and/or www.mantra.com/jai (Dr. Jai Maharaj)
2010-07-31 00:11:46 UTC
Editor's Foreword to "Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology" by Bepin
Behari
By David Frawley
2003
Astrology had a certain universality in the ancient world, appearing
as a global science in ancient time. While details very, there is
much in common between all ancient astrological systems. We note that
all ancient cultures including Egypt, India, China and Mexico relate
the seven days of the week to the same planets, from Sunday, the day
of the Sun, to Saturday, the day of Saturn. Is this only a
coincidence? There was either a diffusion of information or a
commonality of knowledge between these cultures. Similarly today,
with the blending of East and West in the world, astrology is again
emerging in a global context.
Eastern or Vedic astrology is again becoming important along with the
systems of Yoga and meditation and the greater wisdom of the orient.
Astrology has always been given a more significant place in Eastern
than in Western culture. It remains in use and is respected by the
majority of people in India today. It was never consigned to the
domain of superstition, nor was attention ever removed from it by the
great minds of the land, many of whom, even today, also study and
practice astrology. While astrology has been criticized, ridiculed
and even suppressed in the Western world, it has flourished in India
since ancient times. If there is any threat to its prestige in India
today, it is only through those who are adopting Western culture.
Most ancient myths relate to the heavens. It would not be exaggerated
to say that all mythology is astrological, at least in one major line
of interpretation. Hence, a modern reexamination of myth must also
take us back to astrology. Without understanding astrology, our
understanding of mythology must be partial. Even if we do not
recognize the validity of astrology as a science, we cannot ignore
its role in shaping and expressing the myths and legends of the
world.
Solar, lunar and planetary symbolism is common in many myths, as
among the ancient Greeks and Hindus. The constellations play a very
prominent place in them as well, like the Greek myths of Perseus and
Orion. It is likely that most myths were first devised while
contemplating the sky, or while telling stories at night under the
stars. The sky is a good field of projection for the creative
imagination. Contemplating the stars also connects us with the cosmic
intelligence or universal mind and thereby its energies, laws and
symbols come to us to reveal its workings. Mythology is in this way
part of a language of cosmic consciousness, with the symbol being a
more profound and universal statement of truth than logic or abstract
thought. If there is any wisdom in mythology, it must also have an
astrological meaning and significance.
Ancient Hindu mythology, like the Greek, has a very strong
astrological orientation. While its stories and symbols often appear
different than the Greek, if we look deeper we find much in common.
The messages they give about man and the universe are very similar.
The basic nature of the planets is the same in all systems of
astrology, as for example, the aggressive and war-like nature of the
planet Mars. Yet in may instances, the Hindu interpretations of the
planets are of a more spiritual implication than Greek myths, as the
Hindus were of a more spiritual bent of mind than the more scientific
Greeks. Hence, the Hindu Mars is also the son of the great God Shiva.
He destroys the demons of ignorance who oppress mankind, and is not
just a crude God of war. As such, Vedic astrological symbols may give
us a better key to the spiritual meaning of the stars and planets.
This will be important for any students of the deeper aspects of
astrology.
The relationship of the stars and planets with the practice of Yoga
with the different chakras or force-centers of the subtle body, and
so on, can be found in Vedic and Hindu myths and stories. All the
great scriptures and legends of India from the Vedas to the Puranas,
the Mahabharata and Ramayana are filled with astronomical and
astrological symbols, so much so that there is an entire tradition of
astrological interpretation for them. Most ancient teachings
including the Bible and Homer have such a significance if we look
beneath the surface. As man and the cosmos are linked, even if we do
not intend it, our deeper thoughts and intuitive visions must link us
up with the cosmic energies that come through the planets.
According to modern ideas of history, we consider that astrology was
developed first in Babylonia and then refined by the Greeks, and that
the Hindus got their astrology from these two sources. While a few
Greek terms do occur in medieval Hindu astrological books, this is
scarcely enough grounds to derive the Eastern system from the West.
