Deivathin Kural # 70 of (Vol 2) of 10 Jan 2008.

Om Namah Sivaya.

Deivathin Kural # 70 of (Vol 2) of 10 Jan 2008.

(Note 1. We are to remind the readers that herein, 'he' as a word stands for 'she' as well. When Tamil or Sanskrit words are transliterated in English, the single vowel will indicate a short utterance and a double vowel will indicate a longer pronounciation. Words in Sanskrit script not being available, the transliteration spellings and thereby the pronounciation, especially of names may be at variance from what it should be! I offer my sincere apologies for the likely errors, as the one doing the translation. ---KTSV Sarma. Note 2. It may please be noted that the talk is dated some time in the late 1950's and early 60's.

(Continued from Deivathin Kural # 69 of (Vol 2) of 08 Jan 2008.)

12. Varaha Mihirar, who wrote 'Brihad Samhitai' (which is a Science Digest for a variety of disciplines) and 'Brihad Jatakam', containing all the details of Jyotisha Sastra, and Arya Bhatta, were contemporaries of about 500 A.D. The present day Vakya Ganitam, is a follow up of Arya Bhatta's book known as 'Arya Bhatta Siddhantam'. From amongst many hundreds of brilliant brains of our Rishis, these two are the ones who have recieved some amount of recognition, in the modern day, 'Secular' India, because of their contributions to the field of Mathematics. The three Skandas of Jyotisham, works by Baskaracharya, Varaha Mihira and Aryabhatta; are all about the various branches of Mathematics and the movements of the Planets and Star Systems! There are only seven planets, including the Sun. Rahu and Kethu are only shadows. So they are known as 'Shadow Planets'. They move opposite to the movements of the Sun and Moon. We do not have to calculate their orbits. If you work out the movements of the Sun and Moon, Rahu and Kethu's movements will be the exact opposites.

Planets and Stars.

13. The Planets are the constituents of the Solar System, having their orbits around the Sun. Sun is also a star. Stars are those not included in the solar system. There is a visible method of identification. Stars seem to move and seem to twinkle like diamonds. They have intrinsic light. The light from the stars travelling over vast spaces, are measured in terms of the speed of light over time, takes years to reach our eyes. Some times even millions of 'light years'. Planets reflect the Sun's light and do not twinkle.

14. Only the Sun and Stars have light of their own, that is natural intrinsic light generated from within themselves. Planets shine from the light of some other object. They only reflect light. In stars you can make out all the colours of the VIBGYOR as in a rainbow or a polished diamond. Guru and Sukra, (Venus and Mars), are bigger planets which will look like some of the big stars. But you will not see them sparkling as the stars do. The Sun is also like the stars. If you look at the Sun through a shade or coloured glass, some of the glare may disappear and then we can make out that, it is like an effulgent disc as though floating and rotating at a tremendous speed, some times clock-wise and at other times the opposite way! Basically you will notice a movement, unlike the Moon which will seem static. I will give another proof of the fact that there is movement within the Sun, which is not there in the Moon. If you observe a ray of the Sun coming through a hole in the thatched roof say, you can notice a flickering in the ray of the light itself, which will not be noticeable in the case of moon light.

15. Sun is known as 'Sapta Aswan', to mean, 'riding seven horses'. It is also said that the one horse that he rides has seven names! The word, 'Aswam' means 'horses' as well as 'rays'. It is that one light which divides into seven colours. In Vedas, Thaithreeya Aranyakam, it says, "...eko aswo vahati sapta naamaa...", meaning 'the one horse/beam having seven names!' After all it is the one light which on refraction becomes seven different colours! Only stars are self effulgent. Planets get light as though on loan from others, as the Moon gets from the Sun. Since the light of the stars move, it is said to be twinkling or sparkling. The poet writes, "..twinkle twinkle little star...". If someone were to write that the lights of the planets, twinkle, it would not be true! In relation to the Earth, the stars will be seen to raise from the East and set in the West. But everyday at the evening, they will be seen to be more Easterly, as though, somebody is moving West in an East bound train! Jyotisham will tell us the exact position of the planets in the cosmos.

Planets and Life on Earth.

