“Vedic astrologers” read dharmashastras upside down!

Dear friends, 

Namaskar! 

A common question I am often asked is, “Why are you against ‘Vedic astrology’ and not against
other predictive methods like palmistry, Tarot etc. etc. Do you believe in them"?. The answer
is an emphatic no. Then why am I against “Vedic astrology” alone?  

“Vedic astrology” and Vedic calendar have an inherent mutual conflict! 

As is common knowledge by now, there is a direct conflict between Mesha, Vrisha etc. rashi based
jyotisha, whether sayana or nirayana, and the real Vedic calendar, since there are no Mesha etc.
rashis (nor Mangal, Shani etc. planets) but only Madhu, Madhava etc. months, tithi, nakshatras
and Udgayana etc. phenomena in the Vedas, Brahnmanas and the Vedanga Jyotisha etc. whereas
“Vedic astrology” cannot survive without Rashis and Mangal, Shani etc. planets. “Vedic
astrologers” are imposing those very imaginary rashis -–zodiac means an imaginary “circle of
animals!”---on the Hindu calendar dictating simultaneously that even if there are no Mesha etc.
Rashis in the Vedas or the Vedanga jyotisha etc., we must celebrate all the Vedic, Pauranic and
geographic/seasonal festivals like Uttarayana, Vasanta Navratra or Sharadiya Navratra etc. on days
suggested by “Lahiri jyotishis” and not the Vedanga Jyotisha or the Puranas or even geographical
phenomena etc.! 

“Vedic astrologers” never quote the exact references in spite of repeated reminders! 

To continue their opposition to the real Vedic calendar because of its conflict with “Vedic astrology”,
these “Vedic astrologers” are claiming that predictive gimmicks through Ashvini, Bharni etc.
nakshatras which, according to them, are subsumed in Mesha, Vrisha etc. rashis vis-à-vis Mangal,
Shani etc. planets have been advocated/permitted/sanctioned by our dharmashastras! Some
moderators/owners of astrology forums even claim that the Atharva Veda has given results of
being born in different nakshatras! Another "Vedic astrologer" says that "the sun went to meet the
Bull" means the astrological sign Vrishaba as per the Vedas! As they are not quoting the relevant
shlokas/mantras in support of their arguments, in spite of being asked to do so repeatedly, they
are liars and are obviously making a fool of everybody!  

A “Vedic astrologer” had even claimed "The Manu Smriti is the oldest Dharmasashtra and the fact
that it permitted astrology means that astrology was permitted from the beginning of the Hindu
civilization." But, as is the habit of these “Vedic astrologers”, he also has not quoted any shloka in
support of his “declaration”!  

The facts of the case, however, are: 

“Nakshatra-jeevis i.e. jyotishis must be debarred from performing any religious rites”--
Manu 

I request these "Vedic astrologers" to do some introspection after reading as to what the Manu has
said actually about "nakshatra-jeevis" (jyotishis!) in shloka 162 of third adhyaya, and I quote: 

"hasti go ashva ushtra damako NAKSHATRAIR YASHCHA JEEVATI,  

pakshinam poshako yashchai, yudhacharyas tathaiva chai.." 

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 This shloka in the Manusmriti is actually in the context about as to which people are to be
debarred from performing diava and pitrya karyas i.e. yajnyas etc for gods and oblations etc. for
the Manes, and the Manu has said unequivocally "Trainers of elephants, cows, horses; ANYONE
WHO EARNS HIS LIVELIHOOD BY DINT OF NAKSHATRAS and one who puts birds into cages are not
allowed to perform any daiva or pitra karya" 

The Hindi translator of Kshemraj Shri Krishendas, Bombay, edition of the Manusmriti has translated
the above shloka as follows, “haathi, bail, ghoda aur oont – in sabko sikhane wale aur JYOTISH SE
JEEVIKA KARNE-WALE—yeh sab shubha karya main varjit hain”. Is this the permission that the
Manu is supposed to have granted? 

