Saturday, April 5, 2008

Rahu - a guide to agriculturists

There is a heightened awareness about astrology nowadays,

but it is about how to ward off bad effects.


The effects - both bad and good - are the results of Karmic causes of the past.

Without realizing that these causes give rise to the bad effects,

people want to rely on astrology as a quick-fix solution.


But Astrology is not meant for giving miracles or fast solutions.

It is an organized body of knowledge which is based on the principle of

interaction and mutual inter-relation between the created things in this universe.

By knowing these principles and the way results spring form causes,

one can take care of the causes so that the desired result can be achieved.


Rahu is one planet

(a planet is known as gruham in astrology

and it means ‘that which binds’.

A gruham binds one with certain specifics.)

which gives useful guidance in agriculture,

so that desired results can be achieved.


The star through which Rahu is passing is constantly noted.

In Hindu astrology a star does not mean

the small bright spot in the night sky that we usually call a star.


A star represents a distance of 13 degrees and 20 minutes in the sky.

The heavenly body within this distance exhibiting a specific significance

gives its name to this distance.

If we say Ashwini, in astrology it denotes the distance of 13-20 degrees

which signifies certain characteristics indicated by Ashwini

and therefore known as Ashwini.


In Rahu-chakra, the position of Rahu in a star will be noted

and counting is done from that star.


If the day happens to fall on the days 1,2,3 & 4

as counted from the star in which Rahu is seen,

sowing operation is not advised on those days.


The days 1,2,3 & 4 from Rahu are known as ‘death days’.

The yield from the sowing done then, will wither off.


Whereas the days 5,6,7,9,10,11,13,14,15,17,18 & 19

from the star in which Rahu is seen

are known as ‘Womb days”

The sowing on these days will give rich dividends.


The days 8,12,16,20 & 24 are “expelling days”.

The plants that grow from the sowing on these days will be venerable to attacks by pests.


The days 21,22,& 23 will result in destruction of the plants by floods.


The days 25,26 & 27 will find destruction by fire.


Until two generations ago, Indian farmers possessed

this knowledge of Rahu-chakra

to decide about the time to sow the seeds.

As a result they avoided losses in agriculture.


Even in the analysis of Bengal famine

that brought Nobel to Prof Amartya Sen,

it was seen that the famine was not due to fall in agricultural produce.

It was due to improper distribution of the farm produce to all people.


Fall in agricultural production had not been a problem in those days.


The keen observation of the heavens and knowledge by means of astrology

protected them from any untoward mishap.


Role of moon and sun


Like Rahu, Moon and sun also play a role in agriculture.

Researches are being done on the influence of moon on agriculture.


It is now accepted that moon does play a role in rainfall and in agriculture.

In Ayurveda, leaves of certain plants are plucked only one certain days

depending on the position of the moon.


The sun’s position also was keenly observed by ancients for plowing operations.

If the star of the day, counted from the star in which sun is traversing,

happens to be 8,9,10,12,13,14,16,17,18,20 & 22

then that will be beneficial for starting plowing operations.


Science has come to accept that the plant Arkha, (erukku in Tamil)

does have lot of potential as curative for sun-related diseases.


Arkha is the plant or samit connected with sun.

There is Arkha sastra which tells about

how arkha cures nearly 52 diseases.


I have seen some people do data collection on Saturn

to relate it to failure in agricultural produce.


Saturn is of course related to Agriculture,

but that alone does not decide the success of agriculture.


Saturday is known as Sthira-vaara,

meaning that things done on Saturday will last long.


Since bhoomi (earth) is sthira – strong and lasts permanently,

things related to bhoomi can be done favorably on Saturdays.

Buying of agricultural implements (made of iron)

and sowing operations can be done on Saturdays

and in sani hora.


But combining the Rahu chakra with a Saturday will ensure more success.


I have seen a data on rainfall on the basis of Saturn’s position.

But it will be more ideal to compute the data on the basis of moon’s position in relation to stars.


Sapta-naadi charka of astrology makes it known

that moon is indicative of rainfall, not Saturn.


***********


I am writing all these details in the hope

that someday someone might use them

or even do a research to know whether these are reliable

so that losses incurred in agriculture as it is happening now can be arrested.


6 comments:

Anonymous said...

All ur posts are very informative and well researched :-) thanks a lot.

This is off topic from where ur post is; Can u interpret the birth of Devi sita who was born from earth as 'ayonija'. Can we call it asexual reproduction as it is termed in biology , we can call it rarest of the births however i would like ur explanation.
thanks,
Medha

Jayasree Saranathan said...

Thanks Medha.

As for your query on Sita, I have this to say.

You would have noticed that I would not have made any blanket statement on any issue without support from sruti or smruthi texts.Sita's birth is something (so also AndaaL of Tamil nadu, one of the Alwars of Srivaishnavism)that does not fit in any theory told by scriptures that are available to us today.


Births are discussed in texts in the context of Panchagni vidya (which you can read from my blogs by browsing).
Chandogya 5-10 deals with how the embodiment of soul happens by Panchagni vidya.
(translations of these texts are available online.)

Panchagni vidya is about the 5 level entry of the soul into the body for birth. The 5th level is about sexual union.
Brahma sutra (3-1-19) says that there are cases without this 5th level recorded in the world. The acharyas such as Ramanuja have quoted cases like Drona, Draupadi and Dhrishtadhyumna (and not Sita)to explain this sutra for birth without sexual union.

Sita's birth is something where all the 5 levels of entry of the soul are missing. Hers is not only ayOnija, but also a rare and exceptional one that did not require her to undergo the 5 levels of entry.As such it must have been an instant birth.

So far I have not come across any text on how such an instant birth can happen.
But there is a narration in Uttara Khanda of Valmiki Ramayana (sarga 4)about Goddesses Parvathy granting a boon that demons (rakshasas)must be born on the day they are conceived.Soon after birth, they must attain the age of their mother.

This smacks of some connection with cloning in which the cloned offspring is seen to attain maturity too fast - remember the first cloned Dolly suddenly grew old and died.

Beyond this, I have not come across any reference to rare births or how such births occur.

Anonymous said...

Many thanks! for your prompt reply and for satisfactory explanation :-)

I am too small to comment anything, but must say your blogs are inspiring as well as a fitting answer to those who criticise all that is 'Indian' and people promoting aryan-dravidian conflicts. Keep up the good work!!

Regards,
medha

Manish Gour said...

Dear Jayasreeji,

Could you please tell me where can I find more information on Arka Sastra?

Also as per elders near me, we should not buy things made of iron on saturday? Your article says we can buy iron articles on saturday. I am confused.

Manish Gour said...

Can you please show an example of the calculation?

Jayasree Saranathan said...

# Arka sastra is of use in Ayur veda. Please find out from the scholars or practitioners of Ayur veda.

# People are misled into believing that Saturday is bad. But Saturday is good for works that have to stand for long or last long. Because of this Saturday is also called as sthira vara. Buildings and sowing operations can be initiated on Saturdays. The rationale is that saturn stands for longevity, strength and for things underground. Foundation laying and sowing, ploughing etc can be done on / started on Saturdays or in Saturn hora on an auspicious day.

# Saturn's dhatu is iron. Iron materials for construction and agricultural implements can be bought /made on Saturdays for lasting long.

# The calculation is given in this article itself. From Panchanga or astrology software, note the star in which rahu is posited on a day. Note the day's star (this is the star in which moon transits on any particular day). Count from the Rahu's star to the say's star to know the number. Refer the chakra phalan i have given to know whether it is ok to go ahead with sowing.