March, 07, 2010

Educate children with a touch of love

Freedom is intrinsic nature of a human being. It is this very factor which excites the urge to explore beyond the known, and expand man’s reach beyond the laid down track. It also induces a man to invent fresh empowerment tools, and innovate and raise one’s skill levels, which may facilitate a qualitative life. In fact, it is through the exercise of this very empowerment tool that human folks have grown thus far through conscious efforts, from primitive stage to the scientifically and technologically advanced age as of today. However, the paradox is that it is again this very factor which has been responsible for all individual aberrations detrimental to the self as well as collective existence. Remember, one rogue if not restrained, is enough to disturb family and societal peace.

Now the question is what actually drives the sense of freedom into opposite directions – productive and qualitative or devilish? The answer lies in the making of one’s mind, which comes out of impressions laid down there, which account for both our potentials as well as weaknesses. These inlaid impressions condition one’s mind one way or the other, in accordance with which arises one’s desire trends. These desires when further processed in the laboratory of mind, generates thoughts, which form our habits and drive all actions on our part. Obviously, positive impressions will lead to good karma and negatives to self-destructive acts. The mind-trends, therefore, need to be kept on full watch for timely intervention.

In human mechanism, the impressions in mind are laid down in energy format, which can be figured out with a fair amount of precision, through a study of a person’s astrological chart. For, astrology does energy mapping of a person’s construct. Having thus discovered one’s inherent mind trends, it will be possible to set free the mind from all negative conditionings so as to realize the true meaning of freedom. The change too could be again effected through the exercise of power of freedom only. In this context, a quote from Swami Vivekanand becomes imperative: “Karma is the eternal assertion of human freedom. If we can bring ourselves down by our Karma, surely it is in our power to raise ourselves by our own Karma”.

The corrective initiatives however, need to begin early in the childhood itself. Here again, the sense of freedom inherent in a child resists any encroachment there upon. The need is to educate the child with a touch of love for him to willingly submit to discipline. If, instead, sanctions are forced upon a child, which invariably remains the trend with most of Indian parents, it could inadvertently sow the seeds of rebel in child’s psyche, particularly the sensitive ones. The rebel trend may not be visible immediately as such but continues to gravitate further within the mind. Later in life, when such characters get the opportunity to act on their own, the rebel in them come to forefront which in many cases make them act even crazy.

Here is the case of a highly educated and well placed gentleman. He, after finding his independence, has let himself loose to the extent he has got into self-destructive act. He has cultivated all bad habits and has become self-indulgent. The only child of his parents, he does not care them anymore. The Sun placed adverse to Saturn and Uranus, indicates that he was not allowed even a semblance of independence during his child hood. The hurt thereof which he has carried on for so long, has now come out into open.  And that makes him inadvertently behave in a way which amounts to challenging elder's authority.

Now, his parents are trying to seek divine intervention, to bring him back on track. I am afraid, no faith driven exercise can ever bring about a change, unless the person concerned himself wakes up.

February, 28, 2010

Allow children to grow emotionally before thinking of their marriage

Indian parents traditionally seem to be always in a hurry to get their children married early. Incidentally, if the child happens to be a girl, the parents really go crazy, in case their efforts to find a suitable match, does not come about easy. Then they get tempted to seek divine intervention by submitting to various belief driven remedial exercises. Can happy marriages be ensured by advancing marriage time, before it would be otherwise naturally due, by invoking such practices, without working upon individual attributes vital to a healthy inter-personal relation?

Invariably, the parents in their rush to get relieved of their parental obligations early seldom care to figure out whether the child is emotionally and otherwise ready to deal with dynamics of marriage with ease. They assume that once they are married, they will learn to go through the process. This concept worked well with the earlier generation because they believed that marriages had to be adhered to as a divine injunction, which was fixed in the heaven itself. Therefore it has to be lived, no matter how the chemistry of the couples worked.

However, in the present aspirational world, the dynamics of marriage has undergone a paradigm shift. The present generation has not forgotten the religious sanctity of marriage, but they are not prepared to comprise their individual comforts either. Youths these days are much more demanding and possessive of their individual urges and priorities. The girls too are no longer prepared to accept a secondary role as before. On top of that the feudal mindset of the elders expecting total compliance of their dictates from the newlywed girl, leaving aside their individual urges, are yet not over. All put together, the complexities of marriage have grown manifold. For, the girl too wishes to be true to her own expectations from life as an equal. This fact has to be born in mind by every parent. Accordingly, they better look at the mental and emotional state of their children before thinking of their marriage, as also while deciding a suitable match. The parents do not seem to have woken up to this truth of life as yet.

In one case, it became difficult for a girl’s father to digest the idea that for the sake of a happy and stable marriage, it should not be thought of before she completes 28 years. The reason: Saturn in her chart was placed adverse to mind indicator the Moon; Sun was locked in adverse formation with planet of emotionality, Venus; and intelligence indicator Mercury was conjunct mischievous Neptune. The implication is that she has a complex mind carrying lot of self-doubts. She would be emotionally very touchy and sensitive and may therefore, stretch even trivial things beyond their due. She is suspicious by nature and she could be indiscreet in her statements. Nature therefore calls for allowing her enough of time and space to learn her lessons going through the course of life and become matured enough to deal with subtleties of marriage with ease. The girl’s father did not seem convinced. If her destiny has in store marital turbulence, how can we avert it, he asked? And, then how long can we evade marriage on this count?

The girl’s father was primarily focused on ensuring financial security for his daughter, and had a boy in mind belonging to a well established family. It did not occur in his mind that that attributes of prospective partners mattered more than just the financial comfort for a stable and harmonious marriage. And, he did not want to miss the opportunity in hand.

It was a sheer coincidence that just a day following the above discussion his son went berserk over a silly issue. I had the occasion to remind him, what if some egocentric boy happened to behave the same with your daughter? That, of course, made him understand the spirit underlying my advice.

February, 21, 2010

Right plan and action are a must for success

Invariably, man begins life with high hopes and aspirations. By one’s own yardstick, he also tries to put in all in his fold to live his dream. However, not everybody is able to make his dream come true. Why? Is it because destiny failed him? Or, that he failed to plan and act right?

Well, it is good to dream. For, that motivates a person to work towards reaching higher ends in life. Remember, unless one looks high, he does not grow big. But, what if someone nurses fictional dreams and continues to live in self-delusion? Evidently, if somebody begins on a mistaken premise, he will invite failure and frustration. It is here in this respect that destiny plays its part, but not that it predetermines what would accrue to a man’s efforts. It rather reflects in terms of the basic fabric of one’s mind-frame, which in turn sets the trends of desires one may nurse and cultivate and hence the fruits of one’s actions. Therefore, inherent trends need to be watched the most.

Here comes into play the role of Astrology, which can throw light on the inherent personality trends, potentials and weaknesses both included. Having thus known one’s basic fabric of making, one could make necessary correction and set the course of future right. However, the one who submits himself fully to the flow of destiny, negatives in him will keep hounding him and derail his very thought process and thereby his future. Such characters will keep hunting astrologers to figure out when planets may shower good luck on them, but to no avail.

Here is the case of a very ambitious gentleman whose chart apparently looks very powerful. In traditional frame of Indian astrology, his horoscope is laden with all the yogas promising him an exalted status. Some astrologer of repute, but belonging to old school, who takes planets on face value, raised his hope further to set his dream destination higher than he could achieve. Yogakaraka Venus, common lord of Kendra and fortune indicator 9th house, is exalted, and that too duly aspected by benevolent Jupiter. Lagna lord and karmic planet, Saturn is placed in the 11th house identified with fulfilment of desires where from it lends support to the Sun, the prime mover for attaining exalted status. This particular combination also grants him patience, persistence and perseverance, as also organising ability, qualifying him to pursue his ambition to its logical end. Jupiter lends support to Mind indicator, Moon, which grants him a fertile brain, armed with vision, foresight, imagination, and intuition. All put together should have raised him to a considerable height by now.

