THE COSMOS AND ASTROLOGY

  

One of the most intriguing mysteries that have challenged human thinking has always been ‘the reality’ about the coming into being of this vast and fascinating Cosmos (Universe). From the earliest humans who wandered on this earth to the modern scientist, the exploration of the universe has been an important engagement. In the beginning this exploration was dictated by the senses of hunger and security whereas today the search goes on for a multitude of reasons which still fall in the two basic causative compulsions i.e. the need to find more and more resources for sustenance of the present day human existence and the need for securing human existence against all odds. Almost all such exploratory efforts have either begun-with or have led-to the same questions as to ‘Why’ and ‘How’ did this universe come into existence. These questions have almost always been followed up by the question ‘Who’, if at-all there-is or there-was any such being, facilitated its creation. Innumerable thinkers, scholars, philosophers and scientists have dealt with these questions and have provided various hypothesis and models for establishing / explaining the Process and the Event of the creation of our universe. However in that quest, a tremendous wealth  of knowledge ranging from the extreme frontiers of space up to the smallest of the building blocks of this dynamic phenomenon (the universe) have been revealed even though the truth still remains elusive - as far away as at any time before.

The scientific hypothesis for the creation of the Cosmos:

There have been multiple theories propagated by scientists from time to time pronouncing the most plausible explanations regarding the manifestation of the cosmos. The challenge for scientists emanated from the traditional theological view of the universe being an eternal entity created by God. The dual dimensions of ‘Eternity’ and ‘Creation at some point in time’ are mutually incongruous. The Newtonian model of the universe gave way to the Einsteinian model which was further modified by developments of Quantum physics and the findings by Hubble in the 1920s which ultimately led to the Steady state model of the universe proposed by Boldi, Gold & Hoyle in 1948. A parallel theory also came up about the same time as proposed by Georges Lemaitre in the 1950s which later became more popular as the Big Bang theory of cosmic evolution with the contributions of Stephan Hawking et al. The big bang theory too has outlived its sanctity as the most perfect explanation of the manifestation of the universe. There are newer theories as more and more research based on new data is being carried out. Some of the recent theories are the Cyclical theory of Steinhard and Turok, the String theory of Schwarz and Sherk, the Multiverse model of Carroll and the Platonia model of Barbour. The scientists’ quest goes on but the last word on the scientific premise regarding the manifestation of the universe remains to be spoken.

The universe exists and functions as a Cosmic System:

The universe howsoever it came into being is an orderly phenomenon which behaves in accordance with a law or a set of laws which has / have remained unchanged since eternity or for the entire history of the existence of the universe. This qualifies the universe to be called a cosmic system and not a haphazard or chaotic entity. This orderly behavior of the universe is guided by the irrevocable underlying principle or set of principles called the Universal Law. The universal law has the following features which define and describe its intrinsic nature and character:

1.       The universal law is omnipresent—indicating thereby its ‘being’ present in every aspect of existence /  phenomena of the universe at all times;

2.       The universal law has to be complied with—that is to say that it is unavoidable and its application is without any exception whatsoever at any time without prejudice of circumstances or consequences;

3.       The universal law is all-pervasive – in other words it applies to and permeates each and every domain or subset of the universe whether static or dynamic both at the macro and the micro levels at all times;

4.       The universal law is immutable--  that is to say that its nature and character remain unchangeable  for / under any or all conditions irrespective of the time dimension;

5.       The universal law is homogenous—which means that it affects every part / aspect of the universe identically, uniformly and symmetrically;

6.       The Universal law is uncaused—which indicates that  it does not originate / result from some other phenomena within or without the universe i.e. it has been existing as long as the universe has existed;

7.       The universal law conserves—meaning thereby that it neither adds nor destroys but only transforms the state of existence thereby conserving the existence itself;

8.       The universal law is reversible—which indicates that it can work in the reverse direction in time even though time dimension itself is irreversible thereby proportionately and uniformly undoing the consequences previously caused;

9.       The universal law can appear / express differently in different domains—this reconciles the apparent variability of different laws applicable in different domains as such domain-specific laws e.g. as the laws of motion in physics, the laws of chemical reactions in chemistry or the laws of planetary motion in astronomy.

The universe is made up of inter-connected and inter-dependent mass-energy structures which we commonly identify as matter. Matter exists in one of its many forms in a state of conditional (dynamic) equilibrium however this equilibrium changes to a renewed conditional (dynamic) equilibrium under the influence of some external ‘force-field’ which causes matter to change form. Even though the forms of matter change from one state of equilibrium to another under the influence of the force-field, the total quantum of energy is conserved as the mass-energy content may proportionately reconfigure itself as per the fundamental equation – E= M* C²  . Since mass M and energy E are interchangeable entities, it can be safely derived that Energy is the more fundamental of the two. Thus ‘at all times the total Energy is conserved in this universe’ which is the most fundamental law of this universe. All other laws, be it the laws of physics, chemistry, thermodynamics, astronomy etc. can be reduced to this one fundamental law of the universe. In effect all processes governed by any law of nature are but energy exchanges wherein the total mass-energy is conserved. This fundamental law possesses all the above stated nine properties. There is an important corollary to the universal law that is ‘all universal processes are basically exchanges of energy’.

In the foregoing there is a mention of the ‘force-fields’ which can cause matter (mass-energy structures) to change form. There are four primary force-fields in the universe that cause all the universal processes to take place and these are listed below:

1.       The force of Gravity;

2.       The Electro-Magnetic force;

3.       The strong Nuclear force;

4.       The weak Nuclear force.

The above mentioned four basic forces are the tools of Nature which shape all the happenings in the universe whether in the short run or in the long run. These forces work singularly or in tandem as the case may be to create the ‘next’ scenario in universal Existence both at the macro and the micro levels however as stated earlier, throughout and at all stages the mass-energy content of the universe is conserved.

The scientific understanding of the universe may not have established the perfect theory to explain the origin of the cosmic system called the universe as yet but science has been able to identify the underlying principles that regulate its functioning with greater clarity. The limitation of the scientific process lies in the fact that it is concerned only with the material aspects of the cosmic system however the universe is not just mass-energy structure, there is another important dimension of the universe called Life which is not definable merely as a mass-energy structure. Life gives the spiritual dimension to the universe making it a ‘Spirit – Matter’ complex or a ‘Spirit – Matter’ system. It is Life that gives meaning to this universe and makes it into Existence. To put it simply ‘Matter defines the universe but it is Life that defines Existence’.

Any discussion about the universe therefore is incomplete unless its existence i.e. its spiritual dimension is taken into consideration. Even scientists are on the lookout for the elusive life principle which is referred to as the ‘God particle’ in scientific parlance. The elaborate CERN experiment being undertaken by scientists is a step in that direction. The spirit dimension of the universe has however been the focus of study in religions and philosophy since ages. Religion has looked upon the Spirit dimension of universal Existence in two parts, one part represented by the individual life and the other by God.

