THE ELEMENT OF DESTINY

The questions that are frequently asked about Destiny are:-

Is there something called Destiny? If so, what is its role in a human life?

How important is it for an individual to know his or her Destiny?

Does it help one to know one’s Destiny?

Should Destiny be factorized in our day to day living and decision making? Does it help?

Can Astrology be an accurate indicator of Destiny?

Is there a difference between Destiny and Fate? If so what is the exact role of these two?

Can Destiny be known? If so, can it be altered?

It is said that one can make one’s own Destiny by intelligently done hard work and that Astrology is for cowards. Is this true?

How does Destiny blend with human effort, endeavor or enterprise?

Will knowing one’s Destiny be interfering with it?

Does knowing one’s Destiny weaken one’s resolve and will power?

Can human evolution be explained by Destiny?
Has Astrology predicated the destined course of human evolution in the past?

Can Destiny be established through scientific evidence?

If individual Destiny is is the sole determinant of all happenings in one’s life then what is the explanation for major tragedies such as earthquakes, air crashes, wars or epidemics in which many people lose their lives?

The answers to the above questions shall get developed in the course of the detailed analysis of Destiny from all possible angles which shall be carried out in the following paragraphs.

Life is a stream of experiences; it is akin to a journey. Every journey essentially has a destination. The progress in any journey has to be ‘directed’ towards the destination otherwise the journey may not turn out to be fruitful since the destination may not be reached. 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.

The process of Life, forms an essential part of the Universe which is a huge, complex and a perfect system in itself. If any sub-system of a system is chaotic in nature then the system cannot remain a system. Such a system shall get destroyed eventually. Thus it follows that life has to be systematic and certainly not chaotic in nature and it also follows that life has 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.

In terms of the theory of Karma described in the foregoing chapter, the portion of the total accumulated Karmas of a living being (the Sanchit Karmas), to be exhausted in the present life for a living being is the Prarabdha Karma or the Destiny for that being for the current life. This definition of Destiny is appropriate from the point of the theory of Karma but actually Destiny of a life for a living being is much more than that. 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 of a life or Destiny is concerned.

Human mind searches for a purpose in Existence or Creation which has to be fulfilled by all sentient beings taken together. 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-with, 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 (individual Destiny) by living its 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 (individual Destiny) 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 point of view of the individualistic dimension 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, thereby making it available for regeneration of that particular plant species, is the purpose of Creation which has been 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 bring forth the fallacy of the arguments in favor of Freewill & Doership propagated by the Self-Help Gurus and the like. Such arguments are based on the false premises that personal goals alone need to be achieved in one’s life and that Creation is meant to facilitate individual 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 think that it can be ignored. In fact the Creation’s process 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 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 (individual Destiny) 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 Prarabdhas (individual Destinies) all along. The sum total of all Prarabdha (individual Destiny) 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 been 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 faxt, it has been destined that way.

The Cosmic Destiny or 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 19th 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 of 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 or 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 in a way so as 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 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.

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. As has been already stated in the foregoing chapter, 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 Earth. The Destiny of the individual can be known from the individual’s horoscope drawn for the time and place of birth of the concerned individual whereas the trends of the world can be known by applying the principles and methods provided by Mundane Astrology. These methods shall be taken up in detail while answering questions on Astrology in the later chapters.

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 woolen 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 then 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
Karmas, 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 Karmas can be modified, managed or corrected. As has already been explained in the foregoing chapter, the Dridha Karmas or the fixed Karmas cannot be altered or negated in any manner whatsoever. Only the Dridha-Adridha and the Adridha Karmas or the semi-fixed and the variable Karmas can be maneuvered with. For example, if a utensil made of glass falls down, it gets broken 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 Karmas.
Which portion of Destiny can be managed and which cannot be
managed can be identified by the help of Astrological analysis. Astrology can also provide the suitable and appropriate means & methods for altering or correcting the effects or the course of Destiny related to the Adridha or the Dridha-Adridha Karmas. The detailed description of these methods shall be dealt with in the later chapter on Remedial Measures.

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 prior statement is for the general population however the same cannot be said about the highly accomplished one, whose elevated mind can go beyond Destiny and erase out Destiny 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 (individual Destiny) that reaches him or her into the state of non-identity or 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 Destiny comes in the way of the acceptance of the remedies and their being carried out as prescribed. In other words, any intervention in the course of Destiny is also a part of Destiny. It should however be made clear that an 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 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 despite the individual Will for it.
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 day to day living is only 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 Karmas and also keep on creating new Karmic aggregates. This continuous process of exhausting and creation of Karmas 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 or the Dridha Karma. Fate therefore can best be described as a subset of Destiny. It is erroneous to equate Fate with Destiny as a whole.

It is obvious from the foregoing that Destiny is dynamic and of a highly complex nature which then leads 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 to the time and place when he or she prefers to know about the current scenario with respect to Destiny. The method for knowing the current state of one’s Destiny shall be described in the later chapter on 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 or 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 who’s 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 Karmas or 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 through Mundane Astrology. 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. In fact any consideration to be given to the Universal dimension of Destiny while looking at 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 or erroneous to say the least and therefore it has to be assessed repeatedly from time to time for the time and place of reference or consideration. The science of Astrology does take 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 or 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 very helpful for making important decisions in life. A simple and pragmatic approach to knowing the trend of Destiny should be adopted by those who wish to refer to it.

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 the day to day living. It is certainly not surprising that there are contradictory attitudes towards Destiny in the common person’s mind. Like 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 get influenced by the layman’s understanding of Destiny to believe that all talk of Destiny is foolishness and that it is meant for the cowardly, 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 also help in avoiding any 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 of 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.

By now the readers shall be able to connect that the Karmas of the past, reflect and are causative in the formulation of Destiny, as it happens to unfold itself in one’s present Life from time to time in consonance with the Grand Design of Creation which also establishes beyond doubt that the notions of Freewill & Doership are mere illusions caused by the erroneous egocentric thinking and belief.
The understanding that Astrology stands on the foundation of the theory of Karma and its derivative in the form of the element of Destiny, is not only crucial but it is essential before even attempting to know about the Science of Astrology in the true sense.

THE KARMA THEORY

The questions that are normally asked with respect to the theory of Karma are:-

What connection is there between the present life & past actions?

What is Karma and how does it affect our lives?

Is there rebirth?

What is the role of our present actions with respect to our Karma bondage?

What is the connection between Karma & Astrology?

Can the Karmas created by past actions be modified or nullified and can Astrology help in this respect?

Is Karma the ultimate determinant of all our experiences in life?

Is it possible to know one’s Karma through Astrology?

If Karma determines all aspects of the present life then are we responsible for future Karmas? If so why?

Karmana is a Sanskrit word which means action or deed together with its effect. The word Karma is a derivative of Karmana. It is both a noun as well as a verb. Any action undertaken by an individual becomes his/her Karma and the result accruing from that action is called Karmaphal or the result of the action. Even though Karma & Karmaphal are different they both are often referred to as Karma. The word Karma therefore refers to both the cause & the effect. The cause is the action or the deed undertaken by the individual and the effect of that action or deed is the result or the fruit of such an action.

The Universe or the Cosmos is a system having its set of rules which are self evolved. These rules govern the process of self evolution of the Cosmos from ‘Being to Becoming’. This ‘Being’ to ‘Becoming’ has evolved from the non-living to the living and further by the self evolutionary process the living being developed into the human being having a developed faculty of Perception. It is the human perception which has created Karma. The forms of life which have no perceptual choice of Action and live only by their Instinct do not create Karma. The perceptual choice of action which has not been completed remains etched as memory in the human mind in the form of a conditioning which leads to rebirth for the completion of the uncompleted action. This whole process is called the ‘Cycle of Karma’.

