Asia's leading woman astrologist counsellor, Dr. K.N. Saraswathy

Saraswathy has translated her father's work from Tamil to English. While the results are still in the same overall style as translations I have seen elsewhere, direct connection to the originals seems slight. There are no original slokas for reference, and the books seems to have been reorganized generally. Whether this is a help or a hindrance depends on what you expect to get from them.

	JATAKA CHANDRIKA of Kaalidasa: Raja yogas & marriage agreement - K.N. Saraswathy, $6.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Note on Aacaarya Kadalungudi Salutation to the planets Part 1: 1. Invocation 2. Table of malefic & benefic planets 3. Aspects of planets 4. Planets in kendra 5. Raahu & Ketu 6. Raaja yogas 7. Longevity 8. Planets & various means of death 9. Raaja yoga bhuktis 10. Benefic or malefic planets, by sign Part 2: 11. Various kinds of matching 12. Enquiring into the nature of RaaSis, etc. 13. About Mars-dosha 14. Propitiation of Mars Glossary Appendix: Know your name according to Moon's longitude Comment: A translation of the book by Kaalidasa. This is the most recently printed, as well as best-printed book in this series (quite nicely done for India). Includes original Sanskrit slokas. Kadalangudi Publications, 112 pages. Printed: 1999.

	JATAKA PHALA DEEPIKA: Astrology's light on the fruits of action - K.N. Saraswathy, $10.00 Contents: Dedicated to my father Introduction 1. Definitions 2. On planets 3. Zodiacal divisions 4. Strength of planets 5. Nature of profession 6. Yoga bhavas 7. Raja yoga 8. The twelve bhavas & their effects 9. Effects of lagna signs 10. Determination of marital effects 11. Horoscopes of women 12. Of children 13. Longevity 14. On diseases & death 15. Method of examination 16. Effects of bhavas 17. When does death come? 18. Planetary conjunctions 19. Dasa effects of stars 20. Bhava dasas & bhuktis 21. Dasa sub-divisions 22. Kalachakradasa 23. Ashtakavargas 24. Ashtakavargas as in Hora Sara 25. Upagrahas 26. Gochara or transit of planets 27. Sanyasa yoga Glossary Comment: This is a translation of Mantreswara's Phala Deepika. Original slokas are not included, which, for those of us who cannot read Sanskrit or Hindi, makes no difference. Here is an example, from the beginning of Chapter 12, Of Children: If the lord of the 5th house from the Ascendant or the Moon & Jupiter were in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th places, or the 5th house has the aspect of a benefic planet or owns or association with a benefic, or if the lords of the 1st and the 5th be associated together, or aspect each other mutually or occupy each other's house, the birth of children is assured. (pg. 70) Which is merely to confirm that once you're in the appropriate sort of relationship, children are the usual result. Here is sloka 23, from chapter 14, Longevity, aka diseases & death: The place where the person goes after death is dignified by the planet associated with the lord of the 12th by the planet posited in the 12th or by the planet occupying the Navamsa of the 12th house. If the planets are the Sun and Moon, the person goes to Kailasa [Paradise]. If it is Venus he goes to Swarga [Heaven, while awaiting reincarnation]; if Mars, the place is Earth; if Mercury, it is Vaikuntha [Place of eternal bliss]; if Saturn it is Yama's world [World of restraints]; if Jupiter, it is Brahamaloka [the world of Brahma]; if Rahu, it is other islands; and if Ketu, it is hell. You can work out your own situation from that. Kadalangudi Publications, 198 pages.

	SAKUNA PHALA, or Effects of Omens in Computer Age - K.N. Saraswathy, $10.00 Contents: Dedication Preface 1. Introduction. Directions divided into 32 divisions 2. Antara chakra 3. Sounds of birds. Signs given by lizards. 4. Barking of dogs 5. Howls of vixen 6. Signs got from forest animals 7. Signs from cows 8. Signs from horses 9. Elephants 10. Crows 11. Bees, ants, etc. Time of occurrence of omens. 12. Explanation of Yavanacharya & Bhattotpala. Determination & interpretation of omens. Prasna lagna to determine person's name. Letters of the name from navamsas. Lagna-navamsa table for names of persons / articles Determining names by means of omens Glossary Comment: In the Introduction, we learn this book was extracted from chapters 85-95 of the Brhat Samhita In this book I learn that vixens are she-foxes. In the months of February & March the foxes are in heat & hence their cries during these months are ineffective. (pg. 34) Here is a typical computer-age omen. (44) If the traveller sees a crow sitting on a pot carried by a woman, he will gain wealth and woman. If it pricks a hole in a pot of water, death of a son is indicated; but if it excretes on the pot, good food is made available to him. (pg. 49) Kadalangudi Publications, 74 pages. Printed: 1985.