The concept of God has been the central theme around which religious philosophies have been developed. The objective of all religions has been to provide a paradigm to its followers for living a more inclusive, harmonious and rewarding life and not so much about the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the manifestation of the universe except whenever necessary for the ‘reference and context’ of the religious narrative. The religious discourses put a stop to any deeper investigation of the ‘why and how’ by bringing in God as the sole factor to answer those questions. Probably because knowing the ‘why and how’ of the universe could have contributed little or nothing to the religious narrative. God was conceptualized as an omnipresent, omniscient and an omnipotent Being to accommodate all that could not be explained or answered. God also provided the necessary validity to the religious doctrines. God was credited to have authored the operating manual as Commandments which stated the correct way of life advocated by religion. The operating manual was also accompanied by the manual of Reward and Punishment to ensure the adherence of the followers on the correct (religious) path. To block any attempt by anyone to question the religious premise, a necessary element of Faith and Devotion was introduced within religion. Those who did not exhibit faith and devotion were exterminated and even punished. This ensured the unquestioned adherence to religion. History is replete with the stories of many revolutionary thinkers and scholars being punished or exterminated for questioning the religious / traditional narrative. When seen with the background of the nine necessary attributes of the ‘fundamental universal law’ described here-in-earlier, one would interestingly find that the description of God fulfills the criteria of the fundamental universal law. Thus God was / is the embodiment of the fundamental principle / law of the universe. Thus from Science to Belief, the basic fundamental principle for the manifestation and the functioning of this universal existence is identical in nature, whether as the fundamental law of the universe or as God.

The spiritual dimension of universal existence was also taken up by other thinkers and scholars who were less oriented only to finding the ‘correct way of existing’ in the universe but who wished to go deeper into its metaphysical aspects. They can be called the Spiritual Seekers of the answers to all questions about the universal manifestation and its existence. This brings into focus a third line of exploration of universal existence which is termed as Spirituality. Thus there is Science, there is Religion and there is Spirituality – all pursuing similar subjects however in distinctly differing ways and for different objectives.

Spirituality is the process of focusing on the human spirit also referred to as the inner being or the Inner-Self. This aspect of existence has been the key area of study and contemplation for the spiritualists all around the world but the oldest and the most profound spiritual philosophies have emerged in the eastern world particularly in India. From the earliest possible times since the humans evolved from their barbaric past into sophisticated thinking beings, the thinkers and scholars in India started investigating the spirit instead of matter alone. They believed that the universe was a homogenous entity - Yatha Brahmanda Tatha Pinda which means “as at the macro level so at the micro level”; thereby making the study of the microcosm as their key focus area for knowing the whole truth about the Existence. Moreover they placed the spirit above matter and linked the individual spiritual spark (Atman) to the totality of all such sparks into one whole spiritual entity (Paramatma) that enlivens the entire universal existence. They also believed that the Atman as well as the Paramatma were eternal, neither having a beginning nor an end. Paramatma should not be confused with God since God is defined in religion as a superior being whereas Paramatma is the total spirit of existence. The ancient Indian spiritualists hold the view that it is the mind that creates the world both at the micro and the macro levels and the mind is not Atman but gets energized or enlivened by the Atman; similarly the total spirit i.e. Paramatma enlivens the total mind called the Hiranyagarbha which enables the manifestation of the entirety of the universal existence. Often God (called Ishwara in Sanskrit) is used interchangeably with Paramatma by the Hindus but that is due to the close proximity of religion and spirituality all over the world. Spirituality is seldom seen as a distinct entity in common parlance. In many cases the thoughts and teachings of a spiritual master have been erroneously converted into a religion as happened in the case of Buddha’s teachings which have been made into Buddhism.

It is important to have clarity with regard to ‘the fundamental cosmic law’, defined by science, ‘God’ as conceptualized by religion and the ‘Paramatma’ as defined by the ancient Indian spiritualists; the three may appear to be synonymous but in fact they are very different from each other. In this way at the physical or the objective level the universe is bound by the fundamental cosmic law whereas at the existence or the subjective level God is seen as its creator and sustainer. At the spiritual level the Total (Cosmic) Spirit represented by the totality of the Life Principle defines the universal existence. Therefore the basic understanding of the Matter-Spirit conglomerate which defines universal existence is a fusion of the principles of the three streams of knowledge i.e. science dealing with the material dimension, spirituality dealing with the spirit dimension and religion dealing with the existential dimension. This fusion of knowledge leads to the visualization of the metaphysical reality of the universal existence as a Cosmic Being having the material vesture made out of the five elements – the solids, the liquids, the gases, the dark as well as the light energy and the space. The cosmic spirit enlivens this cosmic being making it into a dynamic phenomenon. The cosmic being encompasses and includes all other universal phenomena both sentient and insentient. In fact the cosmic spirit permeates all subsystems and entities making up the universal existence which makes their categorization as sentient and insentient, a superfluous one. Thus a rock and a human being are carrying some spark of the cosmic spirit, which probably enlivens them in entirely and uniquely different ways. This explains to some extent as to why the Hindu tradition of idol worship is not so much an aberration as it seems to be in the grosser understanding of the non-Hindus and the same holds true for the shamanic worship of hills, rivers and trees etc..

The sub-systems within the cosmic super-system are interconnected and inter-dependent hence a change in the orientation of one entity affects all others one way or the other, in the process reorienting the entire cosmic super-system to a new state. This reorientation keeps happening all the time much like the designs manifesting in a kaleidoscope after every rotation. Each new orientation in an instant is akin to a still picture of the universe in each ‘Now’ quite like the Platonia model proposed by Barbour. Even though the reorientation is unique at each stage it follows a pattern being a systemic process. The patterns are unique for each individual entity as well as for the totality of the universal existence. The dynamics of the patterns follow a cyclical path in varying time scales as is seen in the atomic structures at the micro level and in the planetary orbits at the macro level. The cycles of the totality of the cosmic system begin and end in the zero state thereby indicating the emergence of the universe from nothingness and its receding back into it much like the emergence of new galaxies from one of the black holes and getting sucked into another. This resembles the emergence of the universe and its annihilation by the processes of the big bang and big crunch. This cyclical process of emergence and annihilation of the universe coincide with the cyclical model of the universe proposed by Steinhard and Turok. The cycle repeats itself in the eternal time dimension forming a string of such events in line with the string theory enunciated by Schwarz and Sherk. All the theories of the universe’s manifestation therefore are relevant and complementary to each other.

From the foregoing it can be derived that the Cosmic Being enlivened by the Cosmic Spirit appears and disappears in time cycles which get eternally repeated. All through the process the enlivening Cosmic Spirit or the Life Principle remains unaffected as though the universe bursts forth from it and gets sucked back into it only to reemerge for a new beginning. In other words the existence of the cosmic being is finite whereas the cosmic spirit is eternal. Thus the universe incorporates both finitude and eternity thereby integrating the religious view of its creation at some point in time (by God) and the spiritualist’s view of the enlivening life principle – the cosmic spirit-- being eternal. This principle of appearance and disappearance is visible in all the sub-systems of the universe. Galaxies, stars, humans, animals, plants, mountains and rivers – all appear and disappear in time, albeit in varying time cycles.

The most obvious question that may arise at this stage would be – Why do the ‘appearance – disappearance’ dramas of the universe happen at all?

The universe is the greatest mystery which remains unresolved till date. Any explanation is only a hypothesis. One of the plausible answers to the above question is being attempted here-in by the author in all humility.

