The Phalgunis: After Magha the next two nakshatras appear in pair and also known as the Phalgunis - Purvaphalguni and Uttaraphalguni. They are among the three pair of nakshatras, the Ashadhas and the Bhadrapadas being the other two. Being a pair, they share some common characteristics which will be mentioned below. The Phalgunis are ruled by two Adityas Bhaga and Aryama. While Bhaga represent marital bliss and prosperity, Aryama represent a dependable friend. They are symbolised by bed or swinging hammock - representing relaxation and pleasure. While Purva phalguni rules the head (top) part of the bed, Uttara phalguni rules the leg (bottom) part - thus Purva rules getting into relaxation while Uttara rules the ending moment when the native is ready to rise and get into action. The Purvaphalguni: Purva-phalguni means the 1st part of the Phalguni nakshatra and is lorded by Bhaga aditya and symbolised by bed or swinging hammock. This nakshatra falls immediately after Magha, the nakshatra of victory and achievements. Thus this represent the next phase- time of relaxation and enjoyment of victory and achievements. The lord Bhaga aditya stands for marital bliss and prosperity. This suggests that the natives of this nskashatra value relationship, albeit that is not only restricted to marital relationships. They are social and feel comfortable to be in company of their friends, kith and kin. They are very amicable and easily approachable people and are affectionate, loving, caring and compassionate. They are moved by sorrow in the world and like to extend their helping hand when needed. In addition, they intuitively know when people around them are in need and are eager to help them. Thus they naturally attract many friends in life and others think good about such natives. They are pleasure seeking people and attracted to events such as partying with friends, especially those of opposite sex. Their attractive demeanour and amicable speech also encourage others to join them. Males of this nakshatra are handsome and females are beautiful and both have an attractive charm on their face. They are sensual and actively seek sensual pleasure. Although most are bound by the societal norms, there are many don’t care much and have many sexual partners. Thus many have extra marital affairs to fulfil their carnal desires. Those who have learnt to control their sexual passion, channelize their energy towards charity and larger social good. They also need to control their propensity to indulgence and their drive to stimulation by praise and sex. They also have the propensity to get addicted to psychotropic drugs which can take one to alternate realities and give unbridled pleasure. They are artistic in nature and thus are interested in various forms of art such as music, fine arts, literature, photography, fashion etc. Thus they are attracted towards events and career where they can give expression to their creative potencies. Thus there is high propensity for them to pick up activities related to art, writing, film or fashion. Even if they are engaged in other professions, they will be known for their creative bent of mind and will be engaged in innovations and thinking out of the box. They are timid and shy away from direct confrontation and conflict. They do not believe that war can resolve the problems in the world, which they think can be resolved by having proper dialogue and negotiations. They make up their inability to confront by having a polished and suave behaviour. They are good in negotiations, dialogue and reaching common ground with conflicting parties. They naturally learn the art of influencing others using persuasion and dialogue. Due to their mentioned way of working many think that they are coward, however, they are not. They are forthright and straight in whatever they believe and do not hesitate to put forth their stand, but they do it in a pleasing manner, something, which does not hurt the opposite party out rightly. They are honest, sincere and have high integrity in their work. They are hard worker and driven by the need of affiliation and recognition rather than tangible monetary rewards. Thus they are motivated when people around them recognise their contributions and think high of them. The negative side is, they get de-motivated, selfdefeating when they are not able to make their presence felt. The notable aspect of their work life is that they are pragmatic and do not believe in day-dreaming. They jump to work based on whatever resources they have at their disposal instead of making big plans which can't be executed. They have high concerns for their fame and recognition hence they do not do things which can potentially ruin their name and honour. They are dignified and also treat others with dignity. They are extremely cautious in decision making and have a tendency to delay until they have all the facts at their disposal. They are often restless and have a vacillating mind. To be successful in life, they need to put reins on their mind and steady it. Having said that, they are steady in their demeanor and have strong inner strength
and firm trust on self. They can't be pushed around by others and resist such actions. They are usually calm and resolved and not easily agitated. They are independent and seek freedom in life. Thus they can't be constrained with tasks which they receive strict orders on what is to be done. Work which gives good amount of space for thinking and creativity are well suited to them. They can be given broader responsibilities where they can plan, organise and execute on their own. Thus they are do well senior management role which need one to work with vagueness, leading people and be persuasive. They also do well as diplomats where one need to be good in persuasion and be calm under conflicts and threat. In summary, they are good natured, amicable and dignified people who are artistic in nature and seek pleasure and recognition from work. Notable personalities: Source: http://barbarapijan.com/bpa/Nakshatra/11purvaphalguni.htm (Barbara Pijan Lama) Females: • Margaret Thatcher • Madonna • J. K. Rowling • Anne Windsor • Julia Roberts • Shirley MacLaine Males: • Dalai Lama • Rajiv Gandhi • John F. Kennedy • Edward "Teddy" Kennedy • Lyndon Baines Johnson • Winston Churchill • Rudolf Steiner • Jack Welch • William Randolph Hearst
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The Uttaraphalguni: The latter half of the Phalguni pair is ruled by Aryama and symbolized by the back (lower) legs of the cot. Among the dvadas-adityas, Aryama represents a patron whom one can depend on at time of need. He represents a trustworthy friend who is ever there to help when approached. The first pada of this nakshatra falls in Leo and the next 3 pada falls in Virgo. Thus this carries a combination of traits signified by the rulers of the mentioned sign, Sun and Mercury respectively. Natives of this nakshatra have very high self-esteem something which is seen in the other two nakshatras in Leo- however, in this case, it is towards the extreme. They believe that they are always right and others must have full faith on them and their belief/ opinion - this makes them arrogant and have lesser regards for other's opinions. Due to high opinion about their self, they have a strong propensity of egotism and they think that others must serve them. Thus when they receive help from others they are ungracious and ungrateful. Although the chances are high, most fall under the milder category of arrogance and may not display it in their behaviour. Thus although they may think that they are better than the rest, they would not openly say so due to societal norms. They are tactful, thus they compensate their arrogance with tact and ensure that people think high about them and they are socially acceptable.
