In this expression of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the essence of
the whole vedic wisdom is contained. The whole purpose of the vedic teaching is
to bring home to man that he is essentially one with the universe. In essence,
we all share the same identity, the same eternal and cosmic consciousness, the
Atma, the self of all beings - the unified field of all the laws of nature.
Nevertheless, we do observe that each one of us expresses this same unbounded
field of transpersonal consciousness in a unique and personal way.
Jyotish or vedic astrology, one of the six vedangas or limbs
of the Veda, not only provides a practical demonstration of the fact that we
are one with the universe, but also explains why certain qualities of the
unified field express themselves more in one person, while other qualities are
more manifest in other persons. These personal differences are explained in
terms of the enlivenment of certain parts of the kalapurusha (personified time;
in western astrology referred to as the zodiac) by the placement of Sun, Moon,
planets, and the ascendant, at the time of birth of each and every individual.
In the sanskrit language Sun is called Surya, and the Moon is called Chandra.
First and foremost, the nakshatras form the basis of the
vimshottari dasha system, which Maharshi Parashara, who is often regarded as
the founding father of vedic astrology, holds to be the most important tool for
predicting future events.
Secondly, in muhurtha, or electional astrology, the
nakshatras are one of the main considerations for determining the suitability
of a certain period of time for starting specific undertakings.
And thirdly, nakshatras are used in selecting a suitable
name for a new-born child, in order to ensure a cosmic correspondence between
the name and the personality of that newly born individual.
A fourth way of consulting the nakshatras is presented in
this paper, describing the personality traits of a native on the basis of the
enlivenment of certain nakshatras in his birth chart.
As is the case with the 12 rashis, the 27 nakshatras possess
certain qualities and characteristics which can be expressed in terms of
personality traits. The presence of Chandra in a certain nakshatra enlivens the
qualities of that nakshatra. In other words, the person born 'under' a certain
nakshatra, will exhibit the personality traits belonging to that nakshatra. The
nakshatra in which Chandra is placed at the time of birth is usually the most
prominent factor in reflecting the personality of the concerned native. In
Jyotish literature the nakshatra in which Chandra is placed at birth is
commonly referred to as janma-nakshatra or 'birth-star'.
Furthermore, the ascendant in the birthchart, which
symbolizes the eastern horizon as seen from the time and place of birth,
enlivens that part of the kalapurusha in which it falls. In the 24 hours that
the earth turns around its axis the rising sign passes through each of the 12
signs of the zodiac and by the same token through the 27 nakshatras of the
kalapurusha. In vedic astrology the ascendant is called lagna. The qualities
and characteristics of the nakshatra that is rising on the eastern horizon will
find their expression in the personality.
Note that I don't say that this nakshatra causes the
qualities and characteristics of the individual in a certain way. The planets
and the stars simply form a cosmic mirror for what is happening here below. The
ancients expressed this principle in the famous dictum: 'As above, so below'.
It is to be understood once and for all by all students of any kind of
astrology that both levels - above and below - are the simultaneous expressions
of the unified field of all the laws of nature, and are connected to each other
on the level of infinite correlation - the cosmic principle of synchronicity.
For an elaboration of this wonderful principle of life see the chapter on the
holographic nature of the universe.
The nature and characteristics of the nakshatra that is
enlivened by the lagna, will be found to be coexistent with the qualities and
personality traits, belonging to the nakshatra enlivened by the Moon.
Thirdly, the placement of Surya, the Sun, in the kundali or
birth chart of a person, serves as a major factor in enlivening that area of
the kalapurusha in which it is placed. In other words, the nature and
characteristics of the nakshatra in which Surya is placed at birth, will form
an integrated part of the nature and characteristics of the person concerned.
Of the three nakshatras, enlivened respectively by Chandra,
lagna and Surya, the one in which Chandra is placed usually shows up most
clearly in the nature of the person. In cases where the ascendant is clearly
the strongest factor in a chart the nakshatra in which the lagna is placed
shows itself most clearly in the personality. In some exceptional cases the
nakshatra enlivened by Surya will prove the most dominant factor in the
personality structure of the native. It all depends on the relative strength of
these three basic factors in the horoscope. In cases where two or three or even
more planets occupy one single nakshatra then the personality traits indicated
by that nakshatra may prove to be a very strong aspect of the nature of the
individual if not the strongest.
