Karmic Astrology—a Study

by Sunita Anant Chavan | 2017 | 68,707 words

This page relates ‘Correlation of Jyotisha and Karma in the Samhita Period’ of the study on Karmic Astrology and its presentation in Vedic and the later Sanskrit literature. Astrology (in Sanskrit: Jyotish-shastra) is based upon perceptive natural phenomenon of cosmic light forms while the Concept of Karman basically means “action according to Vedic injunction” such as the performance of meritorious sacrificial work.

Part 1.4 - Correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karma in the Saṃhitā Period

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i. Divinations and Countermeasures

The interpretation of the spontaneous actions of cosmos for human future and countermeasures for cosmic actions deemed inauspicious constitute one of the aspects of the correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karma in the Saṃhitā period.

Saṃhitā period considers actions of specific birds as indicators of good and evil. References of ominous birds occur in early Ṛgveda-saṃhitā and continue in the Saṃhitās.^[1] Birds are addressed as Bhadravādi, Sumaṅgala and Śakuna.^[2] Cries of birds were considered as a pointer to forthcoming events.^[3] Birds like Kapota (pigeon) and Ulūka (owl) were pondered as messengers of Yama, foretelling death or evil death.^[4] Actions of deities like Sūrya, Agni were designated as a flying eagle (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VII.63.5.) or an eagle (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VII.15.4.) respectively. Agni is also called a divine bird (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā I.164.52.) and also a haṃsa (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā I.65.9.).

Animals like dogs were considered unfavourable as being connected with Yama and his track and indicative of death. (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.14.10-12.).Whereas goat is considered auspicious as related to the deity Pūṣan and one who led the sacrificial horse (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā I.162.2.3.). Horses were connected with prosperity and auspiciousness due to their connection with sacrifices, also praise is offered to the horse Dadhikrāvan in Ṛgveda.^[5]

Utpātas were considered inauspicious being categorized in three types as heavenly, atmospheric and earthly^[6] and included earth quakes, falling of meteors and comets.

Adbhuta was a term generally used in connection with acts of deities^[7] and later came to be considered as a synonym for divinations.

Eclipses were rendered inauspicious in the Saṃhitās. Ṛgveda-saṃhitā V.40. refers to a total eclipse and Atharvaveda 19.9.10 refers Rāhu. In the sense of an inauspicious event as being contrary to the natural law, the deity Indra and sage Atri are mentioned as the ones who worked on the restoration of the sun according him the natural status.

Svapnas (Dreams) were considered lucky or unlucky and that they were indicative of future was believed in the Saṃhitās. Remedies were employed for unlucky dreams and such as transferring them to deities or praying to deities to ward off their evil effects. Ṛgveda-saṃhitā V. 82.4.5 refer to a dream whereas Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VIII. 47.14 refer to a bad dream. Counter measures for inauspicious dreams were often employed in the Saṃhitās.^[8]

Predictions related to weather were also forecasted by measure such as the smoke of dung.^[9]

Certain quarters of the cosmos as understood by the order of the Nakṣatras were also considered portentous, Atharvaveda mentions birth of an individual on certain Nakṣatras unlucky.^[10]

ii. Action of Light Forms in Tripartite Divisions

Study of the order of cosmos displayed by the bright bodies and their actions is a general tendency of early Saṃhitās. The physical order of Ṛta is chiefly brought forth by the celestial light forms especially the Sun, manifesting the path of Ṛta through the rays (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā I.136.2), addressed as the pure face of Ṛta (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VI.51.16).This order or path of light (Jyotiṣpati) termed as Ṛta whose manifestation perceived in the path of heavenly bodies can be said as a forerunner or a precursor of the correlation. Ṛta as a moral law (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VII.89.5, 11) or as right (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VIII.98.1) prevalent in early Ṛgveda-saṃhitā seems to give way to the system of Moon with the Nakṣatras mentioned in later period and with the simultaneous Pantheism considering Moon as the mind of the Kālapuruṣa (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.90) systematic efforts for the development of the characteristics of the body of Nakṣatras and Moon placed in them resulting in a flourished scheme of Nakṣatras already exist in the Taittirīya-saṃhitā (IV.4.10.1-3.).

Organizing sacrificial and other ritual actions on the divine ordinance with the sacrificial fire, Agni, is a prominent practice in this period.

The prevalence of Sūrya as the chief visible celestial light form and Agni with a natural basis as the fire element denoted in the sacrifice though with an exclusive epithet is somewhat familiar to the early Saṃhitās but the development of Soma as Moon alongwith the Nakṣatras appearing with a set of deities entirely Vedic is a novel growth. Tripartite division of deities is a common trait of the Ṛgveda thereby the progress of the correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karma in the later RVand further in the Saṃhitās while enhancing the works of Sūrya and Agni in the celestial and terrestrial counter parts in respect with the necessity of the correlation though developed gradually, the modified character of the middle region while promoting the role of Moon is an admixture of the characteristics and actions of the chief aerial deity Indra, celestial Varuṇa and terrestrial Soma.

