NETAJI SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE – ASTRO PORTRAIT OF A GREAT VISIONARY PATRIOT
BY DR. E. S. NEELAKANTAN
Whenever we think of India’s freedom struggle we are reminded of the martyrs and freedom fighters who sacrificed everything they had to secure freedom for India from Colonial rule, of which two stand out, viz., Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. They had the same vision but chose to pursue two different paths. For Gandhiji, Non - Violence was the weapon of the strong but for Bose, the end purpose was supreme and the means adopted could be justified,if the goal was right. The ideology of Bose was an amalgam of nationalism ,combined with socialism along with adoption of fascist means to reach the goal.
To Janakinath Bose and Prabhavati Devi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose was born as their ninth child at Cuttack on 23, January, 1937 at 12:15PM. Looking at Bose’s chart, we understand he was born in Aries Lagna with the Moon in Virgo in the asterism, Uttaraphalguni. We have 3 malefics - Sun, Rahu and Ketu in quadrants, a benefic Mercury in quadrant and another benefic Jupiter in a trine, typically making this a Madhyayur Yoga Jathaka. From Lagna, the Lagna - cum - 8th lord Mars is in a fixed sign. From the Moon - sign , Lagna Lord Mercury is in a movable sign with 8th Lord Mars in a fixed sign which confirms our earlier hypothesis that Bose would live only for about 40 - 50 years of age.
YOGAS IN BOSE’S CHART
To know about “Sankha Yoga”, one can read the book, “300 important combinations” by Dr. B.V. Raman. This yoga is formed when the Lords 5th and the 6th are in mutual quadrants and the Lagna Lord is strong. According to Dr. B.V.Raman , the effects of this yoga make the native fond of pleasures, humanitarian in outlook, blessed with wife and children, righteously inclined, doing good deeds and learned in sciences. Further Dr. Raman says “Where the planet or the house is not powerful, results attributable to the yoga cannot happen but only traces of them will be present. Where Sankha Yoga is present, the Sixth Lord also becomes beneficial in as much as by causing the yoga, he must also be capable of producing the good results of this yoga in his Dasa or Bhukti. But still the blemish due to the sixth lordship must express itself by way of the native suffering from the machinations of debts, diseases or enemies”. How Dr. Raman’s views seem totally applicable to the chart of Bose, we will see in the course of this article. Again Rahu in a Kendra or trikona having the association of a Kendra or Trikona Lord is by itself a Raja yoga. Mark the position of Rahu in 10th with the Sun. This makes Rahu a Raja Yoga Karaka as per Laghu Parasari .
Trilochana Yoga is formed when Sun , Moon and Mars are in mutual trines. One can see this yoga in the chart of Subhas Chandra Bose. This made him a celebrity in India and abroad and he was also a terror to his enemies.
In Bose’s chart lagna is in a movable sign and 4 planets occupy movable signs. This made Bose intellectually “mobile”; he was not averse to travel and his life was a continuous struggle without having a fixed home anywhere for him. The presence of Ketu in the 4th and the lord of the 4th in the 6th also fortifies this view. After his early schooling, he moved to Raveshaw collegiate school and then went on to join Presidency College, Kolkata. From 1898 till 1908, Bose was in Moon dasha.
TRAVEL TO ENGLAND
In 1919, while in Rahu dasha and Jupiter bhukti, Bose headed to London to give the Civil Services examination (ICS) with Rahu in the 10th with Mercury denoting education in a foreign country and Jupiter again denoting the same as Lord of 9 and 12. This Yoga is afflicted by Saturn from the 8th and therefore Bose had to return to India in Rahu dasha, Saturn Bhukti as he could not side with the British. Bose joined the nationalist movement under Mahatma Gandhi. Both Jupiter and Mercury come under the aspect of 10th Lord Saturn and it was in Jupiter dasha, Mercury bhukti Bose became President of Congress in 1938. Coming to Bose’s political career, there is an important role played by Saturn as a key planet in the 8th. Here Saturn as 10th Lord passes on its influence to the Lagna Lord Mars, Jupiter in the 5th and the 3 - planet conjunction in the 10th. Saturn is in Anuradha Nakshatra and this makes Saturn unique being in its own Star. Being Badhaka Lord for Mesha Lagna, it creates lots of troubles and disturbances.
