History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c82.274

v6.c82.274

tendencies viz. (firstly) daiva is all powerful, (secondly) human effort is superior, (thirdly) a golden mean between the two. Vide H. of Dh vol. III. pp. 168-169 for discussion and for passages supporting all the three views. The first chapter of Bṛhadyogayātrā (20 verses) and also of the Yogayātrā (22 verses) deal with *daiva* (Luck, Fate) and *puruṣakāra*. In spite of this, from the king to the lowliest man, almost everyone was firmly in the grip of astrology and even now astrology has great influence over some highly educated Indians. Astrology based on horoscopes and dealing with individuals was called *horāśāstra* or *jātaka*. By the time of Varāhamihira even learned men had forgotten the origin of the word *horā*. The Bṛhajjātaka says⁸⁰² 'according to some the word *horā* is obtained from *ahorātra* by dropping the first and last syllables, that horāśāstra well manifests what the fruition of acts, good or bad, done in previous lives is going to be'. It should be noticed that the Bṛhajjātaka insists on two matters, viz (1) it links up the horoscopic astrology to the doctrines of *karma* and *punarjanma* (re-incarnation to wipe out karma) and (2) the śāstra holds that the horoscope to be only a map or plan, which indicates future trends in a man's life arising from what he had done in a previous life or in previous lives. It does not here say that the planets in a man's horoscope will compel him to do this or that, but it says that the horoscope will only intimate in what directions a man's future might be evolved. These principles were repeated even by late medieval writers. For example, Raghunandana⁸⁰³ in his Udvāhatattva (p 125) agrees with the Dīpikā that the planets only convey that sins were committed in former lives, but they do not themselves produce evil results and quotes the Matsyapurāṇa in support that 'evil actions done in former lives bear fruit in the present life in the form of diseases, distress and the death of those dear to one'. There was probably a third underlying principle viz. the stars are the temples in which the gods reside, as said in the Śat. Br. and Tai. Br. ⁸⁰⁴ The Babylonians⁸⁰⁵ and Assyrians based their astrology mainly on three assumptions viz. (1) the stars are temples in which the gods reside, (2) the stars reveal to men the intentions of the gods with regard to the future; (3) human history is predetermined at a heavenly council over which Marduk presides. These, except the first, are entirely different from the principles emphasized by Varāhamihira and those who came after him The Babylonians and Greeks had no (generally believed) doctrines of *karma* and *punarjanma*. Therefore, they could not make astrology serve indirectly a higher purpose, viz of inducing people to lead a life of virtue in the present. Instead of the somewhat childish and often immoral legends of ancient times the cult of planetary influence and worship seemed to many minds far more rational and convincing.