The fundamental cosmic law (described here-in-earlier) states that all happenings related to the universal phenomenon are but exchanges of energy wherein the total cosmic energy is conserved at all times. The manifestation of the universe and its disappearance into nothingness too are in accordance with the fundamental cosmic law. Thus the total cosmic energy transforms itself from the potential state of nothingness into the kinetic state when the universe manifests; however the total cosmic energy remains conserved in both the states. The cause for the repetitive manifestation and annihilation of the material vesture of the universe is to maintain the equilibrium of the two energy states on an eternal time scale. Potential energy cannot remain in the nothingness state forever otherwise it shall lose its potential to manifest itself thereby making it redundant hence it is necessary for the total cosmic energy to keep alternating itself between the two states i.e. between the nothingness state and the manifested state. The cosmic spirit however is eternal and remains unaffected by the alternations between the two energy states; it enlivens the manifestation as well as its dissolution into nothingness continuously and repetitively. That which appears and disappears therefore is only the material vesture of the universe and not the cosmic spirit at any time in the process of alternation. In other words it is only the cosmic being that appears and disappears during such alternations in cycles enlivened by the cosmic spirit for maintaining the process of energy exchanges and its conservation.

Moreover while the entities within the universe are interconnected and interdependent, not all entities affect the other entities in the same proportion and intensity. Such effect varies due to various variable determining factors which may be starkly evident or may be latent features in a process e.g. the constitution of USA may apparently be irrelevant for Indian citizens directly and obviously but it does affect Indian citizens in many ways, not starkly evident or obvious; and the intensity of any such effect shall also vary as per the context. The principle called the Pareto effect (the law of the vital few or the principle of factor sparsity} comes into play for empirical derivations. The Pareto effect states that for a system where a large number of variable factors determine an outcome, there exist a set of very few critical factors which largely determine the contours of the situation being studied. This rule is applicable to all the subsystems and entities of the universe. In other words, for any domain of study the critical factor(s) that directly and majorly affect(s) the patterns within the said domain can be identified empirically by observations carried out on a large number of cases spread over varying dimensions of time and space. In this manner, one or a set of variable factors can be identified for any domain of study within the universe, which can be applied for determining the outcomes for the studied domain that shall be:-

1.       Exhaustive in terms of covering the greatest range of possibilities within the studied domain; and

2.       Provide statistically accurate projections of the possiblilities for any changes in the values of such identified variable factors.

In fact all sciences that study any subset of the universal phenomena follow these principles. The application of the Pareto principle helps in economizing time, effort and resources without compromising the effectiveness and accuracy of a study.  

Indian Astrology is an ancient science that studies the happenings on earth in two distinct dimensions:-

1.       Happenings in the perceivable mundane world;

2.       Happenings in the life of a human being perceived as experiences in living.

Both these dimensions are studied by astrology within the boundaries of time and space. Astrology like any other science bases its study on the vital few variable factors that have been empirically identified to be most critical and exhaustive in determining accurate astrological outcomes. These important vital few variables constituting the basic matrix for the study of Indian Astrological system are:-

1.       The Zodiac that is the elliptical pathway of the planets, the Sun and the Moon in the geo-centric model of the solar system that stretches up to 9 degrees on either side of the Sun’s pathway as observed from the earth.

2.       The Rasis (zodiac sign) - the twelve hypothetical 30 degree angular segments of the elliptical geo-centric zodiac;

3.       The Solar system with the star Sun at its center and the five planets – Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus and Mercury that orbit the Sun as well as the Earth’s satellite – the Moon;

4.       The 27 groups of stars - called the Nakshatras - perceived to be doting the elliptical geo-centric zodiac;

5.       The three motions of the Earth i.e.

a)      Around its own axis once in approx. 24 hours – a day;

b)      Around the Sun once in approx. 365 days – an year;

c)       The wobbling motion of the Earth’s axis which completes one such rotation in approx. 26000 years.

6.       The northern and the southern intersection points of the moon’s orbit and the Sun’s apparent orbit in the geo-centric model of the solar system. These two intersection points are called Rahu and Ketu in Indian Astrology.

7.       Some sensitive points on the zodiac such as the Bhrigu Bindu;

8.       The motion of the planets and other entities defined here-in above including the apparent orbital motion of the Sun and the Moon based on the geo-centric model of the solar system.

9.       Lagna or the Ascendant which is the reference point on the zodiac that is rising on the eastern horizon at a given time and location on earth. This links the orientation of the dynamic positions of planets etc. on the geo-centric zodiac to the observer’s position on earth at a given time and location on earth.

The usage of the phrase ‘ancient science’ for describing Indian Astrology is likely to raise a few eyebrows while some others may brush it aside as a prejudiced statement of an astrologer. It therefore becomes necessary to explain and establish the appropriateness of terming Indian astrology as an ancient science. Science basically means knowledge but as it is understood today, science represents a body of validated and reliable knowledge which derives a certain degree of reverence in common parlance, being taken to be an undeniable and infallible dictum. The high pedestal on which modern science has been placed has resulted mainly due to its being a product of a fail-safe epistemological procedure called the scientific method.

Traditionally ‘knowledge’ is construed to be a ‘justified true belief’. Epistemology is the science which focuses on the task of justification of a belief leading to the determination of truth based on the criterion- Does the belief in question, correspond to reality? Derived from this concept are the techniques of inquiry that eventually result in the evolution of a new sensibility that is coterminous with the development of exact procedures for scientific determination based on the method of reasoning which forms the core of Epistemology. The set of such procedures is together termed as the scientific method. There are two approaches to the scientific determination of reality. One is the inductive approach and the other is the deductive approach. Whereas the inductive approach helps in the generation of a new theory from the observed data related to the phenomena being investigated, the deductive approach is useful in testing the theory and establishing its credibility. Thus both these approaches are complementary for scientific determination of truth. In this way the scientific method ensures the twin necessities of the justified true belief which are reliability and validity. Whereas the reliability and validity of the method itself ensures the quality of the ‘reasoning and rationale’, the reliability and validity of the empirical data assures the dependability of the experience and observation of the phenomenon.

The heady mix of reliability and validity for determining the dependability or credibility of any knowledge of any phenomena may sometimes tend to become increasingly complicated making it less and less useful. Reason and logic are only important as accurate guiding posts and can rarely lead to absolute truth as Albert Einstein observed “Insofar as mathematics (reason/logic) is exact, it does not apply to reality; and insofar as mathematics (reason/logic) applies to reality, it is not exact” .Thus the Pragmatist view (introduced by Aristotle and emphasized by Kant) is more relevant in the determination of reality. Pragmatism can be explained as considering something to be Knowledge if it is useful to some End. Whether an idea is true or gets at reality is not considered to be of that much importance; what is important is that a given model helps to solve problems and it actually works. The investigation is therefore guided by the objective that the proposition is workable and it stands the test of observation, experience and reason.

