How Stars Influence Our Destiny ?

By -Dayanand Verma

Contents

1. Scientific Basis of How Stars Influence Human Destiny ?

2. How to Acquire the Capability of a Trikaldarshi ?
3. Tension Which Is Bought Happily
4. Benefits of Maun (Adopting Silence)
5. How Can They Attain Mental Peace Who Find It Tough to Adopt Maun
(Silence) ?
6. Tantra for Sound Health
7. Father's Day And Mother's Day of Ancient Times
8. How Does the Character of Sri Krishna Have Sixteen Kalaas ?
9. Why Avoid Moha And Maya ?
10. Think a Bit
11. Psychology of the Evil Eye
12. Basic Reasons of Being Moral, Immoral
13. The Key to Understanding the Meaning of Ancient Scriptures This
article is the gist of an intermittent dialogue between the
Palmistry
Guru Dayanand Verma and Nisha Ghai
SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF HOW STARS
INFLUENCE HUMAN DESTINY ?

The conversation between Shri Dayanand Verma (Palmistry Guru) and

Ms.
Nisha Ghai is as follows:

NISHA Astrology and Palmistry are my favourite subjects. While

studying
these two subjects, a question constantly arises in my mind as to
how
the stars and planets, moving in their orbits, innumerable
kilometers
away from the earth, influence the destiny of man ? You have written
books on spiritualism, psychology and literature, and propounded new
principles in palmistry. I am aware of your interest in theoretical
aspects of astronomy and astrology. Seeing these distinctions of
yours,
I want to know: what is the basis of the relationship of the far
away
stars and planets in the sky with the destiny of man ?

DAYANAND The question that you have put to me today has been
hovering
in my mind since long. I've got an answer to this question, from
within, in the form of an Indent sukti.

The sukti is yat brahmaande, tat pinde

NISHA The answer to my question is not very clear from this sukti.
Kindly tell me in detail about brahmaand and pind.
DAYANAND Brahmaand means all the stars and planets which keep moving
in
their orbits in the space, and pind means the human body. The idea
of
the sukti is that the

elements, which have gone into the making of stars and planets, are
also present in this human body, equipped with mind, intellect and
atma.

NISHA I am curious to know how do the elements that have gone into
the
making of stars and planets, reach the human body.

Astronomy and Astrology

DAYANAND You must know the main things about astronomy and astrology
to
satisfy your curiosity. The discipline which observes the movement
of
stars and planets is called astronomy and the discipline which
studies
the impact of those stars and planets on human life is called
astrology. According to astronomy, there are innumerable stars in
the
vast brahmaand. Those stars are moving around an axis. In our
scriptures, all those clusters and groups of stars are called
brahmaand. While revolving around their axis, bits of some stars
break
away. Those bits or parts begin moving in an orbit around the star
that
produced them. These break-away parts are called planets. While
observing the space, astronomers found that some stars move in
groups.
The number of such groups is twenty-seven. In astrology, these
groups
are called nakshatras and each nakshatra has been given a different
name.

Our earth is a planet. The star from which the earth broke away is
called the 'sun' by us. There are other planets also which broke
away
from our sun and are revolving around it. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter,
Venus, Saturn are planets of our solar system, like the earth. While
planets move in orbits around the sun, some bits break away from
them
and begin to revolve around the planet from which they broke away.
They
are called satellites. What we earth-dwellers call 'moon', is a
satellite of the earth.

In our solar system, satellites have broken away from other planets,
too, and they are revolving around their parent planets.
NISHA You have called the sun, a star and the earth, a planet. The
moon
has been called a satellite of the earth. But in our astrology, the
sun
and the moon, both are accepted as planets, and the earth does not
occur anywhere in the list of planets in our astrology. Why is this
divergence between your statement and astrology ?

DAYANAND I have called the sun, a star and the moon, a satellite,
with
reference to astronomy. The reason for this divergence between
astronomy and astrology is because of the fact that, in astronomy,
the
research on stars and planets has been continuing whereas in
astrology,
no new research is being done. A number of new planets have been
found
in our solar system by new research. The astronomers have given them
names—Neptune, Pluto, and Uranus. Astrology does not have the names
of
these planets. Astrology is stuck with research done thousands of
years
ago.

NISHA Astronomy does not have the names of rahu and ketu, but in
astrology, both of them have their importance.

DAYANAND In astrology, rahu and ketu are known as shadow planets,

but
we can see their influence upon human beings. In this area,
astrology
is ahead of astronomy. Scholars of both the disciplines should
undertake research on this subject. NISHA The opportunity of
scholars
of both the disciplines sitting together will come when the
astronomers
accept the fact that the inner chemistry of man is affected by stars
and planets and that this influence may become the cause of good
luck
or bad luck for man. DAYANAND Maybe after understanding the
relationship between brahmaand and pind, astronomers will believe in
astrology. NISHA I hope that day will come. With this hope, I want
to
know that, in spite of there being innumerable stars in the space,
besides our sun, our astrology tells us about the impact of only
those
planets that revolve around our sun. What's the reason for it ?

DAYANAND The star closest to our earth is the sun. Other stars are
at
very great distances; therefore, the impact of the planets of our
solar
family is greater on inhabitants of the earth. How Did the Elements
of
Stars and Planets Reach Human Beings ?

NISHA You have enhanced my knowledge with these facts about the
space
but all this does not answer my question: how these planets
influence
our destiny ? Moreover, I would also like to know how the elements
that
constitute stars and planets, reach the human body ?

DAYANAND The answer to this question is in my mind in the form of a

hypothesis; therefore, it may seem awkward to you.

NISHA What do you mean by hypothesis ?

DAYANAND Hypothesis means a new idea which hasn't got the status of
a
Principle or Theory, but the idea is sought to be explained by
logic.

NISHA Kindly explain this with some example.

DAYANAND Since the beginning, man has observed that all objects fall
from above to below. In 17th century, the British scientist Newton
saw
an apple falling from the apple-tree to the ground and a question
arose
in his mind as to why the apple fell down on the ground, why didn't
it
go upwards, towards the sky ? At that time, people thought it was a
crazy idea, but persistent research gave birth to a Principle. Today
we
call it the Law of Gravitation. Because of this, all stars and
planets,
including the earth, remain bonded to each other in spite of
existing
separately. This idea regarding gravity was a hypothesis before
becoming a Law. The answer that I am about to give to your question
—
you should take it as a hypothesis. The first of your question is:
how
do stars and planets, innumerable kilometers away, influence the
destiny of man? The second question is: how do elements of stars and
planets reach the human body, i.e., what is the basis of the sukti—
yat
brahmaande, tat pinde ? According to astronomy, all stars and
planets
came into existence with a huge explosion. Scientists call it the
Big
Bang. That explosion gave birth to all stars; and innumerable
planets
were born from those stars. On account of this, the elements found
in
all stars and planets were obtained from the Big Bang. Our sun got
those elements from the Big Bang. Because of movement,
electromagnetic
radiation is generated in those stars and planets and this magnetic
force keeps all stars and planets bonded to each other. Their
movement
creates radiance, which we call 'light'. While constantly studying
the
movement of those stars and planets, astronomers found that the
colour
of all stars and planets is not the same. Based on their studies, I
have developed the hypothesis that the quantity of elements found on
all stars and planets is not the same. You had asked how the
elements
found in stars and planets of the brahmaand reached the human body ?
The answer is that the earth got those elements from the sun and we
humans have got them from the earth. Process of the Basis of
Relationship between Stars and Planets and Man

NISHA What does your hypothesis say about the process through which
elements that reached the earth from the sun, got into the human
body ?
DAYANAND Before dwelling on my hypothesis about this, I would like
to
give the rendering of a sukta from the tenth mandala of Rig Veda.
The
sukta is titled Naasadiya Sukta. The Naasadiya Sukta says — Neither
the
sky...nor the earth nor the border...between day and night no
life...no
death.
No difference...between light and darkness He was
alone...evolved out of Himself without air He breathed. The seed of
desire was in Him desire...to multiply break the limitations...to
expand. Evolved from that the universe of five elements who
knows...how
did it evolve ?...and why did it evolve ?

Then they came...Those Who Would Tell This.

This sukta of Rig Veda is a poetic description of the creation of

universe. Astronomers ascribe the creation of universe to the Big
bang.
In the Hindu mythology, the creator of universe is called Brahma.

What astronomy has said in simple language, Naasadiya Sukta said

poetically and ended with the remark: who knows when was the
universe
created, because those who would tell us about the birth of
universe,
were themselves born afterwards !

After giving the poetic rendering of the Vedic sukta regarding

creation
of the universe, I present my hypothesis, based on modern astronomy:
by
what process did the elements of stars and planets reach man ?

