My Journey into Vedic Astrology
Kapiel began the interview with some generous words about my work and the encouragement I had given him during the growth of KRSchannel on YouTube. It was a memorable occasion because it was my first video interview. When I watched it after he uploaded it, I found myself asking, “Is that really me?” Kapiel conducted the conversation so skilfully that he brought out memories, experiences and ideas I had not spoken about for years. The interview became a remarkable journey down memory lane—not only for me, but also for my students around the world.
During the interview, I told Kapiel Raaj that our conversation would have a profound effect on my career in Astrology. He appeared not to notice those words at the time, but my prediction proved correct. The interview changed the course of my professional life, and I cannot thank him enough for the opportunity.
There is also an interesting story behind how this interview happened. When Kapiel’s YouTube channel crossed the milestone of one lakh subscribers, I congratulated him in the comments. He had been one of my greatest inspirations for creating Astrology videos on YouTube, so my appreciation came naturally from the heart. Kapiel noticed my comment and later sent me an email. He remarked that not everyone congratulates a fellow Astrologer, gently hinting at the rivalry that exists in this profession, just as it does in many others. So here is another proof for you for the proverb, "As you sow, so you reap". Love begets peace and hatred begets anger.
For years, I have been saying that Astrologers should grow as a friendly community. We must share our knowledge with one another and make it available to the world instead of guarding it out of insecurity or competing for attention. After all, Astrology is far more important than any individual Astrologer.
I had previously been interviewed by The Week magazine in 1998, with the feature appearing across its centre pages. That interview became an important turning point in my professional life. Naturally, when my conversation with Kapiel began, I hoped it would open another new chapter in my journey as a professional Astrologer—and it certainly did. My professional life was never quite the same after the interview, thanks largely to Kapiel Raaj’s immense popularity and the global reach of KRSchannel.
In case you want to skip this article and instead watch the YouTube video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf7pxQc4lqU&t=3429s
I have added more to the interview in this article, because during the interview I was kind of rushing up with my answers, today I have more experience to improve on what I said back then. After watching the video, you may read the article to get more insights.
How a Computer Horoscope Software Led Me to Astrology
My entry into Astrology was unusual because it began with computers rather than with a traditional teacher. In the year 1987, I was working as a faculty member at NIIT, Trichy. Those were the early years of computer education in India. I taught programming languages and software such as BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN and Lotus 1-2-3. This was a time when personal computers were still new to most people.
One day, I came across an Astrology program. I entered my birth details, date, time and place of birth, and within a second the horoscope appeared on the screen. Until then, I had often made fun of my father whenever he showed my horoscope to an Astrologer. I used to tell him that he was wasting his time. However, when I saw a computer calculate a horoscope, my attitude changed.
As a programmer, I knew that a computer could not produce a result without logic. Every program had to be built upon rules, formulas and calculations. I therefore became curious and examined the program’s source code. The trignometric formulas used in the program got me thinking. Some calculations contained decimal values extending to sixteen digits precision. I was amazed that ancient Rishis had worked out the movements of planets without computers or modern calculators.
That discovery became the trigger for my journey into Vedic Astrology. I also had an unusual horoscope because I was born in January 1962, when several planets were grouped together. Seven planets were placed near my Ascendant all in Capricorn zodiac sign. When my colleagues compared my horoscope with their charts, they were surprised to see that my horoscope was unique. Even the Astrology software had difficulty displaying all the planetary symbols properly because its programmers had not expected so many entries in one zodiac sign. Mars was displaced due to this error.
My First Astrology Book
After returning to Chennai, I visited the Higginbothams bookstore on Mount Road and began searching for books on Vedic Astrology. Looking back, I feel that fate guided me to Hindu Predictive Astrology, written by Dr. B. V. Raman, one of India’s greatest Astrologers of the post-Independence era. The book cost forty rupees. At that time, I was passing through Rahu Dasha, and Rahu is associated with the number four. Even this seemingly small detail remained firmly etched in my memory.
