
Omens (complete text)

by Shyamasundara Dasa

(Originally published in the News Letter of MAAS, Metropolitan Atlanta 
Astrological Society)


Vedic astrology has been practiced in India since time immemorial. It is 
thought to be millions of years old. (Contrary to the speculations of Darwin.) 
The oldest complete text in Vedic astrology is the Brhat Parasara Hora 
Shastra. It was written around 4000 BC and contains one hundred chapters of 
pithy astrological aphorisms. This book is very old, yet the author tells us 
that it is only a digest of the works of previous sages.  He says that he has 
simplified it for the less intelligent people that he predicts will populate 
the planet as Kali Yuga progresses. Kali Yuga is the present Iron Age that we 
are in, it is the last in a cycle of four Yugas that stretch over a period of 
4,320,000 years, Kali Yuga itself is 432,000 years long and we are about 5000 
years into it. After reading this book and seeing the immense sophistication 
of the system one can only wonder what the more advanced astrological methods 
were.  Parasara Muni, the author of Parasara Hora Shastra, says that astrology 
is divided into six parts, namely: Gola (astronomy), Ganita (mathematical 
analysis of astronomical data), Jataka (natal astrology), Prasna (Horary 
astrology), Muhurta (Electional astrology) and Nimitta (omens).

Today we want to discuss about Omens for the pleasure of my fellow 
astrologers. Omens relates to the happening of unusual events in the presence 
of one who has the ability to interpret the signs. It is understood in the 
Vedic culture that nothing happens by chance, everything is under the control 
of Sri Krsna (God). An astrologer is called a "Daivajna," one who knows the 
will of God, and he should be skilled in interpreting all kinds of signs not 
just the "signs" of the planetary configuration.  This requires study, 
practice, intuition and above all else the blessings of one's Guru.  The best 
way to understand how omens work is to recount a few anecdotes on the subject.

There is a common house lizard found in all parts of India called a Tik Tik 
because that is the sound that he makes. If during a conversation a Tik Tik is 
heard then Satya Vak is exclaimed, i.e. what ever was last spoken must surely 
be the truth. This may sound superstitious, but it is widely accepted as a 
reliable omen.  Once, not long ago two persons approached an astrologer in 
South India. He was an astrologer of some repute and they had come to test him 
by tricking him. They came to him with the horoscope of a man who had already 
died and they wanted to know his future. Since he was already dead they hoped 
to make a fool of the astrologer. As they handed the horoscope of the dead man 
to the astrologer a Tik Tik simultaneously lost his footing from the ceiling 
he was clinging to. As he fell he passed through the blades of a rotating fan 
and you can just imagine the mess that was produced. The ever alert astrologer 
noticed this highly unusual occurrence and quickly stated without so much as 
looking at the chart that this was the horoscope of a dead man and thus caught 
them in their trick.

They were astounded, but not to be outdone they quickly asked how he had died. 
At that very moment the astrologer noticed that a man was passing by his house 
pulling a stubborn cow by a rope around it's neck. Our hero, the astrologer 
quickly and correctly concluded that the man had died by hanging and promptly 
said so. The two men were awestruck by his powers and quickly fell at his 
feet. They went away firm believers in the power of astrology.  

On another occasion a man approached an old astrologer in Madras and asked him 
about the future of his wife's pregnancy. At that moment a woman was seen by 
the astrologer pulling a cow with great difficulty. She was carrying a bag. In 
her struggle with the cow she dropped the bag and out came two large melons. 
The astrologer told the husband that his wife would have a difficult delivery 
but would give birth to twins. This of course is what happened.

