Plants & Nakshatr

|| Plants and Trees of Your Nakshatras Can Heal You  ||

The concept of adoption of a plant is been derived from ancient Vedic culture. The Vedic astrology is based on the concept of Nakshatras (Constellations) and Rashis (as per moon signs). There are in all 27 Nakshatras and every individual has a Nakshatra assigned to him/her depending on the date and time on which he/she is born (the tithi).

Every Nakshatra has a symbolic tree or plant that defines its connection with eternal nature. In ancient Vedic culture there was a tradition that whenever a baby is born in someone’s home, that person was supposed to plant a tree of the same Nakshatra on which the baby was born. The person was supposed to take care of the tree as his child because it was believed that the more good and healthy the tree will grow, it will prosper more health and happiness to the child.

If these trees have been assigned to the 27 nakshatras by the Vedic Rishis, than it will be worthwhile for us to know which tree belongs to our Janma Nakshatra (Birth Constellation) and to have some idea about its medicinal values or other applications.

So the presence of the complete set of 27 trees directly creates a healthy and sound physical, mental, psychological and spiritual beings; which is the ultimate and absolute bliss to oneself and to the Earth too!

Trees corresponding to Nakshtras and Rashis :

 Sr. No. : 1
Nakshatra Name : Ashwini
Moon Sign : Aries
Lord : Ketu
Tree/Plant : Strychnine tree, Poison Nut (कुचला)
Latin Name : Strychnous Nux-Vomica
It is important medicinal tree which has its mention in ancient system of medicine. The seeds of ripe fruit are poisonous, hence the name.

 Sr. No. : 2
Nakshatra Name : Bharani
Moon Sign : Aries
Lord : Venus
Tree/Plant : Amla, Indian Gooseberry (आवला)
Latin Name : Phyllanthus Emblica

 Sr. No. : 3
Nakshatra Name : Kritika
Moon Sign : Aries
Lord : Sun
Tree/Plant : Cluster Fig (औदुंबर)
Latin Name : Ficus Racemosa
 The Rashi tree for Aries is Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus Santalinus/रक्तचंदन). Being a rare species, plantation of this tree has its importance. It has tremendous medicinal properties and is mentioned number of times in Ayurveda. This tree is believed to purify air from toxic substances.

 Sr. No. : 4
Nakshatra Name : Rohini
Moon Sign : Taurus
Lord : Moon
Tree/Plant : Jamun, Java Plum (जांभूळ)
Latin Name : Syzygium Cumini

 Sr. No. : 5
Nakshatra Name : Mrig
Moon Sign : Taurus
Lord : Mars
Tree/Plant : Cutch tree (खैर)
Latin Name : Acacia Catechu


The Rashi tree for Taurus is Indian Devil tree, Blackboard tree (Alstonia Scolaris/सप्तपर्णी). It is an elegant fast-growing evergreen tree. With or without flowering, it is equally beautiful. It has many medicinal properties to its name. It is often planted as an ornament.

 Sr. No. : 6
Nakshatra Name : Ardra
Moon Sign : Gemini
Lord : Rahu
Tree/Plant : Black Ebony, Tendu (टेंभूर्णी, तेंदू)
OR
Krushnagus
Latin Name : Diospyros Melanoxylon
OR
Aquillaria Agalocha

Sr. No. : 7
 Nakshatra Name : Punarvasu
Moon Sign : Gemini
Lord : Jupiter
Tree/Plant : Velu
Latin Name : Bambusa Arundinacea
It is basically a fast-growing type of grass which provide shelter place to many small birds. Its medicinal virtues are often neglected by gardeners who consider it as a messy plant. Actually speaking, it provide good quantity of mulch.

The Rashi tree for Gemini is Pala-Indigo tree (Wrightia Tinctoria/काळा-कुडा). Locally, it is also known as Dudhi.
 Sr. No. : 8
Nakshatra Name : Pushya
Moon Sign : Cancer
Lord : Saturn
Trees/Plant : Peepal, Sacred Fig (पिंपळ)
Latin Name : Ficus Religiosa

 Sr. No. : 9
Nakshatra Name : Ashlesha
Moon Sign : Cancer
Lord : Mercury
Trees/Plant : Beauty Leaf tree, Alexandrian Laurel (नागचाफा, उंडी)
Latin Name : Calophylum Inophyllum
It is an evergreen beautiful tree which tolerates variety of soils. It has fragrant flowers & is often planted for ornamental purpose. The oil extracted from the seeds is used as Biodiesel in USA & Europe.

The Rashi tree for Cancer is Palash (Butea Monosperma/पळस)
 Sr. No. : 10
Nakshatra Name : Magha
Moon Sign : Leo
Lord : Ketu
Trees/Plant : Banyan (वड, वट)
Latin Name : Ficus Benghalensis


 Sr. No. : 11
Nakshatra Name : Poorva Phalguni
Moon Sign : Leo
Lord : Venus
Trees/Plant : Palash, Parrot tree (पळस)
Latin Name : Butea Monosperma

Sr. No. : 12
Nakshatra Name : Uttara Phalguni
Moon Sign : Leo
Lord : Sun
Trees/Plant : Payari
Latin Name : Ficus Arnottiana

The Rashi tree for Leo is Indian Jujube, Indian Plum (Ziziphus Mauritiana/बोर).

Sr. No. : 13
Nakshatra Name : Hasta
Moon Sign : Virgo
Lord : Moon
Trees/Plant : Jaai
Latin Name : Jasminum Grandiflora
 Sr. No. : 14
Nakshatra Name : Chitra
Moon Sign : Virgo
Lord : Mars
Trees/Plant : Bael, Golden Apple (बेल)
Latin Name : Aegle Marmalos

The Rashi tree for Virgo is Mango (Mangifera Indica/आंबा)

 Sr. No. : 15
Nakshatra Name : Swati
Moon Sign : Libra
Lord : Rahu
Trees/Plant : Arjun (अर्जुन)
Latin Name : Terminalia Arjuna
 Sr. No. : 16
Nakshatra Name : Vishakha
Moon Sign : Libra
Lord : Jupiter
Trees/Plant : Nagkesar (नागकेसर) OR Wood Apple (कवठ, कैट)
Latin Name : Mesua Ferrea OR Limonia Acidissima

The Rashi tree for Libra is Indian Medler (Mimusops Elengi/बकुळ)
 Sr. No. : 17
Nakshatra Name : Anuradha
Moon Sign : Scorpio
Lord : Saturn
Trees/Plant : Nagkesar (नागकेसर)
Latin Name : Mesua Ferrea

 Sr. No. : 18
Nakshatra Name : Jyeshta
Moon Sign : Scorpio
Lord : Mercury
Trees/Plant : Semal, Red Silk-Cotton Tree (काटेसांवर)
Latin Name : Bombax Ceiba

The Rashi tree for Scorpio is Indian Catechu (Acacia Catechu/खैर)
 Sr. No. : 19
Nakshatra Name : Mool
Moon Sign : Sagittarius
Lord : Ketu
Trees/Plant : Salai
Latin Name : Boswellia Serrata

 Sr. No. : 20
Nakshatra Name : Poorvashadha
Moon Sign : Sagittarius
Lord : Venus
Trees/Plant : Rattan Cane
Latin Name : Calamus Pseudotenuis (वेत)
It is a strong climber which has clustered stems. It usually need a support to climb.
 Sr. No. : 21
Nakshatra Name : Uttarashadha
Moon Sign : Sagittarius
Lord : Sun
Trees/Plant : Jackfruit (फणस)
Latin Name : Artocarpus Heterophyllus

The Rashi tree for Sagittarius is Peepal (Ficus Religiosa/पिंपळ)
 Sr. No. : 22
Nakshatra Name : Shravan
Moon Sign : Capricorn
Lord : Moon
Trees/Plant : Crown Flower (रुई)
Latin Name : Calotropis Gigantea


 Sr. No. : 23
Nakshatra Name : Dhanishtha
Moon Sign : Capricorn
Lord : Mars
Trees/Plant : Indian Mesquite, Khejri tree (शमी)
Latin Name : Prosopis Cineraria

The Rashi tree for Capricorn is Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia Sissoo/शिसम).

 Sr. No. : 24
Nakshatra Name : Shatatarka
Moon Sign : Aquarius
Lord : Rahu
Trees/Plant : Kadam, Common Bur Flower (कदंब)
Latin Name : Anthocephalus Cadamba

 Sr. No. : 25
Nakshatra Name : Poorvabhadrapada
Moon Sign : Aquarius
Lord : Jupiter
Trees/Plant : Mango (आंबा)
Latin Name : Mangifera Indica

The Rashi tree for Aquarius is Indian Mesquite (Prosopis Cineraria/शमी)

 Sr. No. : 26
Nakshatra Name : Uttarabhadrapada
Moon Sign : Pisces
Lord : Saturn
Trees/Plant : Neem (कडुनिंब)
Latin Name : Azadirachta Indica

 Sr. No. : 27
Nakshatra Name : Revati
Moon Sign : Pisces
Lord : Mercury
Trees/Plant : Mahua, Mohwa (मोह, मोहवा)
Latin Name : Madhuca Latifolia
The Rashi tree for Pisces is Banyan tree (Ficus Benghalensis/वड)

It is believed that the tree of Nakshatra in which the person is born gives peace, prosperity, health and happiness. Nakshatra Vana (forest) is an attractive idea and a way to encourage growing trees to save the earth and living beings.

May we all believe in astrology or not, we will definitely agree to one simple thing that this concept of plant adoption was one of the very smartly planned conservation strategies by our ancestors. Today looking at our 'selfish' and 'just consume' attitude towards the whole-n-sole of our life - Mother Nature, we find it really necessary to rejuvenate and spread this concept of adopting at least one plant per person..! So this monsoon plant more and more trees and lets GO GREEN ….

Zodiac

|| Vedic Origins of the Zodiac: The Hymns of Rishi Dirghatamas in the Rig Veda ||

:: The Zodiac and Rishi Dirghatamas ::

Some scholars have claimed that the Babylonians invented the zodiac of 360 degrees around 700 BCE, perhaps even earlier. Many claim that India received the knowledge of the zodiac from Babylonia or even later from Greece. However, as old as the Rig Veda, the oldest Vedic text, there are clear references to a chakra or wheel of 360 spokes placed in the sky. The number 360 and its related numbers like 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 108, 432 and 720 occur commonly in Vedic symbolism. It is in the hymns of the great Rishi Dirghatamas (RV I.140 – 164) that we have the clearest such references.

Dirghatamas is one of the most famous Rig Vedic Rishis. He was the reputed purohit or chief priest of King Bharata (Aitareya Brahmana VIII.23), one of the earliest kings of the land, from which India as Bharata (the traditional name of the country) was named.

Dirghatamas was one of the Angirasa Rishis, the oldest of the Rishi families, and regarded as brother to the Rishi Bharadvaja, who is the seer of the sixth book of the Rig Veda. Dirghatamas is also the chief predecessor of the Gotama family of Rishis that includes Kakshivan, Gotama, Nodhas and Vamadeva (seer of the fourth book of the Rig Veda), who along with Dirghatamas account for almost 150 of the 1000 hymns of the Rig Veda. His own verses occur frequently in many Vedic texts, a few even in the Upanishads.

