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Thursday, December 23, 2010
Angela Donovan has her Naadi reading in India
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Sunday, December 19, 2010
A Truly Bewitching Experience!
It was 6 years ago. I was living with my college friends in the city’s suburb. We never got the real seriousness until it’s the final exam time of the semester. It was such a joyful evening when my friend dropped by my place. Soon my roommates also joined for a chat with him. As we were discussing, rambling and laughing about college trivia, he suddenly started a new topic that jumped off the track of our conversation- it was about ghosts and spirits.
Though I never believed in any of these stories, I did not ever miss a discussion on ghosts. These discussions invariably start with 2 or 3 people and end with a big crowd of 10-12 people. Spooky stories are always enchanting and definitely a crowd puller. Back to the story- my friend said that he had been long suspecting that his house was haunted by a spirit. He also cited some creepy unexplainable incidents like “black images”, “hollow space” “shadows without an object” moving hither and thither at his place. This was happening for long. Only later did he learn from his landlord that the house had been vacant for years, before he moved in. It had been occupied by a family which moved out after a 9-year old girl in the household committed suicide. Though his narrative made us hold breath at irregular periods and left us open-mouthed, to me, it was just a nicely concocted story.
Then he added that the spirit of a killed or a prematurely dead human would lament, cry aloud and beg, on seeing its body being cremated in grave yard, longing to get back to its body. It sounded so irrational to my senses and I argued back. My roommates also started making fun of him for all that he had been saying hitherto. It definitely kindled his wrath and being unable to prove anything that he said, he quickly stood up, and snarled, “You guys may laugh at me now. But you will understand very soon!” He added, “I’m sure you guys won’t believe if I said, you can even know what your previous births were, and where your next birth will be! Naadi astrology tells you that. Go, see it for yourself!” He quickly disappeared from the spot. Even after a long time after he left, his last sentence was haunting me during the darkest times of that night. Rest is the main story.
The word ‘Naadi’ kept resonating in my mind even the following day. I’ve heard about such an astrological practice many times during the previous years. But I was never so interested in seeking it, and even at times when I thought of giving it a try, I was indifferent or I had more important things to do. However, this time, this overwhelming force made me become all the more keen on seeking it. But only for one simple reason- to prove to my friend that all that was just a humbug. The next moment, I was standing in front of this place where Naadi astrology is sought. I couldn’t help myself.
It was just a big house, with a board ("Agathiya Naadi center") hanging in the front. I entered the building with some reluctance as I’ve never been to an astrology place before in life. The place was buzzing with activities and packed with people who I could easily identify to be of different cultures, and some were from different countries too. I noticed a picture of a king who I later understood to be the Maratha king Serfoji, who had preserved the naadi palm leaves. The wall opposite to it was almost left with no space as a lot of paper cuttings of magazine articles had been stuck. It was obvious that each of the paper cuttings was from magazines in different languages such as German, Japanese, Chinese, English, Tamil, etc. I was attracted to an article titled, “Is there a next birth?”. As I was totally immersed into reading the article on the wall, I didn’t notice a hand coming towards my shoulder. “Tap!”
Someone patted at my back. My contemplation was instantly disturbed. “Please stand in the queue!!”, a distant voice yelled. I joined the long queue stretching out to the street. Finally when it was my turn, I was taken to the ‘pooja’ (prayer) hall. As I entered, I was awestruck to see thousands of old palm leaves stocked inside a series of cupboards. A big picture of siddhar Agathiyar quickly caught my attention. Then my right thumb impression was taken on a small card and my initial and place of residence were also noted down on the card (my full name wasn’t asked). Then I was asked to wait in the lounge along with the rest of the crowd. Time rolled on, and lot of people in the lounge were called out at regular intervals, informing that their leaf had been identified. As for me, it had been two hours, and no news yet.
I was pondering about how I would prove to my friend that this is fake and convince him tonight. Soon it was lunch time, and I went for a light meal, and returned to the place again. I had whiled away five hours in that strange place, and no news yet! I sighed, and almost confirmed that this whole thing was just a poor old trick. Suddenly, one of the employees appeared in the lounge and called out, “Sanatorium – H, your leaf has been found. You may proceed to the room downstairs!”. Sanatorium was the place where I lived, and H is my initial. Yes, it was me. My palm leaf had been found out.