Indra shares affinity with human qualities or emotions than any other aerial form, also aerial forms in general are abstract and they do not possess light forms themselves but serve as the bringers of light or founders of light,^[11] and are closely associated with light. Varuṇa with his physical character representing night^[12] and his moral nature and the conversion of Soma into Moon, these characteristics and actions carried a suitability to Moon and consequently to the notions of mind.

Sūrya (Sun), Soma (Moon) and Agni (fire) though modified in character, due to their material nature and thereby their visibility to human senses could maintain a connection to their original forms. Also the utility of Sun and Moon as time measurers and the invoking of Agni being accessible to human efforts the triad form an important combination for the correlation.

The correlation of action of deities or the cosmic mechanism brought forth by time or natural time calculated by the motion of the heavenly bodies comes with an intellectual basis. Sun and mostly Moon do not carry much religious consequence. Even Nakṣatras are studied in relation with their characteristics connecting them to earthly counterparts so they are primarily zones carrying specific cosmic qualities. Nakṣatras are attributed with deities and formed a part of the religious system yet they themselves were least worshipped. The above instances point out a purposeful study of the cosmic pattern which is made a part of the religion and worship of the Veda.

Above all, the natural connection form the substratum of the correlation in Saṃhitās.

iii. Journey of Man

The deities of the Veda are not only natural personifications but they also delegate the thoughts and actions of human life. Human existence as being locomotive after the death of the physical body was a strong belief in this period. Heaven and immortality being the chief ideals after physical death certain deities and phenomenon in nature also specific cosmic regions were made indicative of expressions of this ideology. The cosmic connection of the correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karma comes in this instance.

Gods originally mortals had received immortality through deities like Savitṛ (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā IV.54.2) a form of Sun or by Soma drink (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā IX.106.8) or Agni (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VI.7.4). These deities were already being transformed as the chief deities for the purpose of utility of the correlation. Actions performed in this life decided the future course or after life in the form of iṣṭāpūrta an effort to make visible the effects of actions performed form a part of the Saṃhitās.

Sacrificial actions being the basis of Saṃhitās deities as Agni were made the messenger between gods and men (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā VII.11.1). Savitṛ a form of Sun functioned as the protector and drove away diseases. (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā I.35.9, 11) Savitṛ transferred the soul to the abode of the righteous (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.17.4), Pūṣan showed the way granting an auspicious path (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.59.7.). a consideration as the soul being asked to avoid the dogs of yama and go by the auspicious path (of the fathers) also occurs in Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.14.10,12 and Atharvaveda(18.2.12.). The path on which the deities come to the sacrifices is the path of light which in later literature is made the path on which the righteous men departed for their after life abode.

From such instances it appears that cosmos with its light forms appears to be excavated in the Saṃhitās for an idea regarding human life after death.

Along with which the correlation in the Saṃhitās vary from observations of Divinations and their countermeasures to the observations of the Tripartite divisions and the order of light. Human actions arranged on auspicious times also form a part of the correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karman.

iv. Human Actions on Auspicious Times.

Ritual actions on auspicious times was a formulated practice in the Saṃhitās. The concept of luckiness of days existed in early literature.^[13] The connection of sacrificial post planted on an auspicious day with the prosperity of the sacrifice was already established (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā III.8.5). A Sāvana day was used in sacrifices particularly the Somayāga (Atharvaveda VIII.9.17).

Offerings were made to gods at specific times of day. The Aśvins were invoked in the morning, at noon and also during sunset (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā V.76.3). In the Soma sacrifice Indra and Maruts secured place in the noon Soma pressing whereas Ṛbhus had a place in the evening.

Though the word tithi does not occur in the Saṃhitās the waxing and waning of the Moon was important for fixing the times of offerings and the deities were often invoked in the form of prayers and offerings, the connection of the deities as Sinīvālī and Kuhū to the phases of the Moon is a development in the later works.

Time period as Yuga was connected with the kindling of Agni (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā III.55.18), prayers to Yuga also occur in the Taittirīya-saṃhitā 4.33.) Vājasaneya-Saṃhitā (30.18) mentions offerings in the form of Puruṣa to the Yugas in the Puruṣamedha.

Certain rituals as the Mahāvrata were performed with a belief to strengthen the Sun. (Tai Saṃ. VII. 5.9) Atharvaveda (VI.40.1) refers to the oblations to the seven sages.

Along with such interactions of cosmic time with human actions the Saṃhitās also connect ritual actions with the system of Nakṣatras.

v. Nakṣatra and Karma

The integration of Nakṣatras with the religious system occurs in the Saṃhitās. Kāṭhaka Saṃhitā 8.1 mentions Agnyādhāna on specific Nakṣatras. The Taittirīya Saṃhitā. VII.4.8. mentions the time for undergoing Dīkṣa ceremony as on Full Moon in Phālgunī.

Nakṣatra for individual actions according to their characteristic was a practice^[14] the astrological character of Nakṣatras as to predictions from the Nakṣatra at birth already occur in the Atharvaveda.