Vedic Astrology: Authors names beginning with S

Authors included on this page: R. Santhanam, S.S. Sareen, D.P. Saxena, K. Jaya Sekhar, A. Sethi, Anil Sharma, Prem Kumar Sharma, Vishnu Sharma, M.H.K. Shastri, Shil-Ponde, M.P. Singh.

	DOCTRINES OF SUKA NADI (Retold) - R. Santhanam, $11.00 Contents: Prolegomena; 1. Preliminary matters; 2. Dhana bhava (financial matters); 3. Sahaja bhava (co-born, etc.); 4. Matru bhava (mother, learning, etc.); 5. Putra bhava (progeny, paternal relations, etc.); 6. Vivaha bhava (wedlock); 7. Ayur bhava (longevity & death); 8. Bhagya bhava (father's fortunes, etc.); 9. Miscellaneous matters; 10. Ashtaka varga. Comment: Originally in Tamil, this is based on a Nadi by a sage named Suka. The original was said to have contained 18,000 verses, or 1500 per ascendant. In his Prolegomena, Santhanam says he has rearranged & retold the original in a more independent & appropriate manner, at the same time following the foot steps of the Tamil version. (pg. 4) Chapter 1 is Santhanam's own introduction to the text, it covers astrological basics, including listing all 150 of the Nadiamsas. According to Santhanam, there is a great deal of unique literature in Tamil, most of which has yet to come to light. Ranjan, 160 pages.

	ESSENTIALS OF PREDICTIVE HINDU ASTROLOGY - R. Santhanam, $25.00 Contents: Preface; 1. Nakshatra nadika: an important element in election; 2. Light on Gulika; 3. Some interesting classical clues on marriage; 4. Premature loss of father - case studied; 5. Astrology & ancestral inheritance; 6. Kala chakra dasa - its basics; 7. Kala chakra dasa - some more fundamentals, part II; 8. How do eclipses direct our life events?; 9. Know the Moon in 108 ways; 10. Some special principles for female horoscopes; 11. Planets & ascendants; 12. Planetary states - an index to health; 13. Results of Martian conjunctions; 14. Results of Mercury's conjunctions; 15. Results of Jupiter's conjunctions; 16. Strange ways of Jupiter; 17. Wisdom of the seers - part I; 18. Stars & financial downturns; 19. Horoscopes of murderers; 20. Rectify birth time easily; 21. On Pindayu calculations; 22. Horary astrology & its boons; 23. On prenatal epoch; 24. Light on retrogrades; 25. Understanding earthquakes; 26. Wisdom of the seers, part II; 27. Wisdom of the seers, part III; 28. Wisdom of the seers, part IV; 29. Wisdom of the seers, part V; 30. Wisdom of the seers, part VI; 31. Wisdom of the seers, part VII; 32. Paralysis, an astrological study; 33. Practical studies; 34. Research capsule - 261 aphorisms from various sources. Comment: These articles were extracted from The Times of Astrology, 1985-1991, which Santhanam both wrote & edited. Sagar, 352 pages, hardcover.

	LAGHU PARASARI SIDHANT - translated by S.S. Sareen, $10.00 Contents: Introduction; Laghu Parashari: 1. Samjna Adhyaya; 2. The Yoga Adhyaya; 3. Ayurdhay Adhyaya; 4. Dasaphal Adhyaya; 5. Misra Ka Adhyaya. Madhya Parashari: 1. Samjna Adhyaya; 2. Rajayoga Adhyana; 3. Dhana Yoga Adhyana; 4. Penury Yoga Adhyaya; 5. Dasaphal Adhyaya; 6. Antar Dasaphal Adhyaya; 7. Karaka Dasaphal Adhyana; 8. Vimshottari Dasaphal Adhyana; 9. Judgement of houses; Planets & their dignities under various lagnas (12 charts, 2 pages). Comment: Laghu Parashari tells how, why, when the dasa of a planet will be effective or ineffective, benefic, malefic, or mixed. According to the Introduction, Madhya Parashari has been added as this part of the book has been designed by the author [Sareen, or someone else?] to provide with the supplementary rules of Astrology for guidance of the readers in a nutshell. (pg. xi) A nice book. I have no idea who originally wrote it, or if it is one book or two. The first section, Laghu Parashari, is largely (though not entirely) devoid of slokas, the second section, Madhya Parashari, is full of them. Sagar, 186 pages.

