Narasimha's Book

[Guest guest]

Namaste Members,

 

My thoughts on the the new book "Vedic Astrology: An Integrated Approach" by

Narasimha.

 

It is a very well concieved book with emphasis on breadth rather than the depth

of Vedic Astrology.

 

It starts out with the Basic Concepts and addresses the minutae of topics so as

not to leave the readers in the dark. As soon as a topic is introduced its

application/usage is covered, which I found as *the* salient feature of the

book. None of the books I have read so far does this to a full extent.

 

Another refreshing point of this book is the explanation and usage of

Arudhas(although it shouldn't be new to the members of Vedic-Astrology group),

it has been explained over and over again with different divisional charts and

with different houses, thus maintaining the interest level.

 

The concept of Graha Arudhas is one of the list of many topics whose coverage

hitherto has been few and far between

 

Although the chapter on Yogas seems like a run-of-the-mill, but the examples

given are clearly explained and throw light on other factors neccessary to be

considered in Yogas like the Amsa of the planets, and their Shadabala strength.

The coverage of Sun & Moon related yogas is very good.

 

Few other topics worth mentioning are Argalas, Sodhya Pindas, Transit, Tajika &

Sudarshana Chakra Dasa. Even the non-technical topics are very intersting.

 

Overall it is an EXCELLENT book and will soon be a Neo-Classic. Praise be unto

the publishers for having the sense to give it a Hard Cover. Now one can read

and re-read the book without having to worry about mutilating it.

 

As mentioned above while there are individual examples to clarify concepts, what

lacks though is the direction to integrate all these cornucopia of concepts and

techniques in a consistent manner.

 

I was wondering why the topics like Functional Nature & Badhakas have been

clubbed in the chapter on Interpretation, whereas in my opinion it should be in

Planets.

 

Although there are numerous typos spread through out the books but none fatal or

having to do with calculations.

 

The Moral of the book seems to be:

 

1. Strengthen the basics.

2. Let us not stretch the rules to explain things away.

3. Vedic Astrology is very rich and has numerous tools.

4. Let use the correct tool for the matter at hand.

5. Lets follow Parasara.

 

I would give this books 4 stars out of 5.

 

Thanks Narasimha for this wonderful book.

 

Regards

-Narayan

[Guest guest]

Dear Narayan and friends,

 

> My thoughts on the the new book "Vedic Astrology: An

> Integrated Approach" by Narasimha.

>

> It is a very well concieved book with emphasis on breadth

> rather than the depth of Vedic Astrology.

 

That's quite right - emphasis is on breadth rather than depth. I

packed the book with A LOT of material, but did not go really deep

into any topic. The goals were to be (1) self-sufficient and (2)

unambiguous and yet succint.

 

Any intermediate level student who has read atleast one or two Vedic

astrology textbooks and has SOME idea of basic things should

be able to use my book. Even some beginners, especially those who are

reasonably intelligent and dedicated, should be able to use

my book.

 

However, if you are a complete beginner, I would advise you to

read "Astrology For Beginners" and/or "Hindu Predictive Astrology"

by Dr. B.V. Raman (or other introductory books suggested by others)

before venturing to read my book. Then you may be ready to

read my book. Even as you read my book, keep with you the 2 volumes

of "How To Judge a Horoscope" by Dr. Raman (for

reference).

 

I started from basics in my book (i.e. did not assume any previous

knowledge on the part of reader) and progressed slowly in the

first half. But, as the basics are laid out clearly, the pace picks

up. Though, as Nandan and Narayan said, I tried to give clear

examples everywhere, there are several places where some level of

intelligence is expected from the reader. So you need to put in

some effort.

 

> As mentioned above while there are individual examples to

> clarify concepts, what lacks though is the direction to

> integrate all these cornucopia of concepts and techniques in

> a consistent manner.

 

I hope to address this in a sequel that will only have practical

examples.

 

> I was wondering why the topics like Functional Nature &

> Badhakas have been clubbed in the chapter on Interpretation,

> whereas in my opinion it should be in Planets.

 

Chapter 13 was probably the right place. The chapter on planets comes

too early. It basically talks about the nature of planets. Even

concepts like houses weren't yet covered then and I couldn't assume

that knowledge in that chapter.

 

BTW, you'll notice that I sub-consciously modelled my book after BPHS.

 

Chapter 13 is the weakest link in the book. That was the last chapter

I wrote and I had already crossed the page budget for the book.

I was too brief in it. It should've been a lot longer and gone

deeper. Also, I forgot to cover some concepts like combustion.

 

If I get an opportunity to make modifications for a possible future

edition, I plan to vastly expand Chapter 13 and also expand part 6.

 

> Although there are numerous typos spread through out the

> books but none fatal or having to do with calculations.

 

I too read the book now. About 80% of the typos are actually my own

and only 20% were introduced in the publishing process.

 

May Jupiter's light shine on us,

Narasimha