Hindu influences can also be traced in much of Greek thought as well,
particularly among the Greek mystics and mystery religions, like
Pythagoras, which groups were also famous for their astrological
knowledge. We also observe that Hindu astrology is more complex and
often very different than the Greek. Nor does the Vedic tradition
concur with a Western origin for its knowledge. Vedic astrologers
relate their knowledge to their own tradition which tradition, which
speaks of equinoctial positions of great antiquity to support their
claim. Vedic astrology, unlike Western astrology, figures the
precession of the zodiac into its calculations, which in itself
suggests a great antiquity for the system. As we move towards the Age
of Aquarius today, we may appreciate that different Vedic texts speak
of the ages of Taurus, Gemini and Cancer (by relating the equinox to
the asterisms that mark the beginning of these signs), taking
astrological knowledge back at least to 6000 B. C. In this regard the
Vedic may be the oldest astrological system in the world, and the
source of all ancient systems of astrology.
As the scholarly world may be now beginning to afford a greater
antiquity to Vedic culture, with new evidence that the Indus Valley
civilization in ancient India of the third millennium B. C. was Indo-
Aryan, this claim may yet be substantiated. The Hindu mythology of
the planets does not derive from outside sources, as the reader can
observe in this book. As Hindu mythology is the largest mass of
mythological literature in the world, its mythology of astrology, is
also the largest and most complex, the richest remnant of ancient
astrological knowledge.
Ancient Europeans -- the Greeks, Romans, Kelts and Slavs -- spoke
languages closely related to Vedic Sanskrit. They practiced a similar
religion of fire worship and had Gods akin to the Vedic. Ancient
European God and planet names are traceable to the Vedic. Jupiter is
Sanskrit Dyaus Pitar, Mars is Sanskrit Marut, Venus is Vedic Vena,
the Sun (Greek Helios and Roman Sol) is Sanskrit Surya. Hence,
ancient European and Vedic mythology are akin. Indo-European people
of the ancient Middle East like the Persians, Hittites, Kassites and
Mittani, also worshipped Vedic Gods and had strong astrological
traditions. The Kassites, who ruled Babylonia in the second
millennium B. C., may have been a point of transmission of Vedic
astrology to Babylonia and Greece. In this way Vedic mythology has a
relevance far beyond the boundaries of India.
Vedic astrology does differ somewhat from Western or Tropical
astrology. It employs the sidereal zodiac or the zodiac of the fixed
stars. This causes its sign positions to shift backwards about 23
degrees from tropical positions. The main factors of astrology are
otherwise the same -- the use of the planets, signs, houses and
aspects -- though aspects are figured rather differently. This will
cause students of Tropical astrology to have to shift their
orientation in approaching the Vedic system. They will have to think
of the signs more in terms of the visible constellations than in the
seasonal division of the zodiac.
In addition, Vedic astrology puts much emphasis on a twenty-seven-
fold division of the zodiac, the Nakshatras or lunar asterisms. This
system and the mythology about it is special to the Hindus, yet it
also follows from the basic meaning of the planets. Similar systems
have been used by the Chinese, since their earliest era, and by the
Arabs, since medieval times.
Bepin Behari, the author of this volume, is one of the more well -
known and widely published astrologers in India. He is most
recognized for his spiritual and esoteric view of astrology, in which
he uses both Vedic and Theosophical approaches. He employs this
methodology here as well. Students of Theosophy will find this
particularly helpful in giving them abridge to Vedic astrology.
Behari is one of the few modern astrologers in India who concentrates
on the spiritual meaning in charts interpretation rather than the
more mundane and predictive side. As such he preserves much of the
deeper and order wisdom tradition.
Behari not only uses Hindu myths, he also examines in great depth the
Western symbols for the planets and signs and shows their greater
meaning. He adds aspects of Western and Middle Eastern thought
through his Theosophical background. Very importantly he introduces
the Nakshatras or asterisms and helps us to understand them according
to the same astrological symbols as the planets and signs. Another
important factor of Vedic astrology is the importance it gives to the
nodes of the Moon. Behari explains the Vedic view of the nodes (which
is rather different than what is ascribed them in western astrology)
and shows their profound affect on the human psyche and its
transformations.
