My Journey In Hindu Astrology by Pemmaraju V.R. Rayudu, India

Article by Pemmaraju V.R. Rayudu, India

My journey in Hindu Astrology started in 1963 in my 25th year when I was transferred from Armament Research and Development Establishment, Pune, to Defence Research and Development Laboratory, Hyderabad, Ministry of Defence, Government of India to work in guided missiles research and development. My father Late Sri Pemmaraju Venkata Rao was in Hyderabad in politics and his hobby was Hindu Astrology. He told me that his father, my grand father, also knew astrology and used to do lot of calculations and give good predictions such as a snake bite for my elder brother within one year of his birth and he would survive and accordingly he named him as Subba Rayudu after Lord Subrahmanya representing snake god. He studied my horoscope and told me that I would also learn astrology as it is there in the genes also.

Since my father was very busy with his politics, he introduced me to his friend and the famous professional astrologer Late Divakaruni Venkata Subbarao who wrote many books in Telugu, a south Indian language, consolidating the entire crux from many classical texts and from his experiences. I studied all his books and he was my Guru for further coaching. I also studied all the books and articles in his magazine by Late Dr. B.V.Raman, the great astrologer and founder of the Astrological Magazine and corresponded with him to learn and he was also my Guru indirectly. I also collected many other books in Hindu astrology by various authors and studied them.

I was just a beginner in learning astrology and I happened to go to a place called Kovvur, near Rajahmundry city in Andhra Pradesh state in India to meet my co‐brother¯s family. He told me about an old astrologer in the nearby village and we went there to meet him.

He came out after his Pooja (God prayers). He asked me about my date of birth, time of birth morning/evening/night, place of birth and he made the charts very fast from the ephemeris of 1938. He asked me whether I was an engineer, not that of roads & buildings, but of research type working in country¯s Defence department. I was stunned how quickly he analyzed and told about my exact profession. He was the only person who told my exact profession other than the Nadi astrology person in Chennai or Madras.

He also asked me to stay with him for six months so that he can teach me astrology and how to make rockets and missiles from Vedas. Of course I could not do that due to my professional and domestic commitments; moreover I felt that I was not destined for such a great guidance. He was by then itself about 80 years old and none of his children got this knowledge from him being otherwise employed and his knowledge was lost along with when he died. I understand such great knowledgeable persons were available in the Godavari belt districts of Andhra Pradesh state of India, where many Rishis used to do meditations. This type of his hint of analysis helped me later on in fixing the ascendant when in doubt. Once one person who was mathematics lecturer and Panchanga (Ephemeris) writer from his family tradition made the horoscope of his newly born first son but was in doubt whether the ascendant he got was right and wanted to consult me. I told him to bring his wife and son also. I saw the horoscope he prepared and asked his wife whether the delivery was difficult or easy. She told me that there was a surgical operation. I immediately told him to take the ascendant next to what he got. He asked me why and I told him the mother position in the son¯s horoscope is not good and Mars in the 4th house would give surgical operation to the mother when he was born, because that was one of the important points which could be checked in the horoscope for the newly born first child. Similarly at some other time, one person came with his daughter and her horoscope prepared somewhere to consult me for her marriage. I saw the girl¯s personality and features and horoscope and told that it was not her horoscope and later it was found that the place of birth was taken wrongly. I corrected the ascendant and told that she would not be married till another one year and he should not waste his time, money and energy for searching a marriage match for her now and they reported to me about her marriage next year only. So I took it as very important to check the horoscope made out of the data given of date, time and place of birth first with some past events before proceeding further for any analysis.

My Guru, Sri D.V. Subbarao used to insist to rectify the birth time as per the Tatwa and Antar Tatwa Siddhanta to match the male or female birth as per the moveable/fixed/dual ascendants, Moon star and the five Tatwas of Prithvi (Earth), Jala (Water), Agni (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Akash (Ether) correcting upto 24 secs. I translated this information from his book into English and published it in the Times of Astrology magazine, New Delhi and also kept it in my website (www.rayuduastrology.com) for the benefit of all. During the discussions he used to give lot of clues about the Divisional charts, Ashtakavarga, Dasa systems, planets & bhavas Shadbalas, lordships etc. For example, he used to tell that for Gemini lagna, the natural benefic planet Jupiter becomes 7th and 10th lord thus becoming malefic due to the lordship of angles (Ubhaya Kendradhipatya Dosha) and it would be better if such Jupiter is placed in a malefic house.

