Driven by Fear and Desire, we consult Astrologers - but without ever knowing what Astrology is all about!:
In our day to day existence, we certainly seek the help of doctors & nurses, engineers & technicians, merchants & vendors, professors & teachers, auditors & accountants, great spiritual Gurus & Yogacharyas, farmers & bakers, lawyers & judges, helpers & servers and a whole host of other people as well; without whose timely help, life cannot possibly go on like a swiftly flowing river. Most of us have a reasonably good idea of these various modern & ancient disciplines and are therefore in a position to genuinely appreciate the value of the services rendered by all these specialists, modern as well as 'ancient'.
However, when we come to that 'ancient species' - the astrologers alone; our confidence will most probably fail us, simply because we are unable to have a clear picture as to what astrology is all about. Paradoxically however, our fears and desires, which are often the driving forces in our life are often so persistent, that even this lack of clarity and knowledge on our part - as to what astrology is all about - does not seem to come in the way of our seeking astrological guidance - in moments of helplessness and despair!
If we could only know more clearly what Vedic astrology is really about; then, we would probably still consult astrologers; but with that greater clarity and conviction and this increased understanding on our part, would go a long way in approaching the astrologers with a clear understanding & hence with a certainty that we are sure to find an astrological resolution for such and such a life-problem. Put simply, we would then approach astrologers with a sound understanding of how and why Vedic astrology works - for the alleviation of our human suffering.
The Spiritual Foundations of Vedic Astrology:
As all these ancient civilizations were deeply spiritual and 'Divinity-centered', in so far as their overall approach to life was concerned; their astrology too when it came into existence, had to be necessarily cast in the self-same mould of such a deeply spiritual and 'God-centered' vision of life. 'God-centered' in the present context, need not be understood in the literal sense of implying a 'monotheistic' conception of God - for this was far from the conception of the Vedic Rishis. Their world-view was rather 'Devatas-centered', but with the presence of Divinity [Isvara]- at the very heart of every aspect of nature, as well as in the very bosom of man's consciousness. [ See Sec. 5 of Part I]
Their conception of Divinity may only be taken to point to an intuitive realization of the undeniable presence of an all-powerful Spiritual Being; who though lying completely outside the realm of human thought and feeling, could nonetheless be approached and worshipped in diverse ways - in tune with the temperamental disposition of individuals - for the alleviation of their misfortunes & sufferings.
In contrast to such a truly religious & Divinity-centered approach to life, there emerged on the world horizon, the new phenomenon of the world-wide Westernization, by a new avatar of the Western Civilization, which had turned secular and gone in for the apotheosis of Science & Technology, in lieu of a humble & religious approach to life, which had characterised Western society in the previous ages. The world-wide emergence of this secular version of Western society, came to have far reaching consequences for all the civilizations of the world, including the Hindu civilization of this period. The repercussions of such a Westernising influence on the spiritual ethos of the Hindu civilization is here brought home to us, by the British Historian Arnold J. Toynbee [ 8 ]. The passage clarifies a number of issues and helps us to understand the cultural quandary in which English-educated Hindus worldwide find themselves:
"Moreover the difference in ethos between the Hindu Weltanschauung and the Western Weltanschauung in the Late Modern version in which this first began to make an impression on Hindu souls was no mere diversity; it was an outright antithesis; for by the turn of the 17th and the 18th centuries of the CE, the Modern West, as we have seen, had fabricated a secular version of its cultural heritage from which Religion was eliminated in order to give primacy to Technology, whereas the Hindu Society, like its Indic predecessor, was and remained religious to the core - so much so, indeed, as to be open to the charge of 'religiosity' if, as that pejorative word implies, there can in truth be such a thing as an excessive concentration of psychic energy on a spiritual activity which is Man's most important pursuit."
- Arnold J. Toynbee [8] [8] [See also Sec. 8 of Part VI]
Vedic origins of Hindu Astrology:
Modern historical research into the whole question of 'the origins of human civilization' has shown that the Vedic Sages were the real progenitors, not only of astrology, but equally well also of the kindred discipline of astronomy. What we call Hindu astrology today, properly speaking, goes back to Vedic times - dating back to at least some five to nine thousand years [ 2, 3, 4, 6].
Ancient Vedic-Systems of Knowledge from India:
"That India nonetheless succeeded in maintaining its ancient literature with a completeness and accuracy unparalleled in the world attests to the utmost reverence in which that tradition has been held by the Hindus."