	ASTROLOGY & REMEDIES OF LAL KITAB - D.P. Saxena, $10.00 Contents: Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Twelve houses of the horoscope, more about houses, planetary aspects according to the houes, yogi drishti, commodities pertaining to each house, etc. 3. Planets: Pakka ghar, friends & foes, equal planets, artificial planets, sin & sinful planets, Kayam grahas, dharmi grahas, matching planets, blind planets, comrade planets, sacrificial goats of planets, deceptive planets, aspects of planets (general), yoga drishti of planets, affliction of planets, things relating to planets & articles relating to the combination of planets. 4. More about the planets, their relative remedies for bad results in each house. 5. Mental powers & vibrations indicated by various houses. 6. Parental afflictions (Rina Pitri) & remedies in each case, identifications of persons whose curse the members are suffering from & planetary indications of the curse. 7. Sickness & diseases: The houses involved in sickness & diseases, sickness signified by the planets, cases examined. 8. Miscellaneous precautions & remedial measures in daily life, in a residential house, children, safe delivery & prosperity, alms & charity, adopted children, general advice, selection of bride grooms, selection of remedies & combinations for children. 9. Some routine & important remedies of Lal Kitab. 10. Some hints for prediction. 11. Critical appreciation. 12. Glossary of Hindi terms. Comment: Subtitled, Easy & Effective, Inexpensive Remedial Measures. In the preface, the author tells us the Lal Kitab is primarily a book on astropalmistry, with astrological remedies. He restricts himself to the astrological part. This work is based on Saxena's copious notes taken from the original Urdu text. The first chapter, the Introduction, is to acquaint the reader with astrological concepts unique to the Lal Kitab. Ranjan, 138 pages.

	RAHU & KETU, THE MYSTIC AXIS: A scientific exposition of the classical relevance of Rahu-Ketu - D.P. Saxena, $15.00 Contents: Preface; Publisher's note 1. Introduction 2. Significations of asterisms of the nodes 3. Astrological importance of nodes in prediction 4. Twelve types of Kala Sarpa Yogas 5. Solar & lunar eclipses & their effects 6. Rahu & Ketu in various houses of the birth chart 7. Rahu & Ketu in various signs 8. Rahu & Ketu in relation to planets 9. Rules of prediction 10. Some case studies 11. Epilogue Appendices: 1. Basic impulses of the planets; 2. The signs of the zodiac & nakshatras Bibliography Comment: Inspired by M.C. Jain's Karmic Control Planets, this is a general overview of the nodes. From the back cover: As the name suggests Rahu-Ketu are the two parts of the python that horrifies every one on our planet earth. Rahu-Ketu invigorate the energies of the houses for the good or bad they are placed in the Natal Chart. They are actually the points of soul magnetism, who by their placement show how the force of past Karmas furthers the cycle of life process by pulling it towards the future. The planets ruling the signs of Rahu-Ketu axis are called the Karmic Control Planets. The sign of Ketu represents the incoming from past lives or Karmic control. The planet ruling the sign of Rahu shows how the Karmic distribution in this life will occur. Besides this Rahu-Ketu also form Raja yoga combinations.... The work is enriched by practical example horoscopes. Ranjan, 210 pages.

	SATURN, FRIEND & GUIDE - D.P. Saxena, $12.00 Contents: Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Study of Saturn; 3. Saturn in the various signs of the zodiac; 4. Saturn in various houses; 5. Saturn in aspect to planets; 6. Analysis of horoscopes; 7. Sade sati & Dhaiya of Sani; 8. Problem of remedies; 9. Epilogue. Comment: From the preface: Normally a person can be judged by his appearance & action. If we apply the same method for the study of Saturn we shall be highlhy mistaken. No doubt Saturn has his own inherent characteristics but unfortunately his actions are elusive. They do not appear to correspond to his characteristics & we are dumb founded in their interpretation. He is a congenital liar to say the least about him. He is an adept at disguises. It is hard to say where & in which mask he appears at any particular type. He may be moving in society but he may never be less alone when alone. A show of his least disinterestedness may have his greatest involvement in the affairs. It is on account of such a nature that any study of the planet can hardly be described as comprehensive.... (pg. 5) The chapter on aspects includes brief notes on Saturn with Uranus, Neptune & Pluto. The chapter on horoscopes includes some 26 charts, among them, those of Buddha, Hitler, Goethe, George VI, George Bernard Shaw & others. The chapter on Sade Sati includes the same 26 charts all over again (brave, I think). Ranjan, 191 pages.