The same “Vedic astrologer” who had said that the Manu had “permitted astrology” had said
further, "If Avtarji has not read what the Manu Smriti says about astrology he has no right to say
that astrology is not sanctioned in the ancient past." It means, thus, that he, like all his
counterparts, has read the Manusmriti upside down! 

“One must forget bhagya and only stick to purushartha”---Manu 

The same “Vedic astrologer” had also said that the Manu has advised that a king must consult a
jyotishi. However, again, he has not quoted any shloka in support of his argument and it appears
that he is confusing, because of his Tamoguni budhi, the Manu with Varahamihira! It is the latter
according to whom a king must definitenly have a "samvatsarika"! The Manu was not a fatalist. He
was a scholar extraordinary with practical knowledge of statecraft besides the Vedas etc. and what
he has actually advised the king to do, instead of consulting soothsayers, is: 

“bakavat chinatayet arthan simha vat chai prakramet 

Vrika vat cha avalumpeta shashavat cha vinishpatet” Manusmriti 7/106 

i.e. "Like a kingfisher eager to hunt some fish in the river/sea/lake, a king must concentrate on
increasing his wealth (a kingfisher does not consult soothsayers before pecking at the fish!). A
king must jump on his enemy like a lion jumps on its prey (lions do not consult ‘Vedic astrologers’
before jumping on their preys). Like a wolf a king must kill his enemy even if it is hidden in a fort
(No astrologer has as yet claimed that he was consulted by some wolf!). Like a hare, a king must
know how to extricate himself from tricky situations (Does anybody know if any rabbit has
consulted some jyotishi?)"  

In 7/182-83, the Manu has said, "A king must wage a war in the month of Margasheersha or
Phalguna or any other suitable period when he is sure of his victory by dint of the opponent king
having got addicted to some bad habits etc.” 

Consulting fortune tellers is definitely a fad, a bad habit, an addiction and has been proscribed by
shastras since it makes one very unsure of himself/herself and leaves him/her at the mercy of
soothsayers, most of whom are liars and quite a few of whom call themselves "Vedic astrologers"
these days. Example is better than precept and that example is: BJP was sent into wilderness as
jyotishis had assured them that by advancing the elections, Shri A B Vajapayee would be the PM,
come what may! Poor Vajpayeeji has all along been bedridden, after having lost his throne! No
jyotishi had “foreseen” that!  

Regarding "bghagya versus purusharth", this is what the Manu has said, 

Naatmanam avamanyeta parvabhir abhisamridhibhih 

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Aamrityoh shriyam anvishyet nainam manyeta durlabam,… (Manusmirit 4/137) i.e. 

"If in spite of making efforts, one is not able to earn the desired amount of wealth, one must in no
case feel himself/herself unfortunate but continue to make efforts till the end of his/her life, since it
is not that difficult to earn wealth (by making proper efforts)"  

The Manu has not advised that one must consult soothsayers to do some remedial measures or
wear some gem to remove non-existent and imaginary kalasarpa doshas and ashtama shani and
what not to get rid of penury! 

The real crux of fate versus efforts has been described by the Manu in 7/205 

Sarvam karmedam ayattam vidhane daiva manushye 

tayor daivam achintyam tu manushe vidyete kriya 

"What good or bad deeds have been done in our past births are in the hands of 'daiva'. What
(good or bad deeds) we are doing now in this birth is up to us. Since what is past is past. It need
not be pondered upon. But the present can certainly be taken care of (and as such, we should
forget the past janmas and concentrate on good deeds in this janma---and certainly making a fool
of the gullible public by making correct predictions from incorrect data is not a good deed at all,
nor is it a “good deed” on the part of “clients” to run after soothsayers!). 

To remove any doubts further from the minds of astro-buffs, the Manu has defined purushartha as
follows: 

“alabdham chaiva lipsyet labdham rakshyet prayatnatah 

Rakshitam vardhayet chaiva vridham paatreshu nikshipet 

Etachchaturvidham vidyat purushartha prayojanam  

Asya nityam anushthanam samyak kuryat atandritah” 7/99-100 

“One must attempt to obtain what he/she has not obtained yet. He/she must preserve what
he/she has already earned, and keep on increasing it further. After having increased it, he/she
should utilize (invest) it properly  

“These are the four limbs/types of purushartha and one must always keep them in mind and act
accordingly (and not waste his/her time and wealth and energy by running after nakshatra-
soochis!)”. 

