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Outwitting the Stars

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Brief overview

The stars only channel past karma; a self-realized man can undo what he created.

  1. A horoscope records past karma, not a fixed fateSri Yukteswar calls it a portrait of an unalterable past that the man himself caused and can undo.
  2. Remedies shorten karma, they do not replace effortMetals, plants and faultless jewels of not less than two carats work like a copper lightning rod on the bodily temple.
  3. The prediction was tested and proved on Yogananda's own bodyA six-month liver illness was scheduled to shrink to twenty-four days, and the pain ended on the twenty-fourth day.
Executive Summary AI
  • Chapter 16 of Autobiography of a Yogi opens with Mukunda telling Sri Yukteswar he does not believe in astrology, and the master answering that a law works whether or not people sanction it, as gravitation worked before Newton.
  • Sri Yukteswar explains that a child is born at the hour when celestial rays match his individual karma, so a horoscope portrays an unalterable past that the man himself set in motion and can therefore undo.
  • To show that remedial measures work, the master tells Mukunda to wear a silver-and-lead bangle and predicts a liver illness that would last six months but will be cut to twenty-four days.
  • On the twenty-fourth day at Benares the guru says "You say you have pain. I say you have none", the agony vanishes instantly, and he deflects the gratitude so that Yogananda credits God rather than him.
  • The chapter closes with Sri Yukteswar's cycle of yugas dated from about AD 500, his reading of the Sankhya verse on knowing God, and his symbolic interpretation of Genesis in which Adam is reason and Eve is feeling.
Key Quote
“The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate without the sanction of human belief.”
— Sri Yukteswar
Key Quote
“The stars have no conscience, benevolence or animosity.”
— Sri Yukteswar
Key Quote
“He can overcome any limitation because he created it by his own actions in the first place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary pressure.”
— Sri Yukteswar

Transcript

0:00 Chapter 16 of Autobiography of a Yogi. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
0:08 are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org.
0:18 Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda. Chapter 16 Outwitting the Stars. the stars mukunda why don't you get an astrological omelette should i master i don't believe in astrology one can take on any subject is whether it is true. The law of gravitation worked as efficiently
0:47 before Newton as after him. The cosmos would be fairly chaotic if its laws could not operate
0:56 without the sanction of human belief. Charlatans have brought the stellar science to its present state of disrepute astrology is too vast a script. That is to be expected in this imperfect
1:28 world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the wise. All parts of creation are linked together
1:37 and interchange their influences. The balanced rhythm of the universe is rooted in reciprocity. My guru continued, man in his human
1:49 aspect has to combat two sets of forces. First, the tumultuous within his being caused by the
1:59 admixture of earth, water, fire, air and ethereal elementsereal elements second the outer disintegrating powers of nature so long as man struggles with his mortality he is affected by the myriad mutations of heaven and earth of man's response to planetary stimuli. The stars have no conscience, benevolence or animosity.
2:28 They merely send forth positive and negative radiations of themselves. These do not help or
2:37 harm humanity, but offer a lawful channel for the outward operation of a cause-effect equilibrium which each man has set
2:48 into motion in the past. A child is born on that day and at that hour when the celestial rays are
2:56 in mathematical harmony with his individual karma. His horoscope is a challenging portrait revealing his unalterable past good and evil but to arouse man's will
3:33 escaped from his universal thraldom what he has done he can undo none other than himself was the instigator of the causes of whatever effects are now prevalent
3:47 in his life.
3:49 He can overcome any limitation because he created it by his own actions in the first
3:56 place, and because he has spiritual resources which are not subject to planetary
4:02 pressure. Superstitious awe of astrology makes one
4:08 automated, slavishly dependent on mechanical guidance. The wise man defeats his planets,
4:16 which is to say, is passed by transferring his allegiance from the creation to the creator.
4:22 The more he realizes his unity with spirit, the less he can
4:28 be dominated by matter. The soul is ever free. It is deathless because worthless. It cannot be
4:37 regimented by stars. Man is a soul and has a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all
4:48 compulsive patterns. So long as he remains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual amnesia,
4:56 he will know the subtle fetters of environmental law. God is harmony. The devotee who attunes himself will never perform any action amiss his dear master why do you want me to wear an astrological bangle
5:31 i ventured this question after a long silence during which i had tried to assimilate sri yugteswar's noble exposition. It is only when a traveller has reached his goal that he is justified in
5:49 discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient shortcut.
5:56 The ancient Rishis discovered many ways to curtail the period of man's exile in delusion.
6:03 There are certain mechanical features of the law of karma,
6:07 which can be skillfully adjusted by the fingers of wisdom.
6:13 All human ills arise from some transgression of universal law. The scriptures point out that man
6:20 must satisfy the laws of nature. While not discrediting the divine omnipotence he should say lord i trust in thee and know thou canst help me but i too will do my best to undo any wrong i have done by willpower, by yoga meditation, by consultation with saints, by use of astrological bangles,
6:48 the adverse effect of past wrongs can be minimized or nullified. Just as a house can be fitted with
6:56 a copper rod to absorb the shock of lightning, so the bodily temple can be benefited by various protective measures. Ages ago, our yogis discovered that pure metals emit an astral light
7:11 which is powerfully counteractive to negative pulls of the planets.
7:17 Subtle electrical and magnetic radiations are constantly circulating in the universe.
7:23 When a man's body is being aided, he does not know it.
7:28 When it's being disintegrated, he is still in ignorance. Can he do anything about it?
7:34 This problem received attention from our rishis. They found helpful not only a combination of metals but also of plants and most effective of all faultless jewels
7:49 of not less than two carats. The preventive usage of astrology has seldom been seriously

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