The story grips. As I anxiously proceeded to the room, an astrologer who seemed religious with his simple outfits and a wide forehead fully covered with holy ash, beckoned me inside. He had a set of old, crippling palm leaves (written in vatteluthu Tamil script). He claimed one of those palm leaves to be mine (WHAT?!). He flipped through the hundreds of palm leaves in the set one by one, and read out some info. Every time before he moved on to the next leaf, he asked if any of the information was about me. After several such questions, he said he brought a wrong piece, and that he’d bring the right one. I could almost hear a loud cynical laugh from my deep insides.
He was back soon with a new set of palm leaves. He asked me so many yes-or-no questions and I almost lost interest in this game, and frantically shook my head for all his questions. As he flipped through the leaves, suddenly he uttered a name and questioned me if that was my dad’s name. I slowly raised my head, looked at him in astonishment and nodded. This was indeed the moment of truth. My dad has a very unique name that is often misspelled, but he uttered my dad’s name in its perfect spelling! I was totally flabbergasted how in the world my dad's name could have been written on that leaf!
Then he sat back, now seemed even more poised, and said that he had identified my own naadi leaf. He continued reading an ancient incomprehensible Tamil poem from the leaf and I was put to shock again- I heard him uttering my mom’s name. He read on, to say that I’ve sought Naadi at my age of 21. ("well, it's not rocket science to say what my age was, after looking at me. But how come my dad and mom’s names?!") He read out a hymn as Agathiyar praising Lord Shiva, and then came my name, what I was studying, how many siblings I have, what my dad and mom’s professions were, etc, etc, etc. I had an uneasy feeling that I was starting to lose the battle. He read out the exact date when I was born, and all the planetary positions during my birth. He also added that I was born on a Friday. But to my joy, this one wasn't true!
I quickly said to him that it was wrong and that I was almost sure that I was rather born on a Wednesday, and not a Friday. With a confident smile, he replied back that he was just reading what’s written on the leaf and asserted that the leaf says that I was born on a Friday and that couldn't be wrong. Then he continued reading. He started to read about my future- when I would start working, where and what will be my profession, whether and when I will fly to a foreign country, when would I get married, so on and so forth, up until the end of my life. I gasped at the moment he uttered my dad’s name, and I remember I breathed again only after he completed reading about my whole life.
Thousands of questions were spawning and proliferating in my mind, from several directions. Is this real, or am I still dreaming?? I could wake up right now, right at this moment and prove that this is all fake! But well, my excited heart rate asserts to me that I’m awake. This is happening for real. But how could it be possible? How could someone have written each and every detail about me, my family and my future, several thousand years ago? My senses were eating me for finding an answer, but in vain. After an hour’s time, I was given a notebook where the whole manuscript was copied on to.
This was truly a mind-boggling experience. All of these seemed to be unquestionably authentic and true, except for my day of birth. Interestingly, just this seemed to be wrong. I quickly sent a text message to my dad: “Dad, was I born on a Friday?!”. I was forced to think about all possible tricks that could have made this possible. I got reminded of a skill that a handful of people possess- ‘Mind-reading’. Some people are supposed to possess this extrasensory skill with which they could “pull out” words from one’s fresh memory. Before a mind-reader would tell what your name was, he would start with, “so, your name is...”. As your mind would be instantly waiting with your name to validate with his answer, a mind-reader can pull it out – as it is commonly believed. I was cross-checking my event with a suspicion of mind-reading. The naadi astrologer could’ve been a mind reader, and that’s how he was able to tell me my name and my parents' names. But there is no explanation for the future predictions. But wait- when I myself thought I was born on a Wednesday, why did he say that to be a Friday?! So, this cannot be mind-reading too. Sigh.. But why just my day of birth was wrong in the palm leaf? I left the place. Besides being thoroughly amazed, I was also confused.
During my journey back home, I was riding a local train that was too noisy and unusually crowded. But I was deaf to the external world. I didn’t hear a thing other than the millions of questions being asked within myself. I was deeply contemplating. “BEEP- BEEP!” My mobile phone’s SMS tone distorts my contemplation.
It’s from dad: “Yes, indeed”.
Now, only the amazement persists.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
PDF: Contemporary Arab Architecture : - PDFoo.com
Monday, December 6, 2010
Scientific Research Study on Naadi Astrology – Part 1
I believe that it would be difficult to persuade an editor (and reader) of a scientific journal that the correct statements made by a reader of ola leaves were not the result of a combination of paranormal cognition, guesses and inference.
Stevenson then suggested a final test of the authenticity of the leaf readings:
have extraordinary reverberations in philosophy, science and religion.
