Astrologers perceptions are based more on hearsay and conjecture than what they learn from the study of the stars is effectively brought through the character of shastri in the story. It is said that astrology is a science and all the calculations done in astrology are based on the movement of various celestial bodies in our solar system. However, there are claims that all that the astrologers predict is based on hearsay and there are rare astrologers who are known for their accurate predictions.
In the story, Shyama, the narrator, went to the astrologer, Shastri and told him how he has to make possible, an alliance between Ranga and Ratna. Later when he returned to the Shastri along with Ranga, and asked him to predict what the planets told about Ranga, Shastri pretended to make certain calculations and said that Ranga was contemplating marrying a girl whose name's initial is 'R', which was Ratna. He added that the name of the girl was something found in the ocean. Then Shyama said that the girl in Rama Rao’s house was Ratna and Shastri was very positive about the proposal working out. Thus, it is difficult to say whether astrologers' predictions are based on mere hearsay or are actually what they learn from the movements of stars.
