Interview with Sri K.N. Rao - 2

[Guest guest]

Continued from last post -----

 

In the spring of 2000 I had the great privilege of spending a month in

New Delhi studying at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan with K.N. Rao and the

other talented teachers of the school. For many years the school had

been recognized as the largest astrology school in the world. Today

there are over 850 students and 26 teachers! For me, it was like an

International Symposium on Vedic Astrology every weekend. I was

thrilled.

 

Under K.N. Rao's guidance many of the teachers had written their own

books that had not only become required course reading but had also

become unique contributions in the field - M.S. Mehta, Col. A.K. Gour,

Manoj Pathak, Naval Singh, Deepak Kapoor, K.K. Joshi, Dr. K.S. Charak,

Shiv Raj Sharma, Vinay Aditya, and more. Nowhere had astrology reached

such a high level of academic and scientific excellence. What I've

always appreciated is that Rao and his students books are always filled

with many practical examples showing how the classic principles can be

applied in a modern context. Click here

<http://www.astroamerica.com/v-rao.html> for more information about

books by K.N. Rao and the faculty of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

 

 

Some of the teachers in the lounge between classes.

Author M.S. Mehta is at center.

 

Soon after arriving I learned that this was definitely an advanced

course of study. K.N. Rao's approach to teaching is systematic,

practical, and rigorous. He requires that everyone learn to make many

calculations on the spot, preferably without the use of pen and paper,

let alone computers! He also requires that students learn through

practical application and not just through theoretical knowledge.

Students are required to produce papers showing the application of

classical principles on a regular basis. It was obvious to me that even

many of the first year students knew more than some of the professional

Vedic astrologers in the West.

 

 

Author Col. A.K. Gour teaching a second year class

 

I had never been in such a dynamic learning environment for astrology.

Producing the quarterly research journal was a brilliant part of the

system. The kinds of researches that K.N. Rao used to do on his own in

the evenings could now get the additional collaboration of hundreds of

students and teachers. Publishing the journal also brought excitement to

the research projects that many classes were engaged in because of the

possibility of being published later. Individual students were also

given the opportunity to have outstanding research papers published. For

instance, one student, who was a veterinarian, was doing research into

the common astrological combinations seen in a cross section of many

veterinarians.

 

 

Sri K.N Rao teaching an advanced research class

 

It was academically satisfying to be in the midst of such excellent

teaching. During one class K.N. Rao showed with remarkable ease how the

same events in the life of Rajiv Gandhi, India's former prime

minister, could be seen from several different dasha or predictive

systems. In fact, Rao always promotes what he calls a " composite

approach, " which utilizes many dasha systems side by side in order

to confirm accuracy in chart interpretation. Rao has also revived the

use of many obscure dasha systems, written about in classical texts, and

proven their validity with modern research.

The Restoring of an Ancient Tradition

Astrology may still have a ways to go in order to become recognized as a

valid science and academic subject in the scientific community. But

without a doubt, K.N. Rao and the faculty and students of Bharatiya

Vidya Bhavan are in the process of making a significant contribution

towards this end. Arguably his school has produced the finest

replicable, scientific research on astrology ever. They are also setting

an example for other institutions to follow by teaching astrology with

such a high degree of academic excellence. I can't help but think

that Yogi Moorkanandji and the great sages would be pleased with the

great strides that are being made towards restoring the ancient

tradition of Vedic astrology as a sacred science, or perhaps better yet,

establishing it as what Rao likes to call the " super-science of the

New Age. "

 

 

Vaughn Paul and Sri K.N. Rao. May, 2000 in New Delhi

 

Interview with Sri K.N. Rao - January 2004

 

VAUGHN PAUL: Tell me the history of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan institute

of astrology. What year did it begin? How did you get the idea to start

it? What was your original intention?

 

KN RAO: In 1972, when I was in the eastern state of Bihar in Patna I had

to teach the nephew of a lawyer friend of mine who picked up some

astrology very wrongly, took disastrous decision and landed in serious

trouble. I scolded him and told him not to misapply the knowledge of

astrology from some books available in the market.

 

Other students also joined and I experimented with a non-Sanskrit style

of teaching as is done in Indian universities in teaching other

subjects. This direct method of teaching, without having to learn

anything by rote, was an instant success. I continued it in my

subsequent posting in new stations like Calcutta, and Delhi. In every

station I had small group of students from five to fifteen coming to me.

 

In 1985, when an all India body of astrologers was being formed, I was

unwilling to join it. When persuaded very strongly, I laid down the

condition that we should introduce the teaching of astrology as its main

or a very important activity.

