Astrology and Vaishnavism

Interview with a Vaishnavite priest
New Delhi

I have earned the Shastri title from Rashan University. After [my predecessor’s] death, I took over the work of pujari. The Shastri title is earned through studying astrology, Sanskrit literature and grammar, and karma kand. My older brother is the head pujari here, and I am his assistant. My brother and I are here to perform religious duties. We have various assistants who help us by keeping things clean and working as security guards, and other practical duties. My brother and I are the only specialists in performing religious ceremonies and astrology.

In our Hindu religion, people accept one of two basic viewpoints — the Vaishnavite or the Smarta. Among the latter are tapasvis, who may also be called sanyasis or sadhus. While keeping their senses under control, they live a life of begging and ascetic practices, renouncing the world, and they work toward achieving spiritual progress and power. Vaishnavite people are those who perform the worship of bhagvan. We do this by building on a particular foundation in relation to a particular isht-dev or kul-dev. In terms of our works of discipleship, our isht-dev can be Ram, Krishna, Shiva, or various devis. So we perform the worship of all of these deities.

In addition to these, we have the sun, the moon and the heavenly bodies. From these we are able to receive knowledge, and because of their unity in giving us this knowledge, we consider them as deities and we worship them. Even in our shastras it is written that these heavenly bodies are gods and should be worshipped as such, because they give us light. Just as a person has movements, development and progress, so do these heavenly bodies. That’s why we consider them to be gods. Because within them, there are mariyadas. Those which have become purushottams have become our bhagvans. It is by following the mariyadas of these bhagvans that we have ended up worshipping them. So in the same way, we worship the heavenly bodies. They have the attributes of being protectors as well as descendants of the deities. Therefore, we worship them.

Our astrologers have taken the akhants of the sun and the moon and have used them to make the panchank. In this work, ank-ganit is used. The major basis of calculation in our astrology is the number system, zero to nine, by which time periods are calculated. By the mathematical methods known to them, our astrologers fix the dates of the panchank. The days on which we have to do gyat are determined by these methods. Each date is looked at in terms of how it relates to the stages of the moon and what sorts of advantages and disadvantages it has. Then on the basis of mathematical rules, we convert the days into hours and minutes. We divide every hour into 60 minutes, and every minute into 60 seconds. So this is the main point about our astrological system.

The next thing we do is we look at what star or planet appears on each particular day. This is ascertained by means of our panchank. There are 30 days in our month, and we divide this into two 15-day periods. The first of these is called krishna-paksh. The second period is called shukra-paksh. In the light half, we count the days from one to 15. In the dark half, in the same way, we count from one to the night of the full moon. So, we look at these dates in terms of stars and planets, and we will find only one verification of this in our astrological holy books. It isn’t changed in any place or in any way, but is definitely fixed. There isn’t a need to appeal to any rule about this. These things have been fixed in all ages — in the Sat Yug, in the present and also in the future.

After we find out what the star or planet is, then we want to know about the carn and yog of heavenly bodies. Then we take this juncture and this date and determine what has been ordained to happen on it. From this we have the rules of astrology by which we tell people what they need to know. If we make sure that we avoid those days which are inauspicious, then we are free to work to do anything we need to do on the other days. If we have to get something done, especially something important, on a particular day, then we go through the process of asking what the date is, and what the stage of the moon is (for you see, the moon changes every day).

When a person comes to us, we use his name and on the basis of that, we begin our calculations. Our astrologers have said that we should avoid the second, sixth, eighth and twelfth days of the lunar month. The other days are auspicious for us. So this is how we fix our auspicious times.

We are able to cast the horoscope of any particular time, place or person, by means of a panchank. This particular panchank [he brought one before the interviewers] was issued by one of our pandits in Jaipur, Rajasthan. From this we get our foundation for constructing a horoscope, and every year a new panchank is issued. In each issue, there is a detailed description and explanation of the whole year. If we look at each table in here, it is for a single month. There are twelve months in our calendar. Each month’s table has rows for every day of the month. The date is given in each row, and the first column shows the day of the week. After that we have every hour, every minute of every hour, and every second of every minute. Then we have the planet or star given and the precise time of its appearance, down to the minute and the second. After that is given the conjunction of planets and constellations. Again, the precise time of appearance is given. Last of all, the incline is given along with its time of appearance. Then the Western and Muslim dates are given for each day. Panchanks are issued from many different centers in India, but they are all the same, because the root of them all is mathematical calculation. And the root of the calculations themselves is found in the sun and the moon.

