Activate your body and brain

Your heart is not located half-way down, it is placed three-fourths of the way up because pumping blood up against gravity is more difficult than pumping it down. The blood vessels which go upward are a finer arrangement compared to those going down. As they go up into the brain, they are almost hair-like, to such a point that they cannot even take one extra drop. If one extra drop is pumped in, something will burst and you will have a hemorrhage.

Most people have hemorrhages in their brain. This does not incapacitate you in any major way, but small damages happen. You may become duller, which people are becoming. Your level of intelligence after the age of 35 drops in many ways unless you take enormous care to keep it up. You are managing because of your memory, not because of your intelligence.

Sleeping Positions: Why North Is Not The Best Direction

What happens when you put your head to the north?

If you have any kind of blood-related problem, let’s say anemia, what would a doctor prescribe? Iron. It is an important ingredient in your blood. You have heard of the magnetic fields on the planet. In many ways, the earth is engineered because of its magnetism. That’s how powerful the magnetic forces are on the planet.

If you place your head to the north and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours, the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain.

When the body is positioned horizontally, you can immediately make out that your pulse rate drops. The body makes this adjustment because if blood is pumped at the same level, too much will go into your head, causing damage. Now, if you place your head to the north and stay that way for 5 to 6 hours, the magnetic pull will cause pressure on your brain. If you are beyond a certain age and your blood vessels are weak, you could have hemorrhages and paralytic strokes. Or, if your system is sturdy and these things don’t happen to you, you could get up agitated because there is more circulation in the brain than there should be when you are sleeping. It is not that if you do this for one day, you will fall dead. But if you do this every day, you are asking for trouble. What kind of trouble depends on how strong your system is.

So, which is the best direction to sleep with your head pointing towards? East is the best direction. North-east is okay. West is alright. South, if you must. North, no. This is true as long as you are in the northern hemisphere – sleeping with your head towards any side except north is okay. In the southern hemisphere, don’t put your head to the south.

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Tips to Wake up Well

The right and wrong side of the bed!

Your heart is an important aspect of your physiology. The station that pumps life across the body – if this one thing doesn’t happen, nothing happens – starts from your left side. In India, the culture has always said that when you wake up, you must roll to your right side and then get out of bed. When your body is in a certain state of relaxation, its metabolic activity is low. When you get up, there is a certain surge of activity. So you need to roll over to your right side and get up because at a lower level of metabolic activity, if you suddenly roll to your left, you will put pressure upon your cardiac system.

Activate your body and brain

In the tradition, they also told you that before you get up in the morning, you must rub your hands together and place your palms upon your eyes. They said that if you do this, you will see God. It is not about seeing God.

Before you get up in the morning, you must rub your hands together and place your palms upon your eyes.

There is a heavy concentration of nerve endings in your hands. If you rub your palms together, all the nerve endings are activated and the system comes awake immediately. When you wake up in the morning and still feel sleepy and drowsy, just do this and see, everything comes awake. Instantly, a whole range of nerves connected with your eyes and other aspects of your senses come awake. Before you move your body, your body and brain should be active. You shouldn’t get up dumb, that’s the idea.

The Five Pandavas

Pandu married Kunti, the adopted daughter of Kuntibhoja, and Madri, the princess of Madra. One day, Pandu went hunting, and he saw a pair of deer making love. Unconcerned, he thought they were an easy target, and he shot them. He was such a good archer that he shot both of them with a single arrow, as he intended to do. Fatally struck, the stag, which happened to be a sage who had taken this form, said before he died, “There is a law among hunters not to kill a pregnant animal or an animal that is making love because it means the future generation is in the making. You broke this law. For having done so, if you ever touch your wife with any kind of desire, you shall have a violent death.” So the situation was that Pandu had no children yet; he had two wives, but he could not go to them because of this curse.

For a king and for the future of his kingdom, not having children was a big problem. Who was going to be the future king?

For a king and for the future of his kingdom, not having children was a big problem. Who was going to be the future king? The moment others saw there was no strong prince in succession to the throne, just about anyone would get ambitious. This was a political problem.

Once again, as in the previous generation, the Kuru clan did not have progeny. Pandu got so frustrated with this situation that he gave up all his power and authority and went to live with his wives in the forest. He interacted with the sages who were around and tried to keep himself busy, tried to forget that he was a king, but this deep frustration kept on growing within him. One day, when it reached its peak, he told Kunti, “What shall I do? I want to kill myself. If none of you bear children, the Kuru clan will be lost. Dhritarashtra also does not have children. Besides, he is a king in name only, and since he is blind, his children anyway should not be kings.

When he expressed his frustration to a point where he wanted to commit suicide, Kunti revealed something about herself. She said, “There is a possibility.” He asked, “What?” She said, “When I was a young girl, Sage Durvasa came to my father, and I was his hostess. He was so pleased with me that he gave me a mantra. He said with this mantra, I can call for any god I wish and I can bear his child. So if you really wish, I will do this for you.” She did not tell him that she had already called someone in the past. Pandu was more than eager. He said, “Please do it. Whom shall we call?” They thought for a moment; then Pandu said, “We must call Dharma. We must have Dharma’s son as the king of the Kuru clan.” Dharma is also known as Yama, the Lord of Death and Justice.

Birth of Yudhishthira and Bhima

Kunti withdrew into the forest and called for Dharma, and Dharma came. She bore a child, who was named Yudhishthira and considered as the first of Pandu’s sons. A year had passed when Pandu became greedy and said, “Let us have one more child.” Kunti said, “No, we have a son and the Kuru clan has progeny. This is enough.” He said, “No, we must have one more child.” He begged and pleaded, “What will they think of me if I have only one son. Please have one more.” “So who should be the father?” Pandu said, “We have Dharma, but we also need strength. So let us call Vayu, the God of the Winds.” She withdrew and called for Vayu. Vayu came. Because he was such a fierce presence, they could not stay where they were. He took Kunti and went away.

There is a beautiful, detailed description in the Mahabharat of how they initially crossed the mountains, then the oceans, before they flew into Ksheera Sagara, which means “ocean of milk” – the Milky Way. He showed her that the Earth is actually round. He told her that when it is day in Bharatvarsh, on the other side of the globe, it is night. And when it is night here, it is day there. And that there was another great civilization on the other side of the planet, what kind of people lived there, and what their skills and capabilities were. He said that there were also great sages, seers and warriors in that land. Kunti bore another child, the son of Vayu – Bhima, who, as he grew up, was described as the strongest man in the world.

Arjuna’s Birth

After some time, Pandu said, “I know I am greedy, but after seeing these two beautiful sons, how can I resist? I want one more son – just one more.” Kunti said, “No, no.” Time passed, but Pandu would not leave her. She finally said, “Okay, who?” He said, “Let’s get Indra, the king of all gods – none less than that.” She invited Indra and bore a child by him – Arjuna, the greatest archer and warrior. The Mahabharat refers to him as the Kshatriya, which means the warrior. There has never been another warrior like him, and there never will be.

Madri’s Jealousy

The three divine children grew up and started displaying phenomenal skills, capabilities, and intelligence. All the focus was upon them and their mother Kunti. Pandu’s other young wife, who neither had a husband to call her own nor children, grew increasingly bitter. One day, Pandu noticed that Madri was no more the sweet bride he had married – her face looked venomous. He asked, “What is the matter? Aren’t you happy?” She said, “How can I be happy in this place? It is all about you, your three sons, and your other wife. What is there for me?” After an initial argument, she said, “If you can ask Kunti to teach me the mantra, I will also bear children. Then you will pay attention to me too. Otherwise, I am just an appendage.”