Vedic astrology may appear strange and difficult to understand for
the Western mind. This is because much of the background of the
system is not known to us. Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology gives
this background information of how the planets are viewed, so that
the student approaching this system can make sense of it. The book is
also useful for students of Western astrology who are interested in
the broader worldwide symbolism and mythology of the planets. In
addition, anyone interested in astrological mythology will find it an
important book.
I began examining this book to see how helpful it could be for
introducing Vedic astrology to a Western audience. I soon discovered
a depth of thought init that understood the system of Yoga and the
profound science of the relationship between Spirit and Matter called
Sankhya in India. The book explains the whole process of human and
cosmic evolution and relates human life to the highest goal of
spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. It
shows the depth of astrology as a cosmic science. Ass such, this is
indeed an important book and fundamental text for anyone wishing to
approach Vedic or Hindu astrology, particularly with concern for its
deeper aspects. Yet it does not require that one is an astrologer. It
gives much of myth and philosophy that will stimulate any sincere
reader toward a deeper examination of the meaning of life.
Back of Book
Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology is one of the rare books that
explains astrological mythology. Serious students and astrologers
will find it useful for providing an eastern perspective on the
mythology of the planets and stars. Students of myths and symbols
will find it helpful in unlocking the astrological keys to these
great archetypes of the psyche. Those who are studying Vedic or Hindu
astrology will find the book to be invaluable in opening the door to
the inner meaning of the planets and how they are viewed in the Vedic
system.
- David Frawley
Editor's Foreword to "Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology" by Bepin
Behari
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.
Behari
By David Frawley
2003
Astrology had a certain universality in the ancient world, appearing
as a global science in ancient time. While details very, there is
much in common between all ancient astrological systems. We note that
all ancient cultures including Egypt, India, China and Mexico relate
the seven days of the week to the same planets, from Sunday, the day
of the Sun, to Saturday, the day of Saturn. Is this only a
coincidence? There was either a diffusion of information or a
commonality of knowledge between these cultures. Similarly today,
with the blending of East and West in the world, astrology is again
emerging in a global context.
Eastern or Vedic astrology is again becoming important along with the
systems of Yoga and meditation and the greater wisdom of the orient.
Astrology has always been given a more significant place in Eastern
than in Western culture. It remains in use and is respected by the
majority of people in India today. It was never consigned to the
domain of superstition, nor was attention ever removed from it by the
great minds of the land, many of whom, even today, also study and
practice astrology. While astrology has been criticized, ridiculed
and even suppressed in the Western world, it has flourished in India
since ancient times. If there is any threat to its prestige in India
today, it is only through those who are adopting Western culture.
Most ancient myths relate to the heavens. It would not be exaggerated
to say that all mythology is astrological, at least in one major line
of interpretation. Hence, a modern reexamination of myth must also
take us back to astrology. Without understanding astrology, our
understanding of mythology must be partial. Even if we do not
recognize the validity of astrology as a science, we cannot ignore
its role in shaping and expressing the myths and legends of the
world.
Solar, lunar and planetary symbolism is common in many myths, as
among the ancient Greeks and Hindus. The constellations play a very
prominent place in them as well, like the Greek myths of Perseus and
Orion. It is likely that most myths were first devised while
contemplating the sky, or while telling stories at night under the
stars. The sky is a good field of projection for the creative
imagination. Contemplating the stars also connects us with the cosmic
intelligence or universal mind and thereby its energies, laws and
symbols come to us to reveal its workings. Mythology is in this way
part of a language of cosmic consciousness, with the symbol being a
more profound and universal statement of truth than logic or abstract
thought. If there is any wisdom in mythology, it must also have an
astrological meaning and significance.
Ancient Hindu mythology, like the Greek, has a very strong
astrological orientation. While its stories and symbols often appear
different than the Greek, if we look deeper we find much in common.
The messages they give about man and the universe are very similar.