The following is a very famous incident. Before independence in India there 
was a state in present day Kerala called Cochin.  The Maharaja of this state 
happened to be an erudite astrologer.  His scholarship was so profound that he 
had a large circle of great astrologers who were his students.  There was a 
very wealthy business man in Cochin who wanted his daughter to marry the son 
of an equally wealthy family in a neighboring state (arranged marriages are 
still the rule in India). He brought both the charts to all the famous 
astrologers of the region and they all said that it was a very good match.  
Finally he decided that he would bring the chart to the Raja of Cochin. If the 
Maharaja agreed that it was a good match, then only would he proceed with the 
girls marriage (the parents were very concerned about the welfare of their 
children.) When he approached the Maharaja of Cochin he told the father to 
give the charts in question to his illustrious students for their opinion.  
His students, all greatly learned scholars, after long deliberations 
unanimously concluded that this was a near perfect match. Then the charts were 
given to the Maharaja. He barely glanced at the charts and solemnly declared 
that if she married this boy it would prove to be a disaster. Naturally 
everybody was dumbfounded, especially the father, by this completely 
contradictory opinion. The father however had great faith in the ability of 
the Maharaja and cancelled the marriage.  A few months later the family of the 
girl returned to Maharaja's court and declared that by his prediction he had 
saved the life of their daughter. It was revealed that shortly after the 
marriage was cancelled the former groom to be was killed in an accident by 
falling from a great height. If the girl had married him and then been widowed 
it would have been a great tragedy because in the very conservative Hindu 
society of that time widows didn't remarry no matter how young they were even 
if they were only teenagers. In any case her parents were extremely grateful 
for his saving their daughter from this tragedy.  When the parents left the 
disciples of the Maharaja finally got the courage to ask their teacher how he 
knew this would happen. Previously they had wanted to ask him how he was so 
sure that he was right when he contradicted every other astrologer in the 
kingdom. But fearing that he would think them disrespectful of his learning 
they had declined. Seeing that his prediction had come true marvelously they 
summoned the courage to ask him how he had arrived at his answer.  The 
Maharaja told them that just as he started to look at the charts he heard the 
horrible sound of a man screaming. He took this to be a very ominous omen so 
he immediately made his prediction. On a later inquiry he found out that the 
scream was that of a man who had fallen off a building to his death. He told 
his disciples that "an astrologer always keeps his eyes and ears open."

These anecdotes indicate the usefulness of omens and how they can sometimes 
supersede indications in the chart. It is said in Vedic astrological works 
that if the results of omens or horary charts are in agreement with the birth 
chart then the result is due to karma from a previous life. But if the omen or 
horary chart contradicts the birth chart then it is due to karma from this 
life itself.  

The next incident is highly instructive.  There was once a very learned 
astrologer who had several disciples studying under him. On one occasion a 
very desperate and depressed man came to them while they were discussing some 
astrological problem. He explained how his wife had just run off with another 
man. He was obviously devastated and he wanted to know if she would return or 
was the marriage finished. As the astrologers were preparing the charts the 
wife of the astrology guru came into the assembly. She told her husband that 
she had been drawing water out of the well with a bucket but the rope attached 
to the bucket had broken and the bucket had fallen into the well. She 
requested that he please have a servant recover the bucket for her. The Guru 
asked his disciples to interpret the omen. All of them said that since the 
rope had broken this meant that the marriage was finished and that they need 
not calculate any further. The Guru wasn't satisfied by this answer. He said 
that the bucket naturally resided in the well and by being pulled away from 
the water it was leaving it's abode. The breaking of the rope didn't indicate 
the break up of the marriage, rather the force that was pulling the bucket 
from the water had been blocked causing the bucket to return to the well. Thus 
the forces that were at work in separating the wife from her family would also 
fail and she would thus return to her rightful place. This he said was the 
proper interpretation of the omen.  

We can see that to properly interpret an omen requires great skill and that it 
is not always as straight forward as we might think. Rather it requires some 
insight.  There is much more to say about omens but it would be well beyond 
the scope of this short article to include them.  Those who are interested in 
the study of omens should read Prasna Marga and Brhat Samhita. Both have been 
translated into English and deal extensively with the subject especially the 
second book.

------------------------------------------------------------

Extracts relating to omens by Shyamasundara Dasa and others:


In the quotes from Prabhupada's books there are various sections that deal 
with both omens and portents. There is a distinction between the two as 
portents are of a highly unusual nature. For example when Kamsa couldn't see 
his own reflection in a mirror or saw holes in his shadow these are serious 
portents which are supernatural.