The hymns of Dirghatamas speak clearly of a zodiac of 360 degrees, divided in various ways, including by three, six and twelve, as well as related numbers of five and seven. We must remember that the zodiac is first of all a mathematical division of the heavens such as this hymn outlines. This is defined mainly according to the elements, qualities and planetary rulerships of the twelve signs. The symbols we ascribe to these twelve divisions is a different factor that can vary to some degree. The actual stars making up the constellation that goes along with the sign is yet a third factor. For example, some constellations are less or more than thirty degrees, but the mathematical or harmonic division of each sign will only be thirty degrees. What is important about the hymns of Dirghatamas is that he shows the mathematical basis of such harmonic divisions of a zodiac of 360 degrees.

For Dirghatamas, as was the case for much of later Vedic astronomy, the main God of the zodiac is the Sun God called Vishnu. Vishnu rules over the highest heaven and is sometimes identified with the pole star or polar point, which in the unique view of Vedic astronomy is the central point that governs all celestial motions and form which these are calculated.

According to Dirghatamas Rig Veda I.155.6, "With four times ninety names (caturbhih sakam navatim ca namabhih), he (Vishnu) sets in motion moving forces like a turning wheel (cakra)." This suggests that even in Vedic times Vishnu had 360 names or forms, one for each degree of the zodiac. A fourfold division may correspond to the solstices and equinoxes. Elsewhere Dirghatamas states, I.164.36, "Seven half embryos form the seed of the world. They stand in the dharma by the direction of Vishnu." This probably refers to the seven planets.

Most of the astronomical information occurs in his famous Asya Vamasya Hymn I.164. Much of this hymn can be understood as a description of the zodiac. It begins:

1. Of this adorable old invoker (the Sun) is a middle brother who is pervasive (the Wind or lightning). He has a third brother, whose back carries ghee (Fire). There I saw the Lord of the people (the Sun) who has seven children.

This verse is referring to the usual threefold Vedic division of Gods and worlds as the Fire (Agni) on Earth, the Wind or Lightning (Vayu) in the Atmosphere and the Sun (Surya) in Heaven. This also may refer to the three steps or strides of Vishnu through which he measures the Earth, the Atmosphere and Heaven. The Sun is also a symbol of the supreme light or the supreme Sun God that is Vishnu. The Sun or supreme light has seven children, the visible Sun, Moon and five planets.

We should note that the zodiac of twelve signs is divided into three sections based upon a similar understanding, starting with Aries or fire (cardinal fire ruled by Mars, who in Vedic thought is the fire born of the Earth), then with Leo or the Sun (fixed fire ruled by the Sun), and then with Sagittarius, the atmospheric fire, lightning or wind (mutable fire ruled by Jupiter, the God of the rains).

2. Seven yoke the chariot that has a single wheel (chakra). One horse that has seven names carries it. The wheel has three naves, is undecaying and never overcome, where all these beings are placed.

The zodiac is the single wheeled-chariot or circle yoked by the seven planets which are all forms of the Sun or sunlight. It is the wheel of time on which all beings are placed. The Vedic horse (ashva) is symbolic of energy or propulsive force.

3. This chariot which the seven have mounted has seven wheels (chakras) and is carried by seven horses. The seven sisters sing forth together, where are hidden the seven names of the cows.
The seven planets create their seven rotations or seven wheels. Each has its horse, its energy or velocity. Each has its feminine power or sister, its power of expression. It carries its own hidden name or secret knowledge (symbolically cows or rays). This refers to the astrological influences of the planets.

11. The wheel of law with twelve spokes does not decay as it revolves around heaven. Oh Fire, here your 720 sons abide.
The circle of the zodiac has twelve signs. It has 720 half degrees or twins, making 360 total. The Shatapatha Brahmana X.5.5, a late Vedic text, also speaks of a wheel of heaven with 720 divisions. "But indeed that Fire-altar is also the Nakshatras. For there are twenty seven of these Nakshatras and twenty-seven secondary Nakshatras. This makes 720." Twenty-seven times twenty-seven Nakshatras equals 729, with which some overlap can be related to the 720 half-degrees of the zodiac.

12. The Father with five feet and twelve forms, they say, dwells in the higher half of heaven full of waters. Others say that he is the clear-seeing one who dwells below in a sevenfold wheel that has six spokes.

The five feet of the father or the Sun are the five planets or the five elements that these often refer to (to which Vedic thought associates the five sense organs and five motor organs in the human body). His twelve forms are the twelve signs. The Sun in the higher half of heaven with the waters is the signs Leo with Cancer (ruled by the Moon), with the other five planets being the five feet, each ruling two signs. In Vedic thought, the Sun is the abode of the waters, which we can see in the zodiac by the proximity of the signs Cancer and Leo.

The sevenfold wheel is the zodiac moved by the seven planets. The six spokes are the six double signs through which the planets travel. The same verse occurs in the Prashna Upanishad I.11 as a symbol for the year.

13. Revolving on this five-spoked wheel all beings stand. Though it carries a heavy load, its axle does not over heat. From of old it does not break its ancient laws.
The five-spoked wheel is again the zodiac ruled by five planets and five elements and their various internal and external correspondences.

14. The undecaying wheel (circle) together with its felly (circumference), ten yoked to the upward extension carry it. The eye of the Sun moves encompassing the region. In it are placed all beings.

This may again refer to the ten signs ruled by the five planets, with each planet ruling two signs. The eye of the Sun may be the sign Leo through which the solar influence pervades the zodiac or just the Sun itself. The upward extension may be the polar region.
15. Of those that are born together, the seventh is born alone. The six are twins (yama), Divine born rishis. The wishes that they grant are apportioned according to their nature. Diversely made for their ordainer, they move in different forms.

The six born together or are twins are the twelve signs, two of which are ruled by one planet (considering the Sun and Moon as a single planetary influence). The seventh that is singly born is the single light that illumines all the planets. Elsewhere the Rig Veda X.64.3 speaks of the Sun and Moon as twins (yama) in heaven.
The planets are often associated with the rishis in Vedic thought, particularly the rishis Brihaspati (Jupiter), Shukra (Venus) and Kashyapa (the Sun) which became common names for the planets. Their ordainer or stabilizer may be the pole star (polar point).

48. Twelve are its fellies. The wheel is one. It has three naves. Who has understood it?

It are held together like spokes the 360, both moving and non-moving.

This perhaps the clearest verse that refers to the zodiac of twelve signs and three hundred and sixty degrees. The same verse also occurs in Atharva Veda (X.8.4). The zodiac has three divisions as fire, lightning and Sun or Aries, Sagittarius and Leo that represent these three forms of fire. The 360 spokes are the 360 degrees which revolve in the sky but remain in the same place in the zodiac.

Yet another verse (43) of this same hymn of Dirghatamas refers to the Vishuvat, the solstice or equinox, showing that such astronomical meanings are clearly possible.

If we examine the hymn overall, we see that a heavenly circle of 360 degrees and 12 signs is known, along with 7 planets. It also has a threefold division of the signs which can be identified with that of fire, wind (lightning) and Sun (Aries, Sagittarius, Leo) and a sixfold division that can be identified with the planets each ruling two signs of the zodiac. This provides the basis for the main factors of the zodiac and signs as we have known them historically. We have all the main factors for the traditional signs of the zodiac except the names and symbols of each individual sign. This I will address in another article.

Elsewhere in Vedic literature is the idea that when the Creator created the stars he assigned each an animal of which there were originally five, the goat, sheep, cow, horse and man (Shatapatha Brahmana X.2.1). This shows a Vedic tradition of assigning animals to constellations. The animals mentioned are the man, goat, ram, bull and horse, which contain several of the zodiacal animals.

The zodiac in Vedic thought is the wheel of the Sun. It is the circle created by the Sun’s rays. The Shatapatha Brahmana X.5.4 notes, "But, indeed, the Fire-altar also is the Sun. The regions are its enclosing stones, and there are 360 of these, because 360 regions encircle the Sun on all sides. And 360 are the rays of the Sun."

:: The Zodiac and the Subtle Body ::

Clearly this hymn contains a vision of the zodiac but its purpose is not simply astronomical, nor is the zodiac the sole subject of its concern. Besides the outer zodiac of time and the stars there is the inner zodiac or the subtle body and its chakra system. The seven chakras mentioned are also the seven chakras of the subtle body. In Vedic thought the Sun that rules time outwardly corresponds inwardly to Prana, the spirit, soul or life-force (Maitrayani Upanishad VI.1). Prana is the inner Sun that creates time at a biological level through the process of breathing. It is also the energy that runs up and down the spine and flows through the seven chakras strung like lotuses along it.

According to Vedic thought (Shatapatha Brahmana XII.3.28) we have 10,800 breaths by day and by night or 21,600 a day. This corresponds to one breath every four seconds. The same text says that we have as many breaths in one muhurta (1/30 of a day or 48 minutes) as there are days and nights in the year or 720, so this connection of the outer light and our inner processes is quite detailed at an early period.

In Vedic thought the subtle body is composed of the five elements, the five sense organs and five motor organs, which correspond to different aspects of its five lower chakras .On top of these five are the mind and intellect (manas and buddhi) which are often compared to the Moon and the Sun and relate to the two higher chakras. They can be added to these other five factors, like the five planets, making seven in all. The chakras of Dirghatamas, though outwardly connected to the zodiac, are inwardly related to the subtle body, a connection that traditional commentators on the hymn like Sayana or Atmananda have noted.

This hymn of Dirghatamas contains many other important and cryptic verses on various spiritual matters that are connected to but go beyond the issues of the zodiac. It is written in the typical Vedic mantric and symbolic language to which it provides two keys;

39. The supreme syllable of the chant in the supreme ether, in which all the Gods reside, those who do not know this, what can they do with the Veda? Those who know it alone are gathered here.

45. Four are the levels of speech. Those trained in the knowledge, the wise know them all. Three hidden in secrecy cannot be do not stir. Mortals speak only with the fourth.

There is clearly a hidden knowledge behind these verses, which reflect an esoteric tradition of spiritual knowledge that was mainly accessible for initiates who had the keys to open its veils. We cannot simply take such verses superficially but must look deeply and see what they imply. Then the pattern of their inner meaning can come forth. If we do this, the astronomical and astrological side cannot be ignored.

:: Pingree’s Views ::

Western scholars of the history of astronomy like David Pingree have accepted the astronomical basis of this hymn. In an article, "Astronomy in India" in Astronomy Before the Telescope, C. Walker (ed.), St. Martin's Press, New York, 1996, pps. 123-124, Pingree suggests that Mul. Apin, Babylonian tablets that date from 687 to 500 BC has "’an ideal calendar' in which one year contains 12 months, each of which has 30 days, and consequently exactly 360 days; a late hymn of the Rgveda refers to the same ‘ideal calendar’. And Mul.Apin describes the oscillation of the rising-point of the sun along the eastern horizon between its extremities when it is at the solstices; the same oscillation is described in the Aitareya Brahmana.’" This ideal calendar is the basis for the zodiac and its twelve signs at a mathematical level. Clearly Pingree is referring to Rig Veda I.164 as his ‘late’ hymn of the Rig Veda.

