Upaya for Memory

Upaya for Memory

The Lal Kitab talks of four kinds of memory. I am giving some very significant and effective remedies for all four of them. These remedies are extremely valuable for the students appearing for competitive examinations and interviews.


( 1 ) General memory :

“ हफिज़ा , गुज़रे वकिअत की हर दम ताज़ा याद की ताक़त , इन्सान और तमाम देखि हुई चीजों की याद ” - लाल किताब

‘Sharp memory , power to memorize the old events and recall them as and when need arises’ .
upaya :

Take a little rice. Color it with haldi {turmeric } paste. Take this rice to a Shiva temple and place it before the Shiv Ling praying that he / she be blessed with a sharp memory. Leave a little rice there in the temple and bring the rest of the rice back home. Gift this rice in a small square dibbi of silver to the mother for safe keeping. The mother should keep it in the North East corner of the house.

( 2 ) Analytical Memory :

“ मुकाबला एक चीज़ का , कयास , हर चीज़ की अस्लिअत और बुनियाद पर इसका दूसरी चीज़ से मुकाबला करने की ताक़त ” – लाल किताब

Ability to compare, to evaluate one thing with another on the basis of its existence.

Upaya :

Offer a little milk in an earthen pot { kulhar } at a temple for 13 days regularly.

( 3 ) Memory for Mathematics and the Sciences;

“ इल्म -रियाजी के उसूलों की ताक़त , दिमाग में अपनी मर्जी के मुताबिक दायाराबंदी की ताक़त ” – लाल किताब

‘Ability to remember the rules of mathematics and its laws, ability to compartmentalize the brain for such activities.’

Upaya :

Wear a vest {or bra in case of a lady} with a small yellow flower embroidered or printed on it.

( 4 ) Memory for General Knowledge:

“गुज़रे हुए वकिअत की याद , ख्वाह कितने ही वकिअत गुज़रते जायें सब के सब ही को पेशानी पर लिखे हुए की तरह याद रखते जाने की आदत । मौजूदा हालत , political , natural {geographical } और history पर गौर की ताक़त ” – लाल किताब
‘good memory of dates and events in the area of political , geographical and historical facts.’

Upaya :

Make dough of turmeric powder with mustard oil in a small brass container. Take this dough to a Peepal tree. Place it under the tree and pray that he / she be blessed by the ancestors with a sharp memory. Leave a part of the dough there at the Peepal tree and bring home the rest. Give it to the mother for safe keeping. The mother should keep it in the North East corner of the house.

Traditional folk Upaya : can be done by all students

For concentration in the studies, settled and peaceful mind.

Upaya :

Wear round the neck a 6 mukhi rudraksh between two 5 mukhi rudraksha in a white thread. Wear it on any Monday of the bright half of the month { shukla paksha} after worshiping Lord Shiv.

( 5 and 6 mukhi rudraksha are the most common and available in abundance. They are the least expensive also; just a few rupees a piece.)

Upaya : is a ‘prayashchit’ and ‘tapasya’

Upaya : is a ‘prayashchit’ and ‘tapasya’

Let’s understand the nature and the spirit of upaya. Whether the upaya are like ‘mantra jaap’ , ‘pooja’ ‘havan’ ‘daan’ ‘fasting’ ‘pilgrimage’ of the Vedic astrology or simple ethnic upaya of the Lal Kitab ; the purpose is the same .It is both a repentance and a penance .

Doing an upaya is doing a prayashchit ---a repentance . We through our own actions turn benefic planets into malefic ; may be even through an inadvertent action. By doing an upaya we repent for having done those deeds. For example : Saturn might be very well placed , but we might make it ‘manda’ or ‘ashubh’ by drinking liquor or maltreating our servants ; The moon might be well placed but we might make it ‘ashubh’ by harassing our mother and so on. Therefore one of the major purpose of the upaya is to repent ; by feeding the fish or touching the feet of our mother and seek her blessings.