Pandu understood her plight. He went to Kunti and said, “Madri needs a child.” Kunti said, “Why? My children are also her children.” He said, “No, she wants children of her own. Can you teach her the mantra?” Kunti said, “I cannot teach the mantra, but if it is necessary, I will use the mantra, and she can call for any god that she wants.” She took Madri into a cave in the forest and said, “I will use the mantra. Think of the god that you want.” The young woman was confused, “Whom shall I call? Whom shall I call?” She thought of the two Ashvins, who are not gods but demi-gods. Ashva means horse – the two were divine horsemen linked to the clan who were horse experts. Madri had twins of these Ashvins – Nakula and Sahadeva.

The Five Pandavas

So Kunti had three children – Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Arjuna. Madri had two children – Nakula and Sahadeva. But Pandu still wanted more children. For a king, the more sons he had, the better. When battles happened, the number of sons may decrease, so it was best to have as many as possible if you wanted to conquer, or even just rule the land. Kunti said, “This is it. No more children for me.” Pandu pleaded, “Okay, if you are not willing, use the mantra for Madri.” She said, “Nothing doing,” because the queen who had the maximum number of sons would be the main queen. She had three sons, Madri had two, and she didn’t want to give away this arithmetic advantage. She said, “Nothing doing. We are not using the mantra anymore.”

The sons of Pandu were referred to as Pandavas. The boys grew up as pancha Pandavas, the five Pandavas. They were the king’s children and members of the royal clan, but they were born and grew up in the forest for about 15 years.

Dharma and Adharma

The whole epic of Mahabharat revolves around two fundamental aspects – dharma and adharma. When you say “dharma” and “adharma,” most people think in terms of right and wrong, correct and incorrect, good and bad. There are different ways to look at dharma and adharma. A kshatriya, a warrior, has his own kind of dharma. A brahmana, a teacher, has his own kind of dharma, and so do a vaishya and a shudra.

This is a sophisticated way of looking at life. Not only do different groups of people have their own dharma – each individual has his or her own dharma. You will repeatedly hear Bhishma and everyone else say, “This is my dharma.” If everyone has their own dharma, their own law, then one could ask, where is the law? The Kurukshetra war did not happen because everyone had their own law and they became contrary to each other. The war happened because people broke their own dharma.

This is a way of looking at life, where everyone can have their own dharma, but still there is a common thread of dharma that no one can break. That way, everyone can live their lives in their own freedom but still not clash with each other. This fundamental thread of dharma allowed the possibility of civilized existence.

“Fishy Justice”

Before dharma was established, there was something called as matsya nyaya. There is a story around it. One day, a little fish happily moved around in the Ganga. But then a little bigger fish came from elsewhere. The small fish became a part of the bigger fish, and the bigger fish was happy. Another day, an even bigger fish came and ate up this other fish. Like this, bigger and bigger fish came and ate up the smaller fish. Then the big fish went to the ocean. It started eating up smaller fish and became so huge that if it just wagged its tail, the ocean rose and hit the Himalayas. It became a threat to the world.

This story needs to be understood in the right context. Even today it is true that every fish is trying to get bigger than what it is. If all the fish are growing at a similar pace, there will be a civilized society. But if one fish becomes super big, the fundamental laws and civilization of society tend to crash. That big fish’s whim will be the law.

From matsya nyaya, which means fishy justice, they strived to get the society to a place where every individual can have his freedom and pursue his own law without breaking the fundamental thread of law in society.

Dharma in the Mahabharat

Mahabharat was a situation where a few fish had grown too big and did not respect the fundamental thread of law that would allow each individual their own freedom. When they talked about law or dharma, they did not just refer to it as a civil code, not just for peace in the society, not just for human beings to find expression to their talent, love, and freedom. Dharma is about organizing life in such a way that everyone is moving towards their ultimate nature. If you are progressing towards your ultimate, original, divine nature, then you are in dharma. If you are not progressing, even if you do not harm anyone, you are not in dharma. This is the context of dharma in the Mahabharat.

When someone says, “This is my dharma,” it means, they may not like it, it may not be convenient for them, but this is the way for them to reach their ultimate nature. When Bhishma said, “This vow is my dharma. I will not break it, no matter if the Kuru lineage and the empire fall apart – though I am willing to give my life to this empire.” What he meant is that this was the way he was going to attain, and that he would not give it up.

You heard what Vidura said – “For the sake of a family, you can sacrifice an individual. For the sake of a village, you can sacrifice a family. For the sake of a nation, you can sacrifice a village. For the sake of the world, you can sacrifice a nation. For the sake of the ultimate nature, you can sacrifice the whole world.” This is the context in which they looked at dharma. They clearly saw that the ultimate nature is the ultimate goal and of ultimate significance.

Bhishma’s Power

Based on this, they formed all the laws. They considered even the simple laws of day-to-day life as a stairway towards their ultimate nature. Bhishma took this terrible vow – we call it “terrible” not because he became a brahmachari, not because he incapacitated himself, not because of his personal discomfort or loss, but because he put the Kuru lineage and nation that he loved so much at stake. He put at stake what meant most to him, saying that this is his dharma and the way for him to attain.

As we go along, you will see various situations where Bhishma seems almost superhuman. If a man is willing to transform the seed of life that is within him – a single cell that is able to create another human being – into a life force, then it becomes like a nuclear force. A single atom can create so much energy. At various times, people said they could not fight with Bhishma because he was a brahmachari. They could not kill him because he had transformed every seed in his body into a life force, which made him something like mortal by choice. It is from this background that they said Bhishma had the power to choose the time of his death. He was not immortal, but he could choose the time and place of his death, which is almost as good as immortality. Immortality can only happen if someone curses you. Can you imagine what kind of torture it would be if you had to live forever? Immortality is a curse. The choice of being able to die when you want to die is a boon.

Mahabharat – Way Ahead of Its Time

This is a process of tapping upon one’s own energies, and of tapping upon the energies in nature. Another example in the Mahabharat are the astras – powerful weapons. They said that the smallest particle in existence can be made into the biggest force on the battlefield. That sounds like an atomic bomb, even though they were still using bows and arrows. They also talked about the impact of certain astras, saying things like, “Even if you do not use this astra to destroy the whole world, the babies in their mother’s wombs will still be scorched.”

Either they had an unbelievably fabulous imagination, or they actually had this kind of knowledge. Did they have these kinds of weapons, did they witness them somewhere, or did someone come from somewhere else and tell them these things? We do not know, but you need to look at this story with a certain care. It is not just about some people fighting, a guy wanting a kingdom or a wife or a child. There are many dimensions to it.

Vishuddhi and Adiyogi

Vishuddhi, or Vishuddha, essentially means filter. If your Vishuddhi is active, it filters everything. Poisons can enter you in many ways – a wrong thought, emotion, idea, energy, or impulse can poison your life. An active Vishuddhi saves you from all these influences. In other words, once your Vishuddhi is active, whatever happens around you will not have an impact on you anymore. You will be established within yourself. And you tend to become a powerful being. We normally skip the Vishuddhi when people do sadhana because one aspect of activating the Vishuddhi is that you become competent in the occult. Vishuddhi is the center of occult. There are two types of occult – Muladhara type of occult and Vishuddhi type of occult. Adiyogi is the master of Vishuddhi occult. That is why his throat has turned blue.

