Some doubts on Rahukalam etc.

[saarangam]

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Whenever we plan a travel , a pUja or any auspicious function we avoid rAhukAlam, yamakaNtam, SUlam etc.This thread is not to questin the rationale behind this.I would like to know the basis on which the timings (for eg. Monday 7.30 - 9.00 rAhukAlam)and directions (for eg.Monday & Saturday East for SUlam) are determined.I know there are many members in this forum ranging from
professional astrologers to amateurs. Let us elicit their views.

 

[sangom]

Whenever we plan a travel , a pUja or any auspicious function we avoid rAhukAlam, yamakaNtam, SUlam etc.This thread is not to questin the rationale behind this.I would like to know the basis on which the timings (for eg. Monday 7.30 - 9.00 rAhukAlam)and directions (for eg.Monday & Saturday East for SUlam) are determined.I know there are many members in this forum ranging from
professional astrologers to amateurs. Let us elicit their views.

Shri Saarangam,

I do not know whether there is any basis for rahukalam, yamagandam, sulam, etc. Most probably these ideas originated in the minds of some astrologers and they just incorporated it into a book and others started following it. This gives a convenient handle for some people to get psychological satisfaction that they are doing each and everything according to "Sastra". Luckily, I think the priesthood has not made a start in prescribing "parihaarams" for performing auspicious functions during one of these inauspicious timings and making money and material benefit out of that. If I were a purohit I would definitely have "unearthed" an old palm-leaf manuscript which would say what sort of danam and pooja will be required for thwarting rahu, gulika, yama etc.!

 

[kunjuppu]

saarangam,

don't follow any of these stuff. my parents did not either. leave everything to the mysteries of the faith

 

[saarangam]

Kunjuppuji
Just like you, I also do not believe in such things.But many people believing in astrology
say that it is a great science tracing back to the vedic ages. After extensive google search
I found that these have no scientific basis and I started the thread to know whether any of our members holds a different view.My pov perfectly agrees with what Sri Sangomji has written.
regards

 

[kunjuppu]

some of the inconsistent attitudes of our community perplexes me. two instances this past week alone.

the only daughter was in love with a guy from another religion. the mother did veNdukOL in every temple in tamil nadu for her daughter's mind to change. which it did! (the guy called it off is another issue & the daughter was heart broken for months is another issue). now they are on the lookout for grooms - with horoscope matching to the nth degree. does not make sense to me.

the second: both boy & girl post graduate foreign educated. well matched family. the boy girl liked each other's profile and photos. before the next step, the girl wanted the horoscope, found the gothram same, and called it off. i cannot imagine that opportunities for lifetimes dropped flippantly on the most flimsy of reasons that the boy/girl here have siblling relationship based on some old hermit who probably lived milleniums ago, whereas, no one in the same family had any objection to another daughter marrying her own mama son (50% common immediate ancestor).

i am trying to figure out...

 

[Brahmanyan]

some of the inconsistent attitudes of our community perplexes me. two instances this past week alone

i am trying to figure out...

Dear Sri Kunjuppu,

It is called Hypocrisy,meaning - "The condition of a person pretending to be something he is not, especially in the area of morals or religion; a false presentation of belief or feeling." —

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[Brahmanyan]

Whenever we plan a travel , a pUja or any auspicious function we avoid rAhukAlam, yamakaNtam, SUlam etc.This thread is not to questin the rationale behind this.I would like to know the basis on which the timings (for eg. Monday 7.30 - 9.00 rAhukAlam)and directions (for eg.Monday & Saturday East for SUlam) are determined.I know there are many members in this forum ranging from
professional astrologers to amateurs. Let us elicit their views.

Dear Sri Saarangam,

I have been asking this question to many learned people and astrologers, but could not get proper answer with the support of scriptural authority. All that I could get is the timings only.I understand that these periods are fixed on the basis of sunrise in a place, which varies place to place.
Unfortunately when a doubt or fear is instilled in the mind, our rational thinking gets disturbed and we try to avoid such happening.

Regards,
Brahmanyan,
Bangalore.

 

[ambes]

Its is a matter of practised faith from time immemorial.
If your intentions are good any time is a Good time.

 

[kgopalan]

Sir , I am having one old book jodhida graha chinthamani published by T .Ramaswamy naidu and sons choolai madras in the year1903 which was used by my father's granfather. my grandfather and my father. Name of the book jodhida graha chinthamani . He has also written from where he took these tamil poems and its meaning. He has given one poem rahu kala kavi each day the particular naaligai for vara soolam venba; soola parihara venba; star soolam; thithi soolam. from ravi paaichal for each star and thithi in naaligai they are calculating. I will try to give some information from that book if possible. as the paper is torning into pieces.