He has been tirelessly working to achieve his end for almost two decades now. He has also been able to establish contacts in the right quarters. Yet, he does not seem to be even close to his ambitions. For, he never cared to look at what could pull him back. The said astrologer did not take note of the fact that Moon, which apparently looks strong in its own house and that too strengthened by Jupiter, is also placed adverse to mischievous Neptune in angular dispensation. That makes him live in self-delusion, as a day dreamer much away from ground realities. On top of that Jupiter is placed adverse to Mars, the Sun, Mercury, and Rahu, being responsible for his impaired reasoning, self opinionated and a swaggering ego. It is, therefore, no wonder that he lives in the realm of unreality. The result is there for all to see. If he based his life on an unrealistic premise, how does destiny help him?

It is still not late, if he tries to know himself, and make necessary corrections. For, then, he will become a smart operator and steer himself to a better tomorrow.

February, 14, 2010

Don’t mistake mental problem for evil caused by spirit

You are what you think. If you think, you are bound, you are bound. If you think you are free, you are free. Primarily, mind remains untainted. Now, the way we think is what conditions the mind one way or the other, and which drives a man in functional terms. And, strange are the ways in which mind works. Here, it will be interesting to recall the following lines of a great poet, Maithilisharan Gupta, as laid down in his poetry “Panchavati”. For, it throws light on the way human mind and psyche functions.

“Koi pāsa na rahane par bhi jana mana mouna nahin rahata;

Āpa-āpa ki kahata hai vaha, Āpa-āpa ki hai sunta.”

(The above passage means that even in isolation, mind does not remain silent; it speaks to itself and listens to itself).

The trends of thoughts however depend on the desires one nurses. If perchance the person happens to be a daydreamer, he will naturally excite unrealistic thoughts. He thus gets trapped in the web of his own thoughts and with disastrous consequences, if at all the thoughts are raised on mistaken premise.

A case in point is that of a young lady. She is well settled in life with a fairly comfortable job to her credit, given her qualification, and a well meaning and responsible husband. Yet, she is frustrated, which in course of time has turned her schizophrenic, demanding medical attention. The other day, when she had come for consultation, she started behaving as if she had been overtaken by some spirit. Chances are that those not well conversant the mechanics of mind and psyche could have got confused. Now the question is: how did she get into such a predicament of mind?

Born in Gemini lagna, she is capricious, having the tendency to live on her own terms, not caring for other’s concerns. She is highly ambitious keen to enjoy all luxuries of life to her asking. This, because Venus, the planet identified with worldly comforts occupies the lagna, duly supported by materially oriented Mars in debilitation, and also aspected by expansive Jupiter. Fortunately she gets it also without taking any pains by herself. For, she is born on 10th lunar day of the month, when vibrations of both the luminaries, the Sun and Moon are supportive of each other.

Yet, she is most dissatisfied to a point of concern because of her ill-framed mindset. Prime mover - the Sun is placed adverse to Jupiter and Venus. That makes her self-opinionated, out of touch with ground realities, and emotionally immature. The mind indicator Moon is placed adverse to mischievous Neptune and Uranus. So, she has been a daydreamer stuck to self-delusion, an escapist, and who would be tempted to weird practices such as black-magic. She will also be high strung, cantankerous, careless, jealous, and with a mercurial temperament. Mercury and Mars together make her highly restless and an unstable character. Ketu in the 2nd house has been responsible for her foul mouth.

For the above reasons, she cannot bear with the rise of any near and dear one. Instead of trying to improve her lot through conscious efforts, she preferred to limit others by engaging black-magic practitioners, and got trapped herself. Subsequently, she herself began to nurse the desire of cultivating black-magic powers. In course of the process, at some point of time, she self-assumed being visited by some spirit. The most unfortunate part is that despite her continued abnormal behaviour, her relatives took it lightly. When situation became beyond their control, then only they came for spiritual remedy. Had they not been specifically directed, I am afraid, they would not have sought psychiatric help. It is only after seeing her improving every day, they now realise that it was really a mental problem.

February, 07, 2010

Fortune favours the brave and the wise

Alan Leo, a legendary astrologer of his time in the West suggested a watchword for the Astrologers: “The wise man rules his stars, the fool obeys them”.  The astrologer’s statement very clearly underlines the scope of the power of freewill to correct prenatal tendencies. 

True, because the planets being energy providers, by themselves cannot discriminate, they are rather available in equal proportion to all of us.    However, the absorption level of those energies will vary from person to person, depending on the individual specific energy platform on which a person is raised with related varied implication in practical terms.  What becomes due to us in terms of our prenatal mental tendencies, both good and bad, are a product of nothing but our own Karma in the past life.  The planetary line up at the time of one’s birth, are just pointers in the energy frame to what we carry over in our minds from the past.  The way our minds respond to those vibrations is how we experience their effect.

Two things need to be noted here.  First, having known our prenatal mind- trends, we can make necessary amends in practical terms through conscious effort.  Second, the deficiency in terms of absorption level of different energies can also be very well met applying proven meditation techniques.  It is not that what we carry from the past is beyond correction.  So, those who follow Alan Leo’s advisory are able to use the stellar indications to their advantage.  Those who do not, they naturally remain stuck to the prenatal indications. 

To make things clear, astrological charts of two ladies, both going through serious emotional crisis in their lives are discussed.  Both the charts indicated possibility of marital break.  However, one of the two listened to counsel and followed the advice in all sincerity.  She made the necessary correction in her approach, dealt with the issue intelligently, and successfully came out of her problems.  She is now enjoying a happy wedded life.  The other who did not listen is now going through separation proceedings.     

The lady who has been able to resolve her issue was told in clear terms by some of the known astrologers that her marital break was a certainty.  Seemingly, the planetary indications meant that.  For, she was going through the peak of Sadhesathi when the transit Saturn was bang over her natal Moon.  Saturn was also placed adverse to natal Mars, its dire enemy, as well as Jupiter, the 7^th lord identified with marital partner.  In the natal chart, the 7^th sub-lord Rahu, the indicator of married life at subtle level, is placed in the constellation owned by Mars posited opposite its dire enemy Saturn.  The 7^th lord Jupiter is placed adverse to Mars to mean clash of egos.  The two put together indicated a break.  What they ignored is the exchange between lagna lord Mercury, and 2^nd lord Venus, which also draws favourable aspect from wisdom oriented Jupiter.  The implication is that though she was to go through marital turbulence, but later on, she will make necessary amends in her attitudes following elderly counsel.  There after, through intelligent conduct, she would not only save her marriage, their love too would grow stronger. 

In the other case, dubious Moon - which changes colour every day - is conjunct headless Ketu, both locked in adverse formation with their dire enemy Saturn conjunct Mars.  Her 7^th sub-lord, the Sun though exalted, is placed adverse to emotive Venus and Moon.  All put together indicate marital break.  However, the fact that she did not try to capitalise the implications of benevolent Jupiter’s aspect over the Sun, Venus and the lagna, she is now headed for a break.

To sum up, we do not suffer simply because destiny fails us.  It is more because we fail to unfold the best in us.

January, 31, 2010

Set your desires right for a successful life with ease

Man’s inherent urge to move beyond his limitations – material, mental, emotional and spiritual – keeps growth momentum of this aspirational world on. That sets the trends of one’s desire pattern, which in turn defines the likely experiences of life, one becomes due for. Here, the literal translation of a quote from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad becomes imperative:

“You are what your deep driving desire is;

As your desire is, so is your will;

As your will is, so are your efforts;

As your efforts are, so is your destiny.

However, the focus of one’s desires varies from person to person. A majority is naturally drawn towards material concerns. For, that finds immediate connect to our perceptive organs. Very few look at life in holistic terms. Those who do, they are able to understand the concerns of life rightfully. Therefore, they try to think, act, and live right and accordingly set the course of their desires in the right perspective. Ostensibly, therefore, the probability of enjoying a fulfilling, peaceful, and a hassle free productive life at ease, becomes higher. On the contrary, those who passionately remain stuck to material concerns alone, leave other dimensions of a man, which primarily drive the thought process and the feeling side, unattended, obviously to their detriment.

The question here is what guides our desire pattern? If we look at the ongoing life in continuum with the previous birth, it becomes apparent that impressions carried over from the past sets the initial desire trends. That gets added on by the limitations experienced in the present life which include environmental influences. According as these impressions are laid down, right or fallacious, so does a man desire and act, and thereby the fruits thereof, he becomes due for. These trends could be figured out with a fair amount of precision through a look at a person’s astrological chart.  That in turn may serve as an eye opener for making necessary corrections, so as to set the future course right.