The elements, received by the sun from the Big Bang, had the
potential
of formation and growth of minerals and grains. Seasons change due
to
the amount of solar heat. Sometimes summer, sometimes rains,
sometimes
winter — all these seasons help in growing and ripening of those
things. Human body is formed by eating those vegetables, grains,
minerals and by digesting them.

By studying human ailments, Ayurveda and modern medical science

revealed that the presence of vegetables, herbal roots, grains and
other substances in proper proportion is 'health' and if they are
less
or more than the optimum proportion, it is 'disease'. The tablets,
capsules, injections, lotions etc., that are prepared to rectify
this
less or more quantity of something, all of them grow on the surface
of
the earth or they are found in the depths of the sea.

On analyzing human blood, it is found that 91% of it is water. The

remaining 9% contains different quantities of albumin, globulin,
fibrinogen, nonprotein nitrogen, glucose, sodium, potassium,
calcium,
magnesium, inorganic phosphorus, chlorides, bicarbonates etc..

Things like vitamins, proteins, found in our food, are procured from
the plants, minerals, herbal roots of our earth and from the depths
of
the sea.

All these facts provide an answer to your question about the process
by
which elements constituting stars and planets reach human beings.
The
answer is that the earth received those elements from the sun and
through substances grown on the earth, they have reached the human
body.

NISHA Your hypothesis has made it clear to me how elements of stars

and planets of the brahmaand reach man. But it has not answered my
question: how stars and planets, innumerable kilometers away from
us,
influence our destiny ? At ma, Genes and Jataka

DAYANAND What I said has explained that, at the physical level,

there
is similarity between human beings and stars and planets. But human
beings have an extra element which Hindu scriptures call atma.
Because
of this atma, ancient astrologers called man a jataka. Jataka means
an
atma, equipped with mind and intellect. This atma imbibes the impact
of
stars and planets. Ancient astrologers had studied how mind and
intellect of the jataka reacted to that impact. But the astronomers
had
restricted their study only to the movement of stars and planets.
NISHA
Where is the atma located in the human body ? DAYANAND All
religions,
sects, communities were born in an attempt to find an answer to this
question. Here, I shall mention the Hindu belief. According to
Hindus,
atma is immortal. It is a continuous stream of life. The present
body
of man is a temporary garment of atma. Atma keeps on changing this
garment. Shedding of the old garment by atma is called 'death'.
Putting
on a new garment by atma is called 'birth'. Previous life of atma is
its history. Subsequent life of atma is its future. NISHA Modern
science does not accept the existence of atma. DAYANAND Modern
science
believes in genes. According to modern science, the genes group of
our
forefathers is our history. The offspring of our genes are our
future.
Whether we subscribe to the Hindu belief or accept the view of
science,
both these beliefs reveal that life is a continuous stream. Hindus
call
that stream atma. Those who do not believe in atma can continue
their
research by calling atma as basic genes. NISHA You haven't said
where
the atma dwells in the human body ?
DAYANAND I do not have an answer
to this question. According to my hypothesis, wherever atma might be
located in the body, it functions as an antenna or dish. In space,
the
fine rays of stars and planets spread out. Science calls them
'radiations'. Atma catches those many types of radiations and passes
on
the invisible

power to 'mind'. The radiation creates an agitation in the mind.

Psychology calls this agitation, an impulse. Intellect, the second
power of atma, analyses that impulse. On the basis of that analysis,
a
direction is set for man's activity. The direction set so, becomes
the
cause of man's good luck or bad luck.
NISHA You have admitted your ignorance about the location of atma in
human body and have said that the functioning of atma is like an
antenna or a dish. You have also said that mind and intellect are
powers of atma. Please tell me where these two powers of atma are
located in the body ?

Location of Mind and Intellect in the Body

DAYANAND The system that operates mind and intellect is called the
Central Nervous System in physiology and psychology. From cerebrum
to
hypothalamus, this system is

divided in six parts and those six parts are collectively called
'brain'. Psychology and physiology have not pinpointed any of these
six
parts where 'mind' and 'intellect' reside. But psychology and
physiology have given different names to different levels of mind
and
intellect. One of the functions of intellect is thinking, reasoning,
intelligence. The lower level of intellect, in common parlance, is
called foolishness. Psychology does not affix a definite location of
mind in the body, but it believes in two levels of mind. Those
levels
are 'conscious' mind and 'unconscious' mind.

While not telling us about the location of these two levels of mind
in
human body, psychology compares the two levels with icebergs
floating
in the sea. Nine-tenth part of the iceberg remains under the sea
surface. That bigger part is called the unconscious mind by
psychology.
One-tenth part of the iceberg is visible above the surface. The
smaller
part of the iceberg is called the conscious mind.

NISHA Your statement reveals that, like atma, the location of mind
and
intellect is also unknown. DAYANAND I have spoken about mind and
intellect with reference to physiology and psychology. But from the
study and practice of palmistry, I have developed a hypothesis

about the location of mind and intellect.

NISHA

What is the location of mind and intellect in the body, according to

your hypothesis ? Kindly also tell me the basis of your hypothesis.

DAYANAND
In palmistry, the spot near the wrist, on the side of the little
finger
known as Mount of Luna, tells us about man's power of imagination.
See
Figure 1.

Figure 1: Mount of Luna

NISHA

What do you mean by imagination ?

DAYANAND

Imagination means the capacity to see without eyes. Developed

imaginative power is known as the sixth sense. Intuition is another
name for developed imaginative

power. In the Hindu purans, intense imaginative power is called

Third
Eye. Negative imaginative power is known as phobia.

NISHA

Do you want to say that the Mount of Luna is the seat of mind ?

DAYANAND

According to my hypothesis, the centre in the somatosensory area of

brain which controls the Mount of Luna on palm, is the seat of mind.

NISHA

What is your hypothesis about the seat of intellect in the body ?

DAYANAND

In brain, the area of intellect is bigger than the area of mind.

This
is because, the power that distinguishes man from animal is
intellect.
Different areas of palm and

fingers and thumb indicate different segments of intellect, e.g.,

the
power to decide what is proper or improper. The well-known name of
this
kind of intellect is

'conscience'.

The power to decide about profit and loss — this type of intellect
is
popularly known as cleverness or practical sense. Then there is the
intellect that motivates us to

surrender, etc..

Different parts of palm and different fingers indicate different

types
of intellect. Centres of all those types of intellect are in the
somatosensory area of brain. Details of all these are not a part of
our
Dialogue today. Therefore, I shall point to only that centre in
somatosensory area which tells us about the level of analyzing power
of
man. That centre in the somatosensory area is connected with the
lower
part of the thumb joined with the palm. See Figure II.

Figure 2: Somato-sensory area

NISHA A lot of time and unlimited resources are needed to test the
hints you have given to know the seats of mind and intellect. Hence,
for the time being, we leave this topic here; I come back to the
question as to how does atma, located at some unknown place in body,
called like dish

antenna, absorb radiations of stars and planets and how do those

radiations influence the destiny of man ?

There are innumerable stars and planets in the sky. Their mixed
radiations must be affecting all human beings in the same way. In
that
case, destiny of all human beings should be similar, but it is not
so.
DAYANAND There are two reasons for all human beings not having a
similar destiny. The first reason is that all stars and planets did
not
get the same proportion of elements;

therefore, it is possible that radiations of all stars and planets

are
different.

The second reason is that we human beings are born out of the sun
and
the earth and that we have not received all elements from the sun
and
the earth in the same proportion. Therefore, the impact of
radiations
from stars and planets upon all of us, is not the same. NISHA Kindly
elaborate how the radiations from different elements are different.
DAYANAND While performing a havan, whatever things we drop into
fire,
give us a particular kind of smell. If red chillies are dropped into
fire, it will have a different kind of
impact. You know this fact. NISHA

Yes, I admit that.

DAYANAND

You must have read in newspapers that thousands of people died due
to
the radiations emitted by Union Carbide's Chemical Factory at Bhopal
and, even today, victims of those radiations are oscillating between
life and death. These examples prove that radiations of havan
material,
red chillies and poisonous substances have different impact.

The radiations of havan material are caused by common substances,

found
in our neighbourhood. These radiations affect our physical body,
i.e.,
they affect the sensory organs and the motor organs of our body. The
radiations from the huge orbs of stars and planets, are emitted,
innumerable kilometers away. Therefore, they are very fine and they
affect the finer powers of human beings. These finer powers are
atma,
mind and intellect. If the impact activates mind and intellect in
tune
with the prevalent system of the society, it is called good luck of
the
concerned person. If the impact activates mind and intellect in
divergence with prevalent norms of the society, we call it bad luck
for
the concerned individual.

NISHA

You made it clear, at the very outset of this Dialogue, that the
basis
of this exposition on pind and brahmaand, is your hypothesis.
Therefore, I think this hypothesis is worth consideration. But it is
also a fact that the radiations of elements constituting stars and
planets fall upon all dwellers of the earth uniformly. If these
radiations influence human destiny, why the destiny of every human
being is not the same?

