SOME THOUGHTS ON JYOTISH OF TODAY

by
Rohiniranjan
Crystal Pages

©) all rights reserved, Crystal Pages/Rohiniranjan

Jyotish remains a whispering exotic giant no more! Its message is right here, loud and clear. Prevailing
separatist myths such as, "Jyotish is good for predicting events" or "Jyotish does not have tools for describing an
individual qualitatively, or psychologically,” are being laid to rest daily by jyotishis from the west and the east.
Despite all these efforts, there still remain quite a bit of misinformation and misunderstandings in the minds of those
seeking a jyotish reading or those desirous of learning this ancient form of eastern astrology. During the development
of jyotish centuries ago, life was probably simpler, more harmonious and balanced than it is now. There was perhaps
less of a need to separate the spiritual aspects of life from the mundane. Earning of a livelihood did not have to be
divorced from ones core values and spiritual existence. Moreover, the cultural and religious backdrop was relatively
homogenous, and the scribes of jyotish texts did not feel it necessary to explicitly state what was obvious and was
taken for granted in the times prevailing then. The present scene, however, is very different. Jyotish is no longer
confined to India or remaining within the Indian culture (which itself can hardly be expected to continue to be the
same as it was in Varahamihira's or Parashara's times). It is true that many very fine jyotishis hailing from India and
abroad choose to resist changes and do not feel it necessary to modify the focus or context in which jyotish must be
applied now, any differently from those early days. Their support and belief in the eternal truth of the timeless
statements emanating from the ancient sages is understandable and the essence of what they stated aeons ago has
probably not changed. However, modifications and some reexamination may not be entirely out of place. This is
particularly true when jyotish is expected to encompass all the different aspects of life and work that exist in today's
very different times and styles of living. A fundamentalist or even moderately rigid stance can only serve to confuse
and in some cases even alienate individuals who wish to explore jyotish further as a practical aid in guiding their
lives and not necessarily as a spiritual tool for personal and eternal emancipation.

The fabric of jyotish is woven in the thread of karma. These days, the overused term 'karma' is
understandably beginning to sound a bit tired. A term that incorrectly invokes negative feelings in some, but which
represents neither an exclusively negative, fatalistic, doom and gloom philosophy, nor some eye for an eye, tooth for
a tooth kind of rigid and punitive cosmic law. The concept of karma merely underscores the fact that we remain
eternally responsible for our actions; hence, "as we sow, so shall we reap!" From such a perspective, destiny is
indeed not something that is beyond our control but rather, it is the outcome that would be experienced tomorrow as
a result of actions carried out today. Our act of free will today determines our destiny of tomorrow. A very
significant limb of jyotish deals with remedial procedures. This comprises the determination and characterization of
the energies and influences that underlie much of our ailing in life, and recommends products (gems, herbs and
yantras), procedures (worships, yagyaas and hawing, mantras, ayurvedic remedies) and acts (charity, spiritual and
austere living, fasting, kindness, compassion and love, etc.) that may reduce and discharge some of the karmic debts
that our actions have incurred so far. It is true that in terms of procedural details, some of these measures are very
directly related to orthodox religious Hindu practice and are quite different from the modern normal practices in life
prevailing even in much of India and certainly elsewhere. This is also the area where 'magical' thinking blends
strongly with mundane pragmatism in astrology and this can create certain conceptual difficulties in those who are
coming into jyotish from a more modern, rational-logic-based background and perspective.

Many very accomplished, spiritual and religious individuals happen to be strong spokespersons of and
notable teachers in jyotish. Their achievements in jyotish and spiritual philosophy are phenomenal. They, in no
uncertain terms, recommend the importance of a spiritually pure way of living and how it enhances ones ability to
perform as a jyotishi. Their advice is well meant and effective, even if initially somewhat difficult to relate to or even
all that appealing to many beginners.