Over and above these factors, man is also armed with an exclusive privilege – the power of freewill. This qualifies him to introspect and identify his limitations of mind, which fails a man in articulating his desires in the right perspective. He can then discriminate upon and make necessary amends through conscious efforts, and shape his destiny rightfully. However, seldom does a man remain conscious about timely application of the power of freewill in the right perspective. Consequently, if he fails in life, it cannot be attributed to his destiny. The shortcomings are because of shortfall in his efforts.

A case in point is that of a gentleman who, though has risen well in life, is yet hassled, worried and stressed. The reason: His strong material aspirations drove him through, not allowing him to remain equally alert about what impressions he was displaying in public. Mars, the planet known for material aspirations is there in his lagna in debilitation, which incidentally being 5th and 10 lords respectively signify carry over from past birth and his profession. The lagna sign and sub-lord Moon is in the 7th house identified with wife, which is placed opposite the Mars and Mercury. Mars incidentally is the 7th sub-lord also. The implication is that by himself he carries great material aspirations, as a carry over from the past, which got enhanced because of the material discomfort he had to go though in early childhood. And then he had to satisfy his overambitious wife as well. Further that they carried the desire to openly display their wealth becoming an eyesore of many, obviously to the man's detriment. And, the man is in great difficulty. The man has spiritual urges too, as would Jupiter’s aspect to Moon imply. Had he invoked this inherent strength, he would have led a balanced life without making him materially suffer.

January, 24, 2010

Astrology is a great human empowerment tool.

 Ancient India had a rich tradition of Shashtrashtra (debates) following which perceptions by our learned men got corrected and perfected from time to time.  Thus evolved ancient Indian Philosophy and its related disciplines – the 6 Vedangas- which, among others includes Astrology, through an ego free exercise of our wise men.  This is the reason why ancient Indian wisdom remains relevant in the present times as much as it was in the past.

In today’s time however, individual egos having grown beyond proportion, the contesting parties, therefore, instead of trying to get the best out of each other, as in the past, now try to passionately impose their perceptions on each others.  A case in sight is the recent TV debate on the occasion of solar eclipse on January 15.  Some of the Astrologers were in fact reading too far into the implications of eclipse, which caused unnecessary fear in the minds of a large number of viewers.  That naturally raised the eye brows of many. 

Fact remains that many astrologers, more than anybody else, have themselves been drumming the myth that astrology is a fatalistic discipline, which it is not. For, instead of explaining energy implications underlying Astrology, they prefer tom’-tomming their predictive skills to prove that man’s future course is fully predetermined beyond the scope of correction.  And, that undermines the role of man’s power of freewill, which again makes Astrology a questionable proposition. 

Astrology is, of course, predictive, but rather than being deterministic, it is more a pointer to one’s potentials and weaknesses.  Be it known that Astrology does energy mapping of nature’s energy flux, with reference to a particular place and time, where and when a person is born.  That makes out the individual specific energy platform over which a person is raised, to which correspond all aspects of his functional traits, both good and bad.  And that varies from person to person.  Having thus known one’s basic fabric of making, it becomes possible to work upon one’s weaknesses and get the best out of the self.  Astrology therefore, if rightly used could prove a very effective tool in shaping one’s destiny. 

Remember, the need for prediction arises only when the future course of events carry probability of taking many turns.  Quantum physics too is guided by theory of probabilities while dealing with motion of energy particles at sub-atomic level.  Yet it is able to predict movement of particles with a fair amount of precision.  In a similar vein, Astrological prediction too could be made with equal precision.  But it goes without saying that that when you deal with probabilities, failure becomes as probable as the scope for success.  It applies even more to Astrology than quantum physics or a doctor’s predictions.  For, human beings are endowed with an exclusive power of freewill, which qualifies a man to guide one’s action by choice and discrimination. 

Astrologers having due exposure to philosophy will dare not take a fatalistic view.  Remember, Astrology being an extension of the Vedas, its stipulations will lose direction if it ever tries to move beyond the parameters settled by philosophy.  Philosophy does acknowledge that karmic carry over from past life excites the initial trends of life.  But, more than that, it lays emphasis on how to move beyond individual limitations and unfold the best in him through conscious efforts.  It is here that Astrology proves handy in identifying one’s inherent trends as well as likely future turns.  And it is very much possible because, all aspects of man’s functional self –gross body, mind, and intellect – are nothing but reflection of energies operative at different levels, all sourced to nature.  Therefore, any change in nature’s energy alignment will impact a man’s life one way or the other. The purpose here again is to make necessary amends to ensure a better tomorrow. 

So, astrology is a valued discipline directed towards human resource building.

January, 17, 2010

Mahakumbha – a demonstration of Unity in diversity

The solar ingress into the sign Capricorn kick started Mahakumbha at Haridwar on January 14. It is a rare occasion when in a single day one million people from all across the globe took a dip in the holy river Ganges. Millions more are likely to follow in the coming days. The belief is that by taking a dip in the Ganges on this solemn occasion one attains moksha (salvation). I do not know whether moksha can be achieved by a single dip in the Ganges after leading long sinful life. Nevertheless, even a sinner, if drawn by the popular belief, takes a dip and submits to the spiritual process to purify his thought process, he will definitely end up a gainer.

The concept of salvation – being one with the ultimate reality and to be out of bounds of death and birth cycle – may apparently look questionable. However, when looked at from practical point of view, the concept carries a great meaning. Remember, it is only when you rise above the self and submit to a higher plane of consciousness, is it possible to acknowledge the limitations of your ego and desire-driven mind. Following that, when you work upon your imperfections, it may help liberate you from the conditionings of the mind. Your vision thus expands which then enables you to have a clear understanding of the larger divine design. The rest then automatically follows. So, when a person earnestly endeavors for salvation, the process paves the way to understand, acknowledge, and imbibe the callings of fundamental truths of life underlying our existence better and therefore prompting right conduct.

The word Kumbha means a pitcher in which droplets of water put together make a wholesome quantity. In a similar vein, huge populace from all across, speaking different languages and following varying traditions, and all voluntarily submitting to a singular faith, and that too at one place, is worth naming Mahakumbha. The occasion coincides with benevolent Jupiter’s transit in the Zodiac sign Aquarius (Kumbha in Sanskrit) every twelve years. In astrological parlance, Aquarius being the penultimate sign of the natural zodiac, is taken as an evolved sign with obvious positive bearing on the minds of those born under the influence of this sign.

What a brilliant exercise initiated by Adi Guru Shankaracharya towards cultural integration of the nation and the people? It is one occasion when saints, including even those who normally remain inaccessible, make themselves available in full number to offer spiritual guidance to the rich and poor alike. The Mahakumbha concept could be simply the genius and fully evolved vision of a realized master such as Shankaracharya. Hence, his masterly stroke of instilling deep in every mind the concept of “unity underlying all diverse existence” at one go and so simply.

A dip in the river Ganges on the occasion also has its significance. As per the popular belief, the perennial river, the Ganges, flows out of Lord Shiva’s hair locks. In spiritual terms, Lord Shiva symbolizes the changeless transcendental aspect of Consciousness - the Radical Potential to create - and thus is the common source and cause of all creations. The Ganges in this context symbolizes the Immanent Consciousness, the dynamic side of Lord Shiva, which continuously flowing through space extends life to one and all, the way the Ganges supports life all through its run. Through a dip in the Ganges along with a large majority, we try to put in a suggestion and ingrain in our minds that all diverse existences are but manifestation of one and only source. And, that all imperfect ones, as we ordinary mortals are, put together make out a perfect world, and hence the need to have the larger picture in our mind in all our individual acts.

January, 10, 2010

Right exercise of freewill gives the power to achieve

Nature, following an expansive course, right from the unseen Primordial source, has evolved into the manifest world with all its diversity. Even today, Science maintains that the universe has been continuously expanding. It is therefore but natural for human beings, the evolutes of nature, to follow the same course and nurse the inherent urge to grow well in life. 

