Prajna Surabhi

One man army - Dr Subramanya Swamy

2012-02-15T02:19:00.000-08:00

I hate politics and political leaders right from my childhood, rather unconsciously. There are many reasons behind my feeling. The leaders are notorious for their lack of integrity and non-adherence to dharma in their personal as well as official lives. Truthfulness, moral values, upright behavior are alien words to them. It is my strong feeling that political leaders never tread the path of morality,truthfulness and selflessness. Almost all the leaders I had observed were obsessed with caste, corruption and selfishness. So I used to think that there is no hope for our country any more in the near future. I used to ponder, somewhat pessimistically, that it might not be possible to find sincere and upright political leaders anymore. However, I found my views to be unfounded, after knowing about a tireless fighter who is waging his war against corruption and political evils besieging our country. He is none other than Dr Subramanya Swamy, a political leader with a difference.

He is the national president of Janata Party founded in 1977 by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan. He is representing Madurai constituency now. Let us examine his astro chart.He was born at 4.30 on 16-9-1939 at Chennai. Now he is 72 years old and still fighting against the evils faced by our country. It is our country's fortune that such upright and truth loving leaders do exist in the political arena even today.

Budhaditya Yoga in his lagna gave him good education, deep knowledge in his subject, world wide fame and academic recognition. He got his Ph D in Economics from Harvard University and worked there as professor for sometime. Later he worked as professor in IIT Delhi. All his academic excellence is due to the Budhaditya yoga (Sun-Mercury conjunction) happening in his lagna.

Debilitated Venus as 10th lord in 2nd house denied him power and authority except for short spells of time. However, the cancellation of debility of Venus by Mercury's placement in Lagna had helped him to become the Minister of Law and Commerce between 1990-91. At that time he ran Saturn/Rahu and Jupiter dasas. Saturn's debility is cancelled due to exaltation of Mars in 4th Kendra from Moon. Rahu is signifying Venus by his placement in Tula. So in Saturn/Rahu dasa he became a Central Minister.

In Dasamsa chart, Sun the 11th lord is in 8th house, thus denying power and authority despite his scholarship. Mars in Lagna and 6th lord in 6th house with debilitated Mercury indicates constant quarrels with powerful enemies in authority.

Shashtihayini dasa applies in his chart owing to Sun's location in lagna. According to this system, Rahu dasa which commenced in 1958 took him abroad at once. It is Rahu that gave him Ph D from Harvard University in 1964-65. Afterwards, he came to India to join IIT Delhi as Economics professor when he was running Jupiter Dasa. Jupiter in 8th house from Lagna and 6th house from Moon, gave him constant opposition from authorities as he took active interest in student affairs. Jupiter/Venus in 1971 saw him walking out from IIT due to his differences with Indira Gandhi. It can be seen that Venus is debilitated in his chart in 12th house from Moon.

His relation with Jansangh and Jayaprakash Narayan led him into politics.Sun dasa from 1974-84, exalted Mars dasa upto 1994 and Moon dasa upto 2000 gave him Rajayoga and made him Member of Parliament for 5 terms consecutively. However during 1976 he ran Sun/Mars dasa which caused enmity with government due to Mars sitting in 6th house.

He was instrumental in improving our country's relations with China and Israel. The most sought after 'Kailash & Manasa Sarovar' Yatra has become a reality for Indians owing to his closeness with Deng Xiao Ping. Indians should be indebted to Dr Subramanya Swamy for this achievement which is fulfilling the religious sentiment of millions of Indians. As a member of planning commission in 1991, he envisaged the 'New Economic Policy' which is the driving force behind the flourishing Indian Economy now.

Debilitated and retro Saturn, Exalted Mars, their exchange of signs and mutual aspect between them gave rise to a peculiar yoga in his chart. By the effect of this yoga, he always stands for the common man and fights for justice.He never cares the result but continues to fight till his goal is reached.This is a peculiar trait of his Astro chart. Powerful Mars in 6th house gives him powerful enemies always. However, owing to presence of equally powerful Sun in Lagna, he too never bows before his enemies, but offers a tough fight taking the help of law. He could have enjoyed high positions quite easily, if only he sacrificed his self respect and his concern for moral values. But due to the strength of his lagna lord Sun, he would never stoop low to gain selfish ends.

Saturn and Ketu in 9th house show that he has a deep spiritual nature. However owing to debilitation of Saturn and his enmity with lagna lord Sun, he might not achieve spiritual liberation in this life. However, this combination gave him blessings of a great spiritual master Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, Paramacharya of Kanchi Mutt.

In his next birth, he will be born as a yogi and reach spiritual fulfillment. Then, he will be worshipped by the people owing to his lifelong efforts to serve the humanity in this life. He led a yogic way of life in his last birth. But due to left over karma that bound him to the society, he is now leading a political life. But his spiritual samskaras will haunt him in his next life and make him embrace the religious path. He has blessings of Guru abundantly. His Vimsamsa (D-20) lagna is Mesha having 9th lord Jupiter and Saturn sitting in 5th house shows his spiritual capabilities. However due to retrogression of Jupiter in his chart, spiritual fulfillment evades him in this life.

1n 1969 during Jupiter/Moon dasa he saw the photo of Paramacharya of Kanchi in the hostel room of Harward University. He forgot the photo but could meet the Acharya in 1977. Since then, till the mahasamadhi of Paramacharya in 1994, there was frequent interaction between them .Paramacharya advised him how to mix politics with high ideals.