To quote from David Pingree’s "History of mathematical astronomy in India," in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography, C.S. Gillespie (ed.), pp. 533-633, Charles Scribners, New York, 1981, page 534: "In the case of the priority of the Rgveda to the Brahmanas, it is not always clear that the views expressed in the latter developed historically after the composition of the former. All texts that can reasonably be dated before ca. 500 BC are here considered to represent essentially a single body of more or less uniform material." The point of his statement is to try to get such Rig Veda references as those of Dirghatamas later than the Brahmana texts as both reflect a similar sophisticated astronomy, which is necessary to make it later than the Babylonian references and a product of a Babylonian influence as he proposes. This requires reducing all the layers of Vedic literature to a more or less uniform mass at a very late date, which is contrary to almost every view of the text.

Clearly this Rig Veda hymn, which has parallels and developments in the Brahmanas (like the Shatapatha Brahmana quoted in this chapter), must be earlier and show that such ideas were much older than the Brahmanas. To maintain his late date for Vedic astrology, Pingree must assume that this hymn or its particular astronomical verses were late interpolations to the Rig Veda, around 500 BCE or about the time of the Buddha. This is rather odd because the Buddha is generally regarded as having come long after the Vedic period, while the actual text is usually dated well before 1000 BCE (some have argued even to 3000 BCE).

Even the Brahmanas, like the Upanishads that come after them, are pre-Buddhist by all accounts. Perhaps the main Vedic ritual given in the Brahmanas, the Gavamayana, follows the model of a year of 360 days and is divided into two halves based upon the solstices, showing that such an ‘ideal’ calendar was central to Vedic thought. That such an ideal calendar has its counterpart in the sky is well reflected in Vedic ideas saying that equate the days and nights with the Sun’s rays and with the stars (as we have noted in Shatapatha Brahmana with 720 Upanakshatras)*. The Brahmanas, we should also note, emphasize the Krittikas or the Pleiades as the first of the Nakshatras, reflecting an astronomical era of the Taurus equinox. The Shatapatha Brahmana notes that the Krittikas mark the eastern direction.

In addition, the hymn, its verses and commentaries on them are found in many places in Vedic literature, along with support references to Nakshatras. It cannot be reduced to a late addition but is an integral part of the text.

That being the case, a zodiac of 360 degrees and its twelvefold division are much older in India than any Greek or even Babylonian references that he has come up with.

Pingree also tries to reduce the ancient Vedic calendar work Vedanga Jyotish to 500 BCE or to a Babylonian influence. However, the internal date of this late Vedic text is of a summer solstice in Aslesha or 1300 BCE, information referenced by Varaha Mihira in his Brihat Samhita (III.1-2). "There was indeed a time when the Sun’s southerly course (summer solstice) began from the middle of the Nakshatra Aslesha and the northerly one (winter solstice) from the beginning of the Nakshatra Dhanishta. For it has been stated so in ancient works. At present the southerly course of the Sun starts from the beginning of Cancer and the other from the initial point of the sign Capricorn." The middle of Aslesha is 23 20 Cancer, while the beginning of Dhanishta (Shravishta) is 23 20 Capricorn. Calculating the precession accordingly, this is obviously a date of around 1300 BCE.

There are yet earlier references in the Vedas like Atharva Veda XIX.6.2 that starts the Nakshatras with Krittika (the Pleiades) and places the summer solstice (ayana) in Magha (00 – 13 20 Leo), showing a date before 1900 BCE. These I have examined in detail in my book Gods, Sages and Kings (Lotus Press). Clearly the Vedas show the mathematics for an early date for the zodiac as well as the precessional points of these eras long before the Babylonians or the Greeks supposedly gave them the zodiac.

It is not surprising that India could have invented the zodiac and circle of 360 degrees. After all, the decimal system and the use of zero came from India. In this regard, as early as the Yajur Veda, we find names for numbers starting with one, ten, one hundred and one thousand ending with one followed by twelve zeros (Shukla Yajur Veda XVII.2).

The Rig Veda has another cryptic verse that suggests its cosmic numerology. According to it the Cosmic Bull has four horns, three feet, two heads and seven hands (Rig Veda IV.58.3). This sounds like a symbolic way of presenting the great kalpa number of 4,320,000,000 years. Such large numbers for the universe are typical to Indian thought, but scholars such as Pingree would also ascribe them to a Babylonian origin. However, the literature suggests the opposite.





By Pandit Vamadeva -

Twelve Signs

:: The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac and the Vedic Fire Ritual ::

The following article proposes a Vedic rationale for the nature and sequence of the twelve signs of the zodiac. It shows how the zodiac could have been invented as a form of Vedic sacrifice (Yajna) following the Vedic view of the Gods, the worlds and the elements. While the complete logic may not be worked out, enough has been revealed to show the probable main aspects of the system. Using this model many secrets of the zodiac are uncovered.

The Zodiac as a Fire Ritual (Yajna)

The Vedas are based upon the concept of Agni or the sacred Fire. They set forth an elaborate Fire ritual (Yajna) that is identified with time (kala), causation (karma), and space. This ritual defines the entire cosmic order (ritam or Dharma). The ritual has several levels of application as elemental (adhibhutic), psychological (adhyatmic) and spiritual (adhidaivic). The elemental level reflects the Earth, the gross elements, and the outer form of the sacrifice. The psychological level relates to the Atmosphere or middle realm and to our inner faculties of mind, prana, speech, sight and hearing. The spiritual level reflects Heaven, the Gods or cosmic light forces symbolized by the Sun, Moon and stars.

In the Vedas Yajna is identified with the Creator (Prajapati or Brahma), who through various Yajnas creates the world. Yet Yajna is also the activity of the soul (the individual human being or Jiva), who through the Yajna gains the fruits of karma as well as union with the Creator. These two, the Creator and the soul, are one as the Purusha, or higher Self. The Purusha is the universe personified as a human being, the cosmic man or person. The Purusha is identified with the Sun, who is time and the Kala Purusha or being of time.

There are many forms of Vedic Yajnas. All involve various offerings of prayers, mantras, ghee, and food to the sacred Fire as it is enkindled at special times. They are defined as daily, monthly, seasonal, or yearly. Daily Yajnas relate to Fire and to the Earth, which is enkindled at sunrise, noon and sunset. Monthly Yajnas relate to the Moon and to the Atmosphere, particularly to the new, full and half Moon. Yearly Yajnas reflect the Sun, Heaven, the seasons and the equinoxes.

The goal of the Yajna is to conquer these respective divisions of time in order to reach the eternal. This is also to conquer the different worlds or go beyond space. Performance of daily Yajnas takes one beyond the duality of day and night and the world of the Earth. The monthly Yajnas take one beyond the fluctuations of the month and the world of the Moon or the Atmosphere. The yearly Yajna takes one beyond time and all of its fluctuations symbolized by the year and the world of the Sun or Heaven. On an inner level these Yajnas take us beyond mental and emotional fluctuations to the equanimity of pure consciousness or pure internal light.

Twelve day (dwadashaha) and twelve month (yearly) Yajnas were very important. Indeed the twelve day Yajna is said to be the most important of Yajnas, through which Prajapati creates the world. The zodiac may evolve out of the idea of a twelvefold Yajna, a yearly Yajna or the Yajna of the sky.

However the most common set of Vedic Yajnas is the six day (sadaha) rite. Each month of thirty days was divided into five six day rites. The six day rites had both a day and a night. The zodiac could also be a six day rite, with two signs making for a day and a night.

Agni and Vayu (Fire and Air) and the Worlds of Earth and Water
The first of the Vedic Gods, therefore, is Agni or Fire through whom the Yajna proceeds. Of similar great importance is Vayu or Indra, who relates to Air, wind, Prana or spirit. Indra is the foremost and most commonly lauded of the Vedic Gods. Once the Fire is enkindled, the second stage of the Vedic ritual is for the Air or spirit to manifest. The Fire moves up to Heaven and then the Wind descends from Heaven to the Earth. Agni (Fire) generates Indra or Vayu (Wind or energy). For example, the first hymn of the Rig Veda is to Agni or Fire and the second is to Vayu or Wind.
Vayu is said to be Ishwara, God or the Creator, or the cosmic spirit, the evident or manifest Brahma (pratyaksha Brahma - Taittiriya Upanishad, Shantipatha), the formless Divinity. Agni is identified with the individual soul and the form aspect of Divinity. However the cosmic form of Agni as the Sun is identified with the Creator and the Supreme Spirit, who is also Vayu or Indra.
Each of these two great Gods has its respective field of action. Agni is the deity of the Earth (Prithivi). He is enkindled on the Earth, in a specially dug Earth altar (vedi). The Fire burns the wood from the Earth. Earth is also the ashes (bhasma) left over from the Fire.

Vayu is the deity of the Atmosphere (Antariksha), which is also identified with the Waters (Apas) or the Ocean. This is not only the field of the rains, but of the whole movement of Water from the Earth to the sky and back. The Waters also symbolize space, the cosmic waters. There are Waters beneath the Earth as well as above Heaven, through which Vayu moves everywhere. Vayu is the Lord of the ocean (Shukla Yajur Veda XXVIII.7). Indra's main action is slaying the dragon who withholds the Waters to release them to flow into the sea.

Putting Agni (Fire) and Vayu (Air) together along with their related support worlds of the Earth and the Waters, we get the four elements behind the zodiac - Fire, Earth, Air and Water. A Fire sign rests upon an Earth sign and an Air sign rests upon a Water sign, just as the sacred Fire relates to Earth and Wind to Water. Fire signs represent Agni (light) and Air signs represent Vayu (movement and order). These two are held or contained in Earth and Water signs, which they stimulate. Fire lights up the Earth and Air moves the Waters.


The Threefold Universe

The Vedas speak of a tripartite or threefold universe. Though there are various threefold orders in the Vedas the most characteristic is the three worlds of Earth (Prithivi), Atmosphere (Antariksha) or the Waters (Apas), and Heaven (Dyaus), adding the third world of Heaven to the other two worlds already mentioned. The God of Heaven is Surya or the Sun who can be identified either with Agni or with Vayu because he is the source of both light and life. Note the Brihaddevata of Shaunaka for a discussion of how the Gods relate to the three worlds.

Agni and all the Vedic Gods, though they have their prime form in one world, have additional forms in all three worlds. Agni is primarily the sacred Fire on Earth. Yet he is lightning (Vidyut) in the Atmosphere, and the Sun (Surya) in Heaven. Each of the three forms of Agni has its Earth or world support which is its fuel, wood on the Earth, clouds in the Atmosphere and the stars in the sky. The three worlds of Earth, Atmosphere and Heaven are called the three Earths because they function as containers for the cosmic Fire on these three different levels.

