Category / Navigating Modernity

by Jayant Kalawar

Will there be a Hindu Civilization in the Future? Part 1 of 5

Aum Sri MAtre NamahA Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

Three civilizational design principles in the VedA. Civilizational continuity in a changing world. A Perspective on Response of Hindu AchAryAs to Changing Patterns of RtA. The non-response to 15th century European incursions in the South of India. Continuing Non-Response to the 21st Century Globalism.

Click here for Part 2 of 5

Background: What makes for Hindu Civilization now?

By Jayant Kalawar, August 22nd 2023

This paper describes a futures perspective on VedA based Hindu Civilization, Manav DharmA, in the context of the general angst among many Hindus that Hindu Civilization[i] (HC) may be under attack. I notice three types of responses to this angst. One is to defend HC as a 5000+ year old living civilization with interpretations of texts and cultural processes handed down through the generations as evidence. The second is to call for a renaissance of HC  in the context of changing material paradigms. I see Sri Aurobindo’s and Veer Savarkar’s writing in this second approach. The third is the modern secular Indian approach of saying HC belongs to the museum. This paper may be seen as a mix of the first two responses: a search for what led to stagnation and vulnerability of DharmA in the last 2500 years with focus on VedA based Hindu intellectual history, its impact on Hindu mAnav sanghaTanA, and speculation of futures with opportunities and challenges for possibility of renaissance of VedA based DharmA.

The VedA on Manav SanghatanA: proposed architectural principle for DharmA design

I begin by positing three VedA based over-arching architectural principles for designing and constructing flexible, practical, adaptive, resilient mAnav DharmA:

  1. An over-arching VedA principle of cooperation to form mAnav sanghaTanA[ii].
  2.  The principle of aligning with RtA, the dynamic patterns of cosmic pulsations at all levels from micro to macro.
  3. The principle of desh-kaal-paristhiti (space-time-circumstance) to ensure responsive flexibility and resilience to ensure aligning with the dynamic unfolding of RtA.

Much of my thinking in this paper is an extension of what I have already presented in my blog post titled Aligning Human Time Cycles with the RtA of the VedA[iii] .

I end that post by quoting what I notice as the over-arching principle of mAnav sanghatanA in the Rig Veda, the last two verses of RV 191.10:

 स॒मा॒नो मन्त्र॒: समि॑तिः समा॒नी स॑मा॒नं मन॑: स॒ह चि॒त्तमे॑षाम् । स॒मा॒नं मन्त्र॑म॒भि म॑न्त्रये वः समा॒नेन॑ वो ह॒विषा॑ जुहोमि ॥
समानो मन्त्रः समितिः समानी समानं मनः सह चित्तमेषाम् । समानं मन्त्रमभि मन्त्रये वः समानेन वो हविषा जुहोमि ॥
samāno mantraḥ samitiḥ samānī samānam manaḥ saha cittam eṣām | samānam mantram abhi mantraye vaḥ samānena vo haviṣā juhomi ||

“May all chant the same mantrAs, may they aspire to the same goals, through shared purpose and desire. I will join in your mantra chanting, I will offer the same sacrifices as you so that we may achieve our shared goals.”

स॒मा॒नी व॒ आकू॑तिः समा॒ना हृद॑यानि वः । स॒मा॒नम॑स्तु वो॒ मनो॒ यथा॑ व॒: सुस॒हास॑ति ॥
समानी व आकूतिः समाना हृदयानि वः । समानमस्तु वो मनो यथा वः सुसहासति ॥
samānī va ākūtiḥ samānā hṛdayāni vaḥ | samānam astu vo mano yathā vaḥ susahāsati ||

“May all have the same intention and desires in their hearts, may all have similar thoughts so that we may connect and work in unison”

The Rishi is guiding us step by step in the process of how mAnav sanghatanA emerges: a) having shared goals b) with shared desires and purpose. The success of this process of accomplishing shared purpose and desires requires c) offering to give up on individual desires (sacrifices, elsewhere known as yagnya) that are inimical to the shared purpose and desires. The pre-requisite of entering into working together, as a mAnav sanghatanA, through individual sacrifice, the Rishi goes on to say, begins with us as individuals generating the same sankalpa, same intentions and therefore the same desires in our hearts. It is this sankalpa, the shared intention and desire, that is open to agency and will, not only in individuals, but as a sanghatanA.

Let’s examine three recent practical examples of Hindu mAnav sanghatanA accomplishing shared purpose and desires to better understand what the Rishi is saying: the Indian struggle for freedom from the British Empire in late 19th and first half of the 20th century[iv], Lokmanya Tilak inspired Ganesh Utsav to bring together Hindu community in early 20th century[v] and the rise of ISKCON over the last 50 years or so[vi].

Does the VedA provide guidance on what kind of shared goals are to be preferred and for what reasons, for mAnav sanghatanA to work in unison? For an answer to that question, let us turn to the second architectural principle of DhArmA: RtA.

RtA: Unfolding Patterns and the challenge of Aligning, the second architectural principle of DharmA design

My exploration of the theme of RtA in the VedA, which I have covered in my blog post[vii], was focused on examining the role of coordinating individual and social action over time, to ensure social coordination. I described how the development of PanchAnga technology, with daily detailed measurements of time across geographical areas of BhArat, with methods described in VedAnga Jyotisha, was instrumental in enabling large scale actions of mAnav sanghatanA. The panchanga technology enables aligning of the spandanA associated with Earth’s fortnightly interaction with the Moon (which gives rise to tides and pulsation of underground water levels on Earth) and annual interaction with the Sun (which gives rise to the seasons on Earth). The capacity of Hindus to align  with the RtA of the Moon and Sun enabled agricultural and market cycles, and therefore the emergence of a flourishing agriculture based civilization.

In this paper, I wish to posit a different, more macro, aspect of RtA for mAnav sanghatanA as a JAti. The manifestation of the jagat through Shristhi by the Shakti aspect of ShivA has an enduring capacity, even while it is ever changing. This enduring capacity we know of as Sthiti. In the current sthiti we find ourselves in, the mAnav jAti is one of the many inter-connected manifestations in the Devi’s jagat[viii]. Currently this mAnav jAti has an enduring quality of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of solar years. The enduring quality of the manifestation of the mAnav jAti is sustained through reproduction combined with long term nurturing of each generation. Such endurance has been made possible by the human capacity[ix] to produce social organizations as well as supporting technologies. The core organizational process, developed based on insight and guidance from the Rishis of the VedA, that ensures long term endurance of mAnav jAti is GrihastashramA.

That takes us to the last of the three over-arching architectural principles for DharmA design: desh-kaal-paristhiti.

Desh-Kaal-Paristhiti, the third architectural principle of DhArmA design

That DharmA is seen to be dependent on the principle of desh-kaal-paristhiti is apparent from verses 7 and 8 of Chapter 4 of the Bhagavad Gita[x]:

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ ४-७॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे॥ ४-८॥

The repetition  यदा यदा seem to point to events of DharmA collapsing that have happened in the past and expected to happen many times in the future. The repetition of युगे युगे points to such collapse and subsequent rejuventation is to be expected in many different epochs. In the ItihAsAs we notice descriptions of some deshAs being at peak of practice of DharmA, while others were in a state of DhArmik collapse. Thus at the same time in different spaces, the emergent state of DharmA is seen to be quite different. Similarly in the ItihAsAs we notice that in particular paristhitis (situational contexts) Sri RAma and Sri KrishNa act in ways that may not be considered DhArmic. Hence consideration of the dynamic of paristhiti in DharmA articulation appears to be valid. The proposed over-arching architectural principle of desh-kaal-paristhiti, therefore, appears to be known, in Hindu traditions.

Dynamic RtA

I posit that Rishis of the VedA were aware of that DharmA processes and structures have to keep pace with changing of RtA. They were also aware that RtA of the VedA, a complex dynamic interaction between myriad spandanA of Shakti, would undergo change. There would have to be many updated versions of articulations DharmA SutrAs. It is my understanding[xi] that Gautama’s and Baudhayana’s Dharma sutra treatises themselves reference many previous versions of articulations of DharmA. The Sutras themselves are to be seen as ‘rochak jhanki’[xii], an appreciative snap shot of how DharmA principles were interpreted and applied at a particular time and place, based on interpretation of smritis.There are modern examples which point to capacity of mAnav sanghatanA to develop knowledge to manage and control complex processes that change rapidly over time[xiii]

Should one expect social processes of mAnav sanghatanA to change as the patterns in the environment change, while ensuring that the underlying physics and over-arching architectural principles from the VedA continue to be the foundational building blocks? If so, how is it that we, in the Hindu sanghaTanA, continue to go back and reference operational and user manuals[xiv] for social processes from 2500 years ago, with no new versions generated? That is the question I  begin addressing in rest of this paper.

[i] Civilizational angst may have become a global phenomena with the publication of Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations in 1996. A precursor was Arnold Toynbee’s 1948 Civilization on Trial. Both these reflect the civilizational themes of European Enlightenment as articulated in the 17th (Hobbes) and 18th (Rousseau) centuries. I have provided a perspective of the civilization that has emerged from the European Enlightenment in my book https://www.amazon.com/OUTSIDER-DECONSTRUCTING-EUROPEAN-ENLIGHTENMENT-Death-ebook/dp/B07RHVRV7V

[iii] https://21banyantree.com/2022/01/10/aligning-human-time-cycles-with-rta-of-the-veda/

[iv] Indian freedom fighters[iv] shared the goal of SwarAjya. They took up the sankalpa to work towards that goal, while sacrificing their livelihood, and in many cases, their lives. To inspire the mAnav sanghatanA they arose from, they came up with mantras to be chanted together by everyone in that mAnav sanghatanA: Vande MAtaram and Jana Gana Mana. The momentum from this process I just described, in such thread bare outline, manifested the desired result of SwarAjya. The sacrifices and the joint chanting of the mantrAs by the hundreds of millions in the BhArat’s mAnav sanghatanA continues to be felt to be necessary to sustain that desired goal of sustaining SwarAjya. The guidance from the insight of the Rishi of the Rig Veda is so deeply ingrained, in the practitioners of the processes of Hindu culture, that book reading and scholarly knowledge are not a necessary pre-requisite for it to be activated.

[v] LokmAnya Tilak inspired the celebration of Ganesh Utsav in early 20th century as a way of bringing out Hindus visibly into the colonized public square. The celebration became an integral part of LokmAnya. Hundreds of thousands of local community leaders have (and continue to) volunteer their time and funding, as they have over more than a hundred years, to make the shared goal of bringing Hindu practitioners into the public square, by celebration of Ganesh Utsav, an annual success in MahArAshtra. The common shared mantra that is chanted together by the mAnav sanghatanA at the Ganesh Utsav is Jai Dev Jai Dev Jai Mangal Murti[v]. The success of Ganesh Utsav reflects the insight and guidance of the Rishi of the Rig Veda that I have referenced above.

