Astro-notes on Swati and Anusham.

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This is a new series on astrological indications on agriculture and meteorology.

Agriculture in India was guided by astrology until a couple of generations ago.

With agnostism raising its head coupled with atheism and modernism,

valuable insights provided by astrology

in helping to reap a good harvest despite vagaries of nature

have been lost.

Needless to say that Indian agriculture is in shambles today.

The astrological insights in the field of agriculture and meteorology

have been time-tested for many generations

even before the times of Varahamihira,

who has been regarded as one of the 'Navaratnas' in the court of

King Vikramadhitya (BC-57) – the king who initiated the Vikrama Epoch.

Though popular opinion is that this king started the Epoch

in commemoration of his victory,

astrological researchers have proved that this date

in fact tallied with zero ayanamsa year,

when the ecliptic intersected the celestial equator at zero degrees Ashwini (Aries).

The present year in this Vikrama epoch is 2065 -66.

This means the wealth of knowledge which Varahamihira compiled

on issues including agriculture and meteorology

had already existed before 2065 years and

had been well chronicled and tested by then.

This ancient wisdom is for everyone to use, test and spread further

so that this would not be lost due to our ignorance and negligence.

The information that will be posted in this blog

can be taken up for research and analysis.

I will be writing related issues too,

to these astrological indicators.

The foremost requisite in agricultural astrology is

to constantly keep oneself informed of the position of

the sun and the moon on a daily basis

and also know the location of planets.

Only the visible planets are included in Jyothisha.

It is because as the name Jyothisha indicates,

the 'light' of planets, the sun, the moon and the stars

do contain wealth of information.

The most common indicator as was prevalent in Tamilnadu was the one about Venus. There are at least 4 verses in Puranaanuru

that relate the location of Venus in the sky to drought or lack of rainfall.

If Venus is seen drifting to the south of the sky,

there would not be any rains or there would be scanty rainfall.

Venus is presently appearing the western sky in the evenings.

Its present location is slightly towards the south!

It must be watched whether it further drifts southward.

If so, the coming months when the first rainfall must happen

(in Panguni – March-April)

will be deficient.

This indicator must be analyzed with other factors too.

One factor is the nature of the coming year in April.

The upcoming year of "Virodhi" that starts on Mesha sankaranthi

(Tamil New year in the solar month of Aries or Chitthirai)

will be drought-prone.

(The year and the sun would not obey the rules of the likes of Mr Karunanidhi

and any year would start on Mesha sankaranthi only

and not on Makar sankaranthi.)

The nature of 'Virodhi' varusham is such that

only underground crops can be reaped

and the crops that grow above the ground will wither away.

Added to this another indication of the first day of the new year

(mantri or minister in nava-nayaks)

It falls on a Tuesday, ruled by the malefic Mars.

There will be more heat in the year and

rains will be less.

Crops of red color only would flourish in that year.

There are many other indicators too

but I would write them one by one dealing with other issues related to them.

The main indicator I am showing in this post is the location of Venus

that can be seen in the sky now.

It is also important to note the location of the sun and the moon.

The star in which the sun and the moon are present in any day must be noted.

Generally the moon will be in a star for one-day duration

and the sun will be for nearly 14 day duration.

In astrology, a star means a distance of 13 degrees and 20 minutes.

The zodiac of 360 degrees is divided into 27 equal parts

and each part represent some significance.

Each part if further divided into 9 parts

showing a deeper significance for finer understanding.

This division was of 28 parts in the times when texts like

Athvaryu samhita and Maitreyi samhita came into existence.

But the zodiac had shrunk – probably at the time of Mahabharatha war-

(written in different posts in this blog)

when the earth had further titled,

resulting in sighting the conjunction of the sun and the moon (amavasya)

on the 13^th day after full moon!

This coincides with 'yuga-pralaya'

that witnessed massive inundations around the globe,

with recorded inundations of Dwaraka in Mahabharatha and

the inundation of the vast land of Kumari

of the Pandyans in Kali-th-thogai.

Presently we have 27 divisions of the zodiac –

each known by the name of the star

related to the significance of this distance.

That is how we have Ashwini, Bharani and so on.

Since the sun moves for 1 degree a day, it covers a star in 13 to 14 days.

Its position in a star is known as "karthi".

For example today the sun is in 'swati' karthi.

The meteorological indicator is that

if it rains on the first day of a 'karthi' in a place,

it will rain throughout the karthi in that place.

Like wise, it can be checked for any karthi

and rainfall can be assessed to start sowing operations.

If the moon is in swathi star, there would hardly be any rains.

But if it rains, it is something special.

Because oysters show up on the surface

only on swati days to receive the rain drop

that can be converted into the best pearls.

The behavior of oysters on swati-days can be monitored

and the rare drizzle on swati can be waited upon.

Today, the moon is in Anusha (anuradha)

This star 'anu-radha' is that which follows 'radha'.

Radha was once the name of the star "Vishaka".

It means that which is divided.

This star got this name "vishaka"

when the autumnal equinox fell in the midst of this star or

in the conjunction of Libra and Scorpio.

This coincides with the time of Vernal equinox

at the 1st Pada of star Krittika.

Since then, the vernal equinox has traveled backwards

for full 30 degrees in Aries and

23 degrees 48 minutes and 56 seconds in Pisces -

totally 53 degrees for which we can calculate the time period

at the rate of 72 years per degree.

(the rate of precession).

Today the moon is in Anuradha or Anusha.

If it rains in Anuradha, it is said that mental agony will vanish.

But it is rare to get rains when moon traverses Anusha.

But if the sun is in Anuradha,

and if it rains then, a short term crop can be secured.

For that, one must watch the commencement of the karthi-

the first day of the sun in Anuradha..

If it rains then, general wetness can be expected for the next 2 weeks and

short term crops can be safely sown.