Karma is basically an Indian concept and therefore it forms an essential & important part of all pan-Indian Philosophies, be it the Buddhist philosophy, the Sikh philosophy, the Jain philosophy or the various variants of the Vedic & the non-Vedic philosophies. It is therefore very important to understand the Karma theory as originally enunciated in the Indian thought.

The Indian concepts of the Karma theory are based on the premise that the body of a living being is merely a vehicle for ‘a’ part of such a being’s total Journey of Life. The death of the body does not mean the end of the journey of Life for the being. In other words the soul of the being or the Jeeva* takes up one body after the other which can be in the form of any living being ranging from a unicellular organism to the human form including the plant, the animal or the bird forms. This process is commonly known as ‘Rebirth’. The concept of rebirth is not understood and therefore not accepted by the majority of thinkers & philosophers outside the Indian fold, even though as shall be explained here-in-later, the concept of rebirth is not only logical but is the only plausible explanation for the Universe being a Cosmos and not a Chaos.

The theory of Karma stipulates that for every action undertaken by an individual for a selfish or egocentric motive, there is both an external as well as an internal effect. The external effect is in the form of an event or a happening whereas the internal effect is the formation of a compulsive tendency or a Vasna. As the individual repeats similar actions, the compulsive tendency or the Vasna gets strengthened, ultimately becoming a prominent part of the individual’s personality in the form of a predisposition to act in a certain way under certain circumstances. This predisposition is known as the Samskara. The following example illustrates this fact:-

A person is motivated by friends to join in drinking liquor for the first time in a party. He enjoys the experience and sheds his resistance to drinking and he starts taking liquor frequently. Due to a weak ‘Will’ he increases the frequency of drinking gradually losing all control to become a drunkard. A Vasna (compulsive tendency) for drinking had been created in him which got strengthened into a Samskara. This Vasna (compulsive tendency) ultimately became so strong that he had to be taken to a rehabilitation centre for his reconditioning.

A Vasna (compulsive tendency) once formed is hard to reverse if it becomes a Samskara. If not reversed it remains in the subconscious and is carried forward to the next birth. The Vasna (compulsive tendency) gets motivated by selfish desires spurred by greed or lust. In fact any form of craving leads to the formation of a Vasna (compulsive tendency) even if it is a mild one. Persons with a weak ‘Will’ are more likely to create new Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) and they also find it difficult to erase the existing ones. Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) influence the behavioral patterns as well as all other aspects of the individual’s life.

*Jeeva- Sanskrit word for ‘soul’ indicating the Atman (consciousness) +mind+ intellect +ego entity of a being.
Any desire motivated or egocentric action undertaken by the individual also becomes the cause for some external effect. It is the law of nature that every action shall have an equivalent effect or reaction in the opposite direction i.e. towards the source of the action which is the individual himself. If this reaction or the consequence for the action is not experienced by the individual for some reason either fully or partially, then such an unexhausted reaction becomes the bondage due to Karma which the individual has to exhaust by experiencing it at a later date either in the present birth or in another birth in another body. The collection of all the unexhausted reactions of the desire motivated and egocentric actions of an individual are together called the Karma aggregate or as Karma in common parlance. The following example illustrates this process:-

If the same drunkard as described in the previous example comes home and beats his wife and the wife suffers but is unable to retaliate, the drunkard has created Karma bondage as he has not experienced the consequences for his action. This Karma gets added to his existing Karma aggregate which shall be exhausted by the drunkard in a future birth in the form of an equivalent suffering. If however the wife informs the police and the drunkard is suitably punished for his crime then hypothetically there is no creation of Karma to be exhausted by him in future having suffered the consequences of this action.

As per the theory of Karma, the next birth of the Jeeva (soul) is determined both by the Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) created by the individual Jeeva (soul) in past births as well as by the aggregate of Karma remaining to be exhausted in future births. The Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) form the criteria for the unique personality in the new birth and the aggregate of Karmas forms the basis for the experiences in the new birth for the individual Jeeva (soul).

It is important to know about the types of Karmas as well as the role of each type of Karma with respect to the creation of Vasnas as well as the Karmic bondages. There are basically four types of Karmas namely the Nitya Karmas, the Naimitya Karmas, the Kamya Karmas and the Nishidha Karmas.

The Nitya Karmas are the daily chores or natural activities of life which one has to carry out to live and exist in the body. The Karmas that fall in this category are the choice-less daily routines of cleaning the body, feeding the body and attending to the calls of nature etc. These Karmas are of an essential nature and do not therefore bind the individual in any manner whatsoever.

The Naimitya Karmas are those Karmas which are to be carried out by an individual as obligatory duties which become assigned to him due to his presence in a particular environment. These set of Karmas include duties towards the family, towards the relatives, towards the neighbors, towards the community and towards the country etc. Some examples of the Naimitya Karmas are paying one’s taxes, caring for the parents, casting one’s vote etc. The abdication of the Naimitya Karmas creates the Karmic bondage whereas the fulfillment of the obligatory duties without assigning any choice may prevent any Karmic bondage. Naimitya Karma conditioned by human perception leading to choice will certainly cause Karmic bondages.

The Kamya Karmas are those Karmas which an individual undertakes for the fulfillment of his or her desires. These include all such activities which are carried out for sense gratification and enjoyment. This is the category of Karmas which create Vasnas & Karmic bondages. Even in this set of Karmas, those actions which are undertaken for the satisfaction of Needs are not binding for the individual. Only those actions which are undertaken for fulfilling the Wants are responsible for the creation of Vasnas and the Karmic bondages. The following illustration shall clarify the difference between a need & a want:-

A person needs to buy a car for travelling to & from his office. If he buys an ordinary car which meets his requirements then he has fulfilled his need but if he purchases a Ferrari as he desires to show-off to his friends then he is fulfilling his want. The need fulfills a requirement whereas the want satisfies the ego. The need may however expand to necessity and thereon into desires and wants.

The Nishiddha Karmas are those Karmas which are forbidden. The actions which cause suffering to anyone including oneself or to humanity as a whole fall under this category. The acts of theft, misappropriation and other forms of crime are Nishiddha Karmas. All civil societies have made these Karmas punishable and all religions have defined these Karmas as Sins. The performance of these Karmas causes Karmic bondages of a grave nature.

From the above classification and description of Karmas it becomes clear that carrying out the Nitya Karmas, the Naimitya Karmas and the need based Kamya Karmas do not create any Vasna or Karmic bondage for the individual, on the other hand however the omission of Naimitya Karmas, the carrying out of the egocentric Kamya Karmas or the Nishiddha Karmas does create Vasnas & Karmic bondages.

Activity starts with conditioned and unconditioned reflexes that constitute Nitya Karmas which further leads the mind into Naimitya Karmas. The Naimitya Karmas create unfulfilled spaces in the mind and the deliberations for fulfillment lead to desire motivated or Kamya Karmas which may sometimes take a wrong turn into conscience prohibited or Nishiddha Karmas.

The question that arises at this juncture is that why only the consequences of desire motivated or egocentric actions cause the formation of Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) & Karmic bondages for the Jeeva?

The answer to this question lies in the fact that when an individual acts for the sole purpose of satisfying his or her desires, motivated by his or her ego, then the reactions or consequences of such an action are naturally directed towards him or her-the doer. The individual is directly responsible for such acts. On the contrary when the actions are carried out as a part of one’s duty without ego-gratification being the purpose, the reactions or consequences of such actions are not directed towards the individual. In this case the reactions or the consequences are borne by the ‘Totality’ or the existence as a whole because when the ego is absent there is no individual and the being gets merged into totality or the whole of existence. In the absence of the individual, it is the totality or the whole of existence which acts through the particular body-mind-intellect mechanism and therefore the totality or the whole of existence alone becomes responsible for such actions or their consequences.

