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Interview of Gayatri Devi Vasudev

By Dennis Flaherty
June 17, 2010
Seattle Washington
Before the NW Vedic Sciences Conference

Dennis Flaherty (DF) — It is my pleasure to interview you today, Gayatri, on behalf of CVA Journal. I thought I would start by asking you to talk about the evolution of the astrological magazine that started with your family and the new direction it is taking under your direction. As I understand, it is the oldest astrological magazine ever in print and it is now called Modern Astrology?

Gayatri (GD) — Yes, The Astrological Magazine was first started by my great grandfather Prof. B.Suryanarain Rao in 1895. When it came out, there was nothing like it available to the public, so The Astrological Magazine was in a unique category unto itself. Then it came out initially as a monthly and then, a quarterly. Since India was then under British rule, many thinkers of those days were greatly influenced by the British and had developed some kind of an inferiority complex for anything and everything Indian. They looked down disdainfully at Indian astrology also. My great grandfather was not particularly perturbed by such attitudes and knowing fully well "India is pre-eminently an astrological country" he published the magazine regularly, attracting a wide readership.

The magazine ran for a couple of years but there were financial troubles and it folded up in about 1927 or so. When Father was about 23 or 24 years old, he was very keen to revive the magazine and so he began to work hard to get it going again. He managed to revive and restart the magazine against great odds. The first copy, which came out on June 5, 2010, came under the joint editorship of greatgrandfather and father. Father was also the publisher and proprietor. Father was just 24 years old when he, with great pride and a sense of achievement, handed over the first copy of The Astrological Magazine to greatgrandfather. The old sire’s joy knew no bounds and he heartily blessed his beloved grandson. The Astrological Magazine began its second innings as a quarterly publication. The first innings of the magazine was under great grandfather when he had to work very hard and face a lot of difficulty and obstacles in bringing it out. But he was able to overcome all that because of his Ascendant being Taurus, a fixed sign, and the 10th house being powerfully disposed with Jupiter, Mercury and the Sun in it.

There is a very interesting incident which throws light on great grandfather’s prophetic predictive abilities and also father’s own chart. When father was about eight years old, great grandfather called the entire household to his room, which included 30 - 40 members — sons, daughters-in–law, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, grand nephews, etc. Drawing father close to him and patting him on his back, he told the rest of the family, “This boy has a great future as an astrologer. He has Jupiter in the 10th house and he will be an outstanding man in his field.” Everyone wondered how this could happen with this chip of a boy. He had no mother, his father was blind, and he was a student at their poor village school. The village school in those days boasted of one teacher who was also the headmaster. Four or five classes would be simultaneously taking place in the only classroom in that school and the same teacher would be handling all these classes at the same time. One can easily imagine the quality or the lack of it in such a school. Naturally, greatgrandfather’s words seemed impossible. But as events later turned out, eventually, the impossible did happen and prove great grandfather’s assessment of father’s chart correct.

DF — Great grandfather was a visionary, he thought globally but acted locally.

GD — Yes, great grandfather, was a visionary. He was, to begin with, a very successful lawyer practicing in Madras and Andhra. How he gave up his legal practice makes a very interesting story. He had many rich clients. Once, one such client who owned a large estate with many workers from the labour class working under him got upset over some mistake of one of the labourers. He was so angry, he called the man, shouted at him and gave him a resounding slap on his face. Unfortunately for the landlord, the labourer collapsed and died on the spot. The poor landlord had not intended to kill him and panicked. He came to great grandfather and told him the whole story. In the meanwhile the police filed a case against him, charging him with murder. As a lawyer, great grandfather listened to his story patiently and coached him (as lawyers usually do) on what he should say in the witness box in order to get acquitted. However, the landlord was so disturbed that when he came to the witness box, he immediately blurted out, "I slapped the worker and he fell dead." The judge declared him guilty of murder and sentenced him to prison.

