A challenge accepted - the aftermath

Regular readers will remember that I had received a very dishonorable challenge from a practitioner of Vedic system of astrology. The gentlemen who in fact had referred to me as a fraud used to be a high official in the police force. The challenge and how I won it was can be read about in detail here.

Anyway, so in that post I had written that marriage of the native is impossible till March 2018. After that there is some chance. Best chance is in the period 5th Dec 2023 to 10 Nov 2024, but that itself is a slim chance. This chart is not one that is destined to have a happy marriage at least as per me. As usual I always pray that let me good predictions come right, and bad ones come wrong.

So I heard that the native's marriage is fixed for March 2018. Naturally I was happy for the family and also somewhat satisfied that my prediction has sort of come true. But only somewhat satisfied as truly if you asked me this is still not the best time for the marriage to happen ('best' being relative to this chart ie).

As a result I kept checking with my friend on the marriage preparations. As (bad) luck would have it, I was just informed that the match has fallen through. The hall was booked and invites had gone out. But marriage was cancelled last minute. What can one say. Man proposes,  the graha disposes.

May Bhairavi give the native whatever is best.

Method of recitation of mantras

I am writing this as a easy way to tell those who consult with me as to how to recite these mantras. I am not advocating willy-nilly recitation of these powerful sounds by readers. Now when I think a mantra is appropriate for someone, I can point them to this post instead of individually explaining to everyone:

1) Background:

Chanting to be completed in 21 days at most. Can complete earlier if you increase count. Chanting to be done everyday in the same spot, facing the same direction (East) and at the same time (+/- 5 mins at most). Sit on an aasana.

2) Sankalpa (to be done on just the first day):

Light a ghee lamp. Sit facing east the lamp in front of you and with a empty plate or vessel in between you and the lamp. Take Rs 1/2/5/10 coin in your right palm. Take some haldi-kumkum, any 1 flower, a little rice and spoonful of water in the same palm. Touch your right arm at the elbow with your left hand finger tip. Hold your right hand in front of you. Close your eyes and pray to the graha (whose mantra you will be reciting) and to your kuladevata to a) solve the specific problems your are reciting the mantra for (mentally detail the issues) and b) to help you to complete your sankalpa. Then pour contents of the hand into the vessel in front of you. You can keep the coin with you or give it to a temple. The other contents can be put at the base of any plant or tree (preferably flowering ones).

3) Chanting:

Chant the prescribed number of malas ( mala of 108 beads to be used) everyday. Do not vary the number. For example, if you are supposed to chant 8 malas, then you cannot do 7 one day and 9 another 8. 8 means 8.

4) Can I use a counter instead of a mala?

Yes. As long as the count is the same. I prefer a mala.

5) What time is best for chanting?

Anytime. but keep it fixed. Preferably late at night, but not compulsory.

6) Can I chant twice or thrice a day (ie 4 malas in the morning and 4 in the evening)?

Yes. As long as you keep this EXACTLY constant and not vary it. Also follow the rule regarding time, place and direction.

7) Can I chant on a full stomach?

Keep an hours gap atleast from a full meal and chanting. Keep a glass of water close to you to sip in the middle if you so require. Sit comfortably. It is important that you are not physically disturbed during the chanting, ie. someone touching you, or you getting up to answer the doorbell or talking on the phone, or petting your dog etc.

8) Do I light the cow ghee lamp everyday?

Not necessarily, but I feel a positive change in environment when I do light it and I prefer to.

9) Can I eat non-veg and drink alcohol during the days I am chanting?

No. In fact if possible then try to maintain brahmacharya to the extent doable.

10) Can a woman chant during her periods?

Ideally try start on a day so that chanting does not coincide with the monthly cycle. But if unavoidable, then its ok to chant then.

11) How loud to chant?

Just so much that you can hear yourself. 

12) What are the Mantras for the Grahas?

May Bhairavi give you whatever is the best for you!

Verdict on Triple Talaq

India awaited a historic verdict from its Supreme Court on the barbaric religious practice of Triple Talaq amongst Muslims. I felt the urge to check what the outcome might be a couple of hours before the 5 judge bench (consisting of judges from 5 different religions) to hear the issue and rule on it.

The chart I cast at the time was as follows:

Lets look at the chart first. Rahu is the graha that signifies Islam and thus Muslims. Rahu is within 1 degree of Leo. While I dont follow traditional astrology, they regard the first and 29th degree of any sign as especially powerful. Note I use geocentric latitudes and true node calculations.

The sign Leo signifies the Govt and is owned by the Sun. Sun is also present in the Sign of Leo as also is the Moon. Both Sun and Moon are significators of the government. So all in all, Rahu was in a critical degree of a sign that signifies government and conjunct with 2 grahas that signify government. This suggested to me that if anyone acts on this barbaric religious practice, it will be the government and not the court.  

I looked at the ruling planets of the time which were Moon, Mercury, Ketu, Sun and Mars. For the court I would have liked to see judicial planets like Jupiter or Saturn take prominence and thus concluded that the barbaric practice will not be removed on the court's direction, but on action from the government.

Further confirmation came when I saw the cuspal sublord (CSL) of the 6th house. The 6th house or cusp gives victory over the opponent. It is Mercury and Mercury is retrograde. Mercury is in Purvaphalguni which is a nakshatra owned by Venus. Thankfully Venus is not retrograde as that would mean that an adverse verdict would be pronounced.