There comes a point in ones spiritual quest when the superficial fiber of societal norms and practices
becomes too transparent and one begins to realize that the superficial worldly reality that most of us live and function
in is not the ultim ate goalpost of existence. In order for the karmic paradigm to work helpfully in our lives and for
astrology to continue to make pragmatic sense, there is the need for the acceptance of a continuity of existence that
must span time periods that are wider than the duration between the last birth and the next death! Hinduism and
Jyotish support this view for the most part. The sense of fair and unfair, decadence and deprivation take on a new
meaning, when viewed through such a timeless continuum of existence. Such an outlook may also enhance ones
tolerance and patience reducing angst and anxiety, because there is no finality, no limit, no urgently finite time in
which experiences must evolve. Some see in this a harbinger of passivity and an ode to inaction. Others view our
entire perceived reality as a dream, a marionette show created by the Supreme Creator for His personal
entertainment. Rightly or wrongly, the modern rational mind balks at such concepts. Moreover, like it or not, the
purpose of astrology is to provide practical guidance in daily living and to introduce a modicum of certainty into our
otherwise uncharted, unfathomed life plan that exists beyond this moment. M atters such as health, comfort in life,
work, relationships, children, financial state, an explanation behind the difficult times one is going through and how
long these will last are some of the issues that astrologers are approached for advice most often. If renunciation of
worldliness is the aim, if transcending the treadmill of karma and destiny is the ultimate achievement of being
human, then one wonders if astrology even has a place in such a philosophical paradigm of life.

There are a few astrologers who grew up in families with a strong astrological tradition and accepted
astrology in their early years almost through involuntary conditioning rather than a voluntary choice made through a
personal rational process. M any more, on the other hand, were brought in contact with astrology through a negative
experience in life. Be it sickness, loss, inevitability of a situation beyond control, there was a wake-up call involved
in these cases. They hail from all walks of life, and their common link is misery and a desire to remedy it, to find a
way out, to seek a ray of hope for the future, all of which are essentially expressions of optimism. This is not a
comprehensive scenario, obviously, and there can be several other reasons for one getting attracted towards
astrology, but in most cases, there is a worldly, tangible reason. Even those who seek through astrology a gateway to
spiritual experiences and a spiritual direction, are typically individuals who are not ready for moving into the spiritual
realm of experience completely and not yet prepared to severe their ties with all that is materialistic and worldly.
Telling these people that the entire human experience is a mere dream and to try and push them into spirituality is
neither the purpose of an astrologer nor of jyotish as a discipline! For the seekers of ultimate salvation and nirvana,
jyotish is of limited help. It is a bridge, however, that can tide one over karmic crises while one is trying to gain a
better understanding of the reality around and is gradually finding ones footing in a more spiritual realm of existence.
For one who has shifted his awareness completely to a predominantly spiritual state of being, astrology has about as
much use as a Rolls Royce! Astrology is for the worldly, a gift from the Universal Wisdom to us for making us
prepared for better and more permanent realms to come.

With questions such as, "When will I get a job?" or "W hat would be the best and worst periods in my life?",
"When will I have children?", "Who shall I marry?", the motive is simple. One wishes to reduce the element of
surprise and uncertainty in life. Hardly unusual, this is basically what has driven much of our worldly progress. The
indoor plumbing in our bathrooms, the weather and the traffic status reports, the fixed working hours, social blankets,
democracy, indeed most of our modernized life is geared towards predictability and reducing the element of surprise!
It is an extension of this thinking that brings most individuals to the astrologer from whom they seek a reading.
Astrology can be very helpful in answering such questions.

There are also those who seek answers to questions such as, "When should I start worshipping?", "Which
deity according to my chart should I pray to?". Jyotishis typically oblige such queries with well thought out answers
with an astrological rationale to go with it! Isn't there something inherently wrong if not out rightly droll, in this
picture? It almost seems as if one is approaching spirituality and devotion but does not want to make a wrong
investment decision! How is “Should I pray to Shiva, Krishna or Jesus?”, different from another person wondering,
“Should I invest in EXXON or SHELL stocks or buy a Nikon or Minolta camera?” I don't think spirituality works
quite in that way! Some questions do seem to signal lack of readiness if not outright misunderstanding and this
simply makes us human.

