It was around the age of 12 that I began to rebel against my Christian upbringing. The first anti-Christian movement I turned to was witchcraft, or at least what has been popularized as witchcraft in the West over the past half century. I got as many books as I could at the library about magic, superstitions, palmistry, astrology and spell-casting. As a child, I always hated the Israelites in the bible who were invading the pagan land of Canaan and who were instructed to kill and slay all the astrologers, omen readers and sorcerers. Fortune-telling and astrology are strictly forbidden in the bible.
No divination or witchcraft
"Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead." - Deuteronomy 18:10-11
No astrology
"And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." - Deuteronomy 4:19,
Kill those who read omens
"'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'" - Leviticus 20:27
Whenever I heard these pronouncements against the diviners and especially the calls to have them killed, I would become very angry and I took these versus very personally. My childhood instilled in me a strong passion to defend divination.
One of things that attracted myself and so many other people to Hinduism is its accent of divination. Hinduism is full of astrology, palmistry, numerology and other omen reading, and it figures quite prominently. From all of its advertisement one would obviously come to think that of course Hinduism takes no exception with the divining arts, but recently I found out that that is not necessarily true.
The Samhita Vedas (old Vedas) do not mention much about astrology or the like, but there is definitely opinions on divination in some of the less authoritative texts such as legal treatises produced under certain Vedic kingdoms and some verses from the Mahabharata. Here are just a few negative laws and statements against fortune telling in the Vedic literature:
Astrologers likened to demon possessed people and enemies
"Nor one possessed by a demon, nor an enemy of the king, nor a weather-prophet, nor an astrologer, nor a malicious person, nor one self-sold, nor one who has a limb too little, nor a Bhagavritti." - The Minor Law Books by Julius Jolly: First Title: The Law of Debt, 14. False Witnesses, 183
Fortune-tellers are to be punished
[Are to be punished] Those who take bribes, cheats and rogues, gamblers, those who live by teaching (the performance of) auspicious ceremonies, sanctimonious hypocrites, and fortune-tellers. - Manusmriti 9.258
Ascetics may not earn alms through fortune-telling
Neither by (explaining) prodigies and omens, nor by skill in astrology and palmistry, nor by giving advice and by the exposition (of the Sastras), let him (ascetics) ever seek to obtain alms. - Manusmriti 6.50
Astrologers are excluded from Sraddha (ancestor rituals)
[Excluded from Sraddha] "A trainer of elephants, oxen, horses, or camels, he who subsists by astrology, a bird-fancier, and he who teaches the use of arms" - Manusmriti 3.162
Astrologer lumped in with those who hate the Vedas and other criminals
One that setteth fire to a dwelling house, an administerer of poison, a pander, a vendor of the Soma-juice, a maker of arrows, an astrologer, one that injureth friends, an adulterer, one that causeth abortion, a violater of his preceptor's bed, a Brahmana addicted to drink, one that is sharp-speeched, a raker of old sores, an atheist, a reviler of the Vedas, and taker of bribes, one whose investiture with the sacred thread has been delayed beyond the prescribed age, one that secretly slayeth cattle, and one that slayeth him who prayeth for protection,--these all are reckoned as equal in moral turpitude as the slayers of Brahmanas. - The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Section XXXV
Now if this is all Hinduism had to say about reading omens and astrology, I would have a very hard time accepting it and it would not go along with the current Hindu culture which is steeped in astrology and divination. However, this is not where the Vedic literature ends on divination and so here are a few positive things the Vedas have to say about astrology:
The Brahmanas (holy books) contain knowledge on astrology
There are, with us, many aged Brahmanas, versed in various sciences, of amiable behaviour, well-born, acquainted with the cycle of the years, engaged in the study of astrology, capable of understanding with certainty the motions of planets and the conjunctions of stars as also of explaining the mysteries of fate, and answering questions relating to the future, acquainted with the signs of the Zodiac, and versed with the occurrences of every hour, who are prophesying the great destruction of the Kurus and the Srinjayas, and the ultimate victory of the Pandavas, so that Yudhishthira, who never made an enemy, already regardeth his objects fulfilled in consequence of the slaughter of his foes. - The Mahabharata, Book 5: Udyoga Parva: Sanat-sujata Parva: Section XLVIII
A King should entertain astrologers
He [the King] should entertain with honour and attention preceptors (of different sciences), Ritwijas, and priests, mighty bowmen, persons skilled in architecture, astronomers and astrologers, and physicians, as also all men possessed of wisdom and intelligence and self-restraint and cleverness and courage and learning and high birth and energy of mind, and capable of close application to all kinds of work. - The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Rajadharmanusasana Parva: Section LXXXVI
Astrologers produce victories and ward off calamities
When the gods become angry and inert are urged by fate, persons of learning,beholding everything with the eye of heavenly knowledge, perform diverse auspicious acts and expiatory rites including homa and the silent recitation of mantras, and thus allay all evils. (1)
FOOTNOTES1: The object of these two verses is to indicate that a learned astrologer and a learned priest are certain means for procuring victories by warding off all calamities caused by unpropitious fate and the wrath of the gods.
- The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Rajadharmanusasana Parva: Section CII
Astrology is contained within the holy books of the Vedangas
In the matter, again of all sacrifices ordained in the Sutras, of that Vedanga which dealswith religious rites and observances, astrology and astronomy the reborn Rishi attained great excellence. - The Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva: Anusasanika Parva: Section X
Astrology is one of the eight limbs of a Vedic kingdom
Then the son of Amvika, O monarch, addressing Kunti's son who was seated near him and touching his back with his hand, said, 'Thou shouldst always, O delighter of the Kurus, act without heedlessness as regards everything connected with thy kingdom consisting of eight limbs, O foremost of rulers, and in which the claims of righteousness should ever be kept foremost. (1)
FOOTNOTES1. The eight limbs of a kingdom are the law, the judge, the assessors, the scribe, the astrologer, gold, fire, and water.
- The Mahabharata, Book 15: Asramavasika Parva: Asramavasa Parva: Section V
Treatises on astrology are counted among the four Samhita Vedas
"The holy one said, 'In the Rigveda, in the Yajurveda, in the Atharvans and the Samans, in the Puranas and the Upanishads, as also in the treatises on Astrology, O Arjuna, in the Sankhya scriptures, in the Yoga scriptures, and in the treatises also on the Science of Life, many are the names that have been mentioned by the great Rishis. - The Mahabharata, Book 12: Santi Parva: Section CCCXLII
Consult astrology to find out which constellations are forbidden
"Indeed, in this respect, all these constellations should be avoided which are forbidden in treatises on astrology." - The Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva: Section CIV
King Yudhisthira consults astrologers on the future of his son
"Thus those who were expert in astrological knowledge and in performance of the birth ceremony instructed King Yudhisthira about the future history of his child. Then, being sumptuously remunerated, they all returned to their respective homes." - Bhagavata Purana, Chapter 12, verse 29
So as usual, nothing is ever black and white in Hinduism, and that includes sentiments on divination. But I cannot help but wonder why there is still a shadow cast over astrology, palmistry, and fortune-telling in some the of the Vedic laws and texts. What is it about these arts that create such a mixed reaction in Hinduism? Does anyone know?
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