 

[saarangam]

Sri Gopalan
Thank you for your valuable information.Awaiting to get more from the book.
regards

 

[sangom]

some of the inconsistent attitudes of our community perplexes me. two instances this past week alone.

the only daughter was in love with a guy from another religion. the mother did veNdukOL in every temple in tamil nadu for her daughter's mind to change. which it did! (the guy called it off is another issue & the daughter was heart broken for months is another issue). now they are on the lookout for grooms - with horoscope matching to the nth degree. does not make sense to me.

the second: both boy & girl post graduate foreign educated. well matched family. the boy girl liked each other's profile and photos. before the next step, the girl wanted the horoscope, found the gothram same, and called it off. i cannot imagine that opportunities for lifetimes dropped flippantly on the most flimsy of reasons that the boy/girl here have siblling relationship based on some old hermit who probably lived milleniums ago, whereas, no one in the same family had any objection to another daughter marrying her own mama son (50% common immediate ancestor).

i am trying to figure out...

Dear Shri Kunjuppu,

The first case mother's action is inexcusable and deserves condemnation, especially in the present era. But in the second case perhaps the girl took the decision little late; she could have asked for the boy's gotram first before giving her OK. Anyway, it is slightly better than the first. We may treat it as a "pre-marital divorce"!!

 

[sangom]

We will await Shri Gopalan's post giving the inputs from his old book.

But in the meanwhile, rahukaalam follows a mysterious order like Monday, saturday, Friday, Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday and lastly Sunday. Gulika kaalam, as believed in Kerala follows a more logical order I think. There are ever so many other forces intent on and (supposed to be) powerful enough in giving good or bad results - like Dhooma, Vyateepaata, Pariveshta, Indra Chaapa, Upaketu, Kaala, Mrityu, Artha (ardha) prahara, and Yama Ghantaka; I would advise the "really" orthodox people to take into account the effects of all these before venturing on anything-even going to office!

There are some people who believe so much in the right Sakunam that one person used to get ready by 8.30 or so (in TVM he could reach office by half an hour's walk and that was the usual mode in those days.) and wait till a good sakunam appeared; immediately he would start even if he would reach the office too early!

 

[KRS]

Rahu Kalam is nothing other than the period of a day (assigned in 8 parts, from sun rise to sundown) to Rahu, during a 7 day period.

Yama kantam is also assigned as thus.

Auspicious hours and inauspicious hours are calculated from these, and these are clearly noted in the Panchangam.

I know Sri Sarrangam Ji did not solicit the following, but I offer my free opinion anyway.

When Ramana Maharishi was asked by someone whether Shiva and Vishnu are real, he said that they must be real because people believe that they are.

So, if one believes in all these kalams, please do follow that. Otherwise, the unreal will become real.

If you do not believe, please do not follow it.

Regards,
KRS

 

[saarangam]

I think I have not presented my idea clearly in the opening post .of this thread.It has nothing connected with observing rAhukAlam or not observing.
The timings for rAhukAlam are assigned as:
Monday 7.30 -9 Saturday 9-10.30 and then follows Friday, Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday
Sunday.
When I was a child (school going) my mother's chithappa taught me how to remember
this sequence by just remembering the sentence
Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban Slowly.
As Sri Sangomji has mentioned in post #12 it is a mysterious sequence.Why can't it be
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday , Thursday, Friday and Saturday which will be more logical.
To me these timings are arbitrarily chosen by somebody.If the moderator feels that this
thread serves no purpose I request him to close the thread.

 

[CLN]

kunjuppu: no one in the same family had any objection to another daughter marrying her own mama son (50% common immediate ancestor).

There is another peculiarity in the inter-marriage practices among first cousins. Among Hindus, particularly among Tamil people, a son/daughter of a man is permitted to marry the daughter/son of his/her father's sister but NOT brother; again he/she can marry the daughter/son of his/her mother's brother but not sister. It cannot even be argued from the sagothram point of view because only two brothers will have the same gothram even after their respective marriages, but not necessarily the two sisters after their respective marriages.

So, on what logic is this system based?

 

[CLN]

saarangam: Mother Saw Father Wearing The Turban Slowly.

There is a Tamil mnemonic to 'remember' the order in which 'raahukaalam' comes. It goes thus:
Thirunaal Sandhadi Veyyilil Purandu Vilaiyaattu Seyvadhu Jnayamaa?, the letters in bold showing the starting letters of the seven days of a week as they are named in Tamil.

