995 23° 48'
2000 23° 51'
Diwan Bahadur L. D. Swamikannu Pillai, the famo us

author of Indian Chronology and Indian. Ephemeris, takes
532 A.D. as the zero-precession year. Similarly, various
I

, I/'S li ov also been taken by other s.
'( ull' Itlj ( o r)' predictions
I )Inf'd ut ea rl ier, the traditional Panchaangas are
)0 fa ullY ancient astronomical texts like the
.' 1/11 I 111 11.. T he modern Indian ephemerides and Drik-
'1111 'I 'llma nu s, though based on modern scientific
! 1111 Ii I, have been using doubtful Ayanaamsha
VII III! Il, \. jill [I ,. wide a variation as 10°.
'I'll m 'ons if you are born in a particular nakshatra
(M pos ition) and a ' particular Lagna
1 lilt Y LI will be placed in a particular Raashi
I I'd n l one al manac, and you will be placed
II II I I in ith r the succeeding or the preceding Raashi
t I I I 11 [( anothe r a lmanac or ephemeris . This shift in
/It ,11i fir I \nd hence ianma Raashi) and in Lagna will
I N Iii 11 f ( il ly co ntradic tory astrological predictions.
II: • Hil il le 1 : If the sun occupies the 5th house from
J I l ill , 111 nmiveis supposed to be bereft of happiness
III d rllt' .
II , II lh th r hand, the Sun occupies the 6th house
, lilt P rso n when Lagna is shifted to the
II 11 11 '
Y I /I r I Ishi 11 'cording to a different pa/lchaallga) , the
/I IIPl oscd to become a king and wealthy (see
"W il li 'S Phala Deepika, eh. 8, S1. 3).
Ilk : One born in Krittika nakshatra is
I I In h ' a voracious eate r and fond of other 's
r ther
is a couple of degrees of difference
I sitio n, the same person could be placed
" lilt h 11'ru name ly, Rohini . One born in Rohini
t II lIPloS I t be truthful, clean and follower of
II III I til r " principles (see Varaha Mihira's Brihat
If I AAr I gy : Believe it or Not !

}atakanz, eh. 16, Sl. 2).
Dasha-Bhukti Chaos
In Indian astrolog)', the timing of events is mainly
based on the Dashaa-Bhukti system of "periods". For
example, in the popular Vimshottari system (a total span
of 120 years), the starting Dashaa (major period) and its
balance (Shesha or Shishta) depend on the birth nakshatra
(Moon 's asterism) and the actual remaining portion of it.
Here again, a few degrees of difference in the Moon's
position according to two different almanacs, for the same
person, will throw the timing of important events in one's
life (like employment, marriage and death) haywire!
So much for the origins and nature of Indian
Astrology. ow let us acquaint ourselves with some of the
technical aspects of the zodiac and constellations in
general.

4 ZODIAC AND CONSTELLATIONS
( 'dc"tial Sphel'c (Nabho mandala)
•' lti l'S and planets, on a clear night, appear as luminous
po Ills as though placed on the interior of a hemispherical
d 0 1i1 '. Thi s ima ginary sphare of an arbitrarily large radius
)II whi h all celestial bodies appear to lie is called
, I li II. sphere. This spl1ere has no real physicaJ
j
I I ' 11' . The stars and planets are in fact at different

I I Nf III S and directions from the observer.
In Fi . 1, A and B are two celestial bodies and is °
fl l pos iti n f the observer which is taken as the centre of
II (•. I , li al sphere.
II .....
". B \""
.............
Z' Fig . 1. Celestial Sphere

"'I l I II S OA and OB , joining A and B to the
f ,. I V t 'N ]1 )s i(i on 0 , cut the celestiaJ sphere at the points
I HI II I P " li vely. Angle aOb is the same as the angle
, II, II I
111I . \llw: di lance between A and B as seen from
I I '/I 11M, observe that although the two objects A and
II L II I Ii rr·,.
' nl distances from the observer, the angular
4 1 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

distanCe between them remains unaltered even if we
imagine that ·A and B lie on the celestial sphere whose
centre is O.
The. radius of the celestial sphere is taken arbitrarily so
jar~G. lhal the entire earth is considered just a point at the
centre of this very huge imaginary sphere. This means that
wherever the observer may be on the surface of the earth,
he is always at the centre of the celestial sphere.
However, it is important to note that all observers at
different places on the earth do not see the same part of
the celestial sphere. When the horizon of the place is
extended, it cuts the celestial sphere in a circle NOS . The
diameter of the celestial sphere which is perpendicular to
the horizontal plane NOS meets the celestial sphere at two
points Z and Z' which are called the poles of the horizon.
The point Z which is vertically above the observer at 0
(in the sky) is called the Zenith and Z' vertically below
the observer, is called the Nadir of the place.
Equator and Poles
The earth is rotating about its own axis ppJ. This axis
pp' is produced, both ways, to meet the celestial sphere at
P and p' which are called the celestial poles.
The great circle qr on the earth whose plane is
perpendicular to the axis pp' is the earth's equator or the
terrestrial equator and the points p and p' are respectively
the north pole and the south pole of the earth.
Correspondingly, the great circles QR on the celestial
sphere is called the celestial equator and the POilHS P and
p' are the celestial nOl1b and south poles. It is clear that
the celestial equator QR is the intersection of the celestial
sphere with the plane of the earth's equator qr when
extended in all directions.

Fig . 2. Equator and Poles
II: 'lil'li and Equinoxes

'I'h' sun appears to move round the earth, as seen from
lltt ' ,rlh, from west to east - with respect to stars
• II ·id r d as fixed - and comes back to the same
li li 11 , relative to the fixed stars, after a year. In other
If I. , lh period of sun's apparent motion, as observed
I'l III lh ' earth , is one year. This motion of the sun round
I (Oll'lh is apparent and is actually due to the earth's
l!liI 11 r und the sun in one year.
'I'll Ipparent annual path of the sun round the earth,
p ' t to fixed stars, is a great circle on the celestial
ThL great circle SlS 2 (Fig.3) is called ecliptic. The
r i lll rsection of the ecliptic SIS2 with the celestial
I lire called equinoxes, denoted by Y and .n..
"lin xial point Y where the stin, during its
1I1( ri n along the ecliptic, crosses the celestial
fro m the south to the north i.s called the Vemal
(r rhe first point of Aries and the other

equinoxial point is called the Autumnal Equinox or the
first point of Libra.
The angle between the planes of the ecliptic and the

celestial equator is called obliquity of the ecliptic denoted
by E. The value of E is about 23.5°.
Note: Great circles and small circles: Circles on the
sUlface of a sphere having the same centre and the same
radius as the sphere are called great circles. For example,
the celestial equator and the ecliptic are great circles. All
other circles, on the sphere, whose radii are less than that
of the sphere are called small circles.
Zodiac
Consider two small circles paraliel to the ecliptic lying
at an angular distance of 8° on either side of the ecliptic.
The positions of planets and stars are considered within
this circular belt formed by these two small circles. This
44/ Astrology : Believe it or No! I
Wtnt
\ I' 'lll U' ri n of total width 16° (eight degrees on either
I
Ii or lh c liptic) is called Zodiac ("Bhachakra"),

'I'il " z lin is divided into 12 equal parts, each part of
lOll , L nl bei ng caJled a sign ("Raashi" ), The twelve
H ' lI S nr' , unted statting from the Vernal Equinox, called
til , "i.., l P ii'll of Aries. Each sign (or Raashi) is
'l! 11'[\ ' I • riz. d by a group of stars called constellation. The '
, !/Is/(' /! Ilions are named after the objects or animals or
111111 1 111 .~ I'll1s wh ich they (the constellations) appear to
1 ' Ill I I . hese twelve groups of stars are called zodiacal
1 ' () Il ,~ 1 ' ll ' lli n" T he sun moves from one sign to the next in
II I ' 'our, ' of a month. He is at the first point of Aries
II I II n ti Marc h 21 and at the first point of Libra around
.: 'I I ' Ill r 2 every year.
T h ' r JI wing table gives the names of the twelve
, li M[ ' [h (i n" the Indian equivalent names of the Raashis,
III I nl1. inary sha pes of the clusters of stars _ and the
I II ~' 1/111' Xl nl of each sign (in degrees) :
Nol' : T he s ig ns and Raashis shown in the first two
, Illll1l1 : of the table are equivalent when the first point of
i . , th Ve rnal Equinox) coincides with the first
I" Iii or M sha of the Indian system. However, currently
, -, u difference of about 23° between the two. This
" longitude and Latitude

" I . th e position of a planet on the celestial
liptic is represented by CL and its poles by
I ', Til arc KS is produced to meet the ecliptic CL
I i ll . , T he angular distance SM (equal to angle
I' (11 pl a ne t from the ecliptic is called latitude of
1/111 -I .. fin d is denoted by 11 The latitude is positive
45/ Astro logy: Believe it or Not!

Shape of Angular
Signs Raashis
constellation extent
Aries Mesha Ram 0.° - 30.°
Tauru s Vri shabh a Bull 30.° - 60°
Gemini Mithuna Twins 60° - 90.°
Cancer Karkataka Crab 90.° - 120.°
Leo Simha Lion 120° 150°
Virgo Kanya Virgin 150.° - 180.0
0
Libra Tuta Balance 180.0 - 210.
Scorpio Vrischika Scorpion 210 0 - 240.
0
Sagittarius Dhanus Archer 240.° - 270.0

Capricorn Makara Sea goat 270.° - 300°
Aquarius Kumbha Water Carriers 30.0. 0 - 330
0
0
Pisces Meena Fish 330. 0 - 360.
(northern) if S Jies on the same side of the ecli ptic as the

north pole P and negative (southern) otherwise. Of course,
if S is on the ecliptic, the latitude, ~=O , The latitude of the
sun is always zero.
The angular distance 1M, measured eastward along the
ecliptic from the first point of Aries is called the celestial
longitude of the planet S and denoted by A.
The celestial longitude A varies from 0° to 360°. For
example, OD January 1, 1990 at 5h 30.01 (1ST), the longitude _
of the sun was 280.° 18'. This means the sun was at 10°
18' in the sign of Capricorn (whose range is 270° to
300.°).
However, in the Indian system, the position of the sun
is not considered as in Makara (though it is the equivalent
of .Capricorn) since in this system the sun's longitude is
256° 35' (less by 23° 43', due to the precession of the
equinoxes) which falls in Dhanus (whose extent is 2400 to
270°).

K
Ecliptic
p'
K'
Fif?.4 Ce lestial Longitude and Latitude
,' till ' ' olt-y into signs and Raashis

'I'll foI l wing table gives the ' approximate dates when
un ' nl rs the different signs in the Western (or
1111 I III sys tem and the different Raashis in the Indian
N I In . Til TC may be a difference of a day or two in the
1/ 11 III ' s in different years.
ntr·y into signs Sun's entry into Raashis

Date of entry Raashi Date of entry
March 2 1 Mesha April 14
April 2 1 Vrishabha May 14
Ma y 22 Mithuna June 14
June 22 Karkataka July 16
July 23 Simha August 14 -
A.lI gli st 23 Kanya September 17
. pte mber 23 Tula October 17
tober 23 Vrischika November 16
November 22 Dhanus December16
I. ecember 22 Makara January 14
Kumbha February 13
Meena March 14
'17 j A trology : Believe it or Not!

Nakshatra System
The zodiac is divided into 27 equal parts called
nakshatras. Each nakshatra is of 13 0 20' (360 0 + 27)
extent. The nakshatras are reckoned from the first point of
the zodiac in the Indian system.
It is interesting to note that while the nakshatra
division of the zodiac has been in vogue since the Vedic
times, the division of the zodiac into 12 Raashis was
introduced much later, believed to be due to foreign
influence.
Thus, the twelve Raashis are equivalent to 27
nakshatras so that each Raashi, in its angular extent, is
equivalent to two-and-a-quarter nakshatras. Each
nakshatra is sub-divided into 4 equal parts, each part
being called a paada. Thus, totally ,.108 (=27 x 4)
nakshatra paadas constitute the zodiac. These 108 paadas
are equally distributed into 12 Raashis so that each Raashi
consists of 9 paadas.
The nakshatras are also called "lunar mansions ' since
the moon covers these 27 nakshatras in the course of a
sidereal month i.e. the time taken by the moon to
complete one revolution round the earth with respect to
the fixed stars. Also, the average length of a sidereal
month is 27.3217 days.
The following table gives the list of the twenty-seven
nakshatras, in their natural order, and their angular
extents:
See author's Indian Astronomy - An Introduction, Universities

Press, 2000 for details.

Nal<shatras and their extent~
From To
0° 0' 138 ° 20'
13° 20' 2 6° 40'
26° 40' 4G:)° 00'
40 0 00' 538 0 20'
53° 20' 605 0 40'
66° 40' 800° 00'
PlIl1l1' V ISU 80° DO' 9~ 0 20'
Pll NiI I I 93° 20' 1000 0 40'
Nlil esh'l 106 0 40' 1200 0 00'
II kil n 120 0 00' 133e° 20'
Illlh i 1 133 0 20' 1460 0 40'
P I I' Vll Pha lguni)
III 1/,11 146 0 40' 1600 0 00'
n 11111'u Phalguni)
11 11 III 1600 00' 17 3 . 0 20'
'il i li lt ( hitra) 173° 20' 1860 0 40'
186 0 40' 20()O° 00'
200 0 00' 213. 0 20'
2 13 0 20' 2 2~ 0 40'
226 0 40' 24(>-0 00'
240 0 00' 253.; 0 20'
253 0 20' 266;° 40'
266° 40' 28 0. 0 00'
280 0 00' 293. 0 20'
293 0 20' 306; 0 40'
306 0 40' 320. 0 00'
320 0 00' 333 0 20'
333 0 20' 346 ;0 40'
346 0 40' 360 . 0 00'
1/9/ A (ro logy : 8e/ieve it or Not 1

-
Distribution of Nakshatra Paadas into Raashis
Raashi (sign) Nakshatra Paadas included

Mesha Ashwini All
Bharani All
Krittika I
Vrishabha Krittika 2,3,4
Rohini All
Mrigashira 1,2
Mithuna Mrigashira 3, 4
Ardra All
Punarvasu 1,2,3
Karkataka Punarvasu 4
Pushya All
Ashlesha All
Simha Makha All
Pubba (Poorva Pha lguni) All
Uttara (Ultara Phalguni) 1
Kanya UHara (Uttara Phalguni) 2,3,4
Has ta All
Chitta (Chitra) 1,2
Tula Chitta (Chitra) 3, 4
Swati All
Vishakha 1,2,3
Vrischika Vis hakha 4
Anuradha All
Jyeshtha All
Dhanus Moola All
Poorvashadha All
Uttarashadha 1
Makara Uttarashadha 2,3,4
S hravana All
Dhanishtha 1, 2
Kumbha Dhanishtha 3, 4
Shatabhisha All
Poorvabhadra 1, 2, 3
Meena Poorvab hadra 4
Uttarabhadra All
Revati All
50 I Astrology : Believe it or Not!

WHAT IS PANCHANGA?
II II Il' ulili oll al Hindu household the annual Panchanga
1111 II li sp nsable longish printed /.:>ooklet. A devout
HIli th Panchanga for all his religious
I ! I 1!1 ' , ~ rr ascertaining the dates of important
f " II , ,111 sha Chaturthi, Sri Rama Navami, Sri
, til Il'l1i and Yugadi as also special days like
II nuvaasya, Paurnima and so on.
II lin indicates, Panchanga consists of five
' " ( " 1ft 'f/(! - Anga) viz. i) Tithi, Ii) Nakshatra,
1'1 l ( I , Iv K Irana and v) Vaara (weekday).
III lid lili 11 , the Panchanga also contains a good lot of

If I III III , both useful and useless, which is considered
I Il' v III ' , in astrological, religiolls, social and
I II lli ld I' livilies like eclipses, sunrise, sunset, Rahu-
1/1/ ( /, ,'fll/k(l Kaala. Yamaganda Kaala , the different
" II (I,~" r r ta ll yi ng horoscopes of prospective brides
I I I I I /'()OtnS and positions of planets.
mT: <i\,zJq l'llwfRlmr: l'Ir?iqulj)<ilI : I
oj' CJ.~ ~ ~C!5T: If
r v ' -fa d almanac), the weekdays are Sunday
I , 'I'll ' fi fteen lunar days of the fortnight are)
1111 I Ih rs. (The eleven) Karanas (four
il il 1111 I " 'V'/1 movable) are Krimi, Simha etc. The
II) 0 as begin with Vishkambha."
- Sadratnamaalaa 2,7
from the New Moon (Amaavaasya),
next ew Moon is called a "lunar
Iy, luni -solar month). The average
nth is about 29.5305881 days. The
" I / A cr%gy: Believe it or Not!

lunar month has two fortnights (paksha), called (1) the
Shukla Paksha (bright fomig ht) from a new moon to the
immediately next fuHmoon; and (2) the Krishna Paksha
(dark fOitnight) from a fullmoon to the next newmoon.
A lunar month consists of 30 tithis, 15 in the bright
fortnight and 15 in the dark fortn ight. At a newmoon, the
sun and the moon are in "conjunction" i.e. they have the
same celestial longitudes so that the angular distance is
zero degree . Since then their angular distance increases at
the rate of 12° per tithl until it is 180° ("opposition") on
the next fullmoon day. In the dark fortn ight, following the·
fullmoon, the angular distance of the moon from the sun
further increases from 180° at the rate of 12° per tilhi,
upto 360° (i.e. conjunction again) at the following new
mOOD. Therefore,
(Longitude of the moon - Longitude of the sun)
Tithi= ------------------------------------
12
The quotient part indicates the number of tithis
completed during the lunar month and hence (quotient + 1)
gives the current running tilhi. If the tilhi is less than 15,
then that tithi is of the Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) . If
the (ithi is greater than 15, then subst:ract 15 from the
number and the remainder gives the tlthi in the Krishna
Paksha (dark fortnight) . If lilhi is 15 , then it is fu llmoon
day and if it is 30, the day is an Amaavaasya (newmoon
day) .
'Note: If the Longitude of the moon is numerically less
than that of the SUIl, then add 360° before dividing by 12
to get the tithi.
Example: On March 21, 1990, at Sh 30 m A.M. (1ST),
5
the longitude of the sun is 11 60 23' 13" and the longitude
s
of the moon is 8 22° 10' (according to the Rashtriya
Panchanga , published by Gavt. of India).

