(1912-1998)

by Ronnie Gale Dreyer

It is with great sadness that I report the passing on December 20, 1998, of B.V. Raman, the most renowned Hindu astrologer, author, lecturer and teacher of the 20th Century. According to his children, Dr. Raman died suddenly and peacefully of a heart attack while proofreading The Astrological Magazine which he published and edited since 1936.

Born Bangalore Venkata Raman on August 8, 1912, at 7:46 P.M. IST in Bangalore, India, this influential man achieved world-wide fame for his accurate predictions of the rise and fall of Hitler and Mussolini, and the victory of the Allied forces during World War 11, which appeared in the pages of The Astrological Magazine.

Due to their acceptance of astrology, India's leaders often wrote to Dr. Raman and read his monthly publication to obtain astrological forecasts about their own political careers. To this day, The Astrological Magazine, whose editor-in chief is Raman's daughter Gayatri Devi Vasudev, remains one of the best resources of Vedic Astrological knowledge and a forum for today's leading voices in Jyotish.

It is not an understatement to say that B.V. Raman single-handedly led the resurgence of classical Jyotish in India and introduced the ancient sciences to Western audiences. At a time when there was very little information available outside India, many of us had our first introduction to Vedic Astrology through B.V. Raman's publications and, if we were fortunate enough, lectures.

Raman was instrumental in the formation of the Indian Council of Astrological Science of which he was President and was patron to several international organizations and schools. In 1992, he delivered the Keynote Address at the First International Vedic Symposium in San Rafael, California, and was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Dr. Raman, who granted me an hours long interview in which we discussed everything from Tropical v. Sidereal Astrology to ayanamsas to astrology's origins.

Although Dr. Raman will be greatly missed, we are lucky that his astrological legacy will live on through his children, some of whom are professional astrologers, and India's Jyotish practitioners - all of whom were no doubt influenced in some way by B.V. Raman.

Ronnie Gale Dreyer, NCGR Memberletter,
Feb/March, 2000, p.10

RAMAN'S BOOKS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM:
Dr. Raman was author of more than 20 books including:

Three Hundred Important Combinations
Notable Horoscopes
Muhurta or Electional Astrology
Planetary Influences on Human Behavior
Graha and Bhava Balas
A Hindu in America

To find Dr. Raman's books, here are some sites which specialize in Hindu astrology, with links to their websites:

AstroAmerica
JDR Ventures
21st Century Bookstore
American Council of Vedic Astrology

Raman's Bio at his Magazine
Other Vedic Astrologers
Memorials L-Z, Continued
To Memorials, A-K

DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial is interactive, and we welcome your memories and tributes, which we will add to the page. To suggest names, share memories, create tributes, or volunteer, send us an e-mail.

CREDITS: The photo comes from his biography at The Astrological Magazine, which he edited for so long. The origin of this background is unknown to us, and we would appreciate any information about it, so that we can give credit. Book covers on this site are courtesy of AstroAmerica or the publishers.