173 Once I showed a horoscope of a girl to my Guru for marriage proposal with my son (Aries lagna & Venus in 7th) and I thought the horoscope was good since Jupiter is in 4th house for her Gemini lagna and the compatibility points for both Moons are good as per standard method (maximum 36 points, acceptable if more than 18 points). He immediately rejected the match reminding me for placement of Jupiter in a good house with Ubhaya Kendradhipatya Dosha. He also said that though Moon signs and stars of both are compatible, the lords of both ascendants (Mars and Mercury) and 7th houses (Venus and Jupiter) are enemies and also the 7th lords are placed in 2nd and 12th positions to each other (Dwidwadasa). Then I realized that we should not just see the compatibility points as per Moon sign & star only as per standard method but should see many other aspects also. This tempted me to lay down many conditions for matching the horoscopes for marriage with maximum 100 points considering Moon and other aspects. I published an article on this in the Journal of the American Federation of Astrologers and is available on my website.

With the request of many and with the encouragement of my Guru, Dr.B.V.Raman, I wrote a book ×How to match horoscopes for marriage ‐ A Scientific model of compatibility points based on Moon and other aspects as per Hindu AstrologyØ giving ready made tables for easy compilation of points and this book was published by the internationally famous M/s Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, India and was very well reviewed in magazines and appreciated and followed by many persons and reprinted. The abstract, contents are given on my website. My Guru, Sri D.V.Subbarao, also used to tell me that each planet is to be assessed properly for benefic and malefic tendencies for the particular horoscope since no planet is either benefic or malefic. This has led me to formulate all the conditions for which a planet can be subjected to in a horoscope such as in own house/ in friend or enemy house/ with a friend or enemy/ in friend or enemy star etc and give suitable points for each condition from experience and evaluate the benefic and malefic percentage of the planet so that it can be judged almost quantitatively how far a planet in a horoscope would give benefic or malefic results. I sent an abstract of this theme to the American Federation of Astrologers, USA and I was invited to give a lecture on this topic in their convention in 1992 in Chicago. Later many requested me to write a full‐fledged book with this benefic/ malefic analysis along with predictions. This book × How to read a horoscope‐ A Scientific model of predictions based on benefic and malefic analysis of planets and bhavas as per Hindu astrology was published by M/s Motilal Banarsidss Publishers, Delhi and was very well reviewed by many magazines and appreciated by many people including my Guru Sri B.V. Raman and reprinted. The abstract, reviews and contents are given on my website.

At this stage, it may be important to mention that I took voluntary retirement from Defence R&D Lab in 1990 when I completed my 30 years of service in various capacities telling my then boss Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the then Director of Defence R&D Lab and Former President of India, that my son got settled and I had sufficiently worked in Defence R&D and I should do something for my hobby of astrology and since he knew my interest he agreed for my retirement. Since then my activities totally changed from engineering and management fields and I spent full time to engage myself in the study of astrology and philosophy and pursuing my meditation. Later also Dr. Kalam took me as a member in the committee for the reorganization of the laboratory and appreciated my research efforts and the awards in astrology telling me that I was doing good work after retirement.

My Guru Dr.B.V.Raman used to tell me that though the subject of astrology is studied technically, there should be developed some spiritual practices, Mantras and meditation techniques to get intuitive abilities for analyzing the horoscopes and giving predictions & I was wondering who would give me this methodology. On one fine Sunday early morning in 1968, one of friends and colleagues, Sri C.V.K.Murthy, came home and took me to Sri Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who had camped in Hyderabad then. After his lecture, Maharishi asked ten persons to stay back and I was one of them and he called one by one inside his room and initiated Transcendental Meditation (TM) with Mantra and told how to do it and explained the benefits of the same. Since then I have been doing this TM and Mantra. Also after that I studied many spiritual texts and teachings of many Gurus like Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Dayanada Saraswati, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, Jiddu Krishna Murthy, UG Krishna Murthy, visited many Ashrams and Retreats, met many Saints in Himalayas, heard them and attended spiritual courses on Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Sanskrit. Strangely before I knew anything about Sri Shirdi Saibaba, He appeared in my dream and asked me to visit Shirdi, which I did and also on one occasion in a summer resort He gave a Huge Darshan in the sky when I was meditating. One saint in Himalayas, before I said anything to Him, explained to me about this cosmic hierarchy, how the Gurus would come in different forms and told me that I had blessings of Sri Shirdi Saibaba and He would guide me further.