Doing an upaya is also doing a tapasya , a penance : throwing a coin each day into a river for 43 days regularly or carrying 8 haldi ganth to a temple for 8 days regularly. Its no joke to go miles to throw a coin into a river, not just once , but for 43 days or driving for a couple of hours to reach a temple eight days in a row. These upaya test our patience and that’s what the ‘tapasya’ is all about. If we want some thing from some one we have to appease him. If we have to appease some one , in this case a planet , we have to do the ‘tapasya’ : the penance . A penance is never easy ; it’s hard, grueling and tough. Tougher the penance is , the sweeter are the fruits.

Therefore the upaya have to be done in the spirit of ‘prayishchit’ and ‘tapasya’ : repentance and penance. There are no short cuts to either of them. You have to do both with religious piety and rigor. If the upaya are done in this spirit and faith, I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t be effective.

If in spite of your having done the upaya with extreme religious rigor and piety there are no positive results , then the fault will be entirely mine. That means I failed to diagnose the malady correctly or that I failed to devise the correct upaya ; and as a human being it could be quite possible. I am no Pt. Roopchand Joshi ; he was a ‘siddha’.
I will do a separate write up , shortly , on the purpose of upaya or what an upaya can do.

What is the role of an upaya? What can it do?

An upaya has a three fold function.

[ 1 ] A mechanic can repair an engine and bring it into working order; he might optimize its capacity of functioning but can not increase the horse power of the engine.

The Lal Kitab says, paraphrasing in my words, ‘upaya se bhagya ki naali mein aayee rukawat ko dur kiya ja sakata hai , lekin na to paani ki matraa barhai ja sakti hai aur na hi raftaar.’ An upaya can remove an obstruction in the channel of destiny, it can neither increase the volume of flow nor the rate of flow.
This blockage could occur because of three factors:
{ a } inter-planetary relationships : e.g. if the sun and the Saturn are together and mars doesn’t get any support from the sun or the moon or the Jupiter , in that case Mars would be ashubh or bud .
{ b } A planet by placement itself could be ashubh ; e.g. Venus in the 9th house would act as the Mars –ashubh or bud [ read message # 37 for why it becomes mars ashubh ]
{ c } Intentionally or unintentionally we , through our actions , could turn a planet against us. I had given the examples in my previous write up.

Therefore, one thing that an upaya can do is to make an effort to remove that blockage. No upaya can increase the bhagya. If that could be so, there would be no relevance left of ‘prarabdh’ or the karma of the previous births.
Almost every third request I get is asking for an upaya to increase the financial position. No body can increase the earnings beyond what is in the channel already. Yes, if there is a blockage that can be removed. And that is what I try to do. And still if the finances remain what they are then it means there was no blockage and that much water, and no more , was destined to flow in the channel.

[ 2 ] An umbrella can protect you from being drenched in rain , but it can not stop the rain.

The Lal Kitab says, paraphrasing again in my words , “ agar aap par sher hamala karne wala ho to aap aur sher ke beech mein deewar to khari ki ja sakti hai magar sher ko mara nahi ja sakta” . If a tiger is about to attack you, a barrier between you and the tiger can be raised but the tiger can not be killed. This role of the upaya is of protective nature. If there is an apprehension of a planet likely to create problems then precautions can be taken ; e.g. if rahu is badly placed in the 7th house then at the time of marriage it is advised to take a 25gm piece of silver along with Kanyadaan which the bride keeps with her all her life. It is assumed that Rahu will not be able to create mischief in their domestic life.

[ 3 ] Kumbhkaran , once asleep , would wake up only after six months.

Dormant planets or the houses { a Lal Kitab concept } would also wake up on their appointed time or event. If there is a need to wake them up earlier, efforts have to be made, in other words an upaya is needed. For example, the dormant Venus would awaken either at the time of marriage or at the age of 25 years. If for some reason the Venus needs to be awakened then the upaya has to be done. Similarly if a house is dormant then an upaya has to be done to awaken that house.

Well, that’s about all an upaya can do. Good deeds can go beyond upaya. Prayers can go further beyond. And the blessings of the parents can go even beyond prayers.

