The Transcendental Horoscope of Srila Prabhupada
Questions for
the Governing Body Commission
of the International Society for Krsna
Consciousness
by
Shyamasundara Dasa
namo om visnu padaya krsna-presthaya bhutale
srimate bhaktivedanta svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani pracarine
nirvisesa sunyavadi pascatya desa tarine
“The excellent science of astronomy-astrology comprising of Siddhanta, Samhita and Hora as its three branches, is the clear ‘eye’ of the Vedas”.
Naradarsi, Narada Samhita 1.4
“There are other Vedic literatures, called kala-vidya, which give instructions in material arts and sciences. Since all such Vedic arts and sciences are ultimately intended to be used to render devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kesava, saintly persons in the renounced order of life should never blaspheme such apparently mundane literatures; because such literatures are indirectly connected with the Supreme Lord, one may go to hell for blaspheming these secondary literatures.”
Srila Madhvacarya, Brahmanda Purana—SB 11.3.26p.
6793 W. Newberry Road, Suite 105,
Gainesville, FL 32605
Phone (904) 332-3931 FAX (904) 462-7893
shyamasundara.acbsp@iskcon.com
Fast Track
For those pressed for time, I would suggest reading: Introduction, Chapter 1, sections 2.1, 2.2, 2.8.2, 4.3, 6.1-3; Chapter 7, and the general conclusion at the very end. (Since most GBC members are not conversant with Vedic astrology Chapter 7 is especially important because it gives the unbiased conclusions of nine other astrologers who have read both presentations. These should be taken as expert witnesses.) In between one will find essays of a more or less technical nature depending on the readers familiarity with astrological discourse as well as documented evidence and testimony bearing on the case at hand. The headlines give an indication of the subject matter. One can simply skim these, picking out those of interest. We would like to note that much of the material in this paper is a response to Annex so it is imperative that it be read.
Contents
Introduction
1
The Questions
2
The Answers
3 Should the GBC Give an Answer?
4
Implications of Not Answering
5
How Should the GBC Arrive at an Answer?
6
Outline of Presentation
7
Sample of Expert Witnesses
Annex : Sriman Nalini Kanta's Essay
Chapter
1: The Horoscope of 1008 Sri Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
1.1
Capricorn Ascendant
1.2
Saturn in Libra in the Tenth
1.3
Rahu in the Second
1.4
Candra-Mangala Yoga in the Fifth
1.5
Viparita Raja Yoga in the Eighth
1.6
Classic Raja-yoga in the Ninth
1.7
Conclusion
Chapter
2: An Analysis of Nalini Kanta’s Statements Regarding Srila Prabhupada’s Chart
2.1
History of the Controversy
2.2
The Time of Birth
2.2.1 Give Preference to the Time Prabhupada Gave
2.2.2 The Time Factor
2.2.3 The Letter
2.2.4 Prabhupada Well Aware of Astrology As A Young Man
2.2.5 Objection Based on the Moon
2.2.6 Capricorn Rising
2.2.7 “About 4:00 PM”
2.2.8 Nalini Chooses 3:30 PM
2.3
The Drekkana Fallacy
2.4
Nalini Kanta’s Objections
2.4.1 Are There High and Low Class Signs?
2.4.2 Varnas
2.4.3 Nalini’s Classifications
2.4.4 Planetary Varnas
2.4.5 Importance of the Moon—Bhaktivinode and Vamanadeva
2.5
Jupiter in the 8th Being an Asura Yoga
2.5.1 Positive and Negative Effects on Houses
2.5.2 Spiritual Factors in a Horoscope
2.5.3 8th and 12th House Crucial to Spiritual Life
2.5.4 The 8th House
2.6
Is Jupiter in the 8th is an Asura Yoga?
2.6.1 Viparita Raja Yoga
2.6.2 Nalini’s Contradiction
2.6.3 Sun in Leo in the 8th
2.6.4 Ketu in the 8th
2.6.5 Is Jupiter Always Good in the 9th?
2.7
Is the Ascendant Lord in the 10th House Bad?
2.8
Jupiter-Good—Saturn-Bad
2.8.1 Parameters of Parivraja Yoga
2.8.2 1008 Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura’s Chart Ruled by Saturn
2.9
Other Astrologer’s Charts
2.9.1 Arka Somayaji
2.9.2 Asutosh Ojha
2.10
Other Points:
2.10.1 First Published Fallacy
2.10.2 Demeaning Srila Prabhupada
2.11
Mahadashas
2.11.1 Rahu Mahadasha
2.11.2 Jupiter Mahadasha
2.11.3 Saturn Mahadasha
2.11.4 Mercury Mahadasha
2.11.4.1 Travel During 70th Year Only Possible For Capricorn Ascendant
2.11.5 Ketu Mahadasha
2.12
Compatibility of Bhaktisiddhanta and Srila Prabhupada
2.13
Conclusion
Chapter
3: Analysis of Sagittarius Rising Chart
3.1 Concern for the Opinion of
Astrologers
3.2 Sagittarius Chart Weak
Because of Rasi Sandhi
3.3 Numerous Astrologers Will
Still Find Jupiter in the 8th
3.4
Candra-Mangala Yoga in the 6th
3.5
The Question of Longevity
3.6
Jupiter Sun and Ketu in Leo
3.7
Venus in the 10th
3.8
Venus in Virgo
3.9
Conclusion
Chapter 4:Texts of Charts and Related Material
From The Last Months of Prabhupada's Lila
4.1 Sri Daivagna
4.2 Ojah #1
4.3 Abhirama Prabhu’s Reports
4.4 Arkasomayaji
4.5 Ojha #2
Chapter 5: Chart Made by Asutosh Ojha On
October 6th, 1995
Chapter 6: Statements and Testimonies of
Devotees
6.1 Letter From Tamal Krishna
Goswami With Un-Published Diary Excerpts
6.2 Transcript of Conversation
With Nanda Kumar Prabhu
6.3 Letter From Hari Sauri
Prabhu
6.4 Two Letters From Abhiram
Prabhu Based on His Memory
6.5 Hari Sauri's correspondence with
Hrisikesananda
6.5.1 Hari Sauri Letter #1 to Hrisikeshananda
6.5.2 Hari Sauri Letter #2 to Hrisikeshananda
6.5.3 Hari Sauri Letter #3 to Hrisikeshananda
6.6 Hari Sauri Letter Reply to
Kavicandra Swami
6.7 Transcript of Conversation
With Yamuna Devi Dasi
(Prabhupada's knowledge of astrology
and amazing memory)
6.8 Transcript of Conversation
With Asutosh Ojha
6.9 Transcript of Conversation With
Sruta Kirti Dasa and Kusa Dasi
6.10
Transcript of Conversation with Pradyumna
Chapter 7: Opions of Persons Conversant With
Astrological Discourse
7.1 Sriman Jagadisananda Prabhu
7.2 Sriman Nikhilananda Prabhu
7.3 Sriman Niscintya Prabhu
7.4 Sriman Ratnabahu Prabhu
7.5 Srimati Urmila Devi Prabhu
7.6 Sriman Bhaktivinode Thakur
Prabhu
7.7 Srimati Malati Manjari
Prabhu
7.8 Sriman Sadhusanga Prabhu
7.9 Sriman Svayambhuva Prabhu
General
Conclusion
Bibliography
Introduction
1 The Questions
1. How important is it for us to accept as true what Srila Prabhupada has told us about his life, in this case his time of birth?
