Techniques of Dr. Raman (a) The Popular Method: Dr. Raman used the popular method first, always and invariably. The horoscope together with Navamsa is completely analysed and synthesised together with the Vimshottari Dasa and transits. Every conscientious astrologer knows that at this stage he gets his intuitive perception of the event, happening. He can stop and predict. But now
arises the need to see this in detail, cross-check, to elucidate it further.
(b) Novel Use of Vimshottari Dasa: Having picked up an approved method of employing the Vimshottari Dasa in an entirely different way from what is generally done; he did it extensively on the horoscopes of Hitler, Mussolini etc., and gave his predictions.
(c) Jaimini Dasas: Dr. Raman invariably calculated longevity through Jaimini’s methods and employed Chara Dasa, Sthira Dasa and Nirayana Shula Dasa.
(d) Ashtakavarga: I never asked him and he never told me to what extent he employed Ashtakavarga together with calculations of Sodya Pinda for his predictions. Since I employed it extensively for many years and got very correct results, I am sure in his younger days he did it but perhaps gave it up.
(e) Annual Horoscope: I do not know to what extent he relied on it.
(f) Prasna Kundali: Almost every astrologer employs it sometime or the other and that Dr. Raman must have done it quite often is clear from the instances he gives in his Early Experiences. He had used Prasna in the U.S.A. when his bag was lost to come to the conclusion that he would get it back and he did get it back.
(h) Nadi Methods: The Astrological Magazine has been carrying some Nadi reading of horoscopes in its issues for many years. Dr. Raman told me that a Pandit in possession of an authentic copy of the Dhruva Nadi was directed in his dream to hand it over to Dr. Raman and ever since he got it, he had been working on it. He had assured me that his magnum opus in the shape of Nadi astrology would be the last great work of his life. In March 1991 he told me in Patna that he hoped to complete it early.
I guess that Dr. Raman made use of Nadi methods in giving predictions. He himself gave me an instance in Patna in 1991 March when he told me that to a good friend of his, an important Congressman, he had told him that according to Nadi considerations Rajiv was to meet with a tragic end before his next birthday.
“What Lagna of Rajiv was mentioned there?” I had asked him and he said that it was the last degree of Leo, which is what I had insisted on in my letter to the Editor of The Astrological Magazine of January 1985 issue and it was on this basis that I made my prediction in May 1990 (published in The Astrological Magazine, Aug. 1990) about the fatal period in Rajiv’s life. I am referring to all this only to pose a question : What is the place in history of a great astrologer steeped in the classicism of Hindu astrology, which he has learnt, applied, corrected, re-interpreted and has finally stuck to his own experience to give his predictions ?
I have already referred to Dr. Raman casting the horoscope of two American astrologers on the basis of their palms. His belief in numerology led him to adopt the name “Raman” which is neither a Karnataka nor an Andhra name!
In spite of all this it may surprise many to know that I did not see Dr. Raman weigh astrological factors in some of the important decisions of the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences taken by us from time to time which perhaps proves that when he said that he did not believe in a fatalisticdeterministic view of astrological predictions, he really meant it. Once he allowed a meeting to be held in Rahu Kalam.
Dr. Raman’s Horoscope
Against the background of what I have said so far let me discuss the horoscope of Dr. Raman by using the horoscope I have which has different degrees of planets and Lagna, and therefore, different divisional charts.
He was born in the Dasa of the 3rd lord Mars, representing the longevity of parents and has Saturn just behind his Moonborn in sadesathe occurring in the 4th house. In the 4th from the Moon there is Mars with retrograde Mercury and Venus.
Jaimini’s Matrukaraka Mercury is retrograde. At the time of his mother’s death he was running Mars-Jupiter both in the 3rd house from the Moon in Dwadasamsa. In the natal horoscope Jupiter, the sub-lord is the 8th lord from his Moon, placed in the 7th house, owned by Mars, his Dasa lord.
In transit, Saturn was retrograde in Taurus and Mars in Gemini which is his Dwadasamsa Lagna. Saturn was in the 4th house from his Dwadasamsa Moon and Rahu on it. In Kalachakra Dasa it was the Dasa of Kumbha where his Dwadasamsa Moon is posited and Makara sub-period where his Jaimini Matrukaraka, Mercury is posited in the 8th from the Dwadasamsa Lagna.