	THE BEST BET - K. Jaya Sekhar, $20.00 Contents: Preface; The science, psychology & philosophy of love & marriage; Introduction; Part 1: Vedic Astrology Basics: 1. Quick start method; 2. Sandwich course of Vedic astrology Part 2: The Approach: 3. Cracks in the mosaic; 4. Subtle body - chakras Part 3: The System: 5. Lotus of six petals; 6. Petal 1: temperament agreement/Mars; 7. Petal 2: Moon sign agreement, emotional/psychological; 8. Petal 3: Nakshatra agreements; 9. Petal 4: Comparison of karmic content; 10. Petal 5: Planetary cycles; 11. Petal 6: Planetary mutual position; 12. A bird's eye. Part 4: Application: 13. A critical look at the rules: evaluation Part 5: Extensions: 14. Other relationships: non-matrimonial, same-sex, employer-employee, guru-disciple Ready reckoner charts; Eternal Ideals; Glossary of Sanskrit words; Index; Bibliography. Comment: Subtitled, Forming the right relationships & making the most of your relationships. The title page continues with, Traditional Vedic astrological techniques adapted to modern matrimonial polemics. In the Preface, the author writes, In writing this book on an astrological subject, I humbly submit I have tried to blaze a new trail. The practice hitherto appears to have been, with a few apologetic exceptions, to quote the Sanskrit verses from the classics, give the translation verbatim & then the explanation with absolutely no independent personal thought, contribution, or analysis or logical reasoning to support or repudiate what has been said. At best sometimes in the name of critical analysis or comment an attempt is made to pit the dictum of one sage against another & make confusion worse confounded. (pg. xii). This book written from 40 years practical experience. Includes many unique diagrams. Motilal Banarsidass, 191 pages.

	LEARN ASTROLOGY IN 30 DAYS - A. Sethi, $20.00 Contents: Foreword; Day 1: Important terms & almanac Day 2: Characteristics of signs Day 3: Characteristics of Planets Day 4: Horoscopes & houses Day 5: Planets in various houses Day 6: Planets in various signs Day 7: Lords of houses in various houses Day 8: Characteristics of various ascending signs Day 9: Relationship among planets, strong & weak planets, malefic & benefic planets Day 10: Nature of planets as per lordship of houses Day 11: Rules for the interpretation of horoscopes Day 12: Interpretation of houses 1-12 Day 13: Some tips to interpret various important aspects of life: Marriage, divorce, etc. Day 14: Some tips to interpret various important aspects of life: Children, education travel, imprisonment, wealth Day 15: Some tips to interpret various important aspects of life: Profession Take a break, test your knowledge Day 16: Casting horoscope: Ascendant, longitude of planets Day 17: Casting horoscope: Longitude of planets Day 18: Casting horoscope: Stretch of houses, ascendant chart, moon chart, sun chart, Sudarsha chart, Bhav chalit chakra Day 19: Divisional charts Day 20: Vimshsottari dasha Day 21: Vimshottari dasha: General effects of planets during their major periods Day 22: Vimshottari dasha: Effects of planets during major period, by periods & sub-periods Day 23: Transit of planets Day 24: Transit of planets: General effects of Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, through the houses Day 25: Transit of planets: General effects of Venus, Saturn, Rahu, through the houses Day 26: Transit of planets: Effects of planets transiting natal planets Day 27: Match making: Analysis, manglik consideration & holistic match-making Day 28: Some important combinations Day 29: A few remedial measures Day 30: Analysis of a sample horoscope Question paper Comment: The format of the book is that one can learn astrology, from scratch, in only 30 days. Looking at the material you're expected to cover in a "day", I suspect the author means a full day of rote memorization. (I always did that best when I copied the book out by hand.) Complete with two tests, answers not given, though they may be found elsewhere in the text. Aside from the "30 day" format, this is a solid, well-constructed book. This book says it includes a CD-ROM. This seems to have been included only with books distributed in the Indian market. There is NO CD with the books exported to America & sold by this site. Apologies. Computer Zone, 424 pages.