Anyway, since 6th CSL is retograde it means result will be delayed till Mercury goes direct. Mercury goes direct only after Sept 5 2017 and means any action on the Talaq issue is possible only after. That further confirmed that whatever order the Court gave today would be a middle of the road kind of an order as 'finality' is impossible today. 

But then what sort of an order can be expected. I was sure it will be a positive-ish order because the 6th CSL was strongly signifying the 10th house of reputation. (Again it didn't signify 11th house, so gain today was impossible). But 10th house means that reputation protecting order would be there. 

Now look at DBA, Ketu-Sat-Venus. Such an interesting combination of the DBA isnt it? Ketu signifies mixed castes, and it was a religiously diverse bench pronouncing the order. Moon was in Magha Nakshatra which aspires for a high chair and glory. Saturn, for I was curious about a court judgement, and Venus, because the judgement is about marital relations. Its amazing how things just align up in jyotisha as times!

Ketu has a negative combination of 6 8 12 but joined of an equal powered 10 and 11. Thus we can say it is marginally positive. Saturn has a 6 in planet and 12 in nakshatra, countered by a single 10 at the nakshatra level. This is a unfavourable planet. The only positive I can take of this is that it comes under a positive Dasha lord (Ketu) and at the sub level it has only positive houses signified. Venus is positive as well, a solitary 8 cannot do much. it has also a 10 at the planet level and a 11 at the sub level. So marginally a positive. Overall one can say that the DBA are positive but only after a struggle with the negatives. 

This further strengthened my belief that it is foolhardy to expect a table thumping judgement from the Supreme Court on the Talaq issue today. It will be a positive judgement but actual concrete action on this barbaric religious practice can only come from the government after September 5 2017.

This is what happened in reality. The bench ruled 3T as "unconstitutional" by a 3-2 vote and while suspending its use for six months asked the government to legislate to ban the practice completely. I think this is in harmony with what the grahas foretold this morning when I saw the chart.

PS:
For those wondering if I have practiced post facto astrology, the answer is NO. I had made a succint prediction on my twitter much before the verdict. Only elucidating it here for those interested in learning.

My first dog!

Is it apt, or is it almost ironical, that a dog should show up in one’s life when it is raining cats & dogs outside? But as they say…it happened to me! Finishing my Pooja on a Saturday morning a few weeks back, I was surprised to receive a call from a neighbor warning me of “a dog sitting right outside your door”. While I had never kept pet dogs till then I have always had a very soft corner for them. Opening the door, I find this bundle of sweetness curled up, wet, hungry, and shivering with cold outside:

 

My wife too has not been a pet owner, but she shares my affection for canines. We quickly got a few towels and manage to rub him dry through all his licking and hugging. We noticed that he had a limp in one of forelegs (perhaps due to the long walk from wherever he came). Since I have studied Jyotisha, I took his coming as a divine sign. After all he showed up on his own on a Saturday and just like Lord Shani who limps, he too came with a limp. Who adopted whom exactly, is thus a question that will remain unresolved.

My wife named him Coco, and like every good husband I know not to argue. “He looks like hot chocolate”, she said. And I agree. Coco’s antecedents are unknown. But given that he sought out a human house for shelter suggested that he was domesticated. Not having a collar meant that he has likely been abandoned. 

Quick visit to a doctor followed. I will recommend Dr. Aher to any other pet owners in Pune near the Baner, Aundh area. He is a young chap and clearly loves working with his patients. Since we didn’t know Coco’s vaccination status we got him vaccinated in a day or two of his arrival. Coco had a lot of ticks that were taken care of by some ayurvedic powder (helpfully provided by a fellow dog loving neighbor) and some meticulous picking by my wife. The doc suggested some de-worming pills which we gave him immediately that evening. Additionally, we are giving him calcium supplements, Vitamin A supplements, and something for his limp which appeared to be a swollen joint caused by excessive strain. There is also a liver tonic we mix with his milk.

Coco has brought a lot of joy to our lives. He is hard work, yes but it’s all worth it. No wonder dog owners live longer! Coco has seen a massive growth spurt in the last 2-3 weeks. He used to be able to squeeze out from our gate railings when came, now he cannot get his head through. The Doctor estimates that Coco is about 5 months old and will continue to grow for another 12 months. Already at a hefty 14 kilos, we expect Coco to level out at 30 kgs when fully grown. Look at him now!

  

We are still not sure what type of a dog he is. I know he is a local breed, generically referred to as Indi (for indigenous?) breed.  But judging by his patterns, uniform and very thick chestnut fur, black snout, tail and tips of ears, a symmetrical white patch on his chest, and his general demeanor, I suppose is some combination of an Indian Mastiff, Kombai and Gaddi.

  

The three pics above pics are courtesy of  (https://m.dogspot.in/9-indian-dog-breeds-never-knew-about/)

Indian Mastiffs are a north Indian breed and are excellent guard dogs and were, quite abhorrently, used for dog fighting purposes. Kombai is a Southern breed and has a characteristic black muzzle. It is primarily a hunting dog. Gaddi is from the Himalayan region and hence the furry coat. These are also excellent hunting dogs and can stand up to even leopards. Apart from the physical markings Coco has shown remarkable strength of character in not backing down from neighborhood dogs that are larger and could probably make him their chew-toy. In fact in several cases I have had to restrain him from charging them! We keep him mostly free in our front yard but needs to be tied up for a few hours everyday for the limp to heal. After all doctor has advised bedrest.

He is mouthing though and tends to bite and roughhouse with me quite a lot. So we recently got in touch with a trainer who will start classes on Sunday. Coco will soon be going to school! How quickly they grow up.