Palmistry – Sutra & Siddhanta [ICAS]

Palmistry – Sutra & Siddhanta

That there is so much information in the hand will be a surprise to many, and when it is seen how logical, rational and even common place, hand reading is, perhaps it will then be taken out of the occult class to which it distinctly does not belong, and placed among the other rational means at the service of mankind, whereby they may be enabled to gain a better knowledge of themselves.”
We cannot find better words than the ones given above by William G. Benham, to introduce the subject of Palmistry technically. Those who do not want to make use of this ‘information’ in the name of pseudo-scientism are nothing but a blinkered lot. The vidya of palmistry is ancient and was a part of Samudrik Shastra that dealt with signs and marks on the human body and palm. We refrain from calling it a ‘science’, lest the heckles of the so-called scientists are raised, till the time they evolve to the level of understanding and appreciating it. However, the common man can continue to derive benefits from this vidya.

One of the best names known to the lovers of palmistry is that of ‘Cheiro’ who has most reverentially referred to seeing an old manuscript in India that contained the meanings of markings on the palm. Cheiro, the most prolific writer on the subject, was also a very successful practitioner of this vidya, but his success could not have been so stupendous if he restricted himself to the use of knowledge that he revealed in his own books. He certainly used in his practice the secret knowledge on palmistry that he acquired in India.

Acupuncture, acupressure and reflexology are subjects much better accepted today than a decade ago. They make use of meridians in the body that the modern science does not understand, yet it acknowledges its efficacy. Accepting validity of principles of hand reading is but one step further. The fact that markings on the palm have specific meanings is analogous to having meridians or chakras (as per Patanjali Yoga Sutra) in the body. One hopes and would like to encourage the modern scientists to take up the study of these subjects and ‘prove’ them the way they would want to prove to their sat- is faction that these things are scientific. Till then we can continue to study these things for the benefit of mankind.

It was a medical man who first wrote, “Hand and brain are physiologically con- nected”. In fact, as compared to any other part of the body, it is the palm that receives maximum number of nerves from the brain. Lines on the palm are formed by brain cells acting through the blood vessels and nerves. According to Benham, “Never was there a hand that did not exactly reflect the brain that directs it.” Just as no two brains are alike, so are no two hands alike. The ridges on the thumb are so unique that they are considered a better reference for identification of a person than his signatures. While the criminologists have developed the science of ‘finger-prints’ to a great art, they have ignored the rest of the palm – though, as a logical extension, the whole will give more information than the part.

Chirognomy and Chiromancy

The palm is a highly evolved organ of the body and is capable of expressing feelings and thoughts by gestures and writing. The markings on the palm. however, are a different ball game? Our growing understanding of the genetics is now opening new vistas in hand- analysis. The palmists have always known that the hands in a family have remarkable similarities more often than not.