ROMANCE AND MARRIAGE
Emilie Schenkl (26th December 1910 - 13th March 1996) was an Austrian Stenographer who was born into a Catholic family in Vienna. Schenkl met Bose in 1934 when Jupiter dasha had just begun and that triggered a romantic relationship between them. 7th denotes marriage while 5th denotes affairs. 5th is 11th from 7th and denotes culmination of an affair into marriage. Here Bose’s dasha Lord is placed in the 5th. Here, if we consider the Moon - Sign, Mercury is Chandra Lagna Lord and Jupiter owns the 7th. It was in Jupiter Dasha and Mercury bhukti, Bose married Emilie on 26th December 1937 in a secret Hindu ceremony without a witness, priest or any civil record. Venus aspects the 5th and Jupiter occupies the 5th - both planets strongly indicate progeny. Anita Bose Pfaff was born to Bose and Emilie on 29th November 1942 in the conjoined periods of Jupiter and Venus. Emilie was initially a Secretary to Bose, became his girlfriend and later on his life partner. The 5th and 7th bhavas are specifically related to family. The 5th denoting children scores a poor 22 bindus while 7th is marginally better with 23 bindus in the SAV chart. Lagna has 22 bindus. So it is the Lagna, the 5th (denoting children) and the 7th (denoting spouse) which fare poorly in the Ashtakavarga table.
The dictum “Karaka Bhava Nasaya” - A Karaka in the bhava it represents results in the destruction of that bhava - applies to Bose’s chart as Jupiter is in the 5th. Consequently he had no sons but only one daughter with whom he was separated on account of his preoccupation with the freedom struggle till his passing away in a flight accident in 1945. . When the 5th lord occupies a Kendra or Trikona, the Ekaputra Yoga is given rise to; the native will have only one child. This Yoga finds applicability in the chart.
MEETING WITH THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS OF THE SOUTH
In 1939, Congress opposed Bose’s candidature for Presidency. Gandhiji’s Candidate was Pattabhi Sitaramayya. The well known Tamil leader Muthuramalinga Thevar supported Bose besides playing a significant role in his victory. Subsequently Bose was not too happy and resigned from the post.
It was in September 1939, that Bose visited Chennai where he was the honoured guest of eminent industrialist and freedom fighter, Sri Kowtha Suryanarayan Row. Bose was hosted by the latter in his house at Broadway, Chennai and it was K. S. Row who delivered the welcome address (see Appendix for the full text of the speech presented by Sri Kowtha Suryanarayan Row). Along with this article, one can see a file photo where Bose is seen on the dais with two eminent freedom fighters Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar and Shri. K. S. Row.
TAKING THE SUPPORT OF NAZI REGIME
With Japanese support he formed a Provisional Government of Free India, revamped the army (INA or Indian National Army) whose aim was to liberate India from British rule with help from Japan. Generally, it is said that any planet - whether benefic or malefic - yields only good results while in the 11th.
In that sense, Venus as Lord of 11th seems to be quite well placed. However there is another view which is that benefics are good in trines and quadrants while malefics are good in the Upachaya houses.
Venus in the 11th will give good conduct and fame. He will enjoy all luxuries and will resemble a king with several administrative powers vested in him (Chamatkar Chintamani) .While in Germany, Bose lived in a luxurious residence along with a butler, cook and gardener and used to move around with Emilie in a chauffeur driven car. All these were due to the favourable placement of Venus in his chart.
It was in Jupiter dasha and Venus bhukti that Bose adopted a belligerent approach towards getting rid of British Colonial rule even if it meant adopting a supportive view of the Nazi forces. It was this same Jupiter - Venus conjoined period during which Bose played a “Hide and Seek” approach with the British. He successfully managed to evade the British tentacles and reach Germany. In January 1941, he put on the dress of a Pathan, with a beard and escaped from Kolkata. He reached Peshawar and he was taken to the house of Abad Khan. He managed to reach Russia crossing the North West Frontier. Bose pretended to be a deaf and dumb person to escape from the officials on surveillance. He reached Moscow and from there he travelled to Rome and eventually reached Nazi Germany. In a special aircraft Bose flew to Berlin. At that time there were 4500 soldiers who had fought for the British in North Africa who were captured by the Axis forces. With these forces he founded the Free India centre in Berlin. The Indian Legion as this force was called owed allegiance to Adolf Hitler and Netaji Subas Chandra Bose.
