When it comes to astrology, everyone seems to have a common question about karma and free will. If anyway, everything is pre-destined then that would mean that we have no choice and no say whatsoever in shaping our future. what meaning then does any of our decisions have or why should we even endeavour to achieve anything in life? We shall get what we are destined to have even without having to endeavour and if we are not destined for something, we shall not get it despite all our endeavours. This indeed is the truth. Undoubtedly, we shall get only that which is in our destiny, not more or less. We practically see that some people are blessed with success with minimal effort while others struggle their whole lives just to make ends meet. This however is not the entire picture and not the only component of the equation. Free will and our endeavour are also essential. Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita (BG 2.47),
karmaṇy evādhikāras te
mā phaleṣu kadācana
mā karma-phala-hetur bhūr
mā te saṅgo ’stv akarmaṇi
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty.
Our destiny being pre-defined is not an excuse for not performing our duties and not endeavouring to achieve our goals in life. We must put in our energy and efforts, and know that we shall achieve the results that we are entitled to.
To understand this it is important to understand Karma. Karma is often mistaken to mean the negative effects one has to face due to inappropriate activities. However, the Sanskrit term karma means action, and in extension to this, “the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.” (as found in the Oxford Dictionary). Karma essentially refers to any action that we perform and the result thereof. We may suffer the reactions of our past bad karma or enjoy the fruits of our good karma. And our present karma or actions will define our future good or bad karma.
Now, according to Vedic texts, Karma is of different kinds, namely, kriyaman, Sanchit and prarabdha which can also be called beeja, aprarabdha and prarabdha; Or kutastha, phalonmukha, and prārabdha. Kriyaman karma refers to the activities that we are performing now, which will give results in the future. Beeja or kutastha also refer to the tendencies that one may have which lead one to act in a certain way in the present which will lead to results in the future. It is at this stage that we have the free will to choose what to do. One may tend to steal because of this tendency being present in the subconscious mind as beej or kuta, however, with the help of intelligence one can understand what is correct and what is incorrect and can choose to act upon those tendencies or to correct those tendencies. The actions performed now, kriyaman karma, are then stored into Sanchit karma, which is the total of all the karma that one has performed and is yet to enjoy or suffer the results of. Throughout our numerous lives, we perform many activities that we are to receive results of, but if all our karmas were to be dished out to us in the same lifetime, we would not be able to endure them all. Therefore, a handful of karma is picked out for us to experience in a particular life, and this handful of karma which we are destined to suffer in this particular lifetime is known as Prarabdha karma, the results we are enjoying or suffering in the present.
These prarabdha karmas are pre-destined and beyond the control of any human being. One must suffer or enjoy the results of these karmas which are completely unavoidable. However, the kriyaman karmas are where we have the free will to choose how to act and this will influence our future. Our future in this life and the coming lives as well. All Karmas have different times to fructify. We can understand this by a simple example. If someone does not wear enough warm clothes in the winter season, one is bound to fall sick. This cannot be blamed on any sort of previous life karma, rather this is the clear result of negligence, an action which we performed or rather actions that we should have performed but failed to do so, and we received the results immediately. If we fight with our superiors at work, we are bound to be fired, there is no question or consideration of prarabdha karma. Therefore, one must first understand the workings of karma and then the question of destiny and free will will be solved. It is a person’s destiny to be born into a rich family or be born with a disability. However, how one decides to act thereafter is our free will and will shape our future. If the rich person decides to become arrogant and a tyrant, he may still enjoy his current life due to his previous pious credits, but he is creating a hellish situation for himself in the future. And if a person with a debility chooses to accept his fate and make the best use of it instead of lamenting, he or she can achieve great success even in this very life.
Now, where does astrology come into the scene here? Well, astrology can tell us about our prarabdha karma, the karma that is destined to be dished out to us in this life. One may attempt to avoid this karma by performing various remedies and may be successful in doing so, but only temporarily. The prarabdha karmas will only be nullified once the results are enjoyed or suffered. Astrology can also help a person understand the beeja tendencies that a person has. An expert astrologer can assist a person in understanding these beeja tendencies and avoiding performing activities which can lead to further Sanchit karma being accumulated, but rather correct those tendencies by mindfulness, intelligence and surrender unto the supreme.
And this is where the astrologer can help you, to understand your prarabdha karma, the beeja tendencies that could lead to future Sanchit karmas being created, and how to influence your kriyaman karmas to ensure auspicious results in the future, both in this life and the next.