Every Human Being Is Unique and Radiation from Every Star and Planet
Is
Unique

DAYANAND

Here I would like to remind you of what I said earlier that all
human
bodies did not have elements of brahmaand in the same proportion. I
may
also remind you that every jataka has a different history of its
earlier lives. If somebody does not believe in earlier life, let
him/her accept that genes of his/her forefathers being different,
would
affect the mind and intellect of an individual differently.

Besides this, I may draw your attention to one more fact. All stars
and
planets are constantly moving and inhabitants of the earth live in
different parts of the world. These facts make it evident that the
focus of radiations from all stars and planets is not the same upon
all
human beings. Hence, the impact of radiations is not similar upon
elements constituting human bodies. Neither can atma, mind and
intellect of all human beings, because of different locations,
imbibe
the same impact of radiation from stars and planets.

NISHA Stars and planets are innumerable kilometers away from us. We
cannot see their radiations, we can only imagine them. According to
your hypothesis, elements in stars and planets are not similar. Nor
do
the elements constitute human bodies the same. Atma, functioning
like a
dish antenna in man, captures those radiations and passes them on to
mind and intellect. The analysis done by the intellect decides good
luck or bad luck for man. The basis of all those perceptions is your

hypothesis. Can your hypothesis give one example which can be proved
in
a Test Tube experiment that every element or matter produces a
different kind of radiation ? DAYANAND Stars and planets are beyond
our
reach and the atma, mind and intellect affected by their radiations
are
also beyond us. We can hypothesize the impact of

radiations on them, and we can give a basis for this hypothesis by

analyzing elements or substances in human body. Ayurveda and modern
medical science, by analyzing the substances in our body, have
proved
that the every human body contains a different proportion of
substances
or elements. NISHA Kindly explain this.

DAYANAND I have said earlier that the blood of every human being
contains 91% water and other elements or substances constitute the
remaining 9%. This I had said with reference to physiology. But
every
human being's blood is not the same.

NISHA Are you saying this thing also with reference to physiology ?
DAYANAND Yes, and I can give example of this dissimilarity. NISHA
Please do so. DAYANAND When a patient undergoes blood transfusion,
first of all, it is ascertained what is blood-group of the patient
and
what is blood-group of the donor. Some blood-groups

are in harmony with each other while some others are incompatible.
The
blood of a congenial group can save the patient's life, but the
blood
of an incompatible group can jeopardize his life. Doesn't this
example
prove that the similar looking blood of a person is different from
the
blood of other human beings in many ways ? NISHA

I agree with this argument of yours. DAYANAND It is not possible for

me to tell you the difference between substances constituting stars
and
planets but I can give other examples from the medical science. A

Doctor prohibits a person from taking salt; another person is

advised
by him to take less quantity of sugar. The Doctor stops someone from
taking fat while someone else is asked to increase the intake of
protein. Don't these examples reveal that each human being's
chemistry
is different and the medical science has prepared tablets, capsules
and
injections to increase or reduce this more or less proportion of
something in the body ?

NISHA

Your argument has proved that each human body, in spite of similar
outward appearance, is different due to its inner system. Is there
any
example in your hypothesis which can reveal the different analyses
of
substances by stars and planets ? DAYANAND Yes, I can give some
examples which reveal the analysis of radiations of stars and
planets
and filtration of those substances. NISHA Please do give such
examples.

Example of Filtration of Radiations from Stars and Planets

DAYANAND

We all experience the intense rays of the sun. Water of the sea is
converted into vapour due to solar heat. Thick vapour is called
cloud.
These clouds give rains. But the clouds give sweet water while they
take salty water from the sea. Doesn't this example show that there
are
many processes in nature which act as a filter and exclude the salty
part from water ? The clouds pour down sweet water.

Radiations of other stars and planets in the universe are not

visible
to us. The sun is the star nearest to us. Therefore, it is easier to
give the example of its radiations. The second example is that
different types of rays, taken out of the solar light and converted
into artificial light, are used in medical treatment. NISHA How ?

DAYANAND

The bright light of the sun appears to be white but if it is passed

through a prism, separate strips of seven colours are visible.
Sometimes, after rains, this play of

different colours is also seen in the sky; we call it a rainbow.

NISHA

Yes, I have seen it. You say that the filtered solar light or
artificial solar light cam be used in medical treatment. Please
explain
this.

DAYANAND

You must have heard that the solar light contains Vitamin A and
Vitamin
D and that its intense rays have the power of creating pigment
tissues
which make a person

look darkish — this also you know. NISHA Yes. Besides this, you were
saying something about the use of this light in medical treatment.
Please elaborate. DAYANAND When the solar light is filtered through
a
prism, rays of two colours are not visible. Those colours are
infrared
and ultraviolet. Infrared and ultraviolet lamps are made

by filtering solar rays with the help of scientific instruments.

These
lamps are used in treating many diseases. Besides this, X-rays,
created
by instruments, are used

to take pictures of the inner parts of the body. These X-rays cannot
be
seen by naked eyes, but we can see the pictures taken by these rays.
Examples of Real and Artificial Rays

NISHA

I somewhat understand now the basis of your hypothesis, but the

lamps
you have mentioned, create mechanical radiations. They are not real
radiations of planets.

DAYANAND

The basis of mechanical substances is, generally, some natural law.

What would happen if a disease requires an infrared lamp and you
use,
instead, an ultraviolet

lamp ?

NISHA

Instead of any benefit, it may cause harm.

DAYANAND

Now I give you the example of an invisible radiation which is spread

all over the world and without this radiation, communication system
of
the world may collapse.

NISHA

What is that radiation ? DAYANAND

The mobile phone in your purse, the remote control of your TV, which
can also activate the air-conditioner or explode a bomb too. Radio
conferencing, radar

systems, the Internet banking system etc. are examples of artificial

radiations. NISHA All these radiations are created by scientists.
The
topic of our Dialogue is: how do radiations of stars and planets,
innumerable kilometers away from us, affect our

destiny ? DAYANAND Invention of mechanical radiations is a recent

phenomenon. Innumerable years before these inventions, radiations of
stars and planets were spread all over the

space and they are spread even now. Man has copied those ancient
natural radiations and used them. NISHA According to your statement,
radiations from stars and planets have been there from the earliest
times and all inhabitants of the earth have been affected by them.

On hearing this, I have to repeat my question: if these radiations

are
spread all over the space, the destiny of all human beings should be
the same, but why is it not

so ? DAYANAND

To answer this 'why', I shall repeat things I have said so far.

First thing: In all of stars and planets, all elements are not in
the
same proportion.

Second thing: In all human bodies, all elements are not in the same
proportion.

Third thing: At the level of atma or genes, the history of all human
beings is not the same.

To these three things said earlier, I would like to add a fourth

thing:
at any time, radiations of stars and planets do not fall upon all
human
beings, uniformly.

NISHA

On what basis do you say this ?

Fundamental Basis and Objective of Horoscope

DAYANAND

When you make someone's horoscope, what information do you require ?

NISHA

Time of birth, date of birth, place of birth i.e. the name of the
town
or area in which the jataka was born.

DAYANAND

What is your purpose in acquiring this information ?

NISHA

After getting this information, I look up the ephemeris to find out

what were the positions or locations of various stars and planets,
at
that time on that day.

DAYANAND
From ephemeris, you can find out the positions of stars and planets,
in
the sky, and the time and place where the jataka was born. To know
that, astrology has

divided the sky into twelve parts. Each one-twelfth part of the sky
is
taken as one rashi and a separate name is given to each rashi. NISHA
Yes, it is necessary to know the rashi and stars and planets present
in
the rashi, for making a proper horoscope. DAYANAND What is the
purpose
of knowing all this ? NISHA After hearing the explanation of your
hypothesis, now I understand the purpose of knowing what radiation
of
which planet was focused on atma of the jataka,

affecting mind and intellect.

DAYANAND

This statement of yours must have given you the answer to your
question
that radiations of all stars and planets do not focus on all human
beings uniformly. That is

why, the destiny of every person is not the same.

One Rashi, One Place, Still Different Destinies, How ?

NISHA Your hypothesis has answered my question: why the destinies of

all human beings are not the same ? But this gives rise to a new
question in my mind: scores of

children are born in a hospital, the time of their birth is the

same;
despite similar circumstances, why destinies of all jatakas are not
similar ? What does your hypothesis say about this ? DAYANAND The
karma
of jataka's previous life or genes of jataka's forefathers — these
factors make every jataka different from all others and unique.
NISHA
What does your hypothesis say about twins ? DAYANAND When people see
a
newly-born baby of a couple, they would generally say: the colour of
the baby's eyes is like the mother, the other one's height is like
the
father;

this one moves like grandmother; that one's habits are like maternal
grandmother; this ailment the baby has inherited from father, that
ailment from greatgrandmother. Modern science has been able to know
the
reason behind these facts — that all genes of jataka's parents do
not
affect all children in the same way. Their genes affect the progeny
differently for several generations.

