Nadi (pronounced 'naadi') Jyotishyam, is
a unique way of unravelling a person's past, present and future.
Popular in Tamil Nadu, this is a system where any person who
gives his or her thumb impression, can know details of previous
birth(s), sins, virtues, the rationale behind one's present
birth, one's future in this birth and also details of future
birth(s).
It is claimed that sage Agastya had the knowledge and
vision of the reasons for the birth of each human being. He
wrote this down on palm leaves called Yedugal, meaning
books, in Tamil. During the reign of King Sarabhoji of
Tanjavur (circa 18th century A.D.), these were rewritten and
referred to as Volai Chchuvadugal, meaning leaf
prints. These prints form the keys to the thumbprints in the
prediction process.
Today a few families, from places like Chidambaram and Kancheepuram,
in Tamil Nadu, have inherited these palm leaf prints, for generations
and are involved in predictions for seekers, both within the
country and from abroad.
D. Balasubramaniam, 39, of Sri Agathiyar Nadi Jothida
Nilayam, from Kancheepuram, is one such Nadi Astrologer.
He spoke to www.chennaibest.com in this exclusive interview:Why
is this process of Prediction called "Nadi"?
Normally, any astrologer can go to any place, refer to a palm
or a horoscope and predict. However, our system involves referring
to the ancient palm leaf scriptures, which are in one place
and cannot be moved frequently. Hence the person, who wants
to know of his or her birth details, has to come to our place
and "seek" these details from us. In Tamil the word "nadi" means
seeking, among other things. What is the
system of your prediction?
Any
person, who seeks this information, has to come to us on any
day, except Tuesdays, before 8.00 am, and give us his or her
thumbprint. Right thumbprint for men and left thumbprint for
women. Based on their thumbprints, we search and refer to the
correct collection of palm leaves that belong to that particular
person's details. There is a palm leaf print for every type
of thumbprint. As per our system, the thumbprints of human beings
are classified into 108 major varieties. Among these 108 varieties,
there always are differences. So, we study the prints carefully
and pick the concerned palm leaf print/s. Then we check with
the concerned person, on parameters like their names, their
parents' names, their place of birth etc., which are indicated
either directly or indirectly in the palm leaves. If all the
parameters are met with and accepted by the person seeking,
as correct, we shall proceed with the predictions.
In what language do you predict?
I read from the scriptures, which are in ancient Tamil and not
comprehensible by many, today. Hence we also give definitions
for certain words and try to explain in understandable Tamil.
Today, we are also able to help people with predictions in English,
Hindi and a few South Indian Languages.
How about predictions to foreigners?
They may be from different places, religions and of different
languages. We have received seekers from many foreign countries.
But, today, most of our foreign clients are from Japan. They
always bring their own interpreters and we never found it difficult
to predict to them. Even if they are from different places and
belong to different religions, there are indications in the
palm leaves and while checking for the parameters, we found
that they do match.
How long does this procedure take? It
takes about 4 hours to search for the correct palm leaf print.
Then depending on the person's request for information, it may
take another few hours, to predict and explain. If it is in
Tamil, we may process in about 4-5 hours. For other languages,
it takes more time.
What is the accuracy of your predictions?
99% accurate, as claimed by my clients.
How long have you been practising this?
To my knowledge, our family has been into predicting from the
palm-leaf scriptures for about three generations. I had been
initiated into studying the palm leaf prints in my teenage.
It took me about four years to understand and decipher the ancient
script (which is very miniscule and looks like flowing scrawl).
It took me a further six years to understand the content of
the scriptures, to enable me venture into predictions.
Have you learnt this on your own or did
you learn it under anybody's tutelage?
I have learnt the art from my father's younger brother Sri
V. S. Arul Siva Arumugam, who became my guru.
Are you training anybody now?Yes.
Normally this art is found in and around Chidambaram. How come
in Kancheepuram? I hail from a small village called Valathan Pattinam, near
Mayuram of erstwhile Tanjavur and today's Nagai Qaid-e-Millat
district of Tamil Nadu. However, I had a foreboding that I will
be comfortable in a place, which is an abode of Goddess Amman.
Since Kancheepuram is the abode of the Goddess Kamakshi,
I came here in the year 1987 and have settled here.
The way clients, from far and wide, throng Sri Agathiyar Nadi
Jothida Nilayam, it appears that Balasubramaniam's prediction,
for himself, has indeed come true.
Any
person, who seeks this information, has to come to us on any
day, except Tuesdays, before 8.00 am, and give us his or her
thumbprint. Right thumbprint for men and left thumbprint for
women. Based on their thumbprints, we search and refer to the
correct collection of palm leaves that belong to that particular
person's details. There is a palm leaf print for every type
of thumbprint. As per our system, the thumbprints of human beings
are classified into 108 major varieties. Among these 108 varieties,
there always are differences. So, we study the prints carefully
and pick the concerned palm leaf print/s. Then we check with
the concerned person, on parameters like their names, their
parents' names, their place of birth etc., which are indicated
either directly or indirectly in the palm leaves. If all the
parameters are met with and accepted by the person seeking,
as correct, we shall proceed with the predictions.
It
takes about 4 hours to search for the correct palm leaf print.
Then depending on the person's request for information, it may
take another few hours, to predict and explain. If it is in
Tamil, we may process in about 4-5 hours. For other languages,
it takes more time. 