Man, therefore, naturally begins life with high hopes and ambitions. However, not all are lucky enough to make it to their aspired destination. Is it then one’s fate which grants success or failure in life? Or, else is it our Karma (efforts) which rules supreme? The normal going is that in the event of failure, it rather suits one’s ego to take refuge in the unforeseen improbable which came his way. And, if no other justifiable reason could be assigned to the unseen factor, “the devil destiny”, is always there as a cover for all our failings. The few fortunate ones, on the contrary, spare no time in claiming credit for their success. One therefore opts for what suits him from time to time.

To find an answer, we need to first explore the expanse and limitations of destiny. We also need to understand whether Karma works secondary to destiny, or that it is the prime mover. In this context, it is important to be aware of the way our mind drives us through in life - in all our doings and undoing. The initial drive is offered by the memory accruals of the past birth Karma. Accordingly, one inherits individual specific personality traits, habits, and desire trends. Obviously it comprises of both potentials and weaknesses and these make up the callings of destiny. Naturally the shortcomings interfere with our positives, playing to their best, but that is not all.

Here again into the present life, we go through learning and unlearning lessons. And then, we are also endowed with the power of freewill, which if rightly exercised in time, can modify the negatives and facilitate the positives unfold to their best. So, all said and done, it is our Karma which makes out our destiny. If we fail, it is primarily because we do not strive sufficiently to manifest the powers within.

Now the question is how to get the best out of oneself. For that we shall have to first identify both our inlaid potentials and weaknesses so as to tighten the loose ends if any, and that too well in time. Here, Astrology comes handy. In this context let us see how an ambitious young lad carrying immense potential has not been able to perform up to expected level so far.

The prime mover, the Sun, is together with wisdom indicator Jupiter as well exalted Mercury, marked with intelligence. Both the Sun and Mercury are favourably placed to the Karmic planet the Saturn. These planetary placements imply that he has qualities and is a responsible guy.  He is highly intelligent, and is armed with inherent organising skills enabling him to methodically plan things in great detail. Mars being supportive to both Moon and Venus speak of his high ambition, creative urges, drive and initiative. All put together qualifies him to make it big in life.

However, the fact that he has not been able to address his negatives, is how they have proved heavy over his positives. Here, Uranus and mischievous Neptune together prove the spoiler; locked again in adverse formation with Mars, Mercury and the Sun. That makes him temperamental, restless, puts him through uncalled for brooding and contemplation often impairing his vision. As a result, he looses focus and his energies get misdirected towards unproductive ends. Given his age, he needs to be guided to work upon his weaknesses, and then I am sure, he will prove a great achiever.

January,03, 2010

Nation needs to be on full alert in the Year 2010

I wish the valued readers of this esteemed journal as well as members of Pioneer fraternity a very happy and a prosperous New Year, individually and collectively. I hope, they stand to reason, and articulate their future course as well as responses to the challenges lying ahead in right perspective. Particularly so, because, the dynamics of nature driven energy orchestra driving life on planet Earth changes radically, soon after the year 2010 calls its shots.

Incidentally, the New Year begins with a partial Lunar-eclipse, soon after the fall of 2009. It will be visible towards the South as also the southern part of the East, implying that the tremors of eclipse shall be felt all the more there. Remember, eclipses are occasions marked with major turn in nature’s annular energy cycle, obviously with related ramifications, mostly in mundane terms. Although, eclipses recur as a matter of routine, they are pointers to future course of events in the offing. In a way, it is nature’s way of forewarning us about the impending events, both good and bad. There is nothing much for individuals to panic unless the eclipse happens within few degrees of some major planet in their natal chart. However, in mundane matters, the present eclipse does not present an attractive picture. For, malefic Saturn is rising in the lagna sign placed adverse to the 8th lord Mars (implying difficulties), the two luminaries - the Sun, the Moon - and Venus.

The eclipse is happening on the 4-10 axis of the chart drawn at the moment of full Moon. It implies that its major bearing shall be on polity - the ruling as well as opposition parties both included - domestic scenario, and agriculture produce. The lagna lord Mercury meaning common man’s overall comfort level, finance indicator Venus, the Sun signifying the ruler, all clubbed together in the 4th house, and all eclipsed by malefic Rahu present a scary picture.

The Sun is placed adverse to Jupiter and mischievous Neptune to mean that our ruling elite may get into indiscrete acts without the required level of deliberation which may tell upon Government’s credibility. As a consequence, people may feel cheated leading to discontent and dissension as would common man’s indicator Moon opposite Mercury imply. The 10th sub-lord Jupiter signifying the ruling power, posited in the constellation owned by 8th lord Mars, placed adverse to Saturn, further implies sudden impulsive decisions by the powers that be. The opposition parties shall be left fuming but shall not be able to cause any visible impact, because, by themselves they will be in utter disarray. For, even the 4th cusp sub-lord happens to be Jupiter whose constellation lord Mars is placed 8th to the 4th identified with opposition parties. This combination does also indicate fear of attack on some opposition leader, which may have serious bearing on polity. 

The implications of the eclipse are likely to come into play immediately after solar transgression into Aquarius, coinciding with New Moon on the 14th of February. The reason, the Sun shall then join mischievous Neptune and Jupiter and opposite Saturn.

Some major planetary conjunctions and oppositions in the offing too need attention. Mars shall be opposite Jupiter in June, which indicates likelihood of financial and religious trouble and which may disturb general peace. Incidentally Jupiter happens to be the 7th lord of the eclipse chart. Therefore, there could be lot of imprudence in evidence in terms of nation’s foreign affairs dealings. Mars then closes up with Saturn towards July end when both shall be opposite Uranus as well. This, when read together with Saturn’s adverse aspect on natal Mars in India’s Independence chart, calls for serious concern in terms of nation’s security and economy. A war like situation is likely within the country and even at the borders. Terrorist strike at public places as also on senior political leaders is not ruled out. The extremists, sensing rising people’s discontent may find it opportune to raise their head and strike in a big way. And, as usual, the political functionaries will not hesitate to fish in troubled water to serve their vested interest, which in turn shall further inflate the fire.

The good thing is that favourable transit of benevolent Jupiter through the 10th and 11th house of nation’s Independence chart during the year will not allow things slip out of hands. It also implies that the impending events shall force the nation to make necessary amends and emerge stronger. But, all said and done, utmost alert and prompt action is warranted to checkmate the impending danger.

December, 27, 2009

Shed your past to ensure a better tomorrow

The year has come to a close paving the way for a New Year.  People are in celebration mood nursing the hope of a better tomorrow.  The opposite happens when a physical being meets his end in life – it causes pain and agony to the near and dear ones.  It may be sheer heart-felt proximity or that one’s individual interests suffer, either way, attachment causes pain. 

Life however continues its run.  Those who really love their dead need to understand, that in the Divine-plan, there is no absolute beginning or end of life cycle.  Life and death are modes of transformation.  For the one who dies, it is an opportunity to shed his emaciated form, so that he can reincarnate with a rejuvenated body armed with fresh wherewithal necessary to carry forward the evolutionary chain in all strength.   

In the ongoing life too, we need to continuously evolve mentally and otherwise to ensure a better tomorrow.  But here again it is our attachment to the past habits and experiences - a product of our conditioned mind, which invariably stands in the way of our growth.  For, “Time” as a factor always keeps marching ahead, with the dynamics of every emerging moment being different from all previous ones, having no parallel in the past.  And we are supposed to keep pace with time.  But, our conditioned mind does not allow us to visualise implications of the emerging moments in the right perspective.  We are thus left behind in the run of time to invite our own failures and frustrations.

Should we try to figure out the mind barriers and then consciously try to break them, we can definitely go beyond.  In that case, our vision expands allowing us to see things beyond the earlier perceptible limits.  Our cleansed mind also qualifies us to look at things objectively and dispassionately.  We are thus able to set the course of our desires and thereby future right.  And then, every emerging day shall be a day of celebration as the saying goes “Sada Diwāli Santa Ghar” (For a saint every day is the festival of light celebrated every year). 

An unconditioned mind as that of a saint never lives in the moments elapsed, looks at the ongoing day in all spirit, and so does he guide his disciples.

