Talk:Reducing Bad Karm and Adding Good Karm:Lessening Evil Karm:Astrology and Doctrine of Karm
By Vishal Agarwal
If our prārabdha is fixed by the karmāśaya, then what is the benefit of using astrology after the deed is already done? Supporters of astrology explain –
“While you cannot change your prārabdha which is the predetermined path in the journey of life, astrological predictions can give you proper caution and guidance as to how to carry on your life journey smoothly with least possible trouble while performing your prārabdha with your utmost puruṣārtha [effort] in the right direction as shown by Astrology.” [1]
A modern scholar explains how astrology works in the following words: [2]
“According to Vedic astrology, if we are souls investing our free will through actions, then a trail of reactions is always following along behind us as the delayed result of our actions. It also follows that somewhere in us and the universe, there must be a record-keeping department concerned with the balancing of the cosmic books. Someone and something must be monitoring the delivery of the results of the actions of all these humans who are using free will to invest in certain kinds of work. The theory behind astrology then is that encoded in the positions of the planets and stars at the location and moment of birth is information about the nature and delivery schedule of the past actions carried by each soul. The delivery of that cause and effect is carried out by divine helpers working on behalf of the Supreme Being.”
Some believers in astrology state that recourse to astrology can help spread out the effects of an evil karm. For instance, if a person were destined to become blind due to prior evil karm, seeking help from astrology and its remedies can help him ‘spread out in time’ the blindness. Perhaps, he will be blind 5 years each over 3 lives, rather than 15 years in one lifetime, or have poor eyesight during his entire lifetime rather than be completely blind during a period of 15 years in his lifetime.
Astrology cannot wipe off the kārmic consequences, it can only enable us to understand and bear them with less trouble –
It is the results of prior karmas that are written on one’s forehead by the Creator. These very results are illuminated by astrology, just as a lamp illuminates objects obscured by darkness. Vṛddha Yavanajāta 1.3
Traditional astrology maintained that “the stars only foretell the consequences of a person’s past karmas.”
Some modern scholars maintain that astrology is essentially incompatible with the law of karm. Many people do not accept the efficacy of astrology and use it only for specific occasions in their life like determining an auspicious time for weddings and so on. Some scholars have also pointed out that astrology is conspicuous by its absence in the śāstrā and seems to be a later development. They also suggest that reliance on astrologically auspicious time has been disastrous at vital historical moments like failing to attack an invading enemy because the court astrologers would not give a green signal.
Even if the planets have a role to play in transforming our deeds into their results, the following advice is nevertheless acceptable to all.whether they believe in astrology or not –
The planets are always gracious towards them who practice ahiṃsā, are self-controlled, who earn their livelihood through lawful means and who always act in accordance with dharm. Bhaviṣya Purāṇa 1.56.31
What can the Moon asterism’s strength accomplish for someone who is neither strong physically nor mentally? Yaśatilaka Campū 3.54 of Somadeva Sūrī
Therefore, performing actions that conform to dharm and nīti (practical applications of goodness) are generally more efficacious in creating fortunate circumstances than our attempts to manipulate the present and the future by taking recourse to astrology.