Jaimini Maharshi's sutra (1-2-48) fits into this chart very well. It says 'समे शुभ दृग्योगाद्धर्म नित्यः सत्यवादी गुरुभक्तश्च', meaning thereby, 'One who is having aspect of good planets to the 9th from Karakamsha would be righteous in nature, always speaks the truth and devoted to his Guru.' In this chart, Atmakaraka is Sun, Karakamsha is Dhanus and 9th house from thence is having Budhaditya Yoga. So it is clear that Dr Subramanya Swamy is endowed with all the above qualities narrated by Jaimini Maharshi.

Presently he is running Saturn Maha dasa from January 2012. During this dasa he will become more and more spiritual due to the presence of Saturn and Ketu in his 9th house. Considered from the Moon, this combination can increase the number of his enemies. Presence of debilitated Venus in 12th house can be a secret threat from womenfolk, especially in the light of '7.5 years Shani' middle period. So he has to be extra careful during this period.

I have changed my long held opinion now. Now I believe that there is righteousness even in politics. But what can a drop of milk do in a pot of poison? More and more Dr.Subramanya swamys is the need of the day to revive values in politics. Going by the current trends, can we ever expect such a welcome change in our society?

Cancer and Yuvraj Singh

2012-02-06T22:20:00.000-08:00

Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh, according to news, is suffering from a cancerous tumor near the lungs and heart. He is currently taking treatment in USA and recovering. Let us examine his birth chart. His date of birth is 12-12-1981 at Chandigarh. Birthtime is not available. So we will analyze his chart superficially.

Normally, people born on December 12th seem to have very adamant nature. A star cricketer should have this trait in the course of his game. I never watch cricket as I dont love that game. Going by the news reports and friends, I understand that Yuvraj Singh is a very tough and adamant player. So it is quite likely that he was born on December 12th. So taking this date as correct, let us proceed.

1. Rahu and Ketu are in 0 degrees, showing at some point of time he will face serious set back in his life.

2. Saturn is aspecting Sun with exact degree aspect.

3. Mercury is combust. Some people opine that Mercury never suffers the blemish of combustion,but i don't subscribe to this view.

4. Jupiter in enemy rashi and Rahu's star.

Now, there are many planetary combinations that suggest cancer. Among them Jupter+Saturn, Jupiter+Mars, Jupiter+Rahu/Ketu play the key role. Above all, the role of Jupiter is seen invariably. Transit Jupiter is now in Mesha 9 degrees and opposing Natal Jupiter exactly. Transit Saturn is in Tula 5 degrees and over Natal Jupiter. So the effect of Jupiter and Saturn is clearly visible behind his disease.

Mercury as the lord of natural 3rd house Mithuna, signifying lungs, is combust. He is also aspected by Saturn Mars combination from Kanya. The aspect of Saturn+Mars on Mercury and Sun is causing the trouble near lungs and heart.

For any chart, Sun and Moon are the life givers. They illumine the world, and they illumine the lives of individuals too. In this chart, they are under the grip of Saturn through his 3rd and 10th aspects. So the life force comes under malefic influence.

From Moon lagna, Mars and Saturn being 6th & 8th lords, are sitting in 4th house. Saturn and Mars together is not a good combination, more so in 4th house indicating chest area. So the trouble is centered around lungs and heart.

Jaimini Maharshi in his upadesha sutras said ( vide 1-89), 'कुज दृष्टे महारोगः'. According to him, if 4th from karakamsha has Moon and aspected by Mars it forebodes a great disease. This sutra fits in to Yuvraj's chart. His Atmakaraka is Mercury. Karakamsha is Mina. Moon is in Mithuna and aspected by Mars from kanya ( Rasi Drishti). So he is now down with an unwanted disease.

Now, Saturn is going retrograde from February 8th till June 24th. During this retro motion he goes away from natal Jupiter situated in Thula. So the disease will get cured during this period. After that, Saturn resumes his direct motion and transits over Natal Jupiter again around October 31st. So, there may be a relapse at that time or he may require another round of treatment. Transit Jupiter enters Vrishabha in June -2012 which is his 12th house from Moon. So he will have sudden heavy expenditure at that time, may be in the form of medical bills.

It is very unfortunate that at the tender age of 29, he is down with this disease. Let us pray for his quick recovery.

The empty tea cup of Zen

2012-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

One of my friends loves 'Zen' very much. He has read extensively on 'Zen' and this habit of reading had led him to consider himself a very knowledgeable person in philosophical matters and prompted him to teach others whenever he found an opportunity.

One day he invited me to have tea with him. I went to his home at the appointed hour. After exchanging pleasantries, he placed two empty cups on the teapoy and started pouring tea from a kettle. He kept on pouring tea, though it was overflowing from the cup. I was silently watching him and instantly sensed that he was imitating the famous 'cup of tea' incident of Zen.

I could see he was trying to pose as the famous Zen master Nansen and teach me a lesson in Zen philosophy. But he could not understand that I am not the professor of the story.

"What is the fun? The cup is overflowing. Why do you keep on pouring the tea?" I asked him.

"When your cup is full, how can it hold my tea?" he questioned, as expected. He was just enacting the old incident again. I thought the time is right to let him understand the truth.

So I told him.

'I know the Zen story you are referring to. Tell me. If my cup is really empty, where is the need for your tea?"

My friend was puzzled and had no answer.

The original incident happened in China. But this incident happened in India. This incident reflects the way of those who read books and assume that they realized everything. Such people may dupe the innocent, but their intentions are clearly seen and exposed in the presence of those who know better. Spirituality is never experienced through book learning. You can know the way from books. But it is the steadfast practice of a method for years that brings you the experience.

There are plenty of people who just read Zen or Osho or Ramana or Jiddu or some other spiritual master and assume they have come to know everything. These people have to understand that the great souls practiced sadhana for years and years before they started teaching the world. They never talked to the world during their sadhana. They started talking only after realizing the truth by experience. But those who read the books, never bother to understand this point.They just try to repeat like parrots the sayings of great sages.