[vi] ISKCON is an international Hindu community institution that evolved out of a shared goal of extending the VaishNava teachings and practice of Chaitanya MahAprabhu of the 15th century globally. Thousands of followers sacrificed their livelihood and way of life and dedicated themselves to this sankalpa. Their common shared mantra that is chanted together by the mAnav sanghatanA of ISKCON throughout the world is Hare KrishNA Hare KrishNA Hare Hare[vi]. ISKCON may be considered as one more successful application of the Rishi’s of insight and guidance on how mAnav sanghatanA come together to work together to bring about change to enable flourishing of the collective.

[vii] https://21banyantree.com/2022/01/10/aligning-human-time-cycles-with-rta-of-the-veda/

[viii] VedAnta practitioners may be more familiar with IshwarA’s jagat.

[ix] Humans have a capacity (albeit limited) of self-awareness (emergence of a combination of sAkshi bhAvA and ahamkAra)  and self-reflection (pratibhijnA, cognition of objects, including mind, body and sensate world) which gives rise to human language, logic and meaning making, which are then used by the species to attempt to create technologies to shape the objective environment they cognize and at the same time attempt to develop stable structures of social processes, which we name as DharmA, to align with the RtA.

[x] https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_giitaa/bhagvadnew.html

[xi] Based on my reading of Gautama Dharma Sutra by Pandey, Umesh Chandra, 1966 as downloaded from https://ia601600.us.archive.org/13/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.429882/2015.429882.gautama-dharma.pdf , Yaska in his writing circa 7th – 5th century BCE references ancient DharmashastrAs. The book also point out that an especially important aspect (vishesha mahatva) of Dharma SutrAs is that they provide “SAmAjik Jeevan kI rochak jhAnkI”. See Pp 6 – 7 of the publication in the linked document.

[xii] Ibid Pp 6.

[xiii] An example of how mAnav sanghatanA respond to changing situations comes to mind from my vantage point of having some knowledge of development of complex computer systems from mid-20th century into the second decade of the 21st century. The operating, maintenance, training and user manuals for IBM 1620 (card reading) computing machine of the 1950s and 60s was very different from the IBM mainframe computing machines in the 1970 and 80s. There have been many more changes in the supporting operational and maintenance procedures as client-server (including PC based client) systems architectures emerged in the 1990s, and by 2007 began morphing to cloud based mass server side computing, with internet and satellite connectivity enabling a global network of client side devices. I cannot imagine reading up an IBM 1620 card reading computing operations manual and then advising someone on how to operate in a cloud based global environment. On the other hand, the underlying physics and mathematics of how computing machines run, as well as the over arching architectural principles (of reliability, flexibility and responsiveness) have not changed over this times. The point to be made from this diversion is that there is underlying continuity due to factors I just stated. At the same time, due to changes in the connectivity environment (with communications technologies also undergoing generational changes based again on the same physics, maths and overarching architectural principles), the application of these technologies changed the way they were used by mAnav sanghatanA globally. And with that, has changed the operating, maintenance and user manuals for the computing machines that we use.

[xiv] I am pointing to e.g. the Dharma Sutras which are chronicles, ‘rochak jhanki’. I see the Samhitas, Upanishads, Smritis and Vedangas, are sources from which we can glean the physics and the over-arching architectural principles of the Hindu civilization.

by Jayant Kalawar

Is marriage necessary? One perspective

ॐ श्री मात्रे नमः (Photo by Soumik Dey on Unsplash)

By Jayant Kalawar, June 19th 2023

I was invited to participate in an online panel discussion on the institution of marriage in contemporary times that took place on April 17th 2023[i]. The panel discussion was moderated by Professors Dr Jayanti P. Sahoo[ii] and Dr. Aparna Dhir-Khandelwal[iii]. The moderators focused on how women’s roles have changed in contemporary times through their work in business, professions and academia. They contrasted these changing roles with an overall lack of change in roles in marriage, where women continue to shoulder disproportionate responsibility in carrying out child nurturing and household maintenance activities. If marriage is to be an equal partnership among spouses in what they contribute into the marriage, then it seems that modern women are getting the short end of the stick.

In this post I am exploring a big picture approach on how to think of the institution of marriage using selected principles from Hindu ShastrAs (from darshanas and agamas). I hope to inquire (this post is just a beginning) how such principles may help in understanding different frameworks for marriage that have emerged in different parts of the world, at different times over many millennia[iv].

I am making this exploration of how  the explanatory power of concepts from Hindu ShastrAs can help us understand changes in core human social organization, household and marriage, that we are witnessing in recent times. I hope to describe what I see through the lens I am constructing. Not to prescribe, not to moralize. The aim is to open up thoughtful conversations on the practical matter of marriage as a social institution, using a lens constructed from Hindu ShAstrAs. Conversations which do not devolve rapidly into prescriptive sermonizing and hopefully instead open up more than one intellectual spring from the deep and broad glacial wisdom of Hindu ShAstrAs.

I am somewhat familiar with social and cultural flows in India and the USA. So the examples of a range of forms of marriage I present, in the course of my exploratory inquiry here, are from these two countries.

For example, in India there currently (in 2023) are three different recognized legal frameworks for marriage: Muslim Personal Law (1937), Special Marriage Act (1954) and Hindu Marriage Act (1955). The emergence of these three laws of marriage over the last hundred years reflects the reality of multiple streams of Indian cultural and social histories converging in the modern Indian nation-state. In March of 2023, the Supreme Court in India took up the matter of whether marriage between individuals of same sex would be legal under the Special Marriage Act. This may be seen as a reflection of the currents of globalization crisscrossing India. Much of such currents emerge from the USA at the present time.

In the USA, institution of marriage has been contested in different ways. In the mid-19th century there was a contest between monogamy and polygamy when Utah was incorporated into the United States, with monogamy, as a result, becoming the established law across all states[v]. In the late 19th and early 20th century, social and legal status of women in USA changed, giving women property rights, followed by political rights of voting. In the mid to late 20th century opportunities opened up for women to work outside of home, to earn independent incomes, especially post World War II. Through these steps women gained autonomy, which then reflected in changes in the form of the monogamous marriage. Divorce laws emerged in different states, along with child custody and community property related legislations[vi]. Marriage in practice became dependent on continuing agreement between two adults of opposite sex  to co-habit, have and nurture children. Marriage thus became subject to continued agreement between the two adults and resulted in no-fault divorce legislations emerging in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In  late 20th to early 21st century question began being raised whether two individuals same sex can get married. Same-sex marriage was ruled to be legal in 2015 by the US Supreme Court.[vii]

So what drives different human communities to develop different norms for the institution of marriage at different times? I am not presenting a ground up cultural anthropology perspective[viii]. I am presenting a top down first principles based perspective from within Hindu ShAstrAs. My hope is  to re-discover explanatory power of Hindu ShAstrAs to address seemingly complex questions that humans face, such as how the institution of marriage undergoes change depending on desh-kAl-paristhiti.

Some Selected Concepts From Hindu ShAstrAs

Here are a few concepts from my understanding of Hindu SHAstrAs that I will bring into play in this initial exploration into the institution of marriage.

One is the concept of svAtantrya, freedom, autonomy, as articulated in the PratibhijnA branch of Advaita by AchArya UtpaladevA, Somananda and Abhinavagupta in the 10th and 11th century CE. This is a shruti concept articulated by rishis.

A second concept is that of LeelA, the myriad dynamic manifestations of the Devi. LeelA is playful expression of desires, the acting out of svAtantrya.

SvAtantrya and LeelA may be seen as seamless process concepts to describe the principle of sat-chit-ananda-iccha-jnana-kriya.

A third subsequent concept is a particular manifestation of LeelA as Manav Jati, with the desire to sustain and grow it. How is the Manav JAti to sustain and grow? As a response to this desire of the Devi Hindu ShAstrAs propound AshramAs of a life cycle of the human physical body, with grihasta AshramA being the central phase in a human life span. As we know, this has been spoken of in smritis and dharma sutrAs, constructed by Shastrajna’s based on empirical observations of different roles played by humans in different phases of their life cycle in the context of specific desh-kAla-paristhti.

I propose that we understand these concepts by viewing the human in a sharira-traya frame of sthula-sukshma-karana sharira.

SvAtantrya is the essence of freedom expressed by ShAkti and drives myriad manifestations reflecting playful desires of Shiva-Shakti. In the individual human, this Svantantrya principle manifests as AhamkArA. The desires of AhamkArA play out at as individuality at the level of Sukshma sharira through the Jnanendriyas. In turn, the desires of the AhamkArA are channeled as actions by the JanendriyAs through KarmendriyAs in every day interactions with other humans and the in the natural environment – with the intention of satisfying desires. The five tatwas, essences, that undergird SvAtantrya are chit-Ananda-iccha-jnana-kriya[ix].

Manifestation of SvAtantrya as human species on Earth: through the play of the Devi’s Iccha-Jnana-Kriya shaktis the five bhuaktika tatwas arise: earth-water-fire-air and sky. In parallel, arise jnanendriyas and karmendriyas. One such configuration of jnanendriyas and karmendriyas when it interact with the earth-water-fire-air-sky manifests as the human species. One of the Icchas of the human species so manifested is to sustain and grow itself. That leads to the play of grihasta AshramA, the householder.

The concept of grihasta AshramA has been central to procreation and sustenance of the physical body, the sthula sharira, of the human species. The sustenance of the sthula sharira of the human species is an expression of the playful desire of Shakti to enjoy the panch tan mAtrAs. While svatantrya concept promotes individuality in humans, the grihasta Ashrama concept promotes cooperation and collaboration, to enable sustenance and growth of the species.

With this background I begin my exploration of the current state of the institution of marriage which is a core human social construct within the Devi’s LeelA, play, of grihasta Ashrama.

The two concepts of SvatantryA and Grihasta AshramA may be seen to be orthogonal to each other. When an individual human is fully committed to grihasta AshramA, let’s say a 100, the svatantrya principle is at zero. When svantantrya is at 100, grihasta ashrama is at zero.

The role of marriage in grihasta ashrama being central, its form and unfolding in a social milieu will reflect the balance struck between the two principles. What drives such a balance between svatantra principle and the grihasta ashrama principle? I suggest it is a combination of the three sources of disturbances that humans experience as propounded in SAmkhyA: adibhauktika, adidaivika and adhyatmaka.

Adibhautika may be taken as socio-economic, often technology driven, and environmental flows in a society over which humans may have control over.

Adidaivika may be seen as great natural forces over which humans have no control over for example ice ages, many decades of droughts and consequent famines.

Adhyatmaka may be seen as the capacity to cognize and become aware of dynamic changes in adibhauktika and adidaivika. SAmkhya shows there is considerable scope of misapprehension of such experiences by humans. When such misapprehensions are multiplied over many humans, it results in sustained confusion. I suggest that this tendency towards confusion, arising due to limitations in the human cognitive process  as described in SAmkhyA, leads to loss of capacity to strike a balance between svantantra and grihasta Ashrama principles, when such balance is disturbed from Adibhauktika and Adidaivika sources. Human groups then work towards bringing balance back. As marriage is a core engine of balanced human flourishing, success of the re-balancing process of the form and dynamic of marriage becomes one of the drivers for sustaining and growing human groups.

