Knowledge of two Principles

The Correlation deals with the two chief principles, the Cosmos and Human. The knowledge about the two principles is derived from their actions and interactions. The study of Cosmos and Human from this perspective in order to obtain a vision about future is the chief object of the origin and growth of the Correlation of Jyotiṣa and the Concept of Karman in the literature. Whereas Jyotiṣa carries an IndoEuropean legacy, Karma is purely indigenous in its origin and appears as a presupposition in the culture. Jyotiṣa is concerned with the exploration of the cosmic light forms and their order and is designated as a Vedāṅga showing a purposeful development to sub serve the goal of the Veda. It is connected with perceptive knowledge about future and past of human and has a practical utility in the culture as to providing proper times for performance of ritual actions conducted for a definite future. Karma on the other hand has a human orientation rather than a cosmic one, is analyzed qualitatively, its qualitative bifurcation a deliberate attempt on part of the culture gradually developed in order to locate the future of man essentially believed to be dependent on the actions of man; the cosmic actions subordinated for such a purpose. The Correlation also makes on effort to establish a relationship between man and cosmos with an extension to establish the relation of the empirical world to the absolute which is declared as of light and knowledge form.

The cosmos is principally a topic of excavation in the Saṃhitās. The light forms in the cosmos appearing as anthropomorphized deities are explored to get an idea regarding human life and its future. That they delegated the thoughts and actions of human and were observed and followed to understand and plan about human future inclusive of life after death indicate the closeness and the reliance of the Vedic man on Cosmos as also is explanatory of the basis of the Correlation of Jyotiṣa and Karman existing in this period. Earlier the spontaneous cosmic actions in the form of divinations were provisions for the knowledge regarding future of man existing along with countermeasures in the Saṃhitās. The concept of lucky and unlucky time periods simultaneously existed. Ritual actions performed on auspicious times derived from the motion of the luminaries supposedly led to a desired future inclusive of long life, prosperity and immortality after the death of the physical body.

The quest for real knowledge termed as Satya already exist in the early period expressing the cosmic order, Ṛta as a representation of the Satya in a visible form. The Earth supported by Satya which also regulated the work in the skies (Ṛgveda-saṃhitā X.85.1.) appears to be an established thought of this period and which evidently connected Satya as pervading both the regions. Righteousness, a counterpart of the all pervading Truth, was believed to lead to the region of external light. The deities of the form of light and residing in the region of light were believed to be originally men and they received their immortality through the righteous deeds. È Ṛta therefore represented the cosmic order as light and the religious order performed by men came in the form of a rite. Such a way of thought established the relationship of the cosmic world and the world of men through perception and actions regarding future thereby righteous deeds were deemed proper deeds which made attainable Svarga as expressed in the Ṛgveda (I. 125. 4-6) and Atharvaveda (IV. 34.2,5) indicating a prevalence.

An effort is made to attain knowledge of the working of cosmos and human occur in this period. Equally establishing a relationship between cosmos and human by means of knowledge expressed as Satya is evident in this phase, their connectivity achieved by the visible cosmic order of the light forms a part of the cosmos and righteous actions on part of human as representations of the knowledge in the form of Satya.

Knowledge of Satya as the binding force of the two principles continues in the Brāhmaṇas. An effort to connect the two principles by means of ritual actions performed by men on proper time designed from the cosmic motion represented by Prajāpati occurs in this period. Knowledge came to be identified as exactness in the sacrifices limiting itself to ritual actions up to this period. Later the inert nature of Knowledge came to be scrutinized in the period of the Upaniṣads. Prajāpati of the Brāhmaṇas came to be identified as the external body of Brahman which is the all pervading form of knowledge and light. While as an internal projection of Brahman, Prajāpati was the vital force, sustainer and immortal, externally it denoted truth in the form of Sun etc. as also came to be recognized as an effect, non-luminous and mortal being subjected to birth and death projecting the timed form of Brahman starting from the Sun. If this was an explanation of the cosmic form of Brahman, its existence in human as individualized Brahman or Ātman separated from its principle form on account of individualized desire also came to be explained and identified with real knowledge or Satya as an attribute of the Ātman. Dream state at this stage became connected as a state of the Ātman as also a kind of perception of the knowledge of future and later the past actions of man. Along with the varied meanings of Karma in the Upaniṣads as cosmic activity, as Ṛta and sacrifices as also the moral aspect inclusive of daiva, Karma chiefly came to be identified with Vidyā (knowledge) (Bṛhadāraṇyaka-upaniṣad I.5.16.). At this point of time the cosmos and its actions which were the chief source of knowledge of the future of man rendered secondary due to the discovery of the knowledge form of human residing in him. With this development the notion of future became equally inert, the centralization on Brahman residing in man as well as outside him and representing truth, light and immortality. As actions of man became the efficient cause for the origination of a new body and life, human orientation for the results of actions increased. Present life thereby became an outcome of past actions as also actions of present became decisive about the future lives. Ritual actions leading to apūrva as a connecting medium of the present and the future served as an explanation on part of Karma. Whereas time divisions became a collective unit working on behalf of actions reflecting their fruition manifesting qualitatively, Śakunas thereby became a source of definite knowledge about future upto this period existing as a practical device for the vision of auspicious or inauspicious consequence of acts. If cosmic time divisions and their manifestations provided visions of past actions of man and thereby their future consequences represented as daiva or Karmavipāka formulating a part of Jyotiṣa of this period, proper times for ritual actions in the form of Muhūrtas were also provided as a representation of self effort on part of human for betterment of future. The connections of actions with the motion (gati) of the individualized soul, the Jīvātman became a matter of consideration later to the Upaniṣads and a two way effort by means of the Correlation as to providing the vision of the journey of the soul as per its acts by means of the cosmic screen as also supplying appropriate time moments from the cosmic motion for the performance of ritual actions established and in later to this period.

The cosmic principle is throughout a source of information about human and his life, though the nature of activity at the man cosmos interaction deciding the further course of man is decisive about the future. Also in terms of the time divisions the present of the interaction has an access to a two way activity either deriving Knowledge from cosmic actions about future or actual work on the future by human actions on proper cosmic time points. Thereby the activity of gaining Knowledge is either of the nature of mere understanding or insight about the future and past life or of actual acquisition of a Knowledge Form which is a principal concern for the unity with the Ultimate Form. The capacity of the cosmos and its activity for this two way projection is a concern with the culture efforts for which appears to establish Jyotiṣa as a Vedāṅga in the culture.