For a world 25 billion years old, a life of 50 or 100 years is a blink of the eye. There are millions of Suns and perhaps billions of earth like planets in our universe. Quite possibly, also a few earths with human beings like us.

Where do we go after our body is exhausted and burnt? May be to the much dreaded black hole or heaven or hell or paradise or simply remain suspended for the soul to recover from the captivating body experience. Surely, we never do return in the same form and shape. Who springs back to a physical life and who cannot, remains unanswered? But, to the open minded there is an evidence to support that there is indeed a life after death.

Birth and death are dramatic events in an individual’s eternal life. They cannot be experienced and recalled except perhaps through past life regression methods which in any case give only faded reflections. To a Vedic astrologer it is easier to relate to these events as astrology is a science that delivers subtle messages of eternal truth.

Perhaps on wearing away, the body and mind leave their imprints on the soul. Is death a liberation for the soul? Is it that the soul gets its freedom and an opportunity to mend the wrongs done and cherish the rights? These questions often vex. The search is on.

This letter attempts to address some of the mysteries of life that have intrigued us forever. Perhaps, according to the design of the Almighty, we ought to be a distance away from the truth and reality. Man has been in quest of the grand design of our creator from the time perhaps he started to think. Still, to reach the final answer remains a distant dream. Through science and the depth of thoughts in scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita we could go some distance in unraveling the cosmic mystery of our existence.

The Traditional from the Eighth House

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: Longevity, battle, enemies, forts, wealth of the dead, and things that have happened and are to happen (in the past and future births).

Phaldeepika Mangalaya: (the living of the husband during the life time of the wife), Randhra, filthiness, mental pain, defeat or humiliation, longevity, sorrow, blame, death, impurity, impediments and slavery.

In Mundane Astrology the eighth house governs: Death of national rulers, presidents, prime ministers, kings or dictators, end of governments, destruction of the state, any set back to cabinet like death of important ministers, trouble to the people through famines, epidemics, mortality, death rates. Scientific organization, legacies, capital gain, taxes and death duties, pensions, hidden things, scientific investment, discoveries and death rate.

Ayu (Longevity)
Traditionally the eighth house is the exit door to the unknown and of entry into life as well. In a horoscope ayu (longevity) is merely seen as a span of one’s present life which is followed by lives after lives perhaps in different forms. The soul continues to live after each death. The death deletes the memory of the present. It is like waking up in another world. The difference between sleep and death is only that after sleep you retain your memory but after death you do not. The sperm that creates life, a beginning is seen from the eighth house as this house also rules the private parts.

The Eighth House Ushers Changes

To terminate a phase or an era, the Eighth house is seen with its significator, Saturn. Many things happen unexpectedly and suddenly that change life. Be it a train accident, carnage, lottery, death, unearthing of financial irregularities, a word uttered or a statement made could be interpreted as seditious without your realizing when spoken. One should reflect on the eighth house for such happenings. We have had a fatwa issued that called for the death of Salman Rushdie for his remarks on God. A word or a statement can drive the whole civilization against you with rage and you could become the most hated overnight. Attribute this to the eighth house. Politicians have the eighth and tenth connection in their horoscope, clearly showing a career that has many ups and downs. The mysterious unreliable politician, the death of democracy and reincarnation of communism are also the areas governed by the eighth house. Rage and riot that bring sudden and expected changes also fall under the eighth house. Anything that brings change lottery too and rumors also. The explosive sex scandals from sting operations that bring surprises and turn around should also be seen from the eighth house. The eighth house is not only the exit and entry door for life but of life phases as well. It heralds a chapter, a phase, a decade and an era. For major turnarounds astrologers should scrutinize the eighth house as it has been found bringing about the changes – both negative and positive. Both during promotion and transfer the eighth house has found activated in horoscopes. Whether it is a change of house, a job, a city or a partner the stamp of the eighth house is always found.

The Eighth is the house of Samadhi and Moksha
For the spiritually inclined crusades, depth of the eyes and the depth of the heart, the thinking, the thinker, research, the hind sight of philosophers and saints, intuition, the underground, the hidden, the mystic, are all seen from the eighth house. The thoughts that meet the atma and then the paramatma are also seen from the eighth house.

Saturn governs the alarm bell that tolls for all. It’s logical why ayu karaka (significator of longevity) for the eighth house is Saturn and not Sun or Mars, the eighth lord of the natural zodiac. Saturn has been clearly described as kaal (time) in our shastras and represents time limits as well; and the Sun is universally known as the atma which is timeless. It cannot die, at least for billions and billions of years till Sun becomes a cold star. Mars is the energy. Its force is required the sudden unexpected happenings.

