STUDIES IN JAIMINI ASTROLOGY

My interest in Jaimini was aroused over 20 years ago when I was yet a college student by a Kerala Brahmin astrologer who was practising near my residence. What struck me most was his admirable analysis of the fourth house in my horoscope, according to Jaimini, supported by eloquent quotations from the SUTRAS. He gave me to understand then that the 3rd and 4th Adhyayas had been lost and that they were not to be found either in print or in manuscript form anywhere. By about 1936 an advocate friend of mine presented me with a copy of Jaimini Sutras in Kannada script which also contained the original sutras of the 3rd and 4th Adhyayas. The Kerala astrologer was kind enough to interpret the 3rd and 4th Adhyayas for my benefit and I am grateful to him for this help. Subsequently he shifted his office and I lost touch with him. Since then my interest in Jaimini began to grow and I gathered valuable information through my discussions with Pandits who used to visit my grandfather late Prof. B. Suryanarain Rao.

I have with me a number of versions of Jaimini in Devanagari, Kannada and Telugu scripts-most of them containing Neelakanta's commentaries. And the present work which I have the pleasure to place before the educated public is mainly based upon my "STUDIES" done during the last fifteen years. Owing probably to the dearth of books dealing clearly with the principles, and of scholars who have specialised in this particular branch of astrological knowledge, Jaimini's methods have not been popular. Consequently it is not possible to say with what degree of success the principles given by Jaimini could be applied to practical horoscopes. But there is no doubt whatsoever that when once the technique of prediction as given by Jaimini has been clearly grasped, considerable accuracy could be aimed at.

In these STUDIES I have merely endeavoured to make available in compact and simple form the leading fact s or concepts of Jaimini’s principles. Certain aspects of Jaimini such as Dasas, Ayurdaya, etc., which have hitherto remained obscure, have been dealt with exhaus- tively and their significance shown. I do not claim originality. But I claim to be the first in India to have given an exposition of Jaimini in English with suitable illustrations.

It should be pointed out in conclusion that if this work were to stimulate a more detailed study of Jaimini, my labours will have been amply rewarded.