Father’s Death
When his father died in 1943 he was running Jupiter Mercury period. Mercury is the 3rd lord from his Sun both in the birth horoscope and in the Dwadasamsa and Jupiter is the 9th lord again from the Sun both in the birth horoscope and the Dwadasamsa.
In Kalachakra Dasa scheme he was running Tula, the 9th house from his birth horoscope, and Simha, the house of the Sun also 2nd from the natal Sun. In Dwadasamsa Tula is the 7th from the Sun while Simha is the 3rd house from the Dwadasamsa Lagna, Mithuna.
It is my experience that if the Dwadasamsa Lagna is accurate, the birth horoscope can be accepted as correct.
But this method of verification must strictly answer the needs of Jaimini’s Chara Dasa. His mother died in Kumbha-Mesha period which is the 3rd house from Lagna and the 3rd house from his Moon-Kumbha in the Dwadasamsa.
Similarly his father died in Tula-Mesha period in Chara Dasa. Tula is the 9th house from the birth horoscope aspected by Mars, who also aspects Mesha. In Dwadasamsa Tula is the 7th house from the Sun, while Mesha has the Sun. The Bhratrukaraka in this horoscope being Mars, and being conjunct with the Sun in the Dwadasamsa, the period of death of his father was 1943.
In transit, Saturn was in Mithuna, the Dwadasamsa Lagna, and the second sadesathe was on. Mars was on his natal Moon. In the second sadesathe Saturn and Mars in transit exchange their places but both sadesathe took away his parents.
Having thus verified his birth details, I will now proceed to verify other events.
Marriage: Bonds of Karma
The horoscope of Mrs. Rajeswari Raman born on 16-10-1918 with a balance of 13 years, 7 months and 6 day of Rahu Dasa at birth is as follows:
Strong Karmic bonds must exist between both horoscopes for a sixty-two year old marriage. I write this in June 1992. Here they are:
(a) Mrs. Raman’s Moon is in the birth Lagna of Dr Raman.
(b) Dr. Raman’s Navamsa Lagna is Mrs. Raman’s birth Lagna.
(c) Mrs. Raman’s Jupiter aspects the birth Lagna of Dr. Raman.
(d) Dr. Raman’s Jupiter aspects the 7th house of Mrs. Raman.
(e) Mrs. Raman’s 7th lord, the Moon, is in the Lagna of Dr. Raman.
(f) Mrs. Raman’s 7th lord, the Moon, is in the Lagna of Dr. Raman.
(g) Dr. Raman’s 7th lord is in the 7th house of Mrs. Raman.
(h) Mrs. Raman’s Lagna lord, Saturn, aspects the Lagna of Dr. Raman.
(i) Dr. Raman’s Lagna lord, also Saturn, aspects the 7th house of Mrs. Raman.
(j) Dr. Raman’s Upapada is with the Darapada of Mrs. Raman in Kanya.
(k) From Mrs. Raman’s Upapada Dr. Raman’s Darapada is in the 7th house.
(l) Dr. Raman’s 7th lord is aspected by Jupiter.
(m) Mrs. Raman’s 7th lord too is aspected by Jupiter.
(n) In Navamsa Dr. Raman’s Jupiter aspects the 7th lord of Navamsa of Mrs. Raman.
(o) In Navamsa, Mrs. Raman’s Jupiter aspects the Navamsa of the 7th lord of Dr. Raman.
In the spontaneous and touching thanksgiving memorandum some Delhi astrologers presented to Dr. Raman in the first All India Astrological Conference in September 1991, care was taken to mention Mrs. Raman as a steadfast housewife, who remained in the background through the six decades of their married life in which she shone in the resplendence of her husband’s life of achievements.
Day of Marriage
Mrs. Raman was married in Rahu-Moon period and the Moon is her 7th lord in Kumbha which is Dr. Raman’s Lagna.
Dr. Raman was then running Rahu-Ketu which occupy the one- seven axis in Navamsa.
And Ketu in Karma in Dr. Raman’s Navamsa is the 7th house of Mrs. Raman.