	ANGA VIDYA, or Instant Astrological Forecast by Sage Varahamira - K.N. Saraswathy, $8.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Salutation An enumeration of the 44 slokas Glossary Comment: The nature of this book is given in a note on the front cover: (The questioner, while asking for the prediction touches some part or other of his/her body. This book deals with the auspicious & other effects of the prediction based on this behavior.) The book opens with full-page illustrations of each of the planetary dieties. It continues with a list of good & bad places for the astrologer to take questions (avoid crematoriums & empty houses), a list of masculine (swift results), feminine (slow results) & eunuch (no results) body parts (testicles are masculine, but the penis is a eunuch), a list of other omens that might influence the result (dry ginger?). Uniquely, Sanskrit slokas are given, in Sanskrit. Kadalangudi Publications, 21 pages. Printed: 1985.

	PRASNA AAROODHA: Pragnana Deepika or problem solving astrology - K.N. Saraswathy & B. Ardhanareeswaran, $10.00 Contents: Dedication Preface 1. Introduction 2. Fundamental propositions, direction of the lost things, indications to find out places 3. Of roots & planets 4. Human correspondences 5. Finding of lost article 6. On Aroodha 7. On Chhatra rasi 8. On the rising rasi 9. About lost property 10. Of gain & loss 11. On diseases 12. On death 13. On heavenly abode 14. On food 15. On dreams 16. Omens 17. On marriages 18. On love & conjugal felicity 19. Of children 20. Of misfortunes 21. Of knives 22. Of shadows & shafts 23. Of wells 24. Of armies 25. On travel 26. Of rain 27. Of ships 28. Achievement Glossary Comment: The introduction says this book is a "transcreation" of Pragnana Deepika. To this is added extracts from the Tamil Jinendra Malai. Regret that I had not previously heard of either book. Pragnana Deepika does not appear to be Phala Deepika. In the Preface we learn that this book, along with Anga Vidya and Sakuna Phala Nirnaya form a trilogy. Of the three, this book, and Anga Vidya include original slokas, so it might be possible for someone to discover who wrote the orignal books. The delineations are brief & wonderfully grim. Here is an example, from section XVII, On Marriages: If Saturn were to be in the Prasna Lagna, the girl to be married will be poor and she will have children who will soon die. If Moon were to be in the Prasna Lagna, the couple will shortly meet with death. But if Venus, Jupiter & Mercury were in the Prasna Lagna, the couple will live long happily. (Sloka 271, pg. 69) I tried to find a "just plain happy" marriage sloka, but there weren't any. Kadalangudi Publications, 122 pages.

	BRIHAT JATAKA, Treatise on Predictive Astrology - edited by K.N. Saraswathy, $15.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Note on Aacharya Kadalangudi Part 1: English translation Introduction 1. The zodiac 2. The planets 3. Birth of animals, birds & planets 4. Sexual union, conception, miscarriage & delivery 5. Determining location of delivery 6. Death of infants 7. Longevity of humans, dogs, horses & other animals 8. Dasaa/period & man's mental state 9. Ashtaka varga 10. Employment & earning 11. Raajayogas 12. The various other yogas 13. Chandra yoga 14. Conjunction of planets 15. Asceticism 16. Determining characterisics of persons from stars of birth 17. The effects of planets occupying some signs 18. The effects of the planets, continued 19. The effects of planetary aspects 20. The twelve bhavas 21. The effects of planetary relationship 22. Miscellaneous effects 23. Evil effects 24. Female horoscopes 25. Disease, death & location of death 26. Construction and rectification of horoscopes without sufficient data 27. Decanates of the twelve signs 28. Summing up Glossary Part 2: Sanskrit text Comment: In this translation of Varaahamihira's great work, there are no Sanskrit slokas, only their translation, along with the usual commentary. Kadalangudi Publications, 292 pages. Revised second edition, 1989.

