Mars makes widows of women!

[Guest guest]

Dear spiritual brethren,

 

"Mars makes widows of women".

 

Although the Mars-Ketu conjunction in Mula was largely responsible

for triggering the full destructive potential of the World Trade

Center in September, fulfilling the awful potential of Saturn in

Rohini to cause war, Mars also has an extremely spiritual side. It

is this side that we wish to promote as the world progresses in its

current symphony of rage.

 

Mars is worthy of study in Hindu Astrology, because it can actually

produce very benefic results when used properly by the individual

and when understood properly. But the difficulty we encounter in

interpreting the Hindu grahas, is that not many astrologers look

below the surface when interpreting these planets. Mars in

particular is misunderstood, as it is assigned the role of

unthinking energy in Vedic Astrology, assuming the role of being, at

best, a cruder form of the energy embodied by the Sun. One of the

most frequently overlooked roles of Mars is its role in spiritual

development, which I first encountered through the writings of the

late M. Ramakrishna Bhatt--along with P. S. Sastri., one of the

finest and best respected translators of Jyotish Sanskrit classics.

Mars, according to Sri Bhatt, is the planet of those who avoid

rebirth--certainly enough of a tantalizing hint to explore the

spiritual dimensions of this planet.

 

Mars, according to the Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, is the most

malefic planet -- a role normally attributed to Saturn in other

Vedic texts. It is with good reason that Mars assumes this status.

Mars is a rapidly acting, rather violent planet. It is also in

charge of logic, because logic is the intellectual weapon employed

to win arguments. Mars is usually represented by several deities in

Hindu mythology, including Shiva's younger son Skanda (who also goes

by the name of Murugan, Kartikeya, Kumara, or Subrahmanya). This God

was created in order to defeat Tarakasura, a demon who was

destroying the world and who had made a deal that they could only be

defeated by an infant child (There are many similar passages in

Indian mythology). This deity has the power to defeat enemies, but

was not designed for human contact or companionship. The myths

associated with him indicate that before conceiving him, his parents

(Siva and Parvati) had to perform severe Tapas or austerities, born

in a forest of arrow-like grass and reared by the six divine mothers

(the Pleiades) and with his shining weapon (his lance or his shakti)

he defeated Tarakasura easily. Allegedly, he also exposed Brahma's

ignorance of the Vedas and received the name Brahma-Sastra. Skanda

(another name) means one who has acquired the power of chastity. His

name Subrahmanya comes from his like of holy people and his goodness

towards them. His other names are Guha (the secret one), Gangeya

(son of Ganga), and, perhaps most significantly Svaminatha (the

preceptor of his own father).

 

As Subrahmanya, he is depicted as having six heads and twelve hands.

His six heads represent the five sense centers and the mind, which

coordinates their activities. The six centers of energy also leads

individuals to the crown chakra, which can grant liberation to those

who attain this chakra. There is a great deal of Symbology connected

with the deity representing Mars; according to one text, the peacock

that this deity rides (Also referred to as Mars' mount in certain

texts) represents the glory of creation and Subramahnya is its

ruler, hence, its "crown". So this planet sits as the "crown of

creation".

 

Another representation of Mars (the incarnation of Vishnu through

the planet Mars) is Narasimha, the lion-headed deity of the Hindus.

Narasimha was born, like Skanda to destroy the demon Hiranyakashipu

who had won many boons and became very powerful, eventually

conquering and ruling the three worlds. The Devas became his

servants. This demon was so powerful he threatened the cosmic order.

The demon had made a deal with the energy of the Universe (God) that

he would not be destroyed by human or animal; could not be destroyed

either indoor or outside; could not be killed by any weapon; and

could not be destroyed in the day or the night. This seemed to cover

all of the possibilities, and the demon set about taking over the

world, confident in the knowledge that he could not be harmed. The

Devas petitioned Vishnu to correct this situation. Eventually, he

became so cruel that Vishnu, preserver of the universe, vowed to end

the demon's rule.