Can we Conquer time?
Time machines are fiction. Most of us do not get even a hint of what is in store in the time that perennially ticks by our side. An astrologer should keep referring to the eighth house and its significator to reduce the intensity of shocks of changes the consultant is likely to receive. Death, sudden and unexpected happenings, surprises and other such matters are seen from eighth house.

Everything created by God has a purpose and a reason behind. Why are we born in this life with this form is to be reasoned to get to the answer we are seeking. Why are some born blind and some struck by polio in early childhood? Why are some born in palaces and some in slums? They could have done nothing in this life that could make them deserving of a destiny created during birth and early childhood. Surely, the criteria of allotment are not on the basis of the karmas of our present life! Each of such life’s facets when probed deeply led us to the theory of reincarnation. Whether it is rinanubandhan (debt of past lives) the reason of our pleasures and pains of this life and for choice of people who surround or it a fresh opportunity showered on us under a scheme of God is a question that we always consciously or subconsciously debate within and outside. But what can be easily concluded is that justice for the soul is available only in God’s court.

BHAGAVAD GITA REACHED THE FARTHEST IN KNOWING WHO WE ARE 5000 YEARS AGO

No interpretation of life is anywhere near in the depth, reached in Bhagavad Gita. The eighth chapter of this scripture is not merely about spiritual practice but reminds one to keep in mind, at the time of death, the thoughts that decide the quality of salvation and rebirth. For Bhagavad Gita’s interpreters it is the toughest chapter, just as the 8th house of a horoscope is for an astrologer, as it is from here that spirituality and reaching the ultimate goal is seen. In this chapter through the answers of God the ultimate truth is revealed for the humanity in Bhagavad Gita.

Did God design only Hints for Humanity: Arjuna asks Lord Krishna in the Chapter Eighth Bhagavadprapti? What is universe? What is Atma? What is Sakam karma? What is this physical earth all about? Who are devtas?

The Lord Shri Krishna replied

The Supreme Spirit is the Highest Imperishable Self, and Its Nature is spiritual consciousness. The worlds have been created and are supported by an emanation from the Spirit which is called the Law.

Matter consists of the forms that perish; Divinity is the Supreme Self; and He who inspires the spirit of sacrifice in man, O noblest of thy race, is I Myself, Who now stand in human form before thee. Whosoever at the time of death thinks only of Me, and thinking thus leaves the body and goes forth, assuredly he will know Me. On whatever sphere of being the mind of a man may be intent at the time of death, thither he will go.

Therefore meditate always on Me, and fight; if thy mind and thy reason be fixed on Me, to Me shalt thou surely come.

He whose mind does not wander, and who is engaged in constant meditation, attains the Supreme Spirit.

Who so meditates on the Omniscient, the Ancient, more minute than the atom, yet the Ruler and Upholder of all, Unimaginable, Brilliant like the Sun, Beyond the reach of darkness;

He who leaves the body with mind unmoved and filled with devotion, by the power of his meditation gathering between his eyebrows his whole vital energy, attains the Supreme.

Now I will speak briefly of the imperishable goal, proclaimed by those versed in the scriptures, which the mystic attains when free from passion, and for which he is content to undergo the vow of continence.

Closing the gates of the body, drawing the forces of his mind into the heart and by the power of meditation concentrating his vital energy in the brain;

Repeating Om, the Symbol of Eternity, holding Me always in remembrance, he who thus leaves his body and goes forth reaches the Spirit Supreme.

To him who thinks constantly of Me, and of nothing else, to such an ever-faithful devotee, O Arjuna, am I ever accessible.

Coming thus unto Me, these great souls go no more to the misery and death of earthly life, for they have gained perfection.

The worlds, with the whole realm of creation, come and go; but, O Arjuna, who so comes to Me, for him there is no rebirth.

Those who understand the cosmic day and cosmic night know that one day of creation is a thousand cycles, and that the night is of equal length. At the dawning of that day all objects in manifestation stream forth from the Unmanifest, and when evening falls they are dissolved into It again.

The same multitude of beings, which have lived on earth so often, all are dissolved as the night of the universe approaches, to issue forth anew when morning breaks. Thus is it ordained?

In truth, therefore, there is the Eternal Unmanifest, which is beyond and above the Unmanifest Spirit of Creation, which is never destroyed when all these being perish.

The wise say that the Unmanifest and Indestructible is the highest goal of all; when once That is reached, there is no return. That is My Blessed Home.

O Arjuna! That Highest God, in Whom all beings abide, and Who pervades the entire universe, is reached only by wholehearted devotion.

