The Ornament of Natal Astrology with Commentary

Jā. Laṃ. Ṭī. Abbreviation for Jātaka-alaṅkāra-ṭīkā, the Commentary on the Ornament of Natal Astrology.

Salutation to the Illustrious Lord Ganesha.

Bowing to the illustrious Shuka, the son of Vyasa, who is expert in the familiarity of the eight-fold Brahma-knowledge original: vasvarṇa-brahma-vidyā, and to the teachers and sages who find the rest of their love at the lotus feet of Hari (Vishnu); and having meditated upon Madhava (Vishnu), the chosen deity established in the soul and understood through the Vedas; the author of the Ornament of Natal Astrology JātakālaṅkāraA 17th-century Sanskrit classic on horoscopy. awakens this work with various sentiments for the delight of the supreme lords of scholars. || 1 ||

Now, the poet Ganesha, a crest-jewel among astronomers and an expert in the composition of poetry, meter, and ornamentation, desiring to compose the book named Ornament of Natal Astrology in accordance with the Shuka-Jataka An ancient astrological tradition attributed to the sage Shuka., first performs an auspicious invocation. This follows the conduct of the cultured, consisting of a prostration to the Guru, Ganesha, and Bharati (Saraswati)—who are manifestations of the Divine—and a direction toward Vishnu. He does this with two verses in the Tiger-Sporting Meter ShardulavikriditaA complex Sanskrit poetic meter consisting of 19 syllables per line., beginning with the words "With Joy" and "Conceived with True Being." The skilled Ganesha, being adept at book-making, clarifies that Natal Astrology in this manner:

With joy, having bowed to the Abode of Success, the Large-Bellied One (Ganesha), to the Goddess of Speech (Saraswati), to the assembly of planets beginning with the Sun, and to one's own Guru with devotion residing in the heart-lotus; ||

By the remembering of whose lotus-feet various kinds of successes are achieved, and mountains of obstacles quickly dissolve into nothingness. || 1 ||

The meaning is that this is being made very clear and explicit by the best of meters, the Flowing-Garland Meter SragdharaA long Sanskrit meter of 21 syllables per line, often used for majestic invocations.. How is it done? By bowing with devotion to the Abode of Success original: Siddhisadana. What is the nature of those to whom he bows? By the mere remembrance of their lotus-feet, various and manifold successes—the completion of one's tasks—attain fullness. Groups of mountain-like obstacles dissolve.

An obstacle PratyūhaA Sanskrit term for an impediment or a hindrance. is an intervention, according to the Amarakosha The most celebrated Sanskrit lexicon/thesaurus, compiled by Amarasimha.. The word multitude VrajaTypically meaning a flock or collection. refers to groups or assemblies, as per the Amarakosha. These dissolve quickly original: laghu, meaning swiftly. According to the dictionary, laghu, ksipra, and drutam are synonyms for speed.

The word "quickly" is applied to both the achievement of success and the destruction of obstacles by the Logic of the Lamp on the Threshold Dehalī-dīpaka-nyāyaA logical rule where a single word or lamp placed on a threshold illuminates two adjacent rooms or concepts simultaneously..

What is the "Abode of Success"? Success (Siddhi) is the Goddess Lakshmi; her abode is her house or dwelling place. The sense is that he is the "Abode of Lakshmi" (Shrinivasa/Vishnu). Because the word Shri is used for Lakshmi at the beginning of hymns—such as "You are the success, the funeral-call, the sacrificial-call"—the term Siddhi-Lakshmi is an established compound. What is the nature of this Abode of Success? It is "With Joy" original: Sānandam...