Omens are signs of a less exotic nature. Seemingly innocuous events but of 
great import. In Brhat Samhita of Varaha Mihira ch. 86-97 he concentrates on 
omens citing authorities such as Indra, Brhaspati, Shukra, Parasara, Garga, 
and Bharadvaja among others. Omens are also discussed in other chapters of the 
book. Prasna Marga also discusses omens as does Swara Chintamani and 
Sivaswaradaya. Prasna Marga discusses all kinds of omens while the later two 
discuss omens based on which nostril is active in your breathing. Breathing 
being an every day occurrence.

I shall cite three verses from Brhat Samhita ch 89 entitled Circle of Dogs: 

"If, while on a journey, a man sees a dog urinate on a couch or on unused or 
unbroken vessels made by potters then he should infer that virgins in his own 
home will be spoilt; if on the other hand the items had been used before he 
should infer that his own wife's character will be soiled; the same refers to 
sandals (new or unused) also."

"If a dog barks looking at the lady of the house and placing its head on the 
threshold and body outside, there will be illness in the house; if, on the 
other hand, it stands inside the house and barks facing (her in) the yard 
outside, the lady is to be understood as an adulteress."

"If a dog smells the left knee of a traveler, he will get money; if the right 
knee, he will quarrel with women; if the left thigh, enjoyment of sexual 
pleasures; if the right thigh, dissensions with kinsmen and dear friends."

These verses clearly show how apparently common experiences have unexpected 
meanings.

Another common experience of devotees who have been in India is the Tik Tik. 
This lizard is continuously tik tikking away. It seems meaningless to 
Rationalists but we all know that if a tik tik does his thing while someone is 
speaking then this seals the truth of the matter. However what is not known to 
many is that every time a tik tik does his thing it means something, depending 
on how many tiks, from which direction, etc. It is a great science. Jayapataka 
once told me that one of the Pandava twins I can't remember which was expert 
in Shakuna Shastra, another name for reading omens, omens are also called 
tatkalika-lakshana. Anyway when the Pandavas entered the House of Lac, this 
Pandava heard the tik tik make a certain number of tiks from a certain 
direction, he could then immediately understand that the house would soon burn 
down. But because he had made a vow not to give predictions without being 
asked (I should also adhere to this rule more strictly) he said nothing to 
anyone about what was in store for them.

These are only a few of hundreds of omens relating to apparently innocuous 
events. Sceptics can see no connection between these events but not a skilled 
astrologer. As one great astrologer, the former Prince of Cochin once 
observed," An astrologer must keep his eyes and ears open and be prepared to 
read everything (not just charts), for every thing has a meaning." One who is 
ignorant may not see the connection but that is because he is seeing with his 
blunt senses. One must see through the eyes of the sastras. "Sastra Chaksus" 
is the saying, and what is even more significant that among the six vedangas, 
jyotish is called the "eye of the Veda."

Chanakya said it like this: "A brahmana sees through the sastras, a King sees 
through his spies, a cow sees with its nose, and ordinary men see with their 
eyes."

As with everything there is both the Science and the Art of interpreting 
omens. It requires practice and intuition. Reading of omens is not only found 
in Vedic culture but indeed in all cultures through out history: Ancient 
Greece and Rome, Babylon, etc, and modern cultures such as present day Africa, 
Asia, and S. America. It is only the European "Rationalists" who are blind to 
this.

To illustrate the depth of intuition and faith necessary we draw on an 
anecdote from the life of Napoleon. At the battle of the Nile many ships were 
engaged in fighting, many on both sides were damaged and destroyed. But when 
Napoleon was given the report that one of his ships named "Italy" had been 
sunk he was non-plussed. He cried out that "Italy is lost," no one could 
understand why the report of the loss of this ship was so upsetting to 
Napoleon. (After all it was not an important ship nor was it the only ship 
that he lost.) Napoleon explained that now the country of Italy which had 
formerly been his possession would soon be lost. Within a short time news to 
the same effect came, Italy had been lost to the Austrians.

