Read the History of Nadi

"Nadi Astrology is an ancient art of predicting the destiny of man." It is believed that in Dwapara yuga, seven rishis or saptarishis - Agasthya, Kaushika, Vyasa, Bhogar, Bhrigu, Vasishta and Valmiki,out of infinite compassion for mankind through their yogic mystic powers could foresee the happenings in the lives of men, past and future and they gave out this transcendental knowledge of Nadi predictions in a poetic manner. To them man`s suffering is due to his past actions and they showed remedies to come out of it and lead a good life.

About Nadi

• The nadi was written down in ancient Tamil script called, Vatta eluzhuthu, in palm leaf manuscripts.
• There are different types of nadis written down by the Rishis and also there is a nadi called Siva nadi, which is in a dialogue form between the Lord and his consort Parvati.
• Saint Kakabusanda also sang verses to his beloved disciple, Goraknath about the destinies of men. And his nadi is called, kakabusanda nadi.
• There are Nadis like Ganesh Nadi, Brahma Nadi, Muruga nadi, tantra nadi, Shakti nadi, Atri nadi, Nandi nadi, Dhruva Nadi, jeeva nadi and Suka nadi.
• These nadi leaves are preserved by applying peacock oil on it on auspicious occasions.
• It is believed that these leaves are written only for the destined souls, who would seek the leaf, on their own accord at the destined hour.

Legends Say

In the year 1540, moguls attacked the palace of Tanjore and they found the nadi leaves in the secret chambers of the palace. Nadi leaves meant little to them and so they ordered it to be destroyed. That night, sage Agasthya appeared in the dream of a Brahmin astrologer and instructed him to go and save the leaves from destruction. The astrologer had to walk 120 kms approximately to the palace and to his surprise he did find the leaves. He was promised by sage Agasthya that he and his future generations would find success and auspicious merit for saving the nadi leaves from peril. From then on, the Brahmin`s family and his succeeding generations became the blessed family called, “Shiva family”, who formed the original custodian of the nadi manuscripts. They continued the spiritual legacy of prediction of nadi leaves.

History of Nadi Leaves

With time, the leaves got scattered and they were collected and categorized during the chola rule in Tanjore and preserved in the Saraswati Mahal. The leaves got destroyed and burnt during the Muslim invasion and in the British regime, they gave away the nadi leaves to some families and some were sold and auctioned. They kept in possession only those that revealed knowledge of herbs, alchemy and medicines. The nadi leaves were sought by astrologers from a community called Valluvar and they belonged to Vaideeshwaran Koil, near Chidambaram in Tamilnadu. Vaitheeswaran Koil became the heart center for nadi astrology. The astrologers made their living through nadi predictions, who got trained at reading them from their elders and this was passed down from generations to generations. Around 13th century, Some nadi leaves that were lying scattered in Vaitheeswaran Koil were collected and preserved under Maratha ruler, King Serfoji. He was a true patron of arts and sciences who stored these nadi leaves in the famous Saraswati Mahal at Tanjore. But currently, Vaitheeswaran koil is the main place for nadi astrology. Many Brahmin communities practicing astrology have come in possession of nadi leaf bundles and some are sent to other parts of India too from this place. Shiva nadi jyotisha is the most popular among nadi astrology predictions. Predictions are made taking the thumb impressions of an individual and it is said that there are 108 types of thumb impressions on this earth. The leaves are found across India, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal and they are written not only for those of Indian origin but for souls across the world seeking relief from this bondage of suffering and pain. The leaves are written for a few and if destined, one would certainly seek the leaf for a new turn of life.

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