STUDIES ON THE PARANORMAL:
THE INDIAN OLA LEAF HOROSCOPES, AND THE IDEAS OF KARMA AND RE-INCARNATION
Readings - in Tamil, with English translation, both tape recorded
Personnae - F =, C's father who had a son from his 1st wife W1
AL = his second wife and mother of C
C = daughter of F from his 2nd wife AL
Your second child chased you away from your throne.
Tel. 0094-8-388302 Ext. 2005, Fax. 0094-8-388933
STUDIES ON THE PARANORMAL- 2: FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE ANCIENT INDIAN OLA (PALM) LEAF ('NADI')HOROSCOPES AND THE QUESTION OF `FREE-WILL' versus `DETERMINISM'
INTRODUCTION
2. `Fishing out' of information from the subject by discreet questioning of the subject by the reader, under the guise of needing such data to confirm the identity of the leaf. Subjects, whose cases were discussed in the previous article, carefully avoided giving of information on which a spurious reading could have been built.
3. Construction of a horoscope. If the reader is a competent astrologer, he could make a chart at the time of reading and provide the subject with a conventional reading on the basis of his `instant' chart. This seemed improbable because the time of birth, which is critical for the construction of a conventional Indian astrological chart, is not supplied by the subject for the search of his/her leaf; only the thumb prints, birth date and a name for reference are supplied; the name need not be the real name of the subject or even the complete name, and it is given for the `calling-up' of the subject for the reading. `Mundane', conventional astrological horoscopes, according to the Eastern system of astrology, are made on the basis of the place, date and, crucially, the time of birth. Because these (except the date of birth and place) are not given to the reader, the possibility of an instant construction of a chart by the reader is remote.
5. Telepathy. This was excluded because some readings were made after the initial providing of the thumb print in the absence of the subject (Case No. 15 described below) while the readings were recorded on an audio-tape. In addition, in other cases, correct facts read off the leaf were unknown to the subject at the time of reading.
The facts, obtained by mechanisms 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 would, of course, not be written on the leaf; hence the confirmatory test done as reported in this paper was to confirm or dispute ("falsify") the question whether the `correct' facts were really written on the leaf..
The accurate predictive capacity of the leaf-readings, which sometimes spanned a period of ten or more years, indicated that mechanisms 1 and 2 at least were not operative, and that they were genuine astrological readings.
Evidence given in the earlier report, supporting the tentative conclusion that the readings were made from a script actually written on the leaf, included the following:
(1) On repetition of the readings, sometimes months later, the facts and their sequence were approximately 80% and 75% respectively, in correspondence. Translational or interpretational variations might have accounted for the short-fall from 100%.
(2) The report also stated that in two cases, the subjects, both Tamil professionals who were familiar with the Tamil language's script, and who were also familiar with these leaves, read the names of either themselves or their family members on their respective leaves, indicating that indeed the readings given were made off a script which was documented on their leaves.
Another case (No. 15) further supports the view that these readings are made from a script written on the leaves. The subject obtained the reading of the first, general chapter which correctly stated facts about himself. The reader then suggested that the reading be continued on the next day as it was now late in the evening. On the next day the original reader gave the leaf to another reader who re-read the first chapter that was read on the previous day; the second day's reading of the first chapter was identical with that given on the first day, suggesting that the readings were made off a script actually written on the leaf.
Yet, despite the remarkably accurate statements and predictions, and evidence summarised above for the fact that the readings were based on a script that was really written on the leaf, Professor Ian P. Stevenson (Division of Personality Studies, Department of Psychiatric Medicine, University of Virginia, USA) stated (personal communication to SNA, 1999):
I believe that it would be difficult to persuade an editor (and reader) of a scientific journal that the correct statements made by a reader of ola leaves were not the result of a combination of paranormal cognition, guesses and inference.
Stevenson then suggested a final test of the authenticity of the leaf readings:
To show that these correct statements were written in ancient Tamil one would need to have photographs of the Tamil text together with translations by an expert on the Tamil language. Moreover, the photographed text should be that of the correct statements.
Further, Stevenson pointed out that:
Such a demonstration would be a remarkable event. I do not doubt that it would
have extraordinary reverberations in philosophy, science and religion.
This report describes this test done by one of the authors (SS) of this paper, in a centre in Chennai, South India, in February 2002.