Being one of the phalguni, they have a pleasant and happy disposition. They are amicable, have a pleasant voice and full of fun and humour. Others like to have such people around them who make the surrounding cheerful and bubbly. They are social people who like to mingle around with others in social gathering, however, they are careful in choosing their friend among those who are artistic and have refined taste. They like to have people around them who can be called the elites- or from high society- something which gives a sense of pomp and aura. They are principled and do not deviate easily. Given with their self-esteem and self-confidence, this gives them a sense of pride in their actions and they carry a royal and authoritative demeanour. They are dignified and do not easily involve in activities which spoil their name and reputation. On the brighter side, like the former Phalguni, they are compassionate and charitable- they have a big heart when it comes to giving for social cause. In return, they seek recognition for their actions and are motivated when people praise them. They are ambitious and want to rise to high position and authority. This is in line with their other traits of first self-belief and convictions. When they attain leadership position, they have great strength to mobilise people and resources. However, due to their egotistic temperament, they tend to become autocratic and moved by selfpraise. Something, if not controlled can bring their ruin by spoiling their social reputation and affect their approachability. They are independent and hence usually take up career which encourages independent thinking and creativity. This coupled with their sharp intelligence make them a compelling force for senior leadership positions. Due to their social affiliations and need for recognition they feel comfortable with family and friends. They can be regarded a family person as they have high regards for marriage and family and they do their best to keep it intact. It is important for them to have a loving and caring family for them to be motivated and be successful in life. On the darker side, they may get depressed, de-motivated and demoralised when they are not in meaningful relationship. They will feel a void within them and they constantly search for ways to fill it and be satisfied. They need a family and circle of friends to have a meaningful life. They may suffer due to resentment due to lack of recognition and become more defensive when comes to giving and gratitude for good done by others. They tend to gravitate toward career which gives then the space for independence and creativity such as writers, actors, media personalities etc. They also like to pick up career which give them the room to work with people influence others such as sales and marketing. They are also involved in charitable and social work and can take up social activism- fighting for a social cause. They are often seen to pick up trades which involve heavy number crunching such as trading and investment, stock market analysis etc.
Notable personalities: Source: http://barbarapijan.com/bpa/Nakshatra/12uttaraphalguni.htm (Barbara Pijan Lama) Males: • Niels Bohr- physicist(quantum mechanics) • Deepak Chopra- educator-physician MD • Martin Heidegger- philosopher(phenomenology) • Jack Nicholson- actor-director • Donald Rumsfeld- USA sec. of defense • William Quan Judge- Theosophist • Hirohito- Emperor of Japan (b. 1901) Females: • Alice Bailey- writer and theosophist • Carla Bruni Sarkozy- Songwriter, singer, actress • Agatha Christie- Writer • Mileva Marić- one of the first women to study mathematics and physics in Europe Posted by Sarajit Poddar at 9:05 PM No comments:
Labels: Nakshatra
Sunday, June 07, 2009 Nakshatra Devata IV 9. Ashlesha Mythologically Ashlesha nakshatra is ruled by the Sarpas or the serpents. Thinking of Sarpas, the thoughts which comes to our mind is someone who is poisonous and vile. Although this is true for the natives of this nakshatra to certain extent, it is not everything. The Ashlesha natives have a choice to accept two opposing possibilities and traits, one which is base and gross and the other one which is highly spiritual and enlightening. We all know that the nodes are head and tail of a serpent which encircles the world signifying the two extremes of existence attachment and liberation. The north node or Rahu signifies the head of the serpent and represent the attachment and poison while the south node Ketu signifies the tail and represent enlightenment and liberation. These natives have both the contradicting potencies of strong material attachments and spiritual enlightenment and they have a constant internal fight to choose between them. Most natives of this nakshatra are guided by the potencies of Rahu and few could transcend to the real of spiritual enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of life and death. This can also be related to the dormant coiled serpent which rests in the base of the spine (meru-danda) and also known as the kundalini shakti. It is understood that the energies at the muladhara chakra, the lowest among the 7 chakras, are quite gross and material and the energies become subtle and spiritual when the kundalini shakti rises towards the crown chakra or the Sahasrarara. As represented by the dormant kundalini shakti (or the serpentine energies), these natives are secretive and do not like to share their inner thoughts to the outside world. They like to put on a mask and show a face to the world which is more socially and politically correct. This makes them extremely tactful in handling difficult people and situations. Due to their ability to cover their heart (emotions) and mind (thoughts) they are good in diplomacy and have high political acumen. They are endowed with good oratory skills which they use as their means to achieve in their career and life. They are usually sweet spoken and able to persuade others to engage in pursuits which benefit them. They are thus manipulative in getting things done by others due to hidden agendas which are buried deep inside. However, when the hidden agenda comes to surface his associates develop a sense of being manipulated and lose respect for these natives. It is thus quite easy for these natives to be mistrusted by others and it gets more difficult to regain the lost trust. Due to their abilities to cover their emotions and thoughts, they can become eloquent public speakers and get adapted to changing circumstances easily. They have penetrating and hypnotic eyes. They are able to get deep inside other’s psychology and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Based on their judgment of people’s personality, they chose their friends carefully and cautiously. They like to make friends to those who can provide them emotional and moral support and help them in fulfilling their objectives. They are shy and are intensely emotional. Because of their emotional hang ups, they are not able to let go any negative emotions which make them intolerant towards any criticism. They cannot see their mistakes and take any form of criticism negatively. They have problems in relationship due to their secretive nature. Since it is difficult for their associates and partners to understand their motives, it generates mistrust and
