Demystifying astrology

Astrology is quite misunderstood. The reason is not difficult to fathom. Over the ages, the science of astrology has become so intertwined with religious dogma that it has become difficult to separate the two. This is an effort to demystify astrology.

Astrology, or jyotish shastra, is the study of light (jyoti) emitting celestial bodies and the affect they have on our planet and, in turn, on us. The celestial universe is huge, in fact, colossal. According to astrology, 10-12 planets are there in our solar system and together they have 64 moons. Innumerable meteors and comets are revolving on their paths in our solar system, which is just a minute part of our milky way. The milky way of which we are a part has many solar systems just like ours. And, there are many milky ways other than the one we are located within. This would give you an idea of the immensity of the celestial universe.

Celestial bodies that emit light are called stars, which includes our sun and moon. It is a matter of research as to at what point of time, a divine being got associated with a celestial body. It may be because as in early times the exact working of the universe was not fully understood, a relatable story was developed that threaded through all the strands. I those early times, human beings were afraid of vagaries of weather and nature. And they reacted in two ways to understand acts of nature – for example, some attributed divinity to incidents of lightening, while others saw lightening as it was and delved into astronomy, a part of astrology, to understand it. The former moved towards religion, while the latter towards science. Over time these two strands diverged and merged to such an extent that they intertwined in such a way that it became difficult to see them separately. Now it is time to separate the two and see and understand with new eyes.

The sun affects us the most in our solar system. It is followed by the effect of the moon, earth’s only natural satellite. Then come the planets like Mars (Mangal), Mercury (Budh), Jupiter (Brihaspati), Saturn (Shani), etc. The effect of these celestial bodies is not just on an individual but on the earth as a whole – when a particular body affects a particular part of the earth, changes are seen in that particular part. It is a known fact that tidal waves are affected by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. Similarly, their pull also affects the water that is in our body. The effect is different on different bodies, the same way as in a storm some trees are uprooted while some withstand the strong pulls and pushes and remain standing. A mentally strong person withstands the adverse effects of celestial bodies and a weak one succumbs.

What this means is that no celestial body by itself is good or bad. It is how an individual reacts to their influence is what makes the impact good or bad.

Then how come so many misunderstandings and falsehoods came to be associated with astrology. Why so much confusion and suspicion when the fact remains that astrology finds mentions in all four Vedas – in Rig Veda there are 30 shlokas on astrology, in Yajura Veda 44 shlokas and in Atharva Veda 162 shlokas. Over ages astrology has been used in pinpointing desirable locations for building places and monuments of importance, like Ajanta-Ellora caves, pyramids, etc. In fact, astronomy was considered to be a part of astrology. It was the time when the knowledge of astrology was limited to a few – scientists, rishis, intellectuals and the like. They used their knowledge responsibly and at pertinent places.

However, as the extent of knowledge spread, impurities started creeping in through corrupt persons who sought to use astrology to further their personal ambitions. The study of astrology started becoming commercial and an easy way by irresponsible persons to influence and gather personal power. Superstitions too crept in. These various influences added questionable activities into the study of astrology. Some started making wrong forecasts and even defending their falsehoods with impunity. Television channels have made the waters more murky. No wonder, today many view astrology with suspicion. It is high time to rid astrology of the such irresponsible and questionable activities so as to take it back to its pure form.