RESULTS(The significant facts relevant to this paper are italicised)
In February 2002, SS called at a centre in Chennai, South India, which he had not visited before; nor had he met its readers before. He gave his right thumb print at 8 am, with his first name, the shortened version Sidha, used by his friends. After about an hour SS was called in for the reading. Several leaves were unsuccessfully tried for his father's name. Another bundle of leaves was then brought in. Midway through this bundle, the reader asked, "Is your father's name Sambandan?" SS replied `yes' as Sambandan is his father's surname which was not given earlier to the reader. The reader then asked, "Is your mother's name Saraswathy?" SS confirmed it, though he had not supplied it earlier. He then asked, "Is your name Sidheswara?" SS again agreed, although he had not given his full name earlier. "Is your wife's name Sosapin?" (Figure), and on being told "yes" by SS, the reader then said "This is your leaf". His wife's name too was not supplied to the reader earlier. He then went out for about five minutes to call in a scribe for audio-recording and the writing out of the reading.
The first, general chapter, containing the personal and family details, was read. The reader readily agreed to show SS the leaf and script and to allow SS to photograph it. The most decipherable name was SS's wife's name which was an English name. Her real name is "Josephine". There is no letter "j" in the Tamil language, and when present it is a borrowing from Sanskrit. The letter "s" is substituted for "j". (Professor C. Sivagnanasunderam, novelist in Tamil, 2002, personal communication); hence "So-sa-pin" instead of "Jo-sa-pin". The letters "So" were similar to the modern Tamil with which SS was familiar. The second syllable "Sa" in the Figure, is under the point of the pen. The "Sa" too was decipherable to one familiar with modern Tamil. The third syllable "pin" differed slightly from that in modern Tamil. The other sentences and words (other than names) in the text were difficult for SS to decipher. The facts in the rest of this first chapter, the past and up to the present, too, were accurate.
A few days later SS called at a different centre, also in Chennai, South India, which dealt with these leaf horoscopes. SS had not visited this centre before nor had he known its readers. SS showed a reader at this centre, the photograph of the leaf which was read at the first centre and which contained accurate facts relating to SS. This reader (at the second centre) read, slowly, "So-sa-pin". He also read SS's father's name, SS's name, and his mother's name with ease.
The reader at the first centre did not give the leaf to SS as it was claimed that another person's horoscope might be on the reverse. It should be stated that on a previous occasion in a different centre in South India, SS was given his leaf after an accurate reading.
The results of this test were communicated to Prof. Stevenson who first suggested the test. He then posed the possibility of the reader having had access to the `facts' telepathically or by `normal' guesses, and then written these `facts' out on an old (blank) leaf. This would have meant that the reader left the room where the client was, spent some time to write out a `new' leaf with the `facts' that he telepathically retrieved, and brought it back and read the same. This was not the case as after the client (SS) sat with the reader, the latter went out of the room during the reading for approximately a minute and only once, to answer a telephone call. Moreover, he left the leaf which had the correct facts on the table while he was away from the room for this brief period; it was during this period that SS photographed the writing on the leaf; above all, the reader did not bring any other leaf when he returned. The etching on a palm leaf is a tedious process with a metal stylus, more time consuming than writing on paper. The etching then has to be blackened with soot (carbon powder), and the excess soot rubbed off from the leaf with oil. It is unlikely that the `new' writing could have been made by the reader during his one-minute absence from the room, apart from the fact that he did not bring back with him another leaf, the putative fraudulent leaf.
A further refutation of the suggestion that data could have been obtained telepathically from the subject, arises from a case (No. 16) in which the subject, having had a reading of a few chapters, requested that the readings of the further chapters be recorded in her absence on a later date. These subsequent chapters had been read by the reader and recorded as requested by the subject, and were also found to be correct. Since the subject was not present at the latter readings, a telepathic process for retrieval of this data is probably unlikely.
DISCUSSION
Supplementary to the anecdotal and personal evidence recorded in our first (1998/9) and in the current paper, the test prescribed by Stevenson and the results accruing from it described in this paper, apparently demonstrated that the readings were made off a script actually written on the leaf.
An attempt will be made to have one of these ola leaves, in the possession of SS, carbon-dated. Even if the test reveals that the leaf is indeed centuries old, it could be construed that, as Stevenson hypothesised, the reading could have been made off a `new' instant script made on an old blank leaf, from data retrieved by the reader, telepathically. However, the cogent evidence described in the preceding paragraphs relating to SS, that the correct leaf was not recently-written on blank fraudulent leaf, appears to us to be strong enough to discount Stevenson's explanation and to regard these leaf horoscopes as authentic.