So now let’s look at applying these concepts to get a sense of current state of marriage in the USA and India. First here is some high level background:

The Respect for Marriage Act (RMA) of 2022 passed by the US Congress made civil unions among any two human individuals legal. This not only allows two individuals of opposite genders to enter into a civil union, even if that is not recognized or sanctified by one or more religions, it also enables same sex partners to enter into legal civil unions. In turn, such same sex couples can legally adopt and raise children, just as opposite sex couples can.

The  RMA of 2022 also specifically made interracial marriages legal. Until 1960s, there were a number of states in USA that had laws declaring interracial marriages unlawful. The US Supreme Court ruled in 1967 that such state laws were unconstitutional. However, it was not until 2022 that US Congress positively recognized interracial marriages as legal.

The RMA also excludes civil unions  among more than two individuals, thus declaring polygamous unions continue to be illegal.

In India, as listed earlier there are three major laws governing marriage (as listed earlier). Under one of them, Muslim Personal Law(1937), polygamous marriage is legal, marriage is contractual and between individuals of opposite sex. Divorce is relatively easy. Property division is according to contract entered into at time of marriage. The Hindu Marriage Act (1955) enables marriage of two individuals of opposite sex. Divorce is not easy. Property matters are subject to laws governing Hindu joint families. The Special Marriage Act (1954) enables two consenting adults of opposite sex to enter into marriage. Divorce is possible. Property division can be contentious in case of divorce. Inheritance laws under each of these acts differ, reflecting custom and history of the constituent community that is supported by each act.

The current conversation among younger generations in India seems to be around live-in relationships[x]. Hearings by the Indian Supreme Court about legality of same sex marriage has also made for headlines in India recently (May 2023)[xi]. The Court directed that the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to have its Law Commission to seek views and ideas from civil and religious groups to develop a Uniform Civil Code (as of June 14th 2023) for marriages, divorces, child custody, property division and inheritance.

So how to explain the apparent difference in trajectory of the institution of marriage in the USA and India using the conceptual tools I have identified above?

A perspective on current state of the institution of marriage in the USA

Of the three sources of change (Adibhauktika, Adidaivika and Adhyatmika), American socio-economic frame responds to the Adibhauktika the most (changes to human made material technology and social constructs). It secondarily focuses on changes in Adidaivika (large scale natural events such as hurricanes, floods, droughts, wild fires). Relatively, it focuses least on Adhyatmika (the self-aware cognitive process, which in humans is prone to mis-apprehension as SAmkhyA elegantly articulates). The technologies it has developed leads to enabling svantantrya, individuality / autonomy (and to remind ourselves, svantantrya in humans manifests as ahamkAra). As individuals are more able to sustain themselves with less cooperation and collaboration with other individuals, the need for households decreases. So if over all economic and health wellbeing of the individual is less dependent on group collaboration, then size of households is likely to decrease, including rise of single households. We see that happening in the USA.  Along with this, as reproductive technology gains traction (freezing eggs and semen, in-vitro fertilization, surrogate pregnancies and more), the need for marriage may change and along with that its form. In other words, if the desire to sustain and grow the human species can be satisfied utilizing technologies that require less collaboration and cooperation, social constructs of households and marriages may change to adapt so that individuals can express their individuality more.

Recent US history supports such analysis. The combination of two factors stand out vis a vis the svAtantrya principle. One is women in the work force outside of the home beginning with industrialization and accelerating in late 1940s, after World War 2. The second is technology to manage reproductive process. As a combination of these two factors, the svAntantrya principle has acquired higher value in recent decades relative to previous socio-economic-technology epochs. In turn, it has promoted individuality, thus leading to challenge to structure of grihastashrama in general and marriage in particular. Thus single parent household, as well marriage of same sex partners, may be seen as a viable option to raise children.

A perspective on the current state of the institution of marriage in India

Of the three streams of marriage frames that currently flow in parallel in India (Hindu Marriages Act (1955), Special Marriages Act (1954) and Muslim Personal Law (1937), I have some familiarity of the Hindu Marriages Act.

 The Hindu Marriages Act in India is based on traditional norms practiced by Hindus over many millennia, with some changes to suit the current paristhiti as perceived in mid-20th century: marriageable age for females was set at 16 (previously in many Hindu communities the practice was marriageable age for females to be at puberty, which could mean age as low as 9 in some cases). Another change was to uniformly enforce monogamy (previously some Hindu communities practiced males having two wives under certain circumstances). The inheritance laws of the unified Hindu joint family were carried forward, especially for example the male child’s mother and sisters having claim over inheritance along with the widow. Rules for division of property in case of divorce is also not clearly defined ,as divorce was assumed to be an exception than the rule.

The norms of Hindu marriage and accompanying grihastashrama (householder) roles in Hindu joint families were practiced by learning them through repetitive performance of specific rituals. As one illustrative example, the ritual of Gauri Puja (also called Hartalika in northern India) in Karnataka teaches how the wife goes to her mother’s house due to a tiff with her husband. The son is sent to persuade her to come back home, in the process showing great respect and admiration for his mother and the husband for his wife. The rituals are still performed, but the desh-kAl-paristhiti has changed. Such practices have now become more performative and less learning and action paradigms that may have been the original intention.

As the gusts of technology and finance driven globalization course through Indian socio-economic and cultural framework, one key outcome has been increase in sense of svAntantrya, especially economic freedom, among a fair number of Hindu women, especially in urban areas. Those gusts of globalization are Adibhauktika. They are to be expected. Resilience in the face of these gusts is to sharpen Adhyatmika, to go back to first principles and redesign norms in context of desh-kAl-paristhiti. Not through doubling down on norms designed and articulated in specific desh-kAl-paristhiti about 2500 years ago.

In my estimation, at present stage of my self-study and research, Hindu ShAstrAs have the capacity to not only explain the challenges that the frames of marriage and householder (grihastashrama) may be currently facing in India. They can also provide guidance on how to redesign these social frames so that they are more resilient to and enduring in the face of the current technological and financial forces that are at play. It opens up the possibility to do so in a  transparent manner with critical thinking based on philosophical principles, that can involve youth in the conversations in collaborating in the redesign.

Edge Cases

Let’s take up some edge cases to test the explanatory power of the beginnings of the philosophical conceptual framework I am positing. For, it is the edge cases that challenge the mainstream core. When we recognize the edge cases as an integral part of Devi’s LeelA, then we can begin to gain an understanding of how the edge cases can co-exist with the mainstream core. The nucleus of a human cell is where all the action may take place within the cell. But its sustainability and capacity to multiply depends on how secure the cell borders are. For social constructs such as the institution of marriage, those borders, I posit, are the edge cases.

The edge cases I will very briefly take up here, in the context of the institution of marriage are: of widows, widowers, divorcees, single parents as well as individuals who do not fit neatly into the binary of male and female categories. For purposes of this already long post I will set up questions for each of these edge cases, which may open doors to further inquiry in subsequent writings.

Are widowers better able to form new households or expand their existing households as they have better income and asset potential in the USA? Are they better able to do so among Hindus due to inheritance laws and relatively higher social status? Conceptually, the economic leg up gives more svAtantrya, the play of ahamkara.

Do widows, especially relatively younger ones, face more challenges to sustain their household roles due to relatively lower income and asset levels in the USA (which may have improved in the last few decades)? Are inheritance laws and social status concerns a challenge to Hindu widows? As global technology and financial changes give Hindu women more capacity to act on their svantantrya, will they challenge current Hindu grihastAshrama, household and its core building block, marriage along with inheritance norms?

Similar questions can be raised for the divorcee edge case, for males and females. As Adibhauktika changes manifest as socio-economic theater, the scripts for various roles of the humans play in the LeelA of sustaining and growing a flourishing human species on Earth will change. Does the svAntantrya principle seem to have a feedback loop in the Adibhauktika theater manifestation – to enable more play? Is this something that manifests through roles of human females?

The edge case of single parent household begins to bring the question of whether and how human children can be nurtured to healthy flourishing adults outside of marriage. Can humans begin to cognize nurturing and raising children as a separate function from conceiving and birthing them? Can we consider emergence of a social organization (the notion of the state), with supporting technology and finance, driven by the human svatantrya impulse for individuality and autonomy as Adibhauktika? Perhaps whether the single parent household will grow depends upon whether the twin IcchA, the desires of the Devi, of individual svantantrya and of sustaining and growing human species on the other, are satisfied? If through social organization of technology and finance these twin desires are met, will it make marriage an optional way of conceiving, birthing and nurturing children to adulthood?

The questions raised in context of single parent household sets us up to inquire about the last edge case we will consider here. Can two individuals of same sex live together and nurture children to healthy flourishing adulthood? If so, would that be considered marriage?

The questions posed in the context of the edge cases require research and discussion. That in turn may lead to better understanding of how grihastashrama, households, and marriage as a core central institution may evolve with changes in Adibhauktika and Adidaivika.

My takeaways from this post

The twin Indic philosophical concepts of Svantantrya and LeelA may enable one to deconstruct the institution of marriage and household (grihastashrama) for the current desh-kAla-paristhiti in two different social milieus, USA and India. There may be potential to do so without having to depend solely on authority of what the practices and institutional designs were 2500 years ago when the desh-kAla-paristhiti were very different. That tells me that Hindu ShAstra concepts have the explanatory power that humans seek so that they can construct social organizations in consonance with Adibhauktika and Adidaivika. My sense is that such explanatory power arises due to concepts Hindu ShAstrAs being deeply rooted insights from AdhyAtmika perspective of Rishis.

So where do we go from here? I see opportunity for practical redesign conversations among Hindu constituents using concepts from the Hindu ShAstrAs so that, for example, the Hindu Marriages Act can be amended to reflect current desh-Kal-paristhiti while retaining the Adhyatmika guidance from our Rishis, without having to depend (especially as sole authority) on Adibhauktika designs from 2500 years ago tailored for those times and places. In other words, we may have an opportunity here, through extended tapas, to rejuvenate multiple intellectual springs from the deep and broad glacial wisdom of the Hindu ShAstrAs, so that the springs come down to the plains of desh-kAl-paristhiti to nourish us all.

[i] Video of the panel discussion has been made available here: https://www.vyoumtube.com/v/ma8XDvZHo8C

[ii] Dr Jayanti P. Sahoo is Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi.

[iii] Dr Aparna Dhir-Khandelwal is Assistant Professor at the School of Indic Studies, Institute of Advanced Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

[iv] Over the at least the last 2500 years or so human households (group of humans identifying as a family, with different roles to support each other is how I see households) provide the platform for us to play out our life cycle, from conception, birth, nurturing, adulthood and old age. They were and are a key to inter-generational human flourishing. Marriage was and is the core foundational block in such human households. Human groups across time and geography have come up with different ways of forming households. This is in turn reflected in different forms of marriage.

In the last hundred years or so, the emergence of the welfare state (consequent to emergence of the nation-state in Europe post the Enlightenment) in tandem with technology and financial organization, has offered a number of support functions that households provided in the past to the process of raising children to be healthy and flourishing adults. In turn, the form and function of households and marriage has undergone change.

