by Vic DiCara
Summary
Men are assertive and powerful, but need (parastāt) women to realize their full potential (avastāt). A bull symbolises the powerful man (ṛṣabha), and a field symbolises the fruitful woman (jāyā). Bulls till fields, and that combination causes crops to grow. But a bull without a field or a field without a bull cannot create any harvest.
Interpretive
Pūrva Phalguṇī is excellent for creativity, productivity, fertility, sexuality and romance. Planets that have similar symbolic portfolios (Venus, Moon, Mercury and Jupiter) signify good fortune in these areas.
Pūrva Phālguṇī is especially about the masculine (inceptive and catalytic) aspect of all these subjects. Thus male planets have some unexpected synergies here, and female planets some unexpected discomfort. Male planets (Mars and Sun) are not known as being romantic or relationship oriented, but when they occupy Pūrva Phālguṇī they signify a romantic attitude that is brave, outgoing, catalytic and assertive - like Aryaman himself. Female planets (Venus and Moon), although signifying creative and artistic talent, indicate a confusion in the dynamics of courtship: lack of romantic bravery, a desire to be pursued rather than to initiate pursuit. Especially when present in men this limits the number of romantic engagements (without damaging the ability to be intimate and expressive of love in those intimate relationships).
Mercury in either Phālguṇī suggests less romantic passion and more platonic affection. The nodes and Saturn signify unusual creativity and sexual outlooks. Ketu tends towards asexuality; Saturn more towards the unusual; and Rāhu towards very bold creative and romantic attitudes and behaviors.
Life Lesson
This sūtra teaches men how to court women successfully - and thus also teaches women what to look for in an ideal mate. A male must be outgoing and forthcoming. He must come before the woman (purve) - not expect her to come to him - and be forthright and outgoing about his feelings for her (aryama).
Because aryama is outgoing, he is expressive. Because he expresses affection, he is good. Being good means abiding by laws: making promises and keeping them. This is also an essential lesson for initial courtship and long-term relationships as well: a male should express affection by making oaths and promises to the woman, which he will never break or fail to deliver; and a woman should evaluate a male mate on the basis of how well he delivers on his promises (not the glitter of the promises themselves).25
Supplication
Masters of sex predominate the Phalguṇī
they are Aryama, Varuṇa, and Mitra.26
May they bring us pleasures and prosperity,
which all creatures seek, for a happy life.
The entire world knows them well,
Everyone everywhere seeks their glance.
The ever-youthful king Aryama
rejoices like a bull
in Phalguṇī.
Uttara-Phalguṇī -
The Fruit Bearer
भगस्योत्तरे
वहतवः परस्ताद्वहमाना अवस्तात्
bhagas-yottare
vahatavaḥ parastād vahamānā avastāt
Achieving the beautiful woman
needs strength and wealth
to be wish-fulfilling.
bhagasya:
of Bhaga
(beauty and wealth)
uttare:
above, achieved
vahatavaḥ:
items of wealth taken into a marriage by a woman
vahamānāḥ:
inspiration and fulfillment of desires
Bhaga
The word bhaga refers to all prized, valued, and treasured entities. The word denotes females and the female sex organ - a fact reflecting how true Vedic culture prized and respected the feminine.
Vahatava
This word indicates things that help us get to our objectives and achieve our goals. For example, it can refer to cars and carriages, or to bulls and oxen, which carry ploughs and help the land progress in producing its harvest, its “fruits.” It also refers to the items of wealth that a bride would take with her into a new marriage, because these items “carry” the bride from her previous living situation and help establish her new living situation.
Vahamānā
This word indicates fulfillment of the objectives and goals themselves.
Summary
The previous nakṣatra, Pūrva Phalguṇī, concerns our ability to initiate romantic exchanges. The current nakṣatra, Uttara Phalguṇī concerns our ability to solidify them into long term unions, and thus derive their fruits.
The previous nakṣatra described how a man should approach a woman to evoke her creative and fertile energies. The current nakṣatra describes how a woman utilizes the strength and resources of a man to generate a blissful, wish-fulfilling union.
The physical strength of a friendly and affectionate male provides a woman practical protection (one meaning of vahatava) from other men. If this man ensures the woman is safe and supplied with resources and raw material (the other meaning of vahatava) she can apply her natural talents to these, producing fruits that make herself and everyone around her prosperous and happy. A woman without this support, however, has to face the harsh distress of basic survival on her own. This curtails her ability to be happy and make others happy; and thus neither she nor her partners flourish.27
Interpretive
Uttara Phalguṇī is a very welcome nakṣatra for partnership, marriage, fidelity, romance, and creativity; but is weak with things that require self-sufficiency and independence.
Most planets can fare well in this fortunate nakṣatra. The softer and more feminine planets tend to do particularly, especially Venus and the Moon. Harder or more masculine planets like Saturn or the Sun have to be read with more sensitivity to other factors. They may indicate having the strength and resources required, or they may indicate being uncooperative and insensitive to the needs of partners. Mars is a particularly challenging planet in this nakṣatra, since the nakṣatra signifies partnership, but Mars is the planet of individuality.