There is a great difference between mere book learning and experience. Books never give experience, but experience can result in many books.Genuine spiritual experience can have many shades which are not seen in books. The book learners may understand the grammatical meaning of texts. But grammar seldom gives experience. One needs sadhana to convert a thing understood by the brain into experience. This is the difference between scholars and Sadhakas.

Jillellamudi Amma, a great sage of modern India, used to say ' Books never give experience, experience gives many books". Experiential knowledge always outshines bookish knowledge. Experience is ever new and book knowledge is dead and inert.

In the original Zen story a professor goes to a Zen master to argue with him. The Zen master, indicates to the professor by pouring tea in the full cup, that an overfilled brain cannot grasp a new idea. My friend tried to enact this incident again, thinking that I am not aware of this story. There are many people who after seeing movies are influenced by the movie stars so much so that they try to imitate them in real life and face unpleasant situations thereby. Spiritual book learners are no better than movie goers.We need not imitate others. We have to be ourselves.

Life is ever new. It always brings new situations and new flavors to our door step. That is why we never find any newness in an incident again and again.

It is true that an overfilled cup cannot hold anything more. But when the cup is really empty, what is the need to pour tea into it at all? An empty cup indicates an empty mind devoid of thoughts. When the cup is really empty of thoughts and samskaras, there is nothing more to achieve. There is no need to pour tea into it. The game is over. The empty cup may seem to be empty, in reality it is not so. It is filled by the whole space above it stretching up to infinity.

When you reach a state where you can empty your mind of all thoughts, you dont need any outer supply. Nature herself supplies you with ideas unceasingly. Sri Ramakrishna also used to say the same thing. " In a store of grain, as you pull the heap of grain forward, the grain that is lying in the back automatically comes forward into your reach." It is similar. One never feels the paucity of ideas, if one could connect to the universal storehouse of ideation.

My friend tried to imitate the Zen monk. But in spiritual life, no imitation is needed. One has to act as per one's experience. We have to stand on our own legs. Only then, we can have purity in our behavior. The Zen story of Nansen was original. This is just repetition of the old story. So this is fake. Even in a fake incident, it is possible to bring freshness, if you know the knack of experience.

There are many teachers in this world, who just read books and try to teach others. All the today's corporate gurus freely borrow from ancient literature, but very few quote the original source. Teaching from books is not difficult, it is very easy. Teaching from one's own experience is difficult. One has to struggle and do sadhana for years, to gain experience. First one has to do sadhana, then if necessary one can teach others. This is the correct sequence in spiritual life.

Show of scholarship always falls flat in front of genuine spiritual sadhakas. Humility finds a good friend in spirituality but haughtiness is automatically shown the door. It cannot enter the house of true spiritual wisdom.

Swami Vivekananda's palm reading

2012-01-15T00:28:00.000-08:00

This is the palm print of Swami Vivekananda. It was taken on 6-4-1895 and presented by 'Chiero' in his book. Let us analyse the palm print of this great sage of modern India.

At the outset, we can see that this palm belongs to the 'philosophic palm' group with a mix of practicality, because of the square shape of the center of his palm. This indicates that Swami has refined philosophical bent of mind with a practical outlook. Mysticism and practical leadership qualities co-existed in him.

His lifeline is short. It has travelled well into the middle of his palm along with his heart line. We can see the formation of 'tangle' in this area and also an 'island'. We know that he lost his father in his youth leaving the family in utter penury. Owing to his short lifeline, the Swami died at the young age of 39.

His Venus mount is well formed. He was an excellent singer. He could also play well on harmonium, tabla and tambura. According to sources, he had a sweet and enchanting voice, natural to yogis. He sang the song 'O mano, chalo nija niketane' ( O mind, go to your own place) in the presence of Sri Ramakrishna, which sent the Master into Samadhi state.

Most of the Venus mount is under the control of his thumb, which shows that his musical talents are under the control of his Soul. This is the basic difference between a person talented in fine arts and a yogi. A musician, for example, may or may not have self-control, but a Yogi without self-control is not worth his salt. In a person's hand, Self control and Soul power are denoted by the thumb. The low set thumb of Swami indicates his soul power and broad outlook.

Well formed Jupiter's mount indicates his deep philosophical nature. The 'ladder' in his Jupiter mount shows his spiritual ascent into the higher realms. 'Solomon's ring' is not clearly visible in his hand due to poor print quality, but it might have been there, in all probability.Many yogis and mystics are seen to possess this sign invariably.

Fate line stopped below the heart line. So the Swami never ventured earning money for his sake, true to the tradition of ancient Indian Saints who take poverty as a rule of spiritual life. The head line, crossing fate line, is slanting towards mount of Moon. The connection between fate line and Moon's mount shows that Saturn and Moon are together in his birth chart. This yoga gives, among others, a tendency towards renunciation of pleasures and consequent mystical bent of mind.The head line, though tilting towards Moon's mount has become weak in the end. This indicates that, though the Swami had high emotional nature, it is well under his control.

The heart line spreads into 5 branches, out of which, one goes to Jupter's mount and the others go to Saturn. This is an indication of religious and yogic stature. This sign resembles a five-headed serpent indicating the awakened Kundalini Shakti in the Swami.

The circle of Moon on the Saturn's mount reveals a stunning fact that Saturn and Moon are together in the Swami's birth chart. Indeed they are together in his chart in the Kanya Rasi. Many times, indications from the palm reinforce those available in the birth chart and vice versa. This sign gives out very promising results in spiritual life i.e self realization,God realization, supernatural powers and a genuine spiritual perfection. Such persons possess the power of Vak-Siddhi. Whatever they say comes true.They have the power to alter 'fate' according to their will.We can recognize such persons to be true and genuine gurus.