 

Hiranyakashipu had a small son named Prahlada who was enamored of

God. He would talk to his fellow students of God and became such a

disruptive influence that Hiranyakashipu ordered Prahlada's teachers

to try to pull him away from God through his studies. This did not

work and Hiranyakashipu ordered his own child killed. But the

teachers were unable to kill the child. Finally, Hiranyakashipu

became so exasperated at this that he told his five year old child

that he was going to kill him. The accounts vary a bit as to what

happened next. By one account, a young child appeared to the demon,

and started chanting a mantra on the threshold of a temple.

Initially the demon thought nothing of this, but the demon started

being irritated by the child's singing. The child's singing of the

mantra continued all day and eventually, at dusk, a wondrous being

emerge from one of the temple pillars. Equipped with a lion's head

and claws, but with the body of a man, Narasimha emerged at the

temple threshold, where the demon was lured. He was neither animal

nor man; he emerged at dusk, which is neither day or night; and he

emerged at a temple threshold, neither indoors or outdoors.

Narasimha killed the demon with his claws (not using a weapon.). In

another account, Hiranyakasphipu tells his son that unless the son

ceased his devotion to God, Hiranyakashipu would kill him. Prahlada

responded that God was everywhere and all powerful. When this was

said, Hiranyakashipu said, "If God is everywhere, is he in this

temple column?"Hiranyakashhipu has a small son named Prahlada who

was enamored of God. " Prahlada affirmed that this so. Hiranyashipu

then struck the temple column and Narasimha emerged from the temple.

Hiranyakahshipu battled this being with a lion's upper body and a

man's lower body for a short while, but was disemboweled by

Narasimha. So Vishnu as Narasimha fulfilled the criteria necessary

for a being who could destroy a powerful demon capable of perverting

the universe. He also defended a loyal devotee who was drawn to him

and who was in danger of being killed by a being filled with desire

for worldly gain (Hiranyakashipu)-not unlike the danger most of us

find ourselves in day after day in encountering the temptations of

the world. It is said that Yogis of certain sects grow beards and

mustaches in order to look like Narasimha, and in order to give them

the courage to defeat their own demons and (perhaps) save the world

from demonic influences.

 

Hanuman is an extremely interesting character featured in the

classic Indian text the Ramayana. He is the bravest and most

powerful warrior of the army of monkeys who assisted Lord Rama in

his fight against the demon king Ravana. Also known as Anjanaeya,

Hanuman was considered by some to be a manifestation of Shiva's

power, sent to assist Rama because the demon Ravana was considered

to be an extraordinarily powerful and disturbing threat to the

universal order. (See Aghora, part two by Robert Svoboda) Hanuman

served the role of Rama's loyal supporter and servant in the epic

tale the Ramayana, is also considered a manifestation of the planet

Mars. He is totally devoted to Rama and Sita, Rama being a

representation of the Sun and Sita being born of the earth. He is

also superhuman; when Lakshmana, Rama's brother, becomes ill,

Hanuman is charged to find a certain herb which will cure him.

Hanuman, uncertain as to the herb, lifted up the entire mountain and

brought it to Lakshmana! Hanuman / Anjaneya also singlehandedly laid

waste to Sri Lanka, the home of the Rakshashas. The strength and

determination of Hanuman was enormous, and this represents the

greatness of Mars at its best. If it has a goal and a service to

pursue, it is a truly wonderful planet, capable of delivering us

from our worst enemies.

 

Many myths connected with Mars reflect the planets' great power. In

Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra and in other texts, Mars is represented

as the lord of the Sama Veda; the setting of the Vedas to chants

that have a consciousness altering effect. In his translation of the

Bhagavad Gita, (which has an incredible array of "fighting" motifs

as an indicator of the path to liberation) Goswami Kriyananda has

Krishna saying to Arjuna that, among the Vedas, he is the SAMA VEDA.