----

Generally it is right side twitching that is good for a man and left side bad, 
and opposite for a woman. But there are exceptions. If I'm not mistaken I saw 
the same book "Vedic Omens" at the library of U of Trivandrum and tried to 
acquire it but it was out of print. I even contemplated purloining it but the 
book disappeared. Tatkalika-lakshana (symptoms of the moment) is a very 
complex science that takes a lot of study, to master it. Unfortunately I have 
not done as much study in it as I would like. Mostly because it seems that the 
vast majority of scriptural references to omens are based on a rural living 
arrangement. I don't see many deer, cows, chakoras or jackals here in Pacific 
Beach. It takes more than memorization but actual hands-on practice. Of course 
certain general principles can be learned and adapted to any environment. I 
wouldn't consider myself an expert on the subject. Just more knowledgeable 
about it than your average devotee.

----

I have attended astamangala prasna and deva prasna in Kerala where many 
pandits of astrology gather to do special group reading for a temple or 
individual. A good deal of the reading was simply based on omens; how many Pan 
leaves are used in the puja, and what is there condition; how many times the 
ghee lamp was moved during the prasna; etc. all mean something. These Pandits 
would begin interpreting the meaning and amazingly the people would all admit 
that what was said had actually happened. It was mind boggling. There was a 
time in my life when I was studying astrology when I wasn't sure sure if I was 
in the past, present or future; it was all connected.

----

If you see three unlucky omens you should cancel your trip. Unlucky omens 
being such things as seeing a man or woman carrying empty containers, or in 
this country an empty truck; or seeing an sannyasi. This is especially true if 
the trip is for business purposes. The fact that the items are empty is easy 
to understand, and sannyas means giving up all worldly pleasures and 
renunciation therefore the signification of loss from a material perspective. 
There are different lists of good and bad omens given in various texts. Some 
are easy to construe as to why they are classified as such others are not so 
amenable. For example if you start a journey it is usually considered lucky if 
you see a dead body, liquor or raw flesh. (Prasna Marga 3.19) Don't ask me 
why, I don't know.

Regarding her statement "However, we have rarely noticed a correlation between 
the seeing of deer in various places and the day's events." [sic] Even if it 
were an actual omen, it does not necessitate that the effect will happen 
within that day.  Chapter 97 of Brhat Samhita is entitled "Time of Fruition of 
Effects" there it says that different classes of omens give effects within 
certain periods ranging from a fortnight to a year or more. The effect of a 
solar eclipse being as many years as the number of hours of its duration.

In regard to her question: "How does one know to what event, activity, etc. an 
omen applies?" I again reply that it is a lengthy study that I myself would 
like to do more of but haven't. Much information can be found in Prasna Marga 
and Brhat Samhita as well as other books that are available in India.

In regard to her question "Also, if only one person in a party sees an omen, 
does that omen then apply only to that one person?" Varaha Mihira says the 
following:

"A man going on a journey ought to consider the omens, good or bad, as 
relating to his own person; in a marching army, to the sovereign; in a city, 
to the presiding Deity (or to the mayor); in an assembly (or caravan of 
merchants), to the leader. When there are many leaders of the same rank in an 
assembly, they refer to one who is senior most by virtue of his birth, 
learning and age." (Brhat Samhita 86.11)

----

The actual remedial method of the Vedic tradition is outlined by Varaha Mihira 
in Brhat Samhita 97.17:

"If the effects of the portents and evil omens mentioned above do not come to 
pass at the prescribed time, they will do so with redoubled vigour at double 
the time, if they have not been warded off by expiatory ceremonies performed 
according to the Sastric rules by Brahmanas, along with gifts of gold, gems 
and cows." [Here gems means as a kind of wealth like cows and gold, and 
besides they are given away not worn as jewels! The propitiatory rites of the 
Vedas include Vedic recitations, yajnas, giving charity, etc.]

----

Yes it is a complex science but it can be understood with practice. The idea 
behind the system is that the person takes himself in the center and divides 
the area around him into 8 sectors which have different names such as 
"charcoal, burning, smoke, tranquil, etc." Then depending on the sector in 
which the omen took place, the time of day, the nakshatra, nature of the omen 
(animal, bird, male, female, etc), etc. the intelligent astrologer puts it all 
together and reaches a conclusion. I, who am living thousands of miles away, 
did not even see the phenomena, what to speak of know other factors such as 
what the direction was, what was the time of day, the date, nakshatra etc., 
etc. Generally omens are to be interpreted by the observer as only he can take 
into consideration all factors including how he feels at the time.