friction in the relationships. There are high possibilities of breakdown of marital and other relationships in these natives’ lives. The serpentine energies make these natives have mood swings and they sway between delight and depression quite easily. This is accentuated by their secretive and hideous nature and it gets difficult for them to open out their hearth and channelize the pent up emotions causing the trouble. The buildup emotions however gets out once in a while, when they do not have any more holding power, however, that results in great deluge and emotional outburst. Such outbursts not only affect these natives but all their close associates and partners. In addition to their mood swings, they are also short tempered and lose their cool often. This even further accentuates the relationship troubles and widens the gap. Since what people see in others are reflection of their own self, such natives, they have hidden agenda and motive towards others, they are always suspicious about others motives and are not able to trust almost anyone, not even their parents and well-wishers. They are egoistic and arrogant and wish that the whole world should obey and work for them. Although they are soft spoken at most times, due to their serpentine nature they have a vile, rude and harsh speech which manifest when they get angry. While they cannot make a trustworthy friend, they can make a bitter enemy. If they are inimical towards anyone, they know no bounds to control. Due to their nature of holding up the emotions, they are incapable of letting go any negative emotions towards anyone. Their tact of handling situation makes them even more vile and bitter. They never forget their enemies and take revenge to the extent possible. They try to ruin their enemies in every possible way, financially, socially, politically etc. One should be cautious while having the Ashlesha natives are their enemies. Their tact of dealing situations and their keen sight to look into the deepest and darkest side of human nature can make them good lawyers, someone who can uncover anything. When they have courtroom battles with their adversaries, they can stoop down to any means to win it such as bribing, threatening, black-mailing etc. They are resourceful and try to build good contacts with people of high influence and reputation so that he can use his contacts in achieving his purpose. Due to their resourcefulness and shrewdness they can be quite overwhelming to anyone. The nature of a serpent is to entwine, embrace and enjoy its victim surreptitiously. Similarly most natives of this nakshatra have a strong sexual drive and they like to use their sweet speech, shy effeminate nature and hypnotic eyes to enchant others into relationship to satisfy their lust. Since they are crafty by nature, they can use sex as one of the means to manipulate others. Psychologically they are deprived of sex and hence given any opportunity, they like to satisfy themselves physically and emotionally. If they do not learn to restrain this drive they can go to the extent of perversion and promiscuity. They have desire to have sex with multiple partners, people of own sex and at times it crosses all the boundary of decency and morality. If they stoop down and bow to their carnal instincts they can get involved in incest and even having sex with animals. They must learn to control their sexual drive and channelize their sexual energies towards enlightenment. These natives are inclined towards tantric rites where they aim to achieve enlightenment by having sexual fulfillment, a school of thought which was publicized by Osho Rajneesh. They are introvert and like seclusion and isolation. They like to brood in such places and do not like to go to social gathering and are not socially active. If they get engaged in any social cause and purpose, they could be driven by a hidden agenda. Their ability to hide their feelings and emotions make them a good actor and enable them to tell lies to achieve their purpose. They like to travel to various places, however without any specific plan. They can pack their bags and go out for trekking, travels and tours without any prior planning. This makes it difficult to bind them in any one place and they are inclined towards professions which encourages travels. They are swift in thinking and moving. Thus it does not take them much time to decide to change places, things and relationships. They are fast to react to any situation and mostly if that involves attacking
others with words or action. Their associates should be cautious and careful while dealing with these natives. They are insecure, coward and suffer due to low self-esteem. Due to these they are often condescending and rude and try to take advantages from situation where it is unwarranted. They are not grateful towards others as they are not convinced that the help done to them were with pure and unadulterated motives. While they cannot do things without having a hidden motive, similarly they are suspicious that any help or favor done to them is based on hidden motives. Their lack of gratitude also makes them even more vile and misunderstood from other’s perspectives. Although they are politically astute, they lack leadership qualities as they are not driving by a cause or purpose. They may rise to high authoritative position however instead of working for the benefit of their subjects; they will try to take advantage of their position for personal gains. More often than not they need other’s support to lead their life so instead of taking a leadership position on their own; they like to associate with leaders. They are possessive of their material possessions and stingy with their money. They will hardly