Since the Gita's entire focus is on liberation, and Krishna

identifies the SAMA VEDA as being (like him) the highest, Mars is,

by explicit implication, tied intimately to those who wish to

achieve liberation in this lifetime. It is also connected strongly

with bachelorhood (although Subrahmanya ultimately attains two

wives) because of the error that Kartikeya made initially when he

interpreted Shiva's command too literally and circled the universe.

(Ganesha correctly interpreted his parent's order and circled the

creators of the universe-Shiva and Parvati-and married first. When

Kartikeya arrived home from his journey, he realized his mistake and

renounced the world to meditate on this mistake-becoming, in

essence, the first mendicant.

 

Mars is also the representative of brothers in a chart, and in P.S.

Sastri's translation of the Jaimini Sutram, the Bhatri Karaka, the

planet third highest in degree regardless of sign, becomes the

significator of the spiritual teacher, thus indirectly emphasizing

Mars as the determinant of the spiritual preceptor. Also, this makes

a great deal of sense, for, although a teacher can lead the student

to liberation, it is the student's responsibility to "conquer"

desires alone. In the end, your liberation is between you and God.

And one must die several deaths (one "dies daily" in meditation) in

order to be free.

 

Mars' very courage and inability to compromise, however, are also

drawbacks when it comes to interpersonal relations. Individuals who

possess strong Mars in certain houses, especially in the 1st, 2nd,

4th, 7th, 8th and 12th houses in the chart, are, with certain

exceptions, said to cause Kuja Dosha or "Mars Affliction", a

condition which either causes harm to the marriage partner or causes

the individual to be attracted to individuals with whom he or she

can not function for a very long period of time. There are

cancellations of Kuja Dosha, said to occur when Mars is in the

Ascendant in the signs of either Aquarius or Leo (according to B. V.

Raman) or in Scorpio, Capricorn or Aries. These placements are

supposed to nullify Kuja Dosha. In my opinion, they lessen but do

not nullify Kuja Dosha. Similarly, Kuja Dosha is said to be inactive

if the individual marries after the age of 28. In my experience,

this is not true. However, Kuja Dosha is nullified if the marriage

partner also possesses the affliction, in my experience. There are

remedial measures for Kuja Dosha, and I believe these can work in

certain cases as well. (I am in the process of writing a book on

Vedic Astrology, a large portion of which is devoted to remedial

measures for planetary afflictions that fall outside the norm of

most Vedic Astrology texts published in the United States.)

 

In Brihat Parasara Hora Sastra, Mars is considered the worst

malefic, the planet most capable of producing inauspicious results.

There are several possible reasons for this status. The predominant

reasons is probably Mars' status as the military planet, the planet

which makes widows of women. Mars is the Commander in chief of the

planetary army. As such, this planet requires that we make

sacrifices for the higher good -- in some ways it acts as a metaphor

for the realm of logic, because logic and rational thought often

make us pursue paths that do not "feel" good. Yet while logic and

rationalism can be used for constructive purposes, they must be used

carefully. The significations of Mars can, like those of a knife, be

used to kill or to cure. Mars is an aggressive planet, and it

requires action and provides energy wherever it is located in a

planet. Mars forces things to happen, yet many things of our

technological age would not be possible without Mars, and its energy

also applies to things that are heated (this applies to cooked food

as well as metals and manufactured goods.). Mars is also essential

for success in surgery; for success in engineering; and for success

(the most unusual and surprising signification of Mars for most

individuals) in spiritual practices. The reason for these three

levels and needs is that many of these things require dedication,

self sacrifice, and, I would insist, application of intellect (yes,

even for spiritual practices, for the truth of the matter is that

when we face God, it must be, at least in certain yogic traditions,

through the use of a determined mind, and it is Mars as a planet,

which allows us to control our mind in order to retain self control.

 

Interestingly enough, military domination and imperialism are

actually judged by other planets in combination or conjunction with

Mars. Venus, Saturn and Jupiter are far more territorial planets

than Mars is. Mars may, in fact, eliminate lives, but it does its

job because it must be done. It really does not care for possessions

very much, but it likes to see the results of its labors, which is

one of the reasons it is said to rule property. This is what makes

it such a powerful planet for spiritual activity (because it has

little attachment to anything except doing the best job it can) but

is also what makes it such a dangerous planet, BECAUSE IT DOES ITS

JOB WITHOUT CONSCIENCE AND WITHOUT REGARD FOR THE CONSEQUENCES.

