Pundits cite Ash-Abhishek visit fruitless

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Varanasi, Nov 30 (UNI) Three days after the news making visit of the Bachchan clan with Aishwarya Rai to this holy city, some prominent 'pundits' here have termed the visit ''fruitless'' with regard to the impending marriage of the doe-eyed beauty with the Junior Bachchan.

''If the visit as claimed by a Bangalore-based astrologer Chadrashekar Swami was carried out solely for addressing the mangal dosh in Aishwarya, an extreme Mangalik, then the visit has been fruitless,'' Kameshwar Upadhyaya, a former faculty at the Jyotish department of Banaras Hindu University, claimed here today.

''Mangal dosh ki shanti Kashi Vishwanth mein mangala arti, Abhishek pujan ya sankatmochan mandir mein havan se nahi hoti, balki uske liye alag anushthan hai'' (Mangal dosh cannot be addressed by offering arti or abhishek pujan at Kashi Vishwanath temple or other religious rituals at the Sankatmochan temple, but there is separate process for the cause, which has not been observed during the entire visit,'' Dr Upadhyaya added.

A cousin of Chandramauli Upadhyaya -- who carried out the entire religious rituals for the Bachchan clan and Ash at the two temples early on Monday last -- Dr Upadhyaya further said addressing the 'Mangal dosh' is a continuous process, which can be done by either of the three procedures -- Kumbha Vivah, Vishnu Vivah and Ashwatha Vivah -- which find mention in two religious texts Dharam Sindhu and Mahurat Chitamani.

''The mangal dosh in any unmarried girl has adverse bearing both on her marriage and life of her better half 'Saubhagya'. Both, alleviating the obstacles in marriage -- Vivah Dosh -- and then saving the bride from widowhood -- Vaidhavya Dosh -- can only be addressed by performing any of the three rituals,'' said Dr Upadhyaya, also the national convenor of Akhil Bharatiya Vidwat Parishad.

Detailing the three procedures Dr Upadhyaya, who claims to have solemenised at least 25,000 'kumbha vivahs' for manglik girls between 1984 and 2006, said the most prevalent ritual of addressing the mangal dosh in magalik girls is the kumbha vivah (the girls marriage with a clay urn) before their real marriage.

The marriage is solemnized in a closed room where only the girl, her parents and the priest are present. The girl dressed as full-fledged bride is first married to the urn and then made widow by breaking the urn, reflecting that the mangal dosh has been addressed and the real marriage to follow will be successful, he added.

The two other ways include the girls marriage with Lord Vishnu -- considered to be immortal -- and the marital union between the girl and a peepal or banana tree. In these two rituals also only the girl's parents have to present, Dr Upadhyaya said.

Recently, an astrolger based in Bangalore Chandrashekar Swami had claimed that Big B's brother Ajitabh visited him to match the horoscopes of Ash and Abhishek for their marriage. But the astrolger spotted a fierce 'Mangal dosh' in the horoscope of Ash, a 'Ghor' Manglik, following which the Bachchans were advised to perform prayers at a Shiva temple in Varanasi for addressing the astrological abnormality.

Dr Upadhyaya, also questioned that if the visit was aimed at addressing the 'mangal dosh' in Ash, why did the entourage fail to visit the Mangala Gauri shrine situated between Panchganga Ghat and Ramghat in Varanasi.

As per the Kashi Khand of religious scripture Skand Purana, manglik girls perform prayers at the temple for addressing the mangal dosh, but the Bachchans as well as Ash failed to go there, he added.

Dr Upadhaya also questioned the ''validity'' of religious rituals performed at the Sankatmochan temple by the Bachchan clan and Ash and stated that the much touted 'Yash Kirti Yajna' performed there does not find mention in any of texts forming basis of Vedic Karmakanda.

Meanwhile, Dr Upadhyaya's views have found support from another astrologer of the city who has been associated with the Hindi film industry for a long time. ''If the visit as claimed by the Bangalore based astrologer was meant to address Ash' mangal dosh, then it has been a failure as no ritual was performed to address the abnormality which can have a strong bearing on the success of Ash-Abhishek marriage,'' he told UNI on terms of anonymity.

Another astrolger based in the Vishwanath Gali, Acharya Mahesh Chandra Mishra went on to say that the entire Bachchan clan has been fleeced in Varanasi in the name of addressing the 'mangal dosh'.

None of the rituals connected with addressing the Mangal Dosh were performed and neither did the Bachchans or Ash visit the Mangala Gauri shrine, which speaks volumes about their 'Dhan Dohan' (fleecing).