(Note: This article was written by me early this year for Modern Astrology Magazine. It was published in the May 2015 issue of Modern Astrology. The same has been reproduce from there for the readers of my blog.)
With its tropical climate and unhygienic conditions of living India has always been endemic to many diseases like Malaria, Kala-azar , Cholear , smallpox, tuberculosis, plague etc. These erupt in the form of an epidemic when conditions are favorable for their spread. In Mundane Astrology or Medini Jyotish the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu are considered as the Karaka for epidemics and infectious diseases. The role of Saturn, which is the Dukhakaraka, also becomes important here as it also signifies mass deaths. In Mundane horoscopes, like foundation chart of countries and lunar charts, the 8th house signifies the mass deaths from epidemics apart from many of its significations.
In my practice of this subject in the last couple of years, I have observed that whenever transiting Saturn gives aspect to the natal Rahu or Ketu in the foundation chart of India there is a danger of the spread of an infectious disease or epidemic in the country. At the same time if the Hindu New Year chart for that period concern has an afflicted 8th house then that epidemic may give deaths in large number. Before taking some example let’s study the foundation chart of India first in this context.
Foundation Chart of India
15 August 1947, 00:00:01 hours, Delhi
Balance of Dasha in Vimshottari : Saturn 18 years 0 months and 25 days
In the foundation chart of India Rahu and Ketu are along with Taurus-Scorpio axis at 05 degress and 44 minutes. The Rahu-Ketu afflicting the ascendant of the foundation chart makes modern India prone to infectious disease. The noticeable point here is that Ketu is in sign Vrischika that is a ‘Keeta’ rashi known for promoting viral diseases or infectious diseases. The 8th house of mass deaths receiving the aspect of malefic Mars and the bad placement of 8th lord Jupiter in the 6th house shows the contingency to mass deaths by the spread of epidemics. The lagna lord Venus is in planetary war with the ‘Dukhakaraka’ Saturn is also bad.
In transit when Saturn aspect or get conjoined with Rahu-Ketu in the natal chart of India then the threat of the outbreak of some epidemic or infectious disease in the country increases. In some cases it has been observe that when Saturn and Ketu are conjoined in close degrees in the transit then also an epidemic outbreak cause many deaths.
- 1974 Smallpox epidemic in India- This was one of the worst smallpox epidemic of the 20th century. At least 15,000 people died of smallpox from January 1974 to May 1974. These deaths were mainly in Bihar, Orissha and West Bengal.
In January 1974 , Saturn was retrograde in Gemini at 06 degress 32 minutes. Ketu was also in Gemini at 05 degress 04 minutes. Saturn and Ketu were in close conjunction in transit. Moreover the Saturn was giving aspect to the natal Ketu in the foundation chart of India by previous house Taurus, as it was retrograde in Gemini then.
- 1994 Plague epidemic in India- In 1994 the heavy rain and clogged sever led to massive flooding in Surat resulting in number of unclear animal carcasses. This lead to the spread of plague from Surat which later took Gujarat, Maharashatra, Madhya Pradesh , U.P. and Delhi into its grip. A total number of 693 deaths reported out of which 52 were died in city of Surat only. The outbreak of plague was from 26 August to 18 October 1994 mainly.
Saturn was transiting from Aquarius in retrograde motion at 15 degrees in the last week of August. From Aquarius it was giving aspect to the natal Ketu in Scorpio in the foundation chart of India from its 10th aspect.
- Outbreak of Dengue epidemic in Delhi in 1996– Dengue epidemic struck Delhi from mid-August to end of November 1996. There were 10,000 cases reported with 400 deaths in the capital.
In the month of August 1996, the Saturn and Ketu were in close conjunction in transit in the Pisces sign. Saturn was in retrograde motion in Pisces at 12 degress 21 minutes and Ketu was in Pisces around 14 degress 31 minutes. From Pisces the transiting Saturn was giving aspect to natal Rahu situated in Taurus in the ascendant of the foundation chart of India.