I went for Vedanta and Sanskrit course for 3 months a few years back to Arsha Vidya Gurukulam of Pujya Dayananda Swamiji in Coimbatore, Tamilnadu state, India, though I could not complete it due to severe back ache. I met Pujya Swamiji and told him that I was studying Hindu astrology giving consultations and I was not sure whether I was guiding or misguiding the clients. Pujya Swamiji asked me whether Jupiter was in the 5th house in my horoscope and I said ®yes¯ and then he said I need not be afraid to give consultations but I should tell the clients to do some suitable regular Prayers also. He also asked me to visit his Gurukulams in Rishikesh, India and in Pennsylvania in USA. I visited Rishikesh ashram and strangely when I went to USA to my son¯s place I went to his Pennsylvania ashram invited by them to give a lecture on Nadi astrology in their astrology conference. I attended his lectures in Hyderabad and Coimbatore and read his books on spiritual matters. Since then Pujya Swamiji also became one of my spiritual Gurus and recently in October 2007 went there to meet him. He suggested to me and my wife to stay in Senior Citizens Home being constructed by a trust near his ashram.

Once some client came for consultation and told me that he came earlier few days back and whatever I told for his question came true and now he came again to consult on another question. I saw his horoscope and asked him what question he asked earlier and what answer I gave at that time. He explained me the earlier question and the answer I gave. Strangely I could not see that answer now to that question of earlier occasion. I immediately realized that I must have given the answer at that time intuitively since it was a border case to give positive or negative answer and I gave the positive answer from my meditation and mantra.

I used to discuss with many of astrology friends and learn from them particularly from Sri T. Ramakrishna, researcher and professional astrologer and from Late V.S.Narayana Sarma, professional astrologer and founder of Star Astrological Research Centre about the Nadi astrology. I went to Madras (Chennai) in 1968 to meet my father‐in‐ law Sri UG KrishnaMurthy who was a philosopher. He took his Nadi astrology reading from palm leaves about 50 years ago and everything had happened as it was written on the palm leaves. He took me to the Kowmara Nadi center in Chennai and the nadi person after asking some questions to verify my past, got my leaf and read from there. He exactly told me my profession as working in government doing tube‐like things containing explosives (rockets & missiles!) used for defense purposes and he did not give profession details in this field after 52 years age. Surprisingly everything came out correct and I took voluntary retirement from that technical field of guided missiles research and development at the age of 52 years. Later again when I went to him after few years after my retirement, he said that my leaf about profession is not available as there is no specific regular paid profession except doing some astrology work.