One of the Indian readers resident in Sri Lanka, when confronted with this `telepathic' explanation of the accuracy of the leaf readings, replied: "If I can get all the correct information from a subject, telepathically, I do not need to dabble with ola leaves". Indeed other practitioners of the paranormal do indeed provide clients with verbal astrological and perhaps numerological and telepathic readings (Sinhala - nimittas) which are accurate.
Epistemology in the East and West
Paranormal practices are firmly embedded in the South Asian culture. Eastern epistemology is perhaps of a wider scope in South Asia than in the West; for example, in Buddhism,
…the Buddha urged his followers to strive to go beyond faith in rebirth and to verify it through extrasensory capacities which, he claimed, one could cultivate by practising meditational techniques. In this sense, Buddhist ethics, and the whole of Buddhist epistemology that underlies it, are as empirical and as amenable to scientific method as is Western ethics, or even more so since sense-perception in Buddhism (as in most other Eastern epistemologies) is far broader than that defined and accepted in the West". (Hall, 1987)
Determinism
The implication of the result of our investigation that, at least, the major events in a person's life, are `determined', again raises the perennial questions of `free will' versus `determinism' (this matter was briefly touched upon in the 1998/9 paper) and of `moral responsibility' in decision-making through `free-will'. Ayer (1965) wrote: "It seems that if we are to retain this idea of moral responsibility, we must either show that men can be held responsible for actions which they do not do freely, or else find some way of reconciling determinism with the freedom of the will".
The implication from this paper's finding that major events are pre-determined will inevitably engender strong opposition from those who are confronted with the possibility of determinism. The primary purpose of this investigation, however, was to test the authenticity of the ola leaf horoscopes and not to attempt to resolve, if that is at all possible, the debate on `free-will' versus `determinism'. However, some comments, might seem to be necessary on this problem of `determinism'.
Consider the following (real) example. The selection of medicine as a career by a Sri Lankan subject A was based on his liking the subject, and the examples of relatives who were successful doctors. He later turned to academic medicine and research, through interest in experimentation, long before his undergraduate medical work began. His choice of a medical career was thus seemingly, in conventional terms, a free choice made of his `free-will'. His ola leaf read 36 years later in South India stated that the subject will qualify in medicine and will give instruction in medicine to others, and that he will have two higher degrees (which indeed he had acquired). If, as demonstrated here, these leaf readings are authentic, and were written decades or more probably centuries before, then his choice of a medical career was, in this sense, determined. Further determinants that underlay his choice of medicine were the examples of his relatives and his prior conditioning, through his reading of books on scientific discovery and experimentation. Thus, his choice of medicine as a career, though seemingly made through his `free-will' was in reality `determined'. Searle's (1984) question is topical: "Is it ever true to say of a human being that he could have done otherwise?…. Is all behaviour determined by such psychological compulsions?" Searle answers the second question negatively. If this debate is intractable to resolution, could at least the compromise of "compatibilism" (Searle 1984) give us any relief, though Searle thought it was an inadequate solution to the problem?
One of the criteria on which the operation of `free-will' is claimed to rest is the availability of alternatives which a subject could choose from in a given action. His choice of one option is then regarded as reflecting his `free-will' in making that choice while it remains a possibility that he could have made a different choice (see Searle 1984 for a discussion of this topic, p. 98). But the fact is that he did make the choice he made (the `factual'); the existence of `counter-factuals' i.e. the alternatives, is a philosophical problem which will not be discussed here.
If indeed the idea of `free-will' is delusory and that determinants of many kinds operate in the making of a choice, then there appears to be a parallel in the derivation of conclusions from observations and formulation of theories in science. This relates to the question of `objectivity'. As Grinnel (1987) states, "In any event, the observer can look at the scene in a multitude of ways, each of which involves different hypotheses regarding what he/she sees. Therefore, it has been suggested that an observer imposes a particular meaning on a scene according to his/her interest and interpretation of what is going on…. The point to be emphasised is that, in large part, an observer's previous knowledge and experience determine what aspects of a scene will be interesting to the observer". In discussing some ideas of the philosopher of science, Paul Feyerabend, Jones (1989) wrote: "This leads him to the controversial conclusion that competing theories are equally reasonable alternatives, with one being eliminated in favour of another only as a result of subjective choice. `What remains are aesthetic judgements, judgements of taste, metaphysical prejudices, religious desires, in short, what remains are our subjective wishes'".
