Planets, Signs and Houses: Vedic Astrology Myths and Facts, Chapter I, Part - 13

Continuation…

Dr. Shanker Adawal

The various mythological children born to the Sun represent different combinations of solar light with feminine creative forces. The resulting children become special creative powers furthering the Divine mission that is the sole purpose of the solar light. Some of these children are:-

Yama, god of death; Manu, father of the human race; Sugriva, the monkey king friendly with the demons but who sided with the gods to help conquer them; Jatayu, the vulture who gave the great hero Sri Rama knowledge about how his wife Sita was abducted; Karna, a hero of the Mahabharata born of Kunti; All these offspring of the Sun have the common feature of carrying further the Divine mission of the light, the victory of the spiritual force over materiality.

Saturn does the same thing but in a special way. Saturn spiritualizes but not by arousing an inner urge to discover the real Self. This comes as an after-effect. Saturn causes frustration with the material world. It creates sorrow first. It accentuates the nature of the `shadow’ and makes the veil covering the soul’s real nature more prominent through its restricting influence. Saturn does not show us the ultimate goal at first but confronts us with the limitations of the veil. Then follows the urge to liberate oneself and attain one’s real nature.

Another name for Saturn is Saptarchi, which means “he who has seven flames or rays.” The Sun has seven rays, or seven channels of the life current.

Rahu, the North Node of the Moon

Hindu mythology describes Rahu as born of a lioness and black in colour. He rides a lion and has four hands. In his three arms he holds a scimitar, a spear and a shield, while from the fourth, he bestows blessings. The sages thought that the birth of Rahu from a lioness and his riding a lion arer analogous to the allegory of Vijaratana, which described his unsurping his father’s kingdom.

In order to discover the influence of Rahu in the process of spiritual awakening, we have to go deeper into the details of the allegory. In the second stage it is called Surya, the “Son” who offers himself as a sacrifice to himself. In the third stage it is called the Initiate, who sacrifices his physical to his spiritual self. It is Vishwakarman, who became virtually Vijaratana, the “son shorn of his beams,” who suffers for his too ardent nature and then becomes glorified by purification. This refers to spiritual awakening achieved by sacrifice and purification.

Being the son of a lioness, Rahu has the nature and consciousness of the lion. Rahu represents the active or male potency of Shakti, the female reproducing power in nature, Durga, the feminine counterpart of Shiva, also rides a lion. As a serpent, Rahu pervades the entire body of Shiva who controls the gods and demons alike. Rahu was used by the demons as well as the gods in the churning of the cosmic ocean. Rahu also has a special relationship with the Moon, whom it devours in order to regenerate it and thereby rejuvenate the manifestation. The Moon rests on the crest of Shiva, the great enlightener and bestower of all siddhis or perfections, the destroyer and regenerator of the cosmos. Such a close association of Rahu with Shiva emphasizes the mystic nature of Rahu working for the bestowal of inner knowledge.

The four hands of Rahu indicate the instruments with which it manifests itself. A scimitar is a short sabre with a curved, sharp edged blade broadening from the handle, while a spear is a long, pointed weapon used in fighting and hunting. A shield is a broad piece of armour that protects or defends. One cannot attribute cruelty to Rahu, though astrologically it is considered a first-rate malefic.

Description of the Planets according to classic:

Description of the Sun: The Sun has honey coloured eyes, square body; he is of clean habits, is bilious, intelligent, manly and has limited hair on his head.

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Shanker Adawal

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