	STREE JATAKA, or Focus on Women thru Horoscopy - K.N. Saraswathy, $9.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Index 1. From Varaahamihira 2. Brihat Samhitaa 3. Mantreswara 4. Parasara Samhitaa 5. Jataka Tattva 6. Sarvaatha Chintaamani 7. Saaraavai 8. Phala Deepikaa 9. Jataka Parijaata 10. Jataka Tattva Comment: Chapters 6 - 10 comprise 2/3rds of the book, and of that, Chapter 7, from Saravali, comprises 36 pages in itself. Kadalangudi Publications, 96 pages. Printed: 1986.

	SARVAARTHA CHINTAAMANI - Dr. Mrs. K.N. Saraswathy, $10.00 Contents: Preface Index Notes on Aachaarya Kadalangudi First house Second house Third house Fourth house Fifth house Sixth house Seventh house Eighth house Ninth house Tenth house Eleventh house Twelfth house Dasaa bhukti effects Comment: Yogas as given in the Sarvaartha Chintaamani, organized by house. Some examples: Condition for being a scholar of astrology: The native becomes the best among scholars of astrology when Mercury occupies an angular house, the lord of the second house gains strength and is associated with Venus and the benefics and is placed either in the second house or the third house, Venus occupies its house of exaltation which is also the second house. (pg. 20) Regarding mother: If the lords of the lagna & the 4th sign are mutually friendly and if associated with or aspected by benefics, the person will be friendly with his mother. If the lord of lagna aaspects the lord of the 4th who is in the 1st, 7th or 10th sign and aspected by a benefic, the person will be well-disposed towards his mother. If the lords of the 4th and 11th are aspected by malefics the person will be inimical towards his mother. If the lord of the 4th is in the 8th place from lagna or from the lord of lagna the person will be the enemy of his mother. (pg. 59) Affliction in navel: With the Sun in the 6th aspected by or associated with the malefics the person will have wound in the navel due to bile. (pg. 75) Kadalangudi Publications, 163 pages.

	JATAKA DWADASA BHAVA PHALA, volume 1, houses 1-5, an astrological compendium - KN Saraswathy, $10.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Index 1. Introduction: General rules from Phaladeepika, Signification of the planets, Significators of the houses, Results of 1st house as told in Saravali, Parasara Samhita, Sarvartha Chintaamani; 60 divisions of rasi, 6 kinds of strength of planets, 10 stages of planets 2. Results of the 2nd house (wealth house) as told in Saravali, Parasara Samhita, Jataka Tattvam, Sarvartha Chintaamani 3. Results of 3rd house (brothers' house) as told in Saravali, Parasara Samhita, Jataka Tattva, Sarvartha Chintaamani 4. Results of 4th house (relations' house) as told in Saravali, Parasara Samhita, Jataka Tattva, Sarvatha Chintaamani 5. Results of the 5th house (children's house) as told in Phala Deepika, Saravali, Parasara Samhita, Jataka Tattva, Sarvath Chintaamani Glossary Comment: A traditional reading. From chapter 4, Results of 4th house, as told in Saravali: (127) If the lord of the 4th werein the Amsa called "Paravatam" or in own house, and strong, or inthe Upachaya places, namely 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th places, or in that part towards ascension, or gets the aspect of benefics, the person will have much landed property. (pg. 124) I regret that Volume 2, houses 6, 7 & 8, is not available. It is presumably out of print. Kadalangudi Publications, 238 pages.