spend their money for a cause unless they are benefitted directly or indirectly. They can empathize with disadvantaged people or get involved in a cause, but even that will be driven by a hidden agenda. For illustration, if they do charity they would like to publicize it. They have diverse interests which are not long lasting. They get bored with things at hand quite easily and have a strong urge to keep changing. This makes them versatile and flexible taking up diverse activities and they end up changing their professions many times. As mentioned above they are inclined towards profession such as acting and those which involves travel such as sales rep, tour and travel agent or guide. They can make a good politician, statesman or a diplomat. In addition they are also drawn towards journalism, espionage and secret services. They can also become good investigator and detective. Physically these natives are not strong and suffer pain in their limbs. They can suffer due to flatulence, digestive problem, jaundice and dropsy. The female natives can suffer from hysteria, emotional outbursts and nervous breakdown. They are attracted towards drugs and other form of addictions. Posted by Sarajit Poddar at 6:17 PM 4 comments: Links to this post Labels: Ashlesha, Nakshatra, Sarpa
Saturday, June 06, 2009 Nakshatra Devata III 7. punarvasu Punarvasu means rejuvenation. The word Punarvasu is a combination of two words Punah and Vasu. Puna means again and vasu means auspiciousness and enlightenment. In the context of nakshatra this means restoration of dharma and auspiciousness, rejuvenation, restarting the creative process and anything which follows after the destruction process. In the garland of nakshatra, this falls after the terrible Ardra and hence relates to the phase that comes after any destruction. To understand the meaning of this stage in the cycle of creation and destruction, imagine of a wild fire which burnt down an entire forest and that follows with rain and sprouting of new saplings in the blank ground. This is indicative of the feminine motherly forces which causes the
creation to occur and prosper and that is why this nakshatra is ruled by Aditi, the mother of the eight vasus. To understand the real purport of this nakshatra we need to have the understanding of the asta vasus or the eight factors of creation. It is not possible to describe the Vasus in a short article like this, hence I will try to provide the gist of what are they. They are Agni (fiery element), Apas (watery element), Dhruba (the pole-star), Soma (the nectar for rejuvination or creating), Dharma (the laws governing creation), Anila (air), Patyusha (dawn) and Prabhasa (day/ brilliance/ radiance). Among the vasus, the primordial elements fire and water ignites the process of creation. The creative forces can be represented in the form of igniting the fire of live in the water which nourishes it and air which supports its growth. From a different perspective fire is the soul, water is the body and air is the intelligence, the three components necessary for the creation to begin and sustain. Dharma on the other hand represents the law governing the creation and gives a purpose for the creation to happen. Pratyusha signify the mingling of fire with water without which the creation cannot happen due to the inimical nature of fire and water. Here fire signifies day which comes out of night signified by water. In other terms this can also be seen as new beginning (day) after destruction (night). Prabhasa signify the process of increase in brilliance of the creation, which means that creation is not a static thing but a process in which the new life materializes and grows bigger and stronger. The first and foremost signification of this nakshatra is harmony without which creation would never happen and thus the natives born under this star have a harmonious outlook towards life. They love nature and has a strong drive to live harmoniously it and everyone else. They represent illumination in the world of darkness and are often visionaries and innovators. They think of ahead of their time and think of ways in which the world can be enriched. The creative potential of the nakshatra is imbibed in the natives of this nakshatra and prod them to think of ways in which the world including all manifested and un-manifested being can live in harmony and they often come out of ways in which things can be made better. Due to the influence of the vasus and the mother of the Adityas, Aditi, they are virtuous and represent gratitude, generosity and magnanimity, charity, purity and beauty. They are caring, loving and nurturing due their motherly nature. Due to the abundance of creative forces they have great optimism and energy. Most often they look into the positive side of things and give encouragement to others in the times of crisis to look at the brighter side. Many times this also translates into their involvement in social and charitable work. They are very open minded and are receptive to diverse range of thoughts and ideas. This also make them free thinker, without any binding and hang-ups with any specific school of thought, culture and religion. They embrace diversity and are extremely tolerant towards other cultures, thoughts and ideas. Their open mindedness makes them multicultural and proficient in handling diverse subjects. It may seem to be contradicting; in spite of their open mindedness, they value their own roots, culture and tradition but are not completely orthodox. Due to this many times they have to struggle internally to reconcile between their own cultures and others, if they are not aligned. They like to study their own spiritual, religious, cultural and philosophical text as well as others. They not only like to understand these text but also like engage in lively debates related to them, not to undermine and criticize others, but to understand the relative merit of one above others and the common thread passing through various cultures and traditions. They love freedom in every sense, not only in thought but also in action. Thus if they encounter situation of social, cultural or any other form of restriction or oppression, they stand against it. They are undaunted by failure and their ability to fight against odds and adversities are amazing. This makes them to spring into action no matter how many times they fail and how many odds they have to face, the only condition being, they need a firm conviction on the cause for which they are putting the fight.
