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Encyclopedia of Vedic Astrology: Remedies: Introduction, Chapter I, Part – 1




Dr. Shanker Adawal

Introduction

Part 1

This is always a subject of debate whether a person is headed through the remedies as prescribed in our classics or which are in practice from time immemorable.

According to Mahatma Buddha, the entire world is full of miseries and unhappiness (Sarvam Dukhamayam Jagat). Somebody is chronically ill and doctors are unable to help him. Somebody does not have any child even after ten years of marriage. Someone’s daughter is estranged from her husband due to incompatibility or other reasons. Somebody is either in need of finance to get his daughters married or even though equipped with necessary money, marriage fails to take place. When a householder is faced with such problems, try as he might, his mind refuses to go towards his spiritual sadhana like Japa, meditation, etc., but veers again and again round his problems. It is only a rare few who could pray or call on God in despair in such a crisis and even among them many will not be able to sustain the constant remembrance of God essential for our liberation or God Realisation. Yes, one cannot wait for the waves of the ocean to subside completely to enable having a bath, but one can surely wish for a lull or interval when he can heave a sigh of relief temporarily and proffer his thanks giving to the Supreme Lord.

Most people, when they think of Jyotish, the Indian system of astrology, invariably think of temples, gongs, incense, pot-bellied priests, amulets, poojas and gemstones, all against the background of indecipherably mysterious but soothing chants. It seems that despite all the `airing’ that has gone on over last many years and despite the increasing openness in recent years – some individuals still consider Astrology as being some kind of a cloistered and sacred closet that has a mystical aura without which it cannot exist (therein lies the myth). Some of these myths originate from ignorance or perhaps from partial knowledge while others are really rationalizations put forth by tropical astrologers who feel the need to reconcile with the differences caused by different frameworks with somewhat rules and symbolism. Like any other form of astrology, Jyotish has its share of psychics that knowingly or inadvertently use the horoscope and astro-symbolism as launching pads for their psychic flights. The advice they give is valuable and accurate, perhaps more so than that given by many astrologer, but their experiences should not be converted into astrological rules as they pose a problem for those who truly utilize astrological rules as a logical structure. Perhaps there is no purely logical astrologer as all of us are psychic and intuitive to some extent, but we are talking about relative degrees of logic v/s gut feeling here.

While denigrated and brushed aside as a fatalistic activity by nay Sayers, Jyotish and its associated `Hindu’ theory of Karma (though “Do unto others as you would be done by”, the famous and familiar saying is hardly of Hindu origin or in Sanskrit, for that matter!) do not promote fatalism (doom and gloom!) or in any incontrovertible fate or predestine as being cast in the granite of time. Quite the opposite is true, actually! This is indicated by the very significant role of Muhurta or elective astrology (choose the right moment and you can change your basic fate) and remedial astrology (karma can be changed) are powerful messages against such `modern’ myths that try to chain Jyotish in the fetters created by their ignorance of what is the true big picture. If fate is sealed and we are merely sinning and hopelessly spiritual failures of puppets in the hands of some patriarchal God as some religious thoughts of more modern vintage would like us to believe, then what purpose does astrology serve? Other than confirming the morose existence and dire fate that we are destined to bear through our lifetimes and beyond (some even do not think there is a beyond!) – how would knowing a fate that cannot be changed serve us or our spiritual progress? Remedies on the other hand provide a ray of hope, but the concept while great can suffer the same fate as the opposite concept of predestined fate does. There are remedies and there are remedies. The commonest favorite being expensive gemstones and the recent trend of a large number of priests in some distant part of the globe chanting your sins away, for a donation. Astrologers are a resourceful bunch – always falling over one another in their eagerness to help! If gemstones are too expensive, they offer secondary and even tertiary gemstones; even a metal plate with mystic numbers engraved would do in a clinch! The list is endless and the sources for these are not any less in number. But can it all be that simple? Paying for your past sins is not a new concept and is prevalent in all religions other than some very modern bubbly ones, of course. But the concept of a rich person being able to clean up his karmic plate by frequent visits to the jeweler or to the internet-based priest is a bit difficult to absorb! It is not said that this may be necessarily impossible, but difficult to accept lock stock and barrel, all the same.

Continue…

Dr. Shanker Adawal
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