There are spiritual aspects to jyotish, but the new age trend seems to have affected it and it is hard to miss
the rampant 'showcasing' of the spiritual underpinnings of jyotish as products and devices, almost with an implied but
never explicitly stated guarantee of performance! Is the run-of-the-mill astrologer misinformed, misguided or is he
merely trying to please yet another customer? These are taboo areas and it is considered by many individuals, almost
tasteless to bring these up for discussion. But, these represent serious questions that astrologers and their clients must
ask of themselves and of others. What, after all, is the scope of astrology? It is futile and even improper to assume
that astrology has an infinite reach and can answer all the questions and issues that impinge on human consciousness.
 There is a confounding aspect about spiritual practices and austere living! These enhance ones perception,
these heighten ones sensitivity enabling them to reach beyond time and place to obtain answers. Though the primary
launching platform might be astrology, a spiritual seer begins to receive information from realms beyond the reach of
astrology. While the information is useful, uncannily accurate and very helpful, the process utilized for seeking such
information is divinatory and wider in scope than astrology. On no account must the success and efficacy of such an
approach be attributed to astrology, which is essentially a rule-based, intellect-based divinatory method. For carrying
out astrology, a logical brain, a good background knowledge of the rules and exceptions is all that is required. It must
be noted, however, that most astrologers bring a lot more than this basic requirement to a 'reading' with their other
human capabilities, qualities and experience. My purpose in bringing this up here is not to diminish the importance
or the usefulness of spiritual living or devotional practices but to define the limits and boundaries to make sure that
Peter is not getting credit that is due to Paul! Also we must realize that there is neither a straight and narrow approach
nor a really objective way of examining the outcome of spiritual remedies as a family of phenomena. There may be a
significant role played by supernatural elements in these and in that sense they are probably in a class by themselves,
quite separate from deductive aspects of astrology. Individual efficacy may vary, in other words, both when the
jaatak (nativity) carries out the procedures or if a trained priest handles the operational aspects for the same. As far as
learning the ancient craft of astrology is concerned, there are no rigid and specific spiritual requirements, really, that
are essential for becoming a good astrologer. As is true for most professions, a high level of moral and other qualities
would help in determining the worth of advice given, but by themselves these have not much to do with the
acquisition of technical aspects of jyotish or putting this learned material to use.

Saints and realized beings have expressed different views on the utility of astrology. Yukteshwar was in
favor of astrology, amulets and gemstones and has even provided us with an ayanamsha reference to work with
(which happens to be mere arc-minutes away from the one that was much later on advocated by Prof. B.V. Raman
whose ayanamsha had created quite the controversy in recent years). Yukteshwar's disciple, Yogananda, clearly
states in his autobiography that astrology does not have much usefulness for a saint. Rajneesh was not much in favor
of astrology, but Maharshi Mahesh Yogi has given astrology his blessings and Maharshi Jyotish (TM) is actively
taught as part of the Vedic curriculum in his institutions along with other Vedic disciplines.

It does make good sense to view astrology as something that applies only when one is within the karmic
cycle of worldly living. As one moves towards being and living more in the TAO or in a state of harmony and
attunement with nature, the grip of the grahas (planets) loosens on ones consciousness and although the perturbations
and cycles of the heavenly bodies in the inner cosmos continue to be felt, these can be accepted, tolerated and even
overcome more readily by the saint or one on a dedicated spiritual path, than perhaps the great unwashed
householder! However, without such a spiritual commitment -- and this better be more than the weekly excursion to
the shrine and back -- simply assuming that the rules defined in jyotish would have no impact in ones life, by sheer
force of will, can be a misconception. There may be instances when one of strong character may overcome a weakly
operating planetary influence by an application of an iron will; however, this will vary from individual to individual.

In reading this article, hopefully, the sense is emerging that jyotish is primarily intended for the worldly
individual who is not quite certain of his future steps, or the direction he should take but one who would like to be
enlightened regarding the same. There will always be those who would deny that Jyotish has any role in their lives,
and may boldly state that, jyotish is simply not for them! There will also be those who would aspire to go beyond the
illusion that this worldly reality supposedly is a realm where the glitter is often misplaced and ones orientation
distorted. These individuals, obviously, are primed to go beyond Jyotish and its karmic weave. Jyotish can help them
understand and unravel their karmic hindrances but what they truly need is an immersion of their being in the nectar
of higher spirituality. Jyotish is not for them either! This leaves the rest of us bumbling individuals who are
uncertain, who want desperately to reduce the sense of chaos in our lives and to move gradually towards that point in
our growth and existence where we would eventually be ready to let go of the illusions that surround us and discover
our true natures and purposes. Jyotish is certainly intended for us – the majority, in order to ease our uncertain path,
at least for the time being!

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