Astroverse.

Awareness of what life has to offer, of what we seek from it, what is the purpose of life, how do we go ahead with our activities or karma to find our goals.

The knowledge is to be about the cycles which the stellar celestial objects create on earth with the flow of time. About the vivid patterns as they repeat, of the energies and light resonating from the planets in our solar system, from the spaces in the zodiac and the ever flowing, ‘’noor ki boond’’ from the distantly fixed stars.

The learning has to be about the complex nature of the interaction of the stellar energies and their patterns with each individual uniquely, such learning which can guide us on our specified path, give a  direction to the intensity of our efforts and to make us understand our  own self.

It is a challenging task to be really able to speak on these but we will try to very briefly give an outline.

In Awareness, we have to know of the basics of life. We seek from life:

1.   Achievements: of Esteem, of Status, power, wealth, fame

2.   Expression of creativity/passion about activities which we are born for, it can be for example music, art, sports anything which satisfies our innate urge.

3.   Belongingness, relationships, friends and social bonding

4.   Happiness or anand, something which may be a mix of all or one of the above three or besides them too.

All of these have to be with health and wellness of body, mind, intellect and emotions. Also, we find that even if we get what we seek, it is not for long durations, it is all a function of time. So, there is always something or the other missing. We then seek that all these sustain irrespective of time.

In our way of life, we have attempted to understand life as a combination of the four purusharths, Dharm, Artha, Kaam, Moksha.

Dharma actually is not religion, it is Duty, is the right way of fulfilling our duties, Artha is the resources, financial and otherwise available to us, Kaam are our desires, which may or may not conflict with our duties and Moksha is the salvation , freedom from the cycle of birth and death or  an understanding what is eternal and what is the lasting joy.

In  निर्वाण षटकम् (Nirvana Shatakam), Aadi Shankar says:

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम्

Chidanand rupah shivoham shivoham

That in itself is the summation of human life in one way.

How do we get there, what are our action, activities and efforts?

Gita is an amazing source of awareness. It speaks of such action or Karma throughout.

Gita in chapter 18: 34 says

यया तु धर्मकामार्थान्धृत्या धारयतेऽर्जुन |
प्रसङ्गेन फलाकाङ् क्षी धृति: सा पार्थ राजसी ||

Dharm, Arth, Kaam are the three parts which have attachments to the outcome of the activity and thus are Rajasik in Nature. It is interesting to note, that Moksha is not mentioned in this shlok of Gita, since all these activities are for material rewards in nature.

The Four parts of karma are not alone in the divison of four. We also have the four varna and ashrams in our tradition. One must remember, the recurrence of four parts.

Further, we need to be aware of the types of action, their nature. We are aware that the triad or the trikona is one easy way of knowing about complex things. We define events as past, present and future. Similarly, there are the three Gunas which permeate and define every act of ours, the sat guna, the raj guna and the tam guna.

Gita says in Chapter 17.2 that how we are a part of an innate faith  

त्रिविधा भवति श्रद्धा देहिनां सा स्वभावजा |
सात्त्विकी राजसी चैव तामसी चेति तां शृणु ||

It later elaborates that body, mind and intellect are material in nature and changing every moment, they comprise of these three Gunas or their complex composite.

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणा: प्रकृतिसम्भवा: |
निबध्नन्ति महाबाहो देहे देहिनमव्ययम् || 5||

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti guṇāḥ prakṛiti-sambhavāḥ
nibadhnanti mahā-bāho dehe dehinam avyayam

The material energy possess three guṇas—goodness, passion, and ignorance. Hence the body, mind, and intellect that are made from prakṛiti also possess these three modes.

Consider the example of three-color printing. If any one of the colors is released in excess by the machine on the paper, then the picture acquires a hue of that color. Similarly, prakṛiti has the ink of the three colors. Based upon one’s internal thoughts, the external circumstances, past sanskārs, and other factors, one or the other of these modes becomes dominant for that person. And the mode that predominates creates its corresponding shade upon that person’s personality. 

And this nature is further explained that our efforts are guided by Illumination, action and delusion.  

So this is the Awareness which we speak of. This in itself is a vast subject.

It is this the four purusharths and the three Gunas which form a whole of 12 parts, it is this 12 parts, which in astrological terms is known as the Zodiac!

We have till now focused on Awareness, let us move to what this leads us to, what information or knowledge is useful for our purpose here in Astroverse.

We see all around us the cycles of nature, cycles of time. The ancients grasped the science of keeping time through observing these cycles.

The most obvious cycles are created by the interaction of Sun and Moon with the earth astronomically. Human observation of astronomical events is perhaps the first accumulation of knowledge. We see the cycle of the day/night so regularly like it defines time.

And so it does!

The precision with which unfailingly the Sun rises and sets, filling us with light, heat, warmth, day after day is the first cycle to know. And that it sets to welcome darkness in one part of the world to allow for rest, sleep and to cool down. No wonder, the rig veda, the most ancient of human expression of knowledge says:

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः
तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं
भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि
धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

From this observation, to understanding that the Sun has four distinct parts in the day, the Sunrise, the Sun at Zenith, the Sun set and the midnight is only natural. To see that this Sun shifts directions from North East to South East, to see that the days length increases in summer and the day becomes shorter in winter are describing the Cycle of Sun over one full Year. It is also easy to observe that like the day, the Year has four distinct parts. The Longest day of summer, the shortest day of the winter and the two equinoxes of Spring and Autumn.