Vayu or Air similarly has three forms in the three worlds. In the Atmosphere he is the thunder, represented by the God Rudra (Shiva) and other deities of the rains like the Maruts. In Heaven he is associated with Indra, who is Vayu as the cosmic lord, and represents the solar wind or wind rising from the Sun. Vayu on the Earth is associated with the sacred Fire and its maintenance. All three forms are associated with cosmic law (ritam or Dharma), which is sustained by Vayu and its right movement.

The three worlds are also called the three Waters or three oceans. Each form of Vayu is associated with a particular form of the Waters or the ocean. The Earthy or sacrificial form of Agni is associated with ground Water and with caves and springs and with the water and ghee (clarified butter) that is offered to the Fire. The Atmospheric wind (thunder) is associated the ocean and the rains which are created by Water evaporating from the sea. The Heavenly (solar) wind is associated with the cosmic ocean and heavenly Waters which are also the Milky Way. Space is the Waters of Heaven through which the Sun moves like a boat.
The zodiac is based upon a threefold division of the four elements. Just as the Vedas have the four elements, they also have a threefold division of them relative to the three worlds. The threefold division of the signs reflects the Vedic idea of the three worlds of Earth, Atmosphere and Heaven and the three forms of Agni and Vayu operative within them.

Odd and Even Signs

The zodiac follows a twofold division of odd and even or male and female signs. Fire and Air signs are all odd or masculine signs representing force or energy. Earth and Water signs are all even or feminine signs representing the field or world in which the force operates. In this regard in the Vedic view the day is Heaven and the night is the Earth. The day rests upon the night as spirit upon matter. Fire and Air are the spirit. Earth and Water are matter.

The Zodiac in View of Vedic Concepts

However, the correlations are more specific. The Vedic ritual begins with Agni or Fire which corresponds to the beginning, birth, the eastern direction and sunrise. Therefore the zodiac should begin with a Fire sign. The Fire sign should be of a creative, moveable or active quality (cardinal or chara) in order to initiate the movement of time. This is the nature of the sign Aries. The qualities (cardinal, fixed and mutable or chara, sthira and dvisvabhava) of the other signs also become make sense according to Vedic ideas.

Agni is enkindled on the Earth altar and so a Fire sign rests upon an Earth sign. This is the role of Taurus, which is associated with the ground and level places, as well as with wood and plants. Taurus is fixed (sthira) Earth, because Fire needs a continuous fuel in order to burn.

The interplay between these two signs allows the Air or Vayu to come forth, which is represented by Gemini, the electrical force of the Atmosphere or thunder (Divine speech). Gemini is a sign of speech, expression and movement. The twins show the basic duality of the air or electrical force and its forces of attraction and repulsion. It is also a changeable, mutable or dual natured signed (dvisvabhava) because wind is never constant in its movement. Gemini represents Dharma or order in the atmospheric (and psychological) realm.

An Air sign requires the support of a Water sign on which it moves. This is the role of Cancer as the moving (chara or cardinal) Waters. These are the Waters that rise from the ocean of Earth to the ocean of the sky and themselves make up the ocean of the Atmosphere. In Vedic thought the Atmospheric ocean encompasses Heaven and Earth on both sides and so becomes a symbol of the waters and the worlds as a whole, the world of origin, Cancer as the world mother. Vayu also is connected to the Moon and is said to be its protector (Rig Veda X.85.5).

The second of the three sections of the zodiac begins with Leo which represents the Sun in Heaven, the heavenly form of Agni or Fire. The Sun is fixed (sthira) Fire because it gives light continually.

Leo as a Fire sign is supported by Virgo, an Earth sign. Virgo is the Earth made fertile by the rays of the Sun. Virgo is sometimes portrayed as holding the stars, the field of the sky. It is a changeable, mutable or dual natured sign (dvisvabhava).

After these two signs comes Libra, another Air sign, here the wind on the Earth. Libra is concerned with weighing and balancing, attracting and repulsion, the basic duality of Pranic or electrical forces in the material sphere. It is also a moveable, creative or cardinal sign (chara Rashi). It represents Dharma or justice, the order of the sacrifice, on the Earth level. In this way it is opposite Aries and reflects the second half of the zodiac and a parallel movement of the sacrifice.

Libra is followed by Scorpio, here the ground Water or Water beneath the Earth or the Earthly ocean. This is fixed (sthira) Water because it is unable to move. The scorpion is a creature of holes and caves. Scorpio also indicates the underworld where the Asuras or anti-Gods dwell that the Yajna must destroy or transform. The Asuras are often placed deep within the ocean or in the depths of the sea.

The third group of signs begins with Sagittarius, which is lightning in the Atmosphere. Sagittarius is a bow (Dhanus) or an bow and arrow. The bow is a symbol of the rainbow and the arrow of lightning. The horse, with which this sign is associated, is a symbol of Prana or atmospheric force. Lightning is associated with law and justice that this sign indicates. Lightning is mutable or dual natured (dvisvabhava) Fire because it is always changing.
The atmospheric Fire or lightning burns on the Earth in the form of Capricorn. Capricorn then would relate to high places like mountains on which the lightning strikes. As the Earth activated by lightning it would have a more active or moveable nature (cardinal or chara). In Vedic thought clouds are also symbolized as mountains.

Then follows Aquarius, which with its universal energy represents the wind or Air in Heaven, including cosmic law and the forces of time and karma. It is fixed (sthira) Air because it holds and sustains the entire universe. Aquarius is also the water pot, kumbha, that pours the Heavenly waters. It represents Dharma or justice on a cosmic level.

It is followed by Pisces as Water or the Heavenly ocean, which represents the cosmic ocean that is the origin and end of all things. This is mutable, changeable or dual-natured (dvisvabhava) Water because it is not only the end of one cycle but the beginning of another.

The Vedas reflect the idea of the flood or pralaya that ends one creation and starts another. That the zodiac therefore begins with Fire and ends with Water makes perfect sense. That is also why the Gandanta (transitional) points between Water and Fire signs are so dangerous. They are places of destruction and creation, Sandhi points, where energies are caught between fire and water.


The Planets

The Earth Fire or Aries relates to Mars, which in Vedic thought, is the son of the Earth (Kuja, Bhauma or Bhumi Putra). The Atmospheric Fire, lightning or Sagittarius relates to Jupiter, which in both Vedic and Greek thought is the God of the lightning, thunderbolt or rains. Brihaspati (Jupiter) is a God of the thunder and rain in the Vedas and with his lightning destroys the Asuras. The Heavenly Fire or the Sun, relates to Leo. These mark the three divisions of the world, time or the cosmic order of the sacrifice. The three Fires of Earth, Atmosphere and Heaven govern these three divisions.

The Earth wind of Libra relates to Venus, which shows the forces of attraction and repulsion or Dharma in the material sphere. The Atmospheric wind relates to Mercury, which relates to electrical force, speech and prana in general. Mercury in Vedic thought is the son of the Moon (Saumya), which relates to the Waters. The Heavenly wind relates to Saturn, which creates space, distance and detachment and governs the movement of time behind the cosmic order, the heavenly Dharma. Saturn is the son of the Sun (Surya putra), showing his connection to Heaven.

I am also attempting to relate these three planets with the three forms of Vayu or Prana. Venus is Prana or the basic life force. Mercury is Vyana or the expansive life-force. Saturn is Apana or the force of death. In certain Vedic teachings Prana is associated with Earth and fire, Vyana with the Atmosphere, and Apana with Heaven.

Elemental Qualities and Ruling Planets of Signs

* Fire (Agni), Air (Vayu or Indra)
* Earth-Lower Mars - Aries, Venus - Libra
Atmosphere/Waters-Middle Jupiter - Sag., Mercury - Gemini
* Heaven-Higher Sun - Leo, Saturn - Aquarius
World Forms and Ruling Planets of Signs

Three Earths and Three Oceans or Waters
* Lower - Venus - Taurus
* Lower - Mars - Scorpio
* Middle - Saturn - Capricorn Middle - Moon - Cancer
* Higher - Mercury - Virgo Higher - Jupiter - Pisces

Yet the middle world or Atmosphere as the central and all encompassing world is sometimes seen as the main or highest world, in which the order would become Earth, Heaven and the Atmosphere or the Waters, which follows more the sequence of the zodiac as Aries-Leo-Sagittarius.

Sign Oppositions

The signs come in pairs of opposites that shows the twofold movement of the sacrifice through fire and air.
Aries (the sacred fire - light on Earth) - Libra (Dharma on Earth)
Sagittarius (lightning - light in the Atmosphere) - Gemini (thunder - wind in the Atmosphere)
Leo (Sun - light in Heaven) - Aquarius (the cosmic order)
Fire signs reflect light. Air signs reflect movement and order. Their interplay sustains the universe.

Planets and Elements of the Signs

One of the problems of the zodiac is correlating the natural elements of the planets with the elements of the signs that they rule. All planets, except Sun and the Moon, rule two signs, a fire and a water sign, or an air and an earth sign. On the other hand, each planet rules an element by nature. Venus, though a watery planet by nature, rules an Air and an Earth sign. The Vedic system explains why this is so. The zodiac is reflecting the order of the Yajna, not that of the basic elements of the planets only. It gives each planet an element as spirit (masculine) and as matter or world (feminine). As Spirit all planets are either fire or air, which is the nature of Spirit. As Matter all are either water and earth, which are the material elements.

Spirit Matter

Mars moveable fire fixed or ground water
Jupiter dual fire dual water
Sun fixed fire Moon - moveable water
Venus moveable air fixed earth
Mercury dual air dual earth
Saturn fixed air moveable earth
Planets and the Spirit
Fiery - Agneyi
Mars, Jupiter, Sun
Airy - Vayavi
Venus, Mercury, Saturn
Planets and Matter (World)
Watery - Apya
Mars, Jupiter, Moon
Earthy - Parthiva
Venus, Mercury, Saturn
Animal Images

The Vedic Yajna proceeds through various animals which symbolize various aspects of the cosmic order and different offerings into the sacred Fire. The last step of the process of creating the Vedic zodiac would be to ascribe specific animal images to these Vedic elemental and world forces represented by the signs. The Vedas record that when the Creator made the world he assumed the forms of five animals to reach the world of the sky (Shatapatha Brahmana X.2.1). The animals mentioned are the man, goat, ram, bull and horse, which contain several of the zodiacal animals. In fact the creation is the sacrifice of the Creator (Prajapati), who offers himself to himself in the form of different creatures.