I' 1 I i LU j is 8 s 22 0 10' which means the
I I' ,(I H si ns (Rasis) i.e. 8 x 30° = 240 0 and
o 10' so that the longitude is
2 10' i.e. , M=262°.1666 in the
and then
T t the lithi, T. Therefore,
12°
• 62°. 16666 - 3360. 38694) + 3600
12 0
'I' H5°77972 = 23.8 14977
12°
II III 11 ' WI N 2. Lithis are completed and the 24th tithi is
I 1111, ,' Inc ' 24 is greater than 15, the day falls in the
'(.1 /'11(/ I) Iksha (clark fortnight), Subtracting 15 from 24,
I[ 11 , 'I'h ' I' -[ore, in the Krishna Paksha, the 9th tithi
NIIW/I/ I) I.~ I' unl in g at the given time on the given date.
' I) III (il hi.I' in e ither of the two fortnights of a lunar
'II I III li N r Il ows :
, 2. Dviteeya, 3. Tliteeya, 4 . Chaturthi,
• 1'1 " jwl1li, 6. Shashthi, 7. Saptami, 8. Ashtami,
II und . 10. Dashamj, 11. Ekadashi, 12. Dvaadashi,
I YI III I i, 14. C haturdashi
I 'IUIIlI!' lashi , the next tithi is Poornima in the
III I'rltl //(( (lnd Amaavaasya in the Krishna Paksha.
1 II I Itl I annada, Pratipat, Dviteeya, Triteeya and
'1I111 lit 111' r spec tively called Paadya, Bidige, Tadige

'om mon usage.
53 / A trology : Believe it or Not!

-
ii) Nakshatra : The nakshatra running at a given time,
on a given day, is the "asterism", one of the 27 divisions
of the zodiac (from Ashvini to Revathi, listed earlier),
occupied by the nirayana (sidereal) moon.
The extent of a nakshatra is 13° 20' (=360°+27) and
hence the running nakshatra is given by dividing the
longitude of the moon (M) by 13° 20' (i.e. by 13°.33333).
Thus
Example: On March 21, 1990, at 5h 30m (1ST), the
nirayana longitude of the moon is 85 22°10'.
(Longitude of moon in degrees) M

Nakshatra = 130.33333 130.33333
This means the longitude of the moon in degrees is

M=262°.16666 (as explained earlier)
M 262.16666
so that Nakshatra = 19.6625
13°.33333 13° .33333
Therefore 19 nakshatras are completed and the 20th
nakshatra viz. PoonJQshaadha is running at the given time.
iii) Yoga : Yoga literally means combination (or
addition). The sum of the longitudes of the sun and the
moon is divided into 27 equal parts, each called a yoga.
The sum of the nirayan.a longitudes of the sun and the
mOOD is converted into minutes and then divided by 800.
The quotient represents the number of yogas completed
and hence the current running yoga is given by adding 1
to the completed number of yogas. There are 27 yogas as
Listed below :
Note : If the sum of the longitudes of the sun and the
moon exceeds 360°, subtract 3600 from the sum and then
divide by 800.
54/ Astrology: Believe it or No t!

1. 1. hkn mbha IS. Vajra
16. Siddhi
I. l7. Vyateepaata
,I, 18. Variyaan
19. Parigha
,1\1i li nd a 20. S hiva
•' likarl11aa 21. Siddha
H, I hriti 22. Saadhya
23. Shubha
24. Shukla
2S . Brahmaa
26. Indra
27 . Vaidhrita
(or Vaidhri ti)
II: nnp lc : On March 21, 1990 at Sh 30 m AM (1ST),

II JII Iud f the sun is 336°23'(neglecting the seconds)
I III I 111 ~ itllde of the moon is 2620 10'.
'1'1 NLlIi1 f the longitudes of the sun and the moon is
336°23'+262°10'=S98°33'
III . lllll exceeds 360°, subtracting this val ue, the
.'1 98°33 '-360°=238°33 '

lli ll l this into minutes,
2. 8° x 60)+33' =14,313 minutes
JI 1 I f" , the yoga is given by
M ) in minutes
.' I 14313
HOO minutes
= 800 = 17.89125
" 1I1l' Ill S 17 yogas are completed and the running

I l lh ne viz., Variyaan (see the list). In fact,
I I I I( lh Rashtriya Panchanga, that day the
'i C / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

Variyaan yoga runs till 7h 59 m (1ST).
Laata- Vyateepaata and Vaidhrita- Vyateepaata
If the sum of the longitudes of the sun and the moon is
180°, the phenomenon is called Laata- Vyateepaata and if
the sum is 360°, it is called Vaidhrita- Vyateepaata. And
when the sum of the longitudes extends to the end of the
Anuraadha nakshatra i.e. the sum is 216° 40', the
phenomenon is called Saarpamastaka- Vyateepaata.
iv) Karana : Each tithi is divided into two equal
halves called Karanas . Since a lithi is of an angular extent
of J 2° a Karana is of 6° extent of the angular distance of
the moon fro m the sun.
There are 11 kaTanas , four of which are immovable
and seven are movable. The following are the names of
the eleven karanas :
Chara (Movable) karanas .' Bava, Baalava, Kaulava,
Taitila, Gara, Vanija and Vishthi
Sthira (Immovable) karanas " Shakuni, Chatushpaada,
Naaga and Kimstughna.
In each tithi, the first half is one kaTana and the
second half is the next kaTana so that each karana is of
an extent of 6° of the angular distance of the moon from
the sun .
In the particular four half-tithis viz., the second half of
Bahula (i .e. Krishna Paksha) Chaturdashi, the two halves
of Amaa vaasya and the first half of Pratipat are the Sthira
karanas viz., Shakuni. Chalushpaada, Naaga and
Kimstughna respectively. Then foHow, from the second
half of Pratipal of Shukla Paksha, the Chara karanas
viz., Bava etc. repeating the cycle of 7 karanas eight
times.
Note : (1) If M is less than S, then add 360° to
(M-S) before dividing it by 6°. (2) When (M-S) is

if the quotient K (an integer) is 57,58,59,60
0,
1 ) . Ih n correspondingly, the karana is Shakuni,
'IIlIfll.I'h, II la, Naaga or Kimstughna. (3) If (M-S)/6 is
1 ~II 111 11 11 7, the n K be the quotient (i.e. the integer pal1). If
tv! ,' 11 is gr ater than 7, then subtract the nearest
il l pl ' 7 from that number and in the resulting
HI III I ' '', I t K be the integral part. Then K represents the ·
~r /l II / I 'ounling from Bava from the Jist of Chara karanas.
r,; nnpl l: On March 21, 1990 at 5" 30 m AM (1ST),
1111 I I1 l' i lll I of the sun is 336° 23'13" and the longitude
III II [II ) 11 is 262° 10'.
" II " 1\11 is less than S, we add 360° to (M- S) to get
II ill! ,
= 60° +(262° 10'-336°23")
= 285°.77972 in the decimal form .
( M -S) 285°.77972
N( w, - - = = 47.629953
60 60
,1 11 " (!li s number is greater than 7, removing the
III • r Itl ul liple of 7 (namely 42), we get 5.629953 so that
, 1Illl in ' 5 ctafting from Bava from the list of chara
,,,,1/1 1.\', \. '( bl'lin the running karana as Gara.
II: /1111111' 2 : On August 2, 1989, at 5 h 30 m AM (IST),
'-I s
III', 2' anci S=3 15°58'28"
NIl W, (M - S) = (109.8666 - 105. 9744)

6° 6
= 0.6487033
m item (2) of the Note above, the karana
1/111 frI ,'I/I II f1 ,
VI II' I : The remaining part of the pancha-anga is
i.e., the weekday. A seven-day week is
W ill ,\' I ra
'I'll ' w kdays are Ravi vaara, Soma vaara,
'. 7 / l\suo logy : Believe it or Not!

Mangala vaara, Budha vaara, Guru vaara, Shukra vaara
and Shani vaara which correspond to Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The
seven days of the week are named after the seven
heavenly bodies : Sun, Moon , Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus and Saturn. (See Chapters 11 and 12).
6 INDIAN NATIONAL CALENDAR

In the light of the confusion caused by the existence of
different types of Panchangas (almanacs), the Government
of India appointed a Calendar Reform Committee under
the chairmanship of Prof. Meghnad Saha. On the basis of
the committee's report, the Government not only started
publishing the "Indian Astronomical Ephemeris " since
1958, but also adopted a new calendar called "Indian
National Calendar" . In fact, the Rashtriya Panchang is
published every year in English and in many other Indian
languages. The Rashtriya Panchang is based on modern
astronomical formulae due to Newcomb, Leverrier and
Brown.
The National Calendar was adopted in the year
commencing Oil March 22, 1957. It is well known that the
Hindu festivals are based either on the luni-solar or on the
purely sidereal (or nirayana) solar calendar. But, the
Indian National Calendar is something peculiar, being
neither luni-solar nor sidereal solar. It is used as a ritual
only in our Government Gazettes and, of course, in
Akashvani and Doordarshan announcements, serving
absolutely no purpose. On the contrary, in addition to
being a nuisance to the announcers, it is highly confusing
to those who follow the traditional Hindu Calendar. For
example. June 18, 1986 is supposed to correspond to

Inb day of the l yeshta month." Actually, the
I I V 1II 11 H I1 11 l( be Ekadasi according to the luni-solar
/I hll fi nd til third day by the sidereal solar reckoning.
J I lIIlIlh ly the purpose of the government-published
" I/ot/lld 'f! I (I II. hang a (National Almanac) is to enable the
t Yf" IlI\l nt t dec lare the annual holidays - a legitimate
) 1 p N Ind ' d . But, amusingly, the Rashtriya Panchanga
I Ilntll! v'r'si n) also containS a list of "auspicious"
Ill. 1'1 I.\' r r conducting the Hindu mani ages and
"11/1 /1, I ' 11/ 1111 ", the " thread ceremony" of investiture
1/1011 Iii · uP I r- a. te Hindus!
, ,'I II IlOW co nsider the planetary system and the
I lit! I ' 111 ' tI ' ndars that are in vogue.
'7 PLANETARY SYSTEM

) II N III I' ~ys tem consists of the Sun, which is a stQl;
l!m flllIIl' fS including the Earth which revolve round
• 1111 ,Ill I lastly, the Moon which is a satellite of the
I , 1\ i i 's these, two imaginary points called Rahu
I J I III II" !l lso included in Indian astrology.
'II 11111 ' I \:mets, namely, Mercury, Venus, Earth,
I ! I 1 4 j' , Su lurn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto revolve
, II fl • ' 1111 in ellipti cal orbits with the Sun at one of

.I \ 'I'll N' ' II iptical orbits are not in the same plane,
I \ II IIlI' " number of other minor celestial bodies
I ! I i I I." whic h also revolve round the Sun, The
" 11 Nil ! -ll il of the earth revolving round the earth
II pI l'lti mbil.
l ~ Il li)i Is li nd sate llites (called moons) of other
t i l l 'on. idered in astrology. Further, even the
II II \11 , N ptune, and Pluto are not taken into
II11 lili( nul Indian astrology. This is so for the
',I) / scrology: Believe il or Not!

simple reason that these trans-saturnine planets were
discovered in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.
Uranus was discovered by Sir William Herschel in
1781. Neptune was discovered in 1846 by the English
astronomer J. C. Adams and the French astronomer Le
Verrier, independently of each other. C. W. Tombaugh
(1917 -1997) discovered Pluto on January 23, 1930.
Note : (1) Astronomical Unit ~ 93 million miles ~
149.7 million kilometers, the mean distance of the earth
from the sun. The mean distance of the moon from the
Periods and Distances of P lanets

Sidereal Mean Distance
Planet Indian name period from the sun
(days) (Astronomical
Units)
Moon Chandra 27.321661
Mercury Budha 87 .969256 0. 38710
Venus Shukra 224.7008 0.72333
Earth Bhoomi 365 .25636 1.00000
Mars Kuja 686.97982 1.52369
Jupiter Guru 11.9 yrs 5.20280
Saturn Shani 29 .5 yrs. 9.53884
Uranus Indra 84 yrs. 19.18195
Neptune Varuna 164.8 yrs. 30.05776
Pluto Rudra 246.4 yrs . 39.51774
Ascending Rahu 18.6 yrs.
Node of Moon
Descending Ketu 18.6 yrs.
Node of Moon
earth ~ 2,39,100 miles ~ 3,84,700 Km . (2) The names

lndra, Varuna and Rudra are given by some moderners .
60 I Astrology: Believe it or Not!

iii I l ctu
I'l l Mooll 's orbit round the earth cuts the ecliptic at
WI II II III 'Iri a lly opposite) points which are called the
III ' II lIlll N de (Raftu) and the Descending ode (Ketu)
II II ) In. hese two nodes are always at 1800 from
f I I J[II ' I' 1n I mo ve backwards along the eCliptic. At the
• 11 1 IUld 111 11 ')1' eclipses, the Sun and the Moon are close
II II or lil n cles of the Moon.
t) ROMAN CALENDAR
I "'111 ill sy lem of "calendar" is necessary to keep
I I I II ( r I h cl ay-to-clay activities as also special events,
1111 I 111 1 I h I I. B roadly speaking, calendar is a system of
i I IY 1\1 II ny particular day as belonging to a particular
, 11 , 1\ , Il'li ' lil a r month and the actual date oithat month ;
Ii I , llw alencl ar should specify the week day on
I I II II i v n cl ate falls. It is obvious that there should be
' \ 1\ III sion and contradiction in a well-thought-ollt
, hll S Sl rn. In different societies, depending on their
I ' Il l ' Il l s (re li gioll s and civil) as also on their levels of
" lI i" 111l 1 lI1AI acco mplishments, different systems of
f hiI'll 1\ I v' been in practi ceo
( . I[ 'ndal' - Solar Year

\ ' 'ul ' [1 lar adopted by the Romans in 8th century
I III I ' w 'r nly 10 months of only 304 days - from
I I (l I . ·rnber. During 715-673 B.C., January and
V mo nths were included at the end. These 2
l ' l'l' sll i fl d to the beginning of the year later.
1111 I purlS of the world the one popular calendar
I 111111 h is b en in vogue is the Roman Calendar (or
() I / A '(ro logy : Believe it or Not!

the so-called Christian Calendar). The famous emperor of
Rome, Julius Caesar (l00 B.C.- 44 B.C.) introduced a new
calendar system, in order to rectify the defects of the
earlier existing system among the Romans . Since then it is
named the Julian Calendar after the emperor.
The error in the Calendar had accumulated to such an
extent that it was found necessary, in order to correct the
calendar, to interpolate three additional months in a single
year (46 B.C.) bringing the total number of days in that
particular year upto 445 days. Julius Caesar decided that
I. in future the commencement of the year would be
independent of the moon (earlier, the year used to
commence on a new moon day!);
ii. an ordinary year would consist of 365 days, an extra
day being added to February every fourth year (now
called leap year) so that the average length of the
year would be 365 .25 days.
The new system began with the year 45 B .C. after
interpolating 3 additional months for the previous year, 46
B .C., and became popular as Julian Calendar.
The basis for the calendar is one solar year. As pointed
out earlier, for an observer on the earth, the sun completes
one revolution along the ecliptic in one year. The time
taken by the sun , starting from the first point of Aries, to
come back to the same point after completing a revolution
is called a tropical solar year (Saayana Saura Varsha) . Its
average durati on is about 365.242196 days. But, for civil
use, it is convenient to have a whole number of days in a
year and hen ce a civil year was considered to be of 365
days . Now, in order at account fo r the residual part of
0.242196 day, Julius Caesar added one extra day once in
four years and that year of extra day is called a leap year.
A leap year will have 366 days.
62/ Astrology : Believe it or Nol !

II ' IllS l2 months, the total number of days
II I • d isl ibuted into the months in such a way
'" I 11II 111. w uld have 30 days and some others 31
I 11 I •I Ilr managed to have the privileged 31
III III ( /llh f July, named so in his own honour.
I ' NOI . ' 1111 ror Augustus, not to be outbeaten,
lin month of .Iuly after himself and
Itfu. t, of course allottin g again 31 days to
I I lll , r Lt ' l thi s arrangement of having 31 days in
I , , 'III ; III mhs, February is now impoverished to
I Iy H 11 " in ordinary years and 29 days a leap year.
) .REGORIAN CALENDAR
illll' u u tion of the Julian Calendar the
I (\J • n a civi l year and the natural tropical
\ IS r duced to a great extent. But stil.1 , it
Iii nn in clu sion of 0.007804 day (i .e. 11
/I, 1'1,27 S' o nd ) more than what was just needed.
, 11'11' ( r 100 yea rs this difference accumulates to
II( (I.', I h Ul'S, 43 minutes, 46.56 seconds) .
III II I' ·Ii. i Oll s supremo of the Roman Catholics,
I ( ,' ' ill (1572- 1585 A.D .) introduced a further
II III ' a l ndar system to adjust the excess
III 1\1 ( r 0.7804 day during a century. By the latter
11 I Jill ' ntury th~ date of Vernal Equinox was
.!l11lI1 10 days earlier than it was at the time of
N " 25 A.D.) at which the rules for the
'aster had been fixed.
of the learned astronomers of Rome,
It I I III int.roduced his new reformed Calendar
I Ii . . The fo llowing were the changes in
Il l, P )1 ularly called Gregorian Calendar.
II 1I I I srroi 8Y: Believe it or Not!

1. The day succeeding October 4, 1582, Thursday, was
considered October 15, 1582, Friday i.e. October 5
was changed to October 15.
2. As in the Julian Calendar, there would be a leap year
ooce in four years. In that leap year there would be an
extra day added to the month of February. Ordinarily,
if the year of the Christian era is divisible by 4, then
that year is a leap year with the following exception.
3. The Century years viz. 1600, 1700, 1800 etc. are
considered as leap years only if those are divisible by
400 (and not just 4). Thus, 1600 and 2000 A.D. are
leap years while 1700, 1800 and J900 are not leap
years.
By the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar, the
difference between a civil year used for the Calendar and
the tropical solar year is now reduced to just about 0.1216
day (i.e. 2 hours, 55 minutes, 6 seconds) in the course of
400 years. This small difference adds upto 1 day in the
course of about 3300 years when again that I day has to
be adjusted!
The Gregorian Calendar was adopted in 1582 A.D.
itself in Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. Hungary
implemented the new calendar in 1587 while Denmark did
so in 1700.
Paradoxically, the scientific reformation 10 the
Christian Civil Calendar, introduced by the Roman
Catholic Head, was accepted rather too slowly by the
Protestant countries in Europe. In fact, Britain adopted the
Gregorian or New Style (N.S.) Calendar as late as in 1752
A.D. when 11 days had to be omitted. The truly scientific
reformation of Pope Gregory XIII was considered a
"Popish superstition"! Bdtain took 170 years to get over
this misplaced bias . In that country, Wednesday,
64/ Astrology :-Beli eve it or No! !