In transit, Saturn and Jupiter were aspecting the Lagna of Dr. Raman and the 7th lord of Mrs. Raman, while Mars in Kataka was in the 7th house of Mrs. Raman and on the 7th lord of Dr. Raman while the Moon in Makara was in the Lagna of Mrs. Raman aspecting the 7th lord of Dr. Raman.
The astrological explanation of the gods being present in sacramental marriages is best understood through the planetary configuration on the day of the marriage, which in this case was October 30, 1930.
Birth of Children
Imay appear to be a harsh and unrelenting critic of whatever efforts have been made in the West through their system of astrology to prove that in astrology there are re-producible results (the law of replication), dependable in some areas of human activity than in any other branch of physical sciences.
Michel Gauquelin did make a valiant but feeble case for what is being described as “Revolutionary new theory connecting personalities and careers with planetary positions”-Jupiterean traits in scientists and sportsmen; Saturn and scientists and doctors; Mars and soldiers and sportsmen; the Moon and poets; Venus and actors etc., but such poor research that no prediction could be made on this basis and no career-pattern could be delineated with any degree of success or confidence.
Scientific astrology is, on the other hand, on these lines:
(a) The owner of a particular house for a particular prediction, for instance, the 5th house and the 5th lord for children.
(b) Together with the natural significator, in this case, Jupiter, too will have to be examined.
(c) We have in Hindu astrology what is known as Beeja Sphuta and Kshetra Sphuta also to examine the possibility of child-births.
(d) We then have divisional horoscopes. The Saptamsa, one-seventh division of a horoscope for children.
(e) We have the most important method of timing through Dasa systems. Here only Dasa systems will be discussed.
(f) Finally we have the transits, particularly of Saturn and Jupiter.
Inter-connected Scheme
To prove that astrology has very scientific rules to show how the law of replication works, let me take up the horoscope of Dr. Raman, the greatest exponent of Hindu astrology in this century, and the top-most astrologer of the world. In doing this I am applying findings of my own research detailed in my serial article “Three Stages of a Prediction” (The A.M., 1985) and am also applying the well-known principles coming down to us from ancient times, which Dr. Raman discussed brilliantly in How to Judge a Horoscope under the 5th house.
Parameters:-The parameters to be applied are:
(a) See the Lagna and the Saptamsa chart and mark in them the 5th house and the 5th lord in the birth horoscope and planetary associations with them.
See the 1st house and association with the lord of the 1st house in Saptamsa, the 5th house, and their lords and planetary associations with them.
(b) After marriage, see the Vimshottari Dasa scheme together with the sub-periods involving the factors mentioned in (a) above.
(c) Then examine the transits of planets, particularly Jupiter, Saturn and Mars and the Moon, to clinch the research.
Birth Horoscope and Saptamsa of Dr. Raman
The first son (2-11-1935) was born in Rahu-Moon. The axis of Rahu-Ketu in Saptamsa is 5-11 and the Moon is in Lagna.
The second child (daughter) was born on 16-8-1937.
It was the period of Jupiter-Jupiter both of which are in the Saptamsa 5th house
The third child (son) was born on 25-5-1940 in JupiterSaturn. Jupiter is in the 5th house in Saptamsa as already discussed, but Saturn is not directly connected with any of the factors mentioned except being in the 10th house aspecting the 4th house, indicating the arrival of a child.
The fourth child (a son) was born on 3-8-1942 in JupiterMercury. The position of Jupiter in Saptamsa, it will be seen, is repeating throughout, it being a period of sixteen years. Mercury is the 5th lord of the birth horoscope, a qualified giver of a child.
The fifth child (a son) was born in Jupiter-Mercury or Ketu sub-period in January 1944.
In the Saptamsa, Ketu is in the 5th house while Jupiter’s and Mercury’s roles have been discussed already.
The sixth child (a son) was born on 29-9-1946 in JupiterVenus. Venus is posited in the 5th house in Saptamsa.
The seventh child (a daughter) was born on 24-10-1949 in Jupiter-Moon. Jupiter is in the 5th house of the Saptamsa, while the Moon is in Saptamsa Lagna.