This case and turn of events made great grandfather very sad that as a lawyer, he had to shut out truth and had to persuade another to lie. As a consequence he re-examined his life, gave up a lucrative legal practice, and devoted himself more and more to the study of astrology.

DF — He had a crisis of conscience and this propelled him into astrology?

GD — Yes. You are right. There were all kinds of people, from the very poor to the very rich, who came to great grandfather when they came to know he had been studying astrology and doing readings. Many people came to him, and the local British resident would also visit him. Even the Associated Press, the only British news agency then, came to great grandfather after learning of his published predictions on the start of World War I and its course. In fact, Queen Victoria’s son sent his chart to great grandfather. He was already 60 years by then and he wanted to know when he would be the king. He sent 60 shillings for the astrological work from great grandfather. So by then, he was so well known all over.

Great grandfather’s eldest son lost his sight quite early in life. Father was born to this son who himself was totally dependent on his own father for everything. Unfortunately for both, his wife died when father was only 14 months old. He was then brought up by great grandfather and great grandmother. Then, when Father was about 24 years old, he revived The Astrological Magazine and this made great grandfather very happy and proud of his grandson. But of course, father had to work very, very hard to run it. There were also always other financial problems, too, running the very large household. Great grandfather was getting old and had always been a very liberal, generous man. People in the village would go to him for help and he would always gave them loans without a second thought. But the loans were never repaid, causing him financial stress. All of this burden devolved on father who had to think of ways to generate some income for the family’s needs. Though there were many relatives living in great grandfather’s palatial bungalow, they were all of them only dependents. Great grandfather was 80 years old by then and it was hard running a household with 30 - 40 family members.

Great grandfather passed away on March 12, 1937. Father took on himself the moral responsibility of clearing many of his grandfather’s debts. He had to fight against great odds in bringing out the magazine regularly but he never gave up. The main factor that sustained the magazine was its quality in father’s hands and his handling of mundane astrology at so young an age. Gradually father’s predictions became well known as his astrological assessments covering the start and the course and the termination of the World War II turned out to be stunningly accurate. These predictions put father on the global stage. He was able to continue The Astrological Magazine, making it the longest running magazine in astrology.

DF — Yes, your father’s predictions concerning World War II were instrumental in giving global recognition to his work.

GD — In December 1998, father passed away and after which I was in charge of it as Editor until my resignation in June 2007. The Astrological Magazine folded up in a few months after that in the hands of the new dispensation. It was a painful moment not only in my life but also in the history of astrology and the astrology community everywhere, both in India and abroad. My resignation was precipitated by several reasons of a personal nature which were clearly reflected in certain astrological factors in my chart. I realized that things would now start going against me in a strong manner and I would be caught in ardous filial responsibilities which would not allow me to work on the magazine. I had no choice but to choose between a mother who was ill or the magazine. I chose the former.

DF — We know all things must come to an end, but this must have been very hard?

GD — Yes, 0n June 6, 2007, I submitted my resignation, and within days after that my mother fell ill moved in with me. She developed serious renal conditions. She was hospitalized several times after that but each time came out only in worse condition, requiring round-the-clock care and attention. I was sad for her suffering but glad I was able to give her love, care, and all my time until she passed away on July 19, 2008.

DF — What an overwhelming time of challenge.

GD — After the magazine closed down, Father’s friends, admirers and well wishers kept calling and asked me to revive the magazine. An old friend of Father’s, who is about 89 years old now, told me, "You are the only one that has had the unique advantage of working under your Father and trained under him. This should not be lost to others. The training you have received from Father, you must share with others." This is was what finally propelled me after mother’s passing away to work on reviving the magazine.

DF — Thank you for accepting this challenge for the benefit of the Vedic astrological community.

GD — That is when I started working on reviving the magazine. Again, friends suggested we call it The New Astrological Magazine, a new name to avoid legal problems.

DF — Do you want to share the humorous story about how the journal names have to be registered in India with our readers?