The theory of Karma further stipulates that this universe is bound by cosmic rules that reflect in the mind of the human being. The human mind is thus a store house of cosmic actions & reactions derived through the evolutionary path unto human evolution. These actions & reactions lead to more actions & reactions thereby creating aggregates of Karmas. The unresolved aggregates which are carried by the psychic energy comprise the Jeeva (soul). Thus the human soul & mind carry the entire universe in its intelligence and perceive anything and everything in the cycle of Karma.

As per this theory the Atman (consciousness) is bound by desires through the intellect, the likes & dislikes through the mind and the identity through the ego. The bound Atman (consciousness) becomes the Jeeva which carries the record of the algebraic sum of all the Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) and the Karma aggregates and takes on one body after the other for the neutralization of the accumulated Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) & the aggregates of Karma. This cycle of births continues till all the Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) & the aggregates of Karma are totally neutralized where after the Atman (consciousness) gets released from the bondage of the intellect, mind & ego to become one with the Primordial energy-the Brahman.

The Astrological connection to this whole process emanates from the orientation of the Jeeva (soul) which alone is responsible for a new birth. By the rules of the five-elemental composition known as Prapancha, the Jeeva condenses into a conditioned body through the process of birth. This demarcates the body-mind limitations of the Jeeva as per the Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) and the Karmic aggregates, enabling the unique personality as well as the course of experiences depicted within the specific parameters of the individual’s astrological chart or the horoscope drawn for the time & place of his or her birth. The astrological chart therefore shows the Karmic bondage of a soul through its body-mind conditioning. The cosmic rules create the specific planetary configuration at the time & place of birth of the individual matching with the individual’s Vasnas (compulsive tendencies) and Karmic aggregates. This process establishes the role of the cosmic structure of Karma in human life. It should be noted here that the astrological premises at the time & place of the birth for a human being are only reflective of that Jeeva’s Karmic orientation and certainly not causative in nature as is often misunderstood even by some from the Astrological community.

Astrology is only indicative of the pattern of the Jeeva’s current journey of life and not the cause for the same in any manner whatsoever.

The human mind, intellect and ego mechanism is not oriented to agree to or to accept this formulation which apparently gives a fatalistic impression thereby leaving little or no room for human effort and endeavor in creating one’s own destiny of choice. Such an understanding of the Karma theory is incorrect. If we are bound by our destiny in a certain way, it is only as a result of our own past actions and deeds. In the3 manner in which our limitations have got created due to our past actions, so we can undo those limitations or bondages by our future deeds. By appropriately programming our future actions and effectively executing them we still have the freedom and power to chart a desired course. This in fact is the basis for the Remedial Measures suggested by Astrology. The following example shall explain this further:-

The boatman is able to take his boat easily across a rapid stream by orienting the boat appropriately and applying the oars suitably. The flow of the stream is countered by his maneuverings effectively and the boat is able to move in a direction different from the direction of the flow of the stream. The direction of the flow of the stream is akin to the Vasnas & the Karmic bondage of the Jeeva and the skill of the boatman is the ability of the Jeeva to maneuver its desired course by appropriately orienting its actions in this life. Those who can do so are successful in achieving their goals.

The freedom to act is always available to the human being and any despondence in this regard is misplaced as well as self defeating. Astrology helps in identifying the likely pattern of life, the strengths & weaknesses of the personality as well as the challenges of the journey of life in the present birth, knowing which an enterprising individual can make a difference to his or her life. A word of caution however needs to be given at this juncture. Not all the Karmas can be maneuvered-with by the individual hence one needs to be aware of the Karmas that can be tackled and those which cannot be maneuvered.

The theory of Karma describes three types of Karmas with respect to their maneuverability namely the Dridha Karmas, the Dridha-Adridha Karmas and the Adridha Karmas.

The Dridha Karmas are those Karmas whose effects are fixed for an individual in a given life. These Karmas cannot be maneuvered or altered. Buddha called these Karmas as written in stone. Some examples of the Dridha Karmas are one’s parentage, one’s place of birth and the physical & physiological characteristics of the individual’s body etc.

The Dridha-Adridha Karmas are those Karmas which are semi-solid in nature i.e. these Karmas can be modified or maneuvered by intense application and hard work. Buddha called these Karmas as written on sand. Some of the examples of the effects of these Karmas are the strong Vasnas, the capacities of memory and learning, lethargy etc.

The Adridha Karmas are those Karmas whose effects can be modified or maneuvered quite easily by the help of discipline and corrective remedies. Buddha called these Karmas as written on water. Some examples of these Karmas are the minor Vasnas such as eating habits, manners etc.

The above classification of Karmas is conditioned by the dimensions of time & space. In other words in a given society in a given epoch certain Karmas may become Adridha Karmas whereas the same Karmas may become Dridha-Adridha Karmas in another society in a different epoch. The best example is that of marriages. To marry outside one’s own community was difficult a couple of hundred years back in India hence it was a Dridha-Adridha Karma (fixed Karma) but now it has become easier for an individual to marry outside his community hence it has become an Adridha (non-fixed) Karma now.

By the help of astrological analysis it is possible to identify the category of Karma which is affecting an individual at a given time. By the help of such identification the effects of the Karmas can be maneuvered appropriately if they fall in the categories of the Adridha (non-fixed) or the Dridha-Adridha (semi-solid) Karmas. Those effects due to Dridha Karmas (fixed Karmas) cannot be maneuvered and have to be experienced by the individual. The following quote from the Bible appropriately describes this aspect of Karmas :-

God give me the strength to change what I can change;
give me the strength to accept what I cannot change
and also the Wisdom to know the difference.

The theory of Karma also describes the process of the accountability of the Karmas. Whereas the algebraic sum of the Vasnas is carried forward to the next birth which forms the sum total of our sub conscious from which our inclinations and tendencies manifest to give us our Personality; the Karmas which we have to experience and exhaust in a given life are only a part of our total Karmas. The sum total of all our past Karmas is called the Sanchit Karmas or the accumulated Karma aggregate. The portion of the Sanchit (total) Karmas which is relevant for the present life are called the Prarabdha Karmas or the destiny for the present life. The Karmas we create in the present birth are together called the Agami Karmas or the Karmas to be exhausted in future. The Agami (future) Karmas get integrated to the remaining Sanchit (total) Karmas after the deduction of the Prarabdha Karmas or the destiny at birth, to form the new Sanchit Karmas for the future births.

The theory of Karmas clearly describes as to what constitutes an action, a deed or Karma. It describes three stages of actions or deeds namely the Kayik Karmas, the Vachik Karmas and the Manasik Karmas.

The Kayik Karmas are those Karmas which are carried out by the body or gross actions in the physical world. These comprise of our deeds.

The Vachik Karmas are those Karmas which are expressed as speech or as communications. These comprise of our expressions.

The Manasik Karmas are those Karmas which remain at the thought level and are yet not expressed as actions or speech. Our fantasies come in this category of Karmas. these comprise of our thoughts.

All the above Karmas can create Vasnas and bondages. These Karmas can be for the higher goals of doing deeds for the general good or may be for the baser goals of gratification of senses for fulfilling personal and selfish desires. The righteous deeds are termed as Shreyas Karmas and the deeds motivated for selfish ends are called the Preyas Karmas.

The Shreyas karmas do not create any new Vasnas or any Karmic bondage. In fact the performance of these Karmas gradually obliterates and neutralizes the existing Vasnas as well as the existing Karmic bondages. Some of the examples of Shreyas karmas are the acts of charity and service to society.
The Preyas Karmas create new Vasnas or strengthen the existing ones as well as they create Karmic bondage for the future in the form of Agami Karmas. Some of the examples of the Preyas Karmas are taking bribes or abdicating one’s duties for selfish ends.

Thus it can be concluded that Karma as deeds is the cause, Karma as Karmaphal or consequences is the effect and Karma as Shreyas Karmas or righteous deeds are the remedies for neutralizing the Karmic bondages as per this theory.

