My own view on these things is that such beliefs or indications or omens, etc., should not be allowed to grow so powerfully as to unseat all our rational, right-thinking faculties. In this category, more than ashtami-navami & lizard/cat, are two items ordinarily observed by tabras — paRRu and ecchil (பற்று and எச்சில்). I hope most of our members here are aware of these two. I feel these are good, in moderate measures, for a healthy society/community. But in some households these take the primary importance and then many comic or inconvenient situations are created.
The AOBs are, to my mind, like signboards. But they are not decrees or inviolable edicts. For example take ash-nav; it is not that these two days are completely bad, but not favourable for any new venture. Supposing you have applied for a bank loan and the bank is making you walk without giving a clear yes or no; following it up on an ash-nav day is not at all a bad idea and may be, who knows, you may even get a favourable reply. But it may not be a good idea to start a new business on those two days.
I agree with the sentence in bold, but sometimes when we are so tuned to a particular process, it is very different to think "independently".
"Patthu" and "Echil" (P&E) - We follow it very strictly in our house, and even in Abu Dhabi here. I have friends/acquaintances here who do not follow this and I find (though it may not be related and could be a general trend nowadays) that they are less clean about their ways and do not bother washing their hands after picking their teeth, nose or ears... ugh (I will not even do it publicly for that matter). I am generally reluctant to eat from their houses, and if I do so, it is with trepidation. But I find that mostly people are not conscious of E as a hygiene issue at all, and in this sense "E parkaradhu" would serve humanity well !
Similarly like P&E, there is the T (Theetu), which I have not been able to shake off. I will not touch upon this more as it is a hornet's nest.
Reg ash/nav - I wrote the CAT, quite some years ago, and was called up by MICA with an interview & gd, and it was my choice of institute since I preferred the creative arena. I was disappointed when I did not get the final call letter, and thought that I was not selected. However, a month later I received another letter from the institute enquiring as to why I did not join in spite of my high rankings in the int & gd sessions. I was shell shocked, and upon enquiry we found that the offer letter had been delivered to the old address and the new tenant had not bothered to pass it on to us (this in spite of him being an MBA coach, so much so for the irony!). We were just streets apart and had instructed him to deliver any letters/parcels to the next door shopkeeper (whom we knew), but it never happened.
Strange turn of events, and after some astrological analysis, we found out that the "hora" in which the CAT form was signed, was not favourable to my star and would not give good results. Though I have argued many a day with my father as to the veracity of these claims, the fact remains that sometimes, these things have an uncanny way of surfacing. If a person's karma is beneficial then perhaps the effect may be mitigated, I think.
Again, supposing one is selected for IAS training and is asked to report at Mussoorie on an ash-nav day; is it correct to refuse the order?
Personally I would not have joined. I flew to Abu Dhabi on an auspicious day and took up the post formally on a favourable time, in line with my pakshi, and in line with the nakshatra of the day (all seen by my father). Of course, the boss understood
as otherwise it is doubtful if it would have happened at all, but my father would say that if something is to come your way, then it would come the way you want (doesn't mean that I can idle about and wait ), otherwise just be content with the fact that whatever you are now is the best.
And I believe him.