I am very familiar with the principles of omens and prodigies just that I deal 
with urban ones, such as computers cutting a person off when he is about to 
say something. Since the subject of computers is mentioned we could say that 
while both DOS and UNIX are computer operating systems if you are familiar 
with one doesn't automatically mean you are an expert on the other especially 
if you haven't used it for ten years.

To a lay person computers are very complex and mysterious. Just substitute the 
word "computers" instead of omen and see how it sounds.

----

"What is the relationship between the occurrence of omens and the Supersoul?"

Answer: From the Gita we learn that only Krsna is the doer. Thus omens are a 
manifestation of Krsna's intent. This has been long recognized throughout 
history in many diverse cultures. Though of course they may not have been 
advanced in Vaisnava theology, still the idea was that the omens were a sign 
from a high power.

I have recently read two scholarly books on the subject of omens and 
divination. You can get them at any good library.

African Divination Systems, Ways of Knowing; edited by Philip M. Peek, 
published by Indiana University Press.

Oracles and Divination; edited by Michael Loewe & Carmen Blacker, Shambala 
1981.

The first is an anthropological study of divination practiced in different 
geographical regions of Africa. The anthropologists in this study are not 
atheists as is usually the case. It is a fascinating study of all types of 
divination though not much of omens.

The second is an unusual anthology of essays presented by highly reputed 
academic scholars from prestigious British universities. The essays deal with 
mostly ancient cultures i.e. Rome-Greece, China, Japan, Hittite-Babylonian, 
Germanic, Israel, and Islamic. But the first chapter is by a Tibetan Lama who 
describes modern practices of the Tibetans (of course punctuated by the 
communist Chinese).

What is surprising is that many of the methods used in modern Africa where 
used in these other cultures as well. There are many similarities between them 
all. Of course some of the methods that were/are used are down right tamasic. 
Hepatomancy--sacrificing an animal and reading its liver. Haruspice--reading 
the entrails and other viscera. Or necromancy--invoking the dead.

Like everything else in the world: food, tapasya, charity, etc., even 
divination is according to the three modes.

----

The subject has been often brought up about testing astrologers. Therefore 
today I thought I would share with you some anecdotes from the past about how 
astrologers were tested then.

Arrian (2nd century AD), a Greek writer who was a Roman citizen holding 
several important military posts and governorships wrote two books that have 
come down to us: Alexander Anabasis and Indika. The first, literally Alexander 
going down the country, is a chronicle of Alexander from the time of his 
assuming power in 336 BC to his death in 323 BC. The second is Arrian's 
description of India based on the accounts of those who accompanied Alexander, 
as well as other's such as Megasthenes who was the ambassador of Seleukid 
Nikator to the court of Chandragupta I of the Gupta Dynasty (circa 300 BC). 
Here we are interested in what Megasthenes had to say.

Apparently the sadhus and those who specialized in revealing the future would 
gather every year and make predictions for the forthcoming year. This, by the 
way is called Mundane Astrology, predicting about politics, economics, etc. of 
the country and the King. Anyway the rule was that if someone made predictions 
that did not come true three times he was not allowed to predict anymore!

That is pretty severe but it would certainly make you keep on your toes. The 
next anecdote (according to Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio) is more 
draconian. Let us now shift to the island of Rhodes in the early 1st century 
AD.

Tiberius, son-in-law of Augustus Caesar, is in self-exile on Rhodes on the 
plea that he wants to study philosophy. (The real reason was that Augustus 
forced Tiberius to divorce his own wife Vipsania and marry Augustus' daughter 
Julia. Augustus, a doting father, was blind to the fact that his daughter was 
a complete debauch and brazen slut of the worst possible kind. She made 
Madonna look like a girl scout. And Tiberius was not about to tell Augustus. 
Tiberius did not want to be around while his wife, Julia, did her thing. Later 
Augustus finally saw the light and had his daughter banished to some tiny 
island where she many years later committed suicide.)