The Germans were reluctant to form an alliance with Bose whose popularity was less compared to Nehru and Gandhi. In 1942, the German army was caught up in the USSR, while Japanese had won quick victories in South East Asia.
Adolf Hitler refused to entertain the requests of Bose. In February 1943 (in Venus Bhukti of Jupiter dasha) Bose left Schenkl and his Baby daughter Anita and boarded a German Submarine to travel to South East Asia. At that time Bose was convinced that Hitler’s army which was retreating from the Soviet Union was in no position to support India in driving out the British. He travelled around the Cape of Good Hope and moved to another Submarine which took him to Imperial Japan. In the whole of World War II, this was the only incident of a Civilian transfer involving two Submarines of two different navies.
WAGING A WAR FROM BURMA WITH JAPANESE SUPPORT
In February 1943, Bose left Schenkl and Anita and boarded a German Submarine (to travel), got into a Japanese Submarine and reached South East Asia which was under Japanese occupation.
At a rally of Indians in Burma on 4 July 1944, Bose said, “Give me blood and I will give you freedom” (Tum Mujhe Khoon Do, Main Tumhe Azadi Doonga). The troops of the Indian National Army were under the aegis of the Azad Hind Government which had its own currency, postage stamps, court and civil code and was recognised by nine Axis states - Germany, Japan, Italian Social Republic, Croatia, China, Burma, Manchukuo and Philippines besides the Wang Lingwei regime. (Manchukuo was a puppet state of the Empire of Japan in China and Inner Mongolia from 1932 until 1945. It was first a republic, but in 1934 it became a constitutional monarchy. It had little international recognition and was under the de facto control of Japan. ).The Japanese took possession of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1942.
The Japanese army working with the Burmese national army and the INA, encircled and placed under siege the adjacent towns of Kohima and Imphal. On 6th July 1944, Bose addressed Mahatma Gandhi as the father of the nation and sought his blessings and good wishes for the war he was fighting.
The above sequence of events could be justified by the fact that Jupiter occupies a fiery sign Leo aspected by a fiery planet Mars. Jupiter is also forming a square with Mars and Saturn which makes it lose its calm nature. After the defeat of the Japanese in the battles of Kohima and Imphal, Bose’s dream of establishing a provincial government with a base in mainland India was lost forever. In the territory of Burma, the INA fought key battles - with the fall of Rangoon, Bose’s government ceased to be a functional entity. Majority of the INA troops surrendered. The remaining troops retreated with Bose to Malaya and Thailand. The remaining forces of the INA also surrendered after the surrender of the Japanese troops.
The INA prisoners were repatriated to India and tried for treason. The decline of INA coincided with the bhukti of Sun in the Maha dasha of Jupiter. The two planets are in 6/8 axis with the bhukti lord Sun, afflicted by Rahu. The sign - dispositor of Jupiter is Sun, afflicted by Rahu. The sign - dispositor of the Sun is Saturn who is placed in the 8th in an enemy’s house.
DEATH:
If the Lagna Lord (or lagna) is stronger compared to the eighth house or the eight Lord, long life is assured. In Bose’s Chart the Lagna has 22 bindus - while the 8th house 33 bindus, meaning it is the 8th house which is stronger than lagna. This is one more factor which curtailed the life span of Bose.