The eighth child (a son) was born on 22-9-1951 in JupiterRahu and both are connected with the 5th house of the Saptamsa.
The ninth and the last child was born on 4-12-1953 in Jupiter-Rahu again.
Here, if anywhere in astrology, is a scientific method of proving the working of the rule of replication. I can prove it to be working by applying different Dasas also but my purpose of pointing out here is to emphasise what Dr. Raman had done so often -Western astrologers must do Hindu astrology to be able to know astrology in the real and true sense, scientifically, as they never had and will never will have anything like the Dasa systems of the Hindus.
Tragic Death of a Great Son
Even the tragic death of a great son of Dr. Raman, the late Suryaprakash, who might have excelled his father as a world-class astrologer is also clear through the Dasa system. Suryaprakash died in Saturn-Sun period. The sub-period lord Sun is the 5th lord in Saptamsa in the 3rd house aspected by Mars who in this case is also the 8th lord, showing a tragedy to a child. See it further in the birth horoscope in which Saturn aspects the Sun in the 6th house. And again see it in Trimsamsa.
Transit of Planets
I have proved in my research studies that without the blessings of Saturn and Jupiter no child can be born. The rules discussed in my “Three Stages of Predictions” are:(a) within nine months of the birth of the child Saturn and Jupiter should have aspected:
- The 5th house and/or the 5th lord, or
- The 9th house and/or the 9th lord in
- Direct motion or
- In retrograde motion, in which case aspects should be taken from the house previous to the house also where Saturn and Jupiter happen to be positioned in.
Michel Gauquelin2 had no advantage of either studying Hindu astrology or even if he tried, he found it too tough to understand and apply it.
2 Dr Raman shared the same platform with Gauquelin once in 1970 at Cambridge (England) and again in 1971 at New York and he told him that without knowing Hindu astrology his research would be of no consequence. But his conception of astrology was only the Western system.
See how it works in Hindu astrology, to the same data of the children of Dr. Raman.
The first son was born when Saturn from Aquarius was aspecting Dr. Raman’s 5th lord Mercury in Leo and Jupiter, was in Libra, the 9th house.
The second child was born with Saturn in Aquarius till February 1937 (till six months before the birth of the daughter) aspecting Mercury, his 5th lord, and Jupiter was in Sagittarius aspecting the 5th house and the 5th lord.
The third child was born with Saturn in Aries aspecting the 5th house and Jupiter till April 1940 was in Aries aspecting Mercury, the 5th lord.
The fourth child was born with Saturn, retrograde in Taurus, aspecting Gemini from Aries (being retrograde from the previous house also) and Jupiter was in Gemini in the 5th house.
The fifth child was born with Saturn, retrograde in Taurus (apply the special rule) aspecting the 5th house and Jupiter was in Leo on the 5th lord.
The sixth child was born with Saturn in Gemini in the 5th house and Jupiter, retrograde in Virgo (apply the special rule to retrograde planets and treat Jupiter as being in Leo as well on the 5th lord Mercury).
The seventh child was born when Saturn was in Leo on the 5th lord and Jupiter till September 1949 (three months before the birth of the child) was in Sagittarius aspecting the 5th lord in Leo.
The eighth child was horn with Saturn retrograde (special rule) in Virgo on the 5th lord and Jupiter was in Aquarius till March (six months before the birth of the child) in Aquarius.
The ninth child was horn with Saturn in Libra in the 9th house and Jupiter in Gemini in the 5th house.
Apply the same rules to the Saptamsa of Dr. Raman and the results are confirmed. Hindu astrology is so scientific in its application of the law of replication !
Apply the same rules to the birth horoscope of Mrs. Raman and her Saptamsa and you get hundred percent results.
Mars and the Moon
Apply the same rules as given here but for a period of only forty-five days (not for nine months as done in the case of Saturn and Jupiter in direct and retrograde motion) for Mars and to both horoscopes of the parents and you again get hundred percent results. Apply the same rules for the Moon but for a period of three days and you again get hundred percent results. Take the birth horoscopes and Saptamsas of both parents. The result is again hundred percent.
How the Rule of Replication Works
We have taken up this case to prove how the law of replication works so accurately in Hindu astrology. The results are:
(a) The Dasa applies to all 9 cases.
