BA PART I : PAPER 3.12

PRASNA MARGA

Raasipooja - worship of the query chart
Divination of the query chart by instilling the cosmic energy into it by worshipping deities like Ganapathi, Dakshinaamoorthi, signs, planets,sree Saraswathi, sreelakshmee and preceptor.
After the query chart is drawn the astrologer starts the process of Ashtamangalaprasna. He washes his face, hands and feet, sprinkles water (proakshana) over him for purification, performs long breathing (praanaayaama). Praanaayaama is a form of long and controlled breath-ing in a systematic way. For performing praanaayaama the person sits mpadmaasana (squatting position) closes the right nostril with thumb and ring fingers and takes deep breath through the left nostril, retains the breath for a while and releases the breath through the right nostril.
He repeats the process by closing the left nostril and takes breath through
the right nostril. There are three processes in praanaayaama-Pooraka
(the filling process kumbhaka (the distribution process Raechaka (the
releasing process. During praanaayaama the pranavamanthra (which
is another form ofGaayathree) also is silently chanted, (pranavamaiethra-
0m Bhooh 0m Bhuvah 0m Swah om mahah, omjanaha, om thapah,
oni sathyam Thathsavithurvaeaenyam Bhargoa Daevasya Dheemahi
dhiyoa Yoa nah prachoaclayaath. Oamaapah Jyoatheerasclh Arnrutham



Brahma Bhoorbhuvasswaroam By the process praanaayaama all im-purities set in the body and mind are removed, the body is purified and kept in tune with the environment and is ready for any auspicious work. Here also the astrloger’s mind and body are purified by praanaayaama process.
After doing praanaayaama the first phase is the divination of the
chart by instilling the cosmic force into it. For this performs pooja or
worship of deities connected with astrology. There are prescribed meth-
ods for pooja in which the astrologer should be adept.lfthe astrologer
is not adept in pooja methods he engages somebody else knowing the
pooja methods At the outset Lord Ganapathy who is the dispeller of all
obstacles is worshipped.. Some verse depicting Ganapathi in any form
can be chanted .for example
Dhyaayaemithyam ganaesam paramagunayatham
dhyaanasmsttham thrinaethram
Aekam daevarn thwanaekam paramasukhayatham
daevadaevarn prasannam
Sundaadandadtyagandoadgalithamadajaloallaala
matthaalimaalam
Sreemantham vighnaraajam sakalasukhakaram sreeganaesam
namaami
After this the pooja of Dakshinaamoorthi who is the presiding
diety of astrology is done. The verse for his invocation is as follows
Kailaasaadreesakoanae Suravitapithatae sphaatikaemandapae
Sanmaathangaaraathpeedtoapariparilasitham saevyamaanam
surowkhaih
Jaanusttham vaamabaahum mrugamapiparasum
gnaanamudraam vahantham
Naagoadyadyoagavaeshtam dadatham rushiganae gnaanam
eesaanam eedae
After the pooja of lord Mahaeswara in the Dakshinaamoorthi form
,the signs and planets as they are posited in the signs on the day are to
be worshipped as the retinue of lord Mahaeswara. Then Goddess
Saraswathi, own preceptor are to be invoked in the Ashtamangala arti-
cles and worshipped. After this Goddess Mahaalakshmi is to be in-
voked in the oil lamp and worshipped. Then the Astrologer conducts
the worship of the gold coin. For this he takes out the Cowries (named
Varaatikaas in Sanskrit) and gold coin from the bag and washes the
gold coin and touches sandal paste and mixes it with the following -