The lines projecting from heart line towards mount of Sun are like a cup. This shows his acquaintance with kings and saints. We know that he possessed a royal build. These lines start from Ketu mount and show that his acquaintances have roots in spirituality.

The mystic crosses between his head and heart lines point towards supernatural powers possessed by the Swami. The symbol of 'mystic eye' in his hand shows that he had divine clairvoyant vision.

Two horizontal lines on the mount of Moon indicate his two foreign trips. Weak and criss-crossed health line shows his delicate health in the ending years of his life. He suffered from hypertension, diabetes and asthma in his later years.

It is difficult to imagine more results from the poor quality of this palm print. However, from this reading, we can see that palm reading gives very accurate results. Astrology also gives accurate results. But the astrologer's task is much more than that of a palmist.In Astrology, one has to intelligently blend the qualities of houses, rasis and planets. In addition, mathematical deductions play a major role in astrology, be it computation of various dasas or other calculations. Palmistry is mastered easier than Astrology, but intuition plays an important role in both these occult arts.

Dev Anand and Astama Sani

2011-12-05T03:59:00.000-08:00

Veteran romantic hero of Indian Cinema, Dev Anand, passed away at London yesterday. According to available information, Dev Anand was born on 26-9-1923 at Gurdaspur. His time of birth is not known. So his chart is analysed from Moon lagna. His star is Revati. From his Moon lagna, Saturn is in 8^th house giving him Astama Sani. As he is in his 88^th year, the Astama sani has dealt the death blow. The figure 88 denotes double Saturn effect as the number 8 is governed by Saturn.

One of the notable features of his birth chart is “Mercury-Venus” conjunction in Kanya. Kanya gives exaltation for Mercury and debilitation for Venus. Venus is karaka for love matters among other things. So he could not marry Suraiya whom he loved deeply. Though Venus is debilitated, there is cancellation of debilitation due to Mercury, lord and exalted planet of Kanya, sitting in Kendra from Moon. However, Mercury is retrograde which indicates that it is somewhat weak and therefore cancellation of Venus debilitation is only partial. True to this peculiar combination, Dev Anand had been a romantic hero in Indian Cinema. On the other hand, this combination gave him a permanent heartache in the form of love failure. Venus-Mercury combination has been his Karmic Signature and could be seen in all his activities. Even his autobiography is titled as “Romancing with life” showing the imprint of Venus (romance) and Mercury (childish innocence) on his book. Venus and Mercury made him a candid confessor and he openly stated that he fell in love with many women, many times in his life.

Transit Venus has moved ahead of Rahu. I am afraid that either the actor or his wife must be ailing since 14-11-2011 when transit Venus was in conjunction with Rahu. However, he luckily survived till transit Sun moved into Vrischika where Rahu is waiting to swallow him. It is noteworthy that he passed away in Sun hora on Sunday. As we know, Sun is karaka for heart and the veteran actor died from a heart attack (Sun) in his sleep (Rahu).

In addition to transit Saturn in 8^th house from natal Moon which is called Astama Sani, Transit Sun and Mercury are in degree conjunction on 4-12-2011, and very near to debilitated Rahu. Rahu signifies foreign lands and strangely the neecha position of Rahu gave him death in a foreign land i.e London. Mercury and Venus are significators for fine arts. They are the key planets to be analysed in a movie star’s chart. Incidentally, they are very close to a debilitated and angry Rahu. Sun and Mercury are conjunct on 17th degree of Vrischika at the time of Dev Anand’s death.

17th degree of Vrischika means Dhanus in Navamsa. So in Navamsa, transit Sun and Mercury are in Dhanus, a rasi of sudden developments and fall from a position, according to Sage Jaimini.

Revati born natives have been suffering from the effects of Astama Sani, since Saturn moved into Tula, on 15^th November. The suffering would be according to the running dasa/bhukti and the age of the native. Dev Anand was in his 88^th year and Saturn transits are always times of danger in ripe old age. No wonder the romantic hero of yesteryears was snatched away from the worldly stage into an unknown green room, only to get ready to appear in another role in another drama, may be in better attire.

Transit of KarmaKaraka Saturn on Natal Jupiter who is JivaKaraka can bring death, if appropriate dasa/bhukti runs at that time. This is one of the secrets of Nadi Astrology. May be this is the case with Dev Anand.

Let his soul travel to a right place in his evolutionary journey in the cosmic plan.

Spiritual experiences on Tirumala Hills -2

2011-12-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

Next morning, we had the darshan of Lord Venkateswara in early hours. It was over by 7.30 AM or so. We came out and started walking in the drizzle towards the rest house. My children asked me a few questions on the way.

" Yesterday you told us that Sri Ramanuja was the propounder of Vishishtadvaita philosophy. What are the basic tenets of the three philosophies i.e Dvaita, Advaita and Vishishtadvaita. Why should there be so many approaches to Divinity? "

I was amused by their premature curiosity. I replied " I will answer your doubts. Listen carefully."

"Vedanta discusses three things i.e Jiva ( individual soul ), Jagat ( the world ) and Brahman ( the supreme soul). The philosophies propounded by the three great Acharyas, appear to differ from one another, because of the different perspectives taken by the Acharyas in describing the relation between these three entities."

Jiva is the individual soul. There are millions of Jivas. They are like the sparks emerging from a big fire. Jagat is the world we see with our senses. Brahman is the supreme soul, called as God in common parlance.

The individual soul, the world and the God -- these three are distinct from one another, eternally existing, and will continue to be so forever. The soul should worship God through prayer, worship, japa and meditation to obtain His grace. This is the dualistic view propounded by Sri Madhvacharya. Popular Hinduism belongs to this level. In fact, all the world religions along with their practices, belong to this level. So in a way, all the religions are dualistic in nature.