[v] https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1040/morrill-anti-bigamy-act-of-1862#:~:text=Morrill%20Anti%2Dbigamy%20Act%20of%201862%20(1862)&text=%2C%20R%2DVt.-,The%20act%20was%20passed%20in%20response%20to%20the%20perceived%20threat,Saints%20(Mormons)%20in%20Utah.

[vi] https://historycooperative.org/the-history-of-divorce-law-in-the-usa/

[vii] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/26/417717613/supreme-court-rules-all-states-must-allow-same-sex-marriages “As the Supreme Court’s summary states, “The history of marriage is one of both continuity and change.”” “The ancient origins of marriage confirm its centrality, but it has not stood in isolation from developments in law and society,” Kennedy wrote. His opinion sketches a history of how ideas of marriage have evolved along with the changing roles and legal status of women.

Comparing that evolution to society’s views of gays and lesbians, Kennedy noted that for years, “a truthful declaration by same-sex couples of what was in their hearts had to remain unspoken.”

[viii] For cultural anthropology perspective, I would suggest David Graeber’s book, which questions mainstream western anthropology: https://www.amazon.com/Dawn-Everything-New-History-Humanity/dp/0374157359

[ix] Getting a working sense of these 5 tatwas is possible through upasana, being connected with the Devi, under the guidance of an AchAryA.

[x] https://mahabahu.com/live-in-relationships-gain-acceptance-in-india-a-cultural-shift/

[xi] https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/sc-same-sex-marriage-here-are-the-arguments-over-10-days-8609177/

by Jayant Kalawar

Focusing Inward in these Covid-19 days

Sri Gayatri MAtA by Raja Ravi Verma Source Wikipedia

ॐ श्री मात्रे नमः Source: Illustration by Raja Ravi Verma as published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri

Hot humid summer days open up opportunities for early morning walks. There are some days, though, when early morning hours are hot and humid and the body and the mind resist and find excuses to stay within air conditioned comfort.   In 2020, there are added reasons with Covid-19 and social distancing. In New Jersey, at the time of this writing in mid-July, it is generally accepted to be prudent and wear a mask or face covering even while out on a solitary walk, with runners and joggers, many young of age with  a sense of immortality, who may run past you breathing heavily.

On one such early hot and humid Thursday morning, instead of walking I found myself sitting in air-conditioned comfort in front of my laptop, logged into Zoom and waiting to be connected to an ongoing discourse on Suresvara Ācārya’s Naiṣkarmya Siddhi by Swami Shantanandaji[1].    Thursdays are Guruvāra, Guru’s day and a good day to listen and reflect on Vedanta teachings from Adi Shankaracharya.  While waiting for Swamiji to connect, I wondered what light would be shown to us through the discourse this morning.

Swami Shantanandaji is no more than 2 miles from where I am sitting and, in these Covid 19 days, we connect only online for the early morning discourse. This Thursday, Swamiji expanded on two key terms: cidābhāṣa and vṛtti which while not new in my many decades of study of Vedanta, are quite elusive to grasp and immerse and revel in for their full import. In the process of writing this post I am hoping to root these subtle concepts a bit deeper in myself.

Cidābhāṣa points at once to the human capacity to be self-aware (cit) and to the ability to experience a limited structured world (bhāṣa). For instance, I have the capacity to say “I am” to myself and, going further, I can also sense my own presence without using any language. That is what happens in my meditation seat: as I focus inwards, languaging drops away and, with it, thoughts disappear. There are moments when I only have a sense of being present. This sense of being present, without any thoughts, is cit, the capacity to be self-aware, presenting itself. 

Such a sense of presence is momentary, fleeting, for me.  Because, in the very next moment, the body intrudes and signals that it is thirsty or  hungry. And like a mother reaching out to a child, this capacity of cit, to be aware, flows out to be entangled  between solving the problem of overcoming the thirst or hunger and negotiation of the urgency of these signals with reveling in and extending the moments of being self-aware in meditation. In this moment, Cit energy (Cit śakti) flows away into the body and only the body and its particular problems exist. There is a limited sense (bhāṣa) that arises for those moments, that the body is all that exists and this limitation is false. But in that flow of Cit to the body, in these moments, the capacity to even explore the possibility that I am not limited to the body is not available.

The possibility of limitlessness, that I am not limited to my body, is what I am not capable of fully immersing, like water to a fish. The fish does not have knowledge of the vastness of the waters it is in; it may not even be aware that it is in something like water. The fish is an extension, and integral part, of the water ecosystem (before I do the ‘so also’ let me say I am alert to the limitations of this ‘fish in the water’ metaphor and use it only to help visualize what I share next).  Like the fish, the human lives in an ocean, one of cosmic vibration which manifests itself as Cit śakti in the human body. In the process of manifestation, the property of connection with the ocean appears to be lost. So, Cit śakti gives us the capacity to be self-aware and also be aware, in a limited way, of the human body in which it manifests. But this dynamic awareness enabling energy, Cit śakti, that manifests does not allow for an easy connection back to its source, the ocean of cosmic vibrations.

What is this ocean of cosmic vibrations? One way is to describe it in terms of its properties: Sat-Cit-Ānanda. Sat is the property of being always and everywhere. One of the properties of satcitānanda is manifestation outside of space and time; it is not bound by space and time. We can, however, begin to sense its presence through certain of its properties. Just as we can sense the presence of water in the ocean, through its properties of wetness and its liquid flow, so also, can we sense the presence of Satcitānanda through two of its properties: the property of self-awareness, which is Cit, and the property of contentment, which is Ānanda. Our awareness capacity, Cit, is limited. We experience sukha (happiness) and duḥkha (sorrow),  but rarely contentment, Ānanda. And because we are bound by space and time – we are a-sat (not sat). Here, in my meditation seat, in my own little personal reservoir of awareness, cit, is fed by a trickle from satcitānanda, but I cannot sense that connection. How do I get to this place, where I can begin to sense a connection with satcitānanda and, then, actually connect? This is where mokṣa śāstra comes into play, and to have a Guru guide you through the systemized process (śāstra) to connect with and immerse (mokṣa) in satcitānanda.

This is a good place to ask: what keeps us from beginning to focus our energies to seek this connection to Satcitānanda? Because of Vṛtti.

Vṛtti, the other keyword Swami Shantanandaji raised in his discourse that summer Thursday morning, is disturbance; a disturbance that causes ripples or a storm in the tranquility of the reservoir of Cit śakti in us. Much of the time, most of us have a disturbed Cit śakti.

The key Vṛtti generating factors are our desires to play in this material world. And at this particular period on Earth, in 2020, we have a pandemic triggering particular desires: to survive now and to continue to do so in the longer run, while we consume an overload of information on  how to survive. Much, if not all, of our Cit śakti is spent on this so we can take precautions to be safe and healthy while anxiously worrying about our financial future. The opportunity, even momentarily,  to use some of our Cit śakti to recall and reconnect with the Satcitānanda, is near zero. Unless, and this is a Big Unless, we are blessed with the opportunity to be in satsang with ācāryas who tirelessly and with complete focus, because of their sustained focus on Satcitānanda,  we are effortlessly guided to re-focus on our interior self. That is what happens every time I have the opportunity to attend Swami Shantanandaji’s discourse on these Thursday mornings.

I will hazard a guess that the pandemic has helped many of us focus on a few things. In fact, in pre-pandemic times, many who may have been continually distracted pursuing the narrative of materialist modernity which shaped almost every waking moment of our lives, and in our dream are beginning to avail of the opportunity to seek satsang and become aware of ourselves.[2]

Ācāryas in the past have spoken of many veils that cloud our view of Satcitānanda.  What materialist modernity has constructed over the past 400 years is not a veil but a reinforced fortress wall. Any attempt to scale this wall and turn inward is met with ignorance, since the language of modernity does not have embedded within guidance on Satcitānanda. Any sensibility that is not a part of the modern narrative is denigrated and without guidance to search inward, we are pulled relentlessly, by modern logic, narrative and theories, to find happiness by continually playing win-lose games in the material world of our senses and keep us engaged in this material endeavor.

In this context, I see Covid-19 as an opportunity to turn inward and find satsang, as these distractions have been temporarily brought to a standstill, to guide us to dismantle brick by brick, the wall that modernity has erected within us. That is what Advaita Vedānta can do: gently help deconstruct the modern logic and narrative that is holding us prisoner.

May many of us find our satsang soon. And at that satsang, may we find an Ācārya to begin guiding us to focus our Cit śakti, to begin connecting to Satcitānanda.

And just to close the loop, next time I go for a morning walk and a young person barrels down past me without a mask, I hope to be less fearful as I meditate on this connection, while taking precautions myself. I will think positive thoughts for the young runners and wish them well.

[1] Swami Shantanandaji is President of Chinmaya Mission West and resident Ācārya of Chinmaya Vrindavan, Cranbury, New Jersey.

[2] I have expanded upon this theme of the impact of modernity on human species in my essay: https://www.amazon.com/OUTSIDER-DECONSTRUCTING-EUROPEAN-ENLIGHTENMENT-Death-ebook/dp/B07RHVRV7V

by Jayant Kalawar

Jyotish Covid-19 Pandemic Model for USA: Update July 12th 2020

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

I posted a tentative Jyotish based model to predict and track the Covid-19 Pandemic in the USA on April 6th 2020. I titled it the memetic pandemic. I wanted to convey that the pandemic that we were experiencing was not only at the biological level of the virus. It was also at the mental level of language – in terms of incessant flow of torrents of information of the disease and its manifestation in deaths around the globe.

I ended that post with the following summary prediction:

So, what I would be looking for is whether the actuals begin to slope downwards as per prediction based on my Jyotish based model, between April 18th and April 25th and then slope downwards even further after between April 25th – May 2nd and accelerate downwards between May 2nd – May 9th. And whether total number of deaths stabilize around April 25th on wards. Let’s see.

Here is a representation of numbers of daily new deaths:

Actual Covid 19 New Deaths Weekly Feb - Jul 2020

 

What I see, in the chart above, is that the number of new deaths (7 day moving average for the United States) did peak somewhere between April 15th and 20th and then began to decline around April 25th 2020. as predicted. And, again on track with the prediction, the numbers began to go down sharply in the week of May 2nd. My model predicted up to May 9th.The model did pretty good in terms of predicting the slopes back in the April – May 2020 time frame. Not too bad for a first time Jyotish based model for a complex phenomenon of Covid 19 pandemic.

For Jyotishis, here is a brief description of how I arrived at the slopes (i.e. change in level of new deaths). I used a combination of 8th Lord (both natal and transit) aspect and 8th House placement on both transit and natal planets. In the case of USA SAMVA chart[1], the 8th Lord is Saturn and the 8th House is Aquarius, along with natal and transit Rahu / Ketu aspect on natal and transit planets.

Symbolically the function may be represented as:

Change in Level of New Deaths = f(f(8th L (NandTr), X), f(8th H, X), f(Ra/Ke(NandTr), X))

Where L=Lord, Tr=Transit, H=House, N=natal, Tr=Transit, X=any planet Mars, Moon, Sun, Sun, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn.

The potential for change in level of new deaths is measured in degrees of separation of planet X from the 8th and / or Rahu / Ketu.

