Do Planets Really Control Us? Astrology and Karma
Most people completely misinterpret how Astrology actually operates. When analysing a horoscope, an Astrologer looks at the 9 distant grahas (planets), but online videos often oversimplify this by claiming these planets directly control you. You will constantly hear creators of YouTube Astrology videos say dramatic statements like Saturn is punishing you, Rahu will drive you to addiction, or Ketu will violently ruin your life.
It is no wonder that the younger generation, especially college students and the rationalists, are highly skeptical of Astrology. They look at the planets in the horoscope and ask a very valid question, "How can a massive, inanimate ball of rock or gas millions of miles away control my daily life, my happiness, or my problems?" During an astrological session I remember clients asking me "Why is Saturn doing this to me?"
As an Astrologer, let me tell you something that might surprise you. What if I tell you "The skeptics and scientists are absolutely right. Yes. Planets do not control us."
Let me tell you that planets do not cause our problems, nor do they create our happiness and success. If that is the truth, why do we use planets in a horoscope at all? Let’s break down what is actually happening using two simple everyday examples.
The Clock and the Speedometer AnalogiesTo understand the true role of planets, we need to distinguish between a cause and an indicator.
The Clock 's hands
A clock reflects the time without actually creating it. Similarly, planetary positions in a birth chart do not generate your karma; they merely map it out. Astrology functions as an indicator of your life path rather than the force driving it. For centuries, a common misconception has persisted that our lives are directly caused by the planets, but this is simply a misinterpretation of how astrology works. In the clock we have the hour, minute and seconds hands (needles) that indicate the time. In every horoscope we have the 9 grahas (planets) indicating our Karma.
The Speedometer
Imagine a small child sitting in the passenger seat of a car, watching the dashboard. When the needle points to 40, the car moves at 40 km/hr. When it moves up to 80, the car goes faster. By relating what's seen in the speedometer and noticing the speed at which the car is moving, the child might easily make the mistake of assuming that the speedometer is controlling the speed of the car. But as adults, we know the speedometer only measures the speed; the driver's intention and his foot on the pedal control it. Just like that child, most of us make the mistake of assuming the planets are the active cause of what happens in our lives. However to know the speed of the car, you must look at the speedometer. To know your karma, and also the quality of the time period that you are going through right now, you need to look into your horoscope.
The Sun does not rise in the East
In my own consultations with clients, I sometimes catch myself saying, "This is caused by this planet." or "Venus is not your friend". Whenever I use that expression, I know I am technically making a linguistic mistake. A planet is never the cause, it is strictly an indicator of Karma. So why do Astrologers use this language? It is simply an old habit of speech that has been passed down through generations. Think about how we say, "The Sun rises in the East and sets in the West." Scientifically, we all know the Sun stands completely still; it is the Earth's rotation that creates the illusion of it moving up and down. Yet, even scientists use the phrase "sunrise" and "Sunset" because it is a convenient, universally understood figure of speech. In the exact same way, when an Astrologer says a planet is "influencing" you, it is just an astrological figure of speech that Astrologers and their clients got so used to that nobody seems to care.
Planets Don't Have Feelings
During my consultations, worried clients frequently ask me, "Why is this planet doing this to me? What have I done wrong?" I have even had people offer me huge sums of money, asking if it is possible to perform a puja or a remedy to physically change the position of a troublesome planet. Let me give you an instance when a client asked me, "Sir, since Saturn is in the 12th house of loss I am going through all these financial losses, how much money do you want to shift Saturn to the 11th house which indicates gains?" Only conscious beings and especially human beings have feelings. Inanimate bodies do not have have feelings like human beings of this world.
Let’s clear up the reality of the cosmos:
- Planets are neutral: A particular planet is not angry with you, nor is it trying to be your friend. They are just inanimate celestial bodies that have no personal relationship with us.
- Planets cannot be moved: No ritual, amount of money, or remedy can alter the physical orbit of a planet in the solar system.
- Planets reflect your Karma: The positions of the planets in your birth chart simply mirror your karma. Because your horoscope is cast at the exact moment of your birth, it acts as a cosmic receipt of your past deeds—primarily from your past lives.
The terms "friendly" or "angry" planets are just simplified terms used by Astrologers to help you understand how to read your karma from a birth chart. Something good that the person has done in a past life is coming back in the current life as a happy situation indicated by a happy planet. Exalted and well placed planets are happy planets. A bad action has been done in a past life. The karmic system is angry with the person and these are indicated by the angry planets in the horoscope.