In order to understand the true import of the above statement, let us see how the conditioned mind of a young man has been keeping him in problems.  Individual significations of major planets speak loud of immense potential he carries.  Prime mover of the planetary orchestra, the Sun posited in Scorpio sign, the 6^th house, speaks high of his confidence, analytical abilities and sense of reasoning.  The lagna lord, Mercury, enjoying its own constellation implies high level of intelligence.  The Moon in Sagittarius sign and that too aspected by the sign lord, Jupiter points to his fertile brain, armed with strong intuitive sense and righteous approach to life.

Towards the young man’s negatives, the lagna sign Gemini brings in the tendency to live his own dreams not bothered about its viability.  Jupiter is placed opposite intellectually ordained Uranus and mischievous Neptune, which brings in the tendency to challenge all settled norms and pursue peculiar beliefs he nurses.  Mars placed adverse to demonic Rahu-Ketu combine indicates misdirected application of his energies.  On top of that his high ego, coming as it may with expansive Jupiter inflating fiery Mars, does not allow him to be open to listening and counsel.  As a result, his scattered brain does not allow him to remain focused and so he fails to translate his potential into fruits.  I wish he opts for a mentor, who guide him overcome his limitations.  And, then tomorrow shall turn into a day of celebration.

December, 20, 2009

Resolve painful thoughts and feelings to avoid discomfort in life

The human mind is a stockpile of impressions drawn from one’s own experiences, learning and unlearning, which in turn influence the way we are to conduct in our lives. These very impressions accordingly condition our minds, being responsible for all our habits and desire pattern, we usually live up to.

Inadvertently, many a time, mind mistakenly captures mixed up image of happenings running in a flow, which may eventually drive us crazy. One night a person saw in his dream an elephant walking down the street with long boots on, wearing a scarf and a hat. Incidentally, the previous day, the man while on his stroll, came across an elephant and a gentleman near by with long boots on, and wearing a scarf and a hat. The two images got mixed up in his mind to find reflection as a weird dream.

It happens so quite often in real life, when we mistakenly club the identity of a person with someone dear to us, difficult to forget, and get stuck in that imagery. As a consequence, we fail to look at the person in his own right, with obvious implications to our detriment.

In this context, it is worth looking at the case of a lady who lost her husband quite early in an accident. At that critical hour, a close friend of her ex-husband, and also close to her parents, extended his helping hand, which later turned into a relationship. A little while later, she lost her parents too. Thereafter, she mistakenly clubbed his identity with the images of her husband and parents. Consequently, she got blinded to the true character of the man. That man has been walking in and out of her life to his sweet will subjecting her to continued emotional suffering. It is almost three decades now but the man has been wavering and has not given effect to his commitment. It is only now, after she submitted herself to a spiritual regime that truth seems to be dawning upon her. Remember, if food does not get digested, it may lead to lot of health problems. Similarly, if the hurtful thoughts and feelings imprinted in mind are not resolved in time by subjecting oneself to spiritual processes, they will keep hounding us time and again.

Let us now look at the conditioning of lady’s mind through a look at her astrological chart to figure out why it took her so long to come closer to truth. It is likely to take still some more time for her to resolve her painful thoughts and feelings. Born with a fiery sign Aries, and with its lord, Mars debilitated in the 4th house, she is head strong, impulsive, who will like to aggressively lead her own chosen way. Her Moon is placed in Gemini and that too adverse to the sign lord Mercury, demonic Rahu and mischievous Neptune. This implies that she lives in her mind on her own terms and may even ignore ground realities, if they do not suit her.

The good thing in her chart is that the benevolent Jupiter occupying its own sign, the 9th house identified with Dharma extends support to mind indicator Moon. Lagna sub-lord Rahu is placed in the 12th house owned by Jupiter, which also happens to be the 9th lord. Even the 5th sub-lord is placed in the constellation owned by Rahu. Such a close inter-relation of the lagna, 5th and 9th cusps speak of seeds of spirituality deep inside. However, the fact that Rahu and its sign dispositor Jupiter are locked in adverse formation, her spiritual seeds had to become operative only after experiencing the oddities and hazards of life for long. And, now that spirituality has taken her drive, soon she will be in better control of herself and shall be able to live with ease and comfort.

 December, 13, 2009

Right perception can turn disaster into asset

Many a time, life takes strange turns, when it suddenly goes for a beating leaving an individual dumbstruck. One is seldom prepared for such unforeseen happenings and is therefore caught unawares, a situation difficult to withstand. The paradox of such a situation is that just when a person’s mind, which is already overtaxed with uncertainties, he or she has to do some fresh thinking in order to find a proper lead. For, life has to move on. This, however, is easier said than done.

On such occasions, a victim begins to question why destiny is playing the devil to him. Invariably, to one’s own mind, the person believes he has been doing things right. Unable to find an answer one often lands up with an astrologer or soothsayer, who assigns the cause to the bad influence of some planet. But, is it fair to blame destiny alone?

True, planets indicate life's trends, good or bad. Simultaneously, however, they do also reflect upon human factors responsible for one’s failing. In actual practice, seldom to we take note of our own loose ends. It rather suits our ego to instead find an excuse in the role played by the planets. Eventually, many of us end up trying to appease the planets as suggested by an astrologer.

However, can we really appease the planets - energy balls which cannot discriminate and are available in equal proportion to all of us? One can, of course, harness these energies if one applies a specified meditative technique. A person could thus improve his energy intake by tuning up with the energy source, which in turn may increase his mental strength with relative bearing on his future acts. These energies by themselves cannot directly cause an event. And, it is really difficult to digest the thought that belief-driven offerings by some one else appointed on one's behalf can do any justice.

Looked at in practical terms, Astrology may prove a great help-tool if we use the planets in identifying personality-related weaknesses and then try to correct them. In fact, these weaknesses act like slow poison, which continuously keeps loosening the earth below our feet, making one sink deeper and deeper into the pit.

To find an insight, let us look at the astrological chart of a person who recently lost his high profile job, which he gained fast. His progressed Mars touches the natal Jupiter which implies that his continued success raised his ego level. Mars opposite the karmic Saturn threatened his career. Progressed Sun and Meridian both are locked in adverse square formation with Uranus, identified with seniors, which sealed his fate. All put together implies that the person may loose his job because of ego clashes with superiors. Look at the implication of his life number which totals 38. It is therefore no surprise that events mentioned above happened during his 38th year.

In the backdrop of the ongoing directions of the dynamics of time, let us now look at his inherent personality traits. Both the luminaries, the Sun and the Moon are in the 10th house which implies that he could make it big in his career on the strength of his inherent leadership skills and commercial instincts. The Sun placed favourable to Uranus grants him an inventive and innovative mind. However, all the positives exhibited by the luminaries are interfered with by unfavourable placement of mischievous Neptune and shady Rahu who prove the spoiler. This prompts the habit of finding fault with others and explains his revengeful nature. As a consequence, the person in question forgot his limits and openly questioned the credibility of his superiors on record. He therefore invited his own problems.

Strange are the ways of nature but, acting with time, it teaches us lessons of life at periodic intervals prompting us to take the necessary course correction.

December, 06, 2009

Right desires make right destinies

“Sa yatha kamo bhawati, tat kratur bahawati;

Yata kratur bhawati, tata karma kurute;

Yata karma kurute; tadabhi sampatyate.”

This quote from “Brihadaranyak Upanishada”, defines the flow chart of human lives. Its transliteration simply means:

“You are what your deep driving desire is;

As your desire is, so is your will;

As your will is; so is your karma;

And, as your karma is; so is your destiny”.

The above quote simply implies that we can very well steer our destinies to our asking, provided we are able to set our desires right.

The question here is: what regulates one’s desire pattern and do we have any control over it? Experience suggests that every person reflects an individual specific desire pattern. Take the case of a police man and a criminal. In deep slumber, none of the two remembers, who he is, by name or traits and both enjoy equal potential. However, the moment they wake up, they begin to work upon their respective desires.

How come the two nurse different desires? Obviously, the seeds for their desire would be laid down somewhere to excite a particular type of desire. The seeds are laid down in the mind itself in the form of deep impressions, which in turn drive the course to follow. Where do these impressions come from?

