An objection against
Astrology raised by some people of pseudo-scientific outlook is that stellar
bodies viz. Sun, Moon, Rahu (Dragon’s Head), Ketu (Dragon’s Tail) have been
classified as planets. But these people are totally ignorant about the fact
that the ancient Aryan scholars were quite conscious about the exact natures of
these species. And these were described as planets only in respect of their
similarities regarding impacts on terrestrial phenomena and human life with the
actual planets of our solar system. In Applied Astrology, the stellar species
are divided into two groups according to their actions; the first of the two is
the creative group comprised of the Sun, the strong Moon, Mars, Jupiter and
Ketu and the other is the destructive group inclusive of weak Moon, Mercury,
Venus, Saturn and Rahu. Rahu and Ketu are the two points of intersection of the
ecliptic and the Moon’s orbit around the Earth. These two separated by an angle
of 1800 move in the Zodiac in the opposite direction to other
planets and remain always at exactly opposite points in the Zodiac. Therefore,
from the very definition, it appears that all the planets belonging to the
creative group are inimical to Rahu while it is the same for Ketu for planets
belonging to the destructive group. We shall now proceed to examine the
significance of these relations of Rahu and Ketu with other planets.
According to Applied
Astrology, Rahu and Ketu have no characteristics of their own but the two act
according to the signs and/or Bhavas and/or planets with which they are related
by position or aspect. The very nature of Rahu is to enhance the functions of
the signs, Bhavas or the planets related with it and also to create obstructions
to these functions. On the contrary, Ketu acts to uproot such functions as are
related with the signs these occupy or the planets and Bhavas with which it is
related.
According to Hindu
Mythology, when nectar obtained by the churning of the ocean by the joint
effort of the deities and the demons was being distributed by the Lord Vishnu
among the deities, the demon Rahu in guise of the deity tried to have the same.
But this pretentious effort of Rahu was realized by the Sun and the Moon. They
intimated the same to the Lord Vishnu who then beheaded Rahu with His Sudarshan
Chakra. Since the nectar could not pass beyond the neck of Rahu, its head
remained alive but the rest of the body turned into a corpse. The head of the
deity remained alive by the effect of nectar and was called as before Rahu, but
the corpse was termed as Ketu. Due to the sudden death of Rahu, its desires for
enjoyments were not fulfilled and as such it remained roaming in the Time and
its desires for enjoyments increased more and more. On the other hand, Ketu
being lifeless remained totally inactive and as such, the house, the sign and
the planets related with Ketu became inactive in a natal chart. This gave rise
to the internal enmity of Rahu towards the Sun and the Moon and in the slightest
opportunity it swallows the Sun and the Moon which is actually the phenomena of
eclipses of the Sun and the Moon. But due to the neck being cut off from the
body of Rahu, the Sun and the Moon swallowed by Rahu after some time find the
ways to come out which is actually the last stage of any eclipse. Now, let us
examine the philosophical significance of this enmity of Rahu.
In Astrology, the
Sun and the Moon respectively signify the right and the left eyes of a native. The
fifth sign in the Zodiac viz. Leo being ruled by the Sun signifying the soul
acts as the third eye while Moon controlling the mind signifies the mind’s eye
or the insight. Rahu being the demon is the significator of pretension, greed,
hypocrisy, tempter and all illegal enjoyments. As such, a native controlled by
complexes very easily falls prey to the temptations of Rahu which leads him to
destruction and the hell. Therefore, to realize the pretension of Rahu, it is
necessary to activate the insight and the third eye controlled by Sattwik life
style. Therefore, an eternal enmity continues between the destructive Rahu with
the creative Sun and Moon. Therefore, even if a native gets tempted by the
greed signified by Rahu, he after some time gets rid of the same with the help
of the insight and the third eye and returns to the path of eternal
existence.
The third planet of
the creative group is Mars, the controlling deity being Kartika, the military
force in planetary kingdom because Kartika was born for the destruction of the
evil forces viz. the demons. The function of Kartika is to destroy the evils
and to protect the good from all evils. As such, whenever in a society, people
being obsessed by complexes under the influence of Rahu start enjoying illicit
and unlawful material desires and passions leading to social irregularities,
Mars immediately comes into action for the destruction of the evils and to
restore the lawful situations in the society. For this reason, Mars is described
as “Kumara” in hymn for Mars which is also used for Kartika. Therefore, an
eternal enmity exists between Mars and the greedy, cheat and the significator
of all illegal activities and irregularities i.e. Rahu.
The next planet of
the creative group is Jupiter, the Master of the deities who teaches his
disciples the eternity of the soul and lessons antagonistic to material
enjoyments. The Eternal Force which has expressed Himself in the entire
creation keeps the Dev Guru Jupiter absorbed in the meditation for sublimation
of consciousness and to find the way to cross over the complexes. Again, in
times of need the Kshatriya Sakti (military) combined with Sattwik Brahmin
force of knowledge and wisdom comes into effect to destroy the evils. In
harmony with this, of the two signs of Jupiter in the Zodiac, Saggitarius is
dual Sattwik, Kshatriya sign of fiery nature while Pisces is dual, Sattwik
Brahmin sign of watery nature. Jupiter is characterized by wisdom, conscience,
sacrifice, religious outlook, mercy, democratic attitude, liberalism etc. which
are totally contradictory to the characteristics of Rahu viz. cheating, depriving
others, total selfishness, Tamasik dictatorial outlook, uncontrolled greed etc.