(b) The sub-period applies to 8 out of 9 cases.
(c) The transit of Saturn applies to all the 9 cases.
(d) The transit of Jupiter applies to all the 9 cases.
(e) The transit of Mars applies to all the 9 cases.
(f) The transit of the Moon applies to all the 9 cases.
I have refrained from showing how these rules of replication work in many more ways only to avoid the paper becoming lengthy.
The purpose of doing it is to prove how correctly Dr. Raman advised Western astrologers to take up Hindu astrology. After all, it is the Western astrologers who have to battle it out with their cynical scientists, blind to such facts which they do not care to know and ignorant of such a brilliant super-science as astrology.
In the case of the children of Dr. Raman I have applied only one simple test to show how it replicates and the results are: Out of 56 applications of these rules it comes out accurate in 55 cases.
The Indian Council of Astrological Sciences: A Dream Realised
A determined man with so many planets in fixed Rasis, Jupiter in the 10th house and the 10th house and 10th lord getting associated with all planets except the Sun, Rahu and Ketu, Dr. Raman had dreamed sometime in his life that an effective all-India astrological body should be formed as a guiding and reformist force in the astrological activity in India. The late Y. Keshava Menon had such a dream and he did form one such body with Calcutta as headquarters as early as 1978 and to-date it continues after Menon’s death.
In 1982, when I met Dr. Raman for the first time, I became aware of his wish to have such an all-India body-my reaction was both personal and astrological. Let me express myself briefly.
Between 1934-’44, Dr. Raman’s family had faced financial difficulties. There was litigation about property, which he finally won. In Vimshottari Dasa he too had to wait for Jupiter-Ketu period to be over (15-4-1945). The sub-period of Venus was the harbinger of prosperity; Venus the 4th and the 9th lord gave, to an indigent morally upright and now world-famous astrologer, an era of prosperity which has been the envy of many astrologers.
As the editor of the world’s best astrological journal, he had the mortification of receiving many complaints against the unscrupulous practices of many astrologers with the request, perhaps, to publish them in his journal; which he has consistently refused to do. All astrologers have been aware of it and there being no central body to control it, he thought it could be regulated. Medical doctors do not attack medical doctors’ in spite of their professional rivalries. In the world of astrology, particularly in India, no such code of conduct exists. Another one has attacked Dr. Raman when it suited him and even said in one interview that he was the disciple of Dr. Raman.
Importance of Jupiter’s Transit
I will refer to some unpleasant episodes preceding the All India Astrological Conference of 1982 in Delhi when I met Dr. Raman for the first time. And then let me refer to the importance of the transit of Jupiter, the cycles of Jupiter in Dr. Raman’s case.
Garbage Journalism
An undistinguished public relations officer in the Indian High Commissions and Embassies abroad, Khushwant Singh had already become a spent-force after he wrote his History of Sikhs and a successful novel A Train to Pakistan. His interpretative skill is so poor that his Life of Raja Ranjit Singh is the most unreadable book ever written on any historical figure in English. Successive literary fiascoes and his lack of command over English and poor vocabulary had dashed his hopes of ever becoming a successful literary figure, which perhaps was his life’s ambition. The big ladder he now chose to achieve success was the Emergency hero Sanjay Gandhi, to whom he could now trace a relationship through Maneka Gandhi, his distant niece and Sanjay’s wife. The dream climb began with Khushwant Singh becoming the editor of a Bombay weekly in which he once brought out a special supplement on the prostitutes of Bombay which sold so fast and so many that he had to bring out additional copies of it!
Khushwant Singh had arrived on the Indian journalistic scene with a style which forced all dignified and serious journals to adopt the pornographic “success” formulae successfully tested by him. Ever since, he has been writing his syndicated columns in which he makes up, for lack of literary skill and intellectual and spiritual poverty, by such libelous writings as has become compulsive reading. I have personally called him the father of “garbage journalism” in
India after he made some very irrational attacks on astrology, which he keeps on doing to fill up his syndicated columns, when he runs short of material.