The bull (vrishabha) is Taurus. The horse (ashwa) is Sagittarius. The man (Purusha) is Aquarius. The ram (avi, also called mesha in the Vedas) is Aries. Aries is sometimes referred to as a goat as well, which is an animal particularly sacred to Agni. Other common Vedic animals include the lion (simha - Leo), the twins or Ashvins (Gemini), the scorpion (vrishchika - Scorpio), the fish (matsya - Pisces), the virgin or dawn Goddess who is the wife of the Sun (kanya - Virgo), note that Virgo follows Leo. Another Vedic symbol is the trader (Pani) who could represent Libra. Capricorn is sometimes called a crocodile (makara) or a deer (mriga). Elsewhere it is also called a goat, aja, or a sea-goat. The Vedic Waters or ocean can be Cancer. In other words the symbols for the zodiac are there in Vedic lore. One must note in this regard that the Vedic name for the stars of the Big Dipper, the rikshas, means bears, just as the Great Bear of the Greeks, showing a long tradition of similar constellation names between the Hindus and the Greeks.

Vedic sacred animals are threefold as domestic (gramya), wild (aranya) and human. The zodiac follows a similar idea. Domestic animals include the ram or goat (Aries), bull (Taurus) and horse (Sagittarius), perhaps Capricorn (goat) as well. Wild animals include the lion (Leo), crab/shellfish (Cancer), scorpion/serpent (Scorpio), crocodile or deer (Capricorn), and fish (Pisces). Humans include the twins (Gemini), the virgin (Virgo), the trader (Libra) and the man or person (Aquarius).

Signs and Nakshatras

The Nakshatra system represents a twenty-seven fold Yajna. It is mainly a horse sacrifice, ashwamedha, with the horse as the symbol of the Sun and the horses' sacrificed head marking Ashwini Nakshatra or the beginning of the zodiac. Horse, ashwa, is a symbol of speed, time, energy and Prana. The horse sacrifice is a yearly ritual with the horse as the Sun being released to roam free for a period of a year.

The zodiac appears more like a Sarvamedha or universal sacrifice and is also a yearly sacrifice. If we count Aries as a goat, it would be a goat sacrifice. Aja, goat, also means unborn a-ja and refers to the reincarnating soul. The goat is the most commonly sacrificed animal. The horse sacrifice is preceded by a goat offering. Counting from Sagittarius as a horse and from the atmospheric Fire as the all fire, one could turn the zodiac into a horse sacrifice as well.

The Yajnas are furthermore built as Fire altars (Agni-cits). The Nakshatra system is a twenty-seven fold Fire altar. The Rashis would be a twelvefold Fire altar.

A key to the connection between Rashis and Nakshatras can perhaps be found in Harappan archaeological ruins. An Harappan seal dated to 2400 BCE has been found recently that shows a deer and an arrow on one side, the symbol of Mrigashirsha (Orion) and a Scorpion on the other. Scorpio is opposite Orion in the zodiac. When one rises, the other sets. S.M. Ashfaque has argued an astronomical basis for this seal ("Primitive astronomy in the Indus Civilization. In Old Problems and New Perspectives in the Archaeology of South Asia, ed. J.M. Kenoyer, 207-215, Madison, Wisconsin). Here we find one of the zodiacal signs emerging in Vedic thought relative to the Nakshatras. Perhaps the signs arose out of the Nakshatras or were already employed at that time as parallel system.

Conclusion

There is a clear connection between the structure of the signs and key Vedic deities and cosmological principles. The zodiac is just another version of the Vedic Fire ritual, which is also time and karma. Perhaps such a view produced the zodiac in the first place. The details are not yet clear but there is a Vedic logic to the signs that cannot be coincidental or borrowed from a foreign source. One may argue that such ideas were common in Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek thought, but the idea of the Fire ritual was nowhere as prevalent or enduring as in Vedic India.
This information can be combined along with revised historical data that identifies Harappan or third millennium BCE Indian urban civilization with the late Vedic era. Such factors require an earlier dating for Vedic astrological knowledge and strengthen the idea that the zodiac has a Vedic origin or at least Vedic counterpart going back into the third millennium BCE.






-by Pandit Vamadeva

Ganpati : Ganesh

|| Ganapati Atharvasirsha  ||

Lord Ganapati is the most popular Deity among the Hindus. No Pooja or religious rites or for that matter no daily activity in any Hindu household commences without first worshipping Ganapati. Ganapati worship is as old as Hinduism itself. The reason for this common form of prayer is not far to seek.

Human life is beset with more of thorns than roses. In order to face the daily struggle against all odds man needs some support and protection. As all human beings sail in the same boat, such assistance can come about from some super human factor alone. By intuition, experience and scriptural knowledge he realized that offering prayers to Ganapati before beginning any human enterprise or venture can go a long way in mitigating the difficulties that he may face on the way. He was convinced that even a little success he achieves in his endeavors is due to the mercy granted to him by the Almighty Ganapati. The Lord Ganapati is therefore called by different names such as Vighneshwara, Vighna Vinayaka, Sukha Karta, Vighna Harta etc. implying His qualities as the universal problem solver and remover of all impediments on all paths.

Lord Ganapati has several names like Ganesha, Gajaanana, Ekadanta, Lambodara, Kapila, Vakratunda, Surpakarna, Heramba, Vighnaraja, Siddhivinayaka, Mushikavahana etc. signifying his multifarious attributes.

:: Ganapati In Vedas ::

There is no Hindu who does not recognize the pre-eminence of the worship of this mysteriously conceived deity called Ganapati whose name occurs right in the beginning of the Rigveda itself, the earliest of the scriptures in the entire world. In this Veda we get the popular Mantra “OM Ganaanaam tvam ganapatim havaamahe ….” which is a tribute to Lord Ganesha praising His various attributes.

:: Ganapati In Upanishads ::

Every Upanishad commences with Omkara and Omkara is the form of Ganapati. The following four Upanishads specifically deal with the true significance and form of Ganesha Viz.1. Sri Ganesha Poorva Taapini Upanishad 2. Ganesha Uttaraa Taapini Upanishad 3.Heramba Upanishad and 4. Ganaapati Upanishad or Ganapati Atharvasirsha or Ganapati Atharvasirsha Upanishad which is the subject mater of this essay.

:: Ganapati In Smritis ::

Ganesha worship is referred to in all the Smritis particularly in Brihat Paraashara Smriti, Yaagnavalkya Smriti and Maanavagruhya Sutra. Valmiki Ramayan also mentions Ganesha and His Omkara Rupa. It is interesting to note that Lord Ganesha rendered His services as a stenographer to sage Veda Vyasa for taking down his dictation of the immortal epic, Mahabharata.

:: Ganapati In Puranas ::

Ganesha Mahima is discussed in many Puranas. Ganesha Purana, wherein Ganesha Gita finds place, Brahma Vaivarta Purana and Mudgal Purana elaborately explain the hidden implications of the real form of Ganesha. Besides the Shrutis and Smritis many saints, sages and devotees from all parts of India have sung in praise of Ganapati.

:: Shiva And Ganapati ::

Shiva made Ganesha as the leader of His hosts or Ganaas or celestial servants who are demi-gods. As Ganesha is the leader of the hosts of Lord Shiva Himself he came to be called as Ganapati or the Lord of the Ganaas (Ganaanaam Pati or The Lord of the Ganaas is Ganapati). These Ganaas are ruled by Ganapati under the orders of Shiva. Apart from making Ganapati as the leader of hosts, Lord Shiva bestowed another blessing on Him saying “You shall be the first one to be worshipped on all occasions and that no one will be worshipped before you, not even Me. After you are worshipped alone, will anybody else be worshipped”

“Om Gam Ganapataye Namah” occurring in Ganapati Atharvasisrsha is the Mantra to propitiate Ganapati.

:: Symbolic Philosophy of The Form Of Ganapati ::

There are several legends and stories explaining the birth and elephant headed form of Ganapati and His vehicle, the mouse. His two feet represent the power of knowledge and the power of action. The elephant head signifies the symbol ‘OM’. Ganesha riding on tiny mouse indicates the complete conquest over egoism. The biggest and smallest living beings in the forms of an elephant and a mouse denote that Ganesha is the source of the evolutionary process of creatures from the smallest mouse to the biggest. elephant and finally becoming a human. This is why Ganesha has a human body, an elephant’s head and a mouse as His vehicle. A pictorial rendering of this symbolism is given at the end of this article.

:: Ganapati Atharvasirshopanishad ::

Shri Ganapati Atharvasirsha occurs in the Atharvana Veda. It is considered to be the most important Vedic text on Lord Ganesha. This is a very highly popular stotra, particularly in entire Maharashtra after the Ganapati worship was taken out of the temple precincts and brought to the public places as a social movement in the shape of community worship of The Lord.
Atharva means firmness, non-wavering, one pointedness of purpose, while sirsha means intellect. This means by controlling the unsteady and outgoing mind, man’s intellect can be directed towards liberation or ‘Atmonnati’.The full text of Ganapati Atharva Sirsha with its Bhaavaartha (general meanings) is given below for the benefit of the readers.

:: Text of Ganapati Atharvasirsha ::

.. shaanti mantra..
Peace Invocation
aum bhadram karnebhih shrunuyaama devaah.
bhadram pashyemaakshabhiryajatraah ..
sthirairangaistushhtuvaan sastanuubhih .
vyashema devahitam yadaayuh ..

O Gods .. Let us hear auspicious things through our ears, see good things through our eyes, May we spend the life time allotted to us by utilizing our strong bodies in offering our services and praises to You.

aum svasti na indro vriddhashravaah .
svasti nah puushhaa vishvavedaah ..
svasti nastaarkshyo arishhtanemih .
svasti no brihaspatirdadhaatu ..
aum shaantih . shaantih .. shaantih...

May the gods Indra, Puusha, Garuda and Brihaspati bestow blessings on us and protect us.
Om Peace Peace Peace

:: The Upanishad ::

Adidaivat Pratipaadhak Khand
aum namaste ganapataye ..
tvameva pratyaksham tattvamasi .. tvameva kevalam kartaasi ..
tvameva kevalam dhartaasi .. tvameva kevalam hartaasi ..
tvameva sarvam khalvidam brahmaasi ..
tvam saakshaadaatmaasi nityam .. 1..


I bow to thee, O Ganapati, who is the Lord of all the groups of Deities ranging from Brahma. You are the personified form of Brahman or the Brhmatattva. You are the creator, protector and destroyer of all beings. You are the in-dweller, eternal, all pervading Brahman embodied in all of us as Self.

1Svapratignaatmak Khand
ritam vachmi.. satyam vachmi.. 2..

I shall speak the scriptural truth and experiential truth only.2

Vighna Rakshanaruup Khand
ava tvam maam .. ava vaktaaram .. ava shrotaaram..
ava daataaram .. ava dhaataaram..
avaanuuchaanamava sishhyam..
ava pashchaattaat.. ava purastaat ..
avottaraattaat .. ava dakshinaattaat..
ava chordhvaattaat .. avaadharaattaat ..
sarvato maam paahi paahi samantaat .. 3..

Please, protect me, who is speaking about your true form. Please protect me who is hearing about your noble qualities. Please protect me who is teaching your adorations and worship to the other disciples. Please protect me who imbibes the spirit of Sadhana for your worship. Please protect me from all the obstacles in the way of my worshipping You emanating from all the sides and the directions (North, South, East and West, Above and Below). 3

Aadhyaatmapratipadhak Khand
tvam vaangmayastvam chinmayah ..
tvamaanandamayastvam brahmamayah ..
tvam sachchidaanandaadvitiiyosi ..
tvam pratyaksham brahmaasi ..
tvam jnaanamayo vijnaanamayosi .. 4..