The soul has the spark of God in it. The world too is the spark of God. So, the soul, while residing in the world created by God, should live and evolve in a state of surrender and devotion, and finally become a part of God. This is the view taken by Sri Ramanujacharya, who called his philosophy -- Qualified monism.

The world is an illusion. It never existed and would never exist. The individual soul and the Supreme soul are not separate. The ideas like " this is the world " and " the soul is different from God" are products of illusion. When this illusion is shattered, real knowledge dawns. This is the Advaita or Monistic view advocated by Sri Sankaracharya.

Among these three ideologies, Dvaita or dualism is easily understood, because it is on par with our level of thinking. God is supreme, he is omnipotent. We are weak and helpless. So we pray and worship God, seeking boons and protection from misery. Dualism understands this idea very well. In fact, all the world religions which advocate prayer, usually fall under this category of Dualism.

A little above this level lies qualified monism. It says -- "You are distinct from God, but not wholly. You are a part of God. Live in this world with a sense of surrender to God and enjoy this world as a gift of God. The world too is a part of God, just like you." This logic appeals very well to many people.

The highest level is Advaita or Non-dualism. Here, there is no difference between individual soul and supreme soul. There is no Jiva and there is no Jagat. There is no world at all. It is very difficult to reach this stage. Even the followers of Advaita cannot easily attain this level. Nevertheless, it is a truth because it shows a level of experience beyond the senses.

To be frank, all the fights among these three systems are quite unnecessary. Each of these ideologies considered its idea as the ultimate understanding. But really speaking, each one is a step in the ladder. Each one is a landmark in the long path stretching towards the ultimate. Dualism and qualified monism profess that the soul can never be equal to God. It is a blasphemy to think so. But non-dualism thinks differently. It says, until you experience the merger of your soul with God, you have not arrived at the ultimate Truth.

Sri Ramakrishna solved this fight in a simple manner. He said, the three philosophies are three stages in the evolution of individual soul. These are the three steps of a ladder. All the three views are partial truths. At every step one feels it as the ultimate, but in fact, it is a landmark in the long journey. Sri Ramakrishna said there are many higher levels other than these three. In fact, these ideas are not intended for a debate. These are the experiences one should get by doing sadhana. Sadhakas will experience the three states if they do sadhana sincerely. But if one takes to mere argumentation, one reaches nowhere. He will be caught in the net of egoism.

No one can remain in the Advaita state forever. Even after experiencing the non-dualistic state in Samadhi, one has to come down to live in this world, interacting with its fellow beings, either with the help of qualified non-dualism or with that of dualism. The state of a person who deals with the world and its beings, after having the full knowledge of the three states, is very exalted. Sri Ramakrishna called this -- "Vijnana". The state of a Vijnani is higher than that of a Bhakta or a Jnani.

There is an example given by Sri Ramakrishna. A house has steps to reach the roof. The steps are dualism and qualified monism. The roof is non-dualism. One has to climb the steps and reach the roof. After reaching the roof, one can remain there for some time, but cannot be there forever. Finally he has to come down into the house. But then he comes down with a perfection. Now he knows that the roof and the steps and the house, all are made up of same material. So now, he deals with the world and its beings with this improved knowledge. There are quite a few very exalted souls who never come down into the house, they always remain on the roof. Sages like Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara, Sanatsujata are such exalted souls. They always remain above this world enjoying the bliss of God.

Everyone in this world has to tread this path one day or the other. Everyone has to pass through these three states.This is Nature's law. No one is an exception to this. That is the reason why everyone has a drive in him to achieve something. Unknowingly, he uses this drive in the outer world. He thinks he had achieved much in this world. But at the end of life, he looks back and realizes that he simply wasted his life. These three entities, the soul, the world and God are the fundamental things, to be understood by experience. Until one solves this riddle, one cannot have ultimate satisfaction in his life. So a man who spends his life in material pursuits and never cares to solve this basic riddle, remains dissatisfied and finally leaves his body in despair. That is why, even after achieving great material success, there remains a kind of inner emptiness.

Science is trying to know the world. Parapsychology is trying to know the soul. Religion is trying to know God. But he is blessed who knows all the three fully and comprehensively. Otherwise, his life is a waste. One may earn millions, but in the final analysis it amounts to nothing. It cannot give any ultimate satisfaction. If one walks on the path and solves this riddle, then truly his life is blessed. Otherwise not.

" If one solves this riddle, will it not be useful to others? A scientific invention is shared by the world and becomes useful to many. Similarly, if someone experiences the highest, will it not be useful to the world?"-- my daughter who has been listening all the while, asked.

I smiled at her naive enthusiasm.

"Not necessarily. In the inner world, your experience is your own. It cannot be shared with others. One can show you the way, the pitfalls and the care to the taken on the way, but you have to walk. I cannot carry you on my shoulders. An adept can help you thus far. Let me explain the difference between science and spirituality. In science you do an experiment with outer materials. Your state of being has nothing to do with your experiment. Your experiment is totally objective. In contrast, in spiritual sadhana, you are the laboratory, the material and the experiment- all in one. It is a subjective phenomenon. So the result too remains with you. The world cannot fully comprehend your experience as it entirely remains your subjective state."

I paused to see if they are listening. I could see a glow on their faces, a glow that we usually see in the face of a Buddha, a glow that comes with understanding the basic truths of life. During rest of the journey, they were almost silent, pondering over the points of discussion in their minds.

Siva Tatvam

2011-11-17T03:10:00.000-08:00

The world is made up of Lord Siva and Goddess Shakti, indicating dual aspects of the Lord, Prakrithi (Nature) and Purusha (Self). Beyond this concept of duality resides Parameshwara tatvam (the absolute aspect of God).