I 11' ln l) · r 2 was followed by Thursday, September 14, in
yt iii' 1752 A.D.
It important to note that in the Chirstian period, the
I r' Jf lays in the week has never been interrupted (see
'llr/, Ii/r' Encyclopaedia, Vol.3, p. 740).
'j ) INDIAN TRADITIONAL CALENDAR

til 111 li a, since ancient times both Solar calendar and
I 111111' 'tdendar have been in vogue. New moon day
lnce a month. The full moon and the new moon
ause of the revolution of the mOOn around the
I the new moon , celestial longitudes of the sun
il i on will be the same and the moon wi1l appear
1 I I nil observer on the earth. The sun and the moon
II I In the same direction with respect to the earth.
l!ln l')Y, nil a full moon day the sun and the moon are in
I 114 Ie di rections as seen from the earth and the moon
I! I " ru ll blight. The duration between two successive
til Oil S (or two successive full moons) is called a
II I !/I /h the average duration of which is about
I ~ HK I days. The total length of a lunar year
I II r 12 lunar months is about 354.36706 days.
f WII P jnted out earlier that the Vernal Equinox
Y N 1111 'kwa rd along the ecliptic at the rate of about SO"
V I I' d ue t the phenomenon of "precession of the
, u ed by gravitational pull. In the modem
1 I, (Ii ' I. ngitudes of celestial bodies ,ue determined
t III consideration the precession of the
'N unci sll ch longitudes are referred to as
'lit' // " S Ia ana - with motion). But, in the Indian
I I I II U' I y and traditional calendar, the first point
(i III • 11 . idered fixed which means that the
(I r. I A rro log y: Believe jt or Not!

precession of. the equinoxes is not taken into account. The
longitudes of planets, thus obtained, are said to be
"sidereal " (Nirayana - without motion). The average
duration of a sidereal solar year (Nirayana saura varsha)
is about 365.2596434 days.
Adhika and Kshaya Maasas
The di fference between a sidereal solar year and a
lunar year is given by (365.2596434 -354.36706) days
=10.89258 days. Since in our country both solar and
lunar years are used for religious and civil purposes as
also for the reckoning of seasons, it is necessary to have
the two types of years "coupled ." Since the difference
between he two is about 10.89258 days annually, when
this difference adds upto a fuJI lunar month, an extra
month is added to that particular lunar year. The extra
month thus added is called an Adhika Maasa.
The lunar month in which there does not
occur a solar "ingress" (Sankraanti - Sun's entry into a
nirayana raashi) in considered as an Adhika Maasa. That
additional month takes the name of its succeeding morith
preceded by the adjective, "Adhika. " . An Adhika Maasa
occurs after 33 months; and the same repeats generally
once in 19 years. Maagha Maasa cannot be an Adhika
month. An Adhika Maasa occurs between the mon ths of
Phaalguna and Ashvayuja.
If in the course of a lunar month two Sankrantis
(solar entry into nirayana raashis) occur, then that lunar
month will be called a Kshaya Maasa. A Kshaya Maasa
occurs in one of the three lunar months - Kaartika,
Maargashirsha and Pushya. This is so since there is the
possibility of two Sankraaantis in these months due to the
faster motion of the sun during that period (the sun is

).
111 11 1 I' ll" in which occurs a Kshaya Maasa, there
rlhika Maasas, one before and the other after
\'I//I\,(/ Maasa. Generally, a Kshaya Maasa
141 years although once in a way it may
-nr. _
tl II'INDING WEEKDAY GIVEN

THE DATE
II \Ve often admired the
til - i ven date by D.

Iw -Iv m nths from January to December are
II Ill 'd by the following 12 digits from left to right:
144 725 736 146
is represented by 1, February and March
I I I \1 11 1.'
IId l by 7 and so on.
l\l lml I' (as obtained from the above list)
\ , ! I 111 · tiv n month be denoted by M.
1 Illll lIl '1'$ Y, L, D and M and denote the sum
(III . tro/ogy : Believe it or Not!

Z=Y+L+D+M
vi) Divide Z by 7 and denote the remainder by R
vii) Now, if R=l, then the given date falls on a Sunday,
if R=2, then Monday and so on.
Finally, if R=O, the day is a Saturday.
Note
i) In a leap year, if the given months are January Oli
February, subtract 1 from Z and then divide by 7 to
get R.
ii) 1900 was not a leap year.
iii) For the 21st century (i.e. from 2000 to 2099 AD),
subtract 1 from Z before dividing by 7 to get R. Here
L represents the number of leap years elapsed since
2000 A,D.
iv) Instead of adding Y,L,D and M, as they are, and then
di viding 7, it is easier for oral calculation if the
nearest multiples of 7 are cast off from Y,L,D, and M
in the beginning itself and then adding only the
remainders to get Z. If Z is less than 7, then Z itself is
R.
Example 1: November 17, 1990.
Usual Method Shortcut Method
Here, Y= 90 (multiples of 7 are
L = 90/4 = 22 (Quotient) removed in the
D = 17 beginning itself)
M = 4 Y = (90 - 84) = 6
Adding, Z = 133 L = (22-21) = 1
Dividing Z = 133 by 7, the D = (17-14) = 3
remainder R = O. Therefore, M = (4-0) = 4
the given day is a Saturday. Adding, Z =14
Therefore, R = 0 and
hence a Saturday.
It:, 'nmple 2 : August 15, 1947
. I Usual Short
y = 47 : 5 Dividing Z by 7,
L == 11 : 4 the remainder in both
D = 15 : ·1 cases is 6 which
M = 3 : 3 represents Friday.
Z = 76 : 13
II; I InllJ1e 3 : January 1, 1900 Therefore, R = 2 and

Y = 0 hence, the given dat.e
falls on a Monday.
L = 0
Note that 1900 was
D = 1
not a leap year.
M = 1
Z = 2
It' UU Jllc 4 : January 1, 2000 Since 2000 is a

Y = 0 leap year and the
L 0 month is January,
,0 = 1 subtract 1 from Z.
_M = 1 Fmther, since the date
I lilt Z = 2 falls In the 21 st
century, subtract 1
\0 n lOI" . Thus finally, we get R = O.
II n e, January 1, 2000 is a Saturday.
6 9/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

12 HOW ARE WEEKDAYS NAMED?
The period from a new-moon to the following full
moon is a fortnight, a natural division of time. It is als
the duration between a full-moon and its next new-moon.
In a fortnight (paksha) besides the new-moon or th
full-moon, there are 14 days. It was found convenient t
split this period of 14 days into a smaller unit of 7 day
called a week. Since there were 7 known planets (includin
the Sun and the Moon), it was natural to connect each day
of the week with a planet. So, the seven days of the week
came to be named after the.seven planets.
An ingenious technique was used in the arrangement
of the planets and then to name the weekdays. The planets
were arranged in the ascending (i.e. increasing) order of
their speeds, as seen from the earth, as follows:
Shani, Guru, Kuja, Ravi, Shukra, Budha, Chandra.
Every day is divided into 24 parts called "hours" (hora).
The successive hours are governed by the celestial bodies
in the above given order. After every seven hours, the
same cycle is repeated. The planet governing the first
hour of the day lent its name to that day. Starting from the
planet, the first twenty-one hours are governed by the
above planets, completing the cycle three times. The last
three hours of the day are governed by the first, second
and third planet starting from the principal planet of that
day. After this, the first hour of the next day is governed
by the fourth planet, in the given order, starting from the
principal planet of the previous day.
For example, if you start from Shani as the planet
governing the first hour, that day is Shanivaara

II The fourth planet from Shani in the given
.
I' lwi (the Sun) whose name is lent to the next day
"f1 I' 1'11 1,./ (S unday) . Then , the fourth planet from Ravi
, u IIII ,' I (l nd hence the next day is named after Chandra
M ion) as Somavaara (Monday), Soma being a
II 1Yl11 r I' handra. This principJe is used in naming
11\11\ 11 in weekdays also.
II ' v r, we may note here that the Indians took the
t 01 1\ S 'V n days' week and naming the days after the
I 1(' m rhe Babylonians and Chaldeans. The details
f the week days, named after planets, were
hapter 2, section 5.
f ~ WHAT IS A HOROSCOPE?
is a chart in which the positions of the
ive n time, date and place are shown .
Itl ther important details, depending on the
(11 11 I( pi d, may also be given.
if Ii t or Lagna) and Descendant
I II< r pe, apart from the planets, an important
l"
II I Ascendant (or Lagna).
11'01 .rical purpose is the
\I II 111 H I,h point of intersection of the ecliptic with
I ~ I til II ri z n of the place at the gi ven time. In other
II II , . ' II lont (or Lagna) is the point of the ecliptic
, " " II I 1"< • 1St · I'll horizon at the given time.
III I 1'.\'( ' ' 1IrI(/1ll i the point of the ecliptic setting at
I ,,1 II lri z n at the given time. The descendant (or
I lU ll I is exactly 1800 from the Ascendant (or
, I /I I , I sides these, two more important points
of intersection of the ecliptic with the
III I la e. These are referred to as the upper
7 I / Astrology: Believe it or No! !

meridian (Madhaya Lagna) and the lower meridian
(Paataala Lagna).
Chart of Houses (Bhaava Kundali)
For astrological purposes, it is important to indicate the
positions of planets in different Houses (or Bhaavas). In
the sign-division of the ecliptic, there are 12 djvisions
(Raashis) of equal angular extent of 30° each and the
points of division are relatively fixed. House-division of
the ecliptic, on the otherhand, consists of 12 Houses (or
Bhaavas) of unequal extent (though adding up to 360°)
and the points of division are not fixed . The houses are
referred to as the first house, second house etc.
In Indian astrology, the Ascendant (or Lagna) is the
middle of the first house and the Descendant is that of the I
seventh house.
The upper and lower meridian points (Madhya Lagna
and Paatata Lagna) are the centres respectively of the
tenth and fourth houses.
The four "angular houses" viz., Udaya Lagna
(Ascendant), Madhya Lagna (M.C.), Asta Lagna
(Descendant) and the Paatala Lagna (Lower meridian) are
referred to as the Kendra Bhaavas. Using these four
cardinal points, the centres of the remaining eight houses
(Bhaavas) are determined and hence the beginnings (Aadi)
and endings (Antya) of all the twelve houses.
Navamsha Chart
In Indian astrology, each zodiacal sign is subdivided
into parts, in different ways, and the locations of planets J
in these sub-divisions are determined. This arrangement is
mainly to determine the strength of different planets as
also to go il1to "detailed" predictions. I
There are six types of sub-division of zodiacal signs
li nd are called Shadvargas. These are Raashi, Hom
2 divisions), Dvaekkaana (3 divisions), Navaamsha
(C divisions), Dvadashaamsha (12 divisions) and
'frimshaamsha (30 divisions). Out of these, the Raashi and
I h ~ Navaamsha charts are considered most important for
the purpose of astrological predictions.
In the Navaamsha mode of sub-division, a Raashi
sign) is divided into 9 equal divisions, each navaamsha
1/9 part) being of 3° 20' extent i.e. one paada of a
I/okshatra. The nine equal parts of Mesha correspond, in
the Navaamsha Chart, to the nine signs starting from
Mesha i.e. upto Dhanus. Thus, for example, if Ravi's
longitude is Mesha 12°, then he is in the 4th Navaamsha
or Mesha and hence occupies Karkaataka in the
Navaamsha Chart.
Similarly, Vrishabha is divided into nine parts which
olTespond to the nine signs starting from Makara, the
.. ign after the first 9 signs cOlTesponding to the nine
lIC1vaamshas of the Mesha, and so on.
In Indian astrology, we have mainly the South Indian
unci the North Indian styles of horoscopes. Apart from
li1 cse, there is the Western style of horoscope used in
Western astrology.
f. South Indian StyJe
In this style of horoscope, the twelve Raashis are fixed

IS shown below :
The twelve Raashis viz. Mesha, Vrishabha are
1" koned in the clockwise sense. The left-hand upper
'orner square represents Meena, the last Raashi. Actually,
in a horoscope, these names of Raashis are not written
.~ i nee the square-cells representing them are well-known

Meena Mesha Vrishabha Mithuna
Kumbha Kataka
South [lldian
Style
Makara Simha
Dhanus Vrischika Tula Kanya

-
and fixed. The planets are located in these cells depending

on the Raashis these occupy.
2. North Indian Style
In the North Indian style of horoscope, the chart
consists of a square with its two diagonals drawn. Further,
the middle point of each of the four sides is joined to
those of the two adjacent sides.
In contrast to the South Indian style, here, the
positions of Houses, and not Raashis, are fixed in the
chart. The locations of the First House, Second Hou~e etc.
are shown with Roman numerls, I, II, etc . respectively in
the accompanying chart.
In an actual horoscope, these locations of the houses
are well-known, as shown in the above chart, and hence
these Roman numerals are not marked. On the otherhand,
the Raashis occupied by the centres (madhyas) of the
different houses (Bhaavas) are shown with Hindu

nUI'I1.erals, 1, 2, etc. representing Mesha, Vrishabha etc.
As an example, the following horoscope of Lord
Krishna, based on detail s given in the Dashama Ska12dha
of Bhaagavatam and other relevant texts, is written in the
°
orth Indian style. Since Lagna is Vrishabha 1l 46' in
[he cell meant for the First house, the Hindu numeral 2,
representing Vrishabha , is shown, The succeeding
I?aashis, occupied by the centres of the second house,
third house etc. are shown with the corresponding Hindu
numerals.
This style of horoscope is adopted in North India,
Maharashtra and Northern part of Kamataka.
Horoscope of Lord Krishna
Date of Birth July 19120, 3228 B.C. (Julian
Calendar)
Time of Birth Midnight between 19th & 20th July
Place of Birth Mathura
(Long. 77° 41' E; Lat. 27° 25' N)
lanma Tithi Krishna Paksha Asthami
Janma Nakshatra: Rohini First Paada
Balance of Chandra : Y/8, MI2, D128
dashaa at Bilth
(According to the Vimshottari Dashaa System)

Nirayana Rashi Kundali
3. Western Style
In this style of horoscope, used by astrologers in the
Western countries, the chart is drawn either in the circular
Horoscope in the Western style-circular type

form or in the square form (similar to the North Indian
Style). Both the forms are shown in the accompanying
charts. Symbols are used for the planets as well as for the
signs.
In the circular form , the houses (not signs) are marked
with the numerals 1, 2, 3.... at the centre, in the anti-
clocklllise sense.
Horoscope of Kaiser Wilhelm II, born 27th January,
1859, 3 p.m. at Berlin.
Horoscope in the Western style-square type
14 HOROSCOPE OF LORD RAMA

In the Baala Kaanda of the great epic Shrimad
Raamaayana, the configuration of planets at the time of
Lord Rama 's birth is given. The shloka reads :
nrr~"'q ~~) m<1 ~ ~ filrl!it
Oi&~S~~~~ 1
~ cp;:f;~ ~ ClIQQ('1IFc\(Ti$Ci11 ~ II
-Baalakaanda, 18th Sarga, 8·9

"Then in the twelfth month Chaitra, on Navami Tithi
and Punarvasu nakshatra when five planets were in their
exaltation, and in Karkataka Lagl1.a with Guru and
Chandra therein, CKausalya gave birth to Rama, Lord of
the Universe)."
Shukra Ravi
Guru
Chandra
Horoscope of Lagna
Lord Rama
Kuja
Shal1i
Though in the shloka the names of the five planets are

not mentioned, it can be assumed that these are Ravi ,
Guru, Shani, Kuja and Shukra since Chandra is given to
be in Karkataka along with Guru. The birth being in the
month of Chaitra, the Sun is in Mesha, exalted. Since
Budha's place of exaltation is Kanya, he cannot be placed
that far from the Sun since his maximum elongation is
28°. Rahu and Ketu were not taken into consideration in
earlier astrological texts. Budha could be in any of the
three Raashis VIZ., Mesha, Meena and Vrishabha.
However, the commentators of Ramayana suggest that
Budha must be with Ravi in Mesha. Since there are no
planets in the Raashis adjoining that of Chandra, there is

Kemadruma Yoga in Rama's horoscope. According to
astrological texts, the effect of this Yoga is that even a
King would lead the life of poverty.
Since five planets are exalted, Sri Rama is said to have
become a King of Kings . It is also argued that th e lord
(Kuja) of 10th house (Me ha) is exalted in the 10th
therefrom (Makara) which is supposed to make the native
"the King of Kings". When Kuja is exalted, one is said to
become a Vanaraaja (King of forests) and hence, it is
maintained, Rama had to go to the forest though there
also he was respected as a King.
Is Lord Rama's horoscope genuine?
Since the Nakshatra is Pun arvasu (80° to 93° 20') and
the Moon occupies Karkataka Raashi , it follows that the
Moon can be only in the last qualter of Punarvasu (90° to
93° 20'). Now, the birth tithi being Shukla Navami, the
minimum distance of the Sun from the Moon must be 96°
(=8 x 12°). This puts Ravi in Meena and never in Mesha.
Hence, the given configuration is an astronomical
impossibility. Well, our traditional astrologers may explain
this away by saying that in the Trela Yuga, millions of
years ago, such combinations which appe-ar to be
absurdities could take place! After all, the words of a
great sage like Valmiki cannot be wrong!
Maham ahopadhyaya P. V. Kane maintains that the core
of Ramayana (Original) might have been as old as 300
B.C. at the most but Ramayana in its present fo rm could
not have been later than 200 A.D. (see History of
Dharmasastra, Vol. I, P. 396). In Ramayana in its present
form, Dasharatha speaks of daivajnas (astrologers) who
pred ict of dire events because "the star of my life has
been afflicted by terrible planets like Ravi, Kuja and

Rahu" (Ramayana, II, 4, 18). These astrological
references to planets, sometimes even to Rahu and Ketu ,
and their influence, suggest that these are only later
interpolations. At the time when Ramayana was composed
in its original core form , there was no concept of
horoscope in terms of planets, their presence in Raashis
etc. Hence it appears that Sri Rama 's horoscope was a
later accretion (prakshipta) into the currently available
version of the Ramayana.
15 CHARACTERISTICS OF
RAASHIS (SIGNS)
The twelve Raashis (signs) of the zodiac are supposed
to have some special characteri stics and pecularities in
astrology. The following are some types of classifications
of the signs into different categories :-
1. Movable, Fixed and Common Raashis
i. Movable (Chara) Raashis : Mesha , Karkataka ,
Tula, Makara
n. Fixed (Sthira) Raashis : Vrishabha, Simha, Vrischika,
Kumbha,
iii. Common (Dvisvabhaava) Raashis Mithuna Kanya,
Dhanus, Meena.
2. Male and Female Raashis
i. Male (Purusha) Raashis : Mesha, Mithuna, Simha,
Tula, Dhanus and Kumbha i.e., all odd Raashis are
male.
ii. Female (Stree) Raashis : Vrishabha, Karkataka,
Kanya, Vrischika, Makara and Meena i.e. all even
Raashis are female.