Some comments (italicised) of the philosopher A.J.Ayer (1965) are also apposite to this discussion. "For it is not always the case that when a man believes that he has acted freely we are in fact able to account for his action in causal terms"
The possibility that Subject A's choice of medicine was determined by the circumstances described above, might here be considered.
"A determinist would say that we should be able to account for it if we had more knowledge of the circumstances, and had been able to discover the appropriate natural laws. But until those discoveries have been made, this remains only a pious hope".
Although the palm leaf readings indicate that his choice of a medical career was determined, the `natural laws' and the mechanism underlying such determinism, as well as of the leaf writings themselves, are of course unknown.
Finally, as Ayer (1965) wrote: "But now we must ask how it is that I come to make my choice. Either it is an accident that I choose to act as I do or it is not. If it is an accident, then it is merely a matter of chance that I did not choose otherwise;…. But if it is not an accident that I choose to do one thing rather than another, then there is some causal explanation of my choice: and in that case we are led back to determinism".. This appears to be the challenging situation that the palm leaf horoscopes have confronted us with.
Since the publication of our first paper in 1998/9, a commentary "Nadi Astrology (an overview", appeared in The Times of Astrology, New Delhi, January 2002. (see also http://www.sanskritionline.com/nadi/History.htm) Some facts in the Times of Astrology, which are supplementary to those in the 1998/9 paper are quoted verbatim in italics below, followed by our comments:
-Leaves were found "lying idle" in the Vaitheeswarankoil (South India) around the 13th century.
-Translations from Sanskrit were made into Tamil and Telugu.
-Only about 40% of persons are likely to get their leaves. (This implies that several million leaves should be available).
The author then posed some questions, some of which are answered in our present and the preceding articles.
"Are they actually reading what was written on the leaves?" This is the central question which the present article has apparently answered.
"Why don't nadi readers give your leaf to you, if it really belongs to you?" Indeed one of us (SS) had his leaf given to him after the reading in a South Indian centre.
"Can you read what is written there?" "Will they show it to you?" The present article has answered these two questions.
"Is it possible to do any research at all in this field?. The scientific approach to research on these leaf horoscopes was also discussed in the 1998/9 paper. A more general discussion "The scientific approach to research on the paranormal" was written (by SNA) in Trends in Rebirth Research, Proceedings of an International Symposium, 2001, N. Senanayake ed., Peradeniya, Sarvodaya Viswalekha Press.
"Are there other aspects, natural calamities, political set ups, wars, countries etc. written also nadi granthas (sic) other than about persons and if so why don't they publish it beforehand?" Yes in Case No. 10 (Arseculeratne 1998/9), the nadi reading referred to political events in Sri Lanka, 7 years into the future.
Why cannot the nadi readers tell the exact names of the wife/husband before marriage, but can tell the names (of) after marriage?" In Case No. 7 (Arseculeratne 1998/9) the nadi reading had given the name of the girl the subject would marry. It is of great interest that the girl he married had a different name but it was the case that the name specified by the reading was indeed the family name, to which an original name had been changed decades before this reading and before the subject's marriage to the girl. The name change was known only after his marriage.
Topics for Future Research.
"Whether we or the experts in linguistics can read the same and understand?" "Whether there is any script at all in the leaves?" These two questions have been answered in the present article.
A statement on the origins of these leaf writings is from the introduction in a leaf reading obtained by a Sri Lankan in India in the 1930s:
"Stanza 1- These are horoscopes written down by Agasthya Muni in his discourses to his disciple Machakendran:- `I had known the Shastras as dictated by Narayinal Goddess Parvathi wife of Narayanan to Nandi Devar [the Bull God that is the medium of Hindu worship of Shiva] and I am telling same to you. If you find in the palms of a male, the lines known as
adukku visiri sakkara
iratti yoga sangu paali
irai ligithamsam
he will be born in the race that sprang up in Ceylon through Buddhism in the capital town or near about'".
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We are thankful to Professor Ian P. Stevenson (Division of Personality Studies, Department of Psychiatry, University of Virginia, USA) for having suggested the test which was performed, and discussed in this investigation, and to Professor P.D. Premasiri (Department of Pali & Buddhist Studies, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) for discussions on the question of `free-will' and `determinism'.
REFERENCES
Arseculeratne, S.N. 1998/9. "Studies in the paranormal. I: The Indian ola leaf horoscopes and the ideas of karma and reincarnation." The Sri Lanka Journal of the Humanities XXIV and XXV, 231-246.