Vishuddhi and Adiyogi

If you have reasonable mastery over your Vishuddhi, you will function on a different level of competence. People around you will think you are super human, though all that has happened is that you have accessed other ways of functioning. In many ways, Adiyogi is a representative of that, so much so that there are many names, such as Vishakantha, Neelakantha, and others, that describe him as an embodiment of Vishuddhi, not because that is the only quality he had, but because people recognized him for those things that were beyond their understanding.

Therefore, people recognized him for his Vishuddhi capability. His other capabilities were too subtle for them to notice. People expected something beyond what they considered as normal – in other words, they expected something weird to happen. If you put people on Vishuddhi sadhana, you will develop “weirdoes.” Who you define as “weirdo” is just a question of perspective. If you scraped the hair on your face every day, and someone else did not, in your understanding, he would be a weirdo. Or let us say one society developed the “sacred” tradition of cutting off a child’s nose after birth. If everyone did this and then one person came with an intact nose, suddenly that one would look like a weirdo.

If one’s Vishuddhi becomes active, energy capabilities will come that will allow you to create many things. If one wants to transmit something and transform the situations around oneself, having a certain mastery over the Vishuddhi is very important. But, for one who is focused on the Vishuddhi, it is a little hard to fit into social structures. You have heard these stories of Adiyogi – sometimes he is very resplendent, magnificent, the personification of the masculine; at other times, he is all weird and crazy. These stories describe different states that people saw him in. When they saw him in Vishuddhi, he was in the cremation ground, the weirdest of the weird. He had ganas and all kinds of beings around him, because the moment the Vishuddhi is active, disembodied beings will naturally move towards you.

The Vishuddhi Attraction

When we were consecrating Dhyanalinga, I was preparing people for different chakras, but the Vishuddhi was one thing I could not train anyone for because we did not have anyone weird enough for a quick transformation, considering the kind of time constraints we had. So I decided to use a particular disembodied being, a yogi who had attained a certain strength in the Vishuddhi. The moment we started doing this, a cobra somehow crawled, unnoticed by anyone, through the gathering of about four hundred people, and sat in a small pit that I had made to do something. When I saw this guy was trying to have a free ride with me, I picked him up, put him in a bag, and told someone to leave him in the forest, which they did. After a few hours, again this cobra was back in the same pit. He wanted to be there because he saw this was his chance.

When I used to meditate for long hours, either I sat on Chamundi Hill or in a small forest called Aloka in Mysore. Somehow I mostly chose to sit there in the afternoon, sometimes late nights. If I sat in the afternoons and meditated for a few hours, once I opened my eyes, there would be twelve to fifteen cobras sitting in front of me, waiting for a free ride. The moment Vishuddhi becomes active, they will be there. The cobra around Adiyogi’s neck is a symbolism that indicates the way to go and how things happen when the Vishuddhi becomes active.

Vishuddhi Is Not For All

Another reason why we generally skip the Vishuddhi with most people is because one who is looking for realization need not go through all these works. Only one who wants to explore the technologies of life, one who wants to transmit something, one who wants to become some kind of a repository for the future has to go through all this. For one who wants to just realize, none of these things are necessary – just a knock on your head, and it should happen. It is not all that complicated. But if you want to explore the nature of your existence, which is in some way a micro representation of the larger existence, it is an endless exploration.

Because it is a limitless exploration, we are categorizing the chakras for the sake of understanding, so that when different dimensions happen, you know how to recognize them. Otherwise, there is no need for categorization. The recognition will never happen out of your knowledge of the chakras, but only out of the strength of your experience. Still, the nature of human mind is such that it cannot keep quiet. It is hungry for something new all the time. You have to satisfy it in some way. Otherwise, it will not stay with anything. You have to make your mind feel a little smart. Otherwise, the damn fellow will interfere with everything in your life. Everyone, without exception, somewhere deep inside believes they are smart. You may be trained to be humble in front of other people, but within yourself, you think you are smart.

Vishuddhi and the Blue-Bodied Ones

When one’s energies are centered in the Vishuddhi, one develops an electric blue aura. This is why all the very active, capable beings of the past – such as Rama, Krishna, and of course Shiva – have always been described as blue-bodied in India. If you want to be realized and be active, you need a blue aura; that means you need the Vishuddhi to be active. Otherwise, you cannot act in ways that are beyond normal capability. Those who had the necessary awareness saw that these beings had a blue aura, so they described them as blue-bodied, and artists painted them head to toe blue, not because their skin was blue.

The symbolism of a blue body indicates a dynamism between sweetness of emotion and discernment of the mind. If too much sweetness of emotion happens, you do not want to be involved in the world; you are just fine the way you are. If the discernment of mind or intellect comes to such a point that you see everything distinctly clear, then you do not want to be involved with anybody. You become aloof.

Only if your Vishuddhi is active, if you are “blue-bodied,” then you can have sweetness of emotion and discernment of mind. You can play with the world whichever way you want and still not be touched by it.

mukti in this janma

Arjuna asked, ‘Who is considered more perfect – those devotees who worship you and are thus always united with you in love, or those who worship the eternal and indestructible and unmanifest?’ The Lord of Sri said, ‘Those who surrender themselves to me and fix their total devotion on me and worship me eternally with their minds absorbed in me, I consider them to be the most devoted to me. However, those who are devoted to the unmanifest, that which is beyond all senses, all pervading, they also attain me. But those who are absorbed in the unmanifest face excessive tribulation, as for the embodied being the path of that course is difficult to tread. But, O Arjuna, those whose minds are absorbed in me in total faith and who are engaged in devotional service unto me, for them I give deliverance from the cycle of birth and death.’”

You cannot experience that which is unmanifest – you can only believe in it. Even if you believe in the unmanifest, it is going to be very difficult for you to develop and keep up intense love and devotion towards that which is not. It is so much easier for you to hold your focus of devotion towards that which is. At the same time, he says, “If someone is capable of holding their devotion to the unmanifest, they will also attain me.” When he says “me,” he is not talking about himself as an individual, he is talking about that dimension which includes both the manifest and the unmanifest. “If someone takes that route, they will also come to me, but it involves much tribulation,” because directing your emotions towards something that is not here is difficult for you. You need a form, a shape, a name – something that you can relate to in order to steadily keep up your devotion.

Even if you have lived a stupid life, still ultimate release will not be an issue once you are in a certain presence, unless you really screw it up in the final moments of your life.

“As for the embodied being, the path of that course is difficult to tread.” This means, if you, as a being who has a body and an intellectual discretion, dedicate yourself to an unmanifest dimension of existence, every day, your intellect will question whether you are really going somewhere or wasting your time. For beings who are not embodied, it is more of a possibility, because they do not have to struggle with their intellect – they go by their tendencies. If they are spiritually oriented, they generally orient themselves towards the unmanifest – not out of conscious choice but out of their tendencies. Therefore, for a disembodied being, a being who is beyond the limitations of the five elements, who is beyond the limitations and the discretion of the intellect, that is a more suitable path. But for an embodied being, it is better to direct your emotions towards something that you can relate to. That is why he says, being focused on him as a live person, it is much easier to attain. Looking for the unmanifest can become a philosophical drama within yourself, without you making an inch of progress.