When I began reading the book, its contents felt strangely familiar. Perhaps I must have studied Astrology in previous lives. I absorbed the basic principles very quickly. 2 days later I purchased an ephemeris and also a table of houses. Within about a week, I manually prepared the horoscopes of my father, mother, brother, sister and other family members. My father had never attended school, yet he possessed considerable knowledge of traditional Astrology and knew the logics of planetary positions in a horoscope. When I showed him my calculations, he examined them and said that they were correct. He was surprised that I had learnt so much merely by reading a book.
My father frequently quoted ancient astrological texts, although he neither formally taught nor encouraged me to study Astrology. I therefore had to learn largely by myself. In that sense, I regard Dr. B. V. Raman as my Guru, even though I met him only much later.
My Association with Dr. B. V. Raman
I began by writing letters to the editor of The Astrological Magazine. Later, Dr. B. V. Raman invited me to write monthly predictions. I also contributed many articles and interacted regularly with his daughter, Gayatri Devi.
The monthly predictions appeared under the pen name “Utpala,” which had already been assigned to the column. Since my own name could not be printed, I once found a playful way to reveal the identity of the real author. Beginning with Aries and continuing through the zodiac signs, I started each prediction with a letter that, when read in sequence, spelt out my name. I then proudly showed my friends that I was the person writing the column.
My association with Dr. B. V. Raman was my greatest source of motivation during those early years, when I still considered myself a beginner. Some people even asked me, “Are you really writing these articles yourself, or is someone else writing them for you?” Such questions only strengthened my determination to establish my own identity as an Astrologer and writer.
Dr. Raman sent me several handwritten letters and appreciated my research, particularly my work with divisional charts. Navamsa fascinated me first, followed by Saptamsa and Dasamsa. Later, the writings and methods of Shri K. N. Rao also influenced me greatly. I was especially interested in his systematic approach and the double-transit method involving Jupiter and Saturn.
Searching for Patterns in Horoscopes
My postgraduate education was in Botany at Presidency College, Chennai. As Botany students, we were trained to classify plants by carefully observing their characteristics and identifying recurring patterns. I applied the same approach to Astrology by searching for repeating planetary combinations and attempting to classify horoscopes into groups—almost as though each horoscope belonged to a particular genus and species.
In the horoscope of a leading actor, for example, several different planetary combinations may all point towards acting, drama, creativity and public recognition—as though all roads lead to Rome. The greater the number of supporting combinations, the stronger the indication becomes. I describe this accumulation of astrological evidence as a “stack-up.” The expression has since become familiar among my students of Vedic Astrology, who now regularly use the term in their own discussions and analyses.
I also visited old-paper shops throughout Chennai and collected the dusty early issues of The Astrological Magazine, including editions from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Many of those older issues contained extraordinary articles.
One of the first clear patterns I found concerned people working in cinema and entertainment. Connections among the 5th, 10th and 11th houses repeatedly appeared in their horoscopes. The 5th house represents entertainment, creativity, attachment and fascination. Rahu also played a significant role because it represents illusion, projection and the creation of an alternative reality—qualities closely connected with cinema.
This experience convinced me that Astrology would benefit enormously from a large and reliable database of horoscopes. If Astrologers around the world combined their records, we could ask precise questions: How many successful people in a particular field have Jupiter in the 10th house? How often does a connection among certain houses occur? With computers, we can examine thousands of charts and distinguish a genuine rule from a coincidence.
Ayanamsa and the Role of the Astrologer
Kapiel asked about the different Ayanamsas used by Astrologers across the world. He asked about the choices of Dr. B. V. Raman and K. N. Rao. Dr. Raman used his own Raman Ayanamsa, whereas many other Astrologers use Lahiri Ayanamsa and True Lahiri. The difference can sometimes shift a planet from one Nakshatra to another, especially when it is close to a boundary. This creates practical questions. When a person visits a temple and is asked to state the Janma Nakshatra during Sankalpa, which Nakshatra should be given?
I once told Dr. Raman that I consistently used True Lahiri Ayanamsa and obtained good results. His answer surprised me: “You can follow what works for you.” He did not insist that only his method was correct.