The impressions laid down in the mind are primarily carry over from the past birth, coming as they may with the memories acquired, skills developed, experiences had, and the unfulfilled desires. They are joined by the impressions picked up during the ongoing life, through the learning and unlearning process we undergo. All put together programme our life trends in a particular way. It is here that we need to make necessary corrections, if at all we wish to control our desire pattern and thereby our destiny.

Now given the fact that a human being enjoys the specific privilege to regulate one’s actions by choice and discrimination, we can very well do that. To make that happen, it would be necessary to first figure out the way our minds are programmed. This is not possible just looking at the visible trends. For, the trends reflected as on date may not be able to provide any clue to those yet to emerge. Here, Astrology proves handy. Through energy mapping at the time of one’s birth, astrology can figure out how and when the inlaid impressions are to gravitate into mind traits later. Accordingly, necessary timely corrections can be made.

A case in point is that of a young girl. It all went fine for her till she was 26, when she encountered psychosomatic problem and her thought process became incoherent. Her parents took it casually despite forewarning. They mistook it to be a simple attitudinal problem arising out of her marital urges. So, instead of seeking psychiatric help, they went all out looking for suitable match. But every time they reached close to finalising the deal, some insensible act on the part of the girl stood on the way. Gradually, her abnormality became unbearable. Finally, in a state of desperation, the parents sought psychiatric help, which did bring relief to the girl.

The Sun, though conjunct Jupiter, but square to mischievous Neptune clearly indicated that she is prone to suffering from self-delusion. This when read together with afflicted Moon and Mercury, the two planets respectively identified with Mind and intelligence, clearly indicated that she was prone to psychiatric problem. It was therefore no surprise that she began nursing weird desires as soon as she completed 26. At that stage, the transit Saturn touched natal Rahu, the progressed Sun became sextile to natal Neptune, and she entered Saturn-Rahu period, to add to her perils. Had her parents responded to the counsellor in time, given Jupiter’s conjunction with the Sun, her problems could have been averted.

November, 29, 2009

A true leader is made of true character

It was a sad day in the history of Indian Parliamentary democracy when in full television glare some honourable members of the Parliament lost all sense of civility and sanity and turned physical. It is almost a couple of years since the Indian Parliament has been routinely subjected to such ruckus. Political parties across the board during their turn in the opposition have seldom allowed the Parliament to function normally, almost as if they were within their right to force their minority view on the nation. Even the ruling party keeps playing its games. Barring the clearing of the mandatory bills, there has been hardly any quality debate concerning people’s expectations.

A rethink becomes imperative whether the British Parliamentary model we opted has really proved true to our expectations? Or, whether the American Model shall prove any better? Remember, no system works on its own. Its success or failure depends on the type of people who are engaged in its conduct. Now the question is: have we entrusted our future in right hands?

It may not be out of place to mention here that a person does not become a leader simply because he has been elected or selected for a position. And, a leader does not have a following simply because he holds a position. A true leader is the one who exhibits a character which finds the appreciation of those who follow him voluntarily. Our experience with most of our political leaders however suggests that none of these attributes are to be found in them.

The fact of life is that following the media explosion, Indian electors are getting matured each passing day. If the recent general election results are any indicator, people have already expressed their preference for humility over arrogance and negative projections. Yet, our politicians have failed to learn the necessary lessons. And, it is typical of Indian electors that they may not make any fuss beforehand but silently react decisively when time comes.

In this context, it will be interesting to astrologically analyse the personality profile of a leading opposition leader and see for ourselves what can be expected out of him. Born with Scorpio lagna, he is shrewd enough to prove a politician in today’s context. Lagna lord Mars in the 11th bhava together with the Sun implies that he should be a powerful and a successful leader. Mercury together with the Sun and trine to Jupiter grants him analytical abilities, a very good memory and the capacity to present things logically which could impress people. Moon trine to Neptune brings in an appeal to attract masses. Uranus in the 4th house promises the holding of a position of eminence. All put together qualify him to be a national leader.

But how come that despite the many positives in him to become a leader, he has failed to move a large majority to his advantage thus far? Two malefic planets, the Saturn and Ketu play the devil with lagna cusp, which brings in a negative mind set to the dislike of the majority. Habitually, he will be spare no occasion to find fault with others but, by himself, he may not get to the ground realities in time. He may also earn the displeasure of many because of his resentful and revengeful nature. Moon in Aries and that too opposite Mars brings in the urge to be at the head of things, but at the same time, he will keep offending people because of his impulsive reactions. Mars in the 11th house placed adverse to Jupiter speaks of a conditioned mind, whereby he will encourage self-seeking yes-men, and cannot digest even the least bit of healthy criticism. The Sun placed adverse to Uranus makes him unconventional and tactless also. To sum up, the negatives in him have really proved heavy over the positives. How can he then move the masses?

November, 22, 2009

Social morality strengthens national growth

India as a nation is being curiously watched by the world, and not without reason. If economic indicators, skilled manpower, our youth stock, infrastructure development, are any measure, they speak volumes of India being an empowered nation. The question now emerges: Shall we be able to sustain the growth trend and establish ourselves as a formidable nation?

The question is important, because, at the end of the day, it is the human factor which is going to make use of the resources we have built thus far. What way, depends on how a man is made out. In this context, even an individual becomes important. The reason: it takes great amount of group effort to build a society and the nation. But, we have also been witness to how the misadventure by a handful of insane minds, have misused science and technology to perpetrate their unethical notions.

The learned masters of ancient India noticed double propensity inherent in a man – his immense creative abilities as well as his killing instincts. So, they dwelt on building up every human being from the base, well in time. And yet, Indian civilisation had to go through lot of trials and tribulations, in as much as that the nation became slave to foreign invaders for long.

Today, when in the mad rush for acquiring individual riches, we have literally forgotten to work upon human factor, what could be the probable consequences? Shall we be able to sustain the growth process and look after sovereign interest of nation for long? For, more often than not individual aspirations are proving detrimental to nation’s interest. The growing number of cases of our nation’s wealth being devoured by none other than its custodians bears testimony to this fact.

The truth of life is that in today’s aspirational world, individualist tendencies have been growing so fast that people are not able to hold their families together. How do we expect from such an incredible mass to hold the nation together. All social control mechanism, which used to keep in check individual aberrations have broken down. There is growing number of cases every day, where the breadwinner abandons the family simply because it is not prepared to take on his abuses.

A case in point is that of a young girl battling to survive after she and her unskilled mother were abandoned by her abusive father when she had not even finished school. The girl was accused of being not only immoral but an illegitimate child. This was just to teach the two a lesson because his wife did not submit to his abuses, and the girl child rallied round her mother on such occasions.

Let us find out from the girl’s chart whether she is really immoral. The lagna is occupied by both the luminaries - the Sun and the Moon, all aspected by Jupiter, identified with righteousness. Jupiter further being the 4th lord signifies the mother. The implication is that both mother and daughter are inherently qualitative, who may pay a price but not stoop low. Both the lagna as well as 9th sub-lord happen to be Saturn, which establish genuine linkage with her father. But, 9th lord Venus conjunct Mercury, and afflicted by Rahu-Ketu combine speak of the father’s idiosyncrasy.

The good thing in the girl’s chart is that both the luminaries in her lagna promise that she will make it big in life through self-effort. When that happens, not far from today, the man shall have to repent. But all said and done, she had to suffer ignominy and poverty for a while for no fault of hers.

The conscientious people of the society really need to pay attention to the social issues arising as an offshoot of the growth process, if at all we wish to grow into a strong nation.

November, 15, 2009

Death recycles incapacitated body into new form charged with fresh vigour

A worried son through an emotionally charged letter has wished to know the fate of his critically ill father, who is now in his late nineties. Being the only son of his father, it is natural for him to wish enjoying his father's patronage as long as he could. I wish and pray that his father comes out of his ailment and continues to guide him still longer. But, all said and done, death has to come sooner or later.

The truth of life is that every living being is born with his body clock programmed to be in active mode for a fixed tenure in this world, which varies from person to person. It is for this reason that every living being enjoys an individual specific life span. So long as a person’s body-clock keeps ticking, he is able to draw nature driven pranic-forces, which maintains his dynamic existence. The moment the body-clock stops, man looses access to the vital forces, and his body-frame becomes dysfunctional, which in practical terms means death. We have no control whatsoever over this process. All that is in our hands is to ensure a relatively good quality life through good medical care of an ailing person till he survives. For everyone born into this world, his physical-self has to meet its end one day. We are all aware of this eternal truth, yet, we ordinary mortals fear death the most. But does death mean the end of one’s life cycle? To find an answer, a look into the genesis of creation becomes imperative.