Anyway while studying philosophy at Rhodes Tiberius would consult astrologers. 
Tiberius lived on a remote part of the island, he would have his freed slave 
(an x-gladiator) guide the astrologers to his abode via very steep slopes and 
along paths that clung to the sides of cliffs above the jagged rocks where the 
sea crashed. It was an arduous climb for the astrologers. When the astrologer 
finally arrived Tiberius would have him prepare his horoscope and predict for 
him. Then he would ask the astrologer to look into his own chart and predict 
for himself. Afterwards Tiberius would give the astrologer some money and send 
him off back the same way he came with Tiberius' freed man as a guide. But 
before going off Tiberius would give the guide a secret signal.

On the return journey when they got above the crashing waves and jagged rocks 
the freed man would hurl the false astrologer to his sure death.

Then the great astrologer Thrasyllus was brought to Tiberius in the same way. 
When Thrasyllus was asked to predict from his own horoscope he began to study 
it. He grew pale and exclaimed that his fate was very dark indeed and that he 
was in mortal danger. Tiberius liked this answer, he replied: "Grave danger 
yes, but you have been spared by the gods."

Tiberius could understand that this astrologer really knew astrology and could 
ascertain from his own chart that he was close to death. Unlike the 
pseudo-astrologers who could not even recognize the danger they were in and 
who were therefore ordered killed by Tiberius.

Tiberius befriended Thrasyllus who taught Tiberius astrology and also 
predicted that Tiberius would become emperor which indeed soon happen. 
Augustus, on the death of his own sons and grandsons adopted Tiberius who 
became Tiberius Caesar. Thrasyllus became a trusted advisor to Tiberius, and 
Thrasyllus' son Balbillus became the court astrologer of Claudius, Nero, and 
Vespasian in turn.

As we can see people took their astrology more seriously in the old days. [We 
should note that modern scholars doubt the veracity of this incident. The 
hurling from heights etc.]

Before leaving I wanted to share an amusing anecdote regarding how the Roman 
army went to war. Every Roman Consul was required to sacrifice and consult 
different auguries before going into battle. This was especially true during 
Republican Rome. The typical method of consulting was by feeding the sacred 
hens. If the chickens ate the grain offering then the Romans would confidently 
march into battle. If the hens refused to eat then the Romans would sit tight, 
retreat, or make peace as needed.

An incident is recorded that during the Punic Wars (between Rome and Carthage, 
2nd & 3rd century BC) a Roman Consul ordered the priests to consult the hens 
to see if the Roman army should engage the enemy. The priest came back saying 
that the hens wouldn't eat. Enraged the Consul ordered that the hens be thrown 
into the sea, shouting "if they wont eat grains let them eat sea water." The 
Romans went into battle and suffered a devastating defeat. The Senate had the 
Consul court marshaled and tried for atheism because of ignoring the sacred 
hens. I believe he received capitol punishment. Probably thrown off the 
Tarpean Rock or something like that.

It may sound funny that the Romans determined their battle plans according to 
the eating of grains by the sacred hens. But this system of omens (divination) 
that they employed was immensely successful. Just consider that the Roman 
Empire started in 753 BC and lasted till 1453 AD with the fall of 
Constantinople and the end of the Byzantines. (The Empire had been divided 
into a Western and Eastern branch by Emperor Constantine, the Byzantine Empire 
[after Byzantium, the former name of Constantinople] was the Eastern Branch] 
That is a total of 2207 years! The Roman Empire at its height spread from 
England, Portugal, and the Spanish Sahara in the West to the Crimea (Ukraine) 
and the Persian Gulf in the East, and from the North Sea and Denmark in the 
North to North Africa in the South. Not bad for chicken feed. (-: Even after 
the total fall of Rome there was the Holy Roman Empire that went on for 
hundreds of years. (One witty historian commented that it was neither Holy, 
Roman, nor an Empire.)

----

Recently I had an auto accident while traveling across the country. I left Los 
Angeles on Thursday, June 2nd at about 3:00P.M. I had so many reasons why I 
had to leave at that time, but even one devotee warned me not to go at that 
time. The next day at 12 noon in Yuma AZ I had the accident, totaling my 
vehicle, with minor injury, and spoiling all my distribution programs for the 
entire summer. Should I have not left at that inauspicious time?