As a student of Maharishi's vedic science I have trained
myself to interpret a birthchart in the light of the natural process of
evolution towards enlightenment. I read a chart in the light of the
consciousness of the individual. The soul of an individual is essentially free
from any impurities caused by the ignorance of the personality. I believe that
the primary function of any form of astrology should be to help the person tune
in to his own soul. The soul by nature is a field of inifinite wisdom and
bliss.. According to vedic science the soul consist of three qualities, namely
sat, chit and ananda or truth, self-referral consciousness and bliss. Vedic
science asserts that the sole cause of human suffering lies in forgetting one's
own soul, which equates with one's full potential as a human being.
The soul or the atma is a field of pure potentiality, a
field of all possibilities, free from ignorance and a fountainhead of energy,
courage and joy. The goal of everyone's life, the goal of every human being,
born on this planet, whether he or she knows it or not, is to realize his
soul's potential. All branches of vedic science are geared towards this goal.
Vedic astrology is no exception to the rule. The primary duty so to speak of
every (vedic) astrologer is to help his client tune in to his soul, because
only by realizing one's soul one realizes one's full potential and hence one's
life-purpose. Gary Zukav has said it beautifully in his recent book Seat of the
Soul: ''When a personality is in full balance, you cannot see where it ends and
the soul begins. That is a whole human being.'
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in his lessons on vedic astrology
emphasized once that 'Jyotish should never be taken on any other level than the
level of vedanta'. Vedanta is the science of the soul. Vedanta teaches that
there is only one soul, the soul of the universe, which all of us embody. By
interpreting a chart on the level of vedanta we automatically help the client
to realize his true identity, as an infinite eternal blissful soul, free from
the consequences of ignorance and suffering.
In the science of creative intelligence formulated by
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1972 and in all his more recent explanations of the 40
branches of vedic science, it is made clear that the whole purpose of life is
to gain enlightenment. Being born on planet Earth usually implies that one is
not fully aware of one's unbounded, cosmic nature. While we are in reality one
with the entire cosmos, we usually start our planetary adventure by regarding
ourselves as an individual human being, bound in time and space. This
incomplete and therefore incorrect image of our self automatically results in
certain imbalances of the personality, leading to ignorance, frustration and
suffering, etc.
In ayurveda, this loss of memory of one's infinite nature is
called pragya aparadha, which is said to be the ultimate cause of all doshas or
impurities in mind and body. Since the doshas are rooted in such a deep level
of consciousness, they naturally pervade our mind, body, and behaviour. Being
born with a certain set of imperfections and weaknesses however, does not mean
that we are supposed to live with them for the whole of our life. Vedic science
says that the normal course of life would be, that one gains full enlightenment
- unity consciousness - as soon as the body gains full maturation.
Per definition, enlightenment means that one has reached
perfection and that one is eternally established in sattva: 'nitya sattvastho'
(Bhagavad Gita, 2:45), freed from all doshas. This means that in enlightenment
we are free from all impurities and stresses.
Jyotish textbooks however, generally mention many
imperfections when they describe the nature of the several grahas, bhavas,
rashis and nakshatras. From the perspective of vedic science, as given above,
it is clear that wherever these doshic descriptions are provided, they should
be understood as referring to those stages of human evolution, where one has
not yet fully realised one's own unbounded nature, one's cosmic status in life.
It is clear that in the case of persons who have realised their true nature,
their infinite and eternal soul, and have become one with themselves, these
doshic descriptions no longer apply!
This point should be kept in mind when studying Jyotish
books and for that matter any kind of astrology books. Otherwise these very
texts - which may have been written for the purpose of assisting the
individuals to reach enlightenment, and to create a heavenly life on Earth - in
themselves become a further means of bondage by perpetuating the pragya
aparadha of the individuals. When we do not take an evolutionary perspective on
the nature of human life, as delineated by the vedic wisdom, one could even
find excuses and reinforcements of one's own stresses, depressions and
aggressions by blaming the stars for it!
No doubt, every nakshatra, as well as every graha, bhava and
rashi, contains within its nature a certain proneness to a specific mode of
stressful or doshic behaviour. However, we should be aware of the inherent
limitations of these descriptions and apply them only with great discretion and
wisdom. This means that we should keep in mind that everyone's life is meant to
blossom into enlightenment by nature, and that every society is naturally
evolving to experience a state of heaven on earth.