The theory of Karma not only explains the various aspects of individual lives but it also explains the Universal process as it reflects upon the individual at the macro level. The premise that existence is bound by Karma is as much true for an individual being as for the Universe as a whole reflecting on the individual. The whole Universe is in motion be it the planets, the stars or the galaxies. It is a dynamic universe. The continuous activities taking place in the Universe are in the structure of cause & effect which reflect as Karmas in the human life. Like a Kaleidoscope the Universe gets reoriented every moment in human perception as the cause and effect-the Karma cycle. The structure defined by the theory of Karma is the common thread which runs through the whole of existence.

This theory is complete in itself as it explains all aspects of the process of the creation of Karmas, their role in the orientation of ‘a’ life as well as the way of the dissolution of the bondages due to Karmas. It explains the cause & effect relationship for our design, as we are, as well as fully establishes the premises for our experiences in a life. But for this theory, it shall be difficult to explain the reasons for the unique conditions an individual is born in, the unique personality that the individual possesses and the unique set of experiences the individual passes through during the journey of life. At the same time this theory is not fatalistic in nature as it provides the space and the method for the individual to maneuver himself out of his limitations by carrying out appropriate actions in the form of Shreyas Karmas. In this way it promotes hope and not despair.

The scientific evidence for Karma theory

The theory of Karma puts into a logical perspective the whole of existence. It explains the ‘Why’ of things as they are or as they happen and provides the linkages between the otherwise apparently unconnected aspects of life both at the micro level as well as at the macro level thereby establishing the fact that the Universe is a Cosmos and not a Chaos. Modern science has still to answer many questions which the theory of Karma explains logically & appropriately.

Having thus described the theory of Karma in detail it is necessary to evaluate this theory against the scientific understanding as on date. The process of life as well as that of existence as explained by science should be in consonance with the theory of Karma for it to be acceptable to the modern human intellect. The key aspects of this theory shall be hereafter tested through the available scientific knowledge of the day.

The basic premise or the foundation of the theory of Karma is that life and existence are bound by the cycle of Karmas alone.

As we know, the entire Universe is in a state of dynamism in the form of motion, expansion, creation as well as assimilation of new galaxies, stars, planets, meteors, quasars etc. and much more. It is as a result of this dynamism that the Universe is what it is. Moreover all existence of sentient and insentient beings is possible because of the activities both repetitive and non-repetitive happening in the Universe. Taking the case of Earth, it is well established by science that life would not be possible on Earth if it was not rotating on its own axis as well as around the Sun. Living on Earth would have been impossible in the absence of Gravity. Even the process by which Earth has attained its present livable state is the result of complex Universal activity which changed the hot planet to the habitable planet that we live in. The tectonic activity has moved the continents over the millions of years to give the present geographical shape to the Earth which has resulted in the evolution of Life and thereon unto evolution of the human being. All this dynamism has not ceased and is continuously going on causing changes on Earth bit by bit so much so that the Earth shall not remain the same millions of years down the line as a result of it.

From the above description which is well established by scientific research of many years, it can be easily derived that all life and all existence has come into being and continues to progress & evolve only due to unhindered & continuous Universal dynamism. We know that all dynamism stands on the rule of cause & effect that condenses into the theory of Karma connected to life. Thus the basic premise of the theory of Karma that all existence is bound by Karma gets fully established by scientific knowledge gained through human perception.

The Karma theory is based on the premise of rebirth.

Before we proceed to the scientific evaluation of the concept of rebirth let us apply the principle of logic to the process of life to see whether rebirth logically falls in place in the way science perceives life.

That, one is responsible for one’s deeds-good or bad- is an established fact. One gets rewarded for the good deeds and is punished for the bad deeds. This law of existence is universally applicable. Even nature punishes for going against the laws of nature. If we observe the birth of individuals, we shall find that some are born in prosperous families where they enjoy all the luxuries & comforts which are not a result of their earning or effort of their present life whereas some are born in conditions of utter poverty and they suffer all kinds of hardships for which they cannot be held responsible at the time of their birth. How do we explain this phenomenon?

Similarly there are persons who are criminal minded and are a nuisance to society as well as to their own families but they remain unpunished for their deeds throughout their lives for various reasons and they leave this world that way. If there is a system which regulates the process of rewards & punishment for living beings then what is the explanation for such criminals to be getting away without suffering due punishment?

The above examples may be extreme in nature but there are various shades & possibilities with regard to the beginning & the end of a life which raise similar questions. The laws of Nature which govern the process of life cannot support such a chaotic scenario. It is therefore certain that there must be a method of accountability in Nature or Existence which is not directly perceivable to the human intellect but can be derived. This method or law is nothing else but the theory of Karma which stipulates through the process of rebirth the process of reward & punishment for past actions. No doubt this logic is inferential in nature but it prudently explains the apparent anomalies of life.

Some from the scientific community have studied the concept of rebirth directly and have come to the conclusion that rebirth is not a fig of imagination but is a determinable fact. In this context the observations made on the basis of the research carried out by the Russian physicist Prof. George Lakhovsky is noteworthy. Prof. Lakhovsky writes in his Doctrine of materialization & dematerialization and I quote:-

“It thus follows that all beings who lose their lives are not dead in
reality, in the absolute sense of the word, but continue to live with
their full consciousness in other regions of the Universe. They could perfectly well be reborn, on earth through a previous rematerialization and relive with the fullness of their personality in flesh & bones.”

“This reincarnation of human beings on other stars can explain certain facts otherwise difficult to account for. Thus how can we
understand the extraordinary aptitudes of a man of genius born of mediocre parents? The laws of heredity seem superseded and are powerless to account for the exceptional qualities of this man. On the contrary everything is explained by the effect of the transmission of a complex human range through space at the time of conception.”

Dr. Ian Stevenson M.D., University of Virginia has thoroughly investigated more than six hundred cases covering different regions & communities of the world and has established that there is reincarnation or rebirth. Similar studies have been carried out by Prof. Chatterjee of the Rajasthan University in India in reported cases where the native has remembered the previous birth. He found that the subjects not only remembered the full details of their past lives but also identified the relatives, the residence etc. without any external help.

It has been thus possible to establish the continuity of life in another form after the death of one body by various studies, some of which have been reported above. The evidence of rebirth can be found in all societies and across all regions of the world which only goes to prove the basic assumption of rebirth on which the theory of Karma has been founded. The scientific evidence in support of the continuity of life from the past can also be derived from the science of Genetics.

As per the principles of Genetics, it is known that the genes of the parents are passed on to the progeny. The genes of each parent represent the basic design or the characteristics of the parent or the parent itself. The genes of the progeny born from the two parents are developed from the parental genes which in itself is a unique combination of the two sets of genes. Thus the parents continue to live jointly in a new life in the form of their progeny even after their death. How the genes of the parents will get integrated to generate the new set of genes is yet to be established conclusively by science. However it is known that even if the whole set of genes of the parents do not get actively manifested in the progeny, they lie dormant within the progeny and can manifest in the next or later generations emerging from their progeny. Thus the parents live through their progeny all the time. Is it not a form of rebirth?

The unique combination of manifested genetic design in the progeny achieved through the mutation of the two sets of parental genes cannot be arbitrary or random in nature but it must be according to some formula or law hitherto unknown to scientist. This missing link is the control in the hands of Creation by which it can design the next generation to suit its larger purpose or design. The souls-in-waiting after death condense into a new birth when the design of Creation matches in some way with their Sanchit (total) Karmas. The part of the accumulated or Sanchit Karma which matches with the design or the need of Creation at a moment becomes the Prarabdha Karma (destiny at birth) for the Jeeva (soul) in the new birth which takes place at that moment. All the aspects of Genetics fit into the concept of rebirth propounded by the Karma theory except for the missing link of the basis for the mutation of genes for the progeny. This missing link too shall come to light for the scientists in future as the frontiers of science keep expanding in search of the Ultimate Truth.