“But, O Arjuna, those whose minds are absorbed in me in total faith and who are engaged in devotional service unto me, for them I give deliverance from the cycle of birth and death.” This not only Krishna said – any being who is fully realized always says this in one way or another. When people ask me questions like, “Will I get mukti in this janma [birth]?” I tell them, “Just get onto my bus. You don’t have to drive – you just sit in the bus.” But your ego is such that you want to do the driving too. There are many people who sit in the backseat and keep driving – usually, they only apply brakes.

If you are in a certain presence, your attainment at the last moment is not an issue. The question is how beautifully you live the remaining part of your life. Even if you have lived a stupid life, still ultimate release will not be an issue once you are in a certain presence, unless you really screw it up in the final moments of your life. If even at the last moment, you do not have the necessary sense and you get into a huge sense of anger, hatred, or desire, life may perpetuate itself. Otherwise, once you made the mistake of sitting with me, when you die, you will be dead for good. That is what he says here too. These translations into English are not quite accurate. What he actually says is, “If at least for one moment, you are truly absorbed in me, you will attain.”

He tells Arjuna, “Don’t bother about the result of the war. You are here. You have to fight. Whether you win or not is a question of capabilities and other factors. Just fight, and do it well. If you win, enjoy the kingdom. If you die, anyway I ensure your ultimate wellbeing.” Again he is making clear that when it comes to external situations, he cannot ensure everything. With the internal, there is absolute guarantee. But he says, “I will make sure there will be no more birth for you.” This is true with me too. I can ensure that you will not have another birth, but I cannot ensure that you will have a breakfast tomorrow. That may look ridiculous to a logical mind, “If you can ensure such a big thing, why can’t you ensure the breakfast?” That is the reality of life. I cannot ensure tomorrow’s breakfast for you, but I can ensure your ultimate wellbeing. When it comes to inner dimensions, I can completely take charge. When it comes to outside situations, there is no guarantee – everyone has to strive.

Bhagvadgita

“The Lord of Sri said, ‘One who does his duties properly and renounces the fruit of his action is both a renunciate and a yogi. It is not possible to become a sanyasi merely by forgoing work and sacrificial fire. O Son of Pandu! Sanyasa is yoga, because only by giving up all selfish impulses can one attain yoga. For someone who has just begun yoga, accomplishment of yoga can be attained by action. But for those who have already attained yoga, perfection is possible through termination of all activity. When all attachment towards sense objects and action cease, all material impulses stop, one attains yoga. Whether one attains elevation or degradation through one’s mind is up to oneself, for the mind can be one’s friend or one’s foe.”

When he says, “One who does his duties properly and renounces the fruit of action is both a renunciate and a yogi. It is not possible to become a sanyasi merely by forgoing work and sacrificial fire,” it means that it is not the action which is entangling. To give an example – let’s say you are an accountant. Going to the office, counting numbers, coming home does not entangle you. But you are going to the office because it gives you a certain prestige, access, and other benefits. You are going to the office not because you love to count numbers but for the fruit of action. He is trying to take that away from you. If you do not get any salary, no prestige, no social access, no benefits of any kind – would you still be willing to work? It is not that you should not eat or enjoy what is around you, but if those things were not there, would you still work with the same intensity? That is what is of utmost value and significance here.

It is never what you do which entangles you. It is the expectation of what you should get which entangles you.

The volunteers here who are cooking in the kitchen, arranging all these flowers, doing all this work, are not getting a prize. They are not getting paid; they do not even get to sit in the hall. But do you think they do anything with resentment, like “I do not get to participate in the Leela, so why the hell should I do all this”? There is none. They are simply doing it. This is renouncing the fruit of action. Enormous effort is being made, without expecting the fruit of action. Often, there is not even a word of acknowledgement from me, because I do not want them to get entangled with that either.

Once you renounce the fruit of action, action will come easily. Once someone simply does it for the love of what they are doing, and above all because they want someone else to enjoy it, it does not matter whether they get to sit there too or not. Once you renounce the fruit of action, action is not entangling. It is never what you do which entangles you. It is the expectation of what you should get which entangles you. Just observe yourself – wherever you do action without expectation, what is your experience? Wherever you do action with expectation, what is your experience? If you look at that, you will speak Gita.

Since you will not drop the fruit of action out of awareness, there is so much talk about love. When you have a deep sense of love for someone, it is easier to drop the fruit of action. In this sense, generally everywhere in the world and especially in this culture, women are better karma yogis than men. Being a housewife with husband and children is a full-time job. If they cook, whether they themselves eat or not, they want the child and the husband to eat. Everything they do is done without expecting any fruit of action. Somehow, they have a different quality about themselves, a certain sense of peace and life. In this generation, it is dissipating because they are getting educated, and unfortunately, the way education is structured right now, it creates endless want.

Once you are educated, there is no question of sitting and relaxing. You must be “on” endlessly. Modern education has brought this madness in progress. During the 60’s, one of the hippies slogans was “Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat.” Do you want to be one? The hippie movement’s intention was right – longing to break away, longing to know another dimension of life – but unfortunately, it happened without guidance. Some opportunistic people misused this, and the whole thing floundered. People used drugs, killed themselves, got drunk and only hastened their destruction rather than getting anywhere. Some people got their lives straightened out, others got washed away.

Absolute inaction is samadhi.

Becoming free from the fruit of action is a complete release. Action is never a suffering. It is expecting the fruit of action which causes suffering. If you did not expect anything, you would work joyfully, and with tremendous ability, because what comes in the end is not the point. If you enjoyed doing something, you would simply throw yourself absolutely into it. That is the culture we want to create.

“O Son of Pandu! Sanyasa is yoga, because only by giving up all selfish impulses can one attain yoga.” This is the same thing said in a different way. He clarifies here that sanyasa does not mean not doing anything. It just means you have given up selfish impulses – “selfish” not in social terms but in the sense of being too concerned about the fruit of action. No matter if it is not for you but for other people – your family, your community or whoever – you should do all this without any great expectation of the fruit. If you get a fruit, eat it – there is nothing wrong with that. It is not the fruit that kills you. It is the expectation of the fruit of action that kills you.

“For someone who has just begun yoga, accomplishment of yoga can be attained by action. But for one who has already attained yoga, perfection is possible through termination of all activity.”

Many people ask me, “Shall I just come to the ashram?” Their idea is to drop all the action that they have been doing in their lives – their responsibilities, their family, their work, their business – and come here to just meditate. No – even here, we put people to action, because the part of their prarabdha that is dedicated to action is not yet exhausted. Prarabdha is an allotted amount of karma. Certain amounts of your life energy are dedicated to different aspects, including action, thoughts, and emotions. You have to either expend or transcend the energy dedicated to action. The simplest way is to expend it. If you work more, the energy allotted for action is expended sooner.

Unless you expend the allotted energy, you cannot sit still. If you want to sit here without any movement within you, without a single thought or emotion or anything else, simply like empty space, you have to work to expend that energy. Otherwise, you must do the necessary sadhana to transform this energy into something else, which is much subtler and takes a deeper level of sadhana. Expending energy through excessive action is good in the earlier phase of sadhana. That is why he says, “For someone who has just begun yoga, accomplishment of yoga can be attained by action.” Here, he does not mean accomplishment in the sense of ultimate accomplishment.