The basic nature of the planets is the same in all systems of
astrology, as for example, the aggressive and war-like nature of the
planet Mars. Yet in may instances, the Hindu interpretations of the
planets are of a more spiritual implication than Greek myths, as the
Hindus were of a more spiritual bent of mind than the more scientific
Greeks. Hence, the Hindu Mars is also the son of the great God Shiva.
He destroys the demons of ignorance who oppress mankind, and is not
just a crude God of war. As such, Vedic astrological symbols may give
us a better key to the spiritual meaning of the stars and planets.
This will be important for any students of the deeper aspects of
astrology.
The relationship of the stars and planets with the practice of Yoga
with the different chakras or force-centers of the subtle body, and
so on, can be found in Vedic and Hindu myths and stories. All the
great scriptures and legends of India from the Vedas to the Puranas,
the Mahabharata and Ramayana are filled with astronomical and
astrological symbols, so much so that there is an entire tradition of
astrological interpretation for them. Most ancient teachings
including the Bible and Homer have such a significance if we look
beneath the surface. As man and the cosmos are linked, even if we do
not intend it, our deeper thoughts and intuitive visions must link us
up with the cosmic energies that come through the planets.
According to modern ideas of history, we consider that astrology was
developed first in Babylonia and then refined by the Greeks, and that
the Hindus got their astrology from these two sources. While a few
Greek terms do occur in medieval Hindu astrological books, this is
scarcely enough grounds to derive the Eastern system from the West.
Hindu influences can also be traced in much of Greek thought as well,
particularly among the Greek mystics and mystery religions, like
Pythagoras, which groups were also famous for their astrological
knowledge. We also observe that Hindu astrology is more complex and
often very different than the Greek. Nor does the Vedic tradition
concur with a Western origin for its knowledge. Vedic astrologers
relate their knowledge to their own tradition which tradition, which
speaks of equinoctial positions of great antiquity to support their
claim. Vedic astrology, unlike Western astrology, figures the
precession of the zodiac into its calculations, which in itself
suggests a great antiquity for the system. As we move towards the Age
of Aquarius today, we may appreciate that different Vedic texts speak
of the ages of Taurus, Gemini and Cancer (by relating the equinox to
the asterisms that mark the beginning of these signs), taking
astrological knowledge back at least to 6000 B. C. In this regard the
Vedic may be the oldest astrological system in the world, and the
source of all ancient systems of astrology.
As the scholarly world may be now beginning to afford a greater
antiquity to Vedic culture, with new evidence that the Indus Valley
civilization in ancient India of the third millennium B. C. was Indo-
Aryan, this claim may yet be substantiated. The Hindu mythology of
the planets does not derive from outside sources, as the reader can
observe in this book. As Hindu mythology is the largest mass of
mythological literature in the world, its mythology of astrology, is
also the largest and most complex, the richest remnant of ancient
astrological knowledge.
Ancient Europeans -- the Greeks, Romans, Kelts and Slavs -- spoke
languages closely related to Vedic Sanskrit. They practiced a similar
religion of fire worship and had Gods akin to the Vedic. Ancient
European God and planet names are traceable to the Vedic. Jupiter is
Sanskrit Dyaus Pitar, Mars is Sanskrit Marut, Venus is Vedic Vena,
the Sun (Greek Helios and Roman Sol) is Sanskrit Surya. Hence,
ancient European and Vedic mythology are akin. Indo-European people
of the ancient Middle East like the Persians, Hittites, Kassites and
Mittani, also worshipped Vedic Gods and had strong astrological
traditions. The Kassites, who ruled Babylonia in the second
millennium B. C., may have been a point of transmission of Vedic
astrology to Babylonia and Greece. In this way Vedic mythology has a
relevance far beyond the boundaries of India.
Vedic astrology does differ somewhat from Western or Tropical
astrology. It employs the sidereal zodiac or the zodiac of the fixed
stars. This causes its sign positions to shift backwards about 23
degrees from tropical positions. The main factors of astrology are
otherwise the same -- the use of the planets, signs, houses and
aspects -- though aspects are figured rather differently. This will
cause students of Tropical astrology to have to shift their
orientation in approaching the Vedic system. They will have to think
of the signs more in terms of the visible constellations than in the
seasonal division of the zodiac.