- [Pg 19, 'In Search of the Cradle of Civilization' [3]]
While many material creations of the Vedic-peoples might have withered away with the ravages of time; in India at least, the ancient spiritual way of life and spiritual treasures have been preserved with devotion and dedication, through the continuity of undiluted traditional practices. Though in some of these traditional streams, we may find that the inner spiritual meanings of the ancient symbolic systems of knowledge, may no longer be clearly and unambiguously intelligible - even to its traditional practitioners; yet, at least the codified versions of these ancient systems of spiritual-knowledge have been preserved in their original 'outer' pristine forms.
The decipherment of these esoteric systems of spiritual-knowledge is still very much an ongoing process and it is reasonable to suppose that unless and until, the wisdom-power of the Vedic ancients is harnessed in the field of our personal lives - and that too in a modern language and idiom [in which alone we are thoroughly at home] & unless we experience tangible success, time and again, in so far as the application of this ancient knowledge, to the peculiar problems of our modern civilization are concerned - in the field of our daily lives - we may not consider the task of the harnessing of the wisdom-power of the Vedic-ancients, to have come to its farthest limits of maturity & culmination.
We moderns are however extremely fortunate, in that, at least in so far as Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are concerned, the repeated application of these ancient systems of Vedic-knowledge, in the field of our daily lives have given us time and again some measure of tangible success, in dealing with mind-boggling obstacles in the areas of 'destiny' & 'karmic-misfortune' on the one hand and physical & mental health, on the other, respectively.
Ever since the dawn of that era of Vedic rediscovery & Indology, beginning with Sir. William Jones [1746-1794], and the pioneering efforts of India's inimitable traditional Masters and original thinkers; a massive rediscovery of the ancient Vedic & Hindu civilization - both by the West, as well as by India and the East - has been well underway with the express purpose of resurrecting and enlivening these mind-boggling profound edifices of spiritual-knowledge from their time-worn fragments; so as to harness their amazing wisdom-power for the resolution of our misfortunes and sufferings, peculiar to our modern civilization.
Through this massive process of rediscovery, it has indeed become possible to gain access to a large body of traditional Vedic-knowledge systems. Examples of such recovered systems of spiritual-knowledge are - firstly, the ancient language Sanskrit itself and the ocean of its vast literature; then, Vedic astrology [Jyotir Vidya]; then, many ancient systems of medicine including Ayurveda; and the numerous Shastras & Vidyas such as Natya Shastra, Kavya Shastra; Sangeetha Shastra, Agama Shastra; Vastu Vidya, Sthapatya Vidya, as well as the martial-arts; and finally, culminating in the spiritual systems of Yoga Shastra & Tantra Shastra, designed to achieve God-realization and Self-realization in the most practical and tangible of ways, etc.
Does Vedic Astrology have Universal Validity?:
To achieve this 'spiritual end' of receiving 'the blessings of Isvara', through the Remedial Measures of VA [See. 9 of Part I], we will have to develop a comprehensive understanding of the essence of Vedic astrology through a step by step process but without getting into the technicalities and the astronomical & mathematical details of this discipline. This will in all probability be a far easier task than what we might imagine it to be. We may begin by acquainting ourselves with the 'scope' of this ancient discipline. As Vedic astrology's repertoire of Remedial Measures has come to be proven in the course of the last several millennia to have universal validity & utility, it eminently qualifies to be brought within the reach of a wide circle of seekers irrespective of the nature of their religious affiliation. By knowing this truth - that here, we are dealing with the universally valid law of 'karma' and the time-tested Remedial Measures for minimizing the negative-repercussions of this 'karma' upon our individual lives - it becomes all the easier for us to open ourselves up to the vast benefits of these Remedial Measures, coming down to us, from the Vedic Rishis.
5a. Testimony to the Immense Value of Vedic Astrological Knowledge:
In all the ancient astrological texts of the Hindus, there has always been abundant testimony for the inestimable value of astrology, especially for kings, since the repercussions of their wrong decisions and the wrong 'timing' of their actions affected the entire kingdom adversely. Thus the renowned Hindu astronomer-astrologer Varahamihira of the 6th Century A.D., has put forth in his classical astrological work of Brihat Samhita, the following sutras, which give us a solid testimony to the prestige Jyotisha commanded in that age of Hindu society, on account of its capacity to guide kings and thus even shape the 'destiny' of kingdoms:
[Ref. 9, Sutras 26, 28 & 29 Ch II, Vol I]:
"Just as the night devoid of lights or lamps is utterly blind, and the sky without the Sun dark, even so will a king grope in life in the dark like a blind man on the way, if he is not guided by a good astrologer.