 

In 1987, when I was transferred back to Delhi from Bhubaneshwar, I

decided to introduce this in an organized way and thought of the

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, which believes in the ideal of encouraging

Bharatiya or traditional Indian vidyas (knowledge). In July 1987 the

school began.

 

The intention was to teach it systematically, with different branches,

after an introduction of astronomy relevant to astrology.

 

VP : How many teachers and students do you now have? What is your role

today?

 

KN RAO: We have now, eight hundred and fifty students and twenty-six

teachers. I now teach only three research classes, which are the higher

classes and make the students do research and write articles, present

them in our monthly workshops and six monthly seminars. I also take them

to different places, mainly pilgrimages where we combine pilgrimage with

astrology seminars.

 

I do not think about any role. I leave it to God, something comes up and

I find myself in the midst of it. It is a new experience, which is both

exhilarating and disgusting. For instance, in the year 2000, astrology

was introduced as a course of study in Indian universities though it has

been there always in Sanskrit colleges and universities. Some leftists

and scientists opposed it and filed cases in courts of law. It reached

the highest court of India, the Supreme Court and was heard on 4

November 2003. Under the Indian law a non-lawyer can intervene in such

cases as petitioner-in-person. I did it since I am a non-lawyer and I

was the only astrologer fighting this greatest battle for astrology.

Other astrologers stayed out of the fight totally.

 

A fairly crowded court heard me and I was told by senior lawyers present

that I had made a very impressive case. One such senior lawyer told us

privately that he could infer that the court (meaning the judges) were

in our favor. The judgment has not come out yet. It may come after some

weeks or months. (The court did rule in favor of the study of astrology

in Indian Universities thanks to K.N. Rao's petition).

 

VP: Where did you get this drive to preserve the ancient systems of

India's astrology?

 

KN RAO: In 1980, a great Yogi Moorkhanandji (Swami Vidyaranya) told me

that I would do it and would have to do it. I never had any bank balance

(which I do not have even now), no house, and no car. He told me that if

God willed it the institution would spring in spite of these handicaps.

That has happened.

 

VP: Who has been the most instrumental in instilling this passion of

yours?

 

KN RAO: My mother initially, later my Jyotish Guru Bhaskaranandji and

last Swami Moorkhanandji encouraged me in original research. Once

started, it continued in spite of the burden of office work, which

continued till 1990 when I retired. After my retirement I have been

doing it individually and now, with groups of students collectively.

 

VP: Did you intend to publish a journal based on your research from the

beginning or did that evolve?

 

KN RAO: No. I had been contributing articles on astrology, popular and

technical articles for various astrological journals both in English and

Hindi for many years. The idea of having an astrological journal for the

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, was that of the authorities of the

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The entire burden had to fall on me, guidance,

editing and even rewriting some articles. And on popular demand, we had

to make it bilingual, with English and Hindi sections.

 

VP: What are some of the latest researches that are being carried out by

yourself or your faculty and students at BVB?

 

KN RAO: In various dashas, for example books on Dwisaptati Sama Dasha,

Chatursheeti Sama Dasha, Yogini Dasha have come out and the book on

Sthira Dasha is also completed. Then a collective research on Varanasi

Hora is being completed. Besides, there are many small researches.

 

VP: What are your future directions for the school?

 

KN RAO: Continuing to do statistical, replicable researches as we have

done in recent years and making it a tradition. I know that only a few

will stick to this line of painstaking research but I know that some

will.

 

VP: What is left to still accomplish?

 

KN RAO: There is so much left to be accomplished because in the

constantly changing society new challenges keep cropping up. For

example, the subjects of study now available in educational institutions

are so many that to do research on them, our students have been working

hard and we are to going produce a book initially. It will help many

astrologers do sound educational counseling. Psychologists cannot find

out the correct combinations of subjects for students. The book will

contain horoscopes of Americans and Russians and of different non-Indian

countries to show how the combinations we are working on apply

universally.

 

VP: What are you most proud of in regards to what you and students and

staff have been able to accomplish and how the school has evolved?

 

KN RAO: It is a weekend school and therefore meeting only twice a week

creates some limitations which I overcome by calling some of the

students to my house on different days for in depth discussion. Yet, we

have produced now more than forty books publishing our researches,

thirty-two of them being mine. The students producing fine researches

gives me pride and joy. But really I am proud of nothing. You are a

nobody. What God wills alone happens, and you are onlythe

instrumentality through which HIS will works.

 

VP: What is your most important advice to students of Vedic astrology?

 

KN RAO: Do not take what is given in books literally but interpret them

liberally as in changed times. Newer applications of ancient principles

will have to be done constantly