Prasna Marga Chapter 2: The Astrologer's Daily Practice - A Modern Guide

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 1–2

The chapter opens with a surprisingly detailed description of how an astrologer should begin each day:

1. Rise early in the morning
2. Pray to the family deity
3. Bathe and perform daily spiritual practices (Nitya Karmas)
4. Recite mantras (Mantra Japa) invoking the presiding deity
5. Study the day's planetary positions using an almanac
6. Remain calm, free from anxiety, and ready to receive visitors

"An astrologer should get up early in the morning, pray to the family Deity, cleanse the various parts of the body, bathe, do his Nitya Karmas and perform mantra japa... study the planets with the help of an almanac and remain calm without being ruffled by any anxieties, ever expecting the visit of someone anxious to have his difficulties solved."

When someone arrives, the astrologer must carefully observe their appearance, dress, movements, and actions — while also monitoring their own breathing pattern. This dual observation (internal and external) is the foundation of the practice described in the rest of this chapter.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 3–6

The person asking a question (the querent) also has responsibilities:

• Choose an auspicious lunar day, constellation, and weekday for the visit
• Come early in the morning with a humble attitude
• Bring respectful offerings (traditionally flowers, betel leaves, or small gifts)

The text also establishes a professional code of ethics:

"Those who have a desire to know the future, whether they ask or not, deserve to be given predictions on the basis of Arudha at the time of Prasna."

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 7–11

One of the most important concepts in Prasna Marga is the Arudha Lagna — a rising sign determined not by the time of day, but by the direction the client faces when asking their question. Each of the eight compass directions corresponds to specific zodiac signs:

If the direction is ambiguous, the astrologer should draw a circle with all directions marked, invoke the deities, and ask the client to place a gold piece on the circle. The sign corresponding to that direction becomes the Arudha Lagna for the reading.

Modern context: The Arudha Lagna creates an additional chart layer independent of the birth chart. It represents the immediate, situational "signature" of the question itself — a snapshot of the moment's energy based on physical positioning rather than planetary calculation.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanza 12

When a question is put to the astrologer, the text lists 14 critical factors that must be observed simultaneously:

This is remarkable because it shows that the ancient system treated the horary consultation as a holistic event. The chart is just one input. The astrologer's own body, the client's behavior, and the environment are all considered part of the answer.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 13–15

The astrologer must observe omens throughout the entire consultation — from leaving their own house, while traveling to the client, upon entering the client's home, and during the preparation of the astrological chart (Chakra). Results are synthesized from:

• The Sutra and Thrisphuta calculations
• The Ashtamangala number (from cowrie shells)
• The Arudha sign and gold piece position
• The rising sign (Lagna) and Moon's position
• Planetary states and house (Bhava) significations

The reading should reveal: God's grace or displeasure, trouble from enemies, diseases, and appropriate remedies.

"Prasna takes into account not only the external influences, the planets, but also the internal ones, the psychic impulses which mould life."

A key condition for accuracy: The astrologer must be calm and centered, and the client must be sincere and humble. When both conditions are met, the reading will be reliable.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 16–21

Not every moment is suitable for asking a question. The text lists 22 doshas (afflictions or unfavorable conditions) that make a query unreliable. These include:

Modern context: While modern practitioners may not follow all 22 conditions strictly, the underlying principle is important: timing affects the quality of a reading. An astrologer should be aware of the planetary conditions at the moment of consultation and factor them into the interpretation.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 22–27

The environment where the question is asked also influences the reading:

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 28–64

This is the longest section in the chapter and one of the most unique features of Prasna Marga. Swara Sastra is the science of reading one's own breathing pattern as a predictive tool. Every morning, the astrologer checks which nostril their breath flows through more strongly.

Basic Rule: Left vs Right Nostril

Breathing through the wrong nostril for the day predicts specific troubles:

• Wrong nostril on Sunday: Full body pain
• Wrong nostril on Monday: Quarrels
• Wrong nostril on Tuesday: Danger to self or relatives
• Wrong nostril on Wednesday: Distant, unplanned travel
• Wrong nostril on Thursday: Calamities to the country
• Wrong nostril on Friday: Failure in all undertakings
• Wrong nostril on Saturday: Monetary loss, crop failure

The Five Elements in Breath

The breath is further classified by the element (Bhuta) it carries. This is determined by how far the breath extends from the nostril (measured in finger-widths):

The Three Channels (Nadis)

"If one wants to succeed easily in any undertaking in life, one should start when the breath is in the left and reach his destination when the breath is in the right."