My sense is that I have been able to at least directionally predict a complex biological-social phenomenon in the USA, which epidemiologists and other experts have been trying to get their arms around. With such a directional prediction, I was able to say to myself and my family and friends that with proper safety precautions the pandemic is likely to decrease in its lethality by mid-May. This helped in managing down the level of anxiety and therefore have better sense of hope and well-being. I am also somewhat more encouraged now that there is potential to use Jyotish based models to predict large scale complex social phenomena. Of course, there will have to be many, many trial and error iterations before the Jyotish approach of large scale social phenomena begins to be helpful in designing prevention and mitigation strategies as appropriate.

But then what about predictions for after mid-May 2020? After all, the pandemic phenomena is still continuing as I write this on July 7th 2020.

Well, I extended my prediction on April 22nd to cover the time period between mid-May and late July by saying:

There is a chance that there may be a mild second wave of Wuhan Virus in USA during this period of mid May 2020 to end July 2020, which may be seen as a continuance of the current wave. The indicators point to more of a chance of potential for civil and political disharmony and economic hardship in USA in May and June 2020, but that is from a different set of planetary drivers, which I may cover in a separate post (in this post I am focusing on the pandemic concerns).

As you would notice, the prediction of civil and political disharmony and economic hardship in USA in the May – June 2020 time frame was quite accurate (beginning with protests after the death in police custody of George Floyd on May 25th 2020 and peaking out in the second half of June).

Before I go on to give you my predictions for USA for rest of 2020, there is one key point I would like to make – why did I title my first post on this Covid 19 pandemic, as a memetic pandemic? : the above model representation focuses on predicting sickness (driven by 6th H and 6th L Jupiter) and death (driven by 8th H and 8th L Saturn). How the information about such sickness and death (and also communal disharmony – affliction of 4th H and 4th L Venus), I governed by strength of 3rd H and 3rd L Mercury.

So, I was pointing to how memetic pandemics overlay biological pandemics: when tr Mercury was transiting through 8th H from January 30th to April 7th (and then from April 7th to May 8th through its debilitation sign in Pisces followed by  Aries afflicted by tr Ketu and natal Rahu), the media (both main stream and social) were continually channeling information about deaths from Covid-19. Then there was a very brief respite between May 8th and May 24th, when there was at least some neutral to positive news as Mercury transited through Taurus pretty strong and without affliction. Then on May 25th it transited into the 12th H of the USA SAMVA chart (Gemini) and its been there since, as of this writing in the first half of July. The media began reporting potential for losses, which is the hallmark of 12th H. It has kept stressing how new cases of Covid-19 are rising. But it did not convert to either hospitals being filled up, nor to sharp increases in deaths, which are to be expected as new cases rise (according to expert epidemiologists). I was able to confidently predict that this would not be so, that there may be a sense of a mild extension of the first wave up to the end of July. Hospitals did not fill up as tr Jupiter was no longer afflicted by Saturn since second week of May and moved back into its safe house Sagittarius in early July. Deaths did not rise because tr Saturn was no longer afflicted nor afflicting tr Jupiter or any other tr / natal planet or houses in the USA SAMVA chart. This has again helped me and my family and friends to manage anxieties down and have more of a sense of control. Learning and practicing the Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology (SATVA) over the last 14 years or so has really begun to pay off.  I would encourage more and more folks to invest time and effort to learn and practice SATVA[2].

Well, if you have read through here and you reading this in July 2020, this may find this useful for you to navigate the next 6 to 8 months.

So here are my predictions for the rest of 2020:

US economy will see an upswing from July to early November (tr Jupiter in its own house Sagittarius).

The political and community scene in the US will be divisive (which may as may be expected in an election year 2020) between mid-July and early November (tr Jupiter aspects natal Venus).

From November 5th 2020 to early February 2021 there may be rise in sickness / deaths and intensity of civil and economic disharmony, as tr Jupiter and tr Saturn come into close conjunction, while the nodal axis stations at approximately 26 deg in exaltation in Taurus and Scorpio.

So, that’s it for now. Stay safe, enjoy and take care.

[1] https://cosmologer.blogspot.com/2007/12/samva-usa-chart.html

[2] http://yournetastrologer.com/difference.htm

by Jayant Kalawar

3 Waves of Spanish Flu of 1918-1919: Can we expect a repeat now? A Jyotish Perspective

Devi Kalaratri source Wikipedia 180808

The Destroyer of Ignorance and Confusion – Aum Namo KAlarAtreya NamAhA (Source: Wikipedia, Devi Kalratri, Sanghasri, Kalighat, Kolkata, 2010)

Background to this post

As I was observing how actuals for the current (April 2020) Wuhan Virus pandemic in USA were tracking quite well to the slope (not the levels) in the graphics produced by my Jyotish based model (posted on April 6th), I received a suggestion[i] that it may be helpful to assess what Jyotish factors drove the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 – 1919 in USA.

So in this post I am looking at how the planetary patterns played out in the three waves of the 1918-1919 pandemic in USA. I then compare the 1918-1919 planetary patterns to the planetary patterns that will be in play between now and summer of 2021, using the Systems Approach to Mundane Vedic Astrology[ii]. The conclusion, which you can read in more detail towards the end, is that there appears to be a potential for two waves of the Wuhan Virus to arise in the USA:

Jyotish indicators show that there is some potential for what may be a mild second wave of Wuhan Virus in USA during mid May 2020 to end July 2020. This second wave may be seen as a continuance of the current wave (as I write this in mid-April 2020). There is more of a potential for civil and political disharmony and economic hardship in USA in May and June 2020, but that is from a different set of planetary drivers, which I may cover in a separate post (in this post I am focusing on the pandemic concerns).

There are indications of a third wave of Wuhan Virus arising between mid-October 2020 and February 2021, with a peak in December 2020 (which happens to coincide with the typical seasonal flu period in USA, beginning with spread of contagion from the Thanksgiving Holiday, through to Christmas Holidays and the New Year). My analysis based on Systems Approach Jyotish indicates that if at all such a third Wuhan Virus pandemic wave arises in the Fall of 2020, it will not be anywhere near the severity of the devastating wave of the Fall of 1918 pandemic.

Many of you may find it helpful to use these broad predictions (with probabilities) to develop scenarios for your business and your personal lives. Keep in mind that even these threatening scenarios can be made into opportunities if applied keeping individual business and personal specifics in context and with safety in mind.

You can read more about the Spanish Flu Pandemic in USA of 1918-1919 in this article by the Center for Disease Control (USA)[iii]. I will focus on the three waves of the deadly pandemic in Spring of 1918, Fall of 1918 and Spring of 1919.

Pandemic of 1918 Three Waves

So in order to develop a meaningful understanding of the planetary patterns for the 1918 – 1919 pandemic in USA, I begin with noticing the following in the USA SAMVA 20 degree Cancer rising chart[iv]:

For 1918-1919 the USA chart shows a Rahu major period with a Rahu sub-period covering all three waves. Rahu is the north node created by intersection of the Moon with the Sun. The disturbed energy pattern created by the Moon-Sun intersections become fertile space-time areas for disease and deception.

Now let’s look at the transit configurations of:

  1. Where the nodal axis (Rahu / Ketu) was stationed during each of the three 19189-1919 pandemic waves.
  2. Where Jupiter, the ruler of the 6th House in the USA chart and which has potential to trigger disease, was transiting during each of these three waves of 1918-1919.
  3. Where Saturn, the rules of the 8th House in the USA chart and which has the potential to trigger death and death like experiences and raise obstructions to attempts towards resolution, was transitioning during each of these three pandemic waves.

First Pandemic Wave (Spring 1918) Transit Positions:

  1. Rahu was stationed at 29 deg in Scorpio, weak and debilitated in the 5th House of the USA chart, while Ketu was stationed at 29 deg in Taurus, debilitated in in the 11th House of the USA chart.
  2. Jupiter, the disease trigger for USA chart was transiting over tr Ketu at that time. It was not stationed over it. Nor was it impacting any of the critical points in the chart. It did trigger disease, but at a relatively low level in the first wave.
  3. Saturn, the giver of death and death like experiences in the USA chart (Saturn can be a positive force in most charts for most of the time. In the USA chart it has this negative potential as well) was stationing at near the ascendant point of the chart, in Cancer, during this time and impacted 7th house of faraway lands as well. It gave death like experiences not only due to the disease at home (1st house), but also in far away lands (WW 1 had ended, but death like experiences were continuing among those who had not yet returned back to USA at this time).

Second Pandemic Wave (Fall 1918) Positions:

  1. Rahu at 20 degrees Scorpio, debilitated and stationed on the most effective point and afflicting the Ascendant point with its 9th Ketu at 20 degrees Taurus, debilitated, stationed on the most effective point of 11th house.
  2. Jupiter at 20 deg Gemini, stationed on the most effective point of 12th House and afflicting most effective points of 4th, 6th and 8th
  3. Saturn at 5 degrees Leo, 2nd House, but not afflicting.

The combination of prolonged affliction of debilitated Rahu-Ketu to the ascendant and of Jupiter from 12th House of separation afflicting 6th House, may have triggered this deadliest of the three waves in the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Third Pandemic Wave (Summer 1919) Positions:

  1. Rahu at 11 degrees Scorpio, debilitated and stationed but not afflicting. Ketu at 11 degrees Taurus, debilitated and stationed but not afflicting.
  2. Jupiter was afflicted by 9th aspect of natal Ketu at 16 degrees in Gemini much of April and May.
  3. Saturn was afflicted by 10th aspect of natal Saturn at 26 degrees in Leo in the April – May time frame.

All three afflictions during the summer of 1919 were relatively mild. The relatively lower number of cases and deaths in the third wave reflect that.

My main take away from review of the three 1918 – 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic waves, through a Systems Approach Jyotish lens, is that combinations of direct affliction of and by the nodes and 6th and 8th rulers (in the case of the USA chart, Jupiter and Saturn) during a Rahu major / Rahu sub-period (the amplification by Rahu of the negativity introduced by the influenza virus played a major role back in 1918-1919 pandemic) and stationing of debilitated Rahu-Ketu, led to the immense death laden 2nd wave in the Fall of 1918, which took about half a million human lives in the USA in a few months.

So what does that mean for the Wuhan Virus Pandemic USA in 2020 – 2021?

Will there be repeat waves of Wuhan virus pandemic? Yes, I do see (from a Jyotish lens perspective) the potential for this to happen.

Will such repeat waves be substantially deadlier than the pandemic wave we are experiencing right now in April 2020? No, I do not see that to be so.

Here is why.

First, we note the major and sub-period in the SAMVA USA chart in the 2020-2021 period:

January 26th 2020 to November 30th 2020: Sun major period with Mercury sub-period. Both Sun and Mercury ensure positive benefits to the USA. Mercury plays a role in bringing communities together in mitigating negativities, including viruses.

December 1st 2020 to April 6th 2021: Sun major period with Ketu sub-period. This Ketu sub-period, channeling the disturbed energy of the intersection of the Moon with the Sun, could potentially provide the space-time area for a second wave of Wuhan Virus infection in the USA.