There seems to be unanimity in the perception of modern science and Indian-Philosophy, in so far as the "world process" is concerned. Both the schools agree on one count: that the creation chain got excited by energy streams emanating from one singular source - which they have put forth in their own perspectives.

Science suggests that the energies excited during Big-Bang explosion led to the making of this world. Indian philosophy is of the view that causal stress arising at the Primordial-Source, the source and cause of all existences, led to release of energy chain. The chain reaction of energy components which followed evolved into the manifest plural world with all its diversity and enormity. Evidently, every creation is made of nature driven energy chain.

It is again a proven dictum of science that energy never dies but changes forms. It therefore implies that the energy structure behind every existence cannot simply go into oblivion following death. However, it could change form following 'recycling' process laid down by nature.  This lays down the scientific ground for the ancient Indian concept of reincarnation. Death is therefore just a recycling process, which facilitates an incapacitated man shed his emaciated form and acquire a rejuvenated body-frame charged with fresh energy and work spirit.

The message that emerges loud and clear is that if we really love somebody, we should accept in all humility their right to change form which could offer them a better quality life. The truth, however remains that an ordinary mortal usually identifies a person with his body-frame.  Knowing fully well that life extends beyond a physical frame and rests in the energy-format, yet being stuck to the body format, is what “Maya” is. We need to come out of this delusion of mind. Otherwise, man’s excessive attachment to one’s near and dear ones may continue to haunt the self as much as the latter.

This is not to suggest that death of the father of the man in question is imminent. He should not fear implication of the Mars-Saturn period operative in his father’s chart as suggested by some astrologer. In fact that period is already over. He should instead focus on serving his father the best and should not fear his death.

November, 08, 2009

Lose your alertness, invite your downfall

A man rode to success and made his dreams come true defying all karmic indications of a miserable life through sheer exercise of his willpower, focused attention and intelligent working. He earned the goodwill of his employers and patrons on the strength of his sense of responsibility and honesty as well his proven track record of giving result. In fact till his late forties, whatever he touched proved to be a success and he made a fortune for himself. His success itself however later proved a spoiler, for, it bred ego, which made him feel, as if he was unbeatable. So, he lost his alert. To prove his worth he went on a spending spree, providing all worldly comforts to his unworthy kith and kin. Many a time, he knowingly submitted to the emotional tantrums thrown by his family members, as if he could never be beaten in his own track. As a consequence, he is having a difficult time fending for himself now with the global economy having hit a low.

However, the good thing is that he has been able to correctly identify his fault lines fast. Accordingly, he has been making amends without grudging for not being supported by all those to whom he extended his largesse earlier. He acknowledges that but for his present fall, he would not have realised that the world does not always work to one's asking. And, his ego would have grown further unabated, and obviously to his detriment. He has accepted the challenges ahead in stride and has been maintaining a positive spirit. He has turned spiritual and has been working upon his frailties so as to provide right direction to his mind-self. So, very soon, he may be able to regain his lost fortune.

A look at the man's chart makes an interesting reading. Born with an earthy and fixed sign Taurus with Mars firmly placed there, he is materially driven and ambitious. His lagna lord Venus is posited in a fiery sign Leo in the 4th house identified with his home, which in turn occupies the constellation owned by the Sun in the third house falling in a watery sign. This further confirms, he being an ambitious dreamer who would be passionate about pursuing his material aspirations away from home. The Sun incidentally happens to be the sub-lord of his 12th cusp identified with a new environment away from home. So, he moved abroad to make his dream come true.

The man's 3rd house, identified with one's efforts, is heavily loaded with both the luminaries, the Sun and Moon, planet of intelligence Mercury and Rahu. This when read with fiery Mars in the lagna together with lagna lord's linkage to the 3rd house, indicates his perseverance and persistent efforts and his positive spirit. Benevolent Jupiter in his 10th house - meaning that it was over his head when he was born - brings in the sense of responsibility and methodical working. Mercury being together with the luminaries speaks of his high intelligence and he being blessed with a very good communicative skills.

On the negative side, Mars, despite all its positive attributes placed adverse to expansive Jupiter carries the seeds of ego in him. His Saturn, conjunct headless Ketu, is placed just opposite both the luminaries, which implies that success will not come easy and that he will have to tread a difficult path in life. He may not acknowledge truth as it comes and may acknowledge it after carrying on with his wishful thinking for long and so it happened. This combination, however, does also indicates seeds of spirituality laid deep inside, which when activated will provide him the right lead for a meaningful life ahead.

The man has now submitted himself fully to a spiritual path. The day is therefore not far when he will regain his lost glory.

November, 01, 2009

Making of right judgment and right choice

“Evolution and Expansion” are scripted in nature’s design, which has propelled the self-intelligent creation chain excited by the Primordial-source, all through its run. The process has followed its natural course till the emergence of human-species when the biological transformation reached its pinnacle. The dynamic players and the evolved existences during the intermediate stage had no control over the process.

Man, being a product of the above grand design, is therefore born with a natural urge to evolve and expand - mentally, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually and obviously materially as well - but with a difference. The reason, man enjoys the exclusive privilege of guiding his actions by choice and discrimination. He therefore, qualifies to steer the evolution process to his asking and so a man dreams which drives his growth efforts. But, here again there is a catch.

The choice option has to be exercised within the limits of design parameters laid down by nature, which holds the key to our creation and sustenance both. If however, we defy the callings of nature, which lately seems to be the trend, we invite our own sufferings and pains. The reason why more often a man ignorantly defies nature is that he is inherently born imperfect, which primarily lies in his mind. It is here that astrology can lend a great support in identifying the limitations for course correction. Working upon the mind-self helps increase the strength of mind, expands intellect and vision, in conformity with the callings of nature’s design. It then qualifies a man to realize that but for being true to the macro and micro mandate of nature individually he cannot be at his best.

The truth however remains that lately man has become so much obsessed with material growth, that he has literally forgotten to work upon his inner-self. As a consequence, man fails to see the truths underlying seeming realities, and macro mandate of nature not even the least. As a result, more often than not, people have begun to work at cross purposes, obviously inviting their own discomfiture.

A gentleman had troubled childhood. The unpleasant impressions thereof have made such a deep implant in his sub-conscious memory that his very thought process has turned negative. This comes out of personality indicator, Moon, conjunct planet of limitation, Saturn. So, habitually he turns out to be grousing and grumbling type, always dissatisfied, and the one who derives vicarious pleasure finding fault with others. He seldom takes note of positive if any in a person.

He has a debilitated Sun, conjunct mischievous Neptune in the 10th house, and also placed adverse to Venus. This implies that his emotional life may go through unpredictable turns.

Towards his positive side, Jupiter and Mercury being together, he happens to be a very intelligent guy who may effortlessly impress others. So, he makes friendships and entices women fast. However, he becomes dissatisfied also equally fast and it becomes difficult for him to hold on to any friendship/relationship.

It was therefore nothing unusual for him to have become frustrated with his wife and children. Having lost interest in them, he deserted his marriage and has been courting another lady now. But, given his traits, it is not far off when his newly found fancy may not excite him anymore. With this trend, will it be possible for him to ever secure happiness in life?

Well, for somebody who has himself thwarted the course of mental and intellectual evolution, he will neither be able to make right judgment nor make right choices. And, he will never be able to secure happiness in life.

It is still not late for him to works upon and gets rid of his past baggage, but for which he may not be able to take note of his fault-lines. I wish that he wakes up.

October, 25, 2009

Implant seeds of world unity in every mind while in making

Barack Hussein Obama, being glamorised with Nobel Peace Prize looks amusing, if not it acknowledges serious concern for world peace. This wanton award based on sheer hope, rather raises a few questions:

(a) Will the wishful thinking of idolising Barack Obama help promote world peace anyway?

(b) Whether a person, holding the high office of President of USA needs to be encouraged by gifting a "lollipop", for committing to the peace process?