2. If the disciple is unable to understand some thing in relation to his guru is it permissible for the disciple to alter or change the words of the guru, in this case regarding the guru’s time of birth, so as to get a horoscope that is more easily understandable to the disciple in his neophyte condition?
3. If the horoscope calculated according to the birth time given by Srila Prabhupada (4:00PM) adequately describes him is it desirable to deviate from what Srila Prabhupada has given us and "rectify" that time to 3:30 PM so as to make it a different horoscope?
2 The Answers
There are two possible answers to these three questions. I have grouped them under headings A and B.
A 1. It is very important to accept what Srila Prabhupada has told us about his life including such details as his birth time because Srila Prabhupada is the ultimate authority on himself. Prabhupada has consistently given his birth time as 4:00PM. In Vedic culture birth time is not a trivial detail. Among the higher classes, to which Srila Prabhupada’s family belonged, it is very traditional to have a horoscope done at the time of birth. We know that at his birth a chart was cast from which it was predicted that he would be a great preacher, etc. It was also traditional, as we have read in Prabhupada’s books, to have a chart cast for matrimonial compatibility. This was probably done in his case by his father. Srila Prabhupada has also confirmed on several occasions that he had his horoscope read in his earlier life, this would necessitate a knowledge of his accurate birth time. Srila Prabhupada, though not an astrologer, was the quintessential representative of Vedic culture and was not ignorant of important details in regard to Vedic science and traditions.
A 2. If a disciple is unable to understand something about Srila Prabhupada which appears to be a contradiction then the disciple should understand that this apparent contradiction is an illusory creation of his mind based on a combination of ignorance and a lack of training and experience. The disciple should accept what the guru states as true. As an article of faith the disciple should trust that as he matures and acquires more understanding, training and experience then what appeared to be the dark shadows of a contradiction will vanish with the illumination of knowledge. Indeed, all apparent contradictions in spiritual life exist only in the ignorance of the disciple, not in the guru or the sastra. This applies equally well to the horoscope of the guru. If an astrologically inexperienced disciple cannot understand the horoscope of the guru because it appears to be contradictory, then he should understand that the contradiction exists only because of his ignorance. And that this contradiction will disappear in exact proportion to the elimination of his ignorance.
A 3. In consideration of these points along with the fact that the chart calculated according to the birth time given by Prabhupada very nicely describes him, I humbly submit that there is therefore no need to deviate from what Srila Prabhupada has stated about himself in regard to his birth time. Considering that Srila Prabhupada was very consisitent in giving the same birth time we feel confident that Srila Prabhupada used this same time when consulting astrologers through the course of his life, therefore there is no reason to change it now. On the basis of his known birth time his chart was cast when he was a child. (Prabhupada as a young man in his twenties knew the astrologer who predicted his future greatness this strongly suggests that he used the 4:00PM birth time. Had it been a different time the astrologer would have told him and Prabhupada would have remembered such a change.) This chart predicted his future accomplishments and on the basis of this same chart his death was accurately predicted by Ojha in 1977. Whereas others who used a different chart were unable to predict death. We should thus accept the same chart which Srila Prabhupada accepted as his birth chart, that is, the chart with the Capricorn rising sign.
B 1. It is not so important to accept everything that Srila Prabhupada has told us about himself. Hrishikeshananda Prabhu[1] has said: “Prabhupada said so many things at different times! . . . . If we take ‘everything’ that HDG said as the one and only truth (like born-again Christians) then we devotees are bound to be confused by so many conflicting ‘truths,’ because HDG said so many things to different devotees.” Don’t forget Prabhupada was born a long time ago, these things get lost and faded in time, he could have easily forgotten his exact birth time. After all, Prabhupada was not an astrologer therefore we cannot accept any statements that Prabhupada would know about the importance of exact birth times. “How could H.D.G. know such a specialized astrological calculation? That is unsubstantiated speculation!” It is therefore not important to accept the time of birth that Srila Prabhupada gave us, we can adjust it as we see fit.