	ASTRO SOLUTIONS TO YOUR PROBLEMS - A. Sethi, $30.00 Contents: 1. The Basics; A word of caution; 2. Sun & its remedies: astrological remedies for the sun: Yantra, Giving articles in charity, Recitation of mantras, Fasting, Stones, Roots, Worship, Lal Kitab measures, Easy remedial measures; 3. Moon, astrological remedies for moon; 4. Mars, astrological remedies for Mars; 5. Mercury, astrological rememdies for Mercury; 6. Jupiter, astrological remedies for Jupiter; 7. Venus, astrological remedies for Venus; 8. Saturn, astrological remedies for Saturn; 9. Rahu, astrological remedies for Rahu; 10 Ketu, astrological remedies for Ketu; 11. Other remedies; 12. Sade Sati & remedial measures; 13. Sade Sati, continued; 14. Kalasarpa yoga & remedial measures; Manglik dosh & remedial measures; 15. Rudrakshas; Astro-solutions. Comment: The first chapter is a nice introduction to astrology, so that you might have some idea which planets in your chart are good or bad. Under the Word of Caution, the author says that to strength a good planet, wear its yantra or stone. To weaken a bad planet, give its articles to charity, or throw them in a river, or recite its mantras. For each of the planets, in addition to various remedial measures (see list under Sun, above), the author also gives a complete astrological portrait, including effects of the planet in the signs & houses, as well as the results of its dasha & transit through the houses. Not the most comprehensive list of remedial measures that I have seen, but in the best context, as well as being among the most practical & clearly-presented. This book says it includes a CD-ROM. This seems to have been included only with books distributed in the Indian market. There is NO CD with the books exported to America & sold by this site. Apologies. Computer Zone, 310 pages.

	LIFE BEYOND DEATH - Anil Sharma, $16.00 Contents: 1. Journey to the realms of death; 2. The astral world; 3. The mental world; 4. The causal plane; 5. Rebirth - its cause & mechanism; 6. Over-view of the higher planes. Comment: The truth is, this is not an astrology book. Our supplier sent it to us by mistake, but it is interesting. It's essentially Theosophical in philosophy (which I personally like), it is more focussed on higher states of consciousness than on death per se. As such, you could use it as a guide for better meditation. Which brings up an interesting point. Why wait until you're dead to suss out what's beyond the merely physical? What if you knew what was out there & had ideas for what to do when you got there? What if, suppose, you actually prepared yourself for the inter-life experience? Sharma's writing betrays a reliance on theory rather than experience, but, as I have found, add a decade or two of contemplation & you can do a lot with theory. Sagar, 228 pages.

	RAHU & KETU IN PREDICTIVE ASTROLOGY - Prem Kumar Sharma, $15.00 Contents: Preface; Introduction; 1. The north & south nodes in mythology; 2. Astronomical view of the two nodes; 3. The two nodes & western astrology; 4. Salient features of the moon's nodes; 5. The strength of the nodes; 6. Aspects of the north & south nodes; 7. Constellations of Rahu & Ketu; 8. Effects of the placement of Rahu & Ketu in different signs; 9. Effects of the placement of Rahu & Ketu in different houses; 10. Rahu, Ketu & the navamsha chart; 11. Rahu & Ketu & vimshottari dasha; 12. Transits of the nodes & predictive astrology; 13. Yogas formed by the nodes; 14. Kaalsarpa yoga; 15. Eclipses & their effects; 16. The nodes & the female chart (Strijatakam); 17. Judging compatibility with the help of the nodes; 18. Importance of Rahu Kaal & how to determine it; 19. Analysis of some charts; 20. Remedial measures. Comment: The first chapter gives the link between Kundalini & the nodes: As individual evolution proceeds, gradually rising Kundalini awakens the higher chakras to greater awareness of the two nodes, an interesting idea. Rahu Kaal, or Rahu's hour, is the planetary hour of Rahu, which is said to be good as a rest period. To compute it for any given day of the year, find the length of the day, divide that by eight. The Rahu Kaal is the 8th part of Sunday, the 2nd part of Monday, 7th part of Tuesday, 5th part of Wednesday, 6th part of Thursday, 4th part of Friday, and 3rd part of Saturday. The pattern would seem to be: Counting down: Sunday, then count forward every other day to Thursday. Counting up: Monday, counting backwards every other day, except that Saturday leads directly to Friday, and then to Wednesday. (Friday-Saturday would presumably be a mysterious half-step.) Some clever person might work out night-time Rahu Kaal, which might be where Ketu gets its turn. As a whole, a general overview of these two shadowy planets, intended, I think, for the educated lay reader, or as an introduction to more serious study. For the most part, it is not demanding. There are no Sanskrit slokas, but there is some Sanskrit given in the western alphabet. UBSPD, 150 pages.