It follows from the foregoing that whereas the scientific method is undoubtedly the most important determinant of knowledge for it to be termed as science in the modern context; the application of the scientific method needs to be further tempered by the utility, workability and problem solving ability of the propositions making up such knowledge. It is therefore the pragmatic application of the scientific method to the data generated through observation and experience which determines whether or not some knowledge about any phenomena can be called a science. This process can be formal or structured as is the practice today or it can be informal as was the case prior to Rene Descartes (17^th century), who developed the idea of the scientific method that was first initiated by Aristotle much earlier in the 5^th century B.C.. We tend to overlook the contributions of eastern philosophers who advocated and developed the epistemological foundations in their quest for spiritual reality or truth. The contributions of two stalwarts of the Hindu philosophical thought namely the Indian sages Gautam (enunciator of the Nyaya Sutras) and Karad (enunciator of the Vaisheshika Sutras) are noteworthy.

It is evident that any knowledge worthy of being termed as a science prior to the 17^th century was recognized purely on the basis of observations and experiences through an informal process and not through any structured procedure like the scientific method of today. This however should not lead to the conclusion that prior to the 17^th century there was no knowledge worthy of being called a science. The knowledge domains of the yore which have got established on the basis of observations of different phenomenon and have been found to be true and useful through the experiences of generations of human beings are called ancient wisdom or ancient sciences. The sciences of Ayurveda, Yoga and Meditation which were developed in India are shining examples of ancient sciences which have been immaculately perfected and are revered today by all humanity. Indian astrology too is one such ancient science. What is more interesting is the fact that the Rishis (sages) who pioneered the development of Ayurveda etc. were in most cases the same Rishis who enunciated the principles of Indian astrology.

There is however a basic difference in the approach of the ancient scientists and the current scientific community which lies in the fact that whereas today’s scientific community gives a higher priority to researching for new knowledge and then looking for its application for human utility; the ancient scientists sought knowledge for improving human life which was the primary and the only goal of their pursuit of knowledge / truth. In other words the pragmatist requirements of knowledge i.e. usefulness, workability and problem-solving-ability were the primary considerations for seeking knowledge by the ancient scientists. The development of the ancient science of astrology has also been motivated and triggered by such pragmatist considerations.

It becomes imperative therefore to determine the pragmatist premises of Indian astrology as well as its credibility in terms of the informal application of the scientific method prior to accepting it as an ancient science. To this end Indian astrology needs to be judged on the following points:-

1.       Usefulness;

2.       Workability;

3.       Problem solving ability;

4.       Validity on the basis of observations;

5.       Reliability on the basis of both subjective and objective experiences;

A. Usefulness of Indian astrology gets established by its being an inalienable part of the composite Hindu culture throughout the length and breadth of India and the surrounding non-Islamized neighboring countries. This usefulness gets reflected in the womb to the tomb journey of an individual on all occasions right from naming the child, beginning of education, selection of an appropriate spouse, date and time of marriage, date and time of travel, sowing of seeds for agriculture, assessment of rainfall, expectation of harvest, date and time for beginning house construction, orientation of the dwelling structure and in almost all aspects of daily living as well as in festivities, worship and other rituals. It is used for the prediction of longevity, prosperity, health matters, selection of professional pursuits, timing of progeny and the likely trends of success and failure in undertakings as well as for life in general. The utility of this knowledge is evident in the fact that even today learning astrology remains an important dimension of the training for priesthood.

B. The Indian astrological system works on the basis of simple readymade templates which provide all necessary information at a glance thereby making the application of the astrological formulas smooth and easy. The templates are available in the form of Panchangas which include the annual calendar with details of lunar dates, corresponding day, nakshatras, zodiac positions of the planets, sun and moon for each date and time; as well as readymade useful data which may otherwise require tedious and time consuming calculations by experts. All other information and guidelines to facilitate even laymen to be able to use the Panchangas are included therein. In fact many of the desired results from astrological applications are standardized and included that can be directly read from the Panchangas. It is a simple and workable procedure that can be learnt and practiced quite easily. Even the preparation of individual planetary charts for a given time and place on earth can be prepared in no time using the Panchangas. Moreover Indian astrology has designed the presentation of the planetary charts in such a way that the astrologer can visualize, just by a glance, the linkages between the planetary positions on the zodiac, the zodiac signs and the nakshatras to facilitate quick and easy evaluation and interpretation of the situation for making predictions as per rules. The rules have also been structured in a logical manner for easy memorization and application. On the whole the Indian astrological system works smoothly and flawlessly which makes it efficient and effective. It is this inherent workability and simplicity that has helped this ancient wisdom to remain intact and to last thousands of years through history.

C. The problem solving ability of Indian astrology is only an extension of its usefulness that has been explained in detail in ‘A’ above. This knowledge helps in diagnosing the highlighted issues; be it related to health, education, profession, prosperity etc. in terms of the astrological factors and thereafter prescribes astral remedies (to the extent possible) for their resolution. It also provides guidance on auspicious timing of important events such as marriage etc. for satisfactory results. The science assists in decision making and making the best choice in a given situation. It contains multiple tools for attending to and for solving specific problems faced by individuals, groups and communities from time to time in their daily living. In fact the objective of Indian astrology is problem solving for human existence.

D. Indian astrology has two distinct dimensions that comprise its body of knowledge i.e. (a) the astronomical data matrix relating to the solar system that provides the basic data for this subject and (b) the application of such astronomical data for the welfare of human existence on earth. The validity of its first dimension gets determined by the complete coincidence of the data employed by Indian astrology and the data from observations of the science of astronomy such as the data related to the motion of planets etc. in the geo-centric model of the solar system. This very data is used for the various applications of Indian astrology as described in its second dimension. The validity for the application dimension of Indian astrology can be judged from its acceptance for thousands of years by a very large population as a credible format which has hardly ever been challenged by the beneficiary population. This credibility had been assigned on the basis of the experiences of the beneficiary population and despite the erosion of its faith dimension Indian astrology continues to enjoy a high degree of credibility even to date. Another factor enabling and thereby strengthening the credibility of the application part of Indian astrology lies in the fact that it was enunciated and professed by some of the known and established questioning minds of the yore over the years who’s intellectual ability and agility has been proven beyond doubt through their contributions to other forms of knowledge of their times. In addition, it shall be inappropriate to deny or question the collective wisdom of a whole society which has consciously lived with this knowledge and applied it to their lives for a very long period without any coercion or compulsion. In the absence of any formal method for measuring the validity for ancient wisdom, one has to rely on its acceptance in time by a large population. On this premise even the application aspect of Indian astrology can be said to be valid.

E. The reliability of any system, method or knowledge is determined by the consistency of the outcomes through the application of such knowledge or system to real life situations. This consistency gets established by the repetitive test-retest process through applications over a large number of cases by different agencies over a long period. The reliability of the principles and processes of Indian astrology get easily established by the fact that the templates used by all practitioners of this knowledge are the same templates (Panchangas) and the practitioners reach the same conclusions for the same set of data. In other words all Indian astrologers prepare the same horoscope (planetary chart for a given place and time) for the same set of inputs and they would give similar readings from it subject of-course to the limitations of individual astrologer’s expertise and experience quite similar to the variances in diagnosis by different medical practitioners. Indian astrology has many different methods for approaching and reading the horoscopes however in a large majority of cases the outcomes are the same or similar. In my long experience as a practicing astrologer, I have never come across a situation where two or more astrologers have given divergent opinions; they may differ on details or finer points as a result of subjective interpretations but readings are on similar lines. Apart from the diagnosis, the remedial routes taken may vary in content depending upon the traditions of the locality and conditionings applicable to the case. The remedies are often also tempered by the systemic orientation and individual experience of the astrologer regarding the efficacy of the remedy but the guiding factors remain the same. It can be said therefore that the subject of Indian astrology is highly consistent in its applications and this consistency has been observed over thousands of years for applications spread over distinctly differing regions and communities.