The success story of Khushwant Singh is not an enigma, if it is remembered that Sanjay Gandhi was a dictator who had his way with everything and everyone, so long as his mother, Indira Gandhi, was the prime minister of India. Sanjay Gandhi got for Khushwant Singh the editorship of the Hindustan Times in which he is said to have written during his entire tenure, only two editorials! And Sanjay got him nominated to the Rajya Sabha also!
On the eve of the 1982 Astrological Conference in Delhi, Khushwant Singh wrote his, perhaps, first editorial in the Hindustan Times attacking astrology saying that the battle of Panipat would not have been lost if the Marathas had not consulted astrologers!
In the meantime M.C. Bhandari, who used to come to my house often to discuss astrology and who was instrumental in publicizing the Conference told me, knowing me, that I would not be inclined to attend any astrology conference, that Dr. Raman was coming to deliver the keynote address this time. I told him to have Dr. Raman introduced properly to the audience since his place in world astrology was unrivalled. It was then that I discovered how little he and other astrology-conferenceorganisers knew about the real and substantial achievements of Dr. Raman ! I wrote out a piece for them, telling them firmly that I never moved out of my “shell” and did not want anyone to know that I was an astrologer except to the circle of friends, who had consulted me for decades and who had taken away year after year, so much of my time as to have very little to me for my own astrological research and other activities.
Even in the small “rehearsal” I got done in my place the lady chosen to speak about Dr. Raman was acting more like a glamorous T.V. female announcer than like a well-informed and sober introducer. My unconcealed annoyance must have prompted Bhandari to ask me if I minded introducing Dr. Raman myself. I had to agree in these circumstances, and I did that.
From the stage I reeled off the great historical predictions of Dr. Raman, all made in advance and attacking Khushwant Singh, without ever mentioning his name, made a contrast between an astrologer who foresaw the forces that shaped history and a historian who from the dead bones of events past, resurrected a prejudiced story of eras past with his imperfections and ignorance added to it.
To cut a long story short, all the international press present on the occasion insisted on interviewing me -a beauracratastrologer speaking on astrology with so much conviction!
It aroused greater jealousy. Together with Dr. Raman, I became a natural target of attack by critics of astrology arid worse, fellow-astrologers! To vindicate myself and defend astrology I had to start my writing career afresh, since I had written on other subjects for over fifteen years, but this time on astrology.
I gave case studies of predictions I had given to important Indians, all alive and available for verification. It was published by Dr. Raman after some initial hesitation and the result was
electrifying though I got the image of a beautiful astrologer, my critics hardly realising that I had done it all for the stoutest defense of astrology I could think of.
To promote the cause of astrology further I wrote now my paper Dr. Raman’s Amazing Achievements.
Seeing all this and reacting to this as he alone can, with his maturity and foresight, Dr. Raman discussed the idea of the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences. But having now known personally how mean some of the astrologers themselves were, I wondered if astrologers would ever want to have a “certificate” from the Council about their proficiency since many of them were fraudulent and fake. Yet, Dr. Raman persisted, the Council was formed, with me as a Vice President nominated by him in the first general body meeting held in 1985 in Madras. I was in a new place, Bhubaneswar then, having been transferred there on promotion, out of Delhi, as a measure of penalty, for allowing important non-Congress leaders also to consult me astrologically! But I knew the astrological reason for it.
Against this background let me explain the importance of Jupiter in the 10th house of Dr. Raman and the Dasa apart, the importance of Jupiter’s transit in Scorpio, the 10th house of Dr. Raman.
1947-48: Jupiter in Scorpio gave Dr. Raman his own house, a new car and an era of prosperity. He was then running Jupiter-Venus, the 4th lord of his birth horoscope and JupiterSun the 4th lord of his Chaturthamsa exalted in Aries.
1959-60: Jupiter in Scorpio again with Saturn, his 12th lord, having started to show the results of his Dasa, and Mercury and Ketu-sub-periods, took him on his great missionary journey to Western countries to talk brilliantly about Hindu astrology.
1970-71: Jupiter in Scorpio with the Dasa of Saturn-Jupiter running he went to the U.S.A, both in 1970 and 1971 and made his world-famous prediction about Nixon not completing his term as the President of the U.S.A.