April 7th 2021 to April 8th 2022: Sun major period with Venus sub-period. Venus, along with Sun, provides positive benefits for the USA. A post-pandemic coming together of America (signified by Venus as fourth House ruler and also generally as signifier of prosperity), may be expected in this period.

To assess what chances there are for future waves of Wuhan Virus pandemic in 2020 – 2021, we will examine the next three Rahu-Ketu stations between now (April 2020) and the summer of 2021.

First Rahu-Ketu stationing from mid May 2020 to July 31st 2020

Rahu stationing at 5 degrees in 12th House Gemini and Ketu at 5 degrees in 6th House Sagittarius. However they are not applying any prolonged affliction during this period. Saturn and Jupiter are in 7th House Capricorn mildly afflicting each other from a distance of over 3 degrees. There is a chance that there may be a mild second wave of Wuhan Virus in USA during this period of mid May 2020 to end July 2020, which may be seen as a continuance of the current wave. The indicators point to more of a chance of potential for civil and political disharmony and economic hardship in USA in May and June 2020, but that is from a different set of planetary drivers, which I may cover in a separate post (in this post I am focusing on the pandemic concerns).

Second, is the Rahu-Ketu Stationing mid October 2020 to January 31st 2021

Exalted Rahu will station at 25 degrees in 11th House Scorpio. Exalted Ketu will station at 25 degrees 5th House Taurus. They will be directly afflicting and be afflicted by natal Saturn (death like experiences) at 26 deg 11th House Scorpio.

At the same time debilitated transit Jupiter and transit Saturn will be conjunct in 7th House Capricorn for all of December 2020. This conjunction will play out when the Ketu sub-period is the driver in the SAMVA USA chart from December 1st 2020 to April 7th 2021. IF at all there is a second wave of the Wuhan Virus pandemic, it is likely to begin somewhere in USA in the second half of October, will peak in December 2020 and then recede at the beginning of February 2021. The impact of this second wave, while it has the potential of being somewhat more than the first wave in USA in the February to May 2020 time frame, is not likely to be anywhere near the second wave of the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic.

This time the major period driver is the Sun, which protects and blesses the USA chart (the major period driver was the malefic Rahu a 102 years ago). Also, this Rahu-Ketu in transit in 2020-2021 are exalted and therefore give relatively fewer negative results, compared to the debilitated Rahu-Ketu stationing of 102 years ago. Both these factors (of Sun major period and the exalted Rahu-Ketu transit) will provide cover in the Mid October 2020- February 2021 period, even though the Ketu sub-period may play the negative catalyst role for spread of disease and of death during this period.

Perhaps one way of minimizing the impact, of even a relatively (compared to 102 years ago) weak second pandemic wave in USA in the Mid October 2020 – February 2021 period, is to practice social distance and wear masks and wash hands frequently, which many of us in the USA may have done effectively from March 2020 onwards.

The third transit Rahu-Ketu station to notice is the one occurring at 16 degrees of Taurus, between April 2021 and June 2022. This station is happening in the Sun / Venus positive period of the USA chart. During this period, the 6th house ruler Jupiter (of disease and debt) will be in the 8th house, Aquarius (between 2 deg and 8 deg), but not afflicting nor being afflicted. At the same time, 8th house ruler transit Saturn (of death like experiences and obstructions in this case) is stationing at 19 deg Capricorn (7th house). It will afflict 7th, 9th, 1st and 4th houses of the USA chart. My take away from these configuration is that while there is not a likelihood of the 3rd wave of Wuhan Virus pandemic, there may likely be some negative experiences, including violence leading to injury and deaths of Americans in distant lands (7th house), at Colleges (9th house) and domestically across communities (1st and 4th houses).

Conclusion

When looking through a Jyotish lens I see potential for a mild wave (which may be seen as a continuance of the current wave (as of April 2020)) of the Wuhan Virus pandemic in USA until the end of June 2020. There is somewhat higher potential for a second wave in the Fall of 2020, with peak in December 2020, which may extend into February 2021. These broad predictions may be useful for many of you as you do your scenario planning of your specifics in your business and individual lives. Such an exercise may uncover ways in which to minimize loss and find ways of continuing to do business in a different and safe way.

I may post separately on what the economic scenarios look like for USA from a Jyotish lens in 2020-2021.

[i] Suggestion was made by the master astrologer who goes by the name of Cosmologer, whose mastery of Systems Approach to Mundane Vedic Astrology, especially as it applies to nation-states, is legendary among practicing astrologers. You can access his writings at http://cosmologer.blogspot.com/

 

[ii] See the Mundane Astrology site http://yournetastrologer.com/mundane_astrology.htm as propounded by the Late Professor V.K. Chaudhary and now being practiced by eminent astrologers Mr. Rajesh Chaudhary and Cosmologer.

[iii] https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/three-waves.htm

 

[iv] http://cosmologer.blogspot.com/2007/12/samva-usa-chart.html

 

by Jayant Kalawar

Wuhan Virus USA: Jyotish Model Prediction Update April 17th

Devi Waiting for Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 180929

The Devi Waiting For Her Children (c) Jayant Kalawar 2019

 

By Jayant Kalawar, April 17th 2020

Positive memes have started surfacing in USA, as seen in these news items on April 16th, 2020, which I predicted in early April 2020.

In my post of April 6th I had predicted the following:

From April 8th to April 25th, Mercury transits Pisces, the 9th house of good fortune and openness to direction from advanced research. We may likely see a different set of memes arise in this period. They are, however, likely to be over all weakly positive (and especially so up to August 14th): the memes in this period will likely begin giving information about how the pandemic is being mitigated and calling to action and getting back to work.

Mercury enters Aries on April 26th 2020. It will be able to manifest positive memes especially up to May 6th. Memes calling for action to get the economy moving may get stronger in this period.

Here are two news items that surfaced in this context on April 16th, which are aligned with the above predictions:

  1. Call to action and getting back to work

Trump unveils phased approach to reopening economy

https://apnews.com/420a38ec14101eab70e07be367ee6422

  1. Direction from advanced research

Early peek at data on Gilead coronavirus drug suggests patients are responding to treatment.

The potential of Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology to play a role in planning our lives has not been tapped. There is quite a bit of research that needs to be done to make this happen, to make the heuristics developed by ancient Rishis adapt to the 21st century to make them relevant and practical. One way is to incorporate the Jyotish factor into modeling, which is what I have done here and therefore test whether and how it helps us all to navigate uncertainty in life a little bit better.

Of course, the main question on everyone’s mind right now, as I write this on April 17th, is what direction Covid-19 epidemic take, in terms of new cases and new deaths. You will see my prediction in the linked post (at the top of this post) which speaks of leveling of new cases after August 18th and leveling of new deaths somewhere between April 25th and May 6th. A new planetary configuration opens up from May 5th on wards, as Mars moves into Aquarius and Venus slows down and stations itself in late Taurus. I hope to contemplate and write about that soon in a separate post.

by Jayant Kalawar

Jyotish Model Perspective: Wuhan Virus Pandemic in USA 2020 – Updated April 15th 2020

Devi Kalaratri source Wikipedia 180808

The Destroyer of Ignorance and Confusion – Aum Namo KAlarAtreya NamAhA (Source: Wikipedia, Devi Kalratri, Sanghasri, Kalighat, Kolkata, 2010)

By Jayant Kalawar, posted April 15th 2020

I posted my Jyotish model projections of the current Wuhan Virus pandemic in USA on April 6th. These were the key summary projections:

  1. The memes in social media may begin to see some positive shoots after April 7th and a little more after April 14th, but we may have to wait until after April 25th for clarity on how and when people would be able to go back to work and school.
  2. The active Wuhan Virus cases in USA may likely peak between April 18th and 25th. Sharp declines may follow between April 25th and May 9th.
  3. Wuhan Virus related deaths in USA are likely to peak some time between April 25th and May 7th.

In this update I am posting graphics showing Jyotish Model projections for Active USA cases and total USA Deaths (first two graphics), followed by actuals up to April 13th (next two graphics). If you go back to my April 6th post and compare to what I have posted here, you will notice I have not tweaked my model projections at all. I am not looking to track levels / numbers of Active cases with my Jyotish model. What I am interested in tracking is how well this Jyotish based model is able to predict when the Active cases peak and when the declines start in Active Cases in USA. I notice a beginning of a slow down in the Active cases graph. Your constructive comments and suggestions are welcome on this post are welcome.

Current Cases and Total Recoveries to Date USA 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Current Active Wuhan Virus Cases in USA March – May 2020

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Wuhan Virus Deaths in USA March – May 2020

 

Actual Active Cases to April 13th 2020

Actual Active Wuhan Virus Cases USA to April 13th 2020

Actual Total Deaths To April 13th 2020

Actual Total Wuhan Virus Deaths in USA to April 13th 2020

by Jayant Kalawar

The 2020 Memetic Pandemic in USA

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

Most of us are already familiar with the genetic pandemic that is sweeping  through USA, at the time of this writing, in 2020. It is known variously as the Wuhan Virus, Covid – 19 and Corona Virus pandemic. I call it the Wuhan Virus RNA genetic pandemic, since it is driven by RNA, a basic genetic component of living cells. That way I can more clearly articulate the proposition that in parallel a memetic pandemic took place in USA in the February to April 2020 time frame. This memetic pandemic worked its way through the Global Social Mind that I began referring to in my previous post. The impact of this memetic pandemic may have been to temporarily amplify fears and cause confusion, and therefore lower the ability to effectively to respond to the genetic pandemic. From Jyotish perspective, the memetic pandemic is set to begin abating from April 7th 2020 on wards. And with that the Global Social Mind is likely to begin coming together to positively resolve the genetic pandemic.

Living in New Jersey I am currently experiencing (again at the time of this writing) the isolation and fears that arises from this Wuhan Virus pandemic. I know of people in my friends and family network who have been impacted from mild to critical to the ultimate price that this virus extracts. I write this analytical essay keeping those in mind. I hope I have nuanced it, so that it does not come across as cold and calculating. Hopefully the short term nature and order of magnitude lower numbers that this Jyotish based model projects comes true.

Viewing the 2020 USA Memetic Pandemic from the Jyotish Lens

On January 31st 2020, President Trump placed severe restrictions on airplane flights from China to USA. That was the beginning of USA memetic pandemic around the Wuhan Virus. It was the day that transit Mercury, which especially for USA governs analysis, communication, initiatives and short-term travel (Mercury thus ends up being a key significator of memes generated in USA), entered Aquarius, which happens to be the 8th House of death like experiences for USA according to SAMVA chart. This particular transit of Mercury through 30 degrees of Aquarius was longer than usual. Mercury went from 0 degrees Aquarius to almost 30 degrees, slowed down and came back to about 4 deg Aquarius and then trudged back to 30 deg by April 7th.  Mercury usually crosses a zodiac sign in 18 to 21 days. This time it stayed in Aquarius for 68 days[i]. Additionally, both natal Ketu and transit Ketu aspects were present in Aquarius at about 10 degrees and 16 degrees. Ketu gives isolation, distance and general material loss (and spiritual gain).