The next sentence is: “But for one who has already attained yoga, perfection is possible through termination of all activity.” Once you have expended your prarabdha karma, which means the energy allotted for action is used up, you terminate all activity and attain perfection. One level of human consciousness or experience is referred to as yoga – another level is translated as “perfection.” Do we have the original Sanskrit? Chapter Six, Verse Three.

Participant: Yogarudhasya tasyaiva shamah karanam ucchyate

The English translation may not be accurate. Anyway – for a beginner, action is good. First you have to bring yourself to the point where you transcend the basic force of physical existence – the karmic bondage or prarabdha. When all attachment to sense objects and actions cease and all material impulses stop, one attains yoga. Instead of talking about the mind, he talks about the senses. Both are connected – the five senses are the mouths of the mind. Without the five senses, the mind has no feed. If the sense organs do not take in anything, the mind has no food to go on with.

Absolute inaction is samadhi. In samadhi, you drop both external and internal activity – even the physiological activity drops. Termination of activity is not only about outer activity but also inner activity – thoughts, emotions, bodily functions – everything is still.

Muggulu or rangoli is basic tradition in� India

Muggulu or rangoli is basic tradition in� India ..particularly in southern part of India This Muggulu is kept in front of the house every day in the early morning..This is very important in Hindu culture..This symbolizes inviting goddess lakshmi to home..

As far as i know..if a Hindu house don't have this rangoli or muggu in front of their home ..it was usually considered that something bad happened in their home like death . As drawing muggu is managalakara work..they wont keep muggu in front of their homes until death ceremony is done after 11 days of death ( pedda karma)..

This muggulu is drwan in a very different and color full styles during january month as sankranthi is coming in this month.young girls in the family usually keep this muggulu in a colorful� n beautiful way staring from a month before n continue keeping till the festival.. and this muggulu will be decorated with colours n flowers during special days.

The place in front of the house is cleaned n made wet with� olain water or dung water..and on the wet land this muggu is drawn by hand �For drawing muggu usually rice flour or muggu powder is used..Muggu powder is the powder of some white rock called muggu rayi .

As i heard from from my elders that the actual reason of this muggu is for feeding birds. As we Indians are having kind heart n helping nature..the tradition of muggu came out ,,In previous days Muggu is kept only with rice flour..so that ants n birds can eat this..and will also be decoration in front of our house.

I will post some collections of this rangoli..hope it will help u� in learning. You can also contribute your rangoli so that i can post in my site.

This muggu will be easy to learn with dots..place the dots as mentioned and try to join them� n colour the ranjoli as per ur taste.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

10 dots

continue to the next line by leaving th edge dots�continue till u reach two dots. ..particularly in southern part of India This Muggulu is kept in front of the house every day in the early morning..This is very important in Hindu culture..This symbolizes inviting goddess lakshmi to home..

As far as i know..if a Hindu house don't have this rangoli or muggu in front of their home ..it was usually considered that something bad happened in their home like death . As drawing muggu is managalakara work..they wont keep muggu in front of their homes until death ceremony is done after 11 days of death ( pedda karma)..

This muggulu is drwan in a very different and color full styles during january month as sankranthi is coming in this month.young girls in the family usually keep this muggulu in a colorful� n beautiful way staring from a month before n continue keeping till the festival.. and this muggulu will be decorated with colours n flowers during special days.

The place in front of the house is cleaned n made wet with� olain water or dung water..and on the wet land this muggu is drawn by hand �For drawing muggu usually rice flour or muggu powder is used..Muggu powder is the powder of some white rock called muggu rayi .

As i heard from from my elders that the actual reason of this muggu is for feeding birds. As we Indians are having kind heart n helping nature..the tradition of muggu came out ,,In previous days Muggu is kept only with rice flour..so that ants n birds can eat this..and will also be decoration in front of our house.

I will post some collections of this rangoli..hope it will help u� in learning. You can also contribute your rangoli so that i can post in my site.

This muggu will be easy to learn with dots..place the dots as mentioned and try to join them� n colour the ranjoli as per ur taste.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

10 dots

continue to the next line by leaving th edge dots�continue till u reach two dots.

Bhogi Pandigai

2018 Sankranti Calendar 2018, Bhogi | Bhogi Pandigai

In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Sankranti is celebrated for four days. The certain rituals are followed during each of the four days and those days are known as

Day 1 - Bhogi which is also known as Bhogi Pandigai.

Day 2 - Makara Sankranti which is known as Pedda Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Day 3 - Kanuma Panduga in Andhra Pradesh and Mattu Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Day 4 - Mukkanuma in Andhra Pradesh and Kaanum Pongal in Tamil Nadu.

Bhogi is the first day of the four days Sankranti festivities and it is observed one day before of main Makara Sankranti day. On Bhogi day, people discard old and derelict items which are no longer in use. People get up before dawn and light bonfire, famously known as Bhogi Mantalu, with wood and other solid fuels. Derelict wooden items at home are offered to the fire as a Bhogi ritual. People also lit crackers early in the morning.

Bhogi Pallu

In many Telugu families in Andhra, kids between the age group of three to six are showered with Indian jujube fruit known as Regi Pallu. The children are dressed up in colorful attires, including traditional Langa-Voni for the girls, for the occasion. A potpourri of Regi Pallu, Senagalu (soaked and drained black grams), flower petals, pieces of sugarcane, jaggery and coins are showered on them. It is believed that the ritual of Bhogi Pallu protects children from evil eye, bless the children with material abundance and long life.

Apart from the ritual of Regi Pallu, Ariselu Adugulu is also organized for kids. Ariselu(s), which is a sweet dish made of rice, are put on the floor and small kids are asked to walk on them. Ariselu Adugulu is celebrated to mark the occasion when the kid learns to take its first step.

To mark the occasion of Bhogi, various Rangoli competitions are organized and the big and colourful Rangolis of bright hues are drawn outside home and buildings. Many families display Bommala-Koluvu of several tiers at home. On Bhogi day sweets are prepared in generous quantities and distributed among families and friends.

Makar Sankranti is four days festivity period which is dedicated to Lord Sun. All rituals during Makar Sankranti are gestures of thanksgiving to natural resources which make life possible on the Earth. The Sun God is worshipped for bestowing good harvest and nurturing livestock. The cattle especially bulls and oxen are worshipped for their significance in traditionally ploughing fields.

Makar Sankranti is celebrated throughout India. In North India people take holy dip in Ganga on Makar Sankranti day. Thousands of people throng Hindu pilgrimage places like Haridwar, Banaras and Allahabad to take holy dip in Ganga. It is believed that holy dip in Ganga on Sankranti purges all sins committed by the person. Makar Sankranti is also the main bathing day at Ganga Sagar Mela which is held near Kolkata. Sikh community especially in Punjab and Haryana celebrates Lohri one day before Sankranti.

Makar Sankranti is known as Uttarayan in Gujarat. Uttarayan is a significant festival in Gujarat which lasts for two days. The main day of Makar Sankranti is known as Uttarayan and the next day of Uttarayan is known as Vasi Uttarayan or stale Uttarayan. The day is considered highly auspicious and is dedicated to Lord Surya.