This taught me an important lesson. Dr. Raman made many excellent predictions even while using an Ayanamsa that is different from the one used by other respected Astrologers. The technique matters, but the Astrologer’s judgement, intuition, experience and destiny also appear to play a role. Two Astrologers may study the same planetary position and derive different meanings from it, yet one may choose the precise meaning required for that client at that moment. You call it the "Astrologer's Luck".
Astrology contains mathematics and logic, but it also contains an element of mystery. When several positive and negative factors are almost perfectly balanced in a horoscope, when in doubt, I have occasionally used a Tarot card to obtain clarity. The card often provides exactly the clue I require. With the Moon in my 8th house, perhaps psychic intuition supports the calculations. There may be a subtle connection among the client’s Karma, the Astrologer’s Karma and the date and time of the consultation.
The Limits of Ancient Descriptions
Ancient texts provide invaluable principles, but their language must be interpreted in the context of the modern world. A classical text could not literally say that a person would become a pilot, a software programmer or a YouTube Astrologer because those professions did not exist when the text was written. The underlying planetary meaning remains relevant, but the Astrologer must translate it into a contemporary form.
The same problem arises with highly detailed Nadi methods. Some divisions change within seconds, making an accurate birth time essential. In addition, many Nadi manuscripts survive only in incomplete form. We may possess only a few volumes while the remaining portions have been lost.
Navamsa: Much More Than a Marriage Chart
Kapiel and I spent a substantial part of the conversation discussing Navamsa. I explained that the Rashi and Navamsa charts together can reveal far more than many students realise.
By examining the Navamsa Lagna, an experienced Astrologer can estimate how far the Ascendant has advanced within its Rashi. For example, if a person has Capricorn Ascendant in the Rashi chart and Gemini Ascendant in the Navamsa, the Navamsa position immediately narrows the possible degree range of the original Ascendant. Once the degree range is understood, it becomes easier to see whether planets remain in the same Bhava or shift into a neighbouring Bhava.
This may be one reason traditional Astrologers routinely displayed the Rashi and Navamsa charts together. With sufficient practice, the two charts can also help an Astrologer identify the likely Nakshatra placement of a planet without separately consulting a long table.
My Research on Navamsa and Marriage
One of my early research papers was titled “Navamsa—Key to Marriage.” I sent it to Dr. B. V. Raman, and he wrote to congratulate me on the research.
While examining cases of divorce, I repeatedly found that the planets ruling the relevant Dasha and Antardasha were connected with the 6th, 8th or 12th houses from the Navamsa Lagna. The 6th house appeared especially important. However, a divisional chart must never be used in isolation. The promise of divorce must first exist in the main Rashi chart. If the main chart does not indicate the event, a difficult Navamsa period may create pressure, conflict or separation without necessarily ending the marriage.
All divisional charts originate from the same Rashi chart. Therefore, we should first establish the basic promise in the main horoscope and then use the relevant divisional chart to study the event in greater detail.
Superimposing Navamsa on the Rashi Chart
Another useful method is to superimpose the Navamsa upon the Rashi chart. My Jupiter is debilitated in Capricorn in the Rashi chart but exalted in Cancer in the Navamsa. When the Navamsa is placed over the Rashi chart, Jupiter acquires a clear relationship with the 7th house. I married during a period connected with Jupiter, and my wife herself has an exalted Jupiter. So Jupiter is exalted in my wife's Rasi Chart (D1) and my Navamsa (D9).
Such correspondences show how the horoscope of a spouse can support or activate the promise in the native’s chart. My wife played a major role in the development of our flagship product, DIPA Astrology Diary. Soon after my Jupiter Dasha began, she suggested turning my Muhurta knowledge into a practical Astrology diary. That idea eventually became successful, and these dairies are purchased in bulk by more than about 150 companies at the time of the interview. The most popular customer is Apollo Hospitals.