Logic, following orders, and spiritual sadhana (practice) must be

followed with intelligence and judgment, otherwise destruction and

despair will follow. In addition, spiritual sadhana, in its purest

form, will usually tear families apart, detaching these individuals

from their families and forcing them to live alone, in classical

spiritual practice, destroying marriages and families in much the

same way that war would. Mars, according to K. N. Rao, a well-

respected astrologer from India, represents the wife in a man's

chart within the Bhrigu system of astrology, and also represents the

inclination to worship Vishnu (many people for whom I have done

charts who worship Vishnu or deities with Vishnu - like

characteristics (including Christ and Buddha) have a very strong

Mars either in the first house, in the ninth house, or aspecting the

ninth house.) Mars also introduces disruptions and arguments in

married life and in other interpersonal relationships, often forcing

us to work alone, or, to take command and get the job done.

 

Mars in a Vedic chart, as in Western astrology, denotes the focus of

aggressive action for the individual. Mars also rules contact with

the Police and the military, and those who "live by fire" which

includes a wide variety of occupations, including everything from

metallurgy to cooking to guns. Things which are "burned" are said to

be ruled by Mars.

 

The following are examples of individuals with possess a strong Mars

in their charts. I have taken samples from very well known

individuals who possess very spiritual and very worldly qualities

 

The first example is perhaps the most obvious example of a malefic

Mars in a chart. Adolph Hitler would be an obvious example of the

destructive capacity of Mars. If we look at Hitler's chart, we can

see a close conjunction between Mars and Venus (within the distance

of planetary war), with Mars winning planetary war by being in the

earlier degree. This combination, it is said, gave him a strong

Ruchaka Yoga, causing his war like tendencies. While this may be

true, I attribute his ability to execute these war like tendencies

to an incredibly strong Saturn (his Raja Yoga Karaka planet) being

placed in his tenth house, giving him the ability to rule, but also

(along with his weak Mercury, as observed by B. V. Raman) causing

his fall.

 

Mars is also actively present in the charts of many individuals who

aspire to great spiritual heights. In the chart of Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa it is exalted in his twelfth house, giving him direct

access to Kali and to the Vedantic tradition. One will notice that

this Mars is also his atmakaraka planet (the planet which is highest

in degree in the chart, regardless of sign) and, in his Navamsa

chart, Mars is placed in Cancer (its weakest placement for action

and discipline) along with Ketu, the otherworldly, liberation giving

planet. Now keep something in mind here...although I have seen other

very involved explanations of Ramakrishna's spiritual life, the

exploration of the traits of Mars in his chart explains them in

simple terms and could be a primer for the way one can evaluate

spiritual potential in a Jyotish chart. First, the twelfth house

lord (Saturn) is exalted; the Lord of the house in which Saturn sits

is exalted, and Mars, the planet of isolation and solitude, is

exalted. Mars is also called "the wanderer" because of the way it

travels through the heavens. Ramakrishna is certainly famous for

being an enlightened being, but the ways in which he attained

enlightenment were unique. There are reports that Ramakrishna's

first teacher was a Tantric woman; that he was also initiated into

Vedanta (a very non-emotional and "logical" system) and attained

liberation through "wandering" through a variety of different

religious paths. He also, at one stage in his life, was purportedly

so enamored of Hanuman that he took to going into trees and losing

his identity as a human and becoming Hanuman. The placement of his

atmakaraka planet in houses other than the first, does allow him to

personally identify with renunciation and intense spiritual sadhana.

