MYTHOLOGY AND OUR PLANETS.

9 Planets, 12 rashis, 12 bhavas and 27 nakshatras are the major components which are to be studied by an astrologer  in a horoscope to arrive at a certain conclusion.

Astrology is a divine science, and planets are divine entities. Astrology is one of the six limbs of the Vedas. All of us  know that Vedas are our heritage. In them are stored the essence of all the knowledge. Therefore Astrology is also called “Vedanga”.

The Vedas or knowledge had descended upon our Rishis and sages from Lord Brahma himself. But the task before sages was the dissemination of Knowledge to common masses. So they devised a unique education system, consisting of different levels.

At the lowest level were simple stories with moral, religious, ethical and social message for the masses. The Panchtantra has such mass appeal.

The next level of education was meant for a little more educated  householders, to help them bring up worthy children and good human beings. Stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata were  written at this level.

At the next level were scholars and   preachers who enlightened the masses  and householders through “Kathas” and discourses, explaining to them the deeper  meaning of stories. So Puranas and Upanishade were written for them.

At the top level were the Sages, Rishis, Researchers & Scholars, who studied the Vedas, and wrote commentaries on  them through their enlightened and divine  knowledge, for the worthy seekers.

In this article, I have reproduced stories from  Puranas, as taught to us in BVB  to explain  the nature of planets, their effect on our lives and the behaviour of one planet with the other.

THE SUN

The Trimurti of mythology comprises Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. Brahma, the prajapati, had a son named Marichi who was sage Kashyap's father. Kashyap rishi married Daksha's daughter Aditi. Aditi was the mother of the Gods. Her sons, the Gods, were humiliatingly defeated by the demons. They lost their power and respect.

Aditi prayed to the Sun requesting him to be born to her and Sage Kashyap, and then fight and defeat the demons so that the Gods could get back their due. The Sun agreed to the request and was born as Aditya to Aditi.

Aditya was steadfast in battle, cruel to the demons and a winning warrior. He defeated the demons comprehensively and got the kingdom of the Gods back to them. He also educated his brothers in the art of administering and defending a kingdom.
Analysing it, let us put the statement that the 'Sun is not a malefic but is cruel' to test. The Sun had been prayed to by a Rishi's wife and look at Kashyapa's lineage-Brahma the Creator is his grandfather. His brothers are the Gods. He is born with a mission to annihilate evil doers and to give the weak but righteous Gods their lost glory. He needs to be cruel to supress evil doers, 'that is easy to understand. The Sun needs to drum some sense into his brothers who had fallen into a self pitying stupor. This needed cruelty. The Sun is an able administrator and a winning Commander. He is a giver of boons.

Let us take up the story of his marriage and children. Sun married Sangya. Sangya was the daughter of Vishvakarma, the celestial architect . Sangya bore the Sun five children. We look at three children first. These children are Vaivasvat  Manu, who gave the Laws. Then there were the twins Yama and Yami. Yama is messenger of the 22nd Dreshkon, the 64th Navamsha and that house, the eighth, of longevity. Yami is River Yamuna. Sacred in times that have gone by, but now actively helping her brother, Yama, so massively have we, the humans, polluted her. Sangya was quite uncomfortable with the fiery nature of her lord, the Sun; his brightness and consequent heat are also disconcerting. She wanted to separate from him. Sangya created a replica of herself  from her shadow. The shadow is called the Chhaya". This "Chhaya" of hers was meant to replace Sangya during the period of her separation. Sangya asked Chhaya  to look after the husband and the children. She also requested her creation not to disclose their secret to the Sun. The Sun is a separative planet. This trait of the Sun owes itself to the seemingly unorthodox behaviour of his beloved wife.

Chhaya was afraid of being cursed. She accepted her Creator's request and told her that the secret will be safe till she was faced with a situation where being cursed was imminent. The Sun was happy as he knew nothing of his wife's machinations and deceit. Chhaya gave birth to two sons. Manu and Shani. Shani's full name is 'shanaishchar'. This Manu is the author of "Manu-Smriti". The Sun found it intriguing his wife was discriminating between the children; she was not giving the same love and attention to the elder three. Yama rebelled and was promptly cursed by Chhaya. Yama then sought refuge with his father who annulled the curse. The Sun now confronted Chhaya with his doubts; how is it possible for a mother to curse her own child? In the course of heated arguments he pulled Chhaya by her hair and was about to curse her when the story was blurted out by the scared Chhaya. Furious and angry the fiery Sun went to his father-in-law.  Vishvakarma wisely counselled his annoyed son-in-law. He told him the Sun was scorching and difficult to be borne by delicate skinned maidens. Sangya's love was so strong and abiding that she left her shadow in her place. To protect herself from others, she changed herself into a mare and moved well to the North where the Sun is less scorching. The Sun was smitten with remorse. Vishvakarma also counselled the Sun to permit a face lift so that he  would become charming and attractively beautiful. The Sun's face was made round and beautiful. He acquired an attractive glowing red complexion. The Sun met Sangya in the form of a horse. He wooed her, won her and begot  Ashvini Kumars from this love union.

In Astrology we know the Sun to be the timer. He causes Day and Night, the Seasons, he times our sowing of grains. He is also the one who nourishes the world. He is the father of Manu the Law giver, Yama the messenger who times our move, our change from one form of life to another or for the spiritual few the final emancipation is his son. Shani or Saturn is his son and he is the Ayushkaraka'; controlling the span of our lives. Ashvini Kumars are celestial physicians controlling illnesses and promoting healthy growth. The Sun's strength in a horoscope indicates soundness of physical and spiritual health. The Sun is separative specially if it afflicts the 7th House and/or the 7th Lord. Do not pull the hair of your spouse or you would lose your own hair.  In any case you will be tearing your hair, The Sun gives scanty thinning hair. The Sun scorched his wife Why would he not do the same to any planet that comes too near him? Planets get combust when they are close to the Sun. Remember he is fiery.

Amrita had been produced after the Sagar-Manthan'. This churning of the ocean was jointly done by the Gods and the demons. It was being distributed.The distributor was the Lord of Lords Vishnu himself disguised as bewitching Mohini. Mohini as her name suggests has beguiled the Demons The demons had been deluded and had permitted the Gods to have the first turn. Sensing the game plan sitting disguised amongst them was the wily, secretive Asura Swarbhanu the son of Viprasiddhi and Simhika. Swarbhanu had  taken a position between the Sun and the Moon. Mohini was giving Amrita to Swarbhanu. When the Sun pointed this intruder out and disrupted his ill conceived scheme for becoming immortal , Mohini with one blow of her ladle beheads Swarbhanu. Amrita has gone down his throat so he did not die. The head is Rahu and the body is Ketu. Rahu the head devours the Sun every now and then. The Sun escapes from the severed neck. This getting devoured by Rahu annoyed the Sun who remonstrated, that the act done by him was to the benefit of all the Gods, but the consequences are his alone. So he shone with scorching and dazzling brightness. It looked as if the world would be reduced to cinders. The Gods ran to Brahma. He advised them to seek the assistance of Aruna, another son of Kashyapa, hence a brother of the Sun. Aruna took the position of charioteer to the Sun and so skillfully drove the chariot that the world escaped being reduced to ashes.

In Astrology we are aware that the Sun and Rahu are enemies. Here is the reason why they are so disposed. The Sun needs a benefic association to be fruitful in any house. By itself its fiery temperament is generally ruinous to the house.

To be continued….