As Mr. Rao himself has demonstrated, leaders in our community; whether they be religious leaders, political leaders, or leaders in the jyotish community, will (at some time) come under the scrutiny of astrologers...this is par for the course - it's what astrologers do - they read horoscopes!
I, like most in the jyotish community, have had a great respect for this living icon and (for the great body of work he's given to the jyotish community) much of that respect remains. I therefore hope that I might look at this chart with clear eyes, free from any prejudice.
 Name & Fame:
With 3rd/6th lord Jupiter, dispositor of YogaKaraka Saturn and Rahu, exalted in 10th house of status (reputation, publicity) it was destined that his work/service(6th) would receive great recognition and that his reputation would spread throughout the world, bringing to fruition his strong desire(3rd) for such.
Rahu's association with 10th house is often seen in the charts of those who have gained great name and fame. For Mr. Rao, as we see, Rahu's dispositor (Jupiter) is exalted in 10th whilst 10th lord occupies the Ascendant.
 The same influence can be seen in the chart of the late B.V. Raman (another jyotish icon) with Rahu's dispositor (Jupiter) in sign of Grt.Frnd in 10th whilst 10th lord aspects the Ascendant from 7th house. Divine planet Jupiter is the significator for knowledge - Vedic knowledge particularly (i.e. Vedic astrology, also known as Jyotish) and Rahu, as we know, is capable of bestowing the greatest worldly success. Another example is the chart of the great Mahatma Gandhi who has 10th lord Moon conjunct Rahu in the 10th house itself whilst Moon's nakshatra lord occupies the Ascendant. Of course, unlike Rao and Raman, Gandhi's fame was due to his great empathy with the public(Moon). He became the voice of reason, the moral father of the nation through one of the most difficult periods in Indian history, bringing him (also) worldwide recognition. The late Princess Diana, with lagnesh Mars conjunct Rahu in 10th, is yet another example of this power of Rahu to bestow worldly recognition...throughout the history of the royals none was ever pursued so relentlessly by the publicity hunters as she was. It's claimed that this relentless publicity was ultimately the cause of her tragic death...this can be seen with Rahu's dispositor (Sun) conjunct 8th lord Mercury in 8th house. She was (at the time of her death) running the pratyantar dasa of Sun in the antardasa of Rahu.It's the tendancy for astrologers to pronounce only negative results for Rahu, yet none would have gained the enormous recognition they did without his help - the compelling force that drove them on towards their destiny.
Inclinations of Mind:
As seen with Mr. Rao's interpretation of the Pope's chart, one needs to judge this area with the right intentions as it can be far too easy to allow one's own preconceived ideas to come to the fore...
There are two houses (and two planets) that relate to the mind - 4th house and Moon relate to the emotional mind whilst 5th house and Mercury relate to the intellectual mind. In Mr. Rao's chart both 4th and 5th are owned by Saturn who, occupying Jupiter's sign in 3rd house, aspects the 5th, 9th and 12th houses.
4th house is receiving the aspect of both Jupiter and Mars who, owning the 3rd/6th and 2nd/7th respectively, are functional malefics for this chart.
Saturn, being a cold planet, suggests a lack of emotional warmth which, without the aspect of Jupiter, could ere on the side of cruelty considering Mars also aspects this house. The combustion of Moon and Mercury indicates that the mind can be overshadowed by ego. However such influences do indicate mental strength/courage and perseverance in all he sets his mind to...
With Jupiter in 8th from Saturn, their normally neutral relationship is temporarily inimical...so 4th/5th lord Saturn, signifying the mind in this chart, will undoubtedly feel some unease in this (religious) sign whilst the houses he aspects will, in turn, suffer through his influence...but how might we interpret this?
It's been said that Saturn protects the house he occupies but harms those he aspects. In this case, due to his YogaKaraka status, his potential for harm (due to inimical placement) is greatly minimised...
In my opinion his aspect on 5th can only add strength to the intellectual mind as Saturn here is aspecting his own house (moolatrikona sign). This is born out by Mr. Rao's many intellectual achievements - literary works and so forth.
The aspect on 9th house of higher knowledge, whilst 9th lord himself suffers combustion, is testament to the fact that, in spite of being an extremely knowledgable jyotisha (Jupiter exalted in 10th), there are undoubtedly some areas that Mr. Rao has not been able to interpret correctly - his teaching on so-called Nodal aspects is one that immediately comes to mind - there are others!
Of course Mr. Rao would vigorously disagree with this and will in all probability speak out against my right to criticise; in which case I should remind him of his own (public) criticism over the years of the work of his contemporary, Dr. B.V. Raman; both whilst he was still living and since his passing.
Considering further this inimically placed Saturn's aspect on 9th house of religion (from Sagittarius), we can better understand the strong religious prejudice behind Mr. Rao's comments on the Pope....so strong in fact that he was incapable of reading the chart clearly.
The tendency for Mr. Rao to criticize others whilst forbidding any discussion on his own chart is testament to his belief in his own infallibility which, as previously said, is evident with the combustion of Mercury/Moon...showing, undoubtedly, the strong influence of ego/pride on the mind whose significator Saturn (inimically placed in the sign of Jupiter, the planet of religion) casts his uneasy aspect on 9th house.
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We need to remember that jyotish has been popularized throughout the world and, today, people of all faiths are practicing this divine science...Christians included! Many of whom are likely to read the biased article on the Pope - what a blow this could be to their confidence in the Holy Father!
Both the Pope and Mr. Rao are leading figures in their community. Both are living today and both are subject to the same scrutiny...this is the price of fame!
Wendy Vasicek
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