Thus, this transit of Mercury from January 31st to April 7th , manifested as memes of death like behavior, woven in with memes of isolation and distance. The Global Social Mind which has come into existence in the last 25 years, amplifies these memes and motivates individuals to according to the memes it propagates. We experienced the push towards social distancing and isolation after February 15th when Mercury began to slow down and retrace back from 20 deg Aquarius, in the shadow of natal Ketu. The Wuhan virus outbreak in Kirkland, Washington, had begun to unfold then and the first of the deaths in USA began to be counted.

From April 8th to April 25th, Mercury transits Pisces, the 9th house of good fortune and openness to direction from advanced research. We may likely see a different set of memes arise in this period. They are, however, likely to be over all weakly positive (and especially so up to August 14th): the memes in this period will likely begin giving information about how the pandemic is being mitigated and calling to action and getting back to work.

Mercury enters Aries on April 26th 2020. It will be able to manifest positive memes especially up to May 6th. Memes calling for action to get the economy moving may get stronger in this period. This may potentially effectively move the Global Social Mind out of the dark memetic pandemic, at least in the USA. May 8th on wards there are other Jyotish impacts seen from the political and economic frames that may not fully enable the positive memes trend to continue. We may talk about that in a later post.

Jyotish Perspective of Triggers for the RNA Pandemic in USA

In my continued attempts to make Jyotish a relevant tool in the modern world, I have used Jyotish based prediction as a driver of Covid-19 reproduction rate in US in the late March – early May time frame to forecast current cases, total deaths and total recoveries. I used actuals for March 21st as a starting point and then applied changing reproduction rates (using Excel spread sheet) as follows:

Jyotish Model Driving COVID 19 Reproduction Rate in USA March – May 2020 Using USA SAMVA CHART
Dates March 31st April 8th April 14th April 25th
Significant Astro Dates (Used as Drivers to change Reproduction Rate R in Table below) USA SAMVA tr Mars afflicted by tr Saturn Peak March 31st Gives Peak R=4.5) April 8th: tr Mars no longer afflicted. Tr 3rd L Mercury out of 8th H, but debilitated so only few openings for movement and communication opened up. Drives R down to 3.2 and then to 1.1) April 14th: Tr 2nd L Sun exalted in Aries bringing leadership and sense of well being to country. Drives R to 0.7. April 25th: Mercury moves into Aries. Movement, communication and innovation opens up. Drives R to 0.4 and lower in following weeks.

 

Following Charts present the Jyotish Model Forecasts and Actuals to Date (March 28th 2020)

Current Cases and Total Recoveries to Date USA 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Current Wuhan Virus Cases

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths 200406

Jyotish Model Predicted Total Deaths

Actual Total Cases 200406

Actual Total Cases

Actual Total Deaths 200406

Actual Total Deaths

 

 

I expect the numbers predicted will differ from actuals. My predictions are for total current cases net recoveries. Actuals are for total cases to date (not netted for recoveries). More important is when the actual cases and actual deaths peak and decelerate (and at what rate). So, what I would be looking for is whether the actuals begin to slope downwards as per prediction based on my Jyotish based model, between April 18th and April 25th and then slope downwards even further after between April 25th – May 2nd and accelerate downwards between May 2nd – May 9th. And whether total number of deaths stabilize around April 25th on wards. Lets see.

I use the Systems Approach To Vedic Astrology (SATVA) as propounded by Professor V. K. Chaudhry in the 1990s. Current SATVA practice is led by esteemed astrologer Mr. Rajesh K. Chaudhary. The USA chart that I refer to in this post was formulated after over a decade of detailed of historical research by Cosmologer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[i] I hasten to add, that this description of Mercury’s travel through Aquarius is from a Earth positional astronomy perspective i.e. this is how we see Mercury’s motion in the sky from the Earth. Helio (Sun) centric astronomy teaches us that is not actually happens in space. Jyotish uses sidereal positional astronomy, with positions of planets and stars as they are seen from a point on Earth to cast sky maps (charts) and then interpret them using heuristics developed over millennia of observations.

by Jayant Kalawar

Letting Go, Building Anew: On Becoming a Somewhat Better Person in 2020

Sri Gayatri MAtA by Raja Ravi Verma Source Wikipedia

ॐ श्री मात्रे नमः Source: Illustration by Raja Ravi Verma as published at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayatri

By Jayant Kalawar, January 2, 2020

Like clockwork, 2019 has passed us by.

Left us memories of pleasures,

accomplishments and excitements.

Of moments of joy and peace

and exhilaration.

Of disappointments and sorrows,

frustrations and anger.

Deepening some connections,

Beginning new ones.

Weakening some, severing others.

 

What do I want to keep? What to let go? What do I want to build anew?

Well, actually if I could, I would like to keep just a few specific positive memories from 2019 and let go of the rest, both positive and negative.

I don’t think it is possible to let go of memories. But maybe be they can be moved to some faraway distant storage?! That way they are not lurking around to trigger us every day into doing or saying things that we then regret.

So I begin by thinking backwards from December to January of 2019. Month by month.

For each month I try to remember things that happened that gave me a feeling of well-being and of unease. I think of my health and in my late 60s I have some aches and pains that routinely spring to life. Remembering specific things helps to contemplate on what I should have done differently to manage these little friends that keep springing up. This way I begin to make a ‘lessons learned’ list! I have been able to add a new 3 minute daily exercise for my knees, for example. So I can move my memories of knee pain and weakness away into deep storage and instead add this new exercise segment into my daily activity.

I do the same, to remember the times I may have been upset with my dear and near ones, as I go back in the year, month by month. What could I have done differently so that I would not get so upset? And repeatedly so. The pattern becomes more obvious when I go through such a contemplative exercise for each of the 12 months. Beginning of a new year is a good time to do this, quietly by one self. I learn from it. It is one thing to say I should be more patient. Another to learn for one self how to say something differently, not jump to conclusions for example. Or come up with solutions. Asking more open ended questions in a way that would be less irritating, perhaps. So again, to let go of the memories of the pattern of upsets and hopefully to learn how not to repeat that pattern in 2020.

And then there is problem-solving we all do every day. Whether at home or at work or at play. This is something I particularly like to contemplate on. To see what problem solving was difficult for me. What caused anxiety and how was it resolved. How could I have done that problem solving differently. Much of the problem solving we do is collaborative. Going to buy or sell a car for example. To solve that problem requires many different players and many different factors coming into play. I have to come up to speed on who does what and so on in the car buying or selling process. Lots of prep work needs to be done before going in and engaging to solve the problem of buying or selling a car. Same thing with investing: buying or selling stocks or bonds for example. Or buying or selling a house. Same rules apply: contemplate on specific problem solving events backwards month by month in 2019. What could I have done differently to have better outcomes? What can I learn from that and how can I change how I solve problems in 2020? More research, patience, asking questions, being pro-active are some general things. All this take more time. So giving more time up front in how I plan the problem solving process is something that I hope to build in to the way I solve complex problems in 2020.

Hope you get some idea from these examples of my own step by step attempts to learn from 2019, so I can move most of the memories into far away distant storage while keeping most of the lessons learned. And so, hopefully, become a somewhat better person in 2020 (my new year’s resolution). Perhaps you may try some of this for yourself. Especially if you believe there is room for you to be a somewhat better person in 2020.

by Jayant Kalawar

2020 Prospective: The Year in the Decade – Part 1

Devi Cover for Outsider European Enlightenment Kindle 190506

WIth the Devi’s Blessings. Cover art by Jayant Kalawar 2018.

By Jayant Kalawar[1]

We are at the beginning of a new year and a new decade. In this post, I cover what 2020 may look like.

For those who may have missed it, I posted my 2019 retrospective a few weeks ago. So the context is set for jumping into forecasting for the decade of the 20s! In this Part 1 of a two part post, I will cover the year 2020 may bring for US politics, presidential election, economy, culture war, technology. In the next (Part 2) post, a few weeks from now in about mid-January 2020, I will (bravely) speculate on the decade.

For those who read my posts, you already know of this, so skip to the next paragraph, if you would like. I post on a range of topics, from strategy in the modern world using the lens of science and technology, to spiritual quest using the lens of India traditions. Jyotish is one technique from Indian traditions that is reviled by most educated modern people and, on the other hand, is used extensively by many people who include the ways of Indian traditions in their day to day life. In this and other posts I apply Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology[2] to the dense information, analysis and forecasts that are already available to us through corporate, government and social media. I find Jyotish gives me a way of examining the world and making a somewhat better practical sense of it, than what the modern media pundits would have us believe. Over the years, I have found it is helpful in managing the ups and downs in life. Jyotish indeed shines a beam of light, which can be used to bridge between the material and the spiritual. Those of you who have made (or would like to make) the cognitive shift to experience the Devas as real and active in this world are best able to make use of the Jyotish lens. I think 2020 has the hallmark of being a positive year, compared to 2019, which may have been stressful in different ways for most of us. Let’s talk politics, economics and culture, to see whether we can get a sense of what to expect in 2020, so that we may have some sense of how to navigate it.

US Politics 2020

First, lets cover politics (as many of you may know already, I cover mostly US and sometimes India and then, once in a while, the ageing original colonizer country, the UK).

In the US, 2020 is an election year.

As I write this in mid to late December 2019, the US politicians in the capital are embroiled in the impeachment proceedings against President Trump. At the same time, the Democrats are playing out the 2020 primary drama. So, the three questions for US politics in 2020 are set: will President Trump be acquitted or removed by the US Senate in the early months of the year? Who is likely to be the Democratic candidate to win the primaries and contest the presidential elections? Who will be sworn in as president of the US in 2021?

US Politics up to June 2020

Let’s look at the first six months of 2020. With Republicans controlling the US Senate, will there be an acquittal or removal of the sitting president? In this post I assume President Trump will be acquitted of the impeachment charges. The rest of the post reflects that impeachment acquittal scenario. However, his birth chart indicates that he may be in conflict with quite a few close advisors soon after such an acquittal. The major indicator here is Saturn, which moves into Capricorn in the last week of January 2020 and remains in his 6th house of conflict, Capricorn, for the next 3 years. President Trump’s birth chart has a very weak natal 7th L Saturn placed in his 12th of losses in his natal chart, which implies he has not had much support from his advisors and partners in his life, in any case. That in turn implies that President Trump is used to working things through major crises in his life without much guidance or help from his advisors or partners. So the three year post January 2020 phase of his 7th L Saturn transiting in his 6th house of conflict, while it may give rise to conflicts, may not have much of a negative impact on his career track. But there is something else that might: transit Jupiter will be in his 6th house for 3 months from April to June of 2020. He is likely to have some losses potentially driven by actions by his close family involved in his career: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.  At this time, they appear to be leading the trade talks with China. At the same time, the nodal (Rahu-Ketu) axis will be slowing and afflicting his 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th houses in June – and that may contribute to potential set-backs in the trade-talks area and also increase tensions with foreign powers. To sum an answer to the first question: yes, President Trump may likely be acquitted of the impeachment charges, but his ability to maneuver may be weakened in the first six months of 2020.

Democratic Nominee?