B 2. It is all right for disciples to change and alter the words and teachings of the guru if they notice contradictions in what he says. After all, Srila Prabhupada has repeatedly said that he is not God and thus liable to error, even in regard to his own personal birth details. And it is more likely that a budding astrologer who had only just began to study astrology was proficient enough in the science to detect that his guru must have made a mistake in the birth time that he has been using for the past 80 years. (Even though this birth time was used by expert astrologers to predict Prabhupada’s becoming a Jagad Guru and later his death.) The reason for that being that this student astrologer could not understand the chart cast for Srila Prabhupada according to the time supplied by HDG, therefore it must be wrong and a new chart based on a different time must be cast.
B 3. It is ridiculous to consider that a horoscope cast for the time supplied by Srila Prabhupada could even approximate an adequate description of Srila Prabhupada. Therefore it is our duty as loving disciples to protect Srila Prabhupada’s reputation from being demeaned. To accomplish this we should rectify Srila Prabhupada’s birth as much as necessary in order to get a nice chart no matter how far we veer from the time of 4:00 PM which he had used for 80 years.
3 Should the GBC Give an
Answer?
"If there is difficulty, we should discuss among ourselves and
clear it, but there must be thorough discussion and understanding. And the president of the
center, he should be able to answer the questions of other members. If he is
unable, then he should ask the local general secretary. Then, at last, it
should come to me, not that all the questions are going to me directly and ’We
are simply busy, vouchers and reports.’ So these things should be very
carefully noted. The president means he must be very expert. He should be... Secretaries, they should be all expert in
reading. This is our main business, to study, to know things. Otherwise, what
is this?"
Prabhupada’s Lectures, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Melbourne, April 4,
1972
Jayatirtha: So the next role for the GBC man is to act as the designated
representative of Srila Prabhupada to settle all philosophic, procedural
disputes which may arise and are not settled at the temple level. In other
words, any philosophic question a temple president can’t ans...
Prabhupada: No, you... Eh?
Jayatirtha: If there’s some philosophic question and the temple president can’t
answer it, then the GBC...
Prabhupada: Then GBC should be consulted. And if the GBC cannot answer, then I’ll
answer.
Room Conversation, Mayapur,
March 26, 1975
4 Implications of Not Answering
1. By not answering this question the GBC will leave open the door to unnecessary speculation about the words and teachings of His Divine Grace and all the reactions that this entails. Some persons will say that Srila Prabhupada’s words are open to interpretation and will use this to further their own agendas. Whereas others will want to be faithful disciples and just accept whatever Srila Prabhupada said. By not answering the GBC is implicitly sanctioning the tendency to change Srila Prabhupada’s words and instructions and are saying that they are prepared to accept such diversity in ISKCON. This will mean that ISKCON will have devotees giving classes and seminars with widely differing conclusions, gurus instructing their disciples in widely differing ways, and authors and translators presenting widely different views in their books and articles. Some devotees will be taking many statements by Srila Prabhupada as literally true and others will be interpreting them indirectly or explaining them away in different ways (as in some schools of Christianity).
2. By not answering this question it leaves Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope open to great ambiguity and possible misinterpretation. And while some members of the GBC may not be personally interested in Vedic Sciences like astrology it should recognize that Vedic Astrology is very widely popular in India among the intelligentsia and is very quickly growing in popularity in the West and will soon supersede Western Astrology. In Vedic cultural the study of the horoscopes of great historical personalities is a long standing tradition. Future historians will study the horoscope of Srila Prabhupada much as they now do that of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu which is recorded in the Caitanya Caritamrta. The horoscopes of great personalities such as Parikshita Maharaja, Lord Krsna and Sri Rama are discussed in the sastras. We should give future generations an official horoscope to study.
3. Academic historians study published horoscopes of personalities to ascertain their historicity as well as attempting to date them by analyzing the astronomical positions of the planets. A published horoscope will give more evidence to future generations of the existence and greatness of Srila Prabhupada. Because of our historical proximity we may think this unnecessary, but it has been mathematically hypothesized that people become more skeptical about the actual historicity of a real person as a function of time. Craig has discussed this in his 17th century work Theologiæ Christianæ Principia Mathematica[2] he stated “that the suspicions against historical evidence increase with the square of the time.” It seems that had the four gospels of the New Testament not been existent, people would have considered Jesus to be a myth by about 800 A.D. But the existence of these works, it is estimated, will hold off the disbelief in Jesus till about 3,150 A.D. We can already see that many people, even Gandhi, thought that Sri Krsna was not an actual person. So the more evidence than can be accumulated regarding the actual historicity of Srila Prabhupada as the Acarya for the next 10,000 years the better. We don’t want to be in a position like the Christians who are not even sure which year Jesus was born (between 4 and 7 B.C.!). The more explicit the information that we provide the better. We, after all, are the first generation of disciples, if we don’t record these things who will? If not now, when? If we don’t act now it will get swallowed by the snake of time.
4. If the GBC doesn’t decide then future generations may conclude that the Sagittarius rising chart was generally accepted as correct. This will either create confusion in the minds of astrologers who will not be able to reconcile the greatness of Srila Prabhupada with such a flawed chart. Or they may consider that Srila Prabhupada appeared to be a great devotee on the surface but was actually a cheater like so many modern Swamis from India. Or they may consider that he never existed and the chart a poor fabrication created by an astrologer to prove his existence (this is what many scholars think of horoscopes of Lord Buddha and others).
5. By not answering these questions and coming to a decision regarding Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope we will lose a medium for glorifying Srila Prabhupada. As mentioned in ’1 above, Vedic astrology is vastly popular in India and growing with leaps and bounds in the West. Astrological journals often do studies of famous persons. So it would be in our best interest if we wanted to glorify Srila Prabhupada to come to a decision on this matter and publish his official chart and distribute it to various astrological journals. We would thus be broad casting to many people world wide the glories of Srila Prabhupada for free.