1982 December 26: Jupiter again in Scorpio with Saturn exalted in Libra, Mars exalted in Capricorn (his 10th lord) and Venus and Mercury aspecting his 5th house from Sagittarius and Mercury-Saturn period on. I knew astrologically that introducing Dr. Raman would have an extraordinary effect. My own horoscope had shown that it was going to be an impressive performance by me.
Our astrological campaign has progressed slowly, substantially and is now spectacular. This was the achievement of a determined Dr. Raman.
In retrospect, it must be said that Dr. Raman proved right that such an organisation was bound to make an impact, but I must add that I too proved right that such an organisation would succeed if it imparted training and attracted the elitist classes as students. Our success in Delhi Chapter I, ICAS, in our astrology classes in the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, has been the talk of the astrology world now.
The Astrological Factors Dr. Raman Ignores
I have sometimes wondered why Dr. Raman, so great an astrologer as he is, has not bothered to examine the horoscopes of people, whom he has associated with his activities of ICAS. Let me explain it astrologically.
At the time the ICAS was formed the Dasa periods some of us were running were:
Dr. B.V. Raman: Mercury-Jupiter (18-6-1984 to 23-9-1986) and Jupiter is in his 10th house. But I anticipated that in Mercury-Saturn and Ketu Dasa, he would be less active and have trouble from some of his associates.
K.N.Rao: I was running Saturn-Jupiter (Jupiter is exalted in my 10th house) to be followed by the Dasa of exalted Mercury, very good for astrology.
S.N. Kapoor: Jupiter-Rahu both getting connected with his 9th house and 9th house lord to be followed by Saturn connected with his 10th house. He would be active, over-active and assertive.
M.N. Kedar: Jupiter-Venus period of Kedar would be most fruitful I knew and he has been the pillar of our activities. Jupiter aspects his 10th house and Venus with benefic associations being 11th from his Jupiter would be productive of excellent results in our teaching activity.
J.N. Sharma: Passing through the Dasa of his exalted Venus, his Yogakaraka, would be bringing us luck, though remaining unobtrusive and unassuming.
A few of our associates also proved treacherous.
It is true that Dr. Raman did not adopt a fatalistic and deterministic attitude towards astrology, but in so important a matter as the ICAS activities, had he not felt it necessary to ask for our horoscopes to see astrological reality?
Part of the reason could be that Dr. Raman was then passing through Mercury-Saturn in which he was in a retiring mood and also he had confidence that we in Delhi, all non-professionals would keep the cause of astrology above our petty ego. Anyway, Dr. Raman even after ignoring these astrological factors stood by us, after two or three very lop-sided decisions and we are where we are.
Achievements and Failures
In a career spanning over six decades in which he wrote the best books on astrology, edited the best astrological journal of the world, encouraged and produced many more brilliant writers on astrology, the best in the world because they were writing on Hindu astrology which is the best in the world, it is difficult to give a bird’s eye view of the achievements and failures of such a remarkable personality. An attempt must however be made.
(a) Learning Astrology: He learnt astrology the hard way mastering both the mathematical and predictive techniques of various branches of Hindu Astrology, except many of the Chakras given in Narapati Jayacharya. which he either never made use of or used very rarely except the Koorma Chakra, Avakahada Chakra, Saptanadi Chakra.
(b) Developing Astrological Skill: Steadfast application of the various astrological techniques learnt to various horoscopes alone was the right method of developing astrological skills, not the short route to success through Kshudra Mantras which do sometimes give instantaneous and spectacular results but in no way serve the purpose of the grand scheme of astrology which is cosmic delineation of horoscopes in which life’s events must fall into variegated tragic and happy patterns.
(c) Developing Intuitive Skill: Dr. Raman has repeatedly stressed that intuitive skill must be developed for right astrological perception of a horoscope. There are always complex combinations in every horoscope open to conflicting interpretations. A dogmatic interpretation flowing from a strait-laced interpretation of an astrological text can lead to absurd results. The Moon and the Sun as 8th lords can be destroyers of life inspite of what the texts say. Saturn as Yogakaraka can lead to fall from power as it happened in the case of Khruschev.