They are spiritual and philosophical being born under the nakshatra of Aditi, the mother of the Adityas (the spiritual principles as opposed to the Daityas, meaning material principles). Thus they are not attracted too much by the material prospects and endeavor to go deeper into purpose and objectives of a matter. They are open in terms of sharing their views and are quite straight forward. They shun diplomacy and have a strong need to have relationships which stand on the ground of trust and truthfulness. Since the matters of this world are not always straight, they are likely to get into troubles, where certain amount of diplomacy or political acumen is needed. Due to their lack of inclination towards materialistic pursuits, they are known to be contended with less and live a simple life. They have a strong need to get attention from people of their communities which on many instances translates into an urge towards pomp and glory. Many times they seem to sacrifice their other personal needs to get public attention and affiliation. They are usually happy-go-lucky kind and like to mingle a lot with others, which makes them having big circle of friends. Due to their nature of giving comfort, hope and optimism to others, they attract others quite easily. People tend to flock around these natives, in the world full of misery and hopelessness. This makes these natives visible and popular in their community and often gives them fame and honor. People love and respect them and are happy to follow their path. Thus, this makes these natives natural charismatic leaders; leaders who do not crave for power but are driven by a genuine sense of well-being for their subjects. They are quite fair in their outlook and abhor injustice and falsehood. This makes they stand against the oppressors and fight for the cause of others and social justice. Due to this nature, they can be a social or political activist fighting against social and political oppression and thus also have potential for getting victimized. It is thus possible to find people of this nakshatra in areas of human and animal rights, those who are working for freedom of a community, country or anything else such as freedom of press. They have ideals and principles which they value more than their life. Thus they can choose to become martyr if they find a proper cause to fight for it. Due to their creative potentials they are drawn towards professions which promotes creativity such as acting, writing, advertising and design and various other media. They are also drawn towards medical sciences due to their inclination to help and heal others. They however like to be in the field of holistic and natural medicine which deals with overall harmony of someone with the nature. Their lack of political acumen and straightforwardness is not very conducive to rise beyond a position in career hierarchy, however, they are known for their truthfulness and other virtues. Due to their innocence, they can be bullied by others and they much learn to manage difficult situation in the workplace where things do not happen the way it should. His straight forwardness often leads to having friction with colleagues, friends and family members. This becomes the major source of mental agony for these natives. Health wise, they have a strong sense of personal hygiene and hence they do not fall sick too often. Even if they fall sick they recover fast, but they get overly concerned about their health at times.