On to the second question: who will be the Democratic nominee? There are so many factors that are likely to play out in the crowded Democratic primaries, at the time of this writing in mid- December.  So what I write here is speculative, more directional than a pinpoint prediction. Based on available birth charts and estimate of their accuracy, I am giving a low to high probability for who may be the democratic nominee as things stand in late 2019:

Mr. Michael Bloomberg (MB): high quality birth chart based on birth certificate (February 14, 1942, 3:40 pm, Brighton, MA). Cancer rising at 3 deg. Currently in Ketu/Sun from December 21st 2019 to April 27th 2020 and then followed by Ketu/Moon up to Nov 26th 2020, with natal Sun at 2 deg in 8thand natal Ketu at 20 deg also in 8th. MB may get a boost in the primary race between now and mid-April and then may not make much headway, as 1st L Moon (combust and slightly afflicted by 10th aspect of natal 8th L Saturn does not enable very positive projection of self-image required for a winning presidential candidate) bhukti sets in, while in Ketu mahadasha. I give MB a low probability of being nominee.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (EW): low quality birth chart (date, without time. June 22, 1949, Oklahoma City). Based on EW’s key life events as described in her Wikipedia bio, I have estimated a 2 deg Leo rising chart, with Ascendant lord Sun at 7 deg in the 11th. This chart shows Saturn / Venus period running up to November 25th 2021. Natal Saturn is at 8 deg in the 1st and Venus at 25 deg in the 11th. Both natal Saturn and Venus may be seen to be weak due to their mooltrikona houses being weakened by the natal Rahu-Ketu nodal axis. EW has a strong 2nd L Mercury, the prime determinant of her career, in the 10th house, alongside Mars the 9th L of good fortune (which is weak due to 9th H being afflicted by natal nodal axis). Her Jupiter, planet of creative intelligence, is badly placed in the 6th and its mooltrikona house is afflicted making it weak. Overall, the chart shows a strong career with keen analytical abilities, marred by not having good fortune. If I come across a better rectification of EW’s chart, I will revisit EW’s chances. With the estimated chart that I currently have, I give EW a moderate chance of being the nominee.

Mr. Andrew Yang (AY): We have a date and time from memory for AY’s birth chart (January 13, 1975, 6:20 am, Schenectady, NY).  Rising at 11 deg in Sagittarius, it has natal Jupiter strong and un-afflicted at 22 deg in 3rd H, with dispositor Saturn at 25 deg in 1st H. The chart is currently running Jupiter / Venus until Feb 8th 2020 and thereafter Jupiter / Sun up to Nov 26th 2020. Natal Venus at 15 deg in 2nd H is directly afflicted by debilitated natal Ketu from the 6th, with its 9th aspect.  Natal Sun is very weak in 1st H at 29 deg.  Jupiter dasha gives AY push in his new endeavors (he is stepping into politics at a presidential level without any political experience is an entirely new endeavor). However, bhuktis of afflicted Venus and then weak Sun are likely not allow fruition of AY’s endeavors in 2020. I give AY a low probability of being a nominee.

Vice President Joseph Biden (JB): We have a date and time from memory of JB’s birth chart (November 20, 1942, 8:30 am, Scranton, PA). Rising at 10 deg in Scorpio, it has 10th L natal Sun in 1st and directly afflicted by natal 12th L Venus.  Natal 9th L Moon is directly afflicted by 9th aspect of natal Rahu.  Natal 2nd L Jupiter at 2 deg in 9th is rendered weak due to dispositor natal Moon being weak and afflicted. Natal 11th L Mercury is weak in the 12th at 28 deg. All these natal positions indicate that JB may have communication challenges especially in the context of Global Social Mind (which I have described in my 2019 retrospective post).  JB is currently running Jupiter/Mars until April 30th and thereafter Jupiter / Rahu until September 30th 2023. This combination of dasha and bhuktis and an overall weak chart lead me to give JB a low probability of being a Democratic Party nominee for the November 2020 elections.

I do not have enough birth details and life events to construct rectified charts for Senator Bernie Sanders, Mayor Peter Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Of the four candidates in the Democratic primaries I have analyzed above, only Senator Elizabeth Warren rises above low probability level in my view. Additionally let’s say Senator Bernie Sanders (I do not have enough information to have a view) may be her top competitor, based on current surveys. However, politics at the ground level may favor Senator Warren over Senator Sanders as a better bet as Democratic nominee to attract centrist independents and therefore to have a close contest with President Trump in November 2020.  So overall, EW rises to the top as potential Democratic Party nominee.

US Politics in November 2020

So, let’s say President Trump gets past the impeachment trial in the US Senate with an acquittal. The first six to seven months of the year are not likely to be favorable for him, with his advisors distancing themselves for a range of reasons. However, there is a shift in September 2020. The nodal axis moves into Taurus-Scorpio where it is exalted. The transit nodal axis will now aspect President Trump’s natal Sun and natal nodal axis, especially in October-November at between 29 deg and 25 deg Taurus-Scorpio. This transit nodal axis configuration may further enable President Trump to be even more effective than usual in influencing the Global Social Mind and therefore the elections.

During the last two months leading to the elections on November 3rd 2020, President Trump appears to have the following pluses on his side:

Jupiter, his planet of creative intelligence will be strong in its own house especially from August through to mid-November,

Mercury will be in its own sign Virgo most of September giving him keen analytical ability post Labor day as the election campaign gathers momentum,

Mars, his planet of good fortune, will be in Aries from mid-August to beginning of October and

Exalted Rahu will be aspecting his natal Sun from September 20th through to December, enabling his ability to accomplish his goals in the material world.

At the same time for the USA SAMVA chart, transit 6th L Jupiter will be hovering around natal Venus in Sagittarius from August through to end of October 2020. This is likely to show in intense divisiveness of the US polity as it heads into the November 3rd presidential election.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (my assumed Democratic nominee) does have a strong 2nd L natal Mercury, which reflects in her strong communication and analytical ability. But a weak, debilitated 5th L Jupiter in 6th may not enable the strong influencer role that this age of the Global Social Mind seems to require as a key success factor for winning US presidential elections.

So, my bet would be that if Senator Elizabeth Warren is the Democratic nominee (which seems most likely among the slate of Democratic candidates at the moment), then the chances are that President Trump is likely to be re-elected on November 3, 2020. On the other hand, perhaps the Democratic Party may come up with a nominee that is not one of the four I have discussed in some detail above, who may stand a better chance to win the November elections. I will re-visit the November 2020 election possibilities in June-July 2020, if that is the case.

US Culture and Society in 2020

I did not talk about the topic of US culture and society in my 2019 retrospective. It was a divisive year in the US, a culmination some may say of a divisive decade. There were divisions in politics for sure, with the House being controlled by Democrats after their win in November 2018 and Senate remaining in firm Republican control with an increased majority.  The gender divisiveness seemed to widen with the #MeToo movement, bringing down multiple media and corporate personalities in its wake. The culture wars took to the streets, with Neo Nazis and Confederate supporters going head to head with Anti-Fa supporters. There were many reports of divide even within families driven by such culture war factors. All this divisiveness was in line with the SMAVA USA 4th Lord natal Venus in 6th, the planet signifying communal harmony for the US[3], being almost continually being afflicted from April onwards by the transit nodal axis and by the transit 8th L Saturn. While the nodal axis affliction abated after September, the 8th L Saturn transit affliction of natal Venus continues until January 14th 2020 (given that the 4th Lord Venus of communal harmony is in the 6th house of conflict in the USA chart indicates that there is always an underlying tension within and among US communities. It is a question of higher degree of such conflicts and their outcomes at times of malefic afflictions that become interesting to note from year to year).

In most of 2020, transit Venus will coast through without major afflictions, except for a brief time in August. Natal Venus will be afflicted by transit 6th L Jupiter in the August-October 2020 time frame, which we already noted above.

Compared to 2019, however, the divisiveness in the US may wind down when transit 8th L Saturn moves to 7th H in the last week of January, followed by US SAMVA chart running the Sun / Mercury period beginning first week of February 2020, which lasts all the way to December 10th 2020.  There is a chance that this a period when communication and media interests (signified by Mercury) may be less provocative in their reporting, than in the recent past.

US Economy 2020

The US economy seems to have been well managed and stabilized by the US Federal Reserve, through a difficult period in 2019. Some say the Fed has achieved a soft landing and steered the US economy away from a recession. Potential for growth in 2020 appears to depend on how the trade war with China is resolved. There appears to be no clear map charted out at this stage (in late 2019) in the negotiations between US and China.

The SAMVA USA chart, however, provides clearer guidance for the US economy. Currently running the Sun dasha giving general economic well-being (from 2016), with the Mercury bhukti giving positive interactions with Canada and Mexico, from February to December 2020, the SAMVA USA chart is signaling a positive time for US economy. Foreign trade signified by its 10th H L Mars is also giving positive signals for 2020. Mars transits in Aries and Pisces (10th and 9 th houses) most of the second half of 2020. August through October may see positive movement in trade agreements.

US Tech 2020

Technology has been the great disruptive change agent in the US over the last 30 years. It has brought about rapid productivity gains and growth on one hand. At the same time digital technology has increased inequality both in terms of income and wealth distribution.

The current Sun dasha running in the USA SAMVA chart since 2016 has begun changing that direction, providing more attention to raising employment and income for the masses. That will continue in 2020. There may be more moves towards regulating the large tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple.

Mars plays a key role as the 10th L strongly placed in the creative 5th house in the USA SAMVA chart. This gives US the creative tech drive that ends up leading the world. In 2020 Mars will be in 9th house of academia and research from June 18th to August 15th and then again from October 4th to December 23rd. News of research breakthroughs from Universities and research labs may be expected during these periods. Mars will be in its own house Aries (and therefore stronger) from August 16th to October 3rd . News about new tech initiatives launched in commercial and defense arena may be likely during this time period. Second half of 2020 may see a few major new tech announcements in the US, after a 2019 that had raised doubts about whether tech world had reached a plateau with the big tech monopolies and non-transparency no longer enabling innovation.

Summing Up

The probability of Senator Elizabeth Warren being the Democratic Party nominee is high.

The probability of President Trump being re-elected, with Senator Elizabeth Warren as his competitor in November 2020, is high.

Social-cultural divisiveness / tensions in the US may tone down (relative to 2019) in 2020, except for the August-November time frame.

US economy is likely to do better in 2020 than in 2019, which is saying a lot.

US Tech is likely to make new breakthroughs in research as well as commercial and defense applications in the second half of 2020.

Have an enjoyable 2020 and may you achieve whatever you set out to achieve during the course of the year!!

That’s it for now. As you may have noted, in these posts I write about the general world we interact with. If you would like to have a personal reading for 2020, connect with me at jayantkalawar@gmail.com . I also give one on one tutorials on set up and interpret your own birth chart, so that you may begin to use it as one more ongoing tool to help you navigate your life’s journey.

[1] Jayant Kalawar is author of Deconstructing European Enlightenment and The Advaita Life Practice.

[2] Systems Approach to Vedic Astrology as propounded by Professor V.K. Choudhry.

[3] I use the USA SAMVA chart developed by Cosmologer for my analysis.