Sin and Flaws in Kerala Temple Astrology

Indian concepts for which the terms 'sin' and 'expiation' are regularly given are respectively pāpa and prāyaścitta (Skt.). They are often associated with the notion of karma: briefly said, the misfortune which one experiences may be explained as being the consequence of one's own acts committed in a previous life and those past actions are termed 'sinful' in English translations. A 'sinner' may however alleviate to some extent the consequences of his 'sins' by practicing 'expiations'. Put into English in this vocabulary, things look familiar, perhaps a bit too much. My argument is that in the context of astrology, what is rendered as 'sin' or 'expiation' corresponds to a more ambivalent conception of wrong deeds, of their consequences, and of the solutions they call for, than what may be found in Christian-inspired cultures. This suggests in turn that the contrast drawn between 'the 'transcendental' and the 'practical' aspects of religion, may not be a very fruitful one.

Sin and Flaws in Kerala Temple Astrology

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