Why the Shastras Are Secretive

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Why the Shastras Are Secretive

Astrology is not something that you can learn online. It is a shastra. Just like any other shastra, there are authentic texts. But our acharyas knew that we are impatient, and all the more so today. Today, if you face a problem with your mobile, some problem with a feature, what do you do? You go online and search. Somebody must have given a solution, or there will be a two- or three-minute video on YouTube. Nine out of ten cases, your problem is solved. You need not understand how the mobile works, the technology—nothing. Just follow the instructions, and it is done.

This is what we are getting used to, more and more. Our approach is changing. Our approach toward knowledge is changing. Equipment comes with instruction manuals and troubleshooting guides. Look at the content page, go to the particular section, and mostly you have your solution. You don’t have to understand much.

But our shastras are not like that. They are life changers. They are powerful enough to change the entire course of life in the right way, and when used in the wrong way, they can harm you also. This, our acharyas were very concerned about. Many of the texts are in sutra form—sutras are just indicators. These texts are not very descriptive. Unless a person has understood them thoroughly, you won’t be able to make head or tail of these texts. They are written that way so there should not be indiscriminate spreading of knowledge. Otherwise, it becomes susceptible to tampering and corruption.

Our acharyas knew that what we would end up with would be interpretations of interpretations of the original text. In this way, they become corrupt. This is even more the case today because of our impatience. We read some online stuff, and then we feel ready to read horoscopes and guide others. This, our acharyas wanted to prevent. I wouldn’t say they were successful, looking at how it is today, but this is a strategy they adopted: make the books secretive. If someone doesn’t explain them, you won’t understand. That way, at least the original knowledge is preserved for the future.

For example, if you take the shloka:

होरेत्यहोरात्रविकल्पमेके वाञ्छन्ति पूर्वापरवर्णलोपात्

from *Varaha Hora*. Take the word 'Hora.' Let’s see what all this one word conveys.

You get the word 'Hora' from 'Ahoratra,' meaning 24 hours, day and night. Remove 'a' from the beginning and 'tra' from the end. You are left with 'ho' and 'ra,' the two letters in the middle. This is the name of the text that the author wants to give it. By referring to 'Ahoratra,' he conveys that this is a text whose basis is time. Time is the essence of this shastra—astrology.

A shloka comes later:

होरेति लग्नं भवनस्य चार्धम्

'Hora' also means half of a sign. There are twelve signs in the zodiac, 24 hours in a day—12 signs. The duration of each sign is 2 hours, which can vary also, but broadly, one sign is 2 hours. Half of that is 1 hour. One 'hora' means one hour. There are twenty-four horas in a day. This also means that hora is 15 degrees, half of a rashi. In terms of distance or span, hora is 15 degrees in the sky.

Do you know what else the number twenty-four stands for? The number of syllables in the Gayatri Mantra—knowledge. The number twenty-four stands for the Gayatri Mantra—the ultimate knowledge—whose devata is Surya, the timekeeper of the world. Are you able to see the connection? When Varaha Mihiracharya named his text 'Hora,' he was conveying that this is divine knowledge based on time.

There are more meanings of 'Hora.' 'Horeti lagna'—the ascendant of any planetary chart, the lagna, is also called 'hora.' That’s why we have the other shloka:

होरास्वामिगुरुज्ञवीक्षितयुता नान्यैः वीर्योत्कटा

If the lagna lord is occupying a particular house or aspecting a particular house, that house becomes powerful. 'Horaswami' here means the lord of the lagna, the lord of the rashi in which lagna is. So, 'hora' also means 'lagna.'

There is one more meaning. In the Jaimini system, there is 'Hora Lagna,' which is particularly useful in determining longevity. Now, see what all 'Hora' stands for: name of a book, time itself, knowledge itself, knowledge based on time, one-hour duration, fifteen degrees of zodiac, half of a sign, the ascendant, the subdivision chart called 'Hora,' Surya Hora and Chandra Hora, the Hora Lagna of the Jaimini system. 

Now, in a shloka, if you find the term 'Hora,' how will you know in what sense it is used? Do you think people who write articles online are equipped to understand so much? The maximum they would have read is an English translation of *Varaha Hora* or *Brihat Parashara Hora Stotra.* And we don’t know how much the original translator has understood all this. The translations that I have seen, at least, don’t appear to be so. They are like how Google Translate works—and you know how that works, at least as of now.

Knowledge Bank

What is the symbolism of the Shyen bird in relation to Naganechi Mata?

The Shyen bird represents Naganechi in her protective form, believed to have shielded Jodhpur during the Indo-Pak war.

How is Varuna worshipped or celebrated in modern times?

Whenever a kalasha (water pot) is installed as part of any puja, Varuna is invoked into it and worshiped first. He is also invoked into mandalas as the guardian deity of the west direction.