Vedic Astrology and its credibility
“Does Destiny govern our life or Free Will” is an age-old controversial question and there are as many answers as there are people. The opinion of every person is based on his own experience. The ambitious young man and many successful executives stoutly deny destiny and assert that there is nothing under the Sun that is beyond reach if only there is necessary effort. To them, failure to succeed is the direct roof of the Will being poor, of inability to persist long enough, incorrect approach, inefficiency, or pure incompetence. They can quote numerous instances of “rags to riches” ....all that is fine. For a time, the aims are fulfilled, but then a time comes when that they find things do not turn out as wished for, and they do not know what to say. It is then that they may go to an astrologer whom they so vociferously decried earlier.
We have to lump the fact that we get born into this world without our consent, at a particular instant of time and place into a family of parents, brother, sister etc, about which we have no choice at all. They may be rich or poor and the environment and the country into which we are born has tremendous influence over the course of our lives. Again, we may be born deformed, blind or with an incurable inherited disease, or we may later suffer a totally unexpected accident. On the other hand, some are born into affluence and have the best of education and opportunities. Some are born brilliant and there are child prodigies who inherit incredible skills or dexterity unattainable by others even with life-long devotion.
One of the basic tenets of Astrology is that the main course of the life of a person is determined by the instant of his birth, which reflects the Karmic load the soul carries with it from its past life. It follows that the horoscope, which displays the planetary position at the instant of birth, contains all essential elements which constitute the personality of the individual and simultaneously the sum of total Karmic burden – a carry – over from the past life. The Karmic burden must be expiated or liquidated by enjoyments of the rewards for the virtuous acts and sufferings the punishments imposed for the evil acts in the previous life. There is no escape from paying the penalty. The Karmic Law is inexorable and acts automatically whether we like or not.
The Karmic Law holds sway over all mankind, whatever may be his caste, his creed, and his colour…whatever may be his religion or his race and irrespective of whether he is being recognized or repudiated. All the Laws of Supreme God are universal, fixed, and perfect and beauty in their orders, therefore nepotism or favouritism never exists under this Law!
The opponents or enemies of astrology, who, knowing not much or nothing at all, of astrology indulge freely in vituperations or tirades against, or even in furious attack and onslaughts on astrology and vehemently declare or proclaim in and out of season that astrology is a fake. If astrology is really false and if there is no truth at all in it, it would not have had its fascination and strong hold on the masses.
The fundamental tenet is that while passing through lives, every individual acquire virtue for all virtuous and noble acts; similarly curse for sinful and wicked acts. They go on accumulating till the end of life; then the departed soul, automatically carries with it the accumulated burden of both virtue and curse which together constitute Prarabdha Karma. Accordingly, under the Law of Karma, an individual must experience enjoyment as reward for the righteous act and suffer severe punishment for the evil act committed in the past birth whether an individual wishes or not and there is no escape from paying the penalty.