The major obstacle... by Bhadra Dasi.

[Guest guest]

Our desire to be cheated, the major obstacle in understanding

astrology.

 

What is the real goal of an astrologer?. What are the qualifications

of an astrologer? Is it to encourage a person to earn money? Is it to

help him to justify his mistakes blaming the planets to evade his own

responsibility? Is it to tell him what to do and what not to do? Is

it to solve his problems?, Is it help him?, To help him to do what?

What does mean to help?.

 

According to the Vedas, the original fountainhead of all knowledge,

the real goal of an astrologer is to guide a person to discover his

innate potentiality of sat (eternity), cit (knowledge), ananda

(transcendental bliss). That is why the qualifications established

in the Vedas for an astrologer are purity in thoughts, words and

actions, and he has to be free from personal interest, viz. free from

the propensity to cheat (Vipralipsa) and exploit others. So, such an

astrologer can motivate a person to accept responsibility of his

astrological chart and so of what is the implication of having free

will.

 

Until which extent are we controlled by the influence of the planets?

Until which extent can we use our free will?. In his commentary on

the vedic text " Hitopadesha " Satyanarayana pandit explains: " …One

most, however, guard against using fate as an excuse for laziness. To

avoid work, lazy men claim, `whatever will be, will be' they think if

they are destined to be rich, wealth will come effortlessly; and if

wealth is not in their stars why work for it?. This attitude shows

ignorance of the co-existence of fate and free will. "

 

The planets are not auspicious or inauspicious, they are only

indicators of our desires and our past actions. The position of the

planets and their aspects are directly our responsibility. We have

heard many times someone saying " I do this, or this happened to me,

because I have Saturn (or any other planet) in such house and sign " .

This is an example of how astrology is used to justify our lack of

responsibility.

 

What is our situation in this universe?. There are three Gunas or

modes of material nature: Tamo-guna (the mode of ignorance), Rajo-

guna (the mode of passion), Satva-guna (the mode of goodness), these

modes indicate how much free will we have, as well as our likes,

thoughts, food habits etc. Example: When we are under the influence

of ignorance, is like if we were using black glasses not allowing us

to perceive many aspects of the reality. When we are under the

influence of the mode of passion, it is as if we were using red

glasses, and when we are under the influence of the mode of goodness

is like if we were using transparent glasses. This mode allows us to

see things as they are and so, to act accordingly.

 

It is impossible to be situated under the pure influence of one mode

only, in this material universe these modes are combined in infinite

combinations, nonetheless one of them is predominant in us. In the

measure we go up toward the mode of goodness or Satva-guna, we have

more freedom to use our free will. For example: A dog is in the mode

of ignorance, and he has also free will, but the rope to which is

bound allows him to move only until some extent. In the mode of

passion, Rajo-guna, self centered interests are imposed and one is

selfish.

 

In the mode of goodness or Satva-guna, one searches and accepts the

truth (even if it not pleasing). Under the influence of passion, one

asks a question desiring to hear a determinate answer, and in Tamo-

guna, neither one asks nor listens to the others.

 

On the other side, in the western world has been preferred to think

that reincarnation does not exist, because if we accept it, it would

imply to know that what we suffer and enjoy is only our

responsibility. But to talk about astrology necessarily implies the

fact of reincarnation, otherwise we would be superficial in our

approach to this science. To accept responsibility for existence

means to understand that we are not the physical body nor the mind

but the spirit soul, which is eternal and potentially perfect. In

fact one of our characteristics as spiritual beings is that we are

potentially free from defects, that is why generally, we do not

accept our defects. Those, as well as our virtues, become disclosed

in our natal chart.

 

Buda taught that, in order to assume responsibility and confront

life, one should follow three basic principles:

 

a)I suffer and I realize it

b) I want to remedy it.

c) I can and I WILL remedy it.

 

Reincarnation is intimately connected with the above mentioned, is

not a question of believes or religion, it is a fact. If we believe

the fire does not burn, will we not be burn if we touch it? If we

believe we will not die does it mean that our body will not die?.

Actually, we have already transmigrated from one body to another in

this very same life, we have passed trough a new born body to a child

body to a teenager body to an adult body to an old body, but the

person is the same, so in the moment of death, we pass to another

body like if we change clothes, this is what Krishna says in the

Bhagavad Gita (Cap. 2, Verse 13)

 

Dehino `smin yatha dehe

Kaumaran yauvanam jara

Tatha dehantara-praptir

Dhiras tatra na muhyati

 

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood

to youth to adult and to old age, the soul similarly passes into

another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a

change.

 

So we are, as the spirit soul, indestructible. Only the body dies.

Responsibility and knowledge is to realize this.

 

Actually the problem of existence or any other problem is very

simple, so simple and obvious that we can not see it. And the

astrology exists precisely for this reason, so that someone qualified

help us TO SEE THINGS AS THEY ARE and to overcome the difficulty to

see the obvious. Getting lost in theoretical complexities, wondering

around and speculations move us away from the real purpose of

astrology. Real scholarship means to apply the astrological

knowledge in order to get close the person to the route of exit.

 

If we prefer to cheat and be cheated, is a choice according to our

desires. Is our decision.

Until which extent are we free?.

 

The bibliography recommended is the in which this article is inspire:

 

THE BHAGAVAD GITA AS IT IS by His Divine Grace A.C: Bhaktivedanta

Swami Prabhupada. Ed. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

 

Also you would do good in visit the web page:

 

Jiva Institute for Vaisnava Studies.

 

Your opinion and questions are always welcome.

 

You can write to:

 

astroshambu

 

Bhadra Dasi.

 

Om tat sat.