Three Types of Karma – Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami

Three Types of Karma – Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami

The Vedas clearly describe three primary categories of karma: Sanchita, Prarabdha, and Agami. Jyotish Astrology is primarily concerned with the Prarabdha aspect of karma [6]. However, when Self-realization is attained, all karmas associated with previous lives are transcended.

On a personal note: I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of Jyotish remedial measures for reducing suffering in this lifetime. Nevertheless, certain questions remain. Are we genuinely reducing karmas, or merely postponing them to a future incarnation? Can karma truly be modified in this way? Or does an individual possess sufficient positive karma within their karmic "storehouse"—their own karmic credit account—to encounter a Jyotish astrologer and receive guidance regarding these remedies in the first place? Such questions are perhaps best answered by an enlightened Master.

Footnotes

[1]

Samskaras are deep-rooted impressions and desires left within the mind by past actions, including those from previous lifetimes. In the Vedic understanding, the mind is not confined to the brain; rather, it extends beyond and surrounds the body. One Vedic pundit described these latent impressions as "post-it notes attached to the soul."

Karma is frequently illustrated as a wheel. Latent impressions in the mind generate actions, those actions create new impressions, and future actions are then influenced by those impressions. The process continues cyclically. Through meditation and spiritual practices, however, this cycle can be broken. Karma and samskara are therefore inseparably connected.

[2]

What creates negative karma? One Vedic scholar explained it simply: "doing to others what we would not wish done to ourselves." This principle may reasonably be extended to our treatment of all living beings and the natural environment.

[3]

Karmic influences affecting every aspect of life are interpreted in Vedic Astrology through the positions of the nine planets within the twelve zodiac signs, twelve houses, and twenty-seven Nakshatras, as shown in a person's birth chart calculated using the sidereal zodiac.

[4]

The timing of karmic influences that are likely to become prominent in life is calculated through the Vimsottari Maha Dasha system, based on the natal position of the Moon within one of the twenty-seven Nakshatras.

[5]

Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) was a Self-realized sage who spent a significant portion of his life in the West teaching yoga and Vedic philosophy. His most widely read and highly recommended work is the Autobiography of a Yogi, published by the Yogoda Satsanga Society of India.

2013 Edition: ISBN-10: 818953551X

ISBN-13: 978-8189535513

[6]

Categories of Karma

Sanchita – The accumulated storehouse of all karmas from previous births.

Prarabdha – The portion of Sanchita karma that must be experienced and worked through in the current lifetime. It is often said that Prarabdha karma is best suited to support our evolutionary growth in this incarnation.

Agami – The new karma generated in this lifetime that will be carried forward into future incarnations.

Jyotish – Sidereal Zodiac

Summary: This article explores the differences between the zodiacs used in Vedic Astrology and Western Astrology. It explains why Jyotish relies on the fixed Sidereal Zodiac rather than the movable Tropical Zodiac, thereby addressing one of the main objections astronomers raise against astrology. The article also illustrates how Sun signs, Ascendants, and planetary positions can appear in different zodiac signs when calculated using these two systems.

Jyotish Uses the Fixed Sidereal Zodiac

Jyotish Astrology employs a different zodiac system from the one commonly used in Western Astrology.

Both Jyotish and Western Astrology are based on an imaginary celestial sphere surrounding the Earth. In each system, this sphere is divided into twelve equal sections of 30 degrees each, much like the segments of an orange. The same zodiac sign names—Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and so on—are used in both traditions. The Sun appears to move through each zodiac sign in approximately one month.

Jyotish uses the fixed, or Sidereal Zodiac. The term sidereal means "with respect to the stars." The starting point of the Sidereal Zodiac is permanently fixed using the background of the seemingly non-moving stars within our galaxy as a reference [1]. As a result, the zodiac signs remain consistently aligned with the stellar constellations. The beginning of the first sign, Aries, therefore remains fixed in Vedic Astrology, and all the other zodiac signs maintain their permanent relationship to the distant background stars.

Western Astrology, by contrast, uses the Tropical Zodiac, which is movable. The starting point of this zodiac gradually shifts relative to the background of the fixed stars because it is tied to the position of the equinox. This movement occurs due to the astronomically observed phenomenon known as the precession of the equinoxes [2].

Consequently, in Western Astrology the sign referred to as Aries slowly changes its position in the sky relative to the fixed stars over long periods of time. It is not permanently connected to a specific stellar constellation. Many people, including students of Western Astrology, find this fact quite surprising when they first encounter it.

Astronomers frequently criticize Western Astrology because the Tropical Zodiac moves relative to the fixed stars. Since the position of Aries gradually shifts over time, they question the validity of associating it with a fixed area of the sky. However, this criticism does not apply to Jyotish because it uses a fixed Sidereal Zodiac rather than a movable one.

Ayanamsa – Angular Difference Between the Two Zodiacs

The angular separation between the Sidereal and Tropical zodiacs is known as the ayanamsa (ayanāṃśa or ayanamsha), and this difference increases gradually over time [3]. Although both zodiacs were approximately aligned around 1,700 years ago, the Tropical Zodiac used by Western astrologers has since shifted away from that original position.

As of 2021, the difference between the two zodiacs is approximately 24 degrees. Therefore, if the Sun is positioned at 29 degrees Virgo in the Tropical Zodiac, it will be located at approximately 29° – 24° = 5° Virgo in the Sidereal Zodiac. In this example, the Sun remains in Virgo in both systems.

However, if the Sun lies between 0° and 24° Virgo in the Tropical Zodiac, it will fall into Leo in the Sidereal Zodiac used by Vedic Astrology. In other words, it moves backwards (anti-clockwise) by the amount of the ayanamsa—around 24 degrees—and enters the previous sign [4].

This means that a person's Sun sign may differ between the two systems. Someone considered a Virgo in Western Astrology may actually be a Leo according to Jyotish. The same principle applies not only to the Sun but also to all planetary positions and the Ascendant. These sign differences can help explain many of the inconsistencies and anomalies encountered when charts are interpreted solely through modern Western Astrology.