xv

only indicate human destinies, but bring about such

destinies. The world is a mixed field of honour. of
punishment and of probation. AnS the planets arc the
rewarding and chastising officers, and meddle in no
way when man exercises his free will within its own
sphere. ,
The same idea might be represented in another way:
planetary activity is the total activity of a number of
forces, some for good and some for evil, and while a man's
karma leads him into the one force or the other, there are
other forces by a knowledge of which man may benefit
himself, tbough it may not be his lot to be drawn into
any of them by his past karma. If this were not the
correct view of the part played by the planets, a large
portion of the science of astrology, in which man is
advised to avail himself of such and such planetary
positions for particular purposes, would become useless.
The planets therefore can be made to do more than the
work of jailors and rewarding officers. For instance. in
the fourth chapter (Brihat Jataka) which treats of
Nisheka (conception) a man is advised to avail himself
of particular planetary positions if he desires an excellent
issue: Parasara, who was a great astronomer and
astrologer. finding that such an hour for Nisheka had
approached, joined a boat-man's daughter in an island
on the Jumna and the issue was the great Veda-
vyasa. A Brahmin astrologer under similar circum-
stances joined a potter's daughter, and the issue was.
the great Salivahana.
That man is not altogether a free agent is an idea
caught by Shakespeare in one of his well known passaIC
in HAs You Like it":