Is astrology a science? It is neither supported by empirical observation, experimentation, or any formulation of testable hypotheses. Even propitiation of the ‘Navagrahas’ through rituals, mantras, and gemstone recommendations are common practices to seek blessings or mitigate their adverse effects. Probably, they are just belief systems. Should we then depend on astrology to conduct our lives? Shouldn’t we be a little more discreet in what we do? Week after week, astrological profiles often provide personality descriptions that individuals may find relatable or flattering. Some believe in astrology if they feel that the descriptions accurately represent their personalities. Some may not. However, did you know that these predictions in many publications, are often repeated verbatim over a period of time? Theory of probability does the rest, since the population size is very large. Let’s look at a few aberrations.
Hinduism, refers to “Navagrahas” or the nine celestial deities such as the Surya or Sun, Chandra or Moon, Mangala or Mars, Budha or Mercury, Bruhaspati or Jupiter, Shukra or Venus, Shani or Saturn with the last two being shadow planets Rahu and Ketu. They are believed to have a profound influence on human life and destiny, and are often worshiped and propitiated to mitigate the negative effects and enhance the positive influences they may have on our life.
While Surya brings us strength, courage, and success, Chandra brings us mental stability and emotional well-being, Mangala helps us in martial qualities, Budha enhances our communication skills and intellectual capabilities, Brihaspati is believed to bring us good fortune, prosperity, and spiritual growth. Further, while Shukra is associated with romance and is worshiped to improve relationships and artistic pursuits, we worship Shani for success through perseverance and for overcoming challenges. That leaves us the last two in the Graha-Chain, Rahu and Ketu. While Rahu mitigates negative influence and promotes clarity of thought, Ketu helps us on our spiritual path.
We often, refer to ‘nava-Grahas’ as nine planets. Even as ‘Graha’ is loosely translated as planet, it actually is not. Why? First, a planet orbits a star, such as Sun, does not produce its own light but instead reflects the light of its parent star. In ‘Nava-Grahas’, Sun is a Star, Moon is a satellite and Rahu and Ketu are shadow planets, which are not physical celestial bodies like planets or stars, instead, they are points in space where the Moon’s orbit intersects with the ecliptic, which is the apparent path that the Sun follows across the sky, throughout the year. While Rahu intersects the northern path, Ketu intersects the southern path. Uranus and Neptune, technically planets, are not even referred for astrology. While the former was discovered in 1781, the later was discovered in 1846 though they must have existed from the time this solar system formed.
Even as Vedic astrology and Hinduism considers the nine celestial bodies as having power to provide insights into a person’s life and destiny, such predictions depend on the positions of these celestial bodies at the time of a person’s birth. That may or may not be true. Then again, our understanding of astrology and its interpretation too may be limited. That said, the dividing line seems to be the time of birth.
So, what is the time of birth? When does life begin? While some believe life begins at conception, others consider it to begin at different stages of foetal development or even at birth. What is the truth? Technically life begins at the moment of conception, when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell which gives rise to a unique genetic combination, and the resulting zygote contains the full set of genetic instructions needed for the development of a new individual. Is this the time of birth?
Even if one were to assume the time of birth as when the foetus is considered to have reached a significant stage of development and hence its viability to survive outside the womb, which happens to be around 24 to 28 weeks of gestation, the exact time at which a foetus is considered viable is still a challenge to estimate. Or is it the time when a child actually comes into this world? With so many questions unanswered, should we disbelieve astrology? Rather should we not leave it to the sensitivities and sensibilities of the people? Or make efforts to understand Vedic astrology better?