All male Raashis are considered cruel (Kroora) and all
female Raashis mild (Saumya).
3. Raashis and the Five Elements

The four among the five eleJ1lents (Pancha Bhoota s)
viz., fire, water, earth, sky (ether) and ai r are assigned to
the twelve signs as follows:
i. Fiery (Agni Tattwa) : Mesha, Simha, DhanLis
ll. Earthly (Bhoo Tattwa) : Vrishabha, Kanya, Makara
iii. Airy (Vaayu Tattwa) : Mithuna, Tula, Kumbha
IV. Watery (lala Tattwa) : Karkataka, Vrischika, Meena
4. Raashis and Human Body

The twelve signs of the zodiac are supposed to control
different parts of the human body as follows :
COllstellations cOlltrolling the parts of human body

Aries Mesha The Head
Taurus Vrishabha Neck
Gemini Mithuna Arms
Cancer Karkataka Chest, Breasts
Leo Simha Heart
Virgo Kanya Bowels
Libra Tula Reins (kidneys)
Scorpio Vrischika Loin , Genital Organ
Sagittarius Dhanus Thighs
Capricorn Makara Knees
Aquariu s Kumbha Legs
Pisces Meena Feet
16 CHARACTERISTICS OF PLANETS
1. Ownership and Exaltation of Planets
f&1f<'1GiR1CiSI t!<r(q;rFc!".(jtljQ1CiI<'1rJi"il : I
~l;r~Jl'Ii<r~ ~;rq ~~jQ)qT: I
3~~ll)O<llIw·0j1'1?RRT ~lSIqfjll0i1 u ~ql(f)'l:I~ C))fT: I
CQ~~~~ ~~1dlOjq(f)Fcl~~1ri9'sffiOftuT: II
-Brihat lataka of Varahimiltira ell.l, SI.6, 13
Planet Ownership Exaltation Debilitation

(Graha) (Adhipati) (Uchcha) (Neecha)
Ravi Simha Mesha 10° Tula 10°
Chandra Karkataka Vrishabha 3° Vrischika 3°
Kuja Mesha, Vrischika Makara 28° Karkataka 28°
Budha Mithuna, .Kanya Kanya 15° Meena 15°
Guru Dhanus, Meena Karkataka 5° Makara 5°
Shukra Vrishabha, Tula Meena 27° Kanya 27°
Shaw Makara, Kumbha Tula 20° Mesha 20°

Horoscope in the South Indian Style
As we have seen earlier, a horoscope is a chart in
which the positions of the planets, in the different Raashis
(Signs), are shown. In the South Indian Style, the Raashis
are shown fixed as below (the planets owning the Raashis
are indicated in brackets).
Meena Mesha Vrisllabha Mithuna

(Guru) (Kuja) (Shukra) (Budha)
Kumbha Rashis and iKarkataka

(Shalli) Chandra)
Owners ill South
Indian Style of
Makara Horoscope Simha
(Shani) ( Ravi)
Dhallus Vrischika Tufa Kaliya

(Guru) (Kuja) (Shukra) (Budha)
2. Benefic and Malefic Planets

i) Shubha Grahas (Benefics) : Guru. Shukra, Full
Moon and well-placed Budha.
ii) Ashubha Grahas (Malefics) : Shani, Kuja, Ravi, IU-
placed Budha, New Moon, Rahu and Ketu.
3. Sexes of Planets
i. Male Planets: Ravi , Kuja, Guru
ii. Female Planets: Shukra, Chandra and Rahu
iii. Hermaphrodites (or Eunuchs) : Shani, Budha and Ketu

4. Moola Trikonas
Planets are considered strongest in their positions of
"exaltation" (Uchcha) . Similar to these points are Moola
Trikonas where also the planets are considered very
strong. The following are the MooIa Trikonas of the
different planet.
Planets Moola Trikonas

Ravi Simha
Chandra Vrishabha
Budha Kanya
Guru Dhanus
Kuja Mesha
Shukra Tula
Shani Kumbha
Note that except for Chandra; the Mooia Trikonas are

also the Raashis owned by the respective planets. For
Chandra, the Mooia Trikona is also its sign of exaltation .
S. Castes of Planets
Brahmin : Guru and Shukra, Kshatriya : Ravi and
Kuja, Vaishya : Chandra and Budha, Shudra : Shani,
Rahu and Ketu
6. Planets and the Five Elements
The five elements (Pancha Bhootas) of fire, water,
earth, sky (ether) and air are assigned to the planets as
follows:
t. Fiery (Agni Tattwa) : Ravi and Kuja
ii. Watery (lala Tattwa) : Chandra and Shukra .
iii. Earth (Bhoomi Tattwa) : Budha

iv. Ether (Aakaasha Tattwa) : Guru
v. Airy (Vaayu Tattwa) : Shani
7. Friendship and enimity of planets
Planets Friends Enemies Neutrals

Ravi Chandra, Shukra, Budha
Kuja, Guru Shani
Chandra Ravi, Budha Kuja, Guru.
Shukra, Shani
Kuja Ravi, Chandra, Budha Shukra, Shani
Guru
Budha Ravi , Shukra Chandra Kuja, Guru, Shani
Guru Ravi, Budha, Shani
Chandra, Kuja, Shukra
Shukra Budha, Ravi , Kuja, Guru
Shani Chandra
Shani Shukra, Budha Ravi, Guru
Chandra, Kuja
8. Planetary "Aspects" (Drishti).

The effects of a planet on individuals is supposed to be
greatly influenced by the "Aspects" (or Drishti) of other
planets on it. This is also true of the "houses" (Bhaavas)
which are said to signify different features of one's life.
Whether the "aspects" by planets are "good" or "bad"
is considered differently in Indian astrology and in
Western astrology.
(i) "Aspects" in Indian astrology : In Indian
astrology, an "aspect" (or Drishti) by itself is not
considered either good or bad. Aspects are some special

angular distances between pairs of planets in a horoscope.
Whether an "aspect" between two planets is good or bad
depends on the nature and relationship between the
involved planets.
All planets are considered to have a "full aspect"
(Poorna Drishti) on the opposite house (180°) i.e. the 7th
place from themselves. In addition to this common aspect,
Kuja, Guru and Shani have their individual special aspects
as follows:
(l) Kuja aspects the 4th and the 8th places from itself;
(2) Guru aspects the 5th and the 9th places from itself;
(3) Shani aspects the 3rd and the 10th places from itself.
(ii) "Aspects" in Western Astrology : The following
afe the important "aspects" in Western astrology (given in
angular distances) :
Opposition 180°
S esq u i-q uadrate 135°
Trine 120°
Square 90°
Sextile 60°
Semi-square 45°
Conjunction 0°
The trine (120°) and sextile (60°) are considered good

aspects.
The square (90°), sesqui-quadrate (135°),
semi-square (45°) and opposition (180°) are evil
aspects.
Two planets are said to be "parallel" if they have the
same declination (Kraanti) whether both above Of both
below the celestial equator or on opposite sides of it.
The conjunction and parallel are good for good planets
86/ Astrology : Believe it or No! !

(benefics) and bad for evil planets (malefics). Mercury
takes the nature of the planet which is closest to it in the
horoscope; otherwise it takes the nature of the lord of the
sign which it occupies.
A note on "aspects"
We saw that in Indian astrology, the aspects (Drishti)
are good or bad depending on the nature of the planets
involved. In Westren astrology, on the other hand , some
aspects are considered good and others bad by themselves,
independent of the planets. These two different
considerations in the two systems can lead to
contradictions. For example, if two benefics are in
opposition (180°), this aspect is good in Indian astrology
. while it is bad in Western astrology!
To add to the confusion, in the laimini system of
astrology (as distinguished from the popular Parashara
system), "aspects"are defined and considered good or bad
in altogether a different way. Thus, these three
systems can lead to contradictory predictions.
9. Planets as significators (Kaarakas)
1. Ravi : Body (Tanu Kaaraka) and Father (Pltru
Kaaraka).
2. Chandra : Mind (Manah Kaaraka) , and Mother
(Maatru Kaaraka)
3. Kuja : Brothers (Bhraatru Kaaraka), Heroism, War,
Army , ,
4. Budha : Intelligence amd learning (Buddhi Kaaraka) ,
Friends (Mitra Kaaraka), Writing, Mathematics,
Astrology.
5. Guru : Children (Santaana Kaaraka) , Philosophical
and spiritual knowledge (Jnaana kaaraka).

6. Shukra : Love, sex and marriage (Kalatra Kaaraka).
Beauty, inspires good thoughts , Music, Luxury
7. Shani : Longevity (Ayush Kaaraka), Menial work, Iron,
Coal.
8. Rahu : Occult and magical practices, unexpected
events, reptiles
9. Ketu : Joy, Spiritual emancipation (Moksha Kaaraka).
17 SUN SIGN PREDICTIONS

(Ravi Raashi Bhavisbya)
The sign of the zodiac in which the Sun is situated in
the horoscope of a person is called the "Sun Sign". The
Sun remains in each sign for a month. A person born in a
particular sun-sign is said to have some special
characteristics and tendencies . These details are discussed
below by considering separately the sun-signs a~cording
to the Indian system and Western system since the sun
signs differ in the two systems in the course of a year due
to the precession of the eq uinoxes. The weekly,
fortnightly, monthly and even yearly predictions given in
popular periodicals are generally based on the sun-signs.
I. ACCORDING TO INDIAN ASTROLOGY
Note: In the following, he should be read as he/she.
1. Mesha (April 14 to May 13) : Since Ravi is
exalted in the Raashi, a person who is born in this Raashi
is supposed to be famous, and travel widely, have distinct
individuality, and shine as a warrior.
2. Vrishabba (May 14 to June 13) : A person whose
date of birth falls within this Raashi is considered to be
fond of fashionable clothes, scents etc. He can develop

talent in music. He is advised to remain away from the
members of the opposite sex..
3. Mithuna (June 14 to July 15) : Ravi in Mithuna is
supposed to make the person belonging to this Raashi
learned. He is assured of success if he pursues astronomy
and mathematics. He is supposed to become very wealthy
and people are expected to enjoy his company very much.
4. Karkataka (July 16 to August 13) : Since
Karkataka is occupied by Ravi, the person of this Raashi
is supposed to become rich by striving hard. He can win
friends and relations by a kindly approach . He can be a
good traveller. He is asked to guard his health against
constipation.
5. Simba (August 14 to September 16) : Ravi's
position in Simha is supposed to make the person of this
Raashi stubborn and strong-willed. He is assured of
success in propaganda. He is expected to be popular in
humanitarian activities. He is considered to have love for
foresets and mountains.
6. Kanya (September 17 to October 16) : Since Ravi
is in Kanya the person of this Raashi is supposed to shine
in learning languages and in literature. He is promised
success if he pursues mathematical and physical sciences.
He is supposed to have taste for fine arts, think and act
logically and is soft by nature.
7. Thla (October 17 to November 15) : Ravi in Tula
is supposed to make this person self-respecting and
pompous, frank in dealing with others, popular among
friends and relations. He is advised to controi himself
against alcohol and other temptations.
8. Vriscbika (November 16 to December 15) : Ravi
in Vrischika is supposed to make this person adventurous.
He is assured of success if he joins the Armed Forces or

professions connected with drugs and medicines. He is
supposed to be stubborn and impulsive by nature.
9. Dhanus (December 16 to January 13) : Since
Dhanus is occupied by Ravi, the person of this Raashi is
supposed to be popular and respected by all. He is asked
to keep his temper under control. He is supposed to be
rich and trustworthy, strong-willed, and succeed if he
pursues music.
10. Makara (January 14 to February 12) : Ravi in
Makara is considered to make the person of this Raashi
stubborn and have a pushing nature, very active in life,
highly obliging and witty. He is advised to develop broad-
mindedness and pursue knowledge with eff0l1.
11. Kumbha (February 13 to March 13) : Since
Kumbha is occupied by Ravi, the person of this Raashi is
supposed to be highly self-respecting, gifted with rare
faculties and achievements. He is promised that 'Nith
effort, he can become rich. Determined and continuous
efforts are supposed to make him successful.
12. Meena (March 14 to April 13) : Ravi in Meena is
supposed to make the person of this Raashi wealthy and
religious. But he is warned to be careful while spending
money. He is promised success if he pursues professions
connected with fisheries, pearls and corals. He is told that
he will be loved by the members of the other sex.
II. ACCORDING TO WESTERN ASTROLOGY
1. Aries (March 21 to April 20) : The person born in
this sign is supposed to have a good stature, strong and
well-built, a good complexion though not very clear, light
hair and large eyes. He is ' supposed to be noble,
adventurous and bold, and succeed in war-like activities.
He is believed to cross aU barriers in love life.
90 I ASlrology : Believe it or Not!

2. Taurus (April 21 to May 21) : He is expected to
have a short stature, though well-set, but not quite
handsome. Dusky complexion, brownish hair, large broad
face, wide mouth and bi g nose characterise his physical
features . He will be a person .of great self-confidence,
boldness, fond of opposition and genera]Jy victorious. He
is supposed to be always ready to grab money.
3. Gemini (May 22 to June 21) : One born in this
sign is supposed to have a well proportioned body, some-
what tall, reddish complexion and brownish hair.
He will be lovable, courteous and kind to others but
not very fortunate because he wiIJ be meek and
submissive and easily controlled by others.
4. Cancer (June 22 to July 22) : This person is
supposed to have a mean, ill-formed body, deformed in
the face with an unhealthy look. Generally, he is cheerful,
harmless, but indolent and not inclined to work. He is
supposed to have a tendency to spend time in sports,
pastimes and amusements.
5. Leo (July 23 to August 22) : He is expected to
have a strong, well-proportioned body, reddish
complexion, full face and large staring eyes. There is
generally a mark or scar on the face. He will be respected
for his honesty and uprightness and always against
meanness. He is faithful to friends and magnanimous even
to enemies and highly ambitious and domineering.
6. Virgo (August 23 to September 22) : One born in
this sign is claimed to have a tall stature, lean but well-
proportioned body with a good complexion. He is
ingenious, cheerful and fond of recreations.
7. Libra (September 23 to October 22) : He is
supposed to have an upright and taU stature, full eyes,
oval face and frequently pimples in the face. He would

have an honourable and good disposition but be generally
unsuccessful in real.izing his ambitions unless there are
very beneficial aspects in the horoscope.
8. Scorpio (October 23 to November 21) : A person
born under this sign is believed to have a remarkably
square-built, full and fleshy body. He is endowed with a
broad face with a cloudy or sun-burnt complexion.
Though ingeneous, he will have a rugged and
overbearinig disposition. His manners are too brusque and
not ready to accept equals and superiors.
9. Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21) : This
person is supposed to have a tall , handsome, well-
proportioned body, oval face, reddish or sun-burnt
complexion. He is very lofty and proud-spirited. He aims
at great things, austere and severe in his pursuits and will
accomplish honourable tasks and win awards and titles.
10. Capricorn (December 22 to January 21) : He is
claimed to have a middle stature, ill-made and lean, oval
face and sickly complexion. He is just and honourable in
principles and would have a tolerably good temper. He is
hasty at times but gains love and friendship by sweet and
agreeable manners.
11. Aquarius (January 22 to February 20) : One
born during this period is supposed to be a person of
middle stature, well-built and corpulent body. He has a
round full-face and clear complexion. His disposition is
tolerabley good, free from malice or deceit. He is vain,
proud and ostentatious.
12. Pisces (February 21 to March ~O) : The person is
expected to have a rather short stature, plump and fleshy
body, a round face and indifferent complexion. He is
highly sociable, very inoffensive, fond of pleasures. While
he is harmless to others. he may ruin himself by

extravagance.
Note: The beginning and ending dates of the different
sun-signs given, in both the Lndian and Westem sys tems
are approximate ones. There may be a difference of a day
or two in some years. The actual sun-sign is decided by
the sign (or Raashi) in which Sun is located in the birth
horoscope.
18 LAGNA IN DIFFERENT RAASHIS

1. MESHA LAGNA : Guru and Riwi are supposed to be
very good to the person having Mesha Lagna. Shani,
Budha and Shukra are supposed to be not so
favourable . Guru is considered to be Yoga Kaaraka,
i.e. producing great success. The person having
Mesha Lagna is supposed to be independent by nature
and rational in thinking, succeed in educational
pursuits, frank and courageous. But he is advised to
avoid serious ri sks. He is assured of success in
calculated steady pursuits.
2. VRISHBHA LAGNA : Shani is considered Yoga-
kaaraka and most beneficial to the person of this
Lagna; Guru , Shukra and Chandra are supposed to be
not good.
The person of this Lagna is likely to be impatient
towards those who do not respect him for his
achievements. He is supposed to succeed in
intellectual pursuits, become famous in journalism
and writing of books. Business is also recommended
as a successful pursuit.
Remark : While the popular authority, Paraashara
holds that Shani is a Yoga-kaaraka for Vrishabha Lagna
(:(I\lflllJI<P:(: m~ ~ ~ : Wi:), this assertion is vehemently

contradicted by the author of another Sanskrit text,
Bhaavaartha Ratnaakara. The text says :
cr'1~"mR<pnrfar : ~~<RTsfil m... otcr~: II
For one born in Vrishabha Lagna, Shani does not
become a Yoga-kaaraka inspite of his owning the ninth
and tenth houses (Bhaagya and Karma sthaanas) from
Lagna.
3. MITHUNA LAGNA : Shukra is considered to be
1nost beneficial to the person of this Lagna. Kuja,
Guru and Ravi are considered not favourable. This
person is supposed to be very active in many pursuits.
He is warned to be careful about the opposite sex and .
guard himself against deception by others. He is
assured of success in mechanical science, and in
many pursuits.
4. KARKATAKA LAGNA: Guru and Kuja are supposed
to give good results in this case. In fact, Kuja will
confer great success in life. This person is supposed
to be very intelligent and succeed in bright and
industrious pursuits, be very happy in life being
attached to his family. He is assured of prosperity in
professions of trade and industry.
5. SIMHA LAGNA : Kuja is supposed to be most
beneficial. Shani, Shukra and Budha are not
favourable to this person. The person of this Lagna is
supposed to be majestic in appearance and very bold
by nature, adapt himself to any circumstance.
He is considered to be independent in thinking,
succeed in his ambitions, prosper in fine arts and
literature. However, he is advised to be realistic for
success. He is considered to be a person of principles.
6. KANYA LAGNA : Shukra is considered to be the
most beneficial planet for this Lagna; Kuja and

Chandra not so favourable. This person is supposed to
have an excellent memory, high intelligence even
from his childhood. He is expected to succeed if he
pursues fine arts and literature. He is supposed to be
emotional by nature, prosper in physical and chemical
sciences, especially as an author, and be popular
among admirers.
7. TULA LAGNA : Shani is considered to be the most
favourable planet; Guru, Kuja and Ravi not so
favourable . Budba and Shani are supposed to produce
good results in life.
The person of this Lagna is supposed to have a
handsome personality and sensual disposition, be a
success because of his keen foresight, stick to his. strong
convictions. As a political or religious leader he is
expected to exercise great influence on his followers, and
succeed in the pursuit of truth.
8. VRISCHIKA LAGNA : Guru is supposed to be the
most favourable planet, Budha and Shukra not so
good. This person is considered to be of a generous
disposition and love excitement, have great many
friends. If he pursues music or dance he is promised
great success. He is expected to succeed as a writer as
well because of his sharp w~t and intelligence.
9. DHANUR LAGNA : Kuja is supposed to be most
beneficial to the person of this Lagna while Ravi can
also produce good results. Shukra is supposed to be
unfavourable. This person is considered to be
generally conventional and business-like, honest and
avoid external show. He is asked to take good care of
his lungs to keep him healthy. He is supposed to
succeed in intellectual and scholarly pursuits.
10. MAKARA LAGNA : Shukra is supposed to be the
95/ Astrology: Believe it or Not J

most beneficial planet for a person of this Lagna,
Kuja and Chandra not so favourable. This person is
expected easily to adjust himself to circumstances and
persons of any nature. He is considered to be highly
ambitious, highly trustworthy, have great perseverance
and strong determination, succeed in the fields of
literature, education and science. He is expected to be
successful in aJl his ventures.
11. KUMBHA LAGNA : Shukra is considered to be very
good, Guru and Chandra not so favourable for this
Lagna. This person is supposed to be handsome, win
over friends easily, highly intelligent, keep his temper
under control, pure in heart and enjoy helping others.
If he takes to writing, he is assured of success. He is
supposed to succeed in impressing others, have a
knack · of judging others and in organising. He is
expected to be highly devoted to his spouse. He is
asked to protect himself from coli~ trouble and cold.
12. MEENA LAGNA : Chandra and Kuja are supposed to
be favourable for this Lagna. _Tn fact, Kuja is expected
to bring very good luck. Shani, Shukra, Ravi and
Budha are considered not so favourable. By nature,
the person of this Lagna is supposed to be somewhat
reserved, think deeply before coming to conclusions
about men and matters. He is advised to practise
rational thinking. He is considered to be a trustworthy
fellow, have success in educational pursuits, prosper
particularly in fields like history, mythology and
Indology. He is assured success in life if he develops
self-confidence.
96 / A5trology: Believe it or Not!