In contrast to most of the jyotish books available on the
market today, the subsequent descriptions of the personality traits related to
each of the 27 nakshatras provide the student of vedic astrology with a list of
dosha-free descriptions, depicting the full potential that is inherent in each
of the 27 nakshatras. The personality traits mentioned below have been derived
from over a dozen Jyotish books. The purpose of these dosha-free descriptions
is to inspire every individual to whom they apply to tune in to their full
potential as an unbounded soul, free from the chains of ignorance. These 27
descriptions are designed to indicate the full potential of the 27 modes of
consciousness represented by the 27 nakshatras. The idea is that these
evolutionary qualities of the 27 nakshatras will express themselves more freely
and fully as we become more and more free from stress. According to the vedic
literature, stars are the physical expressions of the devas or gods. Deva
literally means 'shining one.' Thus, by tuning ourselves in to the inspiration
coming from the stars, we are actually tuning ourselves in to the galaxy of the
gods. In this way we tune in to and realize our cosmic nature in which we
understand that the gods are nothing but our own good qualities! May this
chapter on the nakshatras (stars) help us in realizing how good we are, and how
many evolutionary qualities we do posses! May the galaxy of the stars be a
constant reminder to us of our true cosmic status, which is filled with an
infinite number of positive and creative tendencies. May the stars be an
inspiration to us, calling us to come home to our cosmic self, that per
definition we all share in common.
It is hoped that these dosha-free descriptions will serve as
an inspiration to all students of vedic astrology. May these cosmic indicators
serve us as a guide on our way home, on our way to unity consciousness.
The Ancient Sages divided the
zodiac(apart from twelve signs) into 27 Nakshatras or constellations of 13.20
degrees each. A Nakshatra is also called as lunar mansion or constellation. Its
reference is found in the ancient Vedic scriptures. As per the Hindu mythology,
all the twenty seven Nakshatras are the daughters of king Daksha and Moon is
married to all of them and the Moon spends approximately one day each in one
constellation and thus lunar month is of approximately of 27 days equal to the
numbers of Nakshatras.Nakshatras are classified as per several attributes like
its owner, deity, sex, caste, species etc. The Nakshatra, in which one's Moon
is placed at the time of birth, is called Janma Nakshatra or the birth star. These
Nakshatras are further subdivided into four quarters known as Pada, each
spanning 3.20 degrees, know as Navamsa. The placement of planets in these padas
or subdivisions is studied for finer predictions. Each zodiac sign covers nine
Padas in total. Thus we can see that Nakshatras are used for various purposes
and one of its major uses is to determine starting point of a dasha or
planetary period or cycles that divide the time in major periods and sub
periods and to choosing a muhurtha or auspicious time for any important
activity.As per with their qualities, the 27 constellations are divided into
following categories and are favorable muhurtha for:
Sthira or Fixed,
Chara or Movable,
Ugra or Fierce,
Kshipra or Swift,
Mridu or Tender,
Tikshna or sharp,
Misra or Mixed
The Sthira or Fixed nakshatras are Rohini, Uttara Phalguni,
Uttara Ashadha, and Uttara Bhadrapada. These constellations are favorable for
any work of fixed, stability and long term purpose like planting trees,
purchasing property, laying the foundations for buildings, construction of
home, factory etc. This will be more auspicious if these nakshatras happen to
fall on Sunday.The Chara or Movable nakshatras are Punarvasu, Swati, Shravana,
Dhanishtha, and Shatabhisha. These constellations are favorable for buying
automobiles, vehicles, gardening, going on journey and travel. This will be
more auspicious if these nakshatras happen to fall on Monday.The Ugra or Fierce
nakshatras are Bharani, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Purva Ashadha, and Purva Bhadrapada.
These constellations are favorable for destructive deeds such as demolishing
any structure, setting fires, making imprisonment and works that require force,
weapons and confronting enemies. This will be more auspicious if these
nakshatras happen to fall on Tuesday.The Kshipra or Swift nakshatras are
Ashwini, Pushya and Hasta. These constellations are favorable for trade and
commercial transactions, admission in school or college, using medicine, taking
or giving loans, journey and travel. This will be more auspicious if these
nakshatras happen to fall on Thursday.The Mridu or Tender nakshatras are
Mrigashira, Chitra, Anuradha, and Revati. These constellations are favorable
for making new friends and enjoyment of pleasures, romance, dance, drama,
fashionable clothes, writing of poetry. This will be more auspicious if these
nakshatras happen to fall on Friday.The Tikshna or Sharp nakshatras are Ardra,
Ashlesha, Jyeshtha, and Mula. These constellations are favorable for filing for
a divorce, black magic, casting spells, exorcism, punishment, hypnotism,
evoking of spirits, goblins, demons etc. This will be more auspicious if these
nakshatras happen to fall on Saturday.The Misra or mixed nakshatras are
Krittika and Vishakha. These constellations are favorable for activities like
worshiping, fire ceremonies, purchasing furniture and electronics. This will be
more auspicious if these nakshatras happen to fall on Wednesday.
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