Sorry to hear about your accident in the desert. Glad to hear that only the 
vehicle was badly damaged. We wouldn't want to part with you just yet. On June 
2, at 3:00 PM in Los Angeles the following planetary positions prevailed:

Lagna       17VI06
Sun         18TA22
Moon        07PI59
Mars        13AR42
Mercury     11GE01
Jupiter R   12LI16
Venus       21GE36
Saturn      18AQ19
Rahu        29LI57
Ketu        29AR57

This chart is indeed not auspicious for travel. We note that Mars AND Ketu are 
in the 8th and that the Moon is in a Papi-kartari Yoga (malefics on both 
sides). Also the Lagna is the object of a Lagna-adhi-yoga but by malefic 
planets rather than benefic. What really saved you was the strength of Mercury 
ruler of the lagna. You also broke a cardinal rule of travel: if some one 
warns you not to travel you should take it as an omen and delay your trip.

Some years ago a similar event happened to me. I had just borrowed Naveen 
Krsna's new car to do some business in Dallas. Just as I was about to pull 
away from the driveway he yelled at me to stop, then he came up to me and 
admonished me not to get in an accident. I was very mentally distressed at the 
time and didn't recognize the clear warnings from Supersoul. [It is standard 
practice that if somebody stops you in trip that you should stop or at least 
delay your departure. If you are stopped 3 times then you shouldn't leave.] I 
left and about ten minutes later I was involved in a very serious accident 
caused by adverse weather. I totaled the vehicle and severely injured my neck. 
I still suffer from the injuries.

On June 21 I was leaving Miami and starting a trip to Canada. I had planned to 
leave early but for various reasons my trip was delayed to the afternoon. When 
I looked at the chart I also got Virgo rising with Mars and Ketu in the 8th. I 
was not happy and thought that this would be a classical combination for an 
accident. Just then Rasabihari, the wife of Mahabuddhi, with whom I was 
staying, came in to my room. She had just got off work from the hospital and 
gave me a big handful of medical supplies--bandages, antiseptic sponges, etc. 
The lights immediately flashed in my mind; I had just been thinking that this 
was not a good time to travel because of possible accidents and here she comes 
giving me items that also indicate accidents and injuries i.e. medical 
supplies. I immediately cancelled my trip and left the next day.

YS
Shyamasundara Dasa

----

After observing omen described in the shastras carefully over the years, I can 
only confirm that they are true in each and every case. The clearest omen I 
observed were usually the movements of birds while going out to accomplish a 
task. For example, the sighting of noble birds like falcon etc. sitting or 
sailing on the right side of the road is always a sure sign that the objective 
of the journey will be achieved even under adverse circumstances. This 
happened to me about 10 times. On the other side, for example, a swarm of ugly 
black crows almost hitting your car from the left front is a sure inauspicious 
sign. Certain inauspicious omen save you a lot of time if you turn around 
right away. The science of prophecies from the movement of birds was once 
highly developed here in Northern Germany at Germanic time and it was also 
known to the Roman priestly class. I would be interested to know what the 
observations of others are, provided they know Vedic astrology and omen. I 
would also be interested in exchange of other more practical details with 
experienced astrologers.

Understanding these things helps us overcome our gross mechanistic views of 
reality which due to our upbringing and lack of higher knowledge still tinges 
our understanding. Part of Bhagavatam knowledge is how God and 
souls`consciousness are subtly connected to this world. This is part of a way 
of thinking that is foreign to our impersonal civilization which has no idea 
that all things can only be defined from their connection to the spiritual 
person and its subtle, materially tinged perceptions in this world. Therefore 
it is stated in the purport of Caitanya Caritamrta that the ultimate goal of 
astrology is to ascertain the position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. 
To realize God we also must have knowledge of how He is connected to our 
present world. I also found that certain strong omen may override other, less 
important omen. Observation of the inner state of mind at the start of an 
undertaking, the movement of breath (as in Swara cintamani) are also very 
important omen to be taken into account. For example, a very strong, 
confident, enthusiastic mood when going out on a mission, and in specific: 
clear and easy remembrance of Krishna and also Garuda can override small 
inauspicious omen for sure and lead to final success (although it may mean 
certain impediments have to be overcome on the way). 