Then onwards after my retirement in 1990, I went to different nadi centres. I went first to their main center in Vaitheeswarankoil village near Chidambaram city in Tamandu state of India and spent about a week there to take nadi palm leaf reading of mine, my son, daughter‐in‐law, my wife and other friends whose whole past details are known. The nadi reader takes the right hand thumbprint for gents and left hand thumb print for ladies. Later he goes inside and brings some bundle of palm leaves and asks you some questions regarding your coborns, names of yourself and parents and wife if married, profession, education while reading leaf by leaf till he gets a leaf matching with your information. Then he goes inside and picks up the leaf pertaining to your details and read them in Tamil language (a south Indian language), writes it in a notebook, and records it in a cassette along with the translation into your language by a translator. This is the procedure followed by all nadi readers at any nadi center. All the past including the exact names of yourself, parents, wife would be given along with some future events also by gaps of 2 to 3 years interval. One nadi fellow told me that I will be doing new type of computer astrology and I will go abroad shortly in this connection. Strangely I did go to USA on invitation by American Federation of Astrologers to give a lecture in their astrology convention about my research on benefic and malefic 5JWHJSYDJJ $SDQ\VNV of planets and bhavas depending on the various conditions and later I published this in a book form also. I also went to nadi centers in Kanchipuram, Tirupati, Hyderabad etc and took readings. In general I found that the past events were correct and the near future readings are correct. They seem to be invoking some spirit to tell the exact names and future readings based on the transits of Jupiter and Saturn. Then I wrote an exhaustive article Nadi Astrology‐ An Overview and published in the Times of Astrology magazine of Delhi India in 2001 annual number and I got the prestigious Sri Santhanam (founder of the magazine) Award for the best article felicitating me in their conference in Lucknow, India with a Sandalwood Sri Saraswati statue and a woolen shawl. I raised several questions in this article to be researched and answered by future astrologers about the nadi palm leaves astrology. This article was kept in my website also for the benefit of all and even today many appreciates this article. Some persons are trying to do some research in nadi astrology but not any satisfaction to find out how such exact details of names and past events could be written long long ago on the palm leaves. Recently I went to the same nadi center twice on 16 October 2007 and 1 December 2007 and took readings by two different nadi readers to check about any change of place for me. The first reader told me that there will a change of place for 2 to 3 years and the other reader said that there will be change of place but only temporarily for a few months only and I have to check up this later which would be correct. It will be very costly since they charge for General Kandam (chapter) about Rs 400 ($10 USD) and for other Kandams of profession, marriage etc about Rs.350 ($8.75 USD) and invariably they say that remedies are to be done as given in Shanti and Deeksha Kandams which would cost again. Anyway lot of research need to be done in this field to find the methodology adopted in this nadi palm leaf astrology. In this connection I discussed with my Guru Dr. BV.Raman also and I reported his views also.

I got all the books available on nadi astrology such as Chandra Kala Nadi, Bhrigu Nandi Nadi, Nadi astrology etc and studied the principles and applied them in my predictions successfully. I discussed then with Sri Santhanam who translated Chandrakala nadi into English from Sanskrit. I also attended a workshop conducted by Sri R.G.Rao about nadi astrology principles, which he translated them into English. In principle it looks that the transits of planets over natal planets seem to be given importance along with the basic significations and characteristics of planets instead of taking the ascendant and lordships of planets. For example it is said that when Saturn transits over Mars in the natal birth chart there will be professional obstructions since Saturn represents profession and Mars is enemy to Saturn similarly if Mars is placed after Mercury, there can be obstructions in education since Mercury represents education and Mars is enemy to Mercury. I discussed some of these trends in my lecture ×Some predictive techniques given at the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (ICAS) founded by my Guru Dr.BV Raman and the same is available as article on my website for the benefit of all.

I maintained a record of all the persons who consulted me keeping their date, time and place of birth, rasi chart and their personal data about self, education, job, parent¯s coborns etc. This has resulted in collection of about thousand horoscopes, which had helped me in my research. I suggest to all astrologers to maintain the data about their clients.

When people are coming and asking for the marriage of their son or daughter, I thought that at least the astrologer should be able to give an indication at what age the marriage is likely to happen. In this connection I applied the principles of Nadi astrology and derived at an easy method to tell the DSSWT]NPDYJ \JDW TK PDWWNDJJ. Mars is taken as the planet signifying the marriage knot and the transits of Jupiter and Saturn connecting Mars in the natal chart and the Navamsa ascendant or its lagna lord is taken as the criteria for the marriage knot, of course considering Rahu is not interfering with Mars. From my data collection, I checked up this method with about 90 horoscopes about marriage date and mostly the method proposed is satisfactory. I gave a lecture on this in Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (ICAS) and also included the same on my website for the benefit of all. I got the feedback from many that the method is simple and satisfactory to arrive at the probable marriage age.

I also studied the Prasna (question) Shastra of Kerala and applied it whenever the birth data is not available. Also I studied about the Angry planets in the horoscope that are placed as per the sins committed in the previous life so that proper remedial measures can be taken for these angry planets.