	YOUR STARS & PROSPERITY - Prem Kumar Sharma, $18.00 Contents: Preface Introduction 1. Fortune & prosperity 2. Analysing a chart for prosperity 3. Planetary periods & transit 4. Hora chart & its analysis 5. Sources of wealth 6. The role of Aroodha Lagna 7. The role of Indu Lagna 8. The role of Ashtakavarga 9. Yogas indicating fortune & financial status 10. Yogas indicating poverty 11. Financial setbacks or reversals ('riches to rags') 12. Analysis of charts of famous rich 13. Remedial measures Glossary of Indian terms Sun sign chart Constellation chart Index Comment: A good, solid book. Pgs. 2-3, 19 indicators of prosperity ("3. Lords of 5th & 9th houses placed in square houses & under aspect from benefic planets."), page 3, 7 indicators of lack of prosperity ("5. Jupiter posited in Capricorn."), pg. 4, list of ascendants with prosperity-giving planets; pg. 5-6, Table 1.2, Financial prospects corresponding to each ascendant sign (Gemini: Persons born in this sign tend to experience plenty as well as scarcity of wealth in their lives. Their fortune & prosperity depend somewhat on their relation with the spouse.). The book goes on like this: Blunt, well-written, tightly edited, pulls no punches. UBSPD, 169 pages.

	INDIAN PREDICTIVE ASTROLOGY: The easy & accurate way to interpret your future - Vishnu Sharma, $11.00 Contents: Part 1. The Indian system of astrology: 1. Astrology: study of the preordained; 2. Sun signs; 3. Houses of the zodiac: their influence; 4. The influence of ascendants; 5. Janma Nakshatra: determining personality strengths; 6. Navamshas: assessing planetary strengths; 7. The influence of planets; 8. Ruling planets: shaping life & events; 9. Planets & zodiac signs: favourable & unfavourable relationships; 10. Planetary effects on houses; 11. Casting a horoscope. Part 2. Astrological predictions: 12. Predicting educational achievements; 13. Predicting favourable careers & professions; 14. Predicting wealth, success & prosperity; 15. Predicting love, romance & marriage; 16. Predicting birth of children; 17. Predicting health, fitness & vitality; 18. Predicting longevity. Part 3. Planetary influences: 19. Dasha: the ruling period of a planet; 20. Planets in transit: benefic & malefic effects; 21. Planets in transit: the Ashtakavarga chart; 22. Some important yogas & combinations; 23. Illustrative horoscopes; Glossary. Comment: Fairly terse & compressed, but most of the basics are here. On the back cover it says, This book introduces and explains the ancient Indian knowledge & wisdom of Predictive Astrology - the Jataka Shastra, as practiced and perfected over the centuries. It will help you understand how planetary influences shape your personality and predetermine major events in your life, thus providing you with the power to master your destiny and plan your future more successfully. Directly below this there is a quite harmless orange swastica (measuring 1/2 inch / 13 mm). I mention this for those who may be offended. India has a different history than the west. Orient Paperbacks, 173 pages.

