Guest guest Posted December 3, 2006 Report Share Posted December 3, 2006 I read the interesting post by PVR Narasimha mentioned below, I want to introduce into this discussion a closely related question. Astrology assumes karma theory and reincarnation as givens, and the general idea is that past karma is encoded in your planetary configuration at birth, and this karmic encoding is "expressed" as problems/good-things in this life. Not unlike 'the central dogma' in molecular biology, actually. It so happens that the analogy goes further. There have been a number of cases where children (and sometimes adults) remember their past lives, and provide accurate details of past birth, which have been verified by independent investigators (Ph.Ds to boot). See the following links: http://www.survival-research.net/library/bookreviews/pastlifestudies/pasrichaclaimsofreincarnation.html http://science.krishna.org/Articles/2005/02/Reincarnation.html http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/personalitystudies/ Interestingly, these studies show that reincarnation is a lot like learning/conditioning across lifetimes (similar to genetic/evolutionary learning). For instance, if you were a drunk in this life, chances are you will take to drink rather early in your next life. If you were a meat eater in this life, you will have a liking for meat, even if you are born into a brahmin family. If you were a sadist, you would be at it early on, if you were musical, you would be a child genius, etc. How does this square with karma theory, which assumes that you "suffer" in this life for your past karma? It is not clear whether someone who enjoys sadism/drinking/whatever has a "problem" in life, it is only when she resists it that a problem arises. If the findings hold, then there is also no such thing as redemption, or at least no systematic redemption. If redemption exists, it is a chance occurance/mutation. The ones born into the tamasic configration will hiphop down that road until they turn into monsters. The ones born in the sattvic path will float down that one until enlightened. Most people would be somewhere in between these two extremes, but would have 'tendencies' for one or the other. But it is not at all clear how they would/could **choose** one over the other. The only way out of this is to make a fundamental assumption: sattvic is inherently better than tamasic, and the sattvic nature is built into every human, and nature itself. And at each birth, the Atman tries to return to that natural tendency, but struggles with the accumulated karma. This would mean karma is not a deterministic system, it is a loaded-dice system, seeded heavily towards sattvic at birth. But then this would be against the idea of Brahman without attributes. Ram , "Rohiniranjan" <jyotish_vani wrote: > > Please read message # 83329 on Vedic Astrology forum. It is a > bit longish and it is best to capture it and read it when offline. > But read it seriously! Narasimha Rao has outdone himself, yet again! > > Beautiful!! > > RR > > , "gulabo_jain" > <gulabo_jain@> wrote: > > > > It is funny but my brother very religiously followed what the > pandits > > had told him to do about the Shani in his chart. He had done many > > pujas. But that really did not help him much, If the pandits who > > could see a bad time could have suggested him to go to a doctor > along > > with the puja. But I don't know what went wrong. > > > > Thanks > > Gulabo > > > > , "Rohiniranjan" > > <jyotish_vani@> wrote: > > > > > > Dear Gulabo ji, > > > > > > Please consider the following: > > > > > > Strange as it may sound, different astrologers give different > > reasons > > > for the same chart. Some would blame the debilitated, others > > > retrograde and others will say it is because the planet is > COMBUST > > or > > > still others will blame a planet that has lost in yuddhabala. > > Against > > > that background, what triggered off the pandit you are talking > > about > > > would be a wild guess. > > > > > > I understand and sympathize with your terrible loss and the > mental > > > state of the family after such a duryoga happens in our lives. > Even > > > if you are not a strong believer, if others in your family are > and > > > trust the pandit and his words, I say go ahead with the puja. Any > > > puja if done with good intention can only help. Lot of people > also > > go > > > for Satyanarayan katha/path after mishaps. > > > > > > While on that topic I must share this true experience. Once a > > family > > > was doing Satyanarayan katha. The pandit was very young and as he > > was > > > doing the path, one of the women guests dozed off and began > snoring > > > very loudly. It was so loud that even the pandit started laughing > > and > > > forgot the mantra for a bit. I was watching the couple who were > > > getting the pooja done. They were very into it, completely > > oblivious > > > to the distractions. The pooja continued and there was no > untoward > > > effect. On the other hand some really beneficial things happened > > > after the pooja within a couple of weeks. > > > > > > Coincidence? I doubt it!! > > > > > > RR > > > > > > Even if , "gulabo_jain" > > > <gulabo_jain@> wrote: > > > > > > > > Recently I lost my brother who was just 39 years old. Everyone > in > > > our > > > > house are in shock. In such difficult times we tend to go to > > > > astrologers and find out why this happened to us. So my father > > also > > > > went to some pandit and showed the rest of our horoscopes. Some > > > > pandit told him to do some Mangal puja for me few months back. > I > > > > asked him why because I personally don't believe so much in > puja > > > pat. > > > > He did not give a satisfactory answer. I searched the web also > > to > > > > find some answers but did not find anythig. So I decided to > post > > it > > > > here. Also recently there was so much news on TV about the > > Mangal > > > > puja that I just rememberd about the puja that my father had > told > > > me > > > > about a few months back. And I just wanted to find out. It is > > very > > > > hard to see my sis-in-law, and there is this fear in every > women > > of > > > > losing their husbands, may be that is reason I wanted to find > > out. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks > > > > Gulabo > > > > , "Rohiniranjan" > > > > <jyotish_vani@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > Gulabo ji, > > > > > > > > > > Please don't mind or get irritated at me, but I am a bit > > curious > > > > > about the following: > > > > > > > > > > You have obviously been recommended by someone about this > > mangle > > > > puja > > > > > either for you personally or for someone else. > > > > > > > > > > You are asking about it so obviously you do not know about it > > or > > > > have > > > > > not studied it. > > > > > > > > > > The person who told you or the book you read from -- how come > > you > > > > did > > > > > not ask the source or the author this question? > > > > > > > > > > By asking the forum at large, you may potentially be inviting > > > more > > > > > confusion. You may end up with diverse views and that will > make > > > you > > > > > even more confused. > > > > > > > > > > I notice this tendency in many people. They never go back and > > > > > question the source be it a book, author or jyotishi. > > > > > > > > > > In jyotish while there is significant consistency in some or > > many > > > > > technical matters there is also a large degree of > inconsistency > > > and > > > > > various explanations, partly based on what someone's guru > > taught > > > or > > > > > from other reasons. > > > > > > > > > > When you go into things like puja and tantra and so on, which > > are > > > > > somewhat separated from pure jyotish (technical part) due to > > the > > > > > somewhat sacred and secret nature of these things, opinions > can > > > be > > > > > quite different. Even in recommendations for gemstones, > > different > > > > > prescribers would advise one to get different weights of > stones > > > and > > > > > in many cases even different stones! I would not even go into > > the > > > > > navagraha rings and kavachs which essentially just raise the > > bar, > > > > > unless the stones are of different weights. The hint for that > > is > > > > > given in the shadbala nirnaya to some extent. There is the > > > > naisargika > > > > > bala and different planets perform with different > efficiencies > > > > though > > > > > at the same bala value. These things are given very clearly > and > > > are > > > > > to be studied and meditated upon and not applied mechanically. > > > > > > > > > > That is the difference between the piston of our CAR and the > > > PISTON > > > > > of KARma (under which as the poet says, do paatan kay beech > > main, > > > > > baaki bachaa naa koy -- between the rock and the hard place, > > > there > > > > is > > > > > no escape for the 'body'! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > RR > > > > > > > > > > , "gulabo_jain" > > > > > <gulabo_jain@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > Dear Members, > > > > > > > > > > > > Could someone please tell why Mangal Puja is done. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks > > > > > > Gulabo > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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