Therefore, these opposite characteristics of Rahu and Jupiter make the two
inimical to each other. As such, Saggitarius is described as the house of
debilation for Rahu and Pisces also a weak sign for it wherein the evil effects
of Rahu are manifested in the highest form but often Jupiter out of his Brahmin
simplicity and liberalism can not follow properly the hypocrisy of Rahu and as
such himself becomes a prey of pretension. Therefore, a conjunction or mutual
aspect of Jupiter and Rahu is termed as Guru-Chandal Dosha.
The last stellar
species of the creative group is Ketu which is actually a corpse of beheaded
Rahu as has been explained in the previous paragraphs. In accordance with this,
the characteristics and the functions of the sign, Bhava or the planets with
which Ketu gets associated are destroyed as if being senseless or due to the
coiled nature of Ketu, these characteristics are manifested in some perverted
ways. Again, the latent energy in this coiled form of a snake can be brought
into action when the same is aroused by means of meditation, asceticism and
self-discipline. Therefore, due to the total difference in the characteristic
of Rahu and Ketu, they are always situated in the Zodiac at 1800
apart and are, therefore, inimical to each other although according to Hindu
Mythology, they are the body parts of the same demon Rahu.
Now, Let us examine the
relation of Rahu with the planets of the destructive group. According to the
classification, they belong to the same group and are therefore mutual friends
but the nature and consequence of such friendship is the matter of discussion.
Weak or waning Moon
belonging to the destructive group is the significator of mental weakness and suppressed
complexes. Therefore, the significator of earthly pleasures and illegal
enjoyments i.e. Rahu can easily afflict the weak Moon which results in the
temptation of the concerned native causing thereby obstructions towards
material as well as spiritual progress. In other words, for the spiritual
sublimation and material prospect both Rahu and weak Moon cause obstructions
i.e. they are of identical nature and are therefore mutual friends.
The next planet of
this group is Mercury which in the Zodiac owns two signs viz. Gemini and Virgo.
Gemini is dual airy sign and Virgo is dual earthy sign both of Sattwik nature. Gemini
is described in one opinion as the sign of exaltation for Rahu which is also
very strong in Virgo i.e. in both signs Rahu is highly strong. Mercury is
described as the child planet in the Zodiac. Therefore, an affliction of
Mercury by Rahu makes the former directed in the path of evils by damaging the
common-sense and the benefic intelligence of the native leading him to
destruction. Again, Mercury being the significator of speech, such an
affliction makes the speeches of the native lewd and uncontrolled but when
Mercury is strong and beneficially disposed, the pious and good senses of a
simple, holy child together with auspicious, unbiased and Sattwik realistic
rationality can recognize an evil and hippocratic motivation of the demon Rahu and
as the result the native leaving aside the uncontrolled material enjoyments of
Rahu leading to death follows the path of eternal good to get rid of the
complexes. Therefore, in such a case Mercury becomes the controller of Rahu and
utilizes it as an instrument to attain his ultimate goal of life i.e.
attainment of godhood and therefore in such situation, Mercury and Rahu become
friendly to each other.
The next member of
this destructive group is Venus which is described as natural benefic due to
its charming appearance. According to Hindu Mythology, Venus is the Master of
the Demons who teaches his disciples the lesson of material enjoyments only. Again,
in the hymn of planets in Sanskrit, Venus is described as “Sarbashastra
Proboktaram” i.e. who has acquired the authority on all the branches of
knowledge. The mystery of creating a new body through the destruction of the
old is within his knowledge. This makes Venus inevitable for the continuance of
the life process. Rahu is the representative of wicked and sinful persons who
is given to unscriptural practices who setting aside the path of the Eternal
Life follows the course of uncontrolled material pleasures leading to death. These
lessons of the Master Venus are totally manifested in Rahu. Again, according to
Greek literature, Venus is the goddess of beauty who is the most attractive and
charming for the earthly pleasures. Therefore, in all aspects the
characteristics of Rahu are in harmony which those of Venus and as such the two
are intimate friends for each other.
The last and the
chief planet of this group is Saturn. In our solar system, the position of
Saturn is just opposite to the Sun with respect to earth. Sun being the origin
of creation in our solar system, naturally Saturn is described as the chief
destructive. In the characteristics of Saturn, many mutually opposite traits
are seen. A benefic Saturn is realistic devoted to jobs of servicing nature
having a scientifically analytic mind equally competent in material and
spiritual philosophies, a hermit planet without any personal aspiration while a
weak and afflicted Saturn is the representative of cheat, pretender with a
separating and narrow mind, origin of all sorrows, mental depression, Tamasik
and focusing the real and uncovered appearance of life leading ultimately to
death. Therefore, due to the similarities in respect of destructiveness, Saturn
and Rahu are strong friends to each other.