Bhishma also has castigated nakshatra-soochis! 

Let us hear what Bhishma had to say about “nakshatra-soochis” 

“ahvayakah devalakah naakshatra gramayajakah 

Ete brahmana chandalah maha-pathika panchakah”….. Shanti Parva 76/6 

i.e. “Court bailiffs, pujaris of temples for the sake of money, those who study naksahtras
(jyotishis!)…are chandalas even if they are Brahmins (and must be excluded from daiva and pitrya

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karya)”. Bhishma also did not believe in bhagya (and therefore nakshatra-soochis!) but in
purushartha:  

Let us now hear Bhishma’s views about bhagya versus purushartha: 

“utthanenna sada putra prayatetha yudishthira 

Na hi utthanam rite daivam rajnyam artham prasadayet” Rajdharmanushasana parva 65/14 

“Dear son Yudishthira, you must always rely on your own efforts since without your own efforts
there is no question of any daiva (bhagya) bestowing any riches on any king”  

“vipannam vai samarambhe santapam ma sma vai krithah 

Ghattasvaiva sadaatmanam rajnyam eva paro nayah” Rajadharmanushasana parva 65/16 

“If you are besieged by miseries, do not feel despondent. To struggle with adversities (without
consulting soothsayers!) is the only way out for a king to come out of those adversities.” 

Vishnugugupta Kautileeya a.k.a. Chanakya has no good words for nakshatra-soochis and
astro-buffs! 

The world famous statesman Chanakya (4th century BCE), in his Arthashastra, has dissuaded a
king about consulting nakshatra-soochis in no uncertain terms: 

“nakshatram ati prichhantam baalo artham ati vartate 

Artho hyarthasya nakshatram kim karishyanti tarakah” 

i.e. “ The objective (artha) eludes the foolish man (baalam) who enquires too much from the
stars. The objective should be the nakshatra of the objective, of what avail are the stars”. We
must not forget that Chankya destroyed the last king of Nanda-Vamsha, who was an astro-buff. It
means thus that to destroy a powerful enemy you have to shun and not embrace nakshatra-jeevis! 

Vasishtha Muni, the preceptor of Bhagwan Rama, also has chided astro-buffs and
jyotishis: 

Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana has nothing but sarcasm for jyotisha, jyotishis and also their
clients in no uncertain terms when he has said: 

“kaal vidbhir vinirneetaa yasyasti chira jeevita,  

sa ched jeevati sanchhin shiras tad daivam uttamam 

kaal vidbhir vinirneetam pandityam yasya raghava 

anadyapita vidyash-ched vidvan tad daivam uttamama” Mumukshu vyavhar prakran 8/18-19 

“Destiny may be said to be efficacious/effective, if some one for whom the jyotishis (fortune
tellers) had predicted a long life survives even after he has been beheaded. 

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“Destiny may be said to be something to be reckoned with, if some one for whom jyotishis had
predicted great scholarship becomes a scholar without reading even a single alphabet
himself/herself” 

It is clear that after the nakshatra and/or utpata-soochaka works like “Atharva-Veda Parishishta” or
“Parashara Samhita” etc. had been spawned, the real well wishers of Bharatavarsha like the Manu,
Bhishma and Vasishtha and even Vishnugupta Kautileeya etc. had warned the Hindus in no
uncertain terms about the pernicious effects of running after “nakshatra soochis” who are actually
"chandalas" even if they are Brahmins!  