Life Lesson
As Pūrva Phālguṇī taught us what it means to be a “real man,” Uttara Phālguṇī teaches what it means to be an “ideal woman.” The sūtra reveals that an ideal woman fulfills the desires of her partners (spouse, children, friends, etc). While at first this seems a feminists nightmare, the sūtra also explains that a woman automatically makes others happy when she herself is happy and secure, as a result of having sufficient resources and security. The sūtra does not portray ideal women as objects of enjoyment, who should exist merely for the pleasures of others. It describes women as subjects who naturally produce pleasure for everyone when they are valued and given the resources they need. Women naturally bring enjoyment and fulfillment to others when they themselves are happy and fulfilled.
This may not satisfy some versions of extreme or hardcore feminist world-views - who insist on denying the absence of any manly quality in women, but, at least in my opinion, that reveals a flaw in those world-views, not in this beautiful, practical, and very realistic Vedic concept.
The sūtra delivers an important life-lesson to men as well. Men often complain (vocally or to themselves) that they have to work to supply resources for women. This is like a hand complaining that it needs to carry food to the mouth! The sūtra explains that resources and concessions given to a good female partner will ultimately do nothing but benefit the man as well as the woman. Therefore it is in no one’s best interest to deny security and resources to women.
Supplication
Among the gods,
you enjoy the greatest share of pleasure, Bhaga.
You are the true experiencer of Phalguṇī’s wealth.
Grant us ability to parent and protect,
and give full youthfulness, virility and vitality
to our senses and libido.
Bhaga is the creative inseminator,
Ente
red into the vulva of the fruit-bearing goddess Phalguṇī.
May we see the glorious child born!
Let us also be like these two divinities!
Hasta -
The Inspired Hand
देवस्य सवितुर्हस्तः
प्रसवः परस्तात्सनिरवस्तात्
devasya savitur hastaḥ
prasavaḥ parastāt sanir avastāt
The hand of the quickener
needs inspiration, to attain objectives.
devasya-savituḥ:
of Savitā-deva
(the awakener)
hastaḥ:
the hand
prasavaḥ:
inspiration
saniḥ:
acquisition28
Devasya-Savituḥ
The word Savitṛ literally means “awakener.” The god bearing this name is the god of the rising sun.
This sūtra addresses Savitṛ as deva - following the convention set in the famous Savitṛ Gāyatrī of Ṛg Veda. The word deva literally means “brilliant.” It refers to the “divine light” of consciousness itself. So, the phrase used in this sūtra, devasya-savituḥ, literally means “the awakener of awareness.”29
The first thing we should know about Hasta nakṣatra, then, is that it signifies heightened perceptivity and awareness.
Hastaḥ
The word hasta literally means, “hand.” Hands are very sensitive and dextrous, and uniquely manifest in humans - the earthly life-form with the most broadly awakened consciousness. Hands allow humans to interact the world in fine detail, creating and using complex tools.
Hasta nakṣatra signifies this dexterity, capacity to operate well with very fine details.
Prasavaḥ
Prasavaḥ is a very interesting word. The prefix pra- means “pro-” (“for”) and the root sava means “life force” and “essence.” Prasava literally means “evoking life-force,” and “evoking the essence.” Hence the word usually denotes motivation & stimulation, giving birth, bringing things to fruition, and multiplying and increasing resources.
This is exactly what Savitṛ, the rising sun, does every day! He rouses us, wakes us, and stimulates us to get out and accomplish objectives.
Saniḥ
The word sani indicates an acquisition, a reward. The ultimate objective (avastāt) of Hasta nakṣatra is to attain acquisitions.
Summary
Hasta wakes us up and makes us more active and attentive by giving us inspiration to attain objectives. By increasing our alertness and attention, it helps us be more deft, dextrous, and effective in how we attain our goals.
Interpretive
Under normal astrological circumstances, Mercury, Venus, and Moon inherently suggest desirable outcomes in Hasta nakṣatra. Mercury is very dextrous, and also very intelligent and refined. Mercury is also mercantile, and in Hasta it suggests business and commercial savvy.
The Moon fares well here for a similar reason. It is the repository of all desires, which is another way of saying it is the home of all our inspirations. In Hasta, the Moon indicates abundant motivation and inspiration allowing one to find pleasure in pursuing goals intelligently.
Venus symbolises the perceptive potency in our senses. In hasta, Venus suggests sensual acuity.
The Sun would also seem to fare well here, since the nakṣatra belongs to the rising sun. It should indicate great clarity of perception and steady, reliable inspiration for long-term success.
Rāhu’s outward flow of consciousness synergizes well with Hasta, signifying a heightened awareness, especially of how to match supply and demand to make profit.
Jupiter seems rather neutral here. We might expect that it indicates heightened perceptivity regarding morals and laws.