Another important study made was in connection with the Navamsapada lords and predictions. I met one person whose Guru (who is no more) studied this aspect. It is generally considered that Navamsa for the 1st pada (quarter) of the stars Aswini, Makha and Moola falls in Aries and the Navamsapada lord is Mars and similarly for the other navamsapada lords. But in his research, he pointed out that the navamsapada lords would change and the planets are divided into two groups, Vishnu and Siva. Accordingly he formulated a methodology to prepare a navamsa graph and thereby gave methodology to give predictions. This is a very intricate method giving very accurate results. I collected the books in Telugu language from him and tried to understand the method but he was not interested. I wrote an article ×Navamsapada lords and predictions and published in the Times of Astrology, Delhi and also available on my website. Persons who are keen research interested may further study this method.

I studied Krishna Murthy Paddhati (KP) astrology also but did not use extensively since many planets are representing an event and the elimination process was difficult. However I told one of my friends of KP astrology to document some important events with dates and times for over a year and then check the occurrence of the event with respect to the birth and horary chart as per the KP astrology. This research was published as an article Daily Events check with horary and birth chartØ in the Times of Astrology magazine.

I was the only person from my Andhra Pradesh state selected in 1995 by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi University of Management in Holland to go there and give lectures and consultations. I stayed there for three months and gained good name for my consultations, of course with the blessings, meditation and Mantra of my first spiritual Guru Mahesh Yogi. There in Holland I gave a video recording about the Jeeva and Sareera of Grahas and kept this is available as an article on my website. Jeeva of a planet is the lord of the star in which that planet is placed and it is the Consciousness of that planet. Sareera of a planet is the lord of the star in which its Jeeva planet is placed and it is the Activity of that planet. If the Jeeva and Sareera planets are enemies to that planet then it will not be able to function properly. The article ×Jeeva and Sareera of Grahas‐ Consciuosness and activities of planets was published in the American Federation of Astrologers Journal, USA.

The Planetary Gems Association, Thailand contacted me and admitted me as a member of their association and certified me as a Planetary Gems adviser. I published two articles ×Benefic and malefic planets and Gems and Anukul Vad versus Pratikul Vad in their journal, indicating that precious gems only are to be used for benefic planets only.

I also studied the Nadi amshas which are 150th division of a rasi and collected the results of many nadi amshas as given in the Astrological magazine and nadi texts. I published two articles A Note on Nadi Amshas and Nadi Amsha ChartØ in the Times of Astrology magazine, Delhi, correlating my horoscope by rectifying my birth time as per Tatwa/ Antar Tatwa Siddhanta and then matching with the result of the particular nadi amsha. These articles are available on my website.

Out of my study, research and experience, I also published articles ×Comments on twin births, ×Astrology and Human life, × A life pattern in the light of major planets transits, × A Note on problems in predictionsØ, Horoscope of Sri Swami Jnanananda‐ The Saint and the Scientist, Nadi astrology for marriage‐A case study, Twelfth bhava of two Krishnamurthy‐Enlightened thinkers, Stellar Effects; all these articles are available on my website for the benefit of all and for further research.

I also gave lectures in the conferences of astrology of the American federation of astrologers and Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in USA on Nadi astrology.in 1998.

I got the titles of Daivagna Ratna and Jyotish Aradhakulu by The Star Astrological Centre, Hyderabad in 1993 and 1997 in consideration of my meritorious contribution made and distinguished services rendered to the cause of astrology and occult sciences. I also got the prestigious Ugadi Award Õ2006 from the Andhra Pradesh State Government for outstanding contribution to astrology. I also got the prestigious Santhanam award for the best article ×Nadi Astrology‐An Overview.

I had worked for about 40 years and done research whatever best I could for the upliftment of this great science of Hindu astrology and presented all my work on my website for the benefit of all and for further research. Since almost one year in 2007, I stopped all astrological guidance and consultations since it was giving strain to my health at this age of 70 and I want to spend more time on spiritual matters and meditation. I wish all the astrologers to do more research in astrology and achieve good success in their endeavors.