Besides this, every man has a different social environment,

political
environment. Because of these diversities, every human being is one
of
its kind, unique. In spite of two babies being born at the same
time,
from the same womb — still the two remain different from one
another.

What Is the Basis of Foretelling Someone's Destiny ?

NISHA This explanation answers many of my questions, but one

question
remains. DAYANAND Go ahead and ask it. NISHA What law or principle
of
astrology enables one to know beforehand what time in future would
be
difficult for a human being and what time would be comfortable and

easygoing ?

DAYANAND

In order to answer your question, I would like to give examples of

two
electric power circuits.

A little earlier, while roaming on the road, I saw the movement of a

neon sign. The neon sign was about publicity of a car model.
Coloured
figure of a special model of the car was seen in the neon sign. Then
that figure shrank. In its place, that company's name appeared, that
had made the car. The company's name shrank and, in place of that,
the
car model appeared in a different colour. I saw these changes taking
place continuously.

Before that neon sign, I had been going to many wedding receptions.
In
one such function, multi-coloured bulbs created several figures. At
first, OM was written in red bulbs. Then, OM shrank and name of the
bride appeared. With shrinking of the bride's name, the bridegroom's
name appeared. The names in this order were changing repeatedly in
bulbs of different colours. After seeing twice or thrice the
sequence
of changes, I could predict what name, in what colour, would appear
next.
The reason behind changing of those figures in a particular sequence
was that the electrician had set those figures with a special
circuit.

With these examples, I want to say that the horoscope, made by an

astrologer, points to a particular natural circuit of the jataka's
time
of birth, date of birth and place of birth. Stars and planets move
in
their orbits in space, according to the system set by a special
circuit. The circuit set by the electrician, fixed the sequence of
multicoloured bulbs. Stars and planets of the space, move in a
sequence, set by the rules of astronomy.

In the case of the circuit made by the electrician, even an ordinary

person can know when the circuit would brighten up with red colour,
when with blue, when with yellow. The circuit of stars and planets
moving in the space tells us when atma, mind and intellect of a
jataka
would be affected by Saturn, when by Mercury, when by Jupiter and
what
would be the impact of those radiations on mind and intellect. The
result of this impact, according to my hypothesis, depends on
radiation
of what substance is prominent in which planet and what elements or
substances dominate body of the jataka whose mind and intellect are
being impacted. With horoscope, it is possible to know what decision
will be made by man's mind, intellect and atma, under the impact of
a
combination of those two types of elements. If the decisions are in
accordance with social norms, it is called good luck and if the
decisions flout social norms, it is called bad luck.

NISHA

I have been foretelling destiny with the help of horoscope, but the
basic principle of this has become clear to me today by your
hypothesis. Before this Dialogue comes to an end, I would like to
ask
you one more question.

DAYANAND

Go ahead.

Basis of Compatibility and Hostility of Stars

NISHA

In astrology, some stars are said to be compatible or in harmony

with
each other whereas some others are said to be hostile to each other.
Some stars are known as neutral. What does your hypothesis say about
it
?

DAYANAND

I think that in this matter, as in the area of medicine, some

medicines
are supplementary to each other, some others are incompatible or
antidote to each other. Some are neutral to each other. Some
substances
create allergy in one person, but for others they may be congenial.
The
same is possible in the case of elements filling the orbs of stars
and
planets. Ancient astrologers must have examined compatibility or
hostility of the elements of stars and planets towards the jataka
and
then they made rules about friendly stars and hostile stars. What
was
the basis of those rules ? I hope, researchers will take up this
issue
and answer these questions.

Basis of Ways to Improve One's Destiny

NISHA

One more query. It is said that there are some ways to change bad
luck
into good luck, e.g., by change in name or by devotional rituals
etc..
Can these measures change the radiations of stars and planets ?

DAYANAND

Laws of nature do not change, but if the jataka has faith in the
efficacy of these measures, then its psychological impact can
influence
the inner chemistry of jataka's body and mind positively. Due to
this
positiveness, the hormonal system of the jataka can generate so much
of
energy that he can successfully face a difficult situation. The
difficult situation is short-lived; it becomes simple or is removed
by
remedies undertaken with faith.

Yat brahmaande tat pinde, is the seed of astrology. Big Bang Theory
corroborates this seed element. Faith and psychology have nurtured
this
seed into a plant. Modern system of marketing has turned faith into
an
industry. That seed has now spread out in the form of a huge tree.
-

HOW TO ACQUIRE THE CAPABILITY OF A

TRIKALDARSHI ? (One who can see into the Past, the Present and the
Future)

It is common to see people unhappy with their sorrows and delighted

with their joys. But to feel the grief of others and to feel joy on
seeing others happy, is what makes a man great.

While reading a novel or a story, while seeing a film or a play, an

ordinary person becomes emotional. But that emotion short-lived. In
a
great person, that emotion lingers on for a long period. Such a
person
does not remain simply a reader or a spectator; he becomes a seer or
a
visionary.

We do not call creators of mantras or suktas of the Vedas as

writers;
we call them seers. A seer means a person who is capable of seeing
with
the inner eye. The seer observes what is happening now, and with the
inner eye, he is able to find out when the seed for the present
phenomenon was sown. The seer can visualize what shape the impact of
a
present happening will take in future.

Such intuition makes a person trikaldarshi. For a trikaldashi the

boundaries of the past, the present and the future disappear. He can
go
beyond the limitations of place and time.

TENSION WHICH IS BOUGHT HAPPILY

Tension is considered fatal for health, but here I am mentioning a

few
tensions which are paid for.

A friend of mine is fond of horror movies. At my behest, he bought

tickets for a horror movie. After seeing the film, he complained to
me
that I had made him waste his time and money. Reason ? I had told
him
that the film contained some scenes which would make him shriek with
fear, but in the film he found nothing that could make him shriek I

Long ago, a film Sansaar of Gemini Productions, was released. In

that
film, a daughter-in-law is tortured by his mother-in-law and
sister-in-law to such an extent that the daughter-in-law has to
leave
home with her two little children and has to beg on the roadside. On
seeing misery of the daughter-in-law and her children, the viewers
were
driven to tears. The film was very successful. The secret of the
film's
long run was that it had succeeded in making the viewers weep.

The question arises: why do we waste our money and time to get
horrified or to shed tears ?

To find an answer to this question, we shall have to understand the

difference between the real sorrow, fear and tension and the 'on
demand' sorrow, fear and tension.

When an avalanche of sorrows overwhelms us, it becomes the reason of

our tension because it is our own sorrow. We are horrified on seeing
a
snake creeping on our bed. When be find that a thief or a robber has
entered our home, at first it creates fear in us, but it we have the
courage to face that situation, we are filled with a

feeling anger or bravery. That fear or anger becomes the cause of

our
real tension. But, on seeing some other person in a similar
situation,
the anger or tension created is not as intense as it was when we are
in
that situation. However, the question remains: why are we so keen to
disturb our peaceful life even if that disturbance is artificial ?

I am presenting here the answer that I got on studying it and by

contemplating on it.

From the ancient times till today, the happy-unhappy situations

through
which our forefathers had passed, and the struggles they had to
wage,
have left their impact on our subconscious mind. Our subconscious
retains the fear of losing the means of happiness as well as the joy
of
acquiring the means of happiness. Our subconscious also carries the
imprint of anger, born out of facing obstacles in the path of
happiness.

The emotions embedded in our subconscious mind can be divided in

three
categories — love, anger and fear.

These emotions have many branches. E.g., affection, friendship,

respect, sex etc., all these are happy versions of the emotion of
love.

Jealousy, hatred, revenge are different forms of the emotion of

anger.
Anxiety and phobia are products of the emotion called fear. All
these
form a class of painful emotions.

Emotion is a temporary condition. The less intense emotion is called

feeling. A feeling exists permanently within us. Anger, anxiety,
jealousy, fear etc., through whose painful situations we ourselves
have
passed, or we have known them through hearing or reading — when we
see
someone else in one of those conditions, our feeling is expressed in
the form of emotion. Feeling turns into emotion through the
catalytic
effect of hormones produced by our glands. An emotion reaches the
state
of climax because of our tension. Different means are adopted to
remove
the tension. But the tensions, which we are discussing here, we
ourselves invite them. Why do we do so ?

The answer to this 'why' is that the desire for a tension, born of
an
intense emotion, is the need of our psyche.

We exercise to keep our body active. We play games like wrestling,

cricket, football etc.. We keep ourselves active in business.
Similarly, in order to remove the inertia of mind, we want to give
the
shape of emotions to our feelings. To give our feelings the shape of
emotions, we need some motivation.