---. 2001, "An alternative approach to the study of rebirth through the Indian ola leaf horoscopes." In Trends in Rebirth Research. Proceedings of an International Symposium, N.Senanayake ed., Ratmalana: Sarvodaya ViswalekhaPress. 117-120.
Ayer, A.J. 1965, "Freedom and necessity." In Philosophical Essays, London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd.
Grinnel, Frederick, 1987. The Scientific Attitude. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press Inc.
Hall, Vance D. 1987. Western ethics confronting Eastern society. (unpublished lecture), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Jones, Richard. 1989. "The Historiography of Science. Retrospect and Future challenges." In Teaching the history of Science. Michael Shortland & Andrew Warwick eds, Oxford, Basil Blackwell.
Searle, John R. 1984, "The Freedom of the Will." In Minds, Brains and Science. The 1984 Reith Lectures, London, The British Broadcasting Corporation.
S.N. ARSECULERATNE & S.SAMBANDAN
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Visiting Bhrigu Samhita - (Article written in 1990)
Visiting Bhrigu Samhita
(Article written in 1990)
On the 3rd of January 1990 at 6 o'clock in the morning, my wife Arlette Gürtler and I were standing, freezing near a little village in the Himalayan Mountains of North India. We were not feeling very comfortable as we were very near to a wooded area, where a pack of wolves were prowling about.
We were waiting for the bus to take us to down the mountain where our two Tibetan friends, Professor Drakton and Tenzin Choegyal, were expecting us with a cup of nice hot coffee. We knew by then that we had a hard journey and some strange adventures ahead of us.
Before I proceed with the story of what happened, maybe I should introduce our Tibetan companions:
Professor Drakton
Mr. Jampa G. Drakton is professor at the Tibetan Medical Centre, teaching Tibetan Astrology and rendering astrological services to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Mr. Tenzin Choegyal is his disciple.
We became very good friends and I will explain more about Professor Drakton and the Tibetan astrology in a future article.
During the many conversations, Mr. Drakton and I talked about the palm-leaf horoscopes and the remarkable predictions that can be obtained from them. The Professor was aware of some of the secrets behind them, and I myself have got an English translation of some palmleaf horoscopes from friends in India.
Both of us had heard about a huge collection of very old palm-leaf horoscopes belonging to some astrologers in Hoshiarpur in the state of Punjab. This collection was supposed to be something quite unique and extraordinary.
We met with our two Tibetan friends and got on the bus for Hoshiarpur. It was an unpleasant journey. The busses in India are not very comfortable and they drive so fast on the winding mountain roads that you almost feel that you are risking your life; but finally, some time after noon, we arrived safely in Hoshiarpur.
Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur is a strange place, notably influenced by the fightings between the Sikhs and the Hindus that have been going on for years in Punjab (1990).
The atmosphere was rather depressed and there was a touch of suspiciousness. It was very dirty, and our hotel rooms had a terrible smell of urine. The bedclothes had probably never been washed, but fortunately we had brought our own sleeping bags.
The only reason for us to accept our hotel rooms was the fact that all doors and windows could be secured by bolts from the inside. The hotel-staff was rather suspicious looking and did not inspire our confidence.
Once when the four of us were sitting in one of the rooms, there was a strange noise coming from outside the door. Professor Drakton pulled out his large knife, and silently he opened the door. There was nobody out there, so we relaxed.
At this point, the Professor criticized my knife since it had no blood groove. He explained that "You cannot draw your knife out of the corps, if there is no blood groove, and this makes you defenceless".
I got the impression that he knows quite a lot about these things, as he was fighting against the Chinese in 1959, when Tibet was invaded.
Later we found out that we had good reasons for not feeling very secure in Punjab. During the short time of our stay, 8 persons were brutally murdered. Also, the Authorities had asked us not to stay in Punjab for more than a few days as a maximum, as it was too dangerous for foreigners.
Meeting the Astrologer
After this little incident we went by bicycle-rickshaw to the place of the Astrologer. It must have been a rather odd view: Two tall and well-fed Danes sitting in a bicycle-rickshaw with a very thin and humble Indian in front riding the bicycle. Behind us in another rickshaw you could see our two Tibetan friends, laughing.
After a while we came to the place of the Astrologer. He claimed that he had been expecting us and introduced himself as Mr. Maha Shiv Bhrigu Shastri. He said that he would try to find my horoscope in the huge collection of palm-leaves.