8. pushya Pushya means something that can nourish. The position of this nakshatra in the nakshatra mandala after Punarvasu suggests something which can sustain the creation that happened in the previous nakshatra. While Punarvasu is known for the creative
potencies, this nakshatra is known for sustenance and growth. This is ruled by Brihaspati, the preceptor of the adityas (the virtuous and spiritual ones) and is also known as Jiva or the life force (or pranic energies). The sum-total of all the energies for this nakshatra is to live a fulfilling life. Unlike creation, which requires creation of new things, sustenance requires establishment of what is created. Sustenance also implies establishing standards and processes and requires that the beings of the creation follow them, without which the nature will be chaotic and lack sustainability. The potencies to follow established laws and governance make the natives of the nakshatra obedient to the law of the land. Like Brihaspati, these natives are also driven by a sense of sharing their knowledge and teaching others. Needless to say this need to teach makes them learn and master varied disciplines. They are thus multifaceted and are eloquent speakers of multiple disciplines. They make good teachers as they have a strong sense of the need of his students and what needs to be taught to fulfill their needs. What makes them unique however is their capacity to draw knowledge from multiple disciplines to make their point and enriching what they teach. Although this is generally a positive trait of these natives, it can also negatively manifest as arrogance and snobbishness. They often have a sense of superiority of their knowledge over others and at time they become condescending. They often fall prey to a teacher student relationship in placed where it is not warranted such as marital relationship and friendship etc. Needless to say that they are inclined towards profession which involves teaching such as teachers, professors, preachers etc. Nevertheless, they are respected for their knowledge and understanding and often take the role of advisors to influential people. Their understanding of vision and strategy can also make them seek professions such as strategy consulting or advisory services. It is good to have natives of this nakshatra in key planning and policy making positions of a state. Due to their allegiance to the state law, they are extremely intolerant towards any violations and if they become judge, they are utterly ruthless in giving punishments. They do not judge if certain laws are in favor of the people of the land and often go by what is established. While this is good in places where the laws are rightful, however, in places where it is not these natives become the ruthless executioners of the law without question. The abundance of spiritual energy of Brihaspati makes them spiritual and philosophers like the natives of Punarvasu. However, unlike the natives of Punarvasu, who try to understand the philosophies related to creation, these natives try to understand how to enrich people's life. This makes them good in understanding the underlying philosophies of economics and politics. As a spiritual teacher they are known for their ability to understand complex doctrines and more than that their ability to explain that to lay man. Since they like to stick to the established practices, they are dogmatic and would praise their culture, tradition and religion over others. This also makes them lesser adaptive to newer thoughts and ideas and they are not inclined towards any breakthrough innovations. They can however, be interested in incremental innovation to make established things better. Their dogmatism and strong allegiance to their own culture and religion can also manifest in terms of fundamentalism and victimization of minorities. Their hard work, patience and intellect can take them quite far in their career and they can easily rise to the top management. However, due to their affiliations to established rules and regulations, they are lesser adaptive to the fast changing socio-political, environmental and market conditions. They need to learn to be more receptive and adaptive to new thoughts and ideas. Although, that is quite unsettling to these natives, they can eventually adapt to that. Due to the influences of Jupiter such natives are charitable and get engaged in various humanitarian activities. They are deeply
empathetic towards the underprivileged and try to uplift their life through various means. They are emotional and sensitive and hence are moved by the misery and sorrow in the world. Although they are spiritual and philosophical they are still attracted by wealth and opulence. Thus they are engaged in various material pursuits and eventually succeed to attain that due to their hard work, intelligence and their ability to influence people. However due to their charitable attitude they share their wealth for various social causes. As the nakshatra suggests, they like to nourish and feed the society not only with thoughts by also with other material means such as food programs for orphanages etc. They have strong need of social affiliation and they thrive in company of others. Due to this need, they are overly concerned about their public image and are ever engaged in the pursuit of developing a positive image. In a way, their self image and self confidence is directly linked to their public image. Thus if their image is hurt, they can be shattered. Their sensitivity towards their public image makes them vulnerable which can be exploited by people. As the nakshatra name suggests they love to eat to the extent of becoming overweight and obese. They can suffer with diseased which happens due to abundance such as cholesterol and heart troubles, diabetes and at times hormonal deficiencies. They have a strong digestive system which makes them hungry quite often. They should however be mindful of what they are eating and should exercise caution while eating junk and high calorie foods.
Posted by Sarajit Poddar at 9:39 PM 1 comment: Links to this post Labels: Aditi, Nakshatra, Punarvasu
Saturday, January 26, 2008 Nakshatra Devatas I 1. Ashvini Mythologically the nakshatra is ruled by the Ashvini Kumaras, the divine physicians named Dashra and Nasatya. Being divine physicians they are adept in healing, medicine, counseling and all other allied disciplines. It so happened that aṅjñā had to penance for many years to gain enough spiritual strength (Tapobal) before she got married with someone like Sūrya who is full of spiritual brilliance. However with time her spiritual energy withered away. To gain her spiritual energies again she left her shadow (Chaya) with Sun and went to a hermitage to do tapasya (penance). Sūrya had many other kids from Chaya (may be discussed later), when he realized the truth he rushed to find his real wife and found that she is doing her tapasya in the form of a Mare. Ashvini Kumaras (two kumaras) are born from their union while she was in a hermitage doing penance in the form of mere. Hence the name Ashvini which means, born from a female horse. This makes them adept in horse riding, in many kinds of sports and any activities which require a lot of energy. Being taken birth from Sūrya, the divine time keeper and protector of righteousness, they are by nature righteous, spiritual and philosophical. The names of the Ashvini Kumaras, Dashra and Nastya imply bringing help and truthfulness respectively and hence the natives of this nakshatra are philanthropic and truthful. Being born from Sūrya, who is full of brilliance and effulgence, Ashvini Kumaras are also full of such brilliance and energy. Given their age as kumaras (teenagers), they have high propensity to jump into activities without much thought, which makes than hyperactive. Many times, it displays their qualities of initiative, however, at many times it results in failures due to jumping into something without prior evaluation of pros and cons of their action. They are ambitious and has a strong drive to create something on their own such a new thought,