"Hence a king who aspires for victory, fame, prosperity, enjoyments & spiritual progress ought to employ the best astrologer who is well versed in this Vidya.
"One who wishes for prosperity ought not to reside in a country which does not possess a good astrologer. For no sin can remain in the place where resides an astrologer who is the eye, as it were of society itself."
The above insights of Varahamihira ought to bring home to us the importance of first of all learning the rudiments of this profound discipline of Jyotisha and then taking the necessary efforts to seek reliable Vedic astrological guidance.
What are these 'Karmic-Obstructions & Sufferings'?:
'Karma' should remind us of the universally valid subtle law of cause and effect, pertaining to human action and the fruits & retribution thereof: 'The happy events of our life, as well as our sufferings & misfortunes are but the benefic karmic-fruits & the malefic karmic-retributions of our own actions in the past.' From this perspective, 'karmic-sufferings' are simply unexpected 'blows-of-fate' & 'misfortunes' in any given human life. Once they have come into manifestation, they tend to linger and it is this intractable nature which makes us think, there could be some 'divine conspiracy' against us! Vedic astrology brings home to us, ways and means of dealing with such difficult times, when our fate is not favourable for happiness and fulfilment. It opens our eyes to 'the forces of 'karmic-sufferings' and throws light on that little-understood 'conspiracy'.
For our part, our approach to grasp these 'blows-of-fate' has more or less always been only a passive one - except that the naive realization that 'we are now passing through a bad-time', might have given us a minimum modicum of relief! Beyond that, as lay people, quite ignorant of the Remedial Measures of ancient astrology; we have neither some deeper solace, from our Ishtha Devata [personal God], nor profounder astrological knowledge, as to what would be the best course of action in the form of Remedial Measures- when such bad-times descend upon us?.
An Illustrative Analogy: an Active vis-á-vis a Passive Approach:
Such an indolent & passive approach to these 'karmic-sufferings' is very much like doing nothing at all, by way of administration of the right medicines or the appropriate line of treatment; but just allowing the body to fight its own lone-battle, after some dreadful disease has come and settled into it - as a 'karmic-retribution' and as the visitation of a misfortune in life.
Vedic astrology deals intelligently with just such crises, brought on by the arrival of bad-times. Its greatest blessing to us is that, we may know well in advance, when such a crisis may descend upon us. This blessing will however come only to those, who realize the value of being in periodic contact with a perceptive Vedic astrologer. And the beauty of its preventive approach lies in its careful and detailed prescriptions, as to what may be practically done with devotion and sincerity; either through heart-felt charities on a daily basis, or through daily worship and attunement to the Divine and so on; as a result of which, 'the healing of the body' is speeded up with the individual recovering more rapidly from the onslaughts of the 'karmic-disease'.
Repercussions of the Passive Approach:
When we neither turn to the Remedial Measures of Vedic astrology, nor approach the Divine, through some spiritual path or the other, there is every possibility of the 'karmic-crisis' unfolding to its fullest limits of ghastly severity and it is anybody's guess, whether the individual, whose bad-karma has now begun to ripen, will not sink into the depths of despair & depression or even go insane in this whole process. The 'karmic-suffering' could also be of such severity - in the absence of the Remedial Measures, or the grace of our Ishtha Devata coming to our rescue - that an untimely & premature death would also be another tragic possibility, which we may not be able to rule out, nor be able to grapple with.
Worse than all these dreadful repercussions, when a spiritually & astrologically bankrupt approach is adopted to deal with these 'karmic-crises' - is the tragic possibility of no spiritual-lessons being possibly learnt and thus the spirit would have missed another precious opportunity for spiritual-growth and flowering. For these reasons, it is highly imperative to have a more resourceful and a well-informed approach to these bad-times and there is no surer system of subtle knowledge, which has the competence to deal with these 'karmic-sufferings', than Vedic astrology.
'Karmic-Sufferings' in which Spheres of Life?
Such 'karmic sufferings' may manifest in any sphere of life at all - in our educational career; in marital life & relationship; in matters of progeny; in the choice of a vocation or in the professional field; in matters of health & disease; in the sphere of disputes, enmity & litigation; in the buying & selling of property; in the sphere of spiritual-flowering & seeking an appropriate system of Yoga therein for our unfoldment; etc.. In fact, there is not a sphere of life that is left untouched by these 'karmic-sufferings'. If we only look back into our own life, we will be able to identify not only the 'bad-times' we have been through, but will also be in a position to discern clearly in which sphere of our life, these 'karmic-sufferings' came to us as the proverbial 'blows-of-fate'.