	PREDICTING THROUGH ASTRO-NUMEROLOGY - N. Srinivasan Shastry, $18.00 Contents: Dedication; Preface; Acknowelegements Part 1: Astrology 1. Introduction, planets, signs, constellations 2. Significance of planets, features of signs, constellations, 12 houses 3. Conjunctions, sextile/trine, square/opposition 4. Dasabukthi, Sun dasa to Venus dasa, judging of dasa bukthi 5. Gochar transits 6. Astakavarga, Binnastakavarga, Timing of events, Sarvastakavarga, Transits in astakavarga Part 2: Numerology: 1. Introduction 2. Significations of numbers, Aid for persons without date of birth, Significations of months 3. Predictions in numerology, Judging of horoscopes Part 3: 1. Introduction 2. Signs/planets/houses, placements of lords, miscellaneous questions, general problems & ways of answering, clientale opinions Comment: The first section, on astrology, is boilerplate. It is presumably here for those with no previous astrological knowledge. The second section, on numerology, is altogether different. Here is a unique 9-number grid: 1 - 3 - 9 spiritual 5 - 6 - 7 material 2 - 4 - 8 labor/hard work Using the numbers from your date of birth, you note where the individual numbers fall. If you were born on January 5, 1970, then you have two 1's, one 5, one 7 & one 9 (1-5-1970). So you have three entries on the top row & two in the middle, which means no entries on the bottom & a life of ease. (You do not add the numbers, you simply place them on the grid.) As an aside, this would make the first decade of the 21st century a very wild ride. The author has numerous numerological tricks like this, few of which I have seen elsewhere. Most of them look interesting. In the final section, on horary, the author makes the connection between Hora, or hour, and Horary. Don't recall seeing that elsewhere, but it's a good observation. Has very good notes on turning a chart. Did you know the first house signifies danger to servants, as it is the 8th from the sixth? And good notes on rulers in various houses. Ruler of the 3rd in the 6th: Sick while traveling. Good, terse stuff. Lord of the 8th in the 5th (in my natal chart): Death from alcohol. Which is true: Booze, even in very small amounts, is a poison to me. I have thought of writing a book on rulers domiciled in various houses, but I'm a piker. This guy has it cold, though you may not always agree. Sagar, 255 pages.

	BHRIGU NAADI SANGRATHA: Pearls of Bhrigu Naadi - N. Srinivasan Shastry, $14.00 Contents: Preface Introduction Principles of Naadi Significations of signs Significations of planets Points to be noted before making a reading Jupiter - Saturn - Mercury - Sun - Venus - Mars - Moon - Rahu - Ketu Miscellaneous Case study of a horoscope Important note Comment: Unique to this book, the author gives the basic rules for a Naadi reading. You start, not with the ascendant (which is rarely seen in Naadi), but with Jupiter, which represents the individual in question. Its house is read as the ascendant. Each of the planets has a lengthy section of specific delineations. Jupiter in this sign, Jupiter in this sign with X in the 2nd house, Jupiter's 3rd house ruler in X house, etc. There are 43 pages on Jupiter (about 9 entries per page, in table format), about 35 pages on Saturn, less on the other planets, if for no other reason than a lot of possibilities have already been discussed. Organization is spotty. On the face of it, I've always thought a Naadi reading to be fairly crude, but if you play with what Shastry gives in this book, you could do quite well, I think. The author signs himself, Astrological Science Celebrity, but hey, you gotta have some tag-line. Sagar, 130 pages.