Let me give you an example. If we take a circle of paper, place it in the sun, and place an upright stick in the center of it, then the shadow of that stick will fall on the paper and will move in accordance with the way in which the sun keeps changing its pattern of movement. And the watches we have, which have been constructed in accordance with scientific principles, can be matched up with these movements of the sun. So our astrologers have studied these solar movements and have captured the mathematical description of them. So that is why the basis of our mathematical calculation really is the sun, and along with that, the moon.

When people come to us, they ask questions about their family problems or appointment difficulties, or other such problems of life, requesting guidance and help from us. We, in turn, do not ask any information from them other than their name. From the name, we determine the sign of the zodiac and we use that to make some astrological calculations. We look at the phase of the moon and we look at our sacred astrological books, as well as charts given to us by various gurus and sants. The verifications given to us by these spiritual leaders or books help us to give clear directions to the seeker. We can give them information about the past, the present and the future. Due to the blessing of bhagvan, truth comes out from our lips and we are able to give the seeker the right procedure to follow in solving his problems. For example, we could tell a seeker who has committed a particular sin what sort of procedure he could follow to gain merit and thus be freed from the penalty of that sin. If someone is going somewhere to get something done, we can show him the best procedure to follow, or the best time to follow, so that his work will be successful. Any and all sanctifying or purifying rites from birth to death, are covered by this system of astrology. All circumstances of life are covered. If one is seeking prosperity and progress in life, such as in a business, for example, or if someone is getting married or buying a vehicle, then we show him the best time to get these things done.

Astrology has various inputs into it, such as mathematical calculations and verses from the holy books. Along with this, it is important to worship some deity in order to gain siddhi from that deity. For that deity, we are supposed to do something very difficult, something that involves a lot of labor. Family worship and the singing of bhajans are also required. The effect of all this will be that we begin to build an attachment to that particular deity. We receive siddhi from that deity, and somehow we are able to receive words of truth as a result of that. We proclaim those words to the seeker. We receive powers to do special things, such as to bring healing to people who are physically sick, and we are able to solve many kinds of problems in life. But to receive such powers, one has to make all kinds of sacrifices. Not everyone can do this. So the special powers that we have are related to the system of astrology and astrological writings. There is no question of some spiritual beings coming or not coming. That has nothing to do with this system.

When we look at natural things such as being born and living a short or long life, this is ultimately not a matter of science. When we look at plants and trees, and we say that we have a seed, we are going to sow that seed, fertilize it and water it, and then we will have a plant or tree. This is not just a matter of science, because where did these things first begin? Where did trees come from? Where did man come from? When we begin to think about these things, then we come to infer that there is some power behind all of it, and it is through that power that all these things are happening. There is definitely a creator behind everything, and that creator is dev. Those devtas who were there during Sat Yug are also here in the present time, in Kal Yug. The brahmins of former times are the brahmins of today. The kshatriyas of former times are the kshatriyas of today. The vaisyas of former times are the vaisyas of today. And the shudras of former times are the shudras of today. It is through their works that they have all become what they are. And through their works we have been able to discern in the Vedas certain mantras by means of which we can produce fire. We are able to do that today, even as we have done it in former times. In the olden days, there used to be wars in which people would shoot arrows from bows. In the same way today, we have mantras, religious rituals and worship rituals, by means of which we can finish off an enemy, even if he is about two hundred miles away from us. But in order to gain these powers, we have to do rituals and we have to work hard. So when we look at the creation, we realize that there must be somebody behind it all and that’s why, when we do the worship of some particular dev, our requests are granted. Then why won’t we follow that dev and consider that dev to be our own? That’s why these statements are all true.

[Concerning the Vaishnavite branch of Hinduism] The Hindu religion is one. But we have divisions within it. Just like Buddhism and Jainism developed in many directions, so it is with Hinduism. But these divisions didn’t come by some act of splitting us up into many factions. There are four life stages in the life of a pious Hindu, and our holy men have followed this since ancient times. We Vaishnavites believe in all four of these life stages and we practice them. From the ages of one to 25, we have what is called the bal ashram. From 25 to 50 years of age, we have the grihast ashram. From 50 to 75, we have the vanprast ashram. And the final life stage is the sanyas ashram, which is from the ages of 75 to 100.

We get married around the age of 23 to 25. Prior to that is the age of playing and eating, enjoying life and gaining knowledge. And our astrologers have said from the very beginning that a man becomes mature at the age of 25. Only after getting married will he be considered a householder and a grown-up citizen of the community. When his householder stage has been completed and he reaches the age of 50, he will be considered as a great person in the community, worthy of respect. His role in the community will be to care, not only for his family, but for the whole community, and to be a person who gives guidance and advice concerning how to live a virtuous and wise life. And beyond that age, his duty is to leave the illusions of family and worldly life and commit himself to a life of bhakti to bhagvan. For his own good, he would need to follow certain practices in order to gain moksha from bhagvan. Those who follow these four life stages include not only Hindus, but Muslims and even Christians.