5 How Should the GBC Arrive at an Answer?
Any astrologically inclined devotee with good writing ability, logical skills, and a broad acquaintance with astrological literature, could make an emotionally based astrological presentation that could convince an astrologically illiterate audience of anything. By carefully taking astrological rules out of context, presenting things in an over simplified way, and only showing the positive side; a convincing argument could be presented that actually the horoscope of Saddam Hussien was that of a pure devotee. And by similar careful manipulation of the rules of astrology the reverse could be shown—that the chart of a pure devotee was actually that of a demon.
The
science of Vedic astrology is very complex. It is said that when Sankaracarya
was to debate with Mandana Misra, the disciple of Kumarila Bhatta, he declared
that he would debate on any subject except Jyotisha because it was too vast.
Considering that Vedic Astrology is a vast, complex subject, which can be
manipulated in order to confuse unskilled persons; how then should we approach
the problem of deciding Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope? Since argument, logic,
reason, and scriptural citations can be presented in such a way as to get
opposite results I suggest that we follow the suggestion of Bhisma in the Mahabharata:
tarko ’pratisthah srutayo vibhinna
nasav rsir yasya matir na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam
mahajano yena gatah sa panthah
“Dry arguments are
inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is
not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are
variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are
understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of
an unadulterated self-realized person. Consequently, as the sastras confirm, one should accept
whatever progressive path the mahajanas
advocate.”
We should accept as very strong evidence what ever Srila Prabhupada has said regarding his birth time and horoscope. Srila Prabhupada has consistently used September 1, 1896 at 4:00 PM in Calcutta as his bio data. This is confirmed by Tamal Krishna Goswami, he states:
“Prabhupada became noticeably enthused and said: ‘Let us consult an astrologer—whether I should go? Whether I shall be cured? How long I shall live? I was born in the evening at 4:00 p. m. It was Nandotsava. You can consult an old panjika to see the day. It was a Tuesday.’” Section 6.1.
Srila Prabhupada also accepted the horoscope drawn up by Asutosh Ojha as accurate. Ojha used the 4:00 PM time and with that a Capricorn rising chart. That Prabhupada accepted Ojha is again confirmed by Tamal Krishna Goswami and also Nanda Kumar Prabhu. Tamal Krishna Goswami states:
“The 30th July entry: ‘Srila Prabhupada had asked for us to consult an astrologer regarding whether or not he should travel. This afternoon reports came from three different astrologers. These were presented by Yasodanandana Swami, Dr. Sharma, and Bhakti Prema Swami. I had each give their reports separately so that we could see how they agreed and how they differed. Bhakti Prema’s was useless, Dr. Sharma’s was fair, and Yasodanandana Swami’s most reliable.’” Section 6.1.
It should be noted that it was Yasodanandana Swami who was bringing the report from Ojha. TKG also stated:
“4th August entry: ‘After lunch Srila Prabhupada had me read again the astrologer’s report brought by Yasodanandana Maharaja. Prabhupada found it to be quite accurate regarding his past.’”
From various room conversations and the letter of Hari Sauri Prabhu (6.3) we see that Srila Prabhupada had Ojha’s report read to him on at least two occasions after the initial consultation and indeed Prabhupada personally sent Hari Sauri Prabhu to consult Ojha a second time. This clearly indicates as TKG has noted that Srila Prabhupada found the horoscope done by Ojha to be quite accurate. This became so well known and established that on this basis Ojha became a minor celebrity with ISKCON devotees. It became well known that Prabhupada clearly favored him as an accurate astrologer and thus others in the movement consulted him. Nanda Kumar Prabhu states:
Nanda Kumara: He had many charts done
and I had heard that there was one astrologer that he worked with. He [SP][3] said
that this man is the bona fide astrologer—Asutosh Ojha.
Shyamasundara Dasa: Oh, he said that? Prabhupada actually said that?
NK: Well, I didn’t hear it. I heard that he had said that.
SD: From who did you hear that?
NK: I don’t remember. It was, you know,
back in that time. But, I remember that
it was mentioned that out of all the astrologers. Because then, I remember
right after that I went to see him in Delhi.
SD: Ahaa.
NK: And I have this [indistinct]. . . I remember the word that I heard, which was what sparked me to go to see him, was that he [SP] said this man [Ojha] is a bona fide astrologer.
I suggest that the way that the GBC should answer this question is to simply accept the answer that Srila Prabhupada has given to this question. This is the strongest evidence and should be accepted as the last word. He gave 4:00 PM as his birth time, and since he stated that Ojha was accurate we should also accept the horoscope that Ojha used. This was a chart drawn for 4:00PM with a Capricorn rising. Not any other sign rising. By doing this we accept what Srila Prabhupada has said about himself, avoid speculation caused by inexperience in astrology, and concur with Srila Prabhupada, who is the authority on himself, that the 4:00PM chart with Capricorn rising was “most reliable” and “quite accurate.” We should definitely not accept any horoscope with any rising sign other than Capricorn.
6 Outline of Presentation
Some of you may be wondering why this presentation on Srila Prabhupada’s chart is so long? We answer this by saying that Srila Prabhupada is a very important personality in the history of Vaisnavism and anything related to him, especially in regard to his Centennial should be very thorough in order to do justice to him.
