He tweets regularly, youtube is flooded with his videos and he has written and published many religious books. His website, www.astroved.com, is also being updated every day. Meet Bhaskaran Pillai, one of the modern spiritual leaders who have embraced technology to propagate their ideas and missions. Still, he defers at one point from the rest — while others mock at astrology and describe it as a ‘job of the jobless’, he says it is a high-technology work.
“Modern spiritual leaders avoid astrology, because it is not marketable. They think it’s not respectable to talk about it. They rather choose yoga and meditation. But, astrology is pure science, which our sages were able to grasp from Ether,” says Bhaskaran, a renowned scholar in astrology and the founder of Pillai Center for MindScience. He is in Chennai to celebrate Akshaya Tritiyai with a series of poojas and homas on May 6.
According to him, ‘going beyond the model’ is spirituality. “Even Einstein said that he didn’t derive E=MC2, from his research, but it intuitively appeared to him. It proves that there is something beyond our conscience,” he explains. While he is happy that Indian government has accepted astrology as a science and allocates funds for researches, he believes astrology as a subject should be studied more in detail and hence plans to start a university. “We’re partnering with schools to study students’ activities in connection with their nakshatras (stars) and compare it with our predictions. If we can prove our predictions, it will be a big boost to astrology,” affirms Bhaskaran.
Throwing light on the daily horoscope, he says that it is not right to use zodiac signs for predictions. “We should predict using nakshatras. The moon is very unstable planet and it positions itself at a different place every time. So, the daily horoscope should be based on 27 nakshatras and we’re in the process of doing it,” he explains.
Bhaskaran is also running an NGO, Tripura Foundation, which caters to the needy. “We don’t just give them food and place, but empower them astrologically,” he says. A native of Rameshwaram, Bhaskaran graduated in English and Comparative Literature and joined University of Pittsburgh for PhD in Religious Studies. Settled in the US, he visits India at least six times a year.
He explains the need for astrology in our daily lives. “While astronomy studies the planetary motions, astrology studies the effects of such motions on humans. It finds out the defects in our lives and suggests solutions. Simply put, it’s a science to correct our lives,” he adds.
What should people do on Akshaya Tritiyai?
Bhaskaran says that people buy gold on this day, go to a Lakshmi temple and do archana and prayers to her. “Acts of charity will also bring blessings of wealth on this day. I have also commissioned a “King’s Pooja” called Gaja pooja to be done for the public in Anna Nagar. The Gaja pooja is historically conducted only by Kings to gain power and prosperity. It involves performing pooja to an elephant, white horse (Ashwa pooja), and Gho Pooja to cow and her calf,” he explains. Akshaya Tritiyai is a special third Moon that occurs in the month of April-May. Mythologically, it is the time that the five Pandava brothers received the special Akshaya pot that never ran out of food. “It is also the day when Kamadhenu, the divine cow, came to Earth,” he adds. “It is a period charged with material power to fulfill your desires. Since it falls on a Friday, which is the day of Lakshmi, it increases its power.”
Source: The New Indian Express, 05 May 2011
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