I gave him my date of birth etc., but it did not seem to interest him very much. He was more concentrated on a kind of Ephemeris from Chandigarh (a major town in Punjab) from this present year (1990). Actually he made a horary chart, and it was my impression that the time of our arrival to his ashram was the most important event, which set all other factors into motion, rather than my date of birth.
Then the Astrologer entered into a room next to us and looked among the bundles of horoscopes wrapped in silk of different colours. One of these bundles turned out to include my horoscope, giving the predictions of my life.
The Sage Bhrigu
It is said that these thousands and thousands of horoscopes are a kind of written physical counterpart of the The Akashic Records. They are supposed to come from the ancient sage Bhrigu, who lived thousands of years ago in the Himalayan region.
Later on the horoscopes have been copied over and over by clever astrologers who hold the knowledge of the secrets. Originally, the horoscopes were written on palmleaves or bark, but the horoscope that I saw was on paper.
The Hindus believe that nobody can consult the collection of Bhrigu unless it has been preordained thousands of years ago. It is also believed that sage Bhrigu was the greatest astrologer of all times.
In by book "Astrología India" (ediciones Indigo) which has recently been released in Spanish, I have explained about sage Bhrigu and the palmleaf horoscopes in more details, as well as the Indian Astrology on which these horoscopes are based.
The correct horoscope is found
After searching for about 10 to 15 minutes among the huge bundles of horo-scopes, the Astrologer Maha Shiv Bhrigu Shastri came back and said that he had found the right bundle. He returned with a large bunch, wrapped in black silk, containing 300 to 400 horoscopes. At this point I almost gave up, as I felt this was a hopeless task.
The Astrologer, however, was optimistic and suddenly he presented the correct horoscope that was an exact copy of my birthchart! It was written on a very old sheet of paper, and the ink had turned brown from age. I think it was at least 100 years old. It was the correct Ascendant, and all the planets were placed exactly as when I was born. Professor Drakton and Tenzin studied the horoscope closely. The Astrologer's son also looked at it. Everyone agreed: This was a perfect match.
I am aware of the fact that there must be millions of different birth charts. So from a scientific point of view this is completely crazy. But it is exactly the way it happened!
The predictions were written in some sort of code, and it was read out like this:
"Om - Sri Shukra asked: If a man is born in the Margasira month with this Graha-dristi (planetary aspects), what will be the name of the yoga, and what will be the results? Bhrigu answered: Hey Shukra, at that time there will be Karma-Bandham-yoga, and listen to me about the results: The man is born in Varn-mahadweep (Europe?) in a city beginning with K. (I was born in Copenhagen, which begins with the sound of "K"). He will come at the age of 35 to hear my predictions between the rivers Satluj and Vays in a city called Chachadpuri (Hoshiarpur?).
He has come for his family happiness, his longevity and for some special work, he has to do due to a deep feeling in his heart.
His name will be Finn Wandahl (I still think he said Pinn Wandahl). His father's name will be from Kai-namsa" (my fathers name is actually Kai).
Then the reading listed a number of good years, and a number of bad years; my longevity was fixed with an accuracy of a few hours. Additionally, it gave some predictions about the future, which would be too extensive to mention here. But the reading continued:
"Hey Shukra, because of bad karmas from the previous life some bad results have been seen. Since three years ago his wife is no longer with him, and the feeling in his heart became bad. He got obstructions and difficulties, and his family happiness was spoiled" (This is true, as my wife left me and took my daughter with her).
This was then followed up by a long story about my previous life, in which I obviously got a curse, which was supposed to destroy my family happiness in this life and the coming two incarnations as well.
Spiritual blackmail
The reading then continued by stating that the curse of the past could be canceled through a religious ritual, performed by Maha Shiv Bhrigu Shastri, for which I was supposed to pay him Rs. 51.000,-, equivalent to US Dollars 3.600,-.
Being an educated man I told him that under such conditions I would prefer the three bad lives, but of course I gave him his Rs. 301,- for the job he had done.
My personal opinion is that the demand for Rs. 51.000,- was something that the Bhrigu Shastri made up himself to see if he could make some easy money on this stupid westerner. On the other hand, it is my impression that this kind of spiritual blackmail has become quite normal among the different mystics of India. I think that it is a sad development that could give Hindu Astrologers a bad reputation in the long run.
I still find that this experience was something very unusual, but due to its suspect character I will leave it the way I found it: Written in the stars.