Now I will tell thee, O Arjuna, of the times at which, if the mystics go forth, they do not return, and at which they go forth only to return. If knowing the Supreme Spirit the sage goes forth with fire and light, in the daytime, in the fortnight of the waxing moon and in the six months before the Northern summer solstice, he will attain the Supreme.

But if he departs in gloom, at night, during the fortnight of the waning Moon and in the six months before the Southern solstice, then he reaches but lunar light and he will be born again.

These bright and dark paths out of the world have always existed. Who so takes the former, returns not; he who chooses the latter, returns.

O Arjuna! The saint knowing these paths is not confused. Therefore meditate perpetually. The sage who knows this passes beyond all merit that comes from the study of the scriptures, from sacrifice, from austerities and charity, and reaches the Supreme Primeval Abode.”

SUMMARY OF THE EIGHT DISCOURSE

Lord Krishna explains how those who attain Him do not have to come again into this impermanent world of sorrow and pain. All beings, including even the Gods, come again and again into this created universe from the state of unmanifest being wherein they remained at the end of an age-cycle. But the Lord exists even beyond this unmanifest being. That radiant, imperishable Divine Reality is the highest goal to beat attained. Single-minded devotion of our heart is the means of attaining this highest blessed state. Even though there are auspicious and inauspicious circumstances of departing from the physical body and journeying forth, yet if one steadily abides in the Lord through firm devotion and faith, then these conditions do not matter. By always remaining in tune with the Lord through pure love, everything is made auspicious, if one can ever remain united with the Divine through deep devotion, constant remembrance, regular meditation and continuous communion, then all times, places, conditions and situations become auspicious and blessed. This is the secret of invoking His Grace and attaining Him and becoming eternally free and blissful. Arjuna here asks Lord Krishna about the meaning of the different terms referred to by Him in the last two verses of the previous chapter. He wishes to know what the Supreme Being is, what is Karma or action that He refers to, and what is the meaning that pertains to this spirit, the elements and the center of all things within this human body.

BHAGAVAD GITA
Beyond all things manifest and unmanifest, beyond these names and forms, there is the Supreme Being—Brahman. He indwells this body as the center of all things, including even our own self (individual soul). We are a spiritual being residing in this body and supported by the Silent Witness within—the Supreme Antaryamin. Prakriti or Nature is the being pertaining to the elements. Worship, prayer and offering to the Gods with faith and devotion constitute actions that lead to blessedness.

The secret of reaching the Divine Being and thus freeing oneself forever from birth and death and the pains and sufferings of this earth-life, is to constantly practice unbroken remembrance of the Lord at all times, in all places and even amidst one’s daily activities. If one practices such steady remembrance through regular daily Sadhana, then he will be rooted in His remembrance even at the time of departing from this body at death. Thus departing, he will go beyond darkness and bondage and attain the realm of eternal blessedness.

One must practice sense-control. The senses must be well disciplined and gradually withdrawn from outside objects. The mind should be centered within upon God, by uttering Om or any Divine Name. By such steady practice daily the Lord is easily attained.

Has the role of Eighth House changed in the Present Times?

Vipreet Rajyogas
Like the great Parashara’s exception debilitated planets giving rajyogas, the Vipreet rajyogas and the eighth house has been found fulfilling the most sought after goals in a Kaliyuga life. Found prominent in the horoscopes of politicians of today, they describe the intrigues, strategies and manipulations that have become a part of the corrupt political system. Narsimha Rao got power from death of Rajiv Gandhi in the dasha of planets connected to the eighth house. The eighth house governs death suddenness, unexpected happenings, inheritance, legacy and the like. The sixth, eighth and twelfth are not bhavat bhavam of any house. In today’s context the sixth, eight and twelfth should show secret strings that are pulled by intrigue and manipulations with the aid foreign powers as the sixth signifies intrigues, the eighth change and the twelfth foreign. In huge gains accompanying scams, in Kaliyuga the role of these houses is often seen.

Who is the significator of change and the Eighth house- Saturn or Mars? Do not conclude with just one meaning as astrology is meaningful. Saturn has been explained as the harbinger of changes of sorts. Why not Mars as it the Eighth lord of the natural zodiac. Why not Rahu and Ketu as they give results like Saturn and Mars. My observation is that Saturn, Rahu, Mars and Jupiter influence strongly in transit and they should be liberally used to predict changes. The dual transit theory advocated by Mr.K.N.Rao also works very well. The dasha of Saturn, Rahu or Mars intensely influence a destiny and bring in major turnarounds.