From the foregoing assertions (A to E), the prequalifying pragmatist and epistemological determinants for the acceptance of Indian astrology as an ancient science are evidently satisfactorily fulfilled. No ‘body of knowledge’ can be perfect and it needs to be continuously improved upon through active research. Michael Angelo had once remarked ‘scruples lead to perfection but perfection is no scruple’ which applies to scientific development as much as to anything else. It should not be overlooked by students of Indian astrology therefore that the astronomical foundations that formed the basis of ancient Indian astrology have undergone changes due to the dynamics of the cosmic process and would need to be appropriately upgraded, brought up-to-date and integrated into the system through continuous research. A lot of research is now being carried out by the students of this branch of knowledge in a structured manner as per the tenets of modern scientific method  It shall be possible over a period of time to re-establish Indian astrology within the comity of modern sciences.

The cosmic system and all its subsystems are homogenous in nature therefore a good understanding of one subsystem can provide a reasonably fair understanding of the cosmos - the universe - as a whole. The Hindu spiritualists embarked upon the study of the solar system and its linkages to life on earth with the clear understanding that if one knows the solar system well enough, one can extrapolate one’s understanding to comprehend the universe as well as its enlivening spirit the Paramatma. The ancient science of Indian astrology was thus a byproduct of the ancient Indian spiritual masters’ deep study of the solar system and its connections to life on earth for developing an understanding of the cosmos and its enlivening total spirit. In this manner they transcended the solar system to comprehend the cosmos and could establish the link between individual life on earth enlivened by the Atman and the enlivener of the cosmos – the Paramatma.  Thus a deep understanding of Indian astrology can enable a serious student of this science to visualize the cosmos which can lead him into realizing the Paramatma. This aspect of Hindu philosophy has been presented by sage Vyasa through Geeta through the dialogue between Krishna and Arjuna wherein Krishna unveils the Virat Swarup – the cosmic being – with all life forms, cosmic entities, happenings and events existing within it, spanning the three dimensions of space and time. In this manner Indian astrology is the study of the perceivable functional subsystem of the universe (the solar system) for realizing it (the cosmos) in its entirety.

DESTINY AND ASTROLOGY

Daoist Manuscript - Destiny 

                                               

Life is a stream of experiences akin to a journey. Every journey essentially has a destination. The progress in any journey has to be ‘directed’ towards its destination otherwise the destination may not be reached at all thereby making the journey an unproductive exercise. This directional element due to which the journey converges towards the destination is called the Destiny for the journey. Without the element of Destiny guiding a journey, the journey becomes an aimless wandering; therefore for any journey to be meaningful; it has to have its destiny.

Life forms an essential part of the Universe which is a huge, complex and a dynamic system in itself. If even a single sub-system of any whole (system) is chaotic in nature then that system cannot remain a system. Such a system shall eventually get destroyed. Thus it follows that life has to be systematic and certainly not chaotic in nature; moreover it also implies that life must have an objective to be fulfilled and this objective is the destination for ‘a life’. It is imperative then, for every life to have its destiny. Destiny therefore is an undeniable fact of everyone’s and for that matter, every living being’s life.

As per the karma theory, the portion of the total accumulated karma of a living being (the Sanchit karma), to be exhausted in the present life is its Prarabdha karma - its destiny for the current life. This definition of destiny is appropriate from the point of the karma theory but actually the destiny of a life is much more. The Prarabdha karma describes the causative formulation and in some ways the content of the individual destiny but it provides only one part of the story so far as the purpose (destiny) of a life is concerned.

Human mind searches for its purpose in Existence / Creation which is to be fulfilled in the current life. This individual purpose does not exist in isolation but it can only be a subset of the overall objective of the Creation as a whole at any point in time. A small part of this perceived purpose of Creation gets connected or assigned-to, and needs to be accomplished, by every living being. The Human perception is central to this scheme. The Prarabdha Karma (individual Destiny) with which a living being is born, matches with the role assigned to that living being in the scheme ascribed to Creation for the current life. In the process of exhausting the Prarabdha Karma by living its assigned current life, the living being accomplishes the role and task enjoined upon it as per the Grand Design of Creation.

Destiny therefore has two dimensions to it. One is the exhaustion of the Prarabdha Karma (individual destiny) in the present life of a living being and the other dimension is the fulfillment of the objective of the self-evolutionary process of Creation or the Grand Design of Creation. In this manner the unique karmic orientation of the individual being in the form of its Prarabdha karma serves the process of Creation. Of the two dimensions of Destiny, one is individualistic in nature which is relevant for the living being whereas the other is Universal in nature pertaining to the Grand Design of Creation. Normally we look upon destiny purely from the individualistic point of view and associate our own achievements or failures to it; in the process we overlook the other dimension of destiny which supersedes its individualistic component.

If we look around in nature, we shall find this duality of destiny in every aspect of living. When we enjoy a tasty fruit, we release the seed. The eating of the fruit apparently serves our own desire or purpose but the releasing of the seed makes it available for regeneration of that particular plant species, which is the purpose of Creation that gets inadvertently facilitated by our action. The process of procreation is another example wherein the partners engage in the act for pleasure but in the process they procreate new life. The pleasure seeking of the process is the individual goal for each partner but procreation is the goal of Creation which is achieved by the partners through the conjugal process.

The dual dimensions of destiny also highlight the fallacy of the arguments in support of Freewill & Doership propagated by the Motivation Gurus of today. Their arguments are based on the false premise that personal goals alone need to be achieved in one’s life and that Existence is meant to facilitate an individual’s effort and endeavor. The importance of the Creation’s objective for each and every life is either not known to the propagators of Freewill & Doership or they ignore it. In fact the Creation’s agenda is primary and the individual objectives are secondary in the scheme of Destiny. The individualistic dimension of Destiny is actually subservient to the Universal dimension of Destiny. The propagators of Freewill & Doership have actually turned this reality on its head.

Unless it is categorically understood that Creation is supreme and the living beings are but mere tools in the hands of Creation, we shall only be fooling ourselves. Our Prarabdha karma is always subservient to the Grand Design of Creation and never vice-versa. Our individual destiny gets designed on the basis of our Prarabdha karma but its purpose is to always facilitate the self-evolutionary process of Creation.

The evolution of life, from the unicellular organism to the complex human being is a part of the Grand design of Creation or the self-evolutionary process of Creation which has got facilitated by the specific roles played by the whole lot of sentient beings from time to time, matching with their Prarabdha karma all along. The sum total of all Prarabdha karma of all beings for an epoch is always in consonance with the Grand Design of Creation for it to progress on its self evolutionary path. The evolution of the human being has happened as per the agenda of Creation through its process of self evolution and not arbitrarily through the process of trial & error or by chance; in fact, it has been destined that way.