By reading a novel or a story, by seeing a play or a show, our

feelings
get activated and our glands mix many kinds of hormones in the
blood.
They make emotions out of our feelings.

The excited state of emotion is called passion. This move from

emotion
to passion cannot subside without reaching climax. If the passion
created by a story or a play comes down without reaching climax, the
mind remains thirsty and unfulfilled. Therefore, the success or
failure
of every play and story depends on this need of the mind — whether
the
story or the play has taken the emotion to the climax or not.

Playing cricket is our physical need. On seeing a cricket match, to

be
happy or unhappy, at the victory or defeat of a player, is our
emotional need.

A cricket commentator is considered good if he can bring the

feelings
of cricket lovers to passion by raising or lowering his voice.

Ways to acquire joy depend upon the basic nature of every person.
Some
people get excited by scenes or writings which generate anger. Some
others get excited by writings that promote emotions of love or
pity.
In literature the joy received from intense emotion or passion is
called rasa. Rasa means pleasure.

Thousands of years ago, Bharat Muni wrote the Natya Shastra and
classified rasas into nine categories. Shringar is considered the
king
of rasas.

All relations between men and women involving union and separation
create shringar rasa.

Modern sexologists Masters and Johnson call the pleasure derived

from
sex act as 'sex tension'. This American duo, in their research-based
book 'Human Sexual Response', after examining the physical condition
of
men and women during intercourse, have published the finding that at
the moment of climax in the intercourse, heartbeat, rate of
respiration
and blood pressure of men and women are much more than when they are
engaged in strenuous labour or physical work.

In spite of this fact, this tension called sex is the most popular
means of getting pleasure in the whole world. The possible reason
for
this popularity is that in this exciting, tension-filled game, along
with the mind, most of the motor organs and sensory organs of the
body
participate.

In this discussion, I have dwelt on the creation of tension by means

of
fine arts. Those, who are not interested in fine arts, keep
themselves
immersed in tension by other means.

Just think: what emotion works behind playing cards and betting on
horse-racing?

At first glance, it seems as if these risks are taken due to the

greed
of becoming rich quickly. In my view, financial benefit in this game
or
business is a bonus. The real pleasure of the game lies in being in
the
grip of suspense. Profit or winning motivates the person to go in
for
the next bet.

But a real player does not leave the arena, even after a loss. A
gambler does not give up, even after suffering a loss in such risky
acts or business. For him, tension is like intoxication. An addict
of
this tension, keeps on betting in different ways, without caring for
loss or profit.

Now, betting is also done on what would be the closing point of

sensex
today, or in a particular game, which team would win, or in the
current
election how many members of a party would win or on what date the
first rains of the monsoon will drench Mumbai, or how many
centimeters
of rain would be there in the season's first showers, etc..

Those indulging in satta or gambling do not give it up, in spite of

losses. This is so because for victims of such habits, pecuniary
benefit becomes secondary; the main pleasure is tension.

BENEFITS OF MAUN (ADOPTING SILENCE)

Some Baba-types roam around with a notebook and pen in hand. Instead
of
speaking, they express their need by writing, because they have
adopted
maun or silence.

Writing about something takes a longer time than speaking about it.
If
the other person does not know the written language, Babaji would
have
to adopt the sign language.

On observing such scenes, a question arises in my mind: what is the

aim of keeping silence in this manner ?

So far as I think, the real aim of maun is to introspect.

Old memories of this life lie hidden within us. Sanskaars of several
lives are lying in the depths of those memories.

The modern psychologist does not believe in previous birth, but he

accepts many layers of the mind. The upper layer of mind he calls
'the
conscious mind' and the lower layer he calls 'the unconscious mind'.
The psychologist says that most of our mental problems are due to
kinks
in the unconscious mind. He calls those kinks as 'complexes'. The
psychologist has his own method of unraveling those knots or kinks;
but
in Yoga Philosophy, the ancient psychology of India, the method is
known as dhyaan or meditation. In Buddhist Philosophy, it is known
as
vipassana. The object of these means is to close the outer doors and
open the inner doors.

Before doing anything, today's youth wants to know: what is the

benefit
of opening the inner doors ? Instead of the benefit of parlok or
afterlife, he prefers immediate benefits. To answer his query, I
would
advise him to fix up half an hour everyday for maun (adopting
silence).
Within a few days, he would start getting instant benefits of
adopting
silence.

To begin with, he would feel nervous. The reason is that he would

recollect his follies that he has been trying to forget. He would
also
remember some happy moments. Some memories would lead him to
repentance, some would thrill him, and some others would force him
to
contemplate. While rummaging through the rubble of old memories, he
might wonder why he has bargained for this trouble!

If that youth continues his adoption of silence courageously, he

would
feel that he has discovered the way to make amends for the past
mistakes. He has himself found solution to the problems which had
remained unsolved, in spite of advice received from several experts.

The recipient of instant benefits from the adoption of silence, if

he
wants, he can keep a pen and paper by his side, so that he might
note
down ideas arising during silence. This would open up his path of
progress.

Another benefit of adopting silence is mental peace, which is

generated
by desire-free adoption of silence. The practitioner of silence,
like a
spectator, observes the waves of thoughts arising within him. He
feels
as if a film of old memories is moving before him. He is not an
actor
in the film, but only a spectator. A person, who practises adopting
silence regularly, develops intuition. For him, there remains no
difference in the past, the present and the future. He becomes a
trikaldarshi.

HOW CAN THEY ATTAIN MENTAL

PEACE WHO FIND IT TOUGH O ADOPT MAUN (SILENCE) ?

Everybody's nature is not the same. Some people like solitude. Some
others are scared of loneliness. They cannot live without sharing
their
ideas with others. The well-known psychologist Carl Gustav Jung has
divided persons of different natures into two categories.

People, who are lost in themselves, are called introvert by Jung.

Those, who cannot live without being in contact with other persons;
Jung calls them extrovert.

Practising maun (adopting silence) is easier for an introvert.

Adopting silence gives him inner peace. For extroverts, it is
difficult
to remain silent for a long time. For their inner peace, thinkers
have
suggested some other ways. That they should keep themselves aloof
from
external contacts, is the first path to gain entry within self. I
remember two examples of ways to cut oneself off, for some time,
from
external contacts.

One example is of my friend Sunil's mother. I occasionally visit

Sunil's family. Once, I went to his home; I met all members of his
family except his mother. I asked

Sunil where his mother was. He said, "She is reading a holy text; 'a
strange way of reading'". I became curious to know what Sunil meant
by
'a strange way of reading'. I asked him, "What do you mean by 'a
strange way of reading"' ? He said, "Come with me and see for
yourself".

Sunil took me to the pooja room. There, his mother was sitting in
front
of a picture of Sita and Ram, with an open booklet on a chowki in
front
of her. The whole page of the booklet was filled with the word SITA
RAM
printed in very bold letters. She put her finger on the word SITA
RAM
and would utter the word SITA RAM. When one page was over, she
turned
to the next page; that page was also filled with the word SITA RAM.
She
would touch every word with her finger and utter SITA RAM.
After showing this way of reading the text, Sunil took me out of the
pooja-room. When we came out, I asked Sunil, "Why did you call this
'a
strange way of reading'"? Sunil's reply was, "Is it not strange to
utter SITA RAM while feeling the printed word with a finger, instead
of
the simple and easy method of chanting SITA RAM while using the
mala ?"

I said, "There is much possibility of one's attention wandering off,

while chanting SITA RAM with the use of mala or with silent chanting
of
SITA RAM with no

utterance. By uttering SITA RAM, while seeing and feeling the

printed
word with finger, the possibility of one's attention wandering off,
becomes very little". An extrovert person, who cannot enter one's
own
self through adopting of silence, can use such methods to cut
oneself
off, for some time, from the external world and enjoy its benefits
like
those achieved through adoption of silence.

Another example is of my friend Sandeep. He is the owner of a

printing
press. In his office, there is a thick register lying on his table.
Whenever he gets some free

time after his work, he writes 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna' in that
register. I asked Sandeep, "What's your object in doing this" ? He
said, " 'Hare Krishna' is my guru-mantra. My guru had ordered me to
write this mantra, one-and-a-quarter lac times."