Venus in the 9th house

In ` Gutka' [ 1942 ] in the introductory comments on Venus , Panditji has said " nauven mangal bud hai yeh hota ; chhate mein khud himanda hai". Later for Venus in the 9th it is said " shukra nauven jabhua , kul mangal bud hi ho"In the 1952 edition this fact is mentioned only once in theintroductory comments on Venus . The book says , " zahar mangal budnauve banta ; dharmi shani ghar dasve ho"{ page 424}A general explanation given for this by all the books that I haveread is : ` venus in the 9th house behaves like mangal bud because itis in the house of its enemy jupiter'Well , that doesn't seem to be a very satisfactory answer to aninquisitive person like me.` so what , all planets get placed in the enemy house now and thenbut they might change their character from nek to bud , but seldomchange their identity and go through a transformation acquiring anew avatar', my mind tells me.There has to be more to it than what is perceptible. I believe , andhave no authority to substantiate my view, that the reason for venusbecoming mangal bud in the 9th house could be :

[ 1 ] The 9th house completely belongs to Jupiter. Both the landbelongs to it , so does the house on it. Therefore the 9th house ismost intimately associated with Jupiter. Now Venus placed in thishouse :Jupiter + venus = shaniSince there is already an `ansha' of sun in Jupiter therefore theequation becomes:Shani + surya = mangal budDoes this happen for any other house associated with Jupiter? No,because no other house represents Jupiter so completely as the 9thhouse does.

[ 2 ] Considering the relationship of venus in the 9th house from thehouses it is associated with , things get worse with venus in the9th house. Here venus is 8th from the 2nd house , a positionof `takrav' and 3rd from the 7th house , a position of `achanakchot'. No other planet gets into such a position that it is 8th fromone house and simultaneously 3rd from the other.

Harmony and Peace in the family

I come across a large number of cases where the peace and harmony in the family is missing. They have all the money and comforts, but no peace.

I am suggesting some general upaya which are not horoscope specific and can be done by all. These remedies have been followed for centuries by our women folk.

[ 1 ] Get a piece of Sita Ashok tree root. Place it in the pooja ghar so that a pooja of the root gets done every day. Ashok trees are of two varieties. One is of the ornamental variety which grows tall with drooping branches ; and the other is the one that grows into a huge shady tree. Sita Ashok is the one which grows to be a huge shady tree.

[ 2 ] Immerse in a river/ lake / or sea a pair of copper snakes on a Sunday.

[ 3 ] Every day feed a roti to a cow , dog and crows. This is known as a ‘gau gras’. This brings peace and prosperity to the home.

[ 4] If you fear that some one has cast an evil spell on the family then on a Sunday, burn a little kachcha koyala { wood charcoal } along with dried droppings of either a camel or a deer { Camel dung or deer dung } in an earthen pot. When the charcoal and the camel / deer droppings get red, sprinkle a few mustard seeds and a little bat droppings over it and carry the smoking pot around the house, in every nook and corner. Repeat this process for 13 Sundays at least .
The best place you can collect the bat droppings from is the deserted old buildings where bats roost during the day. You can collect the deer droppings from any zoo.

AGNI : Signified by Mars

‘Agni’ in Vedic astrology is signified by mangal. I prefer using the word ‘agni as against ‘aag’ in this context. “Agni” has a lot of connotations in the Indian ethos and psyche. There are so many manifestations of ‘agni’ that it is difficult to enumerate all of them here. However briefly ‘agni’ could be both visible and non-visible. ‘Agni’ again could be both , ‘pavitra / kalyankari’ and ‘ vinashkari’. The ‘agni’ of the havankund or agyari , or the ‘sakshi agni’of the marriage , are all pavitra and kalyankari. We all know the destructive ‘agni’ that burns and destroys . There is the third one also, a non-visible ‘agni’ like the ‘jatharagni’ the ‘agni’ that digests the food or known in common parlance as ‘ pet ki agni : pet ki agni bujhane ke liye roti chahiye’. Whenever there is an imbalance in the ‘jatharagni’ it results in digestion problems and other stomach related ailments.All these forms of ‘agni’ are signified by mangal , both subh and ashub or shant and prachand .

In the Lal Kitab the ‘agni’ which is being talked about is the one that destroys and burns , that which - jalaati hai , bhasma karati hai etc . Therefore in the context of the Lal Kitab , I prefer using the word ‘aag’ and not ‘agni’ .
Lal Kitab also refers to ‘jatharagni’ , not by this name of course, when mentioning ‘ prabhav beemariyan’ that mangal-nek signifies ‘pet ki beemariyan, haiza, pitta , aamaashaya ki beemariyan’ And for mangal –ashubh diseases like : bhagandar , fora nasoor etc {Arun Sanhita p 427} .