Another interesting thing: It seems all the 12 or so hours of the night seem to be good and pure because Raahukaalam and Yamakandam are all restricted only to day time! Is it that Rahu and Yama are active only in daylight and go to sleep at night like we mortals? And what about Kethu? Does he not have any share to play havoc in human life? In astrology both Raahu and Kethu are supposed to be having their distinctive powers, amply enhanced because they always 'aspect' each other, always occupying diametrically opposite houses (i.e.,raasis)!

 

[sangom]

There is a Tamil mnemonic to 'remember' the order in which 'raahukaalam' comes. It goes thus:
Thirunaal Sandhadi Veyyilil Purandu Vilaiyaattu Seyvadhu Jnayamaa?, the letters in bold showing the starting letters of the seven days of a week as they are named in Tamil.

Another interesting thing: It seems all the 12 or so hours of the night seem to be good and pure because Raahukaalam and Yamakandam are all restricted only to day time! Is it that Rahu and Yama are active only in daylight and go to sleep at night like we mortals? And what about Kethu? Does he not have any share to play havoc in human life? In astrology both Raahu and Kethu are supposed to be having their distinctive powers, amply enhanced because they always 'aspect' each other, always occupying diametrically opposite houses (i.e.,raasis)!

Dear Shri CLN,

The Indian intellect is acute in hair-splitting analysis and, to some extent, verbosity when it helps. From this flows a desire to make each and everything as complex as possible. One side-effect of making elaborate and highly intricate rules is that, more often than not, it helps the priesthood to augment its income. rahukalam and yamakandam have been incorporated into day time probably (this is just my guess) based on the more ancient premise that asuras by name "mandehas" attack sun at its time of rise, apex and setting. (According to one version sun is constantly under this attack which makes him go down in the evening, losing all his power and gets a fresh lease of one day's life because of the arghyas offered by the brahmans!! — and hence the supreme importance of sandhyavandanam to the very existence of life on this planet!).

So, if the sun is additionally afflicted because of rahu's ascendence (?) or yama's enmity (kantaka) then no auspicious beginning should be made during such period—exception, of course, being some daanam to a brahmana.

Nights are not free; the most important of the afflictions being "gulika" and his "kaalam". But whom he affects, how he afflicts, etc., are not explained at all, nor is a guess possible, what with the sun itself in an ICU being made ready for his one more day's life! But the distribution of gulika kaala is more orderly and easy to understand. Lest I spread yet another "vehm" or superstition, I am not giving the rules here. But suffice to say—as you may be knowing—in Malayalam astrology and "prasnam" or divination, gulika occupies an important place.

 

[CLN]

Dear Shri Sangom,

Although I am not quite sure, I think in Tamilnadu side Gulikan is not considered as bad as Raahukaalam and Yamagantam and it is also active only in day time. For the benefit of our Tabras and others who are staunch believers in the malevolent effects of this 'trio', and who wish to be clearly free from all the three 'doshas', the entire night and 4.30 p.m to 6.00 p.m. (except on sundays) appear to be good. So, I guess that I am 'very safe' when I perform the auspicious activity of evening walk every day in that time! What a great relief !!

 

[sangom]

Dear Shri Sangom,

Although I am not quite sure, I think in Tamilnadu side Gulikan is not considered as bad as Raahukaalam and Yamagantam and it is also active only in day time. For the benefit of our Tabras and others who are staunch believers in the malevolent effects of this 'trio', and who wish to be clearly free from all the three 'doshas', the entire night and 4.30 p.m to 6.00 p.m. (except on sundays) appear to be good. So, I guess that I am 'very safe' when I perform the auspicious activity of evening walk every day in that time! What a great relief !!

I doubt whether you will be bale to find any sastraic support for evening walk; that would obviously result in late evening sandhyavandanam, I feel

 

[CLN]

I doubt whether you will be bale to find any sastraic support for evening walk; that would obviously result in late evening sandhyavandanam, I feel

True Sir,

I may not find any even if tried but I have no dilemma on that count, you can guess, I hope, why!

 

[sravna]

My view on auspicious time is, it is when the spiritual energy at that time is very high. As spiritual means connectedness in time, anything started in that time is connected till its end or in other words the job is accomplished. The reverse is true for inauspicious times such as rahu kalam and anything started in that is not realized.

I would like to add it is not only the time but also our intent, whether good or bad is equally if not more important.

 

[saiwarie]

i think we should follow it because rahu kalam means a not good time for perform to function wedding or any good things. it because the effect of evils is more strong that time ratner than the power of god if we ignore this we gain more diffculties or negative respond where there no peace in mind chances for accident or dead is more.