“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom…”. These words by the first Prime Minister of Independent India,
Jawaharlal Nehru, still carry echoes throughout the world. Those words heralded the reawakening of an ancient civilization long buried deep beneath the pangs of invasions and authoritarianism that characterized much of the past millennium. Therefore, it is only fitting that it was the devoted practitioners of
Vedic astrology who fought for and saved the day for a freshly born India from the traps of an inauspicious birth.
The fate of India as envisioned by the British Empire was shrouded in secrecy for much of 1947. It was in June that year that the British officials finally revealed their grand plan for independent India along with her partition into Muslim majority Pakistan. When made public, the announcement was widely derided by leaders across party lines. But more than the nationalists and political leadership, the community which felt most betrayed by this sudden and unexpected development was that of the astrologers.
In India, astrologers traditionally played a vital role in deciding all matters of importance. It was rare for a person or a family to go ahead with any occasion without
consulting an astrologer first. But when it came to the most vital matter of India being given her freedom, no one bothered to check with the astrologers before fixing the date and time. Astrologers considered this to be a sacrilege of the highest order. The outrage from the astrologer community was compounded by the fact that the British had decided on Friday, August 15, as the date of India getting her independence.
According to the astrologers, August 15th of 1947 was an inauspicious day for any kind of new beginnings. They campaigned hard to get the date changed, but to no avail. The decision had been made and there was no changing the mind of the British, especially with something as ‘inauthentic’ as Vedic astrology. Not ready to give up, the astrologers then began putting pressure on the Indian leaders to make the ceremony happen at the stroke of midnight on August 14.
This way, it fulfilled the obstinacy of Britishers wanting to grant independence on Friday, August 15, while ensuring that astrologically the day remained as Thursday, August 14, which the astrologers considered to be a far superior date to make new beginnings. This forgotten battle fought by the Indian astrologers not only gave the world Jawaharlal Nehru’s immortal speech, but also a stronger and more resilient India that stood up as the beacon of morality and righteousness even when chaos and darkness spread its tentacles in all regions elsewhere.
In the following sections, we will see how gaining independence on the astrological day of August 14 helped India become the success story that she is today and what would have happened had India been given her independence on August 15 as the Britishers wanted.
August 14 as the astrological day of Independence
On the midnight of August 15, India’s birth as an independent nation heralded the arrival of a nation which upheld kindness and compassion as supreme values. India adopted a philosophical and religious approach to daily affairs combined with practical wisdom. India did not inherit much wealth but had the skill and efficiency to achieve prosperity through her efforts. Not all the projects initiated during the forming years were met with resounding success. But failures and difficulties did not deter India’s optimism and will to work hard.
India’s path to modernity and stability was littered with troubles. Those deemed ‘friends’ used India to serve their selfish interests. On occasions, India’s actions have been labelled whimsical and she has been misunderstood and even harassed on the global stage. However, India as a nation always stood steadfast on her principles of morality and equality. Throughout her independent history, India remained truthful and trustworthy. India never spent money beyond her means and has accepted criticisms as a non-functional economy rather than going for glittering emblems of fake prosperity. To her friends, India stood loyal and always committed.
India is a romantic at heart and appreciates arts and artists better than any other nation. India relishes the pleasures of the world and is strong and vital. India has progressed as a proud, ambitious, affectionate, tolerant nation with enormous endurance. India has taken part in acts that required courage and honour and have maintained parallel relationships with diverse countries. As a nation, India is strong but doesn’t mind being under looked by others. Some of her ways may appear unorthodox and unnatural to others. Her credibility in creativity is accepted the world over.
By birth, India tends to care for world welfare and will not hesitate to spend her resources towards it. Unlike other major countries in the world, India does not deceive; she is open, honest, and eternally optimistic. While enemies create obstacles, India has been astute enough to overcome every one of them. Against all odds, India maintains a level of dignity and determination in everything she does. India never takes chances with the security of her children. India cannot be pushed or shoved into deciding; she does it at her own pace and time and has her unique ways of ruining her competition.
Due to the unique cosmic alignment at the time of birth, India experiences Rajayoga results. She will overcome enemies hellbent on destroying her and will eventually find happiness. She will rise to positions of power and prominence on a global scale. In a quiet, unobtrusive way, India will be intensely proud and ambitious. Other than Raja Yoga, India also has Anabha Yoga which gives her wealth and uncompromising ethics. Additionally, India enjoys Brahma Yoga which blesses her with knowledge and wisdom and Vasumathi Yoga which gives her wealth and prosperity, among others.
Read more about Yogas
The coming decade will see India become spiritually inclined and take great interest in devotional matters. India will be active, cheerful, and innovative. She will become capable of winning over or destroying any obstacle in her path. There will be progress in business and fulfilment of desires. India is ready to bear arms if needed and will be more daring and persistent.