The Cosmic destiny reflected in the Grand Design of Creation has been framed from the probable moment of the Big Bang in and by its own self evolved ‘set & structure’ of cosmic laws. The destiny of the Universe therefore is linked to the destinies of all its sub-systems. This has been and continues to be the process of self-evolution within the Universe. This rule applies to all the subsets and subsystems of the Universe including the human being.

That there exists a dual dimension in destiny, can be best illustrated by the paradoxical nature of the law of Probability, which has puzzled the philosophers ever since Pascal enunciated the principles of this important branch of mathematics, so much so that von Neumann, one of the greatest mathematicians, called it ‘Black Magic’. The paradox of Probability lies in the uncanny precision of the formulas of Probability in predicting the outcome of a large number of individual events, each one of which is, in itself unpredictable. In other words, a large number of uncertainties together produce a certainty or a large number of random events produce a lawful outcome. It gets established even mathematically that every event has two dimensions to its outcomes which may not appear to be related or may even appear to be contradictory; one dimension is the result which is relevant for an individual event whereas the other dimension is the outcome which is relevant for the whole domain of such events, of which, the individual event may be only a very small part. These two dimensions are reflective of the two dimensions of destiny, described in the foregoing paragraphs. 

Arthur Koestler has cited examples which establish the two dimensions of destiny explicitly. He cites from the statistics of the New York Department of Health which showed that the average number of dogs biting people per day was: 75.3 in 1955, 73.6 in 1956, 73.5 in 1957, 74.5 in 1958 and 72.4 in 1959. The uniformity in the statistical data related to dog bites is startling and the obvious question arises as to how did the dogs know when to stop biting and when to resume the same? Another example he takes is from the statistical data available for the number of fatal kicks given by horses of the German cavalry in the 19^th century. The uniformity in this case too was amazing, leading to the same question as to who controlled the number of fatal kicks of the horses and how? Yet another case is that of the murders in England and Wales for howsoever different reasons or situations. The average number of murders per million of population was: 3.84 in 1920s, 3.27 in 1930s, 3.92 in 1940s, 3.30 in 1950s and 3.50 in 1960s. The close similarity in the numbers is surprising, to say the least. Certainly there was no ‘murderers union’ which was regulating the number of murders to be committed in each decade.   

The modern scientific answer with respect to the above examples is possible only through the laws of Probability and Science admits that it cannot explain these phenomena by physical forces. The theory of Probability therefore has become an indispensible tool for physics, genetics, economics, insurance, opinion polls, sociology etc. The ‘Black Magic’ of von Neumann has been taken for granted by Science but there is no scientific explanation for it. To ask ‘why’ is to ask ‘why there is the Universe’? The explanation of this phenomenon is however possible only in terms of the two dimensions of destiny. The individualistic dimension of destiny governs the outcome for the individual at the micro level and the Universal dimension of destiny governs the outcome at the macro level, for any event. The link between the two sets of outcomes is established by the formulae of Probability. Modern physics has also realized the holistic vision that the ‘whole’ is necessary for the understanding of the ‘parts’, as much as the ‘parts’ are necessary for the understanding of the ‘whole’. This has been aptly summed up by Prof. David Bohm, when he says: “Thus one is led to a new notion of unbroken wholeness, which denies the classical idea of the analyzability of the world into separately and independently existing parts”. Thus modern Science accepts that individuality cannot exist independently on or off its own but can exist only as a logically linked part of the whole or the Universe. If this be true, which it surely is, then how can there be any individual destiny unless it is an integral part of the total i.e. the Universal destiny.

There is the interesting case of Paul-the octopus which could predict correctly the results of all the nine soccer world cup 2010 matches, including that of the finals, which were referred to it. Paul-the octopus would open the lid of the box representing the winning team, out of the two boxes presented to it, representing the two teams playing the particular match, just before the contest commenced. How did the octopus know the result of the match beforehand is a question which shall be debated or researched upon but what is more important is the fact that the results of the matches were destined, notwithstanding the quality of play, the efforts of the players or the course of the match. Which player shall score a goal and which ones shall fail in their attempts was guided by the destiny of the concerned individual players but the destiny of the whole match was already fixed otherwise how the octopus could correctly make its prediction of the result of each of the nine matches referred to it.

The foregoing example establishes unambiguously the following facts:-

(1)               that the individual destiny plays out to facilitate the process of the Grand Design of Creation;

(2)               that the individual’s destiny is always subservient to the Universal destiny.

(3)               that destiny can be known or predicted.

The following mythological story appropriately highlights the importance of the Universal dimension of destiny in influencing the individual destiny:-

There was a poor farmer in a small village who was one morning sitting under a tree, grudging his abject poverty. Soon a group of the King’s soldiers went past him announcing with drum beats that whosoever is able to interpret the dream seen by the King would be rewarded with five hundred gold coins. The poor farmer thought that what if he could interpret the King’s dream but alas he was not skilled in that art. At that very moment, a small bird perched on a branch of the tree above him, announced that it knew about the King’s dream and that it could tell the meaning of that dream as well. The farmer got excited and requested the bird to let him know about the dream. The bird agreed to do so but on the condition that the farmer shall share the reward, fifty-fifty with the bird. The farmer agreed to the bird’s proposal. The bird told the farmer that the King had seen a jackal sitting on his throne which meant that some of his close confidants were planning a coup. The enlightened farmer went to the King’s palace and narrated the dream as well as its significance to the King. The King was fully satisfied with the interpretation and he rewarded the farmer with the promised five hundred gold coins. On his way back the farmer contemplated and thought that what use the bird will have of the gold coins and hence he decided to avoid the bird by taking another route on his way back to his home. Meanwhile the prophecy came true and the King was able to protect himself due to the prior information. The farmer became prosperous and lived happily till one day the soldiers of the King were back on his door asking him to report to the King immediately to interpret another dream seen by the King. The farmer was afraid but he had no option but to try to find the bird and ask for its help. So the farmer went back to the same tree and to his astonishment the bird welcomed him saying that I know why you are here? The farmer asked for forgiveness for the last occasion and sought the bird’s help. The bird told the farmer that this time he should ensure that the reward shall be honestly shared. The farmer agreed. The bird then told him that the King has dreamt of a big fire in the palace which meant that the Kingdom shall be attacked by a neighboring ambitious and greedy King and that the King should reinforce his army appropriately. The farmer went to the palace and explained the dream as told by the bird. This time the King rewarded the farmer with a thousand gold coins. On his way back, the farmer again avoided the bird and came home. Once again the prophecy came true and the King could crush the aggressor because he was prepared. The farmer became even more prosperous and was busy enjoying life but one day the King’s soldiers were back again asking him to report to the King urgently. The farmer became terribly afraid thinking of the consequences but he had no other option but to try to locate the bird once again. Fortunately he found the bird on the same tree and this time too, the farmer expressed his apologies to the bird which again agreed to help but on the same condition that the farmer should share the reward fifty-fifty to which the farmer agreed once again. The bird told him that this time the King had dreamt of a flock of swans flying over the palace which indicated that the time ahead was one of great peace & prosperity for the Kingdom. As before the farmer went to the palace and explained the dream. The King was very happy and this time he rewarded the farmer with two thousand gold coins. On his way back the farmer went straight to the bird and offered the whole reward to it and sincerely apologized for his previous actions. He blamed himself of being dishonest, ambitious and greedy for which he begged for the bird’s forgiveness. The bird told the farmer to distribute the money within the poor and the needy but more importantly it told the farmer not to feel so guilty about his conduct on the two previous occasions. Explaining this, the bird told the farmer that on the earlier two occasions the environment was influenced by deceit, ambition and greed because of which the programming of deceit, ambition and greed became overwhelming and irresistible in the farmer’s own behavior too. It told the farmer that on this occasion the environment was under the spell of goodness which motivated the farmer to come and offer the full reward to it and beg for forgiveness for previous mistakes.

