The Astrologer

One evening during the Mela, I met with Mr. A.S. Vyas, publisher of Panchang, one of the official publications of India’s astrological community. I found him to be a soft-spoken, educated man, known as the dean of Indian astrologers.

Even though many people believe in astrology in India, I was a skeptic and never went to astrologers except out of curiosity. I told this to Mr. Vyas and thus started our interview.

“Is there any basis to astrology, or is it a pacifier for the ignorant?” I inquired.

“It depends on how one perceives it,” he responded. “If one does not believe, then for him it does not exist. A person can close his eyes and not want to see something; thus, for that person, the thing really and truly does not exist even if it may exist for all others.”

“Well, let me state my question another way,” I said. “Does astrology have any substance, or is it of marginal substance on which a great farce (dhong) has been woven?”

“It again depends on your perspective; you can choose. We believe in astrology,” he said calmly. “Our culture’s belief has the validity born of ‘our’ experience. Hindu scriptures are full of astrological predictions which proved to be true in history. Our publication serves those for whom astrology has meaning. We are not trying to convince anyone.

“Yes, it is a profession,” he continued. “People make a living at it. There are some good and some bad practitioners. As in any profession, there is some dramatization. A doctor may have poor bedside manners, and, in that case, even good medicine may not heal. From another doctor, even a placebo may be effective. The same is true of astrology.”

I asked him to give me some real-life examples. He gave me examples from his father, Mr. Ved Vyas, an esteemed astrologer who established the journal that his son was now publishing.

“For example,” he said, “there was a person who was diagnosed as having cancer and an operation was scheduled. This person’s horoscope was shown to my father. By merely reading the patient’s horoscope, he determined that the person could not have cancer. More medical testing was done at his suggestion, and the previous diagnosis was proved incorrect.”

Another example he gave was that of a housemaid who brought her mistress’ horoscope to his father. Her mistress had been depressed for many years and no remedy seemed to work. By seeing the woman’s horoscope, Mr. Vyas’ father prescribed a mixture to be prepared, in part, from leaves of the tree known as bhel. The maid followed his instructions and effected a cure for her mistress.

Mr. Vyas spoke only about his father’s achievements; he did not give examples of his own feats, even though he was also a well-known astrologer. From his son’s description, it appeared that the father was a humble, self-effacing person. I thought, how lucky is the parent whose son would speak so glowingly of his father.

Then, I asked, “But if all events are predetermined by our own sanskars, and if we must enjoy or suffer the results of our own activities, then does that not preclude any room for astrology and its remedies?”

Mr. Vyas responded, “One may break his leg tripping on something due to his sheer negligence, but that does not mean that you do not treat the ailment. Just because it is summer and it will be hot does not mean that one cannot look for the shade. If it is cloudy, one may deduce that it might rain and take an umbrella that day. It is simply that life continues for all of us. There are several roads to get there. One may choose a rocky road, another may choose a scenic route, and the third may choose the shortcut. They all get there with or without that knowledge. It depends on your personal perspective and the choices you make.”

At that point, I asked Mr. Vyas what predictions astrologers might have about the future of India. First, I inquired about India’s future national scene.

“The Indian astrologers see Indira Gandhi coming back to power stronger than ever,” he said. “Law and order in the country is deteriorating. The prospects for India are not bright for the short-term. There are troubles.”

“What about the international scene?” I asked.

“We see the year 1980 passing without any major war. But the conditions for war will continue to gather strength. In 1981, the clouds of war will be thick and dark and there could be a war. The signs are not too good.”

“What about the long-term future?”

“India will play a major role someday, which is not being clearly perceived by the world today.”

Mr. Vyas had to answer a number of phone calls during my interview, and I could see that I was interrupting a very busy man. Under normal circumstances, it would have been valuable for me to spend more time with this most interesting man. I made a note to someday come back and do exactly that.

Today, having the benefit of 40 years hindsight, Mr. Vyas’ predictions seem to have come true:

·  Roaringly, Indira Gandhi did come back into power.

·  There was no war in 1980, but clouds of war started to gather and India and Pakistan began the Siachen Conflict in 1984.

·  Today, India is playing a more important role in the world than what could have been perceived in 1980.