He went into blissful states very easily, and this "direct line" to

God can best be explained by Mars's conjunction with Ketu in the

Navamsa chart, for Ketu blasts off the intellectual limitations in

encountering God. Yet when Ramakrishna practiced Christianity or

Islam and claimed enlightenment, he did not need to spend a great

deal of time in these disciplines. He just thought a little and

instant samadhi! In this system of planetary maturity -- the system

of in which each planet "matures" and show its full effects in a

person's life (Planetary maturity, by the way, seems to be a

simplified derivation of the Bhrigu Naisarigka Dasa system used in

Bhrigu astrology), his Mars " matured" at age 27-28, which occurred

for him between the calendar years 1863 and 1864; this is consistent

with his attainment of nirvikalpa samadhi which is reported in Hart

DeFouw's and Robert Svoboda's Light on Life as occurring in

Ramakrishna's Saturn Dasa, Rahu Bhukti. It is also extremely

interesting to note that all three of Ramakrishna's lagnas occur in

Mars-ruled Dhanishta, the placement of Mars in its exalted state in

the twelfth quite naturally leading to interest in spiritual life.

Also the placement of Mars, being the ruler of his third house (his

house of desires) and his tenth house (his house of career or

action) naturally make his desires and career in spiritual life. In

regards to Ramakrishna's marriage, we can look at his twelfth house

Mars affliction giving him an unusual marriage. Indeed, it has been

stated that his marriage was never consummated, and that he

worshipped his wife as the Divine Mother, so this gave the

unconventional -- but spiritual -- marriage that Mars affliction can

sometimes produce. Although most of our speculation here is on Mars,

it should be noted that the ruler of his seventh house is in the

first, so he thought about his marriage perpetually, but in the

manner of a spiritual person, because the ruler of the nakshatra in

which the Sun is placed is Mars, and Mars sits in the twelfth house!

 

In the 4:45 AM (GMT) birth chart of the Dalai Lama, it is in the

Lagna, giving strong self-discipline, and the ability to meditate

for hour upon end. One of the most fascinating phenomena I have

noted since I started doing charts has been the extremely high

incidence of individuals who adopt a spiritual practice --

particularly meditation -- during a Mars Mahadasa or Bhukti. The

well-known astrologer James Braha, to use one example, has

repeatedly discussed the intense meditative experiences he

encountered during his Mars mahadasa. Mars presents the gift of

solitude, the ability to follow the spiritual light within, and is

often, in my humble opinion, the planet most responsible for rapid

spiritual advancement. It also represents the will to bring the

energy of the kundalini from our stomachs to our hearts, where the

Venus chakra resides, and where we actually experience spiritual

bliss for the first time, according to Yogic theory. Keep in mind

that various martial arts and athletic activities (ruled by Mars)

actually contain meditative procedures and after war (Mars) can

bring us to "victory in war" -- one of the many significations of

the planet Venus (Shukra) the planet which is, at the lower level,

responsible for material happiness, but, at the higher level, is

also responsible for spiritual bliss. Any one who has encountered

spiritual bliss or heightened levels of endorphins in the blood

stream because of athletic exertion can attest to the feelings of

joy both bring. And numerous medical tests have emphasized changes

in physiology experienced after meditation or after an intense

physical activity. Both activities change body chemistry (ruled by

Venus) and are the result of a Martian exercise of effort,

discipline or will power.

 

This planet is our gateway between the inner worlds (Venus, Mercury,

the Moon) and higher knowledge (represented by Jupiter, Saturn, and

Ketu. Its role as commander-in-chief of the planetary army

(technically Rahu and Ketu) puts it in charge of our desires (Rahu)

and our eccentricities (Ketu). It heeds Krishna's call to "fight" to

control and kill the hordes of desires which compete for our

attention on the spiritual path, leading the way to wisdom (Jupiter)

and renunciation (Saturn). And it does so without regard to the

cost. There are sometimes, indeed spiritual widows in the world and

Mars makes these as well.

 

This study is not be tken to the heart.Many remedies are available

for the malefic mars.Also a strong will power and subconscious

tuning is needed to avert tragedies of Mars.This is my humble

opinion.

OM ANGARAKAYA NAMAHA,

yours yogically,

Dattu