Sri Yukteswar famous statement
Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri provided an explanation that matches the exact concept you just shared. In Chapter 16 of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi, chapter titled "Outwitting the Stars," he perfectly connects the birth of a child, the planetary alignment, and human karma. Sri Yukteswar famously stated: "A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma." So Karma is the root cause and planets are just indicators. Sri Yukteswar explained that a natal chart is a "challenging portrait" that merely reveals a person's unalterable past and its probable future results. The planets themselves do not cause good or bad luck; they are simply indicators of the cosmic energies a soul has earned through past actions.
The Mystery of the planets in our horoscope
If you ask "who is forcing the child to be born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are in mathematical harmony with his individual karma." The layperson has no answers and therefore this remains a mystery. According to Maharishi Parasara it appears that Mahavishnu or the One God of the universe has created this system to run the Karma of conscious living beings. It is like human beings have created the clock the way they wanted it. So Mahavishnu set up the positions of the planets in a way that it could be used to know the karma of each individual born on earth. If you have not heard of this statement by Maharishi Parasara, it is natural for you to believe that the planets are the reason for Karma because to understand our Karma we are actually using a horoscope filled with planets. So it is difficult to speak about Karma without using the names of planets and Astrological terms.
You Are the Author of Your Life
Astrology is not a system of planetary victimisation. You are not at the mercy of the stars and the planets in your horoscope. The next time you look at your horoscope or listen to an Astrological prediction, remember this golden rule: The planets are only showing you the time; they are not making the day happen. The planets indicate your karma, but your past actions created it, and your current actions shape your future. Do not be afraid of the planets because they are just the indicators. Work on your Karma. Reverse the bad karma by performing the right actions. Use your horoscope to know more about what you have carried forward from a past life. This is known as prarabdha karma. Use the GPS to avoid the traffic jams and select a better route in your journey of life. Use a map to reach the destination with less fear, stress and anxiety.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji : The Founder of the Art of Living uses a kitchen analogy. He explains that if you are preparing a dish and the ingredients are wrong, you can adjust the sugar or water to fix it. Similarly, via The Art of Living Teachings, he affirms that meditation, wisdom, and the grace of a Guru can wash away layers of accumulated negative impressions.
I will never forget the day I met Maha Guruji Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji in Bangalore. I am ever grateful to the founders of Cosmic Insights, Archana Patchirajan and Niravta Mathur for making it happen. During the year 1994, I had worked as an Astrologer in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Ashram in Netherlands which is where I was initiated into Transcendental Meditation. I had the fortune of seeing Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in person. The astrology app on my iPhone is Cosmic Insights and I use it everyday to know the "NOW" planetary positions when I begin an Astrological reading for my client. If you want to purchase this app please use the promo code EKDK to get a good discount.
Maha Guruji says, "Don’t worry about cleansing your bad karma of the past. Bad karma is automatically eliminated by living in knowledge, attending satsangs, and meditating." He also said, "Reaction and non-action both create karma, but conscious action transcends karma."
गुरुर्ब्रह्मा गुरुर्विष्णुः गुरुर्देवो महेश्वरः ।
गुरुः साक्षात् परब्रह्म तस्मै श्रीगुरवे नमः ॥
Gururbrahmā Gururviṣṇuḥ Gururdevo Maheśvaraḥ |
Guruḥ Sākṣāt Parabrahma Tasmai Śrīgurave Namaḥ ||
The Guru Mantra is a sacred Sanskrit verse from the Guru Gita that equates the spiritual teacher to the Hindu trinity of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Maheshwara (destroyer), highlighting their role as a "remover of darkness". It translates to a heartfelt dedication to the Guru as the supreme, manifest divinity who guides the disciple toward enlightenment.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Here Jesus reveals the importance of a Guru, the messenger of God, the guide and the teacher.
Angulimaala a serial killer, killed many human beings and he was proud of this so called great feat not realising the bad karma that he was creating for himself. Like all bad people, he liked to show off. To keep people frightened he cut off the thumbs of his victims and wore them as a garland. Anguli means thumb and Maala means garland. His terrible karma seemed completely locked in toward a hellish future rebirth. However, upon encountering Gautama Buddha, Angulimala experienced a profound spiritual awakening. He repented, became a monk, and attained enlightenment (Nirvana). While he still faced minor physical hostility from townsfolk who remembered his past which is why they beat him regularly, his spiritual shift entirely changed his ultimate destiny, proving that even massive negative karma can be dissolved by a radical shift in consciousness.
