[Advaita-l] Interpreting Jyotishya and their effects in Advaita vedanta

[Vishesh Bhat]

Dhanyavaada for the response.  So in essence, even actions done or
experiences under so called supernatural influences add to good and bad
karma?

On Sat, 20 Feb 2021, 11:45 , <jaldhar at braincells.com> wrote:

> On Fri, 19 Feb 2021, Vishesh Bhat via Advaita-l wrote:
>
> > What is the position of Advaita Vedanta on Jyotishya?? Since the
> Navagrahas
> > and the Nakshatras are mentioned in the Vedas, does Jyotishya too have
> any
> > basis in Advaita Vedanta??
>
>
> As jyotisha has a Vedic basis and is a mainstream part of Smarta Hinduism
> it is fair to say that all acharyas and vidvans of the past have accepted
> it.
>
> > I ask this in order to better understand Karma. For Jyotishya claims that
> > the poorva janma karma is manifested as the placement of the Grahas in
> the
> > jAtaka also influences the mind and thus determines the actions of the
> Jiva
> > in any given life at any time. But if this is so, then wouldn't it be
> wrong
> > to attribute bad Karma to these deeds as they are essentially not done
> with
> > free will, but compulsion, one could say vAsana??
> >
> > I could also probably extend my question to understand problems that are
> > sometimes associated with the influence of Pitr, Preta, Yaksha, etc. How
> > does Adavita address these issues??
>
>
> Yes all these things can have positive and negative effects.  And the
> remedies for the same offered in the shastras have effects on those.  But
> the problem from the Advaita perspective is that karma is in infinite
> regress.  Some misfortune may have happened because of ones previous karma
> but that in turn may have been the result of some previous karma and so
> on.  At no point can you say *this* is the cause.  Ultimately the only way
> to avoid the sukha and duhkha of samsara is to renounce karma altogether.
> This is why sannyasa is the requirement for mukti.
>
> As for free will, technically you do not have it because "you" are by
> definition nothing more than the effects of prior karma.  But again,
> because karma is infinite in scope, you can never account for it
> completely so in practice you are free to act as you wish.
>
> --
> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
>