What are the Blessings from Vedic Astrology?
Vedic astrology has been the foremost of the Vedic Vidyas to have attracted the attention of the modern world, as a time-tested & reliable system of predictive & remedial astrology, that is singularly capable of bestowing upon us, three invaluable blessings provided, we are humble enough to re-orient our approach to life, through the 'discovery' of our 'karmic-sufferings' and coming to grips with the same.[See also Sec. 7, Part I]
(i) 'Other-knowledge' & 'self-knowledge':
Vedic astrology brings to us a profound understanding of the inevitable nature of 'duality' in our human life made manifest through the mysterious inter-twining of the sublime with the vulgar, the high & the noble with the low & the ignoble, the divine with the demonic, the spiritual with the mundane, the virtuous with the sinful, the right with the wrong, etc, as an unavoidable aspect of our enigmatic human fate. In this way, it opens our eyes to the play of the divine and the demonic forces as part of our 'karma' & 'destiny', and brings home to us both 'self-knowledge' as well as 'other-knowledge', in the light of this confusing complication of 'duality'.
One cannot be successful in the world & feel truly fulfilled both in the inner world as well as in the outer, without having a robust first-hand knowledge of ourselves, as also of others, in the sense mentioned above. Vedic astrology is unique in being able to provide this profound first-hand 'self-knowledge' of oneself, as well as the 'other-knowledge' of people with whom we may be bound up by the tie of destiny irrespective of whether this is in the family only, or in the professional sphere. The value of 'self-knowledge' is squarely acknowledged in the following verdict of a practising psychiatrist, from one of the leading metropolises of the world:
"All successful people have good self-knowledge - they know themselves and they are aware of their weaknesses and the conflicts that are likely to get in the way of attaining goals. Knowing yourself means you can develop strategies to overcome the weak or the resistant parts of yourself."
- Dr. Raj Persaud, [Ref 1, Pg 37].
There are fundamental differences however in the way in which this self-knowledge is brought home to us by Vedic astrology, as against modern psychiatry. While Vedic astrology relies heavily on spiritual knowledge and spiritual-remedial methods of prayers, worship, incantations of mantras & charities, which heal the body & consciousness, without polluting them; the same certainly cannot be said of modern psychiatric methods with their strong dependence on powerful pharmaceutical drugs. In this context it is interesting to recapitulate Pandit Vamadeva Shastri's observation pertaining to Western astrologers taking recourse to modern psycho-analysis, in the spirit of a Remedial Measure, since Western astrology suffered the loss of its knowledge of Remedial Measures, coming down to them from ancient times, because of the modern Sciences having taken an altogether different line of development [6, Pg 199].
(ii) Remedial Measures give 80% to 90% Relief:
Through its system of Remedial Measures, it makes it possible for us to minimize-and surmount-the baffling 'karmic-obstacles' in life and thus learn important 'karmic & spiritual-lessons' as a result of being able to perform the Remedial Measures on a daily basis, with devotion and sincerity [Ref 7, Pg 16].
(iii) Fore-Knowledge & Preventive Remedies:
By being in periodic contact with a competent Vedic astrologer, we will also receive yet another blessing - of knowing when bad times are expected to descend upon us - in the turning of the great wheel of time - and what we may start doing with devotion and sincerity, well in advance, by way of preventive Remedial Measures, so as to greatly minimize the onslaughts from such approaching misfortunes and bad-times. The importance of this fore-knowledge, and preventive remedial action which Vedic astrology gives us, cannot certainly be underestimated.
Through such Remedial Measures we can certainly alleviate our 'karmic-sufferings' - thereby greatly increasing our joy and contentment in life as well as securing freedom from our imaginary fears ! Thus the Remedial Measures of Vedic astrology, which are ultimately only spiritual in their essence, offer us good divine protection, when the arrival of bad-times temporarily nullifies the divine protection, with which we were all born - irrespective of whether it was to a greater or a lesser degree.
Our approach is not in the terse style of a 'text-book of Science'. We have adopted a lighter method of narration, for as we had emphasized earlier, we are not concerned here with imparting the technical subtleties of this Vedic discipline, but are attempting only to convey the philosophical & spiritual foundations of Vedic astrology, which underlie the apparently simple-looking Remedial Measures. In this way, a deeper conviction and appreciation of the profundity of Vedic astrology is attempted to be created. [See also Sec. 8 of Part I]