19 IMPORTANT COMBINATIONS
(yOGAS)
In Indian astrology there are a large number of
important planetary combi nations some of which are
supposed to yield beneficial results (Raaja Yogas) some
others evil results.
GOOD COMBINATIONS
1. Madana Yoga
For one born in Vrischika Lagna, if the lord of the
tenth house is in Lagna with Shukra and the lord of the
eleventh house is exalted in that house, then the native is
supposed to enjoy the benefits of the Madana Yoga - he
belongs to a royal family.
For Vrischika Lagna, the tenth house is Simha whose
Madana Yoga
Lagna
Ravi Budha
Shukra
97/ Astrology ." Believe it or Not!

lord is Ravi and the eleventh house is Kanya whose lord
is Budha. Budha's exaltation is in Kanya. Therefore, the
Madana Yoga is formed if (i) Lagna is in Vrischika,
(ii) Ravi and Shukra are in Lagna and (iii) Budha is in
Kanya, exalted and in his own house. One born with this
combination in his birth-chart is supposed to enjoy the
power and pelf of a royal family.
2. Chanda Yoga
If the first house (Tanu Sthaana) has a planet exalted
therein and is aspected by Kuja and further the exalted
planet must be in conjunction with the lords of the third
and ninth houses , then Chanda Yoga takes pJace. One
Lagna
Ravi
Budha
Guru
An Example of
Chanda Yoga
Kuja
born with this Yoga is expected to shine in armed forces.

In the above example, in Mesha Lagna, Ravi is exalted
and is in conjunction with Budha and Guru who are Lords
of the third and ninth houses respectively and is aspected
by Kuja.

3. Chandraadhi Yoga
If from Chandra, the sixth, seventh and eighth houses
contain benefic planets, such a combination is called
Chandraadhi Yoga. One born with this combination is
supposed to have long life, free from diseases, and enjoy
a luxurious life.
4. Lagnaadhi Yoga
If the sixth, seventh and eighth houses from Lagna are
occupied by benefics and not aspected by or in
conjunction with evil planets, the Lagnaadhi Yoga is
formed. A native with-this combination is expected to be
respected for his scholarship and humility.
5. Bheri Yoga
If the lord of the tenth house is strong and the second,
twelfth, first and seventh houses contain all the planets
distributed in these houses, then such a combination is
called Bheri Yoga.
If Shukra is accompanied by the lord of Lagna in
Guru's house and the ninth lord is strong, then also the
combination is a Bheri Yoga.
One having this Yoga is considered to be a person of
high character and highly skilled expert. The native is
supposed to enjoy a very happy family life and own rich
property.
6. Srinaatha Yoga
If the lord of the seventh house is exalted in the tenth
house in conjunction with the lord of the tenth, the
combination is said to be Srinaatha Yoga which is supposed
to confer the pleasures of a lordly life on the native.
99/ Astrology : Believe it or Nor !
h
7. Shaarada Yoga
If the tenth lord is in the fifth, Budha is in a kendra,
Ravi is in Simha, Guru is in a trikona of Chandra and
Kuja occuping a trikona of Budha, then Shaarada Yoga is
formed.
One born with the above combination is supposed to
be a great devotee of a spiritual preceptor and spend his
life in meditation.
8. Matsya Yoga
If (i) Lagna and the ninth contain evil planets, (ii) a
benefic is in conjunction with a malefic in the fifth house
and (ii i) evil planets occupy the fourth and eighth houses,
then thi s results in the Matsya Yoga.
One born with this Yoga is expected to be handsome
and famous , become an astrologer and saintly.
9. Khadga Yoga
If the ninth lord is in the second house, the second lord
is in the ninth and the lord of Lagna is in a kendra or a
tiikona, then Khadga Yoga is formed. A native with this
combination is expected to be a great scholar.
10. Chaturmukha Yoga
If a Kendra (4th or 7th or 10th place) from the Bhaagya
sthaana (9th house) is occupied by Guru, a Kendra from
the Laabha sthaana (11th house) is occupied by Shukra and
Guru and Shukra have exchanged their houses, then
Chaturmukha Yoga is formed. A native with this
combination is expected to be respected the world over.
The 4th, 7th and 10th places from the 9th house are
respectively the 12th, 3rd and 6th houses . Similarly, the
100/ Astrology : Believe il or Not!

kendras from the 11th house are the 2nd, 5th and 8th
houses. Therefore, the Chaturmukha Yoga is formed if (i)
Guru occupies the 12th or 3rd or 6th house (from Lagna),
(ii) Shukra occupies the 2nd or 5th or 8th house and (iii)
Guru is in Shukra's house (Vrishabha or Tula) and Shukra
in Guru's house (Dhanus or Meena), then Chaturmukha
Yoga is formed . The following is an example of this Yoga.
Lagna
An example of
Chaturmukha
Yoga
Shukra Guru
11. Kalaanidhi Yoga

If the lord of the third house, along with the lord of the
eleventh, is situated in the seventh, the lord of the seventh
is in the twelfth (V)'aya) and the 12th lord, along with
Guru, is in the ninth, then Kalaanidhi Yoga is formed.
This combination confers Raajayoga on the native who
is expected to enjoy the best of things in life.
Remarks : In the following horoscope, Budha is in
Tula and Shukra is in Meena, separated by five Raashis -
which means their angular distance is between 1200 and
h
150° This is an astronomical impossibility. The maximum
"elongations" of Budha and Shukra (the so-called inferior
planets) are respectively about 28° and 47 ofrom the sun
and hence the maximum possible distance between
themselves is about 75° (=28°+ 47°).
An Impossible Combination in Brihat Jaatakam
A similar astronomical impossibility is used by none
Shukra Lagna
Kalaanidhi Yoga
Guru Shani
Budha
less than Varaha Mihira in giving what he caBs a Raja

Yoga (see Brihat laataka, Ch. Xl, Sl.10).
~sc{s- C1atlFl-C1'!J)'liHl':
ftf5<:!Wcfu ~s~: I
1l!~ii1<f1ffW~cft ~m.¢
~ ~ 1j;~~TT: ~~r: II
If Makara is the Lagna with Shani in it and if Mesha.
Karkataka and Simha are occupied by their lords and if
Mithuna and Tula are occupied by Budha and Shukra. the
native becomes a famous king.
102/ Astrology: Believe it or Nor!

In this combination, Budha exceeds the permitted
maximum elongation of 28° from the Sun. Further, the
distance between Budha and Shukra is more than 90°, far
exceeding the maximum limit of 75°. Therefore, this
Kuja Budha
Chandra
Lagna
Shani Ravi
Shukra
combination gi ven by Varaha Mihira is an

astronomical impossibility.
But, it is truly amusing that B. Suryanarain Rao, grand-
father of B. V. Raman. commenting on this absurdity in
his "Notes" observes :. " .....which probably might have
been possible under a different set of planetary
movements with velocities considerably differing from
those of the present.. .... The present confusion in
calculating the position of planets is mainly due to there
being no definite Ayanamsha calculated .. .. !" It is obvious
that Ayanamsha is surely not the CUlprit in this case.
When relative angular distances are considered the
. Ayanamsha - whatever be its value taken - gets cancelled!
103/ Astrology : Believe it or No! !

12. Chaamara Yoga
If the lord of Lagna is exalted and occupies a kendra
and aspected by Guru, then this Yoga is caused.
The person born with this combination is supposed to
be greatly respected by the rulers and the nobility.
13. Kesari Yoga
This Yoga is caused if Chandra and Guru are in
kendras with respect to each other. The person is expected
to be respected in society and occupies a good
administrati ve position.
The above Yoga means that in the horoscope Guru
should be in the 4th or 7th or 10th place from the one
occupied by Chandra, and similarly Chandra must be in
the 4th or 7th or 10th place from Guru's place.
14. Lakshmi Yoga
If the lord of the ninth house is in a kendra or
moolatrikona or in exaltation or if the lord of Lagna is in
conjunction with the lord of the ninth, then the Lakshmi
Yoga is caused.
One born with this combination is supposed to be a
highly virtuous and handsome person who will be greatly
respected in society.
Mantreswara, in his Phala Deepika gives some more
beneficial Yogas which are listed below:
~~Cfj6{iCfjSllC1ql : mT~TC15T m q~ 'q~: I
<'<1~qafhilJlrlc:! ~ f&lRiij)C1lfac:! ~iT ~Ci.1I
(Ch. VI, SI.l)
15. Ruchaka Yoga
This Yoga is caused if Kuja occupies a kendra which

is his own house (Mesha or Vrischika) or of exaltation
(Makara). A person with this Yoga is supposed to have a
long face, amass wealth by bold acts, defeat his enemies,
be powerful and proud, be a leader of an army and be
successful in his efforts.
16. Bhadraka Yoga
[f Budha is in a kendra which is his own house or of
exaltation (Mithuna or Kanya) then the Bhadraka Yoga is
formed. The native is supposed to have long life and
remarkable intellect, respected by all for rus scholarship
and oratory.
17. Hamsa Yoga
When Guru occupies a kendra which is his own house
(Dhanus or Meena) or exaltation (Karkataka), Hamsa
Yoga is formed. This Yoga is supposed to confer on the
native royal splendour. He is believed to have the marks
of Shankha (Conch), Padma (Lotus), Matsya (Fish) and
Ankusha (Goad) in his legs and hands. He is expected to
be very handsome and healthy with a good appetite, and
lead a righteolls life.
18. Maalava Yoga
This Yoga is formed if Shukra is in a kendra which is
his own house (Vrishabha or Tula) or of exaltation (Meena).
A person born with a Maalava Yoga is supposed to
have strong limbs, a comfortable life and own vehicles.
He is expected to earn great fame and scholarship.
19. Shasha Yoga
I.f Shani is in kendra which is his own house (Makara or
Kumbha) or of exaltation (Tuia), then this Yoga is formed.

A native born with this Yoga is supposed to be praised
by all, have command over sub-ordinates and servants and
be a powerful leader.- He is expected to be cunning, have
liaison with women and enjoy life on others' wealth .
Note : In the above five Yogas, instead of considering
a kendra (4th or 7th or 10th) from Lagna, a kendra from
Chandra can also be considered for the said Yogas.
A person may have one or two or three or four or all
the five of the above Yogas. Accordingly, the person is
expected to be respectively (i) a man of fortune, or (ii)
equivalent to a king or (iii) a ruler or (iv) an emperor or
(v) superior to an emperor.
Bad Combinations
1. Presbya Yoga
A person with Preshya Yoga is expected to lead his life
in misery as a servant or in a menial job. This Yoga is
formed under any of the following planetary combinations:
Shani
Lagna
Example/or
Preshya Yoga
Chandra Guru
Ravi Kuja

i) If Lagna is a Chara Raashi (moving sign viz. Mesha,
Karkataka, Tula, Makara), Shani is in the Tenth,
Chandra in the Seventh, Ravi in the Fourth, Kuja in
the Third and Guru in the Second.
ii) If Lagna is a Sthira Raashi (fixed sign viz. Vrishabha,
Simha, Vrischika, Kumbha), Shukra in the Ninth,
Chandra in the Eighth and Guru should be the Lord of
the Second or occupy the Second or Lagna.
Kuja
Chandra
Another Shukra
Example/or
Preshya Yoga
Lagna
Guru
2. Andha Yoga
A person born with this Yoga is expected to be either
blind or have defective eye-sight. The Andha Yoga is
formed under any of the following combinations :
i) If Lagna is in Simha along with Ravi and Chandra
and aspected by Kuja or Shani ;
ii) If evil planets are in the Sixth and the Eighth houses;
iii) If Ravi is in Lagna or in the Seventh and aspected by
Shani ;

iv) If Ravi is in conjunction with Rahu or Kuja and
placed in Lagna or in the Seventh;
v) If Kuja is the Lord of the Second, Ravi and Chandra
are in the Sixth and Shani is in the Sixth or Eighth or
Twelfth;
vi) If Shani is with Kuja in the Sixth or Eighth or
Twelfth.
vii) If Chandra is in the Sixth, Ravi in the Eighth, Shani
in the Twelfth and Kuja in the Second, then even if
Lord Indra takes his bilth on the earth he is expected
to be blind.
Lagna
An Example for
Andha Yoga
Ravi
Chandra
Shani
3. KaaIa Sarpa Yoga

This Yoga is considered as one of the worst
combinations among the evil ones. If all the planets lie on
one side between Rahu and Ketu, the Kaala Sarpa Yoga is
caused.
It should be noted that always Rahu and Ketu lie in
108/ Astrology: Believe it or Not I

opposite signs (exactly 1800 apart). In the case of the
Kaala Sarpa Yoga, all the planets occupy the Raashis on
one side between Rahu and Ketu so that the Raashis on
the other side are vacant. Since Rahu and Ketu are
traditionally considered the head and tail of the
cobra, this combination is qualified by the name, Kaala
Sarpa (meaning black king cobra).
This Yoga is considered Poorna (full) or Apoorna
(partial) according as all the planets are on one side of the
Rahu-Ketu axis or one planet has gone out of it.
Kaala Sarpa Yoga is supposed drastically to dimiJ1ish
the beneficial results of Raaja Yagas, the good
combinations which would otherwise yield royal
splendours.
It is claimed that Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai had this
evil Yoga and hence did not finally succeed in her plans
in spite of initial successes in her revolt against the British
Raj.
20 SCIENTISTS' OBJECTION TO
ASTROLOGY
So far we have considered certain aspects of astrology
which are emphasised by its protagonists as having direct
influence on life and activities of men on earth.
Now let us consider celtain objections to astrology. In
September-October 1975 some 186 leading scientists,
including Dr. S. Chandrasekhar of Chicago and 18 other
Nobel Prize winners published a statement in the
American magazine, The Humanist, expressing grave
concern over the increased acceptance of astrology in
many parts of the world.
Since the statement of these eminent scientists is well-

reasoned and highly relevant to the present state of affairs
in India, the text of their statement is given below in its
entirety : "We, the undersigned - astronomers, astro-
physicists and scientists in other fields - wish to caution
the public against the unquestioning acceptance of the
predictions and advice given privately and publicly by
astrologers. Those who wish to believe in astrology
should realise that there is no scientific foundation for its
tenets.
"In ancient times, people beJieved in the predictions
and advice of astrologers because astrology was part and
parcel of their magical world view. They looked upon
celestial objects as abodes or omens of the Gods and,
thus, intimately connected with events here on earth; they
had no concept of the vast distances from the earth to the
planets and the stars. Now that these di stances can and
have been calculated, we can see how infinitesimaJly
small are the gravitational and other effects produced by
the distant planets and the far more distant stars . It is
simply a mistake to imgine that the forces exerted by stars
and planets at the time of birth can in any way shape our
future. Neither is it true that the positions of distant
heavenly bodies make certain days or periods more
favourable to particular kinds of actions, or that the sign
under which one was born determines one's compatibility
or incompatibility with other people.
"Why do people believe in astrology? In these
uncertain times, many long for the comfort of having
guidance in making decisions. They would like to believe
in destiny predetermined by astral forces beyond their
control. However, we must face the world, and we must
realize that our future lies in ourselves, and not in the
stars.
lID/Astrology: Believe it or Not I

"One would lmagine, in this day of widespread
enlightenment and education that it would be unnecessary
to debunk beliefs based on magic and superstition. Yet,
acceptance of astrology pervades modern society. We are
especially disturbed by the continued uncritical
dissemination of astrological charts, forecasts and
horoscopes by media and by otherwise reputable
newspapers, magazines and book publishers. This can
only contribute to the growth of irrationalism and
obscurantism. We believe that the time has come to
challenge directly and forcefully, the pretentious claims of
astrological charlatans.
"It should be apparent that those individuals who
continue to have faith in astrology do so inspite of the fact
that there is no verified scientific basis for their beliefs,
and indeed that there is strong evidence to the contrary."
The above statement is signed by 18 Nobel-laureates, a
number of professors and men of great learning.
21 PSYCHOLOGISTS OPPOSE
ASTROLOGY
Scientists have long concluded that astrology is a hoax
being perpetuated on a credulous public. Much before The
Humanist statement cited above, another statement by
scientists had exposed the spurious nature of astrology.
Gordon Allport, a noted psychologist, prepared a
statement, in as early as 1940, denouncing astrology. This
statement was endorsed by the Executive Council of the
S.ociety for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The
statement said :
"Psychologists find no evidence that astrology is of
any value whatsoever as an indicator of the past, present

or future trends in one's persona] life or one's destiny. Nor
is there the sligthtest ground for believing that social
events can be foretold by divination of the stars.
The Society for the Psychological Study of Social
Issues, therefore, deplores the faith of a considerable
section of the American public in the magical practice that
has no shred of justification in sci'entific fact. "
22 ASTROLOGY ILLEGAL
The stars and other cosmic objects lying at such great
distances from earth cannot have any influence on the
destinies of individual human beings. Therefore it
becomes a little difficult for all but the most obstinate to
accept such a claim. But it is astonishing that even among
. the educated today, astrology is confused with astronomy.
Patric Moore, the popular writer on the subject puts it
succinctly : "The signs of the zodiac are fundamental to
astrological belief. I happen to be born in early March,
therefore . my zodiacal sign is Pisces though the
constellation Pisces is made up of faint scattered stars in a
way that bears no resemblance to fish or anything else .....
The sun, the moon and the planets are much nearer than
any of the stars and to say that, for instance, Mars is "in"
Pisces is as absurd as holding up your finger, aligning it _
with a cloud and claiming that your finger is "in" that
cloud !"
Astrology, as opposed to astronomy, was dropped from
the syllabuses of Oxford and Cambridge in the 17th
century, though of course, the science of astronomy
continues to flourish there. In fact, astrology, strictly
speaking has been illegal in Britain for a century and a
half since the law declared : " ..... Every person pretending
11 2/ Astrology : Believe it Dr Not!

or professing to tell fortunes or Llsing any subtle craft,
means or device by palmistry or otherwise, to deceive and
impose upon any of His Majesty's subjects ....... shall be
deemed a rogue and a vagabond, within the true intent
and meaning of the act."
The lawmakers of King George IV's time prescribed a
penalty of three months hard labour.
(Source: Astrology alld Astronomy by Harry Miller)
Now let us come to the Indian scene and find out how
many of the predictions made by well-known astrologers
on the political events and on the lives of Indian
statesmen have come true.
23 ASTROLOGERS LOST THE