	JATAKA DWADASA BHAVA PHALA, volume 1, houses 9-12, an astrological compendium - KN Saraswathy, $8.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Index 1. Results of the 9th house (fortune house): Results as told in Saravali; Predictions relating to "rays" of planets; Results as tolkd in Parasara Samhita; Results as told in Howrika Chandrika; Results as told in Jataka Tattva; Results as told in Sarvatha Chintamani 2. Results of 10th house (profession house): Results as told in Dhruva Naadi; Results as told in Brihat Samhita; Results as told in Saravali; Results as told in Parasara Samhita; Results as told in Jataka Tattva; Results as told in Sarvatha Chintamani 3. Results of the 11th house (gains house): Results as told in Saravali; Results as told in Parasara Samhita; Results as told in Jataka Tattva 4. Results of the 12th house (expenditure house): Results as told in Saravali; Results as told in Parasara Samhita; Results as told in Jataka Tattva; Results as told in Sarvartha Chintamani Glossary. Comment: As with the first volume, a traditional interpretation. Here is a sample, 10th Bhava Effects as stated in Saravali: (12) Strong & powerful, merciless and sinful, and criminal in activities, but placed admidst relatives & Vidwans, is the one with Capricorn as the 10th bhava. (13) With Aquarius as the 10th, the native will be on pilgrimages, but greedy by nature, deceitful and engaged in harmful activities. (14) But with Pisces as the 10th Bhava, the person will be esteemed by all, taught by Gurus, steady & engaged in work, pleasing to Brahmins and gods. (pgs. 82-3) Gee. One of those three is me. Which is why I don't pretend to be a Vedic astrologer. I regret that Volume 2, houses 6, 7 & 8, is not available. It is presumably out of print. Kadalangudi Publications, 146 pages.

	PATANJALI YOGA - K.N. Saraswathy, $10.00 Contents: Notes on Ascaarya Kadalangudi Preface Key to pronunciation Part 1: Samaadhi Paada Exposition begins: definition of yoga Practice of yoga Intense desire for samaahdi Obstacles to practice Steadying the mind Testing the attainment Part 2: Saadhana Paada Nature of pain & misery Cause of samsaaram The observer Cessation of mind Unconditioned awareness Instruments of Yougik discipline Motiveless behavior Orientation proper Characteristics of praanaayaama Part 3: Vibhuuti Paada Meditation Transformation of mind Extra-sensory perception Developing psychic powers Intuition Walking over water Flying in air Transmigration Part 4: Kaivalya Paada Role of karma Yoga & vaasanaas Transformation of gunas Mind & reality Errata Glossary Index of sutras Comment: On the cover it says, This book contains the famous formulas of Patanjali Rishi relating to overcoming obstacles to Yoga, knowing previous janma, other's mind, etc., and achieving 'yama', 'Niyama', 'Ahimsa', etc. Patanjali's original Sanskrit slokas are here transcribed into western characters. Here are the first two lines in the book: Cidaanandakaaram Jaladaruci saaram Srutigiraam Each of these transcribed words are then defined (ya = who, aadyam = in the beginning, ruupam = the figure of AadiSeysha, etc. (pg. 2)), and then there is commentary on the sloka. The idea is that if you correctly pronounce the sloka and then repeat it over & over while meditating upon the commentary, that you will achieve yoga, eventually. This is true, though it is a rather slow way to do it. Many will give up first, which is why having a teacher is essential. On the other hand, those who seek teachers are destined to never find one. Which is one of those paradoxes so beloved of Indian gurus. Kadalangudi Publications, 165 pages. Printed: 1987.

	SATURN - K.N. Saraswathy, $5.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Key to pronunciation Note on Aacaarya Kadalungudi 1. Man & heavenly bodies 2. Saturn 3. The worship 4. Mantras for propitiation (Roman script) 5. Mantras for propitiation (Naagari script) 6. Worship of parivaara-devataas 7. Mantras for parivaara devataas Comment: There is no astrology in this book. Mythology is given in chapter 2. The first chapter, Man & the Heavenly Bodies, is identical in each of the books in this series. Kadalangudi Publications, 88 pages. Printed: 1990.

	MERCURY - K.N. Saraswathy, $5.00 Contents: Dedication Preface Key to pronunciation Note on Aacaarya Kadalungudi 1. Man & heavenly bodies 2. Mercury 3. The worship 4. Mantras for propitiation (Roman script) 5. Mantras for propitiation (Naagari script) 6. Worship of parivaara-devataas 7. Mantras for parivaara devataas Comment: There is no astrology in this book. Mythology is given in chapter 2. The first chapter, Man & the Heavenly Bodies, is identical in each of the books in this series. Kadalangudi Publications, 72 pages. Printed: 1990.

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