GD — Yes, to restart the magazine, I had to apply to the governmental authority to register the name. It’s called Title Verification and the central authority has to verify that there is no other title by that name. You never know with these authorities. The name, The Astrological Magazine, was already taken and we couldn’t just insert a NEW in the title and make it The New Astrological Magazine, said the authorities.

DF — Interesting that it is probably a reaction to the British Raj. Adding "New" to Hampshire became New Hampshire, New York, etc. The "new" tends to be very British in its origins.

GD — When I explained to them that the old The Astrological Magazine was closed down, they said their records did not show it. Both our earlier readers and well-meaning friends suggested a few other titles, all with the word RAMAN in it, but I didn’t want to use Father’s name. I was running out of titles so I finally tried Dr. B.V.Raman’s Astrological Monthly or Raman’s Astrology Magazine, and started all over again the endless process of getting these two titles officially passed.

The title Raman’s Astrology Magazine, took weeks to be verified. They passed it in such a manner I didn’t know if I should be angry or amused! They gave me the title "Dr. Raman’s Astrological." I called them up and said, "I applied for the title Dr. B.V. Raman’s Astrological Monthly," but what you have given doesn’t make sense, and it is incomplete. They said the periodicity is not allowed in the title and hence they had given me this half-title, if you can call it that. Then the Astrology Today title was suggested. Some friends in the media said that in India there are many periodicals with Today in their titles. All are run by one group, which is very possessive about the "Today," and so they can create legal problems for you, cautioned my friends. So I started the process all over again. Then the only title left was Modern Astrology, and with no other choice, I settled for it. Again, I applied to the authorities, and as if it was God’s will, it was passed without any mutilation .

DF — Modern Astrology is a very good name!

GD — Free will and fate were acting together. After Father passed away, he became known as the "Father of Modern Astrology." It is very interesting that I have been given the title Modern Astrology and it was my father who inspired me to continue his work. Going round and round, I was brought back to the right point, finally!

DF — Now that The Astrological Magazine had expired, it has been reborn under your direction as Modern Astrology. So many magazines and journals have been forced to go online in these challenging times, including our own CVA Journal. So, I am personally delighted that you will continue one of the most respected printed publications in the world of astrology as Modern Astrology. What do you see as the magazine’s future direction?

GD — Father’s main reason to revive the journal was the proper propagation of Jyotisha. And with the same aim in mind, I want to give it to people at all levels. One reason why I haven’t made it an online journal is that most people in the country do not have access to an online journal. In the small towns and villages, most people do not have computers or internet access. A printed journal gets to every nook and corner of the country. It is the younger people who have access to computers. People in their 40s and 50s and who are at an age when experience has taught them to look at astrology both seriously and with respect are not generally computer savy or in a position to invest in computers. For this bracket, the print edition can be a boon, so it is my wish to continue with the printed edition only. This, I believe, would contribute to the proper propagation of Jyotisha.

DF — Yes, and the internet has a different kind of writing and journalism which is often not as scholarly; the complaints being that the writing by necessity is commercial or superficial.

GD — I agree with you. Most of the earlier writers are now gone except one or two and they are wonderful. The younger ones with good academic qualifications in other subjects are doing the writing and they approach the subject from different angles. They are trained in their own branches of learning. With a lot of new writers on the scene, its application is also growing in different ways. We are doing pretty well with this new crop of contributors.

Talking of applicational changes, career counseling was not known previously most times in India, even 30 to 35 years ago, the professions were hereditarily determined and no one ever had any confusion on what to do. But now things are very different and the children rarely move into the parent’s profession. Further, the options before young people are so many that they can be quite confusing. Both parents and the offspring seek astrological guidance on deciding on which career line would be best for them. A taste of it can be had in the feature “Planets and Career Concerns” in Modern Astrology which offers guidance on which career is best for one both in terms of success and job-satisfaction. If you want to know if your child will succeed in engineering, medicine or any other field, not only is this possible from the chart, you can even find out if they can get into different areas of specialization (if medicine like cardiology, oncology, etc) . Though the chart can give dependable clues on such questions,,this was not explored in the 70’s, 80’s or even the early 90’s basically because the times were such and the need for such an examination of the chart was not felt.