Before my marriage, several Astrologers had discouraged me from entering the profession because they saw my debilitated Jupiter and concluded that I could not become a Guru or consultant. Later, when I calculated the Shadbala of planets, I found that Jupiter was actually strong. There were also factors producing Neecha Bhanga. A planet should therefore never be judged by sign placement alone. Some of the Astrologers thought that the grouping of planets in my 1st house is likely to leave me confused with all the planets sitting in my head. Only 2 Astrologers predicted that that I will eventually succeed as a Vedic Astrologer.
Successful and Unsuccessful Marriages
My records and collections of horoscopes also led me to an interesting observation about marriage timing. Shri K. N. Rao’s double-transit method worked consistently in many successful marriages. In some failed marriages, however, the expected timing factors were missing. This made me wonder whether the formal wedding had occurred outside the stronger karmic timing of marriage.
I once met a young couple who said that they were in love and wanted to know when they would marry. I examined both horoscopes but could not find the expected marriage combinations in the current or approaching periods. I then looked backwards and discovered that both charts had shown marriage about four years earlier.
I asked the woman to wait outside briefly and questioned the man privately. He admitted that they had already been living in a physical relationship like husband and wife for four years. The horoscope had recorded the beginning of the union, although society had not yet recognised it through a formal ceremony. The couple later married in a grand celebration at a five-star hotel.
This example shows why an Astrologer must obtain the relevant facts. Clients sometimes expect an Astrologer to behave like a magician and reveal everything without being told anything. I initially developed a consultation style in which I asked no questions, and clients began recommending me by saying, “Just sit before him; you do not have to say anything.” Over time, that expectation became extremely stressful. A horoscope contains many possible areas of life, and one honest clue from the client can help the Astrologer focus on the correct combination.
The Spouse Seen Through Navamsa
The Navamsa Lagna, its 7th house, occupants of the 7th house and the Navamsa 7th lord can all reveal characteristics of the spouse. In my chart, the connection of Jupiter and Mars with the 7th-house factors helped me infer a relationship with a Mars-ruled Nakshatra. My wife was indeed born in a Nakshatra ruled by Mars.
However, rules describing complexion, height or appearance should not be applied mechanically across the world. A term such as “fair” in an ancient Indian text may sometimes indicate attractiveness, brightness or charm rather than one universal skin colour. Human populations differ naturally by region. Similarly, a tall Ascendant may describe relative height within a particular community rather than an identical measurement in every country.
This is why Desha, Kala and Patra—place, time and person—must always be considered. An “arranged marriage” combination in India might manifest in another country as a formal introduction through family, friends or a mentor, after which the couple dates and makes its own decision.
Using Navamsa for Other Life Events
Although Navamsa is famous for marriage, it can also be used in other ways. One Nadi method begins with the relevant house in the Rashi chart, derives another house from it and then examines the resulting planet in Navamsa. I used such a method while studying events connected with my parents.
When Saturn transited an important Navamsa position connected with Mars, my father passed away in 1992. Later, another related transit coincided with my mother’s passing. Their own horoscopes also indicated the corresponding periods. This is essential: an event involving two people should find support in both charts.
Different techniques may lead to the same answer, just as the same person can be viewed from different angles. The visible details change, but the person remains the same. I have obtained matching results through Navamsa, KP principles, transits and Chara Dasha. Rather than quarrelling over which system is the only correct one, Astrologers should test each method on a sufficiently large number of charts.
A Kerala Prashna That Guided My Career
After working as an Astrologer at Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Ashram in the Netherlands, I returned to India with an important question: should I leave my career in computers and practise Vedic Astrology full-time? During a visit to Kerala, I consulted a traditional Astrologer who specialised in Prasna rather than reading natal horoscopes.
He arranged cowrie shells on a Prasna board to represent the planets. I immediately noticed that their positions corresponded perfectly with the planetary positions on the day of consultation. After reciting the prayer beginning with “Murtitve Parikalpita…” to invoke the Sun God, he rotated a group of small shells repeatedly in a circular motion. When he stopped, a certain number of shells remained in his hand. He divided that number by twelve and used the remainder to determine the Prasna Lagna, counting from the Udaya Lagna. Since I had studied books on Prasna, I understood every step and could see that he was following the traditional method perfectly.