I asked, "How many times have you written this mantra" ? Sandeep
said,
"I have already given one register, with one-and-a-quarter lac times
writing of 'Hare Krishna' to guruji; this is the second register". I
again asked, "Has guruji ordered you to write in the second
register,
too" ? "No, he hasn't ordered me. But I myself get peace when I
write
this mantra". The reason is obvious. While writing the mantra, he
was
cut off, for some time, from the external world. Introverts adopt
the
short cut of adopting silence to enter one's self. Extroverts employ
the longer route to do so. Sri Krishna, in Gita, has indicated three
paths for three different types of persons to achieve moksha or the
ultimate peace. Those three paths are — karma yoga,
gyana yoga and bhakti yoga. These three paths are different ways of
achieving peace, according to the mental inclination of the
concerned
individual. Extroverts can achieve inner peace by keeping themselves
immersed in doing good work. Sri Krishna calls them karma yogis.
Introverts can achieve inner peace through study, contemplation and
meditation. Sri Krishna calls them gyana yogis. Middle-of-the-road,
ordinary individuals are able to get inner peace by surrendering
themselves to their chosen deity. They are called bhakti yogis by
Sri
Krishna. These three types of yoga, mentioned in Gita, help three
types
of individuals, with different mental inclinations, to achieve inner
peace.

TANTRA FOR SOUND HEALTH

The basis of tantra is to awaken the dormant kundalini in the

mooladhaar chakra. This achievement is possible through intense
sadhana.

For this achievement, one has to renounce the worldly affairs of

home
and family.

Here, we are talking about that diluted or lighter kind of tantra

which
can be practised by us, while performing our domestic as well as
business duties and through that we can acquire physical and mental
health. With this objective, I shall tell you how to know the
currents
flowing within your body. In the language of tantra, these currents
are
known as naadi.

According to tantra scriptures, there are 72 thousand naadis in our

body. Three naadis are prominent. Their names are — ida, pingala and
sushumna, It is quite easy to know the flow of these naadis. You can
know the velocity of their flow, while sitting here and you can also
change their flow according to your wish.

The Method of Knowing the Flow (Naadi) within Oneself

Sit down quietly. Feel the breath exhaled through nostrils and the
breath inhaled through nostrils. You will find that the velocity of
exhaled and inhaled air through one nostril is faster. The velocity
of
exhaled and inhaled air through the other nostril is slower. The
flow
of air through nostrils is called swara, in the language of tantra.
If
the flow of air in your right nostril is fast, it indicates that
your
pingala swara is on. The effect of pingala swara is hot. If the flow
of
air in your left nostril is fast, it indicates that your ida swara
is
on. The effect of ida swara is cold.

If the flow of air in both the nostrils is the same, it shows that
your
sushumna swara is on. The effect of sushumna swara is casually
medium.
Generally, the flow of one swara remains for one and a half hours.
After that the flow of the other swara becomes fast. Change from one
swara to another swara takes about 10-15 minutes and during that
period
the flow of air through both the nostrils is similar. At that time,
sushumna swara is on.

After a meal, if the swara in the right nostril is on, the food will
be quickly digested. If the right nostril is active during physical
exercise, touring, physical indulgence, one's skill is enhanced.

At the time of rest or during sleep, if the left nostril is active,

it
brings in peace. This swara acts as a tranquillizer. If you are not
able to get sleep due to cold, you may reduce the effect of cold by
increasing the flow of the right nostril. If you want to increase
physical activity, you may increase the flow of the right nostril.
The
method of changing the swara is very easy.

To increase the flow of the right swara, lie down on you left side;
within 10-15 minutes, the flow of the right nostril will become
faster.
If you want to increase the flow of the left nostril, lie down on
your
right side, the flow of the left nostril will become faster.

To maintain your body and mind in good health, this practice of

swaras
will improve your health.

FATHER'S DAY AND MOTHER'S

DAY OF ANCIENT TIMES

Hindus of sanaatan sect, during the pitra-paksha, feed Brahmins, in

the
name of their forefathers. They believe that their anusthan (ritual)
would satisfy their departed forefathers. But some people, who
consider
themselves progressive, call this anusthan of the faithful people
superstition.

I do not want to enter the debate whether the food offered to

brahmins
in the name of forefathers, reaches the forefathers or not, but I
think
there is certainly a benefit that every year, on a fixed day, in the
name of shraddha, we remember our forefathers.

In the memory of avatars (incarnations) and prophets, we celebrate

Janmashtami, Christmas and Eid-Milad-ul-Nabi. On Gandhi Jayanti,
Ambedkar Jayanti, the government declares a holiday as a token of
respect to them. Radio and TV people refresh the memories of the
deceased singers Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh etc., by playing their songs
on
their death anniversaries.

Literary organizations hold programmes in the name of deceased

writers,
Prem Chand, Nirala etc.. Religions organizations organize langar and
bhandaara on the Birth Anniversary or Death Anniversary of their
esteemed gurus.

All these programmes are different forms of an event like shraddha.

In
these programmes, even those progressive people participate, who
call
shraddha superstitious.

We participate enthusiastically in the Birth or Death Anniversary

programmes of even those famous people who have had no direct
influence
on our life. Hence, it is not progressive to call an anusthan in the
memory of our parents, who gave birth to us, superstitious.

In this age of globalization, it has become fashionable to celebrate

Mother's Day and Father's Day internationally. In this, gifts are
given
to parents. Greeting Cards are sent. This is a good practice. But to
call shraddha, held in the name of parents and other forefathers,
superstitious, is a kind of neo-superstition.

HOW DOES THE CHARACTER OF

SRI KRISHNA HAVE SIXTEEN

KALAAS ?

Generally, kalaas are understood as arts, such as dance, music,

painting etc.. Games like judo, karate etc., involving physical
effort,
are known as martial arts. These are limited meanings or
manifestations
of the word kalaa. Chandrakala is also one of the several meanings
of
kalaa. In the lunar crescent, it is a digit of the moon, one-
sixteenth
part of its circumference. In the context of Sri Krishna, this
meaning
of kalaa should be considered.

Poornamaasi is considered perfect with sixteen kalaas. Every night

after that, the moon loses one kalaa. On the fifteenth night, i.e.
on
amavasya, the moon is not seen in the sky. But ancient scholars have
considered the invisible moon of amavasya also as one kalaa of the
chandra (moon). Possibly because even on that night, the moon is
there
in the space, but it is not visible to us, the earth-dwellers.

The fortnight that follows the poornamaasi is called the krishna

paksha. In this fortnight, the moon loses one kalaa, every night. On
amavasya, all kalaas of the moon disappear. After amavasya, in the
shukla paksha, the moon is again getting larger. Every night, the
moon
gains one more kalaa. On poornamaasi, the moon is perfect with
sixteen
kalaas.

The character of Sri Krishna is considered perfect with sixteen

kalaas
because he took birth in a prison and became the ruler of Dwarika
i.e.
he began from zero and reached the high pinnacle of glory and was
called Bhagwan.

By Bhagwan, we mean a great soul who is blessed with all riches and
affluence, and yet, who remains detached from everything, as a
lotus-leaf that floats on water and mud, and still remains
unaffected
by them.

With this in mind, let us took at the life of Sri Krishna. His
childhood was spent in the company of children from gwaala
(shepherd)
families. He had his education with poor schoolmates like Sudama.
Whichever corrupt king he killed, the kingdom was entrusted to some
capable member of that king's family and he established a new state
Dwarika for himself, away from his place of birth.

Melody of his flute and the thunder of his bow, raasleela and
political
wizardry, weaponry and a scripture like Gita — because of Sri
Krishna's
ability to strike a harmony and balance among so many diverse
skills,
his character is considered perfect with sixteen kalaas.
9

WHY AVOID MOHA AND MAYA ?

Moha or attachment means love for some individual. Love for the
younger
to us is known as 'affection'. Among equals it is 'love' or
'friendship'. Love for elders is called 'respect' and 'esteem'.

The scholarly meaning of maya is that it is something which does not

have any base or substance, an illusion. But, generally, maya is
understood as wealth, property and worldly resources.

In religious discourses, people are advised to shun maya and moha,

but
in practical life, it is necessary to have both maya and moha in a
balanced proportion.

Parents' attachment to children is essential for mental and physical

development of children. In the absence of affection from parents,
the
possibility of children getting into wrong company increases. But,
after a certain age, the parents' love in the same proportion
becomes a
hindrance in the child's freedom and it can obstruct his growth.

Money, property etc. are necessary things for life. The tendency to
store more than one's need is called 'greed'. The unrestricted greed
leads an individual to crime.

To conclude, both moha and maya are necessary for a balanced and
successful life. The advice to remain aloof from moha and maya may
create a 'machine' or a 'robot', instead of a human being.

THINK A BIT

Today, the number of a person making a call on a mobile or a

landline
phone is recorded on the mobile or landline phone of the person who
receives it. But I am talking about a play I had seen in 1973. Then,
communication technology had not developed so much. During those
days,
I went to see a play.

The curtain went up. In one corner of the stage, the main character
of
the play was reading a newspaper. While reading, he picked up a pen,
kept nearby. He put a mark on one part of the newspaper with the
pen.
Then he picked up receiver of the phone, close to him and dialed a
number. On hearing 'hello' from the other side, he said, "You have
given an advertisement for the sale of a camera, in the classified
column of today's newspaper. Would you please give details of that
camera" ?