" One turns into two. Two creates many." This is the law of creation as explained by Swami Vivekananda.

Siva is that state of Nirguna ( quality-less), Nirakara (form-less), Nischala (motion-less) Brahman that is beyond words and mind.

Even though we describe Him as a state, it is not exactly a state. It is something beyond everything conceivable by the human mind.

The Vedas tried to describe this state through statements like --"यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह" - Where from the speech, together with the mind, is turned back, unable to reach. "एकमेवाद्वितीयम ब्रह्म नेह नानास्ति किंचन"-- Only the One-without-second exists,there is no duality anywhere.

Siva is that Absolute, one-without-a-second state, which the words fail to describe and the mind fails to comprehend.

One of the key aspects of Vedanta is to perceive “Parabrahma (the Supreme Self)” in every godhead. The goal is to realize Parabrahma by meditating on Lord Siva. Siva means auspiciousness. The absolute state is the embodiment of auspiciousness. The state experienced by a sadhaka in Nirvikalpa Samadhi is Siva tatvam. To realize Siva in this state is what every soul has to strive for.

Creation is from One to Many. Sadhana is from Many to One. We went forth from our home and traveled to distant shores. Now it is time to turn back to reach our home. And the home is not very far. It is very near. When we realize the state of Siva, we reach our home. And it is the journey's end.

A curious Prasna--"Where is my pendrive?"

2011-11-12T02:39:00.000-08:00

It is common experience for many of us to forget things in our daily life. We search for the forgotten/lost articles here and there. Sometimes we do find them, sometimes not. During such moments, Prasna System (Horary branch) of Astrology could come to our rescue in a grand way. Prasna, just like Jatakam (Natal Horoscopy) works on the principle of synchronicity. The law of synchronicity states that everything in Nature is interconnected. Nature knows everything. When we are in doubt or confusion, we can approach Mother Nature in a reverential mood and She never fails us. It is a wonder how we get answers from Mother Nature in times of need, through the help of Astrology. When it happens again and again, we are led to trust this amazing art.

Today I was searching for my pendrive in my office. I could not remember where I kept it. I was not using it for a week or so, and could not remember where I lost it. I searched for it here and there but could not locate it.

So I drew a Prasna Chart. The time was 13.05 hours and the co-ordinates are 80E26 and 16N18. The Lagna was Kumbha, a Sirshodaya sign. So there is hope. Mars is in 7th house, closely aspecting the Lagna. Accordingly to principles of classical horary astrology, when Mars is in 7th house, it is difficult to get back the lost article. However, as Mars is noway connected, either to Lagna or to 6th house, I ignored this point. Venus and Mercury are in exact degree conjunction, in 10th house, aspecting Moon in 4th house. So the lost article is likely to be found very soon.

Lagna lord Saturn is in 8th, in a friend's house and a sirshodaya sign again, instilling hope. I checked the position of Moon. It is exalted in 4th house in his own star along with Ketu. Ketu signifies confusion and forgetfulness. Obviously, Moon is the most powerful planet in the Prasna chart. 4th house signifies home. So the pendrive should be at home. Where is it? The Lagna degree is in first drekkana. So the pendrive should be in the front room of the house. Moon is also 6th lord, signifying the thief. 6th lord in 4th house could mean the thief is in the house. But it is an impossibility that the thief could be sitting in the front room of my home at the time of Prasna. So the pendrive was neither stolen nor lost. It was just forgotten.

When I went home for lunch, I casually searched for it in my book shelf in the front room. I found it in the bookshelf, validating the Prasna result. The forgotten article was found within half an hour as indicated by the degree conjunction of Venus and Mercury.

This is how Prasna could be used in our day to day life, in times of need.

Does spirituality ever lead to suicide?

2011-11-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

Recently the TV channels were busy telecasting news about the death of an Engineering PG student at NIT, Warangal. We are yet to know if the unfortunate incident is an accident or suicide or murder. While the truth is yet to see the limelight, heated discussions in some news channels are blaming spirituality. The boy, it appears, was a regular reader of spiritual literature in his hostel room.

Be that as it may, I would never agree for this proposition. Some learned debaters (are they?) argued in the TV that the desire to experience life after death prompted the boy to taste death voluntarily. Others argued that he was merely trying to verify if rebirth is a truth. It seemed to me,they concluded spirituality as the sole reason behind the boy's depression and consequent suicide (?).

As for me, I would never believe in such a jargon. The ancient soul of India is still alive, despite the plummeting values in our modern society. As long as it is alive, I would never consent to the argument that spirituality promotes depression among the youth. The soul of India is spirituality and wisdom. It is Dharma.

Spirituality encourages neither pessimism nor suicide. I would be the last to believe that one lands in depression by reading spiritual literature. On the contrary, a good spiritual book pulls you out from depression and instils hope. I know many persons who, after reading the soul stirring speeches of Swami Vivekananda, saw light in their life's darkness, rose to their feet and achieved success.

Our scriptures declare with one voice " Suicide is a heinous sin". It is a sin because, life is a gift of God. It is not our achievement by dint of our effort. We never deserved it, nor gained it willfully. It is a pure gift from Above. So we have no right to end our life, whatever might be the reason we put forth for ending it. We can achieve anything only when we live, but never otherwise. There are any number of exhortations in our spiritual literature that discourage suicide.

The Vedas prohibit suicide explicitly. The Isavasya Upanishad which is part of Yajur Veda says "असूर्या नामते लोका अन्धेना तमसावृता ताम्स्ते प्रेत्यभि गच्चानतेके चात्महने जनाः" It means, "Those who commit suicide will fall into nether worlds which are dark, lethargic, and devoid of Sunlight". How true it is !!! The mental state of a person about to commit suicide would certainly be dark and devoid of light. He sees no hope anywhere and resorts to ending his life. His state after death will be a continuation of his state before death, if not worse. Instead of having deliverance from his sorrows, he, as a disembodied spirit, will have to endure more suffering in the nether worlds. So our Dharma never allows a person to commit suicide.

