Palms up: Lines of fate and destiny

Palmistry, or the science of predicting a person’s nature, behavior, past and future through the lines of their hand, is an ancient science much revered throughout the ages. But of late, the authenticity of the science is frequently called into question by many who believe astrology is just mumbo-jumbo.

Punya Prasad Adhikari, 77, who holds a doctorate in Jyotish Shastra (astrology), believes it is a science with its own precise rules and measurements. He uses a microscope to look at the finer lines on a hand, and claims to know all the details about a person, down to the score they get in examinations.

“One day, a foreign diplomat came to see me,” said Adhikari. “I correctly told him the color of his car, approximated its number, and even told him what diseases his family members had.” Adhikari believes indicators of the entire body can be found in the hands.

Some of these indicators are corroborated by medical science. The state of one’s physical health can often be gleaned from the color and texture of skin and nails. A much documented example is the proportion of the index finger to ring finger, which is different in men and women, and may be an indicator of sexuality. According to medical records, typically women have index fingers that are equal to or longer than the ring finger, while it is the opposite for men (J. T. Manning, D. Scutt, J. Wilson and D.I. Lewis-Jones in the journal Human Reproduction, Volume 13, No. 11).

In an article titled Finger length ratios predict sex and sexual orientation, Dr. Stian Reimers writes that gay men were likely to have longer index fingers (more like the typical female) than straight men; though this study is not uniform across ethnicities because few non-western men admit to being homosexual.

Other studies have linked the typical male proportion to a more ‘manly’ face, higher talent in sports, higher aggression, and lower risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, autism, and depression. (The correlation is not so strong for females, though women with a longer ring finger are believed to be more assertive.)

Similarly, behavioral scientists also interpret a lot from hands. Crossed arms, tapping fingers, thumb enclosed inside fist, etc send subconscious signals that scientists use to interpret psychological state. Adhikari confirms that he takes into account things like how a person conducts himself, how they hold their hands, and how hands relate to other body parts.

But a palmist’s major basis of interpretation is planets and what they mean.

“The nine planets are each represented in the hand, and we infer meaning from their position, size, and connotation,” explained Adhikari. Each planet is associated with several components like color, natural element, stability, and meaning, which palmists use to make predictions.

While the calculations regarding the shape and size of elements are mathematical (and thus credible), the meaning that is derived are of human invention. For example, the planet Mercury, which resides at the bottom of the little finger, is associated with green color and represents communication, trade, intelligence, etc.

When asked about the origins of such associations, Adhikari pointed to ancient Sanskrit texts written by Rishis.

“I’m sure the principles expounded in the books were based on research and observation,” he explained.

Adhikari learnt his science in Benaras from traditional books of astrology but insists that books are just guidelines. The real skill comes from practice and research.

“You verify the things you read with your own research, because following just one book limits you,” he explained.

In his book Cheiro’s Guide to the Hand, Cheiro (a 19th century palmist who made palmistry famous by catering to many celebrities like Mark Twain, Sarah Bernhardt, Oscar Wilde, etc), also pointed to longitudinal study as the basis of palmistry.

“A mother and daughter had the same kind of life lines, and their lives followed the same arcs,” he explained. Thus, by comparing and contrasting the hands of several people, the indicators of their life can be learnt.

Unsurprisingly, this requires years of study. But there is no dearth of charlatans who set up shops with minimal knowledge and deceive people. Many fortunetellers were found to be unable  to get even the basics of their clients’ personal details right.

Krishna Khanal, 45, was fond of having his fortune told. He was once told that he would “get a Master’s but not a diploma” after which he stopped visiting fortunetellers. Ramila Sharma*, 29, was told the exact opposite things by two different astrologers about her marriage, which eroded her faith in fortunetellers once and for all.

Also, since much of astrology is an interpretative science, predictions differ even among those who know the theories. What one astrologer may define as a good indicator may be defined as bad by another. As a result, many individuals are frustrated with the multiple messages they get from fortunetellers and question the very basis of the science itself.

To avoid such confusions, astrologers advise that their words should not be taken literally but more as guidelines. Besides, your fate is not set in stone.

“If you have a long life line, that doesn’t mean you can take poison and still expect to survive,” says Adhikari. Lines may change as fine lines come and go all the time and lines may even develop overnight. Besides, Jyotish Shastra also offers ways out of difficult situations through Graha Shanti (worship of planets to placate them) and other astrological rituals.

It is difficult to think of planets as living objects that are appeased by human worship, but Adhikari insists it is so. “The planets do live, and we can communicate with them,” he stated.

To nonbelievers, such rituals are merely psychological gimmicks which reassure the client. But there is no dearth of believers who look to astrology for rescue.

“I do believe in the science,” said Deepak Pandey who had come to Adhikari for a reading. “I think this is god’s way of sending signals to humans to help them solve their problems,” said Pandey as he unfolded his companion’s cheena (birth chart).

The ancient science is still deeply rooted in some sections of our society while the debate about its authenticity rages on in another section. As long as we keep Adhikari’s words in mind, palmistry can do us no harm. “Bhagya (fate) and karma (action) are as close as nails and skin,” says Adhikari, “there’s no bhagya without karma, so the lines on your palm mean nothing as long as you don’t act on them.”

Published in Republica on July 25