The Vedas teach that the soul takes birth according to its level of consciousness.

All living beings possess consciousness — there are said to be 8,400,000 forms of life, each expressing the vast creativity of the Creator.

Human consciousness is just one type in the infinite variety of the universe.

According to the Vedas, the universe itself is pervaded by consciousness — and matter is simply a form it takes.

Even though we often feel alone in this vast cosmos, the Vedas describe life on other planets.

For example, the Sun and the Moon are considered deva-lokas — higher worlds where beings live in harmony.

These planets are home to shining gods, magnificent palaces encrusted with jewels, and kalpa-vrikshas, mystical wish-fulfilling trees.

But even these radiant beings cannot escape death.

There are also worlds of demonic consciousness — realms of exploitation and domination — called adho-lokas (lower worlds).

These are often home to technocratic civilisations, obsessed with “conquering nature” and seeking control.

Earth sits somewhere in the middle — it’s a manushya-loka, a planet of human consciousness.

👁️ Why Can’t We See Them?

We can only perceive that which is similar to us.

Matter is made of five core elements: ether, fire, air, water and earth.

In our bodies, earth and water dominate; in divine beings, ether and fire are more present —

which is why even the most powerful telescopes cannot reveal these higher realms,

nor can spacecraft reach them.

In accordance with its consciousness, the soul journeys through the universe, changing bodies again and again.

The very word “consciousness” reflects this idea:

“soul with knowledge” — the soul that knows itself.

To discover this self-knowledge is the highest purpose of human life.

Karma: The Law of Cause and Effect

The Vedas explain that a person’s birth is never random — it is governed by karma, the results of one’s past actions.

Karma literally means “action” or “deed” in Sanskrit.

Like Newton’s law — “every action has an equal and opposite reaction” — karma is an unbreakable law of cause and effect that governs the material world.

Just like gravity, karma operates whether we’re aware of it or not.

Cosmic Energies: The Gunas

The Vedas say that the material world is made up of three fundamental qualities, or gunas:

Sattva: purity, balance, harmony

Rajas: passion, activity

Tamas: ignorance, destruction

These gunas entwine the soul and keep it bound in the material world.

They mix constantly, shaping different states of consciousness —

like the three primary colours blending into infinite hues, the gunas create the endless diversity of existence.

Even our actions (karma) come coloured by these gunas:

there is sattvic (beneficial) karma, rajasic (mixed) karma, and tamasic (destructive) karma.

The Structure of Karma

Astrology is a way of “reading” karma — a horoscope is like a magnifying glass through which we can glimpse the roots of our successes and struggles.

The Vedas describe four types of karma:

Sanchita karma — accumulated karma from past lives, still waiting to manifest

Prarabdha karma — karma now ripening; the destiny we must experience

Kriyamana karma — karma we are creating right now, through our choices

Agami karma — karma that will shape our future lives.

🌀 Destiny and Free Will

Prarabdha karma is like the tip of an iceberg — the part visible above water, representing our joys and sorrows, luck and disappointments, earned from our past actions.

This karma must be lived through; it can be delayed but not destroyed — except by divine grace.

Sanchita karma is the hidden bulk of the iceberg, surfacing in unexpected ways —

when a timid person acts with sudden bravery, or a hero unexpectedly betrays.

In these moments, the subconscious motivations from past lives — samskaras — rise to the surface.

We are not only recipients of karma; we also act, creating new karma —

this is Kriyamana karma, our freedom of choice in action.

But human understanding is limited — so Krishna advises in the Bhagavad Gita (16.24):

“Let the scriptures guide you in deciding what should and shouldn’t be done.”

Agami karma shows how our deeds today will shape our future, even future births.

Sometimes it seems that evil goes unpunished or goodness disappears — but karma works beyond a single lifetime.

Fate or Freedom?

Do we have free will?

The Vedas say our freedom is small:

past karma influences our thoughts, those thoughts influence our actions, and those actions generate future karma —

like sand flowing through an hourglass.

But sages remind us:

“Change yourself, and the world around you will change.”

That is our true freedom:

To run endlessly like a hamster on a wheel — or to transform our consciousness, motives and thoughts.

Jyotish: The Science of Reading Karma

Jyotish has two main branches:

Hora — reading and interpreting individual horoscopes Samhita — reading horoscopes for countries, cities, and events.

Hora uses seven visible planets — Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn —

plus the shadow planets, Rahu and Ketu.

These describe individual karma in full detail.

In Hora, every planet is a karaka — a “significator” for a layer of karma:

The Sun is the pitr-karaka (father karma)

The Moon is the matri-karaka (mother karma)

Venus relates to relationship karma

Jupiter to children and so on.

A horoscope is a sacred tool that reveals the past, present and future —

but most importantly, it reminds us that while much is shaped by karma, our greatest freedom lies in transforming consciousness itself.