Learning Jyotish

[Guest guest]

Dear Robyn

 

you

<<What brought you to study Jyotish if I may ask?>>

 

me

Thank you very much for your question. My answer to that may help others.

 

To answer that question i have to tell the background to it. Back to 1969, i was

studying Architecture at the Mexico City university called UNAM. One day i was

travelling in Mexico City when i saw on a wall in big letters the key words to

the 12 signs of the zodiac.

 

I memorised them and they made a lot of sense to me, that after some few months,

beginning January 1970, i visited a book shop behind the Zocalo, or the main

City square.

 

In that shop I bought 3 books. The Bhagavad gita, The Book of Manu (The Manu

Samhita) and my first western Astrology book to learn the ABC of astrology.

 

The Bhagavad gita, was like the Vedic Bible. The Book of Manu (The Manu

Samhita), encouraged the reader to read the vedic literature. The western

Astrology book was a good beginning to astrology.

 

In those days there were not shops in Mexico selling ephemeris but by good luck

i found them in the school of astronomy at the UNAM.

 

To learn extra knowledge i used to go to different schools at the UNAM, which it

was and still is a big college city. In the 70's the UNAM had some 100,000

students and about 20 schools. Philosophy, Psychology, Political Sciences,

Medicine, Veterinary, Engineery, Architecture, etc.

 

In the reference library at the Astronomy school i could draw my planets from

the ephemeris but they did not have the tables of houses to calculate

ascendants. Nevertheless, just with the position of the planets i could study

their trends in natal signs and their transits.

 

By February 1973, i arrived in Paris where i bought my western horoscope from a

super-computer on the Champs Elisses and where the books shops had many

facilities for astrologers.

 

At the same time i made friendship with a Spaniard Hare Krishna devotee living

in the temple. I told him that from the books that i had read, i was searching

for the Vedas.

 

Sergio, later to become initiated as Sukirti Das, told me that his Spiritual

Master was translating the cream of the Vedas, the 12 Cantos of the Srimad

Bhagavatam. I was very lucky indeed because i found what i was looking for.

 

During 1973, 74, and 75, in Paris, i did a lot of study on western astrology and

on vedic literature. Beginning 1976, i did travel from Paris to Amsterdam to

buy the 17 volumes of the Caitanya Caritamrita, translated by Prabhupada, plus

some of his new other books. Prabhupada was at that time publishing books

faster that we could read them and Amsterdam was the European City in the

continent where to buy all his books in English.

 

At the beginning of March 1976, another Hare Krishna devotee came to visit the

Paris temple. I prefer not to mention his name here, but i had met him

previously at the Amsterdam temple in the Autumn of 1973. Because of my

western astrology background i could calculate charts for my friend and he

explained to me how to convert charts into vedic astrology.

 

Also i bought from him my first 10 books on vedic astrology.

 

Perhaps my knowledge on vedic literature and vedic culture did help a lot to

understand fast vedic astrology, because i started to increase my collection of

vedic horoscopes, for me to learn more about it.

 

The key words of the signs that started my interest in astrology are very

interesting and useful. Here there are.

 

Aries, "I am". It is the beginning of a new life, it is the concept of first

identity, the i am spiritual soul before we become conditioned by parents,

environment, teachers, friends, society etc. and we are prone to identify

ourselves with the bodily and false concept of gender, class, family, nation

etc.

 

Taurus, "I want". The need to satisfy our needs. We need to learn to acquire

just what is really needed by us instead of cultivating our greed.

 

Gemini, "I Think". The deep thinking process to discriminate between good and

bad, ruled by Mercury, rather than the shallow thinking of the mind, ruled by

the Moon.

 

Cancer, "I feel". The emotional sense which is more developed in sensitive

persons or those having connections with the sign of Cancer.

 

Leo, "I dare". The daring sense found mainly in those connected to Leo.

 

Virgo, "I Analyse". The analytical process given by Mercury, the ruler of this sign.

 

Libra, "I balance". The sense of balance given by Librians in the form of charm

and entertainment.

 

Scorpio. "I am Silence" (Yo Callo). We see here the deep wisdom given by silence.

 

Sagittarius, "I See". Perhaps we can appreciate here the sense of dristhi or

real vision. In our conditionment, we mainly learn that to see is only the

sense of vision but by going beyond that concept we can appreciate that vision

is more than merely vision, it is as well feeling, touching, and interacting

subtle energies.

 

Capricorn, "I use". The 10th sign of the zodiac is naturally connected to the

10th house of the horoscope. The concepts of Karma, profession, vocation are

linked to the management of our energies in a practical function. The concept

of "i use" has nothing to do with the selfish attitude of exploitation. The

words "I use" means the practical approach of applying form and function

together to produce something positive.

 

We reincarnate in a body that has already an specific function to develop.

Therefore the words "I Use" mean the practical way to use the knowledge or

skills from anybody into a positive energy.

 

Aquarius, "I Know". To be well informed means to share that knowledge with

others.

 

There are two kind of knowledge, vidya and avidya. Vidya is a Sanskrit word

meaning real knowledge and avidya means that which is opposite to knowledge or

ignorance.

 

There is also a duality in our existence. We as spiritual souls are spiritual

in essence. But our bodies and everything related to them are material in

essence. Therefore, we have here a duality. On one side we have vidya or

knowledge connected to the soul and on the other side we have avidya or the

mundane knowledge connected to the body.

 

The horoscope means the activity of the soul within a material frame. Without a

soul, the body is death, without a function.

 

The horoscope indicates the function of an individual whiting the scope of our senses.

 

For example, our eyes can see only the 7 colors of the rainbow but not beyond

them like the infrared vibration ruled by Ketu or the ultraviolet realm ruled

by Rahu.

 

We are here in this material universe because somehow we have achieved a

horoscope. According to our destiny we are supposed to follow certain

guidelines. The planets or God never chastise us, it is us that we sometimes

want to run in a channel which is not destined to us and therefore, the planets

just "correct" us, to make us go to our destined channel.

 

Although we are living in the material energy, we must not fall in love with it

because it is only a temporary manifestation and it is not spiritual like us,

the real self.

 

Srila Prabhupada published a nice book which can give you a better idea. It is

called "Raja Vidya, The King of knowledge".

 

Pisces, "I Believe". The planet Jupiter (the natural ruler of this sign) or

Brihaspati, the guru to the demigods, is here giving the concept of faith.

Perhaps because it is the last sign, indicates the end of a road and perhaps

the end of what we know. Therefore, our belief is very important.

 

Natives having connection with this sign of Pisces are in general, meditative

and/or religious in their own ways.

 

Later on in another posting i will analyse how this belief of Pisces is only

shallow compared with the deep belief indicated by the 9th house or the 9th

sign of the zodiac.

 

The 9th house indicates the belief system inherent in everyone of us.

 

Best wishes

Natabara Das