Breath Analysis for Health Questions

• Client asks from the same side as active nostril → Illness will be cured
• Client asks from the opposite side → Illness will be difficult to treat
• Question asked during inhalation → Relief
• Question asked during exhalation → Danger

Breath Analysis for Pregnancy

• Seeing a pregnant woman while breathing through the right nostril → Male child
• Seeing her while breathing through the left nostril → Female child
• Breath flowing through both sides equally → Twins

Modern context: While this may seem esoteric, Swara Sastra has parallels in modern understanding of the nasal cycle — a well-documented biological phenomenon where airflow alternates between nostrils every 2–4 hours, linked to autonomic nervous system dominance. Yoga traditions (Pranayama) have long used nostril-specific breathing for therapeutic purposes.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 65–76

When a client approaches, the body part they unconsciously touch reveals information about their situation:

The text then maps eight directions to body parts and symbolic animals (Yonis):

The combination of the client's facing direction and the body part they touch creates a matrix of predictions. For example: a person facing East who touches their head indicates gaining money; touching the chest while facing East indicates receiving ornaments.

"In any query regarding longevity, the cure of a sick man will depend on the Avastha, state of the messenger or astrologer at the time of query."

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 77–101

This section teaches a remarkable verification technique. By analyzing the Arudha Lagna and its 5th and 8th houses, the astrologer can describe what happened to the client on their way to the consultation — effectively proving the chart's accuracy before the main reading even begins.

For example, each planet in the 8th house from Arudha indicates a specific event that happened to the client on the corresponding day of the week:

The types of people encountered en route are also indicated: Rahu/Saturn suggest low-ranking people; Jupiter/Venus suggest learned or pious people; Sun suggests officials or authority figures; Moon/Venus suggest women.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 104–114

The first syllable of the client's question carries meaning. This is a form of phonetic divination — reading the future through the sounds in spoken words.

• If the question begins with a vowel: The issue relates to longevity; physical troubles are temporary
• If the question begins with a consonant: Longevity may be affected; physical symptoms are less concerning

The consonants are further classified into five groups, each governed by a different element (Air, Fire, Indra/Neutral, Water, or an extremely inauspicious category). The text also describes eight Ganas (syllable pattern groups), each presided over by a different element or deity, producing outcomes ranging from "world renown" and "exceptional prosperity" to "poverty" and "death."

Each Sanskrit consonant group is also mapped to a planet, allowing the astrologer to determine the rising sign from the first letter of the query itself — an independent way to verify the Lagna calculation.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 102–131

The text devotes considerable attention to observing the client's physical presentation. This covers four areas:

Direction (Stanzas 102–103)

• Men: Cardinal directions (East, South, West, North) are favorable; intermediate directions are not
• Women: The reverse applies
• South is always negative for longevity questions

Posture & Movement (Stanzas 115–119)

Behaviour Patterns (Stanzas 120–124)

A long list of inauspicious behaviors is given, including: shaking or wringing hands, looking sideways, forgetting the purpose of the visit, striking their own body or nearby objects, weeping, disheveled hair, sleepiness, uncleanliness, carrying inauspicious objects (rope, broom, leather, ashes), or appearing sickly.

Mood & Dress (Stanzas 125–129)

• Good mood indicators: Handsome appearance, healthy, modest bearing, happy face, eyes wide open looking at auspicious objects
• Bad mood indicators: Face distorted by anger, sorrow, or exhaustion; eyes half-closed; looking downward or at inauspicious objects
• Good dress: White, neat clothes; fine ornaments; fragrant white flowers
• Bad dress: Wet, torn, or dirty clothes; red or blue colors; red flowers

The synthesis rule (Stanzas 130–131): If the astrologer is calm and the client's posture, movements, and appearance are favorable, predict good outcomes. If unfavorable, predict difficulties. Mixed signs yield mixed results, proportional to the balance of good and bad indicators.

Prasna Marga, Chapter II, Stanzas 132–158

The chapter concludes with an extensive catalog of omens — environmental signs that occur at the exact moment of the query. These are interpreted differently depending on what topic the question concerns.

Marriage Questions

• Good omen: Seeing someone in fresh clothes, or two people approaching together
• Bad omen: Two people bidding farewell and parting ways

Questions About Children

• Good: Seeing a book, pen, jingling bangles, child ornaments, a pregnant woman, or smiling children
• Bad: Seeing someone cleaning themselves, walking away, or a brilliantly burning fire (indicates miscarriage)

Health Questions

• Good: Seeing a living being, or a person on horseback or elephant (indicates immediate cure)
• Bad: Standing on a lifeless object (indicates death)

Travel Questions

• Good: The messenger gets up and walks immediately
• Bad: Sitting or lying down (indicates obstruction)

General Evil Omens

• Intermittent cries of "Oh! Oh!"
• A flag-post or sacred tree falling
• A light unexpectedly going out
• A water vessel tumbling over
• Hearing words related to "ruin" or "loss"
• Sighting of cats, owls, or snakes on the left side

Auspicious Signs

• Musical sounds: veena, flute, drum, conch
• Sighting of: a pot of curd, colored rice, sugarcane, fresh flowers, garlands, fruits, a cow and calf
• Hearing Vedic hymns or pleasant conversation
• Seeing: an umbrella, palanquin, a learned scholar, gold, or a mounted mirror

The guiding principle: Everything that suggests abundance, life, beauty, and wholeness at the moment of the question points toward a positive answer. Everything that suggests loss, decay, separation, or death points to the contrary.