In the context of the above, Prof. Lakhovsky’s following observations are most relevant:-

“We all know, besides, that fertilization often does not occur until
the end of several months and even after several years. This delay of impregnation may be due to specific radiation of the male or female which are not always in resonance with the radiation of materialization. The organism from the first cell, in its development is the materialization of rays-------continues its development to evolve under the domination of the same specific complex of radiations coming from the being that originally gave its life.”

“ All this explains how every living being microbe, infusoria, plant, animal, man reproduces itself to infinity-------where its complex of radiations finds favorable conditions of resonance and so materialize themselves in various parts of the Universe to eternity. These materializations by the propagation of the radiations------can repeat itself indefinitely in the infinity of time & space.”

From the foregoing observations of Prof. Lakhovsky some hints of the missing link in the understanding of the process of Genetics for the mutation of genes in a new birth can be visualized. The above stated ‘favorable conditions of resonance’ for the materialization of life, are in the form of Creation’s intervention for the birth of a living being, the basis for which is provided by the theory of Karma. That the Karma theory cannot be overlooked is realized by Lakhovsky when he says :-

“We should not put aside without profound examination the theories that place special importance to the marked influence on human destiny------at the moment of conception and birth of a human being.”

That there is rebirth is also established by the studies carried out in the field of Psychiatry and Parapsychology. The renowned Psychoanalyst Carl Jung talks about the collective unconscious, the energy that surrounds us and contains the memories of the evolution of the entire human race. These memories are a part of us and are continuously updated in the light of our experiences as they are carried forward in our journey of life through different births in different bodies. The pioneering work of Dr. Brian Weiss in this field is particularly noteworthy. Using the process of Regression analysis, Dr. Brian Weiss was able to tap these memories to reveal the past birth experiences of the subject individuals successfully. He could establish linkages of the current behavioral patterns of an individual to his or her previous birth events and experiences. These researches have proved beyond doubt that there is continuance of life after the death of a body and that there is rebirth. Scientists have realized the limitless ramifications of the process of rebirth particularly in the fields of Medicine and Psychiatry.

As can be seen from the foregoing there is enough clinching scientific evidence to prove the tenets of the Karma Theory including the process of rebirth. Everything translates to frequency of energy which manifests both as light & sound or better to say, as radiation & vibration. Nothing gets lost from the cosmic structure. The light form of the mind does not dissolve after death. While the body after death dissolves in the process of assimilation, the mind waits for a connective vibration to come back into form and materialize into another body to take a new birth. The term Jyotish is translated as the science of light. Astrology is the science which links the process of materialization of light frequencies into living beings unto the course of their journey in their new life.

Even though the theory of Karma is founded on sound principles, it can be of any use, if and only if, the destiny of the individual can be known for a given life so as to enable the individual to chart the future course of action accordingly. Astrology is the subject which takes the clues from the stars and the planetary disposition on the zodiac at the time & place of birth of an individual to predict his/her personality as well as the Destiny. As already stated here-in-earlier Astrology is only indicative and not causative in nature. The clues are taken from the solar system but there is more to it than a mere interpretation of the positioning of planets & stars at the time & place of birth of an individual.

Indian Astrology is based on the principles of philosophy which describes the three level existences of living beings. This philosophy states that a living being has three bodies namely the Sthoola Sharira or the gross physical body, the Sookshma Sharira or the Astral body and the Karana Sharira or the Causal body. These three bodies exist concurrently for the living being and are interlinked. The Karana Sharira or the Causal body is consonant with the Karmic orientation of the being which decides the current status of the being’s Karmic aggregate. In modern psychology the Karan Sharira or the Causal body is known as the ‘Collective Unconscious’. This Causal body creates the Sookshma Sharira or the Astral body which is actually a radiation package reflecting the Causal body. The radiation package emanates from the cosmic radiation and remains connected to the Cosmos. The solar system consisting of the Sun, the Moon and the rest of the planets is the major contributor of the unique orientation of the Astral body. Thus the Karmic aggregates represented in the Causal body get condensed in the form of the cosmic radiations creating the Astral body.

The Astral body takes birth in the form of the Sthoola Sharira or the gross physical body at the time & place when the configuration of the solar system matches with the design of the Astral body. The design of the gross physical form of the living being is therefore guided by the Astral body which in turn reflects the Causal body that reflects the Karmic aggregates of the living being in question. The gross physical body including the faculties of the mind, intellect and the ego reflect the Astral body of the living being at the time of birth. The same consciousness of the living being permeates all the three bodies. The death of the gross body does not mean the death of the living being as the being lives on through the Causal & the Astral bodies albeit with the updated orientation of the Karmic aggregates.

This aspect of existence of the Astral body is called the ethereal state of a living being by the scientists. Shri K.N. Rao in his book-General Astrology-refers to the experiments carried out by Dr. Raymond, M.D.. Dr. Raymond observed that many people who suffered severe heart attacks saw their astral body getting detached from the physical body and that they watched the doctors & nurses carrying out the treatment on their physical body. Dr. Raymond gives an interesting instance of a person who was involved in a serious car accident and he saw his astral body getting out of the physical body. After he was restored back to life he recounted his out-of-the-physical-body experience. Many such instances are available in the ancient Hindu texts as well however often they are dismissed as mythological stories.

This arrangement of the entity of a living being is the foundation for the astrological mapping of the current Karmic orientation of that living being in the form of the Horoscope drawn at the time & place of birth. The horoscope of the individual thus reflects and connects to the Astral body of the individual thereby indicating the Prarabdha or the Destiny of that individual for the present birth.

The astral connection of the destiny of a living being in the present life is visible in the horoscope and can be read and interpreted by learned astrologers. This connection of the astral body to present destiny of a living being can be influenced or maneuvered-with under certain conditions which forms the basis for the remedies used by astrologers for mitigating difficulties or for promoting good. Destiny needs to be understood as an integral part of human existence and not as merely an element reflecting Chance or Probability.

THE MYTHS OF FREE WILL AND DOERSHIP

THE MYTHS OF FREE WILL AND DOERSHIP

The basic premise for any form of prediction, astrological or otherwise is the assumption that the trends in future shall follow a certain determinable course which is not likely to change. Any prediction or futuristic assessment shall not prove to be accurate if the assumptions on which it is based, change during the time preceding the predicted event or happening. If there is any form of control due to individuals’ actions on the factors affecting the ultimate outcome then any form of futuristic assessment is meaningless. The very basis of astrological analysis & prediction is the premise that the future trends are determined by factors beyond the control of any individual action. This fact more often than not, does not appeal to the egocentric mind & intellect of the modern human being which leads to a skeptical approach to astrology & other such sciences.

The ego and its manifestations in the form of “ I am the doer “ or that “ I have a free will ” are so strongly engrained in the mind & intellect of the average human being that any idea contrary to such a belief is not only vehemently challenged but is usually rejected by the indomitable Ego. Unless & until a clear and firm understanding that ‘Free Will’ and ‘Doership’ are myths and that only the ‘conditioned will’ and ‘happening’ are the truth becomes strongly embedded in the thought process, the relevance of astrology can never be appreciated by any person. It is for this reason that the very first chapter of this book has been dedicated to answering the frequently asked questions and to presenting the correct perspective on this topic.

The questions which are most often asked on the topic of ‘Free Will’ and ‘Doership’ are:-

Is everything in life predetermined or preprogrammed?

If fate or destiny are unchangeable then what is the role of our decisions & actions?

Is there no free will?

Do we have no control on our lives?

What importance is given to human effort or endeavor in Astrology?

Does Astrology advocate fatalism?

How does one define human achievement in astrological terms?

It is said that Human beings are masters of their Destiny. Is this true?

The answers to these questions are neither simple nor straightforward. For example the answer to the first question is both yes & no, which leads us to nowhere at all. The answers to these questions therefore have to be understood by analyzing the very process of life as it happens and deriving the conclusions there from. The answers to all such questions shall therefore be developed in the following paragraphs in a sequential manner to facilitate a sound understanding on this topic.