I am very well aware that Hrishikeshananda Prabhu has been demanding that it all be done in 3–5 pages. This is unrealistic, especially for the Founder Acarya of the Prabhupada Sampradaya. In this regard Sriman Nikhilananda Prabhu has made some acute observations regarding Hrishikeshananda’s demand for a very short presentation:
“Date: Sat, 25 Nov 95 02:18 WET
From: "COM: Nikhilananda (das) ACBSP (D)" <Nikhilananda.ACBSP@com.bbt.se>
To: "LINK: Vedic Astrology (Symposium hosted by Shyamasundara Das)"
Hrishikeshananda and Nalini Kanta Prabhu’s asked for a brief summary on the problem, without any technical details. Their strategy is, since they cannot give any technical basis for their specific way of interpreting Srila Prabhupada’s chart, they hope to get away with it by demanding that all technical aspects should be dropped, which in my simple view is actual disregard for the science. In short, the basic problem is that Nalini Kantha Prabhu whimsically changed the original birth time, which Srila Prabhupada himself accepted and tried to prove that Srila Prabhupada was mistaken, by prematurely publishing a new version—a drastic step, without consulting any other, senior learned devotees first. Hrsikeshananda Prabhu followed Nalini Kanta So they created their own problem. Now they blame others.”
I take astrology very seriously and feel that it would be very difficult to present to the GBC body (a group of people who, self-admittedly, have very little knowledge of astrology) a meaningful statement in just 3-5 pages. It is not simply “giving a presentation of Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope and let the GBC decide” as Hrisikeshananda Prabhu implies. There is a long standing controversy (see 2.1) in which one side seeks to gain its objective by presenting an overly simplistic, one sided, misrepresentation of astrological principles. Thus I felt that along with presenting Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope I would have to deal with all the issues raised. I also had to consider that I was dealing with a group of non-experts. Because of this last item I have tried to explain in as simple terms as possible certain astrological principles so that the GBC—who constitute the Judge and Jury—will have a basic understanding of what is being discussed. (Also because the GBC are not experts I have sought the opinion of others conversant in the subject to aid the GBC in the decision making process.) I have attempted to be a thorough as possible in my presentation, the basic scheme of which is as follows (for more details see contents).
a. In the Annex we give Nalini Kanta Prabhu’s most recent presentation, the GBC may already have a separate copy of this. This is what I was given and to which I have referred at times.
b. In the first chapter I discuss Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope independently from anything which Nalini Kanta has said. It is a straight reading of His Divine Graces chart based on the time which he provided.
c. In chapter two I analyse Nalini Kanta Prabhu’s paper (see Annex). I rigorously demonstrate that his paper is an attempt to predicate the minds of an astrologically unsophisticated audience by resorting to fallacious practices which the audience, through no fault of their own, would be totally unaware of.
d. In chapter three I analyse the horoscope based on the time that Nalini Kanta Prabhu says Srila Prabhupada was born—a time much different than the time given to us by Srila Prabhupada himself. On doing so I demonstrate that this horoscope doesn’t describe Srila Prabhupada but rather that of a religious hypocrite with serious health and mental problems.
e. In chapter four (along with six) is one which presents historical documents related to horoscopes that Srila Prabhupada had done in his last year. I present copies of all known charts and some important correspondence.
f. In chapter five I have reproduced the transcript of a recent chart done by an outside astrologer—Sriman Asutosh Ojha. This chart is a very nice reading of Srila Prabhupada based on the time that was personally supplied to him by Srila Prabhupada. The previous charts done by him for Srila Prabhupada are in chapter four. The difference between these readings is that in 1977 he was consulted by Srila Prabhupada simply regarding health, whereas in this new reading he does a general reading of Srila Prabhupada showing what a great spiritual genius Srila Prabhupada is. This is a nice simple reading and can be read along with or instead of chapter one.
g. In chapter six we request the help of many devotees who had association with Srila Prabhupada in his last days regarding astrology or who at some other time had some exchange with Srila Prabhupada on this subject. For example His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami gives us some intimate details from his unpublished diary about how he arranged for Srila Prabhupada’s horoscopes to be done and what Srila Prabhupada’s reactions and thoughts were to each of the charts. Sriman Hari Sauri Prabhu gives us details of how Srila Prabhupada personally sent him to consult Ojha on his behalf. He also gives important information about Prabhupada’s birth time. Other devotees such as Yamuna and Pradyumna round out our assessment of Srila Prabhupada as a person well acquainted with various Vedic sciences such as astrology and palmistry.
h. The seventh chapter is perhaps the most important chapter of the book for non-astrologers because it gives the impartial unbiased views of several “expert witnesses” that is, devotees who have some expertise in astrology and are familiar enough with the subject to arrive at an educated opinion. Those of you who are unable to judge the merits of this case on your own knowledge can safely turn to these other devotees who have knowledge of this science.
To conclude this introduction we will present what is perhaps the most convincing and dramatic argument that there is; we give a sample of chapter seven by giving the unbiased opinion of three of the nine devotees. The first is part of Nikhilanada’s keen observations, the second is a good summation by Svayambhuva Prabhu, and the third is the surprising and convincing view of the devotee who published Nalini Kanta Prabhu’s astrology book—Nishcintya Prabhu, who is himself a professional astrologer. The views of the other six astrologers are all quite enlightening and reveal the reality of the situation.
Sriman Nikhilananda Prabhu
“Anybody who has some practical sense for genuine Vedic astrology should be able to see the difference between the fragmental astrology presented by Nalini Kanta and your vast ocean of learning and experience. Nalini Kantha’s analysis is so remarkably fragmental and neophyte in style that it lacks any objectivity or depth but his presentation is made cleverly manipulative and emotionally appealing, so I am afraid those who do not know the science and are burdened with management work will not look through the farce but may favor the solution which looks most simple and appealing to them on short glance. . . it is good that you explained everything extensively in simple non-specialist language so anyone who takes the time will be able to understand the whole thing.
In any case the whole thing does not lack a humorous note and the manipulative style in Nalini Kantha’s statement damages his credibility. So it should be exposed. How can he say that if the GBC decides that Capricorn is the right ascendant they should at least never publish it? I am not sure but it seems that he simply wants to avoid the embarrassment of having to admit that he committed a grave mistake in his immature years.