rice, paddy, white flower (preferably thumba flower) and drops of wa-
ter and keeps it on a small piece of plantain leaf. Then he .takes the
plantain leaf in the left hand and places right hand over it and to ener-
gise it chants 0m Namah Sivaaya ftfae panchaakshara manthra) 108 times .After this he keeps the plantain leaf and its contents near him.’
Now it is the turn of the worship ofcowries(called varaatikaa in
Sanskrit),He washes the cowries with milk, then by water and rubs with
a white cloth .From the cowries he exactly counts 108 cowries only and
worships them by applying sandal and kumkumam and flowers and
Akshatha( the mixture of rice and paddy) on them. Then the astrologer
browses over the cowries by chanting 108 times the panchaakshara
manthra and other manthraas known to him 2 Then he preys to God
planets and his preceptors “ lam conducting this prasna for the sake of
this gentle man with name.......... And born on the asterism............ 0
Lords with your grace and blessings , the results of the good or bad
experiences in the past, present and future ,ofthis client and particu-
larly of the matter he has now asked about may come to my mind cor-
rectly “ 3 After this prayer he calls from the people present there , a child of below 9 years or a grown up individual who does not know the astrological principles . That person also worships with flowers lord Ganapathy, Mahaeswara and other dieties and the lamp. Then the as-trologer gives the contents of the gold coin with flower and akshatham which he has kept near him to the person and asks him to do three pradakshinams ( rounds) around the chart drawn there. The person re-ceives the mixture of gold coin, flowers and akshatham with both hands and makes three rounds to the chart and stands near the chart facing the eastern direction.4 While the person is making the three rounds with chanting some prayer to god, the people present there also offer prayers to their chosen deities. During this time the astrologer also should brouse over the cowries and ofier prayer to planets by chanting three times the famous verse beginning with Moorthithwae from bruhadjaathaka ofsree Varaahamihira (which is quoted here)
Moorthithwae parikalpithah sasibhruthoa
varthmaapunarjanmanaam
Aathmaethyaathmavidaam krathuscha yajathaam
bharthaamarajyoathishaam
Loakaanaam pralayoadayastthithivibhuschaanaekatthaa yah
sruthow
Vaacham nah sa dadaathu naikakiranah thriloakyadeepoa
ravih.

After the chanting three times of this verse is over and still brows-ing over the cowries the astrloger directs the person standing with the gold coin and akshatham in his hands to place it in some column of the query chart drawn there.”* When the person places the gold coin in one of the signs of the chart ,simultaneusly the astrologer takes one handful of cowries from the one hundred and eight cowries and keeps them to his left on the plank, takes another hand ful and keeps them in his front on the same plank and collect the remaining cowries to his right on the planLThen he asks the person to remain somewhere and notes the di-rection where he stands. And he also feels his breath passing through the nostril and notes if any omen is seen 6Then the astrologer or his assistants notes the details obtained by the ashtamangala process viz. exact time of placing the gold coin by the person and the sign in which the gold coin was placed and the astamangala numbers. Then he examines the position of the gold coin placed in the sign whether it is placed upside down or direct with face, touches the ground or placed on the flower, slanding towards any direction etc.The sign in which the gold coin is placed is namd as aaroodta.Then he makes a very brief desription of the results as observed from the omens seen or the fea-tures offlame of the lamp. “ After this he divides by number 8 the cow-ries in each group before him and notes the remainder in each group which is called Ashtamangalasamkhyaa ( the number obtained by ashtamangala process).Then the following calculations are made and noted on a paper with other details required for the delineation of the prasna.
1.Name of the querist
2.His asterism.
3.The asterism, day, lunar day,karana, nithyayoaga etc of the day of query. Date. Month and year ( prabhavaadi Era ,kali dina and Era with english equivalents)
4.The muhoortha blemishes (navadoashas, shaddoashas,
karthrudoashas, dagdhayoaga, mruthyuyoaga, kantakasthoona
,vishaghatikas, ushnaghatikas,vishti, stthirakaranas, laata, vaidhrutha,
Andhanakshathras, 22”d draekkaana, visha draekkaana, nigada

draekkaana, and other bad draekkaanas, their lords, 64 th navaarnsa,
mruthyubhagas, bad shashtyamsas, prushtoadaya signs, adhoarnukha
rasis, bad asterisms, (baalaannavarjya, eclipse of Jupiter and
Venus.mutual aspect of Jupiter and Venus, etc) at the time of query
5.Muhoortha plus points for the time of query.
6.Bhoothoadaya for the time of query.
7.Kaala hoara for the time of query
S.Chandrakriyas, chandraavastthaas and chandravaelas for the time of query.
9.0mens observed by the astrologer during the first meeting of
the astrologer and querist, on the way to the place of query, at the
place of query, during the progress of the process of query, while
placing the gold coin in the sign, the direction occupied by the person
placing the gold coin after he has placed the gold coin,
IO.The first letter in the sentence of the querist said to the
astrologer
11.The limbs touched by the querist when he met the astrolo-ger.
12.The direction occupied by the querist
13.The movements of the querist
14.The dress , general disposition, his sight,
l5~Aaroodfa sign the sign where the gold coin is placed , the
position of the gold coin and its longitude and navaarnsa
16.Tbe sign of ascendant with longitude andnavaarnsa .
17.The position of planets with longitude and navaarnsa for the
time.
IS.The position ofGulika with longitude and navaarnsa .
19.The position of other upagrahas with longitude.
20.The position of houses with longitude.
21-Ashtamangala number and items indicated by them(No 36
onwards)
22.The features of the flame of oil lamp.
23-Thrisphuta.
24-Chathussphuta.
25.Panchasphuta.
26-Praanasphuta.
27.Daehasphuta.
28.Mruthyusphuta.
29.Panchamahaasuthrs.
SO.Swamasphuta.
31 -Chandraarkaraabuchakra.
32.Mruthyuchakra.
33.Kaalasphuta.
34.Tlirisphutadasaa.
35.Gulikadasaa
36.Digits of ashtamangala numbers
37.Ashtamangala planets
38-Ashtamangala yonis
39-Ashtamangala animals
40-Ashtamangala bhoothas.
42.Ashtamangala total number of 3 digits.
42 •Ashtamangalathitthi
43 .Ashtamangalanakshathra
44-Ashtamangala sign
45-Ashtamangala day
46-Ashtamangala planet
47-Mruthyudagdhaadiyoaga caused by Ashtamangala.
48-Preparation of different charts (like quey chart, navaarnsa