Every human being is unique and the human design is the most complex in the whole of Creation. The construction of the human being needs to be looked into, for establishing the fallacy of the arguments supporting Freewill & Doership. In this context the role of the genetic design or the DNA programming, the environmental conditionings, the conditioning of the intellect through education as well as the unique set of ongoing experiences of the individual that shape the human being every moment need to be understood. These factors shall be analyzed exhaustively in the following pages which shall clearly bring out the fact that there is very little control available to the individual in life.
The DNA programming

We as human beings possess three basic equipments or faculties which are- the body, the mind & the intellect. Of these the body’s design as well as its functioning are preprogrammed vide the code present in an individual’s unique DNA. Even though we may look alike and our bodies are normally equipped with the same number & type of organs embedded in the similar basic design, each one of us is actually different and unique in our constitution. This uniqueness of our physical entity is a manifestation of the programming coded in our DNA. Encoded within the DNA are the directions for traits as diverse as the color of the eyes, our height, the form of the nose, the tone & quality of our voice, our susceptibility to specific infections or diseases, our tastes as well as what attracts or repels us. It has been established by modern science that our DNA entirely determines our physical constitution. Whether we like it or not we do not have any say or control in this matter at all. In other words we are bound by our DNA programming and it is nearly impossible for us to transcend this limitation. The aspect of heredity is only a reflection of this basic truth.

The DNA programming therefore becomes a very important dimension of our existence since it gives us our unique individuality. Looking at it from a broader perspective, it will not be an exaggeration to claim that this programming comes into play in all spheres of our living since our physical entity is an inseparable part of all our actions & reactions. The limits to which we can stretch ourselves physically, are preset. For example, a person with weak lungs cannot hope to become a medal winning athlete or for that matter a person with a stammering drawback can never dream to become a great singer. We therefore are programmed with some strengths & some weaknesses and we have had no say in such a programming. This understanding is the key-We have had no say in our DNA programming. Our thoughts, aspirations, actions & reactions therefore always have an inbuilt dimension of preprogramming. In other words we carry our preprogramming in all aspects of our living & existence. With this inherent bondage which comes to us from birth, can we really claim to be having any Freewill?

The DNA programming can be compared to the parts or roles written down in a play. Each character of the play is preprogrammed and the actor has little or no choice whatsoever but to enact the character assigned to him/her in the drama. It is obvious therefore that the actors do not have Freewill to modify or change their assigned roles in any manner. Much in the same way we human beings have been assigned specific roles in the play of this universal drama for which we are programmed in the physical sense by our unique DNA code. The question of having Freewill in our play of life does not arise at all.

The environmental programming or the mental conditioning

The environment in which we are born is not our choice. The parents, the relatives, the neighbors, the geopolitical or the economic settings of our birth are not in our control. We are given these backgrounds by the power that may be deciding our life to be lived in the given birth. We are born with a clean slate with a given physical design controlled by the unique DNA code in a given setting or environment. We develop attitudes and get conditioned into a unique personality through our surroundings. The language we speak, the traditions & customs we follow, the religion, the value system & the philosophical background to which we subscribe are all learnt from the family & the environment in
which we are born. Our system gets conditioned by the environment in which we are born by the specific characteristics & features of the given environment.

This conditioning happens through the faculty of the Mind which absorbs & adopts the special properties of the given environment and makes it an essential part of our being. Our system thus gets tuned to the specific environment so that we can comfortably blend, exist & flow with the surroundings. This conditioning of the Mind happens after our birth and is not something with which we come to this world. The conditioning by the environment is not only unique but it happens in many ways & in many layers.

The first and the foremost layer of conditioning comes from the Family. The structure of the family, the nature of the parents as well as that of the siblings, the family’s historical as well as its current economic & social status, the way of life adopted by the family, the value system of the family etc. play a crucial role in defining the first layer of the conditioning of the individual mind. This conditioning received from the family is the first inheritance, so to say, for the individual.

The second most important layer of conditioning comes from the society in which the individual is born. The rules & norms of the society, the hierarchal structure of the society, the value system followed by the society, the beliefs, the traditions & customs of the society both historical & current as well as the place of the individual in that society and other such factors create specific & unique influences on the individual after his birth in the given social environment.

The individual imbibes the various beliefs, traditions, customs, values as well as the ‘Do’s & Don’ts’ of the society and makes them his own, at least in the initial stages of his/her life. The prejudices & biases which are prevalent in the society are learnt and accepted by the individual as his own which in turn condition his attitudes and reactions. It is for this reason why an individual born in one country develops ill will towards another country which is apparently inimical to his/her own country of birth. Similarly an individual born in a football crazy nation is more likely to become an ardent football lover. Thus it can be seen that the second layer of conditioning of the individual through the society is extremely important in shaping his/her unique personality.

The other dimensions of the environmental conditioning of an individual are the geographical & climatic conditions of his/her place of birth, his/her immediate neighborhood, his/her friends, his/her peers, his/her teachers etc.
All the above factors taken together create the unique ‘Person’ that
the individual becomes after his birth in a given environment. In all
his actions & reactions, the individual carries his/her unique personality shaped by his/her unique conditioning which is certainly not due to his/her choice or will. In view of these facts, can it be claimed that there is Free will for anyone in the given life?

The intellectual programming through Education

The human being has evolved from the primitive nomadic creature to the modern cultured, social & progressive being. This transformation is unique only to the human race. The plant & the animal kingdoms have not changed much over the years. The reason for the evolution of the human beings has been the gift in the form of the faculty of the Intellect.

The intellect provides the human species with the capacity to reason, to infer, to discriminate, to distinguish, to know, to learn, to understand, to think abstractly & profoundly as well as to plan. This single capability has enabled the human race to observe and learn about all aspects of its existence. With the help of the knowledge so gained, the human being has continuously improved upon & developed means & methods for better living in this world.

The evolutionary process has also helped humans to shed many of the animalistic behavioral attitudes and to learn, develop & cultivate value patterns for healthier coexistence. The development of music, poetry, literature and various art forms as well as of science & technology has all been possible as a result of the intellectual expansion of the human race as a whole. The human evolution on earth is an unparalleled success story which has happened over thousands of years due to the collective endeavor of innumerable human beings.

The human intellect has expanded enormously and in this process has pushed the horizons of knowledge & development further & further, so much so that the mighty forces of nature have been tamed to a great extent to serve the human species. The human evolution can be best described as a continuous relay race in which the runners from one generation have been passing on the baton of knowledge & development to the next generation of runners who in turn run further on the evolutionary path and in turn pass on the baton to the upcoming generation. This passing-on of the baton has been made possible by the process of Education.

Education is the process of programming the Intellect by the process of learning or gathering knowledge. The level of knowledge available at any given epoch in the world is the sum total of all the knowledge gathered & processed by humanity over the ages up to that point in time. This enormous knowledge has been branched out into different categories or fields as different sciences to facilitate understanding & specialization. It is difficult for a single individual today to have knowledge in all the fields hence the modern education has two important stages namely the primary and the secondary stage during which the student develops knowledge necessary for higher learning & specialization. Thereafter comes the next stage of higher education wherein the student focuses on a single branch of knowledge or science which is best suited for his aptitude & interest. During this entire educational process, the intellect gets programmed with the special knowledge being pursued. It is important to mention here that not all persons pursue education to the very end of the existing horizon and that is the reason why the degree or the level of evolution varies from person to person, even within the same epoch and within the same branch of knowledge.

The degree of evolution through education is directly related to the
behavior, attitude, actions, reactions, vision, enterprise as well as placement in societal hierarchy. This programming of the intellect through education is reflected in the manner in which the individual applies himself or herself in a given situation. It therefore becomes an essential and inseparable part of the total personality of the individual. Thus whatever the individual does, carries the dimension of his/her intellectual programming as well hence even if there are inclinations within the individual to act or react in a given situation in a certain manner, the response gets modified as per the educational evolution which the individual has been through. This establishes the fact that one is bound by his/her intellectual development too, thereby leaving no room for the so called Free Will.

