Sir:
I also went by Vedic astrology initially, but later I found that KP method is more accurate.
It differs from the vedic method in predictions.
Suppose, Mesha is the lagna and in the eleventh house moon is posited in sathayam
and mars is in avittam. Moon will have to give what Rahu is supposed to and Mars
its own.
AFter having considered the star lords, we will have to reckon with the rasi lord also
which is saturn.
Next, we will have to see where Rahu and saturn are placed. If Rahu is in the fifth
house, it will give what sun is supposed to; if saturn is in 8th house it will give what
mars is supposed to.
Then we have sukshma lord also whose calculation is lengthy. I am avoiding it now.
Then we will have to see the significators and accordingly predict. It seems rather
involved, but once we understand the basics, it becomes easier to predict.
As you rightly have pointed out, and this is my view also, God's Grace is very
important.
Once, a gentleman went to a Kerala astrologer and asked him to cast the horoscope
of his new-born i.e., born about two months ago. The astrologer asked him the
date, time and place of birth and immediately asked him to come after a month.
After he left, the astrologer's friend who was with him then, asked him why did he
send him without casting the horoscope. The astrologer replied - what is the use of
casting the horoscope of a child who is going to die in 15 days time. And the child
passed away within 15 days. The astrologer had divine grace.
Shri Ranganathan,
I cannot claim that I "know astrology", but I have dabbled in it for some time. As for KP, it is a neo-system incorporating the vimsottari dasa idea into the rasi angular positions, if my memory is correct now, after so many years. It is as good or as reliable or unreliable as the older systems. May be you know Krishnamurthy lost one child (daughter) according to my memory, after giving her in marriage, because, it transpired after the event (as usually happens with astrology, "wise after the event"!) that the husband had severe "kalatra dosha".
The incident you narrate about kerala astrologer might be true or just be legendary, because there are many such stories. But I can vouchsafe one real incident told to be my a very elderly gentleman who was an adept astrologer. His relative had a very bright and promising son but when the horoscope was cast, after the child completed four years (because the astrological rule/belief is that a child may die during the first four years due to the sins committed by its mother and this can overrule all other indivations of long life present in the horoscope; i think this is another way of telling that mother's carelessness could cause an infant its life even.), the prediction was that the boy will drown during its 13th. or 14th. year (I don't remember exactly now.)
So the father kept the matter to himself - did not reveal it to anyone. Being a landlord and a brahmin, he had no difficulty in constantly guarding his son; even his education was done by teachers coming to the house. At about the time indicated by the jyosyan, the father-son duo and family went to attend the marriage in a very close relative's family. A grand affair, rich family, large compound with acres surrounding the house, the father's attention on the boy relaxed for a while when some relatives whom he had not met for long, came. As fate would have it the boy, who was never allowed near any pond, well, or sea, etc., saw the fresh water in the family pond, tried to go further, and got drowned. The whole crowd which had assembled for the happy marriage celebrations were irredeemably affected by this tragedy.
While on the subject of astrology, one rule which, again, I learned informally from a very experienced person, is that if the 9th. and 10th. houses are linked in any one of the many possible ways, the native will surely prosper and go to a higher position in life compared to the one in which he/she was born. The bhava chart is to be taken and I feel - no proof, but - BVR's bhava calculation system is the best.
I have found this to be a rule which rarely fails, but, depending on other details the rise of the native will be through fair or unfair means. In case you have many horoscopes, you may like to test and let us know if this works.