Gautama the Budha also has warned about omen-mongers in no uncertain terms: 

“Some brahmanas and shramanas earn their livelihood by taking to beastly professions and eating
food brought to them out of fear; the say, ‘there will be a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse, occultation
of the stars, the sun and the moon will move in the correct direction, the nakshatras will move in
the correct path, in the incorrect path, there will be precipitation of meteors, burning of the
cardinal direction, earthquakes, roar of heavenly war drums, the sun, the moon and the stars will
rise and set wrongly producing wide distress among all beings etc. (Just do not be taken in by
their pranks!)” Digha nikaya, Vol I, p 68, Pali Text Book Society 

All the dharmashastras are against nakshtra-schoochis/jeevis: 

It is not only the Manusmriti and the Mbh or Yogavasishtha but every dharmashastra has
castigated vociferously such “brahaman chandalas” 

Let us see what Atri Samhita 383-385 has to say 

“jyotirvido hyatharvanah keerah pauran-pathakah 

Shradhe yajnye mahadane na varneeyah kadachanai  

Shradancha pitaram gauram danam chaiva tu nishphalam 

Yajnye cha parihanih syat tasmat tan parivarjayet 

Aavkashchitrakarashchai vaidyo nakshatra pathakah 

Chatur vipra na pujyante brihaspati samah yadi 

“A JYOTISHI, AN ATHARVANA, ONE WHO NARRATES PURANAS FOR A LIVELIHOOD, ALL THESE
ARE TO BE AVOIDED IN A SHRADHA AS WELL AS A YAJNYA AT ALL COSTS. IF THESE PEOPLE DO
PARTICIPATE IN SHRADHAS ETC. ALL SUCH SHRADAS AND ANY CHARITIES TO THEM WILL BE
NISHPHALA I.E. FRUITLESS. THEY WILL DO MAXIM HARM TO ANY YAJNYA IN WHICH THEY
PARTICIPATE. THEY MUST THEREFORE BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS……A BRAHMIN WHO IS A
NAKSHATRA PATHAKA I.E. ONE WHO READS NAKSHATRAS OF HIS CLIENTS HAS TO BE SHUNNED
AND AVOIDED EVEN IF HE IS AS LEARNED AS BRIHASPATI, THE PRECEPTOR OF GODS ”. 

It is worthwhile to note that the “Atharva Veda Parishishita” has advised to utilize the services of
an Atharvana without fail whereas Atri Rishi has advised that an Atharvana, even if he is as well-
read and intelligent as Brihaspati, has to be shunned like a “chandala” 

I wonder if there can be anything more damaging/castigating for nakshatra-soochis---who call

themselves “Vedic astrologers” these days---than Atri’s admonishments! 

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Vridha vasishtha has called nakshtra soochis as papamoortih i.e. sin personified: 

Nakshatra soochee kila papa-roopo, heyah sada sudharma kritye……. Vridha-Vasishta 

A nakshatra soochi is sin personified and must be avoided at all costs in any good deed.  

Was Varahamihira really a well-wisher of the Hindus or of the Greeks/Ionians, since he

called the latter “mlechhas” but wanted the Hindus to worship them as Rishis because
they knew astrolatory? 

As everybody knows, Varahamihira, whom some “Vedic astrologers” address as “Parama pujya”---
i.e. the “Most worshipful one”, has said in his Brihat Samhita 2/15  

Mlechhah hi yavanas teshu samyak shastram idam sthitam 

Rishi vat te-api pujyante, kim punar daiva-vid dvijah 

”Yavanas (Greeks and/or Ionians) are certainly mlechhas actually but as they know the shastra of
astrology (predictive gimmicks!) they are worshipped like Rishis…”. However, all our shastras, as
seen above, advise that even if a highly well read Brahmin like Brihaspati is a nakshatra-
soochi/jeevi i.e. a jyotishi, he must be shunned like a chandala from all the religious functions! 

Since it is those very “doctrines” that have been castigated by our Rishis that were later
propagated/advocated by Varahimihira on the shoulders of Sphujidwaja’s Yavana Jatakam and
Maya the mlechha’s Surya Sidhanta etc., we have to be extremely wary about the intentions of
that Varahamihira and today’s “Vamadevas” and “Parasharas” who tell us that predictive gimmicks
are “Vedic astrology” and who call those gimmicks as “Vedanga Jyotisha” which actually is a
mathematical work for calculating tithi etc. 