In addition, Vedic astrology puts much emphasis on a twenty-seven-
fold division of the zodiac, the Nakshatras or lunar asterisms. This
system and the mythology about it is special to the Hindus, yet it
also follows from the basic meaning of the planets. Similar systems
have been used by the Chinese, since their earliest era, and by the
Arabs, since medieval times.
Bepin Behari, the author of this volume, is one of the more well -
known and widely published astrologers in India. He is most
recognized for his spiritual and esoteric view of astrology, in which
he uses both Vedic and Theosophical approaches. He employs this
methodology here as well. Students of Theosophy will find this
particularly helpful in giving them abridge to Vedic astrology.
Behari is one of the few modern astrologers in India who concentrates
on the spiritual meaning in charts interpretation rather than the
more mundane and predictive side. As such he preserves much of the
deeper and order wisdom tradition.
Behari not only uses Hindu myths, he also examines in great depth the
Western symbols for the planets and signs and shows their greater
meaning. He adds aspects of Western and Middle Eastern thought
through his Theosophical background. Very importantly he introduces
the Nakshatras or asterisms and helps us to understand them according
to the same astrological symbols as the planets and signs. Another
important factor of Vedic astrology is the importance it gives to the
nodes of the Moon. Behari explains the Vedic view of the nodes (which
is rather different than what is ascribed them in western astrology)
and shows their profound affect on the human psyche and its
transformations.
Vedic astrology may appear strange and difficult to understand for
the Western mind. This is because much of the background of the
system is not known to us. Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology gives
this background information of how the planets are viewed, so that
the student approaching this system can make sense of it. The book is
also useful for students of Western astrology who are interested in
the broader worldwide symbolism and mythology of the planets. In
addition, anyone interested in astrological mythology will find it an
important book.
I began examining this book to see how helpful it could be for
introducing Vedic astrology to a Western audience. I soon discovered
a depth of thought init that understood the system of Yoga and the
profound science of the relationship between Spirit and Matter called
Sankhya in India. The book explains the whole process of human and
cosmic evolution and relates human life to the highest goal of
spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth. It
shows the depth of astrology as a cosmic science. Ass such, this is
indeed an important book and fundamental text for anyone wishing to
approach Vedic or Hindu astrology, particularly with concern for its
deeper aspects. Yet it does not require that one is an astrologer. It
gives much of myth and philosophy that will stimulate any sincere
reader toward a deeper examination of the meaning of life.
Back of Book
Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology is one of the rare books that
explains astrological mythology. Serious students and astrologers
will find it useful for providing an eastern perspective on the
mythology of the planets and stars. Students of myths and symbols
will find it helpful in unlocking the astrological keys to these
great archetypes of the psyche. Those who are studying Vedic or Hindu
astrology will find the book to be invaluable in opening the door to
the inner meaning of the planets and how they are viewed in the Vedic
system.
- David Frawley
Editor's Foreword to "Myths and Symbols of Vedic Astrology" by Bepin
Behari
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti
o Not for commercial use. Solely to be fairly used for the educational
purposes of research and open discussion. The contents of this post may not
have been authored by, and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the
poster. The contents are protected by copyright law and the exemption for
fair use of copyrighted works.
o If you send private e-mail to me, it will likely not be read,
considered or answered if it does not contain your full legal name, current
e-mail and postal addresses, and live-voice telephone number.
o Posted for information and discussion. Views expressed by others are
not necessarily those of the poster who may or may not have read the article.
FAIR USE NOTICE: This article may contain copyrighted material the use of
which may or may not have been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This material is being made available in efforts to advance the
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democratic, scientific, social, and cultural, etc., issues. It is believed
that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title
17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included
information for research, comment, discussion and educational purposes by
subscribing to USENET newsgroups or visiting web sites. For more information
go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this article for purposes of
your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the
copyright owner.
Since newsgroup posts are being removed
by forgery by one or more net terrorists,
this post may be reposted several times.