We have been talking aloud about world peace ever since the First World War. But that could not stop the devastating Second World War from happening not long after. Even there after, we have witnessed many sporadic wars here and there. Lately, with religious terrorism gaining ground every day, human conflict has acquired newer and deadlier dimension, and the entire World is faced with a grave situation.

Peace, so far, seems to be nowhere in sight, despite all efforts in apparent terms. Why? For, the powers that be, who self-assumed the task of enforcing peace, stuck to seeming realities, have just being talking or building power blocs to bully weak nations into submitting to the peace process. They have not yet been able to strike at the root of the problem, which primarily lies in the making of a man. And, for a man, confronted with so much of uncertainties, insecurities and inequalities, now wide into open since globalisation, the divide is deep in the mind. Obviously, those at the receiving end will always be suspicious about the intent of the powerful ones. Can such a conditioned mind be turned around so easily just by listening to sermons on them?

Ancient Indian seers, having explored nature’s process in entirety, could find the right answer. They realised that but for working upon the human factor, individually and collectively, peace will remain just a wishful thought. They figured out that the manifest plural world, comprising of all its diverse constituents and existences, are framed into an interdependent structure. Therefore, it becomes our compulsive need to service the cause of collective worth and wisdom to take care of existential needs of even one individual. Simultaneously, it is necessary to shape an individual well in time, so that he lays down the ground for an orderly and a vibrant world. Otherwise, one errant individual can cause immense damage to peaceful societal existence.

The seers realised that a man is driven by his mind which, guided by relative perception, is pliable. For, if the mind, takes things just on the face value, it may get miscarried. Otherwise, if it exercises its faculty of discriminate-intelligence, it can get to the underlying truths as well. Which direction the mind takes depends on the way mind is trained. The difficulty here is that man, following the successive course of life and death chain, carries along mental acquisitions from the past birth. That in turn conditions and sets the trend of one’s mind-traits, which in effect varies from person to person. As a consequence, every person thinks different and hence the scope for arising of conflicting interests.

Yet, in compliance with the macro mandate of nature, it remains a compulsive need for all of us to get along with the larger existence, transgressing individual limitations.

To make that possible, ancient Indian seers designed a living style where, as a matter of regular routine, the eternal truths of life were drilled in every human mind, the elementary building block of societal existence. The process helps work upon one’s individual limitations, expand his vision and rise above the self. A man is thus groomed to be in accord with the larger existence following the concept of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the whole world is one integral unit). Only then will it be possible for us to be even individually at our best.

I wish that the world powers wake up to work upon the human factor rather than trying out fictional ideas.

October, 11, 2009

Collective happiness a prelude to individual welfare

I am within my rights to exercise freewill choice and live on my own terms, if that brings happiness. This is how a person wooing someone more "interesting", after having lost charm in their marriage, often tries to justify his actions.

The old-partner would have excited him no less than his newly found fancy, before he married her.  So, does he ever get happiness in life after hurting all those he leaves behind?

Does freedom grant us the right to, for example, play cricket in the middle of a road to the inconvenience of others? If that was so then everybody will be crossing path with every other, and the society would have perished by now. Especially since, every individual born into this world is cast in a unique mould reflecting varying traits. Obviously, conflict of interests becomes a natural corollary. The world however, continues to march ahead, despite all of man’s aberrations. It therefore implies that nature has in its design a sense of order, which steers through all disparate trends in this world.

Yet somehow, nature defined orderliness seems to be loosing its glamour.  Which is why, 2 or 3 "marital breaks" for a person here in West does not in any way sound unusual. The trend seems to be catching up even in the Indian society. Well, the moot question here is not that the institution of marriage is under threat. The danger is that this trend implies growing individualistic tendencies overtaking our thought process itself, which has been breeding intolerance and impatience. The result is there for all to see. Now, a handful of fanatics and terrorists can afford to think of taking a large mass of people for a ride and force upon us their whimsical fancies.

Now, unless the seeds of love get nurtured and strengthened at unitary level, it will difficult for us to hold the world together for long. Naturally, it becomes incumbent upon us to strengthen the institution of marriage and familial ties. Nature too wishes us to conduct ourselves along the above lines as a look into its construct and mechanics reveal.

The first thing that needs to be remembered is that all existences are born imperfect, in a way that together they make a perfect self-contained world where but for one, the very existence would be at stake. Secondly, every part of the universe is connected to the rest in an intimate and immediate way. So, the reverberations of echoes excited at one end shall be felt far and wide, and may revert back to the source with further add from other ends. These philosophical statements now stand vindicated by even science.

It therefore implies that collective happiness is a prelude to individual welfare. But to make sure that collective existence remains in good health, every individual has to rise to a level that he can accommodate all, transgressing all limitations. For that one needs to work upon one’s imperfections and expand one's vision. The right of freewill has been granted to mankind primarily to make a choice whether he wishes to make or mar his life.

The tendency to dictate one’s own terms can be figured out from a person’s astrological chart for timely correction. For instance, a gentleman would have run away from his two decades old marriage but for timely realisation that he cannot absolve himself from the ramifications of any negative act on his part. His lagna lord Moon exchanges sign with Mercury. Fiery Mars is placed opposite Jupiter, also posited adverse to Sun, Mercury, Rahu and Ketu. The implication is that his ego is high, wishes to live on his own terms, and always keeps looking for change.

Remember, whatever good or bad you do, will follow you throughout your life.

October, 04, 2009

Expand your vision to understand the truths of life

Nature, with the onset of autumn, seems to be at its best here in USA, just before the dark winter. Whichever direction you look at, you will see nature resplendent in all its colours. All the leaves of every tree have acquired by this time a particular colour – red, golden yellow, crimson, or brown. Towards the close of its annular creative cycle, nature wants people here to capture the image of its beauty and retain it in their minds. People will live by this image till the following spring, when nature’s beauty will once again bloom to regale our eyes. Perhaps, this will make people face the hard winter ahead.

Very soon, the trees, stripped of all their leaves, will turn dark and seemingly look dead. However, the trees do not become lifeless. Outwardly, they may look inert during the winters but, the same trees, will bloom afresh in all their colours once again, the following spring. So, seeing is not always believing.

However, even during the deadly winter, the pine trees stand firm, with their green intact, as if to challenge nature head on. Human life too often goes through such lows and highs. The wise are able to bear with both the good and bad with equanimity. For, they understand the underlying truth – that spring and fall are the processes involved in reinventing nature at regular periodic intervals. For those who get stuck to just seeming realities, it becomes tough to them to deal with difficult patches in life. But, how is it that when confronted with a given situation, different people react separate ways?

Perspectives vary from person to person, depending on how their mind is framed. Accordingly, every body’s perception varies. Another factor which counts is how well one uses the faculties of mind. The human mind is primarily powered by two factors – ‘Buddhi’ (discriminate intelligence) and ‘Manasa’ (sense driven mind).

Manasa, aided by sensory organs, takes care of the frontal actions of the mind. It captures images of everything seen or captured directly by the sensory organs. So, manasa deals with seeming realities. It is now the turn of discriminate intelligence to objectively look at the impressions gathered, get to the underlying truths, and make a judgement and then direct further actions. But, discriminate intelligence will work, only when put to use.

Ordinarily, people get stuck to the glare and glitters of seeming realities so much that they seldom care to look at the underlying truths. Their mistaken perception often lands them into serious problems. A case in point is that of a young female who loved a guy. But the boy did not prove true to her as he could not muster up the courage to marry her. She has been carrying that hurt within ever since. Her strong ego turned that hurt into the urge to somehow get him back at any cost. This urge to repossess her lost love has tricked her mind to mistakenly believing that her love for the man is still alive.

The truth however is that it is the hurt within that is driving her crazy to have abandoned a decade long marriage and that too after having children. She is chasing self-happiness, which she has identified with fulfilment of her illusionary fiction. Mars, her lagna sub-lord, carries along the mysterious nature of headless Ketu, its constellation lord, which does not allow her to move beyond seeming realities. Mars also crosses path with Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Uranus being responsible for her strong ego, aggression, restless mind and the element of rebel in her. So, she has been neither true to herself nor to her children and husband.

I wish that lady awakens before it reaches a point of no return.