KARMA AND REINCARNATION
Vedic Astrology is based on the philosophy of Karma and Reincarnation. You are who you are because of your many past lives. Never feel sorry for yourself, never ask why me and never compare your life to anyone else's. You're alone in this journey and you live by the decisions and choices you make.
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Karma explains cause and effect and nothing describes it better than the saying
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“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”
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Karma is the force generated by a person’s actions. Throughout the operations of the Law of Karma, the manifestation of perfect justice is apparent. We are not punished for our sins, as everyone believes incorrectly, but we are punished by our sins.
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We are not rewarded for our good acts but we receive our reward through our characteristics and qualities acquired by having performed these good deeds in previous lives.
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In other words, we are our own judges and executioners
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The Vedic horoscope of a person is like a business man’s balance sheet at the beginning of every year. It represents the debtors and creditors accumulated by the soul in its past lives.
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Vedic Astrology believes in the transmigration of the soul in its quest for further spiritual growth in every life-time.
To achieve this, a person must take on many births until they are freed of their bad Karma. Knowing a person's materialistic urges, this task is not an easy one, hence they have to keep coming back to Earth to learn their lessons.
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​You are what you are because of these experiences that you have had in your past lives. Just as a pebble is moulded by the swirling waters over time, so is the soul’s consciousness moulded by our experiences in various life times.
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There are four types of Karma that we have to contend with in our quest to achieve final liberation or enlightenment:
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Sanchita Karma represents accumulated good and bad karma of past lives which have already matured and their influence in the circumstances in which one is born.
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For example one can be born a pauper or a king. This karma is mainly responsible for our time of birth and hence the circumstances that we have to face in this lifetime. Some people are born with mental or physical handicaps over which they have no control. Yet others are born with great talents which shine through at a very early age.
In the birth chart Sanchita Karma is represented by the 4th, 8th and the 12th houses (Water signs in the Zodiac) which are traditionally called “dark” houses because they represent deep and hidden meanings and influences which are related to life’s comforts, death and transformation in one’s chart. These are in fact houses of final liberation and enlightenment.
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One does not have any control over this karma because it has matured fully
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On a physical level, this karma materialises or manifests itself through the Artha houses which are the 2nd, 6th and 10th houses (Earth signs in the Zodiac) which represent wealth, daily work, health, creditors, career and personal status. Therefore when an Astrologer looks into this karma, they have to view these houses to analyse the physical and earthly effects of this karma on the person.
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The reason for apparent inequalities of birth and circumstances become clear when it is accepted that our circumstances today are the result of decisions and actions taken previously.
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Pralabda Karma represents unfinished transactions brought over from previous lives which need to be dealt with in this life time. This karma is reflected in the chart through the 5th house (Purva Punya) and it manifests itself on a physical plane in the 1st, 5th and 9th houses (Dharma houses – life purpose or righteous action)
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One has a certain amount of control over this karma as it is not yet fully formed. Rahu and Ketu (The Moon’s nodes) are the two karmic planets that trigger off this karma. Ketu represents the karmic debt brought forward and Rahu reflects how this is likely to be fulfilled. Rahu plays a major part in elevating certain people out of the blue and it is very conspicuous by its presence in their 10th house of career. One can be forewarned about the likely effect of this karma and how best to cope with it.
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For example, Margaret Thatcher the ex prime minister of the UK was totally unknown to the public and a back bencher for almost sixteen years before her Rahu period started in 1972. In 1975, Edward Heath resigned as the leader of the Tory party. From being a back bencher, she was propelled into the front rank of the party and proposed as a candidate for the leadership. Nobody believed that she could beat the other contenders but she did and she went on to win the next election in her own right in 1979. She remained the Prime minister of the UK right up to the end of 1990 when her Rahu period came to an end, almost to the day.
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Pralabda Karma usually has the effect of totally changing one’s direction in life – as if someone up there has a different agenda in mind for the native. Usually after this, the native pursues a higher path in life.
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Kriyaman Karma represents new karma or current karma that we are now creating in this lifetime, the effects of which we will have to face at a later time or birth. On a physical plane, this karma should manifest itself though the 3rd, 7th and 11th houses (Kama houses – desire, hopes and motivation).
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One has total control over this karma if we use our free will to make correct choices in life and accept that suffering has a purpose and effort is not wasted, life becomes full of hope and meaning. Man is then seen to be the controller of his own destiny, with the gift of free will to choose his way of life and to design his own future.
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The way in which one uses their free will to make decisions, automatically shapes their future in full accordance with Karmic Law.
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Aagmi Karma represents Karma of future birth if the present one is not the last.
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You must realise that apart from Sanchita Karma, no other karma is eternal, but can be changed. Therefore man must use his free will within the parameters of his birth chart to rule his destiny. Vedic Astrology takes the view that if a person leads his life morally and righteously and gains higher knowledge, the past karmic debts will get paid off and new karmic credits will be built up for this life as well as for a future birth.
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Free will alone at times cannot shift one’s current path in life to what is required. One has to resort to the use of Muhurtha (auspicious timing), mantras, yantras, yagyas and gemmology.
Astrology is based on the Laws of Karma and Nature. It teaches us to be at one with nature and to flow with it, otherwise we will waste our energies in undirected efforts. A birth chart should be used as guidance in life, so that one meets with as few obstacles as possible.
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