In Tamil Nadu people celebrate Makar Sankranti as Pongal. Pongal is celebrated for four days but the most important day of Pongal festivity is known as Thai Pongal and it is celebrated on Makar Sankranti day. Thai Pongal is followed by Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal. The day before Thai Pongal is known as Bhogi.

In Andhra Pradesh, similar to Tamil Nadu, Makar Sankranti is celebrated for four days. The day before Sankranti is known as Bhogi Pandigai. The main Sankranti day is known as Pedda Panduga, which is followed by Kanuma Panduga and Mukkanuma.

In Kerala, the most important event on Makar Sankranti is Makaravilakku. The world famous Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple celebrates Sankranti during evening by lighting Makaravilakku. Makaravilakku is artificial light that is created three times at a distant hill. Thousands of devotees wait for Makaravilakku as it symbolizes celestial lighting at Sabarimala Hills.

TWELFTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

First house represents the beginning, the birth and 12th house in Vedic Astrology, being the last house completes the lifecycle and represents the endings. It stands for seclusion, solitude and emancipation. This is the house of detachments. Whatever you have to detach from is represented by 12th house in horoscope, your materialistic tendencies, source of expenses, and so on. When afflicted, this house can lead to jail sentence, hospitalization, sleeplessness, separation, addictions, secret enemies, suspicion, inferiority complex and loss of near and dear ones. Affliction of the house also causes mental weaknesses, susceptibility to unspiritual addictions such as to intoxication, sex, enslavement, and so on.

This house is about letting things go, but this does not necessarily means negative. Being the last house, it represents what you have to renounce to move towards liberation. It stands for the time when you have to detach yourself from the material world and return to where you started – the purest form. It is a very important house concerning spiritual liberation. 12th house in astrology represents Moksha, when you are free from the endless cycle of birth and death, miseries of material life. It represents the freedom of the soul from the shackles of worldly attachments.

This is a crucial house in the horoscope for monks, sages, and people striving towards illumination. It also governs places like ashrams, meditation centers, monasteries, places of worship etc. Your capacity to relinquish everything to unite with the divine force is determined by the planetary position in the 12th house. It plays a prominent role in activities you indulge in out of generosity. Actions without expectations relate to this house. The tendency to be giving, humble and compassionate is ruled by twelfth house. It mainly suggests losing yourself to find God, be one with him.

Twelfth house in astrology gives detachment from people that the planets occupying the house represent such as parents, siblings, neighbors, friends and relatives. This detachment can be in the form of separation or death. 12th house also relates to bed comforts so you sexual ability, desires, fulfillment and sleeping tendencies fall under this house too.  12th house also represents detachment from the native place, in the form of long distance travel to faraway places, foreign residency, travel abroad, trade with foreign cultures and people, import, export, international tourism and business.

This house relates to the 12th sign in the zodiac circle, Pisces that also relates to intuition, isolation and imagination. It is also known as the Vyaya Bhava in Vedic Astrology, and gives an insight into wasteful expenditure and spending habits. Saturn is the natural significator of the 12th house. In Mundane Astrology, 12th house represents law enforcement, punishment, health care institutions, charitable organizations, crime, secret forces, espionage, and so on.

ELEVENTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

11th house in Vedic Astrology is considered an auspicious house, also called the Labha house. Labha means gains, and 11th house is a strong indicator of income and gains. It represents prosperity, sudden profits, wealth, abundance, and income. Your aspirations and desires, and their fulfillment comes under 11th house only. 11th house is 5th from the 7th house which represents our desires, thus, it refers to the fulfillment or defiance of the desires, which is why it is called the house of gains.

What occupies this house governs what could be your sources of income, how you would mostly earn wealth. Not necessarily your profession, it explores other means also such as foreign sources, inheritance, speculation, and so on.

Eleventh house in astrology also represents your social sphere. People who you are likely to realize your desires with and who help you realize your dreams are governed by 11th house. It is also called the house of friendships. Whether you make friends easily or take your time, whether you prefer seclusion or are a social butterfly, what kind of people do you make friendship with, whether these friendships turn out to be fruitful or not are a few questions that 11th house answers. 11th house in astrology also governs the groups and communities you participate in and relationship you share with friends and siblings.

Eleventh house also rules your interest in social activities and matters. Your close acquaintances and well-wishers can be observed by this house. Whether you get financial assistance and gains from these associations is also determined by this house. 11th house also shows your relationship with paternal uncle.

It is also known as the badhaka house, badha means obstruction. Some of our desires are auspicious in nature while the fulfillment of some can be destructive. It is particularly badhaka (obstructive) towards cardinal signs - Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The placement and association of planets in the 11th house in horoscope defines whether you face obstacles in life or remove them. Positive placement indicates there would be lots of opportunities but some obstacles too, and you would be able to topple them.

Since it relates to Labha or gains, it also plays a role in determining what brings you success and gains and what not. Whether your hopes and desires are realized or not also comes under 11th house. Whether you get success in your endeavors related to higher education, business, litigation, job, or speculation also fall under the rule of 11th house.

11th house relates to the 11th sign in the zodiac cycle, which is Aquarius. Sun is the natural significator of this house. Body parts that this house governs include ankles and calf. In Mundane Astrology, this house stands for legislation, friendly neighboring countries and allies.

TENTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

This is the Karma Bhava in Vedic Astrology, relating to the work you do and the profession you are involved in. Your area of occupation is defined by the planetary placement in this house. This is essentially the house of career. A thorough analysis of tenth house in Vedic Astrology answers some key questions such as what would be your line of work, whether you would be successful, what career mistakes you could make, whether you would be an employer or employee and so on. Whether you are in a position of authority or are at the service of others also comes under 10th house realm. Your connection with people of high-ranking positions and power is also ruled by 10th house. It also governs your earning capabilities.

Tenth house in astrology is degree of the ecliptic that was highest at the time and place of birth. And that is what it represents, your highest achievements and the desire to achieve heights. It is about power, prestige, social status, financial strength, achievements, recognition, respect and position. Whether you become a popular face and earn fame is also governed by 10th house. It represents the bigger picture, your ultimate career goals and the professional endeavors you make to reach there.

10th house is the most important angular house. When it makes a combination with 9th house, it forms the biggest Raj Yoga, leading the native towards success. It is also the “Artha” house, which means economy. So your financial prosperity and material strength also come under 10th house.

It also defines your professional outlook, whether you are a hard worker, ambitious and determined person or a lazy lad, disinterested in career matters. 10th house is not just about your vocation, it is also about avocation. The reason why you choose a particular field is also determined by studying 10th house in horoscope. Is it financial, emotional or by hobby?

This house relates to Capricorn, which is also a sign known for its workaholic tendencies and sense of ambition. Saturn and Mars are strongly associated with this house and both are related to work and aspiration. In Mundane Astrology, 10th house refers to the main leader whether it is the PM or a royal figure. The party that holds the administration is also represented by the 10th house. The cream of the society and people in power also fall under the terrain of 10th house. The integrity, values, status and honor of the nation along with its reputation among others is also governed by 10th house. It specifically relates to the commercial, political and employment industry.

NINTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

Also called the Dharma Bhava in astrology, 9th house represents one’s religious instincts, dharma, uprightness, good karma, ethics, higher learning & values and spiritual inclination. It shows one’s religious beliefs, whether the person believes in religion or not, if the person would stick to the conservative religious values or question them. Ninth house in Vedic Astrology also gives a philosophical bent of mind. It gives one an inclination towards charity and generous deeds.