Nikhilananda Dasa” (For complete text see 7.2)
Sriman Svayambhuva Prabhu
“I read first the presentation of Nalini-Kanta Prabhu. I took no sides and read objectively. Short as it was, and easy to read, from the first look I liked it. It will undoubtedly appeal to someone not acquainted with astrology. Futhermore, because it deals with the very basic principles, it will impress even someone who got some basics on the subject.
Then I read your explanations. Well, first of all, you did a whole lot of work! Sheer volume is quite astounding. Then, further I read, the more it become obvious that Nalini-Kantha Prabhu’s logic does not hold. In my opinion, after reading your presentation, there should be no doubt about the lagna of Srila Prabhupada's birth.” (See 7.9 for complete statement.)
Sriman Niscintya Prabhu
(Personal biographical information: I joined the movement in Aug. 1972. 1st initiation letter 1973. 2nd initiation letter in 1974. Began studying astrology 1976. I’m a professional astrologer with a wide variety of clients, including celebrities.)
Dear Shyamasundara Prabhu, 11/8/95
PAMHO
AGTSP. Since I am the publisher and
copyright owner of the How To Read
Your Horoscope book with the Sagittarius rising chart , I thought I would give some of my thoughts on the subject. First and foremost I will start with a short history of the
book HTRYH. Nalini Prabhu originally was paid to write the book in 4 months (his estimate), but actually completed it 2 years late. I was so fried at the time rather than reading the book for content or proofreading for mistakes, I immediately sent it to the printer. After it was published, although I was passably happy with it in general, (I thought is was a good kindergarten catechism on astrology.) I was greatly disturbed with a number of blemishes.
One of the biggest “blemishes” was his mentioning the controversy on Srila Prabhupada’s chart. Although, at the time, I did not disagree with his Sagittarius rising chart, I was APPALLED by the way he dismissed the Capricorn rising chart. At the time I was unaware of any controversy but his dismissal of the Capricorn rising was EXTREMELY simplistic at best and totally inaccurate at worst. For example: “holy sign of Sagittarius; lower class Capricorn . . . ” No astrologer worth his daksina talks like that! I did not discuss this with Nalini at the time, nor did I study it in depth, but I did not see anything wrong, unholy, lower class, sudra like etc., with the Capricorn rising chart. I remember thinking it had very interesting possibilities. Over the years I was graced on a couple of occasions with the reasoning behind the Capricorn rising chart which were in agreement with my initial brief look at it. I never did an in depth study and for some reason did not favor one chart over the other. They both sounded reasonable on a superficial examination.
Over the years, due to my association with the BBT and BBT Archives, I became quite aware of the fact that Srila Prabhupada himself had used a Capricorn rising chart throughout his life, which had proved quite accurate, (business struggles, travel to America and his passing etc.). Although I still took no sides (it didn’t come up that much), I regularly, when selling or using How To Read Your Horoscope, would point out the flaws in the book. Especially when asked or approached about Nalini’s bashing of the Capricorn rising chart, I never accepted the bashing… it’s poor astrology!
And now to the present. For a number of days I had been praying to Srila Prabhupada with regards to my service, especially in regards to astrology. Then, out of the “blue”, by coincidence or Divine arrangement, I was given a copy of your (Shyamasundara’s) analysis of Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope. I read the entire paper straight through in one sitting and aside from my conclusions which follow, I could not sleep and had the distinct impression that Srila Prabhupada was annoyed with my publishing an inaccurate chart and was giving me a chance to rectify that mistake. [italics mine]
Separate from this feeling, my conclusions as an impartial judge (remember, I published the book and studied under Nalini), of the two analysis, without saying that Nalini is wrong, I would say that he has a lot of research and commentary to make to even come CLOSE to the in-depth study done by your good self, Shymasundara Prabhu. Your paper is well written, very well researched, detailed, convincingly accurate etc. Nalini’s five page report, however, is inaccurate (i.e.: “was born at slightly earlier time”. Half an hour is
“slightly earlier?”); simplistic (Capricorn’s a sudra sign, etc.). And while glorifying Srila Prabhupada not nearly as complete as Shyamasundara’s. Nalini Prabhu’s glorification of Srila Prabhupada is of course very sweet, but almost ANY impartial astrologer, or person well versed in astrology, would HAVE to agree with you, Shyamasundara, at this point in the debate.
If you would like for me to respond on any particular aspect of your discussion, or if the GBC would want a detailed review of your analysis of Srila Prabhupada’s chart, feel free to contact me and I’ll be more than happy to oblige your request.
Your eternal servant,
Niscintya Dasa
Annex
Sriman Nalini Kanta's Essay
[I]
[Roman Numerals indicate the start of pages in the original document he gave me and which I will be quoting at times. All capitols his.]
Nalinikanta das
PO Box 34966
Los Angeles, CA 90034
July 1995
Most dear Prabhus, followers of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to your service to Srila Prabhupada. Thank you for allowing me to engage in his service in your association, and thanks to all the thousands of devotees who have allowed me to serve them in the field of astrology.
I am writing in regards to some varying opinions about Srila Prabhupada's horoscope as given in my book, "How to Read Your Horoscope". In that book I briefly state some of Srila Prabhupada's unlimited glories, saying "The holy sign of Sagittarius rises, with its lord Jupiter being placed in the 9th house of religion...There is an unbelievably potent raja-yoga (auspicious planetary combination) in the house of righteousness."
Srila Prabhupada personally stated that he was born at 4pm., and at other times he mentioned that he had Capricorn rising and the Moon in Gemini. No one disagrees that the Moon in Gemini part is incorrect; so it is possible that Srila Prabhupada heard some calculations from a western astrologer (with different calculations than Vedic astrology), or that he received some different opinions due to not having the exact minute of birth. (Otherwise, he might have said 3:52 pm, or 4:07 pm). In fact, of five astrologers who gave opinions on Prabhupada's chart in his last months, there were three different opinions given. [Italics are mine.]