Neither the Law of Karma supports suicide. We suffer because of our past bad karma. So by doing good karma now, we can counteract the past bad karma. Law of Karma teaches optimism. It never allows a man to sink. It exhorts man to conquer Karma with Karma. It teaches never to lose hope and never to succumb to depression.

असतोमा सद्गमय, तमसोमा ज्योतिर्गमय, मृत्योर्मा अम्रुतम्गामय -- is the prayer of the Vedas. The Vedic Rishi prayed thus -- "Lead us from untruth to Truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality". How could we, who accept the Vedas as supreme revelations of God, ever support suicide?

The youth is never led astray by spirituality. It is led astray by drugs, by bad habits, by bad friends, by movies and by imitating the dark shades of western culture blindly. Never a man is spoiled by spirituality, if he cares to understand it in right sense.

It is never through suicide that a man learns anything about life after death or about reincarnation. There are ways and means to learn about these subtle truths. A sure way is to practice Yoga and Meditation under the supervision of a real Master. Then the practitioner knows from personal experience if a Soul exists or not, if life exists after death or not. All the great sages and siddhas of past, experienced these truths, through personal experience alone.

Spirituality enriches a man's life with wisdom and open the gates to a better life. It makes a man a good citizen of his land. In fact, there is a strong need for all the students to learn more and more about spirituality and the ancient wisdom of the seers. Mere learning is not enough, the knowledge is to be translated into action. Then we not only become good citizens but also would reach the goal of life i.e God-realization.

Spiritual experiences on Tirumala Hills

2011-11-07T04:19:00.000-08:00

There are two ways in Devotion. In the first, we say to God -" I am your devotee " . In the second God Himself says - " You are my devotee ". Obviously, the second approach is the best.

Visiting temples on our own is the first approach, whereas, visiting them suddenly and without any prior planning is the second approach. In the second, we are simply led to some holy place where excellent arrangements and hospitality would be waiting for us.

Recently I visited Siva Temple of Kakani and Venkateswara temple at Tirumala. Kakani temple of Lord Siva, though in existence since long, has been developing at a fast pace in the recent times, especially after the installation of Rahu & Ketu idols. I went there last, about 10 or 15 years ago. In contrast to what I saw then, a perceptible improvement is visible in and around the temple now.

It all happened suddenly and without planning. A VIP invited me to accompany him to the temple and I agreed. We were surprised to see a traditional welcome from the temple authorities with Purna Kumbham and Temple Orchestra. The abhishekam to Lord Shiva was performed according to scriptural injunctions by the Archakas reciting Namakam and Chamakam from the Vedas.

Our trip to Tirumala also did happen similarly, suddenly and without any planning. With the depression in Bay of Bengal, the weather was bad and my friends from Tirumala revealed to me that it was pouring down on the hills. The weather was certainly unwelcome. In spite of the rough weather, we decided to go, as if drawn by some unseen string.

It was a sight to see the seven hills of Tirumala hidden behind the fog and rain, from the streets of Tirupati next morning. We started at 8.30 AM and continued our journey on foot via the Alipiri route, walked with a slow pace winding through the hilly slopes and reached our guest house atop the hills at 1.00 PM. It was raining all the way but we were safe, thanks to the concrete shelter built by the TTD throughout the walking path. At some places where there was no shelter, the umbrellas we bought at Tirupati helped us in the drizzle.

My son Madhav accompanied me in the walk and we discussed many things enroute. What is the goal of human life? Is there a purpose behind human birth? How to know it? What to do after knowing? What is the use of human life, if it is lived like animals do. What are the ways and means to be adopted in one's life to produce sages in one's family line? How to practice them? How can we transmit our divine knowledge to the generations down the line? All these topics rose during our discussion.

We talked about the secrets of Yoga and Vedanta, how to judge a horoscope with an eye on remedial measures to be adopted, what are the different kinds of remedies, how genetic traits are reflected in a horoscope from generation to generation, What are the blemishes that haunt a family down the line, How many are the kinds of Yoga, What are the secrets of Kundalini Yoga, What are its bases, What is the relation between the seven hills of Tirumala and the seven Yogic Chakras, What is the historic background for the Venkateswara legend of Tirumala, Is there any truth behind a legend which says that the idol of Lord Venkateswara is originally that of Divine Mother? so on and so forth.

All the slokas of Vishnu Sahasra Nama were found embedded in the parapet wall all along the way. I explained to my son, the particular slokas/mantras which are highly effective against some blemishes of one's astrological chart and also taught him the way to recognize them.

We also discussed about the meaning of a particular sloka " महा वराहो गोविन्दः सुषेण कनाकान्गादी " and the beauty of Varaha Avatar of Lord Vishnu and why it is extolled on par with Lord Krishna who is praised as the Purna Avatar (the full manifestation of the Divine Lord).

On the way, we passed by a small temple of Sri Ramanuja, the prophet of Vishishtadvaitha philosophy. According to legend, Sri Ramanuja while climbing the hills rested at this spot for some time. A small but beautiful temple was constructed at this very spot in honor of the great saint.

Earlier, I did not have very great respect for Sri Ramanuja, though I used to revere him as one of the propounders of three systems of philosophy. Being greatly influenced by Advaita Philosophy since my childhood, I used to consider him secondary to Sri Sankara. However, there was a radical shift in my thinking in the recent past and I began to understand the great significance of Sri Ramanuja's philosophy in day to day life. As my understanding of Vishishtadvaitha philosophy deepened, so did my reverence for this great saint begin to increase by leaps and bounds.