On hearing details from the other side, the main character of the
play
said in a cheerful voice, "Good 11 have been looking for a long
time,
for the rare camera of this make. Can you please keep this camera
for
me till tomorrow ? Oh, price is a secondary matter, if something
catches my fancy, I'd pay whatever is asked for. Please give me your
address".

On getting the address from the other side, the main character of
the
play put down the receiver and again picked up the newspaper. He
turned
over the page. His eyes roamed over the page. He picked up the
receiver
and dialed a number. On hearing 'hello' from the other side, he
said,
"Regarding the advertisement you have given in today's paper about
the
sale of a car, what year's model it is ? Is its engine genuine or
has
it been changed" ?

Delighted at the response from the other side, the main character of
the play said, "I was looking for such an antique car. Please tell
me
when and where I can see this car ? ...Oh price I'll ask later,
first I
would like to see whether its engine is genuine or it is a changed
one.
If it's I will pay any price asked for. In fact, I have to
participate
in a race of old cars. I shall bring a mechanic with me. If the
engine
is genuine, I'll give whatever is demanded. ...No, I cannot come
today.
Today, I have to go to Pune. After returning from there, first of
all,
I'll come to see your car. Please wait till day after tomorrow.
Don't
sell it to anybody. If the engine is genuine, please take it that
the
bargain is done. ...Thank you very much".

The main character of the play put down the receiver. He glanced at
the newspaper. Marked a spot with pen. Picked up the
receiver. ...That
part of the stage was plunged in darkness. Another part of the stage
lit up.
In this lit up part of the stage, the main character of the play was
sitting amidst his friends and he was cheerfully talking to his
friends, "Today I have made fool of nine persons. They all will be
waiting for me to sell their items".

What did the main character of the play get by making fool of
unknown
people ? He wanted to show to his friends that he was an intelligent
man. That is why, he succeeded in making fool of several persons.
The
testimonial of his intelligence he got in the form of a burst of
laughter from his friends. A few days ago, a phone call for an
'intelligent' man of this type woke me up at midnight. From the
other
side, a drunken, stumbling, abusive language was heard. I put down
the
receiver. It rang again. I didn't pick up the receiver. As soon as
it
stopped ringing, I took off the receiver and put it aside so that
the
fellow would find my phone engaged. By doing this, I was not able to
take even any emergency call, but I had to take the risk to avoid
ruining the rest of night. But...

But the wise people, who live around us, disturb the sleep of
residents
of the whole area with high volume of loud speaker on the occasion
of a
wedding or a religious ceremony; in what category would you put such
persons ? Think a bit about them also.

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE EVIL EYE

I have the entered the 80th year of my life. I keep on seeing,

reading
and hearing about happenings in the neighbourhood. In the context of
those things, some memories of my childhood, begin to glimmer and I
recollect a few sayings of those days. One of those expressions was
nazar lagna or effect of the Evil Eye.

Those days, I was about ten years old. The occasion was a fair of
kartik snaan. On the day of kartik poornima, on the bank of a river,
about fifteen miles away from our city, a Fair was held.
Preparations
for going to that Fair started a week earlier. A tonga was booked
several days in advance, for going there and for coming back.
Delicious
pakwaans or dishes were cooked two days before going to the Fair.

On the morning of kartik poornima, the tonga would pick us from home
and take us to the river-bank. There the nucleus of the Fair was
formed
around an old temple. The arrangement of spreading durries on the
ground for passing the day, was done beforehand. After the snaan
(bath), first of all, offering was made to the deity of the temple.
Then, food was given to beggars standing around, after seating them
in
line. Then, it was children's turn to eat. Before the food was
served,
mother would make a shield on our heads with a sheet. We children
felt
very awkward behind that shield.

We wanted to remove the shield, but mother won't let us do so. She
said, "Eating before others makes one a prey to nazar (the Evil
Eye)".
We asked, "What happens due to nazar" ? Mother would say, "A dayan
(witch) will come and scratch your face". The fear of the face being
scratched made us bear the inconvenience of the shield and we would
finish our food. After this, preparations for the return began.

When I pick up a newspaper today, besides politics, most of the news

stories are about robberies. TV and newspapers are brimming with
advertisements of luxury items.

In restaurants and hotels, decorated dishes are displayed on dinner

tables. Seeing these sights and reading about ever-increasing
incidents
of robbery, reminds me of the saying I had heard in childhood and it
seems that all this show of affluence and the increasing incidents
of
robbery have some connection with the old saying of nazar lagna
(Evil
Eye).

The object of the old saying was an attempt to stop the tendency of
showing off. Today, we need some new saying to stop the exhibition
of
luxury and affluence. Otherwise, the war between the 'haves' and
'have-nots' will give rise to new kinds of crimes.

Can these crimes be called new manifestations of the Evil Eye ?

BASIC REASONS OF BEING MORAL, IMMORAL

Medical and teaching professions are considered noble, but if you

pick
up this week's newspapers, you'll find that no profession, in
itself,
is noble or immoral; the basic character of an individual shows a
glimpse of its real face in every field of activity.

A few examples are presented here :

A Friend of mine, Ashwini runs a Diagnostic Centre. This Centre is

equipped with diagnostic machines like X-ray, ultrasound, M.I.R.
etc..
One day, that friend narrated to me an incident that had happened
with
him. He said that once Mr. and Mrs. X (names changed) came to him.
Mr.
X said that he was a surgeon and his wife was a gynecologist. They
both
ran a Health Centre. They would be sending some cases of ultrasound
to
Ashwini's Centre. If the report was given according to their wishes,
they would get double of the fixed fee paid to him.

Ashwini said that he could not understand the meaning of a report,

according to their wishes.

Mr. X said that pregnant women came to them. They wanted to know
whether they carried a boy or a girl in their womb. In case it was a
girl, they would pay any fee demanded, for an abortion. He advised
Ashwini to say, after examining her, that it was a girl. He would
get
double of his fee.

Dr. Ashwini said that he was outraged at Mr. X's suggestion.

Somehow,
suppressing anger, I told him, "You know that it is against the law
to
reveal sex of the foetus". At this Mr. X said that Ashwini need not
give a report in writing, he should just orally tell the concerned
party that it was a girl in the womb. This would enable Mr. X to get
a
heavy fee for carrying out abortion and they would get Ashwini paid
double of his fee merely for enacting a 'drama' of ultrasound.

Ashwini told me that he scolded Mr. and Mrs. X and turned them out
of
his Centre. The result: the Doctor couple started spreading rumours
that machines at Ashwini's Centre were outdated and they gave wrong
reports.

Dr. Ashwini as well Mr. X and Mrs. X, belong to the medical

profession,
but their basic natures are different. One is dedicated to his
profession while the priority of the couple is money. For money,
they
are prepared to drive scalpel into the womb of any woman.

The duty of a teacher is to impart knowledge to his students. If the

teacher's priority is money instead of performing his duty, he would
compel his students to take private tuitions, instead of teaching
them
in school or college. If a student refuses to take tuitions, the
teacher may unfairly penalize him.

There is another aspect of the educational world which is opposed to

the sukti of guru devo bhav. Recently, newspapers carried the news
of a
Professor's murder in Indore University. The occasion was of
election
to the Students' Union. The Professor asked the students to carry on
election propaganda outside the University campus. At this, the
students pounced upon him and beat him to death. This behaviour of
students indicates that the basic instinct of those candidates in
the
Students' Union election was not to get education but to commit
crime.

I have seen examples around of people opposed to giving priority to

money. A writer friend of mine was occupying a very high post in the
Income Tax Department. Many candidates kept on trying to get that
coveted seat by offering wads of currency notes. But that man of
literature got himself transferred from there to a department where
there was no possibility of extra income. His friends and relatives
gave him the title of Moorkharaj (King of Fools). But the
litterateur
was happy at his new post. He told me the reason for his happiness.
According to him, in the previous department, people tried to bribe
him
to get their work done as they wanted it to be done. On his refusal
to
do so, they would make his senior officers put pressure on him.
Because
of his honesty, his subordinate staff also could not accept bribes
and
so they hatched conspiracies against him. Thus, he was always in
tension. Now, at this new post, he is free from tension. The
priority
for that writer was mental peace, instead of money.

If an individual with a mental inclination towards immorality

occupies
a seat of justice, he can set free a criminal and penalize an
innocent
person for his ulterior gains. If a person of immoral nature has a
pair
of scales in his hands, he is bound to do something dishonest. If he
is
a chemist, he would play with the lives of people by selling
spurious
or adulterated medicines. If he sells milk, he would make people ill
by
mixing urea in water and milk. These are the people, for whom,
adoption
of morality is foolish.