This is also the house of luck. It determines whether fortune would favor you or not, if you would be able to sidestep troubles without much effort or not. It is also the karaka of higher education. A strong 9th house is often found in the horoscope of prominent writers. 9th house represents the journey towards the unknown, to discover what in beyond and above us. The understanding of the higher realms occurs either through higher education & learning in the form of studying psychology or philosophy or through spirituality. How strong is the 9th house in horoscope also determines whether the person would tread towards spiritual liberation or not.

It is the strongest trine house and when it forms a combination with the 10th house, which is considered the strongest angle house; it forms a powerful Raj Yoga, awarding the native with wealth, name and fame in abundance.

9th house also stands for father, what kind of relationship you share with him, how lucky you are for him or he is for you and also their financial status. Along with father, it also signifies your mentor and teacher. 9th house also tells you about your relationship with brother-in-law and sister-in-law. 9th house in astrology is a strong indicator of foreign travel too. Long distance journeys you take and whether they would be fruitful or not also comes under the realm of 9th house. Its assessment also determines whether and when you can take a pilgrimage. Invention, research, and exploration also fall in 9th house.

9th house relates to Sagittarius, and Jupiter is the natural signification of this house, which also relates to good luck, wealth, fortune, higher learning, wisdom and spirituality. In Mundane Astrology, ninth house refers to law, judgment, religious matters, education, immigration, and justice of a country. Body parts associated with ninth house are buttocks and back of thighs. The way the strength of the thighs determines whether you reach the finish line first, the strength of your teachings and philosophy of life determines whether you would learn the higher truth and be one with God or not.

EIGHTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

Along with 6th and 12th, 8th house is also considered to be malefic in many cases. 8th house in Vedic astrology rules over death, longevity and mental health. It has a direct impact upon one’s lifespan and the kind of death you may have. It could be natural, peaceful, accident by water or fire, suicide, violent or due to a chronic illness.

8th house is also related to wealth. Everything from sudden gains, losses, share of profit and legacies to inheritance and insurance come under the sphere of 8th house in astrology. It is also called the house of transformations and mysteries, it can bring depression, defame, delay, dissatisfaction and defeat. It also represents the dark side of life, such as the bad karmas and hidden sources.

When 8th house lord or the planets in the house are afflicted, it can affect the longevity of the person, cause chronic illnesses, miseries, fears, lack of mental peace, monetary issues, criminal tendencies, imprisonment, punishment, sexual problems, addictions, bad habits, deformities, loss of loved ones, death and so on. 8th house also represents your reproductive organs and ability, your sense of physical attraction.  It also refers to your partner’s finance.

On a positive note, when 8th house in horoscope is positive and strong, it can lead to a lot of positive outcomes. Native may have a long life and is likely to topple enemies and opposition. It also gives higher learning of the metaphysical realms and psychic abilities. The native may have a strong intuition and may be well versed in occult fields such as astrology, tantric knowledge, meditation, and emancipation. Such people are also masters of fields such as psychology, science, Mathematics, and paranormal studies.

Eighth house is also called the Ayur Bhava in Vedic Astrology. It relates to the sign of Scorpio, which is known for attributes such as the air of mystery, possessiveness, passion and ambition. Mars is the natural significator of 8th house. Body parts it governs include reproductive system and the colon area. In mundane Astrology, 8th house represents natural calamities, death rate of a country, debts, loss of battles, import, export, taxes, budget shortages, scarcity, and so on. It also refers to hidden things and secrecy, research, mines and minerals, archeology.

8th house essentially is considered difficult because this is the house of transformations. It makes the person withdraw from the material pleasures by inflicting miseries but the ultimate aim is salvation and spiritual liberation. It leads to the transformation of the soul, by purifying it and eradicating bad karma. The process nonetheless is agonizing but rewarding. We can also understand transformations in the context that 8th house shows the biggest changes that happen in one’s life that change the direction.

SEVENTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

This is the house of partnerships, the most important one being marriage. Until this house, the focus was on the individual, with this house, the focus shifts from self to the other. This house is just opposite the ascendant. First house is self and seventh house is partner, together they complement each other and make a whole, like Yin and Yang. So seventh house in astrology represents what you are looking for. Everything related to marriage is governed by this house. Your sense of attraction to opposite sex, desire to have a partner, need to commit, sexual fantasies, passion, possessiveness, and level of understanding are all governed by the position of planets in seventh house.

This house also relates to your ability to have children. Seventh house also relates to problems and disinterest in carnal fulfillment, illnesses of reproductive system, impotence and progeny problems. The reason why you indulge in a partnership is also apparent in the seventh house. Is it for love? Money? Social pressure? Practical reasons? Or to fill the void in your life?

The sense of cooperation and purpose is important to the seventh house. By cooperating and adjusting, we seek to realize our purpose, accomplish something like happiness, success, profit, and satisfaction. All sorts of partnerships come under the domain of seventh house, not just marriage. These include business partnerships, relationship with clients, contracts, negotiations, agreements and so on. The kind of relationship you share with your co-founder is governed by this house, who gets a bigger slice in profit is also ruled by 7th house in Vedic Astrology. Your relationship with everyone you enter into a contract with is also governed by seventh house in horoscope. Whether all these partnerships enrich your lives or cause your downfall is also assessed by the planetary position in the seventh house.

Seventh house also deals with the darker side of our relationships, the partnerships we form. Legal battles, divorce, quarrels, enmity, and fines also fall under the domain of this house. Your reaction to these adversities influence your relationship with the person and on a more global level in mundane astrology, it can lead to wars. In Mundane astrology, seventh house controls matters related to treaties, alliances with other countries, foreign affairs, law, international conflicts, foreign trade etc. Known as the Kalatra Bhava in Vedic Astrology, this house is ruled by Libra sign. Planet Venus is the natural significator of this house that also signifies love, romance and sexuality. It governs several body parts including kidneys and lower back.

SIXTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

6th house in Vedic Astrology is mostly associated with health and wellbeing. Maintaining a good health is also about building an ability to fight off adversities in life. We all do mistakes, face challenges and have shortcomings. How we deal with these mishaps such as diseases, misfortunes, opposition, enemies and crisis is what defines us as a person. 6th house also denotes our fears, and whether we can overcome them.

Service and employment are also central themes to the sixth house in Vedic Astrology. What lessons of service you learn in life, what work you should do, whom you serve, who serves you (servants & employees) and relationship with those who rely upon you for their bread and butter are all governed by the position of 6th house in horoscope. It is important to keep yourself strong and prepared to face the adversities so you can be of service to others, which again implies the role of health and diet. Your capacity to work hard and physical strength is also ruled by sixth house.

Sixth house in astrology also relates to obstacles, debts, difficulties, and enemies, the ability to overcome these and win over opposition. Sixth house is mostly related to healers such as doctors as well as those with most servitude such as police and military. What illnesses you are most susceptible to, how long do you take to recover, what part of the body is most vulnerable to injuries, strength of your immune system, and the duration of the illnesses all come under the domain of 6th house. This house also rules over diet, what food you eat along with your daily lifestyle and routine as this is what affects your health to a large extent.

