Comments on Assessment Methods  for Marriage Compatibility  Judicious use of Guna Points/Bindus and other Scores Painter D Of the dispersed "Bhagavata Purana", India, probably Delhi-Agra region The cowherd women of Vraja observe the vow of Katyayani, c. 1520-1530 http://www.virginia.edu/artmuseum/collections_NEW/the_collections/Asian/India.htm Q: Namaskar,  I was studying match-making, in Hindu astrology much emphasis is given to Points/Gunas. I.e., more than 18 points and less than 36 points. How much important is such concept? Also, is only Light on Relationship sufficient for making marriage choice? Please guide.  Jai Ganesha. A: Namaste, Thanks for an excellent question and thanks as always for your sincere interest in the vidya of Jyotisha. Below please find my response. Multiple Jyotisha indicators always required IMO a Points/Gunas assessment is only one tool in a large toolkit of Jyotisha marriage-evaluation techniques. It is not wise to over-use or over-value any one tool. Indeed, it is not wise to use any tool that one does not understand! What is "Guna" Most Jyotishi apply these tools without understanding how "Gunas" (sense-detectors, behaviors, characteristics) can be expected to manifest in every-day life. What are Gunas? The Sanskrit term has acquired a variety of meanings over time. One place to start learning could be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guna  Find out something about the traditional Guna marriage-compatibility assessment and what it means behaviorally in real life, then do the traditional measuring and see if you get a reasonable score.  Gunas can be considered "fixed" in the personality (most philosophical systems and certainly Sankhya philosophy considers the universe to be a fixed & closed system). However, in the realm of normal human perception, marriage is a real-life human interaction. Marriage behavior fluctuates & accommodates changes in the two spouses over time. So how does the philosophy of fixed personal gunas help us to make decisions in the real world of changing behaviors, cultural standards, & roles? Critical Awareness in Jyotisha I am mainly posing these questions to stimulate critical awareness of the traditional Jyotisha marriage compatibility indicators.  The traditional assessments are not wrong or outdated, but they need to be *understood* in the modern context. Otherwise they are potentially false & misleading.  Not to mention, the evil caused by perpetuating ignorance through superstition. A modern explanation, in Light on Relationships I recommend Light on Relationships by Robert Svoboda and Hart deFouw as a highly accessible first text-book for learning Jyotisha compatibility analysis. The book's main virtue IMO is its use of modern interpretive explanatory language.  While remaining loyal to the ancient Jyotisha calculation techniques, the authors guide the reader through Jyotisha relationship analysis using modern psychological vocabulary and case studies of publically prominent, equal-status married couples.   Male and female personalities are treated with equal complexity in the case studies,  The insights of Sankhya and other ancient philosophies are as valid today as they were thousands of years ago. However in order to apply a concept like "Guna" in modern Jyotisha marriage analysis, we absolutely must use the modern vocabulary to explain the guna dynamics. Else we are victims of crippling superstition: making critically important life choices from the basis of a mysterious, irrational "score". Practical applications of the scores: In practice, compatibility cannot be predicted by super-high scores for any one indicator. Several different measurements should be used, and a range of results should be taken to indicate the likelihood of long-term marriage companionability. However, if there is a super-low score, that means real-life compatibility may fail along one particular relationship-interactive dimension. Super-low scores may be signaling a serious behavioral incompatibility..  It is wise to explore the psychological & physical meanings of that indicator as one currently understands the philosophy behind it, then apply the philosophy to real life. Philosophies are sets of theoretical claims about the structure of reality. It is not wise to take these claims on faith, or even at face value.  Critical Thinking Reflect on the philosophical claims. Does it seem to you that human beings have natural "guna" characteristics? What is your own incarnate "guna" composition? Does the Jyotisha assessment of your own guna nature seem intuitively correct to you? It will be necessary to use critical thinking in these Jyotisha marriage-compatibility assessment. The practice of Jyotisha requires making your own claims about the structure of the natural and supernatural worlds.  Taking Responsibility for the Concepts and their Application After staking your own claims, you will have a much clearer idea of whether a low score on a particular indicator shows a real-life difference of emotional expectations -- that could be bridged with intelligent awareness of the Other's preferences -- or indeed something fixed in the person's nature, that could not change even with intentional consciousness. Try to use modern relationship language to explain what these measurements mean.  Perhaps a low score in the ancient theory of Gunas is trying to say that the potential spouse has a very deep personal compulsion that is really offensive to the native and one's family, and would not be acceptable under any circumstances.  But perhaps it is saying something more superficial and trivial, for example that one person is more social than another, or one is more reflective than another. These are not "show-stoppers" in human relationships, although the gap in character could produce a super-low score. Intuition and Critical Thinking, Yes. Superstition, No. Your intuition will be a reliable guide to the practical life effects of Guna measurements. Use the scores to "tip you off" about something that needs your relationship-analysis attention, but don't rely on the scores themselves for the final judgment on the relationship. Certainly if the the meaning of the scores is not clear, disregard the "bindus" or points/scores. Use other indicators that you do understand, which make sense to you in terms of your own practical knowledge of intimate human relationships. Remedies Also remember that there are mitigants and remedies for every possible condition. Never be frightened of a bad indicator. Intentional spiritual practice and personal responsibility for the results of one's actions will fix 99% of marriage incompatibilities. Regarding Kuja Dosha, I have written some comments at www.barbarapijan.com/bpa/Topics/kuja_dosha.htm  All the best to you in your continuing study of Jyotisha, Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama
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