chart, chandraarkaraahu chart, (These are explained in the ensuing pages of this book)
Quotations
1.Atthaprakshaalya thoayaena swaram chandanabhooshitham
Pathrae vinyasya kusumairakshathairapiyocljayaeth
Vaamahasthae nidhaayaattha pidhaayaanyaenapaanmaa
Panchoakshareem saashtasatham manthraanananyaamschcl
bhakthithah
Japthwacltthaikathra vinyasya praarabhaethaashtamangalam
2.Krithwaa dakshinathoa raasichakram praangmakha aasanae
Aaseenahphalakaebhinnae varateeh saashtakam satham
Nidhaaya manthravathproakshya gandhapushpaakshathaih
cha thaah
Alankruthyaarchayaeth thaasa sivamaavaahya chakravath
Praagaadyaasaasu sooryaaraaryagnaacchaarki vidhooragaan
Api sampoojya thaah sprushtwa sprushtwaashtasathamjapaeth
Panchaakshareem manoonanyaan api gurvaananaath sruthaan
3. Thathah sampraartthayaedaevam guroonapi nijaan grahaan


Aethannakshathrajaclthasya Aethannaamnoasya prucchathah Bhoothae cha varthamaanae cha samayae cha bhavishyathi Subhaasubhaani chaedaaneem chinthithasya visaeshathah Sambhavaasambhavacldyanyaanayclrtthaputhrclgrllhaadishu Subhaasubhhani yaanyaethaanyakhilaclnyapi thatthwathah Yushmathprasaadathah spastam mama chitthaesphuranthwithi.
4. Thathah kanyaa kumaaroa vaa snaathwaa vasthraadya larnkruthah
Raasigrahaabhignaanasoonyoa vaa kaschanaaparah
Upaethyaaraadhayaethpiishpairdeepavighnakhagaeswaraan
Thathoasya dakshinae hasthae swarnam saakshathapushpakam
Dadyaodaethath vahan soapi kruthwaa chakrapradakshinam
Paschaath sameepathah thishtaecchakrasyapraangmukhah
sudheeh
Thathah prashtaa nijaabheeshtam dhyaayamsthisttathu
sanjalih
5.Daivagnoattha smaranprashturabheeshtam thaa
varaatikaah
Samsprusan samsprusan manthram moorthithwaepoorvakam
japaeth
Thivaaram thajjapasyaanthae dootham brooyaannyasaerithi
Thadaiva vinyasaeddoothah swarnam nijakarastthitham
6.Chakrastthabhaeshu chaikathra daivagnasthaavaraatikaah
Vibhajaeth thrirudakpoorvarn nimitthaani cha chinthayaeth
Praakprucchaasamayae yadyath subhaasubhamudeeritham
Thaththath sakalamathraapi chinthyam sparsasaraadikam
Yasmin rasow stthitham swarnam sa syaadaaroodtasamgnakah
J.Gnaathwaa daivavidaaroodtam swarnasyoatthaanathaadi
cha
Prucchakaayaphalam kinchithproachyapoojaam samaapya
cha
Varateerashtasah thyakthwaa stthaanathrithayathah prutthak
Sishtasamkhyaamapi gnaathwaa rakshaneeyaa varaatikaah