This was an article published in the July 2010 issue of the 'Modern Astrology'. I thank Mrs. Gayatridevi Vasudev, the editor, for allowing me to share the article in social media. I hope you will enjoy reading this........
The Bhagavad Gita -The Astrologer's Guide
Dr. Kotekal Guru Rajesh
“You can learn anything or go anywhere. I don't mind all that. But, I
will not let you.1earn astrology". This was my father's stem reaction when
I expressed my intention to learn astrology as a teenager. He had his own
reasons for it. My father's neighbour, while going through the belongings of
his late grandfather, had found his horoscope amongst the old papers. The
horoscope said he would die on a particular date. As a result, he was said to
have started worrying and gone into deep depression. He died exactly on the
date predicted. My father was of the view that the lives of astrologers would
be miserable as they would come to know impending disasters beforehand.
Further, one would lose self-confidence and faith in self-exertion if one knew
astrology, is what he told me.
When I narrated this incident to my astrology Guru, he told me in a grave
tone, "What your father said is quite true .... but there is a way out of
it. If you want to be a good astrologer you should make a habit of reading the
Srimad Bhagavad Gita regularly”. I felt surprised and thought, he had mentioned
the wrong book. I asked him to repeat the name again and he said with a smile,
"You heard me correctly. If you ever wish to become a competent and happy astrologer
you must not only read the Gita but also should meditate on the meaning of each
Sloka". From that day onwards the Bhagavad Gita has been my guide.
Ideal Student, Ideal Teacher
The Bhagavad Gita portrays the ideal student in the form of Arjuna and Lord
Krishna as the ideal teacher. It shows several situations where Arjuna
fearlessly questions the Lord even knowing that he is the Almighty. Arjuna complains
to the Lord "You are confusing me with ambiguous and contradictory words;
please tell me with definiteness, the one thing which is best for me"
(Chapter Ill, Sloka 2). Such an attitude of the student should be
encouraged by the teacher both for the benefit of the student and as well of
the science.
Krishna displays the attributes of an ideal teacher and does not imposes
his views on Arjuna, After quoting the views of great sages, he gives his own
that holy deeds like yagna, charity and penance should not be given up but
are to be performed without attachment to the results (Chapter XVIII, Slokas
2,3 and 6). The Lord further tells Arjuna: "I have imparted to you the
secret divine knowledge; It is for you to reflect on it thoroughly and then do
as you like" (ibid, Sloka 63). When the ideal teacher in like
manner allows the disciple to think freely and independently he facilitates the
natural blooming of the student's intellect.
Overcoming Envy
There can be occasions when one feels jealous of the successful predictions
and the reputation of other astrologers. This creates an undesirable mental
block and hinders one from grasping the subtle nuances of astrology. Wherever
there is extraordinary greatness, power, beauty or success in this world, it is
nothing but a spark of the Divine Effulgence (ChapterX, Sloka 41). One
is merely the medium -nimittamatra- for such excellence to show up. There
can be no place therefore for envy as excellence anywhere must proceed only
from the Lord.
Attitude towards the Client
One comes across, in daily life, different kinds of people starting from
the greatly evolved, educated and cultured to the criminal, thuggish and the
brute kinds. The Lords's injunction to astrologers is to practise samabuddhi
and not discriminate those consulting them on the basis of their diverse backgrounds.
(Chapter V, Sloka 18 and Chapter VI, Sloka 9).
One may sometimes feel averse to or scornful of cases where the client may
have committed some heinous act and justify one's feelings that he deserves to
be looked down upon. Since there is no such thing as sin but only ignorance
which disappears with the dawn of knowledge, one must not let such aversion
possess one's heart. The Lord says that even if one is the most terrible of sinners
one can easily cross the ocean of sin with the help of the boat of knowledge
(Chapter VI, Sloka 36). Hence, everyone is a soul with spiritual potential,
an Amsa of the Lord (ChapterXV, Sloka 7).
Some cases may necessitate unpleasant predictions for which Sloka 15
of Chapter XVII provides a solution through practise of verbal penance by
choosing such words as do not disturb another's mind and which are true,
pleasing and beneficial. Wording the prediction carefully can many a time take away
its sting.
Dealing with Death
Of all the professions, astrology deals with the issues of life and death the
most, perhaps next only to medicine. One can imagine what Dr.Raman would have
felt when he had to judge the longevity of his eldest son Suryaprakash who
passed away in his twenties. Here too the Gita comes to one's rescue. The soul
being indestructible, only the body suffers death. The embodied soul undergoes
the stages of infancy, childhood, youth and old age in the body; likewise it
undergoes the experience of death and one should not grieve over the inevitable
(Chapter 11, Slokas 13 and 27). Meditating upon Chapter II will
certainly give the strength and the required detachment and equanimity to deal with
predictions of death.