16. Like the position of the planets in the cosmos, life of people on the Earth too, keeps undergoing changes. Ease and discomfort, problems and pleasures, ups and down, and so on; happens in everybody's life. Not only individuals, firms, industries, companies, partnerships, the corporate world and Nations too, are subject to such fluctuations. Having identified that life on Earth is influenced by the movements of the planets, great Rishis of the past have corelated the two and drawn some deductions. Based on the time of birth, and the position of the Stars and Planets at that time, they were able to predict quite accurately, the likely happenings in that individual's or organisation's life span. To read the future, based on the time of birth, is known as 'Hora Skandam'. This reading of the Horoscope, can be done either cursorily or much in depth, depending upon need.

17. The reasons for the good and bad happenings and periods of life, are subject to much varied interpretations. For the same disease, many people may attribute many different reasons. Some doctors will say that it is due to change in the Dhatu. Some will give some divine complication due to some error of commission or omission! The Jyotish will attribute the cause to some planetary quirk. Dharma Sastram will say that the effect is due to some past actions, including in our past lives. Psychologists will say that mind affects the body and we know that the reverse is also true that the physical condition affects the mind. So what is true? Is it the Planetory influence, or the Dhatu, or the mind over matter or past Karma? They are all true. They are all inter connected and affect each other mutually. Their influence on our life is the cumulative effect. Each take that particular reasoning in which he is well versed or involved.

18. It rains. The effect could be as varied as, wetness, humidity, sleet, snow, tornado, floods; frogs which were hibernating in the ground may be revived and start their orchestra; lakes and wells may be filled; ground water level will come up; there may be better harvest. The whole universe is inter-connected by the Cause and Effect Syndrome. The very time of birth thus, is in some way the effect of past actions and the cause of the future planetary positions. Our past Karmas are so powerful as to decide our future. Immediate lesson is that from this instant, I can do something to take care of my future. Let all the past effect, work itself out. But from this moment, I can take charge of my fate, come what may! That is the positive lesson in all this. In the meanwhile, maths is of much use in knowing the effects of the planetary movements.

Sagunam and Nimittam.

19. In Jyotisham, I had said earlier, that there is a part called, 'Samhita Skandam'. Where does water go under-ground? There are under ground rivers, channels and lakes. There will be some indications of sub-soil presence of water, on the surface. This is described in that Skandam. It talks about making of fragrent scents from suitable materials. House construction is a subject, discussed in detail. This Samhitai also contains details of Sagunam and Nimittam. Sagunam is indications by birds. Nimittam is the common term for chance indicators of impending events. Sagunam is a part of that. The indicators by birds is known as Sagunam, (called 'shagun' in Hindi). There is nothing that happens in this world without a logic as to why it happened. Everything happens as per God's will, in an orderly manner, including chance encounters and so called co-incidents! Everything is indicative of something else. Everything is true only. So from one indication or event, you can trace back or forwards, in time and or space! So, palmistry, reading of horoscopes, divining for water, vastu sastra, are all true to some extent. But it is also true that some clever people exploit the gullible, using these! Nimittam is one such line of 'Reading of Indications'. A part of that is 'Sagunam', which will tell you the effect of a bird going across from Left to Right or Right to Left, as good or bad 'omen' or interpret any aberrant behaviour by birds.

20. Nimittam is same as 'Omen'. At the start of Bhagawat Gita, Arjuna in explaining his reasons for sudden loss of enthusiasm in fighting, by saying that, "...nimittani cha pasyami vipareetani Kesava...", meaning that, 'he is seeing adverse indicators'! His use of the word, 'nimittam' is apt. When we say 'Sagunam', we are 'off the mark'. Indicators by birds' behaviour is 'sagunam'. All other indicators are nimittam. If a cat crosses your path, it is nimittam. If a bird crosses your path, it is sagunam. If a tiger or leapord does so, it can be dangerous!

21. Later, Krishna also talks of nimittam, (in XI.33), when He says, "...nimitta maatram bhava savyasachin...". To Arjuna who was reluctant to fight, He says, "Don't you worry. They are as good as dead, as far as I have even thought so. I am their killer. You only be the immediate instrumental cause!" So, nimittam is not the cause. It is only an indicator of what has been pre-concluded. All the indications by nimittam are, the effect of our own 'poorva karmas!'.

(To be continued.)

Sambhomahadeva.