Referred to as the Shatru Bhava in Vedic Astrology, 6th house is relates to Virgo, the sixth sign in the zodiac cycle. Mercury is the natural significator of this house. The body parts it rules include stomach, intestines, and digestive tract. 6th house in Mundane Astrology represents the common wage earners and concerns with issues related to public health, safety, sanitation, and hygiene. It also refers to the defense forces that protect the country. Matters concerning employment, labor laws, and human resources management also fall in the sphere of sixth house.

The relationship you share with your labor, coworkers, and maternal relatives are governed by 6th house. Sixth house also represents the disputes, litigation, and conflicts you indulge in and your ability to manage them. Your wicked and sinful acts also come under sixth house terrain. Where 6th house lord is placed and which planets occupy the 6th house also govern the area of life where you would face most miseries and challenges in life, where you would have to put extra efforts. It also denotes self-discipline, servitude, severity of acts, selfless service, and ability to work towards a better economical position.

FIFTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

5th house is about pleasure, what makes you feel good. Pleasure is often the output of creative acts you indulge in. So fifth house in Vedic astrology essentially relates to self-expression that brings you pleasure. It signifies your mental intelligence, the capability to create and innovate, bring novel ideas to old concepts. All forms of creative expressions are ruled by this house including arts and writing. The good karma you performed in previous lives and how it manifests in the form of your artistic abilities can also be seen through the fifth house.

This essentially is the house dealing with everything you create, including children. Your capability to have children, progeny possibilities, conception, miscarriage, relationship with your children, and their health is all governed by fifth house in horoscope. Raising your children, who are an extension of yourself, is also a source of pleasure. It also suggests birth of son, which is why it is called Putr Bhava in Vedic astrology.

While fourth house relates to conventions and traditions, 5th house in astrology is about innovation and expression. It relates to personal pleasure than social pressure, and social inclinations than familial responsibilities. It thus deals with your penchants, accomplishment, and creative pursuits, all that gives you emotional satisfaction and a sense of fulfillment in life.  The games you like to play, entertainment, recreation and even your love affairs come under the sphere of this house. The relationships you indulge in and whether you are successful or not is also governed by fifth house. It rules your indulgence in illegitimacy, affairs out of wedlock, illicit relations, illegitimate children, and attraction to opposite sex too depending upon the planets in the house and the position of 5th house lord.

Fifth house also rules your sense of discrimination, rationalization, mental intelligence, and analytical skills. Coherence, righteousness, process and chances of higher education, spiritual learning and pursuits are all ruled by 5th house. Fifth house is also related to good luck and fortune, your indulgence in speculation and investments. Your luck in gambling and matters involving risk of money can be assessed by reading 5th house. All games and speculative affairs where chance plays a role come under 5th house signification such as puzzles, socking, shares, sudden gains, racing, lotteries, betting, dice, casinos, cards etc.

Fifth house relates to Leo, the fifth sign in the Zodiac cycle. Jupiter is the natural significator of this house, which also relates to good luck, fortune, learning and wisdom. The body parts that fifth house rules include stomach, upper and middle back, pancreas, and spine. The fifth house in mundane astrology is thought to represent population and birth rate of the country. Fifth house also represents the ambassadors and national affairs of a country, especially relating to entertainment, education, youth, and sports.

FOURTH HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

Fourth house in Vedic astrology is all about your roots. This may include property, house, land, cattle, real estate matters, and possessions you have such as vehicles. Everything that refers to strong ties to your native place comes under the realm of this house. Relationship with mother, heritage, family values, and associations with homeland are also governed by the planetary position in the 4th house in horoscope. Overall, this is the house of domestic happiness and called the Bandhu Bhava in Vedic astrology.

The idea of home is central to the fourth house. It marks your journey of whether you build a house (of bricks and mortar) or a home (of family values and ties). When you are able to get the best of both worlds, you are at peace with yourself. Fourth house in Vedic astrology thus also refers to mental peace and emotional satisfaction. The idea is to create a sanctuary, where everyone can live under one roof with compassion and love. Societal norms, material security, family history, ancestry, culture, lifestyle and traditions also fall in the realm of this house.

It refers to the domestic environment, the condition of your family in the later part of life and how you handle familial issues. This suggests whether the person will have strong roots and immovable property and if the person will enjoy the comfort of having a family, owning a vehicle and having a place to call home. This house also refers to other permanent material possessions that reflect one’s heritage such as antiques and family heirlooms. It also tells whether the person lives close to or moves away from the native place. Moreover whether the native would have conservative values and a follower or traditions and customs or becomes a revolutionary also depends upon the planetary placement in 4th house and of 4th house lord. It also reveals a lot about your religious instincts. Fourth house also has an influence of our education.

Fourth house essentially marks our journey from the womb to tomb. Womb refers to the mother, also Mother Nature, our dwelling place, from where we originated, and to what we are most attached. It refers to the roots from where we grow, the place we call home. On the other hand, it also refers to old age, our final resting place. The ground or Earth from where we grow up is where we have to return one day, thus the full life cycle.

Fourth house relates to Cancer sign, the fourth sign of the zodiac. Moon, representing cultivation and mother is the natural significator of the fourth house in astrology. The body parts it rules include chest, breast and lungs. Fourth house in Mundane astrology refers to mother nature, agriculture, weather, climate, mines, and public buildings. Fourth house is also related to all that is under earth such as oil, mining, excavation, agriculture, extraction of natural resources and construction.

THIRD HOUSE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

Third house In Vedic astrology relates to communication, journeys, brothers, sisters, creativity, mental intelligence, interests, habits, and inclinations. It uncovers the realm of your mental and creative capabilities. Majorly, third house gives communication and rules all sorts of correspondence. How you exchange information, how you engage to people. It rules over different modes of communication too such as telephone, media, TV, radio, postal, social media, telegraphy, and so on. Communication here can be in any form, broadcasted, written, or spoken. It is called Sahaj Bhava in Vedic astrology, also read to assess one’s valor and courage.

Most of the communication in the third house takes place between the native and his younger siblings and neighbors. How you harness communication to understand and adapt in the surroundings comes under the realm of the third house too. Third house also represents one’s intelligence level. How you apply intellect in your communication in order to form mental connections also comes into play. Thus, communication in third house is not only spoken or written but also subconscious like telepathic connection between two individuals, most possibly between siblings. How we use our intelligence to think, process and share information and feelings in order to best adjust in our environment is governed by third house in astrology.

All sorts of profession relating to communication and travel come under the domain of third house such as media, journalism, publishing, writing, libraries, information technology, internet, broadcast, transport, tourism, railways and so on. Third house governs verbal expression and one’s inclinations, thus a positive placement in this house and of third house lord can engender artists, dancers, writers and so on.

Whatever third house in horoscope represents has a quality of proximity to it. It keeps one close to his immediate environment and keeps your social circle tight. It reflects your usage of intelligence and communication to form bonding with siblings, the first social connections one forms after parents, where you need to compromise and adjust. The nature of travel it gives also suggests proximate travel such as local tours or short distance getaways. It also governs early education.

Third house relates to Gemini, the third sign of the zodiac. Mercury, which also rules communication and intellect, is the natural signifier of this house. The body parts it rules include shoulders, arms, hands, upper chest, lungs, collarbone, ears, and breathing canal. In Mundane astrology, the third house refers to the neighbor countries and relation with them, the treaties they have signed together.