The above story brings out the influence of the Universal dimension of destiny on the individual’s destiny in a given time & space, quite emphatically. It also shows that the Universal dimension of destiny is the dominant factor in the overall play of destiny. Thus the law of interdependence in Existence is fulfilled by the fact that destiny gives little or no room for an individual to act freely in real terms.

The question that obviously arises is, as to ‘How’ or ‘By what method’ can Destiny be known?

Whereas there can be various methods of looking into the future both for knowing the individual as well as the Universal destiny but one of the ancient and tested methods is provided by Astrology. Astrology takes the clues from the dispositions of planets (of our solar system) on the Zodiac, for indicating the course of destiny at any given time, be it the destiny of the individual or for our world. The destiny of the individual can be known from the individual’s horoscope drawn for the time and place of his birth whereas the trends of the events affecting the world can be known by applying the principles and methods provided by Mundane Astrology.

Destiny can be known and Astrology is one of the ancient and tested methods of knowing it but then one would like to know ‘What is the use of knowing one’s Destiny?’ or ‘Does it help in any way to know one’s Destiny?’

Knowing one’s destiny is like being aware of the weather forecast. One can take necessary precautions for the inclemency of the weather if the same has been forecast and one is aware of the weather forecast. Much in the same manner, by being aware of one’s destiny too, one can prepare oneself accordingly to face the emerging situations. Awareness itself is a great help in life. The following illustration shall explain this fact further:-

Prof. John and Prof. James from South Africa are invited for a conference in Srinagar (Kashmir-India) which is scheduled to be held in December. Prof. John has an Indian friend whom he consults for knowing the weather conditions in Srinagar during December. On being advised that Srinagar is extremely cold during December, Prof. John carries his winter gear along, on the trip. Prof. James has no knowledge of the weather condition in Srinagar during December and therefore he does not make the necessary arrangements. As a result when both the gentlemen land in Srinagar for the conference, Prof. John is prepared whereas Prof. James is not. The lack of awareness of the weather conditions has made the difference in the preparedness of Prof. James.

Much in the same way, the awareness of one’s destiny can help one in bracing oneself for the likely future scenario. Knowing destiny is like knowing the road map to the destination which helps in moving towards the destination smoothly and comfortably. Ask a sailor to know how important navigation is while sailing at sea. Navigation is not at all possible without the knowledge of the coordinates of one’s current location and that of the destination as well as the direction of the winds and the nature of the Ocean at the time of sailing. Piloting an aircraft successfully also needs the skill of navigation which again is based on the necessary data for the route to be taken in flight. The knowledge of the required data for effective navigation is akin to the knowledge of destiny for the appropriate navigation of life for the individual. Effectively navigating one’s life therefore can be possible if and only if there is awareness of destiny. Factorizing this awareness into the decision making process for one’s future course of action can make a huge difference in the timing as well as the quality of one’s actions which undoubtedly shall make a difference in the achievements both at the individual and the Universal levels.

The awareness of one’s destiny is like the stick in the blind man’s hand which helps him to not only find his way around but also helps him in avoiding obstacles and pitfalls in his way. Knowing one’s destiny too helps one find the right path as well as helps in avoiding the obstacles and the pitfalls on the path. Yet another simile can be - one’s presence in a dark room. If one is aware of the location of the door in the dark room, one can find it with minimum difficulty but if one is not aware of the location of the door then not only one shall keep hitting the walls or stumbling on things present in the room but one may not find the door at all. The fact that awareness of destiny can be of a great help can never be over emphasized.

Another dimension of the knowledge of one’s destiny is the possibility of maneuvering it within the available space to create opportunities for one-self. Within the available space, there is a possibility of remedial actions for the modification or correction of the destined course. It may appear to be contradictory to whatever has been stated here-in-earlier but actually it is not so. As in the case of a sick person, the sickness happens due to the unique constitution of the person being adversely affected by the person’s own past actions of commission or omission or due to an external infection which by the help of proper diagnosis and medication or surgery can be cured or managed, so too in the case of destined challenges or difficulties being faced by a person due to his past karma, the undesirable effects due to destiny can be modified or mitigated by applying appropriate remedies after proper diagnosis. For example if one has misbehaved with the boss and the boss has initiated disciplinary action for one’s inappropriate behavior, then if one sincerely apologizes at the right time to the boss, there is a good possibility that the boss will pardon and withdraw the disciplinary proceeding.  The act of apologizing is a remedial action which if done sincerely and timely, will negate the due punishment. However not all effects due to past Karma can be modified, managed or corrected. The Dridha karma (fixed karma) cannot be altered or negated in any manner whatsoever. Only the Dridha-Adridha (semi-fixed) and the Adridha (variable) karma can be maneuvered with. For example, if a utensil made of glass falls down, it breaks into pieces and there is no way to restore it back to its original form but if a utensil made of metal falls down then it can be put back in its place. The falling and breaking into pieces of the glass utensil is of the Dridha karma category whereas the falling of the metallic utensil can be of any one of the other two categories of karma. Which portion of Destiny can be managed and which cannot be managed can be identified by the help of Astrological analysis.

The understanding of destiny shall not be complete without stating the fact that even knowing one’s destiny as well as being able to get the correct and timely advice about the remedies is possible if and only if one is destined to get the same. The foregoing statement is for the general population however the same cannot be said about the highly accomplished ones (yogis and siddhas), whose elevated mind can go beyond destiny and erase it through non-identity (Nirvana) because destiny works only in ‘Identity’ whereas it gets dissolved in non-identity (Nirvana). From the point of view of destiny, such a one is either having Prarabdha karma that reaches him / her into the state of non-identity or else that person can be an incarnation of the Principle beyond destiny.

Even the knowledge of one’s destiny as well as that of the remedies or the methods for maneuvering it, is of little help, if one’s personality comes in the way of the acceptance of the remedies and their being undertaken as prescribed. In other words, any intervention in the course of destiny is also a part of destiny. Any intervention in the course of Destiny can be possible only within the context or space provided by the overall design of the individual destiny. An intervention can be best understood as the enabling-of, or the disabling-of, an existing program in the given system; the introduction of any new program is completely ruled out.  Another question that arises at this stage is that-

 ‘If intervention in the course of destiny is possible, even in a limited way, then does it not affect the course of Universal destiny, which goes against the description of the Universal destiny stated here-in-earlier?’

