ADVAITA-L Digest - 20 May 2002 to 21 May 2002 (#2002-127)

[Ashish Chandra]

On Wed, 22 May 2002 05:40:45 -0000, hemang Chamakuzhi Subramanian
<hemangcs at REDIFFMAIL.COM> wrote:

>
>     I have known that my parents/grandparents/etc. from Kerala
>use the expertise of the "Panicker"- sort of  a soothsayer in
>reading out the horoscope. Where in Advaita is it that, such
>philosophies are perceptably supported or advocated... are there
>any works by Shankara which refer to such methods.
>
>      Are there any references to Palmistry,Tarots, Astrological
>charts ,numerology, Pariharas for Doshas,etc. which are forecasted
>using these methods.
>

Hemang

Before you ask these questions, you could probably have asked what is
Advaita. It is Vedanta. Vedanta, that is the wisdom of the Upanishads,
deals only with liberation. Insofar as astrology and astronomy (Jyotish) is
concerned, these are a part of the Vaidik day-to-day life, governing such
things as Sankalpa, when a specific yajna is to be performed etc. Advaita
considers all these to be a part of a Brahmachari's or Grihastha's duties,
and it accepts them as such. The system of Purva Mimansa seeks answers to
questions like what is Dharma and why we do what we do when we do various
Vaidik karmas. Advaita deals with Sannyasis and no karmas are enjoined on
Sannyasis. However, all the Advaita acharyas are equivocal in telling us,
men of the world, to follow our karma diligently, and in this realm, the
various Vedangas, of which Jyotish is a part, apply.

ashish