In the Bhagvad Gita, Shri Krishna says to Arjuna ‘As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.’ This gives us the very foundation of understanding what the soul or the atma is about. It is one that is never changing but is the lens through which one functions in this existence. The soul is difficult to understand, as difficult and complex as the mind or the ego is, but its unchanging function provides an explanation for how one can get closer to themselves and understand the true purpose of their existence. Just like the soul has many bodies it goes through; the body too has many things it needs to do and the method to achieve the purpose of our life shifts from incarnation to incarnation.
When we think about our lives as a brilliantly created adventure or a game, it is important to keep in sight the final goal of playing the game which is to enjoy the game and that in itself will bring us closer to completing it and finally liberating from it. The progression of this should be natural which is why when playing we identify with the creator of it and that itself is the spiritual process. The closer we become to the creator, the easier it becomes to enjoy playing the game without stress and feeling like one is lost in the forest. All spiritual practices and tools for divination act as our personal treasures and weapons that can be put to good use or become the very obstacle in our path. Knowing the soul is knowing the creator and the unspoken rules of the game and aligning the ego with the divine so one can actually focus on enjoying the game. In jyotish, the key to this is simply the atmakaraka or the soul significator which helps us in understanding this specific purpose.
When the atmakaraka is a specific planet, that planet becomes the kendra (center) of your life, it is how you choose to execute certain functions. The atmakaraka will always be in a vriddha (old age) avastha because it’s extremely wise and experienced but doesn’t have the need to do the same thing again so we have the amatyakaraka (the planet at the second highest degree in the chart) that carries out the functions of the atma (it’s extremely interconnected). Amatya is the soul’s helper, the prime minister. It is equally important to have a good amatyakaraka that actually is friendly with the atmakaraka or else the person starts to do things that are not aligned with who they truly are. both of these positions need to be examined properly in order to make precise judgments about a birth chart. Your atmakaraka is Arjuna, the warrior whose duty is to engage in the battlefield of Kurukshetra but having a good charioteer like Krishna is like having a friendly and decent amatyakaraka. Sometimes, it's actually more beneficial to please the amatyakaraka that can course correct and become a better do-er to fulfill the goals of the atmakaraka.
I’ve made a table below for how different planets function and the remedies for them. Note, that I use the 8 Karaka scheme as prescribed by Rishi Parashara whose lineage I’m studying in and you can also look at the function of these planets and deduce if you need to remedy the atmakaraka or amatyakaraka.
Liberated from the grip of egoism, like the moon (after the eclipse), full, ever blissful, self-luminous, one attains one’s essence. – Adhyatma Upanishad
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