In the resulting Prasna chart, exalted Mercury occupied the 10th house. Even before he spoke, I understood the answer and thought, “Wow!” However, I remained silent because he had no idea that I was already an above-average student of Vedic Astrology.
He finally told me that I should pursue a profession involving calculations and used the Sanskrit word Ganita. His answer beautifully connected the two major areas of my life—computers and Astrology. He neither referred to numerous books nor performed the kind of lengthy analysis that modern Astrologers, including me, often undertake. Using a simple traditional method, he arrived at an extraordinarily precise answer.Saptamsa,
Beeja Sphuta and Kshetra Sphuta
Divisional charts continued to fascinate me. Beeja Sphuta is associated with the male reproductive seed, while Kshetra Sphuta is associated with the female reproductive field. These are mathematically calculated points. When treated like planetary positions and placed in the Saptamsa chart, they can provide important clues regarding childbirth.
In a number of charts belonging to childless couples, these sensitive points appeared in the 6th, 8th or 12th houses of the Saptamsa. Discoveries like this were mind-boggling because they showed how a mathematical point derived from the birth chart could correspond with a highly specific area of life.
Is Astrology a Science?
At public meetings, particularly Rotary and Lions Club programmes, I am frequently asked, “Is Astrology a science?” I usually reply by asking what the questioner means by “science” and “Astrology.” They are trying to compare two different ways of understanding life.
Modern science performs brilliantly when dealing with machines, technology and the physical world. A computer enables two people on opposite sides of the world to speak face to face. Yet science does not easily explain why a gold medallist from a leading university may fail in business while a schoolboy who struggled with multiplication later builds a large company. Nor does it fully answer why a health-conscious person develops a serious illness while another person with poor habits remains unaffected for years.
Astrology attempts to study these differences in destiny. Universities and serious researchers should therefore examine it without prejudice. Even if ancient knowledge has been lost, modern databases and software make it possible to rediscover many rules by working backwards from verified life events.
Do Yogas Have to Be Memorised?
Kapiel asked whether a modern Astrologer must remember the thousands of Yogas and Slokas described in classical texts. It is certainly useful to know them, but one should not follow them blindly.
The word Yoga simply means a union or combination. People often assume that every Yoga must be fortunate, but a Yoga may merely be a convenient name for remembering a planetary arrangement. Even a famous combination such as Gaja Kesari Yoga can occur frequently if its basic definition is applied without qualifications. Its presence alone cannot justify a grand prediction.
Every rule can be modified, cancelled or reversed by another factor. A text may first state the result of a planet in a particular house and then explain that conjunction with another planet changes the result completely. For Aries Ascendant, for example, a combination of the 9th and 10th lords may appear to create Raja Yoga, yet Saturn’s simultaneous lordship and functional nature require special judgement. Remembering only the attractive headline while overlooking the exception can produce a serious error.
Passion improves memory, and a dedicated Astrologer naturally remembers more rules over time. Computers can also help by storing and retrieving relevant combinations. Nevertheless, no book can contain every permutation found in a horoscope.
Astrology and the Game of Chess
I compared this problem with my experience of learning chess. An autorickshaw driver first taught me the moves. Within about a year, I began winning tournaments and appearing in newspapers. I bought chess books, placed the pieces on the board and followed the recommended moves. Each book improved my play up to a point, but I continued to lose games that the book had not covered.
No matter how many books a chess player reads, a new position eventually appears and the player must make an independent decision. Astrology is similar. Thousands of classical rules can prepare the mind, but no text can list every possible combination in every horoscope. Eventually, the Astrologer must synthesise the chart and exercise judgement.
Perhaps this limitation is part of the cosmic plan. Even in ancient times, Gurus did not teach every secret to every student. Some texts were lost, some knowledge was withheld, and no human being was meant to know everything.
