Prashna (Encyclopedia of Vedic Astrology)

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Prashna or Horary that has been dealt in this book is the most important branch of Astrology. In Prashna which primarily deals with the query of a native, the whole method is simple and not dependent on time accuracy nor on the assumptions. The rules of Prashna are simple. The only thing that has to be understood is there applicability with a sound judgment methodology.

The book deals with Prashna or queries like marriage, divorce, love, theft, conflicts, litigations disease, career, foreign travel & other issues that are common issues / queries. Endeavor has been to be more aligned to issues that are relevant today.

The book contains chapters, examples and explanations that are logical & scientific. Readers will find this book simple and easy to understand and open avenue to do more research in the horary branch of astrology.

Dr Shander Adawal, the author, is a management professional. He has over the last thirty three years worked with various prestigious corporate in India and abroad. His experience of working with L&T, Xerox, Tata, Nortel and with a leading energy major of the country, along with a Jyotishacharya from Varanasi gives him the perfect blend of intellect and logic. The son of a bureaucrat father and an educationist mother, he is a graduate in Economics (Hons), Masters in Business Economics from Delhi University, PhD in Economics and complementing his skills with software and other leadership programs from Singapore and other countries.

His passion has been astrology, a passion that fell his way in childhood, a zeal that he picked from his father. As a child he often saw his father, a bureaucrat and an astrologer, getting admiration from many eminent astrologers, which inspired him. He used to spend long hours participating in intellectual debated that his father used to have with his friends and fellow astrologers. With thousands of books in his library, free consultations through magazines, television, portals and newspapers around the globe, he continues his journey on his passion. He has been felicitated and awarded for his contribution in this field. He also has keen interest in Human Rights.

The notion that astrologers can unfold lives and reveal what waits at the next bend is a thought that comes to all and populist claims have inspired the author to come up with a series of books that will discuss the various aspects in astrology, putting together the research and findings by various groups and the experience gained during his journey. The purpose of the encyclopedia is an attempt to put a clear understanding of the process of astrology, taking into account the first basic in astrology and then go on to the predictive techniques, the nadi astrology, tajik, yogas, nakshatras, rectification of birth time, vargas, dashas, mundane prashna, muhurta, remedy and other aspects of interest. The advantage of this would be that both students and those who want to pursue research can progress the understanding of this science in a systematic manner. Also the complete set will be great value to those in India and abroad who want to understand various levels and will give them the flexibility of dwelling into the complexities in a coherent manner. With the growing interest to learn this science in various countries, the readers there will finds this series of books very useful.

In astrology there are three streams broadly. They are Prashna, Jatak & Mahurat.

Jatak is about predictive astrology. Mahurat is about electional astrology.

Jatak astrology is based primarily on the birth time. In most cases the accuracy of birth time is a question and correcting it by methods may not also fix it. If the birth time is not accurate the predictions may fail and that happens in attempting charts not having the accurate details.

In electional astrology the method is complex. Assumptions are given paramount importance. Thus the whole method is based on some complex methodology, which is not an easy matrix.

Prashna or Horary that has been dealt in this book is the most important branch of Astrology. In Prashna which primarily deals with the query of a native, the whole method is simple and not dependent on time accuracy nor on the assumptions. The rules of Prashna are simple. The only thing that has to be understood is there applicability with a sound judgment methodology.

In the olden times it was the Prashna Chart that was primarily used to give reply for the natives query. The Prashna system uses the basics of Astrology, which are used in predictive astrology. The placement, aspect, conjunction, nakshatras, planets, there significations etc. have to be applied on the Prashna Chart. Certain basic concepts have to be used along with the astrological understanding which I have explained in the book. Predictive astrology integrated with Prashna gives fairly accurate predictions.

In this book I have dealt with Prashna or queries like marriage, divorce, love, theft, conflicts, litigations disease, career & other issues that are common issues / queries. My endeavor has been to be more aligned to issues that are relevant today.

I have avoided the issues that may have been dealt in earlier books dealing with the King, conquests, fort etc. & bear no importance today.

In discussing the issues a lot of examples have been given so that the reader understands the application of the rules. The principles of Horary astrology have been explained by more that 90 charts, that have been discussed, The principles of Horary have been explained in a simple way through the charts and the experience that I have gained over four decades. Also explained is how to answer a question, which is expected to happen in a day. Immediate things are matter of great worry when a person comes to an astrologer with a Prashna. In the book this has been explained, by the help of the Ruling Planets.

The important thing about Horary astrology is that the query of the querist should be genuine. He should be emotional about the query he is putting forth. If some one want to know which team is going to win, I have seen that the emotional attachment of the querist to a team is paramount. I have observed this time and again. The direction of the astrologer or the direction faced by the person asking the query, in my experience is not critical.

In the Bhrigu system on which I am still researching, the entire system is based on Prashna, which the person asks Lord Bhrigu. This is evident from the leaves that my father, Late Shri K.C. Saksena had procured in his search. In the last chapter I have a write up on the other methods that are being followed for your interest & research.

This book, I do not want to say that it covers all aspects nor it is a set of new principles. In the book I have tried to put chapters, examples and explanations that are logical & scientific. The rational that is the key to understanding is what I have stressed. I am open to questions that are constructive and I am sure the reader will find this book simple and easy to understand. It will also make the reader interested to do more research in the Horary branch of astrology.