I accept Srila Prabhupada's birth time as closer to 3:30 pm. If the birth is somewhere between 2 and 5 pm, there are only two possible horoscopes, one with Sagittarius rising and the other with Capricorn rising. All the nine planets would go into different houses and signify different things in those two cases. I accepted Srila Prabhupada as born under Sagittarius, because in my mind and in the minds of many others, such as R. Santhanam in his translation of the immortal "Bible" of Vedic astrology, "Parasara Hora-sastra, and in the mind of a South Indian astrologer who gave the opinion that Prabhupada was a "jivanmukta, avatar" when he was asked about Prabhupada's time of death in those last months of 1977, "Sagittarius must be the correct chart for such a great saint". Please allow me to give some simple reasons and references for this conclusion.
[II]
In astrology, Jupiter is the GURU planet, and the 9th house is the house of Godliness, dharma. Sagittarius ascendant shows Srila Prabhupada having Jupiter in the 9th house of religion. The ascendant represents one's personal appearance, characteristics and direction in life. These are the simple facts and we should accept the direct meaning of things, according to Sriman Mahaprabhu. If we take the birth time as slightly earlier than Srila Prabhupada estimated, then the sign of Sagittarius, which is ruled by the guru planet Jupiter, goes to the 9th house of religion, indicating a spiritual direction in life. In fact, Parasara Muni, father of Srila Vyasadeva and father of Vedic astrology, says that when the ruler of the ascendant goes to the 9th house, the person is "a worshipper of Vishnu," whereas if the ascendant lord goes to the 10th house (in the case of Capricorn ascendant), "professional success" is indicated (in other words, it becomes more of a karmic direction towards artha or economic development).
If we accept Sagittarius rising, Jupiter then aspects the ascendant also, indicating a religious person with the good qualities of religion, honesty, a good father and preacher, etc. If the ascendant lord Jupiter combines with the 9th lord, the king of planets the Sun, in the 9th house, with Ketu, the planet of liberation, we can easily see that the person is a king of gurus (Prabhupada) who is in a liberated state, who is devoutly austere, who travels and preaches and starts Temples all over the world (9th house being pilgrimage and long-distance travel).
In the case of Capricorn ascendant, you get a sudra sign on the ascendant, with the ascendant lord in the 10th house of economic development, with the guru planet in the 8th house, the most malefic house in a horoscope. Therefore, even in my initial months of studying astrology, I understood that the astrologers who were depicting Srila Prabhupada with Sag. ascendant were correct; and now after 18 years experience with seeing many thousands of horoscopes, there is no doubt in my mind about that conclusion.
Let's look at a few more details, although thousands of pages could be written on Srila Prabhupada's great chart, and on this debate. References about the rising sign of Sagittarius;
"long and attractive face, big nose and ears, learning in shastras, self-control, honored by scholars, valiant, virtuous...great mastery of philosophical studies..humane, active and enterprising, good-looking, happy smile, upholds conservative views, God-fearing, honest humble and free from hypocrisy, exercising strict control over food and drink and in relations with the opposite sex...an active, straightforward and noble character who fights for a good cause...sacrificing themselves for the good of others, finding success in foreign lands, a good leader or guide for pure-hearted souls." (various statements from "Brhat-Jataka", "Fundamentals of Astrology", "How to Read Your Horoscope", "Parasara Hora-sastra", BV Raman, etc.)
[III]
Further, we can look at the description of the third drekkana of this sign Sagittarius:
"Next we shall consider the forms of the decanates as described by Varahamihira (a great astrological writer considered an authority by all in the modern age). This description is of paramount importance in that it helps the astrologer in delineating the characteristics, physical and mental of the person concerned."
"The last (decanate or third part) of Sagittarius is a man with ...a golden complexion, seated on a worthy chair, holding a rod. He is clad in silks..."
On the other hand, the first drekkana of Capricorn rising is depicted as "a man full of hairs with a body like that of a hog, and a fierce look, holding in his hands a rope, net and a trap; easily won over by women."
And the sign of Capricorn (sudra sign, 10th sign of work or economic development) has words such as the following which depict it: "fickle, troubled by hardships, attached to an old woman, dissipated knowledge and energy, shameless, with a feminine heart, cunning, liking a lot of show, little or no control of their tongues." Granted, these are the negative statements, but I can personally relate with them, as I have Capricorn ascendant.
Let us look at Srila Prabhupada's great work, the spreading of kirtan and the composition and distribution of books. In astrology, Mercury represents literature and Venus represents music. If we take Sagittarius rising, then HDG had the combination of Mercury and Venus in the 10th house, the house of one's work or deeds in life. Mercury exalted indicates his great service regarding the books, and Venus debilitated indicates that he preached with kirtan, which had no sensuality or material objective (Venus representing material desire, being debilitated in HDG's chart).
Let's look at a description of Bhadra-yoga (Mercury exalted in a quadrant, if Sag. is the ascendant) given by Prthuyasas (son of Varahamihira) in his "Horasara":
"...He has predominantly sattwic disposition, fixity of mind, is peaceful, liberal and grateful. He walks like an elephant. He is well-versed in many sastras, is courageous, has beautiful belly and attractive nose. He is of yogic disposition. He is with concealed genital... He is independent in decision. He attains heaven at the age of 80 in a shrine."
[IV]
Is it not acceptable that the great guru planet Jupiter be in the 9th house of religion, and that the literary planet of Vishnu, Mercury, be in the 10th house of work? There are many other quotes we could give, but "Chamatkar-Chintamani", for example, states that if Mercury and Venus are influencing the 10th house, "the native shows love for music, painting, eloquence, composition, is a printer, druggist (during his householder life), profession requiring considerable travel," etc.