For earning money by unfair means, it is not necessary to be an

officer
in some department. A few days ago, the example of a broker of subzi
mandi came to my notice. It is like this. From hills trucks loaded
with
fruits and vegetables leave for mandis of the plains in the evening.
The goods of the truck that reaches the mandi first of all in the
morning, gets highest price in the auction. Goods of trucks that
reach
later get a lower price. The broker rewards a driver for reaching
the
mandi early. In the greed of that reward, truck drivers try to reach
the destination at the soonest, breaking all traffic rules. Their
speed
increases the risk of an accident, but the driver, enamoured of the
reward, is bound to breach all traffic rules. The crime of the
broker
who motivates a driver to break the rules of traffic, is not less
than
that of the driver.

Let us now get away from the truck driver and the broker and see
cows
and bulls etc. roaming around in haats and markets in the
neighbourhood. These animals are always on the lookout for having a
bite of fruits, vegetables or other edibles, adorning thelas and
rehris. The vendors use sticks to save their stuff from the vagrant
animals. The attack of sticks makes the animals run amuck, injuring
many pedestrians with their horns, dispatching them to hospitals.
Physical harm caused by these animals to people, proves beneficial
to
owners of the animals because the fodder, intended to be given to
animals, is saved. The second benefit goes to those municipal
officials
whose duty it is to catch vagrant animals and, for not performing
their
duty, they get their monthly bribe from owners of those animals.

The tendency to be moral or immoral, to serve people's interests or

to
work against them, is present in every field of activity.

An individual with violent tendencies finds out the path of violence

even in the domain of religion. The persons, who explode bombs in
the
name of jihad, think they are performing a sacred act. You can see
around persons who burn daughters-in-law, in the greed for dowry.
Opponents of the same gotra marriages, become merciless to their own
children. Women, who throw their newly born babies on garbage dumps,
indicate what their priorities are.

On the contrary, sometimes we hear of people who risk their life in

saving lives of others.

Maybe, the number of people who risk their life in the interest of
others is small, but the spirit of sacrifice of such persons is due
to
their basic nature. The presence of such persons ensures the safety
of
social structure.

The day the amount of evil in the society exceeds the amount of
goodness, that very moment, the whole structure of the society will
collapse. The history of revolutions in the world tells us that this
has happened, and this will keep on happening.

THE KEY TO UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF ANCIENT SCRIPTURES

Today, the word 'yoga' has become limited to yogasan or meditation.

In
olden times, 'yoga' had several connotations. Some of them are given
here. Patanjali said that the state of controlling the desires of
heart
is yoga. (Yog Darshan, 1/2) In the 50th shloka (verse) of the Second
Chapter of Bhagwadgita, Sri Krishna says that the skill of karmas is
yoga, and in the 48th shloka of the same Chapter, he

says that the state of remaining unmoved by success or failure and

concentrating on one's karma is yoga. In Bhagwadgita itself, in
bhakti
yoga, karma yoga, and sankhya (gyana yoga), the word yoga means
concentration, absorption. To be immersed in devotion to one's

ishta deva (chosen deity) is bhakti yoga. To be absorbed in physical

activity for the good of others is karma yoga. To concentrate on
study
and contemplation is sankhya (gyana yoga). All these types of yogas
reveal that concentration of body, mind and intellect, on good acts,
is
yoga. The meaning of yagya has now become limited to havan. But, in
ancient times, all acts in the interest of people were called yagya.
Kama is now used in the limited sense of sex. But in old times, all
aspirations and desires came within the domain of kama. There are
many
words that were understood, in a certain sense, in ancient times,
whose
meanings have changed now, and people, while reading ancient texts,

instead of perceiving the idea of the author, just cram up those

words.
Here, meanings of some words are being given which can reveal
secrets
of ancient scriptures. Some such words are alphabetically presented
here:

ANITYA

Nitya is generally understood to be 'daily', but in ancient

scriptures,
nitya means that which is not destroyed, which is going to be there
for
ever. The classical meaning of anitya is, which is to be destroyed.
ARYA

Excellent (e.g. Aryajana, Aryasatya etc.)

ASHANTI

The condition adverse to the mind is ashanti and the condition

congenial to the mind is shanti. (For the body, the adverse
condition
is dukh and the congenial condition is sukh) BHAGWAN

That great person who has all means of affluence at his disposal but
who remains aloof from them.

BHAKTI

The emotion of surrender to one's chosen deity.

DHYAAN

In ashtaang yoga, the stage before samaadhi is called dhyaan; to fix

the mind on the niraakaar or inspecting of the inner force by the
mind.
The peace, which is achieved by extroverts through karmakaand, is
got
by the introverts through dhyaan. DRASHTAA

Person capable of seeing with his inner eyes (For details please see
RISHI) GL/NA Generally speaking guna is what is opposite to durguna
and
avaguna, but in ancient scriptures, any distinctive feature of
prakriti
is called guna. In Indian scriptures,

prakriti means matter. Satoguna, rajoguna, tamoguna etc. are special

dimensions of the family of this word guna. In ancient scriptures,
wherever the word prakriti has been used with purush, there purush
means atma and prakriti means body. Union of purush and prakriti
(Union
of atma and sharif) is the basis of life.

KARMAKAAND The way of doing good work by extrovert persons. What is

known as 'formality' in worldly matters, in religions field, such
formality is called karmakaand. Anusthan, pooja and yagya are forms
of
karmakaand.

MITHYA Today, the word mithya means falsehood. But, according to

ancient scriptures, mithya means what does not have a base. Opposed
to
this, satya means what has a base.
MUNI Nowadays, the person with a special religious identity is
called
muni, rishi, mahatma. But in ancient Jain tradition, the epithet
muni
was restricted to a scholar who

practised the sadhana of maun. PAAP

All anti-people actions are paap.

PANCHABHOOT/PANCHTATVA

Ancient physicists of India had classified all matter in the world

in
five classes. All fine types of matter were put in aakaash class.
All
types of moving matter were put in vaayu class. All those elements
that
generated heat were put in agni class. All kinds of matter that
produced fluidity were given the jala class. All types of solid
matter
which create shape and dimension were kept in prithvi class. What is
said in sankhya and vaisheshik in the language of philosophy,
ayurved
tried that scriptural base in the field of health. This panchatatva
theory is the basis of ayurved medicine.

POOJA

For details, please see KARMAKAAND.

PUDGAL In Jain scriptures, the undeveloped state of jivaatma is

called
pudgal. According to modern science, the ancient Indian name for
'genes' is pudgal. PUNYA All acts in the interest of the people are
punya. PURUSH Today, purush means male. In ancient scriptures,
purush
means atma. (For more details, see GUNA.) RISHI Nowadays, the person
wearing a particular kind of cloth is called rishi. In Vedic Age,
the
seer of mantras and suktas of Rig Veda was called rishi. Seer is a
person

who sees with his inner eyes, perceives, and expresses his
experiences
in mantras and suktas. SANSKAAR

Memory of earlier lives. In modern psychology, the collective

memories
inherited from forefathers since the beginning of the world are
called
basic instincts. But, according to Hindu scriptures, one's memories
of
earlier lives are called sanskaars.

SHAAP

Punishment declared for the person working against the interests of

the
people. It was the duty of the ruling system of the Vedic times to
ensure that the declared punishment is meted out properly. In Islam,
the fatwa issued by a mufti, is the Islamic form of shaap. In vedic
times, Drashtaas of Vedic richas were authorized to proclaim a shaap
on
someone. It appears from puranic tales that the authorities
declaring
the shaap were called durvaasaas.

TAPA, TAPASYA

Today, doing japa in cross-legged sitting posture, or in

standing-on-one-leg posture, is called tapa or tapasya. But in
ancient
times, being absorbed in doing anything in the interest of people
was
called tapa or tapasya. UPAASANA

Silent prayer to chosen Deity. IZ4FMD/WN The reward given by the

divine
authorities for doing good work in the interest of the people.

VEDAS

The encyclopedia of knowledge of that age in which rishis of the era

expressed many branches of vidyas, seen through their inner eyes, in
the form of mantras and suktas. Their collection was called the
vedas.
YAMA Duties to be performed for the society. In the first part of
ashtaang yoga, there is a mention of five yamas. The first yama is
ahimsa (prohibition of violence), the

second yama is satya (prohibition of falsehood), the third yama is

asteya (prohibition of stealing), the fourth yama is brahmacharya
(prohibition of sharp excitement for being absorbed in acquiring
knowledge about brahma i.e. the world) and the fifth yama is
aparigraha
(forsaking the habit of storing things). YAMARAJ

The deity who gives punishment to the person who does not perform
his
duties to the society, who does not fellow the yamas. Here, as
sample,
a few ancient words have been explained in the current language of
our
times. There are numerous words in the puranas and darshans
(philosophies) which, if explained in the current vocabulary of
today,
can reveal secrets of many miraculous truths and can pave the way to
understand the ancient

vidyas.