Since all the sages like the Manu, Vasishtha, Chanakya and even Gautama the Budha were of a
pre-Varahamihira era, who was around in about 6th century AD, it means Varahamihira had either
not read any of those admonishments---nay even our dharma-shastras---or ignored them
deliberately. Most probably, it must be the latter, since that is what today’s “Vedic astrologers”
are doing! It could also be that he read dharmashastras upside down, exactly like today’s “Vedic
astrologers” who claim that the Manu had permitted astrology. It is, therefore, extremely doubtful
that Varahamihira was a well-wisher of the Hindus, as he appears to have misguided them about
his prowess of predictive gimmicks on the basis of a monstrous astronomical work viz. the Surya
Sidhanta and advised them to treat even mlechhas as Rishis if they knew astrolatory!  

It is worthwhile to note that the same “Vedic astrologer” who says that the Manu has “permitted
astrology” goes on parroting that Varahamihira belonged to an era of 6th century BCE instead of
6th century AD, but, as is the habit of “Vedic astrologers”, he is not advancing any proofs for the
same either! 

Actually, some good for nothing Greek astronomer masqueraded as Maya, the father-in-law of
famous Rakshasa king Ravana, at the fag end of Satya-yuga (sic!) and some “mlechhas” are
masquerading today as “Vamadevas”, all teaching us “Vedic astrology” (sic!). You can draw your
own conclusions about Varahamihira as well as today’s “Vamadevas” and “Parasharas” whose only
aim is thus to derail the real Vedic calendar through “Vedic astrology”! That also reminds me that
some jyotishis are sort of worshipping even Ravana for the astrological knowledge he is supposed
to have bequeathed through his Ravana Samhita etc. works! I have seen that work also, and like
Brihat Parashari, is the worst possible figment of imagination! 

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Common-sense also demands to shun being a “kapurusha” (a fatalist eunuch!) 

I remember having read, several decades back, a dialogue---perhaps--in Panchatantra. A shishya,

after having met with failures in spite of his efforts, was disappointed and said to his Guru,
“bhagyam phalati sarvatra, na vidya na chai paurusham” i.e. “It is only fate and neither efforts nor
education etc., that work/frucitfy everywhere in case of a human being”. The Guru, however,
retorted,  

“udyoginam purusha simham upaiti lakshmi, daivena deyam iti kapurusha vadanti”--- 

“Only someone who acts like a lion i.e. one who makes Herculean efforts in spite of having met
with failures, deserves the blessings of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. On the other hand,
‘bhagya will do everything’ is a pet dialogue of eunuchs”. That is also what Bhagwan Krishna
advised Arjuna in the Gita: 

“klaibyam ma sma gamah parthai naitat tvayi upapadyete 

Kshyudram hridaya daurbalyam tektvotishtha parantapai” 

“O Arjuna, don’t act like a eunuch! It does not behove you! Shake off your sloth and weak
heartedness and get up and fight – act” Bhagwan Krishna did not ask Arjuna to consult any
soothsayer nor did He advise Arjuna to “leave everything to your fate”. We also must, therefore,
wake up and make every effort ourselves to save the Vedic calendar from the clutches of “Vedic
astrologers”, instead of expecting some miracles! 

“Try, try again” 

I also remember having read in my school days a REAL STORY of some king, perhaps Rana Sanga
of Rajasthan—I am not sure, that after fleeing from his opponents, he was hiding in a dilapidated
house in ruins and was in utter frustration. There he saw a spider crawling towards its web but the
‘thread’ through which it was crawling snapped and it fell to the ground. The spider kept on trying
again and again and it is said that it succeeded in going into its web after an eighth attempt. The
king was amazed on the tenacity of the spider and got an inspiration, ‘Try, try again’ from that
creature! Instead of running to some jyotishi, like today’s politicians, he made several attempts
and ultimately succeeded in vanquishing his enemy. So if we really want to succeed in our efforts
to streamline the Vedic calendar, the first thing we have to do is to shun “brrahmana-chandalas”. 

