Verse 1.3.12

Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.3.12:

মহা-জ্যোতির্-বিত্ বিপ্র সবার অগ্রেতে লগ্নে অনুরূপ কথা লাগিল কহিতে ॥ ১২ ॥

महा-ज्योतिर्-वित् विप्र सबार अग्रेते लग्ने अनुरूप कथा लागिल कहिते ॥ १२ ॥

mahā-jyotir-vit vipra sabāra agrete lagne anurūpa kathā lāgila kahite || 12 ||

maha-jyotir-vit vipra sabara agrete lagne anurupa katha lagila kahite (12)

English translation:

(12) Then that great astrologer brāhmaṇa began to speak before everyone present about the symptoms of the various houses in the child’s horoscope.

Commentary: Gauḍīya-bhāṣya by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura:

Nīlāmbara Cakravartī was a learned teacher of the science of astrology. Therefore he began to explain the various lagnas of the Lord’s horoscope to the people present there. The word mahā-jyotir-vit is explained as follows:

śaṅkhe taile tathā māṃse vaidye jyotiṣike dvije yātrāyāṃ pathi nidrāyāṃ mahaccabdo na dīyate

“If one adds the prefix mahā to śaṅkha (conch), taila (oil), māṃsa (flesh), vaidya (doctor), jyotisi (astrologer), brāhmaṇa, yatra (journey), patha (path), and nidrā (sleep) it will produce an opposite meaning 11.

Therefore mahā should not be added to these words.” But in this case it is

to be understood that Nīlāmbara Cakravartī was learned and expert in the science of astrology. The word mahā-jyotir-vit may also indicate one who

is learned and expert in the spiritual science.