Dr. M.H.K. Shastri Pt. Laxmi Kant Vashisth	YANTRA MAHIMA, a book based on classics - Dr. M.H.K. Shastri & Pt. Laxmi Kant Vashisth, $32.00 Contents: Warning; Dedication; Acknowledgments; Pronunciatioin of Sanskrit alphabets; Glossary; Preface; 1. Introduction; 2. Iconography & yantras; 3. Astrology & yantras; 4. Yantra pooja; 5. Ganesh yantras; 6. Gayatri yantras; 7. Devi yantras; 8. Shiv yantras; 9. Vishnu yantras; 10. Surya yantras; 11. Hanuman yantras; 12. Astrological yantras; 13. Numerical yantras; 14. Saundriya Lahri yantras; 15. Bhairon yantras; 16. Vastu yantras; 17. Six rites yantras; 18. Other yantras. With 16 color plates. Comment: Mantras are short prayers recited thousands of times. Yantras are highly stylized drawings, usually containing Sanskrit words. This books combines the two, for the usual list of popular wishes, eg, relief from oppression, fulfillment of desires, victory over enemies, etc. This book is likely to be both rewarding for the determined, as well as frustrating for everyone else. For success, not only must you follow strict ritual, not only must you pronounce your Sanskrit correctly (a feat in itself) but you must also correctly draw the yantra with the proper ink(s), on the proper surface. In some cases, you must replace one Sanskrit word with another. So, for example, to prevent abortion, you will need elephant dung. To kill your enemies, you will need a human skull, a ink consisting of a mixture of eight types of poison (unspecified), plus sheep's blood, as well as a coal from a funeral pyre and a crow's feather. There are, of course, many uplifting & beneficial recipies. I was looking for the nasty ones, as it's the nasty ones that can get you into trouble & cause harm generally, thus rendering a book such as this dangerous. It seems to me the formulas given here are complex enough to keep the merely curious out of danger, or so I hope. But the authors do offer help. In the glossary are a list of 83 herbs & shrubs, given with their Indian names, their common English ones, as well as the strict botanical names in Latin. There is also a list of nakshatras & their English names, which amounts to the western name of the principal star in each. I have not seen this before, but it makes sense. Sagar, 311 pages, hardcover.

	HINDU ASTROLOGY - Shil-Ponde, $9.00 Contents: Foreword; Introduction; 1. A brief history of astrology; 2. General theory of astrology; 3. The rising point at birth; 4. The asterisms & planets rising at birth; 5. The rising asterisms & male nativities; 6. The rising asterisms & female nativities; 7. The divisions of the rising asterisms & male nativities; 8. The Moon the ascending asterisms; 9. The Sun in the ascending asterisms; 10. Mercury in the ascending asterisms; 11. Venus in the ascending asterisms; 12. Mars in the ascending asterisms; 13. Jupiter in the ascending asterisms; 14. Saturn in the ascending asterisms; 15. Uranus in the ascending asterisms; 16. Neptune in the ascending asterisms; 17. The Moon in the 12 signs of the zodiac - male nativities; 18. Moon in the 12 signs of the zodiac - female nativities; 19. The Moon's phases & the Moon's nodes; 20. General theory of planetary periods; 21. Main period of the Moon; 22. Main period of the Sun; 23. Main period of Mars; 24. Main period of Mercury; 25. Main period of Jupiter; 26. Main period of Venus; 27. Main period of Saturn; 28. Main period of Rahu; 29. Main period of Ketu; 30. Astrology & conscious evolution; Tables. Comment: According to his foreword, Shil-Ponde was inspired to write his book during a trip to America, sponsored by Paul Clancy, at the time editor of Ameican Astrology Magazine. There are no dates in the foreword, Clancy died in 1956. So this book is now a half-century old. It's still pretty good. The writing on nakshatras & dasas, while brief, are very much to the point. Sagar, 333 pages.

	PLANETS IN ORBIT (Transit) - M.P. Singh, $25.00 Contents: Dedication; About self; Preface; Preface to 2nd edition; Part 1: Astrological principles as applied to transits. Part 2: Interpreting transits: 1. Transit of the planets housewise, over natal planets & at some distance from natal planets; 2. Some more important clues in transit interpretation; 3. Essentials of ashtakavarga explained for transit analysis; 4. Transit of planets through lunar mansions, etc.; 5. Eclipses; 6. Off the beats. Part 3: Planets in acrobatic or action: 1. Planets & marriage; 2. Planets & progeny; 3. Planets & promotion; 4. Planets & foreign travel; 5. Planets, political power & political victory; 6. Planets & death. Appendices: 1. Signs of the zodiac; 2. Location of asterisms; 3. 27 constellations & their rulers; 4. Calculation of vimshottari dasas; 5. Sapta-varga, dasa-varga & shodasa-varga of the signs; 6. Fatal degrees of planets & signs; 7. Ayanamsa; 8. Comparison of aspects between Hindu & Western astrology; 9. i. How to find Bhadra tithi, ii. Determination of adhi-shatru, iii. More about varga scheme, iv. Planetary war, v. Planetary avasthas, vi. Timing of bhava destruction; Bibliography Shirmati Chandrawati Singh (the author's wife as publisher), 415 pages, hardcover.

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