DESTINY AND FREE WILL
Astrology is a science of revelation and understanding. It aims at revealing the truth about our thoughts and actions. It removes the veil from darkness and blind faith. Astrology leads us to light.
There has been a persistent thought in people’s mind whether they have come to me as students or clients that if destiny can be overcome with karma or free will. To understand this difference, we need to analyse the difference between the two.
Hinduism and many other religions believe in the concept of rebirth. So, taking this idea forward, the causes that we create in a lifetime will give effects sooner than later. This ‘effect’ is Destiny. The effects of a particular cause do not change. We can only modify the pleasure or suffering of it through or Free will.
Taking this thought forward, let us analyse the effects our karma or actions can have and our efforts to modify them.
Astrology is not fatalistic. It is an action or Karma based science. It inspires us to modify or better our karma to enjoy a better future.
There are three kinds of actions or karma which we have carried forward from our lifetimes and is reflected in our charts.
Karmas are majorly classified into three major categories. Dridha, Adridha & Dridh-Adridha karmas or Uddishya, Anuddhishya & Uddishyanuddhishya karmas.
Lets understand the facets of Karma individually.
Dridha karma is that Effect which cannot be changed. It is fixed. The good or bad effect have to be experienced without any alteration. A person experiences this karma during the Dasha and the Bhukti period. These effects are when the Jatak had done any unforgivable act in the previous lives. Like, murder, abduction, duping the poor, humiliating his old parents and many more. We can know that a person has Dridha karma when his ascendant is deprived of the benevolent presence of Jupiter in his charts or he doesn’t have the aspect of the ninth lord. This shows that the person has done something disastrous in his earlier life for which he needs to suffer now. Any remedy will not benefit him.
Adridha karma are those that can be made bearable through remedies. These are not so heinous. These are very mild. Like the person only thinks but there is no action. Here the Jatak may feel envious about someone’s property, but he does nothing to get it. Jupiter, or ninth lord is in the lagna or benefic to the moon or dasha nadh or would be aspecting any of them. Such people benefit by smallest remedy.
Dridha- Adridha karma can be sorted depending on the planetary positions in the chart of the Jatak. It is doing karma unknowingly and can be pardoned as it doesn’t harm anyone and he doesn’t have any intention too. These Karma can be made bearable through remedies. These are not so heinous. These are very mild. Like the person had thought about doing some evil but he had not acted on it. Suppose you want to reach Chandigarh, but get into the train for Mumbai. Here you will be let free with minimal penalty. An able astrologer can be a great help here. Here Jupiter is aspecting the ascendant lord.
There is a perennial debate of whether free will is important or destiny. But the above classification has revealed many truths about them. There are kinds of people in the world they do remedy and get benefit, some do remedy but never get benefit and few do not need any remedy at all. So, all these depends on the position of Jupiter in the chart of the Jatak.