It is this cycle of Sun which defines our day and the Year. Do you see the “four” distinct parts of the day and the Year. We have also seen that in awareness of human lives, there are “four” parts for easy understanding.

And when the Sun sets, the night sky is full of twinkling stars and a bright Moon, which changes every single night, waxing and waning. Becoming Full and Dark regularly like a clock.

WE can also see the stars which seem unmoving and fixed which have been navigational tools since the beginning of life. WE also see the moving planets, like these days before dawn, you can see the brightest twinkling Venus as the Morning star. Some months later, it will be seen after Sunset as he Evening Star.

It is the Moon which gives to a month cycle, again divided in four distinct parts. The New Moon or the Amavasya, the Ashtami or half waxing moon , the Full moon or the Purnima and the waning Ashtami.

The effect of Moon on a day is seen near the oceans, where there are two high tides and two low tides in every day/night, demonstrating the impact of Moon on a day too!

These basic astronomical events which fix our clocks, day, month and year in cycles are the basis of calculations and patterns in astrology. Its amazing similarity with the flow of human life leads to the study of Jyotish or Astrology.

From these cycles, a natural division of the year in 12 months and the Zodiac in 12 signs or Rashis becomes the basic building block of the astrology studies. Of course the Sun, the Moon and the planets are the life force in these cycles.

Gita says:

यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासयतेऽखिलम् |
यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत्तेजो विद्धि मामकम् || 12||

गामाविश्य च भूतानि धारयाम्यहमोजसा |
पुष्णामि चौषधी: सर्वा: सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मक: || 13||

Implying that the creation flows from the radiance of the Sun, the energy of the earth and the nurturing of the Moon. These two shlokas form the basis of Jyotish as we will know subsequently.

As we keep accumulating knowledge, we observe more complex and intricate cycles, like the eclipses and the precision of the equinoxes. All of them creating patterns similar to the events in human life.

You would recall, we had spoken of

As above, so below

This, then is the knowledge which we at Astroverse would want you to gather to enrich your lives.

The Awareness and knowledge in themselves are expanding our lives but we can use these both to imbibe a Learning in our lives. The entire life is a learning, but here we are only speaking about such lessons we can learn from our awareness of the purpose of life and the knowledge of natural patterns of energy. We are not Gurus, nor can we make you learn. The Learning has to be your own. We, at best, can point out to you the necessity of Learning.

अथो खल्वाहुः काममय एवायं पुरुष इति; स यथाकामो भवति तत्क्रतुर्भवति, यत्क्रतुर्भवति तत्कर्म कुरुते, यत्कर्म कुरुते तदभिसंपद्यते

You are what your deep, driving desire is.

As your desire is, so is your will.

As your will is, so is your deed.

As your deed is, so is your destiny.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV.4.5

The above statement made a few thousands of years ago, echoes even now very loudly. It resonates with each generation, from the ancients to the millennials to Generation Z. To find the purpose of life and fulfill it has a joy which no other pleasure can provide.

Gita, the way of life in our sanatan dharm, speaks similarly

सत्त्वानुरूपा सर्वस्य श्रद्धा भवति भारत |
श्रद्धामयोऽयं पुरुषो यो यच्छ्रद्ध: स एव स: || 3||

The belief of all humans conforms to the nature of their mind. All people possess faith, and whatever the nature of their belief, that is verily what they are.

मन: प्रसाद: सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रह: |
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते || 16||

 Serenity of thought, gentleness, silence, self-control, and purity of purpose—all these are declared as austerity of the mind.

Each thought we dwell upon has consequences, and thought-by-thought, we forge our destiny. For this reason, to veer the mind from negative emotions and make it dwell upon the positive sentiments is considered austerity of the mind.

Each individual has a unique astrological signature. The time, date and place of birth create the static snapshot of you. That can be taken the starting point of your profile, the potential. Thus potential, changes with each moment, with each karma you do, with each choice you make. To feel your pulse through these changes, where you, the Prakriti, interact while the grahas transit creating spectacular patterns is a big task. Your birth chart in itself provides for several progressions or dashas.

And then, there are your decisions. Each of us, get several ‘’chances’’ each day, each moment, we have an opportunity to make a ‘’choice’’ or a decision. Every choice brings a ‘’consequence’’ which leads to another chance. This flow or dance continues as long as we live. All our decisions impact us.

Our destiny through the potential of our birth chart impacts us. The progressions or the Dashas direct us and the continuously changing grahas also touch us.

Can we learn about our strengths, our challenges, the areas where we need to work on and focus our efforts to make decisions with clarity which are needed.

There are always grey areas on our life, our delusions, our unending desires, our sense of inadequacy, our illusions which lead us to make incorrect choices. And this will remain, for there cannot be perfection as long as we are in this human avatar. At the same time, after each inappropriate decision we get more chances….

An unending maze to navigate. We wish to empower you to fulfill your life, your ambitions, your joys and strength to course through difficult and tough times.

Best Wishes from Team Astroverse!!