attitude, ideology or mundane things like business, enterprise etc. Horse are characterized by nervousness, fidget and always prepared to run and so does the Ashvinis. 2. Bharani Mythologically Bharani is ruled by the god of death Yama. Even though Yama is known by most as the god of death, the true meaning of Yama can be understood from Patanjali's yoga sutras which talks of the eight limbs of yoga (astanga yoga) and yama being the first of them, followed by niyama and so on. Maharishi Patanjali talks of five forms of restraints (abstinences) which are Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (non-covetousness), Bharmacharya (celibacy), Aparigraha (non-acceptance of gifts). It is said that Yama is the first person to fulfill the requirements of these 5 forms of abstinences and hence his name is Yama. If we understand the true nature of death, we realize that it is nothing but a phase of transformation of old and worn out state to a new state and also mean consolidation of old experiences and forging ahead of to pass through subsequent phase of new experiences. The meaning bearing out from these mythologies is that, this nakshatra is the nakshatra of restraint. On one side, this nakshatra represent anything and everything to do with death, on the other, it represents the energy of self restraint from materialistic indulgence and penance. In fact at the time of pregnancy, the mother of the child need to have a good amount of restraint to avoid indulging in anything, this can otherwise be detrimental to the life inside her. In the similar sense, in the developmental stage of any activity, over indulgence in anything else can be a death blow to the activity, since it may cause loss of focus. The symbol of this nakshatra is Yoni or the female sexual organ, which is the symbol of new birth. Thus this nakshatra symbolizes the pain and caution the mother goes through before the birth of the child. This nakshatra also represents revolution or breaking away from old and worn out practices since new life or concept originate after the old one has been dissolved. The energy and drive of Ashwini gives a new dosage of life to create something new, whereas the Bharani’s energy see through the upheaval and change that rise to a new practice, idea or concept. Thus the natives of this nakshatra can be quite revolutionary in their ideals and do not tolerate things which are carried down from the past but do not serve the purpose. Since a change in the established practices is a painful process, the natives need to pass through painful phases in life, when they are hell-bent in changing them. Usually such natives have a very strong character and they can withstand turbulences and turmoil in life with poise and equanimity and eventually grow stronger with each of their experiences. Each such experiences in their life are transformational and they are ever eager to take more such transformational journeys in life. Due to their propensity to withstand negative experience with poise, they are always still on their face, in spite of having a raging volcano or tsunami inside. Thus the natives ruled by this nakshatra are transformational and revolutionary in their thinking and tend to break away from old and worn out practices to create something new. It conveys ideas pertaining to discipline, self-control, faith, firmness, enduring support, sustenance, nourishment, etc. However, under strong malefic influences, natives of this nakshatra may develop extreme tendencies, as that of criminals and terrorists. 3. Kṛttikā Mythologically Agni (fiery element) is the ruler of this nakshatra and thus shows the tremendous potential lie within the purview of this nakshatra. Fire is the creator of all beings be it living or non living, tangible or intangible as it represents the energy required for the creation process. They like to take on big projects and are highly ambitious and self-motivated. Due to the burning fire, which is every eager to destroy darkness and ignorance within, these native are ever eager to learn newer things. They are logical, skeptical, creative, enthusiastic, enterprising and skillful in engineering however their fortune is unsteady like the flames of fire. Due to its fiery nature it is related to command, power, luster, glow, brilliance, and the creative force. However, Kṛttikā being a female nakshatra, it dwells in passivity and requires, stimulus from outside to let loose its creative potencies. The symbol of a razor, which cuts and fire as deity which burns, it indicate wars, trials and tribulations in the life of native, where the native acts as the commander, trying to control or win over the situations. This nakshatra is often known as the seat of power and one in which Chandra (Moon - mind) was born. Agni is the god for sacrifice, which means it has the ability to burn up the negativities and purify things, a state which is attained after the fire sacrifices. The thing which is sacrificed here is the ego and the negative side of self. Due to its nature of burning up of follies, it has the power to give a new lease of life and guide the native to
take corrective actions. Thus it has the capability to initiate changes in life, which helps in undoing mistakes and follies of past. Due to the fiery nature of the nakshatra, natives of this nakshatra have a cutting wit that can sometimes be sarcastic and critical. They are stubborn, aggressive and can be short-tempered. Due to their fiery and independent nature they are likely to have strained relations with relatives, friends and spouse. They are wellversed academically, fond of opposite sex, bright in appearance, misers, of worried nature and achieve widespread fame. Their speech is usually harsh and do not show sense of gratitude to their well wishers, which eventually take them away from others and make them lone. Due to strong fire within they have strong appetite and their thirst is difficult to be quenched. Hence, these persons are gluttons, fond of spicy foods. Mythology also states that Krittika is the foster mother of Kartikeya (Skanda), the commander in chief and son of Shiva. Thus this nakshatra also indicate foster motherhood among other things.