We shall now examine
the relations of Ketu with the other planets. Since Ketu belongs to the
creative group, therefore it is friendly towards Sun, strong Moon, Mars and
Jupiter, the exact nature of friendliness is being analyzed.
Sun being the
significator of soul has the full manifestation of consciousness. Our solar
system gets lighted with Sun which is also the origin of terrestrial life. On
the other hand, Ketu is apparently lifeless having no sense but has in itself
the energy of soul coiled and latent form. Activation of this energy results in
the realization of the Supreme Soul by the native. Therefore, due to the
underlying similarities between Sun and Ketu, they are friendly to each other.
However, if either or both of the two be weak or afflicted by malefic, then
instead of real manifestation and development of consciousness, a pretending
expression comes to the surface and the actual significance of Sun becomes unexposed
or asleep.
The next planet of
the group is strong Moon which is the significator of mind, affection, family,
mother, domestic happiness etc. Ketu is the significator of inherent energy
having no external manifestation of sensation. Therefore, a relation of strong
Moon and Ketu while increasing the mental energy has the mental manifestation
in some curved or serpentine way and in respect of affection, domestic affairs
etc. the relation causes outward indifference, although it exists in the depth
of mind without perversion. Therefore, such a relation between Moon and Ketu
becomes friendly to each other.
The next planet of
this group is Mars which is the significator of tremendous activity and mental
energy. Therefore, a relation of Ketu with Mars increases the internal martial
energy and working capacity and therefore makes the two friendly to each other.
In the Zodiac, Mars rules over the cardinal fiery sign Aries which is helpful
for the manifestation of the inherent energy of Ketu and the fixed watery sign
Scorpio which is helpful for the arousal of the coiled energy i.e. “Kundolini
Shakti” of the soul. Therefore, Mars and Ketu in the Zodiac behave as intimate
friends to each other and actually Ketu is treated as the higher form of Mars.
The last planet of
this group is Jupiter which signifies religion, conscience, sacrifice, wisdom,
freedom from all complexes, sublimation of soul energy etc. Therefore, the
underlying internal energy, spiritual sense, indifference towards external
world etc. become helpful for the function of Jupiter forming a friendly
relation between the two. In the Zodiac, Saggitarius ruled by Jupiter is
described in one opinion as the sign of exaltation for Ketu and the other sign
Pisces is also helpful for this purpose. Therefore, these two are close friends
to each other in the Zodiac.
We shall now examine
the relations of Ketu with the members of the destructive group of which the
first planet is weak or waning Moon which is the significator of mental
weakness, domestic hazards, pretension of affection and sympathy. Therefore,
the underlying energy of Ketu can not destroy such weakness, rather it
increases the mental complexes i.e. in such a case the relation between the two
is not helpful for each other.
The next planet of
this group is Mercury which is the significator of child like simplicity,
inquisitiveness, practical and materialistic analyzing capacity; the inherent
neural energy for activity etc. but the self-centered apathy of Ketu without
outward expression is obstructive for the child like inquisitiveness of
Mercury. In harmony with this, Gemini ruled by Mercury is the sign of
debilation for Ketu and Virgo also ruled by Mercury is not friendly for Ketu
i.e. an inimical relation exists between the two.
The next planet of this
group is Venus. Venus, the Master of the Demons is the significator of material
enjoyments, lust, passions for female beings, material science and technology,
arts etc. The fixed earthy sign Taurus of Rajas nature and the cardinal airy
sign Libra of Tamas nature are ruled by Venus. Since these two signs are
respectively the second and the seventh signs of the Zodiac i.e. the primary
and the secondary maraka houses respectively, Venus is considered as the chief
maraka in the Zodiac. Therefore, it has an inimical relation with the
underlying creative power of Ketu. Again, Ketu signifying lifeless and
senseless body is devoid of physical pleasures and self-centered mentality, it
is not in harmony with the seventh sign signifying environment. Ketu signifying
inherent spiritual force is contrary to material science, arts and culture,
business etc. Therefore, relation between Venus and Ketu is strongly inimical
for each other.
The last and the
chief planet of this destructive group is Saturn which as has been described in
Hindu Mythology as the abandoned son of the father Sun is the significator of
inferiority complex and is, therefore, strong enemy for Sun. Saturn is
characterized by servicing nature, practical sense, material philosophy and
spirituality of a hermit. Of the two signs ruled by Saturn, Capricorn is
cardinal earthy sign of Tamas nature while fixed airy sign Aquarius is of Rajas
nature. Therefore, the characteristics of senseless Ketu are not in sympathy of
those of Capricorn and therefore in this case Ketu and Saturn are inimical to
each other but for Aquarius the spiritual sense of Saturn is in tune with that
of Ketu but the other characteristics of this Rajasik airy nature of the sign
are antagonistic to Ketu. Therefore, in overall analysis, Saturn and Ketu are
strongly inimical to each other.
