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.