4. Rohini Rohini Nakshatra is mythologically ruled by Prajapati, the progenitor, a form of Brahma which cause creation. Thus this nakshatra represent the creative energies of the universe and is also called a fertile nakshatra. In mythology, Progenitor Daksha Prajapati wed his 27 daughters to Chandra (Moon), however, infatuated by the beauty of Rohini, Chandra tried spending more time with her ignoring other daughters. This infuriated Prajapati who cursed Chandra that his brilliance will wither away with time. This is why Moon's brilliance changes with time, while in Shulka Paksha, it increases, in Krishna Paksha it withers away. Due to the predominance of fertile energies in the nakshatra, it is full of passion and sexual energies, which cause creation. As the mythology suggests natives of this nakshatra have attractive physique and seductive eyes. Psychologically they are quite attached to their consort and also suffer due to their intense desires to enjoy each and every moment of companionship. On the negative side, it can show obsession towards people of opposite sex. Moon gets exalted in this nakshatra suggesting the exhilarating condition of mind which is it attains when it achieves all their desires. Thus native are always in search for fulfillment of such desires which can make them exhilarated. Since they thrive in abundance, deprivation of anything can bring quite a bit suffering to these natives. Such natives are enjoyer of beauty and have a great taste for finer details in life, which makes them connoisseurs. They are extremely materialistic and get upset with others who do not measure up to their standard of taste and finesse. As the myth suggests, natives of this nakshatra can be over sexed and use sex as a means to fulfill their desires and achieve their objectives. They feel comfortable in company of opposite sex and are always eager to befriend them. They have higher chances of having multiple sex partners at a time. On the positive side, they can make good artist/ fashion designer as their mind is fertile for imagination and creativity. Thus creative professions are good for channelizing their creative energies. Rohini is the birth Nakshatra of Lord Krishna who is predominated by Klim beeja (kama beeja), which attracts everyone and everything. His Ras Leelas are one of the manifestation of this nakshatra. 5. Mṛgaśirā This nakshatra is lorder by Soma a form of Chandra which is full of live giving force. It is mentioned in the shastras that the devas (the followers of Surya or brightness, knowledge and wisdom) are exhilarated by drinking somaras (the soma juice). Although some commentators interpreted the meaning of this as the juice of a creeper (Sarcostema Viminalis or Aclepias Acida), if once delve deeper in the myths, it would be clear that it is term given to symbolic life force which fills one with life and vitality; something which is cool and soothing and can be equated with Moonlight. Myth related to the nakshatras narrate the story of Daksha Prajapati marrying his 27 daughters, the nakshatras to Soma, this symbolizes the romantic nature of this form of chandra who is looking for some form of companionship. There is yet another myth which says that once Soma got infatuated by the beauty of Tara, Brhaspati's wife, seduced her and eloped with her. From the union of Soma and Tara, Budha (representing
intellect) was born. This caused tremendous uproar which made the gods intervene and return Tara to Brhaspati, however by that time Tara was Pregnant and subsequently delivered Budha. As the myth goes, even though Brhaspati was aware of Budha's illegitimate birth, he got carried away by his charming face and agreed to accept him as his son. From Jyotish point of view, this can be interrelated as involvement of sexual seduction, birth of illegitimate child and reunion of family after a mishap. Natives of this nakshatra are pleasure seeking, the way Soma sought after Tara's company and they are on a look out for some kind of sensational relationships. Being full of creative juices of Soma, this nakshatra also represent creativity of various forms such as Art, Dance, Music etc. They love traveling, the way Soma travels through the Nakshatras once in a month. Being governed by Soma, who waxes and wanes with time, the natives of this nakshatras also experience vacillation of their mind. They seek pleasures and comfort in life and they find it difficult to rest their mind on something. They are eternal seekers like the symbol "Deer's head (Kasturi Mriga - Moschus Moschiferus)" always keep searching for the kasturi (Musk) although it is hidden within him. The thirst of deer is also known as MrigaTrishna which indicate search of water (prosperity) in a desert (difficult circumstances). Thus the natives of this nakshatra are always thirsty and prosperity in this world of struggles. This can also mean that such natives are the true seekers of knowledge (water) in this world of maya (desert) and it is difficult to quench their thirst as it is psychological rather than physical. Thus under positive influences, the natives of this nakshatra takes up studies of scriptures and dive deep into the hidden mysteries of nature. Soma is also related to the fire sacrifices which means burning the negative side of self to attain knowledge and truth, which makes the natives of this nakshatra interested in priestly and religious activities. The involvement of symbol of deer also indicate activities related to forests and hunting as well. It is noteworthy that Shiva's consort Uma is born in this nashaktra, One who is full of motherly love and compassion.