Let us look back again at the traits of the planets, and you judge which one must be influencing the ascendant..
"Sarvartha Chintamani"; "Jupiter is of sattvic temperament, endowed with all the good qualities of character, has yellow eyes, no hair on the head."
"Well-versed in politics or policy-making; very eloquent speaker, of noble disposition." ("Hora-sara")
Jupiter described by Parasara, father of Vedic astrology, in his "Hora-Sastra":
"brahmin planet...male...sattwic...governing saffron color..."
From "Jataka-Parijata": "Jupiter, Guru, represents the essence of all knowledge and happiness; a body of yellowish (golden) hue...exceedingly auspicious...big-bellied body; possessing all virtues, endowed with aptitude for every science; eyes and hair are brown, possesses the quality of goodness or purity; exceedingly intelligent; his person is graced with marks of royalty not to be despised."
This planet Jupiter, the GURU, must certainly be the planet influencing Srila Prabhupada most strongly, not the sudra planet Saturn. Even at the hour of his death, Jupiter tenanted the ascendant for Srila Prabhupada (and Gemini was rising, the rising sign of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada's chart).
On the other hand, look at the description of the planet Saturn, which certainly has some good qualities as well, but is generally entrusted to giving the embodied souls suffering:
"Saturn is cruel, with a thin long body, hard hair, big-sized teeth, is tamasic in nature, prominent veins, is curt in speech and is despicable."
Look briefly at some of the words chosen for Capricorn ascendant: "short, clever, wanderer, fickle, wicked intentions, troubled by hardships, dissipated knowledge and energy, shameless, attached to an old woman, unhappy on account of children...Ideas to be gleaned from this figure are the perseverance and ambition to achieve lofty goals (climb the heights), a self-centered character, and a person with an uncontrolled tongue."
[V]
Look at the description of Jupiter in the 9th house (with Sagittarius rising) as opposed to Jupiter in the 8th house:
9th house ("Chamatkar-Chintamani): "reveres the brahmanas; says his prayers with all concentration; ideal man; holy pilgrim, theologist; handsome; straight dealings; divine knowledge, saintly and rich, noble in act; this Jupiter is ideal for philosophers and saints; good for travel and living abroad; character sound, noble thoughts," etc.
8th house (if Cap. is rising, also "Chamatkar-Chintamani); "short-lived, base acts, a devil, miser, friendless, gloom, miserable, irrational, immodest, inert and lean, debauched, wicked, slighted," etc.
My Godbrothers and Godsisters, you are undoubtably intelligent and devoted enough to see why I am strongly against depicting Srila Prabhupada, the greatest guru in modern history, to have a chart with a negative rising sign, an accent on economic development, and the guru and self-realization planets in the weakest place of a horoscope. Not to speak of having the yogakaraka or planet which can give most potency, DEBILITATED in the 9th house of RELIGION (if Cap. rises).
The above references are none of my own concoction. My only intention in joining this debate is to preserve and protect the good name of His Divine Grace. The books which are already distributed around the world describing His Divine Grace's chart with Sag. rising has received good reception. If we publish with Capricorn ascendant, I am afraid that many others like myself will see the flaws in the horoscope and think less of Srila Prabhupada.
If myself and the many thousands of devotees and authors and people who have read and accepted the astrological literature already published with the chart of Srila Prabhupada being Sagittarius ascendant--if we are mistaken, then please forgive us.
I do not think that I deserve being called a "misleading speculator," for glorifying His Divine Grace according to this direct perception; nor did the South Indian astrologer who glorified Srila Prabhupada as "a jivan-mukta and lila-avatar," deserve being called "an obsequious flatterer who is giving a bad name to astrology."
If you do not agree with the above representations, then I ask only that you not publicly depict Srila Prabhupada's glorious horoscope with this Capricorn ascendant that I think demeans him. Let it only be said, in the case that you reject this argument, that there are several opinions.
Thank you very kindly for reading this text, and may Lord Krishna and His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada bless you all.
JAYA SRILA PRABHUPADA!
Yours in service, Nalinikanta das
Chapter 1
The Horoscope of 1008 Sri Srimad
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Srila Prabhupada
Abstract: We discuss Srila Prabhupada’s horoscope based on the time of birth he gave. We note the perfect placement of planets and strength of the Ascendant lord. We then discuss the different elements in the horoscope beginning with the meaning of Capricorn Ascendant in relation to SP. Then we discuss the significance of the position of Saturn as the chart ruler and how this clearly indicates Prabhupada’s elevated position. Afterwards we discuss the virtues of the rest of the planets in clockwise order—Rahu in the 2nd house in the sign Aquarius, Moon and Mars in the 5th house in the sign Taurus; Jupiter, Sun and Ketu in the 8th house in the sign Leo; Venus and Mercury in the 9th house in the sign Virgo. It is clear that this chart clearly indicates the greatness of Srila Prabhupada’s personality and achievements. We note that if two charts nicely describe Prabhupada, preference should be given to the one based on the time favored by Srila Prabhupada.
According to information directly given by Srila Prabhupada to Tamal Krishna Goswami (see TKG’s statement 6.1) Prabhupada said, “I was born in the evening at 4:00 p.m.,” he is specific and did not say “about 4:00 p.m.” This seems to clearly indicate SP’s favoring of this time and and not an earlier one. The rest of the birth data is well known. He was born on September 1st, 1896 at 4 PM (Local Mean Time) in Calcutta, India. The basic layout of the planetary positions is as follows:
RASI
__________________________
Ascendant 07CP48[4]
Sun 17LE00
Moon 28TA06
Mars 16TA57
Mercury 11VI07
Jupiter 02LE01
Venus 01VI47
Saturn 21LI47
Rahu 02AQ07
Ketu 02LE07