DF — Yes, astrology does not change, but its application through time does and that application fascinates us all.

GD — Yes, that’s the beauty of astrology — the essense of what astrology can see remains the same, only the form keeps changing. For example, in some of these classical works there are specific combinations for loss of property through fire. There are some specific combinations where you will suffer loss of property through fire, Mars in 2nd house can be that kind of thing. In olden days, setting fire to an enemy’s property (like setting fire to haystacks or fields) was a way to destroy him or take revenge on him . Now the act of setting fire continues, but in a totally different manner. Explosives and bombs and incendiary devices do the same job and the same combinations with Mars would apply but with a little modification. In essence, such acts of violence are still committed by the same emotions of rage, jealousy, and anger, which continue to incite acts of terrorism as well. It’s the same root cause, the same kind of emotion that is associated with Mars.

DF — So the fundamentals are the same, but the form changes, i.e. incendiary devices or bombs are a modern interpretation of Mars and Rahu combinations?

GD — Yes, when Mars and Rahu are connected in any manner, the elements of fire, terrorism, anger, hate, violence get impetus and take tangible form in acts of violence and terrorism..Rahu particularly has a role in incendiarism, bomb explosions, acid attacks and so on.

DF — What do you see as the astrological motivating factors behind such acts?

GD — The motivating factors are the same. For example, in the World Trade Center bombing, the motivating factor as indicated by Mars was hate. Rahu in opposition also showed vengeance. There are different forms of terrorism, -- terrorism in the world, between countries, between local groups and even within the family, among family members. In all these cases, it is the same influence of Mars and Rahu that is at play.

DF — Gayatri, can you give our readers some other examples on how classical combinations can be interpreted in a modern light?

GD — Most classical texts have an entire chapter devoted to Stri Jataka or Female Horoscopy for prosperity and a happy life, in the context of being a spouse. Yogas described for being successful, prosperous or in power (Raja Yogas), if found in the horoscope of a woman, are said to apply to the husband. These classical works date back to a period when the role of a woman was limited to being a housewife and a career was inconceivable and any good results attributed to the Yogas could be enjoyed only through the medium of the spouse. But now all that has changed, Women are into careers, so whatever Raja Yogas for power, success or prosperity are present , can be experienced by the woman directly, not necessarily through the husband. . Although the ancient classical texts are not actually male-dominated, all the texts were written by men. They were thinking in terms of spouses to enhance their prosperity and that of the family wnen they identified these combinations or Yogas.

But now the role of women has changed drastically where women have careers and independent lives. They are now in positions of power in politics and other areas of life. All the yogas applicable to men also apply to women independently. For example, there are women in the police force, the army, women as judges and lawyers. The same combinations that apply to men can be applied to women. But the only area where there is a certain degree of exclusiveness is in the area of marriage, because when a marriage breaks up, no matter what the modern law says, the woman is more vulnerable ,especially emotionally, than the man. Maybe she can manage finally, but a woman is always more shattered than the man because of the nature of her emotional make-up which is attributable to some karmic reason. Then to some extent, the question of marriage assumes very great importance in a woman’s life. So also man-woman relationships of any kind. There is always a slight difference when you look at a female chart.

DF — So, in principle the Yogas rremain the same, but their expression becomes different and the outcomes have changed with the times, but the fact remains that women have and always will, in my opinion, be more focused on the family than men.

GD — Yes, if you look at the picture, the number of women as housewives is larger than the number of men in that role. So again, some of these Yogas are experienced vicariously, to some extent if you take the population as a whole.