Are our dharmacharyas aware of the damage that is being done to the nation by “Vedic
jyotish”? 

In a nutshell, all our shastras and common sense are against any sort of indulging in “bhavishya-
darshan” especially as it is the greatest obstacle in streamlining the Hindu calendar. It is only
“Vedic astrologers” who are putting the cart before the horse by trying to convey that our shastras
have “permitted astrology” from the “beginning of Hindu civilization”!  

Since these “Vedic astrologers” are not quoting any exact references in support of their arguments,
it appears that they are completely enveloped in Tamoguni budhi and therefore interpreting every
shastra in quite an opposite manner!  

What is all the more surprising is that our dharmacharyas and jagadgurus and “his holiness of art
of one thing or the other” etc. etc. are encouraging these “brahmana chandalas” in their anti-Vedic
activities in the name of “Vedic astrology”! 

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May be even those dharmacharyas etc. etc. are reading all the shastras upside down, since the
Manu has advised especially Vanaprasthis, which naturally includes Sanyasis and dharmacharyas
and jagadgurus etc. etc., to desist from being nakshatra soochis, in no uncertain terms: 

“na chaa utpata nimitabyam na nakshatranga vidyaya 

Na anushasana vadabyam bikshyam lipset karhichit Manusmriti 6/50 

“A Vanaprasthi should never earn his ‘biksha’ (a mendicant’s livelihood) either by declaring the
results of utpatas i.e. omens like falling of meteors or flying of swallows etc. etc.; face reading etc.
nor by nakshatra vidya i.e. by checking the horoscopes of others…..” 

I, therefore, request these dharmacharyas and “his holinesses” and yogis and tantriks galore to
wake up to such travesty of dharmashastras and instead of reading them upside down, they must
streamline the real Vedic calendar in accordance with the Vedic lore and not “Lahiri-lore” or
“Ramana-lore” or “Chandra-Hair-lore” etc. 

A friendly advice to all the “nakshatra-soochis” and “nakshatra-jeevis” who call

themselves Vedic astrologers these days: 

Since most of the “Vedic astrologers” and their “acharyas” are prospering by leaps and bounds at
the cost of the real Vedic calendar by such anti-Vedic activities as “Vedic astrology” they feel that
they are doing the right thing and they must continue to do so, as instead of losing anything, they
are gaining name and fame and of course, wealth! But this is what Bhishma has said about such
nouveau riche people. 

Na adharmash-charito rajan sadyah phalati gaurivaa 

Moolani chai prashakhaschai dahan samdhigachhati 

Papena karmana vittam labdva papah prahrishyeti 

Sa vardamanah steyena papah pape prasajyete 

Na dharmo asteetimanvanah shucheen avahasan iva 

Ashradhadanashchai bhavet vinasham upagachhati…. ….Mahabharata Shanti parva 102/17-20 

“O Yudishthira, adhrma does not fructify immediately just as a seed sown in the earth would do!
However, it burns the roots (parents!) as well as the branches (kith and kin, including offspring!)
ultimately. A sinner, by amassing wealth by dint of his sinful activities feels overjoyed and
commits more sinful activities (to earn more wealth)! On prospering thus through his adharma he
thinks that nothing like dharma exists at all and even makes a fun of pious people, who are poor
because of their piety. However, the sinner gets destroyed ultimately (together with his parents
and offspring)”. 

I do not think anything more pertinent and relevant could have been said by anybody else for
these naksahtra-scoohis and naakshtraas and nakshatra jeevis and their dharmacharyas! We have
a LIVING EXAMPLE OF “the greatest Vedic astrologer” of the previous century, who had literally
built a huge empire through “Vedic astrology” (nakshatra-soochi!) profession, books and
magazines but died himself a miserable death; his wife became a pauper who had to beg from her
offspring for her hand to mouth living (in spite of the fact that the “greatest Vedic astrologer of the
twentieth century” had foreseen “Rajya yogas” and “dhana yogas” in her horoscope and that is why

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he had married her)! All those “Vedic astrology” books and “magazines” are now being sold as
waste paper and his offspring are fighting among themselves like Kilkenny cats for the spoils! Ill
gotten is ill spent! And as per our shastras, there is nothing more ill gotten than what is “gotten”
through being a ”brahmana-chandala” i.e. a “nakshatra-scoohi”, as has been proved above. 

