[INDOLOGY] bhakti

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Not all sections of those respecting the Vedas are happy with the word
'Vedic' qualifying 'Astrology'. : For example, Arya Samajis consider
Astrology 'a superstition' and since they believe that such 'superstitions'
can not be Vedic, they do not like coinages such as 'Vedic' Astrology. Even
among non-Arya samaji Veda-lovers who like to take pride in Vedanga
jyotisha and consider that to be not connected with the destiny-knowing
(daivajna) jyotisha, they oppose calling Astrology 'Vedic'. If there is any
opportunity to change the nomenclatures in vogue they would love to remove
the ' -logy' part of the word since that part of that word gives the
impression that Astrology is a science.

It may also be a good idea to use 'Tropical' , 'Sidereal'  in the names of
the two traditions since that indicates the method difference rather
than giving scope for questions such as which part of the world Mesopotamia
or Greece is the origin of western Astrology or whether the so called Vedic
Astrology has got to do with the Vedas (alone) or not etc.

On Fri, Nov 11, 2016 at 9:29 AM, patrick mccartney <psdmccartney at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I guess the question for me specifically regarding Vedic astrology is
> exactly the point Valerie and Luis raise. It could be called by the
> astrologers 'Indian Astrology', and perhaps it is a better representation,
> however they have settled on the use of Vedic to qualify their predictive
> system. Although, it's possible that someone out there might think that
> 'South Asian astrology' is a better term because all this knowledge
> developed prior to the birth of the Indian nation.
>
> What intrigues me is how this nomenclature sits with the practitioners of
> Vedic astrology, especially the ones who know the historicity but feel
> stuck using a term they are uncomfortable with. I have only interacted with
> a handful of astrologers online. Most whom I've contacted do not respond.
> The ones that have and have engaged with me, add to my current, anecdotal
> yet growing data set.
>
> While I'm interested in the historical development of many things, it is
> the contemporaneous usages of the adjective 'Vedic' by various groups that
> interests me the most.
>
> Probably the most intriguing expression for me at least is the utopian
> aspiration to "re-establish a Vedic India" http://www.vedicindiafoundatio
> n.org, the centre of which is considered to be Brahmasthanam, which is at
> Bijauri in nth east MP
> https://vedicpandits.org This is a Maharishi enterprise.
>
> How this is enmeshed in also, possibly, creating a Hindu nation and the
> way modern yoga practitioners are possibly recruited into supporting this
> aspiration through an 'eco-dharmic' / religious-environmentalist
> perspective intrigues me. Combined with the way the Indian state uses it's
> cultural capital and soft power through the multitrillion-dollar
> wellness/spiritual tourism industry is quite pertinent to my query and the
> logic of this induction process through the Sanskrit episteme. This is
> especially the case when considering particular manifestations like the
> 'yoga nationalism' of Ramdev and how western yoga practitioners are
> casually/naïvely recruited into a variety of yoga-inflected dispositions.
>
> For instance, yesterday a prominent yoga teacher in Sydney was shocked to
> know that there are Muslims in India! India, to this person, is a Hindu
> land full of 'spiritual people' who are all vegetarian and everyone does
> yoga. There are also 'some Buddhists'. Obviously this person has never been
> to India. Interestingly, they have no desire to either. This is not the
> first time I have come across people with these types of ideas.
>
> So, for some yoga practitioners, including professional, long-term
> teachers, India is a type of 'Vedic/Sanskrit *wonderland*'. It is how
> this term and allied practices is infused through the social
> imaginary-yoga/consumption-scape that interests me the most, and what the
> social, political, environmental consequences might be.
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies

FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,

(Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )


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