You are the word, deed and thought . You are the truth, consciousness and bliss. You are the One only and non-dual Universal Self. You are the personified Brahma, appearing before us. You are the entire knowledge and wisdom. 4

Aadidaivat Varnanaatmak Khand
sarvam jagadidam tvatto jaayate ..
sarvam jagadidam tvattastishthati ..
sarvam jagadidam tvayi layameshyati ..
sarvam jagadidam tvayi pratyeti ..
tvam bhuumiraapo.analo.anilo nabhah ..
tvam chatvaari vaakpadaani .. 5..

This entire world has arisen from you, been nourished by you and dissolved into you. You support this moving and unmoving world. You are the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. You are the four levels of speech viz. para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari. 5

Aadhyaatma Prakaashak Khand
tvam gunatrayaatiitah tvamavasthaatrayaatiitah ..
tvam dehatrayaatiitah .. tvam kaalatrayaatiitah..
tvam muulaadhaarasthithosi nityam ..
tvam shaktitrayaatmakah ..
tvaam yogino dhyaayanti nityam ..
tvam brahmaa tvam vishhnustvam rudrastvam indrastvam agnistvam vaayustvam
suuryastvam chandramaastvam brahmabhuurbhuvah svarom .. 6..

You are beyond the three Gunas- sattwa, rajas and tamas. You are beyond the three states of consciousness - waking, dreaming and deep sleep. You are beyond the three states of body- gross, subtle and causal. You are beyond the three time-periods – past, present and future. You are seated in the Mooladhara Chakra in the physical body from where the Kundalini shakti arises. You are the source of three types of energy viz creation, maintenance and dissolution. You are always being meditated upon by the sages. You are the creator Brahma, the protector Vishnu and the destroyer Rudra .. You are the Indra, the Fire, the Air, the Sun, the Moon. You are Brahma, the three worlds viz. prithvi, antariksh and svarg and also the Pranava – OM. 6

Ganesha Vidya Khand
ganaadim puurvamuchchaarya varnaadim tadanantaram ..
anusvaarah paratarah .. ardhendulasitam .. taarena riddham ..
etattavamanusvaruupam .. gakaarah puurvaruupam..
akaaro madhyamaruupam .. anusvaarashchaantyaruupam ..
binduruttararuupam .. naadah sandhaanam ..
samhitaasandhih .. saishhaa ganeshavidyaa ..
ganakarishih .. nichridgaayatrii chchandah ..
ganapatirdevataa .. aum gam ganapataye namah .. 7..

Your name starts with the letter 'ga', and ends with the letter 'sha' and in between come the letter 'a' and anuswara 'n'. These have symbolic meanings representing the 'ganas' of prosody, and the letters and sounds of 'akaara''anuswara' of the language and the ‘sandhis’ of the grammar. The sage of this hymn is 'Ganaka', its meter is 'nichridgayatrii' and the presiding deity is 'Ganapati'. After describing the structure of the mantra the Rishi gives the full form of the manra as ‘Om Gam’ after which one has to utter ‘Ganapataye Namah’ and then offer Namaskaars.This part is giving the deeper Vedic meaning of the mantrabiija ga (m*) and is called the Ganeshavidyaa. 7

Sri Ganesha Gayatri Mantra Khand
ekadantaaya vidmahe vakratundaaya dhiimahi ..
tanno dantih prachodayaat .. 8..

Praise be to the bearer of the single tusk and crooked trunk. May we be inspired by this knowledge and meditation. 8

Dhyaanaatmak Khand
ekadantam chaturhastam paashamankusha dhaarinam ..
radam cha varadam hastairbibhraanam muushhakadhvajam ..
raktam lambodaram shuurpakarnakam raktavaasasam ..
raktagandhaanuliptaangam raktapushhpaih supuujitam ..
bhaktaanukampinam devam jagatkaaranamachyutam ..
aavirbhuutam cha srishhtyaadau prakriteh purushhaatparam ..
evam dhyaayati yo nityam sa yogii yoginaam varah .. 9..

After describing the Lord in the Mantra form, the sage now paints His physical form for the purposess of meditation on Him. The Lord is holding a tusk, a rope, an instrument 'ankusha' in three hands and the fourth hand is showing the boon-giving posture (vara mudra). He has his body smeared with a red fragrant paste. He is wearing a red dress and being worshipped by red flowers. He has the mouse as his vehicle. He has a large stomach and long ears. He is compassionate to His devotees. He is the cause of all the ‘leelas’ in this earth. He appeared before the creation of this universe. He is beyond the primordial Nature or Prakriti and Purusha. That sage who meditates on the Lord in this form is better than those who meditate otherwise. 9

Stutipratipaadhak Khand
namo vraatapataye . namo ganapataye . namah pramathapataye . namaste.astu lambodaraaya ekadantaaya. vighnanaashine shivasutaaya . shrii varadamuurtaye namo namah .. 10..

Salutations to the Lord of Gods and the Lord of the group of Ganas or hosts created by Shiva,. Salutations to the Lord of the Sevak of Sankara. Salutations to the large limbed and the single tusked Ganapati. Salutations to the destroyer of obstacles, to the son of Shiva and the boon-giver incarnate, Ganapati. 10

Phalashruti
etadatharvashiirsham yo.adhiite .. sa brahmabhuuyaaya kalpate ..
.. sa sarva vighnairnabaadhyate .. sa sarvatah sukhamedhate
sa panchamahaapaapaatpramuchyate ..
saayamadhiiyaano divasakritam paapam naashayati ..
praataradhiiyaano raatrikritam paapam naashayati ..
saayampraatah prayunjaano apaapo bhavati ..
sarvatraadhiiyaano.apavighno bhavati ..
dharmaarthakaamamoksham cha vindati ..
idamatharvashiirshhamashishhyaaya na deyam ..
yo yadi mohaaddaasyati sa paapiiyaan bhavati..
sahasraavartanaat yam yam kaamamadhiite..
tam tamanena saadhayet .. 11..

The one who studies Atharvasiirsham becomes qualified to become Brahma himself. He will not be afflicted by any obstacles and attains all-round happiness. He will be released from the five great sins.
If one studies this Upanishad in the evening he is absolved of the sins committed during the day; if studied in the morning the sins of the night are washed away; if studied both in the morning and evening, one is totally absolved of all sins. If studied always, one is freed from all obstacles; one obtains the benefits of all the four Purushaarthas (dharma, artha, kaama and moksha). However, one should not teach this to the undeserving student i.e. to the one who does not have faith and devotion to this scripture. If done so, out of greed for wealth, such a teacher becomes a great sinner. If one studies this Upanishad a thousand times according to prescribed Shastras, one achieves whatever is desired for.11

anena ganapatimabhishhinchati sa vaagmii bhavati ..
chaturthyaamanashnan japati sa vidyaavaan bhavati .
sa yashovaan bhavati ..
ityatharvanavaakyam .. brahmaadyaavaranam vidyaat
na bibheti kadaachaneti .. 12..
The devotee who performs Abhishek to the idol of Ganapati becomes a master in the art of speech. The devotee who studies this scripture on the Chaturthi by observing fast becomes a great and famous scholar. This is the final opinion of the Atharvasirsha. The one who practices this Brahma Vidya knows no fear, never.12

yo duurvaankurairyajati sa vaishravanopamo bhavati ..
yo laajairyajati sa yashovaan bhavati ..
sa medhaavaan bhavati ..
yo modakasahasrena yajati
sa vaanchitaphalamavaapnoti ..
yah saajyasamidbhiryajati
sa sarvam labhate sa sarvam labhate .. 13..

He who worships with 'Dhuurva' flowers becomes equal to the lord of wealth (Kubera), the worshipper who uses rice flakes, becomes a man of fame and scholarship, if one worships by offering a thousand coconuts and sugar mixed rice balls, obtains whatever is desired for and one who performs Yagna with ghee and ‘samidha’ sticks attains everything, everything indeed.13

ashhtau braahmanaan samyag graahayitvaa
suuryavarchasvii bhavati ..
suuryagrahe mahaanadyaam pratimaasannidhau
vaa japtvaa siddhamantro bhavati ..
mahaavighnaat pramuchyate .. mahaadoshhaat pramuchyate ..
mahaapaapaat pramuchyate ..mahaapratyavaayaat pramuchyate..
sa sarvavidbhavati sa sarvavidbhavati ..ya evam veda ityupanishad .. 14..

By teaching this (atharva) to eight brahmins properly, one becomes bright like the Sun. If the idol of Ganapati is worshipped by chanting this mantra, at the time of the solar eclipse, by standing in a great river like Ganga or Yamuna etc., one gets the full effect of the mantra and becomes a Siddha in that field. He is released from great obstacles, great defects/imperfections and great sins. He who knows this truth becomes the all-knower; he becomes the all-knower. Know this as the end of the Upanishad.14

.. shaanti mantra ..
Peace Invocation
aum sahanaavavatu .. sahanaubhunaktu ..
saha viiryam karavaavahai ..
tejasvinaavadhiitamastu maa vidvishhaavahai ..
aum shaantih . shaantih .. shaantih...

Let us both (the teacher and the taught) be protected together, let usenjoy together, let us endeavour together, let our study be resplendent, let us not hate or quarrel with each other.
Om Peace Peace Peace .. May there be peace all around (both outside and inside us).

नक्षत्र Vedic ज्योतिष

|| Vedic Astrology :: Shaktis of the Nakshatras ||

Each Nakshatra has its particular power or Shakti. These are also the powers of the Devatas or the deities ruling the Nakshatras. Each of these Shaktis has its effect above and its effect below, and the final result of these three factors. The imagery is of common factors of plants, healing, worship, marriage and death.
This is a teaching that derives from an ancient Vedic text called Taittiriya Brahmana I.5.1 and from the commentary of Bhattabhaskara Mishra.

Ashwini

Ashwini is govern by the Ashwins, the twin horsemen. It has the power to quickly reach things (shidhra vyapani shakti). Its basis above are the creatures to be healed. Its basis below is the healing therapies. From these three the entire world becomes free of disease.
Ashwini Nakshatra brings about quick aid and energization. The healing power of Ashwini is evident from these comments, particularly their ability to bring about fast, radical or miraculous cures as well as rejuvenation. The Ashwins are forces of Prana or the life-force, which is quick in its action to stimulate, help, and initiate a new level of activity.

Bharani

Bharani is ruled by Yama, the God of Death. It has the power to take things away (apabharani shakti). Its basis above is the removal of life from the body. Its basis below is the carrying of the soul to the realm of the ancestors. By the combination of these three factors creatures move on to the next world.
Bharani Nakshatra takes away that which has reached its term of life to a new condition. It shows the movement of the soul away from the body. Yama guides the soul to the astral plane, where it can experience the result of its karma from the present life and prepare for the life to come. Yama is a figure of discipline and sacrifice.