No Rashi has been mentioned at all in the Manusmriti or the Mbh or Arthashastra or Atri
Samhita etc.: 

Absence of Mesha etc. rashis at the time of the Manu is evident from the following shlokas about
creation: 

”kalam kala vibhakteeshchai nakshatrani grahas tatha 

Saritah sagaran shailan samani vishamani chai” 1/24 

“The creator created Time, kal, nakshatras, grahas, oceans and mountains etc...(but not Mesha
etc. rashis!)”.  

“Daive ratri ahanee varsham pravibhagastayoh punah 

Ahas tatra udagayanam ratrih syat dakshinayanam” 1/67 

“A year has two ayanas, Uttarayana is the day of gods and dakshinayana their night”. 

It means the Creator had not created any Mesha etc. rashis by the time of the Manu though He
had created naksahtras and grahas! Dimensions of Time also were in Ayanas and days etc. sans
Mesha etc. Rashis. 

Similarly, we do not find Mesha etc. rashis in the Mbh. nor in the Arthashastra of Chanakya but
only nakshatras! 

What is also noteworthy is that in all the admonishments of the Manu, the Atri Samhita and the
Mbh or Gautama the Budha, “Vedic astrologers” have been addresses as “nakshatra-soochis” or
“nakshatra jeevis” or “shamanas” or even “naakshatras”. It confirms the fact that prior to the
advent of Surya Sidhanta by Maya the mlechha, predictions in India were made on the basis of
nakshatras (and not Mesha etc. Rashis!) vis-à-vis planets, as advocated by “Atharva Veda
Parishishta” etc.---–but not any Veda or Vedanga Jyotisha etc.! Such “jyotishis” whom the AVP
calls Atharvanas etc. were called nakshatra-jeevis by our shastras. And those very naakshatra-
jeeevis have been castigated by all the shastras as “brahmana-chandalas” etc.! 

A nod to wise and…. 

I could quote hundreds of “pramanas” from the Vedas, Brahmanas, Upanishadas, Itihasas and
Puranas and other shastras where the Hindus have been advised to believe in their efforts (and not
in soothsayers!) for chaturvarga i.e. dharma, artha, kama and moksha. But I think that is
belabouring the issue, and “Vedic astrologers” like the one who said that the Manusmriti permitted
astrology, would say that my posts are “verbose”! Thus if these jyotishis are really wise, they will
take this hint as more than sufficient and stop making fools in the name of Vedic astrology and also
creating obstacles in streamlining the Vedic calendar!  

Celebrating festivals/muhurtas on wrong days is literally killing our dharma ourselves! 

“Darhma eva hato hantih dharmo rakshayati rakshitah 

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Tasmad dharmo na hantavyo, maa no dharmo hato avadheet” Manusmriti 8/15 

“If you kill your dharma, it will kill you and if you protect it, it will protect you. As such, dharma has
to be protected at all costs lest it kills us if we betray it for selfish motives”. And there is no better
or worse way of killing/betraying one’s own dharma than by celebrating festivals on wrong days! 

The net result of this mess known as Vedic astrology is that we are celebrating all our festivals etc.
on wrong days like marriages in shdardapaksha and Pitra amavasya on the day of actual Dipavali
and so on! 

All I can do is to pray to God to save Hindu dhamra from ‘brahmana-chandalas” and their
dharmacharyas and yogis and tantriks so that Hindus can start celebrating festivals and muhurtas
on correct days!  

With regards, 

A K Kaul 

Om Tat Sat Brahmarpanam Astu 

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