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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
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he plucked sonde leaves out of the thick foli position in the heavens at the time of his age of the tree and threw them down. The birth. A kundali, i.e., a figure like the one leaves, however, chanced to fall on * Shivalinga which happened to stand below, and secured for him the merit of having worshipped god Shive with Bel-leaves on a Shivratri day. He was also all the while repeating the god's name and had undergone a fast. The result was that not only were his past sins forgiven, but he was placed with his family in freaven,
Similarly, Dhruva, the son of king Uttanapad, attained divine favour by unflagging
8 devotion, and was given a constant place in the heavens as the immovable pole-star,
shown here, is drawn by astrologers to According to Hindu astrology, there are
illustrate the respective positions of the wine grahas* or planets, twelve răshist or
planets. The twelve squares of the diagram
represent the twelve signs of the zodiac, the signs of the zodiac and twenty-seven
and the positions of the planets in different nakshatrast or constellations. Books on
sjuares influence persons in different ways. astrology explain the distinct forms of the
Ravi (the Sun), Budha (Mercury) and Shunakshatras. For instance, the Ashvini con-kra (Venus) Occupy one racha for one month ; stellation consists of two stars and presents Chandra (the Moon) occupies # răshi for the appearance of a horse. It ascends the 135 ghadis, 1 i.e., two days and a quarter ; zenith at midnight on the purnima (the 15th Mangal (Mars) for one month and a half ; day of the bright half) of Ashvin (the first Guru (Jupiter) for thirteen months; Shani. month of the Gujarati Hindus). The constel
(Saturn) for two years and a half, and Rahu lation of Mrig consists of seven stars, four
for a year and a half. This is their normal like the legs of a sofa and three others
and ordinary motion. But if they take an
abnormal course and move either too fast or under them in a line. All these twenty
too slow, they finish their revolution through seven groups of stars reach the zenith at
a rashi within a shorter or a longer period, midnight on particular days in particular If the planet Guru (Jupiter) occupies. months; and the months of the Hindu calen- either the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 8th, LOth, or dar are named after them.3
12th, square of a kundali, it is said to bring All planets influence the life of a person, I about rupture with friends, pecumiary wants, one way or the other, according to their and an increase in the number of enemies.
1 Mr. D. K, Pandya, Dhbank.
Mr. N. M. Davo, Sanka. * The nine grahas are, Ravi (the Sun), Chandra (the Moon), Mangal (Mara). Budha. (Aiercury), Guru (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus), Shani (Saturn), and Rahu and Ketu.
The names of the twelve rashis are:-1 Mesha (Aries), 2 Vrishabha (Taurus), 3 Mithun (Gemini), 4 Karka (Cancer), 5 Sinha (Leo), 6 Kanya (Virgo), 7 Tula (Libra), 8 Vrishchika (Scorpio), 9 Dhanu (Sagittarius), 10 Makara (Capricornus) 11 Kumbha (Aquarius), 12 Mina (Pisces).
1 The following are the twenty-seven nakshatras - Ashvini, 2 Bharani, 3 Kritikā. 4 Robini, 5 Mrig. 6 Ardra, 7 Punarvasu, 8 Pushya, 9 Asblesha, 10 Magha, 11 Purvā-phälguni, 12 Uttara-phalguni, 13 Hasta, 14 Chitra, 15 Swāti, 16 Visbákba, 17 Anuradba, 18 Jyesbtbå, 19 Mäl. 20 Purvsbadha, 21 Uttarásbadba. 22 Shravana, 23 Dhanishtba, 24 Shatatáraka, 25 Purvábbadrapada, 26 Uttarabhadrapada, and 27 Rowati. Mr. D. K. Pandya, Dhhank,
9 One ghadi24 minutes. • Mt. Motechand Vasanj Doshi, Kalawad
• The Schoolmaster, Dadi