Krittika

Krittika is ruled by Agni, the God of Fire. It has the power to burn (dahana shakti). Its basis above is heat and below is light. The result of these three is burning or purification.
Leila Krittika Nakshatra burns up negativity, purifies what is mixed, and cooks or prepares that which is not yet ripe. Agni is mainly the God of the sacred fire, so purification is perhaps the dominant action, not destruction, though purification does involve the destruction of impurity. Agni is also the fire that cooks our food and so there is a nourishing side to its effects as well. This fire has a childlike nature.

Rohini

Rohini is ruled by Prajapati, the Creator. Its power is growth (rohana shakti). Its basis above is the plants and below is the waters. The result of these three is creation.
Rohini Nakshatra allows for growth and creation on all levels, bestowing great fertility. However it also evokes some degree of jealousy because others may resent that a person gains such abundance. More over it can increase desire. But these are only side effects to its great prosperity. Prajapati is the creator who can bestow everything so we should be careful what we want.

Mrigashirsha

Mrigashirsha is ruled by Soma, the God of the Moon or the immortal nectar. Its power is giving fulfillment (prinana shakti). Its basis above is extension. Its basis below weaving (producing clothing). These three together make the world enjoyable.
Mrigashirsha Nakshatra fills or covers with joy. It is like a beautiful cloth to make our life more attractive. Soma is a great enjoyment that is won, conquered, bought or stolen, so its procurement does not always come easily. However what does not require effort to gain is not always enjoyed either.

Ardra

Ardra is ruled by Rudra, the fierce form of Lord Shiva who represents thunder. Its power is effort (yatna shakti), particularly for making gains in life. Its basis above is hunting or searching. Its basis below is reaching the goal. These three bring about achievement.
Ardra Nakshatra arouses us to greater effort in life. This struggle can bring great rewards but not without persistence and a degree of luck. Rudra is the hunter and the wielder of the bow. The idea here also suggests placing of the arrow and hitting the target. For this one must have a good aim, as well as strength to shoot. Rudra is also the lord of wild animals.

Punarvasu

Punarvasu is ruled by Aditi, the Great Mother Goddess. Its power is the ability to gain wealth or substance (vasutva prapana shakti). Its basis above is the wind or air. Its basis below is wetness or rain. These three bring about the revitalization of the plants.
Punarvasu Nakshatra brings about the return of energy and vitality, like the return of the monsoon rains after the dry season. It causes our creative growths and inspirations to be renewed. Aditi is the Earth Goddess who grants all abundance and gives birth to all the Gods.

Pushya

Pushya is ruled by Brihaspati, the God of Divine wisdom. Its power is the ability to create spiritual energy (brahmavarchasa shakti). Its basis above is sacrificial worship. Its basis below is the worshipper. These three result in the creation of spiritual energy.
Pushya Nakshatra increases our good karma and good efforts. The value of this Nakshatra for religious and spiritual practices is emphasized. Brihaspati is the lord of speech, particularly prayer, and of all forms of worship, including meditation, so these indications are all in harmony with his functions.

Aslesha

Aslesha is ruled by the serpent God. It has the power to inflict with poison (visasleshana shakti). Its basis above is the approach of the serpent. Its basis below is trembling and agitation. These three together bring about destruction of the victim.
Aslesha Nakshatra paralyzes the enemy. This can be helpful if we have enemies but it can serve to give a person an inimical temperament as well. It all depends upon how the energy of this Nakshatra is used. Serpents also give wisdom, but a practical wisdom through which one can overcome enemies and obstacles.

Magha

Magha is ruled by the Ancestors. It gives the power of to leave the body (tyage kshepani shakti). Its basis above is mourning. Its basis below is leaving the body. These three together bring about death.
Magha Nakshatra causes a change of state or condition, a kind of death. Usually it shows that we are coming to the end of a cycle. Its condition is prior to that of Bharani which indicates the movement of the soul away from the body. Of course there are higher meanings of this Nakshatra relative to Ancestors including ancestral pride and power.

Purva Phalguni

Purva Phalguni in the Vedic order is ruled by Aryaman, the God of contracts and unions. It gives the power of procreation (prajanana shakti). Its basis above is the wife or female partner. Its basis below is the male or masculine partner. These three together bring about the creation of the fetus.
Purva Phalguni brings about union and procreation on all levels. Yet this follows some official agreement or marriage and is part of the creation of a new family or social order. Aryaman governs such productive alliances and also arranges the marriage festival.

Uttara Phalguni

Uttara Phalguni in the Vedic order is ruled by Bhaga, the God of happiness. Its power the giving of accumulation or prosperity (chayani shakti) through marriage or union. Its basis above is the wealth gained from ones own family. Its basis below is the wealth gained from ones partner and her family. These three together bring about the accumulation of wealth.
Uttara Phalguni brings the prosperity that results through union. It indicates both the need for union and for organizing the resources gained through it. Bhaga is also a God of wealth who brings about the right apportionment of resources. While the previous Nakshatra shows marriage this shows the setting up of the household for the newly married couple.

Hasta

Hasta is ruled by Savitar, the creative form of the Sun God. Its power is the ability to gain what we are seeking and place it in our own hands (hasta sthapaniya agama shakti). Its basis above is the seeking of gain. Its basis below is the process of gaining. These three together place what one wishes to gain in ones own hand.
Hasta gives the ability to achieve our goals in a complete and immediate manner. Such goals are usually creative in nature. Savitar is the creative will that builds up the universe with all of its beauty. His productions are most wonderful.

Chitra

Chitra is ruled by Twashtar, the Cosmic craftsman. Its power is ability to accumulate merit in life (punya cayani shakti). Its basis above is the law. Its basis below is the truth. Through these three the worker is able to gain honor in his work.
Chitra allows us to gain the fruit of our good karma that comes through righteousness. It has a highly spiritual energy and effect. Twashtar creates enduring forms, like a blacksmith, and also produces variety and abundance.

Swati

Swati is ruled by Vayu, the God of the Wind. It gives the power to scatter like the wind (pradhvamsa shakti). Its basis above is moving in various directions. Its basis below is change of form. The result of these three is transformation.
Swati Nakshatra causes things to move and scatter. This can be destructive unless we learn how to use it to remove negativity. All these indications are basically those of the Wind, which has both healing and destructive powers.

Vishakha

Vishakha is ruled by Indra and Agni, who represent the powers of heat and lightning in the Atmosphere. It gives the power to achieve many and various fruits in life (vyapana shakti). Its basis above is plowing or cultivation. Its basis below is the harvest. These three gives us the fruit of the harvest.
Vishakha provides the effort to achieve our goals abundantly through time, like a farmer plowing his field. It does not give immediate results but perhaps greater long term gains. Indra and Agni here are agriculture Gods showing the ripening effect of heat, rain and seasonal changes.

Anuradha

Anuradha is ruled by Mitra, the Divine Friend. It gives the power of worship (radhana shakti). Its basis above is ascension. Its basis below is descension. From these three honor and abundance is gained.
Anuradha Nakshatra gives balance in relationship, both honoring others and seeking ourselves to be honorable, through which we acquire fame and recognition. Mitra indicates compassion, devotion and right relationship.

Jyeshta

Jyeshta is ruled by Indra, the ruler of the Gods. It has the power to rise or conquer, and gain courage in battle (arohana shakti). Its basis above is attack and its basis below is defense. The result of these three is that one becomes a hero.
Jyeshta allows us to reach the summit of our personal powers but it requires great courage and effort. It shows karmic battles that require our complete energization in order to overcome. Indra is the king of the Gods who must eventually alone and single handed defeat the dragon, the most fearful of serpents. Though his position looks hopeless, he wins by courage and cunning, not by strength of arms.

Mula

Mula is ruled by Nirriti, the Goddess of destruction. It has the power to ruin or destroy. Its basis above is breaking things apart (barhana shakti). Its basis below is crushing things. Through these three one gains the power to destroy destruction.
In bringing afflictions Mula Nakshatra allows us to destroy their root, as long as they don't overcome us. It shows the necessary destruction to proceed a new creation. Nirriti is Alakshmi or the denial of Lakshmi (abundance and prosperity). She is Kali or the negative effect of time that we must protect ourselves from or use to our advantage.

Purvashadha

Purvashadha is ruled by the Waters (Apas). Its power is that of invigoration (varchograhana shakti). Its basis above is strength. Its basis below is connection. Through these three one gains lustre.
Purvashadha brings about purification and regeneration, like the energy gained through taking a bath in water. It provides us additional energy for our efforts. These effects flow from the Waters, which in this instance are heavenly in nature and can provide inner purification.

Uttarashadha

Uttarashadha is ruled by the Universal Gods (Vishwe Deva). Its power is grant an unchallengeable victory (apradhrisya shakti). Its basis above is the strength to win. Its basis below is the goal that one can win. From these three one becomes the unchallenged winner.
Uttarashadha brings us to the summit of our power, support and recognition, not so much through our personal efforts (which is more the case in Jyeshta) but with the appropriate alliances and support of all the Gods. Our victory depends upon a righteous cause that is beneficial to all, which we are helping in. Here we fight more as the leader of an army.

Shravana

Shravana is ruled by Vishnu, the pervador. Its power is that of connection (samhanana shakti). Its basis above is seeking. Its basis below are the paths. The result of these three is the connection of all things together.
Shravana enables us to link people together by connecting them to their appropriate paths in life. This requires receptivity and listening, and results in understanding and aspiration. Vishnu with his three strides links together the three worlds of Earth, Atmosphere and Heaven, connecting all creatures with the Gods.

Dhanishta

Dhanishta is ruled by the Vasus, the Gods of abundance. Its power is to give abundance and fame (khyapayitri shakti). Its basis above is birth. Its basis below is prosperity. These three give the power to bring people together.
Dhanishta allows us to bring the resources of people together. In this way it builds upon the connections of Shravana and makes them more practical. The Vasus are the deities of the Earth that give abundance on the earthly plane. They are manifestations of Agni or the sacred fire and show the gifts that it can dispense.

Shatabhishak

Shatabhishak is ruled by Varuna, the God of the cosmic waters. It has the power of healing (bheshaja shakti). Its basis above is extension or pervasion over all. Its basis below is the support of all. These three make the world free of calamity.
Shatabhishak counters difficult karmas through Divine grace and repentance. These include not only diseases but difficulties of all kind, including sin. While Ashwini gives more immediate cures, Shatabhishak brings about a healing crisis leading to revitalization. Varuna is a God of sin, debts, injury and disease, who cannot only bring these calamities upon us but can remove them from us, if we propitiate him sincerely.

Purva Bhadra

Purva Bhadra is ruled by Aja Ekapad, the one-footed serpent. It gives the fire to raise a spiritual person up in life (yajamana udyamana shakti). What is good for all people is its basis above. What is good for the Gods is its basis below. These three cause the entire world to be supported.
Purva Bhadra grants a universal view through internal purification. This raises up our spiritual aspiration in life and takes us out of the domain of selfish behavior. Aja Ekapad is the cosmic or celestial form of Agni or the sacred fire. It raises up our spiritual aspiration in life.