- 2009 Swine flu outbreak in India-In year 2009 the H1N1 swine flu virus was spread in various parts of the world particularly in USA and Mexio. In India, first confirm case of swin flu discovered in May 2009 in Hyderabad airport in a person who was coming from USA. Soon more cases reported in the various parts of the country later. By the end of year, 2009 thousands of people reportedly confirmed with the symptoms of swine flu and hundreds of them died.
In May 2009, Saturn was transiting from Leo at 20 degrees. The transiting Saturn was giving his 10th aspect to the natal Rahu in Taurus in the foundation chart of India at that time confirming our hypothesis.
- 2015 Indian swine flu outbreak– During the winter season of 2014-15 , the country has reported the 937 deaths as of the last week of February 2015. The state of Rajasthan is worst affected where 212 people have been died until the end of February with swine flu disease.
Interesting this swine flu outbreak started after the entry of Saturn into Scorpio sign on 2 November 2014. At present, the transiting Saturn is hovering around 10 degrees in Scorpio over the natal Ketu in the foundation chart of the country.
Now Saturn will goes into retrograde motion on the 14th of March 2015 and it will become direct only on the 2nd August 2015. The direct motion of Saturn in the month of August, during the rainy season, will be conducive for rain as the malefic planets in direction motion and benefic planets in retrograde motions gives more rain as per the classics of astro-meteorology. In the first fortnight of August 2015 the close degree conjunction of benefic planets Mercury, Venus and Jupiter in the Leo sign will bring record heavy rainfall in many parts of the country. The state of Gujarat signifies by Leo sign in particularly will get affected by heavy flood in August this year. The Konkan & Goa signifies by Aquarius will also get very heavy rainfall then. {Note: In astro-meteorology the benefic Moon, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus are consider as watery planets}. Now see the New Moon chart of the concern period given here.
New Moon Chart
14 August 2015, 20:23 hours, Delhi
In the New Moon chart, the luminaries (Sun and Moon) are in the watery Rashi and in a watery Navamsha that is an indication of heavy rainfall during the fortnight concern. The luminaries are in the Nakshatra Ashlesha that comes under Varuna Mandala known for promoting rain.
Mars transiting from the watery sign Cancer during the month of August this year will add to the miseries, as it will bring lots of havoc due to extremely heavy rain, flooding and landslides threatening the lives and properties of large masses. There will be extremely heavy rain in the hilly regions of Himachal, Kashmir and Uttarakhand during the first fortnight of August 2015.
Venus will also be with Mars in the Cancer during the second fortnight of August 2015. The places signify by Cancer sign are Madhya Pradesh and Chattishgarh will also get heavy rain then. The region of Delhi-NCR signifies by Scorpio will receive extremely heavy rain in August particularly during the second fortnight as the lord of Scorpio sign Mars will be in a watery rashi with a watery planet Venus then. The flood in the river Yamuna will pose a danger of the spread of an epidemic later in the coming months of September and October due to the water clogging in the drains and unhygienic conditions in the colonies at the bank of river Yamuna. The state of Bihar and Jharkhand signifies by Taurus sign will also get very heavy rainfall in the second fortnight of August as Venus, the lord of Taurus sign, will be in a watery rashi then. Therefore, the extremely heavy rainfall in the August 2015 will pose a danger of the spread of a disease like Dengue, Malaria or swine flu in the succeeding months of September, October and November in many states of the country. The Dengue and Malaria are Mosquito-borne infectious diseases that have great risk of becoming an epidemic in the tropical climate countries like India where water logging after heavy rainfall gives ample space to the mosquito’s for breading in the unsanitary living conditions.
Since the transiting Saturn will be in close degrees of the natal Ketu in the foundation chart of India during the months of September, October and November so there is a great risk of the outbreak of some infectious disease like Dengue, Malaria, eye- flu or swine flu again later this year. This risk will be more in the states like Gujarat, Goa & Konkan region, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Delhi-NCR as these places will get very heavy rainfall in the month of August this year. {Note: The zodiacal sign of states use in this article have been taken from the Vishwavijay Panchang of late Shri Hardeo Sharma Shastri Trivadi and also from the book Astrology and the Hoax of Scientific temper of late Shri B.V. Raman. }