The conditioning from Personal Experiences

Life is a string of experiences which keep happening continuously as long as one lives. No two persons can have the same set of experiences in life. Even if two persons have been brought up in the same geopolitical & economic settings within the same epoch, their experiences not only differ but are unique to each one of them. Our inclinations, our motivations, our opinions, our actions and our reactions are influenced to a great degree by our personal experiences. In fact our personal experiences are also some of the most powerful lessons learnt by us which orient us one way or the other in a given set of circumstances or situations.

If while dealing with one Mr. A I had a bad experience, I shall record in my memory that Mr. A is not good enough. On the other hand a friend of mine who has also dealt with Mr. A has found his experience of dealing with him to be a good one therefore he shall register favorable remarks for Mr. A in his memory. Mr. A is the same whether for me or for my friend but to me he is not so good a person whereas for my friend he is a pretty nice man. This contradictory acknowledgement of Mr. A is purely based on the unique personal experiences of my friend’s and my own dealings with him.

Experiencing is a regular & continuous process in our lives due to which we keep learning and reorienting ourselves every moment of our life. It also means that due to our experiencing, we keep changing from moment to moment even if the change is insignificant or unnoticeable. The following story brings forth this fact of life very effectively:
Once upon a time a great Zen master called one of his disciples and asked him a simple question on a topic which had been recently taught by him. The disciple gave the correct answer. The next day the master called the same disciple and asked him the same question, to which the disciple gave the same correct answer as was given by him on the previous day. The following day the master once again called the same disciple and asked him the very same question. This time the disciple got puzzled however he gave the correct answer to the master but now he had a doubt in his mind on the master’s real motive so he respectfully questioned his master as to why he has been asking him the same question every day? To this the Zen master replied that on all the occasions you gave the same answer to my question which showed that you have not modified or upgraded your understanding of the topic in question with respect to your experiences during the time since I taught you this topic up till this day. You are not the same today as you were on the day you learnt this lesson then how can your understanding remain the same? It only shows that your learning has only become a part of your memory but not a part of yourself.

This story highlights the importance of the subtle changes in our personality due to our experiences of life on a moment to moment basis. Our entire personality is always in a state of flux. One or more dimensions of our Self is always changing. Like the minute hand in the clock whose movement goes unnoticed but when looked at after some gap tells another time, we too keep changing in a subtle and unnoticeable manner on the basis of our experiences however over a sufficiently long period of time, the changes in our personality become clearly evident.

It is not without reason that while recruiting employees, the employer normally looks for a candidate with relevant & sufficient experience over and above the educational qualifications.

Knowledge by itself is only gathered information and unless this knowledge is seasoned by experience it does not become Wisdom. Whereas knowledge is a part of the memory, wisdom becomes the part of the total understanding which comes into play all the time in all aspects of living. Richer is the experience greater is the wisdom. By education one can gather knowledge but wisdom comes only through experience. The value addition to the personality of an individual is therefore directly related to his education and his experience which in turn determines his/her utility & place in society. In other words the status, position and success etc. of an individual in his/her life are directly proportionate to his/her experiences.

The experiences we come across in our lives are neither due to our choice nor due to our ‘doing’ alone. The events happen to us or around us due to which we gain direct or indirect experiences. When our experiencing itself is not in our control, then how the changes that occur within our system as a result of the experiences can ever be as per our choice or will? In which case the ‘Person’ both before and after the experience is not in control either of the experience or the changes within the Self caused by that experience. Extrapolating this analogy for the entire life, it can be easily arrived at that at no point of time during our Life, we are in control either of the happenings around us or of the changes occurring within our self, in which case where is the question of Free Will?

The individual human being at any given time therefore is a unique entity having a unique constitution determined by the DNA code, a unique personality fashioned by the environment, a unique level of evolution depending upon his/her education and a unique disposition caused by the experiences in the life up to that point in time. In all these aspects causing the individual to be as he/she is, he/she has had no choice. The choices we make or the expressions of our Will are not independent of our total conditioning. The so called willful actions of an individual are completely influenced by the overall conditioning & orientation of the individual as has been described in the foregoing paragraphs. The choices made or willed cannot be termed as Free Will. At best the will of the individual can be called the Conditioned Will. It is the ego which labels the Conditioned Will as Free Will. The ego cannot accept any form of subjugation because the ego is always insecure being afraid of annihilation or of losing its identity and therefore it asserts itself by declaring and making the individual believe that all his/her choices are a result of his/her Free Will.

If there would have been Free Will in human beings then there would have been total chaos in this world. How could have a reconciliation been possible for the expression of contradictory willing by different persons? There would have been a total absence of system and coexistence would not have been possible at all. Even a simple thing as the digestion of food would have been disturbed. It is not without reason that the power that created and may be managing this universe has not provided the human species with Free Will. Even with the limited or Conditioned Will the human race has created enough misbalance in nature in the form of ecological disturbances leading the entire universe to the brink of a colossal disaster. Today all living beings including humans are living on the edge. The tragedy would have been much more horrifying and would have come even more quickly, if the human being had Free Will.

The concept of Free Will has another dimension to it in the form of ‘Doership’. The so called Free Will is meaningless until & unless it results in the accomplishment of its objective - the willed result. Merely by making a choice or by willing, nothing can be achieved. An element of doing or action is necessary to make the Will a reality. The strong belief that merely by my action I can achieve my willed objective is what is called ‘Doership’. There cannot be a greater illusion than this belief of ‘Doership’ which is often expressed as ‘I am the doer’ or ‘I shall do it’ etc. Whereas action or doing is an inseparable part of living or existence, the idea of Doership is illusory. Actually Doership is synonymous with being in control in a given situation which is never the case and is an illusion created by the ego. Why the concept of ‘Doership’ is illusory or inappropriate is being explained in the following paragraph.
The fallacy of Doership

The strong belief that in any given situation I am fully capable of taking any action that I want to take, as well as that my action alone is sufficient to ensure the desired result is ‘Doership’. To understand the fallacy of this belief, we have to look at the process of ‘Action’ itself. Every action is preceded by a thought. There cannot be any action without a thought behind it. We get thoughts; we do not generate or create thoughts. A thought which is strong and compelling enough leads to action. The thought comes to us either from memory or as a reaction to external stimuli and we then label it as ‘my thought’. Whereas our memory is the register of all our past observations and experiences leading to our unique conditioning, our reactions always result from our total conditioning up to the point in time of the reaction. Thus any thought we get is never independent of our total conditioning. When the thought itself is not our creation then how can we call the action resulting from that thought to be our own action? It is our ego which identifies itself with the thought as well as with the connected action and calls it ‘my action’. Truly speaking none of our actions are actually ours. The actions only happen through our Body-Mind-Intellect system which has been conditioned in a certain unique manner as has been explained in detail earlier. This is the reason why different persons act differently in the same or similar situations. The very basis for the belief of ‘Doership’ is therefore a misplaced one.