Dealing with Arrogance
The astrology practitioner can sometimes become highly arrogant and
egoistic (asura sampatti as described in Chapter XVI). A regular study
of the chapter Daivasura Sampat Vibhaga Yoga can help the astrologer
avoid such pitfalls and restore humility in one. Some astrologers claim having
discovered new rules based on a few dozens of cases and even go to the extent
of belittling the ancient masters. According to the Gita, (Chapter XVI,
Sloka 23) whoever, setting aside the injunctions of the
Sastras, behaves according to one's whims, can attain neither perfection nor happiness.
This does not mean that one should not experiment but that should be done within
the confines of the broad rules laid down by the ancient masters.
Self-Exertion
There is a misconception that astrology is a fatalistic science and makes
people indolent and stop exerting themselves. When one understands that the horoscope
only points out that one's present situation in life is the result of one's own
past deeds, one would strive to make the present better for a brighter future. Slokas
5 and 6 of Chapter VI exhort one to strive to improve oneself and stress
that one is one's own best friend as well as one's own enemy and help in overcoming
such misconceptions.
Remedial Measures
Remedial measures in the form of worshipping various planetary deities form
an important part of Vedic astrology. Even one striving for spiritual evolution
should not neglect worship as it constitutes one of the important panchayagnas
- daivayagna which come under the Nitya Karmas or regular duties that a householder
is bound to perform. In Chapter Ill, the Gita says that one must worship the
deities through the medium of the yagna when they would be pleased and
grant one's wishes. In this way both the worshipper and the worshipped would sustain
each other and obtain great benefit (ChapterIll, Sloka 11). In the same
way, remedial measures, in the form of yagna help in alleviating the results
of past bad Karma. Yagna is any kind of worship done with sincerity and devotion.
Handling Success and Failure
No astrologer would deny the elation experienced with one's first correct
prediction. This may even make one feel that one has become a great astrologer
and also get carried away by the flattery of fellow astrologers and one's admirers.
Sloka 22 of Chapter V reminds one of the fleeting nature of the world. And
that objects of happiness are in fact the seeds of misery as they have a beginning
and an end. Hence one should not be carried away by such successes or gloat over
them.
Astrology is Karma Yoga
There are times when one feels disappointed with astrology and feels one would
be better off pursuing some other activity. This may be because of the difficulty
in understanding the subject or the failure of some astrological dictum which may
have worked previously, or it may be because of the meagre financial returns and
recognition that may not match the time and effort invested. At such times, one
must understand astrology has not been forced on any of its practitioners. In my
own case, it was my interest in it that made me burn the midnight oil over it. I
always marvelled at this science and aspired to become an astrologer. Hence, it
is swakarma and swadharma that is ingrained in one's personality that
draws one to astrology and which is not induced by extraneous influences. When Arjuna
wants to quit the battlefield, Lord Krishna says: "If you, however, resolve
not to fight and want to leave the battlefield, your decision is futile because
you are bound by your own nature to your duty as a warrior and will certainly fight
the war even though wishing the contrary" (Chapter XVIII, Sloka 59
and 60). In the same way astrologers too are bound by their interest in astrology
and cannot fight this natural tendency.. Further, according to Slokas 47 and
48, just as fire is always associated with smoke, every activity is associated
with some defect. It is better to stick to one's own work though with defects,
than to perform another's in a flawless manner. If one should feel that by
discarding the pursuit of astrology one is actually performing an act of renunciation,
then it is a fallacy. Giving up one's duty because it is difficult or involves physical
discomfort, is not true renunciation (Sloka 8, ibid XVIII). However,
if one performs one's duty considering it to be an act of worship, renouncing
the attachment to results, then that is true renunciation (Sloka 9, ibid18).
The best way to do any work is to work without desire for the results. This
may sound impractical but by avoiding such attachment one can perform one's
work without any distracting thoughts of success or failure. This gradually
pacifies the mind and brings out the best from one. Yoga is skill in action
(Chapter IV, Sloka 18 and Chapter II, Sloka 50). And this should
be the guiding motto of the astrologer.
The beauty of Karma Yoga lies in the fact that there is no need to change
anything externally in one's life. The change is only within the mind in one's
approach towards work being done without attachment to the results and as an
act of worship (Chapter Ill, Sloka 25). Then work becomes Yagna or
Karma Yoga. With the sacred Bhagavad Gita as a guide, an astrologer can
pursue his work with confidence and courage.