1. Vedic Background

It is widely accepted that the Vedas represent quintessence of all knowledge. They teach us the Truth, which is one in which all distinctions of mind, matter and universe cease to exist. Western psychology has miserably failed to cope with the super-conscious aspects and laws of human nature. Where Western Science has stopped short, Indian philosophy comes in and explains, illustrates and teaches how to render the laws pertaining to higher states of existence.

The Vedas manifested themselves in the beginning of creation through the sages of yore who were plunged in the bliss of the self. Their perennial wisdom is available to people by means of ancillary sciences known as Vedangas-limbs of the supreme being. They are six in numbers- (i) Shiksha (Phonology or phonetics), (2) Kalpa (Procedure code for vedic rituals), (3) Nirkuta (Etymology), (4) Chhandas (Prosody), (5) Vyakarana (Grammar) and (6) Jyotish (Astronomy-Astrology).

2. Origin of the Horary Science

The Jyotish was initially divided into three Skandhs as under-

1. Ganita - It is compiled into 18 Sidhantas dealing with Astronomy and mathematical astrology.

2. Samhita or Mundane astrology- It deals with natural phenomenon like earthquakes, wars, epidemics, famines, weather etc. and

3. Hora or Jatak - It deals with natal predictive astrology. Subsequent developments in this field led to three additional Skandhs viz.-

4. Shakun or Omens- It deals with the effects of certain occurrences or phenomenon on future events.

5. Mahurator electional astrology which deals with finding out the most auspicious moment for doing any work based on Nakshatra, Tithi, Vaar etc and related to the natal as well as transit position of the planets.

6. Prashna or Horary - It deals with casting of horoscope for the time of query, event or thought and forms the subject matter of the book.

No Skandh can be dealt in isolation. Astrology is a complete blend of all the branches or Skandhs as stated above.

The purpose of astrology is to wean humanity away from the path of evil deeds resulting in misery & destruction and to lead them towards the path of light, virtue and glorious life. This science teaches neither fatalism nor passism. Geeta enjoins that "Man ought to raise himself to a higher level by his own effort and should never have recourse to the path of self- destruction." The Prashna Shastra or Horary science is an important branch of astrology. This and other two Shastras Viz. Mantra-Shastra-which deals with the method of employing various incantations or spells for securing benefits or removing obstacles & the enemies and Nimitta, meaning- Omens or Augury- which may be good or evil, seen or experienced by a native before a corresponding good or evil event follows, are very popular in Kerala.

In Kerala, astrologers speak of two kinds of charts- immovable and movable, the first being fixed on earth and the other is always moving in the heavens. For the purpose of Prashna, both the charts are utilized.

Out of Lagnas - Arudha and ascendant - the stronger of the two should be made use of to delineate a query. According to the commentator of "Krishneeya; this science is otherwise known as Chintajnanam' or thought reading of the querist. This must have inspired the famous 'Prashna Marga' written in Kerala in 17th century. The Prashna Shastra or Krishneeya had been written much earlier as many reference of it have been quoted in Prashna Marg. In the North, Brihat Jatak by Varah Mihir and Shatpanchasika (56 shlokas) by his son, Prithuyasas were written in 7th century A.D. covering the entire gamut of Prashna Shastra. There are any numbers of treatises on this branch of astrology written by ancient masters, such as Shatpanchasika, Lampaka, Prasnagnana, Prasnabhushana, Prasnasindhu, Prasnachintamini, Bhuvana Dipika, Jinendramala, Krishneeya, Prashnamarg and Prashna Tantra. All subsequent works have drawn knowledge from them.

3. Need of Prashna

In most of the cases, the cause of incorrect astrological prediction is undoubtedly the non-availability of accurate birth horoscope. The time of birth in most cases is incorrect. There are different views about exact time of birth which include the time of first appearance of head or the whole body of the child or Bhu-sparsh- the first touch of the body with the ground or the time of first cry of the child or the time of severing of umbical chord. Then at the time of delivery, even today, the doctor or the midwife is so busy to ensure the safety of the new born baby and the mother that they have no time to look at the watch to record the time of birth. In olden days even the watches were either not available or people never bothered to look at them for the correct time. There fore, time of birth is only approximate which may vary from 10 to 20 minutes from the exact birth.

In olden days, at times there was confusion regarding even the day, month or year of birth. The elders often remember the time of birth coinciding or close to some notable event in the family or around. Again there are certain social evils attached to the marriage of a girl child like dowry and the role of unscrupulous astrologers. Therefore in some families birth details of girl children are not kept. Should such persons be denied the benefits of astrology? In all such cases, Prashna chart gives amazingly good results. We are therefore going to discuss in this book what is popularly known as Prashna or Horary astrology.

4. Prashna and Birth Charts

The importance of birth chart can not be underestimated. Whenever a birth chart is available, in addition to Prashna chart, it is prudent to refer to both charts. Any event promised in both the charts is certain to happen. The reverse may, however, be not true. The inter-relationship between Prashna and birth charts also indicate the position of present and past karmas. The birth chart is a map of celestial bodies in the heaven at the time of birth and indicates the Prarbdha- the part of accumulated Sanchit Karmas allowed for this life. The benefic or malefic influences in the birth chart indicate good or evil karmas of past lives. A good or bad period in both the charts will indicate the relevant good or bad Dridha Karmas of past lives.

The Prashna chart is like a divisional chart in certain aspects. Like a divisional chart, its analysis will supplement the inferences of birth chart but will not supplant it. A promise absent in birth chart, but present in Prashna chart may not fructify. However where accurate birth charts are not available, the Prashna chart not only answer the present query, but it can also be read as a birth chart not only answer the present query, but it can also be read as a birth chart with amazingly accurate results.