Birla - Destiny in the palm of your hand: creating your future through Vedic palmistry

CREATING YOUR FUTURE
THROUGH VEDIC
PALMISTRY

Ghanshyam Singh Birla

This book is dedicated to my beloved Gurudev Paramahansa Yoganandaji,
whose teachings strengthened my faith in the importance of
self-analysis to harmonize body, mind, and soul.

Mans purpose is complete freedom from unhappiness.

Swami Sri Yukteswar

It is with a great sense of privilege and joy that I present to my readers Destiny in the Palm of Your Hand, an introduction to the ancient art and science of Vedic palmistry.

First and foremost I would like to thank my long-time senior students, friends and fellow morphologists, Kathleen Keogh, vice-president of The Palmistry Center, and her brother, Peter Keogh, director of my country retreat, for their dedication in helping me materialize this book under the chief editorial guidance of Patricia Munro Conway to whom I am truly indebted.

I also sincerely thank my colleague and friend Guylaine Valle, for the long hours she spent in compiling the material for this book; Sophie Bisaillon for her beautiful artwork; Nazneen Wallis for editing these pages from beginning to end; my beloved son Keero for his excellent graphic design, along with Johanne Riopel, who is also responsible for bringing my first book Love in the Palm of Your Hand to the French audience.

Sincerest gratitude to Chandan Rugenius for his Ayurvedic massage; Denise Paris and Jacinthe Ct and Rmi Riverin for holding the fort; Marie-Claire Sauv for her organizational work; Grace Macklin for her transcribing zeal; my loving wife Chanchala along with Heather Flockhart for their delicious vegetarian cuisine; my beautiful daughter Rekha and my loving son Abhishekananda for their vigilant watch on meeting deadlines; and my love and gratitude to all my friends, staff, and volunteerslyise Trpanier, Hlne Bergeron, Jacqueline Poirier, Huguette Allen, Francis Desjardins, Mary Stark, Pasquali Roberto, and Geeta Sharma, M.D. Thanks to Tania Desjardins, physicist, for her insights into the microcosmic world of the universe. Thanks also to Colette Hemlin for her contribution to the Magnetic Pen along with Mil Winter for their eleventh hour rescue.

I am especially grateful to Dr. David Frawley, a modern sage of Jyotish for his insightful and enlightening foreword. I am also grateful to my friend and colleague, Dr. A.K. Bhattacharya, who continues to ignite my heart with his loving inspiration.

Thanks to my publisher and all the staff of Inner Traditions for their support and kindness Ehud Sperling as publisher, Deborah Kimbell (associate publisher), Jon Graham, (acquisitions editor), Laura Schlivek (project editor), Cannon Labrie (copy editor), Peri Champine (art director), Ginny Scott (designer), Priscilla Baker (typesetter), Jeff Euber (publicist), Andy Sak (sales), Cynthia Fowles (international rights). We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mary Elder Jacobsen for her work on Love in the Palm of Your Hand, which helped in the creation of this subsequent book in the series. Special thanks to Kristi Tate and Susann Cobb for their care and hospitality at my book signing at The Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore. Much gratitude to Dr. Vatsala Sperling for her inspired and beautiful cover rendition of the story of Kalidas. Lastly, thanks to all my clients, students, friends, and family who allowed me to use their hands for my research over the last several decades, which has culminated in this series of books.

Perhaps nowhere in the world is palmistry better developed than in India, the ancient land of spirituality and mysticism. It is an integral part of the disciplines of yoga and meditation that have always characterized Indian culture. Vedic palmistry, the palmistry of India, is a subtle art and science that explores the many mysteries of our karma and destiny. It is based on the principles of the Vedas, ancient yogic scriptures that bring the wisdom of great sages to bear on the secrets of the conscious universe in which we live. Vedic palmistry reveals the inner needs and purposes of our souls, while at the same time it points to specific events in our outer lives.

In India palmistry is used along with astrology. When one says that one practices Jyotish (which means astrology), people immediately show you their palms. Vedic palmistry and Vedic astrology are intimately related. The Vedic system reveals a remarkable correlation between the hand and the birth chart. The palm shows the strength or weakness of planets similar to those indicated by the positions in the birth chart. The hand, like the chart, indicates the life experience of a person as well as the remedial measures a person should take to balance or improve his or her planetary influences. Through looking at both the palm and the birth chart, one gains a twofold perspective. The process is like crossing horizontal and vertical lines to pinpoint exactly what is occurring in ones life.

Vedic astrology is rapidly gaining popularity in the Western world and is now recognized as one of the most accurate and profound astrological systems available today. It contains many more calculations and considerations than the usual Western astrology, including twenty-seven lunar mansions (nakshatras) and a complex system of planetary periods (dashas), which gives it a unique place among astrological systems. As the current president of the American Council of Vedic Astrology (ACVA), I have watched interest in this subject grow steadily. While Vedic astrology was once an obscure rarity in this country, it is now a major movement in astrological circles. Vedic astrology provides insight into all domains of life including career, relationships, finances, spirituality, and mental and physical health. Vedic palmistry has the same range of applications and can serve as a comprehensive guide for self-realization. In a few years we have seen our Vedic astrology organization grow from a few scattered individuals to nearly five hundred people. In the course of our various programs and conferences we have invited many teachers to speak on Vedic astrology, including a number from India. It was in this context, in February 2000, that I first met Ghanshyam Birla when he spoke at our Seventh International Symposium on Vedic Astrology in Sedona, Arizona. Ghanshyam took the time to look at my palm along with both the hora chart (chart for the moment) and my birth chart. He made several important and accurate observations about my life and destiny. Above all, he was able to communicate his insights with clarity and consistency, both relative to the facts of the palm and the chart and relative to the movement of my outer and inner lives. He demonstrated a remarkable command of his subject, a methodical approach, and the ability to make what he saw relevant on a spiritual level.

Ghanshyam Birla is one of Indias and the worlds foremost palmists and astrologers, with many years of experience in the East and the West. He combines palmistry and astrology together in his readings, following the venerable Vedic tradition, a tradition that he has been thoroughly trained in since childhood. He is well aware of the spiritual potential of each person and the yogic paths each should follow to promote his or her inner evolution. At the same time he is aware of each persons human needs and karmic compulsions; these aspects cannot be ignored and must be fulfilled before an individual can go beyond them. Ghanshyam is no mere fortune-teller but a wise counselor and guide who wants the best for his clients and is able to enter into a deep and lasting rapport with them.