An extraordinary girl

A Famous Astrologer Predicts My Marriage

A famous Bengali astrologer lived in Calcutta who could read people's past, present and future. A relative told my mother about him, saying, "Let's go and see this man. I have something to ask him."

Mother's blunt answer was, "I don't believe in such charlatans. Besides, what's the use of knowing the future when whatever God has written on my forehead is going to happen? I see no point in learning about it from any other source."

In spite of these objections, she finally agreed to go, insisting that she would ask no questions of her own.

As soon as they arrived at the astrologer's, the relative began asking question after question. When it appeared that there would be no end to it, Mother lost patience and said, "Let's go now. My daughter is all alone." The remark caught the astrologer's attention. "Your daughter?" he asked. "But she is not alone. She is enjoying the company of a friend who is reading to her a letter. But this is a secret she will not divulge to you. Could I once meet her?"

Intrigued, my mother thought to herself, "My daughter keeps a secret from me? I can't believe it!"

She and her relative hurried home, and the first thing Mother asked me was if my friend who was a frequent visitor to our house had been to see me. But when she went on to ask whether this lady had read to me a letter and what the letter contained, I was not only surprised but annoyed. "How do you know?" I shot back, "Who told you?"

"The astrologer — "

"My friend has forbidden me to tell you about it," I replied. Then with rising anger I added, "What business has he to tell you these things? It's very wrong of him."

Undeterred, Mother persisted, "He wants to meet you just once."

"Never!" I exclaimed.

I did not know that the astrologer had also asked my mother for my date and hour of birth, and that she had already given them to him. He had drawn up my horoscope, but had told my mother not to tell me about it. He had even mentioned that after three days I would ask about it myself.

On that very day, a friend of mine came and told me, "I saw your mother reading your horoscope. As soon as she saw me, she tried to hide it."

Enraged, I went to my mother and burst out, "Why did you have my horoscope done without asking me? What right has this man to prepare it behind my back?"

My mother replied that he had said my horoscope was extraordinary. "He has not only asked you to see him," she explained, "but says he will be waiting for you."

I became red with anger, but later, during the afternoon, I changed my mind. "Let me go once," I thought.

When I reached his house and rang the bell, he opened the door himself and welcomed me. "Come, I have been expecting you," he said.

I was still simmering with rage and retorted rudely, "Why have you made my horoscope without my consent?"

"I don't know about the right or the wrong of it," he answered calmly. "But I felt like doing it, and what I divined seems to be true. Very strange, this horoscope of yours! Very rare indeed! On the one hand it is extraordinary in its promise, on the other it is a picture of terrible suffering. It has a striking resemblance to the horoscope of a great yogi that we all know. Not only that — at this auspicious moment you were fortunate enough to be born, Brihaspati was in the ascendant, which is an excellent sign."

"How," I interrupted, getting interested, "if there is so much suffering in store for me?"

He ignored my question. "Listen further," he went on. "You will have to marry."

"Marry? I will not!"

"You have got to marry. You are destined to become a mother and you will be one whether you marry or not."

"You mean to say that if I don't marry I will have an illegitimate child?"

"Yes, I can even lay a wager on it."

"But why?"

"That I don't know. It could be that in your previous birth you had a desire for a child, which remained unfulfilled. However, you will not have a happy marriage."

"If I won't have a happy marriage and am doomed to suffer, kindly tell me what good does Brihaspati do to me. These enigmatic predictions are just idle chatter. and I can't take them seriously."

It was as though the man had not even heard me.

"Brihaspati will serve you in two excellent ways. First, he has set a flame burning in you. This is a symbol of aspiration for God and Brihaspati will keep it burning so that it can lead you to God. Secondly, whoever goes against you and tries to harm you will fare badly. Even if you yourself do something wrong, Brihaspati will protect you. You need not even aspire for God. He will be with you always and stand by you in good times and bad."

"And in spite of this, I shall suffer all through my life?" "No, in your later years you will be at peace."

At that moment a very handsome young man entered, and sat apart from us on one side of the room. I glanced at him enquiringly, but the astrologer told him, "Please leave us for the time being. I am having a serious talk with this girl."

When the man had left, the astrologer turned to me and asked, "How do you find him?"

"Hm...quite good," I answered noncommitally.

"He is the man you are going to marry."

"What?" I exclaimed, stunned.

"Listen, I did not call him. His coming was a coincidence, don't you see?"

"No, I don't! Nor do I believe you."

"You will understand afterwards. Meanwhile, I assure you your marriage with him is settled. Your mother and relatives will bring it about. But I must repeat, you must not expect it to be a happy marriage. In fact, you are destined to marry one who will turn out to be a scoundrel."

"What nonsensical and contradictory stories you are thrusting upon me!"

"I can't help it. They are all in your horoscope. People in whom a fire is burning cannot have a happy worldly life. Their destiny is to seek a divine existence. Your horoscope has no parallel in my experience. I have truly never seen anything like it."

Strange indeed! Every word of the astrologer's prediction has come true.

But how did he acquire this uncanny power?