Even if we accept the argument that I am what I am at any moment due to my total conditioning and that the ‘Person’ that I am, acts in a certain manner’ then the action happening through me is ‘my action’; the other part of ‘Doership’ which makes us believe that I shall be able to achieve any desired result due to my action alone is fallacious. The following example shall clarify this point:-

In a football match, the forward line players are assigned the role of putting the ball into the opposite goal as soon as they get an opportunity. When the goal is scored by a player, the credit of hitting the goal goes to him. The goal may have been finally accomplished by the said player but that act of hitting the goal is only the final act which would not have been possible if the other players of his team had not brought the ball up and passed it on to him. The goal scored is a result of the efforts of all the players of the team. If the player who scored the goal finally takes the entire credit, it is his mistake. He could score the goal only because the other team mates had done their part in the game. In the total effort his effort was only a part. Similarly in life too our effort in the form of our actions is only a small part of the total effort which goes into the happening of an event. We cannot take credit for the whole effort or claim that our effort was the only one to have made the event happen. The misunderstanding that ‘my action’ alone is responsible for the happening of an event is caused due to the fallacy of ‘Doership’

Every event that happens is the net result of the actions of innumerable beings. In fact it can be stated that every event that happens is due to the effort put in by the entire universe. We are at all times dependent on the whole of this universe. This fact of interdependence is however taken for granted and conveniently overlooked by our ego due to which we fall into the trap of believing that ‘I am the doer’.

Buddha in his ultimate wisdom declared “Events happen deeds are done but there is no individual doer there-off”. This is one of the greatest declarations wherein it has been clearly stated that the happening of an event can never be the result of any one individual’s doing or action.

The Hindu sages & seers went even further when they institutionalized this understanding in their rituals. One of the most important ritual for the Hindus is the Yagya or the Homam. During the performance of this ritual the community participates by offering their oblations into the sacred fire. This sacred fire signifies the fire of Creation and the oblations signify the effort or actions of each member of the community which are offered as contributions to the total effort in the form of the ongoing Creation. The idea behind the ritual was to make everyone aware that whatever one does is only a contribution to the universal process of creation. During the performance of the ritual, each oblation is offered with the chanting of the mantra “Idam na mamah” which means “This (action or offering) is not mine”. What a great idea to educate people to transcend the ego and its manifestation in the form of ‘Doership’.

Another idea highlighted by the ritual of Yagya was that all actions happen for the fulfillment of the universal agenda only. The community was educated through the rituals to keep the welfare of humanity as a whole, as the supreme consideration while deciding on a course of action. Any personal agenda or desire prompted action was considered to be a low grade action or an undesirable action. Unfortunately with the passage of time under the influence of greed and lust this ritual degenerated into an exercise for seeking divine blessings for one’s desire fulfillments which goes against the very purpose for which the ritual was designed.

The same idea was also proclaimed by Lord Krishna in his teachings to the prince Arjuna. Krishna said “One can only carry out his action but he can by no means ensure the result”. The natural corollary to this assertion is that the result or the happening of the desired event is dependent on the contribution or involvement of many agencies, not just on one individual’s action.

The actions or contributions of other agencies is never in control of any one individual. The best of shooters can at best set the aim perfectly before actually shooting at the target but if the target shifts as soon as the shot is fired, the effort shall fail. The behavior of the target is not within the control of the shooter. In much the same way the quality of the action alone does not determine its success. This fact highlights yet another dimension of the erroneous belief of ‘Doership’.

Our existence in this world in a given life is not for the purpose of self achievements or enjoyments. We are assigned roles in the play of the universe. The primary objective of a life is a part of the total universal objective set by Creation. Our personal goals have no bearing except when they happen to be in line with the objectives of Creation. The entire universe is committed to the goals of Creation and only those of our actions are likely to fructify which are directly or indirectly in conformity with those goals. It is difficult for any individual to know the objective of Creation at any point of time, hence we can act only as we should, as per our programming, in any situation with the full awareness that the result of such an action may not unfold as expected or desired by us. We may succeed or we may fail in our personal experience but the overall objective of Creation is always fulfilled.

Our ‘Doing’ based on our personal considerations is only our contribution to the universal process. The circumstances which
compel us to act one way or the other as per our personal conditioning, are never in our control. The circumstances happen around us to motivate us to act in a certain manner which is required of us, as a contribution to the universal process. Our existence is like the tiny particles in a kaleidoscope where our orientation is important only for the final picture that emerges from time to time in the kaleidoscope. We are neither in control of the picture nor of our own orientation in the picture but nevertheless we do have an important role in the setting. In such a universal design of which we are only a tiny part where is the scope for ‘Doership’. One has only to look around to realize this Truth. The Sun shines and provides heat & energy to the world. The Sun may or may not be aware of its importance for the sustenance of life on earth but nevertheless it s existence is crucial for life on the earth. The role played by the Sun in Creation is not its choice and certainly Sun cannot claim to be a doer so far as its role is concerned. Similarly even the tiniest form of life in this world has a crucial role to play for maintaining the fine ecological balance for life to go on smoothly.

The sense of ‘Doership’ is an illusion created by the ego which needs to be replaced by an understanding that all doing that happens through one’s system is necessary for the ultimate happening of an event which may or may not be exactly as desired or expected by the individual doer. In the ultimate analysis however, ‘Doing’ is essential-an essential part of one’s existence but ‘Doing’ should not necessarily be tied to the happening of any desired event as a result of the ‘Doing’. As a corollary to this understanding, it should be understood that ‘Doership’ is within the realm of Creation or Totality of Existence but is out of bounds for the individual human being. We as individuals are the unique tools in the hands of Creation prepared & conditioned for the specific role to be played by us in the ongoing process of creation.

Even the personal goals & objectives we set for ourselves as per our desires & expectations are actually necessary to motivate us to act in a certain manner so as to actually fulfill the requirements of Creation in the process of making efforts for our own personal fulfillments. Creation in fact follows the ‘carrot & stick policy’ to get its work done through us as individuals.

In the foregoing paragraphs, the myths of Freewill & Doership have been addressed. That Freewill & Doership are mere illusions has been explained. Unless these illusions are cleared it is difficult to develop a meaningful understanding of Astrology. A majority of questions that are frequently asked on Astrology arise from the illusory belief that I- the limited individual-have unlimited power to ‘do’ as I want and achieve whatever I want. These illusions get reinforced by the talks & writings of experts on Motivation and the self-help Gurus since such talks & writings generate hopes and create a feel-good factor by flattering the Ego. As the master business coach Mike Jay puts it and I quote ‘---let’s get real---we’re not equal. I suppose that’s the most difficult thing to swallow.’ He goes on to say that most of the self-help Gurus make us believe that ‘we come into this world as blank slates and that we can become anything we want to.’ In this process the self-help Gurus promote the illusory hope ‘If I can do it so can you.’ There can never be a formula for personal success or personal achievement. The same set of principles can bring success in one setting one day and can be the cause for a disaster in a similar setting another day. Once it is understood that there is nothing like personal success but only moments in life when one’s own objective coincides with that of Creation thereby giving the false notion of personal success or achievement, then and only then one can be truly realistic in one’s understanding & approach towards life & living.

There is some possibility of misunderstanding the concepts stated here-in-above as fatalism which is the other extreme of denying Freewill & Doership and it can lead one to develop the attitude of ‘all accepting impotence’ or fatalism which can be even more if not equally destructive as the diehard belief of Freewill & Doership. In no way cowardice or lack of entrepreneurship is being advocated or encouraged in the above paragraphs. Planning, programming and setting goals in the short term as well as in the long term is essential for any well directed action. Activity is the very essence of existence or living. Planning for the possible in any given situation is ‘Conditioned willing’ not ‘Free willing’ and similarly making a sincere effort as planned is ‘Doing’ not ‘Doership’. The false ego-centric understanding that ‘I am in control or that I can be in control’ in any situation is all that is being discouraged here. The following illustration shall help in clarifying this further:-

A student from a weak economic background will not plan his education from an expensive institution. While planning his future education he shall keep his economic limitation in mind. This is conditioned willing, which is a realistic way of looking at things. Much in the same way an aspirant in a competitive examination can only ensure his best possible performance- which is ‘Doing’- but he can never remain assured of his success- which is the concept of ‘Doership’- till the results are out.

In the final analysis what is being advocated is a ‘Realistic’ approach to living as against a bravado approach to life. It is hoped that the readers will get their answers to the questions related to Freewill & Doership as well as to the questions related to the degree of control one has on one’s own life.