Ashtamangala prasnam is a certain type of practice of the ''prasna'' branch of Hindu astrology. The terminology indicates the use of eight (''ashta'') auspicious (''mangala'') objects in its practice. These objects are ghee lamps (brass lamps with a wick in clarified butter), mirror, gold, milk, yogurt, fruits, book, and white cloth. The practice of ''ashtamangala prasnam'' is highly popular and held in high esteem in the Indian state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

and

Tulu Nadu Tulunad or Tulu Nadu, also called Bermere sristi or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Karnataka, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural ...

. In fact, the author of

Prasna Marga ''Prasna Marga'' is a unique work on Hindu astrology, natal and horary ('Prashna' means 'Horary'), that appears to be a major classical text covering every aspect of human existence. It was written in Sanskrit Sloka – format in the year 1649 A ...

, an authoritative book on its practice was written by Narayanan Nambutiri, an astrologer from Edakad, Thalasseri in Kerala. Prasna Marga was written in 1649 CE. ''Prasna'' is one of the six important branches of Hindu astrology. It deals with

horary astrology Horary astrology is an ancient branch of horoscopic astrology in which an astrologer attempts to answer a question by constructing a horoscope for the exact time at which the question was received and understood by the astrologer. The answer t ...

in which an astrologer attempts to answer a question by constructing a horoscope for the exact time at which the question was received and understood by the astrologer. The other branches are ''jataka'' (

natal astrology Natal astrology is also known as Genethliacal Astrology, which implies nativity. It is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life. This concept is based on constructing a horoscope or natal c ...

) which attempts to determine an individual's personality and path in life based on the

horoscope A horoscope (or other commonly used names for the horoscope in English include natal chart, astrological chart, astro-chart, celestial map, sky-map, star-chart, cosmogram, vitasphere, radical chart, radix, chart wheel or simply chart) is an ast ...

of the individual, ''muhurta'' ( electional astrology) in which the practitioner decides the most appropriate time for an event based on the astrological auspiciousness of that time, ''nimitta'' (interpretation of

omens An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

), ''gola'' (study of astronomy) and ''ganita'' (study of mathematics).

Outline of the Ashtamangala Prasna rituals

The process begins by extending a formal invitation to an

astrologer Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Dif ...

to perform an Ashtamangala Prasna. The astrologer then fixes a date for the Prasna based on the principles of electional astrology. The services of two astrologers are required for conducting the Prasna. On the day fixed for the Prasna, a priest would perform a puja of the

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...

. During that time the main astrologer would ask a girl or boy to keep the gold coin randomly in one of the twelve houses drawn on a wooden plank placed before the astrologer. Based on the house in which the coin was placed and on certain numbers computed during the process, the question-answer session begins. The full session may extend up to two days. After full diagnosis, remedial measures are finalized on the last day of Prasna. A person for performing the remedial measures is also finalized. The main astrologer prepares a report mentioning all the relevant facts and details of remedial measures. Remedial measures are arranged according to the availability of the designated person and suitability of the persons conducting the Prasna.

Ashtamangala number

Ashtamangala prasna uses not only

omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient times, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages fr ...

s but a lot of

numerology Numerology (also known as arithmancy) is the belief in an occult, divine or mystical relationship between a number and one or more coinciding events. It is also the study of the numerical value, via an alphanumeric system, of the letters in ...

also. One important component of the initial stages of the prasna process is the determination of the Ashtamangala number. The instrument for deriving these are

cowry shell Cowrie or cowry () is the common name for a group of small to large sea snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries. The term ''porcelain'' derives from the old Italian term for the cowrie shell (''porcellana'' ...

s which have been specially selected, cleaned, sanctified. For prasna, 108 cowries are used. The astrologer first touches the cowries while meditating on his

mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

and asking for spiritual guidance. Then the astrologer randomly divides the shells into three piles. The astrologer then goes to each pile of cowries and counts off multiples of eight and keeps the remainder; if the remainder is zero then eight cowries are retained. A three digit number is obtained this way and it is the Ashtamangala number of the prasna. The digits are supposed to be indicative of the past, present and future respectfully from left to right. Odd numbers are considered good, even numbers bad.

Ashtamangala Deva Prasna

Ashtamangala Prasna is used to ascertain the unknown causes of unwelcome situations and to plan remedial actions in the life of individuals and also of families. The same process when applied in the context of the life of Hindu places of worship is known as Ashtamangala Deva Prasna. This time, the queries for which answers are sought will be of a different nature. The intention would be to probe the mind of the presiding deity to decide on the activities to be performed that would enhance the spiritual ambiance of the temples. For example, the querist may wish to know whether pujas and festivals are being conducted strictly as per accepted norms, or whether there are any lapses in it, what developmental activities are likely to be pleasing to the deity, and the like.

Outline of the Ashtamangala Prasna rituals

Ashtamangala number

Ashtamangala Deva Prasna

See also

References

Further reading