Under mysterious circumstances, Nethaji Subhas Chandra Bose is believed to have been killed in an air crash on 18th August 1945 when he was travelling from Taipei (in Taiwan) to Tokyo. However his body was not found. Later on the Indian Government initiated lots of enquiries into his death, but the mystery surrounding his death could not be unravelled. In the 10th from the Moon - sign there is a three planet conjunction involving Saturn, Ketu and Venus with transit Jupiter over the natal Moon foreboding evil. Moon was in Jyeshta Star which as the 7th star indicates death. All planets in transit were in inauspicious signs. Further Gemini being an airy sign, death happens through an air accident due to the Saturn-Rahu conjunction. From his Ascendant, Mars aspects the 8th. The Anthra Lord Venus is in a Badhaka sthana - the 11th and is also a Maraka by owning the 2nd and the 7th, thereby making it an eligible claimant for being the foremost Maraka planet in the chart. Given the fact that Bose has a pronounced Madhyayu Yoga in his chart, the transits and the dasa - bhuktis were not conducive to his survival. The 8th house is termed as “Ayushya Sthana” - or the house of life. It has a significant role in determining the mode of death. Most textbooks on Astrology describe mode of death based on planetary influences on the 8th house. In Bose’s chart 8th house has Saturn aspected by Mars. Saturn rules over air while Mars rules over fire. This is a lethal combination and contra indicates peaceful death. Again the airy element comes to the fore when we realise that Bose was travelling in an aircraft which led to the accident. It was the explosion (or the fire element) which proved fatal. Scorpio rules over the 8th house in the natural zodiac. It denotes mystery, intrigue, secrecy, plots, hidden strategies so on and so forth. The scorpion is a secretive reptile which shines away from public eye. It is indicative of the zodiac sign Scorpios.
According to Jataka Tattwa, if Saturn occupies the 8th house death will happen through a cart accident (Chapter III, Verse 43). If the Trikona or Kendra houses are occupied by planets both benefic as well as malefic, longevity will be medium (Ibid, Chapter III, Verse 17). Both these principles apply to Bose’s chart. Carts used to be the mode of travel when ancient books on Astrology came to be written, but Bose also died while on travel but it was not a “cart accident”. Rules on Astrology need to be interpreted logically in changing times.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Subhas Chandra Bose was never discouraged by any form of punishment or obstacles which cropped up in his mission. His zeal is fully reflected in Aries Lagna rising with Jupiter in the 5th aspecting the Lagna. That he did not live to see India’s freedom is regrettable but usually 10th Lord in the 8th is indicative of unfulfilled dreams and efforts. The royal planet Sun as trinal Lord is indicative of his lofty thoughts but the same afflicted by Rahu and the 6th Lord Mercury indicate all the hardships that he had to undergo in his life. The 4th house rules over homeland and Ketu present therein shows his affinity to India and his patriotic thoughts but the Lord of 4th in the 6th always kept him away from his home and homeland. His ties with family were also affected by Mars in the 2nd aspected by Saturn. From the Moon, Lord of the 2nd, Venus is seen occupying a dustana, the 6th house.
However Bose’s legacy could be said to be mixed. Both Nehru and Gandhi stood for Non - Violence as the tool to attain freedom. The Nazis were known to have inflicted all kinds of atrocities on the Jews in the course of World War II for which Adolf Hitler and Mussolini have evoked worldwide criticism. But for Bose, India’s freedom was of paramount importance. Bose refused to criticise the anti - Semitism movement in Europe since he thought, he could take their help for his mission. Collaboration, Bose had with Japan and Germany pose ethical dilemmas. Bose seems to have carried with him the idea, “The enemy of your enemy is your friend”. The theory of Consequentialism holds the moral quality of an action to be completely determined by its consequences; then this end justifies the means in all circumstances. Niccolo Machiavelli was a 15th century Italian Philosopher,who in his book “The Prince”, introduced the idea “The end justifies the means”. His unconventional belief supports the idea that any kind of behaviour that would create a specific positive outcome for an individual is justified.
Bose’s efforts in the freedom struggle indicate a Machiavellian approach. In one of his letters to his brother, Bose wrote, “For a man of my temperament, who has been feeding on ideas that might be called eccentric - the line of least resistance is not the best line to follow. The uncertainties of life are not appalling to one who has not, at heart, worldly ambitions”.
It was Bose, “the man in parallel mission”, who showed the nation the vision of an independent India. His fierce determination and rebellious attitude ignited the minds of the citizens towards acquiring freedom.