The other planets seem to indicate some challenges in hasta. Mars exacerbates the inspirations and makes patience difficult to maintain. Saturn depresses the inspirations, and dulls the perceptions. Ketu’s inward flow of consciousness is not exactly in tune with Hasta’s outward direction, suggesting awareness of unusual, unseen, spiritual things and a lack of inspiration for conventional acquisition.
Mars and Sun in Hasta indicate muscular dexterity, conducive to excellence in sports and combat.
Life Lesson
Hasta Nakshatra revels how important it is to be inspired and motivated. If we are uninspired there is no way we will attain any goal. We will not want to wake up; we will not even want to be alive.
Inspiration is so essential, and this sūtra reveals the secret of how to get it. It states that conscious awareness (devasya-savituḥ) is inseparably connected with inspiration (prasava) and success (sani). This means that the best, more reliable way for anyone to be steadily inspired, even when success seems far off, is to simply become more alert. Pay more attention to the small details in the every day things all around you. Touch them and investigate them. This will reveal that you already have attained such magnificent things (sani), and can surely continue to do so. It will show you that there is something worth striving for everywhere, and in things that are within your reach.30
Supplication
May Savitur (awakeness) come to us
in the golden chariot of dawn.
Make us full of joy,
refreshing us by increasing our awareness.
Inspire us to good and fulfilling deeds.
May Hasta grant us immortal wealth
May our hand be dextrous enough to grasp it.
Savitur is the giver.
He grants the acquisitions
that are the goal of our endeavors.
Citrā -
True Beauty
इन्द्रस्य चित्रा
ऋतं परस्तात्सत्यमवस्तात्
indrasya citrā
ṛtaṁ parastāt satyam avastāt
Brilliant sensual creativity
needs genuinity for true beauty.
indrasya:
of Tvaṣṭa / Indra
(the creator / sense-user)
citrā:
brilliant, beautiful
ṛtaṁ:
genuinity
satyam:
truth
Indra
It’s a bit of a shock to hear “Indra” mentioned here, since common knowledge is that Tvaṣṭā, not Indra, is the god of Citrā. However, Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa is not proposing that we replace Tvaṣṭā with Indra. We can be confident in this beyond a doubt because the very same book (in 3.1.1.23-24) will very clearly and repeatedly name Tvaṣṭā as the divinity of Citrā.
Confusion about why this sūtra uses the word indra arises if we don’t remember that indra is not intrinsically a name for a specific person or god, it is a title used in many names and forms of address, meaning “best,” or more literally, “powerful,” specifically due to one’s ability to utilize the power of tools (indriya).
The word indra means “powerful.” The word indriya denotes use and extension of that power. Indriya is the word most commonly used for describing the senses - eyes, ears, and so on. This is because the senses express and extend the power of the powerful, the soul, indra. This paradigm of indriya/indra is essential for understanding Citrā nakṣatra because the nakṣatra is entirely concerned with sensual acuity, refinement and excellence.
Tvaṣṭā is the god of creation.31 Indriyas are, very literally, the tools of creation. The god of creation certainly deserves to be described as “Indra” (the best), because all the gods are dependent on being created by him in the first place.
Citrā
The word citrā literally means “the layer (ci-) maker (-tra)” - i.e. the assembler, the builder. Since it denotes assembling many layers together, it has to do with concepts of sophistication, refinement, complexity, fine detail, and variegation. An item with many facets and layers will sparkle and dazzle, and this is yet another meaning of the word citrā: to be
beautiful, sparkling, shiny, and brilliant.
Ṛta
Ṛta means “true” in the sense of being “genuine.” Sensual perception (indrasya citrā) requires ṛta: accuracy and validity. If our perceptions are false and inaccurate we will not select the right colors, tones, words, etc. and will fail to create anything significant or substantial.
Ṛta implies sincerity and honesty. Citrā requires these traits because if we lack them our perceptions will be distorted by our prejudices and desires.
Satya
The word satya means something that is real (sat) and therefore is effective and good. Citrā wants to produce attractive and beautiful things, but not without substance and utility, and not without fidelity to truth.
Summary
Citrā is all about the ability to express a genuine substance (ṛtam indra) in a deservingly glorious (citrā) form (satyam indriya).
Interpretive
This nakṣatra is very intelligent (“brilliant”) and refined, and understands complexities in fine detail. It is very welcome in any matter pertaining to intellect, creativity, beauty and harmony, and works particularly well where clarity and honest fidelity to the underlying spirit and substance is desired. It is not so welcome in cases where discretion and some measure of deception or non-disclosure may be called for.
Venus, Jupiter, & Mercury are particularly synergistic with the resources of Citrā. Venus brings out Citrā’s artistic genius; Jupiter, its honest intellect; Mercury its impeccable organization and refinement.
Mars & Saturn tend to clash with Citrā, suggesting bluntness in perception and lack of muse in creativity. However, even they can easily indicate pragmatism and accurate critique.
The Sun and Moon suggest clarity in the mind and perceptions. Rāhu and Ketu suggest unusual perceptions and creations.