1971 ELECTIONS
The Congress Pruty founded by the freedom fighters as
a forum agsinst the British rule has seen rough times
through its illustrious history. One of the worst upheavals
it has undergone occulTed in the 1969-71 period. The old
guard ill the Congress party were disenchanted with the
leadership of Mrs. Indira Gandhi and in the vertical split
that occun'ed in the ranks of the Congress, two parties, the
Congress (R) and the Congress (0) were born.
In the mid-term elections to the Lok Sabha held in
1971, there was a showdown between the two parties. The
nation watched with bated breath the results of the
elections who would win - the Congress (R) under Indira
Gandhi or the United Front which was a four-party
alliance including the Congress (0). Ultimately, the
Congress (R) was swept to power with an overwhelming
majority catapulting into the public eye Mrs. Indira
Gandhi who stayed there for another 13 years, except for
7 J 31 Astrology: Believe it or Not!

a brief stint out of power during 1977-80.
In this situation, predictions made by even obscure
astrologers were given prominence. The issues of the
Astrological Magazine in 1971 were fu ll of such
predictions. Various amateur and professional astrologers
had made predictions, most of wbjch predicted the ouster
of Indira Gandhi. For example, in the January 1971 issue,
one Mr. S. P. Udhrain from Delhi expected "the exit of
Mrs. Gandhi from power during the Saturn Antara (in his
own Bhukti and Dasa)" . Another, Mr. Venka Jagannadha
Sastry predicted that "Saturn will not allow Mrs. Gandhi
to serve the masses."
To crown it all, in the editorial in the March'71 issue,
the editor, Mr. B. V. Raman summed up his observations:
"In the next elections no single party will be able to
command absolute majority........ the formation of coalition
government is indicated .... .... the four party alliance has
better chances." Needless to add, there were lengthy
Guru (R) Ketu
Lagna
Sham:
Indira Gandhi 's
Horoscope
Chandra Kuja
Shukra Ravi
Rahu Budha

postmortems conducted, inquiring into the cause of these
disastrous predictions. All the same, 1971 went down in
astrological history as the year of embarrassing failures
(for astrologers).
24 ASTROLOGERS' SQUIBS
GO DAMP
Again, in the January 1980 Lok Sabha elections, which
were of great significance in Indian political
milieu, brought Mrs . Indira Gandhi back to power. This
completely belied not only the calculations of the top
leadership of the Janata Party and the Lok Dal but the
'predictions' of almost all top Indian astrologers.
Mr. B. V. Raman, the "doyen" among the Tndian
astrologers, was known for the remarkable vagueness of
his political forecasts (shades of Nostradamus I). But
unwittingly, he shed off this vagueness and came up with
clear and specific predictions regarding the momentous
Lok Sabha elections and failed miserably.
Here are a few samples of the astrological predictions
made by Mr. B. V. Raman and other Indian astrologers :
(AM." Astrological Magazine).
1. 'There is no indication of the Government or the
Janata Party collapsing. Jupiter in the ascendant saves
the situation' -AM, July, 1979.
(Now the incident is a part of history. It is needless to
say that "Jupiter in the ascendant" failed to check Mrs.
Gandhi's ascent to the throne) .
2. 'The astrological portents point indelibly to the mid-
term poll with the re-emergence of the Janata
Parliamentary Party as a cohesive alternative'
- AM, Nov. 1979.

3. 'For the Janata Party, the planetary movements during
1980 and the Dasha-Bhukti period are favow-able. As
such the Janata Party wjJI emerge as the ruling party
and will form the Government at the Centre.'
The following are some samples, from the Astrological
Magazine. predicting positively that Mrs. Indira Gandhi
would either lose or even if she won, would never be the
Prime Minister of India:
1. 'Therefore, we conclude that Mrs. Gandhi can at best
help her party in improving its position. Improvement
in her present status is practically ruled out' .
2. 'So it can be concluded that she will win her own seat
but she will not be the Prime Minister. Her party will
be the largest in the opposition.'
3. 'The Cancer ascendant assures well that though she
may not attain Premiership she will be again in her
zenith around the year 1982.'
4. 'Mrs. Gandhi will never become Prime Minister
during Venus Bhukti and she cannot succeed in the
litigation and her health may also fail.'
Well, here are some more predictions, made by
Mr. B. V. Raman himself, and skeptics of astrologers are
grateful to him for obliging them by departing from his
characteristic evasive vagueness in predictions :
1. 'India has a very uneasy year ahead. The Janata
Government will not only last but surprisingly
function much better than it has dOrie in the past. The
ex-Prime Minister 's (i.e. Indira Gandhi's) Herculean
efforts to get back to power while generating
unnecessary suffering fo r the poor people may misfire.
Her ability to influence the Government will be
disconcertingly limited in effectiveness.' - AM, Annual
Number, 1979 Jan.

2. 'The 3-planet combination on the 10th may not see a
stable Government in Delhi ' - AM, AnJlual Number
Jan. 1980.
(Quite to the contrary, the Congress-I led by Mrs.
Gandhi won the Lok Sabha elections with a vast majOJi ty
and formed more than a stable Govemment i).
3. 'While on the one hand this disposition i.ndicates tbat
no single party may be able to form the Central
Government (after the mid-term poll) and whatever
Government is formed may not continue to be stable.'
- Ibid
To cite tbe exemplary vagueness of Mr. B. V. Raman's
predictions, here is a piece:
"Would the association of the 10th Lord with Rabu
indicate the emergence of a powerful leader from the
lower caste or minority community? Let us wait and see"
- AM Annual Numbel; 1979.
Of course, we waited and we saw. We saw Mrs.
Gandhi - a Hindu and a Brahmin too - established herself
as the unquestioned leader of the masses. We also saw
that Jagjivan Ram, the supposed leader of the backward
castes, bid Ram Ram (good bye !) even to the party which
had promised to make him the Prime Minister. So, for
once, even the extraOJdinary vagueness failed to come to
the rescue of Mr. Raman.
To make the astrological confusion worse confounded,
Raman summed up his astrological analysis of the poll
prospects as : " ... .... it looks as though in the coming mid-
term elections, the Congress (I), the Janata and the Lok
Dal will run a close race, resulting in no decisive results
in favour of allY single party" - AM, December 1979.
Woefully, even this little escape vent failed when the
results of the polls poured in.

It is still more amusing to read the predictions of many
other top astrologers of this country. Here are some of
their forecasts given to show how occasionally there is an
unusual unanimity in the total failure of forecasts on the
same event (or were they playing follow-the-Ieader ?). As
usual, all these astrologers met their Waterloo!
Pandit Rash Behari Das (alias Raghunath Panigrahi) of
Brigu Samhita fame who was credited to have read more
than a hundred thousand horoscopes over a period of
more than four decades had categorically prophesied:
"Morarji would remain in power till 1982 when he would
be succeeded by a labana (non-Hindu)" - that would be
George Fernandes or a Muslim leader but definitely not
Mrs. Gandhi whom he chose to describe as an 'anaarya
naari' (uncultured woman) !
Incidentally, Devaraj Urs, a former Chief Minister of
the State of Kamataka and a minor player in the national
scene, found favour with a famous astrologer of North
Kamataka, Mr. N. K. loglekar. Writing in the Kannada
weekly, Prajamata, Mr.loglekar made the following
amusing astrological pronouncements:
i) No party will get a majority
ii) The next Prime Minister will be lagjivan Ram or
Chandra Shekhar.
iii) The President of India will resign from his office.
Morarji Desai or Nijalingappa will be his successor.
iv) Devaraj Urs is sure to become Deputy Prime Minister.
Even Prime Ministership could be possible."
Supporters of Charan Singh need not get disappointed
since atleast one astrologer favoured their leader. A
renowned astrologer, Ambedkar, did cast his 'astrological
vote' in favour of Charan Singh by predicting in the
Astrological Magazine : "If any of the three natives

(Indira Gandhi, Jagjivan Ram and Charan Singh) is to
become Prime Minister, it can only be Charan Singh."
Yet another dose of amusement : Astrologically
analysing on the basis of the so called Prasna Jyotisha
(Horary astrology), one astrologer asserted in AM : "The
descendant chart is strong while the ascendant chart is
weak. Thus the reply is no. So, it can be predicted thal
Mrs. Indira Gandhi can never become the Prime Minister
as a result of the next Lok Sabha elections to be held in
January 1980." .
The overwhelming success of Mrs. Gandhi, outdoing
all astrological super-calculations, surely made the
'descendant chan' of our 'top' astrologers very strong and
their 'ascendant chart' very weak. Further, no astrologer
can lay claim 011 having predicted the most dramatic and
momentous deci sions of Mrs. Gandhi - the National
Emergency in 1975 and the election s ill 1977. Nor did any
astrologer predict her most shocking assassination in
October, 1984.
All the same, the unprecedented unanimity of the top
astrologers in their pathetic failure was a sight jor the
planets to see, (f they could, and dWlce in amusement!
25 ASTROLOGERS AMUSE AGAIN

"When you collect the 10 wisest men of the world and
ask them to find the most stupid thing in existence, they
will not be able to find anything stupider than astrology."
-David Hilbert, one of the greatest
mathematicians of the 20th century.
Astrologers consider the short-lived public memory as
the corner-stone for their dubious trade. As far as
possi ble, these hawkers of inter-planetary bunkum see to

it that their predictions are of the vaguest kind - the type
tha! even ordinary mortals with a bit of common- ense
can 'predict'.
In December 1980, a 4-days' international meet of
astrologers was held in Delhi. Over 100 astrologers from
India and abroad took part in this conference, organized
by the Indian Astrologers Federation . While most of the
participants at the conference played safe by not making
any predictions, some of the top ones were foolhardy to
open their mouth and ended up with their feet in it !
They made not just some very easily varifiable
predictions but also some very moronic predictions that
even the staunchest believer of astrology would find hard
to digest.
Some of the predictions of Dr. Narayan Outt Shrimali,
who was President of the Federation, were:
"I . There will be a war between India and Pakistan by the
end of 1982 in which India will emerge victorious."
"2. There is a possibility of a world war in 1984 but India
will not be involved in it."
"3. By the end of the decade, India will emerge as the
fifth biggest power in the world."
Needless to say India was nowhere near the position of
the top five powers in the world by 1990. Also nearly all
astrologers who made predictions at the conference were
obsessed with the idea of a world war or a war between
India and a 'neighbouring country'. For example, K. A.
Dubey Padmesh, General Secretary of the Federation said:
" 1. Between December 3, 1981 and December 14, 1982,
there is a 'war danger ' from 'the neighbouring
country' and, when waged, India will win the war.
"2. There will be world war between 1982 and 1984.
"3 . President Reagan of America will not be able to

complete his term." (Quite to the contrary, Ronald
Reagan went on to complete not only his first term
but also a second successful term before relinquishing
his post in 1989).
"4. There will be change in the Pakistan Government in
1981." (Unfortunately for the astrologers, President
Zia-ul-Haq did not oblige and the subsequent change
in Government took place only in 1988-89. Talk.
about delayed justice !)
"5. Pakistan will again be divided into two parts and the
whole of Kashmir will again be divided into t\.vo parts
and the whole of Kashmir will be with India by 1988."
This is very reminiscent of the astrologer's predictions
in R. K. Narayan's Astrologer's Day; the golden rule
followed by all astrologers being: One should predict
only those things which please the listener's ego.
C. L. Panchal predicted:
"1. Pakistan wiU attack India in 1981, wherein India will
emerge victorious.
"2. There will be world Wal· in 1984-85.
"3. There wiH be a split in the ruling palty in December
1981 and the Opposition will become strong."
Dissidence
Astrologers often contradict each other with the fervent
hope that atleast one of them will be proved right. For
example, while Dr. Narayan Dutt Shrimali said, "After
March 1981, the prices will start decreasing .... ", Shri Dubey
Padmesh was of the opinion, "After March 1981, the prices
will further increase." This was at the same meet!
Here are some examples of honibly vague predictions
that astrologers make in order to enable themselves to
give their predictions different interpretations at different

times in different situations and thus get off the hook if
someone questioned them :
1. "Some very surprising incident will occur between 21
May 1981 and 27 June 1981."
- Dubey Padmesh
2. "There will be no Presidential form of government."
(Where, when - nothing specified !)
3. "Between 1982 and 1985, there will be a tremendous
change in Indian politics."
4. "After 1982, Mrs. Gandhi will emerge as the most
powerful lady."
- S. P. Dixit
5. "After August 1982, India will progress dramatically
in every sphere."
6. "India might find some underground wealth by 1982."
- B. N. Gach
After amusing ourselves with the "fantastic
predictions" of our great astrologers, let us turn to the
most popular page of our magazines.
26 "THIS WEEK FOR YOU - "

Take any weekly magazine or the Sunday supplement
of your newspaper. Flip through the pages till you reach
the astrology column. Now, select any one of the sets of
predictions for zodiacal signs at random. The chances are
that the set of predictions will be something like this :
"It is better to cancel your travel programmes as you
may have to put up with hindrances and delays. You are
lucky in having an ambitious partner who will have a
beneficial influence on you. You will show philosophical
tendencies. But you will be peculiar in your religious
beliefs. Do not rely too much on friends."

Incidentally, this set of predictions is taken from the
Forecast column by Prof. P. U. Krishna Warrier from the
Week (Nov. 11, 1990) issue. Let us examine these
predictions one by one, At that time, the anti-Manda]
Commission riots were still going on. The Rama-
janmbhoomi Babri Masjid riots were still raging and there
was an air of political uncertainty. Under such conditions
isn't a warning against travelling common-sense? Does it
need any astrology?
Then about an ambitious partner. Note : A paltner
could be a business partner, a wife or a friend. All human
beings are always ambitious. And no one likes to think
that his partner could be anything other than beneflcial to
him. So, another "prediction" which occupies three-and-a-
half lines in the column but means absolutely nothing.
Third, about your philosophical tendencies. Surely,
aren't we aU philosophical especially when the going gets
tough? When one is in trouble, even the worst cynic gets
philosophical.
Fourth, your peculiar religious beliefs. People who
believe in God but don 't go to temples will feel this applies
to them. People who don't believe in God at all feel
flattered to see their characteristics in print. People who
believe in God and religiously follow all rituals simply
shrug off saying this prediction doesn't apply to them at
all ; or they feel proud that they are peculiarly great!
Finally, the matter about not relying too much on
friends. The "prediction" doesn't say: "Don't rely on your
friends." It only advises you not to rely too much. Really,
does anyone ever rely too much on any friend however
staunch? Any person with commonsense knows the
frailty of human nature and will never rely too much on
anybody for that matter.

Commonsense advice
So, where does astrology come into the picture? Is
there any single prediction in this set which was born out
of anything other than simple comomonsense and a
shrewd judgement of people? The simple answer is 'No',
with a capital N. Invariably, predictions given III
astrological columns are simply a p~tchwork of
meaningless advice, vague statements about the reader's
character, commonsense warnings and exotic anticipations.
In his column in the Hindustan Tin1.es (Jan 3, 1981),
Khushwant Singb , the ace journalist and columnist relates
how, in the absence of a professional astrologer, he
himself used to write the astrological columns making use
of the dilightfully vague terminology in the Illustrated
Weekly of India when he was its editor. The readers who
swore by the astrological forecasts could find absolutely
no difference !
Dubious basis and vague statements
Newspaper predictions are generally based on sun-
signs (or moon-signs) rather than the so called planetary
intluences. Even astrologers admit that sun-sign astrology
used in newspaper columns has little reliable basis for
predictions of the week 's events. If you examine the
predictions for your sun-sign in different periodicals
carefully, predictions for the same stretch of time are most
often contradictory. Further, the psychological root
postulate used by writers of these columns is that people
who read the columns read only those predictions relevent
to their sun-sign . No one ventures to read the other
predictions. Just do this and you will find that predictions
meant for any other sun-sign is equally applicabJe to you.
724/ A strology: Believe it or Not!

Why do so many people reli giously read the
astrological col umns then? It appears even in North
America an estimated 1200 newspapers carry such
columns. A careful inspection reveals that the statements
(or "predictions") are so vague and unclear that they could
apply to anybody. Man's ego is such that he assumes that
anything vaguely resembling the events in his life is
indeed referring to him. T he same ego makes him ignore
the predictions which don ' t "apply" to him.
Experiment reveals the truth
Many experiments have been conducted by unbiased
observers to test the validity of astrological predictions.
The results of one experiment are particularly
enlightening. C. R. Snyder, a psychologist at the
University of Kansas and his colleagues drew up a
personality description that incl uded the characteristic
they fo und most people bel ieved they possessed. They
showed this description to three groups of people, each of
whom were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5, how well
they were described. The members of the first group were
told the truth - that it was a universal personality sketch.
The average rating was 3.2. Members of the second group
were asked for the month in which they were born and
were then told that the description had been arrived at on
the basis of th eir signs. They rated it at 3.76. Lastly, the
members of the third group were asked their exact dates
of birth and were told that the description was based on
their personal horoscopes. The average rating from this
group was a phenomenal 4.38! The same description
evoked a tremendolls response when it was dressed up
with an astrological halo!