DF — Women work in contemporary culture, and this modifies the classical expression as well.

GD — Most men, 99% of men are breadwinners, and they have to have a vocation. But it is not the same when it comes to women, even in modern times. There are women who have a vocation, but not as a means of livelihood, simply because now the trend is to look at careers as a necessity, whether for the money, one’s creativity or to give an outlet to one’s abilities acquired through education. At the same time, in many middle class and lower middle class families,, the woman too is a breadwinner.

DF — Mars of course is not only involved in terrorism, but Kuja Dosa as well, leading to strife and conflict in married life. About fifty percent of all charts have Kuja Dosa and this is consistent with the divorce rate.

GD — Yes, but there is a difference. In India, because of matching charts before finalizing a marital proposal, Kuja Dosha does not show up as divorce in as many cases as in the West since it tends to get devitalised by the balancing strength of the other chart. One of the main strengths of astrology is preventive foreknowledge which can be of invaluable help, especially in this modern world where there is a lot of anger and strife around the globe. Apart from individual horoscopy, with violence against countries and within countries, foreknowledge could be of invaluable help. If the governments of the different countries made up their mind to have an Astrology Department, I believe many of these violent attacks could be preempted. Such attempts always get triggered when there is a Mars -Rahu aspect conjunction or opposition. But this is all in the context of the national horoscope of a country. The national horoscope would be the horoscope of the country on the date of its birth or independence. Thus, the Declaration of Independence chart of the United States has Sagittarius rising with Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Sun in the 7th house. So, whenever Mars and Rahu form aspects in relation to either Sagittarius or Gemini, the stakes are there for an outbreak of violence or high levels of stress and strife. There was a Mars-Rahu opposition on September 13th, and the attacks (World Trade Center) came two days before on Tuesday, September 11th.

DF — Yes, that is correct, Mars was aligned with Ketu and Rahu.

GD — There’s going to be a Mars Rahu conjunction in Sagittarius and Mars Rahu square at the end of this year which have a bearing on the Ascendant of the US; so these are sensitive periods and of course the country should be alert to the possibility of terrorist minds getting overactive and take whatever precautions are needed to avert such violence.

DF — Are there any other areas of Jyotisha you are particularly interested in?

GD — Yes, there are two areas I am especially interested in: One is earthquake prediction and the other is terrorist acts. Political horoscopy and to some extent, affliction due to Mars or Kuja Dosha are also drawing my attention a lot. Maybe because the present generation has many charts showing this combination and as we can see more marriages are breaking-up than ever before but the picture is not so bad overall in our country. A Kuja Dosha chart, unless paired with a chart with similar Dosha, is always prone to marital disaster.

DF — Do you have any interpretative insights in your mundane work on earthquakes that you would like to share with our community of practicing astrologers?

GD — Basically, when there is an eclipse and such an eclipse is related to a sensitive house in the chart of a country, then you can expect an earthquake shortly thereafter or about that period in that region.The Full Moon and New Moon days generally and those which coincide with eclipses are also prone to earthquakes. Also an eclipsed Moon in a country’s chart would make that region more earthquake prone. Then, Tuesdays and Saturdays are also of significance.. Major conjunctions, especially if they involve earthy signs, can show earthquakes. The Mars-Saturn conjunction in Virgo on July 31st is earthquake and disaster prone.

DF — Thank you, Gayatri, for your time today and sharing your knowledge and historical perspective of the Raman’s family involvement with the oldest and one of the most respected astrological magazines with our CVA membership. We wish to you good fortune and prosperity in the rebirth of t Modern Astrology magazine.

GD — Thank you, Dennis, I enjoyed talking with you and I’m glad you gave me a chance to share my thoughts on astrology and Modern Astrology with our community.

DF — Gayatri, you are very foundational person in the transmission of Jyotisha and an important voice for the astrological community. My community honors and thanks for taking the time to share your personal history and astrological insights.

End.

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