About the Author (N. E. Muthuswami)

From the back of the Book: “Prof. N.E. Muthuswamy, (1925-2005), an eminent scholar Astrologer, has written exhaustive commentaries for Saravali in 6 parts, Brihathparasarahoara in 2 parts, Utharakaalamritham in 2 parts, Prasnanushtanapadhathi in 2 parts, Prasnamarga in 6 parts, critically edited with text and commentaries, and more than 60 books on Indian Astrology in Malayalam on various aspects of Indian astrology. His books in English, Ashtamangalaprasna, Course in Indian Astrology, Gulika in Astrology, Krishneeyam have been well received. He has rendered in audio format, Sanskrit classics on Indian astrology, the Prasnamargam, Jathakadesam, Phaladeepika, Varaha Hoara, Krishneeyam, Muhoorthapadavi, Saravali, etc.

Prof. N. E. Muthuswamy, was known in astrological circles in Kerala as the Upakulapathi of Indian Astrology. He has been ardently promoting the learning of Indian astrology among the various sections of Kerala for the last 20 years and he had a large student base. He had organized more than 60 Seminars on various aspects of Astrology at Different places in Kerala and was well known as an educationist propagating Indian Astrology. He organized several All India Astrological Conferences at Trivandrum and were well attended by scholars from various parts of the country. He had also presented several papers on various seminars organized by different organizations all over India. An active member of the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences he headed the Kerala chapter of the ICAS.”

Prof. N. E. Muthuswami (1925-2005) was born in Noorani village in Palakkad in the year 1925 to Sri.N.S.Easwara Iyer and Smt. A.V. Ananthalakshmi Ammal as their fourth son. After completing his primary education, he joined Trivandrum Sanskrit college and passed Mahopaadhyaaya in the year 1945 in first rank. After this he underwent the 6 year Diploma course in Indian Medicine in Ayurvaeda. During this period he completed the Sahithyaratna and Hindi Vidwan examinations in Hindi. He entered into the private service as a Hindi teacher. He later joined as Hindi Lecturer in Mar Ivanios College, Trivandrum, S.N. College, Quilon and S T Hindu College, Nagercoil. In 1954 he started his career in Government service as Hindi Lecturer in University College, Trivandrum. He became the Principal of Hindi Training college, Trichur. Later became Professor at Government College Pattambi and then retired from service as Editor of Publications Department from Ayurveda College, Trivandrum. As the editor of the Publications Department, he had edited and published with commentary, classics from Sanskrit relating to Ayurveda and edited a Dictionary in Ayurveda in Malayalam.

During his service in the above department, he was well known to his students and colleagues as a good teacher, friend and well-wisher. He was known to the student community through his well written and simple guide books for prescribed text books. When government introduced the Sanskrit teacher examination course, he came out with simple and well written books in Malayalam and Sanskrit for those students. These became an instant success with the learners as well as teachers of such courses.

After retirement from government service, he took to Astrology. As President of the Jyothisha Prachara Sabha, which he founded for the propagation of Astrology in Kerala, he started writing books on Astrology, when he found that the common man was unable to learn astrology due to the serious lack of books in Malayalam. With his extensive knowledge of Sanskrit, English, Tamil and Malayalam he started translating and editing classics in Sanskrit to Malayalam and they became the backbone of the learning process for the common man to learn Astrology. His fundamental series Jyothisha Patamala was a favourite among the starters for learning Indian astrology. He wrote more than 70 books comprising the different areas of Indian astrology in simple Malayalam, understood by the common man. Though they were simple enough for the common man, they were scholarly as well and was well received by the elite scholars of Indian astrology. He went to the extent of publishing a Dictionary of Indian Astrology in Malayalam, for making available to the learners, the extant knowledge of Astrology.

As President of Jyothisha Prachara Sabha, with the aim of popularizing study of Astrology among the learned public, he started organizing evening classes for the public, in a small way. The first batch which was started in 1985 comprised of office going persons, and then started as examination oriented course. In the period of 20 years, there were more than 1800 students who undertook training from him in the area of Indian Astrology.

The publication urge in him took to writing for the elite in English as well. His course in Indian Astrology, is a complete reference book in itself for the learners of Indian Astrology. The Kerala classic on Indian Astrology, Krishneeyam was translated with English commentary to the international forum through his book Gulika in Astrology. He took the speciality of Kerala astrology, the Ashtamangala Prasna to the world astrologers forum, when he addressed the elite gathering and presented the keynote address on Ashtamangala Prasna as faculty of American College of Vaedic Astrology at their International Conference at Calicut. He introduced the Ashtmanagala Prasna to the elite astrologers at Bangalore when he organized a workshop on Ashtamangala Prasna which was an instant success among the astrologers. He had edited Krishneeyam into Hindi to introduce the concepts presented in the book to the astrologers in Hindi. Which is waiting for publication.

He felt that the preservation of Classics in Astrology which in Sanskrit should be preserved in its pure form and they should be audio mastered and he went to the extent of audio taping these classics like Prasnamaarga, Jaathaka Parijatham, Phaladeepila, Varaha hoara, Krishneeyam, Jathakaadesam, Brihadjathakam and Saravali.

He organized conferences with the help of fellow astrologers of common thinking in various facets of astrology in different parts of Kerala to create an awareness among the public at large about astrology. The impact of this in the area of Indian astrology in creating the awareness was such that about 6/7 magazines sprouted I Malayalam during the last five years for the common man and the astrological fraternity in Kerala were brought to the forefront to the help of them and awaken their interest in astrology as a useful medium for solving their day to day problems.

He also had created impact in the areas of Carnatic Music when he organized several National level meets for different artists from the southern parts of India. He organized Interstate Music Festivals in Trivandrum in 1985 under the banner of Dakshina Bharatha Sangeetha Prachara Sabha which was also founded by him for propagating Carnatic music. Many of the erstwhile stalwarts of the past and present gave concerts at Trivandrum during theses festivals. Perhaps this was his way of bringing the concept of national integration to fine arts and music when he brought different performing artists from different states of south India.

He never left any area of learning in Indian astrology unturned and brought them to the common man’s understanding. He always felt that proper education of the concepts were the right way of promoting astrology. He brought Indian astrology to the doors of the common man. All these Herculean efforts were done single-handedly by him with extreme devotion and sincerity.

He passed away in the year 2005. At the age of 80 after he returned from a Conference on Astrology at Alappuzha. For him health was never a hindrance to learning and propagating astrology.