benefics and malefics in indian astrology

1
this is a tricky concept to wrap my head around... i suspect it takes time to learn the ropes!!!

okay, this fellow on the net - VS- has a nifty article on malefics and benefics here

http://www.theartofvedicastrology.com/?page_id=372

and a nifty chart detailing it all is here -
http://www.theartofvedicastrology.com/w ... lanets.jpg

he says somewhere on his site how he views the rulerships of rahu and ketu, and as a consequence they end up being malefics or benefics based on his idea on who rules them.. other then that, i was able to digest the ideas fairly easily..

aj - does your Shri Jyoti Star 9 astro prog do similar tables as are found on towards the bottom of this article? curious - thanks!

3
I think I mentioned somewhere before that the very best list of planets for ascendants is in Dr. K.S. Charak's Elements of Vedic Astrology I. Something is lost in understanding when planets are listed simply as "positive" or "negative" as in your referenced list, James. The traditional terms are benefic and malefic, plus marakas (death inflicting planets) and Yogakarakas, the planets that are said to cause the best effects in a chart. Anyway, I find Dr. Charak's details and text explanations helpful in mentally setting the relationship of various planets to different ascendants (12 pages).

Dr. Charak's books are kind of a bridge between traditional Jyotish and the modern western re-hash, where much is lost of the underlying spiritual energy of traditional India. This is something I find difficult to put into words. It has to do with the underlying vibrations felt when reading or studying texts or connecting with contemporary authors.

I think if a student wants to learn India's astrology, and doesn't have the opportunity to study with a guru (or gurus), then the best option is to concentrate on texts that carry the ancient Indian "vibes" as would be said today. This means staying with Indian authors such as K.N. Rao and Dr. Charak, plus some of the older astrologers who are no longer with us.
http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm

4
thanks aj and therese for the feedback here..

therese - i agree with you... the idea of positive and negative, or +1, and -1 type descriptions lose in translation the basis for the ideas behind them.. i would be interested to read k s charaks book... i have too many on the go at present and not sure when this will happen though... thanks... it's good for others to know as well..

5
Also note Parashara and Jaimini can have different benefics, malefics depending on conditions.

For example Ketu can be very beneficial and the 2nd best giver of yoga in jaimini after jupiter accoriding to Krishnamishra in his Phalaratnamala.

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Devaacharyam, you are new here and obviously have a solid foundation in India's astrology. Could you tell us something about your background and training? And if you want to share your real name? I do have trouble especially on astrological forums where those who post use screen names which gives us no idea about who they are. This wouldn't be done on professional academic forums, and is one reason astrology remains in the entertainment field and is not respected as a discipline.
http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm

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Devaacharyam, since you learned from family, we'll assume that you are Indian. There are many western students who don't have a family tradition of India's astrology. That means that their only recourse for study are contemporary (mainly Western) teachers and various Indian and western texts. Based on your experience, what teachers or texts would you recommend for study...supposing that the new student knows nothing at all about India's astrology?
http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm

9
All editions, commentary on Varahamihira's Brihat Jataka, for basics. This the main text. All other texts have their own special techniques as such which would confuse the beginner. But its not a perfect world, so many will drift to the BPHS and get muddled jaimini concepts, and all the mixing of dasha systems which derive from other schools of thought.

Once they have rigorously studied Brihat Jataka they can move on to texts which deal with Nakshatra dasas like Vimshottari from Satya Jataka, then learn to weed out what is needed from the BPHS. It is a broad area, and various teachers today can or not be recommended. This is up to the person, they can choose any teacher, but need to accept if a technique can be used another technique such and such. Modern books help with attributes, and modern thought, but its still modified with western views as you have mentioned in your other posts. I can get into that in another topic, but its huge.

I recommend any teacher now for basics, since atleast 99.7% ideal estimate start with Parashara.

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Devaacharyam wrote:
All editions, commentary on Varahamihira's Brihat Jataka, for basics. This the main text. All other texts have their own special techniques as such which would confuse the beginner. But its not a perfect world, so many will drift to the BPHS and get muddled jaimini concepts, and all the mixing of dasha systems which derive from other schools of thought.

Once they have rigorously studied Brihat Jataka they can move on to texts which deal with Nakshatra dasas like Vimshottari from Satya Jataka,
Ah, yes, Brihat Jataka, the standard Indian study text for a very long time. Way back in the 1970s and 80s this is the text we used along with B.V. Raman's and his grandfather's books. I wonder if Brihat Jataka is used in western classrooms today? (I'm not out circulating anymore, so have to depend on journals, videos, word-of-mouth and web sites.) I have four English editions, and like to compare translations and commentary.

I'm glad you mentioned Satya Jatakam. My hardback copy is so old the pages are brittle. Just reviewing the early pages...my memory isn't great anymore...I am struck by the simplicity of instruction and how different it is from the wordiness of today's texts. And right at the beginning stellar astrology is discussed, reflecting modern Krishnamurti and Khullar principles. One could spend months studying birth charts and testing the earliest statements:
The fortunes of the native are to be studied with reference to: (1) the ascendant lord; (2) The lord of the ascendant in the navamsa diagram; (3) the lord of the birth star [nakshatra]; and (4) the lords of the rasis occupied by the above three.
I haven't been able to find anything about the history or dating of this text. Can you offer any information? It's only about USD $5 at Vedic Books. The copy I have (Ranjan Publications) has a preface by S.K. Raman dated to 1979 which must the the publication date. Is he the translator?
http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm

11
hey, i have a copy of brihat jataka.. it is called varaha mihira's brihat jataka by b. suryanarain rao.... where does that fit into the scheme of all the translations out and about? thanks... i have yet to read it...

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James wrote:
hey, i have a copy of brihat jataka.. it is called varaha mihira's brihat jataka by b. suryanarain rao.... where does that fit into the scheme of all the translations out and about? thanks... i have yet to read it...
Brihat Jataka is THE primary Indian classical text. But you can't just "read" it. It takes a lot of study and thinking and experimenting with charts. This was the primary study text in India for a long time. B. Suryanarain Rao has added extensive notes and has a definite bias against the west. But I enjoy his commentary and books. There is a certain Indian spiritual flavor that is lacking in newer books. Sort of an ancient wisdom undercurrent, for lack of a better way to say it, a vibration that links to India's past.

Years ago I visited B.V. Raman's offices (Rao's grandson) in Bangalore, and spoke with family members. There was a definite gentle and respectful spiritual aura in the family and surroundings. (I've also attended B.V. Raman events.) Maybe a person has to have a certain psychic sensitivity to feel this...I don't know. I just know that I was turned off by the energy and personalities of the early western Jyotish movement and withdrew. But we have this movement and personalities within the movement to thank for helping to make the sidereal zodiac a concept to be reckoned with in the west, and for that I'm grateful.

About English versions of Brihat Jataka: Three versions were published in the same era: Rao's translation (1918); Swami Vijnananda (1912); N. C. Iyer (1885) (plagiarized by "Usha & Shashi" 1977). P. S. Sastri's edition came out in 2007 with less commentary. There might be other English translations I don't know about. There are no doubt a number of translations in India's regional languages.

For the significance of the B. Suryanarain Rao translation, read the "Preface to the Fifth Edition (1986) by B. V. Raman, the "Forward" by B. Lakshminarain Rao (1957), and the Preface (1919) by the author. The edition I have was published in 1986. I don't know if later publications have been modified by others.
http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/LostZodiac.htm