August 15 as the astrological day of Independence
Independence on August 15 day time would have made India covet more land and properties. Discarding the principles of morality and equality, India may have developed a shrewd business sense with no remorse for causing unrest for selfish gains. Rather than spiritual, her interests would have been material in nature with impetus on worldly pursuits. India’s destiny would have been fraught with turmoil and trouble. Rather than face the challenges head-on and overcome them, India may have become bitter and arrogant and resorted to rash actions.
India would have developed a vindictive and forceful nature with a belief in divine power, meaning nepotism and family dynasts would have acquired complete control over the fate of the nation. The population would have been brainwashed and unaware of the true state of the economy till financial reversals hit them hard. Working for people’s welfare would have been viewed as a waste of time. India would have been a puppet in the hands of stronger, more powerful nations. Trouble in formative years would have eventually sent India towards authoritative, dynastic rule with no vision of prosperity for all.
India may have been unfaithful in her relationship with other countries in the world. By now, India would have ascertained deceit and trickery as core values and been a major player in illegal and unsafe activities. An inflow of filthy money would have further eroded the already weakened spiritual base of the nation and a cultural invasion would have been complete, or almost complete. Rather than being a proud and stable nation, India would have been unstable and insecure with fear and anxiety spreading over all levels of governance and into the common people.
Many of the expectations that a country rightly has about her leaders would have been deemed impractical in the case of India. A toxic mindset would have ripped traditional family values to pieces and the bulk of the young population may have slipped into depression and pessimism. The good countries of the world would have isolated India and stayed away from her, while the bad countries would inject more poison into her character and governance. Rather than be the voice of sanity and morality, India would have lacked the decency of speech and would have been shunned on the world stage like a disease.
In conclusion
By ensuring that the astrological day of birth of Independent India was August 14 rather than August 15, the astrologer community ensured that the New India would remain rooted in her spirituality and morality. They made sure that while the country inevitably faced numerous hardships and turmoil on its path to the new millennium, she met those challenges with patience and humbleness and never let the flame of optimism burn out, rather than resort to bitterness and arrogance and thus become much maligned on the global stage.
Another important feat achieved by pushing the astrological day of independence to August 14 from August 15 was the slow but steady elimination of dynasty politics in the new millennium. Otherwise, India was faced with the prospect of dynasts attaining a god-like position in the psyche of the nation which may very well have led to further disintegration of the country on the lines of religion, language, and even geographical features. That India exists as a strong, united nation is partly due to the astrologers’ community who insisted on New India taking birth at the best possible time allowed to them.
Lastly, the nation owes huge gratitude to Vedic astrology and the astrologer community for its family bonds and ethos surviving the turbulent times of pseudo-modernistic movements whose sole aim was to destroy family culture and enslave individuals as livestock under an authoritarian regime. The strong tradition of families looking after each other ensured that the country overcame the numerous crises that came through post-independence because of failure in governance. This has resulted in India marching forward in the new millennium with a vibrant youth of almost a billion who are educated, proficient, confident, and dreaming of a future where no one is hungry and equal opportunities are afforded to all irrespective of cast and creed.
On this Independence Day, while the nation remembers the sacrifices and valour displayed by many a leader, visionary and revolutionary, this significant contribution made by the astrologers’ community towards ensuring prosperity for the future generations may well be overlooked again; but it shouldn’t be. Of course, success and prosperity do not come merely by birth. It takes hard work and dedicated leadership to make it happen. However, after all things considered, it is time that we as a nation finally express our gratitude to this forgotten chapter in the illustrious history of post-independent India.
India astrology future
As the year 2022 moves ahead, there may be unexpected wealth gain. Business deals and stock market transactions may turn out luckier than usual. Old, non-productive assets may start to bring profit. India will be respected by countries around the world. Daily life will go on more or less smoothly and general happiness will prevail all over. There will be a rise in self-confidence. Countries which ignored India earlier will come back with added vigour. Innovative ideas will solve long-pending problems. There will be victory in disputes. Holy shrines and places of pilgrimage will get a boost.
The coming years will see India become spiritually inclined and take more interest in devotional matters. India will pay more respect to age-old wisdom and her food habits will become more organized. There will be a rise in status and victory in all ventures. Financial growth will remain steady. More countries will recognise India’s rise as a global power. Other nations will seek advice and guidance from India. While remaining righteous, India may start indulging in worthless pursuits. Eventually, lethargy may set in and India’s performance as a country may become sub-par with more focus spent on arguments and quarrels than productive work.
The latter period of the decade will see India becoming more daring and persistent. Fights may erupt in the neighbourhood and India may be tempted to get involved. Maintaining a contingency plan will become necessary. The army may become involved as India may be forced to bear arms herself. India will be capable of winning over or destroying any obstacle in her path, but the focus has to remain on India’s interests as a nation. India may acquire more land and metals. Powerful nations will lend India support to protect her life and ecological wealth.