Fate Determines When We Become Receptive
The readership statistics from my articles showed that most readers were between approximately thirty-five and fifty-five years of age, and men outnumbered women. Younger people often believe that everything is under their control. After a certain age, people begin to recognise the role of forces beyond their immediate plans. Later still, some lose interest because they feel that most major decisions have already been made.
Kapiel described how, at nineteen, an Astrologer predicted that he would eventually follow his uncle’s path. His uncle was an Astrologer, but Kapiel dismissed the prediction because he wanted to work in filmmaking and editing. Years later, he became deeply interested in Astrology, learnt from his uncle and began sharing that knowledge on YouTube.
His earlier training in cameras, lighting and editing was not wasted. It enabled him to create Astrology videos with exceptional visual quality. I told him that I had shown his videos to people in the Tamil film industry because I was curious about the camera he used. His life illustrated an important principle: fate may delay the main profession so that a person first acquires another skill that will later support it.
Why I Rely Mainly on Vimshottari Dasha
Kapiel asked about the many timing systems available in Vedic Astrology, including Chara Dasha, Yogini Dasha, Kalachakra Dasha and various Nadi activation systems.
I explained that I had not moved away from Vimshottari Dasha as my primary reference. Its complete cycle of 120 years has a universal quality, and unlike several conditional Dashas, it can be applied consistently. Other systems may work extremely well in particular horoscopes, but they often require the Astrologer first to decide whether the Ascendant, Moon or another factor is stronger. That preliminary judgement can itself become uncertain.
This does not mean that other Dashas are useless. If a person studies his or her own horoscope carefully and finds that Chara Dasha repeatedly times important events, that observation is valuable. Greater participation by serious students and clients could help professional Astrologers test these systems on a much wider scale.
KP Astrology and Excessive Subdivision
Professor K. S. Krishnamurti’s original KP system placed great importance on the Nakshatra lord and Sub Lord. Later practitioners introduced the Sub-Sub Lord and still finer divisions when they struggled to reproduce particular predictions.
These smaller divisions can often be used retrospectively to explain a past event. Future prediction becomes more difficult because excessive subdivision brings more planets into consideration and creates too many possible routes. We should preserve the useful insight of KP Astrology—that a planet must be judged not only by its sign but also through its Nakshatra and Sub Lord—without assuming that endlessly dividing a position will automatically create certainty.
There Are Many Ways of Knowing the Future
During my life, I encountered people who appeared able to reveal hidden facts without using Astrology. Some relied on spiritual practices, tantrik methods or other methods. Their statements could be remarkably specific even when they knew nothing about the individuals before them.
These experiences convinced me that there may be several ways of accessing information about the past and future. However, some occult practices can be spiritually or psychologically harmful. Astrology, when practised ethically through calculation, observation and prayer, appears to be a comparatively systematic and safer method.
The Planets Must Eventually Speak to the Astrologer
Toward the end of the interview, Kapiel tested an age-activation technique on my horoscope. He correctly connected my twenty-fourth year with professional success and recognition and my thirty-third year with foreign travel and contact with a Guru. His method differed from my usual approach, yet it reached meaningful events.
This returned us to the central lesson of our conversation. Vedic Astrology contains many systems, and several of them can lead to the same destination. Classical knowledge, mathematical accuracy, memory and software are all valuable. Yet there comes a stage when the Astrologer must look at the complete horoscope and allow the planets to speak.
Kapiel concluded by describing the conversation as an amazing interview and expressed a wish to invite me again for future classes. He also encouraged his viewers to follow my work. I remain grateful to him for the warmth, respect and intellectual curiosity with which he conducted this memorable conversation.
Here is the link for his World Famous YouTube Channel : https://www.youtube.com/@KRSchannel
Watch the Complete Interview
Watch “Most Wonderful Interview with E. K. Dhilip Kumar on Vedic Astrology,” hosted by Kapiel Raaj on KRSchannel:
Please also read this article, Planets do not control us...https://www.astrologyekdk.com/blog/do-planets-really-control-us-astrology-and-karma
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