The story of Valmiki. Before he became a revered sage, Valmiki was Ratnakar, a highway robber who murdered and plundered to support his family, creating massive negative karma. He encountered the celestial Sage Narada, who asked him if his family would share the burden of his sins. When his family refused, Ratnakar realized the personal weight of his deeds. Narada initiated him into a powerful spiritual mantra. Through years of intense, single-minded meditation, his old identity completely dissolved—so much so that an anthill (valmika) grew over him. He emerged as Sage Valmiki, completely liberated from his past karma, and went on to write the epic Ramayana
Both these stories reveal the transformative power of a Guru's intervention. Look at sports and games. Whenever a person reaches the top position like world number 1, you may safely assume that he or she was greatly influenced by a Guru, a coach, a mentor, parents (1st teachers), a teacher. The bad karma is like darkness. You need a Guru to dispel the darkness.
To get more details click here: https://www.artofliving.org/in-en
Should we worship the planets?
"If you have a strong belief in Vedic Astrology, it is perfectly fine to continue worshipping the planets. For instance, when Mars indicates a problem in your birth chart, Astrologers in Tamil Nadu often recommend visiting the Vaitheeswaran Koil near Kumbakonam, a temple deeply connected to Mars.You might feel this contradicts my earlier points, but let me clarify. In Bhagavad Gita (9.27), Sri Krishna tells Arjuna: 'Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and whatever austerities you perform—do that, O son of Kunti, as an offering unto Me.'
Therefore, following your Astrological remedies be it the simple planetary worship, wearing lucky gemstones, using talismans, or fasting on specific day is by no means a contradiction. These practices are valuable because they help you focus your mind on your Karma. If you view planets as active forces, direct planetary worship works beautifully. If you see them as passive indicators of your past karma, then action-based remedies, like donating a black cow during a challenging Saturn Antardasha, are highly effective. Interestingly, the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra places more emphasis on worshipping the Gods and Goddesses governing the planets rather than the planets themselves. For example, Maharishi Parashara suggests worshipping Lord Vishnu to mitigate Mercury's afflictions, and Lord Shiva when Jupiter indicates trouble." If Venus is indicating the problem worship Goddess Mahalakshmi is recommended. In short, planetary worship is to be considered the inferior form of worship. This is also the reason why we have fewer places of worship directly related to the planets in our horoscope in comparison to the huge number of temples for our Gods and Goddesses.
Conclusion: Stop blaming the planets.
Ultimately, we must re-evaluate where we place our spiritual focus. If you consider planets as the reason for Karma, you are working on the wrong reasons. Planetary alignments are merely indicators, not the source. The real reason for whatever good and bad that is happening in your life is due to Karma; you have to understand this. Blindly blaming external celestial bodies only delays your personal evolution. Focusing on planets takes you away from the goal of clearing up your bad karma, and it prevents you from the transformation that is awaited.The path to liberation does not require an eternal struggle. If you process karma serially across several birth times, then final salvation is going to take a long time. You do not have to wander through the slow cycles of time alone. If you meet a spiritual guru, then they will show you a faster way to come out of this maze of sorrow and tension. True liberation happens when you shift your gaze from the distant stars to the living wisdom right in front of you. After all, Guru means the light in the darkness—the ultimate catalyst to dissolve your past, awaken your consciousness, and step into immediate freedom. Stop blaming the planets. I have written this article for those who blame the planets in their horoscope instead of owning up to their past life actions and demerits.
https://www.astrologyekdk.com/blog/beneficial-and-malefic-planets-what-they-really-mean click the above link to understand how to read your horoscope and know what you need to do to become a happier person.
By Dr. E K Dhilip Kumar
Karma Mentor
Practical Solutions. Not Mere Predictions.
Discussion(1)
Thank you for clearing my doubt, Guruji. " In my own consultations with clients, I sometimes catch myself saying, "This is caused by this planet." or "Venus is not your friend". Whenever I use that expression, I know I am technically making a linguistic mistake. A planet is never the cause, it is strictly an indicator of Karma. " I was always confused by these discussions and statements from Astrologers. Thanks again for showing me guidance and making me understand that God is above planets through this article. Om Sri Guruve Namah | Om Sri Guruve Namah | Om Sri Guruve Namah |