I was sitting near this temple silently, immersed in my own thoughts on this great saint and his practical philosophy of Visishtadvaitha. Suddenly I was overcome by a strange emotion. Tears were about to roll down my cheeks. I felt a strange kind of bliss in my heart. I was unable to answer my son who asked me some question at that very moment. I waved my hand asking him to wait for sometime. He understood my condition and kept quiet. After sometime, when the embers of emotion cooled down a little, we resumed our walk. Then I explained him how great is Ramanuja in his philosophical heights, what are the similarities and differences between Abhinavagupta's Kashmir Saivism and Ramanuja's Vishistadvaitha philosophy. Lastly I summarized the whole discussion by explaining how Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda synthesized all the three paths of philosophy, the dualism, non-dualism and qualifed non-dualism so beautifully comparing them with the rungs of a ladder.

We passed by the statue of the great Poet-King, Sri Kulasekhara Alwar, and thought about his beautiful sanskrit composition "Mukundamala", full of sublime devotion to the Lord. We climbed the slopes of the sacred hill, discussing subtle and sublime topics and felt no fatigue.

I came to know that the "quick darshan" facility would not be open on Tuesdays and Wednsdays after 2 PM. So we decided to see the sacred places all around the hills like Akasha Ganga, PapaNashanam and Jabali Tirdham etc.

It was raining the whole day and the depression in Bay of Bengal was gaining strength. It was around 5 PM that we reached Jabali Tirdham. The curtain of darkness was falling quickly on the hills. The lonely path to Jabali Tirdham was about 1.5 Km long, winding its way through the thick forest slopes of Tirumala. A feeling of aloneness suddenly rises in the heart when you walk along these lonely paths in the dark forest listening to the cries of forest birds. You get a feeling that you are all alone in this whole universe. Suddenly, Time appeared to stand still in that area.

My daughter was talking something all along. So I whispered to her to stop talking and asked her to silently listen to the sound of raindrops falling on the forest leaves. She tried to listen and suddenly there was a deep silence. We four were silently walking in the drizzle, in the lonely semi-dark forest, through a winding path, to an unknown destination, listening to the rain drops all along. Later I said to my daughter that this is a Zen meditation and explained her how to do it.

Silently walking, we suddenly stepped into a plain land in the middle of thick forest and there stood before our vision a small but beautiful temple of Lord Hanuman, silently standing beside a placid forest lake, as if it is in deep meditation. The weather was so pleasant. The incessant rain, the canopy of darkness, the place far flung from the din and bustle of ordinary life, the cries of forest insects -- all this induced in my mind a kind of supernatural silence and bliss defying expression. I felt I was somewhere above this world.

We stayed for about half an hour at this beautiful holy spot. The priest and another swami were staying in a small tiled house nearby. There were a few shops in the vicinity. There was no movement of life anywhere around us, but the silence was pregnant with a deep and vibrant liveliness.

Shattering the divine bliss we were enjoying, a swami from North India, who might have arrived there some time in the day, started shouting " Anjaneya, I have arrived ". I felt irked by his shouts, disturbing the peace reigning around us. My daughter whispered to me --" Dad. What is this? He is calling the Lord by name as if the Lord were his classmate or something". I smiled. There are many such people who want to show off. What to do? When will they realize that the Divine Lord responds more quickly, when called silently and sincerely from the bottom of one's heart?

The priest told me that the place got its name from "Jabali Rishi" who did penance in that place thousands of years ago. Rishi Jabali was blessed by the vision of Lord Hanuman at this very spot. I was not sure whether this rishi is the same person called Satyakama Jabali of the Vedas. JabalPur of Central India was named after this rishi of the Vedic Lore. The original name of Jabalpur was "Jabali Puram", "pur" and "ur" being the oldest known names for a habitation.

It is a fact that even today there are quite many Rishis and Siddhas sitting in deep meditation in the interior depths of Tirumala Hills. About 50 years ago, there was a Sage named Swami Asangananda ( Popularly known as Malayala Swami) who lived near the "Gogarbham dam" area practicing meditation in the deep forest. He lived for 8 or 9 years in this forest all alone in penance. Tigers, Lions and Bears used to roam freely around him when he sat motionless in deep meditation on a forest rock under the sky. Later he used to say -- " It is impossible for a common man to reach the interior depths of this forest. Unless one is established in utter fearlessness, celibacy and strength of sadhana, he is sure to be killed by these savage beasts".

He was a real Vedanti and a true Rishi. He used to revere Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda with great admiration and devotion. His disciples also are real Mahatmas and Sages. My guru Swami Nandananda of Ramakrishna Order had high respect for Malayala Swami.

( Rest in next post )

About Prajna Surabhi

2011-11-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hello World,

I have been writing a blog named " Alochana Tarangalu" ( Waves of Thought ) in Telugu Language of South India since two years. This Telugu Blog deals with Indian Astrology, Vedanta, Yoga, Tantra, Occult, Martial Arts and Alternative Medicine and enjoys a good readership.

You can view my TeluguBlog at this address -- www.teluguyogi.blogspot.com

I must admit that I have been exposed to these varied subjects since my childhood.

Of late, I had a haunting thought that drove me to share my knowledge, in a humble way, with the English readers who cannot read Telugu Language of South India.

That is how this English blog called "Prajna Surabhi" is coming into being today. "Prajna" means Intelligent Wisdom and "Surabhi" means the wish-fulfilling celestial cow. Wisdom can grant everything that a man aspires for. So I believe the name fits in very aptly.

I hope to reach, through this humble effort of mine, many sincere souls who are scattered everywhere, who are really interested in the ancient wisdom of India in the above mentioned areas.