Could this statement be taken as signifying ‘ a form of sheetal agni’ I leave it to the readers. “ nek mangal ho kiran sone ki” { UE 762 ; AS 265 }


Fire in Lal Kitab is represented by Mangal – ashubh , which is in keeping with the Vedic astrology tradition.. The word ‘aag’ along with other associated words like ‘jalaana’ , ‘jalta’ , ‘bhasma karna’ appear in the text. I am quoting Page numbers from the original Urdu edition given as UE --- ; and from Arun Sanhita , for every one to verify as AS---

I have deliberately confined myself to the 1952 Urdu edition of the Lal Kitab because that is the only urdu edition I have. And also that I am not charged with quoting from the Dalda books { not my word}.

[ 1 ] Mangal khana # 1 { UE 488 }

“ khud ki kismet jalti hogi aur jism mein khoon ki jagah pani hoga” AS164

[ 2] mangal khana # 4 { UE 494 – 502 }

{ a }“ jalati aag , badi ka sardar , jalane par aye to sard maya ke samudra bhi jalaa de’

AS166 ;

{ b } mangal badi mangalik ho , jalate aag samudra mandir ho” AS 166

{ c } “ gulzar bhara jo kabila apana , 28 bhasma jo karata ho” AS 166

{ d } “ akla 12 budh teve bhari , pet jala khud dukhiya ho” AS 166

{ e } “murde sukha kar chulha jalana , raakh mangal bad karta ho” AS166

{ f } “ moti bhare samudra na lekh ghar ka jalata….” AS 167

{ g } “ sukhai gayi lashon se bhatti jalana mangal bad ka kam hai” AS167

{ h } “ har tarah se manda , har samay jalti aag” AS 167

{ i } “ samudra ko aag se jala denewala ya aisi aag jo pani se bujhane ke bajay

sare samudra ko tah tak jala de” AS 167

{ j } “ aur mangal bad mangalik ki aag jor par hogi” AS 168

{ k }” dukhon se mara hua bewqoof tang , andar ke jalte hue khoon se tarapta

phire”AS169

[ 3 ] Mangal khana # 6 { UE 506 }

“himmat se bhara hua pataal aur pani mein bhi aag jala dene ki shakti” AS171

[ 4 ] Mangal khana # 8 { UE 512 –515 }

{ a } “ vachan bewa deti jo neki ka tujhako, bhujhe aag khud hi jala deti jo ghar

ko” AS173

{ b } “ tandoor mitti ho jab ghar jalata , bachata baki na koi ho” AS 173

{ c } “ aayu daulat khud apani lambi , jalata jalaata auron ko ho” AS173

{ d } “ chahe aayu ka swami Chandra kaisa hi baitha ho jalata jalaata dusaron

ko hoga” AS173

[ 5 ] mangal khana # 10 { UE 518 – 520 }

{ a } “ bike ghar se sona to ho dhudh jalata” AS175

{ b }” Chandra ravi guru 6 , 3 baithe , jalata jangal jar ghatata ho” AS 175

{ c } “ guru nashta ,surya barbaad, manda sona ,mandi hawa jo jalatee phire” AS176

[ 6 ] mangal + guru { UE 762 – 765 }

{ a } “ aag mangal bad jalata parayee, ketu raddi budh manda ho” AS 265

{ b } “ ghar 4 , 6 khali hove , khoon beemari jalata ho” AS266

[ 7 ] mangal + shukra { UE 851 – 855}

{ a } “mangalik mangal saath jo milata , aag mitti sab jalata ho” AS 299

{ b } in khana 2 “ sab kuchh unka aag mein jalata , papi mangal bad milata ho” AS299

[ 8 ] Mangal + Budh { UE 872 – 877 }

{ a } in house # 4 “budh akele beshaq uttam , rakh zamana milata do” AS307

{ b } in khana # 11 “ makan tabele daulat jalati, har hani sab deta ho” AS308

Well , all these excerpts are sufficient enough to make me believe that mangal-ashubh signifies ‘aag’ in the Lal Kitab.