27 DISCLAIMER FOR COLUMNS
Editors may chuckJe and say that no one takes the
astrological columns seriously, but then one must realise
that these columns are not merely useless but even
harmful and dangerous considering that decisions
affecting peoples' lives are made by others based on
whether their astrological "sign" is correct. Some
employers, for instance, use an applicant's astrological
sign as a factor in hiring his services.
In view of the dangers posed by the seemingly
harmless astrological columns, Paul Kurtz, the chairman
of the CSICOP (Committee for the Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal) requested many newspapers
to publish a disclaimer alongside the columns saying:
"The follow ing predictions should be read for
entertainment value only. Such. predictions have no
reliable basis in scientific fact. "
The reactions to this request were spontaneous. Some
newspapers published the letter as a 'letter to the editor.'
Some published the entire article. Others published
editorials or their own articles in response to the mailed
request.
Harry Moskos, the editor of the Knoxville News-
Sentinel, wrote a prominently displayed editorial-page
column calling readers' attention to the scientists'
statements, adding : "Kurtz is right in calling astrology
pure fiction. His challenge not only raises the question of
whether newspapers should be running a disclaimer but
whether newspapers should be running them at aIL"
It is highly unfortunate that in India, barring one or

two serious magazines, virtually all the periodicals
including newspapers include astrological columns, It is
true they are usually in the comic section. All the sa me
the editors should understand that these columns could
have dangerous repercussions on some people and so
scrap the columns. After all, entertainment is one thing.
But, when an activity can cause danger and distress to
somebody, it ceases to be an entertainment!
To sum up, we emphasize the following:
One, that in our country, belief in astrology is very
widespread, almost universal. Two, that there is no
scientific basis whatsoever to lend it credence because it
is based on a superstitious fear of the unknown and if we
really mean to cultivate a scientific spirit amongst the
younger generation, we must discourage its propagation.
Three, that in the advanced countries of the West, they
don't bother about astrology because it is treated as a kind
of harmless parlour game but if a man in an important
position like a minister in a government were known to
indulge in it, he would be dismissed as a screw-ball; what
is more, the chances of hi s ever being re-elected would be
dim.
28 TESTS DISPROVE
ASTROLOGICAL CLAIMS
A common artifice that astrologers fall back upon
when they begin losing in an argument is that adequate
scientific testing has not been done regarding astrology.
Well, here is some bad news for them. Not only have a
sufficient number of experiments been done but their
results show that astrological claims are false.
It is a claim made by astrologers that individuals born

under certain signs are more likely to be personality types
that become politicians or scientists. Thus, you would
expect the birth dates of these two groups to cluster in
those signs. John McGervey, a physicist at Case Western
Reserve University, looked up the birth dates of 16,634
scientists listed in American Men of Science and 6,475
politicians listed in Who:~ who in American Politics and
found the distributions of these signs were as random as
for the public at large.
Then, there is the claim that some signs are relatively
more compatible or incompatible with each other. To test
the validity of this claim, Professor Bernard Silverman, a
psychologist in Michigan State, obtained the records of
2,978 couples who married and 478 couples who divorced
in Michigan in 1967-68. He found no correlation between
astrologers' predictions and marital relations. Those born
under "compatible" signs married and divorced just as
often as those born under "incompatible" signs.
To varify if there were any trends favoULing
astrological signs ruled by Mars (courage and aggression)
as opposed to signs ruled by Venus (love and beauty),
James Barth and James Bennett of George Washington
University examined the horoscopes of men who re-
enlisted in the Marine Corps between 1962 and 1970.
Again, no correlation was found.
In search of popularity, most astrologers claim that
they had made countless correct predictions over the
years. To see how far this claim is true, Roger Culver and
Philip lanna, two astronomers, examined 3,011 specific
predictions by well-known astrologers and astrological
organizations. The resu lts indicated that only 10% of these
predictions were realized. The public reads in newspapers
and magazines the predictions and remembers only those

that came true; the fact that 90% of the e predictions never
come true is not publicized.
In India, too, the same situation exists. To capitulate
on cheap publicity, astrologers make ridiculou claims
about accurate predictions of famous incidents. The truth
is quite different. 12 out of 13 top astrologers interviewed
in the Illustrated Weekly of India (Nov. 26. 1989) failed to
predict who would be India's next Prime Minister in the
November 1989 General Elections, inspite of clear
indications to that effect.
29 TIME TO SHUN ASTROLOGY

The planets are at best time-keepers for recording
physical events. The planets can no more influence human
life on earth than the two tiny hands of a clock can regulate
and force events and emotions in one's life. A clock can
only remind a person when he has to go to his office and
when he has to return home. But the choice of keeping his
schedule is difinitely his own and not of the clock.
The controversy about the veracity of astrology, like
the one of miracle-mongering god men, seems to be never-
ending. It is really di sheartening that of late, godmen and
top astrologers are conniving with one another . to
hoodwink the common man by creating a powerful fear
psychosis in them and then vouchsafing instant supreme
bliss. His already confused mind gets further confounded
when he finds an asu·oIoger speaking eloquently of
spirituality or on the "uncertainty principle" of physics.
i) Conspiracy against common sense
This is actually a conspiracy against common sense,
reasoning and the creative faculty of man. It is

unf0I1unate that a section of the press also joins hands
with the astrologers, miracle-mongers and mischievous
scientists who have mortgaged their brains.
A common question, often posed, is why should
astrology be opposed so vehemently when there are other
more urgent and important problems facing mankind to be
solved. But the social and psychological damages caused
by astrology should not be glossed over in this manner.
What the questioners don't realise is that astrology is
itself, one important hurdle to man's development. While
most of the material problems can be solved with eff0i1
and proper decisions, a determind effort by a few
generations is needed to root out these superstitious beliefs
from the mjnds of a tradition-ridden society like ours.
A relentless crusade against such superstitions,
obscurantism and social evils that have been accepted as
part of the Hindu society, therefore, has to be undet1aken
Mr. CITIZEN
(II, MURTHY)
.~
Parrot for Diploma

in astrology
(Courtsey Deccan
Herald)
J' II be seeking a seat for h.im !

by a body of enlightened scientists, educationists and
journalists. And this cannot be achieved without the active
support of the mass media. Newspapers and magazines,
instead of indulging in political gossip-mongering, should
take up this challenging task.
It is the mass media 's apathy that encourages
astrologers to seek recognition for their trade as a
"science". What's more, they even want chairs instituted
in our universities. It is ~like the pick-pockets' association
demanding the starting of a course which impaJts
advanced training in picking pockets !
For instance, in one of his lectures Mr. B. V. Raman
congratulated Mr. N. T. Rama Rao, former Chief Minister
of Andhra Pradesh, for introducing Jyolisha in the B.A.
class in the Telugu University and hoped that the then
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Dr. M. Chemla Reddy,
himself a lover of astrology and a man of bold thinking
who never minced matters in upholding the validity of
astrology, would see to it that l yotisha became a subject
in the M.A. class also. Further, Raman bemoaned
discontinuance of the post-graduate diploma course in
astrology in the Karnatak University by a V. C. of
progressive outlook (Astrological Magazine, April 1990).
There is certainly nothing unnatural in astrologers
seeking credibility for their trade but what sounds strange
is the support given to this bizarre demand from some
chancellors, vice-chancellors and scientists.
A former Vice-chancellor, V. K. Gokak, strongly
defended astrology thus: "There might be a case against
astrologers but not against astrology; the reason for not
instituting chairs for astrology in universities was their
undue reverence for physical sciences."
In reply to this, Dr. H. Narasimhaiah, a high-priest of

the scientific temper rightly asked: "Are there even a
handful of astrologers in the whole world whose
predictions are consistently correct ?... The reason (for
not instituting chairs for astrology) is the incapacity of
astmlogy to establish itself as a science."
Another argument put forth in support of introduction
of astrology is that there are some universities in the USA
and elsewhere which have accommodated astrology as a
branch of knowledge and even award doctorates in the
subject.
This argument does not give respectability to astrology
but it certainly gives lise to several doubts regarding the
standards of such universities and the competence of the
examining bodies.
After all, a university might have awarded Ph.D. for
establishing the hollowness of astrology or fo r a thesis on
lunatics who are prone to take the advice of astrologers
and sooth-sayers.
ii. Concocted
If astrology is made a subject for research in a
university, one can anticipate a bumper crop of Ph.D.s in
that subject for establishing results based on concocted
data since there is no scope for their verification.
,The case of a professor of parapsychology in a north
Indian university who published a series of so called case
histories of rebirtJl which were later found to be concocted
is still fresh in our memory.
The advocates of astrology have now descended a step
further and claim that it is an empirical science and not a
perfect science in the sense of mathematics or physics or
chemistry. But the iluestion is whether astrology deserves
the appellation of even an empirical science. After all, an

empirical science must have the support of observations,
and experiments even though it might be difficuJt to
provide a theoretical ju tification.
When the overwhelming fa ilures of ast.rological
predictions are pointed out, the astrological sava nts
immediately retort by citing the examples of medical
science and meteorology where too, there are instances of
failures of diagnoses and cure or in weather forecasts.
iii. No common mode
These protagoni sts of as trology ignore a very
important differe nce between their subject and sciences
like pathology and meteorology. The latter have a
universal lan guage and method of arriving at the same
concl usion world over from a specified data; and
secondly, the successes of predictions or diagnoses are
overwhelming in these sciences while their failures can be
thoroughly anaJysed leadin g to the fUl1her development of
the sciences.
On the contrary, astrologers do not have a common
mode of arri ving at a conclu ion from the data, namely
the horoscope; in fact , not only do the astrologers
contradict one another but even different sys tems of
astrology are cont.radictory.
A popul ar astJ"Ologer contends that had astrology not
been based on science, it would not have survived so long
and in so many countries. .
This is a fallacious argument. Ju st because something
has existed in many countries for centuries, th at does not
justify its validity or respectability. Haven't a large
number of upers titions and social evils thrived in the
human society fo r thousands of years? These are neither
scientific nor desirable.

Science, of course, has no objection to postulation of
empirical laws based on experience, but these laws get the
final sanction only when established after repeated tests.
The situation becomes more pathetic when "established"
scientists begin supporting obscurantist ideas on the excuse
that scientists like Einstein and Heisenberg have accepted
the limitations of science and that "they have repeatedly
expressed a lurking consciousness on their part of
something beyond nature which transcends and controls it."
iv. Preposterous beliefs
But certainly, Einstein and Heisenberg were not so
naive as to suspect the veracity of the laws of science or
logic. Nor would they accept as gospel truth anything that
does not stand to reason or common sense.
It is also baffling to see double standards among some
of our working scientists. While an astronomy professor
expLains the scientific cause of the solar and lunar eclipses
to his students in the class-room, at home Rahu and Ketu
still persist in swallowing the Sun and the Moon! Is it not
amusing to find a physicist, who swears by the law of
conservation of mass and energy discoursing on
materialization of objects out of nothing? Science and
superstition seem to co-exist peacefully in our society.
v. Wrongly oriented
The problem is essentially one of psychology and
attitude. One great tragedy is that the cuniculum in our
Indian universities is essentially information-oriented and
never attitude-oriented. The result is that however many
Ph.D.s, D.Sc.s and high academic positions one may hold,
one can afford to continue to be highly superstitious if not
a moron in reality.

Another factor which makes some scientists and
intellectuals believe in astrology is purely of a
psychological nature. These learned men look upon the
astrologers, perhaps unconsciously, as psychiatrists who
provide them with appropriate reasons supposedly based
on planerary positions for the happenings and future
anticipations in their lives . These astrologers go one step
fUlther in raising hopes for the future mostly in the form
of fruition of wishful thinking and ambitions of their
clients. Needless to say, most of the successful astrologers
are very good at playing on the psychology of their
prospective victims. The clients of astrology in most cases
are least interested in questioning the rationale of
astrology.
An argument often given ill favour of astrology is that
the rules given for prediction in our astrological texts are
Computerised predictions (Courtesy: India Today)

of a statistical nature and therefore the predictions could
go wrong once in a way. After all, even in science, perfect
laws and predictions are not always possible.
But then, anyone going by logic will not fail to notice
a glaring contradiction in this argument. If astrology is a
statistical science, to what extent (or percentage) have the
predictions given by even the most learned astrologers
come true? If the success of predictions is not even to the
extent of 60-70%, certainly, astrology fails to win the
respectability of even a statistical science.
On the basis of this , one helpful suggestion can be
given to our astrological pundits: If the predictions based
on the current rules of astrology succeed only to the
extent of, say, 25-30% then why not give exactly opposite
predictions if then the success rate will be above 70% ?
vi. No verification
One may rightly ask then if astrology does not
deserve to be introduced in the universities as a branch of
knowledge, how can one verify statistically the laws of
predictions given in astrology. The answer is that there are
thousands of professional astrologers and self-styled astro-
research institutions which can carry out researches to this
effect. Besides, our Sanskrit colleges and Oriental
institutes where iyotisha is pursued as a Shastra can as
well carry out the investigations.
Again, investigations into the claims of the so called
Naadi-granthas which are shrouded in mystery can be
successfully carried out by the oriental research institutes
by publishing and translating Naadis (like Bhrigu Naadi,
Shukra Naadi, etc.). This would stop to a large
extent swindling of money by those who are supposed to
be owning these Naadi works.

vii. Tall claim
The claim of astrology is that one's fate can be
determined from the positions of planets, say at the time
of one's birth . Now even if we accept the theory of
Karma and fate, astrology does not automatically become
valid. In fact, one is not able to find any correlation
between the concept of fate and the motion of the planets.
This non-existent correlation is taken for granted by the
advocates of astrology and the gullible people alike. Even
the theory of Karma and rebirth is a suspect! (see
author's "Tradition, Science and Society", Navakaruataka
Publications Private Limited, Bangalore.).
The planet moving with their prescribed periods of
revolution round the sun are at best time-keepers for
recording physical events.
The Hindu astrology presupposes the Karma theory
which also provides foundation for the rebirth theory.
According to the tenets of the Vedanta philosophy, ones's
life is governed by one's past actions , physical, mental
etc. But the law of Karma being uncomopromising and
inflexible tends to encourage fatalism.
Determi nism is highly demoralising because it squarely
shifts responsibilities from individuals to Karma or to a
personalised god, thus completely paralysing one's will to
reform when that is needed.
viii. Inescapable past
It is the claim of the Hindu astrology that the position
of planets at the time of one's birth indicates one's lot
depending on past deeds, and that this is simply
inescapable. It is really amusing that the very same
traditional astrologers prescribe different types of shaantis

and pujas in honour of different planets, especially the
blessed Saturn, for mitigating the evil effects. The planets
discovered in this and the last centuries - Uranus, Neptune
and Pluto - are still anxiously waiting for recognition at
the doors of Hindu astrological pundits. But some
enthusiasts have already hastened to convert these
mlechcha planets into the sacred folds of Hinduism by
christening them Prajapati, Varuna and Yama (or Rudra)
respectively!
The psychological and social dangers resulting from
belief in astrology and its predictions are really manifold
and frighteningly far-reaching.
The immediate social impact is in fixing alJiances for
marriages among the Hindus. The already abhorrent
problem of marriages, thanks to the heinous social evil of
castes, subcastes and dowry, is further aggravated by the
problems arising from the "tallying" of horoscopes. Some
unfortunate girls are relegated to permanent spinsterhood-
their only "sin" being their birth under 'evil' nakshatras
like Mula and lyeshta !
Again, there is the problem of Kuja Dosha ("Mars
defect") according to which the man or woman born with
that dosha will be widowed earlier. Therefore, persons
having this defect are made to wait till an alliance with
another case of Kuja Dosha turns up !
The psychological agony caused by predictions of
calamities in the horoscopes of individuals is a frequent
experience in almost every household which is in the
habit of consulting astrologers. Sometimes, this results in
suicide or lunacy. The phenomenon of Saadhe saati
(seven and half years) is a supposedly threatening periodic
concurrence (once in thirty years) in everyone's
horoscope. The astrologer readily explains away the
138/ Astrology : Believe it Df Not!

miseries and failures in one's life with the help of this
Saturnine journey through three consecutive signs of the
zodiac. These are the typical astrological tools used by
astrologers to cause havoc in individual minds and lives.
While there is apparently not much to establish
astrology as a science (in the serious sense of the term),
even common sense and rational analysis of facts weigh
heavily against considering it as a science.
After all, frightenjng predictions of havoc during the
ashta grahakula (8 planets' conjuction in February 1962)
and frequently made predictions of world-destruct jon, that
fortunately never came true, are still fresh in our memory.
As a face-saving device, a Bangalorean astrologer asserted
that the havoc did take place in 1962 when thousands of
fish "succumbed" in the ocean to evil effects of the eight
planets' combination!
ix. Astrology in universities
Introduction of astrology, a few years ago, as a subject
for undergraduate teaching at the Sri Venkateshwara
University, Tirupatj, in Andhra Pradesh and for a
certificate course at the Karnatak University deserves
disapproval from all academic quarters. The propriety of
introducing astrology as a subject for teaching, that too
for undergraduate students, is highly questionable.
Sciences like physics and chemistry or intellectual
disciplines ljke mathematics, logic and other humanities
are taught to our youngsters to enable them to develop
their intellectual and critical faculties, whereas astrology
as a subject serves no such useful purpose and is, on the
other hand, debilitatory to the thought processes of the
young minds.
Therefore, when one hears arguments like introduction
139/ Astrology: Believe it or Not I

of astrology being a "laudable training" to students , one
can't help concluding that it is just an attempt to
deliberately lose sight of the avowed objectives of
education.
x. Ancient science
The argument that astrology has been developed by the
ancient sages of Vedic times and hence to be respected
and pursued is untenable. Adi Shankara admonishes the
fanatics of traditionalism :
Of 1% ~~~ ~~: 3T>!CPT~n err
~ ~CR{ ~iffill
"Even a hundred Vedic texts declaring that fire is cold
or that it emits no light would not be a valid source of
knowledge."
- Shankara's com. on Bhagavadgita, 18.66
Specially with reference to one's implicit faith III
astrology, Adi Shankara, the renowned propounder of
Advaita philosophy, has the following to say:
dl Q ItX:41 frI urcn:ftPcr ~~ftfrr
~ qlmqq{lRi ~C'<11
~ C1R1A:zflfrl ~
Offcf~~~11
- People observe fasting with implilcit faith in an
astrologer who says, "today is Ashtami. today is Navami,
Chaturdashi." But alas! they do not believe the scriptures
which declare, Thou art that.
Before the epidemic of popularising astrology spreads
to other universities all rational-minded education~sts
joumalists and scientists should come out openly and
oppose any such move and thus help prevent corruption of
young minds. Now let us turn our attention to another evil
practice of astrology in human relations.

