B.V. Raman

[Jim Eshelman]

Bangalore Venkata Raman - commonly known as Dr. B.V. Raman - was, for decades, India's foremost astrologer centered around his publication for 60+ years of The Astrological Magazine, India's version of American Astrology and Horoscope all in one. His commercial instincts brought a solid foundation to Indian astrology in the 20th century and his publications (books and the magazine) were treasures for those interested in the subject. He compares to Alan Leo in England and Llewellyn George in the U.S. for establishing respect and orderly thought for astrology. He famously lectured before the United Nations general assembly about astrology in 1976.

I had many of his publications, subscribed to his magazine for a short while when I was in high school, and corresponded with him briefly. His correspondence (tightly typed on the same kind of international mailer folds that Firebrace used) was elegant, intelligent, precise, and gracious. The fact that we didn't consider a correspondence is probably credited to the near absence of any connection between our charts: The fact that we both had Hub Moons seems the most significant. His Venus squared mine exactly, but that also means it was on my Pluto. (This also suggests that the earliest time in the range isn't correct, or my Venus would have exactly squared his Ascendant and I'd have pursued a correspondence more.)

I doubt anyone in India considered him India's greatest astrologer, but he was surely its most respected - and the loudest voice advocating India's traditional astrology to the world.

He was born august 8, 1912, in Bangalore, India. Times ranging over a half-hour range are all labelled A Data because they're all from him - perhaps from successive rectifications. He published his own time in 1962 (in his magazine) as 7:15 PM (this is IST). Church of Light has a time from him for 7:35, though I don't know when they got it. At the end of his life, he wrote he was born at 7:43 PM. That's a 31-minute range. If he ever gave me his time, I don't remember (and the letter would have been long lost) - I think he didn't, because I don't recall stumbling on his chart over and over flipping through my chart collections when I kept them in large notebooks.

All the times have Aquarius rising - given India's methods, he wouldn't have let that change from a rectification - and they don't make a lot of difference. Going with 7:35 PM puts us roughly in the middle and is what Church of Light has in its files.

BTW, his own "Raman" ayanamsa not only disagrees with the SVP by 2°20', but disagrees with both other leading Indian ayanamsas, which was always controversial and probably led, as much as anything else, to the plethora of "accepted" ayanamsas across India.

[Jim Eshelman]

Raman was a Cancer-Taurus. My comparison to Alan Leo is apt: They were both Cancers with had their great impact through the instinct for celebrity they brought to their magazines. His chart easily shows the great dignity and respect that was his hallmark: Jupiter (for any of the birthtimes in this range) is closely conjunct MC, Saturn may be near IC, Mercury is closely setting.

At Bangalore's modest latitude (12N59), the mundane aspects scarcely change from the ecliptical (mundane Moon square Mars is almost exactly the same orb as the ecliptical), except that he does have Venus mundane square Jupiter and Saturn, all near angles.

His Moon is exceptionally well placed. First, he's a Cancer, so Moon is a big deal to him. Second, it's exalted in Taurus, exactly sextile Sun, with strong aspects to Uranus and Mars. His foreground Mercury in Leo was exactly square Jupiter, which fit his tone and accomplishments. The culminating Jupiter (additionally important for a Cancer) is well aspected.

[SteveS]

Jim wrote:

Bangalore Venkata Raman - commonly known as Dr. B.V. Raman - was, for decades, India's foremost astrologer centered around his publication for 60+ years of The Astrological Magazine, India's version of American Astrology and Horoscope all in one.

Are all the issues of 'The Astrological Magazine' preserved somewhere?

[Jim Eshelman]

I don't know.

His daughter took over producing it when he died. His grandson now produces it, but as an electronic publication. So it's continuing in that sense.

[SteveS]

Jim, I have seen enough mathemactical truths pertaining to my natal chart and certain methods of Hindu/Vedic astrology that probably only a caliber of Astrologer such as yourself could possibly prove out to be true. But I see two main problems:

1: It would take a very accurate birth time to prove these certain precise mathematical astrological methods.

2: And then it would take digging very deep into the ancient original history of Hindu/Vedic astrological methods, kinda like Fagan did with his historical account with Western astrological methods. I feel the original Hindu/Vedic methods of astrology has been very dilluted by the modern authors of Hindu/Vedic astrology into another claptrap.

If you happen to come up with any direct contact information with family memebrs of B.V. Raman, pass em on to me and I will will do some digging.

[Jim Eshelman]

If you happen to come up with any direct contact information with family memebrs of B.V. Raman, pass em on to me and I will will do some digging.

For the magazine: https://www.astrologicalmagazine.com/

The current editor evidently has a Twitter account for contact but I don't see anything like an email aderess. Here is his Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/niranjanbabu.bangalore

[SteveS]

Thanks Jim.