8 December 2017 12:00 am Views - 6282
Is Astrology a science? – Part 4
The Astronomical part is the framework of Astrology. The Predictive part is the edifice of Astrology. And the foundation on which this edifice has been built is the bedrock of Nature’s design relating to the correlation between cosmic phenomena and the terrestrial life.
An intelligent design encompassing the universe
Man is an important part of the Nature’s design, the intelligent design encompassing the entire universe. Wise men in ancient civilizations including rishis or sages in ancient India had discerned, among other things, a definite relationship between a life plan or a destiny pattern of an individual and the configuration of planets at the moment of his birth. The ancient Indian sages in particular had codified the data they had accumulated over the years into a mix of signs, symbols, allegories and postulates. The vast body of data or knowledge thus codified was later decoded and presented in classical works on Astrology in lyrical verse.
Nexus between law of karma and cosmic phenomena
The discovery of the influence of celestial bodies on man and his environment in a physical sense may not have posed a riddle to the ancients. But surely it may have struck them that the finding of the subtle influence that the celestial bodies – planets and stars that operated on man to the extent of shaping the character of an individual and his destiny from birth to death called for a plausible explanation. Did the ancient Indian sages hit upon the Law of Karma while searching for the cause or an explanation for the correlation between the destiny of an individual and the pattern of the celestial map at the time of his birth or did they find a ready explanation in the Law of Karma?
There is evidence that the Law of Karma was already in existence as a key fundamental in Hinduism by the time Astrology had evolved into a highly respected discipline in India.
Karma and Rebirth
The Law of Karma and the concept of rebirth are interrelated for it is the Law of Karma that accounts for birth and rebirth. So the ancient seers found a ready explanation for the relationship between the destiny of an individual and the pattern of the configuration of celestial bodies at the time of his birth.
How the Law of Karma operates
It is rather difficult to explain how the Law of Karma operates; much more difficult to explain how a pattern of planets and stars at a given moment could unlock the destiny or the life plan of an individual born at that very moment.
Karmic Code
Karma represents the accumulated result of the cause and effect of our thoughts and deeds which manifests in the present birth and the future births. Therefore, Karma could be likened to a genetic code like the DNA that determines the fortunes and misfortunes in store for a human being. In Hinduism this Karmic Code is referred to as Prarabdha. It is generally described as destiny.
The Karmic Code in relation to the concept of rebirth presupposes the existence of a non-physical entity that carries it from one birth to another. Hinduism calls this this entity the soul while in Buddhism it is generally described as the stream of consciousness. Astrology based on the rules propounded by ancient sages with the knowledge gained through centuries of study relating to the correlation between the pattern of planets and stars and human life is the tool that has enabled deciphering or reading this Karmic Code.
(To be continued)