The Purpose Of Writing These Lessons
These Lessons are being written for three types of students:To Avoid CalculationsFirst, those who want to avoid the mathematical part of astrology either because they do not know the subject or, feel that computers can do all this for them. But still, they must know some basics of astrology and are able to appreciate when a horoscope is discussed. They want to have a quick and systematised method of doing and understanding astrology. This book is being written mainly for beginners who can learn Hindu astrology without having to learn anything by rote. They must do the exercises given at the end of each chapter systematically, again and again. If they avoid doing that, there is no hope of their ever learning astrology.The word used originally Vedic has been dropped as I read recently that Swami Dayananda Saraswati, the great social reformer of the last century, objected to astrology, (Jyotisha) saying that Vedas had no predictive astrology at all. The use of the word Vedic astrology in the USA is obviously wrong.
To Cure Astrological ConstipationThe second category is of those who have read many books on astrology and developed an incurable astrological constipation. It will be difficult for them to start with a clean slate as they cannot unlearn what they have. Yet, this book may help them remove some of the cobwebs in their minds. I have not seen them succeed much. They have their minds cluttered with dogmas which they mistake for astrology. They read books on astrology and ask the question, where are the secrets of predictive techniques in the book. They do not know how to see even in a case study, how these predictive techniques are discussed in a book. It is more so in the West, where their attitude towards any subject including astrology is totally mechanistic.
Those Who Have No TimeTo the third category belong some elitist groups like engineers who are used to a method and system of analysis of a subject. The books in the market, even the text books are only a mere repetition of what is also well known. Not one of these books can solve the problem of finding a method of assessing the potentiality of a horoscope. I have received appreciation from this group. They have realised the value of a systematic approach.The first and the third categories mentioned here will benefit most, as has been my experience of teaching astrology for over two decades.
Appreciate the Method and Technique of Hindu AstrologyThe essential purpose of writing this is to show that in astrology there is a method, a technique and a scientific analysis which has to be learnt to be appreciated. It is after this only that each astrologer can work hard and develop his predictive style. This then is a book on teaching a style along which one can proceed to evolve a predictive method.