(d) Ceaseless Efforts to Develop More: In his younger days Dr. Raman did many experiments with Dasa systems, Ashtakavarga, Prasna (Horary), palmistry, numerology etc., with an intellectual appetite, which is unparalleled. Apart from Dr. P.S. Sastri no other astrologer known to me has shown the zeal like Dr. Raman to keep learning more and more and do new research. Dr. Raman’s research on prediction of earthquakes, though not fully established, is a research of his late sixties and early seventies.
(e) Exuberant Reaction to Others’ Research: Not a man given to exaggerated show of emotions, Dr. Raman wrote to me when I sent him my “Three Stages” series in 1985 that his dream of astrologers doing such research was being realised. Again he wrote to me when I sent my research paper on Ashtakavarga “Dots of Destiny” in 1986 that it was well conceived. Similar has been his reaction to the research papers sent by our group in Delhi, of S.N. Kapoor, M.N.Kedar, Dr. Lalitha Gupta, J.N.Sharma’ etc., and he encouraged such statistical research, which I insist, is the best in the world.
(f) Open-mindedness: Since an astrologer can have his own different perception both of an astrological technique and prediction, he has published in his journal differing views without finding fault with them. It happened more in Jaimini astrology in which Dr. P.S.Sastri once wrote that in the Chara Dasa of Sagittarius with debilitated Jupiter in Capricorn, there would be zero year for Dhanu Dasa. Iranganti Rangacharya has given entirely different interpretation of Chara Dasa for female horoscopes, which I have not found correct.
Summing-up
My late Jyotish Guru, Yogi Bhaskaranandji, a very great astrologer himself, had told me so much about Dr. Raman and had analysed some of the brilliant predictions of Dr. Raman with so much technical nicety that I Learnt the art of reading Dr. Raman, unlike others, by working out myself in many details to understand why Dr. Raman was predicting what appeared to be totally out of the way. A great astrological point expressed so subtly and in so concealed a way always gave to Dr. Raman’s editorials a deceptive non-astrologer simplicity. To a hard-working astrologer the same material gave a variety of technical, astrological approaches, taught lessons in Jaimini, in Nadi astrology, in the use of Avakahada Chakra and innovative uses of Vimshottari Dasa. Best of all use of transits in a very extraordinary way-transit of Saturn into Nakshatras and from the Nakshatras held by Rahu.
I know for certain that the world will not have another Dr. B.V. Raman for centuries. Unlike others I have read him most analytically which is why I alone have been able to produce a paper on his amazing predictions. In no single speech of his has Dr. Raman referred to his own great astrological predictions nor his great astrological techniques.3 He could have told of his techniques, of his experiments, of his process of learning, of the mistakes he has committed, of Nadi techniques, which he alone can explain with clarity and confidence.
Richest in the world in his knowledge of astrology and so niggardly in “donating” some of those riches through his speeches even in the astrological convocations where our students awaited to hear from the great master the great techniques of astrologywell this criticism from the highly educated astrology students of ICAS, Delhi Chapter I, was well-meant.
Yet, I had to ‘console’ them by telling them that to have seen him and to have known him-the greatest Indian according to Yogi Bhaskaranandji-the greatest astrologer of this century according to me, the greatest writer of books on astrology in the last four hundred years, again according to me,-and above all a great example of a brilliant astrologer with sterling moral excellence, will be an occasion to remember. If he had been born in the U.S.A or England, he would have been a giant national figure equal in eminence to the greatest. Should we, some of us at any rate, not see that greatness in India of our times-of Nehruvian hypocrisy of consulting astrologers privately and condemning them publicly, of petty ego and venomous malice of fellow astrologers, of “garbage-selling” Khushwant Singhs, of unsuccessful Indian scientists ignoring stunning astrological evidence of great predictions year after year, of “rationalists” criticising astrology without learning it?
It is possible to discuss astrology as an academic discipline in a seminar in English from a public stage today because of the efforts of Dr. Raman. Astrology and its propagation was a one-man mission once-and that man was Dr. Raman then. Today it is a revolution-and that is a Raman Revolution which will live and endure unlike the French and Bolshevik revolutions which were bloody orgies. The Raman Revolution is incandescent, immortal, based on the eternal truth of the cosmos in which we are tiny sparks.
HVSRCSHARMAOCCULTSCIENCESUNIVERSALHINTS 