30 MARRIAGES AND ASTROLOGY
It is a claim often made by astrologers that marriages
arranged on an astrological basis have much greater
chance of being successful than "love marriages. "
At the outset, proponents of this myth - peculiar to
Indian society - start with a wrong premise that marriages
without "tallying horoscopes" are failures. In fact, in
Christian, Muslim and some other societies, marriages are
most stable though they do not rely on astrology. Even in
our Hindu society, 90% of the marriages especially in the
viUages are highly stable. Surely, they don ' t go by the
horoscopes. If some of the so called love marriages are
often failures , it is surely not because astrologers were not
consulted in the process. The failures could be on account
of various socia-economic as well as temperamental
factors. One strong reason is that most often such
maniages are but inescapable outcomes of what can be
called "roadside accidents" where the needed
temperamental and emotional rapport may be lacking.
The "arranged" marriages (with priests, horoscopes,
antaqJata; barber-cum-piper etc.) are seemingly successful
mainly because the parties involved are essentially
fatalists and are afraid of social scorn in case of divorces.
Most often, such marriages are consummated among
blood relations and disgustingly close-knit sub-sects of
our caste-ridden society.
After all, the astrologer recommends alliances on the
basis of "tallying" marks, the maximum being 36. This is
again based primarily on the Nakshatra and the paada
(q uarter) in which a boyar a girl is born. There is a lot of

confusion caused in the Hindu astrology due to the
difference between the so called moving zodiac (saayana)
and the fictitious fixed zodiac (nirayana) - thanks to the
precession of the equinoxes. This confusion caused by the
di versity of opinions among our top astrologers is
sufficient to place a boy or a girl by manipulating a
Nakshatra here or a paada there to suit the astrologer's
choice. Many very good alliances are dismissed due to
lack of astrological sanction while many more
incompatible "holy deadlocks" are brought about by these
almanac-gazing charlatans.
The miserable plight in which our astrologers have
placed unfortunate girls born with Kuja Dosha or in "evil"
constellations of Mooia, lyeshtha etc. is too well-known.
But then, our astrologer-priests, who advocate the efficacy
of mantra are superhumanly capable of mitigating and
even completely annulling the bad effects! Their success
is proportional to the fees you pay and the degree of your
gullibility.
Among the various Kootas for the tallying of
horoscopes of the boy and the girl, the most amusing is
what is called "Yoni Koota" - a test of genital
compatibility - arrived at strictly by mathematical
calculations ! While this fruitful mathematics seems to be
omnipotent, the bride may well continue to be barren and
the groom impotent. So much for the Yoni KOala. Surely,
pre-marital medical checkup for the prospective couples
can be a real and scientific test.
A similar false approach towards natura] events also is
seen in the matter of eclipses.
142/ Astrology : Believe it or Not I

31 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
A total solar eclipse took place on February 16, 1980.
It rightly created curiosity and a sense of expectancy
among the scientists. It provided them with a rare
opportunity to canoy out some very useful scientific
investigations (on the occasion). In fact, a similar total
solar eclipse took place in May 29, 1919. That was
responsible for experimentally establishing the
gravitational bending of light as envisaged by Einstein's
General Theory of Relativity.
But what is amusing is the ridiculous speculation
among our pseudo-astroscientists and unquestioning
believers in tradition regarding the eclipses. During the
total solar eclipse of Feb_ 1980 it appears some of them
were eagerly setting ready their instruments, whatever
they be, to investigate the effects of the Gamma rays,
X-rays etc. - which they claimed would be released
profusely at the time of eclipse - on the foetuses in the
wombs of pregnant women !
A top pseudo-scientist even claimed that during
eclipses, "twin-tailed germs rotating like a fan get into
the womb - these are Rahu and Ketu ." He even cleverly
attributed the observation of this "phenomenon" to Sir
J. C. Bose. Can there be a greater insult to this renowned
scientist of haloed memory ?
Of course, the growing foetuses might likely to be
seriously affected during the eclipse, especially in
India, not due to the innocent Rahu and Ketu (which are
but imaginary geometric points) and certainly not by the
eclipsed sun, but due to the psychological damage made
143 / Astrology .- Believe it or Not!

on the minds of the credulous expectant mothers by the
continuous brainwashing from superstitious quarters as
also by the "Gamma rays" and other "Cosmic" rays
emanating from the fertile brains of our pseudo-scientists.
The latest fraud on gullible minds - hitech style - is
discussed in the next chapter.
32 COMPUTER ASTROLOGY
When in the seventeenth century the great French
mathematician, Blaise Pascal invented the first calculating
machine or in the nineteenth century the English
mathematician Charles Babbage invented his "difference
engine" or in this century when, in the forties, the
electronic computer first entered the scene, it was hardly
anticipated that these exciting inventions would also be
put to a ridiculous use (or abuse?) viz., the
superstitious charlatanry of astrological predictions. None
of the celebrated pioneers of these fast computing gadgets
ever dreamt that prospective brides and grooms in the
20th century India would be so gullible as to rush to
computers - with their birth-data as the only credentials to
have their horoscopes "tallied" for marriages !
Computer has made its inroads into every walk of life
and how can the scheming charlatans avoid jumping to
seize the opportunity? The entry of computer in the
astrology business has created an unimaginably big boom.
In every town scores of computer astrology shops are
cropping up. In the years to come, as the number of
gullible believers goes on increasing, the business of
computer astrology is unfortunately bound to flourish.
i. Boon to astrology : From an astrologer's point of
view entry of computer into astrology is truly a boon

since he need not have to rack his brain for hours any
more for computing the positions of various planets . He
need not have to resort to the modem ephemerides or to
the traditional panchangas, nor is there any need for
preserving these scrolls of planetary positions year
after year! Moreover, to cast the horoscopes of our great
grand parents or of great personalities who jived hundreds
of years ago, using only panchangas, is almost an
impossible task for a traditional astrologer.
Further, casting the birth-charts of chiJdren born
abroad is something unknown to most of the traditional
astrologers. They hardly take up this task or else produce
a wrong horoscope! In the context of these problems
faced by the practising astrologers, the advent of computer
into their domain now in indeed a great boon to them.
If you need your horoscope cast on a computer, all that
you have to do is to press in, on the computer keyboard,
your date of birth (year, month and the date), the time of
birth and finally the terrestrial logitude and latitude of the
place of your birth. Lo and behold, there appears on the
monitor a neatly drawn chart showing therein the Raashi
Kundali, the Navaam.sha Kundali etc. giving the details of
planetary positions and the LagnQ (Ascendant) in degrees
and minutes. You will also get the details of Tithi,
Nakshatra, Vaara (weekday), Yoga and Karana - the five
items together called panchaanga. If a printer is added on
to the computer, you will also get a neat printout of the
charts. All this computer miracle takes about 5 minutes.
You need neither the knowledge of astrology (let alone
astronomy) nor of programming.
But, most of the computer software available in the
market can get you the horoscopes in the Indian sty Ie for
dates ranging over just 100 years of the present century.

Further, the three planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are
kept out of the software - still remaining as "mlechchas",
. being discovered by the Westerners in the recent
centuries!
However, some well-designed software can get you
planetary charts for dates not only hundreds but even
thousands of years old (of course, with slightly less
accuracy).
ii) Utility in chronology : Since the software used is
based on modem astronomical formulae, it can be safely
used by chronologists and historians to fix up dates of
great historical events and personalities of the bygone
days on the basis of some astronomical details, like tithi,
nakshatra, weekday, planetary positions or eclipses
provided in inscriptions and other historical records . This
appears to b.e the one, and indeed the only, positive use of
a computer software like this.
iii) Computer prediction', : It is undoubtedly true that
the planetary positions given by the computer software
based on modem formulae are scientific and fairly
accurate. But then, the astrological predictions obtained
from the same source are all simple nonsense! Not only
that, the predictions are highly dangerous and bound to
misguide the gullible. Even according to astrologers, the
predictions given by the computer are a bundle of
contradictions. For example, in the horoscope of an
accomplished prospective bride, if the 7th house
-responsible for her conjugal life - is occupied or aspected
by a good planet (benefic) and also by a bad planet
(malefic), the computer is impartial in giving the two
contradictory predictions: because of the good planet the
bride will have a happy and fruitful married life and
thanks to the evil planet her conjugal life will be

miserable and fruitless! The practising astrologers ' claim
is that in the event of such a contradiction, they would
compare the relative strengths of the good and bad planets
and based on their "vast experience" and "intuition" they
would give a correct and balanced prediction! Well, the
obvious professional secret behind this argument is that
unless they carry out a powerful anti propaganda against
their new rival, the computer astrology, thousands of them
would lose tbeir Ii velihood !
iv) Computer astrology· a business: According to
the price-list of a modest computer astrology centre, tbe
prices for different "services" are as follows : Rs . 25 for
casting an ordinary horoscope and Rs. 50 for a detailed
one. Further, for the service of giving predictions, the
price ranges from Rs. 90 to Rs. 500 depending on for how
many years you need predictions. Obviously, the rates are
very much higher at more sophisticated centres (air-
conditioned and using superior printing paper) and in
costlier cities. Of course, the intrinsic prediction rubbish
dished out is the same. Thousands of people in this
country madly ru sh to these illiterate "computer
astrologers" to make them rich overnight. If you want to
amass easy wealth, with no effort or strain on your brain,
you just need put up a roadside computer astrology kiosk
with 'uninterrupted power supply'. Of course, you will
have to make an initial investment - banks vie with one
another to finance such "self-employment" - on even a
small computer, printer and the astrology software.
There are companies in this country which are
spinning thousands of rupees a day with minimum
maintenance expenses. A centre at Delhi's Connaught
Place reportedly earned more than Rs. 8000 a day ! It is
also reported that between November 1986 and January
14 7/ Astrology : Believe it or Not!

1987 - in a period of less that 3 months - a company made
huge money by casting the computer horoscopes of about
9000 followers of Maharshi Mahesh Yogi at the yogi's
NOIDA camp. While you may brand the craze of the
disciples as "transcendental" stupidity, is it not an easy
and simple mode of distributing black-money, hardly
earned by either party?!
v) Horoscopic match making: It is well known that
. in our Hindu society the most important role of
horoscopes is in match making or "tallying" the
horoscopes for prospectives brides and bridegrooms. Out
of a maximum of 36 points ("gunas "), if the two
horoscopes tally by atleast 18 gunas the alliance is given
a green signal. Now, this task of "tallying" horoscopes is
done in a triCe by the computer for which service you
need shell down 50 bucks onwards. The printout gives
details of the "kootas" which favourably match and those
which do not. It also indicates if there is the so called
"Kuja dosha" or "Maangalika dosha" (Mars defect!) in
either or both horoscopes.
For example, in the printout of the "Guna Matching"
of the horoscopes of Hariram and Lakshmi the
tallying is only to the extent of 11.5 points out of 36 (i.e.
about 32 percent). Further there is Maangalika Dosha in
the horoscope of Hariram while it is absent in Lakshmi 's.
Hence their alliance is not recommended!
One may recall the unfortunate reported incident of an
educated youth who committed suicide after reading the
computer prediction that his life would be miserable. This
shows how much havoc computer-prediction can create in
the believing minds.
In the light of all the issues discussed above, the only
advice to our friends is "Please don't believe in astrology

and more so in computer predictions!" Before the
epedemic of the craze for computer predictions and
match-making (based on horoscopes) spreads further, even
Like the most dreaded AIDS, all rational-minded
progressive organizations, educationists and journalists
should use all the powerful tools in their armoury to give
a death blow to this creed of computer predictions.
The belief in astrology among our masses is so deep
that for every trivial decision in their personal lives - like
whether to 'apply for a job or not - they readily rush to the
astrologers with their horoscopes. Politicians, of course,
are the major clients of the "top" astrological swindlers -
the "doyens" of Hindu astrology. The advent of computer
into the field has only made the consultations costlier and
faster.
It is unfortunate that the otherwise useful and powerful
techonological gadget has only added a new dimension to
the in-ationaliry of the modern man in the context of
astrology. The misguided and misplaced trust in the
infallibility of the computer adds further dangers to the
already existing psychological and social hazards caused
by astrology. The layman hardly knows that, after all, the
computer just obeys the commands of a human who could
be fallible and perhaps gullible and who exploits a
powerful modem technological gadget to hoodwink the
believers in astrology.
Let us remind ourselves of the advice given by Swami
Vivekananda:
"You will find that astrology and all these mystical
things are generally signs of a weak mind. Therefore, as
soon as they are becoming prominent in our minds, we
should see a physician, take good food and rest. "

33 SHEER ESCAPISM
Finally let us tum our attention to an editorial
published in Indian Express on December 30, 1982, which
very succinctly explains the sheer escapism and pemicious
effect of astrology. The editorial, in part, reads:
"The unknown has a peculiar fascination for most
people. Indeed, many of mankind's greatest scientific
discoveries have taken place because inquiring minds like
Galileo, Newton or Pasteur were intrigued by a particular
phenomenon' and had the tenacity and intelligence to
unravel its mystery. Thus have science and rationalism
progressed. A developing society, such as India, has to
overcome the burden of superstition and dead habit to
move forward and remove avoidable impediments to
rational behaviour and a positive work ethic. Yet the large
attendance at the National Conferences of Astrology is
indicative of the considerable influence this occult
practice exercises on the Indian mind. As enteltainment,
astrology is fun. But it can have little place as a guide to
action. Mr. B. V. Raman, possibly the best-known and
most articulate defender of what he calls the science of
astrology, harked back, as almost all astrolog~rs do, to the
glories of the ancient past. However, the scientific claims
made fo~ some of the ancients are highly dubious. The
planets and constellations when viewed at any given
moment are not really at those positions, because of the
time that it takes for light to travel that distance. Since
astrologers claim that the exact position of inter-stellar
bodies is crucial, this simple fact alone makes nonsense of
horoscopes and predictions.
150/ AStrology: Believe it or Not r

It is when astrology claims to predict the future that it
becomes a bane, even pernicious. If everything is pre-
destined by the configuration of the stars, what is the
point in trying to change the course of events? As the
Indian Association of College-Going Scientists said in a
statement issued at an Astrology seminar : Astrology, by
implication, precludes all attempts and incentives on the
part of individuals to improve their lot by their own
efforts and prevents them being self-dependent and.
therefore, truly free persons. That, in brief, is the main
argument against astrology. Indeed, the Indian
Constitution says that one of the Fundamental duties of
every CItizen is "to develop the scientific temper,
humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform. " The
country needs self-reliance, not escapism.
"The plan.ets do not make or mar our Destiny

We are the makers of our Destiny".
- Pt. lawaharlal Nehru
"Let stars come, what harm is there? If a slar

disturbs my life, it would not be worth a cent".
- Swami Vivekananda
"In order to escape falsification they

(astrologers) de~troyed the testability of their
theory. It is typical... trick to predict things so
vaguely that the predictions can hardly fail; that
they become irrefutable ".
- Karl Popper
15' / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Ancient Indian Astronomy by Dr. S. Balachandra Rao,
B.R.P.C.Ltd., New Delhi (in Press).
2. Astrology Disproved by L. E. Jerome, Prometheus
Books, New York, 1977.
3. Brihat laataka (Sanskrit) of Varaharnihira (i) with
Kannada Translation and Com. by Kadri Srinivasa
Sharma, Siddhapura (D.K), 1991; (ii) English
Translation by B. Suryanaraina Rao, Bangalore.
4. Brihat Samhita (Sanskrit) of Varahamihira (i) with
Hindi Translation and Com. by Pandit Achyutananda
Jha Sharma, Chaukhamba Prakashan, Varanasi 1977;
(li) with Sanskrit Com. of Bhattotpala, Varanasi,
1968; (iii) with Eng. Tr. and Notes by M. R. Bhat,
Motital Banarasidass, Delhi, 1981.
. 5. Indian Astronomy - An Introduction by Dr. S.
Balachandra Rao, Un.iversities Press Ltd. (Orient
Lon.gman Ltd.,) Hyderabad, 2000.
6. Indian Mathematics and Astronomy - Some Land
marks (Rev. 2nd Ed.) by Dr. S. Balachandra Rao,
Jnana Deep Publications, 2388, Rajajinagar 2nd
Stage, Bangalore-lO, 2000.
7. laataka Parijaata (Sanskrit) of Vaidyanatha with
Sanskrit Com. Sudhaa Shaalim: by Pandit
Kapileshvara Chaudhary, Chaukhambha Sanskrit
Samsthan, Varanasi, 1984.
8. Lunar effect on mental illness by Bauer S. F. and
Hornick, EJ. American Journal of Psychiatry, 125
(1968). pp. 148-149.

9. Phaladeepika (Sanskrit) of Mantresvara with English
Translation by V. Subrahmanya Sastri , Bangalore,
1950.
10. Sampradaya, Vijnana mattu Samaaja (Kannada, 5th
Ed.) by Dr. S. Balachandra Rao, Navakamataka
Publications Pvt. Ltd., 1999.
11. Surya Siddhanta (i) Eng. Translation by Rev.
E. Burgess, Ed. and reprinted, Motilal Banarasidass,
Delhi, 1989 (ii) Ed. with Comments of Paramesvara
by K. S. Shukla, Lucknow, 1957.
12. Tradition, Science and Society (2nd Ed.) by Dr. S.
Balachandra Rao, Navakarnataka Publications Pvt.
Ltd., Bangalore, 1998.
13. Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja, Ed. Translation and
Comments by David Pingree, Harvard University
Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1978.
153/ Astrology; Believe it or Not!

Some Reviews on
ASTROLOGY: BELIEVE IT OR NOT?
"In the ongoing controversy of whether astrology is a
science ... BR ( Balachandra Rao) presents the essentials of
astrology in as systematic a way as possible.
I strongly recommend this book to the general educated
layperson, especially one who likes to regulate his/her life
by astral considerations ... "
Dr. Jayant Narlikar
ruCAA,Pune
(Current Science, July 2001)
"If you want to know all about astrology, read a compact

book of (about) 150 pages, Astrology: Believe It or Not?
(Navakarnataka Publications) by S. Balachandra Rao ... He
is the author of several textbooks on astronomy in English
and Kannada. (HRD Minister, Dr. Murli Manohar) Joshi
and (UGC Chairman, Dr. Hari) Cautam would do well to
read llis (Balachandra Rao's) works before squandering our
money on futile pursuits."
- Khushwant Singh
(Hindustm1 Times & Deccan Herald)
" ... The basic concepts of positional astronomy are

explained in simpJe terms- a testimony to the fact that the
author is a good teacher. His expertise in mathematics,
astronomy and the history of Indian astronomy are reflected
in the description."
Dr. B. S. Shylaja
Jawahar Lal Nehru Planetarium, Bangalore
(Deccan Herald, August 19, 2001)
NAVAKARNATAKA PUBLICATIONS
GENERAL INTEREST
Astrology. Believe It or Not ? (2nd Print)
Dr. S. Balachalldra Rao 75.00
Tradition, Science and Society Dr. S. Balachal1dra Rao 35.00
Vaasthu. Truth or Myth? (2nd PL) B. V. Veerabhadrappa 50.00
Frederick Engels and Modern Science:
A Relook at the History of Time Dr. K. K. Theckedath 90.00
All the Perfumes of Arabia Will Not, Dr Joshi
Adihja Narayana 30.00
(NCERT School Textbooks. A Lethal Blow to Composite Culture of Secular india)
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Prospects and Retrospects (Foreword by Prof C.N.R. Rao)150.00
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Astrology, Believe It or Not - OCR

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Astrology, Believe It or Not - OCR

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A STR OLOGY: BELIEVE IT OR NOT?

A book on Astrology by Dr. S. Balachandra Rao

First Edition: 2000

© Navakarnataka Publications Private Limited

Cov r Design : Navakarnataka Vinyasa

0201082368 ISBN 978-81-7302-430-6

7/ Astrology: Believe it or Not I .

8/ Astrology : Believe il or Not!

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11 I Astrology: Believe it or Nor!

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"You live in Time as well as Space. You are

13/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

See Indian Mathematics and Astronomy .. Some

141 Astrology : Believe it or Not!

Ii. Aryabhata's value of Pi

15 / ASfro/ogy : Believe it or Not!

16 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

17 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

18 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

19 / A stro logy: Believe it or Not!

20/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

2 1 I Astrology: Believe it or Not!

22 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

23 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

"It is india that gave us the ingenious method of

24/ Astrology : Believe it or NOl !

25 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

26/ Astrology; Believe it or Not I

27 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

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Kriya KPlo' C; Aries

Besides these names of the signs of the zodiac, in the

30/ Astrology : Believe it or Not!

I,. M.'llt (Ill of planets

1 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

32/ ASlfology : Believe it or Not!

3 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

34/ Astrology : Believe it or Not I

" I A tro logy: Believe it or Not!

36/ Astrology; Believe it or Not!

7 / Asrrology : Believe it or Not!

Diwan Bahadur L. D. Swamikannu Pillai, the famo us

38/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

If I AAr I gy : Believe it or Not !

40/ Astrology : Believe it or Not!

I I ' 11' . The stars and planets are in fact at different

Z' Fig . 1. Celestial Sphere

4 1 / Astrology: Believe it or Not!

42 / Astrology : Believe it or Not!

II: 'lil'li and Equinoxes

43/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

The angle between the planes of the ecliptic and the

44/ Astrology : Believe it or No! I

Ii or lh c liptic) is called Zodiac ("Bhachakra"),

" longitude and Latitude

45/ Astro logy: Believe it or Not!

Sagittarius Dhanus Archer 240.° - 270.0

(northern) if S Jies on the same side of the ecli ptic as the

46/ Astrology: Believe it or Not!

,' till ' ' olt-y into signs and Raashis