Terminal Disease
The body and mind is made to rot and wither away. We fear always the dangers from outside but most fatal blows come from the enemy within. In an eighth house dasha an infection from an innocent glass of water or from a cut or a pesticide ridden fruit could enter into us and become more dangerous than a tumor on surface or a dacoit outside. Eighth house is the entry door for death giving chronic diseases also that crawl into us without our knowing.

The human body gets operational with a three level existence–physical, mental and spiritual. A physical wound can be cured by medicines. The mental with will power and spiritual by attracting the positive energies around. The cosmos is as complex as the human with all sorts of energies. We can learn to garner the flowing energies. The eighth houses shocks make us realize the three- level existence.

What can the five planets in the eighth house of the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada Horoscope of 10th April, 2013 do to India?

1) Economy will get worse: We have been predicting the collapse of the economy based on this chart in every issue of BVB Journal of Astrology since the last one year.

Why Has the Rupee Plunged?

Economists would argue that the rupee’s weakness is primarily due to a high current account deficit and lower capital inflows. The common man would attribute it to corruption at high places. Capitalizing on the momentum, money Moghuls could be hoarding dollars. Are we heading towards an economic collapse? The economy is likely to spiral down when the rating agencies declare India a junk bond. The five planets in the eighth in the yearly chart and the dasha of Sun -Mercury the second, fourth and the fifth lords till May 2014 in the foundation chart of India points towards that.

It is noteworthy that the plunge of the rupee started when Jupiter entered Gemini. The sign Gemini has just nineteen points in the sarvashtakvarga of the Indian Independence foundation horoscope of midnight of 14/15 August, 1947.The Mars was also transiting Gemini till 19thAugust, 2013. The Venus, significator of currency in Mundane was at 13 degrees in Virgo on the 22nd of August when the rupee collapsed and touched Rs. 65/- against the dollar. The Mrityubhaga point of Venus in Virgo is 13 degrees. The entry of Mars into Cancer, in no way signals improvement as the mutual aspect between Saturn and Mars spells disaster. With Rahu and Saturn closing in dangerously and the degrees of Mars also nearing the degrees of Saturn, the danger is lurking over the financial capital of India, Mumbai. Mumbai is represented by Libra as per the koorma chakra. The Libra has the aspect of Mars with Saturn Rahu in it. The Rupee is not likely to improve against the dollar till Jupiter is in Gemini.

There are many Indians who are being cursed for advising their NRI relatives and friends to invest in India in properties and funds. Had their NRI friends and relatives sat comfortably on their dollars, they would have earned much more by just selling them in India now.

2) Cricket Will Be Tainted Further

A scarring blemish hit the face of the most powerful rejuvenating activity of India, cricket. The IPL, engulfed by all the seven sins, pulled the spirit out of the game. Cricket, for Indians has been a source of entertainment and of national pride since long. India suffered a painful bout of soul- searching with the revelation of dirt in the game. The teams were not seen as eleven heroes but eleven villains. Fixing was not so blatant earlier. Clearly the five planets in the eighth had an effect.

3) Dirty politics will get dirtier:

It can be seen in the opportunistic sops being offered to win votes. Immoral rumor mongers have no humanity left in them. The election drama is likely to be the dirtiest ever with five planets in the eighth house.

4) Filthy corruption will get Filthier: We have always been corrupt. But, the daily revelations and screaming headlines of now scares, has made us plumb newer depths.

5) Uncontrolled Inflation: Many who are compelled to work for years with no rise in salaries in the bulk of failing private sector become victims of such a crushing inflation. Clearly economy seems to have gone out of control with all measures by Government failing. A result of five planets in the eighth.

6) Calamities and Disasters will shock more:

Big bangs and explosions are seen from the eighth house: A few days ago Sindhurakshak, the Indian naval submarine sank following two big explosions, killing all the eighteen on board. It was the biggest peacetime loss for the Indian navy since a war with Pakistan in 1971.In June, 2013 Uttarakhand witnessed horrifying death and disaster of an unimaginable scale which could be khand pralay (partial annihilation). On 19th August, the day when Mars entered Cancer a train in Bihar ran over thirty seven pilgrims.

7) Neighborly Problems will get Rougher: Border killings and firing and the Kishtwar incident have increased the tension and widened the divide this year. On 21stAugust an intrusion by China 30 kilometers deep into Arunachal Pradesh was reported. Is it a signal of a changing phase? The five planets in the eighth can bring such changes.

8) Most important with five planets the GOD perhaps is against and therefore GOLD, OIL AND DOLLAR are going up. Prayer is the only answer.