The answer to this question lies in the fact that the linkages between individual destiny and Universal destiny are never violated whether or not there is any intervention in the course of individual destiny. The intervention is likely to be effective if and only if the Universal destiny provides the opportunity and the space for such an intervention to succeed. This is an important point and this also explains as to why-

a)      an intervention may not be sought for;

b)      an intervention sought for is not available in time;

c)      an intervention sought for and available in time may not be appropriate;

d)      an intervention sought for, made available in time and appropriate in quality may not be heeded or may be followed erroneously;

In all the above cases, intervention is blocked due to the Universal destiny not supporting the cause. It is interesting to observe how the drama of the Universe carries on and the only master of this whole show is Creation howsoever we may wish to call it. Creation is always in control of itself and whatever semblance of control, if any, we feel we enjoy in our daily living is there because of the space provided by Creation.

A discussion on destiny shall remain inconclusive if its dynamic nature is not highlighted. As we live our lives, we keep on exhausting some of our past karma and also keep on creating new karmic aggregates. This continuous process of exhausting and creation of karma keeps on changing the configuration of our destiny on a regular basis. Thus it can be seen that destiny is actually dynamic in nature and this is why it is not synonymous with Fate. Fate is a fixed entity and can be equated to the fixed element of destiny - the Dridha Karma. Fate therefore is a subset of destiny. It is erroneous to equate Fate with destiny as a whole.

It is obvious from the foregoing that destiny is complex leading one to the obvious question that:-

‘If Destiny is as complex and dynamic as described so far, then is it possible to keep track of it at all times and if so how?’

There is no doubt that destiny is complex and dynamic but even then it is possible to know the present destiny of an individual at any given time and place. Astrology has developed methods for reading the present destiny for any individual at the time and place of reference or inquiry. The twists and turns of destiny as it unfolds can be traced beginning with the birth of the individual up to the time and place when he / she prefers to know about the current destiny. The method for knowing the current state of one’s destiny is in-built within the methods of prescriptive astrology.

When we talk of destiny, it is always in terms of a subject or entity, be it an individual, a group, a community, a society, an enterprise, a nation, an institution, or a group of nations. In all these cases the entity which forms the subject of destiny is well defined in terms of the dimensions of space and time. In other words the aspect of destiny is applicable to finite and clearly definable entities within the boundaries of space & time. All such entities are subsets of what we know as the Universe. The two dimensions of destiny i.e. the entity’s own destiny and the destiny assigned to the entity by Creation (the Universal destiny), form an essential part of the overall destiny for the entity at any given time. When we talk of the Universe, we deal with an entity whose boundaries are not determined in terms of time & space. All we know is that the Universe is infinitely huge and it is ever expanding. There are various hypotheses on the evolution of the Universe but no one is certain about how & when exactly the Universe came into being. It is therefore impossible, at least, as of now, to include the Universe in the list of entities whose destiny can be predicted or known with any degree of certainty or accuracy. Creation alone knows the purpose and the course of destiny of the Universe.   

However when we consider our Earth or what we call our own world, as an entity, there is a better possibility of knowing its Destiny. The Destiny of the world too is largely in the hands of Creation but nevertheless, it can be known for the short term by the help of the methods of Mundane Astrology even though this too has serious limitations. The world by itself has no Prarabdha karma i.e. the destiny of its own, other than the total Prarabdha of all beings inhabiting the world at any given time, which is impossible to assess, hence in its case, only the destiny enjoined to the world by the self evolutionary process of Creation at any given time can be known. The destined course that the world shall take, can be known only for the short run since the purpose and objective of the world’s coming into being and its existence falls in the domain of the self evolutionary process of Creation.

Who could have known except for Creation itself that the unicellular organism shall become a complex form of life in the form of the human being? Since Creation alone has the complete freedom to Know, to Will and to Act, it can change the course of the World’s destiny anytime at Will. This overpowering and controlling aspect of Creation is evident in the calamities and tragedies that take place wherein a large number of people suffer casualties or extreme suffering. In most of such cases the individual destinies may not be indicating death or suffering at the time of the occurrence of the tragedy but the Universal destiny overrules the direction and content of the individual destinies in the moment. The destructive dimension of Creation puts a full-stop to the flow of individual destiny and places its own agenda above all. The self evolutionary process of Creation has an inbuilt system of destruction too, for it to facilitate the process of self evolution in a certain manner and direction. Much like the process of gardening, in which the sprucing up and weeding out of plants is done to give the garden a desired look, Creation uses its destructive forces in the self evolutionary process to promote the Grand Design of evolution. This fact of life once again establishes the superiority of the Universal destiny as well as the subservient nature of the individual destinies.

The long-term destiny for the World is therefore impossible to predict. Any consideration given to the Universal dimension of destiny while assessing an individual’s destiny can only be for the moment or for the immediate future. A long term view of the Universal destiny can be hazardous / erroneous and thus it has to be assessed repeatedly from time to time for the time and place of reference or consideration. The science of Astrology takes these facts into consideration and has devised accurate enough methods for assessing an individual’s destiny as well as the Universal destiny for a given time & space.

Knowing destiny is important and useful but most of the time an indication of the trend or the likely course of destiny is enough, rather than knowing the exact detail of it. A businessman would like to evaluate a business proposal in terms of its viability, he may not be interested to know the exact profit or loss the proposed business is likely to make. Similarly a student may like to know about the most suitable direction of his or her higher education rather than the exact score he / she shall obtain in the examination. A sick man may want to know the possibility of his getting well in the coming days and not the exact date when he shall be completely fit. The trends or indications of the likely course of destiny are fairly easily determinable by the help of Astrology which in itself is helpful for taking important decisions. A simple and pragmatic approach for knowing the trend of destiny should be adopted.

Until and unless there is complete awareness and understanding of the multi-dimensional nature of destiny, it is extremely difficult to comprehend its working in day to day living. It is certainly not surprising that there are contradictory attitudes towards destiny in the general view. As for any technical subject of which the layman’s knowledge can often be misleading, the inappropriate understanding of destiny too makes it controversial and a subject of uncalled for debate. I have tried to bring out as vividly as possible, the various dimensions of destiny and I sincerely hope that the readers shall not only get the answers to their many questions on destiny but they shall also get a deeper understanding of its complexities and its working in one’s Life.

Often people influenced by the layman’s understanding of destiny believe that all talk of destiny is foolishness and that it is meant for the cowardly, those who want to hide behind destiny to cover up their own failures or to justify their own inabilities and shortcomings. Nothing can be more self defeating than the holding of such notions. Knowledge of destiny can in fact be extremely helpful in deciding correctly on a future course of action. It can help in timing the actions suitably and can help in avoiding obstacles in the way. Being aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses can never be termed as foolishness or cowardice. The opportunities that come our way in life are indeed rare and the resources available to us at any given time are but scarce. To evaluate the viability of an apparent opportunity for investing one’s scarce resources is not by any means a simple task. Losing a good opportunity or wasting the scarce resources on an unviable one, can be disastrous. Those who are able to invest their scarce resources on the most suitable opportunity that comes their way are more likely to be successful in life. Knowledge of destiny can be a dependable guide in these matters. However there is no denying the fact that only those, who are destined to obtain the knowledge of Destiny and derive benefits from it, shall be able to do so.

Astrology stands on the foundation of the Karma theory and its derivative - the element of Destiny. It is essential to understand this before attempting to know about the science of Astrology in the true sense.