The unique thing about Vaishnavites is that we also consider fire, the sun, and the meek acceptance of life as having special significance during the sanyas stage. Doing tapasya while sitting in the sun is an example of this. That’s why we become smarta. They have become holy in themselves and are considered pure even if they do not bathe. Now there’s a basis for becoming a Vaishnavite. That basis is the foundational principle of worshipping Vishnu. This means that we worship only those deities which are considered to be avatars of Vishnu. Actually, all the devtas are avatars of Vishnu. This means that all of us Vaishnavites have chosen an isht-dev for ourselves, and that isht dev is an incarnation of Vishnu. That’s how we have gotten our name as Vaishnavites. Some follow Ram, some Krishna, some Hanuman, some Durga, and so on.

In every religion, the biggest thing is shraddha. Whether we are talking about shraddha in a person, or in a dev, or in a vraksh-dev — whatever it may be. The point is that shraddha is something very special and necessary. We find it written in the Vedas also, and we see that even concerning shraddha toward our parents, that is also enjoined in the holy books. So, shraddha is the biggest thing. When Ram won the victory over Ravan in the great war, and when he went through great sufferings, and in the end became Mariyada Purushottam Ram, then we realize that shraddha is the most important thing.

If I were to give you a definition of the reliability of Hinduism as given to us by the leaders of our Hindu society, then the first thing we see is that there are certain very special places around the country. For example, in Jaipur, there is the mandir of Shri Govind Ji. If any person goes to this mandir 100 times, then any difficult request he may have will be granted. I can tell you about the situation in Delhi. There is a mandir of Hanuman in Jamuna Bazaar. I can tell you that if any person goes to that mandir 40 times, then he can receive anything that he desires.

There is a small village in Rajasthan called Lilka. There is a very great temple in that village, and the sants of that village are very great. This is a true story. There is a tantrik who is still alive today and from whom we can get direct knowledge about this. The story is about one of the sailors in our navy who went abroad to fight a war. In the war, his ship began to sink. So, he began to chant the name of a particular guru. He began to say “Jay to Mangaldas Ji Maharaj.” By the power of that name, the boat stopped sinking and rose back up to the surface of the water. The people of that area witnessed to the truth of this story. It is true. I myself can give you a testimony about this when I went to that area eight years ago, along with my guru ji. One of the great gurus of that area had just died. And as you know, the custom is that 13 or 14 days after such a man passes away, many sants and gurus gather together and a large meeting is held. At that time, food was being prepared for those who had gathered, and there was a shortage of food. They had quite a shortage of oil to do the cooking and frying, so some of the sadhus and mahatmas gave orders that water should be taken from a small cement reservoir nearby. They said that the water should be poured into the large vessel that was used for deep-frying food, and that in this way, the food should be fried. So, that water actually worked just like oil, and the cooking was completed. There are reports about Badrinat. There are several bathing places there, at which if a sick person takes a bath, he will be healed. And so, in these ways, there are natural phenomena which have been reported. They constitute a kind of tangible sign of the fact that there is actual power behind our religious system.

In terms of my personal experience, I am a follower of Hanuman. He is my isht-dev. I have also received instruction from my guru, Pandit Shri Shankar Das Shastri, and my father is Pandit Shri Harilal, who was a teacher of the holy books. I have received training from both of these men. I am a brahmin and I am a performer of religious rites in the prescribed manner. I began this training at eight years of age, receiving sanskar at that age. Then I took great interest in learning the ancient Sanskrit literature. I studied about performing rituals properly and I also studied astrology. I perform religious rites daily, and follow the instructions given to me by my guru. And my isht-dev fulfills all my desires, even as I perform puja to him. Once my younger brother needed an operation and I was in great distress about it, looking for a place to get it done. I went all the way to Puna and back to Delhi, but nothing was working out. So I put my request before Hanuman and he gave me darshan of himself. He appeared to me in a dream and told me to get the operation done in Rajasthan. So, I took my brother there and got him admitted. The doctors had said to me that it would take ten to 15 days before the operation could be done, but actually without us doing anything, they changed their minds and the operation was done immediately. It was very successful and even today, my brother’s health is fine.

Predictions that I have made concerning things in the lives of various seekers have come true. I have never given predictions or guidance in a flippant manner to cause harm to anybody. When we astrologers make predictions and give guidance, we have to do it according to the circumstances of the seeker, even if our predictions are based on mathematical calculation. Calculation is not enough, we also have to discern the circumstances of the seeker and adjust our predictions accordingly. We look at the circumstances, at the environmental factors and the condition of the person, and this helps us make more accurate predictions.