Uttara Bhadra

Uttara Bhadra is ruled by Ahir Budhnya, the serpent of the depths of the Atmosphere. Its power is the bringing of the rain (varshodyamana shakti). Its basis above is the raining clouds. Its basis below growing of the plants. From these three factors the three worlds gain their stability.
Uttara Bhadra grants growth and prosperity in a broad way, benefiting the entire world. This makes it very auspicious. Ahir Budhnya is the benefic serpent who brings the rain, connecting us with the creative powers at the foundations of the world.

Revati

Revati is governed by Pushan, the nourishing form of the Sun God. It has the power of nourishment symbolized by milk (kshiradyapani shakti). Its basis above is the cows. Its basis below are the calves. These three bring about the nourishment of the entire world.
Revati creates abundance through providing proper nourishment. It helps all people in their efforts. Pushan is the lord of cattle and the lord of the paths. He leads, protects and gathers the herd in their movement, particularly to new pastures. In this way he also protects the soul in its journey to the next world.

No Choice ?

One is born into a family, where conditions are conducive to undergo one’s destiny and where one has significant give-and-take account with each member of the family.

According to the law of Karma every positive deed generates a ‘merit’(punya) while every negative deed generates a ‘demerit’ (paap) or a sin. Subsequently one has to reap the results of one’s actions. Whenever one does a good deed to others, it is bound to give a positive return (in the form of some happiness), apart from a simple thank you from that person! Whenever one inflicts harm, it is bound to give negative return in the form of sorrow in some form. It cannot be undone by a simple ‘Sorry’! The law of Karma is infallible. It is something like Newton’s third law of motion, which states, ‘For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction’.

Destiny can be categorised in three parts as per its severity 1. mild destiny 2. moderate destiny 3. severe destiny Mild and moderate destiny can be overcome by chanting the family deity's name (shree kuldevtayai namah or your gurumantra) and chanting shree gurudev datta mantra but to overcome severe destiny we require Guur's grace . The saint should get pleased by our service and should say KALYAN BHAV !! BY Tanuja ji

56 bhog = 56 planetary combinations ?

56 bhog = 56 planetary combinations ?

Your comments please.

56 bhog = 56 planetary combinations ?

There are philosophical and sociological observations (explanations)in this regard.

With my limited astronomical approach, I submit the following.

The chemistry changes with the blending of two things. With that notion I presume the # 56 is derived .

Sun + Moon / Sun + Mars / Sun + Mer / Sun + Jup / Sun + Ven / Sun + Sat / Sun + Rahu(ketu) = 7

Moon + Mars / Moon + Mer / Moon + Jup / Moon + Ven / Moon + Sat / Moon + Rahu(ketu) = 6

Mars + Mer / Mars + Jup / Mars + Ven / Mars + Sat / Mars + Rahu(ketu) = 5

Mer + Jup / Mer + Ven / Mer + Sat / Mer + Rahu(ketu) = 4

Jup + Ven / Jup+ Sat / Jup + Rahu(ketu) = 3

Ven+ Sat / Ven + Rahu(ketu) = 2

Sat + Rahu (ketu) = 1

Total 28 combination in Krishna paksh & repeat 28 combination in Shukla paksh = 56 combinations.

Ved and Astronomy.. By Shri Siddhartha Sharma

वेदों में विज्ञान !!!

वैदिक युग की महान भारतीय प्रतिभाओं ने हजारों
वर्षों पूर्व प्रकाश के वेग का आकलन कर लिया था .

ऋग्वेद के प्रथम मंडल के 50 वें सूक्त को पढ़ें --

योजनानां सहस्त्रं द्वे, द्वे शते , द्वे च योजने
एकेन निमिषार्द्धेन क्रममाण नमोsस्तुते l l

अर्थ - मैं उस प्रकाश शक्ति (सूर्य) को नमस्कार करता हूँ
जो आधे निमिष में 2202 योजन की दूरी तय करता है l

अब,
 1 योजन = 4 कोश                     (या, क्रोश)
             = 4 x 8000 गज           (1कोश =8000 गज)
          = 32000 x 0.9144 मीटर  (1गज=0.9144मी.)   
          = 29260.8 मीटर
4404 योजन = 4404 x 29260.8 मीटर
                 =  128864563.2 मीटर   
         
निमिष की परिभाषा श्रीमद्भागवत में इस प्रकार है --
1 अहोरात्र = 30 मूहूर्त
             = 30 x 30 लघु           (1 मुहूर्त = 30 लघु)
             = 30x30x15 काष्ठ       (1 लघु = 15 काष्ठ)
          = 30x30x15x15 निमिष  (1काष्ठ =15निमिष)
          = 202500 निमिष
202500 निमिष = 1 अहोरात्र = 24 घंटे
                                    = 24x60x60  सेकेण्ड
                                    = 86400 सेकेण्ड     
1 निमिष = 202500/86400 =  32/75 सेकेण्ड 

प्रकाश का वेग = आधे निमिष में 2202 योजन
                      = एक निमिष में 4404 योजन
                      = 32/75सेकेण्ड में 128864563.2 मीटर
                      = 302026320 मीटर प्रति सेकेण्ड
                      = 302026.32 कि मी प्रति सेकेण्ड
                      = 3 लाख कि मी प्रति सेकेण्ड

आधुनिक वैज्ञानिकों द्वारा 1983 में प्रकाश के वेग को सही सही निर्धारित किया गया था और उसका मान है = 299792458 मीटर प्रति सेकेण्ड
यानि, 3 लाख कि मी प्रति सेकेण्ड

श्रम हो किसी का, श्रेय किसी को
युग युग से शोषण यह चलता है l
तिल तिल कर जलती बाती ही है
सब कहते देखो ! दीपक जलता है  ll

आओ ! वेदों की ओर चलें !

-- सिद्धार्थ शर्मा , कटक
    12 अगस्त , 2012

Bhavaat Bhavam : courtesy Sh AV Sundram Fb pg

VEDIC VISION

PARASHARI PRINCIPAL OF BHAVAT BHAVAM

This One is most important Basic  principal of Parashari Astrology and surprisingly isn't discussed much amongst the followers. BHAVAT BHAVAM means house result should also  be judged from the same number of house the planet is placed from as result will orient from that house only.

1st house = Self = Bhavat Bhavam fall in same house Itself and this prove the saying " Hard work have no substitute " If we want something we our self have to make efforts. Ascendant is trine and Kendra itself and most important house because its result will come from its own placement and no where else.

2nd House = Wealth, Speech, face etc = Bhavat Bhavam = 3rd house

 Courage, Hard work, communications, planing, explaining etc. Only Hard work with intelligent planing bring wealth, speech come only from vocal cord in neck. Success of work depends on speech and communications.

So Dasha of 3rd and 2nd  house planet bring wealth.

Mercury  and Venus simply means wealth from business and sweet speech.

3rd House = writing, communications, planing etc =  Bhavat Bhavam = 5th house

 one if want to write or communicate  then need creative conscious mind help which is 5th house and one get fame only via ones communications and hand gesturing skills.

So period of 3rd and 5th house planet will always bring creative writing and fame.

Sun and mercury bring intelligent creative writing, fame, and etc.

4th House = school, land, properties, mother and education = Bhavat Bhavam = 7th house

One get land only when we make a negotiation and make a contract (7th house ), result of school should also be considered with 7th house planet and if it malefic then ones have difficult in study in school. Our mother come from our Grandmother.

Dasha period of 4th and 7th is right to buy house, completion of schooling and mothers matters

Moon and Venus bring debts to buy house and beautiful house

5th House = creativity, fame, love, children, mantras knowledge, speculation etc = Bhavat Bhavam = 9th house.

Ones quality of creativity depends only on ones higher  education  and knowledge. Ones children one get from ones destiny,  mantra knowledge comes from Religious structure, ones speculation depends on ones luck, ones love come from ones Luck.

Dasha of 5th and 9th bring sudden luck, child birth, love interest, mantra knowledge etc.

Sun and Jupiter are reason for children's, ones blood line, respect, knowledge and fame.

6th house = Enemies, disease, accusation, service  exploitation etc = Bhavat Bhavam = 11th house

Enemies aren't stranger, we don't make stranger enemies  they are known people and  come from our friends network only who have fallen foul from us over their activities,  epicentre of  Disease is 11th house as people with high income will always have all type of fancy diseases,  service and income inter related, money bring greed and exploitation and all sort of litigation/accusations.

Dasha of 6th and 11th house bring service based income but all disease will start in this time frame and business disputes.

Saturn and mercury are best for service  agency based works but bad nervous system.

7th house = marriage, partner, business, alliances = Bhavat Bhavam = 1st house

Without our self how can marriage happen so in my humble opinion 1/7/11 house should be important for marriage timing, same goes for business and partnerships

Dasha of 1/7 house good for timing marriage and starting business

Venus mars with no affliction means quick marriage

8th House = sudden events, accidents, occult knowledge, secret activities, divorce  = Bhavat Bhavam = 3rd house

Sudden accident may happen of we do courageous stuffs, secrets of Occult are communicated or written, announcement of divorce

Dasha of 8th and 3rd bring bad news regarding divorce, accidents or publishing occult books.

Mars and mercury bad for health

9th house = Luck, destiny, society, dignity, religion,  higher education etc = Bhavat Bhavam = 5th house

Ones higher education depend on our intelligence, luck depend on purva punya, dignity come from fame and lineage advancement via birth of grandchildren and children's.

Dasha of 9th and 5th trigger divine blessings, windfall gains, lineages expansion, education advancement.

Jupiter sun makes Lucky and fertile  people as well as educated and knowledgeable.

10th house = Carrier, responsibility, workstatus, public visibility, leadership etc = Bhavat Bhavam = 7th house

7th is very important house for carrier as we need other people to deal with so we can advance our carrier with advises of other people and business, promotion, license to practice or degrees or permission to work. Marriage bring responsibility

Dasha of 10th and 7th bring license, degree to practice and start of business and getting big contract or contacts to advance carrier.

Saturn and Venus are best for carrier and Saturn is most important planet to trigger and time marriage as marriage is responsibility and no one cannot marry without blessing of Saturn.

11th house = Gains, income, mentor, network, gains, achievement = Bhavat Bhavam = 9th house

Ones income comes from ones knowledge and education, We get our network from ones society we live in, gain come from ones luck and destiny.

Dasha of 9th and 11th is most beneficial phase for gains, incomes, achievement and reward

Jupiter and Saturn are responsible for all good things happens in our life.

12th house = loses, isolation, travel, meditation, sleep, and private religious practices = Bhavat Bhavam = 11th house

We get our dreams from 11th house, loses come only when we have gained some things, mediation started when we have full and don't want more.

Dasha of 11th and 12th may give travel far away from birth place, starting of meditation, loses may come, isolation

Jupiter and Saturn are important for Yogi for breath control exercises, loses are also part of destiny

Thank you for patient reading

SATYA OJHA