Astrology, Me and The Divine Grace

As a young child, I was charmed by the fascinating world of astrology. Though I never got to read any books on the topic; the only source of information was the local newspaper whose inner pages were filled with articles on devotion, spirituality, palmistry, and which accommodated many stories of a different magical realm. I would delight in those pages for a long time and this profoundly deepened my interest in the subject.

It was a custom in our house that when a baby was born, his/her horoscope had to be made at the earliest. Thereafter the position of stars decided if any rituals had to be performed. Since I was the eldest child in our big joint family, I got many opportunities to see many such rituals happening for my siblings and cousins born after me. Though I would get utterly bored of those elaborate pujas, I would eagerly wait for just one moment when panditji would pick up a horoscope and tell something that is likely to happen in the future. How did he know it just by gazing at a small piece of paper; I would wonder.

When I understood a bit of astrology, I checked my horoscope. I was marveled to find how a small chart had so much information concealed in it. To be extra sure, I studied the horoscopes of my siblings and cousins and I was amazed. I kept on wondering how some events in our lives are all previously coded in this small chart at the time of our birth.

But not everything is so exciting in the horoscope. In its deeper layers are hidden some unpleasant things, some secrets. Plunging in them can make you worry. Perceiving the future events is not everybody’s cup of tea. Not all is so rosy in the future to come.

As I was dwelling on some unfavorable events, I chanced upon Swamiji’s video. Swamiji has said, (slightly paraphrased)

“ग्रहों से ऊपर जो ईश्वर है, कोटि कोटि जिन्होंने ब्रह्माण्ड रच रखे है, जब उस तक आपकी बातचित है तो फिर क्यों आप ग्रहों से माथा कपाना  चा रहे हो। जब PM(सृष्टि रचैता) आपको जानता है तो फिर क्यों आप क्लर्क((ग्रहों)  पर अपना समय बर्बाद करना चाहते हो   
“The God who is above the planets, who has created millions of universes, when you are directly speaking to him, then why are you trying to scratch your head with the planets. When the PM (God) knows you, then why are you trying to crack your head with the peon (planet)?”

But I was too ignorant to understand what he meant. But his words stayed with me.

And when I entered the world of devotion. I began to believe in the Divine in a very different way, and not in the way that I knew earlier. Then I questioned myself “Do I have to worry about the predictions, the unfavorable events. Is there a need?

Imagine someone is troubling you at school. What will you do? Of course, complain to the teacher. But the child troubling is wicked, and he does not listen to anyone, then of course his parents will be called. 

Say you meet the same person at some social function and he does not shy away from troubling you. What will you do? The safest place will be to stay somewhere close to his parents. He might scare you from far but he dare not come closer to you. But say the child keeps on tormenting; then you will speak to his parents. That will be the best way to control him because only a mom knows how to handle her child

And here we are at Divine mother’s feet. The creator of everything- from the smallest of the smallest thing to the biggest of the biggest thing. The Janani of the minutest to the largest, all existing in her glorious golden womb. The creator of all living, nonliving, visible, invisible, tangible, intangible.

So how can a planet trouble you, if you have taken refuge at divine mother’s feet; the creator of the planets itself.  After all, She is Srimata. She is the protector.

“Shri Matre Namah”

Image: Sonika Agarwal, Unsplash